TWI899411B - Inspection equipment and processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

[Topic] Capturing good images of the inspected object through the mounting unit. [Solution] An inspection device (300) comprises: an inspection object holding mechanism (310) having a loading portion (312) and holding an inspection object, wherein the loading portion (312) has a transparent body (314) whose upper surface serves as a loading surface (311) for loading the inspection object; a shooting mechanism (340) having a first shooting unit (342) arranged above the loading portion (312) and a second shooting unit arranged below the loading portion (312); an air ejection unit (350) arranged above the loading surface (311) and ejecting air (353); and a holding mechanism moving unit (331) for moving the air ejection unit (350) relative to the loading portion (312). The air spray unit (350) forms the length of the air curtain (355) in the Y-axis direction longer than the length of the mounting surface (311) in the Y-axis direction, and moves relative to the mounting portion (312) by holding the mechanism moving unit (331), thereby spraying air (353) onto the entire mounting surface (311).

Description

Inspection equipment and processing equipment

The present invention relates to an inspection device and a processing device for inspecting by photographing the front and back of an object to be inspected.

An inspection device places an object to be inspected on a transparent carrier, captures images of the front and back, and performs various inspections based on the captured images (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-157387

Invention problem to be solved

The inspection device described in Patent Document 1 also photographs the surface of the object being inspected held on the side of the mounting portion through the mounting portion. Therefore, it is not preferable that the region where the object being inspected overlaps the mounting surface of the mounting portion has a suction groove.

Furthermore, the inspection device described in Patent Document 1 is not suitable for the case where the object to be inspected has a device area and a peripheral residual area surrounding the device area on the front surface, because at least the area where the device area overlaps on the mounting surface has a suction groove.

Accordingly, the inspection device described in Patent Document 1 forms a suction groove in the area of the mounting surface that holds the tape for holding the object to be inspected or the remaining area on the periphery of the object to be inspected. However, when the object to be inspected is sucked by the suction groove, air is sometimes sealed between the object to be inspected and the mounting surface that is further inside the suction groove, making it impossible to properly photograph the mounting surface side of the object to be inspected through the mounting portion.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an inspection device and a processing device that can effectively capture images of the inspected object through a support portion. Means for Solving the Problem

To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, the inspection device of the present invention is an inspection device for inspecting an object to be inspected, and is characterized by comprising: an object to be inspected holding mechanism having a loading portion, the loading portion having a transparent body exposed upward and downward, the upper surface of the transparent body serving as a loading surface for loading the object to be inspected, the object to be inspected holding mechanism being capable of holding the object to be inspected placed on the loading surface; a photographing mechanism having a first photographing unit disposed above the loading portion and a second photographing unit disposed below the loading portion; an air ejecting unit disposed above the loading surface and ejecting air from above the object to be inspected; and a moving unit that moves the air ejecting unit relative to the loading portion in a direction parallel to the loading surface. The air spray unit is configured to have a length of an air curtain formed by spraying air in a direction intersecting the direction in which the moving unit moves relative to the mounting portion, longer than the length of the mounting surface in the intersecting direction. The moving unit is configured to move relative to the mounting portion, thereby spraying the air over the entire mounting surface.

It can also be: in the aforementioned inspection device, the inspected object is attached to the opening of the annular frame through the tape, and the inspected object holding mechanism has a tape holding portion and a frame supporting portion. The aforementioned tape holding portion is on the outer peripheral side of the loading surface, in the area between the outer periphery of the inspected object placed on the inspected object holding mechanism and the inner periphery of the annular frame installed on the inspected object through the tape, and has a tape suction and holding surface that can suction and hold the tape. The aforementioned frame supporting portion is arranged around the tape holding portion and can support the annular frame.

The processing device of the present invention is characterized by comprising: the aforementioned inspection device; a workpiece holding unit for holding a workpiece; a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the workpiece holding unit; and a transport unit for transporting the workpiece from the workpiece holding unit to the loading portion of the inspection object holding mechanism. The inspection device can use the camera mechanism to photograph the workpiece processed by the processing unit as the inspection object. Effects of the Invention

The present invention can effectively photograph the inspected object through the mounting portion.

Form used to implement the invention

The forms for implementing the present invention (embodiments) are described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the contents described in the following embodiments. Furthermore, the constituent elements described below include constituent elements that can be easily conceived by a person having ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field and substantially the same constituent elements. In addition, the constituent elements described below can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or changes in the constituent elements can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Embodiment 1] The inspection device and processing device of Embodiment 1 of the present invention are described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example configuration of the processing device of Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example configuration of the inspection device of the processing device shown in Figure 1.

(Workpiece) The processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 of embodiment 1 is a cutting apparatus for performing cutting (equivalent to machining) on a workpiece 200 . The workpiece 200 processed by the processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a wafer such as a circular semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer, having a substrate made of silicon, gallium arsenide, SiC (silicon carbide), or sapphire. The workpiece 200 has a front surface 201 formed with a plurality of predetermined dividing lines 202 in a grid pattern, and devices 203 are formed in each region defined by the predetermined dividing lines 202. Device 203 is an integrated circuit such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) or LSI (Large Scale Integration), or an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor).

Furthermore, in the present invention, the workpiece 200 may be a so-called TAIKO (registered trademark) wafer, which is thinned in the center and has a thicker wall portion formed at the periphery. In Embodiment 1, the workpiece 200 is affixed to a tape 206 having a ring frame 205 mounted on its periphery, with the back surface 204 of the front surface 201 being attached to the workpiece 200. The workpiece 200 is then attached to an opening 208 of the ring frame 205 via the tape 206. The tape 206 comprises a base layer and a paste layer, and is generally flexible. The base layer is composed of a non-adhesive and flexible resin, while the paste layer is laminated on the base layer and is composed of an adhesive and flexible resin.

