JP7849247B2 - cutting device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a cutting device.

Patent Document 1 describes a protective member forming apparatus for forming a protective member that protects one side of a wafer. In this protective member forming apparatus, a sheet is placed on a table, liquid resin is supplied onto the sheet, a wafer holder that holds the wafer above the table is lowered, the wafer spreads the liquid resin, and then the liquid resin is cured.

Furthermore, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, a sheet is cut into a circular shape to match the outer shape of the wafer, forming a protective member containing the sheet and resin. To cut the sheet into a circular shape in this way, an arm with a blade at its tip is rotated.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-041495 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-220548

The protective member forming apparatus, which cuts sheets into a circular shape, is compatible with, for example, 8-inch and 12-inch wafers. The operator adjusts the length of the arm according to the wafer diameter. That is, the operator either changes the length of a variable-length arm or replaces an existing arm with one of the appropriate length.

However, sometimes the arm length adjustment is forgotten, in which case the blade may cut into the wafer, causing damage, or the sheet may be cut into a circle larger than the wafer.

Therefore, the objective of this invention is to easily determine which wafer the length of the arm corresponds to.

The first cutting apparatus of the present invention is a cutting apparatus for cutting a sheet attached to a workpiece having an area larger than the area of one side of the wafer, in a circular shape along the outer circumference of the wafer, wherein the two wafers having at least two different diameters include a first wafer and a second wafer having a diameter larger than the diameter of the first wafer, and comprises a cutting stage on which the workpiece is placed with the sheet facing downwards, and a first light projector that is positioned vertically spaced apart with a first gap so as to be detectable on the outer circumference of the first wafer of the workpiece placed on the cutting stage. The cutting stage comprises a first sensor having a light-emitting unit and a first light-receiving unit that receives the first light, a second sensor having a second light-emitting unit that emits a second light and a second light-receiving unit that receives the second light, which are arranged vertically spaced apart with a second gap so as to be able to detect the outer circumference of the second wafer of the workpiece placed on the cutting stage, a cutting mechanism for cutting the sheet into a circular shape, and a control unit, the cutting mechanism comprising a blade for cutting the sheet, an arm extending horizontally with the blade positioned at its tip, a rotating shaft connected to the rear end of the arm and having a rotation axis extending vertically, and by rotating the rotating shaft, The cutting stage comprises a motor for rotating an arm and a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the blade and the cutting stage so that they move closer together or further apart, wherein the first gap of the first sensor and the second gap of the second sensor are set so that the rotating arm can pass through, and the control unit determines that the length of the arm corresponds to the first wafer when the rotating shaft is rotating with no workpiece placed on the cutting stage and the rotating arm blocks the first light of the first sensor but does not block the second light of the second sensor, and when a workpiece is placed on the cutting stage The system includes: a second determination unit that determines that the length of the arm corresponds to the second wafer when the rotating shaft is being rotated without a workpiece being placed on it, and the rotating arm blocks both the first light from the first sensor and the second light from the second sensor; and a third determination unit that determines that the length of the arm does not correspond to either the first or second wafer when the rotating shaft is being rotated without a workpiece being placed on the cutting stage, and the rotating arm does not block either the first light from the first sensor or the second light from the second sensor.

Furthermore, the first cutting device may include an extension/retraction mechanism for extending and retracting the arm, and the control unit may extend or retract the arm to a length corresponding to the radius of the circular wafer.

The second cutting apparatus of the present invention is a cutting apparatus for cutting a sheet attached to a workpiece in which a sheet having an area larger than the area of one side of the wafer is attached to one of two types of wafers with at least different diameters, wherein the two types of wafers with at least different diameters include a first wafer and a second wafer having a diameter larger than the diameter of the first wafer, and comprises a cutting stage on which the workpiece is placed with the sheet facing downwards, a camera positioned above the cutting stage capable of imaging the outer circumference of the first wafer and the outer circumference of the second wafer of the workpiece placed on the cutting stage, a cutting mechanism for cutting the sheet in a circular shape, and a control unit, wherein the cutting mechanism comprises a blade for cutting the sheet, an arm extending horizontally with the blade positioned at its tip, and a lead connected to the rear end of the arm. The system comprises a rotating shaft having a rotation axis extending perpendicularly, a motor that rotates the rotating shaft to pivot the arm, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the blade and the cutting stage so that they move closer together or further apart. A third gap, which is the gap between the cutting stage and the camera, is set to allow the pivoting arm to pass through. The control unit, when the rotating shaft is rotating without a workpiece placed on the cutting stage, captures an image of the tip of the pivoting arm using the camera and acquires an image. Based on this image, it includes a fourth determination unit that determines whether the length of the arm corresponds to the first wafer, the length of the arm corresponds to the second wafer, or the length of the arm does not correspond to either the first or second wafer.

Furthermore, the second cutting device may include a telescopic mechanism for extending and retracting the arm, and the control unit may extend or retract the arm to a length corresponding to the radius of the circular wafer.

In the first cutting apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to easily determine whether the length of the rotating arm corresponds to the first wafer or the second wafer based on whether or not the rotating arm blocks the first light from the first sensor and the second light from the second sensor.
Furthermore, in the second cutting apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to easily confirm whether the length of the arm corresponds to the first wafer or the second wafer by using an image obtained by capturing the tip of the rotating arm with a camera.

