Cleaning apparatus

Abstract

To prevent two fluids from scattering when cleaning an upper surface of a workpiece by horizontally moving a box housing a nozzle for jetting the two fluids.SOLUTION: The cleaning apparatus comprises a chuck table (30) for holding a wafer (W) and rotating, a cleaning mechanism (90) for cleaning the upper surface of the wafer by jetting two fluids (120,) to the upper surface of the wafer held on the chuck table, and a cover (83) spreading horizontally from the chuck table around the chuck table. The cleaning mechanism includes a nozzle (93) for jetting the two fluids, a box (92) for housing the nozzle, and a horizontal moving mechanism (95) for horizontally moving the box in a section between the center and the outer periphery of the wafer at the landing point of the two fluids jetted from the nozzle. The cover is provided with a hole 89 just under a part where the box moved in the horizontal direction is protruded from the chuck table.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning device that jets two fluids to clean a workpiece. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cleaning device that sprays two fluids onto the top surface of a ground wafer to clean the top surface of the wafer. Patent Document 1 includes a box that houses a nozzle that sprays the two fluids, and the top surface of the wafer is cleaned by rotating the chuck table while moving the box in a direction parallel to the holding surface of the chuck table. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-200785 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, when the outer periphery of the wafer is cleaned, a part of the box protrudes from the chuck table, causing the two fluids to leak from the protruding part and splash inside the device.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and one of its objects is to provide a cleaning device that can prevent the two fluids from scattering when a box containing nozzles that spray the two fluids is moved horizontally to clean the top surface of a workpiece. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A cleaning device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a chuck table that holds and rotates a workpiece, and a cleaning mechanism that sprays two fluids onto the top surface of the workpiece held on the chuck table to clean the top surface of the workpiece, the cleaning mechanism comprising a nozzle that sprays the two fluids, a box that houses the nozzle, and a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the box horizontally at least between the center and outer periphery of the workpiece so that the impact point of the two fluids sprayed from the nozzle is the area between the center and outer periphery of the workpiece, and a cover that extends horizontally from the chuck table around the periphery of the chuck table, the cover having a hole directly below the portion of the box that extends beyond the chuck table when moved horizontally. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the two fluids inside the box that protrudes from the chuck table can be made to flow into the hole formed in the cover, thereby preventing the two fluids from scattering inside the device when the box containing the nozzles that spray the two fluids is moved horizontally to clean the top surface of the workpiece. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the grinding device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a turntable and a chuck table. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view in which a table cover and a thickness measurement unit are added to the configuration shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the grinding device. [Figure 6] FIG. 6A is an explanatory plan view when the holding surface of the chuck table is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism, and FIG. 6B is an explanatory plan view when the upper surface of the wafer held on the chuck table is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism. [Figure 7] FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6B. [Figure 8] FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6B. [Figure 9]9A is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 8 showing a state in which the box of the cleaning mechanism protrudes from the chuck table, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the box of the cleaning mechanism protrudes from the chuck table during cleaning of the holding surface of the chuck table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a grinding apparatus 1 on which a cleaning apparatus according to this embodiment is mounted will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The grinding apparatus 1 is a processing apparatus that has grinding mechanisms (rough grinding mechanism 50, finish grinding mechanism 51) as processing mechanisms and performs grinding on a wafer W, which is a workpiece. The X-axis direction (+X direction and -X direction), Y-axis direction (+Y direction and -Y direction), and Z-axis direction (+Z direction and -Z direction) shown in each drawing are perpendicular to each other. The X-axis direction and Y-axis direction are horizontal. The Z-axis direction is the up-down direction, with the +Z direction being upward and the -Z direction being downward.

[0010] The present invention is not limited to grinding devices, but can be applied to any device equipped with a cleaning device that cleans wafers held on a chuck table by jetting two fluids and has a cover that extends horizontally around the chuck table. For example, the present invention can be applied to a polishing device that polishes wafers held on a chuck table, a cutting device that cuts wafers held on a chuck table, etc.

[0011] The grinding apparatus 1 is equipped with a control unit 2 that is configured with a processor that executes various processes, a memory that stores programs, etc. The grinding apparatus 1 is configured to automatically perform a series of operations on the wafer W, including a loading process, a rough grinding process, a finish grinding process, a cleaning process, and a loading process, under the control of the control unit 2.

[0012] The wafer W is a semiconductor wafer made of, for example, silicon. However, the material and type of the wafer W are not limited to these. The wafer W is formed in a substantially circular disk shape, and is carried into the grinding device 1 while being accommodated in a cassette 11, where it is subjected to grinding and cleaning processes before being accommodated in a cassette 12. Each of the cassettes 11 and 12 can accommodate a plurality of wafers W.

[0013] The base 10 of the grinding device 1 has its longitudinal direction in the X-axis direction, and the areas on the base 10 in the X-axis direction are, in order from the +X direction side to the -X direction side, a cassette placement area EA, an intermediate area EB, a transfer area EC, and a processing area ED.

[0014] In the cassette placement area EA, a cassette placement table 13 and a cassette placement table 14 are provided on the upper surface of the base 10. The cassette placement table 13 is located on the +Y direction side of the cassette placement area EA, and the cassette placement table 14 is located on the -Y direction side of the cassette placement area EA. The cassette 11 is placed on the cassette placement table 13, and the cassette 12 is placed on the cassette placement table 14.

[0015] A recess 15 is formed in the base 10 between the cassette mounting tables 13 and 14 in the Y-axis direction. A robot hand 16 is provided in the recess 15 to put wafers W into and take them out of the cassettes 11 and 12. The robot hand 16 has a configuration in which a hand portion is provided at the tip of an arm made up of a multi-joint link.

[0016] In the intermediate area EB, a temporary placement table 17 is provided on the +Y direction side, and a spinner cleaning mechanism 18 is provided on the -Y direction side. The temporary placement table 17 and the spinner cleaning mechanism 18 are located within a range where the wafer W can be transported by the robot hand 16, and the wafer W can be transported between the cassette 11, the cassette 12, the temporary placement table 17, and the spinner cleaning mechanism 18 using the robot hand 16.

[0017] The temporary placement table 17 is a table on which the wafer W is temporarily placed before being transferred to the chuck table 30, which will be described later. The temporary placement table 17 has a plurality of positioning pins 19 that protrude upward, and each positioning pin 19 is movable in the radial direction of the wafer W. With the wafer W placed on the temporary placement table 17, the plurality of positioning pins 19 are moved so that they each come into contact with the outer periphery of the wafer W, thereby positioning the wafer W at a predetermined position relative to the temporary placement table 17.

