Method for installing protective members and sheet installation device

Abstract

To provide an installation method of a protective member which can suppress a labor to remove the protective member after installation, and lowering of accuracy of the thickness of the protective member.SOLUTION: An installation method of a protective member includes a drawing step 102 of drawing the protective member from a sheet roll where the protective member which contains a thermoplastic resin and is formed in a sheet shape having a width larger than a diameter of a workpiece is wound in a roll shape, a thinning step 103 of stretching the protective member in a roll drawing direction and thinning the protective member while heating the drawn protective member and softening or melting the protective member, and an integration step 104 of bringing the protective member thinned in the thinning step 103 into close contact with the workpiece, and integrating the workpiece and the protective member. The integration step 104 is performed in a state where heat heated in the thinning step 103 is kept by the protective member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for installing a protective member. and sheet installation device It relates thereto.

Background Art

[0002] When a plate-shaped workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer is ground to be thinned or divided by irradiation with a cutting blade or a laser beam, the workpiece is held on a chuck table. At this time, if the workpiece is directly placed on the chuck table, it may lead to damage or contamination of the workpiece, or it may become impossible to perform batch conveyance after division. Therefore, it is common to attach an adhesive tape to the surface that contacts the holding surface of the chuck table (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, when peeling the adhesive tape from the workpiece, residues such as adhesives may remain on the workpiece.

[0004] Therefore, a method has been proposed in which a block-shaped, string-shaped, granular, or fluid thermoplastic resin is supplied to the support surface of a flat support table, and a sheet-shaped protective member is formed by spreading it while heating, and this sheet-shaped protective member is adhered to the workpiece (for example, see Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The protective member formed by the method shown in Patent Document 2 has the advantage that no residue remains when peeled from the workpiece because it can be adhered by heating without using an adhesive layer.

[0007] However, on the other hand, there were challenges such as the time-consuming process of peeling off the protective sheet formed by heating and spreading it on the support table, and the difficulty in achieving accurate sheet thickness when bonding the sheet-like protective sheet to the workpiece after peeling it off the support table, due to the expansion of the pressing member caused by heat.

[0008] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a method for installing protective members that can reduce the effort required to remove the protective members after installation and suppress the reduction in the accuracy of the thickness of the protective members. and sheet installation device The objective is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the present invention provides a method for installing a protective member on a workpiece, comprising: a pulling step of pulling out a protective member from a sheet roll in which a protective member, which is made of thermoplastic resin and has a width larger than the diameter of the workpiece and is formed in a sheet shape, is wound in a roll shape; and the pulled-out protective member The protective member contacts the outer surface and rotates the multiple heating rollers over which the protective member is placed, and the heating rollers The process includes a thinning step of stretching the protective member in the direction of the roll's pull-out while heating it to soften or melt it, and an integrating step of bringing the thinned protective member in the thinning step into close contact with the workpiece and integrating the workpiece and the protective member, wherein the thinning step The heating roller The integration step is performed while the protective member retains the heat generated by the heating process, eliminating the need to reheat, soften, or melt the protective member and the workpiece when integrating them.

