Robot Hand

Abstract

To store, in a completely non-contact manner, a wafer after cleaning, in a cassette in a processing device that transports the wafer using a robot hand.SOLUTION: Using a robot hand 6, a wafer is held in a non-contact manner by the negative pressure generated by air jetted from a first air jet port 601 of a non-contact holding portion 60, so that the wafer is held completely without contact by supporting the wafer such that the wafer does not move with by the air jetted from a second air jet port of an outer peripheral support portion 61.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot hand that holds a wafer in a non-contact manner. [Background technology]

[0002] In a processing apparatus that holds wafers on a chuck table and performs processes such as grinding and polishing on the wafers, the processed wafers are transported from the chuck table to a spinner table for cleaning, and the cleaned wafers are stored in a cassette by a robot. A robot hand is attached to the robot, and the holding surface of the robot hand is connected to a suction source. The wafer, whose underside is held by the spinner table with suction, is carried out with its upper surface held by suction on the holding surface of the robot hand and stored in a cassette. Robot hands that contact and hold the upper surface of the wafer with suction may damage the upper surface of the wafer, so non-contact types have also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5918771 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The robot hand described in Patent Document 1 contacts the outer periphery of the wafer, but is not completely non-contact, which may result in damage to the wafer and may also generate dust due to the contact, which may contaminate the wafer after cleaning.

[0005] Therefore, in a processing apparatus that uses a robot hand to transport wafers, there is a problem to be solved, namely, how to store the cleaned wafers in a cassette in a completely non-contact manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention relates to a plate-shaped robot hand that is attached to a robot and holds a wafer in a non-contact manner, the non-contact holding part having a first air ejection port that ejects air radially from the center toward the periphery, and the air ejected from the first air ejection port flows radially to generate negative pressure, thereby holding the wafer in a non-contact manner, and a periphery support part having a second air ejection port that is arranged so as to face the center of the wafer held by the non-contact holding part and ejects air toward the periphery of the wafer, and supporting the wafer so that it does not move due to the air ejected from the second air ejection port. 、 The non-contact holding portion has a plurality of grooves arranged radially from the center of the holding surface, one end of which is located toward the center and the other end of which extends radially so as not to reach the outer periphery, and which hold the wafer non-contact, the grooves becoming shallower toward the other end, the first air injection port being located at one end of the groove and injecting air into the groove, and the outer periphery support portion has at least two, a first outer periphery support portion and a second outer periphery support portion, arranged opposite each other, and each of the first outer periphery support portion and the second outer periphery support portion having at least two second air injection ports. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the present invention, the wafer is held in a non-contact manner by the negative pressure generated by the air sprayed from the first air outlet of the non-contact holding part, and the wafer is supported so as not to move by the air sprayed from the second air outlet of the outer periphery support part, so that the wafer can be held in a completely non-contact manner, preventing the wafer from being damaged and preventing dust from being generated by contact and contaminating the wafer after cleaning. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a grinding device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a robot hand. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a non-contact holding unit of a robot hand. [Figure 4]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a peripheral support part of a robot hand. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an example of a robot hand. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing a state in which the robot hand holding the wafer has entered the inside of the cassette. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the robot hand holds the wafer in a non-contact manner. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing a suction force generating region formed in the non-contact holding portion of the robot hand. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which the wafer is supported by the outer peripheral support portion. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing a second example of a robot hand. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing a third example of a robot hand. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the outer peripheral support part of the robot hand of the third example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] 1. Grinding equipment configuration 1 is a processing device that grinds wafers 10 held on a chuck table 2 using a grinding unit 3. The front part (-Y direction side) of the grinding device 1 is provided with a cassette placement area 4 on which a cassette 41 that stores wafers 10 to be ground is placed.

[0010] A robot 5 is disposed near the cassette placement area 4, which carries wafers 10 out of and into the cassette 41. The robot 5 includes a bendable and rotatable arm 51, an elevation drive unit 52 that raises and lowers the arm 51, and a rotation drive unit 53 to which a robot hand 6 is attached and which includes a motor that rotates the robot hand 6 about a horizontal rotation axis.

