JP2020113670A - Cleaning unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cleaning unit which cleans and dries a workpiece in a short time, while saving an installation space.SOLUTION: A cleaning unit 4 comprises support means 42 including a suction hole 420c supporting a sponge 41 in contact with a workpiece and interconnected with a suction source, means 43 for sucking water in the sponge 41 from the suction hole 420c, means 44 for interconnecting the suction hole 420c and a water supply source and overflowing the water from the sponge 41, means 164 for relatively displacing export means 16 and the support means 42 in parallel with the undersurface of the workpiece held by the export means 16, and means 184 for relatively displacing import means 18 and the support means 42 in parallel with the undersurface of the workpiece held by the import means 18. At the time of cleaning a workpiece, water is overflowed from the sponge 41, the sponge 41 is brought into contact with the workpiece, the export means 16 or the import means 18 and the support means 42 are displaced relatively, and at the time of drying the workpiece, the sponge 41 is brought into contact with the workpiece, water of the sponge 41 is drained, and the export means 16 and the support means 42 are displaced relatively.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning unit for cleaning a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer.

A processing device that processes the upper surface of a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer whose lower surface is held on a chuck table with a processing tool, then unloads the workpiece from the chuck table by a carry-out means that suction-holds the upper surface of the workpiece. doing.

Then, while the work piece is separated from the chuck table by the carry-out means and is conveyed to the apparatus of the next step, the lower surface of the work piece is cleaned by abutting the sponge while supplying cleaning water to the lower surface ( For example, see Patent Document 1). Since water adheres to the lower surface of the work piece after cleaning, the work piece is slowly moved above the injection port where the air of the air nozzle is ejected, as in the grinding device disclosed in Patent Document 2. The lower surface of the work piece is dried by air.

JP, 2013-094876, A JP, 2010-167519, A

However, since the water droplets are blown off from the lower surface of the workpiece by air, there is a problem that when the workpiece is moved at a high speed above the air nozzle, the water droplets remain on the lower surface. In addition, since it is necessary to provide a cleaning mechanism for cleaning and an air nozzle for drying in the processing device, there is a problem that a large installation space can be taken.

Therefore, in a cleaning unit for cleaning an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer, there is a problem that the object to be processed is sufficiently cleaned or dried in a short time, and the installation space of the cleaning unit is reduced.

The present invention for solving the above problems, a chuck table for holding a lower surface of a workpiece, a processing means for rotatably supporting a processing tool and processing an upper surface of the workpiece held by the chuck table, The carrying-in means, which is provided with a carrying-in means for holding the upper surface of the workpiece and carrying it into the chuck table, and a carrying-out means for carrying the upper surface of the workpiece and carrying it out of the chuck table, are provided. A cleaning unit for cleaning a lower surface of a workpiece held by a carry-out means, the cleaning unit including a sponge that contacts the workpiece and the sponge at a portion other than a portion of the sponge that contacts the workpiece. Supporting means having a suction hole for supporting the sponge and communicating with the suction source, drainage means for sucking and draining water contained in the sponge from the suction hole, and communicating the suction hole with a water supply source. A water supply means for causing water to overflow from a portion of the sponge which comes into contact with the work piece, and a relative movement of the carry-out means and the support means parallel to the lower surface of the work piece held by the carry-out means, Alternatively, the water supply means is provided when the workpiece is washed, including a moving means for relatively moving the loading means and the supporting means in parallel to the lower surface of the workpiece held by the loading means. Water is made to overflow from the portion of the sponge that comes into contact with the work piece, the sponge is brought into contact with the work piece, and the transfer means and the support means are provided by the moving means, or the carry-in means is provided by the moving means. And the supporting means are relatively moved to dry the work piece, the sponge is brought into contact with the work piece, and the water contained in the sponge is drained by the draining means while moving the moving means. Is a cleaning unit that relatively moves the carry-out means and the support means.

The sponge is a roll sponge, and the supporting means includes a shaft that is inserted into a cylinder of the roll sponge and has the suction hole on the outer surface thereof, and a support portion that rotatably supports the shaft. Is preferred.

The sponge is a rectangular sponge, and the supporting means has a concave portion that exposes a portion of the rectangular sponge that contacts the workpiece, and that accommodates a portion other than the portion of the rectangular sponge that contacts the workpiece. It is preferable to provide a base having the suction hole formed on the inner surface.