[0010] In the method for installing the protective member described above, the thickness of the protective member may be adjusted in the thinning step by controlling the amount of stretching in the pulling direction. The sheet setting device of the present invention is a sheet setting device for setting a protective member on a workpiece, comprising: a sheet feeding unit that feeds the protective member from a sheet roll in which a protective member, which is made of thermoplastic resin and formed in a sheet shape having a width larger than the diameter of the workpiece, is wound in a roll shape; a holding table that holds the workpiece; and a plurality of heating rollers that the protective member contacts the outer surface of and stretches across the protective member, guiding the protective member onto the holding table, wherein the protective member is pressed against the workpiece held on the holding table, and the workpiece and the protective member are integrated while the heat heated by the heating rollers is retained by the protective member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present invention has the effect of being able to suppress the labor of removing the protective member after installation and the decrease in the accuracy of the thickness of the protective member.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a workpiece on which a protective member is installed by the method of installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sheet roll formed by a protective member installed on a workpiece by the method of installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a sheet feeding unit of a sheet installation device for carrying out the method of installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a sheet installation unit of a sheet installation device for carrying out the method of installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the method of installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view schematically showing a state in which a sheet cutting unit in an integrated step of the method of installing the protective member shown in FIG. 5 cuts the protective member along the outer edge of the workpiece. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side view schematically showing a state in which a workpiece on which a protective member is installed by the method of installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 is being ground. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a side view schematically showing a state in which a workpiece on which a protective member is installed by the method of installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 is being cut. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a modified example of the workpiece shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the workpiece shown in FIG. 9 as viewed from the back side.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Embodiments for implementing the present invention will be described in detail while referring to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the content described in the following embodiments. Also, the constituent elements described below include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art and substantially identical ones. Furthermore, the configurations described below can be combined as appropriate. Also, various omissions, substitutions, or changes in the configuration can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0014] [Embodiment 1] A method for installing a protective member according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a workpiece on which a protective member is installed by the method for installing a protective member according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sheet roll formed by a protective member installed on a workpiece by the method for installing a protective member according to Embodiment 1.

[0015] (Workpiece) The method for installing a protective member according to Embodiment 1 is a method for installing the protective member 1 shown in FIG. 2 on the workpiece 200 shown in FIG. 1. In the method for installing a protective member according to Embodiment 1, the workpiece 200 on which the protective member 1 is installed is, in Embodiment 1, a wafer such as a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer having a substrate 201 made of silicon, sapphire, or gallium arsenide. As shown in FIG. 1, devices 204 are formed in regions of the surface 202 partitioned by a plurality of division planned lines 203.

[0016] The device 204 is, for example, an integrated circuit such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) or LSI (Large Scale Integration), an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), or various memories (semiconductor storage devices). Also, in Embodiment 1, the device 204 includes a conductive spherical bump 205 connected to an electrode or the like.

[0017] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the workpiece 200 has a substrate 201 whose surface is covered with resin 206. In Embodiment 1, the bumps 205 protrude from the surface of the resin 206 which is the surface 202 of the workpiece 200, so that the surface 202 of the workpiece 200 is formed to be uneven. After the protective member 1 is installed, the workpiece 200 is divided into individual devices 204 along the division line 203.

[0018] (Protective material) The protective member 1 installed on the workpiece 200 by the installation method of the protective member according to Embodiment 1 is wound in a roll shape around the outer circumference of the cylindrical core 11 shown in Figure 2 to form a sheet roll 10. In Embodiment 1, the protective member 1 contains a thermoplastic resin and is formed in the shape of a long sheet with a width 2 that is larger than the diameter 207 (shown in Figure 1) of the workpiece 200. The protective member 1 is wound around the outer circumference of the core 11 with its width direction 3 parallel to the axis of the core 11 and its longitudinal direction 4 along the outer circumference direction of the core 11 to form a sheet roll 10.

[0019] In Embodiment 1, the thermoplastic resin constituting the protective member 1 is specifically acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, vinyl resin, polyacetal, natural rubber, butyl rubber, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber, polyolefins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, poly(4-methyl-1-pentene), poly(1-butene), polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyamides such as nylon-6, nylon-66, polymetaxylene adipamide, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyetherimide, polyacrylo Examples include one or more selected from nitriles, polycarbonates, polystyrenes, polysulfones, polyethersulfones, polyphenylenes, etherpolybutadiene resins, polycarbonate resins, thermoplastic polyimide resins, thermoplastic polyurethane resins, phenoxy resins, polyamideimide resins, fluororesins, ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymer resins, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resins, ionomers, ethylene-vinyl acetate-maleic anhydride ternary copolymer resins, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer saponified resins, and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resins.

