Disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus and disk-shaped substrate manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of surely peeling a carrier after polishing or grinding from an upper surface plate.SOLUTION: The manufacturing device 10 of the disk-like substrate includes a lower surface plate 12 on which a carrier 52 storing the disk-like substrate 50 is placed, an upper surface plate 14 which is arranged on the upper side of the lower surface plate 12 and has a nozzle hole 21 facing the disk-like substrate 50 and a through-hole 22 facing the carrier 52, a polishing liquid supply part 30 (processing liquid supply part) supplying polishing liquid or grinding liquid between the lower surface plate 12 and the upper surface plate 14, an air supply system 41 supplying peeling air 70 to the nozzle hole 21, a pressing member 88 arranged on the inside of the through-hole 22 and pressing the carrier 52 from the upper side when the upper surface plate 14 is separated from the lower surface plate 12, and a driving mechanism 80 lowering the pressing member 88 to a position where the pressing member 88 comes into contact with the carrier 52.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus and a disk-shaped substrate manufacturing method. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known that, in a conventional manufacturing process of a disk-shaped substrate used as a substrate for a magnetic disk, a grinding process is performed in which the disk-shaped substrate is ground using a grinding device, and a polishing process is performed in which the surface of the disk-shaped substrate is polished using a polishing device. For example, in the polishing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a lower surface plate and an upper surface plate are arranged opposite each other, and the disk-shaped substrate is arranged between the lower surface plate and the upper surface plate while being housed in a housing hole of a carrier. In Patent Document 1, the surface of the disk-shaped substrate is polished by rotating the disk-shaped substrate while supplying a polishing liquid between the lower surface plate and the upper surface plate with the lower surface plate and the upper surface plate in contact with the disk-shaped substrate.

[0003] In a polishing apparatus, after a disk-shaped substrate is polished, the polished disk-shaped substrate and the carrier are adsorbed to the upper platen via the polishing liquid, and therefore the disk-shaped substrate and the carrier may not be separated from the upper platen even when the upper platen is raised. To solve this problem, Patent Document 1 injects separation air between the upper platen and the disk-shaped substrate, and between the upper platen and the carrier, thereby separating both the disk-shaped substrate and the carrier from the upper platen. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-230978 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, the thickness of the carrier positioned around the disk-shaped substrate is usually thinner than the disk-shaped substrate. Therefore, when the carrier containing the disk-shaped substrate is placed on the lower surface plate, the height of the disk-shaped substrate becomes higher than the height of the carrier. In other words, between the lower surface plate and the upper surface plate, the spatial volume per unit area of ​​the carrier in the upper part of the carrier is larger than the spatial volume per unit area of ​​the disk-shaped substrate in the upper part of the disk-shaped substrate.

[0006] For this reason, in Patent Document 1, the stripping gas supplied above the disc-shaped substrate tends to be deflected toward the upper side of the carrier, which has a larger spatial volume per unit area. In other words, the stripping gas flows above the carrier, where pressure loss is smaller than above the disc-shaped substrate. As a result, in the polishing apparatus of Patent Document 1, stripping air flows into the gap between the carrier and the substrate that occurs when the upper platen is lowered. Therefore, during the stripping process after polishing, even if the disc-shaped substrate is stripped, the carrier does not sufficiently separate from the upper platen using stripping air alone. As a result, the carrier adsorbed to the upper platen may float as the upper platen rises. If the disc-shaped substrate gets trapped under the floating carrier, it becomes difficult to transport the polished disc-shaped substrate. Furthermore, even in grinding apparatuses that use a grinding fluid, the grinding fluid accumulated above the disc-shaped substrate is not sufficiently discharged, making it difficult to separate both the disc-shaped substrate and the carrier from the upper platen after grinding.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in light of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a novel technique that can reliably separate a carrier from an upper platen after polishing or grinding. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Specific means for achieving the above objectives are as follows: <1> a lower surface plate on which a carrier for storing a disk-shaped substrate is placed; an upper surface plate disposed above the lower surface plate so as to be able to approach or move away from the lower surface plate, the upper surface plate having a nozzle hole facing the disk-shaped substrate and a through-hole facing the carrier; a processing liquid supply unit that supplies a polishing liquid or a grinding liquid between the lower surface plate and the upper surface plate; an air supply system that supplies the nozzle holes with peeling air to be sprayed toward the disk-shaped substrate; a pressing member disposed inside the through hole and configured to press the carrier from above when the upper surface plate is separated from the lower surface plate; a drive mechanism that lowers the pressing member to a position where the pressing member contacts the carrier; An apparatus for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate, comprising:

[0009] <2> The drive mechanism is an air cylinder. <1> The disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1.

[0010] <3> the air supply system supplies the stripping air to the air cylinder as driving air; <2> The disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1.

