JP7110541B2 - Work dividing device and work dividing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a work dividing device and a work dividing method, and more particularly to a work dividing device and a work dividing method for dividing a work such as a semiconductor wafer into individual chips along a dividing line.

Conventionally, in the manufacture of semiconductor chips (hereinafter referred to as chips), semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as wafers) in which dividing lines are formed in advance by half-cutting with a dicing blade or forming modified regions by laser irradiation. ) into individual chips along the planned dividing line (see Patent Document 1, etc.). The work dividing apparatus of Patent Document 1 divides the wafer into individual chips by expanding a dicing tape to which the wafer is adhered by means of an expand ring.

In the field of work dividing devices, it is also required to prevent deterioration in chip quality due to contact between chips after dividing by maintaining the expanded state of the dicing tape expanded by the expanding ring.

In order to satisfy this requirement, the work dividing device of Patent Document 1 has a sub-ring. This sub-ring has a function of holding the dicing tape expanded by the expanding ring in an expanded state, and has a larger diameter than the inner diameter of the frame. The sub-ring is inserted between the outer peripheral portion of the dicing tape and the front surface of the frame immediately after being lifted from the back side of the dicing tape toward the dicing tape and passing through the frame. As a result, the expanded state of the dicing tape can be maintained even after the expansion of the dicing tape by the expanding ring is completed. By maintaining the expanded state of the dicing tape in this way, it is possible to prevent the slackness of the dicing tape, thereby preventing deterioration in the quality of the chips due to contact between the chips.

JP 2013-51368 A

However, with the conventional work dividing device, it was difficult to expand the dicing tape without plastically deforming it. In particular, since a larger tension is applied to the dicing tape as the chip size becomes smaller, the entire dicing tape to which a wafer having a small chip size is attached tends to undergo plastic deformation during expansion.

In Patent Document 1, the slack caused by plastic deformation of the dicing tape after expansion is removed by a sub-ring, but there is a problem that it is difficult to sufficiently remove the slack generated in the entire dicing tape with the sub-ring. rice field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a workpiece dividing apparatus and a workpiece dividing method that can effectively remove slack caused by plastic deformation of a dicing tape after expansion. do.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, a work dividing device according to the present invention is a work dividing device for dividing a work attached to a dicing tape and mounted on a frame into individual chips along a dividing line, wherein the dicing tape An expanding ring that applies tension to expand the dicing tape, a heating section that heats the entire dicing tape expanded by the expanding ring to heat-shrink the entire dicing tape, and a heating section that heat-shrinks the dicing tape. an expansion holding ring that expands the dicing tape and holds the expanded state of the dicing tape.

In one aspect of the present invention, the heating unit preferably has a heating member that emits radiant heat, and a heat reflecting member that reflects the radiant heat emitted from the heating member toward the dicing tape.

In one aspect of the present invention, the heating member is preferably a halogen lamp.

To achieve the object of the present invention, a work dividing method of the present invention is a work dividing method for dividing a work attached to a dicing tape and mounted on a frame into individual chips along a dividing line, wherein the dicing tape An expansion step of applying tension to expand the dicing tape, a heating step of applying heat to the entire dicing tape expanded in the expansion step to thermally shrink the entire dicing tape, and a heating step of heating an expanded state holding step of expanding the shrunk dicing tape and holding the expanded state of the dicing tape.

In one aspect of the present invention, the heating step preferably applies radiant heat to the entire dicing tape.

According to the present invention, slack due to plastic deformation of the dicing tape after expansion can be effectively removed.

Sectional drawing which showed the structure of the workpiece dividing apparatus of embodiment Enlarged perspective view of the main part showing the structure of the extension part Longitudinal cross-sectional view of essential parts of the wafer unit showing the shape of the annular region during expansion Longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the expanded state of the dicing tape by the expansion retaining ring FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing the configuration of a heating section of the work dividing device shown in FIG. 1; Block diagram showing the control system of the workpiece dividing device Flowchart showing an example of a wafer division method Operation explanatory diagram of the work dividing device Operation explanatory diagram of the work dividing device Operation explanatory diagram of the work dividing device Explanatory drawing of a wafer unit with wafers attached Longitudinal cross section of wafer unit Operation diagram of work dividing device Longitudinal cross-sectional view of a wafer unit with divided wafers

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of a work dividing device and a work dividing method according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and replacements can be added to the following embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Before describing the workpiece dividing device 10 (see FIG. 1) according to the embodiment, a wafer to be divided by the workpiece dividing device 10 according to the embodiment will be described.

