Processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a processing apparatus capable of keeping the inside of a housing clean by forming a down flow in the housing of the processing apparatus.SOLUTION: A processing apparatus 10 for processing a wafer 100 includes a processing unit 7 for processing the wafer 100, and a housing 8 having a ceiling 82 and a side wall 84 and accommodating at least the processing unit 7 in an internal space 80. The housing 8 includes a fan unit 14 for generating a downflow in the internal space 80, an exhaust port 88 provided in the skirt portion 86 of the side wall 84, and a communication pipe 90 connected to the exhaust port 88 to discharge the air in the internal space 80 to the outside of the processing apparatus 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for processing an object to be processed. [Background technology]

[0002] There are various types of processing equipment that hold workpieces such as semiconductor wafers and package substrates on a holding table and process them using processing units such as cutting units and grinding units. When processing the workpieces, the processing equipment is installed in a clean room to prevent defects caused by dust and particles.

[0003] To keep the internal space of such processing equipment clean, the processing equipment is installed on the grating floor of a clean room, and a fan unit such as an ULPA (Ultra Low Penetration Air Filter) is installed on the ceiling of the processing equipment housing. Clean air is supplied from the fan unit, and a downflow is generated in the internal space of the processing equipment so that the air flows from the ceiling through an opening in the grating floor below to the outside of the processing equipment (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-049598 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in some clean rooms, it is not possible to install a processing device on a grating floor. That is, the processing device may be installed on a floor without openings like a grating floor. In this case, even if clean air is supplied from a fan unit, the air convects in the internal space of the processing device, resulting in a problem that the internal space cannot be cleaned.

[0006] Therefore, in a processing device that processes a workpiece, there is a problem of forming a downflow of clean air within the housing of the processing device to keep the inside of the housing clean, rather than allowing the clean air supplied from above the processing device to circulate within the internal space of the processing device.

[0007] The present invention provides a processing apparatus capable of forming a downflow within the housing of the processing apparatus to keep the inside of the housing clean. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides A processing apparatus for processing a workpiece, a processing unit for processing the object to be processed; a housing having a ceiling and a side wall and accommodating at least the processing unit in an internal space; The housing includes: a fan for generating a downflow in the internal space; an exhaust port provided at the bottom of the side wall; a communication member connected to the exhaust port for discharging air from the internal space to the outside of the processing device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a downflow can be formed within the housing of the processing apparatus, thereby keeping the inside of the housing clean. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a processing apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the processing device 10 showing the internal space 80 through the housing 8. As shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the processing device 10 with the housing 8 removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing the wafer 100. As shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the work unit W. As shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first configuration example of the communication pipe 90. As shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a second configuration example of the communication pipe 90. In FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a third configuration example of the communication pipe 90. In FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a processing device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the processing device 10 showing the internal space 80 through the housing 8. In the following explanation, a coordinate system consisting of mutually orthogonal front-to-rear, left-to-right, and up-to-down directions will be used. In the drawings, the front is indicated as Fr, the rear as Rr, the left as L, the right as R, the top as U, and the bottom as D. Note that the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions are used for convenience of explanation.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , processing apparatus 10 is a grinding apparatus including cassette mounting table 2, transport unit 4, processing unit 7, and housing 8 that houses these components with a portion of cassette mounting table 2 exposed. Processing apparatus 10 is installed on floor 12 of clean room 11, which is a factory facility for manufacturing semiconductor devices. Clean room 11 is configured such that floor 12 of the mounting area where processing apparatus 10 is mounted does not have any openings such as gratings, and exhaust from processing apparatus 10 is discharged from within clean room 11 through exhaust source 13 other than floor 12. The air discharged from exhaust source 13 may be supplied again to clean room 11 or may be discharged from the factory. Exhaust source 13 may be provided with, for example, an exhaust fan.

[0013] The housing 8 has a rectangular ceiling 82 and side walls 84 extending downward from the outer edge of the ceiling 82, and the ceiling 82, side walls 84, and floor 12 form an internal space 80. A skirt 86 located at the lower end of the side wall 84 may be in contact with the floor 12, or a gap may be provided between the skirt 86 and the floor 12, and the gap may be sealed with a sealant.

