TWI858094B - Trimming method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Topic] The present invention provides a trimming method that can reduce the time required for plane trimming. [Solution] A trimming method, comprising: a position detection step ST4, which detects the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate by photographing the trimming plate held on the holding table with a camera unit; a positioning step ST6, which positions the direction from one end of the trimming plate to the other end to be parallel to the axis of the main shaft, and positions the lower end of the cutting blade to the outer side of one end of the trimming plate and cuts into the trimming plate based on the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate detected by the position detection step ST4; and a trimming step ST7, which, after implementing the positioning step ST6, causes the cutting blade to move relative to the trimming plate and cuts from one end of the trimming plate to the other end, thereby flattening the front end of the cutting blade.

Description

Trimming method

The invention relates to a surface finishing method for a cutting blade.

In a cutting device that uses a dicing blade to cut various plate-shaped workpieces such as semiconductor substrates, resin package substrates, ceramic substrates, etc., which are made of silicon, gallium arsenide, SiC (silicon carbide), sapphire, etc., when cutting the workpiece, the front end of the cutting blade may be deformed into a cross-sectional arc shape.

The cutting device has a surface trimmer that regularly flattens the front end of the cutting blade along the axis of the main shaft (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The trimming method shown in Patent Document 1 is to move the cutting blade from one end to the other end of a trimming plate adhered to a film and mounted on a frame in the axis direction of the main shaft, and cut the trimming plate with the cutting blade to perform surface trimming. Therefore, the cutting device will pre-memorize the size of the trimming plate and set the moving distance of the cutting blade based on the size of the trimming plate. [Known Technical Document] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-588

[Problems to be solved by the invention] The trimming method shown in Patent Document 1 is to transport the frame by a transport unit so that the center of the frame overlaps the center of the holding table. Therefore, in the trimming method, the center of the chuck and the center of the trimming plate may not be consistent due to the error in the pasting position of the trimming plate to the frame and the transport error, so the cutting blade moves between positions with a margin width outside the outer periphery of the trimming plate. However, in the trimming method shown in Patent Document 1, the moving distance of the cutting blade becomes longer according to the margin width, so the time required for trimming is long, and it is urgently desired to shorten the time required for trimming.

In particular, compared to the case where the cutting blade is moved relatively in the X-axis direction to cut the workpiece as in normal cutting, the relative moving speed is set to a lower speed in surface trimming because a load is applied to the cutting blade. Therefore, it is highly desired to set the margin width of surface trimming as short as possible.

The present invention is made in view of this problem, and its purpose is to provide a trimming method that can reduce the time required for plane trimming.

[Technical means for solving the problem] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem and achieve the purpose, the trimming method of the present invention is a method for trimming the plane of a cutting blade fixed to the front end of a main shaft. The trimming method is characterized in that it has: a position detection step, which uses a photographic means to shoot the trimming plate held on the holding table to detect the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate; a positioning step, which positions the direction from one end of the trimming plate to the other end to be aligned with the main shaft. The cutting blade is parallel to the axis of the shaft, and based on the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate detected by the position detection step, the lower end of the cutting blade is positioned on the outer side of one end of the trimming plate and cuts into the predetermined height position of the trimming plate; and a trimming step, after implementing the positioning step, the cutting blade is moved relative to the trimming plate, cutting from one end of the trimming plate to the other end, thereby flattening the front end of the cutting blade.

In the aforementioned trimming method, there may be: a cutting completion area memory step, which memorizes information about the cutting completion area of the trimming plate cut by the trimming step; a processing step, which after the trimming step is performed, moves the trimming plate from the holding table, holds the workpiece on the holding table, and cuts the workpiece on the holding table with the cutting blade; a second positioning step, which after the processing step is performed, moves the workpiece from the holding table, holds the trimming plate on the holding table , based on the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate detected by the position detection step and the information about the cutting completion area of the trimming plate stored in the cutting completion area storage step, the lower end of the cutting blade is positioned on the outer side of one end of the trimming plate and cuts into a predetermined height position of the trimming plate; and a second trimming step, after implementing the second positioning step, the cutting blade is moved relative to the trimming plate to cut from one end of the trimming plate to the other end.

[Effect of the invention] The trimming method of the present invention has the effect of reducing the time required for plane trimming.

The present invention will be described in detail based on the method for implementing the present invention (implementation method) with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following implementation method. Furthermore, the constituent elements described below include those that can be easily inferred by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs and are substantially the same. Furthermore, the structures described below can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or changes in the structures can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Implementation method 1] The trimming method of implementation method 1 of the present invention is described based on the drawings. FIG1 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of a cutting device for implementing the trimming method of implementation method 1. FIG2 is a perspective view showing an example of a trimming plate for trimming the cutting blade of the cutting device shown in FIG1. FIG3 is an example of a cross-sectional view of the front end of the blade of the cutting blade before the flat trimming of the trimming method of implementation method 1. FIG4 is an example of a cross-sectional view of the front end of the blade of the cutting blade after the flat trimming of the cutting blade shown in FIG3. FIG5 is a top view of the trimming plate showing the trimming start position and trimming storage position of the trimming method of implementation method 1. FIG6 is a side view of the trimming plate showing the cutting depth of the trimming method of implementation method 1.

