JP7339860B2 - processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for processing semiconductor wafers and the like.

A processing apparatus for processing a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer (see, for example, Patent Document 1) holds a workpiece stored in a cassette by a robot, carries the workpiece out of the cassette, temporarily places the workpiece on a temporary table, and temporarily places the workpiece on a temporary table. The workpiece temporarily placed on the placing table is held by a conveying means such as a suction pad and conveyed to the chuck table. Then, the workpiece held on the chuck table is processed by a processing tool such as a grinding wheel, the processed workpiece is transported to the spinner table of the spinner cleaning means by the carry-out means, and the cleaning water is supplied to the spinner table while rotating the spinner table. is supplied to the workpiece, and the cleaned workpiece is held by a robot and stored in a cassette.

JP 2015-030055 A

The robot includes a robot hand having a suction surface for holding a workpiece by suction.
For example, the workpieces housed in the cassette may have dust adhering to them. In addition, for example, in a tape mounter, when a protective tape is applied to one side of a work piece and then the tape is cut according to the size of a circular work piece, tape scraps are generated, and the tape is processed from the tape mounter. The workpiece conveyed to the apparatus may be in a state in which the tape scraps are adhered to the workpiece or the tape adhered to the workpiece. In another example, an as-sliced wafer obtained by slicing an ingot with a wire saw or the like may have irregularities formed on the sliced surface, and may have cutting debris adhered thereto when slicing.

In the processing apparatus, the robot hand sucks and holds the workpiece to which dust such as tape scraps and cutting scraps adheres, carries it out of the cassette, and temporarily places it on a temporary placement table. Dust may adhere to the suction surface of the robot hand. If dust adheres to the suction surface of the robot hand, there is a problem that when the robot hand again holds the workpiece that has been cleaned by the spinner table, the dust will adhere to the workpiece after cleaning. For example, a work to which dust has adhered will bring dust into a tape mounter used in the next process, and when the tape is attached to the work, dust will be left between the work and the tape. It may cause a problem of sticking the tape in the advanced state.

Therefore, the workpiece stored in the cassette is sucked and held by the suction surface of the robot hand and carried out from the cassette, and the workpiece after processing is sucked and held by the suction surface of the robot hand and carried into the cassette. In the processing apparatus, there is a problem of making the suction surface of the robot hand clean without dust before holding the workpiece after processing.

The present invention for solving the above problems has a cassette stage on which a cassette having a plurality of vertically arranged shelves is placed, a chuck table for holding a workpiece, and a suction surface for holding the workpiece by suction. A robot equipped with a robot hand and picking up a workpiece from the cassette, a conveying means for conveying the workpiece picked up by the robot to the chuck table, and a process for machining the workpiece held on the chuck table. means, wherein the robot includes: a robot horizontal movement means for moving the robot hand in a horizontal direction; and a robot vertical movement means for moving the robot hand in a vertical direction; The means includes a contact-type suction pad having a suction surface with an opening formed in the center, a suction pipe communicating the opening with a suction source, a branching portion branching the suction pipe, the branching portion and an air supply source. a suction valve disposed in the suction pipe between the branch and the suction source; an air valve disposed in the air supply pipe; vertical movement means for moving the suction pad in a direction and horizontal movement means for moving the suction pad in a horizontal direction parallel to the suction surface; Positioning the suction pad directly under the opening by using at least one of the horizontal movement means and the robot horizontal movement means, closing the suction valve and opening the air valve to control the injection of air from the opening. means for cleaning the suction surface of the robot hand with the air jetted from the opening.

Instead of the contact-type suction pad, the suction pipe, the branch, the air supply pipe, the suction valve, and the air valve, the conveying means has a large flow of air from an air ejection port disposed in the center. A non-contact suction pad that generates negative pressure by ejecting to suck the workpiece in a non-contact manner, a large-flow air supply pipe that communicates the air ejection port and the large-flow air supply source, and the large-flow a high flow rate air valve disposed in an air supply pipe, wherein the control means controls at least one of the horizontal movement means and the robot horizontal movement means to move the attraction surface of the robot hand facing upward. Positioning the non-contact suction pad immediately below the air ejection port using a non-contact suction pad, opening the large flow air valve to eject a large flow of air from the air ejection port, and causing the robot to use the large flow of air ejected from the air ejection port It is preferable that control for cleaning the suction surface of the hand can be performed.

The robot hand has one surface as a first attraction surface and the other surface as a second attraction surface, and the robot turns the first attraction surface and the second attraction surface of the robot hand upside down. Inverting means is provided, and the control means uses the robot inverting means to selectively face the first suction surface or the second suction surface to the opening of the suction pad of the conveying means, and select the selected suction surface. It is preferable that control for cleaning the first adsorption surface or the second adsorption surface can be performed.

The robot hand has one surface as a first attraction surface and the other surface as a second attraction surface, and the robot turns the first attraction surface and the second attraction surface of the robot hand upside down. A reversing means is provided, and the control means selectively causes the first suction surface or the second suction surface to face the air ejection port of the non-contact suction pad of the conveying means using the robot reversing means. , the selected first attraction surface or the second attraction surface can be cleaned.

A temporary placement table is provided for temporarily placing the workpiece taken out from the cassette before placing it on the chuck table, the temporary placing table being formed on a temporary placing surface for temporarily placing the workpiece. an opening, a second suction pipe that communicates the second opening with the table-side suction source, a second branch that branches the second suction pipe, and the second branch that communicates with the table-side air supply source. a second air supply pipe; a second suction valve disposed in the second suction pipe between the second branch and the table-side suction source; a second suction valve disposed in the second air supply pipe; 2 air valves, wherein the control means moves the robot hand between the suction pad and the temporary placement table which are opposed by moving the suction pad of the transfer means above the temporary placement table. to open the air valve to inject air from the opening of the suction pad, open the second air valve to inject air from the second opening, and separate the first suction surface and the second suction surface. It is preferable to be able to implement cleaning controls.

A temporary placement table is provided for temporarily placing the workpiece taken out from the cassette before placing it on the chuck table, the temporary placing table being formed on a temporary placing surface for temporarily placing the workpiece. an opening, a second suction pipe that communicates the second opening with the table-side suction source, a second branch that branches the second suction pipe, and the second branch that communicates with the table-side air supply source. a second air supply pipe; a second suction valve disposed in the second suction pipe between the second branch and the table-side suction source; a second suction valve disposed in the second air supply pipe; 2 air valves, wherein the control means controls the movement of the non-contact suction pad and the temporary placement table which are opposed to each other by moving the non-contact suction pad of the conveying means above the temporary placement table. The robot hand is inserted between the two, the large flow air valve is opened to inject a large flow of air from the air ejection port of the non-contact suction pad, and the second air valve is opened to inject air from the second opening, It is preferable that control for cleaning the first attraction surface and the second attraction surface can be performed.

