JP7653288B2 - Processing Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a processing device equipped with a cleaning unit.

There is known a processing device that includes a processing unit that holds various plate-shaped workpieces such as semiconductor device wafers, resin package substrates, and ceramic substrates on a chuck table and performs cutting, grinding, etc., and a transport unit that transports the workpieces before or after processing (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-226521 JP 2008-183659 A

Because there is a risk that machining debris that adheres to the chuck table during processing may adhere to or damage the next workpiece to be sucked in, once the processed workpiece is removed, a process is carried out to remove the machining debris, etc., that has adhered to the chuck table using cleaning water or air blowing. However, there are cases where the machining debris cannot be removed simply by supplying liquid such as cleaning water or blowing air.

In addition, if there is machining debris or the like attached to the transport pad that transports the workpiece, there is a risk that the next workpiece to be sucked in may be damaged or contaminated by the machining debris or the like. Since the transport pad cannot always be cleaned with liquid, it is dealt with with an air blower, but there are also cases where the debris cannot be removed.

The object of the present invention is to provide a processing device that can remove processing debris that cannot be removed by supplying liquid or blowing air.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the processing apparatus of the present invention is a processing apparatus for processing a workpiece, and comprises a chuck table for holding the workpiece, a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the chuck table, a transport unit for suction-holding and transporting the workpiece with a transport pad, and a cleaning unit for cleaning the chuck table or the transport pad with a brush, and the cleaning unit is characterized in having a unit body, the brush, a brush holding portion which allows the brush to vibrate freely relative to the unit body within a predetermined amplitude and which urges the brush toward the unit body, a piezoelectric element having a base end attached to the unit body and a tip end attached to the brush for vibrating the brush, and a control portion which controls the vibration of the piezoelectric element.

In the processing device, the cleaning unit may further include a fluid supply unit that supplies liquid or gas to the brush or the object to be cleaned.

In the processing device, the cleaning unit may be equipped with a wiper section that wipes off any residue remaining on the surface of the object cleaned by the brush.

The present invention has the effect of making it possible to remove processing debris and the like that cannot be removed by supplying liquid or blowing air.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the configuration of a processing device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view, partially in section, showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning unit of the processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view diagrammatically illustrating a state in which the cleaning unit shown in FIG. 2 cleans the transport pad of the transport unit. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a schematic state in which the wiper portion of the cleaning unit shown in FIG. 2 wipes off residue remaining on the transport pad. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the configuration of a processing device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a schematic state in which the cleaning unit of the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 cleans the holding surface of the chuck table. FIG. 7 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a main part of a processing device according to a modified example of the embodiment.

The following describes in detail the form (embodiment) for carrying out the present invention with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiment. The components described below include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described below can be combined as appropriate. Various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configuration can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[Embodiment 1]
A processing apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a front view, partially in cross section, showing the configuration of a cleaning unit of the processing apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the cleaning unit shown in Fig. 2 cleans the transport pad of the transport unit. Fig. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the wiper part of the cleaning unit shown in Fig. 2 wipes off residue remaining on the transport pad.

(Processing equipment)
In the first embodiment, the processing apparatus 1 is a grinding apparatus that grinds (corresponding to processing) a workpiece 200. The workpiece 200 to be processed by the processing apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a wafer such as a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer, whose base material is silicon, sapphire, gallium, or the like. The workpiece 200 has devices 203 formed in each region partitioned by planned division lines 202 formed in a lattice pattern on a surface 201 of the base material.

The device 203 is, for example, an integrated circuit such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) or an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), or a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems).

In the first embodiment, the workpiece 200 has a protective tape 205 attached to its front surface 201, and the back surface 204 behind the front surface 201 is ground by the processing device 1 to thin the workpiece to a predetermined finishing thickness, and then the workpiece is divided into individual devices 203 along the planned division lines 202. In the present invention, the workpiece 200 is not limited to a wafer, and may be a rectangular package substrate having multiple devices sealed with resin, a ceramic substrate, a glass substrate, a ferrite substrate, or a substrate containing at least one of nickel and iron.