[0011] <4> The pressing member has an ejection portion that ejects air toward the deposit in the through hole. <1> ~ <3> 10. The disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9,

[0012] <5> a step of sandwiching a disk-shaped substrate between a lower surface plate and an upper surface plate, and polishing or grinding the disk-shaped substrate while supplying a polishing liquid or a grinding liquid between the lower surface plate and the upper surface plate; a step of spraying peeling air toward the disk-shaped substrate; a step of lowering a pressing member to a position where the pressing member contacts a carrier that stores the disk-shaped substrate; a step of pressing the carrier from above with the pressing member when the upper surface plate is separated from the lower surface plate; A method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate, comprising: [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present disclosure, a technique can be provided that can reliably separate a carrier from an upper surface plate after polishing or grinding. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view illustrating a disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views illustrating a state in which a pressing portion presses down on a carrier in the method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which an ejection portion of a pressing member ejects air toward an attachment in the method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which adhered matter falls off due to contact with a pressing member in the method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. When embodiments are described with reference to drawings in the present disclosure, the configuration of the embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the sizes of components in each drawing are conceptual, and the relative size relationships between components are not limited to these.

[0016] In the following description of the drawings, like parts are designated by like reference numerals. However, the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between thickness and planar dimensions, and the thickness ratio of each device and each component, differ from the actual ones. Therefore, specific thicknesses and dimensions should be determined by taking into consideration the following explanation. Furthermore, there are parts in which the dimensional relationships and ratios differ between the drawings. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified in the specification, the number of each component element of the present disclosure is not limited to one, and there may be multiple elements.

[0017] In the following embodiments, components (including element steps, etc.) are not essential unless otherwise specified. The same applies to numerical values ​​and their ranges, and they do not limit the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, numerical ranges indicated using "to" include the numerical values ​​before and after "to" as the minimum and maximum values, respectively. In the numerical ranges described in stages in this disclosure, the upper or lower limit value described in one numerical range may be replaced with the upper or lower limit value of another numerical range described in stages. In addition, in the numerical ranges described in this disclosure, the upper or lower limit value of that numerical range may be replaced with a value shown in the examples.

[0018] In the present disclosure, when components are contained, each component may contain multiple types of corresponding substances. When multiple types of substances corresponding to each component are present in the composition, the content or amount of each component means the total content or amount of the multiple types of substances present in the composition, unless otherwise specified. In the present disclosure, the particles corresponding to each component may contain multiple types of particles. When multiple types of particles corresponding to each component are present in the composition, the particle size of each component means the value for a mixture of the multiple types of particles present in the composition, unless otherwise specified. In the present disclosure, the terms "layer" and "film" include cases where the layer or film is formed over the entire area when the area in which the layer or film is present is observed, as well as cases where the layer or film is formed over only a portion of the area.

[0019] <Disc-shaped substrate manufacturing equipment> First, a disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figure 1, the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a lower surface plate 12, an upper surface plate 14, a drive mechanism 80, and a pressing member 82. As shown in Figure 2, the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus 10 further includes a polishing liquid supply unit 30 and an air supply system 41. In this embodiment, the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus 10 is a polishing apparatus. In the present disclosure, the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus may be configured to include one or more other devices necessary for manufacturing disk-shaped substrates.

[0020] Specifically, it may include a grinding device that grinds the disk-shaped substrates 50 in the upstream stage of the polishing device, a bulk transfer device for unprocessed or processed disk-shaped substrates 50, a standby device for waiting unprocessed or processed disk-shaped substrates 50, etc. In addition, it may also include, independently of or in combination with these, a storage rack that stores unprocessed or processed disk-shaped substrates, a cleaning device that cleans the disk-shaped substrates 50, a drying device that dries the disk-shaped substrates 50, etc.

[0021] (disk-shaped substrate) As shown in FIG. 2, during polishing, the disk-shaped substrate 50 is stored inside the storage hole 52A of the carrier 52. The disk-shaped substrate 50 of this embodiment is, for example, an aluminum substrate or an aluminum alloy substrate. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and a glass substrate or the like may also be used. Hereinafter, aluminum substrates, aluminum alloy substrates, glass substrates, etc. will also be collectively referred to as "substrates." Furthermore, aluminum substrates and aluminum alloy substrates will also be collectively referred to as "aluminum substrates." A plating layer may be formed on the surface of the aluminum substrate. In this case, the surface to be polished can be the plating layer. Aluminum substrates are advantageous in that they are easy to process and can reduce manufacturing costs.