11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams of the wafer unit 2 to which the disk-shaped wafer 1 is attached. FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the wafer unit 2, and FIG. 11B is a longitudinal sectional view of the wafer unit 2. .

The wafer 1 is attached to the central portion of a dicing tape 3 having an adhesive layer formed on one side thereof, and the outer peripheral portion of the dicing tape 3 is fixed to a rigid metal ring-shaped frame 4 .

The thickness of the wafer 1 is, for example, about 50 μm, and the thickness of the dicing tape 3 is, for example, about 100 μm. As the dicing tape 3, for example, a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) tape is used. The wafer 1 may be attached to the dicing tape 3 via a film adhesive such as DAF (Die Attach Film). As the film-like adhesive, for example, a PO (polyolefin)-based one can be used.

In the work dividing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, the upper surface 4A of the frame 4 of the wafer unit 2 is detachably fixed to the lower surface 7A of the fixing portion 7. As shown in FIG. After that, the expand ring 16 is moved upward from below the wafer unit 2, and the dicing tape 3 is pressed by the expand ring 16 and expanded radially. The tension of the dicing tape 3 generated at this time is applied to the splitting lines 5 (see FIG. 11) of the wafer 1 to split the wafer 1 into individual chips 6 .

In the specification of the present application, as shown in FIG. 11(B), of the dicing tape 3, a circular region in plan view to which the wafer 1 is attached is referred to as a central region 3A, and the outer edge of the central region 3A ( A donut-shaped region in plan view provided between the outer edge of the wafer 1 and the inner edge of the frame 4 is called an annular region 3B, and the donut-shaped region in plan view of the outermost peripheral portion fixed to the frame 4 is fixed. It is called a partial area 3C. The annular portion region 3B is a region that is pressed and expanded by the expand ring 16 .

In the workpiece splitting device 10, the force required to split the wafer 1, that is, the tension that must be generated in the annular region 3B to split the wafer 1 into individual chips 6, is increased by the number of splitting lines 5. It is known that the higher the Regarding the number of planned division lines 5, for example, as in the case of the wafer 1 in FIG. are formed, and about 600 dividing lines 5 are formed when the chip size is 1 mm. Therefore, the tension that must be generated in the annular region 3B must be higher when the chip size is 1 mm than when the chip size is 5 mm.

In addition, the inner diameter D2 (diameter of the inner edge of the frame) of the frame 4 on which the wafer 1 having a diameter D1 of 300 mm is mounted is defined as 350 mm by the SEMI standard (G74-0699 specification for tape frames for 300 mm wafers). there is According to this standard, between the outer edge of the wafer 1 and the inner edge of the frame 4 there is an annulus region 3B having a width dimension a of 25 mm. 11(B), the fixing portion 7 for fixing the frame 4 is annular in the in-plane direction of the dicing tape 3 indicated by the arrow A so as not to come into contact with the annular portion region 3B expanded by the expand ring 16. It is installed at a position spaced outward from the partial region 3B.

Here, the forces for dividing the wafer 1 generated by the upward movement of the expand ring 16 are (i) a force for expanding the entire annular region 3B, (ii) a force for dividing the wafer 1 into chips 6, and (iii). The force that expands the dicing tape 3 between adjacent chips 6 is divided into three forces.

As shown in FIGS. 13A to 13E, which are operation diagrams of the work dividing device, the expand ring 16 comes into contact with the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3, and the dicing tape 3 begins to expand as the expand ring 16 rises. (FIG. 13(A)), the expansion of the annular region 3B having the lowest spring constant begins (FIG. 13(B)). As a result, tension is generated in the annular portion region 3B, and when this tension increases to some extent, the increased tension is transmitted to the wafer 1 and the wafer 1 begins to be divided into chips 6 (FIG. 13(C)). When the wafer 1 is divided into individual chips 6, expansion of the annular region 3B and expansion of the dicing tape 3 between the chips 6 proceed simultaneously (FIGS. 13(D) to 13(E)).

