JP7433709B2 - Cleaning equipment and cleaning method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning device used when cleaning a plate-shaped workpiece.

In order to realize small and lightweight device chips, there are increasing opportunities to process wafers with devices such as integrated circuits provided on the front side to make them thinner. For example, if the front surface of the wafer is held by a chuck table, the chuck table and the grindstone tool are rotated relative to each other, and the grindstone tool is pressed against the back surface of the wafer while supplying a liquid such as pure water (grinding fluid). , the wafer can be ground and made thinner.

Debris generated during grinding (grinding debris) tends to adhere to the back surface (ground surface) of a wafer that has been ground by the method described above. When the wafer with debris attached is removed from the chuck table and transported, the wafer dries and the debris adheres to the wafer. Since it is difficult to remove stuck debris, a cleaning device that can clean the backside of the wafer without removing it from the chuck table is sometimes incorporated into the grinding device (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2017-135343 Publication

Incidentally, the above-mentioned cleaning apparatus includes a nozzle for supplying cleaning fluid to the wafer, as well as a complicated movement mechanism for moving the nozzle. Therefore, when this cleaning device is incorporated into a grinding device, there is a problem that the grinding device becomes larger. Furthermore, when installing a cleaning device, it was often necessary to make major modifications to the grinding device.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and its purpose is to provide a cleaning device suitable for incorporation into processing equipment and a cleaning method using this cleaning device.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a holding pad has a circular holding surface that generates suction force and holds a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface, and is arranged in an area outside the outer periphery of the holding surface. the holding pad; It has an arm connected to the nozzle and a power source connected to the arm, and by moving the arm, the holding pad and the nozzle are moved in a direction parallel to the holding surface and in a direction parallel to the holding surface. a moving mechanism for moving the inner jet in a direction perpendicular to the inner jet, and a part of the inner jet orifice is disposed in a region between the holding surface and the jet orifice of the nozzle. . This aspect may further include an outer injection port that is arranged to surround the holding surface and the injection port of the nozzle and forms a water curtain.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holding pad that has a circular holding surface that generates suction force and holds a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface, and an area outside the outer peripheral edge of the holding surface. a nozzle having a jetting port disposed on the surface and jetting a cleaning fluid in the direction toward which the holding surface faces, and an outer side that is arranged to surround the holding surface and the jetting port of the nozzle and forming a water curtain. It has an injection port, an arm connected to the holding pad and the nozzle, and a power source connected to the arm, and by moving the arm, the holding pad and the nozzle are moved relative to the holding surface. A cleaning device is provided that includes a moving mechanism for moving in a parallel direction and in a direction perpendicular to the holding surface.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holding pad that has a circular holding surface that generates a suction force and holds a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface, and a nozzle having a jetting port disposed in a region and jetting a cleaning fluid in a direction toward which the holding surface faces; and a nozzle arranged to surround the jetting port of the nozzle in a region outside the outer periphery of the holding surface. an arm connected to the holding pad and the nozzle, and a power source connected to the arm, the holding pad and the nozzle being connected to each other by moving the arm; A cleaning device is provided that includes a moving mechanism that moves the cleaning device in a direction parallel to the holding surface and in a direction perpendicular to the holding surface.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holding pad that has an annular holding surface that generates a suction force and holds a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface, and a nozzle having a jetting port disposed in a region and jetting cleaning fluid in a direction facing the holding surface; an arm connected to the holding pad and the nozzle; and a power source connected to the arm. and a moving mechanism that moves the holding pad and the nozzle in a direction parallel to the holding surface and in a direction perpendicular to the holding surface by moving the arm. be done. This embodiment further includes an inner jet orifice disposed along the inner peripheral edge of the retaining surface and forming a water curtain, the inner jet orifice in a region between the retaining surface and the jet orifice of the nozzle. It may be placed. Further, in each aspect of the present invention, the nozzle may mix and spray gas and liquid. Further, the injection port of the nozzle may be arranged in a region opposite to the direction in which the holding surface faces, rather than the holding surface.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holding pad that has a circular holding surface that generates a suction force and holds a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface , and a nozzle having a jetting port disposed in a region and jetting a cleaning fluid in a direction toward which the holding surface faces; a starting step, a rotation starting step of starting rotation of a table holding the workpiece, and a moving step of moving the nozzle together with the holding pad across above the workpiece held on the table. and, in the moving step, an inner injection port arranged along the outer periphery of the holding surface, an outer injection port arranged so as to surround the holding surface and the injection port of the nozzle, or A cleaning method is provided in which the nozzle is moved while forming a water curtain by an outer injection port arranged so as to surround the injection port of the nozzle in a region outside the outer peripheral edge of the holding surface . According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holding pad that has an annular holding surface that generates a suction force and holds a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface, and a nozzle having a jetting port disposed in a region and jetting a cleaning fluid in a direction toward which the holding surface faces; a starting step, a rotation starting step of starting rotation of a table holding the workpiece, and a moving step of moving the nozzle together with the holding pad across above the workpiece held on the table. A cleaning method is provided that includes.