[0018] The spinner cleaning mechanism 18 cleans the wafer W after grinding. The spinner cleaning mechanism 18 includes a spinner cleaning table 20 that can rotate about an axis extending in the Z-axis direction, and a spinner nozzle 21 that sprays cleaning water and dry air toward the spinner cleaning table 20. When cleaning the wafer W with the spinner cleaning mechanism 18, the spinner cleaning table 20 holding the wafer W is rotated, and cleaning water is sprayed from the spinner nozzle 21 toward the wafer W on the spinner cleaning table 20. After cleaning the wafer W, dry air is blown from the spinner nozzle 21 to dry the wafer W.

[0019] The machining area ED is provided with a machining chamber 23. The configuration of the machining chamber 23 will be described later.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, a turntable 25 is provided inside the processing chamber 23 so that a portion of the turntable 25 is located on the -X-axis direction side. The turntable 25 is rotatable around a support column 26 and is rotationally driven by a rotation mechanism 27 equipped with an air spindle or the like. The support column 26 is located near the boundary between the transfer area EC and the processing area ED, has a cylindrical shape extending in the Z-axis direction, and is fixed to the base 10 without rotating with the turntable 25. The turntable 25 has a circular opening into which the support column 26 is inserted, and the support column 26 protrudes upward from the top surface of the turntable 25.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, three chuck tables 30 are supported on the turntable 25. The three chuck tables 30 are arranged at equal intervals (120° intervals) around the circumferential direction of the turntable 25. As shown in FIG. 5, each chuck table 30 includes a frame 31 and a circular porous plate 32 attached to a recess on the upper surface of the frame 31. The porous plate 32 is made of a porous material such as ceramics and has fine pores formed throughout. With the porous plate 32 attached to the recess in the frame 31, the upper surface of the frame 31 and the upper surface of the porous plate 32 are flush with each other. The upper surface of the porous plate 32 forms a holding surface 33 on which a wafer W is placed and held.

[0022] The chuck table 30 is rotatably supported on the turntable 25 by a rotation mechanism 34. The central axis of rotation of the chuck table 30 is slightly inclined with respect to the Z-axis direction. The holding surface 33 is a conical surface with its apex coincident with the central axis of rotation of the chuck table 30. The inclination of the holding surface 33 with respect to the direction perpendicular to the central axis of rotation of the chuck table 30 is so slight that it cannot be discerned with the naked eye.

[0023] Although not shown in the figure, a suction path provided in the chuck table 30 is connected to a suction source, and when the suction source operates, air on the porous plate 32 side is sucked through the suction path, and a suction force acts on the holding surface 33. This suction force allows the wafer W to be sucked and held on the holding surface 33.

[0024] 3 and 4 . As the turntable 25 rotates, the three chuck tables 30 are sequentially moved to a transfer position outside the processing chamber 23, a first processing position on the +Y direction side within the processing chamber 23, and a second processing position on the −Y direction side within the processing chamber 23. In other words, the turntable 25 and the rotation mechanism 27 constitute a moving mechanism that moves each chuck table 30 horizontally between the processing position within the processing chamber 23 and the transfer position outside the processing chamber 23.

[0025] A first transport mechanism 40 and a second transport mechanism 41 are provided on the base 10 to transport the wafer W between the intermediate area EB and the transfer area EC. The first transport mechanism 40 is located on the +Y direction side, and the second transport mechanism 41 is located on the -Y direction side. The first transport mechanism 40 transports the unground wafer W placed on the temporary storage table 17 to the chuck table 30 located at the transport position. The second transport mechanism 41 receives the ground wafer W held on the chuck table 30 from the chuck table 30 located at the transport position and transports it to the spinner cleaning table 20 of the spinner cleaning mechanism 18. In other words, the first transport mechanism 40 and the second transport mechanism 41 constitute a transport mechanism that transports the wafer W to the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 moved to the transport position.

[0026] The first transport mechanism 40 is provided with a transport pad 44 at the tip of a support arm 43 that can rotate about a support shaft 42 extending in the Z-axis direction and move up and down in the Z-axis direction. The transport pad 44 can suction-hold the upper surface of the wafer W from above. The upper surface of the unground wafer W placed on the temporary placement table 17 is suction-held from above by the transport pad 44, the support arm 43 is raised and rotated to move the transport pad 44 above the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 located at the transport position, and then the support arm 43 is lowered, thereby allowing the wafer W to be placed on the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 located at the transport position.

[0027] The second transport mechanism 41 is provided with a transport pad 47 at the tip of a support arm 46 that can pivot about a support shaft 45 extending in the Z-axis direction and move up and down in the Z-axis direction. The transport pad 47 can suction-hold the upper surface of the wafer W from above. With the ground wafer W held on the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 at the transport position, the transport pad 47 can be positioned above the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 and the support arm 46 can be lowered to allow the transport pad 47 to suction-hold the upper surface of the ground wafer W from above. Subsequently, the support arm 46 is raised and pivoted to move the transport pad 47 above the spinner cleaning table 20 of the spinner cleaning mechanism 18, and the support arm 46 is lowered to allow the wafer W to be placed on the spinner cleaning table 20.

[0028] In the processing area ED, a wafer W held on a chuck table 30 at a first processing position in the processing chamber 23 is roughly ground to a predetermined thickness by a rough grinding mechanism 50. Also, a wafer W held on a chuck table 30 at a second processing position in the processing chamber 23 is finish ground to a finish thickness by a finish grinding mechanism 51. In an area adjacent to the processing chamber 23 on the -X direction side, a column 52 is erected upward from the base 10, and the rough grinding mechanism 50 and the finish grinding mechanism 51 are supported on the column 52 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction.

[0029] A first lifting mechanism 53 that raises and lowers the rough grinding mechanism 50 in the Z-axis direction, and a second lifting mechanism 54 that raises and lowers the finish grinding mechanism 51 in the Z-axis direction are provided on the surface on the +X direction side of the column 52. The first lifting mechanism 53 and the second lifting mechanism 54 have substantially the same structure, and components common to the first lifting mechanism 53 and the second lifting mechanism 54 will be described with the same reference numerals.

[0030] Each of the first lifting mechanism 53 and the second lifting mechanism 54 has a pair of parallel guide rails 55 that are arranged on the surface of the column 52 on the +X direction side and extend in the Z axis direction, a lifting table 56 that moves in the Z axis direction along the pair of guide rails 55, a ball screw 57 that extends in the Z axis direction and screws into the lifting table 56, and a motor 58 that rotates the ball screw 57. When the ball screw 57 is rotated by the driving force of the motor 58, the lifting table 56 moves in the Z axis direction along the guide rails 55.

