Processing equipment

Abstract

To provide a machining device that enables machining chips or the like that cannot be removed by supplying liquid and air blow to be removed.SOLUTION: A machining device 1, which machines a work-piece, comprises; a chuck table that holds the work-piece; a rough grinding unit and a finish-grinding unit which machine the work-piece held by the chuck table; a third conveying unit that conveys the work-piece while making a conveying pad absorb and hold the work-piece; and a washing unit 70 that washes the conveying pad with a brush 71. The washing unit 70 has: the brush 71; a brush holding part 73 that vibratably holds the brush 71; vibration actuators 74 having piezoelectric elements 741 that vibrate the brush 71; and a control part that controls vibrations of the piezoelectric elements 741.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus equipped with a cleaning unit. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a processing apparatus that includes a processing unit that holds various plate-shaped workpieces, such as semiconductor device wafers, resin package substrates, and ceramic substrates, on a chuck table and cuts, grinds, etc., the workpieces, and a transport unit that transports the workpieces before or after processing (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-226521 [Patent Document 2] JP 2008-183659 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Since there is a risk that machining debris adhering to the chuck table during machining may adhere to or damage the next workpiece to be sucked in, a process is carried out to remove the machining debris adhering to the chuck table using cleaning water, air blowing, etc., after the machined workpiece is removed. However, there are cases where the machining debris cannot be removed simply by supplying a liquid such as cleaning water or blowing air.

[0005] In addition, if there is machining debris adhering to the transport pad that transports the workpiece, there is a risk that the next workpiece to be sucked in may be damaged by the machining debris. Since the transport pad cannot always be cleaned with liquid, it is dealt with by air blowing, but there are also cases where the debris cannot be removed.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus that is capable of removing processing debris and the like that cannot be removed by supplying liquid or by air blowing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the processing apparatus of the present invention is a processing apparatus for processing a workpiece, and includes a chuck table for holding the workpiece, a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the chuck table, a transport unit for suction-holding and transporting the workpiece with a transport pad, and a cleaning unit for cleaning the chuck table or the transport pad with a brush, the cleaning unit comprising: The unit body, The brush and the brush Within a specified amplitude relative to the unit body Free vibration and do At the same time, the brush is urged toward the unit body. A brush holder; The base end is attached to the unit body and the tip end is attached to the brush. The brush has a piezoelectric element that vibrates the brush, and a control unit that controls the vibration of the piezoelectric element.

[0008] In the processing apparatus, the cleaning unit may further include a fluid supply unit that supplies liquid or gas to the brush or the object to be cleaned.

[0009] In the processing apparatus, the cleaning unit may include a wiper portion that wipes off residue remaining on the surface of the object cleaned by the brush. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The present invention has an effect of making it possible to remove processing debris and the like that cannot be removed by supplying liquid or by air blowing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a processing device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view, partially in cross section, showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning unit of the processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 is a side view diagrammatically illustrating a state in which the cleaning unit illustrated in FIG. 2 cleans the transport pad of the transport unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view showing a schematic state in which the wiper portion of the cleaning unit shown in FIG. 2 wipes off residue remaining on the transport pad. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a processing device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a schematic diagram of a state in which a cleaning unit of the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 cleans the holding surface of the chuck table. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a main part of a processing device according to a modified example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The form (embodiment) 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 embodiment. Furthermore, the components described below include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described below can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0013] [Embodiment 1] A processing apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view, partially in cross section, showing the configuration of a cleaning unit of the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the cleaning unit shown in FIG. 2 cleans the transport pad of the transport unit. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the wiper part of the cleaning unit shown in FIG. 2 wipes off residue remaining on the transport pad.

[0014] (Processing equipment) In the first embodiment, the processing apparatus 1 is a grinding apparatus that grinds (corresponding to processing) a workpiece 200. The workpiece 200 to be processed by the processing apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a wafer such as a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer, whose base material is silicon, sapphire, gallium, or the like. The workpiece 200 has devices 203 formed in each area partitioned by planned division lines 202 formed in a lattice pattern on a surface 201 of the base material.

[0015] The device 203 is, for example, an integrated circuit such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) or an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), or a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems).

