JP3043324B1 - Wafer unloading apparatus and wafer manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer unloading apparatus and a wafer manufacturing method capable of stably receiving a wafer after a polishing process from a polishing head and reliably transferring the wafer to the next process. The unloading device (1) includes a base (17).
A flat circular unloading unit 2 including a wafer mounting unit 18 and a cleaning mechanism 16 is provided. The base portion 17 and the wafer placing portion 18 are connected by an acting force absorbing mechanism 20 for absorbing a vertical force, and the wafer placing portion 18 moves vertically with respect to the base portion 17. Since it is possible, the moment acting on the robot arm is reduced even when the wafer W is transferred to the next step by the thin plate-shaped robot arm, and the wafer W is stably attracted to the robot arm. Further, since the wafer W and the polishing head are cleaned by the cleaning mechanism 16, the wafer W is less likely to be damaged by foreign matter.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a wafer unloading apparatus for removing a wafer having a polished surface from a polishing head attached to a polishing head and a method of manufacturing a wafer using the same. It is.

[0002]

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

As shown in FIG. 8, a head body 53 composed of a top plate portion 51 and a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 52 fixed to the outer periphery of the top plate portion 51, as shown in FIG.
3, a diaphragm 54 made of an elastic material such as rubber, a pressure adjusting mechanism 56 for adjusting the pressure in the fluid chamber 58, a disk-shaped carrier 55 fixed to the lower surface of the diaphragm 54, A carrier 55 includes an annular retainer ring 57 disposed concentrically on the outer periphery of a carrier 55. The carrier 55 and the retainer ring 57 are fixed to a carrier fixing ring 59 and a retainer ring fixing ring 62 provided on the upper surface of the diaphragm 54, respectively, and the retainer ring 57 is disposed between the outer peripheral surface of the carrier 55 and the peripheral wall 52. Are arranged concentrically with a slight gap therebetween. During wafer polishing, the wafer 70
Is attached to the wafer attachment sheet 71 provided on the lower surface of the carrier 55 while the outer periphery is locked by the retainer ring 57. And the surface of the wafer 70 is
The wafer is polished by rotating the wafer polishing head 50 while being in contact with the polishing pad 63 stuck on the upper surface of the platen 61 and supplying the slurry containing the polishing abrasive.

When the polishing process of the wafer 70 is completed and the polishing head 50 is raised so as to be separated from the polishing pad 63, in order to receive the wafer 70 after the polishing process, as shown in FIG. The wafer unloading device 81 having the wafer mounting portion 80 is disposed below the polishing head 50. Then, the wafer 70 from which the suction of the polishing head 50 has been released is mounted on the wafer mounting portion 80. The wafer mounting portion 80 with the wafer 70 mounted thereon is moved so as to approach a robot arm 82 for transferring the wafer 70 to the next process. A suction mechanism is formed at the distal end portion 82a of the robot arm 82, and the wafer 70 is held by being sucked by the suction mechanism at the distal end portion 82a, and transferred to the next step.

When the wafer 70 is sucked by the robot arm 82, the robot arm 82 first pushes the upper surface of the wafer 70 so that the robot arm 8
2 and the wafer 70 are stabilized. Then, the upper surface of the wafer 70 is suctioned by the suction mechanism of the distal end portion 82a of the robot arm 82, and the wafer 70 is transferred to the next step.

[0006]

As described above, in order for the robot arm 82 to stably hold the wafer 70, the robot arm 82 is abutted so as to push the wafer 70. At this time, a moment acts on the robot arm 82, but since the robot arm 82 is formed in a thin plate shape, the robot arm 82 is in a state where it is easily bent, and the robot arm 82 is rather unstable with the wafer 70. Being touched. Furthermore, the robot arm 8
2 repeatedly bends, leading to a reduction in the life of the robot arm 82 itself.

