JP2000176827A - Wafer loading device and manufacture of wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and stably position a wafer and a wafer loading face of a polishing head when the wafer is loaded on the polishing head. SOLUTION: A loading device 1 is provided with a plane-viewed circular loading part 2 equipped with a base body part 17, a wafer supporting part 18, and a retainer ring engaging part 19. Then, the retainer ring engaging part 19, and the base body part 17 and the wafer supporting part 18, are respectively connected by a first energizing means 21 and a second energizing means 22. The wafer supporting part 18 is adapted to be floated on the retainer ring engaging part 19 and the base body part 17. Thus, when a wafer W is loaded, the wafer W is guided to the inner peripheral wall surface etc., of the retainer ring engaging part 19 by the floating effect to be positioned, and thereby the wafer W can be positively loaded on the polishing head.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wafer loading apparatus for mounting a wafer to be polished on a lower surface of a polishing head, and a method for manufacturing a wafer using the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a wafer polishing apparatus for polishing a surface of a semiconductor wafer, a wafer polishing head for holding a wafer and a platen to which a polishing pad is attached are arranged to face each other, and the wafer surface is pressed against the polishing pad. While the slurry containing the abrasive grains is being supplied, the wafer is polished by rotating the wafer polishing head planetarily on the polishing pad.

As shown in FIG. 6, a head body 53 composed of a top plate portion 51 and a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 52 fixed to the outer periphery of the top plate portion 51, as shown in FIG.
3, a diaphragm 54 made of an elastic material such as rubber, a pressure adjusting mechanism 56 for adjusting the pressure in the fluid chamber 58, a disk-shaped carrier 55 fixed to the lower surface of the diaphragm 54, A carrier 55 includes an annular retainer ring 57 disposed concentrically on the outer periphery of a carrier 55.

[0004] The carrier 55 and the retainer ring 57 are
The retainer ring 57 is fixed to a carrier fixing ring 59 and a retainer ring fixing ring 62 provided on the upper surface of the diaphragm 54, and the retainer ring 57 is concentric with a slight gap between the outer peripheral surface of the carrier 55 and the peripheral wall portion 52. It is arranged in a shape. When polishing the wafer, the wafer 7
0 is attached to the wafer attachment sheet 71 provided on the lower surface of the carrier 55 while the outer periphery is locked by the retainer ring 57. And the surface of the wafer 70 is
The wafer is polished by rotating the wafer polishing head 50 while being in contact with the polishing pad 63 stuck on the upper surface of the platen 61 and supplying the slurry containing the polishing abrasive.

At this time, in order to mount the wafer 70 on the lower surface of the polishing head 50, it is often the case that the wafer 70 is automatically mounted by a wafer loading apparatus having a disk-shaped wafer support. At this time, the wafer 70 is housed in the wafer cassette, taken out of the wafer cassette by the wafer take-out mechanism, and transported to the wafer loading device. Then, the wafer 70 is transferred below the polishing head 50 by the wafer loading device, and the wafer 70 is mounted on the polishing head 50 by bringing the wafer support portion close to the polishing head 50.

[0006]

A wafer 70 is mounted on the polishing head 50 by using such a wafer loading apparatus.
In order to stably lock the wafer 70 to the retainer ring 57, it is necessary to accurately position the wafer 70 at the time of mounting. However, in order to accurately lock the wafer 70 with respect to the retainer ring 57 due to the clearance and processing accuracy of each part of the wafer loading device, or the accuracy of each driving unit, the high processing accuracy of each part is required. Also, the accuracy of each drive unit is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a wafer loading apparatus and a wafer manufacturing method capable of easily and stably positioning a wafer when mounted on a polishing head. It is intended to be.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is directed to a wafer loading apparatus for mounting a wafer to be polished on a polishing head,
A loading part formed in a plane circular shape for mounting the wafer and attaching it to a polishing head, a turning arm supporting the loading part, a turning axis supporting the turning arm horizontally and freely turning, and the turning An arm elevating mechanism that supports the arm so as to be able to move up and down together with the loading portion, and a turning drive source for rotating the turning shaft are provided. A wafer support having an annular retainer ring engaging portion and a wafer mounting portion provided concentrically below the retainer ring engaging portion and slidably fitted to an inner peripheral wall surface of the retainer ring engaging portion; Portion, and a base portion provided below the wafer support portion and connected to the pivot arm to support the wafer support portion. The wafer support portion and the retainer ring engaging portion and the wafer support portion and the base portion are supported by being horizontally movable and vertically urged by first urging means and second urging means, respectively. It is characterized by being.