The workpiece 200 of the embodiment 1 is divided into individual chips 207 along predetermined dividing lines 202. The chip 207 includes a portion of a substrate and a device 203 formed on the substrate.

(Processing Apparatus) The processing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1 is a cutting apparatus that holds a workpiece 200 with a workpiece holding unit 10 and cuts the workpiece 200 along predetermined dividing lines 202 using a cutting blade 21, thereby dividing the workpiece 200 into individual wafers 207. Furthermore, the processing apparatus 1 can also be used to inspect the divided wafers 207.

The processing device 1 includes: a workpiece holding unit 10 for holding a workpiece 200 by suction with a holding surface 11; a cutting unit 20 for cutting the workpiece 200 held in the workpiece holding unit 10 along a predetermined dividing line 202 using a cutting blade 21 fixed to a spindle 23, thereby dividing the workpiece 200 into a plurality of chips 207; a photographing unit (not shown) for photographing the workpiece 200 held in the workpiece holding unit 10; an inspection device 300; and a control unit 100.

As shown in FIG1 , the processing apparatus 1 includes a moving unit 30 that moves the workpiece holding unit 10 relative to the spindle 23 of the cutting unit 20. The moving unit 30 includes at least a processing feed unit 31 that feeds the workpiece holding unit 10 in the X-axis direction, which is parallel to the horizontal direction; an indexing feed unit 32 that indexes the cutting unit 20 in the Y-axis direction, which is parallel to the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the X-axis direction; a plunge feed unit 33 that plunge feeds the cutting unit 20 in the Z-axis direction, which is parallel to the vertical direction perpendicular to both the X-axis and Y-axis directions; and a rotational moving unit 34 that rotates the workpiece holding unit 10 about an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction.

The machining feed unit 31 moves the workpiece holding unit 10 and the rotational movement unit 34 in the machining feed direction, i.e., the X-axis direction, thereby moving the cutting unit 20 and the workpiece holding unit 10 relative to each other along the X-axis direction. The indexing feed unit 32 moves the cutting unit 20 in the indexing feed direction, i.e., the Y-axis direction, thereby moving the cutting unit 20 and the workpiece holding unit 10 relative to each other along the Y-axis direction. The plunge feed unit 33 moves the cutting unit 20 in the plunge feed direction, i.e., the Z-axis direction, thereby moving the cutting unit 20 and the workpiece holding unit 10 relative to each other along the Z-axis direction. The rotational movement unit 34 is supported by the workpiece feeding unit 31 , supports the workpiece holding unit 10 , and is disposed so as to be movable in the X-axis direction together with the workpiece holding unit 10 .

The processing feed unit 31, the indexing feed unit 32, and the cutting feed unit 33 include: a conventional ball screw rotatably arranged around an axis, a conventional motor for rotating the ball screw around an axis, and a conventional guide rail for supporting the workpiece holding unit 10 or the cutting unit 20 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, or the Z-axis direction.

The workpiece holding unit 10 is disc-shaped, and its holding surface 11, which holds the workpiece 200, is formed of porous ceramic or the like. Furthermore, the workpiece holding unit 10 is arranged by the processing feed unit 31 so as to be freely movable between a processing area covering the bottom of the cutting unit 20 and a loading and unloading area away from the bottom of the cutting unit 20, where the workpiece 200 can be loaded and unloaded. Thus, the workpiece holding unit 10 is freely movable in the X-axis direction.

The workpiece holding unit 10 is rotatably arranged around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction by a rotational moving unit 34. The workpiece holding unit 10 is connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown) and attracts and holds the workpiece 200 placed on the holding surface 11 by suctioning with the vacuum suction source. In embodiment 1, the workpiece holding unit 10 attracts and holds the back side 204 of the workpiece 200 via an adhesive tape 206. As shown in FIG1 , a plurality of clamping parts 12 for clamping an annular frame 205 are arranged around the workpiece holding unit 10.

The cutting unit 20 is a processing unit that has a cutting blade 21 mounted on a spindle 23 and performs cutting processing on a workpiece 200 held by a workpiece holding unit 10. As shown in FIG1 , the processing device 1 is a dual-spindle cutting machine equipped with two cutting units 20, also known as a facing dual-spindle type cutting device.

The cutting unit 20 is movably mounted in the Y-axis direction relative to the workpiece 200 held by the workpiece holding unit 10 via the indexing feed unit 32 and in the Z-axis direction via the plunge feed unit 33. The cutting unit 20 is configured so that the cutting insert 21 can be positioned at any position on the holding surface 11 of the workpiece holding unit 10 via the indexing feed unit 32 and the plunge feed unit 33.

The cutting unit 20 comprises a spindle housing 22, a spindle 23, and a cutting blade 21. The spindle housing 22 is arranged to be movable in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions via an indexing feed unit 32 and a plunge feed unit 33. The spindle 23 is rotatable about its axis within the spindle housing 22 and is rotated by a spindle motor. A cutting blade 21 is mounted at its tip. The cutting blade 21 cuts the workpiece 200 held by the workpiece holding unit 10. The cutting blade 21 is an extremely thin, roughly annular grinding stone. The axes of the spindle 23 and cutting blade 21 of the cutting unit 20 are set parallel to the Y-axis.

