Peeling apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12296502-B2
Application number	US-202217805724-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2022
Priority date	Jun 23, 2021
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

There is provided a peeling apparatus including an ingot holding unit that has a holding surface for holding an ingot, a wafer holding unit that is capable of approaching and separating from the ingot holding unit and has a holding surface for holding under suction a wafer to be produced, and a cleaning brush that cleans peel-off surfaces at which the wafer to be produced has been peeled off from the ingot and thereby removes peeling swarf.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A peeling apparatus for peeling off, from an ingot in which a peel-off layer is formed, a wafer to be produced, by positioning a focused spot of a laser beam with a wavelength transmittable through the ingot to a depth corresponding to a thickness of the wafer to be produced, from an end surface of the ingot, and applying the laser beam to the ingot, the peeling apparatus comprising:
an ingot holding unit that has a holding surface for holding the ingot;
a wafer holding unit that is capable of approaching and separating from the ingot holding unit and has a holding surface for holding under suction the wafer to be produced;
a cleaning brush that cleans peel-off surfaces at which the wafer to be produced has been peeled off from the ingot and thereby removes peeling swarf; and
a brush rotating unit including a motor that is coupled to the cleaning brush; and
wherein the brush rotating unit is configured and arranged such that the motor rotates the cleaning brush about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface of the wafer holding unit and the holding surface of the ingot holding unit, and
wherein at least one of a peel-off surface of the wafer held by the wafer holding unit or a peel-off surface of the ingot held by the ingot holding unit is cleaned by the cleaning brush being caused to come into contact with the one of the peel-off surfaces in a state in which the cleaning brush is rotated about the axis,
wherein the cleaning brush includes:
a first cleaning brush that faces the holding surface of the wafer holding unit and cleans a peel-off surface of the wafer that has been peeled off from the ingot, and
a second cleaning brush that faces the holding surface of the ingot holding unit and cleans a peel-off surface of the ingot from which the wafer has been peeled off, and

further wherein the cleaning brush is capable of simultaneously performing cleaning of the peel-off surface of the wafer by the first cleaning brush and cleaning of the peel-off surface of the ingot by the second cleaning brush.

2. The peeling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the ingot holding unit is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface of the ingot holding unit,
the wafer holding unit is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface of the wafer holding unit, and
one of the peel-off surfaces is cleaned by the cleaning brush being caused to come into contact with the one peel-off surface in a state in which at least one of the ingot holding unit or the wafer holding unit is rotated about the axis.

3. The peeling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning brush is movable between:
an operative position where the cleaning brush faces at least one of a peel-off surface of the ingot held by the ingot holding unit or a peel-off surface of the wafer held by the wafer holding unit, and
an inoperative position where the cleaning brush faces neither the peel-off surface of the ingot held by the ingot holding unit nor the peel-off surface of the wafer held by the wafer holding unit.

4. The peeling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an ultrasonic wave applying unit that applies an ultrasonic wave to the ingot.

5. The peeling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an ingot rotating unit, including an ingot rotating motor, that is configured and arranged to rotate the ingot holding about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface of the ingot holding unit; and
a wafer rotating unit, including a wafer rotating motor, that is configured and arranged to rotate the wafer holding unit about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface of the wafer holding unit, and
wherein one of the peel-off surfaces is cleaned by the cleaning brush being caused to come into contact with the one peel-off surface in a state in which at least one of the ingot holding unit or the wafer holding unit is rotated about the axis.

6. A peeling apparatus for peeling off, from an ingot in which a peel-off layer is formed, a wafer to be produced, by positioning a focused spot of a laser beam with a wavelength transmittable through the ingot to a depth corresponding to a thickness of the wafer to be produced, from an end surface of the ingot, and applying the laser beam to the ingot, the peeling apparatus comprising:
an ingot holding unit that has a holding surface for holding the ingot;
a wafer holding unit that is capable of approaching and separating from the ingot holding unit and has a holding surface for holding under suction the wafer to be produced;
a cleaning brush that cleans peel-off surfaces at which the wafer to be produced has been peeled off from the ingot and thereby removes peeling swarf; and
a brush rotating unit including a motor that is coupled to the cleaning brush; and
wherein the brush rotating unit is configured and arranged such that the motor rotates the cleaning brush about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface of the wafer holding unit and the holding surface of the ingot holding unit, and
wherein at least one of a peel-off surface of the wafer held by the wafer holding unit or a peel-off surface of the ingot held by the ingot holding unit is cleaned by the cleaning brush being caused to come into contact with the one of the peel-off surfaces in a state in which the cleaning brush is rotated about the axis, and
wherein the cleaning brush includes:
a first cleaning brush that faces the holding surface of the wafer holding unit and cleans a peel-off surface of the wafer that has been peeled off from the ingot, and
a second cleaning brush that faces the holding surface of the ingot holding unit and cleans a peel-off surface of the ingot from which the wafer has been peeled off, and

wherein the cleaning brush is capable of simultaneously performing cleaning of the peel-off surface of the wafer by the first cleaning brush and cleaning of the peel-off surface of the ingot by the second cleaning brush, and
wherein the peeling apparatus further comprises:
an ingot rotating unit, including an ingot rotating motor, that is configured and arranged to rotate the ingot holding about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface of the ingot holding unit; and
a wafer rotating unit, including a wafer rotating motor, that is configured and arranged to rotate the wafer holding unit about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface of the wafer holding unit.

Assignees

• Disco Corp

Inventors

• Honoki Koyo
• Yamamoto Ryohei

Classifications

• B08B1/36

  rotating about an axis orthogonal to the surface · CPC title

• B08B1/32

  using rotary cleaning members · CPC title

• B08B1/12

  Brushes · CPC title

• B28D5/0052

  Means for supporting or holding work during breaking (means for conveying work to or discharging work from the breaking machine B28D5/0058) · CPC title

• B23K26/53 Primary

  for modifying or reforming the material inside the workpiece, e.g. for producing break initiation cracks · CPC title