Processing device

Abstract

To provide a processing device that makes it easy to take out or carry in a processing tool through a processing chamber opening.SOLUTION: There is provided a processing device 1 in which a grinding wheel 204 is installed at the tip of a spindle 200; the spindle 200 is made to rotate; and a workpiece held by a chuck table 30 is processed inside a processing chamber 4 housing the chuck table 30 and the grinding wheel 204 while feeding processing water to the grinding wheel 204 and the workpiece, where the processing chamber 4 comprises a side plate 5 and a top plate 6; the top plate 6 comprises a door mechanism which opens / closes an opening 69 for accessing the grinding wheel 204; and the side plate 5 comprises: a movable side plate 52 including a first mounting part 525 and a second mounting part 526 which mount the top plate 6 on top edges thereof, and inclining a predetermined rectangular area 524 into the processing chamber 4 by 90 degrees together with the first mounting part 525 and the second mounting part 526 to expand the opening 69; a fixed side plate 53 other than the movable side plate 52; and a sealed part disposed for the movable side plate 52.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for processing a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer.

Background Art

[0002] A grinding apparatus that grinds a workpiece held on a holding surface of a chuck table with a grinding wheel of a grinding wheel is provided with a chuck table and a processing chamber that houses the grinding wheel, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 below, and grinds with the grinding wheel while supplying processing water to the workpiece in the processing chamber. Then, when the grinding wheel is worn out, the grinding wheel is replaced. The replacement of the grinding wheel is performed after the operator can access the grinding wheel by flipping up the top plate of the processing chamber to form an opening through which the grinding wheel can be taken in and out.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, as the processing chamber has been made smaller with the miniaturization of grinding apparatuses and the like, it has become difficult to take the grinding wheel in and out through the opening. Therefore, in a processing apparatus, a processing chamber in which a processing tool such as a grinding wheel can be easily taken in and out is required.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a processing apparatus for processing a workpiece in a processing chamber that houses a chuck table and a cutting tool while rotating the spindle with a cutting tool attached to the tip of the spindle and supplying machining water to the cutting tool and the workpiece held on the chuck table. The processing chamber includes a side plate and a top plate. The top plate is provided with a door mechanism for opening and closing an opening for accessing the cutting tool. The side plate is provided with a mounting portion for placing the top plate at the upper end. The processing apparatus includes a movable side plate that, together with the mounting portion, tilts a predetermined rectangular area 90 degrees within the processing chamber to expand the opening, a fixed side plate other than the movable side plate, and a seal portion disposed on the movable side plate.

Advantages of the Invention

[0006] The processing apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a movable side plate that tilts 90 degrees for the side plate forming the processing chamber, so that the operator can expand the opening for accessing the cutting tool, making it easy to take in and out cutting tools such as grinding wheels into and out of the processing chamber. Further, the movable side plate can be used as a workbench during the replacement operation of replacing the cutting tool in the state where it is tilted 90 degrees. Further, since the movable side plate is provided with a seal portion, machining water is not ejected outside when it is integrated with the fixed side plate standing vertically.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] The processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter referred to as the grinding apparatus 1) includes, for example, a rough grinding unit 20 and a finish grinding unit 21, and is an apparatus for grinding a workpiece 90 held on any one of the chuck tables 30 by the rough grinding unit 20 and the finish grinding unit 21. Note that the processing apparatus according to the present invention may be a polishing apparatus that polishes the workpiece 90 with a polishing pad, a grinding and polishing apparatus including a grinding unit and a polishing unit, or a surface planer that turns the workpiece 90 with a turning cutting tool.

[0009] The grinding apparatus 1 is configured, for example, by connecting a second apparatus base 11 to the rear (+Y direction side) of a first apparatus base 10. On the second apparatus base 11, there is a processing area where the workpiece 90 held by the chuck table 30 is processed by the rough grinding unit 20 or the finish grinding unit 21, and a part of it is a loading / unloading area 112 for loading or unloading the workpiece 90 with respect to the chuck table 30.

