JP7723893B2 - Workpiece machining device and workpiece machining method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a workpiece processing device, and more particularly to a workpiece processing device and workpiece processing method that uses a spindle to rotate a blade to cut workpieces such as semiconductor wafers.

Conventionally, dicing machines (see, for example, Patent Document 1) are known as devices that use a blade to cut workpieces such as semiconductor wafers. In this dicing machine, the blade is supported on the end face of a flange attached to the tip of a spindle, and the spindle rotates the blade to bring it into contact with the workpiece, thereby cutting the workpiece.

In dicing machines, the blade cuts the workpiece while in contact with the end face of the flange. If the end face of the flange that comes into contact with the blade is not flat, or if the angle between the axis of the spindle and the end face of the flange is not a right angle, the blade will flutter as it rotates, making precise machining impossible.

Patent Document 2 discloses a cutting device that performs end face repair by grinding the flange end face with a grinding wheel. This cutting device has a detection unit that detects contact between the flange end face and the grinding wheel due to relative movement of the flange and the grinding wheel in the Y direction, and a control unit that adjusts the positional relationship between the flange end face and the grinding wheel in at least the X and Z directions, and then brings the flange end face and the grinding wheel closer together in the Y direction, thereby determining the start position for end face repair in the Y direction when the detection unit detects contact between the flange end face and the grinding wheel.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-22936 JP 2011-224666 A

However, with the cutting device disclosed in Patent Document 2, depending on the condition of the flange end face, end face correction may be performed even when it is not necessary, which can cause a decrease in the throughput of the workpiece processing device.

The present invention was developed in response to these problems, and aims to provide a workpiece processing device and workpiece processing method that can minimize the decline in throughput that accompanies flange end surface correction.

To achieve the object of the present invention, the workpiece processing device of the present invention supports a blade on the end surface of a flange attached to the tip of a spindle, and cuts the workpiece by rotating the blade with the spindle and bringing it into contact with the workpiece. The device has a detection means for detecting the condition of the flange end surface, an end surface correction means for grinding the end surface by bringing a grinding wheel into contact with the flange end surface, and a control means for controlling the end surface correction means based on the detection results of the detection means.

In one embodiment of the workpiece processing device of the present invention, the detection means preferably detects the state of at least one of the end face conditions, namely the angle between the spindle axis and the end face and the state of any defects that have occurred on the end face, and the control means preferably controls the end face correction means based on the state of the end face detected by the detection means.

In one embodiment of the workpiece processing device of the present invention, when the detection means detects the angle as the state of the end face, it is preferable that the control means controls the end face correction means so that the angle becomes a right angle using the grinding stone.

In one embodiment of the workpiece processing device of the present invention, when the detection means detects the condition of a flaw as the condition of the end surface, it is preferable that the control means controls the end surface correction means to remove the flaw with a grinding stone.

In one embodiment of the workpiece processing device of the present invention, the end face correction means includes a moving means for moving the end face of the flange and the grinding wheel in directions that bring them closer to and away from each other, and a detecting means for detecting contact between the end face and the grinding wheel due to the relative movement of the end face and the grinding wheel caused by the moving means, and the control means preferably controls the moving means by setting the position in the direction when the detecting means detects contact as the end face grinding start position.

One embodiment of the workpiece processing device of the present invention preferably comprises a wear detection means for detecting the amount of wear on the blade, and a blade attachment/detachment means for attaching and detaching the blade to and from the spindle, and the control means controls the blade attachment/detachment means to detach the blade from the spindle only when the amount of wear exceeds an allowable value, and after the blade attachment/detachment means has detached the blade, controls the detection means to detect the condition of the end face, and if the detection result does not exceed the allowable value, controls the blade attachment/detachment means to attach a new blade to the spindle without grinding the end face, and if the detection result exceeds the allowable value, controls the end face correction means to grind the end face.

