Workpiece transport mechanism

Abstract

The present application provides a workpiece conveying mechanism capable of reducing the occupied area of a polishing apparatus, shortening the conveying time of a workpiece, and improving productivity. The workpiece conveying mechanism for conveying a workpiece in a polishing apparatus includes a robot, a loading tray, a loading arm, an unloading tray, a suction pad mechanism, and a suction pad cleaning unit. The loading tray conveys a workpiece received from the robot to the suction pad mechanism. The loading arm supports the loading tray and is rotatable. The unloading tray receives a workpiece from the suction pad mechanism and delivers the workpiece to the robot. The loading tray and the unloading tray are independently rotatable. The suction pad cleaning unit cleans the suction pad mechanism and is disposed on the loading arm and rotates simultaneously with the loading tray. With such a structure, the configuration area of the workpiece conveying mechanism can be reduced, and the polishing apparatus can be miniaturized. In addition, the conveying time of the workpiece can be shortened, and the productivity can be improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a workpiece conveying mechanism. BACKGROUND

[0002] A polishing apparatus that performs CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) of a semiconductor wafer or the like is known. Such a polishing apparatus is provided with a workpiece conveying mechanism that conveys a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer to a chuck mechanism.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2008-512000 discloses a polishing apparatus for performing CMP of a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer. In the polishing apparatus disclosed in this document, a pivotable loading / unloading cup for transferring the workpiece to a workpiece carrier is used.

[0004] Further, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2001-60571 discloses an apparatus that conveys a wafer to a CMP polishing head. The apparatus disclosed in this document is provided with a buffer table, a conveying robot, and a loading / unloading assembly, and the conveying robot selectively arranges a workpiece to the buffer table and the loading / unloading assembly.

[0005] However, in the workpiece conveying mechanism of the above-described conventional technology, there is room for improvement in order to miniaturize the polishing apparatus and improve the productivity of a semiconductor wafer or the like.

[0006] Specifically, in such a polishing apparatus, a chuck cleaning mechanism that cleans a chuck mechanism in order to remove polishing debris or the like adhering to the chuck mechanism, and a workpiece conveying mechanism that conveys a workpiece are provided separately. In this structure, there is a problem in that it is difficult to achieve miniaturization of the polishing apparatus and shorten the conveying time of a workpiece.

[0007] That is, in a structure in which a chuck cleaning mechanism that cleans a chuck mechanism is provided separately from a workpiece conveying mechanism that conveys a workpiece, a region for arranging the chuck cleaning mechanism is required. Therefore, the area occupied by the polishing apparatus becomes large. Further, on the chuck cleaning mechanism, a driving device for transporting a chuck cleaning portion is required to be provided separately from a driving device of the workpiece conveying mechanism.

[0008] Further, until the chuck cleaning portion of the chuck cleaning mechanism moves to the position of the chuck mechanism to clean the chuck mechanism, and returns to the original position after the cleaning is completed, a loading table that carries a workpiece cannot be rotated. Therefore, a time loss related to the production of a workpiece occurs, which is the time required for the movement of the chuck cleaning mechanism to move the chuck cleaning portion.

[0009] Further, for example, a structure in which a suction pad cleaning section for cleaning the suction pad mechanism is provided on the arm that rotates the loading disk and the unloading disk can also be considered. However, in a structure in which the loading disk, the unloading disk, and the suction pad cleaning section are provided on one arm and are rotated, the rotation range of the loading disk, the unloading disk, and the suction pad cleaning section becomes large. Therefore, a wide area for movement of the loading disk, the unloading disk, and the suction pad cleaning section becomes necessary in the polishing apparatus.

[0010] Further, in a manner in which the loading disk, the unloading disk, and the suction pad cleaning section are transported by rotating one arm as described above, there is also a problem in that the rotation angle of the arm becomes large and the transport of the workpiece and the suction pad cleaning section takes time. SUMMARY

[0011] The present application has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present application to provide a workpiece transport mechanism that can reduce the floor space of a polishing apparatus and can shorten the transport time of a workpiece and can improve productivity.

