Processing equipment

Abstract

To provide a processing device including two fluid washing mechanism for washing holding surfaces etc., which is not enlarged and prevents scattering of two fluids.SOLUTION: A processing device 1 includes a turn table 59 which has a plurality of chuck tables 30 arranged thereon, a processing chamber 4 which houses the chuck tables 30, a sucking port 46 which is formed in the processing chamber 4 so that processing chamber 4 interior can be sucked and a mechanism 6 which ejects / washes two fluids onto chuck table holding surface 302 located outside the processing chamber 4. The turn table 59 includes partition plates 50 which partition the chuck tables 30 from each other, through-holes 51 formed on the partition plates 50, a cover 52 surrounding the chuck tables 30 and upper surface through-holes 53 which pass through an upper surface of the cover 52. Air in the processing chamber 4 is sucked from the sucking port 46, an air flow which passes through through-holes 51 from the upper surface through-holes 53 and proceeds to the sucking part 46 is formed, and the two fluid washing mechanism 6 ejects the two fluids and the two fluids ejected to an upper face 901 of an object 90 to be processed held on the holding surface 302 are caused to proceed to the upper surface through-holes 53.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, a grinding device that grinds wafers with a grinding wheel sprays a two-fluid mixture of water and air from a nozzle onto the ground wafer to clean the top surface of the wafer. Also, the two-fluid mixture is sprayed onto the holding surface of a chuck table that holds the wafer to clean the holding surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-200785 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-119931 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Because cleaning is performed outside the processing chamber in this way, the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a box that covers the two-fluid nozzle to prevent the two-fluid sprayed onto the upper surface or holding surface of the wafer from scattering inside the processing device. Also, the device disclosed in Patent Document 2 is provided with a duct that separates the two-fluid reflected by the upper surface or holding surface of the wafer into gas and liquid.

[0005] However, the placement of such a box or duct increases the size of the processing equipment, such as a grinding equipment, etc. Therefore, a processing equipment equipped with a cleaning mechanism that sprays two fluids from a two-fluid nozzle to clean the upper surface or holding surface of a wafer held on a holding surface has a problem of not increasing the size of the equipment and preventing the two fluids from scattering outside the processing chamber. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, is a processing device for processing a workpiece, comprising: a chuck table having a holding surface for holding the workpiece; a turntable on which at least two of the chuck tables are arranged; a processing mechanism to which a processing tool is attached and which processes the workpiece held on the holding surface with the processing tool; a processing chamber accommodating at least one of the chuck tables and the processing tool; an air intake port formed in the processing chamber so that air can be taken in from within the processing chamber; and a device for rotating the turntable to inject a two-fluid mixture of water and air onto the holding surface of at least one of the chuck tables located outside the processing chamber or onto the upper surface of the workpiece held on the holding surface. and a two-fluid cleaning mechanism for cleaning the chuck tables, wherein the turntable comprises a partition plate separating at least two of the chuck tables, a through-hole penetrating the partition plate, a cover exposing the holding surface and surrounding the chuck table separated by the partition plate on the turntable, and a top surface through-hole penetrating the top surface of the cover, wherein air is drawn into the processing chamber from the intake port, thereby forming an airflow that passes from the top surface through-hole and heads toward the intake port, and the two-fluid cleaning mechanism sprays the two-fluids onto the holding surface or the top surface of a wafer held on the holding surface, causing the sprayed two-fluids to enter the top surface through-hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the turntable includes a through-hole that penetrates a partition plate that separates at least two chuck tables, a cover that exposes the holding surfaces and surrounds the chuck tables separated by the partition plate on the turntable, and a top-surface through-hole that penetrates the top surface of the cover. By drawing air into the processing chamber through the intake port, an airflow is formed from the top-surface through-hole toward the intake port. Therefore, the two-fluids sprayed by the two-fluid cleaning mechanism onto the holding surface located outside the processing chamber or onto the upper surface of the wafer held on the holding surface are allowed to fall into the cover through the top-surface through-hole, thereby preventing the two-fluids from splashing onto the holding surface of at least one chuck table located outside the processing chamber or onto the periphery of the upper surface of the wafer held on the holding surface. Furthermore, the used two-fluids can be separated into gas and liquid within the cover. This eliminates the need for a larger processing apparatus than conventional methods and prevents wafer contamination, thereby preventing deterioration of processing quality. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a grinding device (processing device). [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a turntable, a chuck table, a partition plate, a two-fluid cleaning mechanism, and a cover. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover is removed from the turntable. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a cover having an upper surface through-hole formed in an arc shape along the outer shape of the chuck table. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a cover having a plurality of through-holes punched into its upper surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The processing apparatus 1 (hereinafter referred to as grinding apparatus 1) shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus that includes, for example, a rough grinding mechanism 20 and a finish grinding mechanism 21 as processing mechanisms, and grinds a workpiece 90 held on one of the chuck tables 30 using the rough grinding mechanism 20 or the finish grinding mechanism 21. The processing device according to the present invention may have only one processing mechanism. The processing mechanism may be a polishing mechanism that polishes the workpiece 90 with a polishing pad, or a turning mechanism that turns the workpiece 90 with a cutting tool. The processing mechanism may also be a grinding / polishing device that includes a grinding mechanism and a polishing mechanism.