The trimming method of embodiment 1 is implemented by the cutting device 1 shown in Figure 1. The cutting device 1 shown in Figure 1 is a device for cutting (processing) a plate-like object, that is, a workpiece 200. In embodiment 1, the workpiece 200 is a wafer such as a circular plate-shaped semiconductor wafer, an optical element wafer, etc. using silicon, sapphire, gallium, etc. as a base material. The workpiece 200 has elements 203 formed in a grid-like area on the front side 201, and the grid-like area is divided by a plurality of predetermined dividing lines 202 formed in a grid shape. The workpiece 200 of the present invention can be a so-called TAIKO (registered trademark) wafer having a thinned central portion and a thick-walled portion formed on the outer periphery. In addition to a wafer, it can also be a rectangular packaging substrate, a ceramic plate, a glass plate, etc. having a plurality of resin-sealed elements. The workpiece 200 has a disc-shaped adhesive film 206 attached to its back surface 204 , and a ring-shaped annular frame 205 having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece 200 is attached to the outer periphery of the adhesive film 206 , and is supported by an inner opening of the annular frame 205 .

The cutting device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a device that uses a holding table 10 to hold a workpiece 200 having a predetermined dividing line 202, and uses a cutting blade 21 to cut along the predetermined dividing line 202. As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting device 1 includes: a holding table 10 that attracts and holds the workpiece 200 with a holding surface 11; a cutting unit 20 that uses a cutting blade 21 mounted on a spindle 22 to cut the workpiece 200 held on the holding table 10; a camera unit 30 that is a camera means for photographing the workpiece 200 held on the holding table 10; and a control unit 100 that is a control means.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1 , the cutting device 1 at least comprises: an X-axis moving unit 41, which processes and feeds the holding table 10 in the horizontal direction and in the X-axis direction parallel to the short side direction of the device body 2; a Y-axis moving unit 42, which indexes and feeds the cutting unit 20 in the horizontal direction and in the Y-axis direction parallel to the long side direction of the device body 2 and orthogonal to the X-axis direction; a Z-axis moving unit 43, which cuts and feeds the cutting unit 20 in the Z-axis direction parallel to the vertical direction, wherein the vertical direction is orthogonal to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction; and a rotation moving unit 44, which rotates the holding table 10 around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction, and is processed and fed in the X-axis direction together with the holding table 10 by the X-axis moving unit 41.

The holding table 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 holding table 10 is configured to be movable by an X-axis moving unit and rotatable by a rotation drive source. The holding table 10 is connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown) and is attracted and held by the vacuum suction source. Furthermore, a plurality of clamping parts 12 for clamping an annular frame 211 are provided around the holding table 10.

The cutting unit 20 has a spindle 22 on which a cutting blade 21 is mounted, and the cutting blade 21 cuts the workpiece 200 held on the holding table 10. The cutting unit 20 is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis moving unit 42 and in the Z-axis direction by the Z-axis moving unit 43 relative to the workpiece 200 held on the holding table 10.

As shown in FIG1 , the cutting unit 20 is provided on the support frame 3 erected from the device body 2 via the Y-axis moving unit 42 and the Z-axis moving unit 43. The cutting unit 20 can position the cutting blade 21 at any position on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 via the Y-axis moving unit 42 and the Z-axis moving unit 43.

The cutting unit 20 is provided with, in addition to the cutting blade 21 and the spindle 22 with the cutting blade 21 mounted on the front end, a spindle housing 23 which moves in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction by means of the Y-axis moving unit 42 and the Z-axis moving unit 43 and accommodates the spindle 22 so that it can rotate freely around the axis; and a spindle motor (not shown) which is accommodated in the spindle housing 23 and rotates the spindle 22 around the axis.

The cutting blade 21 is an extremely thin cutting grindstone having a slightly annular shape. The spindle 22 cuts the workpiece 200 by rotating the cutting blade 21. The spindle 22 is housed in a spindle housing 23, and the spindle housing 23 is supported by the Z-axis moving unit 43. The axis of the spindle 22 and the cutting blade 21 of the cutting unit 20 is set to be parallel to the Y-axis direction.

The X-axis moving unit 41 moves the holding table 10 in the processing feed direction, i.e., the X-axis direction, so that the holding table 10 and the cutting unit 20 are relatively processed and fed along the X-axis direction. The Y-axis moving unit 42 moves the cutting unit 20 in the indexing feed direction, i.e., the Y-axis direction, so that the holding table 10 and the cutting unit 20 are relatively indexed and fed along the Y-axis direction. The Z-axis moving unit 43 moves the cutting unit 20 in the cutting feed direction, i.e., the Z-axis direction, so that the holding table 10 and the cutting unit 20 are relatively cut-in and fed along the Z-axis direction.

The X-axis moving unit 41, the Y-axis moving unit 42, and the Z-axis moving unit 43 include: a well-known ball screw that is configured to be rotatable around an axis; a well-known pulse motor that causes the ball screw to rotate around the axis; and a well-known guide rail that supports the holding table 10 or the cutting unit 20 to be movable in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, or the Z-axis direction.

Furthermore, the cutting device 1 includes: an unillustrated X-axis direction position detection unit for detecting the position of the holding 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 formed by 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 using a pulse of a pulse 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 holding 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 first embodiment, each position is defined by the distance from the predetermined reference position in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction.