[0012] The workpiece transport mechanism according to one embodiment of the present application includes a robot, a loading disk, a loading arm, an unloading disk, a suction pad mechanism, and a suction pad cleaning section. The loading disk is configured to transport a workpiece received from the robot to the suction pad mechanism. The loading arm is configured to support the loading disk and is rotatable. The unloading disk is configured to receive the workpiece from the suction pad mechanism and deliver the workpiece to the robot. The loading disk and the unloading disk are independently rotatable. The suction pad cleaning section is configured to clean the suction pad mechanism and is provided on the loading arm that supports the loading disk and rotates together with the loading disk.

[0013] The workpiece transport mechanism according to one embodiment of the present application includes a loading disk that transports a workpiece received from a robot to a suction pad mechanism, an unloading disk that receives the workpiece from the suction pad mechanism and delivers the workpiece to the robot, and a suction pad cleaning section that cleans the suction pad mechanism. The loading disk and the unloading disk are independently rotatable. The suction pad cleaning section is provided on a loading arm that supports the loading disk and rotates together with the loading disk. With this structure, the area occupied by the workpiece transport mechanism can be reduced, and thus the polishing apparatus can be made compact. Further, the transport time of the workpiece can be shortened, and productivity can be improved.

[0014] Specifically, the loading disk and the unloading disk are independently rotatable. Therefore, when the loading disk rotates to transport a workpiece, the unloading disk can be on standby at a predetermined position without rotating. Further, when the unloading disk rotates to transport a workpiece, the loading disk can be on standby at a predetermined position without rotating.

[0015] Therefore, the rotation range of the loading disk and the unloading disk does not reach the side of the robot away from the polishing table. Thus, compared with a structure in which the loading disk and the unloading disk are supported by one arm and simultaneously rotated about the same rotation axis, the rotation region of the loading disk and the unloading disk can be reduced.

[0016] In addition, since the chuck cleaning section is provided to the loading arm supporting the loading disk, a conveying mechanism for conveying the chuck cleaning section does not need to be separately provided from the loading arm. Therefore, the occupied area of the workpiece conveying mechanism can be reduced, and thus the polishing device can be downsized.

[0017] In addition, the chuck cleaning section is provided to the loading arm common to the loading disk so as to be simultaneously rotated with the loading disk. Therefore, the retreat of the chuck cleaning section and the entry of the loading disk can be simultaneously performed. Thus, useless movement can be omitted, and the conveying time can be shortened.

[0018] In addition, according to the workpiece conveying mechanism of the present application, the chuck cleaning section can be disposed between the loading disk and the chuck mechanism in plan view in a state in which the loading disk receives the workpiece. Thus, the movement distance of the loading disk and the chuck cleaning section, that is, the rotation angle of the loading arm can be reduced, and thus the conveying time can be shortened.

[0019] In addition, according to the workpiece conveying mechanism of one embodiment of the present application, the rotation axis of the loading disk and the rotation axis of the unloading disk can be disposed side by side between a position at which the loading disk receives the workpiece and a position at which the unloading disk hands over the workpiece. Thus, the disposition region of the workpiece conveying mechanism can be reduced, and thus the polishing device can be downsized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a plan view showing the schematic structure of the workpiece conveying mechanism of the embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 2 is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece conveying mechanism of the embodiment of the present application at the time of receiving the workpiece.

[0022] Figure 3 is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece conveying mechanism of the embodiment of the present application at the time of chuck cleaning.

[0023] Figure 4 is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece conveying mechanism of the embodiment of the present application at the time of loading.

[0024] Figure 5 is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece conveying mechanism of the embodiment of the present application at the time of polishing.

[0025] Figure 6is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece conveying mechanism of the embodiment of the present application at the time of unloading.

[0026] Figure 7 is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece conveying mechanism of the embodiment of the present application at the time of transferring the workpiece.

