Conveying unit

Abstract

To provide a transfer unit capable of transferring various types of substrates.SOLUTION: A transfer unit 1 transfers a substrate. The transfer unit 1 includes a holding plate 3 for holding the substrate, and a drive part for moving the holding plate 3. The holding plate 3 comprises a tabular plate body 4, a suction part 6 that is connected to a suction source 5 and that is sucked by the suction source 5 so as to attach the substrate 200 by a suction force, and a position changing part 7 that can change a position of the suction part 6 relative to the plate body 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transfer unit for transferring a substrate such as a wafer.

Background Art

[0002] In a processing apparatus, a transfer unit is used to transfer a substrate such as a wafer (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

[0003] In order to transfer this type of substrate well, it is necessary to adjust the position and number of optimal suction pads for each substrate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, since the position and number of the suction pads of the conventional transfer unit are fixed, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of types of transfer units in order to transfer various substrates, and there is a problem that man-hours and costs are required to prepare a plurality of types of transfer units.

[0006] In particular, in order to transfer a warped substrate, it may be necessary to try patterns of the positions and numbers of a plurality of types of transfer pads, and improvement has been desired.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer unit that can transfer various substrates while suppressing an increase in cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a conveyance unit of the present invention is a conveyance unit that conveys a substrate, and the conveyance unit includes a holding plate that holds the substrate and a drive unit that moves the holding plate. The holding plate includes a plate-shaped plate body, a suction unit that is connected to a suction source and sucks the substrate by being sucked by the suction source, and a position changing unit that can change a relative position of the suction unit with respect to the plate body. The position changing parts are provided in plurality on the plate body and have a plurality of through holes penetrating the plate body, with the number of through holes being more than that of the adsorption parts, and the adsorption parts are attached to some of the plurality of through holes. It is characterized by this.

[0009] In the above-described conveyance unit The The suction unit has a suction pad attached to the through-hole and a suction tube connecting the suction pad and the suction source. The position changing unit may change the relative position of the suction pad of the suction unit with respect to the plate body by selecting the through-hole to which the suction pad of the suction unit is attached, or by changing the relative position of the through-hole to which the suction pad of the suction unit is attached.

Effect of the Invention

[0011] The present invention has an effect that it can convey various substrates while suppressing an increase in cost.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the content described in the following embodiments. Also, the constituent elements described below include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art and substantially identical ones. Furthermore, the configurations described below can be combined as appropriate. Also, various omissions, substitutions, or changes in the configuration can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0014] [Embodiment 1] The transport unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a processing apparatus including the transport unit according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the transport unit according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the holding plate of the transport unit shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an enlarged view of part IV in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a modified example of the suction pad of the transport unit shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6. (Substrate)

[0015] The transport unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 constitutes the processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1. In Embodiment 1, the processing apparatus 100 is a grinding apparatus that grinds a substrate 200 (shown in FIG. 2). The substrate 200, which is the object to be processed by the processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, is a wafer such as a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer made of silicon, sapphire, gallium, etc. as a base material. A plurality of division planned lines intersecting each other are set on the surface of the substrate 200, and devices are formed in the regions partitioned by the division planned lines.

[0016] The devices are, for example, integrated circuits such as IC (Integrated Circuit) or LSI (Large Scale Integration), or image sensors such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor).

[0017] In Embodiment 1, a protective tape 201 is adhered to the surface of a substrate 200, and the back surface on the back side of the surface is ground and thinned to a predetermined finish thickness, and then divided into individual devices along a planned dividing line.

[0018] (Processing apparatus) Next, the processing apparatus 100 will be described. The processing apparatus 100 is a grinding apparatus that grinds the back surface of the substrate 200 to thin the substrate 200 to a predetermined finish thickness. As shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus 100 includes an apparatus main body 101, a rough grinding unit 102, a finish grinding unit 103, a grinding feed unit 104, a turntable 105, a plurality (three in Embodiment 1) of holding tables 106 installed on the turntable 105, a cassette 107, an alignment unit 108, a plurality of transfer arms 109, a cleaning unit 111, a control unit 112, and a transfer unit 1.

