Telescopic cover and processing device comprising the same

Abstract

To prevent an outflow of processing water from both ends in a width direction orthogonal to a telescopic direction to the outside of a processing chamber.SOLUTION: A telescopic cover 80 provided in a processing device 1 which processes a wafer (workpiece) W while supplying processing water to a processing part to cover a first opening 70b1 and a second opening 70b2 of an opening 70b each by telescopic motion through the movement of a support plate (movable part) 71 along the opening 70b, comprises: a bellows-shaped body part 80A where a plurality of crests 80a and a plurality of troughs 80b are formed alternately, and a side face part 80B which blocks width-directional both end open parts of the crests 80a facing a polishing pad (processing tool) 45 side of the body part 80A. Further, the processing device 1 comprising a chuck table 10, a polishing unit (processing unit) 40, a Y-axis movement unit 60, and a processing water supply part comprises the telescopic cover 80 where the width-directional both end open parts of the crests 80a facing the polishing pad 45 side of the bellows-shaped body part 80A are blocked by the side face part 80B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a telescopic cover that expands and contracts along with the movement along the opening of a movable part such as a processing unit and covers the opening, and a processing apparatus including the same.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, due to the demand for miniaturization and thinning of various electronic devices such as personal computers (PCs) and smartphones, semiconductor devices used in these electronic devices also tend to be miniaturized and thinned. That is, in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, the surface of a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as "wafer") is divided into a number of rectangular regions by dividing lines called streets arranged in a grid pattern, and devices such as ICs and LSIs are formed in each rectangular region. Then, a plurality of semiconductor chips are formed by cutting the wafer on which such a large number of devices are formed along the dividing line by a cutting device.

[0003] Further, in order to reduce the size and thickness of individual semiconductor chips, usually, before cutting the wafer along the dividing line, the back surface of the wafer (the surface opposite to the surface on which the device is formed) is ground to a predetermined thickness by a grinding device. This grinding of the wafer is performed by pressing a rapidly rotating grinding wheel against the back surface of the wafer. However, a processing strain layer composed of microcracks is formed on the back surface of the wafer by this grinding. In particular, when the wafer is ground to a thickness of 100 μm or less, there is a problem that the flexural strength of the wafer decreases. For this reason, the back surface of the ground wafer is polished by a polishing device to remove the processing distortion.

[0004] By the way, in grinding devices, polishing devices, cutting devices, etc., required processing is performed while supplying processing water to the workpiece portion of the wafer. For example, in a polishing device, in order to prevent the scattering of the processing water containing processing chips, a chuck table for holding the wafer and a part of the processing unit are housed in the processing chamber. Here, the processing chamber is formed inside a rectangular box-shaped processing chamber cover, and an opening that allows the movement of the processing unit is formed in the top plate of the processing chamber cover. The opening is covered by a bellows-shaped expansion and contraction cover that expands and contracts by the movement of the processing unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, a configuration has also been proposed in which the opening of the processing chamber cover is covered by a cylindrical bellows cover that elastically deforms by the movement of the processing unit (see Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] A conventional expansion and contraction cover 180 that covers the opening of the processing chamber cover (accurately, the opening excluding the portion through which a part of the processing unit is inserted) is configured in a bellows shape by alternately forming a plurality of peak portions 180a and valley portions 180b along the moving direction of the processing unit (the direction of the arrow shown in the figure) as shown in FIG. 12. However, both ends in the width direction of the peak portion (valley portion when viewed from below) 180a of the expansion and contraction cover 180 that opens into the processing chamber are open, and a minute gap is formed between them in order to slide along the inner wall of the opening.

[0007] Therefore, there is a problem that the processing water containing processing chips scattered in the processing chamber adheres to the inner surface of each ridge portion (valley portion when viewed from below) 180a of the expansion and contraction cover 180, and this processing water is carried out from the open portions at both left and right ends of each ridge portion 180a and flows out of the processing chamber through the minute gaps between both left and right ends of the expansion and contraction cover 180 and the opening portion. In particular, when the expansion and contraction cover 180 is contracted, the processing water is forcibly pushed out of the processing chamber. Here, many electrical components and movable parts are arranged in the processing apparatus, and if the processing water containing processing chips leaking out of the processing chamber adheres to the electrical components and movable parts, there is a possibility that these electrical components and movable parts may malfunction.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an expansion and contraction cover capable of preventing the outflow of processing water from both ends in the width direction orthogonal to the expansion and contraction direction to the outside of the processing chamber, and a processing apparatus including the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The invention according to claim 1 is provided in a processing apparatus for processing a workpiece while supplying processing water to a contact portion between the workpiece and a cutting tool accommodated in a processing chamber within a processing chamber cover, and expands and contracts by the movement of a movable portion along an opening formed in a top plate of the processing chamber cover, and covers a first opening and a second opening formed on both sides in the moving direction of the movable portion of the opening, respectively. The expansion and contraction cover includes a bellows-shaped main body portion in which a plurality of ridge portions and valley portions are alternately formed along the moving direction of the movable portion, and side surface portions that close both end opening portions in the width direction of the ridge portion facing the processing chamber of the main body portion.

