Mitsubishi Materials Corporation

Eturo Morita

Hiroshi Tanaka

Tatsunori Kobayashi

Yasuyuki Ogata

Kanji Hosoki

Seiji Harada

A polishing apparatus has a plurality of polishing stations for polishing materials to be polished and a plurality of cleaning stations for cleaning the materials being polished, the polishing stations and the cleaning stations being alternately arranged; and an arm for holding the materials being polished and transferring the materials being polished between the polishing stations and the cleaning stations successively. The arm includes a polishing head for holding the material being polished. Each of the cleaning stations comprises a retainer stand on which the material being polished is placed, and a cleaning device for cleaning the material being polished in a state held by the polishing head, cleaning the material being polished in a state placed on the retainer stand, and cleaning the polishing head in a state where the material being polished is separated from the polishing head. A polishing method is used in a polishing apparatus having a plurality of polishing stations for polishing materials to be polished and an arm for holding the materials being polished and transferring the materials being polished between the polishing stations successively, each of the polishing stations including a platen having a polishing pad affixed to a surface of the platen, the arm including a plurality of polishing heads, each of which holds the material being polished and brings one surface of the material being polished into contact with the polishing pad, the material to be polished being polished by the polishing pad with relative movement between the polishing head and the platen. The polishing method comprises the steps of fitting a spindle for supporting the polishing head in a horizontally rotatable manner into each of fitting portions formed in each of a plurality of spindle housings provided in the arm; rotating the material being polished and the polishing pad relatively while keeping the material being polished and the polishing pad contacted with each other; and adjusting an axial position of the polishing head and changing a position of the polishing head relative to the arm by an adjusting mechanism provided on the spindle, whereby the materials to be polished are each polished while being adjusted in position thereof

Growing community of inventors

Omiya, Japan

Eturo Morita