Disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

It is possible to reduce generation of a mark caused by the grinding liquid or the polishing liquid remaining on the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate.SOLUTION: The apparatus includes (a) a liquid tank 72, (b) a fluid supplying mechanism (washing liquid supplying mechanism B) that supplies a fluid (washing liquid W) to the liquid tank 72, and (c) a holding member 75 that is provided on a bottom surface of the liquid tank 72 and has a supporting portion 75A that supports an end surface of the disc-shaped substrate S after processing at least at two locations and a first flow path portion (space A) that is formed between the disc-shaped substrate S after processing and the bottom surface of the liquid tank 72 and through which the fluid (washing liquid W) passes.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, in the manufacturing process of disk-shaped substrates used as substrates for magnetic disks, there are known grinding processes in which the disk-shaped substrate is ground using a grinding device, and polishing processes in which the surface of the disk-shaped substrate is polished using a polishing device. After the grinding process or the polishing process, the grinding fluid or the polishing fluid that adheres to the disk-shaped substrate during each process is removed from the surface of the disk-shaped substrate by a cleaning process for post-processing in the manufacturing process.

[0003] Regarding cleaning processing of disk-shaped substrates, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a polishing apparatus that includes a polishing section with a lower surface plate and an upper surface plate where disk-shaped substrates are polished, and an unloader section that is located after the polishing section and transfers disk-shaped substrates from the lower surface plate of the polishing section. The unloader section includes a plate with a circular recess on its upper surface that stores cleaning liquid.

[0004] In Patent Document 1, a disk-shaped substrate polished in a polishing unit is transferred from the polishing unit to the inside of a circular recess on a plate of an unloader unit located downstream of the polishing unit while being held by the claws of a gripping unit of a transfer device. A cleaning liquid for washing away the polishing liquid used during polishing is then dripped from above the disk-shaped substrate. The dripped cleaning liquid is stored inside the circular recess. In Patent Document 1, the cleaning liquid stored in the circular recess removes the polishing liquid adhering to the disk-shaped substrate and the polishing liquid adhering to the claws of the gripping unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-283457 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the case of Patent Document 1, the disk-shaped substrate functions like a lid in the circular recess, which can make it difficult for cleaning water, as a fluid supplied from the upper side of the disk-shaped substrate, to flow to the lower side of the disk-shaped substrate. If the fluidity of the cleaning water on the lower side of the disk-shaped substrate decreases, the amount of cleaning water exchanged on the lower side decreases, resulting in concerns that the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate may not be sufficiently cleaned. Therefore, after cleaning, the polishing liquid remains on the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate, and after the remaining polishing liquid solidifies, the abrasive components in the polishing liquid adhere to the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate. This can cause the problem of marks being formed by the adhered abrasive components, which degrade the quality of the disk-shaped substrate.

[0007] Furthermore, in the grinding process using a grinding fluid, if a manufacturing device for disk-shaped substrates having an unloader section downstream of the grinding section, similar to that used in polishing, is used, the grinding components in the grinding fluid may adhere to the underside of the disk-shaped substrate after the remaining grinding fluid has solidified, which similarly causes the problem of marks being formed on the disk-shaped substrate by the adhered grinding components, which degrade the quality of the disk-shaped substrate.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in light of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a technique that can reduce the occurrence of marks caused by the grinding fluid or polishing fluid remaining on the underside of a disk-shaped substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Specific means for achieving the above objectives are as follows: <1> a processing unit that performs grinding or polishing on the disk-shaped substrate; an unloader unit that has the following (a) to (c), is disposed downstream of the processing unit, and transfers the processed disk-shaped substrate from the processing unit; (a) Liquid tank; (b) a fluid supply mechanism for supplying a fluid to the liquid reservoir; (c) a holding member provided on the bottom surface of the liquid vat, the holding member having a support portion that supports an end surface of the processed disk-shaped substrate at at least two locations, and a first flow path portion that is formed between the processed disk-shaped substrate and the bottom surface of the liquid vat and allows a fluid to pass through; An apparatus for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate comprising:

[0010] <2> the support portion of the holding member is a protruding support portion having a contact surface that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the disk-shaped substrate, and having three or more protruding portions that protrude upward from the bottom surface of the liquid vat and are arranged along the circumferential direction, the retaining member has a second flow path portion that allows the fluid to pass between the protrusions adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. <1> The manufacturing apparatus described in

[0011] <3> The holding member has a connecting portion that integrally connects three or more of the support portions. <2> The disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1.

