Processing apparatus

Abstract

To obtain a processing apparatus capable of reducing power consumption of an air-conditioning facility in a clean room.SOLUTION: An exhaust treatment device (70) included in a processing apparatus (10) comprises: a first chamber (A) that takes in gas (Ga) in a processing chamber (50), and removes water droplets and processed waste contained in the gas by striking the gas against an inner wall (80); a drainage section (86) that drains water containing processed waste from the first chamber; a second chamber (B) that takes in and mixes the gas from the first chamber and gas (Gb) in an electrical equipment box (65); a filter (84) that removes moisture from the gas passing from the first chamber to the second chamber; a fan (91) that discharges to the outside mixed gas (Gc) mixed in the second chamber; and a HEPA filter (93) that removes dust from the mixed gas discharged by the fan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing device for processing a workpiece. [Background technology]

[0002] Processing devices that process workpieces with rotating tools supply processing water to the point where the tool comes into contact with the workpiece to clean off processing debris and cool the tool. For example, a cutting device that cuts wafers, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, supplies cutting water to a high-speed rotating cutting blade that cuts into the wafer. This cutting water is atomized by the centrifugal force of the rotating cutting blade and dispersed into the processing chamber. The humid gas containing the atomized cutting water is exhausted from the processing chamber via an exhaust device with a gas-liquid separation function, introduced into an exhaust duct installed in the clean room where the cutting device is installed, and exhausted outside the clean room. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-017196 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Clean rooms where processing equipment is installed are air-conditioned to maintain constant humidity and temperature. When high-humidity gas is exhausted from the processing equipment into the clean room, the air-conditioning equipment consumes a lot of power to maintain a constant humidity. Therefore, it is necessary to efficiently remove moisture from the gas exhausted from the processing chamber of the processing equipment and reduce the humidity.

[0005] Furthermore, the processing equipment houses control devices in an electrical box to drive each drive unit, and the temperature inside the electrical box rises during processing due to the control devices' control operations. To cool the control devices, clean room air is drawn into the electrical box and then discharged into the clean room. In other words, the air that absorbs heat from the control devices is warmed and then discharged from the electrical box into the clean room, which causes changes in the clean room temperature and increases the power consumption of the air conditioning equipment to maintain a constant clean room temperature.

[0006] Therefore, there is a problem to be solved in processing devices installed in clean rooms, namely, reducing the power consumption of the air conditioning equipment in the clean rooms. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a machine tool including a holding unit that rotates a chuck table that holds a workpiece, a table moving unit that moves the holding unit, a processing unit that processes the workpiece with a rotating processing tool, a processing movement unit that moves the processing unit, processing water supply means that supplies processing water to the workpiece and the processing tool, a processing chamber that accommodates at least the chuck table and the processing tool, an exhaust treatment device that treats gas containing spray of the processing water in the processing chamber, and an electrical box that accommodates control devices that control each of the units. The exhaust treatment device comprises: a first chamber that takes in the gas in the processing chamber and hits it against an inner wall to remove water droplets and processing debris contained in the gas; a drainage section that drains water containing processing debris from the first chamber; a second chamber that takes in and mixes the gas in the first chamber with the gas in the electrical box; a filter that removes moisture from the gas passing from the first chamber to the second chamber; a fan that discharges the mixed gas mixed in the second chamber to the outside; and a HEPA filter that removes dust from the mixed gas discharged by the fan. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the processing apparatus of the present invention, the exhaust treatment device efficiently removes moisture from the gas discharged from the processing chamber to reduce humidity, and also lowers the temperature of the gas discharged from the electrical box, thereby suppressing changes in humidity and temperature in the clean room in which the processing apparatus is installed and reducing power consumption by the air conditioning equipment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exhaust treatment device provided in the processing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an exhaust treatment device provided in the processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a processing apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a grinding apparatus that grinds a workpiece using a grinding wheel 35, which is a rotating processing tool. The workpiece may be, for example, a sliced ​​wafer cut from an ingot or a device wafer with devices formed on its surface. In the processing apparatus 10, the X-axis and Y-axis directions are horizontal and perpendicular to each other. The Z-axis direction is the up-down direction, with the +Z direction being upward and the -Z direction being downward.

[0011] Unlike the illustrated processing device 10, the present invention can also be applied to cutting devices that cut a workpiece by cutting it with a rotating cutting blade, or polishing devices that polish a workpiece by bringing a rotating polishing pad into contact with the workpiece. In other words, the present invention is applicable to all processing devices that have a rotating processing tool and supply processing water during processing.

