Cutting method, manufacturing method for cut product, and cutting device

Abstract

This cutting method is for cutting an object (60) which includes: a substrate (63) having an element fixed thereto; and a protective film (67) adhered to the substrate (63) and protecting the element. The method includes: a temperature lowering step for lowering the temperature of the protective film (67) by spraying the same with a fluid from a fluid discharge part (34); a film cutting step for cutting the protective film (67) after the temperature lowering step; and a substrate cutting step for, after the film cutting step, cutting the substrate (63) while spraying the same with a cutting fluid of a temperature higher than that of the fluid.

Description

Cutting method, cutting product manufacturing method, and cutting device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cutting method, a method for manufacturing a cut product, and a cutting device.

[0002] In general, a substrate having a semiconductor chip or the like fixed thereto is sealed with a resin, and then cut into individual pieces by a cutting device to be used as electronic components. Conventionally, a cutting method for cutting a resin-sealed substrate is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a cutting method for cutting a substrate (a wafer in Patent Document 1) to which a protective film (an adhesive film in Patent Document 1) is adhered. The substrate cutting method includes a film adhering step of adhering a protective film to the back side of the substrate, a film cutting step of cutting at least the protective film from the back side of the substrate, a modified layer forming step of irradiating the interior of the substrate with a laser beam to form a modified layer, and a dividing step of dividing the substrate using breaking rollers. In the film cutting step, the protective film is cut using a cutting blade while cutting water is supplied to the protective film on the back side of the substrate.

[0004] JP 2022-054894 A

[0005] When cutting a material, generally, viscous fracture predominates at high temperatures, and brittle fracture predominates at low temperatures. Viscous fracture is also called ductile fracture. When viscous fracture predominates, the material elongates during cutting and remains in the elongated state after cutting. This elongated portion of the material becomes a burr. On the other hand, when brittle fracture predominates, the material elongates during cutting but returns to its original state after cutting, making it difficult for a burr to form. When cutting a protective film in the film cutting step of the cutting method described in Patent Document 1, if the protective film is not sufficiently cooled by cutting water, viscous fracture predominates during cutting of the protective film, and burrs may form on the protective film after cutting.

[0006] Therefore, there is a demand for a cutting method, a method for manufacturing a cut product, and a cutting device that are less likely to produce burrs on the protective film.

[0007] One embodiment of the cutting method according to the present disclosure is a cutting method for cutting an object having a substrate on which an element is fixed and a protective film adhered to the substrate to protect the element, and includes a low-temperature process for lowering the temperature of the protective film by spraying fluid from a fluid discharge section, a film cutting process for cutting the protective film after the low-temperature process, and a substrate cutting process for cutting the substrate while spraying cutting water that is hotter than the fluid after the film cutting process.

[0008] The method for producing a cut product according to the present disclosure produces a cut product by cutting the object according to the cutting method described above.

[0009] One embodiment of the cutting device according to the present disclosure is a cutting device used in the cutting method described above, and includes a first cutting mechanism used in the film cutting process and a second cutting mechanism used in the substrate cutting process.

[0010] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a cutting method, a method for manufacturing a cut product, and a cutting device that are less likely to produce burrs on a protective film.

[0011] 1 is a perspective view showing a process of adhering a protective film to a substrate; 2 is a front view showing a cutting device; 3 is a plan view showing a cutting device; 4 is a plan view showing a process of cutting a protective film with a first cutting mechanism; 5 is a front view showing a process of cutting a protective film with the first cutting mechanism; 6 is a left side view showing a process of cutting a protective film with the first cutting mechanism; 7 is a perspective view showing a substrate after the protective film has been cut with the first cutting mechanism; 8 is a plan view showing a process of cutting a substrate with a second cutting mechanism; 9 is a front view showing a process of cutting a substrate with the second cutting mechanism; 10 is a left side view showing a process of cutting a substrate with the second cutting mechanism; 11 is a perspective view showing an electronic component to which a protective film has been adhered; 12 is a schematic view showing a process of forming a shielding layer on an electronic component; 13 is a schematic view showing an electronic component after the protective film has been peeled off; 14 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a protective film has been adhered to a substrate of a different specification; 15 is a front view showing a first cutting device to which a nozzle of a different specification has been attached.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of a cutting method, a method for manufacturing a cut product, and a cutting device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0013] A substrate on which elements such as semiconductor chips are fixed is sealed with resin, and then cut into individual pieces to be used as electronic components. A dedicated cutting device is used to cut the resin-sealed substrate.