[0014] The side walls 84 have a left wall 84L and a right wall 84R that face each other, and a front wall 84F and a rear wall 84B that are substantially perpendicular to the left wall 84L and the right wall 84R and face each other. A plurality of (four in this embodiment) fan units 14 are arranged on the ceiling 82 and supply air outside the housing 8, i.e., air from the clean room 11, to the internal space 80.

[0015] The processing section 7 of the processing apparatus 10 is a processing section that grinds the wafer 100, which is the workpiece. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the processing apparatus 10 with the housing 8 removed. Fig. 4 is a perspective view that schematically shows the wafer 100, which is the workpiece, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view that schematically shows a work unit W that includes the wafer 100.

[0016] The wafer 100 is a circular semiconductor wafer, optical device wafer, or other wafer made of a base material such as silicon, sapphire, or gallium. A surface 102 of the wafer 100 holds a plurality of devices 105, as shown in Fig. 4. The devices 105 are integrated circuits, such as ICs (Integrated Circuits) or LSIs (Large Scale Integration), that is, semiconductor devices.

[0017] When the wafer 100 is ground in the processing apparatus 10, the front surface 102 of the wafer 100 is protected by the application of a protective tape 120. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, the wafer 100 is integrated with the protective tape 120 and a ring frame 130 as a work unit W and stored in a first cassette C1 (described later), and the back surface 104 of the wafer 100 becomes the surface to be ground. Note that the wafer 100 does not need to be integrated as a work unit W, and only the protective tape 120 may be applied without using the ring frame 130.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3, an internal space 80 of the processing apparatus 10 is provided with a cassette mounting table 2, a transport unit 4, and a processing unit 7 in this order from the front.

[0019] The cassette mounting table 2 has a base 22 and a mounting table 24 extending forward from the base 22, and a first cassette C1 and a second cassette C2 are placed on the mounting table 24. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mounting table 24 is exposed to the outside, extending forward from the front wall 84F of the housing 8. The first cassette C1 and the second cassette C2 have access openings (not shown) formed on their rear surfaces that face a front opening 85 provided in the front wall 84F of the housing 8, allowing access to the insides of the first cassette C1 and the second cassette C2 from the internal space 80 of the housing 8. The first cassette C1 accommodates a plurality of work units W, each including an unprocessed wafer 100. The second cassette C2 accommodates a plurality of work units W, each including a processed wafer 100.

[0020] The transfer section 4 is composed of a transfer robot 40. The transfer robot 40 takes out a work unit W including an unprocessed wafer 100 from the first cassette C1 and transfers it to the processing section 7, and retrieves the work unit W including the processed wafer 100 from the grinding unit 70 and transfers it into the second cassette C2.

[0021] The processing section 7 has a base 60 having an opening 61 on its upper surface, a column 63 provided at the rear of the base 60 and extending upward, and a grinding unit 70 provided on the column 63.

[0022] A wafer holding mechanism 30 is disposed within the opening 61. A chuck table 34 having a holding surface 32 for holding a wafer 100 is rotatably provided in the wafer holding mechanism 30. A cover plate 36 that moves in the front-to-rear direction together with the chuck table 34 is provided around the periphery of the chuck table 34. A bellows cover 38 that expands and contracts in the front-to-rear direction is connected to the cover plate 36. A front-to-rear direction movement mechanism (not shown) is disposed below the wafer holding mechanism 30. The front-to-rear direction movement mechanism is configured to move the wafer holding mechanism 30, including the chuck table 34, in the front-to-rear direction relative to the column 63.

[0023] A grinding unit 70 for grinding the wafer 100 and a vertical movement mechanism 5 are provided in front of the column 63. The vertical movement mechanism 5 is configured to move the grinding unit 70 including the grinding wheel 77 in the vertical direction relative to the chuck table 34.

[0024] The vertical movement mechanism 5 includes a pair of guide rails 51 that are parallel to the vertical direction, a moving table 53 that slides on the guide rails 51, a ball screw 52 that is parallel to the guide rails 51, a motor 54 that is connected to the ball screw 52, ​​and a holder 56 that is attached to the moving table 53. The holder 56 supports a grinding unit 70.

