JP2021126735A - Cutting equipment and cutting method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] By adopting a new configuration for the holding surface of the holding table, problems that arise with holding tables made of porous material are solved. [Solution] A cutting device 2 for cutting a workpiece (wafer 10) having a planned cutting line 13, comprising a holding member 74 having a holding surface 74c in which suction grooves 77 for suction-holding the workpiece are formed, a holding table 27 that moves the workpiece in a processing feed direction K while suction-holding it, and a cutting unit 46 having a cutting blade B1 that cuts the workpiece held by the holding table 27, the suction grooves 77 being set to extend in a direction shifted by a predetermined angle θ from the processing feed direction K. [Selected Figure] Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus and a cutting method for cutting a workpiece having a scheduled cutting line with a cutting blade.

Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a holding table is constructed of a porous material such as alumina ceramics or porous ceramics containing zirconia as a main component, and a work piece is sucked by the holding surface of the holding table. Cutting devices that hold are known.

When cutting is performed, the lower surface of the work piece is supported by the holding surface, and a cutting groove is formed by cutting the cutting blade into the work piece.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-62476

The holding surface of the holding table made of the porous material has minute concave portions and convex portions. Then, the surface to be held (lower surface) of the work piece is not supported by the recessed portion.

If a full cut is performed in which the workpiece is completely cut in the thickness direction with the cutting blade in the above state, a large chip is generated on the surface to be held of the workpiece in the region corresponding to the concave portion. Is a concern.

Further, even when half-cutting is performed by cutting a work piece to a predetermined depth with a cutting blade to form a half-cut groove, cracks may occur from the bottom of the half-cut groove in the region corresponding to the concave portion. I am concerned.

Further, in the holding table made of the porous material, the concave portions appear randomly, and the places where chips and cracks occur in the workpiece are also random, which is unpredictable.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems that occur in a holding table made of a porous material by adopting a new structure in the holding surface of the holding table.

According to one aspect of the invention
A cutting device that cuts a work piece that has a planned cutting line.
A holding table provided with a holding member having a holding surface formed with a suction groove for sucking and holding the workpiece, and a holding table.
A cutting unit having a cutting blade for cutting the workpiece held by the holding table, and
A machining feed mechanism that moves the holding table relative to the cutting unit in the machining feed direction,
With
The suction groove is set so as to extend in a direction deviated from the machining feed direction by a predetermined angle.
Use as a cutting device.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention.
It is assumed that the suction groove includes at least two suction grooves orthogonal to each other.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention.
The holding member is made of glass
An image pickup camera that captures an image of the surface to be held of the work piece via the holding member is further provided.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention.
A cutting method in which a workpiece having a planned cutting line is cut with a cutting blade.
A holding step of holding the work piece on a holding table provided with a holding member having a holding surface formed with a suction groove for sucking and holding the work piece.
It has a cutting step in which the holding table is moved relative to the cutting blade in the machining feed direction, and the scheduled cutting line of the workpiece is cut by the cutting blade.
The suction groove is set so as to extend in a direction deviated from the machining feed direction by a predetermined angle.
Use the cutting method.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention.
It is assumed that the suction groove includes at least two suction grooves orthogonal to each other.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention.
The holding member is made of glass.
After performing the holding step, an imaging step of imaging the surface to be held of the workpiece via the holding member with an imaging camera is further provided.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the work piece can be held by a holding member having a flat holding surface, as compared with the case where the holding member is made of a porous material in which concave portions and convex portions are randomly present. As a result, the occurrence of chips and cracks can be reduced, and the processing quality can be improved. Further, since the planned cutting line and the suction groove are not parallel to each other, it is possible to reduce the area where the two overlap, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of deterioration of the processing quality in the workpiece.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, the suction groove makes it possible to reliably and surely suck and hold the workpiece in a wide range.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, the work piece can be imaged from the lower side to detect the planned cutting line. For example, the device formed on the wafer, which is the work piece, is on the lower side. It can be preferably carried out in an application in which processing is performed while being protected by tape.

