Funding institution, polishing institution and funding procedure

Abstract

The conveying device is a conveying device configured to convey a carrier formed in a flat shape and provided with a through-hole, and a substrate housed in the through-hole, wherein the conveying device comprises: a first holding section configured to hold an outer circumferential section of the carrier from a thickness direction of the carrier, a second holding section configured to hold the substrate in the through-hole from the thickness direction, wherein at least one of the first holding section and the second holding section is capable of extending or contracting in the thickness direction such that the carrier held by the first holding section and the substrate held by the second holding section are spaced apart from each other.

Description

Conveying apparatus, polishing apparatus, and conveying method

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-027113, filed on February 24, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Conventionally, a conveying device is known that conveys a combined carrier and workpiece (substrate) onto a rotating surface plate of a polishing device (polishing unit) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this conveying device, the workpiece is combined with the carrier by being accommodated in an accommodation hole (through hole) of the carrier. The combined carrier and workpiece are transported by a suction head.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 4235313

[0004] However, in the conveying device of Patent Document 1, the carrier and the workpiece are conveyed simultaneously at the same height, which causes problems such as the workpiece repeatedly coming into contact with and separating from the carrier due to bending of the carrier during conveyance, or the workpiece and the carrier overlapping in the thickness direction, causing the workpiece to fall off the conveying device.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a transport device that prevents substrates from falling during transport of a carrier and substrate, a polishing apparatus equipped with this transport device, and a transport method.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means: (1) A first aspect of the present invention is a transport device that transports a carrier formed in a flat plate shape and provided with a through hole and a substrate accommodated in the through hole, the transport device including a first holding part that holds an outer periphery of the carrier in a thickness direction of the carrier, and a second holding part that holds the substrate in the through hole in the thickness direction, and at least one of the first holding part and the second holding part can expand or contract in the thickness direction so that the carrier held by the first holding part and the substrate held by the second holding part are spaced apart from each other.

[0007] In this invention, for example, a carrier with a substrate accommodated in a through hole and the substrate are supported on a support surface along a horizontal plane. Then, using a transport device, a first holding part holds the outer periphery of the carrier from above and below in the thickness direction, and a second holding part holds the substrate in the through hole. When the transport device lifts the carrier and substrate from the support surface and transports the carrier and substrate, gravity acting on the carrier causes the central part of the carrier to bend downward most when viewed in the thickness direction, causing the carrier to curve convexly downward. At this time, by expanding or contracting at least one of the first holding part and the second holding part in the thickness direction, the carrier held by the first holding part and the substrate held by the second holding part are separated from each other. This prevents the substrate from contacting the carrier or overlapping in the thickness direction during transport. Therefore, the substrate can be prevented from falling from the transport device during transport of the carrier and substrate.

[0008] (2) In the transport device described in (1), when the carrier is held by the first holding part and the substrate accommodated in the through hole is held by the second holding part, the extension length of the first holding part to one side in the thickness direction may be longer than the extension length of the second holding part to one side in the thickness direction, exceeding the thickness of the carrier. In this invention, for example, the transport device is positioned so that one side in the thickness direction is downward. In this case, when the carrier is held by the first holding part and the substrate accommodated in the through hole is held by the second holding part, the extension length of the first holding part to one side in the thickness direction may be longer than the extension length of the second holding part to one side in the thickness direction, exceeding the thickness of the carrier. Therefore, from a state in which the carrier held by the first holding part and the substrate held by the second holding part are positioned at approximately the same height, the carrier can be positioned lower than the substrate by exceeding the thickness of the carrier. The center of the carrier is curved downwardly convex due to gravity acting on the carrier, thereby reliably preventing the substrate from contacting the carrier during transport of the carrier and the substrate.

[0009] (3) In the transport device described in (1) or (2), the first holding unit may have a first body and a first moving unit that is movable in the thickness direction relative to the first body and holds the outer periphery of the carrier, and the second holding unit may have a second body and a second moving unit that is movable in the thickness direction relative to the second body and holds the substrate, and a connecting member may be provided to connect the first body and the second body to each other. In this invention, the connecting member that connects the first body and the second body to each other can improve the accuracy of the relative position in the thickness direction of the outer periphery of the carrier held by the first moving unit and the substrate held by the second moving unit.

