processing device

Abstract

The present application provides a processing device, an operator can observe the inside of a box containing a processed workpiece to easily identify whether the workpiece is processed normally in a short time. The processing device includes: a chuck table that holds a workpiece with a mark; a processing unit that grinds the workpiece with a grinding tool or polishes the workpiece with a polishing pad; a box carrier that places a box containing a plurality of workpieces; a temporary holding table that temporarily holds a workpiece; a rotary table that holds a workpiece to be cleaned; a robot that carries a workpiece; a judging unit that judges whether a workpiece is processed normally or not; and a control unit that controls the mark to face a specified direction when the judging unit judges that the workpiece is processed normally, stores the workpiece in the box, and controls the mark to face a direction different from the specified direction when the judging unit judges that the workpiece is not processed normally, stores the workpiece in the box.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an apparatus for processing workpieces such as semiconductor wafers, and particularly to a processing apparatus capable of knowing whether a processed workpiece has been processed correctly. Background Technology

[0002] For example, a fully automatic grinding apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1) that uses an abrasive to grind and thin the workpiece includes: a box-carrying stage for holding a box on which multiple workpieces are stored one by one in a shelf; a temporary worktable for temporarily holding the workpieces; a chuck worktable having a holding surface for holding the workpieces; a grinding unit that uses an abrasive to grind the workpieces held in the chuck worktable; a rotary worktable for holding the workpieces that have been ground and are to be cleaned; a robot that transports the workpieces from the box to the temporary worktable or from the rotary worktable to the box; a first transport mechanism that transports the workpieces from the temporary worktable to the chuck worktable; and a second transport mechanism that transports the workpieces from the chuck worktable to the rotary worktable.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-213995

[0004] Orientation planes or notches indicating crystal orientation are formed on the workpiece. Furthermore, regardless of whether the workpiece has undergone normal grinding, the orientation planes are aligned and the workpiece is stored in the aforementioned box. Therefore, the operator cannot visually determine whether the workpiece stored in the box is a normally processed workpiece or an abnormally processed workpiece. Therefore, the workpiece data for each shelf in the box, as identified by the grinding device, is displayed on a touch panel or similar device screen. The operator compares the actual multiple shelves in the box with the touch panel while referring to the workpiece data displayed on the screen, and simultaneously removes abnormally processed workpieces from the box. Therefore, the removal operation is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus in which an operator can easily identify, within a short time, whether the processed work stored on each shelf is a normally processed work or a normally unprocessed work by observing the inside of the box containing the processed work.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a processing apparatus is provided, comprising: a chuck stage for holding a workpiece having markings indicating crystal orientation on a holding face; a processing unit for grinding the workpiece held by the chuck stage using a grinding wheel or a grinding pad; a cassette stage for holding a shelf-like cassette capable of accommodating multiple workpieces; a temporary worktable for temporarily holding the workpieces; a rotary worktable for holding workpieces to be cleaned; and a robot for transporting the workpieces placed in the cassette stage within the cassette stage. The workpiece is moved to the temporary worktable or transported from the rotary worktable to the box placed on the box platform; a judgment unit determines whether the workpiece is being processed normally or not; and a control unit, which, when the judgment unit determines that the workpiece is being processed normally, controls the marking to face a predetermined direction and stores the workpiece in the box; when the judgment unit determines that the workpiece is not being processed normally, the control unit controls the marking to face a direction different from the predetermined direction and stores the workpiece in the box.

[0007] Preferably, the processing apparatus further includes a thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness of the workpiece, and the determination unit determines whether the workpiece is being processed normally or not based on the thickness of the workpiece measured by the thickness measuring device.

[0008] Preferably, the judgment unit also has multiple judgment units, and the different directions are preset in a manner that is inconsistent for each of the multiple judgment units. The multiple judgment units are configured to judge whether the workpiece is being processed normally or not being processed normally based on different judgment criteria. When one or more of the multiple judgment units determine that the workpiece has not been processed normally, the control unit controls the marking to be oriented toward the different direction set according to the judgment unit that made the judgment, and stores the workpiece in the box.

[0009] One aspect of the processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a determination unit that determines whether a workpiece has been processed normally or not; and a control unit that, when the determination unit determines that the workpiece has been processed normally, controls the marking to face a predetermined direction and stores the workpiece in a box; and when the determination unit determines that the workpiece has not been processed normally, controls the marking to face a direction different from the predetermined direction and stores the workpiece in a box. Therefore, the operator can easily determine whether a workpiece has been processed normally or not by observing the direction of the marking on the workpiece stored in the box. That is, the operator can easily reject workpieces that have not been processed normally without spending time comparing screens on a device, and therefore the box containing only the rejected workpieces can be easily transferred to the next process device or the like.

[0010] The processing apparatus also includes a thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness of the workpiece. The judgment unit determines whether the workpiece is being processed normally or not based on the thickness of the workpiece measured by the thickness measuring device. In this case, the control unit can more easily perform positioning control to orient the markings on the workpiece in a specified direction or in a direction different from the specified direction.

[0011] The judgment unit further comprises multiple judgment units, and different directions are preset according to the inconsistent manner of each judgment unit. The multiple judgment units are configured to judge whether the workpiece is being processed normally or not being processed normally based on different judgment criteria. When one or more of the multiple judgment units judge that the workpiece has not been processed normally, the control unit controls the marking to face different directions set by any of the judgment units that made the judgment, and stores the workpiece in the box. In this case, the operator can easily know whether the workpiece is being processed normally or not by observing the direction of the marking on the workpiece stored in the box, and can identify the type of abnormality of the workpiece that has not been processed normally. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing an example of a processing apparatus.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a perspective view showing an example of the second box and the second box platform.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a perspective view illustrating the state in which a robotic arm removes a ground workpiece held by a rotating worktable.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a perspective view illustrating the workpiece housed in the second box, which is controlled by a control unit to orient the markings in the direction of normal processing.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a perspective view illustrating the workpiece housed in the second box, which is controlled by a control unit to orient the markings in a direction that causes abnormal processing thickness.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a perspective view illustrating the workpiece housed in the second box, which is controlled by a control unit to orient the markings toward abnormalities such as processing cracks.

[0018] Label Explanation

[0019] 80: Workpiece; 801: Front of workpiece; 802: Back of workpiece; 805: Mark on workpiece; 1: Processing device; 10: Base; 18: Column; 9: Control unit; 90: Judgment unit; 901: First judgment unit; 902: Second judgment unit; 150: First box carrier; 151: Second box carrier; 21: First box; 22: Second box; 222: Top plate; 223, 224: Side plates; 225: Back plate; 226: Shelf section; 227: Bottom plate; 220: Opening; 11: Temporary worktable; 119: Alignment unit; 118: Temporary worktable rotation mechanism; 131: Loading arm; 13 2: Unloading arm; 12: Cleaning unit; 120: Rotary worktable; 121: Cleaning nozzle; 126: Rotary worktable rotation mechanism; 127: Imaging unit; 14: Robot; 140: Robot arm; 1400: Adsorption unit; 142: Arm horizontal movement mechanism; 144: Arm vertical movement mechanism; 146: Arm flipping mechanism; 145: Arm connection unit; 17: Worktable movement mechanism; 30: Chuck worktable; 39: Cover; 390: Corrugated cover; 36: Chuck worktable rotation mechanism; 35: Worktable base; 38: Thickness measuring device; 19: Grinding feed mechanism; 16: Machining unit; 164: Grinding wheel. Detailed Implementation

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 The machining apparatus 1 shown is a grinding apparatus that grinds the workpiece 80 held on the chuck table 30 by means of a machining unit 16. The front (-Y direction side) of the base 10 of the machining apparatus 1 is a loading and unloading area 100, which is the area for loading and unloading the workpiece 80 relative to the chuck table 30. The rear (+Y direction side) of the base 10 is a machining area 101, which is the area for grinding the workpiece 80 held on the chuck table 30 by means of a machining unit 16.

