JP7647013B2 - Work holding device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a workpiece transport device, and in particular to a workpiece transport device installed in a processing device that processes workpieces such as semiconductor wafers.

A dicing machine is a device that uses a blade that rotates at high speed to perform cutting processes such as cutting or grooving on workpieces such as semiconductor wafers with electronic components formed on their surfaces (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Such dicing machines have a cassette storage section, a work cutting section, a cleaning section, and a work transport device in the main body of the machine. The cassette storage section contains a cassette containing multiple wafers, and the wafers stored in this cassette are pulled out one by one by the work transport device and transported to the work cutting section. In this work processing section, the wafers are cut into dices by a blade, and after cutting, the wafers are transported to the cleaning section by the work transport device, and after cleaning, they are returned to the cassette by the work transport device.

Patent Document 2 discloses a workpiece transport device (transport mechanism) that is installed in a dicing device. This workpiece transport device transports a wafer attached to a protective tape, and has multiple suction pads that adsorb the upper surface of a support frame to which the protective tape is attached.

Patent Document 3 also discloses a workpiece transport device (wafer transport device) that transports wafers by suction in a non-contact manner. This workpiece transport device is provided in a planar processing device that grinds the back surface of the wafer, and transports the wafer between various processing sections of the planar processing device.

JP 2002-299287 A JP 2003-243483 A JP 2017-92397 A

In recent years, there has been a demand for a workpiece transport device that can directly hold and transport a workpiece depending on the type of workpiece. However, the workpiece transport device in Patent Document 2 is a device that indirectly transports a wafer via a support frame and protective tape, and is not a device that directly holds and transports a workpiece.

On the other hand, the workpiece transport device in Patent Document 3 is a device that transports wafers by suction in a non-contact manner, but there is a problem in that it cannot transport the workpiece stably, for example, when the workpiece has a warped or uneven surface, or when the workpiece has uneven thickness.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a workpiece transport device that can directly hold and transport a workpiece, even if the workpiece has a warped surface.

The work transport device of the present invention is a work transport device for directly holding and transporting a work in order to achieve the object of the present invention, and is equipped with a work holding means for directly holding the work and a transport means for transporting the work holding means, and the work holding means has a base connected to the transport means and a pair of work suction means provided at a distance from each other in positions facing each other on the base, the pair of work suction means for suctioning the underside of the work, and a spacing change means for changing the spacing between the pair of work suction means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a control unit is provided for controlling the work transport device, and the control unit preferably controls the interval changing means and the work suction means to cause the lower surface of the work to be suctioned by the pair of work suction means so that the work is held by the work holding means, and then controls the transport means to transport the work holding means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a support member is provided that supports the suction means so that the suction means can be moved freely in the vertical direction relative to the base, and the support member preferably has a first biasing member that can bias the suction means upward, and a second biasing member that can bias the pair of suction means downward.

According to the present invention, it is possible to directly hold and transport a workpiece even if the workpiece has a warped surface.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dicing machine to which a workpiece transport device according to an embodiment is applied; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a processing unit of the dicing device of FIG. 1; Functional block diagram of the control device for the workpiece transport device FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a suction unit constituting a workpiece transport device; FIG. 5 is a front view of the suction unit shown in FIG. An explanatory diagram showing the workpiece transport operation in chronological order. An explanatory diagram showing the workpiece transport operation in chronological order. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the structure of the floating support mechanism FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the floating support mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the floating support mechanism shown in FIG. An explanatory diagram showing the operation of the floating support mechanism. Diagram showing the variations in the shape of the workpiece and chuck table

A preferred embodiment of the workpiece transport device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. In the embodiment, a dicing device will be used as an example of the processing device.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dicing device 12 equipped with a workpiece transport device 10 according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the dicing device 12 includes, in addition to the work transport device 10, a processing section 14 that processes a workpiece W such as a semiconductor wafer, a cleaning section 16 that spin-cleans the processed workpiece W, and a load port 18 on which a cassette containing multiple workpieces W is placed. The workpiece W processed by the dicing device 12 has electronic components (not shown) formed on its top surface.