[0012] The processing device 10 is provided with a chuck table 12 that holds a workpiece on a base 11. The chuck table 12 is rotated about an axis extending in the Z-axis direction by a holding unit 13. The holding unit 13 is moved in the Y-axis direction by a table moving unit 14. In other words, the chuck table 12 is supported so as to be able to rotate by the holding unit 13 and move horizontally (in the Y-axis direction) by the table moving unit 14.

[0013] The chuck table 12 has a holding surface 15, which is the upper surface of a porous plate made of porous material, and a suction source (not shown) draws air from the porous plate to apply negative pressure, allowing the workpiece to be suction-held on the holding surface 15.

[0014] The holding unit 13 includes a chuck spindle 16 to which the chuck table 12 is connected, and a cylindrical support base 17. The chuck spindle 16 is rotatably supported via a bearing disposed inside the support base 17. The holding unit 13 transmits the rotation of the output shaft of a motor (not shown) to the chuck spindle 16 via a pulley 18 and a belt 19, and the rotation of the chuck spindle 16 rotates the chuck table 12.

[0015] The table moving unit 14 includes a pair of guide rails 20 extending in the Y-axis direction and a ball screw 21, and a slide table 22 supporting the support base 17 is supported so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction along the guide rails 20. The ball screw 21 is threadedly engaged with a threaded portion (not shown) of the slide table 22, and when the ball screw 21 is rotated by a motor 23 connected to one end of the ball screw 21, the slide table 22 moves in the Y-axis direction. As the slide table 22 moves, the chuck table 12 and the holding unit 13 move in the Y-axis direction.

[0016] A rectangular opening 24 extending in the Y-axis direction is formed in the upper surface of the base 11. The opening 24 is covered by a cover plate 25 that moves in the Y-axis direction together with the chuck table 12, and a bellows 26 that connects to the cover plate 25. When the table moving unit 14 moves the chuck table 12 in the Y-axis direction along the opening 24, the chuck table 12 is positioned at a mounting / dismounting position on the -Y-direction side and a processing position on the +Y-direction side. Figure 1 shows the chuck table 12 positioned at the processing position.

[0017] A processing unit 30 is provided above the chuck table 12 positioned at the processing position. A spindle unit 31 provided in the processing unit 30 rotatably supports a spindle 32 extending in the Z-axis direction, and rotates the spindle 32 by a spindle motor (not shown). A mount 33 is connected to the lower end of the spindle 32, and a grinding wheel 34 is attached to the lower part of the mount 33. A plurality of grinding stones 35 are arranged in an annular shape on the underside of the grinding wheel 34. When the spindle 32 is driven to rotate, the grinding wheel 34 supported via the mount 33 rotates, and the grinding stones 35 rotate together with the grinding wheel 34.

[0018] The machining unit 30 is moved in the Z-axis direction by a machining movement unit 36. The machining movement unit 36 ​​is attached to a column 37 erected on the upper surface of the base 11. The machining movement unit 36 ​​is provided with a pair of guide rails 38 and a ball screw 39 that are arranged on the -Y direction side of the column 37 and extend in the Z-axis direction, and a lift table 40 is supported so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction along the guide rails 38. The ball screw 39 is threadedly engaged with a threaded portion (not shown) of the lift table 40, and when the ball screw 39 is rotated by a motor 41 connected to one end of the ball screw 39, the lift table 40 moves in the Z-axis direction. The machining unit 30 is provided with a housing 42 that holds the spindle unit 31, and the housing 42 is connected to the lift table 40. The machining unit 30 moves in the Z-axis direction as the lift table 40 moves.

[0019] When processing a workpiece in the processing apparatus 10, the chuck table 12 is positioned at the attachment / detachment position in the -Y direction, and the workpiece is placed on the holding surface 15 and held by suction. Next, the motor 23 of the table movement unit 14 is driven to move the chuck table 12 to the processing position in the +Y direction, below the processing unit 30. With the chuck table 12 set in this state, the spindle motor of the spindle unit 31 is driven to rotate the grinding wheel 34, and the motor 41 of the processing movement unit 36 ​​is driven to lower the processing unit 30 in the -Z direction, bringing the bottom surface of the grinding wheel 35 closer to the top surface of the workpiece. The motor of the holding unit 13 is also driven to rotate the chuck table 12, causing the workpiece on the chuck table 12 and the grinding wheel 35 to rotate relative to each other. The top surface of the workpiece is then ground while the grinding wheel 35 is pressed against the workpiece. When the workpiece has been ground to the desired thickness, the processing unit 30 is raised in the +Z direction by the processing movement unit 36, and the grinding wheel 35 is moved away from the workpiece to complete the grinding process. In this way, the processing unit 30 processes the workpiece with the grinding wheel 35, which is a rotating processing tool.

