JP2014049626A - Pressure sensitive tape affixing method and pressure sensitive tape affixing device - Google Patents

Abstract

An adhesive tape application method and an adhesive tape application device capable of accurately attaching an adhesive tape regardless of the state of a circuit forming surface of a semiconductor wafer and the characteristics of the adhesive tape are provided.
An adhesive tape PT larger than the outer shape of the housing is attached to a joint portion between a pair of lower housings 33B constituting the chamber 7, and the chamber 7 is constituted by sandwiching the adhesive tape with an upper housing 33A. The pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is affixed to the wafer W while lowering the pressure in the space on the wafer W side, which is disposed in close proximity to the pressure-sensitive adhesive surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape PT, lower than the other space. The surface of the adhesive tape PT attached to the circuit forming surface of the wafer W is pressed and flattened by the flat surface of the pressing member 61. Depending on the circuit state of the wafer W and the characteristics of the adhesive tape PT, the pressure treatment on the surface of the adhesive tape is selectively performed.
[Selection] Figure 13

Description

  The present invention provides an adhesive tape that includes a protective tape that protects a circuit pattern formed on a semiconductor wafer, and a dicing tape that is applied to a ring frame and a back surface of a semiconductor wafer placed at the center of the ring frame. The present invention relates to a method and an adhesive tape attaching device.

  In general, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer” as appropriate) has circuit patterns of a large number of elements formed on the surface thereof. For example, bumps and fine circuits are formed on the wafer surface. Therefore, a protective tape is attached to protect the circuit surface.

  Similar irregularities are also generated on the surface of the protective tape attached due to the influence of irregularities such as bumps on the wafer surface. Therefore, after the protective tape is applied, the surface of the base material constituting the protective tape is flattened by pressing from the surface side of the protective tape (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-45189 A

  However, the conventional method has the following disadvantages.

  In recent years, circuits formed on the wafer surface by packages such as Through-Silicon Via (TSV), Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), and Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) have become narrower pitch bumps and bulky bumps than before. There is a demand for refinement including Also, different types of protective tapes are used depending on the packages to be manufactured. For example, characteristics such as substrate hardness and tape thickness are different.

  In the conventional apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a protective tape is attached to the wafer surface under atmospheric conditions. At this time, while applying tension to the belt-shaped protective tape in the transport direction, an adhesive roller is rolled and pressed onto the surface of the protective tape to adhere it to the wafer surface. Therefore, the tension in the longitudinal direction is stronger than the width direction of the protective tape, and the protective tape is attached to the wafer surface in a state where wrinkles are likely to occur. Therefore, the pressure-sensitive adhesive cannot completely penetrate the unevenness formed by the narrow pitch of the bumps on the wafer surface. In other words, the protective tape is not in close contact with the wafer surface.

  When the surface of the protective tape is re-pressurized in this state, even if the surface can be flattened depending on the type of the protective tape, if a load larger than the load required for the flattening is not applied to the protective tape, The adhesion of the protective tape cannot be increased. However, when the load is increased, there is a problem that a circuit including a bump is damaged.

  This invention is made in view of such a situation, Comprising: Regardless of the state of the circuit formed in the semiconductor wafer, the adhesive tape sticking method and adhesive tape sticking apparatus which can stick an adhesive tape accurately are provided. The main purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, an adhesive tape attaching method for attaching an adhesive tape to a circuit forming surface of a semiconductor wafer,
A first pasting step of pasting the adhesive tape larger than the outer shape of the housing to one joint portion of the pair of housings constituting the chamber;
After the adhesive tape is sandwiched and the pair of housings are joined, the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is placed in a space on the semiconductor wafer side that is disposed in close proximity to the pressure-sensitive adhesive surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape while lowering the pressure of the other space. A second pasting process for pasting the semiconductor wafer;
Including a pressing process of pressing and flattening the surface of the adhesive tape attached to the circuit forming surface of the semiconductor wafer by the flat surface of the pressing member;
The pressurizing process in the pressurizing process is selectively performed according to the circuit state of the semiconductor wafer and the characteristics of the adhesive tape.

  (Function / Effect) According to this method, the pressure on the side of the chamber containing the semiconductor wafer is made lower than that of the other space, so that the entire surface of the adhesive tape sandwiched between the pair of housings is uniform. A strong press acts. Therefore, if no wrinkles are generated, the adhesive tape can be attached to the semiconductor wafer without damaging the bumps on the surface due to excessive pressing. In addition, air bubbles can be degassed from the recesses on the surface of the semiconductor wafer by the pressure reducing action, and the pressure-sensitive adhesive can be brought into close contact with the uneven shape on the surface of the semiconductor wafer.

  In addition, when unevenness is formed on the surface of the adhesive tape attached to the semiconductor wafer using the differential pressure in the chamber due to the influence of bumps, etc. It is only necessary to apply a pressure that can flatten only the surface of the adhesive tape. Therefore, the circuit of the semiconductor wafer is not damaged by the pressure treatment.

  Further, when the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is a surface-protective pressure-sensitive adhesive tape that is attached to the circuit forming surface of the wafer before back grinding, variations in the thickness of the wafer after back grinding can be suppressed. That is, the surface of the adhesive tape can be flattened regardless of the characteristics of the adhesive tape and the state of the circuit forming surface of the wafer.