According to the present invention, the wafer supporting portion for supporting the wafer is connected to the retainer ring engaging portion and the base portion by the first urging means and the second urging means, respectively. Are supported by the first and second urging means so as to be horizontally movable and urged vertically. That is, when the wafer is mounted on the lower surface of the polishing head, the retainer ring engaging portion is locked by its positioning portion abutting on the lower surface of the retainer ring,
On the other hand, the base portion is fixed by being connected to the turning arm, and the wafer supporting portion has a floating structure based on the retainer ring engaging portion and the base portion. Therefore, when mounting the wafer,
Even if the position of the wafer is slightly shifted from the lower surface of the carrier, which is the wafer mounting surface of the polishing head, as the wafer support approaches the lower surface of the carrier, the wafer support having a floating structure is swung. This allows the wafer to be accurately positioned while being guided by the inner peripheral wall surface of the retainer ring engaging portion and the inner peripheral wall surface of the retainer ring, so that the wafer is stably mounted on the lower surface of the carrier. Further, the wafer and the lower surface of the carrier are not suddenly brought into contact with each other due to the floating effect of the wafer supporting portion in the vertical direction, so that damage to the lower surface of the wafer and the carrier can be prevented.

When the wafer is mounted on the polishing head, the distance between the upper surface of the wafer and the mounting surface of the polishing head is set to be smaller than the distance between the wafer supporting portion and the retainer ring engaging portion. Thus, before the wafer is mounted on the carrier, which is the wafer mounting surface of the polishing head, the retainer ring engaging portion does not come into contact with the wafer support portion, so that the wafer support portion swings until the wafer is mounted on the carrier. And the effect of the floating structure can be obtained. In other words, the wafer is positioned in the horizontal direction by the floating effect, and when the wafer is brought into contact with the lower surface of the carrier, the base portion and the wafer supporting portion are in contact with each other, whereby the wafer supporting portion is lifted upward. By doing so, the wafer and the lower surface of the carrier are in contact with each other, but the wafer support and the retainer ring engaging part are not in contact, so that the floating effect is not lost until the wafer is mounted on the polishing head. The wafer and the lower surface of the carrier are securely contacted.

In addition, a head cleaning mechanism for cleaning the polishing head is provided near the center of the cross section of the loading portion, and foreign matter is removed from the lower portion of the polishing head and the lower surface of the carrier before the wafer is mounted. Poor adhesion of the wafer to the lower surface of the carrier can be prevented, and damage to the wafer due to foreign matter can be prevented.

Since the wafer supporting portion is provided with a locking portion for locking excessive movement in the horizontal and vertical directions, if a large disturbance acts on the wafer supporting portion, the wafer supporting portion may be disturbed. Even in the case of large floating, the wafer supporting portion is prevented from being excessively moved by the locking portion, so that the wafer supported by the wafer supporting portion does not interfere with each part of the polishing head and the loading portion, and Damage can be prevented.