[0010] The workpiece 90 shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, a circular plate-shaped semiconductor wafer made of a silicon base material or the like. In FIG. 1, a surface 902 of the workpiece 90 facing downward has a plurality of devices formed thereon, and a protective tape 91 is attached and protected. A back surface 901 facing upward of the workpiece 90 is a surface to be ground.

[0011] On the front side (-Y direction side) of the first apparatus base 10, a first cassette mounting portion and a second cassette mounting portion are provided. A first cassette 121 for accommodating the workpiece 90 before processing is mounted on the first cassette mounting portion, and a second cassette 122 for accommodating the workpiece 90 after processing is mounted on the second cassette mounting portion.

[0012] Behind the opening of the first cassette 121, a robot 123 is arranged to carry out the workpiece 90 before processing from the first cassette 121 and carry the workpiece 90 after processing into the second cassette 122.

[0013] An intermediate storage area 124 is provided at a position adjacent to the robot 123, and an alignment unit 125 is arranged in the intermediate storage area 124. The alignment unit 125 aligns (centers) the workpiece 90 carried out from the first cassette 121 and placed in the intermediate storage area 124 at a predetermined position with a reducing alignment pin to determine the center position of the workpiece 90.

[0014] A loading arm 126 that rotates while holding the workpiece 90 is arranged at a position adjacent to the alignment unit 125. The loading arm 126 holds the workpiece 90 aligned by the alignment unit 125 and conveys it to the chuck table 30 positioned within the loading / unloading area. An unloading arm 127 that rotates while holding the workpiece 90 after processing is provided adjacent to the loading arm 126. Within the movable range of the unloading arm 127, a single-sheet cleaning unit 128 for cleaning the workpiece 90 conveyed by the unloading arm 127 is arranged. The workpiece 90 cleaned by the cleaning unit 128 is carried into the second cassette 122 by the robot 123.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, a first column 13 is erected at the rear (+Y direction side) on the second device base 11, and a rough grinding feed unit 22 is disposed on the front surface of the first column 13. The rough grinding feed unit 22 includes a ball screw 220 having an axis in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), a pair of guide rails 221 disposed in parallel with the ball screw 220, a motor 222 connected to the ball screw 220 to rotate the ball screw 220, a lifting block 223 whose internal nut is screwed onto the ball screw 220 and whose side portion is in sliding contact with the guide rail 221, and a holder 224 connected to the lifting block 223 to hold the rough grinding unit 20. When the motor 222 rotates the ball screw 220, accordingly, the lifting block 223 is guided by the guide rail 221 and reciprocates in the Z-axis direction, and the rough grinding unit 20 supported by the holder 224 also reciprocates in the Z-axis direction.

[0016] The rough grinding unit 20 includes a spindle 200 whose axial direction is the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), a housing (not shown) that rotatably supports the spindle 200, a motor 202 that rotationally drives the spindle 200, and a grinding wheel 204 (see Fig. 2), which is a cutting tool detachably connected to the lower surface of a circular mount 203 connected to the lower end of the spindle 200. The grinding wheel 204 includes a wheel base and a plurality of rough grinding grinding wheels (not shown) having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape annularly mounted on the bottom surface of the wheel base. The rough grinding grinding wheel is, for example, a grinding wheel in which the abrasive grains contained in the grinding wheel are relatively large.

[0017] For example, inside the spindle 200 shown in Fig. 1, a grinding water flow path extending in the Z-axis direction is formed, and a grinding water supply unit (not shown) communicates with this grinding water flow path. The processing water (grinding water, for example, pure water) supplied from the grinding water supply unit to the spindle 200 jets downward from the opening at the lower end of the grinding water flow path toward the rough grinding grinding wheel and reaches the contact portion between the rough grinding grinding wheel and the workpiece 90 suction-held by the chuck table 30.

