JP2021010993A - Grinding device - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable a grinding wheel to be washed in a processing chamber before wheel replacement in a case where the grinding wheel is soiled.SOLUTION: A grinding device 1 comprising: means 30 that rotates a grinding wheel 304 to grind a work piece held on a table 50; means 11 that moves the table 50 and the grinding means 30 relatively in a horizontal direction parallel to a holding surface 500a; means 20 that raises/lowers the grinding means 30 in a perpendicular direction relative to the holding surface 500a; and control means 9, comprises: a water valve 571 that opens/closes a water communication passage 570 that allows the holding surface 500a to communicate with a water supply source 57; and an air valve 581 that opens/closes an air communication passage 580 that allows the holding surface 500a to communicate with an air supply source 58. The control means 9 controls the horizontal moving means 11 and the raising/lowering means 20, positions a grind stone 304b above the holding surface 500a, forms an empty space between the holding surface 500a and a lower surface of the grind stone 304b, controls the water valve 571 and the air valve 581, and jets water and air from the holding surface 500a to wash the grinding wheel 304.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a grinding apparatus for grinding a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer.

In a grinding device that grinds a wafer with a grinding wheel while supplying grinding water, the grinding water receives the centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation of the grinding wheel, and the grinding water scatters in the processing chamber and becomes a spray containing grinding debris. The inner wall and the grinding wheel adhere to the grinding wheel arranged in an annular shape.

Further, when the wafer is ground, the grinding wheel is consumed, so the wafer is replaced with a new grinding wheel. If the used grinding wheel is dirty, after removing the dirty grinding wheel from the grinding means, grinding debris or grinding that fell from the grinding wheel from the grinding wheel to the processing room or the clean room where the grinding device is installed at the time of removal There is a problem that various parts are contaminated by drying the grinding debris that has fallen into the clean room when the wheel is cleaned with a cleaning gun. In order to solve this problem, there is a method of cleaning the processing chamber as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP-A-2015-199146

However, since it takes time to clean the clean room, if the grinding wheel of the grinding means is dirty, the grinding wheel can be cleaned in the processing room before the grinding wheel is replaced, and various parts such as the clean room are not polluted. There is a problem to do so.

In the present invention for solving the above problems, a chuck table for holding a work piece on a holding surface and a grinding wheel on which a work piece held on the chuck table is arranged in an annular shape are rotated to cause the grinding wheel. A grinding means for grinding an workpiece on the lower surface of the work piece, a horizontal moving means for moving the chuck table and the grinding means in a horizontal direction relatively parallel to the holding surface, and the grinding means for the holding surface. A grinding device including an elevating means for ascending and descending in a vertical direction and a control means for controlling the device, a water communication passage for communicating the holding surface with a water supply source, and a water valve for opening and closing the water communication passage. An air communication passage for communicating the holding surface with the air supply source and an air valve for opening and closing the air communication passage are provided, and the control means controls the horizontal moving means and the elevating means, and the holding surface. The grinding grindstone is positioned above the holding surface, a predetermined gap is formed between the holding surface and the lower surface of the grinding grindstone, the water valve and the air valve are controlled, and water and air are ejected from the holding surface. It is a grinding device for cleaning the grinding wheel.

Further, in the present invention for solving the above problems, the chuck table for holding the workpiece on the holding surface and the grinding wheel on which the workpiece held on the chuck table is annularly arranged with a grinding wheel are rotated. A grinding means for grinding an workpiece on the lower surface of a grinding wheel, a horizontal moving means for moving the chuck table and the grinding means in a horizontal direction relatively parallel to the holding surface, and the grinding means for the holding surface. A grinding device including an elevating means for ascending / descending in a direction perpendicular to the ground and a control means for controlling the device, and provided with a cleaning nozzle for injecting cleaning water onto the lower surface of the grinding wheel to clean the lower surface of the grinding wheel. The control means controls at least the horizontal moving means to move the washing nozzle and the grinding means relatively horizontally, and transfers water from the washing nozzle to the grinding wheel positioned above the washing nozzle. It is a grinding device that injects and cleans the grinding wheel.

In the grinding device according to the present invention, the control means controls the horizontal moving means and the elevating means, positions the grinding wheel above the holding surface, and forms a predetermined gap between the holding surface and the lower surface of the grinding wheel. By controlling the water valve and the air valve and ejecting water and air from the holding surface to clean the grinding wheel, it is possible to clean the grinding wheel and keep it clean before replacing the grinding wheel. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the clean room in which the grinding device is arranged from being contaminated by the replacement work of the grinding wheel.

The grinding apparatus according to the present invention includes a cleaning nozzle that injects cleaning water onto the lower surface of the grinding wheel to clean the lower surface of the grinding wheel, and the control means controls at least the horizontal moving means so that the cleaning nozzle and the grinding means are relative to each other. By injecting water from the cleaning nozzle onto the grinding wheel located above the cleaning nozzle to clean the grinding wheel while moving it horizontally, the grinding wheel is cleaned and cleaned before replacing the grinding wheel. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the clean room in which the grinding apparatus is arranged from being contaminated by the replacement work of the grinding wheel.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of a grinding apparatus. It is a side view which shows an example of a grinding apparatus. In order to clean the dirt adhering to the grinding wheel, the control means controls the horizontal moving means and the elevating means, positions the grinding wheel above the holding surface of the chuck table, and between the holding surface and the lower surface of the grinding wheel. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which formed a predetermined gap, controlled a water valve and an air valve, and formed a water film on a holding surface. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a control means controls a water valve and an air valve and ejects water and air from a holding surface to clean the grinding wheel in order to clean the dirt adhering to the grinding wheel. .. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which dirty water used for cleaning a grinding wheel and remaining on a holding surface receives centrifugal force due to rotation of a chuck table and is discharged outward from the holding surface. The control means controls at least the horizontal moving means to move the cleaning nozzle and the grinding means relatively horizontally, and injects water from the cleaning nozzle onto the grinding wheel located above the cleaning nozzle to clean the grinding wheel. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which is.

