JP7690356B2 - Grinding Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a grinding device for grinding a workpiece.

The device chip manufacturing process uses a wafer on which devices are formed in multiple areas partitioned by multiple intersecting streets (planned division lines). By dividing this wafer along the streets, multiple device chips, each equipped with a device, are obtained. The device chips are incorporated into various electronic devices such as mobile phones and personal computers.

In recent years, with the miniaturization of electronic devices, there is a demand for thinner device chips. To address this, a process is sometimes carried out in which the wafer before division is ground with a grinding device to thin it. The grinding device is equipped with a chuck table including a holding surface for holding the workpiece, and a grinding unit for grinding the workpiece. The grinding unit is equipped with a spindle, and a grinding wheel including multiple grinding stones is attached to the tip of the spindle.

When grinding a workpiece such as a wafer using a grinding device, the relative positions of the chuck table and grinding unit are adjusted so that the center of the workpiece held by the chuck table overlaps with the trajectory of the grinding wheel. Then, while rotating the chuck table and grinding wheel, the grinding wheel is lowered in the processing feed direction (vertical direction) parallel to the rotation axis of the spindle. This causes the bottom surface of the grinding wheel to come into contact with the top surface of the workpiece, grinding it. This type of grinding method is called in-feed grinding.

On the other hand, a grinding method called creep feed grinding is sometimes used to grind workpieces. In creep feed grinding, the grinding wheel is positioned outside the workpiece, and the positional relationship between the chuck table and the grinding unit is adjusted so that the bottom surface of the grinding wheel is positioned lower than the top surface of the workpiece. Then, while rotating the grinding wheel, the chuck table is moved along the processing feed direction (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the rotation axis of the spindle. This causes the side of the grinding wheel to come into contact with the top surface of the workpiece, grinding the workpiece (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-28550 A

When grinding a workpiece with a grinding device, a liquid (grinding fluid) such as pure water is supplied to the area (processing area) where the workpiece and grinding wheel come into contact. For example, in creep feed grinding, the side of the grinding wheel facing the outside of the grinding wheel comes into contact with the workpiece, so grinding fluid is supplied from the outside of the grinding wheel toward the processing area. This cools the workpiece and grinding wheel, and washes away any debris (processing debris) generated by the grinding process.

However, when the workpiece is being ground, the grinding wheel rotates at high speed, and any grinding fluid that comes into contact with the grinding wheel is repelled toward the outside of the grinding wheel. As a result, most of the grinding fluid supplied toward the processing area scatters before reaching the processing area. This results in a shortage of grinding fluid that contributes to cooling the workpiece and the grinding wheel and removing processing debris, making processing defects more likely to occur. On the other hand, if the amount of grinding fluid supplied is set so that sufficient grinding fluid is supplied to the processing area even if the grinding fluid scatters, a large amount of grinding fluid will be consumed in the grinding process, increasing costs.

The present invention was made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a grinding device that can reduce the consumption of grinding fluid while suppressing the occurrence of processing defects.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a grinding apparatus for grinding a workpiece, comprising: a chuck table having a holding surface for holding the workpiece; a grinding unit having a spindle having a grinding wheel including a grinding stone attached to its tip; a moving mechanism for relatively moving the chuck table and the grinding unit along a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the spindle; a grinding fluid supply unit for supplying grinding fluid from the outside of the grinding wheel to a processing area where the workpiece and the grinding stone contact each other; a first fluid supply unit for supplying a first fluid that prevents the grinding fluid from splashing and contacting the grinding wheel as it rotates, flowing through a plurality of band-shaped areas located outside the grinding wheel and intersecting the holding surface; and a second fluid supply unit for supplying a second fluid for capturing the grinding fluid that contacts the rotating grinding wheel and passes between the aforesaid areas .

Preferably, the second fluid supply unit is disposed below the grinding fluid supply unit and in front of the first fluid supply unit , and the plurality of regions are preferably arranged along the outer periphery of the grinding wheel so as to be spaced apart from each other.

Also, preferably, the first fluid supply unit supplies a gas as the first fluid. Also, preferably, the first fluid supply unit supplies a liquid as the first fluid. Also, preferably, the liquid is the same as the grinding fluid. Also, preferably, the grinding device is capable of thinning the workpiece by grinding the workpiece held on the holding surface from one end side to the other end side with the grinding wheel.

