JP7647111B2 - Element manufacturing method and wafer cutting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing elements and a wafer cutting device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a dicing device that, in the semiconductor manufacturing process, cuts and divides chips that are precisely arranged on a wafer by cutting grooves along the streets between the chips. In this prior art, the dicing device aligns the reference line of a microscope arranged alongside the rotary blade with the streets between the chips arranged on the surface of a semiconductor wafer placed on a table, cuts one line by feeding the rotary blade or table in the X direction, then feeds the rotary blade or table in the Y direction by the Y direction pitch of the chip, and cuts the next line by feeding the rotary blade or table in the X direction. The groove cutting control device of this dicing device is equipped with an imaging means that captures the field of view of the microscope, a deviation amount calculation means that calculates the amount of deviation between the cut groove of a predetermined line and the reference line of the microscope based on image information obtained from the imaging means after grooving a predetermined line, and a correction means that corrects the pitch feed amount in the Y direction of the next line using the calculated deviation amount as correction data.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-69437

The rectangular elements are cut out from the wafer by cutting the wafer into a lattice pattern with a rotating blade. The feed amount in the direction of the blade's rotation axis is corrected by appropriately capturing an image of the gap between the cut out elements and the elements (the elements before they are cut out).

However, if the length of one side of the element to be cut out is less than the thickness of the wafer, the cut out element is likely to fall over. If the element falls over, the width (spacing) and center position of the gap between the cut out element and the element (the element before cutting out) change, reducing the accuracy of correction of the feed amount in the direction of the rotation axis of the blade.

The objective of the present invention is to improve the accuracy of correction compared to a method of correcting the feed amount of a rotating blade by imaging the gap between the element after cutting the wafer (the cut element) and the element (the element before cutting).

The first aspect is a method for manufacturing elements in which a wafer is cut into a lattice pattern with a rotating blade to cut out rectangular elements whose sides are equal to or less than the thickness of the wafer, the method comprising the steps of moving the blade relatively in a cross direction that crosses the direction of the one side to form a groove in the wafer and capturing an image of the groove, moving the blade relatively in the cross direction to cut the wafer at the groove, and correcting the feed amount of the blade in the direction of the one side from the captured image of the groove, and feeding the blade in the direction of the one side.

The second aspect is a method for manufacturing an element according to the first aspect, which includes another step of cutting the wafer by relatively moving the blade in the intersecting direction without forming the groove or taking an image, and feeding the blade in the one side direction without making the correction.

The third aspect is a method for manufacturing elements in which a wafer is cut into a lattice pattern with a rotating blade to cut out rectangular elements whose sides are equal to or less than the thickness of the wafer, the method comprising the steps of moving the blade relatively in a cross direction crossing the direction of the one side to form a groove in the wafer and imaging the groove, correcting the deviation of the blade in the direction of the one side from the image of the groove, moving the blade relatively in the cross direction to cut the wafer at the groove, and feeding the blade in the direction of the one side.

The fourth aspect is a method for manufacturing an element according to the third aspect, which includes another step of forming the groove, imaging the groove, and cutting the wafer by relatively moving the blade in the intersecting direction without correcting the deviation of the blade.

The fifth aspect is a method for manufacturing an element according to the second or fourth aspect, in which the other step is performed when the distance from the corner of the element to the outer circumferential edge of the wafer in the intersecting direction is equal to or less than the thickness of the wafer.

The sixth aspect is a method for manufacturing an element according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, in which the depth of the groove is set to be greater than the height of the tip of a positioning member that positions the element cut from the wafer when it is mounted.

The seventh aspect is a method for manufacturing an element according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, in which the depth of the groove is set to half or less of the thickness of the wafer.

The eighth aspect is a method for manufacturing an element according to the seventh aspect, in which an etching groove is formed in advance on the surface of the wafer opposite to the surface on which the groove is formed, and the total depth of the groove and the etching groove is set to half or less of the thickness of the wafer.

The eighth aspect is a wafer cutting device that includes a rotary blade that cuts a wafer into a lattice pattern and cuts out rectangular elements whose sides are equal to or less than the thickness of the wafer, a relative movement unit that moves the rotary blade relative to the wafer, an imaging device, and a control unit that controls the relative movement unit, moves the rotary blade relatively in a direction intersecting the direction of the side, images grooves formed in the wafer with the imaging device, corrects the feed amount or deviation amount of the rotary blade in the direction of the side from the image captured by the imaging device, and feeds the rotary blade in the direction of the side.

The first aspect of the element manufacturing method improves the accuracy of correction compared to correcting the feed amount of the rotating blade by imaging the gap between elements after cutting the wafer.

The second aspect of the manufacturing method for elements improves the efficiency of cutting elements out of the wafer compared to when grooves are always formed and corrected when cutting the wafer.

The third aspect of the element manufacturing method improves the accuracy of correction compared to when the gap between elements after cutting the wafer is imaged and the amount of misalignment of the rotating blade is corrected.

The fourth aspect of the manufacturing method for elements improves the efficiency of cutting elements from a wafer compared to when grooves are always formed and corrected when cutting a wafer.

According to the fifth aspect of the manufacturing method for an element, even when the distance from the corner to the outer peripheral edge of the wafer in the intersecting direction is equal to or less than the thickness of the wafer, damage to the element is suppressed compared to when a recessed groove is formed.

According to the sixth aspect of the manufacturing method for an element, the decrease in positioning accuracy when mounting the element is suppressed compared to when the depth of the groove is equal to or less than the height of the tip of the positioning member.

According to the seventh aspect of the manufacturing method for an element, cracks in the wafer are suppressed when the grooves are formed, compared to when the depth of the grooves is greater than half the thickness of the wafer.

According to the eighth aspect of the manufacturing method for an element, cracks in the wafer are suppressed when the grooves are formed, compared to when the total depth of the grooves and the etched grooves is greater than half the thickness of the wafer.

The ninth aspect of the wafer cutting device improves the accuracy of correction compared to when the feed amount of the rotary blade is corrected by imaging the gap between elements after cutting the wafer.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wafer cutting device. 4 is a front view of the cutting unit and the imaging unit of the wafer cutting apparatus as viewed from the Y direction. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a semiconductor wafer. 1A is a plan view illustrating a first cutting step, and FIG. 1B is a plan view illustrating a second cutting step. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a substrate manufacturing apparatus. 1 is a process diagram of a process for mounting a semiconductor element in a substrate manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a wafer cutting device. 11 is a process diagram of a process of forming a groove along a correction line in a first cutting process and then cutting. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic inclination of a semiconductor element after a first cutting step. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram (plan view) of an image of a recessed groove captured by an imaging unit. FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a main portion of the semiconductor wafer of FIG. 3 . FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the correction line in FIG. 8(D). FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a contact portion between the semiconductor element and the positioning member in FIG. 1A is a side view of the blade in the standby position as viewed from the X direction, FIG. 1B is a side view of the blade in the cutting position as viewed from the X direction, and FIG. 1C is a side view of the blade in the groove forming position as viewed from the X direction.