A cleaning unit according to the present invention, which is disposed in a processing apparatus including a chuck table, a processing unit, a loading unit, and an unloading unit, and which cleans a lower surface of a workpiece held by the loading unit or the unloading unit, A sponge that comes into contact with the workpiece, a support means that supports the sponge at a portion other than the portion of the sponge that comes into contact with the workpiece, and a suction hole that communicates the sponge with a suction source, and a suction hole for sucking water contained in the sponge. On the lower surface of the workpiece held by the unloading means, the water discharging means for sucking and draining from the water, the water supplying means for communicating the suction hole to the water supply source and overflowing the water from the portion of the sponge that comes into contact with the workpiece. And a moving means for relatively moving the carry-out means and the supporting means in parallel to each other, or a moving means for relatively moving the carry-in means and the supporting means in parallel to the lower surface of the workpiece held by the carry-in means. Therefore, when cleaning the work piece, water is made to overflow from the portion of the sponge that comes into contact with the work piece by the water supply means, the sponge is brought into contact with the work piece, and the transfer means and the support means are moved by the moving means. Alternatively, the carrying-in means and the supporting means may be relatively moved by the moving means for cleaning.
Further, when the work piece is dried, the sponge is brought into contact with the work piece, and while the water contained in the sponge is being drained by the draining means, the discharging means and the supporting means are relatively moved by the moving means. Thus, the work piece can be continuously and sufficiently dried without saturating the sponge with water. When the workpiece is dried, the sponge is dried and brought into contact with the workpiece, so that it is possible to wipe off fine processing scraps attached to the workpiece that cannot be washed during cleaning. Further, by supplying water from the water supply means to the sponge and causing the water to overflow from the portion of the sponge that comes into contact with the workpiece, the portion of the sponge that is wiped off during cleaning or drying of the workpiece. It is possible to remove the fine processing scraps attached to, and it is possible to wash or dry the next workpiece with a clean sponge.
Since the cleaning unit according to the present invention can clean and dry the work piece with the sponge, the installation space of the cleaning unit in the processing apparatus can be saved.

The sponge is a roll sponge, and the supporting means includes a shaft that is inserted into the cylinder of the roll sponge and has a suction hole on the outer surface thereof, and a supporting portion that rotatably supports the shaft. During cleaning or drying of the workpiece, the outer peripheral surface of the roll sponge that contacts the lower surface of the workpiece can rotate, so that the entire outer peripheral surface can be uniformly cleaned or dried.

The sponge is a rectangular sponge, and the supporting means has a concave portion that exposes a portion of the rectangular sponge that contacts the workpiece and accommodates a portion other than the portion of the rectangular sponge that contacts the workpiece, and the suction hole is formed on the inner surface of the concave portion. By including the formed base, it becomes possible for an operator to easily replace the rectangular sponge, for example.

It is a perspective view showing an example of a processing device in which a cleaning unit concerning the present invention was arranged. It is a perspective view showing an example of a cleaning unit provided with roll sponge. It is an exploded perspective view of a cleaning unit provided with roll sponge. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which started washing|cleaning of the protective tape stuck on the lower surface of a to-be-processed object by the washing unit provided with roll sponge. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which is cleaning the protective tape stuck on the lower surface of the to-be-processed object by the cleaning unit provided with roll sponge. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which started the drying of the protective tape stuck on the lower surface of a to-be-processed object by the washing unit provided with a roll sponge. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which is drying the protective tape stuck on the lower surface of a to-be-processed object by the washing unit provided with roll sponge. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which is wash|cleaning the outer peripheral surface of roll sponge. It is a perspective view showing an example of a cleaning unit provided with a rectangular sponge. It is a disassembled perspective view of the washing unit provided with a rectangular sponge. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which started washing|cleaning of the protective tape stuck on the lower surface of a to-be-processed object by the washing unit provided with a rectangular sponge. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which started the drying of the protective tape stuck on the lower surface of the to-be-processed object by the washing unit provided with a rectangular sponge. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which is cleaning the upper surface of a rectangular sponge.

The processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, a grinding apparatus that performs a grinding process on a workpiece W (for example, a circular semiconductor wafer) held on a chuck table 30 by a processing unit 6. The processing device 1 may be a grinding device in which the grinding means is biaxial of rough grinding means and finish grinding means, or a cutting device that cuts the workpiece W with a rotating cutting blade, or a polishing pad. A polishing device or the like for polishing the workpiece W may be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, a housing 11 is arranged on the apparatus base 10 of the processing apparatus 1, and a processing chamber is defined in the housing 11. For example, a touch panel 19 is provided on the side surface of the housing 11 on the −Y direction side for the operator to input the processing conditions of the workpiece W to the processing apparatus 1.

The front (−Y direction side) of the processing device 1 on the device base 10 is a region where the workpiece W is attached to and detached from the chuck table 30, and the rear (+Y direction side) of the device base 10 is This is a region where the workpiece W held on the chuck table 30 by the processing means 6 is ground.

A first cassette mounting portion 150 and a second cassette mounting portion 151 are provided on the front surface of the device base 10 on the −Y direction side, and the first cassette mounting portion 150 is provided with a workpiece before processing. The first cassette 150a in which the workpiece W is accommodated is placed, and the second cassette 151a in which the processed workpiece W is accommodated is placed on the second cassette placing portion 151.

The workpieces W housed in the first cassette 150a in the shape of a plurality of shelves are, for example, semiconductor wafers having silicon as a base material and having a circular outer shape, and the lower surface Wa in FIG. A circular protective tape T having a diameter substantially the same as that of the workpiece W is attached and protected. The workpiece W may be made of gallium arsenide, sapphire, gallium nitride, silicon carbide, or the like, other than silicon.

A robot that carries out the unprocessed workpiece W from the first cassette 150a and carries the processed workpiece W into the second cassette 151a behind the opening on the +Y direction side of the first cassette 150a. 155 is provided. A temporary placement area 152 is provided at a position adjacent to the robot 155, and a positioning means 153 is provided in the temporary placement area 152. The positioning means 153 centers the workpiece W, which has been unloaded from the first cassette 150a and placed in the temporary placement area 152, at a predetermined position with a positioning pin that reduces its diameter.

