JP2001148361A - Grinding apparatus, grinding pad replacing apparatus and replacing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to replace automatically a grinding pad and improve efficiency in replacement. SOLUTION: A grinding apparatus includes a wafer chuck for holding a wafer (W) with a grinding face upward, a grinding pad 4 for grinding the grinding face, and a grinding head 2 for holding the grinding pad 4 with its grinding face downward. The grinding face is polished while the grinding pad 4 is fitted to the grinding face in the grinding apparatus. The grinding apparatus includes a vacuum suction mechanism for fixing the grinding pad 4 with the grinding face downward in a detachable state at the lower end of the grinding head 2. The grinding pad 4 is mounted or detached automatically with respect to the grinding head 2 by using the vacuum suction mechanism.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to planarization polishing of a semiconductor device performed in a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device such as an ultra-high density integrated circuit (ULSI), and more particularly, to a polishing pad in the planarization polishing. It relates to replacement of members.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A wafer held on a chuck is pressed from above using a polishing pad member supported on a spindle shaft while supplying abrasive slurry to the pad surface, and the pad and the wafer are moved in the same direction or in opposite directions. There is known a polishing apparatus for polishing or CMP polishing by rotating the wafer (see JP-A-6-21028 and JP-A-7-266219).
JP-A-8-192353, JP-A-8-29347
No. 7).

[0003] Pads (polishing bodies) used in such a polishing apparatus include hard foamed urethane sheets, polyester fiber nonwoven fabrics, felts, polyvinyl alcohol fiber nonwoven fabrics, nylon fiber nonwoven fabrics, and foamable urethane on these nonwoven fabrics. A resin solution is cast, then foamed and hardened.

When polishing a wafer in the above polishing apparatus, the pad is worn by the polishing, so that the pad is dressed using a pad conditioning apparatus every time one wafer is polished or after a plurality of wafers are polished.
The pad is cleaned and the pad is dressed (repaired). Examples of a pad conditioning apparatus for dressing the pad include a combination of a dressing disc and cleaning water, a high-pressure cleaning liquid injection nozzle (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 3-10769 and 10-2).
No. 02502, No. 10-235549, No. 10-24
No. 4459), a combination of a dressing disc and a cleaning brush (JP-A-10-244458), a combination of a cup-wheel type dressing grindstone, a pressurized cleaning liquid jet nozzle and a cleaning brush (JP-A-10-244458).
No.) has been proposed.

[0005] The conditioning of the polishing pad member is repeated as described above, and when the wear becomes severe, the polishing pad member is replaced with a new polishing pad member. The polishing pad member is formed by attaching a polishing cloth or a polyurethane sheet (referred to as a pad, a polishing cloth or a polishing body) to an aluminum or stainless steel mounting plate (polishing support). Is performed manually by a worker leaning inside the polishing apparatus. However, in this re-placing operation, it takes time and effort to peel off the polishing cloth and stick it to the mounting plate, and it requires skill, and the use efficiency of the polishing apparatus is deteriorated. For this reason, a new polishing pad member in which an unused polishing cloth is pasted on a mounting plate is prepared in advance, and a method of replacing the new polishing pad member with a used polishing pad member is being replaced.

However, even with this method, there is still a problem that the operator leans himself in the polishing apparatus and performs the operation manually, and there is a problem that it takes time to remove and attach a bolt for replacing the polishing pad member. . For this reason, for example, JP-A-8-174406,
JP-A-10-230449 discloses an apparatus for automatically replacing a polishing pad member. However, the polishing apparatus in this case is such that the polishing pad member is provided on a large-diameter platen, and the wafer whose polishing surface is directed downward is pressed against the pad surface of the polishing pad member from above to polish the wafer. Is configured. For this reason, the diameter of the surface plate (and the polishing pad member) is larger than the wafer diameter, and the structure of the automatic exchange device for exchanging such a large polishing pad member is large and complicated, and the device cost is high. ing.

Further, the polishing apparatus (CMP) described in the above publication
Since the surface to be polished of the wafer is downward, the change in the rotational driving voltage or current of the polishing pad member, the wafer, etc. is read to estimate the polishing end point, or a laser beam transmitting window is provided on the surface plate. Laser light is applied to the surface to be polished of the polished wafer to measure the polished state of the wafer, and the polishing end point is estimated (JP-A-6-216095 and 8-172).
No. 118, No. 9-262743, No. 10-19995
No. 1).

For these CMP apparatuses, a wafer chucking mechanism provided on an index table holds a wafer by suction with a surface to be polished facing upward, and a polishing pad member supported by a spindle shaft positioned above the wafer is held in place. A CMP apparatus has been proposed in which a pad surface is attached downward, pressed against a wafer from above, and a wafer and a polishing pad member are rotated to polish the wafer (JP-A-10-303152 and JP-A-10-303152). −156711
issue). In these CMP apparatuses, the polishing pad diameter is small relative to the wafer diameter, and the surface to be polished faces upward, so that it is easy to measure the film thickness during polishing and determine the polishing end point, and to determine the polishing pad member. Since the diameter is smaller than the polishing pad member of the conventional CMP apparatus, there is an advantage that the replacement operation is easy.

[0009]

However, in such a CMP apparatus in which the diameter of the polishing body is smaller than the diameter of the wafer, the use efficiency of the polishing surface (pad surface) of the polishing body (polishing pad member) is high. Clogging of the polishing surface of the polishing body is likely to occur. In order to maintain the polishing performance in such a CMP apparatus, it is necessary to increase the frequency of dressing. However, since dressing is nothing but shaving the surface of the polishing body, the life of the polishing body itself is shortened, and the polishing pad is reduced. The replacement time of the member is shortened, and frequent replacement is required. However, as described above, since the polishing pad member is attached to the spindle shaft with the pad surface facing downward, there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain accuracy in this replacement work and the work efficiency is not good.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a polishing pad member changing apparatus and method capable of automating the change of the polishing pad member and improving the efficiency of replacing the polishing pad member. .

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided an object holding apparatus for holding an object to be polished (for example, a wafer W in the embodiment) with a surface to be polished facing upward. Apparatus (for example, a wafer chuck mechanism in the embodiment), a polishing pad member having a polishing surface that abuts against and polishes a surface to be polished, and a pad that holds the polishing pad member with the polishing surface facing downward Holding device (for example, the polishing head 2 in the embodiment),
The polishing apparatus is configured such that the polishing pad member is relatively moved while being brought into contact with the surface to be polished to polish the surface to be polished. In this polishing apparatus, a fixed holding mechanism is provided at a lower end of the pad holding apparatus for detachably holding the polishing pad member with the polishing surface facing down, and the fixed holding mechanism automatically moves the polishing pad member to the pad holding apparatus. It is configured to be attached and detached and replaced.