  In the above method, in the first attaching process, it is preferable to attach the adhesive tape to the joint portion of the housing while pressing the adhesive tape from the front end side of the adhesive tape that is folded back by the peeling member and peeled off from the separator.

  In this case, the adhesive tape can be applied to the joint portion of the housing in a state where the tension is not applied as compared with the conventional method while applying tension in the longitudinal direction of the belt-shaped adhesive tape. Therefore, the adhesive tape can be attached to the circuit forming surface of the wafer while applying a uniform tension using the differential pressure in the chamber.

  In the above method, in the pressurizing process, it is preferable to pressurize the adhesive tape while heating it with a heater.

  In this case, since the pressure-sensitive adhesive and the base material constituting the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape can be softened by heating, the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is easily deformed.

  In addition, in the said method, the pressurization process in a pressurization process can be implemented as follows. For example, the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is pressurized while the chamber is maintained in a reduced pressure state. Alternatively, the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is pressurized in an atmospheric state in which the joint between both housings is released.

  The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve such an object.

That is, an adhesive tape attaching device for attaching an adhesive tape for surface protection to a circuit forming surface of a semiconductor wafer,
A holding table for holding the semiconductor wafer;
A chamber comprising a pair of housings for housing the holding table;
A tape supply unit for supplying the adhesive tape larger than the outer shape of the housing;
A tape attaching mechanism for attaching an adhesive tape to one joint of the housing;
A pressurizing mechanism that generates a differential pressure in two spaces in the chamber partitioned by the adhesive tape and pressurizes the surface of the adhesive tape attached to the semiconductor wafer by a flat surface of a pressurizing member disposed in the chamber When,
A cutting mechanism for cutting the adhesive tape along the outer shape of the semiconductor wafer;
A peeling mechanism for peeling off the adhesive tape cut out in the shape of the semiconductor wafer;
A tape recovery unit for recovering the adhesive tape after peeling;
It is provided with.

  (Operation / Effect) According to this apparatus, the unevenness generated on the surface of the adhesive tape for surface protection due to the unevenness of the circuit on the surface of the semiconductor wafer can be flattened by the pressurizing mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to suppress variations in thickness that tend to occur during the back grinding process. That is, the above method can be suitably performed.

In the above apparatus, the tape attaching mechanism is a peeling member that peels off and protrudes the adhesive tape from the separator, and
A sticking roller for pressing the tip of the adhesive tape protruding from the peeling member;
A cutting mechanism for cutting the rear end of the adhesive tape at the pasting end position;
It is preferable to provide.

  According to this structure, an adhesive tape can be affixed to the joint part of a housing in the state which suppressed the bias | bias of tension. Therefore, when the tape is attached to the semiconductor wafer, a uniform tension can be applied to the entire surface of the adhesive tape by the differential pressure in the chamber.

  The apparatus includes a moving mechanism for holding the semiconductor wafer to which the adhesive tape is attached on the holding table, and moving the semiconductor wafer between the tape attaching position and the tape cutting position integrally with the housing storing the holding table. Is preferred.

For example, the moving mechanism includes a rotary drive machine,
An arm connected and fixed to the rotation shaft of the rotary drive unit is provided, and the arm is configured to have a housing that houses the holding table at at least one end of the arm.

  According to this configuration, for example, one holding table can be moved to the tape applying position and the other holding table can be simultaneously moved to the tape cutting position by providing the housings holding the holding tables at both ends of the arm. . That is, the adhesive tape attaching process and the cutting process can be executed in parallel.

Further, an adhesive tape attaching apparatus for attaching an adhesive tape for support over a semiconductor wafer and a ring frame,
A wafer holding table for holding the semiconductor wafer;
A frame holding table for holding the ring frame;
A chamber comprising a pair of housings for housing the holding table;
A tape supply unit for supplying the adhesive tape;
A tape affixing mechanism that affixes an adhesive tape to one of the ring frame and the housing;
A pressurizing mechanism that generates a differential pressure in two spaces in the chamber partitioned by the adhesive tape and pressurizes the surface of the adhesive tape attached to the semiconductor wafer by a flat surface of a pressurizing member disposed in the chamber When,
A cutting mechanism for cutting the adhesive tape on the ring frame;
A peeling mechanism for peeling the adhesive tape after cutting;
A tape recovery unit for recovering the adhesive tape after peeling;
It is characterized by having

  (Operation / Effect) This apparatus functions effectively when circuit patterns are formed on both surfaces of a semiconductor wafer. That is, the unevenness generated on the base material surface of the supporting adhesive tape can be flattened by the pressure mechanism. Therefore, the dicing process can be performed with accuracy while keeping the wafer flat.

  The apparatus includes a moving mechanism for holding the semiconductor wafer to which the adhesive tape is attached on the holding table, and moving the semiconductor wafer between the tape attaching position and the tape cutting position integrally with the housing storing the holding table. Is preferred.

For example, the tape pasting mechanism is a peeling member that peels off the adhesive tape from the separator and protrudes,
A sticking roller for pressing the tip of the adhesive tape protruding from the peeling member;
A cutting mechanism for cutting the rear end of the adhesive tape at the pasting end position;
It is preferable to provide.

