Processing equipment

Abstract

To omit change work for a position of a suction cup of a carrier pad due to manual work of a worker by automatically adjusting the position of the suction cup.SOLUTION: A control section 120 of a cutting device (processing device) 1 performs control in such a manner that, based on an outer dimension which is set by an outer dimension setting section 130, a suction cup 95 and a plate 93 are settled in an interval between a pair of frame guides 41 by moving a carrier pad 92 downward, and moved in a direction of narrowing the interval of the frame guides 41, and the suction cup 95 and the plate 93 are moved close to a position corresponding to an outer dimension of a ring frame F along a rail 94 by the frame guides. Based on the outer dimension which is set by the outer dimension setting section 130, the suction cup 95 and the plate 93 are settled outside of the interval between the pair of frame guides 41 by moving the carrier pad 92 downward and moved in a direction of widening the interval of the frame guides 41, and the suction cup 95 and the plate 93 are moved separate from the position corresponding to the outer dimension of the ring frame F along the rail 94 by the frame guides 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for processing a wafer held together with a workpiece set on a chuck table.

Background Art

[0002] For example, in a processing apparatus for processing a thin disk-shaped wafer, a cassette containing a workpiece set in which a tape is adhered to a ring frame and the wafer to integrate them is placed on a cassette stage, the workpiece set is taken out from the cassette and conveyed to a chuck table, and the wafer held together with the workpiece set on the chuck table is processed. Such processing apparatuses include a dicing apparatus that cuts a wafer with a cutting blade (see, for example, Patent Document 1) and a laser processing apparatus that laser-processes a wafer with a laser beam (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0003] In such a processing apparatus, the workpiece set accommodated in the cassette is gripped and pulled out, and the workpiece set is temporarily placed on a pair of frame guides extending in the pulling-out direction. Then, the upper surface of the workpiece set temporarily placed on the frame guides is sucked and held by four suction cups of a transfer mechanism and lifted to separate the workpiece set from the frame guides. After that, the interval between the pair of frame guides is widened, and the workpiece set held by the transfer mechanism is lowered to pass between the pair of frame guides, and the workpiece set is delivered to a chuck table waiting below the frame guides (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

[0005] Incidentally, the wafers to be processed come in different sizes, and ring frames of a size appropriate to the wafer are used. When the size (outer dimensions) of the ring frame is changed, the operator manually adjusts the position of the suction cups on the transport pad to ensure that the resized ring frame is securely held by the transport pad, according to the size of the ring frame.

[0006] As mentioned above, manually changing the position of the suction cups every time the ring frame size changes is cumbersome for the worker and results in poor work efficiency.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a processing device that can automatically adjust the position of the suction cups of the transport pad, thereby eliminating the need for manual adjustment of the suction cup positions by the operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a processing apparatus for processing a wafer held on a chuck table, wherein a workset is formed by integrating a ring frame and a wafer by attaching tape to the workset, and the workset is held on the chuck table, comprising: a cassette stage on which a cassette containing the workset is placed; a pull-out mechanism for gripping the workset and pulling it out from the cassette; a temporary placement mechanism for temporarily placing the workset pulled out by the pull-out mechanism; a transport mechanism for transporting the workset to the chuck table by suction holding the upper surface of the ring frame of the workset temporarily placed in the temporary placement mechanism; a processing mechanism for processing the wafer of the workset held on the chuck table; and a control unit, wherein the temporary placement mechanism comprises a pair of frame guides extending in the direction of the pull-out of the workset by the pull-out mechanism, and a spacing adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the pair of frame guides, and the transport mechanism comprises a transport pad on which four suction cups are arranged to suction the upper surface of the ring frame, and a mechanism for raising and lowering the transport pad. The transport pad comprises a lifting mechanism, a pair of plates spaced apart in the spacing direction of a pair of frame guides, suction cups positioned at each end of the plates, and rails that allow the plates to move in the spacing direction, and the control unit comprises an outer dimension setting unit for setting the outer dimensions of the ring frame, and controls the transport pad to lower the transport pad to place the suction cups and plates within the spacing of the pair of frame guides based on the outer dimensions set in the outer dimension setting unit, move in a direction that narrows the spacing of the frame guides, and move the suction cups and plates along the rails with the frame guides to a position corresponding to the outer dimensions of the ring frame, or, based on the outer dimensions set in the outer dimension setting unit, lower the transport pad to place the suction cups and plates outside the spacing of the pair of frame guides, move in a direction that widens the spacing of the frame guides, and move the suction cups and plates along the rails with the frame guides to a position corresponding to the outer dimensions of the ring frame. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, when the size of the wafer to be processed (for example, 8 inches and 12 inches) is changed, and the outer dimensions of the ring frame are changed accordingly, the spacing between the transport pads is automatically adjusted by a pair of frame guides in the temporary placement mechanism to match the change in the outer dimensions of the ring frame. As a result, the operator does not need to manually change the position of the suction cups each time the size (outer dimensions) of the ring frame is changed, which reduces the burden on the operator and improves work efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a cutting apparatus, which is one embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the spacing adjustment mechanism and workpiece set of the cutting apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 3] (a) is a perspective view of a small ring frame and the transport pad that holds it, and (b) is a perspective view of a large ring frame and the transport pad that holds it. [Figure 4] Figure 5(a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view along line AA. [Figure 5] (a) and (b) are plan views showing the positional adjustment of the suction cups of the transport pad that holds the ring frame, which has been changed from a large size to a small size. [Figure 6] (a) and (b) are plan views showing the positional adjustment of the suction cups of the transport pad that holds the ring frame, which has been changed from a small size to a large size. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows the flow of the cutting apparatus according to the present invention, from adjusting the position of the suction cup of the transport pad to pulling out the workpiece set from the cassette and then transferring the workpiece set to the chuck table. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] [Configuration of the processing equipment] First, the overall configuration of the cutting apparatus as one embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below based on Figure 1. In the following description, the left-right direction in Figure 1 will be referred to as the "X-axis direction," the front-back direction as the "Y-axis direction," and the up-down direction as the "Z-axis direction."