[0012] <4> The number of the support parts is four. <2> or <3> The disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus that can reduce the occurrence of marks caused by the grinding fluid or polishing fluid remaining on the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a wet polishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a loader section, a polishing section, and an unloader section of the wet polishing apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a polishing unit. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of a liquid tank and a holding member of the unloader section. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a transfer device of a loader and an unloader. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 4, illustrating the configuration of the liquid tank and the holding member. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of another example of the holding member. 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. Furthermore, 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> A wet-type polishing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the wet-type polishing apparatus 1 includes a supply section 60, a loader section 40, a polishing section 10, an unloader section 70, a cleaning / drying section 61, and a discharge section 62. The wet-type polishing apparatus 1 is a processing apparatus used for polishing disk-shaped substrates having through holes, such as magnetic disk substrates. The wet-type polishing apparatus 1 corresponds to the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus of the present disclosure.

[0020] In the present disclosure, the disk-shaped substrate may be a disk-shaped substrate including an aluminum or aluminum alloy plate, a glass substrate, or a disk-shaped substrate having a Ni-P plating film on its surface. The wet polishing apparatus 1 sequentially polishes, cleans, and dries a large number of disk-shaped substrates S stored in a cassette case C shown in FIG. 1 and transported thereto, and also stores the substrates again in the cassette case C and discharges them.

[0021] 3, in the wet polishing apparatus 1, the polishing unit 10 polishes a predetermined number of disk-shaped substrates S with reduced time lag. The polishing unit 10 of this embodiment corresponds to the processing unit of the present disclosure. The processing unit of the present disclosure is not limited to polishing, and may be a grinding unit that grinds the disk-shaped substrates S.

[0022] The disk-shaped substrates S may be transferred to and from the polishing unit 10 in batches, based on the number of substrates to be polished. Therefore, in the loader unit 40, the disk-shaped substrates S are removed one by one from the cassette case C transported from the supply unit 60 and placed in a predetermined number of positions in a polishing orientation. The "spread-out" position refers to a position in which the processed surface is horizontally positioned and ready for polishing. Similarly, polished disk-shaped substrates S are transferred en bloc from the polishing unit 10 to the unloader unit 70 in a polishing orientation, and then transferred one by one from the unloader unit 70 to the cleaning and drying unit 61. The cleaned and dried disk-shaped substrates S are stored in a cassette case C in a predetermined number and discharged from the discharge unit 62 to the outside of the apparatus. The number of disk-shaped substrates S removed from the cassette case C and the number of disk-shaped substrates S transferred from the unloader unit 70 to the cleaning and drying unit 61 may be one or more, e.g., two.

[0023] The detailed configuration and operation of each part will be described below.

[0024] (polishing section) As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the polishing unit 10 can be, for example, a planetary gear type polishing unit composed of a lower surface plate 11, an upper surface plate 15, a sun gear 20, an internal gear 22, a carrier 30, etc.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, the lower surface plate 11 is a circular disk member having a horizontal upper surface. A polishing cloth 12a is attached to the upper surface of the lower surface plate 11. The lower surface of the lower surface plate 11 is attached to a lower support member 13 that is rotatable about a vertical axis Q. Furthermore, the lower support member 13 is connected to a lower surface plate rotation drive unit 14, so that the lower surface plate 11 and the lower support member 13 can rotate.

[0026] Like the lower surface plate 11, the upper surface plate 15 is a disk member having a circular, horizontal lower surface. A polishing cloth 12b is attached to the lower surface of the upper surface plate 15, facing the lower surface plate 11. The upper surface of the upper surface plate 15 is attached to an upper support member 16 that can rotate about a vertical axis Q. The upper support member 16 is further connected to an upper surface plate rotation drive unit 17, thereby rotating the upper surface plate 15 and the upper support member 16. The upper surface plate 15 and the upper support member 16 are supported so as to be able to move up and down along the vertical axis Q, and are configured to be raised and lowered by driving an upper surface plate lift drive unit (not shown). The upper surface plate 15 also has a large number of polishing liquid supply holes 18 and stripping fluid supply holes 19 that penetrate the polishing cloth 12b.