The cutting unit 20 on one side of the photographing unit is fixed so as to move integrally with the cutting unit 20. The photographing unit has a photographing element for photographing the area to be divided of the workpiece 200 held in the workpiece holding unit 10 before cutting. The photographing element can be, for example, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) photographing element or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) photographing element. The photographing unit photographs the workpiece 200 held in the workpiece holding unit 10 to obtain an image for completing calibration, etc., and outputs the obtained image to the control unit 100, wherein the aforementioned calibration is to align the workpiece 200 with the cutting blade 21.

Furthermore, the processing device 1 includes an X-axis position detection unit (not shown), a Y-axis position detection unit (not shown), and a Z-axis position detection unit. The X-axis position detection unit is used to detect the X-axis position of the workpiece holding unit 10, the Y-axis position detection unit is used to detect the Y-axis position of the cutting unit 20, and the Z-axis position detection unit is used to detect the Z-axis position of the cutting unit 20. The X-axis position detection unit and the Y-axis position detection unit can be composed of a linear scale parallel to the X-axis or Y-axis direction and a reading head. The Z-axis position detection unit detects the Z-axis position of the cutting unit 20 using a motor pulse. The X-axis position detection unit, the Y-axis position detection unit, and the Z-axis position detection unit output the X-axis position of the workpiece holding unit 10 and the Y-axis or Z-axis position of the cutting unit 20 to the control unit 100 .

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis positions of the workpiece holding unit 10 and the cutting unit 20 of the machining apparatus 1 are determined based on a pre-determined reference position (not shown). In the first embodiment, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis positions are determined by the distances in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions from the reference position.

In addition, the processing device 1 is equipped with a film cassette elevator 41, a cleaning unit 42 and a conveying unit 43. The film cassette elevator 41 is used to carry a film cassette 40 that accommodates a plurality of workpieces 200 before and after cutting processing and moves the film cassette 40 in the Z-axis direction. The cleaning unit 42 cleans the workpiece 200 after cutting processing. The conveying unit 43 allows the workpiece 200 to enter and exit the film cassette 40 and conveys the workpiece 200 between the film cassette 40, the workpiece holding unit 10, the cleaning unit 42 and the inspection workpiece holding mechanism 310 of the inspection device 300. That is, the transport unit 43 transports the workpiece 200 after cutting from the workpiece holding unit 10 to the cleaning unit 42 , and then transports the workpiece 200 from the cleaning unit 42 to the placement portion 312 of the inspection object holding mechanism 310 .

(Inspection Device) Next, the inspection device 300 will be described. Figure 3 is a plan view of the inspection object holding mechanism of the inspection device shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a plan view of the inspection object holding mechanism shown in Figure 3 with the workpiece placed on the placement surface. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the imaging mechanism of the inspection device shown in Figure 2. Figure 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the air injection unit of the inspection device shown in Figure 2. Figure 9 is a perspective view of the air injection component of the air injection unit shown in Figure 8 as viewed from below.

The inspection device 300 of embodiment 1 shown in FIG2 is an inspection device that loads a workpiece 200, after cutting, into an inspection object holding mechanism 310 and uses a camera mechanism 340 to photograph the workpiece 200 after cutting to inspect the workpiece 200. Specifically, the workpiece 200 after cutting is the inspection target of the inspection device 300, and the inspection device 300 can use the workpiece 200, after cutting by the cutting unit 20, as the inspection target and photograph it using the camera mechanism 340.

In the first embodiment, the inspection apparatus 300 detects defects (hereinafter referred to as cracks) on both the front surface 201 and the back surface 204 of the wafer 207 as part of the inspection of the workpiece 200 after cutting. A crack is caused by a portion of the wafer 207 being chipped from the outer edge of the front surface 201 or back surface 204 during cutting.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the inspection device 300 includes a device body 301 , an inspection object holding mechanism 310 including a transparent mounting surface 311 for holding the workpiece 200 after cutting, a moving unit 330 , a photographing mechanism 340 , and an air injection unit 350 .

The moving unit 330 is a unit that moves the inspection object holding mechanism 310 and the imaging mechanism 340 relative to each other, and as shown in FIG. 2 , includes a holding mechanism moving unit 331 and an imaging unit moving unit 332 .

The holding mechanism moving unit 331 moves the object holding mechanism 310 in the X-axis direction, thereby moving the object holding mechanism 310 and the imaging mechanism 340 relative to each other. The holding mechanism moving unit 331 moves the object holding mechanism 310 in the X-axis direction, covering a loading/unloading area and an inspection area. The loading/unloading area is where the object 200 is loaded and unloaded by the transport unit 43 into and out of the object holding mechanism 310. The inspection area is where the wafer 207 of the object 200 held by the object holding mechanism 310 is inspected. Furthermore, in embodiment 1, the distance that the holding mechanism moving unit 331 moves the object holding mechanism 310 is longer than the outer diameter of the mounting surface 311 of the mounting portion 312 of the object holding mechanism 310 and is approximately several times the outer diameter of the mounting surface 311.

The imaging unit moving unit 332 is a unit that moves the imaging mechanism 340 in the Y-axis direction so as to move the inspection object holding mechanism 310 and the imaging mechanism 340 relative to each other in the Y-axis direction.

The holding mechanism moving unit 331 and the photographing unit moving unit 332 include: a conventional ball screw rotatably arranged around an axis, a conventional motor for rotating the ball screw around an axis, and a conventional guide rail for supporting the inspection object holding mechanism 310 or the photographing mechanism 340 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction.