Here, for example, when the wafer 1 has a diameter D1 of 300 mm and the chip size is 5 mm or more, it is possible to divide the wafer 1 into individual chips 6 without any problem by the tension generated in the annular region 3B. However, in recent years, with the miniaturization of circuit patterns formed on the wafer 1, chips having a smaller chip size of 1 mm or less have appeared. In this case, due to the increase in the number of dividing lines 5 for dividing the wafer 1, the force required to divide the wafer 1 increases, and a force greater than the tension due to the expansion of the annular region 3B is required. Then, as shown in the longitudinal sectional view of the wafer unit 2 in FIG. 14, even after the expansion operation by the expand ring 16 is completed, part of the dividing line 5 formed on the wafer 1 remains undivided without being divided. A problem arises.

Therefore, in the embodiment described below, as an example of the wafer 1 to be divided, the wafer 1 having a diameter D1 of 300 mm shown in FIG. A wafer 1 having 300 parallel division lines 5 and a chip size of 1 mm is exemplified. Then, a workpiece dividing apparatus and a workpiece dividing method that can effectively remove slack caused by plastic deformation of the dicing tape 3 after expansion while solving the above-described problem of undivided wafers 1 will be described. do.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a work dividing device 10 according to an embodiment. The work dividing device 10 includes an extension section 12 and a heating section 14 . FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing the structure of the extension part 12. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the expansion portion 12 includes a fixing portion 7 for fixing the frame 4, an expand ring 16 for pressing the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3 upward from below to expand the dicing tape 3, and a dicing tape. an expansion regulating ring 17 that abuts against the annular portion region 3B of the tape 3 from above; an expansion holding ring (also referred to as a sub-ring) 18 that holds the expanded state of the dicing tape 3 expanded by the expand ring 16; Prepare. The fixing part 7, the expanding ring 16, the expansion restricting ring 17 and the expansion retaining ring 18 are arranged in the working chamber 20 of the expanding part 12 (see FIG. 1).

The fixing portion 7 is arranged on the same side of the dicing tape 3 as the surface on which the wafer 1 is adhered, and the upper surface 4A of the frame 4 is detachably fixed to the lower surface 7A thereof. The fixed portion 7 is shaped like a ring having an opening 7B with a diameter D3 (see FIG. 2) of 361 mm, for example, which is larger than the inner diameter D2 (350 mm: see FIG. 12) of the frame 4 .

The expand ring 16 is arranged on the back surface side of the dicing tape 3 opposite to the bonding surface of the wafer 1, is smaller than the inner diameter D2 of the frame 4 (350 mm: see FIG. 12), and is smaller than the outer diameter D1 of the wafer 1 (300 mm: 12) has a larger expansion opening 16A. The expand ring 16 is arranged movably in a direction relatively approaching the dicing tape 3 . Specifically, the expand ring 16 has an expansion position (position indicated by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1 ) in which the back surface of the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3 is pressed upward to expand the annular portion region 3B, and an annular It is arranged so as to be vertically movable between a retracted position (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1) retracted downward from the lower region 3B.

The work dividing device 10 is provided with an expanding ring moving mechanism 22 for vertically moving the expanding ring 16 between an expanded position and a retracted position. A feed screw device is illustrated as an example of the expanding ring moving mechanism 22, but an actuator such as an air cylinder device can be used instead. When the expand ring 16 positioned at the retracted position is moved toward the expanded position by the expand ring moving mechanism 22, the expand ring 16 is moved upward in the arrow B direction toward the annular region 3B. As a result, the back surface of the annular portion region 3B is pressed against the expand ring 16 and radially expanded.

The expansion restriction ring 17 is arranged on the same side of the dicing tape 3 as the wafer 1 attachment surface, and is smaller than the inner diameter D2 (350 mm: see FIG. 12) of the frame 4 and larger than the outer diameter of the expand ring 16. has an opening 17B. As an example, the diameter D4 (see FIG. 1) of the expansion restricting opening 17B is 338 mm.

The expansion restricting ring 17 has a restricting position (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) where the lower edge portion 17A is in contact with the surface of the annular region 3B, and a retracted position (see FIG. 1) retracted upward from the restricting position. (position indicated by a solid line in )).