A cleaning device according to one aspect of the present invention includes, in addition to a nozzle that injects a cleaning fluid, a holding pad that holds a plate-shaped workpiece, an arm that is connected to the holding pad and the nozzle, and an arm. Since it includes a moving mechanism that moves the holding pad and the nozzle by moving it, this cleaning device can also be used as a conveying device.

In other words, since this cleaning device also functions as a conveying device for conveying the workpiece, the processing device does not need to be enlarged compared to a case where a cleaning device having a structure independent from the conveying device is provided. Furthermore, since it is sufficient to simply replace the existing conveyance device, there is no need for large-scale modification of the processing device. Thus, according to one aspect of the present invention, a cleaning device suitable for being incorporated into processing equipment can be provided. Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, a cleaning method using this cleaning device can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of a grinding device (processing device). FIG. 2(A) is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of a workpiece, and FIG. 2(B) is a perspective view schematically showing how a protection member is attached to a workpiece. . FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing a configuration example of a cleaning unit (cleaning device). FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of a cleaning unit (cleaning device). FIG. 5(A) is a plan view showing how the workpiece is cleaned by the cleaning unit (cleaning device), and FIG. 5(B) is a plan view showing how the workpiece is cleaned by the cleaning unit (cleaning device). FIG. 3 is a side view showing the situation. FIG. 6 is a side view schematically showing a configuration example of a cleaning unit (cleaning device) according to a first modification. FIG. 7 is a side view schematically showing a configuration example of a cleaning unit (cleaning device) according to a second modification.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of a grinding device (processing device) 2 in which a cleaning unit (cleaning device) according to the present embodiment is incorporated. Note that the X-axis direction (front-back direction), Y-axis direction (left-right direction), and Z-axis direction (vertical direction) used in the following description are perpendicular to each other.

As shown in FIG. 1, the grinding device 2 includes a base 4 that supports various structures that make up the grinding device 2. As shown in FIG. An opening 4a is formed on the front end side of the upper surface of the base 4, and within this opening 4a, a transport mechanism 6 for transporting a plate-shaped workpiece 11 (see FIG. 2(A) etc.) is installed. It is provided.

FIG. 2(A) is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of the workpiece 11. FIG. The workpiece 11 is, for example, a disk-shaped wafer made of a semiconductor such as silicon (Si). The surface 11a side of the workpiece 11 is divided into a plurality of small areas by a plurality of dividing lines (street) 13 that intersect with each other, and each small area has a device 15 such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). It is formed.

In this embodiment, the workpiece 11 is a disk-shaped wafer made of a semiconductor such as silicon, but there are no restrictions on the material, shape, structure, size, etc. of the workpiece 11. For example, a substrate made of other materials such as semiconductors, ceramics, resins, metals, etc. can also be used as the workpiece 11. Similarly, there are no restrictions on the type, quantity, shape, structure, size, arrangement, etc. of the device 15. The device 15 may not be formed on the workpiece 11.

For example, a protective member is attached to the surface 11a side of the workpiece 11. FIG. 2(B) is a perspective view schematically showing how the protection member 21 is attached to the workpiece 11. The protective member 21 is typically a circular tape (film) having approximately the same diameter as the workpiece 11, a resin substrate, a wafer of the same kind or a different kind as the workpiece 11, etc., and has a surface 21a on its surface 21a. is provided with an adhesive layer that exhibits adhesive strength to the workpiece 11.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2(B), the protective member 21 is attached to the workpiece 11 by bringing the surface 21a side into close contact with the surface 11a side of the workpiece 11. By attaching the protective member 21 to the front surface 11a side of the workpiece 11, when grinding the back surface 11b side opposite to the front surface 11a, the impact applied to the workpiece 11 is alleviated, and the device on the front surface 11a side is 15th grade can be protected. However, the protection member 21 may not be attached to the workpiece 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, cassette tables 10a and 10b on which cassettes 8a and 8b that can accommodate a plurality of workpieces 11 are placed are provided in front of the opening 4a. A position adjustment mechanism 12 for adjusting the position of the workpiece 11 is provided diagonally rearward of the opening 4a. This position adjustment mechanism 12 includes, for example, a disk-shaped table and a plurality of pins, and by moving the plurality of pins along the radial direction of the table, the cassette 8a is carried out by the transport mechanism 6 and placed on the table. The center of the processed workpiece 11 is aligned at a predetermined position.

A transport mechanism 14 that holds the workpiece 11 and transports it rearward is provided at a position adjacent to the position adjustment mechanism 12. The transport mechanism 14 includes a holding pad that attracts and holds the upper surface (back surface 11b) of the workpiece 11, and an arm connected to the holding pad, and moves the holding pad by moving this arm. , the workpiece 11 whose position has been adjusted by the position adjustment mechanism 12 is transported rearward. A turntable 16 is provided behind the transport mechanism 14.