[0027] Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0028] 1 Polishing device

[0029] 2 Workpiece conveying mechanism

[0030] 10 Polishing table

[0031] 11 Suction pad mechanism

[0032] 20 Loading tray

[0033] 21 Suction pad cleaning section

[0034] 22 Rotation shaft

[0035] 23 Loading arm

[0036] 24 Rotation shaft

[0037] 25 Reference position

[0038] 26 Loading cassette

[0039] 30 Unloading tray

[0040] 31 Unloading arm

[0041] 32 Rotation shaft

[0042] 33 Reference position

[0043] 34 Unloading cassette

[0044] 35 Robot

[0045] W Workpiece DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Hereinafter, the workpiece conveying mechanism of the polishing device of the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail based on the drawings.

[0047] Figure 1 is a plan view showing the outline structure of the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 of the polishing device 1 of the embodiment of the present application.

[0048] Figure 1The polishing apparatus 1 shown is an apparatus for polishing the surface of a workpiece W that is generally in the shape of a substrate. Specifically, the workpiece W is, for example, a semiconductor substrate, and the polishing apparatus 1 is, for example, an apparatus for performing chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). That is, the polishing apparatus 1 is used to precisely polish the surface of the semiconductor or the like that forming the workpiece W, or various coverings formed on the surface of the semiconductor or the like, into a flat shape.

[0049] The grinding apparatus 1 includes: a grinding table 10, a grinding cloth for holding the workpiece W to be ground; a suction cup mechanism 11 for holding the workpiece W; and a workpiece conveying mechanism 2 for conveying the workpiece W to the suction cup mechanism 11.

[0050] The grinding table 10 is a device that holds and rotates the abrasive cloth on the workpiece W to be ground. Specifically, the grinding table 10 is generally circular in shape and is driven to rotate by a drive device (not shown) while the abrasive cloth is held on the upper holding surface. Alternatively, the abrasive cloth can be vacuum-adsorbed onto the holding surface of the grinding table 10 using a pressure-reducing device (not shown).

[0051] An upper stage (not shown) can be provided on the holding surface of the grinding table 10 to hold the grinding cloth. The upper stage can be, for example, a plate made of porous alumina, ceramic, metal, or other porous materials made of synthetic resin.

[0052] Abrasive cloth is a cloth component used for abrading workpiece W. Examples of abrasive cloths include polyurethane foam sheets, nonwoven fabrics made of synthetic fibers, and other felts.

[0053] The suction cup mechanism 11 is a mechanism that adsorbs and holds the workpiece W to be ground, and rotates the workpiece W. The suction cup mechanism 11 has a holding surface that holds the workpiece W in a generally circular shape. Figure 1 In this design, the suction cup mechanism 11 uses its lower surface as a holding surface to hold the workpiece W. The suction cup mechanism 11 is provided with a rotating shaft extending in the vertical direction, that is, perpendicular to the holding surface. The holding surface of the suction cup mechanism 11 holding the workpiece W is configured to rotate freely about the rotating shaft located approximately in the center, and is driven to rotate by a drive device (not shown). That is, the workpiece W rotates about the rotating shaft of the suction cup mechanism 11.

[0054] Additionally, the grinding apparatus 1 includes a transport device (not shown) that transports the holding surface of the suction cup mechanism 11 along the vertical direction. Furthermore, the grinding apparatus 1 includes a pressing device (not shown) that presses the workpiece W held in the suction cup mechanism 11 toward the grinding surface of the grinding cloth.

[0055] In the polishing apparatus 1, polishing of the workpiece W is performed by bringing the polishing cloth into contact with the workpiece W and relatively moving them. Specifically, in the polishing process, the polished surface of the workpiece W, i.e., the lower surface, is rotated with the rotation axis of the holding surface of the chuck mechanism 11 as the center, while abutting against the polishing surface of the polishing cloth, i.e., the upper surface of the polishing cloth, which is rotated with the rotation axis of the holding surface of the polishing table 10 as the center. Further, the polished surface of the workpiece W is pressed against the polishing surface of the polishing cloth. Thus, the polished surface of the workpiece W is polished.