[0010] The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the side surface portion includes two triangular planes bent in a V shape around a straight fold line, and is configured such that the planes open and close around the fold line as the main body portion expands and contracts.

[0011] The invention according to claim 3 comprises a chuck table for holding a workpiece, a machining unit capable of mounting a machining tool for machining the workpiece at the tip of a spindle, a Y-axis moving unit for moving the chuck table or the machining unit in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the spindle, a Z-axis direction moving unit for moving the machining unit in the Z-axis direction of the rotation axis of the spindle, a machining chamber cover for housing the chuck table and the machining tool in a machining chamber formed by a bottom plate, side plates and a top plate, an expansion and contraction cover for covering a first opening and a second opening formed on both sides in the moving direction of the machining unit of the opening along the opening formed in the top plate of the machining chamber cover by the movement of the machining unit, and a machining water supply unit for supplying machining water to the contact portion between the workpiece and the machining tool. The machining apparatus is characterized in that the expansion and contraction cover is constituted by the expansion and contraction cover according to claim 1 or 2.

Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 1, since the open portions at both ends in the width direction (the direction orthogonal to the expansion and contraction direction) of each peak portion (each valley portion when viewed from the machining chamber side) of the bellows-shaped main body portion of the expansion and contraction cover are each blocked by the side surface portion, the outflow of machining water from both ends in the width direction of each peak portion to the outside of the machining chamber is prevented by the side surface portion.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 2, in the expansion and contraction cover, each side surface portion includes two triangular planes bent in a V shape around a straight fold line, and since the two planes are configured to open and close around the fold line as the expansion and contraction cover expands and contracts, the side surface portion of each expansion and contraction cover opens and closes around the fold line following the expansion and contraction of the expansion and contraction cover, and these side surface portions do not inhibit the expansion and contraction of the expansion and contraction cover.

[0014] According to the invention described in claim 3, the machining water scattered in the machining chamber adheres to the inner surfaces of the peak portions (each valley portion when viewed from the machining chamber side) facing the machining chamber of the expansion and contraction cover, but since the outflow of this machining water from both ends in the width direction of each peak portion is blocked by the side surface portion, the outflow of machining water to the outside of the machining chamber is surely prevented.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

[0017] [Configuration of the Processing Apparatus] First, the configuration of the processing apparatus provided with the telescopic cover according to the present invention will be described. The telescopic cover is provided in the polishing unit provided in the processing apparatus. In the following description, the directions of the arrows shown in FIG. 1 are defined as the X-axis direction (left-right direction), the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction), and the Z-axis direction (up-down direction), respectively.

[0018] The processing apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1 is an apparatus for cleaning the upper surface (the surface to be polished) of a polished wafer W after grinding and polishing the back surface (the upper surface in Fig. 1) of the wafer W as the workpiece. The apparatus includes four (only three are shown in Fig. 1) chuck tables 10 for sucking and holding the disc-shaped wafer W, a rough grinding unit 20, a finish grinding unit 30, and a polishing unit 40 that constitute a processing unit, a processing water supply unit 90 for supplying processing water (slurry) to the polishing unit 40, a Z-axis moving unit 50 for moving the polishing unit 40 in the Z-axis direction, a Y-axis moving unit 60 for moving the polishing unit 40 in the Y-axis direction, a processing chamber cover 70 in which a processing chamber S (see Fig. 5) is formed, and a telescopic cover 80 according to the present invention as a main component (see Fig. 2). Here, the wafer W is a thin disc-shaped member composed of a single crystal silicon base material, and a plurality of devices (not shown) are formed on its surface (the lower surface in Fig. 1). These devices are protected by a protective tape T attached to the surface of the wafer W.