Further, foreign matters such as polishing debris generated during wafer polishing adhere to the wafer 70 and the lower portion of the polishing head 50. With this foreign matter attached,
The wafer 70 and the polishing head 50 may be damaged by the foreign matter. If the foreign matter is dried with the foreign matter attached thereto, when the foreign matter is to be cleaned later, the dried foreign matter is polished. Since it sticks to the lower part of the head 50 and the like, a large amount of labor is required for cleaning.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a wafer unloading apparatus and a wafer manufacturing method capable of stably transferring a polished wafer to the next step. And

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a method for receiving a polished wafer attached to a polishing head from a polishing head and delivering the polished wafer to a thin plate-shaped robot arm in the next step. A wafer unloading device, for mounting the wafer, an unloading part formed in a plane circular shape, and pivotally supporting the unloading part between below the polishing head and near the robot arm. A swing arm, an arm lifting / lowering mechanism that supports the swing arm together with the unloading section so as to be able to move up and down, and a swing drive source for swinging the swing arm; and the unloading section moves in a horizontal direction of the wafer. A disk-shaped wafer mounting portion provided with a locking portion for locking the movement of the wafer; A force absorbing mechanism for absorbing a force in a direction, and a cleaning mechanism provided near the center of the wafer mounting unit plane for cleaning the polished wafer and the lower part of the polishing head, wherein the cleaning mechanism is provided. The provided unloading part is pivoted to clean the lower part of the polishing head and the wafer.

According to the present invention, since the wafer mounting portion is provided with the acting force absorbing mechanism for absorbing the vertical force acting on the wafer mounting portion, the robot arm moves the wafer downward. , The wafer is also moved downward by the acting force absorbing mechanism. Therefore, the moment acting on the robot arm formed in a thin plate shape is reduced, the robot arm can be stably brought into contact with the top end of the wafer without bending, and the robot arm can be reliably mounted. Can hold the wafer.

Further, since the wafer mounting portion is provided with a locking portion for suppressing the horizontal movement of the wafer to be mounted, the wafer is stably mounted on the wafer mounting portion. .

In the vicinity of the center of the plane of the wafer mounting portion,
Since the cleaning mechanism for cleaning the wafer after the polishing step is provided, the lower surface of the wafer after the polishing step is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism to remove foreign matters such as polishing debris. Therefore, the wafer can be stably mounted on the wafer mounting portion, and the wafer can be prevented from being damaged by foreign matter. Further, the wafer mounting portion provided with the cleaning mechanism is configured to be pivoted below the polishing head, and is also pivoted below the polishing head where no wafer is mounted. . The cleaning mechanism sprays cleaning water onto the lower portion of the polishing head where no wafer is mounted, thereby preventing the lower portion of the polishing head from drying. That is, when foreign matter such as polishing debris generated during wafer polishing adheres to the polishing head and dries, the foreign matter sticks to the lower portion of the polishing head,
Although the cleaning for removing it later requires labor, the polishing head can be cleaned by the cleaning mechanism, so that the polishing head is prevented from drying and maintenance can be facilitated.

Further, by providing the second cleaning mechanism above the wafer mounting portion, the polished wafer is cleaned on both upper and lower surfaces, and is a surface on which a robot arm for carrying to the next step is sucked. Since the upper surface of the wafer is also cleaned, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the attraction force due to foreign matter of the robot arm.

A disk-shaped wafer mounting portion provided with a locking portion for locking the horizontal movement of the wafer, and a vertical force acting on the wafer mounting portion for absorbing the vertical force acting on the wafer mounting portion. An acting force absorbing mechanism, a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the polished wafer and the lower part of the polishing head provided near the center of the wafer mounting part plane, and a cleaning mechanism provided at the upper end of the wafer mounting part and removed from the polishing head. An unloading unit having a second cleaning mechanism for cleaning the upper surface of the wafer is disposed below the polishing head mounting the wafer after the polishing step, and a cleaning solution is sprayed from the cleaning mechanism. Cleaning the lower surface of the wafer and the lower portion of the polishing head, and then mounting the wafer on the wafer mounting portion and cleaning the upper surface of the wafer by the second cleaning mechanism And Kiyoshi, after the wafers upper and lower surfaces are washed, was passed while absorbing the vertical force to the robot arm in the next step by the action force absorbing mechanism,
By manufacturing the wafer by a method of manufacturing a wafer characterized by cleaning the lower part of the polishing head by disposing the unloading portion below the polishing head again and cleaning the lower part of the polishing head by the cleaning mechanism, the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer after the polishing process, Since the wafer is transferred to the next step after being cleaned, the wafer is prevented from being damaged. In addition, since the polishing head in a state where the wafer is not mounted is appropriately cleaned by the cleaning mechanism, it is possible to prevent the polishing head from drying and preventing polishing residues from sticking, and to remove the wafer when mounting the wafer. Scratches can be eliminated.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a wafer unloading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing one embodiment of the wafer unloading apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view seen from above in FIG. FIGS. 3 and 5 show a part of the AA cross-sectional view and CC cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, respectively, and FIG. 4 is a BB cross-sectional view of FIG.

