Chip Manufacturing Using Back-Surface Grooves and Expanding Sheet

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for manufacturing chips using a cutting apparatus result in a wide kerf width, reducing the number of chips obtained per workpiece, as the cutting process needs to consider the width of the cut groove and chipping, making it inefficient for both thick workpieces and small device chips.

Innovation Solution

A manufacturing method involving a cutting step where a cutting blade forms cut grooves on the back surface without reaching the front surface, followed by a sticking step with an expanding sheet, and a dividing step where the workpiece is split along the planned dividing lines using the expanding sheet, allowing for a smaller kerf width and more efficient chip production.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a cutting blade is used to cut the workpiece from the back surface to the front surface, then the workpiece can be divided into chips, but the kerf width becomes large, reducing the number of chips per workpiece

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of chips per workpieceVSAvoidkerf width

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting process is divided into two independent stages: first, the cutting blade forms cut grooves from the back surface to a predetermined depth that does not reach the front surface; second, an expanding sheet is used to divide the workpiece along these grooves. This segmentation allows the cutting blade to focus only on groove formation without contributing to the final kerf width, thereby reducing kerf width and increasing chip yield.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

An expanding sheet is introduced as an intermediary tool to perform the actual division of the workpiece. The expanding sheet is inserted into the cut grooves and expanded to separate the chips, acting as a mediator between the cutting blade and the workpiece. This intermediary approach allows the cutting blade to create precise grooves while the expanding sheet handles the separation, minimizing the kerf width.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If the width of planned dividing lines is reduced to increase chip yield, then more chips can be obtained per workpiece, but the cutting process becomes more difficult and chipping increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of chips per workpieceVSAvoidcutting process difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting process is segmented into groove formation by the cutting blade and workpiece division by the expanding sheet. This allows the use of very narrow planned dividing lines without increasing cutting difficulty, because the cutting blade only needs to create shallow grooves rather than cut through the entire workpiece thickness. The expanding sheet then handles the division along these narrow lines, avoiding chipping issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Productivity

If the cutting blade cuts through the entire thickness of the workpiece, then complete division is achieved, but the processing time increases for thick workpieces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidcutting depth requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting blade performs a preliminary action by forming cut grooves to a predetermined depth that does not reach the front surface. This preliminary groove formation prepares the workpiece for subsequent division by the expanding sheet, eliminating the need for the cutting blade to traverse the entire workpiece thickness. This significantly reduces processing time for thick workpieces while achieving complete division.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The mechanical cutting action is replaced partially by the expansion of the expanding sheet. Instead of relying solely on the mechanical cutting blade to penetrate the entire workpiece thickness, the system uses the elastic expansion of the sheet to complete the division process. This substitution reduces the mechanical cutting depth requirement and accelerates processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This method enables a smaller kerf width on the front surface, increasing the number of chips per workpiece without cutting the front surface, thus improving efficiency and chip yield.

Implementation Method 1

a dividing step of dividing the workpiece along each planned dividing line by expanding the expanding sheet to form the chips from the workpiece

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElastic expansion: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS11189530B2Manufacturing method of chips

Publication Date: 2021.11.30 DISCO CORP

AI summary

A manufacturing method of chips from a workpiece including plural planned dividing lines on a front surface includes a cutting step of causing a cutting blade to cut into the workpiece for which a side of the front surface of the workpiece is held by a holding table in such a manner that a side of a back surface of the workpiece is exposed and forming a cut groove that does not reach the front surface of the workpiece on the side of the back surface of the workpiece along each planned dividing line, a sticking step of sticking an expanding sheet to the workpiece, and a dividing step of dividing the workpiece along each planned dividing line by expanding the expanding sheet to form the chips from the workpiece after the sticking step and the cutting step.