JP5568745B2 - Polishing pad regeneration method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique related to polishing for a substrate that is a workpiece requiring high flat processing accuracy such as a silicon wafer, a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate, and the like, and in particular, polishes the surface of such a substrate. The present invention relates to a technique that makes it possible to reuse a polishing pad that is used in the process.

  As is well known, in manufacturing a semiconductor, a polishing process for flattening the surface of a substrate such as a silicon wafer, a semiconductor substrate, or a glass substrate as a constituent material is performed. Such a polishing process is generally performed by fixing a disc-shaped polishing pad made of a resin material or the like directly on a rotating surface plate of a polishing machine with a double-sided tape and supplying a polishing liquid containing abrasive grains, The polishing is performed by relatively rotating the substrate.

  And as a polishing pad for implementing such a polishing process, as described in JP-A-2002-11630 (Patent Document 1) and the like, a resin pad made of foamed or unfoamed urethane or the like is used. It has been adopted. In many cases, the polishing surface of such a polishing pad is subjected to groove processing such as concentric circles, lattices, radials, or bubbles of foamed resin.

  By the way, when performing polishing using a polishing pad, when changing the type of substrate to be polished, the polishing pad used for polishing must be removed from the rotating surface plate and replaced with another polishing pad. It may not be possible. In addition, for example, when a polishing pad that has deteriorated due to a polishing process is reprocessed such as surface grooving with another processing apparatus for the purpose of reuse, the polishing pad is removed from the rotating surface plate. It must be peeled off.

  However, since the thin disc-shaped resin pad is firmly fixed to the rotating surface plate of the polishing apparatus with an adhesive tape, when the polishing pad is peeled off from the rotating surface plate, Damages such as bending, breaking, wrinkling and tearing are likely to occur. Therefore, due to such damage, there has been a problem that such a polishing pad often cannot be reused and must be discarded even though its life has not expired.

  Moreover, the work of peeling off the polishing pad from the rotating surface plate while paying close attention so as not to damage it has a problem of placing a heavy burden on the operator because it requires skill and attention. In addition, since a considerable amount of time is required for the work of peeling the polishing pad from the rotating surface plate, the polishing apparatus, which is an expensive and valuable equipment, must be stopped for a long time, and the operation time of the equipment There was also a problem that was limited.

  In JP-A-2001-54859 (Patent Document 2), a flat plate-like support layer is integrally formed directly on the back surface of the polishing pad, and the support layer is used as a rotating surface plate of a polishing machine. On the other hand, a structure has been proposed in which the polishing pad can be easily detached from the rotating surface plate by adsorbing and holding it with a magnetic force or a negative pressure suction force. However, not only is it difficult to form the support layer directly on the polishing pad, but there is still a problem in practical use even if the support layer can be formed integrally with the polishing pad.

  In Patent Document 2, the fixing of the polishing pad to the rotating surface plate by magnetic force or negative suction force is exemplified, but the thin support layer is sufficiently attached to the thin support layer through the thick rotating surface plate. It is extremely difficult to exert a strong magnetic force, and negative pressure suction is not sufficient to form a sealed area that is reliably cut off from the external space between the flat support layer and the rotating surface plate. Hard to exert power. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a structure in which the back surface of the support layer is fixed to a rotating surface plate with an adhesive tape. However, a thin flat plate support layer that simply covers the back surface of the polishing pad has sufficient rigidity. When the support layer is peeled off from the rotating surface plate, there is a risk that bending, folding, wrinkles and the like may occur as in the case of the polishing pad having a single structure.

  Furthermore, since both the above-described polishing pad having a single structure and the polishing pad described in Patent Document 2 have a simple disk shape, this is accurately centered with respect to the rotating surface plate ( There is also a problem that it is difficult and cumbersome to attach the center.

JP 2002-11630 A JP 2001-54859 A

  The present invention has been made in the background as described above, and an object of the present invention is to attach and detach the polishing pad to and from the rotating surface plate while ensuring sufficient adhesion of the polishing pad to the rotating surface plate. For polishing pads, which can prevent damage to the polishing pad, particularly when the polishing pad is removed from the rotating surface plate, and can be advantageous for realizing reuse of the polishing pad. An object of the present invention is to provide a novel polishing pad regeneration method that realizes recycling of the polishing pad using an auxiliary plate.

The feature of the present invention made to solve the above-described problems is that it has an auxiliary plate body placed on the upper surface of the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine, and is provided outside the auxiliary plate body. A polishing pad auxiliary plate having a fitting peripheral wall portion that protrudes downward along the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine and is fitted to the outer periphery of the rotating surface plate is used for the peripheral portion. allowed secured by overlapping polishing pad used for polishing a semiconductor substrate against the pad support surface of the surface of the plate body Rutotomoni, and the fitting wall portion and the outer peripheral surface of the rotary plate of the auxiliary plate body By providing a radial positioning means for adjusting the centering of the auxiliary plate body with respect to the rotary platen by a radial force exerted between them, and attaching the polishing pad auxiliary plate to the rotary platen, The polishing plate is placed on the upper surface of the rotating platen via the auxiliary plate body. While the de so may be used in the polishing allowed disposed in the centering adjustment state, when the polishing pad is worn by use, it allowed fixing the polishing pad relative to the pad support surface of the polishing pad auxiliary plate A polishing pad regeneration method is characterized in that the surface of the polishing pad is subjected to a regeneration process as it is.

  According to such a method of the present invention, even when the polishing pad is subjected to a regenerating process, the polishing pad auxiliary plate fixed to the back surface continuously exhibits the reinforcing effect, so that the polishing pad is effectively damaged. Therefore, it is possible to realize highly accurate reclaim processing.

  Further, in this method of reclaiming the polishing pad, it is preferable that concentric grooves are provided on the surface of the polishing pad, and that the deposits that have entered these grooves are removed during the reclaiming process.

  In addition, when removing the deposits that have entered the groove, it is also possible to perform processing such as spraying of compressed air or scraping with a brush. More preferably, for example, a comb-shaped reclaim processing tool having a plurality of teeth having a pitch and a size corresponding to a previously formed groove is used, and the plurality of teeth are moved along the groove while being inserted into each groove. Thus, a method of scraping and removing the deposits in the groove is suitably employed.

  Further, if the polishing pad can be reused a plurality of times in accordance with the method of the present invention, the auxiliary pad for polishing pad according to the twelfth or thirteenth aspect described later is mounted on the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine, and the object It is possible to advantageously manufacture a polished substrate by performing substrate polishing processing at a low total cost (due to reuse of the polishing pad, etc.) and with excellent processing efficiency (due to improvement in the operation rate of the polishing machine, etc.) It becomes possible.

  In addition, the suitable aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention is described below. The first aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention comprises an auxiliary plate main body placed on the upper surface of the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine, and by the central portion of the surface of the auxiliary plate main body, A pad support surface on which a polishing pad used for polishing a semiconductor substrate or the like is overlaid and fixed is configured, and the outer peripheral edge of the auxiliary plate body is along the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine. By forming a fitting peripheral wall portion that protrudes downward and fits to the outer periphery of the rotating platen, the polishing pad fixed to the pad support surface is detachably attached to the rotating platen. Is.

