Method for manufacturing a device chip, and plate-shaped object

Abstract

To divide a wafer to produce device chips without using tape.SOLUTION: Provided is a device chip manufacturing method for dividing a wafer having a device in each region partitioned by a plurality of intersecting scheduled divide lines. This manufacturing method involves: holding the wafer with a jig chuck table that includes grooves formed at positions corresponding to the scheduled divide lines of the wafer and includes a suction hole in each of regions partitioned by the grooves; cutting the wafer being held by the jig chuck table along the scheduled divide lines with a rotating cutting blade to divide the wafer into individual device chips; drawing in and holding the top surface of the divided wafer with a suction pad; carrying out the wafer from the jig chuck table; placing the wafer drawn in and held by the suction pad on an organic resin layer of a plate-like object, with an organic resin layer having retention ability disposed on the surface of it; and accommodating the plate-like object having the wafer placed on it in a cassette.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a device chip that cuts and divides a wafer with a cutting blade in a cutting device, accommodates the wafer in a cassette, and carries it out of the cutting device, and a plate-like material that can be used in the method for manufacturing the device chip.

Background Art

[0002] A device chip used in an electronic device such as a mobile phone or a computer is formed by dividing a wafer having a plurality of devices arranged on its surface for each device. When dividing a wafer made of a material such as semiconductor, for example, a cutting device having a cutting blade with an annular cutting edge (grinding wheel part) on its outer periphery is used. The workpiece is held by the chuck table of the cutting device, and the cutting blade and the workpiece are relatively moved while the cutting blade rotating at high speed is cut into the workpiece, so that the workpiece can be cut.

[0003] The wafer to be carried into the cutting device and cut is integrated with a ring frame having an opening larger in diameter than the wafer, a tape attached to the ring frame so as to close the opening, and a frame unit is formed in advance. When the wafer is supported by the ring frame via the tape, the wafer is protected from impacts and the like, and damage is unlikely to occur during transportation. In addition, since the device chip formed by cutting the wafer is supported by the tape as it is, the handling of the device chip becomes easy. The frame unit including a plurality of device chips is accommodated in a cassette and carried out of the cutting device.

[0004] In recent years, packaging technologies such as BGA (Ball Grid Array) and CSP (Chip Size Package) have been developed. In these technologies, multiple device chips arranged vertically and horizontally are sealed with a sealing resin to form a package substrate, and this package substrate is then cut to manufacture the packaged device chip. Since the package substrate is easier to handle than the wafer, there is less need to pre-integrate it with tape and a ring frame to form a frame unit.

[0005] A cutting apparatus is known that places and secures a workpiece on a chuck table without using tape, cuts the workpiece to form a device chip, directly contacts and transports the chip, cleans the device chip, and houses it in a predetermined case. In this cutting apparatus, the chuck table has a structure suitable for holding a package substrate (see Patent Document 1). Alternatively, a transport tray that can be reused is used for supporting and transporting the package substrate (see Patent Document 2). Manufacturing device chips without using tape significantly reduces the costs required for the process. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-109325 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-144261 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Recently, a packaging technology called WLP (Wafer-level package) has been developed. In this technology, the wafer is processed all the way to the final packaging stage, requiring the same careful handling as conventional wafers, making it difficult to adopt tape-free processes.

[0008] In particular, careful handling of device chips after they have been separated is necessary, but an effective method for transporting device chips has not yet been established. It is also not possible to simply place multiple manufactured device chips into a cassette. Therefore, device chips must be manufactured using conventional methods with tape and conventional cutting equipment, leading to increased manufacturing costs.

