JPH11254306A - Polishing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve throughput by providing a first carrying body for simultaneously transferring a plurality of carriers held side by side onto a polishing surface plate and a second carrying body for simultaneously selecting the plurality of carriers located on the polishing surface plate from the same while holding the carriers side by side. SOLUTION: By utilizing the transfer period of carriers C by first to third carrying mechanisms 21, 22 and 23, especially using the second and third carrying mechanisms 22 and 23, a plurality of carriers C (semiconductor wafers W) are discharged en bloc from first and second polishing surface plates 11 and 12. By using this discharging timing, the respective polishing surfaces of the first and second polishing surface plates 11 and 12 are cleaned by using first and second cleaning mechanisms 31 and 32. Thus, throughput in an entire polishing process is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a polishing apparatus which improves the efficiency of feeding a semiconductor wafer to a polishing platen and shortens the overall processing time in the polishing process.

[0002]

[Related Background Art] Polishing apparatus for semiconductor wafers, especially chemical mechanical polishing apparatus (CMP apparatus)
Usually, as shown in FIG. 8, a polishing surface plate 2 having a polishing surface attached to a polishing cloth 1 as a polishing surface, a polishing head 3 for holding a semiconductor wafer W such as silicon and pressing the same against the polishing surface,
Means 4 for supplying polishing liquid (slurry) S on the polishing surface
The surface of the semiconductor wafer W is polished by rotating the polishing platen 2 while rotating the polishing head 3 at the same time. In the figure, reference numeral 5 denotes a cleaning brush for cleaning the polished surface after the polishing process.

Recently, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-6386
As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2 (1993) -1990, the polishing efficiency of the polishing process is improved by polishing the semiconductor wafer W stepwise as a first polishing, a second polishing,. Various attempts have been made to achieve this. In this case, the polishing accuracy of each polishing platen 2 is adjusted stepwise by sequentially varying the roughness of the polishing cloth 1 attached to each polishing platen 2 and the particle size of the polishing liquid S supplied to the polishing surface. Is done.

On the other hand, the semiconductor wafer W is fed (supplied and taken out) to the polishing platen 2 by using, for example, a carrier for carrying the semiconductor wafer W, and the polishing head 3 holds the carrier to hold the semiconductor wafer W. The semiconductor wafer W is subjected to a polishing process by the polishing platen 2. By the way, the carrier generally has a porous suction pad on its lower surface,
The suction pad surface is configured to wet and hold the semiconductor wafer W with water (pure water).

[0005]

Incidentally, this type of polishing apparatus is configured such that the semiconductor wafers W are supplied one by one to the polishing platen 2 to perform the polishing process. However, the feeding (transfer) of the semiconductor wafer W requires a relatively long time, and during that time, it is necessary to stop the polishing platen 2. Therefore, a problem in improving the polishing processing efficiency (throughput). It has become.

In the apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-63882, the semiconductor wafers (one by one) supplied to the innermost part of the polishing platen 2 using a center roller and a guide roller are used. Carriers) are sequentially moved on the polishing platen 2 and the semiconductor wafers (carriers) are taken out from the downstream side thereof, so that the semiconductor wafers (carriers) are supplied and taken out in parallel, thereby increasing the throughput. We are improving. However, since it is necessary to incorporate a center roller and a guide roller into the polishing platen 2, the configuration becomes large.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a highly practical polishing apparatus which can easily and effectively improve the throughput of polishing processing. is there. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a polishing apparatus in which the throughput of a semiconductor wafer is improved by efficiently feeding a semiconductor wafer to a polishing platen.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a polishing apparatus according to the present invention is provided so as to be rotatable and has a polishing surface whose upper surface is a polishing surface, and is transferred onto the polishing surface plate. A plurality of carriers are mounted and rotated, respectively, and a plurality of polishing heads for pressing the semiconductor wafer held on the lower surface of the carrier against the polishing surface, and in particular, a plurality of carriers are arranged side by side. A first carrier that is held and transferred simultaneously to the polishing platen; and a second carrier that holds a plurality of carriers on the polishing platen side by side and simultaneously carries the carrier from the polishing platen. It is characterized by that.

