JP3175511B2 - Polishing device and polishing pad attaching / detaching device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a polishing apparatus used for polishing a surface of a semiconductor wafer or the like, and an apparatus for attaching and detaching a polishing pad to and from the polishing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the surface polishing of a semiconductor wafer, a polishing apparatus as shown in FIG. 9 has been conventionally used. As shown in the figure, the apparatus includes a polishing platen 1 having a thick disk shape,
A plurality of (two in the figure) wafer holders 2, 2...

The opposing surfaces of the polishing platen 1 and the wafer holders 2, 2... Are flattened with high precision, and the opposing surface of the polishing platen 1 has a sheet shape over substantially the entire surface. A polishing pad 10 is applied. The polishing platen 1 and the wafer holders 2, 2,... Are rotated about respective axes perpendicular to the opposing surface, and the wafer holders 2, 2,. It is done.

A wafer W to be polished is fixed to each of the wafer holders 2, 2... With its polishing surface facing the polishing platen 1 side. These wafers W, W.
, While rotating one or both of the wafer holders 2, 2,... Around their respective axes.
, And the polishing surface is pressed against the polishing pad 10 on the polishing platen 1.

A polishing liquid is supplied to the surface of the polishing pad 10, and the polishing pad 10 and the wafers W, W ... are rotated by the relative rotation of the polishing platen 1 and the wafer holder 2. The polishing liquid is rubbed through the fine abrasive particles, and the heat generated by the rubbing is removed by the polishing liquid. The polished surfaces of the wafers W are polished at a predetermined temperature with high precision. Is done.

[0006]

In the polishing apparatus as described above, the polishing platen 1 serving as the surface to which the polishing pad 10 is to be attached.
Although one surface is processed with high surface accuracy, the attachment of the polishing pad 10 to this surface is conventionally generally performed by sticking using an adhesive or a double-sided tape. When air bubbles are mixed between the polishing pad 10 and the polishing platen 1 during this attachment, irregularities are generated on the surface of the polishing pad 10 that actually contacts the polishing surface of the wafer W, and the polishing quality of the wafer W is reduced. There is a problem that leads to lowering.

On the other hand, since the polishing pad 10 is inevitably worn due to rubbing with the wafer W via the abrasive particles, it is essential to replace the polishing pad every predetermined time. For this replacement, the used polishing pad 10 is
It is performed according to the procedure of peeling off from the polishing pad 10 and adhering a new polishing pad 10. Each time this replacement is performed, the polishing pad 10 is correctly adhered while preventing air bubbles from being mixed with the polishing platen 1. However, there is a problem that requires a high degree of skill and a great deal of trouble.

At this time, a troublesome operation for removing the adhesive remaining on the surface of the polishing platen 1 after the used polishing pad 10 is peeled off and cleaning the surface is required. There is a problem that it takes a lot of time.

In particular, in recent years, the polishing platen 1 tends to increase in size in order to cope with an increase in the diameter of the wafer W to be polished and to enable simultaneous polishing of a large number of wafers W. On the other hand, with the increase in the degree of integration of circuits formed on the polished wafer W, the required precision in the polishing tends to be higher, and a series of operations for replacing the polishing pad 10 is more difficult. It has become.

Further, since the replacement of the polishing pad 10 as described above is performed manually, there is a problem in that there is a difference in the state of attachment before and after the replacement, and the reproducibility of polishing is impaired. Particles that have fallen from the body of the user fall on the polishing pad 10 and adhere to the polished surface of the wafer W in the course of polishing by the polishing pad 10, so that the polished surface may be contaminated.

Therefore, an apparatus for automating a part of the replacement operation of the polishing pad 10 as described above has been conventionally proposed. Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-67458 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-74753 have disclosed: An apparatus for automating the peeling of the used polishing pad 10 is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 3-123668. In attaching the polishing pad 10, air bubbles interposed between the polishing pad 10 and the polishing pad 10 are removed. There is disclosed an apparatus for stably performing sticking.

However, these devices are based on the premise that the polishing pad 10 is applied to the polishing platen 1 by sticking, and even when both are used together, Complicated operations relying on humans, such as application of an adhesive and cleaning of the surface of the polishing platen 1 before sticking, are required, and these operations require a great deal of time, and during this time, they fall onto the polishing pad 10. There is a possibility that particles may stain the surface of the wafer W to be polished.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and enables the polishing pad to be easily and stably adhered to the polishing platen. It is an object of the present invention to provide a polishing apparatus which can effectively prevent the reduction of the polishing pad and which can completely automate the operation of replacing the polishing pad, and a polishing pad attaching / detaching apparatus used for the polishing apparatus.

