Processing apparatus and processing method

Abstract

To provide a processing apparatus and processing method that can suppress the risk of airflow disturbance when the holding table is rotated, due to the shape of the movement restricting means that holds the workpiece on the holding table. [Solution] The processing apparatus 1 for processing an object to be processed 100 is characterized by comprising: a rotatable holding table 10 for holding the object to be processed 100; a fluid supply nozzle 20 for supplying fluid to the object to be processed 100 held on the holding table 10; a movement restricting means 30 disposed on the outer circumference of the holding table 10 and having a pressing portion 32 for pressing down on the object to be processed 100; and a cover 40 having a first opening 43 through which the pressing portion 32 can pass, surrounding the holding table 10 and housing the movement restricting means 30.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a processing method.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a cleaning apparatus that holds a processed wafer on a rotatable holding table and sprays fluid from a nozzle onto the wafer held on the rotating holding table for cleaning (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Such a holding table is provided with a pendulum clamp (movement restricting means) that swings due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the holding table and presses a frame integrated with the wafer via a tape. While the pendulum clamp has the advantage of being able to press the frame with a simple configuration, the shape having discontinuous protrusions of the pendulum clamp generates turbulence in the air flow when the holding table is rotated, and there is a problem that mist containing particles scattered by hitting the wafer stays in the chamber and adheres to the wafer again.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a processing apparatus and a processing method capable of suppressing the risk of air flow turbulence when the holding table is rotated due to the shape of the movement restricting means for pressing the object to be processed on the holding table.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the present invention provides a processing apparatus for processing an object to be processed, comprising: a rotatable holding table for holding the object to be processed; a fluid supply nozzle for supplying fluid to the object held on the holding table; a movement restricting means disposed on the outer periphery of the holding table and having a pressing portion for holding the object to be processed; and a cover having a first opening through which the pressing portion can pass, surrounding the holding table and housing the movement restricting means.

[0007] The bottom of the cover may be provided with a second opening for discharging fluid.

[0008] The movement restricting means may have a weight portion that is rotatably supported on the outer circumference of the holding table and swings outward due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the holding table, and a pressing portion that swings inward in accordance with the outward swing of the weight portion to hold the workpiece in place.

[0009] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the processing method of the present invention is a processing method using the above-described processing apparatus, comprising: a holding step of housing the movement restricting means in the cover and holding the object to be processed with the holding table; and a fluid supply step of supplying fluid to the object to be processed with the fluid supply nozzle while rotating the holding table. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The present invention involves a cover that surrounds the holding table and houses the movement restricting means. Therefore, the present invention can suppress the risk of the airflow generated when the holding table is rotated being disturbed due to the discontinuous protrusions of the movement restricting means. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the main components of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the processing method according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. Furthermore, the components described below include those that can be easily imagined by those skilled in the art, and those that are substantially the same. In addition, the components described below can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0013] [Embodiment] The processing apparatus 1 and processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment. Figures 2 and 3 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the processing apparatus 1 of Figure 1, respectively. In Figure 2, for the purpose of explaining the present invention, the workpiece 100 and the adhesive tape attached to the workpiece 100 are omitted from the illustration, and an annular frame 110 attached to the workpiece 100 via adhesive tape is shown. The processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment includes a holding table 10, a fluid supply nozzle 20, a movement restricting means 30, and a cover 40, as shown in Figure 1.

[0014] The workpiece 100 to be processed by the processing apparatus 1 and processing method according to the embodiment is, as shown in Figure 1, a wafer such as a disc-shaped semiconductor wafer or optical device wafer made of silicon, sapphire, silicon carbide (SiC), gallium arsenide, glass, etc. as the base material. As shown in Figure 1, the workpiece 100 has chip-shaped devices formed in areas partitioned by a plurality of division lines formed in a grid pattern on a flat surface. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, adhesive tape is attached to the back surface of the workpiece 100, and an annular frame 110 is attached to the outer edge of the adhesive tape, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, the workpiece 100 in the present invention may be a rectangular package substrate having a plurality of resin-sealed devices, a ceramic plate, or a glass plate, etc.

