Disk-shaped substrate processing apparatus, disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system, disk-shaped substrate processing method, and disk-shaped substrate manufacturing method

Abstract

No complex control is required, and the yield of disk-shaped substrates is improved. A processing device for disk-shaped substrates includes a determination unit that determines the curvature direction of the disk-shaped substrate, and an inversion unit that aligns the curvature directions of a plurality of disk-shaped substrates based on the determination by the determination unit.

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a control system for a double-sided polishing apparatus that polishes the TOP and BOT surfaces of an object to be polished by sandwiching the object between an upper and lower platen and rotating the upper and lower platen. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-10952 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the TOP surface work required for polishing the TOP surface and the BOT surface work required for polishing the BOT surface are calculated, and the polishing conditions are controlled so that the difference between the calculated TOP surface work and BOT surface work falls within a predetermined range. It is said that the flatness of the substrate can be quickly controlled with high accuracy.

[0005] By controlling the flatness of the substrate in this manner, when further processing, such as polishing, is carried out in a later step, the processing conditions can be made uniform, and the substrate yield can be increased.

[0006] However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, polishing conditions are set separately for both sides of the object to be polished, and control is complicated.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a disk-shaped substrate processing apparatus, a disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system, a disk-shaped substrate processing method, and a disk-shaped substrate manufacturing method that do not require complex control and can improve the yield of disk-shaped substrates. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present disclosure includes the following aspects. <1> A determination unit that determines a curvature direction of the disk-shaped substrate; an alignment unit that aligns the curvature directions of the plurality of disk-shaped substrates based on the determination by the determination unit; The processing apparatus for a disk-shaped substrate comprising: <2> The alignment unit includes an inversion unit that aligns the curvature directions of the plurality of disk-shaped substrates by inverting the disk-shaped substrates. <1> The processing apparatus for the disk-shaped substrate according to claim 1 . <3> The determination unit is capable of measuring the degree of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate, a sorting unit that sorts the plurality of disk-shaped substrates according to the degree of curvature. <1> or <2> The processing apparatus for the disk-shaped substrate according to claim 1 <4> a storage unit that stores the disk-shaped substrates sorted by the sorting unit in different cases according to the degree of curvature. <4> The processing apparatus for the disk-shaped substrate according to claim 1 . <5> The determination unit is capable of measuring the degree of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate, a sorting unit that sorts out the disk-shaped substrate having a degree of curvature exceeding a threshold value; <1> ~ <4> 13. The processing apparatus for a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 12. <6> a first polishing unit that polishes a disk-shaped substrate; a determination unit that determines a curvature direction of the disk-shaped substrate polished by the first polishing unit; an alignment unit that aligns the curvature directions of the plurality of disk-shaped substrates based on the determination by the determination unit; a second polishing unit that polishes the disk-shaped substrate whose curvature direction has been aligned by the alignment unit; A disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system having <7> Determining the direction of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate; The method for processing a disk-shaped substrate further comprises aligning the curvature directions of a plurality of the disk-shaped substrates based on the determination. <8> The disk-shaped substrates are inverted to align the curvature directions of the plurality of disk-shaped substrates. <7> The method for treating a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 1. <9> Measure the degree of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate; sorting the plurality of disk-shaped substrates according to the degree of curvature; <7> or <8> The method for treating a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 1. <10> The separated disk-shaped substrates are stored in different cases according to the degree of curvature. <9> The method for treating a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 1. <11> Measure the degree of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate; Selecting the disk-shaped substrate having a degree of curvature exceeding a threshold value; <7> ~ <9> 13. A method for treating a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 12. <12> A first polishing is performed on the disk-shaped substrate; Determining a direction of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate after the first polishing; Based on the determination, the curvature directions are aligned for the plurality of disk-shaped substrates; The method for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate further comprises performing a second polishing on the disk-shaped substrate whose curvature direction has been aligned. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, complicated control is not required, and the yield of disk-shaped substrates can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a magnetic disk substrate as an example of a disk-shaped substrate. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a front view showing a magnetic disk substrate as an example of a disk-shaped substrate. [Figure 2C] FIG. 2B is a front view showing a method for measuring the flatness of a magnetic disk substrate as an example of a disk-shaped substrate. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a front view showing a magnetic disk substrate as an example of a disk-shaped substrate. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a front view showing a magnetic disk substrate as an example of a disk-shaped substrate. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is a front view showing a magnetic disk substrate as an example of a disk-shaped substrate. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a front view showing a magnetic disk substrate as an example of a disk-shaped substrate. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a front view showing a magnetic disk substrate as an example of a disk-shaped substrate. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view showing a reversing processing section in the processing apparatus for disk-shaped substrates according to the embodiment. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a side view showing a gripping unit in the processing apparatus for disk-shaped substrates according to the embodiment. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a side view showing a gripping unit in the processing apparatus for disk-shaped substrates according to the embodiment. [Figure 7C] FIG. 7C is a side view showing a gripping unit in the processing apparatus for disk-shaped substrates according to the embodiment. [Figure 8A] FIG. 8A is a front view showing an inversion unit in the processing apparatus for disk-shaped substrates according to the embodiment. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is a front view showing the reversing unit in the processing apparatus for disk-shaped substrates according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an inverting unit and a storing unit in the processing apparatus for disk-shaped substrates according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a control device in the processing apparatus for disk-shaped substrates according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of substrate processing in the processing apparatus for disk-shaped substrates according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. When an embodiment is described with reference to the drawings in this disclosure, the configuration of the embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown in the drawings. In addition, the size of the members in each drawing is conceptual, and the relative relationship between the sizes of the members is not limited to this.

