Substrate manufacturing device

Abstract

This substrate manufacturing device comprises: a substrate placed on a substrate holding sheet which is provided in a tensioned state on a holder with a flat plate annular shape; and a film peeling device (22, 24, 70) for peeling a protective film from a body to be processed which comprises a protective film that is adhered to an upper surface of the substrate so that a peripheral edge portion of the protective film covers at least a part of the holder. The film peeling device comprises: a film gripping device (24) that grips the peripheral edge portion of the protective film and that includes a first claw part (244a) which is inserted between the holder and the protective film, a second claw part (245a) which is positioned above the first claw part and which is configured to be able to move up and down relative to the first claw part so as to grip the protective film together with the first claw part, a detection hole (244b) which is provided on a surface of the first claw part facing the second claw part or on a surface of the second claw part facing the first claw part and which is connected to a negative pressure generation source, and a pressure sensor (246) which detects a change in a pressure value of the detection hole; a moving device (243) that vertically changes the relative positions of the body to be processed and the film gripping device; a moving device (23) that moves the relative positions of the body to be processed and the film gripping device in a substantially horizontal plane; and a gripping control device (70) that lowers the second claw part after a negative pressure has been detected in the detection hole by the pressure sensor, and that subsequently causes the moving device to move the body to be processed.

Description

Board manufacturing equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate manufacturing device that cuts a substrate on which a scribe line (kerf) is formed by splitting the substrate along the scribe line, and in particular to a film peeling device that peels off a protective film attached to the surface of the substrate on which the scribe line is formed from the substrate.

[0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, a single substrate (semiconductor wafer) is divided into multiple chip regions, various circuits are formed in each region, and then the substrate is cut into individual chips. The cutting process of the substrate involves forming a scribe line (kerf) on one main surface (scribe surface) of the substrate, performing a scribing process to generate a crack from the scribe line in the thickness direction, and then performing a breaking process to apply an external force to the substrate from the other main surface (break surface) side to further extend the crack and thereby divide the substrate.

[0003] The scribing process is usually performed with the break surface of the substrate attached to a substrate holding sheet stretched over a flat, roughly annular holder called a wafer ring. After the scribing process, a protective film is attached to the scribe surface, and the breaking process is performed with the protective film attached to the scribe surface. After the breaking process, it is necessary to peel off only the protective film from the substrate (each chip) with each chip still attached to the substrate holding sheet.

[0004] Patent Literature 1 describes a film peeling mechanism for peeling a protective film from a substrate after breaking in a system for dividing a substrate on which a scribe line has been formed by breaking. The film peeling mechanism includes a transport means for transporting a workpiece (a substrate attached to a substrate holding sheet stretched over a wafer ring) with the protective film attached thereto in a predetermined direction within a horizontal plane, and a film gripping mechanism capable of gripping an outer peripheral edge of the protective film outside the substrate. With the film gripping mechanism gripping the protective film, the transport means transports the workpiece in the predetermined direction so that the gripped portion of the protective film approaches the portion opposite the gripped portion, thereby peeling off the protective film.

[0005] In the above-described film peeling mechanism, the film gripping mechanism includes a base and a claw located below the base and configured to be able to move toward and away from the base so as to grip the protective film between the base and the claw. A detection hole connected to a negative pressure generating source is provided on the surface of the base facing the claw, and a through-hole coaxial with the detection hole is provided in the claw. The protective film is gripped by moving the object to be treated using a conveying means to insert the claw between the object to be treated and the protective film, and then bringing the claw closer to the base in this state. If the protective film is properly gripped, the detection hole is blocked by the protective film, and by detecting a change in the pressure value generated in the detection hole, it is possible to detect that the protective film has been gripped.

[0006] International Publication No. 2019 / 150645

[0007] In the film peeling mechanism described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that the claw portion may approach the base without being properly inserted between the object to be treated and the protective film, in which case the protective film is not properly gripped.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate manufacturing apparatus that can reliably grip a protective film and peel the protective film from a substrate.

[0009] The present invention provides a substrate manufacturing apparatus that has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, comprising: a substrate placed on a substrate holding sheet stretched over a flat, annular holder; and a film peeling device that peels off a protective film from a processing object that includes a substrate placed on a substrate holding sheet stretched over a flat, annular holder, and a protective film attached to an upper surface of the substrate such that a peripheral edge of the protective film covers at least a portion of the holder, the film peeling device comprising: a) a device that grips the peripheral edge of the protective film, the device having: a-1) a first claw portion that is inserted between the holder and the protective film; a-2) a second claw portion that is located above the first claw portion and configured to be able to move up and down relative to the first claw portion so as to grip the protective film between the first claw portion and the second claw portion; a-3) a detection hole that is connected to a negative pressure generation source and is provided on a surface of the first claw portion that faces the second claw portion or a surface of the second claw portion that faces the first claw portion; and a-4) a pressure sensor that detects a change in the pressure value at the detection hole; and b) c) a gripping control device that, after the pressure sensor detects negative pressure in the detection hole, lowers the second claw portion to grip the protective film between the first claw portion and the second claw portion, and then uses the moving device to move the position of the film gripping device relative to the object upward.