That is, in the polishing apparatus according to the present invention, a carrier for feeding a carrier holding a semiconductor wafer to a polishing platen is simultaneously polished and fixed while holding a plurality of (for example, two) carriers side by side. A plurality of polishing heads configured to be supplied on the plate and to simultaneously take out a plurality of carriers from the polishing platen, and to perform a polishing process by mounting the plurality of carriers supplied on the polishing platen respectively. By preparing,
It is characterized in that a plurality of semiconductor wafers are processed in parallel.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is, for example, claim 2
As described in the above, the first and second conveyors, the polishing platen has a rotation axis on the side, the upper surface of the polishing platen and a position off the upper surface of the side portion thereof The arm is provided so as to be rotatable between them. Further, as set forth in claim 3, a plurality of the polishing plates are provided side by side with different polishing accuracy in order, and a plurality of carriers are simultaneously carried out from the polishing plate on the upstream side.
Is made to function as a first carrier for simultaneously transferring the plurality of carriers to a polishing platen at the next stage.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the carrier has a structure in which an engaging portion engageable with each of the first and second carriers is provided on the entire peripheral surface thereof. In the polishing head, the upper surface of the carrier is sucked, and the engaging portion is used by mechanically engaging with the engaging portion and having a plurality of engaging pieces for gripping the carrier from the peripheral surface. Thus, the carrier is stably transported by the first and second carriers, and the carrier is stably and reliably mounted by the polishing head.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A polishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overall schematic configuration of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a plan layout thereof, and FIG.
Indicates schematically the movement of each part. This polishing device,
It includes a clean room 10 that forms a predetermined working space, or is built in the clean room 10,
For example, first and second polishing plates 1 having different polishing accuracy
1 and 12 are realized.

Particularly, this polishing apparatus is characterized by:
A semiconductor wafer W is applied to each of the polishing platens 11 and 12,
Specifically, as described later, a plurality of transport mechanisms (in this example, two transport mechanisms) for transporting the carrier C holding the semiconductor wafer W are provided.
Polishing plates 1 by holding the carrier C
1 and 12 at the same time, and is taken out from the polishing plates 11 and 12 at the same time. This transport mechanism will be described later in detail.

Here, the overall configuration of the polishing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. The semiconductor wafer W to be subjected to polishing processing is supplied and stored in, for example, a stocker 13 that stores a plurality of semiconductor wafers W side by side. Is done. The first wafer transport mechanism 14 sequentially takes out the semiconductor wafers W one by one from the stocker 13 and supplies the semiconductor wafers W onto a rotary carrier mounting table 15. For example, the first wafer transport mechanism 14 includes linear actuators that can move in directions orthogonal to each other. Xy table 14a, and the x supported by the xy table 14a.
a robot hand 14b rotatable in the plane of movement of the y-table 14a and vertically movable with respect to the plane of movement. The robot hand 14b is configured to grip, for example, the edge of the semiconductor wafer W in the diameter direction.

The semiconductor wafer W drawn out of the stocker 13 by the first wafer transfer mechanism 14 and transferred onto the carrier mounting table 15 is mounted on the lower surface of the carrier C by the operation of the carrier mounting mechanism 16. Is done. Incidentally, the carrier C is formed of a disk having a larger diameter than the semiconductor wafer W, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, and has a step (groove of a predetermined depth) over its entire circumference on its peripheral surface, and an engaging portion D. It has a structure provided with a porous suction pad P on its lower surface. The carrier C sucks and holds the semiconductor wafer W by pressing the surface of the suction pad P against the semiconductor wafer W with the surface wet with water (pure water).

The carrier mounting mechanism 16 is provided with a carrier holding portion 16b on an xyz stage 16a movably provided in a predetermined space, and is basically supplied on the carrier mounting table 15. The role of holding the carrier C and holding the semiconductor wafer W supplied onto the carrier mounting table 15 by the first wafer transfer mechanism 14 on the lower surface of the carrier C held by the carrier holding unit 16b. Carry. The carrier mounting mechanism 1
Reference numeral 6 denotes a carrier holding portion 16b provided with a semicircular curved concave portion as a carrier holding portion 16b as shown in FIG. 3, for example. The portion 16b is engaged with the engaging portion D, and the carrier C is held by slightly rising in this state.