(Embodiment 1)
The grinding device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes, for example, a rough grinding means 30 and a finish grinding means 31, and is a device that grinds a workpiece W held on the chuck table 50 by the rough grinding means 30 or the finish grinding means 31. Is. The grinding device 1 may be a grinding device whose grinding means is uniaxial.
The grinding device 1 is arranged in a clean room, for example.

The front side (-Y direction side) of the grinding device 1 on the device base 10 is a loading / unloading area where the workpiece W is loaded / unloaded. The rear side (+ Y direction side) on the apparatus base 10 is a grinding region in which the workpiece W held by the rough grinding means 30 or the finish grinding means 31 on the chuck table 50 is ground. The grinding area is covered with a case (not shown) to form a processing chamber inside the case, so that the grinding water spray containing grinding debris generated during the grinding process does not scatter from the processing chamber to the clean room.

The workpiece W is, for example, a circular semiconductor wafer made of a silicon base material or the like, and the surface Wa of the workpiece W facing downward in FIG. 1 has a plurality of devices formed therein and is not shown. The tape is attached to protect it. The back surface Wb of the workpiece W is the surface to be ground to be ground. The workpiece W may be made of gallium arsenide, sapphire, gallium nitride, ceramics, resin, silicon carbide or the like in addition to silicon, or may be a rectangular package substrate or the like.

A first cassette mounting portion 150 and a second cassette mounting portion 151 are provided on the front side (-Y direction side) of the apparatus base 10, and the first cassette mounting portion 150 is before processing. The first cassette 150a in which the workpiece W is housed is placed, and the second cassette 151a in which the work piece W after processing is housed is placed in the second cassette mounting portion 151. ..

Behind the opening of the first cassette 150a, a robot 155 that carries out the work piece W before processing from the first cassette 150a and carries the work piece W after processing into the second cassette 151a is arranged. Has been done. A temporary placement area 152 is provided at a position adjacent to the robot 155, and an alignment means 153 is provided in the temporary placement area 152. The alignment means 153 aligns (centers) the workpiece W, which has been carried out from the first cassette 150a and placed on the temporary placement area 152, at a predetermined position with a diameter-reducing alignment pin.

A loading arm 154a that swivels while holding the workpiece W is arranged at a position adjacent to the positioning means 153. The loading arm 154a holds the workpiece W aligned by the alignment means 153 and conveys it to any chuck table 50 arranged in the grinding region. Next to the loading arm 154a, an unloading arm 154b that swivels while holding the work piece W after processing is provided. A single-wafer cleaning means 156 for cleaning the processed workpiece W conveyed by the unloading arm 154b is arranged at a position close to the unloading arm 154b. The work piece W cleaned by the cleaning means 156 is carried into the second cassette 151a by the robot 155.

The chuck table 50 for holding the workpiece W shown in detail in FIG. 2 has, for example, a suction portion 500 having a circular outer shape and a porous member or the like for adsorbing the workpiece W, and a concave vertical cross section. It is provided with a frame body 501 that supports the suction portion 500. The suction portion 500 in a state of being fitted in the recess of the frame 501 communicates with the suction source 549 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. By transmitting the suction force generated by the suction source 549 to the holding surface 500a which is the upper surface of the suction portion 500, the chuck table 50 sucks and holds the workpiece W on the holding surface 500a.
The holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 is an extremely gentle conical surface whose apex is the center of rotation of the chuck table 50 and cannot be determined with the naked eye.

As shown in FIG. 1, the chuck table 50 is surrounded by the cover 100, and as shown in FIG. 2, is fixed on the chuck base 52 arranged below the cover 100. Further, the chuck table 50 can be reciprocated in the Y-axis direction by the cover 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the horizontal moving means 11 (see FIG. 2) arranged below the bellows cover 100a connected to the cover 100. There is. The cover 100 can be reciprocated in the Y-axis direction together with the chuck table 50 by the horizontal moving means 11, and the bellows cover 100a expands and contracts as the chuck table 50 and the cover 100 move in the Y-axis direction.

The horizontal moving means 11 shown in FIG. 2 moves the chuck table 50 in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction) parallel to the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 relative to the rough grinding means 30 or the finish grinding means 31. .. Hereinafter, the horizontal moving means 11 will be referred to as a chuck table horizontal moving means 11.

