JP2000031238A - Substrate transfer equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate transfer equipment where a driving source such as a motor is protected against troubles caused by a processing liquid atmosphere or a processing solution. SOLUTION: A roller support frame 71 is kept in a state to transfer a substrate along a horizontal plane with the rod 82A of a cylinder 82 extended. When the extended rod 82A is contracted by the cylinder 82, the roller support frame 71 is tilted by making the support pins 75 and 76 which are extended vertically along the transfer direction TD serve as a center. A drive shaft 77 through which a drive force is transmitted to a transfer roller 21 serves as a center of swing of a roller support frame 71, so that the engagement of a bevel gear 78 attached to the rotary shaft of a transfer roller 21 with a bevel gear 79 attached to a drive shaft 77 is restrained from being broken off even if the roller support frame 71 is tilted, and the transfer roller 21 can be rotated by the drive force of a motor 80. It is not necessary that the motor 80 is tilted together with the roller support frame 71.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to various substrates such as a flat panel display (FPD) substrate such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a photomask, and a semiconductor wafer. The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus that can transfer in a transfer direction along the axis and tilt about an axis substantially parallel to the transfer direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a manufacturing process of a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display device, a substrate processing apparatus for performing a process using a processing liquid such as an etching liquid on the surface of a substrate is used. In this type of substrate processing equipment, so that the processing liquid does not stay on the substrate,
In some cases, the processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate while the substrate is transported in a posture inclined about an axis substantially parallel to the transport direction.

[0003] Such a substrate processing apparatus is usually provided with a substrate transfer device capable of inclining a substrate transferred in a substantially horizontal state. An example of the configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-155306.

[0004] The substrate transfer device described in the above-mentioned publication has a plurality of transfer rollers arranged in parallel in the transfer direction in a positional relationship parallel to each other. The plurality of transport rollers are integrally supported by a roller support frame, and are rotationally driven by driving means such as a motor attached to the roller support frame. Also, a rod of an air cylinder is connected near one edge along the transport direction of the roller support frame, and by expanding and contracting the rod, the plurality of transport rollers have their rotation shafts extending in the horizontal direction. The inclined state is inclined between an inclined horizontal state and an inclined state about an axis substantially parallel to the transport direction.

[0005]

However, the above-described substrate transfer apparatus is disposed at a position adjacent to a processing tank for processing a substrate by supplying a predetermined processing liquid to the substrate, and the processing tank is provided with, for example, an inclined state. When the substrate is transported toward the substrate loading port provided in the processing tank, the following problem occurs. That is, the problem that the atmosphere containing the processing liquid in the processing tank (hereinafter, referred to as the processing liquid atmosphere) flows into the driving unit such as the motor of the substrate transfer device from the substrate loading port, and the driving unit such as the motor breaks down. I do.

In some cases, the above-described substrate transfer device is provided in the above-described processing tank. For example, an immersion tank in which a substrate is immersed in a predetermined processing solution while transporting the substrate in a horizontal state, and a substrate treated in the immersion tank is changed from a horizontal state to an inclined state, and then the substrate is inclined. In a substrate processing apparatus having a processing tank that supplies a predetermined processing liquid toward the surface of the substrate while transferring the substrate, the substrate transfer apparatus described above is provided in the processing tank in order to reduce the size of the substrate processing apparatus. There is. As described above, when the substrate transfer device is provided in the processing bath, it is necessary to prevent the driving unit of the substrate transfer device from being broken by the processing liquid supplied to the substrate in the processing bath.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide
It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer apparatus capable of preventing a drive source such as a motor from being damaged by a processing liquid atmosphere or a processing liquid.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention According to the first aspect of the present invention, a substrate is transported in a transport direction along a main surface thereof, and a posture of the substrate is adjusted to a predetermined position. In a substrate transport apparatus for changing from the first attitude to a second attitude inclined about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the transport direction with respect to the first attitude, the substrate is supported while supporting the substrate in a direction along the main surface thereof. Transport means for transporting, tilt means for inclining the transport means about the rotation axis, and changing the attitude of the substrate supported by the transport means from the first attitude to the second attitude; A storage means for storing the transfer means, a drive shaft disposed inside the storage means and on the rotation axis and driven to rotate about the rotation axis, and fixedly disposed outside the storage means, Drive to drive the axis A first transmission means provided through the storage means for transmitting a driving force from the driving source to the driving shaft; a second transmission means for transmitting the driving force from the driving shaft to the transport means; A substrate transport device comprising:

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the substrate can be transported in the direction along the main surface by the transporting means, and the transporting means can be tilted around the rotation axis by the tilting means to be transferred to the transporting means. The posture of the supported substrate can be changed from the first posture to the second posture.