[0013] The cutting apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1 is a so-called dual dicer, and comprises a cassette stage 10 on which a cassette 11 containing a plurality of worksets WS (see Figure 2) including a wafer W, a cassette lifting mechanism 20 for raising and lowering the cassette stage 10, a pull-out mechanism 30 for pulling out the worksets WS from the cassette 11 placed on the cassette stage 10, a temporary placement mechanism 40 for temporarily placing the worksets WS pulled out by the pull-out mechanism 30, a chuck table 70 for holding the worksets WS, and a temporary placement mechanism The main components of the system are a first transport mechanism 90 that suction-holds the upper surface of the ring frame F (see Figure 2) of the workset WS temporarily placed on the chuck mechanism 40 and transports the workset WS to the chuck table 70, a processing mechanism 80 that processes the wafer W of the workset WS held on the chuck table 70, a spinner cleaning mechanism 110 that cleans the wafer W after cutting, a second transport mechanism 100 that transports the workset WS, including the cleaned wafer W, from the chuck table 70 to the spinner cleaning mechanism 110, and a control unit 120.

[0014] Next, we will explain the configurations of the main components that make up the cutting apparatus 1: the cassette stage 10, the cassette lifting mechanism 20, the drawer mechanism 30, the temporary placement mechanism 40, the chuck table 70, the first transport mechanism 90, the processing mechanism 80, the spinner cleaning mechanism 110, the second transport mechanism 100, and the control unit 120.

[0015] (Cassette Stage) The cutting device 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes a base 2 that supports each component. And at the central part of the base 2 in the Y-axis direction, a rectangular opening 3 that is long in the X-axis direction is open. At the front (-Y-axis direction) right-side (+X-axis direction) corner of this opening 3, a rectangular plate-shaped cassette stage 10 that moves up and down along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) is provided. And on the upper surface of this cassette stage 10, a rectangular box-shaped cassette 11 that houses a plurality of workpiece sets WS (see Fig. 2) including a disc-shaped wafer W as the workpiece is arranged. In Fig. 1, for convenience of explanation, only the outline of the cassette 11 is shown by a dashed line.

[0016] Here, the wafer W has its surface (the upper surface in Fig. 2) partitioned into a number of rectangular regions by a plurality of division planned lines L1, L which are orthogonal to each other and are called streets arranged in a grid pattern. In each rectangular region, devices D such as ICs and LSIs are respectively formed. And by cutting the wafer W on which such a number of devices D are formed along the division planned lines L1, L, a plurality of semiconductor chips are formed. And by attaching a tape T to the wafer W and the ring frame F, a workpiece set WS in which both are integrated is constituted. Note that flat cutout portions Fa that are linearly cut are formed at two opposing locations on the outer periphery of the ring frame F.

[0017] (Cassette lifting mechanism) The cassette lifting mechanism 20 is a mechanism that moves the cassette stage 10 up and down along the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) together with the cassette 11. As shown in Fig. 1, it includes a pair of vertically standing guide rails 21 that guide the up and down movement of the cassette stage 10, a rotatable ball screw 22 that is vertically arranged between the guide rails 21, and an electric motor 23 that rotationally drives the ball screw 22. The upper end of the ball screw 22 is screwed into a nut member (not shown) attached to the lower surface of the cassette stage 10.