An annular retainer ring engaging portion having a positioning portion engageable with a lower portion of the retainer ring;
A wafer support portion having a wafer mounting portion provided concentrically below the retainer ring engagement portion and slidably fitted to an inner peripheral wall surface of the retainer ring engagement portion; and a wafer support portion below the wafer support portion. A base portion provided to support the wafer support portion and a loading portion having a head cleaning mechanism for polishing head cleaning are arranged below the polishing head, and a cleaning liquid is jetted from the head cleaning mechanism. After washing the polishing head, then, after loading the unpolished wafer on the wafer mounting portion by moving the loading portion from below the polishing head,
The wafer support portion is engaged with the retainer ring by placing the loading portion closer to the polishing head and bringing the retainer ring engaging portion into contact with the retainer ring of the polishing head. To the polishing head while supporting the wafer supporting portion while being movable in the horizontal direction and vertically urged between the portion and the base portion, and guiding the wafer support portion to the retainer ring engaging portion inner peripheral wall surface and the retainer ring inner peripheral wall surface. The wafer is polished by mounting the wafer on the polishing head by approaching the wafer, and rotating the polishing head while pressing a surface to be polished of the wafer against a polishing pad. By the manufacturing method of the above, the wafer mounting portion of the wafer support portion having a floating structure Unpolished wafers are lifting is precisely is securely attached to the polishing head and the retainer in the ring engaging portion peripheral wall surface and is guided into the retainer ring within the circumferential wall. Further, since the polishing head mounts the wafer after being cleaned by the head cleaning mechanism, damage to the wafer is prevented and stable mounting can be realized.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a wafer loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing one embodiment of a wafer loading apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view seen from above in FIG.

In FIG. 1 and FIG.
Is a loading section 2 formed in a plane circular shape, a swing arm 3 supporting the loading section 2, and a swing arm 3.
A swing shaft 4 that supports the swing arm 3 in a horizontally swingable manner, and an arm lifting mechanism 5 that supports the swing arm 3 in a vertically movable manner.
A polishing pad 47 attached to a platen 46 is disposed below the loading section 2.

An outer cylinder 6 fixed to the apparatus mount 7 by bolts is provided around a vertically disposed turning shaft 4, and upper and lower ends of the turning shaft 4 project from the outer tube 6. It is formed so that. Further, two bearings 8 and 9 are installed inside the outer cylinder portion 6, and the turning shaft 4 is
It is rotatably supported by bearings 8 and 9.

Below the turning shaft 4, a cylinder 10 as a driving source for rotating the turning shaft 4 is installed in a horizontal direction. The base end 10a of the cylinder 10 is
1 and a link joint 12 is provided at the working end 10b. A connecting shaft 13 is fixed to a lower end 4 a of the turning shaft 4 protruding from a lower end of the outer cylindrical portion 6 so as to extend in the horizontal direction. Are linked. Then, the turning shaft 4 is rotated by driving the cylinder 10 to move the connecting shaft 13 in FIG. 2 like the connecting shaft 13 ′.

A turning arm 3 formed to extend in the horizontal direction is connected to the upper end of the turning shaft 4. Then, the turning arm 3 rotates the turning shaft 4,
It turns in the range from L to L 'in FIG.

The turning arm 3 is moved up and down by an arm elevating mechanism 5 provided above the turning shaft 4. The arm elevating mechanism 5 is provided with a guide shaft 5a, and the arm elevating mechanism 5 is moved up and down along the guide shaft 5a.

At the tip of the swivel arm 3, there is provided a loading section 2 for attaching the wafer W to the polishing head. The loading portion 2 is formed in a plane circular shape, and a hollow portion 15 having a mortar shape is provided inside the loading portion 2. Further, a head cleaning mechanism 16 for cleaning the polishing head is provided on the bottom 2a of the loading section 2. From the head cleaning mechanism 16, cleaning water for cleaning the lower surface of the polishing head is jetted, and the cleaning water is jetted vertically upward.

The loading portion 2 includes a base 17 formed in a mortar shape so as to surround the hollow portion 15, and a wafer W formed concentrically above the edge 17 a of the base 17.
And a retainer ring engaging portion 19 provided in an annular shape above the wafer supporting portion 18.

As shown in FIG. 3, the edge 1 of the base 17
A convex portion 17b is formed on the upper surface of 7a so as to follow the ring, and a gap is formed between the locking portion 20 having a circular concave shape on the lower surface of the wafer supporting portion 18 and the convex portion 17b. Open and engaged. Further, the base portion 17 and the wafer support portion 18 are connected by a second urging means 22 composed of a spring, and are connected at a plurality of positions as shown in FIG. Since the wafer support portion 18 is connected to the base portion 17 by the second urging means 22 composed of a spring, the wafer support portion 18 is supported by being movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the base portion 17 and urged in the vertical direction. . The base 17
Since the convex portion 17b and the locking portion 20 are engaged with a gap therebetween, even when an unexpected large disturbance or the like occurs, it is possible to prevent the wafer supporting portion 18 from swinging greatly,
The wafer W supported by the wafer supporting portion 18 is prevented from being damaged by contact with a surrounding polishing head or the like.

