JP2024113883A - Placement Method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a placement method which reduces situations that foreign objects, such as particles, are caught between a holding surface of a holding table and a plate-like object when the plate-like object is transported to and placed on the holding surface while inhibiting increase of costs of a device.SOLUTION: A placement method includes: a support step 1001 in which a plate-like object is supported by a support unit; a transport step 1002 in which the plate-like object is supported by a transport unit and transported from the support unit to a position facing a holding surface of a holding table; a cleaning step 1004 in which a cleaning fluid is jetted from the holding surface of the holding table with the holding table being rotated around a rotation axis orthogonal to the holding surface of the holding table, and a surface facing the holding surface of the plate-like object, which is supported facing the holding surface, is placed to a position where the surface comes in contact with the cleaning fluid by the transport unit to clean the surface; and a placement step 1005 in which jetting of the cleaning fluid is stopped, and the plate-like object is placed on the holding surface of the holding table after the cleaning step 1004.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a method for placing a plate-shaped object on a holding table in a processing device.

A grinding machine (processing machine) used in the semiconductor device manufacturing process to grind a workpiece (plate-shaped object) is equipped with a holding table that holds and rotates the workpiece on its holding surface, a grinding unit (processing unit) that rotatably supports a grinding wheel equipped with a grinding stone that grinds the workpiece held on the holding table, and a grinding water supply unit that supplies grinding water (processing fluid) to the grinding area, and can process the workpiece to a specified thickness.

When a workpiece is held on a holding table, if particles or other foreign matter are caught between the holding surface and the workpiece, the workpiece may be damaged or the grinding accuracy of the workpiece may deteriorate. Therefore, a mixture of water and air is sometimes sprayed from the holding surface of the holding table to clean the holding surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-006123 A

However, if particles or other foreign matter are attached to the surface of the workpiece itself that is to be held by the holding surface of the holding table, it is necessary to clean the workpiece itself before it is held by the holding table, rather than cleaning the holding surface as described above. When pre-cleaning the workpiece in this way, a new cleaning mechanism must be installed, which creates the problem of a significant increase in the cost of the grinding device.

Therefore, there is a need to provide a method for placing a plate-like object on the holding surface of a holding table that can reduce the chance of particles or other foreign objects becoming caught when the plate-like object is transported and placed on the holding surface of the holding table without significantly increasing the cost of the device.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method of placement that can reduce the occurrence of particles or other foreign matter being caught when transporting and placing a plate-shaped object on the holding surface of a holding table while suppressing increases in the cost of the device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the method of the present invention is a method of placing a plate-shaped object on a holding table in a processing device including a holding table for holding a plate-shaped object, a processing unit equipped with a processing tool for processing the plate-shaped object held by the holding table, and a controller for controlling at least the holding table and the processing unit, and is characterized by comprising a supporting step of supporting the plate-shaped object with a supporting unit, a transporting step of supporting and transporting the plate-shaped object from the support unit to a position facing the holding surface of the holding table with a transporting unit, a cleaning step of spraying a cleaning fluid from the holding surface of the holding table while rotating the holding table on a rotation axis perpendicular to the holding surface, and positioning the surface facing the holding surface of the plate-shaped object supported by the transporting unit facing the holding surface in a position where it comes into contact with the cleaning fluid, and a loading step of stopping the spraying of the cleaning fluid after the cleaning step and placing the plate-shaped object on the holding surface of the holding table.

In the above-mentioned mounting method, the cleaning fluid may be a mixed fluid of gas and liquid that is supplied and mixed from a gas supply source and a liquid supply source.

In the above-mentioned mounting method, the cleaning step may involve moving the conveying unit supporting the plate-like object and the holding table relative to one another in the direction in which the holding surface extends, while bringing the surface into contact with the cleaning fluid to clean it.

The mounting method may further include a holding surface cleaning step, prior to the cleaning step, of spraying the cleaning fluid from the holding surface of the holding table to clean the holding surface.

The above-mentioned mounting method may further include a suction holding step, which is performed after the mounting step, of suction-holding the plate-like object by communicating a suction force to the holding surface of the holding table.