In one embodiment of the workpiece processing device of the present invention, the control means controls the detection means to redetect the condition of the end face after grinding of the end face is performed by the end face correction means, and if the redetected detection result does not exceed the allowable value, controls the blade attachment/detachment means to attach a new blade to the spindle, and preferably controls the spindle to stop cutting with the blade if the redetected detection result exceeds the allowable value.

To achieve the object of the present invention, the workpiece machining method of the present invention involves supporting a blade on the end surface of a flange attached to the tip of a spindle, and rotating the blade with the spindle to bring it into contact with the workpiece, thereby cutting the workpiece. The method includes a wear detection process that detects the amount of wear on the blade, a blade removal process that removes the blade from the spindle only if the amount of wear exceeds an allowable value, an end surface condition detection process that detects the condition of the end surface after the blade has been removed, a blade replacement process that attaches a new blade to the spindle without grinding the end surface if the detection result in the end surface condition detection process does not exceed the allowable value, and an end surface correction process that grinds the end surface if the detection result in the end surface condition detection process exceeds the allowable value.

One embodiment of the workpiece machining method of the present invention includes an end face condition redetection process in which the condition of the end face is redetected after grinding of the end face in the end face correction process, and a machining stop process in which cutting processing by the blade is stopped if the redetected detection result exceeds an allowable value. It is preferable to proceed to the blade replacement process if the redetected detection result does not exceed the allowable value.

This invention can reduce the reduction in throughput that occurs when modifying the flange end surface.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a dicing device according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a processing unit of the dicing device shown in FIG. An explanatory diagram showing the blade mounting structure FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an automatic blade changing device. Top view of automatic blade changer A perspective view showing the positional relationship between the sensor and the flange. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a waveform signal output from a sensor. A perspective view showing the appearance of the end face repair device Block diagram showing the configuration of the detection unit Control block diagram for end face correction control by the control unit Flowchart regarding end face correction control by the control unit FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a modified example of the end face repair device.

Embodiments of a workpiece processing device and a workpiece processing method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiments will be described using a dicing device as an example of a workpiece processing device.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a dicing device 10 according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the dicing device 10 includes a processing unit 12 that cuts workpieces W such as semiconductor wafers, a cleaning unit 14 that spin-cleans the processed workpieces W, a load port 16 on which a cassette containing a large number of workpieces W is placed, and a transport device 18 that transports the workpieces W.

In this specification, explanations will be given using a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system with three axes (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis). The X-axis shown in Figure 1 is the horizontal direction and indicates the cutting feed direction of the X table 20 (see Figure 2), which will be described later. The Y-axis is the horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the X-axis direction and indicates the index feed direction of the blade 22, which will be described later. The Z-axis is the vertical direction that is 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 unit 12.

As shown in Figure 2, the processing unit 12 has an X table 20 that is guided by a pair of X guide rails 26, 26 on an X base 24 and is moved in the X-axis direction by a linear motor 28. A rotary table 30 that rotates in the θ direction around the Z axis is provided on this X table 20, and a work table 32 is provided on this rotary table 30.

The work table 32 is, for example, disk-shaped and has a horizontally flat suction surface 34 on its upper surface, to which the workpiece W (see Figure 1) is vacuum-sucked and fixed.

A Y base 36 is erected above the X base 24, spanning it. In front of the Y base 36 are a pair of Y tables 40, 40 guided by a pair of Y guide rails 38, 38, which are movable in the Y-axis direction. These Y tables 40, 40 are moved in the Y-axis direction by a linear motor (not shown) provided on the Y base 36.

Y tables 40, 40 are provided with Z tables 44, 44 that are moved in the Z-axis direction by linear motors (not shown). High-frequency built-in spindle motors 46, 46 are fixed to the Z tables 44, 44 in a manner that faces them in the Y-axis direction, and disc-shaped blades 22, 22 are fixed to the tips of spindles 48, 48 of the spindle motors 46, 46 in a manner that faces 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 so that their axes are aligned with the Y-axis direction, which is the direction of movement of the Y tables 40, 40. The spindle 48 is made of a conductive metal, such as stainless steel.