[0014]

Polishing apparatus according to the present invention SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION, in a polishing apparatus comprising a deposited sheets shaped polishing pad on a surface of the polishing platen was covered on its inner side the
An outer ring formed by fastening a polishing pad to a peripheral portion thereof, and
The polishing pad is fitted inside the outer ring and the polishing pad is
A holding ring having an inner ring for applying an appropriate tension by pressing more, and a plurality of portions of the holding ring along the periphery of the polishing platen, the polishing pad being pulled over one surface of the polishing platen And applying means for applying tension to the polishing pad to attach the polishing pad to the one surface.

In addition, the inner ring and the outer phosphorus
The elastic member is provided with an elastic body at each peripheral edge portion in contact with the polishing pad .

A polishing pad attaching / detaching apparatus according to the present invention for attaching / detaching a polishing pad to / from the polishing apparatus as described above,
A storage section having a plurality of storage positions for storing unused polishing pads and used polishing pads together with respective holding rings, and engaging and disengaging means for engaging and disengaging the holding ring of the polishing pad with the attaching means. A retaining ring for the polishing pad
Is configured between an engagement / disengagement position for engaging and disengaging the attaching means and the storage portion, and an unused polishing pad is removed from the storage portion.
Transported to the engaging position, the engagement of the polishing pad of spent
Transport means for transporting from the detached position to the storage section .

[0017]

According to the present invention, an outer phosphorus which is fitted concentrically is provided.
Using a holding ring that holds the polishing pad in a state where appropriate tension has been applied by the ring and the inner ring, aligning the holding ring along the outer periphery of the polishing platen, and moving the plurality of circumferential locations by the operation of the attaching means. The tension is applied to the polishing pad, which is pulled on one surface of the polishing platen inside the holding ring, to apply the tension uniformly to the polishing pad, and the polishing pad is integrally attached to the polishing platen.
In addition, the outer ring and the inner ring
Make up the retaining ring and the polishing pad
Over the surface and fastened to the periphery, then fit inside the outer ring
The inner ring is pressed by the peripheral edge to apply appropriate tension.
In addition, a stable tension holding state is obtained. Also, the outer ring and
An elastic body is arranged around the inner ring, and these outer edges are ground.
Elastic contact with the polishing pad to improve the tension of the polishing pad
Stabilize.

[0018]

Further, with the configuration of the attachment / detachment device of the present invention, the used polishing pad of the polishing platen releases the engagement between the holding ring and the attaching means, and is moved to the storage portion by the operation of the conveying means. While being conveyed and stored in a predetermined storage position, an unused polishing pad is taken out from another storage position of the storage part, conveyed by the operation of the conveying means, and the holding ring of the polishing pad is operated by the operation of the engaging and disengaging means. Is applied to the attaching means, and a tensile force is applied by the attaching means to adhere to the polishing platen.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments. FIG. 1 is a half sectional view showing a configuration of a polishing apparatus according to the present invention. Similar to the conventional polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 9, the polishing apparatus according to the present invention includes a polishing platen 1 having a thick disk shape and a plurality of (only two are shown in FIG. 9) wafer holders facing one surface thereof. 2, 2,....

The opposing surfaces of the polishing platen 1 and the wafer holders 2, 2,... Are flattened with high precision, and the opposing surface (adhering surface 1a) on the polishing platen 1 side is almost entirely covered. A polishing pad 10 in the form of a sheet is attached over the entire surface of the wafer W, and wafers W, W
Are fixed with their polishing surfaces facing the polishing platen 1 side.

The wafers W, W,... Fixed as described above are polished by power from respective driving sources (not shown), similarly to the conventional polishing apparatus, by the polishing table 1 and the wafer holders 2, 2.
Are rotated around their respective axes, and one or both of the polishing table 1 and the wafer holders 2, 2 are brought close to the other, and the polishing pad attached to the polishing table 1.
The polishing is performed by pressing the polished surfaces of the wafers W, W.