Furthermore, the cutting device 1 comprises: a cassette elevator 50, which carries a cassette 51 storing the workpiece 200 before and after cutting and moves the cassette 51 in the Z-axis direction; a cleaning unit 60, which cleans the workpiece 200 after cutting; and a transport unit (not shown) which allows the workpiece 200 to enter and exit the cassette 51 and transports the workpiece 200.

The cassette 51 stores a plurality of workpieces 200 supported by the annular frame 205 at intervals in the Z-axis direction. In addition, the cassette 51 stores a trimming plate 90 as shown in FIG. 2 . The trimming plate 90 shown in FIG. 2 is used for plane trimming of the cutting blade 21, and the front end of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 is formed into a cross-sectional arc shape, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 due to repeated cutting of the workpiece 200. The so-called plane trimming means that the cutting blade 21 shown in FIG. 3 is moved in the Y-axis direction parallel to the axis of the main shaft while cutting into the trimming plate 90, and the front end of the blade 24 is formed flat along the Y-axis direction as shown in FIG. 4 .

In the first embodiment, the plane shape of the trimming plate 90 is formed into a rectangular flat plate. The trimming plate 90 is formed by mixing abrasive grains such as WA (corundum, alumina), GC (green natural coke, silicon carbide) into a resin or ceramic binder. Similar to the workpiece 200, the trimming plate 90 has a circular plate-shaped adhesive film 206 attached to the surface of one side, and a ring frame 205 attached to the outer periphery of the adhesive film 206, and is supported by the inner opening of the ring frame 205. In addition, the trimming plate 90 is arranged in the center of the ring frame 205, but the relative position relative to the ring frame 205 is set at a predetermined position, but sometimes deviates from the predetermined position.

The trimming plate 90 is supported by the annular frame 205 and is stored in a predetermined position in the Z-axis direction of the cassette 51. When performing surface trimming, after being carried out of the cassette 51, it is attracted and held on the holding table 10, and the annular frame 205 is clamped by the clamping part 12. During surface trimming, the trimming plate 90 is cut by the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 of the cutting unit 20 moving in the Y-axis direction while being held on the holding table 10, forming a cutting groove 95 (indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 5 ) recessed from the upper surface, and the surface trimming cutting blade 21 is cut.

In the plane trimming, the cutting blade 21 moves relatively in the Y-axis direction from one end 91 of the trimming plate 90 held on the holding table 10 toward the other end 92, or from the other end 92 toward one end 91, to form the cutting groove 95. In the plane trimming, after forming the cutting groove 95, the cutting blade 21 moves in the X-axis direction, and moves relatively in the Y-axis direction from the other end 92 of the trimming plate 90 held on the holding table 10 toward one end 91, or from one end 91 toward the other end 92, to form the cutting groove 95.

In the first embodiment, in the plane trimming, the cutting blade 21 sequentially forms cutting grooves 95 parallel to the Y-axis direction from one end 93 in the X-axis direction toward the other end 94. Moreover, compared with the general trimming in which the cutting blade 21 moves relative to the trimming plate 90 in the X-axis direction, the plane trimming moves the cutting blade 21 in the Y-axis direction, so the relative movement speed of the cutting blade 21 relative to the trimming plate 90 is slower.

The imaging unit 30 is fixed in a manner that moves integrally with the cutting unit 20. The imaging unit 30 has an imaging element that photographs the area to be divided of the workpiece 200 held on the holding table 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 holding table 10, obtains an image used to perform alignment of the workpiece 200 and the cutting blade 21, and outputs the obtained image to the control unit 100.

Furthermore, the camera unit 30 photographs the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90 held on the holding table 10 during the surface trimming, and outputs the photographed image to the control unit 100. In the first embodiment, the camera unit 30 photographs the center of the long side direction of all the outer peripheries of the trimming plate 90. When the camera unit 30 photographs the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90, the relative position of the camera unit 30 to the holding table 10 is preset, and the field of view of the camera unit 30 is set to a range that can photograph the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90 even if the position of the annular frame 205 is offset.

The control unit 100 controls the above-mentioned components of the cutting device 1 respectively, so that the cutting device 1 performs processing and surface finishing on the workpiece 200. In addition, the control unit 100 is a computer having the following devices: an operation processing device having a microprocessor such as a CPU (central processing unit); a memory device having a memory such as a ROM (read only memory) or a RAM (random access memory); and an input-output interface device.

The control unit 100 is connected to: a display unit (not shown), which is composed of a liquid crystal display device that displays the state and image of the processing operation, etc.; an input unit, which is used when the operator logs in the processing content information, etc.; and a notification unit 110. The input unit is composed of at least one of an external input device such as a touch panel and a keyboard provided on the display unit. The notification unit 110 is controlled by the control unit 100 and emits at least one of light and sound to notify the operator.

The processing conditions are registered in the memory device of the control unit 100 by the input unit. The operation processing device of the control unit 100 performs operation processing according to the processing conditions and computer programs stored in the memory device, and outputs the control signal used to control the cutting device 1 to the above-mentioned components of the cutting device 1 through the input and output interface device. In addition, in the embodiment 1, the processing conditions include: the X-axis direction margin width 301 shown in FIG. 5, the Y-axis direction margin width 302, the X-axis direction feed width 303, the number of movements of the cutting blade 21 with respect to the trimming plate 90, and the cutting depth 304 shown in FIG. 6. The X-axis direction margin width 301, the Y-axis direction margin width 302, the X-axis direction feed width 303, the number of movements of the cutting blade 21 with respect to the trimming plate 90, and the cutting depth 304 are processing conditions when the cutting device 1 performs plane trimming.

