Grinding head and grinding device

Abstract

This invention relates to a polishing head for pressing a substrate, such as a wafer, against a polishing tape. Furthermore, this invention relates to a polishing apparatus for polishing a substrate with such a polishing head. The polishing head (10) includes: a pressing mechanism (12) for pressing the polishing tape (2) against a substrate (W); and a hook (40) for restricting the movement of the edge of the polishing tape (2) toward the substrate (W), wherein the hook (40) has: a positioning surface (47) facing the edge of the polishing tape (2).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a polishing head for pressing a substrate, such as a wafer, against a polishing tape. Furthermore, this invention relates to a polishing apparatus for polishing a substrate with such a polishing head. [Previous Technology]

[0002] In recent years, devices such as memory circuits, logic circuits, and image sensors (e.g., CMOS sensors) have become increasingly integrated. During the fabrication of these devices, foreign matter such as microparticles or dust can sometimes adhere to them. This foreign matter can cause short circuits or circuit failures between wirings. Therefore, to improve device reliability, it is necessary to clean the wafers on which the devices are formed to remove foreign matter from the wafers.

[0003] Foreign matter such as microparticles or dust can also adhere to the back side of the wafer (non-device side), as described above. When such foreign matter adheres to the back side of the wafer, the wafer separates from the platform reference plane of the exposure apparatus, and the wafer surface tilts relative to the platform reference plane, resulting in pattern deviation or focal length deviation. To prevent such problems, it is necessary to remove the foreign matter adhered to the back side of the wafer.

[0004] Therefore, as shown in Figures 15 and 16, a polishing apparatus is used to polish the back side of a wafer with an polishing belt. Figure 15 is a top view of a conventional polishing apparatus, and Figure 16 is a side view of the conventional polishing apparatus shown in Figure 15. The polishing apparatus holds the periphery of the wafer W by means of polishing rollers 500, and rotates the wafer W by means of the rotation of these rollers 500 themselves. The polishing belt 502 is disposed on the back side of the wafer W. The polishing belt 502 travels in the direction indicated by arrow Z, and tension is applied to the polishing belt 502.

[0005] A plurality of polishing heads 505 are arranged in the diameter direction of the wafer W, and these polishing heads 505 press the polishing tape 502 against the back side of the wafer W to polish the back side of the wafer W. The polishing tape 502 pressed against the back side of the wafer W can remove foreign matter from the back side of the wafer W.

[0006] Figure 17 is a perspective view of the polishing head 505. As shown in Figure 17, the polishing head 505 has a pressing member 512 that presses the polishing tape 502 against the back side of the wafer W. This pressing member 512 contacts the center of the polishing tape 502 in the width direction, pushing the polishing tape 502 upward toward the wafer W. The polishing tape 502 can receive pressing pressure from the pressing member 512 to polish the wafer W.

[0007] [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-122865 [Summary of the Invention]

[0008] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, although the polishing belt 502 is flexible, it lacks extensibility. Therefore, the edge of the polishing belt 502 not pressed by the pressing member 512 also follows the center of the polishing belt 502 and rises unintentionally, making contact with the wafer W. The edge of the polishing belt 502, indicated by symbol R in FIG17, is the area not pressed by the pressing member 512, but it contacts the wafer W and slightly polishes the wafer W. Because the edge of the polishing belt 502 not pressed by the pressing member 512 does not control the polishing load, the polishing rate of the part of the wafer W polished by the edge of the polishing belt 502 is unstable. As a result, the polishing head 505 sometimes cannot polish the target area of ​​the wafer W evenly.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention provides a polishing head that prevents the edge of the polishing belt from unintentionally contacting a substrate such as a wafer, and can control the polishing rate of the substrate. Furthermore, the present invention provides a polishing apparatus equipped with such a polishing head.

[0010] [Technical means to solve the problem] In one embodiment, a grinding head is provided for grinding a substrate, comprising: a pressing mechanism for pressing a grinding strip against the substrate; and a hook for restricting the edge of the grinding strip from moving toward the substrate, wherein the hook has: a positioning surface facing the edge of the grinding strip.