[0056] The polishing apparatus 1 is provided with a not-shown polishing liquid supply device that supplies the polishing liquid to the polishing cloth in the polishing process. In the polishing process, the polishing liquid supplied from the polishing liquid supply device is supplied to the polishing surface via the polishing cloth. As the polishing liquid, for example, a polishing liquid obtained by mixing silica, alumina, ceria, manganese oxide, or the like as abrasive grains in a solution such as pure water, an alkaline aqueous solution, an acidic aqueous solution, or the like can be used.

[0057] Further, the polishing apparatus 1 has a not-shown dressing device that dresses the polishing surface of the polishing cloth. The dressing device has a not-shown dresser for removing clogging of the polishing cloth and for dressing. The dresser is, for example, a diamond dresser in which diamond abrasive grains are electroplated with nickel (Ni).

[0058] Further, the dresser can also be formed of a synthetic resin, for example. The synthetic resin material constituting the dresser is preferably an industrial plastic (engineering plastic) that is high in strength and excellent in heat resistance, such as polyamide (PA), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), or the like. Specifically, the dresser can be a nylon brush or a PEEK brush, or the like.

[0059] The polishing apparatus 1 is provided with a loading cassette 26 for supplying the workpiece W that is a processing target into the apparatus, and an unloading cassette 34 for taking out the workpiece W that has been subjected to polishing processing from the apparatus.

[0060] The loading cassette 26 and the unloading cassette 34 are cassettes that can accommodate a plurality of workpieces W. Further, the loading cassette 26 and the unloading cassette 34 are configured to be detachable from the polishing apparatus 1.

[0061] The workpiece conveying mechanism 2 is a mechanism that conveys the workpiece W that is a processing target to the chuck mechanism 11. Specifically, the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 conveys the workpiece W that is a processing target accommodated in the loading cassette 26 to the chuck mechanism 11, and conveys the workpiece W after completion of polishing processing from the chuck mechanism 11 to the unloading cassette 34.

[0062] The workpiece conveying mechanism 2 has a robot 35 that conveys the workpieces W with respect to the loading magazine 26 and the unloading magazine 34, a loading tray 20 that carries the workpieces W received from the robot 35 to the chuck mechanism 11, and an unloading tray 30 that receives the workpieces W from the chuck mechanism 11 and hands them over to the robot 35. In addition, the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 has a chuck cleaning section 21 that cleans the chuck mechanism 11.

[0063] The robot 35 is a conveying robot that automatically conveys the workpieces W under the control of a control device (not shown) and the drive of a drive device (not shown).

[0064] The robot 35 takes out the workpieces W housed in the loading magazine 26 and carries them to the loading tray 20. In addition, the robot 35 receives the workpieces W after the polishing process is completed from the unloading tray 30 and houses them in the unloading magazine 34.

[0065] The loading tray 20 is a tray for carrying the workpieces W to the chuck mechanism 11. In detail, the loading tray 20 receives the workpieces W to be processed conveyed from the robot 35 and carries and hands them over to the chuck mechanism 11.

[0066] The loading tray 20 is supported to the loading arm 23 that rotates freely. With the rotation of the loading arm 23, the loading tray 20 can move back and forth between the reference position 25 at which the workpieces W are received from the robot 35 and the position at which the workpieces W are handed over to the chuck mechanism 11.

[0067] The loading arm 23 is a hollow block-shaped member that supports the loading tray 20 to rotate freely, and is formed of a metal material such as aluminum, for example.

[0068] The loading arm 23 is supported by a not-shown rotation shaft member that extends in the up-and-down direction in a substantially cylindrical or substantially cylindrical shape. That is, the loading arm 23 rotates freely with the center axis of the rotation shaft member, that is, the rotation shaft 24 as the center.