  According to this structure, an adhesive tape can be affixed to the joint part of a housing in the state which suppressed the bias | bias of tension. Therefore, when the tape is attached to the semiconductor wafer, a uniform tension can be applied to the entire surface of the adhesive tape by the differential pressure in the chamber.

  The apparatus includes a moving mechanism for holding the semiconductor wafer to which the adhesive tape is attached on the holding table, and moving the semiconductor wafer between the tape attaching position and the tape cutting position integrally with the housing storing the holding table. Is preferred.

For example, the moving mechanism includes a rotary drive machine,
An arm connected and fixed to a rotation shaft of the rotary drive unit is provided, and at least one end of the arm is configured to have a housing that houses the holding table and a frame holding table.

  By providing the housing holding the holding table and the frame holding table at both ends of the arm, one holding table can be simultaneously moved to the tape applying position and the other holding table can be simultaneously moved to the tape cutting position. That is, the adhesive tape attaching process and the cutting process can be executed in parallel.

  In each of the above devices, it is preferable to provide a heater on at least one of the holding table and the pressure member.

  The pressure-sensitive adhesive constituting the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape and the base material are softened by heating and easily deformed by the heater.

  According to the adhesive tape applying apparatus and the adhesive tape attaching method of the present invention, the adhesive tape can be attached to the semiconductor wafer with high accuracy regardless of the state of the circuit formed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer.

It is a front view which shows the whole adhesive tape sticking apparatus for surface protection. It is a front view which shows the whole adhesive tape sticking apparatus for surface protection. It is a front view which shows the structure with which the rotational drive mechanism was equipped. It is a front view which shows the structure of a chamber. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of a chamber. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an Example apparatus. It is a front view of the adhesive tape sticking apparatus for support. It is a top view of the adhesive tape sticking apparatus for support. It is a front view which shows the structure of a chamber. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of a modification apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of a modification apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of a modification apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of a modification apparatus. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of a modification apparatus.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case where an adhesive tape for surface protection is attached to a circuit forming surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as “wafer”) will be described as an example.

  FIG. 1 is a front view showing an overall configuration of an adhesive tape attaching apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the adhesive tape attaching apparatus.

  The adhesive tape pasting apparatus includes a wafer supply / recovery unit 1, a wafer transport mechanism 2, an alignment stage 3, a tape supply unit 4, a pasting unit 5, a tape cutting mechanism 6, a chamber 7, a pressure unit 8, a peeling unit 9, and a tape recovery. The unit 10 and the like are provided. Hereinafter, a specific configuration of each of the structural units and mechanisms will be described.

  Two cassettes C 1 and C 2 are placed in parallel on the wafer supply / recovery unit 1. In each cassette C, a large number of wafers W are inserted and stored in multiple stages in a horizontal posture with the circuit formation surface (front surface) facing upward.

  The wafer transfer mechanism 2 includes two robot arms 11A and 11B. Both the robot arms 11A and 11B are configured to be able to move forward and backward horizontally, and can be turned and raised as a whole. The robot arms 11A and 11B are provided with a horseshoe-shaped vacuum suction type wafer holder at the tips of the robot arms 11A and 11B. The wafer holding unit is inserted into a gap between the wafers W stored in multiple stages in the cassette C, and holds the wafer W by suction from the back surface. The wafer W held by suction is pulled out of the cassette C and transferred in the order of the alignment stage 3, the holding table 37, and the wafer supply / recovery unit 1.

  The alignment stage 3 aligns the wafer W loaded and placed by the wafer transport mechanism 2 based on notches and orientation flats formed on the outer periphery thereof.

  The tape supply unit 4, the pasting unit 5, the separator collecting unit 12, and the cutting unit 23 are mounted on the same vertical plate 14 as shown in FIG. The vertical plate 14 moves horizontally along the upper frame 16 via the movable table 15.

  In the tape supply unit 4, a roll-wrapped wide adhesive tape PT is loaded on the supply bobbin 17, and the protective tape PT with the separator s drawn from the supply bobbin 17 is wound around the guide roller 18 group. The protective tape PT from which the separator s has been peeled off is guided to the affixing unit 5. Further, the supply bobbin 17 is provided with an appropriate rotational resistance so that excessive tape feeding is not performed.

  The separator collection unit 12 is configured such that a collection bobbin 19 that takes up the separator s peeled from the protective tape PT is rotationally driven in the take-up direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the pasting unit 5 includes a peeling member 20, a lifting roller 21, and a pasting roller 22. The pasting unit 5 corresponds to the tape pasting mechanism of the present invention.

  The peeling member 20 has an edge with a sharp tip. The separator s is folded back and the adhesive tape PT is peeled off by the peeling member 20 whose edge is inclined downward. That is, the adhesive tape PT is protruded forward from the peeling member 20.

  The lifting roller 21 holds the adhesive tape PT in a timely manner in cooperation with the peeling member 20.

  The sticking roller 22 presses the tip of the adhesive tape PT protruding from the tip of the peeling member 20 and sticks it to the joint 70 of the lower housings 33B and 33C described later.