[0020] Examples of unsaturated carboxylic acids constituting the above-mentioned ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymer include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, itaconic acid, monomethyl maleate, monoethyl maleate, maleic anhydride, and itaconic anhydride. Here, the term ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymer includes not only binary copolymers of ethylene and unsaturated carboxylic acids, but also polypolymers in which other monomers are copolymerized. Examples of other monomers that may be copolymerized in the ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymer include vinyl esters such as vinyl acetate and vinyl propionate, and unsaturated carboxylic acid esters such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, dimethyl maleate, and diethyl maleate.

[0021] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the protective member 1 has its softening point adjusted to be between 0°C and 300°C (preferably between 80°C and 100°C) by appropriately adjusting the components, molecular weight, etc., of the thermoplastic resin described above. Also, in Embodiment 1, the softening point of the protective member 1 is lower than the softening point and melting point of the resin 206 that coats the surface of the substrate 201 of the workpiece 200. In Embodiment 1, the storage modulus of the protective member 1 from 10°C to 30°C is 1 × 10⁻⁶. 6 (Pa) or higher and 1 × 10 9 The storage modulus is less than or equal to (Pa), and the storage modulus at a temperature of 80°C to 100°C during heating (adhesion) is 1 × 10⁻¹⁰. 6 (Pa) or higher and 1 × 10 7 It is less than or equal to (Pa).

[0022] (Sheet installation device) Next, a sheet installation device 20 for implementing the protective member installation method according to Embodiment 1 will be described. Figure 3 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the sheet feeding unit of the sheet installation device for implementing the protective member installation method according to Embodiment 1. Figure 4 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the sheet installation unit of the sheet installation device for implementing the protective member installation method according to Embodiment 1.

[0023] The sheet installation device 20 for implementing the protective member installation method according to Embodiment 1 comprises a device body (not shown), a sheet feeding unit 30 shown in Figure 3, a sheet installation unit 40 shown in Figure 4, and a control unit (not shown).

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the sheet feeding unit 30 includes a sheet roll holding roller 31 and a plurality of heating rollers 32. The sheet roll holding roller 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is inserted into the core 11 to hold the sheet roll 10, i.e., the protective member 1. The sheet roll holding roller 31 is supported by the main body of the device so as to be rotatable around its axis. The sheet roll holding roller 31 fixes the inner surface of the core 11 of the sheet roll 10 to its outer surface and, by rotating around its axis, feeds the protective member 1 sequentially from one end toward the sheet installation unit 40.

[0025] Each of the multiple heating rollers 32 is formed in a cylindrical shape, with their axes parallel to each other and spaced apart. In Embodiment 1, the multiple heating rollers 32 are formed with equal outer diameters, and the protective members 1 fed out from the sheet roll holding roller 31 contact the outer surface of each roller one by one, starting from the one closest to the sheet roll holding roller 31, so that the protective members 1 are stretched across them in order from the one closest to the sheet roll holding roller 31. In Embodiment 1, the protective members 1 are passed below the heating roller 32 closest to the sheet roll holding roller 31, and above the heating roller 32 adjacent to the heating roller 32 closest to the sheet roll holding roller 31, so that the protective members 1 are stretched across them in order from the one closest to the sheet roll holding roller 31, alternating between above and below.

[0026] Furthermore, the heating roller 32 incorporates a heater that heats the protective member 1 that is in contact with its outer surface, and is rotated around its axis by a drive source such as a motor (not shown). The heating roller 32 rotates around its axis by the motor while heating the protective member 1 with the heater, thereby feeding the protective member 1 that has been fed out from the sheet roll holding roller 31 toward the sheet installation unit 40. In Embodiment 1, the heating roller 32 rotates around its axis by the motor, drawing out the protective member 1 from the sheet roll 10 held by the sheet roll holding roller 31. Also in Embodiment 1, the heating roller 32 heats the protective member 1 that has been drawn out from the sheet roll 10 held by the sheet roll holding roller 31 to a temperature above the softening point and below the melting point of the protective member 1.