This is a perspective view showing the configuration of a protective member forming apparatus. This is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the workpiece. This is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the cutting device. This is an explanatory diagram showing other components of the cutting device.

The protective member forming apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1 is an apparatus for forming a workpiece including a wafer 10 and a protective member by forming a protective member consisting of a resin and sheet formed by spreading and curing a liquid resin over the entire surface of one side of the wafer 10.

Wafer 10 is, for example, a disc-shaped silicon azu slice wafer. Wafer 10 is formed, for example, in a disc shape and has a front surface 11 and a back surface 12. The back surface 12 and front surface 11 of wafer 10 correspond to examples of one side and the other side of wafer 10, respectively.

In this embodiment, the protective member forming apparatus 1 forms a protective member on one of two types of wafers 10 with at least different diameters. Therefore, in the following description, the wafer 10 with a relatively small diameter will be referred to as the first wafer 10a, while the wafer 10 with a relatively large diameter will be referred to as the second wafer 10b. That is, the two types of wafers 10 with at least different diameters include the first wafer 10a and the second wafer 10b, which has a larger diameter than the first wafer 10a. Furthermore, when the first wafer 10a and the second wafer 10b are not distinguished, they will be collectively referred to as wafer 10.

The protective member forming apparatus 1 comprises a housing 200, an apparatus base 201 disposed within the housing 200, a column 202 erected on the apparatus base 201, a support base 203 disposed adjacent to the apparatus base 201, a table base 204 also disposed adjacent to the apparatus base 201, and a cassette housing body 205 connected to the rear end of the housing 200.

The cassette housing body 205 has two storage spaces 206 and 207 in the left-right direction. Storage space 206 contains a cassette 208 that houses multiple wafers 10 before protective members are formed. Storage space 207 contains a cassette 209 that houses workpieces, which are wafers 10 with protective members formed on them.

The table base 204 on the -Y direction side of the cassette housing body 205 is equipped with a temporary placement mechanism 7 and a cutting device 8 located below the temporary placement mechanism 7. The temporary placement mechanism 7 detects the center position of the wafer 10. The cutting device 8 cuts off the excess portion of the sheet in the workpiece along the outer shape of the wafer 10.

A first transport mechanism 4 is positioned between the cassette housing body 205 and the temporary storage mechanism 7. The first transport mechanism 4 has a first robotic hand 14 capable of holding the wafer 10, and performs the loading and unloading of the wafer 10 into and out of cassettes 208 and 209. Specifically, the first transport mechanism 4 unloads the wafer 10 before the protective member is formed from cassette 208 and loads it into the temporary storage mechanism 7. Furthermore, the first transport mechanism 4 unloads the wafer 10 (workpiece) with the protective member formed from the cutting device 8 and loads it into cassette 209.

A second transport mechanism 5 is positioned on the -Y direction side of the first transport mechanism 4. The second transport mechanism 5 has a second robot hand 15 capable of holding the wafer 10, and retrieves the workpiece (wafer 10 with protective material formed on it) and transports it to the cutting device 8. The second transport mechanism 5 also unloads the wafer 10 from the temporary storage mechanism 7 and transfers it to the holding table 52 of the wafer holding mechanism 50.

The device base 201 includes a sheet supply mechanism 16 having a roll section 17 containing a rolled sheet S, a sheet holding mechanism 18 including a glass table 19 for holding the sheet S, and a sheet placement mechanism 30.

The sheet placement mechanism 30 positions a sheet S, having an area larger than the area of the back surface 12 of the wafer 10, on the back surface 12 of the wafer 10. The sheet placement mechanism 30 includes a frame-shaped support member 31, an air vent roller 35 attached to the support member 31, a sheet gripping portion 32 attached to the support member 31, and a moving member 33 that moves the support member 31 along the Y-axis.

In the sheet placement mechanism 30, the sheet S wound on the roll section 17 is grasped by the sheet gripping section 32 and pulled in the +Y direction by the moving member 33 to position it on the glass table 19. Then, after the air between the sheet S and the glass table 19 is expelled by the air release roller 35, the sheet S is cut to a predetermined size. The cut sheet S has an area larger than the area of the back surface 12 of the wafer 10.

This allows the sheet placement mechanism 30 to place the sheet S on the glass table 19 of the sheet holding mechanism 18. The glass table 19 then holds the placed sheet S using suction.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, a liquid resin supply unit 40 for supplying liquid resin onto the sheet S is provided near the glass table 19. The liquid resin supply unit 40 includes a liquid resin supply nozzle 41 for supplying liquid resin to the sheet S, and a dispenser 42 for dispensing a predetermined amount of liquid resin to the liquid resin supply nozzle 41. The liquid resin supply nozzle 41 is connected to the dispenser 42 by a connecting pipe (not shown).

In this embodiment, the liquid resin supply nozzle 41 is provided on the support member 31 of the sheet placement mechanism 30 and moves in the Y-axis direction together with the support member 31. The liquid resin supply unit 40 supplies liquid resin to the center of the upper surface of the sheet S held on the glass table 19 using this liquid resin supply nozzle 41.

