JP2004241457A - Polishing and cleaning composite apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a polishing and cleaning composite apparatus which can clean simultaneously upon finishing of polishing. <P>SOLUTION: The polishing and cleaning composite apparatus includes at least a conveying means for conveying a thin plate disc-like material to be treated, a polishing tool for polishing the material to be treated, conveyed by the conveying means, and a drive means for driving the polishing tool to the material to be treated. The polishing and cleaning composite apparatus continuously performs a step of driving the polishing tool by the drive means to the material to be treated and pouring an abrasive to the polishing tool, and a step of pouring cleaning water to the polishing tool. Thus, the gap of time from the polishing step to the cleaning step can be eliminated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a combined polishing and cleaning apparatus for polishing and cleaning the surface of a thin disk-shaped object to be processed such as a magnetic disk substrate, a semiconductor wafer, a liquid crystal display glass substrate, and a photomask glass substrate.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Patent Literature 1 discloses a polishing apparatus that holds a carrier having holes for holding a plurality of objects to be polished between upper and lower platens and alternately rotates in revolving and forward and reverse directions to polish both surfaces of the plurality of objects to be polished. Disclose.
[0003]
Patent Document 2 discloses that in a polishing apparatus, for example, a step of polishing a surface of a wafer is performed in a plurality of polishing steps such as a rough polishing step, a precise polishing step, and a finishing polishing step in a plurality of steps. It is an object of the present invention to sufficiently remove slurry attached to a wafer when the wafer is moved between the wafers. For this reason, in the cleaning apparatus, it is disclosed that the wafer is cleaned while being held by the holding head and cleaning while being mounted on the holding pedestal, and the holding head is also independently cleaned. ing.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-254301 A [Patent Document 2]
JP 2001-144057 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
At present, it is required to polish a large amount of a thin disk-shaped workpiece such as a wafer, and conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of carriers capable of receiving a plurality of workpieces. Has a polishing surface that rotates, and is rotated and revolved between an upper surface plate and a lower surface plate to which the slurry is supplied, thereby polishing a large number of workpieces at one time. In this case, when the object to be processed is taken out after the polishing is completed, the polishing surface changes due to the slurry attached to the object to be processed. Therefore, it is necessary to take out the object as soon as possible, and there is a problem that the quality changes depending on the order of taking out. .
[0006]
Further, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is desirable to remove the slurry by washing for each polishing step, but there is a disadvantage that the process becomes complicated. Further, a gap between the polishing step and the cleaning step causes a problem that the polishing cloth becomes hard, thereby causing a problem that polishing quality is deteriorated.
[0007]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a combined polishing and cleaning apparatus capable of performing cleaning at the same time as the completion of polishing.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Therefore, the present invention provides a transporting means for transporting a thin disk-shaped workpiece, a polishing jig for polishing the workpiece transported by the transporting means, and a polishing jig for the workpiece. A polishing step of driving the polishing jig with respect to the object to be processed by the driving means and injecting an abrasive into the polishing jig; The cleaning step of injecting into the jig is performed continuously. This can eliminate the time gap from the polishing step to the cleaning step, so that the above problem can be achieved.
[0009]
In addition, it is preferable that the polishing step and the cleaning step are performed repeatedly for a predetermined time. Thereby, the transition from the polishing step to the cleaning step is smoothly performed.
[0010]
Further, the polishing jig is a pair of cylindrical polishing jigs on which a polishing cloth is arranged, and holds and fixes the object to be processed conveyed by the conveying means in a vertical direction, and rotates the pair of cylindrical jigs. The polishing process is performed by rotating the polishing jig so as to pull up the object to be processed, and pouring the abrasive into the pair of cylindrical polishing jigs. Preferably, a cleaning step is performed.
[0011]
Further, it is preferable that the transporting unit sequentially removes and transports the workpiece from the container in which the workpiece is stored, and transports the workpiece that has been polished and cleaned to the next step.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
The combined polishing and cleaning system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes at least a combined polishing and cleaning device 2, a cleaning dedicated device 3, and a transport device (6, 7, 8, 9, 10).
[0014]
A thin disk-shaped object 5 such as a magnetic disk substrate, a semiconductor wafer, a liquid crystal display glass substrate, or a photomask glass substrate mounted on the container 4 is gripped by a lift mechanism 6 constituting a transfer device. It is gripped by 6a and lifted upward from the container 4. Then, when the carrier 7 constituting the transfer device moves and the primary holder 7a of the carrier 7 reaches the lower position, the grip 6a descends and the workpiece 5 is placed on the primary holder 7a of the carrier 7. You.
