Cleaning Equipment

Abstract

To clean a wafer by rotating a cleaner without enlarging a disposed processing device while attaining space reduction of a mechanism for rotating the cleaner in a cleaning device.SOLUTION: A cleaning device 8 comprises: a mechanism 32 for rotating a table 30 around a center of a holding surface 302 of the table 30; a cylindrical cleaning member 50 supported by a rotary shaft 501 extending in a diameter direction of the holding surface 302; a cleaning member lift mechanism 54; and a driven rotation mechanism 7 for rotating the cleaning member 50 with the table 30 rotated by the rotation mechanism 32 as a power source in a state where the cleaning member 50 and the table 30 are made close by the lift mechanism 54. The driven rotation mechanism 7 includes: an annular transfer part 70 formed in an annular shape outside the holding surface 302 of the table 30; and a disk transfer part 72 in a disk shape which is disposed on the rotary shaft 501 and comes into contact with the annular transfer part 70 to transfer the rotation of the table 30 to the rotary shaft 501. The holding surface 302 is cleaned with the cleaning member 50 which is rotated by the transfer of the rotation of the table 30 to the rotary shaft 501.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for cleaning an object to be cleaned, such as a semiconductor wafer, or a holding surface of a table that holds the object to be cleaned. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the grinding apparatus includes a cleaning device that cleans the underside of the wafer before grinding. Also, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, the grinding apparatus includes a cleaning device that cleans the underside of the wafer after grinding. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-034439 [Patent Document 2] JP 2003-059881 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned cleaning device is equipped with a mechanism including a motor that rotates a cleaning tool such as a brush, etc. The space required to accommodate the mechanism that rotates the cleaning tool is a factor that leads to an increase in the size of the grinding device.

[0005] Therefore, a cleaning device disposed within a processing device such as a grinding device has a problem in that the mechanism for rotating the cleaning tool must be made small in space, without increasing the size of the processing device, and the cleaning tool must be rotated to properly clean wafers, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention is a cleaning device that includes a table that holds one side of an object to be cleaned on a holding surface, a rotation mechanism that rotates the table around the center of the holding surface, a cylindrical cleaning member supported on a rotating shaft that extends in the diameter direction of the holding surface, and a cleaning water nozzle that supplies cleaning water to the cleaning member, and that cleans the object to be cleaned held by the holding surface or the holding surface, and includes a lifting mechanism that relatively raises and lowers the cleaning member and the table in a direction perpendicular to the holding surface, and a driven rotation mechanism that rotates the cleaning member using the table, which is rotated by the rotation mechanism, as a power source while the cleaning member and the table are brought close to each other by the lifting mechanism, and the driven rotation mechanism includes an annular transmission part formed in an annular shape on the outside of the holding surface of the table, and a disk-shaped disk transmission part that is arranged on the rotating shaft and comes into contact with the annular transmission part to transmit the rotation of the table to the rotating shaft, and the cleaning device cleans with the cleaning member that rotates by transmitting the rotation of the table to the rotating shaft. For example, the disk transmission part forms a slope on its outer circumferential surface, and the annular transmission part forms a corresponding slope corresponding to the slope of the disk transmission part. The device includes a horizontal movement mechanism that relatively moves the cleaning member and the table in the diameter direction of the holding surface, and a control unit, and the control unit controls the horizontal movement mechanism to position the cleaning member at a holding surface cleaning position when cleaning the holding surface, and controls the lifting mechanism to bring the outer surface of the cleaning member positioned at the holding surface cleaning position into contact with the holding surface, and moves the table. It is preferable to transmit the rotation of the table to the rotation shaft to cause the rotating cleaning member to clean the holding surface, control the horizontal movement mechanism to position the cleaning member at a position for cleaning the object when cleaning the upper surface of the object held by the holding surface, and control the lifting mechanism to bring the outer surface of the cleaning member positioned at the position for cleaning the object into contact with the upper surface of the object held by the holding surface, transmit the rotation of the table to the rotation shaft, and cause the rotating cleaning member to clean the upper surface of the object held by the holding surface. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The cleaning device according to the present invention can transmit the rotational force generated by the rotation mechanism that rotates the table to the rotation shaft that supports the cleaning member by the driven rotation mechanism, without providing a motor as a drive source for rotating the cleaning member such as a sponge on the rotation shaft as in the conventional case, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of the cleaning device and to prevent the processing equipment in which the cleaning device is installed from becoming larger. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a grinding apparatus equipped with a cleaning device. [Diagram 2] 13 is a side view illustrating a case in which the holding surface of the table is cleaned in a state in which the rotation direction of the holding surface as viewed from the +Z direction is the same as the rotational advancement direction of the cleaning member in the cleaning device. FIG. [Diagram 3] 13 is a side view illustrating a case in which the holding surface of the table is cleaned in a state in which the rotation direction of the holding surface as viewed from the +Z direction is opposite to the rotational advancement direction of the cleaning member in the cleaning device. FIG. [Figure 4] This is a side view illustrating a case in which, in a cleaning device, the top surface of an object to be cleaned, which is sucked and held on the holding surface of a table, is cleaned in a state in which the rotation direction of the object to be cleaned as viewed from the +Z direction is the same as the rotational progress direction of the cleaning member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The grinding apparatus 2 shown in Fig. 1 is an apparatus that grinds a workpiece 90 held on a table 30 by a grinding mechanism 29. The front (-Y direction side) on a base 20 of the grinding apparatus 2 is a carry-in / out area where the workpiece 90 is carried in and out of the table 30, and the rear (+Y direction side) on the base 20 is a processing area where the grinding mechanism 29 performs grinding of the workpiece 90 held on the table 30. The grinding apparatus 2 is a so-called manual type grinder. The grinding apparatus 2 is equipped with a cleaning device 8 according to the present invention.