The carrier mounting mechanism 16 having such a carrier holding portion 16b holds the carrier C by the operation of the xyz stage 16a, and descends on the semiconductor wafer W supplied onto the carrier mounting table 15. ,
The semiconductor wafer W is brought into close contact with the lower surface of the carrier C to hold the semiconductor wafer W by suction. In this state, it rises from above the carrier mounting table 15 and moves in the lateral direction, thereby playing a role of transporting the semiconductor wafer W together with the carrier C.

Now, between the carrier mounting table 15 and the first polishing platen 11, a first transfer for receiving the carrier C from the carrier mounting mechanism 16 and transferring the carrier C onto the first polishing platen 11 is performed. A mechanism 21 is provided. The first transport mechanism 21 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), from a T-shaped rotating arm 21b provided with a carrier holding portion 21a for holding a plurality (two) of carriers C side by side. The first polishing platen 11 is rotatably provided between a position above the carrier mounting table 15 and the first polishing platen 11. The above-described carrier mounting mechanism 16 sequentially transfers the carriers C holding the semiconductor wafers W by suction to the first transport mechanism 21 positioned above the carrier mounting table 15 as described above, thereby performing the first transport. The carrier C is mounted on each of the two carrier holding portions 21a of the mechanism 21.

The first transport mechanism 21 is driven to rotate while the carriers C are respectively mounted on the carrier holding portions 21a, and the carrier C (semiconductor wafer W) is moved to a position above the first polishing platen 11. Transfer. In this transfer, the carrier C (semiconductor wafer W) held by the carrier holding unit 21a by the rotation of the rotating arm 21b is positioned on the first polishing platen 11, and then the rotating arm 21b is lowered to move the carrier C (semiconductor wafer W). The semiconductor wafer W is placed on the first polishing platen 11. In this state, the carrier holding portion 21a is removed from the carrier C by retracting the pivot arm 21b in the direction of the pivot axis.
This is done by raising As a result, the two semiconductor wafers W are left on the first polishing platen 11, and the two semiconductor wafers W on the first polishing platen 11 are left.
Is completed.

After the plurality of (two) semiconductor wafers W are supplied onto the first polishing platen 11 in this manner, the first transfer mechanism 21 moves to the original position of the carrier mounting table 15. It returns to the upper position. Thereafter, in this state, the polishing head provided opposite to the first polishing platen 11 is lowered to hold the carrier C supplied on the first polishing platen 11, and the first polishing platen is held. The polishing process of the semiconductor wafer W is performed by rotating the polishing table 11. Further, during the polishing process of the semiconductor wafer W by the first polishing platen 11, the next carrier that has adsorbed the semiconductor wafer W to the first transfer mechanism 21 that has been rotated and returned to the position above the carrier mounting table 15. C is mounted.

Incidentally, in this example, two polishing heads are provided at a distance from each other in the diameter direction with respect to the center of rotation of the first polishing platen 11 in this example. And each polishing head is the first
The two carriers C supplied on the polishing platen 11 are respectively mounted on the lower surfaces thereof, and the semiconductor wafer W held by the carrier C is rotated and polished on the polishing surface of the first polishing platen 11 with a predetermined pressure. It is something to impose. By the rotation of the rotating head and the overall rotation of the first polishing platen 11, the polishing of the semiconductor wafer W using the slurry supplied to the polishing surface of the polishing platen 11 is executed.

On the other hand, between the first polishing platen 11 and the second polishing platen 12, a plurality of semiconductor wafers W polished by the first polishing platen 11 are placed. A second transport mechanism 22 is provided for receiving the semiconductor wafer W together with the carrier C holding the same and simultaneously taking out the semiconductor wafer W from the first polishing platen 11 and simultaneously transferring the carriers C onto the second polishing platen 12. ing. That is, the second transport mechanism 22
Functions as a transport mechanism for unloading the carrier C from the first polishing platen 11 and also functions as a transport mechanism for supplying the carrier C to the second polishing platen 12.

