Wafer edge polishing drum and wafer edge polishing apparatus including same

Abstract

Disclosed are a wafer edge polishing drum and a wafer edge polishing apparatus including the same. The wafer edge polishing drum includes a main body portion having a disk shape and a polishing portion extending from a perimeter portion of a first surface of the main body portion while being inclined relative to the first surface of the main body portion. The polishing portion includes an inner surface surrounding a polishing region adjacent the first surface of the body portion. The inner surface of the polishing portion includes a first surface extending from the first surface of the body portion and a second surface formed to be in contact with an edge region of the wafer. The second surface of the polishing portion has a second angle relative to the first surface of the body portion, and the second angle is variable.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0097189, filed on Mar. 21, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Background of the Invention Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a wafer edge polishing roller and a wafer edge polishing device including the wafer edge polishing roller, and more particularly to a wafer edge polishing roller capable of polishing an edge front bevel and an edge rear bevel in a wafer edge region and a wafer edge polishing device including the wafer edge polishing roller. Related technical discussions

[0003] Single crystal silicon wafers can be manufactured through a single crystal growth process, a slicing process of slicing an ingot to obtain thin disk-shaped wafers, an edge grinding process of grinding the edges of the wafers obtained by the slicing process to prevent breakage or deformation of the wafers, a grinding process of removing damage caused by machining remaining on the wafers to improve the flatness of the wafers, a polishing process of mirror-polishing the wafers, and a cleaning process of removing polishing agents and impurities from the polished wafers.

[0004] After the above-described edge grinding process, an edge polishing process is performed to mirror-polish the rough surface in the edge region of the wafer.

[0005] Typically, the edge area of ​​a wafer is polished using a device called an edge polishing drum. The edge of a wafer that has undergone the edge polishing process may have an uneven shape, i.e., variations in shape. Therefore, even though edge polishing is performed using an edge polishing drum having a uniform shape, the polished edge area of ​​the wafer may have variations in shape. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a wafer edge polishing drum and a wafer edge polishing apparatus including the same that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

[0007] The embodiment provides a wafer edge polishing drum and a wafer edge polishing device including the wafer edge polishing drum, which can uniformly polish an edge region of a wafer.

[0008] Additional advantages, purposes, and features of the present disclosure will be set forth in part in the following description and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following description or may be learned from practice of the present disclosure. The objectives and other advantages of the present disclosure may be realized and achieved by the structures particularly pointed out in the written description and claims as well as in the accompanying drawings.

[0009] To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purposes of the present disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, a wafer edge polishing roller includes a main body portion having a disk shape and a polishing portion extending from a peripheral portion of a first surface of the main body portion while being inclined relative to the first surface of the main body portion, wherein the polishing portion includes an inner surface surrounding a polishing area adjacent to the first surface of the main body portion, the inner surface of the polishing portion includes a first surface extending from the first surface of the main body portion and a second surface formed to contact the edge area of ​​the wafer, the second surface of the polishing portion has a second angle relative to the first surface of the main body portion, and the second angle is variable.

[0010] The first surface of the polishing portion may have a first angle with respect to the first surface of the body portion, and the first angle may be greater than the second angle.

[0011] The wafer edge polishing drum may have a first rotational axis, and the first rotational axis may be perpendicular to the first surface of the body portion.

[0012] The wafer edge polishing drum may further include a plurality of polishing pads disposed on the second surface of the polishing portion, and the plurality of polishing pads may be spaced apart from each other.

[0013] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a wafer edge polishing apparatus includes the above-mentioned wafer edge polishing drum and a wafer supporting chuck disposed facing the first surface of the main body portion of the wafer edge polishing drum while being spaced apart from the first surface of the main body portion.

[0014] The first rotational axis of the wafer edge polishing platen may be tilted relative to the second rotational axis of the wafer support chuck.

[0015] The second rotation axis may be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a direction perpendicular to the first surface of the body portion.