[0018] Therefore, if the electric motor 23 is started to rotate the ball screw 22 forward and backward, the cassette stage 10 with a nut member (not shown) engaged with the ball screw 22 mounted thereon and the cassette 11 placed thereon will move up and down along the pair of guide rails 21 in the Z-axis direction. The electric motor 23 is electrically connected to the control unit 120, and its drive is controlled by the control unit 120.

[0019] (Drawer mechanism) The push-pull mechanism 30 is a mechanism for pulling out one workpiece set WS from the cassette 11 in the +Y-axis direction (rearward). It includes a ball screw 31 and a guide rail 32 arranged vertically and parallel to each other in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction) on the +X-axis direction end face (right end face) of the base 2, and an inverted L-shaped drawer arm 33 that moves along these ball screw 31 and guide rail 32 in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction).

[0020] Here, an electric motor 34 as a drive source is provided at one axial end (the left end in FIG. 1) of the ball screw 31, and the other axial end (the right end in FIG. 1) of the ball screw 31 is rotatably supported by the base 2 by a bearing 35. The lower end of the vertical portion 33a of the drawer arm 33 is slidably inserted and supported by the guide rail 32, and the ball screw 31 is screwed and inserted through the middle portion in the height direction of the vertical portion 33a. Also, a gripping portion 36 for gripping the workpiece set WS is provided at the tip of the horizontal portion 33b that bends vertically from the upper end of the vertical portion 33a of the drawer arm 23 and extends horizontally in the -X-axis direction (leftward). The electric motor 34 is electrically connected to the control unit 120, and its drive is controlled by the control unit 120.

[0021] (Temporary placement mechanism) The temporary storage mechanism 40 is a mechanism for temporarily storing the work set WS that has been pulled out from the cassette 11 by the pull-out mechanism 30, and comprises a pair of left and right frame guides 41 that are bent in an inverted L shape, and a spacing adjustment mechanism 50 for adjusting the distance between these frame guides 41. Here, the pair of frame guides 41 can move in opposite directions (i.e., towards each other and away from each other) in the left-right direction (X-axis) along a slit-shaped guide hole 2a formed linearly along the X-axis direction (left-right direction) on the upper surface of the base 2. That is, as shown in Figure 1, each frame guide 41 has its vertical portion 41a inserted into the guide hole 2a, and from the upper end of each vertical portion 41a, horizontal portions 41b extend parallel and horizontally to each other in the +Y-axis direction (rearward).

[0022] Here, each horizontal portion 41b of the pair of frame guides 41 is formed with a horizontal temporary placement surface 41b1 that supports the lower surface of the ring frame F of the workset WS, and a vertical inner surface 40b2 that supports the outer surface (notch Fa) of the ring frame F, as shown in detail in Figure 2.

[0023] Furthermore, the spacing adjustment mechanism 50 is a mechanism that moves a pair of frame guides 41 in a direction that narrows the distance between them (in the direction of the solid arrows in Figure 2) or in a direction that widens the distance between them (in the direction of the dashed arrows in Figure 2), and is housed inside the base 2 as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 1. The specific configuration of this spacing adjustment mechanism 50 will now be explained based on Figure 2.

[0024] Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, the spacing adjustment mechanism 50 includes a guide rail 51 arranged horizontally along the X-axis direction, and the lower ends of the vertical portions 41a of a pair of frame guides 41 are movably fitted into this guide rail 51. Above the guide rail 51, a rotatable ball screw 52 is arranged parallel to the guide rail 51 along the X-axis direction, and this ball screw 52 is screwed into the vertical portions 40a of each of the pair of frame guides 40. An electric motor 53, which is a rotation drive source, is connected to one axial end of the ball screw 52 (right end in Figure 2), and the other axial end of the ball screw 52 (left end in Figure 2) is rotatably supported by a bearing 54. An encoder 55, which serves as a spacing recognition unit for recognizing the spacing between the pair of frame guides 41, is attached to the electric motor 53, and the spacing of the frame guides 41 recognized by this encoder 55 is transmitted to the control unit 120.

[0025] Here, male threads 52a and 52b are engraved on both axial ends of the ball screw 52, ​​respectively, which are screwed into the vertical portions 41a of each frame guide 41. These male threads 52a and 52b are in a reverse thread relationship. Therefore, by starting the electric motor 53 and rotating the ball screw 52 in both forward and reverse directions, the pair of frame guides 41 that are screwed into each male thread 52a and 52b can be selectively moved in the direction of moving closer to each other (the distance between the two frame guides 41 narrows) and the direction of moving away from each other (the distance between the two frame guides 41 widens). The electric motor 53 is electrically connected to the control unit 120 shown in Figure 1, and its drive is controlled by the control unit 120.