[0018] Also, behind the second device base 11 shown in FIG. 1, a second column 14 stands upright side by side with the first column 13 in the X-axis direction, and a finish grinding feed unit 23 is disposed on the second column 14. The finish grinding feed unit 23 is configured in the same manner as the rough grinding feed unit 22 and can feed the finish grinding unit 21 in the Z-axis direction for grinding. The finish grinding unit 21 includes a finish grinding wheel 206 shown in FIG. 2 in which the abrasive grains contained in the grinding wheel are relatively small, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those of the rough grinding unit 20 described above.

[0019] In the central region of the second device base 11, a turntable 15 is disposed, and on the upper surface of the turntable 15, for example, three chuck tables 30 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) are disposed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The turntable 15 is rotatable about the Z-axis, and by rotating the turntable 15, the three chuck tables 30 can be revolved and sequentially moved to the loading / unloading area 112, below the rough grinding unit 20, or below the finish grinding unit 21. Note that when the grinding device 1 is, for example, a grinding processing device with a single-axis grinding unit, instead of the turntable 15, an electric slider or the like may be configured to linearly move the chuck table 30 in the Y-axis direction.

[0020] The chuck table 30 has, for example, a circular outer shape and includes a holding surface 300 formed of a porous member or the like that communicates with a suction source (not shown) and transmits the suction force generated by the suction of the suction source, and the workpiece 90 can be suction-held by the holding surface 300.

[0021] The grinding device 1 is provided with a processing chamber that houses a chuck table 30 and a grinding wheel 204 for performing grinding on a workpiece 90. For example, in this embodiment, since the grinding device 1 is provided with a two-axis processing unit including a rough grinding unit 20 and a finish grinding unit 21, two processing chambers are arranged, namely, a first processing chamber 49 below the rough grinding unit 20 on the second device base 11 and a second processing chamber 4 below the finish grinding unit 21. And the area exposed from the first processing chamber 49 and the second processing chamber 4 of the second device base 11 serves as the loading / unloading area 112. Note that the first processing chamber 49 and the second processing chamber 4 may not be separated internally and may be an integrated single processing chamber.

[0022] Since the first processing chamber 49 arranged below the rough grinding unit 20 shown in FIG. 1 has the same configuration as the second processing chamber 4 arranged below the finish grinding unit 21, hereinafter, the second processing chamber 4 (hereinafter abbreviated as the processing chamber 4) arranged below the finish grinding unit 21 will be described, and the description of the first processing chamber 49 will be omitted. The processing chamber 4 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a side plate 5 and a top plate 6. The top plate 6 is provided with a door mechanism for opening and closing an opening 69 (see FIG. 3) for accessing the grinding wheel 204. The side plate 5 is provided with a first placement portion 525 and a second placement portion 526 shown in FIG. 3 for placing the top plate 6 at the upper end. Together with the first placement portion 525 and the second placement portion 526, a movable side plate 52 that rotates 90 degrees within the processing chamber 4 to expand the opening 69 in a predetermined rectangular area 524, a fixed side plate 53 other than the movable side plate 52, and a seal portion 54 (see FIG. 4) arranged on the movable side plate 52 are provided. The first processing chamber 49 also similarly includes a side plate 5 and a top plate 6 that can widely open the opening 69.

[0023] The fixed side plate 53 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes, for example, a front side plate 530 on the front side of the loading / unloading area 112 shown in FIG. 1, a first processing chamber 49 and a second processing chamber 4 which are separated by a partitioning side plate 531 that is connected to the front side plate 530 and disposed below the rough grinding unit 20 on the turntable 15, a side surface side plate 533 disposed on the +X direction side facing the partitioning side plate 531 in the X-axis direction, and a rear side plate 532 connected to the side surface side plate 533 and the partitioning side plate 531. Note that the front side plate 530 and the partitioning side plate 531 are shown only in FIG. 1.