[0012] In the following description of the drawings, similar parts are given similar symbols. However, the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between thickness and planar dimensions, and the ratio of thickness of each device and each member are different from the actual ones. Therefore, the specific thickness and dimensions should be determined by taking into consideration the following explanation. In addition, there are parts in which the relationship and ratio of dimensions differ between the drawings. In addition, unless otherwise specified in the specification, the number of each component of the present disclosure is not limited to one, and there may be more than one.

[0013] 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 do not limit the present disclosure.

[0014] In the present disclosure, a numerical range indicated using "~" includes the numerical values ​​before and after "~" as the minimum and maximum values, respectively.

[0015] In the numerical ranges described in the present disclosure in stages, 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 the present disclosure, the upper or lower limit value of the numerical range may be replaced with a value shown in the examples.

[0016] In the present disclosure, when components are included, 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 substances present in the composition, unless otherwise specified.

[0017] In the present disclosure, the particles corresponding to each component may include 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.

[0018] 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] <Overall configuration of the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system> The overall configuration of a disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system 12 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0020] The disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system 12 is a system used to manufacture the magnetic disk substrate 102 shown in FIG. 2A. In the present disclosure, the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system 12 may be configured to include one or more other devices necessary for manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate. The magnetic disk substrate 102 is a substrate for a hard disk in this embodiment, but may be a substrate for other applications. A through-hole 104 is formed in the center of the magnetic disk substrate 102. However, the central through-hole 104 may not be present.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2B, the magnetic disk substrate 102 has a base material 106. The base material 106 may be, for example, an aluminum plate, an aluminum alloy plate, or the like, but is not limited thereto in the present disclosure, and may be a glass plate or the like. Hereinafter, the aluminum plate, the aluminum alloy plate, the glass plate, or the like will be collectively referred to as the base material 106. Plating layers 108A and 108B are formed on the first and second surfaces of the base material 106. The plating layers 108A and 108B are, for example, electroless nickel-phosphorus plating. In this case, the surface to be polished may be the plating layers 108A and 108B.

[0022] The magnetic disk substrate 102 shown in FIG. 2B is not curved or is curved only slightly. Such a magnetic disk substrate 102 is sometimes called an ideal substrate. In contrast, the magnetic disk substrate 102 shown in FIG. 2C is curved more with the first surface side being convex than the magnetic disk substrate 102 shown in FIG. 2B. For example, when the plating layer 108A on the first surface is thick and the plating layer 108B on the second surface is thin due to polishing, the compressive stress acting on the first surface is large and the compressive stress acting on the second surface is small. In this way, when there is a difference in compressive stress between the first surface and the second surface of the magnetic disk substrate 102, the magnetic disk substrate 102 is curved. That is, the flatness of the magnetic disk substrate 102 is reduced. In addition, the flatness of the magnetic disk substrate 102 may be reduced due to factors other than the difference in plating thickness between the first surface and the second surface.

