Processing head, substrate processing device, and substrate processing method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a processing head, a substrate processing device, and a substrate processing method. The processing head includes an elastic pad member and a hard pad member. The processing head is configured to press a processing tape against a peripheral edge portion, the processing tape being located in a space formed between the elastic pad member and the hard pad member.

Description

Processing head, substrate processing apparatus, and substrate processing method

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing head, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing method.

[0002] Generally, a substrate has a bevel portion formed on its peripheral edge. The bevel portion refers to a chamfered portion on the peripheral edge of the substrate, and is formed to prevent chipping of the substrate and the generation of particles. Substrate processing apparatuses that process the peripheral edge of a substrate include bevel polishing apparatuses and bevel cleaning apparatuses. Below, we will explain the problems with conventional bevel polishing apparatuses as an example.

[0003] JP 2022-63417 A Patent No. 6851068 A

[0004] The bevel polishing apparatus includes a polishing head that presses a polishing tape against the peripheral edge of a substrate. The polishing head includes a polishing pad that supports the polishing tape. The polishing tape is passed over guide rollers disposed on both sides of the polishing pad. The polishing pad supports the polishing tape, to which a tension force is applied.

[0005] However, the polishing tape supported by the polishing pad is pulled and polishes the peripheral portion without bending. Therefore, the polishing tape polishes only a localized area of ​​the peripheral portion. As a result, the peripheral portion is polished locally and linearly by the polishing tape.

[0006] In such a bevel polishing apparatus, in order to polish the entire peripheral portion (especially the bevel portion), it is necessary to tilt the polishing head relative to the peripheral portion (i.e., tilt movement) and press the polishing tape against the entire peripheral portion. However, providing a mechanism for tilting the polishing head increases costs and the size of the entire apparatus. This problem exists not only in bevel polishing apparatuses but also in bevel cleaning apparatuses.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a processing head, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing method that are capable of processing the peripheral edge of a substrate without tilting the processing head.

[0008] In one aspect, a processing head is provided that supports a processing tape for processing a peripheral edge of a substrate, the processing head including an elastically deformable elastic pad member and a hard pad member that is made of a harder material than the elastic pad member and is disposed adjacent to the elastic pad member, the processing head being configured to support the processing tape and press the processing tape, positioned in a space formed between the elastic pad member and the hard pad member, against the peripheral edge.

[0009] In one aspect, when the processing head presses the processing tape against the peripheral portion, it elastically deforms the elastic pad member to bring the processing tape into close contact with the peripheral portion so as to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion. In one aspect, the elastic pad member has a first contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and the hard pad member has a second contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and when the processing tape is pressed against the peripheral portion, the contact area of ​​the first contact portion with the processing tape is smaller than the contact area of ​​the second contact portion with the processing tape. In one aspect, the elastic pad member is arranged partially in the width direction of the processing head.

[0010] In one aspect, the elastic pad member has an arc-shaped curved portion that follows the contour of the substrate, and the processing head presses the processing tape against the peripheral portion, thereby tightly adhering the peripheral portion to the curved portion.

[0011] In one aspect, a substrate processing apparatus for processing a peripheral portion of a substrate is provided, the substrate processing apparatus comprising: a substrate holder configured to rotate the substrate while supporting the substrate; and first and second processing heads configured to support a processing tape for processing the peripheral portion of the substrate, wherein each of the first and second processing heads comprises an elastically deformable elastic pad member and a hard pad member configured to be positioned adjacent to the elastic pad member and made of a material harder than the elastic pad member, and wherein each of the first and second processing heads is configured to press the processing tape, positioned in a space formed between the elastic pad member and the hard pad member, against the peripheral portion while supporting the processing tape.

[0012] In one aspect, the peripheral portion has an area defined by an upper bevel area and a lower bevel area, and the first processing head is configured to press the processing tape against the upper bevel area, and the second processing head is configured to press the processing tape against the lower bevel area. In one aspect, when the first processing head and the second processing head press the processing tape against the peripheral portion, each of them elastically deforms the elastic pad member to bring the processing tape into close contact with the peripheral portion so as to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion. In one aspect, the elastic pad member has a first contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and the hard pad member has a second contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and when the processing tape is pressed against the peripheral portion, the contact area of ​​the first contact portion with the processing tape is smaller than the contact area of ​​the second contact portion with the processing tape.

[0013] In one aspect, the elastic pad member is disposed partially in the width direction of the processing head. In one aspect, the elastic pad member has an arc-shaped curved portion that follows the contour of the substrate, and the processing head presses the processing tape against the peripheral edge portion to bring the peripheral edge portion into close contact with the curved portion.