[0020] The processing device 10 is equipped with processing water supply means 45 that supplies processing water to the workpiece and grinding wheel 35 during processing. The processing water supply means 45 sends processing water from a processing water source 46 that stores processing water, through a supply flow path 47 that passes through the inside of the spindle 32, to a processing water supply port (not shown) formed on the underside of the grinding wheel 34. The processing water that comes out of the processing water supply port is supplied to the point where the grinding wheel 35 and the workpiece come into contact during grinding, and is used for cleaning away chips generated during processing, cooling the processing unit 30, and the like.

[0021] When the processing water supplied from the processing water supply port of the processing water supply means 45 hits the rotating grinding stone 35 or grinding wheel 34, a spray of processing water is generated. The spray of processing water contains processing debris, and if a workpiece contaminated with the spray of processing water is transported out of the processing device 10, it can cause a decrease in the quality of the workpiece or a defective product. As a countermeasure, the processing device 10 is equipped with a structure that prevents the scattered spray of processing water from adhering to the workpiece after grinding or to the transport path of the workpiece.

[0022] Grinding of the workpiece by the grinding wheel 35 is performed inside a processing chamber 50 provided in the processing device 10. The processing chamber 50 is a box-shaped structure surrounding the periphery of the chuck table 12 positioned at the processing position, and is composed of a pair of side plates 501 facing each other with a gap in the X-axis direction, a pair of side plates 502 facing each other with a gap in the Y-axis direction, and a top plate 503 connecting the upper ends of the side plates 501 and 502.

[0023] An entrance / exit 51 is formed in a side panel 502 on the -Y direction side of the processing chamber 50. The chuck table 12 enters and exits the processing chamber 50 through the entrance / exit 51, and is housed inside the processing chamber 50 at the processing position. An openable / closable door 52 is provided at the entrance / exit 51, and the door 52 opens when the chuck table 12 passes through the entrance / exit 51, and closes to block the entrance / exit 51 during processing.

[0024] An upper surface opening 53 is formed in the top plate 503 of the processing chamber 50, through which the spindle 32 is inserted. The mount 33, grinding wheel 34, and grinding stone 35 of the processing unit 30 are located below the top plate 503 and are housed in the internal space of the processing chamber 50.

[0025] An exhaust port 54 is formed in a side panel 502 on the +Y direction side of the processing chamber 50. A horizontal pipe 55 extending in the Y-axis direction is connected to the exhaust port 54. The horizontal pipe 55 is connected to a vertical pipe 57 extending in the Z-axis direction via an elbow 56 that bends toward the +Z direction. The vertical pipe 57 is connected to a fan unit 58 that has a built-in fan (not shown). An exhaust pipe 59 extending from the fan unit 58 is connected to an exhaust treatment device 70.

[0026] A drain chamber 60 is provided inside the base 11. The drain chamber 60 is formed to be longer in the Y-axis direction than the processing chamber 50, and the area of ​​the drain chamber 60 on the +Y-direction side is connected to the lower part of the processing chamber 50 and communicates with the internal space of the processing chamber 50. The area of ​​the drain chamber 60 on the -Y-direction side extends to below the attachment / detachment position of the chuck table 12. Therefore, even when the chuck table 12 is moved in the Y-axis direction by the table moving unit 14, the drain chamber 60 can always catch water dropping from the chuck table 12.

[0027] The drain chamber 60 is composed of a pair of side plates 601 that face each other with a gap in the X-axis direction, a pair of side plates 602 that face each other with a gap in the Y-axis direction, a top plate 603 that closes the sides of the opening 24, and a bottom plate 604 that closes the bottom. The bottom plate 604 has a slope that decreases in the -Z direction as it moves from the -Y direction side to the +Y direction side, and the end of the bottom plate 604 on the +Y direction side is connected to a drain groove 605 that protrudes in the -Z direction.

[0028] A drain outlet 61 is formed in the drain groove 605 of the drain chamber 60. A drain pipe 62 extending in the Y-axis direction is connected to the drain outlet 61. The drain pipe 62 is connected to a drain source 63. Although the drain chamber 60 and the drain pipe 62 are provided inside the base 11, in FIG. 1 they are shown with solid lines instead of dashed lines in order to make them easier to distinguish.

[0029] The processing chamber 50 encloses the processing water spray generated when grinding the workpiece, preventing it from scattering to the surrounding area. Operating the fan of the fan unit 58 generates an airflow from the processing chamber 50 toward the exhaust treatment device 70. The gas containing the processing water spray is exhausted from the processing chamber 50 through the exhaust port 54 and sent to the exhaust treatment device 70 via the horizontal pipe 55, elbow 56, vertical pipe 57, fan unit 58, and exhaust pipe 59. This prevents the processing water spray from adhering to and contaminating the workpiece after grinding. The gas exhausted from the processing chamber 50 is treated in the exhaust treatment device 70. The detailed structure and operation of the exhaust treatment device 70 will be described later.