In embodiment 1, the holding mechanism moving unit 331 is located on the upper surface of the apparatus body 301, with a ball screw and a guide rail positioned between them in the Y-axis direction, with an opening 302 on the upper surface of the apparatus body 301 positioned therebetween. Furthermore, in embodiment 1, the holding mechanism moving unit 331 includes a first support member 333, which moves in the X-axis direction via a ball screw that rotates about its axis and supports one end of the object holding mechanism 310 in the Y-axis direction; and a second support member 334, which is movably provided in the X-axis direction via a guide rail and supports the other end of the object holding mechanism 310 in the Y-axis direction.

In embodiment 1, the imaging unit moving unit 332 comprises a ball screw and guide rails mounted on a gate-shaped support frame 303 on the top surface of the apparatus body 301. The support frame 303 spans the opening 302 and the ball screw and guide rails of the holding mechanism moving unit 331, and is positioned at the center of the top surface of the apparatus body 301 in the X-axis direction (i.e., the range of movement of the holding mechanism moving unit 331 to move the inspection object holding mechanism 310).

The camera unit moving unit 332 includes a support member 335 . The support member 335 is movable in the Y-axis direction by a ball screw rotating around an axis, and is freely movable in the Y-axis direction by a guide rail, thereby supporting the camera mechanism 340 .

The object holding mechanism 310 holds the workpiece 200 placed on the mounting surface 311. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the object holding mechanism 310 includes a disk-shaped mounting portion 312 and a suction and holding portion 313. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the mounting portion 312 includes a disk-shaped transparent body 314 and an annular frame 315 that holds the outer edge of the transparent body 314.

The transparent body 314 is made of a transparent material such as quartz glass, borosilicate glass, sapphire, calcium fluoride, lithium fluoride, magnesium fluoride, etc., and is formed into a circular plate with a fixed thickness. The transparent body 314 supports the outer edge of the frame 315 and is exposed to the upper and lower sides of the inspection object holding mechanism 310. The upper surface of the transparent body 314 will become the loading surface 311 for loading and holding the workpiece 200. The transparent body 314 is formed so that the loading surface 311 is flat along the horizontal direction. In embodiment 1, the transparent body 314 loads the back side 204 of the workpiece 200 on the loading surface 311 via the tape 206. The loading surface 311 holds the workpiece 200 via the tape 206 attached to the workpiece 200.

The frame 315 is made of a metal such as stainless steel. Its inner diameter is equal to the outer diameter of the transparent body 314 and is attached to the outer edge of the transparent body 314. The upper surface 316 of the frame 315 is horizontally flat and flush with the mounting surface 311. The frame 315 is supported at both ends by a first support member 333 and a second support member 334.

The suction holding portion 313 includes a suction groove 317 provided on the inner edge of the upper surface 316 of the frame 315, and a suction source 319 connected to the suction groove 317 via a suction path 318 extending through the frame 315. In Embodiment 1, the suction groove 317 is a groove that is recessed from the upper surface 316 of the frame 315 and has a circular planar shape. In Embodiment 1, a plurality of suction grooves 317 (three in Embodiment 3) are coaxially provided on the inner edge of the upper surface 316 of the frame 315 and are interconnected via a connecting groove 320 (shown in FIG. 3 ). The suction source 319 applies suction to the suction groove 317 via the suction path 318.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the aforementioned structure of the inspection object holding mechanism 310 is such that the tape 206 attached to the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 after cutting is placed on the placement surface 311 and the upper surface 316, and the workpiece 200 after cutting is placed on the placement surface 311 via the tape 206. When the workpiece 200 is placed on the placement surface 311, the annular frame 205 is placed on the upper surface 316 of the frame body 315 via the tape 206, and the workpiece 200 is placed on the placement surface 311 via the tape 206. Furthermore, the suction groove 317 is blocked between the outer periphery of the workpiece 200 on the tape 206 and the inner periphery of the annular frame 205. In the inspection object holding mechanism 310 , a suction source 319 sucks the suction groove 317 via a suction path 318 , thereby sucking and holding the inspection object 200 on the mounting surface 311 and the upper surface 316 via the tape 206 .

In addition, the object holding mechanism 310 has a tape holding portion 316-1 that can attract and hold the tape 206 on the outer peripheral side of the loading surface 311 in the following area. The aforementioned area is the area between the outer edge of the object 200 placed on the object holding mechanism 310 on the upper surface 316 of the frame 315 and the inner edge of the annular frame 205 installed on the object 200 through the tape 206 when the loading surface 311 and the upper surface 316 attract and hold the object 200 via the tape 206. Specifically, the object holding mechanism 310 includes a tape holding portion 316-1 in the area between the outer edge of the object 200 and the inner edge of the annular frame 205 on the upper surface 316 of the frame 315, when the object 200 is held by suction on the mounting surface 311 and the upper surface 316 via the tape 206. This tape holding portion 316-1 may also be a tape suction holding surface. Furthermore, the tape holding portion 316-1 is located on the inner edge of the upper surface 316 of the frame 315 and has a suction groove 317 formed therein.

Furthermore, the object holding mechanism 310 includes a tape holding portion 316-1 positioned on the upper surface 316 of the frame 315 to support the frame support portion 316-2 of the annular frame 205 when the object 200 is held by suction on the mounting surface 311 and the upper surface 316 via the tape 206. Thus, the upper surface 316 of the frame 315 includes the tape holding portion 316-1, which is the surface for suction and holding the tape, and the frame support portion 316-2.

