JP7577516B2 - Pick-up method, pick-up device, and test device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pickup method, pickup device, and test device for picking up chips from a tape.

Before dividing the wafer into individual chips, the wafer is attached to tape to facilitate handling. The individual chips are then picked up from the tape (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

To make it easier to pick up chips, a tape that loses its adhesive strength when exposed to ultraviolet light, such as UV-irradiated tape, is widely used.

JP 2018-152376 A

When UV-irradiated tape is irradiated with ultraviolet light, the UV-curable adhesive hardens and reduces its adhesive strength. However, UV-irradiated tape does not completely eliminate the adhesive strength of the adhesive, making it difficult to pick up thin chips and in some cases damaging the chips during pick-up, so improvements were desperately needed. In particular, the risk of damage is very high for thin chips with a thickness of 100 μm or less.

The object of the present invention is to provide a pickup method, pickup device, and test device that can reduce the risk of chip damage during pickup.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the pick-up method of the present invention is a pick-up method for picking up a chip affixed to a tape from the tape , and is characterized by comprising an adhesive strength reducing step of spraying cooling gas onto the chip to be picked up to reduce the adhesive strength of the tape in the attachment area where the chip to be picked up is affixed , and a pick-up step of, after carrying out the adhesive strength reducing step, pushing up the chip to be picked up through the tape in the attachment area with a push-up member and holding the chip with a chip holder to pick up the chip from the tape.

In the above pickup method, the cooling gas may include carbon dioxide.

In the above pickup method, in the adhesive strength reducing step, the cooling gas may be sprayed onto the chip and foreign matter may be removed from the chip.

The pickup device of the present invention is a pickup device that picks up a chip from a chip unit in which a chip is affixed to a tape and the outer periphery of the tape is attached to a frame, and is characterized in comprising a frame fixing unit that fixes the frame of the chip unit, a push-up member that pushes up the chip through the tape of the chip unit fixed by the frame fixing unit, a chip holder that faces the push-up member across the chip unit and holds the chip to be pushed up by the push-up member , and a cooling nozzle that sprays cooling gas onto the chip to be picked up before the chip is pushed up by the push-up member.

The test device of the present invention is characterized by comprising the pickup device, a measurement unit that measures the flexural strength of a chip held by the chip holder of the pickup device and picked up from the chip unit, and a moving unit that moves the chip holder between a pickup position where the chip is picked up from the chip unit and a measurement position where the flexural strength is measured by the measurement unit.

The present invention has the effect of reducing the risk of chip damage during pickup.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a part of a configuration example of a test apparatus including a pickup device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the testing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a chip unit including a wafer to be measured by the test apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of a push-up unit and the like of the testing device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the pickup method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a step of reducing adhesive force in the pick-up method illustrated in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the chip to be picked up is sandwiched between the chip holder and the push-up unit in the pick-up step of the pick-up method shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view that typically shows a state in which a push-up member pushes up a chip to be picked up in the pick-up step of the pick-up method shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a step of reducing the adhesive force of a pickup device of a testing device according to a modified example of the first embodiment.

The following describes in detail the form (embodiment) for carrying out the present invention with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiment. The components described below include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described below can be combined as appropriate. Various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configuration can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[Embodiment 1]
A pickup device and a test device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a part of a configuration example of a test device including a pickup device according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the test device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a chip unit including a wafer to be measured by the test device shown in Fig. 1.

The test device 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 according to the first embodiment is a device that picks up a test piece, a chip 14, from the tape 15 of the chip unit 17 shown in Figure 3, destroys the chip 14, and measures the flexural strength of the chip 14.

(Chip unit)
3, the chip unit 17 is configured by attaching a plurality of chips 14 separated from the wafer 10 to a tape 15, and attaching the outer periphery of the tape 15 to an annular frame 16. The wafer 10 is a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer, an optical device wafer, or the like, with a substrate 11 made of silicon, sapphire, gallium, or the like.

The wafer 10 has devices 13 formed in areas partitioned by a plurality of planned division lines 12 formed in a grid pattern on the surface 11-1 of the substrate 11. In the first embodiment, the wafer 10 has a tape 15 with a frame 16 attached to its outer periphery attached to the back surface 11-2 behind the surface 11-1, and is supported by the frame 16 to form a chip unit 17.

The wafer 10 is cut along the planned division lines 12 to separate it into individual chips 14. That is, the wafer 10 has cut grooves 18 formed between the chips 14, which penetrate the wafer 10 itself. Each chip 14 includes a part of the substrate 11 and a device 13.

The tape 15 comprises a base layer made of a flexible, non-adhesive resin, and an adhesive layer laminated on the base layer, made of a flexible, adhesive resin, and attached to the wafer 10 and the frame 16. The adhesive strength of the adhesive layer decreases as the temperature decreases.

In the first embodiment, the wafer 10 has the devices 13 formed on the surface 11-1 of the substrate 11. However, in the present invention, when the test device 1 is used to evaluate the validity of the processing conditions of the so-called post-process in which the wafer 10 is divided into individual chips 14, the devices 13 do not have to be formed on the surface 11-1.

(Test Equipment)
As shown in FIG. 1, the testing apparatus 1 comprises a cassette mounting table 3 provided on an apparatus main body 2 and on which a cassette 4 containing a plurality of chip units 17 is mounted, an input/output unit 5 for loading/unloading the chip units 17 into/from the cassette 4, a pair of temporary placement rails 6 on which the chip units 17 removed from the cassette 4 or the chip units 17 before being loaded into the cassette 4 are temporarily placed, a pickup apparatus 20 relating to embodiment 1, a holder moving unit 80 (shown in FIG. 2) which is a moving unit, a chip observation mechanism 100, a strength measuring unit 200 which is a measuring unit, and a control unit 400.

The cassette 4 is a storage container that stores multiple chip units 17 at intervals in the Z-axis direction parallel to the vertical direction, and is provided with an opening 8 for inserting and removing the chip units 17. The cassette mounting table 3 has the cassette 4 placed on its upper surface and raises and lowers the cassette 4 in the Z-axis direction.

