Processing equipment

Abstract

To remove a protective film attached to suckers sucking in a top face of a ring frame in a processing apparatus.SOLUTION: A conveyance mechanism 20 comprises: a conveyance pad 21 on which two or more suckers 213 sucking in a top face of a ring frame F are disposed at a predetermined interval; and a raising mechanism 22 that raises and lowers the conveyance pad 21. A spinner table 11 of a spin cleaning mechanism 10 includes two or more recesses 114 that are arranged at positions corresponding to the suckers 213 and accommodate the suckers 213. A control unit 40 cleans the suckers 213 by controlling arranging nozzles 13 on the rotation trajectories of the recesses 114 by a nozzle horizontal movement mechanism (nozzle rotation shaft 14), locating the recesses 114 directly below the nozzles 13 by a table rotation mechanism 12, supplying water L to the recesses 114 from the nozzles 13 to store the water in the recesses, and lowering the conveyance pad 21 by the raising and lowering mechanism 22 to bring the suckers 213 into contact with the water L stored in the recesses 114.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for processing a wafer.

Background Art

[0002] There is a conveying device for conveying a work set in which a tape is attached to and integrated with a wafer and a ring frame having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the wafer (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this conveying device, four suction cups for sucking the upper surface of the ring frame are arranged at equal angles. The conveying device sucks the ring frame with the suction cups and conveys the integrated work set.

[0003] For example, the wafer of the work set is irradiated with a laser beam having an absorbent wavelength with respect to the wafer, so that grooves are formed on the upper surface of the wafer. At this time, in order not to attach the melt of the wafer to the device, a water-soluble protective film is formed on the upper surface of the wafer.

[0004] The protective film is formed by holding the work set on a table, dropping liquid resin onto the center of the upper surface of the wafer, rotating the table at high speed, and spreading the liquid resin by centrifugal force. The liquid resin subjected to the centrifugal force scatters outward from the outer periphery of the wafer and adheres to the upper surface of the ring frame.

[0005] Also, after laser processing as described above, the work set is held on a table, water is sprayed onto the wafer, and the table is rotated, whereby the protective film is removed. Also when the protective film is removed, the protective film dissolved in water, that is, the liquid resin, adheres to the upper surface of the ring frame.

[0006] Thus, since the liquid resin adheres to the upper surface of the ring frame, the liquid resin adhering to the upper surface of the ring frame is removed by pouring water onto the upper surface of the ring frame (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-057618 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-145642 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-092379 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, as mentioned above, even after removing the protective film, some of it may remain on the top surface of the ring frame. As a result, the protective film adheres to the suction cup that attaches to the top surface of the ring frame.

[0009] When the workset is repeatedly transported, a large amount of protective film adheres to the suction cup, and the adhesive force of the protective film makes it difficult to separate the workset from the suction cup, which is a problem.

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus that can remove a protective film attached to a suction cup that sucks the upper surface of a ring frame. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In one embodiment, the processing apparatus comprises a spin cleaning mechanism for cleaning a workset by spinning a spinner table that holds a workset in which a wafer is supported on a ring frame by tape; a transport mechanism for loading and unloading the workset to and from the spin cleaning mechanism; and a control unit. The transport mechanism comprises a transport pad having two or more suction cups arranged at predetermined intervals for sucking the upper surface of the ring frame; and a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the transport pad. The spin cleaning mechanism comprises the spinner table; a table rotation mechanism for rotating the spinner table; a nozzle for supplying water to the workset held on the spinner table; and a nozzle horizontal movement mechanism for moving the nozzle horizontally. The spinner table comprises a suction table for sucking the tape from the portion to which the wafer is attached on the suction surface; a block extending outward from the outer circumference of the suction table and supporting the lower surface of the ring frame; a clamp positioned at the outer end of the block and gripping the outer edge of the ring frame with the block; and two or more recesses arranged at positions corresponding to the suction cups for accommodating the suction cups. The control unit cleans the suction cup by controlling the following: positioning the nozzle on the rotational trajectory of the recess using the nozzle horizontal movement mechanism; positioning the recess directly below the nozzle using the table rotation mechanism; supplying water from the nozzle to fill the recess with water; and lowering the transport pad using the lifting mechanism to bring the suction cup into the water accumulated in the recess. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the above embodiment, the protective film attached to the suction cup that attracts the upper surface of the ring frame can be removed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a processing apparatus according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing a spinner table and the like in one embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing a spinner table, transport pad, etc., in one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] A processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the spinner table 11, etc., of the processing apparatus 1. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the spinner table 11, transport pad 21, etc., of the processing apparatus 1.