[0030] Furthermore, the processing water in a liquid state that does not spray drops from the processing chamber 50 into the drain chamber 60. Because the bottom plate 604 of the drain chamber 60 is inclined, the processing water that drops into the drain chamber 60 flows in the +Y direction along the inclination of the bottom plate 604, enters the drain groove 605, and is discharged from the drain outlet 61 through the drain pipe 62 to the drain source 63.

[0031] A box-shaped cover 64 is provided to cover the top of the base 11. In FIG. 1, the components located inside the cover 64 are shown in perspective. When the cover 64 is attached to the base 11, the processing unit 30, processing chamber 50, etc. are covered by the cover 64. The cover 64 has a loading / unloading opening with a shutter (not shown) on the side panel on the -Y direction side, and by opening the shutter, the workpiece can be loaded into and unloaded from the inside of the cover 64 through the loading / unloading opening.

[0032] The processing apparatus 10 is equipped with an electrical equipment box 65. Inside the electrical equipment box 65, an electrical system including a control device 66 that controls each unit of the processing apparatus 10 (such as the holding unit 13, the table moving unit 14, the processing unit 30, the processing moving unit 36, and the fan unit 58) is arranged. The control device 66 is equipped with a processor, memory, and device driver, and the processor performs arithmetic processing according to a program stored in the memory, and controls the operation of each unit of the processing apparatus 10 via the device driver. The series of operations for grinding the workpiece described above is also performed under the control of the control device 66.

[0033] The electrical box 65 is disposed on the side of the base 11 and the cover 64 on the -X direction side. An exhaust port 67 is formed in the top plate of the electrical box 65, and an exhaust pipe 68 is connected to the exhaust port 67. The exhaust pipe 68 is connected to an exhaust treatment device 70. The electrical box 65 is equipped with a fan (not shown) and an air intake port (not shown), and operation of the fan creates a gas flow that takes in outside air (air from the clean room in which the processing device 10 is installed) through the air intake port and exhausts it from the exhaust port 67.

[0034] If there is sufficient space inside the processing device 10, the electrical box 65 may be disposed inside the base 11 or the cover 64.

[0035] The processing apparatus 10 is installed in a clean room. The gas discharged from the processing apparatus 10 is treated by an exhaust treatment device 70 before being discharged into the clean room. The gas discharged from the processing apparatus 10 includes that discharged from the processing chamber 50 and that discharged from the electrical box 65. The gas discharged from the processing chamber 50 contains sprayed processing water. The exhaust treatment device 70 performs gas-liquid separation and foreign matter removal on the gas discharged from the processing chamber 50, removing mist-like water and processing debris before discharging the gas into the clean room. The gas discharged from the electrical box 65 has a high temperature due to the heat generated by the control device 66 during control. The processing apparatus 10 has the function of appropriately managing the humidity and temperature of the air discharged into the clean room by taking in the gas discharged from the electrical box 65 into the exhaust treatment device 70, mixing it with the gas discharged from the processing chamber 50, and then discharging it.

[0036] 2 and 3, the exhaust treatment device 70 will be described in detail. In Fig. 3, the flow of gas discharged from the processing chamber 50 and taken into the exhaust treatment device 70 is referred to as gas Ga, the flow of gas discharged from the electrical box 65 and taken into the exhaust treatment device 70 is referred to as gas Gb, and the flow of gas obtained by mixing gas Ga and gas Gb is referred to as mixed gas Gc.

[0037] 2 and 3 show the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction for ease of explanation, but the orientation in which the exhaust treatment device 70 is installed is not limited to the orientation shown in Figures 2 and 3. For example, the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction may be reversed from those shown in Figures 2 and 3. However, the orientation of the exhaust treatment device 70 in the Z-axis direction (the orientation of the top and bottom of the exhaust treatment device 70) is set as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

[0038] The exhaust treatment device 70 has a box-shaped housing made up of a first side plate 71 and a second side plate 72 that face each other and are spaced apart in the X-axis direction, a top plate 73 and a bottom plate 74 that face each other and are spaced apart in the Z-axis direction, and a third side plate 75 and a fourth side plate 76 that face each other and are spaced apart in the Y-axis direction. The first side plate 71 is provided with an inlet 77 that connects the inside and outside of the exhaust treatment device 70, and an exhaust pipe 59 is connected to the inlet 77. The second side plate 72 is provided with an exhaust port 78 that connects the inside and outside of the exhaust treatment device 70. The exhaust port 78 opens toward the clean room.