At a position adjacent to the position aligning unit 153, a carrying-in unit 18 that rotates while holding the workpiece W is disposed. The carry-in means 18 holds the workpiece W aligned by the aligning means 153, and conveys the workpiece W to the chuck table 30 arranged in the processing area. The carry-in means 18 is provided with a circular suction pad 181 on the lower surface side of one end of the horizontally extending arm portion 180. The arm section 180 is connected to a carry-in moving means 184 including a rotating shaft and a carry-in raising/lowering means 185 including a cylinder mechanism. The carry-in moving means 184 places the arm section 180 on a horizontal plane (X-axis Y-axis plane). The arm 180 can be swung and moved, and the loading/lowering means 185 can vertically move the arm 180 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

Next to the carry-in means 18, a carry-out means 16 for holding the upper surface Wb of the processed workpiece W and carrying it out from the chuck table 30 is provided. The carry-out means 16 includes a suction pad 161 on the lower surface side of one end of the horizontally extending arm portion 160. The arm portion 160 is connected to a carry-out moving means 164 composed of a rotating shaft and the like and a carry-out lifting means 165 composed of a cylinder mechanism and the like, and the carry-out moving means 164 places the arm portion 160 on a horizontal plane (X-axis Y-axis plane). It can be swung, and the carry-out lifting means 165 can move the arm 160 up and down in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).
In the present embodiment, the carry-out moving means 164 and the carry-in moving means 184 relatively move the carry-out means 16 and the support means 42 in parallel to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W held by the carry-out means 16, or A moving means for relatively moving the carry-in means 18 and the support means 42 is formed in parallel with the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W held by the carry-in means 18.

The suction pad 161 (see FIG. 4) of the carry-out means 16 has, for example, a circular outer shape, is made of a porous member or the like, and has a suction portion 161a that sucks the workpiece W, and a frame body 161b that supports the suction portion 161a. With. The suction unit 161a communicates with a suction source 169 such as a vacuum generator, and the suction force generated by suction by the suction source 169 is transmitted to the flat suction surface 161c that is the exposed surface of the suction unit 161a. The suction pad 161 sucks and holds the workpiece W by the suction surface 161c.

As shown in FIG. 1, a single-wafer spinner cleaning mechanism 156 for cleaning the processed workpiece W conveyed by the carry-out means 16 is arranged at a position close to the carry-out means 16. The workpiece W cleaned by the spinner cleaning mechanism 156 is carried into the second cassette 151a by the robot 155.

The chuck table 30 which is disposed on the device base 10 of the processing device 1 and holds the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W via the protective tape T has, for example, a circular outer shape and is made of a porous member or the like to be processed. A holding surface 300 for sucking and holding the object W is provided. The chuck table 30 is rotatable about an axis in the Z-axis direction, is surrounded by a cover 39, and is arranged under the bellows cover 39a that is connected to the cover 39 and expands and contracts in the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis direction moving means (not shown) provided can reciprocate on the device base 10 in the Y-axis direction.

A column 17 is provided upright on the rear side (+Y direction side) on the device base 10, and a machining feed means 7 for feeding the machining means 6 in the Z-axis direction is arranged on the front surface of the column 17. ing. The machining feed means 7 includes a ball screw 70 having an axis in the Z-axis direction, a pair of guide rails 71 arranged in parallel with the ball screw 70, a motor 72 connected to the ball screw 70 to rotate the ball screw 70, and an internal portion. The nut 72 is screwed onto the ball screw 70 and the side portion is in sliding contact with the guide rail 71, and is composed of an elevator plate 73 and a holder 74 which is connected to the elevator plate 73 and holds the processing means 6. The motor 72 rotates the ball screw 70. As a result, the lifting plate 73 is guided by the guide rails 71 to reciprocate in the Z-axis direction, and the processing means 6 supported by the holder 74 also reciprocates in the Z-axis direction.

The processing means 6 rotates the rotating shaft 60 whose axial direction is the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) orthogonal to the holding surface 300 of the chuck table 30, the housing 61 which rotatably supports the rotating shaft 60, and the rotating shaft 60. The motor 62 to drive, the mount 63 attached to the lower end of the rotating shaft 60, and the processing tool 64 shown in FIG. The processing tool 64 is a grinding wheel in the present embodiment, and includes a wheel base 640 and a plurality of grinding wheels 641 provided in a ring shape on the lower surface of the wheel base 640 and having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. .. The grinding wheel 641 is formed by fixing diamond abrasive grains and the like with an appropriate bonding agent.

For example, a flow path (not shown) that is in communication with the grinding water supply source and serves as a passage for the grinding water is formed inside the rotation shaft 60 so as to penetrate in the axial direction (Z-axis direction) of the rotation shaft 60. The passage is opened on the bottom surface of the wheel base 640 so that the grinding water can be ejected toward the grinding wheel 641.

At a position adjacent to the processing means 6 in the state of being lowered to the grinding position, for example, a thickness measuring means 38 for measuring the thickness of the workpiece W by a contact method during grinding is provided.

