Processing system and pad transport device

Abstract

To provide an improved device capable of shortening a time for stopping polishing operation of a polishing device for exchanging polishing pads and of improving productivity of the polishing device.SOLUTION: A processing system includes: a polishing device 500 for polishing a workpiece; a pad leveling device 600 for performing leveling processing of a polishing pad; and a pad conveyor 700 conveying a pad structure 6 including at least the polishing pad from the pad leveling device 600 to the polishing device 500. The pad conveyor 700 has a liquid receiving tray for receiving liquid dropping from the pad structure 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for polishing workpieces used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, such as wafers, substrates, and panels, and more particularly to the conditioning process for polishing pads used in polishing apparatuses, and the installation and transportation of polishing pads. [Background technology]

[0002] Chemical mechanical polishing (hereinafter referred to as CMP) is a process in which a workpiece (e.g., a wafer, substrate, or panel) is polished by sliding the workpiece against a polishing pad while supplying a polishing solution containing abrasive grains such as silica (SiO2) onto the polishing pad. A polishing apparatus for performing CMP is equipped with a polishing table that supports a polishing pad with a polishing surface, and a polishing head that presses the workpiece against the polishing pad.

[0003] A polishing apparatus polishes a workpiece as follows: A polishing liquid (typically a slurry) is supplied to the polishing surface of the polishing pad while the polishing table and polishing pad are rotated together. The polishing head presses the surface of the workpiece against the polishing surface of the polishing pad while rotating the workpiece. The workpiece is brought into sliding contact with the polishing pad in the presence of the polishing liquid. The surface of the workpiece is polished by the chemical action of the polishing liquid and the mechanical action of the abrasive grains contained in the polishing liquid and / or the polishing pad.

[0004] When a workpiece is polished, abrasive grains and polishing debris adhere to the polishing surface of the polishing pad, reducing the polishing performance of the polishing pad. To restore the polishing surface, the polishing pad is dressed using a dresser. The dresser has hard abrasive grains, such as diamond particles, fixed to its underside, and the dresser slightly scrapes away the polishing surface of the polishing pad to restore it.

[0005] The polishing pad gradually wears out as the dressing is repeated. If the polishing pad wears out significantly, it will no longer be able to achieve the intended polishing performance, and so it will be necessary to replace the polishing pad with a new one.

[0006] When replacing a polishing pad with a new one, the new polishing pad is carried to the polishing apparatus and attached to the polishing table of the polishing apparatus with adhesive. Then, the polishing pad is dressed and / or polished using a dummy workpiece in the polishing apparatus to perform a break-in process for the polishing pad. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-217446 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, since polishing pads have a certain size, attaching a new polishing pad to the polishing table of a polishing apparatus is laborious. Furthermore, while the new polishing pad is being broken in by the polishing apparatus, the polishing apparatus cannot polish workpieces, which reduces the productivity of the polishing apparatus.

[0009] The present invention provides an improved apparatus for use in replacing polishing pads. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In one aspect, a processing system is provided, comprising: a polishing apparatus for polishing a workpiece; a pad conditioning apparatus for performing a conditioning process on a polishing pad; and a pad transport apparatus for transporting a pad structure including at least the polishing pad from the pad conditioning apparatus to the polishing apparatus, wherein the polishing apparatus comprises a polishing table, a pad chuck for fixing the pad structure transported by the pad transport apparatus to the polishing table, and a polishing head for pressing the workpiece against the polishing pad, and the pad transport apparatus has a holding hand configured to hold the pad structure and a liquid receiving tray arranged below the holding hand for receiving liquid dripping from the pad structure.

[0011] In one embodiment, the pad transport device further includes a tilting device that tilts the liquid receiving tray and the holding hand. In one embodiment, the pad transport device further includes a hand lifting device that moves the holding hand up and down. In one aspect, the pad transport device further includes a drain line connected to the liquid receiving tray. In one embodiment, the pad structure includes the polishing pad and a support plate that supports the polishing pad. In one aspect, the polishing apparatus includes a lift mechanism configured to receive the pad structure from the pad transport apparatus and place the pad structure on the polishing table. In one aspect, the pad conditioning device includes a processing table configured to hold the pad structure, a processing head configured to press a dummy workpiece against the polishing pad of the pad structure on the processing table, and a liquid supply nozzle that supplies liquid onto the polishing pad of the pad structure on the processing table. In one embodiment, the pad break-in device further includes a pad monitoring device for monitoring the break-in process for the polishing pad.

[0012] In one aspect, a pad transport device is provided for transporting a pad structure including at least a polishing pad, the pad transport device comprising a holding hand configured to hold the pad structure, and a liquid receiving tray arranged below the holding hand for receiving liquid that falls from the pad structure.

[0013] In one embodiment, the pad transport device further includes a tilting device that tilts the liquid receiving tray and the holding hand. In one embodiment, the pad transport device further includes a hand lifting device that moves the holding hand up and down. In one aspect, the pad transport device further includes a drain line connected to the liquid receiving tray. In one embodiment, the pad structure includes the polishing pad and a support plate that supports the polishing pad.