[0024] The front side plate 530 shown in FIG. 1 has a lower portion cut out in a substantially rectangular shape. By passing the turntable 15 that rotates at the entrance, which is the cut-out portion, the chuck table 30 can be accommodated in the first processing chamber 49, and the chuck table 30 can be withdrawn from the second processing chamber 4 through the exit, which is the cut-out portion. Note that a shutter or a water curtain (not shown) for opening and closing the entrance and the exit is disposed on the front side plate 530. The shutter or the water curtain may be provided on the turntable 15. During grinding, the grinding water spray does not scatter outside the first processing chamber 49 and the second processing chamber 4 from the entrance and the exit by the shutter or the like (not shown). In addition, a passage opening (not shown) for passing the chuck table 30 is formed in the partitioning side plate 531 shown in FIG. 1. The chuck table 30 enters the second processing chamber 4 from the first processing chamber 49 through the passage opening (not shown). Note that the partitioning side plate 531 may be omitted.

[0025] FIG. 2 shows a case where the second processing chamber 4 is viewed with the top plate 6 closed from the side surface side plate 533 side (i.e., the +X direction side of the grinding device 1) that constitutes the fixed side plate 53. The top plate 6 shown in FIG. 2 includes a fixed top plate 60 whose most part is located on the -X direction side closer to the partitioning side plate 531 shown in FIG. 1, a first opening / closing top plate 61 formed of a single plate and connected to the fixed top plate 60 and capable of being valley-folded so as to rotate on the upper surface side of the fixed top plate 60 by a valley-fold hinge 611, and a second opening / closing top plate 62 whose entirety is shown in FIG. 2 and connected to the rear side plate 532 by a valley-fold hinge 621.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the second opening and closing top plate 62 larger than the first opening and closing top plate 61 includes a rotating top plate 622 having one end connected to the rear side plate 532 via a valley fold hinge 621 and being rotatable toward the outside of the processing chamber 4, and a folding top plate 626 having one end connected to the other end of the rotating top plate 622 via a mountain fold hinge 623 and being rotatable toward the inside of the processing chamber 4. It also includes a backrest 624 that supports the rotating top plate 622 in the opened state, and a handle 625 disposed on the upper surface of the rotating top plate 622. In the present embodiment, an opening 69 (see FIG. 3) for accessing the grinding wheel 204 positioned inside the processing chamber 4 is opened and closed by the valley fold hinge 611, the first opening and closing top plate 61, the valley fold hinge 621, the mountain fold hinge 623, and the second opening and closing top plate 62, thereby forming a door mechanism.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a part of the side surface of the folding top plate 626 is cut out in an arc shape. A part of the outer surface of the first opening and closing top plate 61 is also cut out in an arc shape. Then, due to the arc-shaped notch formed in the fixed top plate 60, the arc-shaped notch of the folding top plate 626, and the arc-shaped notch of the first opening and closing top plate 61, a circular wheel passage port 63 for allowing the grinding wheel 204 to enter the processing chamber 4 is formed directly below the grinding wheel 204 when the processing chamber 4 is in the closed state as shown in FIG. 2.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the movable side plate 52 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 is connected to the upper side of the side side plate 533 via a valley fold hinge 521 shown in FIG. 4. The movable side plate 52 that is not tilted 90 degrees inside the processing chamber 4 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 includes a rectangular plate-shaped collapsible portion 523 that is fitted into the rectangular notch portion of the side side plate 533 and connected to the valley fold hinge 521 disposed inside the processing chamber 4 of the side side plate 533, and a substantially rectangular plate-shaped rectangular area 524 that extends horizontally from the upper end of the collapsible portion 523 toward the folding top plate 626 in plan view.

[0029] A part of the tip side of the folding top plate 626 that constitutes the top plate 6 is notched in a substantially rectangular shape, and a rectangular area 524 corresponds to the notched portion of the rectangle. A second placement portion 526 on which the outer peripheral side lower surface of the second opening / closing top plate 62 in the closed state that constitutes the top plate 6 is placed is formed by the region on the outer peripheral side of the upper surface of the rectangular area 524 shown in FIG. 3 and the upper end surface of the collapsible portion 523. Note that the outer peripheral side lower surface of the second opening / closing top plate 62 in the closed state is also placed on the protruding portion 606 that is formed on the fixed top plate 60 shown in FIG. 3 and extends horizontally. Also, the region on the outer peripheral side of the upper surface of the rectangular area 524 shown in FIG. 3 becomes a first placement portion 525 on which the outer peripheral side lower surface of the first opening / closing top plate 61 in the closed state is placed.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, L-shaped hooks 551 are respectively attached to the left and right ends on the outer surface of the collapsible portion 523 that constitutes the movable side plate 52, and handle stoppers 552 attached to the side side plates 533 are respectively positioned on both sides thereof. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the handle stopper 552 is engaged with the L-shaped hook 551, and the movable side plate 52 is fixed so as not to fall into the processing chamber 4.