[0010] The workpiece 90 is, for example, a circular semiconductor wafer made of a silicon base material or the like, and one surface 900 (lower surface 900) of the workpiece 90 facing downward in Fig. 1 has a plurality of devices formed thereon and is protected by a protective tape (not shown) attached thereto. The other surface 903 (upper surface 903) of the workpiece 90 facing upward becomes the surface to be processed that is subjected to the grinding process.

[0011] A column 21 is erected on the rear side of the base 20, and a vertical movement unit 27 is arranged on the front side of the column 21 on the -Y direction side, which moves the grinding mechanism 29 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the holding surface 302 of the table 30. The up-down movement unit 27 is composed of a ball screw 270 whose axial direction is the Z-axis direction, a pair of guide rails 271 extending parallel to the ball screw 270, a motor 272 connected to the ball screw 270 and rotating the ball screw 270, and a lifting plate 273 whose internal nut screws into the ball screw 270 and whose sides slide against the pair of guide rails 271. When the motor 272 rotates the ball screw 270, the lifting plate 273 is guided by the guide rails 271 and moves back and forth in the Z-axis direction, and the grinding mechanism 29 attached to the lifting plate 273 also moves back and forth in the Z-axis direction.

[0012] The grinding mechanism 29, which grinds the workpiece 90 held by the holding surface 302 of the table 30, comprises a rotating shaft 290 whose axial direction is in the Z-axis direction, a housing 291 that rotatably supports the rotating shaft 290 by an air bearing or the like formed inside, a motor 292 that rotates and drives the rotating shaft 290, a disk-shaped mount 293 connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft 290, a grinding wheel 294 removably attached to the lower surface of the mount 293, and a holder 295 that supports the housing 291 and is connected to the lifting plate 273.

[0013] The grinding wheel 294 includes a wheel base 297 and a plurality of segment grindstones, each having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, arranged in a ring shape on the bottom surface of the wheel base 297. The segment grindstones are formed by, for example, fixing diamond abrasive grains with a resin bond, a vitrified bond, or the like. The plurality of segment grindstones arranged in a ring shape form a ring-shaped grindstone 296. A grindstone in which the segment grindstones are arranged in a ring shape with no gaps, that is, a grindstone in a so-called continuous arrangement, may be arranged on the underside of the wheel base 297.

[0014] Inside the rotating shaft 290, a flow passage (not shown) that is connected to a grinding water supply source and serves as a passage for grinding water is provided, penetrating the axial direction of the rotating shaft 290. The flow passage (not shown) further passes through the mount 293 and opens at the bottom surface of the wheel base 297 so that grinding water can be sprayed toward the annular grinding wheel 296.

[0015] The cleaning device 8 according to the present invention comprises a table 30 for holding one surface 900 of an object to be cleaned 90 (workpiece 90) on a holding surface 302, a rotation mechanism 32 (see FIG. 2) for rotating the table 30 around the center of the holding surface 302, a cylindrical cleaning member 50 supported by a rotation shaft 501 extending in the diameter direction of the holding surface 302 (in this embodiment, the X-axis direction), and a cleaning water nozzle 59 for supplying cleaning water to the cleaning member 50.

[0016] The cleaning member 50 is disposed, for example, on the front surface (-Y direction side surface) of a gate-type column 207 disposed on the base 20 so as to straddle the movement path of the table 30 in the X-axis direction, via a horizontal movement mechanism 55 and a lifting mechanism 54. The lifting mechanism 54, which relatively raises and lowers the cleaning member 50 and the table 30 in the direction perpendicular to the holding surface 302 of the table 30 (Z-axis direction), is an electric cylinder (or a pneumatic cylinder) or the like attached to the gate-type column 207.