In this specification, the description will be given using a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system with three axial directions (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis). The X-axis direction in FIG. 1 is the horizontal direction, and indicates the cutting feed direction of the X-table 20 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later. The Y-axis direction is the horizontal direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction, and indicates the index feed direction of the blade 22, which will be described later. Furthermore, the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis directions, and indicates the cutting feed direction of the blade 22.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the processing section 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the processing section 14 has an X table 20 that is guided by a pair of X guide rails 26, 26 of an X base 24 and is moved in the X-axis direction by a linear motor 28. A work table (chuck table) 32 is provided on the X table 20 via a rotary table 30 that rotates in the θ direction.

The work table 32 is, as an example, configured in a disk shape, and has a horizontally flat suction surface 34 on its upper surface, to which the work W (see Figure 1) is vacuum-adsorbed and fixed.

A Y base 36 is erected above the X base 24 so as to straddle the X base 24. A pair of Y tables 40, 40 guided by a pair of Y guide rails 38, 38 and movable in the Y-axis direction are provided in front of the Y base 36. The Y tables 40, 40 are moved in the Y-axis direction by a Y-axis drive mechanism (not shown) provided on the Y base 36.

The Y tables 40, 40 are provided with Z tables 44, 44 that are driven in the Z-axis direction by a Z-axis drive mechanism (not shown). High-frequency built-in spindle motors 46, 46 are fixed to the Z tables 44, 44 in a state facing each other in the Y-axis direction, and blades 22, 22 are fixed to the tips of spindles 48, 48 of the spindle motors 46, 46 in a state facing each other in the Y-axis direction. These spindle motors 46, 46 are supported by the Y tables 40, 40 via the Z tables 44, 44, and the spindles 48, 48 are arranged with their axes aligned along the Y-axis direction, which is the direction of movement of the Y tables 40, 40.

As an example of the blade 22, an electroplated blade in which diamond abrasive grains or CBN (cubic boron nitride) abrasive grains are electroplated with nickel is shown. In addition to electroplated blades, metal resin bonded blades in which metal powder is mixed into the resin and bonded together can also be used. This blade 22 is rotated at high speed, for example, at 6,000 rpm to 80,000 rpm, by the spindle motor 46.

With the machining unit 14 configured in this way, the work table 32 is fed for cutting in the X-axis direction by the X-table 20 and rotated in the θ direction by the rotary table 30. The blades 22, 22 are index-fed in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis drive mechanism and cut-fed in the Z-axis direction by the Z-axis drive mechanism. This operation of the machining unit 14 cuts the workpiece W into a checkerboard pattern.

Returning to FIG. 1, the cleaning section 16 includes a spinner table (chuck table) 52 with an adsorption surface 50 on its upper surface, and a nozzle (not shown) that sprays cleaning water toward the workpiece on the spinner table 52. The workpiece W machined by the processing section 14 is transported from the work table 32 to the spinner table 52 by the work transport device 10, and is then adsorbed by the adsorption surface 50, rotated, and cleaned with cleaning water sprayed from the nozzle.

Next, we will explain the workpiece transport device 10 of the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the workpiece transport device 10 includes an arm 60 and a suction unit 62. Here, the suction unit 62 is an example of the workpiece holding means of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the operation of the workpiece transport device 10 of this embodiment is controlled by a control device 63 that controls the dicing device 12.

Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the control device 63 of the dicing device 12. Note that in the functional block diagram of Figure 3, only elements related to the work transport device 10 are shown, and elements that are not directly related to the work transport device 10 are omitted. Here, the control device 63 is an example of the control unit of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 63 includes various arithmetic processing circuits including a CPU (central processing unit) (not shown), a memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input device such as a keyboard, and an output device such as a monitor. The functions of each part of the control device 63 are realized by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory. As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 63 has an overall control unit 63A, which overall controls the transport control unit 63B, the interval change control unit 63C, and the suction control unit 63D.

The transport control unit 63B controls the transport device 66. The transport device 66 has a horizontal drive unit that moves the arm 60 horizontally along the XY horizontal plane, and an elevation drive unit that moves the arm 60 up and down in the vertical direction. More specifically, a rotating shaft 64 (see FIG. 1) that is disposed along the vertical axis at the base end of the arm 60 is connected to the output shaft of a motor that constitutes the horizontal drive unit. As a result, the arm 60 is moved horizontally by the motor of the horizontal drive unit. The elevation drive unit also has a motor that moves the arm 60 vertically. As a result, the arm 60 is moved vertically by the motor of the elevation drive unit. Here, the transport device 66 is an example of the transport means of the present invention.