[0016] Note that the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions shown in Figures 1 to 3 are perpendicular to each other. The X-axis and Y-axis directions are horizontal, while the Z-axis direction is vertical. In each figure, of the two arrows indicating the X-axis direction, the side marked with +X is forward, and the side marked with -X is backward. Of the two arrows indicating the Y-axis direction, the +Y side is left, and the side marked with -Y is right. Of the two arrows indicating the Z-axis direction, the side marked with +Z is upward, and the side marked with -Z is downward.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the processing apparatus 1 comprises a spin cleaning mechanism 10, a transport mechanism 20, a processing unit 30, and a control unit 40. The object to be processed by the processing apparatus 1 is a wafer W (shown as part of the workset S on the right side of the processing apparatus 1 in Figure 1). This wafer W is supported on a ring frame F by tape T. The wafer W, tape T, and ring frame F are integrated and called a workset S. This workset S is loaded and unloaded, for example, from a cassette C (shown on the right side of the processing apparatus 1 in Figure 1) placed on the upper surface of the front right of the processing apparatus 1 by a robot arm (not shown). Note that the apparatus comprising the spin cleaning mechanism 10, the transport mechanism 20, and the control unit 40 can be considered a cleaning apparatus.

[0018] The spin cleaning mechanism 10 includes a spinner table 11, a table rotation mechanism 12 (see FIG. 2), a nozzle 13, a nozzle rotation shaft 14, and a cleaning base portion 15, and spins and rotates the spinner table 11 that holds the workpiece set S to clean the workpiece set S.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the spinner table 11 includes a suction table 111, four blocks 112, four clamps 113, four recesses 114, and a frame placement surface 115.

[0020] The suction table 111 is a suction surface on the upper surface formed by a porous member communicating with a suction source (not shown), and sucks the lower surface of the tape T of the portion where the wafer W is adhered. Thereby, the workpiece set S is adsorbed on the suction table 111.

[0021] The four blocks 112 are provided at intervals of 90 degrees in the rotation direction R around the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) of the spinner table 11, extend outward (radially) from the outer periphery of the suction table 111, and support the lower surface of the ring frame F. The block 112 has, for example, a horizontal rectangular plate shape and is provided integrally with the frame placement surface 115 at the same thickness (height) as the frame placement surface 115 on which the ring frame F is placed.

[0022] Each of the four clamps 113 is disposed at the outer end of the block 112 and grips the outer peripheral edge of the ring frame F with the block 112. Each of the four clamps 113 has a weight 1131 and a rotation shaft 1132. The weight 1131 corresponds to the lower portion of the clamp 113 when the upper portion of the clamp 113 is regarded as the clamping portion. The rotation shaft 1132 penetrates the block 112 in the horizontal direction (a direction parallel to the tangent of the rotation direction R of the spinner table 11), and enables the clamp 113 to rotate with respect to the block 112. The clamp 113 presses the ring frame F by the weight 1131 being lifted by the centrifugal force generated during the rotation of the spinner table 11, and suppresses the lateral displacement of the ring frame F.

[0023] The four recesses 114 are positioned in a manner corresponding to the four suction cups 213 shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the transport mechanism 20, which will be described later, and accommodate the suction cups 213. The recesses 114 are provided on the upper surface of the block 112, opening upward. As shown in Figure 3, the recesses 114 may extend in the rotational direction R of the spinner table 11 such that the length L1 of the recesses 114 in the rotational direction R is longer than the length L2 (diameter of the suction cups 213) of the suction cups 213 in the rotational direction R. Note that the recesses 114 may not be provided on the block 112, but rather on the spinner table 11 at a position spaced apart from the block 112. Also, the number of recesses 114 may be any number, two or more, for example, the same number as the suction cups 213.