For example, the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W before grinding whose upper surface Wb is held by the carry-in means 18 (the protective tape T adhered to the lower surface Wa in this embodiment) or the upper surface Wb is held by the carry-out means 16. The cleaning unit 4 according to the present invention for cleaning the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W after grinding (in this embodiment, the protective tape T adhered to the lower surface Wa) is, for example, an apparatus as shown in FIG. It is arranged between the carry-out means 16 on the base 10 and the spinner cleaning mechanism 156. The disposing location of the cleaning unit 4 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1, and may be, for example, between the temporary placement area 152 and the carry-in means 18, and the suction pad 181 of the carry-in means 18 may be provided. Alternatively, it may be located below the movable range of the suction pad 161 of the carry-out means 16.
The cleaning unit 4 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 supports, for example, a sponge 41 that comes into contact with the workpiece W and a portion of the sponge 41 other than the portion that comes into contact with the workpiece W, and the sponge 41 is ejected or ejected. A supporting means 42 having a suction hole 420c communicating with a suction source 439 such as a vacuum generator, a draining means 43 for sucking and draining water contained in the sponge 41 from the suction hole 420c, and a suction hole 420c for a water supply source 449. A water supply means 44 for communicating and allowing water to overflow from a portion of the sponge 41 in contact with the workpiece W, and a discharge means 16 parallel to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W held by the discharge means 16 (see FIG. 1). And the supporting means 42 are moved relative to each other, and the carrying-in means 18 and the supporting means 42 are parallel to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W held by the carrying-in moving means 164 (see FIG. 1). And the carrying-out moving means 184 that moves the suction pad 161 of the carrying-out means 16 in the Z-axis direction, and the suction pad 181 of the carrying-in means 18 in the Z-axis direction. And a loading and unloading means 185 for loading.

The sponge 41 is, for example, a roll sponge in which a sponge having a predetermined thickness is formed into a cylindrical shape (hereinafter referred to as the roll sponge 41), and has a length equal to or larger than the diameter of the workpiece W. The roll sponge 41 is, for example, an open-cell sponge having a structure in which air bubbles communicate with each other, and is a sponge formed by foaming polyurethane, a PVA sponge, or a sponge formed by kneading a foaming agent into rubber. To use. The outer peripheral surface 410 of the roll sponge 41 serves as a cleaning surface for contacting and cleaning the protective tape T on the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W shown in FIG.

The support means 42 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is, for example, a shaft 420 that is inserted into the cylinder 411 of the roll sponge 41 and has a suction hole 420c on the outer surface 420a, and a support portion 421 that rotatably supports the shaft 420. And The support portion 421 has, for example, a substantially U-shaped outer shape in a side view, and its bottom surface is fixed on the device base 10 shown in FIG. 1.
A channel 420d extending in the Y-axis direction is formed inside the cylindrical shaft 420, and the channel 420d communicates with each suction hole 420c. The shaft 420 housed in the recessed portion of the support portion 421 is supported by the support portion 421 via a bearing (not shown).
One end of the flow path 420d is in communication with a suction flow path 438 that constitutes the drainage means 43 and is made of a metal pipe, a flexible resin tube, or the like via a joint 422 attached to the side surface of the support portion 421. ..

A solenoid valve 437, for example, is disposed on the suction flow path 438. The solenoid valve 437 causes an electric current to flow through an electromagnet to generate a magnetic force, and the magnetic force is used to attract and move the spool in the valve. Thus, the suction flow path 438 can be switched to communicate with either the suction source 439 of the drainage means 43 or the water supply source 449 including a pump of the water supply means 44.

The operation of the cleaning unit 4 when the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W is ground and then the lower surface Wa is cleaned and dried using the processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described below.
To grind the upper surface Wb of the work W, first, the robot 155 pulls out one work W from the first cassette 150a and moves the work W to the temporary placement area 152. Next, after the workpiece W is centered by the alignment means 153, the suction pad 181 of the carry-in moving means 184 suction-holds the centered workpiece W and then moves it onto the chuck table 30. Let Before the suction pad 181 moves the workpiece W onto the chuck table 30, the held workpiece W (in the present embodiment, the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa) is cleaned by the cleaning unit 4. It is good to wash. When cleaning the protective tape T attached to the workpiece W, the water is supplied from the outer peripheral surface 410 of the roll sponge 41 which is in contact with the protective tape T of the workpiece W by the water supply means 44 shown in FIG. And the roll sponge 41 is brought into contact with the protection tape T of the workpiece W, and the suction pad 181 of the loading means 18 and the supporting means 42 are relatively moved to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W by the loading/moving means 184. Move in parallel. Specifically, the suction pad 161 of the carry-out means 16 holding the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W after grinding by the carry-out moving means 164, which will be described later, and the support means 42 are relatively parallel to the lower surface Wa of the work piece W. Since the procedure is substantially the same as the case of moving, it is omitted here.