[0016] In the first embodiment, the workpiece 200 has a protective tape 205 attached to its front surface 201, and a back surface 204 behind the front surface 201 is ground by the processing device 1 to be thinned to a predetermined finishing thickness, and then is divided into individual devices 203 along the intended division lines 202. In the present invention, the workpiece 200 is not limited to a wafer, and may be a rectangular package substrate having a plurality of devices sealed with resin, a ceramic substrate, a glass substrate, a ferrite substrate, a substrate containing at least one of nickel and iron, or the like.

[0017] 1 is a grinding device that holds a front surface 201 of a workpiece 200 on a chuck table 41 via a protective tape 205, and grinds a back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 to thin the workpiece 200 to a predetermined finishing thickness. As shown in FIG. 1, the processing device 1 includes an apparatus main body 2, a rough grinding unit 10, a finish grinding unit 20, a grinding feed unit 30, a turntable 40, a plurality of chuck tables 41 (three in the first embodiment) installed on the turntable 40, a cassette 50, an alignment unit 51, a transport unit 60, a workpiece cleaning unit 52, and a cleaning unit 70.

[0018] The turntable 40 is a disk-shaped table provided on the upper surface of the apparatus body 2, and is provided rotatably about an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction parallel to the vertical direction in a horizontal plane, and is rotationally driven at a predetermined timing. On the turntable 40, for example, three chuck tables 41 are disposed at equal intervals, for example, at a phase angle of 120 degrees.

[0019] These three chuck tables 41 suction-hold the workpiece 200 on a holding surface 42 made of porous ceramics. The holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 is connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown), the workpiece 200 is placed on the holding surface 42 via a protective tape 205, and the holding surface 42 is sucked by the vacuum suction source, thereby suction-holding the workpiece 200 on the holding surface 42.

[0020] Furthermore, the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 is connected to a fluid supply source (not shown). When a fluid composed of at least one of a gas and a liquid is supplied from the fluid supply source, the chuck table 41 ejects the fluid from the holding surface 42. The holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 is connected to either a vacuum suction source or a fluid supply source by a valve (not shown) or the like, or the connection of the holding surface 42 to both the vacuum suction source and the fluid supply source is cut off.

[0021] Furthermore, these chuck tables 41 are configured so that the base 43 can rotate about an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the holding surface 42. During grinding, the chuck table 41 is rotated around the axis within a horizontal plane by a rotation drive mechanism (not shown). By the rotation of the turntable 40, the chuck table 41 is moved in sequence to the carry-in / out area 301, the rough grinding area 302, the finish grinding area 303, and the carry-in / out area 301.

[0022] The loading / unloading area 301 is an area where the workpiece 200 is loaded and unloaded onto the chuck table 41, the rough grinding area 302 is an area where the rough grinding unit 10 performs rough grinding (equivalent to grinding) of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41, and the finish grinding area 303 is an area where the finish grinding unit 20 performs finish grinding (equivalent to grinding) of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41.

[0023] The rough grinding unit 10 is a processing unit in which a grinding wheel 12 for rough grinding (corresponding to a grinding tool) having grinding stones 11 for rough grinding arranged in an annular shape for roughly grinding the back surface 204 exposed above of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41 is attached to the lower end of a spindle, and roughly grinds the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 held on the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 in the rough grinding region 302. The finish grinding unit 20 is a processing unit in which a grinding wheel 22 for finish grinding (corresponding to a grinding tool) having grinding stones 21 for finish grinding arranged in an annular shape for finish grinding the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41 is attached to the lower end of a spindle, and finish grinds the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 held on the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 in the finish grinding region 303.

[0024] The grinding units 10, 20 rotate the grinding wheels 12, 22 around axes parallel to the Z-axis direction using the motors 13, 23 and supply grinding water to the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41 in the grinding areas 302, 303 while the grinding feed unit 30 moves the grinding wheels 11, 21 closer to the chuck table 41 at a predetermined feed speed, thereby rough-grinding or finish-grinding the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200.

[0025] The grinding feed unit 30 moves the grinding units 10, 20 in the Z-axis direction to move the grinding units 10, 20 away from and toward the chuck table 41. In the first embodiment, the grinding feed unit 30 is provided on an erected column 3 erected from one end of the device body 2 in the Y-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction. The grinding feed unit 30 includes a well-known ball screw rotatably provided about its axis, a well-known motor for rotating the ball screw about its axis, and a well-known guide rail for supporting the spindle housings of the grinding units 10, 20 movably in the Z-axis direction.