[0022] On the other hand, a glass reinforced layer may be formed on the surface of the glass substrate. In this case, the surface to be polished may be the glass reinforced layer. The formation of a glass reinforced layer is not essential for the glass substrate. The present disclosure can also be applied to polishing the surface of a pure glass substrate without a glass reinforced layer. Glass substrates are superior to aluminum substrates in strength, surface flatness, heat resistance, etc., making it easier to achieve miniaturization and high density of disc-shaped substrates. The disc-shaped substrate 50 of this embodiment is for magnetic recording media, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The disc-shaped substrate of the present disclosure may also be other information recording disks, such as optical disks.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1 , the present embodiment illustrates a case in which three disk-shaped substrates 50 are stored in one carrier 52, but the present disclosure is not limited to this and the number of stored disk-shaped substrates may be one or any multiple number. Similarly, the present embodiment illustrates a case in which four carriers 52 are placed on one lower surface plate 12, but the present disclosure is not limited to this and the number of carriers placed may be one or any multiple number. In the polishing apparatus, the disk-shaped substrate 50 rotates on its own axis via the carrier 52, i.e., rotates on its own axis, and rotates around the sun gear 16 around the axis of the sun gear 16, i.e., revolves around the sun gear 16.

[0024] (Lower surface plate) As shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface plate 12 has a disk-shaped lower base 12A and a disk-shaped lower polishing pad 12B disposed on the lower base 12A in FIG. 2. A known polishing material, such as a polishing cloth, can be used as the lower polishing pad 12B. In this disclosure, the term "lower surface plate" may be used as a general term that includes the lower polishing pad. A carrier 52 that stores a disk-shaped substrate 50 is placed above the lower polishing pad 12B of the lower surface plate 12. As shown in FIG. 1, a sun gear 16 that meshes with the gears on the peripheries of the four carriers 52 is disposed in the center of the lower surface plate 12. An internal gear 18 that meshes with the gears on the peripheries of the four carriers 52 is disposed around the lower surface plate 12. As shown in FIG. 2, a discharge path D for discharging the polishing liquid 60 is formed between the lower surface plate 12 and the internal gear 18.

[0025] (Upper surface plate) As shown in Fig. 2, the upper surface plate 14 has a disk-shaped upper base 14A and a disk-shaped upper polishing pad 14B provided below the upper base 14A in Fig. 2. As with the lower polishing pad 12B, a known polishing material such as a polishing cloth can be used as the upper polishing pad 14B. In this disclosure, the term "upper surface plate" may be used as a general term including the upper polishing pad. The upper surface plate 14 is disposed above the lower surface plate 12 in a state facing the lower surface plate 12. In this embodiment, both the lower surface plate 12 and the upper surface plate 14 are connected to a hydraulic drive device, an electric drive device, or the like, and are provided so as to be able to move up and down freely. Therefore, the upper surface plate 14 is disposed so as to be able to move toward or away from the lower surface plate 12. In the present disclosure, the upper surface plate 14 may be disposed so as to be able to move toward or away from the lower surface plate 12, by at least one of the lower surface plate 12 and the upper surface plate 14 being able to move up and down freely.

[0026] 2, the upper surface plate 14 has a nozzle hole 21 and a through-hole 22. The nozzle hole 21 is formed in a portion facing the disk-shaped substrate 50, penetrating the upper base 14A and the upper polishing pad 14B. The through-hole 22 is formed in a portion facing the carrier 52, penetrating the upper base 14A and the upper polishing pad 14B. 1 illustrates a state in which two nozzle holes 21 are formed in a portion of one storage hole 52A facing the disk-shaped substrate 50, and six through holes 22 are formed in a portion facing the carrier 52 other than the storage hole 52A, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the respective numbers of nozzle holes 21 and through holes 22 can be changed as appropriate. In this embodiment, as can be seen from line 2-2 in Fig. 1, the two nozzle holes 21 and the two through holes 22 are arranged on a straight line in a plan view, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The arrangement pattern of the nozzle holes 21 and the through holes 22 can be changed as appropriate.

[0027] (polishing liquid supply section) As shown in FIG. 2, the polishing liquid supply unit 30 includes a polishing liquid tank 30A storing a polishing liquid 60 and a polishing liquid pipe 30B connected between the polishing liquid tank 30A and the upper platen 14. The polishing liquid supply unit 30 supplies a polishing liquid (see the polishing liquid 60 in FIG. 3) between the lower platen 12 and the upper platen 14. Specifically, for example, the polishing liquid 60 may be dropped onto the upper surface of the upper base 14A of the upper platen 14 in FIG. 2 and moved along the surface from the upper surface side toward the lower side of the upper platen 14, thereby being supplied between the lower platen 12 and the upper platen 14. A through-hole may be formed through the upper base 14A and the upper polishing pad 14B as a path for the polishing liquid 60 to flow. The polishing liquid supply unit 30 of this embodiment corresponds to the processing liquid supply unit of the present disclosure.