It is a perspective view of one Embodiment of the cutting apparatus used for carrying out this invention. It is an exploded perspective view of a support box and a holding table part. (A) is a perspective view of the holding table mounted on the support box. (B) is a perspective view of the lower imaging mechanism and its support structure. It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional shape of a holding table and the like. (A) is a side schematic view which shows the structure of the lower image pickup mechanism. FIG. (B) is a diagram showing another embodiment of the prism main body. It is a front schematic diagram which shows the structure of the lower image pickup mechanism. (A) is a figure showing the surface of a wafer which is an example of a work piece. (B) is a figure showing the back surface of a wafer which is an example of a work piece. (A) is a figure explaining the suction groove formed in the holding member. (B) is a figure explaining the deviation of the angle between the planned cutting line of the wafer and the suction groove. It is a figure explaining the positional relationship between the holding table and the lower image pickup mechanism. It is a figure explaining that the work piece is imaged with an image pickup camera from the lower side. It is a figure explaining the cutting step. It is a figure which shows the groove confirmation step and the example of the captured image. It is a figure explaining one Example of the upper imaging mechanism.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cutting device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a holding table 27 is arranged on the base 4 of the cutting device 2 so as to be reciprocating in the X-axis direction by a moving mechanism 23 (FIG. 3A). A water cover 14 is arranged around the holding table 27, and the bellows 16 is connected to the water cover 14 and the base 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cassette mounting table 21 for mounting a cassette 20 for accommodating a work piece to be described later is provided at a front corner portion of the base 4.

A plurality of wafer units 8 (FIG. 7 (B)) are housed in the cassette 20, and are carried from the cassette 20 onto a pair of guide rails 71 by the transport unit 40. Further, the processed wafer unit 8 is carried out from the pair of guide rails 71 to the cassette 20 by the transfer unit 40.

The pair of guide rails 71 are arranged above the holding table 27 and form a temporary placement area 18 for temporarily placing the wafer unit 8.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport unit 40 is provided in a horizontal portion 41a provided under the substantially L-shaped first arm 41 that moves in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction.

The horizontal portion 41a of the first arm 41 is configured with a first transport means 47 for moving the wafer unit 8 between the guide rail 71 and the holding table 27. The first transport means 47 includes two arm portions 47a extending in the X-axis direction and suction portions 47b provided at both ends of the arm portions 47a. The suction unit 47b sucks and holds the frame F of the wafer unit 8 (FIG. 7B).

As shown in FIG. 1, a gate-shaped column 24 is erected on the base 4, and a pair of guide rails 26 extending in the Y-axis direction are fixed to the column 24. A Y-axis moving block 28 is movably provided on the guide rail 26, and the Y-axis moving block 28 is guided to the guide rail 26 by a Y-axis moving mechanism 34 including a ball screw 30 and a pulse motor 32. Move in the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of guide rails 36 extending in the Z-axis direction are fixed to the Y-axis moving block 28. The Z-axis moving block 38 is movably provided with respect to the guide rail 36, and the Z-axis moving block 38 is guided by the guide rail 36 by the Z-axis moving mechanism 44 including the ball screw 40 and the pulse motor 42 to Z. Move in the axial direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cutting unit 46 and an upper imaging mechanism 52 are attached to the Z-axis moving block 38. As shown in FIG. 11, the cutting unit 46 is configured by detachably mounting a cutting blade B1 on the tip of a spindle 48 that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1, a spinner cleaning unit 54 having a spinner table 56 is provided on the base 4, and the work piece after cutting is sucked and held by the spinner table 56 to perform spinner cleaning. It can be spin-dried.