[0010] On the base 10, with the longitudinal direction of the grinding device 1 being the X-axis direction, the rear area on the -X direction side is a processing area where the workpiece 90 held on the chuck table 30 is processed by the rough grinding mechanism 20 or the finish grinding mechanism 21, and part of this area is a loading / unloading area 102 for loading and unloading the workpiece 90 onto and from the chuck table 30.

[0011] 1 is, for example, a circular semiconductor wafer made of a silicon base material or the like, and a front surface 902 (hereinafter referred to as the bottom surface 902) 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. A back surface 901 (hereinafter referred to as the top surface 901) of the workpiece 90 facing upward becomes the surface to be ground.

[0012] An input unit 100 for inputting processing conditions and the like to the grinding device 1 is provided on the front side (+X direction side) of the base 10. Two cassette stages (not shown) are arranged on the left and right sides in the front area of the top surface of the base 10, and a first cassette 111 is placed on one cassette stage, which stores multiple shelves of workpieces 90 before processing, and a second cassette 112 is placed on the other cassette stage, which stores shelves of workpieces 90 after processing.

[0013] At an intermediate position in the Y-axis direction between the first cassette 111 and the second cassette 112 on the base 10, a robot 113 is arranged to transport the workpiece 90 before processing from the first cassette 111 and to transport the workpiece 90 after processing into the second cassette 112.

[0014] A temporary placement area 114 is provided within the movable range of the robot 113, and an alignment unit 115 is disposed in the temporary placement area 114. The alignment unit 115 aligns (centers) the workpiece 90, which has been carried out from the first cassette 111 and placed in the temporary placement area 114, to a predetermined position using a diameter-reducing alignment pin, thereby determining the center position of the workpiece 90.

[0015] A loading arm 116 that rotates while holding the workpiece 90 is disposed adjacent to the alignment unit 115. The loading arm 116 holds the workpiece 90 that has been aligned in the alignment unit 115, and transports it to the chuck table 30 positioned in the carry-in / out area 102. An unloading arm 117 that rotates while holding the processed workpiece 90 is disposed next to the loading arm 116. A single-wafer cleaning unit 118 that cleans the processed workpiece 90 transported by the unloading arm 117 is disposed within the movable range of the unloading arm 117. The workpiece 90 cleaned in the cleaning unit 118 is transported into the second cassette 112 by the robot 113.

[0016] 1, a column 13 is erected at the rear of the base 10, and a rough grinding feed unit 22 is disposed in front of the column 13. The rough grinding feed unit 22 is composed of a ball screw 220 having an axis in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), a pair of guide rails 221 disposed parallel to the ball screw 220, a motor 222 connected to the ball screw 220 and rotating the ball screw 220, a lifting block 223 having an internal nut that screws onto the ball screw 220 and whose side portion is in sliding contact with the guide rails 221, and a holder 224 connected to the lifting block 223 and holding the rough grinding mechanism 20. When the motor 222 rotates the ball screw 220, the lifting block 223 is guided by the guide rails 221 and moves back and forth in the Z-axis direction, and the rough grinding mechanism 20 supported by the holder 224 also moves back and forth in the Z-axis direction.

