Grinding device

Abstract

To take out an end material from a machining chamber even in a course of grinding in a grinding device.SOLUTION: A grinding device 1 including: a chuck table 20 which holds a wafer 100 on a holding surface 210, a grinding mechanism 30 which grinds the wafer 100, held on the holding surface 210, by means of a grinding wheel 352, and a moving mechanism 50 which moves the chuck table 20 to a processing position using the grinding wheel 352, comprises: an annular groove 70 which is movable together with the chuck table 20 by means of the moving mechanism 50, rotatably surrounds the chuck table, and has a recessed cross-sectional shape which is open at an upper portion thereof; an outlet 73 formed in a part of an outer peripheral wall 72 of the annular groove 70; a collecting unit 74 which has an inlet 743 corresponding to the outlet 73 of the annular groove 70 positioned at a machining position by the moving mechanism 50 and collects an end material in one place; and a discharge mechanism which discharges the end material, collected by the collecting unit 74, to an outside of a machining chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a grinding device for grinding a wafer.

Background Art

[0002] When a wafer having a chamfer formed on its outer periphery is held on a chuck table and the back surface is ground and thinned using a rotating grinding wheel, the outer peripheral portion becomes sharp and is likely to chip or crack. Therefore, the chamfer is removed by trimming before grinding. In this trimming, when cutting is performed from the surface side to the middle in the thickness direction without completely cutting off the chamfer, the trimmed portion breaks during the grinding of the back surface and end pieces are generated, preventing the rotation of the chuck table.

[0003] Therefore, a grinding device has been proposed in which a cover having an inclined surface that descends toward the outer periphery is disposed around the chuck table (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the grinding device provided with this cover, end pieces are caused to descend along the inclined surface by the grinding water supplied to the grinding wheel during the grinding of the wafer, and the end pieces are collected at one location on the bottom plate of the processing chamber.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The end pieces collected at one location are taken out by an operator after opening the cover of the processing chamber. This operation is performed when the processing device is not performing processing or after temporarily stopping the processing. However, even during the grinding process, it may be necessary to take out the end pieces from the processing chamber, such as when a large amount of end pieces have accumulated.