The turntable 16 is connected to a rotation drive source (not shown) such as a motor, and rotates around a rotation axis that is generally parallel to the Z-axis direction. On the upper surface of the turntable 16, three chuck tables 18 for holding the workpiece 11 are provided at approximately equal angular intervals. Note that there is no limit to the number of chuck tables 18 provided on the turntable 16.

The transport mechanism 14 transports the workpiece 11 held by the holding pad to a chuck table 18 arranged at a loading/unloading position adjacent to the transport mechanism 14 . The turntable 16 rotates, for example, in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, and moves each chuck table 18 in the following order: loading/unloading position, rough grinding position (first processing position), and finish grinding position (second processing position). let

Each chuck table 18 is connected to a rotational drive source (not shown) such as a motor, and rotates around a rotation axis that is generally parallel to the Z-axis direction. A portion of the upper surface of each chuck table 18 is made of, for example, a porous material, and serves as a holding surface 18a that sucks and holds the back surface 21b of the protection member 21 attached to the workpiece 11.

This holding surface 18a is connected to a suction source (not shown) such as a vacuum pump via a suction path (not shown) formed inside the chuck table 18. The workpiece 11 carried into the chuck table 18 is held on its lower surface (surface 11a, protection member 21) side by the negative pressure of the suction source acting on the holding surface 18a.

A columnar support structure 20 is provided behind each of the rough grinding position and the finish grinding position (behind the turntable 16). A Z-axis moving mechanism 22 is provided on the front side of each support structure 20. Each Z-axis moving mechanism 22 includes a pair of guide rails 24 that are generally parallel to the Z-axis direction, and a moving plate 26 is attached to the guide rails 24 in a slidable manner.

A nut (not shown) constituting a ball screw is fixed to the rear side (back side) of each moving plate 26, and a screw shaft 28 that is approximately parallel to the guide rail 24 can rotate in this nut. It is screwed in a certain way. A motor 30 is connected to one end of the screw shaft 28. By rotating the screw shaft 28 by the motor 30, the moving plate 26 moves along the guide rail 24 in the Z-axis direction.

A fixture 32 is provided on the front (surface) of each moving plate 26. Each fixture 32 supports a grinding unit (processing unit) 34 for grinding (processing) the workpiece 11 . Each grinding unit 34 includes a spindle housing 36 that is secured to the fixture 32.

Each spindle housing 36 rotatably accommodates a spindle 38 that serves as a rotation axis substantially parallel to the Z-axis direction. The lower end of each spindle 38 is exposed from the lower end surface of the spindle housing 36. A disk-shaped mount 40 is fixed to the lower end of the spindle 38.

A grinding wheel (grindstone tool) 42a for rough grinding is attached to the bottom surface of the mount 40 on the side of the rough grinding position, and a grinding wheel (grindstone tool) 42b for finish grinding is attached to the bottom surface of the mount 40 on the side of the finish grinding position. is installed. The grinding wheel 42a for rough grinding includes a wheel base made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum and having approximately the same diameter as the mount 40. A plurality of grinding wheels containing abrasive grains suitable for rough grinding are fixed to the lower surface of this wheel base.

Similarly, the grinding wheel 42b for finish grinding includes a wheel base made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum and having approximately the same diameter as the mount 40. A plurality of grinding wheels containing abrasive grains suitable for finish grinding are fixed to the lower surface of this wheel base. In addition, the grinding wheel for finish grinding generally contains abrasive grains smaller in particle size than the abrasive grains contained in the grinding wheel for rough grinding.

A liquid supply nozzle (not shown) that can supply a liquid such as pure water (grinding fluid) to the part (processing point) where the workpiece 11 and the grinding wheel come into contact is arranged next to each grinding wheel 42a, 42b. has been done. Further, a contact or non-contact thickness measuring device (not shown) for measuring the thickness of the workpiece 11 during grinding is arranged near each grinding wheel 42a, 42b. Note that, instead of the liquid supply nozzle, or together with the liquid supply nozzle, a liquid supply port used for supplying the liquid may be provided in each grinding wheel 42a, 42b.

The workpiece 11 held on each chuck table 18 is ground by these two sets of grinding units 34. Specifically, the workpiece 11 held on the chuck table 18 at the rough grinding position is ground by the grinding unit 34 at the rough grinding position, and the workpiece 11 held on the chuck table 18 at the finish grinding position is ground. , is ground by the grinding unit 34 on the finish grinding position side.

A cleaning unit (first cleaning unit, cleaning device) 50 for cleaning the ground workpiece 11 held on the chuck table 18 is provided in front of the loading/unloading position and on the side of the transport mechanism 14. It is being Note that this cleaning unit 50 also has a function as a transport mechanism (transport device) for transporting the workpiece 11.

FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing a configuration example of the cleaning unit 50, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of the cleaning unit 50. Note that in FIG. 4, some components of the cleaning unit 50 are omitted. Further, the structure of the cleaning unit 50 and the like that cannot be visually recognized in FIGS. 3 and 4 are partially shown by broken lines.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning unit 50 includes a moving mechanism 52 disposed inside the base 4. As shown in FIG. This moving mechanism 52 includes a pair of guide rails 54 that are generally parallel to the Z-axis direction, and a moving section 56 is attached to the guide rails 54 in a slidable manner.

A nut (not shown) constituting a ball screw is provided on the guide rail 54 side of the moving part 56, and a screw shaft 58 that is generally parallel to the guide rail 54 is screwed into this nut in a rotatable manner. It is. A motor (power source) 60 is connected to one end of the screw shaft 58 . By rotating the screw shaft 58 by this motor 60, the moving part 56 moves in the Z-axis direction along the guide rail 54.

A motor (drive source) 62 is fixed on the opposite side of the moving part 56 from the guide rail 54. A lower end portion of a rod 64 that is long in a direction generally parallel to the Z-axis direction is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 62. Furthermore, the base end of an arm 66 that is long in a direction generally perpendicular to the Z-axis direction is connected to the upper end of the rod 64 . By rotating the rod 64 by the motor 62, the distal end of the arm 66 rotates about the proximal end of the arm 66 in a plane generally perpendicular to the Z-axis direction.

A ring-shaped support member 68 having a generally flat lower surface is connected to the distal end of the arm 66 in a detachable manner. The lower surface of the support member 68 is arranged approximately perpendicular to the Z-axis direction, and a disc-shaped plate is connected to the lower surface of the support member 68 via a plurality of connectors 70 such as elastic coil springs. The upper surface sides of 72 are connected.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper surface side of a disk-shaped holding pad 74 having a diameter smaller than that of the plate 72 is fixed to the center of the lower surface of the plate 72. As shown in FIG. On the lower surface side of the holding pad 74, a circular holding surface 74a is provided, which is made of, for example, a porous material and is generally flat and has a smaller diameter than the workpiece 11. This holding surface 74a is arranged approximately perpendicular to the Z-axis direction and generates a suction force for holding the workpiece 11.

Specifically, the holding surface 74a is connected to a suction source (not shown) such as a vacuum pump via a suction path (not shown) connected to the upper part of the holding pad 74. Therefore, if the holding surface 74a is brought into close contact with the upper surface (back surface 11b) side of the workpiece 11 and the negative pressure of the suction source is applied to the holding surface 74a, the workpiece 11 will be suctioned by the holding pad 74. and can be maintained.

Note that the plate 72 and the holding pad 74 are connected to the support member 68 via the elastic connector 70, as described above. Therefore, if the holding surface 74a is brought into contact with the workpiece 11 in a state where the upper surface of the workpiece 11 is not parallel to the holding surface 74a of the holding pad 74, the connector 70 will appropriately contract and the workpiece 11 will be The holding pad 74 is tilted to match the upper surface. Thereby, the entire holding surface 74a can be brought into close contact with the upper surface of the workpiece 11, and the workpiece 11 can be reliably held by the holding pad 74.

A nozzle 76 that can spray cleaning fluid is provided in an area on the outer peripheral side of the plate 72 (an area that does not overlap the holding pad 74 in plan view). This nozzle 76 is connected to piping (not shown) used to supply cleaning fluid. Further, an injection port 76a that opens downward (in the direction in which the holding surface 74a faces) is formed at the lower end of the nozzle 76, and the cleaning fluid supplied through the piping is injected from this injection port 76a. Ru.

That is, the injection port 76a of the nozzle 76 is arranged in a region outside the outer peripheral edge of the holding surface 74a of the holding pad 74, and the nozzle 76 is configured to spray a cleaning jet toward the bottom (in the direction in which the holding surface 74a faces). Inject fluid. As the cleaning fluid injected from the nozzle 76, for example, in addition to a liquid such as water, a mixed fluid (two fluids) in which a liquid such as water and a gas such as air are mixed is used.

In the cleaning unit 50 of this embodiment, the injection port 76a of the nozzle 76 is arranged in a region above the holding surface 74a of the holding pad 74 (on the opposite side to the direction in which the holding surface 74a faces). Therefore, when the workpiece 11 is held by the holding pad 74, the nozzle 76 does not interfere with the workpiece 11. However, the position of the nozzle 76 can be arbitrarily adjusted in relation to the position of the workpiece 11.

As shown in FIG. 4, an inner injection port 72a is arranged in the plate 72 along the outer periphery of the holding pad 74 (the outer periphery of the holding surface 74a). This inner injection port 72a opens downward and is connected to a pipe (not shown) used for supplying liquid such as water. The inner injection port 72a is typically a collection of a plurality of injection ports arranged in a ring along the entire outer periphery of the holding pad 74. However, one annular injection port may be used as the inner injection port 72a.

