JP2008118027A - Protective film coating equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a protective-film coating device that avoids clogging of a nozzle tip while preventing drying and settling of a liquid resin deposited on the outside of a spray nozzle spraying the liquid resin to a wafer. <P>SOLUTION: The protective-film coating device is provided with a water storage means 290 that has a water storage part 291 and a water supply part 292 for supplying washing water 293 to the water storage part 291 and allows at least the tip part of the spray nozzle 231 to be immersed into the washing water in a state that the spray nozzle 231 is located at a retreat position. The tip part of the spray nozzle 231 is immersed into the water in the water storage part 291 as needed when the spray nozzle is retreated after coating the liquid resin onto the wafer. Consequently, it is possible to prevent drying and settling of the liquid resin deposited on the outside of the nozzle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a protective film coating apparatus for coating a processing surface of a wafer irradiated with a laser beam with a protective film.

  A wafer on which a plurality of semiconductor chips such as IC and LSI are formed is divided into individual devices by a dicing apparatus and used for electronic devices such as mobile phones and personal computers. The dicing apparatus includes a cutting blade, and divides the semiconductor wafer into individual devices by positioning the cutting blade on a street having a width of about 50 μm formed on the semiconductor wafer and cutting the semiconductor wafer.

  However, when the street width becomes narrow as the device becomes finer, there is a problem that it becomes difficult to divide by the cutting blade. In addition, in a semiconductor wafer in which a low dielectric constant insulator (Low-k film) is laminated on the surface of the wafer in order to improve electrical characteristics, when the street is cut with a cutting blade, the Low-k film peels off, resulting in device quality. There is a problem that decreases.

  Therefore, in recent years, as a method for dividing a semiconductor wafer, there is a method in which a laser processing groove is formed by irradiating a pulse laser beam along a street formed on the wafer, and a mechanical braking device is used for cutting along the laser processing groove. It has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Laser processing can increase the processing speed as compared with cutting processing, and can process a wafer made of a material having high hardness such as sapphire relatively easily. Moreover, the method of irradiating a laser beam to form a laser processed groove can solve the problem of the low dielectric constant insulator layer peeling off. However, when the laser beam is irradiated along the street of the wafer, the thermal energy concentrates on the irradiated area and sticky splashes called debris are generated, and the scattered debris adheres to the surface of the wafer device, This creates a new problem of reducing quality.

  In order to solve such a problem of debris, a laser processing method has been proposed in which a processed film of a wafer is coated with a protective film such as polyvinyl alcohol, and the wafer is irradiated with a laser beam through the protective film (for example, (See Patent Documents 2 and 3).

JP-A-10-305420 JP 2004-188475 A JP 2004-322168 A

  However, in the method of coating a wafer with a protective film by a spin method using a spin table shown in Patent Documents 2 and 3, etc., a thin film is formed by scattering most of the liquid resin outside the wafer by centrifugal force. Therefore, there are problems such as requiring a large amount of liquid resin to be supplied, being inefficient and uneconomical.

  Therefore, two or more spray nozzles arranged in the housing corresponding to the diameter of the wafer protect the wafer by spraying liquid resin while moving the upper part of the wafer held by the chuck table by the moving part. The present applicant has proposed a protective film coating apparatus capable of efficiently covering a protective film by coating the film to reduce the amount of liquid resin supplied onto the wafer (Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-137325). In this proposed example, a tip cleaning nozzle for cleaning the tip of the spray nozzle is provided, and when the spray nozzle to which the liquid resin is attached moves to the retracted position, cleaning water is sprayed in a shower shape to clean the nozzle tip. Like to do.

  However, when the protective film coating device is stopped for a long time due to circumstances such as when it is not used for one to two nights, the liquid resin remaining inside the nozzle tip can be blown off with air, but there is no problem, but it is cleaned for several seconds by the tip cleaning nozzle. The liquid resin that does not fall off even when it is sprayed on the water drops and collects at the tip of the nozzle, dries and adheres, and becomes clogged. It may end up. Such a situation is the same in the case of the spin method using one injection nozzle as shown in Patent Documents 2 and 3 and the like.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and is a protection capable of avoiding clogging at the tip of the nozzle by preventing dry adhesion of the liquid resin adhering to the outside of the injection nozzle that injects the liquid resin onto the wafer. An object is to provide a film coating apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a protective film coating apparatus according to the present invention includes a chuck table for holding a wafer and a protective film formed by injecting a liquid resin onto the wafer held by the chuck table. A protective film comprising one or more spray nozzles to be coated, and nozzle means for supporting the spray nozzle and moving between an upper spray position of the chuck table and a retracted position retracted from the chuck table A covering device, comprising a water storage section and a water supply section for supplying water to the water storage section, comprising water storage means for immersing at least the tip of the spray nozzle in a state where the spray nozzle is in a retracted position. And

  Moreover, the protective film coating apparatus which concerns on this invention is equipped with the air towel production | generation means which produces | generates the air towel which surrounds the outer periphery of the said injection nozzle at the side surface upper end of the said water storage part in the said invention.