[0017] The rough grinding mechanism 20, which grinds the workpiece 90 held by suction on the holding surface 302 of the chuck table 30, includes a spindle 200 whose axial direction is vertical (Z-axis direction), a housing 202 that rotatably supports the spindle 200, a motor (not shown) that rotates the spindle 200, and a grinding wheel 204, which is a processing tool, detachably mounted on the underside of a circular plate-shaped mount 203 connected to the lower end of the spindle 200. The grinding wheel 204 includes a wheel base and a plurality of roughly rectangular parallelepiped rough grinding wheels 205 (not shown) mounted in a ring shape on the bottom surface of the wheel base. The rough grinding wheels 205 are, for example, grinding wheels containing relatively large abrasive grains.

[0018] 1, a grinding water flow path extending in the Z-axis direction is formed inside the spindle 200, and this grinding water flow path is connected to a grinding water supply unit 16 consisting of a pump or the like. The grinding water (e.g., pure water) supplied to the spindle 200 from the grinding water supply unit 16 is sprayed downward from an opening at the lower end of the grinding water flow path toward the rough grinding wheel 205, and reaches the contact point between the rough grinding wheel 205 and the workpiece 90 held by suction on the chuck table 30.

[0019] Additionally, a finish grinding feed unit 23 is disposed on the column 13 alongside the rough grinding feed unit 22. The finish grinding feed unit 23 has the same configuration as the rough grinding feed unit 22, and can feed the finish grinding mechanism 21 in the Z-axis direction for grinding. The finish grinding mechanism 21 is equipped with a finish grinding wheel 216 containing relatively small abrasive grains, and is otherwise configured substantially the same as the rough grinding mechanism 20 described above.

[0020] In the center of the machining area of the base 10, a rectangular recessed portion is formed in plan view, surrounded by a wall portion 104 and a column 13 erected on the base 10, and a turntable 59 is disposed in this recessed portion. On the upper surface of the turntable 59, which is circular in plan view, for example, three chuck tables 30 (only one is shown in FIG. 1 ) are disposed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The turntable 59 is rotatable by a rotation shaft (not shown) connected to its center and having the Z-axis as its axial direction, and is supported in a floating state by an air bearing or the like disposed below the turntable 59. The rotation of the turntable 59 causes the three chuck tables 30 to revolve, and each chuck table 30 can be sequentially moved to the load / unload area 102, below the rough grinding mechanism 20 in the machining chamber 4, or below the finish grinding mechanism 21.

[0021] 1, 2, and 3 has, for example, a circular outer shape and includes a circular plate-shaped porous member 300 that suction-holds the workpiece 90, and a frame 301 that surrounds and supports the porous member 300. The porous member 300 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is connected to a suction source (not shown) such as a vacuum generator, and the suction force generated by the suction source (not shown) is transmitted to a holding surface 302 that is the exposed surface of the porous member 300 and is formed flush with the upper surface of the frame 301, and the chuck table 30 suction-holds the workpiece 90 on the holding surface 302. The chuck table 30 is rotatable on a turntable 59 about a rotation axis in the Z-axis direction. The holding surface 302 is a very gently sloping cone with its apex at the center of rotation of the chuck table 30, so gentle that it is not discernible to the naked eye.

[0022] 1, the grinding apparatus 1 is provided with a processing chamber 4 that houses, for example, two chuck tables 30, a grinding wheel 204 of the rough grinding mechanism 20, and a grinding wheel 204 of the finish grinding mechanism 21 in order to grind a workpiece 90. The area exposed from the processing chamber 4 arranged on the base 10 is a carry-in / out area 102.

[0023] The processing chamber 4 comprises a front panel 40 on the loading / unloading area 102 side, two side panels 41 on the left and right connected to the front panel 40, a back panel 42 connected to the side panels 41, and a top panel 43 connected to the upper ends of the front panel 40, the side panels 41, and the back panel 42.

[0024] 1 has a substantially rectangular cutout at the bottom, and the rotating turntable 59 and chuck table 30 pass through this cutout, which is an entrance / exit 401, allowing the chuck table 30 to be accommodated in the processing chamber 4. The front plate 40 is provided with a shutter or water curtain (not shown) that opens and closes the entrance / exit 401. The shutter or water curtain may also be provided on the turntable 59. During grinding, the shutter (not shown) prevents spray containing fine grinding chips from scattering from the entrance / exit 401 to the outside of the processing chamber 4.