In this polishing apparatus, the object to be polished is held by the object holding device with the surface to be polished facing upward,
The polishing surface of the polishing pad member held by the pad holding device is pressed against the surface to be polished from above, and the two are relatively moved (relatively rotated) to polish the surface to be polished. At this time, the polishing surface of the polishing pad member is generally smaller than the surface to be polished, and the polishing frequency tends to increase. At this time,
Since the polishing pad member is configured so that it can be automatically attached to and detached from the pad holding device by the fixed holding mechanism, it is only necessary to automatically replace the used polishing pad member with a new one. Pad replacement efficiency is improved.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an object holding device for holding an object to be polished with the surface to be polished facing upward, and a polishing pad member having a polishing surface for contacting and polishing the surface to be polished A pad holding device that holds the polishing pad member with the polishing surface facing downward, and a transfer device that transfers the polishing pad member to the pad holding device to perform an exchange operation (for example, the polishing pad transfer in the embodiment). Robot 18), and a polishing apparatus is configured such that the polishing pad member is relatively moved while being brought into contact with the surface to be polished to polish the surface to be polished. And in this polishing apparatus, at the lower end of the pad holding device, a fixed holding mechanism for detachably fixing and holding the polishing pad member with the polishing surface facing downward is provided.
The polishing pad member transported by the transport device is automatically attached to and detached from the pad holding device by the fixed holding mechanism, and is replaced.

According to the switching device configured as described above,
Since the polishing pad member is configured so that it can be automatically attached to and detached from the pad holding device by the fixed holding mechanism, it is only necessary to automatically replace the used polishing pad member with a new one. By transporting the thus-removed polishing pad member by the transport device, further automation is possible, and the exchange work efficiency can be significantly improved.

In the above two inventions, it is preferable that the transfer device is provided with an arm member capable of gripping the polishing pad member at the tip. With this configuration, when attaching the polishing pad member to the pad holding device, the polishing pad member gripped by the arm member can be transported to the lower end portion of the pad holding device, and the polishing pad member can be fixed and held by the fixed holding mechanism. Thus, the automatic attachment of the polishing pad member is simplified. Further, when removing the polishing pad member from the pad holding device, after holding the polishing pad member fixed and held by the fixed holding mechanism with the arm member, the holding of the polishing pad member by the fixed holding mechanism is released, and the transfer device is used. The polishing pad member can be transported reliably and easily.

In the above configuration, when the polishing pad member is fixedly held by the pad holding device by the fixed holding mechanism, it is preferable to provide a temporary fixing mechanism for temporarily fixing the polishing pad member to the pad holding device. With this configuration, the polishing pad member is temporarily fixed to the pad holding device by the temporary fixing mechanism and supported, and in this state, the fixed holding by the fixed holding mechanism can be performed. Become.

The above-mentioned polishing pad member can be composed of a polishing body which abuts on the surface to be polished of the object to be polished and performs polishing, and a polishing support which holds the polishing body in a planar shape.
Thereby, in the used polishing pad member removed from the pad holding device, the polishing pad member can be easily brought into a new state simply by peeling the polishing body from the polishing support and replacing it with a new polishing body.

The fixed holding mechanism can be configured so that the polishing pad member is vacuum-adsorbed and fixedly held at the lower end of the pad holding device. Further, the polishing pad member is formed of a polishing body and a polishing support, and the polishing support is formed of a magnetic material. The fixed holding mechanism is configured to fix and hold the polishing pad member at the lower end of the pad holding device by magnetic force. It can also be configured. Further, the fixed holding mechanism may be configured so that the polishing pad member is fixedly held at a lower end portion of the pad holding device using a fixing bracket (a clamp mechanism, a bolting mechanism, or the like). In any case, the automatic replacement of the polishing pad member can be easily performed.

In the above-described polishing apparatus, an accommodating shelf for accommodating a polishing pad member which is detachably attached to and exchanged from the pad holding apparatus by a transport apparatus and may be provided. According to this configuration, the plurality of replacement polishing pad members are stored in the storage shelf, so that the replacement operation efficiency can be further improved.

In the above-mentioned polishing apparatus, the used polishing pad member which has been detached and replaced from the pad holding device is
It is also possible to provide a polishing body refilling device for automatically peeling the polishing body from the polishing support and automatically attaching a new polishing body to the polishing support. By automatically changing the polishing body in this manner, the replacement operation of the polishing pad member is performed more efficiently.

In this case, the transporting device transports the used polishing pad member that has been detached and replaced from the pad holding device to the polishing body refilling device, and the polishing body is refilled by the polishing body refilling device. The polishing pad member can be configured to be transported to the storage shelf, whereby the entire replacement operation can be performed smoothly.

On the other hand, a polishing pad member replacement method according to the present invention is configured to replace a polishing pad member with a pad holding device using the polishing apparatus according to the present invention as described above. In addition, the efficiency of replacement of the polishing pad member is improved.

Another polishing apparatus according to the present invention is a polishing pad member having an annular groove on the outer periphery and a polishing support adhered to the surface of a polishing support having a fitting for alignment on the back surface. , A head which is supported by a spindle shaft having a shaft center in a vertical direction and is capable of sucking a polishing pad member under vacuum, an elevating mechanism for the spindle shaft, a transfer mechanism capable of reciprocating the spindle shaft in the left-right direction, and a head for the spindle shaft. The polishing pad member is provided on an extension of the transfer path in the left and right direction of the center point of the attached polishing pad member, and the polishing pad member is detached by an arm from the head of the spindle shaft that has been transferred, and is rotated and turned. Transporting the polishing pad member into the storage shelf or transporting the polishing pad member from the storage shelf, and rotating and transporting the polishing pad member to the head of the spindle shaft, and the transport robot It provided to be spaced from the axis of rotation, comprising the storage rack which can reciprocate in the front-rear direction.

In another polishing pad member replacement method according to the present invention, an annular groove is formed on the outer periphery through the following steps (1) to (12) using the polishing pad member replacement device having the above configuration. A polishing pad member having a polishing body adhered to the surface of a polishing support having a fitting for alignment on the back surface is attached to or detached from a head supported on a spindle shaft.