[0019] Note that the processing apparatus 1 is also provided with a cleaning unit 17 for cleaning the wafer W after polishing, a cassette 11 for storing a plurality of wafers W before grinding, a cassette 12 for storing the wafers W after grinding, an alignment table 13 for aligning the wafer W taken out from the cassette 11, a loading / unloading robot 14 for taking in and out the wafer W with respect to the cassettes 11 and 12 and transporting the wafer W taken out from the cassette 11 to the alignment table 13, a first transport means 15 for transporting the wafer W aligned at the alignment table 13 to the chuck table 10 located in the wafer loading / unloading region R1, a second transport means 16 for removing the wafer W polished in the polishing region R4 from the chuck table 10 and transporting it to the cleaning unit 17, etc. However, detailed descriptions of these will be omitted.

[0020] Here, the configurations of the chuck table 10, which is a main component of the processing apparatus 1, the rough grinding unit 20, the finish grinding unit 30, and the polishing unit 40, which are processing units, the processing water supply unit 90, the Z-axis moving unit 50, the Y-axis moving unit 60, the processing chamber cover 70, and the telescopic cover 80 will be described respectively.

[0021] (Chuck Table) In this embodiment, the four chuck tables 10 (only three are shown in FIG. 1) are disk-shaped members and are arranged on the turntable 2, which intermittently rotates (revolves) around the central axis perpendicular to the Z-axis direction, at equal angular pitches (90° pitches) in the circumferential direction. Then, these chuck tables 10 revolve by 90° each around the axis center perpendicular to the Z-axis direction of the turntable 2 due to the intermittent rotation of the turntable 2, and sequentially move between the wafer loading / unloading area R1, the rough grinding area R2, the finish grinding area R3, and the polishing area R4. At the same time, they rotate (rotate on their own axis) at a predetermined speed around the axis center perpendicular to the Z-axis direction by a rotation mechanism (not shown).

[0022] Here, each chuck table 10 has a disk-shaped porous member 10A (see FIG. 5) made of porous ceramic or the like incorporated in the central part thereof, and the upper surface of each porous member 10A constitutes a holding surface for sucking and holding the disk-shaped wafer W. Then, the porous members 10A of each chuck table 10 are selectively connected to a suction source (not shown) such as a vacuum pump.

[0023] (Rough Grinding Unit and Finish Grinding Unit) As shown in Fig. 1, the rough grinding unit 20 and the finish grinding unit 30 are vertically arranged side by side in the X-axis direction (left and right direction) at the +Y-axis end (rear end) of the rectangular box-shaped main body base 100 that is long in the Y-axis direction (front and back direction). Here, the rough grinding unit 20 is a unit that rough grinds the upper surface (back surface) of the wafer W held on the holding surface of the chuck table 10 located in the rough grinding area R2, and the finish grinding unit 30 is a unit that finish grinds the upper surface (back surface) of the wafer W held on the holding surface of the chuck table 10 located in the finish grinding area R3, and the basic configurations of both are the same.

[0024] That is, the rough grinding unit 20 includes a spindle motor 22 fixed to a holder 21, a vertical spindle 23 rotationally driven by the spindle motor 22, a disk-shaped mount 24 attached to the lower end of the spindle 23, and a grinding wheel 25 detachably attached to the lower surface of the mount 24. Here, the grinding wheel 25 is provided with a plurality of block-shaped grinding wheels 25a which are cutting tools arranged in an annular shape.

[0025] Similarly, the finish grinding unit 30 also includes a spindle motor 32 fixed to a holder 31, a vertical spindle 33 rotationally driven by the spindle motor 32, a disk-shaped mount 34 attached to the lower end of the spindle 33, and a grinding wheel 35 detachably attached to the lower surface of the mount 34. Here, the grinding wheel 35 is provided with a plurality of block-shaped grinding wheels 35a which are cutting tools arranged in an annular shape, and these grinding wheels 35a are composed of finer abrasive grains than the grinding wheels 25a of the rough grinding unit 20.

[0026] Incidentally, the rough grinding unit 20 and the finish grinding unit 30 are supported so as to be vertically movable by elevating mechanisms 3 respectively provided on the -Y-axis direction end faces (front faces) of a pair of block-shaped columns 8 vertically erected along the X-axis direction (left and right direction) at the +Y-axis direction end portion (rear end portion) of the main body base 100. Here, since the configurations of both elevating mechanisms 3 are the same, hereinafter, corresponding components will be described with the same reference numerals.

[0027] Each elevating mechanism 3 is for vertically moving the rough grinding unit 20 and the finish grinding unit 30 independently along the Z-axis direction (vertical direction), and includes a rectangular plate-shaped elevating plate 4 and a pair of guide rails 5 for guiding the elevating movement of the elevating plate 4 respectively. Here, the rough grinding unit 20 and the finish grinding unit 30 are respectively attached to each elevating plate 4. Also, the pair of guide rails 5 are disposed perpendicular and parallel to each other on the front face of the column 8.