[0025] 1 includes a fixed top plate 430 which constitutes the majority of the table, a first rotating top plate 431 which is formed, for example, from a single plate and is connected to the fixed top plate 430 and can rotate toward the upper surface of the fixed top plate 430 by a hinge 432, and a second rotating top plate 434 which is connected to the fixed top plate 430 and can rotate toward the upper surface of the fixed top plate 430 by a hinge 433. Handles 435 and 436 which can be held by an operator are provided on the upper surfaces of the first rotating top plate 431 and the second rotating top plate 434, respectively.

[0026] A semicircular cutout is formed in a portion of the tip end of the first rotating top plate 431 (second rotating top plate 434) on the -X direction side. The area of the fixed top plate 430 facing the first rotating top plate 431 (second rotating top plate 434) is also cut out in a semicircular shape. The semicircular cutout in the first rotating top plate 431 (second rotating top plate 434) in the closed state and the semicircular cutout in the fixed top plate 430 form a circular wheel passage opening (not shown) directly below the rough grinding mechanism 20 (finish grinding mechanism 21) through which the grinding wheel 204 enters the machining chamber 4.

[0027] The grinding machine 1 is provided with an air intake 46 formed in the machining chamber 4 to allow air to be drawn into the machining chamber 4. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , two air intakes 46 are provided, one on each side of the fixed top plate 430, penetrating the fixed top plate 430 in the thickness direction, but the location and number of intakes are not limited to this. Each air intake 46 is connected to an external pipe and a suction source 47 such as an exhaust duct fan. The exhaust duct fan creates a negative pressure inside the machining chamber 4, and a mist of machining waste liquid containing grinding chips is drawn in through the air intake 46. A dust collector may be interposed between the air intake 46 and the exhaust duct fan to remove grinding chips from the mist drawn in through the air intake 46.

[0028] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the turntable 59 includes a partition plate 50 that separates the three chuck tables 30, a through hole 51 that penetrates the partition plate 50, a cover 52 that exposes the holding surface 302 of the chuck table 30 and surrounds the chuck tables 30 separated by the partition plate 50 on the turntable 59, and an upper surface through hole 53 that penetrates the upper surface 520 of the cover 52. Although the cover 52 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 is formed as a single piece, it may be formed as a two-piece split piece.

[0029] 2, for example, an opening (not shown) is formed in the center of the upper surface of the turntable 59, and a cylindrical nozzle fixing pillar 57 stands upright from the opening in the +Z direction. The nozzle fixing pillar 57 does not rotate with the rotation of the turntable 59 and is in a fixed state. The two-fluid cleaning mechanism 6 is disposed on the upper surface of the nozzle fixing pillar 57. The three partition plates 50 are disposed, for example, 120 degrees apart in the circumferential direction on the upper surface of the turntable 59, with the rear ends of the partition plates 50 positioned near the outer surface of the nozzle fixing pillar 57 and the leading ends of the partition plates 50 extending to the outer circumferential edge of the turntable 59. A through-hole 51 having, for example, a rectangular shape in side view is formed through the lower region of each partition plate 50. The shape of the through-hole 51 is not limited to the example shown in FIGS.

[0030] 2 and 4, the three covers 52 surrounding each chuck table 30 divided into three by the three partition plates 50 on the turntable 59 are formed in a fan shape in a plan view, and each cover 52 has a circular exposure opening 521 formed on its upper surface that is slightly larger than the diameter of the chuck table 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the holding surface 302 of the chuck table 30 exposed from the exposure opening 521 is located at a position higher than the upper surface of the cover 52. For example, the central corner side of the cover 52 is located near the outer surface of the nozzle fixing column 57, and the outer peripheral edge of the cover 52 overlaps with the outer peripheral edge of the turntable 59. 2 and 4 is inseparable, but the cover 52 may be separable in two, for example, along a center line that passes through the center of the exposure opening 521 of the cover 52 and extends from the central corner to the outer periphery. For example, by making the cover 52 separable in two in this way, when simple cleaning of the inside of the cover 52 is to be performed, the cover 52 may be separated into two and only one of the separated covers 52 may be removed from the turntable 59 for cleaning.