[0017] The rotating shaft 501 is rotatably supported by, for example, a support arm 545 that is raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism 54. That is, the rotating shaft 501 accommodated in a substantially U-shaped region of the support arm 545 is supported by the support arm 545 via, for example, a bearing (not shown), and in the example shown in Fig. 1, a cylindrical cleaning member 50 slightly shorter than the rotating shaft 501 is inserted therein.

[0018] The cleaning member 50 supported by the rotating shaft 501 is a roll sponge formed by molding a sponge having a predetermined thickness into a cylindrical shape when cleaning the top surface 903 of the object 90 held on the holding surface 302 of the table 30, and for example, extends over a length equal to or greater than the radius of the top surface of the table 30 formed by combining the holding surface 302 and the top surface of the frame 301, and has an insertion hole formed in the center from one end to the other end. The cleaning member 50 is, for example, an open-cell sponge having a structure in which air bubbles are connected to each other, and a sponge made by foaming polyurethane (for example, Sofras sponge, manufactured by Aion Co., Ltd.), a PVA sponge (for example, Belleater sponge, manufactured by Aion Co., Ltd.), or a sponge made by kneading a foaming agent or the like into rubber and molding it is used. The cleaning member 50 may be a closed-cell sponge. The outer surface of the cleaning member 50 becomes the cleaning surface. For example, when cleaning the holding surface 302 of the table 30, the cleaning member 50 is a cylindrical brush with bristles densely packed on the outer surface of the cylinder.

[0019] 1 and 2, a cleaning water nozzle 59 that supplies cleaning water to the cleaning member 50 is disposed above the cleaning member 50. The cleaning water nozzle 59 has an ejection port on its lower end facing the -Z direction, and is connected to a cleaning water supply source 590, which is made of a pump or the like and can deliver cleaning water (e.g., pure water), via a resin tube or the like at its upper end.

[0020] 1 has an outer shape that is circular in a plan view, and includes, for example, a circular plate-shaped porous member 300 and a frame 301 that supports the porous member 300. As shown in Fig. 2, the porous member 300 of the table 30 communicates with a suction source 37 such as an ejector mechanism or a vacuum generator, and the suction force generated by the suction source 37 is transmitted to a holding surface 302, which is the upper surface of the porous member 300, so that the table 30 can suction and hold the object to be cleaned 90 on the holding surface 302.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the table 30 is rotatable by a rotation mechanism 32, and is reciprocally movable in the Y-axis direction by a ball screw mechanism (not shown) or the like. The rotation mechanism 32 is, for example, a pulley mechanism, and includes a rotation shaft 320 that is connected to the underside of the table 30 and extends perpendicular to the table 30. The rotation shaft 320, whose axial direction is in the Z-axis direction, is rotatably supported by a table base 335 via a bearing 336. A driven pulley 322 is attached to the shaft of a motor 321, which serves as a drive source for rotating the rotation shaft 320, and an endless belt 323 is wound around the driven pulley 322. A driven pulley 324 is attached to the rotation shaft 320, and the endless belt 323 is also wound around the driven pulley 324.

[0022] 2, a suction groove 303 is formed in the bottom surface of the recess of the frame 301 in a concentric manner centered on the center of the table 30. Furthermore, a suction flow path 370 is formed from the bottom surface of the suction groove 303 to the lower surface of the frame 301, and further from the lower surface to the rotating shaft 320. The suction flow path 370 communicates with a suction source 37, such as an ejector mechanism or a vacuum generator, via a rotary joint 373 disposed so as to surround the rotating shaft 320 and a suction piping 374. The rotary joint 373 transfers the suction force generated by the suction source 37 to the rotating shaft 320 side without any omissions.

[0023] For example, the suction pipe 374 is connected to an air pipe 381 via a three-way pipe (not shown). In addition, the suction pipe 374 is provided with a suction on-off valve 377 for switching between a state in which the suction pipe 374 is connected to the suction source 37 and a state in which the suction pipe 374 is not connected to the suction source 37, and a suction flow rate adjustment valve 376, in this order from the suction source 37 toward the suction flow path 370.

[0024] One end of the air pipe 381 communicates with the suction flow path 370 via a three-way pipe (not shown) and the suction pipe 374, and the other end communicates with an air supply source 38 such as a compressor. In addition, the air pipe 381 is provided, in this order from the air supply source 38 toward the suction flow path 370, with an air supply opening / closing valve 385 that switches the air pipe 381 between a state in which it communicates with the air supply source 38 and a state in which it does not communicate with the air supply source 38, and an air flow rate adjustment unit 387 such as a proportional control solenoid valve.

