TWI849189B - processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Topic] To provide a processing method that can more easily determine the replacement timing of a cutting blade and suppress the situation of continuously manufacturing defective chips. [Solution] It is a processing method for a workpiece, comprising: a cutting step, which is to cut the workpiece with a cutting blade; a cutting groove forming step, which is to cut a test piece from one end to the other end with the cutting blade to form a cutting groove; a photographing step, which is to photograph the side surface of the one end side or the other end side of the test piece after implementing the cutting groove forming step to form a photographic image including the cutting groove; and a determination step, which is to determine whether the cutting blade needs to be replaced based on the inclination of the inner surface of the cutting groove detected from the photographic image.

Description

processing method

The present invention relates to a method for processing a workpiece.

A cutting device for cutting a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer, which performs a cut inspection during cutting to detect the size of debris generated on the wafer (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Document] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-129822

[The problem that the invention wants to solve]

However, when the cutting device shown in Patent Document 1 produces so-called beveling during cutting, the side surfaces of the individualized wafers tilt. When the tilt angle exceeds the specification value, the wafer becomes defective, and therefore the cutting blade must be replaced.

In the past, the operator extracted the chip from the wafer after the cutting process and measured the size of the chip under a microscope to confirm whether the side of the chip was tilted. In addition, if the side of the chip was tilted, the cutting blade was replaced. However, with this method, there is a risk that even if the chip is tilted, it will not be noticed in a short time and the chip will continue to be processed, resulting in a large number of defective chips. In addition, it is time-consuming to extract the chip and measure its size.

Accordingly, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a processing method that can more easily determine the replacement timing of the cutting blade and suppress the continuous production of defective chips. [Means for solving the problem]

When the present invention is used, a processing method for a workpiece is provided, which comprises: a cutting step, which is to cut the workpiece with a cutting blade; a cutting groove forming step, which is to cut a test piece from one end to the other end with the cutting blade to form a cutting groove; a photographing step, which is to photograph the side surface of the one end side or the other end side of the test piece after the cutting groove forming step is implemented to form a photographic image including the cutting groove; and a determination step, which is to determine whether the cutting blade needs to be replaced based on the inclination of the side wall of the cutting groove detected from the photographic image. [Effect of the invention]

The present invention has the following effects: it is easier to determine the replacement timing of the cutting blade, thereby preventing the continuous production of defective chips.

The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the contents of the embodiments described below. Furthermore, the constituent elements described below include those that are easily conceivable by a person with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field and those that are substantially the same. Moreover, the structures described below can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions or changes of the structures can be made without departing from the scope of the subject matter of the present invention.

The processing method related to the embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings. FIG1 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of a processing device for implementing the processing method related to the embodiment. FIG2 is a perspective view of the mounting table unit of the processing device shown in FIG1. FIG3 is a diagram showing an example of a normal image stored in the normal image storage unit of the control unit of the processing device shown in FIG2. FIG4 is a flow chart showing the process of the processing method related to the embodiment.

(Processing device) The processing method related to the embodiment is a method of cutting a workpiece 200 by a processing device (cutting device) 1 shown in FIG. 1. In the embodiment, the workpiece 200 is a wafer such as a semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer in a circular plate shape using silicon, sapphire, gallium, etc. as a substrate 204. The workpiece 200 is formed with a device 203 on an area divided by a plurality of predetermined dividing lines 202 in a grid shape formed on a surface 201 of the substrate 204.

Furthermore, the workpiece 200 of the present invention may be a so-called TAIKO (registered trademark) wafer having a thin center portion and a thick wall portion formed at the periphery. In addition to the wafer, it may be a rectangular package substrate including a plurality of devices sealed by resin, a ceramic substrate, a ferrite substrate, or a substrate of at least one of nickel and iron. In the embodiment, the workpiece 200 is adhered to the back surface 205 of the substrate 204 by a circular plate-shaped adhesive tape 210 having a diameter larger than the workpiece 200, and an annular frame 211 is installed on the periphery of the adhesive tape 210 and supported by the annular frame 211.