In the polishing pad auxiliary plate of this aspect, the special technical effects as described in (1) to (6) below are exhibited by forming the fitting peripheral wall portion on the outer peripheral edge portion of the auxiliary plate main body. .
(1) The polishing pad can be attached to and detached from the rotating surface plate together with the auxiliary plate body while the polishing pad is fixed to the upper surface (surface) of the auxiliary plate body. Even when the polishing pad is removed from the rotating surface plate and cleaned or reworked, the polishing pad can be fixed to the upper surface of the auxiliary plate body.
(2) The fitting peripheral wall portion can exert a very effective reinforcing effect on the auxiliary plate main body. In particular, the mating peripheral wall is formed on the outer peripheral side off the upper surface of the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine, so that it can be fitted while avoiding adverse effects on processing operations such as polishing performed on the rotating surface plate. The peripheral wall portion can be formed in various shapes and sizes, and an effective reinforcing effect on the auxiliary plate body can be enjoyed. In the above (1), the polishing pad is handled while being fixed to the auxiliary plate main body, so that the polishing pad can be removed from the rotating surface plate when the polishing pad is attached or detached, or when the polishing pad is cleaned or reworked. Even during transfer or storage, the polishing pad can be prevented from being bent or damaged and kept in a good state.
(3) When the fitting peripheral wall portion is fitted into the rotating surface plate, the inner peripheral surface of the fitting peripheral wall portion is guided by the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate, whereby the auxiliary plate body to which the polishing pad is fixed is provided. , And can be superposed while maintaining a substantially parallel state with respect to the upper surface of the rotating surface plate. Therefore, in combination with the reinforcing effect on the auxiliary plate main body by the fitting peripheral wall portion, the polishing pad and the auxiliary plate main body are prevented from bending and tilting, and the auxiliary plate main body and the polishing pad are not attached to the upper surface of the rotating surface plate. It is possible to effectively realize a stable support state that is superimposed and closely adhered with high accuracy.
(4) Based on the external fitting structure of the fitting peripheral wall portion to the rotating surface plate, the fitting peripheral wall portion, and hence the polishing pad fixed thereto, is easily and accurately centered on the rotating surface plate. It becomes possible to do.
(5) The polishing pad can be prevented from being damaged as described in (1) to (2) above, and the polishing pad is quickly rotated with accurate alignment accuracy as described in (3) to (4) above. As a result of being attachable to and detachable from the board, the operation time of expensive polishing equipment is not unnecessarily limited due to work such as attaching and detaching the polishing pad, improving the operating efficiency of the polishing equipment, and consequently producing the substrate An increase in efficiency (polishing efficiency) can be achieved.
(6) As a synergistic effect of the above (1) to (5), for example, the problem of reusing the polishing pad will be solved, so that the polishing pad can be reused without practical skill or knowledge. Can be realized. That is, for example, the polishing pad once removed from the rotating surface plate when switching the type of substrate, etc., or once removed from the rotating surface plate for reprocessing such as surface grooving with another processing device as a countermeasure against deterioration. Reusing the polishing pad after reworking can also be considered at a practical level.

  In this embodiment, the “auxiliary plate body” supports the polishing pad, and is required for various processing such as dressing, cleaning, regrooving, etc. on the polishing pad surface in addition to polishing by a polishing machine. Any material may be used as long as it satisfies the requirements of rigidity, shape stability, and accuracy, and the material and thickness dimensions are not limited. In particular, such an auxiliary plate main body alone does not bear the supporting strength or rigidity of the polishing pad. For example, in the polishing process, the auxiliary plate main body is used by being superimposed on the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine. Since the back surface is supported by a surface plate, the strength and rigidity of a single unit are not so much required. Therefore, in addition to a metal such as stainless steel, a synthetic resin, a fiber reinforced resin, or the like can be employed as a material for forming the auxiliary plate body. In particular, the auxiliary plate body made of synthetic resin is lighter than metal and easy to process and handle. For example, polycarbonate is excellent in stability of thickness dimensional accuracy and low distortion characteristics against temperature change. There is an advantage such as. However, it is desirable that the auxiliary plate body has greater rigidity than the polishing pad.

  Further, the “auxiliary plate main body” is sufficient if it covers at least the mounting area of the polishing pad on the upper surface of the rotating surface plate, and it is not necessary to completely cover the entire upper surface of the rotating surface plate. Specifically, in such an auxiliary plate main body, for example, a notch, a through window, or the like may be formed with an appropriate size and shape in a portion where the mounting area of the polishing pad is off the outer peripheral side.

  Furthermore, in this aspect, the “fitting peripheral wall portion” may be formed integrally with the auxiliary plate main body, or may be formed separately and fixed to the auxiliary plate main body later. The fitting peripheral wall portion can be made of various materials like the auxiliary plate body. In particular, the fitting peripheral wall portion is not required to have the dimensional accuracy as that of the auxiliary plate body. For example, the fitting peripheral wall portion is configured by a divided structure in which a plurality of members are combined in the circumferential direction or the downward projecting direction. It is also possible.

  In addition, the “fitting peripheral wall portion” is not limited as long as it can provide a predetermined reinforcing effect with respect to the auxiliary plate body and a predetermined positioning effect with respect to the rotating surface plate. It is not necessary to be continuously formed. Specifically, for example, in the outer peripheral edge portion of the auxiliary plate main body, the fitting peripheral wall portion may be formed with a divided structure formed to be separated from each other in the circumferential direction. It is also possible to form a fitting peripheral wall part having a partially different shape.

  By the way, the auxiliary pad for the polishing pad according to this aspect is, for example, that the auxiliary plate main body is fixed to the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine with an adhesive tape, or the auxiliary plate main body is sucked to the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine with negative pressure. It is also possible to fix them. In particular, the polishing pad auxiliary plate according to the present aspect exhibits excellent strength and shape stability due to the reinforcing action of the fitting peripheral wall portion provided at the outer peripheral edge portion, and thus rotates with an adhesive tape or negative pressure suction. Even if it adheres to the surface plate, problems such as damage to the polishing pad when peeling the adhesive tape and distortion of the polishing pad due to negative pressure suction holes can be effectively avoided. Easier attachment / detachment of the polishing pad to / from the rotating surface plate can be achieved while securing the fixing force to the surface plate.

  When the auxiliary plate body is fixed to the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine with adhesive tape, the fixing force (adhesion force per unit area) is smaller than the adhesive force of the polishing pad to the auxiliary plate body with the adhesive tape. Those having the following are preferred. This facilitates removal of the polishing pad auxiliary plate from the rotating surface plate. At that time, even if the fixing force of the auxiliary plate body to the rotating platen is small, the fixing area of the auxiliary plate body to the rotating platen can be set large (compared to the fixing area of the polishing pad to the auxiliary plate body). In addition, the positioning of the mating peripheral wall to the rotating surface plate can be demonstrated, and if necessary, another fixing means for fixing the auxiliary pad for polishing pad to the rotating surface plate is also used. Therefore, it is possible to attach the polishing pad auxiliary plate to the rotating surface plate with a sufficient fixing force.

  Here, a second aspect of the polishing pad auxiliary plate employed in the present invention is the polishing pad auxiliary plate according to the first aspect, wherein at least one of the auxiliary plate main body and the fitting peripheral wall portion is provided. Fixing means for releasably fixing to the rotating surface plate is provided.

  As the means for fixing the auxiliary plate body to the rotating surface plate, for example, negative pressure suction using negative pressure air, magnetic suction using permanent magnets or electromagnets, etc. can be adopted in addition to the above-mentioned adhesive tape. is there. Moreover, as a fixing means to the rotation surface plate of a fitting surrounding wall part, the fixing bolt etc. as described in the 3rd aspect mentioned later, for example are employable.

  Further, in this aspect, for example, by providing fixing means for the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine on the fitting peripheral wall portion, the fixing force by the fixing means to the rotating surface plate of the auxiliary plate body can be set small, or the auxiliary plate body It is also possible not to provide a fixing means to the rotating surface plate. Here, the fitting peripheral wall portion can adopt various fixing means with almost no restrictions on the shape, dimensional accuracy, etc., as compared with the auxiliary plate body, and the fixing means that exhibits a large fixing strength. In addition, it is possible to employ a fixing means having excellent workability for fixing and releasing with a large degree of design freedom. In particular, a fitting peripheral wall portion having a strength higher than that of the auxiliary plate body is fixed to the rotating surface plate, and a binding force (fixing force) is applied to the outer peripheral edge portion of the auxiliary plate main body through the fitting peripheral wall portion. Thus, it is possible to efficiently apply a large fixing force to the rotating surface plate over the entire auxiliary plate body.

