Handling device, grinding device, and handling method

Abstract

This conveying device is used to convey: a carrier, which is formed into a flat plate and has a through hole; and a substrate, which is housed in the through hole. The conveying device includes: a first holding part that holds the outer periphery of the carrier in the thickness direction; and a second holding part that holds the substrate in the through hole in the thickness direction. The carrier held by the first holding part and the substrate held by the second holding part are separated from each other, so that at least one of the first holding part and the second holding part can be extended or contracted in the thickness direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device, a grinding device, and a conveying method. This case claims priority based on Special Application No. 2022-027113 filed in Japan on February 24, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein. Prior Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is a known transport device for transporting a combined carrier and workpiece (substrate) to a rotating platform of a polishing device (polishing section) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This transport device accommodates the workpiece in a receiving hole (through hole) of the carrier, thereby combining the workpiece and the carrier. The combined carrier and workpiece are transported by means of an adsorption pad. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Document]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 4235313 Summary of the Invention

[0004] [Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the transport device disclosed in Patent Document 1 transports the carrier and workpiece simultaneously at the same height. Consequently, the carrier's deflection during transport can cause the workpiece to repeatedly come into and out of contact with the carrier, or the workpiece and carrier to overlap in the thickness direction, causing the workpiece to fall from the transport device.

[0006] The present invention is completed in view of such problems, and its purpose is to provide a conveying device, a polishing device equipped with the conveying device, and a conveying method, which can prevent the substrate from falling during the conveyance of the carrier and the substrate. [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present invention proposes the following means. (1) The first aspect of the present invention is a conveying device for conveying: a carrier formed in a flat plate shape and provided with a through hole; and a substrate accommodated in the through hole, the conveying device comprising: a first holding portion for holding the outer periphery of the carrier in the thickness direction of the carrier; and a second holding portion for holding the substrate in the through hole in the thickness direction, wherein the carrier held by the first holding portion and the substrate held by the second holding portion are separated from each other so that at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion can be extended or contracted in the thickness direction.

[0008] In the present invention, for example, a carrier and a substrate are supported on a support surface along a horizontal plane, and the carrier contains a substrate in a through-hole. Furthermore, a transport device is used, whereby a first holding portion holds the outer periphery of the carrier in the thickness direction, i.e., the vertical direction, and a second holding portion holds the substrate in the through-hole. When the transport device picks up the carrier and the substrate from the support surface and transports them, the gravity acting on the carrier causes the center portion of the carrier, when viewed in the thickness direction, to bend to the lowest point, thereby causing the carrier to bend downward into a convex shape. At this time, at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion is extended or contracted in the thickness direction, thereby separating the carrier held by the first holding portion and the substrate held by the second holding portion from each other. In this way, during the transport of the carrier and the substrate, it is possible to prevent the substrate from contacting the carrier or the carrier and the substrate from overlapping in the thickness direction. Therefore, during the transportation of the carrier and the substrate, it is possible to suppress the substrate from falling from the transportation device.

[0009] (2) In the transport device described in (1), in a state where the carrier is held by the first holding portion and the substrate accommodated in the through hole is held by the second holding portion, the length by which the first holding portion is extended toward one side in the thickness direction may be longer than the length by which the second holding portion is extended toward one side in the thickness direction and may exceed the thickness of the carrier. In the present invention, for example, the transport device is configured so that one side in the thickness direction is downward. In this case, the carrier is held by the first holding portion, and the length of the first holding portion extending toward one side in the thickness direction from the state in which the substrate housed in the through-hole is held by the second holding portion is longer than the length of the second holding portion extending toward one side in the thickness direction, to a length exceeding the thickness of the carrier. Therefore, the carrier held by the first holding portion and the substrate held by the second holding portion can be positioned at approximately the same height, and then the carrier can be positioned downward from the substrate by a length exceeding the thickness of the carrier. The center portion of the carrier is curved downward into a convex shape due to the force of gravity acting on the carrier, thereby reliably preventing the substrate from contacting the carrier during transport of the carrier and substrate.

[0010] (3) In the transport device described in (1) or (2) above, the first holding portion comprises: a first body; and a first moving portion capable of moving the first body in the thickness direction and holding the outer periphery of the carrier; the second holding portion comprises: a second body; and a second moving portion capable of moving the second body in the thickness direction and holding the substrate; and a connecting member for connecting the first body and the second body to each other may be provided. In the present invention, the connection member that connects the first body and the second body to each other can improve the relative position accuracy of the outer periphery of the carrier held by the first moving part and the substrate held by the second moving part in the thickness direction.