[0021] Alternatively, the processing apparatus of the present invention can have the following structure: it comprises two grinding units, a rough grinding unit and a fine grinding unit, and a rotating turntable is used to position the chuck table 30 holding the workpiece 80 below each grinding unit. Alternatively, the processing apparatus of the present invention can be a grinding processing apparatus: it comprises a grinding unit that performs grinding processing on the workpiece using a grinding pad, thereby mirror-finishing the ground surface of the workpiece 80 or improving the bending strength of the workpiece 80.

[0022] The processing apparatus 1, for example, has a control unit 9 for controlling the entire apparatus. The control unit 9, for example, is composed of a CPU and a storage element such as a memory that perform calculations according to a control program, and is electrically connected to the various inventive components of the present invention, such as the processing unit 16, to control each inventive component.

[0023] In this embodiment, Figure 1 The workpiece 80 shown is a circular semiconductor wafer made of silicon substrate or the like. Figure 1 Multiple devices are formed on the front surface 801 of the workpiece 80 facing downwards, and the front surface 801 is protected by a protective strip (not shown). The back surface 802 of the workpiece 80 facing upwards serves as the surface to be ground. In addition to silicon, the workpiece 80 can also be made of gallium arsenide, sapphire, gallium nitride, resin, ceramic, or silicon carbide.

[0024] On the outer periphery of the workpiece 80, an orientation plane is formed as a mark 805 indicating crystal orientation by cutting a portion of the outer periphery flat. The mark 805 may also be a cut indicating crystal orientation, for example. In this case, the cut is formed on the outer periphery of the workpiece 80 in a state that is recessed radially inward toward the center of the workpiece 80.

[0025] On the front side (-Y direction side) of the base 10, there are a first box platform 150 and a second box platform 151 for holding shelf-shaped boxes capable of holding multiple workpieces 80. The first box platform 150 holds the shelf-shaped first box 21 for holding multiple workpieces 80 before processing, and the second box platform 151 holds the shelf-shaped second box 22 for holding multiple workpieces 80 after processing.

[0026] Box 22 and Box 11 have roughly the same structure, so the structure of Box 22 will be described below, while the structure of Box 121 will be omitted.

[0027] For example, it can hold multiple workpieces (80) after grinding. Figure 2The shelf-shaped second box 22 shown is a closed front-opening unified pod. The second box 22 has at least: a top plate 222 with a handle 228 on its upper surface for the operator to hold; two side plates 223 and 224 that hang down from the top plate 222 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and face each other; a back plate 225 that is connected to the side plates 223 and 224; a plurality of shelf portions 226 formed on the inner surfaces of the side plates 223 and 224 facing each other in the X-axis direction for holding the workpiece 80; and a bottom plate 227 that connects the lower ends of the side plates 223, 224 and the back plate 225.

[0028] The shelves 226, capable of storing each workpiece 80 individually, are arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, forming a central section described later. Figure 1 The robot 14 is shown entering through an inlet, and each shelf 226 supports the outer periphery of the workpiece 80. The robot 14 can, for example, move from this inlet to a position directly below the workpiece 80 housed in each shelf 226. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second box 22 is a sealed type, preventing dust from entering the interior, but it could also be an open type.

[0029] like Figure 2 As shown, the second box 22 has an opening 220 on its front side (+Y direction side), configured to allow the workpiece 80 to be moved in and out through the opening 220. When the second box 22 itself is transported from the processing device 1 to the device for the next process, the opening 220 is closed, for example, by a lid (not shown). When the workpiece 80 is removed from the second box 22, the opening / closing handle provided on the lid is rotated by an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) provided on the processing device 1, thereby opening the lid.

[0030] For example in Figure 2 The upper surface of the second box stage 151 shown has four sets of offset prevention parts 1511 formed in such a way that they correspond to the four corners of the lower surface of the second box 22 to prevent the second box 22 from shifting horizontally (in a direction parallel to the X-axis and Y-axis planes).

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the processing apparatus 1 includes: a temporary worktable 11 for temporarily placing the workpiece 80; a rotary worktable 120 for holding the workpiece 80 to be cleaned; and a robot 14 for transporting the workpiece 80 placed in a first box 21 of a first box platform 150 to the temporary worktable 11, or for transporting the workpiece 80 held by the rotary worktable 120 to a second box 22 placed in a second box platform 151.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, a robot 14 is disposed behind the opening 210 on the +Y direction side of the first box 21. The robot 14 is a multi-joint robot, which has: a robot arm 140 having an adsorption surface 1404 for adsorbing and holding the workpiece 80; an arm horizontal movement mechanism 142 for moving the robot arm 140 in the horizontal direction; an arm vertical movement mechanism 144 such as an electric actuator for moving the robot arm 140 in the vertical direction; and an arm flipping mechanism 146 for flipping, for example, the adsorption surface 1404 of the robot arm 140 vertically.

[0033] The horizontal movement mechanism 142 is composed of, for example, multiple plate-shaped arm components, and is configured to rotate a rotating arm with an internal pulley mechanism via a rotary motor. That is, the horizontal movement mechanism 142 uses the rotational force generated by the rotary motor to cause the multiple plate-shaped arm components to rotate relative to each other about a rotation axis with the Z-axis (vertical direction) as the axis, thereby enabling the robot arm 140 to rotate and move in the horizontal plane (X-axis and Y-axis planes). Furthermore, the horizontal movement mechanism 142 can transform the multiple plate-shaped arm components from an intersecting state to a state where they are arranged in a straight line, enabling the robot arm 140 to move linearly in the horizontal plane.

[0034] A vertical arm movement mechanism 144 is connected to the lower side of the horizontal arm movement mechanism 142. The vertical arm movement mechanism 144 enables the robot arm 140 to move vertically in the Z-axis direction together with the horizontal arm movement mechanism 142, thereby positioning the robot arm 140 at a specified height.

[0035] A housing 1463 is fixed to the plate-shaped arm component of the horizontal movement mechanism 142 via a columnar arm connector 145. This housing 1463 will have... Figure 1 The main shaft 1462 of the arm tilting mechanism 146, which is centered on the Y-axis perpendicular to the Z-axis, is supported so that it can rotate. For example, a tilting motor (not shown) that drives the rotation of the main shaft 1462 is housed inside the housing 1463.

[0036] The front end of the spindle 1462 protrudes from the housing 1463, and a support for mounting the root side of the robot arm 140 is provided on the front end. As the spindle 1462 is rotated by a predetermined angle by a flip motor (not shown), the robot arm 140, which is connected to the spindle 1462 via the support, rotates, thereby enabling the adsorption surface 1404 of the robot arm 140 to flip.

[0037] The plate-shaped robotic arm 140 that adsorbs and holds the workpiece 80 has, for example, a generally U-shaped shape when viewed from above. The robotic arm 140 has a rectangular plate-shaped base 1406 mounted on a support and an adsorption section 1400 integrally formed with the base 1406. In addition, the robotic arm 140 is not limited to the shape of this embodiment, and may also be generally shaped like a ladle when viewed from above.