[0027] The sun gear 20 is rotatably provided at the center of the grinding unit 10, and is configured to rotate about the vertical axis Q by being driven by the sun gear rotation drive unit 21. However, if the internal gear 22 is rotated, the sun gear 20 may be mounted non-rotatably. The sun gear 20 may be a spur gear or a pin gear with a row of teeth integrally formed on its side surface.

[0028] The internal gear 22 is a ring-shaped gear having a row of teeth on its inner circumference, and is arranged concentrically around the sun gear 20. In this embodiment, the internal gear 22 is mounted non-rotatably, but in the present disclosure, it may be configured to be rotatable about the vertical axis Q by additionally installing an internal gear rotation drive unit. Furthermore, like the sun gear 20, the internal gear 22 may be a pin gear or the like in addition to a spur gear.

[0029] The carrier 30 is a thin, disk-shaped member having a row of teeth on its outer periphery. A plurality of holding holes 31 are formed in the carrier 30 for loading and holding the disk-shaped substrate S, which is the workpiece. A plurality of carriers 30 are arranged in the polishing section 10. These carriers 30 mesh with the sun gear 20 and the internal gear 22, and rotate around the sun gear 20 while revolving around it in response to the rotation of the sun gear 20 and / or the internal gear 22.

[0030] In the polishing section 10, the disk-shaped substrate S held by the carrier 30 is sandwiched between the upper surface plate 15 and the lower surface plate 11, and the carrier 30 is revolved and rotated in this state, thereby polishing both the upper and lower surfaces of the disk-shaped substrate S. In this polishing section 10, the donut-shaped region between the sun gear 20 and the internal gear 22, and sandwiched between the upper surface plate 15 and the lower surface plate 11, forms the actual polishing region.

[0031] A polishing liquid supply device 34 is provided above the upper surface plate 15. The polishing liquid supply device 34 includes a gutter-shaped body 35 and nozzles 36 and 37. The nozzle 36 introduces the polishing liquid and the rinse liquid into the gutter-shaped body 35. The polishing liquid supply device 34 also includes tanks (not shown) that store the polishing liquid and the rinse liquid, tubes (not shown) that connect these tanks to the nozzles 36 and 37, and a tube 38 that is connected to the gutter-shaped body 35 and supplies the polishing liquid to the polishing unit 10. The tube 38 is connected to and communicates with the polishing liquid supply hole 18 of the upper surface plate 15. The tube 39 introduces a peeling fluid for peeling off the disk-shaped substrate S stuck to the upper surface plate 15. The peeling fluid may be a liquid or a gas, as long as it is capable of peeling off the disk-shaped substrate S.

[0032] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the number of carriers 30 is eight. Each carrier 30 has five holding holes 31.

[0033] (Loader section) For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the loader unit 40 is disposed in front of the polishing unit 10 and has a circular table 41 rotatably mounted on a platform (not shown), and a transfer device 50 disposed above the table 41.

[0034] Plates 42, the same number as the carriers 30 of the polishing unit 10, are attached to the table 41 in the same arrangement as the carriers 30. Each plate 42 has a bottomed circular recess at a position corresponding to the holding hole 31 of the carrier 30, and the plates are connected to each other by a groove (not shown) provided in the bottom. A ring-shaped resin loading tray 45 is fitted flush with these circular recesses to form a bottomed recess, and is configured to store a cleaning liquid (not shown). A ring-shaped step (not shown) is formed on the inner periphery of the loading tray 45, for example, by carving out a recess. The disk-shaped substrate S is supported at the position of this ring-shaped step, with the outer edge of the lower surface in contact with it.