[0039] A first inner wall 80, a second inner wall 81, and a third inner wall 82 are provided inside the exhaust treatment device 70 at a predetermined interval in the X-axis direction. The first inner wall 80, the second inner wall 81, and the third inner wall 82 are wall portions that extend in the Z-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, respectively. The internal space of the exhaust treatment device 70 is divided into a first chamber A, which is the space from the first side plate 71 to the second inner wall 81 in the X-axis direction, and a second chamber B, which is the space from the second inner wall 81 to the second side plate 72 in the X-axis direction. The first inner wall 80 is provided inside the first chamber A and further divides the first chamber A into a front chamber Aa on the -X-direction side and a rear chamber Ab on the +X-direction side. The third inner wall 82 is provided inside the second chamber B and further divides the second chamber B into a front chamber Ba on the -X-direction side and a rear chamber Bb on the +X-direction side. In other words, the internal space of the exhaust treatment device 70 is divided into four spaces (front chamber Aa and rear chamber Ab of the first chamber A, and front chamber Ba and rear chamber Bb of the second chamber B) from the first side plate 71 side having the inlet 77 to the second side plate 72 side having the exhaust port 78.

[0040] The second inner wall 81 is a wall portion that extends in the Z-axis direction and the Y-axis direction and separates the first chamber A from the second chamber B. A communication portion 83 that penetrates the second inner wall 81 in the X-axis direction is formed in a position closer to the top plate 73 in the Z-axis direction. A filter 84 is disposed in the communication portion 83. In other words, the filter 84 forms a gas passage between the first chamber A and the second chamber B.

[0041] The filter 84 has a mesh structure that allows gas to pass from the first chamber A to the second chamber B, and is capable of removing moisture from the gas Ga passing from the first chamber A to the second chamber B. The mesh-structured filter 84 is made of a material, for example, metal. The filter 84 is disposed offset in the −X direction (i.e., toward the first chamber A) with respect to the second inner wall 81, and the moisture in the gas Ga captured by the filter 84 falls toward the bottom of the first chamber A. A drain hole 79 is formed in the bottom of the filter 84 to allow water droplets to fall.

[0042] The first inner wall 80 is a wall extending from the top plate 73 in the -Z direction. The tip (lower end) of the first inner wall 80 is separated from the bottom plate 74 without contacting it, and a communication portion 85 that connects the front chamber Aa and the rear chamber Ab of the first chamber A in the X-axis direction is formed between the bottom plate 74 and the tip of the first inner wall 80. The inlet 77 and the filter 84 (communication portion 83), which are located at both ends of the first chamber A in the X-axis direction, are arranged above (on the +Z direction side of) the communication portion 85. Therefore, the first chamber A forms a U-shaped flow path that does not allow the gas entering from the inlet 77 to proceed linearly toward the filter 84 but instead bypasses it to the communication portion 85 on the bottom side.

[0043] A drainage section 86 is provided to drain water containing machining waste from the first chamber A. The drainage section 86 includes a drainage port 87 formed in the bottom plate 74 and a drainage duct 88 inserted into the drainage port 87. The upper end of the drainage duct 88 is positioned to protrude in the +Z direction beyond the bottom plate 74. The drainage duct 88, which is extended to the outside of the exhaust treatment device 70, is connected to the drainage source 63 (see FIG. 1).

[0044] When the water accumulated at the bottom of the first chamber A (moisture contained in the gas Ga discharged from the processing device 10) reaches the height of the upper end of the drainage duct 88, it flows into the drainage duct 88 and is drained to the drainage source 63. Because the upper end of the drainage duct 88 is located on the -Z direction side of the lower end of the first inner wall 80, the communication part 85 is not blocked even when water accumulates up to the height of the upper end of the drainage duct 88, and the gas Ga can always travel from the front chamber Aa to the rear chamber Ab through the communication part 85.

[0045] 2 and 3, the drainage section 86 is disposed below the front chamber Aa, but the drainage section 86 may also be disposed below the rear chamber Ab. Similarly to the bottom plate 604 of the drainage chamber 60 shown in Fig. 1, in the first chamber A of the exhaust treatment device 70, the bottom plate 74 may be configured as an inclined plate that is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and may have a structure that makes it easier for water to collect at the lower positions of the inclined plate.

[0046] The third inner wall 82 is a wall extending from the top plate 73 in the -Z direction. The tip (lower end) of the third inner wall 82 is separated from the bottom plate 74 without contacting it, and a communication portion 89 that connects the front chamber Ba and the rear chamber Bb of the second chamber B in the X-axis direction is formed between the bottom plate 74 and the tip of the third inner wall 82. The filter 84 (communication portion 83) and the exhaust port 78, which are located at both ends of the second chamber B in the X-axis direction, are disposed above (on the +Z direction side of) the communication portion 89. Therefore, the second chamber B forms a U-shaped flow path that causes gas that has flowed in through the filter 84 to bypass the communication portion 89 on the bottom side, rather than proceeding linearly toward the exhaust port 78.