After that, the work-in means 18 places the workpiece W on the holding surface 300 with the upper surface Wb facing upward so that the center of the chuck table 30 and the center of the workpiece W substantially coincide with each other. It is sucked and held by the holding surface 300. Next, the chuck table 30 holding the workpiece W moves in the +Y direction to below the processing means 6. The motor 62 of the processing means 6 rotationally drives the rotary shaft 60, and the processing tool 64 also rotates accordingly. The processing means 6 is fed in the -Z direction by the processing feed means 7, and the rotating grinding wheel 641 comes into contact with the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W to perform grinding. During grinding, as the chuck table 30 rotates, the workpiece W held on the holding surface 300 also rotates, so the grinding wheel 641 grinds the entire upper surface Wb of the workpiece W. .. Further, the grinding water is supplied to the contact portion between the grinding wheel 641 and the workpiece W, and the contact portion is cooled and washed.

After grinding the workpiece W to a desired thickness, the machining feeding means 7 moves the machining means 6 in the +Z direction to separate it from the workpiece W, and further moves the chuck table 30 in the −Y direction. Then, it is positioned near the carry-out means 16.

The carry-out moving means 164 pivotally moves the suction pad 161 in the horizontal direction so that the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W on the chuck table 30 and the suction surface 161c of the suction pad 161 shown in FIG. The suction pad 161 is positioned above the workpiece W so that the center of the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W and the center of the suction pad 161 substantially coincide with each other.

Next, the carry-out lifting/lowering means 165 lowers the suction pad 161 to bring the suction surface 161c into contact with the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W. In this state, the suction source 169 shown in FIG. 4 generates a suction force, and the suction pad 161 sucks and holds the workpiece W by the suction surface 161c.
Next, the suction holding of the workpiece W by the chuck table 30 is released, the suction pad 161 holding the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W is lifted by the unloading elevating means 165, and the workpiece W is unloaded from the chuck table 30. It is carried out by the means 16.

The carry-out moving means 164 horizontally moves the suction pad 161 holding the work W to position the work W above the roll sponge 41 of the cleaning unit 4 as shown in FIG.
On the protective tape T that protects the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W, processing waste (not shown) generated by grinding adheres. Therefore, the cleaning unit 4 cleans the protective tape T that protects the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W.

The carry-out lifting/lowering means 165 lowers the suction pad 161 to a predetermined height at which the outer peripheral surface 410 on the upper side of the roll sponge 41 contacts the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W.
Then, the solenoid valve 437 connects the suction flow path 438 to the water supply source 449 of the water supply means 44. The cleaning water is supplied from the water supply source 449, the cleaning water flows from the suction flow path 438 into the flow path 420d of the shaft 420, is further ejected from the plurality of suction holes 420c, and reaches the roll sponge 41. Then, from the inside of the roll sponge 41, the cleaning water oozes out over a wide area to the outer peripheral surface 410, which is the portion in contact with the protective tape T. In this state, the carry-out moving means 164 pivotally moves the suction pad 161 in the horizontal direction, whereby the outer peripheral surface 410 of the roll sponge 41 supported by the fixed supporting means 42 overflows the cleaning water, The protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W held by the relatively moving carrying-out means 16 is washed. As a result, the processing scraps attached to the protective tape T are washed away.

Since the shaft 420 inserted into the cylinder 411 of the roll sponge 41 is rotatably supported by the support portion 421, the roll sponge 41 has a friction force with the protective tape T attached to the workpiece W. The outer peripheral surface 410 that rotates by causing the cleaning water to overflow is also rotated.

As shown in FIG. 5, the roll sponge 41 cleans the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W, and the roll sponge 41 sandwiches the center from one outer peripheral edge of the protective tape T. The suction pad 161 is swung until it passes over the other symmetrical outer peripheral edge, whereby the cleaning of the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W by the roll sponge 41 is completed. The protective tape T may be further washed by reciprocating the suction pad 161 on the roll sponge 41 at a predetermined angle.

After the cleaning of the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W is completed, cleaning water adheres to the protective tape T. For example, as shown in FIG. Dry T. That is, the solenoid valve 437 causes the suction flow path 438 to communicate with the suction source 439, and the suction source 439 operates so that the suction force generated by the suction source 439 passes through the suction flow path 438 and the flow path 420d of the shaft 420. It is transmitted to each suction hole 420c. In this state, the protective tape T adhered to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W suction-held by the suction pad 161 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface 410 on the upper side of the roll sponge 41 by the carry-out lifting/lowering means 165. Further, the carry-out moving means 164 horizontally moves the suction pad 161 holding the workpiece W in a horizontal direction, so that the outer peripheral surface 410 of the roll sponge 41 contacting the workpiece W adheres to the protective tape T. The water you were doing is absorbed.

The water absorbed and contained in the roll sponge 41 passes through the suction hole 420c, the flow path 420d and the suction flow path 438 and is sucked by the suction source 439 of the drainage means 43. Therefore, the water is continuously discharged from the roll sponge 41, and the outer peripheral surface 410, which is a portion in contact with the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W of the roll sponge 41, is maintained in a state capable of absorbing water. To be done.

Since the shaft 420 inserted in the cylinder 411 of the roll sponge 41 is rotatably supported by the support portion 421, the roll sponge 41 has a friction force between the roll sponge 41 and the protective tape T attached to the workpiece W. The outer peripheral surface 410 that absorbs water also rotates.