[0031] The rough grinding mechanism 50 is supported on the lifting table 56 of the first lifting mechanism 53 via a holder 59, and the rough grinding mechanism 50 is raised and lowered as the lifting table 56 moves in the Z-axis direction. The finish grinding mechanism 51 is supported on the lifting table 56 of the second lifting mechanism 54 via a holder 60, and the finish grinding mechanism 51 is raised and lowered as the lifting table 56 moves in the Z-axis direction. The rough grinding mechanism 50 and the finish grinding mechanism 51 have approximately the same structure, and components common to the rough grinding mechanism 50 and the finish grinding mechanism 51 will be described with the same reference numerals.

[0032] The rough grinding mechanism 50 and the finish grinding mechanism 51 each include a spindle 61 extending in the Z-axis direction, a housing 62 that rotatably supports the spindle 61, a motor (not shown) that is provided within the housing 62 and drives the spindle 61 to rotate, a disk-shaped mount 63 that connects to the lower end of the spindle 61, and a grinding wheel 64 that can be attached and detached to the underside of the mount 63.

[0033] In the rough grinding mechanism 50, a plurality of rough grinding wheels 65 are arranged in an annular shape on the wheel base of the grinding wheel 64. In the finish grinding mechanism 51, a plurality of finish grinding wheels 66 are arranged in an annular shape on the wheel base of the grinding wheel 64. The rough grinding wheels 65 are grinding wheels containing relatively large abrasive grains. The finish grinding wheels 66 are grinding wheels made up of abrasive grains with a finer grain size than the rough grinding wheels 65.

[0034] A grinding water flow path extending in the Z-axis direction is formed inside each spindle 61 of the rough grinding mechanism 50 and the finish grinding mechanism 51, and a grinding water supply source 67 is connected to the grinding water flow path. The grinding water supplied from the grinding water supply source 67 is sprayed downward from an opening provided at the lower end of the grinding water flow path, and the grinding water is supplied to the processing point where the rough grinding wheel 65 and the finish grinding wheel 66 come into contact with the wafer W during grinding and the surrounding area thereof.

[0035] The wafer W held on the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 located at the first processing position is positioned below the rough grinding wheel 65 of the rough grinding mechanism 50. The wafer W held on the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 located at the second processing position is positioned below the finish grinding wheel 66 of the finish grinding mechanism 51.

[0036] The processing chamber 23 of the grinding apparatus 1 is disposed on the base 10 so as to accommodate the two chuck tables 30 disposed at the first processing position and the second processing position, the grinding wheel 64 and the rough grinding stone 65 of the rough grinding mechanism 50 lowered by the first lifting mechanism 53, and the grinding wheel 64 and the finish grinding stone 66 of the finish grinding mechanism 51 lowered by the second lifting mechanism 54. More specifically, the processing chamber 23 includes a front wall 70 facing the transfer area EC (+X direction side), a back wall 71 facing the opposite side from the transfer area EC (-X direction side), a pair of side walls 72 located on both sides in the Y direction and connecting the front wall 70 and the back wall 71, and a top plate 73 connected to the upper ends of the front wall 70, the back wall 71, and the pair of side walls 72 to cover the upper sides.

[0037] 2 and 5, a portion of the lower side of the front wall 70 is cut out to form an entrance 74. The entrance 74 is an opening large enough to allow the turntable 25 and the chuck table 30 to pass through. The entrance 74 is closed by a partition plate 81 on the turntable 25, which will be described later.

[0038] A wheel passage opening 75 located below the rough grinding mechanism 50 and a wheel passage opening 76 located below the finish grinding mechanism 51 are formed on the top plate 73 of the processing chamber 23. The wheel passage opening 75 is a circular opening through which the grinding wheel 64 of the rough grinding mechanism 50 can pass, and the wheel passage opening 76 is a circular opening through which the grinding wheel 64 of the finish grinding mechanism 51 can pass.

[0039] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the machining chamber 23 is provided with an exhaust port 77 that sucks in air from within the chamber and discharges it to the outside. An exhaust pipe 78 is connected to the exhaust port 77, and the exhaust pipe 78 is connected to a suction source 79. The suction source 79 is composed of an exhaust fan, pump, or the like, and when the suction source 79 is driven, an air flow is formed that sucks air from within the chamber 23 into the exhaust port 77. In other words, the suction source 79 is connected to the interior of the chamber 23 via the exhaust pipe 78 and the exhaust port 77. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, a drain port 80 that connects to a water case (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the machining chamber 23.

[0040] When the rough grinding wheel 65 and the finish grinding wheel 66 are brought into contact with the wafer W and grinded while grinding water is supplied by the rough grinding mechanism 50 and the finish grinding mechanism 51, grinding chips are mixed with the grinding water and become processing waste liquid. The processing waste liquid flows downward within the processing chamber 23 and is drained into a water case from a drain outlet 80 provided on the bottom side of the processing chamber 23.

[0041] Furthermore, the machining waste liquid containing grinding chips is atomized and generates a mist inside the machining chamber 23. By driving the suction source 79 during grinding, the spray of machining waste liquid generated inside the machining chamber 23 can be sucked into the exhaust port 77 and discharged to the outside of the machining chamber 23 through the exhaust pipe 78. A dust collector may be provided somewhere along the exhaust pipe 78 to remove grinding chips and the like contained in the spray of machining waste liquid discharged from the exhaust port 77.

[0042] In the configuration example shown in Figure 1, exhaust ports 77 are provided so as to penetrate the top plate 73 of the processing chamber 23 near the position where the grinding wheel 64 of the rough grinding mechanism 50 enters the processing chamber 23 through the wheel passage port 75, and near the position where the grinding wheel 64 of the finish grinding mechanism 51 enters the processing chamber 23 through the wheel passage port 76.

[0043] The positions where the exhaust ports 77 are provided and the number of the exhaust ports 77 are not limited to those shown in the configuration example in Fig. 1. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, the exhaust ports 77 may be provided on the rear wall 71 side of the processing chamber 23.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3 , the turntable 25 is provided with three partition plates 81 that separate the three chuck tables 30. Each partition plate 81 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the turntable 25 and extends in the radial direction of the turntable 25, with one end of each partition plate 81 in the radial direction of the turntable 25 located near the outer circumferential surface of the support column 26 and the other end of each partition plate 81 located near the outer circumferential edge of the turntable 25. The three partition plates 81 are arranged at equal intervals around the circumferential direction of the turntable 25. When the turntable 25 rotates every 120°, two partition plates 81 close the entrance / exit 74 of the processing chamber 23. A packing (sealing material) or the like may be provided between the partition plates 81 and the entrance / exit 74 to improve airtightness.