In the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the robot that takes out the workpiece from the cassette includes robot horizontal movement means for moving the robot hand in the horizontal direction and robot vertical movement means for moving the robot hand in the vertical direction. The means includes a contact-type suction pad having a suction surface with an opening formed in the center, a suction pipe communicating the opening with the suction source, a branching portion branching the suction pipe, and communication between the branching portion and the air supply source. An air supply pipe, a suction valve arranged in the suction pipe between the branch and the suction source, an air valve arranged in the air supply pipe, and a vertical movement of the suction pad in the vertical direction perpendicular to the suction surface A moving means and a horizontal moving means for moving the suction pad in a horizontal direction parallel to the suction surface are provided. and a control means for controlling the air ejected from the opening by closing the suction valve and opening the air valve. can be cleaned. By making the suction surface of the robot hand clean without dust before holding the workpiece after processing, when the suction surface of the robot hand sucks and holds the workpiece after processing, In addition, dust does not adhere to the workpiece.

In place of contact-type suction pads, suction pipes, branches, air supply pipes, suction valves, and air valves, the conveying means ejects a large amount of air from an air ejection port provided in the center to create a negative pressure. and a non-contact suction pad that sucks the workpiece without contact, a large flow air supply pipe that communicates between the air ejection port and the large flow air supply source, and a flow rate air valve, wherein the control means moves the suction surface of the robot hand facing upward directly below the air ejection port of the non-contact suction pad using at least one of the horizontal movement means and the horizontal movement means of the robot. Positioning, opening a large air valve, injecting a large amount of air from the air ejection port, and cleaning the suction surface of the robot hand with the large amount of air ejected from the air ejection port. By making the suction surface of the robot hand clean and free of dust before holding the work piece, when the work piece is held by the suction surface of the robot hand after processing, it will not stick to the work piece. No dust adheres.

The robot hand has one surface as a first attraction surface and the other surface as a second attraction surface, and the robot includes robot reversing means for vertically inverting the first attraction surface and the second attraction surface of the robot hand, The control means selectively causes the first suction surface or the second suction surface to face the opening of the suction pad of the conveying means using the robot reversing means, and cleans the selected first suction surface or the second suction surface. Since the control can be performed, the first suction surface or the second suction surface of the robot hand can be kept clean without dust before holding the workpiece after processing. To prevent dust from adhering to a workpiece when the workpiece is adsorbed and held by the first adsorption surface or the second adsorption surface of the robot hand.

The robot hand has one surface as a first attraction surface and the other surface as a second attraction surface, and the robot includes robot reversing means for vertically inverting the first attraction surface and the second attraction surface of the robot hand, The control means selectively causes the first suction surface or the second suction surface to face the air ejection port of the non-contact suction pad of the conveying means using the robot reversing means, and the selected first suction surface or the second suction surface is selected. To make the first or second attraction surface of the robot hand clean without dust before holding the workpiece after processing by being able to perform control for cleaning the attraction surface. Therefore, when the workpiece after machining is sucked and held by the first suction surface or the second suction surface of the robot hand, dust does not adhere to the workpiece.

A temporary placement table for temporarily placing a workpiece taken out of a cassette before being placed on the chuck table, the temporary placing table having a second opening formed in a temporary placement surface for temporarily placing the workpiece; a second suction pipe that communicates the second opening with the table-side suction source, a second branch that branches the second suction pipe, and a second air supply pipe that communicates the second branch with the table-side air supply source; , a second suction valve disposed in two suction pipes between the second branch and the table-side suction source; and a second air valve disposed in the second air supply pipe, wherein the control means comprises: By moving the suction pad of the conveying means above the temporary placement table, the robot hand is inserted between the opposing suction pad and the temporary placement table, an air valve is opened, and air is jetted from the opening of the suction pad, By opening the second air valve and injecting air from the second opening to clean the first attraction surface and the second attraction surface, the first attraction surface and the second attraction surface can be cleaned at the same time. Therefore, the cleaning time can be shortened, and the first and second suction surfaces of the robot hand can be cleanly free of dust before holding the workpiece after processing. To prevent dust from adhering to a workpiece when the workpiece is adsorbed and held by the first adsorption surface or the second adsorption surface of the robot hand.

A temporary placement table for temporarily placing a workpiece taken out of a cassette before being placed on the chuck table, the temporary placing table having a second opening formed in a temporary placement surface for temporarily placing the workpiece; a second suction pipe that communicates the second opening with the table-side suction source, a second branch that branches the second suction pipe, and a second air supply pipe that communicates the second branch with the table-side air supply source; , a second suction valve disposed in the second suction pipe between the second branch and the table-side suction source; and a second air valve disposed in the second air supply pipe, wherein the control means comprises , By moving the non-contact suction pad of the transport means above the temporary placement table, the robot hand is inserted between the non-contact suction pad and the temporary placement table that are opposed to each other, and the large flow air valve is opened to cause non-contact Injecting a large amount of air from the air ejection port of the suction pad, opening the second air valve to inject air from the second opening, and cleaning the first adsorption surface and the second adsorption surface. Since the first and second attraction surfaces can be cleaned at the same time, the cleaning time can be shortened. By keeping the workpiece clean and free of dust, dust will not adhere to the workpiece when the workpiece after machining is sucked and held by the first adsorption surface or the second adsorption surface of the robot hand. .

It is a perspective view which shows an example of a processing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a first cassette and a robot; A case will be described in which air is jetted downward from the conveying means of the first embodiment and air is jetted upward from the temporary placement table to clean the first attracting surface and the second attracting surface of the robot hand of the robot. It is a side view to do. A case where the first and second suction surfaces of the robot hand of the robot are air-cleaned by jetting a large amount of air downward from the conveying means of the second embodiment and jetting air upward from the temporary placement table. is a side view for explaining

The processing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a device for grinding a workpiece W held on a chuck table 30 by a processing means 16, and the front (−Y direction side) of the processing device 1 on the device base 10 is , an attachment/detachment area A where the workpiece W is attached to and detached from the chuck table 30 , and the rear (+Y direction side) on the device base 10 is the workpiece held on the chuck table 30 by the processing means 16 . It is a processing area B where the grinding processing of W is performed.
It should be noted that the processing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to a grinding apparatus in which the processing means 16 of the processing apparatus 1 is a single-axis grinding apparatus. A two-axis grinding device or the like that can position the workpiece W below each grinding means may be used. Further, the processing device may be a polishing device that polishes the workpiece W by a processing means having a polishing pad.

The workpiece W is, for example, a circular semiconductor wafer made of a silicon base material or the like, but is not limited to this, and may be made of gallium arsenide, sapphire, ceramics, resin, gallium nitride, silicon carbide, or the like. .
The upper surface Wb facing the upper side (+Z direction side) of the workpiece W is the surface to be ground. On the lower surface Wa opposite to the upper surface Wb, devices (not shown) such as ICs are formed in respective areas partitioned in a grid pattern. The lower surface Wa is protected, for example, by affixing a protective tape (not shown). The workpiece W may be a wafer on which devices are not formed.