A wafer mounting portion 18b is formed on the inner edge side of the wafer support portion 18 so as to conform to the shape of the wafer W, and the tip thereof is formed in an annular shape concentrically above the wafer support portion 18. Extend to the inner peripheral wall surface 19b side of the retainer ring engaging portion 19. And the tip surface 18c
Is formed in a planar shape, and the wafer W
Is to be abutted.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the lip 17a of the base 17 and the arm 3
And the first bolt 30 and the second bolt 3
1 is provided. By adjusting the first bolt 30 and the second bolt 31, the inclination of the loading section 2 can be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the retainer ring engaging portion 19 provided in an annular shape above the wafer support portion 18 has a retainer convex to the outer edge side along the lower surface shape of the retainer ring 40. The ring positioning portion 19a is formed in a tapered shape along the ring. When the wafer W is mounted on the lower surface of the carrier 41 which is the wafer mounting surface of the polishing head, the upper surface of the retainer ring engaging portion 19 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the retainer ring, and the retainer ring positioning portion 19a and the retainer ring 40 are mounted. Is engaged, the retainer ring engaging portion 19 is fixed.

The retainer ring engaging portion 19 and the wafer supporting portion 18 are connected by a first biasing means 21 comprising a plurality of springs provided along a ring, and the wafer supporting portion 18 is connected to the retainer ring engaging portion. Based on the joint 19,
It is movable in the horizontal direction and urged in the vertical direction to be supported. When the wafer W is mounted on the lower surface of the carrier 41, the retainer ring engaging portion 19 is fixed by engaging the positioning portion 19a with the lower surface of the retainer ring 40.
It floats between the retainer ring engaging part 19 and the base part 17.

When the retainer ring engaging portion 19 comes into contact with the lower surface of the retainer ring 40, the opposing surface 18d of the wafer supporting portion 18 which faces the retainer ring engaging portion 19 and the retainer ring engaging portion. Lower surface 1 of joint 19
The distance D1 to 9d is set to be larger than the distance D2 between the upper surface of the wafer W and the lower surface of the carrier 41 of the polishing head.

When the wafer W is mounted on the polishing head by such a wafer loading apparatus 1, first, the wafer W is not mounted on the loading section 2, and the cylinder, which is a turning drive source of the loading section 2, is driven. 10 is driven to rotate the loading unit 2, and the loading unit 2 is arranged on the lower surface of the polishing head.

Then, in order to clean the polishing head, cleaning water is jetted from the head cleaning mechanism 16 to clean the lower portion of the polishing head and the lower surface of the carrier 41. The cleaning removes foreign matter from the lower portion of the polishing head and the lower surface of the carrier 41. Therefore, it is possible to prevent poor adhesion of the wafer W to the lower surface of the carrier 41 due to the foreign material.
Can also be prevented from being damaged.

After the lower portion of the polishing head and the lower surface of the carrier 41 have been cleaned, the loading section 2 is rotated by driving the cylinder 10 so as to be separated from below the polishing head. The loading unit 2 is rotated to approach a wafer transfer mechanism (not shown), receives the transferred wafer W, and causes the wafer support unit 18 of the loading unit 2 to support the wafer W. The loading unit 2 that has received the wafer W is turned again below the polishing head.

The loading section 2 supporting the wafer W is rotated by an arm elevating mechanism 5 to rotate the pivot arm 3.
In conjunction with this, it is approached to the polishing head. Then, the lower surface of the retainer ring 40 and the positioning portion 19a of the retainer ring engaging portion 19 are engaged, and the retainer ring engaging portion 19 is fixed.