[0010] The moving device may move only one of the object to be processed and the film gripping device, or may move both the object to be processed and the film gripping device. Furthermore, the gripping control device may move only one of the first claw portion and the second claw portion, or may move both the first claw portion and the second claw portion.

[0011] In the substrate manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration, when the detection hole provided in the first or second claw is not blocked, the pressure at the detection hole is atmospheric pressure. When the gripping control device inserts the first claw of the film gripping device between the holder and the protective film and positions the second claw so that the protective film can be gripped between the first claw and the detection hole, the detection hole provided in the first or second claw is blocked by the protective film, and the pressure at the detection hole becomes negative due to the negative pressure generating source. After the pressure sensor detects this negative pressure, i.e., after detecting that the protective film is adsorbed onto the first or second claw, the gripping control device lowers the second claw relative to the first claw, thereby sandwiching and gripping the protective film between the first and second claws. Then, with the protective film gripped, the relative positions of the workpiece and the film gripping device are changed in the vertical direction so that the second claw is positioned above the top surface of the substrate, thereby peeling the protective film from the workpiece.

[0012] According to the substrate manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration, the protective film can be securely gripped and peeled off from the substrate.

[0013] The substrate manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention may further comprise a container positioned below the film holding device and below the moving device, the container having an open top surface for receiving the protective film peeled off from the workpiece, and an optical sensor provided inside the container for detecting the passage of the protective film.

[0014] In the substrate manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration, after the protective film is peeled off from the substrate, the second claw is raised relative to the first claw to release the protective film from the grip of the first and second claws, and the generation of negative pressure by the negative pressure generating source is stopped. The protective film then falls downward and is placed in a container. At this time, an optical sensor detects the passage of the protective film, thereby confirming that the protective film peeled off from the substrate has been placed in the container.

[0015] The substrate manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention may further include an ionizer that sprays ions onto the film gripping device to remove static electricity.

[0016] According to the substrate manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration, it is possible to prevent an accident in which the protective film remains attached to the film gripping device due to static electricity and does not fall into the container.

[0017] According to the substrate manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the protective film can be securely gripped and peeled off from the substrate.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a first transport robot in the substrate manufacturing apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the substrate manufacturing apparatus of the embodiment, in which a shuttle unit and a film gripping unit are arranged, viewed from the left rear. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main portion of the film gripping unit provided in the substrate manufacturing apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a side view of the portion of the substrate manufacturing apparatus of the embodiment, in which the shuttle unit and the film gripping unit are arranged, viewed from the left. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a series of processing steps in the substrate manufacturing apparatus of the embodiment (steps S101 to S110). FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a series of processing steps in the substrate manufacturing apparatus of the embodiment (steps S111 to S115). FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a more detailed procedure of a protective film peeling process in the substrate manufacturing apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a side view of main parts showing the state of each related part at an intermediate stage of the procedure of the peeling process. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a workpiece. FIG. 11 is a view showing a state in which a protective film is attached to the substrate side of a workpiece. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a cassette. FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a modified example of the arrangement of each processing unit in the substrate manufacturing apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the first transport robot in the substrate manufacturing apparatus of the embodiment.

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a workpiece W to be processed in a substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 (described later in this embodiment). The workpiece W is composed of a substantially circular wafer ring (holding fixture) W1, a dicing tape (substrate holding sheet) W2 stretched on one side of the wafer ring W1, and a substrate W3 attached to a portion of the dicing tape W2 surrounded by the wafer ring W1. Hereinafter, of the two main surfaces of the substrate W3, the surface facing upward in FIG. 1 will be referred to as the front surface, and the surface facing downward (the surface attached to the dicing tape W2) will be referred to as the back surface. While the substrate W3 is disk-shaped in FIG. 1, it may be rectangular or have another shape.

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the main components of a substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. In Figure 1, the lower and upper sides of the page are the front and rear sides, respectively, of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100. The substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 mainly includes a cassette placement unit 10, a transport unit 20, a scribing processing unit 30, a film bonding processing unit 40, a reversing processing unit 50, and a breaking processing unit 60. The configurations, functions, etc. of the cassette placement unit 10, the transport unit 20, the scribing processing unit 30, the film bonding processing unit 40, the reversing processing unit 50, and the breaking processing unit 60 will be described below.

[0022] <Cassette Placement Unit> The cassette placement unit 10 is located in the center of the front of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100. The cassette placement unit 10 has multiple cassette tables 11, 11 on which cassettes C containing workpieces W are placed. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the cassette C. The cassette C includes a rectangular box-shaped container body C1 having a space therein for containing the workpieces W. One side of the container body C1 is open for inserting and removing the workpieces W. Furthermore, on the inside of the side surfaces on both sides of the opening, multiple support pieces C2 are provided facing each other, supporting the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the wafer ring W1 of the workpiece W from below. The workpieces W are placed in the cassette C with the substrate W3 side facing up and the dicing tape W2 side facing down. The cassette C is placed on the cassette table 11 with its opening facing the center of a circle. Hereinafter, the center of this circle will be referred to as the center G.