[0011] (4) The second aspect of the present invention is a grinding device having a plurality of teeth on the outer periphery of the aforementioned carrier, comprising: a planetary gear device-type grinding portion that rotates on the support surface of the platform and has an internal gear and a sun gear that engage with the aforementioned plurality of teeth of the aforementioned carrier, and grinds the surface of the aforementioned substrate facing the thickness direction; and the aforementioned conveying device, wherein the aforementioned conveying device engages the aforementioned plurality of teeth of the aforementioned carrier with the plurality of teeth of the aforementioned internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the aforementioned sun gear.

[0012] In the present invention, a carrier's multiple teeth are engaged with multiple teeth of an internal gear and multiple teeth of a sun gear in a planetary gear-type grinding unit using a transport device. Furthermore, by rotating at least one of the internal gear and the sun gear, the carrier is rotated, thereby grinding the thickness-directed surface of a substrate housed on the carrier.

[0013] (5) The third aspect of the present invention is a conveying method, which conveys: a carrier formed into a flat plate and provided with a through hole; and a substrate accommodated in the aforementioned through hole, wherein the aforementioned conveying method performs: a holding process, wherein the outer periphery of the aforementioned carrier and the aforementioned substrate are each held so that the aforementioned carrier and the aforementioned substrate are separated from each other; a flattening process, wherein the aforementioned carrier is arranged on a supporting surface to make the aforementioned carrier flat, and after the aforementioned carrier is flattened, the aforementioned substrate is separated to a position above the aforementioned carrier; and an accommodating process, wherein the aforementioned substrate is accommodated in the aforementioned through hole of the aforementioned carrier from above.

[0014] The present invention can prevent the substrate from contacting the carrier or overlapping the substrate in the thickness direction during the carrier and substrate transport process during the holding process and the placement of the carrier on the support surface during the planarization process. Following the holding and planarization processes, the substrate is placed from above into the carrier's through-hole during the receiving process. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the substrate from falling during the transportation of the carrier and the substrate.

[0015] (6) The conveying method described in (5) above, wherein, in the holding process, the substrate may be held at a position above the carrier. In the present invention, when the carrier is arranged on the support surface during the planarization process, the substrate will not become an obstacle, so the planarization process is easy to perform. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the transport device, polishing device, and transport method of the present invention, the substrate can be prevented from falling during the transport of the carrier and the substrate. Simple diagram description

[0017] FIG1 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a polishing apparatus using a polishing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] An enlarged view of the grinding device of the grinding equipment. [Fig. 3] A cross-sectional view of the holding portion of the grinding device. [Fig. 4] A diagram illustrating the state of the adsorption pad before and after it is flattened. [Figure 5] is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a carrier and a substrate are arranged on a placement table. [Figure 6] A cross-sectional view showing the state in which the carrier and substrate are maintained by the polishing device. [Figure 7] A flow chart showing a conveying method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] A cross-sectional view showing the state of the carrier and substrate being transported. Implementation Method

[0018] 1 to 8 will be described using a polishing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The polishing apparatus 1 shown in FIG1 is used to polish the thickness-direction surface of a substrate 200. As shown in FIG1 and FIG2 , the substrate 200 is formed into a circular, flat plate shape when viewed from the thickness direction of the substrate 200. The substrate 200 is made of silicon. FIG2 also shows a first holding portion 52 and a second holding portion 53 for holding the substrate 200 and a carrier 205 (described later). Hereinafter, the substrate 200 before being polished by the polishing apparatus 1 is also referred to as the substrate 200A. The substrate 200 after being polished by the polishing apparatus 1 is also referred to as the substrate 200B. For example, the thickness of the substrate 200A is 780 μm (micrometers). The thickness of the substrate 200B is 770 μm.

[0019] The carrier 205 is formed into a circular, flat plate shape when viewed from the thickness direction of the carrier 205. The carrier 205 is provided with a plurality (three in this embodiment) of through-holes 206. The through-holes 206 are formed at equal angles around the central axis of the carrier 205. The through-holes 206 penetrate the carrier 205 in the thickness direction. The diameter of the through-holes 206 is equal to the diameter of the substrate 200. The substrate 200 is accommodated within the through-holes 206. At this point, the thickness direction of the carrier 205 coincides with the thickness direction of the substrate 200. As shown in FIG2 , a plurality of teeth 207 are provided on the outer periphery of the carrier 205 . The plurality of teeth 207 are external teeth. Semicircular recesses 208 are formed between adjacent teeth 207 in the circumferential direction of the carrier 205 .