The processing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a cutting device that holds a workpiece 200 with a chuck stage 10 and performs cutting processing (equivalent to processing) with a cutting blade 21 along a predetermined dividing line 202 to divide it into individual chips 205. In addition, the chip 203 has a portion of a substrate 204 and a device 203. As shown in FIG. 1, the processing device 1 has: a stage unit 2, which has a chuck stage 10 that attracts and holds the workpiece 200 with a holding surface 11; a cutting unit 20, which cuts the workpiece 200 held by the chuck stage 10 with a cutting blade 21; a camera unit 30, which takes a picture of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck stage 10; and a control unit 100, which is a control means.

Furthermore, the processing device 1 is as shown in FIG. 1 and at least comprises: an X-axis moving unit 31, which enables the mounting table unit 2 including the chuck mounting table 10 to perform processing feed in the X-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction; a Y-axis moving unit 32, which enables the cutting unit 20 to perform indexing feed in the Y-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction and orthogonal to the X-axis direction; a Z-axis moving unit 33, which enables the cutting unit 20 to perform cutting feed in the Z-axis direction parallel to the vertical direction orthogonal to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction; and a rotation moving unit 34, which enables the chuck mounting table 10 to rotate around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 1 , the processing device 1 has two cutting units 20, that is, a two-spindle cutting machine, a so-called opposing double-spindle cutting device.

The chuck stage 10 is in the shape of a disk, and the holding surface 11 for holding the workpiece 200 is formed of porous ceramics or the like. Furthermore, the chuck stage 10 is arranged to be freely movable in the X-axis direction by the X-axis moving unit 31 in the processing area below the cutting unit 20 and in the loading and unloading area separated from the bottom of the cutting unit 20 for loading and unloading the workpiece 200, and is arranged to be freely rotatable around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction by the rotation moving unit 34. The chuck stage 10 is connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown) through the holding surface 11, and is sucked by the vacuum suction source to suck and hold the workpiece 200 placed on the holding surface 11. In the embodiment, the plate carrier 10 attracts and holds the back side 205 of the workpiece 200 via the adhesive tape 210.

In addition, in the embodiment, the chuck stage 10 is set on the stage cover 3 that moves in the X-axis direction by the X-axis moving unit 31 of the stage unit 2, and is supported to rotate freely around the axis by the rotation moving unit 34, and the rotation moving unit 34 is set to move freely in the X-axis direction by the X-axis moving unit 31. In addition, the upper surface of the stage cover 3 is formed flat along the horizontal direction.

The cutting unit 20 is a cutting means for detachably mounting a cutting blade 21, and the cutting blade 21 cuts the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 10. The cutting unit 20 is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis moving unit 32 and in the Z-axis direction by the Z-axis moving unit 33, respectively, for the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 10.

As shown in FIG1 , the cutting unit 20 on one side is installed on one column of a gate-shaped support frame 5 vertically installed from the device body 4 via a Y-axis moving unit 32 and a Z-axis moving unit 33. As shown in FIG1 , the cutting unit 20 on the other side is installed on the other column of the support frame 5 via a Y-axis moving unit 32 and a Z-axis moving unit 33. In addition, the upper ends of the columns of the support frame 5 are connected to each other by a horizontal beam.

The cutting unit 20 can position the cutting tool 21 at any position of the holding surface 11 of the chuck mounting table 10 by means of the Y-axis moving unit 32 and the Z-axis moving unit 33 .

The cutting unit 20 includes a spindle housing 22 that is movable in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction by a Y-axis moving unit 32 and a Z-axis moving unit 33 , a spindle 23 that is rotatable around an axis in the spindle housing 22 , and a cutting tool 21 mounted on the spindle 23 .