[0045] A passage opening 82 is formed on the lower edge side of each partition plate 81 (the −Z direction side close to the top surface of the turntable 25). The passage opening 82 penetrates the partition plate 81 in the circumferential direction of the turntable 25 (the thickness direction of the partition plate 81). When two partition plates 81 are blocking the entrance / exit 74 of the processing chamber 23, a fluid can pass through the passage opening 82 of the two partition plates 81. The passage opening 82 connects a plurality of holes 89 (described later) to the inside of the processing chamber 23. Furthermore, as described above, the suction source 79 communicates with the inside of the processing chamber 23, and therefore the plurality of holes 89 and the suction source 79 communicate with each other through the passage opening 82 and the processing chamber 23. Note that in this embodiment, the passage opening 82 is rectangular in side view, but the shape of the passage opening 82 is not limited thereto. For example, a plurality of passage openings 82 may be formed in a mesh pattern in one partition plate 81.

[0046] 4, a cover 83 is provided to cover the upper surface side of the turntable 25. The covers 83 are provided in three sector-shaped areas separated by three partition plates 81, and each cover 83 surrounds the chuck table 30. The cover 83 has an arc-shaped side wall 84 extending upward from the outer periphery of the turntable 25, and a sector-shaped top plate 85 connected to the upper ends of the side wall 84 and parallel to the upper surface of the turntable 25.

[0047] There is a gap between the lower edge of the side wall 84 of the cover 83 and the upper surface of the turntable 25, and the grinding water that is supplied when the rough grinding mechanism 50 and the finish grinding mechanism 51 grind the wafer W and that enters the cover 83 is drained from the gap to the outside of the cover 83.

[0048] A top plate 85 of the cover 83 is provided around the chuck table 30, extending horizontally from the chuck table 30. The cover 83 has an exposure hole 87 and a plurality of holes 89 formed by penetrating the top plate 85 in the thickness direction (Z-axis direction). As shown in FIG. 5 , the interior of the cover 83 communicates with the interior of the processing chamber 23 via the entrance / exit 74 and the passage port 82, and therefore the exposure hole 87 and the plurality of holes 89 communicate with the suction source 79 through the interior of the cover 83 and the processing chamber 23.

[0049] The exposure hole 87 is a circular hole, and the diameter of the exposure hole 87 is larger than the diameter of the chuck table 30. The upper part of the chuck table 30 protrudes above the top plate 85 through the exposure hole 87, and the holding surface 33 is located at a higher position in the Z-axis direction than the top plate 85. This allows the wafer W to be held on the holding surface 33 without being obstructed by the cover 83.

[0050] 1 and 2, a cleaning mechanism 90 is provided on the upper surface of the base 10 in the transfer area EC. The cleaning mechanism 90 sprays a two-fluid mixture of cleaning water and air (a mixed fluid) from above to below the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 that has been moved to the transfer position, or the upper surface of the wafer W held on the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 that has been moved to the transfer position, to clean the holding surface 33 and the upper surface of the wafer W.

[0051] The cleaning mechanism 90 includes a drive mechanism 91, a box 92 that is moved by the drive mechanism 91, and a nozzle 93 (see FIG. 5). The drive mechanism 91 includes a horizontal movement mechanism 95 that moves the box 92 in the Y-axis direction, which is the horizontal direction, and a vertical movement mechanism 96 that moves the box 92 in the Z-axis direction, which is the vertical direction. Here, a cleaning device is configured that includes at least the cleaning mechanism 90, the chuck table 30, and the cover 83 having the hole 89, and the cleaning device is mounted on the grinding device 1. The cleaning device may also include a suction source 79.

[0052] 7 and 8, the box 92 accommodates the nozzle 93 and covers it with a rectangular cylindrical peripheral wall 97 and a ceiling wall 98. The nozzle 93 is supported on the ceiling wall 98 of the box 92 via a bracket 99, and is disposed so that the ejection direction of the two fluids 120 is inclined diagonally downward from the Z-axis direction.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 5, a water supply flow path 100 and an air supply flow path 101 are connected to the nozzle 93. The water supply flow path 100 is connected to a cleaning water source 102 that supplies cleaning water, and the air supply flow path 101 is connected to an air source 103 that supplies air. Cleaning water is supplied to the nozzle 93 via the water supply flow path 100 by the operation of a pump or the like provided in the cleaning water source 102. Air is supplied to the nozzle 93 via the air supply flow path 101 by the operation of a compressor or the like provided in the air source 103. The supplied cleaning water and air mix inside the nozzle 93 to become two-fluid 120, and the two-fluid 120 is sprayed from a spray port facing in the -Z direction.

[0054] By combining the movement of the horizontal movement mechanism 95 in the Y-axis direction with the rotation of the chuck table 30 by the rotation mechanism 34, the two-fluid 120 sprayed from the nozzle 93 can reach the entire holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 or the entire top surface of the wafer W held on the holding surface 33.

[0055] Returning to Figures 7 and 8, the box 92 is provided with a gas-liquid separation plate 107 that divides the interior space into a lower first region 105 and an upper second region 106. A nozzle 93 is provided in the second region 106 with its outlet facing the first region 105. The gas-liquid separation plate 107 has a wall large enough to break up water droplets when high-pressure air containing moisture impinges on it, and multiple through-holes that penetrate the plate in the thickness direction. The through-holes are formed, for example, with a diameter of approximately 1 mm. The gas-liquid separation plate 107 is formed of a plate-like material that is resistant to corrosion by water droplets, such as a stainless steel plate. The gas-liquid separation plate 107 is formed with an opening 108 through which the outlet side of the nozzle 93 is inserted. The gas-liquid separation plate 107 may have any structure as long as it has the function of separating gas and liquid; for example, it may be formed in a mesh shape.

[0056] The box 92 of the cleaning mechanism 90 includes an exhaust unit 110 that exhausts the spray 121, which is ejected from the nozzle 93 and scattered on the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 or the upper surface of the wafer W held on the chuck table 30, to the outside of the box 92. The exhaust unit 110 includes the gas-liquid separation plate 107, a gas exhaust port 111, and a gas-liquid separation plate 112. The gas exhaust port 111 is formed to open in a portion of the peripheral wall 97 that forms the +Y direction side. The gas-liquid separation plate 112 is disposed to close the gas exhaust port 111, and is configured to exhaust only the gas 126 to the outside of the box 92. The gas exhaust port 111 may be formed in the ceiling wall 98.

