JP7299773B2 - Grinding equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a grinding apparatus for grinding workpieces such as semiconductor wafers.

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

In addition, when the wafer is ground, the grinding wheel wears out, so it is replaced with a new grinding wheel. If the used grinding wheel is dirty, after removing the dirty grinding wheel from the grinding means, remove the grinding dust and grinding that fell from the grinding wheel into the processing room or the clean room where the grinding device is installed during the removal. When the wheel is washed with a washing gun, there is a problem that various parts are contaminated by the drying of the grinding dust that falls into the clean room. In order to solve this problem, there is a method of cleaning the inside of the processing chamber as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2015-199146 A

However, since it takes time to clean the clean room, if the grinding wheel of the grinding means is dirty, the grinding wheel can be cleaned in the processing chamber before replacing the grinding wheel, so that various parts such as the clean room are not soiled. There is a problem of doing so.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention comprises a chuck table that holds a workpiece on a holding surface, and a grinding wheel that has grinding wheels arranged in an annular shape on the workpiece held on the chuck table. Grinding means for grinding the workpiece on the lower surface; Horizontal moving means for relatively moving the chuck table and the grinding means in a horizontal direction parallel to the holding surface; and moving the grinding means against the holding surface. A grinding machine comprising elevating means for moving up and down in a vertical direction and control means for controlling the machine, comprising: a water communication passage that connects the holding surface to a water supply source; and a water valve that opens and closes the water communication passage. an air communication passage for communicating the holding surface with an air supply source; and an air valve for opening and closing the air communication passage, the control means controlling the horizontal movement means and the lifting means to control the holding surface Positioning the grinding wheel above the grinding wheel, forming a predetermined gap between the holding surface and the lower surface of the grinding wheel, controlling the water valve and the air valve to eject water and air from the holding surface A grinding apparatus for cleaning the grinding wheel.

In the grinding apparatus according to the present invention, the control means controls the horizontal movement means and the lifting means to position the grinding wheel above the holding surface and form a predetermined gap between the holding surface and the lower surface of the grinding wheel. By controlling the water and air valves to flush the grinding wheel with water and air jets from the holding surface, it is possible to clean and clean the grinding wheel before replacing it. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the clean room in which the grinding device is installed from being contaminated by the replacement work of the grinding wheel.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of a grinding apparatus. It is a side view which shows an example of a grinding apparatus. Control means controls the horizontal movement means and the elevating means to position the grinding wheel above the holding surface of the chuck table and between the holding surface and the lower surface of the grinding wheel to clean dirt from the grinding wheel. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a state in which a predetermined gap is formed in the holding surface, a water valve and an air valve are controlled, and a film of water is formed on the holding surface. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a state in which the control means controls the water valve and the air valve to jet out water and air from the holding surface to clean the grinding wheel in order to clean dirt adhering to the grinding wheel; . FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which dirty water used for cleaning the grinding wheel and remaining on the holding surface is discharged outward from the holding surface under centrifugal force due to rotation of the chuck table. The control means controls at least the horizontal movement means to relatively horizontally move the washing nozzle and the grinding means, and jets water from the washing nozzle to the grinding wheel positioned above the washing nozzle to wash the grinding wheel. It is a sectional view explaining a state where it is.

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

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

The workpiece W is, for example, a circular semiconductor wafer made of a silicon base material or the like. A plurality of devices are formed on the surface Wa of the workpiece W facing downward in FIG. It is taped and protected. A back surface Wb of the workpiece W is a surface to be ground. The workpiece W may be made of gallium arsenide, sapphire, gallium nitride, ceramics, resin, silicon carbide, or the like other than silicon, or may be a rectangular package substrate or the like.

A first cassette mounting portion 150 and a second cassette mounting portion 151 are provided on the front side (−Y direction side) of the apparatus base 10. A first cassette 150a that accommodates the processed workpiece W is placed, and a second cassette 151a that accommodates the processed workpiece W is placed on the second cassette mounting portion 151. .

Behind the opening of the first cassette 150a, there is a robot 155 that unloads the unprocessed workpiece W from the first cassette 150a and loads the processed workpiece W into the second cassette 151a. It is A temporary placement area 152 is provided at a position adjacent to the robot 155 , and an alignment means 153 is provided in the temporary placement area 152 . The alignment means 153 aligns (centers) the workpiece W unloaded from the first cassette 150a and placed in the temporary placement area 152 at a predetermined position with a diameter-reduced alignment pin.