As shown in FIG. 1, a second transfer means 50 for moving the wafer unit between the holding table 27 and the spinner cleaning unit 54 is provided on the side of the first transfer means 47.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting device 2 includes a controller 80, and operation control of various drive units is performed. Further, a display monitor 60 made of a touch panel or the like is provided, and various information such as a captured image described later is displayed.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the holding table 27.
The holding table 27 has an annular base 62 and a disk-shaped holding member 74. The annular base 62 includes a fitting portion 64, a belt winding portion 66 having a diameter larger than that of the fitting portion 64, a penetrating portion 65 penetrating in the axial direction of the fitting portion 64, and a transparent member 68 closing the penetrating portion 65. Has.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the upper surface of the annular base 62, a mounting area 70 for mounting and fixing the frame portion 74b of the disk-shaped holding member 74 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holding member 74 includes a disk-shaped holding portion 74a and a frame portion 74b that surrounds the holding portion 74a. The holding portion 74a is made of a transparent member such as quartz glass, borosilicate glass, sapphire, calcium fluoride, lithium fluoride, and magnesium fluoride. The "transparency" of the transparent member means "transmitting, absorbing, and not scattering light having at least a part of the wavelength of visible light", and the outer peripheral convex portion detection step described later and the planned division line. It may be colored as long as it enables the execution of the detection step. Further, the transparent region may be formed only in a necessary range of a part of the holding member 74. As described above, the holding portion 74a of the holding member 74 forms a transparent region on the holding table 27.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface of the holding portion 74a forms a holding surface 74c for holding the wafer W. A plurality of annular suction grooves 76 are concentrically provided on the holding surface 74c near the outer peripheral edge of the holding portion 74a (three rows in this embodiment), and the tape T is sucked and held in the suction grooves 76. Will be done. The suction groove 76 is connected to the suction source 89 with the holding member 74 attached to the annular base 62.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the suction groove 76 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the wafer 10 while holding the wafer 10.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8A, a linear suction groove 77 is formed on the holding surface 74c of the holding member 74. In this embodiment, two suction grooves 77 that pass through the center of the disk-shaped holding member 74 and are orthogonal to each other are formed.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the holding surface 74c of the holding member 74 is configured to be wider than the wafer 10 shown by the virtual line, and the lengths of the two suction grooves 77 are each equal to or larger than the diameter of the wafer 10. Consists of length. The suction groove 77 communicates with the annular suction groove 76 located on the outer peripheral side of the wafer 10 and is connected to the suction source 89.

As shown in FIG. 4, the annular suction grooves 76 are connected to each other by a connecting groove extending in the radial direction of the holding member 74. The connection groove can be configured, for example, by extending the suction groove 77 to the suction groove 76 on the outermost side.

As shown in FIG. 8A, according to the two suction grooves 77 passing through the center of the holding member 74 and orthogonal to each other as in the present embodiment, a wide range of the wafer to be processed is provided. However, the number of grooves and the arrangement location are not particularly limited.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, on the upper surface of the annular base 62, frame support portions 72 for supporting the annular frame F of the wafer unit 8 from below are provided at four locations so as to surround the periphery of the holding member 74. Be done.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the frame support portion 72 has a support block 72a forming a support surface for supporting the annular frame F, and a suction portion 72b for suction and holding from the lower side of the annular frame F. , The suction unit 72b is connected to the suction source 89.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the annular base 62 of the holding table 27 is formed with a penetrating portion 65 having substantially the same diameter as the holding portion 74a of the holding member 74, and the lower portion of the penetrating portion 65 is a transparent member 68. Closed with (eg glass). As a result, the transparent member 68, the penetrating portion 65, and the holding portion 74a of the holding member 74 are arranged in this order from the lower side, and light is transmitted through these portions, so that the lower part of the holding table 27 will be described in detail later. Imaging from is possible. The transparent member 68 may be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holding member 74 is mounted on the mounting area 70 of the annular base 62, and the annular fitting portion 64 projecting downward from the annular base 62 is fitted into the circular opening 15a of the support box 15. By combining them, the holding table 27 is rotatably mounted on the support box 15 as shown in FIG. 3 (A).