[0035] In addition, a bank (not shown) is provided around the periphery of the upper surface of the plate 42 to hold back the cleaning liquid. When cleaning liquid is supplied onto the plate 42 from water supply pipes 47 extending radially from the center of the table 41, the cleaning liquid flows into the loading tray 45 and is then supplied to the other loading trays 45 through the grooves, resulting in a predetermined liquid level. By connecting the circular recesses in this manner, the liquid level of the multiple loading trays 45 can be easily adjusted. The cleaning liquid in the loading trays 45 can be drained appropriately by overflowing from the plate 42 or by providing a drain outlet at the bottom of the grooves of the table.

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 , the transfer device 50 has a movable base 51 that moves horizontally between the table 41 and the lower surface plate 11 of the polishing unit 10 and can also move up and down. The same number of gripping units 52 as the number of plates 42 are attached to the underside of the movable base 51 at corresponding positions on the plates 42. The gripping units 52 can be fabricated by attaching the same number of gripping sections 54 as the number of loading trays 45 in the plates 42 to a circular mounting plate 53 and then attaching the mounting plate 53 to the movable base 51 with mounting shafts 55. Each gripping section 54 has a pair of resin claws 56, 56 that open and close by supplying and exhausting air, for example. Grooves 57 are formed on the outer surfaces of these claws 56 to grip the peripheral end surfaces of the through-holes of the disk-shaped substrate S. The mounting positions of the gripping sections 54 correspond to the loading trays 45 on the plate 42.

[0037] (Unloader section) 2, the unloader unit 70 is disposed after the polishing unit 10. The unloader unit 70 has a circular table 71 rotatably mounted on a platform (not shown), and a transfer device 80 disposed above the table 71.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, the unloader section 70 differs from the loader section 40 in that it has a table 71 instead of the table 41 of the loader section 40, a liquid tank 72 instead of the plate 42, and a holding member 75 instead of the loading tray 45. The configuration of the cleaning liquid supply mechanism as a fluid supply mechanism also differs. Other configurations are similar except for the fact that each part is arranged symmetrically, so redundant explanations will be omitted. Below, the table 71 of the unloader section 70 will be mainly described in terms of differences from the table 41 of the loader section 40. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, the unloader section 70 has a liquid tank 72, a holding member 75, and a cleaning liquid supply mechanism B that supplies cleaning liquid W as a fluid to the liquid tank 72.

[0039] (liquid tank) As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid tank 72 has a disk-shaped bottom portion 72A having a bottom surface 72A1, and a side wall 72B extending upward from the outer periphery of the bottom portion 72A.

[0040] (Cleaning liquid supply mechanism) 6, the cleaning liquid supply mechanism B includes a cleaning liquid source R, a cleaning liquid supply pipe 77 connected to the cleaning liquid source R, and a cylindrical discharge part 79. A drive source P such as a pump that sends out the cleaning liquid W toward a discharge port 79A is connected to the cleaning liquid supply pipe 77. The discharge part 79 is connected to the cleaning liquid supply pipe 77. The cleaning liquid W is, for example, water.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 2, eight cleaning liquid supply pipes 77 extend radially from the center of the table 71 toward each of the eight liquid tanks 72. In the present disclosure, the number of cleaning liquid supply pipes is arbitrary. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the eight cleaning liquid supply pipes 77 bends toward the underside of the table 71 just before the liquid tank 72 and penetrates the table 71 to reach the underside of the table 71. As shown in FIG. 6, below the table 71, each cleaning liquid supply pipe 77 further extends along the surface of the table 71 (the left-right direction in FIG. 6) toward the center of the liquid tank 72. Each cleaning liquid supply pipe 77 bends toward the upper table 71 in FIG. 6 at the center of the liquid tank 72, further extends along the upper side, and then connects to a through-hole 72A2 that penetrates the bottom 72A of the liquid tank 72. The through-hole 72A2 is in communication with the internal space of a cylindrical discharge portion 79.

[0042] In this embodiment, the discharge part 79 is disposed at the center of the bottom surface 72A1 inside the liquid tank 72. The discharge part of the present disclosure may be disposed at a position inside the liquid tank 72 other than the center of the bottom surface 72A1. A through-hole is formed in the side wall of the discharge part 79, penetrating the side wall and connecting the internal space of the discharge part 79 to the outside. The opening on the outside side of the through-hole is a discharge port 79A for the cleaning liquid W, which opens into the inside of the liquid tank 72. The discharge ports 79A are disposed inside the liquid tank 72 corresponding to each of the five holding members 75. As shown in FIG. 6, the discharge ports 79A each open toward the holding member 75 on the side of the discharge part 79.