<Embodiment>
A method for manufacturing an element according to one embodiment, a wafer cutting device used in the method, and a substrate manufacturing device for manufacturing a substrate device by mounting cut-out elements on a substrate are described below. Here, mounting means attaching to an object to realize some function. In this embodiment, mounting means attaching a light-emitting element, which is an example of an element, to a wiring substrate 544 so that the element can emit light.

[Wafer cutting device]
First, the wafer cutting device will be described. In each drawing, arrows X and Y indicate two directions perpendicular to each other in the horizontal direction, and arrow Z indicates the vertical direction.

(Overall composition)
As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer cutting apparatus 10 includes a storage box 18 on which semiconductor wafers 22 as an example of wafers are loaded, a chuck table 12 as an example of a fixed table on which the semiconductor wafers 22 to be cut are fixed, a transport unit 14 that transports the semiconductor wafers 22 stored in the storage box 18 to the chuck table 12, a moving unit 32 that moves the chuck table 12, a cutting unit 36 that cuts the semiconductor wafers 22 fixed to the chuck table 12 moved by the moving unit 32, a discharge unit 62 (see FIG. 2) that discharges cutting water toward the cutting unit 36, an imaging unit 38, and a cutting apparatus control unit 84 (see FIG. 7).

[Storage box]
The housing 20 of the wafer cutting device 10 includes a main body portion 20A having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a protruding portion 20B protruding vertically upward from one end side of the main body portion 20A.

The storage box 18 in which the semiconductor wafers 22 are loaded is located at the corner on the other end side of the main body portion 20A, and the top of the storage box 18 is open.

The storage box 18 is also equipped with a lifting member (not shown) that raises and lowers the loaded semiconductor wafers 22, so that the topmost semiconductor wafer 22 is positioned at a fixed position.

[Semiconductor Wafer]
As shown in Fig. 3, the semiconductor wafers 22 stored in the storage box 18 (see Fig. 1) are circular with a portion cut out, and are attached onto a dicing tape 26. The outer periphery of this dicing tape 26 is attached to a ring-shaped base ring 28. In this manner, the semiconductor wafers 22 are supported by the base ring 28 via the dicing tape 26 and are loaded into the storage box 18 described above.

The two-dot chain lines in a grid pattern shown in a plan view of the semiconductor wafer 22 in FIG. 3 are the first cutting lines SC and second cutting lines ST that are cut by the cutting unit 36. Note that the first cutting lines SC and second cutting lines ST are perpendicular to each other and are not actually drawn lines but are imaginary lines.

The first cutting lines SC and second cutting lines ST, which are dashed double-dashed lines, are lattice-shaped. Thus, the semiconductor element 30, which is an example of an element cut out by cutting the semiconductor wafer 22 along the lattice-shaped first cutting lines SC and second cutting lines ST, is rectangular in a plan view. Note that the semiconductor element 30, which is an example of an element in this embodiment, is a light-emitting element, but is not limited to a light-emitting element.

The length of the long side of the rectangular semiconductor element 30 is L1, and the length of the short side is L2. Therefore, the distance between the first cutting lines SC is L2. Furthermore, L2 is the feed amount in the short side direction of the cutting unit 36, which will be described later.

In this embodiment, the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22 (see FIG. 12) is 0.50 mm, the length L1 of the long side of the semiconductor element 30 is 1.20 mm, and the length L2 of the short side is 0.12 mm. Therefore, the length L2 of the short side of the semiconductor element 30 is less than or equal to the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the length L2 of the short side of the semiconductor element 30 is less than or equal to 1/2 the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22. Note that these numerical values are merely examples and are not limited to these.

In addition, in this embodiment, one side of the semiconductor wafer 22 is pre-etched to form lattice-shaped etching grooves 100 (see FIG. 8A) along the first cutting lines SC and the second cutting lines ST.

[Transport unit]
As shown in FIG. 1, the transport unit 14, which transports the semiconductor wafer 22 to the chuck table 12, includes an arm portion 14A whose base end is supported inside the protruding portion 20B and which is movable horizontally, an extension portion 14B whose base end is attached to the tip portion of the arm portion 14A and which is extendable and contractable in the vertical direction, and an suction portion 14C which is attached to the tip portion of the extension portion 14B and which adsorbs a basic ring 28.

With this configuration, the transport unit 14 lifts the top semiconductor wafer 22 stored (contained) in the storage box 18 via the base ring 28 and transports it toward the chuck table 12.

[Chuck table]
The chuck table 12 shown in Fig. 1 includes a support portion (not shown) that supports the semiconductor wafer 22 from below. The support portion is formed with a plurality of suction holes (not shown) for adsorbing the semiconductor wafer 22 via the dicing tape 26. The chuck table 12 also includes a rotational movement device 24 (see Fig. 7) that rotates and moves the support portion (not shown) in a circumferential direction.

[Mobile Unit]
As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer cutting apparatus 10 is equipped with the moving unit 32 described above.

The moving unit 32 moves the chuck table 12 in the X direction.

The moving unit 32 reciprocates the chuck table 12 in the X direction, so that the cutting unit 36 cuts the semiconductor wafer 22.

The process of cutting the semiconductor wafer 22 will be described in detail later.

[Cutting unit]
1, the cutting unit 36 is disposed above the moving unit 32. In other words, the cutting unit 36 is disposed vertically above the chuck table 12 that has been moved by the moving unit 32 to the protruding portion 20B side (to one end side of the main body portion 20A).

As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting unit 36 includes a spindle 42 rotatably supported by a cylindrical housing 40 (see FIGS. 1 and 4), a circular blade 46 fixed to a flange 44 attached to the tip of the spindle 42, and a cover member 70 that covers the blade 46 from above. The blade 46 is an example of a blade and a rotary blade.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 40 is formed into a cylindrical shape extending in the Y direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the X direction (see also FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 1, the base end side of the housing 40 is provided with a drive unit 48 that supports the base end of the housing 40. The drive unit 48 is fixed (supported) inside the protruding portion 20B.

The drive unit 48 moves the housing 40 in the Z direction (vertical direction) and the Y direction, and also moves the blade 46 in the Z direction and the Y direction. The drive unit 48 also rotates the blade 46, which cuts the semiconductor wafer 22, via the spindle 42 (see FIG. 2).

In the Z direction (vertical direction), the drive unit 48 moves the housing 40 to a cutting position (see FIG. 14(B)) where the blade 46 is used to cut the semiconductor wafer 22, a retracted position (see FIG. 14(A)) where the blade 46 is retracted from the semiconductor wafer 22, and a groove position (see FIG. 14(C)) where the groove 110 (see FIG. 8) described below is formed.

Regarding the Y direction, the drive unit 48 moves the cutting unit 36 in the Y direction to change the cutting line of the semiconductor wafer 22 in the Y direction.