[0006] This invention was made in view of the above problems, and aims to enable the removal of scrap material from the processing chamber even during grinding. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This grinding apparatus comprises a chuck table that holds a wafer by a holding surface, a grinding mechanism that grinds the wafer held by the holding surface with a grinding wheel, and a moving mechanism that moves the chuck table to the processing position by the grinding wheel. A processing chamber housing the chuck table holding the wafer and where the grinding wheel is used for processing, In a grinding apparatus comprising the moving mechanism, the moving mechanism moves together with the chuck table. death The chuck table is rotatably surrounded by an annular groove with a concave cross-section and an open top, an outlet formed in a portion of the outer wall of the annular groove, and the moving mechanism The chuck table At the processing location When you move it At the outlet of the annular groove Connect It comprises a collection unit with an entrance for gathering scrap material in one place, and a discharge mechanism for discharging the scrap material collected in the collection unit to the outside of the processing chamber. The discharge mechanism includes an outlet opening in the side wall of the processing chamber, and a structure extending through the outlet with one end being Inside the processing room A discharge lane connected to the collection unit, and the discharge lane Outside the processing room One configuration includes a container located on the other end for storing the leftover material. The annular groove is preferably provided with a water nozzle positioned in the higher part of the groove to form a water flow toward the outlet, with the bottom surface of the annular groove being sloped such that the outlet is the lowest point. The discharge lane has a lower end on one side facing the processing chamber. Outside the processing room The other end is positioned higher, a skewer blade or brush is erected at one end of the discharge lane, and the scrap material collected in one place in the collection section is moved along the discharge lane, and a scraping unit is provided to scrape out the scrap material that has accumulated at one end of the discharge lane. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] In this grinding apparatus, scrap material generated by grinding is collected in a collection section via an annular groove, and a discharge mechanism discharges the collected scrap material outside the processing chamber. Therefore, even during grinding, scrap material can be discharged from the processing chamber to the outside without stopping the grinding process. If the discharge mechanism is configured to include an outlet opening in the side wall of the processing chamber, a discharge lane extending through the outlet and connected at one end to a collection section, and a container positioned at the other end of the discharge lane for storing scrap material, then the scrap material that exits the processing chamber from the outlet is collected in the container, and the scrap material accumulated in the container can be removed outside the processing chamber, thus enabling the disposal of scrap material even during grinding. If the bottom surface of the annular groove is sloped so that the outlet is the lowest point, and a water nozzle is placed in the higher part of the annular groove to create a water flow towards the outlet, the scrap material can be carried towards the outlet by the water flow, thereby enabling smooth discharge of the scrap material. By arranging the discharge lane so that one end inside the processing chamber is lower and the other end is higher, and by installing a skewer blade or brush at one end of the discharge lane, the scrap material collected in one place in the collection section is moved along the discharge lane, and a scraping unit is provided at one end of the discharge lane to scrape out the scrap material that has accumulated there, it is possible to reliably collect the scrap material into the container without leaving any scrap material in the discharge lane. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing an example of a grinding machine. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the chuck table in the machining position. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the chuck table in the loading / unloading position. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view showing the first example of an emission mechanism. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view showing the scraping unit in a tilted position in the first example of the discharge mechanism. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing a portion of an example of a scraping unit. [Figure 7]It is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state of trimming a chamfer portion on the outer periphery of a wafer. [Figure 8] It is a perspective view showing a state where the scraping string blade is located at the scraping start position. [Figure 9] It is a perspective view showing a state where the scraping string blade passes through the lane string blade. [Figure 10] It is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the scraping unit is tilted. [Figure 11] It is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the scraping unit accommodates the end material in the container. [Figure 12] It is a cross-sectional view showing a second example of the discharge mechanism. [Figure 13] It is a cross-sectional view showing a state of taking out the inner box of the container in the second example of the discharge mechanism.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0010] (Configuration of Grinding Device) The grinding device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a chuck table 20 for holding a wafer, a grinding mechanism 30 for grinding the wafer 100 held by the chuck table 20, a grinding feed mechanism 40 for raising and lowering the grinding mechanism 30, and a moving mechanism 50 for moving the chuck table 20 in a direction approaching and separating from the grinding mechanism 30.

[0011] The chuck table 20 includes a suction member 21 made of a porous member and having a holding surface 210 on the surface, and a frame body 22 for supporting the suction member 21 from below and the outer peripheral side. A chuck shaft 23 is connected to the lower part of the frame body 22, and the chuck shaft 23 is driven by a motor (not shown) to be rotatable. The chuck shaft 23 is rotatably supported by a base member 24. A holding surface inclination adjusting mechanism 25 is interposed between the base member 24 and a slider 54 located below it.

[0012] The grinding mechanism 30 consists of a spindle 31 having an axis in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the holding surface 210, a housing 32 that rotatably supports the spindle 31, a motor 33 connected to one end of the spindle 31 to rotate the spindle 31 in forward and reverse directions, a mount 34 connected to the lower end of the spindle 31, and a grinding wheel 35 mounted on the mount 34. The grinding wheel 35 consists of a base 351 attached to the mount 34 and a plurality of grinding wheels 352 fixed in an annular shape to the lower surface of the base 351.

[0013] The grinding feed mechanism 40 comprises a ball screw 41 having an axis in the Z-axis direction, a pair of guide rails 42 arranged parallel to the ball screw 41, a motor 43 for rotating the ball screw 41 in forward and reverse directions, a lifting plate 44 having a nut portion (not shown) that slides against the guide rails 42 and screws onto the ball screw 41, and a holder 45 attached to the lifting plate 44 and supporting the housing 32. When the ball screw 41 rotates driven by the motor 43, the lifting plate 44 moves up and down guided by the guide rails 42, and the grinding mechanism 30 moves up and down accordingly.