[0009] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its objective is to provide a method for manufacturing a device chip that does not use tape and allows for easy handling of the manufactured device chip, and a plate-like material that can be used in said manufacturing method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a device chip for dividing a wafer having devices in each region partitioned by a plurality of intersecting division lines, comprising: a holding step of holding the wafer with a jig chuck table having grooves formed at positions corresponding to the division lines on the wafer and suction holes in each region partitioned by the grooves; a cutting step of cutting the wafer held by the jig chuck table with a cutting blade that rotates along the division lines to divide the wafer into individual device chips; a removal step of removing the wafer from the jig chuck table by suction holding the upper surface of the wafer divided in the cutting step with a suction pad; and a plate-like object having a holding organic resin layer disposed on its surface, which holds the wafer held by the suction pad. (However, this excludes cases where the ring frame is composed of a ring frame and a resin sheet attached to the ring frame so as to close the opening of the ring frame.) A method for manufacturing a device chip is provided, comprising a placement step of placing the wafer on the organic resin layer, and a cassette storage step of storing the plate-shaped object on which the wafer is placed in a cassette.

[0011] Preferably, the plate-like object has an exposed area on its surface outside the organic resin layer where the organic resin layer is not provided, and in the cassette storage step, the plate-like object is placed in the cassette while the exposed area of ​​the plate-like object is sucked or gripped. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] In a method for manufacturing device chips according to one aspect of the present invention, a plate-like object having a retaining organic resin layer disposed on its surface is used. When a wafer, which has been cut and divided into device chips, is placed on the organic resin layer of the plate-like object, the wafer is held in place by this organic resin layer. At this time, each device chip is stably supported by the plate-like object via the organic resin layer. The plate-like object that holds the wafers is then housed in a cassette, and the device chips can be easily transported by transporting the cassette.

[0015] Thus, by using a plate-like object with a retaining organic resin layer on its surface, there is no need to use tape attached to the ring frame. Furthermore, once the wafer (device chip) is removed from the plate-like object, the object can be reused to hold the next wafer. Therefore, unlike when tape is used once and then discarded, the significant costs associated with tape are eliminated. Moreover, if the plate-like object can be housed in conventionally used cassettes, there is no need to prepare a new cassette specifically for housing the plate-like object.

[0016] Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a device chip that does not use tape and allows for easy handling of the manufactured device chip, and a plate-like material that can be used in said manufacturing method are provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view of a cutting machine. [Figure 2] This is a schematic plan view showing the jig chuck table of a cutting machine. [Figure 3] Figure 3(A) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the holding step, and Figure 3(B) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the cutting step. [Figure 4] This is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the unloading step. [Figure 5] This is a schematic perspective view showing a plate-like object. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a placing step. [Figure 7] It is a perspective view schematically showing a cassette housing step. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart showing the flow of each step of the method for manufacturing a device chip.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Referring to the accompanying drawings, an embodiment according to an aspect of the present invention will be described. In the method for manufacturing a device chip according to this embodiment, a wafer having devices in each region partitioned by a plurality of crossing planned division lines is cut by a cutting device to manufacture a device chip. FIG. 7 includes a perspective view schematically showing a wafer 11 cut and divided by a cutting device as a workpiece. Also, FIG. 3(A) includes a cross-sectional view schematically showing the wafer 11 before being divided.

[0019] The wafer 11 to be cut by the cutting device is formed of a material such as, for example, Si (silicon), SiC (silicon carbide), GaN (gallium nitride), GaAs (gallium arsenide), or other semiconductors. A plurality of devices such as IC (Integrated Circuit) and LSI (Large Scale Integration) are formed on the surface 11a of the wafer 11.

[0020] The wafer 11 may be, for example, a package substrate in which each device is sealed with a mold resin not shown. When the wafer 11 which is a package substrate is divided for each device, a packaged device chip 15 can be formed. However, the wafer 11 to be cut by the cutting device 2 is not limited to this.

[0021] Multiple intersecting division lines 13 are set on the wafer 11, and devices are formed in each region demarcated by the division lines 13. Then, when the wafer 11 is cut along the division lines 13 with the cutting device 2 to form processing grooves 13a, the wafer 11 is divided into individual device chips 15.