[0026] In addition, in embodiment 1, the rough grinding unit 10 and the finish grinding unit 20 are arranged in such a way that the axis which is the center of rotation of the grinding wheels 12, 22 and the axis which is the center of rotation of the chuck table 41 are parallel to each other with a horizontal gap between them, and the grinding wheels 11, 21 pass over the center of the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41.

[0027] The cassette 50 is a container having a plurality of slots for accommodating a plurality of workpieces 200. The cassette 50 accommodates a plurality of workpieces 200 before and after grinding. In the first embodiment, a pair of cassettes 50 is provided, and each cassette is installed on a cassette installation table 53. The cassette installation table 53 raises and lowers the cassette 50 in the Z-axis direction. In the first embodiment, the pair of cassette installation tables 53 are disposed at one end of the device body 2 in the Y-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction, and are arranged along the X-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. The positioning unit 51 is a table on which the workpiece 200 removed from the cassette 50 is temporarily placed and its center position is aligned. The workpiece cleaning unit 52 cleans the workpiece 200 after grinding, and removes contamination such as grinding chips (corresponding to processing chips) adhering to the ground back surface 204.

[0028] The transport unit 60 includes a first transport unit 61, a second transport unit 62, and a third transport unit 63. The first transport unit 61 and the second transport unit 62 transport the workpiece 200 by suction and holding it on a disk-shaped transport pad 64. The first transport unit 61 suction-holds the workpiece 200 before grinding aligned by the alignment unit 51 on the transport pad 64 and transports it onto the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in / out area 301. The second transport unit 62 suction-holds the workpiece 200 after grinding on the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in / out area 301 on the transport pad 64 and transports the workpiece 200 to the workpiece cleaning unit 52.

[0029] The third transport unit 63 is a robot pick equipped with a plate-like transport pad 65 having a U-shaped planar shape, and transports the workpiece 200 by suction-holding it on the U-shaped transport pad 65. The third transport unit 63 takes out the workpiece 200 before grinding from the cassette 50 and transports the workpiece 200 before grinding to the alignment unit 51, and also takes out the workpiece 200 after grinding from the workpiece cleaning unit 52 and transports it to the cassette 50.

[0030] In the first embodiment, the cleaning unit 70 cleans the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63 with a brush 71. That is, in the first embodiment, the object to be cleaned by the cleaning unit 70 is the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63. As shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the cleaning unit 70 includes a unit body 72, a brush 71, a brush holder 73, a vibration actuator 74, a fluid supply unit 75, a wiper unit 76, and a control unit 100.

[0031] The unit body 72 is made of a metal such as stainless steel and formed in a thick, flat plate shape. The unit body 72 is installed on the apparatus body 2. In the first embodiment, the unit body 72, i.e., the cleaning unit 70, is disposed between the cassette installation table 53 on which one cassette 50 of the apparatus body 2 is installed and the workpiece cleaning unit 52, and next to the third transport unit 63.

[0032] The brush 71 includes a plurality of fibers 711 and a base 712 supporting the plurality of fibers 711. The fibers 711 extend linearly and are arranged parallel to one another. The longitudinal direction of the plurality of fibers 711 is arranged parallel to the Z-axis direction. In the first embodiment, the fibers 711 are made of resin. Specific examples of the resin that makes up the fibers include PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), ETFE (copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and ethylene), PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), and PU (polyurethane).

[0033] PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and ETFE (copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and ethylene) are desirable because contaminants are unlikely to adhere to them and because they have high chemical resistance, and therefore when a chemical solution is used during cleaning or when the object to be cleaned has a chemical solution attached thereto, the chemical solution and the fibers 711 are unlikely to react with each other. PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene) are also desirable because they are unlikely to adhere to contaminants and have medium chemical resistance, but are inexpensive, and therefore desirable when strong chemical solutions are not used or when cost is a priority. PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) and PU (polyurethane) are also desirable because they have low surface free energy and foreign matter is unlikely to adhere to them.