A loading arm 154 a that rotates while holding the workpiece W is arranged at a position adjacent to the positioning means 153 . The loading arm 154a holds the workpiece W aligned by the alignment means 153 and transports it to any chuck table 50 disposed within the grinding area. Next to the loading arm 154a, an unloading arm 154b that turns while holding the workpiece W after machining is provided. At a position adjacent to the unloading arm 154b, a single-wafer cleaning means 156 for cleaning the processed workpiece W transported by the unloading arm 154b is arranged. The workpiece W washed by the washing means 156 is carried by the robot 155 into the second cassette 151a.

The chuck table 50 for holding the workpiece W shown in detail in FIG. and a frame body 501 that supports the adsorption unit 500 . The suction part 500 fitted in the recess of the frame 501 communicates with the suction source 549 shown in FIGS. The chuck table 50 sucks and holds the workpiece W on the holding surface 500a by transmitting the suction force generated by the suction source 549 to the holding surface 500a, which is the upper surface of the suction unit 500. FIG.
It should be noted that the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 is an extremely gentle conical surface whose apex is the center of rotation of the chuck table 50 and cannot be determined by the naked eye.

As shown in FIG. 1, the chuck table 50 is surrounded by a cover 100, and as shown in FIG. 2, is fixed on a chuck base 52 arranged therebelow. Further, the chuck table 50 can be reciprocated in the Y-axis direction by the cover 100 shown in FIG. there is The horizontal movement means 11 allows the cover 100 to reciprocate in the Y-axis direction together with the chuck table 50, and the bellows cover 100a expands and contracts as the chuck table 50 and the cover 100 move in the Y-axis direction.

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

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

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

Rotating means 56 for rotating the chuck table 50 about the Z-axis is connected to the lower surface of the chuck base 52 shown in FIG. 2 to which the chuck table 50 is attached.
The rotating means 56 is, for example, a pulley mechanism as shown in detail in FIG. A drive pulley 562 is attached to the shaft of a motor 561 serving as a drive source for rotating the table spindle 560 shown in FIG. A driven pulley 563 is attached to the table spindle 560 , and the endless belt 564 is also wound around this driven pulley 563 . The motor 561 shown in FIG. 3 rotates the driving pulley 562, and the endless belt 564 rotates with the rotation of the driving pulley 562. As the endless belt 564 rotates, the driven pulley 563 and the table spindle 560 rotate. Rotate.

As shown in FIG. 3 , a suction flow path 540 communicating with the suction portion 500 is formed from the bottom surface of the concave portion of the frame 501 to the table spindle 560 . The suction flow path 540 communicates with a suction source 549 such as an ejector mechanism or a vacuum generator via a rotary joint 543, a pipe 544, and a suction pipe 545 arranged to surround the table spindle 560. The rotary joint 543 completely transfers the suction force generated by the suction source 549 to the table spindle 560 side. For example, the suction pipe 545 is provided with a suction valve 545a.

A water communication passage 570 communicates with the pipe 544, and a water supply source such as a pump for supplying water (for example, pure water) to the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 is provided on the upstream side of the water communication passage 570. 57 are connected. A water valve 571 for opening and closing the water communication passage 570 is arranged in the water communication passage 570 .

An air communication path 580 communicates with the pipe 544 , and an air supply source 58 such as a compressor for supplying air to the holding surface 500 a of the chuck table 50 is connected to the upstream side of the air communication path 580 . . An air valve 581 for opening and closing the air communication passage 580 is arranged in the air communication passage 580 .

For example, when it is desired to release the suction and hold of the workpiece W by the chuck table 50 and unload the workpiece W from the chuck table 50, the air valve 581 is closed while the suction valve 545a and the water valve 571 are closed. When opened, air supply 58 supplies compressed air to air communication passage 580 . Compressed air passes through the air communication path 580 , the pipe 544 and the suction flow path 540 and is ejected from the holding surface 500 a of the chuck table 50 . As a result, the vacuum attraction force remaining between the holding surface 500a and the workpiece W can be eliminated, and the workpiece W can be detached from the holding surface 500a.