[0031] For example, on the upper side of the side side plate 533 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a convex stopper 535 is provided that is supported by the tip of the folding top plate 626 being caught in the state where the folding top plate 626 is folded to open the opening 69. The convex stopper 535 is fitted into a fitting hole 627 formed in the rotating top plate 622 when the second opening / closing top plate 62 closes the opening 69.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, seal portions 54 are disposed at both left and right ends of the collapsible portion 523 of the movable side plate 52. In the present embodiment, the seal portion 54 is disposed on the inner surface of the side surface side plate 533 that constitutes the fixed side plate 53 and is combined with a rod-shaped portion 537 (only shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) that extends in the Z-axis direction to form a labyrinth structure, preventing the machining water from spraying out from the machining chamber 4 to the outside. That is, when the top plate 6 is closed, the movable side plate 52 is not collapsed by 90 degrees and is fixed by the handle stopper 552 and stands upright, the rod-shaped portion 537 fits into the seal portion 54 formed in a concave shape shown in FIG. 6, thereby forming a labyrinth structure for preventing water leakage.

[0033] Note that the seal portion 54 is not limited to the form of forming the above labyrinth structure. For example, a sponge may be disposed as the seal portion at the left and right boundary portions between the collapsible portion 523 and the side surface side plate 533 on the collapsible portion 523 or the side surface side plate 533.

[0034] Hereinafter, in the grinding apparatus 1 in a state where the first machining chamber 49 and the second machining chamber 4 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are closed, the operation of the grinding apparatus 1 when grinding the workpiece 90 held by the chuck table 30 will be described. First, when the turntable 15 shown in FIG. 1 rotates, the chuck table 30 on which the workpiece 90 is not placed revolves, and the chuck table 30 moves to the vicinity of the loading arm 126 and is positioned within the loading / unloading area 112. Then, the robot 123 pulls out one workpiece 90 from the first cassette 121 and moves the workpiece 90 to the temporary placement area 124. Next, the workpiece 90 is centered on the temporary placement area 124 by the alignment unit 125.

[0035] The loading arm 126 conveys the centered workpiece 90 onto the chuck table 30. A suction source (not shown) is activated, and the chuck table 30 sucks and holds the workpiece 90 on the holding surface 300 with the back surface 901 exposed upward. After the chuck table 30 sucks and holds the workpiece 90, the turntable 15 rotates, and the turntable 15 and the chuck table 30 holding the workpiece 90 enter the first processing chamber 49 through the entrance of the front side plate 530. Then, the workpiece 90 is rough-ground by the rough-grinding wheel that rotates and descends in the rough-grinding unit 20.

[0036] After the rough grinding is completed, the turntable 15 revolves by a predetermined angle, so that the rotation center of the grinding wheel 204 of the finish-grinding unit 21 is displaced horizontally by a predetermined distance with respect to the rotation center of the workpiece 90, and alignment is performed so that the rotation locus of the finish-grinding wheel 206 passes through the rotation center of the workpiece 90 sucked and held by the chuck table 30. Also, the motor 202 rotates the spindle 200, and the grinding wheel 204 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed.