[0026] (Chuck table) The chuck table 70 is a disc-shaped member that holds the workpiece set WS, and as shown in Figure 1, it is positioned so that its holding surface (top surface) is exposed to an opening 3 that opens into the upper surface of the base 2. Four clamps 71 are arranged around the chuck table 70 at equal angular pitches (90° pitches) in the circumferential direction for fixing the ring frame F (see Figure 2) of the workpiece set WS from all four sides.

[0027] Here, the chuck table 70 is rotated about a vertical axis by a rotation mechanism (not shown) located below it, and can also reciprocate along the X-axis direction (left-right direction) by an X-axis direction movement mechanism (not shown) located below it.

[0028] (First transport mechanism) The first transport mechanism 90 is used to transport the work set WS, which has been pulled out from the cassette 11 by the pull-out mechanism 30 and temporarily placed on a pair of left and right frame guides 41, to the chuck table 70 by suction and holding. It can move up and down in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) by a lifting mechanism (not shown) and can move horizontally along the X-axis direction on the XY plane by an X-axis direction movement mechanism (not shown).

[0029] The first transport mechanism 90 includes an H-shaped transport pad 92 in plan view, attached to the lower end of a vertical rod 91. As shown in Figure 3, the transport pad 92 includes a pair of plates 93 arranged along the extending direction (Y-axis direction) of the frame guide 41, a rail 94 that supports these plates 93 so as to be movable along the spacing direction (X-axis direction) of the frame guide 41, and a total of four suction cups 95 attached to both ends of the longitudinal direction of each plate 93. Here, a block-shaped support portion 93A is integrally formed in the longitudinal center of each plate 93, and both ends of the rail 94 slideably through each support portion 93A. Therefore, the pair of plates 93 and the suction cups 95 attached to both ends of the longitudinal direction of each plate 93 can move along the rail 94 in the spacing direction (X-axis direction) of the pair of frame guides 41, but a predetermined load (sliding resistance) is applied to the movement of each plate 93 by a load-applying portion 96.

[0030] The load-applying section 96 is built into the support section 93A of each plate 93. As shown in Figure 4, in the portion of each support section 93A above the rectangular insertion hole 93a through which the rail 94 is inserted, two circular holes 93b and 93c of different diameters are formed, one large and one small. A stepped plunger 97 is fitted into the larger circular hole 93b so as to be vertically movable, and its smaller diameter tip 97a penetrates the smaller circular hole 93c and protrudes into the insertion hole 93a. Here, the plunger 97 is constantly biased downward by a coil spring 98 compressed in the larger circular hole 93b, and its tip presses against the upper surface of the rail 94 with a predetermined force. Therefore, a certain load (sliding resistance) is applied to the movement of the pair of plates 93 along the rail 94 in the X-axis direction, restricting the free movement of each plate 93 along the rail 94.

[0031] Furthermore, each suction cup 95 is formed from an elastic material such as rubber into a tapered cylindrical shape that expands in diameter downwards, with its lower end surface forming the suction surface. Each suction cup 95 is attached to each suction pipe 12 by a nut 99, and is selectively connected to a suction source (not shown), such as a vacuum pump, via each suction pipe 12.

[0032] By the way, the wafer W cut by the cutting device 1 can be of various sizes, and in this embodiment, we will describe the case where two types of wafers W, a small 8-inch wafer and a large 12-inch wafer, are cut.

[0033] The ring frame F(F1) shown in Figure 3(a), which holds a small-sized wafer W (outer diameter 8 inches), is smaller than the ring frame F(F2) shown in Figure 3(b), which holds a large-sized wafer W (outer diameter 12 inches). Therefore, the spacing between the suction cups 95 attached to each plate 93 of the transport pad 92 is narrow when holding the small-sized ring frame F(F1) by suction, as shown by b1 in Figure 3(a), and wider when holding the large-sized ring frame F(F2) by suction, as shown by b2 in Figure 3(b) (b2>b1). In the cutting apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, as will be described later, the spacing between the suction cups 95 is automatically adjusted to the optimal value depending on the size (outer dimensions) of the ring frame F.

[0034] (Processing mechanism) The cutting apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, which is a dual dicer, comprises a processing mechanism 80 consisting of a first cutting unit 81 and a second cutting unit 82 arranged side by side on the left side (-X axis side) of the base 2. These first cutting unit 81 and second cutting unit 82 are arranged opposite each other on both the front and rear sides (-Y axis side and +Y axis side) of an opening 3 that opens on the upper surface of the base 2, and imaging units 83 are attached to these first cutting unit 81 and second cutting unit 82, respectively. Here, each imaging unit 83 images the wafer W held on the holding surface of the chuck table 70 to detect the positions of the planned division lines L1 and L2 (see Figure 2).