A first cassette stage 150 and a second cassette stage 151 are provided on the front side (−Y direction side) of the device base 10, and the workpiece W before processing is placed on the first cassette stage 150. A first cassette 150a to be accommodated is placed, and a second cassette 151a to accommodate a workpiece W after processing is placed on a second cassette stage 151. As shown in FIG.
The first cassette 150a and the second cassette 151a have the same configuration, and as shown in FIG. The workpieces W can be stored one by one on the shelf 153 .

As shown in FIG. 1, in front of the opening of the first cassette 150a, unprocessed workpieces W are unloaded from the first cassette 150a and processed workpieces W are loaded into the second cassette 151a. A loading robot 8 is provided. At a position adjacent to the robot 8, for example, a temporary placement means 2 is arranged.

The robot 8, which will be described in detail in FIG. 2, is an articulated robot, and is equipped with a robot hand 88 having a first suction surface 88a and a second suction surface 88b for holding the workpiece W by suction. The workpiece W is transported to the temporary placement table 20 of the temporary placement means 2 shown in 1 .
The robot 8 includes a robot hand 88 having a first adsorption surface 88a and a second adsorption surface 88b for adsorbing and holding the workpiece W, a robot horizontal movement means 81 for horizontally moving the robot hand 88, and the robot hand 88. A robot vertical movement means 82 for moving in the vertical direction, and a robot reversing means 83 for vertically reversing, for example, the first attraction surface 88a and the second attraction surface 88b of the robot hand 88 are provided.

The robot horizontal movement means 81 includes, for example, a turning arm portion 811 which is composed of a plurality of plate-like arms or the like and has a pulley mechanism inside, and a driving force for turning the turning arm portion 811 in the horizontal direction. and a turning motor 812 that transmits power to the turning arm portion 811 . The lower end side of the turning arm portion 811 is connected to a vertical movement shaft 821 rotatably accommodated inside a vertical movement shaft casing 820 that constitutes the robot vertical movement means 82 .

The robot horizontal movement means 81 rotates the rotating arm portion 811 about the vertical movement shaft 821 whose axial direction is the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) by the rotational force generated by the rotating motor 812, thereby moving the robot hand 88 horizontally. (within the X-axis and Y-axis plane), and the plurality of plate-shaped arms that constitute the rotating arm portion 811 can be transformed from a state in which they intersect each other to a state in which they are linear with each other. can.

The robot vertical movement means 82 includes, for example, a cylindrical vertical drive shaft casing 820 , a vertical drive shaft 821 housed in the vertical drive shaft casing 820 so as to be rotatable and vertically movable, and a robot through the vertical drive shaft 821 . and a vertical movement motor (not shown) that generates driving force for moving the hand 88 in the Z-axis direction.

A spindle 830 of the robot reversing means 83 having an axis in the X-axis direction orthogonal to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) in FIG. A rotatably supporting housing 831 is fixed. For example, a reversing motor 832 that rotates the spindle 830 is accommodated inside the housing 831 .

The tip side of the spindle 830 protrudes from the housing 831 in the +X direction, and the holder 86 to which the root side of the robot hand 88 is attached is arranged on this tip side. As the reversing motor 832 rotates the spindle 830, the robot hand 88 connected to the spindle 830 via the holder 86 rotates, and the first attraction surface 88a of the robot hand 88 and the first attraction surface 88a The second attraction surface 88b, which is the opposite surface, can be flipped upside down for switching.

The plate-shaped robot hand 88 that sucks and holds the workpiece W has, for example, an overall shape of a rice scoop in plan view, and has a rectangular plate-shaped base portion 880 attached to the holder 86 and a base portion 880 that is integrated with the base portion 880 . and an adsorption portion 881 formed on the . In addition, the robot hand 88 is not limited to the shape in this embodiment, and may have a generally U-shaped outer shape in plan view as a whole.

In this embodiment, the robot hand 88 has one surface (the surface facing upward in FIG. 2) as a first attraction surface 88a, and the other surface (the surface facing downward in FIG. 2). surface) is the second attraction surface 88b. Note that the robot hand 88 may be configured to include only the first attraction surface 88a.

The first attraction surface 88a and the second attraction surface 88b are finished smooth, and the first attraction surface 88a and the second attraction surface 88b are arranged so as not to damage the workpiece W when they come into contact with the workpiece W. The end (ridgeline) of 88b may be chamfered.

A plurality of first suction holes 883 are opened in the first adsorption surface 88a. The first suction holes 883 are, for example, opened at five locations on the outer peripheral side of the first attraction surface 88a at approximately equal intervals, with three or four openings. It should be noted that the number of the first suction holes 883 and the location of the first suction holes 883 are not limited to this example. A deformable rubber suction cup or the like may be provided in the first suction hole 883 .
Each first suction hole 883 is connected to a robot suction source 889 such as a vacuum generator or an ejector mechanism via a resin tube, a joint, or the like (not shown).

A plurality of second suction holes 886 are opened in the second adsorption surface 88b. For example, the second suction holes 886 are opened at five locations at approximately equal intervals in the outer peripheral region of the second attracting surface 88b, each of which has three or four openings. It should be noted that the number of second suction holes 886 and the location of the second suction holes 886 are not limited to this example. A deformable rubber suction cup or the like may be provided in the second suction hole 886 .
Each second suction hole 886 is connected to a robot suction source 889 via a resin tube, a joint, or the like (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1, the temporary placement means 2 includes, for example, a temporary placement table 20 having a diameter smaller than that of the workpiece W, and a flat upper surface of the temporary placement table 20 on which the workpiece W is temporarily placed. It becomes the surface 200 . Around the temporary placement table 20 on which the workpiece W taken out from the first cassette 150a by the robot 8 is temporarily placed before being placed on the chuck table 30, the diameter of the temporary placement table 20 is reduced in the radial direction, or A plurality of positioning pins 21 movable so as to expand in diameter are arranged at equal intervals in an annular shape, and the workpiece W temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 20 is reduced in diameter by the positioning pins 21. is aligned (centered) in place.

In this embodiment, the temporary placement table 20 shown in FIG. 3 has a second opening 200a formed in a temporary placement surface 200 on which the workpiece W is temporarily placed, and the second opening 200a communicates with the table-side suction source 29. A second suction pipe 22, a second branch portion 220 that branches the second suction pipe 22, a second air supply pipe 23 that communicates the second branch portion 220 and the table-side air supply source 28, and a second branch portion A second suction valve 221 arranged in the second suction pipe 22 between 220 and the table-side suction source 29 and a second air valve 232 arranged in the second air supply pipe 23 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, rotating means 24 including a motor, a spindle, etc. is connected to the lower surface of the temporary placement table 20, and the temporary placement table 20 is rotatable about the Z axis. Inside the temporary placement table 20 and the rotating means 24, a channel 200b is formed whose upper end side communicates with the second opening 200a of the temporary placement surface 200, and a rotary joint (not shown) or the like is connected to the lower end side of the channel 200b. It communicates with the second suction tube 22 via the second suction tube 22 .