In FIG. 1, an unloading device 1
Is a swing arm 3 connected to the unloading section 2, a swing shaft 4 that supports the swing arm 3 so as to be able to swing horizontally, and a swing arm 3 provided above the swing shaft 4 to raise and lower the swing arm 3. Arm elevating mechanism 5 for A polishing pad 31 for polishing the wafer W and a platen 30 are provided below the unloading section 2.

An outer cylinder 6 fixed to an outer cylinder support 7 by bolts is provided around a pivot 4 provided in the vertical direction.
Are formed so that both upper and lower ends of the turning shaft 4 protrude from the outer cylindrical portion 6. Also, two bearings 8 and 9 are installed inside the outer cylinder portion 6,
Are rotatably supported by these bearings 8 and 9.

Below the turning shaft 4, a piston 10 as a driving source for rotating the turning shaft 4 is provided in a horizontal direction. The base 10a of the piston 10 is
1 and the first connecting shaft 1 is attached to the working end 10b.
2 are connected. A second connecting shaft 13 is fixed to a lower end portion 4a of the turning shaft 4 protruding from a lower end of the outer cylindrical portion 6 so as to extend in the horizontal direction, and the first connecting shaft 12 and the second connecting shaft 13 Are connected by a hinge 14. Then, by driving the piston 10, the second of FIG.
By moving the connecting shaft 13 like the second connecting shaft 13 ', the turning shaft 4 can be rotated.

A swing arm 3 formed to extend in the horizontal direction is connected to the upper end of the swing shaft 4.
As the pivot shaft 4 is rotated, the pivot arm 3 is moved as shown in FIG.
From the position L to the position L '. The position L indicates the case where the unloading section 2 is turned below the polishing head, and the position L 'indicates the position where the wafer W after the polishing process is transported to the next process. Then, the wafer W turned to the position L ′ is received by the robot arm 40 as shown in FIG. 6, and is transported to the next step.

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

An unloading section 2 is provided at the tip of the turning arm 3 to receive the wafer W after the polishing process from the polishing head. The unloading part 2 is formed in a plane circular shape, and a hollow part 15 having a mortar-shaped cross section is formed inside. The unloading part 2 is a wafer for mounting a base 17 formed in a mortar shape so as to surround the hollow part 15 and a wafer W formed concentrically above the edge 17 a of the base 17. A mounting section 18 and a cleaning mechanism 16 provided on the bottom 2a of the unloading section 2 are provided.

From the cleaning mechanism 16, cleaning water for cleaning the lower surface of the wafer W after the polishing process is jetted vertically upward so as to hit the lower surface of the wafer W. Further, the cleaning water can be jetted also to the polishing head where the wafer W is not mounted. This is to prevent the lower surface of the polishing head from drying, and by spraying cleaning water onto the lower surface of the polishing head as needed, it is possible to prevent foreign substances such as polishing debris generated in the polishing process from sticking.
Therefore, after the unloading unit 2 is turned to the position L ′ to send the wafer W after the polishing process to the next process, the unloading unit 2 injects cleaning water to the polishing head or waits for unloading of the next head. Position L for
Is turned.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a projection 17b is formed on the upper surface of the edge 17a of the base 17 along the ring. A concave portion 18a is formed on the lower surface of the wafer mounting portion 18 along the ring, and the convex portion 1
7b and recess 18a are engaged. Also, the base part 1
The wafer 7 and the wafer mounting portion 18 are connected by an acting force absorbing mechanism 20 composed of a spring, and the acting force absorbing mechanism is provided at a plurality of locations as shown in FIG. The wafer mounting portion 18 can be moved up and down with respect to the base portion 17 by the function of the acting force absorbing mechanism 20.

As shown in FIG. 4, the base portion 17 and the tip portion 3a of the turning arm are provided with a portion connected by a first bolt 32 and a second bolt 33. By adjusting the first bolt 32 and the second bolt 33, the inclination of the base portion 17 with respect to the turning arm tip 3a is adjusted.