[Imaging unit]
1, imaging unit 38, which is an example of an imaging device, is disposed above moving unit 32. In other words, imaging unit 38 is disposed vertically above chuck table 12 which has been moved toward protruding portion 20B by moving unit 32. Imaging unit 38 has a base end fixed (supported) to a side surface of protruding portion 20B, and has a function of capturing an image of recessed groove 110 (see FIG. 8C ), which will be described later.

[Discharge unit]
As shown in FIG. 2, the wafer cutting apparatus 10 includes a discharge unit 62 that discharges cutting water toward the rotating blade 46 of the cutting unit 36 .

The discharge unit 62 includes a discharge pipe 72 that discharges cutting water toward the blade 46, a discharge pipe 74 that discharges cutting water toward the outer peripheral end face of the blade 46, and a discharge pipe 76 that discharges cutting water toward the cutting portion of the semiconductor wafer 22 that is cut by the blade 46. Note that the discharge pipes 72 and 76 are provided on both sides of the blade 46, although not shown, because it is necessary to discharge cutting water toward both sides of the blade 46.

The discharge pipes 72, 74, and 76 are fixed to the cover member 70 and move together with the cutting unit 36 as it moves.

Furthermore, valves (not shown) are connected to discharge pipes 72, 74, and 76. The opening and closing of the valves is controlled by the cutting device control unit 84, which will be described later.

[Cutting device control section]
7, the wafer cutting apparatus 10 includes a cutting apparatus control unit 84. The cutting apparatus control unit 84 has a function of controlling the entire wafer cutting apparatus 10.

In other words, the cutting device control unit 84 has the function of controlling the rotational movement device 24 that rotates and moves the chuck table 12 (see FIG. 1), the movement unit 32 that moves the chuck table 12 in the X direction (see FIG. 1), the drive unit 48 (see FIG. 1) provided in the cutting unit 36, the opening and closing of each valve (not shown) of the discharge pipe 72, the discharge pipe 74, and the discharge pipe 76, and the imaging unit 38.

The cutting device control unit 84 also includes a correction unit 83 that corrects L2 (see FIG. 3), which is the feed amount of the cutting unit 36 in the short side direction after the groove 110 described below is imaged. In other words, the cutting device control unit 84 includes a correction unit 83 that corrects ΔL2 (see FIG. 10), which is the deviation amount of the cutting unit 36 in the short side direction after the groove 110 described below is imaged.

The control of each component by the cutting device control unit 84 will be explained later in the process of cutting the semiconductor element 30.

[Substrate manufacturing equipment]
Next, the substrate manufacturing apparatus will be described. Note that the arrows X and Y shown appropriately in each drawing indicate two directions perpendicular to each other in the horizontal direction, and the arrow Z indicates the vertical direction. Also, the X direction and the Y direction of the wafer cutting apparatus 10 described above do not coincide with those of the substrate manufacturing apparatus.

(Overall configuration of substrate manufacturing device)
A board manufacturing apparatus 11 shown in FIG. 5 is an apparatus for manufacturing printed wiring boards as an example of a board apparatus.

The substrate manufacturing apparatus 11 includes a supply unit 513 that supplies a plurality of semiconductor elements 30 (semiconductor wafer 22 cut into individual semiconductor elements 30 by wafer cutting apparatus 10) cut from a semiconductor wafer 22 by wafer cutting apparatus 10 (see FIG. 1), a positioning device 520 that positions the semiconductor elements 30, a substrate positioning unit 540 that positions a wiring substrate 544 (bare board) as an example of a substrate, a transfer device 550 that transfers the semiconductor elements 30 from the supply unit 513 to the positioning device 520, and a transfer device 560 that transfers the semiconductor elements 30 positioned by the positioning device 520 to the wiring substrate 544 positioned by the substrate positioning unit 540.

Furthermore, the substrate manufacturing apparatus 11 is equipped with a manufacturing apparatus control unit 589 that controls the operation of the supply unit 513, the positioning device 520, the positioning unit 540, the transfer device 550, and the transfer device 560, etc.

In the substrate manufacturing apparatus 11, a mounting device 500 that mounts a semiconductor element 30 on a wiring substrate 544 is configured to include a positioning device 520, a positioning section 540, and a transport device 560.

[Supply Department]
5, the supply unit 513 includes a holding unit 515 that holds the semiconductor wafer 22, and a moving mechanism 517 that moves the holding unit 515 in the X and Y directions. The moving mechanism 517 moves the holding unit 515 in the X and Y directions to position the semiconductor element 30 to be mounted at a predetermined pick-up position by the transport device 550.

In addition, the supply section 513 holds the semiconductor wafer 22 upside down compared to the semiconductor wafer 22 cut into individual semiconductor elements 30 by the wafer cutting device 10 (see FIG. 1).

[Transportation device]
5 has a collet 590 as an example of a holder for holding the semiconductor element 30. The transfer device 550 also includes an aspirator 552 to which the collet 590 is attached and which generates a suction force for the collet 590 to hold the semiconductor element 30, and a moving mechanism 553 which moves the aspirator 552.

[Positioning device]
As shown in FIG. 5, the positioning device 520 includes a positioning table 530 on which the semiconductor element 30 is placed, a positioning member 522 that positions the semiconductor element 30 temporarily placed on the positioning table 530 at a predetermined position, and a moving mechanism 529 that moves the positioning member 522 in the X direction and the Y direction.

The positioning table 530 includes a cylindrical portion 532 having an opening (not shown) at the top, a plate 534 provided at the opening of the cylindrical portion 532, and a suction device 536 that sucks air from the internal space of the cylindrical portion 532 to create a negative pressure in the internal space. A number of suction holes 538 are formed in the plate 534.

The semiconductor element 30 is placed on the plate 534 with the etching groove 100 (see FIG. 8A) side of the semiconductor wafer 22 facing upward.

The positioning member 522 is plate-shaped and includes a main body 522A and a pair of claws 522B extending from the main body 522A in the X direction. The pair of claws 522B are spaced apart in the Y direction so that the semiconductor element 30 can be positioned between them. The pair of claws 522B and the main body 522A form the positioning member 522 in a U-shape when viewed from above (when viewed in the -Z direction).

The positioning member 522 moves while remaining out of contact with the plate 534 so that it is not attracted to the plate 534 and does not experience resistance to movement.

As shown in FIG. 6, the positioning member 522 abuts the side surface 30A of the semiconductor element 30 against the claw portion 522B to move the semiconductor element 30 and position the semiconductor element 30 at a predetermined position.

A groove 523 is formed on the underside of each claw 522B, and the suction force through the suction hole 538 acts on one side 30A of the semiconductor element 30 via the groove 523. Therefore, one side 30A of the semiconductor element 30 that is abutted against the claw 522B is attracted to the claw 522B.

In addition, in this embodiment, one of the pair of claws 522B is selected to position the semiconductor element 30. Therefore, the positioning member 522 may be configured without one of the pair of claws 522B.

[Positioning section]
5 includes a pair of transport members 542, such as conveyors, that transport a wiring board 544 in the X direction. The pair of transport members 542 are spaced apart in the Y direction so that the wiring board 544 can be introduced therebetween.