The pair of temporary placement rails 6 are provided on both ends of the width of the opening 8 of the cassette 4 placed on the cassette placement table 3 on the device main body 2, and extend linearly in the Y-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction. The pair of temporary placement rails 6 are arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other along the X-axis direction which is perpendicular to the Y-axis direction and parallel to the horizontal direction. The frame 16 of the chip unit 17 is temporarily placed on the pair of temporary placement rails 6.

The loading/unloading unit 5 is provided so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction by a moving mechanism (not shown). The loading/unloading unit 5 unloads the chip unit 17 from the cassette 4 and temporarily places it on the temporary placement rail 6, and then unloads the chip unit 17 to the upper surface of the lowered frame support member 22 of the frame fixing unit 7 of the pickup device 20 and places it on the upper surface of the frame support member 22. The loading/unloading unit 5 also unloads the chip unit 17 on the upper surface of the lowered frame support member 22 of the frame fixing unit 7 into the cassette 4 via the temporary placement rail 6.

(Pickup device)
The pickup device 20 is a device that picks up the chip 14 from the tape 15 of the above-mentioned chip unit 17. As shown in Fig. 2, the pickup device 20 includes a frame fixing unit 7, a moving mechanism 30 that moves the frame fixing unit 7 in the Y-axis direction and the X-axis direction, a push-up unit 40 that is a push-up member, an imaging camera 50, a pickup mechanism 60, and a cooling unit 70.

(Frame fixing unit)
The frame fixing unit 7 holds and fixes the frame 16 arranged around the wafer 10 on the tape 15 of the chip unit 17, i.e., the frame 16 arranged around the chip 14 to be picked up. The frame fixing unit 7 is installed on a moving table 21. The frame fixing unit 7 includes an annular frame support member 22, an annular frame pressing member 23 arranged above and fixed to the frame support member 22, and a lifting mechanism (not shown) for lifting and lowering the frame support member 22.

Before being raised, the upper surface of the frame support member 22 is positioned on the same plane as the upper surface of the temporary placement rail 6, and the frame 16 of the chip unit 17 is placed on it. When the frame 16 of the chip unit 17 is placed on the upper surface of the frame support member 22, the lifting mechanism of the frame fixing unit 7 raises the frame support member 22 and sandwiches the frame 16 between the frame holding member 23 and the frame support member 22. The frame fixing unit 7 sandwiches the frame 16 between the frame holding member 23 and the frame support member 22, holds and fixes the frame 16 arranged around the wafer 10 of the tape 15, and fixes the chip unit 17.

(Moving mechanism)
The moving mechanism 30 includes an X-axis moving mechanism 31 that is provided on the device main body 2 and moves the moving table 21 in the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis moving mechanism 32 that is provided on the moving table 21 that is moved in the X-axis direction by the X-axis moving mechanism 31 and moves the frame fixing unit 7 in the Y-axis direction. The X-axis moving mechanism 31 moves the moving table 21, i.e., the frame fixing unit 7, in the X-axis direction between a position aligned with the pair of temporary placement rails 6 in the Y-axis direction and a position separated from the pair of temporary placement rails 6. Each of the moving mechanisms 31, 32 includes well-known ball screws 33, 34 that are provided rotatably about their axes, well-known motors 35, 36 that rotate the ball screws 33, 34 about their axes, and well-known guide rails 37, 38 that support the moving table 21 or the frame fixing unit 7 movably in the X-axis or Y-axis directions.

(Thrust-up unit)
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of the push-up unit and the like of the testing apparatus shown in Fig. 1. The push-up unit 40 is disposed below the frame fixing unit 7 which is positioned at a position away from the pair of temporary placement rails 6 by the X-axis moving mechanism 31. The push-up unit 40 is provided in the recess 9 of the apparatus main body 2, and pushes up any one of the chips 14 via the tape 15 of the chip unit 17 which is fixed by the frame fixing unit 7 which is positioned at a position away from the pair of temporary placement rails 6 by the X-axis moving mechanism 31.

The push-up unit 40 is connected as a whole to a lifting mechanism (not shown) composed of a motor or the like, and moves up and down along the Z-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the push-up unit 40 has a tape holding part 41 formed in a hollow cylindrical shape and a quadrangular prism-shaped push-up part 42 arranged inside the tape holding part 41. The upper surface 48 of the tape holding part 41 is formed flat parallel to the horizontal direction, and is a tape holding surface that suction-holds the tape 15 around the chip 14 to be picked up. The upper surface 48 of the tape holding part 41 has a plurality of suction grooves 44 formed concentrically along the circumferential direction of the tape holding part 41. Each of the suction grooves 44 is connected to a suction source 47 composed of an ejector or the like via a suction passage 45 and an opening/closing valve 46 formed inside the push-up unit 40.

The push-up section 42 is formed in a rectangular shape with a planar shape of the upper surface that is smaller than the planar shape of the chip 14. The push-up section 42 includes a first push-up member 42-1 formed in a rectangular tube shape, and a second push-up member 42-2 formed in a rectangular column shape and housed within the first push-up member 42-1. The first push-up member 42-1 and the second push-up member 42-2 are each connected to a lifting unit 49 composed of a motor or the like, and move up and down along the Z-axis direction.

The first push-up member 42-1 is raised by the lifting unit 49, and pushes up the outer peripheral area of the chip 14 to be picked up through the tape 15. The second push-up member 42-2 is raised by the lifting unit 49, and pushes up the center of the chip 14 through the tape 15.

In the push-up unit 40, with the chip unit 17 including the frame 16 held by the frame fixing unit 7 positioned above, the suction grooves 44 on the upper surface 48 of the tape holding part 41 are sucked by the suction source 47, and the tape 15 around the chip 14 to be picked up is held by suction on the upper surface 48 of the tape holding part 41. The push-up unit 40 sucks and holds the tape 15 around the chip 14 to be picked up on the upper surface 48 of the tape holding part 41, and the push-up members 42-1, 42-2 of the push-up part 42 are raised, pushing the chip 14 above the tape 15 and peeling off the outer edge of the chip 14 from the tape 15. The dimensions of the push-up unit 40 are adjusted appropriately according to the size of the chip 14.