The processing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a grinding device that holds the surface 201 of the workpiece 200 on a chuck table 41 via a protective tape 205, grinds the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200, and thins the workpiece 200 to a predetermined finishing thickness. As shown in FIG. 1, the processing device 1 includes a device main body 2, a rough grinding unit 10, a finish grinding unit 20, a grinding feed unit 30, a turntable 40, multiple chuck tables 41 (three in embodiment 1) installed on the turntable 40, a cassette 50, an alignment unit 51, a transport unit 60, a workpiece cleaning unit 52, and a cleaning unit 70.

The turntable 40 is a disk-shaped table provided on the upper surface of the device body 2, and is rotatable around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction, which is parallel to the vertical direction in a horizontal plane, and is rotated at a predetermined timing. On this turntable 40, for example, three chuck tables 41 are arranged at equal intervals, for example at a phase angle of 120 degrees.

These three chuck tables 41 suction-hold the workpiece 200 on a holding surface 42 made of porous ceramics. The holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 is connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown), the workpiece 200 is placed on the holding surface 42 via a protective tape 205, and the holding surface 42 is sucked by the vacuum suction source, thereby suction-holding the workpiece 200 on the holding surface 42.

The holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 is connected to a fluid supply source (not shown). When a fluid consisting of at least one of gas and liquid is supplied from the fluid supply source, the chuck table 41 ejects the fluid from the holding surface 42. The holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 is connected to either a vacuum suction source or a fluid supply source by a valve (not shown) or the holding surface 42 is disconnected from both the vacuum suction source and the fluid supply source.

The chuck tables 41 are configured so that the base 43 can rotate about an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the holding surface 42. During grinding, the chuck table 41 is rotated around the axis in a horizontal plane by a rotation drive mechanism (not shown). By the rotation of the turntable 40, the chuck table 41 is moved sequentially to the loading/unloading area 301, the rough grinding area 302, the finish grinding area 303, and the loading/unloading area 301.

The loading/unloading area 301 is an area where the workpiece 200 is loaded and unloaded onto the chuck table 41, the rough grinding area 302 is an area where the rough grinding unit 10 performs rough grinding (corresponding to grinding) of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41, and the finish grinding area 303 is an area where the finish grinding unit 20 performs finish grinding (corresponding to grinding) of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41.

The rough grinding unit 10 is a processing unit in which a grinding wheel 12 (corresponding to a grinding tool) for rough grinding, which has grinding stones 11 for rough grinding arranged in a ring shape for roughly grinding the back surface 204 exposed above the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41, is attached to the lower end of the spindle, and roughly grinds the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 held on the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 in the rough grinding area 302. The finish grinding unit 20 is a processing unit in which a grinding wheel 22 for finish grinding (corresponding to a grinding tool) for finish grinding, which has grinding stones 21 for finish grinding arranged in a ring shape for finish grinding the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41, is attached to the lower end of the spindle, and finish grinds the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 held on the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 in the finish grinding area 303.

In the grinding units 10 and 20, the grinding wheels 12 and 22 are rotated around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction by the motors 13 and 23, and grinding water is supplied to the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41 in the grinding areas 302 and 303 while the grinding feed unit 30 moves the grinding wheels 11 and 21 closer to the chuck table 41 at a predetermined feed speed, thereby roughly grinding or finish grinding the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200.

The grinding feed unit 30 moves the grinding units 10, 20 in the Z-axis direction to move the grinding units 10, 20 away from and towards the chuck table 41. In the first embodiment, the grinding feed unit 30 is mounted on an erected column 3 erected from one end of the device body 2 in the Y-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction. The grinding feed unit 30 includes a well-known ball screw that is rotatable about its axis, a well-known motor that rotates the ball screw about its axis, and a well-known guide rail that supports the spindle housing of each grinding unit 10, 20 so that it can move in the Z-axis direction.

In the first embodiment, the rough grinding unit 10 and the finish grinding unit 20 are arranged so that the axis of rotation of the grinding wheels 12, 22 and the axis of rotation of the chuck table 41 are parallel to each other with a horizontal gap between them, and the grinding wheels 11, 21 pass over the center of the back surface 204 of the workpiece 200 held on the chuck table 41.