The imaging mechanism 340 is a mechanism for imaging the front side 201 and back side 204 of the wafer 207 of the workpiece 200 held by the inspection object holding mechanism 310. As shown in Figure 7, the imaging mechanism 340 comprises: a mechanism body 341, which is formed in a columnar shape with its longitudinal direction parallel to the Z-axis, mounted on a support member 335 and movably arranged in the Y-axis direction by an imaging unit moving unit 332; a first imaging unit 342, which is disposed at the upper end of the mechanism body 341; and a second imaging unit 343, which is disposed at the lower end of the mechanism body 341. The first photographing unit 342 and the second photographing unit 343 are respectively provided at the upper end and the lower end of the mechanism body 341 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction via the lifting unit 344 .

Furthermore, the lifting unit 344 includes: a conventional ball screw rotatably arranged around an axis, a conventional motor for rotating the ball screw around an axis, and a conventional guide rail for supporting the first shooting unit 342 or the second shooting unit 343 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction.

The first imaging unit 342 includes a plurality of imaging elements. These imaging elements are positioned above the transparent body 314 of the mounting portion 312 of the inspection object holding mechanism 310 and capture images of the wafer 207 of the inspection object 200 held by the transparent body 314 from above. The imaging elements may be, for example, CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) imaging elements or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imaging elements. The first imaging unit 342 captures the wafer 207 of the inspection object 200 held by the transparent body 314 of the inspection object holding mechanism 310 and outputs the resulting images to the control unit 100. In the first embodiment, the first imaging unit 342 images the front side 201 of the workpiece 200 .

The second camera unit 343 includes a plurality of camera elements. These camera elements are located below the transparent body 314 of the loading portion 312 of the inspection object holding mechanism 310 and capture images of the chip 207 of the inspection object 200 held by the transparent body 314 through the transparent body 314. The camera element may be, for example, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) camera element or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) camera element. The second camera unit 343 captures the chip 207 of the inspection object 200 held by the transparent body 314 of the inspection object holding mechanism 310 from below the inspection object 200 through the transparent body 314 and outputs the resulting image to the control unit 100. In the first embodiment, the second imaging unit 343 images the back side 204 of the workpiece 200 through the transparent body 314. In the first embodiment, the first imaging unit 342 and the second imaging unit 343 image the front side 201 and the back side 204 of the wafer 207 at the same position on the workpiece 200.

The air injection unit 350 is located above the mounting surface 311 of the mounting portion 312 of the workpiece holding unit 10 and injects air toward the workpiece 200 from above the workpiece 200 placed on the mounting surface 311. As shown in FIG2 , the air injection unit 350 includes a hollow, rod-shaped air injection member 351 and an air supply source 352 that supplies air into the air injection member 351.

In embodiment 1, the air ejection member 351 is formed into a quadrangular prism, as shown in Figures 8 and 9 , with its longitudinal direction parallel to the Y-axis. The air ejection member 351 is mounted at both ends to the support frame 303 . As shown in Figure 9 , the air ejection member 351 has an ejection port 354 disposed on the lower surface of the mounting surface 311 facing the mounting portion 312 of the workpiece holding unit 10 . This ejection port ejects air 353 (indicated by a dotted line in Figure 2 ) downward from an air supply source 352 .

In the first embodiment, the ejection ports 354 are circular holes extending through the air ejection member 351. A plurality of ejection ports 354 are provided at intervals along the longitudinal direction of the air ejection member 351. The spacing between adjacent ejection ports 354 allows the flow of air 353 ejected from the ejection ports 354 to be unified. Therefore, the air ejection member 351 is configured such that the air 353 ejected from the plurality of ejection ports 354 is unified to form a curtain 355 that resembles a wall parallel to the Y-axis. Furthermore, in the present invention, the shape and arrangement of the ejection ports 354 of the air ejection member 351 are not limited to those described in the first embodiment. The air ejection unit 350 ejects the air 353 from above the workpiece 200 placed on the placement surface 311 because the air ejection member 351 is provided with an ejection port 354 for ejecting the air 353 .

Furthermore, because both ends of the air ejection member 351 are mounted on the support frame 303, the air ejection member 351 can be moved relative to the mounting portion 312 in the X-axis direction parallel to the mounting surface 311 by the holding mechanism moving unit 331. Thus, the holding mechanism moving unit 331 causes the air ejection member 351 of the air ejection unit 350 to move relative to the mounting portion 312 in a direction parallel to the mounting surface 311.

From a planar perspective of the device body 301 of the inspection device 300, the two ends of the air ejection component 351 of the air ejection unit 350 will be located further outward from the loading surface 311 of the inspection object holding mechanism 310 than the loading surface 311. In embodiment 1, the ejection ports 354 of the air ejection component 351 closest to the two ends will be located further outward from the loading surface 311 of the inspection object holding mechanism 310 than the loading surface 311. Therefore, because the ejection ports 354 closest to the ends of the air ejection member 351 of the air ejection unit 350 are located further outward from the mounting surface 311, the Y-axis length of the air curtain 355 formed by the ejected air 353 is longer than the Y-axis length of the mounting surface 311. Furthermore, the Y-axis direction intersects the X-axis direction, which is the direction in which the air ejection member 351 of the air ejection unit 350 is moved relative to the mounting portion 312 by the retaining mechanism moving unit 331.

In addition, since the holding mechanism moving unit 331 causes the inspection object holding mechanism 310 to move a distance that is approximately several times the outer diameter of the loading surface 311, and the holding mechanism moving unit 331 is provided with a support frame 303 in the center of the moving range within which the inspection object holding mechanism 310 is moved, the air spraying unit 350 can be moved relative to the loading portion 312 in the X-axis direction through the holding mechanism moving unit 331, thereby spraying the air 353 and the air curtain 355 onto the entire loading surface 311.