[0015]
When the object 5 is placed on the primary holder 7a, the carrier 7 moves laterally to a position where the primary holder 7a is located below the polishing / cleaning mechanism 20 constituting the combined polishing and cleaning apparatus 2. Then, move up from here. The polishing / cleaning mechanism 20 holds the workpiece 5 that has moved upward.
[0016]
The polishing / cleaning mechanism 20 restricts an upper position of the processing target 5, and holds and holds a pair of rotation rollers 21 for rotating the processing target 5, and the processing target 5, It is constituted at least by a pair of cylindrical polishing jigs 22 rotating in a direction for urging the object 5 upward. The cylindrical polishing jig 22 has a cylindrical shape, and a polishing cloth is mounted on an outer peripheral side surface thereof. The cylindrical polishing jigs 22 are in contact with both sides of the object 5 to be processed.
[0017]
With the above-described configuration, the cylindrical polishing jig 22 rotates in a direction to sandwich the workpiece 5 and urge the workpiece 5 upward, and the rotation roller 21 By rotating the body 5, both surfaces of the object 5 can be polished / cleaned.
[0018]
The polishing / cleaning mechanism 20 is provided with an abrasive storage tank 23 and an opening / closing valve 24, a cleaning water tank 25 and an opening / closing valve 26, and a predetermined polishing cloth attached to the side surface of the cylindrical polishing jig 22. The polishing step is performed when an abrasive having characteristics is supplied by opening the on-off valve 24, and the cleaning step is executed when cleaning water is supplied by opening the on-off valve 26.
[0019]
When the process by the polishing / cleaning mechanism 20 is completed, the carrier 7 moves to the left in the drawing, and the primary holder 7a places a new workpiece 5 and at the same time, the secondary holder 7b of the carrier 7 moves to the polishing / cleaning mechanism 20. , And the carrier 7 moves rightward in the drawing. Then, the workpiece 5 is transported from the secondary holder 7b of the carrier 7 to the cleaning device unit 3 by the grip 8a of the transport mechanism 8.
[0020]
The cleaning-dedicated device 3 includes an annular transport mechanism 10 that constitutes the transport device having a plurality of holding mechanisms 30 arranged at predetermined intervals on a peripheral edge, and at least a predetermined position provided at a predetermined position of the annular transport mechanism 10. One (two in this embodiment) cleaning mechanism 40 is provided. The annular transport mechanism 10 is configured in a substantially ferris wheel shape, and rotates the workpiece 5 gripped by the holding mechanism 30 every predetermined angle (45 ° in this embodiment). After being transported to the cleaning mechanism 40 and washed with the cleaning water supplied by opening the on-off valves 42 and 43, the drying mechanism is sequentially moved to the transport mechanism 9 constituting the transport device while drying.
[0021]
The polished and washed workpiece 5 transported to a predetermined position by rotating the annular transport mechanism 10 is carried out of the holding mechanism 30 by the grip 9 a of the transport mechanism 9 and stored in the container 4. Is done.
[0022]
In the polishing / cleaning combined system 1 having the above-described configuration, the polishing / cleaning mechanism 20 performs, for example, the control shown in the flowchart of FIG. This control is started when a main switch (not shown) is turned on.
[0023]
First, in step 110, the cylindrical polishing jig 22 is operated at low speed rotation, and in step 120, the transporting devices 6, 7 are driven, and the cylindrical polishing jig 22 in which the object 5 rotates at low speed. Mounted and held. The steps 110 and 120 constitute the preparation process 100.
[0024]
After the object 5 is mounted and held, the cylindrical polishing jig 22 is rotated at a high speed in step 210, and the open / close valve 24 is opened in step 220 to apply the abrasive onto the polishing cloth of the cylindrical polishing jig 22. Then, a polishing step 200 of the object 5 is performed. The polishing process 200 is completed by closing the on-off valve 24 and stopping the injection of the abrasive in step 230, and simultaneously opening and closing the on-off valve 26 in step 310 to inject the cleaning water. The cleaning process 300 starts. In addition, the cleaning process 300 ends when the on-off valve 26 is closed in step 320 and the supply of the cleaning water is stopped.