The cassette 50 has a plurality of slots and is a container for accommodating a plurality of workpieces 200. The cassette 50 accommodates a plurality of workpieces 200 before and after grinding. In the first embodiment, a pair of cassettes 50 is provided, each of which is installed on a cassette installation table 53. The cassette installation table 53 raises and lowers the cassette 50 in the Z-axis direction. In the first embodiment, the pair of cassette installation tables 53 are disposed at one end of the device body 2 in the Y-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction, and are arranged along the X-axis direction parallel to the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. The alignment unit 51 is a table on which the workpiece 200 removed from the cassette 50 is temporarily placed and its center alignment is performed. The workpiece cleaning unit 52 cleans the workpiece 200 after grinding and removes contamination such as grinding chips (corresponding to processing chips) adhering to the ground back surface 204.

The transport unit 60 includes a first transport unit 61, a second transport unit 62, and a third transport unit 63. The first transport unit 61 and the second transport unit 62 transport the workpiece 200 by suction and holding it on a disk-shaped transport pad 64. The first transport unit 61 suction-holds the workpiece 200 before grinding, which has been aligned by the alignment unit 51, on the transport pad 64 and transports it onto the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in/out area 301. The second transport unit 62 suction-holds the workpiece 200 after grinding on the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in/out area 301 on the transport pad 64 and transports the workpiece 200 to the workpiece cleaning unit 52.

The third transport unit 63 is a robot pick equipped with a plate-like transport pad 65 having a U-shaped planar shape, and transports the workpiece 200 by suction-holding it on the U-shaped transport pad 65. The third transport unit 63 removes the workpiece 200 before grinding from the cassette 50 and transports the workpiece 200 before grinding to the alignment unit 51, and removes the workpiece 200 after grinding from the workpiece cleaning unit 52 and transports it to the cassette 50.

In the first embodiment, the cleaning unit 70 cleans the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63 with a brush 71. That is, in the first embodiment, the object to be cleaned by the cleaning unit 70 is the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63. As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, the cleaning unit 70 includes a unit body 72, a brush 71, a brush holder 73, a vibration actuator 74, a fluid supply unit 75, a wiper unit 76, and a control unit 100.

The unit body 72 is made of a metal such as stainless steel and is formed in a thick, flat plate shape. The unit body 72 is installed on the device body 2. In the first embodiment, the unit body 72, i.e., the cleaning unit 70, is disposed between the cassette installation table 53 on which one cassette 50 of the device body 2 is installed and the workpiece cleaning unit 52, and next to the third transport unit 63.

The brush 71 includes a plurality of fibers 711 and a base 712 supporting the plurality of fibers 711. The fibers 711 extend linearly and are arranged parallel to one another. The longitudinal direction of the plurality of fibers 711 is arranged parallel to the Z-axis direction. In the first embodiment, the fibers 711 are made of resin. Specific examples of the resin that makes up the fibers include PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), ETFE (copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and ethylene), PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), and PU (polyurethane).

PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and ETFE (a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and ethylene) are desirable because they are less susceptible to contamination and have high chemical resistance, and therefore are less likely to react with the fibers 711 when chemical solutions are used for cleaning or when the object to be cleaned has chemical solutions attached to it. PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene) are less susceptible to contamination and have medium chemical resistance, but are inexpensive, and therefore are desirable when strong chemical solutions are not used or when cost is a priority. PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) and PU (polyurethane) are also desirable because they have low surface free energy and foreign matter is less likely to adhere to them.

The base 712 is made of a metal such as stainless steel, and is formed in a strip shape that extends linearly parallel to the horizontal direction. The base 712 supports the base ends of multiple fibers 711 over the entire surface. The overall length of the base 712, i.e., the brush 71, is longer than the width of the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63. The width of the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63 is the dimension of the transport pad 65 in the Y-axis direction, which is the direction in which the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63 moves when inserting or removing the workpiece 200 from the cassette 50. The Y-axis direction is perpendicular to the X-axis direction and parallel to the horizontal direction. In the first embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the base 712, i.e., the brush 71, is parallel to the Y-axis direction.

