US 12,296,502 B2
Peeling apparatus
Koyo Honoki, Tokyo (JP); and Ryohei Yamamoto, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to DISCO CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by DISCO CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jun. 7, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/805,724.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-104428 (JP), filed on Jun. 23, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0410431 A1, Dec. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. B28D 5/00 (2006.01); B08B 1/12 (2024.01); B08B 1/32 (2024.01); B23K 26/53 (2014.01); B23K 103/00 (2006.01)
CPC B28D 5/0011 (2013.01) [B08B 1/12 (2024.01); B08B 1/32 (2024.01); B23K 26/53 (2015.10); B28D 5/0052 (2013.01); B23K 2103/56 (2018.08)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A peeling apparatus for peeling off, from an ingot in which a peel-off layer is formed, a wafer to be produced, by positioning a focused spot of a laser beam with a wavelength transmittable through the ingot to a depth corresponding to a thickness of the wafer to be produced, from an end surface of the ingot, and applying the laser beam to the ingot, the peeling apparatus comprising:
an ingot holding unit that has a holding surface for holding the ingot;
a wafer holding unit that is capable of approaching and separating from the ingot holding unit and has a holding surface for holding under suction the wafer to be produced;
a cleaning brush that cleans peel-off surfaces at which the wafer to be produced has been peeled off from the ingot and thereby removes peeling swarf; and
a brush rotating unit including a motor that is coupled to the cleaning brush; and
wherein the brush rotating unit is configured and arranged such that the motor rotates the cleaning brush about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface of the wafer holding unit and the holding surface of the ingot holding unit, and
wherein at least one of a peel-off surface of the wafer held by the wafer holding unit or a peel-off surface of the ingot held by the ingot holding unit is cleaned by the cleaning brush being caused to come into contact with the one of the peel-off surfaces in a state in which the cleaning brush is rotated about the axis,
wherein the cleaning brush includes:
a first cleaning brush that faces the holding surface of the wafer holding unit and cleans a peel-off surface of the wafer that has been peeled off from the ingot, and
a second cleaning brush that faces the holding surface of the ingot holding unit and cleans a peel-off surface of the ingot from which the wafer has been peeled off, and
further wherein the cleaning brush is capable of simultaneously performing cleaning of the peel-off surface of the wafer by the first cleaning brush and cleaning of the peel-off surface of the ingot by the second cleaning brush.