[0016] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present disclosure are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the disclosure as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are included here to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 is a view showing a wafer edge polishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 It is shown in detail Figure 1 A view of the polishing drum for the wafer edge;

[0020] Figure 3 It is shown in detail Figure 2 a view of the inner surface of the polishing portion of the polishing drum in a wafer edge polishing manner;

[0021] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 a plan view of the inner surface of the polishing portion of the wafer edge polishing drum;

[0022] Figure 5 It is shown by Figure 3 a view of a wafer polishing action performed on an inner surface of a polishing portion of a wafer edge polishing drum; and

[0023] Figure 6 It is shown that Figure 1 Figure 2 shows the overall structure of the wafer edge polishing equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various embodiments are shown.

[0025] However, these examples may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make this disclosure thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0026] Furthermore, relational terms such as "first," "second," "upper," and "lower" are used solely to distinguish one subject or element from another subject or element and do not necessarily require or relate to any physical or logical relationship or order between the subjects or elements.

[0027] The present disclosure provides a wafer edge polishing drum and a wafer edge polishing apparatus including the same. The inner surface of a polishing portion for polishing the wafer edge region, particularly a second surface of the polishing portion that performs a polishing action on the wafer edge region by direct friction with the wafer edge region, has a variable angle rather than a fixed angle, and the rotation axis of the wafer edge polishing drum is capable of tilting relative to the wafer. Therefore, when polishing the wafer edge, the entire wafer edge region can be polished uniformly, thereby controlling variations in the polishing amount. As a result, wafers having edges having a uniform shape after polishing can be produced.

[0028] Figure 1 is a view showing a wafer edge polishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2 It is shown in detail Figure 1 View of the polishing drum on the wafer edge.

[0029] The wafer edge polishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a wafer edge polishing drum 100 and a wafer support chuck 200 disposed to face the first surface 12 of the main body portion 10 of the wafer edge polishing drum while being spaced apart from the first surface 12 .

[0030] The wafer edge polishing drum 100 for polishing the wafer and the wafer supporting chuck 200 for supporting the wafer may be configured to rotate. Figure 1 As shown, the wafer edge polishing drum 100 and the wafer support chuck 200 may rotate in the same direction or may rotate in different directions. In this case, the first rotation axis (or first axis) of the wafer edge polishing drum 100 may be tilted relative to the second rotation axis (or second axis) of the wafer support chuck 200. Figure 1 As shown, the first axis of rotation may be tilted to, for example, 2 degrees (°).

[0031] In addition, the second rotation axis may be inclined at a predetermined angle relative to a direction perpendicular to the first surface 12 of the main body portion 10 of the wafer edge polishing drum 100. Figure 1 As shown, the predetermined angle may be 2 degrees (°).

[0032] The wafer support chuck 200 includes a rotating body 220 and a supporting body 210. The rotating body 220 is a component that rotates around the second rotation axis, and the supporting body 210 is a component that rotates along with the rotation of the rotating body 220 and supports the wafer.

[0033] In addition, the polishing drum 100 further includes a polishing portion 50 provided at the main body portion 10. The polishing portion 50 has an inner surface facing the wafer, and the inner surface includes a first surface 52, a second surface 54, and a third surface 56. Figure 2 The construction of the polishing drum 100 will be described in more detail.

[0034] A polishing pad 60 for polishing the wafer by friction with the wafer may be provided on the second surface 54. When polishing the edge of the wafer, mechanical polishing using friction with the polishing pad and chemical polishing using polishing slurry may be performed simultaneously.

[0035] like Figure 2 As shown, the wafer edge polishing drum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a disc-shaped body portion 10 having a predetermined thickness and a polishing portion 50 .

[0036] The body portion 10 may include a first surface 12 facing a wafer, which is an object to be polished, and a second surface 14 formed opposite the first surface 12. The first rotation axis (or first axis) about which the wafer edge polishing drum and the body portion 10 rotate may be perpendicular to at least one of the first surface 12 or the second surface 14 of the body portion 10.

[0037] The polishing portion 50 may extend from a peripheral portion of the first surface 12 of the main body portion 10 while being inclined relative to the first surface 12. The space in which the wafer is polished is defined as a "polishing region." The polishing region may be provided adjacent to the first surface 12 of the main body portion 10, and the inner surface of the polishing portion 50 may be provided to surround the polishing region.