[0011] In one embodiment, the aforementioned hooks are disposed adjacent to the aforementioned pressing mechanism. In one embodiment, the aforementioned hooks are a plurality of hooks disposed on both sides of the aforementioned pressing mechanism. In one embodiment, each of the aforementioned plurality of hooks has: a plurality of belt positioning surfaces facing the two edges of the aforementioned polishing belt. In one embodiment, the aforementioned pressing mechanism is a pressing member for pressing the aforementioned polishing belt against the substrate; the aforementioned polishing head further includes: a pressing member holder for holding the aforementioned pressing member; the distance from the reference surface within the aforementioned pressing member holder to the end face of the aforementioned hook is shorter than the distance from the aforementioned reference surface to the belt pressing surface of the aforementioned pressing member. In one embodiment, the aforementioned hook has: a protrusion protruding toward the aforementioned pressing member; one side of the aforementioned protrusion constitutes the aforementioned belt positioning surface, and the opposite side of the aforementioned protrusion constitutes the aforementioned end face of the aforementioned hook. In one embodiment, the aforementioned protrusion is located between the aforementioned substrate and the edge of the aforementioned polishing belt. In one configuration, the aforementioned hook and the aforementioned pressing mechanism can move together.

[0012] In one embodiment, a polishing apparatus is provided, comprising: a substrate holding portion for holding a substrate; and the aforementioned polishing head.

[0013] [Effect of the Invention] The hook prevents the edge of the polishing tape from contacting the substrate. Therefore, it can prevent the edge of the polishing tape from accidentally polishing the substrate.

Implementation Method

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a polishing head 10 used to press an polishing tape 2, which is an example of a polishing tool, against the surface of a wafer W, which is an example of a substrate, to polish the wafer W. FIG2 is a cross-sectional view of the polishing head 10 shown in FIG1. ​​In this embodiment, the polishing head 10 is disposed below the wafer W and the polishing tape 2, and the polishing tape 2 is disposed to press the back side of the wafer W from its back side.

[0016] The polishing head 10 includes: a pressing member 12, which serves as a pressing mechanism for pressing the polishing belt 2 against the wafer W; an actuator 15, which moves the pressing member 12 in a predetermined pressing direction as indicated by arrow CL, and applies pressing force to the pressing member 12; and a housing 18, in which the actuator 15 is disposed. The actuator 15 includes: a movable shaft 16 connected to the pressing member 12; and a diaphragm 25, which forms a pressure chamber 20 between the end of the movable shaft 16 and the housing 18. The movable shaft 16 and the diaphragm 25 are disposed within the housing 18.

[0017] The polishing head 10 further includes: a pressing member holder 30 for holding the pressing member 12. The pressing member holder 30 is connected to the movable shaft 16 and can move integrally with the movable shaft 16. The pressing member 12 is generally annular and is detachably held in the pressing member holder 30. The pressing member holder 30 has a fitting groove (not shown) for the pressing member 12 to fit into. The annular pressing member 12 fits into the fitting groove and hangs in the pressing member holder 30 in an elastic deformation state. In this embodiment, the pressing member 12 has: two pressing surfaces 12A and 12B for pressing the polishing tape 2 against the wafer W.

[0018] The pressing member 12 is formed of an elastic material. Examples of materials constituting the pressing member 12 include fluororubber, silicone rubber, and EPDM rubber. The pressing member 12 has a circular cross-section. The pressing member 12 may also be an O-ring. In this embodiment, the pressing member holder 30 has protrusions 30b and 30c on its side. The pressing member 12 is supported by the protrusions 30b and 30c in an elastically deformed state.