As described above, the inner injection port 72a is arranged along the entire outer peripheral edge of the holding pad 74, so that at least a portion of the inner injection port 72a is connected to the holding surface 74a of the holding pad 74 and the injection port of the nozzle 76. 76a. The liquid jetted downward from the inner injection port 72a forms a so-called water curtain, which can separate the inner space and the outer space in the radial direction with respect to the outer peripheral edge of the holding surface 74a. .

Further, an outer injection port 72b is arranged on the plate 72 along the outer peripheral edge of the plate 72 so as to surround both the holding pad 74 (holding surface 74a) and the nozzle 76. This outer injection port 72b also opens downward and is connected to a pipe (not shown) used for supplying liquid such as water.

The outer injection port 72b is typically a collection of a plurality of injection ports arranged in an annular shape along the entire outer peripheral edge of the plate 72. However, one annular injection port may be used as the outer injection port 72b. A water curtain is formed by the liquid jetted downward from the outer jet port 72b, and the inner space and the outer space can be separated from each other in the radial direction with respect to the outer peripheral edge of the plate 72.

In this cleaning unit 50, by moving the arm 66 with a motor 60 connected to the arm 66, the holding pad 74 and nozzle 76 connected to the arm 66 are moved approximately perpendicularly to the holding surface 74a of the holding pad 74. can be moved in the direction. Further, by moving the arm 66 with the motor 62 connected to the arm 66, the holding pad 74 and nozzle 76 connected to the arm 66 are moved in a direction generally parallel to the holding surface 74a of the holding pad 74. be able to.

At a position adjacent to the cleaning unit 50, a cleaning unit (second cleaning unit) 80 is provided that further cleans the workpiece 11 that is carried out by the cleaning unit 50 from the chuck table 18 arranged at the loading/unloading position. . The cleaning unit 80 includes, for example, a spinner table that rotates while holding the workpiece 11 and a nozzle that sprays a cleaning fluid onto the workpiece 11 held by the spinner table. The workpiece 11 cleaned by the cleaning unit 80 is transported by the transport mechanism 6, and is loaded into, for example, a cassette 8b.

A control unit (not shown) is connected to each component of the grinding device 2. The control unit controls the operation of each component so that the workpiece 11 can be appropriately ground. This control unit is configured by a computer including, for example, a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a main storage device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory. . The functions of the control unit are realized by operating the processing device and the like according to software stored in the auxiliary storage device.

Next, a cleaning method performed using the cleaning unit 50 of the grinding device 2 described above will be described. 5(A) is a plan view showing how the workpiece 11 is cleaned by the cleaning unit 50, and FIG. 5(B) is a side view showing how the workpiece 11 is cleaned by the cleaning unit 50. It is a diagram. Note that in FIG. 5B, some of the components are shown in cross section for convenience of explanation.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, in the cleaning method of this embodiment, first, the cleaning fluid 82 is started to be jetted from the jetting port 76a of the nozzle 76 (spraying start step). Further, rotation of the chuck table 18 holding the workpiece 11 after grinding is started (rotation start step).

In this embodiment, a mixed fluid of water and air is used as a cleaning fluid to rotate the chuck table 18 arranged at the loading/unloading position. At the same time, liquid is injected from the inner injection port 72a and the outer injection port 72b to form concentric water curtains 84a and 84b on the holding pad 74 (water curtain). formation step).

The water curtain 84a formed by the inner injection port 72a can prevent cleaning fluid sprayed onto the workpiece 11 and becoming dirty from adhering to the holding surface 74a of the holding pad 74. In addition, the water curtain 84b formed by the outer injection port 72b can prevent the cleaning fluid that has been sprayed onto the workpiece 11 and become contaminated from scattering to other areas of the grinding device 2. Note that it is also possible to protect the holding surface 74a from dirty cleaning fluid by jetting gas such as air from the holding surface 74a of the holding pad 74.

Next, the nozzle 76, the inner injection port 72a, and the outer injection port 72b (hereinafter referred to as the nozzle 76, etc.) are moved together with the holding pad 74 so as to cross the space above the workpiece 11 held on the chuck table 18. (movement step). That is, the motor 60 moves the arm 66 to adjust the position of the nozzle 76 etc. in the Z-axis direction, and then the motor 62 moves the arm 66 to move the nozzle 76 etc. in a direction generally perpendicular to the Z-axis direction. .

Thereby, the upper surface (back surface 11b) side of the workpiece 11 can be cleaned, and debris (grinding debris) generated during grinding can be removed from the upper surface side of the workpiece 11. Note that in this embodiment, the rotation of the motor 62 is controlled so that the nozzle 76 and the like reciprocate while drawing an arcuate trajectory. After the cleaning of the upper surface of the workpiece 11 is completed, the upper surface of the workpiece 11 may be held by the holding pad 74 and the workpiece 11 may be carried out from the chuck table 18 (unloading step).