(1) The arm of the transfer robot is raised to a position where the polishing pad member is removed from the head, and then the arm is turned 90 degrees in the head direction. (2) A polishing pad member, which is vacuum-adsorbed to a head supported on a spindle shaft having a shaft center in a vertical direction, is provided on an extension of a transfer trajectory in the left-right direction of a center point of the polishing pad member by a transfer mechanism. To the transfer robot side
Stop at the replacement position. (3) By reducing the claw width of the arm of the transfer robot, two pairs of rolls attached to the arm are inserted into an annular groove provided on the outer periphery of the polishing pad member mounting plate, and the polishing pad member is inserted. Hold. (4) Then, vacuum suction of the head is released, and compressed air is supplied to the head to facilitate removal of the polishing pad member from the head. (5) The arm of the transfer robot is rotated in the reverse direction by 90 degrees, and then the arm is raised or lowered to the height of the rail on which the polishing pad member of the storage shelf is placed. (6) The storage shelves are advanced to the transfer robot side, and the polishing pad members are placed on the rails of the storage shelves by enlarging the claw width of the arm of the transfer robot. (7) Retract the storage shelf. (8) Raise or lower the arm of the transfer robot to a position where a new polishing pad member can be gripped. (9) The storage shelf is advanced to the transfer robot side, and two pairs of rolls attached to the arm of the transfer robot are provided on the outer periphery of a new polishing pad member mounting plate by reducing the claw width of the arm of the transfer robot. The polishing pad member is gripped by inserting it into the annular groove. (10) Retract the storage shelf. (11) The arm of the transfer robot is rotated 90 degrees in the head direction, and then the head is vacuumed to attract the polishing pad member to the head. (12) Enlarge the claw width of the arm of the transfer robot and move the spindle axis in the left-right direction away from the transfer robot. (13) Hereinafter, when the polishing pad member is worn out and the polishing pad member is to be replaced with a new polishing pad member, the above-mentioned (2) is applied.
Repeat step (12).

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus or a CMP (Chemical-Mechanical Poli) to which a polishing pad member exchanging apparatus and method according to the present invention is applied.
shing) device will be described. First, the overall configuration of the index type CMP apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The CMP apparatus 1 has a polishing head represented by reference numeral 2, and includes a polishing head 2a for rough polishing, a polishing head 2b for medium polishing, and a polishing head 2c for finish polishing (see FIGS. 2 and 3). In this case, a polishing head 2c for finish polishing is not shown). The polishing head 2 is mounted on a rotating shaft 3, and a motor 3 a is provided by a power transmission device configured by hanging a pulley 3 c on a gear 3 b mounted on a driving shaft of the motor 3 a and a gear 3 d mounted on the rotating shaft 3. Is transmitted to the rotating shaft 3, and the polishing head 2 is driven to rotate.

A polishing pad member 4 is detachably attached to the lower end of the polishing head 2. In this case, a polishing pad member for rough polishing is attached to the polishing head 2a for rough polishing, a polishing pad member for medium polishing is attached to the polishing head 2b for medium polishing, and a polishing head member 2c for finishing polishing is attached to the polishing head 2c for finishing polishing. A polishing pad member is attached.

In the CMP apparatus 1, a pad conditioning mechanism 5 is provided, in which dressing of the polishing pad member 4 and the like are performed. The pad conditioning mechanism 5 is provided with a dressing disk 5a, a spray nozzle 5b, and a rotatable cleaning brush 6 as shown in the drawing.

The polishing head 2 is configured to be transferred by a transfer mechanism 7, and the transfer mechanism 7 includes a rail 7
a, feed screw 7b, moving body 7 screwed to feed screw 7b
c, and the polishing head 2 is attached to the moving body 7c. The feed screw 7b is connected to the motor 7 via gears 7d and 7e.
The moving body 7c is driven to rotate by f, and is transferred in the x direction shown in FIG. The polishing head 2 can be moved in the z direction shown in FIG.

The CMP apparatus is also provided with a storage cassette 9 for storing wafers W to be polished, and a wafer transfer robot 10 for transferring wafers W to and from the storage cassette 9. The wafer transfer robot 10 is a robot for transferring the unpolished wafer W from the storage cassette 9 to the index table 12 and unloading the polished wafer W, and temporarily transferring the wafer W along the transfer path. Temporary mounting table 1 to be mounted on
1 is provided.

The index table 12 is a rotatable table provided at equal intervals on the same circumference with the shaft 12e as the axis.
Original wafer chuck mechanisms 12a, 12b, 12c, 12
d, and is divided into a wafer loading & unloading zone denoted by reference symbol S1, a rough polishing zone denoted by reference symbol S2, a medium polishing zone denoted by reference symbol S3, and a finish polishing zone denoted by reference symbol S4. Have been. As shown in FIG. 5, above the rough polishing zone S2, the middle polishing zone S3, and the finish polishing zone S4, the rough polishing polishing pad member held by the coarse polishing polishing head 2a, respectively. The polishing pad member for medium polishing held by the polishing head 2b for polishing and the polishing pad member for finish polishing held by the polishing head 2c for finish polishing are located.

The wafer transfer robot 10 is also used as an unloading transfer robot for transferring the polished wafer W, and the polished wafer W is transferred onto the belt conveyor 16 by this robot 10. Is sent to the wafer cleaning mechanism 17 for cleaning. The index table 12 also has a chuck dresser 14a and a chuck cleaning mechanism 14b for dressing and cleaning the wafer chuck mechanisms 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d.

In this apparatus, the wafer W in the storage cassette 9 is placed on the temporary wafer mounting table 11 by the wafer transfer robot 10 and the back surface thereof is cleaned, and then the loading & unloading zone S of the index table 12 is provided.
The wafer is transported and placed on one wafer chuck mechanism 12a by the transport robot 10. Next, the index table 12 rotates 90 degrees clockwise, and the wafer W moves to the rough polishing zone S2. Then, the rough-polishing polishing head 2a supported by the spindle shaft 3 is lowered, the rough-polishing polishing pad member 4 is pressed against the surface to be polished of the wafer W, and then the wafer and the spindle shaft are rotated to perform coarse polishing. Done.