For example, when it is desired to remove grinding chips clogged in the suction portion 500 of the chuck table 50 from the suction portion 500, the suction valve 545a is closed, the air valve 581 or the water valve 571 is opened, and the air supply source 58 supplies compressed air to the adsorption unit 500 , or the water supply source 57 supplies water to the adsorption unit 500 . Compressed air or water, or a two-fluid mixture of compressed air and water can eject and remove grinding dust and the like that have entered the adsorption section 500 from the holding surface 500a.

For example, on both sides of the moving path of the chuck table 50 shown in FIG. 1, drainage grooves for a water case (not shown) are positioned. The water case receives the processing waste liquid flowing down from the chuck table 50, including the grinding waste discharged by grinding the workpiece W, and sends it to a waste liquid processing mechanism (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1, a column 12 is erected on the rear side (+Y direction side) of the device base 10, and a rough grinding means 30 and a finish grinding means 31 are both mounted on a chuck table in front of the column 12. A horizontal movement means 13 is provided for moving the holding surface 500a relative to the holding surface 500a in the horizontal direction (the X-axis direction perpendicular to the Y-axis direction in the horizontal plane). Hereinafter, the horizontal movement means 13 will be referred to as grinding means horizontal movement means 13 .

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

The rough grinding means 30 is arranged on the front surface of the first movable block 133 via the rough grinding elevating means 20 . The rough grinding elevating means 20 for moving the rough grinding means 30 up and down in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with respect to the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 includes a ball screw 200 having an axis in the Z-axis direction, and arranged parallel to the ball screw 200. a motor 202 connected to the ball screw 200 to rotate the ball screw 200; When the motor 202 rotates the ball screw 200, the elevating plate 203 is guided by the guide rail 201 and reciprocates in the Z-axis direction. move back and forth to

The rough grinding means 30 includes a spindle 300 whose axial direction is the Z-axis direction, a housing 301 that rotatably supports the spindle 300, a spindle motor 302 that rotationally drives the spindle 300, and a circle connected to the lower end of the spindle 300. A shaped mount 303 , a grinding wheel 304 detachably connected to the lower surface of the mount 303 , and a holder 306 connected to the lifting plate 203 and having a substantially concave vertical cross section for holding the housing 301 . The grinding wheel 304 includes a wheel base 304a and a plurality of roughly rectangular parallelepiped rough grinding wheels 304b annularly arranged on the bottom surface of the wheel base 304a. The rough-grinding whetstone 304b is, for example, a whetstone containing relatively large abrasive grains, and its lower surface serves as a grinding surface.

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

The finish grinding means 31 is arranged on the front surface of the second movable block 134 via the finish grinding elevating means 21 . The finish grinding elevating means 21 for elevating the finish grinding means 31 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with respect to the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 includes a ball screw 210 having an axial center in the Z-axis direction, and arranged in parallel with the ball screw 210. a motor 212 connected to the ball screw 210 to rotate the ball screw 210; When the motor 212 rotates the ball screw 210, the elevating plate 213 is guided by the guide rail 211 and reciprocates in the Z-axis direction. move back and forth to

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

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

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

The grinding apparatus 1 includes, for example, a cleaning nozzle 18 that sprays cleaning water onto the bottom surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b or the bottom surface of the finish grinding wheel 314b to clean the bottom surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b or the bottom surface of the finish grinding wheel 314b. In addition, the grinding device 1 does not have to be provided with the cleaning nozzle 18 .

The cleaning nozzle 18 is arranged, for example, at one corner on the cover 100 surrounding the chuck table 50, and can be positioned under the rotation orbit of the rough grinding wheel 304b or the finish grinding wheel 314b. For example, the cleaning nozzle 18 has its injection port 180 directed in the +Z direction. The cleaning nozzle 18 communicates with a high-pressure water supply source 189 such as a pump through a supply pipe 182 , and an on-off valve 184 is provided in the supply pipe 182 . In addition, the cleaning nozzle 18 may communicate with a two-fluid supply source capable of supplying two fluids, which is a mixed fluid of water and air, and may be capable of injecting the two fluids.