[0014] Resin sealing of a substrate is performed by placing the substrate on a molding die (not shown) of a resin molding device and supplying liquid molten resin into the molding die. The molten resin may be a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin. Thermosetting resin reduces in viscosity when heated, and when further heated, it polymerizes and hardens to become a hardened resin. When resin sealing a substrate on which elements such as semiconductor chips are fixed, it is desirable to use a thermosetting resin. The elements fixed to the substrate are protected by the encapsulating resin.

[0015] [Configuration of Object] As shown in FIG. 1 , the object 60 to be cut by the cutting device of this embodiment is a substrate 63 on which multiple elements 61 are fixed, sealed with resin to form a resin package 65 on the side of the elements 61, with a protective film 67 adhered to the substrate 63. The elements 61 are, for example, integrated circuits (semiconductor chips). The protective film 67 has an adhesive layer (not shown) made of an adhesive or the like on the back surface, which allows it to be adhered to the substrate 63. The electrodes 61 a are part of the elements 61 and are exposed on the side of the substrate 63 opposite the resin package 65. In other words, the protective film 67 covers the substrate 63 to protect the electrodes 61 a of the elements 61. In this embodiment, multiple elements 61 are fixed to one substrate 63, and each element 61 has multiple electrodes 61 a. In the example of FIG. 1 , 21 elements 61 are fixed to one substrate 63, and each element 61 has four electrodes 61 a. The broken lines in FIG. 1 indicate the locations to be cut by a cutting device, which will be described later.

[0016] [Overall Configuration of Cutting Apparatus] A cutting apparatus 1 for cutting and singulating a resin-sealed substrate will now be described. FIGS. 2 and 3 show a front view and a plan view, respectively, of the cutting apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The cutting apparatus 1 includes a device main body 10, a table pan movement mechanism 20, a first cutting mechanism 30, a second cutting mechanism 40, and a control unit 3 for controlling these components. In this embodiment, the cutting apparatus 1 secures an object 60 to the table pan movement mechanism 20, linearly moves the table pan movement mechanism 20 using the first cutting mechanism 30 to cut the protective film 67 of the object 60, and then uses the second cutting mechanism 40 to cut and singulate the substrate and resin package of the object 60. The operation of the cutting apparatus 1 described below is performed based on an operation command from the control unit 3, unless otherwise specified. In the following description, the operation command from the control unit 3 will generally be omitted and will be explained as needed.

[0017] The cutting device 1 of this embodiment is configured so that either the first cutting mechanism 30 or the second cutting mechanism 40 can be used interchangeably with the common device main body 10 and table pan moving mechanism 20. The first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 differ in blade position and nozzle shape, but have the same basic configuration. Therefore, in Figures 2 and 3, the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 are illustrated with a common schematic shape.

[0018] [Configuration of the Device Main Body] The device main body 10 includes a frame 12, a sink pan 13, a collection box 14, a bellows cover 16, and a shutter 18. The sink pans 13 are attached to the frame 12 by welding or other methods and are arranged on both sides of the table pan moving mechanism 20 (both vertically in FIG. 3 ) along the movement direction of the table pan moving mechanism 20 of the cutting device 1. The sink pans 13 are used to send scraps 69 generated when the object 60 is cut by the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 to the collection box 14. The sink pan 13 is located lower in the direction of gravity than the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 of the cutting device 1 and is inclined relative to the horizontal direction (a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction). The inclination angle of the sink pan 13 in the cutting device 1 of this embodiment is approximately 5 degrees. The sink pan 13 is inclined relative to the horizontal direction, and water flows into the sink pan 13 from a water supply unit (not shown) located above the sink pan 13. Therefore, scraps 69 cut by the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 and dropped into the sink pan 13 are carried downstream (toward the lower left in FIG. 2 ) by the water on the sink pan 13. Hereinafter, in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the left side is referred to as downstream and the right side is referred to as upstream. The inclination angle of the sink pan 13 may be greater than or less than 5 degrees, as long as the scraps 69 are smoothly sent downstream.

[0019] At the downstream end of the sink pan 13, a collection box 14 is attached to the frame 12 by welding or other means, and is disposed adjacent to the sink pan 13. Scrap materials 69 sent downstream of the sink pan 13 fall into the collection box 14 and are collected. The collection box 14 is configured to be able to collect scrap materials 69 sent through both of the two sink pans 13 disposed on each side of the table pan moving mechanism 20. The sink pan 13 and collection box 14 may be attached to the frame 12 by welding or other means, or may be formed integrally with the frame 12. Alternatively, separate collection boxes 14 may be disposed corresponding to each of the two sink pans 13.