The brush holder 73 holds the brush 71 so that it can vibrate freely. In the first embodiment, the brush holder 73 supports the brush 71 so that it can vibrate freely in the Z-axis direction relative to the unit body 72, i.e., the device body 2. Note that the unit body 72 being able to vibrate freely in the Z-axis direction means that the unit body 72 is able to move back and forth in the Z-axis direction within a predetermined amplitude.

In the first embodiment, the brush holder 73 includes a through hole 731 provided in the base 712 of the brush 71, a support 732 installed in the unit body 72, and a spring 733 serving as a biasing means. The through hole 731 is a hole that passes through the base 712 of the brush 71 along the thickness direction of the base 712. In the first embodiment, the through hole 731 is provided at least at both ends of the base 712 in the longitudinal direction.

The support 732 is formed in a columnar shape erected along the Z-axis direction from the unit body 72 installed on the device body 2. The support 732 is installed on the unit body 72 and has a columnar thick part 734 whose planar shape is larger than that of the through hole 731, and a columnar fine part 735 whose planar shape is smaller than that of the through hole 731. The support 732 supports the base 712 of the brush 71 at the step 736 between the thick part 734 and the fine part 735 by installing the thick part 734 on the unit body 72 and inserting the fine part 735 into the through hole 731. At this time, since the planar shape of the fine part 735 is smaller than that of the through hole 731, the fine part 735 of the support 732 is loosely inserted into the through hole 731, and the brush 71 is free to vibrate relative to the unit body 72 within the predetermined amplitude described above.

In addition, while supporting the base 712 of the brush 71, the support 732 has a flat flange portion 737 attached to the tip of the fine portion 735, the planar shape of which is larger than the planar shape of the through hole 731. The spring 733 is a coil spring with the fine portion 735 passing through it, and is disposed in the through hole 731 between the fine portion 735 of the support 732 and the flange portion 737, and biases the base 712, i.e., the brush 71, toward the step 736, i.e., the unit main body 72. The brush holder 73 has the fine portion 735 passing through the through hole 731, supports the base 712 at the step, and the spring 733 biases the base 712 toward the step 736, thereby supporting the brush 71 so that it can vibrate freely in the Z-axis direction relative to the unit main body 72, i.e., the device main body 2.

The vibration actuator 74 vibrates the brush 71. In the first embodiment, the vibration actuator 74 vibrates the brush 71 in the Z-axis direction. The vibration actuator 74 is formed in a column shape with a base end attached to the unit body 72 and a tip end attached to the base 712 of the brush 71.

In the first embodiment, the vibration actuator 74 is a laminated actuator in which piezoelectric elements 741 and electrodes 742 that apply power from a power source (not shown) to the piezoelectric elements 741 are alternately laminated in the Z-axis direction. That is, the vibration actuator 74, i.e., the processing device 1, includes a piezoelectric element 741 that vibrates the brush 71. Note that Figs. 2, 3, and 4 show only one piezoelectric element 741 and a pair of electrodes 742 laminated on this piezoelectric element 741, and the other piezoelectric elements 741 and electrodes 742 are omitted. In the first embodiment, when power is applied to the piezoelectric element 741 from a power source (not shown), the vibration actuator 74 expands and contracts in the Z-axis direction with an amplitude of 3 μm or more and 50 μm or less at a frequency of 500 Hz or more and 10 kHz or less, and vibrates the brush 71 in the Z-axis direction.

The fluid supply unit 75 supplies a fluid 751 (shown in FIG. 3) consisting of at least one of liquid and gas to the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, which is the object to be cleaned. When it is required that no liquid adheres to the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, which is the object to be cleaned, the fluid supply unit 75 supplies a fluid 751 consisting only of gas to the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, which is the object to be cleaned.