[0014] In one aspect, a substrate processing method for processing a peripheral portion of a substrate is provided, which includes rotating the substrate while supporting the substrate, and pressing a processing tape for processing the peripheral portion, positioned in a space formed between the elastic pad member and the hard pad member, against the peripheral portion, using first and second processing heads each including an elastically deformable elastic pad member and a hard pad member disposed adjacent to the elastic pad member, the hard pad member being made of a harder material than the elastic pad member.

[0015] In one aspect, the peripheral edge has an area defined by an upper bevel area and a lower bevel area, and the substrate processing method includes pressing the processing tape against the upper bevel area using the first processing head and pressing the processing tape against the lower bevel area using the second processing head. In one aspect, when the processing tape is pressed against the peripheral edge by each of the first processing head and the second processing head, the elastic pad member is elastically deformed to bring the processing tape into close contact with the peripheral edge so as to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral edge. In one aspect, the elastic pad member has a first contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and the hard pad member has a second contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and when the processing tape is pressed against the peripheral edge, the contact area of ​​the first contact portion with the processing tape is smaller than the contact area of ​​the second contact portion with the processing tape.

[0016] In one aspect, the elastic pad member is disposed partially in the width direction of the processing head. In one aspect, the elastic pad member has an arc-shaped curved portion that follows the contour of the substrate, and by pressing the processing tape against the peripheral edge, the peripheral edge is brought into close contact with the curved portion.

[0017] The processing head is configured to press the processing tape located in the space formed between the elastic pad member and the hard pad member against the peripheral edge, and this configuration allows the processing head to expand the area that can be processed by the processing tape without tilting the processing head itself.

[0018] FIG. 1A is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the peripheral edge of a substrate. FIG. 1B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the peripheral edge of a substrate. A diagram showing an embodiment of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. A diagram showing an embodiment of a bevel polishing apparatus. A diagram showing an embodiment of a polishing apparatus. A perspective view showing an embodiment of a pad. An enlarged view showing a polishing head supporting a polishing tape. A diagram showing another embodiment of a polishing head. A diagram showing a polishing tape pressed against the peripheral edge of a wafer. A diagram showing a polishing tape pressed against the peripheral edge of a wafer. A diagram showing a region of the peripheral edge of a wafer being polished. A diagram comparing the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral edge of the wafer before polishing and the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral edge of the wafer after polishing. FIG. 12A is a diagram showing another embodiment of a pad. FIG. 12B is a diagram showing another embodiment of a pad. FIG. 13A is a diagram showing a curved portion formed in an elastic pad member. FIG. 13B is a diagram showing a curved portion formed in an elastic pad member. A diagram showing a pad according to another embodiment. A diagram showing an embodiment of a bevel cleaning apparatus.

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, identical or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. In the multiple embodiments described below, the configuration of an embodiment that is not particularly described is the same as that of other embodiments, and therefore duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0020] 1A and 1B are enlarged cross-sectional views showing the peripheral edge of a substrate, in which Fig. 1A depicts the cross section of a so-called straight type substrate, and Fig. 1B depicts the cross section of a so-called round type substrate.

[0021] In this specification, the peripheral portion of a wafer W, which is an example of a substrate, is defined as an area including a bevel portion V located at the outermost periphery of the wafer W, and a top edge portion Ed1 and a bottom edge portion Ed2 located radially inward of the bevel portion V.

[0022] 1A, the bevel portion V is the outermost peripheral surface of the wafer W, and has an upper inclined portion (upper bevel portion) S, a lower inclined portion (lower bevel portion) U, and a side portion (apex) T. In FIG. 1B, the bevel portion V is the outermost peripheral surface of the wafer W having a curved cross section.

[0023] 1A and 1B, the top edge portion Ed1 is a flat portion located radially inward from the bevel portion V. The bottom edge portion Ed2 is a flat portion located opposite the top edge portion Ed1 and radially inward from the bevel portion V. The top edge portion Ed1 (or the bottom edge portion Ed2) may include a region in which a device is formed.

[0024] The peripheral edge of the wafer W is divided into an upper bevel region BR1 and a lower bevel region BR2. In particular, with a center line CL extending to the center of the wafer W in the thickness direction as the boundary, the upper region is defined as the upper bevel region BR1 and the lower region is defined as the lower bevel region BR2.