[0020] The bellows covers 16 are made of a material such as resin or rubber, and are arranged on both sides of the table pan 21 of the table pan moving mechanism 20 in the direction of movement thereof, and between the two sink pans 13. That is, the bellows covers 16 are arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of the table pan 21. Hereinafter, the upstream bellows cover 16 will be referred to as the first bellows cover 16a, and the downstream bellows cover 16 will be referred to as the second bellows cover 16b. When the first bellows cover 16a and the second bellows cover 16b are referred to collectively, they will be referred to as the bellows covers 16.

[0021] The bellows cover 16 is provided vertically above the ball screw 23 (above in FIG. 2 ) to cover the entire ball screw 23 in order to prevent the ball screw 23 of the table pan moving mechanism 20 (described later) from being wetted with cutting water used when cutting the target object 60 using the second cutting mechanism 40. The first bellows cover 16a and the second bellows cover 16b each have one end fixed to the table pan 21 and the other end fixed to the frame 12. The bellows cover 16 is arranged to expand and contract as the table pan 21 moves. Specifically, when the table pan 21 moves downstream (left side in FIGS. 2 and 3 ), the first bellows cover 16a expands and the second bellows cover 16b contracts. When the table pan 21 moves upstream (right side in FIGS. 2 and 3 ), the first bellows cover 16a contracts and the second bellows cover 16b expands. Even if the bellows cover 16 expands or contracts, one end is fixed to the table pan 21 and the other end is fixed to the frame 12, so that the entire ball screw 23 can always be covered.

[0022] The shutter 18 is disposed above the second bellows cover 16b and covers the entire second bellows cover 16b. The shutter 18 is provided to prevent the second bellows cover 16b from being damaged by the scraps 69 cut by the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 and falling. The shutter 18 is configured by a plurality of thin, elongated metal plates 18a arranged so that some of the plates overlap. The overlapping amount of the thin plates 18a can be adjusted to accommodate expansion and contraction of the second bellows cover 16b. One end of the shutter 18 is fixed to the table pan 21, and the other end is fixed to the frame 12 while protruding vertically above the collection box 14. Each of the thin plates 18a is overlapped so that it is positioned above the adjacent thin plate 18a downstream. As a result, when the overlap amount of the thin plate 18a of the shutter 18 increases and the shutter 18 is shortened, the scrap material 69 that has fallen onto the shutter 18 after being cut by the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 can be pushed downstream, and can ultimately fall into the collection box 14.

[0023] [Configuration of the Pan Moving Mechanism] The table pan moving mechanism 20 includes a table pan 21, a shaft 22, a ball screw 23, a nut 24, a slider 25, and a drive source 26. The table pan 21 has a shaft 22 attached to its underside and a cutting table 28 attached to its upper surface. The shaft 22 extends vertically downward from the table pan 21. The shaft 22 extends below the sink pan 13, and its lower end is connected to a nut 24 coupled to the ball screw 23. The table pan 21 is also fixed to a slider 25 disposed around the shaft 22. The slider 25 is supported by a rail (not shown) disposed on the frame 12 of the device main body 10. The table pan 21, the shaft 22, the nut 24, and the slider 25 are configured to be movable together in the upstream and downstream directions along the rail. The operation of the table pan moving mechanism 20 is controlled by the control unit 3.

[0024] The drive source 26 is a rotary actuator such as a motor, and applies a driving force to the ball screw 23 to rotate the ball screw 23 in the forward and reverse directions around its axis. Because the shaft 22 is connected to the nut 24, the nut 24 does not rotate even when the ball screw 23 rotates around its axis. Therefore, when the ball screw 23 rotates around its axis, the nut 24 connected to the ball screw 23 moves upstream or downstream. Then, the table pan 21, shaft 22, and slider 25, which are integrated with the nut 24, move upstream or downstream along the rails as the nut 24 moves.

[0025] [Configuration of First and Second Cutting Mechanisms] The first cutting mechanism 30 includes a first blade 32, a first nozzle 34 (an example of a fluid discharge unit), and a first fluid supply unit 36. The first blade 32 is disk-shaped and rotates by a drive unit (not shown) controlled by the control unit 3 to cut the protective film 67. The first nozzle 34 is used to spray low-temperature air (an example of a fluid) onto the surface of the protective film 67 in order to cool the protective film 67 when cutting the protective film 67. The protective film 67 is cooled in order to make brittle fracture dominant by lowering the temperature when cutting the protective film 67, thereby suppressing the generation of burrs due to cutting.