[0010] (4) A second aspect of the present invention comprises a planetary gear type polishing unit that has a plurality of teeth on the outer peripheral edge of the carrier, rotates on the support surface of a surface plate, has an internal gear and a sun gear that engage with the plurality of teeth of the carrier, and polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of the substrate, and the conveying device described above, wherein the conveying device is a polishing device that engages the plurality of teeth of the carrier with the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the sun gear.

[0011] In this invention, the carrier's teeth are fitted to the internal gear's teeth and the sun gear's teeth in the planetary gear type polishing unit by the conveying device, and the carrier is rotated by rotating at least one of the internal gear and the sun gear, allowing the thickness direction surface of the substrate housed in the carrier to be polished.

[0012] (5) A third aspect of the present invention is a transport method for transporting a carrier formed in a flat plate shape and having a through hole provided therein, and a substrate accommodated in the through hole, the method comprising: a holding step for holding the outer periphery of the carrier and the substrate so that the carrier and the substrate are spaced apart from each other; a flattening step for placing the carrier on a support surface to flatten the carrier and space the substrate above the carrier when the carrier is flattened; and a accommodating step for accommodating the substrate from above in the through hole of the carrier.

[0013] In this invention, contact of the substrate with the carrier and the substrate and overlapping of the carrier and the substrate in the thickness direction are suppressed during transport of the carrier and the substrate in the holding step, and when the carrier is placed on the support surface in the planarization step. After the holding step and the planarization step, the substrate is accommodated in the through-hole of the carrier from above in the accommodation step. Therefore, the substrate can be prevented from falling during transport of the carrier and the substrate.

[0014] (6) In the transport method described in (5), the substrate may be held so as to be positioned above the carrier in the holding step. In this invention, the substrate does not interfere with the placement of the carrier on the support surface in the planarization step, making it easy to perform the planarization step.

[0015] According to the transporting apparatus, polishing apparatus, and transporting method of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the substrate from falling during transport of the carrier and the substrate.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a polishing facility in which a polishing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is used; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a polishing apparatus of the polishing facility; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a holding part in the polishing apparatus; FIG. 4 is a view explaining the states before and after a suction pad is crushed; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a carrier and a substrate are placed on a set table; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a carrier and a substrate are held by the polishing apparatus; FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a transport method according to one embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of a carrier and a substrate being transported.

[0017] A polishing facility using an embodiment of a polishing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 . The polishing facility 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a facility for polishing the surface of a substrate 200 facing the thickness direction. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the substrate 200 is formed in a flat, circular shape when viewed in the thickness direction of the substrate 200. The substrate 200 is made of silicon. FIG. 2 also shows a first holder 52 and a second holder 53 for holding the substrate 200 and a carrier 205 (described later). Hereinafter, the substrate 200 before being polished by the polishing facility 1 will also be referred to as substrate 200A. The substrate 200 after being polished by the polishing facility 1 will also be referred to as substrate 200B. For example, the thickness of the substrate 200A is 780 μm (micrometers). The thickness of the substrate 200B is 770 μm.

[0018] The carrier 205 is formed in a flat plate shape that has a circular shape when viewed in the thickness direction of the carrier 205. The carrier 205 has a plurality of through holes 206 (three in this embodiment). The through holes 206 are formed at equal angular intervals around the central axis of the carrier 205. The through holes 206 penetrate the carrier 205 in the thickness direction. The diameters of the through holes 206 and the diameter of the substrate 200 are equal to each other. The substrate 200 is accommodated in the through holes 206. At this time, the thickness direction of the carrier 205 and the thickness direction of the substrate 200 coincide with each other. As shown in FIG. 2 , a plurality of teeth 207 are provided on the outer periphery of the carrier 205. The teeth 207 are external teeth. A semicircular depression 208 is formed between adjacent teeth 207 in the circumferential direction of the carrier 205.

[0019] For example, the carrier 205 has an outer diameter of 720 mm and a thickness of 770 μm. The carrier 205 is made of stainless steel or the like. When the substrate 200 is placed in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 on a flat support surface or the like, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 are not bent. At this time, the lower surface of the carrier 205 and the lower surface of the substrate 200 are substantially flush with each other, and the upper surface of the carrier 205 and the upper surface of the substrate 200 are substantially flush with each other. There is no limit to the number of through-holes 206 provided in the carrier 205, and the number of through-holes 206 may be one.

[0020] 1, the polishing equipment 1 includes an input basket 10, an output basket 15, a set table 20, a first transport device 25, a polishing apparatus 30 of this embodiment, and a control unit 80. The input basket 10, containing a substrate 200A, is loaded into the polishing equipment 1 by a load device (not shown). The output basket 15, containing a substrate 200B, is unloaded from the polishing equipment 1 by a load device (not shown).