[0019] The turntable 105 is a disk-shaped table provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 101, and is rotatably provided around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction in the horizontal plane and is rotationally driven at a predetermined timing. On this turntable 105, for example, three holding tables 106 are arranged at equal intervals with a phase angle of, for example, 120 degrees. These three holding tables 106 have a holding table structure including a vacuum chuck whose holding surface is connected to a suction source (not shown). The substrate 200 is placed on the holding surface via the protective tape 201 and is sucked by the suction source to suck and hold the substrate 200 on the holding surface.

[0020] During grinding, these holding tables 106 are rotationally driven in the horizontal plane by a rotational drive mechanism around an axis parallel to the vertical direction, i.e., the Z-axis direction. The holding table 106 is sequentially moved to the loading / unloading area 301, the rough grinding area 302, the finish grinding area 303, and the loading / unloading area 301 by the rotation of the turntable 105.

[0021] Note that the loading / unloading area 301 is an area for loading and unloading the substrate 200 to and from the holding table 106. The rough grinding area 302 is an area for rough grinding (equivalent to grinding) the substrate 200 held on the holding table 106 by the rough grinding unit 102. The finish grinding area 303 is an area for finish grinding (equivalent to grinding) the substrate 200 held on the holding table 106 by the finish grinding unit 103.

[0022] The rough grinding unit 102 is equipped with a rough grinding wheel 114 in which abrasive grinding wheels 113 for rough grinding for rough grinding the back surface exposed above the substrate 200 held on the holding table 106 are annularly arranged, and is a grinding unit for rough grinding the back surface of the substrate 200 held on the holding surface of the holding table 106 in the rough grinding area 302. The finish grinding unit 103 is equipped with a finish grinding wheel 116 in which abrasive grinding wheels 115 for finish grinding for finish grinding the back surface of the substrate 200 held on the holding table 106 are annularly arranged, and is a grinding unit for finish grinding the back surface of the substrate 200 held on the holding surface of the holding table 106 in the finish grinding area 303.

[0023] The grinding units 102 and 103 rotate the grinding wheels 114 and 116 around the axis by a motor 118, and while supplying grinding water to the back surface of the substrate 200 held on the holding table 106 in the grinding areas 302 and 303, the abrasive grinding wheels 113 and 115 are brought closer to the holding table 106 at a predetermined feed rate by the grinding feed unit 104, thereby rough grinding or finish grinding the back surface of the substrate 200.

[0024] The grinding feed unit 104 moves the grinding units 102 and 103 in the Z-axis direction to separate and approach the grinding units 102 and 103 with respect to the holding table 106. In Embodiment 1, the grinding feed unit 104 is provided on a standing column 117 erected from one end in the Y-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction of the apparatus main body 101. The grinding feed unit 104 includes a well-known ball screw rotatably provided around its axis, a well-known motor that rotates the ball screw around its axis, and a well-known guide rail that movably supports the spindle housings of the grinding units 102 and 103 in the Z-axis direction.

[0025] In Embodiment 1, the rough grinding unit 102 and the finish grinding unit 103 are arranged such that the axis that is the rotation center of the grinding wheels 114 and 116 and the axis that is the rotation center of the holding table 106 are parallel to each other with a horizontal interval therebetween, and the grinding wheels 113 and 115 pass through the center of the back surface of the substrate 200 held by the holding table 106.

[0026] The cassette 107 is a storage container having a plurality of slots for storing a plurality of substrates 200. The cassette 107 stores a plurality of substrates 200 with the protective tapes 201 before and after the grinding process attached thereto. In Embodiment 1, a pair of cassettes 107 are provided and are each installed on a cassette installation table. The cassette installation table raises and lowers the cassette 107 in the Z-axis direction. The alignment unit 108 is a table on which the substrate 200 taken out from the cassette 107 is temporarily placed and its center alignment is performed.