The restriction position is a position where the extension restriction ring 17 restricts the expansion of the outer peripheral region 3E, and in FIG. It is set to the position where Note that the regulation position is not limited to that position, and may be any position that can regulate the expansion of the outer peripheral region 3E. Further, the outer peripheral region 3E is a region located on the outer peripheral side of the contact portion 3D (see FIG. 3) in contact with the lower edge portion 17A of the expansion restricting ring 17 in the annular portion region 3B. Further, the area of the annular portion 3B excluding the outer peripheral area 3E is the inner peripheral area 3F, and the inner peripheral area 3F is the area expanded by the expand ring 16. As shown in FIG.

Returning to FIG. 1, the workpiece dividing device 10 is provided with an expansion restricting ring moving mechanism 23 that vertically moves the expansion restricting ring 17 between the restricting position and the retracted position. An air cylinder device is exemplified as an example of the expansion restricting ring moving mechanism 23, but an actuator such as a feed screw device can be used instead.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the essential part of the wafer unit 2 showing the shape of the annular region 3B that is being expanded by the expand ring 16. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the annular region 3B is expanded by the expand ring 16, the expansion restricting ring 17 is positioned at the restricting position prior to the expanding operation by the expand ring 16. As shown in FIG. In other words, the expansion of the outer peripheral region 3E of the dicing tape 3 is restricted by the extension restriction ring 17 in advance. Therefore, according to the work dividing device 10 of the embodiment, expansion of the inner peripheral side region 3F starts immediately after the expand ring 16 comes into contact with the annular portion region 3B.

In the embodiment, the diameter D4 of the expansion restricting opening 17B is set to 338 mm as shown in FIG. , the width c of the inner peripheral region 3F expanded by the expand ring 16 is set to 19 mm.

Here, of the annular portion region 3B, the inner peripheral side region 3F expanded by the expand ring 16 becomes a region that substantially contributes to the division of the wafer 1. As shown in FIG. As the width dimension c of the inner peripheral region 3F is decreased, the spring constant of the inner peripheral region 3F increases, so that the tension applied to the wafer 1 from the inner peripheral region 3F increases. Therefore, the diameter D4 of the expansion restricting opening 17B, which determines the width dimension c of the inner peripheral side region 3F, is set according to the division conditions defined by the number of division lines 5 and the like.

On the other hand, the extended holding ring 18 is arranged on the back surface side of the dicing tape 3 opposite to the bonding surface of the wafer 1 . As shown in FIG. 4, the expansion holding ring 18 includes a body ring 24 whose outer diameter D5 is smaller than the inner diameter D2 (350 mm) of the frame 4 and whose inner diameter D6 is greater than the outer diameter of the expand ring 16; 24 and has an elastically deformable ring-shaped fitting portion 26 having an outer diameter D7 (351.3 mm) larger than the inner diameter D2 (350 mm) of the frame 4 . FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dicing tape 3 held in the expanded state by the expansion holding ring 18. As shown in FIG.

The expansion holding ring 18 is arranged at the standby position shown by the solid line in FIG. A feed screw device is exemplified as an example of the extension holding ring moving mechanism 28, but instead of this, an actuator such as an air cylinder device can be used.

When the extension retaining ring 18 is lifted by the extension retaining ring moving mechanism 28 , the fitting portion 26 contacts the lower surface of the frame 4 . After that, the fitting portion 26 is pushed by the inner peripheral surface of the frame 4 due to the continued upward movement of the extended holding ring 18 and is raised while being elastically deformed. At the position where the fitting portion 26 has passed through the inner peripheral surface of the frame 4, the extension holding ring 18 stops rising. As a result, the fitting portion 26 is fitted to the upper surface 4A of the frame 4 at the fitting position shown in FIG.

As will be described later, in the work dividing apparatus 10 of the embodiment, when the dividing step by the expanding ring 16 (S140: see FIG. 7) is finished, the heating step of the dicing tape 3 by the heating unit 14 (S150: see FIG. 7) ) is performed, and then the extended state holding step (S160: see FIG. 7) by the extended holding ring 18 is performed.

Returning to FIG. 1, the heating unit 14 will be described.

The heating unit 14 includes a heating chamber 30 that heats the dicing tape 3 plastically deformed by the expanding operation of the expand ring 16 .