[0014] The moving mechanism 50 is located inside the grinding apparatus 1 and includes a ball screw 51 having an axis in the Y-axis direction (front-to-back direction), a pair of guide rails 52 arranged parallel to the ball screw 51, a motor 53 connected to one end of the ball screw 51 to rotate the ball screw 51 in forward and reverse directions, and a slider 54 having a nut portion (not shown) that slides against the guide rail 52 and is screwed onto the ball screw 51. When the ball screw 51 rotates driven by the motor 53, the slider 54 moves in the Y-axis direction, guided by the guide rail 52, and the chuck table 20 also moves in the Y-axis direction accordingly. The range of movement of the chuck table 20 in the Y-axis direction is between the rear side (+Y direction side) processing position 13 shown in Figure 2, where grinding is performed by the grinding wheel 352, and the front side loading / unloading position 14 shown in Figure 3, where wafers are loaded and unloaded from the chuck table 20.

[0015] A cover 26 is provided around the chuck table 20, and bellows 27 are connected to both ends of the cover 26 in the Y-axis direction. When the chuck table 20 is driven by the moving mechanism 50 to move in the Y-axis direction, the cover 26 also moves in the Y-axis direction, along with the expansion and contraction of the bellows 27. The chuck table 20, cover 26, and bellows 27 are housed in a recess 11 formed by recessing from the upper surface of the base 10, and the space enclosed by this recess 11 and the cover (not shown) above it forms the machining chamber.

[0016] A thickness measuring device 60 is provided to the side of the movement path of the chuck table 20 to measure the thickness of the wafer 100 held by the chuck table 20. The thickness measuring device 60 includes a first gauge 61 that contacts the top surface of the wafer to measure its height, and a second gauge 62 that contacts the top surface of the frame 22 to measure its height. The difference between the measurement value of the first gauge 61 and the measurement value of the second gauge 62 is calculated as the thickness of the wafer.

[0017] An annular groove 70 is provided on the outer circumference of the frame 22 of the chuck table 20. The annular groove 70 has an open top and is formed in a concave cross-section with a bottom surface 71 and an outer peripheral wall 72 that rises from the bottom surface 71. This annular groove 70 is a space for accommodating scrap material generated by grinding, and a portion of the outer peripheral wall 72 of the annular groove 70 is provided with an outlet 73 that opens outward from the outer peripheral wall 72 for discharging the scrap material. The annular groove 70 is driven by a moving mechanism 50 and can move in the Y-axis direction together with the chuck table 20. Furthermore, the annular groove 70 does not rotate even when the chuck table 20 rotates, and rotatably surrounds the chuck table 20 around the frame 22.

[0018] The bottom surface 71 of the annular groove 70 is a sloping surface that is at the same height as the top surface of the frame 22 on the inner circumference side and slopes downward toward the outer circumference side. Furthermore, the bottom surface 71 is sloped in the circumferential direction so that the exit 73 is the lowest point, and the highest point is at the position opposite the exit 73 (180 degrees away) with respect to the center of the chuck table 20.

[0019] A water nozzle 75 is positioned at the highest point in the circumferential height of the bottom surface 71. This water nozzle 75 is in communication with a water source 76. The water nozzle 75 has two nozzles 751 and 752 that form a water flow toward the outlet 73. Nozzle 751 is oriented to direct water flow clockwise around the annular groove 70, and nozzle 752 is oriented to direct water flow counterclockwise around the annular groove 70.