At this time, a polishing liquid is supplied to the surface of the polishing pad 10, and the polishing pad 10 and the wafers W, W are separated from each other by the relative rotation of the polishing platen 1 and the wafer holder 2. Rubbed through fine abrasive particles,
As a result of the heat generated by the rubbing being removed by the polishing liquid, the polished surfaces of the wafers W are polished with a high degree of accuracy at a predetermined temperature. The polishing pad 10 is made of a resin having excellent abrasion resistance, such as polyester impregnated with polyurethane, so as to withstand rubbing with abrasive particles in a polishing liquid.

In the polishing apparatus according to the present invention, the polishing pad 10 is stretched and held inside an annular holding ring 3 corresponding to the outer shape of the polishing platen 1.
At the same time, the holding ring 3 is put on the holding surface 3a of the polishing platen 1 in the direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface by the operation of a mounting means configured as described below around the polishing platen 1. It is integrally attached to the attachment surface 1a in a state where a uniform tension is applied by applying a pulling force. The holding ring 3 must have sufficient rigidity and be made of a material that is not corroded by the polishing liquid supplied onto the polishing pad 10 during the above-mentioned polishing, and is made of, for example, stainless steel.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the retaining ring 3,
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the assembling procedure, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the holding ring 3 taken along a line IV. As shown in FIG. 2, the holding ring 3 is formed by fitting an outer ring 30 and an inner ring 31 concentrically with each other in an annular shape, and by fixing pins 32, 32,... It is configured to be integrated. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the polishing pad 10 is covered so as to cover the entire inner region from one surface side of the outer ring 30, and is fixed to the outside of the peripheral portion by appropriate means such as pinning or bonding. I have.

As shown by arrows in FIG. 3A, the inner ring 31 is moved from the side covered with the polishing pad 10 to the outer ring 30.
The polishing pad 10 is pressed in the peripheral portions of the rings 30 and 31, and the tension is applied to the polishing pad 10 in the radially outward direction. , 32... Are integrated at a position where the inner ring 31 is pushed into the inner ring 31 by a predetermined length as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a holding ring 3 holding the polishing pad 10 with the tension applied thereto is obtained.

Further, the outer ring 30 which comes into contact with the polishing pad 10
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, elastic rings 30a and 31a made of an elastic material such as rubber have a semicircular cross section, and are integrally formed over the entire periphery of the inner ring 31. These have the function of making the tension applied to the polishing pad 10 as the inner ring 31 is pushed in uniform in the circumferential direction by the respective elasticity.

The holding ring 3 configured as described above includes
On the other side of the inner ring 31 (the opposite side of the elastic ring 31a), a plurality of (eight in this embodiment) engaging claws 3 are equally spaced in the circumferential direction.
3, 33 ... are protrudingly provided. FIG. 2 and FIG.
It is a cross-sectional view at the protruding position of FIG.
It has a shape that has a base in the vicinity of the inner periphery of the inner ring 31 and extends in the axial direction, and the middle part is bent outward at a substantially right angle,
It is used for engaging and disengaging with an attaching means configured as described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the attaching means comprises a plurality of tension cylinders 4, 4... Fixed on the outer peripheral surface of the polishing table 1.
It is. These are air cylinders that expand and contract in response to air supply from an air source (not shown), and the same number (eight in the present embodiment) of the engaging claws 33, 33... The ends of the output rods of the tensioning cylinders 4 extending toward the adhered surface 1a of the polishing platen 1 have a substantially right angle at the ends of the juxtaposed circumferences, that is, in the same direction in the circumferential direction of the polishing platen 1. An engaging claw 40 that bends and is bent is fixedly provided .
Means for attaching the holding ring 3 by the engaging claw 33
An engaging and disengaging means for engaging and disengaging the pulling cylinders 4, 4,.
Have been.

The polishing pad 10 attached to the polishing platen 1
Along with the holding ring 3 for supporting the tension, the engaging claws 33, 33,.
Are positioned concentrically with the projecting side facing the attachment surface 1a.

The inner diameter of the holding ring 3, that is, the inner diameter of the inner ring 31 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the polishing platen 1. By performing the positioning, the inner circumference of the holding ring 3 becomes
A state is established along the outside of the peripheral edge of 1a, and in this state, the two are brought closer to each other, so that the polishing pad 10 stretched inside the holding ring 3 is covered so as to cover the entire surface of the attachment surface 1a.