[0021] The set table 20 is a platform on which the substrate 200 and the carrier 205 are placed. As shown in FIG. 5 , the upper surface 21 of the set table 20 is along a horizontal plane. The upper surface 21 is flat. As shown in FIG. 1 , for example, the first transfer device 25 is a manipulator. The first transfer device 25 transfers the substrate 200 between the baskets 10 and 15 and the set table 20.

[0022] The polishing apparatus 30 includes a polishing unit 31 and a second conveying device (conveying device) 46 of this embodiment. The polishing unit 31 of this embodiment is a planetary gear device type. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the polishing unit 31 includes a first base plate (base plate) 32, a sun gear 33, an internal gear 34, and a second base plate (not shown). For example, the support surface 32a of the first base plate 32 is disposed along a horizontal plane. The support surface 32a is flat. The first base plate 32 rotates in a first direction about an axis O1 along the vertical direction.

[0023] The sun gear 33 is disposed coaxially with the axis O1 on the support surface 32a. As shown in FIG. 2 , a plurality of teeth 37 are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the sun gear 33. For example, the plurality of teeth 37 are cylindrical external teeth. The plurality of teeth 37 are disposed at intervals from one another in the circumferential direction of the sun gear 33. The sun gear 33 rotates on the support surface 32a. The plurality of teeth 37 are engaged with a plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205. The sun gear 33 is inscribed in the carrier 205. A plurality of teeth 39 are provided on the inner peripheral edge of the internal gear 34. The plurality of teeth 39 are cylindrical internal teeth. The plurality of teeth 39 are disposed at intervals from one another in the circumferential direction of the internal gear 34. The internal gear 34 rotates on the support surface 32a. The plurality of teeth 39 are engaged with the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205. The internal gear 34 is externally circumscribed on the carrier 205 .

[0024] The second base plate can be switched between a sandwiching state in which it sandwiches the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34 together with the first base plate 32, and a retracted state in which it is separated from the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34. In the sandwiching state, the second base plate is disposed coaxially with the axis O1 and rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction around the axis O1.

[0025] The second transport device 46 transports the carrier 205 and the plurality of substrates 200 together. The second transport device 46 engages the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 with the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33. As shown in FIG. 1 , the second transport device 46 includes a manipulator 47 and a holding unit 50. For example, the manipulator 47 includes a plurality of links and joints (not shown). The plurality of links are arranged along a connecting axis O3. The joint rotatably connects the ends of the plurality of links adjacent to each other along the connecting axis O3. The holding unit 50 is provided on the link closest to the first side along the connecting axis O3 among the plurality of links. The link closest to the first side along the connecting axis O3 among the plurality of links is supported on the installation surface F.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1 , the holding unit 50 is formed with multiple rotational symmetry (three-fold symmetry in this embodiment) with respect to the axis O5. Note that the first holding unit 52 and the multiple second holding units 53, which will be described later, are not arranged on the same line along the radial direction of the holding unit 50. However, in FIG. 3 , the first holding unit 52 and the multiple second holding units 53 are shown at different positions in the circumferential direction of the holding unit 50. The holding unit 50 is arranged so that the thickness direction of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 held by the holding unit 50 is parallel to the vertical direction, with one side of the thickness direction facing downward. As shown in FIG. 3 , the holding unit 50 includes a frame (connecting member) 51, a first holding unit 52, a second holding unit 53, an imaging unit 54, and a suction unit (not shown). The frame 51 includes a top plate 57, a first peripheral wall 58, a second peripheral wall 59, a first bottom plate 60, and a second bottom plate 61. The top plate 57 is formed in a disk shape and is supported by the manipulator 47 so as to be aligned along a horizontal plane.

[0027] The first peripheral wall 58 is cylindrical and arranged coaxially with the axis O5. The first peripheral wall 58 is fixed to the lower surface of the top plate 57. The second peripheral wall 59 is cylindrical and arranged coaxially with the axis O5. The second peripheral wall 59 surrounds the first peripheral wall 58 from the outside and is fixed to the lower surface of the outer periphery of the top plate 57. The lower end of the first peripheral wall 58 protrudes downward beyond the lower end of the second peripheral wall 59. The first bottom plate 60 is circular and arranged within the first peripheral wall 58. The first bottom plate 60 is fixed to a middle portion of the first peripheral wall 58 in the up-down direction. The second bottom plate 61 is annular and arranged between the first peripheral wall 58 and the second peripheral wall 59. The second bottom plate 61 is fixed to the lower end of the first peripheral wall 58 and the lower end of the second peripheral wall 59, respectively. A plurality of communication holes 61a are formed in the second bottom plate 61.