[0027] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the rotational speed of the heating roller 32 is set so that the rotational speed closer to the sheet installation unit 40 is faster than the rotational speed closer to the sheet roll holding roller 31. That is, the rotational speed of the heating roller 32 is set to be faster as it moves away from the sheet roll holding roller 31. For this reason, in Embodiment 1, the multiple heating rollers 32, i.e., the sheet feeding unit 30, gradually stretch and thin the protective member 1 that has been pulled out from the sheet roll 10 in the longitudinal direction 4 of the protective member 1, which is the direction in which the sheet roll 10 is pulled out.

[0028] The sheet installation unit 40 includes a holding table 41, a pair of transport rollers 42, a pressing roller 43, a sheet cutting unit 44, and a winding roller 45.

[0029] The holding table 41 holds the workpiece 200. The holding table 41 is formed in the shape of a disc with an outer diameter larger than the diameter 207 of the workpiece 200, and its upper surface is a holding surface 411 parallel to the horizontal direction on which the workpiece 200 is placed. The workpiece 200 is placed on the holding surface 411 at a position coaxial with this holding surface 411. The holding table 41 holds the workpiece 200 placed on the holding surface 411 by suction from a suction source (not shown). The protective member 1, which is fed from the sheet feeding unit 30, passes over the holding surface 411 of the holding table 411.

[0030] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the holding table 41 incorporates a heater 412 that heats the protective member 1 installed on the workpiece 200 by heating the workpiece 200 held on the holding surface 411. In Embodiment 1, the heater 412 of the holding table 41 heats the protective member 1 to a temperature above its softening point and below its melting point.

[0031] The conveying rollers 42 are formed in a cylindrical shape, with their axes parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other. In a plan view, the conveying rollers 42 position the holding table 41 between them, are supported by the main body of the device so as to be rotatable around their axes, and are positioned above the holding surface 411. In Embodiment 1, the conveying rollers 42 have axes parallel to the axes of the sheet roll holding rollers 31 and the heating rollers 32, and press the protective member 1 that is fed out from the sheet feeding unit 30 with their outer circumferential surfaces, thereby applying tension to the protective member 1. By rotating around their axes, the conveying rollers 42 support the protective member 1 so that it passes over the holding surface 411 of the holding table 41.

[0032] The pressing roller 43 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a flat outer surface, and its axis is positioned parallel to the axes of the sheet roll holding roller 31, the heating roller 32, and the conveying roller 42. The pressing roller 43 is supported by a moving unit (not shown) so as to be movable between the conveying rollers 42 in a direction parallel to the horizontal direction and perpendicular to its axis, and is also supported so as to be able to move up and down in a direction perpendicular to the holding surface 411.

[0033] As the pressing roller 43 descends, it presses the protective member 1 between the pair of conveying rollers 42, which have been heated and softened by the heating roller 32, etc., against the workpiece 200 held on the holding table 41. As it moves horizontally while descending, it brings the softened protective member 1 into close contact with the workpiece 200, thereby installing the protective member 1 on the workpiece 200.

[0034] The sheet cutting unit 44 cuts the protective member 1 along the outer edge of the workpiece 200 after the pressing roller 43 has placed the protective member 1 on the workpiece 200. The sheet cutting unit 44 is positioned above the holding surface 411 of the holding table 41.

[0035] In Embodiment 1, the sheet cutting unit 44 includes a cutter blade 441, a disc-shaped mounting base 442 to which the cutter blade 441 is attached to its outer edge, and a movable unit (not shown) that supports the mounting base 442 so as to be rotatable and vertically movable around an axis on the center of the holding surface 411 of the holding table 41.

[0036] The cutter blade 441 has a cutting edge at its lower end that is longer than the thickness of the protective member 1 that is fed onto the holding surface 411 of the holding table 41. The cutting edge of the cutter blade 441 faces the outer edge of the workpiece 200 held on the holding surface 411 of the holding table 41. The mounting base 442 is formed in a disc shape coaxial with the holding table 41 and is positioned facing the holding surface 411, and its outer diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the holding table 41.