[0020] For example, the outer diameter of the carrier 205 is 720 mm and the thickness is 770 μm. The carrier 205 is made of stainless steel or the like. When the substrate 200 is placed in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 on a flat support surface, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 do not flex. At this point, the lower surface of the carrier 205 and the lower surface of the substrate 200 are substantially flush with each other, and the upper surface of the carrier 205 and the upper surface of the substrate 200 are substantially flush with each other. Furthermore, the number of through holes 206 provided in the carrier 205 is not limited, and the number of through hole 206 may be one.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1 , the polishing apparatus 1 includes an inlet frame 10 , an outlet frame 15 , a placement table 20 , a first transport device 25 , a polishing device 30 of this embodiment, and a control unit 80 . The carry-in frame 10 is loaded into the polishing apparatus 1 by a carry-in device (not shown) while accommodating the substrate 200A. The carry-out frame 15 is unloaded from the polishing apparatus 1 by a carry-out device (not shown) while accommodating the substrate 200B.

[0022] The placement table 20 is a table for placing the substrate 200 and the carrier 205. As shown in FIG5 , the upper surface 21 of the placement table 20 is horizontal. The upper surface 21 is flat. As shown in FIG1 , the first transport device 25 is, for example, a robotic arm. The first transport device 25 transports the substrate 200 between the frames 10 and 15 and the placement table 20.

[0023] The polishing device 30 includes a polishing section 31 and a second conveying device (conveying device) 46 of this embodiment. The grinding part 31 of this embodiment is a planetary gear device. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the grinding part 31 has: a first platform (platform) 32, a sun gear 33, an internal gear 34, and a second platform (not shown). For example, the support surface 32a of the first platform 32 is arranged along a horizontal plane. The support surface 32a is flat. The first platform 32 rotates in a first direction around an axis O1 extending in the vertical direction.

[0024] The sun gear 33 is positioned coaxially with the axis O1 on the support surface 32a. As shown in Figure 2, a plurality of teeth 37 are provided on the outer periphery of the sun gear 33. The plurality of teeth 37 are, for example, cylindrical external teeth. The plurality of teeth 37 are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the sun gear 33. The sun gear 33 rotates on the support surface 32a. The plurality of teeth 37 engage with the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205. The sun gear 33 is internally inscribed in the carrier 205. The inner circumference of the internal gear 34 is provided with a plurality of teeth 39. These teeth 39 are cylindrical internal teeth. These teeth 39 are spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction of the internal gear 34. The internal gear 34 rotates on the support surface 32a. These teeth 39 engage with the teeth 207 of the carrier 205. The internal gear 34 is externally connected to the carrier 205.

[0025] The second platform can switch between the following states: a clamping state in which the second platform 32 and the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34 are clamped together, and a retreat state in which the second platform 32 and the internal gear 34 are separated. The second platform in the sandwiched state is arranged coaxially with the axis O1 and rotates around the axis O1 in a second direction opposite to the aforementioned first direction.

[0026] The second transport device 46 transports the carrier 205 and the plurality of substrates 200 as a unit. The second transport device 46 engages the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 with the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33. As shown in FIG1 , the second transport device 46 includes a robot arm 47 and a holding unit 50. For example, the robot arm 47 has a plurality of links and joints (not shown). The plurality of links are arranged side by side along the connecting axis O3. The joints rotatably connect the ends of the plurality of adjacent links along the connecting axis O3. The holding portion 50 is provided on the link closest to the first side along the connecting axis O3 of the plurality of links. The link closest to the second side, which is opposite to the first side, along the connecting axis O3 of the plurality of links is supported on the installation surface F.

[0027] As shown in FIG1 , the holding portion 50 is formed with multiple rotational symmetry (threefold symmetry in this embodiment) about the axis O5. Furthermore, the first holding portion 52 and the plurality of second holding portions 53, described later, are not arranged on the same straight line along the radial direction of the holding portion 50. However, FIG3 illustrates the first holding portion 52 and the plurality of second holding portions 53 with their circumferential positions altered. The holding portion 50 is arranged so that the thickness direction of the carrier 205 and substrate 200 held by the holding portion 50 is parallel to the vertical direction, and one side in the thickness direction faces downward. As shown in FIG. 3 , the holding portion 50 includes a frame (connecting member) 51 , a first holding portion 52 , a second holding portion 53 , an imaging portion 54 , and a suction portion (not shown). The frame 51 includes a top plate 57 , a first peripheral wall 58 , a second peripheral wall 59 , a first bottom plate 60 , and a second bottom plate 61 . The top plate 57 is formed in a circular plate shape and is supported by the robot arm 47 so as to be along a horizontal plane.