As an example, the blade 22 is an electroplated blade made of diamond abrasive grains or CBN (cubic boron nitride) abrasive grains electrodeposited with nickel. In addition to electroplated blades, metal-resin-bonded blades made of resin mixed with metal powder can also be used. The blade 22 is rotated at high speeds of, for example, 6,000 to 80,000 rpm by the spindle 48.

With the processing unit 12 configured in this manner, the work table 32 is fed for cutting in the X-axis direction by the linear motor 28 and rotated in the θ direction by the rotary table 30. The blades 22, 22 are indexed in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis linear motor and are cut in the Z-axis direction by the Z-axis linear motor. This operation of the processing unit 12 cuts the workpiece W into a grid pattern.

The processing unit 12 is also provided with a wear amount detection device 200 that detects the amount of wear on the blade 22, as shown in FIG. 1. The wear amount detection device 200, for example, has a light-emitting element on one side of the blade 22 so that the cutting edge is sandwiched between them, and a light-receiving element on the other side. The wear amount detection device 200 detects the amount of wear on the blade 22 based on the amount of light received by the light-receiving element. This is a well-known configuration, as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-13250 or Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-186958. Therefore, a detailed description of the configuration will be omitted here. When a periodic or unexpected problem occurs (e.g., when vibrations exceeding the allowable value occur in the blade 22), processing of the workpiece W is interrupted and the blade 22 is moved toward the wear amount detection device 200, where the wear amount is detected by the wear amount detection device 200. If the amount of wear detected by the wear amount detection device 200 exceeds the allowable value, the blade 22 is replaced with a new blade 22 by the automatic blade replacement device 60 (see FIG. 4), which will be described later.

Next, we will explain an example of an attachment structure for attaching the blade 22 to the spindle 48.

Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the blade mounting structure for mounting the blade 22 to the spindle 48. Part 700A of Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the state before the blade 22 is mounted on the spindle 48, and part 700B of Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the state after the blade 22 has been mounted on the spindle 48.

As shown in FIG. 3 , a flange 50 is attached to the tip of the spindle 48. The flange 50 includes a disk-shaped main body 50A that is smaller in diameter than the blade 22, a cylindrical insertion portion 50B that protrudes axially from the center of the main body 50A and has a male thread formed on its outer periphery, and a circular end surface 50C formed on the main body 50A that supports the blade 22. To secure the flange 50 to the spindle 48, a flange-securing bolt 52 is inserted into a through-hole (not shown) drilled axially in the insertion portion 50B, and the bolt 52 is threaded into a female thread (not shown) drilled axially from the tip surface of the spindle 48. This secures the flange 50 to the spindle 48. Like the spindle 48, the flange 50 is made of a conductive metal, such as stainless steel.

The blade 22 is composed of a cylindrical body portion 22A with a through-hole (not shown) that fits into the insertion portion 50B of the flange 50, and a thin plate-like blade portion 22B that is integrally formed on the surface of the body portion 22A facing the spindle motor 46 and has a larger diameter than the main body portion 50A of the flange 50.

Both surfaces of the blade portion 22B are flat, and the surface facing the spindle motor 46 is supported against the end surface 50C of the flange 50.

To secure the blade 22 to the flange 50 fixed to the spindle 48, the through-hole of the blade 22 is inserted into the insertion portion 50B, the surface of the cutting portion 22B facing the spindle motor 46 is brought into contact with the end face 50C, and then the nut 54 is screwed onto the insertion portion 50B. This clamps the cutting portion 22B between the end face 50C and the nut 54. This secures the blade 22 to the flange 50. Below, we will explain the automatic blade changer 60, which can automatically exchange the blade 22 with the flange 50.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the automatic blade exchange device 60, and Figure 5 is a top view of the automatic blade exchange device 60. Note that the automatic blade exchange device 60 described in this example is a publicly known configuration, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-34408, so only the structure of its main components will be described here, and detailed structure will not be described. This automatic blade exchange device 60 is an example of a blade attachment/detachment means.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the automatic blade changer 60 includes a blade attachment/detachment section 62, temporary blade storage sections 64, 64, and a blade insertion/fitting section 66. The blade attachment/detachment section 62 and the blade insertion/fitting section 66 are each moved by a moving section 68 to positions facing the spindle 48.