Further, since the drive source is fixedly arranged outside the storage means, the processing liquid atmosphere and the processing liquid existing inside the storage means do not reach the drive source such as the motor.
The failure of the drive unit can be prevented.

Further, since the drive shaft is arranged on the rotation axis, the arrangement position of the drive shaft does not change when the conveying means is tilted around the rotation axis by the inclination means. Therefore, the first transmitting means can be fixedly arranged regardless of the inclined state of the transporting means, so that it is not necessary to make the through-hole provided in the storage means for penetrating the first transmitting means into an elongated hole or the like. Performance can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent a drive source such as a motor from breaking down due to the processing liquid atmosphere or the processing liquid existing inside the storage means.

Further, since the drive source can be fixedly arranged, the space for the drive source rotation secured when the drive source is rotated according to the rotation of the transfer means is not required, and the substrate transfer device can be made compact. Can be planned.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer apparatus according to the first aspect, the first transmission means is connected to the driving source, and is rotationally driven by the driving source about an axis orthogonal to the transport direction. A substrate transfer device comprising: an output shaft to be used; an output gear provided on the output shaft; and an intermediary gear provided on the drive shaft and meshing with the output gear.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the intervening gear is provided on the drive shaft disposed on the rotation axis, the position of the intervening gear can be maintained even if the conveying means is tilted by the tilting means. There is no displacement. Therefore, regardless of the inclined state of the conveying means, the meshing state between the output gear provided on the output shaft driven by the driving source and the interposed gear can be maintained, and the driving force by the driving source can be reliably transmitted to the conveying means. Can be transmitted to

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the second transmission means includes an input shaft that is driven to rotate about an axis orthogonal to the transfer direction; An input gear provided on the input shaft;
A substrate transfer device, comprising: an intervening gear provided on the drive shaft and meshing with the input gear.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the intervening gear is provided on the drive shaft disposed on the rotation axis, the position of the intervening gear can be maintained even if the conveying means is tilted by the tilting means. There is no displacement. Therefore, the meshing state between the input gear and the intervening gear can be maintained irrespective of the inclined state of the conveying means, and the driving force of the drive source can be reliably transmitted to the conveying means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the substrate is transported in the transport direction along the main surface thereof, and the substrate is shifted from a predetermined first attitude to the first attitude substantially parallel to the transport direction. A transfer means for supporting a substrate and transferring the substrate in a direction along a main surface thereof, and tilting the transfer means about the rotation axis. A tilting means for changing the attitude of the substrate supported by the transporting means from the first attitude to the second attitude, a storing means for storing the transporting means therein, and a fixed means disposed outside the storing means. A drive source for driving the transport unit, an output shaft that penetrates the storage unit and is driven to rotate about an axis orthogonal to the transport direction by the drive source, and connected to the transport unit, Orthogonal to the direction An input shaft that is driven to rotate around a line, the output shaft and the input shaft are in a state where they extend linearly, and in a state where the input shaft is inclined with respect to the output shaft, the driving force of the output shaft is reduced. A substrate transport device comprising: a coupling unit that couples the output shaft and the input shaft so as to be able to transmit to the input shaft.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the substrate can be transported in the direction along the main surface by the transporting means, and the transporting means can be tilted about the rotation axis by the tilting means to the transporting means. The posture of the supported substrate can be changed from the first posture to the second posture.

Further, since the drive source is fixedly disposed outside the storage means, the processing liquid atmosphere and the processing liquid existing inside the storage means do not reach the drive source such as the motor, and the drive source is broken. Can be prevented.

Further, the driving force of the output shaft can be transmitted to the input shaft in a state where the output shaft and the input shaft extend linearly by the connecting means and in a state where the input shaft is inclined with respect to the output shaft. Since the output shaft can be fixedly arranged regardless of the inclined state of the means, it is not necessary to make the through-hole provided in the storage means in order to penetrate the output shaft into an elongated hole, etc. It is possible to reliably prevent a drive source such as a motor from breaking down due to the processing liquid atmosphere or the processing liquid existing inside the means.