[0023] 2C is also an explanatory diagram defining the flatness of the magnetic disk substrate 102. The flatness in the disclosed technology can be expressed as a combination of the maximum value of the unevenness difference between the first surface and the second surface of the magnetic disk substrate 102 and a positive or negative sign indicating the convex direction.

[0024] The flatness value can be measured using two planes PL1 and PL2 shown in FIG. 2C. The planes PL1 and PL2 are parallel, and the planes PL1 and PL2 are in contact with the first and second surfaces, respectively. The maximum distance L1 from the plane PL1 to the first surface and the maximum distance L2 from the plane PL2 to the second surface can be measured, and the difference ΔL=L1-L2 can be used as an index of flatness. The unit of flatness in this case is μm. For example, in the examples shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 4A, the curve is convex toward the first surface, and the positive and negative signs of the flatness are + (plus). In the examples shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. 4B, the curve is convex toward the second surface, and the positive and negative signs of the flatness are - (minus).

[0025] In the disclosed technology, a first threshold and a second threshold smaller than the first threshold are set for the absolute value of the flatness. Then, the magnetic disk substrates 102 whose absolute value of the flatness exceeds the first threshold are selected from the magnetic disk substrates 102 whose absolute value of the flatness is equal to or smaller than the first threshold. Specifically, the magnetic disk substrates 102 whose absolute value of the flatness is equal to or smaller than the first threshold can be flattened to a degree that does not cause problems in actual use in the second polishing section 18 in the subsequent process. On the other hand, the magnetic disk substrates 102 whose absolute value of the flatness exceeds the first threshold are curved to a degree that is not suitable for actual use even if polished by the second polishing section 18, as shown in FIG. 5. In this way, the magnetic disk substrates 102 whose degree of curvature is large are selected from the magnetic disk substrates 102 whose degree of curvature is small.

[0026] Furthermore, in the disclosed technology, as described below, magnetic disk substrates 102 whose absolute value of flatness is equal to or less than a second threshold value are separated from magnetic disk substrates 102 whose absolute value of flatness exceeds the second threshold value. This causes the polishing conditions in the second polishing section 18 to be changed depending on whether the magnetic disk substrate 102 has a flatness exceeding the second threshold value or not.

[0027] The definition of the flatness of the magnetic disk substrate 102 is not limited to the above. For example, the flatness can be obtained from the distance from a geometric plane to the first and second surfaces of the magnetic disk substrate 102, the number of interference fringes that appear when the first and second surfaces are irradiated with light, the amount of polishing when the first and second surfaces are polished, etc. As a measuring unit for measuring the flatness, a device for measuring these various flatnesses may be used. As the flatness, for example, the definition of JIS B 0621-1984 "Definition and Display of Geometric Deviation" or ASME Y14.5-2018 "Dimensioning and Tolerancing" can be applied.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, a disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system 12 includes a first polishing section 14, a reversal processing section 16, and a second polishing section 18.

[0029] In the first polishing unit 14, both sides of the magnetic disk substrate 102 on which the plating layers 108A, 108B are formed are polished. The polishing by the first polishing unit 14 is the first polishing of the disclosed technology. By the first polishing, both sides of the magnetic disk substrate 102 are polished. The magnetic disk substrate 102 polished by the first polishing unit 14 is transported to the inversion processing unit 16. The magnetic disk substrate 102 processed by the inversion processing unit 16 is sent to the second polishing unit 18. In the second polishing unit 18, both sides of the magnetic disk substrate 102 are also polished.

[0030] <Inversion processing section>

[0031] The inversion processing unit 16 has a determination unit 20, a transport unit 22, an inversion unit 24, and a storage unit 26. The inversion processing unit 16 is an example of a processing device for disk-shaped substrates of the disclosed technology. The inversion processing unit 16 is also an example of a sorting unit and a separation unit of the disclosed technology.

[0032] 6, the determination unit 20 has a measuring device 30 that measures the direction of curvature and flatness for each magnetic disk substrate 102. As the measuring device 30, as described above, various types of flatness can be adopted, and devices capable of measuring each type of flatness can be applied.