A protruding contact portion 18b is formed along the ring on the outer peripheral side of the upper portion of the wafer mounting portion 18, and the upper surface thereof is formed in a planar shape. Also, the contact portion 18b
Is formed with a locking portion 18c formed in a tapered shape, and the wafer W after the polishing process is engaged with the inside of the locking portion 18c. And
When the wafer W is removed from the polishing head, the contact portion 18b of the wafer mounting portion 18 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the retaining ring of the polishing head. The wafer W released from the suction from the polishing head is transferred to the locking portion 18 of the wafer mounting portion 18.
c, falls on the wafer mounting portion 18 while being guided, and is engaged inside the locking portion 18c.

A sensor 19 is located near the wafer mounting portion 18.
Is provided. The sensor 19 is provided with a light projector 19a and a light receiver 19 so as to pass through a portion where the wafer W is placed.
b, and recognizes whether or not the wafer W is mounted on the wafer mounting portion 18.

When the wafer W is received from the polishing head by the wafer unloading apparatus 1, first, the turning drive source of the loading unit 2 is used to position the unloading unit 2 below the wafer W. When a certain piston 10 is driven, the unloading section 2
Is turned to the position L. Then, cleaning water is jetted from the cleaning mechanism 16 to clean the polished surface of the wafer W and the lower portion of the polishing head. Since the cleaning removes foreign matter from the lower surface of the wafer W and the lower part of the polishing head, the wafer W is stably mounted on the wafer mounting portion 18 and prevents the wafer W from being damaged by the foreign matter. be able to.

After the lower surface of the wafer W and the lower portion of the polishing head have been cleaned, the polishing head holds the contact portion 18b of the wafer mounting portion 18 against the lower surface of the retainer ring while adsorbing the wafer W adsorbed by vacuum adsorption. Solve. Since the suction of the wafer W by the polishing head is released, the wafer W is dropped onto the wafer mounting unit 18 of the unloading unit 2 waiting below the wafer W. At this time, since the upper surface of the wafer mounting portion 18 is formed in a tapered shape by the locking portion 18c, when the wafer W falls, it is stably engaged with the locking portion 18c of the wafer mounting portion 18. Become like

The unloading section 2 with the polished wafer W placed thereon is driven by the piston 10 to
It is turned to the position L 'so as to be separated from the polishing head. At this time, the wafer W after the polishing process is
As shown in the figure, after being received by the robot arm 40,
It is transported to the next process.

As shown in FIG. 6, this robot arm 40
Is supported by a driving unit (not shown) so as to be able to move up and down and move horizontally, and is formed in a thin plate shape of, for example, about 2 mm. Also, the tip portion 40a of the robot arm 40
Is provided with a suction mechanism. The suction mechanism sucks the upper surface of the wafer W, and the wafer W is held by the robot arm 40. Then, the robot arm 40 approaches from the side of the unloading unit 2 to receive the wafer W after the polishing process,
The distal end 40 a provided with the suction mechanism is driven so as to pass through the notch of the unloading unit 2 and to be positioned above the wafer W placed on the unloading unit 2.

Then, the robot arm 40 positioned above the wafer W is made to approach the upper surface of the wafer W, and the tip portion 40a of the robot arm 40 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the wafer W. At this time, the robot arm 40 is abutted so as to push the wafer W in order to stably attract the upper surface of the wafer W. In this case, the robot arm 40
Is formed in a thin plate shape, a moment acts on the robot arm 40 when the wafer W is pushed in, and the robot arm 40 is bent. For this reason, the robot arm 40 and the upper surface of the wafer W come into contact with each other in an unstable manner, and as a result, the attraction force between the robot arm 40 and the upper surface of the wafer W is reduced. Further, the robot arm 40 repeatedly bends each time the wafer W is to be sucked, which leads to a shortened life of the robot arm 40.

However, below the wafer mounting portion 18 of the unloading portion 2, the acting force absorbing mechanism 2 composed of a spring, which is a mechanism for absorbing the acting force in the vertical direction, is provided.
0 is provided at a plurality of positions, so that the robot arm 4
Even if 0 pushes the wafer W downward, the wafer W is also moved downward by the acting force absorbing mechanism 20. Therefore, the moment acting on the robot arm 40 formed in a thin plate shape is reduced, and the distal end portion 40a of the robot arm 40 and the upper surface of the wafer W are stably contacted without being bent. You. In this way, the robot arm 40 can surely hold the wafer W, and the wafer held by the robot arm 40 is surely transferred to the next process.