Further, since the drive source can be fixedly arranged, the space for the drive source rotation secured when the drive source is rotated according to the rotation of the transfer means is not required, and the substrate transfer apparatus can be made compact. Can be planned.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the substrate is transported in the transport direction along the main surface thereof, and the substrate is moved from a predetermined first attitude to the first attitude substantially parallel to the transport direction. A transfer means for supporting a substrate and transferring the substrate in a direction along a main surface thereof, and tilting the transfer means about the rotation axis. Tilting means for changing the attitude of the substrate supported by the transport means from the first attitude to the second attitude, storage means for storing the transport means therein, and fixedly disposed outside the storage means; A drive source for driving the transfer unit, and a driving force generated by the drive source when the transfer unit is tilted by the tilt unit so that the posture of the substrate supported by the transfer unit is the first position. To the above-mentioned transport means. A first driving force transmitting means for performing the driving force by the driving source when the conveying means is tilted by the tilting means so that the posture of the substrate supported by the conveying means becomes the second posture. And a second driving force transmitting means for transmitting the driving force to the transporting means.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the substrate can be transported in the direction along the main surface by the transporting means, and the transporting means can be tilted around the rotation axis by the tilting means to be transferred to the transporting means. The posture of the supported substrate can be changed from the first posture to the second posture.

A first driving force transmitting means for driving the transfer means when the transfer means is tilted by the tilt means so that the posture of the substrate supported by the transfer means becomes the first position; And a second driving force transmitting means for driving the transport means when the transport means is tilted by the tilt means so that the attitude of the substrate supported by the means becomes the second attitude. The drive source can be fixedly disposed outside the storage means regardless of the inclined state of the transfer means. Therefore, the processing liquid atmosphere and the processing liquid existing inside the storage means do not reach the driving source such as the motor, and the driving source can be prevented from being broken.

Further, the first state may be selected according to the inclined state of the conveying means.
Since the driving force transmitting means and the second driving force transmitting means are provided respectively, regardless of the inclined state of the conveying means,
The first driving force transmitting means and the second driving force transmitting means can be fixedly arranged. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a long hole or the like for the through-hole provided in the storage means for allowing the first driving force transmission means or the second driving force transmission means to pass therethrough. Failure of a drive source such as a motor due to the processing liquid atmosphere or the processing liquid present inside can be reliably prevented.

Further, since the drive source can be fixedly arranged, a space for the drive source rotation secured when the drive source is rotated according to the rotation of the transfer means becomes unnecessary, and the substrate transfer apparatus can be made compact. Can be planned.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the transfer means is driven to rotate about an axis parallel to the transfer direction, and the transfer means and the body are rotated by the tilt means. The first driving force transmission means penetrates the storage tank and is driven to rotate by the driving source, and the first output shaft provided on the first output shaft. When the transfer means is tilted by the tilting means so that the posture of the output gear and the substrate supported by the transfer means becomes the first posture,
A first intervening gear provided on the drive shaft so as to mesh with the output gear, wherein the second driving force transmitting means penetrates the storage tank and is driven to rotate by the drive source;
An output shaft, a second output gear provided on the second output shaft, and the transfer means being tilted by the tilting means such that a posture of the substrate supported by the transfer means becomes the second posture. And a second intervening gear provided on the drive shaft so as to mesh with the second output gear.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the first output gear and the first intervening gear of the first driving force transmitting means are meshed with each other, and Since the second output gear and the second intervening gear of the driving force transmitting means mesh with each other, the driving force from the driving source is transmitted to the first driving force transmitting means or the second driving force transmitting regardless of the inclined state of the conveying means. It can be reliably transmitted to the conveying means via the means.

[0029]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a simplified structure of a substrate processing apparatus to which the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention is applied. The substrate processing apparatus supplies an etchant to the surface of the substrate S, for example, while sequentially transporting the substrates S such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device in the transport direction TD. This is an apparatus for performing an etching process.

In order to realize such a function, this substrate processing apparatus is arranged in the order from the upstream side in the transport direction TD.
An inlet conveyor 1, an etching tank 2, a washing tank 3 and an outlet conveyor 4 are connected together in the transport direction TD. The entrance conveyor 1, the etching treatment tank 2, the washing treatment tank 3, and the exit conveyor 4,
A plurality of transport rollers 11, 21, 31, 41 are arranged in a substantially parallel positional relationship with each other. Each of the transport rollers 11, 21, 31, and 41 rotates around an axis extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction TD, and can transport the substrate S placed thereon along the transport direction TD. .

The unprocessed substrate S is placed in a horizontal posture on the transport rollers 11 of the entrance conveyor 1 by a substrate loading robot (not shown). The mounted substrate S is transported by the transport rollers 11 to the etching processing tank 2 while maintaining the horizontal posture, and includes a transport mechanism (substrate transport device described later) including the transport rollers 21 provided in the etching processing tank 2. ). Etching tank 2 in horizontal position
The substrate S conveyed into the inside is changed in its posture to the inclined posture by the conveyance mechanism, and then processed while being conveyed by the conveyance rollers 21 in the etching processing tank 2. The substrate S supported in the etching tank 2 in the inclined position by the transport roller 2 is carried into the washing tank 3 while maintaining the inclined position, and includes the transport roller 31 provided in the washing tank 3. Delivered to the transport mechanism. Next, the substrate S is processed while being transported by the transport rollers 31 in the rinsing tank 3, and then the attitude thereof is changed from the inclined attitude to the horizontal attitude by the transport mechanism.
Payed on one. The processed substrate S delivered to the exit conveyor 4 is removed from above the transport rollers 41 by a substrate unloading robot (not shown).