[0028] (Air supply system) 2, the air supply system 41 includes an air supply source 41A and an air pipe 41B. The air supply source 41A stores separation air (see separation air 71 in FIG. 3) that separates the disk-shaped substrate 50 from the upper surface plate 14. In this embodiment, the separation air 71 is, for example, air, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and any gas other than air can be used as the separation air. Air piping 41B is connected between air supply source 41A and nozzle hole 21. Air supply source 41A includes a storage device such as a tank that can store peeling air 71. When upper surface plate 14 separates from lower surface plate 12 after polishing, air supply system 41 supplies peeling air 71 to nozzle hole 21, thereby spraying peeling air 71 from nozzle hole 21 toward disk-shaped substrate 50.

[0029] (Control unit) 2, in this embodiment, a control unit 44 that causes the polishing apparatus to execute one or more processes included in the polishing process is connected to the air supply system 41. In the present disclosure, one or more processes included in the polishing process may be provided to the control unit 44 in the form of, for example, a program. In the present embodiment, the case where one control unit 44 is connected to the air supply system 41 has been exemplified, but in the present disclosure, the number of control units can be set to any number equal to or greater than one.

[0030] (Drive mechanism) 2, the drive mechanism 80 of this embodiment is an air cylinder. The drive mechanism 80 is capable of lowering the presser member 82 to a position where the presser member 82 contacts the carrier 52. The drive mechanism 80 is also capable of raising the presser member 82 to a position where the presser member 82 is separated from the carrier 52. In the present disclosure, the drive mechanism 80 is not limited to an air cylinder, and may be another drive mechanism that achieves sliding along the up-down direction, such as a screw feed mechanism. As shown in FIG. 2, the drive mechanism 80 is connected to the control unit 44 and the air supply system 41. In this embodiment, the air supply system 41 supplies stripping air 71 as driving air to the air cylinder of the drive mechanism 80. The supply source of the stripping air 71 and the supply source of the driving air for the air cylinder of the drive mechanism 80 are common. In the present disclosure, the driving air is not limited to air supplied from the air supply source 41A of the stripping air 71, but may be air supplied from a supply source other than the air supply source 41A of the stripping air 71. The stripping air 71 as driving air drives a pressing member 82, which is the cylinder rod of the air cylinder of the drive mechanism 80.

[0031] Although not shown, in this embodiment, a supply flow path for driving air is formed between the air supply source 41A and the drive mechanism 80. Necessary control elements such as an on-off valve and a pump are provided in the supply flow path for driving air and are connected to the control unit 44. The control unit 44 controls the driving pressure of the driving air for the drive mechanism 80.

[0032] (holding member, injection part) As shown in FIG. 2, the pressing member 82 of this embodiment is a cylinder rod of an air cylinder. The pressing member 82 slides in the vertical direction in FIG. 2 by being driven by the driving mechanism 80. The pressing member 82 is disposed inside the through-hole 22. In FIG. 1, the driving mechanism 80 and the pressing member 82 are illustrated overlapping on the through-hole 22 that opens above the carrier 52 in a plan view. An ejection part 82A is attached to the lower end of the pressing member 82 in FIG. 2. The pressing member 82 of this embodiment has the function of pressing the carrier 52 and the function of ejecting air. The ejection portion 82A slides in conjunction with the driving of the pressing member 82. In this embodiment, the ejection portion 82A is a cylindrical air nozzle that ejects air from the tip on the carrier 52 side. In the present disclosure, the ejection portion is not limited to an air nozzle, and other known configurations may be adopted. In the present disclosure, it is not essential that the pressing member has the ejection portion 82A, and the pressing member may be composed of another member, such as a rod-shaped member having a simple structure, without ejecting air. 2, the spraying unit 82A is connected to the control unit 44 and the air supply source 41A. In this embodiment, the air supply system 41 supplies the peeling air 71 from the air supply source 41A to the spraying unit 82A as air to be sprayed by the air nozzle of the spraying unit 82A. Therefore, the supply source of the peeling air 71 and the supply source of the air for the spraying unit 82A are the same. In the present disclosure, the air for the spraying unit 82A may be different from the air for the peeling air 71.

[0033] Although not shown, in this embodiment, an air supply flow path is formed between the air supply source 41A and the spraying unit 82A. Necessary control elements such as an on-off valve and a pump are provided in the air supply flow path of the spraying unit 82A and connected to the control unit 44. The control unit 44 controls the injection pressure of the injected air from the spraying unit 82A. The air supply flow path between the air supply source 41A and the spraying unit 82A may be formed, for example, inside the piston rod of the pressing member 82, or another flow path member such as piping may be used.