[0028] The first peripheral wall 58 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is arranged coaxially with the axis O5. The first peripheral wall 58 is fixed to the lower surface of the top plate 57. The second peripheral wall 59 is cylindrical and coaxial with the axis O5. It surrounds the first peripheral wall 58 from the outside and is fixed to the lower surface of the outer periphery of the top plate 57. The lower end of the first peripheral wall 58 protrudes downward from the lower end of the second peripheral wall 59. The first bottom plate 60 is formed in a disk shape and is disposed inside the first peripheral wall 58. The first bottom plate 60 is fixed to the middle portion of the first peripheral wall 58 in the up-down direction. The second bottom plate 61 is formed in an annular shape and is disposed between the first peripheral wall 58 and the second peripheral wall 59. The second bottom plate 61 is fixed to the lower end of the first peripheral wall 58 and the lower end of the second peripheral wall 59. A plurality of communication holes 61a are formed in the second bottom plate 61.

[0029] The first holding portion 52 holds the outer periphery of the carrier 205 in the thickness direction. The outer periphery referred to here is the range from the outer periphery of the holding object toward the center (0.4r) when the radius of the circular holding object is set to r. The holding unit 50 includes a plurality of first holding units 52. The plurality of first holding units 52 are spaced apart from each other around the axis O5. As shown in FIG3 , each first holding unit 52 includes a first body 64 and a first movable unit 65. The first movable unit 65 includes a suction pad 67 and a movable tube 68. The suction pad 67 is formed into a tapered shape (conical surface) from an elastic material such as synthetic rubber. The suction pad 67 is configured so that its outer diameter gradually increases downward. The movable tube 68 extends upward (to the other side in the thickness direction) from the suction pad 67. The space within the movable tube 68 is connected to the recessed portion of the suction pad 67. For example, a first engaging portion 68a is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the movable pipe 68. A portion of the movable pipe 68 below the first engaging portion 68a is disposed within the communicating hole 61a of the second bottom plate 61.

[0030] The first body 64 is tubular, with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the movable tube 68. The first body 64 is folded into an L-shape. The first end 64a of the first body 64 extends in the vertical direction. For example, a second engaging portion 64b is fixed to the inner circumferential surface at the lower end of the first end 64a. The second engaging portion 64b is formed to extend over the entire circumference of the first end 64a of the first body 64. The second engaging portion 64b supports the first engaging portion 68a from below. The second engaging portion 64b and the movable tube 68 are sealed airtight. The movable tube 68 can move in the vertical direction relative to the second engaging portion 64b (the first end 64a of the first body 64). The first body 64 is fixed to the second bottom plate 61 of the frame 51. From the state shown in FIG2 , the movable tube 68 cannot move downward relative to the first body 64. On the other hand, from the state shown in FIG2 , the movable tube 68 can move upward relative to the first body 64.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4 , the lower end of the adsorption pad 67 of the first holding portion 52 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the carrier 205 . If the air in the concave portion of the adsorption pad 67 is sucked, the adsorption pad 67 will be deformed and flattened as shown by the two-dot chain line L1, so that the carrier 205 in contact with the adsorption pad 67 is retained on the adsorption pad 67.

[0032] 5 shows a state where a carrier 205 and a substrate 200 are placed on the upper surface 21 of the placement table 20. The substrate 200 is accommodated in the through hole 206 of the carrier 205. The holding portion 50 is brought closer to the carrier 205 and substrate 200 in this state from above, so that the suction pads 67 of the first holding portion 52 come into contact with the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the carrier 205 . If the air in the concave portion of the suction pad 67 is sucked, the flattened suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52 will hold the outer periphery of the carrier 205. At this time, the first engaging portion 68a of the movable tube 68 separates upward from the second engaging portion 64b of the first body 64. The position of the lower end of the flattened adsorption pad 67 relative to the frame 51 at this time is referred to as the reference position P 521. The reference position P 521 is preferably the average position of the lower end of the flattened adsorption pad 67 relative to the frame 51 in the circumferential direction of the adsorption pad 67.

[0033] If the holding portion 50 is moved upward by the robot arm 47 from this state, as shown in FIG6 , the carrier 205 held by the first holding portion 52 separates upward from the upper surface 21 of the placement table 20. The gravity acting on the carrier 205, the suction pad 67, and the like causes the first holding portion 52 to move the carrier 205, the suction pad 67, and the like downward relative to the first body 64. If the first engaging portion 68a of the movable tube 68 engages with the second engaging portion 64b of the first body 64 from above the second engaging portion 64b, the carrier 205, the suction pad 67, and the like cannot move further downward relative to the first body 64 (frame 51). The position of the lower end of the suction pad 67 relative to the frame 51 when it is flattened while holding the carrier 205 and unable to move downward relative to the frame 51 is referred to as the lower end position P522. The lower end position P522 is the position at the lower end of the range of movement of the suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52. In FIG6 , the two-dot chain line L4 indicates the reference position P 521 of the suction pad 67. Hereinafter, the vertical distance between the reference position P 521 and the lower end position P 522 of the flattened suction pad 67 is referred to as the extension distance M 52. The extension distance M 52 is the length by which the first holding portion 52 extends downward (to one side in the thickness direction) when the first holding portion 52 is holding the carrier 205. As described above, the first holding portion 52 can be extended downward from the state where it holds the carrier 205.

