Processing equipment

Abstract

[Problem] A stable and easy-to-evaluate criterion for determining machining marks. [Solution] A processing apparatus comprising: a chuck stage for holding a workpiece having multiple predetermined dividing lines; a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the chuck stage along the predetermined dividing lines; a camera unit for capturing images of the workpiece held by the chuck stage; and a control unit for controlling the processing unit and the camera unit, wherein the control unit comprises: a memory unit for capturing images of the workpiece with machining marks formed by the processing unit using the camera unit and storing the captured images; and a machining mark determination unit for reading the image stored in the memory unit and determining the quality of the machining marks displayed in the image.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus that processes a plate-shaped workpiece along a predetermined dividing line to form a processing mark. [Previous Technology]

[0002] In the manufacturing process of component chips used in electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers, a grid of pre-defined dicing lines, known as dicing tracks, is set on the front side of a wafer made of semiconductors such as silicon. Components such as ICs (Integrated Circuits) and LSIs (Large Scale Integrations) are formed in the areas divided by these dicing tracks on the front side of the wafer. Subsequently, by dicing the wafer along the dicing tracks, individual component chips can be formed.

[0003] The dicing of workpieces such as wafers is performed, for example, by a dicing apparatus having dicing blades. The dicing apparatus rotates the dicing blades and cuts into the workpiece along the dicing path to cut the workpiece. Alternatively, the dicing of workpieces can also be performed using a laser processing apparatus having a laser processing unit. The laser processing apparatus irradiates the workpiece with a laser beam along the dicing path to perform laser processing on the workpiece.

[0004] These processing apparatuses include a camera unit for photographing the workpiece. While the processing unit is processing the workpiece, the camera unit photographs the processing marks formed on the workpiece. Then, the quality of the processing marks is determined, including whether they are formed at a predetermined location and whether large chips or other defects occur at the edges (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 4). This function is called cut inspection.

[0005] In the control unit of the processing apparatus, evaluation items, evaluation methods, and permissible values ​​for each evaluation item are registered as judgment conditions that can be used for cut inspection. Then, when judging the quality of the machining marks formed on the workpiece, appropriate judgment conditions corresponding to the content of the processing performed and the type of workpiece are read and used. [Contemporary Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-74198 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-10445 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-197702 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-246015 [Summary of the Invention]

[0007] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention] When processing a new type of workpiece in a processing apparatus, or when processing under new processing conditions, it is necessary to register new judgment criteria for determining the quality of the processing marks. Furthermore, there is room for improvement in the existing judgment criteria, and the judgment criteria are appropriately improved in the following ways: reducing problems caused by missed detection of the workpiece, etc., and preventing false detection of problems when no problems arise in the workpiece, etc.

[0008] Then, in the case of newly set judgment conditions, it is necessary to evaluate whether these judgment conditions can appropriately determine the quality of the machining marks. In the past, when performing this evaluation, the machining device actually processed the workpiece to form machining marks and photographed them, and the quality of the machining marks was determined by the new judgment conditions, and the appropriateness and accuracy of these judgment conditions were evaluated.

[0009] However, preparing the workpiece and actually carrying out the processing for evaluating the judgment criteria incurs costs in terms of money, time, and labor. Moreover, if the judgment criteria are adjusted based on the results of this evaluation, these costs will be incurred again for the purpose of evaluating the adjusted judgment criteria. Therefore, these accumulated costs will hinder the derivation of appropriate judgment criteria.

[0010] Furthermore, if the workpiece is reprocessed each time in order to evaluate the judgment criteria, the processing results may sometimes be biased. Therefore, in the case of evaluating multiple judgment criteria, it is impossible to evaluate them with completely identical evaluation criteria, and thus there are situations where it is impossible to properly evaluate the merits of each judgment criterion.

[0011] The present invention was made in view of the aforementioned problems, and its object is to provide a processing apparatus that can stably and easily evaluate the criteria for determining processing marks.

[0012] [Technical Means for Solving the Problem] According to one aspect of the present invention, a processing apparatus is provided, comprising: a chuck stage for holding a workpiece having multiple predetermined dividing lines; a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the chuck stage along the predetermined dividing lines; a camera unit for capturing images of the workpiece held by the chuck stage; and a control unit for controlling the processing unit and the camera unit. The processing apparatus is characterized in that the control unit comprises: a memory unit for capturing images of the workpiece with processing marks formed by the processing unit using the camera unit and storing the resulting images; and a processing mark determination unit for reading the images stored in the memory unit and determining the quality of the processing marks displayed in the images.

[0013] Preferably, the machining mark determination unit reads the image stored in the memory unit, determines the quality of the machining mark according to the determination conditions, and determines the quality of the machining mark displayed in the image stored in the memory unit according to the changed determination conditions.

[0014] Preferably, the memory unit further establishes and memorizes the quality of the processing mark displayed in the image with the image, and the control unit further includes: a determination condition evaluation unit, which can compare the result of the processing mark determination unit determining the quality of the processing mark displayed in the image stored in the memory unit according to the determination condition with the quality of the processing mark displayed in the image stored in the memory unit, and evaluate the determination condition.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, a processing apparatus is provided, comprising: a chuck stage for holding a workpiece having multiple predetermined dividing lines; a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the chuck stage along the predetermined dividing lines; a camera unit for capturing images of the workpiece held by the chuck stage; and a control unit for controlling the processing unit and the camera unit. The processing apparatus is characterized in that the control unit comprises: a memory unit for capturing images of the workpiece with processing marks formed by the processing unit using the camera unit and storing multiple images thereon; and a processing mark determination unit for reading the multiple images stored in the memory unit and determining the quality of the processing marks appearing in each image, and the processing mark determination unit for calculating the proportion of images in which the processing marks appearing in the multiple images are judged as good or bad.

[0016] Preferably, the machining mark determination unit reads multiple images stored in the memory unit, determines the quality of each machining mark according to the determination conditions, and determines the quality of the machining marks displayed in each of the multiple images stored in the memory unit according to the changed determination conditions.