[0069] Further, the rotation shaft member of the loading arm 23 is connected to a drive device such as a motor that is not shown. Therefore, the loading arm 23 is driven to rotate by the drive device. That is, the loading tray 20 supported to the loading arm 23 rotates with the rotation shaft 24 as the center.

[0070] The loading arm 23 is provided with the chuck cleaning section 21 that cleans the holding surface of the chuck mechanism 11. The chuck cleaning section 21 is a member that removes the polishing dust and the like attached to the chuck mechanism 11 in the polishing process before the chuck mechanism 11 holds the workpieces W to be processed next. The chuck cleaning section 21 is a brush-shaped member formed of a synthetic resin, for example, and is a nylon brush or the like. The chuck cleaning section 21 rotates freely with the rotation shaft 22 at the substantially center portion thereof as the center.

[0071] The loading arm 23 is formed in a hollow shape, and a driving device such as a motor (not shown) that rotates the chuck cleaning section 21 is provided inside the loading arm 23. In addition, a control wire for controlling the driving device to rotate, a power supply wire, and other measurement wires are provided inside the loading arm 23.

[0072] In addition, in order to clean the chuck mechanism 11, a high-pressure water jet device that jets high-pressure water to the holding surface of the chuck mechanism 11 can be provided in the chuck cleaning section 21. As the high-pressure water to be jetted to the chuck mechanism 11, for example, pure water, an alkaline aqueous solution, or an acidic aqueous solution can be used. In addition, a pipe for the high-pressure water and a wire for control, and the like can be provided inside the loading arm 23.

[0073] As described above, the chuck cleaning section 21 is provided to the loading arm 23. Specifically, the chuck cleaning section 21 is provided to the loading arm 23 in a state in which the loading arm 23 is disposed in a position in which the loading arm 23 is able to receive the workpiece W from the chuck mechanism 11. Figure 1 In the embodiment, the loading disc 20 is provided to the left end portion of the loading arm 23, the chuck cleaning section 21 is provided to the left upper end portion of the loading arm 23, and the rotation shaft 24 is provided to the right end portion of the loading arm 23.

[0074] In other words, the loading arm 23 has a substantially Y shape in plan view, the loading disc 20 is provided to the upper end portion of one side of the Y shape, the chuck cleaning section 21 is provided to the upper end portion of the other side of the Y shape, and the rotation shaft 24 is provided to the lower end portion of the Y shape. Therefore, the chuck cleaning section 21 rotates together with the loading disc 20 about the rotation shaft 24.

[0075] Specifically, in a state in which the loading disc 20 receives the workpiece W, the chuck cleaning section 21 is disposed between the loading disc 20 and the chuck mechanism 11 in plan view. That is, the chuck cleaning section 21 is disposed between the reference position 25 at which the loading disc 20 receives the workpiece W and the chuck mechanism 11. With this structure, the movement distance between the loading disc 20 and the chuck cleaning section 21, that is, the rotation angle of the loading arm 23 can be reduced, and thus the conveyance time can be shortened.

[0076] The unloading disc 30 is a disc that transfers the workpiece W from the chuck mechanism 11 to the robot 35. Specifically, the unloading disc 30 receives the workpiece W after polishing from the chuck mechanism 11, conveys the workpiece W to the reference position 33, and transfers the workpiece W to the robot 35.

[0077] The unloading disc 30 is supported to the unloading arm 31 that is rotatable, and by the rotation of the unloading arm 31, the unloading disc 30 is able to move back and forth between a position below the chuck mechanism 11 at which the workpiece W is received and the reference position 33 at which the workpiece W is transferred to the robot 35.

[0078] The unloading arm 31 is a hollow block-shaped member that supports the unloading disc 30 so as to be rotatable, and is formed of, for example, a metal material such as aluminum.

[0079] The unloading arm 31 is supported by a generally cylindrical or generally cylindrical rotating shaft component (not shown) that extends in the vertical direction. That is, the unloading arm 31 can rotate freely about the central axis of the rotating shaft component, namely the rotating shaft 32.