The fluid supply unit 75 is supplied with fluid 751 from a fluid supply source (not shown), and includes a supply nozzle 752 formed in a strip shape extending in a straight line parallel to the horizontal direction. The supply nozzle 752 is attached to the unit body 72 and is disposed next to and parallel to the brush 71. The supply nozzle 752 is provided with a slit 753, which is an outlet for ejecting the fluid 751, on the tip surface away from the unit body 72, and the tip surface is disposed below the tip of the fiber 711 of the brush 71. The total length of the slit 753 is longer than the width of the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63. In the first embodiment, the fluid supply unit 75 supplies the fluid 751 from the fluid supply source through the slit 753 of the supply nozzle 752 to the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, which is the object to be cleaned. However, in the present invention, the fluid 751 from the fluid supply source may be supplied to the brush 71.

The wiper section 76 comes into contact with the surface of the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, which is the object to be cleaned after being cleaned by the brush 71, and wipes off any residue remaining on the surface of the transport pad 65. The residue includes at least one of the grinding fluid supplied when the grinding units 10 and 20 grind the workpiece 200, the processing chips generated when the grinding units 10 and 20 grind the workpiece 200, and the fluid 751 supplied by the fluid supply unit 75.

The wiper section 76 is formed in a strip shape that extends in a straight line parallel to the horizontal direction, is attached to the unit body 72, and is disposed next to the fluid supply unit 75 and parallel to the brush 71 and the fluid supply unit 75. The wiper section 76 is moved by a drive mechanism (not shown) between a wiping position (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 3) where the tip of the wiper section 76 on the side away from the unit body 72 is on the same plane as the tip of the fibers 711 of the brush 71, and a retracted position (shown by a solid line in FIG. 3) where the tip of the wiper section 76 is lower than the tip of the fibers 711 of the brush 71. The overall length of the wiper section 76 is longer than the width of the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63.

The control unit 100 controls the power supply that applies power to the piezoelectric element 741 of the vibration actuator 74, and controls the vibration of the piezoelectric element 741 of the vibration actuator 74. The control unit 100 also controls each of the above-mentioned components that make up the processing device 1. In other words, the control unit 100 causes the processing device 1 to execute a processing operation on the workpiece 200. The control unit 100 is a computer that has an arithmetic processing device having a microprocessor such as a CPU (central processing unit), a storage device having a memory such as a ROM (read only memory) or a RAM (random access memory), and an input/output interface device.

The arithmetic processing device of the control unit 100 performs arithmetic processing according to a computer program stored in the storage device, and outputs control signals for controlling the processing device 1 to the above-mentioned components of the processing device 1 via the input/output interface device. The control unit 100 is also connected to a display unit composed of a liquid crystal display device or the like that displays the status and images of the processing operation, an input unit that the operator uses to register processing content information, and a notification unit that notifies the operator. The input unit is composed of at least one of a touch panel provided on the display unit and a keyboard, etc. The notification unit notifies the operator by emitting at least one of sound, light, and a message on the touch panel.

Next, the processing operation of the processing device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. In the processing device 1, the processing conditions are registered in the control unit 100 by the operator, and the cassette 50 containing the workpiece 200 to which the pre-grinding protective tape 205 is attached is placed on the cassette placement table 53. When the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 receives an instruction to start the processing operation from the operator, it starts the processing operation.

In the processing operation, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 causes the third transport unit 63 to remove the workpiece 200 from the cassette 50 and transport it to the alignment unit 51. The control unit 100 causes the alignment unit 51 to align the center of the workpiece 200, and transports the front surface 201 side of the workpiece 200 aligned to the first transport unit 61 onto the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 located in the loading/unloading area 301.

The control unit 100 of the processing device 1 suction-holds the front surface 201 side of the workpiece 200 on the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 in the carry-in/out area 301 via the protective tape 205, exposes the back surface 204, and transports the workpiece 200 to the rough grinding area 302, the finish grinding area 303, and the carry-in/out area 301 in that order, and performs rough grinding and finish grinding in that order. Note that the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 transports the ground workpiece 200 from the chuck table 41 in the carry-in/out area 301 to the workpiece cleaning unit 52 and transports the workpiece 200 before grinding to the chuck table 41 in the carry-in/out area 301 every time the turntable 40 rotates 120 degrees.