[0019] However, the pressing member 12 is not limited to this embodiment and may have other shapes or be made of other materials. For example, the pressing member 12 may only have a pressing surface for pressing the grinding tape 2 against the wafer W. In other examples, the pressing member 12 may be in the shape of a straight plate or a curved plate instead of a ring.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the movable shaft 16 can move within the housing 18 in its axial direction, and the movable shaft 16 can cause the pressing member 12 to rise in the pressing direction indicated by arrow CL. The pressing member 12 faces the back side of the polishing belt 2. When the movable shaft 16 causes the pressing member 12 to rise in the pressing direction indicated by arrow CL, the pressing member 12 contacts the back side of the polishing belt 2. The pressing member 12 presses the polishing surface of the polishing belt 2 against the back side of the wafer W, so that the polishing belt 2 polishes the back side of the wafer W. In the polishing of the wafer W, the back side of the polishing belt 2 is supported by the polishing member 12. The back side of the polishing belt 2 is the side opposite to the polishing surface with abrasive grains. In the polishing of the wafer W, the polishing belt 2 is conveyed in its longitudinal direction at a predetermined speed.

[0021] In this embodiment, the movable shaft 16 is composed of a ball spline shaft. A ball spline nut 32 is disposed inside the housing 18, and the movable shaft 16 is supported by the ball spline nut 32 to move in the axial direction of the movable shaft 16. In one embodiment, the movable shaft 16 may also be supported to move on the inner surface of the housing 18.

[0022] The housing 18 includes: a housing body 18A, with a space formed inside accommodating the movable shaft 16; and a cover 18B that plugs the space. The cover 18B is detachably fixed to the housing body 18A with screws (not shown). The actuator 15 that generates pressing pressure to press the polishing tape 2 against the wafer W includes the movable shaft 16 and a partition membrane 25. The partition membrane 25 contacts the end (lower end) of the movable shaft 16, and the edge of the partition membrane 25 is sandwiched between the housing body 18A and the cover 18B. The partition membrane 25 only contacts the movable shaft 16 and is not fixed to the movable shaft 16.

[0023] The diaphragm 25 is formed of a flexible material. Examples of materials constituting the diaphragm 25 include neoprene rubber, fluororubber, and silicone rubber. The pressure chamber 20 is connected to a compressed gas supply line (not shown in the figure), from which compressed gas (e.g., compressed air) is supplied to the pressure chamber 20.

[0024] During the grinding of wafer W, compressed gas, such as compressed air, is supplied to the pressure chamber 20. The pressure of the compressed gas in the pressure chamber 20 acts on the end (lower end) of the movable shaft 16 via the partition membrane 25, causing the movable shaft 16, the pressing component holder 30, and the pressing component 12 to rise. The grinding head 10 may also be equipped with a distance sensor to measure the relative movement distance of the movable shaft 16 to the housing 18. When the grinding of wafer W is completed, the pressure chamber 20 is opened to the atmosphere, and as a result, the movable shaft 16 and the pressing component 12 descend due to their own weight and the tension of the grinding belt 2.

[0025] A skirt 38 is fixed to the pressing component holder 30. This skirt 38 extends downward from the pressing component holder 30 and surrounds the upper part of the housing 18. In this embodiment, although the skirt 38 is cylindrical, it can be other shapes if it can surround the upper part of the housing 18. The skirt 38 can prevent liquids such as pure water used for wafer grinding from entering the housing 18.

[0026] As shown in FIG1, during wafer W grinding, the grinding belt 2 is conveyed at a predetermined speed along its longitudinal direction as indicated by arrow Z. In this embodiment, the pressing member 12 extends obliquely relative to the longitudinal direction (travel direction Z) of the grinding belt 2. When grinding the wafer W, the pressing member 12 presses the grinding belt 2 against the wafer W from its back side.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing head 10 has a plurality of hooks 40. Each hook 40 is detachably mounted to the pressing member holder 30 by a screw 41. The hooks 40 are configured to restrict the movement of the edge of the polishing tape 2 toward the wafer W. More specifically, when the pressing member 12 presses the polishing tape 2 against the wafer W, the hooks 40 are configured to prevent the edge of the polishing tape 2 from contacting the wafer W. The pressing member holder 30 has inclined surfaces 30d and 30e, which are inclined downward from the pressing member 12 toward the hooks 40.

[0028] The hook 40 and the pressing member 12 can move integrally. That is, with the actuator 15 shown in FIG. 2, the hook 40 and the pressing member 12 move integrally toward the wafer W. Although the hook 40 is arranged adjacent to the pressing member 12, it does not contact the pressing member 12. In this embodiment, a plurality of hooks 40 are arranged on both sides of the pressing member 12. That is, a plurality of hooks 400 are arranged on both sides of the pressing member 12, restricting the movement of the two edges of the polishing belt 2 toward the wafer W.