[0026] The first fluid supply unit 36 ​​cools the air to be sprayed onto the protective film 67 and supplies it to the first nozzle 34. Specifically, the air is cooled to less than 0°C in the first fluid supply unit 36. Hereinafter, air cooled to less than 0°C in the first fluid supply unit 36 ​​is also referred to as low-temperature air. The temperature of the low-temperature air is, for example, −20°C. A method for cooling the air can be, for example, an indirect cooling method in which a refrigerant is compressed and expanded to absorb heat from the air. Since a method for sending low-temperature air from the first nozzle 34 using a pump or the like is well known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The first fluid supply unit 36 ​​sends low-temperature air cooled to less than 0°C to the first nozzle 34, and the low-temperature air is sprayed onto the protective film 67. The temperature of the low-temperature air sprayed onto the protective film 67 is preferably less than 0°C even on the surface of the protective film 67, but may be 0°C or higher. Alternatively, the air may be directly cooled by compressing and expanding a refrigerant, or the air may be indirectly cooled using liquid nitrogen.

[0027] The second cutting mechanism 40 includes a second blade 42, a second nozzle 44, and a second fluid supply unit 46. The second blade 42 is disk-shaped and rotates by a drive unit (not shown) controlled by the control unit 3 to simultaneously cut the substrate and the resin package. The thickness (width) of the second blade 42 is thinner than that of the first blade 32. The second nozzle 44 sprays cutting water onto the surface of the substrate and the resin package to cool them when cutting them. The reason for cooling the substrate and the resin package is to suppress frictional heat generated between the substrate and the resin package and the second blade 42 during cutting, thereby preventing deformation or deterioration of the substrate and the resin package.

[0028] The second fluid supply unit 46 cools the cutting water to be sprayed onto the substrate and resin package from the second nozzle 44 and supplies it to the second nozzle 44. Specifically, in the second fluid supply unit 46, the temperature of the cutting water is, for example, 10 to 25 degrees, which is higher than the temperature of low-temperature air. The cutting water may or may not be cooled. Methods for cooling cutting water and methods for applying pressure to and delivering cutting water are well known, so detailed explanations will be omitted. The second fluid supply unit 46 delivers cooled or uncooled cutting water to the second nozzle 44, where the cutting water is sprayed onto the substrate and resin package.

[0029] 4A to 4C , a cutting method for cutting the protective film 67 of the target object 60 by the first cutting mechanism 30 of the cutting device 1 will be described. Note that the device main body 10, the table pan 21 of the table pan moving mechanism 20, the ball screw 23, etc. are not shown in FIGS.

[0030] The target object 60 is fixed to the cutting table 28 by means of air suction, adhesive tape, or the like (not shown). The first blade 32 and the first nozzle 34 of the first cutting mechanism 30 of the cutting device 1 are positioned downstream of the target object 60 before the protective film 67 of the target object 60 is cut (before the cutting table 28 moves downstream). The cut portion of the target object 60 is a boundary portion that will become an adjacent electronic component as a result of the cutting.

[0031] In this embodiment, the first nozzle 34 of the first cutting mechanism 30 branches into five just before the first outlet 34a, and the five first outlets 34a are spaced apart from each other and arranged in a straight line along the cutting direction of the protective film 67.

[0032] Before driving the table pan moving mechanism, the first fluid supply unit 36 ​​cools air to a temperature below 0°C, and the cooled low-temperature air is simultaneously sprayed in a straight line onto the surface of the protective film 67 from the five first outlets 34a of the first nozzle 34. This cools at least the periphery of the portion of the protective film 67 that will be cut by the first blade 32 (cooling step).

[0033] If the temperature of the low-temperature air is lower than the temperature of the cutting water, there is a possibility that brittle fracture will predominate in cutting the protective film 67. If brittle fracture will predominate in cutting the protective film 67, the temperature of the low-temperature air is not limited to temperatures below 0°C. Note that if the cutting water temperature falls below 0°C, the cutting water will solidify. For this reason, the cutting water temperature cannot be lowered below 0°C. If it is necessary to lower the cutting water temperature below 0°C to predominate in cutting the protective film 67, it is preferable to use the temperature of the low-temperature air.

[0034] [Film Cutting Process] After the low-temperature air has been applied for a predetermined time, or after the temperature of the protective film 67 has fallen below a predetermined temperature as determined by a known temperature detection means, the control unit 3 drives the table pan moving mechanism to bring the object 60 closer to the first blade 32 and rotate the first blade 32. When viewed in the direction shown in Figure 4B, the first blade 32 rotates clockwise. As a result, the scrap 69 of the cut protective film 67 is blown to the left of the object 60, i.e., in the direction of the second bellows cover 16b covered by the shutter 18 (see also Figure 2).