The loading unit 2 is further moved closer to the polishing head by driving the arm lifting / lowering mechanism 5. At this time, the wafer supporting portion 18 has a floating structure based on the base portion 17 and the retainer ring engaging portion 19. That is, the wafer support portion 18 and the retainer ring engaging portion 19, and the wafer support portion 18 and the base portion 17
The retainer ring engaging portion 19 is supported by the first urging means 21 and the second urging means 22 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction and urged in the vertical direction. And the base portion 17 is supported by the revolving arm 3, so that the wafer support portion 18 is in a floating state, and is swung while supporting the wafer W. For this reason, the wafer mounting portion 18b of the wafer support portion 18 is slidably fitted on the inner peripheral wall surface 19b of the retainer ring engaging portion 19, and the position of the carrier 41 and the wafer W is slightly shifted. However, as the loading unit 2 is lifted, the wafer W placed on the wafer placement unit 18 b is floated while the wafer W is floated and the inner peripheral wall surface 19 b of the retainer ring engagement unit 19 and the retainer ring 40. Positioning is performed with high precision by being guided by the inner peripheral wall surface.

Then, the loading unit 2 is further moved closer to the polishing head. At this time, when the engaging portion 20 and the convex portion 17b come into contact with each other by being pushed up from below,
The wafer support 18 and the base 17 are brought into contact with each other. Then, the wafer support portion 18 is positioned upward so that the wafer mounting portion 18b on which the wafer W is mounted is along the inner peripheral wall surface 19b of the retainer ring engaging portion while the horizontal positioning is performed by the floating effect. The wafer W is mounted on the lower surface of the carrier 41 by being slid.

At this time, the distance D1 between the lower surface 19d of the retainer ring engaging portion 19 and the opposing surface 18d of the wafer support 18 is provided to be larger than the distance D2 between the upper surface of the wafer W and the lower surface of the carrier 41. Therefore, before the wafer W is mounted on the carrier 41, the lower surface 19d of the retainer ring engaging portion 19 does not contact the opposing surface 18d of the wafer support portion 18, and the wafer support portion 18
Is floated until it is mounted on the carrier 41,
The wafer W is securely mounted on the polishing head.

Since the wafer supporting portion 18 is urged in the vertical direction by the first and second urging means 21 and 22 made of a spring and floats, the wafer supporting portion 18 is mounted when the wafer W is mounted. The wafer W and the lower surface of the carrier 41 are not suddenly brought into contact with each other, so that damage to the wafer W and the lower surface of the carrier 41 can be prevented.

The wafer support portion 18 has a locking portion 20 for locking excessive movement in the horizontal and vertical directions.
Because even if a large disturbance acts on the wafer support portion 18 and the wafer support portion 18 is largely floated, the wafer support portion 18 is prevented from being excessively moved by the locking portion 20, The wafer W supported by the wafer support unit 18 does not interfere with the polishing head and each part of the loading unit 2, and damage to the wafer W can be prevented.

As described above, the wafer supporting portion 18 supporting the wafer W includes the first urging means 21 and the second urging means 22.
, The wafer support portion 18 is connected to the retainer ring engaging portion 19 and the base portion 17, respectively.
Because of the floating structure, which is horizontally movable by the urging means 21 and the second urging means 22 and supported by being urged in the vertical direction, the carrier 41 which is the wafer mounting surface of the polishing head when the wafer W is mounted. Even if the lower surface and the wafer W are slightly displaced from each other, the wafer supporting portion 18 having a floating structure is swung as the wafer supporting portion 18 approaches the lower surface of the carrier 41. Since the positioning is performed accurately while being guided by the inner peripheral wall surface 19b of the ring engaging portion 19 and the inner peripheral wall surface of the retainer ring 40, the wafer W is reliably and stably mounted on the lower surface of the carrier 41. Further, the wafer W and the lower surface of the carrier 41 are not suddenly brought into contact with each other due to the floating effect of the wafer support 18 in the vertical direction.
And the lower surface of the carrier 41 can be prevented from being damaged.