[0028] And between the pair of guide rails 5, a rotatable ball screw 6 is vertically erected along the Z-axis direction (vertical direction), and the upper end of the ball screw 6 is connected to a servo motor 7 capable of forward and reverse rotation which is a drive source. Also, the lower end of the ball screw 6 is rotatably supported by the column 8 by a bearing (not shown), and a nut member (not shown) horizontally protruding rearward (+Y-axis direction) from the back face of the elevating plate 4 is screwed to this ball screw 6.

[0029] Therefore, when the servo motors 7 of each elevating mechanism 3 configured as described above are activated to rotate the respective ball screws 6 forward and reverse, each elevating plate 4 having a nut member (not shown) screwed to the respective ball screws 6 moves up and down along the guide rails 5, so that the rough grinding unit 20 and the finish grinding unit 30 attached to the elevating plate 4 also move up and down independently of each other along the Z-axis direction (vertical direction).

[0030] (Polishing Unit) The polishing unit 40 polishes the upper surface (back surface) of the wafer W that has been finish-ground by the finish-grinding unit 30, and includes a spindle motor 42 fixed to a holder 41, a vertical spindle 43 rotationally driven by the spindle motor 42, a disk-shaped mount (platen) 44 attached to the lower end of the spindle 43, and a disk-shaped polishing pad 45 detachably attached to the lower surface of the mount 44 (see FIG. 5).

[0031] (Processing water supply unit) Incidentally, the polishing unit 40 according to the present embodiment employs a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) method. As processing water, a slurry (polishing liquid) containing free abrasive grains is supplied to the polishing surface of the polishing pad 45, and the rotating polishing pad 45 is pressed against the upper surface (back surface) of the wafer W to polish the upper surface of the wafer W. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the processing water supply unit 90 that supplies the slurry as processing water includes a slurry supply source 91 and a pipe 92 extending from the slurry supply source 91 and connected to the axial center of the spindle motor 42 of the polishing unit 40. An on-off valve V1 is provided in the pipe 92. Note that, as a polishing method for the wafer W, a DP (Dry Polishing) method that does not use slurry may be used.

[0032] (Z-axis movement unit) The Z-axis movement unit 50 is a unit that raises and lowers the polishing unit 40 along the direction (Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the holding surface of the chuck table 10. The Z-axis movement unit 50 includes a rectangular lifting plate 52 that can move up and down along a pair of guide rails 51 erected parallel and perpendicular to each other on a slide plate 61 of a later-described Y-axis movement unit 60. The polishing unit 40 is attached to the lifting plate 52. A ball screw 53 that can rotate forward and backward is vertically disposed between the pair of guide rails 51, and a servo motor 54, which is a rotational drive source, is attached to the upper end of the ball screw 53. The lower end of the ball screw 53 is rotatably supported by the slide plate 61 by a bearing (not shown).

[0033] On the back surface of the lifting plate 52, a nut member (not shown) is attached, and a ball screw 53 is screwed and inserted into this nut member. Therefore, when the servo motor 54 is activated to rotate the ball screw 53 forward and backward, the lifting plate 52 to which the nut member screwed to the ball screw 53 is attached moves up and down along the pair of guide rails 51, and thus the polishing unit 40 attached to the lifting plate 52 also moves up and down along the Z-axis direction together with the lifting plate 52.

[0034] (Y-axis movement unit) The Y-axis movement unit 60 is a unit that moves the polishing unit 40 along the Y-axis direction. The slide plate 61 is movable along the Y-axis direction along a pair of upper and lower guide rails 62 arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction on a column 102 erected vertically at the -X-axis direction end (left end) of the main body base 100. Between the pair of upper and lower guide rails 62, a ball screw 63 that can rotate forward and backward is arranged along the Y-axis direction, and a servo motor 64 as a drive source is attached to one axial end of the ball screw 63. Also, both axial ends of the ball screw 63 are rotatably supported by bearings 65 and 66 on the column 102 as shown in FIG. 5. On the back surface of the slide plate 61, a nut member (not shown) is attached, and the ball screw 63 is screwed and inserted into this nut member.

[0035] Therefore, when the servo motor 64 is activated to rotate the ball screw 63 forward and backward, the slide plate 61 to which the nut member screwed to the ball screw 63 is attached moves in the Y-axis direction along the pair of upper and lower guide rails 62, and thus the polishing unit 40 supported via the Z-axis movement unit 50 on the slide plate 61 moves in the Y-axis direction.