[0034] The base 712 is made of a metal such as stainless steel, and is formed in a strip shape extending linearly parallel to the horizontal direction. The base 712 supports the base ends of a plurality of fibers 711 over the entire surface. The entire length of the base 712, i.e., the brush 71, is longer than the width of the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63. The width of the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63 is the dimension of the transport pad 65 in the Y-axis direction, which is the direction in which the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63 moves when inserting or removing the workpiece 200 from the cassette 50. The Y-axis direction is perpendicular to the X-axis direction and parallel to the horizontal direction. In the first embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the base 712, i.e., the brush 71, is parallel to the Y-axis direction.

[0035] The brush holding portion 73 holds the brush 71 so as to be capable of vibrating. In the first embodiment, the brush holding portion 73 supports the brush 71 so as to be capable of vibrating in the Z-axis direction relative to the unit main body 72, i.e., the device main body 2. Note that the unit main body 72 being capable of vibrating in the Z-axis direction means that the unit main body 72 is capable of reciprocating in the Z-axis direction within a predetermined amplitude.

[0036] In the first embodiment, the brush holding portion 73 includes a through hole 731 provided in a base 712 of the brush 71, a support 732 installed in the unit body 72, and a spring 733 serving as a biasing means. The through hole 731 is a hole that penetrates the base 712 of the brush 71 along the thickness direction of the base 712. In the first embodiment, the through hole 731 is provided at least at both ends of the base 712 in the longitudinal direction.

[0037] The support 732 is formed in a columnar shape erected along the Z-axis direction from the unit main body 72 installed in the device main body 2. The support 732 includes a columnar thick part 734 installed in the unit main body 72 and having a planar shape larger than that of the through hole 731, and a columnar thin part 735 connected to the tip of the thick part 734 and having a planar shape smaller than that of the through hole 731. The support 732 supports the base 712 of the brush 71 at a step 736 between the thick part 734 and the thin part 735 by installing the thick part 734 in the unit main body 72 and inserting the thin part 735 into the through hole 731. At this time, since the planar shape of the thin part 735 is smaller than that of the through hole 731, the thin part 735 of the support 732 is loosely inserted into the through hole 731, and the brush 71 is free to vibrate relative to the unit main body 72 within the above-mentioned predetermined amplitude.

[0038] Further, in a state where the support 732 supports the base 712 of the brush 71, a flat flange portion 737 having a planar shape larger than that of the through-hole 731 is attached to the tip of the narrow portion 735. The spring 733 is a coil spring with the narrow portion 735 passing through it, and is disposed in the through-hole 731 between the narrow portion 735 of the support 732 and the flange portion 737 to urge the base 712, i.e., the brush 71, toward the step 736, i.e., the unit main body 72. The brush holder 73 has the narrow portion 735 passing through the through-hole 731, supports the base 712 at the step, and the spring 733 urges the base 712 toward the step 736, thereby supporting the brush 71 so as to be vibrating freely in the Z-axis direction relative to the unit main body 72, i.e., the device main body 2.

[0039] The vibration actuator 74 vibrates the brush 71. In the first embodiment, the vibration actuator 74 vibrates the brush 71 in the Z-axis direction. The vibration actuator 74 is formed in a column shape with a base end attached to the unit body 72 and a tip end attached to the base 712 of the brush 71.

[0040] In the first embodiment, the vibration actuator 74 is a laminated actuator in which piezoelectric elements 741 and electrodes 742 for applying power from a power source (not shown) to the piezoelectric elements 741 are alternately laminated in the Z-axis direction. That is, the vibration actuator 74, i.e., the processing device 1, includes a piezoelectric element 741 for vibrating the brush 71. Note that Figs. 2, 3, and 4 show only one piezoelectric element 741 and a pair of electrodes 742 laminated on the piezoelectric element 741, and the other piezoelectric elements 741 and electrodes 742 are omitted. In the first embodiment, when power is applied to the piezoelectric element 741 from a power source (not shown), the vibration actuator 74 expands and contracts in the Z-axis direction at a frequency of 500 Hz or more and 10 kHz or less and with an amplitude of 3 μm or more and 50 μm or less, thereby vibrating the brush 71 in the Z-axis direction.

[0041] The fluid supply unit 75 supplies a fluid 751 (shown in FIG. 3) consisting of at least one of a liquid and a gas to the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, which is the object to be cleaned. When it is required that no liquid adheres to the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, which is the object to be cleaned, the fluid supply unit 75 supplies a fluid 751 consisting of only a gas to the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, which is the object to be cleaned.