[0037] The finish-grinding unit 21 descends by the finish-grinding feed unit 23, the grinding wheel 204 (see FIG. 2) enters the processing chamber 4 through the wheel passage port 63, and the finish-grinding wheel 206 shown in FIG. 2 abuts against the back surface 901 of the workpiece 90, thereby performing the grinding process. During grinding, since the chuck table 30 rotates and the workpiece 90 also rotates, the grinding wheel 204 performs grinding on the entire surface of the back surface 901 of the workpiece 90. Also, grinding water is supplied through the spindle 200 to the contact portion between the finish-grinding wheel 206 and the back surface 901 of the workpiece 90, and cooling of the contact portion and washing and removal of the grinding chips by the grinding water are performed. The grinding water containing the grinding chips is drained from a drain port (not shown) in the processing chamber 4.

[0038] When grinding starts, fine grinding chips are generated and mixed into the grinding water, forming a spray and scattering. The wheel passage openings 63 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are formed slightly larger than, for example, the grinding wheel 204. A seal member is disposed around the wheel passage openings 63, and the seal member and the grinding wheel 204 that has entered the processing chamber 4 prevent the spray from scattering outside the processing chamber 4 through the wheel passage openings 63. Also, the entrance of the front side plate 530 of the processing chamber 4 shown in FIG. 1 is prevented from scattering the spray to the outside by a shutter or a water curtain. Further, since the closed processing chamber 4 is provided with a seal portion 54 (see FIG. 6), as shown in FIG. 2, a labyrinth structure is formed in a state where the movable side plate 52 is not tilted 90 degrees and is fixed upright by the handle stopper 552, and the seal portion 54 prevents the spray from leaking outside the processing chamber 4.

[0039] After the workpiece 90 is ground to the finish grinding thickness, the finish grinding unit 21 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 rises, and the grinding wheel 204 separates from the workpiece 90.

[0040] After the finish grinding is completed, the turntable 15 and the chuck table 30 holding the workpiece 90 pass through the exit formed in the front side plate 530 of the processing chamber 4 and are positioned in the loading / unloading area 112. Then, the unloading arm 127 shown in FIG. 1 conveys the ground workpiece 90 to the cleaning unit 128. After the cleaning unit 128 cleans the workpiece 90, the robot 123 loads the workpiece 90 into the second cassette 122.

[0041] As described above, as the finish grinding wheel 206 performs grinding on the workpiece 90, the finish grinding wheel 206 is consumed. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the grinding wheel 204 of the finish grinding unit 21 at an appropriate timing (for example, after grinding a plurality of workpieces 90). At that time, from the state shown in FIG. 2 to the state shown in FIG. 3, the top plate 6 is opened to open the opening 69, and the movable side plate 52 is tilted 90 degrees into the processing chamber 4 to expand the opening 69 from the state shown in FIG. 3 to the state shown in FIG. 4, so that the operator can easily access the grinding wheel 204 in the processing chamber 4.

[0042] A door mechanism for opening and closing the opening 69 for accessing the grinding wheel 204 of the top plate 6 is used. Specifically, first, the operator grips the handle 625 shown in FIG. 2 and pulls up the folding top plate 626 and the rotating top plate 622 in the closed state (the state of being placed on the second placement portion 526 and the protruding portion 606 shown in FIG. 3) upward, so that the convex stopper 535 comes off from the fitting hole 627 of the rotating top plate 622.

[0043] Then, the rotating top plate 622 is rotated with the valley-fold hinge 621 as a fulcrum to a standing state as shown in FIG. 3, and its upper surface is brought into contact with the backrest 624. Further, the folding top plate 626 is rotated and folded inside the processing chamber 4 with the mountain-fold hinge 623 as a fulcrum, and its tip is hooked on the outer surface of the convex stopper 535 shown in FIG. 3. As a result, the surface of the rotating top plate 622 inside the processing chamber 4 and the surface of the folding top plate 626 on the processing chamber 4 side face each other, the rotating top plate 622 is supported by the backrest 624, the tip of the folding top plate 626 is supported by the convex stopper 535, and the rotating top plate 622 and the folding top plate 626 can be erected on the processing chamber 4 to maintain the opening 69 in an open state. Note that during the folding of the folding top plate 626, since the portion corresponding to the rectangular area 524 on the tip side of the folding top plate 626 is cut out in a rectangular shape, the folding top plate 626 does not collide with the collapsible portion 523 because the collapsible portion 523 passes through the cutout portion.