[0034] The second holding portion 53 holds the substrate 200 in the through hole 206 of the carrier 205 from the top and bottom. As shown in FIG3 , the second transport device 46 includes a second holding portion 53A, a second holding portion 53B, and a second holding portion 53C as the second holding portion 53. The second holding portions 53A and 53B have the same structure as the first holding portion 52 except for the setting of the extension distance M52. The second holding portion 53A comprises: the first body 64 of the first holding portion 52, the first movable portion 65, the suction pad 67, the second body 71A having a structure substantially the same as that of the movable tube 68, the second movable portion 72A, the suction pad 74A, and the movable tube 75A. The second movable portion 72A is movable in the vertical direction relative to the second main body 71A. The suction pad 74A of the second movable portion 72A is used to hold the substrate 200. For the suction pad 74A of the second holding portion 53A, similar to the reference position P521, lower end position P522, and extended distance M52 of the suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52, a reference position P53A1, a lower end position P53A2, and an extended distance M53A are respectively specified (see Figures 5 and 6). The extension distance M53A is a length by which the second holding portion 53A is extended downward in a state where the second holding portion 53A holds the substrate 200.

[0035] The second holding portion 53B comprises: the first body 64 of the first holding portion 52, the first movable portion 65, the adsorption pad 67, the second body 71B having a structure substantially the same as that of the movable tube 68, the second movable portion 72B, the adsorption pad 74B, and the movable tube 75B. The second movable portion 72B is movable in the vertical direction relative to the second body 71B. The suction pad 74B of the second movable portion 72B is used to hold the substrate 200. For the suction pad 74B of the second holding portion 53B, similar to the reference position P521, lower end position P522, and extended distance M52 of the suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52, a reference position P53B1, a lower end position P53B2, and an extended distance M53B are respectively specified (see Figures 5 and 6). The extension distance M53B is a length by which the second holding portion 53B is extended downward in a state where the second holding portion 53B holds the substrate 200.

[0036] The second holding portion 53C has the same structure as the first holding portion 52 except for the shape of the first body 64 and the setting of the extension distance M52. The second holding portion 53C includes the first movable portion 65 of the first holding portion 52, the suction pad 67, a second movable portion 72C having a structure substantially similar to that of the movable tube 68, a suction pad 74C, and a movable tube 75C. The second main body 78C of the second holding portion 53C is a straight tubular shape. The second main body 78C extends in the vertical direction and is fixed to the first bottom plate 60 of the frame 51. As described above, the frame 51 connects the first body 64 and the second bodies 71A, 71B, and 78C to each other. For the suction pad 74C of the second holding portion 53C, similar to the reference position P521, lower end position P522, and extended distance M52 of the suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52, a reference position P53C1, a lower end position P53C2, and an extended distance M53C are respectively specified (see Figures 5 and 6). The extension distance M53C is a length by which the second holding portion 53C is extended downward in a state where the second holding portion 53C holds the substrate 200.

[0037] As described above, the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C can each be extended downward from a state in which the substrate 200 is held. On the two-point chain line L4 shown in FIG6 , reference positions P53A1, P53B1, and P53C1 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 2 , the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C are arranged at equal angles around the axis of the substrate 200 for each substrate 200 . In this embodiment, the extended distances M53A, M53B, and M53C are equal. The extended distance M52 is longer than the extended distances M53A, M53B, and M53C by more than the thickness (length in the thickness direction) of the carrier 205. Preferably, the extended distance M52 is longer than the extended distances M53A, M53B, and M53C by more than twice the thickness of the carrier 205.

[0038] As shown in FIG3 , the imaging unit 54 is fixed to the second peripheral wall 59 of the housing 51. The imaging unit 54 acquires an image of an object below which the imaging unit 54 is disposed. The imaging unit 54 transmits the acquired image to the control unit 80. The suction unit, although not shown in the figure, has a suction pump and a plurality of opening and closing valves. The suction pump is connected to the first body 64 and the second bodies 71A, 71B, and 71C via pipes (not shown). The suction pump can suck the air in the recesses of the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C through the pipes, the first body 64, the second bodies 71A, 71B, and 71C, and the movable tubes 68, 75A, 75B, and 75C. Multiple on-off valves can independently open and close multiple pipe fittings.