[0043] (holding member) As shown in Figure 4, holding member 75 is provided inside liquid vat 72 on the bottom surface of the liquid vat. In this embodiment, holding member 75 has four support portions 75A and connecting portions 75B that connect the four support portions 75A. Holding member 75 is made of, for example, resin. Holding member 75 is attached to bottom surface 72A1 of liquid vat 72, for example, at connecting portions 75B with screws that penetrate connecting portions 75B.

[0044] (Support part) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 , the support portion 75A in this embodiment is a protruding support portion having a rod-shaped protrusion that protrudes upward from the bottom surface 72A1 side of the liquid vat 72. In the present disclosure, the shape of the protrusion of the support portion is not limited to a rod shape and may be other shapes such as a plate shape. In the present embodiment, the number of support portions 75A is four, but in the present disclosure, the number of support portions 75A is not limited to four and may be three, or five or more. In the present disclosure, the number of support portions may be two or more. In the present disclosure, the number of support portions is counted corresponding to the number of contact portions CP with the disk-shaped substrate S. The support portion 75A supports the edge surface of the disk-shaped substrate S after processing. In the present disclosure, the number of locations where the support portion of the holding member supports the end face of the disk-shaped substrate is at least two. In this regard, for example, as in JP 2007-283457 A, when the disk-shaped substrate is placed inside a circular recess, the disk-shaped substrate is supported by the inner surface of the circular recess that is continuous over the entire circumferential direction. Because the inner surface of the circular recess is in continuous contact with the entire periphery of the disk-shaped substrate without any gaps, the number of locations where the circular recess supports the disk-shaped substrate is one. 4, a gap G is formed between the protruding portions of the support portion 75A that are adjacent in the circumferential direction as a second flow path portion that is an inlet or outlet for passing the cleaning liquid W. In the present disclosure, the widths of the gaps G between the protruding portions of the support portion 75A that are adjacent in the circumferential direction may be different from each other.

[0045] 6, the protruding portion of the support portion 75A has an inner surface 75A1 that contacts the lower end of the outer peripheral surface, which serves as the edge surface, of the disk-shaped substrate S. Therefore, the contact portion CP of the disk-shaped substrate S on each inner surface 75A1 of the support portion 75A overlaps with the outer peripheral surface of the disk-shaped substrate S in a plan view. The inner surface 75A1 of this embodiment corresponds to the contact surface of the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, the contact area of ​​the disk-shaped substrate S with the inner surface of the support part is not limited to the lower end of the outer peripheral surface. For example, an area other than the lower end, such as a central area of ​​the outer peripheral surface, may contact the inner surface of the support part. Furthermore, in the present disclosure, it is not excluded that a portion of the outer peripheral area of ​​the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate S may contact the support part to the extent that the impact on the quality of the disk-shaped substrate S as a product can be suppressed.

[0046] The inner surface 75A1 of the support portion 75A is an inclined surface that gradually moves outward in the radial direction of the disk-shaped substrate S from the bottom surface 72A1 on the lower side in FIG. 6 toward the upper side. In the present disclosure, the shape of the support portion is not limited to an inclined surface. In the present disclosure, the shape and arrangement of each support portion are set so that the contact portion of the inner surface of each support portion with the disk-shaped substrate is formed at a position higher than the bottom surface of the liquid tank. As shown in FIG. 6, the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate S supported from below by each support portion 75A is spaced from the bottom surface 72A1 of the liquid tank 72. Therefore, a space A that functions as a first flow path portion through which the cleaning liquid W passes is formed between the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate S and the bottom surface 72A1 of the liquid tank 72. The space A as the first flow path portion and the gap G as the second flow path portion may be continuous.