[0023] <Transport Section> The transport section 20 is disposed behind the cassette arrangement section 10 and includes a first transport robot 21 , a shuttle unit 22 , a second transport robot 23 , and a film gripping section 24 .

[0024] 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the first transfer robot 21. The first transfer robot 21 includes a base 213 having an upper surface formed in a stepped manner, a first arm 211 supported by a first shaft 214 provided on a lower upper surface of the base 213 so as to be movable up and down and rotatable, and a second arm 212 supported by a second shaft 215 provided on a higher upper surface of the base 213 so as to be movable up and down and rotatable. The first transfer robot 21 is disposed so that the first shaft 214 is located at the center G of a circle.

[0025] The first arm 211 is a horizontal articulated arm formed by connecting multiple connecting members, and is configured so that the tip of the first arm 211 can move forward and backward in a predetermined direction in a horizontal plane by extending or bending the connecting portions (joints) of the connecting members. A first hand 211a is attached to the tip of the first arm 211. The first hand 211a includes a rectangular, plate-shaped gripper support member 2112, a first substrate gripper 2111 provided at one tip (front end) of the gripper support member 2112 in the long side direction, and a second substrate gripper 2113 provided at the other tip (rear end) of the gripper support member 2111. The first substrate gripper 2111 is configured so that it can be displaced in the direction in which the gripper support member 2112 extends by a displacement drive mechanism (not shown). This allows the distance between the first substrate gripper 2111 and the second substrate gripper 2113 to be changed, making it possible to grip the substrate W between the first substrate gripper 2111 and the second substrate gripper 2113 .

[0026] The second arm 212 is a horizontal articulated arm to which a plurality of connecting members are connected, similar to the first arm 211, and is configured so that the tip of the second arm 212 can advance and retreat in a predetermined direction in a horizontal plane by extending or bending the connecting portions (joints) of the connecting members. A second hand 212a that can hold the workpiece W by vacuum suction to the upper surface of the wafer ring W1 of the workpiece W is provided at the tip of the second arm 212 via a hanging support 212b. The hanging support 212b is configured to be extendable and retractable, and the second hand 212a moves up and down when the hanging support 212b extends and retracts, or when the second shaft 215 moves up and down.

[0027] In the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the workpiece W is removed from the cassette C by the first arm 211, and then transferred from the first arm 211 to the second arm 212. The workpiece W is then transported by the second arm 212 to the scribing processing section 30, and then transported to the shuttle unit 22 (transport position POS1 in FIG. 1).

[0028] The first arm 211 removes the workpiece W from the cassette C in the following procedure. First, the first shaft 214 is rotated and the first arm 211 is extended, and the first hand 211a is moved to a position facing the opening of the cassette C placed on the cassette table 11. Next, the first shaft 214 is raised and lowered and the first arm 211 is further extended, and the first hand 211a is inserted into the space below the target workpiece W stored in the cassette C. After the first hand 211a has been inserted, the first shaft 214 is raised to position the workpiece W between the first substrate gripper 2111 and the second substrate gripper 2113, and the distance between the first substrate gripper 2111 and the second substrate gripper 2113 is changed so that the workpiece W is sandwiched and gripped by the first substrate gripper 2111 and the second substrate gripper 2113. Thereafter, with the workpiece W held, the first arm 211 is bent to move the first hand 211a back from the cassette C.

[0029] The transfer of the workpiece W from the first arm 211 to the second arm 212 is performed according to the following procedure. First, the second shaft 215 is rotated, and the first shaft 214 is lowered or the second shaft 215 is raised as necessary to prevent interference between the first arm 211 and the second arm 212. Then, the second arm 212 is extended and the second hand 212a is moved above the workpiece W held by the first hand 211a. Next, the first shaft 214 is raised or the second shaft 215 is lowered, and the second hand 212a is brought into contact with the upper surface of the wafer ring W1 of the workpiece W, and the wafer ring W1 is sucked by the second hand 212a. Once the workpiece W is adsorbed and held by the second hand 212a, the first hand 211a releases its grip and the first axis 214 is lowered or the second axis 215 is raised, thereby transferring the workpiece W from the first hand 211a to the second hand 212a.

[0030] The second arm 212 transports the workpiece W to the scribing processing unit 30 according to the following procedure. After the workpiece W is transferred from the first arm 211 to the second arm 212, with the workpiece W held by suction on the second hand 212a, the second shaft 215 is rotated and the second arm 212 is extended, causing the second hand 212a to enter the scribing processing unit 30. Next, the second shaft 215 is lowered or the hanging support 212b is extended downward, causing the second hand 212a to descend until the workpiece W abuts on the upper surface of a table on the scribing processing unit 30 for placing the workpiece W. Thereafter, the suction-held state of the workpiece W is released, and the second shaft 215 is raised or the hanging support 212b is retracted upward to separate the second hand 212a from the workpiece W, and the second arm 212 is bent to cause the second hand 212a to retreat from the scribing processing unit 30.