[0080] Furthermore, the rotation shaft component of the unloading arm 31 is connected to a drive device such as a motor (not shown). Therefore, the unloading arm 31 is driven to rotate by the drive device. That is, the unloading disk 30 supported on the unloading arm 31 rotates about the rotation shaft 32.

[0081] The loading pallet 20 and the unloading pallet 30 can rotate independently. That is, the loading pallet 20 is supported by the loading arm 23 and rotates around the rotation axis 24, while the unloading pallet 30 is supported by the unloading arm 31 and rotates around the rotation axis 32.

[0082] The rotation shaft 24 of the loading tray 20 and the rotation shaft 32 of the unloading tray 30 are arranged side by side between the position where the loading tray 20 receives the workpiece W from the robot 35, i.e., the reference position 25, and the position where the unloading tray 30 transfers the workpiece W to the robot 35, i.e., the reference position 33.

[0083] That is, the rotation axis 24 of the loading arm 23 and the rotation axis 32 of the unloading arm 31 are arranged side by side near the center of the grinding device 1 and at approximately the same distance from the suction cup mechanism 11 when viewed from above. Furthermore, the reference position 25 for the loading plate 20 to receive the workpiece W from the robot arm 35 is... Figure 1 In the top view, the loading tray 20 is located to the left of the rotation axis 24, that is, the left side of the grinding device 1. On the other hand, the reference position 33 where the unloading tray 30 transfers the workpiece W to the robot arm 35 is located to the right of the rotation axis 32, that is, the right side of the grinding device 1. Thus, the loading tray 20 and the unloading tray 30 are configured to be approximately symmetrical from left to right.

[0084] By configuring the loading tray 20 and unloading tray 30 in this way, the configuration area of ​​the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 can be reduced, and the grinding apparatus 1 can be miniaturized. Alternatively, the configuration of the loading tray 20 and unloading tray 30 can also be the opposite of the above left-right configuration.

[0085] Next, refer to Figures 1-7 The operation of conveying workpiece W using the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 of the grinding device 1 will be explained.

[0086] like Figure 1 As shown, firstly, the loading box 26, which contains the workpiece W to be ground, is installed on the grinding apparatus 1. As previously mentioned, the loading box 26 can hold multiple workpieces W. The operation of installing the loading box 26 on the grinding apparatus 1 can be performed by an operator or automatically by other conveying devices (not shown).

[0087] Figure 2is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 when the workpiece W is received.

[0088] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the workpiece W housed in the loading cassette 26 is taken out by the robot 35 and handed over to the loading tray 20. That is, the workpiece W is placed on the upper portion of the loading tray 20 by the robot 35. At this time, the loading tray 20 is located at the reference position 25 on the left side of the rotation shaft 24 for receiving the workpiece W.

[0089] Figure 3 is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 when the suction pad cleaning portion 21 is transported to the suction pad mechanism 11.

[0090] As shown in Figure 3 , in a state where the workpiece W is held by the loading tray 20, the loading arm 23 is rotated about the rotation shaft 24 to transport the suction pad cleaning portion 21 to the suction pad mechanism 11. At this time, the unloading tray 30 is located at the reference position 33 on the right side of the rotation shaft 32 for handing over the workpiece W.

[0091] In detail, first, the suction pad mechanism 11 can be transported upward or downward by a feed device not shown so that the suction pad cleaning portion 21 can be brought below the holding surface of the suction pad mechanism 11. Also, the suction pad cleaning portion 21 is transported below the holding surface of the suction pad mechanism 11 by the rotation of the loading arm 23.

[0092] After the suction pad cleaning portion 21 is transported below the suction pad mechanism 11, the suction pad mechanism 11 is transported downward so that the holding surface holding the workpiece W abuts against the suction pad cleaning portion 21. Also, the suction pad mechanism 11 and the suction pad cleaning portion 21 are rotated by driving devices not shown, respectively.