In the positioning section 540, the wiring board 544 introduced between the pair of transport members 542 is positioned in the X, Y, and Z directions relative to the pair of transport members 542. Then, as the pair of transport members 542 transport the wiring board 544 in the X direction, the wiring board 544 moves in the X direction relative to the collet 570 described below while being positioned in the Y direction.

[Transportation device]
The transfer device 560 shown in Figure 5 includes a collet 570 as an example of a holder for holding the semiconductor element 30, an aspirator 562 to which the collet 570 is attached and which generates a suction force for the collet 570 to hold the semiconductor element 30, and a moving mechanism 563 that moves the aspirator 562 relative to the wiring board 544.

The aspirator 562 has a suction nozzle 564 to which the collet 570 is attached. The semiconductor element 30 is sucked by the aspirator 562 in the collet 570, and the semiconductor element 30 is held in a state where it is positioned in the Y direction, Z direction, and X direction. In addition, the collet 570 is designed so that the holding state of the semiconductor element 30 by the collet 570 is released by stopping the suction by the aspirator 562.

The movement mechanism 563 moves the suction device 562 in the Y direction, thereby moving the collet 570 relative to the wiring board 544 in the Y direction.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the suction device 562 is moved in the Y direction by the moving mechanism 563, and the wiring board 544 is moved in the X direction by the conveying member 542 of the board positioning unit 540, thereby moving the collet 570 relative to the wiring board 544 in the X and Y directions.

The movement mechanism 563 also moves the suction device 562 in the Z direction, which is the vertical direction, to move the collet 570 in the Z direction relative to the wiring board 544. In this embodiment, after the collet 570 is moved relative to the wiring board 544 in the X and Y directions, the collet 570 is lowered downward to place and mount the semiconductor element 30 on the wiring board 544.

The movement mechanism 563 may be, for example, a two-axis robot that can move in the Y and Z directions.

[Outline of cutting process]
Next, an outline of the cutting process will be described.

[Preparation process]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a substantially circular, plate-like semiconductor wafer 22 is supported by a base ring 28 via a dicing tape 26 and loaded in the storage box 18.

The chuck table 12 is pre-positioned at a receiving position on the opposite side to the protruding portion 20B (see FIG. 1). The transport unit 14 lifts the top semiconductor wafer 22 loaded in the storage box 18 via the base ring 28 and transports it toward the chuck table 12 positioned at the receiving position.

The semiconductor wafer 22 transported to the chuck table 12 is attracted to and fixed on the chuck table 12. In this state, the semiconductor wafer 22 is fixed to the chuck table 12 so that the longitudinal direction of the semiconductor element 30 cut out from the semiconductor wafer 22 is aligned with the X direction.

[First cutting step]
4A, in the first cutting step, the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut along a first cutting line SC which is the long side direction of the semiconductor element 30. The semiconductor wafer 22 moves back and forth in the X direction, but is cut only when the direction of movement of the cutting unit 36 relative to the semiconductor wafer 22 is the F direction along the X direction. In other words, the movement direction when the cutting unit 36 moves relative to the semiconductor wafer 22 in the F direction (the direction of the arrow F) is the cutting direction. The long side direction of the semiconductor element 30 and the X direction are examples of intersecting directions.

The cutting device control unit 84 shown in FIG. 7 controls the drive unit 48 and the moving unit 32 to move the chuck table 12 in the opposite direction to the direction F with the blade 46 in the cutting position (see FIG. 14(B)) as shown in FIG. 4(A). In other words, the cutting device control unit 84 uses the drive unit 48 to move the rotating blade 46 to the cutting position (at this time, the blade 46 is not in contact with the semiconductor wafer 22), and then uses the moving unit 32 to move the chuck table 12 in the opposite direction to the direction of the arrow F (from the receiving position to the protruding portion 20B side). As a result, the rotating blade 46 passes from the outside of one outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (upper side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)) to the outside of the other outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (lower side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)). As a result, the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut along the first cutting line SC.

Next, the cutting device control unit 84 shown in FIG. 7 controls the drive unit 48 and the moving unit 32 to move the cutting unit 36 shown in FIG. 4(A) to the upper retracted position (see FIG. 14(A)) and move the chuck table 12 in the direction F. In other words, the cutting device control unit 84 uses the drive unit 48 to move the rotating blade 46 to the retracted position, and then uses the moving unit 32 to move the chuck table 12 in the direction of arrow F (from the protruding portion 20B side to the receiving position side). As a result, the rotating blade 46 is moved relatively from the outside of the other outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the lower side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)) to the outside of one outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the upper side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)) without contacting the semiconductor wafer 22.

After the cutting unit 36 has moved to the retracted position (see FIG. 14A), the cutting device control unit 84 shown in FIG. 7 controls the drive unit 48 to feed the cutting unit 36 in the retracted position in the Y direction in FIG. 4A while maintaining the retracted position, and changes the cutting line (cutting line) to the next first cutting line SC on the right side in the left-right direction of the paper in FIG. 4A. The feed amount of the cutting unit 36 at this time is L2. This feed amount L2 is the amount of movement of the center position of the blade 46 in the thickness direction. As described above, the feed amount L2 is the length L2 of the short side of the semiconductor element 30.

Then, the cutting device control unit 84 moves the cutting unit 36 to the cutting position (see FIG. 14B), and then moves the chuck table 12 in the opposite direction to the F direction to cut along the first cutting line SC. In other words, the cutting device control unit 84 uses the drive unit 48 to move the rotating blade 46 to the cutting position (at this time, the blade 46 is not in contact with the semiconductor wafer 22), and then uses the moving unit 32 to move the chuck table 12 in the opposite direction to the direction of the arrow F (from the receiving position side to the protruding portion 20B side). As a result, the rotating blade 46 passes from the outside of one outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the upper side of the paper in FIG. 4A) to the outside of the other outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the lower side of the paper in FIG. 4A). Therefore, the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut along the first cutting line SC.

By repeating this procedure, all of the first cutting lines SC on the semiconductor wafer 22 are cut in sequence, forming the long sides of the semiconductor elements 30.

When the blade 46 cuts the semiconductor wafer 22 along the first cutting line SC, the cutting device control unit 84 shown in FIG. 7 opens and closes valves (not shown) to appropriately discharge cutting water from the discharge pipes 72, 74, 76, and 78 that constitute the discharge unit 62 in FIG. 2.

[Second cutting step]
4(B), in the second cutting step, after the first cutting step is completed, the semiconductor wafer 22 is rotated by 90° as viewed from the Z direction, and the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut along second cutting lines ST which are in the short side direction of the semiconductor elements 30. As in the first cutting step, the cutting direction for cutting the semiconductor wafer 22 in the second cutting step is the F direction.