[0036] (Processing chamber cover) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the processing chamber cover 70 is a rectangular box-shaped member that is long in the Y-axis direction and is disposed below the polishing unit 40. It includes a bottom plate 70A, a top plate 70B, and four side plates 70C that are vertically erected on the four sides so as to connect the bottom plate 70A and the top plate 70B. A processing chamber S is formed inside thereof. And, as shown in FIG. 5, a circular hole 70a is formed in the bottom plate 70A, and the chuck table 10 penetrates through the circular hole 70a from below and is accommodated in the processing chamber S.

[0037] By the way, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a rectangular opening 70b that is long in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction) is formed in the top plate 70B of the processing chamber cover 70. A rectangular support plate 71 is disposed in the opening 70b so as to be movable along the Y-axis direction. And, the spindle 43 of the polishing unit 40 is rotatably inserted through the center of the support plate 71, and the mount 44 and the polishing pad 45 attached to the lower end of the spindle 43 are accommodated in the processing chamber S.

[0038] Here, an attachment plate 72 and a guide plate 73 that constitute a rectangular frame are attached around the opening 70b formed in the top plate 70B of the processing chamber cover 70. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the opening 70b is partitioned into a first opening 70b1 and a second opening 70b2 by a support plate 71 that is movable along the Y-axis direction. And, these first opening 70b1 and second opening 70b2 are respectively covered by the expansion and contraction cover 80 described later.

[0039] (Expansion and contraction cover) As described above, the first opening 70b1 and the second opening 70b2 of the opening 70b formed in the top plate 70B of the processing chamber cover 70 are respectively covered by the expansion and contraction cover 80. Since the configurations of these expansion and contraction covers 80 are the same, hereinafter, only the configuration of one expansion and contraction cover 80 will be described.

[0040] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 to 9, each telescopic cover 80 is formed by alternately forming a plurality of ridges 80a and valleys 80b along the moving direction (Y-axis direction) of the support plate 71, and is configured as a bellows-shaped main body 80A, and side surfaces 80B that close the open portions at both ends in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) (both ends in the width direction) of each ridge 80a of the main body 80A. Here, as shown in FIG. 10, each side surface 80B includes two triangular planes 81 and 82 that are bent in a V shape around a straight fold line L, and the two planes 81 and 82 are configured to open and close around the fold line L as the bellows-shaped main body 80A of the telescopic cover 80 expands and contracts.

[0041] By the way, one end of each telescopic cover 80 in the Y-axis direction (longitudinal direction) is attached to an attachment plate 72 attached to the periphery of the opening 70b of the processing chamber cover 70, and the other end in the Y-axis direction is attached to the Y-axis direction end surface of the support plate 71. When the polishing unit 40 moves in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis moving unit 60, the support plate 71 through which the spindle 43 of the polishing unit 40 is rotatably inserted also moves in the Y-axis direction along the opening 70b formed in the top plate 70B of the processing chamber cover 70 together with the polishing unit 40.

[0042] As described above, when the support plate 71 moves in the Y-axis direction along the opening 70b, one telescopic cover 80 extends and the other telescopic cover 80 contracts. Thus, when each telescopic cover 80 expands and contracts, the side surface 80B that closes the open portions at both left and right ends of each ridge (valley when viewed from the processing chamber S side) 80a of the main body 80A of the telescopic cover 80 deforms following the expansion and contraction of the telescopic cover 80. Specifically, in the state where the telescopic cover 80 is extended, the side surface 80B that closes the open portions at both left and right ends of each ridge 80a of the main body 80A is in an open state centered on the fold line L as shown by the solid line in FIG. 10, but when the telescopic cover 80 contracts, the side surface 80B closes centered on the fold line L as shown by the chain line in FIG. 10. Therefore, the side surface 80B of each telescopic cover 80 opens and closes around the fold line L as shown by the arrow in FIG. 10 following the expansion and contraction of the telescopic cover 80, so that each side surface 80B does not inhibit the expansion and contraction of the telescopic cover 80.

[0043] And each telescopic cover 80 expands and contracts due to the movement of the support plate 71 (grinding unit 40) in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, both the left and right ends of its main body 80A move along the guide plate 73 attached to the periphery of the opening 70b of the processing chamber cover 70. For this reason, in order to allow the main body 80A to move along the guide plate 73, a minute gap δ is formed between both the left and right ends of the main body 80A and the guide plate 73 as shown in Fig. 6.