In this embodiment, the liquid resin is, for example, an ultraviolet-curable resin used to form a protective member that protects the entire surface 11 of the wafer 10. In forming the protective member, the back surface 12 of the wafer 10 is pressed against the liquid resin supplied onto the sheet S placed on the glass table 19 from above, spreading the liquid resin across the entire surface 12 and curing it.

On the -Y direction side of column 202, there is a wafer holding mechanism 50 for holding the wafer 10 received from the second transport mechanism 5, and a lifting mechanism 60 for raising and lowering the wafer holding mechanism 50.

The wafer holding mechanism 50 includes a support structure 51 attached to the lifting mechanism 60, and a holding table 52 attached to the support structure 51. The support structure 51 is attached to the lifting mechanism 60 while supporting the holding table 52, and moves in the Z-axis direction by the lifting mechanism 60.

The wafer holding table 52 of the wafer holding mechanism 50 has a wafer holding surface 53 that is positioned opposite the glass table 19. The wafer holding surface 53 is made of, for example, a porous material. In the holding table 52, by connecting this wafer holding surface 53 to a suction source (not shown), the wafer holding surface 53 can suction and hold the other surface 11 of the wafer 10.

The lifting mechanism 60 shown in Figure 1 raises and lowers the holding table 52. Specifically, the lifting mechanism 60 moves the wafer holding mechanism 50, including the holding table 52, closer to the glass table 19 along the Z-axis direction, thereby spreading the liquid resin supplied onto the sheet S held on the glass table 19 across the entire back surface 12 of the wafer 10 held on the holding table 52.

The lifting mechanism 60 comprises a ball screw 61 extending in the Z-axis direction, a motor 62 connected to one end of the ball screw 61, a pair of guide rails 63 extending parallel to the ball screw 61, and a lifting plate 64 to which the wafer holding mechanism 50 is attached. The lifting plate 64 is slidably mounted relative to the pair of guide rails 63. A nut portion (not shown) is formed on the lifting plate 64. The ball screw 61 is screwed into this nut portion.

In the lifting mechanism 60, the ball screw 61 is rotated by the motor 62, causing the lifting plate 64 to move along a pair of guide rails 63 in the Z-axis direction together with the wafer holding mechanism 50. This allows the lifting mechanism 60 to raise and lower the wafer holding mechanism 50 along the Z-axis direction, which is approximately perpendicular to the glass table 19. In this way, the lifting mechanism 60 can spread the liquid resin accumulated on the glass table 19 across the entire back surface 12 of the wafer 10.

Furthermore, the sheet holding mechanism 18 has a curing mechanism located below the glass table 19 for curing the liquid resin spread across the entire back surface 12 of the wafer 10. In this embodiment, the curing mechanism includes an ultraviolet irradiation unit (not shown) for irradiating the liquid resin with ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet irradiation unit cures the liquid resin by irradiating it with ultraviolet light via the glass table 19.

In this way, the protective member forming apparatus 1 forms a protective member 104, including the cured resin 105 and the sheet S, on the back surface 12 of the wafer 10, as shown in Figure 2. This allows for the formation of a circular workpiece 110 including the wafer 10 and the protective member 104. Thus, in this embodiment, the workpiece 110 is formed by attaching a sheet S with an area larger than the area of the back surface 12 (one side of the wafer 10) to one of at least two wafers 100 (first wafer 10a and second wafer 10b) with different diameters. The workpiece 110 is collected by the second transport mechanism 5 shown in Figure 1 and transported to the cutting apparatus 8. The cutting apparatus 8 cuts off the excess portion of the sheet S along the outer shape of the wafer 10 of the transported workpiece 110. Afterward, the workpiece 110 is transported out of the cutting apparatus 8 by the first transport mechanism 4 and transported to the cassette 209.

Furthermore, the protective member forming apparatus 1 is equipped with a touch panel 9 on the side of, for example, the cassette housing body 205. Various information related to the protective member forming apparatus 1 is displayed on the touch panel 9. The touch panel 9 is also used to set various information. Thus, the touch panel 9 functions as both an input member for inputting information and a display member for displaying information.

Here, the configuration of the temporary storage mechanism 7 and the cutting device 8 will be described.
The temporary placement mechanism 7 is a device for holding the wafer 10 and for detecting the center position of the held wafer 10. As shown in Figure 3, a support column 70 is erected on the table base 204 in the Z-axis direction, and the temporary placement mechanism 7 is installed on this support column 70. Specifically, the temporary placement mechanism 7 has a table support member 71 that extends in the -X direction from the upper end of the support column 70, and a temporary placement table 72 supported by this table support member 71.

The temporary storage table 72 is positioned on a guide groove 711 extending in the X-axis direction, provided on the upper surface of the table support member 71, and has a holding surface 721 for suction-holding the wafer 10. The wafer 10, before the protective member is formed, is placed on the temporary storage table 72 by the first transport mechanism 4 (see Figure 1). The temporary storage table 72 is then capable of suction-holding the placed wafer 10 by the holding surface 721, which is connected to a suction source (not shown).

Furthermore, the table support member 71 supporting the temporary storage table 72, and the cutting mechanism support member 81 positioned below the table support member 71, have a width narrower than the openings of the first robot hand 14 of the first transport mechanism 4 and the second robot hand 15 of the second transport mechanism 5, allowing them to pass through these openings. Therefore, the first transport mechanism 4 and the second transport mechanism 5 can easily transport the wafer 10 to the temporary storage table 72.