The control unit 100 of the processing device 1 transports the ground workpiece 200 to the workpiece cleaning unit 52 using the second transport unit 62, cleans it in the workpiece cleaning unit 52, and transports the cleaned workpiece 200 to the cassette 50 using the U-shaped transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63. When all the workpieces 200 in the cassette 50 have been ground, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 ends the processing operation. During grinding of the workpieces 200, the processing device 1 positions the wiper unit 76 of the cleaning unit 70 in the retracted position. In addition, the processing device 1 generates processing chips during rough grinding and finish grinding, and some of the processing chips generated during the processing operation may adhere to the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 and the transport pads 64 and 65 of the transport units 61, 62, and 63.

Next, a cleaning operation for cleaning the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63 of the cleaning unit 70 of the processing device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. When the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 determines that it is a predetermined timing, the processing device 1 starts the cleaning operation for cleaning the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63.

The predetermined timing is any timing for cleaning the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, such as before the third transport unit 63 transports all of the workpieces 200 cleaned by the workpiece cleaning unit 52 during a processing operation, before the third transport unit 63 transports a predetermined number of workpieces 200 cleaned by the workpiece cleaning unit 52, after the cleaned workpieces 200 are loaded into the cassette 50 after the processing operation is completed, or when an instruction to start the cleaning operation of the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 is received from the operator via an input unit or the like.

In the cleaning operation, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 ejects the fluid 751 from the slit 753 of the supply nozzle 752 of the fluid supply unit 75, and vibrates the brush 71 in the Z-axis direction with the frequency and amplitude described above using the vibration actuator 74. As shown in FIG. 3, the conveying pad 65 of the third conveying unit 63 is moved back and forth a predetermined number of times in the X-axis direction, which is parallel to the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the Y-axis direction, so that the conveying pad 65 of the third conveying unit 63 comes into contact with the tip of the fiber 711 of the brush 71 over its entire length in the X-axis direction. Then, the tip of the fiber 711 of the brush 71 intermittently comes into contact with the conveying pad 65 that moves back and forth in the X-axis direction, and the fiber 711 that intermittently comes into contact with the conveying pad 65 as the conveying pad 65 moves removes processing debris and the like that has adhered to the conveying pad 65.

In the cleaning operation, the processing device 1 moves the transport pad 65 back and forth a predetermined number of times, then stops the ejection of the fluid 751 from the slit 753 of the supply nozzle 752 of the fluid supply unit 75 when the transport pad 65 is at the position farthest from the other cassette 50, positions the wiper portion 76 at the wiping position, and moves the transport pad 65 along the X-axis direction toward the other cassette 50 as shown in FIG. 4. Then, the transport pad 65 comes into contact with the tip of the wiper portion 76 positioned at the wiping position, and as the transport pad 65 moves, residue is removed from the surface of the transport pad 65.

In the first embodiment, the cleaning unit 70 cleans the transport pad 65 of the third transport unit 63, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the cleaning unit 70 may clean the transport pad 64 of the second transport unit 62. That is, in the first embodiment, the object to be cleaned by the cleaning unit 70 may be the transport pad 64 of the second transport unit 62.

As described above, the processing device 1 according to the first embodiment brings the fibers 711 of the brush 71, which are vibrated at the frequency and amplitude described above by the piezoelectric element 741 of the vibration actuator 74, into contact with the transport pad 65. As a result, the processing device 1 according to the first embodiment has the effect of being able to reliably remove processing debris and the like that cannot be removed by supplying liquid to the transport pad 65 or by air blowing pressurized gas.

In addition, the processing device 1 according to the first embodiment supplies the fluid 751 from the fluid supply unit 75 to the transport pad 65, thereby increasing the cleaning power, and by bringing the transport pad 65 into contact with the wiper portion 76 or the like after cleaning, it is possible to obtain the effect of leaving no residue after cleaning.

In addition, in the processing device 1 according to the first embodiment, the vibration actuator 74 is a stacked actuator configured by stacking multiple piezoelectric elements 741, so that the small-sized vibration actuator 74 can vibrate the brush 71 with a large amplitude.