[0024] The frame mounting surface 115 has a circular frame shape, for example, surrounding the circular suction table 111, and the ring frame F of the workset S shown in Figure 1 is mounted on it. The frame mounting surface 115 can also be considered as part of the suction table 111. Therefore, although the block 112 described above extends outward from the outer circumference of the frame mounting surface 115, it can also be considered as extending outward from the outer circumference of the suction table 111.

[0025] The table rotation mechanism 12 shown in Figure 2 is located in a part hidden by the cleaning base section 15 shown in Figure 1, and is therefore represented by a hidden line (dashed line). The table rotation mechanism 12 comprises a motor 121, an encoder 122, and a rotating base 123, which rotate the spinner table 11.

[0026] Motor 121 rotates the rotating base 123 in the rotational direction R. Encoder 122 detects the rotation angle of the rotating base 123 caused by motor 121. This rotation angle is used to control the rotation of the spinner table 11 by the control unit 40, which will be described later. The rotating base 123 is connected to the lower part of the suction table 111 (spinner table 11) and rotates together with the spinner table 11 in the rotational direction R. Note that the configuration of the table rotation mechanism 12 is arbitrary and only needs to rotate the spinner table 11.

[0027] The nozzle 13 supplies water L to the workset S held on the spinner table 11. The nozzle 13 supplies water to the workset S, for example, to remove a water-soluble protective film formed on the wafer W, or to remove a protective film that adheres to the ring frame F during protective film formation. Also, as shown in Figure 2, the nozzle 13 supplies water L to each of the four recesses 114. The water L supplied by the nozzle 13 may be a liquid such as a cleaning solution with additives added. In addition to the nozzle 13 that supplies water L, a nozzle for supplying a water-soluble resin to form a protective film on the wafer W may be provided. In this case, the spin cleaning mechanism 10 functions as a protective film formation mechanism. When the spin cleaning mechanism 10 functions as a protective film formation mechanism, for example, a water-soluble resin may be supplied to the center of the upper surface of the wafer W, and the spinner table 11 may rotate at high speed to distribute the water-soluble resin over the entire upper surface of the wafer W by centrifugal force.

[0028] The nozzle rotation axis 14 shown in Figure 1 is an example of a nozzle horizontal movement mechanism that moves the nozzle 13 horizontally. It is connected to the horizontal arm portion of the nozzle 13 and rotates with the Z-axis as its center of rotation. As a result, the nozzle rotation axis 14 rotates the nozzle 13 and moves the nozzle 13 horizontally. The nozzle rotation axis 14 functions as an example of a nozzle horizontal movement mechanism together with an actuator such as a motor that rotates the nozzle rotation axis 14. However, the configuration of the nozzle horizontal movement mechanism is arbitrary and only needs to move the nozzle 13 horizontally.

[0029] The cleaning base section 15 has an upward opening on its upper surface, and the aforementioned spinner table 11, table rotation mechanism 12, etc., are housed in this opening. The cleaning base section 15 should extend above the nozzle 13 and function as a barrier to prevent water supplied by the nozzle 13 from being blown away by the rotation of the spinner table 11.

[0030] The transport mechanism 20 comprises a transport pad 21, a lifting mechanism 22, and a horizontal movement mechanism 23, and transports the workpiece set S to and from the spin cleaning mechanism 10. For example, the transport mechanism 20 transports the workpiece set S between the spinner table 11 and the chuck table 31.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the transport pad 21 comprises two holding arms 211, a connecting arm 212, and four suction cups 213.

[0032] The two holding arms 211 are arranged parallel to each other and form a horizontal rectangular plate shape. The connecting arm 212 also forms a horizontal rectangular plate shape and connects the centers of the two holding arms 211. The two holding arms 211 and the single connecting arm 212 form an H shape as a whole in plan view. The four suction cups 213 are positioned one at the bottom of each end of the two holding arms 211. The four suction cups 213 are connected to a suction source (not shown), and the air suction from this suction source creates suction on the upper surface of the ring frame F. Similar to the four recesses 114 described above, the four suction cups 213 are arranged at predetermined intervals (90-degree intervals when there are four suction cups 213) in the rotation direction R of the spinner table 11. Also, the number of suction cups 213 can be any number of two or more, similar to the number of recesses 114.