[0031] The removal of the workpiece W from the scribing processing unit 30 by the second arm 212 is performed according to the following procedure. It is assumed that the second hand 212a does not move from the position facing the scribing processing unit 30 after retreating from the scribing processing unit 30. First, the second arm 212 is extended to allow the second hand 212a to enter the scribing processing unit 30. Next, the second shaft 215 is lowered or the hanging support 212b is extended downward to bring the second hand 212a into contact with the upper surface of the wafer ring W1 of the workpiece W placed on the platform of the scribing processing unit 30, and the second hand 212a adsorbs the workpiece W. Next, the second shaft 215 is raised or the hanging support 212b is retracted upward to separate the second hand 212a from the platform, and the second arm 212 is bent to allow the second hand 212a to retreat from the scribing processing unit 30.

[0032] The second arm 212 transports the workpiece W to the shuttle unit 22 in the same manner as the transport procedure of the workpiece W to the scribing processing unit 30 described above. The workpiece W transported to the shuttle unit 22 is transported to various processing units (film bonding processing unit 40, reversal processing unit 50, breaking processing unit 60) as described below. The workpiece W that has undergone a series of processes in the various processing units is then transported back to the shuttle unit 22 (transport position POS1 in FIG. 1 ). The first transport robot 21 receives the workpiece W transported to the shuttle unit 22 with the second arm 212 in the same manner as the procedure for removing the workpiece W from the scribing processing unit 30 described above. The first transport robot 21 then stores the workpiece W in the cassette C via the first arm 211 by performing the reverse procedures of the procedure for transferring the workpiece W from the first arm 211 to the second arm 212 and the procedure for removing the workpiece W from the cassette C described above.

[0033] (Shuttle unit and film gripping section) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the area where the shuttle unit 22 and film gripping section 24 of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 are arranged, viewed from the left rear, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the main parts of the film gripping section 24.

[0034] The shuttle unit 22 is located behind the first transfer robot 21. The shuttle unit 22 includes a base 221, a stage 222 slidably mounted on the base 221 in the front-rear direction between transfer positions POS1 and POS2 in FIG. 1 , and a pair of guide rails 223, 223 for guiding the front-rear movement of the stage 222. A circular opening 221a is formed in the center of the base 221, which connects to the space within the film disposal unit 80 (described later). The stage 222 has a recess 222a having the same shape as the workpiece W. The depth of the recess 222a is equal to or less than the thickness of the wafer ring W1, and other dimensions are slightly larger than those of the workpiece W. The workpiece W is placed in the recess 222a of the stage 222. A circular opening 222b is formed in the center of the bottom surface of the recess 222a to prevent the center of the lower surface of the workpiece W from coming into contact with the bottom surface.

[0035] The film gripping section 24 is located above the center of the shuttle unit 22. The film gripping section 24 includes a U-shaped support section 241 standing in the center of the base 221 of the shuttle unit 22 in the front-to-rear direction, a base section 242 extending downward from the center of the support section 241, a first movable section 243 provided on the base section 242 so as to be able to move up and down, a second movable section 244 provided on the first movable section 243 so as to be able to move in the front-to-rear direction, and a third movable section 245 located above the second movable section 244 and provided on the base section 242 so as to be able to move up and down. The first movable section 243, the second movable section 244, and the third movable section 245 are configured to be movable by a drive mechanism (not shown) such as an air actuator.

[0036] The second movable part 244 has a first claw 244a at its tip, which forms an acute angle in cross section. The third movable part 245 has a second claw 245a at its tip, which also forms an acute angle in cross section and is formed so as to be able to grip the protective film F between the first claw 244a and the third movable part 245. As shown in FIG. 4, a detection hole 244b connected to a negative pressure source via a predetermined pipe (not shown) is formed on the surface of the first claw 244a facing the second claw 245a. A change in the pressure value at the detection hole 244b is detected by a pressure sensor 246 (not shown in FIG. 4) built into a pipe connection part 244c attached to the top of the second movable part 244. Note that the pressure sensor 246 is shown as a functional block in FIG. 1.

[0037] The combination of first claw portion 244 a, second claw portion 245 a, detection hole 244 b, and pressure sensor 246 corresponds to the "film gripping device" of the present invention. Furthermore, first movable portion 243 corresponds to the moving device because it vertically changes the relative position with respect to the object to be processed by vertically moving the film gripping device formed by the combination of first claw portion 244 a, second claw portion 245 a, detection hole 244 b, and pressure sensor 246.

[0038] (Second Transport Robot) The second transport robot 23 is located behind the shuttle unit 22. The second transport robot 23 has an arm similar to the second arm 212 of the first transport robot 21. A detailed description of the configuration and operation of the arm will be omitted.

[0039] <Scribe Processing Section> The scribe processing section 30 is located to the right and left of the first transport robot 21. The scribe processing section 30 is a section that performs a process (scribing process) to form a scribe line on the substrate W3 of the workpiece W. The scribe line is formed by rotating a disk-shaped cutter called a scribing wheel while pressing it against the substrate W3 along the intended cutting position. A known mechanism can be used as the scribing processing section 30.