The spacing change unit 63B controls cylinder devices 76, 76 to change the spacing between suction pads 74, 74 (see FIG. 5) described below. Here, the cylinder devices 76, 76 are an example of the spacing change means of the present invention.

The suction control unit 63D controls the suction device 68 that applies suction force to the suction pads 74, 74 (see Figure 5).

Returning to FIG. 1, the tip of the arm 60 is provided with a suction unit 62 via a connecting member 70. With this configuration, the suction unit 62 is transported in the horizontal and vertical directions by the transport device 66 shown in FIG. 3.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the suction unit 62, and Figure 5 is a front view of the suction unit 62 shown in Figure 4.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the suction unit 62 includes a base 72, a pair of suction pads 74, 74, and a pair of cylinder devices 76, 76. Here, the base 72 is an example of a base of the present invention, and the pair of suction pads 74, 74 is an example of a pair of suction means of the present invention.

The base 72 is configured, for example, in the shape of a rectangular plate. The base 72 also has a connecting portion 78 in its center, and is connected to the tip of the arm 60 by connecting the connecting member 70 (see FIG. 1) to this connecting portion 78. In FIG. 4, the long side 72A of the base 72 is arranged along the X-axis direction, and the short side 72B is arranged along the Y-axis direction.

The pair of suction pads 74, 74 are disposed on the short side portions 72B, 72B of the base 72 facing each other in the direction of the long side 72A, and are provided at a distance from each other on the base 72, and are also provided on the base 72 via hooks 80, 80, respectively. These suction pads 74 are fixed to the lower portion 80A of the hook 80 with their suction ports 82 facing upward. As an example, the suction pad 74 is configured in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is fixed to the hook 80 with its long side 74A aligned along the short side 72B. In addition, multiple suction ports 82 are arranged along the long side 74A.

The hook 80 has an opening 80B in the center through which the base 72 passes. A linear guide 84 is fixed to the underside of the upper part 80C of the hook 80. This linear guide 84 is movably engaged with a guide rail 86 arranged along the long side 72A on the upper surface of the base 72. This allows the pair of suction pads 74, 74, together with the hooks 80, 80, to be freely movable in the direction of the long side 72A between a close position where they are close to each other and a spaced position where they are spaced apart from each other.

An L-shaped bracket 88 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper portion 80C of the hook 80, and a piston 90 (see FIG. 5) of the cylinder device 76 is fixed to the bracket 88. The cylinder device 76 is fixed to a base 92 so that the axis of the piston 90 is aligned with the long side 72A, and the base 92 is fixed to the upper surface of the base 72 across the guide rail 86. Therefore, when the pistons 90 are simultaneously extended and contracted by the pair of cylinder devices 76, the pair of suction pads 74, together with the hooks 80, are moved between the above-mentioned separated position and close position, and the distance between the suction pads 74, is changed.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the pistons 90, 90 are simultaneously contracted by the cylinder devices 76, 76 and the suction pads 74, 74 are positioned in close proximity, the edges WA, WA on both sides of the back surface (lower surface) of the workpiece W are suction-held by the suction ports 82, 82 of the suction pads 74, 74. These edges WA, WA are not the suction surface WB that is suctioned by the suction surface 34 of the work table 32 and the suction surface 50 of the spinner table 52, but are configured as non-suction surfaces located outside the suction surface WB.

Next, we will explain the operation of the workpiece transport device 10 configured as described above.

The operation diagrams of the workpiece transport device 10 shown in Figures 6 to 7 show the time series of operations for transporting the workpiece W from the worktable 32 to the spinner table 52. In addition, the transport operation of the arm 60, the spacing change operation of the suction pads 74, 74, and the suction operation of the suction pads 74, 74 in Figures 6 to 7 are performed by the general control unit 63A of the control device 63 shown in Figure 3 controlling the transport control unit 63B, the spacing change control unit 63C, and the suction control unit 63D, respectively.

6A shows the initial state before the workpiece W sucked and held on the worktable 32 is transported by the work transport device 10. In this initial state, the arm 60 is located at a retracted position above the worktable 32, and the suction pads 74 (as well as the hooks 80) are located at a close position by the cylinder devices 76. Note that the suction operation of the suction pads 74 is OFF at this time, the suction state of the worktable 32 is ON, and the suction state of the spinner table 52 (see FIG. 1) is OFF.
This is the state.