The cutting blade 21 is an extremely thin cutting grindstone having a slightly annular shape. In the embodiment, the cutting blade 21 is a so-called wheel-shaped blade, which has a circular base in the shape of an annulus made of conductive metal, and an annular blade which is arranged on the outer periphery of the circular base and cuts the workpiece 200. The cutting blade is formed of abrasive grains such as diamond or CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) and a bonding material (bonding material) such as metal or resin, and is formed to a specific thickness. The main shaft 23 is rotated by a spindle motor not shown in the figure, and the cutting blade 21 is installed at the front end. In addition, the main shaft 23 of the cutting unit 20 and the axis of the cutting blade 21 are set to be parallel to the Y-axis direction.

The imaging unit 30 is fixed to one of the cutting units 20 in such a manner that it moves integrally with the other cutting unit 20. The imaging unit 30 has an imaging element for imaging the area to be divided of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck stage 10 before cutting. The imaging element is, for example, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) imaging element or a CMOS (Complementary MOS) imaging element. The imaging unit 30 photographs the workpiece 200 held on the chuck stage 10, obtains an image for performing calibration, etc., in which the position of the workpiece 200 and the cutting blade 21 are aligned, and outputs the obtained image to the control unit 100.

The X-axis moving unit 31 moves the chuck table 10 of the table unit 2 in the processing feed direction, i.e., the X-axis direction, so that the chuck table 10 and the cutting unit 20 are relatively processed and fed along the X-axis direction. The Y-axis moving unit 32 moves the cutting unit 20 in the indexing feed direction, i.e., the Y-axis direction, so that the chuck table 10 and the cutting unit 20 are relatively indexed and fed along the Y-axis direction. The Z-axis moving unit 33 moves the cutting unit 20 in the indexing feed direction, i.e., the Z-axis direction, so that the chuck table 10 and the cutting unit 20 are relatively cut-in and fed along the Z-axis direction.

The X-axis moving unit 31, the Y-axis moving unit 32, and the Z-axis moving unit 33 include a well-known ball screw that is rotatable around its axis, and a well-known motor and a well-known guide rail that support the ball screw to rotate around its axis so as to be movable in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction.

Furthermore, the processing device 1 has an unillustrated X-axis direction position detection unit for detecting the position of the chuck mounting table 10 in the X-axis direction, an unillustrated Y-axis direction position detection unit for detecting the position of the cutting unit 20 in the Y-axis direction, and a Z-axis direction position detection unit for detecting the position of the cutting unit 20 in the Z-axis direction. The X-axis direction position detection unit and the Y-axis direction position detection unit can be composed of a linear scale parallel to the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction, and a reading head. The Z-axis direction position detection unit detects the position of the cutting unit 20 in the Z-axis direction by a pulse of a motor. The X-axis direction position detection unit, the Y-axis direction position detection unit, and the Z-axis direction position detection unit output the X-axis direction position of the chuck mounting table 10, the Y-axis direction or the Z-axis direction position of the cutting unit 20 to the control unit 100. In addition, in the embodiment, the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction position of each component of the processing device 1 are determined based on the position of the pre-set reference position (not shown) as the reference.

Furthermore, the processing device 1 has an unillustrated cassette for carrying and accommodating the workpiece 200 before and after cutting, and a cassette elevator 40 for moving the cassette in the Z-axis direction, a cleaning unit 50 for cleaning the workpiece 200 after cutting, and an unillustrated transport unit for taking and placing the workpiece 200 in the cassette and transporting the workpiece 200 between the cassette, the chuck stage 10 and the cleaning unit 50.

Furthermore, the processing device 1 is provided with a caliper mounting table 60 for a test piece. The caliper mounting table 60 for a test piece is provided on the mounting table cover 3 of the mounting table unit 2, and is formed of a metal material formed into a rectangular shape and having a flat upper surface 61 as shown in FIG. 2 . In the embodiment, the long side direction of the caliper mounting table 60 for a test piece is parallel to the Y-axis direction. The caliper mounting table 60 for a test piece mounts a test piece 70 shown in FIG. 2 on the upper surface 61. The test piece 70 is formed of the same material as the substrate 204 of the workpiece 200, and the plane shape is formed into a rectangular flat plate of the same shape as the upper surface 61.