[0014] In one embodiment, a liquid receiving device is provided, which includes a support plate for supporting a polishing pad, and a liquid receiving tray detachably attached to a side surface of the support plate. In one embodiment, the liquid receiving tray has a plurality of divided bodies. In one aspect, a polishing apparatus for polishing a workpiece is provided, comprising: a support plate for supporting a polishing pad; a liquid receiving tray removably attached to a side of the support plate; a polishing table for holding the support plate; and a polishing head for pressing the workpiece against the polishing pad. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, since the break-in process of a new polishing pad is performed by the pad break-in device, there is no need to perform the break-in process of a new polishing pad in the polishing apparatus. As a result, the time that the polishing operation of the polishing apparatus is stopped for polishing pad replacement is shortened, and the productivity of the polishing apparatus is improved. Furthermore, when a wet polishing pad is transported from the pad break-in device to the polishing apparatus, the liquid dripping from the polishing pad can be received in the liquid receiving tray, thereby preventing contamination of the clean room. Furthermore, since the pad structure including at least the polishing pad is transported from the pad break-in device to the polishing apparatus by the pad transport device and attached to the polishing table of the polishing apparatus by the pad chuck, the conventional process of attaching the polishing pad to the polishing table with an adhesive is eliminated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a polishing apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a pad break-in device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a pad transport device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating an embodiment of a liquid receiving tray and a holding hand. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process of removing the pad structure from the pad break-in device. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process of removing the pad structure from the pad break-in device. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process of removing the pad structure from the pad break-in device. [Figure 10] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating an operation of transporting a pad structure. [Figure 11] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a process of carrying the pad structure into a polishing apparatus. [Figure 12] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a process of carrying the pad structure into a polishing apparatus. [Figure 13] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a process of installing the pad structure in a polishing apparatus. [Figure 14] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a process of installing the pad structure in a polishing apparatus. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a top view for explaining another embodiment of the pad transport device. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 15. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a top view showing a state in which the shutter is open. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the shutter is open. [Figure 19] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a liquid receiving tray. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a top view showing still another embodiment of the pad transport device. [Figure 21] 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 20. [Figure 22] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing another embodiment of a pad break-in device; [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the polishing apparatus. [Figure 24] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process of removing the pad structure from the pad break-in device. [Figure 25] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process of removing the pad structure from the pad break-in device. [Figure 26] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process of removing the pad structure from the pad break-in device. [Figure 27] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process of removing the pad structure from the pad break-in device. [Figure 28] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a process of tilting the pad structure and the liquid receiving tray. [Figure 29] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating an operation of transporting a pad structure. [Figure 30] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a process of carrying the pad structure into a polishing apparatus. [Figure 31]10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a process of carrying the pad structure into a polishing apparatus. [Figure 32] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a process of carrying the pad structure into a polishing apparatus. [Figure 33] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a process of carrying the pad structure into a polishing apparatus. [Figure 34] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a process of carrying the pad structure into a polishing apparatus. [Figure 35] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of a liquid receiving device. [Figure 36] FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid receiving tray shown in FIG. [Figure 37] FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which the liquid receiving tray is removed from the support plate. [Figure 38] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the liquid receiving device. [Figure 39] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a polishing apparatus equipped with a liquid receiving device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a processing system for polishing a workpiece and breaking in a polishing pad. The processing system includes a polishing apparatus 500 for polishing the workpiece, a pad break-in apparatus 600 for breaking in the polishing pad, and a pad transport apparatus 700 for transporting a pad structure 6 including at least a polishing pad from the pad break-in apparatus 600 to the polishing apparatus 500. The polishing apparatus 500, the pad break-in apparatus 600, and the pad transport apparatus 700 are arranged in a clean room. The pad transport apparatus 700 is configured to be movable between the polishing apparatus 500 and the pad break-in apparatus 600.

[0018] 2 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a polishing apparatus 500. The polishing apparatus 500 is a CMP apparatus that chemically and mechanically polishes a workpiece W used in manufacturing semiconductor devices, such as a wafer, a substrate (e.g., a circular substrate, a square substrate), or a panel. In the embodiment described below, a wafer is used as the workpiece W.

[0019] 2, the polishing apparatus 500 includes a polishing table 10 that supports a polishing pad 2 having a polishing surface 2a, a polishing head 11 that presses a workpiece W against the polishing surface 2a, and a polishing liquid supply nozzle 12 that supplies a polishing liquid (e.g., a slurry containing abrasive grains) to the polishing surface 2a. The polishing head 11 is configured so that it can hold the workpiece W on its lower surface.

[0020] The polishing pad 2 is supported by a support plate 5. More specifically, the polishing pad 2 is fixed to the surface of the support plate 5 in advance with an adhesive. The polishing pad 2 and the support plate 5 constitute an integrated pad structure 6. The pad structure 6 is placed on the upper surface 10a of the polishing table 10.

[0021] The polishing apparatus 500 includes a pad chuck 14 for fixing the pad structure 6 to the polishing table 10. In this embodiment, the pad chuck 14 is a vacuum chuck having a vacuum line 15 extending through the polishing table 10. The vacuum line 15 has multiple open ends 15a that open into the upper surface 10a of the polishing table 10, and the other end of the vacuum line 15 is connected to a vacuum source (e.g., a vacuum pump) (not shown). When a vacuum is generated in the vacuum line 15, the support plate 5 of the pad structure 6 is held (fixed) to the upper surface 10a of the polishing table 10 by the vacuum. When the vacuum generation in the vacuum line 15 is stopped, the pad structure 6 can be removed from the polishing table 10. In this manner, the pad chuck 14 can detachably fix the pad structure 6 to the polishing table 10.

[0022] In this embodiment, the pad chuck 14 is configured to fix the pad structure 6 to the polishing table 10 by vacuum, but in one embodiment, the pad chuck 14 may be a mechanical chuck that mechanically grips the pad structure 6.

[0023] The polishing apparatus 500 includes a plurality of lift mechanisms 20 configured to receive the pad structure 6 from the pad transport device 700 (see FIG. 1) and place the pad structure 6 on the polishing table 10. These lift mechanisms 20 are disposed within the polishing table 10. Each lift mechanism 20 includes a lift rod 21 and a rod actuator 22 that raises and lowers the lift rod 21. When the rod actuator 22 raises the lift rod 21, the upper portion of the lift rod 21 protrudes from the upper surface 10a of the polishing table 10, thereby allowing the pad structure 6 (including the polishing pad 2 and the support plate 5) to be lifted upward and away from the polishing table 10. When the polishing apparatus 500 receives the pad structure 6 from the pad transport device 700 (see FIG. 1), the rod actuator 22 raises the lift rod 21, and the pad structure 6 is placed on the upper end of the lift rod 21. Furthermore, the rod actuator 22 lowers the lifting rod 21 to move it into the polishing table 10, whereby the pad structure 6 is placed on the upper surface 10a of the polishing table 10. Furthermore, the pad chuck 14 fixes the pad structure 6 to the polishing table 10 by forming a vacuum in the vacuum line 15.

[0024] The polishing apparatus 500 further includes a support shaft 25, a polishing head support arm 26 connected to the upper end of the support shaft 25, a polishing head shaft 27 rotatably supported at the free end of the polishing head support arm 26, and a polishing head rotating device 28 that rotates the polishing head shaft 27 and the polishing head 11. The polishing head 11 is fixed to the lower end of the polishing head shaft 27. The polishing head rotating device 28 is disposed within the polishing head support arm 26. The polishing head rotating device 28 includes an electric motor, a torque transmission device, and the like, but the configuration thereof is not particularly limited. The polishing head rotating device 28 is connected to the polishing head shaft 27 and is configured to rotate the polishing head shaft 27 and the polishing head 11 in the direction indicated by the arrow.

[0025] The polishing apparatus 500 further includes a polishing head lifting device 29 that moves the polishing head 11 and the polishing head shaft 27 up and down relative to the polishing table 10 and the polishing head support arm 26. The polishing head lifting device 29 may be a combination of a ball screw mechanism and a servo motor, or may have an actuator such as an air cylinder, but its configuration is not particularly limited. When the polishing head lifting device 29 moves the polishing head shaft 27 up and down relative to the polishing head support arm 26, the polishing head 11 moves up and down relative to the polishing head support arm 26 and the polishing table 10, as shown by the arrow.