[0033] The determination unit 20 is controlled by a control device 28 shown in Fig. 10. Information on the direction of curvature and flatness of the magnetic disk substrate 102 measured by the determination unit 20 is sent to the control device 28.

[0034] The transfer section 22 has a transfer rail 32 and a gripping unit 34. The transfer rail 32 is continuous from the first polishing section 14 to the reversing section 24 of the reversing processing section 16. The gripping unit 34 may be one or more (two in the example shown in FIG. 6), and is movably attached to the transfer rail 32. The gripping unit 34 is controlled by the control device 28 shown in FIG. 10. For example, each gripping unit 34 is controlled to move from the position of the measuring device 30 to any one of the positions of the multiple (three in the example shown in FIG. 6) reversing devices 44 shown on the right side of FIG. 6. In a configuration having multiple gripping units 34, the gripping units 34 are controlled by the control device 28 in their movement along the transfer rail 32 so as not to interfere with or collide with each other.

[0035] As shown in Figs. 7A to 7C, the gripping unit 34 has a pair of claws 36 and a rotating member 38. The pair of claws 36 opens and closes by supplying and discharging air. As shown in Figs. 7B and 7C, when the pair of claws 36 is open, the pair of claws 36 can be inserted into the through hole 104 of the magnetic disk substrate 102. In this state, by widening the gap between the pair of claws 36, the pair of claws 36 can come into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 104 and can hold the magnetic disk substrate 102. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 7A, when the pair of claws 36 is closed, the pair of claws 36 can be inserted into the through hole 104 of the magnetic disk substrate 102, but the pair of claws 36 do not come into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 104 and do not hold the magnetic disk substrate 102.

[0036] The pair of claws 36 are attached to the tip side of a rotating member 38. The rotating member 38 rotates the pair of claws 36 around a horizontally extending rotation shaft 40. This rotation allows the pair of claws 36 to take a first position SP1 in which they extend downward from the transfer rail 32 as shown in Fig. 7B, and a second position SP2 in which they extend horizontally as shown by a solid line in Fig. 7C.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 8A, the reversing section 24 has a support beam 42, an reversing device 44, and a clamping unit 46. The support beam 42 extends in the same direction as the arrangement direction of three cases 52 in the storage section 26 described below. The number of clamping units 46 is the same as the number of cases 52, and in the example shown in Fig. 8A, there are three clamping units 46. Each of the clamping units 46 has a pair of clamping arms 48. The reversing device 44 rotates the pair of clamping arms 48 by an angle of 180 degrees around an reversing shaft 50.

[0038] The pair of clamping arms 48 can take a clamping position NP1 and a clamping release position NP2 by rotating around the support shaft 48A. At the clamping position NP1, the pair of clamping arms 48 are close to each other and can clamp the magnetic disk substrate 102 from the outer periphery. At the clamping release position NP2, the pair of clamping arms 48 are in a wider position than at the clamping position NP1 and release the clamping of the magnetic disk substrate 102. The opening and closing operation of the pair of clamping arms 48 is controlled by the control device 28.

[0039] In this embodiment, the reversing unit 24 can reverse the magnetic disk substrate 102 by rotating the pair of clamping arms 48 while clamping the magnetic disk substrate 102. The reversing unit 24 is a portion that aligns the curvature directions of the magnetic disk substrates 102 by reversing the magnetic disk substrates 102 when the curvature directions of the multiple magnetic disk substrates 102 are not aligned, and is an example of an alignment unit of the disclosed technology.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 8B and FIG. 9, the storage section 26 is a portion for storing a plurality of cases 52. In the example shown in FIG. 8B and FIG. 9, three cases 52 are stored. All of the cases 52 are rectangular in plan view. Each of the cases 52 has a plurality of storage spaces 52S for storing a plurality of magnetic disk substrates 102 one by one. The plurality of storage spaces 52S are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction of the case 52. Hereinafter, these three cases are distinguished as a first product case 52A, a second product case 52B, and a non-product case 52C. In each case 52, the number of storage spaces 52S is, for example, a number that matches the unit of processing or treatment in the next process. As an example, when 50 magnetic disk substrates 102 are polished in the second polishing section 18, the number of storage spaces 52S of the case 52 is an arbitrary number between 25 and 50.