[Embodiment 2]
A processing apparatus 1 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. Fig. 6 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a state in which a cleaning unit of the processing apparatus shown in Fig. 5 cleans the holding surface of the chuck table. In Figs. 5 and 6, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The cleaning unit 70-2 according to the second embodiment cleans the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41. That is, in the second embodiment, the object to be cleaned by the cleaning unit 70-1 is the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41. As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning unit 70-2 according to the second embodiment includes a unit body 72, a brush 71, a brush holding part 73 (shown in FIG. 6), a vibration actuator 74 (shown in FIG. 6), a fluid supply unit 75, and a wiper part 76, which are installed above the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in/out area 301. In the cleaning unit 70-2 according to the second embodiment, in the first embodiment, the tip of the fiber 711 facing upward, the tip surface of the supply nozzle 752, and the tip of the wiper part 76 on the side away from the unit body 72 face downward, that is, the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in/out area 301.

That is, in the cleaning unit 70-2 according to the second embodiment, the unit body 72, brush 71, brush holder 73, vibration actuator 74, fluid supply unit 75, and wiper unit 76 are arranged in the opposite up-down direction to the cleaning unit 70 according to the first embodiment. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning unit 70-2 according to the second embodiment includes a brush moving unit 77 that moves the unit body 72 up and down along the Z-axis direction and moves along the X-axis direction.

The brush moving unit 77 raises and lowers the unit body 72 between the cleaning position shown in FIG. 6 where the tips of the fibers 711 of the brush 71 contact the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 and the base 712 contacts the step 736, and a retracted position where the brush 71 and the like are retracted from the chuck table 41. In the second embodiment, the brush moving unit 77 moves the brush 71, i.e., the unit body 72, along the X-axis direction at the cleaning position. In the first embodiment, the brush moving unit 77 brings the tips of the fibers 711 of the brush 71, the wiper portion 76, into contact with the entire holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 when moving the unit body 72 along the X-axis direction.

In the second embodiment, the brush moving unit 77 positions the brush 71, i.e., the unit body 72, in the aforementioned retracted position while the workpiece 200 is being ground. The brush moving unit 77 includes a well-known ball screw, a well-known motor, a well-known guide rail, and the like.

Next, a cleaning operation for cleaning the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 of the cleaning unit 70-2 of the processing device 1 according to the second embodiment will be described. When the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 determines that it is a predetermined timing, the processing device 1 starts the cleaning operation for the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41.

In the second embodiment, the predetermined timing refers to any timing for cleaning the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41, such as before each workpiece 200 before grinding is loaded onto the chuck table 41 located in the load/unload area 301 during a machining operation, before a predetermined number of workpieces 200 before grinding are loaded onto the chuck table 41 located in the load/unload area 301, after each workpiece 200 after grinding is unloaded from the chuck table 41 located in the load/unload area 301 after the machining operation is completed, or when an instruction to start the cleaning operation of the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 is received from an operator via an input unit or the like.

In the cleaning operation, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 ejects the fluid 751 from the slit 753 of the supply nozzle 752 of the fluid supply unit 75, and vibrates the brush 71 in the Z-axis direction with the frequency and amplitude described above with the vibration actuator 74, while the brush moving unit 77 lowers the unit body 72 to the cleaning position, and as shown in FIG. 6, the tip of the fiber 711 of the brush 71 contacts the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 located in the carry-in/out area 301. In the cleaning operation, the processing device 1 moves the unit body 72, i.e., the brush 71, back and forth in the X-axis direction a predetermined number of times with the brush moving unit 77, and rotates the chuck table 41 positioned in the carry-in/out area 301 around its axis to bring the tip of the fiber 711 of the brush 71 into contact with the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 over the entire length in the X-axis direction. Then, the tips of the fibers 711 of the brush 71, which move relative to the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41, come into intermittent contact with the holding surface 42, and the fibers 711, which intermittently come into contact with the holding surface 42 as the chuck table 41 and the brush 71 move relative to each other, remove processing debris and the like that has adhered to the holding surface 42.