The heating room 30 is arranged side by side with the working room 20 via a heat insulating wall 32 . Also, the heating chamber 30 communicates with the working chamber 20 through an opening 36 that is opened and closed by a door 34 . Therefore, the wafer unit 2 divided into individual chips 6 by the extension part 12 is transferred from the work chamber 20 to the heating chamber 30 by a transfer device (not shown) without the extension state of the dicing tape 3 being retained by the extension holding ring 18 . , through the opening 36 . The frame 4 of the wafer unit 2 carried into the heating chamber 30 is placed on the ring-shaped table 38 of the heating chamber 30 by the transfer device described above. In the work dividing apparatus 10 of the embodiment, since the heating chamber 30 is arranged side by side with the working chamber 20, the dicing tape 3 expanded in the working chamber 20 can be efficiently conveyed to the heating chamber 30 and heated. can be done.

A plurality of radiant heat radiation members 40 for heating the entire surface of the dicing tape 3 by radiant heat are arranged below the table 38 of the heating chamber 30 .

Here, the heating means for applying heat to the dicing tape 3 will be explained. The heating means includes means utilizing heat conduction (contact) or heat transfer (convection) in addition to radiant heat.

By the way, when heat conduction is adopted as the heating means, the dicing tape 3, which is the object to be heated, is slack and has an irregular shape. It is difficult to heat the whole uniformly. Further, when heat transfer is employed as the heating means, the entire dicing tape 3 can be uniformly heated. It is difficult to adopt because of the risk.

Therefore, in the work dividing device 10 of the embodiment, a radiant heat radiating member 40 that radiates radiant heat is adopted as a preferred form of the heating means. The heating method using radiant heat can solve the above-mentioned problems of heat conduction and heat transfer, and can heat only the area irradiated with infrared light, so it suppresses unnecessary temperature rise. There are advantages that can be

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the essential configuration of the heating unit 14 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the radiant heat emitting member 40 has a halogen lamp 42 . A plurality of halogen lamps 42 (five in FIG. 5) are provided as a whole, and these halogen lamps 42 are arranged on the same horizontal plane immediately below the dicing tape 3 at regular intervals, and are aligned in the axial direction. are arranged parallel to each other.

Although it is possible to heat the entire dicing tape 3 using only the halogen lamp 42, the portion of the dicing tape 3 directly above the lamp where the infrared light from the halogen lamp 42 is directly irradiated and the halogen lamp 42 The illuminance may be different in the area directly above between the lamps where there is no . In such a case, temperature unevenness occurs in the dicing tape 3, making it difficult to heat the entire dicing tape 3 uniformly.

Therefore, in the heating unit 14 of the embodiment, the reflector 44, which is an example of the heat reflecting member of the present invention, is arranged adjacent to the lower side of the halogen lamp 42 so that the halogen lamp 42 emits downward and lateral heat. Infrared light is reflected by a reflector 44 so as to irradiate the portion directly above between the lamps. Thus, according to the heating unit 14 of the embodiment, the entire surface of the dicing tape 3 can be heated more uniformly, so that the entire dicing tape 3 can be thermally shrunk more uniformly.

In addition, the reflector 44 of the embodiment includes a mountain-shaped bottom portion 44A positioned below the halogen lamp 42, and a pair of reflectors arranged on both sides of the bottom portion 44A toward the dicing tape 3 and inclined in the out-of-plane direction of the dicing tape 3. It has wall portions 44B, 44B. According to the reflector 44 having such a shape, the infrared light from the halogen lamp 42 can be efficiently reflected toward the directly above portion between the lamps. As a result, the entire surface of the dicing tape 3 can be heated more uniformly, so that the entire dicing tape 3 can be thermally shrunk more uniformly. Note that the reflector 44 is not limited to the shape described above. That is, the reflector 44 may have a shape that can efficiently reflect the infrared light from the halogen lamp 42 toward the portion directly above the lamps, for example, a reflector having an arc-shaped longitudinal section with a downward convex shape. good.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 48 of the work dividing device 10. As shown in FIG. The control unit 48 shown in FIG. 6 has each arithmetic processing circuit including a CPU (central processing unit) and a storage medium such as a memory. It controls the overall operation of the work dividing device 10 including the ring moving mechanism 28 . A halogen lamp power supply 46 and a radiation thermometer 50 are connected to the control unit 48 in addition to the expanding ring moving mechanism 22 , the expansion restricting ring moving mechanism 23 and the expanding holding ring moving mechanism 28 .