[0026] The polishing apparatus 500 further includes a polishing table rotating device 30 that rotates the polishing pad 2 and polishing table 10 about their respective axes. The polishing table rotating device 30 is disposed below the polishing table 10, and the polishing table 10 is connected to the polishing table rotating device 30 via a table shaft 10b. The polishing table rotating device 30 includes an actuator such as an electric motor, but the configuration thereof is not particularly limited. The polishing table 10 and polishing pad 2 are rotated together by the polishing table rotating device 30 about the table shaft 10b in the direction indicated by the arrow. The exposed surface of the polishing pad 2 forms a polishing surface 2a that polishes a workpiece W such as a wafer.

[0027] The polishing apparatus 500 further includes a polishing head moving device 32 that moves the polishing head 11 between a position above the polishing pad 2 and a position outside the polishing pad 2. The polishing head moving device 32 is fixed to the upper end of a support shaft 25 and connected to a polishing head support arm 26. The polishing head moving device 32 can move the polishing head 11 in a direction parallel to the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 by rotating the polishing head support arm 26 about the support shaft 25.

[0028] The workpiece W is polished as follows: The workpiece W is held by the polishing head 11 with its surface to be polished facing downward. While the polishing head 11 and polishing table 10 are rotating, a polishing liquid (e.g., a slurry containing abrasive grains) is supplied onto the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 from a polishing liquid supply nozzle 12 provided above the polishing table 10. The polishing pad 2 rotates integrally with the polishing table 10 around its central axis. The polishing head 11 is lowered to a predetermined polishing height by a polishing head lifting device 29. The polishing head 11 then presses the workpiece W against the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2. The workpiece W rotates integrally with the polishing head 11. With the polishing liquid present on the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2, the workpiece W is brought into sliding contact with the polishing surface 2a. The surface of the workpiece W is polished by a combination of the chemical action of the polishing liquid and the mechanical action of the abrasive grains contained in the polishing liquid and / or the polishing pad 2.

[0029] Next, the pad conditioner 600 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The configuration of the pad conditioner 600 is basically the same as that of the polishing apparatus 500. As shown in FIG. 3, the pad conditioner 600 includes a processing table 40 that supports a new polishing pad 2 to be condition-treated, a processing head 41 that presses a dummy workpiece W1 against the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2, and a liquid supply nozzle 42 that supplies a polishing liquid (e.g., a slurry containing abrasive grains) to the polishing surface 2a. The processing head 41 is configured to hold the dummy workpiece W1 on its underside. The dummy workpiece W1 may be a blanket wafer with a film or a bare wafer without a film.

[0030] The polishing pad 2 is supported by a support plate 5. More specifically, the polishing pad 2 is fixed to the surface of the support plate 5 in advance with an adhesive. The polishing pad 2 and the support plate 5 constitute an integrated pad structure 6. The pad structure 6 is placed on the upper surface of a processing table 40.

[0031] The pad break-in device 600 includes a pad chuck 44 for fixing the pad structure 6 to the processing table 40. In this embodiment, the pad chuck 44 is a vacuum chuck having a vacuum line 45 extending through the processing table 40. The detailed configuration and operation of the pad chuck 44 are the same as those of the pad chuck 14 shown in FIG. 2, and therefore, a duplicated description will be omitted. In one embodiment, the pad chuck 44 may be a mechanical chuck that mechanically grips the pad structure 6.

[0032] The pad conditioner 600 includes a plurality of lift mechanisms 50 arranged within the processing table 40. Each lift mechanism 50 includes a lift rod 51 and a rod actuator 52 that raises and lowers the lift rod 51. The detailed configuration and operation of the lift mechanism 50 are the same as those of the lift mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 2, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0033] The pad break-in device 600 further includes a support shaft 55, a processing head support arm 56 connected to the upper end of the support shaft 55, a processing head shaft 57 rotatably supported at the free end of the processing head support arm 56, and a processing head rotation device 58 that rotates the processing head shaft 57 and the processing head 41. The processing head 41 is fixed to the lower end of the processing head shaft 57. The processing head rotation device 58 is disposed within the processing head support arm 56. The processing head rotation device 58 includes an electric motor, a torque transmission device, and the like, but the configuration thereof is not particularly limited. The processing head rotation device 58 is connected to the processing head shaft 57 and is configured to rotate the processing head shaft 57 and the processing head 41 in the direction indicated by the arrow.

[0034] The pad conditioner 600 further includes a processing head lifting device 59 that moves the processing head 41 and the processing head shaft 57 up and down relative to the processing table 40 and the processing head support arm 56. This processing head lifting device 59 may be a combination of a ball screw mechanism and a servo motor, or may have an actuator such as an air cylinder, but its configuration is not particularly limited. When the processing head lifting device 59 moves the processing head shaft 57 up and down relative to the processing head support arm 56, the processing head 41 moves up and down relative to the processing head support arm 56 and the processing table 40, as shown by the arrow.

[0035] The pad break-in device 600 further includes a processing table rotating device 60 that rotates the polishing pad 2 and the processing table 40 around their respective axes. The processing table rotating device 60 is disposed below the processing table 40, and the processing table 40 is connected to the processing table rotating device 60 via a table shaft 40b. The processing table rotating device 60 includes an actuator such as an electric motor, but the configuration thereof is not particularly limited. The processing table 40 and the polishing pad 2 are rotated together by the processing table rotating device 60 around the table shaft 40b in the direction indicated by the arrow.

[0036] The pad break-in device 600 further includes a processing head moving device 62 that moves the processing head 41 between a position above the polishing pad 2 and a position outside the polishing pad 2. The processing head moving device 62 is fixed to the upper end of a support shaft 55 and is connected to a processing head support arm 56. The processing head moving device 62 can move the processing head 41 in a direction parallel to the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 by rotating the processing head support arm 56 about the support shaft 55.

[0037] The dummy workpiece W1 is polished as follows: The dummy workpiece W1 is held by the processing head 41 with its surface to be polished facing downward. While the processing head 41 and processing table 40 are rotated, a processing liquid (e.g., a slurry containing abrasive grains) is supplied onto the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 from a liquid supply nozzle 42 provided above the processing table 40. The polishing pad 2 rotates integrally with the processing table 40 around its central axis. The processing head 41 is lowered to a predetermined polishing operation height by the processing head lifting device 59. The processing head 41 then presses the dummy workpiece W1 against the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2. The dummy workpiece W1 rotates integrally with the processing head 41. With the processing liquid present on the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2, the dummy workpiece W1 is brought into sliding contact with the polishing surface 2a. The surface of the dummy workpiece W1 is polished. In one embodiment, pure water may be supplied to the polishing surface 2a as the processing liquid.