Specifically, the cutting device control unit 84 shown in FIG. 7 controls the drive unit 48 to move the cutting unit 36 to the retracted position (see FIG. 14(A)), controls the moving unit 32 to move the chuck table 12 to separate the semiconductor wafer 22 from the cutting unit 36, and controls the rotational movement device 24 to rotate the chuck table 12 by 90 degrees. In other words, the cutting device control unit 84 uses the drive unit 48 to move the rotating blade 46 from the cutting position to the retracted position. Thereafter, the movement unit 32 moves the chuck table 12 in the direction of the arrow F (from the protruding portion 20B side to the receiving position side). The rotational movement device 24 rotates the chuck table 12 in the receiving position by 90 degrees in a plan view.

Then, similar to the first cutting process, in the second cutting process, all of the second cutting lines ST of the semiconductor wafer 22 are cut in sequence to form the short sides of the semiconductor elements 30.

At this time, the feed amount of the cutting unit 36 is L1. This feed amount L1 is the amount of movement of the center position of the blade 46 in the thickness direction.

As in the first cutting process, in the second cutting process, the cutting device control unit 84 shown in FIG. 7 opens and closes valves (not shown) to appropriately discharge cutting water from each of the discharge pipes 72, 74, 76, and 78 constituting the discharge unit 62 shown in FIG. 2 when the blade 46 cuts the semiconductor wafer 22 along the second cutting line ST.

[Correction Control 1]
Next, a correction control in which the cutting device control section 84 shown in FIG. 7 corrects the feed amount L2 (see FIG. 3) in the Y direction of the blade 46 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) of the cutting unit 36 in the first cutting step will be described.

As already explained, the wafer cutting device 10 cuts the semiconductor wafer 22 into a lattice pattern using the blade 46 of the cutting unit 36 (see Figures 1 and 2), and cuts out rectangular semiconductor elements 30 whose short sides L2 are equal to or less than the thickness t of the wafer.

In the first cutting process, among the multiple first cutting lines SC, predetermined first cutting lines SC are correction lines HL (see FIG. 8) that correct the feed amount. The first cutting lines SC that are not correction lines HL cut the semiconductor wafer 22 in the "first cutting process" described above. The first cutting lines SC that are correction lines HL cut the semiconductor wafer 22 in the "cutting process at the correction lines HL" described below. In this embodiment, there is one correction line HL for every 40 first cutting lines SC, but this is not limited to this.

Also, as shown in FIG. 11, the correction line HL (see FIG. 8) is not applied when the distance W from the corner 31 of the semiconductor element 30 being cut out to the outer peripheral edge 22E of the semiconductor wafer 22 in the direction of the first cutting line SC is equal to or less than the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22 (see FIG. 12). In FIG. 11, the first cutting line SCA is not set as the correction line HL because the distance W is equal to or less than the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22. In other words, the correction line HL is set as the first cutting line among the multiple first cutting lines whose distance W is greater than the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22.

Figures 8 (B) to (D) show the cutting process at the correction line HL. At the first cutting line SC, which is not the correction line HL as shown in Figures 8 (A) and 8 (B), the blade 46 of the cutting unit 36 (see Figures 1 and 2) moves relative to the cutting line HL in one pass in the F direction (see Figure 4) to cut the semiconductor wafer 22 (the first cutting process described above).

As shown in FIG. 8(C), in the correction line HL, the cutting device control unit 84 controls the drive unit 48 and the moving unit 32 (see FIG. 7) to bring the blade 46 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of the cutting unit 36 to the groove forming position (see FIG. 14(C)) and relatively move it in the F direction (see FIG. 4) to form the groove 110.

In other words, the cutting device control unit 84 uses the drive unit 48 to move the rotating blade 46 to the groove formation position (the blade 46 is not in contact with the semiconductor wafer 22 at this time), and then uses the movement unit 32 to move the chuck table 12 in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow F (from the receiving position side to the protruding portion 20B side). As a result, the rotating blade 46 passes from the outside of one outer periphery end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the upper side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)) to the outside of the other outer periphery end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the lower side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)). As a result, a groove 110 is formed in the semiconductor wafer 22 along the correction line HL.

Next, the cutting device control unit 84 moves the rotating blade 46 to a retracted position using the drive unit 48, and then moves the chuck table 12 in the direction of arrow F (from the protruding portion 20B side to the receiving position side) using the movement unit 32. During this movement of the chuck table 12 in the direction of arrow F, the cutting device control unit 84 uses the imaging unit 38 to image the groove 110, as described below. As a result, the rotating blade 46 is moved relatively from the outside of the other outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the lower side of the paper in FIG. 4A) to the outside of one outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the upper side of the paper in FIG. 4A) without contacting the semiconductor wafer 22. During this relative movement, the imaging unit 38 images the groove 110 from one end to the other end.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8(D), the cutting device control unit 84 controls the drive unit 48 and the moving unit 32 (see FIG. 7) to set the cutting unit 36 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) to the cutting position (see FIG. 14(B)), and similarly moves the cutting unit 36 in the F direction relative to the cutting unit 36 to cut the semiconductor wafer 22 at the groove 110. In other words, the cutting device control unit 84 uses the drive unit 48 to move the rotating blade 46 to the cutting position (at this time, the blade 46 is not in contact with the semiconductor wafer 22), and then uses the moving unit 32 to move the chuck table 12 in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow F (from the receiving position side to the protruding part 20B side). As a result, the blade 46 that has formed the groove 110 passes along the groove 110 from the outside of one outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (upper side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)) to the outside of the other outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (lower side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)). Therefore, the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut at the groove 110 along the correction line HL.

That is, in the cutting process at the correction line HL, the cutting device control unit 84 controls the drive unit 48 and the moving unit 32 to form a groove 110 in the semiconductor wafer 22 by the first relative movement of the blade 46, and cuts the semiconductor wafer 22 at the groove 110 by the second relative movement of the blade 46 that formed the groove 110. The same blade 46 is used to form the groove 110 in the semiconductor wafer 22 and to cut the semiconductor wafer 22 at the groove 110, and the blade 46 is not moved in the rotation axis direction (left-right direction (Y direction) on the paper in FIG. 4(A)). Therefore, theoretically, the line of the groove 110 formed in the semiconductor wafer 22 and the line along which the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut should match. However, when cutting the semiconductor wafer 22 by the second relative movement of the blade 46 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2), the position of the groove 110 may be slightly shifted in the Y direction due to the mechanical accuracy of the drive unit 48 and the moving unit 32. When such a misalignment occurs, a step 112 is formed as shown in Figures 8(D) and 12.