[0037] The sheet cutting unit 44 lowers the mounting base 442, i.e., the cutter blade 441, using the moving unit, causing the cutting edge of the cutter blade 441 to cut into the protective member 1 on the outer edge of the workpiece 200. The sheet cutting unit 44 rotates the mounting base 442 around its axis using the moving unit, so that the cutter blade 441 cuts the protective member 1 along the outer edge of the workpiece 200 held on the holding table 41.

[0038] The winding roller 45 winds up the excess portion of the protective member 1 that has been cut along the outer edge of the workpiece 200 by the sheet cutting unit 44. The excess portion of the protective sheet is the part on the outer circumference of the workpiece 200 that is cut by the cutter blade 441 of the protective member 1.

[0039] In Embodiment 1, the winding roller 45 is positioned above the conveying roller 42 that is furthest from the sheet feeding unit 30 among the pair of conveying rollers 42. The winding roller 45 is formed in a cylindrical shape with its axis parallel to the axes of the sheet roll holding roller 31, heating roller 32, conveying roller 42, and pressing roller 43, and is rotated around its axis by a drive device such as a motor (not shown), thereby winding the protective member 1 onto its outer surface. By winding the protective member 1 onto its outer surface, the winding roller 45 pulls the protective member 1 out from the sheet roll 10 supported by the sheet roll holding roller 31.

[0040] The control unit controls each of the aforementioned components of the sheet setting device 20 to cause the sheet setting device 20 to perform the setting operation of setting the protective member 1 on the workpiece 200. The control unit is a computer having an arithmetic processing unit with a microprocessor such as a CPU (central processing unit), a storage device with memory such as ROM (read-only memory) or RAM (random access memory), and an input / output interface device. The arithmetic processing unit of the control unit performs calculations according to the computer program stored in the storage device and outputs control signals for controlling the sheet setting device 20 to each of the aforementioned units of the sheet setting device 20 via the input / output interface device.

[0041] Furthermore, the control unit is connected to a display unit that displays the status of the installation operation and images, an input unit used by the operator to input installation conditions and other information to the control unit of the seat installation device 20, and a notification unit that notifies the operator by emitting at least one of sound and / or light.

[0042] (Method of installing protective components) Next, a method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 will be described. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1. Figure 6 is a schematic side view showing the state in which the sheet cutting unit in the integration step of the method for installing the protective member shown in Figure 5 cuts the protective member along the outer edge of the workpiece. Figure 7 is a schematic side view showing the state in which the workpiece on which the protective member is installed according to the method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 is being ground. Figure 8 is a schematic side view showing the state in which the workpiece on which the protective member is installed according to the method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 is being cut.

[0043] The method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 is a method for installing the protective member 1 on a workpiece 200, and the aforementioned sheet installation device 20 is also the installation operation for installing the protective member 1 on the workpiece 200. As shown in Figure 5, the method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 comprises a preparation step 101, a pulling step 102, a thinning step 103, and an integration step 104.

[0044] (Preparation Steps) Preparation step 101 is a step to prepare for the installation operation in which the protective member 1 is installed on the workpiece 200 of the sheet installation device 20. In Embodiment 1, in preparation step 101, first, an operator or the like holds the sheet roll 10 on the sheet roll holding roller 31, pulls out the end of the protective member 1 from the sheet roll 10, and passes the protective member 1 over a plurality of heating rollers 32 in order from the one closest to the sheet roll holding roller 31, passes under a pair of conveying rollers 42, and then wraps it around the outer surface of the winding roller 45.

[0045] In Embodiment 1, in preparation step 101, the operator or the like places the back surface 208 of the back side of the front surface 202 of the workpiece 200 on the holding surface 411 of the holding table 41 and registers the installation conditions with the control unit. In preparation step 101, when the control unit receives an instruction from the operator or the like to start the installation operation, the sheet installation device 20 drives the heater of the heating roller 32 and the heater 412 of the holding table 41 to heat the protective member 1, starts the installation operation, and proceeds to the withdrawal step 102.