The chuck table horizontal moving means 11 includes a ball screw 110 having an axial center in the Y-axis direction, a guide rail 111 arranged in parallel with the ball screw 110, a motor 112 connected to the ball screw 110 to rotate the ball screw 110, and a nut. The slider 113b arranged at the bottom of the slider 113b screwed into the ball screw 110 is composed of a movable plate 113 that is in sliding contact with the guide rail 111. When the motor 112 rotates the ball screw 110, the movable plate 113 guides the ball screw 110. Guided by the rail 111, it reciprocates in the Y-axis direction, and the chuck table 50 attached to the upper surface of the movable plate 113 via the tilt adjusting means 55 and the chuck base 52 also reciprocates in the Y-axis direction.
The chuck table horizontal moving means 11 is a turntable in which a plurality of chuck tables 50 are arranged on the upper surface, and when the turntable rotates, the chuck table 50 is placed at a position below the rough grinding means 30 or. It may be possible to position each position below the finish grinding means 31.

The chuck base 52 adjusts the inclination of the holding surface 500a, which is an extremely gentle conical surface of the chuck table 50 shown in FIG. 2, so as to be parallel to the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b of the rough grinding means 30. Supported by means 55.
For example, two or more tilt adjusting means 55 are provided on the bottom surface of the chuck base 52 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. That is, for example, two inclination adjusting means 55 and a support column (not shown) for fixing the chuck base 52 are arranged at intervals of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction. Bearings for making the chuck base 52 rotatable are provided at the connection portions between the two tilt adjusting means 55 and the support column (not shown) and the lower surface of the chuck base 52.
The two tilt adjusting means 55 are, for example, an electric cylinder or an air cylinder that moves the rod up and down in the Z-axis direction. By moving the rods of the two inclination adjusting means 55 up and down, the inclination of the rough grinding means 30 of the holding surface 500a with respect to the grinding surface (lower surface) of the rough grinding wheel 304b can be adjusted.

A rotating means 56 for rotating the chuck table 50 about the Z axis is connected to the lower surface side of the chuck base 52 shown in FIG. 2 to which the chuck table 50 is attached.
As shown in detail in FIG. 3, for example, the rotating means 56 is a pulley mechanism, and includes a table spindle 560 connected to the lower surface of the chuck base 52 and extending perpendicularly to the chuck table 50. A main pulley 562 is attached to the shaft of the motor 561 which is a drive source for rotating the table spindle 560 shown in FIG. 3, and an endless belt 564 is wound around the main pulley 562. A driven pulley 563 is attached to the table spindle 560, and the endless belt 564 is also wound around the driven pulley 563. When the motor 561 shown in FIG. 3 rotates and drives the main pulley 562, the endless belt 564 rotates with the rotation of the main pulley 562, and the endless belt 564 rotates to cause the driven pulley 563 and the table spindle 560 to rotate. Rotate.

As shown in FIG. 3, a suction flow path 540 communicating with the suction portion 500 is formed from the bottom surface of the recess of the frame 501 to the table spindle 560. The suction flow path 540 communicates with a suction source 549 such as an ejector mechanism or a vacuum generator via a rotary joint 543, a pipe 544, and a suction pipe 545 arranged so as to surround the table spindle 560. The rotary joint 543 transfers the suction force generated by the suction source 549 to the table spindle 560 side without omission. For example, the suction pipe 545 is provided with a suction valve 545a.

A water communication passage 570 communicates with the pipe 544, and a water supply source including a pump or the like for supplying water (for example, pure water) to the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 on the upstream side of the water communication passage 570. 57 is connected. Further, in the water passage 570, a water valve 571 that opens and closes the water passage 570 is arranged.

An air communication passage 580 communicates with the pipe 544, and an air supply source 58 including a compressor or the like that supplies air to the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 is connected to the upstream side of the air communication passage 580. .. Further, in the air passage 580, an air valve 581 for opening and closing the air passage 580 is arranged.

For example, when it is desired to release the suction holding of the workpiece W by the chuck table 50 and carry out the workpiece W from the chuck table 50, the air valve 581 is opened with the suction valve 545a and the water valve 571 closed. When opened, the air supply source 58 supplies compressed air to the air passage 580. The compressed air passes through the air passage 580, the pipe 544, and the suction passage 540, and is ejected from the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50. As a result, the vacuum suction force remaining between the holding surface 500a and the workpiece W can be eliminated so that the workpiece W can be separated from the holding surface 500a.

For example, when it is desired to remove the grinding dust stuck in the suction portion 500 of the chuck table 50 from the suction portion 500, the air valve 581 or the water valve 571 is opened with the suction valve 545a closed, and the air supply source 58 is opened. Supply compressed air to the suction unit 500, or the water supply source 57 supplies water to the suction unit 500. The compressed air or water, or the two fluids in which the compressed air and water are mixed can be removed by ejecting grinding debris or the like that has entered the adsorption portion 500 from the holding surface 500a.

For example, drainage grooves of a water case (not shown) are located on both sides of the movement path of the chuck table 50 shown in FIG. The water case receives the machining waste liquid and the like flowing down from the chuck table 50 including the grinding dust discharged when the workpiece W is ground, and sends it to a waste liquid treatment mechanism (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1, a column 12 is erected behind the device base 10 (on the + Y direction side), and a chuck table is provided with both the rough grinding means 30 and the finish grinding means 31 on the front surface of the column 12. A horizontal moving means 13 for moving in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction orthogonal to the horizontal plane in the horizontal plane in the Y-axis direction) is arranged so as to be relatively parallel to the holding surface 500a with respect to 50. Hereinafter, the horizontal moving means 13 will be referred to as a grinding means horizontal moving means 13.