The halogen lamp power supply 46 performs power supply to the halogen lamp 42 and voltage control of the power supplied to the halogen lamp 42 under the control of the control unit 48 . The halogen lamp 42 is powered by a halogen lamp power source 46 to light up and emit infrared light. The amount of infrared light emitted from the halogen lamp 42 is controlled by the voltage applied to the halogen lamp 42 from the halogen lamp power supply 46 . That is, by changing the voltage applied from the halogen lamp power supply 46 to the halogen lamp 42, the temperature at which the dicing tape 3 is heated by the halogen lamp 42 is changed.

A radiation thermometer 50 is installed in the heating chamber 30 shown in FIG. 1 and measures the temperature of the dicing tape 3 . Although the radiation thermometer 50 is arranged in the heating chamber 30 at a position where the temperature of the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3 can be measured in the embodiment, the arrangement position is not limited to this. For example, a radiation thermometer 50 may be placed below the dicing tape 3 in the heating chamber 30 to measure the temperature of the central region 3A. The radiation thermometer 50 outputs the temperature measurement result of the dicing tape 3 to the controller 48 .

The control unit 48 functions as a voltage control unit 48a by executing a control program (not shown) stored in memory or the like. The voltage control unit 48a controls the magnitude of the voltage applied to the halogen lamp 42 by the halogen lamp power supply 46 when power is being supplied from the halogen lamp power supply 46 to the halogen lamp 42 . Specifically, based on the temperature measurement result of the dicing tape 3 input from the radiation thermometer 50, the power supply control unit 48a controls the voltage applied to the halogen lamp 42 so that the temperature of the dicing tape 3 does not exceed a predetermined upper limit temperature. controls the size of Thereby, the amount of infrared light emitted from the halogen lamp 42 is adjusted so that the temperature of the dicing tape 3 does not exceed the upper limit temperature. Note that the upper limit temperature is set based on the material of the base material of the dicing tape 3 .

Next, according to the flowchart of FIG. 7 and the operation explanatory diagrams of the work dividing device 10 shown in FIGS. A method of dividing a workpiece for a form will be described.

First, in the arrangement step (S100) of FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 8A, the expand ring 16 and the expansion restricting ring 17 are arranged at the retracted positions, and the expansion holding ring 18 is arranged at the standby position.

Next, in the fixing step (S110) in FIG. 7, the frame 4 of the wafer unit 2 is fixed to the fixing part 7 as shown in FIG. 8B.

Next, in the expansion restricting step (S120) in FIG. 7, the expansion restricting ring 17 is moved from the retracted position to the restricting position as shown in FIG. abut the surface of

Next, in the expansion start step (S130) in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 8D, the expand ring 16 is moved upward from the retracted position shown in FIG. to start expanding.

In this expansion start step (S130), the lower edge portion 17A of the expansion restricting ring 17 is previously brought into contact with the surface of the annular portion region 3B to restrict the expansion of the outer peripheral region 3E, so that the inner peripheral region 3F ( 1) is expanded by the expanding ring 16. As shown in FIG. Note that the expansion restriction step (S120) described above is a step that is performed together with the expansion step from the expansion start step (S130) to the end of the division step (S140) described later. In other words, the expansion step of the present invention refers to the steps from the expansion start step (S130) to the end of the division step (S140).

Next, in the dividing step (S140) in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 9A, the expansion ring 16 is moved upward to continue expanding the inner peripheral region 3F (see FIG. 3). is sequentially divided into 6 chips. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9(B), the upward movement of the expand ring 16 is stopped when the expand ring 16 reaches the expanded position. At this point, the extension process described above ends.

In such an expansion process, only the inner peripheral region 3F is expanded by the expand ring 16 while the expansion of the outer peripheral region 3E is restricted by the expansion restricting ring 17 . That is, the tension generated in the inner peripheral region 3</b>F is applied to the wafer 1 .

More specifically, in the expansion step, the expansion regulation ring 17 having the diameter D4 (see FIG. 1) of the expansion regulation opening 17B of 338 mm is used so that the length of the region contributing to the division of the wafer 1 is 25 mm. (The width dimension a of the annular region 3B: see FIG. 12) is reduced to 19 mm (the width dimension c of the inner circumference side region 3F: see FIG. 1). Therefore, the spring constant of the inner peripheral region 3F is increased, and tension corresponding to the increased spring constant is applied to the wafer 1 .