[0025] 2 has one end connected to suction flow path 370 via a three-way pipe (not shown) and suction pipe 374, and the other end connected to water supply source 36 consisting of a pump or the like. Water pipe 361 is provided, in order from water supply source 36 toward suction flow path 370, with water supply on-off valve 366 for switching water pipe 361 between a state in which water pipe 361 is connected to water supply source 36 and a state in which water pipe 361 is not connected, and water flow rate regulator 365 such as a proportional control solenoid valve.

[0026] The cleaning device 8 includes a driven rotation mechanism 7 that rotates the cleaning member 50 using the table 30 rotated by the rotation mechanism 32 as a power source while the cleaning member 50 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 54 and brought close to the table 30. The driven rotation mechanism 7 includes an annular transmission part 70 formed in an annular shape on the outside of the holding surface 302 of the table 30, and a disk-shaped disk transmission part 72 that is disposed on a rotation shaft 501 inserted into the cleaning member 50, comes into contact with the annular transmission part 70, and transmits the rotation of the table 30 to the rotation shaft 501.

[0027] For example, one end 505 located farther outward from the center of the holding surface 302 of the rotating shaft 501 shown in FIG. 2 protrudes outward from the U-shaped region of the support arm 545, and the center of the inner surface 720 of the disc transmission part 72 is connected to the one end 505. The disc transmission part 72 in this embodiment forms a slope 723 on its outer circumferential surface. That is, the disc transmission part 72 in this embodiment has an outer shape that is a truncated cone. The slope 723 may be a flat surface, or, for example, the slope 723 may have gear teeth that constitute a bevel gear formed thereon.

[0028] The annular transmission part 70 is fixed to, for example, the outer surface of the frame 301 of the table 30, and is formed in a circular ring shape in a plan view. The annular transmission part 70 has, for example, a corresponding inclined surface 700 formed on the outer surface, and a skirt part 702 is formed hanging down from the outer peripheral edge of the corresponding inclined surface 700. The skirt part 702 is disposed on the outside of the inner wall 391 of the cover 39 surrounding the table 30, and prevents cleaning water from entering the gap between the table 30 and the cover 39. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, an expandable bellows cover 394 is connected to both ends of the cover 39 in the Y-axis direction. The corresponding inclined surface 700 corresponding to the inclined surface 723 of the disc transmission portion 72 may be a flat surface, or, for example, the corresponding inclined surface 700 may be formed with gear teeth that, together with the inclined surface 723, constitute a bevel gear. When the corresponding inclined surface 700 is a flat surface, the disc transmission part 72 may be formed of an elastic material so that the disc transmission part 72 comes into contact with the flat corresponding inclined surface 700. Also, to prevent slippage between the corresponding inclined surface 700 and the inclined surface 723 of the disc transmission part 72, an anti-slip material that increases frictional force may be applied to the corresponding inclined surface 700 and / or the inclined surface 723.

[0029] For example, an air cylinder 728 is attached as a disk transmission part pressing mechanism to an outer surface 726 of the disk transmission part 72 shown in Fig. 2. Then, the air cylinder 728 to which compressed air is supplied from an air source 729 presses the disk transmission part 72 toward the center of the table 30 so that the inclined surface 723 of the disk transmission part 72 does not move away from the corresponding inclined surface 700 of the annular transmission part 70. In addition, when a bevel gear is used, it is not necessary to provide the air cylinder 728. In other words, even if the height of the cleaning surface of the cleaning member 50 is different, the gear teeth formed on the inclined surface 723 and the gear teeth formed on the corresponding inclined surface 700 may mesh with each other, so that the power of the motor 321 that rotates the table 30 may be transmitted to the cleaning member 50.

[0030] For example, the cleaning device 8 of this embodiment includes a horizontal movement mechanism 55 that relatively moves the cleaning member 50 and the table 30 in the diameter direction (X-axis direction) of the holding surface 302 of the table 30 shown in Fig. 1. The horizontal movement mechanism 55 is an electric slider or the like that moves linearly in the X-axis direction in front of the gate-shaped column 207.

[0031] The cleaning device 8 includes a control unit 19 that controls at least the horizontal movement mechanism 55 and the lifting mechanism 54. The control unit 19 is composed of a CPU that performs calculations according to a control program, and a storage unit such as a memory. The control unit 19 is electrically connected to the motor of the horizontal movement mechanism 55, which is, for example, an electric slider, and the motor of the lifting mechanism 54, which is, an electric cylinder, via, for example, a wired or wireless communication path, and performs feedback control together with the motor and an encoder connected to the motor, so that the horizontal movement mechanism 55 can accurately position the cleaning member 50 at a desired position in the X-axis direction, and the lifting mechanism 54 can accurately position the cleaning member 50 at a desired height in the Z-axis direction.

