Cutting – With means to monitor and control operation – Including means to correct the sensed operation
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-05
2004-05-04
Shoap, Allan N. (Department: 3724)
Cutting
With means to monitor and control operation
Including means to correct the sensed operation
C083S412000, C125S013010, C225S103000, C356S399000, 36, C451S011000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06729215
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dicing machine in which a blade rotates at a high speed by the use of a spindle so as to cut a semiconductor wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A dicing machine which is commonly called a semi-automatic dicing machine is provided with a split-field microscope having a pair of object lenses that are arranged at positions as separate as possible from each other, and aligns a wafer in accordance with images of two cut-lines at the separate positions.
In manufacturing process of the dicing machine, parallel adjustment is performed in which two cut-line images displayed on a monitor are adjusted to be in parallel with a cutting line (hereunder referred to as a cut-line) of a blade so that the monitor displays an accurate cut-line of the blade.
In a conventional parallel adjustment, first, a semiconductor wafer is held on a cutting table of the dicing machine, and a portion of the wafer on which chips are not formed is cut by one line with the blade. The cut-line is then imaged by right and left CCD cameras which are arranged on optical axes of right and left object lenses of the split-field microscope, and right and left images of the cut-line are displayed on the monitor.
Next, the operator rotates the right and left CCD cameras while looking at the monitor so as to correct the right and left cut-line images to be parallel to each other on the monitor. At that time, the right and left cut-line images are not aligned, and the right and left cut-line images are displaced from the horizontal central axis on the monitor.
Then, the operator moves the right and left CCD cameras in a vertical direction while looking at the monitor so as to align the right and left cut-line images with the horizontal central axis of the monitor, and at the same time to arrange the right and left cut-line images in the same straight line within a deviation of 1 &mgr;m to 2 &mgr;m on the wafer. The conventional parallel adjustment is completed through the above-described process.
However, since the parallel adjustment in the conventional dicing machine is mechanically performed by moving the CCD cameras, a fine adjustment is difficult and it requires much time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dicing machine in which a parallel adjustment process between a cut-line of a blade and cut-line images displayed on a monitor can be easily performed.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention is directed to a dicing machine in which a blade rotates at a high speed so as to cut a semiconductor wafer, comprising: a first imaging device and a second imaging device which image a cut-line of the blade on the semiconductor wafer to capture a first cut-line image and a second cut-line image, respectively, the first and second imaging devices being arranged at a predetermined length between each other; a monitor which displays the first and second cut-line images side by side; and an image moving device which electronically moves at least one of the first and second cut-line images on the monitor to align the first and second cut-line images on the monitor.
According to the present invention, at least one of the first and second cut-line images displayed on the monitor is electronically moved by the image moving device so as to arrange the first and second cut-line images in the same straight line on the monitor. Thus, in the dicing machine of the present invention, the parallel adjustment can be easily performed as compared with the conventional dicing machine in which the parallel adjustment is mechanically performed by moving an imaging device.
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Nishina Osamu
Sakaya Yasuyuki
Takatori Masami
Alie Ghassem
Nixon & Peabody LLP
Safran David S.
Shoap Allan N.
Tokyo Seimitsu Co. Ltd.
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