The test piece chuck stage 60 has a suction groove 62 connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown) formed on the upper surface 61. The suction groove 62 is formed to be recessed from the upper surface 61. The test piece chuck stage 60 is sucked by the vacuum suction source, thereby sucking and holding the test piece 70 placed on the upper surface 61. In the embodiment, the test piece chuck stage 60 is supported to be rotatable around an axis parallel to the Y-axis direction by a rotation drive mechanism 63 mounted on the stage cover 3. In the embodiment, the rotation drive mechanism 63 rotates the test piece chuck mounting table 60 across the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2 where the upper surface 61 faces upward and the position indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 2 where the upper surface 61 faces the loading and unloading area.

The control unit 100 also controls each component of the processing device 1 so that the processing device 1 performs processing operations on the workpiece 200. In addition, the control unit 100 is a computer having an operation processing device such as a microprocessor of a CPU (central processing unit), a memory device such as a memory of a ROM (read only memory) or a RAM (random access memory), and an input-output interface device. The operation processing device of the control unit 100 performs operation processing according to a computer program stored in the memory device, and outputs a control signal used to control the processing device 1 to each component of the processing device 1 through the input-output interface device.

The control unit 100 is connected to a non-icon display unit composed of a liquid crystal display device that displays the state or image of the processing operation, an input unit used by the operator to register processing content information, and a notification unit 101. The input unit is composed of at least one of a touch panel and an external input device such as a keyboard provided in the display unit. The notification unit 101 emits at least one of sound and light to notify the operator.

Furthermore, the control unit 100, as shown in FIG1, has a normal image storage unit 102 and a comparison and determination unit 103. The normal image storage unit 102 stores the normal image 300 shown in FIG3, which is obtained by photographing the cutting groove 80 formed in the test piece 70 by the normal cutting blade 21 from the side surface 711 of one of the two ends 71 and 72 to cut the test piece 70 from one end 71 to the other end 72 in the X-axis direction. The normal image 300 is a side wall of the cutting groove 80, that is, an inner surface 81, which is orthogonal to the surface 73 of the test piece 70. Furthermore, the normal image memory unit 102 memorizes the specific distance 301 from the surface 201 of the test piece 70 to the bottom surface of the cutting groove 80 of the normal image 300. The specific distance 301 is a distance that specifies the determination position 302 for determining whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced when the cutting blade 21 is used to cut the test piece 70. The mechanism of the normal image memory unit 102 is realized by a memory device.

The comparison and determination unit 103 determines whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced based on the cutting groove 80 (shown as an example in FIG. 9 and the like, and hereinafter represented by the symbol 80-1) formed by the cutting blade 21 cutting the test piece 70. The comparison and determination unit 103 determines whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced based on the inclination of the inner surface 81-1 of the cutting groove 80-1 obtained by photographing the cutting groove 80-1 formed by the cutting blade 21 cutting the test piece 70 from the side surface 711 of the one end 71 by the imaging unit 30. The function of the comparison and determination unit 103 is realized by the operation processing device executing the computer program stored in the storage device.

(Processing method) The processing method related to the implementation form is a processing action of cutting the workpiece 200 by the processing device 1. The processing method is that the operator registers the processing content information in the control unit 100, sets the cassette containing the workpiece 200 before multiple cutting processes on the cassette elevator 40, and places the test piece 70 on the upper surface 61 of the test piece chuck stage 60 facing upward. When the operator receives the start instruction of the processing action, the processing device 1 is implemented. When the processing action is started, the processing device 1 sucks and holds the test piece 70 on the upper surface 61 of the test piece chuck stage 60.

The processing method is a processing method for the workpiece 200, and as shown in FIG. 4, includes a cutting step ST1, a cutting groove forming step ST4, an imaging step ST5, and a determination step ST6.