[0033] The lifting mechanism 22 raises and lowers the transport pad 21. For example, the lifting mechanism 22 is an actuator such as an air cylinder. The lifting mechanism 22 is connected to the center of the connecting arm 212 of the transport pad 21 by a rod that protrudes downward from the bottom, and raises and lowers the transport pad 21 by moving the rod up and down. The configuration of the lifting mechanism 22 is arbitrary and is not limited to an air cylinder; it can be anything that raises and lowers the transport pad 21. For example, it may consist of a motor, a ball screw, and a guide rail, and the motor may rotate the ball screw to raise and lower the transport pad 21.

[0034] The horizontal movement mechanism 23 comprises a motor 231, a ball screw 232, a slider 233, and a pair of upper and lower guide rails 234. The horizontal movement mechanism 23 moves the lifting mechanism 22 in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction).

[0035] The motor 231 is positioned at the right end of the ball screw 232 and rotates the ball screw 232. The ball screw 232 is positioned in the Y-axis direction, and as the ball screw 232 rotates, the slider 233 that screws onto the ball screw 232 moves in the Y-axis direction along two guide rails 234. The lifting mechanism 22 described above is fixed to the slider 233. Therefore, when the slider 233 moves horizontally in the Y-axis direction, the lifting mechanism 22 and the transport pad 21 connected to this lifting mechanism 22 move horizontally (in the Y-axis direction). The pair of upper and lower guide rails 234 are fixed to the front of the column 52 of the device base 50, which will be described later, and extend in the Y-axis direction above and below the ball screw 232, respectively. The configuration of the horizontal movement mechanism 23 is arbitrary and only needs to move the transport pad 21 horizontally.

[0036] The processing unit 30 comprises a chuck table 31, a laser irradiation unit 32, an imaging unit 33, a casing 34, a Y-axis movement mechanism 35, and an X-axis movement mechanism 36, and performs laser processing on the wafer W to be processed.

[0037] The chuck table 31 sucks the workpiece set S on its upper surface, which is formed by a porous member that communicates with a suction source (not shown).

[0038] The laser irradiation unit 32 focuses the laser beam emitted by an oscillator housed inside the casing 34 and irradiates the wafer W vertically downward (in the -Z axis direction). This laser beam has, for example, a wavelength that is absorbed by the wafer W. On the upper surface of the wafer W, where the protective film is formed, grooves are formed along, for example, the planned division lines by the laser beam irradiated by the laser irradiation unit 32.

[0039] The imaging unit 33 images the wafer W. The image of the wafer W captured by the imaging unit 33 is sent, for example, to the control unit 40 (described later), which is used to determine the irradiation position of the laser beam onto the wafer W.

[0040] The casing 34 protrudes forward from the front of the column 52 of the device base 50, which will be described later. The laser irradiation unit 32 and the imaging unit 33 described above are fixed to the front end of the casing 34.

[0041] The Y-axis movement mechanism 35 comprises a motor 351, a ball screw 352, a slider 353, and a pair of front and rear guide rails 354. The Y-axis movement mechanism 35 moves the chuck table 31 in the Y-axis direction.

[0042] The motor 351 is positioned at the right end of the ball screw 352 and rotates the ball screw 352. The ball screw 352 is positioned in the Y-axis direction, and as the ball screw 352 rotates, the slider 353 that screws onto the ball screw 352 moves in the Y-axis direction along two guide rails 354. The chuck table 31 described above is fixed to the upper surface of the slider 353. Therefore, when the slider 353 moves horizontally in the Y-axis direction, the chuck table 31 moves in the Y-axis direction. The pair of front and rear guide rails 354 are fixed to the upper surface of the slider 363 of the X-axis movement mechanism 36, which will be described later, and extend in the Y-axis direction from the front and rear of the ball screw 352, respectively. The configuration of the Y-axis movement mechanism 35 is arbitrary and only needs to move the chuck table 31 in the Y-axis direction.