[0038] The pad break-in device 600 further includes a dresser 70 that dresses the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2. The dresser 70 includes a dressing disk 71 that comes into sliding contact with the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2, a dresser shaft 72 to which the dressing disk 71 is connected, and a dresser swing arm 75 that rotatably supports the dresser shaft 72. The lower surface of the dressing disk 71 forms the dressing surface 71a, and the dressing surface 71a is made of abrasive grains (e.g., diamond particles).

[0039] The dresser shaft 72 is connected to a disk pressing mechanism (including, for example, an air cylinder) (not shown) arranged inside the dresser swing arm 75. This disk pressing mechanism is configured to press the dressing surface 71 a of the dressing disk 71 against the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2 via the dresser shaft 72. Furthermore, the dresser shaft 72 is connected to a disk rotating mechanism (including, for example, an electric motor) (not shown) arranged inside the dresser swing arm 75. This disk rotating mechanism is configured to rotate the dressing disk 71 via the dresser shaft 72 in the direction indicated by the arrow.

[0040] The polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 is dressed as follows. The polishing pad 2 is rotated together with the processing table 40 by the polishing table rotating device 30, while pure water is supplied to the polishing surface 2a from the liquid supply nozzle 42. The dressing disk 71 is rotated around the dresser shaft 72 by a disk rotating mechanism (not shown), while the dressing surface 71a of the dressing disk 71 is pressed against the polishing surface 2a by a disk pressing mechanism (not shown). With pure water present on the polishing surface 2a, the dressing disk 71 is brought into sliding contact with the polishing surface 2a. While the dressing disk 71 is rotating, the dresser swing arm 75 is rotated around the support shaft 78, causing the dressing disk 71 to swing in the radial direction of the polishing surface 2a. In this way, the polishing pad 2 is slightly scraped away by the dressing disk 71, and the polishing surface 2a is dressed (regenerated). Dressing of the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 is carried out during polishing of the dummy workpiece W1, or before and / or after polishing of the dummy workpiece W1.

[0041] In this way, the break-in process of the polishing pad 2 is achieved by polishing the dummy workpiece W1 with the new polishing pad 2 and dressing the new polishing pad 2. In one embodiment, the break-in process of the new polishing pad 2 may be performed by either polishing the dummy workpiece W1 with the new polishing pad 2 or dressing the new polishing pad 2.

[0042] The pad break-in device 600 is equipped with a pad monitoring device 80 for monitoring the break-in process for the polishing pad 2. This pad monitoring device 80 is disposed above the polishing pad 2 and is configured to detect the surface condition of the polishing pad 2. More specifically, the pad monitoring device 80 detects the surface condition of the polishing pad 2 during the break-in process and determines the end of the break-in process for the polishing pad 2 based on the detected surface condition. The specific configuration of the pad monitoring device 80 is not particularly limited as long as it can detect the surface condition of the polishing pad 2, but for example, an image processing device, a non-contact shape measuring device, etc. can be used.

[0043] Next, one embodiment of the pad transport device 700 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The pad transport device 700 includes a main body 84 having a traveling device 83, a holding hand 85 that holds the pad structure 6, and a liquid receiving tray 87 disposed below the holding hand 85. The traveling device 83 is configured to enable the entire pad transport device 700 to move, and includes wheels 88 attached to the main body 84 and an electric motor 89 for rotating the wheels 88. In one embodiment, the wheels 88 may be disposed on rails so that the pad transport device 700 travels along a predetermined path. However, the traveling device 83 is not limited to a combination of the wheels 88 and the electric motor 89, and may be any device that can move the entire pad transport device 700. In one embodiment, the pad transport apparatus 700 may be suspended from rails installed in the overhead space of the clean room. In another embodiment, the rails may be attached to the polishing apparatus 500 or the pad conditioner 600, or may be installed in the clean room as a separate unit from the polishing apparatus 500 or the pad conditioner 600.

[0044] The holding hand 85 is connected to a vacuum line 92, which is connected to a vacuum pump 93 serving as a vacuum source. The vacuum pump 93 is disposed inside the main body 84. The holding hand 85 can suction-hold the pad structure 6 by the vacuum created in the vacuum line 92. In one embodiment, the holding hand 85 may have a mechanical chuck that mechanically grips the pad structure 6.

[0045] The pad transport device 700 further includes a tilting device 101 that tilts the liquid receiving tray 87 and the holding hand 85. The liquid receiving tray 87 and the holding hand 85 are fixed to the tilting device 101. The tilting device 101 is configured to tilt the liquid receiving tray 87 and the holding hand 85 together around a central axis CL that extends parallel to the holding hand 85, as shown by the arrow. In particular, by tilting the liquid receiving tray 87, liquid that has dropped onto the liquid receiving tray 87 can be collected in a specific location. In addition, by tilting the liquid receiving tray 87, the holding hand 85, and the pad structure 6, the width (space) required for the pad transport device 700 to travel can be reduced.

[0046] The pad transport device 700 further includes a drain line 103 connected to the liquid receiving tray 87. One end of the drain line 103 opens in the liquid receiving tray 87, and the other end of the drain line 103 is connected to a liquid tank 105 disposed in the main body 84. The liquid that has dropped from the polishing pad 2 into the liquid receiving tray 87 is drained through the drain line 103 and collected in the liquid tank 105.

[0047] The pad transport device 700 further includes a hand lifting device 110 that moves the holding hand 85 up and down. The hand lifting device 110 is connected to the tilting device 101 and the main body 84. The hand lifting device 110 includes an air cylinder, a linear actuator, or a combination of an electric motor and gears, and is configured to raise and lower the holding hand 85 connected to the tilting device 101. In this embodiment, the liquid receiving tray 87 is connected to the tilting device 101, so the hand lifting device 110 can raise and lower the liquid receiving tray 87 and the holding hand 85 together. The pad structure 6 (including the polishing pad 2 and the support plate 5) held by the holding hand 85 is also raised and lowered together with the liquid receiving tray 87 and the holding hand 85. In one embodiment, the hand lifting device 110 may be configured or arranged to raise and lower the holding hand 85 without raising and lowering the liquid receiving tray 87.

[0048] The liquid receiving tray 87 is disposed so as to cover the entire underside of the holding hand 85. The liquid receiving tray 87 is provided to receive the liquid that drops from the wet polishing pad 2. Therefore, the liquid receiving tray 87 has a width and length greater than those of the pad structure 6. Furthermore, the liquid receiving tray 87 has a width and length greater than those of the holding hand 85.