[0041] The first product case 52A and the second product case 52B are both cases for storing magnetic disk substrates 102 that can be flattened to a degree that can be used as products by polishing with the second polishing section 18. Specifically, the first product case 52A stores magnetic disk substrates 102 whose absolute value of flatness is smaller than the second threshold, and the second product case 52B stores magnetic disk substrates 102 whose absolute value of flatness is greater than the second threshold and is equal to or smaller than the first threshold. In contrast, the non-product case 52C stores magnetic disk substrates 102 whose absolute value of flatness is greater than the first threshold. That is, in the storage section 26, the magnetic disk substrates 102 are sorted and stored in the corresponding cases based on the determination result in the determination section 20. Note that FIG. 8A, FIG. 8B, and FIG. 9 show a state in which the magnetic disk substrates 102 are stored in any of the corresponding cases 52. For this reason, in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, the magnetic disk substrates 102 inside the case 52 are represented by dashed lines.

[0042] The storage section 26 is provided with a receiving member 56 and a slide mechanism 80. The receiving member 56 can be raised and lowered by a lifting device (not shown). At a raised position PP1 shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 8B, the receiving member 56 can contact the magnetic disk substrate 102, which is held by the pair of clamping arms 48, from below. When the magnetic disk substrate 102 is released from the clamping arms 48 in this state, the receiving member 56 supports the magnetic disk substrate 102. When the receiving member 56 is lowered to a lowered position PP2 shown by a dashed line in FIG. 8B (also shown by a dashed line in FIG. 8A), the magnetic disk substrate 102 is stored in a predetermined position in the case 52.

[0043] The slide mechanism 80 slides each of the cases 52 in the arrangement direction (the direction of the arrow S) of the storage spaces 52S of the cases 52. By sliding the cases 52 in this manner, a specific storage space 52S among the multiple storage spaces 52S is positioned under the pair of clamping arms 48. That is, it is possible to store the magnetic disk substrate 102 clamped by the clamping arms 48 in a specific storage space 52S.

[0044] 1, a conveying device 54 may be disposed between the storage section 26 and the second polishing section 18. The conveying device 54 conveys the first product case 52A and the second product case 52B to the second polishing section 18, and conveys the non-product case 52C to the collection section 58. Note that, without providing such a conveying device 54, for example, an operator may convey the first product case 52A and the second product case 52B to the second polishing section 18, and convey the non-product case 52C to the collection section 58.

[0045] In the second polishing section 18, the magnetic disk substrate 102 housed in the first product case 52A and the magnetic disk substrate 102 housed in the second product case 52B are polished under different polishing conditions. Specifically, the magnetic disk substrate 102 housed in the first product case 52A has a higher flatness than the magnetic disk substrate 102 housed in the second product case 52B. Therefore, the magnetic disk substrate 102 housed in the second product case 52B is polished under polishing conditions that result in a finished flatness that is approximately the same as that of the magnetic disk substrate 102 housed in the first product case 52A. As a result, in the second polishing section 18, both the magnetic disk substrate 102 housed in the first product case 52A and the magnetic disk substrate 102 housed in the second product case 52B are polished under polishing conditions appropriate for each, and are flattened to a degree that can be used as a product.

[0046] FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of the hardware configuration of the control device 28.

[0047] The control device 28 includes a computer 60. The computer 60 includes a processor 62, a memory 64, a storage 66, an input device 68, an output device 70, a storage medium reading device 72, and a communication I / F (Interface) 74. Each of these elements is connected to each other via a bus 76 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0048] The storage 66 stores a substrate processing program 78 for executing substrate processing, which will be described later. The processor 62 is capable of executing various programs and controlling each element. Specifically, the processor 62 reads a program from the storage 66 and executes the program using the memory 64 as a working area. That is, the processor 62 controls each element and performs various arithmetic processing in accordance with the program stored in the storage 66.

[0049] The memory 64 can temporarily store programs and various data as a working area.

[0050] The storage 66 is, for example, a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc., and stores various programs and various data. These programs include not only application programs such as the substrate processing program described above, but also an operating system.