[0043] The X-axis movement mechanism 36 comprises a motor 361, a ball screw 362, a slider 363, and a pair of guide rails 364. The X-axis movement mechanism 36 moves the Y-axis movement mechanism 35 and the chuck table 31 fixed to the Y-axis movement mechanism 35 in the X-axis direction.

[0044] The motor 361 is positioned at the front end of the ball screw 362 and rotates the ball screw 362. The ball screw 362 is positioned in the X-axis direction, and as the ball screw 362 rotates, the slider 363 that screws onto the ball screw 362 moves in the X-axis direction along two guide rails 364. As described above, the guide rail 354 (Y-axis movement mechanism 35) is fixed to the upper surface of the slider 363. Therefore, when the slider 363 moves horizontally in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis movement mechanism 35 and the chuck table 31 move in the X-axis direction. The pair of left and right guide rails 364 are fixed to the upper surface of the base 51 of the device base 50 and extend in the X-axis direction from the left and right sides of the ball screw 362, respectively. The configuration of the X-axis movement mechanism 36 is arbitrary and only needs to move the chuck table 31 in the X-axis direction.

[0045] The processing unit 30 described above, which processes the wafer W, is not limited to one equipped with a laser irradiation unit 32 that performs laser processing on the wafer W, but may also be other processing units such as a polishing mechanism that polishes the wafer W.

[0046] The control unit 40, shown by the dashed line in Figure 1, is a processor (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit) that functions as an arithmetic processing unit that controls the operation of various parts of the processing apparatus 1, such as the spin cleaning mechanism 10 (table rotation mechanism 12, nozzle 13, nozzle rotation axis 14, etc.) and the transport mechanism 20 (lifting mechanism 22, etc.), or acquires information (e.g., detection results and captured images) from various parts, such as the encoder 122 and the imaging unit 33. The control unit 40 also includes memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a read-only semiconductor memory in which a predetermined control program is pre-recorded, and RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a semiconductor memory that can be written to and read at any time and used as a working memory area as needed when the processor executes various control programs. The processing apparatus 1 may have multiple control units 40, for example, by providing one or more control units 40 for each of the spin cleaning mechanism 10, the transport mechanism 20, and the processing unit 30. Alternatively, the control unit of another device may also serve as the control unit 40 of the processing apparatus 1, or a control unit that controls the processing apparatus 1 and other devices may be provided.

[0047] The apparatus base 50 comprises a base 51 and a column 52. The base 51 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The guide rail 364 (X-axis movement mechanism 36 of the processing unit 30) is fixed to the upper surface of the base 51. The column 52 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is short in the front-rear direction and is located at the rear of the base 51. The casing 34 of the processing unit 30 and the guide rail 234 of the horizontal movement mechanism 23 of the transport mechanism 20 are fixed to the front surface of the column 52.

[0048] Next, the cleaning process for the suction cup 213 will be explained, with any overlap with the above explanation omitted as appropriate.

[0049] The cleaning process for the suction cup 213 described below may be performed each time the transport pad 21 transports one workset S, but it may also be performed at any time, such as when the transport of one cassette C's workset S is complete, when the set time has arrived, or when the user issues a cleaning instruction.

[0050] First, the control unit 40 positions the nozzle 13 on the rotational trajectory of the four recesses 114 using the nozzle rotation axis 14. Next, the control unit 40 rotates the spinner table 11 using the table rotation mechanism 12 so that one of the four recesses 114 is positioned directly below the nozzle 13, as shown in Figure 2. Then, the control unit 40 supplies water from the nozzle 13 to fill the recesses 114 with water L. Since there are four recesses 114, it is preferable to repeat the operation of rotating the spinner table 11 and filling the recesses 114 with water L four times.

[0051] Then, the control unit 40 lowers the transport pad 21 with the lifting mechanism 22, causing the four suction cups 213 to fall into the water L accumulated in the four recesses 114. This removes the water-soluble protective film attached to the suction cups 213, allowing the suction cups 213 to be cleaned. The reason the protective film adheres to the suction cups 213 is that the protective film, which adheres to the ring frame F when it is formed or when it is removed, adheres to the suction cups 213 when the suction cups 213 suck the upper surface of the ring frame F.