[0042] The fluid supply unit 75 is supplied with the fluid 751 from a fluid supply source (not shown), and includes a supply nozzle 752 formed in a strip shape extending linearly parallel to the horizontal direction. The supply nozzle 752 is attached to the unit body 72 and disposed adjacent to and parallel to the brush 71. The supply nozzle 752 is provided with a slit 753, which is an outlet for ejecting the fluid 751, on the tip surface on the side away from the unit body 72, and the tip surface is disposed below the tip of the fiber 711 of the brush 71. The total length of the slit 753 is longer than the width of the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63. In the first embodiment, the fluid supply unit 75 supplies the fluid 751 from the fluid supply source through the slit 753 of the supply nozzle 752 to the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, which is the object to be cleaned. However, in the present invention, the fluid 751 from the fluid supply source may be supplied to the brush 71.

[0043] The wiper portion 76 comes into contact with the surface of the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, which is the object to be cleaned after being cleaned by the brush 71, and wipes off residue remaining on the surface of the transport pad 65. The residue includes at least one of the grinding fluid supplied when the grinding units 10 and 20 grind the workpiece 200, the processing chips generated when the grinding units 10 and 20 grind the workpiece 200, and the fluid 751 supplied by the fluid supply unit 75.

[0044] The wiper portion 76 is formed in a strip shape extending linearly parallel to the horizontal direction, attached to the unit body 72, and disposed adjacent to the fluid supply unit 75 and parallel to the brush 71 and the fluid supply unit 75. The wiper portion 76 is moved by a drive mechanism (not shown) between a wiping position (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 3) where the tip of the wiper portion 76 on the side away from the unit body 72 is on the same plane as the tips of the fibers 711 of the brush 71, and a retracted position (shown by a solid line in FIG. 3) where the tip of the wiper portion 76 is lower than the tips of the fibers 711 of the brush 71. The overall length of the wiper portion 76 is longer than the width of the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63.

[0045] The control unit 100 controls a power supply that applies power to the piezoelectric element 741 of the vibration actuator 74, and controls the vibration of the piezoelectric element 741 of the vibration actuator 74. The control unit 100 also controls each of the above-mentioned components constituting the processing apparatus 1. That is, the control unit 100 causes the processing apparatus 1 to execute a processing operation on the workpiece 200. The control unit 100 is a computer having an arithmetic processing device having a microprocessor such as a CPU (central processing unit), a storage device having a memory such as a ROM (read only memory) or a RAM (random access memory), and an input / output interface device.

[0046] The arithmetic processing device of the control unit 100 performs arithmetic processing according to a computer program stored in the storage device, and outputs a control signal for controlling the processing device 1 to the above-mentioned components of the processing device 1 via the input / output interface device. The control unit 100 is also connected to a display unit configured with a liquid crystal display device or the like for displaying the status and images of the processing operation, an input unit used by the operator to register processing content information, and a notification unit for notifying the operator. The input unit is configured with at least one of a touch panel provided on the display unit and a keyboard, etc. The notification unit notifies the operator by emitting at least one of sound, light, and a message on the touch panel.

[0047] Next, a processing operation of the processing device 1 according to the embodiment 1 will be described. In the processing device 1, processing conditions are registered in the control unit 100 by an operator, and a cassette 50 containing a workpiece 200 to which a pre-grinding protective tape 205 is attached is placed on a cassette placement table 53. When the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 receives an instruction to start the processing operation from the operator, the control unit 100 starts the processing operation.

[0048] In the processing operation, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 causes the third transport unit 63 to take out the workpiece 200 from the cassette 50 and carry it out to the alignment unit 51. The control unit 100 causes the alignment unit 51 to align the center of the workpiece 200, and carries the front surface 201 side of the workpiece 200 aligned on the first transport unit 61 onto the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in / out area 301.