[0039] 1 , a stocker 85 is provided near each of the second transport device 46 and the placement table 20 , wherein a plurality of carriers 205 are stacked. The carriers 205 in the stocker 85 do not contain substrates 200 . The control unit 80, although not shown, includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, etc. The memory stores a control program for operating the CPU. The control unit 80 is connected to the first conveying device 25 and the polishing device 30 to control the first conveying device 25 and the polishing device 30.

[0040] Next, a polishing method using the polishing apparatus 1 having the above-described structure will be described. In this polishing method, the conveying method of this embodiment is used. First, the loading device transports the loading frame 10 containing the substrate 200A. The control unit 80 uses the second transport device 46 to place the carrier 205 in the stocker 85 on the upper surface 21 of the placement table 20. The second platform of the polishing unit 31 is retracted. The suction unit of the second transport device 46 is driven to close the plurality of on-off valves.

[0041] Next, the aforementioned transport method S is performed. In the transport method, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A accommodated in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 are transported from the placement table 20 to the polishing device 30. FIG7 is a flow chart showing the transport method S. First, in the first receiving process (step S1 shown in FIG. 7 ), the control unit 80 receives the substrate 200A carried into the frame 10 in the through hole 206 of the carrier 205 on the placement table 20 via the first transport device 25 . When the first storage process S1 is completed, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0042] Next, in the holding process (step S3), the outer periphery of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A are held by the second transport device 46 so that the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A are separated from each other. Specifically, the control unit 80 uses the robot arm 47 to move the holding unit 50 closer to the carrier 205 and substrate 200 on the placement table 20 from above, as shown in FIG5 , so that the suction pads 67 of the first holding unit 52 contact the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the carrier 205. The suction pads 74A, 74B, and 74C of the second holding units 53A, 53B, and 53C contact the upper surface of the substrate 200A. When the plurality of on-off valves are open, the air within the recesses of the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C is sucked in, causing the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C to flatten. The flattened suction pads 67 of the first holding portion 52 hold the outer periphery of the carrier 205 from above, while the flattened suction pads 74A, 74B, and 74C of the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C hold the outer periphery of the substrate 200A from above.

[0043] Then, when the holding portion 50 is moved upward by the robot arm 47, as shown in FIG. 6 , the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A held by the holding portions 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C are separated upward from the upper surface 21 of the placement table 20. At this time, the extended distance M52 is longer than the extended distances M53A, M53B, and M53C, exceeding the thickness of the carrier 205. Therefore, even if the carrier 205 held by the first holding portion 52 is not bent, the carrier 205 will move downward relative to the substrate 200A by an amount exceeding its thickness, causing the top surface of the carrier 205 to be positioned at the position indicated by the two-dot chain line L5. The carrier 205 held by the first holding portion 52 and the substrate 200A held by the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C are separated from each other.

[0044] Furthermore, the center portion of the carrier 205 (the center portion when viewed from the thickness direction of the carrier 205) is bent downward into a convex shape due to the force of gravity acting on the carrier 205. In this case, the maximum displacement of the bent carrier 205 (maximum deflection M1 shown in FIG6 ) is approximately 2 mm, as determined by simulation. The carrier 205 is bent downward into a convex shape, thereby further separating the carrier 205 held by the first holding portion 52 and the substrate 200A held by the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C. As described above, in this embodiment, the substrate 200A is held at a position above the carrier 205 in the holding step S3 .

[0045] While the carrier 205 and substrate 200A are being transported by the second transport device 46, the center portion of the carrier 205 may sometimes vibrate in the vertical direction as shown in Figure 8. In Figure 8, the carrier 205, which is curved upward in a convex shape, is represented by a two-dot chain line L7. Therefore, it is preferable that the aforementioned extension distance M52 is longer than the extension distances M53A, M53B, and M53C and is more than twice the maximum deflection amount M1. When the maintenance process S3 is completed, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0046] Next, in the planarization process (step S5), the carrier 205 is placed on the support surface 32a of the first platform 32 and flattened. After the carrier 205 is flattened, the substrate 200A is separated to a position above the carrier 205. Specifically, the control unit 80 controls the robot arm 47 to move the holding unit 50 above the support surface 32a. The holding unit 50 then moves downward, lowering the carrier 205 and substrate 200A held by the holding units 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C of the holding unit 50 on the support surface 32a. When the carrier 205 is placed on the support surface 32a, the carrier 205 becomes flat, as indicated by the two-dot chain line L5 in FIG6 , and the substrate 200A is separated above the carrier 205.