  According to the protective film coating apparatus of the present invention, the water storage means includes a water storage section and a water supply section that supplies water to the water storage section, and immerses at least the tip of the spray nozzle in a state where the spray nozzle is in the retracted position. Therefore, when retreating after application of the liquid resin, it is possible to prevent the liquid resin adhering to the outside of the nozzle from being dried and fixed by immersing the tip of the injection nozzle in the water in the water storage portion as needed. There is an effect that the clogged state of the nozzle tip can be avoided.

  Further, according to the protective film coating apparatus according to the present invention, since the air towel generating means for generating the air towel surrounding the outer periphery of the spray nozzle is provided at the upper side of the side surface of the water storage section, it is immersed in the water in the water storage section at the retreat position. Then, the spray nozzle to which water is adhered is dried with an air towel, and then the liquid resin spray process can be performed.

  Hereinafter, a protective film coating apparatus which is the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a laser processing apparatus in which the protective film coating apparatus of the present embodiment is integrated. The laser processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a device housing 2 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The apparatus housing 2 includes a chuck table 3 that is disposed so as to be movable in the X-axis direction, which is the machining feed direction, and holds the wafer 10. The chuck table 3 includes a suction chuck support 31 and a suction chuck 32 mounted on the suction chuck support 31, and the disk-shaped wafer 10 is not suctioned on the mounting surface which is the surface of the suction chuck 32. It is set as the structure hold | maintained by a means. The chuck table 3 is configured to be rotatable by a rotation mechanism (not shown). Further, the suction chuck support bases 31 of the chuck table 3 are provided with clamps 33 disposed at both ends in the X-axis direction for fixing an annular frame described later.

In addition, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a laser beam irradiation means 4 that irradiates the wafer 10 held on the suction chuck 32 of the chuck table 3 with a laser beam. The laser beam irradiation means 4 includes a cylindrical casing 41 arranged substantially horizontally. In the casing 41, a pulse laser beam oscillation means comprising a YAG laser oscillator or a YVO ₄ laser oscillator (not shown) and a repetition frequency setting means are arranged, and a pulse laser beam oscillation means is provided at the tip of the casing 41. A condenser 42 for collecting the oscillated pulse laser beam is mounted.

  Further, the laser processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment takes an image of the surface of the wafer 10 held on the suction chuck 32 of the chuck table 3 and processes it with the laser beam irradiated from the condenser 42 of the laser beam irradiation means 4. An imaging means 5 for detecting a power region is provided. The image pickup means 5 is composed of a normal image pickup device (CCD) or the like for picking up an image with visible light, and sends the picked up image signal to a control means (not shown). Further, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a display unit 6 that displays an image captured by the imaging unit 5.

  Furthermore, the laser processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a cassette mounting portion 13a on which a cassette 13 that accommodates the wafer 10 is mounted. A cassette table 131 is arranged on the cassette mounting portion 13a so as to be movable up and down by lifting means (not shown). The cassette 13 is mounted on the cassette table 131. The wafer 10 is affixed to the surface of an adhesive tape 12 attached to an annular frame 11 and is accommodated in the cassette 13 while being supported by the annular frame 11 via the adhesive tape 12. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the wafer 10 applied to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the wafer 10 is divided into a plurality of areas by a plurality of streets 101 formed in a lattice shape on the surface 10a, and devices 102 such as IC and LSI are formed in the divided areas. . As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer 10 configured as described above is attached to the adhesive tape 12 mounted on the annular frame 11 with the front surface 10 a facing upward. Here, as the wafer 10, a wafer having a diameter of 300 mm, a wafer having a diameter of 8 inches, or the like is used as appropriate, but the frame 11 is common.

  The laser processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment also includes a wafer carry-in / out means 14 for unloading the wafer 10 before processing stored in the cassette 13 and loading the processed wafer 10 into the cassette 13. The temporary placement table 15 for temporarily placing the unprocessed wafer 10 unloaded by 14 and the first transport path for transporting the unprocessed wafer 10 unloaded to the temporary placement table 15 to the chuck table 3 for processing. A protective film coating apparatus 200 that coats the processing surface of the previous wafer 10 and a second conveyance path that conveys the processed wafer 10 held on the chuck table 3 to the temporary placement table 15 and is processed. And a cleaning means 8 for cleaning and removing the protective film coated on the processed surface of the subsequent wafer 10. Here, the first transport path and the second transport path are set as different transport paths.