(Cutting step) Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the cutting step of the processing method shown in Figure 4. The cutting step ST1 is a step of cutting the workpiece 200 with the cutting blade 21. In the cutting step ST1, the processing device 1 is a transport unit that transports the workpiece 200 from the cartridge to the pallet stage 10 in the loading and unloading area, and the back side 205 is sucked and held on the holding surface 11 of the pallet stage 10 via the adhesive tape 210.

In the cutting step ST1, the processing device 1 moves the chuck stage 10 toward the processing area by the X-axis moving unit, and the imaging unit 30 images the workpiece 200, and performs calibration based on the image obtained by the imaging unit 30. As shown in FIG. 5 , the processing device 1 moves the workpiece 200 and the cutting unit 20 relatively along the predetermined dividing lines 202, and the cutting blade 21 cuts into each predetermined dividing line 202 to divide the workpiece 200 into individual chips 206. The processing device 1 transports the workpiece 200 divided into individual chips 206 from the chuck stage 10 to the cleaning unit 50 by the transport unit, and the cleaning unit 50 cleans the workpiece 200. In the cutting step ST1, the processing apparatus 1 uses a transport unit to transport the cleaned workpiece 200 from the cleaning unit 50 to the cassette after the cutting process, and stores the workpiece 200 in the cassette.

The control unit 100 of the processing device 1 determines whether the processing operation is terminated (step ST2). Specifically, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 determines that the processing operation is terminated when the cutting of all the workpieces 200 in the cartridge is completed, and determines that the processing operation is continued when there are uncut workpieces 200 left in the cartridge.

When the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 determines to terminate the processing action (step ST2: Yes), the termination of the processing action is the processing method. When the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 determines to continue the processing action (step ST2: No), it determines whether it is time to determine whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced (step ST3).

The timing for determining whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced is determined by the material of the workpiece 200 being cut, the blade of the cutting blade 21, and the like. The timing for determining whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced is, for example, one piece of the workpiece 200 is cut each time, or a specific number of workpieces 200 are cut each time, and is stored in the memory device of the control unit 100 as part of the processing content information. Furthermore, in the present invention, the timing for determining whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced can be determined even if a specific number of predetermined dividing lines 202 are cut each time, that is, even during the cutting process of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck mounting table 10. In this case, the timing for determining whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced can be determined even if all of the predetermined dividing lines 202 of one of the parallel predetermined dividing lines 202 are cut each time.

The control unit 100 of the processing device 1 returns to the cutting step ST1 when it is determined that it is not the timing to determine whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced (step ST3: No). The control unit 100 of the processing device 1 proceeds to the cutting groove forming step ST4 when it is determined that it is the timing to determine whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced (step ST3: Yes).

(Cutting groove forming step) Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the cutting groove forming step of the processing method shown in Figure 4. Figure 7 is a top view of the test piece after the cutting groove forming step of the processing method shown in Figure 4. The cutting groove forming step ST4 is a step of cutting the test piece 70 from one end 71 to the other end 72 in the X-axis direction with a cutting blade 21 to form a cutting groove 80-1.

In the embodiment, in the cutting groove forming step ST4, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 uses the imaging unit 30 to photograph the test piece 70 attracted and held on the test piece chuck mounting table 60, and aligns the positions of the test piece 70 and the blade of the cutting blade 21. As shown in FIG5, the processing device 1 moves the test piece 70 and the cutting unit 20 relatively along the X-axis direction, and as shown in FIG6, the cutting blade 21 cuts into the test piece 70 from one end 71 to the other end 72, and forms the cutting groove 80-1 shown in FIG7 in the workpiece 200, and then proceeds to the imaging step ST5. In addition, in the embodiment, although the cutting groove 80-1 is formed from one end 71 of the test piece 70 in the X-axis direction to the other end 72, even in the present invention, it is not necessary to cut from one end 71 to the other end 72, but it is also possible to raise the cutting blade 21 halfway from one end 71 toward the other end 72.