The moving unit 68 includes a base 70, a disk-shaped table 72 rotatably supported on the base 70, and a motor 74 mounted on the base 70 to rotate the table 72. A timing belt 76 is stretched between the table 72 and a pulley (not shown) attached to the rotation shaft (not shown) of the motor 74, and the rotation angle and timing of the table 72 rotated by the motor 74 are controlled by a control unit 78. Here, the control unit 78 is an example of a control means. The control unit 78 in this example functions as a control means that controls the entire dicing apparatus 10, including the drive members of the automatic blade changer 60. The control unit 78 will be described later.

A linear guide rail (not shown) is arranged on the table 72 along the diameter of the table 72, and the blade attachment/detachment unit 62 is slidably mounted on one end of this linear guide rail via a linear bearing (not shown).

The blade attachment/detachment unit 62 includes a mechanism for tightening the nut 54 (see Figure 3) to secure the blade 22 to the flange 50, and loosening the nut 54 to detach the blade 22 from the flange 50. The detailed structure of the blade attachment/detachment unit 62 is publicly known, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-34408, and therefore will not be described here.

Two temporary blade rests 64 are arranged on the base 70 near the table 72 with a gap between them. Each temporary blade rest 64 has a horizontally oriented cylindrical shaft 65 through which the through-hole of the blade 22 is inserted. As a result, the blade 22 removed from the flange 50 by the blade attachment/detachment unit 62 is brought into opposition to the shaft 65 of the temporary blade rest 64 by the rotation of the table 72, and then the blade attachment/detachment unit 62 advances relative to the shaft 65, inserting the through-hole of the blade 22 into the shaft 65. In this way, the blade 22 is temporarily placed on the temporary blade rest 64.

The blade insertion portion 66 is slidably mounted on the other end of the linear guide rail mentioned above via a linear bearing (not shown).

The blade insertion portion 66 holds the blade 22 to be replaced and includes a mechanism for inserting the through-hole of the blade 22 into the blade insertion portion 52B of the flange 50 on the replacement spindle 48. The detailed structure of the blade insertion portion 66 is publicly known, as disclosed in JP 2019-34408 A, and therefore will not be described here.

Meanwhile, a sensor 300 that detects the condition of the end face 50C of the flange 50 and an end face repair device 400 having a grinding stone 402 are provided at predetermined positions on the table 72. As will be described in detail below, the control unit 78 controls the end face repair device 400 to repair the end face 50C using the grinding stone 402 based on the condition of the end face 50C detected by the sensor 300. Here, the sensor 300 is an example of a detection means, and the end face repair device 400 is an example of an end face repair means.

Sensor 300 detects the state of end face 50C by detecting the angle between the axis of spindle 48 and end face 50C. As an example, it is configured with a displacement sensor 304 having a contact 302 that comes into contact with end face 50C. Displacement sensor 304 is held in a main body 306 of sensor 300, and this main body 306 is slid in the diameter direction of table 72 by an advance/retract mechanism 308 having a linear motor. The advance/retract mechanism 308 is driven and controlled by control unit 78.

To detect the above angle using the sensor 300, the table 72 (see Figure 4) is rotated to position the contact 302 of the sensor 300 facing the end face 50C of the flange 50, as shown in Figure 6, a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the sensor 300 and the flange 50. The sensor 300 then advances toward the end face 50C, bringing the contact 302 into contact with the end face 50C. This position is set as the reference measurement start position, and the flange 50 is then rotated by the spindle 48. As a result, if the above angle is a right angle, the signal indicating the amplitude of the swing output from the sensor 300 will be constant. However, if the angle is not a right angle, the signal will be a waveform signal with a 360-degree period. Figure 7 shows an example of waveform signal A output from the sensor 300, with the vertical axis representing the amplitude and the horizontal axis representing the rotation angle of the flange 50. The signal is output to the control unit 78, which controls the end face correction device 400 based on the signal.