  Further, a third aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention is the auxiliary pad for polishing pad according to the second aspect, wherein the fixing means has the fitting peripheral wall portion at a plurality of positions on the circumference. A plurality of fixing bolts attached to the rotary platen are included, and the fastening force of the fixing bolts is exerted as a fixing force with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate.

  In this embodiment, each of the fixing bolts can be tightened to fix the polishing pad auxiliary plate to the rotating surface plate, and by loosening those fixing bolts, the polishing pad auxiliary plate can be fixed to the rotating surface plate. It can be canceled. Further, it is possible to further improve the centering accuracy of the polishing pad auxiliary plate with respect to the rotating surface plate by using a plurality of fixing bolts. For example, tightening ends of all fixing bolts are specified in advance, and set so that the polishing pad auxiliary plate is correctly centered with respect to the rotating platen in the state that they are tightened to the tightening end. You can keep it. Of course, the tightening amount of the plurality of fixing bolts may be arbitrarily adjusted, and the polishing pad auxiliary plate may be appropriately centered with respect to the rotating surface plate by adjusting the tightening amount. In addition, in order to efficiently obtain the fixing force for the rotating surface plate and effectively obtain the centering action of the auxiliary pad for the polishing pad to the rotating surface plate, the plurality of fixing bolts are arranged in the circumferential direction of the fitting peripheral wall portion. It is desirable to be provided at equal intervals.

  By the way, the fixing bolt in the present embodiment may be any bolt as long as the tightening force is exerted as the fixing force of the polishing pad auxiliary plate to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate. Specifically, for example, it is screwed through from the outer peripheral surface side of the fitting peripheral wall portion (toward the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate) in the direction perpendicular to the axis, and the tip surface thereof contacts the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate. A plurality of fixing bolts in contact with each other can be used. Further, for example, a fixing bolt or the like that is inserted through the fitting peripheral wall portion in the axial direction or the direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and whose front end portion is screwed to the rotating surface plate or a member integrated with the rotating surface plate. Can also be employed (specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 5 of an embodiment described later).

  In addition to this, for example, on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate, the fixing bolt overlaps the tightening pressing member in the axial direction with respect to the fitting peripheral wall portion, and the fixing bolt (on the rotating surface plate). By inserting a fixing bolt in the axial direction (parallel to the rotation axis) and screwing it into the tightening pressing member, the tightening force of the fixing bolt is interposed between the fitting peripheral wall portion and the tightening pressing member. The elastic material is compressed and deformed in the axial direction by acting on the elastic material such as rubber, and the elastic material is protruded from the fitting peripheral wall portion toward the inner peripheral side to be brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate. It is also possible to exert a fixing force of the polishing pad auxiliary plate against the rotating surface plate by pressing it. When the tightening force of the tightening bolt is used as a fixing force to the rotating surface plate via the elastic material in this way, such an elastic material is used as an auxiliary plate for a polishing pad employed in the present invention described later. It is also possible to use as the sealing member described in the fourth aspect.

  Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention is the auxiliary pad for polishing pad according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the fitting peripheral wall portion and the rotating surface plate are provided. An elastic sealing member that is interposed in a compressed state is provided between the outer peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface.

  In this aspect, the sealing member is compressed and interposed between the opposing surfaces of the fitting peripheral wall portion and the rotating surface plate in the direction perpendicular to the axis, for example, based on the elastic pressing force and frictional force of the sealing member. It is also possible to obtain a fixing force of the auxiliary plate for the rotating surface plate. Further, for example, the elastic pressing force of the seal member is applied between the fitting peripheral wall portion and the rotating surface plate over a plurality of locations on the circumference or the entire circumference, thereby utilizing the elastic pressing force. Thus, it is possible to center the polishing pad auxiliary plate with respect to the rotating surface plate. Furthermore, for example, when the fitting peripheral wall portion is strongly pressed against the rotating surface plate in the fitting direction, the fitting peripheral wall portion is rotated if the pressing force and frictional force of the seal member are skillfully used. It can also be held at a position pushed in the fitting direction with respect to the surface plate (without requiring a special operation such as tightening a fixing bolt in this state).

  Further, a fifth aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention is the auxiliary pad for polishing pad according to the fourth aspect, wherein the fitting peripheral wall portion and the seal member are provided on the rotating surface plate. It is arranged over the entire circumference so that the space between the fitting peripheral wall portion and the rotary platen is sealed over the entire circumference, and the rotation platen and the auxiliary plate body An air vent hole is formed to communicate the internal region between the two with the external space.

  In this aspect, by providing the seal member, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering between the opposing surfaces of the rotating surface plate and the auxiliary plate body. Moreover, since this seal member can substantially eliminate the radial gap between the opposed surfaces of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate and the inner peripheral surface of the fitting peripheral wall portion, the fitting peripheral wall portion with respect to the rotating surface plate The centering action and the like can be exhibited with higher accuracy.

  Further, in this aspect, the elasticity of the seal member is applied in the radial direction over the entire circumference between the opposed surfaces of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate and the inner peripheral surface of the fitting peripheral wall portion. As a resultant force over the entire circumference of the elasticity, the centering action of the fitting peripheral wall portion with respect to the rotating surface plate, and thus the auxiliary pad for the polishing pad, can be exhibited automatically and with high accuracy. In addition, due to the elasticity of the seal member, even when the seal member is sluggish with use, the intended seal performance and centering performance can be stably exhibited over a long period of time.

  Furthermore, in this aspect, in addition to the sealing member over the entire circumference, the air vent hole that communicates the internal region between the rotating platen and the auxiliary plate main body to the external space is employed, so that the sealing member is sealed with the sealing member. The completely sealed state of the inner area can be released as needed through the air vent hole. Therefore, for example, when mounting the polishing pad auxiliary plate on the rotating surface plate, by opening the air vent hole, the phenomenon of springback due to air trapped in the internal region is avoided, and the rotating surface plate The auxiliary plate body can be easily brought into close contact (without being adversely affected by the air trapped in the inner region). In addition, it is desirable to provide an openable / closable lid body in the air vent hole, and by closing the air vent hole under such a condition that the air vent hole is not required, Intrusion of foreign matter from the outside can be prevented.

  The sixth aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention is the auxiliary pad for polishing pad according to the fourth or fifth aspect, wherein the auxiliary plate placed on the rotating platen. An internal region between the plate body and the plate body is hermetically sealed by the seal member, and a pressure fluid passage is formed to allow pressure fluid to be supplied to and discharged from the outside to the internal region. It is what.

  In this aspect, the internal region between the rotating surface plate and the auxiliary plate body placed thereon can be sealed against the external space. Therefore, the auxiliary plate body can be easily and effectively attached to and detached from the rotating surface plate using the pressure of the pressure fluid (eg, positive or negative pressure air or inert gas) exerted on the internal region. Can be performed.

  For example, according to a seventh aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention, in the auxiliary pad for polishing pad according to the sixth aspect, a negative pressure source that applies a negative pressure to the internal region thereof is connectable. It is a thing. As a result, the back surface of the auxiliary plate body is positively adhered to the upper surface of the rotating platen to obtain a large fixing strength, and the surface of the auxiliary plate body is smoothed by the upper surface of the rotating platen having a high degree of flatness. It is also possible to improve the accuracy of the support surface of the polishing pad by improving the accuracy. In particular, when the upper surface of the rotating platen and the back surface of the auxiliary plate body, both of which are flat, are overlapped, a negative pressure is applied to the inner region at the same time, so that air remains between both surfaces easily and effectively. It is also possible to prevent this. In the sixth and seventh aspects of the polishing pad auxiliary plate employed in the present invention, the rotation of the auxiliary plate main body is controlled by releasing the internal region to the atmosphere or positively applying positive pressure to the internal region. It is also possible to facilitate the work by assisting the separation from the board.