The X-axis direction margin width 301 is the distance in the X-axis direction from one end 93 in the X-axis direction of the trimming plate 90 that has not been subjected to surface trimming to the trimming start position 401 or the trimming end position 402 when surface trimming is first performed. In addition, the trimming start position 401 is the position of the lower end of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 when the trimming plate 90 is held on the holding table 10 and the cutting unit 20 starts to move the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction when surface trimming is performed. The trimming end position 402 is the position of the lower end of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 when the trimming plate 90 is held on the holding table 10 and the cutting unit 20 ends moving the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction when surface trimming is performed.

The Y-axis direction margin width 302 is the distance in the Y-axis direction from the end of the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction to the trimming start position 401 or the trimming end position 402. In addition, compared with the relative movement speed of the cutting blade 21 of the general trimming to the trimming plate 90, the relative movement speed of the cutting blade 21 of the plane trimming to the trimming plate 90 is slower, so the Y-axis direction margin width 302 is expected to be as short as possible.

The X-axis feed width 303 is the distance in the X-axis direction between the trimming start position 401 and the trimming end position 402, that is, during plane trimming, after the trimming plate 90 is moved in the Y-axis direction, the distance when the cutting blade 21 moves relative to the trimming plate 90 in the X-axis direction.

The number of times the cutting blade 21 moves relative to the trimming plate 90 indicates the number of times and directions in which the cutting blade 21 moves relative to the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction in one plane trimming operation. In Embodiment 1, the number of times the cutting blade 21 moves relative to the trimming plate 90 indicates the number of times and directions in which the cutting blade 21 is moved from one end 91 of the trimming plate 90 held on the holding table 10 toward the other end 92 in the X-axis direction, and then moves relative to the trimming plate 90 from the other end 92 toward one end 91 in the Y-axis direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The cutting depth 304 is a predetermined height position of the cutting blade 21 cutting into the trimming plate 90, and indicates the distance between the lower end of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 cutting into the trimming plate 90 and the upper surface of the trimming plate 90 during flat trimming. In addition, the control unit 100 memorizes information about the outer diameter of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21. The information about the outer diameter of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 is registered from the input unit or registered in the memory device by the reference position setting mechanism (not shown) of the cutting device 1.

As shown in FIG1 , the control unit 100 includes a cut-finished area memory unit 101, a trimming range setting unit 102, and a control unit 103. The cut-finished area memory unit 101 stores information about a cut-finished area 601 (shown in FIG14 ) of a trimming plate 90 formed by the cutting edge 24 of the cutting blade 21 during plane trimming. In Embodiment 1, the information about the cut-finished area 601 is the cumulative number of times the cutting blade 21 moves the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction during plane trimming.

The trimming range setting unit 102 is as follows: when the number of movements as information about the cutting completion area 601 stored in the cutting completion area storage unit 101 is zero, the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90 is calculated from the image obtained by the camera unit 30 of the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90 without plane trimming, and the trimming start position 401 and the trimming end position 402 during plane trimming are set based on the margin widths 301, 302, the X-axis direction feed width 303, the number of movements of the cutting blade 21 with respect to the trimming plate 90 during plane trimming, and the cutting depth 304.

The trimming range setting unit 102 is as follows: when the number of movements as information about the cutting completion area 601 stored in the cutting completion area storage unit 101 is more than one time, the trimming start position 401 and the trimming end position 402 during plane trimming are set based on the accumulated number of movements of the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction by the cutting blade 21 during plane trimming of the cutting completion area 601, the margin width 301, 302, the X-axis direction feed width 303, the number of movements of the trimming plate 90 by the cutting blade 21 during plane trimming, and the cutting depth 304.

The control unit 103 controls the components of the cutting device 1 to cause the cutting device 1 to perform a processing operation and perform surface finishing on the workpiece 200 .

The cut area storage unit 101 is implemented by a storage device. The trimming range setting unit 102 and the control unit 103 are implemented by a computer program stored in the storage device executed by a processing device.

Next, this specification describes the processing action of the aforementioned cutting device 1, that is, the trimming method of the embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the process of the trimming method of the embodiment 1. The processing action of the cutting device 1 of the embodiment 1, that is, the trimming method, is a method for trimming the surface of the cutting blade 21 fixed to the front end of the spindle 22 and dividing the workpiece 200 into individual components 203.

The cutting device 1 of the above-mentioned structure is that the operator registers the processing conditions in the control unit 100, and the cassette 51 storing the workpiece 200 and the trimming plate 90 before the cutting process is set on the cassette elevator 50. Afterwards, if the cutting device 1 receives the start instruction of the processing operation from the operator through the input unit, the processing operation, that is, the trimming method of embodiment 1, is started. If the cutting device 1 starts the processing operation, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 drives the spindle motor to rotate the spindle 22 around the axis at the number of rotations set by the processing conditions, and determines whether it is the time for plane trimming (step ST1).