[0034] <Method of manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate> Next, a method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate using the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate according to this embodiment includes the following steps: (A) a step of placing a carrier 52 for storing a disk-shaped substrate 50 between a lower surface plate 12 and an upper surface plate 14; (B) a step of sandwiching the disk-shaped substrate 50 between the lower surface plate 12 and the upper surface plate 14 and polishing the disk-shaped substrate 50 while supplying a polishing liquid 60 between the lower surface plate 12 and the upper surface plate 14; (C) supplying separation air 71 between the upper surface plate 14 and the disk-shaped substrate 50 using an air supply system 41 to separate the disk-shaped substrate 50 from the upper surface plate 14; (D) lowering the pressing member 82 to a position where the pressing member 82 contacts the carrier 52; (E) a step of pressing the carrier 52 from above with a pressing member 82 when the upper surface plate 14 separates from the lower surface plate 12 after the polishing process; Includes. In the present embodiment, a case will be described as an example in which the control unit 44 is operated using a program for implementing the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing method, thereby implementing the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing method including steps (A) to (E). In the present disclosure, the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing method may be implemented by an operator of the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus 10 operating the control unit 44.

[0035] In this embodiment, the method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate includes a process of peeling the disk-shaped substrate 50 from the upper surface plate 14 in the polishing process, as in steps (C) to (E). In the present disclosure, the method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate may include one or more other commonly known processes required for manufacturing the disk-shaped substrate 50, depending on the type of disk-shaped substrate.

[0036] For example, in the case of an aluminum substrate, the method for producing a disk-shaped substrate includes the following steps. Blank substrate preparation process: An aluminum alloy ingot is rolled to obtain an aluminum alloy plate material with a thickness of approximately 2 mm or less. The obtained aluminum alloy plate material is punched into a disk shape to prepare an aluminum alloy substrate of the desired dimensions. Cutting step: The prepared aluminum alloy substrate is subjected to chamfering of the inner and outer diameters and cutting of both main surfaces. Grinding process: In order to reduce the surface roughness and waviness of the aluminum alloy substrate after cutting, both main surfaces of the aluminum alloy substrate are ground with a grinding wheel. Plating process: After grinding, the surface of the aluminum alloy substrate is plated with electroless nickel plating (NiP) or other plating to impart surface hardness and reduce surface defects. Polishing step: Both main surfaces of the aluminum alloy substrate on which the plating film has been formed are polished.

[0037] In the case of a glass substrate, the method for producing a disk-shaped substrate includes, for example, the following steps. Blank substrate preparation process: A glass blank, which will be the material for a plate-shaped glass substrate for a magnetic recording medium and has a pair of main surfaces, is produced by press molding or the like. A circular hole is formed in the center of the produced glass blank to form the glass blank into an annular shape. Next, a shaping process is carried out to obtain a glass substrate with a chamfered surface. The inner and outer peripheral end surfaces of the shaped glass substrate are then subjected to a grinding process and a polishing process. Grinding process: After edge polishing, the main surfaces of the glass substrate are ground using fixed abrasive grains. Polishing step: The main surfaces of the glass substrate after the grinding step are polished with a predetermined abrasive. During the polishing step, the glass substrate may be subjected to a chemical strengthening treatment.

[0038] The polishing step according to this embodiment will be described in detail below. [Polishing process] In the polishing process, the lower surface plate 12 and the upper surface plate 14 are in contact with the disk-shaped substrate 50, and the disk-shaped substrate 50 is rotated while a polishing liquid 60 is supplied between the lower surface plate 12 and the upper surface plate 14, so that the surface of the disk-shaped substrate 50 is polished by the lower surface plate 12 and the upper surface plate 14. The polishing liquid used when polishing an aluminum substrate is not particularly limited as long as it is a commonly used one, and examples thereof include slurries containing aluminum oxide, colloidal silica, etc. The polishing liquid used when polishing a glass substrate is not particularly limited as long as it is a commonly used one, and examples thereof include slurries containing cerium oxide, zirconia, colloidal silica, etc.

[0039] Here, after the disk-shaped substrate 50 is polished, the polished disk-shaped substrate 50 and the carrier 52 are adsorbed to the upper surface plate 14 via the polishing liquid 60, and therefore, even if the upper surface plate 14 is raised, the disk-shaped substrate 50 may not be peeled off from the upper surface plate 14. 3, for the disk-shaped substrate 50, peeling air 71 is supplied from the outside by the air supply system 41 to between the upper surface plate 14 and the disk-shaped substrate 50 through the nozzle holes 21 provided in the upper surface plate 14. When the control unit 44 is used, the control unit 44 controls the air supply system 41 to supply the peeling air 71 between the upper surface plate 14 and the disk-shaped substrate 50.

[0040] In the present disclosure, "supply" means to eventually reach a target location. For example, supplying the peeling air 71 means that the peeling air 71 reaches between the upper platen 14 and the disk-shaped substrate 50.

[0041] The timing at which the air supply system 41 starts applying a driving force to the stripping air 71 to supply the stripping air 71 may be before or after the upper surface plate 14 starts to rise. If the stripping air 71 is supplied after the upper surface plate 14 starts to rise, it is preferable, in consideration of the stripping effect, to supply the stripping air 71 at a timing when the upper surface plate 14 is not too far from the lower surface plate 12, such as immediately after the start of the rise. The timing at which the application of the driving force to the stripping air 71 is stopped may be before or after the upper surface plate 14 has completed rising to a preset height.