[0052] While it is possible for water L to accumulate in only some of the four recesses 114 and for the spinner table 11 to be rotated 90 degrees at a time in the rotational direction R to clean the four suction cups 213, it is preferable that the spinner table 11 be rotated 90 degrees at a time so that water L accumulates in all four recesses 114.

[0053] When the suction cup 213 is to be placed in the water L accumulated in the recess 114, the control unit 40 controls the lifting mechanism 22 to raise and lower the transport pad 21 so that the process of placing the suction cup 213 in the water L accumulated in the recess 114 and then removing the suction cup 213 from the water L while it is in the water L is repeated, for example, two or more times, thereby cleaning the suction cup 213.

[0054] Furthermore, the control unit 40 may clean the suction cup 213 by controlling the following: placing the suction cup 213 into the water L accumulated in the recess 114, and rotating the spinner table 11 back and forth within a predetermined angular range (as described above, the range in which the suction cup 213 can swing in the rotational direction R, since the length L1 of the recess 114 in the rotational direction R is longer than the length L2 of the suction cup 213 in the rotational direction R). Alternatively, the spinner table 11 may be rotated within a predetermined angular range each time the suction cup 213 is placed into the water, while repeating the process of placing the suction cup 213 into the water L accumulated in the recess 114 and removing the suction cup 213 from the water L, for example, two or more times.

[0055] After the cleaning of the suction cup 213 is complete, the water L accumulated in the recess 114 may be blown away by rotating the spinner table 11 at high speed, or it may be left accumulated so that, for example, the protective film removed from the suction cup 213 is blown away when the spinner table 11 rotates.

[0056] In the embodiment described above, the processing apparatus 1 includes a spin cleaning mechanism 10 that rotates a spinner table 11, which holds a workset S in which wafers W are supported on a ring frame F by tape T, to clean the workset S; a transport mechanism 20 that loads and unloads the workset S to and from the spin cleaning mechanism 10; and a control unit 40. The transport mechanism 20 includes a transport pad 21 on which two or more suction cups 213 that suck the upper surface of the ring frame F are arranged at predetermined intervals, and a lifting mechanism 22 that raises and lowers the transport pad 21. The spin cleaning mechanism 10 includes a spinner table 11, a table rotation mechanism 12 that rotates the spinner table 11, a nozzle 13 that supplies water to the workset S held on the spinner table 11, and a nozzle rotation shaft 14 which is an example of a nozzle horizontal movement mechanism that moves the nozzle 13 in the horizontal direction. The spinner table 11 includes a suction table 111 that sucks up the tape T on the portion to which the wafer W is attached on the suction surface, a block 112 that extends outward from the outer circumference of the suction table 111 and supports the lower surface of the ring frame F, a clamp 113 positioned at the outer end of the block 112 that grips the outer edge of the ring frame F with the block 112, and two or more recesses 114 that are positioned to accommodate the suction cups 213. The control unit 40 cleans the suction cups 213 by controlling the nozzle rotation axis 14 to position the nozzle 13 on the rotation trajectory of the recesses 114, the table rotation mechanism 12 to position the recesses 114 directly below the nozzle 13, supplying water L from the nozzle 13 to fill the recesses 114 with water L, and lowering the transport pad 21 with the lifting mechanism 22 to bring the suction cups 213 into the water accumulated in the recesses 114.

[0057] Therefore, even if the protective film that adheres to the upper surface of the ring frame F during its formation or removal adheres to the suction cup 213 that sucks the upper surface of the ring frame F, the suction cup 213 can be washed and the protective film removed from it by immersing it in the water L accumulated in the recess 114. This prevents the protective film from accumulating on the suction cup 213 due to repeated transport of the work set S, which could prevent the work set S from being separated from the suction cup 213 due to the adhesive force of the protective film.

[0058] In this embodiment, the control unit 40 controls the lifting mechanism 22 to raise and lower the transport pad 21 so as to repeatedly drop the suction cup 213 into the water L accumulated in the recess 114 and then detach the suction cup 213 from the water L while it is in contact with the water L, thereby cleaning the suction cup 213.