[0047] An intake port 90 leading to the second chamber B is formed in the bottom plate 74, and an exhaust pipe 68 extending from the exhaust port 67 of the electrical box 65 is connected to the intake port 90. The gas Gb exhausted from the electrical box 65 passes through the exhaust pipe 68 and flows into the second chamber B from the intake port 90.

[0048] The intake port 90 is provided at the bottom of the front chamber Ba, and is particularly disposed at a lower position close to the communication portion 89. As a result, the gas Ga that has flowed from the first chamber A through the filter 84 into the front chamber Ba of the second chamber B and the gas Gb that has been discharged from the electrical box 65 and flowed into the front chamber Ba of the second chamber B through the intake port 90 are mixed near the communication portion 89, and a mixed gas Gc obtained by mixing the gas Ga and the gas Gb flows through the communication portion 89 into the rear chamber Bb.

[0049] In the rear chamber Bb of the second chamber B, a fan 91 rotated by a motor 92 is provided in a position close to the exhaust port 78. When the fan 91 rotates, an air current that advances toward the exhaust port 78 is generated in the exhaust treatment device 70, and the mixed gas Gc mixed in the second chamber B is exhausted from the exhaust port 78 to the outside (clean room).

[0050] A HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter) 93 is attached to the exhaust port 78. The HEPA filter 93 can capture fine particles contained in the gas passing through it, and can remove dust particles from the mixed gas Gc discharged from the exhaust port 78 by the operation of the fan 91.

[0051] The operation of the exhaust treatment device 70 configured as described above will now be described. When a workpiece is machined with the grinding wheel 35, gas containing sprays of machining water generated in the machining chamber 50 is sucked out of the machining chamber 50 through the exhaust port 54 by operating the fan of the fan unit 58, and is sent to the exhaust treatment device 70 through the horizontal pipe 55, elbow 56, vertical pipe 57, and exhaust pipe 59, before entering the first chamber A through the inlet 77. In the exhaust treatment device 70, the fan 91 is operated to form an airflow from the inlet 77 toward the exhaust port 78.

[0052] The gas Ga that enters the first chamber A from the inlet 77 advances in the +X direction. The first inner wall 80 is disposed in the direction of advance, and the gas Ga strikes the first inner wall 80, causing it to suddenly change direction. As a result, the sprayed components of the machining water contained in the gas Ga, i.e., water droplets and machining debris, separate from the gas Ga and fall. The gas Ga, from which the water droplets and machining debris have been removed by gas-liquid separation and foreign matter separation as the gas Ga strikes the first inner wall 80, advances from the front chamber Aa to the rear chamber Ab through the communication portion 85 and passes through the filter 84. Any mist-like moisture remaining in the gas Ga passing from the first chamber A to the second chamber B is removed by the filter 84.

[0053] The moisture and processing debris separated from the gas Ga by hitting the first inner wall 80 and the action of the filter 84 falls to the bottom side of the first chamber A and is collected. When the height of the water accumulated on the bottom side of the first chamber A exceeds the upper end position of the drainage duct 88, the water flows into the drainage duct 88 and is drained into the drainage source 63 via the drain section 86. The water drained into the drainage source 63 is subjected to a purification process to remove processing debris and the like, and is then reused or discarded.

[0054] Gas Ga that passes through filter 84 and proceeds into the front chamber Ba of second chamber B hits third inner wall 82 and proceeds in the -Z direction. Gas Gb discharged from electrical box 65 passes through exhaust pipe 68 and flows into the front chamber Ba of second chamber B from intake 90. Gas Ga proceeding downward along third inner wall 82 and gas Gb flowing in from intake 90 join and mix near the entrance of communication part 89 to become mixed gas Gc, and the mixed gas Gc proceeds from the front chamber Ba to the rear chamber Bb through communication part 89.

[0055] The gas Ga discharged from the processing chamber 50 contains a predetermined proportion of moisture in the form of pure water vapor, even after it is struck against the first inner wall 80 to remove water droplets and processing debris, and further passes through the filter 84 to remove moisture. Therefore, the gas Gb discharged from the electrical box 65 absorbs heat from the heat source within the electrical box 65, resulting in a temperature that is relatively high compared to the air within the clean room. In the exhaust treatment device 70, the gas Ga discharged from the processing chamber 50, which contains a high content of water vapor (i.e., has a high humidity), and the warmed gas Gb discharged from the electrical box 65 are mixed in the second chamber B of the exhaust treatment device 70, whereby the humidity and temperature of the mixed gas Gc are appropriately adjusted to approximate those of the air in the external clean room.