[0011] A temporary placement area 42 for aligning the wafer 10 to a fixed position is provided in the movable range of the robot hand 6. The temporary placement area 42 is equipped with a placement table 43 on which the wafer 10 is placed, and a plurality of pins 44 that are movable in the radial direction of the placement table 43. The wafer 10 placed on the placement table 43 can be aligned to a fixed position.

[0012] A spinner cleaning unit 45 for cleaning the processed wafer 10 is disposed within the movable range of the robot hand 6. The spinner cleaning unit 45 includes a spinner table 46 that holds and rotates the wafer 10, and a nozzle (not shown) that sprays a cleaning liquid toward the wafer 10 held on the spinner table 46.

[0013] A first transfer unit 81 is provided near the temporary placement area 42 to transfer the wafer 10 from the temporary placement area 42 to the chuck table 2. The first transfer unit 81 includes an arm portion 82 that can rotate and move up and down, and a suction portion 83 attached to the tip of the arm portion 82.

[0014] A second transfer unit 84 is disposed on the −X direction side of the first transfer unit 81, and transfers the wafer 10 from the chuck table 2 to the spinner table 46. The second transfer unit 84 includes an arm portion 85 that can rotate and move up and down, and a suction portion 86 attached to the tip of the arm portion 85.

[0015] The chuck table 2 is composed of a suction section 20 made of a porous material and a frame 21 surrounding the suction section 20. A suction source (not shown) is connected to the suction section 20, and suction force can be applied to a holding surface 200 on the upper surface of the suction section. The holding surface 200 and an upper surface 210 of the frame 21 are formed flush with each other.

[0016] The chuck table 2 is rotatable about a rotation axis in the Z-axis direction and is horizontally movable in the Y-axis direction. A thickness gauge 67 for measuring the thickness of the wafer 10 held on the chuck table 2 is disposed on the side of the movement path of the chuck table 2 in the Y-axis direction. The thickness gauge 67 includes a first measurement unit 68 that measures the height of the holding surface 200 by measuring the height of the upper surface 210 of the frame 21, and a second measurement unit 69 that measures the height of the wafer 10 held on the holding surface 200. The thickness of the wafer 10 is calculated from the difference between the measurement value of the first measurement unit 68 and the measurement value of the second measurement unit 69.

[0017] The grinding unit 3 is composed of a spindle 30 having an axis in the Z-axis direction, a housing 31 that rotatably supports the spindle 30, a motor 32 that rotates the spindle 30, a mount 33 connected to the lower end of the spindle 30, and a grinding wheel 34 attached to the mount 33. The grinding wheel 34 is composed of a base 340 attached to the mount 33, and a plurality of grinding stones 341 fixed in an annular shape to the lower surface of the base 340. When the motor 32 rotates the spindle 30, the grinding wheel 34 also rotates.

[0018] The grinding unit 3 is supported by a grinding feed unit 7 so that it can move up and down. The grinding feed unit 7 is composed of a ball screw 70 having an axis in the Z-axis direction, a pair of guide rails 71 arranged parallel to the ball screw 70, a motor 72 that rotates the ball screw 70, a lifting plate 73 that has a nut therein that screws onto the ball screw 70 and whose sides are in sliding contact with the guide rails 71, and a holder 74 that is connected to the lifting plate 73 and holds the grinding unit 3. When the motor 72 rotates the ball screw 70, the lifting plate 73 is guided by the guide rails 71 and moves up and down, and the grinding unit 3 also moves up and down accordingly.

[0019] The grinding device 1 is covered with a cover 80, and a touch panel 87 is provided on the front side (-Y direction side) to be used for inputting and displaying processing conditions.

[0020] The robot hand 6 attached to the robot 5 is formed in a flat plate shape as shown in FIG. 2, and includes a non-contact holding part 60 that holds the surface of the wafer 10 without contacting it, an outer peripheral support part 61 that supports the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 10 without contacting it, and an attachment part 62 that is attached to the rotation drive part 53 shown in FIG. 1.