[0051] The input device 68 is a device for performing various inputs to the computer 60. The input device 68 includes an operation switch, an operation button, etc., and may also include a keyboard used in a personal computer, a pointing device such as a mouse, etc.

[0052] The output device 70 is a device for outputting various types of information from the computer 60, and includes, for example, a display, an indicator lamp, a speaker, etc. A touch panel display can also be used as the output device 70, in which case the touch panel display also functions as the input device 68.

[0053] The storage medium reader 72 is a device that reads data stored in various storage media and writes data to the storage media. Examples of storage media include a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, a Blu-ray disc, and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory.

[0054] The communication I / F 74 is an interface for communicating with other devices, and is compliant with standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark) and FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface).

[0055] In this embodiment, the communication I / F 74 can control the first polishing unit 14, the inversion processing unit 16, and the second polishing unit 18 and obtain various statuses of these devices by communicating with each of them. This communication may be wireless or wired.

[0056] Next, the operation of the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system 12 of this embodiment, and the disk-shaped substrate processing method and manufacturing method will be described.

[0057] When manufacturing a disk-shaped substrate using the disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system 12, as an example, the magnetic disk substrate 102 is manufactured according to the flow shown in FIG.

[0058] In step S110, the control device 28 controls the first polishing unit 14 to perform a first polishing on the magnetic disk substrate 102. By the first polishing, both sides of the magnetic disk substrate 102 are polished in the first polishing unit 14. The magnetic disk substrate 102 polished by the first polishing unit 14 is transported to the inversion processing unit 16. In the inversion processing unit 16, the magnetic disk substrate 102 is gripped by the gripping unit 34.

[0059] In step S112, the control device 28 controls the measuring device 30 to measure the direction of curvature and the flatness for each magnetic-disk substrate 102. Information on the direction of curvature and the flatness of the magnetic-disk substrate 102 measured by the measuring device 30 is transmitted to the control device 28.

[0060] In step S114, the control device 28 assigns a predetermined label to the magnetic disk substrate 102 according to the flatness of the magnetic disk substrate 102. Specifically, the label "3" is assigned to the magnetic disk substrate 102 whose absolute value of flatness exceeds the first threshold. The label "1" is assigned to the magnetic disk substrate 102 whose absolute value of flatness is equal to or less than the second threshold. The label "2" is assigned to the magnetic disk substrate 102 whose absolute value of flatness exceeds the second threshold and is equal to or less than the first threshold. Furthermore, for the magnetic disk substrate 102 to which the label "1" or "2" is assigned, the label "+" or "-" is added according to the direction of curvature shown in Figs. 3A to 3D. That is, the magnetic disk substrate 102 is assigned one of the labels "+1", "-1", "+2", "-2", or "3".

[0061] In step S116, the control device 28 controls the transfer section 22 according to the label attached to the magnetic disk substrate 102, and transfers the gripping unit 34 to a position above any one of the first product case 52A, the second product case 52B, and the non-product case 52C. Specifically, for example, in the case of the gripping unit 34 gripping the magnetic disk substrate 102 to which the labels "+1" and "-1" are attached, the control device 28 transfers the gripping unit 34 onto the first product case 52A. On the other hand, in the case of the gripping unit 34 gripping the magnetic disk substrate 102 to which the labels "+2" and "-2" are attached, the control device 28 transfers the gripping unit 34 onto the second product case 52B. In the case of the gripping unit 34 gripping the magnetic disk substrate 102 to which the label "3" is attached, the control device 28 transfers the gripping unit 34 onto the non-product case 52C. Then, the gripping unit 34 and the clamping unit 46 are controlled so that the magnetic disk substrate 102 is transferred from the gripping unit 34 to the clamping unit 46 .