[0040] <Film Application Processor> The film application processor 40 is located to the right of the second transport robot 23. The film application processor 40 is a section that performs a process (film application process) of applying a protective film F to the substrate W3 of the workpiece W on which a scribe line has been formed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state in which the protective film F has been applied to the surface of the substrate W3 of the workpiece W. The protective film F has a circular shape with a diameter several millimeters larger than the inner circumference of the wafer ring W1. The protective film F is applied to the workpiece W so that it covers the entire surface of the substrate W3 and its peripheral edge covers at least the vicinity of the inner edge of the upper surface of the wafer ring W1. The protective film F is made of, for example, a polyester resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene, or a polyvinyl resin such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The workpiece W with the protective film F applied thereto corresponds to the "processed object" in this invention. A known mechanism can be used as the film application processor 40.

[0041] <Reversal Processing Unit> The reversal processing unit 50 is located behind the second transport robot 23. The reversal processing unit 50 is a unit that performs a process (reversal process) of reversing the posture of the workpiece W upside down before and after the breaking process described below. A known mechanism can be adopted as the reversal processing unit 50.

[0042] <Breaking Processing Section> The breaking processing section 60 is located to the left of the second transport robot 23. The breaking processing section 60 is a section that performs a process (breaking process) on a workpiece W having a substrate W3 with a scribe line formed thereon and a protective film F attached thereto, in which the substrate W3 is divided at the scribe line formation position. The substrate W3 is divided by bringing a pressing tool called a breaking bar into contact with the substrate W3 along the scribe line on the back side of the substrate W3 and then further pressing the pressing tool down. A known mechanism can be used as the breaking processing section 60.

[0043] In addition to the above configuration, the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 further includes a control unit 70 that controls the operation of each unit. In FIG. 1, the control unit 70 is shown as a functional block. The control unit 70 is realized by a general-purpose or dedicated computer. Note that the control unit 70 does not need to be provided integrally with the above-mentioned components such as the cassette placement unit 10, the transport unit 20, the scribing unit 30, the film attachment unit 40, the reversing unit 50, and the breaking unit 60. The control unit 70 corresponds to the "grip control device" in this invention.

[0044] Moreover, substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment further includes a film disposal unit 80 and an ionizer 90. Figure 5 is a side view of the portion of substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 where shuttle unit 22 and film gripping unit 24 are arranged, as viewed from the left.

[0045] 3 and 5, the film disposal section 80 is provided below the center of the shuttle unit 22 (below the film gripping section 24 (at a position below the shuttle unit 22)). The film disposal section 80 consists of a rectangular box-shaped container with an open top and an internal space. A light-emitting element and a light-receiving element of an optical sensor 801 are provided at two opposing positions on the upper part of the inner surface of the film disposal section 80. Note that in FIG. 1, the optical sensor 801 is shown as a functional block. When the protective film F passes between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of the optical sensor 801, light is temporarily blocked and the amount of light received decreases. By detecting this decrease in the amount of light received, it can be confirmed that the protective film F peeled off from the substrate W3 has been stored in the film disposal section 80.

[0046] The ionizer 90 is located in front of the film gripping portion 24. As shown in FIG. 5 , the ionizer 90 is erected on the base 221 of the shuttle unit 22 so as not to interfere with the stage 222. Note that the ionizer 90 is not shown in FIG. 3 . A well-known mechanism can be used for the ionizer 90. Static electricity is removed from the film gripping portion 24 by the ionizer 90 spraying ions onto the film gripping portion 24. This prevents an accident in which the protective film F gripped by the first claw portion 244 a and the second claw portion 245 a of the film gripping portion 24 becomes stuck to the first claw portion 244 a and the second claw portion 245 a due to static electricity, even after the gripping state is released.

[0047] Next, a series of processes performed under the control of the control unit 70 in the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 having the above configuration will be described. Figures 6A and 6B are flowcharts showing the flow of such processes. Note that, at the start of the processes, the stage 222 of the shuttle unit 22 is assumed to be located at the transfer position POS1.

[0048] The first transport robot 21 removes the workpiece W from the cassette C and transports the workpiece W to the scribing processing section 30 (step S101). Specifically, the first arm 211 of the first transport robot 21 removes the workpiece W from the cassette C, and the second arm 212 receives the removed workpiece W from the first arm 211 and transports the workpiece W to the scribing processing section 30. Once the workpiece W has been transported to the scribing processing section 30, the workpiece W is then subjected to scribing processing (step S102).

[0049] After the scribing process, the second arm 212 of the first transfer robot 21 takes out the workpiece W from the scribing process section 30 and transfers the workpiece W to the stage 222 located at the transfer position POS1 of the shuttle unit 22 (step S103). Next, the stage 222 moves from the transfer position POS1 to the transfer position POS2 and transfers the workpiece W to the rear side of the shuttle unit 22 (step S104).