[0028] The first holding portion 52 holds the outer periphery of the carrier 205 in the thickness direction. Here, the outer periphery refers to the range (0.4r) from the outer edge of the circular object to the center, where r is the radius of the circular object. The holding portion 50 has multiple first holding portions 52. The multiple first holding portions 52 are spaced apart around the axis O5. As shown in FIG. 3 , each first holding portion 52 has a first main body 64 and a first moving portion 65. The first moving portion 65 has a suction pad 67 and a movable tube 68. The suction pad 67 is formed in a cone shape (with a conical surface) using an elastic material such as synthetic rubber. The suction pad 67 is positioned so that its outer diameter gradually increases downward. The movable tube 68 extends upward (to the other side in the thickness direction) from the suction pad 67. The space within the movable tube 68 is connected to the recess of the suction pad 67. For example, a first engagement portion 68a is fixed to the outer circumferential surface at the upper end of the movable tube 68. A portion of the movable tube 68 below the first engagement portion 68a is disposed within the communication hole 61a of the second bottom plate 61.

[0029] The first body 64 is tubular, with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the movable tube 68. The first body 64 is bent in an L-shape. The first end 64a of the first body 64 extends vertically. For example, a second engagement portion 64b is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the first end 64a. The second engagement portion 64b is formed around the entire circumference of the first end 64a of the first body 64. The second engagement portion 64b supports the first engagement portion 68a from below the first engagement portion 68a. The space between the second engagement portion 64b and the movable tube 68 is airtightly sealed. The movable tube 68 can move vertically relative to the second engagement portion 64b (the first end 64a of the first body 64). The first body 64 is fixed to the second bottom plate 61 of the frame 51, etc. From the state shown in FIG. 2 , the movable tube 68 cannot move downward relative to the first body 64. On the other hand, the movable tube 68 can move upward relative to the first body 64 from the state shown in FIG.

[0030] 4 , the lower end of the suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the outer periphery of the carrier 205. When air is sucked out from the recess of the suction pad 67, the suction pad 67 is deformed and crushed as shown by the two-dot chain line L1, and the carrier 205 that was in contact with the suction pad 67 is held by the suction pad 67.

[0031] 5 shows a state in which the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 are placed on the upper surface 21 of the set table 20. The substrate 200 is accommodated in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205. The holder 50 is brought close to the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 in this state from above, and the suction pad 67 of the first holder 52 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the outer periphery of the carrier 205. When air is sucked out from the recess of the suction pad 67, the collapsed suction pad 67 of the first holder 52 holds the outer periphery of the carrier 205. At this time, the first engaging portion 68a of the movable tube 68 moves upward away from the second engaging portion 64b of the first main body 64. The position of the lower end of the collapsed suction pad 67 relative to the frame 51 at this time is referred to as the reference position P ５２１ The reference position P ５２１ is preferably the average position in the circumferential direction of the suction pad 67 at the lower end of the crushed suction pad 67 relative to the frame 51.

[0032] When the holding unit 50 is moved upward by the manipulator 47 from this state, the carrier 205 held by the first holding unit 52 moves upward away from the upper surface 21 of the set table 20, as shown in Fig. 6. Gravity acting on the carrier 205, suction pad 67, etc. causes the carrier 205, suction pad 67, etc. to move downward relative to the first main body 64 of the first holding unit 52. When the first engaging portion 68a of the movable tube 68 engages with the second engaging portion 64b of the first main body 64 from above the second engaging portion 64b, the carrier 205, suction pad 67, etc. cannot move further downward relative to the first main body 64 (frame 51). The position of the lower end of the suction pad 67 relative to the frame 51 when it is crushed while holding the carrier 205 and can no longer move downward relative to the frame 51 is referred to as the lower end position P ５２２ The bottom position P ５２２ is the lower end position of the suction pad 67 of the first holding part 52 in the range of movement. ５２１ is indicated by a two-dot chain line L4. In the following, the reference position P ５２１ and the bottom position P ５２２ The vertical distance between the ５２ The extension distance M ５２ is the length by which the first holding portion 52 extends downward (to one side in the thickness direction) from the state in which the first holding portion 52 holds the carrier 205. In this way, the first holding portion 52 can extend downward from the state in which it holds the carrier 205.