[0038] The inner surface of the polishing portion 50 may include first surfaces 52a and 52b, second surfaces 54a and 54b, and third surfaces 56a and 56b. The first surfaces 52a and 52b may extend from the first surface 12 of the main body portion 10, the second surfaces 54a and 54b may extend from the first surfaces 52a and 52b to contact the edge region of a wafer to be polished, and the third surfaces 56a and 56b may extend from the second surfaces 54a and 54b to be located further outward than the edge region of the wafer.

[0039] The two first surfaces 52a and 52b, the two second surfaces 54a and 54b, and the two third surfaces 56a and 56b are arranged in a Figure 21 and 12. The first surfaces 52a and 52b are shown as being located on the left and right sides. Specifically, the two first surfaces 52a and 52b may be symmetrical with respect to the first rotation axis (or first axis), and the two third surfaces 56a and 56b may be symmetrical with respect to the first rotation axis (or first axis). The first surfaces 52a and 52b may form a constant first angle θ1 with the first surface 12 of the main body portion 10, and the third surfaces 54a and 54b may form a constant third angle θ3 with the first surface 12 of the main body portion 10.

[0040] based on Figure 2 , the second surfaces 54a and 54b may form second angles θ21 and θ22 with the first surface 12 of the main body portion 10 on the right and left sides, respectively, and the second angles θ21 and θ22 may be different from each other. That is, the second surfaces 54a and 54b may respectively have variable second angles θ21 and θ22 relative to the first surface 12 of the main body portion 10. For example, the second angles θ21 and θ22 may be in the range of 18 degrees (°) to 30 degrees (°).

[0041] The first angle θ1 may be greater than the second angles θ21 and θ22, and the second angles θ21 and θ22 may be greater than the third angle θ3. That is, when the inner surface extends from the first surface 12 of the body portion 10, the first surfaces 52a and 52b may extend at the maximum angle relative to the first surface 12, and the third surfaces 56a and 56b may extend at the minimum angle relative to the first surface 12.

[0042] Figure 3 It is shown in detail Figure 2 A view of the inner surface of the polishing portion of the polishing drum in which the wafer edge is polished. Figure 3 A perspective view of a first surface 52, a second surface 54, and a third surface 56 constituting the inner surface of the polishing portion 50 is shown. The second angles θ21 and θ22 can be formed to continuously change within a range of 18 degrees (°) to 30 degrees (°). For example, when the second angle θ21 is 18 degrees (°) and the second angle θ22 is 30 degrees (°), the angle formed by the second surface 54 can continuously change from 18 degrees (°) as the second angle θ21 to 30 degrees (°) as the second angle θ22 between two opposing points of the second surface 54.

[0043] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A plan view of the inner surface of the polishing portion of the polishing drum in a wafer edge polishing.

[0044] like Figure 4 As shown, the inner surface of the polishing portion 50 may include first to third surfaces 52, 54, and 56, and the polishing pad 60 may be disposed on the second surface 54. Specifically, as shown in FIG. Figure 4As shown, the polishing pad 60 may be provided in plural, and the plural polishing pads 60 may be spaced apart from each other.

[0045] Figure 5 It is shown by Figure 3 A view of the wafer polishing action performed on the inner surface of the polishing portion of the wafer edge polishing drum.

[0046] Figure 5 The process of polishing the edge front bevel of the upper portion of the wafer edge region by two second surfaces 54a and 54b included in the inner surface of the polishing portion is shown. The portion polished by the second surface 54a is indicated by "A", and the portion polished by the second surface 54b is indicated by "B".

[0047] As described above, the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis may be inclined, and the second surface of the polishing portion may have a variable second angle. Therefore, it is possible to polish the portion "A" and the portion "B" of the edge front bevel of the wafer. Specifically, as described above, since the angle formed by the second surface included in the inner surface of the polishing portion relative to the first surface of the main body portion continuously changes, for example, from 18 degrees (°) to 30 degrees (°), it is also possible to polish the edge front bevel of the wafer except for the portion "A" and the portion "B". Figure 5 Various portions other than portion "A" and portion "B" shown in FIG are polished.