[0021] An air inlet 621 is formed and opens on the upper surface 620 of the attachment portion 62. The air inlet 621 communicates with an air flow path 622 formed inside.

[0022] The center of the top surface 600 of the non-contact holding unit 60 is provided with a first air jet port 601 that is connected to the air flow path 622 and opens toward the top surface 600. As shown in FIG. 3 , grooves 602 are formed on the outer periphery of the first air jet port 601, extending radially from the first air jet port 601. The groove 602 has one end 603 at the center of the non-contact holding unit 60 where it connects to the first air jet port 601, and the other end 604 at a position outside the first air jet port 601 but not reaching the outer periphery of the non-contact holding unit 60. The groove 602 extends in the radial direction of the non-contact holding unit 60. The depth of the groove 602 is deepest at the one end 603 and becomes shallower toward the other end 604, with the other end 604 being flush with the top surface 600. The other end 604 of the groove 602 is located more inward than the wafer 10 to be held.

[0023] The first air ejection port 601 is covered from above by a disk 605. The disk 605 is adhered to a portion of the upper surface 600 where the groove 602 is not formed. As shown in Figure 4, there is a space between one end 603 of the groove 602 and the disk 605, and the air 63 ejected from the first air ejection port 601 is guided into this space, and this air 63 flows along the groove 602 and the upper surface 600. The grooves 602 are preferably arranged symmetrically about the center of the upper surface 600. The grooves 602 may also be formed in a fan shape with the other end 604 wider.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 5, the outer periphery support part 61 has an upper surface 600 and a thick part 611 that protrudes upward in an arc shape from the upper surface 600. In the example shown in Fig. 2, two outer periphery support parts 61 are formed opposite each other.

[0025] An air flow path 612 is formed inside the thick portion 611 along its arc, and a second air jet port 613 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the thick portion 611. The second air jet port 613 is connected to the air flow path 612 and faces the center of the wafer 10 held by the non-contact holding unit 60. The second air jet port 613 is an opening that jets air 65 toward the center of the wafer 10. In the illustrated example, three second air jet ports 613 are formed. At least one second air jet port 613 may be provided per outer periphery support portion 61, for a total of three, but it is preferable that two or more second air jet ports 613 be provided per outer periphery support portion 61. As shown in FIG. 6, the air flow path 622 runs from one outer periphery support portion (first outer periphery support portion) 61, passes below the first air jet port 601, and reaches the other outer periphery support portion 61 (second outer periphery support portion). The diameter of the non-contact holding unit 60 is larger than the width of the outer periphery support portion 61. In other words, the sizes of the first air ejection port 601 and the second air ejection port 613 are set so that air supplied from the air source to the air inlet 621 is ejected from the first air ejection port 601 and the second air ejection port 613 in predetermined amounts of air 63 and air 65.

[0026] 2 Grinding device operation The cassette 41 of the grinding apparatus shown in FIG. 1 contains wafers 10 before grinding. To grind these wafers 10, first, the lifting / lowering drive unit 52 of the robot 5 adjusts the height of the robot hand 6 to the height of the wafer 10 to be removed, and bends and rotates the arm 51, causing the robot hand 6 to enter the cassette 41 from the opening 411 side, as shown in FIG. 7. At this time, the rotation drive unit 53 shown in FIG. 1 inverts the robot hand 6 so that the upper surface 600 of the robot hand 6 faces downward. The wafer 10 is placed on a pair of shelves 410 inside the cassette 41, with only opposing ends supported. The robot hand 6 enters above the wafer 10 to be removed, so that the wafer 10 is positioned on the inner periphery of the outer periphery support unit 61. The cassette 41 is a type called a standard cassette, which has an opening on the rear side 412, and the second outer periphery support portion 61 of the robot hand 6 does not interfere with the rear side of the cassette 41.