[0046] (Pull-out step) The pulling step 102 is the step of pulling out the protective member 1 from the sheet roll 10 in which the protective member 1 is wound in a roll shape. In the pulling step 102, the sheet setting device 20 holds the workpiece 200 by suction on the holding surface 411 of the holding table 41, and while heating the protective member 1 with the heater of the heating roller 32 and the heater of the holding table 41, it winds up the protective member 1 with the winding roller 45 and rotates the heating roller 32 at the aforementioned rotational speed to pull out the protective member 1 from the sheet roll 10 held by the sheet roll holding roller 31 and proceed to the thinning step 103.

[0047] (Thinning step) The thinning step 103 is a step in which the protective member 1 is thinned by heating and softening or melting the pulled-out protective member 1, while stretching it in the longitudinal direction 4 of the protective member 1, which is the direction in which the sheet roll 10 is pulled out. In Embodiment 1, in the thinning step 103, the sheet setting device 20 heats the heaters of each heating roller 32 and the heater 412 of the holding table 41 to a temperature above the softening point of the protective member 1 but below the melting point, thereby softening the protective member 1 pulled out from the sheet roll 10.

[0048] In Embodiment 1, during the thinning step 103, the sheet installation device 20 rotates a plurality of heating rollers 32 at the aforementioned rotational speed while softening the protective member 1 pulled from the sheet roll 10. As a result, the protective member 1 is stretched along the longitudinal direction 4 between the heating rollers 32, and the protective member 1 is thinned. Once the protective member 1, which has been stretched and thinned along the longitudinal direction 4 by the plurality of heating rollers 32, is positioned on the holding table 41, the process proceeds to the integration step 104.

[0049] In Embodiment 1, during the thinning step 103, the sheet installation device 20 appropriately changes the difference in rotational speed between the heating rollers 32 according to the thickness of the protective member 1 installed on the workpiece 200. That is, as the thickness of the protective member 1 installed on the workpiece 200 decreases, the difference in rotational speed between the heating rollers 32 is increased to increase the amount of stretching in the longitudinal direction 4 of the protective member 1. Thus, in Embodiment 1, during the thinning step 103, the sheet installation device 20 adjusts the thickness of the protective member 1 installed on the workpiece 200 by controlling the amount of stretching in the longitudinal direction 4 of the protective member 1.

[0050] (Integration step) The integration step 104 is a step in which the protective member 1, which has been thinned in the thinning step 103, is brought into close contact with the workpiece 200, and the workpiece 200 and the protective member 1 are integrated. In Embodiment 1, in the integration step 104, when the portion of the protective member 1 that has been thinned by the multiple heating rollers 32 is positioned above the workpiece 200 held on the holding table 41, the sheet setting device 20 stops winding the protective member 1 with the winding roller 45 and stops the rotation of the heating rollers 32, so that the portion of the protective member 1 that has been thinned by the multiple heating rollers 32 is positioned above the workpiece 200 held on the holding table 41. The protective member 1 positioned above the workpiece 200 held on the holding table 41 maintains a state in which it has retained the heat that was heated in the thinning step 103 (in Embodiment 1, a state in which it has been heated to a temperature above the softening point and below the melting point).

[0051] In Embodiment 1, during the integration step 104, the sheet installation device 20 lowers the pressing roller 43 and presses the protective member 1, which has been heated to a temperature above its softening point by the heater 412 of the heating roller 32, against the workpiece 200, while simultaneously moving the pressing roller 43 horizontally a predetermined number of times between a pair of conveying rollers 42. As a result, during the integration step 104, the protective member 1 has softened because it has reached a temperature above its softening point, and because the outer surface of the pressing roller 43 is flat, the protective member 1 fits between the bumps 205 of the workpiece 200, the thickness from the surface 202 of the workpiece 200 becomes uniform, and the upper surface of the protective member 1 is formed flat.