[0044] [Operation of the processing device] Next, the grinding and polishing processes of the wafer W by the processing device 1 configured as described above will be explained. (Grinding process)

[0045] First, when grinding the wafer W, one wafer W before processing is taken out from the cassette 11 by the loading / unloading robot 14 shown in Fig. 1, and the taken-out wafer W is transferred to the alignment table 13. Then, on the alignment table 13, the wafer W is aligned, and the aligned wafer W is transferred by the first transfer means 15 to the chuck table 10 located in the wafer loading / unloading region R1 and is sucked and held on the chuck table 10 with the protective tape T facing down. That is, since the porous member 10A of the chuck table 10 on which the wafer W is placed is connected to a suction source (not shown) and a negative pressure is generated in the porous member 10A, the wafer W is sucked and held on the holding surface of the chuck table 10 by this negative pressure.

[0046] Then, the turntable 2 rotates by an angle of 90° in the arrow direction (counterclockwise) around its vertical axis center, and the chuck table 10 moves to the rough grinding region R2 together with the wafer W. In this rough grinding region R2, the back surface (upper surface) of the wafer W held on the holding surface of the chuck table 10 is rough ground by the rough grinding unit 20.

[0047] That is, the chuck table 10 is rotationally driven at a predetermined rotational speed by a rotation mechanism (not shown), and the spindle motor 22 of the rough grinding unit 20 is activated to rotationally drive the grinding wheel 25a at a predetermined speed.

[0048] As described above, with the chuck table 10, the wafer W held thereon, and the grinding wheel 25a each rotating, the elevating mechanism 3 is driven to lower the grinding wheel 25a in the -Z axis direction. That is, when the servo motor 7 is driven and the ball screw 6 rotates, the elevating plate 4 provided with a nut member (not shown) screwed onto the ball screw 6 descends in the -Z axis direction together with the rough grinding unit 20. Then, the lower surface (grinding surface) of the grinding wheel 25a contacts and presses against the upper surface (back surface) of the wafer W, whereby the upper surface (back surface) of the wafer W is roughly ground to a predetermined thickness.

[0049] When the upper surface (back surface) of the wafer W is roughly ground to a predetermined thickness by the rough grinding unit 20, the rough grinding unit 20 is raised in the +Z axis direction by the elevating mechanism 3, and the grinding wheel 25a is separated from the upper surface of the wafer W. Then, the turntable 2 rotates by an angle of 90° around its vertical axis center, and the wafer W roughly ground in the rough grinding area R2 and the chuck table 10 holding the same move to the finish grinding area R3, where the upper surface (back surface) of the wafer W is finish ground by the finish grinding unit 30. Note that since the finish grinding of the wafer W by the finish grinding unit 30 is performed in the same manner as the rough grinding of the wafer W by the rough grinding unit 20, the description of this finish grinding is omitted.

[0050] (Polishing process) As described above, when the upper surface of the wafer W is finish ground by the finish grinding unit 30, the turntable 2 rotates by an angle of 90° around its vertical axis center, and the wafer W whose upper surface has been finish ground in the finish grinding area R3 and the chuck table 10 holding the same move to the polishing area R4, where the upper surface (back surface) of the wafer W is polished by the polishing unit 40.

[0051] That is, in the polishing unit 40, in the processing chamber S, the chuck table 10 and the wafer W held thereon are rotationally driven at a predetermined speed, and the spindle motor 42 (see FIG. 1) of the polishing unit 40 is activated to rotationally drive the polishing pad 46. At this time, the polishing pad 46 is positioned above the wafer W and is separated from the wafer W.

[0052] Next, from the above state, the polishing pad 46 is lowered toward the wafer W by the Z-axis moving unit 50, and while receiving the supply of slurry from the slurry supply source 91 through the pipe 92 as shown in FIG. 1, the wafer W is polished by the polishing pad 45, the processed strain layer formed on the upper surface of the wafer W by grinding is removed by polishing, and the flexural strength of the wafer W is increased.

[0053] Incidentally, when the wafer W is being polished by the polishing pad 45 while receiving the supply of slurry in the processing chamber S as described above, the slurry scatters in the processing chamber S due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W and the polishing pad 45, and a part of the slurry adheres to the inner surface of the expansion and contraction cover 80, specifically, the inner surface (the surface facing the processing chamber S) of each peak portion (each valley portion when viewed from the processing chamber S side) 80a of the main body portion 80A of the expansion and contraction cover 80. Here, in the conventional expansion and contraction cover 180 shown in FIG. 12, since both ends in the width direction of each peak portion 180a are open, there is a possibility that the slurry adhering to the inner surface of the peak portion 180a flows out to the outside of the processing chamber S from the open portions at both ends in the width direction of each peak portion 180a, as described above. In particular, when the expansion and contraction cover 180 is contracted, the slurry containing polishing debris is forcibly pushed out of the processing chamber S.