[0029] FIG3 shows a side view of one embodiment of the hook 40. As shown in FIG3, the hook 40 has a protrusion 45 protruding toward the pressing member 12. The protrusion 45 has a positioning surface 47 facing the edge of the grinding belt 2. One side of the protrusion 45 forms the positioning surface 47, and the opposite side of the protrusion 45 forms a flat end face 48. In this embodiment, the protrusion 45 is tapered, and the positioning surface 47 is inclined upward toward the pressing member 12. The protrusion 45 is located between the wafer W and the edge of the grinding belt 2. Therefore, the edge of the grinding belt 2 does not contact the wafer W.

[0030] The distance L1 from the reference surface PL within the pressing member holder 30 to each end face 48 of the hook 40 is shorter than the distance L2 from the reference surface PL to the pressing surfaces 12A and 12B of the pressing member 12. The reference surface PL is an imaginary surface perpendicular to the direction CL in which the pressing member 12 presses the grinding tape against the wafer W. The end face 48 of the hook 40 is the end face of the hook 40 furthest from the reference surface PL. In the embodiment shown in FIG3, the end face 48 of the hook 40 is the top surface of the hook 40. In this embodiment, the height from the reference surface PL to the hook 40 is lower than the height from the reference surface PL to the pressing surfaces 12A and 12B of the pressing member 12.

[0031] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the abrasive belt 2 supported by the pressing member 12 and the hook 40. As shown in Figure 4, the two edges of the abrasive belt 2 engage with the hook 40, and the hook 40 fixes the relative height of the two edges of the abrasive belt 2 relative to the pressing member 12. That is, although the center of the abrasive belt 2 is lifted by the pressing member 12, the two edges of the abrasive belt 2 contact the belt positioning surface 47 of the hook 40, restricting the upward movement (deformation) of the two edges of the abrasive belt 2.

[0032] As shown in Figure 4, when viewed from the travel direction Z of the polishing belt 2, the protrusion 45 of the hook is located between the edge of the polishing belt 2 and the wafer W. As a result, the two edges of the polishing belt 2 do not contact the wafer W, while the central part of the polishing belt 2 is pressed against the wafer W by the pressing member 12. Therefore, the edge of the polishing belt 2 is prevented from unintentionally polishing the wafer W, and the central part of the polishing belt 2 is pressed against the wafer W by the pressing member 12 with a controlled polishing load. The length of the protrusion 45 is not particularly limited, but the hook 40 engages with the edge of the polishing belt 2 without hindering the length of the polishing belt 2 pressed against the wafer W by the pressing member 12, that is, the length of the pressing member 12 or the pressing member holder 30 does not contact the length of the pressing member 12. In this embodiment, the length of the protrusion 45 is the length perpendicular to the length direction of the polishing belt 2.

[0033] The number and arrangement of the hooks 40 are not limited to the embodiments described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. For example, as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 5, multiple arrays of hooks 40 may be provided on both sides of the pressing member 12. As shown in Figure 5, the length of the protrusions 45 of the hooks 40 may also be different. For example, the length of the protrusions 45 of the hooks 40 (the length in the direction perpendicular to the length of the grinding belt 2) may also increase depending on the distance between the hooks 40 and the pressing member 12. In other examples, as shown in Figure 6, the hooks 40 may also have a width greater than the length of the protrusions 45. Although not shown in the figure, depending on the position and / or shape of the pressing member 12, hooks 40 may be provided only on one side of the pressing member 12. In this case, only the movement of one edge of the grinding belt 2 is restricted by the hooks 40.