  Further, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment transports the unprocessed wafer 10 carried out to the temporary table 15 to the protective film coating apparatus 200 and temporarily processes the processed wafer 10 cleaned by the cleaning means 8. The first transport means 16 transported to the table 15 and the unprocessed wafer 10 coated with the protective film by the protective film coating apparatus 200 are transported to the chuck table 3 and the processed wafer held on the chuck table 3 And second transport means 17 for transporting 10 to the cleaning means 8.

  Here, the first transport unit 16 is disposed at an equidistant position with respect to the temporary placement table 15, the protective film coating apparatus 200, and the cleaning unit 8. The first conveying means 16 may have the same configuration as a commonly used conveying means. The holding means 162 having a conveying pad 161 for sucking and holding both ends of the annular frame 11 and the holding means 162 in the vertical direction. It comprises support means 162 that can move up and down and that can pivot. The first conveying means 16 configured in this way protects the unprocessed wafer 10 (the state of being attached to the surface of the adhesive tape 12 attached to the annular frame 11) carried out to the temporary table 15. The processed wafer 10 (attached to the surface of the adhesive tape 12 mounted on the annular frame 11) that has been transferred to the film coating apparatus 200 and cleaned by the cleaning means 8 is transferred to the temporary placement table 15.

  The second transport means 17 is disposed at a position where the wafer 10 can be transported among the chuck table 3, the protective film coating apparatus 200, and the cleaning means 8, and sucks both ends of the annular frame 11. A holding means 172 having a carrying pad 171 to be held, a supporting means 173 capable of moving the holding means 172 up and down and pivotably supported, and a slide support for supporting the supporting means 173 slidably in the X-axis direction Means 174. The second conveying means 17 configured in this manner is attached to the surface of the wafer 10 before processing (the adhesive tape 12 attached to the annular frame 11) covered with the protective film by the protective film coating apparatus 200. State) is moved in the X-axis direction according to the slide support by the slide support means 174, conveyed to the chuck table 3, and the processed wafer 10 held by the chuck table 3 (of the adhesive tape 12 mounted on the annular frame 11). The state adhered to the surface) is conveyed to the cleaning means 8 by the turning operation of the support means 173. The cleaning means 8 includes a cleaning water nozzle, a drying air nozzle, and the like in addition to a spinner table 81 that rotates by sucking and holding the processed wafer 10.

  Next, the protective film coating apparatus 200 of this Embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the protective film coating apparatus, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view around the chuck table, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the protective film coating apparatus in which the chuck table is positioned at the storage position. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the protective film coating apparatus in which the chuck table is positioned at the attachment / detachment position, and FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the relationship between the state of the frame supported by the chuck table and the injection nozzle. FIG. 8 is a schematic longitudinal front view showing the state of ejection of the liquid resin by the injection nozzle, FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a supply system and a control system for the injection nozzle and the like, and FIG. It is a schematic side view which shows typically the effect | action of a means.

  The protective film coating apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment includes a chuck table 210 that holds the wafer 10 before processing, and a protective film that is formed by spraying a liquid resin on the surface that is the processing surface of the wafer 10 held on the chuck table 210. The nozzle means 230 to coat | cover and the water storage means 290 are provided.

  The chuck table 210 has a wafer holding portion 211 that holds the unprocessed wafer 10 disposed on the frame 11 via the adhesive tape 12, and a frame that supports the left and right ends of the frame 11 and is sucked and held by the transport pad 171. 11, a pair of left and right frame sandwiching portions 212 that cover the liquid resin so as to block the liquid resin from adhering to required positions on both left and right sides, a base material 213 disposed on the lower surface of the wafer holding portion 211, and a base material 213 Heating means 214 disposed between the wafer holding unit 211 and the wafer holding unit 211.

  Here, the wafer holding portion 211 is formed in a rectangular shape having substantially the same size as the frame 11, and a plurality of suction holes 215 are formed on the holding surface. These suction holes 215 are opened from one side surface of the wafer holding portion 211 so as to communicate with the outside, and are connected to suction means (not shown) via a one-touch joint (not shown) attached to the opening. Thus, the chuck table 210 sucks the frame 11 (wafer 10) onto the wafer holding portion 211 by placing the frame 11 on the wafer holding portion 211 and causing suction air to act through the suction holes 215 by the suction means. Hold.

  The frame holding portion 212 has a width equivalent to that of the wafer holding portion 211, is formed in a substantially L-shaped cover shape, and is attached to the base member 213 so as to be openable and closable. Is provided with an air cylinder 217 serving as a drive source for opening and closing the frame holding portion 212. Further, the heating means 214 is composed of a rubber heater that is substantially the same size as the frame 11 and has a thickness of about 1.6 mm, and is formed in a circle. The wafer holding unit 211 and the frame 11 are connected to the wafer 10 held by the wafer holding unit 211. To about 50 ° C to 60 ° C.