[0033] The second holding portion 53 holds the substrate 200 in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 from above and below. As shown in FIG. 3, the second transport device 46 has, as the second holding portion 53, a second holding portion 53A, a second holding portion 53B, and a second holding portion 53C. The second holding portions 53A and 53B have an extension distance M ５２The second holding part 53A has the same configuration as the first holding part 52 except for the setting of the reference position P. The second holding part 53A has a second main body 71A, a second moving part 72A, a suction pad 74A, and a movable tube 75A, which are configured approximately the same as the first main body 64, the first moving part 65, the suction pad 67, and the movable tube 68 of the first holding part 52. The second moving part 72A can move in the vertical direction relative to the second main body 71A. The suction pad 74A of the second moving part 72A holds the substrate 200. The suction pad 74A of the second holding part 53A also has a reference position P ５２１ , lower end position P ５２２ , extension distance M ５２ Similarly, the reference position P ５３Ａ１ , lower end position P ５３Ａ２ , extension distance M ５３Ａ are defined (see FIGS. 5 and 6). ５３Ａ is the length that the second holding portion 53A extends downward from the state in which the second holding portion 53A holds the substrate 200.

[0034] The second holding part 53B has a second main body 71B, a second moving part 72B, a suction pad 74B, and a movable tube 75B, which have substantially the same configurations as the first main body 64, the first moving part 65, the suction pad 67, and the movable tube 68 of the first holding part 52. The second moving part 72B can move in the vertical direction relative to the second main body 71B. The suction pad 74B of the second moving part 72B holds the substrate 200. The suction pad 74B of the second holding part 53B also has a reference position P ５２１ , lower end position P ５２２ , extension distance M ５２ Similarly, the reference position P ５３Ｂ１ , lower end position P ５３Ｂ２ , extension distance M ５３Ｂ are defined (see FIGS. 5 and 6). ５３Ｂ is the length that the second holding portion 53B extends downward from the state in which the second holding portion 53B holds the substrate 200.

[0035] The second holding portion 53C is formed by adjusting the shape of the first body 64 and the extension distance M ５２The second holding part 53C has the same configuration as the first holding part 52 except for the setting of the second moving part 72C, suction pad 74C, and movable tube 75C, which have substantially the same configurations as the first moving part 65, suction pad 67, and movable tube 68 of the first holding part 52. The second main body 78C of the second holding part 53C is a straight tube. The second main body 78C extends in the vertical direction and is fixed to the first bottom plate 60 of the frame 51. As described above, the frame 51 connects the first main body 64 and the second main bodies 71A, 71B, and 78C to one another. The reference position P ５２１ , lower end position P ５２２ , extension distance M ５２ Similarly, the reference position P ５３Ｃ１ , lower end position P ５３Ｃ２ , extension distance M ５３Ｃ are defined (see FIGS. 5 and 6). ５３Ｃ is the length that the second holding portion 53C extends downward from the state in which the second holding portion 53C holds the substrate 200.

[0036] In this way, the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C can each extend downward from a state in which they hold the substrate 200. A reference position P ５３Ａ１ , P ５３Ｂ１ , P ５３Ｃ１ As shown in FIG. 2, the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C are arranged at equal angles around the axis of each substrate 200. In this embodiment, the extension distance M ５３Ａ , M ５３Ｂ , M ５３Ｃ are equivalent to each other. ５２ is the extension distance M ５３Ａ , M ５３Ｂ , M ５３Ｃ The extension distance M ５２ is the extension distance M ５３Ａ , M ５３Ｂ , M ５３Ｃ Preferably, the length is more than twice the thickness of the carrier 205 .

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3 , the imaging unit 54 is fixed to the second peripheral wall 59 of the frame 51. The imaging unit 54 captures an image of an object placed below the imaging unit 54. The imaging unit 54 sends the captured image to the control unit 80. Although not shown, the suction unit includes a suction pump and multiple on-off valves. The suction pump is connected to the first main body 64 and the second main bodies 71A, 71B, and 71C via tubes not shown. The suction pump can suck air from the recesses of the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C through the tubes, the first main body 64, the second main bodies 71A, 71B, and 71C, and the movable tubes 68, 75A, 75B, and 75C. The multiple on-off valves can independently open and close the multiple tubes.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 1 , a stocker 85 in which a plurality of carriers 205 are stacked is located near each of the second transport device 46 and the set table 20. No substrates 200 are accommodated in the carriers 205 in the stocker 85. The control unit 80 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, etc., which are not shown. The memory stores control programs and the like for operating the CPU. The control unit 80 is connected to the first transport device 25 and the polishing device 30, and controls the first transport device 25 and the polishing device 30.