Further, if the index table 12 is 90
The wafer W is rotated clockwise each time, and the wafer W moves to the middle polishing zone S3. Then, the polishing head 2b for medium polishing supported by the spindle shaft 3 descends, and the wafer and the spindle shaft are rotated to perform medium polishing. Next, the index table 12 rotates 90 degrees clockwise, and the wafer W moves to the finishing polishing zone S4. Then, the polishing head 2c for finish polishing supported on the spindle 3 descends, and the finish polishing is performed by rotating the wafer and the spindle.

Next, if the index table 12 is 90
After rotating clockwise, the wafer W returns to the loading & unloading zone S1. Then, the wafer W having been subjected to the finish polishing is transferred onto the belt conveyor 16 by the wafer transfer robot 10 and is subjected to the wafer cleaning mechanism 17.
And is sent to the post process.

As described above, each time the index table 12 is rotated by 90 degrees, a new wafer W is transferred to the loading & unloading zone S1, and is sequentially subjected to rough polishing, medium polishing, finish polishing, and unloading. -Ding, washed. Further, when polishing is performed in the zones S2 to S4,
Loading and unloading of a wafer are performed in one zone, and the chuck mechanism is cleaned by the chuck cleaning mechanisms 14a and 14b during a vacant time.

When the polishing body of the polishing pad member 4 is worn out by polishing the wafer, the spindle shaft 3 is retracted in the left-right direction (X-axis direction), and the polishing pad is moved to the dressing disk 5a of the pad conditioning mechanism 5. The member is pressed and the pad is rotated to repair the pad (see FIG. 4).

As described above, the dressing is a work for shaving the surface of the polishing body. When the polishing body is shaved by the dressing, the polishing pad member 4 needs to be replaced. The polishing apparatus of this embodiment is provided with a polishing pad automatic exchange apparatus for automatically exchanging the polishing pad member 4, which will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5 to 10.

Before describing the replacement device, the structure of the polishing pad member 4 and the structure for fixing and holding the polishing pad member 4 at the lower end of the polishing head 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. The polishing pad member 4 includes a disk-shaped metal attachment plate 40b having an annular groove 40a on its outer periphery, such as stainless steel or aluminum.
A polishing cloth 40c (polishing body) is adhered to the lower surface of the (polishing support), and the upper surface of the mounting plate 40b is a bonding surface portion to be bonded to the head 2; And a recess 40e into which the positioning pin 24 of the head is engaged. Note that the concave and convex portions for positioning the polishing head and the polishing pad member may be provided in reverse. For example, the positioning protrusions and the positioning pins may be provided on the upper surface of the polishing pad member, and the recesses into which these are engaged may be provided on the surface of the polishing head.

The polishing head 2 is configured to join the polishing pad members 4 by vacuum suction, and communicates with a flow path 3a provided in a spindle shaft 3 as shown in a cross section in FIG. Recess 2 communicating with the flow path 21 on the lower surface to which the polishing pad member 4 is joined.
2 are provided. Therefore, the polishing pad member 4 is joined to the polishing head 2, and a vacuum pump communicating with the flow path 3 a of the spindle shaft 3 is operated to operate the flow path 3.
a, The pressure of the flow path 21 is reduced, so that the polishing pad member 4 is vacuum-adsorbed to the polishing head 2 and fixedly held. As described above, the positioning projection 23 and the positioning pin 24 are provided on the lower surface of the polishing head 2 for positioning during fixed holding.

When the polishing pad member 4 is vacuum-adsorbed to the lower end of the polishing head 2 in this manner, the polishing pad member 4 is held from below until the suction surface (space) is depressurized through the flow path 21. It is necessary to support and hold in a joined state. For this reason, a plurality of temporary fixing members 26 are provided at a plurality of locations on the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the polishing head 2. The temporary fixing member 26 is made of an elastically deformable metal plate or the like, and the temporary holding projection 26a projecting inward enters the annular groove 40a to temporarily hold the polishing pad member 4.

When removing the polishing pad member 4 fixed and held by the vacuum suction from the polishing head 2, the operation of the vacuum pump may be stopped to eliminate the vacuum suction force. At this time, the vacuum pump is switched to a compressor, and the polishing pad member 4 is pushed out by pressurizing the flow path 3a and the flow path 21 to facilitate removal thereof. Here, if the temporary fixing member 26 is provided, the polishing pad member 4 thus removed can be temporarily fixed and held by the temporary fixing member 26.

As described above, the polishing pad member 4 which is attached to and detached from the polishing head 2 by vacuum suction.
Are transported and exchanged by the polishing pad transport robot 18. This polishing pad transport robot 18 is
And a polishing pad storage shelf 1 comprising a roller 18c provided on the arm 18a, a rotating shaft 18b and an arm.
The automatic transfer of the polishing pad member 4 is performed with respect to 9.

The polishing pad storage shelf 19 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of bars 19a on which a polishing pad member is placed are provided to define a room. A transfer mechanism is provided above the polishing pad storage shelf 19 so as to reciprocate the storage shelf 19 in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction).
9b, a rail 19c and a slide member 19d. The head of the storage shelf 19 is connected to the sliding member 1 via a member 19e.
It is fixed to a 9d support shaft 19f. Therefore, the storage shelf 19 can be moved back and forth by moving the slide member 19d back and forth on the rail 19c by the cylinder 19b.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the polishing pad transport robot 18 can be engaged with the outer peripheral annular groove 40a of the mounting plate of the polishing pad member and can hold it.
A cross-roller parallel hand having a pair of claws (arms) 18a attached with the rails 18c, 18c is provided, and the claws of this hand are opened and closed by air pressure. For this reason, the air hose 18d housed in the boot 18e is guided to the hollow rotary shaft 18b and is connected to a compressor (not shown).

Further, the rotary actuator 18
The gear 18g receives the rotation of f, and the gear 18h receives the rotation and transmits the rotation to the rotating shaft 18b. A pulley 18j driven by a servomotor 18i as a drive source of the lifting mechanism rotates a ball screw, and a rotating body 18b is moved up and down (Z-axis direction) by a moving body screwed to the ball screw. You.

A method of replacing the worn polishing pad member 4 with a new polishing pad member 4 prepared in the storage shelf 19 in the CMP apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described below. The replacement of this polishing pad member is performed from the following (1) to (12)
Is performed through the steps of

(1) The arm 18a of the transfer robot is raised to a position at which the polishing pad 2 is removed from the polishing head 2, and the arm 18a is rotated 90 degrees in the head direction.