[0025] In the vertical movement mechanism 5, the motor 54 rotates the ball screw 52, ​​causing the moving table 53 to move up and down along the guide rails 51. As a result, the holder 56 attached to the moving table 53 and the grinding unit 70 supported by the holder 56 also move up and down together with the moving table 53.

[0026] The grinding unit 70 grinds the wafer 100 of the work unit W held by suction on the holding surface 32. The grinding unit 70 includes a spindle housing 71 fixed to the holder 56, a spindle 72 rotatably held in the spindle housing 71, a spindle motor 73 that rotates and drives the spindle 72, a wheel mount 74 attached to the lower end of the spindle 72, and a grinding wheel 75 supported by the wheel mount 74.

[0027] The grinding wheel 75 is formed to have an outer diameter that is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the wheel mount 74. The grinding wheel 75 includes an annular wheel base 76 made of a metal material.

[0028] A plurality of grinding wheels 77 are fixed to the underside of the wheel base 76 and arranged in an annular shape around the entire circumference. The grinding wheels 77 are rotated together with the spindle 72 by the spindle motor 73, and grind the back surface 104 of the wafer 100 of the work unit W held on the chuck table 34.

[0029] 1 and 2, the processing device 10 is provided with a touch panel 9 on the upper part of the front wall 84F of the housing 8. Various information related to the processing device 10 is displayed on the touch panel 9. The touch panel 9 is also used to set various pieces of information. In this way, the touch panel 9 functions as an input member for inputting information and also as a display member for displaying information.

[0030] Furthermore, the housing 8 is provided with an exhaust port 88 at a bottom portion 86 of the side wall 84, which penetrates between the inside and outside of the housing 8, and a communication pipe 90 is connected to the exhaust port 88. The communication pipe 90 is connected to the exhaust source 13 of the clean room 11, and air in the internal space 80 of the housing 8 is introduced from the exhaust port 88 into the communication pipe 90 and then discharged from the communication pipe 90 to the exhaust source 13.

[0031] As a result, air supplied from fan unit 14 to internal space 80 is guided to exhaust port 88 formed in bottom portion 86 of side wall 84, thereby forming a downward airflow, i.e., a downflow, in internal space 80. As a result, even on floor 12 of clean room 11 where no opening such as a grating is provided in the mounting area where processing apparatus 10 is mounted, the flow of air supplied from fan unit 14 to internal space 80 can be controlled to form a downflow.

[0032] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a first configuration example of the communicating pipe 90. It is preferable that a plurality of exhaust ports 88 are provided in the bottom portions 86 of the side walls 84. In the first configuration example shown in Fig. 6, one exhaust port 88 is formed in each of the bottom portions 86 of the front wall 84F and the rear wall 84B, and three exhaust ports 88 are formed in each of the bottom portions 86 of the left wall 84L and the right wall 84R. The communicating pipe 90 has a left communicating flow path 91L connected to three exhaust ports 88 in the bottom portion 86 of the left wall 84L, a right communicating flow path 91R connected to three exhaust ports 88 in the bottom portion 86 of the right wall 84R, a front communicating flow path 91F connected to one exhaust port 88 in the bottom portion 86 of the front wall 84F and connecting the front ends of the left communicating flow path 91L and the right communicating flow path 91R, and a rear communicating flow path 91B connected to one exhaust port 88 in the bottom portion 86 of the rear wall 84B and connecting the rear ends of the left communicating flow path 91L and the right communicating flow path 91R, and the communicating pipe 90 is formed to surround the bottom portion 86 of the side wall 84.

[0033] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a second configuration example of the communicating pipe 90. In the second configuration example shown in Fig. 7, one exhaust port 88 is formed in the bottom portion 86 of the rear wall 84B, and three exhaust ports 88 are formed in each of the bottom portions 86 of the left wall 84L and the right wall 84R. The communicating pipe 90 has a left communicating flow path 91L connected to the three exhaust ports 88 in the bottom portion 86 of the left wall 84L, a right communicating flow path 91R connected to the three exhaust ports 88 in the bottom portion 86 of the right wall 84R, and a rear communicating flow path 91B connected to one exhaust port 88 in the bottom portion 86 of the rear wall 84B and connecting the rear ends of the left communicating flow path 91L and the right communicating flow path 91R. The communicating pipe 90 is formed along three sides of the left wall 84L, the right wall 84R, and the rear wall 84B.