[0038]

The wafer loading apparatus and wafer manufacturing method of the present invention have the following effects. (1) The wafer supporting portion supporting the wafer is connected to the retainer ring engaging portion and the base portion by the first urging means and the second urging means, respectively. It is horizontally movable by two urging means and is supported by being urged in the vertical direction. That is, when the wafer is mounted on the lower surface of the polishing head, the retainer ring engaging portion is locked by the positioning portion abutting on the lower surface of the retainer ring, while the base portion is connected to the turning arm. The wafer supporting portion has a floating structure based on the retainer ring engaging portion and the base portion. Therefore, when the wafer is mounted, even if the position of the wafer and the lower surface of the carrier, which is the wafer mounting surface of the polishing head, are slightly shifted, the wafer having a floating structure as the wafer supporting portion approaches the lower surface of the carrier. Since the support portion is swung, the wafer is accurately positioned while being guided by the inner peripheral wall surface of the retainer ring engaging portion and the inner peripheral wall surface of the retainer ring,
The wafer is stably mounted on the lower surface of the carrier. Further, the wafer and the lower surface of the carrier are not suddenly brought into contact with each other due to the floating effect of the wafer supporting portion in the vertical direction, so that damage to the lower surface of the wafer and the carrier can be prevented. (2) When the wafer is mounted on the polishing head, the distance between the upper surface of the wafer and the mounting surface of the polishing head is set to be smaller than the distance between the wafer support portion and the retainer ring engaging portion. Thus, before the wafer is mounted on the carrier, which is the wafer mounting surface of the polishing head, the retainer ring engaging portion does not come into contact with the wafer support portion, so that the wafer support portion swings until the wafer is mounted on the carrier. And the effect of the floating structure can be obtained. In other words, the wafer is positioned in the horizontal direction by the floating effect, and when the wafer is brought into contact with the lower surface of the carrier, the base portion and the wafer supporting portion are in contact with each other, whereby the wafer supporting portion is lifted upward. By doing so, the wafer and the lower surface of the carrier are in contact with each other, but the wafer support and the retainer ring engaging part are not in contact, so that the floating effect is not lost until the wafer is mounted on the polishing head. The wafer and the lower surface of the carrier are securely contacted. (3) Since a head cleaning mechanism for cleaning the polishing head is provided near the center of the cross section of the loading portion, foreign matter is removed from the lower portion of the polishing head or the lower surface of the carrier before mounting the wafer. Poor adhesion to the lower surface of the carrier can be prevented, and damage to the wafer due to foreign matter can be prevented. (4) Since the wafer supporting portion is provided with a locking portion for locking excessive movement in the horizontal and vertical directions, if a large disturbance acts on the wafer supporting portion, the wafer supporting portion may Even in the case of large floating, the wafer supporting portion is prevented from being excessively moved by the locking portion, so that the wafer supported by the wafer supporting portion does not interfere with each part of the polishing head and the loading portion,
Wafer damage can be prevented. (5) An annular retainer ring engaging portion having a positioning portion engageable with a lower portion of the retainer ring, and an inner peripheral wall surface of the retainer ring engaging portion provided concentrically below the retainer ring engaging portion. A wafer supporting portion having a wafer mounting portion slidably fitted on the wafer supporting portion, a base portion provided below the wafer supporting portion and supporting the wafer supporting portion, and a head cleaning mechanism for polishing head cleaning. The loading section is disposed below the polishing head, and the polishing head is cleaned by spraying a cleaning liquid from the head cleaning mechanism. Then, the loading section is moved from below the polishing head to place the wafer on the wafer. After the unpolished wafer is placed on the portion, it is again placed below the polishing head, and the loading portion is moved closer to the polishing head and By contacting the retainer ring engaging portion and the retainer ring of the polishing head, the wafer support portion is supported between the retainer ring engaging portion and the base portion while being movable in the horizontal direction and biasing vertically. And
Attach the wafer to the polishing head by approaching the polishing head while guiding the wafer support portion to the retainer ring engaging portion inner peripheral wall surface and the retainer ring inner peripheral wall surface, the surface to be polished of the wafer By rotating the polishing head while pressing against a polishing pad, the wafer is manufactured by a wafer manufacturing method characterized in that the wafer is polished, and the wafer is supported on a wafer mounting portion of a wafer support portion having a floating structure. The unpolished wafer thus guided is guided by the retainer ring engaging portion inner peripheral wall surface and the retainer ring inner peripheral wall surface, and is accurately and reliably mounted on the polishing head. Further, since the polishing head mounts the wafer after being cleaned by the head cleaning mechanism, damage to the wafer is prevented and stable mounting can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an example of an embodiment of a wafer loading device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view seen from above in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the vicinity of the urging means.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a wafer is held by a polishing head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Loading device 2 Loading part 3 Revolving arm 4 Revolving axis 5 Arm elevating mechanism 6 Outer cylinder part 10 Cylinder 16 Head cleaning mechanism 17 Base part 18 Wafer supporting part 18b Wafer placing part 18d Opposite surface of wafer supporting part 19 Retainer ring engaging part 19a Retainer ring positioning portion 19b Retainer ring engaging portion inner peripheral wall surface 19d Retainer ring engaging portion lower surface 20 Locking portion 21 First urging means 22 Second urging means 40 Retainer ring 41 Carrier W Wafer D1 Opposite surface and retainer ring D2 Distance between lower surface of wafer and carrier