As shown in FIG. 3A, a motor 17 is attached to the connecting plate 15b of the support box 15, and extends over the pulley 17a connected to the output shaft of the motor 17 and the belt winding portion 66 of the annular base 62. The belt 29 is wound. When the motor 17 is driven, the holding table 27 is rotated via the belt 29.

The motor 17 shown in FIG. 3A is composed of, for example, a pulse motor, and when the motor 17 is driven by a predetermined pulse during alignment execution, the holding table 27 is rotated by a predetermined amount (θ rotation), and FIG. 7A shows. The scheduled cutting line (street) 13 of the wafer 10 shown can be aligned.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the support box 15 is slidably mounted on a pair of guide rails 31 that extend fixedly in the X-axis direction, and is moved in the X-axis direction by the moving mechanism 23. NS. The moving mechanism 23 includes a ball screw 23a arranged in parallel between the guide rails 31 and a pulse motor 23b. The X-axis direction in which the support box 15 (holding table 27) moves is the machining feed direction, and as shown in FIG. 8 (B), cutting is performed in a state where the machining feed direction K and the scheduled cutting line 13 are parallel to each other. Processing is done.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the ball screw 23a is screwed into the female screw portion provided on the lower surface of the lower plate 15e of the support box 15, and the pulse motor 23b is driven to rotate the ball screw 23a to rotate the support box. 15 moves in the X-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 3A, a lower imaging mechanism 82 for imaging a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer held on the holding table 27 from below the holding member 74 is provided in the vicinity of the support box 15. There is.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the support box 15, the upper plate 15c, the lower plate 15e, and the connecting plate 15b form a substantially U-shape in a side view, and the upper plate 15c is on the opposite side of the connecting plate 15b. An opening 15g is formed in the space between the lower plate 15e and the lower plate 15e to allow the lower imaging mechanism 82 to enter.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the lower imaging mechanism 82 is provided on the column 96 erected on the Y-axis moving block 83. The Y-axis moving block 83 is slidably mounted on a pair of guide rails 81 that extend fixedly in the Y-axis direction, and is moved in the Y-axis direction by the driving means 87. The drive means 87 includes a ball screw 85a arranged in parallel between the guide rails 81 and a pulse motor 87b.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the ball screw 85a is screwed into the female screw portion provided on the lower surface of the Y-axis moving block 83, and the pulse motor 87b is driven to rotate the ball screw 85a to rotate the Y-axis moving block. 83 moves in the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the lower imaging mechanism 82 includes a prism mechanism P and an imaging camera C.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 6, the prism mechanism P includes a prism main body 90, a light source 92, a prism main body 90, and a housing 84 accommodating the light source 92. Will be done.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the prism body 90 of the prism mechanism P is composed of a so-called right-angled prism (side-viewing right-angled triangle) having a reflecting surface 90a that is inclined at an angle of about 45 degrees in a side view. ..

As shown in FIG. 5A, the first passage port 85a is formed in the housing 84 at a position diagonally 45 degrees above the reflecting surface 90a, that is, at a position above the prism body 90. Has been done. The reflective surface 90a faces the holding table 27 through the first passage port 85a.

As shown in FIG. 5A, a second passage port 85b is formed in the housing 84 at a position diagonally 45 degrees below the reflection surface 90a, that is, at a position lateral to the prism body 90. Has been done.

As described above, as shown in FIG. 5A, the light H1 entering from the first passage port 85a is reflected by the reflection surface 90a, refracted by 90 degrees, and emitted from the second passage port 85b.