In a grinding device according to one aspect of the present invention, the grinding fluid that comes into contact with the rotating grinding wheel and is thrown off is captured by the fluid supplied from the fluid supply unit. This makes it easier for the grinding fluid to remain on the workpiece without scattering outside the workpiece. As a result, the grinding fluid is efficiently supplied to the processing area, suppressing the occurrence of processing defects and reducing the consumption of grinding fluid.

FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the grinding device. FIG. 3A is a side view showing the chuck table and the grinding unit in the holding step, and FIG. 3B is a side view showing the chuck table and the grinding unit in the grinding step. FIG. 4A is a plan view showing a fluid flowing in a band-shaped region, and FIG. 4B is a plan view showing a fluid flowing in a curved band-shaped region. 1 is a side view showing a grinding apparatus including a first fluid supply unit and a second fluid supply unit; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a fluid flowing in a band-shaped region and a fluid flowing in an arc-shaped region.

An embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. First, an example of the configuration of a grinding device according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a grinding device 2. In FIG. 1, the X-axis direction (machining feed direction, first horizontal direction, front-back direction) and the Y-axis direction (second horizontal direction, left-right direction) are perpendicular to each other. The Z-axis direction (vertical direction, up-down direction, height direction) is perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

The grinding device 2 includes a base 4 that supports or houses each of the components that make up the grinding device 2. The top surface of the base 4 is provided with a rectangular parallelepiped opening 4a whose longitudinal direction is aligned with the X-axis direction. In addition, a rectangular parallelepiped support structure 6 is provided along the Z-axis direction at the rear end of the top surface of the base 4.

A chuck table (holding table) 8 is provided inside the opening 4a to hold the workpiece that is the object to be processed by the grinding device 2. The upper surface of the chuck table 8 is a flat surface that is roughly parallel to the horizontal plane (XY plane) and forms a holding surface 8a that holds the workpiece. In addition, a moving mechanism (moving unit) 10 that moves the chuck table 8 along the processing feed direction (X-axis direction) is connected to the chuck table 8.

Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the grinding device 2. Note that some components of the grinding device 2 are not shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the moving mechanism 10 is provided inside the opening 4a of the base 4.

The moving mechanism 10 includes a flat moving plate 12 that supports a chuck table 8. A nut portion 14 is provided on the back side (lower surface side) of the moving plate 12. A ball screw 16 arranged along the X-axis direction is screwed into the nut portion 14. A pulse motor 18 that rotates the ball screw 16 is connected to the end of the ball screw 16. The chuck table 8 is mounted on the front side (upper surface side) of the moving plate 12. When the ball screw 16 is rotated by the pulse motor 18, the chuck table 8 and the moving plate 12 move along the X-axis direction.

The chuck table 8 is also connected to a rotational drive source (not shown) such as a motor that rotates the chuck table 8 around a rotational axis (a rotational axis roughly parallel to the Z-axis direction) roughly perpendicular to the holding surface 8a. In other words, the rotational axis of the chuck table 8 is set along a direction perpendicular to the holding surface 8a.

As shown in FIG. 1, a table cover 20 is provided around the chuck table 8, surrounding the chuck table 8. In addition, accordion-shaped dust-proof and drip-proof covers 22 that can expand and contract along the X-axis direction are provided in front and behind the table cover 20. The table cover 20 and the dust-proof and drip-proof covers 22 cover the components of the movement mechanism 10 provided inside the opening 4a.

A moving mechanism (moving unit) 24 is provided on the front side of the support structure 6. The moving mechanism 24 has a pair of guide rails 26 arranged along the Z-axis direction. In addition, a flat moving plate 28 is attached to the pair of guide rails 26 so as to be able to slide along the guide rails 26.

A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear side) of the moving plate 28. A ball screw 30 is screwed into this nut portion, and is disposed along the Z-axis direction between a pair of guide rails 26. A pulse motor 32 that rotates the ball screw 30 is connected to the end of the ball screw 30. When the ball screw 30 is rotated by the pulse motor 32, the moving plate 28 moves (rises and falls) along the guide rails 26 in the Z-axis direction.