[0032] Hereinafter, the operation of each component of the grinding apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 1 when grinding the workpiece 90 held on the table 30 will be described. In the attachment / detachment area, the workpiece 90 is placed on the holding surface 302 of the table 30 with their centers substantially aligned. Then, the suction force generated by the suction source 37 is transmitted to the holding surface 302, so that the table 30 holds the lower surface 900 (one surface 900) of the workpiece 90 on the holding surface 302 by suction.

[0033] Next, the table 30 holding the workpiece 90 is moved in the +Y direction from the attachment / detachment area to below the grinding mechanism 29 in the processing area by a Y-axis movement unit (not shown). Then, the center of rotation of the grinding wheel 296 of the grinding mechanism 29 is shifted horizontally by a predetermined distance from the center of rotation of the workpiece 90, and the rotation trajectory of the grinding wheel 296 is positioned so as to pass through the center of rotation of the workpiece 90.

[0034] The motor 292 rotates the rotating shaft 290 at a predetermined rotation speed, and the grinding wheel 294 also rotates accordingly. Then, the grinding mechanism 29 is sent in the -Z direction by the vertical movement unit 27, and the rotating grinding wheel 296 comes into contact with the upper surface 903 of the workpiece 90, thereby performing grinding. During grinding, the table 30 rotates at a predetermined rotation speed, and the workpiece 90 held on the holding surface 302 also rotates, so that the grinding wheel 296 grinds the entire upper surface 903 of the workpiece 90. In addition, grinding water passing through a flow path (not shown) is supplied to the contact portion between the grinding wheel 296 and the workpiece 90, and the contact portion is cooled and washed. Then, after the workpiece 90 is ground to a desired thickness, the vertical movement unit 27 pulls the grinding mechanism 29 upward, and the grinding wheel 296 separates from the workpiece 90, completing the grinding.

[0035] For example, when the above-mentioned grinding process is performed successively on a plurality of workpieces 90 one by one, dirt may adhere to the holding surface 302 of the table 30, resulting in a decrease in the thickness accuracy of the workpieces 90 after grinding. In order to clean the holding surface 302, the cleaning device 8 cleans the holding surface 302 of the table 30 at an appropriate timing, such as after grinding of a certain workpiece 90 is completed and before grinding of the next new workpiece 90. In this case, the cleaning member 50 is a cylindrical brush.

[0036] First, the table 30 is moved in the Y-axis direction so that the cleaning member 50 passes through the center of rotation of the table 30 shown in FIG. 2, and the table 30 and the cleaning member 50 are aligned along the radius of the upper surface of the table 30.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 19 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 55 to move and position the cleaning member 50 in the X-axis direction at a holding surface cleaning position P1 for cleaning the holding surface 302 of the table 30. Furthermore, the control unit 19 controls the lifting mechanism 54 to lower the cleaning member 50 positioned at the holding surface cleaning position P1, and bring the outer surface of the cleaning member 50 into contact with the holding surface 302. As a result, as shown in Fig. 2, one end side of the cleaning member 50 close to the outer periphery of the holding surface 302 goes beyond the holding surface 302 and also comes into contact with the upper surface of the frame 301, and the other end side of the cleaning member 50 close to the center of the holding surface 302 goes beyond the center of the holding surface 302, for example, slightly, and comes into contact with the holding surface 302.

[0038] 2, the disc transmission part 72 is pushed toward the center of the table 30 so that the inclined surface 723 of the disc transmission part 72 does not separate from the corresponding inclined surface 700 of the annular transmission part 70. For example, when gear teeth are formed on the inclined surface 723 and the corresponding inclined surface 700 to form a bevel gear, the gear teeth are in mesh with each other. When the inclined surface 723 and the corresponding inclined surface 700 are flat surfaces, the two inclined surfaces are in contact with each other.

[0039] In this state, the rotation mechanism 32 rotates the table 30 in a clockwise direction around the Z-axis as viewed from the +Z direction side. That is, the motor 321 shown in FIG. 2 rotates the driving pulley 322, and the endless belt 323 rotates with the rotation of the driving pulley 322, and the endless belt 323 rotates to rotate the driven pulley 324 and the rotating shaft 320. When the table 30 rotates in a clockwise direction, the disk transmitting part 72 to which the rotation force is transmitted from the annular transmitting part 70 which rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed from the +Z direction side of the driven rotating mechanism 7 rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed from the +X direction side as shown in FIG. 2, using the table 30 to which the rotation force generated by the rotation mechanism 32 is transmitted as a power source. That is, the rotation of the rotating shaft 320 of the rotation mechanism 32 is converted by 90 degrees and transmitted to the rotating shaft 501 extending in the diameter direction of the holding surface 302.