[0049] The control unit 100 of the processing device 1 suction-holds the front surface 201 side of the workpiece 200 on the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 in the carry-in / out area 301 via the protective tape 205, exposes the back surface 204, and transports the workpiece 200 to the rough grinding area 302, the finish grinding area 303, and the carry-in / out area 301 in that order using the turntable 40, where rough grinding and finish grinding are performed in that order. Note that the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 transports the ground workpiece 200 from the chuck table 41 in the carry-in / out area 301 to the workpiece cleaning unit 52 and transports the workpiece 200 before grinding to the chuck table 41 in the carry-in / out area 301 every time the turntable 40 rotates 120 degrees.

[0050] The control unit 100 of the processing device 1 causes the second transport unit 62 to transport the workpiece 200 after grinding into the workpiece cleaning unit 52, clean the workpiece 200 in the workpiece cleaning unit 52, and transport the cleaned workpiece 200 into the cassette 50 using the U-shaped transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63. When all the workpieces 200 in the cassette 50 have been ground, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 ends the processing operation. During grinding of the workpieces 200, the processing device 1 positions the wiper portion 76 of the cleaning unit 70 at the retreat position. In addition, the processing device 1 generates machining chips during rough grinding and finish grinding, and some of the machining chips generated during the processing operation may adhere to the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 and the transport pads 64 and 65 of the transport units 61, 62, and 63.

[0051] Next, a cleaning operation for cleaning the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63 of the cleaning unit 70 of the processing apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1 will be described. When the control unit 100 of the processing apparatus 1 determines that it is a predetermined timing, the processing apparatus 1 starts the cleaning operation for cleaning the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63.

[0052] The specified timing refers to any timing for cleaning the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, such as before the third transport unit 63 transports all of the workpieces 200 cleaned by the workpiece cleaning unit 52 during a processing operation, before the third transport unit 63 transports a specified number of workpieces 200 cleaned by the workpiece cleaning unit 52, after the cleaned workpieces 200 are loaded into the cassette 50 after the processing operation is completed, or when an instruction to start the cleaning operation of the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 is received from an operator via an input unit or the like.

[0053] In the cleaning operation, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 ejects the fluid 751 from the slit 753 of the supply nozzle 752 of the fluid supply unit 75, and vibrates the brush 71 in the Z-axis direction with the above-mentioned frequency and amplitude using the vibration actuator 74, while moving the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63 back and forth a predetermined number of times in the X-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the Y-axis direction, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63 contacts the tip of the fiber 711 of the brush 71 over the entire length in the X-axis direction. Then, the tip of the fiber 711 of the brush 71 intermittently contacts the transport pad 65 reciprocating in the X-axis direction, and the fiber 711 intermittently contacting the transport pad 65 as the transport pad 65 moves removes processing debris and the like attached to the transport pad 65.

[0054] In the cleaning operation, after the processing device 1 has moved the transport pad 65 back and forth a predetermined number of times, it stops the ejection of the fluid 751 from the slit 753 of the supply nozzle 752 of the fluid supply unit 75 at a position where the transport pad 65 is farthest from the other cassette 50, positions the wiper part 76 at the wiping position, and moves the transport pad 65 along the X-axis direction toward the other cassette 50 as shown in Fig. 4. Then, the transport pad 65 comes into contact with the tip of the wiper part 76 positioned at the wiping position, and as the transport pad 65 moves, residues are removed from the surface of the transport pad 65.

[0055] In the first embodiment, the cleaning unit 70 cleans the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the cleaning unit 70 may clean the transport pad 64 of the second transport unit 62. That is, in the first embodiment, the object to be cleaned by the cleaning unit 70 may be the transport pad 64 of the second transport unit 62.

[0056] As described above, the processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment brings the fibers 711 of the brush 71, which are vibrated at the above-mentioned frequency and amplitude by the piezoelectric element 741 of the vibration actuator 74, into contact with the transport pad 65. As a result, the processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has the effect of being able to reliably remove processing debris and the like that cannot be removed by supplying a liquid to the transport pad 65 or by air blowing by blowing pressurized gas thereon.

[0057] In addition, the processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment supplies the fluid 751 from the fluid supply unit 75 to the transport pad 65, thereby increasing the cleaning power, and by bringing the transport pad 65 into contact with the wiper portion 76 or the like after cleaning, it is possible to obtain the effect of not leaving any residue after cleaning.

[0058] Furthermore, in the processing device 1 according to the first embodiment, the vibration actuator 74 is a stacked actuator configured by stacking a plurality of piezoelectric elements 741, so that the small-sized vibration actuator 74 can vibrate the brush 71 with a large amplitude.