The plane finishing timing refers to the timing of performing plane finishing on the cutting blade 21 of the cutting unit 20. In the first embodiment, the plane finishing timing is, for example, every time a preset number of workpieces 200 are cut, and is registered in the control unit 100 as a part of the processing conditions. In addition, the plane finishing timing of the present invention is not limited to every time a preset number of workpieces 200 are cut. If the cutting device 1 determines that the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 is not in the plane finishing timing (step ST1: No), it proceeds to the processing step ST2.

(Processing step) Figure 8 is a side view showing a processing step of the trimming method shown in Figure 7 in partial section. Processing step ST2 is a step of holding the workpiece 200 on the holding table 10 and cutting the workpiece 200 on the holding table 10 with a cutting blade 21.

In the processing step ST2, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the conveying unit to take out the workpiece 200 before cutting from the cartridge 51, and places the back side 204 of the workpiece 200 on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 through the adhesive film 206. The control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the vacuum suction source, etc., to suck and hold the back side 204 of the workpiece 200 on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 through the adhesive film 206, and clamps the annular frame 205 with the clamping unit 12. The control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the X-axis moving unit 41 to move the holding table 10 toward the bottom of the cutting unit 20, and controls the imaging unit 30 to shoot the workpiece 200, and completes the alignment based on the image captured by the imaging unit 30.

In the processing step ST2, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the cutting unit 20 and the moving units 41, 42, 43, and 44 to move the workpiece 200 relative to the cutting unit 20 along the predetermined dividing line 202, so that the cutting blade 21 cuts into each predetermined dividing line 202, and divides the workpiece 200 into individual components 203. In the processing step ST2, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the conveying unit to convey the workpiece 200 divided into individual components 203 to the cleaning unit 60, controls the cleaning unit 60 to clean the workpiece 200, and then controls the conveying unit to store the workpiece 200 in the cartridge 51, and proceeds to step ST13.

Furthermore, if the control section 103 of the control unit 100 determines that it is time to perform plane trimming (step ST1: yes), it is determined whether the information about the cutting completion area 601 is stored in the cutting completion area memory section 101, that is, it is determined whether the number of moves of the information about the cutting completion area 601 stored in the cutting completion area memory section 101 is zero (step ST3).

If the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 determines that the information about the cutting completion area 601 is not stored in the cutting completion area memory unit 101, that is, the number of times the information about the cutting completion area 601 stored in the cutting completion area memory unit 101 is moved is zero (step ST3: No), it goes to the position detection step ST4.

(Position detection step) Figure 9 is a top view of the workpiece in the position detection step of the trimming method shown in Figure 7. The position detection step ST4 is a step of photographing the trimming plate 90 held on the holding table 10 with the imaging unit 30 and detecting the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90.

In the position detection step ST4, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the conveying unit to take out the trimming plate 90 from the cassette 51 and place the trimming plate 90 on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 through the adhesive film 206. The control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the vacuum suction source and the like to suck and hold the trimming plate 90 on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 through the adhesive film 206, and clamps the annular frame 205 with the clamping unit 12. The control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the X-axis moving unit 41 to move the holding table 10 toward the bottom of the cutting unit 20, and controls the camera unit 30 to photograph the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90.

In the first embodiment, in the position detection step ST4, the imaging unit 30 captures the central portion of each outer periphery within the imaging range 501 indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 9, obtains an image of the central portion of each outer periphery within the imaging range 501, and outputs the obtained image to the control unit 100. In the position detection step ST4, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 calculates the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90 held on the holding table 10 based on the image within the imaging range 501, the detection results of each position detection unit, etc., and stores it in the storage device, and proceeds to the trimming range setting step ST5.

(Trimming range setting step) The trimming range setting step ST5 is a step for setting the trimming start position 401 and the trimming end position 402 of the plane trimming. In the trimming range setting step ST5, the trimming range setting section 102 of the control unit 100 calculates the trimming start position 401 and the trimming end position 402 with reference to the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90 stored in the memory device, the margin widths 301 and 302 of the processing conditions, the X-axis direction feed width 303, the number of movements of the cutting blade 21 with respect to the trimming plate 90 during the plane trimming, and the cutting depth 304.

In implementation method 1, in the trimming range setting step ST5, the trimming range setting unit 102 calculates the following position as the initial trimming start position 401: a position from one end 93 of the trimming plate 90 in the X-axis direction to the other end 94 close to a position corresponding to the X-axis direction margin width 301 and a position on the outer side of the trimming plate 90 from one end 91 of the Y-axis direction to a position corresponding to the Y-axis direction margin width 302. In the first embodiment, in the trimming range setting step ST5, the trimming range setting unit 102 calculates the following position as the initial trimming end position 402: a position from one end 93 of the trimming plate 90 in the X-axis direction to the other end 94 corresponding to the X-axis direction margin width 301 and a position on the outer side of the trimming plate 90 from the other end 92 of the Y-axis direction corresponding to the Y-axis direction margin width 302. If the trimming start position 401 and the trimming end position 402 are calculated in the trimming range setting step ST5, the process proceeds to the positioning step ST6.

(Positioning step) Figure 10 is a side view of a cutting unit and a trimming plate showing the positioning step of the trimming method shown in Figure 7 in partial section. Figure 11 is a top view of the cutting unit and the trimming plate shown in Figure 10.