A second branch 220, such as a three-way pipe, is arranged in the middle of the second suction pipe 22 made of a flexible resin tube, metal pipe, or the like. One end of the second air supply pipe 23 as a flow path branched from the second suction pipe 22 communicates with the second branch portion 220. A side air supply 28 is in communication.

As shown in FIG. 3, a second suction valve 221 is arranged between the second branch portion 220 of the second suction pipe 22 and the table-side suction source 29 . The second suction valve 221 is, for example, a solenoid valve, and is switched between opening and closing by energizing the second suction valve 221 . Note that the second suction valve 221 is not limited to a solenoid valve.

A second air valve 232 is arranged between the second air supply pipe 23 and the table-side air supply source 28 . The second air valve 232 is, for example, a solenoid valve, and is switched between opening and closing when the second air valve 232 is energized. Note that the second air valve 232 is not limited to a solenoid valve.

(Conveying Means of Embodiment 1)
In the processing apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a workpiece W taken out from a first cassette 150a by a robot 8 and temporarily placed on a temporary placement table 20 is held on a chuck table 30 by a contact-type suction pad 41. A conveying means 4 for conveying is provided. Hereinafter, the conveying means 4 will be referred to as the conveying means of the first embodiment.
The conveying means 4 disposed near the temporary placement means 2 includes, for example, a contact-type suction pad 41 having a suction surface 410a with an opening 410b formed in the center, and a suction tube 42 communicating the opening 410b with a suction source 48. , a branch portion 422 branching the suction pipe 42, an air supply pipe 490 communicating between the branch portion 422 and the air supply source 49, and the suction pipe 42 between the branch portion 422 and the suction source 48. A suction valve 425, an air valve 493 disposed on an air supply pipe 490, a vertical movement means 44 for moving the suction pad 41 in the vertical direction perpendicular to the suction surface 410a, and a horizontal direction parallel to the suction surface 410a. and a horizontal movement means 46 for moving the .

The horizontal movement means 46 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is, for example, a rotary actuator or the like. It is provided with a turning shaft portion 461 for horizontally turning the arm portion 460 in the axial direction, and a turning motor (not shown) connected to the turning shaft portion 461 .

For example, the vertical movement means 44 is an electric cylinder provided with a rod, a motor, etc. and connected to the turning shaft portion 461 . The vertical movement means 44 can move and position the suction pad 41 to a predetermined height position in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by moving the turning shaft portion 461 up and down. Note that the vertical movement means 44 is not limited to the electric cylinder, and may be an air cylinder or the like.

The suction pad 41 includes, for example, a contact portion 410 made of an elastic material such as deformable rubber formed in a circular shape in plan view, a pipe portion 411 connected to the contact portion 410 and extending in the Z-axis direction, and a pipe portion 411 . and a connecting portion 412 integrally formed and fixed to the arm portion 460 . For example, the contact portion 410 gradually expands in diameter downward, and the lower surface thereof serves as a suction surface 410a for sucking the workpiece W. As shown in FIG. The suction surface 410a is, for example, slightly recessed to allow deformation that spreads outward in the radial direction when the contact portion 410 contacts the workpiece W. As shown in FIG.

An opening 410b is formed in the center of the suction surface 410a so as to pass through the suction pad 41 in the Z-axis direction. The suction pipe 42 communicates with the upper end side of the opening 410b via a joint (not shown) or the like. The suction tube 42 is made of a flexible resin tube or the like so as not to hinder the swivel movement of the suction pad 41 . 422 are provided. One end of an air supply pipe 490 as a flow path branched from the suction pipe 42 communicates with the branch portion 422 , and the other end of the air supply pipe 490 communicates with an air supply source 49 such as a compressor. .

As shown in FIG. 3, a suction valve 425 is arranged between a branch portion 422 of the suction tube 42 and a suction source 48 such as a vacuum generator. The suction valve 425 is, for example, a solenoid valve, and is switched between opening and closing by energizing the suction valve 425 .

An air valve 493 is arranged between the air supply pipe 490 and the air supply source 49 . The air valve 493 is, for example, a solenoid valve, and is switched between opening and closing when the air valve 493 is energized. The suction valve 425 and the air valve 493 are not limited to solenoid valves.

As shown in FIG. 1, next to the conveying means 4, there is provided a conveying means 157 that rotates while sucking and holding the workpiece W after machining. At a position close to the carry-out means 157, a single-wafer cleaning means 156 for cleaning the processed workpiece W carried by the carry-out means 157 is arranged. The cleaning means 156 holds the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W facing downward on a spinner table 156a, and sprays cleaning water onto the workpiece W from a cleaning nozzle 156b that moves above the held workpiece W. The upper surface Wb is cleaned by spraying it onto the upper surface Wb.

As shown in FIG. 1, a chuck table 30 for sucking and holding the lower surface Wa of the workpiece W is disposed within the movement range of the conveying means 4 . The chuck table 30 has, for example, a circular outer shape, and includes a holding surface 300 made of a porous member or the like and holding the workpiece W by suction. The chuck table 30 is rotatable about a rotation axis whose axial direction is the Z-axis direction (vertical direction), and is surrounded by a cover 39. It can be reciprocated on the device base 10 in the Y-axis direction by a Y-axis direction moving means (not shown) disposed under the expandable bellows cover 39a.

As shown in FIG. 1, a column 100 is erected on the rear side (+Y direction side) of the apparatus base 10, and the workpiece W held by the chuck table 30 is placed on the front surface of the column 100. A processing feed means 17 including a ball screw mechanism or the like is provided for feeding the processing means 16 for processing in the Z-axis direction.

The processing means 16 has a processing tool 164 attached to the lower end of a rotating shaft 160 whose axial direction is the Z-axis direction orthogonal to the holding surface 300 of the chuck table 30 and which is rotated by a motor 162 . The processing tool 164 is a grinding wheel, and includes a wheel base and a plurality of grinding wheels having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and arranged in a plurality of rings on the lower surface of the wheel base.

For example, inside the rotating shaft 160, a grinding water flow path (not shown) extending in the Z-axis direction is formed. Grinding water supplied to the rotating shaft 160 from a grinding water supply means (not shown) communicating with the grinding water flow path is ejected downward toward the processing tool 164 from an opening at the lower end of the grinding water flow path. A contact portion with the workpiece W is reached.

At a position adjacent to the chuck table 30 positioned below the processing means 16, for example, a thickness measuring means 38 for measuring the thickness of the workpiece W by contact is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus 1 includes, for example, control means 9 for controlling the entire apparatus. A control means 9 composed of a CPU and a storage element such as a memory is electrically connected to each component of the present invention described above. The control means 9 is electrically connected to, for example, the processing feeding means 17 and the processing means 16, and under the control of the control means 9, the processing feeding means 17 raises and lowers the processing means 16 and the processing means 16 Rotating operation of the processing tool 164 in is performed.