[0027] The plurality of transfer arms 109 each have a suction pad for sucking the substrate 200. One of the plurality of transfer arms 109 sucks and holds the substrate 200 before grinding that has been aligned by the alignment unit 108, and carries it onto the holding table 106 located in the loading / unloading area 301. Another one of the plurality of transfer arms 109 sucks and holds the substrate 200 after grinding held on the holding table 106 located in the loading / unloading area 301, and carries it out to the cleaning unit 111. The cleaning unit 111 cleans the substrate 200 after grinding and removes contaminants such as grinding debris adhering to the ground back surface.

[0028] The control unit 112 controls each of the above-described constituent units that make up the processing apparatus 100. That is, the control unit 112 causes the processing apparatus 100 to execute a processing operation on the substrate 200. The control unit 112 is a computer having an arithmetic processing unit 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.

[0029] The arithmetic processing unit of the control unit 112 performs arithmetic processing according to a computer program stored in the storage device, and outputs a control signal for controlling the processing apparatus 100 to the above-described components of the processing apparatus 100 via the input / output interface device. Further, the control unit 112 is connected to a display unit constituted by, for example, a liquid crystal display device that displays the state and image of the processing operation, an input unit used when an operator registers processing content information, etc., and a notification unit that notifies the operator. The input unit is constituted by at least one of a touch panel provided on the display unit and a keyboard or the like. The notification unit notifies the operator by emitting at least one of sound, light, and a message on the touch panel.

[0030] (Transfer Unit) In Embodiment 1, the transfer unit 1 takes out the substrate 200 before grinding from the cassette 107, transfers the substrate 200 to the alignment unit 108, takes out the substrate 200 after grinding from the cleaning unit 111, and transfers it to the cassette 107.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer unit 1 includes a drive unit 2 and a holding plate 3.

[0032] The drive unit 2 moves the holding plate 3 in the X-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction shown in FIG. 1, the Y-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction and orthogonal to the X-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction orthogonal to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction and parallel to the vertical direction.

[0033] The drive unit 2 includes a first arm 21 whose one end is rotatably connected to the apparatus main body 101 about an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction, a second arm 22 whose one end is rotatably connected to the other end of the first arm 21 about an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction, a support member 23 whose other end is rotatably connected to the other end of the second arm 22 about an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction and to which the holding plate 3 is attached, and an arm drive unit that positions the holding plate 3 at an arbitrary position by rotating the arms 21, 22, and the support member 23 about an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction.

[0034] The holding plate 3 holds the substrate 200. As shown in FIG. 3, the holding plate 3 includes a plate main body 4, a suction portion 6 that is connected to a suction source 5 and adsorbs the substrate 200 by being suctioned by the suction source 5, and a position changing portion 7 that can change the relative position of the suction portion 6 with respect to the plate main body 4.

[0035] In Embodiment 1, the plate main body 4 is made of a magnetic metal and is formed in a plate shape with a constant thickness. In Embodiment 1, the plate main body 4 integrally includes a holding portion 41 having a rectangular planar shape and a narrow-width portion 42 that is formed to be narrower than the holding portion 41, is continuous with the holding portion 41, and is attached to the support member 23 of the drive unit 2.

[0036] The position changing parts 7 are provided in plurality on the plate body 4 and have a plurality of through holes 71 penetrating the plate body 4. In Embodiment 1, the planar shape of the through hole 71 is formed as a circle (round shape). In Embodiment 1, a plurality of the through holes 71 are arranged at equal intervals across the holding part 41 and the narrow part 42 of the plate body 4. In the present invention, the through hole 71, that is, the position changing part 7, is provided at least in the holding part 41 of the plate body 4 and may not be provided in the narrow part 42. Note that FIG. 2 shows only the through holes 71 provided at the four corners of the plate body 4, and other through holes 71 are omitted.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the suction part 6 has a suction pad 8, a joint 9, and a suction tube 10. The suction pad 8 is attached to the through hole 71. In Embodiment 1, the suction pad 8 includes an annular pad body 81 made of resin with an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 71, an annular permanent magnet 82 provided in the pad body 81 and magnetically adsorbed to the holding part 41 of the plate body 4, and an annular pad 83 made of resin having elasticity such as sponge.