[0062] In step S118, the control device 28 controls the inversion device 44 to align the curvature direction of the magnetic disk substrate 102. Specifically, in the case of a clamping unit 46 that clamps a magnetic disk substrate 102 labeled with, for example, "-1" or "-2", the pair of clamping arms 48 of the clamping unit 46 are rotated 180 degrees around the inversion shaft 50 by the inversion device 44. As a result, the magnetic disk substrate 102 clamped by the pair of clamping arms 48 is inverted. On the other hand, in the case of a clamping unit 46 that clamps a magnetic disk substrate 102 labeled with "+1" or "+2", the pair of clamping arms 48 of the clamping unit 46 are not rotated by the inversion device 44. As a result, the magnetic disk substrate 102 whose flatness is equal to or less than the second threshold value is positioned above the first product case 52A with the curvature direction aligned. Similarly, the magnetic-disk substrates 102 whose flatness exceeds the second threshold and is equal to or smaller than the first threshold are positioned above the second product case 52B with the curvature direction aligned, whereas the magnetic-disk substrates 102 whose flatness exceeds the first threshold are positioned above the non-product case 52C regardless of the curvature direction.

[0063] In step S120, the control device 28 controls the pair of clamping arms 48 and the receiving member 56 to store the magnetic disk substrate 102 in the corresponding case 52. Specifically, when receiving the magnetic disk substrate 102 from the clamping unit 46, the control device 28 raises the corresponding receiving member 56 to the raised position PP. Then, with the upper part of the receiving member 56 in contact with the magnetic disk substrate 102, the control device 28 moves the pair of clamping arms 48 to the release position NP2. As a result, the clamping of the magnetic disk substrate 102 by the clamping arms 48 is released, and the magnetic disk substrate 102 is supported by the receiving member 56 from below. In this state, the control device 28 lowers the receiving member 56 to the lowered position PP2. As a result, the magnetic disk substrate 102 is stored in a predetermined position in the case 52.

[0064] In this embodiment, a configuration may be adopted that includes the transport device 54 shown in Fig. 1. In a configuration that includes the transport device 54, the flow for manufacturing the magnetic disk substrate 102 proceeds to step S122. In step S122, the control device 28 controls the transport device 54 to transport the first product case 52A and the second product case 52B to the second polishing section 18, and transport the non-product case 52C to the recovery section 58. In a configuration that does not include the transport device 54, for example, an operator transports the first product case 52A and the second product case 52B to the second polishing section 18, and transports the non-product case 52C to the recovery section 58.

[0065] In step S124, the control device 28 controls the second polishing unit 18 to perform the second polishing on the magnetic disk substrate 102. By the second polishing, both surfaces of the magnetic disk substrate 102 are polished again in the second polishing unit 18.

[0066] In this embodiment, the magnetic disk substrates 102 are carried into the second polishing unit 18 with the curvature directions aligned in both the first product case 52A and the second product case 52B. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the curvature directions of the magnetic disk substrates 102 are not aligned, the magnetic disk substrates 102 can be flattened by the second polishing by the second polishing unit 18 without requiring complex control, and the yield of the magnetic disk substrates 102 is improved. Since the magnetic disk substrates 102 are flattened, the measurement accuracy and stability are high when measuring the electromagnetic conversion characteristics.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first product case 52A contains magnetic disk substrates 102 whose flatness is equal to or less than the second threshold, and the second product case 52B contains magnetic disk substrates 102 whose flatness is greater than the second threshold and equal to or less than the first threshold, and these substrates are then carried into the second polishing section 18. In this manner, magnetic disk substrates 102 whose flatness is within a predetermined range are carried into the second polishing section 18, so that the degree and frequency of adjustment of the polishing amount can be reduced, and the flattening operation is easy.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the second threshold is an example of an index for setting the degree of polishing of the magnetic disk substrate 102 in the second polishing unit 18. That is, when the absolute value of the flatness of the magnetic disk substrate 102 exceeds the second threshold and is equal to or less than the first threshold, the magnetic disk substrate 102 is polished in the second polishing unit 18 to be flatter than when the absolute value is equal to or less than the second threshold. However, even in a configuration in which the second threshold is not set, if the first threshold is set, it is possible to determine whether or not a magnetic disk substrate 102 having a flatness exceeding the first threshold is unsuitable for use as a product even after polishing in the second polishing unit 18.