[0022] Next, the cutting apparatus 2 used in the device chip manufacturing method according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the cutting apparatus 2. The cutting apparatus 2 includes a base 4 that supports each component. A long opening 4a is formed in the center of the base 4 along the X-axis direction (machining feed direction).

[0023] The opening 4a is provided with a jig chuck table 10 capable of holding the wafer 11, which is the workpiece, by suction, an X-axis movement mechanism (not shown) that can move the jig chuck table 10 along the X-axis direction, and a dustproof and waterproof cover 8 that covers and protects the X-axis movement mechanism. The X-axis movement mechanism (processing feed unit) is composed of a ball screw type movement mechanism, similar to the Y-axis movement mechanism and Z-axis movement mechanism described later. However, the X-axis movement mechanism is not limited to this.

[0024] The dustproof and waterproof cover 8 is fixed at one end to the cover 6 that covers the area below the jig chuck table 10, and expands and contracts when the cover 6 moves in conjunction with the movement of the jig chuck table 10. The dustproof and waterproof cover 8 and cover 6 have the function of preventing cutting fluid supplied to the wafer 11, etc., when the wafer 11 is cut, and processing debris generated from the wafer 11, etc., from entering the area below.

[0025] Figure 1 includes a schematic perspective view of the jig chuck table 10. Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the jig chuck table 10. Figures 3(A), 3(B), and 4 include schematic cross-sectional views of the jig chuck table 10. The upper surface 12 of the jig chuck table 10 is the holding surface on which the workpiece wafer 11 is placed.

[0026] The upper surface 12 of the jig chuck table 10 is provided with a groove 36 formed at a position corresponding to the planned division line 13 of the wafer 11 on which the processing groove 13a is formed. The groove 36 is a relief groove formed in the area into which the cutting blade 46 cuts when the wafer 11 held by the jig chuck table 10 is cut by the cutting blade 46 described later.

[0027] As described later, when forming a processing groove 13a in the wafer 11 to divide the wafer 11, the lower end of the cutting blade 46 is made to reach a position lower than the upper surface 12 of the jig chuck table 10 in order to reliably divide the wafer 11. The groove 36 is provided on the upper surface 12 of the jig chuck table 10 for the purpose of preventing the cutting blade 46 from coming into contact with the jig chuck table 10 at this time.

[0028] The jig chuck table 10 is provided with grooves 36, and suction holes 38 are provided in the areas demarcated by the grooves 36 on the upper surface 12. As shown in Figure 3(A), a suction passage 40 is formed inside the jig chuck table 10, and one end of the suction passage 40 is connected to a suction source (not shown) provided outside the jig chuck table 10. The other end of the suction passage 40 branches and is connected to each of the suction holes 38.

[0029] When the wafer 11 is placed on the upper surface 12 of the jig chuck table 10 and the suction source is activated, negative pressure is applied to the wafer 11 through the suction passage 40 and suction holes 38, and the wafer 11 is held in place by suction to the jig chuck table 10. In this state, when the wafer 11 is divided along the planned division line 13, the individual device chips 15 to be manufactured are continuously drawn in through their respective corresponding suction holes 38.

[0030] A cutting unit 14 is positioned above the jig chuck table 10, which cuts the wafer 11 with an annular cutting blade 46. A support structure 16 for supporting the cutting unit 14 is positioned on the upper surface of the base 4. The support structure 16 has an upper arm that extends across the opening 4a.

[0031] A moving unit 18 is provided on the upper front of the support structure 16, which consists of a Y-axis moving mechanism (indexing feed unit) that moves the cutting unit 14 in the Y-axis direction (indexing feed direction) and a Z-axis moving mechanism (cutting feed unit) that moves it in the Z-axis direction (up and down direction).

[0032] The Y-axis movement mechanism includes a pair of Y-axis guide rails 20 extending along the Y-axis direction from the front surface of the support structure 16. A Y-axis movement plate 22 is slidably mounted on the pair of Y-axis guide rails 20. A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear side) of the Y-axis movement plate 22, and a Y-axis ball screw 24 parallel to the Y-axis guide rail 20 is screwed into this nut portion.