As described above, the cleaning unit (first cleaning unit, cleaning device) 50 according to the present embodiment includes, in addition to the nozzle 76 that sprays cleaning fluid, the holding pad 74 that holds the plate-shaped workpiece 11. , an arm 66 connected to the holding pad 74 and the nozzle 76 , and a moving mechanism 52 that moves the holding pad 74 and the nozzle 76 by moving the arm 66 . It can also be used as a transport device.

In other words, since this cleaning unit 50 also functions as a transport mechanism for transporting the workpiece 11, the grinding device (processing device) 2 can be made larger compared to the case where a cleaning unit with a structure independent from the transport mechanism is provided. There is no need for it to change. Moreover, since it is sufficient to simply replace the conventional conveyance mechanism, there is no need for large-scale modification of the grinding device 2. In this way, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the cleaning unit 50 suitable for integration into the grinding device 2. Further, according to this embodiment, a cleaning method using this cleaning unit 50 can be provided.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the description of the embodiments described above, and can be implemented with various modifications. For example, the cleaning unit (cleaning device) 50 of the embodiment described above includes an inner injection port 72a and an outer injection port 72b in addition to the nozzle 76, but the inner injection port 72a and the outer injection port 72b are omitted. Also good.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the grinding device 2 incorporating the cleaning unit (cleaning device) 50 that functions as a transport mechanism (transport device) is shown as an example of the processing device, but other devices such as a polishing device, a cutting device, etc. The cleaning unit (cleaning device) of the present invention can also be incorporated into processing equipment.

That is, the cleaning unit (cleaning device) of the present invention is applied to a polishing device (processing device) that includes a chuck table that holds the workpiece 11 and a grinding unit (processing unit) that includes a spindle on which a polishing pad is attached. ) can be incorporated. Further, the cleaning unit (cleaning device) of the present invention can be applied to a cutting device (processing device) including a chuck table that holds the workpiece 11 and a cutting unit (processing unit) equipped with a spindle to which a cutting blade is attached. ) can be incorporated.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, one aspect of the cleaning unit (cleaning device) 50 has been described, but other aspects of the cleaning unit (cleaning device) can also be incorporated into a processing device such as a grinding device. FIG. 6 is a side view schematically showing a configuration example of a cleaning unit (cleaning device) 150 according to a first modification, and FIG. 7 is a side view schematically showing a configuration example of a cleaning unit (cleaning device) 250 according to a second modification. It is a side view which shows typically.

Note that in FIGS. 6 and 7, for convenience of explanation, some of the components are shown in cross-section. Moreover, the components of the cleaning unit 150 that do not appear in FIG. 6 and the components of the cleaning unit 250 that do not appear in FIG. 7 are the same as the components of the cleaning unit 50 according to the embodiment described above. Therefore, detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning unit 150 according to the first modification includes a ring-shaped support member 168 connected to the tip of an arm (not shown). The lower surface of the support member 168 is arranged approximately perpendicular to the Z-axis direction, and a disc-shaped plate is connected to the lower surface of the support member 168 via a plurality of connectors 170 such as elastic coil springs. The upper surface sides of 172 are connected.

The upper surface side of a disc-shaped holding pad 174 having a diameter comparable to that of the plate 172 is fixed to the lower surface of the plate 172 . On the lower surface side of the holding pad 174, a circular holding surface 174a is provided, for example, which is made of a porous material and is generally flat and has a smaller diameter than the workpiece 11. This holding surface 174a is arranged generally perpendicular to the Z-axis direction and generates a suction force for holding the workpiece 11.

Specifically, the holding surface 174a is connected to a suction source (not shown) such as a vacuum pump via a suction path (not shown) connected to the upper part of the holding pad 174. Therefore, if the holding surface 174a is brought into close contact with the upper surface (back surface 11b) side of the workpiece 11 and the negative pressure of the suction source is applied to the holding surface 174a, the workpiece 11 will be suctioned by the holding pad 174. and can be maintained.

A nozzle 176 that can spray cleaning fluid is provided in a region that does not overlap the plate 172 and the holding pad 174 in plan view. This nozzle 176 is connected to piping (not shown) used to supply cleaning fluid. Further, an injection port 176a that opens downward (in the direction in which the holding surface 174a faces) is formed at the lower end of the nozzle 176, and the cleaning fluid supplied through the piping is injected from this injection port 176a. Ru.

That is, the injection port 176a of the nozzle 176 is arranged in a region outside the outer peripheral edge of the holding surface 174a of the holding pad 174, and the nozzle 176 is configured to spray a cleaning jet toward the bottom (in the direction in which the holding surface 174a faces). Inject fluid. As the cleaning fluid injected from the nozzle 176, for example, in addition to a liquid such as water, a mixed fluid (two fluids) in which a liquid such as water and a gas such as air are mixed is used.

A disk-shaped plate 178 surrounding the nozzle 176 is fixed above the injection port 176a of the nozzle 176. Further, the plate 178 is provided with an outer injection port 178a along its outer periphery. The outer injection port 178a opens downward and is connected to a pipe (not shown) used for supplying liquid such as water. The outer injection port 178a is typically a collection of a plurality of injection ports arranged in a ring along the entire outer periphery of the plate 178. However, one annular injection port may be used as the outer injection port 178a.