[0034] FIG7 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the grinding head 10. In particular, the structure and operation of this embodiment, which are not described, are the same as those of the embodiments described with reference to FIG1 to FIG6, so repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0035] This embodiment differs from the embodiment described with reference to FIG1-6 in that the pressing member 12 has only one pressing surface 12A, and two hooks 40 are provided on one side of the pressing member 12, and one hook 40 is provided on the other side. Even in this embodiment, the hooks 40 prevent the two edges of the polishing tape 2 from contacting the wafer W, while the center of the polishing tape 2 is pressed against the wafer W by the pressing member 12. Therefore, the edges of the polishing tape 2 are prevented from unintentionally polishing the wafer W, and the center of the polishing tape 2 is pressed against the wafer W by the pressing member 12 with a controlled polishing load.

[0036] The number and arrangement of the hooks 40 are not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. For example, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 8, a plurality of hooks 40 may also be provided on both sides of the pressing member 12. As shown in FIG. 8, the length of the protrusions 45 of the hooks 40 may also be different. For example, the length of the protrusions 45 of the hooks 40 may also increase depending on the distance between the hooks 40 and the pressing member 12. In other examples, as shown in FIG. 9, a set of hooks 40 may also be provided on both sides of the pressing member 12. Furthermore, in other examples, as shown in FIG. 10, the hooks 40 may also have a width greater than the length of the protrusions 45. Although not shown in the figure, depending on the position and / or shape of the pressing member 12, hooks 40 may also be provided only on one side of the pressing member 12.

[0037] FIG11 shows a side view of one embodiment of the polishing apparatus, and FIG12 is a top surface view of the polishing apparatus shown in FIG11. The polishing apparatus shown in FIG11 and FIG12 includes: a substrate holding portion 70 for holding and rotating a wafer W; a plurality of polishing heads 10A to 10D for contacting polishing tapes 2A and 2B with a first surface 5a of the wafer W held in the substrate holding portion 70; a polishing tape supply mechanism 72A for supplying polishing tape 2A to polishing heads 10A and 10B and for recovering polishing tape 2A from polishing heads 10A and 10B; and a polishing tape supply mechanism 72B for supplying polishing tape 2B to polishing heads 10C and 10D and for recovering polishing tape 2B from polishing heads 10C and 10D.

[0038] Grinding heads 10A and 10C have the same structure as grinding head 10 described with reference to Figures 1 to 4, and grinding heads 10B and 10D have the same structure as grinding head 10 described with reference to Figure 7. Grinding belts 2A and 2B have the same structure.

[0039] In this embodiment, the first surface 5a of the wafer W is the back surface of the wafer W where no device is formed or where no device is planned to be formed, i.e., the non-device surface. The second surface 5b of the wafer W, opposite to the first surface 5a, is the surface where a device is formed or where a device is planned to be formed, i.e., the device surface. In this embodiment, the wafer W is horizontally supported by the substrate holding portion 70 with its first surface 5a facing downwards.

[0040] The substrate holding section 70 includes: a plurality of rollers 75A, 75B, 75C, and 75D that can contact the periphery of the wafer W; and a roller rotating device (not shown) for rotating the rollers 75A to 75D at the same speed. In this embodiment, although four rollers 75A to 75D are provided, five or more rollers may also be provided.

[0041] Polishing heads 10A and 10B are supported by supporting member 78A, and polishing heads 10C and 10D are supported by supporting member 78B. A plurality of polishing heads 10A to 10D are disposed on the underside of the wafer W held by the substrate holding portion 70. These polishing heads 10A to 10D are arranged in the diameter direction of the wafer W. In this embodiment, although four polishing heads 10A to 10D are provided, the number of polishing heads is not limited to this embodiment. In one embodiment, a single polishing head may also be provided.

[0042] Since the grinding belt supply mechanisms 72A and 72B have the same structure, the following description concerns the grinding belt supply mechanism 72A. The grinding belt supply mechanism 72A includes: a belt take-up drum 81 connected to one end of the grinding belt 2A; a belt take-up drum 82 connected to the other end of the grinding belt 2A; and a plurality of guide rollers 83 for guiding the travel direction of the grinding belt 2A. The belt take-up drum 81 and the belt take-up drum 82 are respectively connected to drum motors 86 and 87.