For example, the control means 9 is electrically connected to the swing motor 812 of the robot horizontal movement means 81 of the robot 8 shown in FIG. It is
For example, when each motor of the robot 8 is a servo motor, the rotary encoder of each servo motor is connected to the control means 9 which also functions as a servo amplifier. After the operation signal is supplied to , the number of rotations of each servomotor is output to the input interface of the control means 9 as an encoder signal. Then, the control means 9, which receives the rotation speed of the turning motor 812 as an encoder signal, sequentially recognizes the rotation angle of the vertical movement shaft 821, sequentially recognizes the turning angle and shape of the turning arm portion 811, and moves the robot hand 88. Positioning control is performed at a desired position. Further, the control means 9 receives the number of revolutions of a vertical movement motor (not shown) as an encoder signal, and while sequentially recognizing the movement amount in the Z-axis direction of the vertical movement shaft 821 shown in FIG. Position positioning controls are implemented. Further, the control means 9, which receives the rotation speed of the reversing motor 832 as an encoder signal, sequentially recognizes the rotation angle of the spindle 830, thereby controlling the orientation of the first attraction surface 88a and the second attraction surface 88b in desired directions. It can be performed.

The turning motor 812, the vertical movement motor (not shown), and the reversing motor 832 may be, for example, pulse motors (stepping motors). By counting the number of signals, the position of the robot hand 88 in the horizontal plane, the height position, and the directions of the first attraction surface 88a and the second attraction surface 88b may be sequentially recognized.

For example, the control means 9 is electrically connected to a turning motor (not shown) of the horizontal movement means 46 of the conveying means 4 and a motor (not shown) of the vertical movement means 44 .
For example, when the motors of the conveying means 4 are servo motors, the rotary encoders of the respective servo motors are connected to a control means 9 that also functions as a servo amplifier. After the operation signal is supplied, the rotation speed of each servo motor is fed back to the control means 9 as an encoder signal. Then, the control means 9 receives the number of revolutions of a turning motor (not shown) as an encoder signal, and sequentially recognizes the rotation angle of the turning shaft portion 461 shown in FIG. 1, thereby positioning the suction pad 41 at a desired position in the horizontal plane. control can be implemented. Further, the control means 9 receives the number of revolutions of the motor (not shown) of the vertical movement means 44 as an encoder signal, and sequentially recognizes the amount of movement in the Z-axis direction of the turning shaft portion 461 shown in FIG. It is possible to perform control to position at the height position of .
The motors of the conveying means 4 may be pulse motors (stepping motors), and the control means 9 counts the number of pulse signals sent from a pulse oscillator (not shown) to each pulse motor to control suction. You may control the position in the horizontal plane of the pad 41, and a height position.

For example, the control means 9 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the suction valve 425 and the air valve 493 of the conveying means 4 shown in FIG. , it is possible to control its opening and closing.

For example, the control means 9 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the second suction valve 221 and the second air valve 232 of the temporary placement table 20 shown in FIG. Alternatively, the opening and closing of the second air valve 232 can be controlled by energizing the second air valve 232 .

A case where the workpiece W shown in FIG. 1 is ground by the processing apparatus 1 will be described below.
For example, first, the workpiece W is carried out from the first cassette 150a while being sucked and held by the first suction surface 88a, for example, by the robot 8, and the robot 8 transports the workpiece W to the temporary placement means 2, for example. .

While placed on the temporary placement table 20 , the workpiece W is aligned (centered) at a predetermined position by the alignment pins 21 . Next, the suction pad 41 of the conveying means 4 is rotated by the horizontal moving means 46 to be positioned above the workpiece W, and is lowered by the vertical moving means 44 to contact the workpiece W, and the suction source 48 is moved. (See FIG. 3). Then, the workpiece W is placed on the holding surface 300 with the upper surface Wb facing upward so that the center of the chuck table 30 substantially coincides with the center of the workpiece W. is held by suction.

Next, the chuck table 30 shown in FIG. 1 holding the workpiece W moves in the +Y direction to below the processing means 16 . The machining means 16 is fed in the -Z direction by the machining feed means 17, and the machining tool 164 rotating with the rotation of the rotating shaft 160 comes into contact with the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W to perform grinding. During grinding, as the chuck table 30 rotates, the workpiece W held on the holding surface 300 also rotates, so the machining tool 164 grinds the entire upper surface Wb of the workpiece W. . In addition, grinding water is supplied to the contact portion between the processing tool 164 and the workpiece W to cool the contact portion and wash away grinding waste generated at the contact portion.

After the workpiece W is ground to a desired thickness, the machining means 16 is lifted by the machining feeding means 17 to separate it from the workpiece W, and the chuck table 30 is moved in the -Y direction to unload means 157. positioned in the vicinity of Next, the workpiece W whose upper surface Wb is sucked and held by the carry-out means 157 is carried to the cleaning means 156 . After the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W is spinner-cleaned by the cleaning means 156, the workpiece W is dried by jetting air from the cleaning nozzle 156b, for example.

In the processing apparatus 1, for example, one workpiece W is held by the chuck table 30 in order to improve the throughput of grinding the workpieces W stored in the first cassette 150a in a shelf shape. While being ground and ground, a new workpiece W is withdrawn from the first cassette 150a by the robot 8, and the centering of the workpiece W for grinding is performed in the same manner as previously described. done.

However, at the stage before the workpiece W after processing described above is accommodated in the second cassette 151a by the robot 8, and the conveying means 4 is not conveying the workpiece W, In addition, there is a timing when the workpiece W is not temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 20 and the robot 8 is not holding the workpiece W by suction. Air cleaning at 88 is performed.

The operation of each component of the processing apparatus 1 when the robot hand 88 of the robot 8 is air-cleaned in the processing apparatus 1 will be described below. In order to perform the main air cleaning, the control means 9 shown in FIG. 1 uses the robot reversing means 83 to turn the robot hand 88 upward using the robot reversing means 83, for example, the first suction surface 88a, that is, The horizontal moving means 46 of the transporting means 4 or the robot horizontal moving means of the robot 8 moves the first suction surface 88a to which dust may have adhered when the workpiece W is sucked and held from the first cassette 150a and carried out. 81 is used to position directly under the opening 410b of the suction pad 41, the suction valve 425 is closed, and the air valve 493 is opened to control the injection of air from the opening 410b. The control by the control means 9 will be explained below.