  The cutting unit 23 includes a movable table 25 that moves along a frame 24 provided on the front side of the peeling member 20, and a cutter 26 at a lower portion of the movable table 25 via a cutter holder. That is, the cutting unit 23 cuts the adhesive tape PT in the width direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tape cutting mechanism 6 includes a cutter unit via a support arm 29 that extends in the radial direction at the lower end of the end of the arm that is cantilevered from a movable base 28 that can be moved up and down along the frame 27. 30. The cutter unit 30 is mounted with a cutter 31 with a cutting edge facing downward via a cutter holder. The cutter unit 30 can adjust the turning radius via the support arm 29. The tape cutting mechanism 6 corresponds to the cutting mechanism of the present invention.

  The chamber 7 is constituted by a pair of upper and lower housings having an outer shape smaller than the width of the adhesive tape T. In the present embodiment, one upper housing 33A and two lower housings 33B and 33C are provided.

  The lower housings 33 </ b> B and 33 </ b> C are connected and fixed to a rotation shaft 35 of a rotary drive machine 34 such as a motor, and are respectively provided at both ends of the turning arm 36. That is, for example, when one lower housing 33B forms the upper housing 33A and the chamber 7, the other lower housing 33C is configured to be positioned at the tape application position on the application unit 5 side. Further, the upper and lower surfaces of the lower housings 33B and 33C are subjected to mold release processing such as fluorine processing.

  A holding table 37 that can be raised and lowered is provided in the lower housings 33B and 33C. The holding table 37 is connected to a rod 38 that passes through the lower housings 33B and 33C. The other end of the rod 38 is drivingly connected to an actuator 39 made of a motor or the like. Accordingly, the holding table 37 moves up and down in the lower housings 33B and 33C. A heater 49 is embedded in the holding table 37.

  The upper housing 33A is provided in the lifting drive mechanism 40 as shown in FIG. The elevating drive mechanism 40 includes a movable frame 43 that can be moved up and down along a rail 42 that is vertically disposed on the back of a vertical wall 41, a movable frame 44 that is supported by the movable platform 43 so that the height can be adjusted, and the movable frame An arm 45 extending forward from 44 is provided. An upper housing 33 </ b> A is mounted on a support shaft 46 that extends downward from the tip of the arm 45.

  The movable base 43 is moved up and down by screw feed 47 by rotating the screw shaft 47 forward and backward by a motor 48.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the upper and lower housings 33 </ b> A to 33 </ b> C are connected to a vacuum device 51 through a flow path 50. The flow path 50 on the upper housing 33A side includes an electromagnetic valve 52. In addition, a flow path 55 including electromagnetic valves 53 and 54 for opening to the atmosphere is connected to each of the housings 33A to 33C. Further, a flow path 57 including an electromagnetic valve 56 that adjusts the internal pressure once reduced by leakage is connected to the upper housing 33A. The opening / closing operation of the electromagnetic valves 52, 53, 54, and 56 and the operation of the vacuum device 51 are performed by the control unit 60.

  The pressure unit 8 includes a pressure member 61 in the upper housing 33A. The pressure member 61 is a plate having a flat bottom surface. A cylinder 62 is connected to the upper portion of the pressurizing member and moves up and down in the upper housing 33A. In addition, a heater 63 is incorporated in the pressure member 61. The pressurizing unit 8 corresponds to the pressurizing mechanism of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 16, the peeling unit 9 includes a movable table 65 that moves horizontally along the guide rail 64, a fixed receiving piece 66 that moves up and down on the movable table 65, and the fixed receiving piece. 66 and a movable piece 68 that is opened and closed by a cylinder 67 is provided. That is, the peeling unit 9 grips and peels one end side of the unnecessary adhesive tape PT cut into the shape of the wafer W by the tape cutting mechanism 6 by the fixed receiving piece 66 and the movable piece 68. The peeling unit 9 corresponds to the peeling mechanism of the present invention.

  A recovery container 69 for recovering the adhesive tape PT that has been peeled off by the peeling unit 9 is disposed in the tape collecting unit 10 on the peeling end end side of the peeling unit 9.

  Next, a description will be given of a round of operation of attaching the adhesive tape PT to the wafer W using the above-described embodiment apparatus.

  First, the wafer W is unloaded from the cassette C 1 by the robot arm 11 A and placed on the alignment stage 3. After alignment with the alignment stage 3, the robot arm 11A transports the tape to the holding tape 37 at the tape application position.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the holding table 37 receives the wafer W by pushing up a plurality of support pins 71 higher than the top (joining portion) 70 of the lower housing 33 </ b> B. The support pins 71 that have received the wafer W are lowered, and the wafer W is sucked and held by the holding surface of the holding table 37. At this time, the surface of the wafer W is at a position lower than the bonding portion 70.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the pasting unit 5 is moved to the pasting start end. The adhesive tape PT is projected from the peeling member 20 by a predetermined length while synchronizing the supply and winding of the adhesive tape PT. The sticking roller 22 is lowered to stick the tip of the adhesive tape PT to the joint 70 of the lower housing 33B. Thereafter, the adhesive tape PT is attached to the entire surface of the joint 70 while moving the attaching unit 5. At this time, the surface of the wafer W and the adhesive surface of the adhesive tape PT are close to each other with a predetermined clearance.