(2) The transfer mechanism 7 transfers the polishing pad member 4, which is vacuum-adsorbed to the polishing head 2 supported on a spindle shaft 3 having a shaft center in a vertical direction, to the left and right directions of the center point of the polishing pad member ( It moves toward the transfer robot 18 provided on the extension of the transfer trajectory (in the X-axis direction), and stops at the polishing pad replacement position slightly farther from the conditioning mechanism 5.

(3) Two pairs of rolls 18c, 18c, 18 attached to the arm of the transfer robot by reducing the claw width of the arm 18a by supplying compressed air to the hose 18d.
annular grooves 4 provided on the outer periphery of the polishing pad mounting plate
0a, and the polishing pad member 4 is gripped.

(4) Then, the vacuum suction of the polishing head 2 into the flow path 21 is released, the compressed air is supplied to the polishing head 2 from a compressor, and the removal of the polishing pad member 4 from the polishing head 2 is facilitated. I do.

(5) Move the arm 18a of the transfer robot to 90
Then, the arm is raised or lowered to the height of the bar 19a of the storage shelf 19 on which the polishing pad member 4 is placed.

(6) The storage shelf 19 is advanced to the transfer robot 18 side, the supply of compressed air to the hose 18d is stopped, and the air is released to increase the width of the arm claws of the transfer robot 18 for polishing. By leaving the pad member free, the polishing pad member 4 is placed on the rail 19a of the storage shelf.

(7) The storage shelf 19 is moved backward.

(8) The arm 18a of the transfer robot is raised or lowered to a position where a new polishing pad member 4 can be gripped.

(9) The storage rack is advanced to the transfer robot 18 side, and the pair of rolls attached to the arm of the transfer robot are reduced by reducing the claw width of the arm of the transfer robot. The polishing pad member is gripped by being inserted into an annular groove provided on the outer periphery.

(10) The storage shelf 19 is moved backward.

(11) The arm of the transfer robot is rotated by 90 degrees in the direction of the head 2, and then the polishing pad member 4 is attracted to the head 2 by vacuuming the flow path 21 of the head.

(12) The claw width of the arm of the transfer robot is enlarged, and the spindle shaft 3 is moved in the left-right direction away from the transfer robot 18.

(13) Thereafter, when the polishing pad member is worn and the polishing pad member is replaced with a new polishing pad member, the above steps (2) to (12) are repeated.

The form of the above CMP apparatus is merely an example,
Various modifications are included in the present invention. For example, the processing zones of the index table are a wafer loading zone (S1), a rough polishing zone (S2), a finishing processing zone (S3), and a wafer unloading zone (S4).
It is good. Also, the processing table of the index table
Wafer loading / unloading (S
1), rough polishing zone (S2), finish polishing zone (S3)
The rotation of the index table may be set to 120 ° C. at a time. Further, the processing zone of the index table is moved to the wafer loading & unloading zone (S
1) A wafer back surface rough grinding zone (S2), a wafer back surface finishing grinding zone (S3), and a wafer polishing zone (S4), and a polishing pad member that moves back and forth on the polishing zone (S4). The polishing pad exchange device of the present invention may be provided corresponding to the head to be sucked.

In the above example, the polishing pad member 4 is fixedly held at the lower end of the polishing head 2 by vacuum suction (ie, vacuum suction). However, a fixing method using a magnetic force or a metal fitting is used. A fixing method may be used. Specifically, for example, the attachment plate 40b constituting the polishing pad member 4 is made of a material that can be attracted by a magnet,
As shown in FIG. 11, an electromagnet 27 is attached to the lower end of the polishing head 2.
The polishing head 2 is detachably held by the electromagnet 27 (fixing method by magnetism), or the polishing pad member 4 is mechanically detachably held at the lower end of the polishing head 2 using a clamp mechanism or a bolt. (Fixing method using metal fittings) or the like may be adopted.

In the polishing apparatus 1 according to the present invention, the polishing pad 40c (polishing body) of the polishing pad member is mounted on the mounting plate 4.
There is a case where a polishing body repositioning device that automatically attaches and removes the polishing body to and from the polishing support 0b is provided. Such a polishing body refilling device 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 shows the operation of automatically removing the used polishing pad 40c from the used polishing pad member 4, and FIG. 13 shows the unused polishing pad 40b on which the polishing pad has been removed. This shows the work of attaching a cloth.

The polishing body repositioning device 60 includes a moving table 62 mounted on a base table 61 so as to be movable in the left-right direction in the figure, a polishing body peeling device 65 mounted on the moving table 62, and a polishing body sticking apparatus. Device 70. In addition,
The abrasive body peeling device 65 and the abrasive body sticking device 70 may be detachable and exchanged, or they may be attached to the moving table 62 at different mounting angle positions, and the movable table 62 may be rotated to select one of them. You may do it. Further, a polishing body repositioning device 60 having a polishing body peeling device 65 and a polishing body repositioning device 60 having a polishing body attaching device 70 may be provided.

A pad holding member 63 is provided on the base table 61, and the polishing pad member 4 transported by the polishing pad transport robot 18 on the pad holding member 63 is mounted thereon. Vacuum pump 64 connected to passage 63a formed inside pad holding member 63
Is provided, and a passage 6 is provided by a vacuum pump 64.
The inside of the polishing pad 3a is depressurized to fix and hold the polishing pad member 4 on the pad holding member 63 by vacuum suction (vacuum suction).

As shown in FIG. 12 (B), the polishing body peeling device 65 includes a peeling arm 66 having a sharp end 66a and a fine hole 66b for sending out a peeling liquid (alcohol for dissolving an adhesive). And a holding arm 67 located above the arm 66. On the other hand, the abrasive body sticking device 70 includes a support arm 71 attached to the moving table 62.
A roller 72 is rotatably attached to the tip of the.

An operation of peeling the used polishing body 40c from the polishing pad member 4 and replacing the used polishing body 40c with a new polishing body 40c by using the polishing body changing apparatus 60 having the above-described configuration will be described. In this operation, first, the used polishing pad member 4 detached from the polishing head 2 and conveyed by the polishing pad conveying robot 18 as described above is conveyed onto the pad holding member 63 and vacuum-adsorbed. Hold fixed. Next, the peeling arm 66 of the polishing body peeling device 65
Is inserted between the polishing support 40b and the polishing body 40c of the polishing pad member 4, and the extremity of the peeling arm 66 is cut while pouring the peeling liquid from the pores 66b. At this time, there is provided an arm (not shown) that grasps and pulls the tip of the abrasive body that has been peeled off and raised,
By pulling in this manner, the polishing body 40c is peeled from the end.