[0057] The box 92 of the cleaning mechanism 90 also includes a box cover 113 disposed on the outside of a portion of the peripheral wall 97 that forms the +Y direction side. The box cover 113 has an upper end fixed above the gas exhaust port 111 and hangs down. The lower end of the box cover 113 is located above the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 or the upper surface of the wafer W held on the chuck table 30.

[0058] An elastic member 114 is attached around the entire periphery of the lower end of the peripheral wall 97 of the box 92. This elastic member 114 is made of, for example, a sponge, and serves to prevent the peripheral wall 97 from coming into direct contact with the chuck table 30 or the wafer W held on the chuck table 30 and damaging the same.

[0059] 4, a thickness measurement unit 116 that measures the thickness of the wafer W during grinding is attached to the support part 26. The thickness measurement unit 116 is disposed inside the processing chamber 23 (below the top plate 73).

[0060] Two thickness measurement units 116 are provided. One thickness measurement unit 116 located on the +Y direction side is a measurement unit for rough grinding that measures the thickness of the wafer W held on the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 located at the first processing position. The other thickness measurement unit 116 located on the -Y direction side is a measurement unit for finish grinding that measures the thickness of the wafer W held on the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 located at the second processing position.

[0061] The thickness measurement unit 116 is a contact-type height gauge, and includes a reference-side height gauge 117 that contacts the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30, and a wafer-side height gauge 118 that contacts the top surface of the wafer W. The difference between the height of the holding surface 33 measured by the reference-side height gauge 117 and the height of the top surface of the wafer W measured by the wafer-side height gauge 118 is calculated by the control unit 2 to measure the thickness of the wafer W.

[0062] A series of operations for processing wafers W using the grinding apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. Note that, unless a control entity is specified for the operation of each part of the grinding apparatus 1, it is assumed that the operation is controlled by a control signal sent from the control unit 2. While the operation will be described focusing on one wafer W and chuck table 30, it is possible to continuously process multiple wafers W by repeating the same operations as described below. Furthermore, it is also possible to simultaneously perform rough grinding by the rough grinding mechanism 50 and finish grinding by the finish grinding mechanism 51 on two chuck tables 30 adjacent in the Y-axis direction within the processing chamber 23.

[0063] The wafer W before grinding, which is contained in a cassette 11 placed on a cassette placement table 13, is taken out of the cassette 11 by using a robot hand 16, and is transported and placed on a temporary placement table 17, and a plurality of positioning pins 19 are brought into contact with the outer periphery of the wafer W to position the wafer W.

[0064] Next, the upper surface of the wafer W placed on the temporary placement table 17 is suction-held from above by the transfer pad 44 of the first transfer mechanism 40, and the support arm 43 is raised and rotated to position the wafer W above the chuck table 30 located at the transfer position. With the chuck table 30 at the transfer position not holding any other wafers W, the transfer pad 44 is lowered toward the holding surface 33. As the transfer pad 44 is lowered, the wafer W held by the transfer pad 44 is placed on the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 at the transfer position. A suction force from a suction source connected to the chuck table 30 is applied to the holding surface 33, and the wafer W transferred from the first transfer mechanism 40 to the chuck table 30 is suction-held on the holding surface 33. After the wafer W is transferred to the chuck table 30, the first transfer mechanism 40 raises and rotates the support arm 43 to move the transfer pad 44 away from the upper surface of the wafer W.

[0065] Next, the turntable 25 is rotated 120° in the rotation direction Ra, and the chuck table 30, which suction-holds the wafer W on the holding surface 33, is moved from the transfer position to the first processing position. By this rotation of the turntable 25, the chuck table 30 holding the wafer W passes through the entrance / exit 74 and enters the processing chamber 23.

[0066] The rough grinding mechanism 50 performs rough grinding on the wafer W held by the chuck table 30, which has moved to the first processing position. The rough grinding is performed by rotating the chuck table 30, which holds the wafer W by suction, using the rotation mechanism 34, and lowering (grinding feed) the rough grinding mechanism 50 using the first lifting mechanism 53 while rotating the spindle 61. As the rough grinding mechanism 50 lowers, the grinding wheel 64 and rough grinding stone 65 pass through the wheel passage opening 75 of the processing chamber 23 and enter the processing chamber 23. The rough grinding stone 65, which is rotating and descending, comes into contact with the top surface of the wafer W, thereby roughly grinding the top surface of the wafer W. The thickness measurement unit 116 (see FIG. 4) measures the thickness of the wafer W during rough grinding, and the rough grinding continues until the thickness reaches a predetermined rough grinding thickness.

[0067] During rough grinding, grinding water is supplied from a grinding water supply source 67 toward the processing point where the rough grinding wheel 65 contacts the upper surface of the wafer W. The grinding water cools the processing point and its vicinity and washes away grinding debris generated during grinding. The grinding water containing the grinding debris flows downward within the processing chamber 23 and is drained into an external water case through a drain port 80 located at the bottom of the processing chamber 23. The processing waste liquid that has entered the cover 83 is discharged to the outside of the cover 83 (the bottom side of the processing chamber 23) through a gap between the lower edge of the side wall 84 of the cover 83 and the upper surface of the turntable 25. During rough grinding of the wafer W, a suction source 79 is driven to apply suction force to an exhaust port 77, sucking a spray of processing waste liquid containing the grinding debris into the exhaust port 77 and discharging it to the outside of the processing chamber 23 through an exhaust pipe 78.

[0068] When the rough grinding is completed, the rough grinding mechanism 50 is raised by the first lifting mechanism 53 to separate the rough grinding wheel 65 from the upper surface of the wafer W. Next, the turntable 25 is rotated 120° in the rotation direction Ra, and the chuck table 30, which suction-holds the wafer W on the holding surface 33, is moved from the first processing position to the second processing position.

[0069] The wafer W held by the chuck table 30, which has moved to the second processing position, is subjected to finish grinding by the finish grinding mechanism 51. The finish grinding of the wafer W is performed by rotating the chuck table 30, which holds the wafer W by suction, using the rotation mechanism 34, and lowering (grinding feed) the finish grinding mechanism 51 by the second lifting mechanism 54 while rotating the spindle 61. As the finish grinding mechanism 51 lowers, the grinding wheel 64 and the finish grinding stone 66 pass through the wheel passage opening 76 of the processing chamber 23 and enter the processing chamber 23. The rotating and descending finish grinding stone 66 comes into contact with the top surface of the wafer W, thereby finish-grinding the top surface of the wafer W. The thickness measurement unit 116 (see FIG. 4) measures the thickness of the wafer W during the finish grinding, and the finish grinding continues until the wafer W reaches a preset finish thickness.