[0027] Next, the robot hand 6 is lowered slightly, and the inverted upper surface 600 is brought closer to the upper surface 101 of the wafer 10, and air is supplied to the air inlet 621, thereby generating radial air 63 that flows from the first air injection port 601 to the groove 602 and from the groove 602 to the outer periphery of the non-contact support part 60, as shown in Fig. 8. This generates negative pressure due to the Bernoulli effect, and an upward suction force is generated between the upper surface 600 and the upper surface 101 of the wafer 10, from the upper surface 101 to the upper surface 600, and the wafer 10 is held in a non-contact state with the upper surface 600 and the upper surface of the disk 605 in the non-contact holding part 60.

[0028] 9, the air 63 shown in FIG. 8 flows radially along the extension of the groove 602. Then, on both sides of the air 63, suction force generating regions 64 are formed due to the Bernoulli effect.

[0029] 10, the air supplied to the air inlet 621 is also ejected as air 65 from the second air ejection port 613 of the opposing outer periphery support part 61. This allows the outer periphery 103 of the wafer 10 to be supported in a non-contact manner by the outer periphery support part 61. As shown in FIG. 9, by arranging the two outer periphery support parts 61 opposite each other, the outer periphery 103 of the wafer 10 is supported from both sides, and therefore the wafer 10 is supported without shifting in position in the horizontal direction.

[0030] 9, the other end 604 of the groove 602 faces in a direction away from the thick portion 611 of the outer peripheral support portion 61. Therefore, the air 63 is not directed toward the thick portion 611 and does not interfere with the air 65 jetted from the second air jetting port 613 of the outer peripheral support portion 61. Therefore, the non-contact holding portion 60 can hold the wafer 10 in the planar direction, and the outer peripheral support portion 61 can hold the wafer 10 in the horizontal direction, without adversely affecting each other, thereby making it possible to hold the wafer 10 in a completely non-contact manner. The wafer 10 thus held by the robot hand 6 is transported to and placed on the placement table 43 in the temporary placement area 42.

[0031] 11 can be used instead of the robot hand 6. This robot hand 9 differs from the robot hand 6 in that it has four outer peripheral support parts 61 and that the air flow path 622 branches off in the non-contact holding part 60 corresponding to the four outer peripheral support parts 61.

[0032] When using a robot hand 9, it is desirable to use a cassette 47 shown in Fig. 11. In the robot hand 9, only the portion where the outer peripheral support portion 61 is formed protrudes toward the outer periphery, and the position where the air 63 is directed is formed with a smaller diameter than the outer peripheral support portion 61. The cassette 47 is equipped with a pair of shelf plates 470 corresponding to the shape of the robot hand 9. In other words, the shelf plates 470 are formed in a shape that does not interfere with the non-contact holding portion 60 and the outer peripheral support portion 61, and only the position where the air 63 is directed supports the wafer 10 from below.

[0033] The robot hand 9, like the robot hand 9, enters the cassette 47 in an inverted state and holds the top surface 101 of the wafer 10 by negative pressure generated by air ejected from the first air ejection ports 601 of the non-contact holder 60 and flowing along the grooves 602, and also supports the outer periphery 103 of the wafer 10 by air ejected from the second air ejection ports 613 of the outer periphery support members 61. The robot hand 9 is equipped with four outer periphery support members 61 and supports the outer periphery 103 of the wafer 10 from the front, back, left, and right, so that the wafer 10 can be held more stably to prevent movement, and it is also possible to invert the wafer 10 while holding it. Therefore, the robot hand 9 may enter below the wafer 10 and be inverted during transport to the temporary placement area 42.

[0034] A robot hand 90 shown in Fig. 12 can be used instead of the robot hands 6 and 9. This robot hand 90 includes a non-contact holding part 91 that does not come into contact with the surface of the wafer 10, three outer periphery support parts 92 that support the outer periphery of the wafer 10 without contacting it, and an attachment part 93 that is attached to the rotation drive part 53 shown in Fig. 1.

[0035] A first air inlet 931 and a second air inlet 932 are formed and open on an upper surface 930 of the mounting portion 93. The first air inlet 931 communicates with a first air flow path 933 formed inside, and the second air inlet 932 communicates with a second air flow path 934 formed inside.