In the first embodiment, when the push-up unit 40 pushes up the chip 14, the lifting unit 49 starts to raise the first push-up member 42-1 and the second push-up member 42-2 simultaneously at the same speed, and the second push-up member 42-2 is raised above the first push-up member 42-1, at which point the rise of each member stops. That is, when the push-up unit 40 pushes up the chip 14, the first push-up member 42-1 and the second push-up member 42-2 start to rise simultaneously at the same speed, and the first push-up member 42-1 and the second push-up member 42-2 stop rising in turn.

(Imaging camera)
The imaging camera 50 is disposed above the frame fixing unit 7 which is positioned by the X-axis moving mechanism 31 at a position away from the pair of temporary placement rails 6. The imaging camera 50 images the chip 14 pushed up by the push-up members 42-1, 42-2 of the push-up unit 40 of the wafer 10 of the chip unit 17 which includes the frame 16 held by the frame fixing unit 7 which is positioned by the X-axis moving mechanism 31 at a position away from the pair of temporary placement rails 6, and the surroundings of the chip 14, to form a captured image.

The imaging camera 50 has an imaging element (i.e., a pixel) that images the chip 14 pushed up by the push-up members 42-1, 42-2 of the push-up unit 40 of the wafer 10 of the chip unit 17 including the frame 16 held by the frame fixing unit 7, and the surroundings of the chip 14. The imaging element is, for example, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) imaging element or a CMOS (Complementary MOS) imaging element. The imaging camera 50 captures the chip 14 pushed up by the push-up members 42-1, 42-2 of the push-up unit 40 of the wafer 10 of the chip unit 17 including the frame 16 held by the frame fixing unit 7, and the surroundings of the chip 14, and obtains an image for aligning the chip 14 to be picked up pushed up by the push-up unit 40 of the wafer 10 with the push-up unit 40, and outputs the obtained image to the control unit 400.

(Pickup mechanism)
The pick-up mechanism 60 picks up the chips 14 pushed up by the push-up unit 40 from the wafer 10 which is divided into a plurality of chips 14 and supported by the tape 15. The pick-up mechanism 60 includes a moving base 61 which is moved in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction by the holder moving unit 80, an arm 62 which extends in the X-axis direction from the moving base 61 in a direction away from the holder moving unit 80, a chip holder 63 which is provided at the tip of the arm 62 and holds the chips 14, and an extension unit 64 which extends and contracts the entire length of the arm 62.

As shown in FIG. 4, the chip holder 63 has a lower surface 65 that faces the push-up members 42-1, 42-2 of the push-up unit 40 across the chip unit 17 fixed by the frame fixing unit 7 that is positioned away from the pair of temporary placement rails 6 by the X-axis movement mechanism 31. The planar shape of the lower surface 65 is formed into a rectangle of the same size as the chip 14. The lower surface 65 has a suction groove 69 that is connected to a suction source 68 such as an ejector via a suction path 66 and an opening/closing valve 67. The lower surface 65 is a holding surface that suction-holds the chip 14 pushed up by the push-up members 42-1, 42-2 of the push-up unit 40.

With the chip holder 63 in contact with the chip 14 pushed up by the push-up members 42-1, 42-2 on its underside 65, the suction grooves 69 are sucked by the suction source 68 to hold the chip 14 by suction on the underside 65. The chip holder 63 suction-holds the chip 14 pushed up by the push-up members 42-1, 42-2 of the push-up unit 40 on its underside 65, and is raised by the holder movement unit 80 to pick up the chip 14 held by suction on the underside 65 from the tape 15.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the test device 1 may be provided with a load cell as a measuring means for measuring the load applied to the chip 14 when it is picked up from the tape 15 on the upper surface side of the push-up unit 40. The load cell outputs the measurement result to the control unit 400. Note that in the present invention, the load cell as a measuring means may be provided on the lower surface 65 side of the chip holder 63 of the pick-up mechanism 60.

(Cooling unit)
The cooling unit 70 cools at least the attachment area 15-1 (shown in FIG. 6) of the tape 15 to which the chip 14 to be picked up is attached, before the chip 14 is pushed up by the push-up unit 40. In the first embodiment, the cooling unit 70 includes a cooling nozzle 71, a liquefied carbon dioxide gas supply source 72 that supplies liquefied carbon dioxide gas to the cooling nozzle 71, and a jet gas supply source 73 that supplies compressed air to the cooling nozzle 71.

The cooling nozzle 71 is disposed above the frame fixing unit 7, which is positioned by the X-axis moving mechanism 31 at a position away from the pair of temporary placement rails 6, and in the first embodiment, is disposed next to the imaging camera 50. In the first embodiment, the cooling nozzle 71 is fixed together with the imaging camera 50, but in the present invention, the cooling nozzle 71 may be provided so as to be movable in the X-axis and Y-axis directions together with the imaging camera 50 by a moving mechanism constituted by a well-known motor or the like.

The cooling nozzle 71 has an injection port facing in the Z-axis direction the chip 14 to be picked up of the chip unit 17 fixed to the frame fixing unit 7 positioned away from the pair of temporary placement rails 6 by the X-axis moving mechanism 31. Before the pushing-up unit 40 pushes up the chip 14, the cooling nozzle 71 mixes the liquefied carbon dioxide gas supplied from the liquefied carbon dioxide gas supply source 72 with the compressed air supplied from the injection gas supply source 73, and the liquefied carbon dioxide gas is cooled by adiabatic expansion to form fine dry ice particles, and the cooling gas 74 (shown in FIG. 6) which is a mixed fluid of fine dry ice particles and compressed air is injected from the injection port onto the chip 14 to be picked up. For this reason, the cooling gas 74 contains carbon dioxide. The cooling nozzle 71 injects the cooling gas 74 onto the tape 15 in the attachment area 15-1 to which the chip 14 to be picked up is attached, through the chip 14 to be picked up.