  The pasting unit 5 stops at a position exceeding a predetermined distance from the joining portion 70 on the pasting end side. The cutting unit 23 operates, and the cutter 26 cuts the rear end side of the adhesive tape PT in the width direction as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and FIG. 13 to be described later are illustrated by rotating the lower housing 33B on the left side by 90 degrees so that the tape attaching operation by the attaching unit 5 can be easily understood.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the rotary drive 34 is operated to pivot the lower housing 33B below the upper housing 33A. At this time, the lower housing 33C attached to the other end side of the swivel arm 36 moves to the tape attaching position.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the upper housing 33A is lowered, and the adhesive tape PT is sandwiched between the lower housing 33B and the chamber 7 is formed.

  The controller 60 operates the heater 49 to heat the adhesive tape PT from the lower housing 33B side, and operates the vacuum device 51 in a state where the electromagnetic valves 53, 54, and 56 are closed to operate in the upper housing 33A and the lower housing 33A. The pressure inside the housing 33B is reduced. At this time, the opening degree of the electromagnetic valve 52 is adjusted so that the pressure in the housings 33A and 33B is reduced at the same speed.

  When both housings 33A and 33B are depressurized to a predetermined pressure, the controller 60 closes the electromagnetic valve 52 and stops the operation of the vacuum device 51.

  The controller 60 gradually increases the inside of the upper housing 33A to a predetermined pressure while adjusting the opening of the electromagnetic valve 56 to cause leakage. At this time, the air pressure in the lower housing 33B becomes lower than the air pressure in the upper housing 33A, and the pressure difference causes the adhesive tape PT to be drawn into the lower housing 33B from the center, and the center of the wafer W disposed in proximity It is gradually pasted toward the outer periphery.

  When the inside of the upper housing 33A reaches the preset atmospheric pressure, the control unit 60 adjusts the opening degree of the electromagnetic valve 54 so that the atmospheric pressure in the lower housing 33B is the same as the atmospheric pressure in the upper housing 33A. In accordance with this atmospheric pressure adjustment, the holding table 37 is raised so that the surface of the joint portion 70 of the lower housing 33B and the upper surface of the wafer W are at the same height.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the pressure member 61 heated by the heater 63 is lowered to a predetermined height, and the entire surface of the adhesive tape PT is pressurized while being heated for a predetermined time. This height is set in advance such that the circuit including the bump is not damaged depending on the thickness of the adhesive tape PT, the height of the bump on the wafer W, and the like.

  When the pressurizing process is completed, the control unit 60 raises the upper housing 33A to release the atmosphere in the upper housing 33A, and fully opens the electromagnetic valve 54 to release the lower housing 33B.

  While the adhesive tape PT is attached to the wafer W in the chamber 7, the robot arm 11B unloads the wafer W from the cassette C2 and holds the wafer W by suction with the holding table 37 in the lower housing 33C, while the lower housing 33C. The adhesive tape PT is affixed to the joint 70.

  When the adhesive tape PT pasting process and pressure process on the wafer W in the chamber 7 and the adhesive tape PT pasting process on the lower housing 33C by the pasting unit 5 are completed, as shown in FIG. Is reversed. That is, one lower housing 33B is moved to the tape applying position on the attaching unit 5 side, and the other lower housing 33C is moved to the joining position below the upper housing 33A.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the tape cutting mechanism 6 is operated, the cutter unit 30 is lowered to a predetermined height, and the cutter 31 is pierced into the adhesive tape PT between the wafer W and the lower housing 33B. In this state, the adhesive tape PT is cut along the outer periphery of the wafer W. At this time, the surface of the adhesive tape PT is kept horizontal. When the cutting of the adhesive tape PT is completed, the cutter unit 30 rises and returns to the standby position.

  The peeling unit 9 is moved to the peeling start position. As shown in FIG. 16, both ends of the adhesive tape PT protruding from the lower housing 33 </ b> B are sandwiched between the fixed receiving piece 66 and the movable piece 68. As shown in FIG. 17, in this state, the tape is moved obliquely upward by a predetermined distance, and then the adhesive tape PT cut out in the wafer shape is peeled off while being horizontally moved.

  When the peeling unit 9 reaches the tape recovery unit 10, the grip of the adhesive tape PT is released and the adhesive tape PT is dropped into the recovery container 69.

  The wafer W to which the adhesive tape PT is attached is stored in the original position of the cassette C1 by the robot arm 11A.

  Note that while the adhesive tape PT on the lower housing 33B side is cut and peeled off, the adhesive tape PT is attached to the wafer on the lower housing 33C side. With the above, one round of sticking operation of the adhesive tape T to the wafer W is completed, and thereafter the same processing is repeatedly performed.

  According to the above-described embodiment device, the front end side of the adhesive tape PT is affixed to the joint 70 of the lower housings 33B and 33C in a free state, so that the adhesive tape PT can be affixed with the tension in the affixing direction being suppressed. it can. Therefore, a radial uniform tension can be applied to the adhesive tape PT by applying a differential pressure to the adhesive tape PT with no tension bias. Therefore, the adhesive tape PT can be attached to the surface of the wafer W without generating wrinkles.