Specifically, when the amplitude B of waveform signal A exceeds the tolerance, the control unit 78 controls the end face repairing device 400 to grind the end face 50C using the grinding wheel 402 of the end face repairing device 400 so that the above angle becomes a right angle. Furthermore, in addition to the amplitude B, when signal C corresponding to a minute dent is superimposed on waveform signal A as shown in FIG. 7, a tolerance may also be set for signal C, and the end face repairing device 400 may be controlled to remove the dent using the grinding wheel 402 if the tolerance is exceeded. Note that the sensor 300 in this embodiment is a contact-type sensor having a contact 302, but the above angle may also be detected using a non-contact sensor such as a laser displacement sensor, eddy current sensor, or ultrasonic sensor.

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the end face repair device 400. Part 800A of Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the state in which the grinding wheel 402 of the end face repair device 400 has advanced to the grinding position for the end face 50C (see Figure 4), and part 800B of Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the state in which the grinding wheel 402 of the end face repair device 400 has retreated from the end face 50C.

As shown in Figure 8, the grinding wheel 402 of the end face repair device 400 is held in the main body 404 of the end face repair device 400, and this main body 404 is slid in the diameter direction of the table 72 by an advancing/retracting mechanism 406 having a linear motor. This advancing/retracting mechanism 406 is an example of a moving means, and the end face 50C of the flange 50 and the grinding wheel 402 are moved relatively closer to and farther away from each other by the advancing/retracting mechanism 406. The advancing/retracting mechanism 406 is driven and controlled by the control unit 78.

The end face correction device 400 also has a detection unit 408 (see Figure 9) that detects when the grinding wheel 402 comes into contact with the end face 50C.

Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the detection unit 408.

As shown in FIG. 9, the detection unit 408 has a circuit section in which the flange 50, a comparator 410 as a current detection circuit, a power source 412, and the grinding wheel 402 are connected in series. This circuit section is configured to form a closed circuit when the grinding wheel 402 comes into contact with the end surface 50C of the flange 50. Here, the grinding wheel 402 is conductive, and for example, a grinding wheel with abrasive grains fixed with a metal bond or conductive resin bond, or a grinding wheel with a carbide tip or conductive coating is used.

With the detector 408 configured in this manner, when the grinding wheel 402 comes into contact with the end face 50C, a detection signal is output from the comparator 410 to the controller 78. This detection signal causes the controller 78 to detect that the grinding wheel 402 has come into contact with the end face 50C and stop the forward movement of the main body 404 of the end face repair device 400. The controller 78 then stores the contact position at this time in the memory as the end face repair start position in the movement direction of the main body 404 (i.e., the Y direction), and controls the amount of movement of the main body 404 by the advance/retract mechanism 406 based on the end face repair start position.

Figure 10 shows a control block diagram for end face correction control by the control unit 78.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 78 is composed of multiple circuits, such as various arithmetic processing circuits including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 80, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 82 for storing programs, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 84 for temporarily storing data. The CPU 80 executes a program stored in the RAM 84 to perform an end face correction operation that corrects the end face 50C of the flange 50.

The control unit 78 is also connected to the various drive units of the processing unit 12, including the spindle 48, the wear detection device 200, the automatic blade changer 60, the sensor 300, and the end face correction device 400.

The ROM 82 also stores allowable wear amount data indicating the allowable value of the wear amount detected by the wear amount detection device 200 shown in FIG. 2, and allowable oscillation width data indicating the allowable value of the oscillation width B of the waveform signal A (see FIG. 7) detected by the sensor 300 shown in FIG. 6. The allowable wear amount data is compared with the wear amount data detected by the wear amount detection device 200, and if the wear amount data exceeds the allowable wear amount data, the CPU 80 controls the automatic blade replacement device 60 to perform a blade 22 replacement operation. The allowable oscillation width data is also compared with the oscillation width data detected by the sensor 300, and if the oscillation width data exceeds the allowable oscillation width data, the CPU 80 controls the end face correction device 400 to perform an end face correction operation on the end face 50C of the flange 50.