[0020] The outlet 73 is connected to a collection unit 74 that collects scrap material in one place. The collection unit 74 comprises a bottom surface 741, a pair of side walls 742 erected from both ends of the bottom surface 741 in the width direction, and an inlet 743 that opens to communicate with the outlet 73. As shown in Figure 2, a part of the side wall 12 is opened to form an outlet 81, and one end of the collection unit 74 (the end opposite the inlet 743) is connected to this outlet 81. Note that in Figure 2, the grinding mechanism 30 and grinding feed mechanism 40 shown in Figure 1 are omitted from the illustration.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, when the chuck table 20 is in the machining position due to the movement mechanism 50 moving the chuck table 20 in the +Y direction, the inlet 743 corresponding to the outlet 73 is connected to the outlet 73. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3, when the chuck table 20 is in the loading / unloading position or in a state away from the machining position 13, the outlet 73 and the inlet 743 are not connected. Note that in Figure 3, the grinding mechanism 30 and grinding feed mechanism 40 shown in Figure 1 are omitted from the illustration. The moving mechanism 50 may also be a turntable in which multiple chuck tables 20 are arranged. When the turntable is rotated and the chuck tables 20 are in the machining position, the inlet 743 corresponding to the outlet 73 is connected to the outlet 73.

[0022] As shown in Figure 4, one end of the collection section 74 (the end opposite the inlet 743) constitutes a connection port 744 that connects to a discharge mechanism 80 located inside the device. The collection section 74 is formed with an inclination that slopes downward from the outlet 73 side shown in Figure 1-3 towards the connection port 744.

[0023] The discharge mechanism 80 includes an outlet 81 that opens in the side wall 12, a discharge lane 82 that extends through the outlet 81 and has one end connected to a connection port 744 of the collection unit 74, and a container 83 that is located on the other end of the discharge lane 82 and stores the scrap material.

[0024] The discharge lane 82 is formed, for example, in the shape of a rectangular tubular cross-section, and a long scraping member 841 is disposed inside it along the longitudinal direction of the discharge lane 82. The scraping member 841 is driven in the longitudinal direction of the discharge lane 82 by a scraping drive unit 842. The scraping drive unit 842 is composed, for example, of an air cylinder 843 and a piston 844 that is movable in the axial direction of the air cylinder 843. The tip of the piston 844 is connected to the scraping member 841. When air is supplied to the air cylinder 843, the piston 844 moves along the longitudinal direction of the discharge lane 82. In this way, the scraping member 841 and the scraping drive unit 842 constitute a scraping unit 84 that scrapes off scrap material.

[0025] The scraping member 841 includes a rod 845 connected to the piston 844 and extending to the center of the discharge lane 82, and a scraping section 846 provided at one end of the rod 845 on the outlet side 81, in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rod 845 and scraping up scrap material.

[0026] In the example shown in Figure 4, the discharge lane 82 rises diagonally upward from the outlet 81 toward the container 83, with one end on the processing chamber side being lower and the other end being higher. It is equipped with a branching path 821 that branches diagonally downward toward the container 83 from the middle of the bottom surface 823. An opening 822 is formed at the lower end of the branching path 821, and a box-shaped container 83 is placed below the opening 822. The container 83 has an opening 831 formed at its top, which serves as an entrance for storing scrap materials.

[0027] An angle changing mechanism 85 is provided at the lower part of the air cylinder 843 that constitutes the scraping unit 84 to change the angle of the scraping unit 84 with respect to the discharge lane 82. The angle changing mechanism 85 comprises a bracket 851 fixed to the lower part of the discharge lane 82, a piston 852 whose tip is connected to the longitudinal middle part of the air cylinder 843, an air cylinder 853 supported by the bracket 851 that moves the piston 852 forward and backward, and a pivot point 854 interposed between the bracket 851 and the lower surface of the air cylinder 843. As shown in Figure 4, when the air cylinder 853 has extended the piston 852 upward, the rod 845 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the discharge lane 82. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5, when the air cylinder 853 has retracted the piston 852 downward, the rod 845 is not parallel to the longitudinal direction of the discharge lane 82, and the rod 845 is tilted in a direction that approaches the upper part of the discharge lane 82 as it goes towards the outlet 81. In this way, the air cylinder 853 can change the angle of the rod 845 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the discharge lane 82 by tilting and rotating the scraping unit 84 around the pivot point 854.

[0028] As shown in Figure 6, at the end of the discharge lane 82 on the outlet 81 side, a plurality of rod-shaped lane skewer blades 824 are provided, standing perpendicular to the bottom surface 823 of the discharge lane 82, and are aligned at regular intervals in the width direction of the discharge lane 82. In the illustrated example, these lane skewer blades 824 are aligned in one row, but they may be arranged in two rows. Alternatively, brushes may be erected instead of skewer blades.