The transport roller 11 of the entrance conveyor 1 is provided with its rotation axis extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction TD, and horizontally supports the substrate S placed by the substrate loading robot. While being conveyed toward the etching processing tank 2.

The etching bath 2 is provided with an upper spray nozzle 22 for spraying an etching solution on the upper surface of the substrate S. In the upper spray nozzle 22,
The etching liquid stored in the etching liquid tank 24 is
Pumped by the pump 25, the etchant supply pipe 2
6. An air valve 27 is interposed in the middle of the etching supply pipe 26.
By opening and closing the nozzle 7, the etching liquid can be ejected from the upper spray nozzle 22 or the ejection can be stopped.

The etching liquid supplied to the substrate S from the spray nozzle 22 is supplied to the etching liquid tank 2 via a collection pipe 61 connected to the bottom of the etching tank 2.
4 to be collected.

With the above configuration, an etching solution can be supplied toward the upper surface of the substrate S carried into the etching tank 2 and the upper surface can be subjected to the etching process using the etching solution.

While the etching liquid is being supplied to the substrate S, the transport roller 21 is rotated forward to transport the substrate S in the transport direction TD, or returned to the opposite direction to the transport direction. Has been reversed. Thereby, the substrate S is swung in the etching tank 2 and the etchant spouted from the spray nozzle 22 can be supplied almost uniformly to the entire upper surface of the substrate S, and the etching can be performed without increasing the transport path length. A sufficient and sufficient processing time for the process can be secured.

Further, while the etching liquid is being supplied to the substrate S, the plurality of transport rollers 21 are rotated by a substrate transport mechanism (substrate transport device) described later at a predetermined inclination angle about an axis substantially parallel to the transport direction TD. Only, for example, it is inclined within a range of 5 degrees to 10 degrees. As a result, the substrate S on the transport roller S is inclined by the above-mentioned inclination angle, and the etching liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate S flows down along the inclination of the substrate S.
There is no portion where the etchant stays on the upper surface of the substrate, and the substrate S
A substantially uniform treatment can be applied to the entire surface of the substrate.

The substrate S that has been subjected to the etching process is supplied to a draining roller 6 provided near the exit of the etching bath 2.
After passing through the etching solution 2, the etching solution attached to the surface is removed to some extent, and then carried out toward the washing tank 3 while maintaining a predetermined inclination angle.

In the rinsing tank 3, pure water spray nozzles 32 and 33 for supplying pure water to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate S are provided above and below the transport roller 31, respectively. Pure water stored in a pure water tank 34 is pumped out by a pump 35 and supplied to the pure water spray nozzle 32 through a pure water supply pipe 36. An air valve 37 is interposed in the middle of the pure water supply pipe 36. By opening and closing the air valve 37, pure water is discharged from the pure water spray nozzle 32 or the discharge is stopped. Or you can. The pure water spray nozzle 33 is connected to a pure water supply pipe 36 between the pump 35 and the air valve 37 by branching the pure water pumped out of the pure water tank 34 by the pump 35. It is supplied via a tube 38. An air valve 39 is interposed in the middle of the branch pipe 38. By opening and closing the air valve 39, pure water is discharged from the pure water spray nozzle 33 or the discharge is stopped. be able to.

The pure water supplied to the substrate is supplied to a solenoid valve 65.
And collected in the pure water tank 34 via the collection pipe 66 or discarded through the solenoid valve 67 and the waste liquid pipe 68. Specifically, in the initial period when the cleaning process for the substrate S is started, the solenoid valve 65 is closed and the solenoid valve 67 is opened.
As a result, pure water containing a large amount of an etching solution or the like is discarded. Thereafter, after a certain period of time, the solenoid valve 65 is opened and the solenoid valve 67 is closed. Thus, of the pure water used for cleaning the substrate S, relatively pure water can be collected in the pure water tank 34.

With the above structure, the spray nozzle 3 for pure water is provided on the surface of the substrate S treated with the etching solution.
Pure water can be supplied from 2 and 33, and the etching solution and the like adhering to the surface can be washed away.