A support member 34 is fixed to the movable plate 28, protruding forward from the surface (front surface) of the movable plate 28. The support member 34 supports a grinding unit 36 that performs grinding on the workpiece 11. The grinding unit 36 has a cylindrical housing 38 supported by the support member 34. The housing 38 also contains a cylindrical spindle 40 that is arranged along the Z-axis direction.

The tip (lower end) of the spindle 40 protrudes downward from the underside of the housing 38. A disk-shaped mount 42 made of metal or the like is fixed to the tip of the spindle 40. A rotational drive source (not shown), such as a motor, that rotates the spindle 40 is connected to the base end (upper end) of the spindle 40.

An annular grinding wheel 44 that grinds the workpiece 11 is attached to the underside of the mount 42. For example, the grinding wheel 44 is fixed to the mount 42 by a fastener (not shown) such as a bolt. This allows the grinding wheel 44 to be attached to the tip of the spindle 40 via the mount 42.

The grinding wheel 44 comprises an annular wheel base 46 and a number of grinding stones 48 fixed to the wheel base 46. The wheel base 46 is made of a metal such as stainless steel or aluminum, or a resin, and is formed to have roughly the same diameter as the mount 42. Then, on the underside of the wheel base 46, a number of grinding stones 48 formed, for example, in a rectangular parallelepiped shape are arranged at roughly equal intervals along the outer periphery of the wheel base 46.

The grinding wheel 48 contains abrasive grains made of diamond, cBN (cubic boron nitride), etc., and a bonding material (bond material) that secures the abrasive grains. The bonding material may be a metal bond, a resin bond, a vitrified bond, etc. However, there are no restrictions on the material, shape, structure, size, etc. of the grinding wheel 48, and the number of grinding wheels 48 fixed to the wheel base 46 can be set as desired.

The grinding wheel 44 rotates around a rotation axis that is roughly parallel to the Z-axis direction by power transmitted from the rotation drive source via the spindle 40 and the mount 42. In other words, the rotation axis of the grinding wheel 44 is set along a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the spindle 40.

A columnar grinding fluid supply unit 50 is provided in front of the grinding unit 36 to supply liquid (grinding fluid) such as pure water to the grinding unit 36. The grinding fluid supply unit 50 is disposed above the opening 4a of the base 4 so as to overlap with the movement path of the chuck table 8. For example, the grinding fluid supply unit 50 is composed of a pipe, tube, etc. whose length is equal to or greater than the diameter of the holding surface 8a of the chuck table 8, and is disposed along the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the opening 4a.

The grinding fluid supply unit 50 is connected to a liquid supply source 52 via a valve (not shown) or the like. The liquid supply source 52 is, for example, factory equipment (liquid supply equipment) installed in the factory where the grinding device 2 is installed, and supplies liquid such as pure water used as the grinding fluid to the grinding fluid supply unit 50.

In addition, a fluid supply unit 54 is provided in front of the grinding unit 36 to supply fluid that prevents the grinding fluid from splashing when it comes into contact with the rotating grinding wheel 44. The fluid supply unit 54 is positioned above the opening 4a of the base 4 so as to overlap with the movement path of the chuck table 8.

The fluid supply unit 54 is positioned between the grinding wheel 44 and the grinding fluid supply unit 50 in plan view. For example, the fluid supply unit 54 is composed of a pipe, a tube, etc., and is installed so as to be slightly spaced from the front end of the grinding wheel 44. As an example, FIG. 1 shows the fluid supply unit 54 curved along the outer periphery of the front end of the grinding wheel 44.

The fluid supply unit 54 is connected to a fluid supply source 56 via a valve (not shown) or the like. The fluid supply source 56 is, for example, factory equipment (fluid supply equipment) provided in a factory in which the grinding device 2 is installed, and supplies liquid such as pure water or gas such as air to the fluid supply unit 54. The fluid supply unit 54 may be connected to a liquid supply source 52. In this case, a liquid such as pure water that can be used as a grinding fluid is supplied from the liquid supply source 52 to the fluid supply unit 54.

There are no limitations on the installation method of the grinding fluid supply unit 50 and the fluid supply unit 54. For example, the grinding fluid supply unit 50 and the fluid supply unit 54 are fixed to the upper surface of the base 4 or the grinding unit 36 via a predetermined connecting member (not shown). Details of the grinding fluid supply unit 50 and the fluid supply unit 54 will be described later.