  On the other hand, the nozzle means 230 includes two or more nozzles 231 arranged corresponding to the diameter of the wafer 10, for example, ten injection nozzles 231 in the present embodiment, and the upper portion of the chuck table 210 supporting these injection nozzles 231. A moving unit 232 that horizontally moves in the front-rear direction and a housing 233 that houses the chuck table 210 and the moving unit 232 are provided.

  The casing 233 is a box-shaped box having an upper opening large enough to accommodate the chuck table 210 so as to be able to move up and down, and a lid 234 (FIG. 1) that closes the upper opening so that the upper opening can be opened and closed with one side on the front side as a pivot. 3 and FIG. 8 only). The lid 234 is formed of, for example, a transparent acrylic plate so that the operator can visually recognize the inside of the housing 233 in a closed state. A part of the lid 234 is connected to an air piston 235 for opening and closing the lid 234. Further, the bottom wall 233b of the housing 233 is formed so as to be inclined rearward and downward in the front-rear direction, and a drain port 236 is formed on the lower downstream side of the bottom wall 233b.

  The chuck table 210 accommodated in the housing 233 includes a support mechanism 237 that supports the chuck table 210 so as to be movable up and down. The support mechanism 237 is attached to a plurality of, for example, three cylinder shafts 237a fixed to the lower surface of the base member 213 through an opening 238 formed in the bottom wall 233b and the lower surface of the bottom plate 233b, and moves the piston 237a up and down. It consists of an air cylinder 237b. The support mechanism 237 configured as described above operates the air cylinder 237b to selectively move the chuck table 210 to the storage position which is the lower position shown in FIG. 5 and the attachment / detachment position which is the upper position shown in FIG. Position. Here, an elastic bellows member 239 is provided around the support mechanism 237 and fixed to the lower surface of the base member 213 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 233b. Is configured not to enter.

  Further, the spray nozzle 231 is a spray type two-fluid nozzle, and as shown in FIG. 9, the liquid resin supplied from the liquid resin supply source 240 is mixed with the air supplied from the air supply source 241. The liquid resin is ejected in the form of a mist toward the surface of the wafer 10 from above. The moving part 232 that supports these injection nozzles 231 includes an extending part 232 a that extends outwardly through a slit groove 250 that is formed along the front-rear direction on one side wall 233 s of the housing 233. By being connected to each other, the inside of the housing 233 is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction so that the upper injection position located above the chuck table 210 and the retreat position retracted from the chuck table 210 can be taken selectively. Yes. The moving mechanism 251 is stretched between a motor 252 that can be rotated forward and backward attached to the outer front side of the housing 233, a driven pulley 253 attached to the inner side, a motor pulley 252a of the motor 252, and a driven pulley 253. The driving belt 254 is configured such that a part of the driving belt 254 is connected to the extending portion 232a, so that the moving portion 232 reciprocates in the front-rear direction in accordance with forward and reverse rotation of the motor 252. Here, in the moving unit 232, the innermost part in the housing 233 is set as a standby position. A guide rail 255 for stabilizing the movement of the moving unit 232 is provided on the side wall 233s of the housing 233.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the ten injection nozzles 231 are provided assuming a wafer 10L having a diameter of 300 mm or a wafer 10S having a diameter of 8 inches, and the maximum diameter of 300 mm is approximately 10 or the like. Each of the spray nozzles 231 is arranged at a position on a straight line, the central six spray nozzles 231 are shared with the wafer 10S having a diameter of 8 inches, and the outer four spray nozzles 231 are 300 mm in diameter. Is dedicated to 10L wafer.

  Here, the injection nozzles 231 are respectively piped to the liquid resin supply source 240 via the on-off valve 243, and are respectively piped to the air supply source 241 via the on-off valve 244, according to the valve opening / closing control by the control means 245. It is configured to selectively operate according to the size of the wafer 10. Here, the opening / closing control of the valve by the control means 245 is selectively executed even in correspondence with the injection region of the wafer 10. For example, in FIG. 7, in the case where the wafer 10S having a diameter of 8 inches is targeted, since the injection area of the wafer 10S is short at the timing A, only the central two injection nozzles 231 are operated, and then stepwise. Since the injection area of the wafer 10S is maximized at the timing B, the central six injection nozzles 231 are operated, and thereafter, the injection nozzles 231 that are operated stepwise are decreased. In C, since the injection area of the wafer 10S is short, only the central two injection nozzles 231 are controlled to operate.

  If the wafer 10L having a diameter of 300 mm is a target, since the injection region of the wafer 10L is short at the timing A ′, only the central two injection nozzles 231 operate, and then the injection nozzles 231 that operate in stages. Since the injection area of the wafer 10L is maximized at the timing B ′, all the ten injection nozzles 231 are operated, and thereafter, the injection nozzles 231 that are operated stepwise are decreased. At the timing C ′, the wafer 10L is increased. Since the injection region is short, only the central two injection nozzles 231 are controlled to operate.