In the cleaning operation, the processing device 1 moves the unit body 72, i.e., the brush 71 back and forth a predetermined number of times, then stops the ejection of the fluid 751 from the slit 753 of the supply nozzle 752 of the fluid supply unit 75 and stops the rotation of the chuck table 41. In the cleaning operation, the processing device 1 positions the wiper portion 76 at the wiping position and moves the unit body 72, i.e., the wiper portion 76 along the X-axis direction so that the tip of the wiper portion 76 contacts the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 from one end to the other in the X-axis direction in sequence. Then, the tip of the wiper portion 76 positioned at the wiping position contacts the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41, and as the wiper portion 76 moves, residue is removed from the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41.

The processing device 1 according to the second embodiment brings the fibers 711 of the brush 71, which are vibrated at the frequency and amplitude described above by the piezoelectric element 741 of the vibration actuator 74, into contact with the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41. As a result, the processing device 1 according to the second embodiment has the effect of being able to reliably remove processing debris and the like that cannot be removed by supplying liquid to the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41 or by air blowing by blowing pressurized gas onto the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41.

In addition, in the processing device 1 according to the second embodiment, when the unit body 72, i.e., the brush 71, is moved back and forth in the X-axis direction a predetermined number of times while vibrating the brush 71 at the frequency and amplitude described above by the piezoelectric element 741 of the vibration actuator 74, a fluid may be supplied from a fluid supply source to the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41, and the fluid may be sprayed from the holding surface 42.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In other words, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. In the embodiment, the processing device 1 has grinding wheels 12, 22 attached to the lower ends of the spindles of the grinding units 10, 20, but in the present invention, a polishing tool having a polishing pad for polishing the workpiece 200 may be attached to the lower ends of the spindles of the grinding units 10, 20.

In the present invention, when a polishing tool is attached to the lower end of the spindle of the grinding unit 10, 20, the processing device 1 may polish the workpiece 200 while supplying a polishing liquid, may polish the workpiece 200 without supplying a polishing liquid (so-called dry polishing), or may polish the workpiece 200 while supplying a polishing liquid having a chemical action (so-called chemical mechanical polishing).

In the present invention, the processing device 1-1 may be a cutting device that cuts the workpiece 200, as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a partial cross section of the main part of the processing device according to a modified embodiment, and the same parts as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and will not be described. The processing device 1-1 shown in FIG. 7 holds the back surface 204 side of the workpiece 200 by suction on the holding surface 42 of the chuck table 41, and cuts the workpiece 200 by cutting the cutting edge 82 of the cutting blade 81 of the cutting unit 80, which is a processing unit, into the workpiece 200 held by suction on the chuck table 41 to form a cutting groove 206.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the vibration actuator 74 of the processing device 1 is a stacked actuator configured by stacking multiple piezoelectric elements 741, but in the present invention, the vibration actuator 74 may be one that includes only one piezoelectric element 741.

1, 1-1 Processing device 10 Rough grinding unit (processing unit)
20 Finish grinding unit (processing unit)
41 Chuck table 42 Holding surface (object to be cleaned)
62 Second conveying unit (conveying unit)
63 Third transport unit (transport unit)
64 Transport pad (object to be cleaned)
65 Transport pad (object to be cleaned)
70, 70-2 cleaning unit 71 brush 73 brush holder 75 fluid supply unit 76 wiper unit 80 cutting unit (machining unit)
100 Control unit 200 Workpiece 741 Piezoelectric element

Claims (3)

A processing device for processing a workpiece, comprising:
a chuck table for holding a workpiece, a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the chuck table, a transport unit for suction-holding and transporting the workpiece with a transport pad, and a cleaning unit for cleaning the chuck table or the transport pad with a brush;
The cleaning unit comprises:
A processing device having a unit body, a brush, a brush holding part which allows the brush to vibrate freely within a predetermined amplitude relative to the unit body and which urges the brush toward the unit body, a piezoelectric element having a base end attached to the unit body and a tip end attached to the brush and which vibrates the brush, and a control part which controls the vibration of the piezoelectric element. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit further comprises a fluid supply unit that supplies liquid or gas to the brush or the object to be cleaned. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit is provided with a wiper section that wipes off any residue remaining on the surface of the object cleaned by the brush.

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