The present invention has the effect of reducing the incidence of particles and other foreign objects being caught when transporting and placing a plate-shaped object on the holding surface of a holding table, while suppressing increases in the cost of the device.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a processing device for carrying out a mounting method according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a plate-like object to be processed by the processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the plate-like article shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a holding table of the processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of the mounting method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view, partly in section, showing a schematic diagram of the supporting step of the mounting method shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view, partially in section, showing a schematic diagram of the transport step of the mounting method shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a side view, partly in section, showing a schematic diagram of the support surface cleaning step of the mounting method shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view, partially in section, showing a schematic diagram of the cleaning step of the mounting method shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a schematic diagram of the placing step of the placing method shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a side view, partially in section, showing a schematic diagram of the suction and holding step of the mounting method shown in FIG. 5. FIG.

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 mounting method according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a processing device for carrying out the mounting method according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a plate-shaped object to be processed by the processing device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the plate-shaped object shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a holding table of the processing device shown in Fig. 1.

(Workpiece)
The mounting method according to the first embodiment is carried out by a processing apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1. The processing apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a grinding apparatus that grinds a plate-like object 200. The plate-like object 200 to be processed by the processing apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a wafer such as a disk-like semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer, the substrate of which is silicon, sapphire, gallium, or the like. The plate-like object 200 has devices (not shown) formed in each region partitioned by planned division lines set in a grid pattern on a surface 201 of the substrate shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The device may be, 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), a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) or a semiconductor memory (storage device).

In addition, in embodiment 1, the plate-like object 200 is thinned to a predetermined finishing thickness by grinding the back surface 202 behind the front surface 201 by the processing device 1, and then is divided into individual devices along the planned division lines.

In addition, in embodiment 1, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the plate-like object 200 has a surface protection tape 210 attached to the surface 201 to protect the device. Note that in the present invention, the plate-like object 200 does not need to have a device formed on the surface 201, and the surface protection tape 210 does not need to be attached to the surface 201.

(Processing equipment)
The processing device 1 is a grinding device that grinds a back surface 202 of a plate-like object 200 to thin the plate-like object 200 to a predetermined finishing thickness. As shown in Fig. 1, the processing device 1 includes an apparatus base 2, a turntable 5, a plurality of holding tables 6 (three in the first embodiment) installed on the turntable 5, a rough grinding unit 10, a finish grinding unit 20, a grinding feed unit 30, a cassette 7, an alignment unit 40 serving as a support unit, a transport unit 50, a cleaning unit 60, and a control unit 100 serving as a controller.

The turntable 5 is a disk-shaped table mounted on the upper surface of the device base 2, and is rotatable around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction in a horizontal plane, and is driven to rotate at a predetermined timing. The Z-axis direction is parallel to the vertical direction. On this turntable 5, for example, three holding tables 6 are arranged at equal intervals, for example at a phase angle of 120 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 4, each of the three holding tables 6 comprises a porous plate 61, the upper surface of which is a holding surface 611 that suction-holds the plate-like object 200, and a circular base 62 in the center of the upper surface of which is formed a circular recess 63 that surrounds the outer edge of the porous plate 61. The porous plate 61 is made of a porous material such as porous ceramics, and is formed in the shape of a disk with a constant thickness. The holding surface 611 is formed flat along the horizontal direction.

The circular base 62 is made of a non-permeable metal such as stainless steel, and the porous plate 61 is fitted into the recess 63. The circular base 62 is provided with a communication passage 64 that opens to the bottom of the recess 63. The communication passage 64 is a space provided inside the circular base 62. The communication passage 64 is connected to a suction passage 65 that is connected to a suction source 651. An electromagnetic opening/closing valve 652 is provided midway through the suction passage 65. The communication passage 64 is also connected to a gas passage 67 and a liquid passage 68 via a mixing chamber 66.