Therefore, according to the work dividing method of the embodiment, since the expansion regulation step (S120) using the expansion regulation ring 17 is provided, even if the chip size is a small chip (1 mm), it can be divided into individual chips 6. of tension can be applied to the wafer 1. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem of undivided lines to be divided that occurs when the chip size is a small chip (1 mm).

By the way, the dicing tape 3 after the dividing step (S140) needs to raise the expanding ring 16 by a large amount in order to divide the wafer 1 into small-sized chips 6. As a result, the dicing tape 3 undergoes plastic deformation. Unavoidably, the entire wafer 1 has excessive slack. Such excess slack is difficult to sufficiently remove even with the extended retaining ring 18 . Therefore, even if the expanded state holding step (S160) using the expansion holding ring 18 is performed immediately after the dividing step (S140), the expanded state of the dicing tape 3 cannot be held.

Therefore, in the work dividing apparatus 10 of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the heating process of S150 is provided after the dividing process of S140 and before the extended state holding process of S160.

The heating step of S150 will be specifically described below.

First, as shown in FIG. 10A, the expand ring 16 is lowered from the extended position to the retracted position, and the expansion restriction ring 17 is moved upward from the restricted position to the retracted position. Next, the fixing between the frame 4 of the wafer unit 2 and the fixing portion 7 is released. Next, the door 34 (see FIG. 1) of the working chamber 20 is opened, and the wafer unit 2 is transferred from the working chamber 20 to the heating chamber 30 through the opening 36 by a transfer device (not shown). Then, the frame 4 of the wafer unit 2 is placed on the table 38 of the heating chamber 30 by a transfer device (not shown) as shown in FIG. 10(B). After that, the door 34 is closed to seal the heating chamber 30 .

6 drives the halogen lamp power supply 46 to light all the halogen lamps 42, 42, . . . as shown in FIG. 10(C). When the halogen lamps 42, 42, . be. As a result, the entire surface of the dicing tape 3 is uniformly heated.

The reflector 44 includes a mountain-shaped bottom portion 44A disposed below the halogen lamp 42, and a pair of wall portions disposed on both sides of the bottom portion 44A toward the dicing tape 3 and inclined in the out-of-plane direction of the dicing tape 3. 44B, 44B. By applying the reflector 44 having such a configuration, the infrared light from the halogen lamps 42 can be efficiently reflected toward the portion directly above the lamps, so that the entire surface of the dicing tape 3 can be heated more uniformly. It warms up.

The dicing tape 3 is gradually thermally contracted as the temperature rises due to the infrared light emitted by the halogen lamp 42, and the slack is removed. Too much, and the extension retaining ring 18 can no longer be attached to the frame 4 .

Let A be the slack amount of the dicing tape 3 caused by expansion, and B be the slack amount of the dicing tape 3 for holding the dicing tape 3 in the expanded state by the expansion holding ring 18. If the slack amount C obtained by subtracting B is removed by heat shrinkage, the dicing tape 3 can be held in the expanded state by the expansion holding ring 18 . However, heat shrinking only the annular region 3B of the dicing tape 3 cannot remove the slack amount C, and the dicing tape 3 is held in the expanded state even if the expansion holding ring 18 is attached to the frame 4. Can not do it.

Therefore, in the heating step of S150 shown in FIG. 7, the slack amount C is removed by uniformly thermally contracting the entire dicing tape 3 . Specifically, since the dicing tape 3 of the embodiment is made of polyvinyl chloride, it tends to start heat shrinking at about 60°C. Therefore, in the heating step of S150, when the radiation thermometer 50 measures that the temperature of the dicing tape 3 has reached 60° C., the controller 48 in FIG. 6 turns off the halogen lamp 42 . As a result, the dicing tape 3 is gradually thermally shrunk by residual heat, and the slack amount C is removed when the temperature returns to room temperature. Thus, the heating step of S150 ends. Since the temperature at which the dicing tape 3 starts to heat shrink differs depending on the material of the base material (polyester film, polyolefin film, and polyimide film), the amount of infrared light emitted from the halogen lamp 42 varies depending on the material of the base material. Then, the timing of turning off the halogen lamp 42 should be controlled.