The second transport mechanism 22 is provided with a carrier holding portion 22a for holding a plurality (two) of carriers C side by side, as shown in FIG. 4B, for example.
The first polishing table 11 and the second polishing table 12 are rotatably provided between the first polishing table 11 and the second polishing table 12. The second transport mechanism 22 enters the plurality of carriers C placed on the polishing plates 11 and 12 from the lateral direction by rotation of the rotation arm 22b, and retreats to hold the carrier. The carrier C is detached by the part 22b. Then, the carrier C is held by raising the turning arm 22b in a state where the carrier holding portion 22b is engaged with the carrier C, and the carrier C is conveyed by turning in this state.

Incidentally, the second transport mechanism 22 is provided with the first
After the simultaneous transfer of the plurality of carriers C from the polishing platen 11 to the second polishing platen 12 is completed, the carrier C is positioned between the first and second polishing platens 11 and 12, and The first and second polishing plates 11 and 12 do not hinder the polishing of the semiconductor wafer W.

When the carrier C holding the semiconductor wafer W is unloaded from the first polishing platen 11 by the second transfer mechanism 22, the first polishing platen 11 is interlocked with this. Cleaning mechanism 3 provided on the side of
1 is driven, and the polished surface of the first polishing platen 11 to which the polishing cloth has been adhered after the polishing process is cleaned. The first cleaning mechanism 31 includes, for example, a rotating arm 31b provided with a cleaning brush 31a at the tip thereof.
The cleaning brush 31a is moved from the radial direction onto the first polishing platen 11 that is driven to rotate, thereby cleaning the entire polishing surface (polishing cloth).

Now, the second polishing platen 12
The polishing table 11 is configured in the same manner as the first polishing table 11 except that the polishing precision is set more finely. Then, a plurality of (two) carriers C supplied simultaneously by the second transport mechanism 22 are mounted on a polishing head, and the semiconductor wafer W sucked and held by each of the carriers C is further polished. I have. The semiconductor wafer W by the second polishing platen 12
Is a finish polishing with respect to the primary polishing by the first polishing platen 11.

In this manner, a plurality (two) of the plurality of semiconductor wafers W that have been subjected to the polishing treatment by the second polishing table 12 are provided on the side portions of the second polishing table 12 for finish polishing the plurality of semiconductor wafers W. A third transfer mechanism 23 for simultaneously taking out the semiconductor wafer W together with the carrier C is provided. The third transport mechanism 23 is configured similarly to the first transport mechanism 21. Further, the third polishing platen 12 has a third portion on the side thereof.
The carrier C on the second polishing platen 12 is carried out by the transport mechanism 23 of FIG.
A second cleaning mechanism 32 for cleaning the second polishing platen 12 until the next carrier C is supplied by the transport mechanism 22 is provided. The second cleaning mechanism 32 is configured similarly to the first cleaning mechanism 31 described above, and after the semiconductor wafer W is unloaded from the second polishing platen 12 by the third transfer mechanism 23, It is used for cleaning the polished surface of the second polishing platen 12.

The plurality of carriers C held by the third transport mechanism 23 and carried out of the second polishing platen 12 are moved by the carrier detaching mechanism 17 configured similarly to the carrier mounting mechanism 16. Third transport mechanism 2
The sheets are taken out one by one from 3 and sequentially transferred onto a temporary receiving table 18. The semiconductor wafer W held by the carrier C and polished as described above is removed from the carrier C on the temporary holder 18. The carrier C from which the semiconductor wafer W has been removed is held by a carrier transfer mechanism 19 rotatably provided between the temporary receiving table 18 and the carrier mounting table 15 and transferred onto the carrier mounting table 15. Is used for holding the next semiconductor wafer W.

The semiconductor wafer W left on the temporary receiving table 18 is basically held by a second wafer transfer mechanism 20 constructed in the same manner as the first wafer transfer mechanism 14, and is carried out. It is sequentially stored in the stocker 13. The polished semiconductor wafers W are transported to the next step together with the stockers 13 in a state where a predetermined number of the semiconductor wafers W are stored in the stockers 13.