[0038] For example, in Figure 1 The upward-facing surface of the robotic arm 140 serves as an adsorption surface 1404 for attracting and holding the workpiece 80. Additionally, the opposite surface of the adsorption surface 1404 of the robotic arm 140 can also serve as an adsorption surface. The adsorption surface 1404 is smoothly finished, and when in contact with the workpiece 80, the ends of the adsorption surface 1404 can be chamfered to prevent scratching the workpiece 80.

[0039] Multiple suction holes are opened on the adsorption surface 1404. For example, three or four suction holes are opened in each of five areas spaced at approximately equal intervals on the outer periphery of the adsorption surface 1404. Furthermore, the number and location of the suction holes are not limited to this example. Deformable rubber suction cups or the like can also be provided at the suction holes.

[0040] At each suction port, a flexible resin tube is connected via a connector or the like in a manner that does not impede the rotation or movement of the robot arm 140. The resin tube is connected to a suction source such as a vacuum generating device or an ejector mechanism.

[0041] A temporary worktable 11 is provided within the movable range of the robot 14, and an alignment unit 119 is provided in the temporary worktable 11.

[0042] The circular temporary worktable 11 has a diameter smaller than that of the workpiece 80, and its flat upper surface serves as the temporary surface for placing the workpiece 80. Furthermore, a plurality of alignment pins are arranged at equal intervals in a ring around the temporary worktable 11. These alignment pins constitute alignment units 119, which can be moved by either decreasing or increasing the diameter radially of the temporary worktable 11. The workpiece 80, placed on the temporary worktable 11, is aligned (centered) to a predetermined position by moving through the alignment pins of the alignment units 119 in a manner that decreases the diameter.

[0043] A temporary worktable rotation mechanism 118, consisting of a motor 1181 and a spindle 1182, is connected to the lower surface of the temporary worktable 11. The temporary worktable 11 can rotate via the spindle 1182, which has an axial direction in the Z-axis direction. The motor 1181 is, for example, a servo motor, and its encoder 1183 is connected to a control unit 9, which also functions as a servo amplifier. An operation signal is provided to the motor 1181 from the output interface of the control unit 9, thereby rotating the spindle 1182. The rotational speed detected by the encoder 1183 is output as an encoder signal to the input interface of the control unit 9. Furthermore, the control unit 9, which receives the rotational speed detected by the encoder 1183 as an encoder signal, can successively identify the rotation angle of the temporary worktable 11.

[0044] A loading arm 131, composed of a suction pad or similar component, is positioned adjacent to the temporary worktable 11 and rotates while holding the workpiece 80. The loading arm 131 holds the workpiece 80, which has been centered on the temporary worktable 11, and transports it to the chuck worktable 30, located at the loading position within the processing area 101. An unloading arm 132, also composed of a suction pad or similar component, is positioned next to the loading arm 131 and rotates while holding the processed workpiece 80.

[0045] A single-piece cleaning unit 12 is arranged within the movable range of the unloading arm 132. This single-piece cleaning unit 12 cleans the processed workpiece 80 that has been transported by the unloading arm 132. The cleaning unit 12 uses a rotary table 120 with a diameter smaller than that of the workpiece 80 to attract and hold the workpiece 80. Cleaning water is sprayed from a cleaning nozzle 121 that rotates and moves above the workpiece 80 onto the back surface 802 of the rotating workpiece 80, thereby cleaning the back surface 802.

[0046] A rotary table rotation mechanism 126, consisting of a motor 123 and a spindle 124, is connected to the underside of the rotary table 120, enabling the rotary table 120 to rotate. The motor 123 is, for example, a servo motor, and its encoder 125 is connected to a control unit 9 that also functions as a servo amplifier. The control unit 9, which receives the rotational speed detected by the encoder 125 as an encoder signal, can identify the rotation angle of the rotary table 120.

[0047] For example, an imaging unit 127 is provided above the rotary table 120. The imaging unit 127 includes: a light irradiation unit (not shown) that irradiates light onto the grinding surface, i.e., the back surface 802, of the workpiece 80 held on the rotary table 120; and a camera that consists of an optical system such as a lens that captures reflected light from the workpiece 80 and an imaging element that outputs an image of the subject formed in the optical system.

[0048] In this embodiment, Figure 1 The chuck stage 30 shown includes: an adsorption section 300, which is composed of porous components or the like, for adsorbing the workpiece 80; and a frame 301 that supports the adsorption section 300. The adsorption section 300 is connected to an attraction source (not shown) such as a vacuum generating device. The attraction force generated by the attraction source is transmitted to the holding surface 302, which is the exposed surface (upper surface) of the adsorption section 300, so that the chuck stage 30 can attract and hold the workpiece 80 on the holding surface 302. For example, the holding surface 302 corresponds to the orientation plane indicating the crystal orientation formed on the workpiece 80, i.e., mark 805, and has the same shape as the workpiece 80. That is, the outer periphery of the circular adsorption section 300 is cut flat in the tangential direction corresponding to mark 805.

[0049] The chuck table 30 is surrounded by a cover 39 and can reciprocate along the Y-axis on the base 10 via a table moving mechanism 17 disposed below the cover 39 and the corrugated cover 390 connected to the cover 39. In addition, the chuck table 30 can rotate about the Z-axis rotation axis via a chuck table rotating mechanism 36.

[0050] The table moving mechanism 17 includes: a ball screw 170 having a center axis in the Y-axis direction; a pair of guide rails 171 arranged parallel to the ball screw 170; a motor 172 connected to one end of the ball screw 170 to rotate the ball screw 170; and a movable plate 173, the nut inside of which is screwed into the ball screw 170, and the side of the movable plate 173 slidingly contacting the guide rails 171. When the motor 172 rotates the ball screw 170, the movable plate 173 is guided by the guide rails 171 to move linearly in the Y-axis direction, thereby moving the chuck table 30, which is mounted on the movable plate 173 via the table base 35, in the Y-axis direction.

[0051] A chuck table rotation mechanism 36, consisting of a motor 360 and a spindle 361, is connected to the lower surface of a table base 35 on which the chuck table 30 is detachably fixed. The motor 360 is, for example, a servo motor, and its encoder 362 is connected to a control unit 9 that also functions as a servo amplifier. After the control unit 9 provides an operation signal to the motor 360, the rotational speed detected by the encoder 362 is output as an encoder signal to the input interface of the control unit 9. Furthermore, the control unit 9, receiving the encoder signal, can identify the rotation angle of the chuck table 30 and the orientation (position) of the flat cutting portion on the holding surface 302 of the chuck table 30 corresponding to the mark 805 on the workpiece 80.

[0052] A column 18 is erected behind the machining area 101 (on the +Y direction side). A grinding feed mechanism 19 is arranged on the front surface of the column 18 on the -Y direction side, which feeds the machining unit 16 and the chuck table 30 relative to each other in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the holding surface 302. The grinding feed mechanism 19 includes: a ball screw 190 having a Z-axis axis; a pair of guide rails 191 arranged parallel to the ball screw 190; a motor 192 connected to the upper end of the ball screw 190 to rotate the ball screw 190; a lifting plate 193 with a nut inside that is screwed into the ball screw 190, and the side of the lifting plate 193 slidingly contacting the guide rails 191; and a support 194 connected to the lifting plate 193 to hold the machining unit 16. When the motor 192 causes the ball screw 190 to rotate, the lifting plate 193 is guided by the guide rail 191 to move back and forth in the Z-axis direction, and the machining unit 16 held on the support 194 performs grinding feed in the Z-axis direction.