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Jiro Kajiwara 1-297 Kitabukurocho, Omiya City, Saitama Prefecture Inside Mitsubishi Materials Research Institute (72) Inventor Masato Komazaki 1-297 Kitabukurocho, Omiya City, Saitama Mitsubishi Materials F-term in the Research Institute, Inc. (reference) 3C058 AA07 AB03 AC05 CB01 CB03 DA17 5F031 CA02 FA01 FA12 GA47 MA22

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A wafer loading apparatus for mounting a wafer to be polished on a polishing head, comprising: a loading section formed in a plane circular shape for mounting the wafer and mounting the wafer on the polishing head; A swing arm that supports the swing arm, a swing shaft that horizontally supports the swing arm, an arm lifting mechanism that swingably supports the swing arm together with the loading unit, and a swing to rotationally drive the swing shaft. A driving source, wherein the loading portion is an annular retainer ring engaging portion having a positioning portion engageable with a lower portion of the retainer ring, and is provided concentrically below the retainer ring engaging portion. A wafer support portion having a wafer mounting portion slidably fitted to the inner peripheral wall surface of the retainer ring engaging portion; A wafer support section is provided below the wafer support section, the base section being provided in connection with the turning arm, and supporting the wafer support section. The wafer support section and the retainer ring engaging section, and the wafer support section and the base section, The first biasing means and the second
A wafer loading apparatus characterized in that the wafer loading apparatus is horizontally movable and vertically supported by a biasing means. 2. A distance between the upper surface of the wafer and a mounting surface of the polishing head when the wafer is mounted on the polishing head is set to be smaller than a distance between the wafer supporting portion and the retainer ring engaging portion. The wafer loading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 3. The wafer loading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a head cleaning mechanism for cleaning a polishing head is provided near a center of a cross section of the loading section. 4. The wafer loading device according to claim 1, wherein said wafer support portion has a locking portion for locking excessive movement in horizontal and vertical directions. apparatus. 5. An annular retainer ring engaging portion having a positioning portion engageable with a lower portion of the retainer ring, and a concentrically provided lower portion of the retainer ring engaging portion, wherein: A wafer support portion having a wafer mounting portion slidably fitted to a peripheral wall surface, a base portion provided below the wafer support portion and supporting the wafer support portion, and a head cleaning mechanism for polishing head cleaning. The loading section provided is disposed below the polishing head, and the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the head cleaning mechanism to wash the polishing head. Then, the loading section is moved from below the polishing head to remove the wafer. After the unpolished wafer is placed on the placing section, it is again placed below the polishing head, and the loading section is brought into contact with the polishing head. By bringing the retainer ring engaging portion and the retainer ring of the polishing head into close contact with each other, the wafer supporting portion is horizontally movable and vertically attached between the retainer ring engaging portion and the base portion. Mounting the wafer on the polishing head by approaching the polishing head while guiding the wafer support portion to the retainer ring engaging portion inner peripheral wall surface and the retainer ring inner peripheral wall surface, and mounting the wafer on the polishing head; A method for manufacturing a wafer, wherein the wafer is polished by rotating the polishing head while pressing a surface to be polished against a polishing pad.