[0042] 3, when the upper surface plate 14 is lifted away from the lower surface plate 12 after the polishing process, the drive mechanism 80 lowers the pressing member 82 to a position where the pressing member 82 comes into contact with the carrier 52. The lowered pressing member 82 presses down on the carrier 52 from above.

[0043] The timing at which the drive mechanism 80 starts applying a drive force to the presser member 82 to bring the presser member 82 into contact with the carrier 52 may be before or after the upper platen 14 starts to rise. The timing at which the drive mechanism 80 stops applying the drive force to the presser member 82 may be before or after the upper platen 14 has completely risen to a preset height.

[0044] The process of supplying stripping air 71 to disk-shaped substrate 50, the process of lowering presser member 82 toward carrier 52, and the process of raising upper surface plate 14 away from lower surface plate 12 may be performed separately or in parallel. As an example of a case where each process is performed separately, first, presser member 82 descends toward carrier 52 and then stops in a state of contact with carrier 52. Next, stripping air 71 is supplied to disk-shaped substrate 50. Then, upper surface plate 14 is raised and separated from lower surface plate 12. When upper surface plate 14 is raised, the control unit 44 controls the protruding length of presser member 82 from through hole 22 so that the length of presser member 82 necessary to maintain contact with carrier 52 is maintained.

[0045] As described above, it is not excluded that a time gap may exist between the timing at which the stripping air 71 reaches the disk-shaped substrate 50 and the timing at which the presser member 82 reaches the carrier 52. Furthermore, when the disk-shaped substrate 50 and the carrier 52 are stripped from the upper surface plate 14, the time difference between the arrival of the stripping air 71 at the disk-shaped substrate 50 and the arrival of the ejection portion 82A at the lower end of the presser member 82 at the carrier 52 may be minimized. This allows both the disk-shaped substrate 50 and the carrier 52 to be stripped from the upper surface plate 14.

[0046] As shown in Figure 3, after the disk-shaped substrate 50 and carrier 52 have been peeled off from the upper surface plate 14, the polishing liquid 60 that adsorbs the polished disk-shaped substrate 50 and carrier 52 to the upper surface plate 14 is discharged through the discharge path D between the lower surface plate 12 and the internal gear 18. Thereafter, the disk-shaped substrate 50 is removed from the inside of the carrier 52 by a batch transfer device (not shown) and transferred to a subsequent process. After the peeling process is performed, the drive mechanism 80 raises the pressing member 82 at any timing to a position where the pressing member 82 is separated from the carrier 52 when the disk-shaped substrate 50 is subjected to grinding or polishing.

[0047] In the present disclosure, the polishing process may be performed multiple times. When the polishing process is performed multiple times, the type of polishing liquid 60 used in each polishing process may be different. Furthermore, for example, a chemical strengthening process may be performed on the disk-shaped substrate 50 between multiple polishing processes to improve the impact resistance of the disk-shaped substrate 50. Then, the transported disk-shaped substrate 50 is subjected to predetermined processes such as cleaning, magnetic film formation, and cooling, thereby manufacturing a magnetic recording medium having the desired specifications.

[0048] (Removal of adhesions) In this embodiment, the through-hole 22 is used as a flow path for the cleaning liquid during the cleaning process. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the remaining cleaning liquid dries and solidifies, forming a deposit S of cleaning components on the inner surface of the through-hole 22. The deposit S is so-called sludge. If the deposit S falls onto the upper surface of the disk-shaped substrate 50, onto the upper surface of the carrier 52, or into the storage hole 52A of the carrier 52, and if force is applied to the deposit S from the upper surface plate 14 during the polishing process, there is a concern that the deposit S may damage the disk-shaped substrate 50 or the carrier 52. The deposit S is a factor that causes problems during the polishing process. For this reason, in this embodiment, the deposit S is removed using the air nozzle of the spray unit 82A.

[0049] For example, after both the disk-shaped substrate 50 and the carrier 52 have been peeled off from the upper surface plate 14, as shown in FIG. 4 , air is sprayed from the air nozzle of the spray unit 82A located above the deposit S toward the deposit S adhering to the inner surface of the through-hole 22. The height of the air nozzle of the spray unit 82A during spraying can be adjusted as appropriate by the control unit. This spray of air promotes the peeling off of the deposit S from the inner surface of the through-hole 22.

[0050] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, after the air is sprayed, the presser member 82 is lowered, whereby the spray portion 82A at the lower end of the presser member 82 physically contacts the deposit S. This contact further promotes the removal of the deposit S from the inner surface of the through-hole 22. The deposit S that has fallen onto the carrier 52 can be discharged together with the polishing liquid 60 into the discharge path D, for example, by supplying a cleaning liquid to the disk-shaped substrate. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the state in which the deposit S that has been removed by contact with the spray portion 82A falls. In the present disclosure, the removal process and discharge process of the deposit S may be performed when the disk-shaped substrate 50 is not stored in the storage hole 52A of the carrier 52.