  Furthermore, the protective film coating apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment includes a cleaning water shower nozzle 271 that supplies cleaning water to the inner wall 233 i of the housing 233. The washing water shower nozzle 271 is a pipe-like member that is attached to each of the upper side positions of the four inner walls 233i of the housing 233 and has a large number of jets for jetting washing water toward the inner wall 233i.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7 and the like, the water storage means 290 is disposed in the housing 233 so as to be positioned below the retreat position of the injection nozzle 231 that retreats as the moving unit 232 moves, The water storage part 291 which stores water, and the water supply part 292 which supplies a wash water in this water storage part 291 are provided. The water storage unit 291 is an elongated rectangular box-like container that is open upward and is housed in the housing 233 and formed in a size that allows the front end (lower end) side of all ten injection nozzles 231 to enter. It can be moved up and down by a lifting mechanism that does not. The water supply unit 292 includes a pair of tip cleaning nozzles 292a and 292b that are disposed on the upper side of both inner walls of the water storage unit 291 and clean the tip of the injection nozzle 231. These tip cleaning nozzles 292a and 292b are in the form of pipes arranged such that a plurality of cleaning water jets face the jet nozzle 231 side. These tip cleaning nozzles 292a and 292b are connected to the cleaning water supply source 247 through an on-off valve 246 together with the cleaning water shower nozzle 271 and are connected to the cleaning water supply source 247 at the appropriate timing according to the on-off control of the on-off valve 246 by the control means 245. Cleaning or water supply into the water storage unit 291 is performed.

  Furthermore, the protective film coating apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment has an air towel generating unit 296 that generates an air towel 295 (see FIG. 10C) surrounding the outer periphery of the spray nozzle 231 at the upper ends of both side surfaces of the water storage unit 291. Is provided. The air towel generating means 296 is composed of a pair of pipe-like air nozzles 296a and 296b disposed above the tip cleaning nozzles 292a and 292b so that a plurality of air jet ports face the injection nozzle 231 side. These air nozzles 296a and 296b are connected to an air supply source 241 via an on-off valve 244, and are configured to selectively operate when necessary according to valve opening / closing control by the control means 245.

  Further, a suction opening 281 communicating with a suction source (not shown) is formed on the center upper side of one side wall 233s of the housing 233.

  Next, operation | movement of the laser processing apparatus 1 of this Embodiment is demonstrated. First, the unprocessed wafer 10 supported by the annular frame 11 via the adhesive tape 12 is housed in a predetermined position of the cassette 13 with the surface 10a, which is the processing surface, facing upward. The unprocessed wafer 10 accommodated in a predetermined position of the cassette 13 is positioned at the unloading position when the cassette table 131 moves up and down by lifting means (not shown). Then, the wafer carry-in / out means 14 is moved forward and backward to carry the wafer 10 positioned at the carry-out position to the temporary placement table 15 disposed in the temporary placement portion 15a. A center alignment process for aligning the center position is performed on the wafer 10 carried out to the temporary table 15.

  The unprocessed wafer 10 centered by the temporary placement table 15 is sucked and held by the holding means 161 of the first conveying means 16, and the chuck table of the protective film coating apparatus 200 is rotated by the support means 162 as a center. It is conveyed onto 210. At this time, the lid 234 of the housing 233 is opened by the air piston 235, and the chuck table 210 is positioned at an attach / detach position where the wafer 10 can be attached / detached as shown in FIG. 6 by the ascending operation of the air cylinder 237b. ing. Further, the frame holding portion 212 is in an open state as shown in FIG. As a result, the wafer 10 conveyed onto the chuck table 210 is sucked and held on the wafer holding portion 211, and the frame clamping portion 212 is closed so as to press the left and right ends of the frame 11 by the operation of the air cylinder 217.

  Thereafter, the wafer 10 held on the chuck table 210 is positioned at the storage position as shown in FIG. 5 by the lowering operation of the air cylinder 237b. Then, the lid 234 of the housing 233 is closed by the air piston 235. In this state, the motor 252 is driven to move the moving unit 232 from the rear side to the front side at a predetermined speed so as to cross horizontally over the wafer 10 and control according to the size of the wafer 10 and the injection region of the wafer 10. By spraying the liquid resin from the required injection nozzle 231 selected according to the opening / closing control of the opening / closing valves 243 and 244 by the means 245 in the form of a mist toward the lower wafer 10, a protective film made of the liquid resin is applied to the surface 10 a of the wafer 10. Coating.