[0035] Next, the drive source 26 of the table pan moving mechanism 20 is driven to rotate the ball screw 23, and the table pan 21 is moved leftward in FIG. 4B from FIG. 4A. Accordingly, the cutting table 28 and the object 60 on the cutting table 28 also move leftward. Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, the peripheral edge of the first blade 32 cuts the protective film 67 (film cutting process).

[0036] The surface of the protective film 67 is sprayed with cold air throughout the time the first blade 32 is cutting the protective film 67. That is, while the object 60 is moving, cold air is sprayed simultaneously at multiple locations on the protective film 67. This allows the locations of the protective film 67 to be continuously kept at a low temperature, so that brittle fracture predominates in the fracture caused by cutting, thereby suppressing the generation of burrs on the cut surface. In the example shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B , cold air is sprayed simultaneously at five locations. The temperature of the cold air can be lowered to a temperature lower than the temperature of the cutting water. Regarding fracture caused by cutting of the protective film 67, cold air is used when cutting water cannot be used to lower the temperature of the protective film 67 to a temperature low enough to cause brittle fracture.

[0037] After the protective film 67 has been cut in one direction, the control unit 3 reversely rotates the ball screw 23 to move the table pan 21 including the object 60 to the right, returning the positional relationship between the first blade 32 and the object 60 to the state shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B . Then, a movement mechanism (not shown) moves the first blade 32 upward or downward in FIG. 4A (leftward or rightward in FIG. 4C ) so that the first blade 32 faces the next cutting portion of the object 60. The first blade 32 then cuts the next cutting portion. This process is repeated.

[0038] In this embodiment, the above-described cutting is repeated twice, and then the orientation of the object 60 relative to the cutting table 28 is changed by 90 degrees by a handling means (not shown), and the same cutting is repeated six times. As a result, as shown in Fig. 5, only the protective film 67 of the object 60 is cut and the object 60 is divided into a plurality of pieces while still adhered to the substrate 63. In the example of Fig. 5, the protective film 67 of the object 60 is divided into 21 pieces.

[0039] 6A to 6C , a cutting method for cutting the substrate 63 and resin package 65 of the target object 60 using the second cutting mechanism 40 of the cutting apparatus 1 will be described. First, in the cutting apparatus 1 after the film cutting process has been completed, the first cutting mechanism 30 is replaced with the second cutting mechanism 40. The second blade 42 and second nozzle 44 of the second cutting mechanism 40 are positioned downstream of the target object 60 before the substrate 63 and resin package 65 of the target object 60 are cut (before the cutting table 28 moves downstream). The cut portion of the target object 60 is a boundary portion that will become an adjacent electronic component by being cut, and is the portion where the protective film 67 was cut and removed in the film cutting process.

[0040] The second nozzle 44 of the second cutting mechanism 40 of this embodiment has one second outlet 44a, unlike the first nozzle 34. The second outlet 44a of the second nozzle 44 is positioned so as to spray cutting water toward the location (the edge of the target object 60) closest to the second blade 42 at the location where the protective film 67 has been removed after being cut by the first cutting mechanism 30.

[0041] Before driving the table pan moving mechanism, the cutting water is cooled by the second fluid supply unit 46, and the cooled cutting water is sprayed from the second outlet 44a of the second nozzle 44 onto the surface of the substrate 63. This cools at least the area of ​​the substrate 63 around the portion to be cut by the second blade 42. The substrate 63 and the resin package 65 are harder and have a thicker cut thickness than the protective film 67. Therefore, the amount of heat generated per unit time when cutting the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 is greater than the amount of heat generated per unit time when cutting the protective film 67. Low-temperature air, which is a gas, supplies a smaller mass per unit time to the cutting portion (the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 in this embodiment) than liquid cutting water. The amount of heat absorbed by a supplied material is proportional to the mass of the material. Therefore, using low-temperature air would not be able to sufficiently dissipate the heat generated when cutting the substrate 63 and the resin package 65. For this reason, cutting is performed using cutting water. Spraying a large amount of cutting water allows for efficient heat dissipation.

[0042] Simultaneously with or after the injection of cutting water, the table pan movement mechanism is driven to bring the object 60 closer to the second blade 42 and rotate the second blade 42. When viewed from the direction shown in Figure 6B, the second blade 42 rotates clockwise. As a result, the cut substrate 63 and scrap material 69 of the resin package 65 are thrown to the left of the object 60, i.e., in the direction of the second bellows cover 16b covered by the shutter 18 (see also Figure 2).