[0038] The permanent magnet 82 has an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the pad body 81, an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the pad body 81, and is arranged at a position coaxial with the pad body 81. The pad body 81, that is, the suction pad 8, is adsorbed to the lower surface 43 where the permanent magnet 82 faces the substrate 200 of the holding part 41 of the plate body 4, and is attached to the holding part 41 of the plate body 4. At this time, the inner side of the suction pad 8 communicates with the through hole 71, and the through hole 71 is maintained in an open state. Also, it is desirable that the pad body 81 of the suction pad 8 be arranged at a position coaxial with the through hole 71.

[0039] The pad 83 has an inner diameter equal to that of the pad body 81, an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameters of the pad body 81 and the permanent magnet 82, and is arranged at a position coaxial with the pad body 81 and the permanent magnet 82. The pad 83 is attached to the surface of the pad body 81 of the suction pad 8 attached to the holding portion 41 of the holding plate 3, which faces the substrate 200.

[0040] One end of the coupling 9 passes through the through hole 71 and is attached inside the suction pad 8, and the other end is attached to the suction tube 10 to connect the suction pad 8 and the suction tube 10.

[0041] The suction tube 10 is a tube made of a flexible resin, and one end thereof is connected to the coupling 9. Further, the other end of the suction tube 10 is connected to a merging coupling 61 attached to the narrow portion 42 of the plate body 4 and connected to the suction source 5. The suction tube 10 connects the suction pad 8 and the suction source 5 by having one end attached inside the suction pad 8 and connected to the coupling 9 and the other end connected to the merging coupling 61 connected to the suction source 5.

[0042] In the suction portion 6 having the above-described configuration, the permanent magnet 82 is adsorbed to the lower surface 43 of the holding portion 41 of the plate body 4 at a position where the suction pad 8 is coaxial with the through hole 71, and is attached to the plate body 4. In the present invention, the fact that the permanent magnet 82 is adsorbed to the holding portion 41 of the plate body 4 at a position where the suction pad 8 is coaxial with the through hole 71 is referred to as the suction pad 8 being attached to the through hole 71. Further, the suction portion 6 can change the through hole 71 to which the suction pad 8 is attached by changing the position where the permanent magnet 82 is adsorbed. Further, the suction portion 6 can change the number of suction pads 8 attached to the through hole 71 of one plate body 4.

[0043] The position changing unit 7 changes the relative position of the suction pad 8 of the suction unit 6 with respect to the plate body 4 by selecting the through hole 71 to which the suction pad 8 of the suction unit 6 is attached. Further, the position changing unit 7 changes the number of suction pads 8 of the suction unit 6 attached to the through hole 71, thereby changing the number of suction units 6 provided in one plate body 4, that is, one transfer unit 1.

[0044] Also, in Embodiment 1, as shown in FIG. 6, the transfer unit 1 may be provided with at least one screw hole 44 around the through hole 71 of at least the holding portion 41 of the plate body 4. As shown in FIG. 7, without providing the permanent magnet 82, a hole 85 through which a screw 84 screwed into the screw hole 44 passes may be provided in the pad body 81. In this case, the suction pad 8 is attached to the through hole 71, that is, the holding portion 41 of the plate body 4 by screwing the screw 84 passing through the hole 85 into the screw hole 44.

[0045] The transfer unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 changes the position and the number of the suction pads 8 of the suction unit 6 attached to the plate body 4 in order to appropriately hold the substrate 200 according to the substrate 200, and the suction pads 8 are attached to the plate body 4. The transfer unit 1 abuts the pad 83 against the back surface of the substrate 200 and is sucked by the suction source 5, thereby sucking and holding the substrate 200 on the pad 83 of the suction pad 8. At this time, the space between the joint 9, 61 and the suction tube 10 is kept airtight, the space between the joint 9 and the pad body 81 of the suction pad 8 is kept airtight, and the space between the pad body 81 and the substrate 200 is kept airtight by the pad 83.