The positioning step ST6 is based on the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90 stored in the memory device, and positions the direction from one end 91 of the trimming plate 90 toward the other end 92 to be parallel to the axis of the main shaft 22, that is, the Y-axis direction. Based on the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90 detected by the position detection step ST4, the lower end of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 is positioned on the outer side of one end 91 of the trimming plate 90 and cuts into the trimming plate 90 to a cutting depth of 304.

In the positioning step ST6, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the rotational moving unit 44 to adjust the direction of the holding table 10 around the axis so that the direction from one end 91 to the other end 92 of the trimming plate 90 becomes parallel to the Y-axis direction. In the positioning step ST6, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls each moving unit 41, 42, 43 to position the lower end of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 of the cutting unit 20 at the initial trimming start position 401 calculated in the trimming range setting step ST5, and proceed to the trimming step ST7.

(Trimming step) Figure 12 is a side view of a cutting unit and a trimming plate in a trimming step of the trimming method shown in Figure 7, with a partial cross section. Figure 13 is a top view of the cutting unit and the trimming plate shown in Figure 12. Figure 14 is a top view of the trimming plate after the trimming step of the trimming method shown in Figure 7.

The trimming step ST7 is a step of flattening the front end of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 by moving the cutting blade 21 relative to the trimming plate 90 after the positioning step ST6 is performed, cutting from one end 91 to the other end 92 of the trimming plate 90. In the trimming step ST7, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the Y-axis moving unit 42 to move the cutting unit 20 in the Y-axis direction from one end 91 to the other end 92 of the trimming plate 90, as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, so that the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 cuts into the trimming plate 90 to form a cutting groove 95. In the trimming step ST7, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the X-axis moving unit 41 and the Y-axis moving unit 42, and after stopping the Y-axis movement of the cutting blade 21 at the trimming end position 402, the cutting blade 21 moves toward the other end 94 in the X-axis direction by an amount corresponding to the X-axis feed width 303, and is positioned at the next trimming start position 401.

In the trimming step ST7, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the Y-axis moving unit 42 to move the cutting unit 20 in the Y-axis direction from the other end 92 to the one end 91 of the trimming plate 90, and cuts the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 into the trimming plate 90 to form a cutting groove 95. In the first embodiment, in the trimming step ST7, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 moves the cutting blade 21 in the Y-axis direction according to the number of movements of the cutting blade 21 with respect to the trimming plate 90 during the plane trimming of the processing conditions, and flattens the front end of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21. In the first embodiment, in the trimming step ST7, as shown in FIG. 14, if two cutting grooves 95 are formed, the process proceeds to the cutting completion area memory step ST8.

(Cutting completion area memory step) Cutting completion area memory step ST8 is a step in which the cutting completion area memory unit 101 memorizes information about the cutting completion area 601 of the trimming plate 90 cut by the plane trimming in the trimming step ST7. In the first embodiment, in the cutting completion area memory step ST8, the cutting completion area memory unit 101 memorizes the accumulated number of times as the information about the cutting completion area 601, and the accumulated number of times is the number of times the cutting blade 21 moves the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction in the trimming step ST7 plus the number of times that has been memorized. In the cutting completion area storage step ST8, if the cutting completion area storage unit 101 stores the cumulative number of times the cutting blade 21 moves the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction during plane trimming as information about the cutting completion area 601, then go to step ST13.

Furthermore, if the control section 103 of the control unit 100 determines that the information about the cutting completion area 601 is stored in the cutting completion area storage section 101, that is, the number of times the information about the cutting completion area 601 stored in the cutting completion area storage section 101 is moved is more than once (step ST3: yes), then proceed to the second trimming range setting step ST9.

(Second trimming range setting step) The second trimming range setting step ST9 is a step for setting the trimming start position 401 and the trimming end position 402 of the plane trimming when the trimming plate 90 has a cutting completion area 601, i.e., a cutting groove 95.

In the second trimming range setting step ST9, the trimming range setting section 102 of the control unit 100 calculates the trimming start position 401 and the trimming end position 402 by referring to the accumulated number of movements of the cutting blade 21 with respect to the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction during plane trimming stored in the cutting completion area memory section 101, the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90 stored in the memory device, the margin widths 301 and 302 of the processing conditions, the X-axis feed width 303, the number of movements of the cutting blade 21 with respect to the trimming plate 90 during plane trimming and the cutting depth 304.

In implementation method 1, in the second trimming range setting step ST9, the trimming range setting unit 102 calculates the center position in the width direction of the cutting groove 95 that was most recently formed in the trimming step ST7 or the second trimming step ST11, and calculates the following position as the initial trimming start position 401: the position of the center position in the width direction of the most recently formed cutting groove 95 is close to the other end 94 corresponding to the position of the feed width 303 in the X-axis direction and the position of the outer side of the trimming plate 90 corresponding to the margin width 302 in the Y-axis direction from one end 91 of the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction. In the first embodiment, in the second trimming range setting step ST9, the trimming range setting unit 102 calculates the following position as the initial trimming end position 402: the position close to the other end 94 of the trimming plate 90 corresponding to the feed width 303 in the X-axis direction from the center position in the width direction of the calculated most recently formed cutting groove 95 and the position on the outer side of the trimming plate 90 corresponding to the Y-axis direction margin width 302 from the other end 92 in the Y-axis direction of the trimming plate 90. If the trimming start position 401 and the trimming end position 402 are calculated in the second trimming range setting step ST9, the process proceeds to the second positioning step ST10.