[0043] Next, the drive source 26 of the table pan moving mechanism 20 is driven to rotate the ball screw 23, moving the table pan 21 to the left in FIG. 6B from FIG. 6A. Accordingly, the cutting table 28 and the object 60 on the cutting table 28 also move to the left. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, the periphery of the second blade 42 cuts the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 (substrate cutting process). Note that a clearance groove 28a is formed in the cutting table 28, so that the second blade 42, which cuts the substrate 63 and the resin package 65, does not cut the cutting table 28.

[0044] The cutting water is sprayed onto the surface of the substrate 63 throughout the time the second blade 42 is cutting the substrate 63 and the resin package 65. This keeps the cutting points of the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 at a low temperature, thereby suppressing the generation of frictional heat due to cutting. The cutting water sprayed from the second outlet 44a of the second nozzle 44 onto the substrate 63 bounces off the surface of the substrate 63 and wets the cutting device 1, but the ball screw 23, the nut 24, and the drive source 26 are covered by the first bellows cover 16a and the second bellows cover 16b and do not get wet (see also FIG. 2). As described above, the thickness (width) of the second blade 42 is thinner than the thickness of the first blade 32, so the first cutting width d1 of the protective film 67 cut by the first blade 32 is greater than the second cutting width d2 of the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 cut by the second blade 42 (see FIGS. 4C and 6C). Therefore, the second blade 42 does not cut the protective film 67. The first cutting width d1 may be the same as the second cutting width d2.

[0045] After the substrate 63 and resin package 65 have been cut in one direction, the table pan movement mechanism 20 reversely rotates the ball screw 23 to move the table pan 21 including the object 60 to the right, returning the positional relationship between the second blade 42 and the object 60 to the state shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B . Then, a movement mechanism (not shown) moves the second blade 42 upward or downward in FIG. 6A (leftward or rightward in FIG. 6C ) so that the second blade 42 faces the next cutting portion of the object 60. The second blade 42 then cuts the next cutting portion. This process is repeated.

[0046] In this embodiment, after the above-described cutting is repeated twice, the orientation of the object 60 relative to the cutting table 28 is changed by 90 degrees by a handling means (not shown), and the same cutting is repeated six times. As a result, the object 60 is divided into individual pieces, and a plurality of electronic components 60a (an example of a cut product) with a protective film 67 adhered thereto is obtained, as shown in FIG. 7. When the object 60 shown in FIG. 5 is divided into individual pieces, 21 electronic components 60a are obtained. The obtained plurality of electronic components 60a are transported from the cutting table 28 by a transport mechanism (not shown).

[0047] As described above, when cutting is performed using the cutting device 1, burrs are less likely to occur on the cut surface of the protective film 67. As a result, among the multiple electronic components 60a obtained by singulating the target object 60, almost no electronic components 60a have burrs. The multiple electronic components 60a obtained by singulating the target object 60 are sucked by a conveying mechanism. For electronic components 60a with burrs, the burrs may prevent proper suction. When cutting is performed using the cutting device 1, almost no electronic components 60a have burrs, making it less likely that problems will occur during conveying.

[0048] [Shield Layer Formation Process] Next, the electronic component 60a with the protective film 67 attached thereto is placed in the chamber of a known sputtering device (not shown). As shown in FIG. 8, sputtering is performed using a sputtering target 50 made of a conductive material to form a shield layer 52 on the surface of the electronic component 60a. By forming the shield layer 52, the element 61 built into the electronic component 60a can be protected from external noise, etc. After the shield layer 52 is formed, the electronic component 60a is removed from the sputtering device, and the protective film 67 is peeled off. This completes the electronic component 60a, as shown in FIG. Because the electrode 61a of the element 61 built into the electronic component 60a was covered with the protective film 67 during sputtering, the shield layer 52 is not formed on the electrode 61a.

[0049] Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below, in which the same components as those in the above embodiment will be described using the same terms and symbols to facilitate understanding.

[0050] <1> In the above-described embodiment, the electrodes 61a exposed from the substrate 63 on which the element 61 is fixed are protected by a protective film 67. However, this configuration is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , in a configuration in which an integrated circuit 71 (an example of an element) is fixed in an exposed state in each of a plurality of recesses 75a formed in a resin housing 75 formed on a substrate 73, the target object 70 may be formed by adhering a protective film 67 for protecting the integrated circuit 71 to the surface of the resin housing 75. This configuration prevents cutting water from entering the recesses 75a and wetting the integrated circuit 71 when cutting the substrate 73 and the resin housing 75 to obtain an electronic component. An example of the integrated circuit 71 is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS).