[0025] In FIG. 1A , the upper bevel region BR1 is a region including at least the upper slope S and the upper side (i.e., the upper part of the side T). The lower bevel region BR2 is a region including at least the lower slope U and the lower side (i.e., the lower part of the side T).

[0026] In this way, the upper bevel region BR1 and the lower bevel region BR2 are regions that include the entire bevel portion V. In one embodiment, the upper bevel region BR1 may include the top edge portion Ed1, and the lower bevel region BR2 may include the bottom edge portion Ed2.

[0027] 2 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, which includes a first transfer robot 245 that removes wafers W from wafer cassettes (not shown) on two load ports 240, 240 that load wafers W into the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a notch aligner 248 that detects a reference position of the wafer W (e.g., the position of a notch) and rotates the wafer W so that the reference position is a predetermined position.

[0028] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a notch aligner moving mechanism 250 that moves the notch aligner 248 linearly, and a second transfer robot 257 that transfers the wafer W from the notch aligner 248 toward the bevel polishing devices 256A and 256B.

[0029] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes bevel polishing devices 256A, 256B that polish the peripheral portion (particularly, the bevel portion) of the wafer W, a bevel cleaning device 260 that cleans the peripheral portion (particularly, the bevel portion) of the polished wafer W, and a drying device 265 that dries the cleaned wafer W.

[0030] In this embodiment, the semiconductor manufacturing equipment includes two bevel polishing machines 256A and 256B, but the semiconductor manufacturing equipment may include at least one bevel polishing machine. In this embodiment, the bevel polishing machines 256A and 256B have the same configuration, but may also have different configurations.

[0031] Hereinafter, the bevel polishing apparatuses 256A and 256B may be collectively referred to as the bevel polishing apparatus 256. The bevel polishing apparatus 256 and the bevel cleaning apparatus 260 constitute a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus may include a drying apparatus 265.

[0032] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a transfer mechanism 270 that transfers wafers W among bevel polishing apparatuses 256A and 256B, a bevel cleaning apparatus 260, and a drying apparatus 265. The transfer mechanism 270 includes hand units 270A, 270B, and 270C.

[0033] Each of the hand units 270A, 270B, and 270C has a pair of hands 171 for holding a wafer W, and transports the wafer W between adjacent apparatuses. The hand units 270A, 270B, and 270C are arranged along the arrangement direction of the substrate processing apparatuses.

[0034] An example of a process for processing wafers W is as follows: A wafer cassette containing a plurality of wafers W (e.g., 25 wafers W) is placed on the load port 240, and then the wafer cassette is opened. Thereafter, the first transfer robot 245 removes the wafers W from the wafer cassette and transfers them to the notch aligner 248.

[0035] The notch aligner 248 detects the reference position of the wafer W and rotates the wafer W so that the reference position becomes a predetermined position. At this time, the notch aligner moving mechanism 250 moves the wafer W on the notch aligner 248 to the second transfer robot 257.

[0036] The second transfer robot 257 receives the wafer W from the notch aligner 248 and transfers the wafer W to the bevel polishing device 256. After receiving the wafer W, the bevel polishing device 256 processes (polishes) the peripheral portion of the wafer W. The configuration of the bevel polishing device 256 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the bevel polishing device 256 may also be simply referred to as the polishing device 256.

[0037] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a bevel polishing apparatus. As shown in Fig. 3, a polishing apparatus 256 includes a polishing head 1A and a polishing head 1B disposed downstream of the polishing head 1A in the rotation direction (see arrow) of the wafer W. Fig. 3 illustrates the polishing head 1A and the polishing head 1B as viewed from above the wafer W.

[0038] Each of the polishing head 1A and the polishing head 1B is an example of a processing head that processes the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Each of the polishing head 1A and the polishing head 1B is configured to support a polishing tape PT for polishing the peripheral portion of the wafer W. The polishing tape PT is an example of a processing tape.

[0039] In this embodiment, the polishing head 1A is configured to polish at least the upper bevel region BR1. The polishing head 1B is configured to polish at least the lower bevel region BR2. In one embodiment, the polishing head 1A may polish not only the upper bevel region BR1 but also a portion of the lower bevel region BR2. Similarly, the polishing head 1B may polish not only the lower bevel region BR2 but also a portion of the upper bevel region BR1.

[0040] When the polishing head 1A polishes the upper bevel region BR1, polishing debris is generated from the wafer W, and there is a risk that the polishing debris will move to the lower bevel region BR2 due to the action of gravity. As described above, by arranging the polishing head 1A upstream of the polishing head 1B, even if the polishing debris moves to the lower bevel region BR2, the polishing head 1B can completely remove the polishing debris.