The cooling nozzle 71 cools the tape 15 in the attachment area 15-1 to which the chip 14 to be picked up is attached, via the chip 14 to be picked up, thereby reducing the adhesive strength of the attachment area 15-1 of the tape 15. In the first embodiment, the temperature of the cooling gas 74 sprayed by the cooling nozzle 71 onto the chip 14 to be picked up is preferably -90°C or higher and -40°C or lower in order to almost completely eliminate the adhesive strength of the glue layer of the attachment area 15-1 of the tape 15. If the temperature is lower than -90°C, the cost of cooling the cooling gas 74 will increase, and if the temperature exceeds -40°C, the adhesive strength of the attachment area 15-1 of the tape 15 cannot be reduced to a level that allows the chip 14 to be picked up without being damaged.

In addition, in the present invention, the temperature of the cooling gas 74 sprayed by the cooling nozzle 71 onto the chip 14 to be picked up is more preferably -85°C or higher and -75°C or lower in order to eliminate the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer of the adhesive area 15-1 of the tape 15. The reason why it is more preferably -85°C or higher and -75°C or lower is that it is possible to reduce the adhesive strength of the adhesive area 15-1 of the tape 15 to a degree that allows the chip 14 to be picked up without damaging it, while suppressing the rise in the cost of cooling the cooling gas 74.

The cooling nozzle 71 also sprays cooling gas 74, a mixed fluid of fine dry ice particles and compressed air, from the spray outlet onto the chip 14 to be picked up, causing the dry ice particles to enter between the chip 14 and any foreign matter that has not adhered to the chip 14. As a result, when the dry ice particles vaporize and expand, they peel off the foreign matter from the chip 14. In this way, the cooling nozzle 71 can remove the foreign matter adhering to the chip 14.

The cooling unit 70 is preferably provided with an ionizer (electrostatic prevention means) that ionizes the compressed air in the supply path that supplies the compressed air from the injection gas supply source 73 to the cooling nozzle 71. In this case, the cooling unit 70 can suppress static electricity that occurs due to the collision of the dry ice particles.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the cooling unit 70 sprays the cooling gas 74 described above. However, in the present invention, the cooling gas 74 may be a gas containing oxygen and nitrogen in a volumetric mixture ratio of 78:20, or a mixed gas of HFO-1234Ze (refrigerant alternative to fluorocarbon: boiling point -19°C) and dimethyl ether (propellant: boiling point -24°C).

(Holder moving unit)
The holder moving unit 80 moves the chip holder 63 along the Z-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The holder moving unit 80 moves the chip holder 63 between a pick-up position where the chip 14 is picked up from the tape 15 and a measurement position where the chip 14 is placed on a pair of supports of the support unit 210 of the strength measurement unit 200 and the flexural strength of the chip 14 is measured by the strength measurement unit 200. The holder moving unit 80 moves the chip holder 63 between the pick-up position and the measurement position, thereby transporting the chip 14 picked up by the chip holder 63 to the support unit 210 of the strength measurement unit 200.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holder moving unit 80 includes a second Y-axis moving mechanism 81 that is provided on the device body 2 and moves the moving table 83 in the Y-axis direction, and a Z-axis moving mechanism 82 that is provided on the moving table 83 that is moved in the Y-axis direction by the second Y-axis moving mechanism 81 and moves the moving base 61, i.e., the pickup mechanism 60, in the Z-axis direction.

The second Y-axis moving mechanism 81 moves the moving table 83, i.e., the pickup mechanism 60, along the Y-axis direction from a pickup position where the upper surface 48 of the tape holding part 41 of the push-up unit 40 and the lower surface 65 of the tip holder 63 face each other in the Z-axis direction toward the strength measuring unit 200. Each moving mechanism 81, 82 includes well-known ball screws 84, 85 that are rotatable about their axes, well-known motors 86, 87 that rotate the ball screws 84, 85 about their axes, and well-known guide rails 88, 89 that support the moving table 83 or pickup mechanism 60 so that it can move in the Y-axis or Z-axis direction.

(Chip observation mechanism)
The chip observation mechanism 100 captures and observes the front surface 11-1, rear surface 11-2, and side surface of the chip 14. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the chip observation mechanism 100 includes a lower imaging unit 102 arranged adjacent to the push-up unit 40 on the device body 2 in the Y-axis direction, a lateral imaging unit 112, and a chip inversion mechanism 150 that inverts the chip 14 upside down.

The lower imaging unit 102 includes a lower imaging camera 103 that captures an image of the chip 14 held by the chip holder 63 of the pickup mechanism 60 from below. The lower imaging camera 103 is disposed at a position that overlaps with the movement path of the chip holder 63. In the lower imaging unit 102, the lower imaging camera 103 captures an image of the chip 14 from below, and outputs the captured image to the control unit 400.

The lateral imaging unit 112 images the chip 14 from the side, i.e., the side of the chip 14. The lateral imaging unit 112 is disposed next to the lower imaging unit 102 in the Y-axis direction, and in the first embodiment, is disposed farther from the push-up unit 40 than the lower imaging unit 102.

The lateral imaging unit 112 includes a columnar chip support stand 114 that supports the chip 14, and a side imaging camera 113 that images the side of the chip 14.

The chip support table 114 extends upward from the device body 2 and is positioned in line with the lower imaging camera 103 in the Y-axis direction (i.e., overlaps with the movement path of the chip holder 63). The chip support table 114 has a flat upper surface that is parallel to the horizontal direction, and supports the chip 14 transported by the chip holder 63 of the pickup mechanism 60 on its upper surface. The chip support table 114 is also connected to a rotational drive source (not shown), and is rotated by the rotational drive source around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction.

The side-image capturing camera 113 is positioned at a position where it can capture an image of the side of the chip 14 placed on the upper surface of the chip support stand 114. The side-image capturing camera 113 is equipped with an image capturing element that captures an image of the side of the chip 14. The image capturing element is, for example, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) image capturing element or a CMOS (Complementary MOS) image capturing element. The side-image capturing camera 113 captures an image of the side of the chip 14 placed on the upper surface of the chip support stand 114, and outputs the captured image to the control unit 400.