[0039] Next, a polishing method using the polishing equipment 1 configured as described above will be described. In this polishing method, the transport method of this embodiment is used. The loading basket 10 containing the substrate 200A is transported in advance by the loading device. The control unit 80 places the carrier 205 in the stocker 85 on the upper surface 21 of the set table 20 by the second transport device 46. The second base plate of the polishing unit 31 is in a retracted state. The suction unit of the second transport device 46 is driven, and multiple on-off valves are closed.

[0040] Next, the transfer method is performed. In the transfer method, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A accommodated in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 are transferred from the set table 20 to the polishing apparatus 30. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the transfer method S. First, in a first accommodation step (step S1 shown in FIG. 7), the control unit 80 causes the first transport device 25 to accommodate the substrate 200A in the input basket 10 into the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 on the set table 20. When the first accommodation step S1 is completed, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0041] Next, in the holding step (step S3), the second transfer device 46 holds the outer periphery of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A so that the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A are spaced apart from each other. Specifically, the control unit 80 controls the manipulator 47 to bring the holding unit 50 close from above to the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 on the set table 20, as shown in FIG. 5, so that the suction pad 67 of the first holding unit 52 comes into contact with the upper surface of the outer periphery of the carrier 205. The suction pads 74A, 74B, and 74C of the second holding units 53A, 53B, and 53C come into contact with the upper surface of the substrate 200A. When the multiple on-off valves are opened, air is sucked from the recesses of the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C, respectively, causing the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C to deform and collapse. The outer periphery of the carrier 205 is held from above by the crushed suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52, and the outer periphery of the substrate 200A is held from above by the crushed suction pads 74A, 74B, 74C of the second holding portions 53A, 53B, 53C.

[0042] Then, when the manipulator 47 moves the holding unit 50 upward, as shown in FIG. 6, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A held by the holding units 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C are separated upward from the upper surface 21 of the set table 20. At this time, the extension distance M ５２ is the extension distance M ５３Ａ , M ５３Ｂ , M ５３ＣTherefore, even if the carrier 205 held by the first holding part 52 is not curved, the carrier 205 moves downward beyond the thickness of the carrier 205 relative to the substrate 200A, and the upper surface of the carrier 205 is positioned at the position shown by the two-dot chain line L5.

[0043] Furthermore, the center portion of the carrier 205 (the center portion when viewed in the thickness direction of the carrier 205) is curved downwardly convexly due to gravity acting on the carrier 205. In this case, the maximum value of the displacement of the curved carrier 205 (maximum deflection amount M １ ) has been found to be approximately 2 mm through simulation. By curving the carrier 205 so as to be convex downward, the carrier 205 held by the first holding unit 52 and the substrate 200A held by the second holding units 53A, 53B, and 53C are spaced further apart from each other. Thus, in the holding step S3 in this embodiment, the substrate 200A is held so as to be positioned above the carrier 205.

[0044] While the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A are being transported by the second transport device 46, the center of the carrier 205 may vibrate in the up-down direction, as shown in Fig. 8. In Fig. 8, the carrier 205 curved so as to be convex upward is indicated by a two-dot chain line L7. For this reason, the extension distance M ５２ is the extension distance M ５３Ａ , M ５３Ｂ , M ５３Ｃ than the maximum deflection amount M １ It is more preferable that the holding time is more than twice as long as the holding time. After the holding step S3 is completed, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0045] Next, in the planarization process (step S5), the carrier 205 is placed on the support surface 32a of the first base plate 32 and flattened. Then, when the carrier 205 is flattened, the substrate 200A is spaced above the carrier 205. Specifically, the control unit 80 controls the manipulator 47 to move the holding unit 50 above the support surface 32a. Then, by moving the holding unit 50 downward, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A held by the holding units 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C of the holding unit 50 are lowered onto the support surface 32a. When the carrier 205 is placed on the support surface 32a, the carrier 205 is flattened as shown by the two-dot chain line L5 in FIG. 6 , and therefore the substrate 200A is spaced above the carrier 205.