[0053] The processing unit 16 for grinding the workpiece 80 held by the chuck table 30 includes: a rotating shaft 160 with its axis in the Z-axis direction; a housing 161 that supports the rotating shaft 160 so that it can rotate; a motor 162 that drives the rotating shaft 160 to rotate; an annular mounting base 163 that is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft 160; and a grinding wheel 164 that is detachably mounted on the lower surface of the mounting base 163.

[0054] The grinding wheel 164 has a grinding wheel base and a plurality of grinding tools in a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape arranged in a ring on the bottom surface of the grinding wheel base. The grinding tools are formed, for example, by using a specified adhesive to fix grinding grains.

[0055] An unshown flow path is formed inside the rotating shaft 160, extending along the axial direction (Z-axis direction) of the rotating shaft 160, serving as a channel for grinding water. This flow path passes through the mounting base 163 and opens on the bottom surface of the grinding wheel base so that grinding water can be sprayed toward the grinding wheel.

[0056] A thickness gauge 38 is provided, for example, near the grinding wheel 164 at the height position when grinding the workpiece 80, to measure the thickness of the workpiece 80 in a contact manner during grinding. The thickness gauge 38 includes, for example, a pair of thickness gauges (height gauges): a first thickness gauge (first height gauge) 381 for measuring the height position of the holding surface 302 of the chuck table 30, and a second thickness gauge (second height gauge) 382 for measuring the height position of the grinding surface, i.e., the back surface 802, of the workpiece 80 held by the chuck table 30.

[0057] The first thickness measuring device 381 and the second thickness measuring device 382 each have a contact portion at their front ends that moves vertically to contact the respective measuring surfaces. The first thickness measuring device 381 and the second thickness measuring device 382 are supported so as to be able to move vertically and press against the respective measuring surfaces with appropriate force. The thickness measuring device 381 detects the height position of the holding surface 302, which serves as a reference surface, using the first thickness measuring device 381, and detects the height position of the back surface 802, which serves as the upper surface of the workpiece 80 being ground, using the second thickness measuring device 382. The difference between the two detected values ​​is calculated, thereby enabling the successive measurement of the thickness of the workpiece 80 during grinding.

[0058] Alternatively, the thickness measuring device 38 can also be a non-contact thickness measuring device.

[0059] The processing apparatus 1 of the present invention has a determination unit 90, which determines whether the workpiece 80 after grinding is a workpiece that has been normally processed or a workpiece that has not been normally processed. In this embodiment, the determination unit 90 is included in the control unit 9.

[0060] The judgment unit 90 may further have a plurality of judgment units (e.g., two), which are configured to determine whether the workpiece 80 is a workpiece that has been normally processed or a workpiece that has not been normally processed, according to different judgment criteria. That is, in this embodiment, the determination unit 90 includes: a first determination unit 901, which determines whether the workpiece 80 is a workpiece that has been normally processed, a workpiece that has not been normally processed, or a workpiece whose thickness before grinding (input thickness) is abnormal and therefore has not been ground, based on the thickness of the workpiece 80 measured by the thickness measuring device 38; and a second determination unit 902, which determines whether there are cracks, peripheral defects, or surface burns on the workpiece 80 based on the image obtained by the imaging unit 127 taking pictures of the workpiece 80's back surface 802 after it has been cleaned on the rotary table 120. If there are no such cracks, it is determined to be a workpiece that has been normally processed; if there are such cracks, it is determined to be a workpiece that has not been normally processed.

[0061] In this embodiment, when the determination unit 90 determines that the workpiece 80 is being processed normally, the control unit 9 directs the mark 805 toward a predetermined direction 99 (hereinafter referred to as...). Figure 4 The control of the normal processing direction 99) is used to store the processed workpiece 80 in the second box 22. When the judgment unit 90 determines that the workpiece 80 has not been processed normally, the control is performed to orient the mark 805 in a direction different from the normal processing direction 99, and the control is performed to store the processed workpiece 80, whether before or after processing, in the second box 22.

[0062] In this embodiment, the judgment unit 90 has a first judgment unit 901 and a second judgment unit 902. When at least one of the first judgment unit 901 and the second judgment unit 902 (i.e., one or more of the multiple judgment units) determines that the workpiece 80 has not been properly processed, the control unit 9 controls the marking 805 to be oriented in a direction different from the normal processing direction 99 set by the judgment unit that determined the workpiece 80 has not been properly processed, and controls the workpiece 80 to be stored in the second box 22. For example, in the following text, the different direction preset by the first judgment unit 901 when it is determined that the workpiece 80 has not been properly processed is referred to as the direction of abnormal processing thickness 98 (see reference). Figure 5 Furthermore, in the following text, the different direction preset by the second determination unit 902 when it is determined that the workpiece 80 has not been properly processed will be referred to as the direction 97 for abnormalities such as processing cracks (see reference). Figure 6 The directions 98 for abnormal processing thickness and 97 for abnormal processing cracks are preset in an inconsistent manner.

[0063] The following is about passing Figure 1 The operation of the machining apparatus 1 shown in the diagram when grinding the workpiece 80 held by the chuck table 30 will be explained.

[0064] (Grinding of the first workpiece 80)

[0065] For example, under the control of the control unit 9, the first workpiece 80 is moved out of the first box 21. That is, by... Figure 1 The arm-moving mechanism 144 shown causes the robot arm 140 to move up and down, positioning the robot arm 140 within the first box 21 on the shelf portion 226 where the first workpiece 80 is stored (e.g., ...). Figure 2 The height position of the lowest shelf section 226 shown.

[0066] Within the first box 21, the front side 801 of the workpiece 80 faces downwards, for example, while the back side 802, which is the surface to be ground, faces upwards. Furthermore, the suction surface 1404 of the robot arm 140 of the robot 14 is set to face upwards (towards the +Z direction).

[0067] The robotic arm 140 rotates and enters the first box 21 through the opening 210 to a predetermined position inside the first box 21. For example, the robotic arm 140 is positioned in a predetermined position in the horizontal plane such that the center of the robotic arm 140 is approximately aligned with the center of the workpiece 80. Next, the robotic arm 140 rises, bringing the suction surface 1404 into contact with the front surface 801 of the workpiece 80 to attract and hold it. Then, the rising of the robotic arm 140 stops when the outer periphery of the workpiece 80, which has been slightly lifted upward by the robotic arm 140, has left the shelf portion 226.

[0068] The robotic arm 140, which attracts and holds the workpiece 80, moves in the +Y direction, and removes the workpiece 80 from the first box 21. Alternatively, the robotic arm 140 can attract and hold the workpiece 80 by bringing its suction surface 1404 into contact with it from above.

[0069] Figure 1 The robot 14 shown moves the workpiece 80 above the temporary worktable 11. The robot 14 then places the workpiece 80 onto the temporary worktable 11 with its front 801 facing downwards. Specifically, the robot arm 140 is lowered so that it enters the U-shaped opening of the suction section 1400 of the robot arm 140, thus placing the workpiece 80 onto the temporary worktable 11.

[0070] Next, the alignment pins of the alignment unit 119 move while maintaining their position on the same circumference and reducing their diameter. Each alignment pin pushes the outer periphery of the workpiece 80 to correct its position. Figure 1 The machine stops when, for example, six alignment pins are in contact with the outer periphery of the workpiece 80. As a result, the center of the workpiece 80 can be aligned with the center of the temporary worktable 11, and the control unit 9 can identify the center position of the first workpiece 80. Then, the workpiece 80 is held in place by the temporary worktable 11.