[0029] On the other hand, the scraping section 846 at the tip of the rod 845 consists of a support rod 847 extending horizontally and perpendicularly to the rod 845, and a plurality of scraping blades 848 hanging down at regular intervals from the lower surface of the support rod 847. The alignment direction of the scraping blades 848 is parallel to the alignment direction of the lane blades 824, and when the air cylinder 843 shown in Figure 4 moves the rod 845 toward the discharge port 81, the scraping blades 848 can pass between adjacent lane blades 824.

[0030] (Operation of the grinding device) In the grinding apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1, when grinding a wafer 100, the moving mechanism 50 positions the chuck table 20 at the loading / unloading position 14. The operator then places the surface 101 side of the wafer 100 onto the holding surface 210 of the chuck table 20. Here, surface 101 is the side on which the device is formed. In some cases, protective tape may be attached to surface 101, in which case the protective tape is placed on the holding surface 210. After the wafer 100 is placed on the holding surface 210, an attractive force is applied to the holding surface 210 to hold the wafer 100 in place.

[0031] Here, as shown in Figure 7, the outer edge of the wafer 100 is beveled in an arc shape. In addition, a stepped portion 103 is formed on the outer edge of the surface 101, which is lowered to a predetermined depth from the surface 101. This stepped portion 103 is formed by rotating the chuck table 90 of the cutting device while the back surface 102 side is held in the chuck table 90, and rotating the cutting blade 92 attached to the tip of the spindle 91 to cut into the surface 101 of the wafer 100 to a predetermined depth. Alternatively, the stepped portion 103 may be formed by irradiating the wafer 100 with laser light while rotating the chuck table that holds the wafer 100.

[0032] Next, the moving mechanism 50 shown in Figure 1 moves the chuck table 20 to the processing position 13. Then, a motor (not shown) rotates the chuck table 20, which in turn rotates the wafer 100. At the same time, the motor 33 of the grinding mechanism 30 rotates the spindle 31, and the motor 43 of the grinding feed mechanism 40 rotates the ball screw 41, causing the grinding mechanism 30 to descend. As a result, the rotating grinding wheel 352 comes into contact with the back surface 102 of the wafer 100, and grinding is performed.

[0033] During grinding, the first gauge 61 contacts the back surface 102 of the wafer to measure its height, and the second gauge 62 contacts the upper surface of the frame 22 to measure its height. The difference between these two measurements is calculated as the thickness of the wafer 100 (including the thickness of the protective tape if one is attached to the surface 101 of the wafer 100). When the calculated value reaches the desired value, the grinding feed mechanism 40 raises the grinding mechanism 30 to end the grinding.

[0034] During the grinding process until the wafer 100 reaches the desired thickness, the stepped portion 103 shown in Figure 7 is removed. However, the stepped portion 103 remains floating above the holding surface 210 of the chuck table 20. Before the stepped portion 103 is completely ground away, a portion of it detaches from the wafer 100 as scrap material, and this scrap material falls to the outer circumference of the holding surface 210. This scrap material then falls into the annular groove 70.

[0035] During grinding, water is supplied to the water nozzle 75 from the water source 76 and sprayed from the nozzles 751 and 752. Furthermore, the bottom surface 71 of the annular groove 70 is sloped downwards toward the outlet 73. Due to this water flow and slope, the scrap material flows along the circumferential direction of the annular groove 70 and is guided to the outlet 73. By intermittently spraying water from the nozzles 751 and 752 of the water nozzle 75 to form waves within the annular groove 70, the scrap material can be effectively guided to the outlet 73.