(Photographic step) Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the photographic step of the processing method shown in Figure 4. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a photographic image obtained by the photographic step of the processing method shown in Figure 4. The photographic step ST5 is a step of photographing the side surfaces 711, 721 of one end 71 side or the other end 72 side of the test piece 70 after the cutting groove forming step ST4 is performed to form a photographic image 400 including the cutting groove 80-1.

In the embodiment, in the imaging step ST5, the processing device 1 rotates the test piece chuck stage 60 around the axis by 90 degrees with the rotary drive mechanism 63 so that the upper surface 61 faces the loading and unloading area. In the embodiment, in the imaging step ST5, the processing device 1 photographs the side surface 711 of one end 71 of the test piece 70 with the imaging unit 30 as shown in FIG8 , obtains an example of the photographic image 400 shown in FIG9 , and proceeds to the determination step ST6.

(Judgment step) Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the judgment step of the processing method shown in Figure 4. Judgment step ST6 is a step of judging whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced based on the inclination of the inner surface 81-1 of the cutting groove 80-1 detected from the photographic image 400.

In the embodiment, in the determination step ST6, the cut groove 80 (indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 10 ) of the normal image 300 is overlapped on the photographic image 400. In addition, in the embodiment, the upper end of the cut groove 80 of the normal image 300 is overlapped on the upper end of the cut groove 80 of the photographic image 400. In the embodiment, in the determination step ST6, the control unit 100 detects the distance 401 between the inner surface 81-1 of the cutting groove 80-1 of the photographic image 400 at the determination position 302 and the inner surface 81 of the cutting groove 80 of the normal image 300. When it is determined that the detected distance 401 is less than the pre-set allowable value, it is determined that the cutting blade 21 does not need to be replaced (determination step ST6: No), and returns to the cutting step ST1. In this way, in the embodiment, in the determination step ST6, the control unit 100 determines whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced based on the inclination of the inner surface 81-1 of the cutting groove 80-1 detected from the photographic image 400.

In the embodiment, in the determination step ST6, when the control unit 100 determines that the detected distance 401 exceeds the pre-set allowable value, it determines that the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced (determination step ST6: Yes), and the notification unit 101 is operated to perform notification (step ST7), and the processing operation is terminated, which is the processing method related to the embodiment. In addition, in the present invention, the method of determining whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced in the determination step ST6 is not limited to that described in the embodiment, and it is also possible to compare the contour of the cutting groove 80 of the normal image 300 and the contour of the cutting groove 80 of the photographic image 400, and it is also possible to compare the inner surface 81-1 of the cutting groove 80-1 of the photographic image 400 and the imaginary line of the inner surface of the ideal cutting groove 80.

As described above, the processing method and processing apparatus 1 related to the embodiment form the cutting groove 80-1 on the test piece 70 and photograph the side surface 711 of the test piece 70. Based on the inclination of the inner surface 81-1 of the cutting groove 80-1 detected by the photographic image 400 formed by the photographing, it is determined whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced. As a result, the processing method and processing apparatus 1 have the following effects: it is easier to determine the replacement timing of the cutting blade 21 than before, and the situation of continuously manufacturing defective wafers 206 is suppressed.

[Variation] The processing method related to the variation of the embodiment of the present invention is described based on the drawings. FIG11 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the imaging step of the processing method related to the variation of the embodiment. In addition, FIG11 gives the same symbols to the same parts as the embodiment and omits the description.

The processing device 1 for implementing the processing method related to the modification of the embodiment has a second imaging unit 90 which is a separate unit from the imaging unit 30 and is used to obtain the imaging image 400, and the second imaging unit 90 is arranged on the side of the X-axis direction of the test piece chuck stage 60. In the modification, the processing device 1 obtains the imaging image 400 by imaging the side surface 721 on the other end 72 side of the test piece 70 of the test piece chuck stage 60 with the upper surface 61 facing upward in the imaging step ST5 as shown in FIG.