When the heating step of S150 is completed, the door 34 (see FIG. 1) of the work chamber 20 is opened, and the wafer unit 2 is transferred from the heating chamber 30 into the work chamber 20 through the opening 36 by a transfer device (not shown). . Then, the frame 4 of the wafer unit 2 is fixed to the fixing part 7 as shown in FIG. 10(D).

Next, in the extended state holding process of step S160 in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. The portion 26 is fitted to the upper surface 4A of the frame 4 at the fitting position. As a result, the expanded state of the dicing tape 3 is held by the expansion holding ring 18 . As a result, the extended state holding step of step S160 is completed.

As described above, according to the work dividing method of the embodiment, the expansion step of expanding the dicing tape 3, the heating step of applying heat to the entire dicing tape 3 to thermally shrink the entire dicing tape 3, and the dicing and an expanded state holding step of expanding the tape 3 and holding the expanded state of the dicing tape 3, so that the dicing tape 3 can be expanded while effectively removing the slack caused by plastic deformation of the dicing tape 3 after expansion. can be held by the expansion retaining ring 18 .

Further, according to the work dividing method of the embodiment, as described above, since the expansion restricting step (S120) using the expansion restricting ring 17 is provided, the division schedule that occurs when the chip size is a small chip (1 mm). It can solve the problem of undivided lines.

As described above, according to the work dividing method of the embodiment, it is possible to effectively remove slack caused by plastic deformation of the dicing tape 3 after expansion while solving the problem of undivided work.

In the above-described embodiment, an example using the expansion restricting ring 17 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In other words, even if the dicing tape 3 can be divided into individual chips 6 by a normal expansion operation without using the expansion restricting ring 17, the slack caused by plastic deformation during expansion can be removed by the heating unit and the heating process of the present invention. can be removed by

Also, in the embodiment, the halogen lamp 42 is illustrated as an example of the heating member of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a far-infrared lamp or an infrared lamp can be applied instead of the halogen lamp 42 .

Although the halogen lamp 42 has a rod shape as shown in FIG. 5, the shape is not limited to a rod shape. For example, a ring-shaped halogen lamp can also be applied. In this case, it is preferable to arrange a plurality of ring-shaped halogen lamps 42 having different diameters concentrically around the center of the dicing tape 3 . As a result, the entire dicing tape 3 can be uniformly heated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Wafer, 2... Wafer unit, 3... Dicing tape, 3A... Central area, 3B... Annular area, 3C... Fixed part area, 4... Frame, 5... Planned division line, 6... Chip, 7... Fixed part , 10 Work dividing device 12 Expanding section 14 Heating section 16 Expanding ring 17 Expansion restricting ring 18 Expanding holding ring 20 Working chamber 22 Expanding ring moving mechanism 23 Expanding Regulating ring moving mechanism 24 Body ring 26 Fitting portion 28 Extension holding ring moving mechanism 30 Heating chamber 32 Insulating wall 34 Door 36 Opening 38 Table 40 Radiant heat Radiation member 42 Halogen lamp 44 Reflector 46 Halogen lamp power supply 48 Control unit 50 Radiation thermometer

Claims (5)

A work dividing device for dividing a work attached to a dicing tape and mounted on a frame into individual chips along a line to be divided,
an expanding ring that applies tension to the dicing tape to expand the dicing tape;
a heating unit that applies heat to the entire dicing tape expanded by the expanding ring to thermally shrink the entire dicing tape;
an expansion holding ring that expands the dicing tape heat-shrunk by the heating unit and holds the expanded state of the dicing tape;
A work dividing device. The heating unit is
a heating member that emits radiant heat;
a heat reflecting member that reflects radiant heat emitted from the heating member toward the dicing tape;
2. The workpiece dividing device according to claim 1, comprising: The heating member is a halogen lamp,
3. The work dividing device according to claim 2. In a work dividing method for dividing a work attached to a dicing tape and mounted on a frame into individual chips along dividing lines,
an expanding step of applying tension to the dicing tape to expand the dicing tape;
A heating step of applying heat to the entire dicing tape expanded in the expanding step to thermally shrink the entire dicing tape;
an expanded state holding step of expanding the dicing tape thermally shrunk in the heating step to hold the expanded state of the dicing tape;
A work division method comprising: The heating step applies radiant heat to the entire dicing tape.
5. The work dividing method according to claim 4.

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