[0051] <2> In the above-described embodiment, the first nozzle 34 of the first cutting mechanism 30 has a plurality of (five in this embodiment) branched first outlets 34a that are spaced apart and linearly arranged along the cutting direction of the protective film 67. However, this is not limited to this. As shown in Fig. 11 , the first nozzle 34 may have only one first outlet 34a that is formed in a straight line (an elongated rectangular shape). Even when the first outlet 34a has such a shape, the protective film 67 can be cooled by spraying low-temperature air linearly along the cutting direction of the first blade 32.

[0052] <3> In the above-described embodiment, the film cutting process and the substrate cutting process are performed by replacing the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 in one cutting device 1, but this is not limited to this. The cutting device 1 having the first cutting mechanism 30 and the cutting device 1 having the second cutting mechanism 40 may be separate devices. In this case, after the film cutting process, the target object 60 from which the protective film 67 has been cut is transported from the cutting device 1 having the first cutting mechanism 30 to the cutting device 1 having the second cutting mechanism 40. After the substrate cutting process, the obtained plurality of electronic components 60a are transported from the cutting device 1 having the second cutting mechanism 40. Even in this case, since there are almost no electronic components 60a with burrs among the obtained plurality of electronic components 60a, transport problems are unlikely to occur.

[0053] <4> In the above-described embodiment, the first blade 32 and first nozzle 34 of the first cutting mechanism 30 are fixed, and the objects 60, 70 are moved to cut the protective film 67. Furthermore, the second blade 42 and second nozzle 44 of the second cutting mechanism 40 are fixed, and the objects 60, 70 are moved to cut the substrate 63 and the resin package 65. However, the cutting of the objects 60, 70 is not limited to this configuration. For example, instead of or in addition to moving the objects 60, 70, the first blade 32 and first nozzle 34, and the second blade 42 and second nozzle 44 may be moved to cut the objects 60, 70. In other words, any configuration may be used as long as the first blade 32 and first nozzle 34, and the second blade 42 and second nozzle 44, and the objects 60, 70 are moved relative to each other, and the relative positional relationship between them can be changed.

[0054] <5> In the above-described embodiment, the table pan 21 is moved linearly by the ball screw 23 and the nut 24, but this is not limited to this. The table pan 21 may be configured to be directly movable linearly using a linear actuator.

[0055] <6> In the above-described embodiment, the protective film 67 is cooled by blowing low-temperature air onto it. However, in addition to this, the cutting table 28 may be cooled by a known method. By cooling the cutting table 28, the resin package 65 is also cooled when the protective film 67 is cooled. This cools both sides of the substrate 63, thereby suppressing warping of the substrate 63 that may occur when only one side (protective film 67) is cooled.

[0056] <7> In the above-described embodiment, the air is cooled by the refrigerant in the first fluid supply unit 36. However, liquid nitrogen (an example of a fluid) itself may be supplied to the first nozzle 34. Because the boiling point of liquid nitrogen is −196°C, even if the liquid nitrogen is supplied to the first nozzle 34, it vaporizes before being sprayed from the first outlet 34a. This allows the protective film 67 to be cooled even further.

[0057] [Outline of the above embodiment] The cutting method, the method for manufacturing the cut product, and the cutting device 1 described in the above embodiment will be outlined below.

[0058] (1) The cutting method is characterized in that it is a cutting method for cutting objects 60, 70 having substrates 63, 73 on which elements 61 and integrated circuits 71 are fixed, and protective films 67 that are adhered to the substrates 63, 73 and protect the elements 61 and integrated circuits 71, and includes a low-temperature process for lowering the temperature of the protective film 67 by spraying fluid from the fluid discharge section (first nozzle 34), a film cutting process for cutting the protective film 67 after the low-temperature process, and a substrate cutting process for cutting the substrates 63, 73 while spraying cutting water that is hotter than the fluid after the film cutting process.

[0059] In the cutting method having this feature, the film cutting step is performed after the low-temperature step of lowering the temperature of the protective film 67, so that brittle fracture predominates in the cutting of the protective film 67, making it difficult for burrs to occur on the cut surface of the protective film 67. Furthermore, since the substrate cutting step is performed after the film cutting step, the protective film 67 and the substrates 63 and 73 can be cut under optimized conditions, compared to when the protective film 67 and the substrates 63 and 73 are cut simultaneously.