The grinding means horizontal moving means 13 includes a ball screw 130 having an axial center in the X-axis direction, a pair of guide rails 131 arranged in parallel with the ball screw 130, and a motor 132 connected to the ball screw 130 to rotate the ball screw 130. The first movable block 133 in which the rough grinding means 30 is arranged and the internal nut is screwed into the ball screw 130 and the side portion is in sliding contact with the guide rail 131, and the finish grinding means 31 is arranged and the internal nut is attached to the ball screw 130. It is composed of a second movable block 134 whose screwed side is in sliding contact with the guide rail 131, and when the motor 132 rotates the ball screw 130, the first movable block 133 and the second movable block 134 are guided accordingly. Guided by the rail 131, it reciprocates in the X-axis direction, and the rough grinding means 30 attached to the first movable block 133 and the finish grinding means 31 attached to the second movable block 134 reciprocate in the same direction.
The first movable block 133 and the second movable block 134 may be integrated, or may be individually movable in the X-axis direction by separate ball screws.

The rough grinding means 30 is arranged on the front surface of the first movable block 133 via the rough grinding elevating means 20. The rough grinding elevating means 20 for raising and lowering the rough grinding means 30 in the direction perpendicular to the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 (Z-axis direction) is arranged in parallel with the ball screw 200 having an axial center in the Z-axis direction and the ball screw 200. It is composed of a pair of guide rails 201, a motor 202 connected to the ball screw 200 to rotate the ball screw 200, and an elevating plate 203 in which an internal nut is screwed into the ball screw 200 and a side portion is in sliding contact with the guide rail 201. Then, when the motor 202 rotates the ball screw 200, the elevating plate 203 is guided by the guide rail 201 and reciprocates in the Z-axis direction, and the rough grinding means 30 attached to the elevating plate 203 also moves in the Z-axis direction. Move back and forth to.

The rough grinding means 30 includes a spindle 300 whose axial direction is the Z-axis direction, a housing 301 that rotatably supports the spindle 300, a spindle motor 302 that rotationally drives the spindle 300, and a circle connected to the lower end of the spindle 300. A mount 303 having a shape, a grinding wheel 304 detachably connected to the lower surface of the mount 303, and a holder 306 connected to an elevating plate 203 and having a substantially concave vertical cross section to hold the housing 301 are provided. The grinding wheel 304 includes a wheel base 304a and a plurality of roughly rectangular parallelepiped rough grinding wheels 304b arranged in an annular shape on the bottom surface of the wheel base 304a. The rough grinding wheel 304b is, for example, a grindstone in which the abrasive grains contained in the grindstone are relatively large, and the lower surface thereof is the grinding surface.

For example, a grinding water flow path extending in the Z-axis direction is formed inside the spindle 300, and a grinding water supply means (not shown) communicates with the grinding water flow path. The grinding water supplied from the grinding water supply means to the spindle 300 is ejected downward from the opening at the lower end of the grinding water flow path toward the rough grinding wheel 304b, and the contact portion between the rough grinding wheel 304b and the workpiece W. To reach.

The finish grinding means 31 is arranged on the front surface of the second movable block 134 via the finish grinding elevating means 21. The finish grinding elevating means 21 for raising and lowering the finish grinding means 31 in the direction perpendicular to the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 (Z-axis direction) is arranged in parallel with the ball screw 210 having the axis in the Z-axis direction and the ball screw 210. It is composed of a pair of guide rails 211, a motor 212 connected to the ball screw 210 to rotate the ball screw 210, and an elevating plate 213 in which an internal nut is screwed into the ball screw 210 and a side portion is in sliding contact with the guide rail 211. Then, when the motor 212 rotates the ball screw 210, the elevating plate 213 is guided by the guide rail 211 and reciprocates in the Z-axis direction, and the finish grinding means 31 attached to the elevating plate 213 also moves in the Z-axis direction. Move back and forth to.

The finish grinding means 31 includes a spindle 310 whose axial direction is the Z-axis direction, a housing 311 that rotatably supports the spindle 310, a spindle motor 312 that rotationally drives the spindle 310, and a circle connected to the lower end of the spindle 310. A mount 313 having a shape, a grinding wheel 314 detachably connected to the lower surface of the mount 313, and a holder 316 connected to an elevating plate 213 and having a substantially concave vertical cross section to hold the housing 311 are provided. The grinding wheel 314 includes a wheel base 314a and a plurality of finish grinding wheels 314b having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape arranged in an annular shape on the bottom surface of the wheel base 314a. The finish grinding wheel 314b is a grindstone in which the abrasive grains contained in the grindstone are relatively small, and the lower surface thereof serves as a grinding surface.

For example, a grinding water flow path extending in the Z-axis direction is formed inside the spindle 310, and a grinding water supply means (not shown) communicates with the grinding water flow path. The grinding water supplied from the grinding water supply means to the spindle 310 is ejected downward from the opening at the lower end of the grinding water flow path toward the finishing grinding wheel 314b, and the contact portion between the finishing grinding wheel 314b and the workpiece W. To reach.

At a position adjacent to the chuck table 50 located below the rough grinding means 30 or the finish grinding means 31 on the apparatus base 10, for example, a thickness measuring means 17 for measuring the thickness of the workpiece W by a contact method is provided. It is arranged.

The grinding device 1 includes, for example, a cleaning nozzle 18 that injects cleaning water onto the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b or the lower surface of the finishing grinding wheel 314b to clean the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b or the lower surface of the finishing grinding wheel 314b. The grinding device 1 does not have to include the cleaning nozzle 18.