Furthermore, the temporary storage mechanism 7 includes a temporary storage table rotation mechanism 73, which has a spindle and motor, located below the temporary storage table 72 within the table support member 71. This temporary storage table rotation mechanism 73 is connected to the lower surface of the temporary storage table 72 via a guide groove 711 in the table support member 71. The temporary storage table rotation mechanism 73 can rotate the temporary storage table 72, which holds the wafer 10, around a rotation axis passing through the center of the holding surface 721.

Furthermore, the temporary placement mechanism 7 includes a temporary placement table moving mechanism 74 within the table support member 71, which is connected to the temporary placement table rotation mechanism 73. The temporary placement table moving mechanism 74 can move the temporary placement table rotation mechanism 73 and the temporary placement table 72 connected to the temporary placement table rotation mechanism 73 along the guide groove 711 in the X-axis direction, as indicated by the arrow 501.

Furthermore, the temporary storage mechanism 7 has an imaging device 75 on the base end side of the table support member 71 that images the outer edge of the wafer 10 held on the temporary storage table 72 from above. Based on the image of the wafer 10 captured by the imaging device 75, the temporary storage mechanism 7 can detect the center position of the wafer 10. Once the center position of the wafer 10 is detected, it is transferred to the holding table 52 of the wafer holding mechanism 50 by the second transport mechanism 5 shown in Figure 1.

The cutting device 8 is positioned below the temporary storage mechanism 7. The workpiece 110, including the wafer 10 and protective member 104, is fed into the cutting device 8 by the second transport mechanism 5. As described above, the protective member 104 includes a cured resin 105 and a sheet S larger than the wafer 10. The cutting device 8 cuts (cuts) the sheet S of the workpiece 110 in a circular shape along the outer circumference of the wafer 10.

As shown in Figure 3, the cutting device 8 has a circular cutting stage 82 formed on the upper surface of the table base 204, and a cover portion 83 surrounding the cutting stage 82. The cover portion 83 is the upper surface of the table base 204.

The cutting stage 82 is the part on which the workpiece 110 is placed by the second transport mechanism 5. The workpiece 110 is placed on the cutting stage 82 with the sheet S facing downwards. For example, a suction hole connected to a suction source is formed in the center of the cutting stage 82 (neither shown), and the cutting stage 82 can hold the workpiece 110 by suction through this suction hole.

Furthermore, the cutting device 8 includes a first relief groove 84 disposed within the cutting stage 82, and a second relief groove 85 disposed between the cutting stage 82 and the cover portion 83.

The first relief groove 84 and the second relief groove 85 are formed as bottomed grooves and are provided concentrically with the outer edge of the cut stage 82. The first relief groove 84 is set to be slightly larger than that of the first wafer 10a, which has a relatively small diameter. Similarly, the diameter of the second relief groove 85 is set to be slightly larger than that of the second wafer 10b, which has a relatively large diameter.

Furthermore, the cutting device 8 has a cutting mechanism support member 81 provided on the support column 70. The cutting mechanism support member 81 extends below the table support member 71 of the temporary placement mechanism 7, substantially parallel to the table support member 71 and along the X-axis direction. The cutting device 8 is equipped with a cutting mechanism 90 on this cutting mechanism support member 81 for cutting the sheet S of the workpiece 110 into a circular shape.

The cutting mechanism 90 includes a blade 91 for cutting the sheet S, an arm 92 supporting the blade 91, a rotating shaft 93 connected to the rear end of the arm 92, a motor 94 for rotating the rotating shaft 93, a lifting mechanism 95 for raising and lowering the rotating shaft 93, and a telescopic mechanism 96 for extending and retracting the arm 92.

The lifting mechanism 95 supports the rotating shaft 93 and is provided on the lower surface of the tip of the cutting mechanism support member 81 so as to be able to rotate together with the rotating shaft 93. The lifting mechanism 95 is configured to raise and lower the rotating shaft 93 relative to the cutting stage 82 by, for example, extending and retracting in the Z-axis direction. An arm 92, equipped with a blade 91 at its tip, is connected to this rotating shaft 93. Therefore, the lifting mechanism 95 can raise and lower the blade 91 and the cutting stage 82 so that they move closer together or further apart.

The rotating shaft 93 is supported by the lifting mechanism 95 so as to be positioned above the center of the cutting stage 82. The rotating shaft 93 is connected to the rear end of the arm 92 and has a rotation axis 931 that passes through the center of the cutting stage 82 and extends in the vertical Z-axis direction. By rotating the rotating shaft 93 together with the lifting mechanism 95 around this rotation axis 931, the arm 92 can be rotated.

The motor 94 is mounted on the upper surface of the cutting mechanism support member 81 and connected to the lifting mechanism 95. The motor 94, together with the lifting mechanism 95, rotates the rotating shaft 93, thereby causing the arm 92 connected to the rotating shaft 93 to pivot.

The arm 92 extends horizontally from the rotating shaft 93, and a blade 91 is positioned at its tip. More specifically, the arm 92 has a holding member 921 at its tip that holds the blade 91 and is movable horizontally. The holding member 921 is, for example, a piston rod that is movable horizontally within the arm 92 and holds the blade 91 at its tip. The arm 92 can extend and retract horizontally as the holding member 921 moves.