At this time, the tension cylinders 4, 4,... Extend the respective output rods and are at circumferential positions indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1, and the engagement claws 40, 40,.
Are located at positions facing the respective engaging claws 33, 33,... In this state, when the polishing platen 1 is rotated by a predetermined angle in the direction shown by the white arrow in FIG. 1, the engaging claws 40, 40... 33,
33 are engaged from the same side in the circumferential direction, and after this engagement is completed, the tensioning cylinders 4, 4,. Dovetail 3
The polishing pad 10 which is collectively pulled in the axial direction through 3, 33... And is placed on the surface 1a of the polishing platen 1 is attached to the surface 1a under uniform tension. It is pressed and comes into a state of being integrally attached.

On the side surface of the polishing platen 1, there is an opening near the adhered surface 1a, and an intake hole 12 connected to an intake source (not shown) is opened. Prior to the pulling of the retaining ring 3 by the suction, the air is sucked through the suction hole 12 and the air between the surface 1a and the polishing pad 10 is sucked out. Without fail.

As described above, in the polishing apparatus according to the present invention, after the holding ring 3 for holding the polishing pad 10 inside is positioned on the peripheral edge of the polishing table 1, the engaging claw 33, 33 are engaged with the engaging claws 40, 40, and the holding ring 3 is connected to the tension cylinders 4, 4,..., And then the holding ring 3 is moved by the contraction operation of the tension cylinders 4, 4,. The polishing pad 10 can be integrally attached to the polishing platen 1 by a procedure of pulling the polishing pad at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, and the procedure can be automated without relying on humans.

The adherence state of the polishing pad 10 can be kept constant by controlling the contraction lengths of the tension cylinders 4, 4,..., And when polishing the wafers W, W. It is possible to reduce the possibility of occurrence of defective polishing due to poor attachment, to eliminate the possibility of contamination of the polished surface by particles, and to stably maintain a favorable polishing state. When the polishing platen 1 is rotated during the polishing, the rotation direction is set to the same direction as the rotation for engaging the engaging claws 33, 33 ... and the engaging claws 40, 40 .... Thus, the tensioning state of the holding ring 3 by the tension cylinders 4, 4,... Can be stably maintained.

The polishing pad 10 applied as described above
Are released in the reverse order of the above-described procedure, that is, the tensioning cylinders 4, 4,... Are extended to release the tension of the holding ring 3, and then the polishing platen 1 is rotated in the reverse direction to engage the engaging claws 33, 33,. Dovetail
By releasing the engagement with the polishing pads 40, 40, etc., the polishing pad 10 can be easily removed from the polishing platen 1. Thereafter, the removed polishing pad 10 is removed together with the holding ring 3, and the unused polishing pad 10 is removed. The replacement of the polishing pad 10 is completed by executing the deposition procedure again.

Accordingly, a transport means for transporting the used polishing pad 10 removed from the polishing platen 1 together with the holding ring 3 and storing it at a predetermined storage position, and an unused polishing pad held by the holding ring 3 The removal of the polishing pad 10 carried out as described above is performed by attaching the transporting means for removing the polishing pad 10 from the predetermined storage position and transporting the polishing pad 10 to the vicinity of the polishing platen 1 in the polishing apparatus configured as described above. It is possible to automate the entire operation. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the entire configuration of the polishing pad attaching / detaching apparatus according to the present invention for achieving such automation.

This apparatus comprises a main body 5 containing a polishing apparatus according to the present invention, and a storage section 6 arranged on one side of the main body. Inside the main body 5, a polishing platen 1 and wafer holders 2, 2 constituting a polishing apparatus are arranged in the opposite direction to FIG. 1, that is, with the former facing upward. Therefore,
The retaining ring 3 is disengaged from the tension cylinder 4
The engagement / disengagement position to be performed, in other words,
Engagement claw 33 and engagement provided on the tension cylinder 4
Engage with the engaging claw 33 of the engaging / disengaging means constituted by the claw 40
The engagement / disengagement position where the claw 40 is engaged / disengaged is at the adhered surface 1a of the polishing platen 1.
Indicates the position covered by the polishing pad. A plurality of shelves 61, 61,... Which move up and down in response to the rotation of vertically moving elevating belts 60 are provided inside the storage section 6, and each of them is provided with a polishing pad 10. It can be mounted and stored together with the holding ring 3 for holding.