As described above, in the polishing apparatus according to this embodiment, the semiconductor wafers W stored and supplied in the stocker 13 are mounted one by one on the carrier C, and two semiconductor wafers W are transferred to the first transport mechanism 21 together with the carrier C. Each of them is held and transported to the first polishing platen 12 at the same time. And the first
The two semiconductor wafers W, which have been polished collectively by the polishing platen 11, are transported together with the carrier C holding the semiconductor wafers W from the first polishing platen 11 by the second transport mechanism 22 to the second polishing platen. The two semiconductor wafers W transferred to the plate 12 and polished at once by the second polishing platen 12 are transferred by the third transfer mechanism 23 together with the carrier C holding the semiconductor wafers W to the second polishing plate 12.
Is carried out from the polishing platen 12 and stored one by one in the stocker 13, thereby completing a series of polishing processes.

The first to third transport mechanisms 21 and 2
Simultaneous transfer of the plurality of carriers C (semiconductor wafer W) to the first and second polishing plates 11 and 12 by 2, 23 is performed in synchronization with each other. Specifically, the plurality of semiconductor wafers W (carriers C) are discharged from the first polishing platen 11 by the second transfer mechanism 22, and the plurality of semiconductor wafers W (carrier C) are discharged from the second polishing platen 12 by the third transfer mechanism 23. And discharge of the semiconductor wafer W (carrier C). After a while, the first
The plurality of semiconductor wafers W (carriers C) are supplied to the first polishing platen 11 by the transfer mechanism 21 and the plurality of semiconductors discharged from the first polishing platen 11 by the second transfer mechanism 22. Second polishing platen 1 for wafer W (carrier C)
2 are supplied simultaneously. The supply and unloading of the semiconductor wafer W to and from the first and second polishing plates 11 and 12 are repeatedly performed with the polishing processing time of the semiconductor wafer W on each of the polishing plates 11 and 12 interposed therebetween.

The mounting of the carrier C (semiconductor wafer W) on the first transfer mechanism 21 and the removal of the carrier C (semiconductor wafer W) from the third transfer mechanism 23 are performed by the first and second polishing described above. The polishing is performed one by one using the polishing time of the semiconductor wafer W by the surface plates 11 and 12.
Thus, according to the polishing apparatus thus configured, the first
Wafer W by the second polishing plates 11 and 12
The plurality of (two) carriers C can be mounted on the first transfer device 21 by utilizing the polishing processing time, and these can be transferred and supplied onto the first polishing platen 11 at the same time. Also the first
The transfer of a plurality of (two) semiconductor wafers W from the polishing platen 11 to the second polishing platen 12
) Can be simultaneously performed by the second transport mechanism 22 to which the carrier C can be mounted. Then, a plurality of (two) semiconductor wafers W are taken out from the second polishing platen 12 (two).
Can be simultaneously performed by the third transfer mechanism 23 to which the carrier C can be mounted, and the removal of the carrier C from the third transfer mechanism 23 and the removal of the semiconductor wafer W from the carrier C The polishing can be performed using the polishing processing time of the semiconductor wafer W by the first and second polishing plates 11 and 12.

Therefore, the first and second polishing plates 11, 1
The transfer of the plurality of semiconductor wafers W to the wafer 2 can be efficiently performed in a short time, and the throughput in the overall polishing process can be greatly improved.
Particularly, since a plurality of (two) semiconductor wafers W are simultaneously transferred while being held side by side and collectively by the first to third transfer mechanisms 21, 22, and 23, the transfer processing time can be reduced to half or less. Can be.

The first to third transport mechanisms 21, 22, 2
1 and the second and third transport mechanisms 22, 23, in particular, using the transfer period of the carrier C by
First and second polishing using the first and second cleaning mechanisms 31 and 32 utilizing the timing at which a plurality of carriers C (semiconductor wafers W) are discharged from the polishing platens 11 and 12 at once. Since the respective polished surfaces of the surface plates 11 and 12 can be cleaned, the throughput in the overall polishing process can be improved also in this regard.