[0031] The top surface through-hole 53 formed through the top surface of the cover 52 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 is, for example, a single, elongated hole parallel to a linear portion of the outer periphery of the cover 52. As shown in FIG. 2, the top surface through-hole 53 is located near the chuck table 30 and near the through-hole 51 of the partition plate 50 inside the cover 52. This makes it easier for the two-fluid sprayed outside the machining chamber 4, for example, toward the holding surface 302, to be sucked into the cover 52 before spreading over a wide area, and also makes it easier for an air flow toward the intake port 46 to be formed inside the cover 52. Furthermore, by forming the top surface through-hole 53 in an elongated shape in a plan view, a downward stream of ribbon-like air toward the turntable 59 is formed. This allows the two-fluid sprayed from the two-fluid nozzle 60 of the two-fluid cleaning mechanism 6 toward the holding surface 302 or the upper surface 901 of the workpiece 90 held by the holding surface 302 to be sucked into the top surface through-hole 53, and thus to easily pass from inside the cover 52 to the machining chamber 4 on the ribbon-like air flow. Note that a plurality of linear top surface through holes 53 may be formed in parallel. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 5, top surface through holes 534 may be formed in an arc shape along the outer shape of chuck table 30 (see Fig. 1) exposed through circular exposure opening 521. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 6, a plurality of top surface through holes 536 may be arranged in cover 52 like a punching plate. As shown in Fig. 6, cover 52 may be divisible into two along a dividing line 537.

[0032] The two-fluid cleaning mechanism 6 disposed on the upper surface of the nozzle fixing column 57 shown in Fig. 2 rotates a turntable 59 to spray a mixture of water and air onto the holding surface 302 of at least one chuck table 30 located outside the processing chamber 4 (see Fig. 1) or onto the upper surface 901 of the workpiece 90 held on the holding surface 302, thereby cleaning the workpiece 90. The two-fluid cleaning mechanism 6 includes a two-fluid nozzle 60, a swivel arm 61 that rotatably supports the two-fluid nozzle 60 on the nozzle fixing column 57, and a swivel motor 62 that is the swivel drive source for the swivel arm 61.

[0033] The base of the swivel arm 61 is connected to the shaft of a swivel motor 62 via a coupling 621 arranged on the nozzle fixing column 57. The swivel arm 61 extends horizontally, and a bi-fluid nozzle 60 having an injection port 600 facing in the -Z direction is connected to the tip of the swivel arm 61. The jetting direction of the two-fluid nozzle 60 is tilted from the perpendicular direction to the holding surface 302. In other words, the top surface through-hole 53 of the cover 52 is positioned so as to be downstream of the jetting port 600 of the two-fluid nozzle 60, and the two-fluid jetted from the jetting port 600 onto the holding surface 302 hits the holding surface 302 or the workpiece 90 held on the holding surface 302, and then flows toward the top surface through-hole 53 of the cover 52.

[0034] The two-fluid nozzle 60 is connected via a supply pipe such as a resin tube to a cleaning water source 68 that can supply cleaning water (e.g., pure water) from a pump or the like, and is also connected to an air source 69 that can supply compressed air from a compressor or the like.

[0035] 2, for example, in addition to the two-fluid cleaning mechanism 6 extending outside the processing chamber 4, two thickness measurement units 38 that measure the thickness of the workpiece 90 during grinding in the processing chamber 4, for example, by contact, are arranged on the upper surface of the nozzle fixing column 57. One thickness measurement unit 38 is used for rough grinding, and the other thickness measurement unit 38 is used for finish grinding.

[0036] The thickness measurement unit 38 includes a holding surface measurement section 381 for measuring the height of the holding surface 302 of the chuck table 30, a workpiece measurement section 382 for measuring the height of the upper surface 901 of the workpiece 90 held by suction on the chuck table 30, and a calculation section 383 for calculating the difference between the holding surface height measured by the holding surface measurement section 381 and the upper surface height of the workpiece 90 measured by the workpiece measurement section 382.

[0037] The holding surface measuring unit 381 and the workpiece measuring unit 382 are equipped with contacts that come into contact with each measurement surface. The contacts of the holding surface measuring unit 381 and the workpiece measuring unit 382 are supported so as to be able to move up and down, and can be pressed against each measurement surface with an appropriate force. Each measurement surface is equipped with a scale that reads the height of the contact whose tip is in contact with it, and the height of the holding surface 302 and the height of the upper surface 901 of the workpiece 90 are measured based on the value on the scale.