The cleaning nozzle 18 is arranged, for example, in a corner on the cover 100 surrounding the chuck table 50, and can be positioned under the rotation trajectory of the rough grinding wheel 304b or the finishing grinding wheel 314b. For example, the cleaning nozzle 18 has an injection port 180 facing the + Z direction side. The cleaning nozzle 18 communicates with a high-pressure water supply source 189 including a pump or the like via a supply pipe 182, and an on-off valve 184 is provided in the supply pipe 182. The cleaning nozzle 18 communicates with a bifluid supply source capable of supplying a bifluid which is a mixed fluid of water and air, and may be capable of injecting the bifluid.

The arrangement position of the cleaning nozzle 18 is not limited to the cover 100 that can move in the Y-axis direction, and the number of arrangements thereof is not limited to one. For example, one cleaning nozzle 18 may be fixedly arranged at a position below the rough grinding means 30 and one below the finish grinding means 31 on the apparatus base 10.
For example, the cleaning nozzle 18 is arranged on the movable plate 113 of the chuck table horizontal moving means 11 for moving the chuck table 50 shown in FIG. 2 in the Y-axis direction via an arm member or the like (not shown), and is a rough grinding wheel. It may be possible to position it under the rotation trajectory of the 304b or the finish grinding wheel 314b.

The grinding device 1 includes a control means 9 that controls the entire device. The control means 9 composed of a storage element such as a CPU and a memory is electrically connected to, for example, the rough grinding elevating means 20, the finish grinding elevating means 21, the chuck table horizontal moving means 11, the grinding means horizontal moving means 13, and the like. It is connected, and under the control of the control means 9, the rough grinding means 20 raises and lowers, the finish grinding raising and lowering means 21 raises and lowers the finish grinding means 31, and the chuck table horizontal moving means 11 chucks. The moving operation of the table 50 in the Y-axis direction and the moving operation of the rough grinding means 30 and the finish grinding means 31 in the X-axis direction by the grinding means horizontal moving means 13 are carried out.

As an example of operation control of each of the above means by the control means 9, for example, when the motor 202 of the rough grinding elevating means 20 is a servomotor, the rotary encoder of the servomotor also has a function as a servoamplifier 9 After the operation signal is supplied to the servomotor from the output interface of the control means 9, the rotation speed of the servomotor is output to the input interface of the control means 9 as an encoder signal. Then, the control means 9 that has received the encoder signal can lower the rough grinding means 30 at a desired lowering speed by the rough grinding raising / lowering means 20 while sequentially recognizing the height position of the rough grinding means 30.

For example, the on-off valve 184, the suction valve 545a, the water valve 571, and the air valve 581 shown in FIG. 1 are solenoid valves, which are electrically connected to the control means 9, and are closed by an electric signal sent from the control means 9. The state and open state are controlled.

The operation of the grinding device 1 when grinding the workpiece W held on the chuck table 50 by the grinding device 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described below.
First, the chuck table 50 moves to the vicinity of the loading arm 154a and is located in the loading / unloading region. Further, the robot 155 pulls out one workpiece W from the first cassette 150a and moves the workpiece W to the temporary placement area 152.

After the workpiece W is centered on the temporary placement area 152 by the alignment means 153, the loading arm 154a conveys the centered workpiece W onto the chuck table 50. Then, a suction source (not shown) is activated, and the chuck table 50 sucks and holds the workpiece W on the holding surface 500a with the back surface Wb exposed upward.

After the chuck table 50 sucks and holds the workpiece W, the chuck table horizontal moving means 11 shown in FIG. 2 sucks and holds the workpiece W to the chuck table 50 from the loading / unloading region to the grinding region in the + Y direction. Moving. Then, the rough grinding means 30 is moved in the Y-axis direction by the grinding means horizontal moving means 13 (not shown in FIG. 2, see FIG. 1), and the center of rotation of the rough grinding wheel 304b of the rough grinding means 30 is processed. The chuck table 50 is positioned at a predetermined position so that the rotation locus of the rough grinding wheel 304b passes through the rotation center of the workpiece W so as to be displaced horizontally by a predetermined distance from the rotation center of the object W.

As the spindle motor 302 rotates the spindle 300, the grinding wheel 304 rotates at a predetermined rotation speed.
The rough grinding means 30 is sent in the −Z direction by the rough grinding elevating means 20, and the rough grinding grindstone 304b comes into contact with the back surface Wb of the workpiece W to perform the rough grinding process. During grinding, the workpiece W also rotates as the rotating means 56 shown in FIG. 2 rotates the chuck table 50, so that the rough grinding wheel 304b grinds the entire surface of the back surface Wb of the workpiece W. .. Further, grinding water is supplied through the spindle 300 to the contact portion between the rough grinding wheel 304b and the back surface Wb of the workpiece W, and the contact portion is cooled by the grinding water and the grinding debris is cleaned and removed. Grinding water containing grinding debris is discharged into a drainage ditch of a water case (not shown).

During rough grinding, as shown in FIG. 2, a part of the rough grinding wheel 304b is in a state of protruding from the workpiece W. Therefore, for example, the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b protruding from the workpiece W. On the other hand, the cleaning nozzle 18 located below the cleaning nozzle 18 injects cleaning water to clean the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b.