In addition to directly reflecting the light H1 on the reflecting surface 90a as in the prism body 90 shown in FIG. 5 (A), the light H1 is transmitted in the prism body 90A as in the prism body 90A shown in FIG. 5 (B). The light H1 may be refracted by the reflecting surface 90b by transmitting the light. In this case, the optical path length can be formed to be long, and it is possible to design such as avoiding interference of each component.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 6, a light source 92 made of, for example, an LED is housed in the housing 84, and light for transmitting the light of the light source 92 is transmitted on the upper surface of the housing 84. A transmission port 86 is formed. In this embodiment, three light sources 92 are arranged on both sides of the prism body 90, and a light transmission port 86 is formed at a position corresponding to each light source 92.

As shown in FIG. 6, the light H2 emitted from the light source 92 is emitted toward the lower surface of the wafer W held by the holding table 27 arranged above, and the reflected light H1 is incident on the prism body 90. do. The light source 92 is arranged so that the emitted light H2 is inclined so as to illuminate the focal position of the image pickup camera C (FIG. 5 (A)), and the optical axis of the light H2 is inclined.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the image pickup camera C includes a lens barrel 91, an objective lens 93 provided on one end side of the lens barrel 91, and an image sensor 95 provided on the other end side of the lens barrel 91. Consists of having.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the lens barrel 91 is provided so as to be connected to the second passage port 88b, and the objective lens 93 is arranged so as to face the reflection surface 90a of the prism body 90.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the light H1 that has passed through the objective lens 93 is received by the image sensor 95 and converted into image data by an image processing device (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 3B, the prism mechanism P and the imaging camera C constituting the lower imaging mechanism 82 are supported by the support plate 94, and the base end portion of the support plate 94 is fixed to the Z-axis moving block 98. There is. The column 96 erected on the Y-axis moving block 83 (FIG. 3A) is provided with a Z-axis moving means 104 composed of a ball screw 100 and a pulse motor 102, and a pair of Z-axis moving blocks 98 are provided. It is moved in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) along the guide rail 106, and the lower imaging mechanism 82 is also moved in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) accordingly.

Next, a machining example using the above device configuration will be described.
<Work work preparation step>
This is a step of attaching a tape having transparency to visible light to the surface of the work piece.
7 (A) and 7 (B) show a wafer 10 which is an example of a workpiece. In addition to the semiconductor wafer described below, the workpiece may be an optical device wafer on which an optical device such as an LED is formed, various ceramic substrates or glass substrates used for electronic components, and the like.

The devices 11 are arranged in a grid pattern on the surface 10a of the wafer 10, and cutting is performed along the scheduled cutting line 13 (street). The wafer 10 is, for example, a SiC wafer having a thickness of 100 μm.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the back surface 10b side of the wafer 10 is exposed on the upper side, the front surface 10a of the wafer 10 is attached to the tape T, and the annular frame F and the wafer 10 are integrated via the tape T. The wafer unit 8 is configured.

By configuring the wafer unit 8 as described above, the wafer 10 can be handled while protecting the device 11 on the surface 10a with the tape T. Note that the annular frame F may not be used, but a tape may be attached to the surface 10a of the wafer 10 to protect the wafer 10.

Further, in FIG. 7B, the tape T is transparent, that is, has a property of "transmitting, absorbing, and not scattering light having at least a part of the wavelength of visible light", and the cutting scheduled line detection step described later It enables the execution of the groove confirmation step. Further, the tape T may be a colored one, and may be made of a stretchable resin tape. Further, instead of using the tape T, the surface 10a of the wafer 10 may be protected and handled by a plate-shaped hard plate made of glass, resin or the like.

<Holding step>
As shown in FIG. 9, it is a step of holding the surface 10a side of the workpiece (wafer 10) via the tape T by a holding table 27 having at least a part of the transparent holding member 74.

First, as shown in FIG. 8B, the linear suction grooves 77 formed in the holding member 74 are set so as to deviate from the machining feed direction K (X-axis direction) by a predetermined angle θ.