  FIG. 8 shows a state in which liquid resin is ejected from all the ejection nozzles 231 in the maximum diameter region at timing B ′, for example, with respect to a wafer 10L having a diameter of 300 mm. As shown in FIG. 8, the injection regions of the liquid resin are set to overlap evenly between adjacent injection nozzles 231. The liquid resin is preferably a water-soluble resist such as PVA (Poly Vinyl Alcohol), PEG (Poly Ethylene Glycol), or PEO (Poly Ethylene Oxide). During such an operation, the vicinity of the left and right ends of the frame 11 is covered by the frame clamping unit 212 even when there is a liquid resin sprayed from the spray nozzle 231 or a liquid resin floating in the housing 233. Since it is blocked, the liquid resin does not adhere. Further, since the housing 233 is closed by the lid 234, liquid resin or the like does not scatter outside the housing 233.

  When the moving part 232 moves to the near side, the injection of the liquid resin by the injection nozzle 231 is stopped, and the motor 252 is reversed to return the moving part 232 to the retracted position which is the innermost part. Then, the liquid resin ejected in the form of a mist onto the surface 10a of the wafer 10 is cured with time and becomes a protective film 110 as shown in FIG. The thickness of the protective film 110 may be about 5 μm. Here, in these series of operations, the heating means 214 is always in a heated state and heats the wafer 10 via the chuck table 210 and the frame 11, so that the protective film 110 coated on the surface 10 a of the wafer 10 is formed. Drying is accelerated and dries in a short time. In addition, in these series of operations, the suction source is always in an operating state, the inside of the housing 233 is sucked through the suction opening 281, and the humidity in the housing 233 to which the liquid resin is injected is reduced, so that protection is provided. Drying of the film 110 is further promoted.

  After the protective film 110 is coated on the surface 10a that is the processing surface of the wafer 10, the lid 234 of the housing 233 is opened by the air piston 235, and the chuck table 210 is shown in FIG. 6 by the ascending operation of the air cylinder 237b. Such a wafer 10 is positioned at a position where it can be attached and detached. Further, the frame clamping unit 212 is in an open state as shown in FIG. 6, and the suction holding with respect to the wafer holding unit 211 is also released. Then, with respect to the wafer 10 on the wafer holding unit 211, the left and right ends of the frame 11 are sucked and held by the transport pads 171 of the second transport means 17, and transported onto the suction chuck 32 of the chuck table 3 by a sliding operation in the X-axis direction. And sucked and held on the suction chuck 32. When the frame 11 is transported by such a transport pad 171, liquid resin does not adhere to the required regions on both the left and right sides of the frame 11 that are sucked and held by the transport pad 171, so that reliable and stable transport is possible without slipping. It becomes. The chuck table 3 that sucks and holds the wafer 10 in this way is positioned directly below the image pickup means 5 disposed in the laser beam irradiation means 4 by moving in the X-axis direction by a moving means (not shown).

  On the other hand, in the housing 233, the washing water is showered from the outlet of the washing water shower nozzle 271 toward the inner wall 233i under the control of the control means 245 every time the wafer 10 covered with the protective film 110 is taken out. The inner wall 233i is washed by being ejected in the shape of a nozzle, and the water storage section 291 is raised to the position of the injection nozzle 231 in the retracted position as shown in FIG. , 292b is ejected from the jet nozzles toward the tip of each jet nozzle 231 to wash the bubbles accumulated at the tip.

  Then, the cleaning water 293 is continuously ejected by the tip cleaning nozzles 292a and 292b, and the cleaning water 293 is supplied into the water storage unit 291 while cleaning, so that the state is in the retracted position as shown in FIG. 10B. The state where the tip end side of the injection nozzle 231 is immersed in the cleaning water 293 stored in the water storage unit 291 is continued. At this time, the size of the water storage unit 291 is limited and has a relatively small volume. However, the cleaning water 293 is supplied into the water storage unit 291 by the tip cleaning nozzles 292a and 292b (the amount of water supply is small). ) Is continued, the washing water 293 in the water storage unit 291 is not dried out. Thereby, the immersion state in the washing | cleaning water 293 by the side of the front-end | tip part of the injection nozzle 231 can be maintained, and the dry adhesion of liquid resin outside a nozzle can be prevented reliably. Further, the flow of the cleaning water 293 is generated by continuing the supply of the cleaning water 293 into the water storage unit 291 so that the cleaning water 293 in the water storage unit 291 overflows, so that the excess water dissolved in the cleaning water 293 is generated. The liquid resin can be discharged out of the water storage unit 291 in accordance with the flow of the cleaning water 293 that overflows. Washing water 293 flows along the bottom wall 233b to the downstream side along with the excess liquid resin and the like, and is discharged out of the housing 233 from the drain port 236.

  When the chuck table 3 is positioned immediately below the image pickup means 5, the street 101 formed in the wafer 10 in a predetermined direction by the image pickup means 5 and a control means (not shown), and the laser beam irradiation means 4 that irradiates the laser beam along the street 101. Image processing such as pattern matching for alignment with the condenser 42 is performed, and alignment of the laser beam irradiation position is performed. The alignment of the laser beam irradiation position is similarly performed on the street 101 formed on the wafer 10 and extending at right angles to the predetermined direction.