[0040] As the rotating shaft 501 rotates clockwise as viewed from the +X direction side, the cleaning member 50, which is a brush supported by the rotating shaft 501, also rotates, and the entire surface of the rotating holding surface 302 is cleaned. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, when cleaning the holding surface 302 with the cleaning member 50, for example, the suction on-off valve 377 is closed and the air supply on-off valve 385 is opened, and the air supply source 38 supplies compressed air to the air pipe 381. In parallel, the water supply source 36 supplies water (e.g., pure water) to the water pipe 361 with the water supply on-off valve 366 opened. The water is mixed with the air to form a mixed fluid and reaches the table 30. Then, the mixed fluid passes through the inside of the porous member 300 and is sprayed upward from the holding surface 302, discharging grinding chips and the like from inside the porous member 300, and the grinding chips are removed by the cleaning member 50.

[0041] During the above-mentioned cleaning, cleaning water is sprayed from the cleaning water nozzle 59 onto the cleaning member 50, and the cleaning water, together with dirt such as grinding chips removed from the holding surface 302 by the cleaning member 50, flows down into the water case inside the base 20 from the drainage holes formed on both sides of the cover 39 and the bellows cover 394 (see Figure 1). Then, after the above-mentioned cleaning has been performed for a predetermined period of time, the cleaning member 50 rises and moves away from the holding surface 302, and the disc transmission portion 72 rises and moves away from the annular transmission portion 70, completing the cleaning of the holding surface 302.

[0042] The embodiment of the holding surface 302 by the cleaning member 50 is not limited to the above example. Below, another embodiment of cleaning the holding surface 302 by the cleaning member 50, which is a brush supported by a rotating shaft 506 extending over a length equal to or greater than the diameter of the upper surface of the table 30, which is the combination of the holding surface 302 and the upper surface of the frame 301 shown in FIG. 3, will be described.

[0043] 3, the cleaning member 50 is attached from the center of a rotating shaft 506 extending a length equal to or greater than the diameter of the upper surface of the table 30 to a portion on the +X direction side. The other end 508 on the -X direction side of the rotating shaft 506 protrudes outward from the U-shaped region of the support arm 548, and the center of an inner surface 720 of the disk transmission part 72 is connected to the other end 508.

[0044] 3, when cleaning the holding surface 302 of the table 30, first, the table 30 is moved in the Y-axis direction, and the cleaning member 50 passes through the center of rotation of the table 30, and the table 30 and the cleaning member 50 are aligned so that the cleaning member 50 is aligned along the radius of the table 30. Furthermore, the control unit 19 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 55 to move the cleaning member 50 in the X-axis direction to position it at the holding surface cleaning position P1 when cleaning the holding surface 302 of the table 30. Furthermore, the control unit 19 controls the lifting mechanism 54 to lower the cleaning member 50 positioned at the holding surface cleaning position P1, and bring the outer surface of the cleaning member 50 into contact with the holding surface 302. 3, one end of the cleaning member 50 close to the outer periphery of the holding surface 302 passes over the holding surface 302 and comes into contact with the upper surface of the frame 301, and the other end of the cleaning member 50 close to the center of the holding surface 302 passes over the center of the holding surface 302 and comes into contact with the holding surface 302, for example, slightly beyond the center of the holding surface 302. Also, approximately half of the rotation axis 506 on the -X direction side, which is longer than the diameter of the upper surface of the table 30, passes above the holding surface 302.

[0045] Furthermore, an air cylinder 728 to which compressed air is supplied from an air source 729 presses the disc transmission part 72 toward the center of the table 30 so that the inclined surface 723 of the disc transmission part 72 does not separate from the corresponding inclined surface 700 of the annular transmission part 70. When gear teeth are formed on the inclined surface 723 and the corresponding inclined surface 700, the gear teeth are brought into mesh with each other. When the inclined surface 723 and the corresponding inclined surface 700 are flat surfaces, the two inclined surfaces are brought into contact with each other.