As described above, the outer injection port 178a is arranged so as to surround the injection port 176a of the nozzle 176 in a region outside the outer peripheral edge of the holding surface 174a, so that at least a portion of the outer injection port 178a and the injection port 176a. The liquid jetted downward from this outer jetting port 178a forms a so-called water curtain, and there is an inner space where the jetting port 176a of the nozzle 176 is arranged, and an outer space where the holding pad 174 and the like are arranged. It can be separated from the space. Note that the outer injection port 178a of the cleaning unit 150 according to this first modification may be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning unit 250 according to the second modification includes a ring-shaped support member 268 connected to the tip of an arm (not shown). The lower surface of the support member 268 is arranged approximately perpendicular to the Z-axis direction, and a disc-shaped plate is connected to the lower surface of the support member 268 via a plurality of connectors 270 such as elastic coil springs. The upper surface sides of 272 are connected.

The upper surface side of an annular holding pad 274 having an outer diameter (diameter) comparable to that of the plate 272 is fixed to the lower surface of the plate 272 . On the lower surface side of the holding pad 274, an annular holding surface 274a is provided, for example, which is made of a porous material and is generally flat and has an outer diameter (diameter) smaller than that of the workpiece 11. This holding surface 274a is arranged approximately perpendicular to the Z-axis direction and generates a suction force for holding the workpiece 11.

Specifically, the holding surface 274a is connected to a suction source (not shown) such as a vacuum pump via a suction path (not shown) connected to the upper part of the holding pad 274. Therefore, if the holding surface 274a is brought into close contact with the upper surface (back surface 11b) of the workpiece 11 and negative pressure from the suction source is applied to the holding surface 274a, the workpiece 11 will be suctioned by the holding pad 274. and can be maintained.

A nozzle 276 that can spray cleaning fluid is provided in a region inside the inner peripheral edge 274b of the holding pad 274 (a region inside the inner peripheral edge of the holding surface 274a). This nozzle 276 is connected to piping (not shown) used to supply cleaning fluid. Furthermore, an injection port 276a that opens downward (in the direction in which the holding surface 274a faces) is formed at the lower end of the nozzle 276, and the cleaning fluid supplied through the piping is injected from this injection port 276a. Ru.

That is, the injection port 276a of the nozzle 276 is arranged in a region inside the inner circumferential edge of the holding surface 274a provided in the holding pad 274, and the nozzle 276 is configured to direct the cleaning jet downward (in the direction in which the holding surface 274a faces). Inject fluid. As the cleaning fluid injected from the nozzle 276, for example, in addition to a liquid such as water, a mixed fluid (two fluids) in which a liquid such as water and a gas such as air are mixed is used.

An inner injection port 272a is arranged on the plate 272 along the inner circumferential edge 274b of the holding pad 274 (inner circumferential edge of the holding surface 274a). This inner injection port 272a opens downward and is connected to a pipe (not shown) used for supplying liquid such as water. The inner injection port 272a is typically a collection of a plurality of injection ports arranged in a ring along the entire inner peripheral edge 274b of the holding pad 274. However, one annular injection port may be used as the inner injection port 272a.

As described above, the inner injection port 272a is arranged so as to surround the injection port 276a of the nozzle 276 in a region inside the inner circumferential edge of the holding surface 274a, so that the inner injection port 272a is connected to the holding surface 274a and the injection port. 276a. The liquid jetted downward from the inner jetting port 272a forms a so-called water curtain, which includes an inner space where the jetting port 276a of the nozzle 276 is arranged and an outer space where the holding pad 274 and the like are arranged. can be separated from Note that the inner injection port 272a of the cleaning unit 250 according to this second modification may be omitted.

In addition, the structures, methods, etc. according to the embodiments and modified examples described above can be modified and implemented as appropriate without departing from the scope of the objective of the present invention.

2: Grinding equipment (processing equipment)
4: Base 4a: Opening 6: Transport mechanism 8a: Cassette 8b: Cassette 10a: Cassette table 10b: Cassette table 12: Position adjustment mechanism 14: Transport mechanism 16: Turn table 18: Chuck table 18a: Holding surface 20: Support structure 22: Z-axis moving mechanism 24: Guide rail 26: Moving plate 28: Screw shaft 30: Motor 32: Fixture 34: Grinding unit (processing unit)
36: Spindle housing 38: Spindle 40: Mount 42a: Grinding wheel 42b: Grinding wheel 50: Cleaning unit (first cleaning unit, cleaning device)
52 : Moving mechanism 54 : Guide rail 56 : Moving part 58 : Screw shaft 60 : Motor (power source)
62: Motor (power source)
64 : Rod 66 : Arm 68 : Support member 70 : Connector 72 : Plate 72a : Inner injection port 72b : Outer injection port 74 : Holding pad 74a : Holding surface 76 : Nozzle 76a : Injection port 80 : Cleaning unit (second cleaning unit)
82: Fluid 84a: Water curtain (water curtain)
84b: Water curtain (water curtain)
150: Cleaning unit (cleaning device)
168 : Support member 170 : Connector 172 : Plate 174 : Holding pad 174a : Holding surface 176 : Nozzle 176a : Spray port 178 : Plate 178a : Outside jet port 250 : Cleaning unit (cleaning device)
268 : Support member 270 : Connector 272 : Plate 272a : Inner injection port 274 : Holding pad 274a : Holding surface 274b : Inner peripheral edge 276 : Nozzle 276a : Injection port 11 : Workpiece 11a : Front surface 11b : Back surface 13 : Scheduled for division line (street)
15: Device 21: Protective member 21a: Front surface 21b: Back surface