The arrangement position of the cleaning nozzle 18 is not limited to the cover 100 movable in the Y-axis direction, and the number of arrangement is not limited to one. For example, one cleaning nozzle 18 may be fixedly arranged at a position below the rough grinding means 30 and a position below the finish grinding means 31 on the device base 10 .
For example, the cleaning nozzle 18 is arranged on the movable plate 113 of the chuck table horizontal movement means 11 for moving the chuck table 50 shown in FIG. It may be positionable under the orbit of rotation of 304b or finish grinding wheel 314b.

The grinding machine 1 comprises control means 9 for controlling the whole machine. A control means 9 composed of a memory element such as a CPU and a memory electrically controls, for example, the rough grinding elevating means 20, the finish grinding elevating means 21, the chuck table horizontal movement means 11, the grinding means horizontal movement means 13, and the like. Under the control of the control means 9, the rough grinding elevating means 20 elevates the rough grinding means 30, the finish grinding elevating means 21 elevates the finish grinding means 31, and the chuck table horizontal movement means 11 chucks. Movement of the table 50 in the Y-axis direction, movement of the rough grinding means 30 and finish grinding means 31 by the grinding means horizontal movement means 13 in the X-axis direction, and the like are performed.

As an example of operation control of the above-described means by the control means 9, for example, when the motor 202 of the rough grinding elevating means 20 is a servomotor, the rotary encoder of the servomotor also functions as a servo amplifier. After an operation signal is supplied to the servomotor from the output interface of the control means 9, the rotation speed of the servomotor is output to the input interface of the control means 9 as an encoder signal. After receiving the encoder signal, the control means 9 can lower the rough grinding means 30 at a desired lowering speed by the rough grinding elevating means 20 while sequentially recognizing the height position of the rough grinding means 30 .

For example, the on-off valve 184, the suction valve 545a, the water valve 571, and the air valve 581 shown in FIG. state and open state are controlled.

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

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

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

As spindle motor 302 rotates spindle 300, grinding wheel 304 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed.
The rough grinding means 30 is sent in the -Z direction by the rough grinding elevating means 20, and the rough grinding wheel 304b comes into contact with the back surface Wb of the workpiece W to perform rough grinding. 2 rotates the chuck table 50, the workpiece W is also rotated. . Grinding water is supplied through the spindle 300 to the contact point between the rough grinding wheel 304b and the back surface Wb of the workpiece W, and the contact point is cooled by the grinding water and the grinding dust is washed away. Grinding water containing grinding dust is discharged to a drainage groove of a water case (not shown).

During rough grinding, as shown in FIG. 2, part of the rough grinding wheel 304b protrudes from the workpiece W. , the cleaning nozzle 18 positioned below sprays cleaning water to clean the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b.

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

The rough grinding means 30 is moved in the Y-axis direction by the grinding means horizontal movement means 13 and is retracted from above the chuck table 50, and the rotation center of the finish grinding wheel 314b of the finish grinding means 31 is shifted with respect to the rotation center of the workpiece W. The finish grinding means 31 is moved in the Y-axis direction and positioned at a predetermined position such that the rotation locus of the finish grinding wheel 314b passes through the rotation center of the workpiece W after being horizontally displaced by a predetermined distance.

The finish grinding means 31 is sent in the -Z direction by the finish grinding elevating means 21, and the finish grinding whetstone 314b comes into contact with the back surface Wb of the workpiece W to perform finish grinding. During grinding, the workpiece W is also rotated, and the finish grinding wheel 314b grinds the entire back surface Wb of the workpiece W. As shown in FIG. Grinding water is supplied through the spindle 310 to the contact point between the finish grinding wheel 314b and the back surface Wb of the workpiece W, and the contact point is cooled by the grinding water and the grinding dust is washed away.

During finish grinding, part of the finish grinding wheel 314b protrudes from the workpiece W. The positioned cleaning nozzle 18 jets cleaning water to clean the lower surface of the finish grinding wheel 314b.

While the thickness of the workpiece W is being measured by the thickness measuring means 17, the workpiece W is ground until it reaches the finished thickness. By separating from the object W, finish grinding of the object W to be processed is completed.