[0046] When placing the carrier 205 on the support surface 32a, the control unit 80 preferably uses images of the teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the teeth 37 of the sun gear 33 in the polishing unit 31 acquired by the imaging unit 54 to fit the teeth 207 of the carrier 205 into the teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the teeth 37 of the sun gear 33. When the flattening step S5 is completed, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0047] Next, in a second accommodation step (accommodation step) (step S7), the substrate 200A is accommodated from above in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 on the support surface 32a. Specifically, the control unit 80 moves the holding unit 50 downward using the manipulator 47 to accommodate the substrate 200A in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205. The control unit 80 closes the multiple on-off valves of the second transfer device 46, releasing the holding of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A by the holding units 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C. The manipulator 47 retracts the holding unit 50 from above the support surface 32a. When the second accommodation step S7 is completed, all steps of the transfer method S are completed, and the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A are transferred from the set table 20 to the polishing apparatus 30.

[0048] The control unit 80 sandwiches the second surface plate of the polishing unit 31, rotates the first surface plate 32 and the second surface plate in a predetermined direction around the axis O1, and rotates at least one of the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34 around the axis O1. When the first surface plate 32, the second surface plate, etc. are rotated for a predetermined time, the first surface plate 32 and the second surface plate polish the surface of the substrate 200A facing the thickness direction, and the substrate 200A becomes the polished substrate 200B. The control unit 80 retracts the second surface plate of the polishing unit 31. Using the same method as the above-described transport method, the control unit 80 transports the carrier 205 and the substrate 200B accommodated in the through hole 206 of the carrier 205 from the polishing apparatus 30 onto the upper surface 21 of the set table 20. The control unit 80 causes the first transport device 25 to accommodate the substrate 200B on the set table 20 in the output basket 15. The carrying-out basket 15 containing the substrate 200B is carried out of the polishing equipment 1 by an appropriate carrying-out device.

[0049] By repeating the above steps, the polishing equipment 1 polishes the substrate 200A continuously.

[0050] As described above, the second transport device 46 of this embodiment supports the carrier 205, which has the substrate 200A accommodated in the through-hole 206, and the substrate 200A on the upper surface 21 of the set table 20. Then, using the second transport device 46, the first holding unit 52 holds the outer periphery of the carrier 205 from above, and the second holding unit 53 holds the substrate 200A in the through-hole 206. When the second transport device 46 lifts the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A from above the upper surface 21 and transports them, gravity acting on the carrier 205 causes the central portion of the carrier 205 to bend downward most, and the carrier 205 curves so as to be convex downward. At this time, by extending both the first holding unit 52 and the second holding unit 53 downward, the carrier 205 held by the first holding unit 52 and the substrate 200A held by the second holding unit 53 are separated from each other. This prevents the substrate 200A from coming into contact with the carrier 205 or from overlapping with the carrier 205 in the vertical direction while the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A are being transported. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the substrate 200A from falling off the second transport device 46 while the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A are being transported.

[0051] The carrier 205 is held by the first holding portion 52, and the substrate 200A accommodated in the through-hole 206 is held by the second holding portion 53. The length of the downward extension of the first holding portion 52 is an extension distance M. ５２ is the extension distance M, which is the length by which the second holding portion 53 extends downward. ５３Ａ , M ５３Ｂ , M ５３Ｃ The length of the carrier 205 is longer than the thickness of the carrier 205. Therefore, from a state in which the carrier 205 held by the first holding unit 52 and the substrate 200A held by the second holding unit 53 are arranged at approximately the same height, the carrier 205 can be arranged lower than the substrate 200A by more than the thickness of the carrier 205. The central portion of the carrier 205 is curved so as to be convex downward due to gravity acting on the carrier 205, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the substrate 200A from coming into contact with the carrier 205 during transport of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A.

[0052] The second transport device 46 has a frame 51. The frame 51 connects the first body 64 of the first holding unit 52 and the second bodies 71A, 71B, and 71C of the second holding unit 53 to each other, thereby improving the accuracy of the relative position in the vertical direction of the outer periphery of the carrier 205 held by the first moving unit 65 and the substrate 200A held by the second moving units 72A, 72B, and 72C. In the polishing apparatus 30 of this embodiment, the second transport device 46 engages the multiple teeth 207 of the carrier 205 with the multiple teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple teeth 37 of the sun gear 33 in the planetary gear type polishing unit 31. Rotating at least one of the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 rotates the carrier 205, thereby polishing the vertical surface of the substrate 200A accommodated in the carrier 205.