[0093] Thus, by the relative movement of the holding surface of the suction pad mechanism 11 and the suction pad cleaning portion 21, the suction pad mechanism 11 is cleaned, and the abrasive dust and the like adhering to the suction pad mechanism 11 are removed.

[0094] After the cleaning of the suction pad mechanism 11 is completed, the suction pad mechanism 11 is transported upward. In detail, the suction pad mechanism 11 is transported to a height at which the holding surface thereof is separated from the suction pad cleaning portion 21 and the loading tray 20 can be brought below the holding surface.

[0095] Figure 4 is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 when the workpiece W is loaded.

[0096] As shown in Figure 4 , after the cleaning of the suction pad mechanism 11 is completed and the suction pad mechanism 11 is raised, the loading arm 23 is rotated. Thus, the loading tray 20 is transported below the suction pad mechanism 11. At this time, the suction pad cleaning portion 21 is rotated together with the loading tray 20 and is separated from below the suction pad mechanism 11.

[0097] Further, the chuck mechanism 11 is transported downward, and the workpiece W located above the loading plate 20 is held to the holding surface of the chuck mechanism 11. Then, the chuck mechanism 11 holding the workpiece W is raised so that the loading plate 20 and the chuck cleaning section 21 can be moved.

[0098] Figure 5 is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece transport mechanism 2 at the time of polishing processing.

[0099] As shown in Figure 5 , after the workpiece W is handed over to the chuck mechanism 11, the loading arm 23 is rotated about the rotation shaft 24 in the direction opposite to the direction at the time of transporting the workpiece W, and the loading plate 20 and the chuck cleaning section 21 are moved in the direction opposite to the direction at the time of transporting the workpiece W. In detail, the loading plate 20 and the chuck cleaning section 21 are transported in the left rotation direction, and the loading plate 20 is returned to the reference position 25.

[0100] Next, the chuck mechanism 11 is transported downward, and the polished surface of the workpiece W, that is, the lower surface of the workpiece W comes into abutment with the polishing surface of the polishing cloth, that is, the upper surface of the polishing cloth held to the polishing table 10. Then, the polishing process of the workpiece W is performed.

[0101] In detail, the workpiece W is pressed by the chuck mechanism 11 by means of a pressing device not shown, and the chuck mechanism 11 and the polishing table 10 are rotated by driving devices not shown, respectively. By the relative movement of the workpiece W and the polishing cloth, the polished surface of the workpiece W is polished.

[0102] If the polishing process is completed, the chuck mechanism 11 is transported upward in the state of holding the workpiece W. That is, the chuck mechanism 11 is raised to the height at which the unloading plate 30 can enter the lower side of the workpiece W.

[0103] Figure 6 is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece transport mechanism 2 at the time of unloading.

[0104] As shown in Figure 6 , after the polishing process is completed and the chuck mechanism 11 is raised, the unloading arm 31 is rotated about the rotation shaft 32 by a driving device not shown. In detail, the unloading plate 30 is moved to the lower side of the workpiece W of the chuck mechanism 11. Further, the chuck mechanism 11 is transported downward to hand over the workpiece W to the unloading plate 30.

[0105] After the workpiece W is handed over to the unloading plate 30, the chuck mechanism 11 is transported upward so that the unloading plate 30 can be moved.

[0106] Figure 7 is a plan view showing the state of the workpiece transport mechanism 2 at the time of handing over the workpiece W.

[0107] As shown in Figure 7As shown, the unloading disk 30, which receives the workpiece W from the suction cup mechanism 11, is supported on the axis 32 about the center of rotation during unloading. Figure 6 The unloading arm 31, which rotates in the opposite direction, i.e., the right rotation direction, is transported to the reference position 33 where the workpiece W is handed over to the robot arm 35.

[0108] like Figure 1 and Figure 7 As shown, the robot arm 35 receives the workpiece W from the unloading tray 30, which has been transported to the reference position 33, and houses the workpiece W in the unloading box 34. Furthermore, once the grinding process of all the workpieces W to be housed in the unloading box 34 has been completed and the unloading box 34 has been housed, the unloading box 34 is removed from the grinding device 1.