[0059] [Embodiment 2] A processing apparatus 1 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. Fig. 6 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a state in which a cleaning unit of the processing apparatus shown in Fig. 5 cleans the holding surface of the chuck table. In Figs. 5 and 6, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0060] The cleaning unit 70-2 according to the second embodiment cleans the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41. That is, in the second embodiment, the object to be cleaned by the cleaning unit 70-1 is the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41. As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning unit 70-2 according to the second embodiment includes a unit body 72, a brush 71, a brush holder 73 (shown in FIG. 6), a vibration actuator 74 (shown in FIG. 6), a fluid supply unit 75, and a wiper unit 76, which are installed above the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in / out area 301. In the cleaning unit 70-2 according to the second embodiment, in the first embodiment, the tip of the fiber 711 facing upward, the tip surface of the supply nozzle 752, and the tip of the wiper unit 76 on the side away from the unit body 72 face downward, that is, the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in / out area 301.

[0061] That is, in the cleaning unit 70-2 according to the second embodiment, the unit body 72, the brush 71, the brush holder 73, the vibration actuator 74, the fluid supply unit 75, and the wiper unit 76 are arranged in the opposite up-down direction to those of the cleaning unit 70 according to the first embodiment. Also, as shown in Fig. 5, the cleaning unit 70-2 according to the second embodiment includes a brush moving unit 77 that moves the unit body 72 up and down along the Z-axis direction and moves along the X-axis direction.

[0062] 6 in which the tips of the fibers 711 of the brush 71 contact the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 and the base 712 contacts the step 736, and a retracted position in which the brush 71 and the like are retracted from the chuck table 41. In the second embodiment, the brush moving unit 77 moves the brush 71, i.e., the unit body 72, along the X-axis direction at the cleaning position. In the first embodiment, the brush moving unit 77 brings the tips of the fibers 711 of the brush 71, i.e., the wiper portion 76, into contact with the entire holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 when moving the unit body 72 along the X-axis direction.

[0063] In the second embodiment, the brush moving unit 77 positions the brush 71, i.e., the unit body 72, at the above-mentioned retracted position during grinding of the workpiece 200. The brush moving unit 77 includes a well-known ball screw, a well-known motor, a well-known guide rail, and the like.

[0064] Next, a description will be given of a cleaning operation for cleaning the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 of the cleaning unit 70-2 of the processing apparatus 1 according to embodiment 2. When the control unit 100 of the processing apparatus 1 determines that it is a predetermined timing, the processing apparatus 1 starts the cleaning operation for the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41.

[0065] In addition, in embodiment 2, the specified timing refers to any timing for cleaning the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41, such as before each workpiece 200 before grinding is loaded onto the chuck table 41 located in the loading / unloading area 301 during a processing operation, before a specified number of workpieces 200 before grinding are loaded onto the chuck table 41 located in the loading / unloading area 301, after each workpiece 200 after grinding is unloaded from the chuck table 41 located in the loading / unloading area 301 after the processing operation is completed, or when an instruction to start the cleaning operation of the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 is received from an operator via an input unit or the like.

[0066] In the cleaning operation, the processing device 1 causes the control unit 100 to eject the fluid 751 from the slit 753 of the supply nozzle 752 of the fluid supply unit 75, and causes the vibration actuator 74 to vibrate the brush 71 in the Z-axis direction at the frequency and amplitude described above, while the brush moving unit 77 lowers the unit body 72 to the cleaning position, and as shown in Fig. 6, causes the tip of the fiber 711 of the brush 71 to contact the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in / out area 301. In the cleaning operation, the processing device 1 causes the brush moving unit 77 to reciprocate the unit body 72, i.e., the brush 71, in the X-axis direction a predetermined number of times, and rotates the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in / out area 301 about its axis, so that the tip of the fiber 711 of the brush 71 contacts the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 over the entire length in the X-axis direction. As a result, the tips of the fibers 711 of the brush 71, which move relative to the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41, intermittently come into contact with the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41, and the fibers 711, which intermittently come into contact with the holding surface 42 as the chuck table 41 and the brush 71 move relative to each other, remove processing debris and the like that has adhered to the holding surface 42.