[0053] Furthermore, in the transport method S of this embodiment, contact between the substrate 200A and the carrier 205 and overlapping of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A in the thickness direction are suppressed during transport of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A in the holding step S3, and when the carrier 205 is placed on the support surface 32a of the first base plate 32 in the planarization step S5. After the holding step S3 and the planarization step S5, the substrate 200A is placed from above in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 in the second accommodation step S7. This prevents the substrate 200A from falling during transport of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A. In the holding step S3, the substrate 200A is held so as to be positioned above the carrier 205. This prevents the substrate 200A from interfering with placement of the carrier 205 on the support surface 32a in the planarization step S5, facilitating the planarization step S5.

[0054] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and configuration changes, combinations, deletions, etc. are also included within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, in the transport method of the embodiment, in the holding step, only the first holding part 52 may be extended downward from the state in which it holds the carrier 205, and the second holding parts 53A, 53B, 53C may not be extended from the state in which they hold the substrate 200A. Even with this configuration, the extension distance M ５２ However, if the length exceeds the thickness of the carrier 205, the substrate 200A can be positioned above the carrier 205.

[0055] Similarly, in the holding step, only the second holding part may be contracted upward while the holding part 50 is moved upward. In the holding step, the first holding part and the second holding part may be contracted upward while the holding part 50 is moved upward. These methods also allow the substrate 200A to be positioned above the carrier 205.

[0056] In the holding step, the substrate 200A may be held so as to be positioned lower than the carrier 205, or the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A may be held so as to be shifted in position along a horizontal plane. The support surface 32a of the first base plate 32 and the upper surface 21 of the set table 20 may each be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. The number of first holding units 52 and the number of second holding units 53 included in the second transport device 46 are not limited.

[0057] The transfer device, polishing device, and transfer method can prevent the substrate from falling during transfer of the carrier and the substrate, and therefore have great industrial applicability.

[0058] 30 Polishing device 31 Polishing section 32 First surface plate (surface plate) 32a Support surface 33 Sun gear 34 Internal gear 37, 39, 207 Tooth portion 46 Second transfer device (transfer device) 51 Frame (connecting member) 52 First holding section 53, 53A, 53B, 53C Second holding section 64 First main body 65 First moving section 71A, 71B, 78C Second main body 72A, 72B, 72C Second moving section 200 Substrate 205 Carrier 206 Through hole S Transfer method S3 Holding process S5 Flattening process S7 Second storage process (storage process)

Claims

1. A transport device for transporting a carrier formed in a flat plate with a through hole and a substrate accommodated in the through hole, comprising: a first holding part that holds the outer periphery of the carrier in the thickness direction of the carrier; and a second holding part that holds the substrate in the through hole in the thickness direction, wherein at least one of the first holding part and the second holding part can expand or contract in the thickness direction so that the carrier held by the first holding part and the substrate held by the second holding part are spaced apart from each other.

2. A transport device as described in claim 1, wherein, when the carrier is held by the first holding part and the substrate housed in the through hole is held by the second holding part, the length by which the first holding part extends to one side in the thickness direction is longer than the length by which the second holding part extends to one side in the thickness direction by more than the thickness of the carrier.

3. A transport device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first holding unit has a first body and a first moving unit that can move in the thickness direction relative to the first body and holds the outer periphery of the carrier, and the second holding unit has a second body and a second moving unit that can move in the thickness direction relative to the second body and holds the substrate, and is provided with a connecting member that connects the first body and the second body to each other.

4. A polishing device comprising: a planetary gear type polishing unit that has a plurality of teeth on the outer periphery of the carrier, rotates on the support surface of a surface plate, has an internal gear and a sun gear that engage with the plurality of teeth of the carrier, and polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of the substrate; and a transport device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transport device engages the plurality of teeth of the carrier with the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the sun gear.

5. A transport method for transporting a carrier formed in a flat plate shape and having through holes, and a substrate to be accommodated in the through holes, comprising: a holding step of holding the outer periphery of the carrier and the substrate so that the carrier and the substrate are spaced apart from each other; a flattening step of placing the carrier on a support surface to flatten the carrier and spacing the substrate above the carrier when the carrier is flattened; and a accommodating step of accommodating the substrate from above into the through holes of the carrier.

6. The transport method according to claim 5, wherein in the holding step, the substrate is held so as to be positioned above the carrier.

Images