[0047] When the carrier 205 is placed on the support surface 32a, the control unit 80 uses the images of the teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 of the grinding unit 31 and the teeth 37 of the sun gear 33 obtained by the imaging unit 54 to preferably fit the multiple teeth 207 of the carrier 205 into the multiple teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple teeth 37 of the sun gear 33. When the planarization process S5 is completed, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0048] Next, in the second receiving step (receiving step) (step S7), substrate 200A is received from above in through-hole 206 of carrier 205 on support surface 32a. Specifically, control unit 80 moves holding unit 50 downward via robot arm 47 to receive substrate 200A in through-hole 206 of carrier 205. The plurality of on-off valves of the second transport device 46 are closed, releasing the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A held by the holding portions 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C. The holding portion 50 is retracted from the support surface 32a by the robot arm 47. When the second storage step S7 is completed, all the steps of the transport method S are completed, and the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A are transported from the placement table 20 to the polishing device 30 .

[0049] The control unit 80 clamps the second platform of the grinding unit 31, rotates the first platform 32 and the second platform in a predetermined direction around the axis O1, and rotates at least one of the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34 around the axis O1. The first platen 32 and the second platen are rotated for a predetermined time, so that the surface of the substrate 200A facing the thickness direction is polished by the first platen 32 and the second platen, so that the substrate 200A becomes a polished substrate 200B. The control unit 80 puts the second stage of the polishing unit 31 into a retracted state. The control unit 80 transports the carrier 205 and the substrate 200B received in the through hole 206 of the carrier 205 from the polishing device 30 to the upper surface 21 of the placement table 20 using the same method as the above-mentioned transport method. The control unit 80 controls the first transport device 25 to store the substrate 200B on the placement table 20 in the carry-out frame 15. The carry-out frame 15 storing the substrate 200B is carried out of the polishing apparatus 1 by an appropriate carry-out device.

[0050] By repeating the above steps, the polishing apparatus 1 continuously polishes the substrate 200A.

[0051] As described above, the second transport device 46 of this embodiment supports the carrier 205 and substrate 200A on the upper surface 21 of the placement table 20, with the carrier 205 housing the substrate 200A within the through-hole 206. Furthermore, the second transport device 46 uses the first holding portion 52 to hold the outer periphery of the carrier 205 from above, while the second holding portion 53 holds the substrate 200A within the through-hole 206. When the second transport device 46 lifts the carrier 205 and substrate 200A from the upper surface 21 and transports them, the weight acting on the carrier 205 causes the center portion of the carrier 205 to bend downward, bending the carrier 205 into a convex shape. At this time, the first holding portion 52 and the second holding portion 53 are both extended downward, thereby separating the carrier 205 held by the first holding portion 52 and the substrate 200A held by the second holding portion 53. This prevents the substrate 200A from contacting the carrier 205 or vertically overlapping the carrier 205 and substrate 200A during transport. Therefore, during the conveyance of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A, it is possible to suppress the substrate 200A from falling from the second conveyance device 46 .

[0052] The carrier 205 is held by the first holding portion 52. The length M52, the downward extension of the first holding portion 52 from the state where the substrate 200A housed in the through-hole 206 is held by the second holding portion 53, is longer than the lengths M53A, M53B, and M53C, the downward extensions of the second holding portion 53, to a value exceeding the thickness of the carrier 205. Therefore, the carrier 205 held by the first holding portion 52 and the substrate 200A held by the second holding portion 53 are positioned at approximately the same height, and then the carrier 205 is positioned below the substrate 200A, exceeding the thickness of the carrier 205. The center portion of the carrier 205 is curved downward into a convex shape due to the force of gravity acting on the carrier 205. This reliably prevents the substrate 200A from contacting the carrier 205 during transport of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A.

[0053] The second transport device 46 includes a frame 51. The frame 51 interconnects the first body 64 of the first holding portion 52 and the second bodies 71A, 71B, and 71C of the second holding portion 53. This improves the vertical positional accuracy of the outer periphery of the carrier 205 held by the first moving portion 65 and the substrate 200A held by the second moving portions 72A, 72B, and 72C. Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus 30 of this embodiment, the second transport device 46 engages the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 with the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33 of the planetary gear type polishing unit 31. Furthermore, by rotating at least one of the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, the carrier 205 rotates, thereby polishing the vertically facing surface of the substrate 200A accommodated in the carrier 205.

[0054] Furthermore, in the transport method S of this embodiment, during the transport of the carrier 205 and substrate 200A in the holding step S3 and during the placement of the carrier 205 on the support surface 32a of the first platform 32 in the planarization step S5, the substrate 200A can be prevented from contacting the carrier 205 or from overlapping the carrier 205 and substrate 200A in the thickness direction. Following the holding step S3 and the planarization step S5, the substrate 200A is received from above in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 in the second receiving step S7. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the substrate 200A from falling during the transportation of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A. In the holding process S3, the substrate 200A is held at a position above the carrier 205. Therefore, when the carrier 205 is placed on the support surface 32a in the planarization process S5, the substrate 200A does not become an obstacle, so the planarization process S5 is easily performed.