[0069] Alternatively, the first threshold value may not be set, and the magnetic disk substrate 102 may be inverted to align the curvature direction based on the positive or negative flatness of the magnetic disk substrate 102. For example, if it is known in advance that the flatness of the magnetic disk substrate 102 polished by the first polishing unit 14 is flattened to such an extent that it does not exceed the first threshold value, there is no need to select the magnetic disk substrate 102 based on the first threshold value. However, even in this case, the polishing conditions in the second polishing unit 18 can be aligned by aligning the curvature direction of the magnetic disk substrate 102 based on the positive or negative flatness of the magnetic disk substrate 102, thereby improving the product yield.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the reversing unit 24 is exemplified as the aligning unit of the disclosed technology. That is, the reversing unit 24 reverses a specific magnetic disk substrate 102 among the multiple magnetic disk substrates 102, thereby aligning the curvature directions of the multiple magnetic disk substrates 102. In contrast, it is also possible to align the curvature directions of the magnetic disk substrates 102 without reversing the magnetic disk substrates 102. For example, even if the magnetic disk substrates 102 are stored in different cases 52 (see FIG. 9) according to the curvature direction of the magnetic disk substrates 102 determined by the determining unit 20, in other words, the positive or negative sign, the curvature directions are aligned in each case 52. In this case, it is sufficient that the curvature direction of the magnetic disk substrates 102 is aligned for each case 52, and any curvature direction may be used. For example, when the curvature direction of the magnetic disk substrates 102 is to be a fixed direction during polishing in the second polishing unit 18, it is also possible to reverse each of the stored magnetic disk substrates 102 at once by reversing the case 52. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 12. Disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system 14 First polishing section 16 Reverse Processing Section 18 Second polishing section 20 Judgment section 22 Transfer section 24 Reversal section 26 Storage area 28 Control device 30 Measuring Equipment 52 cases 54 Transport equipment 102 Magnetic disk substrate

Claims

1. A processing apparatus for a disk-shaped substrate for processing the disk-shaped substrate during its manufacture, comprising: A determination unit that determines a curvature direction of the disk-shaped substrate; an alignment unit that aligns the curvature directions of the plurality of disk-shaped substrates based on the determination by the determination unit; The processing apparatus for a disk-shaped substrate comprising:

2. The apparatus for treating disk-shaped substrates according to claim 1 , wherein the alignment unit includes an inversion unit that inverts the disk-shaped substrates to align the curvature directions of the plurality of disk-shaped substrates.

3. The determination unit is capable of measuring the degree of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate, The apparatus for treating disk-shaped substrates according to claim 1 , further comprising a sorting section for sorting the plurality of disk-shaped substrates according to the degree of the curvature.

4. The apparatus for treating disk-shaped substrates according to claim 3 , further comprising a storage section for storing the disk-shaped substrates separated by the separation section in different cases according to the degree of curvature.

5. The determination unit is capable of measuring the degree of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate, The apparatus for treating a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 1 , further comprising a selection unit for selecting the disk-shaped substrate whose degree of curvature exceeds a threshold value.

6. a first polishing unit that polishes a disk-shaped substrate; a determination unit that determines a curvature direction of the disk-shaped substrate polished by the first polishing unit; an alignment unit that aligns the curvature directions of the plurality of disk-shaped substrates based on the determination by the determination unit; a second polishing unit that polishes the disk-shaped substrate whose curvature direction has been aligned by the alignment unit; A disk-shaped substrate manufacturing system having the above structure.

7. A method for processing a disk-shaped substrate during manufacturing of the disk-shaped substrate, comprising: Determining the direction of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate; The method for processing a disk-shaped substrate further comprises aligning the curvature directions of a plurality of the disk-shaped substrates based on the determination.

8. The method for treating a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 7 , further comprising the step of: inverting the disk-shaped substrate to align the curvature directions of a plurality of the disk-shaped substrates.

9. Measure the degree of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate; The method for treating a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 7 , further comprising the step of sorting the plurality of disk-shaped substrates according to the degree of the curvature.

10. The method for treating a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 9 , wherein the separated disk-shaped substrates are stored in different cases depending on the degree of curvature.

11. Measure the degree of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate; The method for treating a disk-shaped substrate according to claim 7 , further comprising the step of selecting the disk-shaped substrate whose degree of curvature exceeds a threshold value.

12. A first polishing is performed on the disk-shaped substrate; Determining a direction of curvature of the disk-shaped substrate after the first polishing; Based on the determination, the curvature directions are aligned for the plurality of disk-shaped substrates; a second polishing step for polishing the disk-shaped substrate having the same curvature direction; Law.

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