In addition, the second imaging unit 90, like the imaging unit 30, includes an imaging element for imaging the side surface 721 of the other end 72 of the test piece 70. The imaging element is, for example, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) imaging element or a CMOS (Complementary MOS) imaging element.

The processing method and processing apparatus 1 related to the modification form a cutting groove 80-1 on the test piece 70 in the cutting groove forming step ST4, and photograph the side surface 721 of the test piece 70 with the second photographing unit 90 in the photographing step ST5. The processing method and processing apparatus 1 determine whether the cutting blade 21 needs to be replaced based on the inclination of the inner surface 81-1 of the cutting groove 80-1 detected by the photographed image 400 in the determination step ST6, as in the embodiment. As a result, the processing method and processing apparatus 1 related to the modification form exert the following effects, as in the embodiment: the replacement timing of the cutting blade 21 can be determined more easily than before, and the situation of continuous production of defective wafers 206 can be suppressed.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned implementation. That is, various modifications can be made and implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the implementation, although the cutting process is stopped and the imaging step ST5 and the determination step ST6 are implemented, the present invention is not limited to this, and the imaging step ST5 and the determination step ST6 can be implemented even during the cutting process.

Furthermore, in the present invention, even if the cutting device, i.e., the processing device 1, has a pair of cutting units 20, a pair of test piece chuck mounts 60 having a rotation drive mechanism 63 may be provided corresponding to each cutting unit 20. In this case, it is preferred that the processing device 1 is provided with the test piece chuck mount 60 on the side of each cutting unit 20 with the chuck mount 10 clamped therebetween.

21: Cutting blade 70: Test piece 71: One end 72: The other end 80,80-1: Cutting groove 81,81-1: Inner surface (side wall) 400: Photographic image 711,721: Side surface 200: Workpiece ST1: Cutting step ST4: Cutting groove forming step ST5: Photographic step ST6: Judgment step

[FIG. 1] is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a processing device for implementing a processing method related to an embodiment. [FIG. 2] is a perspective view of a stage unit of the wafer processing device shown in FIG. 1. [FIG. 3] is a view showing an example of a normal image stored in a normal image storage unit of a control unit of the processing device shown in FIG. 2. [FIG. 4] is a flow chart showing a flow of a processing method related to an embodiment. [FIG. 5] is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cutting step of the processing method shown in FIG. 4. [FIG. 6] is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cutting groove forming step of the processing method shown in FIG. 4. [FIG. 7] is a top view showing a test piece after the cutting groove forming step of the processing method shown in FIG. 4. [FIG. 8] is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an imaging step of the processing method shown in FIG. 4. [Fig. 9] is a diagram showing an example of a photographic image obtained by the photographic step of the processing method shown in Fig. 4. [Fig. 10] is a diagram showing an example of a determination step of the processing method shown in Fig. 4. [Fig. 11] is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the photographic step of the processing method related to a modified example of the implementation form.

Claims (1)

A processing method is a processing method for a workpiece, characterized in that it comprises: a cutting step, in which the workpiece is cut with a cutting tool; a cutting groove forming step, in which a test piece is cut from one end to the other end with the cutting tool to form a cutting groove; a photographing step, in which after the cutting groove forming step is performed, the side surface of the one end side or the other end side of the test piece is photographed to form a photographic image including the cutting groove; and a judging step, in which the inclination of the side wall of the cutting groove detected from the photographic image is judged. Whether the cutting blade needs to be replaced, in the determination step, at the upper end of the cutting groove of the photographic image, the upper end of the cutting groove of the normal image whose side wall of the cutting groove is orthogonal to the surface of the test piece is overlapped, when the distance between the side wall of the cutting groove of the photographic image at the determination position of a specific distance from the surface of the test piece and the side wall of the cutting groove of the normal image is less than a pre-set allowable value, it is determined that the cutting blade does not need to be replaced, and when it exceeds the allowable value, it is determined that the cutting blade needs to be replaced.

Images