The grinding device 2 also includes a control unit (control unit, control device) 58 connected to each component of the grinding device 2 (chuck table 8, moving mechanism 10, moving mechanism 24, grinding unit 36, grinding fluid supply unit 50, fluid supply unit 54, etc.). The control unit 58 generates control signals that control the operation of the components of the grinding device 2.

For example, the control unit 58 is configured by a computer and includes a calculation section that performs calculations to operate the grinding device 2, and a storage section that stores various information (data, programs, etc.) used to operate the grinding device 2. The calculation section includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage section includes memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

Next, a specific example of a method for grinding a workpiece using the grinding device 2 will be described. As an example, creep feed grinding will be described below, in which the chuck table 8 and the grinding wheel 44 are moved relatively along a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the spindle 40 (X-axis direction) to process the workpiece.

First, the workpiece 11 is held by the chuck table 8 (holding step). Figure 3 (A) is a side view showing the chuck table 8 and the grinding unit 36 in the holding step.

For example, the workpiece 11 is a disk-shaped wafer made of a semiconductor material such as silicon, and has a front surface (first surface) 11a and a back surface (second surface) 11b that are generally parallel to each other. The workpiece 11 is divided into a number of rectangular regions by a number of streets (planned division lines) arranged in a lattice pattern so as to intersect with each other. In addition, devices (not shown) such as ICs (Integrated Circuits), LSIs (Large Scale Integration), LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), and MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) devices are formed on the front surface 11a side of each of the multiple regions divided by the streets.

By dividing the workpiece 11 along the streets by cutting, laser processing, or the like, a number of device chips, each equipped with a device, are manufactured. In addition, if the workpiece 11 is ground and thinned by the grinding device 2 before being divided, a thinned device chip can be obtained.

However, there are no restrictions on the type, material, size, shape, structure, etc. of the workpiece 11. For example, the workpiece 11 may be a disk-shaped wafer (substrate) made of a semiconductor other than silicon (GaAs, InP, GaN, SiC, etc.), glass, ceramics, resin, metal, etc. In addition, there are no restrictions on the type, number, shape, structure, size, arrangement, etc. of devices, and the workpiece 11 does not need to have any devices formed on it.

For example, the workpiece 11 is placed on the chuck table 8 so that the front surface 11a faces the holding surface 8a and the back surface 11b is exposed upward. The holding surface 8a of the chuck table 8 is connected to a suction source (not shown) such as an ejector via a flow path (not shown) and a valve (not shown) formed inside the chuck table 8. When the suction force (negative pressure) of the suction source is applied to the holding surface 8a, the workpiece 11 is sucked and held by the chuck table 8.

A protective member may be attached to the surface 11a of the workpiece 11 to protect devices and the like formed on the surface 11a of the workpiece 11. In this case, the workpiece 11 is held by the chuck table 8 via the protective member.

For example, a tape (protective tape) formed into a circle with roughly the same diameter as the workpiece 11 is used as the protective member. The protective tape includes a film-like substrate and an adhesive layer (glue layer) provided on the substrate. The substrate is made of a resin such as polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, or polyethylene terephthalate. The adhesive layer is made of an epoxy-, acrylic-, or rubber-based adhesive. The adhesive layer can also be made of an ultraviolet-curing resin that is cured by exposure to ultraviolet light.

Next, the workpiece 11 is ground with the grinding wheel 48 of the grinding wheel 44 (grinding step). In the grinding step, first, the positional relationship between the chuck table 8 and the grinding wheel 48 is adjusted so that the workpiece 11 held by the chuck table 8 and the grinding wheel 48 are separated from each other in the processing feed direction (X-axis direction) and the lower surface of the grinding wheel 48 is positioned a predetermined distance below the upper surface (rear surface 11b) of the workpiece 11.

Specifically, the position of the chuck table 8 in the X-axis direction is adjusted by the movement mechanism 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) so that the workpiece 11 is positioned in front of the grinding wheel 44 (left side of the paper in FIG. 3A) without overlapping with the grinding wheel 44. In addition, the position of the grinding unit 36 in the Z-axis direction is adjusted by the movement mechanism 24 (see FIG. 1) so that the bottom surface of the grinding wheel 48 is positioned lower than the top surface of the workpiece 11. The difference ΔH in the height positions (positions in the Z-axis direction) between the top surface of the workpiece 11 and the bottom surface of the grinding wheel 48 at this time corresponds to the target value for the amount of grinding of the workpiece 11 (the difference in thickness of the workpiece 11 before and after grinding).