[0071] The workpiece 80 has a mark 805 that serves as an orientation plane, thus, for example, in the centering... Figure 1 The radial movement of one of the six positioning pins shown is increased. Therefore, based on the difference in the movement of this positioning pin, the control unit 9 can determine the position of the mark 805 on the centered workpiece 80 on the temporary worktable 11. Furthermore, for example, the temporary worktable 11, which holds the workpiece 80 by attraction, is rotated by a predetermined angle under the control of the control unit 9 to position the mark 805 of the workpiece 80 in a predetermined direction. Alternatively, for example, a camera unit may be provided above the temporary worktable 11. Based on the image of the workpiece 80 captured by the camera unit, the control unit 9 performs image analysis to determine the center or position of the mark 805 of the workpiece 80 on the temporary worktable 11.

[0072] Next, the loading arm 131 moves the workpiece 80, which has been centered and has the mark 805 positioned in a predetermined circumferential position, onto the chuck table 30.

[0073] A flat, oriented plane alignment portion is formed on the holding surface 302 of the chuck table 30 for aligning with the mark 805 when the workpiece 80 is placed. Thus, the mark 805 of the workpiece 80 is aligned with the oriented plane alignment portion in the chuck table 30. That is, the position of the mark 805 when the loading arm 131 holds the workpiece 80 is already identified when the workpiece 80 is held from the temporary worktable 11 and removed. Therefore, under the control of the chuck table rotation mechanism 36 by the control unit 9, the chuck table 30 rotates by a predetermined angle to align with the position of the mark 805 of the workpiece 80 held by the temporary worktable 11 and the oriented plane alignment portion of the chuck table 30. Furthermore, the workpiece 80 is placed on the holding surface 302 with its back side 802 facing upwards, so that the center of the chuck table 30 is approximately aligned with the center of the workpiece 80.

[0074] Furthermore, the attractive force generated by the operation of the suction source (not shown) is transmitted to the holding surface 302 of the chuck table 30, thereby attracting and holding the workpiece 80 on the holding surface 302. Additionally, the circumferential position of the mark 805 on the attracted and held workpiece 80 is monitored by the control unit 9. The control unit 9 controls the chuck table rotation mechanism 36, so that the circumferential position of the mark 805 on the workpiece 80 can be continuously monitored even after the grinding process described later has begun or ended.

[0075] After the chuck table 30 attracts and holds the workpiece 80, the table moving mechanism 17 moves the chuck table 30 in the +Y direction. The chuck table 30, which holds the workpiece 80, is positioned such that the rotation center of the grinding wheel 164 of the machining unit 16 is offset horizontally by a predetermined distance relative to the rotation center of the workpiece 80, and the rotation trajectory of the grinding wheel passes through the rotation center of the workpiece 80.

[0076] For example, before starting the grinding process of the workpiece 80, the input thickness of the workpiece 80 is measured by the thickness measuring device 38. The input thickness is the thickness of the workpiece 80 when it is input (before processing). Information about the input thickness of the workpiece 80 measured by the thickness measuring device 38 is sent to the first determination unit 901 of the determination unit 90 of the control unit 9. For example, an allowable value for the input thickness of the workpiece 80 is preset and stored in the storage medium of the control unit 9. Furthermore, the first determination unit 901 compares whether the input thickness of the first workpiece 80 falls within the allowable value for input thickness to make a determination.

[0077] For example, the first determination unit 901 determines that the input thickness of the first workpiece 80 falls within the allowable input thickness value. In this case, the grinding process of the workpiece 80 is started directly.

[0078] The machining unit 16 is fed in the -Z direction via the grinding feed mechanism 19. The rotating grinding wheel abuts against the back surface 802 of the workpiece 80 held by the chuck table 30, thereby performing grinding. As the chuck table rotation mechanism 36 rotates the chuck table 30 at a predetermined speed, the workpiece 80 on the holding surface 302 also rotates, and the grinding wheel grinds the entire back surface 802 of the workpiece 80. During grinding, grinding water is supplied to the contact area between the grinding wheel and the back surface 802 of the workpiece 80 to cool and clean the contact area.

[0079] During the grinding process, the thickness of the workpiece 80 is measured sequentially by the thickness measuring device 38 and sent to the first determination unit 901 of the determination unit 90 included in the control unit 9. For example, the finished thickness of the workpiece 80 and the allowable value (e.g., ± a few μm) relative to the finished thickness are preset and stored in the storage medium of the control unit 9. Furthermore, the first determination unit 901 monitors sequentially whether the thickness of the first workpiece 80 during grinding falls within the finished thickness ± allowable value.

[0080] For example, thickness measurement and monitoring are performed using the thickness measuring device 38 and the first judgment unit 901. After the workpiece 80, which has been ground to the finished thickness by normal grinding, rises and leaves the machining unit 16, the chuck table 30, which holds the workpiece 80 by suction, rotates by a predetermined angle under the control of the control unit 9, positioning the mark 805 of the workpiece 80 in a predetermined direction. Then, the chuck table 30 is moved in the -Y direction to the vicinity of the unloading arm 132 by the table moving mechanism 17.

[0081] Next, the unloading arm 132 transports the workpiece 80, with the mark 805 positioned at a predetermined circumferential location, from the chuck table 30 to the rotary table 120. The workpiece 80 is placed on the rotary table 120, which has a diameter smaller than the workpiece 80, with its back side 802 facing upwards, and is held in place by the rotary table 120. The center of the workpiece 80 is approximately aligned with the center of the rotary table 120. Then, the cleaning nozzle 121 sprays cleaning water onto the workpiece 80 below while rotating and moving at a predetermined angle above it. The rotary table rotation mechanism 126 rotates the rotary table 120 at a predetermined speed, thereby providing cleaning water to the entire back side 8 of the workpiece 80 for cleaning.

[0082] The encoder 125 of the motor 123 of the rotary table rotation mechanism 126 outputs encoder signals to the control unit 9 during the rotation of the table. The control unit 9 can sequentially determine the position of the mark 805 on the rotating workpiece 80 based on the received encoder signals.

[0083] After the workpiece 80 has been cleaned for a specified time, the rotation of the rotary table 120 is stopped, and air is blown from the cleaning nozzle 121 onto the workpiece 80 to dry it. Next, the back surface 802 of the workpiece 80 is photographed using the imaging unit 127. The resulting image is sent to the second judgment unit 902 included in the judgment unit 90 of the control unit 9. The second judgment unit 902 performs binarization or edge processing of the image on an imaginary output screen, and performs image analysis to determine whether there are cracks, peripheral defects, undulations, or surface burns on the workpiece 80. For example, the second judgment unit 902 determines that there are no such cracks on the workpiece 80 after the first grinding.

[0084] That is, the first workpiece 80 is determined by the first judgment unit 901 to have been properly ground to the finished thickness and by the second judgment unit 902 to have no grinding defects such as cracks. Thus, when the judgment unit 90 determines that the workpiece 80 has been properly processed, the control unit 9 performs a process that orients the mark 805 toward the predetermined direction of normal processing 99 (see reference). Figure 4 Under the control of ), the processed material 80 is stored in the second box 22.