On the lower side of the polishing platen 1 in the main body 5,
The used polishing pad 10 removed from the polishing platen 1 is received and transported downward, and the unused polishing pad 10 transported from the storage section 6 is received and transported upward to the polishing platen 1. On the other hand, the elevator 7 for positioning is arranged as described above, and the first and second transport means capable of transporting in the horizontal direction are provided in such a manner that the middle part and the lowermost part of the elevator 7 are connected to the storage section 6. 8, 9 are laid horizontally.

The upper first transporting means 8 transports the polishing pad 10 placed on the upper side from the storage section 6 toward the elevator 7, and the lower second transporting means 9 also lifts and lowers the polishing pad 10. The transfer is performed from the elevator 7 toward the storage unit 6. At the end of the first transfer unit 8, a transfer unit 80 for transfer to the elevator 7 is provided. At the ends, transfer units 90 for transferring to the shelves 61, 61...

The upper half of the storage section 6 is an unused polishing pad.
The lower half portion is used as a storage portion for the used polishing pad 10, and the lower half portion is used as a storage portion for the used polishing pad 10. The polishing pad 10 in the storage section 6 is mounted on the shelf plates 61, 61,... Together with the holding rings 3 for holding the polishing pads 10, and moves up and down as the shelf plates 61, 61. .., And the unused polishing pads 10, 10... Stored in the upper half are transferred to the first transporting means 8 at the intersection with the first transporting means 8.

The unused polishing pad 10 delivered to the first transport means 8 is transported by the operation of the transport means 8, and
It is delivered to the elevator 7 via the transfer section 80 at the end of the transport path, is transported upward by the lifting operation of the elevator 7, and is positioned as described above with respect to the adhered surface 1a of the polishing platen 1. Is attached to the polishing platen 1 by the operation of the tension cylinders 4, 4,.

On the other hand, the used polishing pad 10 removed from the polishing platen 1 is transferred to the elevator 7, and
It is transported downward by the lowering operation of the elevator 7,
After passing through the transfer section 80 at the end of the first transport means 8 and reaching the lowermost portion, the transport means 9 intersects with the second transport means 9.
Passed to. The used polishing pad 10 thus transferred is conveyed by the operation of the conveying means 9, and
One of the shelves in the storage section 6 by the transfer section 90 at the end of the transport path
It is transferred and stored on 61.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the transfer operation from the first transport means 8 to the elevator 7 and FIG. 7 is a view VII-VI of FIG.
It is a top view by the I line. As shown in FIG. 7, the first conveying means 8 includes a pair of conveying belts 8a, 8a which are separated from each other by a predetermined width and are parallel to each other.
The unused polishing pad 10 delivered with the
As indicated by the chain line, the belts 8a, 8a support the vicinity of the periphery, and are conveyed in a state of being laid substantially horizontally at the center.

The transfer section 80 at the end of the first transport means 8 is a short transport belt 8 continuous with each of the transport belts 8a, 8a.
1, 81, which are connected to output ends on both sides of a widening cylinder 84 via connecting rods 83, 83 extending in the same direction from the respective support bases 82, 82. The widening cylinder 84 is an air cylinder that expands and contracts output rods on both sides in response to air supply from an air source (not shown). The separation width between the transfer belts 81 of the transfer unit 8 is determined by the extension of the widening cylinder 84. It expands according to the operation and conversely narrows according to the shortening operation.

In FIG. 7, the positions of the conveyor belts 81 and 81 when the widening cylinder 84 is in the contracted state are indicated by solid lines, and the positions of the conveyor belts 81 and 81 when the widened cylinder 84 is in the extended state are indicated by broken lines. The transfer belts 81, 81 of the transfer section 80
A first position (position indicated by a solid line) having a separation width substantially equal to that of the conveyor belts 8a, 8a of the first conveyor means 8,
It can be restrained to any of the second positions (positions indicated by broken lines) having a greater separation width.

On the other hand, the elevator 7 is connected to the transfer
At the position facing each of the corners, there are provided four lifting belts 70, 70,. Of these, support plates 71, 71 are respectively provided between a pair of elevating belts 70, 70 located on the same side with respect to the longitudinal direction of the transport belts 81, 81. 71, the transport belts 81, 81 are located inside the transport belts 81, 81 at the first position.
A pair of elevating plates 72, 72 are protruded toward the disposition area.

