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US 6,283,822 B1Granted
Polishing apparatus
AssigneeEbara Corporation
InventorsTetsuji Togawa, Kunihiko Sakurai, Ritsuo Kikuta
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A polishing apparatus polishes a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish. The polishing apparatus includes a storage cassette for storing workpieces to be polished, at least two polishing units each having at least a turntable with a polishing cloth mounted thereon and a top ring for supporting a workpiece and pressing the workpiece against the polishing cloth, and a cleaning unit for cleaning a workpiece which has been polished by either one of the polishing units in such a state that the workpiece is removed from the top ring. The polishing apparatus further includes a transfer robot for transferring a workpiece between two of the storage cassette, the polishing units and the cleaning unit.
Claims33
A method for polishing a workpiece, comprising:
- supplying a workpiece to be polished to a pusher by a transfer device;
- transferring the workpiece to be polished to a top ring by said pusher;
- polishing the workpiece by pressing the workpiece held by said top ring against a polishing surface of a turntable;
- transferring the polished workpiece from said top ring to said pusher;
- transferring the polished workpiece to a cleaning unit by said transfer device;
- and
- cleaning the polished workpiece at said cleaning unit.
4 more elements
A polishing apparatus comprising:
- a polishing unit having a turntable with a polishing surface thereon and a top ring for holding a workpiece and pressing the workpiece against said polishing surface to thereby polish the workpiece;
- a cleaning unit for cleaning the polished workpiece;
- a pusher for transferring the workpiece to be polished to said top ring and receiving the polished workpiece from said top ring;
- and
- a transfer device for supplying the workpiece to be polished to said pusher and transferring the polished workpiece to said cleaning unit.
2 more elements
A polishing apparatus comprising:
- at least two top rings for holding respective workpieces;
- at least two turntables each having a respective polishing surface;
- the workpiece being polished by being pressed by a said top ring against a said polishing surface;
- at least two pushers each for transferring the workpiece to be polished to one of said top rings and receiving the polished workpiece from one of said top rings;
- and
- a transferring device for supplying the workpiece to each of said pushers.
3 more elements
A method for polishing and then cleaning a workpiece, comprising:
- taking out a workpiece to be polished from a cassette;
- reversing the workpiece to be polished;
- placing the workpiece onto a pusher, said pusher being vertically movable;
- transferring the workpiece from said pusher to a polishing location;
- polishing the workpiece at the polishing location by a polishing surface of a turntable;
- and
- returning the polished workpiece to said pusher.
4 more elements
A method for polishing and then cleaning a workpiece, comprising:
- taking out a workpiece to be polished from a cassette;
- reversing the workpiece to be polished;
- placing the workpiece onto a pusher, said pusher being vertically movable;
- transferring the workpiece from said pusher to a polishing location;
- primary polishing the workpiece at the polishing location by a polishing surface of one of a plurality of turntables;
- and
- secondary polishing the primarily polished workpiece by a polishing surface of another of said plurality of turntables.
4 more elements
A method for polishing and then cleaning a workpiece, comprising:
- placing a workpiece onto a pusher, said pusher being vertically movable;
- transferring the workpiece from said pusher to a polishing location;
- polishing the workpiece at the polishing location by a polishing surface of a turntable;
- returning the polished workpiece to said pusher;
- and
- cleaning the polished workpiece after said returning.
3 more elements
A method for polishing and then cleaning a workpiece, comprising:
- placing a workpiece onto a pusher, said pusher being vertically movable;
- carrying the workpiece from said pusher over a polishing surface of one of a plurality of turntables;
- primary polishing the workpiece by bringing the workpiece into contact with said polishing surface of said one of said plurality of turntables;
- transferring the primarily polished workpiece from said one of said plurality of turntables to another of said plurality of turntables;
- secondary polishing the primarily polished workpiece by bringing the workpiece into contact with the polishing surface of said another of said plurality of turntables;
- transferring the secondarily polished workpiece from said another of said plurality of turntables to one of a plurality of cleaning devices;
- and
- cleaning the polished workpiece at said one of said plurality of cleaning devices.