[0085] Specifically, firstly Figure 1 The robot arm 140 of the robot 14 shown moves in the Z-axis direction via an arm vertical movement mechanism 144, and is positioned at a predetermined height so as to attract and hold the front face 801 of the workpiece 80 on the rotary table 120 using its upward-facing suction surface 1404. Furthermore, the robot arm 140 rotates via an arm horizontal movement mechanism 142, so that the U-shaped opening of the suction section 1400 of the robot arm 140 is directly aligned with the rotary table 120 in the X-axis direction. That is, as shown... Figure 3 As shown, the front end of the robot arm 140 faces the -X direction.

[0086] The rotary table 120 that attracts and holds the workpiece 80 is in Figure 1 Under the control of the control unit 9 shown, the workpiece 80 is rotated by a predetermined angle, for example, the mark 805 on the workpiece 80. Figure 3 It is positioned in the +X direction, directly opposite the U-shaped opening of the robot arm 140, as shown.

[0087] The robot arm 140 is moved forward in the -X direction by the horizontal movement mechanism 142, causing the rotary table 120 to enter the U-shaped opening. The robot arm 140 is then positioned at a predetermined position in the horizontal plane, for example, with its center approximately aligned with the center of the workpiece 80. Next, the robot arm 140 rises, bringing its suction surface 1404 into contact with the front surface 801 of the workpiece 80 for attraction and retention. This results in the workpiece 800's marking 805 facing the base 1406 of the robot arm 140.

[0088] Next, in Figure 1 Under the control of the control unit 9 shown, the robot arm 140, which attracts and holds the workpiece 80, rotates via the arm horizontal movement mechanism 142, and the robot arm 140 is directly opposite the opening 220 of the second box 22 in the Y-axis direction. That is, the mark 805 of the workpiece 80 attracted and held by the robot arm 140 is facing the +Y direction side.

[0089] Furthermore, the robotic arm 140 descends to the height of the target shelf portion 226 (e.g., the lowest shelf portion 226) of the second box 22. Then, the robotic arm 140 advances in the -Y direction to a predetermined position inside the second box 22, releasing its grip on the workpiece 80 and storing the workpiece 80 in the shelf portion 226 of the second box 22 with its back side 802 facing upwards. Finally, the robotic arm 140, positioned below the workpiece 80, retracts from the second box 22.

[0090] Therefore, as Figure 4 As shown, the first workpiece 80 is stored in the shelf portion 226 of the second box 22 with the mark 805 facing the normal processing direction 99, which is the +Y direction side of the opening 220 of the second box 22.

[0091] (Grinding of the second workpiece 80)

[0092] During the grinding process of the first workpiece 80 using the grinding wheel 164, as described above, the robot 14 removes the second workpiece 80, which will be ground next, from the first box 21 in the same manner as it removed the first workpiece 80. Furthermore, Figure 1 The robot 14 shown moves the workpiece 80 above the temporary worktable 11. Similar to the case of the first workpiece 80, the second workpiece 80 is centered on the temporary worktable 11, and the circumferential position of the mark 805 is identified by the control unit 9.

[0093] After grinding, the first workpiece 80 is removed from the chuck table 30 by the unloading arm 132. After the chuck table 30 is emptied, the loading arm 131 moves the second workpiece 80, which has been centered and has the mark 805 positioned at a predetermined circumferential position, onto the chuck table 30. The second workpiece 80 is then held by the chuck table 30 with its centers aligned with the center of the chuck table 30 and the orientation plane of the chuck table 30 aligned with the mark 805.

[0094] After the chuck table 30 attracts and holds the workpiece 80, the table moving mechanism 17 moves the chuck table 30 in the +Y direction. Then, the workpiece 80 is aligned with the grinding wheel 164 of the processing unit 16.

[0095] Before the grinding of the second workpiece 80 begins, the input thickness of the workpiece 80 is measured by the thickness measuring device 38, and the information regarding the input thickness is sent to the first determination unit 901. The first determination unit 901 compares whether the input thickness of the second workpiece 80 falls within the allowable value of the input thickness, and determines that the input thickness of the second workpiece 80 does not fall within the allowable value of the input thickness. Furthermore, the case where the input thickness does not fall within the allowable value of the input thickness refers to a situation where the input thickness of the second workpiece 80 is greater than the allowable value of the input thickness (workpiece 80 is too thick) or less than the allowable value of the input thickness (workpiece 80 is too thin).

[0096] In this case, the first judgment unit 901 notifies the operator of the judgment by emitting an alarm sound from the device's speaker or displaying an error on the device's monitor or touch panel. This judgment refers to the judgment that grinding cannot be performed on the second workpiece 80 because the input thickness of the second workpiece 80 is greater than (too thick) or less than (too thin) the allowable input thickness.

[0097] In this case, under the control of the control unit 9, the second workpiece 80 is not ground and is stored in the second box 22. That is, the chuck table 30 is moved to the vicinity of the unloading arm 132 by the table moving mechanism 17. The unloading arm 132 transfers the workpiece 80, with the mark 805 positioned at a predetermined circumferential position, from the chuck table 30 to the rotary table 120.

[0098] On the rotary table 120, in order to attract and hold the workpiece 80 with its back side 802 facing upward from the front side 801, the robot arm 140 is positioned at a predetermined height. In addition, the robot arm 140 is rotated by the arm horizontal movement mechanism 142 so that the U-shaped opening of the suction part 1400 of the robot arm 140 faces the -X direction side and is directly opposite the rotary table 120 in the X-axis direction.

[0099] The rotary table 120, which attracts and holds the workpiece 80, rotates by a predetermined angle under the control of the control unit 9. For example, the mark 805 of the workpiece 80 is positioned relative to the U-shaped opening of the robot arm 140 and rotated in a direction that is clockwise when viewed from the +Z direction side by 45 degrees.

[0100] via the horizontal movement mechanism 142 of the arm Figure 1 The robot arm 140 shown moves straight in the -X direction, attracting and holding the workpiece 80 with its center approximately aligned with the center of the workpiece 80. The mark 805 on the workpiece 80 is located at a 45-degree rotation relative to the base 1406 of the robot arm 140 in a direction viewed from the +Z direction.

[0101] Under the control of the control unit 9, the robot arm 140, which has rotated via the arm horizontal movement mechanism 142, is aligned with the opening 220 of the second box 22 in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the robot arm 140 rises or falls to the height of the target shelf portion 226 of the second box 22 (e.g., a shelf portion 226 one level above the bottom shelf portion 226). Then, the robot arm 140 advances in the -Y direction to a predetermined position inside the second box 22, releasing the robot arm 140 from its attraction and holding of the workpiece 80, and storing the workpiece 80 in the shelf portion 226 of the second box 22 with its back side 802 facing upwards. Finally, the robot arm 140, located below the workpiece 80, retracts from the second box 22.

[0102] Therefore, as Figure 5 As shown, the second workpiece 80 is stored in the shelf portion 226 of the second box 22 with the mark 805 facing the direction 98 of abnormal processing thickness, that is, in the direction 98 of rotating 45 degrees clockwise from the opening 220 on the +Y direction side of the second box 22 when viewed from above.

[0103] (Grinding of the third workpiece 80)

[0104] In the process of measuring the thickness of the second workpiece 80, as described above, robot 14 moves the third workpiece 80, which will be subjected to grinding, out in the same manner as it moved the first workpiece 80. Figure 1 Box 21, shown in the image, is moved out.

[0105] Figure 1 The robot 14 shown moves the workpiece 80 onto the temporary worktable 11. Similar to the case of the first workpiece 80, the third workpiece 80 is centered on the temporary worktable 11, and the circumferential position of the mark 805 is identified by the control unit 9.