[0056] In the first chamber A of the exhaust treatment device 70, not only is the gas Ga passed through the moisture-removing filter 84, but the gas Ga taken in from the inlet 77 is struck against the first inner wall 80, which promotes gas-liquid separation and foreign matter separation, thereby enabling the moisture and machining debris to be efficiently removed from the gas Ga. As a result, the moisture and machining debris removal capacity in the first chamber A is improved. Furthermore, by demonstrating the effect of removing moisture and machining debris from the gas Ga at the location of the first inner wall 80, the load of removing moisture and machining debris on the filter 84 located downstream of the first inner wall 80 is reduced, making the filter 84 less likely to become clogged or deteriorate, and reducing the frequency of maintenance and replacement of the filter 84.

[0057] The second chamber B of the exhaust treatment device 70 is divided into a front chamber Ba and a rear chamber Bb by a third inner wall 82, and an intake port 90 for taking in the gas Gb discharged from the electrical box 65 into the second chamber B is disposed near the entrance of a communication section 89 that connects the front chamber Ba and the rear chamber Bb. This allows the gas Ga discharged from the processing chamber 50 and the gas Gb discharged from the electrical box 65 to be efficiently and reliably mixed, and the mixed gas Gc, which has a temperature and humidity close to that of the air in a clean room, can be discharged from the exhaust port 78.

[0058] An intake port 90 for taking in the gas Gb is formed in the bottom plate 74 of the exhaust treatment device 70. The gas Gb discharged from the electrical box 65 is warm and tends to move upward, so the gas Gb can be smoothly introduced into the second chamber B from the intake port 90 formed in the bottom plate 74 by the natural flow of the warmed gas Gb itself in addition to the exhaust pressure from the fan provided on the electrical box 65 side.

[0059] The mixed gas Gc that is discharged from the exhaust treatment device 70 to the external clean room through the HEPA filter 93 of the exhaust port 78 by the operation of the fan 91 is adjusted to conditions close to the humidity and temperature of the air in the clean room, as described above. Therefore, the mixed gas Gc discharged from the exhaust treatment device 70 is less likely to fluctuate the humidity and temperature of the clean room, and the air conditioning equipment in the clean room can reduce the power consumption required to maintain constant humidity and temperature in the clean room.

[0060] If the gases Ga and Gb were discharged separately into the clean room without being sufficiently mixed, the humidity and temperature distributions of the air in the clean room would become uneven, causing variations in the values ​​detected by the air conditioning humidity sensors and temperature sensors, which could result in a failure to fully achieve the effect of reducing the power consumption of the air conditioning equipment. Therefore, as in the exhaust treatment device 70 of this embodiment, efficiently mixing the gases Ga and Gb in the second chamber B to form a mixed gas Gc and then discharging it has the effect of reducing the power consumption of the air conditioning equipment.

[0061] As described above, when processing apparatus 10 equipped with exhaust treatment device 70 exhausts gas from processing apparatus 10 to a clean room, humidity and temperature changes in the clean room are suppressed, and power consumption of the clean room's air conditioning equipment can be reduced. Furthermore, even if the exhaust gas from processing chamber 50 of processing apparatus 10 contains a large amount of spray, water droplets are removed in first chamber A of exhaust treatment device 70 by combining impact against the inner wall (first inner wall 80) and passing through filter 84, so it is possible to reliably reduce the humidity of the gas exhausted from exhaust treatment device 70.

[0062] The exhaust treatment device 70 has a flow path configured to naturally mix the gas Ga discharged from the processing chamber 50 and the gas Gb discharged from the electrical box 65 as each gas flows, and does not require any special power or complex mechanism for mixing the gases. Specifically, an intake 90 is provided in the bottom plate 74 of the housing, and an exhaust pipe 68 extending from the electrical box 65 is connected to the intake 90, with a simple structure in which the gas Gb discharged from the electrical box 65 is taken into the exhaust treatment device 70.

[0063] Furthermore, in the second chamber B of the exhaust treatment device 70, a communication section 89 is formed by partially narrowing the flow path, and an intake port 90 is disposed near the communication section 89, thereby improving the mixing efficiency of the gas Ga and the gas Gb. The communication section 89 has a simple structure in which a plate-shaped third inner wall 82 is provided inside the second chamber B, and can be manufactured easily and at low cost.