8(C) and 12, the depth K1 of the groove 110 is set to be greater than the height S of the tip 522C of the claw portion 522B of the positioning member 522 in the positioning device 520 when the semiconductor element 30 (see FIG. 8(D)) cut out from the semiconductor wafer 22 is mounted on the wiring board 544 by turning it upside down as shown in FIG. 13. That is, the height S of the tip 522C is lower than the position of the step portion 112. In other words, when the semiconductor element 30 is placed on the positioning table 530 of the positioning device 520 so that the other surface of the semiconductor wafer 22 faces down (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 13), the height K1 of the step portion 112 from the surface (top surface) of the positioning table 530 (depth K1 of the groove 110) is set to be greater than the height S of the tip 522C from the surface (top surface) of the positioning table 530. In other words, the depth K1 of the groove 110 is set so that when the semiconductor element 30 is placed on the positioning table 530 with the other surface of the semiconductor wafer 22 facing down (see FIGS. 6 and 13), even if the tip surface of the tip 522C is brought into contact with the semiconductor element 30, the tip 522C does not come into contact with the step portion 112. This is because if the tip 522C comes into contact with the step portion 112 when the tip surface of the tip 522C is brought into contact with the semiconductor element 30, the semiconductor element 30 cannot be accurately positioned on the positioning table 530 of the positioning device 520 using the claw portion 522B.

The total depth of the depth K1 of the groove 110 and the depth K2 of the etching groove 100 is set to be less than half the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22. In other words, the relationship K1 + K2 ≦ 1/2t is set. The groove 110 is formed on the other side of the semiconductor wafer 22 along the correction line HL opposite the etching groove 100 formed on one side of the semiconductor wafer 22, so that cracks in the semiconductor wafer 22 at the groove 110 are suppressed when the groove 110 is formed. In this embodiment, the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22 (see FIG. 12) is 0.50 mm, the depth K1 of the groove 110 is 0.20 mm, and the depth K2 of the etching groove 100 is 0.05 mm, and the relationship K1 + K2 ≦ 1/2t is set. Note that these numerical values are merely examples and are not limited to these.

Then, after the cutting unit 36 has moved to the retracted position (see FIG. 14(A)), the cutting device control unit 84 shown in FIG. 7 controls the drive unit 48 to send the cutting unit 36 from the retracted position to the right in the Y direction in FIG. 4 (left-right direction on the paper in FIG. 4) and change the cutting line to the next first cutting line SC. In other words, the cutting device control unit 84 uses the drive unit 48 to move the rotating blade 46 to the retracted position, and then moves the blade 46 L2 in the short side direction toward the uncut semiconductor wafer 22. L2 is the length of the short side of the semiconductor element 30 and the distance between the first cutting lines SC.

Here, the feed amount L2 of the cutting unit 36 at this time is corrected before the cutting unit 36 is fed. Here, the correction of this feed amount L2 will be explained.

As described above, the cutting device control unit 84 controls the moving unit 32 and the imaging unit 38 to capture an image of the groove 110 formed by the correction line HL shown in FIG. 8(C). That is, when the cutting device control unit 84 uses the moving unit 32 to move the chuck table 12 in the direction of the arrow F, the cutting device control unit 84 captures an image of the groove 110 from one end to the other end using the imaging unit 38. Using the image captured by the imaging unit 38, the cutting device control unit 84 corrects the feed amount L2 of the blade 46 in the Y direction in FIG. 4 using the correction unit 83.

Specifically, the correction unit 83 obtains a center line CA, which is a virtual straight line connecting the centers of the groove width direction (Y direction in FIG. 10) of the groove 110 from the captured image shown in FIG. 10. Next, the correction unit 83 compares the obtained center line CA with the reference line KA of the first cutting line SC stored in the cutting device control unit 84, and obtains the deviation amount ΔL2. Then, the cutting unit 36 is fed by correcting the feed amount L2 when fed next from the deviation amount ΔL2. For example, when the cutting unit 36 is fed upward on the paper surface of FIG. 10 based on the reference line KA, the feed amount is corrected to L2+ΔL2. Also, for example, when the cutting unit 36 is fed downward on the paper surface of FIG. 10 based on the reference line KA, the feed amount is corrected to L2-ΔL2. Note that the correction of the feed amount L2 is only for the first cutting line SC that is cut next to the correction line HL. In other words, when the blade 46 is fed in the Y direction in FIG. 4 to the next first cutting line SC after the first cutting line SC, the feed amount is L2 without the above correction.

The cutting device control unit 84 corrects the next feed amount L2 from the calculated deviation amount ΔL2 and feeds the blade 46 in the Y direction in FIG. 4, and also uses the moving unit 32 to move the chuck table 12 in the direction of arrow F (from the protruding portion 20B side to the receiving position side). As a result, the rotating blade 46 is moved relatively from the outside of the other outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the lower side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)) to the outside of one outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the upper side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)) without coming into contact with the semiconductor wafer 22.

Then, the cutting device control unit 84 uses the drive unit 48 to move the rotating blade 46 from the retracted position to the cutting position (at this time, the blade 46 is not in contact with the semiconductor wafer 22), and then uses the movement unit 32 to move the chuck table 12 in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow F (from the receiving position side to the protruding portion 20B side). As a result, the rotating blade 46 passes from the outside of one outer periphery edge of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the upper side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)) to the outside of the other outer periphery edge of the semiconductor wafer 22 (the lower side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)). Therefore, the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut more accurately along the first cutting line SC.

[Action]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

In the manufacturing method of the semiconductor element 30 and the wafer cutting device 10 of this embodiment, the groove 110 of the semiconductor wafer 22 is imaged to correct the feed amount L2 of the blade 46 of the cutting unit 36. This improves the accuracy of the correction compared to the case where the feed amount L2 is corrected by imaging the gap between the semiconductor element 30 after the semiconductor wafer 22 has been cut and the adjacent semiconductor element 30 before the semiconductor wafer 22 has been cut.

Here, FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of the state of the semiconductor element 30 after the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut along the first cutting line SC.

The length L2 of the short side of the semiconductor element 30 is less than the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22, and is long in the vertical direction, so stability in the short side direction is insufficient. In addition, the semiconductor element 30 is attached to the soft, elastic dicing tape 26, so stability is also insufficient in this respect. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, after cutting, the semiconductor element 30 is likely to tilt in the short side direction due to the impact during cutting, the water pressure of the cutting water, and the effects of the water flow when the cutting water flows and is discharged.

In addition, in this embodiment, the etching grooves 100 are formed in advance in the semiconductor wafer 22 along the first cutting line SC and the second cutting line ST. Therefore, when the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut, cracks may form up to the etching grooves 100 before cutting due to the pressure from the blade 46, which may cause the semiconductor element 30 to tilt after cutting the semiconductor wafer 22.

In addition, in order to make it easier to understand, the thickness of the dicing tape 26 in FIG. 9 is shown to be thicker than it actually is, and the inclination of the semiconductor element 30 after cutting is shown to be greater than it actually is.

When the semiconductor element 30 is tilted in this manner, if an image of the gap between the cut semiconductor element 30 and the cut semiconductor element 30 adjacent to this semiconductor element 30 is captured to correct the feed amount L2, the correction cannot be performed accurately because the spacing of the gap is not stable (varies).

In contrast, as described above, in the correction line HL, the semiconductor wafer 22 is not cut, but a groove 110 is first formed between adjacent semiconductor elements 30, and the groove 110 is imaged while the gap between the adjacent semiconductor elements 30 (the width of the groove 110) is stable, thereby improving the accuracy of correcting the feed amount L2.