  Furthermore, an eighth aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention is the auxiliary pad for polishing pad according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the auxiliary plate main body has a back surface thereof. A cushion layer is provided on the side, and the cushion layer is superimposed on the rotating surface plate.

  In this aspect, the support characteristic of the polishing pad can be adjusted based on the elasticity of the cushion layer exerted on the polishing pad via the auxiliary plate body. That is, by adjusting the elasticity of the cushion layer and the strength and rigidity of the auxiliary plate body, it is possible to adjust the support characteristics of the polishing pad by the rotating surface plate. Improvement of the internal uniformity can be achieved.

  In particular, for the purpose of making the polishing efficiency of the polishing pad uniform over the entire surface of the polishing pad, a two-layer polishing pad in which a cushion layer is integrally formed on the back surface of the polishing pad has been conventionally provided. Here, in this aspect, it is also possible to obtain excellent in-plane uniformity of polishing efficiency by using a single-layer polishing pad without using a cushion layer in the polishing pad. Alternatively, when using a two-layer polishing pad, the cushion layer provided on the polishing pad is supplemented with a cushion layer provided on the back surface of the auxiliary plate body, and the effect of the cushion layer is further sustained. Long term stabilization of the polishing characteristics when reusing the polishing pad can also be achieved.

  Furthermore, a ninth aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention is the auxiliary pad for polishing pad according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the auxiliary plate main body is overlaid. An adhesion layer is provided which extends on the upper surface of the surface plate and improves the adhesion between the overlapping surfaces of the rotating surface plate and the auxiliary plate body placed thereon.

  In this aspect, by using, for example, an adhesive tape as the adhesion layer, the fixing force of the auxiliary plate body to the rotating surface plate can be obtained efficiently. In particular, since the auxiliary plate body has a larger area than the polishing pad, for example, the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape can be increased in size, thereby further improving the fixing force, or per unit area of the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. It is also possible to improve the detachment workability by setting the adhesive force small and facilitating peeling. In addition, when the auxiliary plate main body fixed by the adhesive tape includes the cushion layer in the eighth aspect, the auxiliary plate main body is the cushion layer constituting the auxiliary plate main body.

  Further, as the adhesion layer, for example, an elastic tape, film, or plate (silicon plate or the like) can be used, or a viscous material such as wax or a gel material can be applied. By adopting such an elastic thin layer or coating layer, the adhesion between the auxiliary plate body and the rotating surface plate is improved, and air remaining between the two is prevented, and the auxiliary plate body is supported by the rotating surface plate. The effect of reinforcement can be further improved.

  Furthermore, in the eighth aspect, when the auxiliary plate body has a cushion layer on the back surface, the cushion layer is adhered by, for example, including a liquid such as water in the cushion layer as the adhesion layer. It can also be used as a layer. In short, when such a cushion layer is a porous material having continuous internal bubbles, it can be actively used to improve the adhesion of the auxiliary plate body to the rotating platen. is there.

  Furthermore, a tenth aspect of the polishing pad auxiliary plate employed in the present invention is the polishing pad auxiliary plate according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the rotating surface plate of the fitting peripheral wall portion is Jack means for applying a position adjusting force in the fitting direction to the fitting peripheral wall portion are provided at a plurality of locations on the periphery of the fitting peripheral wall portion.

  In this aspect, using such jack means, for example, when attaching the polishing pad auxiliary plate to the rotating surface plate, the fitting amount of the fitting peripheral wall portion to the rotating surface plate is adjusted over the entire circumference. You can work little by little, for example, while maintaining parallelism. Also, for example, when removing the polishing pad auxiliary plate from the rotating surface plate, exert the force by the jack means in the direction to remove the fitting peripheral wall portion from the rotating surface plate, the fitting peripheral wall portion little by little from the rotating surface plate, For example, it can be detached while maintaining parallelism. In this way, by using the jack means, the mounting and removal of the polishing pad auxiliary plate on the rotating surface plate, while avoiding galling and catching caused by a large inclination with respect to the rotating surface plate of the polishing pad auxiliary plate, in particular, This can be performed stably and easily.

  An eleventh aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention is the auxiliary pad for polishing pad according to the tenth aspect, wherein the jack means is fitted at a plurality of locations on the periphery. It is constituted by a plurality of jack bolts which are screwed in the fitting direction with respect to the peripheral wall portion and whose respective front end portions are brought into contact with the polishing machine side.

  In this aspect, the jack means described above can be realized with a simple structure by a bolt screwed into the fitting peripheral wall portion. In particular, since the jack bolt exerts a boosting action by the lead of the thread groove, even if the auxiliary plate body is firmly fixed to the rotating surface plate with an adhesive tape or the like, a small working force is required. Thus, the auxiliary plate body can be easily detached from the rotating surface plate and removed.

  Furthermore, a twelfth aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention is the auxiliary pad for polishing pad according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the auxiliary plate body includes The polishing pad is overlapped and fixed to the pad support surface. Note that, for example, an adhesive tape that has been conventionally used for fixing a polishing pad to a rotating surface plate can be used to fix the polishing pad. By handling the polishing pad while it is fixed to the auxiliary plate body, not only when the polishing pad is attached to and detached from the rotating surface plate, but also when the polishing pad is moved or stored, damage to the polishing pad is effectively prevented. obtain.

  A thirteenth aspect of the auxiliary pad for a polishing pad employed in the present invention is the auxiliary pad for a polishing pad according to the twelfth aspect, wherein the auxiliary pad for the polishing pad is partially at the outer peripheral edge of the polishing pad. The non-attachment portion that is not fixed to the pad support surface of the auxiliary plate body is provided. By providing such a non-attachment portion, workability when the polishing pad is peeled off from the polishing pad auxiliary plate is improved. Therefore, for example, even when the polishing pad is discarded after an appropriate number of reuses, the auxiliary pad main body and the fitting peripheral wall portion can be easily reused by peeling off the polishing pad.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the polishing pad can be reused a plurality of times in the manufacturing process of the substrate and the like, so that the manufacturing cost of the substrate and the like can be greatly reduced and the resources for manufacturing the polishing pad can be saved. It was also possible to contribute to environmental conservation by reducing the amount of polishing pads discarded.

  In addition, when the polishing pad is regenerated, the polishing pad can be attached to and detached from the rotating surface plate with excellent workability while preventing the polishing pad from being damaged. Therefore, the operation time of the expensive polishing equipment is not unnecessarily limited for the above operations, and the improvement of the operation efficiency of the polishing equipment and the improvement of the production efficiency of the substrate (polishing work efficiency) can be achieved. As a result, the reuse of the polishing pad can be realized at a practical level.

The top view of the one aspect | mode of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. The front view of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads shown by FIG. III-III sectional drawing in FIG. Sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 3 which shows another aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. VV sectional drawing in FIG. Sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 5 which shows the further another aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. Sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 3 which shows the further another aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. Sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 3 which shows the further another aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the sealing state in the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads shown by FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the negative pressure suction part in the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads shown by FIG. 9, Comprising: Sectional drawing corresponded to XX of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows another aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. Sectional drawing which shows another aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. The top view which shows another aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. Explanatory drawing used as the XIV arrow in FIG. Explanatory drawing corresponding to FIG. 14 which shows another example of a mode of the non-attached part shown by FIG. The top view which shows another aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. FIG. 17 is an explanatory view corresponding to the XVII-XVII cross section in FIG. 16 for explaining the regenerating process for the polishing pad in the polishing pad auxiliary plate shown in FIG. 16 as one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is an explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 17 for explaining another process of the regenerating process for the polishing pad shown in FIG. 17. Sectional drawing which shows another aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. The top view which shows another aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. The front view of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads shown by FIG. The bottom view which shows another aspect of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads employ | adopted in this invention. The front view of the auxiliary | assistant board for polishing pads shown by FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIGS. 1 to 3 show a polishing pad auxiliary plate 10 as an embodiment of the polishing pad auxiliary plate employed in the present invention. This auxiliary pad 10 for polishing pad is used by being mounted on a rotating surface plate 12 of a known polishing machine.