In this embodiment, under the control of the robot reversing means 83 by the control means 9, the robot hand 88 of the robot 8, for example, moves the first attraction surface 88a holding the workpiece W to the tip of the robot hand 88 by the robot reversing means 83. , facing upward (+Z direction side). That is, the first suction surface 88a is selectively directed to the +Z direction side (upper side) facing the opening 410b of the suction pad 41 of the conveying means 4 in the Z-axis direction.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, under the control of the control means 9, the suction pad 41 not holding the workpiece W is horizontally moved (rotated) by the horizontal moving means 46, Further, the height position of the suction pad 41 is adjusted by the vertical movement means 44, and the suction pad 41 is positioned directly above the temporary placement table 20 at a height position a predetermined distance above the temporary placement surface 200 of the temporary placement table 20. Positioned. As shown in FIG. 3, a space into which the robot hand 88 can enter is formed between the suction pad 41 and the temporary placement table 20 facing each other in the Z-axis direction.

Further, under the control of the control means 9, the robot hand 88 not holding the workpiece W is horizontally moved (turned) by the robot horizontal movement means 81, and the robot hand 88 is moved by the robot vertical movement means 82. While adjusting the height position, the robot hand 88 is moved above the temporary placement table 20 and positioned directly below the opening 410 b of the suction pad 41 . That is, in this embodiment, the robot hand 88 enters between the suction pad 41 and the temporary placement table 20 and is positioned directly above the temporary placement table 20 .

Further, the air valve 493 is energized by the control means 9, and the air valve 493 is opened while the suction valve 425 is closed. It communicates with the suction tube 42 . Air sent from the air supply source 49 passes through the air supply pipe 490 and the suction pipe 42 and is jetted from the opening 410b of the suction pad 41 toward the first suction surface 88a of the robot hand 88 . Then, the air blows away dust such as processing waste adhering to the first adsorption surface 88a, thereby cleaning the first adsorption surface 88a. Under the control of the control means 9, the suction pad 41 is reciprocated at a predetermined angle on the first suction surface 88a of the robot hand 88 by the horizontal movement means 46 while the suction pad 41 is jetting air downward. You may turn and move so that it may carry out. Alternatively, the robot hand 88 may be reciprocated at a predetermined angle below the suction pad 41 by the robot horizontal movement means 81 .

As described above, the processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention cleans, for example, the first adsorption surface 88a of the robot hand 88 before holding the workpiece W after processing, so that dust does not adhere thereto. When the workpiece W after processing is sucked and held by the first suction surface 88 a of the robot hand 88 , dust does not adhere to the workpiece W.

In addition, the control means 9 uses the robot reversing means 83 to selectively direct the first suction surface 88a or the second suction surface 88b in the direction facing the opening 410b of the suction pad 41 of the conveying means 4, for example. By being able to perform control for cleaning the first attraction surface 88a, the first attraction surface 88a of the robot hand 88 is brought into a clean state without dust before holding the workpiece W after processing. As a result, when the workpiece W after machining is sucked and held by the first suction surface 88a of the robot hand, dust does not adhere to the workpiece W. As shown in FIG.

Further, in the present embodiment, along with the air cleaning of the first adsorption surface 88a, the temporary placement table 20 also performs air cleaning of the second adsorption surface 88b.
That is, the second air valve 232 is energized by the control means 9, the second air valve 232 is opened while the second suction valve 221 is closed, and the table side air supply source 28 and the second air supply are connected. The pipe 23 and the second suction pipe 22 on the downstream side of the second branch portion 220 communicate with each other. Air sent from the table-side air supply source 28 passes through the second air supply pipe 23 and the second suction pipe 22 and flows from the second opening 200a of the temporary placement table 20 toward the second adsorption surface 88b of the robot hand 88. is injected. Then, the air blows away dust such as processing waste adhering to the second suction surface 88b, thereby cleaning the second suction surface 88b. Under the control of the control means 9, the robot hand 88 is rotated by the robot horizontal movement means 81 so as to reciprocate at a predetermined angle above the temporary placement table 20, which is being jetted upward with air. may

As described above, under the control of the control means 9, the first suction surface 88a and the second suction surface 88b can be cleaned at the same time. By keeping the first attraction surface 88a and the second attraction surface 88b of the robot hand 88 in a clean state free from dust, the workpiece W after processing can be placed on the first attraction surface 88a or the second attraction surface 88b. Dust is not attached to the workpiece W when the workpiece W is sucked and held by .

When the air cleaning of the first attraction surface 88a and the second attraction surface 88b is performed for a predetermined time, under the control of the control means 9, the air valve 493 is deenergized, the air valve 493 is closed, and the air supply source 49 is operated. The supply of air to the suction pad 41 is stopped. Further, for example, the suction valve 425 is energized, the suction valve 425 is opened, and the suction pad 41 is set in a state in which the next workpiece W can be sucked and held.
Under the control of the control means 9, the second air valve 232 is de-energized and the second air valve 232 is closed, and at the same time, for example, the second suction valve 221 is energized and the second suction valve 221 is opened. In this state, the temporary placement table 20 is set in a state in which the next workpiece W can be held by suction.

The processed workpiece W that has been cleaned and dried by the cleaning means 156 is carried by the robot 8 into the second cassette 151a. Here, since the first adsorption surface 88a and the second adsorption surface 88b are cleaned as described above and dirt is not attached to the robot 8, for example, the first adsorption surface 88a is used to adsorb and hold the robot 8. Dust does not adhere to the workpiece W after being machined.

(Conveying Means of Embodiment 2)
The processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 may be provided with, for example, a conveying means 5 of a second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 described below instead of the conveying means 4 of the first embodiment.
The conveying means 5 for conveying the workpiece W taken out from the first cassette 150a by the robot 8 and temporarily placed on the temporary placing table 20, for example, to the chuck table 30 is the contact type of the conveying means 4 shown in FIG. In place of the suction pad 41, the suction pipe 42, the branch portion 422, the air supply pipe 490, the suction valve 425, and the air valve 493, a large amount of air is jetted from an air jet port 500a disposed in the center to create a negative pressure. and a non-contact suction pad 50 that sucks the workpiece W in a non-contact manner; and a large flow air valve 531 disposed in the .

The non-contact suction pad 50 is mounted, for example, via a support member 467 on the lower surface side of the arm portion 460 shown in FIGS. A suction generation unit 500 that generates a negative pressure by ejecting a large amount of air from an outlet 500a and sucks the workpiece W in a non-contact manner; A regulating portion 501 for regulating the movement of the workpiece W in the horizontal direction, and a circular substrate portion 502 on which the suction generating portion 500 and the regulating portion 501 are arranged.

One suction generation unit 500 that sucks the workpiece W in a non-contact manner is arranged, for example, in the central region of the lower surface of the substrate unit 502 . For example, an air supply path 500b is formed inside the suction generation unit 500 having a disk-shaped outer shape, and the air supply path 500b is connected to an annular air ejection port 500a formed on the bottom surface of the suction generation unit 500. are in communication. One end of a high-flow air supply pipe 530 made of a resin tube or the like, which communicates with a high-flow air supply source 53 such as a compressor, is connected to the air supply path 500b. For example, the air supply path 500b may be formed with an annular orifice or the like for accelerating the large flow rate of air supplied from the large flow rate air supply source 53 to the suction generation section 500 .