  In addition, since excessive pressing does not act on the wafer W as in the case of using a pasting member such as a pasting roller, the adhesive tape PT can be pasted on the wafer W without damaging a circuit including bumps.

  Air bubbles can be degassed from the concave portion of the wafer W by the pressure reducing action, and the pressure-sensitive adhesive can be brought into close contact with the uneven shape on the surface of the wafer W.

  When unevenness is formed on the surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape PT attached to the wafer W using the differential pressure in the chamber 7 due to the influence of bumps, the surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape PT is selected by performing pressure treatment. It is possible to apply a pressure sufficient to flatten only. Therefore, the circuit of the wafer W is not damaged by the pressurizing process.

  Since the surface of the base material constituting the adhesive tape PT is flat, variations in the thickness of the wafer W after back grinding can be suppressed. That is, the surface of the adhesive tape PT can be flattened regardless of the characteristics of the adhesive tape PT and the state of the circuit formation surface of the wafer W.

  Further, while the adhesive tape PT is attached to the wafer W in the chamber 7 and the pressure treatment is being performed, the adhesive tape PT is attached to the lower housing of the other lower housing, and the tape cutting and the tape peeling process are simultaneously performed in parallel. It can be carried out. Therefore, the tact time can be shortened.

  The present invention can also be implemented in the following forms.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the case where the adhesive tape PT for surface protection is applied is described as an example. However, the adhesive tape (dicing tape) for supporting the wafer W formed on the front and back surfaces and the ring frame is used. It can also be applied when pasting. Therefore, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and different components will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape pasting apparatus newly includes a frame supply unit 75, a robot arm 76, a frame holding table 77, and a cutting unit 78.

  The frame supply unit 75 is provided beside the cassette C1. A wagon type transport vehicle 79 in which the ring frame f is stacked and stored is connected to the space. The transport vehicle 78 is provided with an elevator. A ring frame f is stacked on the lifting platform, and is configured to deliver the ring frames f to the robot arm 76 one by one from the upper opening while moving up and down at a predetermined pitch.

  The robot arm 76 holds and conveys the upper surface of the ring frame f with a horseshoe-shaped holding unit.

  The frame holding table 77 has an annular shape surrounding the outer periphery of the lower housings 33 </ b> B and 33 </ b> C, and is provided on the turning arm 36. Therefore, the lower housings 33B and 33C are rotated together. When the ring frame f is placed on the frame holding table 77, the height is set so that the joint surfaces of the lower housings 33B and 33C are flush with the surface of the ring frame f.

  The cutting unit 78 is provided in the raising / lowering drive mechanism 40 which raises / lowers the upper housing 33A. That is, a boss portion 80 that rotates around the support shaft 46 via the bearing 79 shown in FIG. 20 is provided. The boss portion 80 is provided with four support arms 81 to 84 extending radially in the center.

  A cutter bracket that horizontally supports a disc-shaped cutter 85 is mounted at the tip of one support arm 81 so as to be vertically movable, and a pressing roller 87 is provided at the tip of the other support arms 82 to 84. It is mounted so that it can be moved up and down via.

  A connecting portion 89 is provided on the upper portion of the boss portion 80, and the connecting portion 89 is drivingly connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 90 provided in the arm 45.

  Next, a description will be given of a one-round operation of attaching the adhesive tape DT to the ring frame f and the wafer W by the apparatus of this embodiment.

  While the robot arm 11A unloads the wafer W from the cassette C1 and aligns it with the alignment stage 3, the robot arm 76 unloads the ring frame f and places it on the frame holding table 77 at the tape application position. .

  When the aligned wafer W is transferred to the holding table 37 by the robot arm 11A, the adhesive tape DT is applied across the ring frame f and the joint 70 of the lower housing 33B by the attaching unit 5, as shown in FIG. wear. At this time, the surface of the wafer W and the adhesive surface of the adhesive tape DT are close to each other with a predetermined clearance. In FIG. 21, the lower housing 33B side described on the left side is rotated 90 degrees so that the tape application operation by the application unit 5 is easy to understand.

  When the affixing unit 5 reaches the affixing terminal position, the cutting unit 23 cuts the adhesive tape DT. At this time, the rear end of the cut adhesive tape DT protrudes from the ring frame f by a predetermined length.

  The rotary drive 34 is operated to pivot the lower housing 33B below the upper housing 33A. At this time, the lower housing 33C attached to the other end side of the swivel arm 36 moves to the tape attaching position.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the upper housing 33A is lowered, and the adhesive tape DT is sandwiched between the lower housing 33B and the chamber 7 is formed.

  The controller 60 affixes the adhesive tape DT to the wafer W by adjusting the air pressure in both the upper housing 33A and the lower housing 33B. Thereafter, the air pressure in the lower housing 33B is made the same as the air pressure in the upper housing 33A. In accordance with this atmospheric pressure adjustment, the holding table 37 is raised so that the surface of the ring frame f and the upper surface of the wafer W are at the same height.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the pressure member 61 heated by the heater 63 is lowered to a predetermined height, and the entire surface of the adhesive tape PT is pressurized while being heated for a predetermined time. This height is set to a height at which the circuit including the bump is not damaged depending on the thickness of the adhesive tape PT, the height of the bump on the wafer W, and the like.