[0025]
As described above, according to the present invention, while the cylindrical polishing jig 22 rotates, the polishing process is performed by injecting the abrasive, and the cleaning process is performed by injecting the cleaning water. In other words, the polishing process is performed. The cleaning step is started simultaneously with the end of the step. For this reason, as in the prior art, a problem caused by the existence of a time gap from the end of the polishing step to the start of the cleaning step, for example, a change in the polished surface due to the abrasive attached to the object to be processed. Since it can be prevented, the quality can be improved.
[0026]
Thereafter, in step 410, the continuation of the work is determined. If the work is continued, the process returns to step 110, and the work from step 110 to step 320 is repeated, whereby the polishing of the object 5 is continuously performed. Is done. If it is determined in step 410 that the next polishing operation on the object 5 is not to be continued (N), the cylindrical polishing jig 22 is operated at low speed in step 420. At 430, the transporting devices 6 and 7 are driven to carry out the last workpiece 5 to the next step, and at step 440, the cylindrical polishing jig 22 is stopped to end the operation of the polishing / cleaning mechanism 20. Is what you do.
[0027]
FIG. 3 shows a timing chart of the above operation. In this figure, (a) shows the driving state of the conveying devices 6 and 7, (b) shows the rotating state of the cylindrical polishing jig 22, and (c) shows the polishing agent by the open / close valve 24. (D) shows the state of injection of washing water by the open / close valve 26.
[0028]
In FIG. 3, at t0, the cylindrical polishing jig 22 starts low-speed operation (LOW), and at t1, t5, and t9, the transport devices 6 and 7 are driven to transport the workpiece 5 and perform the polishing / polishing. The workpiece 5 is mounted on the cleaning mechanism 20. At time t2, t6, and t10, after the mounting of the workpiece 5, the cylindrical polishing jig 22 is rotated at a high speed (HIGH), and at the same time, the injection of the abrasive is started. At the same time as the injection of the abrasive is stopped, the cleaning water is injected. At times t5 and t9, the injection is stopped, and the driving of the transfer devices 6 and 7 is started. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the polishing step is from t2 and t6 to t4 and t8, and the cleaning step is from t3 and t7 to t5 and t9. It is in an overlapping state from t3, t7 to t4, t8. This indicates that the remaining amount of the abrasive drops for a predetermined time even after the opening and closing of the on-off valve 24. However, a time overlap that is effective for smoothly shifting the process from the polishing process to the cleaning process is effective. Therefore, it is desirable that the opening of the on-off valve 26 for injecting the washing water be performed at the same time as the closing of the on-off valve 24.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, without stopping the machine from the operation of the polishing step, the injection of the polishing agent is switched to the injection of the cleaning water to perform the cleaning step. Can be performed, so that the abrasive does not remain on the polished surface, so that problems caused by the adhesion of the abrasive can be avoided. In addition, since the polishing cloth can be dressed at the same time by pouring the cleaning water, the surface of the polishing cloth can be kept in a good state, and the polishing quality can be maintained for a long time in polishing the object to be processed continuously. It is possible to maintain.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a combined polishing and cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating control of a polishing / cleaning mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing control of a polishing / cleaning mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Combined polishing and cleaning system 2 Combined polishing and cleaning device 3 Combined polishing and cleaning device 4 Container 5 Workpiece 10 Annular transport mechanism 20 Polishing / cleaning mechanism 21 Roller for rotation 22 Cylindrical polishing jig 23 Abrasive storage tank 24 Open / close valve 25 Cleaning water Tank 26 On-off valve

Claims (4)

Transport means for transporting the thin disk-shaped workpiece, a polishing jig for polishing the workpiece transported by the transport means, and a driving means for driving the polishing jig with respect to the workpiece At least
Driving the polishing jig with respect to the object by the driving means,
A polishing step of injecting an abrasive into the polishing jig,
And a cleaning step of injecting cleaning water into the polishing jig is performed continuously. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polishing step and the cleaning step are performed for a predetermined period of time. The polishing jig is a pair of cylindrical polishing jigs on which a polishing cloth is disposed, and holds and fixes the object to be processed conveyed by the conveying means in the vertical direction and rotates the object to be processed. The polishing process is performed by rotating the jig so as to pull up the object to be processed and injecting an abrasive into the pair of cylindrical polishing jigs. 3. The polishing and cleaning combined apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polishing is performed. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transporting unit sequentially removes and transports the workpiece from a container in which the workpiece is stored, and transports the workpiece that has been polished and cleaned to the next step. Or the combined polishing and washing apparatus according to 3.

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