The transport belts 81, 81 of the transfer section 80 are restrained at the first position when the unused polishing pad 10 is transported by the first transport means 8, and the polishing pad 10
7 is transferred onto the transfer belts 81, 81 of the transfer section 80, which is kept substantially the same width as the transfer belts 8a, 8a of the first transfer means 8, and FIG.
As shown by a two-dot chain line therein, it is positioned at the center of the conveyor belts 81,81. For this positioning, for example, a sensor for detecting contact of the polishing pad 10 with the tip of the holding ring 3 is arranged between the conveyor belts 81, 81, and the operation of the conveyor belts 81, 81 is stopped according to the detection of the sensor. It is realized by exercising.

In the above-described transfer, the elevator 7
Are located below the transfer section 80 as shown by the broken line in FIG. 6, and rise according to the rotation of the lift belts 70, 70,... Driven after the completion of the transfer. It is done. As is clear from FIG. 7, the tips of the lifting plates 72, 72.
Polishing pad 10 positioned on the conveyor belt 81, 81
The polishing pad 10 is conveyed upward while being supported from four directions by the ascending and descending plates 72, 72,... As described above. Close to the polishing platen 1 facing the top,
Is applied as described above.

On the other hand, the used polishing pad 10 removed from the polishing platen 1 is supported on the elevating plates 72, 72... It is transported downward according to the downward rotation. At this time, the transfer unit 80
Conveyor belts 81, 81 are polishing pads including the retaining ring 3.
The polishing pad 10 is constrained to a second position having a separation width that allows the passage of the polishing pad 10, and the polishing pad 10 is conveyed further downward through the transfer unit 8, and is located at a crossing position with the second conveying unit 9. It is transferred to the transfer means 9.

The second transporting means 9 has a pair of transporting belts which are kept substantially the same width as the transporting belts 8a, 8a of the first transporting means 8. .. Are achieved by the lifting plates 72, 72,...

The polishing pad 10 thus delivered is:
The sheet is conveyed to the storage section 6 by the operation of the second transfer means 9, and is stored on a predetermined shelf board 61 via the transfer section 90. Transfer unit 90
Has a configuration similar to that of the transfer unit 80, and
Has the same configuration as the elevator 7.
The transfer of the polishing pad 10 from the transfer unit 90 to the storage unit 6 is performed in the same manner as the transfer from the transfer unit 80 to the elevator 7.

Shelf on which used polishing pad 10 is transferred
61 is sequentially conveyed downward by the rotation of the elevating belt 60. Further, an unused polishing pad 10 is transferred from the upper shelf board 61 descending to this to the first transport means 8 and transported as described above for application to the polishing platen 1, The shelf board 61 emptied by this transfer lowers to the position where it intersects with the transfer unit 90 in preparation for the next replacement of the polishing pad 10.

In the case of using the polishing pad attaching / detaching apparatus configured as described above, the attaching / detaching of the polishing pad 10 to / from the polishing platen 1 is automated, including the previous positioning steps, and the polishing is performed without manual operation. Replacement of the pad 10 can be performed, and good reproducibility can be obtained in the state of attachment of the polishing pad 10 before and after the replacement, so that when polishing the wafer W performed as described above, good polishing quality is stabilized. Will be realized.

In this embodiment, the holding ring 3 formed as a double ring by the outer ring 30 and the inner ring 31 is used.
, But the retaining ring 3 is a simple single ring,
A configuration in which the polishing pad 10 is fixed to the peripheral portion may be adopted. However, in this case, a fastening structure for giving a predetermined tension to the polishing pad 10 is required.

On the other hand, in the case of the configuration shown in this embodiment, tension can be applied to the polishing pad 10 by pushing the inner ring 31 into the outer ring 30.
Elastic rings 30a, 31a provided around the outer ring 30 and the inner ring 31
As described above, the polishing pad 10 is uniformly applied to the polishing platen 1 by controlling the shortening length of the tension cylinders 4, 4. I can do it.

The elastic rings 30a and 31a provided around the outer ring 30 and the inner ring 31 are not limited to those made of rubber as shown in this embodiment, but may be any as long as they have a predetermined elasticity. FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment of the holding ring 3. This holding ring 3 is provided with an elastic ring 31b provided around the periphery of one side of the inner ring 31 to supply it to the inside. A balloon inflated by air,
The elasticity can be adjusted, and the air supply to the elastic ring 31b is performed by an air supply hole 31c opened on the peripheral edge on the other side of the inner ring 31.
It is made to go through.