The test device 1 has a chip support table 114 at a position that overlaps with the movement path of the chip holder 63, so that the chip 14 can be placed on the upper surface of the chip support table 114 by the chip holder 63.

The lateral imaging unit 112 images one side of the chip 14 supported by the chip support base 114 using the side imaging camera 113. After that, the chip support base 114 is rotated by a predetermined angle, and the other side of the chip 14 is imaged by the side imaging camera 113. In this way, the lateral imaging unit 112 images all the sides of the chip 14 (for example, the four sides of the chip 14) using the side imaging camera 113, obtains an image including the thickness of the chip 14 and the size of any chipping formed in the chip 14, and outputs the obtained image to the control unit 400. In addition, the lateral imaging unit 112 can adjust the horizontal orientation (angle) of the chip 14 when the chip 14 is placed in the strength measurement unit 200 by controlling the rotation angle of the chip support base 114.

By using the above-mentioned lower imaging unit 102 and lateral imaging unit 112, the chip observation mechanism 100 images the front surface 11-1, rear surface 11-2 and side surface of the chip 14 picked up by the chip holder 63. In the present invention, the side imaging camera 113 that images the side surface of the chip 14 may be provided in a position where it can image the side surface of the chip 14 while it is held by the chip holder 63. In this case, the side surface of the chip 14 can be observed without supporting the chip 14 on the chip support base 114, so that the rear surface 11-2, etc. of the chip 14 can be prevented from being damaged by placing the chip 14 on the chip support base 114.

The chip inversion mechanism 150 is disposed above the chip support base 114 of the lateral imaging unit 112. The chip inversion mechanism 150 is configured to be able to rotate the base portion 151 180° around an axis parallel to the X-axis direction while holding the chip 14 at its tip.

When the chip inversion mechanism 150 inverts the chip 14 upside down, it rotates the base 151 180° from the position shown by the solid line in Figures 1 and 2 relative to the upper surface of the chip support table 114 supporting the chip 14 to the position shown by the dotted line in Figures 1 and 2. The chip inversion mechanism 150 suction-holds the chip 14 at its tip and rotates the base 151 180° to invert the chip 14 upside down.

The chip 14 inverted by the chip inversion mechanism 150 is sucked and held by the chip holder 63 of the pickup mechanism 60, and after the suction and holding of the tip of the chip inversion mechanism 150 stops, the chip holder 63 is moved to the holder moving unit 80 and transported to the lower imaging unit 102 or the strength measurement unit 200. In this way, the chip inversion mechanism 150 inverts the chip 14 upside down.

(Strength Measuring Unit)
The strength measuring unit 200 is a measuring unit that measures the flexural strength of the chip 14 picked up by the pickup mechanism 60. The strength measuring unit 200 is disposed next to the chip observation mechanism 100 in the Y-axis direction, and in the first embodiment, is disposed on the side farther from the push-up unit 40 than the chip observation mechanism 100. In the first embodiment, the strength measuring unit 200 is disposed at a position overlapping with the movement path of the chip holder 63.

The strength measurement unit 200 includes a support unit 210 and a pressing unit 220. The support unit 210 supports the chip 14 that has been picked up by the chip holder 63 of the pickup mechanism 60 and whose front surface 11-1, back surface 11-2 and side surfaces have been imaged by the chip observation mechanism 100. The support unit 210 is disposed at a position overlapping with the movement path of the chip holder 63. For this reason, the holder movement unit 80 moves the chip holder 63 from a position facing the push-up unit 40 in the Z-axis direction to a position facing the support unit 210 in the Z-axis direction.

The support unit 210 is provided with a pair of support parts that are arranged at a predetermined interval and support the rear surface 11-2 of the chip 14. The pair of support parts are arranged at a predetermined interval from each other in the X-axis direction.

The pressing unit 220 presses the chip 14 supported by the support unit 210 with an indenter 221, measures the load acting on the pressing unit 220 when pressing the chip 14, and presses and destroys the chip 14 supported by the support unit 210. The pressing unit 220 is provided above the support unit 210.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pressing unit 220 includes an indenter 221, an indenter moving unit 222, and a load measuring device 223.

The indenter 221 is disposed above the support unit 210 and between a pair of support parts that support the back surface 11-2 of the chip 14. The indenter movement unit 222 moves the indenter 221 along the Z-axis direction relatively closer to the chip 14 supported by the pair of support parts. The indenter movement unit 222 supports the indenter 221 at its lower end, positions the indenter 221 facing the space between the pair of support parts of the support unit 210 along the Z-axis direction, and moves the indenter 221 up and down along the Z-axis direction.

The load measuring device 223 measures the load with which the indenter 221 presses against the chip 14 supported by the support parts. In the first embodiment, the load measuring device 223 is moved up and down along the Z-axis direction together with the indenter 221 by the indenter moving unit 222. The load measuring device 223 is composed of a well-known load cell or the like, measures the load with which the indenter 221 presses against the chip 14 supported by a pair of supports, and outputs the measurement result to the control unit 400.

When the strength measuring unit 200 measures the flexural strength of the chip 14, the chip 14 is placed on a pair of supports by a chip holder 63 or the like. At this time, both ends of the chip 14 are supported by the pair of supports, and the center part overlaps between the pair of supports.

The strength measurement unit 200 lowers the indenter 221 using the indenter movement unit 222, presses the chip 14 with the indenter 221, measures the load (force in the Z-axis direction) applied to the indenter 221 pressing the chip 14 with a load measuring device 223, and destroys the chip 14 with the indenter 221 while outputting the measurement results to the control unit 400 as appropriate. The strength measurement unit 200 performs a three-point bending test using a pair of support parts of the chip 14 and the indenter 221, measures the bending strength (flexural strength) of the chip 14 through this three-point bending test, and outputs the measurement results to the control unit 400.