Furthermore, the arm 92 has an extension/retraction mechanism 96 inside which the arm 92 is extended or retracted by moving the holding member 921 horizontally. The extension/retraction mechanism 96 can adjust the length of the arm 92 by adjusting the horizontal position of the holding member 921 that holds the blade 91. In this way, the extension/retraction mechanism 96 can set the horizontal position of the blade 91 to face either the second relief groove 85 or the first relief groove 84.
In this embodiment, the length of the arm 92 refers, for example, to the horizontal length from the rotation axis 931 of the rotating shaft 93, which is the rotation center of the arm 92, to the blade 91.

The blade 91 is used to cut the sheet S of the workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82. In the cutting mechanism 90, with the workpiece 110 having the sheet S placed on the cutting stage 82, the horizontal position and height of the blade 91 are adjusted by the telescopic mechanism 96 and the lifting mechanism 95. Furthermore, the arm 92 holding the blade 91 is rotated by the motor 94, thereby rotating the blade 91 along the first relief groove 84 (or second relief groove 85) to cut the sheet S to a size corresponding to the first relief groove 84 (or second relief groove 85).

Furthermore, the cutting device 8 has a sensor support member 97 near the cutting stage 82. The sensor support member 97 has a sensor support column 99 extending in the Z-axis direction on the upper surface of the table base 204, and a sensor support arm 98 provided at the tip of the sensor support column 99. This sensor support arm 98 extends horizontally from the outside of the cutting stage 82 toward the center.

Furthermore, the cutting device 8 has a first sensor 120 and a second sensor 130 on the sensor support member 97 and the cutting stage 82 for detecting the length of the arm 92.

The first sensor 120 is a sensor capable of detecting the outer periphery of the first wafer 10a when the workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82 has a first wafer 10a. The first sensor 120 has a first light receiving unit 122 and a first light emitting unit 121.

The first light-receiving unit 122 is provided near the inside of the first relief groove 84 of the cut stage 82, which is set to be slightly larger than the outer circumference of the first wafer 10a. The first light-emitting unit 121 is provided on the sensor support arm 98 of the sensor support member 97 so as to face the first light-receiving unit 122. That is, the first light-emitting unit 121 and the first light-receiving unit 122 are arranged vertically spaced apart at a position corresponding to the outer circumference of the first wafer 10a, with a gap (first gap) between them. Furthermore, the first light-emitting unit 121 is configured to emit a first light, which is the measurement light, while the first light-receiving unit 122 is configured to receive the first light from the first light-emitting unit 121.

In the first sensor 120 having this configuration, when a workpiece 110 including the first wafer 10a is placed on the cutting stage 82, the first light-receiving unit 122 is blocked by the outer circumference of the first wafer 10a, and therefore the first light-receiving unit 122 no longer receives the first light from the first light-emitting unit 121.

Thus, the first sensor 120 comprises a first light-emitting unit 121 that emits first light and a first light-receiving unit 122 that receives first light, arranged vertically spaced apart with a first gap between them, so as to be able to detect the outer periphery of the first wafer 10a of the workpiece 110 placed on the cut stage 82.

The second sensor 130 is a sensor capable of detecting the outer edge of the second wafer 10b when the workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82 has a second wafer 10b. The second sensor 130 has a second light receiving unit 132 and a second light emitting unit 131.

The second light-receiving unit 132 is located near the inside of the second relief groove 85 of the cut stage 82, which is set to be slightly larger than the outer circumference of the second wafer 10b. The second light-emitting unit 131 is located on the sensor support arm 98 of the sensor support member 97, facing the second light-receiving unit 132. That is, the second light-emitting unit 131 and the second light-receiving unit 132 are positioned vertically separated from each other at a position corresponding to the outer circumference of the second wafer 10b, with a gap (second gap) between them. Furthermore, the second light-emitting unit 131 is configured to emit a second light, which is the measurement light, while the second light-receiving unit 132 is configured to receive the second light from the second light-emitting unit 131.

In the second sensor 130 having this configuration, when the workpiece 110 including the second wafer 10b is placed on the cutting stage 82, the second light-receiving unit 132 is blocked by the outer circumference of the second wafer 10b, and therefore the second light-receiving unit 132 no longer receives the second light from the second light-emitting unit 131.

Thus, the second sensor 130 includes a second light-emitting unit 131 that emits second light and a second light-receiving unit 132 that receives second light, which are arranged vertically spaced apart with a second gap between them, so as to be able to detect the outer periphery of the second wafer 10b of the workpiece 110 placed on the cut stage 82.

Furthermore, the first gap, which is the gap between the first light-emitting unit 121 and the first light-receiving unit 122 of the first sensor 120, and the second gap, which is the gap between the second light-emitting unit 131 and the second light-receiving unit 132 of the second sensor 130, are set to allow the rotating arm 92 of the cutting mechanism 90 to pass through. In other words, the first gap and the second gap are provided within the rotation range of the arm 92 and are large enough for the rotating arm 92 to pass through.
In this embodiment, the first gap and the second gap are the same because they are the gaps between the sensor support arm 98 of the sensor support member 97 and the cutting stage 82. However, the first gap and the second gap may be set to different sizes.