[0106] After the second workpiece 80 is removed from the chuck table 30 by the unloading arm 132 without being ground, freeing up the chuck table 30, the loading arm 131 moves the third workpiece 80, which has been centered and has the mark 805 positioned at a predetermined circumferential position, onto the chuck table 30. The third workpiece 80 is then held by the chuck table 30 with its centers aligned with the center of the chuck table 30 and the orientation plane of the chuck table 30 aligned with the mark 805.

[0107] After the chuck table 30 holds the workpiece 80, the table moving mechanism 17 moves the chuck table 30 in the +Y direction to align the workpiece 80 with the grinding wheel 164 of the processing unit 16. Additionally, for example, before starting the grinding of the third workpiece 80, the input thickness of the workpiece 80 is measured by the thickness measuring device 38. The first determination unit 901, receiving the input thickness information, determines that the input thickness of the third workpiece 80 falls within the allowable value. In this case, the grinding of the workpiece 80 begins directly.

[0108] In the grinding of the third workpiece 80, which is performed in the same manner as the grinding of the first workpiece 80, the thickness of the workpiece 80 is measured successively by the thickness measuring device 38 and sent to the first judgment unit 901 of the judgment unit 90. Furthermore, the first judgment unit 901 monitors successively whether the thickness of the third workpiece 80 during grinding falls within the finished thickness ± allowable value.

[0109] For example, even when thickness measurement and monitoring are performed using the thickness measuring device 38 and the first determination unit 901, before the thickness measurement information of the workpiece 80 based on the thickness measuring device 38 is sent to the first determination unit 901, a time lag may occur due to the amount of processing tasks of the control unit 9. Sometimes, the control unit 9 may delay the control of the grinding feed mechanism 19, thus delaying the timing when the grinding feed mechanism 19 lifts the processing unit 16 from the workpiece 80. As a result, sometimes the third workpiece 80 being ground becomes thinner than the preset finished thickness minus the allowable value. In addition, this phenomenon of the workpiece 80 becoming thinner than the finished thickness minus the allowable value may also occur due to the state of the grinding wheel, etc.

[0110] Furthermore, even when thickness measurement and monitoring are performed using the thickness measuring device 38 and the first judgment unit 901, abnormal conditions such as surface burning on the back surface 802 of the workpiece 80 or the self-sharpening of the grinding wheel in the processing unit 16 cannot be performed properly, making it impossible to properly grind the workpiece 80. In such cases, under the control of the grinding feed mechanism 19 by the control unit 9, when the processing unit 16 is lifted from the workpiece 80, sometimes the third workpiece 80 after grinding becomes thicker than the preset finished thickness plus an allowable value.

[0111] In this case, the first judgment unit 901 will issue an alarm sound from the device's speaker or display an error on the device's touch panel or other display device to notify the operator that the third workpiece 80 after grinding has an abnormal thickness.

[0112] For example, the chuck table 30, which holds the workpiece 80, rotates by a predetermined angle under the control of the control unit 9, positioning the mark 805 of the third workpiece 80 after grinding in a predetermined direction. Then, the chuck table 30 moves in the -Y direction and is located near the unloading arm 132, which then transfers the workpiece 80 from the chuck table 30 to the rotary table 120.

[0113] After the workpiece 80 is cleaned and dried by the cleaning unit 12, the back side 802 of the workpiece 80 is photographed by the imaging unit 127. The second judgment unit 902 uses the formed photographed image to determine whether there are cracks, peripheral defects, undulations, or surface burns on the workpiece 80. For example, the second judgment unit 902 determines that there are no such cracks on the workpiece 80 after the third grinding.

[0114] Control unit 9 causes the first determination unit 901 of determination unit 90 to determine that the third workpiece 80 after grinding has an abnormal thickness, and the mark 805 is oriented towards the direction of the abnormal thickness 98 (see reference). Figure 5 The control unit 9, under the same control as the previously described case of storing the second workpiece 80 in the second box 22, stores the third workpiece 80 in the shelf portion 226 of the second box 22 with the mark 805 facing the direction 98 of the processing thickness abnormality as a predetermined direction, that is, in a direction that is rotated 45 degrees clockwise from the opening 220 on the +Y direction side of the second box 22 when viewed from above.

[0115] (Grinding of the fourth workpiece 80)

[0116] In the process of grinding the third workpiece 80, as described above, robot 14 moves the fourth workpiece 80, which is to be ground, from the same location as it moved the first workpiece 80. Figure 1 The first box 21 shown is moved out. And, similarly to the case of the first workpiece 80, the fourth workpiece 80, which is transported by the robot 14, is centered on the temporary worktable 11, and the circumferential position of the mark 805 is identified by the control unit 9.

[0117] After the third workpiece 80 is removed from the chuck table 30 by the unloading arm 132, the loading arm 131 moves the fourth workpiece 80, which has been centered and has the mark 805 positioned at a predetermined circumferential position, onto the chuck table 30. The fourth workpiece 80 is then held on the chuck table 30 by suction while being aligned with the center and orientation plane of the chuck table 30.

[0118] After the chuck table 30 holds the workpiece 80, the workpiece 80 is aligned with the grinding wheel 164 of the processing unit 16 by the table moving mechanism 17. In addition, before the grinding of the fourth workpiece 80 begins, the input thickness of the workpiece 80 is measured by the thickness measuring device 38, and the first judgment unit 901, which receives the input thickness information, determines that the input thickness of the fourth workpiece 80 falls within the allowable input thickness value.

[0119] In the grinding of the fourth workpiece 80, which is performed in the same manner as the grinding of the first workpiece 80, the thickness of the workpiece 80 is measured successively by the thickness measuring device 38, and the thickness information is sent to the first judgment unit 901 of the judgment unit 90. Furthermore, the first judgment unit 901 monitors successively whether the thickness of the third workpiece 80 during grinding falls within the finished thickness ± allowable value.

[0120] For example, after thickness measurement and monitoring are performed using the thickness measuring device 38 and the first judgment unit 901, and the workpiece 80, having been ground to the final thickness by the processing unit 16, rises and leaves, the chuck table 30, which holds the workpiece 80, rotates by a predetermined angle under the control of the control unit 9, positioning the mark 805 on the workpiece 80 in a predetermined direction. Furthermore, the chuck table 30 is moved in the -Y direction by the table moving mechanism 17 and positioned near the unloading arm 132.

[0121] The unloading arm 132 transfers the workpiece 80, marked with 805 at a predetermined circumferential position, from the chuck table 30 to the rotary table 120. After the fourth workpiece 80 is cleaned and dried by the cleaning unit 12, the back side 802 of the workpiece 80 is photographed using the imaging unit 127. Here, the second judgment unit 902 uses the formed photographed image to determine whether there are cracks, peripheral defects, undulations, or surface burns on the workpiece 80. For example, the second judgment unit 902 determines that there is a crack 808 on the fourth ground workpiece 80 (see reference). Figure 6 In this case, the second judgment unit 902 sends an alarm sound or displays an error message to notify the operator that there is a processing abnormality in the fourth workpiece 80 after grinding.

[0122] Furthermore, the control unit 9 marks the fourth workpiece 80 after grinding, after which the second determination unit 902 determines that a processing abnormality with a crack 808 exists, with the mark 805 pointing towards the direction 97 of the processing abnormality such as the crack (see reference). Figure 6 Under the control of ), the processed material 80 is stored in the second box 22.