(Second positioning step) Figure 15 is a top view of the cutting unit and the trimming plate in the second positioning step of the trimming method shown in Figure 7. The second positioning step ST10 is a step of holding the trimming plate 90 with the holding table 10, positioning the lower end of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 at the outer side of one end 91 of the trimming plate 90 and cutting into the trimming plate 90 to a predetermined height position, i.e., a cutting depth 304, based on the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90 detected by the position detection step ST4 and the information about the cutting completion area of the trimming plate 90 stored in the cutting completion area storage step ST8.

In the first embodiment, in the second positioning step ST10, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the conveying unit to take out the trimming plate 90 from the cassette 51, and places the trimming plate 90 on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 through the adhesive film 206. The control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the vacuum suction source, etc., to suck and hold the trimming plate 90 on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 through the adhesive film 206, and clamps the annular frame 205 with the clamping unit 12.

In the second positioning step ST10, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the rotational moving unit 44 based on the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90 stored in the memory device, and adjusts the direction of the holding table 10 around the axis so that the direction from one end 91 to the other end 92 of the trimming plate 90 becomes parallel to the Y-axis direction. In the second positioning step ST10, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls each moving unit 41, 42, 43 to position the lower end of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 of the cutting unit 20 at the initial trimming start position 401 calculated in the second trimming range setting step ST9, and proceeds to the second trimming step ST11.

(Second trimming step) Figure 16 is a top view of the cutting unit and the trimming plate in the second trimming step of the trimming method shown in Figure 7. The second trimming step ST11 is a step of flattening the front end of the cutting blade 24 of the cutting blade 21 by moving the cutting blade 21 relative to the trimming plate 90 and cutting from one end 91 to the other end 92 of the trimming plate 90 after the second positioning step ST10.

In the second trimming step ST11, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the Y-axis moving unit 42 to move the cutting unit 20 in the Y-axis direction from one end 91 to the other end 92 of the trimming plate 90, as shown in FIG16, to form a cutting groove 95 in the trimming plate 90. In the second trimming step ST11, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the X-axis moving unit 41 and the Y-axis moving unit 42 to stop the movement of the cutting blade 21 in the Y-axis direction at the trimming end position 402, and then moves the cutting blade 2 toward the other end 94 in the X-axis direction by an amount corresponding to the X-axis feed width 303, and positions it at the next trimming start position 401.

In the second trimming step ST11, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 controls the Y-axis moving unit 42 to move the cutting unit 20 in the Y-axis direction from the other end 92 to the one end 91 of the trimming plate 90, and cuts the cutting blade 21 into the trimming plate 90 to form a cutting groove 95. In the first embodiment, in the second trimming step ST11, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 moves the cutting blade 21 in the Y-axis direction according to the number of movements of the cutting blade 21 on the trimming plate 90 during the plane trimming of the processing conditions, and flattens the front end of the blade 24 of the cutting blade 21. In the first embodiment, in the second trimming step ST11, if two cutting grooves 95 are formed, the process proceeds to the second cutting completion area storage step ST12.

(Second cutting completion area memory step) The second cutting completion area memory step ST12 is a step in which the cutting completion area memory unit 101 stores information about the cutting completion area 601 of the trimming plate 90 cut by the plane trimming in the second trimming step ST11. In the first embodiment, in the cutting completion area memory step ST8, the cutting completion area memory unit 101 stores the accumulated number of times as the information about the cutting completion area 601, and the accumulated number of times is the number of times the cutting blade 21 moves the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction in the second trimming step ST11 plus the number of times that has been stored. In the cut-completed area storage step ST8, if the cut-completed area storage unit 101 stores information about the cut-completed area 601, the process proceeds to step ST13.

The control unit 103 of the control unit 100 determines in step ST13 whether the trimming plate 90 held on the holding table 10 can be used to trim the cutting blade 21. In the first embodiment, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 calculates the center position in the width direction of the cutting groove 95 formed most recently in the second trimming step ST11, and calculates the position from the calculated center position in the width direction of the cutting groove 95 formed most recently toward the other end 94 by the amount of the X-axis feed width 303. If the distance between the position close to the other end 94 corresponding to the X-axis feed width 303 and the other end 94 is less than the X-axis margin width 301, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 determines that it is impossible to use the trimming plate 90 held on the holding table 10 to flatly trim the cutting blade 21 (step ST13: No), and operates the notification unit 110 and notifies the operator (step ST14).

If the distance between the position corresponding to the X-axis feed width 303 and the other end 94 is greater than the X-axis margin width 301, the control unit 103 of the control unit 100 returns to step ST1. Therefore, in the trimming method of the first embodiment, in the second and subsequent processing steps ST2, after performing at least one of the trimming step ST7 and the second trimming step ST11, the trimming plate 90 is unloaded from the holding table 10 and stored in the cassette 51. Furthermore, in the trimming method of the first embodiment, in the second positioning step ST10, after performing the processing step ST2, the workpiece 200 is unloaded from the holding table 10 and stored in the cassette 51, so that the holding table 10 holds the trimming plate 90.