[0017] Preferably, the memory unit further associates and memorizes the quality of each processing mark displayed in the plurality of images with each of the images, and the control unit further includes: a determination condition evaluation unit, which can compare the result of the processing mark determination unit determining the quality of the processing mark displayed in the plurality of images stored in the memory unit according to the determination condition with the quality of the processing mark displayed in each of the images stored in the memory unit, calculate the consistency rate, and evaluate the determination condition based on the consistency rate.

[0018] Furthermore, preferably, the determination condition is one or both of the following: the image processing conditions for processing the image; and the determination item and the allowable value of the determination item.

[0019] Furthermore, preferably, the processing unit is a cutting unit that uses a cutting blade to cut the workpiece along the predetermined dividing line, and the processing mark is formed in the cutting groove of the workpiece by the cutting blade.

[0020] [Effect of the Invention] The machining mark determination unit of the control unit of the processing apparatus of one aspect of the present invention can read images stored in the memory unit and determine the quality of machining marks appearing in the images. Therefore, the machining mark determination unit can simulate the determination of the quality of machining marks appearing in the images stored in the memory unit according to determination conditions, and verify the determination results, thereby evaluating the determination conditions. At this time, it is not necessary to reprocess the workpiece and take pictures of the workpiece to obtain images.

[0021] Furthermore, even when evaluating various judgment conditions, the processing marks appearing in the image stored in the memory section can be determined in the same way for each judgment condition. Therefore, compared to the case where the workpiece is processed and photographed each time each judgment condition is evaluated, there will be no processing deviation affecting the evaluation of each judgment condition, and each judgment condition can be evaluated stably and easily.

[0022] Therefore, by means of the present invention, a processing apparatus is provided that can stably and easily evaluate the judgment conditions of processing marks.

Implementation Method

[0024] Referring to the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The processing apparatus of this embodiment is, for example, a dicing apparatus or a laser processing apparatus for processing workpieces such as wafers made of semiconductors. FIG2 is a schematic perspective view of workpiece 1 being processed by the processing apparatus. First, workpiece 1 will be described.

[0025] The workpiece 1 is, for example, a circular wafer made of semiconductor materials such as silicon, with multiple intersecting dicing lines 3 formed on its front side 1a. Components 5 such as ICs and LSIs are formed in the regions divided by the dicing lines 3. If the workpiece 1 is divided along the dicing lines 3, individual component chips can be manufactured.

[0026] Furthermore, the workpiece 1 may be anything other than a circular wafer made of semiconductor materials such as silicon, and there are no restrictions on the material, shape, or structure of the workpiece 1. For example, a rectangular substrate made of materials such as ceramic, resin, or metal may also be used as the workpiece 1. There are also no restrictions on the type, quantity, or arrangement of the components 5.

[0027] When the workpiece 1 is moved into the processing device, the workpiece 1 is integrated with the adhesive film 7 and the annular frame 9 to form a frame unit 11. Then, the workpiece 1 is moved into the processing device in the state of the frame unit 11 and processed.

[0028] The frame unit 11 includes an annular frame 9 and an adhesive film 7, which is adhered to seal the opening of the annular frame 9. The adhesive film 7 is adhered to the back side 1b of the workpiece 1, and the adhesive film 7 is exposed at the opening of the annular frame 9. That is, the workpiece 1 is supported on the annular frame 9 through the adhesive film 7.

[0029] FIG1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the processing apparatus of this embodiment, namely the cutting apparatus 2. Hereinafter, the case of the processing apparatus being the cutting apparatus 2 will be described as an example, but the processing apparatus of this embodiment is not limited to the cutting apparatus 2.

[0030] The cutting device 2 includes a base 4 that supports all its components. An opening 4a is formed at the front corner of the base 4, and a cassette support 8 that is raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown) is provided in this opening 4a. A cassette 10 for accommodating multiple workpieces 1 is mounted on the upper surface of the cassette support 8. In addition, for ease of explanation, only the outline of the cassette 10 is shown in FIG1.

[0031] A rectangular opening 4b is formed on the side of the cassette support 8 along the X-axis direction (front-back direction, machining feed direction) with its long side facing outwards. A ball screw-type X-axis moving mechanism (not shown) and a worktable cover 14 and a dustproof / dripproof cover 16 covering the upper part of the X-axis moving mechanism are disposed within the opening 4b. The X-axis moving mechanism has an X-axis moving stage (not shown) covered by the worktable cover 14, and moves this X-axis moving stage in the X-axis direction.

[0032] A chuck stage 18 is provided on the upper surface of the X-axis moving stage, protruding from the worktable cover 14. The chuck stage 18 has the function of attracting and holding the workpiece 1 placed on a holding surface 18a, which protrudes above the chuck stage 18. The chuck stage 18 is connected to a rotary drive source (not shown) such as a motor and rotates about a rotation axis that is substantially parallel to the Z-axis direction (vertical direction).

[0033] The chuck table 18 includes: a porous member 18c, the same diameter as the workpiece 1; and a frame covering the porous member 18c. An attraction path (not shown) is formed inside the chuck table 18, one end of which is connected to an attraction source (not shown) such as an injector disposed outside the chuck table 18. The other end of the attraction path reaches the porous member 18c.

[0034] The upper surface of the porous member 18c is exposed on the holding surface 18a of the chuck table 18. The upper surface of the porous member 18c has the same diameter as the workpiece 1 and is formed to be substantially parallel with respect to the X-axis and Y-axis directions. Furthermore, a plurality of clamps 18b are provided around the chuck table 18, which are used to fix the annular frame 9 supporting the workpiece 1 from all sides.

[0035] When holding the workpiece 1 with the chuck table 18, firstly, the frame unit 11 is placed on the holding surface 18a of the chuck table 18. Then, the suction source and the porous member 18c are connected through the suction path, and negative pressure is applied to the workpiece 1 through the adhesive film 7.

[0036] The cutting device 2 has a transport unit (not shown) in the area adjacent to the opening 4b for transporting the workpiece 1 to the chuck table 18, etc. A temporary holding mechanism for temporarily holding the workpiece 1 is provided near the side of the chuck support table 8. The temporary holding mechanism includes, for example, a pair of guide rails 12, which approach and separate while maintaining a state parallel to the Y-axis direction (indexing feed direction). The pair of guide rails 12 clamp the workpiece 1, which is pulled out of the chuck 10 by the transport unit, along the X-axis direction and align it at a predetermined position.