[0055] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific structure is not limited to this embodiment and includes structural changes, combinations, deletions, etc. that do not depart from the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, in the transport method of the aforementioned embodiment, during the holding step, only the first holding portion 52 may be extended downward from the position holding the carrier 205, while the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C may not be extended from the position holding the substrate 200A. Even with this structure, as long as the extension distance M52 is greater than the thickness of the carrier 205, the substrate 200A can be positioned above the carrier 205.

[0056] Similarly, during the holding process, the holding portion 50 may be moved upward, and only the second holding portion may be shortened upward. During the holding process, the holding portion 50 may be moved upward, and both the first and second holding portions may be shortened upward. Even with these methods, the substrate 200A can be positioned above the carrier 205.

[0057] During the holding process, the substrate 200A may be held below the carrier 205, or the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A may be held at offset positions along the horizontal plane. The support surface 32a of the first platform 32 and the upper surface 21 of the placement table 20 may each be inclined relative to the horizontal plane. The number of the first holding parts 52 and the number of the second holding parts 53 included in the second transport device 46 are not limited. [Industrial Applicability]

[0058] A conveying device, a polishing device, and a conveying method can prevent a substrate from falling during the conveyance of a carrier and a substrate. Therefore, it has great applicability in industry.

[0059] 30: Grinding device 31: Grinding Department 32: Platform 1 (Platform) 32a: Support surface 33: Sun gear 34: Internal gear 37,39,207: Tooth 46: Second transport device (transport device) 51: Frame (connecting member) 52: First holding unit 53, 53A, 53B, 53C: Second holding part 64:The first body 65: First Mobile Unit 71A, 71B, 78C: Second body 72A, 72B, 72C: Second mobile unit 200:Substrate 205:Carrier 206:Through hole S: Transportation method S3: Maintain Engineering S5: Flattening Engineering S7: Containment Project 2 (Containment Project)

Claims

1. A conveying device for conveying: a carrier, formed into a flat plate and having a through hole; and a substrate, housed within the through hole, the conveying device comprising: a first holding portion for holding an outer periphery of the carrier in the thickness direction; and a second holding portion for holding the substrate within the through hole in the thickness direction, wherein at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion is elongated or contracted in the thickness direction such that the carrier held by the first holding portion and the substrate held by the second holding portion are separated from each other.

2. The conveying device as described in claim 1, wherein, In a state where the aforementioned carrier is held by the aforementioned first holding portion and the aforementioned substrate housed in the aforementioned through hole is held by the aforementioned second holding portion, the length by which the aforementioned first holding portion extends to one side in the aforementioned thickness direction is longer than the length by which the aforementioned second holding portion extends to the aforementioned one side in the aforementioned thickness direction, exceeding the thickness of the aforementioned carrier.

3. The conveying device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The aforementioned first holding portion includes: a first body; and a first moving portion, which can move relative to the aforementioned first body in the aforementioned thickness direction and hold the outer periphery of the aforementioned carrier. The aforementioned second holding portion includes: a second body; and a second moving portion, which can move relative to the aforementioned second body in the aforementioned thickness direction and hold the aforementioned substrate. It also includes a connecting structure that connects the aforementioned first body and the aforementioned second body to each other.

4. A grinding apparatus comprising a conveying device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, having a plurality of teeth on the outer periphery of the aforementioned carrier, and a grinding part of a planetary gear type, rotating on a support surface of a platform, having an internal gear and a sun gear that engage with the aforementioned plurality of teeth of the aforementioned carrier, grinding the surface of the aforementioned substrate facing the thickness direction, wherein the aforementioned conveying device engages the aforementioned plurality of teeth of the aforementioned carrier with the aforementioned plurality of teeth of the aforementioned internal gear and the aforementioned plurality of teeth of the aforementioned sun gear.

5. A transport method comprising transporting: a carrier, formed into a flat plate and having a through hole; and a substrate, received within the through hole, the transport method comprising: a holding process, holding the outer periphery of the carrier and the substrate separately from each other; a planarization process, placing the carrier on a support surface to make the carrier flat, and after making the carrier flat, separating the substrate to a position above the carrier; and a receiving process, receiving the substrate from above within the through hole of the carrier.

6. The handling method as described in claim 5, wherein, In the aforementioned holding process, the aforementioned substrate is held in a position above the aforementioned carrier.

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