[0059] This allows for more reliable removal of the protective film attached to the suction cup 213 by repeatedly detaching it from the water L accumulated in the recess 114.

[0060] In this embodiment, the recess 114 extends in the rotational direction R of the spinner table 11, and the control unit 40 controls the suction cup 213 to land in the water L accumulated in the recess 114, and to rotate the spinner table 11 back and forth within a predetermined angular range while the suction cup 213 is in the water L, thereby cleaning the suction cup 213.

[0061] This allows the protective film attached to the suction cup 213 to be removed more reliably by the reciprocating rotation of the spinner table 11 while the suction cup 213 is in contact with the water L accumulated in the recess 114.

[0062] It goes without saying that the processing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be implemented in various different forms within the scope of its technical concept. Furthermore, the shapes of each component shown in the attached drawings are not limited thereto and can be appropriately modified within the scope that allows the effects of the present invention to be realized. [Industrial applicability]

[0063] As described above, the present invention makes it possible to remove the protective film attached to the suction cup that attracts the upper surface of the ring frame. Therefore, it is particularly useful in processing apparatus that forms a protective film on a wafer and processes the wafer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1: Processing equipment 10: Spin cleaning mechanism 11: Spinner Table 111: Suction Table 112: Block 113: Clamp 1131: Weight 1132: Rotation axis 114: Recess 115: Frame mounting surface 12: Table rotation mechanism 121: Motor 122: Encoder 123: Rotating base 13: Nozzle 14: Nozzle rotation axis (nozzle horizontal movement mechanism) 15: Washing base section 20: Conveying mechanism 21: Transport pad 211: Holding arm 212: Connecting Arm 213: Sucker 22: Lifting mechanism 23: Horizontal movement mechanism 231: Motor 232: Ball screw 233: Slider 234: Guide rail 30: Processing department 31: Chuck Table 32: Laser irradiation area 33: Imaging Unit 34: Casing 35:Y-axis movement mechanism 351: Motor 352: Ball screw 353: Slider 354: Guide rail 36:X-axis movement mechanism 361: Motor 362: Ball screw 363: Slider 364: Guide rail 40: Control Unit 50: Device base 51: Base 52: Column C: Cassette F: Ring frame L: Water R: Direction of rotation S: Workset T: Tape W: Wafer

Claims

1. A processing apparatus comprising: a spin cleaning mechanism that rotates a spinner table holding a workset in which wafers are supported on a ring frame by tape to clean the workset; a transport mechanism that loads and unloads the workset to and from the spin cleaning mechanism; and a control unit, The transport mechanism is, The system comprises a transport pad having two or more suction cups arranged at predetermined intervals to attract the upper surface of a ring frame, and a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the transport pad. The spin cleaning mechanism is, The system comprises a spinner table, a table rotation mechanism for rotating the spinner table, a nozzle for supplying water to a workpiece set held on the spinner table, and a nozzle horizontal movement mechanism for moving the nozzle horizontally. The spinner table is The device comprises a suction table for sucking up tape from the portion of the wafer to which it is attached on the suction surface, a block extending outward from the outer circumference of the suction table and supporting the lower surface of the ring frame, a clamp positioned at the outer end of the block and gripping the outer edge of the ring frame with the block, and two or more recesses positioned corresponding to the suction cups for housing the suction cups. The control unit is The nozzle horizontal movement mechanism positions the nozzle on the rotational trajectory of the recess, The table rotation mechanism positions the recess directly below the nozzle, The process involves supplying water from the nozzle to fill the recess with water, A processing apparatus that cleans a suction cup by controlling the lifting mechanism to lower the transport pad and cause the suction cup to come into contact with the water accumulated in the recess.

2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the lifting mechanism to raise and lower the transport pad so as to repeatedly bring the suction cup into the water accumulated in the recess and then remove the suction cup from the water while it is in contact with the water, thereby cleaning the suction cup.

3. The recess extends in the rotational direction of the spinner table, The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the suction cup to be placed in the water accumulated in the recess, and the spinner table to be rotated back and forth within a predetermined angular range while the suction cup is placed in the water, thereby cleaning the suction cup.

Images