[0123] That is, on the rotary table 120, in order to attract and hold the workpiece 80, which is facing downwards from the front side 801, the robot arm 140 is positioned at a predetermined height. In addition, the robot arm 140 rotates, with the U-shaped opening of the robot arm 140 facing the -X direction side, and is directly opposite the rotary table 120 in the X-axis direction.

[0124] The rotary table 120 rotates by a predetermined angle under the control of the control unit 9, thereby rotating the mark 805 of the workpiece 80, for example, by 45 degrees in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the +Z direction side, relative to the U-shaped opening of the robot arm 140.

[0125] The robot arm 140 is moved in the -X direction by the horizontal movement mechanism 142, and the workpiece 80 is attracted and held by the robot arm 140 with their centers approximately aligned. The mark 805 on the workpiece 80 is located at a direction that is rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise from the +Z direction side relative to the base 1406 of the robot arm 140.

[0126] Under the control of the control unit 9, the robot arm 140, which rotates via the arm horizontal movement mechanism 142, is aligned with the opening 220 of the second box 22 in the Y-axis direction. The robot arm 140 then rises or falls to the height of the target shelf portion 226 of the second box 22. Additionally, the robot arm 140 advances in the -Y direction to a predetermined position inside the second box 22, releasing its grip on the workpiece 80, and the workpiece 80 is stored in the shelf portion 226 of the second box 22 with its back side 802 facing upwards. Finally, the robot arm 140 withdraws from the second box 22.

[0127] Therefore, as Figure 6 As shown, the fourth workpiece 80 is stored in the shelf portion 226 of the second box 22 with the mark 805 facing the direction 97 of the abnormality such as the processing crack, which is the direction of the specified direction, that is, the direction in which the opening 220 on the +Y direction side of the second box 22 is rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise when viewed from above.

[0128] The processing apparatus 1 of the present invention includes: a determination unit 90 that determines whether the workpiece 80 is being processed normally or not; and a control unit 9 that, when the determination unit 90 determines that the workpiece 80 is being processed normally, directs the mark 805 toward a predetermined direction. Figure 4 The workpiece 80 is placed in the second box 22 under the control of the normal processing direction 99 shown. When the judgment unit 90 determines that the workpiece 80 has not been properly processed, the mark 805 is oriented in a direction different from the normal processing direction 99 (i.e., for example...). Figure 5 The direction of the abnormal machining thickness shown is 98 or Figure 6 By controlling the direction of abnormalities such as processing cracks (97) shown, the workpiece 80 is stored in the second box 22. The operator can easily determine whether a workpiece 80 stored in the second box 22 is being processed normally (the first workpiece 80) or not (the second to fourth workpieces 80) by observing the direction of the marking 805. Furthermore, for example, the operator can easily remove only the workpieces 80 that have not been processed normally without spending time comparing the screen. Therefore, after the second box 22 is filled, for example, the second box 22, after removing only the workpieces 80 that have not been processed normally, can be easily transferred to the next process device.

[0129] The processing apparatus 1 of the present invention includes a thickness measuring device 38 for measuring the thickness of a workpiece 80. The determination unit 90 determines whether the workpiece 80 is being processed normally or not, based on the thickness measured by the thickness measuring device 38. This allows the control unit 9 to easily orient the mark 805 of the workpiece 80 towards a predetermined direction 99. Figure 4 Positioning control of the normal machining direction 99, or towards a direction 98 different from the specified direction 99. Figure 5 Positioning control of the direction 98 of the abnormal processing thickness shown.

[0130] The judgment unit 90 has multiple judgment units, namely, a first judgment unit 901 and a second judgment unit 902 in this embodiment. The first judgment unit 901 and the second judgment unit 902 can determine whether the workpiece 80 is a normally processed workpiece 80 or a workpiece 80 that has not been normally processed based on different criteria. Therefore, when at least one of the first judgment unit 901 and the second judgment unit 902 determines that the workpiece 80 has not been normally processed, the control unit 9 can move the mark 805 toward the first judgment unit that made the judgment. The workpiece 80 is stored in the second box 22 by controlling the direction 98 of the abnormal processing thickness preset by the 901 or the direction 97 of the abnormal processing crack that is inconsistent with the direction 98 of the abnormal processing thickness preset by the second judgment unit 902. The operator can easily know whether the workpiece 80 is normally processed or not normally processed by observing the direction of the mark 805 on the workpiece 80 stored in the second box 22, and can identify the type of abnormality of the workpiece 80 that is not normally processed.

[0131] The processing apparatus 1 of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can of course be implemented in various different ways within the scope of its technical concept. Furthermore, the shape and other aspects of the structure of the processing apparatus 1 illustrated in the accompanying drawings are not limited thereto, and can be appropriately modified within the scope that enables the effects of the present invention to be achieved.

[0132] For example, in the grinding of the fourth workpiece 80 described earlier, the first judgment unit 901 determines that the ground fourth workpiece 80 has a thickness abnormality, and the second judgment unit 902 also determines that the ground fourth workpiece 80 has a processing abnormality such as a crack 808. In this case, it is possible to set the mark 805 of the workpiece 80 so that it is aligned with the condition set by both the first judgment unit 901 and the second judgment unit 902 when they determine that the ground workpiece 80 has an abnormality. Figure 4The control of different directions of the normal processing direction 99, as shown, allows the workpiece 80 to be stored in the second box 22. In this case, the fourth workpiece 80, for example, has its mark 805 facing towards... Figure 1 It is stored on the back panel 225 side (inside of the second box 22) shown.

Claims

1. A processing apparatus, wherein, The processing apparatus includes: A chuck stage that holds a workpiece with markings indicating crystal orientation using a holding face; The processing unit grinds the workpiece held by the chuck table using grinding tools or grinding pads. A box-mounted platform that holds shelf-like boxes capable of holding multiple workpieces; A temporary workbench where the workpiece is temporarily placed. A rotary table that holds the workpiece to be cleaned; A rotating mechanism for a rotating worktable, which causes the rotating worktable to rotate; An encoder that detects the rotational speed of the rotary table; A robot that transports workpieces placed in a box on the box carrier to the temporary worktable, or transports workpieces held by the rotating worktable to the box placed on the box carrier. The judgment unit determines whether the workpiece has been processed normally or not. as well as When the determination unit determines that the workpiece has been processed normally, the control unit controls the marking to face a predetermined direction and stores the workpiece in the box. When the determination unit determines that the workpiece has not been processed normally, the control unit controls the marking to face a direction different from the predetermined direction and stores the workpiece in the box. Based on the judgment result of the judgment unit, the control unit controls the rotation angle of the rotary table according to the rotational speed detected by the encoder, thereby adjusting the direction of the mark. The box has an opening for the robot to load the workpiece. The robot then moves the workpiece, after the orientation of the marker has been adjusted, into the box.

2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The processing apparatus also includes a thickness gauge for measuring the thickness of the workpiece. The determination unit determines whether the workpiece is being processed normally or not, based on the thickness of the workpiece measured by the thickness measuring device.

3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The decision unit also has multiple decision units. The different directions are pre-set in a manner that each of the plurality of decision units is inconsistent. These multiple judgment units are configured to determine whether a workpiece is being processed normally or not, based on different judgment criteria. When one or more of the multiple determination units determine that the workpiece has not been properly processed, the control unit controls the marking to be oriented in a different direction set according to the determination unit that made the determination, and stores the workpiece in the box.

Images