While the thickness of the workpiece W is measured by the thickness measuring means 17, the workpiece W is ground to a predetermined thickness that does not reach the finished thickness, and then the rough grinding elevating means 20 shown in FIG. 1 is the rough grinding means. By raising 30 and separating it from the workpiece W, the rough grinding of the workpiece W is completed.

The rough grinding means 30 is moved in the Y-axis direction by the grinding means horizontal moving means 13 and retracts from above the chuck table 50, and the rotation center of the finish grinding wheel 314b of the finish grinding means 31 is relative to the rotation center of the workpiece W. The finish grinding means 31 is moved in the Y-axis direction and positioned at a predetermined position so that the rotation locus of the finish grinding wheel 314b is displaced in the horizontal direction by a predetermined distance and passes through the rotation center of the workpiece W.

The finish grinding means 31 is sent in the −Z direction by the finish grinding elevating means 21, and the finish grinding grindstone 314b comes into contact with the back surface Wb of the workpiece W to perform the finish grinding process. During grinding, the workpiece W is also rotated, and the finish grinding wheel 314b grinds the entire surface of the back surface Wb of the workpiece W. Further, grinding water is supplied through the spindle 310 to the contact portion between the finish grinding wheel 314b and the back surface Wb of the workpiece W, and the contact portion is cooled by the grinding water and the grinding debris is cleaned and removed.

During the finish grinding, a part of the finish grinding wheel 314b is in a state of protruding from the workpiece W. Therefore, for example, it is below the lower surface of the finish grinding wheel 314b protruding from the workpiece W. The positioned cleaning nozzle 18 injects cleaning water to clean the lower surface of the finish grinding wheel 314b.

While the thickness of the workpiece W is measured by the thickness measuring means 17, after the workpiece W is ground to the finish thickness, the finish grinding elevating means 21 shown in FIG. 1 raises the finish grinding means 31 to be processed. By separating it from the object W, the finish grinding process of the workpiece W is completed.

Next, the chuck table 50 that sucks and holds the workpiece W is moved in the −Y direction by the chuck table horizontal moving means 11 and is positioned in the vicinity of the unloading arm 154b. Then, the unloading arm 154b shown in FIG. 1 conveys the workpiece W on the chuck table 50 to the cleaning means 156. After the cleaning means 156 cleans the workpiece W, the robot 155 carries the workpiece W into the second cassette 151a.

By grinding a plurality of workpieces W as described above, for example, the rough grinding wheel 304b is consumed, so it is necessary to replace the grinding wheel 304 of the rough grinding means 30 with a new grinding wheel 304. Here, during grinding, the grinding water receives the centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation of the rough grinding wheel 304b, and the grinding water scatters in the processing chamber and becomes a spray containing grinding debris, and the inner wall of the processing chamber and the rough grinding means 30. Since it adheres to the outer surface, the inner surface, and the like of the grinding wheel 304, the grinding wheel 304 to be replaced is in a dirty state due to adhesion of grinding debris and the like.

For example, it takes time for the operator to prepare for the replacement of the grinding wheel, actually open the case of the grinding area, and start the work of replacing the grinding wheel 304 in the machining chamber. The grinding device 1 itself cleans the dirty grinding wheel 304 in the processing chamber within the time, so that the operator does not have to take the dirty grinding wheel 304 out into the clean room.

Hereinafter, in the grinding device 1 shown in FIG. 1, a case where the grinding device 1 itself cleans the dirty grinding wheel 304 will be described.
For example, when an operator inputs information to the control means 9 of the grinding device 1 from an input means such as a keyboard or a touch panel attached to the device to replace the grinding wheel 304, the operator is under the control of the control means 9. , The chuck table horizontal moving means 11 simplified in FIG. 3 moves the chuck table 50 that does not suck and hold the workpiece W from the loading / unloading region to the grinding region in the + Y direction. Then, the rough grinding means 30 is moved in the X-axis direction by the grinding means horizontal moving means 13, and the chuck table is, for example, so that the rotation locus of the rough grinding wheel 304b passes through the center of the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50. 50 is positioned in place. The alignment of the rough grinding wheel 304b and the chuck table 50 is not limited to the above example, and at least the rough grinding wheel 304b may be positioned above the holding surface 500a. Further, the control means 9 may position the rough grinding wheel 304b above the holding surface 500a by controlling at least one of the chuck table horizontal moving means 11 and the grinding means horizontal moving means 13.

Further, under the control of the control means 9, the rough grinding means 30 is sent in the −Z direction by the rough grinding elevating means 20, and a predetermined value is provided between the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b and the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50. The rough grinding means 30 is positioned at a height position where the gap V is provided. The size of the predetermined gap V is, for example, about several tens of μm to 100 μm. As shown in FIG. 3, the grinding wheel 304 has dirt M mainly made of grinding debris adhered to its outer surface.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, under the control of the control means 9, the water supply source 57 is water (for example, with the suction valve 545a and the air valve 581 closed and the water valve 571 open. , Pure water) is supplied to the water passage 570. Water J1 further passes through the pipe 544, the suction flow path 540, and the suction portion 500 of the chuck table 50, and is ejected from the holding surface 500a. Then, when a predetermined amount of water is deposited on the holding surface 500a in the form of a film due to surface tension, the water valve 571 is closed and the supply of water J1 from the water supply source 57 to the holding surface 500a is stopped. The supply of water J1 to the holding surface 500a may be continued.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable that the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b is in contact with the film-shaped water J1, but the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b may be separated from the film-shaped water J1.