The test device 1 is also provided with a tray installation section 90 on which a storage tray 91 that stores a plurality of non-defective chips 14 is installed. In the first embodiment, the tray installation section 90 is provided at a position that overlaps with the movement path of the chip holder 63 on the device body 2, and is disposed on the chip support base 114 side of the strength measurement unit 200.

(Control Unit)
The control unit 400 controls each of the above-mentioned constituent units of the test device 1, and causes the test device 1 to perform a measurement operation for each chip 14, such as measuring the flexural strength of the chip 14. That is, the control unit 400 controls each of the above-mentioned constituent units of the test device 1 and the pickup device 20, namely the frame fixing unit 7, the push-up unit 40, the image pickup camera 50, the pickup mechanism 60, i.e., the chip holder 63, the cooling unit 70, and the holder moving unit 80, and causes the pickup device 20 to perform a pickup operation for picking up the chip 14 from the chip unit 17.

The control unit 400 is a computer having an arithmetic processing device with a microprocessor such as a CPU (central processing unit), a storage device with memory such as a ROM (read only memory) or a RAM (random access memory), and an input/output interface device. The arithmetic processing device of the control unit 400 performs arithmetic processing according to a computer program stored in the storage device, and outputs control signals for controlling the test device 1 to each of the above-mentioned units of the test device 1 via the input/output interface device.

The control unit 400 is connected to a display unit 300 (shown in FIG. 1) which is a display means having a display screen 301 that displays the status of the measurement operation, images, etc., and a touch panel 302 (shown in FIG. 1) which is an input means used when an operator inputs information, etc., to the control unit 400 of the test device 1. The display unit 300 is composed of a liquid crystal display device or the like. The touch panel 302 is overlaid on the display screen 301 of the display unit 300.

In addition, the control unit 400 stores the positions of the good chips 14 and the bad chips 14 in each chip unit 17 of the multiple chip units 17 housed in the cassette 4.

(Pick-up method)
Next, this specification will explain a pick-up method according to the first embodiment with reference to the drawings. Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing the flow of the pick-up method according to the first embodiment. The pick-up method is a method for picking up the chip 14 attached to the tape 15 of the chip unit 17 from the tape 15, and in the first embodiment, it is also a method for the test device 1 to perform a measurement operation on the chip 14 picked up from the chip unit 17, i.e., a method for measuring the flexural strength of the chip 14. That is, in the first embodiment, the pick-up method is a measurement operation of the test device 1.

The pickup method according to the first embodiment is carried out by the test device 1 when an operator places a cassette 4 containing multiple chip units 17 on the cassette mounting table 3, operates the touch panel 302 to input measurement content information to the control unit 400, and the control unit 400 receives an instruction from the operator to start measurement. The measurement content information includes the positions of the good chips 14 and the bad chips 14 in each chip unit 17.

In the first embodiment, the test device 1 sequentially picks up the chips 14 one by one from each chip unit 17. Note that in this specification, during the execution of the pick-up method, the operator may operate a touch panel or the like to select the chip 14 to be picked up from the tape 15 each time a chip 14 is picked up. As shown in FIG. 5, the pick-up method includes a holding step 1001, an adhesive strength reducing step 1002, a pick-up step 1003, and a measuring step 1004.

(holding step)
The holding step 1001 is a step in which the frame 16 of the chip unit 17, that is, the periphery of the chip 14 to be picked up on the tape 15 is held by the frame fixing unit 7.

In the holding step 1001, the control unit 400 controls the loading/unloading unit 5 to load the chip unit 17 including the untested wafer 10 from the cassette 4 and temporarily place it on the pair of temporary placement rails 6, and controls the loading/unloading unit 5 to place the frame 16 of the chip unit 17 temporarily placed on the temporary placement rails 6 on the lowered frame support member 22 of the frame fixing unit 7. In the holding step 1001, the control unit 400 controls the frame fixing unit 7 to raise the frame support member 22, and sandwiches the periphery of the frame 16, i.e., the chip 14 to be picked up on the tape 15, between the frame pressing member 23 and the frame support member 22, and fixes the chip unit 17 with the frame fixing unit 7.

(Adhesive strength reduction step)
Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of the adhesive force reducing step of the pick-up method shown in Fig. 5. The adhesive force reducing step 1002 is a step of spraying cooling gas 74 onto the chip 14 to be picked up next, thereby reducing the adhesive force of the tape 15 in the adhesion area 15-1.

In the adhesive force reduction step 1002, the control unit 400 controls the moving mechanism 30 based on the measurement content information to move the frame fixing unit 7, and positions the chip 14 (hereinafter, indicated by the reference symbol 14-1) to be picked up next after the chip unit 17 held by the frame fixing unit 7 above the push-up unit 40 and below the imaging camera 50.

In the adhesive force reduction step 1002, the control unit 400 causes the imaging camera 50 to capture an image of the chip 14-1 and the surroundings of the chip 14-1 on the wafer 10 of the chip unit 17 fixed to the frame fixing unit 7, and obtains the captured image. In the adhesive force reduction step 1002, the control unit 400 detects the position of the outer edge of the chip 14-1 to be picked up from the captured image, and controls the movement mechanism 30 to adjust the position of the frame fixing unit 7, so that the chip 14-1 on the wafer 10 is positioned below the injection port of the cooling unit 70 in the Z-axis direction.

In the adhesive strength reduction step 1002, the control unit 400 controls the cooling unit 70 to supply carbon dioxide gas from the liquefied carbon dioxide gas supply source 72 and compressed air from the injection gas supply source 73 to the cooling nozzle 71 for a predetermined time, and sprays the cooling gas 74 from the nozzle of the cooling nozzle 71 onto the chip 14-1 to be picked up, as shown in FIG. 6. In the adhesive strength reduction step 1002, the test device 1 and the pickup device 20 spray the cooling gas 74 from the nozzle of the cooling nozzle 71 onto the chip 14-1 to be picked up, thereby cooling the adhesion area 15-1 of the tape 15 via the chip 14-1 to be picked up, and reducing the adhesive strength of the glue layer of the adhesion area 15-1.