[0064] Although the exhaust treatment device 70 of this embodiment has the intake 90 provided in the bottom plate 74, it is also possible to provide an intake for taking in the gas Gb exhausted from the electrical box 65 in the third side plate 75 or the fourth side plate 76. In this case, the position of the communication part that connects the front chamber Ba and rear chamber Bb of the second chamber B may be set at a position along the third side plate 75 or the fourth side plate 76, instead of the position of the communication part 89 along the bottom plate 74. In other words, it is only necessary that the gas flow path in the second chamber B does not proceed linearly from the filter 84 to the HEPA filter 93 of the exhaust port 78, but is set to detour around the inner surface of the housing of the exhaust treatment device 70, and that an intake for taking in the gas Gb is provided near the detour flow path.

[0065] The first inner wall 80 used in the first chamber A of the exhaust treatment device 70 to remove water droplets and processing debris from the gas Ga discharged from the processing chamber 50 has a simple plate-like structure protruding in the -Z direction from the top plate 73, and can be manufactured easily and at low cost.

[0066] In this embodiment, the first inner wall 80 protrudes approximately perpendicularly (i.e., in the vertical direction) from the top plate 73, but the inner wall formed in the first chamber A may also be an inclined plate that is inclined relative to the vertical direction.

[0067] Furthermore, the inner wall formed in the first chamber A is not limited to a shape with a smooth surface like the first inner wall 80 shown in Figures 2 and 3, but may have a shape with unevenness, steps, grooves, etc. on the surface.

[0068] Furthermore, the inner wall formed in the first chamber A does not have to be a single plate like the first inner wall 80 shown in Figures 2 and 3. For example, it may have a structure in which multiple slit plates, each having a number of slits, are arranged in the X-axis direction with the slits shifted from one another. By using an inner wall configured in this way to increase the total area that the gas Ga hits, it is possible to improve the effectiveness of gas-liquid separation and foreign matter separation.

[0069] The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and may be variously changed, substituted, or modified without departing from the spirit of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. Furthermore, if the technical idea of ​​the present invention can be realized in a different way due to technological advances or other derived technologies, it may be implemented using that method. Therefore, the claims cover all embodiments that may fall within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0070] As described above, according to the processing apparatus of the present invention, the gas discharged from the processing chamber and the gas discharged from the electrical box are mixed in the exhaust treatment device, and a mixed gas with adjusted humidity and temperature is discharged. This suppresses changes in humidity and temperature in the clean room in which the processing apparatus is installed, thereby reducing the power consumption of the air conditioning equipment. Furthermore, even if the gas discharged from the processing chamber contains a large amount of spray, the moisture can be efficiently removed in the first chamber of the exhaust treatment device, reducing the humidity of the mixed gas discharged from the exhaust treatment device and reducing the power consumption of the air conditioning equipment. This contributes to reducing the environmental impact of factories and other facilities where the processing apparatus is operated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 10: Processing equipment 12: Chuck table 13: Holding unit 14: Table moving unit 30: Processing unit 32: Spindle 34: Grinding wheel 35: Grinding wheel (processing tool) 36: Processing transfer unit 45: Processing water supply means 50: Processing room 58: Fan unit 59: Exhaust pipe 60:Drain room 63: Drainage source 64: Cover 65: Electrical box 66: Control equipment 68: Exhaust pipe 70: Exhaust treatment device 71: 1st side plate 72:Second side plate 73: Top plate 74:Bottom plate 75: Third side plate 76: 4th side plate 77: Entrance 78: Exhaust port 80: First inner wall (inner wall) 81: Second inner wall 82: Third inner wall 83:Communication part 84: Filter 85:Communication part 86: Drainage section 89:Communication part 90:Intake port 91: Fan 93: HEPA filter A: Room 1 Aa: Antechamber Ab: Posterior chamber B: 2nd room Ba: Front room Bb: Posterior chamber Ga: gas Gb: gas Gc: Mixed gas

Claims

[Claim 1] A processing apparatus comprising: a holding unit that rotates a chuck table that holds a workpiece; a table moving unit that moves the holding unit; a processing unit that processes the workpiece with a rotating processing tool; a processing moving unit that moves the processing unit; processing water supply means that supplies processing water to the workpiece and the processing tool; a processing chamber that accommodates at least the chuck table and the processing tool; an exhaust treatment device that treats gas containing a spray of the processing water in the processing chamber; and an electrical box that accommodates control devices for controlling each of the units, The exhaust treatment device comprises: a first chamber that takes in the gas in the processing chamber and strikes the gas against an inner wall to remove water droplets and processing debris contained in the gas; a drainage section that drains water containing processing waste from the first chamber; a second chamber that takes in and mixes the gas in the first chamber and the gas in the electrical equipment box; a filter that removes moisture from the gas passing from the first chamber to the second chamber; a fan that discharges the mixed gas mixed in the second chamber to the outside; a HEPA filter for removing dust particles from the mixed gas discharged by the fan; A processing device comprising:

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