In addition, the correction lines HL for correction by forming grooves 110 are set every 40 first cutting lines SC. In other words, one correction line HL is set for every 40 first cutting lines HL. Therefore, compared to the case where the semiconductor wafer 22 is corrected by forming grooves 110 for each first cutting line SC, the cutting efficiency for cutting the semiconductor elements 30 from the semiconductor wafer 22 is improved. In other words, the time required to cut all the semiconductor elements 30 from the semiconductor wafer 22 can be shortened.

Also, as shown in FIG. 11, the correction line HL (see FIG. 8) is not applied when the distance W from the corner 31 of the semiconductor element 30 to be cut out to the outer peripheral edge 22E of the semiconductor wafer 22 in the direction of the first cutting line SC is equal to or less than the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22.

As described above, after the blade 46 forms the groove 110 at the correction line HL, the same blade 46 that formed the groove 110 is inserted again into the groove 110 to cut the semiconductor wafer 22. However, due to the mechanical precision of the drive unit 48 and the moving unit 32, the blade 46 may be slightly misaligned from the groove 110 in a direction intersecting the first cutting line SC (the direction of the second cutting line ST). When such a misalignment occurs, if the distance W between the corner 31 and the outer circumferential end 22E is close, damage such as cracks and chips is likely to occur in the corner 31 of the semiconductor element 30 when the blade 46 re-enters the groove 110.

However, as mentioned above, the first cutting line HL, in which the distance W from the corner 31 to the outer peripheral edge 22E of the semiconductor wafer 22 in the direction of the first cutting line SC is less than the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22, is not treated as a correction line HL, thereby preventing damage to the semiconductor element 30.

The depth K1 of the groove 110 is set to be greater than the height S of the tip 522C of the claw portion 522B of the positioning member 522, which positions the semiconductor element 30 cut out from the semiconductor wafer 22 when mounting it.

As described above, when cutting the semiconductor wafer 22 with the blade 46 after forming the groove 110, if the position of the blade 46 is shifted in a direction (second cutting line ST direction) intersecting the correction line HL direction (first cutting line SC direction), a step 112 is formed on the side of the semiconductor element 30 cut out from the semiconductor wafer 22. If the depth K1 of the groove 110 is equal to or less than the height S of the tip 522C of the positioning member 522, when mounting the semiconductor element 30, the position of the step 112 will be lower than the height S of the tip 522C, and the tip 522C will hit the step 112, reducing the positioning accuracy of the semiconductor element 30 using the claw 522B. This will result in frequent mounting defects of the semiconductor element 30 on the wiring board 544.

However, since the depth K1 of the groove 110 is set to be greater than the height S of the tip 522C of the claw portion 522B of the positioning member 522, which positions the semiconductor element 30 cut out from the semiconductor wafer 22 when it is mounted, the position of the step portion 112 is higher than the height S of the tip 522C, and a decrease in positioning accuracy due to the tip 522C hitting the step portion 112 is prevented.

In addition, the depth K1 of the groove 110 is set so that the total depth of the depth K1 of the groove 110 formed in the semiconductor wafer 22 and the depth K2 of the etching groove 100 is equal to or less than 1/2 the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22. Therefore, when the groove 110 is formed in the semiconductor wafer 22, cracks in the semiconductor wafer 22 at the bottom of the groove 110 are suppressed.

＜Other＞
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, in the above embodiment, the correction of the feed amount L2 of the blade 46 was performed when the blade 46 was fed by the feed amount L2 to the first cutting line SC adjacent to the correction line HL. In other words, the feed amount of the blade 46 in the Y direction in FIG. 4 was set to L2 + ΔL2 or L2 - ΔL2, not L2. In other words, this can be said to be a correction of the deviation amount ΔL2 of the blade 46. However, this correction of the deviation amount ΔL2 of the blade 46 is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be performed when cutting the semiconductor wafer 22 at the groove 110 at the correction line HL. In other words, in the above embodiment, after the groove 110 formed in the semiconductor wafer 22 is imaged, the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut by the blade 46 at the groove 110, and then the deviation amount ΔL2 is corrected when the blade 46 is fed in the Y direction in FIG. 4. That is, in the above embodiment, the feed amount of the blade 46 to the first cutting line SC is set to L2+ΔL2 or L2-ΔL2 instead of L2, thereby improving the accuracy of cutting the first cutting line SC adjacent to the correction line HL. However, the correction of the deviation amount ΔL2 of the blade 46 in the Y direction in FIG. 4 may be performed when cutting the semiconductor wafer 22 in the groove 110. This point will be described in detail next. Note that the process from the formation of the groove 110 by the blade 46 and the subsequent imaging of the groove 110 from one end to the other by the imaging unit 38 are the same as in the above embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

After the imaging unit 38 captures an image of the groove 110, the deviation ΔL2 can be calculated in the same manner as described in the above embodiment. That is, the correction unit 83 calculates a center line CA, which is an imaginary straight line connecting the centers of the grooves 110 in the groove width direction (Y direction in FIG. 10), from the captured image shown in FIG. 10. Next, the correction unit 83 compares the calculated center line CA with a reference line KA of the first cutting line SC stored in the cutting device control unit 84, and calculates the deviation ΔL2.

Then, when the cutting device control unit 84 moves the rotating blade 46 to the cutting position using the drive unit 48, the blade 46 is moved in the Y direction of FIG. 4 by correcting the deviation amount ΔL2 (at this time, the blade 46 is not in contact with the semiconductor wafer 22). Then, the moving unit 32 is used to move the chuck table 12 in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow F (from the receiving position side to the protruding part 20B side). As a result, after forming the groove 110, the blade 46 with the deviation amount ΔL2 corrected passes along the groove 110 from the outside of one outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (upper side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)) to the outside of the other outer peripheral end of the semiconductor wafer 22 (lower side of the paper in FIG. 4(A)). Therefore, the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut with high precision by the groove 110 along the correction line HL.

That is, in the cutting process at the correction line HL, the cutting device control unit 84 controls the drive unit 48 and the moving unit 32 to form a groove 110 in the semiconductor wafer 22 by the first relative movement of the blade 46, and then cuts the semiconductor wafer 22 at the groove 110 by the second relative movement of the blade 46 with the deviation amount ΔL2 corrected. Needless to say, the same blade 46 is used to form the groove 110 in the semiconductor wafer 22 and to cut the semiconductor wafer 22 at the groove 110. Also, when cutting the semiconductor wafer 22 by the second relative movement of the blade 46 (see Figures 1 and 2), the cutting position (cutting line) may be shifted in the Y direction of Figure 4 by the deviation amount ΔL2. When such a deviation occurs, a step portion 112 is formed as shown in Figures 8(D) and 12. The configuration and handling of this step portion 112 are the same as those in the above embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted. Note that the offset amount ΔL2 is corrected during the cutting process at the correction line HL, so the feed amount when the blade 46 is subsequently fed in the Y direction in FIG. 4 (to the first cutting line SC adjacent to the correction line HL) is not corrected by ΔL2 (it is L2, not L2 + ΔL2 or L2 - ΔL2 as in the above embodiment).

