Grinding wheel truing tool and manufacturing method thereof, and truing apparatus, method for manufacturing grinding wheel and wafer edge grinding apparatus using the same

• US 8,398,464 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siltron Inc. (SK Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Siltron Inc. (SK Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Yong-Dug, Cho, Gye-Je, Yong, Mun-Suk, Jung, Hwan-Yun, Lee, Kyung-Moo, Hyun, Dong-Hwan, Kim, Jae-Young
• Primary Examiner(s): RACHUBA, MAURINA T
• Application Number:
  US12/332,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20090156104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 451285-290, 451/443
• US Class Current: 451/285
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 53/07 by means of forming tools having a shape complementary to that to be produced, e.g. blocks, profile rolls
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 9/065 of thin, brittle parts, e.g. semiconductors, wafers
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 18/00 Manufacture of grinding tools or other grinding devices, e.g. wheels, not otherwise provided for

Abstract

The present invention relates to a grinding wheel truing tool, its manufacturing method, and a truing apparatus, a method for manufacturing a grinding wheel and a wafer edge grinding apparatus using the same. The grinding wheel truing tool of the present invention compensates a groove of a fine-grinding wheel for fine-grinding a wafer edge, and includes a truer having an edge of the same angle as a slanted surface of the groove of the fine-grinding wheel and a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the groove. The present invention uses the truing tool to easily process the groove of the grinding wheel for fine-grinding the wafer edge.

Claims

1. A grinding wheel truing tool, which compensates a groove of a fine-grinding wheel for fine-grinding a wafer edge, comprising:

a truer having an edge of the same angle as a slanted surface of the groove of the fine-grinding wheel and of a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the groove,

wherein a thickness of the truer is larger than a width of the groove of the fine-grinding wheel such that a slanted surface of the edge of the truer extends past an outer edge of the slanted surface of the groove of the fine-grinding wheel when the slanted surfaces of the edge of the truer and the groove of the fine-grinding wheel make contact with each other.

2. The grinding wheel truing tool according to claim 1,

wherein the truer is a first truer configured to compensate a groove of a notch fine-grinding wheel for fine-grinding a notch of the wafer edge, and the first truer has an edge of a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape.

3. The grinding wheel truing tool according to claim 2,

wherein the first truer is a diamond wheel formed by electroplating or metal bonding.

4. The grinding wheel truing tool according to claim 1,

wherein the truer is a second truer configured to compensate a groove of a round fine-grinding wheel for fine-grinding a round of the wafer edge, and the second truer has an edge of a semi-circular cross-sectional shape.

5. The grinding wheel truing tool according to claim 4,

wherein the second truer is a diamond wheel formed by electroplating or metal bonding.

7. A method for manufacturing a wafer edge grinding wheel, which manufactures a notch fine-grinding wheel by forming a groove along an outer periphery of the notch fine-grinding wheel having no groove using the first truer defined in claim 2.

8. A method for manufacturing a wafer edge grinding wheel, which manufactures a round fine-grinding wheel by forming a groove along an outer periphery of the round fine-grinding wheel having no groove using the second truer defined in claim 4.

6. A truing apparatus for a wafer edge grinding wheel, comprising:

a first truer configured to compensate a groove of a notch fine-grinding wheel for fine-grinding a notch of a wafer edge, the first truer having an edge of the same angle as a slanted surface of the groove of the notch fine-grinding wheel and a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the groove of the notch fine-grinding wheel, the cross-sectional shape of the edge of the first truer being a trapezoid; and

a second truer configured to compensate a groove of a round fine-grinding wheel for fine-grinding a round of a wafer edge, the second truer having an edge of the same angle as a slanted surface of the groove of the round fine-grinding wheel and a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the groove of the round fine-grinding wheel, the cross-sectional shape of the edge of the second truer being a semicircle.

9. A wafer edge grinding apparatus, comprising:

a chuck configured to mount and rotate a wafer;

a grinding wheel configured to grind an edge of the wafer, and including a round rough-grinding wheel, a notch rough-grinding wheel, a notch fine-grinding wheel and a round fine-grinding wheel, each having a groove;

a grinding operation unit configured to mount and rotate the grinding wheel and move the grinding wheel to contact the groove of the grinding wheel with the edge of the wafer mounted on the chuck;

a first truer having an edge of a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the groove of the notch fine-grinding wheel and configured to compensate the groove of the notch fine-grinding wheel;

a second truer having an edge of a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the groove of the round fine-grinding wheel and configured to compensate the groove of the round fine-grinding wheel; and

a truing operation unit configured to mount and rotate the first and second truers and move the first and second truers to contact the edges of the first and second truers with the groove of each grinding wheel on a level with the groove of each grinding wheel.

10. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein a slanted surface of the edge of the first truer is extended such that a thickness of the first truer is larger than a width of the groove of the notch fine-grinding wheel, and

wherein a slanted surface of the edge of the second truer is extended such that a thickness of the second truer is larger than a width of the groove of the round fine-grinding wheel.

11. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein each of the first truer and the second truer is a diamond wheel formed by electroplating or metal bonding.

12. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a control unit configured to predict wear of the groove of the grinding wheel from wafer edge process results, set the number of times the groove is used and a process time, and in the case that wear of the groove is predicted from wafer edge processing results or the number of times the groove is used reaches a preset number or the process time exceeds a preset time, stop grinding the wafer edge.

13. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein, in response to the stop of wafer edge grinding, the control unit controls the truing operation unit to contact the first truer or the second truer with the notch fine-grinding wheel or the round fine-grinding wheel, respectively, so as to compensate the groove of the fine-grinding wheel, or controls the grinding operation unit to contact the wafer edge with a groove of the notch fine-grinding wheel that is not worn or a groove of the round fine-grinding wheel that is not worn.

14. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the truing operation unit has a servo motor and an electronic scale for controlling a movement amount of the first truer and the second truer.

15. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the round fine-grinding wheel is a helical wheel that is slanted at a predetermined angle and is rotated relative to a plane comprising a surface of the wafer.

16. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the truing operation unit includes:

a first truing operation unit configured to mount the first truer on a level with the groove of the notch fine-grinding wheel and rotate and move the first truer to contact the first truer with the groove of the notch fine-grinding wheel; and

a second truing operation unit configured to mount the second truer on a level with the groove of the round fine-grinding wheel and rotate and move the second truer to contact the second truer with the groove of the round fine-grinding wheel.

17. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the grinding operation unit includes:

a first grinding operation unit configured to mount and rotate the notch rough-grinding wheel, the notch fine-grinding wheel and the round fine-grinding wheel; and

a second grinding operation unit configured to mount and rotate the round rough-grinding wheel.

18. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the round fine-grinding wheel is a vertical wheel that is mounted on a level with a plane comprising a surface of the wafer and is rotated.

19. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 18,

wherein the first truer and the second truer are mounted parallel with each other on the same rotation axis in the truing operation unit.

20. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 18,

wherein the grinding operation unit includes:

a first grinding operation unit configured to mount and rotate the notch rough-grinding wheel and the notch fine-grinding wheel; and

a second grinding operation unit configured to mount and rotate the round rough-grinding wheel and the round fine-grinding wheel.

21. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 20,

wherein the round rough-grinding wheel and the round fine-grinding wheel are mounted parallel with each other on the same rotation axis in the second grinding operation unit.

22. The wafer edge grinding apparatus according to claim 18,

wherein the round rough-grinding wheel and the round fine-grinding wheel are formed integrally with each other.