[0046] The transfer unit 1 sucks the substrate 200 on the pad 83 of the suction pad 8, and by driving the drive unit 2 by the arm drive unit, conveys the held substrate 200 from the cassette 107 to the alignment unit 108 and from the cleaning unit 111 to the cassette 107.

[0047] As described above, in the transfer unit 1 according to the first embodiment, by selecting the through-hole 71 for attaching the suction pad 8 among the plurality of through-holes 71 of the position changing portion 7 provided in the plate body 4, the number and arrangement of the suction pads 8 attached to the plate body 4 can be easily changed. Therefore, the transfer unit 1 can arrange the suction pads 8 in an arrangement corresponding to various substrates 200 by adjusting the number and arrangement of the suction pads 8 without preparing a plurality of types of transfer units. As a result, the transfer unit 1 does not need to prepare a plurality of types of transfer units, and thus can achieve the effect of being able to transfer various substrates 200 while suppressing an increase in cost.

[0048] 〔Second Embodiment〕 The transfer unit 1-2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the holding plate of the transfer unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view showing a portion IX in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X in FIG. 9. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the first embodiment in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] Similar to the first embodiment, the transfer unit 1-2 according to the second embodiment constitutes the processing apparatus 100. The transfer unit 1-2 according to the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the planar shape of the holding portion 41-2 of the plate body 4-2 of the holding plate 3-2 and the planar shape of the through-hole 71-2 are different.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 8, the holding portion 41-2 of the plate body 4-2 of the holding plate 3-2 of the transfer unit 1-2 according to the second embodiment has a circular planar shape.

[0051] Similar to the first embodiment, the position changing portion 7-2 of the holding plate 3-2 of the transfer unit 1-2 according to the second embodiment includes a plurality of through-holes 71-2 penetrating the plate body 4. In the second embodiment, the planar shape of one through-hole 71-2 penetrating the center of the holding portion 41-2 of the plate body 4-2 of the holding plate 3-2 among the plurality of through-holes 71-2 is formed in a circular (round) shape.

[0052] Among the plurality of through holes 71-2, the planar shape of the through holes 71-2 other than the one through hole 71-2 that penetrates the center of the holding portion 41-2 of the plate body 4-2 of the holding plate 3-2 is formed as an arc-shaped long hole whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the circumferential direction of the holding portion 41-2 of the plate body 4-2. Further, the through holes 71-2 other than the one through hole 71-2 that penetrates the center of the holding portion 41 are provided at intervals in both the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the holding portion 41-2 of the plate body 4-2 of the holding plate 3-2.

[0053] The suction portion 6 of the holding plate 3-2 of the transport unit 1-2 according to Embodiment 2 is, in the same manner as in Embodiment 1, at a position where the inside of the suction pad 8 overlaps with the through hole 71, and the permanent magnet 82 is adsorbed to the lower surface 43 of the holding portion 41-2 of the plate body 4-2, and is attached to the through hole 71-1, that is, the plate body 4-2. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the suction portion 6 has one end of the coupling 9 attached to the inside of the suction pad 8 through the through hole 71, and the suction tube 10 connected to the other end of the coupling 9 is connected to the suction source 5 via the merging coupling 61.

[0054] Further, in Embodiment 2, the suction portion 6 can change the through hole 71-2 to which the suction pad 8 is attached by changing the position where the permanent magnet 82 is adsorbed, and can change the relative position (the longitudinal position of the through hole 71-2) with respect to the through hole 71-2 to which the suction pad 8 is attached. In Embodiment 2, the suction portion 6 can change the number of suction pads 8 attached to the through hole 71-2 of one plate body 4-2. In Embodiment 2, an annular washer 11 through which one end of the coupling 9 passes inward is provided between the coupling 9 and the plate body 4 of the holding plate 3.