As shown in FIG. 7, the roll sponge 41 dries the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W, and the roll sponge 41 sandwiches the center from one outer peripheral edge of the protective tape T. The suction pad 161 is swung until it passes over the other symmetrical outer peripheral edge, whereby the drying of the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W by the roll sponge 41 is completed. The protective tape T may be further dried by reciprocating the suction pad 161 on the roll sponge 41 at a predetermined angle.

The workpiece W on which the protective tape T has been dried is conveyed by the carry-out means 16 to the spinner cleaning mechanism 156 shown in FIG. The spinner cleaning mechanism 156 cleans the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W. The workpiece W whose upper surface Wb has been cleaned is housed in the second cassette 151a by the robot 155.

For example, after the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W is completely dried, the outer peripheral surface 410 of the roll sponge 41 is washed as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, the solenoid valve 437 communicates the suction flow path 438 with the water supply source 449 of the water supply means 44. The cleaning water supplied from the water supply source 449 flows from the suction flow path 438 through the flow path 420d of the shaft 420 and is ejected from the plurality of suction holes 420c, overflows from the outer peripheral surface 410 of the roll sponge 41, and the outer peripheral surface 410. The processing waste adhering to the is washed off. The outer peripheral surface 410 of the roll sponge 41 may be cleaned after the cleaning of the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W is completed. Further, in addition to the water supply source 449, an air supply source such as a compressor may be connected to the suction passage 438. Then, water, air and a mixed fluid may be supplied to the roll sponge 41 to clean the outer peripheral surface 410 of the roll sponge 41. Alternatively, water and air may be alternately supplied to the roll sponge 41 to clean the outer peripheral surface 410 of the roll sponge 41. Alternatively, only the air may be supplied from the air supply source to the roll sponge 41, and the processing waste adhering to the outer peripheral surface 410 of the roll sponge 41 may be blown away with the air for cleaning.

As described above, the workpiece W that is disposed in the processing apparatus 1 including the chuck table 30, the processing unit 6, the loading unit 18, and the unloading unit 16 and is held by the loading unit 18 or the unloading unit 16. The cleaning unit 4 according to the present invention for cleaning the lower surface Wa (the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa in this embodiment) of the sponge 41 (roll sponge 41) that contacts the workpiece W, and the sponge. The support means 42 that supports the sponge 41 at a portion other than the outer peripheral surface 410 that is a portion that contacts the work W of the workpiece 41, and that includes the suction means 420c that communicates the sponge 41 with the suction source 439, and the water contained in the sponge 41. Drainage means 43 for sucking and draining water from the suction hole 420c, water supply means 44 for communicating the suction hole 420c with a water supply source 449 and causing water to overflow from a portion of the sponge 41 in contact with the workpiece W, and a carry-out means. The carrying-out moving means 164 for relatively moving the carrying-out means 16 and the supporting means 42 in parallel to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W held by 16 and the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W held by the carrying-in means 18. Since the carrying-in moving means 184 for moving the carrying-in means 18 and the supporting means 42 relative to each other are provided in parallel, the workpiece W (the protective tape T adhered to the lower surface Wa in the present embodiment) is provided. When cleaning, the water supply means 44 causes the cleaning water to overflow from the outer peripheral surface 410 of the sponge 41 which is in contact with the workpiece W, the sponge 41 is brought into contact with the workpiece W, and the carry-out moving means 164. Cleaning can be performed by relatively moving the carry-out means 16 and the supporting means 42, or by relatively moving the carry-in moving means 184 between the carry-in means 18 and the supporting means 42.
Further, when the workpiece W is dried, the sponge 41 is brought into contact with the workpiece W, and the water contained in the sponge 41 is drained by the drainage means 43, while the carry-out moving means 164 carries out the carry-out means 16 and the supporting means. By relatively moving 42 and 42, the workpiece W can be continuously and sufficiently dried without saturating the sponge 41 with water. When the workpiece W is dried, the sponge 41 is dried and brought into contact with the workpiece W, so that it is possible to wipe off fine machining debris adhering to the workpiece W that cannot be washed during cleaning.
Further, by supplying water from the water supply means 44 to the sponge 41 and causing the water to overflow from the outer peripheral surface 410 of the sponge 41 which comes into contact with the workpiece W, the workpiece W can be wiped off during cleaning or drying. It is possible to remove the fine processing dust attached to the outer peripheral surface 410 of the sponge 41, and it is possible to clean or dry the next workpiece W with the clean sponge 41.
Since the cleaning unit 4 according to the present invention can clean and dry the workpiece W with the sponge 41, the installation space of the cleaning unit 4 in the processing apparatus 1 can be saved.

The sponge 41 is the roll sponge 41, and the supporting means 42 rotatably supports the shaft 420, which is inserted into the cylinder 411 of the roll sponge 41 and has the suction hole 420c on the outer surface 420a. By including the support portion 421, the outer peripheral surface 410 of the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W of the roll sponge 41 that is in contact with the protective tape T can be rotated while the workpiece W is being washed or dried. The entire surface of 410 can be uniformly washed or dried.