The gas passage 67 is connected to a gas supply source 671 and has an electromagnetic on-off valve 672 installed therein. The liquid passage 68 is connected to a liquid supply source 681 and has an electromagnetic on-off valve 682 installed therein. When the electromagnetic on-off valve 672 opens, the gas supply source 671 supplies gas to the communication passage 64 via the gas passage 67 and the mixing chamber 66. When the electromagnetic on-off valve 682 opens, the liquid supply source 681 supplies liquid to the communication passage 64 via the liquid passage 68 and the mixing chamber 66. The mixing chamber 66 is a space in which the gas from the gas supply source 671 and the liquid from the liquid supply source 681 are mixed.

The circular base 62 is rotated by the rotation mechanism 69 around a rotation axis 612 that is parallel to the Z-axis direction and perpendicular to the holding surface 611.

The holding table 6 has a vacuum chuck table structure with a vacuum chuck in which the holding surface 611 is connected to a suction source 651 via a suction passage 65. The surface 201 side of the plate-like object 200 is placed on the holding surface 611 via a surface protection tape 210, and when the electromagnetic opening/closing valve 652 opens, it is sucked by the suction source 651, and the plate-like object 200 is sucked and held on the holding surface 611.

During grinding, the holding table 6 is rotated by the rotation mechanism 69 around a rotation axis 612 parallel to the Z-axis direction. The holding table 6 is moved sequentially to the loading/unloading area 301, the rough grinding area 302, the finish grinding area 303, and back to the loading/unloading area 301 by the rotation of the turntable 5.

The loading/unloading area 301 is an area where the plate-shaped object 200 is loaded and unloaded onto the holding table 6, the rough grinding area 302 is an area where the rough grinding unit 10 performs rough grinding (corresponding to grinding) on the plate-shaped object 200 held on the holding table 6, and the finish grinding area 303 is an area where the finish grinding unit 20 performs finish grinding (corresponding to grinding) on the plate-shaped object 200 held on the holding table 6.

In addition, when at least one of the electromagnetic on-off valves 672, 682 is opened, the holding table 6 can eject from the holding surface 611 the gas from the gas supply source 671, the liquid from the liquid supply source 681, or a mixed fluid 613 obtained by mixing the gas from the gas supply source 671 and the liquid from the liquid supply source 681 in the mixing chamber 66 as a cleaning fluid.

The rough grinding unit 10 is a processing unit that is equipped with a rough grinding grinding wheel 11 (corresponding to a processing tool) having grinding stones for rough grinding arranged in a ring shape for roughly grinding the back surface 202 exposed above the plate-like object 200 held by the holding table 6, and roughly grinds the back surface 202 of the plate-like object 200 held on the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6 in the rough grinding area 302. The finish grinding unit 20 is equipped with a finish grinding grinding wheel 21 (corresponding to a processing tool) having grinding stones for finish grinding arranged in a ring shape for finish grinding the back surface 202 of the plate-like object 200 held by the holding table 6, and finish grinds the back surface 202 of the plate-like object 200 held on the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6 in the finish grinding area 303.

In the grinding units 10 and 20, the grinding wheels 11 and 21 are attached to the lower ends (corresponding to the tips) of the spindles 14 and 24 that are rotated by the motors 13 and 23 about an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction, and the grinding wheels of the grinding wheels 11 and 21 are arranged facing the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6. In the grinding units 10 and 20, the spindles 14 and 24 and the grinding wheels 11 and 21 are rotated about their axes by the motors 13 and 23, and grinding water is supplied to the back surface 202 of the plate-like object 200 held on the holding table 6 in the grinding areas 302 and 303, while the grinding feed unit 30 moves the grinding wheel closer to the holding table 6 at a predetermined feed speed, thereby roughly grinding or finishing the back surface 202 of the plate-like object 200.

The grinding feed unit 30 moves the grinding units 10, 20 in the Z-axis direction to move the grinding units 10, 20 closer to or farther from the holding table 6. In the first embodiment, the grinding feed unit 30 is provided on a standing plate 3 erected from one end of the device base 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 housings 15, 25 of the grinding units 10, 20 so that they can move in the Z-axis direction.