  Note that the cutting unit 78 operates while the adhesive tape DT is applied and pressed in the chamber 7. At this time, the cutter 85 cuts the adhesive tape DT affixed to the ring frame f into the shape of the ring frame f, and the pressing roller 87 follows the cutter 85 to roll the tape cutting portion on the ring frame f. While pushing. That is, when the chamber 7 is configured by the lowered upper housing 33A and the lower housing 33B, the cutter 85 and the pressing roller 87 of the cutting unit 78 have also reached the cutting action position.

  When the pressurizing process is completed, as shown in FIG. 24, the control unit 60 raises the upper housing 33A to release the atmosphere inside the upper housing 33A, fully opens the electromagnetic valve 54, and also opens the lower housing 33B side to the atmosphere. To do.

  While the adhesive tape PT is being applied to the wafer W in the chamber 7, the wafer W and the ring frame f are placed on the lower housing 33C and the frame holding table 77 at the tape application position by the robot arms 11A and 76. Then, the adhesive tape DT is applied.

  When the adhesive tape attaching process and pressurizing process to the wafer W in the chamber 7 and the adhesive tape PT attaching process to the lower housing 33C by the attaching unit 5 are completed, the swivel arm 36 is reversed.

  The peeling unit 9 is moved to the peeling start position. As shown in FIG. 25, both end sides of the adhesive tape DT protruding from the ring frame f are sandwiched between the fixed receiving piece 66 and the movable piece 68. In this state, after moving a predetermined distance obliquely upward, the adhesive tape PT cut out in the wafer shape is peeled off while being moved horizontally.

  When the peeling unit 9 reaches the tape recovery unit 10, the grip of the adhesive tape PT is released and the adhesive tape PT is dropped into the recovery container 69.

  In addition, while the peeling process and the peeling process of the adhesive tape DT on the lower housing 33B side are completed and the mounting frame in which the wafer W and the ring frame f are integrally formed is being carried out, the lower housing 33C side is removed. A sticking process of the adhesive tape PT on the wafer, a pressing process, and a cutting process are performed. With the above, one round of sticking operation of the adhesive tape T to the wafer W is completed, and thereafter the same processing is repeatedly performed.

  According to the apparatus of this embodiment, even when circuits are formed on both surfaces of the wafer W, it functions effectively. That is, the unevenness generated on the base material surface of the supporting adhesive tape DT can be flattened by the pressure mechanism. Therefore, the dicing process can be performed with accuracy while the wafer W is kept flat.

  In addition, in the said Example apparatus, the structure provided in the tape sticking position side with which the sticking unit 5 was equipped similarly to the main Example may be sufficient.

  (2) In both the above-described embodiments, the configuration includes the two lower housings 33B and 33C, but may be one. In this case, the lower housing may be swung by the swivel arm 36 as in the above embodiment, or may be configured to slide along the straight rail.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, the heaters 49 and 63 are provided on both the holding table 37 and the pressure member 61. However, a structure provided on either one may be used.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the same wafers W are stored in the cassettes C1 and C2, but the wafers W on which different circuits are formed may be stored separately in the respective cassettes C1 and C2. For example, the wafer W with small unevenness on the circuit forming surface and the wafer W with large unevenness are separately stored in a cassette. The same adhesive tape PT and adhesive tape DT are used for both wafers W.

  In this case, when an adhesive tape having a hard base material (for example, a pet base material) is attached to the wafer W using the differential pressure in the chamber 7, the surface of the adhesive tape attached to the wafer W having a large surface unevenness is uneven. Occurs. Unevenness does not occur on the surface of the adhesive tape attached to a wafer with small unevenness.

  Therefore, the wafer W in which the unevenness on the surface of the adhesive tape is subjected to pressure treatment in the chamber 7, and the wafer W in which the unevenness on the surface of the adhesive tape does not occur is only subjected to the tape attaching process by the differential pressure. it can. In other words, the adhesive tape can be attached to different types of wafers W with a single apparatus.

  Moreover, after the adhesive tape sticking process by a differential pressure, the flatness of the adhesive tape surface may be measured with a sensor, and the pressurizing process may be performed depending on the presence or absence of unevenness.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 ... Tape supply part 5 ... Pasting unit 6 ... Tape cutting mechanism 7 ... Chamber 8 ... Pressure unit 9 ... Peeling unit 10 ... Tape collection part 20 ... Peeling member 22 ... Pasting roller 23 ... Cutting unit 33A ... Upper housing 33B, 33C ... Lower housing 37 ... Holding table 60 ... Control unit 61 ... Pressure member 77 ... Frame holding table PT ... Adhesive tape for surface protection W ... Semiconductor wafer f ... Ring frame DT ... Adhesive tape for support

Claims (15)