[0051] In the present disclosure, the through-hole 22 does not need to be used as a flow path for the cleaning liquid. The through-hole in which the pressing member is disposed and the through-hole used as a flow path for the cleaning liquid may be formed separately.

[0052] (Action and effect) In the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, when the disk-shaped substrate 50 is subjected to grinding or polishing, the drive mechanism 80 raises the presser member 82 to a position where the presser member 82 separates from the carrier 52. Furthermore, when the upper surface plate 14 separates from the lower surface plate 12 after the grinding or polishing process, the peeling air 71 is sprayed toward the disk-shaped substrate 50. When the presser member 82 presses the carrier 52, the drive mechanism 80 lowers the presser member 82 to a position where the presser member 82 contacts the carrier 52. The pressing member 82 presses down on the carrier 52 from above. Because the movement of the carrier 52 is physically stopped by the pressing member 82, the carrier 52 moves away from the upper surface plate 14 as the upper surface plate 14 moves away from the lower surface plate 12. Therefore, even if the polished disk-shaped substrate 50 and the carrier 52 are adsorbed to the upper surface plate 14 via the polishing liquid 60, both the disk-shaped substrate 50 and the carrier 52 can be easily separated from the upper surface plate 14. In particular, the carrier 52 can be reliably separated from the upper surface plate 14.

[0053] Furthermore, when the disk-shaped substrate 50 or carrier 52 is adsorbed to the upper surface plate 14, it becomes necessary to stop the automatic operation of the polishing apparatus and peel the adsorbed disk-shaped substrate 50 or carrier 52 from the upper surface plate 14. In this embodiment, the adsorption of the disk-shaped substrate 50 or carrier 52 to the upper surface plate 14 is suppressed, thereby reducing the occurrence of the peeling work. As a result, the automatic operation of the polishing apparatus can be stably performed. Furthermore, if a batch transfer process by a transfer device or a subsequent polishing process is performed while the disk-shaped substrates 50 or carriers 52 remain attached to the upper surface plate 14, malfunctions will occur in the transfer device, upper surface plate 14, lower surface plate 12, and other devices. In this embodiment, the attachment of the disk-shaped substrates 50 or carriers 52 to the upper surface plate 14 is suppressed, thereby reducing the incidence of malfunctions in the device. This improves the availability of the device, and as a result, increases the production volume.

[0054] In this embodiment, the drive mechanism 80 is an air cylinder. Therefore, by finely adjusting the air supply pressure, it is easy to control the contact pressure applied to the carrier 52 when the pressing member 82 contacts the carrier 52. For example, compared to when the pressing member 82 is brought into contact with the carrier 52 by a screw feed mechanism, the load on the carrier 52 at the time of contact can be reduced.

[0055] In this embodiment, the driving air for the air cylinder is air supplied from air supply source 41A for stripping air 71. Stripping air 71 is supplied as driving air to the air cylinder of drive mechanism 80. Because the supply source for stripping air 71 and the supply source for driving air for the air cylinder of drive mechanism 80 are the same, manufacturing apparatus 10 for disk-shaped substrate 50 can be easily configured.

[0056] In addition, in this embodiment, the ejection portion 82A of the pressing member 82 ejects air toward the deposit S on the inner surface of the through-hole 22, so that the deposit S can be removed.

[0057] <Other embodiments> Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the above disclosed embodiments, the descriptions and drawings forming part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the present disclosure.

[0058] For example, in the present embodiment, the carrier 52 is rotated and revolved around the internal gear 18 and the sun gear 16 to polish multiple disk-shaped substrates 50 at once, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, for example, the multiple disk-shaped substrates may be held in a state where they protrude upward, and a polishing plate may be brought into contact with the surfaces of the disk-shaped substrates from above. Then, the upper polishing plate may be rotated to polish multiple disk-shaped substrates at once. The polishing plate may also rotate and revolve without rotating the disk-shaped substrates.

[0059] (Grinding equipment) In the present embodiment, the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus 10 has been described as a polishing apparatus, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the manufacturing apparatus 10 may also be a grinding apparatus. In the present embodiment, a method for manufacturing a polished disk-shaped substrate using a polishing apparatus as the manufacturing apparatus 10 has been exemplified as the method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate, but in the present disclosure, the method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate may also be a method for manufacturing a ground disk-shaped substrate using a grinding apparatus as the manufacturing apparatus.