In addition, in the adhesive strength reduction step 1002, the test device 1 and the pick-up device 20 spray cooling gas 74 from the nozzle of the cooling nozzle 71 onto the chip 14-1 to be picked up, thereby removing foreign matter from the chip 14-1 to be picked up.

(Pickup step)
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a chip to be picked up is clamped between a chip holder and a push-up unit in the pick-up step of the pick-up method shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a push-up member pushes up a chip to be picked up in the pick-up step of the pick-up method shown in Fig. 5.

In the pick-up step 1003, after the adhesive strength reducing step 1002 is performed, the chip 14-1 to be picked up is pushed up by the push-up unit 40 through the tape 15 in the adhesion area 15-1, and the chip 14-1 is held by the chip holder 63 and picked up from the tape 15. In the pick-up step 1003, the control unit 400 controls the moving mechanism 30 to adjust the position of the frame fixing unit 7, and controls the holder moving unit 80 to move the chip holder 63, thereby aligning the chip 14-1 of the wafer 10, the push-up unit 40, and the chip holder 63. In the alignment in the first embodiment, the center between the outer edges of the chip 14-1 and the push-up part 42 are made to face each other along the vertical direction, and the outer edge of the chip 14-1 and the outer edge of the lower surface 65 of the chip holder 63 are made to face each other along the vertical direction.

In the pick-up step 1003, the control unit 400 controls the push-up unit 40 to raise the entire push-up unit 40 while lowering the push-up members 42-1 and 42-2, so that the upper surface 48 of the tape holding portion 41 of the push-up unit 40 and the upper surfaces of the push-up members 42-1 and 42-2 come into contact with the tape 15. Also, in the pick-up step 1003, the chip clamping portion 401 of the control unit 400 opens the opening/closing valve 46, and as shown in FIG. 7, the chip 14-1 to be picked up is supported by the push-up portion 42 of the push-up unit 40 via the tape 15.

In the pick-up step 1003, the control unit 400 controls the holder moving unit 80 to lower the chip holder 63, bringing the lower surface 65 of the chip holder 63 into contact with the chip 14-1, and clamping the chip 14-1 to be picked up between the chip holder 63 and the push-up unit 40, as shown in FIG. 7.

8, in the pickup step 1003, the control unit 400 controls both the lifting units 49 of the push-up unit 40 to raise the push-up members 42-1, 42-2, and controls the holder moving unit 80 to raise the chip holder 63. At this time, in the pickup step 1003, the control unit 400 links the raising operation of the push-up members 42-1, 42-2 and the raising operation of the chip holder 63 so that the distance between the upper surfaces of the push-up members 42-1, 42-2 and the lower surface 65 of the chip holder 63 corresponds to the thickness of the chip 14-1 (in the first embodiment, the combined distance is the thickness of the chip 14-1 and the thickness of the tape 15).

In the pickup step 1003, the control unit 400 controls both the lifting unit 49 of the push-up unit 40 to stop the rise of the first push-up member 42-1, then raises the second push-up member 42-2 above the first push-up member 42-1, then stops the rise of the second push-up member 42-2, and sandwiches the chip 14-1 and the tape 15 between the chip holder 63 and the second push-up member 42-2. Then, the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer of the tape 15 in the attachment area 15-1 is reduced, and the tape 15 is held by suction on the upper surface 48. Therefore, in the pickup step 1003, the test device 1 and the pickup device 20 separate the tape holding portion 41 and the portion of the attachment area 15-1 of the tape 15 above the first push-up member 42-1 from the chip 14-1, as shown in FIG. 8, and peels off the tape 15 from the outer periphery of the chip 14-1.

In the pick-up step 1003, the control unit 400 opens the on-off valve 67, sucks the lower surface 65 of the chip holder 63 with the suction source 68, applies negative pressure to the lower surface 65, and holds the chip 14-1 by suction on the lower surface 65. In the pick-up step 1003, the control unit 400 controls the holder moving unit 80 to raise the chip holder 63, pick up the chip 14-1 held by suction on the lower surface 65 of the chip holder 63 from the tape 15, and transport it out from above the tape 15, while closing the on-off valve 46 to stop suction on the upper surface 48 of the tape holder 41.

(Measurement step)
The measurement step 1004 is a step in which at least one of the front surface 11-1, back surface 11-2, and side surface of the chip 14-1 supported by the chip holder 63 is imaged by the chip observation mechanism 100 to obtain an image, and if the chip 14-1 supported by the chip holder 63 is a good product, it is transported to the storage tray 91, and if it is a defective product, it is transported to a measurement position and its flexural strength is measured by the strength measurement unit 200.

In the first embodiment, in the measurement step 1004, the control unit 400 controls the holder moving unit 80 to move the chip holder 63 appropriately, and controls the chip observation mechanism 100 to capture images of the front surface 11-1, back surface 11-2, and side surface defined by the measurement content information, acquires these images, and stores them in the storage device. In the first embodiment, in the measurement step 1004, the control unit 400 refers to the measurement content information stored in advance to determine whether the chip 14-1 supported by the chip holder 63 is a good product or a defective product, and if the picked-up chip 14-1 is a good product, controls the holder moving unit 80 to move the chip holder 63 to the storage tray 91, and stores the chip 14-1 in the storage tray 91.

In addition, in the measurement step 1004, the control unit 400 refers to the measurement content information stored in advance to determine whether the chip 14-1 supported by the chip holder 63 is a good or bad product. If the picked-up chip 14-1 is a bad product, the control unit 400 controls the holder moving unit 80 to move the chip holder 63 to the measurement position, and places the back surface 11-2 of the chip 14-1 on a pair of supports of the support unit 210 of the strength measurement unit 200.

In embodiment 1, in measurement step 1004, the control unit 400 controls the strength measurement unit 200 to lower the indenter 221 using the indenter movement unit 222, bring the tip of the indenter 221 into contact with the surface 11-1 side of the chip 14-1, and press the chip 14-1 with the indenter 221. In addition, the load (force in the Z-axis direction) applied to the indenter 221 by the pressing of the chip 14-1 is measured by the load measuring device 223, and the measurement result is output to the control unit 400 as appropriate.