The control unit 100 controls each component of the processing device 1, causing the processing device 1 to perform processing operations on the workpiece 200. Furthermore, the control unit 100 is a computer having a processing device, a memory device, and an input/output interface device. The processing device includes a microprocessor such as a CPU (central processing unit), and the memory device includes memory such as ROM (read-only memory) or RAM (random access memory). The processing device of the control unit 100 performs processing according to a computer program stored in the memory device and outputs control signals for controlling the processing device 1 to the various components of the processing device 1 via the input/output interface device.

The control unit 100 is connected to a display unit 110, an input unit 120, and a notification unit 130. The display unit 110 is comprised of a liquid crystal display device that displays processing status and images. The input unit 120 is used by the operator to enter processing information, and the notification unit 130 notifies the operator. The input unit 120 is comprised of a touch panel mounted on the display unit 110. The notification unit 130 notifies the operator by emitting at least one of sound and light.

(Processing Operation) Next, the processing operation of the processing apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1 will be described. The processing apparatus 1 having the aforementioned configuration can place a cassette 40 containing a workpiece 200 on a cassette elevator 41. Furthermore, the processing conditions of the processing apparatus 1 can be set by the control unit 100. The processing apparatus 1 begins processing after the control unit 100 receives a start instruction from an operator or the like.

When machining begins, the machining apparatus 1 operates as follows: the control unit 100 controls the transport unit 43 to remove a workpiece 200 from the cassette 40 and place it on the holding surface 11 of the workpiece holding unit 10 in the loading/unloading area via the adhesive tape 206. During machining, the machining apparatus 1 suction-holds the workpiece 200 on the holding surface 11 via the adhesive tape 206, clamps the annular frame 205 with the clamping unit 12, rotates the spindle 23 around its axis, and supplies cutting water to the cutting blade 21. The processing device 1 is as follows: the control unit 100 controls the moving unit 30 to move the workpiece holding unit 10 from the loading and unloading area toward the processing area to below the shooting unit, and the shooting unit shoots the workpiece 200 attracted and held by the workpiece holding unit 10 to complete calibration.

During processing, the processing apparatus 1 is configured such that the control unit 100 controls the movement unit 30 and other components according to processing conditions, causing the cutting blade 21 and the workpiece 200 to move relative to each other along the predetermined dividing line 202. The cutting blade 21 cuts into the workpiece 200 along the predetermined dividing line 202 until it reaches the tape 206, thereby performing the cutting process. The processing apparatus 1 cuts along the predetermined dividing line 202 of the workpiece 200 according to the processing conditions, separating the workpiece 200 into individual wafers 207. After all predetermined dividing lines 202 of the workpiece 200 have been cut, the workpiece holding unit 10 moves from the processing area to the loading and unloading area.

The processing apparatus 1 stops the movement of the workpiece holding unit 10 in the loading/unloading area, stops suction and holding the workpiece 200 in the workpiece holding unit 10, releases the clamping of the clamping unit 12, and then uses the transport unit 43 to transport the workpiece 200 from the workpiece holding unit 10 to the cleaning unit 42. After cleaning the workpiece 200 in the cleaning unit 42, the processing apparatus 1 uses the transport unit 43 to transport the cut workpiece 200 into the inspection workpiece holding mechanism 310 positioned in the loading/unloading area, and places the workpiece 200 on the loading surface 311 of the inspection workpiece holding mechanism 310.

Processing device 1 comprises: a control unit 100 controls a suction source 319 to apply suction to the suction groove 317, thereby sucking and holding the workpiece 200 on the mounting surface 311 via the adhesive tape 206. At this time, because the suction groove 317 is provided at the inner edge of the upper surface 316 of the frame 315, air bubbles may enter between the mounting surface 311 and the adhesive tape 206. Processing device 1 comprises: a control unit 100 controls an air supply source 352 to eject air 353 downward from an ejection port 354 of an air ejection member 351 of an air ejection unit 350. Processing device 1 comprises: a control unit 100 controls a holding mechanism moving unit 331 to move the inspection object holding mechanism 310 holding the workpiece 200 toward the inspection area.

In this way, when the inspection object holding mechanism 310 approaches the bottom of the air ejection component 351, since the ejection ports 354 closest to the two ends of the air ejection component 351 are located on the outer side of the loading surface 311, the air ejection unit 350 will eject the air 353 from the ejection ports 354 to cover the entire length of the loading surface 311 in the Y-axis direction and spray toward the workpiece 200 and the tape 206 on the loading surface 311, thereby pressing the workpiece 200 and the tape 206 to the loading surface 311.

Furthermore, as the object holding mechanism 310 moves toward the inspection area, the sprayed air 353 on the placement surface 311 gradually moves from the end of the placement surface 311 near the inspection area toward the end near the loading/unloading area. Consequently, air bubbles that have intruded between the placement surface 311 and the tape 206 gradually move from the end of the placement surface 311 near the inspection area toward the end near the loading/unloading area, and eventually toward the outer edge of the placement surface 311 (i.e., the suction groove 317).

In processing apparatus 1, after the placement portion 312 of the inspection object holding mechanism 310 passes beneath the air ejection unit 350, the control unit 100 stops ejecting air 353 from the ejection port 354. This displaces air bubbles that have intruded between the placement surface 311 and the tape 206 from the outer edge of the placement surface 311 toward the periphery, while the gas within the bubbles is drawn into the suction groove 317. In this manner, processing apparatus 1 removes air bubbles that have intruded between the tape 206 and the placement surface 311, thereby covering the entire placement surface 311 and ensuring a tight fit between the tape 206 and the placement surface 311.