In the first embodiment, the rough grinding unit 10 and the finish grinding unit 20 are arranged in parallel with a horizontal gap between the axis of rotation of the grinding wheels 11 and 21 and the axis of rotation of the holding table 6, and the grinding wheel passes over the center of the back surface 202 of the plate-like object 200 held on the holding table 6.

The cassette 7 is a container having multiple slots for storing multiple plate-shaped objects 200. The cassette 7 stores multiple plate-shaped objects 200 before and after grinding. In the first embodiment, a pair of cassettes 7 are provided, each of which is installed on a cassette mounting table 8. The alignment unit 40 is a table on which the plate-shaped objects 200 removed from the cassette 7 are temporarily placed and their center alignment is performed.

The transport unit 50 transports the plate-like object 200. The transport unit 50 includes a carry-in unit 51, a carry-out unit 52, and a carry-in/out unit 53.

The loading unit 51 has a suction pad 511 at its tip that adsorbs the plate-like object 200, and is formed in the shape of an arm that is mounted on the device base 2 so as to be able to swing freely around its base end. The loading unit 51 adsorbs and holds the plate-like object 200 before grinding, which has been aligned by the alignment unit 40, to the suction pad 511, and loads it onto the holding table 6 located in the loading/unloading area 301.

The unloading unit 52 has a suction pad 521 at its tip that adsorbs the plate-like object 200, and is formed in the shape of an arm that is attached to the device base 2 so as to be able to swing freely around its base end. The unloading unit 52 adsorbs and holds the ground plate-like object 200 on the holding table 6 located in the loading/unloading area 301 to the suction pad 521, and unloads it to the cleaning unit 60.

The loading/unloading unit 53 removes the plate-like object 200 before grinding from the cassette 7 and transports it to the alignment unit 40, and also removes the plate-like object 200 after grinding from the cleaning unit 60 and transports it to the cassette 7. The loading/unloading unit 53 is, for example, a robot pick equipped with a U-shaped hand 531, which adsorbs and holds the plate-like object 200 and transports it.

The cleaning unit 60 cleans the plate-like object 200 after grinding and removes contamination such as grinding debris adhering to the ground back surface 202.

The control unit 100 controls each of the above-mentioned constituent units that make up the processing device 1. That is, the control unit 100 controls the operation of at least the holding table 6 and the grinding units 10, 20, and causes the processing device 1 to execute processing operations on the plate-like object 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 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 configured with 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.

(Placement Method)
Next, a mounting method according to the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing the flow of the mounting method according to the first embodiment. The mounting method according to the first embodiment is a method of mounting the plate-like object 200 on the holding table 6 in the processing device 1 having the above-mentioned configuration. The mounting method according to the first embodiment is also a processing operation of the processing device 1 having the above-mentioned configuration, in which the processing device 1 grinds the back surface 202 of the plate-like object 200 to thin the plate-like object 200 to a predetermined finishing thickness.

In the first embodiment, the processing device 1 starts the processing operation, i.e., the loading method according to the first embodiment, when an operator places a cassette 7 containing a plate-like object 200 with the back surface 202 facing up on the cassette loading table 8 of the device base 2, the processing conditions are registered in the control unit 100, and the control unit 100 receives an instruction from the operator to start the processing operation.

As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting method according to the first embodiment includes a supporting step 1001, a transporting step 1002, a holding surface cleaning step 1003, a cleaning step 1004, a mounting step 1005, a suction holding step 1006, a grinding step 1007, and a carrying out step 1008.

(Support Step)
Fig. 6 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a schematic diagram of the supporting step of the mounting method shown in Fig. 5. The supporting step 1001 is a step of supporting the plate-like object 200 by the positioning unit 40.

In embodiment 1, in the support step 1001, the processing device 1 rotates the spindles 14, 24 of each grinding unit 10, 20 around their axes at the rotational speeds determined by the processing conditions while the control unit 100 closes the electromagnetic opening/closing valves 652, 672, 682, and causes the carry-in/out unit 53 to take out one plate-like object 200 from one of the cassettes 7 and carry it into the alignment unit 40, and supports the plate-like object 200 by the alignment unit 40 as shown in FIG. 6. In embodiment 1, in the support step 1001, the processing device 1 causes the control unit 100 to cause the alignment unit 40 to align the center of the plate-like object 200.