[0041] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a polishing apparatus. Fig. 4 shows only polishing head 1A, and polishing head 1B is omitted. Polishing head 1A and polishing head 1B basically have the same structure. Hereinafter, polishing head 1A and polishing head 1B may be collectively referred to as polishing head 1.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 4, the polishing apparatus 256 includes a stage (substrate holder) 200 that supports the wafer W while rotating the wafer W, a shaft 201 connected to the center of the stage 200, a stage driving device 202 that drives the stage 200 via the shaft 201, and a control device 50 that controls the stage driving device 202.

[0043] The control device 50 includes a storage device 50a that stores a program and an arithmetic device 50b that executes calculations according to instructions included in the program. The storage device 50a includes a main storage device such as a RAM and an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). Examples of the arithmetic device 50b include a CPU (central processing unit) and a GPU (graphics processing unit).

[0044] The stage driving device 202 is configured to rotate the stage 200 around the axis Cr of the stage 200 and to move the stage 200 up and down along the axis Cr. The control device 50 is electrically connected to the stage driving device 202 and is configured to control the operation of the stage driving device 202.

[0045] The polishing apparatus 256 includes a lower supply nozzle 203 configured to supply a liquid (e.g., pure water) to the lower surface of the wafer W, and an upper supply nozzle 204 configured to supply a liquid (e.g., pure water) to the upper surface of the wafer W.

[0046] The control device 50 is configured to control the operation of the lower supply nozzle 203 and the upper supply nozzle 204. Therefore, during polishing of the wafer W, the control device 50 supplies liquid to the lower surface of the wafer W from the lower supply nozzle 203 and supplies liquid to the upper surface of the wafer W from the upper supply nozzle 204.

[0047] The polishing device 256 includes a tape supply mechanism 10 configured to supply the polishing tape PT to the polishing head 1 and retrieve the polishing tape PT from the polishing head 1. The tape supply mechanism 10 includes a tape supply reel 12 that supplies the polishing tape PT to the polishing head 1, a tape take-up reel 13 that retrieves the polishing tape PT supplied to the polishing head 1, and a reel base 11 to which the tape supply reel 12 and the tape take-up reel 13 are fixed.

[0048] The polishing device 256 includes a plurality of guide rollers 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 for supporting the polishing tape PT. The guide rollers 14, 15, 16, and 17 are attached to a reel base 11. The guide rollers 18 and 19 are disposed on both sides of the pad 100 in the direction of travel of the polishing tape PT.

[0049] The tape supply reel 12 and the tape take-up reel 13 are each connected to a tension motor (not shown). The tension motor applies a predetermined torque to each of the tape supply reel 12 and the tape take-up reel 13, thereby applying a predetermined pulling force to the polishing tape PT.

[0050] The polishing head 1 includes a pad 100 that presses the polishing surface of the polishing tape PT (i.e., the surface on which the abrasive grains are fixed) against the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and a pad driving device (e.g., an air cylinder) 5 that moves the pad 100 toward the peripheral edge.

[0051] The control device 50 is electrically connected to the pad driving device 5 and is configured to control the pressing force of the polishing tape PT against the wafer W. The pad driving device 5 moves the pad 100 arranged on the back side of the polishing tape PT (i.e., the back side of the polishing surface) and presses the polishing tape PT against the peripheral portion.

[0052] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a pad. As shown in Fig. 5, a pad 100 includes an elastically deformable elastic pad member 105, a hard pad member 101 made of a harder material than the elastic pad member 105 and disposed adjacent to the elastic pad member 105, and a pad supporter 102 that supports the elastic pad member 105.

[0053] The elastic pad member 105 is made of an elastic material, such as a silicone sponge, and in the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the elastic pad member 105 has a quadrangular prism shape extending in the width direction of the polishing tape PT.

[0054] The hard pad member 101 is made of, for example, resin. The hard pad member 101 as a whole extends in the width direction of the polishing tape PT and has a convex shape. More specifically, the hard pad member 101 has a base portion 101 a and a convex portion 101 b that protrudes from the base portion 101 a.

[0055] The pad supporter 102 is disposed adjacent to the base portion 101a. The pad supporter 102 is made of a material harder than the elastic pad member 105, for example, the same material as the hard pad member 101 (for example, resin).

[0056] The pad supporter 102 extends in the width direction of the polishing tape PT and has an L-shape. More specifically, the pad supporter 102 has a base portion 102a and a protrusion portion 102b protruding from the base portion 102a.