[0036] The non-contact holding unit 91 has a first air jet port 911 in the center of its upper surface 910, which is connected to the first air flow path 933 and opens toward the upper surface 910. Three grooves 912 are formed on the outer periphery of the first air jet port 911, extending radially from the first air jet port 911. Similar to the grooves 602 of the robot hands 6 and 9, the grooves 912 are deepest at one end 913, which is the central end of the non-contact holding unit 91 and is the connecting portion with the first air jet port 911, and become shallower toward the other end 914, which is located outward from the first air jet port 911 and does not reach the outer periphery of the non-contact holding unit 91, until the other end 914 is flush with the upper surface 910. The other end 914 is located more inward than the outer periphery of the wafer 10 to be held.

[0037] The top of the first air ejection port 911 is covered by a circular plate 915. The circular plate 915 is adhered to a portion of the upper surface 910 where the grooves 902 are not formed. The air ejected from the first air ejection port 911 passes through the grooves 912 and flows onto the upper surface 910. The grooves 912 may be formed in a fan shape with the other end 914 wider.

[0038] 13, each outer peripheral support part 92 has a cylindrical protrusion 920 protruding upward from the upper surface 910, and a second air ejection port 921 formed on the side surface of the protrusion 920 and opening toward the center of the non-contact holding part 91. The second air ejection port 921 communicates with the second air flow path 934 shown in Fig. 12. The three second air ejection ports 921 are disposed at equal intervals, that is, at 120-degree intervals.

[0039] When air is supplied to the first air inlet 931, the air passes through the first air flow path 933 and is ejected from the first air ejection port 911, flows radially along the upper surface 910, and a suction force is generated around the air due to the Bernoulli effect. On the other hand, when air is supplied to the second air inlet 932, the air passes through the second air flow path 934 and is ejected as air 922 from the second air ejection port 921 shown in Fig. 13. This air 922 is ejected toward the outer periphery 103 of the wafer 10, and the wafer 10 is supported in a non-contact manner without shifting in the horizontal direction.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 12 , the other end 914 of the groove 912 faces in a direction away from the protrusion 920. Therefore, the air 922 is not directed toward the protrusion 920 and does not interfere with the air 922 ejected from the second air ejection port 921. Therefore, the non-contact holder 91 can hold the wafer 10 in the planar direction, while the peripheral support 92 can hold the wafer 10 in the horizontal direction, without adversely affecting each other. This allows the wafer 10 to be held in a completely non-contact manner. In the robot hand 90 shown in FIG. 12 , the first air inlet 931 and the first air flow path 933 are independent of the second air inlet 932 and the second air flow path 934. Therefore, the amount of air ejected from the first air ejection port 911 and the amount of air ejected from the second air ejection port 921 can be controlled independently. In particular, by controlling the amount of air ejected from the second air ejection port 921 according to the thickness of the wafer 10, the wafer 10 can be stably supported regardless of its thickness. Alternatively, an air flow path communicating with each second air ejection port 921 may be provided separately, and an air inlet may be provided in each air flow path.

[0041] The wafer 10, which has been transported to the temporary placement area 42 by the robot hand 6, robot hand 9, or robot hand 90, is placed on the placement table 43 with the upper surface 101 facing upward. Then, by stopping the supply of air to the air inlet 621 shown in FIG. 2 etc., the air 63 and 65 ejected by the robot hand 6 are stopped and the robot hand 6 moves away from the wafer 10. Thereafter, the multiple pins 44 move toward the center of the placement table 43, thereby aligning the wafer 10 at a predetermined position.

[0042] Next, the upper surface 101 of the wafer 10 is sucked by the suction portion 83 of the first transport unit 81, and the arm portion 82 is rotated to transport the wafer 10 to the chuck table 2. On the chuck table 2, the lower surface 102 of the wafer 10 is sucked and held on the holding surface 200.