[0050] When the workpiece W is transported to the rear side of the shuttle unit 22, the second transport robot 23 receives the workpiece W from the stage 222 and transports the workpiece W to the film attachment processing unit 40 (step S105). Subsequently, the protective film F is attached to the workpiece W (step S106).

[0051] After the film application process, the second transport robot 23 takes out the workpiece W with the protective film F applied thereto from the film application processing section 40 and transports the workpiece W to the reversal processing section 50 (step S107). Subsequently, the workpiece W with the protective film F applied thereto is turned upside down (step S108).

[0052] After the reversal process, the second transport robot 23 takes out the workpiece W with the protective film F attached thereto from the reversal processing section 50 and transports the workpiece W to the breaking processing section 60 (step S109). Subsequently, the workpiece W with the protective film F attached thereto is subjected to the breaking process (step S110).

[0053] After the breaking process, the second transport robot 23 takes out the workpiece W to which the protective film F has been attached after the breaking process, and transports the workpiece W to the inversion processing unit 50 (step S111). Subsequently, the workpiece W to which the protective film F has been attached after the breaking process is inverted upside down (step S112).

[0054] After the inversion process, the second transport robot 23 removes the workpiece W with the protective film F attached after the breaking process from the inversion processing section 50 and transports the workpiece W to the stage 222 located at the transport position POS2 of the shuttle unit 22 (step S113).

[0055] When the workpiece W with the protective film F attached after the breaking process is transported to the stage 222, the film gripping portion 24 grips the protective film F attached to the workpiece W, and the stage 222 moves forward (to the transport position POS1), thereby peeling off the protective film F from the workpiece W (step S114).

[0056] Thereafter, the first transport robot 21 receives the workpiece W from which the protective film F has been peeled off, from the stage 222 located at the transport position POS1, and stores the workpiece W in the cassette C (step S115). Specifically, the second arm 212 of the first transport robot 21 receives the workpiece W from the stage 222, and transfers the received workpiece W to the first arm 211, and the first arm 211 stores the workpiece W in the cassette C.

[0057] Next, the procedure for peeling the protective film F in step S114, which is performed under the control of the control unit 70, will be described in more detail. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating this procedure. FIG. 8 is a side view of the main components, showing the state of each component involved in peeling the protective film F at several intermediate stages of this procedure. It is assumed that the depth of the recess 222a of the stage 222 is the same as the thickness of the wafer ring W1. At the start of the peeling process, the stage 222 of the shuttle unit 22 is slightly moved from the transport position POS2 in FIG. 1 so that its front end is positioned below the first claw 244a of the film gripping unit 24. It is also assumed that the second movable unit 244 and the third movable unit 245 of the film gripping unit 24 are positioned above and away from the shuttle unit 22 (FIG. 8A). Hereinafter, the workpiece W to which the protective film F is attached after the breaking process will be referred to as the processed object Wa.

[0058] First, the first movable part 243 descends to bring the first claw 244a of the second movable part 244 into contact with the upper surface of the front end of the stage 222 of the shuttle unit 22 (step S201) ( FIG. 8B ). After the first claw 244a comes into contact with the upper surface of the end of the stage 222, the second movable part 244 then moves rearward to insert the first claw 244a between the wafer ring W1 and the peripheral edge of the protective film F attached thereto (step S202) ( FIG. 8C ). This causes the protective film F to block the detection hole 244b, which is connected to a negative pressure source formed in the first claw 244a, and the pressure value at the detection hole 244b changes. The pressure sensor 246 then detects the change in pressure at the detection hole 244b (step S203). This detects that the detection hole 244b is blocked by the protective film F, i.e., that the first claw portion 244a is inserted between the wafer ring W1 and the protective film F and the protective film F is placed on the first claw portion 244a. The change in the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor 246 is transmitted to the control unit 70 as a digital signal.

[0059] When the pressure sensor 246 detects a change in the pressure value at the detection hole 244b (when the control unit 70 receives a digital signal indicating the change in the pressure value), the third movable part 245 descends to bring the second claw part 245a close to the first claw part 244a, and the first claw part 244a and the second claw part 245a grasp the peripheral edge of the protective film F (step S204) (Figure 8 (D)). Next, with the peripheral edge of the protective film F gripped by the first claw portion 244a and the second claw portion 245a, the first movable portion 243 rises to move the first claw portion 244a and the second claw portion 245a away from the object to be treated Wa, while the stage 222 moves forward (to the transport position POS1) (step S205) (FIG. 8(E)). Because the peripheral edge of the protective film F remains gripped by the film gripping portion 24, when the stage 222 moves, the protective film F moves relative to the object to be treated Wa on the stage 222, causing the protective film F to be peeled off from the object to be treated Wa (FIGS. 8(F) and 8(G)). The direction in which the stage 222 moves is such that the portion of the peripheral edge of the protective film F facing the gripped portion approaches the gripped portion.

[0060] In this way, in the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the film gripping section 24 and the shuttle unit 22 cooperate under the control of the control section 70 to peel off the protective film F from the object to be processed Wa. In other words, the film gripping section 24, the shuttle unit 22, and the control section 70 correspond to the "film peeling device" in the present invention.