[0037] The workpiece 1, which has been aligned to the predetermined position, is lifted by the transfer unit and transported to the chuck table 18. At this time, the pair of guide rails 12 are separated so that the workpiece 1 passes between the pair of guide rails 12.

[0038] Above the chuck table 18 are a first processing unit 24a and a second processing unit 24b for cutting the workpiece 1 by means of annular cutting blades. On the upper surface of the base 4, a portal support structure 20 is arranged to span the opening 4b. The portal support structure 20 is used to support the first processing unit 24a and the second processing unit 24b.

[0039] The upper part of the front surface of the support structure 20 is provided with: a first moving unit 22a, which moves the first processing unit 24a in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction; and a second moving unit 22b, which moves the second processing unit 24b in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. The first moving unit 22a has a Y-axis moving plate 28a, and the second moving unit 22b has a Y-axis moving plate 28b. The two Y-axis moving plates 28a and 28b are slidably mounted on a pair of Y-axis guide rails 26, which are fixed to the front surface of the support structure 20 and arranged along the Y-axis direction.

[0040] A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear surface side) of the Y-axis moving plate 28a, and a Y-axis ball screw 30a, which is substantially parallel to the Y-axis guide rail 26, is screwed into this nut portion. Also, a nut portion (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear surface side) of the Y-axis moving plate 28b, and a Y-axis ball screw 30b, which is substantially parallel to the Y-axis guide rail 26, is screwed into this nut portion.

[0041] A Y-axis pulse motor 32a is connected to one end of the Y-axis ball screw 30a. The Y-axis ball screw 30a is rotated by the Y-axis pulse motor 32a, thereby causing the Y-axis moving plate 28a to move along the Y-axis guide rail 26 in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, a Y-axis pulse motor (not shown) is connected to one end of the Y-axis ball screw 30b. The Y-axis ball screw 30b is rotated by this Y-axis pulse motor, thereby causing the Y-axis moving plate 28b to move along the Y-axis guide rail 26 in the Y-axis direction.

[0042] On the front (front surface) side of the Y-axis moving plate 28a, a pair of Z-axis guide rails 34a are provided along the Z-axis direction, and on the front (front surface) side of the Y-axis moving plate 28b, a pair of Z-axis guide rails 34b are provided along the Z-axis direction. Furthermore, the Z-axis moving plate 36a is slidably mounted on the pair of Z-axis guide rails 34a, and the Z-axis moving plate 36b is slidably mounted on the pair of Z-axis guide rails 34b.

[0043] A nut (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear surface side) of the Z-axis moving plate 36a, and a Z-axis ball screw 38a, which is arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the Z-axis guide rail 34a, is screwed into this nut. A Z-axis pulse motor 40a is connected to one end of the Z-axis ball screw 38a, and the Z-axis ball screw 38a is rotated by the Z-axis pulse motor 40a, thereby moving the Z-axis moving plate 36a along the Z-axis guide rail 34a in the Z-axis direction.

[0044] A nut (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear surface side) of the Z-axis moving plate 36b, and a Z-axis ball screw 38b, which is arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the Z-axis guide rail 34b, is screwed into this nut. A Z-axis pulse motor 40b is connected to one end of the Z-axis ball screw 38b, and the Z-axis ball screw 38b is rotated by the Z-axis pulse motor 40b, thereby moving the Z-axis moving plate 36b along the Z-axis guide rail 34b in the Z-axis direction.

[0045] A first processing unit 24a is provided at the lower part of the Z-axis moving plate 36a. A camera unit 46a is provided adjacent to the first processing unit 24a, and the camera unit 46a is used to photograph the workpiece 1 being attracted and held by the chuck stage 18. Furthermore, a second processing unit 24b is provided at the lower part of the Z-axis moving plate 36b. A camera unit 46b is provided adjacent to the second processing unit 24b, and the camera unit 46b is used to photograph the workpiece 1 being attracted and held by the chuck stage 18.

[0046] The positions of the first processing unit 24a and the camera unit 46a in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions are controlled by the first moving unit 22a, and the positions of the second processing unit 24b and the camera unit 46b in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions are controlled by the second moving unit 22b. The positions of the first processing unit 24a and the second processing unit 24b are controlled independently.

[0047] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a workpiece 1 being cut by a processing unit 24 (first processing unit 24a or second processing unit 24b) equipped with a cutting blade 44. Furthermore, the clamp 18b of the chuck table 18 and camera units 46a, 46b are omitted from Figure 2. The processing unit (cutting unit) 24 is equipped with an annular cutting blade 44 and a spindle (not shown) that passes through a through hole in the center of the cutting blade 44. Rotating the spindle allows the cutting blade 44 to rotate.

[0048] The cutting blade 44 has an abrasive portion on its outer periphery, the abrasive portion comprising: numerous abrasive grains such as diamond and a joint portion for dispersing and fixing the abrasive grains. If the cutting blade 44 is rotated while the abrasive portion contacts the workpiece 1 along the predetermined dividing line 3, the workpiece 1 is cut to form a machining mark 3a.

[0049] When processing the workpiece 1, firstly, the front side 1a of the workpiece 1 held by the chuck table 18 is photographed by camera units 46a and 46b, and the pre-defined dividing line 3 is detected. Then, the chuck table 18 is rotated about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface 18a so that the extending direction of the pre-defined dividing line 3 is aligned with the processing feed direction (X-axis direction). Afterward, the cutting blade 44 is positioned above the end of the pre-defined dividing line 3, and the cutting blade 44 is rotated.

[0050] Then, the processing unit 24 is lowered such that the lower end of the cutting blade 44 reaches the adhesive film 7 which is lower than the back surface 1b of the workpiece 1. Then, if the workpiece 1 is fed along the X-axis, the workpiece 1 is cut and a machining mark (cutting groove) 3a is formed along the predetermined dividing line 3. After processing the workpiece 1 along one predetermined dividing line 3, the processing unit 24 is indexed and fed in the Y-axis direction, which is orthogonal to the X-axis, and the workpiece 1 is processed in the same way along the other predetermined dividing lines 3.