[0070] During finish grinding, grinding water is supplied from a grinding water supply source 67 toward the processing point where the finish grinding wheel 66 contacts the upper surface of the wafer W. The grinding water cools the processing point and its vicinity and washes away grinding debris generated during grinding. Used processing wastewater containing grinding debris flows downward within the processing chamber 23 and is drained into an external water case through a drain outlet 80 located at the bottom of the processing chamber 23. Processing wastewater that has entered the inside of the cover 83 is discharged to the outside of the cover 83 (the bottom side of the processing chamber 23) through the gap between the lower edge of the side wall 84 of the cover 83 and the upper surface of the turntable 25. During finish grinding of the wafer W, a suction source 79 is driven to apply suction force to an exhaust port 77, sucking a spray of processing wastewater containing grinding debris into the exhaust port 77 and discharging it to the outside of the processing chamber 23 through an exhaust pipe 78.

[0071] When the finish grinding is completed, the finish grinding mechanism 51 is raised by the second lifting mechanism 54 to separate the finish grinding wheel 66 from the upper surface of the wafer W. Next, the turntable 25 is rotated 120° in the rotation direction Ra, and the chuck table 30, which suction-holds the wafer W on the holding surface 33, is moved from the second processing position to the transfer position. This rotation of the turntable 25 causes the chuck table 30, which holds the wafer W, to pass through the entrance / exit 74 and move from inside the processing chamber 23 to the transfer position outside the processing chamber 23.

[0072] When the chuck table 30 holding the wafer W that has undergone rough grinding and finish grinding is moved to the transfer position, the two-fluid 120 (see Figures 7 and 8) is sprayed from the nozzle 93 of the cleaning mechanism 90 toward the upper surface of the wafer W to clean it.

[0073] In such cleaning, first, the horizontal movement mechanism 95 of the drive mechanism 91 is driven to move the box 92 and the nozzle 93 in the Y-axis direction, and the nozzle 93 is positioned above the center of the wafer W. Thereafter, the vertical movement mechanism 96 of the drive mechanism 91 is driven to move the box 92 and the nozzle 93 downward (toward the −Z-axis direction) and bring them close to the wafer W held on the chuck table 30. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the box 92 and the nozzle 93 are positioned so that a predetermined gap C1 is formed between the lower end of the elastic member 114 provided at the bottom of the box 92 and the upper surface of the wafer W held on the chuck table 30.

[0074] In this state, the nozzle 93 starts to spray the two-fluid 120, and the horizontal movement mechanism 95 is driven so that the nozzle 93 moves horizontally from the center of the wafer W to the periphery on the +Y direction side, as shown in Fig. 6B. In other words, the landing point of the two-fluid 120 sprayed from the nozzle 93 is moved horizontally between the center of the wafer W and the periphery on the +Y direction side. In addition, the rotation mechanism 34 is operated to rotate the chuck table 30, thereby rotating the wafer W on the chuck table 30. By these combined operations, the entire top surface of the wafer W can be cleaned with the two-fluid 120 sprayed from the nozzle 93.

[0075] During this cleaning, the chuck table 30 is rotated in a rotation direction Rb (see FIGS. 6B and 7). The nozzle 93 ejects the two-fluid 120 obliquely downward, proceeding toward the −X direction as it moves toward the −Z direction, so that the two-fluid 120 includes an ejection direction component opposite to the rotation direction Rb, thereby effectively removing debris adhering to the upper surface of the wafer W.

[0076] The ejected two-fluid 120 is reflected and scattered on the upper surface of the wafer W, and becomes spray 121 in the first region 105, which comes into contact with the gas-liquid separation plate 107. The gas-liquid separation plate 107 blocks the spray 121, causing water droplets 122 to fall, and allows only the remaining fluid that did not fall, namely, passing fluid 123, to pass through. The passing fluid 123 is high-pressure air with a reduced water content compared to the spray 121.

[0077] The fallen water droplets 122 form a cleaning water layer 124 on the upper surface of the wafer W, and this cleaning water layer 124 seals the gap C1 between the lower end of the elastic member 114 and the upper surface of the wafer W. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the two-fluid 120 sprayed from the nozzle 93 from scattering outside the box 92 through the gap C1.

[0078] Passing fluid 123 that has passed through gas-liquid separation plate 107 enters second region 106 and comes into contact with gas-liquid separation plate 112. If passing fluid 123 contains moisture, moisture 125 falls, and remaining gas 126 is discharged from gas discharge port 111. The inside of box 92 is sealed by peripheral wall 97, ceiling wall 98, and cleaning water layer 124, and gas 126 becomes an air current that flows to the outside from gas discharge port 111, which is the only outlet.

[0079] The cleaning waste liquid that has formed the cleaning water layer 124 flows downward outside the cover 83, or enters the inside of the cover 83 through the exposure hole 87 and the multiple holes 89, and then flows outside the cover 83 through the gap between the lower edge of the side wall 84 of the cover 83 and the upper surface of the turntable. The cleaning waste liquid then merges with the processing waste liquid from the grinding process described above at the bottom side of the processing chamber 23, which is outside the cover 83, and is drained from the drain outlet 80.

[0080] Immediately before cleaning of the top surface of the wafer W is completed, as shown in Fig. 6B, the box 92 moves horizontally to the outer periphery on the +Y direction side of the wafer W, and a portion of the box 92 protrudes from the outer periphery of the chuck table 30 in the +Y direction. In this state, as shown in Fig. 9B, the cleaning water layer 124 is not formed below the elastic member 114 on the +Y direction side, or the position of the upper surface (liquid level) of the cleaning water layer 124 is lowered, creating an empty space below the elastic member 114 and causing the box 92 to become unsealed. When the box 92 is no longer sealed, the two-fluid 120 sprayed from the nozzle 93 and reflected on the top surface of the wafer W becomes a spray 121 and then fills the first region 105 without passing through the gas-liquid separation plate 107.

[0081] In this state, sprays 121 of the two-fluid 120 flow into the inside of the cover 83 through the multiple holes 89 located directly below the box 92 that protrudes from the outer periphery of the chuck table 30 in the +Y direction. In other words, the multiple holes 89 that the cover 83 of this embodiment has are formed so as to be located directly below the portion of the box 92 that protrudes from the outer periphery of the chuck table 30.