In the processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, instead of the cleaning unit 4 including the supporting means 42 and the roll sponge 41 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a cleaning unit 4A including a supporting means 48 and a rectangular sponge 47 illustrated in FIGS. May be provided.
The rectangular sponge 47 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape that extends over the diameter of the workpiece W or more. The material and the like of the rectangular sponge 47 are the same as those of the roll sponge 41 shown in FIG. The upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 becomes a portion in contact with the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W shown in FIG.

The supporting means 48 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 has a concave portion 480 which exposes an upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 which is in contact with the workpiece W and accommodates a portion other than the upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 which is in contact with the workpiece W. The recess 480 is provided with a base 482 having suction holes 481 formed in, for example, five inner surfaces, that is, four inner surfaces and one inner lower surface. The suction holes 481 do not have to be formed on all five inner surfaces.

For example, the concave portion 480 of the base 482 is set to a size with which the rectangular sponge 47 fits. For example, a stopper (not shown) made of a spring or the like is provided on the inner surface of the recess 480, and when the rectangular sponge 47 is inserted into the recess 480, the stopper may cause the rectangular sponge 47 to come out of the recess 480. It may not exist.

Inside the base 482, a plurality of flow paths (not shown) communicating with the suction holes 481 are formed. After the flow paths merge into one, a joint 483 attached to the outer surface of the base 482 is installed. It communicates with the suction flow path 438 via. The base 482 has its bottom surface fixed on the device base 10 shown in FIG.

The cleaning unit 4A is provided with the supporting means 48 and the rectangular sponge 47, so that when the rectangular sponge 47 is replaced with a new one, for example, the rectangular sponge 47 is removed and replaced without disassembling the supporting means 48 into various parts. Therefore, the operator can easily perform the replacement.

Below, after grinding the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W using the processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, the lower surface Wa (in this embodiment, the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa) is washed. The operation of the cleaning unit 4A including the rectangular sponge 47 and the supporting means 48 in the case of drying will be described.
Similar to the case described above until the workpiece W is unloaded from the first cassette 150a shown in FIG. 1, the upper surface Wb is ground by the processing means 6, and is unloaded from the chuck table 30 by the unloading means 16. Is. When the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W before grinding is washed, the protective tape T of the workpiece W of the rectangular sponge 47 is brought into contact with the protective tape T of the rectangular sponge 47 shown in FIG. Water is made to overflow from the upper surface 470 which is a portion, the rectangular sponge 47 is brought into contact with the protective tape T of the workpiece W, and the carrying-in moving means 184 supports the workpiece W of the carrying-in means 18 by suction and holding it. The means 42 is relatively moved in parallel with the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W.

The carry-out moving means 164 pivotally moves the suction pad 161 of the carry-out means 16 holding the workpiece W after grinding in the horizontal direction, and the workpiece is processed above the rectangular sponge 47 of the cleaning unit 4A as shown in FIG. Position the object W.
On the protective tape T that protects the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W, processing waste (not shown) generated by grinding adheres.

The carry-out lifting/lowering means 165 lowers the suction pad 161 to a predetermined height at which the upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 contacts the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W.
Then, the solenoid valve 437 connects the suction flow path 438 to the water supply source 449 of the water supply means 44. The cleaning water supplied from the water supply source 449 flows from the suction flow path 438 into a flow path (not shown) in the base 482, is further ejected from the plurality of suction holes 481, and reaches the rectangular sponge 47. Then, the washing water overflows from the inside of the rectangular sponge 47 to the upper surface 470, which is the portion in contact with the protective tape T. In this state, the carry-out moving means 164 pivotally moves the suction pad 161 in the horizontal direction, so that the upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 supported by the fixed supporting means 48 overflows the wash water and is relatively moved. The protective tape T affixed to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W held by the unloading means 16 that is moved as desired is washed. As a result, the processing scraps attached to the protective tape T are washed away.

Then, the protective tape T attached to the workpiece W is cleaned by the rectangular sponge 47, and the rectangular sponge 47 is symmetric with respect to the other outer peripheral edge of the protective tape T from one outer peripheral edge of the protective tape T. The suction pad 161 pivotally moves until it is exceeded, and thus the cleaning of the protective tape T is completed. The protective tape T may be further washed by reciprocating the suction pad 161 on the rectangular sponge 47 at a predetermined angle.

After the cleaning of the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W is completed, cleaning water adheres to the protective tape T. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, it is protected by the cleaning unit 4A. The tape T is dried. That is, the solenoid valve 437 communicates the suction passage 438 with the suction source 439, and the suction force generated by the operated suction source 439 is transmitted to the suction hole 481 of the base 482 through the suction passage 438. In this state, the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W suction-held by the suction pad 161 is brought into contact with the upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 by the carry-out lifting/lowering means 165. Further, the carry-out moving means 164 moves the suction pad 161 holding the workpiece W in the horizontal direction so that the suction pad 161 is attached to the protective tape T on the upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 which comes into contact with the workpiece W. The water that had been absorbed is absorbed.