In the processing apparatus 1, the control unit 100 controls the holding mechanism moving unit 331 and the imaging unit moving unit 332 to move the workpiece 200 and the imaging units 342 and 343 relative to each other in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, while the first imaging unit 342 and the second imaging unit 343 capture images of each wafer 207 of the workpiece 200. In the processing apparatus 1, the control unit 100 detects cracks on both the front surface 201 and the back surface 204 of each wafer 207, associates the size of each crack with each wafer 207, and stores the data, such as the number of cracks on the front surface 201 and the number of cracks on the back surface 204, to inspect each wafer 207.

During the processing operation, the processing device 1 uses the first shooting unit 342 and the second shooting unit 343 to shoot all the chips 207 of the workpiece 200, and after completing the inspection of the chips 207 of the workpiece 200 held in the inspection object holding mechanism 310, the inspection object holding mechanism 310 is moved to the load-in and load-out area, and the inspection object holding mechanism 310 is stopped in the load-in and load-out area.

During the processing operation, the processing device 1 controls the transport unit 43 to remove the workpiece 200 from the inspection workpiece holding mechanism 310 and move the workpiece 200 into the cassette 40. After the processing device 1 cuts all the workpieces 200 in the cassette 40 and inspects the wafers 207, the processing operation is completed.

In the inspection apparatus 300 of embodiment 1 described above, while air 353 is ejected from the ejection port 354 of the air ejection member 351 of the air ejection unit 350 forming an air curtain 355, the inspection object holding mechanism 310 is moved from the loading/unloading area toward the inspection area until it passes under the air ejection member 351. The air curtain 355 is longer in the Y-axis direction than the Y-axis length of the mounting surface 311. Therefore, the inspection apparatus 300 can move air bubbles that have intruded between the mounting surface 311 and the tape 206 toward the outer edge of the mounting surface 311, thereby pushing them out from the outer edge and sucking them into the suction groove 317. As a result, the inspection device 300 can effectively capture the workpiece 200 via the mounting portion 312 using the capturing mechanism 340 .

Furthermore, since the processing apparatus 1 of the embodiment 1 includes the aforementioned inspection apparatus 300 , it is possible to effectively photograph the workpiece 200 through the mounting portion 312 .

[Embodiment 2] A processing device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 10 is a perspective view showing an example configuration of the processing device according to Embodiment 2. In Figure 10 , components identical to those in Embodiment 1 are designated with the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

The processing apparatus 1 of embodiment 2 includes a moving unit 336 that moves the air ejection member 351 of the air ejection unit 350 relative to the mounting portion 312 in a direction parallel to the mounting surface 311. The moving unit 336 rotates the air ejection member 351 of the air ejection unit 350 about an axis parallel to the Z-axis, with one longitudinal end thereof as the center, thereby moving the air ejection member 351 of the air ejection unit 350 relative to the mounting portion 312 in a direction parallel to the mounting surface 311. In the second embodiment, the air spraying unit 350 rotates the air spraying member 351 around an axis parallel to the Z axis with one end in the longitudinal direction as the center by means of the moving unit 336, thereby spraying air 353 onto the entire mounting surface 311.

In the processing apparatus 1 of embodiment 2, after the workpiece 200 is suction-held on the mounting surface 311 of the inspection object holding mechanism positioned in the loading and unloading area via the adhesive tape 206, the control unit 100 controls the air supply source 352 to eject air 353 downward from the ejection port 354 of the air ejection member 351 of the air ejection unit 350. In the processing apparatus 1, the control unit 100 controls the moving unit 336 to cause the air ejection member 351 of the air ejection unit 350 to rotate about one end from a position parallel to the Y-axis direction, passing above the workpiece 200 held on the mounting surface 311, toward a position parallel to the X-axis direction.

In this way, when the inspection object holding mechanism 310 approaches the bottom of the air ejection component 351, since the ejection ports 354 closest to the two ends of the air ejection component 351 are located on the outer side of the loading surface 311, the air ejection unit 350 will eject the air 353 from the ejection ports 354 to cover the entire length of the loading surface 311 in the Y-axis direction and spray toward the workpiece 200 and the tape 206 on the loading surface 311, thereby pressing the workpiece 200 and the tape 206 to the loading surface 311.

Furthermore, as the air injection member 351 of the air injection unit 350 rotates, the sprayed air 353 on the mounting surface 311 gradually moves from the end of the mounting surface 311 near the inspection area toward the end near the loading/unloading area. Therefore, air bubbles that have intruded between the mounting surface 311 and the tape 206 gradually move from the end of the mounting surface 311 near the inspection area toward the end near the loading/unloading area, and then gradually move toward the outer edge of the mounting surface 311 (i.e., the suction groove 317).

In processing apparatus 1, after control unit 100 causes air ejection member 351 of air ejection unit 350 to pass over workpiece 200, ejection of air 353 from ejection port 354 stops at a position parallel to the X-axis. Consequently, air bubbles that have intruded between mounting surface 311 and tape 206 are pushed outward from the outer edge of mounting surface 311 toward the periphery, and the gas within the bubbles is drawn into suction groove 317. In this manner, processing apparatus 1 removes air bubbles that have intruded between tape 206 and mounting surface 311, thereby covering the entire mounting surface 311 and ensuring a tight fit between the tape 206 and mounting surface 311. Afterwards, the processing device 1 of embodiment 2 inspects the chip 207 in the same manner as embodiment 1.