[0082] The interior of the cover 83 is connected to the interior of the machining chamber 23 via the inlet / outlet 74 and the passage 82, and an air flow from inside the cover 83 toward the machining chamber 23 is formed by a suction force acting toward the exhaust port 77 by driving the suction source 79 within the machining chamber 23. In addition, a force is acting at the locations of the multiple holes 89 to suck air above the top plate 85 into the cover 83. Therefore, a spray of the two-fluid is sucked into the cover 83 through the multiple holes 89 and then enters the machining chamber 23 through the inlet / outlet 74 and the passage 82. A spray 121 of the two-fluid 120 that has entered the machining chamber 23 is sucked toward the exhaust port 77 within the machining chamber 23, similar to the spray of machining waste fluid (grinding water) generated during grinding as described above, and is discharged to the outside of the machining chamber 23 through the exhaust pipe 78.

[0083] Grinding debris and the like generated during the grinding process performed in the processing chamber 23 adheres to the upper surface of the wafer W, and can be removed by spraying the two-fluid 120. In particular, compared to cleaning methods in which a cleaning tool such as a brush is brought into contact with the wafer W, cleaning by spraying the two-fluid 120 has the advantage of achieving efficient cleaning without damaging the wafer W. Once cleaning of the upper surface of the wafer W with the two-fluid 120 is complete, spraying of the two-fluid 120 from the nozzle 93 is stopped. Then, the vertical movement mechanism 96 of the drive mechanism 91 is driven to move the box 92 and the nozzle 93 upward (toward the +Z-axis direction) to a retracted position away from the wafer W.

[0084] Next, the second transport mechanism 41 is used to transport the wafer W from the chuck table 30 at the transport position to the spinner cleaning mechanism 18. The support arm 46 of the second transport mechanism 41 is rotated to position the transport pad 47 above the chuck table 30 at the transport position. At this time, the box 92 is moved to a retracted position that extends beyond the chuck table 30 on the +Y direction side, and therefore does not interfere with the operation of the support arm 46 rotating on the -Y direction side of the chuck table 30.

[0085] After positioning the transport pad 47, the second transport mechanism 41 lowers the transport pad 47 toward the upper surface of the wafer W held on the holding surface 33. The lower surface of the lowered transport pad 47 contacts the upper surface of the wafer W and holds the upper surface of the wafer W by suction. Next, the support arm 46 is raised and rotated to move the transport pad 47, which is holding the wafer W by suction, above the spinner cleaning table 20. The transport pad 47 is then lowered toward the spinner cleaning table 20, and the lower surface of the wafer W is placed on the spinner cleaning table 20. After the wafer W has been delivered to the spinner cleaning table 20, the second transport mechanism 41 raises and rotates the support arm 46 to move the transport pad 47 away from the upper surface of the wafer W.

[0086] Before the second transport mechanism 41 transports the wafer W from the chuck table 30 at the transport position to the spinner cleaning mechanism 18, the cleaning mechanism 90 cleans the upper surface of the wafer W by spraying the two-fluid 120, so that grinding debris adhering to the upper surface of the wafer W can be prevented from contaminating the transport pad 47 when the second transport mechanism 41 transports the wafer W. As a result, the frequency of maintenance of the transport pad 47 can be reduced and the transport pad 47 can be used for a long period of time.

[0087] In the spinner cleaning mechanism 18, the spinner cleaning table 20 holding the ground wafer W is rotated, and cleaning water is sprayed from the spinner nozzle 21 onto the wafer W on the spinner cleaning table 20. The spinner cleaning table 20 has an area smaller than the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30, and the cleaning water can reach the underside of the wafer W, which was not sufficiently cleaned by the cleaning mechanism 90, and the entire wafer W can be cleaned. After cleaning the wafer W, dry air is blown from the spinner nozzle 21 to dry the wafer W.

[0088] After cleaning in the spinner cleaning mechanism 18, the robot hand 16 receives the wafer W from the spinner cleaning table 20 and transports the wafer W to the cassette 12 placed on the cassette mounting table 14. After grinding and cleaning, the wafer W is stored in the cassette 12 and transported to another processing device where processing after grinding will be performed. Note that before storing the wafer W in the cassette 12, the wafer W may be placed on a temporary placement table 17 and positioned using a plurality of positioning pins 19. In this manner, a series of processing steps for the wafer W in the grinding device 1 is completed.

[0089] Furthermore, in the grinding apparatus 1, the cleaning mechanism 90 is used to clean the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 when the chuck table 30 is located at the transfer position and is not holding a wafer W. The timing for cleaning the holding surface 33 by the cleaning mechanism 90 is, for example, between the time when the ground wafer W is transferred from the chuck table 30 to the spinner cleaning mechanism 18 by the second transfer mechanism 41 and the time when the next unground wafer W to be processed is transferred to the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30 by the first transfer mechanism 40. Alternatively, the cleaning mechanism 90 may be used to clean the holding surface 33 in a preparation stage before the grinding apparatus 1 is started and the first wafer W is ground.

[0090] The cleaning of the holding surface 33 using the cleaning mechanism 90 can be performed in the same manner as the cleaning of the upper surface of the wafer W by the cleaning mechanism 90 described above.

[0091] In this cleaning, the drive mechanism 91 is driven to position the nozzle 93 above the center of the wafer W, and then the box 92 and nozzle 93 are moved downward to position the box 92 and nozzle 93 so that a predetermined gap C2 is formed between the lower end of the elastic member 114 and the holding surface 33 of the chuck table 30. In this state, the nozzle 93 starts to spray the two-fluid 120, and the horizontal movement mechanism 95 is driven to move the nozzle 93 horizontally from the center of the wafer W to the outer periphery on the -Y direction side, as shown in FIG. 6A . In other words, the impact point of the two-fluid 120 sprayed from the nozzle 93 is moved horizontally between the center of the holding surface 33 and the outer periphery on the -Y direction side. The direction of this horizontal movement is opposite in the Y-axis direction to the direction of horizontal movement for cleaning the top surface of the wafer W described above. In addition, the rotation mechanism 34 is operated to rotate the chuck table 30, which rotates the chuck table 30. These combined operations allow the two-fluid 120 sprayed from the nozzle 93 to clean the entire holding surface 33.

[0092] During such cleaning, the chuck table 30 is rotated in a rotation direction Rc (see FIGS. 6A and 7), which is the opposite direction to the above-described cleaning of the upper surface of the wafer W. Since the direction of horizontal movement of the nozzle 93 is opposite for cleaning the upper surface of the wafer W and for cleaning the holding surface 33, the two-fluid 120 is maintained to include a jetting direction component that is opposite to the rotation direction Rc.

[0093] The sprayed two-fluid 120 is reflected and scattered on the holding surface 33, and when the box 92 moves horizontally so that the two-fluid 120 does not spill out from the outer periphery of the chuck table 30 in the -Y direction, the holding surface 33 is cleaned in the same manner as the cleaning of the top surface of the wafer W described above.