The water absorbed and contained in the rectangular sponge 47 passes through the suction hole 481 and the suction flow path 438 and is sucked by the suction source 439 of the drainage means 43. Therefore, water is continuously drained from the rectangular sponge 47, and the upper surface 470, which is a portion in contact with the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W of the rectangular sponge 47, is maintained in a state capable of absorbing water. It

Then, the protective tape T attached to the workpiece W is dried by the rectangular sponge 47, and the rectangular sponge 47 is moved from one outer peripheral edge of the protective tape T to the other outer peripheral edge which is symmetrical with the center interposed therebetween. The suction pad 161 pivotally moves until it exceeds, and the drying of the protective tape T by the rectangular sponge 47 is completed. The protective tape T may be further dried by reciprocating the suction pad 161 on the rectangular sponge 47 at a predetermined angle.

The workpiece W, for which the protective tape T has been dried, is conveyed to the spinner cleaning mechanism 156 shown in FIG. 1 by the carry-out means 16 and the upper surface Wb is cleaned. Then, the workpiece W is accommodated in the second cassette 151a by the robot 155.

For example, as shown in FIG. 13, after the drying of the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W is completed, the upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 is washed.
As shown in FIG. 13, the solenoid valve 437 communicates the suction flow path 438 with the water supply source 449 of the water supply means 44. The cleaning water supplied from the water supply source 449 passed through the suction flow path 438, was ejected from the plurality of suction holes 481 of the base 482, overflowed from the upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47, and adhered to the upper surface 470. The processing waste is washed off. Further, an air supply source may be provided in addition to the water supply source 449. The upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 may be washed by supplying a mixed liquid of water and air. Alternatively, the upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 may be washed by alternately supplying water and air. Alternatively, only the air may be supplied from the air supply source to the rectangular sponge 47, and the processing waste adhering to the upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 may be blown away with the air for cleaning. The upper surface 470 of the rectangular sponge 47 may be cleaned after the cleaning of the protective tape T attached to the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W is completed.

W: Workpiece Wa: Lower surface of workpiece Wb: Upper surface of workpiece T: Protective tape 1: Processing device 10: Device base 11: Housing 17: Column 19: Touch panel 150a: First cassette 151a: First 2 cassette 155: robot 152: temporary placement area 153: positioning means 18: carry-in means 180: arm part 181: suction pad 184: carry-in moving means 185: carry-in lifting means 156: spinner cleaning mechanism 16: carry-out means 160: arm Part 164: Unloading moving device 165: Unloading elevating device 161: Suction pad 161a: Suction part 161c: Suction surface 161b: Frame body
169: Suction source 30: Chuck table 300: Holding surface 39: Cover 39a: Bellows cover 7: Processing feed means 70: Ball screw 72: Motor 73: Elevating plate 6: Processing means 60: Rotating shaft 62: Motor 64: Processing tool 641 : Grinding stone 38: Thickness measuring means 4: Cleaning unit 41: Roll sponge 410: Roll sponge outer peripheral surface 42: Supporting means 420: Shaft 420c: Suction hole 420d: Flow path 421: Supporting part 422: Joint 43: Draining means 438 : Suction flow path 439: Suction source 437: Solenoid valve 44: Water supply means 449: Water supply source 4A: Cleaning unit 47: Rectangular sponge 470: Top surface of rectangular sponge 48: Supporting means 480: Recessed portion 481: Suction hole 482: Base Stand 483: Joint

Claims (3)

A chuck table for holding a lower surface of a workpiece, a processing means for rotatably supporting a processing tool to process an upper surface of the workpiece held by the chuck table, and a chuck table for holding an upper surface of the workpiece. Bottom surface of the workpiece held by the carrying-in means or the carrying-out means, the carrying-in means for carrying in the workpiece and the carrying-out means for holding the upper surface of the workpiece and carrying it out from the chuck table. A cleaning unit for cleaning
The cleaning unit includes a sponge that contacts the workpiece,
Supporting means for supporting the sponge at a portion other than a portion of the sponge which is in contact with the workpiece and having a suction hole for communicating the sponge with a suction source;
Drainage means for sucking and draining water contained in the sponge from the suction hole,
Water supply means for communicating the suction hole with a water supply source so as to overflow water from a portion of the sponge which comes into contact with a workpiece.
The carrying-out means and the supporting means are relatively moved in parallel with the lower surface of the workpiece held by the carrying-out means, or the carrying-in means is parallel with the lower surface of the workpiece held by the carrying-in means. A moving means for relatively moving the supporting means,
When cleaning the work piece, water is made to overflow from the portion of the sponge that comes into contact with the work piece by the water supply means, the sponge is brought into contact with the work piece, and the moving means and the carrying-out means are used. Supporting means, or the moving means to relatively move the carrying-in means and the supporting means,
When drying the work piece, the sponge is brought into contact with the work piece, and while the water contained in the sponge is being drained by the draining means, the moving means relatively moves the carrying-out means and the supporting means. Cleaning unit to be moved to. The sponge is a roll sponge,
The cleaning unit according to claim 1, wherein the supporting means includes a shaft that is inserted into a cylinder of the roll sponge and has the suction hole on the outer surface thereof, and a support portion that rotatably supports the shaft. The sponge is a rectangular sponge,
The support means has a recessed portion that exposes a portion of the rectangular sponge that contacts the workpiece and accommodates a portion other than the portion of the rectangular sponge that contacts the workpiece, and a base on which the suction hole is formed on the inner surface of the recessed portion. The cleaning unit according to claim 1, further comprising a table.

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