When the used abrasive body 40c is completely peeled in this way, the surface of the abrasive support body 40b is washed and dried, and then an adhesive is applied to the surface. The polishing body 40c is placed on this surface. Next, as shown in FIG.
The polishing body 40c is pressed onto the polishing support 40b by the rollers 72 to completely adhere the polishing body 40c. The polishing pad member 4 whose polishing support 40c has been repositioned in this manner.
Is transferred to the storage shelf 19 by the polishing pad transfer robot 18 to prepare for the next replacement. This polishing body refilling device 60 is C
It is possible to use by connecting to MP device,
Use as a single unit is also possible.

An embodiment of the polishing pad changing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below.

[0070]

[Embodiment 1] In the above-described polishing apparatus, an example will be described in which a polishing pad member 4 which is sufficiently used after performing ILD polishing and whose pad wear is severe is replaced. Here, the polishing pad member 4 has a smaller diameter than the wafer (object to be polished) W, and the CMP polishing apparatus 1 is configured. The polishing pad member 4 was configured by attaching an IC1000 / SUBA400 (Rodel Inc. polishing pad) having a diameter of 150 mm to a polishing body support made of an aluminum substrate.

In this embodiment, an operator opens the door near the polishing section of the polishing apparatus 1 and removes the used polishing pad member 4 currently mounted on the polishing head 2. Therefore, first, operate the operation device on the rear panel,
The vacuum negative pressure at which the vacuum suction of the polishing pad member 4 was performed was leaked, and the suction of the polishing pad member 4 was turned off.
This operation allowed the polishing pad member 4 to be manually removed from the polishing head 2.

Next, a new replacement polishing pad member 4 set in advance on the storage shelf 19 is held by hand, held in contact with the lower end surface of the polishing head 2, and operated by operating the rear panel operating device. The suction (vacuum suction) was turned on, and the replacement of the polishing pad member 4 was completed. At this time,
If the temporary support member 26 is used, it is not necessary to hold the replacement polishing pad member 4 by hand until vacuum suction starts. The replacement work time was one minute.

[0073]

Embodiment 2 In this embodiment, a pad supporting method by vacuum suction is also used. In a CMP polishing apparatus in which a polishing pad member is smaller than an object to be polished, an IC 1000 having a diameter of 150 mm is attached to a polishing body support made of an alumina substrate. / SUBA400
Polishing pad member 4 with Rodale polishing pad)
Was manually set on the polishing body storage shelf 19.

Next, the operator pressed the automatic exchange button on the front panel of the CMP apparatus. In response to this, the polishing pad transport robot 18 is operated, and the replacement arm grasps the side of the used polishing pad member 4 that is vacuum-adsorbed to the polishing head 2, and then fixes the polishing pad member 4. The vacuum has been turned off. Then, while the replacement arm was holding the used polishing pad member 4, it was transported and stored in the lowermost layer of the storage shelf 19.

Thereafter, the arm grasped a new polishing pad member 4 set on the upper stage, and was conveyed so that the polishing pad member 4 was in contact with the lower end of the polishing head 2. Thereafter, the vacuum suction was turned on, and the new polishing pad member 4 was vacuum-sucked to the polishing head 2. The replacement work time during this time was 30 seconds, and there was no work by a person (operator) near the polished portion.

[0076]

Embodiment 3 In this embodiment, a magnetic fixing method was used as a method for fixing the polishing pad member. In this example, the polishing pad member 4 is made of a magnetic material (SUS41) having a pressure of 0.2 mm.
0) IC1000 / SUBA4 with a diameter of 150 mm
A new polishing pad member 4 having such a configuration and attached to a polishing pad (Rodel Co., Ltd.) was set on the polishing body storage shelf 19.

Next, the operator pressed the automatic exchange button on the front panel of the CMP apparatus. In response, the replacement arm gripped the used polishing pad member 4, and then turned off the electromagnet that fixed the polishing pad member 4. The replacement arm was transported while holding the used polishing pad member 4 while holding it, and was stored in the lowermost layer of the storage shelf 19. After that, the new polishing pad member 4 set on the upper stage of the accommodation shelf 19
, And the arm was moved so that the polishing pad member 4 was in contact with the polishing head 2. Thereafter, the electromagnet was turned on, and the polishing pad member 4 was fixed. The replacement work time during this time is 3
It was 0 seconds, and there was no work by a person near the polished portion.

[0078]

Embodiment 4 In this embodiment, a fixing method using metal fittings was used as a method for fixing the polishing pad member 4. In this example,
In a CMP polishing apparatus in which a polishing pad member is smaller than an object to be polished, the polishing pad member is constituted by attaching an IC1000 / SUBA400 (Rodel polishing pad) having a diameter of 150 mm to a polishing body support made of alumina. A new polishing pad member having such a configuration was set on the polishing body storage shelf 19.

Next, the operator pressed the automatic exchange button on the front panel of the CMP apparatus 1. As a result, the replacement arm gripped the used polishing pad member 4, and then the clamp that fixed the polishing pad member 4 was automatically removed. The replacement arm grasped the used polishing pad member 4 and stored it in the lowermost layer of the storage shelf 19. Thereafter, a new polishing pad member 4 set on the upper stage of the storage shelf 19 was grasped, and the arm was moved so that the polishing pad member 4 was in contact with the polishing head. Thereafter, the clamp was automatically fastened to fix the polishing pad member 4. The replacement operation time during this time was 30 seconds, and there was no human operation near the polished portion.

[0080]

Embodiment 5 In this embodiment, a polishing body refilling device 60 is provided near the polishing section of the polishing device. IC1000 / SUBA400 (Rodale polishing pad) with a diameter of 150mm as a polishing body in this re-changing device
Were set. Then, the operator pressed the automatic exchange button on the front panel of the CMP apparatus 1. As a result, the replacement arm grasped the side portion of the used polishing pad member 4, and then the vacuum suction force fixing the polishing pad member 4 was turned off. The arm grasped the used polishing pad member 4 and transferred it to the polishing body repositioning device 60.

In the transfer device 60, the used polishing pad member 4 was transported onto the pad holding member 63, and the vacuum pump 64 was operated to suck and hold the vacuum pad fixedly. Next, the tip of the peeling arm 66 of the polishing body peeling device 65 was inserted between the polishing support 40b and the polishing body 40c of the polishing pad member 4, and the peeling liquid was injected from the pores 66b. At this time, the arm (not shown) grasps and pulls the tip of the abrasive body that has been peeled off and lifted up.
0c was peeled off from the end.