[0051] The workpiece 1 is processed one by one in this manner. After processing the workpiece 1 along all the predetermined dividing lines 3 in the same direction, the chuck table 18 is rotated about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface 18a, so that the predetermined dividing lines 3 in other directions are aligned with the processing feed direction. Then, the workpiece 1 is processed one by one along the predetermined dividing lines 3 in other directions. If the workpiece 1 is processed along all the predetermined dividing lines 3 to form a processing mark 3a, the processing of the workpiece 1 by the cutting device 2 is completed.

[0052] The cutting device (processing device) 2 will be further described using FIG1. ​​An opening 4c is formed at a position opposite to the opening 4a to the opening 4b. A cleaning unit 48 for cleaning the workpiece 1 is disposed in the opening 4c, and the workpiece 1 processed on the chuck table 18 is cleaned by the cleaning unit 48. The workpiece 1 that has been cleaned by the cleaning unit 48 is then placed back into the chuck 10.

[0053] Furthermore, the cutting device 2 is equipped with a display unit 50 capable of displaying various information. The display unit 50 displays information indicating the status of the cutting device 2 or the workpiece 1, information indicating the progress of processing, or information indicating any abnormalities, and notifies the user or manager of the cutting device 2 of this information. Additionally, the display unit 50 has the function of displaying photographic images captured by the camera units 46a and 46b. The display unit 50 is, for example, a screen such as a liquid crystal display.

[0054] Furthermore, the display unit 50 may also be equipped with an input device (input interface) such as a touch panel. If the display unit 50 is a display with a touch panel, the user of the cutting device 2 can use the display unit 50 to input various commands into the cutting device 2 to operate the cutting device 2. In this case, the operation screen is displayed on the display unit 50.

[0055] Furthermore, the cutting apparatus 2 includes a control unit 52 that controls each component of the cutting apparatus 2. The control unit 52 controls the X-axis direction moving mechanism, moving units 22a and 22b, processing units 24a and 24b, camera units 46a and 46b, chuck table 18, cleaning unit 48, display unit 50, various conveying devices, etc. Moreover, it enables the workpiece 1 in the cutting apparatus 2 to be processed.

[0056] The control unit 52 is, for example, a computer, which includes a processing device such as a CPU or microprocessor and a memory device such as flash memory or a hard disk drive. Moreover, the processing device is operated according to software such as programs stored in the memory device, thereby performing the function of a specific means for software and processing device (hardware resources) to cooperate.

[0057] The control unit 52 includes a memory unit 52a, which stores processing conditions and various information related to the processing of various workpieces 1 by the processing units 24a and 24b. The processing conditions stored in the memory unit 52a include: the type or size of the workpiece 1 to be processed, the rotational speed or kerf depth of the cutting blade 44, the processing feed rate, the water jet conditions, and the type of cutting blade 44 used for processing. Multiple processing conditions are pre-registered in the memory unit 52a, and the appropriate condition for processing the workpiece 1 is selected and referenced.

[0058] In the cutting apparatus 2, if the workpiece 1 after processing by the processing units 24a and 24b is photographed by the camera units 46a and 46b, the resulting machining marks 3a can be analyzed. The analysis of the machining marks 3a is called a cut inspection. If a cut inspection is performed, the quality of the machining marks 3a formed on the workpiece 1 can be monitored. Then, for example, if the workpiece 1 has machining marks 3a with unacceptable shapes, the cutting apparatus 2 can interrupt processing or issue a warning to the manager of the cutting apparatus 2 to urge them to perform an inspection.

[0059] A cut inspection is performed during the processing of the workpiece 1 by the processing units 24a and 24b. Figure 3 is a schematic top view showing the processing mark 3a formed on the workpiece 1 and the camera position 3b captured by the camera units 46a and 46b. If the camera units 46a and 46b capture the front side 1a of the workpiece 1 at the camera position 3b, an image showing the processing mark 3a is obtained. Then, during the processing of the workpiece 1 performed by the processing units 24a and 24b, the control unit 52 also performs a cut inspection.

[0060] The control unit 52 includes a machining mark determination unit 52b, which uses camera units 46a and 46b to photograph the workpiece 1 that has been processed by processing units 24a and 24b to form machining marks 3a, and performs a cut inspection on the machining marks 3a from the obtained images to determine their quality. The memory unit 52a stores determination conditions in advance, which are used to enable the machining mark determination unit 52b to determine the quality of the machining marks 3a.

[0061] Hereinafter, the inspection of the cut of the machining mark 3a on the processed workpiece 1 will be described. FIG4 is a schematic enlarged top view of the front side 1a of the processed workpiece 1 with the machining mark 3a formed. In FIG4, the center line 13 of the dividing predetermined line 3, the end 15 of the detected machining mark 3a, and the center line 17 of the machining mark 3a are indicated by dashed straight lines.

[0062] Furthermore, in Figure 4, arrows indicate eccentricity 19, minimum cut width 21, and maximum cut width 23. Eccentricity 19 represents the deviation between the center line 13 of the dividing predetermined line 3 and the center line 17 of the machining mark 3a. Also, as schematically shown in Figure 4, a chipping defect occurs at the end 15 of the machining mark 3a. Then, in Figure 4, arrows indicate the distance 27 from the end 15 of the machining mark 3a to the farthest point, i.e., the maximum chipping size, and the distance 29 from the center line 17 of the machining mark 3a to the end of the chipping defect 25.

[0063] The quality assessment criteria for the machining mark 3a performed by the machining mark assessment unit 52b include, for example, eccentricity 19, minimum cut width 21, maximum cut width 23, maximum chipping size 27, and distance 29 from the centerline 17 of the machining mark 3a to the end of the chipping 25. Allowable values ​​are set for each assessment criterion. The machining mark assessment unit 52b assesses the quality of the machining mark 3a by judging whether the image detection values ​​obtained from the images of the workpiece 1 captured by the camera units 46a and 46b are within the allowable values.

[0064] Therefore, the judgment items and tolerance values ​​for judging the quality of the machining mark 3a can be appropriately selected. The judgment conditions for appropriately judging the quality of the machining mark 3a vary depending on the type of workpiece 1, the processing conditions of the workpiece 1, etc. Therefore, the judgment conditions are associated with the processing conditions and pre-memorized in the memory unit 52a.