[0052] Thus, in Embodiment 1, in the integration step 104, the sheet installation device 20 firmly attaches the protective member 1, which has a uniform thickness from the surface 202 and a flat upper surface, to the entire surface 202 of the workpiece 200, thereby installing the protective member 1 on the surface 202 of the workpiece 200 and integrating the protective member 1 with the workpiece 200. In this way, in Embodiment 1, immediately after the thinning step 103, the integration step 104 is performed while the protective member 1 is retaining the heat generated by the thinning step 103 (i.e., the protective member 1 is heated to a temperature above its softening point and below its melting point). For this reason, the method of installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 does not require further heating to soften or melt the protective member 1 when integrating it with the workpiece 200.

[0053] In Embodiment 1, in integration step 104, the sheet installation device 20 installs the protective member 1 on the surface 202 of the workpiece 200, then raises the pressing roller 43 and lowers the mounting base 442 and cutter blade 441 of the sheet cutting unit 44, causing the cutter blade 441 to cut into the protective member 1 on the outer edge of the workpiece 200. In Embodiment 1, in integration step 104, as shown in Figure 6, the sheet installation device 20 rotates the mounting base 442 at least once around its axis, and the cutter blade 441 cuts the protective member 1 along the outer edge of the workpiece 200 held by the holding table 41. In Embodiment 1, in integration step 104, the sheet installation device 20 raises the sheet cutting unit 44, stopping the suction holding of the workpiece 200 by the holding table 41, and ends the protective member installation method, i.e., the installation operation, according to Embodiment 1.

[0054] In this invention, the holding table 41 does not need to be equipped with a heater 412 as long as the protective member 1 maintains a temperature above its softening point and below its melting point on the holding table 41. Alternatively, in this invention, the holding table 41 may not be equipped with a heater 412, but the pressing roller 43 may be equipped with a heater that heats the protective member 1.

[0055] A protective member 1 is installed on the surface 202, and the workpiece 200 integrated with the protective member 1 is, for example, held by suction on the side with the protective member 1 to the chuck table 51 of the grinding device 50, as shown in Figure 7, and ground by the grinding wheel 54 of the grinding wheel 53 while grinding fluid 52 is supplied. Alternatively, a protective member 1 is installed on the surface 202, and the workpiece 200 integrated with the protective member 1 may be, for example, held by suction on the side with the protective member 1 to the chuck table 61 of the cutting device 60, as shown in Figure 8, and the planned division lines may be cut by the cutting blade 62 while cutting fluid is supplied.

[0056] Furthermore, in the present invention, a protective member 1 is installed on the surface 202, and the workpiece 200 integrated with the protective member 1 is held by suction on the chuck table of the laser processing device on the side with the protective member 1, and laser processing is performed by irradiating the workpiece 200 with a laser beam that is penetrating or absorptive. In short, in the present invention, a protective member 1 is installed on the surface 202, and the workpiece 200 integrated with the protective member 1 can be subjected to various processing.

[0057] In the method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 described above, in the pulling-out step 102, the protective member 1 is pulled out from the rolled sheet roll 10, in the thinning step 103, the protective member 1 is heated and stretched in the longitudinal direction 4 to thin it, and in the integrating step 104, the protective member 1 is pressed tightly against the workpiece 200 to install the protective member 1 on the workpiece 200. Therefore, there is no need to heat the protective member 1 and press it tightly against the workpiece 200 to make it tightly adhere.

[0058] For this reason, the method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 can reduce the effort required to peel the protective member 1 from the pressing roller 43, and can also reduce the effort required to remove the protective member 1 from the pressing roller 43 after it has been installed on the workpiece 200.

[0059] Furthermore, in the method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1, the protective member 1 is pulled out from the rolled sheet roll 10 in the pulling step 102, and the protective member 1 is heated and stretched in the longitudinal direction 4 in the thinning step 103 to thin it. Therefore, the effect of heat on the protective member 1 received by the pressing roller 43 can be suppressed compared to when the protective member 1 is pressed against the workpiece 200 while being heated to ensure close contact. For this reason, the method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 can suppress a decrease in the accuracy of the thickness of the protective member 1 installed on the workpiece 200.

[0060] As a result, the method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 has the effect of reducing the effort required to remove the protective member 1 after installation and suppressing a decrease in the accuracy of the thickness of the protective member 1.