[0057] The elastic pad member 105 is placed on the base portion 101a of the hard pad member 101 and the base portion 102a of the pad supporter 102. The elastic pad member 105 placed on the base portions 101a and 102a is disposed adjacent to the convex portion 101b.

[0058] Fig. 6 is an enlarged view showing a polishing head supporting a polishing tape. As shown in Fig. 6, the polishing head 1 supports a polishing tape PT that is wound around guide rollers 14 to 19. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, an elastic pad member 105 and a hard pad member 101 are arranged in this order in the direction of travel of the polishing tape PT (see the arrow in Fig. 6).

[0059] 7 shows another embodiment of the polishing head, in which an elastic pad member 105 and a hard pad member 101 may be arranged in this order in the direction of travel of the polishing tape PT.

[0060] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the polishing head 1 has a space SP formed between the hard pad member 101 (more specifically, the convex portion 101 b ) and the elastic pad member 105 .

[0061] 8 is a diagram showing the polishing tape pressed against the peripheral edge of the wafer W. As shown in Fig. 8, the polishing head 1A is configured to support the polishing tape PT and press the polishing tape PT, which is located in the space SP formed between the elastic pad member 105 and the hard pad member 101, against the peripheral edge of the wafer W.

[0062] The polishing head 1A is disposed so that the pad 100 faces diagonally downward (more specifically, the upper bevel region BR1). Therefore, when the pad driving device 5 moves the pad 100 to a predetermined polishing position, the polishing tape PT located in the space SP faces the upper bevel region BR1.

[0063] When the polishing tape PT is pressed against the peripheral edge, the elastic pad member 105 comes into local contact with the polishing tape PT, while the hard pad member 101 comes into overall contact with the polishing tape PT.

[0064] More specifically, when the polishing tape PT is brought into contact with the pad 100, the elastic pad member 105 has a first contact region CS1 that contacts the polishing tape PT, and the hard pad member 101 has a second contact region CS2 that contacts the polishing tape PT. When the polishing tape PT is pressed against the peripheral portion, the contact area of ​​the first contact region CS1 with the polishing tape PT is smaller than the contact area of ​​the second contact region CS2 with the polishing tape PT. With this configuration, the elastic pad member 105 easily and largely elastically deforms due to the pressing force of the polishing tape PT against the peripheral portion.

[0065] In this way, when the polishing head 1A presses the polishing tape PT against the peripheral edge portion, it elastically deforms the elastic pad member 105, and brings the polishing tape PT into close contact with the peripheral edge portion so as to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral edge portion.

[0066] More specifically, when the polishing tape PT is pressed against the peripheral portion, the elastic pad member 105 elastically deforms in a direction approaching the hard pad member 101, and the polishing tape PT bends slightly. As a result, the polishing tape PT comes into close contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W (more specifically, the upper bevel region BR1).

[0067] According to this embodiment, the polishing head 1A can expand the area of ​​the peripheral portion that can be polished (processed) with the polishing tape PT. Therefore, the polishing head 1A can press the polishing tape PT against at least the entire upper bevel region BR1 without tilting itself.

[0068] 9 is a diagram showing a polishing tape pressed against the peripheral edge of a wafer. In the above-described embodiment, the polishing head 1A is configured to press the polishing tape PT against the entire upper bevel region BR1, but in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the polishing head 1B is configured to press the polishing tape PT against the entire lower bevel region BR2.

[0069] 9, the polishing head 1B is disposed so that the pad 100 faces diagonally upward (more specifically, the lower bevel region BR2). Therefore, when the pad driving device 5 moves the pad 100 to a predetermined polishing position, the polishing tape PT located in the space SP faces the lower bevel region BR2.

[0070] In this embodiment, when the polishing head 1B presses the polishing tape PT against the peripheral portion, the polishing head 1B elastically deforms the elastic pad member 105, causing the polishing tape PT to adhere to the peripheral portion so as to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion. More specifically, the elastic pad member 105 elastically deforms in a direction approaching the hard pad member 101, and the polishing tape PT adheres to the lower bevel region BR2 of the wafer W.

[0071] According to this embodiment, the polishing head 1B can expand the area of ​​the peripheral portion that can be polished (processed) with the polishing tape PT. Therefore, the polishing head 1B can press the polishing tape PT against at least the entire lower bevel region BR2 without tilting itself.

[0072] In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the elastic pad member 105 and the hard pad member 101 are arranged in this order in the direction of travel of the polishing tape PT, but in one embodiment, the elastic pad member 105 and the hard pad member 101 may also be arranged in this order in the direction of travel of the polishing tape PT.