[0065] Furthermore, the machining mark determination unit 52b performs image processing on the image obtained from the image of the workpiece 1 captured by the camera units 46a and 46b in order to extract the machining mark 3a. The conditions for this image processing also vary depending on the type of workpiece 1 and the processing conditions. The memory unit 52a can also remember the image processing conditions of the processed image as an item of the determination conditions, and these image processing conditions can also be associated with the processing conditions of the workpiece 1 and remembered in the memory unit 52a.

[0066] For example, the processing mark determination unit 52b performs binarization processing on the image and detects the boundary between the region of white pixels and the region of black pixels existing on the predetermined dividing line 3 as the outer edge (edge) of the processing mark 3a. Furthermore, the image processing performed by the processing mark determination unit 52b is not limited to this; other conventional edge detection methods can also be used. Additionally, the image can be pre-filtered, and this filtering process is used to reduce noise appearing in the image from Gaussian filters, median filters, etc.

[0067] Here, the cutting device (processing device) 2 may sometimes begin processing a new type of workpiece 1. Also, the cutting device 2 may sometimes begin processing under new processing conditions. In these cases, new judgment conditions are needed to determine the quality of the processing mark 3a formed on the workpiece 1. Furthermore, in order to improve the accuracy of determining the quality of the processing mark 3a, attempts may be made to improve the judgment conditions previously used. Moreover, in these cases, it is necessary to evaluate whether the new judgment conditions can be appropriately applied.

[0068] When evaluating the criteria for determining the quality of the machining mark 3a, it is sufficient to actually determine the quality of the machining mark 3a based on the criteria that are the object of evaluation and confirm the accuracy of this determination. That is, the workpiece 1 is actually processed by the processing units 24a and 24b, and while forming the machining mark 3a on the workpiece 1, the workpiece 1 is photographed by the camera units 46a and 46b. Based on the criteria that are the object of evaluation, the quality of the machining mark 3a is determined from the obtained image. Then, the determination result is verified.

[0069] However, the process of preparing the workpiece 1, actually processing the workpiece 1 with the cutting device 2 to form a processing mark 3a, and then taking pictures of the workpiece 1 with camera units 46a and 46b to form an image, consumes time and money. Furthermore, if the judgment conditions are evaluated as inappropriate, the judgment conditions need to be improved and re-evaluated, which consumes even more costs.

[0070] Furthermore, the quality of the machining mark 3a formed on the workpiece 1 is subject to deviation. Therefore, when the workpiece 1 is actually processed by the cutting device 2, it is necessary to determine the quality of the machining mark 3a. Moreover, when evaluating each determination condition, if the quality of the machining mark 3a that is the object of determination deviates, the evaluation result of that determination condition will be affected by this deviation. Therefore, it is impossible to reliably evaluate the determination conditions.

[0071] Therefore, in the processing apparatus (cutting apparatus 2, etc.) of this embodiment, in order to stably and easily evaluate the judgment conditions for the processing marks 3a, the image of the workpiece 1 that has been processed by the processing units 24a and 24b and has the processing marks 3a captured by the camera units 46a and 46b is pre-memorized in the memory unit 52a. Then, this image is read from the memory unit 52a, and the quality of the displayed processing marks 3a is determined as a judgment condition for evaluation, and the judgment result is verified to evaluate the judgment conditions.

[0072] Figure 5 is a top view schematically showing the judgment condition setting screen 54 displayed by the display unit 50 of the cutting device 2 when the operator sets the judgment items and the allowable values ​​of the judgment items. The judgment condition setting screen 54 includes: an image 56 obtained by the camera units 46a and 46b of the front side 1a of the workpiece 1 that has been processed by the processing units 24a and 24b to form processing marks 3a, and judgment conditions 58. In addition, the judgment condition setting screen 54 includes a screen description 60, which explains the screen displayed by the display unit 50.

[0073] For example, the judgment condition setting screen 54 includes an operation button 64 for inputting specific operations into the control unit 52. For example, when the operator touches the operation button 64, the machining mark judgment unit 52b is instructed to inspect the cut of the currently displayed image 56, causing the machining mark judgment unit 52b to perform a quality judgment on the machining mark 3a according to the judgment condition 58.

[0074] Alternatively, during the processing of the workpiece 1 by the processing units 24a and 24b, the control unit 52 captures an image 56 of the workpiece 1 at a predetermined time point using the camera units 46a and 46b, and the processing mark determination unit 52b performs a cut inspection. At this time, the memory unit 52a stores the image 56, the processing mark determination unit 52b reads the image 56 from the memory unit 52a, and determines the quality of the processing mark 3a according to the determination conditions 58 pre-stored in the memory unit 52a.

[0075] Then, the obtained cut inspection result 62 is overlaid on the image 56 displayed on the judgment condition setting screen 54 shown in FIG5. As shown in FIG5, this cut inspection result 62 includes the detection value of eccentricity 19 (see FIG4), the detection value of cut width, and the evaluation value of the distance from the cut center (center line 17 of machining mark 3a) to the outermost point of fracture 25. Furthermore, the cut inspection result 62 includes the evaluation value of the maximum fracture size 27 (see FIG4) and the evaluation value of the total area of ​​the fracture display pixels in image 56.

[0076] Furthermore, the display unit 50 displays the current judgment items and the allowable values ​​for each judgment item of the judgment condition 58 used by the machining mark judgment unit 52b to determine the quality of the machining mark 3a. This judgment condition 58 can also be pre-memorized in the memory unit 52a. The control unit 52 reads the judgment condition 58 from the memory unit 52a and displays it on the judgment condition setting screen 54. Then, the judgment condition setting screen 54 displays the result of the machining mark judgment unit 52b determining the quality of the machining mark 3a displayed in the image 56 based on the judgment condition 58.

[0077] In the example shown in Figure 5, regarding the eccentricity 19, although the allowable value is 0.005 mm, the detected value is 0.003 mm, and the machining mark 3a is considered excellent in this evaluation item. Furthermore, regarding the cut width, although the allowable value (allowable range) is 0.022 mm or more and 0.025 mm or less, the detected value is 0.023 mm, and the machining mark 3a is also considered excellent in this evaluation item. Furthermore, regarding the fracture area, although the allowable value is 5000 pixels, the detected value is 4500 pixels, therefore the machining mark 3a is also considered excellent in this evaluation item.