As mentioned above, the trimming method of implementation mode 1 includes: a position detection step ST4, a positioning step ST6, a trimming step ST7, a cutting completion area memory step ST8, a processing step ST2, a second positioning step ST10, and a second trimming step ST11.

As described above, the trimming method and cutting device 1 of the first embodiment implement the position detection step ST4 for detecting the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate 90, so there is no need to excessively set the Y-axis direction margin width 302, and the Y-axis direction margin width 302 itself can be suppressed. As a result, the trimming method and cutting device 1 can exert the effect of suppressing the time required for plane trimming.

Furthermore, the trimming method and cutting device 1 of the embodiment 1 store information about the cut-finished area 601 of the trimming plate 90 in the cut-finished area storage unit 101 after the trimming steps ST7 and ST11. As a result, the trimming method and cutting device 1 can perform plane trimming without trimming the cut-finished area 601.

Furthermore, the trimming method and the cutting device 1 of the first embodiment store the accumulated number of times the cutting blade 21 moves the trimming plate 90 in the Y-axis direction during the plane trimming as information on the cut-finished area 601 of the trimming plate 90 in the cut-finished area storage unit 101. As a result, the trimming method and the cutting device 1 can perform plane trimming while surely avoiding the cut-finished area 601.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. That is, various modifications can be made and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1: Cutting device 10: Holding table 21: Cutting blade 22: Spindle 30: Camera unit (camera means) 90: Trimming plate 91: One end 92: The other end 200: Workpiece 304: Cutting depth (predetermined height position) 601: Cutting completion area ST2: Processing step ST4: Position detection step ST6: Positioning step ST7: Trimming step ST8: Cutting completion area memory step ST10: Second positioning step ST11: Second trimming step

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a structure of a cutting device for implementing the trimming method of embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a trimming plate for performing plane trimming on the cutting blade of the cutting device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an example of a cross-sectional view of the front end of the blade of the cutting blade before plane trimming of the trimming method of embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is an example of a cross-sectional view of the front end of the blade of the cutting blade after plane trimming of the cutting blade shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a top view of a trimming plate showing the trimming start position and trimming storage position of the trimming method of embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a side view of a trimming plate showing the cutting depth of the trimming method of embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the process of the trimming method of embodiment 1. FIG. 8 is a side view showing the processing step of the trimming method shown in FIG. 7 in a partial cross section. FIG. 9 is a top view of the workpiece in the position detection step of the trimming method shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a side view of the cutting unit and the trimming plate in the positioning step of the trimming method shown in FIG. 7, with a partial section. FIG. 11 is a top view of the cutting unit and the trimming plate shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a side view of the cutting unit and the trimming plate in the trimming step of the trimming method shown in FIG. 7, with a partial section. FIG. 13 is a top view of the cutting unit and the trimming plate shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is a top view of the trimming plate after the trimming step of the trimming method shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 15 is a top view of the cutting unit and the trimming plate in the second positioning step of the trimming method shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 16 is a top view of the cutting unit and the trimming plate in the second trimming step of the trimming method shown in FIG. 7 .

ST2: Processing steps

ST4: Position detection step

ST5: Trim range setting steps

ST6: Positioning step

ST7: Finishing step

ST8: Cutting completed area memory step

ST9: Second trimming range setting step

ST10: Second positioning step

ST11: Second finishing step

ST12: Second cutting completion area memory step

Claims (2)

A trimming method is a method for trimming a surface of a cutting blade fixed to the front end of a main shaft, the method comprising: a position detection step, in which a trimming plate held on a holding table through an adhesive film is photographed by means of a camera to detect the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate; a positioning step, in which a direction from one end of the trimming plate toward the other end is positioned parallel to the axis of the main shaft, and the lower end of the cutting blade is positioned based on the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate detected by the position detection step. The end is positioned at the following position: outside one end of the trimming plate and cuts into the predetermined height of the trimming plate, and the distance from the trimming plate becomes a position included in the margin width of the processing conditions; and a trimming step, after implementing the positioning step, the cutting blade is relatively moved relative to the trimming plate, from the one end of the trimming plate to the other end to the position where the distance from the trimming plate becomes the margin width included in the processing conditions and cuts, thereby flattening the front end of the cutting blade. The trimming method of claim 1 comprises: a cutting completion area memory step, which stores information about the cutting completion area of the trimming plate cut by the trimming step; a processing step, which, after the trimming step is performed, removes the trimming plate from the holding table, holds the workpiece on the holding table with the holding table, and cuts the workpiece on the holding table with the cutting blade; a second positioning step, which, after the processing step is performed, removes the workpiece from the holding table, holds the trimming plate on the holding table, and positions the trimming plate based on the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate detected by the position detection step and the position of the outer periphery of the trimming plate detected by the cutting blade. The information about the cutting completion area of the trimming plate memorized in the cutting completion area memory step is used to position the lower end of the cutting blade at the following position: outside one end of the trimming plate and cutting into the predetermined height of the trimming plate, and the distance from the trimming plate becomes a position with a margin width included in the processing conditions; and a second trimming step, after implementing the second positioning step, the cutting blade is moved relative to the trimming plate, from the one end of the trimming plate to the other end to the position with a distance from the trimming plate becoming the margin width included in the processing conditions and cutting is performed.