[0036] The scrap material guided to the outlet 73 passes through the inlet 743 of the collection unit 74, descends along the bottom surface 741, flows to the connection port 744, and flows into the discharge lane 82. In the discharge lane 82, at one point on the outlet side 81, scrap material that flows into the discharge lane 82 through the gap formed between the lane skewer blades 824 shown in Figure 6 and scrap material that is blocked by the lane skewer blades 824 accumulate. When scrap material has accumulated at one end of the discharge lane 82 in this way, the scrap material is collected in the container 83 by the scraping unit 84 as follows.

[0037] During the grinding of wafer 100, as shown in Figure 6, the scraping unit 84 has an air cylinder 843 that retracts the rod 845 toward the air cylinder 843. In this state, the angle changing mechanism 85 retracts and lowers the piston 852 with the air cylinder 853. As a result, the scraping unit 84 rotates around the pivot point 854, and as shown in Figure 10, the tip of the rod 845 rises. Next, in this state, the air cylinder 843 that constitutes the scraping unit 84 advances the rod 845. Then, as shown in Figure 5, when the scraping skewer blade 848 that constitutes the scraping collection section 846 passes over the lane skewer blade 824, the air cylinder 853 that constitutes the angle changing mechanism 85 advances and raises the piston 852, as shown in Figure 4. As a result, the scraping unit 84 tilts with the fulcrum 854 as the pivot point, and as shown in Figure 4, the tip of the rod 845 descends, and the scraping skewer blade 848 is positioned at the scraping start position shown in Figure 8, which is closer to the collection section 74 than the lane skewer blade 824. Note that the rod 845 is not shown in Figure 8.

[0038] Next, as the air cylinder 843 retracts the rod 845, the scraping blade 848 passes between the lane blades 824 as shown in Figure 9. As the rod 845 is further retracted in the same direction along the discharge lane 82, the scrap material caught in the scraping blade 848 moves diagonally upward on the bottom surface 823. Then, as shown in Figure 11, when the scraping blade 848 moves the scrap material 104 to the branching path 821, the scrap material 104 falls into the container 83 via the branching path 821. Note that the rod 845 is not shown in Figure 9.

[0039] In this way, even while grinding the wafer 100, the scrap material accumulating on the outlet side 81 of the discharge lane 82 can be discharged outside the processing chamber by the discharge mechanism 80 without stopping the grinding process, and the scrap material can be collected in the container 83 for disposal. Furthermore, because the scrap material can be discharged smoothly, it is possible to prevent it from obstructing the rotation of the chuck table 20. The scraping operation described above may be performed each time a wafer 100 is ground, or it may be performed after a predetermined number of wafers have been ground. Furthermore, the moving mechanism 50 may be configured to perform a scraping action when moving the chuck table 20. Furthermore, the wafer 100 is ground in the state shown in Figures 4 and 8. Once the grinding of the wafer 100 is complete, the scraping blade 848 is moved diagonally upward as shown in Figures 6 and 11 to scrape out the scrap material, and the scrap material is collected in the container 83. This ensures that the lane blade 824 and the scraping blade 848 are engaged during grinding, making it difficult for the scrap material to pass through.

[0040] (Variation of the discharge mechanism) Alternatively, the discharge mechanism 80a shown in Figures 12 and 13 can be used instead of the discharge mechanism 80 shown in Figures 4-11. This discharge mechanism 80a includes a discharge lane 86 and a container 87 for receiving the scrap material discharged from the discharge lane 86.

[0041] The discharge lane 86 is located at the outlet 81 and includes a receiving port 861 for receiving scrap material from the collection unit 74 744 and a discharge port 862 for discharging the scrap material that has flowed through the discharge lane 86. The discharge lane 86 has a slope that descends from the receiving port 861 to the discharge port 862.

[0042] The container 87 consists of an outer box 871 and an inner box 872 housed within the outer box 871. The outer box 871 has an opening 874 at its top for inserting and removing the inner box 872. The inner box 872, on the other hand, has an opening 875 at its top that serves as an entry point for scrap materials. The inner box 872 also has a mesh section 873 at its bottom. The mesh section 873 has holes that are not large enough for scrap materials to pass through.