[0054] However, in the telescopic cover 80 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, since the both ends in the width direction (both ends in the X-axis direction) of each peak portion (each valley portion when viewed from the processing chamber S side) 80a of the main body portion 80A are blocked by the side surface portions 80B respectively, the outflow of the slurry adhering to the inner surface of each peak portion 80a to the outside of the processing chamber S from both ends in the width direction of each peak portion 80a is blocked by each side surface portion 80B. In particular, even when the telescopic cover 80 is contracted, the outflow of the slurry adhering to the inner surface of each peak portion 80a of the telescopic cover 80 to the outside of the processing chamber S from the minute gap δ shown in FIG. 6 (the gap between both end portions in the width direction of the telescopic cover 80 and the guide plate 73) is surely prevented by the side surface portions 80B that block both ends in the width direction of each peak portion 80a. For this reason, there is no possibility that the slurry containing abrasive grains leaked out to the outside of the processing chamber S adheres to electrical components or movable parts (not shown) and has an adverse effect on these electrical components and movable parts.

[0055] Further, in the telescopic cover 80 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, each side surface portion 80B includes two triangular planes 81 and 82 that are bent in a V shape around a linear fold line L, and are configured such that the two planes 81 and 82 open and close around the fold line L as the snake-shaped main body portion 80A expands and contracts. For this reason, the side surface portion 80B of each telescopic cover 80 opens and closes around the fold line L as shown by the arrow in FIG. 10 following the expansion and contraction of the telescopic cover 80, and these side surface portions 80B do not inhibit the expansion and contraction of the telescopic cover 80.

[0056] Then, when the upper surface of the wafer W is polished by the polishing pad 45, the polishing pad 45 is lifted by the Z-axis moving unit 50 and separated from the upper surface of the wafer W. Thereafter, the turntable 2 rotates by an angle of 90° around its vertical axis center, and the wafer W whose upper surface has been polished in the polishing region R4 and the chuck table 10 holding the same move to the wafer loading / unloading region R1. Then, in this wafer loading / unloading region R1, the wafer W is removed from the chuck table 10 by the second transfer means 16 and transferred to the cleaning unit 17, and the upper surface of the wafer W is cleaned by the injection of cleaning water in the cleaning unit 17, and the slurry adhering to the upper surface of the wafer W is washed away.

[0057] As described above, the wafer W whose upper surface (back surface) has been cleaned by the cleaning unit 17 is removed from the chuck table 10 by the transfer robot 14 and transferred to the cassette 12, and by being housed in the cassette 12, a series of processes (rough grinding, finish grinding, and polishing) for the wafer W are completed.

[0058] Incidentally, FIGS. 11(a) and (b) show cross-sections of the main parts of a processing apparatus (polishing apparatus) according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this processing apparatus (polishing apparatus), a cleaning water nozzle 110 that moves together with the chuck table 10 is provided. This cleaning water nozzle 110 injects cleaning water (pure water) supplied from a cleaning water supply source (not shown) upward. In FIGS. 11(a) and (b), the same elements as those shown in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 5, and repeated description thereof will be omitted below.

[0059] Thus, the polishing pad 45 after polishing is cleaned by the cleaning water sprayed upward from the cleaning water nozzle 110 as shown in FIG. 11(a). However, as shown in FIG. 11(b), as a result of the polishing pad 45 moving in the direction of the arrow (rightward in FIG. 11(b)), when the polishing pad 45 moves out of the horizontal direction from the cleaning water nozzle 110, the cleaning water sprayed upward from the cleaning water nozzle 110 is sprayed directly toward the expansion and contraction cover 80 without being blocked by the polishing pad 45. As a result, the cleaning water directly hits and adheres to the inner surface of each peak portion (each valley portion when viewed from the processing chamber S side) 80a of the expansion and contraction cover 80. However, both end opening portions in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 11) of each peak portion 80a of the expansion and contraction cover 80 are blocked by the side surface portions 80B, respectively. Therefore, the outflow of the cleaning water adhering to the inner surface of each peak portion 80a to the outside of the processing chamber S is blocked by the side surface portions 80B. For this reason, the occurrence of a problem that the cleaning water leaking out to the outside of the processing chamber S adheres to electrical components and movable parts (not shown) and affects these electrical components and movable parts adversely is prevented.