[0035] Furthermore, the first cutting unit 81 and the second cutting unit 82 can move up and down in the Z-axis direction (cutting feed direction) by a pair of front and rear Z-axis direction movement mechanisms 85, and can also move forward and backward in the Y-axis direction (indexing feed direction) by a pair of front and rear Y-axis direction movement mechanisms 4.

[0036] Here, each Z-axis movement mechanism 85 includes a pair of Z-axis guide rails 86 arranged perpendicularly and parallel to each other in front of and behind a rectangular plate-shaped slider 5, a lifting plate 87 that can move up and down along these Z-axis guide rails 86, a rotatable Z-axis ball screw 88 arranged perpendicularly between the pair of Z-axis guide rails 86, and a forward and reverse-rotating Z-axis pulse motor 89 (only one is shown in Figure 1) that rotates the Z-axis ball screw 88. The first cutting unit 81 and imaging unit 83 and the second cutting unit 82 and imaging unit 83 are attached to the lower part of each lifting plate 87. Nut members (not shown) are provided protruding from the back surface of each lifting plate 87, and the Z-axis ball screw 88 is screwed into these nut members.

[0037] In the Z-axis movement mechanism 85 configured as described above, when the Z-axis pulse motor 89 is driven and the Z-axis ball screw 88 rotates in forward and reverse directions, the lifting plate 87, which has a nut member (not shown) protruding from it that screws onto the Z-axis ball screw 88, moves up and down along a pair of Z-axis guide rails 86. As a result, the first cutting unit 81 and imaging unit 83 and the second cutting unit 82 and imaging unit 83, which are attached to each lifting plate 87, also move up and down along the Z-axis direction (cutting feed direction).

[0038] Furthermore, each of the front and rear pairs of Y-axis movement mechanisms 4 is equipped with a slider 5, and these sliders 5 are each movable along the Y-axis along a pair of upper and lower Y-axis guide rails 7 that are arranged parallel to each other along the Y-axis direction (front-to-back direction) on the front of a gate-shaped column 6 erected vertically on the base 2.

[0039] In the pair of front and rear Y-axis movement mechanisms 4, a pair of rotatable Y-axis ball screws 8 are positioned between a pair of upper and lower Y-axis guide rails 7, arranged along the Y-axis direction (front and rear direction). Nut members (not shown), which protrude from the back surfaces of each of the front and rear sliders 5, are screwed onto these Y-axis ball screws 8. In addition, one axial end of each Y-axis ball screw 8 is connected to a Y-axis servo motor 9, which is a rotation drive source.

[0040] Therefore, in each Y-axis movement mechanism 5, when the Y-axis servo motor 9 is driven to rotate the Y-axis ball screws 8 in the forward and reverse directions, a pair of front and rear sliders 5, each having a nut member (not shown) protruding from them that screws onto the Y-axis ball screws 8, can move along the Y-axis guide rail 7 in the Y-axis direction (indexing feed direction) together with the lifting plate 87. As a result, the first cutting unit 81 and imaging unit 83 and the second cutting unit 82 and imaging unit 83, each attached to the lifting plate 87, can move along the Y-axis guide rail 7 in the Y-axis direction (indexing feed direction).

[0041] As described above, in the cutting apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1, the chuck table 70 and the wafer W (workset WS) held therein are movable along the X-axis direction (left-right direction), and the first cutting unit 81 and imaging unit 83 and the second cutting unit 82 and imaging unit 83 are movable along the Y-axis direction (front-back direction) and the Z-axis direction (up-down direction), respectively.

[0042] (Spinner cleaning mechanism) The spinner cleaning mechanism 110 is for cleaning the wafer W after machining is complete, and as shown in Figure 1, it is located behind and to the right of the opening 3 on the base 2. The spinner cleaning mechanism 110 includes a spinner table 111 that rotates while holding the work set WS (wafer W) by suction, and an injection nozzle (not shown) that sprays cleaning fluid from above onto the work set WS (wafer W) held by suction on the spinner table 111.

[0043] (Second transport mechanism) The second transport mechanism 100 suction-holds the workset WS, which includes wafers W that have undergone predetermined cutting by the first cutting unit 81 and the second cutting unit 82, and transports it from the chuck table 70 to the spinner table 111 of the spinner cleaning mechanism 110. Its basic configuration is the same as that of the first transport mechanism 90.

[0044] In other words, the second transport mechanism 100 can move up and down in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) by a lifting mechanism (not shown) and can move horizontally on the XY plane by a moving mechanism (not shown). The second transport mechanism 100 is equipped with a transport pad 102 that is H-shaped in plan view and attached to the lower end of a vertical rod 101, and suction cups 103 are attached to each of the four corners of the transport pad 102.