Next, an example of a workpiece processing method using the dicing device 10 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11 is a flowchart showing end face correction control by the control unit 78.

First, the dicing device 10 performs a cutting process on the workpiece W using the blade 22 (step 500). After a predetermined time has elapsed, or after a set number of workpieces W have been cut, the wear amount detection process on the blade 22 is performed using the wear amount detection device 200 (step 510). In the wear amount detection process, the blade 22 is moved from the processing position toward the wear amount detection device 200, and after being positioned at a predetermined position on the wear amount detection device 200, the wear amount is detected by the wear amount detection device 200.

In the wear amount detection process, the wear amount data representing the detected wear amount is compared with the allowable wear amount data stored in ROM 82 (step 520). If the wear amount data does not exceed the allowable wear amount data (NO), the blade 22 is determined to be usable and the processing unit 12, such as the spindle 48, is controlled to continue the cutting process of the workpiece W using the blade 22 (step 530).

On the other hand, if the wear amount data exceeds the allowable wear amount data (YES), it is determined that the blade 22 is to be replaced, and a blade removal process is performed to remove the blade 22 from the spindle 48 (step 540). That is, the table 72 of the automatic blade exchange device 60 is rotated to bring the blade attachment/detachment unit 62 facing the blade 22, and then the nut 54 is loosened by the blade attachment/detachment unit 62 to remove the blade 22 from the flange 50.

Next, an end face condition detection process is performed in which the sensor 300 detects the condition of the end face 50C of the flange 50 (step 550). That is, the table 72 is rotated so that the contact 302 of the sensor 300 faces the end face 50C of the flange 50, and then the sensor 300 is advanced toward the end face 50C so that the contact 302 abuts against the end face 50C. This position is set as the measurement start reference position, and then the flange 50 is rotated by the spindle 48.

In the end face condition detection process, the detected runout data B (see FIG. 7) is compared with the allowable runout data stored in ROM 82 (S560). If the runout data B does not exceed the allowable runout data (NO), the condition of the end face 50C is determined to be good, and a blade replacement process is executed (step 570) in which a new blade 22 is attached to the spindle 48 without grinding the end face 50C (end face correction). That is, the table 72 of the automatic blade changer 60 is rotated to bring the blade insertion portion 66 opposite the spindle 48, and the new blade 22 is attached to the spindle 48 by the blade insertion portion 66. The table 72 is then rotated to bring the blade attachment/detachment portion 62 opposite the spindle 48, and the nut 54 is tightened by the blade attachment/detachment portion 62 to secure the new blade 22 to the flange 50. The processing unit 12 is then controlled to execute the cutting process of the workpiece W using the blade 22.

On the other hand, if the runout width data B exceeds the allowable runout width data (YES), an end face repair process is executed to grind (refinish) the end face 50C of the flange 50 (S580). Specifically, the table 72 of the automatic blade changer 60 is rotated to position the grinding wheel 402 of the end face repair device 400 facing the end face 50C, and then the advance/retract mechanism 406 advances the main body 404 of the end face repair device 400 toward the end face 50C. When a detection signal from the comparator 410 (see Figure 9) detects contact of the grinding wheel 402 with the end face 50C, the advance/retract movement of the grinding wheel 402 is stopped. The contact position is then stored in RAM 84 (see Figure 10) as the end face repair start position in the movement direction (i.e., the Y direction) of the main body 404. Based on this end face repair start position, the amount of movement of the main body 404 by the advance/retract mechanism 406 is controlled to grind the end face 50C. Specifically, based on the runout detected by sensor 300, the amount of movement of main body 404 that will result in a right angle between the axis of spindle 48 and end face 50C is calculated, and main body 404 is moved at a predetermined speed by that amount. This completes the end face correction process.

Then, to confirm whether the condition of end face 50C has been reliably corrected, an end face condition redetection process is performed (step 590). This end face condition redetection process is performed using the same procedure as the end face condition detection process using sensor 300 described in step 550, so its description will be omitted here.

In the end face condition redetection process, the redetected swing width data B is compared with the allowable swing width data stored in ROM 82 (S600). If the swing width data B does not exceed the allowable swing width data (NO), it is determined that the condition of the end face 50C has been satisfactorily corrected, and a blade replacement process is performed to attach a new blade 22 to the spindle 48 (step 570).

On the other hand, if the re-detected runout data B exceeds the allowable runout data (YES), the end face correction process is not performed again, and a processing stop process is performed to stop processing by determining that a malfunction due to another factor has occurred in the processing unit 12 (step 610). This completes the flow of end face correction control by the control unit 78.

As described above, the dicing device 10 of this embodiment includes a sensor 300 that detects the condition of the end face 50C of the flange 50, an end face repair device 400 that grinds the end face 50C by contacting the grinding wheel 402 with the end face 50C, and a control unit 78 that controls the end face repair device 400 based on the detection results of the sensor 300. Therefore, end face repair can be performed only when repair of the end face 50C is necessary.

Therefore, with the dicing device 10 of this embodiment, the end face 50C of the flange 50 is not repaired more than necessary, thereby minimizing the decrease in throughput that would otherwise be caused by repairing the end face 50C of the flange 50.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, the dicing device 10 of this embodiment includes an end face condition redetection process (step 590) and a processing stop process (step 610) after the end face correction process (step 580). This makes it possible to detect blade 22 contact problems caused by factors other than the state of the end face 50C. In this case, processing is stopped, thereby preventing poor processing of the workpiece W.

The workpiece processing device and workpiece processing method according to the present invention have been described in detail above, using the dicing device 10 as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Modifications will be described below.

[First Modification]
In the embodiment, the end face correction start position is obtained by electrically connecting the end face 50C of the flange 50 and the grinding wheel 402, but instead of this configuration, for example, a non-contact displacement sensor 422 (see FIG. 12) may be employed to obtain the end face correction start position.

Figure 12 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a modified example of the end face repair device 420. Part 900A of Figure 12 is a perspective view showing the state in which the grinding wheel 424 of the end face repair device 420 has advanced to the grinding position for the end face 50C (see Figure 3), and part 900B of Figure 12 is a perspective view showing the state in which the grinding wheel 424 of the end face repair device 420 has retreated from the end face 50C.

As shown in Figure 12, the end face correction device 420 has a main body 426 that holds the grinding wheel 424 and an advance/retract mechanism 428 that slides the main body 426 in the diameter direction of the table 72 (see Figure 4).

The end face correction device 420 also has a detection unit 430 that detects when the grinding wheel 424 comes into contact with the end face 50C of the flange 50 (see Figure 6) as a result of the forward and backward movement of the main body 426 by the forward and backward movement mechanism 428. This detection unit 430 has a displacement sensor 422 and a measuring plate 432.

The displacement sensor 422 is a non-contact sensor such as a laser displacement sensor, eddy current sensor, or ultrasonic sensor, and is fixed to a mount 434 fixed to the table 72 (see Figure 4) with the sensor surface 422A facing the measurement plate 432. The measurement plate 432 is also fixed to the main body 426 and can slide together with the main body 426.

With the end face correction device 420 configured in this manner, the advance/retract mechanism 428 advances the main body 426 toward the end face 50C, and when the grinding wheel 402 comes into contact with the end face 50C, the movement of the main body 426 stops due to resistance. At this time, the distance D between the sensor surface 422A and the measuring plate 432 detected by the displacement sensor 422 can be obtained as the end face correction start position.

The end face repairing means in the present invention may be any means for grinding the end face by contacting a grinding stone with the end face of the flange, and is not limited to the end face repairing devices 400 and 420 described in the embodiments. For example, an end face repairing means may be used that manually contacts a grinding stone with the end face of the flange to grind the end face.