[0073] Figure 10 shows a diagram illustrating the peripheral edge region of a wafer being polished, and Figure 11 shows a comparison of the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral edge of the wafer before polishing and the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral edge of the wafer after polishing.

[0074] The polishing device 256 includes a polishing head (first polishing head) 1A that polishes the upper bevel region BR1 and a polishing head (second polishing head) 1B that polishes the lower bevel region BR2. Therefore, the polishing device 256 can polish the entire peripheral edge of the wafer W by using the polishing head 1A and the polishing head 1B that are positioned at predetermined polishing positions, without tilting the polishing head 1A or the polishing head 1B. By polishing in this manner, the polishing device 256 polishes the entire peripheral edge in a short time.

[0075] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the tilt mechanism for tilting the polishing head 1 can be omitted, thereby reducing the overall cost of the polishing apparatus 256 and making the overall size of the polishing apparatus 256 smaller.

[0076] 12A and 12B are diagrams showing another embodiment of the pad. In this embodiment, a pad 100 of the polishing head 1A is depicted. As shown in FIG. 12A, the elastic pad member 105 does not necessarily have to be disposed over the entire width of the polishing head 1. The elastic pad member 105 may be disposed partially as long as the first contact region CS1 can be brought into contact with the polishing tape PT.

[0077] In this embodiment, the pad supporter 102 has a mounting surface 102c on which the elastic pad member 105 is mounted. The mounting surface 102c is formed on the protrusion 102b of the pad supporter 102, and is inclined in a direction away from the convex portion 101b adjacent to the protrusion 102b.

[0078] In this embodiment, when the polishing tape PT is supported by the pad 100, the elastic pad member 105 has a first contact region CS1 that contacts the polishing tape PT, and the hard pad member 101 has a second contact region CS2 that contacts the polishing tape PT. When the polishing tape PT is pressed against the peripheral portion, the contact area of ​​the first contact region CS1 with the polishing tape PT is smaller than the contact area of ​​the second contact region CS2 with the polishing tape PT.

[0079] When the polishing head 1A presses the polishing tape PT against the peripheral portion, it elastically deforms the elastic pad member 105, bringing the polishing tape PT into close contact with the peripheral portion so as to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion. In this embodiment, when the polishing tape PT is pressed against the peripheral portion, the peripheral portion is pressed against the elastic pad member 105 via the polishing tape PT.

[0080] When the polishing head 1A is moved to a predetermined polishing position, the elastic pad member 105 placed on the inclined mounting surface 102c faces the peripheral portion with the polishing tape PT sandwiched therebetween. Therefore, by pressing the polishing tape PT against the peripheral portion, the peripheral portion is pressed against the entire elastic pad member 105 via the polishing tape PT.

[0081] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a curved portion formed on the elastic pad member. As shown in Fig. 13, the elastic pad member 105 may have an arc-shaped curved portion 105a that follows the contour of the wafer W. By forming the curved portion 105a, the polishing head 1 can press the peripheral portion of the wafer W against the entire elastic pad member 105 (more specifically, the curved portion 105a) over a wide range in the circumferential direction of the wafer W.

[0082] 14 is a diagram showing a pad according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, a pad 100 of a polishing head 1B is depicted. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the polishing head 1B may also have a configuration similar to that of the polishing head 1A according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B.

[0083] When the polishing head 1B presses the polishing tape PT against the peripheral portion, it elastically deforms the elastic pad member 105, bringing the polishing tape PT into close contact with the peripheral portion so as to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion. By pressing the polishing tape PT against the peripheral portion, the peripheral portion is pressed against the entire elastic pad member 105 via the polishing tape PT. Although not shown, in this embodiment as well, the elastic pad member 105 may have a curved portion 105a (see FIGS. 13A and 13B).

[0084] In this way, the polishing apparatus 256 polishes the entire peripheral portion in a short time. The wafer W polished by the polishing apparatus 256 is transferred to the bevel cleaning apparatus 260 by the transfer mechanism 270 (see FIG. 2). Hereinafter, in this specification, the bevel cleaning apparatus 260 may be simply referred to as the cleaning apparatus 260.

[0085] 15 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a bevel cleaning apparatus. As shown in Fig. 15, the cleaning apparatus 260 includes a plurality of roller holders (substrate holding units) 301 that support and rotate the wafer W, a roll cleaning member 302 that cleans the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer W, a supply nozzle 303 that supplies a cleaning liquid (e.g., a rinse liquid and a chemical liquid) to the top surface of the wafer W, and a supply nozzle 304 that supplies a cleaning liquid (e.g., a rinse liquid and a chemical liquid) to the bottom surface of the wafer W.