[0048] Figure 6 It is shown that Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the overall structure of the wafer edge polishing equipment.

[0049] The wafer that has undergone the edge grinding process is loaded in the wafer edge polishing apparatus, and a wafer notch polishing process is first performed.

[0050] The edge of the wafer is then polished. Figure 6 As shown, the edge polishing process, the front polishing process, and the back polishing process may be performed in this order.

[0051] The edge region of a wafer can be divided into a lateral edge corresponding to the lateral portion of the edge region, an edge front bevel corresponding to the upper portion of the edge region, and an edge rear bevel corresponding to the lower portion of the edge region. The edge polishing process is a process for polishing the side edge, the front polishing process is a process for polishing the edge front bevel, and the rear polishing process is a process for polishing the edge rear bevel.

[0052] The wafer edge polishing drum according to the above embodiment polishes the edge front bevel of the wafer. After polishing the edge front bevel of the wafer, the wafer is turned upside down and placed on a wafer support chuck, and then polished again to polish the edge back bevel of the wafer.

[0053] When the edge polishing process is completed, the wafer may be unloaded and additional processes for manufacturing the wafer may be performed.

[0054] When a wafer edge is polished using the wafer edge polishing drum and wafer edge polishing apparatus including the same according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the front and rear edge bevels of the wafer can be polished uniformly due to the variable angle of the inner surface of the polishing portion, particularly the second surface of the polishing portion, and the inclination of the second rotation axis about which the wafer rotates and the first rotation axis about which the polishing portion rotates. Consequently, variations in the polishing amount can be controlled and variations in the shape of the wafer edge region after processing can be reduced.

[0055] As is apparent from the above description, the wafer edge polishing roller and the wafer edge polishing apparatus including the wafer edge polishing roller according to the present disclosure can uniformly polish the edge front bevel and the edge rear bevel of the wafer due to the variable angle of the inner surface of the polishing portion, particularly the second surface of the polishing portion, and the inclination of the second rotation axis about which the wafer rotates and the first rotation axis about which the polishing portion rotates, thereby controlling the variation in the polishing amount and reducing the variation in the shape of the edge area of ​​the wafer after processing.

[0056] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and implementations can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present disclosure, but to describe the technical spirit, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive in all aspects. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted according to the scope of the claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A wafer polishing drum comprising: a main body portion having a disc shape; as well as a polishing portion extending from a peripheral portion of the first surface of the main body portion while being inclined relative to the first surface of the main body portion, wherein the polishing portion includes an inner surface surrounding a polishing area adjacent to the first surface of the main body portion, wherein the inner surface of the polishing portion includes a first surface extending from the first surface of the main body portion and a second surface formed to contact an edge region of a wafer, and The second surface of the polishing portion has a second angle relative to the first surface of the main body portion, and the second angle is variable.

2. The wafer edge polishing drum according to claim 1, wherein: The second angle varies from 18 degrees to 30 degrees.

3. The wafer edge polishing drum according to claim 1, wherein: The first surface of the polishing portion has a first angle relative to the first surface of the main body portion, and Wherein, the first angle is greater than the second angle.

4. The wafer edge polishing drum according to claim 1, wherein: A first rotation axis is provided which is perpendicular to the first surface of the main body portion.

5. The wafer edge polishing drum according to claim 1, wherein: further comprising a plurality of polishing pads disposed on the second surface of the polishing portion, Wherein, the plurality of polishing pads are spaced apart from each other.

6. Wafer edge polishing equipment, including: The wafer edge polishing drum according to any one of claims 1 to 5; as well as A wafer supporting chuck is provided so as to face the first surface of the main body portion of the wafer edge polishing drum while being spaced apart from the first surface of the main body portion.

7. The wafer edge polishing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: The wafer edge polishing drum has a first axis of rotation, and Wherein, the first rotational axis is inclined relative to the second rotational axis of the wafer support chuck.

8. The wafer edge polishing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: The second rotation axis is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a direction perpendicular to the first surface of the body portion.

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