After that, as shown in FIG. 4, the air valve 581 is opened and the air supply source 58 supplies compressed air to the air passage 580 under the control of the control means 9. The compressed air further passes through the pipe 544, the suction flow path 540, and the suction portion 500 of the chuck table 50, and is ejected from the holding surface 500a. As a result, the film-like water J1 formed on the holding surface 500a is spouted from the holding surface 500a and clings to the outer surface, the inner surface, and the lower surface of the grinding wheel 304.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, as the spindle motor 302 (not shown in FIG. 4) rotates the spindle 300, the grinding wheel 304 rotates, and the water J1 spouted out of the grinding wheel 304. The entire surfaces of the side surface, the inner surface surface, and the lower surface surface are cleaned, and dirt M adhering to the outer surface surface of the grinding wheel 304 is mainly removed.
When removing the dirt M adhering to the outer surface of the grinding wheel 304, it is preferable to rotate the spindle motor 302 at a rotation speed slower than the rotation speed of the spindle motor 302 in the grinding process. By slowing down the rotation speed, the spouted water J1 can be applied to the entire outer surface.

After the cleaning is performed for a predetermined time, water mixed with dirt removed from the grinding wheel 304 remains on the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50. Therefore, for example, under the control of the control means 9. The water valve 571 is opened and the water supply source 57 delivers water. Therefore, the air supplied by the air supply source 58 and the water supplied by the water supply source 57 are mixed in the pipe 544 or the like to form a bifluid and are injected from the holding surface 500a. Further, when the chuck table 50 is rotated by the rotating means 56, the holding surface 500a is washed by the two fluids while the water contaminated by the centrifugal force is discharged from the holding surface 500a toward the outside in the radial direction. Dirty water is discharged into a drain of a water case (not shown).

As described above, in the grinding apparatus 1 according to the present invention, the control means 9 controls the chuck table horizontal moving means 11 or the grinding means horizontal moving means 13 and the rough grinding elevating means 20, and the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50. The rough grinding wheel 304b is positioned above, a predetermined gap V is formed between the holding surface 500a and the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b, the water valve 571 and the air valve 581 are controlled, and water and air are transferred from the holding surface 500a. By ejecting and cleaning the grinding wheel 304, for example, the grinding wheel 304 can be cleaned and cleaned before the operator replaces the grinding wheel 304, so that the grinding wheel 304 can be replaced. The clean room in which the grinding device 1 is arranged is not contaminated by the work. The grinding wheel 314 of the finish grinding means 31 can be cleaned in substantially the same manner as the cleaning of the grinding wheel 304 of the rough grinding means 30.

(Embodiment 2)
The grinding device 1 according to the present invention does not clean the grinding wheel 304 of the rough grinding means 30, for example, with water and air ejected from the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 as in the first embodiment, but at least chucks. From the cleaning nozzle 18 to the grinding wheel 304 positioned above the cleaning nozzle 18 while controlling the table horizontal moving means 11 or the grinding means horizontal moving means 13 to relatively horizontally move the cleaning nozzle 18 and the rough grinding means 30. The grinding wheel 304 may be cleaned by injecting water.

Hereinafter, in the grinding device 1 shown in FIG. 1, a case where the grinding device 1 itself uses the cleaning nozzle 18 to clean the dirty grinding wheel 304 before the operator replaces the grinding wheel 304 will be described. ..

For example, when an operator inputs information to the control means 9 of the grinding device 1 to replace the grinding wheel 304 from an input means such as a touch panel attached to the device, FIG. 6 is under the control of the control means 9. The chuck table horizontal moving means 11 shown in the above moves the chuck table 50 that does not suck and hold the workpiece W from the loading / unloading region to the grinding region in the + Y direction, so that the cleaning nozzle 18 arranged on the cover 100 Also moves in the + Y direction, and the rough grinding means 30 is moved in the X-axis direction by the grinding means horizontal moving means 13 (see FIG. 2), and for example, the cleaning nozzle 18 with respect to the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b. The cleaning nozzle 18 and the rough grinding means 30 are aligned so that the injection ports 180 face each other.
The control means 9 may perform the above alignment by controlling at least one of the chuck table horizontal moving means 11 and the grinding means horizontal moving means 13.

Further, under the control of the control means 9, the rough grinding means 30 is sent in the −Z direction by the rough grinding elevating means 20, and the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b does not slightly contact the injection port 180 of the cleaning nozzle 18. The rough grinding means 30 is positioned at the height position of. As shown in FIG. 6, the grinding wheel 304 has dirt M mainly made of grinding debris adhered to its outer surface.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, under the control of the control means 9, the on-off valve 184 is opened, and the high-pressure water supply source 189 supplies the high-pressure water to the supply pipe 182, whereby the high pressure is increased from the cleaning nozzle 18. The washing water of the above is sprayed upward, and the grinding wheel 304 starts washing. The cleaning nozzle 18 may inject two fluids, or may inject cleaning water propagating ultrasonic waves.