[0086] The roll cleaning member 302 includes an upper roll cleaning member 302A that cleans the upper surface of the wafer W and a lower roll cleaning member 302B that cleans the lower surface of the wafer W. In Fig. 15, only the upper roll cleaning member 302A is illustrated, and the lower roll cleaning member 302B is not illustrated. In this embodiment, the roll cleaning members 302A and 302B have the same configuration.

[0087] In one embodiment, although not shown, the cleaning device 260 may include a cleaning member such as a pencil-type cleaning member or a buff cleaning member having a buff pad, instead of the roll cleaning member 302 .

[0088] The cleaning device 260 includes a cleaning head 300A and a cleaning head 300B that support a cleaning tape CT for cleaning the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Hereinafter, the cleaning head 300A and the cleaning head 300B may be collectively referred to as the cleaning head 300.

[0089] Each of the cleaning heads 300A and 300B is a processing head that supports a cleaning tape CT as an example of a processing tape. The processing head is a general concept that includes the polishing head 1 and the cleaning head 300. The processing tape is a general concept that includes the polishing tape PT and the cleaning tape CT.

[0090] The cleaning head 300 includes a pad 100 having the same configuration as the pad 100 described with reference to Figures 3 to 14. Therefore, a detailed description of the pad 100 will be omitted.

[0091] When cleaning the peripheral edge of the wafer W, the control device 50 operates the pad driving device 5 to move the cleaning head 300 to a predetermined cleaning position. The cleaning head 300 is configured to press the cleaning tape CT, which is positioned in the space SP formed between the elastic pad member 105 and the hard pad member 101, against the peripheral edge of the wafer W while supporting the cleaning tape CT.

[0092] In this embodiment, cleaning head 300A is configured to clean at least the upper bevel region BR1. Cleaning head 300B is configured to clean at least the lower bevel region BR2. In one embodiment, cleaning head 300A may clean not only the upper bevel region BR1 but also a portion of the lower bevel region BR2. Similarly, cleaning head 300B may clean not only the lower bevel region BR2 but also a portion of the upper bevel region BR1.

[0093] According to this embodiment, the cleaning head 300A can expand the area of ​​the peripheral portion that can be cleaned (processed) with the cleaning tape CT. Therefore, the cleaning head 300A can press the cleaning tape CT against at least the entire upper bevel region BR1 without tilting itself.

[0094] Similarly, the cleaning head 300B can expand the area of ​​the peripheral portion that can be cleaned (processed) with the cleaning tape CT. Therefore, the cleaning head 300B can press the cleaning tape CT against at least the entire lower bevel region BR2 without tilting itself.

[0095] After the cleaning of the peripheral edge of the wafer W is completed, the wafer W is transferred to the drying device 265 by the transfer mechanism 270 (see FIG. 2 ) and dried by the drying device 265. Thereafter, the wafer W is accommodated in a wafer cassette on the load port 240 by the first transfer robot 245.

[0096] The above-described embodiments have been described for the purpose of enabling a person of ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications of the above-described embodiments would be obvious to a person skilled in the art, and the technical concept of the present invention may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is to be interpreted in the broadest scope in accordance with the technical concept defined by the claims.

[0097] The present invention can be used in a processing head, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing method.

[0098] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A, 1B Polishing head (processing head) 10 Tape supply mechanism 11 Reel base 12 Tape unwinding reel 13 Tape take-up reel 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 Guide roller 50 Control device 50a Storage device 50b Arithmetic device 100 Pad 101 Hard pad member 101a Base portion 101b Convex portion 102 Pad supporter 102a Base portion 102b Protrusion portion 102c Mounting surface 105 Elastic pad member 105a Curved portion 171 Hand 200 Stage (substrate holding portion) 201 Shaft 202 Stage driving device 203 Lower supply nozzle 204 Upper supply nozzle 240 Load port 245 First transport robot 248 Notch aligner 250 Notch aligner moving mechanism 256A, 256B Bevel polishing device (substrate processing device) 257 Second transfer robot 260 Bevel cleaning device (substrate processing device) 265 Drying device 300A, 300B Cleaning head (processing head) 301 Roller holder (substrate holding part) 302A Upper roll cleaning member 302B Lower roll cleaning member V Bevel part Ed1 Top edge part Ed2 Bottom edge part S Upper inclined part U Lower inclined part T Side part BR1 Upper bevel area BR2 Lower bevel area CL Center line SP Space CS1 First contact part CS2 Second contact part PT Polishing tape (processing tape) CT Cleaning tape (processing tape)

Claims

1. A processing head that supports a processing tape for processing a peripheral portion of a substrate, comprising: an elastically deformable elastic pad member; and a hard pad member that is made of a material harder than the elastic pad member and is positioned adjacent to the elastic pad member, wherein the processing head is configured to press the processing tape, positioned in the space formed between the elastic pad member and the hard pad member, against the peripheral portion while supporting the processing tape.