[0034] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a third configuration example of the communicating pipe 90. In the third configuration example shown in Fig. 8, three exhaust ports 88 are formed in each of the bottom portions 86 of the left wall 84L and the right wall 84R. The communicating pipe 90 has a left communicating flow path 91L connected to the three exhaust ports 88 in the bottom portion 86 of the left wall 84L and a right communicating flow path 91R connected to the three exhaust ports 88 in the bottom portion 86 of the right wall 84R, and each is connected to the exhaust source 13.

[0035] It is preferable that the communicating pipe 90 extends horizontally so that at least a portion of it follows the bottom 86 of the side wall 84. This prevents the communicating pipe 90 from becoming too long even when there are multiple exhaust ports 88, and also prevents the design of the processing apparatus 10 from being impaired. The communicating pipe 90 may also be formed integrally with the bottom 86 of the side wall 84. The number, shape, size, position, etc. of the exhaust ports 88 can be set appropriately depending on the number, capacity, and position of the fan units 14, the capacity of the exhaust source 13, etc.

[0036] Furthermore, the communicating pipe 90 is not limited to being provided outside the housing 8, but may also be provided inside the housing 8, i.e., in the internal space 80. For example, a communicating pipe 90 having an intake formed therein for taking in air from the internal space 80 may be disposed inside the housing 8, and the communicating pipe 90 may be connected to an exhaust port 88 provided in the bottom portion 86 of the housing 8, thereby discharging the air from the internal space 80 to the outside of the processing apparatus 10. The communicating pipe 90 may be provided along the floor surface 12 inside the housing 8, or may be provided inside the bottom portion 86 as an integral or separate part. Even in this case, the bottom portion 86 may be in contact with the floor surface 12, or a gap may be provided between the bottom portion 86 and the floor surface 12, and the gap may be sealed with a sealant.

[0037] When a plurality of processing devices 10 are arranged in clean room 11, a plurality of communication pipes 90 arranged in each processing device 10 may be gathered together and connected to exhaust source 13.

[0038] Furthermore, the fan unit 14 does not necessarily have to be provided on the ceiling 82 of the housing 8, but may be provided on the upper part of the side wall 84.

[0039] As described above, by connecting the processing apparatus 10 to the communication pipe 90 that exhausts air from the internal space 80 to the outside, even when the processing apparatus 10 is installed on the floor surface 12 without an opening such as a grating, the air supplied from the fan unit 14 to the internal space 80 of the housing 8 is exhausted to the outside of the housing 8 through the communication pipe 90. Therefore, a downflow can be formed inside the housing 8 of the processing apparatus 10 without causing convection in the internal space 80 of the housing 8. This allows the inside of the housing 8 to be kept clean.

[0040] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0041] For example, a grinding device has been exemplified as the processing device 1, but the processing device 1 is not limited to this, and may be a cutting device that uses a cutting blade to cut along the planned division line to divide the workpiece into individual devices 105, a dividing device that applies an external force to the workpiece to divide it, a polishing device that polishes the surface of the workpiece that has been thinned by the grinding device to flatten it with high precision, or other processing device.

[0042] This specification describes at least the following items. Note that the components in parentheses correspond to those in the above-described embodiment, but are not limited to these.

[0043] (1) A processing apparatus (processing apparatus 10) for processing a workpiece (wafer 100), a processing unit (processing unit 7) for processing the object to be processed; a housing (housing 8) having a ceiling (ceiling 82) and a side wall (side wall 84), and accommodating at least the processing unit in an internal space (internal space 80); The housing includes: a fan (fan unit 14) for generating a downflow in the internal space; an exhaust port (exhaust port 88) provided at the bottom portion (bottom portion 86) of the side wall; a communication member (communication pipe 90) connected to the exhaust port and discharging the air in the internal space to the outside of the processing device; Processing equipment.

[0044] According to (1), the air supplied from the fan to the internal space of the housing is exhausted through the communication member, so that a downflow can be formed inside the housing of the processing device without causing convection in the internal space, thereby keeping the inside of the housing clean.

[0045] (2) The processing device according to (1), The exhaust port is provided in plurality, The communication member is connected to a plurality of the exhaust ports. Processing equipment.

