Cover assembly, cleaning method, and method for manufacturing cover assembly

Abstract

A cover assembly includes a cover cleaning part covering at least a portion of an outer peripheral surface of a rotating body. The cover cleaning part includes: an outer cover part, constituting an outer surface of the cover cleaning part; an inner cover part, constituting at least a portion of an inner surface of the cover cleaning part; a fluid chamber, formed between the outer cover part and the inner cover part; and a cleaning liquid supply port, provided in the outer cover part or the inner cover part, communicating with the fluid chamber, and for supplying a cleaning liquid to the fluid chamber. The inner cover part includes at least one cleaning liquid discharge port communicating with the fluid chamber and facing the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cover assembly, for cleaning a rotating body used in a polishing apparatus, the cover assembly comprising:
 a cover cleaning part, covering at least a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and comprising:
 an outer cover part, constituting an outer surface of the cover cleaning part; 
 an inner cover part, constituting at least a portion of an inner surface of the cover cleaning part; 
 a fluid chamber, formed between the outer cover part and the inner cover part; and 
 a cleaning liquid supply port, provided in the outer cover part or the inner cover part, communicating with the fluid chamber, and for supplying a cleaning liquid to the fluid chamber, wherein 
 the inner cover part comprises at least one cleaning liquid discharge port communicating with the fluid chamber and facing the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body. 
   
     
     
         2 . The cover assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one cleaning liquid discharge port comprises a plurality of cleaning liquid discharge ports; and   the plurality of cleaning liquid discharge ports are arranged along a circumferential direction of the inner cover part.   
     
     
         3 . The cover assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one cleaning liquid discharge port is arranged below a limit height that is set within the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and that allows contact with liquid.   
     
     
         4 . The cover assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one cleaning liquid discharge port is arranged below the cleaning liquid supply port.   
     
     
         5 . The cover assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the cover cleaning part covers an entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body; and   the at least one cleaning liquid discharge port is arranged to face the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body.   
     
     
         6 . The cover assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the cover assembly comprises a first cover member constituting at least a portion of the cover assembly, and a second cover member constituting another portion of the cover assembly;   at least one of the first cover member and the second cover member is configured to be removable from the polishing apparatus; and   at least one of the first cover member and the second cover member comprises the cover cleaning part.   
     
     
         7 . The cover assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the rotating body is a polishing head for pressing a substrate against a polishing surface.   
     
     
         8 . A cleaning method, for cleaning a rotating body used in a polishing apparatus using the cover assembly according to  claim 1 , the cleaning method comprising:
 while rotating the rotating body, discharging the cleaning liquid from the at least one cleaning liquid discharge port toward the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and supplying the cleaning liquid to a gap between the rotating body and the cover assembly, thereby cleaning the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and an inner peripheral surface of the cover assembly.   
     
     
         9 . A method for manufacturing the cover assembly according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 molding the outer cover part by a vacuum forming method, wherein the vacuum forming method comprises processes of:
 heating a thin plate and softening the thin plate; 
 closely attaching the thin plate that has been softened to a mold by vacuum suction; 
 cooling the thin plate closely attached to the mold; and 
 releasing the thin plate that has been cooled from the mold.