[0061] The protective film F peeled off from the object to be treated Wa hangs downward with its peripheral edge gripped by the first claws 244 a and the second claws 245 a of the film gripping unit 24 ( FIG. 8(G) ). From this state, when only the third movable unit 245 rises, the second claws 245 a separate from the first claws 244 a, and the gripped state of the protective film F is released, the protective film F falls vertically downward ( FIG. 8(H) ) and is discarded into the film disposal unit 80, which is provided in the falling direction. At this time, when the protective film F passes between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of the optical sensor 801 provided on the upper inner circumferential surface of the film disposal unit 80, light is temporarily blocked and the amount of received light decreases. By detecting this decrease in the amount of received light, it is possible to confirm that the protective film F peeled off from the object to be treated Wa has been discarded into the film disposal unit 80.

[0062] According to the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the pressure sensor 246 detects a change in the pressure value at the detection hole 244b, thereby detecting that the protective film F is placed on the first claw portion 244a, and then the second claw portion 245a descends to grasp the protective film F, thereby securely grasping the protective film F and peeling it off the workpiece Wa.

[0063] (Variant Examples) The above describes specific examples of forms for implementing the present invention, but the substrate manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to those shown in the above embodiments, and appropriate modifications are permitted within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

[0064] For example, in the above embodiment, the second movable part 244 having the first claw part 244a is provided on the base part 242 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, but the second movable part 244 may be configured to be fixedly provided on the base part 242. In this case, the stage 222 of the shuttle unit 22 is moved to insert the first claw part 244a between the wafer ring W1 and the protective film F.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the first claw portion 244a (the second movable portion 244 having the first claw portion 244a) does not move in the vertical direction, and the second claw portion 245a (the third movable portion 245 having the first claw portion 244a) moves in the vertical direction, but the first claw portion 244a may move in the vertical direction instead of or together with the second claw portion 245a. In either case, by changing the relative position of the second claw portion 245a with respect to the first claw portion 244a in the vertical direction, the protective film F can be gripped or released.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the film holding device is moved up and down using the first movable part 243, thereby changing the relative positions of the object to be processed and the film holding device in the up and down direction without moving the object to be processed in the up and down direction. However, the object to be processed may be moved up and down instead of or together with the film holding device.

[0067] In the above embodiment, a substantially circular holder (wafer ring W1) is used, but the shape of the holder can be changed as appropriate depending on the shape of the substrate, as long as it is annular. For example, if the substrate is quadrangular (rectangular, square), a quadrangular ring (frame) holder can be used.

[0068] In the process of peeling off the protective film F, in the above-mentioned step S201, the first claw portion 244a is abutted against the upper surface of the front end of the stage 222 of the shuttle unit 22, but the first claw portion 244a may also be abutted against the surface of the upper surface of the front end of the wafer ring W1 of the workpiece Wa that is not covered by the protective film F.

[0069] Furthermore, if the pressure sensor 246 does not detect a change in the pressure value at the detection hole 244b after a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 70 may perform a predetermined error notification operation.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the stage 222 on which the workpiece W is placed is moved while the film gripping unit 24 grips the protective film F attached to the workpiece W. However, the film gripping unit 24 may be moved instead of moving the stage 222 and the workpiece W placed thereon, or together with the movement of the stage 222 and the workpiece W. In other words, as long as the relative positions of the film gripping unit 24 and the workpiece W can be moved in a substantially horizontal plane, either the film gripping unit 24 or the workpiece W (stage 222) may be moved.

[0071] The arrangement of various processing sections, such as the film peeling device, cassette placement section 10, transport section 20, and film application section, is not limited to the example of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 . In a modified example shown in FIG. 12 , a first transport robot 21 is disposed in the center of a rectangular storage container H. Around the first transport robot 21 within the storage container H, a film peeling device / reversal processing section 50X, two scribing processing sections 30, a film application processing section 40, a breaking processing section 60, and a cassette placement section 10 consisting of two cassette tables 11 are disposed. The film peeling device / reversal processing section 50X has a two-tier structure, with the film peeling device housed in the upper tier and the reversal processing section housed in the lower tier. By arranging the film peeling device in the same film peeling device / reversal processing section 50X as the reversal processing section, the installation space of the substrate manufacturing apparatus can be reduced. Furthermore, in this modified example, the first transport robot 21 is used to move the workpieces W to the cassette placement section 10 and each processing section, and a second transport robot 23 is not provided. This makes it possible to further reduce the installation space for the substrate manufacturing apparatus and also to reduce the cost of the apparatus.

[0072] While the first transport robot 21 shown in FIG. 2 was used in the above embodiment, a first transport robot 21A shown in FIG. 13 may be used instead. This first transport robot 21A has a single shaft 214A that is vertically movable and rotatable and is provided on the upper surface of a base 213A. Both a first arm 211A and a second arm 212A are supported by this shaft 214A. The first arm 211A and the second arm 212A may be the same as the first arm 211 and the second arm 212 in the first transport robot 21 of the above embodiment.