[0015] In this embodiment, the holding table 10 is a rotatable table, a so-called spinner table, that holds the workpiece 100. The holding table 10 is formed in a disc shape, and its upper surface is formed to be generally flat. In this embodiment, the holding table 10 is formed with an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece 100 and slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the frame 110 mounted on the workpiece 100, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0016] The upper surface of the holding table 10 is a holding surface 11 on which the workpiece 100 is placed and which holds the placed workpiece 100. In this embodiment, the workpiece 100 is placed with its surface facing upward, and the holding surface 11 holds the placed workpiece 100 from the back side via adhesive tape. The holding table 10 is connected to a rotary drive source 15 below and is rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the horizontal plane and parallel to the vertical direction by the rotary drive source 15.

[0017] The fluid supply nozzle 20 supplies fluid from above the workpiece 100 to the surface of the workpiece 100 held by the holding table 10. In this embodiment, the fluid supply nozzle 20 may supply a cleaning fluid for cleaning the surface of the workpiece 100, or may supply a resin fluid for coating treatment to form a resin film on the surface of the workpiece 100.

[0018] In this embodiment, the cleaning fluid is, for example, pure water or a two-fluid mixture of pure water and air. In this embodiment, the resin fluid is, for example, a water-soluble resin, specifically, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), etc., and Hogomax (registered trademark) manufactured by DISCO Corporation can also be used.

[0019] When the fluid supply nozzle 20 supplies the cleaning fluid, the processing apparatus 1 serves as a cleaning apparatus that performs a cleaning process on the surface of the workpiece 100 with the cleaning fluid. When the fluid supply nozzle 20 supplies the resin fluid, the processing apparatus 1 serves as a resin film forming apparatus that performs a coating process to form a resin film on the surface of the workpiece 100 with the resin fluid. The processing apparatus 1 can be changed between a cleaning apparatus and a resin film forming apparatus by changing the fluid supplied by the fluid supply nozzle 20 between the cleaning fluid and the resin fluid.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the movement restricting means 30 is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the holding table 10 at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the holding table 10 (four in the examples shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). The movement restricting means 30 presses the frame 110 attached to the workpiece 100 held by the holding table 10 by the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the holding table 10, and restricts the movement of the workpiece 100.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the movement restricting means 30 is integrally formed and extends in one direction. It is pivotally supported around the axis 35 along the circumferential direction via a support member 39 that extends in the outer circumferential direction from the outer circumferential edge of the holding table 10 on the outer peripheral portion of the holding table 10. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the movement restricting means 30 has a weight portion 31 and a pressing portion 32. The weight portion 31 is formed below the axis 35 and is heavier than the pressing portion 32. The pressing portion 32 is formed above the axis 35, and the tip portion is formed in a hook shape that bends like a key inward in the radial direction.

[0022] When no rotational operation is applied to the holding table 10, the weight portion 31, which has a larger mass than the pressing portion 32, is positioned vertically downward with respect to the axis 35 according to gravity. When no rotational operation is applied to the holding table 10, the pressing portion 32 is positioned vertically upward with respect to the axis 35 and does not restrict the movement of the workpiece 100 without pressing the frame 110 attached to the workpiece 100 on the holding table 10 from above.

[0023] When a rotational operation is applied to the holding table 10, the weight portion 31, which has a larger mass than the pressing portion 32, swings to the outer peripheral side due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the holding table 10. The pressing portion 32 swings to the inner peripheral side following the swing of the weight portion 31 to the outer peripheral side due to the rotation of the holding table 10, presses the frame 110 attached to the workpiece 100 on the holding table 10 from above, and restricts the movement of the workpiece 100.