An adhesive tape attaching method for attaching an adhesive tape to a circuit forming surface of a semiconductor wafer,
A first pasting step of pasting the adhesive tape larger than the outer shape of the housing to one joint portion of the pair of housings constituting the chamber;
After the adhesive tape is sandwiched and the pair of housings are joined, the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is placed in a space on the semiconductor wafer side that is disposed in close proximity to the pressure-sensitive adhesive surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape while lowering the pressure of the other space. A second pasting process for pasting the semiconductor wafer;
Including a pressing process of pressing and flattening the surface of the adhesive tape attached to the circuit forming surface of the semiconductor wafer by the flat surface of the pressing member;
A pressure-sensitive adhesive tape application method, wherein pressure treatment in a pressure process is selectively performed according to a circuit state of the semiconductor wafer and characteristics of the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. In the adhesive tape sticking method of Claim 1,
The first sticking process is a sticking method for sticking an adhesive tape, wherein the first sticking process is attached to a joint portion of the housing while being pressed by the sticking member from the leading end side of the adhesive tape that is folded back by the peeling member and peeled off from the separator. In the adhesive tape sticking method according to claim 1 or 2,
The pressure applying process is characterized by applying pressure while heating the pressure sensitive adhesive tape with a heater. In the adhesive tape sticking method in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The pressure-applying process is characterized in that the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is pressurized while maintaining a reduced pressure in the chamber. In the adhesive tape sticking method in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The pressure-applying process is characterized in that the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is pressurized in an atmospheric state in which the joining of both housings is released. An adhesive tape attaching device for attaching an adhesive tape for surface protection to a circuit forming surface of a semiconductor wafer,
A holding table for holding the semiconductor wafer;
A chamber comprising a pair of housings for housing the holding table;
A tape supply unit for supplying the adhesive tape larger than the outer shape of the housing;
A tape attaching mechanism for attaching an adhesive tape to one joint of the housing;
A pressurizing mechanism that generates a differential pressure in two spaces in the chamber partitioned by the adhesive tape and pressurizes the surface of the adhesive tape attached to the semiconductor wafer by a flat surface of a pressurizing member disposed in the chamber When,
A cutting mechanism for cutting the adhesive tape along the outer shape of the semiconductor wafer;
A peeling mechanism for peeling off the adhesive tape cut out in the shape of the semiconductor wafer;
A tape recovery unit for recovering the adhesive tape after peeling;
An adhesive tape affixing device characterized by comprising: In the adhesive tape sticking device according to claim 6,
The tape sticking mechanism is a peeling member that peels and protrudes the adhesive tape from the separator;
A sticking roller for pressing the tip of the adhesive tape protruding from the peeling member;
A cutting mechanism for cutting the rear end of the adhesive tape at the pasting end position;
An adhesive tape affixing device characterized by comprising: In the adhesive tape sticking device according to claim 6 or 7,
A holding mechanism that holds the semiconductor wafer to which the adhesive tape has been attached to a holding table, and moves the tape to a tape attaching position and a tape cutting position integrally with a housing that houses the holding table;
An adhesive tape affixing device characterized by comprising: In the adhesive tape sticking device according to claim 8,
The moving mechanism includes a rotary drive machine,
An adhesive tape pasting device comprising: an arm connected and fixed to a rotation shaft of the rotary drive machine; and a housing containing the holding table at at least one end of the arm. In the adhesive tape sticking device according to any one of claims 6 to 9,
At least one of the holding table and the pressure member is provided with a heater. An adhesive tape attaching device for attaching an adhesive tape for support across a semiconductor wafer and a ring frame,
A wafer holding table for holding the semiconductor wafer;
A frame holding table for holding the ring frame;
A chamber comprising a pair of housings for housing the holding table;
A tape supply unit for supplying the adhesive tape;
A tape affixing mechanism that affixes an adhesive tape to one of the ring frame and the housing;
A pressurizing mechanism that generates a differential pressure in two spaces in the chamber partitioned by the adhesive tape and pressurizes the surface of the adhesive tape attached to the semiconductor wafer by a flat surface of a pressurizing member disposed in the chamber When,
A cutting mechanism for cutting the adhesive tape on the ring frame;
A peeling mechanism for peeling the adhesive tape after cutting;
A tape recovery unit for recovering the adhesive tape after peeling;
An adhesive tape affixing device characterized by comprising: In the adhesive tape sticking device according to claim 11,
The tape sticking mechanism is a peeling member that peels and protrudes the adhesive tape from the separator;
A sticking roller for pressing the tip of the adhesive tape protruding from the peeling member;
A cutting mechanism for cutting the rear end of the adhesive tape at the pasting end position;
An adhesive tape affixing device characterized by comprising: In the adhesive tape sticking device according to claim 11 or 12,
A holding mechanism that holds the semiconductor wafer to which the adhesive tape has been attached to a holding table, and moves the housing holding the holding table and the frame holding table together between the tape application position and the tape cutting position.
An adhesive tape affixing device characterized by comprising: In the adhesive tape sticking device according to claim 13,
The moving mechanism includes a rotary drive machine,
An adhesive tape attaching apparatus, comprising: an arm connected and fixed to a rotation shaft of the rotary drive device; and a housing and a frame holding table that house the holding table at least at one end of the arm. In the adhesive tape sticking device according to any one of claims 11 to 14,
At least one of the holding table and the pressure member is provided with a heater.

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