Further, under the control of the control means 9, for example, the chuck table horizontal moving means 11 reciprocates the cover 100 in the Y-axis direction, so that the cleaning nozzle 18 moves between the inner surface and the outer surface of the grinding wheel 304. The outer surface, inner surface, and lower surface of the grinding wheel 304 are evenly washed by moving while injecting the washing water upward. Further, as the spindle motor 302 rotates the spindle 300, the grinding wheel 304 rotates, and the entire outer surface, the inner surface surface, and the lower surface surface of the grinding wheel 304 are evenly cleaned. Then, the dirt M adhering to the outer surface of the grinding wheel 304 is mainly removed. The water that has washed the grinding wheel 304 and becomes dirty is discharged to a drainage groove of a water case (not shown).
By making the rotation speed of the spindle motor 302 slower than the rotation speed in the grinding process, the water injected from the cleaning nozzle 18 can be evenly applied to the entire outer surface, inner surface, and lower surface of the grinding wheel 304. it can.
Under the control of the control means 9, the grinding means horizontal moving means 13 reciprocates the rough grinding means 30 in the X-axis direction to perform cleaning injected from the cleaning nozzle 18 positioned below the grinding wheel 304. Water may evenly wash the entire outer surface, the entire inner surface, and the entire lower surface of the grinding wheel 304.

As described above, the grinding apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes a cleaning nozzle 18 that injects cleaning water onto the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b to clean the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b, and the control means 9 is a chuck table horizontal moving means. 11 or the grinding means horizontal moving means 13 is controlled to move the cleaning nozzle 18 and the rough grinding means 30 relatively horizontally, and water is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 18 to the grinding wheel 304 located above the cleaning nozzle 18. By cleaning the grinding wheel 304, for example, the grinding wheel 304 can be cleaned and cleaned before the operator replaces the grinding wheel 304. Therefore, by replacing the grinding wheel 304, for example, the grinding wheel 304 can be cleaned. It is possible to prevent the clean room in which the grinding device 1 is arranged from being contaminated.

The grinding device 1 according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described first and second embodiments, and the configurations and the like shown in the attached drawings are not limited to this, and the effects of the present invention can be achieved. It can be changed as appropriate within the range that can be exhibited.

W: Work piece Wa: Front surface of work work Wb: Back side of work work 1: Grinding device 10: Equipment base 150: First cassette mounting part 150a: First cassette 151: Second cassette mounting Part 151a: Second cassette 152: Temporary storage area 153: Alignment means 154a: Loading arm
154b: Unloading arm 155: Robot 156: Cleaning means 50: Chuck table 500: Suction part 500a: Holding surface 501: Frame
100: Cover 100a: Bellows cover 11: Chuck table horizontal moving means 110: Ball screw 112: Motor 113: Movable plate 52: Chuck base 55: Tilt adjusting means
56: Rotating means 560: Table spindle 561: Motor 562: Main pulley 563: Driven pulley 564: Endless belt 540: Suction flow path 543: Rotary joint 544: Pipe 545: Suction pipe 545a: Suction valve 549: Suction source 570: Water Linkage 571: Water valve 57: Water supply source 580: Air linkage passage 581: Air valve 58: Air supply source 12: Column 13: Grinding means Horizontal movement means 130: Ball screw 132: Motor 133: First movable block 134: Second Movable block 20: Rough grinding elevating means 200: Ball screw 202: Motor 203: Elevating plate 30: Rough grinding means 300: Spindle 301: Housing 302: Spindle motor 303: Mount 304: Grinding wheel 304b: Rough grinding grind 21: Finish grinding elevating Means 210: Ball screw 212: Motor 213: Elevating plate 31: Finish grinding means 310: Spindle 311: Housing 312: Spindle motor 313: Mount 314: Grinding wheel 314b: Finish grinding grindstone 17: Thickness measuring means 9: Control means 18: Cleaning Nozzle 182: Supply pipe 184: On-off valve 189: High-pressure water supply source

Claims (2)

A grinding means for grinding a work piece on the lower surface of the grinding wheel by rotating a chuck table that holds the work piece on the holding surface and a grinding wheel on which a grinding wheel is arranged in an annular shape on the work piece held on the chuck table. A horizontal moving means for moving the chuck table and the grinding means in a horizontal direction relatively parallel to the holding surface, an elevating means for raising and lowering the grinding means in a direction perpendicular to the holding surface, and device control. A grinding device including a control means for performing the above.
A water passage that connects the holding surface to the water supply source, and a water valve that opens and closes the water passage.
An air passage for communicating the holding surface with the air supply source and an air valve for opening and closing the air passage are provided.
The control means controls the horizontal moving means and the elevating means, positions the grinding wheel above the holding surface, and forms a predetermined gap between the holding surface and the lower surface of the grinding wheel. A grinding device that controls the water valve and the air valve and ejects water and air from the holding surface to clean the grinding wheel. A grinding means for grinding a work piece on the lower surface of the grinding wheel by rotating a chuck table that holds the work piece on the holding surface and a grinding wheel on which a grinding wheel is arranged in an annular shape on the work piece held on the chuck table. A horizontal moving means for moving the chuck table and the grinding means in a horizontal direction relatively parallel to the holding surface, an elevating means for raising and lowering the grinding means in a direction perpendicular to the holding surface, and device control. A grinding device including a control means for performing the above.
A cleaning nozzle for injecting cleaning water onto the lower surface of the grinding wheel to clean the lower surface of the grinding wheel is provided.
The control means injects water from the cleaning nozzle onto the grinding wheel located above the cleaning nozzle while controlling at least the horizontal moving means to relatively horizontally move the cleaning nozzle and the grinding means. A grinding device for cleaning the grinding wheel.

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