When the used polishing body 40c is completely peeled in this way, the surface of the polishing support 40b is washed and dried, and then an adhesive is applied to the surface. 40c was placed on this surface and pressed. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the polishing body 40c was pressed sequentially from the end onto the polishing support 40b by the rollers 72 of the polishing body sticking device 70 so that no air was mixed therebetween, and the polishing body 40c was completely bonded.

After the bonding is completed in this way, the polishing pad member 4 is transported to a position in contact with the lower end surface of the polishing head 2 by the polishing pad transport robot 18, and thereafter,
It was vacuum-adsorbed and fixedly held on the polishing head 2. Although the replacement work time was 2 minutes during this time, the work of attaching the polishing body to the polishing support, which is basically a manual mounting work, was eliminated, and the working efficiency for the polishing machine was greatly improved.

[0084]

[Comparative Example] For reference, in a polishing machine having a polishing platen of 800 mm, a replacement operation was performed in accordance with the wear of a polishing pad member. The polishing pad member was fixed to the polishing support, and the operator once stopped the polishing machine and moved the polishing support consisting of about 15 kg to the outside of the polishing machine. Thereafter, the polishing pad member was gradually peeled off from the polishing support.
Next, a new pad was attached, and the support to which the polishing body was attached was set inside the polishing machine. During this time,
It took 5 minutes to move the polishing support and 20 minutes to replace the pad.

[0085]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The object to be polished is held by the object holding device with the surface to be polished facing upward, and the polishing surface of the polishing pad member held by the pad holding device is pressed against the surface to be polished from above,
The surface to be polished is polished by relative movement (relative rotation movement) of both, and the polishing pad member is configured to be automatically attachable / detachable to / from the pad holding device by a fixed holding mechanism. Therefore, it is only necessary to automatically replace the used polishing pad member with a new one, and the work efficiency of replacing the polishing pad is improved. as a result,
Since the stop time of the apparatus is very short, the operation efficiency of the polishing apparatus is increased, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, troublesome work in actual work can be eliminated, and external influences such as dust during polishing can be eliminated.

The polishing pad member is configured so that it can be automatically attached to and detached from the pad holding device by a fixed holding mechanism, and the polishing pad member thus attached and detached is transported by a transport device. Such a configuration is preferable. With such a configuration, further automation is possible, and the efficiency of replacement work can be significantly improved.

In the above configuration, when the polishing pad member is fixedly held on the pad holding device by the fixed holding mechanism, it is preferable to provide a temporary fixing mechanism for temporarily fixing the polishing pad member to the pad holding device. With this configuration, the polishing pad member is temporarily fixed and supported by the pad holding device by the temporary fixing mechanism, and the fixed holding by the fixed holding mechanism can be performed in this state. Become.

The above-mentioned polishing pad member can be composed of a polishing body which abuts on the surface to be polished of the object to be polished and performs polishing, and a polishing support which holds the polishing body in a planar shape.
Thereby, in the used polishing pad member removed from the pad holding device, the polishing pad member can be easily brought into a new state simply by peeling the polishing body from the polishing support and replacing it with a new polishing body.

The fixed holding mechanism can be configured so that the polishing pad member is vacuum-adsorbed and fixedly held at the lower end of the pad holding device. Further, the polishing pad member is formed of a polishing body and a polishing support, and the polishing support is formed of a magnetic material. The fixed holding mechanism is configured to fix and hold the polishing pad member at the lower end of the pad holding device by magnetic force. It can also be configured. Further, the fixed holding mechanism may be configured so that the polishing pad member is fixedly held at a lower end portion of the pad holding device using a fixing bracket (a clamp mechanism, a bolting mechanism, or the like). In any case, the automatic replacement of the polishing pad member can be easily performed.

In the above-described polishing apparatus, an accommodating shelf for accommodating a polishing pad member which is detachably attached to and exchanged with the pad holding apparatus by a transporting apparatus may be provided. According to this configuration, the plurality of replacement polishing pad members are stored in the storage shelf, so that the replacement operation efficiency can be further improved.

In the above-mentioned polishing apparatus, a used polishing pad member which has been detached and replaced from the pad holding device is used.
It is also possible to provide a polishing body refilling device for automatically peeling the polishing body from the polishing support and automatically attaching a new polishing body to the polishing support. By automatically changing the polishing body in this manner, the replacement operation of the polishing pad member is performed more efficiently.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a polishing head and a polishing pad member detachably attached to the polishing head by vacuum suction in the polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part of the polishing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a spindle shaft, a polishing head, a polishing pad member, and a pad conditioning mechanism in the polishing apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a CM equipped with a polishing pad exchange device according to the present invention.
It is a top view of a P apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a polishing head member which is symmetrical in exchange of the exchange device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a part of the CMP apparatus along the line AA in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a part of the CMP apparatus as viewed from an arrow B in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the polishing pad transport robot.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of the polishing pad transport robot.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a polishing head and a polishing pad member detachably attached to the polishing head by electromagnetic attraction in the polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic front view showing a polishing body refilling apparatus having a polishing body peeling apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a schematic front view showing a polishing body refilling apparatus having a polishing body attaching apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 CMP apparatus W Wafer 2 Polishing head 3 Spindle shaft 4 Polishing pad 5 Conditioning mechanism 7 Head transfer mechanism 8 Head elevating mechanism 12 Index table 18 Polishing pad transport robot 18a Arm 19 Polishing pad storage shelf 60 Polishing body refilling device 65 Abrasive body peeling device 70 Abrasive body sticking device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Satoru Ide 3009 Kamiyori, Atsugi-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Okamoto Machine Tool Works, Ltd. F Term in Semiconductor Division (Reference) 3C058 AA07 AA15 CA01 CB03 CB04

Claims (14)