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

Grinding a plurality of workpieces W as described above wears out, for example, the rough grinding wheel 304b. Here, during grinding, the grinding water receives the centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation of the rough grinding wheel 304b, and the grinding water scatters in the processing chamber and becomes a spray containing grinding dust, which is applied to the inner wall of the processing chamber and the rough grinding means 30. Since it adheres to the outer surface, the inner surface, etc., of the grinding wheel 304, the grinding wheel 304 to be replaced is in a dirty state due to adhesion of grinding wastes and the like.

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

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

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

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, under the control of the control means 9, the water supply source 57 is supplied with water (for example, , pure water) is supplied to the water communication passage 570 . The water J1 further passes through the pipe 544, the suction flow path 540, and the adsorption portion 500 of the chuck table 50, and is ejected from the holding surface 500a. After a predetermined amount of film deposits on the holding surface 500a due to surface tension, the water valve 571 is closed to stop the supply of the water J1 from the water supply source 57 to the holding surface 500a. Note that the supply of the water J1 to the holding surface 500a may be continued.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable that the bottom surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b is in contact with the film of water J1, but the bottom surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b may be separated from the film of water J1.

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

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, as the spindle motor 302 (not shown in FIG. 4) rotates the spindle 300, the grinding wheel 304 rotates, and the water J1 that is sprayed up causes the grinding wheel 304 to be removed. The entire surfaces of the side surface, the inner surface, and the lower surface are cleaned, and mainly the dirt M adhering to the outer surface of the grinding wheel 304 is removed.
In addition, when removing the dirt M attached to the outer surface of the grinding wheel 304, it is preferable to rotate the grinding wheel 304 at a rotation speed slower than the rotation speed of the spindle motor 302 in the grinding process. By slowing down the rotation speed, it is possible to hit the entire outer surface with the spouted water J1.

After the cleaning is performed for a predetermined period of time, water mixed with dirt removed from the grinding wheel 304 remains on the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50. Therefore, for example, under the control of the control means 9, Water valve 571 is opened and water source 57 delivers water. Therefore, the air supplied by the air supply source 58 and the water supplied by the water supply source 57 are mixed in the pipe 544 or the like to form two fluids, which are jetted from the holding surface 500a. Further, when the chuck table 50 is rotated by the rotating means 56, the holding surface 500a is washed with two fluids while the dirty water is discharged radially outward from the holding surface 500a by centrifugal force. Dirty water is discharged to a drainage groove of a water case (not shown).

As described above, in the grinding apparatus 1 according to the present invention, the control means 9 controls the chuck table horizontal movement means 11 or the grinding means horizontal movement means 13 and the rough grinding elevating means 20 so that the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 is The rough grinding wheel 304b is positioned above, a predetermined gap V is formed between the holding surface 500a and the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b, the water valve 571 and the air valve 581 are controlled, and water and air are supplied from the holding surface 500a. cleaning the grinding wheel 304 allows, for example, an operator to clean and clean the grinding wheel 304 before replacing the grinding wheel 304, thus replacing the grinding wheel 304 with The cleaning of the clean room in which the grinding apparatus 1 is disposed is prevented from being contaminated by the operation. The cleaning of the grinding wheel 314 of the finish grinding means 31 can be carried out in substantially the same manner as the cleaning of the grinding wheel 304 of the rough grinding means 30 .

(Embodiment 2)
The grinding apparatus 1 according to the present invention does not wash, for example, the grinding wheel 304 of the rough grinding means 30 with water and air ejected from the holding surface 500a of the chuck table 50 as in the first embodiment. While controlling the table horizontal movement means 11 or the grinding means horizontal movement means 13 to relatively horizontally move the cleaning nozzle 18 and the rough grinding means 30 , the grinding wheel 304 positioned above the cleaning nozzle 18 is driven from the cleaning nozzle 18 to the grinding wheel 304 . It may be configured to wash the grinding wheel 304 by jetting water.

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

For example, when the operator inputs information indicating that the grinding wheel 304 is to be replaced by the control means 9 of the grinding apparatus 1 from an input means such as a touch panel attached to the apparatus, under the control of the control means 9, the information shown in FIG. 2 moves the chuck table 50, which does not hold the workpiece W by suction, in the +Y direction from the loading/unloading area to the grinding process area. also moves in the +Y direction, and the rough grinding means 30 is moved in the X-axis direction by the grinding means horizontal movement means 13 (see FIG. 2). The cleaning nozzle 18 and the rough grinding means 30 are aligned so that the injection ports 180 face each other.
The control means 9 may perform the alignment by controlling at least one of the chuck table horizontal movement means 11 and the grinding means horizontal movement means 13 .