Claims (10)

a holding pad having a circular holding surface that generates suction force and holding a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface;
a nozzle having a jetting port disposed in a region outside the outer peripheral edge of the holding surface and jetting a cleaning fluid in a direction toward which the holding surface faces;
an inner injection port arranged along the outer periphery of the holding surface and forming a water curtain;
an arm connected to the holding pad and the nozzle;
A moving mechanism having a power source connected to the arm and moving the holding pad and the nozzle in a direction parallel to the holding surface and a direction perpendicular to the holding surface by moving the arm. and ,
A cleaning device in which a portion of the inner jet orifice is arranged in a region between the holding surface and the jet orifice of the nozzle . 2. The cleaning device according to claim 1 , further comprising an outer spray port arranged to surround the holding surface and the spray port of the nozzle to form a water curtain. a holding pad having a circular holding surface that generates suction force and holding a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface;
a nozzle having a jetting port disposed in a region outside the outer peripheral edge of the holding surface and jetting a cleaning fluid in a direction toward which the holding surface faces;
an outer injection port that is arranged to surround the holding surface and the injection port of the nozzle and forms a water curtain;
an arm connected to the holding pad and the nozzle;
A moving mechanism having a power source connected to the arm and moving the holding pad and the nozzle in a direction parallel to the holding surface and a direction perpendicular to the holding surface by moving the arm. and cleaning equipment including. a holding pad having a circular holding surface that generates suction force and holding a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface;
a nozzle having a jetting port disposed in a region outside the outer peripheral edge of the holding surface and jetting a cleaning fluid in a direction toward which the holding surface faces;
an outer injection port that is arranged to surround the injection port of the nozzle in a region outside the outer peripheral edge of the holding surface and forms a water curtain;
an arm connected to the holding pad and the nozzle;
A moving mechanism having a power source connected to the arm and moving the holding pad and the nozzle in a direction parallel to the holding surface and a direction perpendicular to the holding surface by moving the arm. and cleaning equipment including. a holding pad having an annular holding surface that generates suction force and holding a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface;
a nozzle having a jetting port disposed in a region inside the inner peripheral edge of the holding surface and jetting a cleaning fluid in a direction toward which the holding surface faces;
an arm connected to the holding pad and the nozzle;
A moving mechanism having a power source connected to the arm and moving the holding pad and the nozzle in a direction parallel to the holding surface and a direction perpendicular to the holding surface by moving the arm. and cleaning equipment including. further comprising an inner jet orifice disposed along the inner peripheral edge of the retaining surface and forming a water curtain;
6. The cleaning device according to claim 5 , wherein the inner jet orifice is arranged in a region between the holding surface and the jet orifice of the nozzle. 7. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle sprays a mixture of gas and liquid. The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the injection port of the nozzle is arranged in a region opposite to the direction in which the holding surface faces. . It has a circular holding surface that generates a suction force, a holding pad that holds a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface, and an injection port that is arranged in an area outside the outer peripheral edge of the holding surface . a jetting start step of starting jetting the cleaning fluid from the jetting port of the nozzle of the cleaning device including a nozzle that jets the cleaning fluid in a direction in which the holding surface faces;
a rotation start step of starting rotation of the table holding the workpiece;
moving the nozzle together with the holding pad across above the workpiece held on the table ;
In the moving step, the inner injection port is arranged along the outer periphery of the holding surface, the outer injection port is arranged so as to surround the holding surface and the injection port of the nozzle, or the outer periphery of the holding surface. A cleaning method in which the nozzle is moved while forming a water curtain by outer spray ports arranged so as to surround the spray port of the nozzle in an outer region . It has an annular holding surface that generates a suction force, a holding pad that holds a plate-shaped workpiece on the holding surface, and an injection port that is disposed in an area inside the inner peripheral edge of the holding surface . a jetting start step of starting jetting the cleaning fluid from the jetting port of the nozzle of the cleaning device including a nozzle that jets the cleaning fluid in a direction in which the holding surface faces;
a rotation start step of starting rotation of the table holding the workpiece;
A cleaning method comprising the step of moving the nozzle together with the holding pad across above the workpiece held on the table.

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