[0067] In the cleaning operation, the processing device 1 moves the unit body 72, i.e., the brush 71 back and forth a predetermined number of times, and then stops the ejection of the fluid 751 from the slit 753 of the supply nozzle 752 of the fluid supply unit 75 and stops the rotation of the chuck table 41. In the cleaning operation, the processing device 1 positions the wiper portion 76 at a wiping position and moves the unit body 72, i.e., the wiper portion 76 along the X-axis direction so that the tip of the wiper portion 76 contacts the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 from one end to the other end in the X-axis direction in sequence. Then, the tip of the wiper portion 76 positioned at the wiping position contacts the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41, and as the wiper portion 76 moves, residue is removed from the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41.

[0068] The processing device 1 according to the second embodiment brings the fibers 711 of the brush 71, which are vibrated at the frequency and amplitude described above by the piezoelectric element 741 of the vibration actuator 74, into contact with the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41. As a result, the processing device 1 according to the second embodiment has an effect of being able to reliably remove processing debris and the like that cannot be removed by supplying a liquid to the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 or by air blowing which blows pressurized gas thereon.

[0069] In addition, in the processing apparatus 1 of embodiment 2, when the unit body 72, i.e., the brush 71, is moved back and forth in the X-axis direction a predetermined number of times while vibrating the brush 71 at the frequency and amplitude described above by the piezoelectric element 741 of the vibration actuator 74, a fluid may be supplied from a fluid supply source to the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 and the fluid may be sprayed from the holding surface 42.

[0070] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In other words, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. In the embodiment, the grinding wheels 12, 22 are attached to the lower ends of the spindles of the grinding units 10, 20 in the processing device 1, but in the present invention, a polishing tool having a polishing pad for polishing the workpiece 200 may be attached to the lower ends of the spindles of the grinding units 10, 20.

[0071] In the present invention, when a polishing tool is attached to the lower end of the spindle of the grinding unit 10, 20, the processing device 1 may polish the workpiece 200 while supplying a polishing liquid, may polish the workpiece 200 without supplying a polishing liquid (so-called dry polishing), or may polish the workpiece 200 while supplying a polishing liquid having a chemical action (so-called chemical mechanical polishing).

[0072] In the present invention, the processing device 1-1 may be a cutting device that cuts the workpiece 200, as shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a side view showing a partial cross section of a main part of a processing device according to a modified embodiment, and the same parts as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and will not be described. The processing device 1-1 shown in Fig. 7 holds the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 by suction on the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41, and cuts the workpiece 200 by cutting the cutting edge 82 of the cutting blade 81 of the cutting unit 80, which is a processing unit, into the workpiece 200 held by suction on the chuck table 41 to form a cut groove 206.

[0073] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the vibration actuator 74 of the processing device 1 is a stacked actuator configured by stacking multiple piezoelectric elements 741, but in the present invention, the vibration actuator 74 may also be one having only one piezoelectric element 741. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1,1-1 Processing equipment 10 Rough grinding unit (processing unit) 20 Finish grinding unit (processing unit) 41 Chuck table 42 Holding surface (object to be cleaned) 62 Second transport unit (transport unit) 63 Third transport unit (transport unit) 64 Transport pad (for cleaning objects) 65 Transport pad (for cleaning objects) 70,70-2 Cleaning unit 71 Brush 73 Brush holder 75 Fluid Supply Unit 76 Wiper section 80 Cutting unit (processing unit) 100 Control section 200 Workpiece 741 Piezoelectric element

Claims

1. A processing device for processing a workpiece, comprising: a chuck table for holding a workpiece, a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the chuck table, a transport unit for suction-holding and transporting the workpiece with a transport pad, and a cleaning unit for cleaning the chuck table or the transport pad with a brush; The cleaning unit comprises: A processing device having a unit body, a brush, a brush holding part which allows the brush to vibrate freely relative to the unit body within a predetermined amplitude and which urges the brush toward the unit body, a piezoelectric element having a base end attached to the unit body and a tip end attached to the brush to vibrate the brush, and a control part which controls the vibration of the piezoelectric element.

2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning unit further comprises a fluid supply unit for supplying a liquid or a gas to the brush or the object to be cleaned.

3. 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit includes a wiper portion for wiping off residue remaining on the surface of the object cleaned by the brush.

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