[0047] (Connection part) As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting portion 75B of this embodiment integrally connects the four support portions 75A of one holding member 75. Therefore, the holding member 75 of this embodiment is configured as an integral member. In the present disclosure, the connecting portion 75B is not essential. Three or more rod-shaped support portions 75A protruding upward from the bottom surface 72A1 of the liquid tank 72 may be arranged separately from one another. The shape of the connecting portion 75B of this embodiment is disc-shaped in plan view. In the present disclosure, the shape of the connecting portion is not limited to a disc shape and can be modified as appropriate. For example, in another example holding member 75 illustrated in FIG. 7, the connecting portion 75B is cross-shaped, so that the entire holding member 75 is cross-shaped in plan view. Even though the entire holding member 75 is cross-shaped, gaps are formed between adjacent support portions 75A in the circumferential direction as inlet or outlet ports for the cleaning liquid W, and a space that functions as a flow path for the cleaning liquid W is formed between the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate S and the bottom surface 72A1 of the liquid tank 72.

[0048] 5, the transfer device 80 corresponding to the table 71 of the unloader section 70 has a similar configuration to the transfer device 50 corresponding to the table 41 of the loader section 40, except that each part is arranged symmetrically. The transfer device 80 has a movable base 81, a gripping unit 82, a circular mounting plate 83, a gripping part 84, a mounting shaft 85, a pair of claws 86, 86, and a groove 87. For this reason, the members of the transfer device 80 of the unloader section 70 with the same names as those of the transfer device 50 of the loader section 40 have the same functions and will not be described here.

[0049] <Method of manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate> Next, a method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate using the wet polishing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0050] First, when the disk-shaped substrate is an aluminum substrate, for example, the method for manufacturing the 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 inner and outer diameters of the prepared aluminum alloy substrate are chamfered. Both main surfaces may also be cut. Grinding process: After cutting, both main surfaces of the aluminum alloy substrate are ground with a grindstone. The grinding process can reduce, for example, surface roughness and waviness. Plating process: After grinding, the surface of the aluminum alloy substrate, i.e., both main surfaces, edge surfaces, and chamfered portions, is plated with electroless nickel plating (NiP) or other plating materials. The plating process can harden the surface and suppress surface defects. A heating process may be performed after completing the above three processes. Polishing step: Both main surfaces of the aluminum alloy substrate on which the plating film has been formed are polished.

[0051] When the disk-shaped substrate is a glass substrate, the method for manufacturing the 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. 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 performed 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.

[0052] (Work process) Next, the polishing process for the disk-shaped substrate will be specifically described. In the above-mentioned wet polishing apparatus 1, while the disk-shaped substrate S is being transferred through each section, polishing, cleaning, and drying may be performed successively in the following order (i) to (ix).

[0053] In preparation for continuous processing, in the wet polishing apparatus 1, cleaning liquid is supplied from the water supply pipe 47 of the loader section 40 and the cleaning liquid supply pipe 77 of the unloader section 70, and stored inside the loading tray 45 and the liquid tank 72. The type of cleaning liquid is not limited, but it is preferable to use water or the dispersion medium of the polishing liquid. Since the dispersion medium is a component of the polishing liquid, it may be mixed into the polishing liquid by being brought into the polishing section 10 during transfer. In addition to the dispersion medium, it is preferable to use water.

[0054] (i) The conveyor of the supply unit 60 transports the cassette case C to the side of the table 41 of the loader unit 40.

[0055] (ii) The disk-shaped substrates S in the cassette case C are taken out one by one and transferred to the table 41, and are placed on the loading trays 45 so that the polished surfaces are horizontal. The table 41 is rotated as needed while the transfer operation is performed, and the disk-shaped substrates S are placed in an unfolded state on each loading tray 45. Since the cleaning liquid W is stored in the loading trays 45, the disk-shaped substrates S are submerged in the liquid.

[0056] (iii) The transfer device 50 of the loader unit 40 is moved to directly above the table 41, and then the movable substrate 51 is lowered. The claws 56, 56 of each gripping unit 54 are inserted into the through-hole of the disk-shaped substrate S, and after insertion, they open, thereby gripping the peripheral end surface of the through-hole using the groove 57. Since the gripping units 54 are provided corresponding to each loading tray 45, each disk-shaped substrate S is gripped with minimal time difference. Furthermore, since the loading tray 45 is filled with cleaning liquid W, the claws 56, 56 of the gripping units 54 are immersed in the cleaning liquid and are cleaned.