Specifically, by driving the motor 17 shown in FIG. 3 and rotating the holding table 27 via the belt 29, the suction groove 77 of the holding member 74 is in the machining feed direction as shown in FIG. 8 (A). It is set so as to deviate from K (X-axis direction) by a predetermined angle θ. The angle setting of the holding member 74 that realizes this angle θ is stored in the controller 80 (FIG. 1) of the cutting device 2 (FIG. 1) when the holding member 74 is installed, and drives the motor 17 (FIG. 3). It is said that it can be reproduced.

In this embodiment, the two suction grooves 77 are arranged so as to be offset by 45 degrees with respect to the machining feed direction K (X-axis direction). Note that in FIG. 8B, the illustration of the tape T (FIG. 9) is omitted.

After setting the angle of the suction groove 77 of the holding table 27 as described above, the wafer 10 is placed on the holding member 74 as shown in FIG. 8 (B). At this time, the scheduled cutting line 13 formed between the devices 11 of the wafer 10 is placed so as to be parallel to the machining feed direction K (X-axis direction).

As described above, the wafer 10 is held on the holding table 27 in a state where the suction groove 77 of the holding member 74 and the scheduled cutting line 13 of the wafer 10 are displaced by an angle θ.

In this holding step, it is sufficient that a relative relationship in which the angle θ deviates between the suction groove 77 and the scheduled cutting line 13 is realized, and the method is not particularly limited to the above-described method.

<Scheduled cutting line detection step (first imaging step)>
As shown in FIG. 10, after performing the holding step, the workpiece (wafer 10) held by the holding table 27 via the holding member 74 and the tape T is imaged from below by the imaging camera C and cut. This is a step of detecting the position of the scheduled line 13 (FIG. 7 (A)).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, by moving the Y-axis moving block 83, the lower imaging mechanism 82 is positioned below the wafer 10, and the wafer is placed via the holding member 74 of the holding table 27 and the tape T. The surface 10a (FIG. 9) of the wafer 10 is imaged, and the scheduled cutting line 13 (FIG. 7 (A)) of the wafer 10 is detected based on the image. At the time of imaging, it is preferable that the region where the suction groove 77 is not reflected is imaged.

Here, when it is confirmed that the detected scheduled cutting line 13 (FIG. 8 (B)) is substantially parallel to the suction groove 77 (FIG. 8 (B)), the first transport means 47 (FIG. 8 (B)) According to FIG. 1), the workpiece is once lifted and made to stand by above the holding member 74, and after the holding member 74 is rotated, the workpiece is repositioned, and the scheduled cutting line 13 (FIG. 8B) and the suction groove are formed. The relative angle (angle θ) of 77 (FIG. 8 (B)) may be adjusted to be a predetermined angle.

Further, in the scheduled cutting line detection step described above, when the holding member 74 is made of transparent glass, the imaging camera C detects the scheduled cutting line 13 (FIG. 7 (A)) from below. However, in addition to this, when the holding member 74 is made of a non-transparent material such as metal or ceramics, the work piece is viewed from above by using the upper imaging mechanism 52 shown in FIGS. 1 and 10. The scheduled cutting line 13 (FIG. 7 (A)) may be detected by taking an image. In this case, the workpiece is, for example, in the case of the wafer 10 as shown in FIG. 7 (A), the surface 10a on which the device 11 is formed is attached to the tape T shown in FIG. 7 (B). Then, it shall be attached so as to be exposed on the upper side.

<Cutting step>
As shown in FIG. 11, the position of the cutting blade B1 of the cutting unit 46 is aligned with the position of the scheduled cutting line 13 (FIG. 7 (A)) detected in the scheduled cutting line detection step, and the cutting unit 46 is set to a predetermined position. By positioning the holding table 27 at a height and moving the holding table 27 in the machining feed direction (X-axis direction), cutting is performed and a groove is formed along the scheduled cutting line 13.

As shown in FIG. 11, after cutting one scheduled cutting line 13 (FIG. 7 (A)), index feed is performed on the cutting blade B1 in the Y-axis direction, and the same applies to the adjacent scheduled cutting line. Perform cutting.