[0043] Next, the chuck table 2 moves in the +Y direction to be positioned below the grinding unit 3. Then, as the chuck table 2 rotates, the motor 32 rotates the grinding wheel 34, and the motor 72 of the grinding feed unit 7 rotates the ball screw 70 to lower the grinding unit 3, bringing the rotating grinding wheel 341 into contact with the upper surface 101 of the wafer 10 to grind it. During grinding, the thickness of the wafer 10 is measured by the thickness gauge 67, and when the wafer 10 reaches a predetermined thickness, the grinding feed unit 7 raises the grinding wheel 341 to end the grinding.

[0044] After grinding is completed, chuck table 2 moves in the -Y direction and is positioned near second transfer unit 84. Next, suction portion 86 of second transfer unit 84 sucks and adsorbs ground upper surface 101, and arm portion 85 rotates to place wafer 10 on spinner table 46 of spinner cleaning unit 45, with lower surface 102 side held by suction. Then, spinner table 46 rotates, and a cleaning liquid is sprayed from a nozzle (not shown) toward upper surface 101 of wafer 10, thereby cleaning upper surface 101.

[0045] When cleaning of the upper surface 101 is completed, the robot 5 moves the robot hand 6 above the wafer 10 and makes the non-contact holding part 60 of the robot hand 6 face downward to face the upper surface 101 of the wafer 10. Then, air is supplied to the air inlet 621 shown in FIG. 2 etc. to spray air 63 from the first air jetting port 601, and air 65 is sprayed from the second air jetting port 613 shown in FIG. 10 to hold the upper surface 101 side of the wafer 10 and support the wafer 10 so that it does not move in the horizontal direction. It is preferable that the second air ejection port 613 ejects air toward the center in the thickness direction of the side surface 103 of the wafer 10. However, if the wafer 10 is ground thinly, it is preferable that the second air ejection port 613 is formed so that the air 65 ejected from the second air ejection port 613 flows toward the underside 102 of the wafer 10. Furthermore, if a protective tape is attached to the underside 102 of the wafer 10, it is preferable that the air 65 flows toward the surface (underside) of the protective tape. In other words, the wafer 10 may be supported so as not to move in the horizontal direction by friction between the air 65 and the lower surface 102 of the wafer 10 . The second air injection port may be formed so that the air 65 is injected in a spiral shape.

[0046] In this state, the lifting drive unit 52 raises the robot hand 6 and rotates the arm 51, thereby causing the robot hand 6 to enter the inside of the cassette 41. Then, the end of the wafer 10 is positioned above the shelf plate 410 as shown in FIG. 7, and the robot hand 6 is lowered to place the wafer 10 on the shelf plate 410. Then, the supply of air to the air inlet 621 is stopped to release the wafer 10 from its hold. In this way, the wafer 10 is stored in the cassette 41. Thereafter, the robot hand 6 is retracted from the cassette 41. 11 is used to transport the wafer 10 from the spinner table 46 to the cassette 41, the robot hand 9 can be turned over during transport. In this case, the robot hand 9 is advanced into the cassette 41 while holding the wafer 10 from below. When placing the wafer 10 on the shelf plate 470, the robot 5 advances the robot hand 9, which holds the wafer 10 from above, to a height position between the shelf plates 470 and a position where the shelf plates 470 do not interfere with the non-contact support parts 60 and the outer periphery support parts 61 when viewed from above. The robot hand 9 is then lowered. When the robot hand 9 passes the shelf plate 470, the portion of the shelf plate 470 that supports the wafer 10 from below obstructs the flow of air 63, weakening the suction force, and the wafer 10 is placed on the shelf plate 470, and the wafer 10 is separated from the robot hand 9. It should be noted that when the robot hand 9 passes under the shelf board 470, the supply of air may be stopped.