(Transportation step)
Fig. 7 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a schematic diagram of the transport step of the mounting method shown in Fig. 5. The transport step 1002 is a step of supporting and transporting the plate-like object 200 from the alignment unit 40 to a position facing the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6 by the transport unit 50.

In embodiment 1, in the transport step 1002, as shown in FIG. 7, the processing device 1 causes the control unit 100 to suction and hold the aligned plate-like object 200 on the suction pad 511 of the carry-in unit 51, and causes the carry-in unit 51 to support and transport the plate-like object 200 to a position facing the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6 located in the carry-in/out area 301.

(Retention surface cleaning step)
Fig. 8 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a schematic representation of the holding surface cleaning step of the mounting method shown in Fig. 5. The holding surface cleaning step 1003 is a step of ejecting a cleaning fluid from the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6 to clean the holding surface 611 before the cleaning step 1004.

In the first embodiment, in the holding surface cleaning step 1003, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 opens the electromagnetic opening and closing valves 672 and 682 to supply gas from the gas supply source 671 through the gas passage 67 to the mixing chamber 66, and supplies liquid from the liquid supply source 681 through the liquid passage 68 to the mixing chamber 66. In the first embodiment, in the holding surface cleaning step 1003, as shown in FIG. 8, the processing device 1 mixes gas and liquid in the mixing chamber 66 to generate a mixed fluid 613, and ejects the generated mixed fluid 613 from the holding surface 611 as a cleaning fluid to remove foreign matter and the like from the holding surface 611 and clean the holding surface 611. Thus, in the first embodiment, the cleaning fluid is the mixed fluid 613 of gas and liquid that is mixed by supplying gas and liquid from the gas supply source 671 and the liquid supply source 681.

Washing Step
Fig. 9 is a side view showing a schematic partial cross section of the cleaning step of the mounting method shown in Fig. 5. The cleaning step 1004 is a step of spraying mixed fluid 613, which is a cleaning fluid, from holding surface 611 of holding table 6 while rotating holding table 6 about rotation axis 612 perpendicular to holding surface 611, and positioning surface 211 of surface protection tape 210, which is the surface facing holding surface 611 of plate-like object 200 supported by conveying unit 50 facing holding surface 611, at a position where it comes into contact with mixed fluid 613, and cleaning surface 211 of surface protection tape 210.

In the first embodiment, in the cleaning step 1004, the processing device 1 opens the electromagnetic on-off valves 672 and 682 to spray the mixed fluid 613 as a cleaning fluid from the holding surface 611, and as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 100 rotates the holding table 6 around the rotation axis 612 with the rotation mechanism 69 and lowers the suction pad 511 on the carry-in unit 51 to position the surface 211 of the surface protection tape 210 attached to the plate-like object 200 adsorbed to the suction pad 511 in a position where it comes into contact with the mixed fluid 613 sprayed from the holding surface 611. In the first embodiment, in the cleaning step 1004, the processing device 1 causes the control unit 100 to swing the carry-in unit 51 a predetermined number of times around the base end so that the plate-like object 200 held by the suction pad 511 passes above the holding surface 611.

Thus, in embodiment 1, in the cleaning step 1004, the processing device 1 swings the carry-in unit 51 around the base end, thereby moving the carry-in unit 51 supporting the plate-like object 200 and the holding table 6 relatively in the direction in which the holding surface 611 extends, and brings the surface 211 of the surface protection tape 210 attached to the plate-like object 200 adsorbed to the suction pad 511 into contact with the mixed fluid 613 to clean it.

(Placement Step)
Fig. 10 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a schematic diagram of the placing step of the placing method shown in Fig. 5. The placing step 1005 is a step of placing the plate-like object 200 on the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6 after the cleaning step 1004, by stopping the ejection of the mixed fluid 613 as the cleaning fluid.