In FIG. 7A, after cutting all the scheduled cutting lines 13 extending in the first direction (for example, the X-axis direction), the holding table 27 (FIG. 11) is rotated by 90 degrees, and FIG. In A), the same cutting process is performed in the second direction (for example, the Y-axis direction).

<Groove confirmation step (second imaging step)>
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, it is a step of imaging a groove from above the wafer 10 by the upper imaging mechanism 52 and confirming the state of the groove, whereby a calf check is performed.

As shown in the example of FIG. 13, the upper imaging mechanism 52 includes an imaging element 52S, an objective lens 52L, and a light source 52U, and the reflected light of the light projected from the light source 52U. Is received and an image is taken.

FIG. 12 is an example of the captured image S1, and the portion around the groove M is reflected by the light L to appear bright, and the portion of the groove M appears dark. Based on the captured image S1, it is possible to detect chipping, cracks, and the like, and perform a calf check such as measuring the width of the groove M.

This groove confirmation step is performed by imaging the workpiece (wafer 10) in the middle of the cutting step, at the stage where a specific cutting process is completed, or at the stage where all the cutting processes to be performed are completed. Will be done.

As shown in FIG. 1, the captured image S1 is displayed on the display monitor 60 by the controller 80 processing the image captured by the upper imaging mechanism 52.

Here, when the controller 80 determines that the suction groove 77 (FIG. 8 (A)) exists at the captured coordinate position, the controller 80 displays the information of the suction groove 77 in the captured image S1 as shown in FIG. It is configured so that it can be displayed in an overlapping manner. That is, the controller 80 refers to the coordinate position of the suction groove 77 stored in advance and the coordinate position of the position where the captured image S1 is captured, and superimposes a virtual image of the suction groove 77 on the captured image S1. It is to be displayed. This makes it possible for the operator to recognize that the suction groove 77 exists at the imaging location.

When the suction groove 77 exists in the portion imaged in this way, the held surface (lower surface) of the wafer is not supported, so that cracks and the like are more likely to occur as compared with other portions. It is not suitable for calf check.

In view of this point, as described above, the suction groove 77 is virtually superimposed and displayed on the captured image S1 to make the operator recognize the existence of the suction groove 77, whereby the operator is made to recognize the existence of the suction groove 77 at another location. Can encourage you to do a calf check.

In the above description, as shown in FIG. 12, it was decided to acquire an image captured by using the upper imaging mechanism 52 arranged above the wafer 10 and perform a calf check, but the image is arranged below the wafer 10. A captured image may be acquired using the imaging camera C and a calf check may be performed.

The present invention can be carried out as described above.
That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 8 (B),
A cutting device 2 for cutting an workpiece (wafer 10) having a scheduled cutting line 13.
A holding table 27 having a holding member 74 having a holding surface 74c formed with a suction groove 77 for sucking and holding the workpiece, and a holding table 27.
A cutting unit 46 having a cutting blade B1 for cutting a work piece held by the holding table 27, and a cutting unit 46.
A moving mechanism 23 as a machining feed mechanism for moving the holding table 27 with respect to the cutting unit 46 in the machining feed direction K,
With
The suction groove 77 is set so as to extend in a direction deviated from the machining feed direction K by a predetermined angle θ.

As a result, the workpiece can be held by the holding member 74 having a flat holding surface, and the holding member is made of a porous material in which concave portions and convex portions are randomly present. It is possible to reduce the occurrence of cracks and improve the processing quality. Further, since the scheduled cutting line 13 and the suction groove 77 are not parallel to each other, it is possible to reduce the area where the two overlap, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of deterioration of the processing quality in the workpiece.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, the suction groove 77 is configured to include at least two suction grooves 77 and 77 orthogonal to each other.

As a result, the suction groove makes it possible to reliably and surely suck and hold the workpiece over a wide range.