[0078] On the other hand, in the judgment condition setting screen 54 shown in Figure 5, the detected value of the distance from the center of the cut (the center line 17 of the machining mark 3a) to the outermost point of the fracture 25, displayed under the name "Cut Center ~ Fracture", exceeds the allowable value. That is, although the allowable value for this evaluation item is set to 0.032 mm, the detected value is 0.040 mm. At this point, the machining mark 3a is judged as defective.

[0079] Furthermore, although the allowable value of the maximum chipping size 27, as indicated by the name "maximum chipping", is set to 0.015 mm, the measured value is 0.017 mm. Therefore, at this point, the machining mark 3a is judged as defective.

[0080] In the judgment condition setting screen 54, the various detection values ​​displayed overlaid on the image 56 can also be highlighted with borders, underlines, bold text, color changes, etc., for the detection values ​​of the judgment items for which the machining mark 3a is judged as defective. Furthermore, in the display of judgment condition 58, the setting value column for the judgment items for which the machining mark 3a is judged as defective can also be highlighted with underlines, bold text, color changes, etc.

[0081] Herein, if the machining mark 3a formed on the workpiece 1 should be considered as defective, it is preferable that the machining mark 3a be determined as defective based on the determination condition 58. On the other hand, if the machining mark 3a should be determined as not defective when considering the type of workpiece 1, processing conditions, etc., it is necessary to change the determination item and its allowable value of the determination condition 58.

[0082] The operator can change the judgment condition 58 using the judgment condition setting screen 54 displayed on the display unit 50. For example, the operator can touch and select the judgment item whose allowable value is to be changed from the judgment condition 58 displayed on the judgment condition setting screen 54. Then, the operator can re-enter the number that has become the allowable value using the numeric keypad image displayed at this time.

[0083] Figure 6 is a schematic top view of the display unit 50 that displays the judgment condition setting screen 54 after the operator changes the judgment condition 58. In the example shown in Figure 6, the allowable value for the distance from the center of the cut (the center line 17 of the machining mark 3a) to the outermost point of the fracture 25 is changed to 0.050 mm. Also, the allowable value for the maximum fracture size 27 is changed to 0.020 mm. Furthermore, the changed judgment condition can be re-memorized in the memory unit 52a.

[0084] Afterwards, the operator touches the operation button 64 to instruct the implementation of a cut inspection. The machining mark judgment unit 52b determines the quality of the machining mark 3a formed on the workpiece 1 according to the changed judgment conditions 58. Here, after taking an image 56 at the predetermined imaging position 3b (see Figure 3), the positions of the camera units 46a and 46b will change during the processing of the workpiece 1.

[0085] Therefore, in the processing apparatus (cutting apparatus 2) of this embodiment, the processing mark determination unit 52b performs a cut inspection based on the image 56 stored in the memory unit 52a, and performs a quality determination of the processing mark 3a displayed in the image 56 using the changed new determination conditions 58.

[0086] As shown in Figure 6, the machining mark determination unit 52b determines the quality of the machining mark 3a displayed in the image 56 and confirms that all determination items of the determination condition 58 meet the allowable values. That is, the machining mark 3a is determined to be excellent. Then, it is confirmed that the quality of the machining mark 3a displayed in the image 56 should be determined to be excellent, and the new determination condition 58 has been modified to appropriately determine the quality of the machining mark 3a. That is, the operator can evaluate that the modified determination condition 58 is not inappropriate.

[0087] Thus, in the processing apparatus (cutting apparatus 2) of this embodiment, the cut inspection can be performed based on the image 56 stored in the memory unit 52a, and the quality of the processing marks 3a displayed in the image 56 can be determined. Therefore, in order to obtain the image obtained by photographing the front view 1a of the workpiece 1 again, it is not necessary to process the workpiece 1 again, and the cost of preparing a new image is not incurred.

[0088] Furthermore, in the cutting device 2, multiple images showing the machining marks 3a can also be stored in the memory unit 52a of the control unit 52. Then, the machining mark determination unit 52b can also perform a cut inspection based on the multiple images stored in the memory unit 52a, and determine the quality of the machining marks 3a shown in each image by means of the determination condition 58. For example, during the processing of the workpiece 1 by the processing units 24a and 24b, the memory unit 52a stores the images obtained by the camera units 46a and 46b each time they take pictures of the workpiece 1 at a predetermined time point.

[0089] Figure 7 is a schematic top view of the display unit 50 that displays the determination condition setting screen 54, which includes one of the multiple images stored in the memory unit 52a, image 58a and its cut inspection result.

[0090] As shown in Figure 7, the judgment condition setting screen 54 includes an operation button 64. The operation button 64 instructs the machining mark judgment unit 52b to perform cut inspection on multiple images (or all images) stored in the memory unit 52a, and instructs the judgment of the quality of the machining mark 3a according to the judgment condition 58. If the operator touches this operation button 64, the machining mark judgment unit 52b performs cut inspection on each of the multiple images stored in the memory unit 52a, and judges the quality of the machining mark 3a displayed in each of the multiple images according to the judgment condition 58.

[0091] Then, the machining mark determination unit 52b calculates the proportion of images in which the machining mark 3a displayed in the multiple images is judged as good or bad. For example, as a result of the machining mark determination unit 52b determining the quality of the machining mark 3a according to the determination condition 58, the error rate 66 is displayed on the display unit 50. In the determination condition setting screen 54 shown in FIG7, the error rate 66 is 2%, which means that in the multiple images stored in the memory unit 52a, the machining mark 3a is judged as bad in 2% of the images.

[0092] As a property that the judgment condition 58 should possess, it is important that the machining mark judgment unit 52b can perform a good judgment on the machining mark 3a that should be judged as good, and that the machining mark judgment unit 52b can perform a bad judgment on the machining mark 3a that should be judged as bad. Such a judgment condition 58 should be evaluated as good, and a judgment condition 58 that cannot achieve this point should be evaluated as bad.