[0049] Fig. 5 is a top view illustrating one embodiment of the liquid receiving tray 87 and the holding hand 85, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 5. The liquid receiving tray 87 has two notches 112 that allow the lifting rod 21 shown in Fig. 2 and the lifting rod 51 shown in Fig. 3 to enter. As will be described later, when the pad structure 6 is removed from the pad break-in device 600 and when the pad structure 6 is carried into the polishing apparatus 500, the lifting rods 21 and 51 enter the notches 112.

[0050] The liquid receiving tray 87 has an endless weir 115 that extends along its edge. This weir 115 is provided to keep the liquid that has dropped from the polishing pad 2 of the pad structure 6 on the liquid receiving tray 87 (i.e., to prevent the liquid from dropping from the liquid receiving tray 87). The weir 115 is provided not only along the edge of the liquid receiving tray 87, but also along the cutout 112 so as to surround the cutout 112. Therefore, the weir 115 prevents the liquid from spilling out of the cutout 112.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 5, when viewed from above, the liquid receiving tray 87 is entirely larger than the pad structure 6 and is positioned below the entire pad structure 6. Therefore, the liquid receiving tray 87 can reliably receive the liquid that drops from the polishing pad 2 of the pad structure 6. Although some of the liquid that drops from the pad structure 6 may fall through the notch 112, the amount of liquid is very small. The open end 103a of the drain line 103 is located on one side of the bottom of the liquid receiving tray 87. By using the tilting device 101 shown in FIG. 3 to tilt the liquid receiving tray 87 in a direction that causes the open end 103a of the drain line 103 to descend, the liquid on the liquid receiving tray 87 can be guided to the drain line 103.

[0052] Next, the operation of transporting the pad structure 6 including the polishing pad 2 from the pad conditioning device 600 to the polishing device 500 by the pad transport device 700 will be described. As described above, a new polishing pad 2 is subjected to a conditioning process by the pad conditioning device 600, and the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 is brought into a state where it can polish a workpiece. After the conditioning process, the polishing pad 2 is in a wet state.

[0053] 7, the pad chuck 54 of the pad breaker 600 releases the pad structure 6, and the pad structure 6 including the wet polishing pad 2 and the support plate 5 is lifted by the lifting rod 51 of the lift mechanism 50. The pad structure 6 is separated from the processing table 40, and a space is formed between the pad structure 6 and the processing table 40.

[0054] 8, the pad transport device 700 moves the holding hand 85 and the liquid receiving tray 87 into the space between the pad structure 6 and the processing table 40. The lifting rod 51 enters the notch 112 of the liquid receiving tray 87, so that the liquid receiving tray 87 can move to a position below the pad structure 6.

[0055] 9, the hand lifting device 110 of the pad transport device 700 lifts the holding hand 85 and the liquid receiving tray 87, and the pad structure 6 is placed on the holding hand 85, and the pad structure 6 moves away from the lifting rod 51. The pad structure 6 is held by the holding hand 85.

[0056] 10 , the pad transport device 700 transports the pad structure 6 from the pad conditioner 600 to the polishing device 500. While the pad structure 6 is being transported, a liquid receiving tray 87 is present below the pad structure 6, and therefore, liquid dropping from the pad structure 6 is received by the liquid receiving tray 87 and does not drop onto the floor of the clean room, the inside of the pad conditioner 600, or the inside of the polishing device 500.

[0057] 10 , while the pad transport device 700 transports the pad structure 6 from the pad conditioning device 600 to the polishing device 500, the tilting device 101 of the pad transport device 700 tilts the holding hand 85, the pad structure 6, and the liquid receiving tray 87. Such a tilting operation can reduce the width (space) required for the pad transport device 700 to travel.

[0058] In the polishing apparatus 500, the same steps as in the pad conditioner 600 are performed in reverse order. That is, as shown in Fig. 11, the lift mechanism 20 raises the lifting rod 21, and the pad transport apparatus 700 moves the holding hand 85, the pad structure 6, and the liquid receiving tray 87 above the polishing table 10. The lifting rod 21 enters the notch 112 of the liquid receiving tray 87, so that the liquid receiving tray 87 can be moved to a position above the polishing table 10.

[0059] 12, the pad transport device 700 lowers the holding hand 85, the pad structure 6, and the liquid receiving tray 87, and places the pad structure 6 on the lifting rod 21. At this time, the holding hand 85 moves away from the pad structure 6. As shown in FIG. 13, the pad transport device 700 moves the holding hand 85 and the liquid receiving tray 87 to the outside of the polishing table 10. 14, the lift mechanism 20 lowers the lift rod 21 to place the pad structure 6 on the upper surface 10a of the polishing table 10. Thereafter, the pad chuck 14 forms a vacuum in the vacuum line 15, thereby fixing the pad structure 6 to the upper surface 10a of the polishing table 10.

[0060] In this way, the pad structure 6 including the polishing pad 2 that has been subjected to the break-in process is transported from the pad break-in device 600 to the polishing apparatus 500 by the pad transport device 700 and attached to the polishing table 10 of the polishing apparatus 500 by the pad chuck 14, thereby eliminating the conventional process of attaching the polishing pad 2 to the polishing table 10 with an adhesive. Furthermore, because the break-in process of the new polishing pad 2 is performed by the pad break-in device 600, it is not necessary to perform the break-in process of the new polishing pad 2 in the polishing apparatus 500. As a result, the time that the polishing operation of the polishing apparatus 500 is stopped for replacement of the polishing pad 2 is shortened, and the productivity of the polishing apparatus can be improved.

[0061] FIG. 15 is a top view illustrating another embodiment of the pad transporting device 700, and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 15. The configuration and operation of this embodiment, which are not specifically described, are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14, and therefore, redundant description will be omitted. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the pad transporting device 700 of this embodiment includes a shutter 120 that covers the notch 112 of the liquid receiving tray 87, and a spring 122 that biases the shutter 120 in a direction that closes the notch 112. The shutter 120 and the spring 122 are disposed above the liquid receiving tray 87. The shutter 120 has a shape that covers the entire notch 112.

[0062] 17 and 18 are views showing the state in which the shutter 120 is open. When the pad transport device 700 moves the liquid receiving tray 87 toward the lift rod 21 (or the lift rod 51 shown in FIG. 3), the lift rod 21 enters the notch 112 while pushing the shutter 120, and opens the shutter 120 against the force of the spring 122. According to this embodiment, while the pad transport device 700 is transporting the pad structure 6 from the pad conditioning device 600 to the polishing device 500, the notch 112 is closed by the shutter 120. Therefore, the liquid dropping from the polishing pad 2 cannot pass through the notch 112 and is received by the liquid receiving tray 87. As a result, contamination of the clean room by the liquid can be reliably prevented.