[0055] In the position changing section 7-2 of the holding plate 3-2 of the transport unit 1-2 according to Embodiment 2, the through-hole 71-2 to which the suction section 6 is attached is selected, and the relative position in the longitudinal direction of the through-hole 71 with respect to the through-hole 71-2 to which the suction section 6 is attached is changed, whereby the relative position of the suction pad 8 of the suction section 6 with respect to the plate body 4-2 is changed. Further, similar to Embodiment 1, the position changing section 7 changes the number of suction pads 8 of the suction section 6 attached to the through-hole 71-2, thereby changing the number of suction sections 6 provided in one plate body 4-2, that is, one transport unit 1-2.

[0056] In the transport unit 1-2 according to Embodiment 2, by selecting the through-hole 71-2 for attaching the suction pad 8 from among the plurality of through-holes 71-2 of the position changing section 7 provided in the plate body 4-2, and changing the relative position of the suction pad 8 with respect to the through-hole 71-2, the number and arrangement of the suction pads 8 attached to the plate body 4-2 can be easily changed. As a result, the transport unit 1-2 can arrange the suction pads 8 in an arrangement corresponding to various substrates 200 by adjusting the number and arrangement of the suction pads 8 without preparing a plurality of types of transport units, and can transport various substrates 200 while suppressing an increase in cost.

[0057] 〔Embodiment 3〕 The transport unit 1-3 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the holding plate of the transport unit according to Embodiment 3. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. 11. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 11. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as in Embodiment 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0058] The transport unit 1-3 according to Embodiment 3 is such that the planar shape of the holding portion 41-3 of the plate body 4-3 of the holding plate 3-3 is circular, as shown in FIG. 11, similar to Embodiment 2. The plate body 4-3 of the transport unit 1-3 according to Embodiment 3 includes a first plate 45 and a second plate 46 that are overlapped with each other and have the same planar shape, as shown in FIGS. 12, 13, and 14. These plates 45 and 46 are made of a magnetic metal and are formed in a plate shape with a constant thickness. The first plate 45 has a lower surface 43 to which the suction pad 8 of the suction portion 6 is attached.

[0059] In Embodiment 3, the holding plate 3 has a plurality of suction holes 72 formed in the lower surface 43 of the first plate 45 of the plate body 4 facing the substrate 200, and an air flow path 47 is formed in the plate body 4-3 and connected to the suction source 5 and communicating with the suction holes 72.

[0060] In Embodiment 3, the suction holes 72 penetrate through the first plate 45 without being formed in the second plate 46, and a plurality of them are arranged at equal intervals across the holding portion 41-3 and the narrow portion 42 of the plate body 4-3. In the present invention, the suction holes 72 are provided at least in the holding portion 41-3 of the plate body 4-3 and may not be provided in the narrow portion 42. In Embodiment 2, the planar shape of the suction holes 72 is formed in a circular (round) shape.

[0061] In Embodiment 3, the air flow path 47 is formed by a groove recessed from the surface of the first plate 45 facing the second plate 46. The air flow path 47 communicates the suction holes 72 with each other in the holding portion 41-3 and is connected to the suction source 5 from the narrow portion 42. The air flow path 47 connects the suction holes 72 and the suction source 5 and constitutes the suction portion 6. In this way, the holding plate 3 has a plurality of suction holes 72 that open in the lower surface 43 of the plate body 4-3 facing the substrate 200 and communicate with the air flow path 47 formed in the plate body 4-3 and connected to the suction source 5.

[0062] Also, in Embodiment 3, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the suction part 6 includes a suction pad 8 attached to the plate body 4, similar to Embodiment 1 and the like. The inside of the pad body 81 of the suction pad 8 communicates with the suction holes 72 and maintains the suction holes 72 in an open state. Note that the suction pad 8 is preferably disposed at a position where the pad body 81 is coaxial with the suction holes 72. Thus, in Embodiment 3, the suction part 6 is constituted by a part of the suction holes 72 in which the open state is maintained by the suction pad 8 attached to the plate body 4-3 among the plurality of suction holes 72.