[0047] When storing the wafer 10 in the cassette 41, the wafer 10 can be held without contact and prevented from shifting in the horizontal direction, just as when removing it from the cassette 41. In particular, after grinding, grinding debris may remain on the upper surface 101 even after cleaning in the spinner cleaning unit 45. However, by holding the wafer 10 without contact, the grinding debris does not adhere to the robot hand 6, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the grinding debris from adhering to the wafer 10 that will be ground and stored in the cassette 41 later. In addition, it is possible to prevent the wafer 10 from being damaged by contact and to prevent dust from being generated by contact and contaminating the cleaned wafer 10. Furthermore, in order to facilitate subsequent handling such as transportation, even when a wafer in which only the center portion has been ground and the outer periphery has not been ground, resulting in a recess in the center, is transported to cassette 41 after spinner cleaning, the wafer can be held without contact.

[0048] In addition, when transporting the wafers 10 before grinding from the cassette 41 to the temporary storage area 42, a contact-type robot hand may be used, so as in Patent No. 6853646, one surface may be contact-type and the other surface may be non-contact-type, and the non-contact surface may be configured as in the present invention.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the non-contact holding portion 60 is configured to have the grooves 602 extending radially, but instead of the grooves 602, a cone-shaped air flow path may be used.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first air ejection port 601 is covered from above with the disk 605 to eject the air 63 radially, but multiple first air ejection ports may be formed, each configured to eject air toward the outer periphery, in which case the disk will not be necessary.

[0051] Although the grinding device has been described in this embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to a polishing device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1: Grinding device 2: Chuck table 20: Suction part 200: Holding surface 21: Frame body 210: Top surface 3: Grinding unit 30: Spindle 31: Housing 32: Motor 33: Mount 34: Grinding wheel 340: Base 341: Grinding stone 4: Cassette placement area 41: Cassette 410: Shelf 411: Opening 412: Rear side 42: Temporary placement area 43: Placement table 44: Pin 45: Spinner cleaning unit 46: Spinner table 47: Cassette 470: Shelf 5: Robot 51: Arm 52: Elevation drive unit 53: Rotation drive unit 6: Robot hand 60: Non-contact holding part 600: Upper surface 601: First air injection port 602: Groove 603: One end 604: Other end 605: Disk 61: Outer periphery support part (first outer periphery support part, second outer periphery support part) 611: Thickened portion 612: Air flow path 613: Second air injection port 62: Mounting part 620: Upper surface 621: Air inlet 622: Air flow path 63: Air 64: Suction force generation area 65: Air 67: Thickness measuring device 68: First measuring section 69: Second measuring section 7: Grinding feed unit 70: Ball screw 71: Guide rail 72: Motor 73: Lifting plate 74: Holder 80: Cover 81: First transport unit 82: Arm part 83: Suction part 84: Second transport unit 85: Arm unit 86: Suction unit 87: Touch panel 9: Robot Hand 90:Robot Hand 91: Non-contact holding part 910: Upper surface 911: First air injection port 912: Groove 913: One end 914: Other end 915: Disk 92: Periphery support part 920: Protrusion 921: Second air injection port 922: Air 93: Mounting part 902: Groove 930: Top surface 931: First air inlet 932: Second air inlet 933: First air flow path 934: Second air flow path 10: Wafer 101: Upper surface 102: Lower surface 103: Outer periphery

Claims

[Claim 1] A plate-shaped robot hand attached to a robot and holding a wafer in a non-contact manner, a non-contact holding unit having first air ejection ports that eject air radially from the center toward the outer periphery, the air ejected from the first air ejection ports flowing radially to generate negative pressure and hold the wafer in a non-contact manner; a peripheral support part having a second air ejection port that is arranged to face the center of the wafer held by the non-contact holding part and ejects air onto the peripheral edge of the wafer, and that supports the wafer so that it does not move due to the air ejected from the second air ejection port; the non-contact holding portion has a plurality of grooves arranged radially from the center of the holding surface that holds the wafer in a non-contact manner, one end of which is located toward the center and the other end of which extends radially so as not to reach the outer periphery, The groove becomes shallower toward the other end, the first air injection port is disposed at the one end of the groove and injects air into the groove; The robot hand has at least two outer periphery support parts, a first outer periphery support part and a second outer periphery support part, arranged opposite each other, and each of the first outer periphery support part and the second outer periphery support part has at least two second air ejection ports.

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