In embodiment 1, in the placement step 1005, as shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 closes the electromagnetic on-off valves 672, 682 to stop the ejection of the mixed fluid 613 from the holding surface 611 and stops the rotation of the holding table 6 around the rotation axis 612 of the rotation mechanism 69, and causes the loading unit 51 to place the plate-like object 200 on the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6.

(Suction holding step)
Fig. 11 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a schematic suction-holding step of the mounting method shown in Fig. 5. The suction-holding step 1006 is a step of suction-holding the plate-like object 200 by communicating a suction force to the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6 after the mounting step 1005.

In embodiment 1, in suction holding step 1006, as shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 opens the electromagnetic on-off valve 652, and causes the suction source 651 to suck the holding surface 611 through the suction passage 65 and the communication passage 64, thereby suction-holding the plate-like object 200 on the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6 in the carry-in/out area 301. Also, in embodiment 1, in suction holding step 1006, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 rotates the turntable 5 to move the holding table 6 holding the plate-like object 200 in the carry-in/out area 301 to the rough grinding area 302.

(Grinding step)
The grinding step 1007 is a step in which the grinding units 10, 20, each including a spindle 14, 24 with a grinding wheel 11, 21 attached to its tip, are rotated about their axis while the holding table 6 is rotated about the rotation axis 612, thereby grinding the plate-like object 200.

In the first embodiment, in the grinding step 1007, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 rotates the holding table 6 around the rotation axis 612, supplies grinding water, and roughly grinds the plate-like object 200 with the rough grinding unit 10. In the first embodiment, in the grinding step 1007, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 roughly grinds the plate-like object 200, then rotates the turntable 5 to move the holding table 6 holding the plate-like object 200 after the rough grinding to the finish grinding area 303.

In embodiment 1, in the grinding step 1007, after the control unit 100 finish-grinds the plate-like object 200, the processing device 1 rotates the turntable 5 to move the holding table 6, which holds the plate-like object 200 after the finish grinding and has stopped rotating around its axis, to the loading/unloading area 301.

(Exit step)
The carry-out step 1008 is a step in which the plate-like object 200 after the grinding process is carried out from the holding table 6 and carried into the cassette 7. In the first embodiment, in the carry-out step 1008, the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 causes the carry-out unit 52 to transport the plate-like object 200 after the finish grinding process from the holding table 6 in the carry-in/out area 301 to the cleaning unit 60, and after cleaning in the cleaning unit 60, causes the carry-in/out unit 53 to store it in the cassette 7. After the carry-out step 1008, the processing device 1 determines whether the control unit 100 has performed the rough grinding process and the finish grinding process on all the plate-like objects 200 in the cassette 7 (step 1009).

After the unloading step 1008, when the control unit 100 determines that the rough grinding and finish grinding have not been performed on all the plate-like objects 200 in the cassette 7 (step 1009: No), the processing device 1 returns to the support step 1001. In this case, each time the control unit 100 rotates the turntable 5 120 degrees, the processing device 1 transports the plate-like object 200 from the holding table 6 in the carry-in/out area 301 that holds the plate-like object 200 after the finish grinding to the cleaning unit 60, carries the plate-like object 200 before the grinding to the holding table 6 in the carry-in/out area 301 that does not hold the plate-like object 200 after the finish grinding, roughly grinds the plate-like object 200 before the grinding held on the holding table 6 in the rough grinding area 302, and roughly grinds the plate-like object 200 after the rough grinding held on the holding table 6 in the finish grinding area 303. In this way, the processing device 1 transports the plate-shaped object 200 to and from the holding table 6 in the loading/unloading area 301 each time the control unit 100 rotates the turntable 5 by 120 degrees, and positions the plate-shaped object 200 held on the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6 in the rough grinding area 302 and the finish grinding area 303 in that order, and performs rough grinding and finish grinding in that order.

After the unloading step 1008, when the control unit 100 of the processing device 1 determines that rough grinding and finish grinding have been performed on all of the plate-like objects 200 in the cassette 7 (step 1009: Yes), the processing operation, i.e., the loading method according to embodiment 1, is terminated.