[0060] (2) In the cutting method described in (1) above, the fluid may be low-temperature air that is cooled to below 0 degrees and then sprayed onto the protective film 67 .

[0061] In this method, the low-temperature air blown onto the protective film 67 is at a low temperature, so that the protective film 67 is cut by brittle fracture, and burrs are less likely to occur on the cut surface of the protective film 67.

[0062] (3) In the cutting method described in (1) or (2) above, in the low-temperature process, the object 60, 70 may be moved relative to the fluid discharge section (first nozzle 34) while simultaneously spraying fluid onto multiple locations on the protective film 67.

[0063] With this method, the cutting portion of the protective film 67 can be cooled to a sufficiently low temperature before the protective film 67 is cut.

[0064] (4) In the cutting method described in (1) or (2) above, in the low-temperature process, the object 60, 70 may be moved relative to the fluid discharge section (first nozzle 34) while spraying the fluid linearly onto the protective film 67.

[0065] With this method, the cutting portion of the protective film 67 can be continuously cooled to a low temperature from before the protective film 67 is cut.

[0066] (5) In the cutting method described in any one of (1) to (4) above, the first cutting width d1 of the protective film 67 cut in the film cutting process may be larger than the second cutting width d2 of the substrate 63, 73 cut in the substrate cutting process.

[0067] With this method, the cut surface of the protective film 67 is not cut during the substrate cutting step.

[0068] (6) In the cutting method described in any one of (1) to (5) above, the object 60 further has a resin package 65 that covers the substrate 63 on the side opposite to the protective film 67, and the method may further include a shield layer forming step of forming a shield layer 52 on the surface of the object 60 excluding the protective film 67 after the substrate cutting step.

[0069] With this method, the shielding layer 52 is not formed in the area covered with the protective film 67. Furthermore, the protective film 67 can prevent the shielding material from adhering to the substrate 63.

[0070] (7) A cut product (electronic component 60a) is manufactured by cutting the object 60 according to any one of the cutting methods described in (1) to (6) above.

[0071] This manufacturing method makes it possible to manufacture cut products (electronic components 60 a ) in which burrs are less likely to occur on the cut surfaces of the protective film 67 .

[0072] (8) The characteristic configuration of the cutting device 1 used in any one of the cutting methods described in (1) to (6) above is that it is equipped with a first cutting mechanism 30 used in the film cutting process and a second cutting mechanism 40 used in the substrate cutting process.

[0073] With this configuration, the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 can each cut the protective film 67 and the substrates 63 and 73 in a configuration optimized for each, compared to when the protective film 67 and the substrates 63 and 73 are cut at the same time.

[0074] The present disclosure is applicable to a cutting method, a method for manufacturing a cut product, and a cutting device.

[0075] 1: Cutting device 30: First cutting mechanism 34: First nozzle (fluid discharge portion) 40: Second cutting mechanism 52: Shield layer 60: Object 60a: Electronic component (cut product) 61: Element 63: Substrate 65: Resin package 67: Protective film 70: Object 71: Integrated circuit (element) 73: Substrate d1: First cutting width d2: Second cutting width

Claims

1. A cutting method for cutting an object having a substrate having an element fixed thereto, and a protective film adhered to the substrate to protect the element, the cutting method comprising: a low-temperature step of lowering the temperature of the protective film by spraying fluid from a fluid discharge section; a film cutting step of cutting the protective film after the low-temperature step; and a substrate cutting step of cutting the substrate while spraying cutting water having a higher temperature than the fluid after the film cutting step.

2. The cutting method according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is cold air that is cooled to below 0 degrees and then directed at the protective film.

3. A cutting method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the cooling step, the fluid is sprayed simultaneously onto a plurality of locations on the protective film while the object is moved relative to the fluid discharge section.

4. A cutting method as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein in the cooling step, the fluid is sprayed linearly onto the protective film while the object is moved relative to the fluid discharge section.

5. A cutting method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a first cut width of the protective film cut in the film cutting step is larger than a second cut width of the substrate cut in the substrate cutting step.

6. A cutting method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the object further has a resin package covering the substrate on the side opposite the protective film, and further comprising, after the substrate cutting step, a shield layer forming step of forming a shield layer on the surface of the object excluding the protective film.

7. A method for producing a cut product, comprising cutting the object according to the cutting method of any one of claims 1 to 6 to produce the cut product.

8. A cutting device used in the cutting method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: a first cutting mechanism used in the film cutting step; and a second cutting mechanism used in the substrate cutting step.

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