Next, FIG. 6B shows the state in which the pistons 90, 90 of the cylinder devices 76, 76 are extended to move the suction pads 74, 74 (as well as the hooks 80, 80) from the close position to the separated position. At this time, the suction states of the suction pads 74, 74, the work table 32, and the spinner table 52 also remain in the initial state of FIG. 6A.

Next, FIG. 6C shows the state in which the arm 60 has been moved downward by the transport device 66 (see FIG. 3) to position the hooks 80, 80 in the hook opening and closing operation position. At this time, the suction states of the suction pads 74, 74, the work table 32, and the spinner table 52 also remain in the initial state of FIG. 6A. The hook opening and closing operation position is a position in which the suction port 82 (see FIG. 4) of the suction pad 74 is located below the suction surface 34 of the work table 32.

Next, FIG. 6D shows the state in which the pistons 90, 90 of the cylinder devices 76, 76 are retracted to move the suction pads 74, 74 (as well as the hooks 80, 80) from the distant position (see FIG. 6B) to the close position. This action positions the suction ports 82, 82 of the suction pads 74, 74 directly below the curved edges WA, WA of the workpiece W. At this time, the suction states of the suction pads 74, 74, work table 32, and spinner table 52 also remain in the initial state of FIG. 6A.

Next, FIG. 6E shows the state in which the arm 60 is moved upward by the transport device 66 (see FIG. 3) to the receiving position of the workpiece W, and the suction operation of the suction pads 74, 74 is switched from OFF to ON. FIG. 6E also shows the state in which the suction state of the worktable 32 is switched from ON to OFF, and switched to an air blow operation in which air is sprayed to the outside from the suction surface 34 of the worktable 32. This allows the workpiece W adsorbed to the worktable 32 to be smoothly transferred to the suction pads 74, 74. The receiving position of the workpiece W is the position where the suction port 82 abuts against the curved edges WA, WA, and is set above the suction surface 34 of the worktable 32.

Next, FIG. 7A shows the state in which the arm 60 has been raised by the lifting device 68 (see FIG. 3) to place the workpiece W in the horizontal transport position. At this time, the suction operation of the suction pads 74, 74 is ON, and the air blowing operation of the worktable 32 has been stopped, so the suction state is OFF.

Next, FIG. 7B shows the state in which the arm 60 is moved horizontally by the transport device 66 (see FIG. 3) to position the workpiece W directly above the spinner table 52, and then the arm 60 is moved downward by the transport device 66 to a position where the workpiece W is transferred to the spinner table 52, and the suction state of the spinner table 52 is switched from OFF to ON. FIG. 7B also shows that the suction pads 74, 74 are moved downward toward the suction surface 50 of the spinner table 52, and the suction port 82 (see FIG. 4) is moved to a position on the same plane as the suction surface 50.

As a result, even if the central portion of the workpiece W is curved downward in a convex shape, the suction port 82 (see FIG. 4) that adsorbs the edges WA, WA is moved to a position on the same plane as the suction surface 50, so the workpiece can be reliably adsorbed and held on the spinner table 52.

Next, FIG. 7C shows a state in which the suction state of the suction pads 74, 74 is switched from ON to OFF, and the arm 60 is moved downward by the conveying device 66 (see FIG. 3) while switching to an air blow operation in which air is sprayed to the outside from the suction port 82. This allows the suction between the suction port 82 and the edges WA, WA to be smoothly released.

Next, FIG. 7D shows the state in which the pistons 90, 90 of the cylinder devices 76, 76 are extended to position the suction pads 74, 74 (as well as the hooks 80, 80) in the hook opening and closing operation position (see FIG. 6C in 6C). This operation causes the suction pads 74, 74 to retract outward from the position directly below the edges WA, WA of the workpiece W.

Next, FIG. 7E shows the state in which the arm 60 has been moved upward from the spinner table 52 by the transport device 66 (FIG. 3). The workpiece W is then cleaned by the rotation of the spinner table 52. After cleaning is complete, the workpiece W is held by the workpiece transport device 10 and stored in a cassette in the load port 18 (see FIG. 1). The method of transporting the workpiece W from the spinner table 52 to the load port 18 by the workpiece transport device 10 is substantially the same as the transport from the worktable 32 to the spinner table 52 described above, so a description thereof will be omitted.