  Specifically, the polishing pad auxiliary plate 10 includes an auxiliary plate body 14 having a thin circular flat plate shape, and both have a flat surface (upper surface) 14a and a rear surface (lower surface) 14b. doing. The auxiliary plate body 14 is advantageously formed of a metal plate such as stainless steel or a synthetic resin plate such as polycarbonate. Further, the outer diameter dimension of the auxiliary plate body 14 is the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter dimension of the mounted rotating surface plate 12. Then, when the polishing pad auxiliary plate 10 is mounted on the rotary platen 12, the auxiliary plate main body 14 is placed on the upper surface 16 of the rotary platen 12 in a superimposed manner. As a result, the entire upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 is covered with the auxiliary plate body 14.

  Further, a fitting peripheral wall 18 extending in the circumferential direction is integrally formed on the outer peripheral edge of the auxiliary plate body 14. The fitting peripheral wall portion 18 extends in the circumferential direction with a block-shaped cross section (in the present embodiment, a rectangular cross section) that is thicker than the auxiliary plate body 14, and in this embodiment, is continuous over the entire circumference. It is made into the annular | circular shape extended. Note that the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 can also be formed of a synthetic resin material or the like in addition to a metal material such as stainless steel, similarly to the auxiliary plate body 14. In particular, in the present embodiment, the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 is integrally formed with the outer peripheral edge portion of the auxiliary plate body 14.

  When the polishing pad auxiliary plate 10 is mounted on the rotary surface plate 12 and the auxiliary plate main body 14 is superimposed on the upper surface 16 of the rotary surface plate 12, the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 faces downward from the auxiliary plate main body 14. , And extends along the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate 12. In particular, in this embodiment, the inner peripheral surface 20 of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the inner peripheral surface 20 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 22 of the rotating surface plate 12 so as to contact each other or It is arranged with a slight gap. It should be noted that by forming an appropriate gap between the outer peripheral surface 22 of the rotating surface plate 12 and the inner peripheral surface 20 of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18, the polishing pad auxiliary plate can be easily attached to and detached from the rotating surface plate 12. . Although not shown in the figure, the opening peripheral edge of the fitting peripheral wall 18 below the inner peripheral surface 20 is provided with a tapered surface or chamfering that gradually expands downward, thereby providing a fitting peripheral wall. The workability of fitting and mounting 18 to the rotary surface plate 12 can be improved.

  A polishing pad 24 is attached to the surface 14a of the auxiliary plate body 14 so as to overlap. As the polishing pad 24, various types of conventionally known polishing pads can be employed. The back surface of the polishing pad 24 is fixed to the front surface 14a of the auxiliary plate body 14 by using a conventionally known pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 25 or an appropriate adhesive. The outer diameter dimension of the polishing pad 24 is generally a standard value, but in many cases is set smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 to be mounted. In this embodiment, for example, the surface 14 a of the auxiliary plate main body 14 has an outer diameter larger than that of the rotating surface plate 12, so that the polishing pad 24 having an outer diameter substantially the same as or larger than the outer diameter of the rotating surface plate 12. It is also possible to install using.

  In other words, the polishing pad auxiliary plate 10 is mounted on the rotary platen 12 and the auxiliary plate body 14 is superposed on the upper surface 16 of the rotary platen 12, whereby the polishing pad fixed to the surface 14 a of the auxiliary plate body 14. 24 is placed on the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 via the auxiliary plate body 14 and set in a fixed state. Then, the polishing pad 24 centered on the rotating surface plate 12 is rotated at the same time by the rotation operation around the central axis of the rotating surface plate 12, and the substrate (not shown) is polished.

  At that time, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, an appropriate cushion layer 26 can be provided between the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 and the auxiliary plate body 14. As the cushion layer 26, for example, a resin sheet to which a certain degree of compressibility is imparted by foaming, an elastomer sheet, a rubber sheet, or the like can be suitably employed. In order to prevent local distortion in the auxiliary plate main body 14, the cushion layer 26 has a size that covers at least the entire fixing region of the polishing pad 24, and preferably covers the entire back surface 14 b of the auxiliary plate main body 14. And so as to exist at a constant thickness.

  By providing such a cushion layer 26, it is possible to achieve uniform polishing efficiency over the entire surface of the substrate during polishing using the polishing pad 24. Incidentally, in the experiment conducted by the present inventors, regarding the in-plane uniformity of the polishing efficiency with respect to the 300 mm substrate surface oxide film, compared to the case where the cushion layer 26 is not provided both at the beginning of polishing and after 8 hours. It was confirmed that an improvement of about 10% was achieved by providing the cushion layer 26. In another experiment conducted by the present inventor, a polishing pad having a double structure in which a commercially available cushion layer is integrally formed on the back surface (for example, IC1400 (trade name) manufactured by Nitta Haas) and an auxiliary plate is used. In the case where the cushion layer 26 is not provided on the back surface 14b of the main body 14, the cushion layer 26 is provided on the back surface 14b of the auxiliary plate main body 14 in comparison with the in-plane variation of the polishing amount per minute being approximately 1000 angstroms. As a result, it was confirmed that the in-plane variation of the polishing amount per minute can be suppressed to about several hundred angstroms.

  In addition, when performing the polishing process, the auxiliary pad 10 for the polishing pad to which the polishing pad 24 is fixed is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 22 of the rotating surface plate 12 because the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 22 of the rotary platen. The problem that the auxiliary pad 10 for polishing pad and hence the polishing pad 24 fall off from the rotating surface plate 12 is effectively prevented.

  Further, the polishing pad auxiliary plate 10 can be fixed to the rotating surface plate 12 based on, for example, a frictional force when the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 is engaged with the rotating surface plate 12. In this case, a special fixing means is employed. As such a fixing means, for example, an adhesive tape, an adhesive, or the like can be adopted. However, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a fixing bolt 28 is adopted as shown in FIG. ing.

  The fixing bolts 28 are respectively inserted into bolt insertion holes 30 formed in the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 so as to penetrate in the axial direction at a plurality of positions on the circumference (preferably at three or more positions equally divided). Is installed. The head of the fixing bolt 28 is housed in the housing recess 31 formed in the fitting peripheral wall portion 18, thereby preventing the auxiliary plate body 14 to which the polishing pad 24 is mounted from protruding from the surface 14 a. ing.

  And the front-end | tip (lower end) of the fixing volt | bolt 28 penetrated by the volt | bolt penetration hole 30 is all screwed with the volt | bolt hole 32 formed in the rotation surface plate 12, and the fitting surrounding wall part 18 is made. The rotating surface plate 12 is tightened and bolted. In FIG. 5, the adhesion over the entire surface of the auxiliary plate main body 14 with respect to the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 is advantageously ensured, and the fixing force by the fixing bolt 28 of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 with respect to the rotating surface plate 12 is effective. In order to ensure this, a slight gap remains between the axially lower surface of the fitting peripheral wall 18 and the axially opposed surface of the rotating surface plate 12 even when the fixing bolt 28 is tightened. It is desirable to set or use a spring washer or the like as necessary.