The first and second polishing plates 11,
12, the first and second transport mechanisms 21 and 22
The carrier C transported by the
The polishing head for subjecting the semiconductor wafer W held in the polishing head to a polishing process is configured, for example, as shown in FIG. The polishing head will be briefly described. The polishing head is mounted on the lower end of the rotating shaft 41 and has a chuck mechanism 42 for mounting the carrier C on the lower surface thereof. The chuck mechanism 42 includes a suction portion 43 that suction-holds the upper surface of the carrier C using a negative pressure, and a plurality of L-shaped engagement portions that engage with groove-shaped engagement portions D provided on the peripheral surface of the carrier C. Engagement piece 4
4 and an air cylinder 45 as a drive mechanism that presses the engaging piece 44 to be deflected outward when the carrier C is attached or detached. The suction part 43 is provided with a plurality of suction ports 43b in the carrier holding plate 43a, and the carrier holding plate 43a is provided through the suction ports 43b.
Is vacuum-evacuated between the lower surface of the carrier C and the upper surface of the carrier C so that the carrier C
It functions so as to adsorb.

In the polishing head having such a structure, the air cylinder 45 is driven to press the upper end of the engagement piece 44, and the lower end of the engagement piece 44 (the engagement portion with the carrier C) is moved outward. In the deflected state, it is lowered toward the polishing surface of the polishing platen 11 (12). Then, the carrier holding plate 43a is provided on the upper surface of the carrier C supplied on the polishing platen.
The driving of the air cylinder 45 is stopped in this state, and the upper surface of the carrier C is sucked through the suction port 43b. Then, the L-shaped engagement piece 44
However, the outward bias by the air cylinder 45 is released, and the air cylinder 45 is elastically returned to the original position, and is engaged with the engaging portion D provided on the peripheral surface of the carrier C. At the same time, the upper surface of the carrier C is sucked by the suction part 42, and the carrier C holding the semiconductor wafer W on the lower surface is firmly and stably mounted on the polishing head. In this state, the rotating shaft 41 is driven to rotate, and the carrier C, and eventually the semiconductor wafer W held by the carrier C, is rotated and pressed against the polishing surface of the polishing platen 11 (12).

When the carrier C is removed from the polishing head, the rotation of the rotary shaft 41 is stopped and the application of the negative pressure to the suction portion 42 is stopped in a state where the pressing force on the polishing surface is released. The air cylinder 45
Is driven to bias the engaging piece 44 outward, and in this state, the polishing head is raised from the upper surface of the polishing platen 11 (12). Then, the polishing head becomes the polishing platen 1
1 (12), the carrier C is lifted up with the carrier C remaining, and the removal of the carrier C is completed.

Thus, according to the polishing head having such a structure, the upper surface of the carrier C is sucked and held by the suction portion 42, and the engaging portion D used for transporting the carrier C is effectively utilized. Since the carrier C is mechanically held by engaging the engagement piece 44 with D, the carrier C can be simply, firmly and stably mounted, and held. Further, there is an advantage that the attachment / detachment of the carrier C can be easily controlled only by the air control for the suction portion 42 and the air cylinder 45.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the present invention can be similarly applied to a polishing apparatus provided with more polishing plates in FIGS. 6A to 6C. That is, FIG. 6A is a configuration example of a three-plate type,
FIG. 6B shows a configuration example of a 4-plate type, and FIG. 6C shows a configuration example of a 6-plate type, respectively. The carrier transport mechanism may be configured to transport a plurality of carriers C simultaneously. In this case, the transport mechanism may be realized as a rotary arm type or an xy table type according to the positional relationship between the respective polishing plates.

In this case, in one polishing platen, 2
Although the plurality of semiconductor wafers W are polished at the same time, three or more semiconductor wafers W are collectively polished in accordance with the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W to be polished and the diameter of the polishing platen. Can also be configured. In this case, the carrier C transport mechanism may be configured to simultaneously transport a number of carriers C corresponding to the number of semiconductor wafers W to be polished collectively on the polishing platen. However, in this case, the carrier C is provided with an engagement piece that engages with an engagement portion D provided on the peripheral surface of the carrier C, for example, as seen in the above-described polishing head also in the transport mechanism. It is desirable to have a simple configuration.