Since the wafer mounting portion 18 is provided with a locking portion 18c for suppressing the horizontal movement of the wafer W to be mounted, the wafer W can be stably mounted on the wafer mounting portion 18. Is placed.

The cleaning mechanism 16 for cleaning the wafer W after the polishing step is provided so as to be located at the center of the plane of the wafer mounting portion 18.
The lower surface of the wafer W after the polishing step is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism 16 to remove foreign matters such as polishing debris. Therefore, the wafer W can be stably mounted on the wafer mounting portion 18, and the wafer W can be prevented from being damaged by foreign matter. The cleaning mechanism 16
The wafer mounting portion 18 provided with a wafer is turned to a position below the polishing head.
Is unmounted, the unloading unit 2 that has delivered the wafer W to the robot arm 40 is turned to the position L. And the cleaning mechanism 16
Thus, the cleaning water is sprayed to the lower portion of the polishing head where the wafer W is not mounted, so that the lower portion of the polishing head is prevented from drying. That is, when foreign matter such as polishing debris generated during the polishing of the wafer W adheres to the polishing head and dries, the foreign matter sticks to the lower portion of the polishing head, and labor is required for cleaning to remove it later. However, since the polishing head can be cleaned by the cleaning mechanism 16, drying of the polishing head is prevented and maintenance can be facilitated.

Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 7, a second cleaning mechanism 21 may be attached to the upper portion of the wafer mounting portion 18. By providing the second cleaning mechanism 21 on the upper part of the wafer mounting part 18, the polished wafer W is cleaned on both upper and lower surfaces, and the wafer on which the robot arm 40 for transferring to the next process is sucked. Since the upper surface of the W is also cleaned, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the attraction force of the robot arm 40 due to foreign matter.

[0036]

The wafer unloading apparatus and wafer manufacturing method of the present invention have the following effects. (1) Since the acting force absorbing mechanism, which is a mechanism for absorbing a vertical force acting on the wafer placing portion, is provided in the wafer placing portion, even if the robot arm pushes the wafer downward, the acting force is reduced. The absorption mechanism also moves the wafer downward. Therefore, the moment acting on the robot arm formed in a thin plate shape is reduced, the robot arm can be stably brought into contact with the top end of the wafer without bending, and the robot arm can be reliably mounted. Can hold the wafer. (2) The wafer mounting portion is provided with a locking portion for suppressing the horizontal movement of the mounted wafer, so that the wafer is stably mounted on the wafer mounting portion. (3) Since a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the wafer after the polishing process is provided near the center of the plane of the wafer mounting portion, the lower surface of the wafer after the polishing process is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism. In addition, foreign substances such as polishing residues can be removed. Therefore, the wafer can be stably mounted on the wafer mounting portion, and the wafer can be prevented from being damaged by foreign matter. Further, the wafer mounting portion provided with the cleaning mechanism is configured to be pivoted below the polishing head, and is also pivoted below the polishing head where no wafer is mounted. . The cleaning mechanism sprays cleaning water onto the lower portion of the polishing head where no wafer is mounted, thereby preventing the lower portion of the polishing head from drying. In other words, when foreign matter such as polishing debris generated during wafer polishing adheres to the polishing head and dries, the foreign matter sticks to the lower portion of the polishing head, and requires labor for cleaning to remove it later. But
Since the polishing head can be cleaned by the cleaning mechanism, drying of the polishing head is prevented and maintenance can be facilitated. (4) By providing the second cleaning mechanism on the upper part of the wafer mounting part, the polished wafer is cleaned on both upper and lower surfaces, and the upper surface of the wafer on which the robot arm for transferring to the next process is sucked. Is also cleaned, so that it is possible to prevent a decrease in the attraction force of the robot arm due to foreign matter. (5) A disk-shaped wafer mounting portion provided with a locking portion for locking the wafer in the horizontal direction, and an acting force for absorbing a vertical force acting on the wafer mounting portion. An absorption mechanism, a cleaning mechanism provided near the center of the wafer mounting unit plane for cleaning the polished wafer and the lower part of the polishing head, and a cleaning mechanism provided at the upper end of the wafer mounting unit and removed from the polishing head. An unloading unit having a second cleaning mechanism for cleaning the upper surface,
The wafer after the polishing process is disposed below the polishing head mounted thereon and the cleaning mechanism is sprayed from the cleaning mechanism to wash the lower surface of the wafer and the lower portion of the polishing head, and then the wafer is placed on the wafer mounting portion. The wafer was placed and the upper surface of the wafer was cleaned by the second cleaning mechanism, and the wafer whose upper and lower surfaces were cleaned was transferred to the robot arm of the next process while absorbing the vertical force by the acting force absorbing mechanism. After that, the wafer after the polishing process is placed on the polishing head by manufacturing the wafer by a method of manufacturing the wafer, wherein the unloading part is disposed below the polishing head again and the lower part of the polishing head is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism. Since the lower surface is transferred to the next process after being cleaned, the wafer is prevented from being damaged. In addition, the polishing head in the non-wafer mounted state is to be appropriately cleaned by the cleaning mechanism,
It is possible to prevent the polishing head from drying and prevent polishing residues from sticking, and it is also possible to prevent the wafer from being damaged when the wafer is mounted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