[0044] Next, lift and open the first opening and closing top plate 61 placed on the first placement portion 525. As shown in FIG. 3, the opening 69 is further widened, and it becomes easier for the operator to access the periphery of the grinding wheel 204 in the processing chamber 4.

[0045] Next, tilt the movable side plate 52 shown in FIG. 3 by 90 degrees toward the inside of the processing chamber 4. That is, the operator rotates the two handle stoppers 552 outward and disengages them from the L-shaped hooks 551 respectively. Then, by tilting the movable side plate 52 by 90 degrees toward the inside of the processing chamber 4, the rectangular area 524 that had been extending horizontally extends in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and the opening 69 becomes wider as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. Also, the seal portion 54 that tilts together with the movable side plate 52 is disengaged from the rod-shaped portion 537 of the side surface side plate 533 (see FIGS. 5 and 6), and the labyrinth structure is released.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, by making the opening 69 wide open, the chuck table 30 and the grinding wheel 204 in the processing chamber 4 are exposed. Therefore, the operator can access the grinding wheel 204 to replace it with a new one, and it becomes easy to take in and out from the opening 69 such as the grinding wheel 204. Also, the upper surface 527 of the collapsible portion 523 in the 90-degree tilted state shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 can be used as a workbench for temporarily placing the grinding wheel 204 to be replaced by the operator and other jigs used during replacement. In addition, even when replacing the grinding wheel 204 having the rough grinding stone of the rough grinding unit 20 shown in FIG. 1, the opening 69 of the first processing chamber 49 is similarly wide open for replacement.

[0047] It goes without saying that the processing apparatus 1 (grinding apparatus 1) according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and may be implemented in various different forms within the scope of its technical idea. Also, each process of grinding using the grinding apparatus 1 and each process of replacing the grinding wheel 204 can be appropriately changed within the range where the effects of the present invention can be exhibited.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0048] 1: Processing device (grinding device) 10: First device base 11: Second device base 112: Loading / unloading area 121: First cassette 122: Second cassette 123: Robot 124: Temporary placement area 125: Alignment unit 126: Loading arm 127: Unloading arm 128: Cleaning unit 13: First column 14: Second column 15: Turntable 20: Rough grinding unit 204: Grinding wheel 21: Finish grinding unit 22: Rough grinding feed unit 23: Finish grinding feed unit 30: Chuck table 300: Holding surface 49: First processing chamber 4: Second processing chamber 5: Side plate 52: Movable side plate 521: Valley fold hinge 523: Foldable part 524: Rectangular area 53: Fixed side plate 530: Front side plate 531: Partition side plate 532: Rear side plate 533: Side side plate 535: Convex stopper 537: Rod-shaped part 54: Seal part 551: L-shaped hook 552: Handle stopper 6: Top plate 60: Fixed top plate 61: First opening / closing top plate 611: Valley fold hinge 62: Second opening / closing top plate 621: Valley fold hinge 622: Rotating top plate 623: Mountain fold hinge 624: Backrest 625: Handle 626: Folding top plate 627: Fitting hole 63: Wheel passage 69: Opening 90: Workpiece 901: Back surface 902: Front surface 91: Protective tape

Claims

【Claim 1】 A machining apparatus for machining a workpiece in a machining chamber that houses a chuck table and a cutting tool while rotating the cutting tool attached to the tip of a spindle and supplying machining water to the cutting tool and the workpiece held on the chuck table, The machining chamber includes a side plate and a top plate, The top plate is provided with a door mechanism for opening and closing an opening for accessing the cutting tool, The side plate includes a mounting portion for mounting the top plate at its upper end, a movable side plate that, together with the mounting portion, tilts a predetermined rectangular area 90 degrees into the machining chamber to expand the opening, a fixed side plate other than the movable side plate, and a seal portion disposed on the movable side plate.

Images