Similarly to the etching treatment tank 2, while the pure water is being supplied to the substrate S, the transport rollers 31 are alternately rotated forward or inverted, and the substrate S is swung in the washing treatment tank 3. Is done. Thereby, the pure water spray nozzles 32, 3
The entire surface of the substrate S can be thoroughly washed with pure water spouted from the substrate 3, and a process sufficient and sufficient to remove the etchant from the surface of the substrate S without increasing the length of the transport path of the washing tank 3. I can secure time.

Further, while pure water is being supplied to the substrate S, the transport roller 31 of the transport mechanism (substrate transport device) described later rotates around an axis substantially parallel to the transport direction TD.
It is configured to be inclined by the same predetermined inclination angle as the inclination angle in the etching processing tank 2. As a result, the substrate S on the transport roller S is tilted by a predetermined tilt angle with respect to the horizontal plane, and the pure water supplied to the upper surface of the substrate S does not stay on the substrate S without tilting. Therefore, the etchant adhering to the surface of the substrate S can be washed away satisfactorily. Then, the substrate S from which the etchant has been washed out is discharged toward the exit conveyor 4 after its posture is changed from the inclined posture to the horizontal posture by the transport mechanism.

The transport roller 41 of the exit conveyor 4 has a rotation axis extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction TD, and supports the substrate S unloaded from the washing tank 3 in the transport direction TD while supporting the substrate S horizontally. Is transported along. Near the entrance of the exit conveyor 4, a pair of air knife devices 42 and 43 for blowing dry air onto the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate S to remove moisture on the surface of the substrate S are arranged. These pair of air knife devices 42 and 43 include:
Dry air sent from an air supply source (not shown) is supplied through an air supply pipe 44 and an air valve 45. The substrate S from which moisture has been removed by passing through the air knife devices 42 and 43 is, as described above,
The transfer roller 41 is removed from the transfer roller 41 by a substrate transfer robot (not shown).

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a configuration of a transfer mechanism (substrate transfer device) including a transfer roller 21 provided in the etching treatment tank 2 when viewed from above, and FIG. 3 is viewed from a cut line AA in FIG. It is sectional drawing. Since the transport mechanism provided in the etching tank 2 and the transport mechanism provided in the rinsing tank 3 have substantially the same configuration, the transport mechanism 7 provided in the etching tank 2 will be described below. .

The transport mechanism 7 has a roller support frame 71 for holding a plurality of transport rollers 21 integrally. The roller support frame 71 includes a pair of support plates 72 and 73 extending in the transport direction TD. The pair of support plates 72, 73
The pair of support plates 7 are provided facing each other at a predetermined interval in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction TD.
A plurality of transport rollers 21 are rotatably supported between the rollers 2 and 73. The pair of support plates 72 and 73 are connected below the transport roller 21 by a plurality of connection plates 74. The transport unit of the present invention is constituted by the plurality of transport rollers 21 and the roller support frame 71 and the like.

On the left support plate 72 in FIG. 2, support pins 75 and 76 projecting horizontally from the side walls 2A and 2B of the etching processing tank (housing means) 2 opposed to the transport direction TD are provided. Has been penetrated,
The roller support frame 71 is supported rotatably about support pins 75 and 76. A drive shaft 77 extending in the transport direction TD is rotatably supported by the support plate 72 such that its axis coincides with the axis of the support pins 75 and 76.

The rotating shaft (input shaft) G1 of the transport roller 21
Are penetrated through the support plate 72, and bevel gears (input gears) 78 are attached to the ends thereof.
Correspondingly, a plurality of bevel gears (intervening gears) 7 are provided on the drive shaft 77 so as to mesh with the bevel gears 78, respectively.
9 is attached. A motor (drive source) 80 for generating a driving force for rotating the transport roller 21 is attached to the outer surface of the left side wall 2C of the etching tank 2 facing the support plate 72. This motor 80
The output shaft G2 extends through the left side wall 2C and protrudes into the etching bath 2, and a bevel gear (output gear) 81 is attached to a tip of the output shaft G2. This bevel gear 81
Is engaged with one of a plurality of bevel gears 79 provided on the drive shaft 77. The output shaft G of the motor 80
2, the first transmission means of the present invention is constituted by the bevel gear 81 and the bevel gear 79, and the like.
1, the bevel gear 78, the bevel gear 79 and the like constitute the second transmission means of the present invention.

With this configuration, when the bevel gear 81 is rotated by the driving force of the motor 80, the rotating force of the bevel gear 81 is given to the drive shaft 77 via the bevel gear 79, thereby rotating the drive shaft 77. Then, the rotation of the drive shaft 77 is converted by the bevel gear 79 and the bevel gear 78 into a rotational force of the transport roller 21 to rotate the transport roller 21.