[0063] In the embodiments described so far, the pad structure 6 is a combination of the polishing pad 2 and the support plate 5 that supports the polishing pad 2. However, in one embodiment, the pad structure 6 may include the polishing pad 2 without including the support plate 5. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, the liquid receiving tray 87 has multiple pad support members 130 that support the edge of the polishing pad 2 to reduce downward deflection of the polishing pad 2. Each pad support member 130 has a positioning guide 131 to prevent lateral displacement of the polishing pad 2. As in the above-described embodiments, the polishing pad 2 is held on the polishing table 10 and the processing table 40 by vacuum suction.

[0064] In one embodiment, the pad structure 6 includes the polishing pad 2 but does not include the support plate 5, and the underside of the polishing pad 2 may have an adhesive layer. When the polishing pad 2 is transported, the adhesive layer of the polishing pad 2 may be covered with a release paper, or the adhesive layer may be exposed after the release paper is peeled off. The adhesive layer of the polishing pad 2 may be configured to be repeatedly attached to the polishing table 10 or the processing table 40. In this case, the above-mentioned pad chucks 14, 44 may be omitted.

[0065] FIG. 20 is a top view showing yet another embodiment of the pad transporting device 700, and FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 20. The configuration and operation of this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14, and therefore, redundant description will be omitted. The pad transporting device 700 of this embodiment includes an arc-shaped liquid receiving tray 87. This liquid receiving tray 87 has a semicircular ring shape and is disposed below the edge of the pad structure 6. As shown in FIG. 21, the liquid receiving tray 87 has a semicircular ring-shaped bottom 141, an outer curved weir 142 protruding upward from the outer edge of the bottom 141, and an inner curved weir 143 protruding upward from the inner edge of the bottom 141.

[0066] The liquid receiving tray 87 is configured to be separable into two in the longitudinal direction. That is, the liquid receiving tray 87 includes a first tray portion 87A fixed to one of the two holding hands 85 and a second tray portion 87B detachably connected to the first tray portion 87A by magnets 145 and 146. The magnets 145 and 146 are fixed to the end of the first tray portion 87A and the end of the second tray portion 87B, respectively. The second tray portion 87B is connected to the first tray portion 87A only by the magnetic force generated by the magnets 145 and 146, and the second tray portion 87B can be separated from the first tray portion 87A. A drain line 103 is connected to the first tray portion 87A.

[0067] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing another embodiment of a pad conditioner 600. As shown in FIG. 22, a plurality of engagement protrusions 150 and a plurality of protrusion actuators 151 are provided along the outer peripheral surface of the processing table 40 of the pad conditioner 600. Only one engagement protrusion 150 and one protrusion actuator 151 are shown in FIG. 22. The engagement protrusion 150 and the protrusion actuator 151 are provided to support the second tray portion 87B of the liquid receiving tray 87. The engagement protrusion 150 extends vertically and is connected to the protrusion actuator 151. The protrusion actuator 151 is configured to move the engagement protrusion 150 in a direction away from the processing table 40 and in a direction toward the processing table 40, as indicated by the arrows. The detailed configuration of the protrusion actuator 151 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, an air cylinder or a linear motor.

[0068] An engagement hole 155 into which the engagement protrusion 150 engages is formed in the bottom of the second tray portion 87B of the liquid receiving tray 87. When the engagement protrusion 150 is inserted into the engagement hole 155 and the protrusion actuator 151 moves the engagement protrusion 150, the engagement protrusion 150 and the second tray portion 87B move in a direction away from the processing table 40 and in a direction toward the processing table 40, as shown by the arrows.

[0069] 23, the polishing apparatus 500 is also provided with a plurality of engagement protrusions 160 and a plurality of protrusion actuators 161. The plurality of engagement protrusions 160 and the plurality of protrusion actuators 161 are provided along the outer peripheral surface of the polishing table 10. The configurations and operations of the engagement protrusions 160 and the protrusion actuators 161 are the same as those of the engagement protrusions 150 and the protrusion actuators 151 shown in FIG. 22, and therefore, description thereof will be omitted.

[0070] Next, the operation of transporting the pad structure 6 including the polishing pad 2 from the pad break-in device 600 to the polishing device 500 by the pad transport device 700 will be described. As described above, a new polishing pad 2 is broken in by the pad break-in device 600, and the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 is ready to polish a workpiece. After the break-in process, the polishing pad 2 is in a wet state. Before the polishing pad 2 is removed from the pad break-in device 600 by the pad transport device 700, as shown in FIG. 22, the second tray portion 87B of the liquid receiving tray 87 is placed on the engaging protrusion 150, and the engaging hole 155 of the second tray portion 87B engages with the engaging protrusion 150.

[0071] 24, the pad chuck 44 releases the pad structure 6, and the pad structure 6 including the wet polishing pad 2 and the support plate 5 is lifted by the lifting rod 51 of the lift mechanism 50. The pad structure 6 is separated from the processing table 40, and a space is formed between the pad structure 6 and the processing table 40.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 25, the protrusion actuator 151 moves the engaging protrusion 150 and the second tray portion 87B toward the processing table 40, and positions the second tray portion 87B below the edge of the pad structure 6. 26, the pad transport device 700 moves the holding hand 85 and the first tray portion 87A of the liquid receiving tray 87 into the space between the pad structure 6 and the processing table 40. The first tray portion 87A and the second tray portion 87B are fixed to each other by magnets 145 and 146 (see FIG. 20).

[0073] 27, the pad transport device 700 raises the holding hand 85 and the liquid receiving tray 87, and the pad structure 6 is placed on the holding hand 85, and the pad structure 6 moves away from the lifting rod 51. The second tray portion 87B also moves away from the engaging protrusion 150. The pad structure 6 is held by the holding hand 85. 28, the tilting device 101 of the pad transport device 700 tilts the holding hand 85, the pad structure 6, and the liquid receiving tray 87 in the direction in which the liquid receiving tray 87 descends. The liquid receiving tray 87 is positioned below the pad structure 6, so it can receive the liquid that drops from the pad structure 6. Furthermore, by tilting the liquid receiving tray 87, the holding hand 85, and the pad structure 6, the width (space) required for the pad transport device 700 to travel can be reduced.

[0074] 29, the pad transport device 700 transports the pad structure 6 from the pad conditioning device 600 to the polishing device 500. While the pad structure 6 is being transported, a liquid receiving tray 87 is present below the pad structure 6, so that liquid dropping from the pad structure 6 is received by the liquid receiving tray 87 and does not drop onto the floor of the clean room.