[0094] Immediately before cleaning of the holding surface 33 is completed, the nozzle 93 moves horizontally to the outer periphery on the -Y direction side of the wafer W, as shown in Fig. 6A. Along with this movement, the box 92 also moves horizontally, and a portion of the box 92 protrudes from the outer periphery of the chuck table 30 in the -Y direction. In this state, as shown in Fig. 9A, an empty space is created below the elastic member 114, and the inside of the box 92 is no longer sealed, and the spray 121 of the two-fluid 120 fills the first region 105.

[0095] In the cover 83 of this embodiment, a plurality of holes 89 are formed on both sides of the chuck table 30 in the Y-axis direction, and therefore, in the box 92, a plurality of holes 89 are also positioned directly below the portion of the box 92 that protrudes from the outer periphery of the chuck table 30 in the -Y direction. Spray 121 of the two-fluid 120 is sucked into the cover 83 through these holes 89 and is discharged to the outside of the processing chamber 23 in the same manner as in the cleaning of the top surface of the wafer W described above.

[0096] When cleaning of the holding surface 33 with the two fluids 120 is completed, spraying of the two fluids 120 from the nozzle 93 is terminated. Then, the vertical movement mechanism 96 of the drive mechanism 91 is driven to move the box 92 and the nozzle 93 upward (toward the +Z axis direction) to a retracted position away from the wafer W. The box 92 moved to the retracted position protrudes from the chuck table 30 in the -Y direction, and therefore does not interfere with the operation of the support arm 43 of the first transport mechanism 40, which rotates on the +Y direction side of the chuck table 30.

[0097] The holding surface 33, which is the upper surface of the porous plate 32 made of a porous material, is formed with many fine pores, and fine grinding debris that penetrates into the porous plate 32 from the holding surface 33 is difficult to remove with a rubbing cleaning tool such as a brush. Cleaning in which the cleaning mechanism 90 sprays two-fluid 120 toward the holding surface 33 has the advantage of efficiently removing fine grinding debris that has penetrated into the porous plate 32 without damaging the chuck table 30. There are also cleaning mechanisms that supply water and high-pressure air into the porous plate 32 to spray the grinding debris together with the two-fluid from the holding surface 33. However, even if the chuck table 30 does not have this type of cleaning mechanism, the holding surface 33 can be cleaned by using the cleaning mechanism 90, which sprays two-fluid 120 from above.

[0098] In this embodiment, holes 89 are formed in the cover 83, so that even if the box 92 protrudes from the outer periphery of the chuck table 30 in the Y-axis direction when the two-fluid 120 is sprayed to clean the upper surface of the wafer W and the holding surface 33, the two-fluid 120 inside the box 92 can be made to flow into the cover 83 through the multiple holes 89. This makes it possible to prevent the two-fluid 120 from scattering around the box 92 in the grinding apparatus 1 and to prevent grinding debris from adhering to the underside of the wafer W to be next held on the chuck table 30.

[0099] Furthermore, the plurality of holes 89 communicate with the suction source 79 via the processing chamber 23 as described above, and can function as air intake ports for exhausting air from the processing chamber 23. This makes it possible to suck the two-fluid 120 inside the box 92 through the holes 89, and can more effectively prevent the spray 121 of the two-fluid 120 from scattering outside the box 92.

[0100] The processing chamber 23 has a structure for discharging the spray of processing waste fluid (grinding water) during grinding from the exhaust port 77, and this discharge structure can be used to suck and discharge the two-fluid 120 in the cleaning mechanism 90 through a plurality of holes 89. In other words, there is no need for a dedicated structure for discharging the spray 121 of the two-fluid 120 in the cleaning mechanism 90 to the outside of the grinding device 1, which makes it possible to simplify the structure and reduce the cost of implementation.

[0101] 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.

[0102] For example, the exhaust section 110 of the cleaning mechanism 90 may be configured to connect a duct hose communicating with a predetermined suction source to the peripheral wall 97 or ceiling wall 98 of the box 92, and to suck in the passing fluid 123 in the second region 106 of the box 92 and exhaust it to the outside.

[0103] Furthermore, the horizontal movement mechanism 95 may be modified as long as it moves the box 92 and the nozzle 93 horizontally. For example, the box 92 and the nozzle 93 may be moved horizontally by an arm that rotates around a predetermined rotation axis.

[0104] The number and size of the holes 89 formed in the cover 83 may be changed as appropriate as long as the same functions as those in the above embodiment can be achieved. Furthermore, as long as it is possible to cause the two fluids 120 to flow into the cover 83 through the holes 89, the configuration may be changed to another configuration, such as providing a dedicated device or configuration for sucking the two fluids 120 through the holes 89.

[0105] In addition, the grinding apparatus 1 may be provided with one or three or more grinding mechanisms for grinding the wafers W, and the number of chuck tables 30 provided on the turntable 25 may be one, two, or four or more. Furthermore, the mechanism for moving the chuck table 30 may be changed to a mechanism for moving it in a linear direction.

[0106] Although the present invention is suitable for the grinding apparatus described in the above embodiment, it can also be applied to processing apparatuses other than grinding apparatuses. For example, the present invention is useful in polishing apparatuses that have a polishing mechanism for polishing wafers, or cutting apparatuses that have a cutting mechanism for cutting wafers, when the upper surface of a processed wafer or the holding surface of a chuck table is cleaned by using a jet of two-fluid from a two-fluid nozzle. [Industrial Applicability]

[0107] As described above, the present invention has the effect of preventing the two fluids from scattering when the top surface of a rotating wafer is cleaned by horizontally moving a box containing nozzles that spray the two fluids, and can subsequently prevent the wafer held on the chuck table from being contaminated by the scattered two fluids. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 30: Chuck table 79 :Suction source 83: Cover (cleaning device) 89: Hole 90: Cleaning mechanism (cleaning device) 92: box 93: Nozzle 95: Horizontal movement mechanism (cleaning device) 120: Two-fluid W: Wafer (workpiece)

Claims

1. A cleaning device comprising: a chuck table that holds and rotates a workpiece; and a cleaning mechanism that sprays two fluids onto an upper surface of the workpiece held on the chuck table to clean the upper surface of the workpiece, the cleaning mechanism includes a nozzle for spraying the two fluids, a box for accommodating the nozzle, and a horizontal movement mechanism for horizontally moving the box so that the landing point of the two fluids sprayed from the nozzle is at least between the center and the outer periphery of the workpiece; a cover extending horizontally from the chuck table around the chuck table; The cover has a hole directly below the portion of the box that protrudes from the chuck table when the box is moved horizontally.

2. The cleaning device of claim 1 , wherein the aperture is connected to a suction source.

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