[0063] In Embodiment 3, screw holes 44 are formed around the suction holes 72 in the plate body 4-3, and the suction pad 8 is attached to the plate body 4-3 by screws 84 screwed into the screw holes 84. However, in the present invention, a permanent magnet 82 may be provided in the pad body 81, and the suction pad 8 may be attached to the plate body 4-3 by this permanent magnet 82.

[0064] In Embodiment 3, the suction part 6 can change the suction holes 72 that are maintained in an open state with the suction pad 8 attached, and can change the number of suction pads 8 attached to the suction holes 72 of one plate body 4-3, thereby changing the number of suction holes 72 that are maintained in an open state.

[0065] In Embodiment 3, all of the remaining suction holes 72 other than the part of the suction holes 72 in which the open state is maintained by the suction pad 8 among the plurality of suction holes 72 are sealed by plugs 12 shown in FIG. 14. Thus, in Embodiment 3, the position changing part 7 selects the suction holes 72 in which the open state is maintained with the suction pad 8 attached, and seals the remaining suction holes 72 among the plurality of suction holes 72 with the plugs 12, thereby changing the relative position of the suction part 6 with respect to the plate body 4.

[0066] In Embodiment 3, the plug 12 is made of a resin having elasticity such as rubber, and includes a columnar portion 121 that is inserted into the suction hole 72 and is hermetically maintained with the inner surface of the suction hole 72, and a disk portion 122 that is connected to one end of the columnar portion 121 and is formed in a disk shape with a larger diameter than the columnar portion 121 and is overlapped with the lower surface 43 of the plate body 4.

[0067] Note that FIG. 11 shows a part of the suction hole 72 maintained in an open state, that is, the suction hole 72 to which the suction pad 8 is attached, and a part of the suction hole 72 sealed by the plug 12, and the others are omitted. In the present invention, the suction pad 8 is attached to a part of the suction holes 72 so that a part of the suction holes 72 is maintained in an open state, and all of the remaining suction holes 72 are sealed by the plug 12.

[0068] In the transport unit 1-3 according to Embodiment 3, by selecting a part of the suction holes 72 provided in the plate body 4-3 that are maintained in an open state and sealing the remaining suction holes 72 with the plug 12, the relative position of the suction unit 6 with respect to the plate body 4 and the number and arrangement of the suction holes 72 maintained in an open state can be easily changed. As a result, the transport unit 1-3 can adjust the number and arrangement of the suction holes 72 maintained in an open state without preparing a plurality of types of transport units, so that it is possible to transport various substrates 200 while suppressing an increase in cost.

[0069] 〔Modification Example〕 Next, the transport unit 1 according to the modification example will be described. FIG. 15 is a side view showing a suction pad and the like of the transport unit according to Modification Example 1. FIG. 16 is a plan view of the suction pad shown in FIG. 15 as viewed from below. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a suction pad and the like according to Modification Example 2. FIG. 18 is a side view showing a suction pad and the like according to Modification Example 3. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a suction pad and the like according to Modification Example 4. In FIGS. 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, the same parts as those in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

[0070] In the present invention, as shown in Modification Example 1 of FIGS. 15 and 16, the suction pad 8-1 is provided with no pad 83, and a space 86 connected to the suction source 5 is provided inside the pad main body 81-1 made of resin. A plurality of holes 87 communicating with the space 86 may be provided on the lower surface of the pad main body 81 facing the substrate 200. Note that the planar shape of the pad main body 81-1 of the suction pad 8-1 of the transport unit 1 according to Modification Example 1 is rectangular.

[0071] Further, in the present invention, as shown in Modification Example 2 shown in FIG. 17 and Modification Example 3 shown in FIG. 18, the outer diameters of the pad bodies 81-2 and 81-3 of the suction pads 8-2 and 8-3 may be variously changed. Further, in the present invention, the planar shape of the pad body 81-2 of the suction pad 8-2 may be a polygon (for example, a quadrilateral) other than a circle.