2. A processing head as described in claim 1, wherein when the processing head presses the processing tape against the peripheral portion, it elastically deforms the elastic pad member to tightly adhere the processing tape to the peripheral portion so as to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion.

3. A processing head as described in claim 1, wherein the elastic pad member has a first contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and the hard pad member has a second contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and when the processing tape is pressed against the peripheral portion, the contact area of ​​the first contact portion with the processing tape is smaller than the contact area of ​​the second contact portion with the processing tape.

4. The processing head according to claim 1, wherein the elastic pad member is disposed partially across the width of the processing head.

5. A processing head as described in claim 4, wherein the elastic pad member has an arc-shaped curved portion that follows the contour of the substrate, and the processing head presses the processing tape against the peripheral edge portion, thereby tightly adhering the peripheral edge portion to the curved portion.

6. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a peripheral portion of a substrate, comprising: a substrate holding section that rotates the substrate while supporting the substrate; and a first processing head and a second processing head that support a processing tape for processing the peripheral portion of the substrate, wherein each of the first processing head and the second processing head comprises: an elastically deformable elastic pad member; and a hard pad member that is made of a material harder than the elastic pad member and is arranged adjacent to the elastic pad member, and wherein each of the first processing head and the second processing head is configured, while supporting the processing tape, to press the processing tape, which is located in a space formed between the elastic pad member and the hard pad member, against the peripheral portion.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the peripheral portion has an area defined by an upper bevel area and a lower bevel area, the first processing head is configured to press the processing tape against the upper bevel area, and the second processing head is configured to press the processing tape against the lower bevel area.

8. A substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 6, wherein each of the first processing head and the second processing head, when pressing the processing tape against the peripheral portion, elastically deforms the elastic pad member to bring the processing tape into close contact with the peripheral portion so as to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion.

9. A substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 6, wherein the elastic pad member has a first contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and the hard pad member has a second contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and when the processing tape is pressed against the peripheral portion, the contact area of ​​the first contact portion with the processing tape is smaller than the contact area of ​​the second contact portion with the processing tape.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the elastic pad members are arranged partially across the width of the processing head.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the elastic pad member has an arc-shaped curved portion that follows the contour of the substrate, and the processing head presses the processing tape against the peripheral portion, thereby tightly adhering the peripheral portion to the curved portion.

12. A substrate processing method for processing a peripheral edge of a substrate, comprising: rotating the substrate while supporting it; and, with a processing tape for processing the peripheral edge supported by first and second processing heads each comprising an elastically deformable elastic pad member and a hard pad member made of a material harder than the elastic pad member and positioned adjacent to the elastic pad member, pressing the processing tape, located in a space formed between the elastic pad member and the hard pad member, against the peripheral edge.

13. The substrate processing method according to claim 12, wherein the peripheral edge portion has an area partitioned into an upper bevel area and a lower bevel area, and wherein the first processing head presses the processing tape against the upper bevel area, and the second processing head presses the processing tape against the lower bevel area.

14. The substrate processing method of claim 12, wherein when the processing tape is pressed against the peripheral edge portion by each of the first processing head and the second processing head, the elastic pad member is elastically deformed to bring the processing tape into close contact with the peripheral edge portion so as to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral edge portion.

15. A substrate processing method as described in claim 12, wherein the elastic pad member has a first contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and the hard pad member has a second contact portion that contacts the processing tape, and when the processing tape is pressed against the peripheral portion, the contact area of ​​the first contact portion with the processing tape is smaller than the contact area of ​​the second contact portion with the processing tape.

16. The substrate processing method according to claim 12, wherein the elastic pad member is disposed partially across the width of the processing head.

17. A substrate processing method as described in claim 16, wherein the elastic pad member has an arc-shaped curved portion that follows the contour of the substrate, and the processing tape is pressed against the peripheral edge portion, thereby causing the peripheral edge portion to adhere tightly to the curved portion.

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