[0038] The operation of the grinding apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1 when grinding a workpiece 90 held on the chuck table 30 will be described below. First, the turntable 59 shown in Fig. 1 rotates, causing the chuck table 30, without the workpiece 90 placed thereon, to revolve, and the chuck table 30 moves to the vicinity of the loading arm 116 and is positioned within the carry-in / out area 102. Then, the robot 113 pulls out one workpiece 90 from the first cassette 111 and moves the workpiece 90 to the temporary placement area 114. Next, the alignment unit 115 centers the workpiece 90 on the temporary placement area 114.

[0039] The loading arm 116 transports the centered workpiece 90 onto the chuck table 30. A suction source (not shown) is activated, and the chuck table 30 suction-holds the workpiece 90 on the holding surface 302 with the back surface 901 exposed upward. After the chuck table 30 suction-holds the workpiece 90, the turntable 59 rotates, and the turntable 59 and the chuck table 30 holding the workpiece 90 enter the processing chamber 4 through the entrance / exit 401 in the front panel 40.

[0040] The center of rotation of the grinding wheel 204 of the rough grinding mechanism 20 is horizontally offset by a predetermined distance from the center of rotation of the workpiece 90, and the rough grinding wheel 205 is aligned so that its rotational path passes through the center of rotation of the workpiece 90, which is held by suction on the chuck table 30. The rough grinding mechanism 20 is fed by the rough grinding feed unit 22, and the rough grinding wheel 205 enters the processing chamber 4 through a wheel passage opening (not shown) in the top plate 43 when the first rotating top plate 431 is closed, and then descends while rotating, thereby roughly grinding the workpiece 90. During grinding, the chuck table 30 rotates, and the workpiece 90 also rotates, so that the rough grinding wheel 205 grinds the entire top surface 901 of the workpiece 90. The thickness of the workpiece 90 is measured by the thickness measurement unit 38 shown in FIG. 2.

[0041] Grinding water is supplied to the contact point between the rough grinding wheel 205 and the upper surface 901 of the workpiece 90 through the spindle 200, cooling the contact point with the grinding water and washing away grinding chips. The grinding water containing the grinding chips flows down from above the cover 52 shown in Figure 2 and is drained from a drain outlet in the processing chamber 4 into a water case (not shown).

[0042] In order to improve the throughput of the grinding device 1 shown in Figure 1, while rough grinding of the workpiece 90 is being performed in the processing chamber 4, finish grinding of another workpiece 90 held by suction on another chuck table 30 may be performed in a space adjacent to the space where rough grinding is being performed, which is separated by a partition plate 50 (see Figure 2) in the processing chamber 4.

[0043] After rough grinding is completed, the turntable 59 revolves by a predetermined angle, thereby aligning the finish grinding mechanism 21 with the workpiece 90. The finish grinding mechanism 21 is lowered by the finish grinding feed unit 23, and the finish grinding wheel 216 enters the processing chamber 4 through a wheel passage opening (not shown), and the rotating finish grinding wheel 216 performs finish grinding on the upper surface 901 of the workpiece 90.

[0044] When the rough grinding process or the finish grinding process is started, fine grinding chips are generated, which mix with the grinding water and become spray, which scatters into the processing chamber 4. The wheel passage opening (not shown) of the top plate 43 is formed, for example, slightly larger than the grinding wheel 204, and is surrounded by, for example, a seal member, and the seal member and the grinding wheel 204 that has entered the processing chamber 4 prevent the spray from scattering from the wheel passage opening to the outside of the processing chamber 4. In addition, the entrance / exit 401 of the front plate 40 of the processing chamber 4 is also fitted with a shutter or a water curtain to prevent the spray from scattering to the outside. During grinding, the suction source 47 sucks air from inside the machining chamber 4, transmitting a suction force to the air intake port 46, and an air flow toward the air intake port 46 is generated inside the machining chamber 4.