[0045] (Control Unit) The control unit 120 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs calculations according to a control program, and a storage unit such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 120 controls the lifting mechanism 20, the pull-out mechanism 30, the spacing adjustment mechanism 50, and the first and second transport mechanisms 90 and 100, respectively. As described later, when the external dimensions of the ring frame F are set by the external dimension setting unit 130, the pair of frame guides 41 of the spacing adjustment mechanism 50 move the pair of plates 93 of the first transport mechanism 90 closer together or further apart according to the set external dimensions of the ring frame F, and automatically adjusts the spacing of the suction cups 95 attached to each plate 93.

[0046] [Operation of cutting equipment] Next, the operation of the cutting device 1 configured as described above will be explained below with reference to Figures 5 to 7.

[0047] When cutting the wafer W, first the outer dimensions of the ring frame F of the workset WS are set by the outer dimension setting unit 130 (step S1 in Figure 7). Then, the control unit 120 determines whether the ring frame F is small based on the set outer dimensions of the ring frame F (step S2 in Figure 7). If the result of this determination is that the ring frame F is small (step S2: Yes), then, as shown in Figure 5(a), a pair of plates 93 with the distance between the suction cups 95 widened to b2 are placed inside a pair of frame guides 41, and the outer surface of each plate 93 contacts the inner surface of each frame guide 41. From this state, the control unit 120 activates the electric motor 53 of the spacing adjustment mechanism 50 to move the pair of frame guides 41 toward each other (direction of the arrows in the figure) (step S3). As a result, the pair of plates 93 sandwiched inside the pair of frame guides 41 also move toward each other (in the direction of the arrows in the figure), and the distance between the suction cups 95 attached to these plates 93 is set to a value b1 suitable for suction holding the small-sized ring frame F(F1) shown in Figure 3(a) (see Figure 5(b)).

[0048] On the other hand, if the ring frame F is large (step S2: No), as shown in Figure 6(a), a pair of plates 93 with the spacing between the suction cups 95 narrowed to b1 are placed outside the pair of frame guides 41, and the inner surface of each plate 93 contacts the outer surface of each frame guide 41. From this state, the control unit 120 activates the electric motor 53 of the spacing adjustment mechanism 50 to move the pair of frame guides 41 apart from each other (in the direction of the arrows in the figure) (step S4). As a result, the pair of plates 93 placed outside the pair of frame guides 41 also move apart from each other (in the direction of the arrows in the figure), and the spacing between the suction cups 95 attached to these plates 93 is set to a value b2 suitable for suction holding the large-sized ring frame F (F2) shown in Figure 3(b) (see Figure 6(b)).

[0049] As described above, once the spacing between the suction cups 95 is set to the optimal value b1 or b2 by the pair of left and right frame guides 46, the spacing between the suction cups 95 is set to a value b1 or b2 corresponding to the size of the ring frame F, and the adjustment of the spacing between the suction cups 95 is completed (step S5).

[0050] As described above, once the spacing of the suction cups 95 of the transport pad 92 of the first transport mechanism 90 is adjusted, the control unit 120 drives a lifting mechanism (not shown) of the first transport mechanism 90 to raise the transport pad 92 to a predetermined height. Subsequently, the control unit 120 drives the cassette lifting mechanism 20 to raise and lower the cassette 11, pulls out the work set WS contained in the cassette 11 using the pull-out mechanism 30, and temporarily places the pulled-out work set WS on a pair of frame guides 41 of the temporary placement mechanism 40.

[0051] Subsequently, the control unit 120 drives a lifting mechanism (not shown) of the first transport mechanism 90 to lower the transport pad 92, and presses the four suction cups 95 of the transport pad 92 against the upper surface of the ring frame F of the work set WS, which is temporarily placed on the frame guide 41. From this state, each suction cup 95 is connected to a suction source (not shown) via a suction pipe 12 (see Figure 3). Then, the negative pressure generated in each suction cup 95 causes the work set WS to be held in place by the transport pad 92.

[0052] As described above, when the workpiece set WS is held by the transport pad 92, the transport pad 92 is lifted from the frame guide 41 by a predetermined height together with the workpiece set WS. Subsequently, the spacing adjustment mechanism 50 is driven, and the pair of frame guides 41 are slightly widened in the direction that widens the distance between them (specifically, by an amount large enough for the workpiece set WS to pass between the pair of frame guides 41). That is, when the electric motor 53 of the spacing adjustment mechanism 50 shown in Figure 2 is activated and the ball screw 52 is reversed, the pair of frame guides 41 that are screwed onto this ball screw 52 move away from each other (in the direction of the dashed arrow in Figure 2), thus widening the distance between these frame guides 41.