Next, while rotating the grinding wheel 44, the chuck table 8 and the grinding unit 36 are moved relatively along the processing feed direction (X-axis direction), and the workpiece 11 is ground from one end side to the other end side by the grinding wheel 48. Specifically, first, the spindle 40 is rotated to rotate the grinding wheel 44 around the rotation axis of the spindle 40. As a result, each of the multiple grinding wheels 48 rotates along a circular orbit (movement path). The rotation speed of the grinding wheel 44 is set to, for example, 1000 rpm or more and 3000 rpm or less.

Then, while the grinding wheel 44 is rotating and the chuck table 8 is not rotating, the chuck table 8 is moved along the X-axis direction at a predetermined speed by the moving mechanism 10 (see Figures 1 and 2). As a result, the chuck table 8 and the grinding wheel 44 move relatively to each other at the predetermined processing feed speed along the processing feed direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the spindle 40, and approach each other. The moving speed (processing feed speed) of the chuck table 8 is set, for example, to 1 mm/s or more and 20 mm/s or less.

Figure 3 (B) is a side view showing the chuck table 8 and grinding unit 36 in the grinding step. When the chuck table 8 moves and one end of the workpiece 11 (the front end in the direction of movement of the workpiece 11, the right end on the paper in Figure 3 (B)) reaches the orbit of the grinding wheel 48, the one end of the workpiece 11 is ground off by the grinding wheel 48. Then, as the processing feed progresses, the center of the workpiece 11 reaches the orbit of the grinding wheel 48 and is ground off by the grinding wheel 48.

As the processing feed progresses further, the other end of the workpiece 11 (the rear end in the direction of movement of the workpiece 11, the left end on the paper in FIG. 3(B)) reaches the orbit of the grinding wheel 48 and is ground off by the grinding wheel 48. In this way, the workpiece 11 is ground from one end to the other end by the grinding wheel 48, and the entire workpiece 11 is thinned.

Then, grinding of the workpiece 11 is repeated until the thickness of the workpiece 11 reaches the final target thickness (finishing thickness). The number of times creep feed grinding is performed (the number of times the grinding step is performed) can be set appropriately depending on the material of the workpiece 11, the amount of grinding, etc.

During grinding of the workpiece 11, a grinding fluid 50a such as pure water is supplied from the grinding fluid supply unit 50 to the workpiece 11 and the grinding wheel 48. The grinding fluid supply unit 50 is arranged so that its length is along the Y-axis direction (see FIG. 1), and is provided with a grinding fluid supply port (not shown) that opens toward the front end of the grinding wheel 44.

For example, the grinding fluid supply unit 50 has a slit-shaped grinding fluid supply port formed along the length of the grinding fluid supply unit 50, or a plurality of circular grinding fluid supply ports arranged at a predetermined interval along the length of the grinding fluid supply unit 50. The grinding fluid 50a supplied to the grinding fluid supply unit 50 from a liquid supply source 52 (see FIG. 1) is sprayed in a strip or column shape from the grinding fluid supply port toward the front end of the grinding wheel 44. As a result, the grinding fluid 50a is supplied from the outside of the grinding wheel 44 to the area (processing area) where the workpiece 11 and the grinding wheel 48 come into contact, cooling the workpiece 11 and the grinding wheel 48 and washing away chips (processing chips) generated by the grinding process.

During grinding of the workpiece 11, a fluid 54a is supplied from the fluid supply unit 54. The fluid supply unit 54 supplies the fluid 54a which flows through a plurality of band-shaped regions 60 located outside the grinding wheel 44 and intersecting with the holding surface 8a of the chuck table 8.

For example, the underside of the fluid supply unit 54 is provided with a plurality of fluid supply ports (not shown) arranged at a predetermined interval. Fluid 54a supplied to the fluid supply unit 54 from the liquid supply source 52 (see FIG. 1) or the fluid supply source 56 (see FIG. 1) is sprayed in a band shape from the plurality of fluid supply ports toward the chuck table 8. There is no limitation on the type of fluid 54a, and a liquid such as pure water or a gas such as air can be supplied as the fluid 54a.