A tilting mechanism (tilting means) for tilting the roller support frame 71 around the rotation axis of the drive shaft 77 around the support pins 75 and 76 is connected to the right support plate 73 in FIG. ing. The tilting mechanism includes a cylinder 82 having a rod 82A which can move forward and backward in a vertical direction.
Is provided. The cylinder 82 is provided outside the etching tank 2, and the rod 82 </ b> A moves up and down in a cover 83 attached to the right side wall 2 </ b> D of the etching tank 2 in FIG. 2.
A shaft 82B provided at the lower end of the cylinder 82 is rotatably attached to a base (not shown), and the cylinder 82 swings slightly around the shaft 82B as the rod 82A moves up and down. It is provided in.

A mounting member 84 is mounted on the tip of the rod 82A. The mounting member 84 has a transport direction TD
Lever 86 supported swingably on a shaft 85 substantially parallel to
Is connected rotatably about an axis 87 substantially parallel to the transport direction TD. The other end of the lever 86 enters the etching tank 2 through a communication port 88 formed in the right side wall 2D, and is attached to the upper end of a pair of lifting rods 89 provided in the etching tank 2. Transport direction T
It is connected rotatably about an axis 90 substantially parallel to D. The lower end of the elevating rod 89 is connected to the lower end of the support plate 73 so as to be rotatable around an axis 91 substantially parallel to the transport direction TD.

The lengths of the lever 86 and the lifting rod 89 are set such that the rotation axis of the transport roller 21 held by the roller support frame 71 is horizontal when the rod 82A of the cylinder 82 is extended. Have been. The rod 82A is covered with a bellows 92 inside the cover 83 so that the atmosphere containing the etching solution and the etching solution component in the etching tank 2 does not leak from the gap between the rod 82A and the cover 83. It has become.

With the above arrangement, when the rod 82A is contracted by the cylinder 82, the lever 86 is tilted clockwise in FIG. 3 around the shaft 85, and the elevating rod 89 is raised accordingly. Then, the lifting plate 89 raises the support plate 73 side of the roller support frame 71, and as a result, the roller support frame 71 is supported by the support pins 75 and 76.
Can be tilted counterclockwise in FIG.

At this time, the drive shaft 77 is supported so that its axis coincides with the axes of the support pins 75 and 76, and thus serves as the swing center of the roller support frame 71. That is, since the drive shaft 77 is disposed on the rotation axis of the roller support frame 71, even if the roller support frame 71 is tilted about the support pins 75 and 76, the drive shaft 77 is attached to the rotation shaft of the transport roller 21. The engagement between the bevel gear 78 and the bevel gear 79 attached to the drive shaft 77 is not released, and the transport roller 21 can be rotated by the driving force of the motor 80 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B).

As described above, according to this embodiment, the one end side of the roller support frame 71 is lifted by the cylinder 82, and the roller support frame 71 is tilted about the support pins 75 and 76, whereby the roller support frame 71 is tilted. The transfer roller 21 held integrally with the support rollers 75 can be inclined about the support pins 75 and 76. In addition, the transport roller 21 can be rotated in that state. Thus, the substrate S transported by the transport rollers 21 can be transported along a horizontal plane or can be transported in a state inclined with respect to the horizontal plane.

Further, even if the roller support frame 71 is inclined,
The position of the drive source such as the motor 80 does not change, and the drive source does not incline integrally with the roller support frame 71. Therefore, the size of the etching bath 2 does not increase because the conveying roller 21 is inclined to change the posture of the substrate S.

Further, since the cylinder 82 is provided outside the etching processing tank 2, there is no possibility that the etching liquid adheres to the cylinder 82, and there is no possibility that the cylinder 82 is adversely affected by the etching liquid.

In the above-described first embodiment, both the bevel gear 81 and the bevel gear 78 mesh with one of the plurality of bevel gears 79 provided on the drive shaft 77. Thus, as shown in FIG.
A bevel gear 79A that does not mesh with the bevel gear 78 may be provided, and the driving force of the motor 80 may be transmitted to the drive shaft 77 by meshing the bevel gear 81 with the bevel gear 79A. Further, the combination of the bevel gear 81 and the bevel gear 79A may be replaced with a combination of a worm gear and a spur gear.

As another modified example, a structure for rotating the drive shaft 77 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
The output shaft G2 of the motor is provided in parallel with the drive shaft 77, a timing belt TB is wound between the output shaft of the motor and the drive shaft 77, and the driving force of the motor is applied to the drive shaft 77 via the timing belt TB. It is good also as a structure which transmits. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which the output shaft of the motor is provided in parallel with the drive shaft 77, and the rotation of the output shaft of the motor is transmitted to the drive shaft 77 via a gear mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of the transport mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention when viewed from above. In FIG. 7, the same parts as those shown in FIG.
The same reference numerals are given and the detailed description is omitted.