[0075] In the polishing apparatus 500, the same steps as in the pad conditioner 600 are performed in reverse order. That is, as shown in Fig. 30, the lift mechanism 20 raises the lift rod 21, and the pad transport apparatus 700 moves the holding hand 85, the pad structure 6, and the liquid receiving tray 87 above the polishing table 10.

[0076] 31 , the pad transport device 700 lowers the holding hand 85, the pad structure 6, and the liquid receiving tray 87, and places the pad structure 6 on the lifting rod 21. At this time, the holding hand 85 moves away from the pad structure 6, and the engaging hole 155 of the second tray portion 87B of the liquid receiving tray 87 engages with the engaging protrusion 160. 32, the pad transport device 700 moves the holding hand 85 and the first tray portion 87A of the liquid receiving tray 87 out of the polishing table 10. Because the engagement protrusions 160 are engaged with the engagement holes 155 of the second tray portion 87B, the second tray portion 87B remains on the engagement protrusions 160. Because the first tray portion 87A is connected to the second tray portion 87B only by magnetic force, the first tray portion 87A can be separated from the second tray portion 87B.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 33, the protrusion actuator 161 moves the engaging protrusion 160 in a direction away from the polishing table 10, thereby moving the second tray section 87B away from the polishing table 10. 34, the lift mechanism 20 lowers the lift rod 21 to place the pad structure 6 on the upper surface 10a of the polishing table 10. Thereafter, the pad chuck 14 forms a vacuum in the vacuum line 92, thereby fixing the pad structure 6 to the upper surface 10a of the polishing table 10.

[0078] In this way, the pad structure 6 including the polishing pad 2 that has been subjected to the break-in process is transported from the pad break-in device 600 to the polishing apparatus 500 by the pad transport device 700 and attached to the polishing table 10 of the polishing apparatus 500 by the pad chuck 14, thereby eliminating the conventional process of attaching the polishing pad 2 to the polishing table 10 with an adhesive. Furthermore, because the break-in process of the new polishing pad 2 is performed by the pad break-in device 600, it is not necessary to perform the break-in process of the new polishing pad 2 in the polishing apparatus 500. As a result, the time that the polishing operation of the polishing apparatus 500 is stopped for replacement of the polishing pad 2 is shortened, and the productivity of the polishing apparatus can be improved.

[0079] In the embodiment described with reference to Figures 20 to 34, the entire liquid receiving tray 87 is semicircular, and each of the first tray portion 87A and the second tray portion 87B is quarter-circular, but the shape of the liquid receiving tray 87 is not limited to the above embodiment. In one embodiment, the entire liquid receiving tray 87 may be circular, and each of the first tray portion 87A and the second tray portion 87B may be semicircular. The semicircular first tray portion 87A and the semicircular second tray portion 87B are detachably fixed to each other by magnets. The first tray portion 87A is disposed on the base end side of the holding hand 85, and the second tray portion 87B is disposed on the tip end side of the holding hand 85.

[0080] Next, we will explain one embodiment of a liquid receiving tray that can be detachably attached to the side of the support plate 5. Fig. 35 is a top view showing one embodiment of a liquid receiving device having a support plate 5 that supports the polishing pad 2 and a liquid receiving tray 163 attached to the support plate 5, Fig. 36 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid receiving tray shown in Fig. 35, and Fig. 37 is a view showing the state in which the liquid receiving tray 163 has been removed from the support plate 5.

[0081] The liquid receiving tray 163 surrounds the entire periphery of the support plate 5. In this embodiment, the liquid receiving tray 163 is detachably attached to the side of the support plate 5 by an attachment member 165. The liquid receiving tray 163 is made up of multiple divided bodies 163A, 163B. The attachment member 165 is made up of a flexible material, and examples of such materials include fluororubber, silicone rubber, foam rubber, and urethane foam. The liquid receiving tray 163 may also be made up of a flexible material such as rubber. The attachment member 165 is attached to the inside of each of the multiple divided bodies 163A, 163B that make up the liquid receiving tray 163.

[0082] The liquid receiving tray 163 has a bottom 166 arranged on the outer side of the side of the support plate 5, and a weir 167 extending upward from the outer edge of the bottom 166. The bottom 166 and the weir 167 extend over the entire length of the liquid receiving tray 163 and prevent liquid from falling from the liquid receiving tray 163. The mounting member 165 is attached to the inside of the bottom 166. The mounting member 165 also extends over the entire length of the liquid receiving tray 163. Multiple mounting members 165 may be provided at intervals along the inside of the liquid receiving tray 163.

[0083] A groove 170 extending in the circumferential direction of the support plate 5 is formed on the side surface of the support plate 5. The groove 170 in this embodiment is a dovetail groove with a narrow entrance. The mounting member 165 attached to the liquid receiving tray 163 is pressed into the groove 170 of the support plate 5, thereby attaching the liquid receiving tray 163 to the support plate 5. The mounting member 165 is made of a flexible material that is easily deformed, so the liquid receiving tray 163 can be removed from the support plate 5 by pulling the mounting member 165 out of the groove 170.

[0084] In this embodiment, the liquid receiving tray 163 is composed of two divided bodies 163A and 163B. The entire liquid receiving tray 163 is annular, and each of the divided bodies 163A and 163B is semi-annular. In one embodiment, the entire liquid receiving tray 163 is annular, and the liquid receiving tray 163 may be composed of three or more arc-shaped divided bodies 163A and 163B.

[0085] The liquid receiving tray 163 having such a configuration is transported together with the support plate 5 and the polishing pad 2. Liquid dripping from the wet polishing pad 2 is received by the liquid receiving tray 163 and does not fall onto the floor of the clean room. This prevents contamination of the interior of the clean room. In an embodiment in which this type of liquid receiving tray 163 is used, the pad transport device 700 described above does not need to be equipped with the liquid receiving tray 87.

[0086] 38, the liquid receiving tray 163 may further include a liquid absorbing member 180 disposed on the bottom 166. Examples of materials for the liquid absorbing member 180 include sponge.

[0087] Figure 39 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a polishing apparatus equipped with the liquid receiving device described with reference to Figures 35 to 37. The configuration of the polishing apparatus not specifically described is the same as the embodiment described with reference to Figure 2, so duplicated explanations will be omitted. As shown in Figure 39, the support plate 5 is held (fixed) to the upper surface 10a of the polishing table 10 by the pad chuck 14. During polishing of the workpiece W, the liquid receiving tray 163 rotates integrally with the support plate 5 and the polishing table 10.

[0088] Although not shown, the liquid receiving device described with reference to Fig. 38 can also be similarly incorporated into the polishing apparatus described with reference to Fig. 2. Furthermore, the liquid receiving device described with reference to Figs. 35 to 37 and the liquid receiving device described with reference to Fig. 38 can also be similarly incorporated into the pad break-in device 600 described with reference to Fig. 3.