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

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, under the control of the control means 9, the on-off valve 184 is opened, and the high-pressure water supply source 189 supplies high-pressure water to the supply pipe 182. of cleaning water is jetted upward to start cleaning the grinding wheel 304 . The cleaning nozzle 18 may eject two fluids, or may eject cleaning water propagated with ultrasonic waves.

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

As described above, the grinding apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes the cleaning nozzle 18 for spraying cleaning water onto the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b to clean the lower surface of the rough grinding wheel 304b. 11 or by controlling the grinding means horizontal movement means 13 to relatively horizontally move the cleaning nozzle 18 and the rough grinding means 30, and water is jetted from the cleaning nozzle 18 to the grinding wheel 304 positioned above the cleaning nozzle 18. Cleaning the grinding wheel 304 allows, for example, an operator to clean and clean the grinding wheel 304 prior to replacing the grinding wheel 304 , so that the operation of replacing the grinding wheel 304 It is possible to prevent the clean room in which the grinding device 1 is installed from being contaminated.

It should be noted that the grinding apparatus 1 according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described first and second embodiments, nor are the configurations illustrated in the attached drawings limited to these, and the effects of the present invention can be obtained. It can be changed as appropriate within the range where it can be demonstrated.

W: Workpiece Wa: Surface of Workpiece Wb: Backside of Workpiece 1: Grinding Device 10: Device Base 150: First Cassette Placement Part 150a: First Cassette 151: Second Cassette Placement Part 151a: Second Cassette 152: Temporary Placement Area 153: Alignment Means 154a: Loading Arm
154b: Unloading arm 155: Robot 156: Cleaning means 50: Chuck table 500: Adsorption unit 500a: Holding surface 501: Frame
100: Cover 100a: Accordion cover 11: Chuck table horizontal movement means 110: Ball screw 112: Motor 113: Movable plate 52: Chuck base 55: Inclination adjustment means
56: Rotating Means 560: Table Spindle 561: Motor 562: Driving Pulley 563: Driven Pulley 564: Endless Belt 540: Suction Channel 543: Rotary Joint 544: Piping 545: Suction Pipe 545a: Suction Valve 549: Suction Source 570: Water Communication path 571: Water valve 57: Water supply source 580: Air communication path 581: Air valve 58: Air supply source 12: Column 13: Grinding means horizontal movement means 130: Ball screw 132: Motor 133: First movable block 134: Second Movable block 20: Rough grinding lifting means 200: Ball screw 202: Motor 203: Lifting plate 30: Rough grinding means 300: Spindle 301: Housing 302: Spindle motor 303: Mount 304: Grinding wheel 304b: Rough grinding wheel 21: Finish grinding lift Means 210: Ball screw 212: Motor 213: Elevator plate 31: Finish grinding means 310: Spindle 311: Housing 312: Spindle motor 313: Mount 314: Grinding wheel 314b: Finish grinding wheel 17: Thickness measuring means 9: Control means 18: Cleaning Nozzle 182: Supply pipe 184: On-off valve 189: High-pressure water supply source

Claims (1)

A chuck table for holding a workpiece on a holding surface, and a grinding means for grinding the workpiece on the lower surface of the grinding wheel by rotating a grinding wheel on which grinding wheels are arranged in a ring around the workpiece held on the chuck table. horizontal movement means for relatively moving the chuck table and the grinding means in a horizontal direction parallel to the holding surface; lifting means for moving the grinding means vertically with respect to the holding surface; and a control means for performing
a water communication passage that communicates the holding surface with a water supply source; a water valve that opens and closes the water communication passage;
An air communication passage that communicates the holding surface with an air supply source, and an air valve that opens and closes the air communication passage,
The control means controls the horizontal movement means and the elevating means to position the grinding wheel above the holding surface and form a predetermined gap between the holding surface and the lower surface of the grinding wheel, A grinding apparatus for cleaning the grinding wheel by controlling the water valve and the air valve to eject water and air from the holding surface.

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