In the transport mechanism 7A according to the second embodiment, the drive gears 101 are attached to the rotating shafts of the plurality of transport rollers 21, respectively. Two drive gears 101 adjacent to each other are meshed with an intermediate gear 102 rotatably supported by a support plate 72, and rotation of one drive gear 101 is performed via the intermediate gear 102 and the other drive gear 101 is rotated. It is transmitted to. One of the intermediate gears 102 has its rotating shaft (input shaft) 103
The output shaft G2 of the motor 105 is connected to the motor 105 via a flexible coupling (connection means) 104.

This flexible coupling 104
Even when the rotating shaft 103 is inclined with respect to the output shaft of the motor 105, the rotation of the output shaft G2 of the motor 105 can be transmitted to the rotating shaft 103 (FIG. 8).
(See (a), (b)). Therefore, even if one end side of the roller support frame 71 is lifted by the cylinder 82 and the roller support frame 71 is tilted about the support pins 75 and 76, the driving force of the motor 105 is applied to the drive gear 101 and the intermediate gear 1.
02 can be transmitted to the conveying roller 21.
Thereby, the substrate S transported by the transport roller 21
Can be conveyed along the horizontal plane, or can be conveyed while being inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

In this embodiment, the rotation axis of the roller support frame 71 defined by the support pins 75 and 76 passes near the connecting position between the output shaft G2 and the rotary shaft 103 in the flexible coupling 104. It is preferable that it is made so. Thereby, the roller support frame 7
1 is tilted, the output shaft G2 and the rotating shaft 10
3 can be favorably maintained.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the configuration of the transport mechanism according to the third embodiment of the present invention when viewed from above.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB shown in FIG. 9 and 10, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The transport mechanism 7B according to the third embodiment
Is a first motor (drive source) 1 for applying a driving force to the drive shaft 77 in a state where the rotation shaft of the transport roller 21 extends horizontally.
11 and a second motor (drive source) 112 for applying a driving force to the drive shaft 77 in a state where the rotation axis of the transport roller 21 is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane.

First motor 111 and second motor 112
Are attached to the outer surface of the left side wall 2C of the etching tank (storage means) 2. An output shaft (first output shaft) 113 of the first motor 111 and an output shaft (second output shaft) 114 of the second motor 112 project through the left side wall 2C into the etching bath 2 and have tips thereof. In
A worm gear (first output gear) 115 and a worm gear (second output gear) 116 are attached respectively. Correspondingly, the worm gear 11 is mounted on the drive shaft 77 with the rotation shaft of the transport roller 21 extending horizontally.
A spur gear (first intervening gear) 117 is attached at a position where it meshes with the gear 5 (see FIG. 11A). Further, a spur gear (second intervening gear) 118 is attached at a position where the rotation shaft (input shaft) G1 of the transport roller 21 is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane at a position where the worm gear 116 meshes (FIG. 11). (b)).

The partition walls 2A, 2A of the etching bath 2
B, a support shaft 119 extending along the transport direction TD is bridged, and the roller support frame 71 is supported by the support shaft 11.
9 so as to be freely rotatable.

With this configuration, the rod 8 of the cylinder 82
When 2 </ b> A is extended and the rotating shaft of the transport roller 21 extends horizontally, the worm gear 115 and the spur gear 117 mesh with each other, and the driving force of the first motor 111 is transmitted to the driving shaft 77. . Then, the first motor 111
Is rotated by the bevel gear 79 and the bevel gear 78 to rotate the transport roller 21 to rotate the transport roller 21. Thus, the substrate S on the transport roller 21 is moved horizontally in the transport direction TD.
Can be transported along.

When the rotating shaft of the conveying roller 21 is in an inclined state, the worm gear 116 and the spur gear 118 mesh with each other, so that the driving force of the second motor 112 is transmitted to the driving shaft 77 and the driving shaft 77 is driven. To rotate. Then, the rotation of the drive shaft 77 is transmitted to the transport roller 21 via the bevel gear 79 and the bevel gear 78, and rotates the transport roller 21. Thus, the substrate S on the transport roller 21 can be transported along the transport direction TD while being inclined with respect to the horizontal plane.

Further, similarly to the configurations according to the first and second embodiments described above, even if the roller support frame 71 is inclined, the driving sources such as the first motor 111 and the second motor 112 do not incline. Even if the configuration of the third embodiment is adopted, the size of the etching bath 2 does not increase.

In the above-described third embodiment, the spur gear 117 and the spur gear 118 are provided on the drive shaft 77, respectively, but the worm gear 115 and the worm gear 116 are arranged so that they are located on the same vertical plane. The first motor 111 and the second motor 112 are arranged, and the worm gear 115
Alternatively, one spur gear meshing with the worm gear 116 may be used.