[0033] A Y-axis pulse motor (not shown) is connected to one end of the Y-axis ball screw 24. By rotating the Y-axis ball screw 24 with the Y-axis pulse motor, the Y-axis moving plate 22 moves in the Y-axis direction along the Y-axis guide rail 20.

[0034] A Z-axis movement mechanism is provided on the surface (front) of the Y-axis movement plate 22. The Z-axis movement mechanism has a pair of Z-axis guide rails 26 aligned with the Z-axis direction on the surface of the Y-axis movement plate 22. A Z-axis movement plate 28 is slidably attached to the pair of Z-axis guide rails 26.

[0035] A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear side) of the Z-axis moving plate 28, and a Z-axis ball screw 30, which is positioned parallel to the Z-axis guide rail 26, is screwed into this nut portion. A Z-axis pulse motor 32 is connected to one end of the Z-axis ball screw 30, and by rotating the Z-axis ball screw 30 with this Z-axis pulse motor 32, the Z-axis moving plate 28 moves in the Z-axis direction along the Z-axis guide rail 26.

[0036] A cutting unit 14 is fixed to the lower part of the Z-axis moving plate 28. As shown in Figure 3(B), the cutting unit 14 comprises a spindle 44 aligned with the Y-axis direction and a spindle housing 42 that rotatably houses the base end of the spindle 44. A rotational drive source, such as a motor, for rotating the spindle 44 is provided in the spindle housing 42.

[0037] A cutting blade 46, which has an annular cutting edge (grinding wheel portion), is inserted through a hole at the tip of the spindle 44, and the cutting blade 46 is fixed to the spindle 44. When the rotation drive source is activated and the spindle 44 is rotated, the cutting blade 46 rotates.

[0038] As shown in Figure 1, an imaging unit 34 is provided adjacent to the cutting unit 14 to image the wafer 11, which is held in place by the jig chuck table 10, and to detect the position of the planned division line 13. The imaging unit 34 is equipped with an image sensor such as a CCD sensor or CMOS sensor and can image the top surface of the wafer 11. The positions of the cutting unit 14 and the imaging unit 34 in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions are controlled by the moving unit 18.

[0039] An opening 4b is formed adjacent to the opening 4a on the upper surface of the base 4, and a cleaning unit 48 for cleaning the wafer 11 after cutting is positioned in the opening 4b. The cleaning unit 48 includes a spinner table that rotates while holding the wafer 11, and a spray nozzle that sprays cleaning water from above onto the wafer 11 held on the spinner table.

[0040] An opening 4c is formed on the upper surface of the front end 58 of the base 4, on which a cassette mounting base 60 is disposed. A lifting mechanism (not shown) is disposed below the cassette mounting base 60 of the base 4, and the cassette mounting base 60 can be raised and lowered by this mechanism. A cassette 62 for containing multiple wafers 11 after cutting is placed on the cassette mounting base 60. In Figure 1, for ease of explanation, the outline of the cassette 62 is shown by a dashed line.

[0041] Figure 7 also includes a schematic perspective view of the cassette 62. The cassette 62 can accommodate multiple wafers 11 as contents. The cassette 62 has, for example, a box shape with one side open, and has a storage space 66 inside in which the contents are stored. An opening 64 is formed on this side, which serves as an entrance and exit for the contents, and the contents are loaded into and out of the storage space 66 through the opening 64.

[0042] Multiple support rails 68 for supporting the contents are provided on both inner walls adjacent to the opening 64 inside the cassette 62. Each support rail 68 is provided at the same height on the left and right inner walls, and the contents are placed on a pair of support rails 68 of the same height on the left and right sides, and the contents are supported by the support rails 68.

[0043] Furthermore, the cutting apparatus 2 includes an unloading unit 50 (see Figure 4) for unloading the wafer 11 after cutting from the jig chuck table 10. The unloading unit 50 is equipped with a suction pad 52 and has the function of holding the wafer 11, which has been cut and divided into individual device chips 15, from above by suction.