[0061] Furthermore, in the method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1, the protective member 1 is heated and softened to thin it in the thinning step 103, and then in the integration step 104, the protective member 1 is integrated with the workpiece 200 while retaining the heat that was generated in the thinning step 103. As a result, the method for installing the protective member according to Embodiment 1 contributes to improved productivity because it eliminates the need to heat the protective member 1 again to integrate it with the workpiece 200.

[0062] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. That is, it can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the core of the present invention. For example, in the present invention, the protective member 1 may be installed on the back surface 208 of the workpiece 200. Also, in the present invention, in the thinning step 103, the protective member 1 may be thinned by stretching it in the longitudinal direction 4 while heating it with the heater of the heating roller 32 to a temperature exceeding the melting point of the protective member 1 and melting it, and then installed on the workpiece 200. Furthermore, in the present invention, in the integration step 104, instead of the pressing roller 43, the protective member 1 may be pressed against the workpiece 200 with a pressing member having a pressing surface parallel to the holding surface 411 and flat to integrate them, or the protective member 1 may be integrated with the workpiece 200 by forming a vacuum between the workpiece 200 and the protective member 1.

[0063] Furthermore, in the present invention, the protective member 1 may be installed on the workpiece 200-1, which is a package substrate as shown in Figures 9 and 10. The workpiece 200-1 shown in Figures 9 and 10 is a package substrate such as a QFN (Quad Flat Non-leaded Package) substrate or a CSP (Chip Scale Packaging) substrate, comprising a substrate 210 with intersecting division lines 211 set thereon, a device chip installed in the area of ​​the surface 212 of the substrate 210 surrounded by the division lines 211, and a sealing resin 213 that covers the device chip on the surface 212 of the substrate 210.

[0064] In this invention, when a protective member 1 is installed on a workpiece 200 which is a package substrate, the protective member 1 is installed on the front surface 212 or the back surface 214 of the substrate 210. Figure 9 is a perspective view of a modified example of the workpiece shown in Figure 1. Figure 10 is a perspective view of the workpiece shown in Figure 9, viewed from the back side. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0065] 1. Protective member 2 width 4. Longitudinal direction (drawing direction) 10 sheet rolls 102 Drawer Step 103 Thinning step 104 Integration Step 200,200-1 Workpiece 207 Diameter

Claims

1. A method for installing a protective member on a workpiece, A pulling step involves removing a protective member from a sheet roll in which a protective member, which is made of thermoplastic resin and has a width larger than the diameter of the workpiece and is formed in a sheet shape, is wound in a roll shape. A thinning step in which the pulled-out protective member is stretched and thinned in the direction of the roll's pull-out, while the protective member is heated and softened or melted by the heating rollers while the protective member is in contact with the outer surface of the protective member and the protective member is stretched across it, and the protective member is stretched and thinned by the heating rollers, The method includes an integration step in which the protective member thinned in the thinning step is brought into close contact with the workpiece, thereby integrating the workpiece and the protective member, A method for installing a protective member, characterized in that the heat generated by the heating roller in the thinning step is retained by the protective member while the integration step is performed, thereby eliminating the need to reheat, soften, or melt the protective member and the workpiece when integrating them.

2. The method for installing a protective member according to claim 1, characterized in that the thinning step involves adjusting the thickness of the protective member by controlling the amount of stretching in the pulling direction.

3. A sheet installation device for installing a protective member on a workpiece, A sheet feeding unit that feeds a protective member from a sheet roll in which a protective member, which is made of thermoplastic resin and has a width larger than the diameter of the workpiece and is formed in a sheet shape, is wound in a roll shape, A holding table for holding the workpiece, The system comprises a plurality of heating rollers that contact the outer surface of the protective member, across the protective member, and guide the protective member onto the holding table, A sheet setting device characterized by pressing the protective member against the workpiece held on the holding table, thereby integrating the workpiece and the protective member while the protective member retains the heat generated by the heating roller.

Images