As for the engagement structure between the carrier C and the transport mechanism, for example, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), the engagement portion D provided on the peripheral surface of the carrier C is formed as a step portion having a small diameter on the lower surface side. Alternatively, it may be realized as an annular projection as shown in FIG. Further, it is also possible to realize the engaging portion D as shown in FIG. 7C as a projecting portion having an arcuate cross section or as shown in FIG. 7D. Further, as shown in FIG. 7E, it is also possible to embed the magnet M on the side of the transport mechanism and to attract the magnet M to the peripheral surface of the carrier C to hold the carrier C. In addition, the present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention, the transport mechanism for transporting the carrier holding the semiconductor wafer to the polishing platen holds a plurality of carriers side by side, and collectively holds these carriers. The transfer time of the semiconductor wafer to the polishing platen can be greatly reduced. In particular, since the transfer efficiency of the semiconductor wafer between a plurality of polishing plates can be increased, the throughput in the polishing process can be greatly improved, and the configuration of the transfer mechanism is relatively simple. A great effect can be achieved.

Further, since the transport mechanism simultaneously transfers a plurality of carriers to the polishing platen, the stopping period of the polishing platen can be shortened to improve the processing efficiency of the polishing platen, and the processing from the polishing platen can be improved. The effect that the polished surface can be efficiently cleaned using the discharge period of the carrier (semiconductor wafer) can be obtained. Further, the polishing process of a plurality of semiconductor wafers by the polishing platen is used when loading carriers one by one into the transport mechanism at the entrance or removing carriers one by one from the transport mechanism at the exit. Therefore, the processing time does not adversely affect the throughput.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall planar layout configuration of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and the movement of each section.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a carrier.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a carrier and a carrier mounting mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a transport mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a polishing head.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a modified example of a carrier and its transport mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of a polishing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 First Polishing Surface Plate 12 Second Polishing Surface Plate 21 First Transport Mechanism 21a Carrier Holder 21b Rotating Arm 22 Second Transport Mechanism 22a Carrier Holder 22b Rotary Arm 23 Third Transport Mechanism 23a Carrier Holding part 23b Rotating arm 31 First cleaning mechanism 32 Second cleaning mechanism 41 Polishing head W Semiconductor wafer C Carrier D Engaging part

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masahiro Sudo 217-1, Hotawada, Gunma-cho, Gunma-gun, Gunma Prefecture Inside the Engineering Division, Mimasumi Semiconductor Industry Co., Ltd. Japan Tobacco Inc. Machinery Division (72) Inventor Susumu Shimada 2-20-46 Horifune, Kita-ku, Tokyo Japan Tobacco Inc. Machinery Division (72) Inventor Junichi Nagai Horifune, Kita-ku, Tokyo 2-20-46 Japan Tobacco Inc. Machinery Division (72) Inventor Shinji Ishii 2-20-46 Horifuna, Kita-ku, Tokyo Japan Tobacco Inc. Machinery Division (72) Inventor Manabu Yamada 2-20-46 Horifuna, Kita-ku, Tokyo Japan Tobacco Inc. Machinery Division (72) Inventor Koshio Kojima 2-20-46 Horifuna, Kita-ku, Tokyo Japan Tobacco Inc. Machinery Business Inside

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A polishing table provided rotatably and having an upper surface as a polishing surface, and a plurality of carriers holding a semiconductor wafer on a lower surface side by side and simultaneously transferred onto the polishing table. And a plurality of polishing heads for mounting and rotating a plurality of carriers transferred onto the polishing platen, and pressing the semiconductor wafer held by the carriers against the polishing surface, respectively. A polishing apparatus, comprising: a second carrier that holds a plurality of carriers that have been unmounted by the head side by side and simultaneously carries the carriers from the polishing platen. 2. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second carriers have a rotating shaft on a side of the polishing platen, and move between an upper surface of the polishing platen and a position off the upper surface of the side portion. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an arm body rotatably provided between the two. 3. The polishing table is provided with a plurality of polishing plates side by side with different polishing precisions in order. The second carrier that simultaneously carries a plurality of carriers from the polishing table on the upstream side includes: 2. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polishing apparatus functions as a first transporter that simultaneously transports the plurality of carriers to a polishing platen of a step. 3. 4. The carrier is provided with an engaging portion which is engageable with each of the first and second carriers over the entire circumference on a peripheral surface thereof. 2. The polishing device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of engaging pieces for sucking an upper surface of the carrier and mechanically engaging with the engaging portion to grip the carrier from a peripheral surface thereof. apparatus. 5. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second carriers are engaged with and disengaged from a plurality of carriers in a lateral direction.