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

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the vicinity of an edge in the AA sectional view of FIG. 2;

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

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the vicinity of the rim in the CC cross-sectional view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating how a wafer is attracted to a robot arm.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a second cleaning mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state where a wafer is held by a polishing head.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating how the robot arm is bent.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Unloading device 2 Unloading part 2a Unloading part bottom part 3 Revolving arm 3a Revolving arm tip part 4 Revolving shaft 4a Revolving shaft lower end part 5 Arm elevating mechanism 5a Guide part 6 Outer cylinder part 7 Outer cylinder support part 10 Piston (rotation drive Source) 15 Hollow part 16 Cleaning mechanism 17 Base part 17a Edge part 17b Convex part 18 Wafer placing part 18b Contact part 18c Lock part 19 Sensor 20 Working force absorption mechanism 21 Second cleaning mechanism 40 Robot arm 40a Robot arm tip Part W Wafer

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yoshie Kaito 1-297 Kitabukuro-cho, Omiya City, Saitama Prefecture Mitsubishi Materials Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-7-223142 (JP, A) JP-A-8 -153693 (JP, A) JP-A-6-275582 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/304 H01L 21/68

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A wafer unloading device for receiving a polished wafer attached to a polishing head from a polishing head, and delivering the polished wafer to a thin-plate robot arm in a next process, wherein the wafer is loaded. An unloading section formed in a plane circular shape; a turning arm for turning and supporting the unloading section between the lower portion of the polishing head and the vicinity of the robot arm; and a vertically movable turning arm with the unloading section. An arm lifting mechanism for supporting; a turning drive source for turning the turning arm; and a disc-shaped unloading section having a locking section for locking the movement of the wafer in the horizontal direction. A wafer mounting portion, an acting force absorbing mechanism for absorbing a vertical force acting on the wafer mounting portion, A cleaning mechanism provided in the vicinity of the center of the wafer mounting unit plane for cleaning the wafer and the polishing head lower part, wherein the unloading part provided with the cleaning mechanism cleans the polishing head lower part and the wafer. A wafer unloading device, which is turned for cleaning. 2. The wafer unloading device according to claim 1, wherein a second cleaning mechanism for cleaning an upper surface of the wafer removed from the polishing head is provided at an upper end of the wafer mounting portion. apparatus. 3. A disk-shaped wafer mounting portion provided with a locking portion for locking horizontal movement of a wafer, and a vertical force acting on the wafer mounting portion for absorbing a vertical force acting on the wafer mounting portion. An acting force absorbing mechanism, a cleaning mechanism provided near the center of the wafer mounting section plane for cleaning the polished wafer and the lower portion of the polishing head, and a cleaning mechanism provided at the upper end of the wafer mounting section and removed from the polishing head. An unloading unit having a second cleaning mechanism for cleaning the upper surface of the wafer is disposed below the polishing head on which the wafer after the polishing step is mounted, and a cleaning solution is sprayed from the cleaning mechanism. Cleaning the lower surface of the wafer and the lower portion of the polishing head, and then mounting the wafer on the wafer mounting portion and cleaning the upper surface of the wafer by the second cleaning mechanism After transferring the wafer whose upper and lower surfaces have been cleaned to the robot arm of the next process while absorbing the vertical force by the acting force absorbing mechanism, the unloading unit is disposed below the polishing head again to perform the cleaning. A method of manufacturing a wafer, wherein a lower portion of the polishing head is cleaned by a mechanism.