[0073] In the first transport robot 21A of this modification, both the first arm 211A and the second arm 212A are supported on a single (common) shaft, so only one mechanism for raising and lowering and rotating the shaft 214A is required. Therefore, the first transport robot 21A of the modification has the advantage of lowering the equipment cost compared to the first transport robot 21 of FIG. 2 , which has two shafts (the first shaft 214 and the second shaft 215) for raising and lowering. Meanwhile, while the first transport robot 21A of the modification lifts and lowers and rotates the first arm 211A and the second arm 212A simultaneously on the common shaft 214A, the first transport robot 21 of FIG. 2 has the advantage of lifting and lowering and rotating the first arm 211A and the second arm 212 independently.

[0074] Aspects It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0075] (Item 1) A substrate manufacturing apparatus according to item 1 includes a film peeling device that peels off a protective film from a processing object that includes a substrate placed on a substrate holding sheet stretched over a flat, annular holder, and a protective film attached to an upper surface of the substrate such that a peripheral portion of the protective film covers at least a portion of the holder, the film peeling device comprising: a) a device that grips the peripheral portion of the protective film, the film gripping device having: a-1) a first claw portion that is inserted between the holder and the protective film; a-2) a second claw portion that is located above the first claw portion and configured to be able to move up and down relative to the first claw portion so as to grip the protective film between the first claw portion and the second claw portion; a-3) a detection hole that is connected to a negative pressure generation source and is provided on a surface of the first claw portion that faces the second claw portion or a surface of the second claw portion that faces the first claw portion; and a-4) a pressure sensor that detects a change in the pressure value at the detection hole; and b) c) a gripping control device that, after the pressure sensor detects negative pressure in the detection hole, lowers the second claw portion to grip the protective film between the first claw portion and the second claw portion, and then uses the moving device to move the position of the film gripping device relative to the object upward.

[0076] (2) The substrate manufacturing apparatus according to paragraph 2 is the substrate manufacturing apparatus according to paragraph 1, further comprising a container positioned below the film holding device and below the moving device, the container having an open top surface for receiving the protective film peeled off from the workpiece, and an optical sensor provided on the inner surface of the container for detecting the passage of the protective film.

[0077] (Item 3) The substrate manufacturing apparatus according to item 3 can be the substrate manufacturing apparatus according to item 1 or 2, further comprising an ionizer that sprays ions onto the film holding device to remove static electricity.

[0078] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100... Substrate manufacturing apparatus 10... Cassette placement section 11... Cassette table 20... Transport section 21, 21A... First transport robot 211, 211A... First arm 2111... First substrate gripper 2112... Gripper support member 2113... Second substrate gripper 211a... First hand 212, 212A... Second arm 212a... Second hand 212b... Support 213, 213A... Base 214... First axis 214A... Axis 215... Second axis 22... Shuttle unit 221... Base 221a, 222b... Opening 222... Stage 222a... Recess 223... Guide rail 23... Second transport robot 24... Film gripper 241... Support section 242... Base 243...First movable part 244...Second movable part 244a...First claw part 244b...Detection hole 244c...Pipe connection part 245...Third movable part 245a...Second claw part 246...Pressure sensor 30...Scribe processing part 40...Film attachment processing part 50...Reversal processing part 50X...Film peeling device / reversal processing part accommodation part 60...Break processing part 70...Control part 80...Film disposal part 801...Optical sensor 90...Ionizer W...Workpiece Wa...Object to be treated F...Protective film C...Cassette H...Storage container

Claims

1. A substrate manufacturing apparatus comprising: a substrate placed on a substrate holding sheet stretched on a flat annular holder; and a film to be processed comprising a protective film attached to the upper surface of the substrate so that the peripheral portion covers at least a part of the holder, the apparatus further comprising a film peeling device for peeling the protective film from the film to be processed, the film peeling device comprising: a) a film gripping device for gripping the peripheral portion of the protective film, the film gripping device comprising: a-1) a first claw portion inserted between the holder and the protective film; a-2) a second claw portion located above the first claw portion and configured to be movable up and down relative to the first claw portion so as to grip the protective film between the first claw portion and the second claw portion; a-3) a detection hole provided on a surface of the first claw portion facing the second claw portion or on a surface of the second claw portion facing the first claw portion, the detection hole being connected to a negative pressure generation source; a-4) a pressure sensor for detecting a change in the value of the pressure in the detection hole; b) a moving device for changing the relative position of the film to be processed and the film gripping device up and down; c) a gripping control device configured to grip the protective film between the first claw portion and the second claw portion by lowering the second claw portion after a negative pressure is detected in the detection hole by the pressure sensor, and then move the relative position of the film gripping device with respect to the film to be processed upward by the moving device.

2. The substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a container having an upper surface of an opening for accommodating the protective film peeled from the film to be processed, the container being located below the film gripping device and below the moving device, and a light sensor for detecting that the protective film has passed is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the container.

3. The substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an ionizer for blowing ions onto the film gripping device to remove static electricity.

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