5 more elements
An apparatus for polishing and then cleaning a workpiece, comprising:
- at least two turntables each having a polishing surface;
- a top ring for holding a workpiece and pressing the workpiece against one of said polishing surfaces;
- a pusher for receiving the workpiece to be polished at said one of said polishing surfaces and for receiving the workpiece which has been polished at said one of said polishing surfaces, said pusher being vertically movable;
- a cleaning unit for cleaning the workpiece which has been polished at at least one of said at least two turntables;
- and
- a transfer system for transferring the workpiece to be polished onto said pusher and for transferring the polished workpiece to said cleaning unit.
3 more elements
An apparatus for polishing and then cleaning a workpiece, comprising:
- at least two turntables each having a polishing surface;
- a plurality of cleaning devices for cleaning the workpiece which has been polished at said at least two turntables;
- a transfer system for transferring the workpiece in order that the workpiece is polished at one of said at least two turntables, then cleaned at one of said plurality of cleaning devices, and then polished at another of said at least two turntables;
- a pusher for receiving the workpiece to be polished at said one of said turntables, said pusher being vertically movable;
- and
- a spin dryer for drying the polished and cleaned workpiece before the workpiece is removed from the polishing apparatus.
3 more elements
An apparatus for polishing and then cleaning a workpiece, comprising:
- at least two turntables each having a polishing surface;
- at least two top rings each for holding a workpiece and pressing the workpiece against one of said polishing surfaces, each of said top rings corresponding to each of said at least two turntables respectively;
- a plurality of cleaning devices for cleaning the workpiece which has been polished at said at least two turntables;
- and
- a transfer system for transferring the workpiece in order that the workpiece is polished at one of said at least two turntables, then cleaned at one of said plurality of cleaning devices, and then polished at another of said at least two turntables.
2 more elements
A method for polishing and then cleaning a workpiece, comprising:
- placing a workpiece onto a pusher, said pusher being vertically movable;
- receiving the workpiece to be polished from said pusher by a top ring, said top ring holding the workpiece and pressing the workpiece against a polishing surface while polishing, and said top ring moving horizontally between a position above said polishing surface and a position above said pusher for conducting said receiving;
- polishing the workpiece by said polishing surface;
- returning the polished workpiece to said pusher, said top ring moving horizontally between a position above said polishing surface and a position above said pusher for conducting said returning;
- removing the polished workpiece from said pusher;
- and
- cleaning the polished workpiece.
4 more elements
A method for polishing a workpiece, comprising:
- taking out a workpiece to be polished from a cassette;
- placing a workpiece onto a pusher, said pusher being vertically movable;
- receiving a workpiece to be polished from said pusher by a top ring, said top ring holding the workpiece and pressing the workpiece against a polishing surface while polishing, and said top ring moving horizontally between a position above said polishing surface and a position above said pusher for conducting said receiving;
- polishing the workpiece by said polishing surface;
- returning the polished workpiece to said pusher, said top ring moving horizontally between a position above said polishing surface and a position above said pusher for conducting said returning;
- and
- removing the polished workpiece from said pusher.
4 more elements
A method for polishing a workpiece, comprising:
- reversing a workpiece to make a surface thereof to be polished facing downward;
- placing the workpiece onto a pusher, said pusher being vertically movable;
- receiving the workpiece to be polished from said pusher by a top ring, said top ring holding the workpiece and pressing the workpiece against a polishing surface while polishing, and said top ring moving horizontally between a position above said polishing surface and a position above said pusher for conducting said receiving;
- polishing the workpiece by said polishing surface;
- returning the polished workpiece to said pusher, said top ring moving horizontally between a position above said polishing surface and a position above said pusher for conducting said returning;
- and
- removing the polished workpiece from said pusher.
4 more elements
An apparatus for polishing and then cleaning a workpiece, comprising:
- a polishing surface;
- a pusher for receiving a workpiece to be polished at said polishing surface and for receiving the workpiece which has been polished at said polishing surface, said pusher being vertically movable;
- a top ring for holding the workpiece and pressing the workpiece against said polishing surface, said top ring being swingable in a horizontal plane for receiving the workpiece to be polished from said pusher and for returning the polished workpiece to said pusher;
- a cleaning unit for cleaning the workpiece which has been polished at said polishing surface;
- and
- a transfer system for transferring the workpiece to be polished onto said pusher and for transferring the polished workpiece from said pusher to said cleaning unit.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.