According to the embodiment of the workpiece transport device 10, the device is equipped with a suction unit 62 that directly holds the workpiece W, and a transport device 66 that transports the suction unit 62. The suction unit 62 has a base 72 connected to the arm 60, a pair of suction pads 74, 74 that are arranged at opposing positions on the base 72 at a distance and that suction the underside of the workpiece W, and cylinder devices 76, 76 that change the spacing between the pair of suction pads 74, 74. Therefore, even a workpiece W with a warped surface can be directly held and transported.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the workpiece transport device 10, after the edges WA, WA of the back surface of the workpiece W are sucked by the suction port 82 of the suction pad 74, the suction ports 82, 82 are moved downward to a position on the same plane as the suction surface 50, so that the warped workpiece W can be reliably sucked onto the spinner table 52.

In a preferred embodiment, the suction pads 74, 74 are moved downward toward the suction surface 50 of the spinner table 52 to a position beyond the above-mentioned coplanar position. This allows the suctioned surface WB (see FIG. 5) of the workpiece W to be pressed against the suction surface 50 of the spinner table 52 while the edges WA, WA are suctioned by the suction pads 74, 74, so that the workpiece W can be effectively suctioned and held on the spinner table 52. Note that the position beyond the above-mentioned coplanar position is a position where the workpiece W will not be damaged even if the suction pads 82 are moved to a position beyond the coplanar position, and this position is set according to the rigidity of the workpiece W, etc.

Figure 8 is a front view showing the structure of a floating support mechanism 100 that supports the suction pad 74 in a floating state on the base 72. Figures 9 and 10 are perspective views of the floating support mechanism 100 shown in Figure 8, each viewed from a different direction.

As shown in Figures 8 to 10, the floating support mechanism 100 has pad support members 102, 102 that support a pair of suction pads 74, 74 so that they can move freely in the vertical direction relative to the base 72.

As shown in FIG. 9, the pad support member 102 has a rectangular base 104 connected to the piston 90 of the cylinder device 76, a crank-shaped bracket 106 connected to the base 104 and having the suction pad 74 fixed to its lower part, and a shaft 112 arranged vertically.

As shown in FIG. 10, the bracket 106 has a pair of elongated holes 114, 114 formed in the upper part along the vertical direction, and is connected to the base 104 via pins 116, 116 inserted into the elongated holes 114, 114. As a result, the base 104 and the bracket 106 are connected so as to be movable relative to each other in the vertical direction by the linear guide member consisting of the elongated holes 114, 114 and the pins 116, 116.

As shown in FIG. 8, the shaft 112 is disposed so as to pass vertically through the through hole 108 of the base 104 via a sleeve bearing 110 (see FIG. 11). As a result, the base 104 and the shaft 112 are connected by the sleeve bearing 110 so as to be movable vertically relative to each other. In addition, the lower part of the shaft 112 is fixed to the horizontal part 107 of the bracket 106 by a screw 118 (see FIG. 11).

As shown in FIG. 8, the pad support member 102 configured in this manner includes a coil spring 120 capable of biasing the suction pad 74 upward, and a coil spring 122 capable of biasing the suction pad 74 downward.

The coil spring 120 is fitted around the shaft 112 and disposed between the upper flange portion 113 of the shaft 112 and the upper surface of the base 104. The coil spring 122 is fitted around the shaft 112 and disposed between the lower surface of the base 104 and the horizontal portion 107 of the bracket 106. By providing such coil springs 120, 122, the suction pad 74 is supported in a floating state on the base 104 via the bracket 106 and the shaft 112. Here, the coil springs 120, 122 are an example of the first and second biasing members of the present invention.

Next, the operation of the floating support mechanism 100 configured as described above will be explained using the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 11.

The cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 11 shows an example of lifting the workpiece W from the worktable 32 (see FIG. 6E). Note that the workpiece W shown in FIG. 11 is intended for a workpiece whose central portion is warped downward in a convex shape.

As shown in 11A of FIG. 11, after the suction pad 74 comes into contact with the edge WA of the back surface of the workpiece, when the base 72 (see FIG. 9) is moved upward to raise the suction pad 74 via the base 104, the suction pad 74, bracket 106, and shaft 112 are restricted from moving upward because the suction pad 74 is in contact with the edge WA, and the base 104 moves upward along the shaft 112. Then, as shown in 11B of FIG. 11, the coil spring 120 contracts from the state shown in 11A of FIG. 11 by the amount of lift L of the base 104, and the biasing force of the coil spring 120 generated at that time is transmitted to the suction pad 74 via the shaft 112 and bracket 106, and the suction pad 74 is biased upward. This allows the biasing force of the coil spring 120 to be used to effectively press the suction pad 74 against the edge WA of the workpiece W.