[0089] The liquid receiving tray 163 can be removed from the support plate 5, so that the liquid receiving tray 163 can be periodically cleaned. In another embodiment, the liquid receiving tray 163 may be removed in advance from the support plate 5 while the workpiece W is being polished and while the polishing pad is being broken in. The liquid receiving tray 163 may be attached to the support plate 5 when the broken-in polishing pad is transported to the polishing apparatus.

[0090] In the above-described embodiment, the configuration of the pad break-in apparatus 600 is basically the same as that of the polishing apparatus 500. However, the polishing apparatus 500 may be a substrate processing apparatus that performs a series of processes, such as cleaning and drying after polishing, in addition to polishing the substrate. In contrast, the pad break-in apparatus 600 may be an apparatus specialized for pad break-in. Furthermore, in order to break in a polishing pad to be used in one of multiple polishing apparatuses 500, the other polishing apparatus 500 that is in a standby state and not producing workpieces may be used to perform the polishing pad break-in process.

[0091] In the above-described embodiment, the pad transport device 700 transports the pad structure 6 from the pad conditioning device 600 to the polishing device 500. In another embodiment, the pad transport device 700 may take out the pad structure 6 from a stocker that stores pad structures 6 that have been previously conditionered by the pad conditioning device 600, and transport it to the polishing device 500.

[0092] The above-described embodiments have been described for the purpose of enabling a person of ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications of the above-described embodiments would be obvious to a person skilled in the art, and the technical concept of the present invention may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is to be interpreted in the broadest scope in accordance with the technical concept defined by the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 2 polishing pads 2a Polished surface 6 Pad structure 10 Polishing table 11 Polishing head 12 Polishing liquid supply nozzle 14 Pad chuck 15 Vacuum Line 20 Lift mechanism 21 Lifting rod 22 Rod Actuator 25 Spindle 26 Polishing head support arm 27 Polished head shaft 28 Polishing head rotation device 29 Polishing head lifting device 30 Polishing table rotation device 32 Polishing head moving device 40 Processing Table 41 Processing Head 42 Liquid supply nozzle 44 Pad chuck 45 Vacuum Line 50 Lift mechanism 51 Lifting rod 52 Rod Actuator 55 Spindle 56 Processing head support arm 57 Processing head shaft 58 Processing head rotation device 59 Processing head lifting device 60 Processing table rotation device 62 Processing head moving device 70 Dresser 71 Dressing Disc 72 Dresser shaft 75 Dresser swing arm 80 Pad Monitoring Device 83 Running gear 84 Main body 85 Holding Hand 87 Liquid receiving tray 87A First Tray 87B Second tray section 88 wheels 89 Electric motor 92 Vacuum Line 93 Vacuum Pump 101 Tilt device 103 Drain line 105 Liquid Tank 110 Hand lifting device 115 Weir 120 Shutter 122 Spring 130 Pad support member 131 Positioning guide 141 Bottom 142 External curved weir 143 Inner Curved Weir 145,146 Magnets 150 Engagement protrusion 151 Protrusion Actuator 155 engagement hole 163 Liquid receiving tray 163A,163B Split body 165 Mounting member 166 Bottom 167 Weir 180 Liquid absorbing member 500 Polishing equipment 600 Pad break-in device 700 Pad transport device

Claims

1. a polishing device for polishing the workpiece; a pad break-in device for breaking in the polishing pad; a pad transport device that transports a pad structure including at least the polishing pad from the pad conditioning device to the polishing device; the polishing apparatus includes a polishing table, a pad chuck for fixing the pad structure transported by the pad transport device to the polishing table, and a polishing head for pressing the workpiece against the polishing pad; A processing system in which the pad transport device has a holding hand configured to hold the pad structure, a main body connected to the holding hand, and a liquid receiving tray arranged below the holding hand for receiving liquid falling from the pad structure, the liquid receiving tray being movable relative to the main body and being movable integrally with the holding hand.

2. A polishing apparatus for polishing a workpiece; a pad break-in device for breaking in the polishing pad; a pad transport device that transports a pad structure including at least the polishing pad from the pad conditioning device to the polishing device; the polishing apparatus includes a polishing table, a pad chuck for fixing the pad structure transported by the pad transport device to the polishing table, and a polishing head for pressing the workpiece against the polishing pad; The pad transport device comprises a holding hand configured to hold the pad structure, a liquid receiving tray arranged below the holding hand for receiving liquid falling from the pad structure, and a tilting device for tilting the liquid receiving tray and the holding hand.

3. The processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the pad transport device further comprises a hand lifting device that moves the holding hand up and down.

4. 10. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the pad transport apparatus further comprises a drain line connected to the liquid receiving tray.

5. The processing system of claim 1 , wherein the pad structure includes the polishing pad and a support plate that supports the polishing pad.

6. 2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the polishing apparatus comprises a lift mechanism configured to receive the pad structure from the pad transport apparatus and place the pad structure on the polishing table.

7. The processing system described in Claim 6, wherein the lift mechanism has a lifting rod arranged within the polishing table and a rod actuator for raising and lowering the lifting rod, and the rod actuator is configured to raise the lifting rod until it protrudes from the top surface of the polishing table and to lower the lifting rod until it is positioned within the polishing table.

8. 2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the pad conditioning device comprises a processing table configured to hold the pad structure, a processing head configured to press a dummy workpiece against the polishing pad of the pad structure on the processing table, and a liquid supply nozzle that supplies liquid onto the polishing pad of the pad structure on the processing table.

9. 9. The processing system of claim 8, wherein the pad break-in device further comprises a pad monitor device for monitoring a break-in process for the polishing pad.

10. A pad transport device for transporting a pad structure including at least a polishing pad, a holding hand configured to hold the pad structure; a main body connected to the holding hand; a liquid receiving tray disposed below the holding hand for receiving liquid dropped from the pad structure; The pad transporting device, wherein the liquid receiving tray is movable relative to the main body and is movable integrally with the holding hand.

11. A pad transport device for transporting a pad structure including at least a polishing pad, comprising: a holding hand configured to hold the pad structure; a liquid receiving tray disposed below the holding hand for receiving liquid dropped from the pad structure; The pad transport device includes a tilting device that tilts the liquid receiving tray and the holding hand.

12. The pad transport device according to claim 10 , further comprising a hand lifting device that moves the holding hand up and down.

13. The pad transport apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a drain line connected to the liquid receiving tray.

14. The pad transport device according to claim 10 , wherein the pad structure includes the polishing pad and a support plate that supports the polishing pad.

Images