[0057] (iv) The movable substrate 51 rises and moves to a position directly above the lower surface plate 11 of the polishing unit 10. Subsequently, the movable substrate 51 descends, and the disk-shaped substrate S is loaded into the holding hole 31 of the carrier 30. Then, the claws 56, 56 of the gripping unit 54 close, and the movable substrate 51 rises and moves horizontally, returning to the loader unit 40. As a result, a predetermined number of processed disk-shaped substrates S are transferred all at once from the loader unit 40 to the polishing unit 10.

[0058] (v) Next, in the polishing section 10, the upper surface plate 15 descends and the disk-shaped substrate S loaded on the carrier 30 is sandwiched between the upper surface plate 15 and the lower surface plate 11. Then, both main surfaces of the disk-shaped substrate S are polished while a polishing liquid is supplied from the polishing liquid supply device 34. After polishing is completed, the upper surface plate 15 ascends.

[0059] (vi) Next, the movable substrate 81 of the transfer device 80 of the unloader section 70 moves to directly above the lower surface plate 11 and then descends. The claws 86, 86 of each gripping section 84 are inserted into the through-holes of the disk-shaped substrate S, and after insertion, they open, thereby gripping the peripheral end surface of the through-hole using the groove 87. Since the gripping sections 84 are provided corresponding to each disk-shaped substrate S, each disk-shaped substrate S is gripped with minimal time difference.

[0060] (vii) Next, the movable substrate 81 rises and moves to directly above the table 71 of the unloader section 70, and then the movable substrate 81 descends. When the disk-shaped substrate S is placed on the holding member 75 inside the liquid tank 72, the claws 86, 86 of the gripping section 84 close. This releases the gripping by the gripping section 84, and then the movable substrate 81 ascends. Because the cleaning liquid W is stored in the liquid tank 72, the disk-shaped substrate S is placed in a submerged state in the liquid. The claws 86, 86 of the gripping section 84 ascend after being immersed in the cleaning liquid W and cleaned. In this way, a predetermined number of processed disk-shaped substrates S are transferred all at once from the polishing section 10 to the unloader section 70.

[0061] Next, the cleaning liquid W is supplied from the side of the disk-shaped substrate S supported by the holding member 75 toward the disk-shaped substrate S using the outlet 79A of the outlet unit 79 of the cleaning liquid supply mechanism B. The supplied cleaning liquid W flows toward the inside of the disk-shaped substrate S from an inlet in the gap G between adjacent support members 75A in the circumferential direction. On the underside of the disk-shaped substrate S in FIG. 6, the cleaning liquid W flows using the space A between the bottom surface of the liquid tank 72 and the contact part CP as a flow path. The cleaning liquid W flowing in the space A then flows out toward the outside of the disk-shaped substrate S from an outlet in the gap G between adjacent support members 75A in the circumferential direction. As a flow pattern of the cleaning liquid W on the underside of one holding member 75, a plurality of flow patterns can be formed, with each of the four gaps G serving as an inlet or an outlet.

[0062] (viii) Next, the disk-shaped substrates S placed on the unloader section 70 are transferred one by one to the cleaning and drying section 61, where they are cleaned and dried. After drying, the processed disk-shaped substrates S are transferred and stored in a cassette case C, and then discharged outside the apparatus using the discharge conveyor of the discharge section 62.

[0063] (ix) In the wet polishing apparatus 1, the cycle of (i) to (viii) above is repeated.

[0064] In the wet polishing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, inside the liquid tank 72, the discharge port 79A for the cleaning liquid W opens to the side of the holding member 75. In addition, a space A for allowing the cleaning liquid W to pass is formed between the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate S at the support portion 75A and the bottom surface 72A1 of the liquid tank 72.

[0065] Inside the liquid tank 72, the cleaning liquid W supplied from the discharge port 79A comes into contact with the underside of the disk-shaped substrate S supported by the support portion 75A of the holding member 75. For this reason, in this embodiment, the occurrence of marks caused by abrasive components adhering to the underside of the disk-shaped substrate S can be reduced compared to, for example, a case in which the cleaning water is supplied from above the disk-shaped substrate S with the disk-shaped substrate S placed inside a circular recess.