  As described above, when the street 101 formed on the wafer 10 held on the chuck table 3 is detected and alignment of the laser beam irradiation position is performed, the laser beam irradiation means 4 that irradiates the chuck table 3 with the laser beam. It moves to the laser beam irradiation area where the condenser 42 is located, and a predetermined street 101 is positioned immediately below the condenser 42. Next, the chuck table 3, that is, the wafer 10 is moved at a predetermined processing feed rate while irradiating a pulse laser beam from the condenser 42 of the laser beam irradiation means 4. When the other end of the street 101 reaches a position immediately below the condenser 42, the irradiation of the pulse laser beam is stopped and the movement of the chuck table 3, that is, the wafer 10, is stopped. In this laser beam irradiation step, the condensing point P of the pulse laser beam is matched with the vicinity of the surface of the street 101.

  By executing such a laser beam irradiation step, a laser processing groove is formed in the street 101 of the wafer 10. At this time, even if debris is generated by laser beam irradiation, the debris is blocked by the protective film 110 and does not adhere to the device 102, the bonding pad, or the like. Such a laser beam irradiation process is performed on all the streets 101 of the wafer 10.

  After the above laser beam irradiation process is executed along all the streets 101 of the wafer 10, the chuck table 3 holding the wafer 10 is first returned to the position where the wafer 10 is sucked and held. Here, the wafer 10 is sucked. Release the hold. Then, the left and right ends of the frame 11 having the wafer 10 are sucked and held by the transport pads 171 of the second transport means 17 and transported onto a spinner table 81 constituting the cleaning means 8 by a turning operation centering on the support means 173. Then, suction is held on the spinner table 81. Then, cleaning water is supplied from the cleaning nozzle while rotating the wafer 10 by the spinner table 81, thereby washing away the water-soluble protective film 110 coated on the surface 10 a of the wafer 10. At this time, the debris 130 generated during the laser processing is also removed.

  When the cleaning is completed and the wafer 10 is dried by supplying air from the air nozzle, the suction holding of the wafer 10 held on the spinner table 81 is released. Then, the processed wafer 10 on the spinner table 81 is carried out to the temporary placement table 15 disposed in the temporary placement portion 15 a by the first transport means 16. The processed wafer 10 carried out to the temporary placement table 15 is stored in a predetermined position of the cassette 13 by the wafer carry-in / out means 14.

  While the processed wafer 10 is conveyed to the cleaning means 8 and the cleaning process and the drying process are being executed, the wafer unloading means 14 is operated to move the wafer 10 before processing next from the cassette 13. The wafer 10 carried out to the temporary placement table 15 is carried to the protective film coating apparatus 200 by the first carrying means 16. And the above-mentioned protective film coating process is similarly performed with respect to the wafer 10 processed next, conveyed to the protective film coating apparatus 200. FIG. When the protective film coating process is performed on the wafer 10 to be processed next, as shown in FIG. 10C, the water storage part 291 is lowered by the elevating means so that the injection nozzle 231 is detached from the water storage part 291. In this separation process, air was blown out from the air outlets of the air nozzles 296a and 296b toward the respective injection nozzles 231 to generate an air towel 295 surrounding the outer periphery of the injection nozzle 231, thereby getting wet with the cleaning water 293. The spray nozzle 231 in the state is dried. The spray nozzle 231 from which the cleaning water 231 has been dried ejects the liquid resin toward the wafer 10 in the form of a mist while moving to the upper spray position of the chuck table 210 in accordance with the movement of the moving unit 232, and as described above. A protective film made of a liquid resin is coated on the surface 10a. The wafer 10 thus subjected to the protective film coating process is transported onto the chuck table 3 by the second transport means 17, and the laser beam irradiation process described above is performed. Then, the wafer 10 on which the laser beam irradiation process has been executed is transferred to the cleaning means 8 by the second transfer means 17, and the above-described cleaning process and drying process are executed.

  According to the protective film coating apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, the injection nozzle 231 is in the retracted position, including the water storage unit 291 that stores the cleaning water 293 and the water supply unit 292 that supplies the cleaning water 293 to the water storage unit 291. Since the water storage means 290 for immersing the tip of the injection nozzle 231 in the state is provided, by immersing the tip of the injection nozzle 231 in the cleaning water 293 in the water storage 291 at any time during retraction after application of the liquid resin, It is possible to prevent the liquid resin adhering to the outside of the nozzle from being dried and fixed, and therefore, the clogged state of the nozzle tip can be avoided, and the injection nozzle 231 can function normally when restarting.