Figure 4 (A) is a plan view showing fluid 54a flowing through a band-shaped region 60. For example, fluid 54a is supplied at a predetermined flow rate from fluid supply unit 54 toward chuck table 8 so as to flow through multiple band-shaped regions 60 extending along a direction perpendicular to holding surface 8a of chuck table 8 (Z-axis direction). As a result, a band-shaped wall formed by fluid 54a is formed extending from fluid supply unit 54 to chuck table 8 or workpiece 11.

For example, the multiple regions 60 are arranged at a predetermined interval along the outer periphery of the front end of the grinding wheel 44 so as to be spaced apart from one another. Furthermore, each region 60 is set so that its width direction (longitudinal direction in a plan view) is aligned with the radial direction of the grinding wheel 44. However, the shape, dimensions, number, and arrangement of the regions 60 can be changed as appropriate.

When the grinding fluid 50a is sprayed from the grinding fluid supply unit 50, the grinding fluid 50a passes between the fluid 54a flowing through the two adjacent regions 60 and advances toward the machining region. At this time, part of the grinding fluid 50a comes into contact with the grinding wheel 44 rotating at high speed and is splashed toward the outside of the grinding wheel 44, but is received by the fluid 54a flowing through the region 60. As a result, the grinding fluid 50a is captured and taken in by the fluid 54a, preventing the grinding fluid 50a from scattering.

The grinding fluid 50a that reaches the region 60 is caught up in the fluid 54a and flows downward, adhering to the upper surface of the workpiece 11. This makes it easier for the grinding fluid 50a that is thrown off by the grinding wheel 44 to remain on the workpiece 11 without scattering outside the workpiece 11. As a result, the grinding fluid 50a is efficiently supplied to the processing region. If the same liquid as the grinding fluid 50a (e.g., pure water) is used as the fluid 54a, the grinding fluid is even more easily supplied to the processing region.

The shape of the area through which the fluid 62a flows can be freely set by changing the shape of the fluid supply port provided in the fluid supply unit 54. For example, the fluid 62a may be supplied so as to flow through a columnar (cylindrical, polygonal columnar, etc.) or pyramidal (conical, polygonal pyramidal, etc.) area. The fluid 62a may also flow through a band-shaped area that is curved according to the rotation direction of the grinding wheel 44.

Figure 4 (B) is a plan view showing fluid 54a flowing through curved band-shaped region 60A. Region 60A is a band-shaped region that is curved convexly in the rotational direction of grinding wheel 44, and is formed in a semicircular arc shape in a plan view. Furthermore, multiple regions 60A are arranged at predetermined intervals along the outer periphery of the front end of grinding wheel 44. Fluid 54a flows through multiple regions 60A from fluid supply unit 54 (see Figure 3 (B)) toward chuck table 8.

The grinding fluid 50a that comes into contact with the rotating grinding wheel 44 and is thrown off enters the inside (concave) of the curved region 60A and is received by the fluid 54a. In this way, when the region 60A is curved in the direction of rotation of the grinding wheel 44, the grinding fluid 50a that is thrown off by the grinding wheel 44 is more likely to be captured by the fluid 54a.

As described above, in the grinding device 2 according to this embodiment, the grinding fluid 50a that comes into contact with the rotating grinding wheel 44 and is thrown off is captured by the fluid 54a supplied from the fluid supply unit 54. This makes it easier for the grinding fluid 50a to remain on the workpiece 11 without scattering outside the workpiece 11. As a result, the grinding fluid 50a is efficiently supplied to the processing area, suppressing the occurrence of processing defects and reducing the consumption of the grinding fluid 50a.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which scattering of the grinding fluid 50a is prevented only by the fluid 54a supplied from the fluid supply unit 54. However, the grinding device 2 may be provided with multiple fluid supply units that supply fluid that prevents scattering of the grinding fluid 50a.