In measurement step 1004, the control unit 400 controls the strength measurement unit 200 to further lower the indenter 221 and destroy the chip 14-1. When the chip 14-1 is destroyed, the load measured by the load measuring device 223 goes from a maximum value to zero. Therefore, the strength measurement unit 200 can detect the timing at which the chip 14-1 is destroyed from the change in the value of the load measured by the load measuring device 223. In addition, the maximum value of the load measured by the load measuring device 223 corresponds to the flexural strength of the chip 14-1.

When the control unit 400 of the test device 1 has picked up all the chips 14-1 specified in the measurement content information from the chip units 17 in the cassette 4, it ends the measurement method, i.e., the pick-up method according to embodiment 1.

As described above, the pick-up method according to embodiment 1 reduces the adhesive strength of the adhesion area 15-1 of the tape 15 by cooling it in the adhesive strength reduction step 1002. As a result, the pick-up method according to embodiment 1 reduces the adhesive strength of the adhesion area 15-1 of the tape 15 before the pick-up step 1003, and thus has the effect of reducing the risk of damage to the chip 14-1 during pick-up. The pick-up method according to embodiment 1 can reduce the risk of damage during pick-up, particularly for a thin chip 14-1 with a thickness of 100 μm or less.

In addition, in the pick-up method according to embodiment 1, in the adhesive strength reducing step 1002, a cooling gas 74 made of a mixture of tri-ice particles and compressed air is sprayed onto the chip 14-1, so that foreign matter can be removed from the chip 14-1 before picking it up.

The pickup device according to the first embodiment includes a cooling nozzle 71 that sprays cooling gas 74 to cool the adhesion area 15-1 of the tape 15 and reduce the adhesive strength. As a result, the pickup device 20 according to the first embodiment can reduce the adhesive strength of the adhesion area 15-1 of the tape 15 before picking up the chip 14-1, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the chip 14-1 during pick-up.

In addition, the test device 1 according to the first embodiment is equipped with the above-mentioned pickup device 20, which has the effect of reducing the risk of damage to the chip 14-1 during pickup.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. In other words, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. In the embodiment, the test device 1 measures the flexural strength of the chip 14-1, but in the present invention, the strength of various test pieces may be measured, not limited to the chip 14-1. Also, in the first embodiment, the pickup device 20 constitutes a part of the test device 1, but in the present invention, the pickup device 20 is not limited to this, and may be a standalone device without constituting another device such as the test device 1.

In addition, in the present invention, the cooling nozzle 71 of the cooling unit 70 may be disposed below the frame fixing unit 7 that is positioned away from the pair of temporary placement rails 6 by the X-axis movement mechanism 31, as shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view that shows a schematic diagram of the adhesive force reduction step of the pickup device of the testing device according to a modified example of the first embodiment. Note that in FIG. 9, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the modified example shown in FIG. 9, the cooling nozzle 71 is disposed next to the push-up unit 40 in the recess 9, and in the adhesive strength reducing step 1002, before the push-up unit 40 pushes up the chip 14-1, the cooling nozzle 71 sprays cooling gas 74 onto the tape 15 in the attachment area 15-1 to which the chip 14-1 to be picked up is attached, as shown in FIG. 9, to cool the attachment area 15-1 of the tape 15.

In addition, in the present invention, the cooling nozzle 71 of the test device 1 and the pickup device 20 sprays the cooling gas 74 onto the chip 14-1 to be picked up or onto the tape 15 of the attachment area 15-1 to which the chip 14-1 to be picked up is attached in the adhesive strength reduction step 1002, but in the present invention, the cooling nozzle 71 may spray the cooling gas 74 onto the tape 15 around the chip 14-1 or the attachment area 15-1, in addition to the chip 14-1 to be picked up or the attachment area 15-1. In short, in the present invention, the test device 1 and the pickup device 20 only need to spray the cooling gas 74 onto at least the chip 14-1 to be picked up or onto the tape 15 of the attachment area 15-1 to which the chip 14-1 to be picked up is attached in the adhesive strength reduction step 1002.

1 Testing device 7 Frame fixing unit 10 Wafer 14 Chip 14-1 Chip (chip to be picked up)
15 Tape 15-1 Adhesive area 16 Frame 17 Chip unit 20 Pick-up device 40 Push-up unit (pushing-up member)
63 Chip holder 71 Cooling nozzle 74 Cooling gas 80 Holder moving unit (moving unit)
200 Intensity measuring unit (measuring unit)
400 Control unit 1002 Adhesion reduction step 1003 Pick-up step

Claims (5)

A method for picking up a chip attached to a tape from the tape, comprising the steps of:
an adhesive strength reducing step of injecting cooling gas onto the chip to be picked up to reduce the adhesive strength of the tape in the attachment area where the chip to be picked up is attached ;
After carrying out the adhesive strength reducing step, the pick-up method includes a pick-up step of pushing up the chip to be picked up through the tape in the adhesion area with a push-up member and holding the chip with a chip holder to pick up the chip from the tape. The pickup method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling gas includes carbon dioxide. The pickup method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the adhesive strength reducing step, the cooling gas is sprayed onto the chip and foreign matter is removed from the chip. A pickup device for picking up a chip from a chip unit having a tape attached thereto and an outer periphery of the tape attached to a frame, comprising:
a frame fixing unit for fixing the frame of the chip unit;
a push-up member for pushing up a chip through the tape of the chip unit fixed by the frame fixing unit;
a chip holder that faces the push-up member across the chip unit and holds the chip to be pushed up by the push-up member;
and a cooling nozzle for spraying cooling gas onto the chip to be picked up before the chip is pushed up by the push-up member. A pickup device according to claim 4;
a measuring unit for measuring the flexural strength of a chip picked up from the chip unit by being held by a chip holder of the pick-up device;
a moving unit that moves the chip holder between a pick-up position where the chip is picked up from the chip unit and a measurement position where the flexural strength is measured by the measurement unit;
A test device comprising:

Images