[0044] The suction pad 52 has a planar shape that can cover the top of the wafer 11. Multiple suction holes 54 are formed on the lower surface of the suction pad 52. Each suction hole 54 is arranged in the suction pad 52 in an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of device chips 15 formed from the wafer 11. That is, the suction holes 54 are arranged in the suction pad 52 in the same arrangement as the suction holes 38 of the jig chuck table 10.

[0045] As shown in Figure 4, a suction passage 56 is formed inside the suction pad 52, and one end of the suction passage 56 is connected to a suction source (not shown) located outside the suction pad 52. The other end of the suction passage 56 branches out and is connected to each suction hole 54. When the suction pad 52 is placed on the wafer 11 held by the jig chuck table 10 and the suction source is activated, negative pressure is applied to the wafer 11 through the suction passage 56 and the suction holes 54, and the wafer 11 is held by the suction pad 52.

[0046] In this state, when the suction holding of the wafer 11 by the jig chuck table 10 is released and the suction pad 52 is raised, each device chip 15 is lifted, and that is, the wafer 11 after cutting can be transported.

[0047] The cutting device 2 also includes an loading / unloading unit 70 (see Figure 7) for loading and unloading objects into a cassette 62 placed on a cassette mounting base 60. The loading / unloading unit 70 comprises a main body 74 and a gripping part 72 consisting of two claws that protrude vertically from one side of the main body 74. The object to be loaded is inserted between the two claws of the gripping part 72, and the object is gripped by the gripping part 72 by bringing the two claws closer together. In this state, the object to be loaded can be moved by moving the main body 74 in a predetermined direction.

[0048] Next, each step of the device chip manufacturing method according to this embodiment will be described. This device chip manufacturing method is mainly carried out using the cutting apparatus 2. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of this device chip manufacturing method.

[0049] First, the holding step S10 is performed. Figure 3(A) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the holding step S10. In the holding step S10, the wafer 11 is held by a jig chuck table 10 which has grooves 36 formed at positions corresponding to the planned division lines 13 of the wafer 11, and which has suction holes 38 in each region partitioned by the grooves 36.

[0050] In the holding step S10, first, the wafer 11 is placed on the upper surface 12 of the jig chuck table 10 by adjusting its position and orientation so that all of the planned division lines 13 of the wafer 11 and the grooves 36 corresponding to each planned division line 13 overlap. At this time, for example, the front surface 11a is facing upwards and the back surface 11b is facing the upper surface 12 of the jig chuck table 10. In the device chip manufacturing method according to this embodiment, no tape is attached to the back surface 11b of the wafer 11, and the wafer 11 is brought into direct contact with the jig chuck table 10.

[0051] After placing the wafer 11 on the upper surface 12 of the jig chuck table 10, the suction source of the jig chuck table 10 is activated to hold the wafer 11 in place by suction. This allows the wafer 11 to be cut to be fixed to the jig chuck table 10 in a predetermined position and orientation.

[0052] Next, a cutting step S20 is performed in which the wafer 11 held by the jig chuck table 10 is cut by a cutting blade 46 that rotates along the planned division line 13 to divide the wafer 11 into individual device chips 15. Figure 3(B) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the cutting step S20.

[0053] When cutting a workpiece with the cutting device 2, first, the jig chuck table 10 is rotated around an axis roughly perpendicular to the upper surface 12 to align the orientation of the planned division line 13 of the wafer 11 with the X-axis direction (machining feed direction).

[0054] Furthermore, the cutting unit 14 and the jig chuck table 10 are moved relative to each other to position the cutting blade 46 above the extension of one of the planned division lines 13. Then, the height of the cutting unit 14 is adjusted so that the lowest end of the cutting blade 46 reaches a position lower than the upper surface 12 of the jig chuck table 10, while the cutting blade 46 is rotated at high speed.