Furthermore, the cutting device 8 includes a control unit 20 that controls each component of the cutting device 8. The control unit 20 includes a CPU that performs calculations according to a control program, and a storage medium such as memory. The control unit 20 comprises a first determination unit 21, a second determination unit 22, a third determination unit 23, and a fourth determination unit 24, which are used to perform an arm length detection operation to detect the length of the arm 92 of the cutting mechanism 90.

The arm length detection operation in the cutting device 8 is described below. This arm length detection operation determines whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b. This arm length detection operation is performed, for example, before the protective member 104 is formed on the wafer 10.

Prior to this arm length detection operation, the control unit 20 obtains from the operator via the touch panel 9 the type of wafer 10 to be processed for forming the protective member 104, specifically whether it is the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b.

In the arm length detection operation, first, the control unit 20 controls the motor 94 to rotate the rotating shaft 93 while the workpiece 110 is not placed on the cutting stage 82, thereby causing the arm 92 to pivot. At this time, the control unit 20 controls the lifting mechanism 95 as needed to position the arm 92 at a height that allows the pivoting arm 92 to pass through the first gap of the first sensor 120 and the second gap of the second sensor 130.

Then, while the arm 92 is rotating in this manner, the first determination unit 21, the second determination unit 22, and the third determination unit 23 of the control unit 20 detect the light reception state of the first light receiving unit 122 of the first sensor 120 and the second light receiving unit 132 of the second sensor 130. This allows them to recognize whether the first light emitted from the first light emitting unit 121 of the first sensor 120 to the first light receiving unit 122, and the second light emitted from the second light emitting unit 131 of the second sensor 130 to the second light receiving unit 132, are being blocked by the arm 92.

In other words, when the rotating shaft 93 is rotating with no workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82, if the swiveling arm 92 blocks the first light emitted from the first light-emitting unit 121 of the first sensor 120 to the first light-receiving unit 122, while not blocking the second light emitted from the second light-emitting unit 131 of the second sensor 130 to the second light-receiving unit 132, then the first determination unit 21 of the control unit 20 determines that the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a, that is, the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 faces the first relief groove 84.

Furthermore, when the rotating shaft 93 is rotating while no workpiece 110 is placed on the cutting stage 82, and the swiveling arm 92 blocks both the first light from the first sensor 120 and the second light from the second sensor 130, the second determination unit 22 of the control unit 20 determines that the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the second wafer 10b, that is, that the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 faces the second relief groove 85.

Furthermore, when the rotating shaft 93 is rotating while no workpiece 110 is placed on the cutting stage 82, if the swiveling arm 92 does not block the first light from the first sensor 120 and also does not block the second light from the second sensor 130, the third determination unit 23 of the control unit 20 determines that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to either the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b, that is, the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 does not face either the first relief groove 84 or the second relief groove 85. This includes, for example, cases where the attached arm 92 is too short, and cases where the arm 92 is not attached to the cutting mechanism 90.

As described above, the control unit 20 has previously acquired the type of wafer 10 to be processed (either the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b). Based on the judgment results of the first judgment unit 21, the second judgment unit 22, and the third judgment unit 23, the control unit 20 determines whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the wafer 10 to be processed. If the control unit 20 determines that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed, it controls the touch panel 9 to generate an alarm to notify the operator that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed.

As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to easily determine whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b, and whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the wafer 10 to be processed, based on whether the rotating arm 92 blocks the first light from the first sensor 120 and the second light from the second sensor 130.

Furthermore, if the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer 10 being processed, the control unit 20 notifies the operator accordingly. Therefore, the operator can recognize that the length of the arm 92 is inappropriate before forming the protective member, and, for example, adjust the length of the arm 92 appropriately.

Furthermore, if the length of the arm 92 determined by the first determination unit 21, the second determination unit 22, and the third determination unit 23 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed, the control unit 20 may, instead of or in addition to generating an alarm using the touch panel 9 described above, control the extension/retraction mechanism 96 of the cutting mechanism 90 to adjust the length of the arm 92 to correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed. In this case, for example, the control unit 20 may use the extension/retraction mechanism 96 to extend or retract the arm 92 to a length corresponding to the radius of the wafer 10 to be processed.

Specifically, for example, when the wafer 10 to be processed is the first wafer 10a, the control unit 20 adjusts the length of the arm 92 so that the blade 91 faces the first relief groove 84. On the other hand, when the wafer 10 to be processed is the second wafer 10b, the control unit 20 adjusts the length of the arm 92 so that the blade 91 faces the second relief groove 85. This makes it possible to appropriately change the position of the blade 91 to correspond to the radius of the wafer 10.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the cutting device 8 may have an imaging mechanism 140 near the cutting stage 82 instead of the first sensor 120 and the second sensor 130.

The imaging mechanism 140 includes a camera support column 141 extending in the Z-axis direction on the upper surface of the table base 204, a camera support arm 142 extending horizontally from the tip of the camera support column 141 toward the center of the cut stage 82, and a camera 143 mounted facing downward at the tip of the camera support arm 142.

The camera 143 is supported by a camera support column 141 and a camera support arm 142 so that the outer periphery of either the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b, which are included in the workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82, is within its imaging range. In other words, the camera 143 is positioned above the cutting stage 82 so that it can image the outer periphery of both the first wafer 10a and the second wafer 10b of the workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82. Therefore, the camera 143 can simultaneously image the first relief groove 84 corresponding to the outer periphery of the first wafer 10a and the second relief groove 85 corresponding to the outer periphery of the second wafer 10b.