When the holding ring 3 as described above is used, a recess 31d is formed including the open end of the air supply hole 31c, while the recess 3d is formed at the tip of the output rod of the tension cylinder 4.
1d is provided with an engagement protrusion 41, and a ventilation path 42 communicating with the air supply hole 31c by the engagement is formed in the engagement protrusion 41,
After the tension is applied by the tension cylinder 4, air is blown into the elastic ring 31b through the ventilation path 42 and the air supply hole 31c, and the applied tension of the polishing pad 10 attached to the polishing platen 1 can be finely adjusted. .

In this embodiment, the polishing apparatus for polishing the surface of the wafer W has been described. However, the use of the polishing apparatus and the polishing pad attaching / detaching apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, the present invention can be similarly applied to a case where an object is a target.

[0060]

As described in detail above, in the polishing apparatus according to the present invention, a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction of the holding ring along the outer periphery of the polishing platen are pulled by the operation of the attaching means, and the holding ring is rotated. A uniform tension is applied to the polishing pad covered on one surface of the polishing platen on the inside, so that the polishing pad is integrally attached to the polishing platen. Accordingly, the polishing pad can be easily attached and detached and stably carried out, the replacement operation of the polishing pad can be efficiently performed, and the deterioration of the polishing quality due to poor attachment can be prevented.

Further, the holding ring is constituted by an outer ring and an inner ring which are fitted concentrically, and the polishing ring is attached to the entire inner surface of the outer ring and fixed to the peripheral portion, and the inner ring is fixed to the outer ring. The outer ring and the inner ring are pressed by the peripheral edge of the inner ring to apply an appropriate tension, and furthermore, an elastic body is disposed on the peripheral edge of the outer ring and the inner ring so as to be elastically contacted with the polishing pad. Before the polishing pad is mounted on the polishing platen, the polishing pad is in a state of having a uniform tension, and the operation of the applying means allows the polishing pad to be more stably attached.

Further, in the polishing pad attaching / detaching apparatus according to the present invention, the accommodating portion accommodating the plurality of polishing pads together with the respective retaining rings, and the retaining ring and the attaching means are disengaged from the polishing apparatus as described above. With the configuration in which the engaging and disengaging means and the transport means between them are provided, a series of operations for replacing the used polishing pad on the polishing table with an unused polishing pad is automated, and the labor and labor required for this operation are reduced. The present invention has excellent effects, such as being able to greatly reduce the time, obtaining good reproducibility of the applied state of the polishing pad before and after replacement, and being able to maintain good polishing quality over a long period of time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a half section of a polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of a holding ring of a polishing pad used in the polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a procedure for assembling a retaining ring.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the holding ring taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of a polishing pad attaching / detaching apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a transfer operation from the first transport unit to the elevator.

FIG. 7 is a plan view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment of the retaining ring.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a configuration of a conventional polishing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Polishing platen 2 Wafer holder 3 Retaining ring 4 Tension cylinder 6 Storage section 7 Elevator 8 First transporting means 9 Second transporting means 10 Polishing pad 30 Outer ring 30a Elastic ring 31 Inner ring 31a Elastic ring 33 Engagement claw 40 Engagement claw W Wafer

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A polishing apparatus provided with a sheet-like polishing pad attached to one surface of a polishing platen, wherein the polishing pad is placed inside the polishing device.
The outer pad formed by fastening the polishing pad thus formed to a peripheral portion thereof.
And the polishing pad fitted inside the outer ring.
Press the inner ring to apply the appropriate tension
A retaining ring having a tensile plural locations of the retaining ring along a periphery of the polishing table, adding tension to the polishing pad, which is covered on one surface of the polishing table, the one surface of the polishing pad A polishing means, comprising: an applying means for applying an adhesive to the polishing machine. 2. The inner ring and the outer ring,
The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an elastic body is provided at each peripheral portion of the polishing pad that comes into contact with the polishing pad . 3. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
A device for attaching and detaching a polishing pad, the polishing pad being unused
And the used polishing pad with their respective retaining rings.
A storage section having a plurality of storage positions for storing therein,
Disengagement hand for engaging and disengaging the holding ring of the pad with the attaching means.
A step and a holding ring of the polishing pad to the attaching means.
It is configured between a disengagement position for performing disengagement and the storage section, and
Transfer the used polishing pad from the storage section to the disengagement position
And storing the used polishing pad from the disengaged position
And transport means for transporting the paper to the part.
Polishing pad attachment / detachment device.