[0055] Subsequently, the jig chuck table 10 is moved along the X-axis direction (processing feed direction), and the cutting blade 46 is driven into the wafer 11 along the planned splitting line 13 to split the wafer 11. At this time, the lowest end of the cutting blade 46 enters the groove 36 of the jig chuck table 10, so the jig chuck table 10 is not cut by the cutting blade 46.

[0056] Next, the cutting unit 14 is moved along the Y-axis direction (indexing feed direction) to similarly cut the wafer 11 along the other division lines 13. After cutting the wafer 11 along all the division lines 13 along one direction of the wafer 11, the jig chuck table 10 is rotated to similarly cut the wafer 11 along the division lines 13 along the other direction. When the wafer 11 has been cut along all the division lines 13 set on the wafer 11, the cutting step S20 is completed.

[0057] In cutting step S20, when the wafer 11 is cut and divided along the planned division line 13, individual device chips 15 are manufactured. At this time, each individual device chip 15 is sucked in from the corresponding suction holes 38 of the fixture chuck table 10 and is subsequently held in place by suction on the fixture chuck table 10.

[0058] After performing the cutting step S20, the unloading step S30 is performed to unload the wafer 11 that was divided in the cutting step S20 from the jig chuck table 10. Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the unloading step S30. The unloading step S30 is performed by the unloading unit 50 of the cutting device 2. In the unloading step S30, the upper surface (surface 11a) of the wafer 11 is held by suction using a suction pad 52, and the wafer 11 is unloaded from the jig chuck table 10.

[0059] First, the suction pad 52 is positioned above the wafer 11. At this time, the position and orientation of the suction pad 52 are adjusted so that each suction hole 54 of the suction pad 52 aligns with the position of each device chip 15. Then, the suction pad 52 is lowered to contact the upper surface of the wafer 11, and the suction source of the transfer unit 50 is activated to hold each device chip 15 with the suction pad 52. After that, the suction source of the jig chuck table 10 is stopped, and the suction holding of the wafer 11 by the jig chuck table 10 is stopped.

[0060] When the unloading unit 50 is raised in this state, the divided wafer 11 is lifted up. When the unloading unit 50 is moved, the wafer 11 is unloaded from the jig chuck table 10.

[0061] Following the unloading step S30, a placement step S40 is performed to facilitate the subsequent handling of the divided wafer 11. In the placement step S40, the wafer 11 is placed on a plate-like object 21 shown in Figure 5 and supported by the plate-like object 21. Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the placement step S40. The plate-like object 21 will now be described.

[0062] The plate-like object 21 is a plate-shaped component having a width greater than the width of the wafer 11 and less than the width of the storage space 66 (see Figure 7) of the cassette 62. The plate-like object 21 is made of a hard material such as stainless steel (SUS), glass, or ceramics.

[0063] Generally, the workpiece to be cut by the cutting device 2 is attached to a tape that closes the opening of a ring frame having an opening larger than the workpiece, and then transported into the cutting device 2. That is, the workpiece, the tape, and the ring frame are integrated to form a frame unit, and this frame unit is transported into the cutting device 2. The frame unit, including the cut workpiece, is then placed in a cassette 62 and transported out of the cutting device 2.

[0064] The planar shape of the plate-like object 21 used in the device chip manufacturing method according to this embodiment is preferably the same as the planar shape of a conventionally used ring frame. In particular, if the outer circumference shape of the plate-like object 21 is the same as the outer circumference shape of the ring frame, the plate-like object 21 can be housed in the cassette 62 that was conventionally used to house the frame unit, and thus the conventionally used cassette 62 can be reused. However, unlike the ring frame, the plate-like object 21 does not have an opening that penetrates through to the front and back.

[0065] The plate-like object 21 has a sheet-like organic resin layer 23 having holding power on its surface 21a. The organic resin layer 23 is composed of a member that applies holding power to the wafer 11 due to tack force or adhesive force, etc. As the organic resin layer 23 having tack power, a member in which an acrylic polymer is crosslinked with a crosslinking agent can be used, for example, the product names "Separes" or "HandecoTack" manufactured and sold by Shin Tack Kasei Co., Ltd. can be used. However, the organic resin layer 23 is not limited to these.