Furthermore, if the amount of warping of the edge portion WA is not uniform across the entire edge portion WA, the suction pads 74 can be supported by the floating support mechanism 100 in this manner, and all of the suction pads 74 can be adsorbed to the edge portion WA by moving the base 104 upward as shown in FIG. 11B. Furthermore, when the base 104 is moved upward, the excess force applied from the suction pads 74 to the edge portion WA is absorbed by contraction of the coil spring 120, thereby preventing damage to the edge portion WA caused by the base 104 being raised.

In addition, when the suction state of the work table 32 is switched from ON to OFF from the state of 11B in FIG. 11, the shaft 112 and the bracket 106 move upward due to the biasing force of the coil spring 120, and the suction pad 74 moves upward. This makes it possible to effectively lift the work W from the work table 32 by utilizing the biasing force of the coil spring 120.

On the other hand, when the workpiece W, whose edge WA is sucked by the suction pad 74, is to be sucked onto the spinner table 52 (see 7B in FIG. 7), the base 104 is moved downward by the arm 60. At this time, if the suction port 82 is moved beyond the position on the same plane as the suction surface 50, the suction pad 74, bracket 106, and shaft 112 are restricted from moving downward, since the suction surface WB of the workpiece W is in contact with the spinner table 52, and the base 104 moves downward along the shaft 112. Then, the coil spring 122 contracts from the state of 11A in FIG. 11 by the amount of descent of the base 104, and the biasing force of the coil spring 122 generated at that time is transmitted to the suction pad 74 via the bracket 106, and the suction pad 74 is biased downward. As a result, the biasing force of the coil spring 122 can be used to effectively press the workpiece W against the spinner table 52.

In addition, when the workpiece W has a shape with a convex upward warp in the center or is not warped, and the workpiece W is lifted from the work table 32, the suction pad 74 is moved to a position slightly higher than the back surface of the workpiece W. At this time, the coil spring 120 contracts and absorbs the excess force applied from the suction pad 74 to the edge portion WA, thereby preventing damage to the edge portion WA caused by the lifting of the base 104.

In addition, in the case of a workpiece W with a central portion warped upward in a convex shape or a workpiece W without warping, when the workpiece W with its edge portion WA adsorbed by the suction pad 74 is to be adsorbed to the spinner table 52, the suction pad 74 is moved to a position slightly lower than the back surface of the workpiece W. At this time, the coil spring 122 contracts and absorbs the excess force applied to the edge portion WA by the suction pad 74, thereby preventing damage to the edge portion WA caused by the lowering of the base 104.

As described above, by adopting the floating support mechanism 100 in the workpiece transport device 10, even if the central portion of the workpiece W is curved in a downward convex shape, or even if the central portion of the workpiece W is curved in an upward convex shape, the edge portion WA of the workpiece W can be effectively adsorbed and the workpiece W can be effectively pressed against the chuck table.

Figures 12A to 12F are explanatory diagrams showing variations of workpieces and chuck tables that can be applied to the workpiece transport device of the present invention. Note that the workpieces shown in Figure 12 are labeled W1 to W6, and the chuck tables are labeled C1 to C6.

The workpiece W1 shown in FIG. 12A is configured to be approximately square in plan view, and the chuck table C1 is configured to be approximately square and slightly smaller than the outer shape of the workpiece W1. Four suction pads 74 are shown in FIG. 12A, and two opposing edges of the workpiece W1 are suctioned by two suction pads 74 each.

The workpiece W2 shown in FIG. 12B is configured to have a substantially square shape in a plan view, and the chuck table C2 is configured to have a substantially square shape that is substantially the same as the outer shape of the workpiece W2. Four suction pads 74 are shown in the figure, and two opposing edges of the workpiece W2 are suctioned by two suction pads 74 each. In addition, concave escape grooves 130 that accommodate the four suction pads 74 are formed on two opposing edges of the chuck table C2. By providing the chuck table C2 with such escape grooves 130, the size of the chuck table C2 can be made closer to the size of the workpiece W2, thereby improving the holding force of the chuck table C2 for the workpiece W2.