[0043] In the discharge mechanism 80 configured in this way, the scrap material that reaches the connection port 744 of the collection unit 74 flows directly down the discharge lane 86 and is stored inside the inner box 872. Once the scrap material is stored in the inner box 872, by lifting only the inner box 872, the water accumulated in the container 87 remains in the outer box 871, allowing the water to be drained and the scrap material to be collected and disposed of. Note that the container 87 shown in Figures 12 and 13 may be used instead of the container 83 shown in Figures 4, 5, 10 and 11.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, specification, and drawings. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 1: Grinding device 10: Base, 11: Recess, 12: Side wall, 13: Processing position, 14: Loading / unloading position 20: Chuck table, 21: Suction member, 210: Holding surface 22: Frame, 23: Chuck shaft, 24: Base member, 25: Holding surface tilt adjustment mechanism 26: Cover, 27: Accordion 30: Grinding mechanism, 31: Spindle, 32: Housing, 33: Motor, 34: Mount, 35: Grinding wheel, 351: Base, 352: Grinding wheel 40: Grinding feed mechanism, 41: Ball screw, 42: Guide rail, 43: Motor, 44: Lifting plate, 45: Holder 50: Moving mechanism, 51: Ball screw, 52: Guide rail, 53: Motor, 54: Slider 60: Thickness measuring instrument, 61: First gauge, 62: Second gauge 70: Ring groove, 71: Bottom surface, 72: Outer wall, 73: Outlet, 74: Collection section, 741: Bottom, 742: Side wall, 743: Inlet, 744: Connection port 75: Water nozzle, 751: Spray nozzle, 752: Spray nozzle 76: Water source 80: Discharge mechanism, 80a: Discharge mechanism, 81: Export port 82: Discharge lane, 821: Branching lane, 822: Opening, 823: Bottom surface, 824: Lane Skewer Blade 83: Container, 831: Opening 84: Scraping Unit 841: Scraping member, 842: Scraping drive unit, 843: Air cylinder, 844: Piston, 845: Rod, 846: Scraping section, 847: Support rod, 848: Scraper blade 85: Angle adjustment mechanism 851: Bracket, 852: Piston, 853: Air cylinder, 854: Pivot 86: Discharge lane, 861: Receiving port, 862: Discharge port 87: Container, 871: Outer box, 872: Inner box, 873: Mesh section, 874: Opening 875: Opening 90: Chuck table, 91: Spindle, 92: Cutting blade 100: Wafer, 101: Front surface, 102: Back surface, 103: Stepped section, 104: Scrap material

Claims

1. A grinding apparatus comprising: a chuck table that holds a wafer by a holding surface; a grinding mechanism that grinds the wafer held by the holding surface with a grinding wheel; a moving mechanism that moves the chuck table to the processing position by the grinding wheel; and a processing chamber that houses the chuck table holding the wafer and in which the grinding by the grinding wheel is performed, A grinding apparatus comprising: an annular groove with a concave cross-section that moves with the chuck table by a moving mechanism and rotatably surrounds the chuck table and has an open top; an outlet formed in a part of the outer wall of the annular groove; a collection unit that collects scrap material in one place and has an inlet that connects to the outlet of the annular groove when the moving mechanism moves the chuck table to the processing position; and a discharge mechanism that discharges the scrap material collected in the collection unit to the outside of the processing chamber.

2. The grinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge mechanism comprises an outlet opening in the side wall of the processing chamber, a discharge lane extending through the outlet and having one end connected to the collection section inside the processing chamber, and a container disposed on the other end of the discharge lane outside the processing chamber for accommodating scrap material.

3. The bottom surface of the annular groove is sloped such that the exit is the lowest point. The grinding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a water nozzle positioned in the higher portion of the annular groove to form a water flow toward the outlet.

4. The discharge lane is arranged such that one end inside the processing chamber is lower and the other end outside the processing chamber is higher. A skewer blade or brush is erected at one end of the discharge lane. The grinding apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a scraping unit that moves scrap material collected in one place in the collection section along the discharge lane and scrapes out the scrap material accumulated at one end of the discharge lane.

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