[0060] Note that the above description has been given for a polishing device (polishing unit) as a processing device equipped with an expandable cover according to the present invention. However, the present invention is equally applicable to any other processing device such as a grinding device or a cutting device equipped with an expandable cover that covers an opening formed in the top plate of the processing chamber cover, and to the expandable cover provided in the processing device.

[0061] Also, in the above embodiments, a processing device for processing a wafer as a workpiece has been described. However, as a processing device, those that process any workpiece other than a wafer are also included in the application scope of the present invention.

[0062] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to being applied to the above-described embodiments. Needless to say, various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, the specification, and the drawings.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0063] 1: Processing device, 2: Turntable, 3: Lifting mechanism, 4: Lifting plate, 5: Guide rail, 6: Ball screw, 7: Servo motor, 8, 9: Column, 10: Chuck table, 10A: Porous member, 11, 12: Cassette, 13: Alignment table, 14: Loading / unloading robot, 15: First conveying means, 16: Second conveying means, 17: Cleaning unit, 20: Rough grinding unit (processing unit), 21: Holder, 22: Spindle motor, 23: Spindle, 24: Mount, 25: Grinding wheel, 25a: Grinding stone (processing tool), 30: Finish grinding unit (processing unit), 31: Holder, 32: Spindle motor, 33: Spindle, 34: Mount, 35: Grinding wheel, 35a: Grinding stone (processing tool) 40: Polishing unit, 41: Holder, 42: Spindle motor, 43: Spindle, 44: Mount, 45: Polishing pad (processing tool), 46: Slurry supply source, 47: Pipe, 50: Z-axis movement unit, 51: Guide rail, 52: Lifting plate, 53: Ball screw, 54: Servo motor, 60: Y-axis moving unit, 61: Slide plate, 62: Guide rail, 63: Ball screw, 64: Servo motor, 65, 66: Bearings, 70: Processing chamber cover, 70A: Bottom plate, 70B: Top plate, 70C: Side plate, 70a: Circular hole, 70b: Opening, 70b1: First opening, 70b2: Second opening, 71: Support plate (movable part), 72: Mounting plate, 73: Guide plate, 80: Telescopic cover, 80A: Body part, 80B: Side part, 80a: Ridge part, 80b: Valley part, 81, 82: Planes, 90: Processing water supply part, 91: Slurry supply source, 92: Pipe, 100: Main body base, 110: Cleaning water nozzle, L: Fold line, R1: Wafer loading / unloading area, R2: Rough grinding area, R3: Finish grinding area, R4: Polishing area, S: Processing chamber, T: Protective tape, V1: On-off valve, W: Wafer (workpiece), δ: Gap

Claims

1. It is provided in a processing apparatus for processing a workpiece while supplying processing water to a contact portion between the workpiece accommodated in a processing chamber within a processing chamber cover and a cutting tool. It is a telescopic cover that expands and contracts by the movement of a movable portion along an opening formed in the top plate of the processing chamber cover, and covers a first opening and a second opening formed on both sides in the moving direction of the movable portion of the opening respectively. The telescopic cover comprises: a bellows-shaped main body portion in which a plurality of ridges and valleys are alternately formed along the moving direction of the movable portion; side surface portions that close both ends of the ridge in the width direction facing the processing chamber of the main body portion; A telescopic cover characterized by comprising the above.

2. The side surface portion comprises two triangular planes bent in a V shape around a straight fold line, and is configured such that the planes open and close around the fold line as the main body portion expands and contracts. The telescopic cover according to Claim 1, characterized in that.

3. A chuck table for holding a workpiece; A processing unit in which a cutting tool for processing a workpiece can be attached to the tip of a spindle; A Y-axis moving unit that moves the chuck table or the processing unit in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the spindle; A Z-axis direction moving unit that moves the processing unit in the Z-axis direction of the rotation axis of the spindle; A processing chamber cover that houses the chuck table and the cutting tool in a processing chamber formed by a bottom plate, side plates, and a top plate; A telescopic cover that expands and contracts by the movement of the processing unit along an opening formed in the top plate of the processing chamber cover, and covers a first opening and a second opening formed on both sides in the moving direction of the processing unit of the opening respectively; A processing water supply unit that supplies processing water to the contact portion between the workpiece and the cutting tool; A processing apparatus comprising: The processing apparatus is characterized in that the telescopic cover is constituted by the telescopic cover according to Claim 1 or 2.

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