[0045] After the workpiece 90 has been ground to the finish grinding thickness, the finish grinding mechanism 21 rises and the finish grinding wheel 216 moves away from the workpiece 90. After the finish grinding is completed, the turntable 59 and the chuck table 30 holding the workpiece 90 pass through the doorway 401 formed in the front panel 40 of the processing chamber 4 and are positioned in the loading / unloading area 102 outside the processing chamber 4.

[0046] When cleaning the holding surface 302 or the workpiece 90 held by the holding surface 302, the bi-fluid nozzle 60, which is in the standby position shown in FIG. 2, pivots and is positioned, for example, at the center of the holding surface 302 or at a cleaning start point 66 slightly outside the center. The bi-fluid nozzle 60 then pivots in the direction of arrow R, for example, to move back and forth between the center and the outer periphery of the workpiece 90 on the chuck table 30. Cleaning water is supplied to the bi-fluid nozzle 60 from a cleaning water source 68 shown in FIG. 2, and high-pressure air is supplied to the bi-fluid nozzle 60 from an air source 69. The cleaning water and air are mixed inside the bi-fluid nozzle 60 to form two-fluids, which are then sprayed from the bi-fluid nozzle 60 onto the upper surface 901 of the workpiece 90 held on the holding surface 302 of the chuck table 30 located outside the machining chamber 4. As the workpiece 90 rotates together with the chuck table 30 outside the processing chamber 4, the entire top surface 901 of the workpiece 90 is cleaned by the two-fluid, and fine grinding chips and other deposits adhering to the top surface 901 of the workpiece 90 are washed away. The rotation direction R1 of the chuck table 30 is preferably set so that the two-fluid that hits the holding surface 302 or the workpiece 90 held by the holding surface 302 can directly head toward the top surface through-hole 53, as shown in FIG. 2 . After cleaning, the two-fluid nozzle 60 pivots to the standby position shown in FIG. 2 , allowing the next workpiece 90 to be loaded onto the holding surface 302. The standby position of the two-fluid nozzle 60 may be directly above the top surface through-hole 53.

[0047] When the suction source 47 sucks air from inside the machining chamber 4, a suction force is transmitted to the intake port 46, and an air flow toward the intake port 46 is generated inside the machining chamber 4. In other words, an air flow is formed that flows from the top surface through-hole 53 of one cover 52 shown in FIG. 2 located outside the machining chamber 4, through the inside of the one cover 52, the through-holes 51 formed in each partition plate 50, and the top surface through-holes 53 of two covers 52 located inside the machining chamber 4 and the gap between the exposure opening 521 of the cover 52 and the chuck table 30, and finally reaches the intake port 46.

[0048] The two-fluid jets from the two-fluid nozzle 60 onto the upper surface 901 of the workpiece 90, which is held by suction on the chuck table 30 located in the loading / unloading area 102 outside the machining chamber 4 shown in FIG. 1, clean the upper surface 901, and then enter the cover 52 located outside the machining chamber 4 through the upper surface through-holes 53 so as to be sucked into the cover 52. Inside the cover 52, water contained in the two-fluid jets is separated from the two-fluid jets, flows down the turntable 59, and is drained into a water case through a drain port (not shown). Air from the two-fluid jets passes through the through-holes 51 formed in each partition plate 50 shown in FIG. 2, the two covers 52 located inside the machining chamber 4 (see FIG. 1), and the upper surface through-holes 53 of the two covers 52, and is sucked in through the air intake port 46 (see FIG. 1).

[0049] As described above, in the grinding apparatus 1 according to the present invention, the turntable 59 is provided with the through-hole 51 penetrating the partition plate 50 separating at least two chuck tables 30, the cover 52 exposing the holding surface 302 and surrounding the chuck table 30 separated by the partition plate 50 on the turntable 59, and the top surface through-hole 53 penetrating the top surface 520 of the cover 52. By drawing in air from the processing chamber 4 through the intake port 46, an airflow is formed that passes from the top surface through-hole 53 through the through-hole 51 toward the intake port 46. Therefore, the two-fluids sprayed by the two-fluid cleaning mechanism 6 onto the top surface 901 of the workpiece 90 held on the holding surface 302 of at least one chuck table 30 located outside the processing chamber 4 are allowed to enter the cover 52 from the top surface through-hole 53 so as to drop into the cover 52, thereby preventing the two-fluids from splashing around the top surface 901 of the workpiece 90 held on the holding surface 302 located outside the processing chamber 4. Therefore, for example, it is possible to prevent the workpiece 90 to be ground next, which is placed in the temporary storage area 114, from being soiled, thereby preventing deterioration of processing quality. Also, it is possible to prevent the two fluids from scattering over a wide area of the carry-in / out area 102 shown in Fig. 1 or toward the temporary storage area 114. Furthermore, the used two fluids can be separated into gas and liquid inside the cover 52, and there is no need to provide a special duct or the like, so the grinding device 1 does not have to be larger than conventional devices.