[Claims] An object holding device for holding an object to be polished with a surface to be polished facing upward, a polishing pad member having a polishing surface for abutting and polishing the surface to be polished, and the polishing surface And a pad holding device for holding the polishing pad member with the surface facing downward, wherein the polishing pad member is relatively moved while being in contact with the surface to be polished to polish the surface to be polished. A polishing apparatus, comprising: a fixed holding mechanism for detachably holding the polishing pad member with the polishing surface facing downward at the lower end of the pad holding apparatus; and the pad holding apparatus is fixed to the pad holding apparatus by the fixed holding mechanism. A polishing apparatus characterized in that the polishing pad member is automatically attached and detached and replaced. 2. An object holding device for holding an object to be polished with a surface to be polished facing upward, a polishing pad member having a polishing surface for abutting and polishing the surface to be polished, and the polishing surface A pad holding device for holding the polishing pad member in a state in which the polishing pad member is directed downward, and a transfer device for transferring the polishing pad member to the pad holding device and performing an exchange operation, wherein the polishing pad member is In a polishing apparatus configured to polish the surface to be polished by being relatively moved while being in contact with the surface to be polished, the polishing pad member having the polishing surface facing downward at a lower end portion of the pad holding device. A fixing and holding mechanism for detachably fixing and holding the polishing pad member, wherein the polishing pad member conveyed by the conveyance device is automatically attached to and detached from the pad holding device by the fixing and holding mechanism and replaced. Polishing apparatus characterized by being. 3. The transfer device has an arm member at its tip capable of gripping the polishing pad member. When attaching the polishing pad member to the pad holding device, the polishing device holds the polishing pad member gripped by the arm member. When the polishing pad member is conveyed to the lower end portion of the pad holding device and fixedly held by the fixed holding mechanism and the polishing pad member is removed from the pad holding device, the polishing in a state where the polishing pad member is fixed and held by the fixed holding mechanism After the pad member is gripped by the arm member, the holding of the polishing pad member by the fixed holding mechanism is released, and the polishing device is transported by the transport device. 2
A polishing apparatus according to claim 1. 4. A temporary fixing mechanism for temporarily fixing the polishing pad member to the pad holding device when the polishing pad member is fixedly held by the pad holding device by the fixed holding mechanism. Item 4. The polishing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 5. The polishing pad member comprises: a polishing body that abuts on the surface to be polished of the object to be polished to perform polishing; and a polishing support that holds the polishing body in a planar shape. The polishing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: 6. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixed holding mechanism is configured to hold the polishing pad member at a lower end of the pad holding device by vacuum suction.
5. The polishing apparatus according to any one of 5. 7. The polishing support is made of a magnetic material, and the fixed holding mechanism is configured to fix and hold the polishing pad member at a lower end of the pad holding device by a magnetic force. The polishing apparatus according to claim 5. 8. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixed holding mechanism is configured to fix and hold the polishing pad member at a lower end of the pad holding device using a fixing metal. A polishing apparatus according to claim 1. 9. A polishing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage shelf for transporting and holding said polishing pad member which is detachably attached to said pad holding device by said transport device.
9. The polishing apparatus according to any one of 8. 10. The polishing body is automatically peeled off from the polishing support with respect to the used polishing pad member that has been detached and replaced from the pad holding device, and a new polishing body is automatically attached to the polishing support. The polishing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a polishing body repositioning device attached to the polishing body. 11. The transfer device transfers the used polishing pad member, which has been detached and replaced from the pad holding device, to the polishing body changing device, and the polishing body is changed by the polishing body changing device. 11. The polishing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the polishing pad member is configured to be transported to a storage shelf. 12. A method for exchanging a polishing pad member in a polishing apparatus, comprising exchanging a polishing pad member for the pad holding apparatus with the polishing apparatus according to claim 1. Description: 13. A polishing pad member in which an abrasive body is adhered to the surface of a polishing support having an annular groove on the outer periphery and having a fitting for alignment on the back surface, and a spindle shaft having a shaft center in a vertical direction. A head which is mounted on a shaft and which can vacuum-adsorb the polishing pad member, an elevating mechanism for the spindle shaft, a transfer mechanism capable of reciprocating the spindle shaft in left and right directions, and a polishing pad member attached to the head of the spindle shaft. The polishing pad member is provided on the extension of the transfer path in the left-right direction of the center point and is removed by an arm from the head of the spindle shaft that has been transferred, and is rotated to carry or store the polishing pad member in a storage shelf. A transport robot that transports the polishing pad member from the shelf, rotates and carries the polishing pad member into the head of the spindle shaft, and is separated from the rotation axis of the transport robot. A polishing pad member exchanging device in a polishing device, comprising the storage shelf provided and capable of reciprocating in a front-rear direction. 14. A polishing pad member changing device according to claim 13, which has an annular groove on the outer periphery through the following steps (1) to (12), and is fitted on the back surface for alignment. A polishing pad member replacement method in a polishing apparatus, comprising: attaching and detaching a polishing pad member having a polishing body adhered to a surface of a polishing support provided with a tool to and from a head supported on a spindle shaft. (1) The arm of the transfer robot is raised to a position where the polishing pad member is removed from the head, and then the arm is turned 90 degrees in the head direction. (2) A polishing pad member, which is vacuum-adsorbed to a head supported on a spindle shaft having a shaft center in a vertical direction, is provided on an extension of a transfer trajectory in the left-right direction of a center point of the polishing pad member by a transfer mechanism. To the transfer robot side and stop at the replacement position. (3) By reducing the claw width of the arm of the transfer robot, two pairs of rolls attached to the arm are inserted into an annular groove provided on the outer periphery of the polishing pad member mounting plate to thereby remove the polishing pad member. Hold. (4) Then, the vacuum suction of the head is released, and compressed air is supplied to the head to facilitate removal of the polishing pad member from the head. (5) Rotate the arm of the transfer robot 90 degrees in the opposite direction,
Then, the arm is raised or lowered to the height of the bar on which the polishing pad member of the storage shelf is placed. (6) The storage shelves are advanced to the transfer robot side, and the polishing pad members are placed on the rails of the storage shelves by enlarging the claw width of the arm of the transfer robot. (7) Retract the storage shelf. (8) Raise or lower the arm of the transfer robot to a position where a new polishing pad member can be gripped. (9) The storage shelf is advanced to the transfer robot side, and two pairs of rolls attached to the arm by reducing the claw width of the arm of the transfer robot are provided on the outer periphery of the new polishing pad member mounting plate. The polishing pad member is gripped by inserting it into the annular groove. (10) Retract the storage shelf. (11) The arm of the transfer robot is turned in the direction of the head by 90 degrees, and then the head is vacuumed to attract the polishing pad member to the head. (12) Enlarge the claw width of the arm of the transfer robot and move the spindle axis in the left-right direction away from the transfer robot. (13) Hereinafter, when the polishing pad member is worn and the polishing pad member is replaced with a new polishing pad member, the above (2) to (1)
Repeat step 2).