[0024] In this embodiment, as described above, the movement restricting means 30 has the weight portion 31 and the pressing portion 32. By simply changing whether or not to rotate the holding table 10 by the rotational operation of the holding table 10, the state of releasing the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 and the movement restricting state of pressing the workpiece 100 on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 can be preferably switched. Note that the movement restricting means 30 is not limited to this in the present invention, and for example, it may be configured to switch these states by an operation process involving other electrical controls.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cover 40 is formed in an annular shape. As shown in Figure 3, the inner diameter of the cover 40 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the holding table 10. In addition, the cover 40 has an annular space 41 formed inside, and an annular groove 42 is formed on the inner circumference side, connecting the internal space 41 to the outside.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, the space 41 is formed in a shape and size that covers the swinging area of ​​the weight portion 31 and the pressing portion 32 of the movement restricting means 30. The cover 40 is attached and disposed from the outer circumference of the holding table 10 so as to sandwich the support member 39 in the groove 42. When attached in this manner, the cover 40 surrounds the holding table 10 and houses the movement restricting means 30 within the space 41, functioning as a member that covers the movement restricting means 30 from the outer circumference. When attached in this manner, the cover 40 is stably supported by the support member 39. When attaching the cover 40, the area facing the lower surface of the support member 39 may be fixed to the lower surface of the support member 39 by adhesive or other means. The cover 40 can maintain its shape without moving or deforming due to the swinging of the movement restricting means 30 housed inside the space 41.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the cover 40 has a first opening 43 through which the pressing portion 32 can pass. The first opening 43 is formed above the groove 42, in a position corresponding to the area that accommodates the movement restricting means 30. When the holding table 10 is not subjected to rotational movement, the entire pressing portion 32 is positioned on the side of the space 41 beyond the first opening 43 and is completely housed within the space 41. When the holding table 10 is subjected to rotational movement, as shown in Figure 3, the pressing portion 32 swings inward, its tip passes through the first opening 43 and is positioned outside the space 41, pressing down on the frame 110 attached to the workpiece 100 on the holding table 10 from above.

[0028] Regardless of whether the holding table 10 is subjected to rotational motion or not, and regardless of whether it swings outward, the entire weight portion 31 is positioned on the side of the space 41 and is completely housed within the space 41. In this way, the cover 40 houses all parts of the movement restricting means 30, except for the tip of the pressing portion 32 that presses down on the frame 110 attached to the workpiece 100 on the holding table 10 from above, within the space 41. Therefore, the cover 40 can suppress the risk of airflow disturbance when the holding table 10 is rotated, which may be caused by the shape of the movement restricting means 30 that presses down on the workpiece 100 on the holding table 10.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the cover 40 may be provided with a second opening 44 for discharging fluid at the bottom 46 of the cover 40. The second opening 44 is formed at any position in the bottom 46 below the groove 42. Furthermore, it is preferable that the second opening 44 is formed at a position different from the position corresponding to the area that accommodates the movement restricting means 30. In this case, the second opening 44 can suitably discharge downward the fluid supplied from the fluid supply nozzle 20 and which has contributed to the processing of the workpiece 100, without hindering the effect of suppressing the risk of airflow turbulence when the holding table 10 is rotated due to the shape of the movement restricting means 30.

[0030] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the outer circumferential surface 45 of the cover 40 is formed as a smooth curved surface that does not disturb the airflow generated by the rotation of the holding table 10. In other words, the outer circumferential surface 45 of the cover 40 has no discontinuous protrusions that would disturb the airflow generated by the rotation of the holding table 10. Here, the outer circumferential surface 45 of the cover 40 refers to the surface that faces outward with respect to the movement restricting means 30 when it is mounted as described above, and refers to the surface that faces outward, excluding the groove 42 that holds the support member 39, the end face portion where the first opening 43 through which the pressing portion 32 enters and exits is formed, and the portion where the second opening 44 is formed. For this reason, the cover 40 can suppress the risk of disturbing the airflow generated by the rotation of the holding table 10.

[0031] It is preferable that the outer circumferential surface 45 of the cover 40 is formed as a curved surface whose shape does not change substantially (approximately) with respect to the circumferential direction about the rotation axis of the holding table 10, that is, it is preferable that it is formed as a curved surface that is substantially (approximately) axially symmetric with respect to the rotation axis of the holding table 10. In this case, the cover 40 can more effectively suppress the risk of disturbing the airflow generated by the rotation of the holding table 10.