[0050] When the two-fluid cleaning of the upper surface 901 of the workpiece 90 is completed, the unloading arm 117 shown in Fig. 1 appropriately suctions and holds the cleaned upper surface 901, and transports the workpiece 90 to the cleaning unit 118. After the cleaning unit 118 has cleaned and dried the workpiece 90, the robot 113 transports the workpiece 90 into the second cassette 112.

[0051] It should be noted that the grinding apparatus 1 according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the grinding process of the workpiece 90 and the cleaning process of the ground workpiece 90 are also not limited to the above and can be appropriately changed within the scope in which the effects of the present invention can be achieved. For example, the object to be cleaned by the two-fluid cleaning mechanism 6 may be the holding surface 302 of the chuck table 30 that is positioned in the carry-in / out area 102 and does not hold the workpiece 90 by suction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1: Grinding device (processing device) 10: Base 100: Input section 102: Loading / unloading area 104: Wall section 111: First cassette 112: Second cassette 113: Robot 114: Temporary placement area 115: Alignment unit 116: Loading arm 117: Unloading arm 118: Cleaning unit 13: Column 16: Grinding water supply section 20: Rough grinding mechanism 200: Spindle 204: Grinding wheel 205: Rough grinding stone 21: Finish grinding mechanism 216: Finish grinding wheel 22: Rough grinding feed unit 220: Ball screw 222: Motor 223: Lifting block 224: Holder 23: Finish grinding feed unit 30: Chuck table 300: Porous member 301: Frame 302: Holding surface 38: Thickness measurement unit 381: Holding surface measurement section 382: Workpiece measurement section 383: Calculation section 4: Processing room 40: Front plate 401: Entrance / exit 41: Side plate 42: Back plate 43: Top plate 430: Fixed top plate 431: First rotating top plate 432, 433: Hinges 434: Second rotating top plate 435, 436: Handle 46: Air intake 47: Suction source 50: Partition plate 51: Through hole 52: Cover 520: Top surface of cover 521: Exposure opening 53: Top surface through hole 534: Arc-shaped upper surface through-hole 536: Upper surface through-hole formed by punching 537: Dividing line 57: Nozzle fixing column 59: Turntable 6: Two-fluid cleaning mechanism 60: Two-fluid nozzle 61: Swivel arm 62: Swivel motor 621: Coupling 68: Cleaning water source 69: Air source 90: Workpiece 901: Top surface (back side) of workpiece 902: Bottom surface (front surface) of workpiece

Claims

[Claim 1] A processing device for processing a workpiece, a chuck table having a holding surface for holding a workpiece; a turntable on which at least two of the chuck tables are arranged; a processing mechanism having a processing tool attached thereto and processing the workpiece held on the holding surface with the processing tool; a processing chamber accommodating at least one of the chuck tables and the processing tool; an air intake port formed in the processing chamber so that air within the processing chamber can be taken in; and a two-fluid cleaning mechanism that rotates the turntable and sprays a two-fluid mixture of water and air onto the holding surface of at least one of the chuck tables located outside the processing chamber or an upper surface of the workpiece held on the holding surface for cleaning, the turntable includes a partition plate separating at least two of the chuck tables, a through-hole penetrating the partition plate, a cover exposing the holding surface and surrounding the chuck tables separated by the partition plate on the turntable, and an upper surface through-hole penetrating an upper surface of the cover; By drawing air into the processing chamber through the air intake port, an air flow is formed that passes through the upper surface through-hole and heads toward the air intake port; The processing device, wherein the two-fluid cleaning mechanism injects the two-fluid onto the holding surface or the upper surface of the wafer held on the holding surface, and causes the injected two-fluid to enter the upper surface through-hole.

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