[0046] In this state, the rotation mechanism 32 rotates the table 30, for example, in a clockwise direction around the Z-axis as viewed from the +Z direction side. As the table 30 rotates in the clockwise direction, the table 30 to which the rotational force generated by the rotation mechanism 32 is transmitted serves as a power source to rotate the disk transmission part 72 to which the rotational force is transmitted from the annular transmission part 70, which rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed from the +Z direction side of the driven rotation mechanism 7, in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the +X direction side as shown in Fig. 3. That is, the rotation of the rotation shaft 320 of the rotation mechanism 32 is converted by 90 degrees and transmitted to the rotation shaft 506 extending in the diameter direction of the holding surface 302.

[0047] As the rotating shaft 506 rotates counterclockwise as viewed from the +X direction side, the cleaning member 50, which is a brush supported by the rotating shaft 506, also rotates, cleaning the entire surface of the rotating holding surface 302. In the case shown in Fig. 2, cleaning is performed in a state in which the rotation direction of the holding surface 302 as viewed from the +Z direction and the rotational progress direction of the cleaning member 50 are the same, but in the case shown in Fig. 3, cleaning of the holding surface 302 by the cleaning member 50 is performed in a state in which the rotation direction of the holding surface 302 as viewed from the +Z direction and the rotational progress direction of the cleaning member 50 are opposite, with the outer surface of the rotating cleaning member 50 plunging into and scooping up dirt such as grinding chips adhering to the holding surface 302 in a horizontal direction, thereby further enhancing the cleaning power of the cleaning member 50.

[0048] The ejection of the mixed fluid from the holding surface 302 and the supply of cleaning water from the cleaning water nozzle 59 to the cleaning member 50 are performed in the same manner as in the case shown in Fig. 2. After the above-mentioned cleaning is performed for a predetermined time, the cleaning member 50 rises and moves away from the holding surface 302, and the disc transmission part 72 rises and moves away from the annular transmission part 70, completing the cleaning of the holding surface 302.

[0049] In the following, for example, a case will be assumed in which the upper surface 903 of the object to be cleaned 90 after grinding (hereinafter, the object to be cleaned 90) held on the holding surface 302 of the table 30 is cleaned by the cleaning device 8. In this case, the cleaning member 50 is a cylindrical sponge. The sponge may have a spiral groove formed on the outer surface.

[0050] First, the table 30 shown in FIG. 4 is moved in the Y-axis direction, and the cleaning member 50 passes through the center of rotation of the table 30 (the center of rotation of the object 90 to be cleaned), and the object 90 to be cleaned and the cleaning member 50 are aligned along the radius of the upper surface 903 of the object 90 to be cleaned.

[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 19 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 55 to move and position the cleaning member 50 in the X-axis direction at the object cleaning position P2 when cleaning the top surface 903 of the object 90. The object cleaning position P2 is a position slightly closer to the center of the table 30 than the holding surface cleaning position P1 shown in FIG. 2. Furthermore, the control unit 19 controls the lifting mechanism 54 to lower the cleaning member 50 positioned at the object cleaning position P2, and bring the outer surface of the cleaning member 50 into contact with the top surface 903 of the object 90. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning member 50 comes into contact with the top surface 903 of the object 90 from the center to the outer periphery.

[0052] Furthermore, the air cylinder 728 to which compressed air is supplied from an air source 729 presses the disc transmission part 72 toward the center of the table 30 so that the inclined surface 723 of the disc transmission part 72 does not separate from the corresponding inclined surface 700 of the annular transmission part 70. For example, if gear teeth are formed on the inclined surface 723 and the corresponding inclined surface 700 to form a bevel gear, the gear teeth will be in mesh with each other. If the inclined surface 723 and the corresponding inclined surface 700 are flat surfaces, the two inclined surfaces will be in contact with each other.

[0053] In this state, the rotation mechanism 32 rotates, for example, the table 30 in a clockwise direction as viewed from the +Z direction side. Using the table 30 to which the rotation force generated by the rotation mechanism 32 is transmitted as a power source, the disk transmission part 72 to which the rotation force is transmitted from the annular transmission part 70 rotating in a clockwise direction as viewed from the +Z direction side of the driven rotation mechanism 7 rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed from the +X direction side as shown in Fig. 4. That is, the rotation of the rotation shaft 320 of the rotation mechanism 32 is converted by 90 degrees and transmitted to the rotation shaft 501 extending in the diameter direction of the upper surface 903 of the object to be cleaned 90.

[0054] As the rotating shaft 501 rotates clockwise as viewed from the +X direction side, the cleaning member 50, which is a sponge supported by the rotating shaft 501, also rotates, and the entire top surface 903 of the object to be cleaned 90, which rotates together with the table 30, is cleaned. When cleaning the top surface 903 of the object to be cleaned 90, the state in which the object to be cleaned 90 is sucked and held by the holding surface 302 is maintained without ejecting a mixed fluid of air and water from the holding surface 302.