[0066] In this embodiment, the support portions 75A of the holding member 75 are protruding support portions each having a contact surface that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the disk-shaped substrate S and having four protruding portions that protrude upward from the bottom surface of the liquid tank 72 and are arranged along the circumferential direction. The holding member 75 also has gaps G between the protruding portions of the support portions 75A that are adjacent in the circumferential direction, allowing the cleaning liquid W to pass through. This improves the fluidity of the cleaning liquid W.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, holding member 75 has connecting portions 75B that connect four rod-shaped support portions 75A. Because holding member 75 is integrally formed as a single member without having multiple separate members, the number of members is reduced compared to when holding member 75 has multiple separate members. This makes holding member 75 easier to handle during transportation and assembly.

[0068] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the number of support portions 75A is four. Here, the disk-shaped substrate S supported by the holding member 75 is subjected to centrifugal force from the rotating table 71 and a force from the flow of cleaning liquid W from the discharge port 79A of the cleaning liquid supply mechanism B. These forces act in a direction to remove the disk-shaped substrate S from above the support portions 75A. Therefore, in this embodiment, in which the number of support portions 75A of the holding member 75 is four, the disk-shaped substrate S can be supported more stably than when the number of support portions 75A is three.

[0069] One or more of the effects obtained from the above-described embodiment can also be obtained in grinding processing.

[0070] <Other embodiments> Although the present disclosure has been described using the above disclosed embodiments, the descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the fluid is a cleaning liquid, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto and any fluid other than a cleaning liquid may be used.

[0071] In the present disclosure, the configuration of the polishing unit is not limited to the combination of the sun gear and internal gear in the above embodiment that rotates and revolves the carrier, and any sliding means can be incorporated. Furthermore, the configuration of the device other than the loader unit and unloader unit, and the method of transferring the disk-shaped substrate to the loader unit and the method of transferring it from the unloader unit to the next process are also not limited.

[0072] In the present disclosure, the number of holding members in the unloader section must be at least one, and cases where the number of holding members does not match the total number of holding holes in the carrier are also included in the present disclosure. However, providing the same number of holding members as the number of holding holes in the carrier enables simultaneous transfer, thereby improving work efficiency. Also included in the present disclosure is a configuration in which the liquid tank and holding member are integrated. Furthermore, the present disclosure does not limit the method of supplying cleaning water.

[0073] Furthermore, in the present disclosure, the shape of the disk-shaped substrate and the polishing portion are not limited. In the unloader section, the mounting posture of the holding member can be set according to the shape of the disk-shaped substrate and the polishing portion, and the shape of the holding member can be designed.

[0074] In addition, in the present disclosure, partial configurations of each of the above-described embodiments may be combined. 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]

[0075] 1. Wet polishing equipment (disk-shaped substrate manufacturing equipment) 10 Polishing section (processing section) 70 Unloader section 72 Liquid tank 72A1 Bottom 75 Holding member 75A Support part 75B Connection part A Space (first flow path part) B: Cleaning liquid supply mechanism (fluid supply mechanism) G: Gap (second flow path section) S: Disk-shaped substrate W: Cleaning liquid (fluid)

Claims

1. a processing unit that performs grinding or polishing on the disk-shaped substrate; an unloader unit that includes the following (a) to (c), is disposed downstream of the processing unit, and transfers the processed disk-shaped substrate from the processing unit; (a) Liquid tank; (b) a fluid supply mechanism that supplies a fluid to the liquid tank; (c) a holding member provided on the bottom surface of the liquid vat, the holding member having a support portion that supports an end surface of the processed disk-shaped substrate at at least two locations, and a first flow path portion that is formed between the processed disk-shaped substrate and the bottom surface of the liquid vat and allows a fluid to pass through; An apparatus for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate comprising:

2. the support portion of the holding member is a protruding support portion having a contact surface that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the disk-shaped substrate, and having three or more protruding portions that protrude upward from the bottom surface of the liquid vat and are arranged along the circumferential direction, the retaining member has a second flow path portion that allows the fluid to pass between the protrusions adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The holding member has a connecting portion that integrally connects three or more of the support portions. The disk-shaped substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 .

4. The number of the support parts is four. The apparatus for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 2 or 3.

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