[0043] By rotating the take-up spool 82 in the direction indicated by the arrow, the polishing belt 2A is conveyed from the take-up spool 81 through the polishing heads 10A and 10B to the take-up spool 82. The polishing belt 2A is supplied above the polishing heads 10A and 10B with the polishing surface of the polishing belt 2A facing the first surface 5a of the wafer W. The spool motor 86 can apply tension to the polishing belt 2A by imparting a specific torque to the take-up spool 81. The spool motor 87 is controlled to convey the polishing belt 2A at a fixed speed. The speed at which the polishing belt 2A is conveyed can be varied by changing the rotational speed of the take-up spool 82.

[0044] In one embodiment, the grinding apparatus may include, in addition to the belt take-up spool 81, the belt take-up spool 82, and the spool motors 86 and 87, a belt conveyor to convey the grinding belt 2A along its longitudinal direction. In another embodiment, the positions of the belt take-up spool 81 and the belt take-up spool 82 may be reversed.

[0045] The wafer W is polished as follows. The periphery of the wafer W is held by a plurality of rollers 75A to 75D, and the wafer W is rotated by rotating these rollers 75A to 75D. Polishing belts 2A and 2B are fed to polishing heads 10A to 10D by polishing belt supply mechanisms 72A and 72B, and the pressing members 12 of polishing heads 10A to 10D press the polishing belts 2A and 2B against the first surface 5a of the wafer W to polish the first surface 5a of the wafer W.

[0046] The grinding head 10 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10, although equipped with a pressing member 12 that contacts the back side of the grinding belt 2, in other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13, the grinding head 10 may also have a fluid pressing part 91 as a pressing mechanism to replace the pressing member 12. FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the grinding head 10 equipped with the fluid pressing part 91. The grinding head 10 has: a fluid pressing part 91, which has two fluid supply ports 93. These fluid supply ports 93 are connected to a fluid supply line 95. In this embodiment, the actuator 15 shown in FIG. 2 may also be omitted.

[0047] A fluid supply port 93 is formed on the end face (top face in FIG. 13) of the fluid pressing part 91, facing the back side of the polishing belt 2. Each fluid supply port 93, like the pressing member 12 shown in FIG. 1, extends obliquely relative to the longitudinal direction (travel direction) of the polishing belt 2. The fluid supply port 93 is a slit-shaped opening. One end of the fluid supply line 95 is connected to the fluid supply port 93, and the other end is connected to a fluid supply source (not shown). The fluid supply source supplies a fluid, such as a liquid, gas, or a mixture of liquid and gas, to the fluid supply line 95. The fluid reaches the fluid supply port 93 of the fluid pressing part 91 through the fluid supply line 95 and is released from the fluid supply port 93 towards the back side of the polishing belt 2. The jet of fluid presses the polishing belt 2 against the wafer W from its back side.

[0048] The hooks 40 are disposed on both sides of the two fluid supply ports 93. Since the structure, configuration and function of the hooks 40 are the same as those of the embodiments described with reference to Figures 1 to 6, repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0049] FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the grinding head 10 equipped with the fluid pressing part 91. The structure of this embodiment, which is not specifically described, is the same as that shown in FIG. 13, so a repetition of the description is omitted. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the grinding head 10 has: a fluid pressing part 91, which has only one fluid supply port 93. Similar to the pressing member 12 shown in FIG. 7, the fluid supply port 93 extends obliquely relative to the longitudinal direction (travel direction Z) of the grinding belt 2. The fluid supply port 93 is a slit-shaped opening.

[0050] Hooks 40 are disposed on both sides of the fluid supply port 93. Since the structure, configuration and function of hooks 40 are the same as those of the embodiments described with reference to Figures 7 to 10, repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0051] Although the hook 40 described so far is configured to restrict the movement of the edge of the polishing belt 2 toward the wafer W by physically contacting the polishing surface of the polishing belt 2, in one embodiment, instead of the hook 40, the edge of the polishing belt 2 can be restricted to move toward the wafer W by attracting the back side of the edge of the polishing belt 2 through a vacuum suction port (not shown) formed in the polishing head 10.