The large flow air valve 531 arranged in the large flow air supply pipe 530 is, for example, a solenoid valve, and is switched between opening and closing by energizing the large flow air valve 531 from the control means 9 shown in FIG. It should be noted that the large flow air valve 531 is not limited to a solenoid valve.

The regulating portion 501 for regulating the movement of the workpiece W in the horizontal direction is formed of, for example, rubber, sponge, or the like in a columnar shape. (for example, four at intervals of 90 degrees, only two are shown in FIG. 4) are fixed.

When the workpiece W shown in FIG. Positioned with a gap. Then, the large flow rate air supply source 53 supplies a large flow rate of air to the air supply path 500 b inside the non-contact suction pad 50 via the large flow rate air supply pipe 530 . A large flow of air supplied to the non-contact suction pad 50 is accelerated through, for example, an annular orifice (not shown) in the air supply path 500b, and jetted onto the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W from the air jet port 500a. A large amount of air ejected from the air ejection port 500a flows radially from the center of the workpiece W between the non-contact suction pad 50 and the workpiece W and is released to the atmosphere. Therefore, a large amount of air flows at high speed in a small gap between the lower surface of the non-contact suction pad 50 and the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W in the radial direction. A negative pressure is generated by the effect, and the non-contact suction pad 50 sucks and holds the workpiece W in a non-contact state.
The suction generation unit 500 can generate a negative pressure for sucking the workpiece W by forming a swirl flow between itself and the workpiece W by the large flow rate air supplied from the large flow rate air supply source 53 . may be configured to

In the processing apparatus 1 provided with the conveying means 5 shown in FIG. 4, the operation of each component when cleaning the robot hand 88 of the robot 8 with air will be described below. The timing of this air cleaning is the same as the timing of air cleaning by the conveying means 4 of the first embodiment described above.

In order to perform this air cleaning, the control means 9 uses the robot reversing means 83 to suck and hold, for example, the first suction surface 88a of the robot hand 88 facing upward, that is, the workpiece W from the first cassette 150a. The first suction surface 88a to which dust may have adhered due to the transporting and carrying out is non-contact-type suction using at least one of the horizontal moving means 46 of the transporting means 5 and the robot horizontal moving means 81 of the robot 8. Positioning directly under the air ejection port 500a of the pad 50, the large flow rate air valve 531 is opened to control the ejection of air from the air ejection port 500a. The control by the control means 9 will be explained below.

In this embodiment, under the control of the robot reversing means 83 shown in FIG. 4 by the control means 9 shown in FIG. 1 adsorption surface 88a is set to face upward (+Z direction side). That is, the first suction surface 88a is selectively oriented in the +Z direction facing the air ejection port 500a of the non-contact suction pad 50 in the Z-axis direction.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, under the control of the control means 9, the non-contact suction pad 50, which does not hold the workpiece W, is horizontally moved (rotated) by the horizontal moving means 46. ), and the height position of the non-contact suction pad 50 is adjusted by the vertical movement means 44 so that the non-contact suction pad 50 is positioned at a height above the temporary placement surface 200 of the temporary placement table 20 by a predetermined distance. 50 is positioned directly above the temporary placement table 20 . As shown in FIG. 4, a space into which the robot hand 88 can enter is formed between the non-contact suction pad 50 and the temporary placement table 20 facing each other in the Z-axis direction.

Under the control of the control means 9, the robot hand 88 is horizontally moved (rotated) by the robot horizontal movement means 81, and the height position of the robot hand 88 is adjusted by the robot vertical movement means 82. The hand 88 is moved above the temporary placement table 20 and positioned directly below the air ejection port 500 a of the non-contact suction pad 50 . That is, in this embodiment, the robot hand 88 enters between the non-contact suction pad 50 and the temporary placement table 20 and is positioned directly above the temporary placement table 20 . The space provided between the robot hand 88 and the non-contact suction pad 50 is larger than the slight gap provided when the non-contact suction pad 50 sucks and holds the upper surface Wb of the workpiece W without contact. The space is set large enough to prevent negative pressure from being generated between the non-contact suction pad 50 and the robot hand 88 by supplying a large amount of air.

Further, the large flow air valve 531 is energized by the control means 9, the large flow air valve 531 opens, and the large flow air sent from the large flow air supply source 53 is supplied to the large flow air supply pipe 530 and the air supply path 500b. , and is jetted from the air ejection port 500a of the non-contact type suction pad 50 toward the first adsorption surface 88a of the robot hand 88. As shown in FIG. Then, the large flow of air blows away dust such as processing chips adhering to the first adsorption surface 88a, thereby cleaning the first adsorption surface 88a. Under the control of the control means 9 , the non-contact suction pad 50 is moved downward by the horizontal movement means 46 while the non-contact suction pad 50 is ejected downward from the first suction surface of the robot hand 88 . It may be pivotally moved so as to reciprocate at a predetermined angle on 88a. Alternatively, the robot hand 88 may be reciprocated at a predetermined angle below the non-contact suction pad 50 by the robot horizontal movement means 81 .

As described above, the processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention equipped with the conveying means 5 of the second embodiment has dust attached to, for example, the first adsorption surface 88a of the robot hand 88 before holding the workpiece W after processing. By keeping the workpiece W in a clean state, dust does not adhere to the workpiece W when the workpiece W after machining is sucked and held by the first suction surface 88 a of the robot hand 88 .

In addition, the control means 9 uses the robot reversing means 83 to selectively direct the first suction surface 88a or the second suction surface 88b in the direction facing the air ejection port 500a of the non-contact suction pad 50 of the conveying means 5. By being able to perform control to clean the selected, for example, the first suction surface 88a, dust is not attached to the first suction surface 88a of the robot hand 88 before holding the workpiece W after processing. By keeping the workpiece W clean, dust does not adhere to the workpiece W when the workpiece W after machining is sucked and held by the first suction surface 88a of the robot hand.

Further, in the present embodiment, along with the air cleaning of the first adsorption surface 88a, the temporary placement table 20 also performs air cleaning of the second adsorption surface 88b. That is, the control means 9 closes the second suction valve 221 and opens the second air valve 232 . Then, the air delivered by the table-side air supply source 28 is jetted from the second opening 200a of the temporary placement table 20 toward the second adsorption surface 88b of the robot hand 88, and the processing air adhering to the second adsorption surface 88b is ejected. Garbage such as dust is blown away. Under the control of the control means 9, the robot hand 88 may be turned by the robot horizontal movement means 81 so as to reciprocate at a predetermined angle above the temporary placement table 20 to which air is being jetted.

As described above, under the control of the control means 9, the first attraction surface 88a and the second attraction surface 88b can be cleaned at the same time. The cleaned first adsorption surface 88a or the cleaned second adsorption surface 88b is used to adsorb and hold the workpiece W, thereby preventing dust from adhering to the workpiece W.