[0109] In addition, Figure 5 The state of the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 during grinding and as shown Figure 6 In the unloading state shown, the robot arm 35 can also perform the process of conveying the workpiece W to the loading tray 20 for subsequent grinding.

[0110] In addition, from Figure 7 The state shown is from the handover of workpiece W to robot arm 35 to the state in which robot arm 35 transports workpiece W to unloading box 34. Loading arm 23 can also be used to receive workpiece W for subsequent grinding processing. Figure 2 ) becomes the state when the suction cup is being cleaned ( Figure 3 ) rotation.

[0111] Using the above method, workpiece W can be transported efficiently, transport time can be further shortened, and productivity can be improved.

[0112] As explained above, the loading tray 20 and unloading tray 30 of the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 can rotate independently. Furthermore, the suction cup cleaning unit 21 is provided on the freely rotating loading arm 23 that supports the loading tray 20, and rotates simultaneously with the loading tray 20.

[0113] This structure reduces the footprint of the workpiece conveying mechanism 2, enabling miniaturization of the grinding device 1. Furthermore, it shortens the conveying time of the workpiece W, thereby increasing productivity.

[0114] Specifically, the loading tray 20 and the unloading tray 30 can rotate independently. Therefore, when the loading tray 20 rotates to transport the workpiece W, the unloading tray 30 can remain stationary at a predetermined reference position 33. Furthermore, when the unloading tray 30 rotates to transport the workpiece W, the loading tray 20 can remain stationary at a predetermined reference position 25.

[0115] Therefore, the rotation range of the loading disk 20 and the unloading disk 30 does not reach the side of the robot 35 away from the polishing table 10. Thus, compared with a structure in which the loading disk 20 and the unloading disk 30 are supported by one arm and simultaneously rotate around the same rotation axis, the rotation area of the loading disk 20 and the unloading disk 30 can be reduced.

[0116] In addition, the chuck cleaning section 21 is provided to the loading arm 23 that supports the loading disk 20. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a conveying mechanism for conveying the chuck cleaning section 21 from the loading arm 23. Thus, the occupied area of the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 can be reduced, and the polishing device 1 can be miniaturized.

[0117] In addition, the chuck cleaning section 21 is provided to the loading arm 23 that supports the loading disk 20. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a conveying mechanism for conveying the chuck cleaning section 21 from the loading arm 23. Thus, the occupied area of the workpiece conveying mechanism 2 can be reduced, and the polishing device 1 can be miniaturized.

[0118] In addition, the present application is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present application.

Claims

1. A workpiece conveying mechanism, characterized in that, The workpiece conveying mechanism includes a robotic arm, a loading tray, a loading arm, an unloading tray, a suction cup mechanism, and a suction cup cleaning unit. The loading tray is configured to transport the workpiece received from the robot arm to the suction cup mechanism. The loading arm is configured to support the loading disk and can rotate freely. The unloading tray is configured to receive the workpiece from the suction cup mechanism and transfer it to the robotic arm. The loading tray and the unloading tray are configured to rotate independently. The suction cup cleaning unit is configured to clean the suction cup mechanism, and is configured to be disposed on the loading arm and rotate simultaneously with the loading disk around the rotation axis of the loading arm. The loading arm is Y-shaped when viewed from above. A loading disc is located at the upper end of one side of the Y-shape, a suction cup cleaning unit is located at the upper end of the other side of the Y-shape, and the rotation shaft of the loading arm is located at the lower end of the Y-shape. With the loading tray receiving the workpiece, the suction cup cleaning unit is disposed between the loading tray and the suction cup mechanism.

2. The workpiece conveying mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotation axis of the loading arm supporting the loading tray and the rotation axis of the unloading arm supporting the unloading tray are arranged side by side between the position where the loading tray receives the workpiece and the position where the unloading tray transfers the workpiece.

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