  Moreover, according to the protective film coating apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, since the air towel generating means 296 that generates the air towel 295 that surrounds the outer periphery of the spray nozzle 231 is provided at the upper end of the side surface of the water storage unit 291, The spray nozzle 231 dipped in the cleaning water 293 in the water storage unit 291 and attached with the cleaning water 293 can be dried with an air towel 295 and then transferred to the liquid resin spraying process.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in this embodiment, every time the spray nozzle 231 is retracted to the retracted position, the immersion operation in the cleaning water 293 in the water storage unit 291 as shown in FIG. 10B is performed. Executed when dry adhesion of the liquid resin adhering to the outside of 231 becomes a problem (for example, when the protective film coating apparatus 1 is stopped for a long time such as one to two nights) At the normal time when the apparatus 1 is not stopped, the dipping process shown in FIG. 10B is omitted, the nozzle cleaning process using the tip cleaning nozzles 292a and 292b shown in FIG. 10A, and the air shown in FIG. 10C. You may make it perform sequentially the drying process with the air towel 295 of the nozzles 296a and 296b.

  Alternatively, the tip cleaning nozzles 292a and 292b may be omitted, and a water supply pipe for supplying the cleaning water 293 may simply be provided in the water storage unit 291 as the water supply unit. In this case, the nozzle cleaning process by the tip cleaning nozzles 292a and 292b shown in FIG. 10A is omitted, and the immersion process of the water reservoir 291 in the cleaning water 293 similar to FIG. The drying process by the air towel 295 of the air nozzles 296a and 296b shown in c) may be performed every time.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the tip cleaning nozzles 292a and 292b serving as the water supply unit 292 and the air nozzles 296a and 296b serving as the air towel generating means 296 are provided separately, but they do not operate at the same timing. However, one nozzle may be omitted and the tip cleaning nozzle and the air nozzle may be combined with one nozzle. In this case, the double-use nozzle is connected to the cleaning water supply source and the air supply source via the on-off valve, and is connected to the cleaning water supply source when cleaning the injection nozzle 231 or when supplying water to the water storage unit 291. The on-off valve may be controlled so that the cleaning water is jetted, and when the jet nozzle 231 is dried, the on-off valve is controlled so that the air towel 295 is generated so as to be connected to the air supply source.

  In this embodiment, the injection nozzles 231 are arranged in a line in the left-right direction and reciprocated in the front-rear direction by the moving unit 232. However, the injection nozzles 231 are arranged in a line in the front-rear direction and reciprocated in the left-right direction by the moving unit. You may make it move.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the application example to the protective film coating apparatus 200 including a plurality of injection nozzles 231 has been described. However, only one injection nozzle is provided, and the center upper position of the wafer on the chuck table is set as the injection nozzle. Even in the case of the spin method in which the upper injection position is set by the above, it is possible to prevent the liquid resin outside the injection nozzle from being dried and fixed by applying in the same manner.

  Further, in the present embodiment, for example, the protective film coating apparatus 200 has been described as an example in which the protective film coating apparatus 200 is integrally incorporated in the processing apparatus 1, but is configured as a separate body from the laser processing apparatus and disposed adjacent to the laser processing apparatus. You may make it do.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the laser processing apparatus in which the protective film coating apparatus of this Embodiment was integrated. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the wafer applied to this Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of a protective film coating apparatus. It is a disassembled perspective view around a chuck table. It is a perspective view which shows the protective film coating | coated apparatus with which the chuck table was positioned in the accommodation position. It is a perspective view which shows the protective film coating | coated apparatus with which the chuck table was located in the attachment or detachment position. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the support state of the flame | frame by a chuck table, and the relationship with an injection nozzle. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional front view which shows the ejection condition of liquid resin by an injection nozzle. It is a figure which shows typically the supply system and control system with respect to an injection nozzle. It is a schematic side view which shows typically the effect | action of a water storage means. It is a principal part expanded sectional view which shows the wafer by which the protective film was coat | covered.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Wafer 210 Chuck table 230 Nozzle means 231 Injection nozzle 232 Moving part 290 Water storage means 291 Water storage part 292 Water supply part 295 Air towel 296 Air towel production | generation means

Claims (2)

A chuck table for holding a wafer, one or more injection nozzles for spraying a liquid resin onto a wafer held on the chuck table to cover a protective film, and an upper injection position of the chuck table for supporting the injection nozzle. A protective film coating apparatus comprising: nozzle means having a moving unit that moves between a retreat position retracted from the chuck table;
A protective film coating apparatus comprising a water storage section and a water supply section for supplying water to the water storage section, and having water storage means for immersing at least a tip of the spray nozzle in a state where the spray nozzle is in a retracted position. .   The protective film coating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an air towel generating unit configured to generate an air towel surrounding an outer periphery of the spray nozzle at an upper end of a side surface of the water storage unit.

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