[0032] The processing unit 1 according to this embodiment includes a control unit (not shown). The control unit controls the operation of each component of the processing unit 1 to cause the processing unit 1 to perform various processes, including the processing method according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the control unit includes a computer system. The computer system included in the control unit includes an arithmetic processing unit having a microprocessor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device having memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory), and an input / output interface device. The arithmetic processing unit of the control unit performs arithmetic processing according to a computer program stored in the storage device of the control unit and outputs control signals for controlling the processing unit 1 to each component of the processing unit 1 via the input / output interface device of the control unit.

[0033] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the processing method according to the embodiment. The processing method according to the embodiment is an example of operation processing using the processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment, and as shown in Figure 4, comprises a holding step 1001 and a fluid supply step 1002.

[0034] The holding step 1001 is a step in which the movement restricting means 30 is housed in the cover 40 and the workpiece 100 is held in the holding table 10, as shown in Figure 1. In the holding step 1001, first, the cover 40 is attached to the outer circumference of the holding table 10 so as to sandwich the support member 39 in the groove 42, thereby surrounding the holding table 10 and housing the movement restricting means 30 in the space 41 with the cover 40. Next in the holding step 1001, the workpiece 100 is transported onto the holding table 10 by a transport unit (not shown) or the like and placed thereon, thereby holding the workpiece 100 on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10.

[0035] In the holding step 1001, since the holding table 10 is not rotated, the pressing portion 32 of the movement restricting means 30 does not swing inward. As a result, the outer peripheral area of ​​the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 is not covered by the pressing portion 32 of the movement restricting means 30 and is open. Therefore, in the holding step 1001, the object to be processed 100 can be suitably transported and placed on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10.

[0036] The fluid supply step 1002 is a step in which, after the holding step 1001 has been performed, the holding table 10 is rotated while the fluid is supplied to the workpiece 100 using the fluid supply nozzle 20. In the fluid supply step 1002, first, the rotation drive source 15 rotates the holding table 10 on which the workpiece 100 is held by the holding surface 11. This causes the pressing portion 32 of the movement restricting means 30 to swing inward, pressing down from above on the frame 110 attached to the workpiece 100 on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10, thereby restricting the movement of the workpiece 100. Next, in the fluid supply step 1002, the holding table 10 is rotated in this manner, and with the movement of the workpiece 100 on the holding table 10 restricted by the movement restricting means 30, fluid is supplied to the workpiece 100 on the holding table 10 using the fluid supply nozzle 20. This allows the fluid to spread across the entire surface of the workpiece 100 on the holding table 10, and the entire surface of the workpiece 100 is treated with the fluid.

[0037] In the fluid supply step 1002, the holding table 10 is rotated with the movement restricting means 30 housed in the cover 40. As a result, the airflow generated by the rotation of the holding table 10 is not affected by the discontinuous protrusions of the movement restricting means 30, but flows along the smooth curved outer surface 45. This suppresses the risk of the airflow generated by the rotation of the holding table 10 being disturbed due to the discontinuous protrusions of the movement restricting means 30. Consequently, in the fluid supply step 1002, the risk of the fluid supplied to the workpiece 100 on the holding table 10 by the fluid supply nozzle 20 being disturbed due to airflow is reduced, allowing for stable fluid processing and suppressing the risk of various problems caused by fluid flow disturbance.

[0038] The apparatus 1 and processing method according to the embodiment having the above configuration surround the holding table 10 with a cover 40 and house the movement restricting means 30. Therefore, the apparatus 1 and processing method according to the embodiment have the effect of suppressing the risk of the airflow generated when the holding table 10 is rotated being disturbed due to the discontinuous protrusions of the shape of the movement restricting means 30.

[0039] As a result, the apparatus 1 and processing method according to the embodiment reduce the risk of the fluid supplied to the workpiece 100 on the holding table 10 by the fluid supply nozzle 20 being disturbed by airflow, enabling processing with a stable fluid and suppressing the risk of various problems caused by disturbance in the fluid flow. For example, the apparatus 1 and processing method according to the embodiment can suppress the risk of problems occurring where mist containing particles scattered after hitting the workpiece 100 remains in the chamber and adheres to the workpiece 100 again.