Figure 5 is a side view showing a grinding device 2 equipped with a fluid supply unit 54 (first fluid supply unit) and a fluid supply unit 62 (second fluid supply unit). The fluid supply unit 62 is provided above the opening 4a (see Figure 1) of the base 4 so as to overlap with the movement path of the chuck table 8. For example, the fluid supply unit 62 is composed of an arc-shaped pipe, tube, etc., and is connected to the liquid supply source 52 or the fluid supply source 56 (see Figure 1).

The fluid supply unit 62 supplies a fluid 62a (liquid or gas) toward the chuck table 8. For example, a slit-shaped grinding fluid supply port (not shown) that curves along the length of the fluid supply unit 62 is provided on the underside of the fluid supply unit 62, and the fluid 62a is sprayed in a band shape from the grinding fluid supply port.

The fluid supply unit 62 is disposed below the grinding fluid supply unit 50 and in front of the fluid supply unit 54. Therefore, the progress of the grinding fluid 50a supplied from the grinding fluid supply unit 50 and the fluid 54a supplied from the fluid supply unit 54 is not impeded by the fluid 62a.

Figure 6 is a plan view showing fluid 54a flowing through band-shaped region 60 and fluid 62a flowing through arc-shaped region 64. For example, fluid 62a is supplied at a predetermined flow rate from fluid supply unit 62 toward chuck table 8 so as to flow through band-shaped region 64 that is convexly curved toward the side opposite grinding wheel 44. As a result, a curved band-shaped wall formed by fluid 62a is formed from fluid supply unit 62 (see Figure 5) to chuck table 8 or workpiece 11.

When fluid 62a flowing through region 64 is supplied during grinding of workpiece 11, the grinding fluid 50a that bounces back toward the grinding fluid supply unit 50 side without being captured by fluid 54a after contacting grinding wheel 44 is received by fluid 62a. The grinding fluid 50a captured by fluid 62a is then caught by fluid 62a and flows downward, adhering to the upper surface of workpiece 11. This makes it easier for the grinding fluid 50a that is splashed off by grinding wheel 44 to remain on workpiece 11.

In addition, the structures, methods, etc. according to the above embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

11 Workpiece 11a Surface (first surface)
11b Back side (second side)
2 Grinding device 4 Base 4a Opening 6 Support structure 8 Chuck table (holding table)
8a Holding surface 10 Moving mechanism (moving unit)
12 moving plate 14 nut portion 16 ball screw 18 pulse motor 20 table cover 22 dust-proof/water-proof cover 24 moving mechanism (moving unit)
26 Guide rail 28 Moving plate 30 Ball screw 32 Pulse motor 34 Support member 36 Grinding unit 38 Housing 40 Spindle 42 Mount 44 Grinding wheel 46 Wheel base 48 Grinding stone 50 Grinding fluid supply unit 50a Grinding fluid 52 Liquid supply source 54 Fluid supply unit 54a Fluid 56 Fluid supply source 58 Control unit (control unit, control device)
60, 60A Region 62 Fluid supply unit 62a Fluid 64 Region

Claims (7)

A grinding device for grinding a workpiece, comprising:
a chuck table having a holding surface for holding the workpiece;
a grinding unit having a spindle with a grinding wheel including a grinding stone attached to its tip;
a moving mechanism for relatively moving the chuck table and the grinding unit in a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis of the spindle;
a grinding fluid supply unit that supplies a grinding fluid from the outside of the grinding wheel to a processing area where the workpiece and the grinding stone come into contact with each other;
a first fluid supply unit that supplies a first fluid that flows through a plurality of band-shaped regions that are located outside the grinding wheel and intersect with the holding surface and that prevents the grinding fluid from splashing when the grinding fluid comes into contact with the rotating grinding wheel;
a second fluid supply unit that supplies a second fluid for contacting the rotating grinding wheel and capturing the grinding fluid that has passed between the multiple regions . 2. The grinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second fluid supply unit is disposed below the grinding fluid supply unit and in front of the first fluid supply unit. 3. The grinding apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of regions are arranged along the outer circumferential edge of the grinding wheel so as to be spaced apart from one another. 4. The grinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first fluid supply unit supplies a gas as the first fluid. 4. The grinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first fluid supply unit supplies a liquid as the first fluid. The grinding device according to claim 5, characterized in that the liquid is the same as the grinding fluid. 7. The grinding device according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece held on the holding surface is ground from one end side to the other end side by the grinding wheel, thereby thinning the workpiece.

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