[0072] The suction pads 8-2 and 8-3 may be formed in a suction cup shape in which the inner and outer diameters gradually increase as the pads 83-2 and 83-3 approach the substrate 200 from the pad bodies 81-2 and 81-3, as shown in Modification Example 2 shown in FIG. 17 and Modification Example 3 shown in FIG. 18, and the shapes of the suction cup-shaped pads 83-2 and 83-3 may be variously changed. Further, in the present invention, as shown in Modification Example 4 shown in FIG. 19, the height 83-1 of the pad 83-4 of the suction pad 8-4 from the pad body 81 may be variously changed.

[0073] Note that the suction pads 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, and 8-4 of the transport unit 1 according to Modification Example 1, Modification Example 2, Modification Example 3, and Modification Example 4 are connected to the suction source 5 via the joint 9 and the suction tube 10. However, in the present invention, as in Embodiment 3, it may be connected to the suction source 5 via the air flow path 47 formed in the plate body 4.

[0074] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. That is, it can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist of the present invention. In the above-described embodiments, the transfer units 1, 1-2, 1-3 take in and out the substrate 200 from the cassette 107, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, in the present invention, the transfer arm 109 may be provided with the holding plates 3, 3-2, 3-3 described above, and the present invention may be applied to the transfer arm 109.

[0075] Further, in the present invention, the processing device 100 is not limited to the grinding device described in the embodiment, but may be a cutting device that holds the substrate 200 on a chuck table and performs cutting with a cutting blade along a planned division line, a laser processing device that irradiates a laser beam having a wavelength that is transmissive or absorptive to the substrate 200, a polishing device that polishes the substrate 200, a lathe cutting device that performs lathe cutting on the substrate 200, a plasma device that performs plasma etching or the like on the substrate 200, a tape sticking device that sticks the adhesive tape 202 to the substrate 200, or various devices such as an inspection device that holds the substrate 200 with a transparent body and inspects the front and back surfaces of the substrate 200.

[0076] Also, in the present invention, the substrate 200 is not limited to the wafer described in the embodiment, but may be a so-called TAIKO (registered trademark) wafer in which the central portion is thinned and a thick portion is formed in the outer peripheral portion, a rectangular package substrate having a plurality of devices sealed with resin in addition to the wafer, a ceramic substrate, a ferrite substrate, or a substrate containing at least one of nickel and iron. In the present invention, the transfer unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 may be provided with an annular washer 11 that passes one end of the coupling 9 inside between the coupling 9 and the plate body 4 of the holding plate 3 in the same manner as in Embodiment 2.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0077] 1, 1-2, 1-3 Transfer unit 2 Driving unit 3, 3-2, 3-3 Holding plate 4, 4-2, 4-3 Plate body 5 Suction source 6 Adsorbing portion 7,7-2 Position changing part 8,8-1,8-2,8-3,8-4 Suction pads 10 Suction tube 12 Plug 43 Bottom surface 47 Air flow path 71,71-2 Through holes 72 Suction holes 200 Substrate

Claims

1. A conveying unit for conveying a substrate, wherein the conveying unit comprises a holding plate for holding the substrate, and a driving unit for moving the holding plate. The holding plate comprises a plate-shaped plate body, a suction portion that is connected to a suction source and sucks the substrate by being sucked by the suction source, and a position changing unit that enables changing the relative position of the suction portion with respect to the plate body. The position changing unit is provided in plurality on the plate body and has a plurality of through holes penetrating the plate body, more than the suction portion, and the suction portion is attached to some of the plurality of through holes. The conveying unit is characterized by this.

2. The suction portion has a suction pad attached to the through hole and a suction tube connecting the suction pad and the suction source, and the position changing unit changes the relative position of the suction pad of the suction portion with respect to the plate body by selecting the through hole to which the suction pad of the suction portion is attached or by changing the relative position with respect to the through hole to which the suction pad of the suction portion is attached. The conveying unit according to claim 1, characterized by this.

Images