[0040] Furthermore, the apparatus 1 and processing method according to the embodiment are provided with a second opening 44 for discharging fluid at the bottom 46 of the cover 40. Therefore, the apparatus 1 and processing method according to the embodiment can suitably discharge the fluid supplied from the fluid supply nozzle 20 and which has contributed to the processing of the workpiece 100 downwards.

[0041] Furthermore, the processing apparatus 1 and processing method according to the embodiment include a movement restricting means 30 which is rotatably supported on the outer circumference of the holding table 10 and has a weight portion 31 that swings outward due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the holding table 10, and a pressing portion 32 that swings inward in response to the swing of the weight portion 31 outward to press down on the workpiece 100. For this reason, the processing apparatus 1 and processing method according to the embodiment can suitably switch between a state in which the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 is open and a movement restricting state in which the workpiece 100 on the holding surface 11 of the holding table 10 is pressed down, simply by changing whether or not to rotate the holding table 10, without performing any other operational processing.

[0042] [Examples] Next, the inventors of the present invention confirmed the effects of the processing apparatus 1 and processing method according to the embodiment. As an "Example," the processing method according to the embodiment was carried out using the processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment. As a "Comparative Example," a conventional processing apparatus equivalent to the one according to the embodiment, which does not include the cover 40 according to the present invention, was used, and the conventional processing method according to the embodiment was carried out in which the movement restricting means 30 is not covered by the cover 40 according to the present invention.

[0043] The environmental conditions were kept the same for both the "Examples" and the "Comparative Examples." Specifically, the environment was air (average molecular weight = 28.8 g), under atmospheric pressure (1013 hPa), at an ambient temperature of 20°C, with no intake or exhaust that could affect the airflow. In addition, the rotation speed of the holding table 10 was set to 1500 rpm (revolutions per minute) in both cases, and the time for applying rotational motion to the holding table 10 was set to 3 seconds in both cases.

[0044] As a result, in the "Example," no turbulence in the airflow was detected or observed, and no turbulence in the flow of the fluid supplied onto the workpiece 100 by the fluid supply nozzle 20 was detected or observed, resulting in a good processing result for the workpiece 100. In contrast, in the "Comparative Example," even though it was only for a period of 3 seconds, symmetry was broken in the part of the movement restricting means 30, causing turbulence in the airflow to be detected and observed, and turbulence in the flow of the fluid supplied onto the workpiece 100 by the fluid supply nozzle 20 was also detected and observed, confirming that problems occurred during processing of the workpiece 100.

[0045] This revealed that by surrounding the holding table 10 with the cover 40 and housing the movement restricting means 30, turbulence in the airflow generated when the holding table 10 is rotated can be suppressed, thereby suppressing turbulence in the fluid flow and reducing the risk of various problems caused by turbulence in the fluid flow.

[0046] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. That is, it can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the core principles of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 1 Processing Unit 10 Retention Table 20 Fluid supply nozzles 30 Movement control measures 31 Weight 32 Pressing part 40 Cover 43. First opening 44. Second opening 100 Items to be processed 1001 Holding step 1002 Fluid supply step

Claims

1. Apparatus for processing an object to be processed, A rotatable holding table for holding the object to be processed, A fluid supply nozzle that supplies fluid to an object to be processed held on the holding table, A movement restricting means is provided on the outer periphery of the holding table and has a pressing portion for holding down the object to be processed, A cover having a first opening through which the retaining portion can pass, surrounding the holding table and housing the movement restricting means, A processing apparatus characterized by comprising:

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottom of the cover is provided with a second opening for discharging fluid.

3. The means of restricting movement is, A weight portion is rotatably supported on the outer circumference of the holding table and swings outward due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the holding table, and a pressing portion swings inward in accordance with the outward swing of the weight portion to hold the workpiece in place. The apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, having

4. A processing method using the processing apparatus described in claim 1, A holding step in which the movement restricting means is housed in the cover and the object to be processed is held on the holding table, A fluid supply step involves rotating the holding table while supplying fluid to the workpiece with the fluid supply nozzle, A processing method comprising the following:

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