The workpiece W3 shown in FIG. 12C is configured as an octagon in a plan view, and the chuck table C3 is configured as an octagon that is slightly smaller than the outer shape of the workpiece W3. Four suction pads 74 are shown in the figure, and two opposing edges of the workpiece W3 are suctioned by two suction pads 74 each.

The workpiece W4 shown in FIG. 12D is configured as an octagon in a plan view, and the chuck table C4 is configured as an octagon that is approximately the same as the outer shape of the workpiece W4. Four suction pads 74 are shown in the figure, and two opposing edges of the workpiece W4 are suctioned by two suction pads 74 each. In addition, two opposing edges of the chuck table C4 are formed with recessed escape grooves 132 that accommodate the four suction pads 74, so that the holding force of the chuck table C4 for the workpiece W4 can be improved in the same way as the chuck table C2 shown in FIG. 12B.

The workpiece W5 shown in FIG. 12E is circular in plan view, and the chuck table C5 is circular and slightly smaller than the outer shape of the workpiece W5. Four suction pads 74 are shown in the figure, and two suction pads 74 each hold opposing peripheral portions of the workpiece W5.

The workpiece W6 shown in FIG. 12F is circular in plan view, and the chuck table C6 is circular in shape, approximately the same as the outer shape of the workpiece W6. Four suction pads 74 are shown in the figure, and two suction pads 74 are used to suction the opposing peripheral portions of the workpiece W6. In addition, recessed escape grooves 134 that accommodate the four suction pads 74 are formed on the opposing peripheral portions of the chuck table C6, so that the holding force of the workpiece W6 by the chuck table C6 can be improved, similar to the chuck tables C2 and C4 shown in FIG. 12B and FIG. 12D.

In the embodiment, the workpiece W to be transported is one with a warped surface, but the workpiece W to be transported is not limited to this. In other words, the workpiece transport device of the present invention can directly hold and transport workpieces with uneven surfaces, workpieces with varying thicknesses, and workpieces that are free of warping or unevenness and have a surface parallel to the chuck table.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

10...workpiece transport device, 12...dicing device, 14...processing section, 16...cleaning section, 18...load port, 20...X table, 22...blade, 24...X base, 26...X guide rail, 28...linear motor, 30...rotary table, 32...work table, 34...suction surface, 36...Y base, 38...Y guide rail, 40...Y table, 44...Z table, 46...spindle motor, 48...spindle, 50...suction surface, 52...spinner table, 60...arm, 62...suction unit, 63...control device, 64...rotary axis, 66...transport device, 68...suction device, 70...connecting member, 72...base, 74...suction pad, 76...cylinder device, 78...connecting part, 80...hook, 82...suction port, 84...linear guide, 86...guide rail, 88...bracket, 90...piston, 92...base, 100...floating support mechanism, 102...pad support member, 104...base, 106...bracket, 107...horizontal part, 108...through hole, 110...sleeve bearing, 112...shaft, 114...long hole, 116...pin, 118...screw, 120...coil spring, 122...coil spring

Claims (4)

A workpiece holding device for directly holding a warped workpiece,
With the base,
A pair of workpiece suction means provided on the base for suctioning the workpiece;
A gap change means for changing the gap between the pair of workpiece suction means;
A work holding device comprising: a control unit that controls the interval change means and the workpiece suction means to suction the workpiece by the pair of workpiece suction means and hold the workpiece on the workpiece suction means,
The workpiece holding device according to claim 1 . a support member that supports the workpiece suction means so as to be movable in a vertical direction relative to the base;
The support member has a first biasing member capable of biasing the workpiece suction means upward, and a second biasing member capable of biasing the workpiece suction means downward.
The workpiece holding device according to claim 1 or 2. a support member that supports the workpiece suction means so as to be movable in a vertical direction relative to the base;
the support member includes a base member, a bracket that is movable in the vertical direction relative to the base member and to which the workpiece suction means is fixed, and a shaft that is connected to the base member and is movable in the vertical direction,
a first biasing member that biases the shaft in one direction in the vertical direction relative to the base member, and a second biasing member that biases the bracket in the other direction in the vertical direction relative to the base member, and a floating mechanism that supports the workpiece suction means in a floating state on the base member via the bracket and the shaft.
The workpiece holding device according to claim 1 or 2.

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