[0055] During the above cleaning, cleaning water is sprayed from the cleaning water nozzle 59 to the cleaning member 50, and the cleaning water flows down from the drainage holes formed on both sides of the cover 39 and the bellows cover 394 (see FIG. 1) to a water case inside the base 20 together with dirt such as grinding chips removed from the top surface 903 of the object 90 by the cleaning member 50. After the above cleaning is performed for a predetermined time, the cleaning member 50 rises and separates from the top surface 903 of the object 90, and the disk transmission part 72 rises and separates from the annular transmission part 70, completing the cleaning of the top surface 903 of the object 90. Note that the cleaning of the top surface 903 of the object 90 may be performed by the cleaning member 50 supported by a rotating shaft 506 longer than the diameter of the object 90 shown in FIG. 3.

[0056] As described above, the cleaning device 8 according to the present invention can transmit the rotational force generated by the rotation mechanism 32 that rotates the table 30 to the rotation shaft 501 that supports the cleaning member 50 by the driven rotation mechanism 7, even without providing a motor as a drive source for rotating the cleaning member 50 such as a sponge on the rotation shaft 501 as in the conventional case, and therefore the cleaning device 8 can be made compact. Also, it becomes possible to prevent the grinding device 2 in which the cleaning device 8 is disposed from becoming large in size.

[0057] The cleaning device 8 according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be embodied in various different forms within the scope of the technical concept. The processing device in which the cleaning device 8 is disposed may be a blade cutting device, a polishing device, a bit cutting device, or the like, other than the grinding device 2. Each cleaning process using the cleaning device 8 may also be appropriately changed within the scope of the effect of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 2: Grinding device 20: Base 21: Column 27: Vertical movement unit 29: Grinding mechanism 294: Grinding wheel 30: Table 300: Porous member 301: Frame 302: Holding surface 32: Rotation mechanism 320: Rotation shaft 321: Motor 37: Suction source 370: Suction channel 374: Suction piping 36: Water supply source 361: Water piping 38: Air supply source 381: Air piping 50: cleaning member 501: rotating shaft 54: Lifting mechanism 545: Support arm 55: Horizontal movement mechanism 59: Cleaning water nozzle 7: Driven rotation mechanism 70: Annular transmission part 700: Corresponding inclined surface 702: Skirt part 72: Disk transmission part 723: Inclined surface 720: Inner surface 726: Outer surface 728: Air cylinder 8: Cleaning device 19: Control unit 90: Workpiece (object to be cleaned)

Claims

1. A cleaning device comprising: a table for holding one side of an object to be cleaned on a holding surface; a rotation mechanism for rotating the table around the center of the holding surface; a cylindrical cleaning member supported on a rotation shaft extending in a diameter direction of the holding surface; and a cleaning water nozzle for supplying cleaning water to the cleaning member, the cleaning device cleaning the object to be cleaned held by the holding surface or the holding surface, a lifting mechanism that relatively lifts and lowers the cleaning member and the table in a direction perpendicular to the holding surface, and a driven rotation mechanism that rotates the cleaning member using the table, which is rotated by the rotation mechanism, as a power source while the cleaning member and the table are brought close to each other by the lifting mechanism, The driven rotation mechanism includes an annular transmission part formed in an annular shape on the outside of the holding surface of the table, and a disk-shaped disk transmission part arranged on the rotating shaft and in contact with the annular transmission part to transmit the rotation of the table to the rotating shaft, and is a cleaning device that cleans with the rotating cleaning member by transmitting the rotation of the table to the rotating shaft.

2. The disk transmission portion has an inclined surface formed on an outer circumferential surface, The annular transmission portion forms a corresponding inclined surface corresponding to the inclined surface of the disc transmission portion, a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the cleaning member and the table relatively in a diameter direction of the holding surface; and a control unit; The control unit controlling the horizontal movement mechanism to position the cleaning member at a holding surface cleaning position for cleaning the holding surface, and controlling the lifting mechanism to bring an outer surface of the cleaning member positioned at the holding surface cleaning position into contact with the holding surface, transmitting the rotation of the table to the rotation shaft, and cleaning the holding surface with the rotating cleaning member; The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 further comprises controlling the horizontal movement mechanism to position the cleaning member at a cleaning position for the object to be cleaned when cleaning the upper surface of the object to be cleaned held by the holding surface, controlling the lifting mechanism to bring the outer surface of the cleaning member positioned at the cleaning position into contact with the upper surface of the object to be cleaned held by the holding surface, transmitting the rotation of the table to the rotation shaft, and cleaning the upper surface of the object to be cleaned held by the holding surface with the rotating cleaning member.

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