  The fixing bolt as a fixing means for fixing the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 to the rotary surface plate 12 is inserted in the axial direction of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 as described above, and the rotation surface plate 12 or the rotation surface plate 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the fixing bolt 28 is screwed in a direction perpendicular to the axis with respect to the fitting peripheral wall portion 18. A fixing bolt 34 to be joined may be used.

  That is, in another embodiment shown in FIG. 6, screw holes 36 penetrating in the direction perpendicular to the axis are formed at a plurality of locations on the circumference with respect to the fitting peripheral wall portion 18. On the other hand, fixing bolts 34 are screwed in from the outer peripheral side. And the front-end | tip part of each fixing bolt 34 is contact | abutted and pressed with respect to the outer peripheral surface 22 of the rotary surface plate 12, and it cooperates with the some fixing bolt 34, and is based on the clamping force of an axis perpendicular direction. A fixing force is exerted between the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 and the rotating surface plate 12.

  If a plurality of fixing bolts 34 screwed in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 6 is employed, the inner diameter of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 is increased by a predetermined amount as compared with the outer diameter of the rotating surface plate 12. In the state where the relative displacement in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 with respect to the rotating surface plate 12 is allowed, the screwing amounts of the plurality of fixing bolts 34 are adjusted to each other, thereby It is possible to adjust the relative alignment (centering or the like) in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the polishing pad auxiliary plate. Further, when such a plurality of fixing bolts 34 are employed, the screwing position of each fixing bolt 34 into the screw hole 36 is set by engraving or the like, so that the polishing pad for the rotating surface plate 12 can be used. Centering when the auxiliary plate 10 is mounted can be performed more easily.

  Further, in another aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention shown in FIG. 7, between the radially opposed surfaces of the inner peripheral surface 20 of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 and the outer peripheral surface 22 of the rotating surface plate 12. An O-ring 38 as a seal member made of an elastic material continuously extending over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction is mounted. In this embodiment, a circumferential groove 39 for mounting is formed on the inner peripheral surface 20 of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18, and positioning and mounting are performed by fitting the outer peripheral edge portion of the O-ring 38 into the circumferential groove 39. Has been. By adopting the O-ring 38, it is possible to seal between the facing surfaces of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 and the rotating surface plate 12.

  In particular, in this aspect, the inner region 40 that exists between the overlapping opposing surfaces of the auxiliary plate body 14 that supports the polishing pad 24 and the rotating surface plate 12 can be sealed off from the outer space. This effectively prevents problems such as foreign matter entering the internal region 40 during mounting and the like, and the adhesion between the auxiliary plate body 14 and the rotating surface plate 12 being lowered.

  Moreover, since the O-ring 38 is disposed over the entire circumference, the centering of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 with respect to the rotating surface plate 12 can be automatically performed based on the elasticity of the O-ring 38. It becomes.

  Instead of the O-ring 38 described above, an annular elastic body 42, which is an elastic material, is adopted as a sealing member as shown in FIG. 8 as another embodiment of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention. It is also possible to do. In the present embodiment, an annular pressing member 44 that acts as a tightening pressing member from below (having an annular shape continuous over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction) is superimposed on the fitting peripheral wall portion 18. ing. And between the fitting peripheral wall part 18 and the axial direction opposing surface of the annular pressing member 44, it arrange | positions so that the cyclic | annular elastic body 42 extended over an inner peripheral part over the perimeter of a circumferential direction may be pinched | interposed. .

  The fitting peripheral wall portion 18 and the annular pressing member 44 are fitted with fastening bolts 46 penetrating in the axial direction at a plurality of locations on the circumference. The head of the tightening bolt 46 is locked to the upper surface of the fitting peripheral wall 18, the fitting peripheral wall 18 is loosely inserted in the axial direction, and is screwed into the annular pressing member 44. . Thereby, by tightening the fastening bolt 46 against the annular pressing member 44, a pressing force in the overlapping direction (axial direction) is exerted on the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 and the annular pressing member 44. . The tip (lower end) of the tightening bolt 46 protrudes further downward from the annular pressing member 44, and a lock nut (double lock nut) 48 is screwed to the protruding tip portion. The lock nut 48 exhibits a fail-safe function for preventing the annular pressing member 44 from dropping from the tightening bolt 46.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the fitting peripheral wall 18 and the annular pressing member 44 approach each other by the axial pressing force by the tightening force of the tightening bolt 46 and the tightening nut 48. An axial compressive force is exerted on the annular elastic body 42 that is pressed in the overlapping direction and interposed between the two members 18 and 44. Thereby, the annular elastic body 42 is radially inward according to the amount of compression in the axial direction (particularly in this embodiment, in combination with the fact that elastic bulging deformation to the outer peripheral side is prevented). As a result, the inner peripheral edge portion of the annular elastic body 42 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface 22 of the rotating surface plate 12, and as a result, the portion is fluid-tightly sealed. Become.

  In particular, in such a sealing structure with the annular elastic body 42, the pressing force of the annular elastic body 42 against the rotating surface plate 12 can be adjusted by adjusting the tightening amount of the fastening bolt 46. When the polishing pad auxiliary plate is attached to or detached from the rotating surface plate 12, workability can be improved by releasing or reducing the contact of the annular elastic body 42 with the rotating surface plate 12. In short, the abutting force of the annular elastic body 42 to the rotating surface plate 12 can be used as a fixing force of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 to the rotating surface plate 12.

  Moreover, in the aspect shown by FIGS. 1-3, the pressure fluid channel | path (50) extended through inside and outside to the appropriate position (refer FIG. 10 which shows the XX cross section in FIG. 1) of the fitting surrounding wall part 18 is shown. Is formed. A pneumatic pipe line is detachably connected to the pressure fluid passage (50), and air pressure from an external air pressure source can be exerted through the pneumatic pipe line. . Thereby, for example, a negative pressure is exerted between the overlapping surfaces of the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 and the auxiliary plate main body 14, and the air remaining on these overlapping surfaces is positively sucked and the overlapping is performed. It is also possible to improve the adhesion between the surfaces. Alternatively, the polishing pad auxiliary plate from the rotating surface plate 12 is obtained by applying a positive pressure between the overlapping surfaces of the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 and the auxiliary plate body 14 and applying a separation force to these overlapping surfaces. It is also possible to improve the detachment workability of 10 and prevent foreign matter from entering between the overlapping surfaces.

  In particular, the auxiliary pad for a polishing pad employed in the present invention comprises the O-ring 38 shown in FIG. 7 and the annular elastic body 42 shown in FIGS. It is desirable to employ a sealing member to define a sealed inner region 40 so that air pressure is exerted on the inner region 40. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, an inner region 40 sealed by a sealing member made of an annular elastic body 42 as shown in FIGS. A pressure fluid passage 50 opened to the region 40 is formed so as to penetrate the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 in the radial direction.

  A one-touch connector 52 is assembled in the pressure fluid passage 50, and the one-touch connector 52 includes a connection port body 56 in which a valve body is built. Then, an external pipe 58 is connected to the connection port body 56, whereby the external pipe 58 can be easily attached to and detached from the pressure fluid path 50 using the one-touch connector 52 ( Connection / disconnection is possible. In particular, the one-touch connector 52 is configured such that when the external conduit 58 is removed, the pressure fluid passage 50 is blocked by the built-in valve body, and the internal region 40 is held in a sealed state.

  The pressure fluid passage 50 is connected to an appropriate negative pressure source (not shown) such as a negative pressure pump or a negative pressure accumulator through the external pipe 58. The external pipe 58 is provided with an on-off valve and a switching valve as necessary. The external pipe 58 is connected to the negative pressure source and the positive pressure source (for example, a positive pressure pump or the like) via the switching valve. It may be possible to selectively connect to a positive pressure accumulator or the like.