[0066] Furthermore, the organic resin layer 23 does not need to be provided over the entire surface 21a of the plate-like object 21. The plate-like object 21 may have an exposed area 25 on the outer periphery of its surface 21a where the organic resin layer 23 is not provided. Also, the organic resin layer 23 is not provided on the back surface 21b of the plate-like object 21.

[0067] There are no particular restrictions on the position where the plate-like object 21 on which the wafer 11 is placed in the placement step S40 is pre-positioned. There may be an area in the cutting apparatus 2 solely for the preparation of the plate-like object 21, or the plate-like object 21 may be placed on a component of the cutting apparatus 2 having a specific function. For example, the plate-like object 21 may be prepared on the spinner table of the cleaning unit 48 (see Figure 1).

[0068] In the placement step S40, as shown in Figure 6, the wafer 11, which is held in place by the suction pad 52, is transported onto the plate-shaped object 21 placed in a predetermined position, and the wafer 11 is placed on the organic resin layer 23 of the plate-shaped object 21, which has an organic resin layer 23 having holding force disposed on its surface 21a. Then, the suction source of the transport unit 50 is stopped, and the suction holding of the wafer 11 by the suction pad 52 is stopped. Then, the suction pad 52 is moved from above the plate-shaped object 21. As a result, the holding force of the organic resin layer 23 acts and the wafer 11 is held on the plate-shaped object 21.

[0069] Next, a cassette storage step S50 is performed in which the plate-shaped object 21 on which the wafer 11 is placed is placed in a cassette. Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the cassette storage step S50. In the cassette storage step S50, the loading / unloading unit 70 grasps the plate-shaped object 21 and loads it into the storage space 66 of the cassette 62.

[0070] First, the loading / unloading unit 70 grips the plate-shaped object 21 with its gripping section 72. Then, the loading / unloading unit 70 moves its main body 74 toward the cassette 62, and inserts the plate-shaped object 21 into the storage space 66 through the opening 64 of the cassette 62. At this time, the cassette mounting base 60 is raised or lowered in advance, and the height of the support rail 68 into which the plate-shaped object 21 is scheduled to be loaded is adjusted to match the height of the plate-shaped object 21 gripped by the gripping section 72. Then, the plate-shaped object 21 that holds the wafer 11 can be accommodated in the designated support rail 68.

[0071] Here, when the gripping portion 72 grips the plate-shaped object 21, if the organic resin layer 23 comes into contact with the gripping portion 72, the organic resin layer 23 exerts a holding force on the gripping portion 72, making it difficult for the gripping portion 72 to detach from the plate-shaped object 21 even after the gripping portion 72 has released its grip on the plate-shaped object 21. This causes problems in transporting the plate-shaped object 21. Furthermore, if the gripping portion 72 grips the plate-shaped object 21 in an area where the organic resin layer 23 is formed, the organic resin layer 23 may be damaged.

[0072] In contrast, if the surface 11a of the plate-like object 21 has an exposed area 25 where the organic resin layer 23 is not formed, the gripping part 72 of the loading / unloading unit 70 can grip this exposed area 25. Therefore, the organic resin layer 23 is less likely to come into contact with the gripping part 72. Also, if the plate-like object 21 has an exposed area 25, the conventional transport mechanism that acts on the ring frame of the frame unit to transport the frame unit can be used on the plate-like object 21 as well.

[0073] The wafer 11, while held on the plate-like object 21, may be cleaned in the cleaning unit 48 before being placed in the cassette 62. At this time, the wafer 11, divided into individual device chips 15, is held in the organic resin layer 23 of the plate-like object 21.