As described above, in the mounting method according to the first embodiment, before the mounting step 1005, the holding table 6 is rotated around the rotation axis 612 while the mixed fluid 613, which is a cleaning fluid, is sprayed from the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6, and the surface 211 of the surface protection tape 210, which is the surface facing the holding surface 611 of the plate-like object 200 supported by the loading unit 51 facing the holding surface 611, is positioned in contact with the mixed fluid 613, which is a cleaning fluid, and a cleaning step 1004 is performed to clean the surface 211 of the surface protection tape 210.

For this reason, the mounting method according to embodiment 1 can clean the surface 211 of the surface protection tape 210 before mounting the plate-like object 200 without providing a cleaning unit for cleaning the surface 211 of the surface protection tape 210, which is the surface facing the holding surface 611 of the plate-like object 200, in a processing device such as the processing device 1.

As a result, the placement method according to embodiment 1 has the effect of reducing the likelihood of particles or other foreign matter becoming caught when transporting and placing the plate-like object 200 on the holding surface 611 of the holding table 6, while suppressing increases in the cost of processing equipment such as the processing device 1.

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 first embodiment, the cleaning fluid is a mixed fluid 613 in which a gas and a liquid are mixed, but in the present invention, the cleaning fluid is not limited to the mixed fluid 613, and may be a gas or a liquid.

In the present invention, the processing device 1 is a grinding device that grinds the plate-like object 200, but in the present invention, it is not limited to a grinding device, and may be a cutting device that cuts the plate-like object 200, or a polishing device that polishes the plate-like object 200. When the processing device 1 is a cutting device or a polishing device, the support unit is a cassette that stores the plate-like object 200, a temporary placement rail on which the plate-like object 200 is temporarily placed when it is inserted or removed from the cassette, a temporary placement table on which the plate-like object 200 is temporarily placed when it is inserted or removed from the cassette, a table that supports the plate-like object 200 for alignment, etc.

1 Processing device 6 Holding table 10 Rough grinding unit (processing unit)
11 Grinding wheel (tool)
20 Finish grinding unit (processing unit)
21 Grinding wheel (tool)
40 Alignment unit (support unit)
50 Transport unit 51 Loading unit 100 Control unit (controller)
200 Plate-like object 211 Surface (surface facing the holding surface)
611 Holding surface 612 Rotating shaft 613 Mixed fluid (cleaning fluid)
671 Gas supply source 681 Liquid supply source 1001 Support step 1002 Transport step 1003 Holding surface cleaning step 1004 Cleaning step 1005 Placement step 1006 Suction holding step

Claims (5)

A method for placing a plate-like object on a holding table in a processing apparatus including a holding table for holding a plate-like object, a processing unit equipped with a processing tool for processing the plate-like object held by the holding table, and a controller for controlling at least the holding table and the processing unit, comprising:
a supporting step of supporting the plate-like object with a supporting unit;
a conveying step of supporting and conveying the plate-like object from the support unit to a position facing the holding surface of the holding table by a conveying unit;
a cleaning step of spraying a cleaning fluid from the holding surface of the holding table while rotating the holding table about a rotation axis perpendicular to the holding surface, thereby positioning a surface of the plate-like object facing the holding surface, which is supported by the transport unit and faces the holding surface, in a position where the surface comes into contact with the cleaning fluid and cleaning the surface;
a placing step of stopping the ejection of the cleaning fluid after the cleaning step and placing the plate-like object on the holding surface of the holding table;
A mounting method comprising: The method of claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning fluid is a mixed fluid of gas and liquid that is supplied and mixed from a gas supply source and a liquid supply source. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cleaning step involves moving the conveying unit supporting the plate-like object and the holding table relative to one another in the direction in which the holding surface extends, while bringing the surface into contact with the cleaning fluid to clean it. The method of mounting according to claim 1, further comprising a holding surface cleaning step of spraying the cleaning fluid from the holding surface of the holding table to clean the holding surface before the cleaning step. The method of claim 1, further comprising a suction holding step of suction-holding the plate-like object by communicating a suction force to the holding surface of the holding table after the placing step.

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