[0093] For example, the proportion of images showing processing marks 3a that should be judged as defective in the multiple images stored in the memory unit 52a is calculated in advance as the assumed error rate. Then, according to the changed new judgment condition 58, the quality of the processing marks 3a shown in each of the multiple images stored in the memory unit 52a is judged. The closer the error rate 66 is to this assumed error rate, the better the judgment condition 58 can be evaluated. For example, if the assumed error rate is 2%, the judgment condition 58 shown in FIG7 can be evaluated as excellent.

[0094] Here, in the judgment condition setting screen 54 shown in FIG7, an operation button 64 for switching the displayed image 56a is displayed. By touching this operation button 64, the operator can display other images on the display unit 50 and confirm the results of the cut inspection performed on the displayed image and the results of the quality judgment of the machining mark 3a shown in the image. In this case, the operator can confirm the appropriateness of the quality judgment of the machining mark 3a performed by the machining mark judgment unit 52b according to the judgment condition 58.

[0095] Furthermore, if the operator touches the display unit 50 in the area displaying the error rate 66 on the judgment condition setting screen 54 shown in FIG7, the display unit 50 can display an image of the machining mark 3a being judged as defective. In this case, the operator can view the image to confirm whether the machining mark judgment unit 52b has correctly judged the machining mark 3a as defective in the image where the machining mark 3a should be judged as defective.

[0096] Thus, in the processing apparatus (cutting apparatus 2) of this embodiment, when evaluating the changed determination condition 58, it is not necessary to process the workpiece 1 to form a processing mark 3a and to photograph the workpiece 1 at multiple photographic positions using camera units 46a and 46b. That is, the processing marks 3a appearing in each of the multiple images stored in the memory unit 52a can be determined one by one according to the determination condition 58, so it is possible to quickly and efficiently evaluate whether the determination condition 58 is performed appropriately.

[0097] Furthermore, the processing apparatus (cutting apparatus 2) of this embodiment can automatically evaluate the judgment conditions and can also notify the operator of the evaluation results. For example, the control unit 52 may also be equipped with a judgment condition evaluation unit 52c that automatically evaluates the judgment conditions (see Figure 1). In this case, the operator does not need to evaluate the judgment conditions himself, and can confirm the evaluation results of multiple judgment conditions and select a more appropriate judgment condition.

[0098] For example, the operator associates the quality of a machining mark 3a displayed in an image stored in the memory unit 52a with that image and stores it in advance in the memory unit 52a. Then, the judgment condition evaluation unit 52c causes the machining mark judgment unit 52b to determine the quality of the machining mark 3a displayed in the image stored in the memory unit 52a according to the judgment conditions that are to be evaluated. Then, the judgment condition evaluation unit 52c compares this judgment result with the quality of the machining mark 3a displayed in the image stored in the memory unit 52a to evaluate the judgment conditions.

[0099] More specifically, if the processing mark 3a displayed in the image stored in the memory unit 52a is deemed good, the information indicating that the processing mark 3a is good is associated with the image and stored in the memory unit 52a. Then, the judgment condition evaluation unit 52c causes the processing mark judgment unit 52b to determine the quality of the processing mark 3a displayed in the image stored in the memory unit 52a based on the judgment conditions that make it an evaluation object.

[0100] As a result, if the machining mark determination unit 52b determines the machining mark 3a to be excellent, the determination condition evaluation unit 52c, referring to the information stored in the memory unit 52a, evaluates that the determination condition has successfully and appropriately determined the machining mark 3a appearing in the image. On the other hand, if the machining mark determination unit 52b determines the machining mark 3a to be poor, the determination condition evaluation unit 52c, referring to the information stored in the memory unit 52a, evaluates that the determination condition has not successfully and appropriately determined the machining mark 3a appearing in the image.

[0101] Furthermore, for example, if the processing mark 3a displayed in the image stored in the memory unit 52a is defective, the information that the processing mark 3a is defective is associated with the image and stored in the memory unit 52a. Then, the judgment condition evaluation unit 52c causes the processing mark judgment unit 52b to determine the quality of the processing mark 3a displayed in the image according to the judgment condition. As a result, if the processing mark 3a is determined to be defective, the judgment condition is evaluated as having successfully made an appropriate judgment on the processing mark 3a.

[0102] Thus, if the quality of the processing mark 3a displayed in the image is associated with the image and stored in the memory unit 52a, it is possible to evaluate whether the processing mark 3a can be appropriately judged according to the judgment conditions that are the objects of evaluation. Furthermore, the judgment condition evaluation unit 52c can also enable the processing mark judgment unit 52b to similarly judge each processing mark 3a displayed in multiple images according to the judgment conditions that are the objects of evaluation, and evaluate the accuracy of the judgment conditions.

[0103] That is, the quality of each processing mark 3a appearing in each of the multiple images is associated with the quality of each image and pre-memorized in the memory unit 52a. Then, the judgment condition evaluation unit 52c causes the processing mark judgment unit 52b to judge the quality of each processing mark 3a appearing in the multiple images according to the judgment conditions that are evaluated. After that, the result is compared with the quality of each processing mark 3a stored in the memory unit 52a to calculate the number of consistent results (the number of correctly judged results), and the judgment conditions are evaluated based on the consistency rate.

[0104] For example, multiple images are associated with the quality of the processing marks 3a displayed in each image and pre-memorized in the memory unit 52a. Furthermore, multiple judgment conditions that are to be evaluated are pre-memorized. Then, if the judgment condition evaluation unit 52c judges the quality of the processing marks 3a displayed in each image in the same way according to each judgment condition, the consistency rate of each judgment condition can be calculated. The judgment condition evaluation unit 52c can also judge the quality of each judgment condition by the level of this consistency rate and notify the operator of the result.

[0105] As explained above, the memory unit 52a of the control unit 52 of the processing apparatus (cutting apparatus 2) of this embodiment stores an image of the processing mark 3a. Then, the processing mark determination unit 52b can determine the quality of the processing mark 3a displayed in the image stored in the memory unit 52a.