In addition, for example, in the above embodiment, the total depth of the depth K1 of the recessed groove 110 and the depth K2 of the etched groove 100 is equal to or less than 1/2 the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22, but this is not limited to this. The total depth of the depth K1 of the recessed groove 110 and the depth K2 of the etched groove 100 may be greater than 1/2 the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22.

Also, for example, in the above embodiment, the etching grooves 100 are formed in advance in a grid pattern on the semiconductor wafer 22 along the first cutting line SC and the second cutting line ST by etching. However, the etching grooves 100 do not have to be formed. Note that, when the etching grooves 100 are not formed, the depth K1 of the recessed grooves 110 is preferably 1/2 or less of the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22. Also, even when the etching grooves 100 are formed, the depth K1 of the recessed grooves 110 may be 1/2 or less of the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22.

Also, for example, in the above embodiment, the depth K1 of the groove 110 is set to be greater than the height S of the tip 522C of the claw portion 522B of the positioning member 522 that positions the semiconductor element 30 cut out from the semiconductor wafer 22 when it is mounted. However, this is not limited to this, and the depth K1 of the groove 110 may be less than the height S of the tip 522C of the positioning member 522.

In short, the depth K1 of the groove 110 can be set appropriately.

In addition, for example, in the above embodiment, in the first cutting process, the correction line HL is used to correct the feed amount L2 of the blade 46 in the short side direction only at the predetermined first cutting line SC. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, all first cutting lines SC may be used as the correction line HL, and the feed amount L2 of the blade 46 in the short side direction may be corrected each time the semiconductor wafer 22 is cut.

Also, for example, in the above embodiment, the feed amount L2 in the short side direction of the blade 46 during the first cutting process, which cuts along the first cutting line SC, is equal to or less than the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22, so the groove 110 is appropriately formed to correct the feed amount L2. And, the feed amount L1 in the long side direction of the blade 46 during the second cutting process, which cuts along the second cutting line SC, is greater than the thickness t of the semiconductor wafer 22, so the groove is not formed to correct the feed amount L1. However, if the feed amount L1 in the long side direction of the blade 46 during the second cutting process, which cuts along the second cutting line ST, is equal to or less than the thickness of the semiconductor wafer 22, the groove 110 may also be appropriately formed in the second cutting process to correct the feed amount L1 in the long side direction of the blade 46.

Also, for example, in the above embodiment, the correction unit 83 determines the center line CA of the groove 110 in the groove width direction from the captured image, compares the determined center line CA with the stored reference line KA of the first cutting line SC, determines the amount of deviation ΔL2, and corrects the feed amount L2 for the next feed from the amount of deviation ΔL2. However, the method of correcting the feed amount from the captured image of the groove 110 is not limited to the above-mentioned method. For example, the correction may be made from the sidewall position of the groove 110 determined from the captured image and the stored reference sidewall position.

Also, for example, in the above embodiment, in the first cutting step and the second cutting step, the blade 46 of the cutting unit 36 reciprocates relative to the semiconductor wafer 22 in the X direction in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4A. Also, the blade 46 of the cutting unit 36 cuts only when the relative movement direction with respect to the semiconductor wafer 22 is the F direction. However, the blade 46 of the cutting unit 36 may also cut when the relative movement direction with respect to the semiconductor wafer 22 is the opposite direction to the F direction. In other words, the blade 46 of the cutting unit 36 may cut both when it moves in the forward direction in the X direction in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4A with respect to the semiconductor wafer 22 and when it moves in the return direction. Also, for example, the blade 46 of the cutting unit 36 may form a groove 110 in the semiconductor wafer 22 when it moves in the forward direction in the X direction in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4A with respect to the semiconductor wafer 22, and cut the semiconductor wafer 22 with the groove 110 when it moves in the return direction.

Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention.

10 Wafer cutting device 22 Semiconductor wafer (an example of a wafer)
30 Semiconductor element (an example of an element)
31 Corner 46 Blade (an example of a rotating blade, an example of a rotary blade)
83 Correction unit 84 Cutting device control unit (an example of a control unit)
100 Etched groove 110 Concave groove 522 Positioning member 522C Tip portion

Claims (8)

A method for manufacturing an element, comprising cutting a wafer into a lattice shape with a rotating blade to cut out rectangular elements each having a side length equal to or less than the thickness of the wafer,
a step of relatively moving the blade in a direction intersecting the one side direction to form a groove in the wafer having a depth equal to or less than half the thickness of the wafer , and capturing an image of the groove;
a step of cutting the wafer by the groove by relatively moving the blade in the intersecting direction;
a step of correcting a feed amount of the blade in the one side direction based on a captured image of the groove and feeding the blade in the one side direction;
A method for manufacturing an element comprising the steps of: a step of cutting the wafer by relatively moving the blade in the cross direction without forming the groove and imaging the wafer, and feeding the blade in the one side direction without making the correction;
A method for manufacturing the element according to claim 1 . A method for manufacturing an element, comprising cutting a wafer into a lattice shape with a rotating blade to cut out rectangular elements each having a side length equal to or less than the thickness of the wafer,
a step of relatively moving the blade in a direction intersecting the one side direction to form a groove in the wafer having a depth equal to or less than half the thickness of the wafer , and capturing an image of the groove;
correcting an amount of deviation of the blade in the direction of one side from a captured image of the groove, and relatively moving the blade in the intersecting direction to cut the wafer at the groove;
feeding the blade in the direction of the one side;
A method for manufacturing an element comprising the steps of: and a step of cutting the wafer by relatively moving the blade in the intersecting direction without correcting the deviation of the blade, as well as forming and photographing the groove.
A method for manufacturing the element according to claim 3 . the other step is performed when the distance from the corner of the element to the outer circumferential edge of the wafer in the intersecting direction is equal to or less than the thickness of the wafer.
A method for producing the element according to claim 2 or 4. The depth of the groove is set to be greater than the height of a tip of a positioning member that positions the element cut out from the wafer when the element is mounted.
A method for manufacturing the element according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The wafer has an etched groove formed in advance on a surface opposite to the surface on which the recessed groove is formed,
The total depth of the recessed groove and the etched groove is set to be equal to or less than half the thickness of the wafer.
A method for manufacturing the element according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . a rotary blade that cuts the wafer into a lattice pattern to cut out rectangular elements each having a side length equal to or less than the thickness of the wafer;
a relative movement unit that moves the rotary blade relative to the wafer;
An imaging device;
a control unit that controls the relative movement unit, relatively moves the rotary blade in a direction intersecting the one side direction, and captures an image of a groove formed in the wafer, the groove having a depth equal to or less than half the thickness of the wafer , using the imaging device, corrects a feed amount or a deviation amount of the rotary blade in the one side direction from an image captured by the imaging device, and feeds the rotary blade in the one side direction;
A wafer cutting apparatus comprising: