JP7743526B2 - Expanding device and expanding method - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an expanding device and an expanding method, and in particular to an expanding device and an expanding method that are equipped with an ultraviolet irradiation unit that reduces the adhesive strength of a sheet member to which a wafer is attached.

Expanding devices equipped with an ultraviolet irradiation unit that reduces the adhesive strength of the sheet material to which the wafer is attached are known. Such an expanding device is disclosed, for example, in JP 2018-050010 A.

JP 2018-050010 A discloses an expanding device that includes an ultraviolet irradiation unit that reduces the adhesive strength of a sheet member to which a wafer is attached, and an expanding unit that expands a heat-shrinkable, stretchable sheet member to which a divisible wafer is attached along a dividing line, thereby dividing the wafer along the dividing line. This expanding device is configured such that the ultraviolet irradiation unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet light to reduce the adhesive strength of the sheet member, and then the expanding unit expands the sheet member. Furthermore, although not explicitly stated in JP 2018-050010 A, conventional expanding devices are provided with a heat shrink unit that heats and shrinks the sheet member, since slack in the portion of the sheet member surrounding the wafer caused by expansion by the expanding unit must be heated to shrink it.

JP 2018-050010 A

However, in conventional expanding devices such as those described in JP 2018-050010 A, the ultraviolet irradiation unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet light to reduce the adhesive strength of the sheet member, then the expanding unit expands the sheet member, and then the heat shrink unit heats the sheet member to shrink the slack in the portion of the sheet member surrounding the wafer. This requires sequentially performing the steps of irradiating the sheet member with ultraviolet light, expanding the sheet member, and heating and shrinking the sheet member, making it difficult to prevent an increase in processing time. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent an increase in processing time for expanding, heat shrinking, and reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member to which the wafer is attached.

This invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one object of this invention is to provide an expansion device and an expansion method that can suppress an increase in the processing time required for expanding, heat shrinking, and reducing the adhesive strength of a sheet member to which a wafer is attached.

An expanding device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises an expanding section that expands a heat-shrinkable sheet member having elasticity and to which divisible wafers are attached along dividing lines to divide the wafers along the dividing lines; a heat shrink section that heats and shrinks any slack in the portion of the sheet member surrounding the wafers that occurs due to expansion by the expanding section; an ultraviolet irradiation section that, while heating the sheet member with the heat shrink section, irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays to reduce the adhesive strength of the sheet member; and an ultraviolet shielding section that is arranged to cover one side of the sheet member and shields the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiation section, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation section is configured to irradiate ultraviolet rays onto the sheet member from the other side of the sheet member, and the ultraviolet shielding section includes a side section formed in a ring shape to surround the wafers of the sheet member, and a bottom section connected to the side section on the opposite side to the sheet member .
An expanding device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes an expanding section that expands a heat-shrinkable sheet member having elasticity and to which divisible wafers are attached along dividing lines to divide the wafers along the dividing lines; a heat shrink section that heats and shrinks any slack in the portion of the sheet member around the wafers that occurs due to expansion by the expanding section; an ultraviolet irradiation section that irradiates ultraviolet light onto the sheet member while heating the sheet member with the heat shrink section to reduce the adhesive strength of the sheet member; and an ultraviolet shielding section that is arranged to cover one side of the sheet member and shields the ultraviolet light irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiation section. The ultraviolet irradiation unit is configured to irradiate ultraviolet rays onto the sheet member from the other side of the sheet member, and further includes a support ring formed of an ultraviolet-blocking material, which is arranged to abut against the other side of the sheet member to support the sheet member and surround the ultraviolet irradiation unit when the ultraviolet irradiation unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays, and the ultraviolet shielding unit and support ring are configured to hold the sheet member in a sandwiched manner when the ultraviolet irradiation unit irradiates ultraviolet rays onto the sheet member and, at the same time, when the heat shrink unit shrinks the sheet member, thereby maintaining the expansion of the sheet member in the portion where the wafer is placed.

In the expanding device according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, as described above, an ultraviolet irradiation unit is provided that irradiates ultraviolet light on the sheet member to reduce the adhesive strength of the sheet member while simultaneously heating the sheet member with the heat shrink unit. This allows the heat shrink unit to heat and shrink the slack in the sheet member around the wafer, while the ultraviolet irradiation unit reduces the adhesive strength of the sheet member. As a result, the processing time can be reduced compared to when the shrinking process of the sheet member with the heat shrink unit and the reducing process of the adhesive strength of the sheet member with the ultraviolet irradiation unit are performed sequentially. This prevents an increase in the processing time required for expanding, heat shrinking, and reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member to which the wafer is attached.

The expanding device according to the first and second aspects further includes an ultraviolet ray shielding section disposed to cover one side of the sheet member and shielding ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet ray irradiating section, the ultraviolet ray irradiating section being configured to irradiate ultraviolet rays onto the sheet member from the other side of the sheet member, whereby the ultraviolet ray shielding section can prevent the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet ray irradiating section from leaking to the outside.

In the expanding device according to the first aspect, the ultraviolet ray shielding portion includes a side portion formed in an annular shape so as to surround the wafer of the sheet member and a bottom portion connected to the side portion on the opposite side from the sheet member. This allows the side portion of the ultraviolet ray shielding portion to block ultraviolet rays emitted to the side of the sheet member, and the bottom portion of the ultraviolet ray shielding portion to block ultraviolet rays emitted in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the sheet member. This more reliably prevents ultraviolet rays irradiated onto the sheet member from leaking to the outside.

The expanding device according to the second aspect further includes a support ring made of an ultraviolet-blocking material, the support ring being disposed in contact with the other side of the sheet member to support the sheet member and surrounding the ultraviolet-blocking unit when the ultraviolet-blocking unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays. This allows the support ring supporting the sheet member to block ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet-blocking unit to the surroundings, thereby reducing the number of parts and simplifying the device configuration compared to when a member for supporting the sheet member and a member for blocking ultraviolet rays are provided separately.

In the expanding device according to the second aspect, the ultraviolet shielding portion and the support ring are configured to sandwich and hold the sheet member when the ultraviolet irradiation portion irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays and when the heat shrink portion shrinks the sheet member in parallel, thereby maintaining the expansion of the portion of the sheet member where the wafer is placed. This allows the ultraviolet shielding portion, which blocks the ultraviolet rays irradiated by the ultraviolet irradiation portion, to maintain the expansion of the portion of the sheet member where the wafer is placed when the heat shrink portion shrinks the sheet member, thereby reducing the number of parts and simplifying the device configuration compared to when a separate member is provided to maintain the expansion of the sheet member.

In the expanding device according to the first and second aspects, the ultraviolet irradiation unit is preferably configured to be movable between an ultraviolet irradiation position and a retracted position, which are disposed in a direction intersecting the surface of the sheet member. With this configuration, when ultraviolet rays are to be irradiated onto the sheet member, the ultraviolet irradiation unit can be moved to the ultraviolet irradiation position, and when ultraviolet rays are not to be irradiated onto the sheet member, the ultraviolet irradiation unit can be retracted to the retracted position. As a result, when the ultraviolet irradiation unit is retracted, further processing can be performed on the sheet member, and multiple types of processing can be performed on the sheet member at the same position.

In the expanding device according to the first and second aspects, preferably, the intensity of the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light irradiation unit is adjusted so that the ultraviolet light irradiation process for reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member is completed within the operation time of the heat shrink unit heating and shrinking the sheet member. With this configuration, the process for reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member by irradiating ultraviolet light can be completed during the operation of heating and shrinking the sheet member, thereby minimizing the wait time required to wait for the process for reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member by irradiating ultraviolet light to be completed. As a result, the time required for the processes of expanding, heat shrinking, and reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member to which the wafer is attached can be effectively reduced.

An expanding method according to a third aspect of the present invention includes expanding a heat-shrinkable sheet member having elasticity and having divisible wafers attached along a dividing line to divide the wafers along the dividing line, and then heating and shrinking any slack in the portion of the sheet member surrounding the wafers that occurs due to the expansion of the sheet member, and while the sheet member is being heated and shrunk, simultaneously irradiating ultraviolet rays onto the sheet member to reduce the adhesive strength of the sheet member , and while irradiating ultraviolet rays onto the sheet member, an ultraviolet shielding portion that includes a side portion formed in a ring shape to surround the wafers of the sheet member and a bottom portion connected to the side portion on the opposite side to the sheet member and that shields the irradiated ultraviolet rays is arranged to cover one side of the sheet member, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the sheet member from the other side of the sheet member .
An expanding method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes expanding a heat-shrinkable sheet member having elasticity and having divisible wafers attached thereto along dividing lines, dividing the wafers along the dividing lines, and then heating and shrinking any slack in the portion of the sheet member surrounding the wafers caused by the expansion of the sheet member. While the sheet member is being heated and shrunk, ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the sheet member from an ultraviolet irradiation unit in parallel to reduce the adhesive strength of the sheet member. While the ultraviolet irradiation unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays, an ultraviolet shielding unit that blocks the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiation unit is disposed so as to cover one side of the sheet member, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the sheet member from the other side of the sheet member. While the ultraviolet irradiation unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays, while the sheet member is being shrunk in parallel, the sheet member is sandwiched and held between a support ring made of an ultraviolet-shielding material and disposed so as to surround the ultraviolet irradiation unit, thereby maintaining the expansion of the sheet member in the portion where the wafers are to be placed.

In the expanding methods according to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, as described above, when the sheet member is heated to shrink, ultraviolet light is irradiated on the sheet member to reduce the adhesive strength of the sheet member. This allows the adhesive strength of the sheet member to be reduced by ultraviolet light irradiation while heating and shrinking the slack in the portion of the sheet member surrounding the wafer. As a result, the processing time can be reduced compared to when the shrinking process of the sheet member and the process of reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member by ultraviolet light are performed sequentially. This makes it possible to provide an expanding method that can prevent an increase in the processing time required for expanding, heat-shrinking, and reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member to which the wafer is attached.

According to the present invention, as described above, it is possible to prevent an increase in the processing time required for expanding, heat shrinking, and reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member to which the wafer is attached.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an expanding device according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of an expanding device according to one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a wafer ring structure of an expanding apparatus according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 101-101 in FIG. FIG. 10 is a bottom view of a debris cleaner of an expanding device according to one embodiment. FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the heat shrink portion of the expanding device according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of an expanding device according to one embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a semiconductor chip manufacturing process of an expanding device according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state before the wafer ring structure of the expanding device according to the embodiment is clamped. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the wafer ring structure of the expanding device according to the embodiment is clamped. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the sheet member of the expanding device according to the embodiment is expanded. FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a wafer ring structure, debris cleaner, and expansion ring of an expanding apparatus according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state before heat shrinking of a sheet member of an expanding device according to one embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which a sheet member of an expanding device according to one embodiment is heat-shrunk. 10 is a flowchart showing a removal process of the expanding device according to one embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a transfer process of an expanding device according to one embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing an expanding process of the expanding device according to one embodiment. 18 is a flowchart continuing from the flowchart of FIG. 17. 1 is a flowchart showing a heat shrink process of an expanding device according to an embodiment. 20 is a flowchart continuing from the flowchart of FIG. 19. 10 is a flowchart showing a process of storing an expanding device according to an embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention is described based on the drawings.

With reference to Figures 1 to 21, the configuration of the expansion device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(Configuration of the expanding device)
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the expanding device 100 is configured to divide a wafer 210 to form multiple semiconductor chips. The expanding device 100 is also configured to form sufficient gaps between the multiple semiconductor chips. A modified layer is formed in advance on the wafer 210 by irradiating the wafer 210 with a laser having a wavelength that is transparent to the wafer 210 along the dividing lines (streets). The modified layer refers to cracks, voids, etc. formed inside the wafer 210 by the laser. This method of forming a modified layer on the wafer 210 is called stealth dicing.

Therefore, in the expanding device 100, by expanding the sheet member 220, the wafer 210 is divided along the modified layer. In addition, by expanding the sheet member 220 in the expanding device 100, the gaps between the multiple semiconductor chips formed by division are widened.

The expansion device 100 comprises a base plate 1, a cassette section 2, a lift-up hand section 3, a suction hand section 4, a base 5, an expansion section 6, a cold air supply section 7, a cooling unit 8, a debris cleaner 9, a heat shrink section 10, and an ultraviolet irradiation section 11.

Here, the horizontal direction in which the cassette unit 2 and the heat shrink unit 10 are aligned is the X direction, the X direction toward the cassette unit 2 in the X direction is the X1 direction, and the X direction toward the heat shrink unit 10 in the X direction is the X2 direction. Furthermore, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction is the Y direction, the Y direction toward the cassette unit 2 in the Y direction is the Y1 direction, and the direction opposite to the Y1 direction is the Y2 direction. Furthermore, the vertical direction is the Z direction, with the upward direction being the Z1 direction and the downward direction being the Z2 direction.

<Base plate>
The base plate 1 is a base on which the cassette unit 2 and the suction hand unit 4 are placed. The base plate 1 has a rectangular shape that is long in the Y direction in a plan view.

<Cassette section>
The cassette unit 2 is configured to be able to accommodate a plurality (five) of wafer ring structures 200. Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the wafer ring structure 200 has a wafer 210, a sheet member 220, and a ring-shaped member 230.

The wafer 210 is a thin, circular plate made of crystals of a semiconductor material that is used to make semiconductor integrated circuits. As described above, a modified layer that modifies the interior of the wafer 210 is formed along the dividing line. In other words, the wafer 210 is configured to be divisible along the dividing line. The sheet member 220 is a stretchable adhesive tape. An adhesive layer is provided on the upper surface 220a of the sheet member 220. The wafer 210 is attached to the adhesive layer of the sheet member 220. The ring-shaped member 230 is a metal frame that is ring-shaped in a plan view. Notches 240 and 250 are formed on the outer surface 230a of the ring-shaped member 230. The ring-shaped member 230 is attached to the adhesive layer of the sheet member 220, surrounding the wafer 210.

1 and 2, the cassette unit 2 includes a Z-direction movement mechanism 21, a wafer cassette 22, and a pair of mounting sections 23. The Z-direction movement mechanism 21 is configured to move the wafer cassette 22 in the Z direction using a motor 21a as a drive source. The Z-direction movement mechanism 21 also has a mounting table 21b that supports the wafer cassette 22 from below. The wafer cassette 22 is manually loaded and mounted on the mounting table 21b. The wafer cassette 22 has a storage space capable of accommodating multiple wafer ring structures 200. Multiple (five) of the pair of mounting sections 23 are arranged inside the wafer cassette 22. The ring-shaped members 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 are mounted on the pair of mounting sections 23 from the Z1 direction side. One of the pair of mounting sections 23 protrudes in the X2 direction from the inner surface of the wafer cassette 22 on the X1 direction side. The other of the pair of mounting portions 23 protrudes in the X1 direction from the inner surface of the wafer cassette 22 on the X2 direction side.

<Lift-up hand part>
The lift-up hand unit 3 is configured to be able to remove the wafer ring structure 200 from the cassette unit 2. The lift-up hand unit 3 is also configured to be able to store the wafer ring structure 200 in the cassette unit 2.

Specifically, the lift-up hand section 3 includes a Y-direction movement mechanism 31 and a lift-up hand 32. The Y-direction movement mechanism 31 is configured to move the lift-up hand 32 in the Y direction using a motor 31a as a drive source. The lift-up hand 32 is configured to support the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 from the Z2 direction side.

<Suction hand section>
The suction hand unit 4 is configured to suck the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 from the Z1 direction side.

Specifically, the suction hand section 4 includes an X-direction movement mechanism 41, a Z-direction movement mechanism 42, and a suction hand 43. The X-direction movement mechanism 41 is configured to move the suction hand 43 in the X direction using a motor 41a as its drive source. The Z-direction movement mechanism 42 is configured to move the suction hand 43 in the Z direction using a motor 42a as its drive source. The suction hand 43 is configured to support the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 from the Z1 direction side.

<base>
The base 5 is a base on which the expanding section 6, the cooling unit 8, and the ultraviolet irradiation section 11 are mounted. In a plan view, the base 5 has a rectangular shape that is long in the Y direction. The upper end surface of the base 5 on the Z1 direction side is located closer to the Z1 direction than the upper end surface of the base plate 1 on the Z1 direction side.

<Expanding section>
The expanding section 6 is configured to expand the sheet member 220 of the wafer ring structure 200 to divide the wafer 210 along the dividing line.

Specifically, the expansion unit 6 includes a Z-direction movement mechanism 61, a Y-direction movement mechanism 62, a clamp unit 63, and an expansion ring 64. The Z-direction movement mechanism 61 is configured to move the clamp unit 63 in the Z direction using a motor 61a as its drive source. The Y-direction movement mechanism 62 is configured to move the Z-direction movement mechanism 61, the clamp unit 63, and the expansion ring 64 in the Y direction using a motor 62a as its drive source. The expansion ring 64 is an example of a "support ring" as defined in the claims.

The clamp portion 63 is configured to grip the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200. The clamp portion 63 has a lower gripping portion 63a and an upper gripping portion 63b. The lower gripping portion 63a supports the ring-shaped member 230 from the Z2 direction. The upper gripping portion 63b presses the ring-shaped member 230, which is supported by the lower gripping portion 63a, from the Z1 direction. In this manner, the ring-shaped member 230 is gripped by the lower gripping portion 63a and the upper gripping portion 63b.

The expand ring 64 is configured to support the sheet member 220 from the Z2 direction side, thereby expanding the sheet member 220. The expand ring 64 has a ring shape in a plan view.

<Cold air supply section>
The cool air supply unit 7 is configured to supply cool air to the sheet member 220 from the Z1 direction side when the expanding unit 6 expands the sheet member 220.

Specifically, the cold air supply unit 7 has multiple nozzles 71. Each nozzle 71 has a cold air supply port 71a (see Figure 5) through which cold air supplied from a cold air supply source (not shown) flows out. The nozzles 71 are attached to the debris cleaner 9. The cold air supply source is a cooling device for generating cold air. The cold air supply source supplies air cooled by, for example, a cooling device equipped with a heat pump or the like. Such a cold air supply source is installed on the base 5. The cold air supply source and each of the multiple nozzles 71 are connected by hoses (not shown).

<Cooling unit>
The cooling unit 8 is configured to cool the sheet member 220 from the Z2 direction side when the expanding section 6 expands the sheet member 220.

Specifically, the cooling unit 8 includes a cooling member 81 having a cooling body 81a and a Peltier element 81b, and a cylinder 82. The cooling body 81a is made of a material with a large heat capacity and high thermal conductivity. The cooling body 81a is made of a metal such as aluminum. The Peltier element 81b is configured to cool the cooling body 81a. Note that the cooling body 81a is not limited to aluminum, and may be made of another material with a large heat capacity and high thermal conductivity.

The cooling unit 8 is configured to be movable in the Z direction by a cylinder 82. This allows the cooling unit 8 to move to a position in contact with the sheet member 220 and to a position spaced apart from the sheet member 220.

Debris Cleaner
The fragment cleaner 9 is configured to suck up fragments of the wafer 210 when the sheet member 220 is expanded by the expanding section 6 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the debris cleaner 9 includes a ring-shaped member 91 and multiple suction ports 92. The ring-shaped member 91 is a member that has a ring shape when viewed from the Z1 direction side. The multiple suction ports 92 are openings for sucking in debris from the wafer 210. The multiple suction ports 92 are formed on the underside of the ring-shaped member 91 on the Z2 direction side.

As shown in Figure 2, the debris cleaner 9 is configured to be movable in the Z direction by a cylinder (not shown). This allows the debris cleaner 9 to be moved to a position close to the wafer 210 and to a position where it can avoid the suction hand 43 moving in the X direction.

<Heat shrink section>
The heat shrink unit 10 is configured to shrink the sheet member 220 expanded by the expanding unit 6 by heating while maintaining the gaps between the plurality of semiconductor chips.

As shown in Figure 1, the heat shrink unit 10 includes a Z-direction movement mechanism 110, a heating ring 111, an air suction ring 112, and an expansion maintaining ring 113. The Z-direction movement mechanism 110 is configured to move the heating ring 111 and the air suction ring 112 in the Z direction using a motor 110a as a drive source. The expansion maintaining ring 113 is an example of an "ultraviolet shielding unit" in the claims.

As shown in FIG. 6, the heating ring 111 has a ring shape in a plan view. The heating ring 111 also has a sheath heater that heats the sheet member 220. The suction ring 112 is integrally formed with the heating ring 111. The suction ring 112 has a ring shape in a plan view. Multiple suction ports 112a are formed on the underside of the suction ring 112 on the Z2 direction side. The expansion maintaining ring 113 is configured to press the sheet member 220 from the Z1 direction side to prevent the sheet member 220 near the wafer 210 from shrinking due to heating by the heating ring 111.

The expansion maintaining ring 113 has a ring shape when viewed in a plane. The expansion maintaining ring 113 is configured to be movable in the Z direction by a cylinder (not shown). This allows the expansion maintaining ring 113 to move to a position where it presses against the sheet member 220 and to a position away from the sheet member 220.

<Ultraviolet irradiation section>
The ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 11 is configured to irradiate the sheet member 220 with ultraviolet rays in order to reduce the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer of the sheet member 220. Specifically, the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 11 has an ultraviolet ray illuminator.

(Control configuration of the expanding device)
As shown in Figure 7, the expansion device 100 includes a first control unit 12, a second control unit 13, a third control unit 14, a fourth control unit 15, a fifth control unit 16, an expansion control calculation unit 17, a handling control calculation unit 18, and a memory unit 19.

The first control unit 12 is configured to control the heat shrink unit 10. The first control unit 12 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory unit having a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The first control unit 12 may also include a memory unit such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) that retains stored information even after the voltage is cut off. The HDD may also be shared by the first control unit 12, second control unit 13, third control unit 14, fourth control unit 15, and fifth control unit 16.

The second control unit 13 is configured to control the cold air supply unit 7, the cooling unit 8, and the debris cleaner 9. The second control unit 13 includes a CPU and a storage unit having ROM, RAM, etc. The third control unit 14 is configured to control the expansion unit 6. The third control unit 14 includes a CPU and a storage unit having ROM, RAM, etc. Note that the second control unit 13 and the third control unit 14 may include a storage unit such as an HDD that retains stored information even after the voltage is cut off.

The fourth control unit 15 is configured to control the cassette unit 2 and the lift-up hand unit 3. The fourth control unit 15 includes a CPU and a storage unit having ROM, RAM, etc. The fifth control unit 16 is configured to control the suction hand unit 4. The fifth control unit 16 includes a CPU and a storage unit having ROM, RAM, etc. Note that the fourth control unit 15 and the fifth control unit 16 may include a storage unit such as an HDD that retains stored information even after the voltage is cut off.

The expansion control calculation unit 17 is configured to perform calculations related to the expansion process of the sheet member 220 based on the processing results of the first control unit 12, the second control unit 13, and the third control unit 14. The expansion control calculation unit 17 includes a CPU and a memory unit having ROM, RAM, etc.

The handling control calculation unit 18 is configured to perform calculations related to the movement processing of the wafer ring structure 200 based on the processing results of the fourth control unit 15 and the fifth control unit 16. The handling control calculation unit 18 includes a CPU and a memory unit having ROM, RAM, etc.

The memory unit 19 stores a program for operating the expansion device 100. The memory unit 19 includes ROM, RAM, etc.

(Semiconductor chip manufacturing process using an expanding device)
The overall operation of the expanding device 100 will now be described.

In step S1, the wafer ring structure 200 is removed from the cassette unit 2. That is, after the wafer ring structure 200 housed in the cassette unit 2 is supported by the lift-up hand 32, the lift-up hand 32 is moved in the Y2 direction by the Y-direction movement mechanism 31, thereby removing the wafer ring structure 200 from the cassette unit 2. In step S2, the wafer ring structure 200 is transferred to the expansion unit 6 by the suction hand 43. That is, the wafer ring structure 200 removed from the cassette unit 2 is moved in the X2 direction by the X-direction movement mechanism 41 while being sucked by the suction hand 43. Then, the wafer ring structure 200 moved in the X2 direction is transferred from the suction hand 43 to the clamp unit 63, and then gripped by the clamp unit 63.

In step S3, the sheet member 220 is expanded by the expansion unit 6. At this time, the sheet member 220 of the wafer ring structure 200 gripped by the clamp unit 63 is cooled by the cooling unit 8. If necessary, the sheet member 220 is also cooled by the cold air supply unit 7. After being cooled to a predetermined temperature, the wafer ring structure 200 is lowered by the Z-direction movement mechanism 61 while still being gripped by the clamp unit 63. Then, the sheet member 220 is expanded by the expansion ring 64, and the wafer 210 is divided along the division line. At this time, the wafer 210 is divided while the debris is suctioned by the debris cleaner 9.

In step S4, the expansion unit 6 is moved in the Z2 direction toward the heat shrink unit 10 while maintaining the expanded state of the sheet member 220. That is, after the wafer 210 is divided, the wafer ring structure 200 with the expanded sheet member 220 is moved in the Y1 direction by the Y-direction movement mechanism 62. In step S5, the heat shrink unit 10 heats and shrinks the sheet member 220. At this time, the wafer ring structure 200 moved in the Y1 direction is heated by the heating ring 111 while sandwiched between the expansion maintaining ring 113 and the expansion ring 64. At this time, air is drawn in by the suction ring 112, and ultraviolet light is irradiated by the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11.

In step S6, the expansion section 6 is returned to its original position. That is, the wafer ring structure 200, with the sheet member 220 deflated, is moved in the Y2 direction by the Y-direction movement mechanism 31. In step S7, the wafer ring structure 200 is transferred from the expansion section 6 to the lift-up hand section 3 by the suction hand 43, and then moved in the X1 direction by the X-direction movement mechanism 41 and handed over to the lift-up hand 32. In step S8, the wafer ring structure 200 is accommodated in the cassette section 2. Then, the wafer ring structure 200 supported by the lift-up hand 32 is moved in the Y1 direction by the Y-direction movement mechanism 31, and the wafer ring structure 200 is accommodated in the cassette section 2. This completes the processing performed on one wafer ring structure 200.

(Configuration regarding expansion and heat shrink)
The configuration relating to the expanding and heat shrinking will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 9 to 14.

As shown in Figures 1 and 9 to 14, the expanding unit 6 is configured to expand a heat-shrinkable, stretchable sheet member 220 at a first position P1. Furthermore, the Y-direction movement mechanism 62 is configured to move the Z-direction movement mechanism 61, clamping unit 63, and expansion ring 64 of the expanding unit 6 in the horizontal direction (Y1 direction) from the first position P1 to a second position P2 that is spaced horizontally (Y1 direction) from the first position P1 in a plan view while the sheet member 220 is expanded by the expanding unit 6. Furthermore, the heat shrink unit 10 is configured to heat and shrink (heat shrink) slack in the portion 220b of the sheet member 220 surrounding the wafer 210, which occurs due to expansion by the expanding unit 6, at the second position P2.

<Configuration related to expansion>
As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 , the expanding unit 6 is configured to grip the ring-shaped member 230 in the vertical direction (Z direction) using the clamping unit 63 when expanding the sheet member 220. Specifically, the upper gripping portion 63b of the clamping unit 63 is composed of multiple (four) slides 63ba arranged to surround the wafer ring structure 200. The multiple slides 63ba are configured to slide horizontally toward the wafer 210 when gripping the ring-shaped member 230. The lower gripping portion 63a of the clamping unit 63 is configured to rise in the Z1 direction toward the upper gripping portion 63b (multiple slides 63ba) that has slid toward the wafer 210 by the driving force of a cylinder such as an air cylinder. As a result, the ring-shaped member 230 is gripped and fixed between the upper gripping portion 63b and the lower gripping portion 63a of the clamping unit 63.

The clamp unit 63 is configured to move downward in the Z2 direction toward the expand ring 64 by the driving force of the motor 61a of the Z-direction movement mechanism 61 while holding the ring-shaped member 230 between the upper holding portion 63b and the lower holding portion 63a. This causes the sheet member 220 to be pressed against the expand ring 64, and the sheet member 220 is expanded. The expand ring 64 is positioned on the Z2 direction side of the sheet member 220. The expand ring 64 is also positioned between the wafer 210 and the ring-shaped member 230 in the horizontal direction. The expand ring 64 is formed in a circular ring shape so as to surround the wafer 210.

At the first position P1, which is the expansion position, a debris cleaner 9 is disposed on the Z1 side of the wafer ring structure 200 to suck up and remove debris generated from the wafer ring structure 200 due to the expansion of the sheet member 220. The debris may be, for example, fragments of the wafer 210. Furthermore, if a die attach film is present between the wafer 210 and the sheet member 220, the die attach film may also become debris. Furthermore, since the fragments of the wafer 210 near the outer edge 210a of the wafer 210 (see Figure 12) are small, their position becomes unstable during the expansion of the sheet member 220, making them more likely to become debris. The debris cleaner 9 is configured to suck up and remove debris using negative pressure supplied by a negative pressure generator.

As shown in Figures 5 and 12, the suction port 92 of the debris cleaner 9 is formed in a circular ring shape so as to face the outer edge 210a of the circular annular wafer 210 when sucking up debris (such as fragments of the wafer 210 and fragments of the die attach film). Specifically, the circular annular suction port 92 is composed of multiple suction ports 92 arranged in a circular ring shape at predetermined intervals. The debris cleaner 9 is configured to suck up debris in a direction away from the center of the wafer 210 using the circular annular suction ports 92.

As shown in Figures 9 to 11, the debris cleaner 9 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction) between a lower position where it sucks up scattered debris and an upper position where it does not suck up scattered debris at the first position P1, which is the expansion position, by the driving force of a cylinder such as an air cylinder. The lower position is a position near the wafer 210. The upper position is a retracted position where it can avoid the suction hand 43 moving in the X direction. The debris cleaner 9 is configured to descend in the Z2 direction from the upper position to the lower position when expanding the sheet member 220. The debris cleaner 9 is also configured to start its suction operation before pressing the sheet member 220 against the expand ring 64, and to continue its suction operation at least until the sheet member 220 has been completely pressed against the expand ring 64.

At the first position P1, which is the expansion position, a cold air supply unit 7 and a cooling unit 8 are disposed to cool the sheet member 220 when the sheet member 220 is expanded by the expansion unit 6. The cold air supply unit 7 is provided integrally with the debris cleaner 9 on the Z1 side of the wafer ring structure 200. Therefore, at the first position P1, the cold air supply unit 7 is configured to be movable vertically (in the Z direction) integrally with the debris cleaner 9 between a lower position where cold air is supplied and an upper position where cold air is not supplied. The cold air supply unit 7 is configured to descend in the Z2 direction from the upper position to the lower position when the sheet member 220 is expanded. Furthermore, the cold air supply unit 7 is configured to start supplying cold air before the sheet member 220 is pressed against the expansion ring 64 and to continue supplying cold air at least until the sheet member 220 is completely pressed against the expansion ring 64.

The cooling unit 8 is disposed on the Z2 side of the wafer ring structure 200. At first position P1, the cooling unit 8 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction) between an upper position where the sheet member 220 is cooled and a lower position where the sheet member 220 is not cooled by the driving force of a cylinder 82, such as an air cylinder. The cooling unit 8 is configured to rise in the Z1 direction from the lower position to the upper position when expanding the sheet member 220. The cooling unit 8 is configured to start and complete the cooling operation before pressing the sheet member 220 against the expand ring 64. The cooling unit 8 is configured to retract to the lower position before pressing the sheet member 220 against the expand ring 64.

Furthermore, once the expansion of the sheet member 220 by the expansion unit 6 (pressing the sheet member 220 against the expansion ring 64) is completed, the Y-direction movement mechanism 62 is configured to move the expansion unit 6 (Z-direction movement mechanism 61, clamp unit 63, and expansion ring 64) in the Y1 direction from the first position P1 where the sheet member 220 was expanded to the second position P2 where the sheet member 220 is heat-shrunk, while maintaining the state in which the sheet member 220 is expanded by the expansion unit 6. At this time, the Y-direction movement mechanism 62 is configured to move the expansion unit 6 in the Y1 direction from the first position P1 to the second position P2 independently of the debris cleaner 9, cold air supply unit 7, and cooling unit 8, without moving the debris cleaner 9, cold air supply unit 7, and cooling unit 8 from the first position P1. At this time, the debris cleaner 9 and the cold air supply unit 7 are retracted to the upper position, and the cooling unit 8 is retracted to the lower position.

In addition to the motor 62a, the Y-direction movement mechanism 62 further includes a mounting portion 62b and a rail portion 62c. The mounting portion 62b is configured so that the Z-direction movement mechanism 61, the clamp portion 63, and the expand ring 64 are mounted on its upper surface. The mounting portion 62b is formed like a plate with a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The mounting portion 62b is movably mounted on the rail portion 62c. A pair of rail portions 62c are provided spaced apart in the X-direction. The pair of rail portions 62c are configured to extend in the Y-direction between the first position P1 and the second position P2. The Y-direction movement mechanism 62 is configured so that the mounting portion 62b can move in the Y-direction between the first position P1 and the second position P2 along the pair of rail portions 62c using the driving force of the motor 62a.

The mounting portion 62b is provided with a hole 62ba that penetrates the mounting portion 62b in the vertical direction (Z direction). The hole 62ba is circular in plan view. At the first position P1, the hole 62ba is large enough to allow the cooling unit 8 to pass through. This allows the cooling unit 8 to be moved between an upper position and a lower position via the hole 62ba. At the second position P2, the hole 62ba is large enough to allow the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 11 to pass through. This allows the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 11 to be moved between an upper position and a lower position via the hole 62ba. The hole 62ba is provided inside the expand ring 64. The cooling unit 8 and the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 11 are configured to move inside the expand ring 64 via the hole 62ba.

<Configuration regarding heat shrink>
As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the heat-shrink unit 10 is positioned at the second position P2, which is the heat-shrink position, on the Z1 side of the expanding unit 6 moved by the Y-direction movement mechanism 62. The heating ring 111 and suction ring 112 of the heat-shrink unit 10 are configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction) between an upper position where the sheet member 220 is not heated and a lower position where the sheet member 220 is heated by the driving force of the motor 110a of the Z-direction movement mechanism 110 at the second position P2. The expansion maintaining ring 113 of the heat-shrink unit 10 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction between an upper position where the sheet member 220 is not pressed and a lower position where the sheet member 220 is pressed by the driving force of a cylinder such as an air cylinder at the second position P2. The upper position is a retracted position that can avoid the expanding unit 6 and wafer ring structure 200 moving in the Y1 direction. The lower position is a position near the sheet member 220.

The heat shrink unit 10 (heating ring 111, suction ring 112, and expansion maintaining ring 113) is configured to move downward in the Z2 direction from an upper position to a lower position when heat shrinking the sheet member 220. The vertical movement mechanism (Z-direction movement mechanism 110) for the heating ring 111 and suction ring 112 and the vertical movement mechanism (cylinder) for the expansion maintaining ring 113 are separate mechanisms. Therefore, the heating ring 111, suction ring 112, and the expansion maintaining ring 113 can move up and down independently of each other. The expansion maintaining ring 113 is configured to sandwich the sheet member 220 in the vertical direction (Z direction) between itself and the expand ring 64. As a result, the expansion maintaining ring 113 is configured to maintain the expanded state of the portion of the sheet member 220 corresponding to the wafer 210. The heating ring 111 is configured to heat a portion 220b (a portion outside the expansion maintaining ring 113) of the sheet member 220 around the wafer 210 using a sheath heater, which is a heating mechanism, while the expanded state of the sheet member 220 is maintained by the expansion maintaining ring 113. The suction ring 112 is configured to suction gas generated from the sheet member 220 due to heating while the sheet member 220 is being heated by the heating ring 111.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is configured to irradiate the sheet member 220 with ultraviolet light when the sheet member 220 is heated by the heat-shrink unit 10, thereby reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member 220. Specifically, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is disposed at the second position P2, which is the heat-shrink position, and irradiates the sheet member 220 with ultraviolet light when the sheet member 220 is heat-shrunk by the heat-shrink unit 10.

In other words, when the sheet member 220 is heated to shrink it, ultraviolet light is simultaneously irradiated onto the sheet member 220 to reduce the adhesive strength of the sheet member 220.

The ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is disposed on the Z2 side of the wafer ring structure 200. The ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is configured to be movable between an ultraviolet irradiation position P3 and a retracted position P4, which are disposed along a direction (Z direction) intersecting the surface of the sheet member 220. Specifically, at the second position P2, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction) by the driving force of a cylinder 121, such as an air cylinder, between an upper ultraviolet irradiation position P3 (see FIG. 14) where ultraviolet rays are irradiated and a lower retracted position (see FIG. 13) where ultraviolet rays are not irradiated. The ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is configured to rise in the Z1 direction from the lower retracted position P4 to the upper ultraviolet irradiation position P3 when heat-shrinking the sheet member 220.

Furthermore, once the heat-shrink unit 10 has completed heat-shrinking the sheet member 220, the Y-direction movement mechanism 62 is configured to move the expansion unit 6 (Z-direction movement mechanism 61, clamp unit 63, and expansion ring 64) in the Y2 direction from the second position P2 where heat-shrinking was performed to the first position P1 where expansion was performed. At this time, the Y-direction movement mechanism 62 is configured to move the expansion unit 6 in the Y2 direction from the second position P2 to the first position P1 independently of the heat-shrink unit 10 and ultraviolet radiation unit 11, without moving the heat-shrink unit 10 and ultraviolet radiation unit 11 from the second position P2. At this time, the heat-shrink unit 10 is retracted to an upper position, and the ultraviolet radiation unit 11 is retracted to a lower retracted position P4.

When the sheet member 220 is contracted by the heat shrink section 10, the expansion maintaining ring 113 contacts the periphery of the wafer 210 on one side (Z1 direction side) of the sheet member 220 in a circumferential manner, and together with the expand ring 64, holds the sheet member 220 in place, thereby maintaining the expansion of the sheet member 220 in the portion where the wafer 210 is located.

In other words, the expansion maintaining ring 113 and the expand ring 64 are configured to hold the sheet member 220 in a sandwiched manner when the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 irradiates ultraviolet rays onto the sheet member 220 and, at the same time, the heat shrink unit 10 shrinks the sheet member 220, thereby maintaining the expansion of the portion of the sheet member 220 where the wafer 210 is placed.

The expansion maintaining ring 113 is arranged to cover one side (Z1 direction side) of the sheet member 220 and is configured to block ultraviolet light irradiated from the ultraviolet light irradiating unit 11. The ultraviolet light irradiating unit 11 is configured to irradiate ultraviolet light onto the sheet member 220 from the other side (Z2 direction side) of the sheet member 220.

As shown in FIG. 14, the expansion maintaining ring 113 includes a bottom surface portion 113a and a side surface portion 113b. The bottom surface portion 113a is arranged to cover the upper side (Z1 direction side). The side surface portion 113b is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the wafer 210 of the sheet member 220. The bottom surface portion 113a is connected to the side surface portion 113b on the opposite side (Z1 direction side) from the sheet member 220. The bottom surface portion 113a is formed in a circular shape.

In addition, the expansion maintaining ring 113 is formed from a material that blocks ultraviolet rays. For example, the expansion maintaining ring 113 is formed from a colored resin. Alternatively, the expansion maintaining ring 113 is formed from a metal such as stainless steel or aluminum.

When ultraviolet light is irradiated onto the sheet member 220 by the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 11, the expand ring 64 abuts against the other side (Z2 direction side) of the sheet member 220 to support the sheet member 220 and is positioned so as to surround the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 11. In other words, as shown in FIG. 14, when the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 11 is positioned at the ultraviolet light irradiation position P3, the expand ring 64 surrounds it. The expand ring 64 is also formed from a material that blocks ultraviolet light. For example, the expand ring 64 is formed from a metal such as stainless steel or aluminum. Alternatively, the expand ring 64 is formed from a colored resin.

The intensity of the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 11 is adjusted so that the ultraviolet light irradiation process that reduces the adhesive strength of the sheet member 220 is completed within the working time required for the heat shrink unit 10 to heat and shrink the sheet member 220.

Specifically, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is set to increase the intensity of the ultraviolet light irradiated when the ultraviolet light irradiation time is shortened. On the other hand, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is set to decrease the intensity of the ultraviolet light irradiated when the ultraviolet light irradiation time is lengthened.

<Configuration of the cassette unit and lift-up hand unit>
As shown in FIG. 1 , the cassette unit 2 is disposed at a position different from the first position P1 and the second position P2 in a plan view. The lift-up hand unit 3 is disposed at a position different from the first position P1 and the second position P2 in a plan view. The direction (Y2 direction) in which the lift-up hand unit 3 removes the wafer ring structure 200 from the cassette unit 2 is substantially parallel to the direction (Y1 direction) in which the Y-direction movement mechanism 62 moves the expander unit 6. That is, the insertion/removal direction (Y direction) of the wafer ring structure 200 by the lift-up hand unit 3 and the movement direction (Y direction) of the expander unit 6 by the Y-direction movement mechanism 62 are substantially parallel to each other. The cassette unit 2 is disposed adjacent to the second position P2, which is the heat shrink position, in the X direction. The position from which the lift-up hand unit 3 removes the wafer ring structure 200 is disposed adjacent to the first position P1, which is the expander position, in the X direction.

(Removal process)
15, the removal process in the expanding device 100 will be described. The removal process is a process carried out in step S1 in the semiconductor chip manufacturing process.

As shown in Figure 15, in step S101, it is determined whether the lift-up hand 32 of the lift-up hand section 3 is free. If the lift-up hand 32 is not free, the removal process is terminated. If the lift-up hand 32 is free, the process proceeds to step S102.

Then, in step S102, it is determined whether the lift-up hand 32 is present in the wafer cassette 22 of the cassette unit 2. If the lift-up hand 32 is not present in the wafer cassette 22, the process proceeds to step S104. If the lift-up hand 32 is present in the wafer cassette 22, the process proceeds to step S103.

Then, in step S103, the lift-up hand 32 is moved in the Y2 direction from inside the wafer cassette 22 to outside the wafer cassette 22 by the Y-direction movement mechanism 31.

Then, in step S104, the wafer cassette 22 is moved in the Z direction by the Z-direction movement mechanism 21 so that the wafer ring structure 200 to be removed from the wafer cassette 22 can be removed by the lift-up hand 32. Specifically, in step S104, the wafer cassette 22 is moved in the Z direction by the Z-direction movement mechanism 21 so that the upper surface of the lift-up hand 32 is positioned at a height slightly to the Z2 direction side of the lower surface of the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 to be removed from the wafer cassette 22.

Then, in step S105, the lift-up hand 32 is moved in the Y1 direction by the Y-direction movement mechanism 31 so that it is positioned directly below the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 to be removed from the wafer cassette 22.

Then, in step S106, the wafer ring structure 200 to be removed from the wafer cassette 22 is transferred to the lift-up hand 32. Specifically, in step S106, the wafer cassette 22 is moved in the Z2 direction by the Z-direction movement mechanism 21 so that the lower surface of the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 to be removed from the wafer cassette 22 is slightly lifted by the lift-up hand 32 above the upper surfaces of the pair of mounting portions 23.

Then, in step S107, while the upper surface of the lift-up hand 32 supports the lower surface of the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 to be removed, the lift-up hand 32 is moved in the Y2 direction by the Y-direction movement mechanism 31. As a result, the wafer ring structure 200 to be removed is removed from the wafer cassette 22 by the lift-up hand 32. The removal process is then completed.

(Transfer processing)
16, the transfer process in the expanding apparatus 100 will be described. The transfer process is a process carried out in step S2 or S7 in the semiconductor chip manufacturing process.

As shown in Figure 16, in step S201, the suction hand 43 of the suction hand section 4 is raised by the Z-direction movement mechanism 42.

Then, in step S202, the suction hand 43 is moved above the wafer ring structure 200 by the X-direction movement mechanism 41. Specifically, in step S2 of the semiconductor chip manufacturing process, the suction hand 43 is moved above the wafer ring structure 200 supported by the lift-up hand 32. Also, in step S7 of the semiconductor chip manufacturing process, the suction hand 43 is moved above the wafer ring structure 200 supported by the expansion section 6.

Then, in step S203, the suction hand 43 is lowered toward the wafer ring structure 200 by the Z-direction movement mechanism 42.

Then, in step S204, the suction hand 43 adsorbs the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 using the negative pressure supplied from the negative pressure generator.

Then, in step S205, the suction hand 43 is raised by the Z-direction movement mechanism 42.

Then, in step S206, the suction hand 43 is moved above the transfer destination by the X-direction movement mechanism 41. Specifically, in step S2 of the semiconductor chip manufacturing process, the suction hand 43 is moved above the expansion section 6 at the first position P1. Also, in step S7 of the semiconductor chip manufacturing process, the suction hand 43 is moved above the lift-up hand 32.

Then, in step S207, the suction hand 43 is lowered by the Z-direction movement mechanism 42 toward the transfer destination (expansion section 6 or lift-up hand 32).

Then, in step S208, the suction hand 43 releases the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 from suction. This completes the transfer of the wafer ring structure 200 to the destination. The transfer process then ends.

(Expanding process)
17 and 18, the expanding process in the expanding device 100 will be described. The expanding process is a process performed in step S3 in the semiconductor chip manufacturing process. The expanding process is performed at the first position P1.

As shown in Figure 17, in step S301, the suction hand 43 is raised by the Z-direction movement mechanism 42. At this time, the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 is supported by the lower gripping portion 63a of the clamp portion 63.

Then, in step S302, the multiple slide moving bodies 63ba of the upper gripping portion 63b are slid horizontally toward the wafer 210.

Then, in step S303, the lower gripping portion 63a is raised while supporting the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200. As a result, the ring-shaped member 230 is gripped and fixed between the upper gripping portion 63b and the lower gripping portion 63a.

Then, in step S304, the debris cleaner 9, together with the cold air supply unit 7, is lowered by a cylinder toward the wafer ring structure 200.

Then, in step S305, it is determined whether cooling by supplying cold air to the sheet member 220 by the cold air supply unit 7 is necessary. If cooling by supplying cold air to the sheet member 220 by the cold air supply unit 7 is necessary, the process proceeds to step S305a. Then, in step S305a, the cold air supply unit 7 starts supplying cold air to the sheet member 220. Then, the process proceeds to step S306. On the other hand, if cooling by supplying cold air to the sheet member 220 by the cold air supply unit 7 is not necessary, the process proceeds to step S306 without performing the processing of step S305a.

Then, in step S306, it is determined whether cooling of the sheet member 220 by the cooling unit 8 is necessary. If cooling of the sheet member 220 by the cooling unit 8 is necessary, the process proceeds to step S307. Then, in step S307, in addition to cooling of the sheet member 220 by the cold air supply unit 7, cooling of the sheet member 220 by the cooling unit 8 is performed. Then, the process proceeds to step S308. On the other hand, if cooling of the sheet member 220 by the cooling unit 8 is not necessary, the process proceeds to step S308 without performing the processing of step S307.

Then, as shown in Figure 18, in step S308, suction of the scattered debris by the debris cleaner 9 begins.

Then, in step S309, the clamp unit 63 is rapidly lowered by the Z-direction movement mechanism 61, and the sheet member 220 is pressed against the expansion ring 64, thereby expanding the sheet member 220. As a result, the wafer 210 on the sheet member 220 is divided into a matrix of multiple semiconductor chips, and the gaps between the multiple semiconductor chips are widened. Also in step S309, the clamp unit 63 is lowered from the expansion start position to the expansion completion position.

Then, in step S310, the supply of cold air by the cold air supply unit 7 to the sheet member 220 is stopped. Note that if it is determined in step 305 that cooling by supplying cold air to the sheet member 220 by the cold air supply unit 7 is not necessary, the process proceeds to step S311 without performing the processing of step S310.

Then, in step S311, suction of the flying debris by the debris cleaner 9 is stopped.

Then, in step S312, the debris cleaner 9 is raised by the cylinder together with the cold air supply unit 7. The expansion process is then terminated. Then, while maintaining the sheet member 220 in an expanded state, the expansion unit 6 (Z-direction movement mechanism 61, clamp unit 63, and expansion ring 64) is moved by the Y-direction movement mechanism 62 from the first position P1 to the second position P2.

(Heat shrink treatment)
19 and 20, the heat shrink process in the expanding device 100 will be described. The heat shrink process is a process carried out in step S5 in the semiconductor chip manufacturing process.

As shown in Figure 19, in step S401, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is raised by the cylinder 121.

Then, in step S402, the expansion maintaining ring 113 is lowered by the cylinder, thereby sandwiching the sheet member 220 between the expansion maintaining ring 113 and the expand ring 64.

Then, in step S403, the heating ring 111 and the suction ring 112 are lowered by the Z-direction movement mechanism 110. Note that the vertical movement mechanism (Z-direction movement mechanism 110) for the heating ring 111 and the suction ring 112 and the vertical movement mechanism (cylinder) for the expansion maintaining ring 113 are separate mechanisms.

Then, in step S404, intake by the intake ring 112 begins.

Then, in step S405, heating of the sheet member 220 by the heating ring 111 and irradiation of ultraviolet light by the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 onto the sheet member 220 are initiated. Heating of the sheet member 220 by the heating ring 111 causes slack in the portion 220b of the sheet member 220 surrounding the wafer 210 to shrink and be removed. Furthermore, irradiation of ultraviolet light onto the sheet member 220 by the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 reduces the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer of the sheet member 220.

Then, in step S406, it is determined whether the heating time by the heating ring 111 of the sheet member 220 has reached the set time. If the heating time by the heating ring 111 of the sheet member 220 has not reached the set time, the processing of step S406 is repeated. If the heating time by the heating ring 111 of the sheet member 220 has reached the set time, the processing proceeds to step S407.

Then, in step S407, heating of the sheet member 220 by the heating ring 111 is stopped.

Then, in step S408, the clamp unit 63 is raised at a low speed by the Z-direction movement mechanism 61.

Then, in step S409, it is determined whether the clamp unit 63 has risen to the expansion start position. If the clamp unit 63 has not risen to the expansion start position, the processing of step S409 is repeated. If the clamp unit 63 has risen to the expansion start position, the processing proceeds to step S410.

Note that in the processing of steps S406 to S409, an example has been shown in which the heating of the sheet member 220 by the heating ring 111 and the lifting of the clamp unit 63 by the Z-direction movement mechanism 61 are performed in one operation, but the heat shrink configuration is not limited to this. For example, the heating of the sheet member 220 by the heating ring 111 and the lifting of the clamp unit 63 by the Z-direction movement mechanism 61 may be performed in multiple separate operations. In other words, the heating of the sheet member 220 by the heating ring 111 and the lifting of the clamp unit 63 by the Z-direction movement mechanism 61 may be repeated until the clamp unit 63 is lifted to the expansion start position.

Then, in step S410, the suction by the suction ring 112 and the irradiation of ultraviolet light by the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 onto the sheet member 220 are stopped.

Then, in step S411, the heating ring 111 and the suction ring 112 are raised by the Z-direction movement mechanism 110.

Then, in step S412, the expansion maintaining ring 113 is raised by the cylinder.

Then, in step S413, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is lowered by the cylinder 121. The heat shrink process is then completed. The expansion unit 6 (Z-direction movement mechanism 61, clamp unit 63, and expansion ring 64) is then moved from the second position P2 to the first position P1 by the Y-direction movement mechanism 62. The wafer ring structure 200, which has been expanded and heat shrunk, is then transferred by the suction hand 43 from the expansion unit 6 at the first position P1 to the lift-up hand 32.

(Accommodation processing)
21, the accommodation process in the expanding device 100 will be described. The accommodation process is a process carried out in step S8 in the semiconductor chip manufacturing process.

As shown in Figure 21, in step S501, it is determined whether the lift-up hand 32 of the lift-up hand section 3 is free. If the lift-up hand 32 is not free, the storage process is terminated. If the lift-up hand 32 is free, the process proceeds to step S502.

Then, in step S502, it is determined whether the lift-up hand 32 is present in the wafer cassette 22 of the cassette unit 2. If the lift-up hand 32 is not present in the wafer cassette 22, the process proceeds to step S504. If the lift-up hand 32 is present in the wafer cassette 22, the process proceeds to step S503.

Then, in step S503, the lift-up hand 32 is moved in the Y2 direction from inside the wafer cassette 22 to outside the wafer cassette 22 by the Y-direction movement mechanism 31.

Then, in step S504, the wafer cassette 22 is moved in the Z direction by the Z-direction movement mechanism 21 so that the wafer ring structure 200 to be accommodated on the lift-up hand 32 can be accommodated in the wafer cassette 22. Specifically, in step S504, the wafer cassette 22 is moved in the Z direction by the Z-direction movement mechanism 21 so that the lower surface of the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 to be accommodated on the lift-up hand 32 is positioned at a height slightly to the Z1 direction side of the upper surfaces of the pair of mounting portions 23 in the wafer cassette 22.

Then, in step S505, the lift-up hand 32 is moved in the Y1 direction by the Y-direction moving mechanism 31 so that the underside of the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 to be accommodated on the lift-up hand 32 is positioned at the accommodation position within the wafer cassette 22 (directly above the pair of mounting portions 23).

Then, in step S506, the wafer ring structure 200 to be accommodated on the lift-up hand 32 is transferred to a pair of mounting sections 23 in the wafer cassette 22. Specifically, in step S506, the wafer cassette 22 is moved in the Z1 direction by the Z-direction movement mechanism 21 so that the upper surface of the lift-up hand 32 is slightly lower than the upper surfaces of the pair of mounting sections 23.

Then, in step S508, the lift-up hand 32 is moved in the Y2 direction by the Y-direction movement mechanism 31 while the upper surfaces of the pair of mounting sections 23 support the lower surface of the ring-shaped member 230 of the wafer ring structure 200 to be accommodated. As a result, the lift-up hand 32 is removed with the wafer ring structure 200 to be accommodated accommodated in the wafer cassette 22. The accommodation process is then completed.

(Effects of this embodiment)
In this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

In this embodiment, as described above, when the heat-shrink unit 10 heats the sheet member 220, an ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is provided that simultaneously irradiates the sheet member 220 with ultraviolet light to reduce the adhesive strength of the sheet member 220. This allows the heat-shrink unit 10 to heat and shrink the slack in the portion of the sheet member 220 surrounding the wafer 210, while the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 reduces the adhesive strength of the sheet member 220. As a result, the processing time can be reduced compared to when the heat-shrink unit 10 performs the shrinking process of the sheet member 220 and the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 performs the reducing process of the adhesive strength of the sheet member 220 in sequence. This prevents the increase in processing time required for the expanding, heat-shrinking, and adhesive strength-reducing processes of the sheet member 220 to which the wafer 210 is attached.

Furthermore, as described above, this embodiment includes an expansion maintaining ring 113 that is arranged to cover one side of the sheet member 220 and blocks ultraviolet light irradiated from the ultraviolet light irradiating unit 11, and the ultraviolet light irradiating unit 11 is configured to irradiate ultraviolet light onto the sheet member 220 from the other side of the sheet member 220. This allows the expansion maintaining ring 113 to prevent ultraviolet light irradiated from the ultraviolet light irradiating unit 11 from leaking to the outside.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the expansion maintaining ring 113 includes a side portion 113b formed in an annular shape to surround the wafer 210 of the sheet member 220, and a bottom portion 113a connected to the side portion on the opposite side from the sheet member 220. This allows the side portion 113b of the expansion maintaining ring 113 to block ultraviolet light emitted to the side of the sheet member 220, and the bottom portion 113a of the expansion maintaining ring 113 to block ultraviolet light emitted in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the sheet member 220. This more reliably prevents ultraviolet light irradiated onto the sheet member 220 from leaking to the outside.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, when ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the sheet member 220 by the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, an expand ring 64 made of an ultraviolet-blocking material is provided, which abuts against the other side of the sheet member 220 to support the sheet member 220 and is positioned to surround the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11. As a result, the expand ring 64 supporting the sheet member 220 can block ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 to its surroundings. This allows for a reduction in the number of parts and a simplification of the device configuration compared to when a member supporting the sheet member 220 and a member blocking ultraviolet rays are provided separately.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the expansion maintaining ring 113 and the expand ring 64 are configured to sandwich and hold the sheet member 220 when the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 irradiates the sheet member 220 with ultraviolet light and, at the same time, when the heat shrink unit 10 shrinks the sheet member 220, thereby maintaining the expansion of the portion of the sheet member 220 where the wafer 210 is placed. This allows the expansion maintaining ring 113, which blocks the ultraviolet light irradiated by the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, to maintain the expansion of the portion of the sheet member 220 where the wafer 210 is placed when the heat shrink unit 10 shrinks the sheet member 220. Therefore, compared to when a separate component for maintaining the expansion of the sheet member 220 is provided, the number of parts can be reduced and the device configuration can be simplified.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is configured to be movable between an ultraviolet irradiation position P3 and a retracted position P4, which are arranged in a direction intersecting the surface of the sheet member 220. As a result, when ultraviolet rays are to be irradiated onto the sheet member 220, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 can be moved to the ultraviolet irradiation position P3, and when ultraviolet rays are not to be irradiated onto the sheet member 220, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 can be retracted to the retracted position P4. As a result, when the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 is retracted, further processing can be performed on the sheet member 220, and multiple types of processing can be performed on the sheet member 220 at the same position.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the intensity of the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 11 is adjusted so that the ultraviolet light irradiation process for reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member 220 is completed within the operating time required for the heat shrink unit 10 to heat and shrink the sheet member 220. This allows the process for reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member 220 by irradiating ultraviolet light to be completed during the operation of heating and shrinking the sheet member 220, thereby reducing the waiting time required to wait for the process for reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member 220 by irradiating ultraviolet light to be completed. As a result, the increase in the time required for the processes of expanding, heat shrinking, and reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member 220 to which the wafer 210 is attached can be effectively reduced.

[Modification]
It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the description of the above embodiments, and further includes all modifications (variations) within the meaning and scope of the claims.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example of a configuration in which the heat shrink unit heats the sheet member from one side and the ultraviolet irradiation unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays from the other side is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, a configuration in which the heat shrink unit heats the sheet member from the same side and the ultraviolet irradiation unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays may also be used.

In addition, while the above embodiment shows an example of a configuration in which the expansion maintaining ring (ultraviolet ray shielding portion) is provided above the sheet member and the expand ring (support ring) is provided below the sheet member, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the ultraviolet ray shielding portion may be provided below the sheet member and the support ring may be provided above the sheet member. Furthermore, the ultraviolet ray shielding portion and the support ring may be arranged so as to face each other horizontally, with the sheet member in between.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example of a configuration in which the expansion maintenance ring (ultraviolet ray shielding portion) is formed to have a cylindrical shape is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the ultraviolet ray shielding portion may be formed to have a cylindrical shape with a polygonal cross section.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the heating ring of the heat shrink unit heats the entire periphery of the wafer of the sheet member, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the heat shrink unit may be configured to heat the periphery of the wafer sequentially, portion by portion.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example of a configuration was shown in which the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiation unit are blocked by an expansion maintaining ring that maintains the expansion of the sheet member in the portion where the wafer is placed during the heat shrink process of the sheet member by the heat shrink unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiation unit may also be blocked by an ultraviolet blocking member that is provided separately from the expansion maintaining ring.

In addition, in the above embodiment, for the sake of convenience, an example was shown in which the control processing of the second control unit 13 (control unit) was explained using a flow-driven flowchart in which processing is performed sequentially according to a processing flow, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the control processing of the control unit may be performed using event-driven processing in which processing is performed on an event-by-event basis. In this case, the control processing may be performed completely event-driven, or may be performed in a combination of event-driven and flow-driven processing.

6 Expanding section 10 Heat shrinking section 11 Ultraviolet irradiation section 64 Expanding ring (supporting ring)
100 Expanding device 113 Expansion maintaining ring (ultraviolet ray shielding part)
113a Bottom surface portion 113b Side surface portion 210 Wafer 220 Sheet member

Claims (9)

an expanding section that expands a heat-shrinkable sheet member having elasticity and to which a divisible wafer is attached along a dividing line, thereby dividing the wafer along the dividing line;
a heat shrink section that heats and shrinks a slack in a portion of the sheet member around the wafer that occurs due to expansion by the expanding section;
an ultraviolet irradiation unit that irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays in parallel with heating the sheet member by the heat shrink unit to reduce adhesive strength of the sheet member ;
an ultraviolet ray shielding section that is arranged to cover one side of the sheet member and that shields the ultraviolet ray irradiated from the ultraviolet ray irradiating section ,
the ultraviolet irradiation unit is configured to irradiate the sheet member with ultraviolet light from the other side of the sheet member,
The ultraviolet ray shielding portion includes a side portion formed in an annular shape so as to surround the wafer of the sheet member, and a bottom portion connected to the side portion on the opposite side from the sheet member . an expanding section that expands a heat-shrinkable sheet member having elasticity and to which a divisible wafer is attached along a dividing line, thereby dividing the wafer along the dividing line;
a heat shrink section that heats and shrinks a slack in a portion of the sheet member around the wafer that occurs due to expansion by the expanding section;
an ultraviolet irradiation unit that irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays in parallel with heating the sheet member by the heat shrink unit to reduce adhesive strength of the sheet member;
an ultraviolet ray shielding section that is arranged to cover one side of the sheet member and that shields the ultraviolet ray irradiated from the ultraviolet ray irradiating section,
the ultraviolet irradiation unit is configured to irradiate the sheet member with ultraviolet light from the other side of the sheet member ,
a support ring formed of an ultraviolet ray blocking material, the support ring being disposed to abut against the other side of the sheet member to support the sheet member and to surround the ultraviolet ray irradiating unit when the ultraviolet ray irradiating unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays;
The ultraviolet shielding portion and the support ring are configured to sandwich and hold the sheet member when the ultraviolet irradiation portion irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays and, at the same time, when the heat shrink portion shrinks the sheet member, thereby maintaining the expansion of the sheet member in the portion where the wafer is placed . The expanding device described in claim 2, wherein the ultraviolet ray shielding portion includes a side portion formed in an annular shape to surround the wafer of the sheet member, and a bottom portion connected to the side portion on the opposite side from the sheet member. The expanding device of claim 1, further comprising a support ring formed of a material that blocks ultraviolet rays, which is arranged to abut against the other side of the sheet member to support the sheet member and surround the ultraviolet irradiation unit when the ultraviolet irradiation unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays. The expanding device according to claim 4, wherein the ultraviolet shielding unit and the support ring are configured to sandwich and hold the sheet member when the ultraviolet irradiation unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet light and the heat shrink unit simultaneously shrinks the sheet member, thereby maintaining the expansion of the portion of the sheet member where the wafer is placed. The expanding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation unit is configured to be movable between an ultraviolet irradiation position and a retracted position arranged along a direction intersecting the surface of the sheet member. The expanding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the intensity of the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light irradiation unit is adjusted so that the ultraviolet light irradiation process that reduces the adhesive strength of the sheet member is completed within the working time required for the heat shrink unit to heat and shrink the sheet member. a heat-shrinkable sheet member having elasticity and to which a divisible wafer is attached along a dividing line, and the sheet member is expanded to divide the wafer along the dividing line;
Thereafter, the sheet member is heated to shrink the slack in the portion of the sheet member around the wafer caused by the expansion of the sheet member,
When the sheet member is heated to shrink, the sheet member is irradiated with ultraviolet light to reduce the adhesive strength of the sheet member ;
An expanding method in which, when irradiating ultraviolet rays onto the sheet member, an ultraviolet ray shielding portion that includes a side portion formed in a ring shape to surround the wafer of the sheet member and a bottom portion connected to the side portion on the opposite side of the sheet member and that shields the irradiated ultraviolet rays is arranged to cover one side of the sheet member, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the sheet member from the other side of the sheet member . a heat-shrinkable sheet member having elasticity and to which a divisible wafer is attached along a dividing line, and the sheet member is expanded to divide the wafer along the dividing line;
Thereafter, the sheet member is heated to shrink the slack in the portion of the sheet member around the wafer caused by the expansion of the sheet member,
When the sheet member is heated to shrink, the sheet member is irradiated with ultraviolet light from an ultraviolet irradiation unit in parallel to the heating, thereby reducing the adhesive strength of the sheet member;
When the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit irradiates the sheet member with ultraviolet rays, an ultraviolet ray shielding unit that shields the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit is disposed so as to cover one side of the sheet member, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the sheet member from the other side of the sheet member;
An expansion method in which, when ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the sheet member by the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the sheet member is contracted in parallel, the sheet member is held in a sandwiched state between a support ring formed of an ultraviolet-blocking material and the ultraviolet shielding unit, which abuts against the other side of the sheet member to support the sheet member and is arranged to surround the ultraviolet irradiation unit, and the ultraviolet shielding unit, thereby maintaining the expansion of the sheet member in the portion where the wafer is placed.