[0106] Furthermore, in cases where multiple judgment conditions need to be evaluated, the processing marks 3a appearing in the image stored in the memory unit 52a can also be judged according to each judgment condition. Therefore, compared to the case where the workpiece 1 is processed and an image of the workpiece 1 is obtained by taking a picture of the workpiece 1 each time each judgment condition is evaluated, the deviation of the processing will not affect the evaluation of each judgment condition, and each judgment condition can be evaluated stably and easily.

[0107] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented with various modifications. For example, in the embodiments described above, the cutting device 2 is used as the processing apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the processing apparatus of the present invention may also be a laser processing apparatus that performs laser processing by irradiating a laser beam onto a workpiece 1. The laser processing apparatus includes a laser processing unit capable of irradiating a laser beam onto the workpiece 1 as a processing unit.

[0108] For example, in one embodiment of the laser processing apparatus of the present invention, a laser beam of wavelength (wavelength that the workpiece 1 can absorb) is focused onto the front surface of the workpiece 1 to perform ablation processing on the workpiece 1. Thus, a processing groove is formed on the workpiece 1 as a processing mark 3a. Then, if the processing groove is formed on the workpiece 1 along a predetermined dividing line 3, the workpiece 1 is divided. If the workpiece 1 with the processing groove is photographed, the quality of the processing groove can be determined from the obtained image.

[0109] Alternatively, in one embodiment of the laser processing apparatus of the present invention, a laser beam of wavelength (a wavelength capable of penetrating the workpiece 1) is focused onto the interior of the workpiece 1, forming a modified layer inside the workpiece 1 as a processing mark 3a. This modified layer becomes the starting point for dividing the workpiece 1. That is, if a crack extending from the modified layer is allowed to extend, the workpiece 1 can be divided. If the workpiece 1 with the modified layer is photographed, the quality of the modified layer can be determined from the obtained image.

[0110] In such laser processing apparatus, if the memory unit 52a of the control unit 52 can store and display an image of the processing mark 3a, the processing mark determination unit 52b can also determine the quality of the processing mark 3a based on this image. Therefore, when evaluating new determination conditions, it is not necessary to perform laser processing on the workpiece 1 to form a processing mark 3a and then photograph the workpiece 1 to form an image.

[0111] Furthermore, the structure and method of the above embodiments can be appropriately modified and implemented as long as they do not depart from the purpose of the present invention. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the processing apparatus. Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the workpiece being processed by the processing unit. Figure 3 is a schematic top view of the processing mark formed on the workpiece. Figure 4 is a schematic top view of the workpiece with the processing mark formed. Figure 5 is a schematic top view of the display unit displaying the determination condition setting screen. Figure 6 is a schematic top view of the display unit displaying the determination condition setting screen. Figure 7 is a schematic top view of the display unit displaying the determination condition setting screen.

Claims

1. A processing apparatus comprising: a chuck stage for holding a workpiece having multiple predetermined dividing lines; a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the chuck stage along the predetermined dividing lines; a camera unit for capturing images of the workpiece held by the chuck stage; and a control unit for controlling the processing unit and the camera unit, characterized in that the control unit comprises: a memory unit for capturing images of the workpiece with processing marks formed by the processing unit using the camera unit and storing the captured images; and a processing mark determination unit for reading the image stored in the memory unit and determining the quality of the processing marks displayed in the image; the processing mark determination unit reads the image stored in the memory unit and determines the quality of the processing marks according to determination conditions; when the determination conditions have been changed by a determination condition setting means, the processing mark determination unit does not acquire a new image but reads the same image previously stored in the memory unit and determines the quality of the processing marks displayed in the image again according to the changed determination conditions.

2. The processing apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein, The image stored in the memory section can be retrieved even after the processing of the workpiece is completed.

3. A processing apparatus comprising: a chuck stage for holding a workpiece having multiple predetermined dividing lines; a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the chuck stage along the predetermined dividing lines; a camera unit for capturing images of the workpiece held by the chuck stage; and a control unit for controlling the processing unit and the camera unit, characterized in that the control unit comprises: a memory unit for capturing images of the workpiece with processing marks formed by the processing unit using the camera unit and storing the captured images; and a processing mark determination unit for reading the image stored in the memory unit and determining the quality of the processing marks displayed in the image; the memory unit further associates the quality of the processing marks displayed in the image with the image and stores the association therewith. The control unit further includes a determination condition evaluation unit, which can compare the result of the processing mark determination unit determining the quality of the processing mark displayed in the image stored in the memory unit according to the determination condition with the quality of the processing mark displayed in the image stored in the memory unit, and evaluate the determination condition.

4. A processing apparatus comprising: a chuck stage for holding a workpiece having multiple predetermined dividing lines; a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the chuck stage along the predetermined dividing lines; a camera unit for capturing images of the workpiece held by the chuck stage; and a control unit for controlling the processing unit and the camera unit, characterized in that the control unit comprises: a memory unit for capturing images of the workpiece with processing marks formed by the processing unit using the camera unit and storing multiple images thereon; and a processing mark determination unit for reading the multiple images stored in the memory unit and determining the quality of the processing marks appearing in each image, wherein the processing mark determination unit can calculate the proportion of images in which the processing marks appearing in the multiple images are judged as good or bad.

5. The processing apparatus as described in claim 4, wherein, The machining mark determination unit reads multiple images stored in the memory unit, determines the quality of each machining mark according to determination conditions, and determines the quality of each machining mark displayed in the multiple images stored in the memory unit according to the determination conditions changed by the determination condition setting means.

6. The processing apparatus as described in claim 4, wherein, The memory unit further associates and memorizes the quality of each processing mark displayed in the multiple images with each image. The control unit further includes a judgment condition evaluation unit, which compares the result of the processing mark judgment unit determining the quality of the processing mark displayed in the multiple images stored in the memory unit according to the judgment condition with the quality of the processing mark displayed in each image stored in the memory unit, calculates the consistency rate, and evaluates the judgment condition based on the consistency rate.

7. The processing apparatus as described in any of claims 1, 3, 5, and 6, wherein, The determination criterion is one or both of the following: the image processing conditions for processing the image; and the determination item and the allowable value of the determination item.

8. The processing apparatus as described in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The processing unit is a cutting unit that uses a cutting blade to cut the workpiece along the predetermined dividing line, and the processing mark is formed in the cutting groove of the workpiece by the cutting blade.

Images