Furthermore, as described above, it is possible to position the camera 143 opposite the first relief groove 84 and the second relief groove 85. Therefore, in this embodiment, the camera 143 can also image the tip of the rotating arm 92.

Furthermore, the camera 143 is positioned such that a gap (a third gap) is provided between the cut stage 82 and the camera 143. This third gap is designed to allow the rotating arm 92 to pass through. In other words, the third gap is located within the rotational range of the arm 92 and is large enough for the rotating arm 92 to pass through.

In the cutting device 8 having this configuration, the arm length detection operation is performed as follows. First, the control unit 20, with no workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82, controls the motor 94 to rotate the rotating shaft 93, thereby pivoting the arm 92. At this time, the control unit 20 controls the lifting mechanism 95 as needed to position the arm 92 at a height that allows the pivoting arm 92 to pass through the third gap between the cutting stage 82 and the camera 143.

Furthermore, when the rotating shaft 93 is rotating with no workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82, the fourth determination unit 24 uses the camera 143 of the imaging mechanism 140 to image the tip of the rotating arm 92 and acquire an image. Based on this image, the fourth determination unit 24 acquires the length of the arm 92 and determines whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a, the second wafer 10b, or neither.

For example, the fourth determination unit 24 determines, based on the captured image, that the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 faces the first relief groove 84, and therefore determines that the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a. Furthermore, the fourth determination unit 24 determines, based on the captured image, that the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the second wafer 10b, and therefore determines that the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the second wafer 10b, and therefore determines that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to either the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b, and therefore determines that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to either the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b, and therefore determines that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to either the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b, and also determines that the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 is not included in the captured image.

Furthermore, if the length of the arm 92, as determined by the fourth determination unit 24, does not correspond to the wafer 10 being processed, the control unit 20 controls the touch panel 9 to generate an alarm to notify the operator that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer 10 being processed.

In this configuration, by using the image obtained by capturing the tip of the rotating arm 92 with the camera 143, it is possible to easily confirm whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b, and whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the wafer 10 to be processed.

Furthermore, even in this configuration, if the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer 10 being processed, the control unit 20 notifies the operator accordingly. Therefore, the operator can recognize that the length of the arm 92 is inappropriate before forming the protective member, and, for example, adjust the length of the arm 92 appropriately.

Furthermore, even in this configuration, if the length of the arm 92 determined by the fourth determination unit 24 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed, the control unit 20 may, instead of or in addition to generating an alarm using the touch panel 9 as described above, control the extension/retraction mechanism 96 of the cutting mechanism 90 to adjust the length of the arm 92 to correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed. For example, the control unit 20 may use the extension/retraction mechanism 96 to extend or retract the arm 92 to a length corresponding to the radius of the wafer 10 to be processed.

Furthermore, the liquid resin supplied by the liquid resin supply unit 40 is not limited to UV-curing resins; it may also be a thermosetting resin that hardens when heat is applied. In this case, the sheet holding mechanism 18 includes a heat supply unit with a heating mechanism such as a heater instead of a UV irradiation unit as the curing mechanism.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 20 obtains the type (size) of the wafer 10 to be processed from the operator via the touch panel 9. In this regard, the control unit 20 may also obtain the type of the wafer 10 to be processed based on the size or shape of the cassette 208 containing the wafer 10. Alternatively, the control unit 20 may detect the type of the wafer 10 to be processed using the temporary placement mechanism 7 where the wafer 10 is temporarily placed.

Furthermore, if the type (size) of the wafer 10 to be processed is detected during the formation of the protective member, the holding table 52 of the wafer holding mechanism 50 shown in Figure 1 switches the area of the suction surface (the part used to suck up the wafer 10) of the wafer holding surface 53 that holds the wafer 10, according to the type of wafer 10 to be processed. Also, the liquid resin supply unit 40 that supplies liquid resin to the sheet S adjusts the amount of liquid resin supplied to the sheet S according to the type of wafer 10 to be processed.

Furthermore, the sheet S placed on the glass table 19 of the sheet holding mechanism 18 by the sheet placement mechanism 30 may have a size corresponding to a relatively large second wafer 10b, regardless of the type of wafer 10 to be processed. In this case, the sheet S is formed (cut) to be larger than the back surface 12, which is one side of the second wafer 10b. Therefore, if the wafer 10 to be processed is a relatively small first wafer 10a, the sheet S of the workpiece 110 is cut in a circular shape along the outer circumference of the first wafer 10a in the cutting device 8, resulting in a large amount of waste material in the sheet S.