[0046] According to (2), an air flow can be formed so that air does not stagnate in part of the internal space.

[0047] (3) The processing device according to (1), The communication member is provided so that at least a portion thereof extends along the bottom edge. Processing equipment.

[0048] According to (3), it is possible to form a downflow in the internal space while avoiding the length of the communication member.

[0049] (4) The processing device according to any one of (1) to (3), The side wall is a first side wall (left wall 84L) and a second side wall (right wall 84R) facing each other; a third side wall (rear wall 84B) and a fourth side wall (front wall 84F) that are substantially perpendicular to the first side wall and the second side wall and face each other, The communication member is a first communication flow path (left communication flow path 91L) connected to at least one of the exhaust ports provided at the bottom portion of the first side wall; a second communication passage (right communication passage 91R) connected to at least one of the exhaust ports provided at the bottom portion of the second side wall; a third communication flow path (rear communication flow path 91B) connected to at least one of the exhaust ports provided at the bottom portion of the third side wall and connecting one end of the first communication flow path and one end of the second communication flow path; Processing equipment.

[0050] According to (4), exhaust ports are formed at the bottoms of at least three sides of the interior space, so that air flow can be created so that air does not stagnate in part of the interior space.

[0051] (5) The processing device according to (4), a fourth communication flow path (front communication flow path 91F) that is connected to at least one of the exhaust ports provided at the bottom portion of the fourth side wall and that connects the other end of the first communication flow path and the other end of the second communication flow path; Processing equipment.

[0052] According to (5), exhaust ports are formed at the bottoms of the four sides of the internal space, so that air flow can be created so that air does not stagnate in part of the internal space.

[0053] (6) The processing device according to any one of (1) to (5), The internal space is formed by the ceiling, the side walls, and a floor surface (floor surface 12) that does not have an opening in a mounting area where the processing device is mounted. Processing equipment.

[0054] According to (6), exhaust can be appropriately controlled even in factory facilities that do not have an exhaust flow path through a grating floor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 8. Housing 10 Processing equipment 12 Floor 14 Fan unit (fan) 7 Processing section 80 Interior Space 82 Ceiling 84 Side wall 84B Rear wall (3rd side wall) 84F Front wall (4th side wall) 84L Left wall (first side wall) 84R Right wall (second side wall) 86 Hem 88 Exhaust port 90 Connecting pipe (connecting member) 91B Rear connecting passage (third connecting passage) 91F Front connecting passage (4th connecting passage) 91L Left communication channel (first communication channel) 91R Right connecting passage (second connecting passage) 100 wafers (processing object)

Claims

1. A processing apparatus for processing a workpiece, a processing unit for processing the object to be processed; a housing having a ceiling and a side wall and accommodating at least the processing unit in an internal space; The housing includes: a fan for generating a downflow in the internal space; an exhaust port provided at the bottom of the side wall; a communication member connected to the exhaust port and discharging air in the internal space to the outside of the processing device, Processing equipment.

2. 2. The processing device according to claim 1, The exhaust port is provided in plurality, The communication member is connected to a plurality of the exhaust ports. Processing equipment.

3. 2. The processing device according to claim 1, The communication member is provided so that at least a portion thereof extends along the bottom edge. Processing equipment.

4. 2. The processing device according to claim 1, The side wall is a first side wall and a second side wall facing each other; a third side wall and a fourth side wall that are substantially perpendicular to the first side wall and the second side wall and face each other, The communication member is a first communication flow path connected to at least one of the exhaust ports provided at the bottom portion of the first side wall; a second communication flow path connected to at least one of the exhaust ports provided at the bottom portion of the second side wall; a third communication flow path connected to at least one of the exhaust ports provided at the bottom portion of the third side wall and connecting one end of the first communication flow path and one end of the second communication flow path; Processing equipment.

5. 5. The processing device according to claim 4, a fourth communication flow path connected to at least one of the exhaust ports provided at the bottom portion of the fourth side wall and connecting the other end of the first communication flow path and the other end of the second communication flow path; Processing equipment.

6. 6. The processing device according to claim 1, the interior space is formed by the ceiling, the sidewalls, and a floor surface that does not have an opening in a mounting area where the processing device is mounted. Processing equipment.

Images