  In the case where the pressure fluid passage 50 having such a structure is provided, for example, when the auxiliary pad 10 for the polishing pad is mounted on the rotary surface plate 12, the external pipe line 58 is connected to the connection port 56. Then, by applying a negative pressure to the inner region 40, the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 and the auxiliary plate body 14 are superposed in a highly close contact state, and thereafter, the outer conduit 58 is removed from the connection port body 56. Thus, while maintaining the negative pressure state of the inner region 40, it is possible to avoid an adverse effect on the rotational operation of the rotating surface plate 12 by the outer conduit 58.

  Further, FIG. 11 shows still another aspect of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention. That is, in this aspect, jack bolts 60 as jack means are mounted at a plurality of locations on the circumference of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18. The jack bolt 60 is screwed into a through screw hole 62 formed so as to penetrate the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 in the axial direction, and has a leg axial dimension longer than the through screw hole 62. Then, the tip end of the jack bolt 60 projected downward from the through screw hole 62 is brought into contact with a contact block 66 projecting from a facing portion of the polishing machine body 64 provided with the rotating surface plate 12. Yes. Therefore, by adjusting the screwing amount of the jack bolt 60 projecting downward from the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 and adjusting the protruding amount of the jack bolt 60 downward from the fitting peripheral wall portion 18, the rotary surface plate 12. The distance between the opposing surfaces in the axial direction of the auxiliary plate main body 14 with respect to the upper surface 16 can be appropriately adjusted.

  Therefore, for example, when attaching the polishing pad auxiliary plate 10 to the rotating surface plate 12, the level of the auxiliary plate main body 14 can be easily increased by loosening a plurality of jack bolts 60 provided on the circumference little by little. In addition, while maintaining a high accuracy, it is possible to gradually approach the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 while maintaining a parallel state. Thereby, the auxiliary plate main body 14 is stably overlapped and adhered to the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 while avoiding problems such as partial air entrapment and relative inclination between the opposed surfaces. The state can be obtained advantageously.

  Further, for example, when removing the polishing pad auxiliary plate 10 from the rotating surface plate 12, the plurality of jack bolts 60 provided on the circumference are tightened little by little, thereby being bonded to the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12. Further, it is possible to efficiently apply a force in the separation direction from the rotating surface plate 12 to the auxiliary plate body 14. Thereby, for example, even when the auxiliary plate body 14 is fixed with an adhesive tape or the like, the work of peeling off the auxiliary plate body 14 from the rotary surface plate 12 can be performed easily and quickly.

  The abutting block 66 with which the protruding tip of the jack bolt 60 abuts is formed on the grinder main body 64 as described above, and as shown in FIG. 12, the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate 12 It is also possible to form it as a contact protrusion 68 protruding upward. The contact protrusions 68 are integrally formed at the positions corresponding to the respective jack bolts 60 on the circumference or on the outer circumferential surface at the lower part in the axial direction of the rotary surface plate 12 over the entire circumference. Yes.

  Furthermore, the polishing pad auxiliary plate employed in the present invention is in close contact with the surface 14a of the auxiliary plate body 14 in the polishing pad auxiliary plate 10 as shown in FIGS. It is desirable to form the non-attached portion 70 at least at one place on the outer peripheral edge of the polishing pad 24 when superposed and fixed. 13 to 15, it extends radially inward from the outer peripheral surface of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 toward the surface 14 a of the auxiliary plate body 14, to the outer peripheral edge portion of the fixing region of the polishing pad 24. The reaching recess 72 is formed in conformity with the non-wearing portion 70.

  By forming such a recess 72, when the polishing pad 24 is peeled off, it becomes easy for the operator to insert a finger or an appropriate tool so as to be caught on the back surface of the polishing pad 24. In addition, in the portion where the recess 72 is formed, by forming a portion (non-attachment portion 70) that is not fixed by an adhesive tape or the like in a slight region of the outer peripheral edge portion of the polishing pad 24, The removal work of the polishing pad 24 from the non-attachment portion 70 can be started more easily. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the recess 72 is formed only in the upper end portion of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18, and, for example, as shown in FIG. The recess 72 can be formed in an arbitrary shape so that the peripheral edge is cut out over the entire length in the axial direction. However, the recess 72 is formed only on the outer surface of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 and the auxiliary plate main body 14 and does not penetrate inside, so that airtightness in the inner region 40 can be ensured. Such a recess 72 can also be used as an air vent when the polishing pad 24 is mounted on the surface 14 a of the auxiliary plate body 14.

  Further, the polishing pad 24 employed in the present invention is not particularly limited, and for example, any conventionally known one can be employed. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, a polishing pad in which a plurality of grooves 74 concentrically extending in the circumferential direction are formed on the surface can be employed.

  In particular, in the polishing pad 24 having such a groove 74 formed on the surface, it may be difficult to remove the polishing debris generated during the polishing process by entering the groove 74 and fitting. As a result of examination by the present inventor, even if the depth dimension of the groove 74 remains sufficiently in the polishing pad 24, the depth dimension of the groove 74 is substantially insufficient because the polishing scraps and the like are fitted into the groove 74. It was found that the polishing performance was adversely affected.

  Therefore, as an embodiment of the method of regenerating a polishing pad using the polishing pad auxiliary plate according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 17 to 18, the pitch corresponding to the groove 74 formed in the polishing pad 24. By using a comb-shaped remanufacturing tool 78 having a plurality of processing teeth 76 having a size as described above, each tooth 76 is inserted into each groove 74 and relatively moved along the groove 74, whereby the groove 74. It is effective to scrape off the deposits inside.

  Note that the shape of each tooth 76 in the reclaim processing tool 78 is not limited to the quadrangular shape shown in the drawing, and the tip thereof is circular, trapezoidal, V-shaped, etc. in consideration of the shape of the groove 74 of the polishing pad 24. Any shape can be employed. Further, the number of teeth 76 of the regeneration processing tool 78 may be arbitrary. For example, it is possible to expose all the grooves 74 at one time. In addition, on the polishing machine, it is possible to always attach the reclaim processing tool 78 and insert the teeth 76 into the grooves 74 of the polishing pad 24 used for polishing.

  Further, the teeth 76 of the reclaim processing tool 78 with respect to the grooves 74 of the polishing pad 24 are formed by, for example, forming a tooth width dimension smaller than the width dimension of the groove 74 of the polishing pad 24 as well. It is also possible to prevent the unexpected damage of the polishing pad 24 and the like. Further, in addition to the reclaim processing tool 78 having the sawtooth teeth 76 as illustrated, a brush-shaped reclaim tool that bundles wires inserted into the grooves 74 of the polishing pad 24 is adopted, and the grooves of the polishing pad 24 are used. It is also possible to appropriately employ a reprocessing tool or the like having a structure with a rotary tooth that more actively scrapes polishing scraps from 74.

  As described above, if the polishing pad auxiliary plate of each aspect employed in the present invention is employed, the polishing pad 24 can be attached to and detached from the rotating surface plate 12 with excellent workability while preventing the polishing pad 24 from being damaged. It becomes possible to do. As a result, the polishing pad can be easily reused. For example, the polishing pad can be regenerated and reused while being fixed to the auxiliary pad 10 for polishing pad. In addition, since the polishing pad 24 can be quickly attached to and detached from the rotating surface plate 12, the operating time of the polishing apparatus can be efficiently ensured. If the polishing pad can be reused multiple times in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor substrate, etc., the cost of the manufacturing process of the semiconductor substrate etc. can be greatly reduced, the resources for manufacturing the polishing pad can be saved, and the amount of polishing pad to be discarded We can reduce and contribute to environmental conservation.

  By the way, in the above-described embodiment of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad employed in the present invention, a fixing bolt 28 and a negative pressure suction mechanism (58, etc.) are provided to fix the auxiliary pad 10 for polishing pad to the rotary surface plate 12. However, for example, by utilizing the elasticity of the sealing member and using an adhesive tape such as a double-sided tape as necessary, the polishing pad auxiliary plate 10 can be mounted on the rotating surface plate 12 and fixedly assembled. Is possible.

  Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, an O-ring 38 similar to that of FIG. 7 is attached to the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 of the polishing pad auxiliary plate 10. In the present embodiment, the circumferential groove 39 to which the O-ring 38 is attached has a cross-sectional shape in which the width dimension is wider toward the back than the opening width, and the cross section is larger than the opening width dimension of the circumferential groove 39. The O-ring 38 having a diametrical dimension is fitted in a portion exceeding half of the O-ring 38. As a result, the O-ring 38 is effectively prevented from coming out from the circumferential groove 39 in a state where a part of the O-ring 38 protrudes from the opening of the circumferential groove 39 of the fitting circumferential wall portion 18 to the inner circumferential side, and is stable. It is fitted and held. In this connection, the circumferential groove 39 that extends deeper than the opening width can be formed by, for example, cutting while changing and adjusting the inclination (insertion direction from the opening) of the cutting tool inserted from the opening.

  Further, the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 of this aspect has a divided structure in which an annular divided block 84 is overlapped in the axial direction (vertical direction in the drawing) on the lower surface of the outer peripheral edge portion 82 of the auxiliary plate body 14. Is formed. Further, the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 is formed with an air vent hole 88 that opens to the outer peripheral surface and extends radially inward, and the air vent hole 88 is sealed by the O-ring 38. Thus, the internal surface 40 is defined so as to include the overlapping surface between the upper surface of the rotating surface plate 12 and the auxiliary plate body 14. In short, the internal region 40 communicates with the external space through the air vent hole 88.

  In the auxiliary pad for a polishing pad having such a structure, when it is mounted in an overlapping manner from above the rotating surface plate 12, the air existing between the opposing surfaces of the rotating surface plate 12 and the auxiliary plate body 14 is removed. , The inner region 40 sealed with the O-ring 38 is prevented from being trapped, and can be quickly discharged to the external space through the air vent hole 88. As a result, the back surface 14b of the auxiliary plate body 14 can be quickly and stably adhered to the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 while effectively preventing air from remaining between both surfaces. It becomes.

  Then, after overlapping in a close contact state, the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 of the polishing pad auxiliary plate 10 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate 12 based on the contact force and frictional force based on the elasticity of the O-ring 38. It can be held in the attached state with a predetermined fixing force. In this embodiment, in order to obtain such a fixing force more stably, the auxiliary plate body 14 and the upper surface of the rotating surface plate 12 are fixed by an adhesive layer 90 such as a double-sided tape (adhesive tape) or an adhesive. ing. Further, when polishing using the polishing pad 24 or regenerating the polishing pad 24, the outer peripheral side opening of the fitting peripheral wall 18 is covered with the air vent hole 88 of the auxiliary pad 10 for polishing pad. It is desirable to attach a lid member 91 (shown in phantom lines in FIG. 19). By covering the air vent hole 88 with the lid member 91, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the air vent hole 88.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited by the specific description in these embodiment. For example, in order to further improve the reinforcing effect on the auxiliary plate main body 14 in the auxiliary pad 10 for the polishing pad, for example, a reinforcing member that extends partially or entirely on the circumference in the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 is fitted. You may additionally provide so that it may protrude from the surrounding wall part 18 to the outer peripheral side. Such a reinforcing member may be provided so as to protrude downward in the axial direction from the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 or may be provided so as to protrude upward in the axial direction. Since the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 is out of the outer peripheral side from the central portion of the surface (14a) as the pad support surface on which the polishing pad 24 is placed, it can be formed to protrude upward in the axial direction. .

  Further, the auxiliary plate body 14 in the polishing pad auxiliary plate only needs to have a size and a shape that can support at least the polishing pad over the entire surface, and it is necessary to cover the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 over the entire surface. There is no. Further, the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 in the polishing pad auxiliary plate may be any one that can exert a positioning action with respect to the rotating surface plate 12, and is not necessarily formed continuously over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. Absent.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 20 to 21, the outer peripheral edge of the auxiliary plate main body 14 is provided with a notch 94 that is notched in an appropriate size (in a portion that does not need to support the polishing pad), A mode in which the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 is partially exposed can also be employed. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 20 to 21 and FIGS. 22 to 23, the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 can be formed with a plurality of divided structures 96 a to 96 d and 98 a to f divided on the circumference. . In addition, by dividing the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 on the circumference in this way, the overlapping surface of the auxiliary plate main body 14 with respect to the upper surface 16 of the rotating surface plate 12 can be directly seen even at the outer peripheral edge portion. There is an advantage that the attached state of the auxiliary plate body 14 to the rotating surface plate 12 can be visually confirmed. However, the number, size, and shape of the notch portions 94 are not limited, and the shape, size, number of divisions, and the like of each divided portion of the fitting peripheral wall portion 18 are not limited. Different shapes, sizes, and the like may be set in the divided portions of the plurality of notches 94 and the fitting peripheral wall 18.

10: Auxiliary plate for polishing pad, 12: Rotating surface plate, 14: Auxiliary plate body, 14a: Surface, 16: Upper surface, 18: Fitting peripheral wall, 24: Polishing pad, 74: Groove

Claims (4)

An auxiliary plate body mounted on the upper surface of the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine, and projecting downward along the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine to the outer peripheral edge of the auxiliary plate body Using an auxiliary plate for a polishing pad in which a fitting peripheral wall portion fitted to the outer periphery of the rotating surface plate is formed,
Rutotomoni allowed secured by overlapping polishing pad used for polishing a semiconductor substrate against the pad support surface of the surface of the auxiliary plate body,
A radial positioning means for adjusting the centering of the auxiliary plate body with respect to the rotating surface plate by a radial force exerted between the fitting peripheral wall portion of the auxiliary plate body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate; provided, by the polishing pad auxiliary plate attached to the rotating platen, may be used the polishing pad via the auxiliary plate body on the upper surface of the rotating plate in polishing allowed disposed in the centering adjustment state While
When the polishing pad is worn by use, the surface of the polishing pad is subjected to a regenerating process in a state where the polishing pad is fixed to the pad support surface of the auxiliary pad for polishing pad. A method for regenerating a polishing pad. The radial positioning means is composed of an elastic material that compresses and elastically exerts a pressing force between the fitting peripheral wall portion of the auxiliary plate body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate. The rotating platen is made to be the auxiliary plate by the elastic pressing force by the elastic material being exerted between the fitting peripheral wall portion and the rotating platen in the radial direction over a plurality of locations or all around the circumference. The method for reclaiming a polishing pad according to claim 1, wherein centering is adjusted with respect to the main body . The radial positioning means is a plurality of screws that are screwed at a plurality of locations on the circumference of the fitting peripheral wall portion of the auxiliary plate body and project radially toward the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate. The rotating platen is centered with respect to the auxiliary plate body by a radial force applied to the rotating platen at the projecting tips of the plurality of fixing bolts. The method for regenerating a polishing pad according to claim 1, which is adjusted. An auxiliary plate body mounted on the upper surface of the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine, and projecting downward along the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate of the polishing machine to the outer peripheral edge of the auxiliary plate body A fitting peripheral wall portion that is fitted to the outer periphery of the rotating platen is formed, and a polishing pad used for polishing a semiconductor substrate or the like is overlapped and fixed to a pad support surface on the surface of the auxiliary plate body. An auxiliary plate for a polishing pad that can be used in the method for regenerating a polishing pad according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A radial positioning means for adjusting a centering of the auxiliary plate body with respect to the rotating surface plate by applying a radial force to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating surface plate at the fitting peripheral wall; An auxiliary plate for a polishing pad, wherein the polishing pad fixed to the pad support surface of a main body can be adjusted with respect to the rotating surface plate.

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