[0053] As described above, when the pair of frame guides 41 move in a direction that spreads apart from the state in which the transport pad 92 is lifted together with the work set WS from the pair of frame guides 41, the transport pad 92, which is holding the work set WS by suction, descends. Then, the work set WS, which is held by the transport pad 92 by suction, passes between the pair of frame guides 41 and descends, and the work set WS is handed over to the chuck table 70 waiting below, and the series of processes from the pulling of the work set WS from the cassette 11 to the automatic adjustment of the spacing of the suction cups 95 and the handover of the work set WS to the chuck table 70 is completed.

[0054] As described above, in this embodiment, when the size of the wafer W to be machined (8 inches and 12 inches) is changed, and the outer dimensions of the ring frame F are changed accordingly, the pair of frame guides 41 of the temporary placement mechanism 40 automatically adjust the spacing between the suction cups 95 of the transport pad 93 to match the change in the outer dimensions of the ring frame F. Therefore, the operator does not need to manually change the position of the suction cups 95 each time the size of the ring frame F is changed, which reduces the burden on the operator and improves work efficiency.

[0055] Furthermore, the frame guide 41 grips the work set WS pulled out from the cassette 11, thereby recognizing the outer dimensions of the ring frame F and setting the outer dimensions of the ring frame F. Then, the work set WS pulled out by the frame guide 41 is stored back into the cassette 11. After that, the position of the suction cups 95 is adjusted by the pair of frame guides 41.

[0056] In the above description, the position of the suction cup 95 is adjusted when the ring frame F is of different sizes, such as 8 inches and 12 inches. However, even a 12-inch ring frame F may have different external dimensions, in which case the position of the suction cup 95 is adjusted using a pair of frame guides 41 to accommodate that ring frame F.

[0057] Furthermore, the external dimensions of the ring frame F may be set by the cassette 11 placed on the cassette stage 10. For example, the shape of the cassette 11 may differ depending on the external dimensions of the ring frame F, and when a cassette 11 is placed on the cassette stage 10, a sensor may be positioned to recognize which cassette 11 has been placed, and the external dimensions of the ring frame F may be set by recognizing the cassette 11 with the sensor.

[0058] Incidentally, although not explained above, when the workset WS is pulled out from the cassette 11 and temporarily placed on the pair of frame guides 41, the ring frame F is held between the pair of frame guides 41 as the frame guides 41 move in a direction that narrows the distance between them. The distance between the frame guides 41 when the ring frame F is sandwiched between them is recognized by the encoder 55, which is the distance recognition unit. Therefore, the control unit 120 may be provided with an external dimension setting unit to set the external dimensions of the ring frame F based on the distance between the frame guides 41 recognized by the encoder 55.

[0059] After the series of processes described above, the workset WS is transferred onto the chuck table 70 and held in place by suction on the chuck table 70. The chuck table 70, holding the workset WS, then moves in the -X direction by an X-axis movement mechanism (not shown).

[0060] On the other hand, in the first cutting unit 81 and the second cutting unit 82 shown in Figure 1, once an image is obtained by imaging the surface of the wafer W with each imaging unit 83, the planned division line L1 to be cut is detected by pattern matching processing based on the image. Once the planned division line L1 of the wafer W is detected in this way, the Y-axis position of each cutting blade 81a of the first cutting unit 81 and the second cutting unit 82 (only one is shown in Figure 1) is determined by a pair of front and rear Y-axis movement mechanisms 4, and the Y-axis positions of these cutting blades 81a are aligned with the position of the planned division line L1 to be cut.

[0061] Then, from the above state, the cutting blades 81a of the first cutting unit 81 and the second cutting unit 82 are each driven to rotate at high speed, and are lowered by a predetermined amount by a pair of front and rear Z-axis movement mechanisms 85, while the chuck table 70 and the work set WS (wafer W) held therein are moved in the X-axis direction by an X-axis movement mechanism (not shown). As a result, the wafer W is cut along the division line L1 by the cutting blades 81a of the first cutting unit 81 and the second cutting unit 82. When this operation is performed for all division lines L1 in one direction, the chuck table 70 and the work set WS held therein are rotated by 90° by a rotation drive mechanism (not shown), and the wafer W is similarly cut along the division line L2 in the other direction, which is perpendicular to the division line L1 that has been cut. When the cutting along all division lines L1 and L2 of the wafer W is completed, multiple semiconductor chips on which individual devices D (see Figure 2) are mounted are obtained.

[0062] Once the cutting process on the wafer W is completed as described above, the workpiece set WS held on the chuck table 70 is transferred to the second transport mechanism 100. That is, similar to the first transport mechanism 90, the workpiece set WS is held in place by suction from four suction cups 103 provided on the transport pad 102 of the second transport mechanism 100, and is then transferred to the spinner cleaning mechanism 110 and its spinner table 111. In the spinner cleaning mechanism 110, the workpiece set WS rotates with the spinner table 111 at a predetermined speed, and the upper surface (cutting surface) of the wafer W, which rotates with the workpiece set WS, is cleaned by a cleaning solution sprayed from a spray nozzle (not shown), thus completing the series of cutting processes on the wafer W.