Also, as shown in FIG.
The holding member 74 is made of glass
An image pickup camera C that captures an image of the surface to be held of the work piece via the holding member 74 is further provided.

As a result, the work piece can be imaged from the lower side and the scheduled cutting line 13 (FIG. 7A) can be detected. For example, the device 11 formed on the wafer 10 which is the work piece can be placed on the lower side. It can be preferably carried out in an application in which the wafer is processed while being protected by the tape T.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 8 (B),
A cutting method in which a workpiece having a scheduled cutting line 13 is cut by a cutting blade B1.
A holding step of holding the work piece on a holding table 27 including a holding member 74 having a holding surface 74c formed with a suction groove 77 for sucking and holding the work piece.
It has a cutting step in which the holding table 27 is moved relative to the cutting blade B1 in the machining feed direction K, and the scheduled cutting line 13 of the workpiece is cut by the cutting blade B1.
The suction groove 77 is set so as to extend in a direction deviated from the machining feed direction K by a predetermined angle θ.

As a result, the workpiece can be held by the holding member 74 having a flat holding surface, and the holding member is made of a porous material in which concave portions and convex portions are randomly present. It is possible to reduce the occurrence of cracks and improve the processing quality. Further, since the scheduled cutting line 13 and the suction groove 77 are not parallel to each other, it is possible to reduce the area where the two overlap, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of deterioration of the processing quality in the workpiece.

Also, as shown in FIG.
The holding member 74 is made of glass and is made of glass.
After performing the holding step, an imaging step of capturing the surface to be held of the workpiece via the holding member 74 with the imaging camera C is further provided. The "imaging step" referred to here includes any one or both of the above-mentioned scheduled cutting line detection step (first imaging step) and the groove confirmation step (second imaging step).

As a result, the work piece can be imaged from the lower side and the scheduled cutting line 13 (FIG. 7A) can be detected. For example, the device 11 formed on the wafer 10 which is the work piece can be placed on the lower side. It can be preferably carried out in an application in which the wafer is processed while being protected by the tape T.

2 Cutting device 10 Wafer 10a Surface 11 Device 13 Cutting scheduled line 27 Holding table 46 Cutting unit 52 Upper imaging mechanism 60 Display monitor 74 Holding member 74a Holding surface 77 Suction groove 80 Controller 82 Lower imaging mechanism B1 Cutting blade C Imaging camera K Machining feed Direction M Groove S1 Captured image T Tape θ Angle

Claims (6)

A cutting device that cuts a work piece that has a planned cutting line.
A holding table provided with a holding member having a holding surface formed with a suction groove for sucking and holding the workpiece, and a holding table.
A cutting unit having a cutting blade for cutting the workpiece held by the holding table, and
A machining feed mechanism that moves the holding table relative to the cutting unit in the machining feed direction,
With
The suction groove is set so as to extend in a direction deviated from the machining feed direction by a predetermined angle.
Cutting equipment. The suction groove is composed of at least two suction grooves orthogonal to each other.
The cutting apparatus according to claim 1. The holding member is made of glass
An image pickup camera that images the surface to be held of the work piece via the holding member is further provided.
The cutting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. A cutting method in which a workpiece having a planned cutting line is cut with a cutting blade.
A holding step of holding the work piece on a holding table provided with a holding member having a holding surface formed with a suction groove for sucking and holding the work piece.
It has a cutting step in which the holding table is moved relative to the cutting blade in the machining feed direction, and the scheduled cutting line of the workpiece is cut by the cutting blade.
The suction groove is set so as to extend in a direction deviated from the machining feed direction by a predetermined angle.
Cutting method. The suction groove is composed of at least two suction grooves orthogonal to each other.
The cutting method according to claim 4, wherein the cutting method is characterized by the above. The holding member is made of glass.
After performing the holding step, an imaging step of capturing the held surface of the workpiece via the holding member with an imaging camera is further provided.
The cutting method according to claim 4 or 5.

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