The inspection apparatus 300 of embodiment 2 ejects air 353 from an ejection port 354 of an air ejection member 351 of an air ejection unit 350 forming an air curtain 355 while rotating the air ejection member 351 from a position parallel to the Y-axis to a position parallel to the X-axis, passing over the workpiece 200. The air curtain 355 is longer in the Y-axis than the Y-axis of the support surface 311. Thus, similar to embodiment 1, the inspection apparatus 300 can move air bubbles that have intruded between the support surface 311 and the tape 206 toward the outer edge of the support surface 311, thereby pushing them out from the outer edge and sucking them into the suction groove 317. As a result, the inspection device 300 can achieve the following effect, similar to the first embodiment: the workpiece 200 can be well photographed through the mounting portion 312 by the photographing mechanism 340 .

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. That is, various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the processing device 1 of the present invention may include, in addition to the cutting unit 20 for cutting the workpiece 200, various processing units capable of performing various processes on the workpiece 200. These various processing units may include a grinding unit for grinding the workpiece 200, a laser beam irradiation unit for irradiating the workpiece 200 with a laser beam, and the like.

1: Processing unit 10: Workpiece holding unit 11: Holding surface 12: Clamping unit 20: Cutting unit (processing unit) 21: Cutting blade 22: Spindle housing 23: Spindle 30, 330, 336: Transfer unit 31: Processing feed unit 32: Indexing feed unit 33: Cutting feed unit 34: Rotary transfer unit 40: Cassette 41: Cassette elevator 42: Cleaning unit 43: Transport unit 100: Control unit 110: Display unit 120: Input unit 130: Notification unit 200: Workpiece (inspection target) 201: Front surface 202: Predetermined splitting line 203: Device 204: Back 205: Ring frame 206: Tape 207: Wafer 208, 302: Opening 300: Inspection device 301: Device body 303: Support frame 310: Object holding mechanism 311: Loading surface 312: Loading section 313: Suction and holding section 314: Transparent body 315: Frame 316: Top surface 316-1: Tape holding section (tape suction and holding surface) 316-2: Frame support section 317: Suction groove 318: Suction path 319: Suction source 320: Communication groove 331: Holding mechanism moving unit (moving unit) 332: Camera unit moving unit 333: First support member 334: Second support member 335: Support member 340: Camera mechanism 341: Mechanism body 342: First camera unit 343: Second camera unit 344: Lifting unit 350: Air ejection unit 351: Air ejection member 352: Air supply source 353: Air 354: Injection port 355: Curtain IV-IV: Line VI-VI: Line X, Y, Z: Directions

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a processing device according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of an inspection device for the processing device shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a plan view of the inspection object holding mechanism of the inspection device shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a plan view of the inspection object holding mechanism shown in Figure 3 with an inspection object placed on a placement surface. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the imaging mechanism of the inspection device shown in Figure 2. Figure 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the air injection unit of the inspection device shown in Figure 2. Figure 9 is a perspective view of the air injection component of the air injection unit shown in Figure 8, viewed from below. Figure 10 is a perspective view showing an example configuration of a processing device according to Embodiment 2.

110: Display unit

120: Input unit

300: Inspection device

301: Device body

302: Opening

303: Support frame

310: Inspection object holding mechanism

311:Placement surface

330: Mobile Unit

331: Holding mechanism moving unit (moving unit)

332: Shooting unit moving unit

333: First support member

334: Second supporting member

335: Supporting member

340: Photography Agency

341: Institutional Entity

342: Shooting Unit 1

344: Lifting unit

350: Air injection unit

351: Air injection components

352: Air supply source

353: Air

355: Curtain

X, Y, Z: Direction

Claims (3)

An inspection device is an inspection device for inspecting an object to be inspected attached to an adhesive tape, and is characterized by comprising: an object to be inspected holding mechanism having a loading portion, the loading portion having a transparent body exposed upward and downward, and the upper surface of the transparent body serving as a loading surface for loading the object to be inspected, the object to be inspected holding mechanism being able to hold the object to be inspected placed on the loading surface via the adhesive tape; a photographing mechanism having a first photographing unit disposed above the loading portion and a second photographing unit disposed below the loading portion; an air ejecting unit disposed above the loading surface and ejecting air from the loading surface; The apparatus comprises a moving unit for spraying air above the object to be inspected; and a moving unit for moving the air spraying unit relative to the mounting portion in a direction parallel to the mounting surface. The air spraying unit forms an air curtain formed by the sprayed air and a length in a direction intersecting the direction in which the moving unit moves relative to the mounting portion to be longer than a length in the intersecting direction of the mounting surface. The moving unit moves relative to the mounting portion to thereby spray the air onto the entire mounting surface, causing air bubbles between the object to be inspected and the mounting surface to move toward the outer edge of the mounting surface. As in claim 1, the inspection device, wherein the object to be inspected is attached to the opening of the annular frame through the tape, and the object holding mechanism has a tape holding portion and a frame supporting portion, the tape holding portion having a tape suction and holding surface that can suction and hold the tape on the outer peripheral side of the loading surface, in an area between the outer periphery of the object to be inspected placed on the object holding mechanism and the inner periphery of the annular frame installed on the object to be inspected through the tape, and the frame supporting portion is arranged around the tape holding portion and can support the annular frame. A processing device is characterized by comprising: an inspection device as claimed in claim 1 or 2; a workpiece holding unit for holding a workpiece; a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the workpiece holding unit; and a transport unit for transporting the workpiece from the workpiece holding unit to the loading portion of the inspection object holding mechanism. The inspection device can use the workpiece processed by the processing unit as the inspection object and photograph it using the photographing mechanism.