[0063] Although the above description concerns an application of the present invention to a cutting apparatus for cutting wafers, the present invention can be similarly applied to cutting apparatuses for cutting any workpiece other than wafers, as well as to any other processing apparatus such as grinding apparatuses and polishing apparatuses.

[0064] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, specification, and drawings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1: Cutting device (processing device), 2: Base, 2a: Guide hole, 3: Opening of the base, 4: Y-axis movement mechanism slider, 6: Column, 7: Y-axis guide rail, 8: Y-axis ball screw, 9: Y-axis servo motor, 10: Cassette stage, 11: Cassette, 12: Suction pipe, 20: Lifting mechanism, 21: Guide rail, 22: Ball screw, 23: Electric motor, 30: Push-pull mechanism, 31: Ball screw, 32: Guide rail, 33: Pull-out arm, 33a: Vertical part of the pull-out arm, 33b: Horizontal section of the pull-out arm, 34: Electric motor, 35: Bearing, 36: Gripping section, 40: Temporary placement mechanism, 41: Frame guide, 41a: Vertical part of frame guide, 41b: Horizontal section of the frame guide, 41b1: Temporary placement surface of the horizontal section, 41b2: Inner surface of horizontal section, 50: Spacing adjustment mechanism, 51: Guide rail, 52: Ball screw, 52a, 52b: Male screw, 53: Electric motor, 54: Bearing 55: Encoder (interval recognition unit), 70: Chuck table, 71: Clamp, 80: Machining mechanism, 81: First cutting unit, 82: Second cutting unit, 83: Imaging unit, 85: Z-axis movement mechanism, 86: Guide rail, 87: Lifting plate, 88: Z-axis ball screw, 89: Z-axis pulse motor, 90: First transport mechanism, 91: Rod, 92: Conveyor pad, 93: Plate, 93A: Support part, 93a: Through hole, 93b, 93c: Circular hole, 94: Rail, 95: Suction cup, 96: Load application section, 97: Plunger, 97a: Small diameter tip section of the plunger, 98: Coil spring, 99: Nut, 100: Second conveying mechanism, 101: Rod, 102: Conveyor pad, 103: Suction cup, 110: Spinner cleaning mechanism, 111: Spinner table, 120: Control unit, 130: External dimension setting unit, b1, b2: spacing between suction cups, D: device, F, F1, F2: Ring frame, Fa: Notch of the ring frame, L1, L2: Planned division lines, T: Tape, W: Wafer, WS: Workset

Claims

1. A processing apparatus for processing a wafer held on a chuck table, wherein a workset is formed by attaching tape to a ring frame and wafer, and the wafer held on the chuck table is processed. A cassette stage on which a cassette containing a workset is placed, A drawer mechanism that grips the workpiece set and pulls it out of the cassette, A temporary storage mechanism for temporarily placing the work set pulled out by the pull-out mechanism, A transport mechanism that uses suction to hold the upper surface of the ring frame of a work set temporarily placed in the temporary placement mechanism and transports the work set to the chuck table, A processing mechanism for processing wafers in a workset held on the chuck table, Control unit and Equipped with, The temporary placement mechanism comprises a pair of frame guides extending in the pulling direction of the workset of the pulling mechanism, and a spacing adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the pair of frame guides. The transport mechanism comprises a transport pad having four suction cups that attract the upper surface of a ring frame, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the transport pad. The transport pad comprises a pair of plates spaced apart in the spacing direction of the pair of frame guides, suction cups positioned at each end of the plates, and rails that allow the plates to move in the spacing direction. The control unit is The ring frame is equipped with an external dimension setting unit for setting the external dimensions, Based on the external dimensions set in the external dimension setting section, the transport pad is lowered to place the suction cup and plate within the gap between the pair of frame guides, and moved in a direction that narrows the gap between the frame guides, thereby moving the suction cup and plate along the rails of the frame guides to a position corresponding to the external dimensions of the ring frame, or, A processing apparatus that controls the following: lowering the transport pad based on the external dimensions set in the external dimensions setting unit to place the suction cup and plate outside the spacing between a pair of frame guides, moving in a direction that widens the spacing between the frame guides, and moving the suction cup and plate along the rails of the frame guides to a position corresponding to the external dimensions of the ring frame.

2. The spacing adjustment mechanism includes a spacing recognition unit that recognizes the spacing between a pair of frame guides, The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outer dimension setting unit sets the outer dimension of the ring frame by the interval recognized by the interval recognition unit when the frame guide clamps the ring frame.

3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transport pad is equipped with a load-applying unit that applies a load to the movement of the plate.

Images