After the air cleaning of the first suction surface 88a and the second suction surface 88b is performed for a predetermined time, the supply of the large flow rate air to the non-contact suction pad 50 by the large flow rate air supply source 53 is stopped.
Also, under the control of the control means 9, the second air valve 232 is closed and the second suction valve 221 is opened, so that the temporary placement table 20 can suction and hold the next workpiece W. set.

W: workpiece Wa: lower surface Wb: upper surface 1: processing device 10: device base A: attachment/detachment area B: processing area 100: column 150: first cassette stage 150a: first cassette 151: second cassette stage 151: Second Cassette Stage 151a: Second Cassette 153: Shelf 8: Robot 81: Robot Horizontal Movement Means 811: Turn Arm Section 812: Turn Motor 82: Robot Vertical Movement Means 820: Vertical Movement Axis Casing 821: Vertical Movement Axis 83: Robot Reversing Means 830: Spindle 831: Housing 832: Reversing Motor 835: Arm Connecting Portion 86: Holder 88: Robot Hand 880: Base 881: Suction Portion 88a: First Suction Surface 883: First Suction Holes 883 and 88b: Second adsorption surface 886: Second suction hole 886 889: Robot suction source 2: Temporary placement means 20: Temporary placement table 200: Temporary placement surface 200a: Second opening 22: Second suction pipe 220: Second branch 221: Second suction valve 23: Second air supply pipe 232: Second air valve 21: Alignment pin 24: Rotating means 28: Table side air supply source 29: Table side suction source 4: Transfer means 41: Suction pad 410: Contact part 410a: suction surface 410b: opening 42: suction pipe 422: branch portion 425: suction valve 49: air supply source 490: air supply pipe 493: air valve 44: vertical movement means 46: horizontal movement means 460: arm portion 461: turning shaft Part 48: Suction source 157: Unloading means 156: Cleaning means 30: Chuck table 300: Holding surface 39: Cover 39a: Accordion cover 17: Processing feeding means 16: Processing means 160: Rotating shaft 164: Processing tool 38: Thickness measuring means 5: Conveying means 50: Non-contact suction pad 500: Suction generation part 500a: Air ejection port 501: Regulating part 53: Large flow rate air supply source 530: Large flow rate air supply pipe 531: Large flow rate air valve

Claims (6)

A cassette stage on which a cassette having a plurality of shelves arranged in the vertical direction is placed, a chuck table for holding a workpiece, and a robot hand having a suction surface for holding the workpiece by suction are installed, and the workpiece is removed from the cassette. A processing apparatus comprising: a robot for picking up a workpiece, a conveying means for conveying the workpiece picked up by the robot to the chuck table, and a machining means for machining the workpiece held on the chuck table,
The robot comprises robot horizontal movement means for moving the robot hand in the horizontal direction and robot vertical movement means for moving the robot hand in the vertical direction,
The conveying means is
A contact-type suction pad having a suction surface with an opening formed in the center, a suction pipe communicating the opening with a suction source, a branch portion branching the suction pipe, and a branch portion communicating with an air supply source. An air supply pipe, a suction valve arranged in the suction pipe between the branch and the suction source, an air valve arranged in the air supply pipe, and an air valve arranged in the vertical direction perpendicular to the suction surface. Vertical movement means for moving the suction pad, and horizontal movement means for moving the suction pad in a horizontal direction parallel to the suction surface,
The suction surface of the robot hand directed upward is positioned immediately below the opening of the suction pad using at least one of the horizontal movement means and the horizontal movement means of the robot, the suction valve is closed, and the air valve is closed. and a control means for performing control to inject air from the opening by opening,
A processing device that cleans the suction surface of the robot hand with the air jetted from the opening. Instead of the contact-type suction pad, the suction pipe, the branch, the air supply pipe, the suction valve, and the air valve, the conveying means has a large flow of air from an air ejection port disposed in the center. A non-contact suction pad that generates negative pressure by ejecting to suck the workpiece in a non-contact manner, a large-flow air supply pipe that communicates the air ejection port and the large-flow air supply source, and the large-flow and a large flow air valve disposed in the air supply pipe,
The control means uses at least one of the horizontal movement means and the robot horizontal movement means to position the suction surface of the robot hand facing upward directly below the air ejection port of the non-contact suction pad. 2. Control for opening the large flow air valve, jetting a large flow of air from the air ejection port, and cleaning the adsorption surface of the robot hand with the large flow of air ejected from the air ejection port. Processing equipment as described. The robot hand has one surface as a first attraction surface and the other surface as a second attraction surface,
The robot includes robot reversing means for vertically reversing the first attraction surface and the second attraction surface of the robot hand,
The control means selectively causes the first suction surface or the second suction surface to face the opening of the suction pad of the conveying means using the robot reversing means, and selects the first suction surface. 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control for cleaning the second suction surface can be performed. The robot hand has one surface as a first attraction surface and the other surface as a second attraction surface,
The robot includes robot reversing means for vertically reversing the first attraction surface and the second attraction surface of the robot hand,
The control means selectively causes the first suction surface or the second suction surface to face the air ejection port of the non-contact suction pad of the conveying means by using the robot reversing means. 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein control for cleaning said first attraction surface or said second attraction surface can be performed. a temporary placement table for temporarily placing the workpiece taken out from the cassette before placing it on the chuck table;
The temporary placement table includes a second opening formed in a temporary placement surface on which the workpiece is temporarily placed, a second suction pipe connecting the second opening to a table-side suction source, and the second suction pipe branched. a second branch, a second air supply pipe communicating between the second branch and the table-side air supply source, and the second suction pipe between the second branch and the table-side suction source. a second suction valve disposed; and a second air valve disposed in the second air supply pipe,
The control means is
By moving the suction pad of the conveying means above the temporary placement table, the robot hand is caused to enter between the suction pad and the temporary placement table facing each other, and the air valve is opened to remove the suction pad. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein control can be performed to inject air from said opening, open said second air valve, inject air from said second opening, and clean said first attraction surface and said second attraction surface. processing equipment. a temporary placement table for temporarily placing the workpiece taken out from the cassette before placing it on the chuck table;
The temporary placement table includes a second opening formed in a temporary placement surface on which the workpiece is temporarily placed, a second suction pipe connecting the second opening to a table-side suction source, and the second suction pipe branched. a second branch, a second air supply pipe communicating between the second branch and the table-side air supply source, and the second suction pipe between the second branch and the table-side suction source. a second suction valve disposed; and a second air valve disposed in the second air supply pipe,
The control means is
By moving the non-contact suction pad of the conveying means above the temporary placement table, the robot hand is inserted between the non-contact suction pad and the temporary placement table facing each other, and the large flow rate is The air valve is opened to inject a large amount of air from the air ejection port of the non-contact type suction pad, the second air valve is opened to inject air from the second opening, and the first adsorption surface and the second adsorption surface are separated. 5. The processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control for cleaning the

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