[0060] When the manufacturing apparatus for disk-shaped substrates is a grinding apparatus, grindstones are applied to the lower polishing pad 12B on the lower surface plate 12 and the upper polishing pad 14B on the upper surface plate 14 of the manufacturing apparatus 10 in Fig. 2. In this case, the terms "upper surface plate" and "lower surface plate" may be used as generic terms that include grindstones. Furthermore, in the grinding process in the grinding device, for example, coolant is supplied as the grinding fluid instead of the polishing fluid 60. Therefore, the polishing fluid tank 30A, the polishing fluid piping 30B, etc. in this embodiment can be appropriately read as a coolant tank, a coolant piping, etc. Note that the grinding fluid in the grinding process is not limited to coolant, and other liquids may be used as long as they are supplied between the upper and lower surface plates.

[0061] When the manufacturing apparatus is a grinding apparatus, the pressing member presses the carrier from above, as in the present embodiment described above. The movement of the carrier is physically stopped by the pressing member, so the carrier moves away from the upper surface plate as the upper surface plate moves away from the lower surface plate. Therefore, as in the present embodiment described above, even if the disk-shaped substrate and carrier are adsorbed to the upper surface plate via the grinding fluid after grinding, there is an advantage that both the disk-shaped substrate and the carrier can be easily separated from the upper surface plate. Other advantages when the manufacturing apparatus is a grinding apparatus are the same as in the present embodiment described above.

[0062] (Manufacturing method) The method for manufacturing a ground disk-shaped substrate of the present disclosure includes steps similar to steps (A), (C), and (D) in the method for manufacturing a ground disk-shaped substrate of the present embodiment, and steps corresponding to steps (B) and (E) in the method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate of the present embodiment, and specifically includes the following steps in a grinding device: (A1) a step of placing a carrier for accommodating a disk-shaped substrate between a lower surface plate and an upper surface plate; (B1) a step of sandwiching a disk-shaped substrate between a lower surface plate and an upper surface plate, and grinding the disk-shaped substrate while supplying a grinding fluid between the lower surface plate and the upper surface plate; (C1) a step of supplying separation air between the upper surface plate and the disk-shaped substrate using an air supply system to separate the disk-shaped substrate from the upper surface plate; (D1) a step of lowering the pressing member to a position where the pressing member contacts the carrier; (E1) a step of pressing the carrier from above with a pressing member when the upper surface plate separates from the lower surface plate after the grinding process; It may also include.

[0063] The method for manufacturing a ground disk-shaped substrate of this embodiment may include, as processing steps in a grinding apparatus, the steps (A1), (B1), (C1), (D1), and (E1) in the method for manufacturing a ground disk-shaped substrate described above, and, as processing steps in a polishing apparatus, the steps (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E) in this embodiment. This makes it possible to efficiently obtain ground and polished disk-shaped substrates while obtaining over time the advantages of both the method for manufacturing a ground disk-shaped substrate and the method for manufacturing a polished disk-shaped substrate.

[0064] The present disclosure includes various embodiments not described above, and the technical scope of the present disclosure is defined by the invention-specifying matters in the claims that are appropriate from the above description. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10: Disk-shaped substrate manufacturing device 12: Lower surface plate 14 Upper surface plate 21 Nozzle hole 22 through-hole 30 polishing liquid supply unit (processing liquid supply unit) 41 Air supply system 50 Disk-shaped substrate 52 Carrier 52A Storage hole 60 Polishing liquid 71 Peeling air 80 drive mechanism 82 holding member 82A Injection part S Adhesion

Claims

1. a lower surface plate on which a carrier for storing a disk-shaped substrate is placed; an upper surface plate disposed above the lower surface plate so as to be able to approach or move away from the lower surface plate, the upper surface plate having a nozzle hole facing the disk-shaped substrate and a through-hole facing the carrier; a processing liquid supply unit that supplies a polishing liquid or a grinding liquid between the lower surface plate and the upper surface plate; an air supply system that supplies the nozzle holes with peeling air to be sprayed toward the disk-shaped substrate; a pressing member disposed inside the through hole and configured to press the carrier from above when the upper surface plate is separated from the lower surface plate; a drive mechanism that lowers the pressing member to a position where the pressing member contacts the carrier; An apparatus for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate, comprising:

2. The drive mechanism is an air cylinder. The apparatus for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 1 .

3. the air supply system supplies the stripping air to the air cylinder as driving air; The disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 .

4. The pressing member has an ejection portion that ejects air toward the deposit in the through hole. The apparatus for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. a step of sandwiching a disk-shaped substrate between a lower surface plate and an upper surface plate, and polishing or grinding the disk-shaped substrate while supplying a polishing liquid or a grinding liquid between the lower surface plate and the upper surface plate; a step of spraying peeling air toward the disk-shaped substrate; and a step of lowering a pressing member to a position where the pressing member contacts a carrier that stores the disk-shaped substrate. a step of pressing the carrier from above with the pressing member when the upper surface plate is separated from the lower surface plate; A method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate, comprising:

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