[Second Modification]
In the embodiment, the angle between the axis of the spindle 48 and the end face 50C is exemplified as the state of the end face 50C, but the state of a defect that has occurred on the end face 50C may be detected as the state of the end face 50C, and if the detected state of the defect (for example, the depth of the defect) exceeds an allowable value, the end face 50C may be corrected by grinding with a grinding wheel 402.

In this case, the detection means for detecting the condition of the end surface 50C may be, for example, a non-contact AE sensor that can detect the occurrence of defects on the end surface 50C by monitoring AE (Acoustic Emission) waves, or a laser displacement sensor that can detect the depth of defects, or these sensors may be used in combination.

10...Dicing device, 12...Processing section, 14...Cleaning section, 16...Load port, 18...Transport device, 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...Flange, 50C...End surface, 52...Bolt, 54...Nut, 60...Automatic blade exchange device, 62...Blade attachment/detachment section, 64...Blade temporary placement section, 65...Shaft, 66...Blade insertion section 68...moving unit, 70...base, 72...table, 74...motor, 76...timing belt, 78...control unit, 80...CPU, 82...ROM, 84...RAM, 200...wear detection device, 300...sensor, 302...contact, 304...displacement sensor, 306...main body, 308...advance/retraction mechanism, 400...end surface correction device, 402...grinding stone, 404...main body, 406...advance/retraction mechanism, 408...detection unit, 410...comparator, 412...power supply, 420...end surface correction device, 422...displacement sensor, 424...grinding stone, 426...main body, 428...advance/retraction mechanism, 430...detection unit, 432...measuring plate, 434...mounting unit

Claims (6)

A workpiece processing device that supports a blade on an end face of a flange provided at the tip of a spindle, rotates the blade by the spindle, and brings the blade into contact with a workpiece to cut the workpiece,
an automatic blade changing device having a detecting means for detecting the state of the end surface of the flange, an end surface correcting means for grinding the end surface by bringing a grinding stone into contact with the end surface of the flange, and a blade attaching/detaching means for attaching/detaching the blade to/from the spindle, all of which are rotatable together ;
a control means for controlling the automatic blade changing device,
The control means rotates the detection means to face the end face and detect the condition of the end face prior to grinding of the end face by the end face correction means, and immediately after the detection means detects the condition of the end face, rotates the end face correction means or the blade attachment/detachment means to face the end face based on the detection result of the detection means. the control means can cause the detection means to face the end surface and redetect the state of the end surface immediately after the end surface correction means faces the end surface and grinds the end surface,
The workpiece machining device according to claim 1 . the detection means detects at least one of the conditions of the end face, such as an angle between the axis of the spindle and the end face, and a condition of a flaw occurring on the end face;
the control means controls the end face correcting means based on the state of the end face detected by the detection means.
3. The workpiece machining device according to claim 1 or 2. When the detection means detects the angle as the state of the end face, the control means controls the end face correction means so that the angle becomes a right angle by the grindstone.
The workpiece machining device according to claim 3. When the detection means detects the state of the flaw as the state of the end surface, the control means controls the end surface correction means to remove the flaw with the grindstone.
The workpiece machining device according to claim 3. A workpiece processing device that supports a blade on an end surface of a flange provided at the tip of a spindle and cuts a workpiece by rotating the blade by the spindle and bringing it into contact with the workpiece, the workpiece processing method comprising: an automatic blade changer that has, as an integral unit, a detection means that detects the state of the end surface of the flange; an end surface correction means that brings a grinding stone into contact with the end surface of the flange to grind the end surface; and a blade attachment/detachment means that attaches and detaches the blade to and from the spindle, all of which are rotatable ; and a control means that controls the automatic blade changer,
prior to grinding the end surface by the end surface correction means, the detection means is rotated to face the end surface and detect the state of the end surface;
a workpiece machining method in which, immediately after the detection of the state of the end face by the detection means, the end face correction means or the blade attachment/detachment means is rotated to face the end face based on the detection result of the detection means.