[0074] Furthermore, the wafer 11, which is contained in the cassette 62 and discharged from the cutting device 2, is pulled out of the cassette 62 in a predetermined area. Then, the individual device chips 15 formed by dividing the wafer 11 are picked up and mounted on a predetermined mounting target. The plate-like object 21 from which the wafer 11 has been removed is reusable. That is, the plate-like object 21 can be used to hold other wafers 11 that have been cut and divided by the cutting device 2.

[0075] In the device chip manufacturing method according to this embodiment described above, the divided device chips 15 can be handled together in the form of a wafer 11 by using the jig chuck table 10, the unloading unit 50, and the plate-shaped object 21. At this time, since the wafer 11 and the manufactured device chips 15 can be handled without using tape, the costs that were required for tape are eliminated.

[0076] Furthermore, the plate-like object 21 used to hold the divided wafer 11 can be reused after the device chip 15 has been picked up. Therefore, the device chip manufacturing method according to this embodiment is more economical than conventional device chip manufacturing methods that use tape that is discarded after a single use, and the manufacturing cost of the device chip 15 can be kept low.

[0077] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be implemented with various modifications. For example, in the above embodiment, a case was described in which, in cutting step S20, the cutting blade 46 cuts a region from the surface 11a to the back surface 11b of the wafer 11, and a processing groove 13a penetrating from the surface 11a to the back surface 11b is formed in the wafer 11. However, the method for manufacturing a device chip according to one aspect of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0078] In other words, the cutting blade 46 may cut into the wafer 11 to a position slightly higher than the back surface 11b of the wafer 11, forming a processing groove 13a in the wafer 11 that does not penetrate the wafer 11, thereby manufacturing the device chip 15. In this case, the wafer 11 is then completely separated starting from the processing groove 13a, separating the individual device chips 15.

[0079] Furthermore, the structures, methods, etc., relating to the above embodiments and modified examples can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0080] 11 wafers 11a,21a surface 11b,21b Back side 13 planned division lines 13a Machining groove 15 device chips 21. Plate-like object 23 Organic resin layer 25 Exposure area 2 Cutting equipment 4 base 4a,4b,4c opening 6 Covers 8. Dustproof and splashproof cover 10. Jig Chuck Table 12 Top side 14 Cutting Units 16 Support structure 18 Mobile Units 20,26 Guide rails 22,28 Y-axis moving plate 24,30 Y-axis ball screw 32 pulse motors 34 Imaging Units 36 Groove 38,54 Suction hole 40,56 Suction path 42 Spindle Housing 44 spindles 46 cutting blades 48 Washing Unit 50 unloading units 52. Suction pads 58 Front end 60 Cassette Mounting Stands 62 cassettes 64 Aperture 66 Containment Space 68 Support rail 70 Loading / Unloading Units 72 Gripping part 74 Main unit

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a device chip, which divides a wafer having devices in each region demarcated by multiple intersecting division lines, A holding step involves holding the wafer with a jig chuck table that has grooves formed at positions corresponding to the planned division lines on the wafer, and that has suction holes in each of the regions partitioned by the grooves, A cutting step of dividing the wafer into individual device chips by cutting the wafer, which is held in the jig chuck table, with a cutting blade that rotates along the planned division line, The process includes a removal step in which the upper surface of the wafer, which has been divided in the cutting step, is held in place by suction using a suction pad, and the wafer is removed from the jig chuck table, A placing step of placing the wafer, which is held in place by the suction pad, onto the organic resin layer of a plate-shaped object (except in cases where it is composed of a ring frame and a resin sheet attached to the ring frame so as to close the opening of the ring frame), which has an organic resin layer having holding power disposed on its surface, A method for manufacturing a device chip, comprising a cassette storage step of housing the plate-shaped object on which the wafer is placed in a cassette.

2. The plate-like object has an exposed area on its surface outside the organic resin layer where the organic resin layer is not provided. The method for manufacturing a device chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the cassette storage step, the plate-shaped object is stored in the cassette while the exposed area of ​​the plate-shaped object is being sucked or gripped.

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