1: Protective member forming device, 4: First transport mechanism, 5: Second transport mechanism, 7: Temporary storage mechanism,
8: Cutting device, 9: Touch panel, 10: Wafer, 11: Front side, 12: Back side,
14: First robot hand, 15: Second robot hand, 16: Sheet supply mechanism,
17: Roll section, 18: Sheet holding mechanism, 19: Glass table, 20: Control unit,
21: first judgment section, 22: second judgment section, 23: third judgment section, 24: fourth judgment section,
30: Sheet placement mechanism, 31: Support member, 32: Sheet gripping part, 33: Moving member,
35: Air vent roller, 40: Liquid resin supply unit, 41: Liquid resin supply nozzle,
42: Dispenser, 50: Wafer holding mechanism, 51: Support structure, 52: Holding table,
53: Wafer holding surface, 60: Lifting mechanism, 61: Ball screw, 62: Motor,
63: Guide rail, 64: Lifting plate, 70: Support column, 71: Table support member,
72: Temporary placement table, 73: Temporary placement table rotation mechanism,
74: Temporary placement table moving mechanism, 75: Imaging device, 81: Cutting mechanism support member,
82: Cutting stage, 83: Cover section, 84: First relief groove, 85: Second relief groove,
90: Cutting mechanism, 91: Blade, 92: Arm, 93: Rotating shaft, 94: Motor
95: Lifting mechanism, 96: Telescopic mechanism, 97: Sensor support member, 98: Sensor support arm,
99: Sensor support column,
100: wafer, 10a: first wafer, 10b: second wafer, 104: protective member,
110: Workpiece, 120: First sensor, 121: First light emitter, 122: First light receiver
130: Second sensor, 131: Second light emitter, 132: Second light receiver, 140: Imaging mechanism,
141: Camera support column, 142: Camera support arm, 143: Camera, 200: Housing,
201: Device base, 202: Column, 203: Support base, 204: Table base,
205: Cassette storage unit, 206: Storage space, 207: Storage space,
208: Cassette, 209: Cassette, 711: Guide groove, 721: Retaining surface,
921: Holding member, 931: Rotating shaft, S: Sheet

Claims (4)

A cutting device for cutting a sheet in a circular shape along the outer circumference of a wafer, in which a sheet with an area larger than the area of one side of a wafer is attached to one of two wafers of at least different diameters,
The two wafers with at least different diameters include a first wafer and a second wafer having a diameter larger than the diameter of the first wafer.
A cutting stage on which the workpiece is placed with the sheet facing downwards,
A first sensor comprising a first light-emitting unit that emits first light and a first light-receiving unit that receives the first light, arranged vertically spaced apart with a first gap so as to be able to detect the outer periphery of the first wafer of the workpiece placed on the cutting stage,
A second sensor comprising a second light-emitting unit that emits a second light and a second light-receiving unit that receives the second light, arranged vertically spaced apart with a second gap so as to be able to detect the outer periphery of the second wafer of the workpiece placed on the cutting stage,
A cutting mechanism for cutting the sheet into a circular shape,
It includes a control unit,
The cutting mechanism is,
The device comprises a blade for cutting the sheet, an arm extending horizontally with the blade positioned at its tip, a rotating shaft connected to the rear end of the arm and having a rotation axis extending vertically, a motor that rotates the arm by rotating the rotating shaft, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the blade and the cutting stage so that they move closer together or further apart.
The first gap of the first sensor and the second gap of the second sensor are set to allow the rotating arm to pass through.
The control unit is
A first determination unit determines that the length of the arm corresponds to the first wafer when the rotating shaft is rotating with no workpiece placed on the cutting stage, and the rotating arm blocks the first light of the first sensor but does not block the second light of the second sensor.
When the rotating shaft is rotating with no workpiece placed on the cutting stage, and the rotating arm blocks the first light of the first sensor and also blocks the second light of the second sensor, the second determination unit determines that the length of the arm corresponds to the second wafer.
A cutting apparatus comprising: a third determination unit that, when the rotating shaft is being rotated with no workpiece placed on the cutting stage, determines that the length of the arm does not correspond to either the first wafer or the second wafer when the rotating arm does not block the first light of the first sensor and also does not block the second light of the second sensor. The arm is equipped with an extendable mechanism,
The control unit extends and retracts the arm to a length corresponding to the radius of the circular wafer.
The cutting device according to claim 1. A cutting device for cutting a sheet in a circular shape along the outer circumference of a wafer, in which a sheet with an area larger than the area of one side of a wafer is attached to one of two wafers of at least different diameters,
The two wafers with at least different diameters include a first wafer and a second wafer having a diameter larger than the diameter of the first wafer.
A cutting stage on which the workpiece is placed with the sheet facing downwards,
A camera positioned above the cutting stage is capable of imaging the outer periphery of the first wafer and the outer periphery of the second wafer of the workpiece placed on the cutting stage.
A cutting mechanism for cutting the sheet into a circular shape,
It includes a control unit,
The cutting mechanism is,
The device comprises a blade for cutting the sheet, an arm extending horizontally with the blade positioned at its tip, a rotating shaft connected to the rear end of the arm and having a rotation axis extending vertically, a motor that rotates the arm by rotating the rotating shaft, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the blade and the cutting stage so that they move closer together or further apart.
The third gap, which is the gap between the cutting stage and the camera, is set so that the rotating arm can pass through it.
The control unit is
When the rotating shaft is rotating with no workpiece placed on the cutting stage, the camera captures an image of the tip of the rotating arm and acquires an image, and a fourth determination unit is provided to determine, based on this image, whether the length of the arm corresponds to the first wafer, whether the length of the arm corresponds to the second wafer, or whether the length of the arm does not correspond to either the first or second wafer.
Cutting device. The arm is equipped with an extendable mechanism,
The control unit extends and retracts the arm to a length corresponding to the radius of the circular wafer.
The cutting apparatus according to claim 3.