[0052] The above-described embodiments are intended for implementation by those skilled in the art. Various modifications of the above-described embodiments are, of course, possible for those skilled in the art to carry out, and the technical concept of the present invention can be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is interpreted according to the broadest scope of the technical concept defined by the claims.

[0053] [Industrial Applicability] The present invention can be used in a polishing head for pressing a polishing tape against a substrate such as a wafer. Furthermore, the present invention can be used in a polishing apparatus for polishing a substrate with such a polishing head. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0014] [Fig. 1] shows an oblique view of an embodiment of a grinding head used to press a grinding tape, as an example of a grinding tool, against the surface of a wafer, as an example of a substrate, to grind the wafer. [Fig. 2] Cross-sectional view of the grinding head shown in Fig. 1. [Fig. 3] Side view of an embodiment of a hook. [Fig. 4] Cross-sectional view of a pressing member and the grinding tape supported by the hook. [Fig. 5] Side view of an embodiment of a hook configuration. [Fig. 6] Side view of another embodiment of a hook configuration. [Fig. 7] Oblique view of another embodiment of a grinding head. [Fig. 8] Side view of an embodiment of a hook configuration. [Fig. 9] Side view of another embodiment of a hook configuration. [Fig. 10] Side view of yet another embodiment of a hook configuration. [Fig. 11] Side view of an embodiment of a grinding apparatus. [Fig. 12] Top surface view of the grinding apparatus shown in Fig. 11. [Fig. 13] Oblique view of an embodiment of a grinding head equipped with a fluid pressing part. [Fig. 14] An oblique view showing another embodiment of the grinding head equipped with a fluid pressing section. [Fig. 15] A top surface view of a conventional grinding apparatus. [Fig. 16] A side view showing the conventional grinding apparatus shown in Fig. 15. [Fig. 17] An oblique view of a conventional grinding head.

Claims

1. A polishing head for polishing a substrate, comprising: a pressing member for pressing an polishing tape against the substrate; and a hook for restricting the movement of an edge of the polishing tape toward the substrate, wherein... The aforementioned hook has: a positioning surface facing the edge of the aforementioned grinding belt; and a protrusion protruding toward the aforementioned pressing member; wherein, when the aforementioned pressing member presses the aforementioned grinding belt against the aforementioned substrate, the aforementioned protrusion is located between the aforementioned substrate and the edge of the aforementioned grinding belt.

2. The grinding head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aforementioned hook is disposed adjacent to the aforementioned pressing member.

3. A polishing head for polishing a substrate, comprising: a pressing mechanism for pressing an polishing tape against the substrate; and a hook for restricting the movement of the edge of the polishing tape toward the substrate, wherein... The aforementioned hook has a positioning surface facing the edge of the aforementioned grinding belt, and the aforementioned hook is a plurality of hooks disposed on both sides of the aforementioned pressing mechanism.

4. The grinding head as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of hooks has: a plurality of positioning surfaces facing the two edges of the aforementioned grinding belt.

5. A polishing head for polishing a substrate, comprising: a pressing member for pressing an polishing tape against the substrate; a hook for restricting the movement of the edge of the polishing tape toward the substrate; and a pressing member holder for holding the pressing member; wherein, The aforementioned hook has: a positioning surface facing the edge of the aforementioned grinding belt, and: the distance from the reference surface inside the aforementioned pressing member holder to the end face of the aforementioned hook is shorter than the distance from the aforementioned reference surface to the pressing surface of the aforementioned pressing member.

6. The grinding head as claimed in claim 5, wherein the aforementioned hook has: a protrusion that protrudes toward the aforementioned pressing member; one side of the aforementioned protrusion forms the aforementioned belt positioning surface, and the opposite side of the aforementioned protrusion forms the aforementioned end face of the aforementioned hook.

7. The grinding head as claimed in claim 6, wherein the aforementioned protrusion is located between the aforementioned substrate and the edge of the aforementioned grinding belt.

8. The grinding head as claimed in claim 3, wherein the aforementioned hook and the aforementioned pressing mechanism are movable integrally.

9. A polishing apparatus comprising: a substrate holding portion for holding a substrate; and a polishing head as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 for polishing the aforementioned substrate.

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