In the third embodiment described above, the drive shaft 77 is tilted by a cylinder 82 or the like with respect to the plurality of transport rollers 21. Instead of this configuration, it is shown in FIG. A configuration may be adopted. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, two drive shafts 77A and 77B that are driven to rotate about an axis parallel to the transport direction TD are provided. These two drive shafts 77A
A bevel gear 79C and a bevel gear 79D are provided on the drive shaft 77B, respectively, and a bevel gear 78B is provided at the tip of the rotation shaft G1 of the transport roller 21. The bevel gear 78B meshes with the bevel gear 79C when the rotating shaft G1 of the transport roller 21 is in the horizontal state, and the bevel gear 78B meshes with the bevel gear 79D when the rotating shaft G1 is in the inclined state. It is configured. Drive shaft 7
As a mechanism for rotatingly driving the drive shaft 7A and the drive shaft 77B, a mechanism using a motor as a drive source and transmitting the drive force to each drive shaft via a gear or the like may be employed.

Although the three embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be embodied in modes other than the above-described three embodiments. For example, FIG.
As shown in the figure, a cylinder 82 is provided above the etching tank 2, and a rod 82 A of the cylinder 82 is rotatably connected to a support plate 73 of a roller support frame 71 through a top surface of the etching tank 2. You may. The cylinder 82
May be provided below the etching tank 2, and the rod 82 </ b> A of the cylinder 82 may be rotatably connected to the roller support frame 71 through the bottom plate 2 </ b> F of the etching tank 2. When these configurations are adopted, the configuration for inclining the roller support frame 71 can be simplified.

Further, the cylinder 82 is provided above the etching tank 2, the rod 82A of the cylinder 82 is connected to the roller support frame 71 via a wire, and the rod 82A is contracted to pull up the wire, thereby obtaining the roller support frame. 71 may be inclined. Further, the roller support frame 71 may be inclined by winding the wire with a motor.

Further, it is not necessary to use a cylinder as a drive source for inclining the roller support frame 71, and another type of drive source such as a motor may be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, a ball nut 122 screwed to the screw shaft 121 is connected to the lever 86, and the screw shaft 121 is rotated by the driving force of the motor 123 to move the ball nut 122 up and down. Alternatively, a ball screw mechanism for swinging the roller support frame 71 may be employed. 13 and 14, illustration of a configuration for rotating the transport roller 21 is omitted.

Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the output shaft of the motor is directly connected to the swing shaft 85 of the lever 86, and the lever 86 is swung directly by the motor, whereby the roller support frame 71 is swung. .

A rack-and-pinion mechanism having a rack connected to the lever 86 and a pinion meshing with the rack may be used to apply a rotational force from a motor capable of normal and reverse rotation to the pinion.

Further, in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and the third embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the bevel gears 78 provided on the rotation shafts G1 of the plurality of transport rollers 21 respectively have a drive shaft. A plurality of bevel gears 79 provided on 77
Are engaged with each other, but a configuration shown in FIG. 15 may be adopted as a modified example of this configuration. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, an input shaft G1A that is driven to rotate about an axis orthogonal to the transport direction TD is provided separately from the rotation axis G1 of the transport roller.
A bevel gear 78A is attached to the tip of 1A. The bevel gear 78A meshes with a bevel gear 79B provided on the drive shaft 77, and the driving force of the drive shaft is transmitted to the input shaft G1A. The driving force transmitted to the input shaft G1A
The transport roller 21 is transmitted to the plurality of transport rollers 21 via the drive roller 01 to rotate the transport rollers 21. Instead of transmitting the driving force input to the input shaft GIA with a combination of a plurality of gears as described above, the driving force may be transmitted with a combination of a pulley and a belt. Further, the input shaft GIA is replaced by one of the rotation shafts G1 of the plurality of transport rollers 21, and this rotation shaft G1
1 is provided with a bevel gear 78A and the rotating shaft G1.
The driving force may be transmitted to all the rotating shafts G1 by interlocking and connecting the other rotating shafts G1 with a plurality of gears or the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the spray nozzle 22 for discharging the etching liquid to be supplied to the substrate is provided separately from the roller support frame 71. For example, the etching liquid can be satisfactorily supplied to the substrate regardless of the inclination angle of the roller support frame 71. Similarly, if the spray nozzles 32 and 33 for pure water are attached to the roller support frame 71 in the water washing treatment tank 3, pure water can be satisfactorily supplied to the substrate regardless of the inclination angle of the roller support frame 71. be able to.

In each of the above embodiments, the transport means of the present invention is constituted by a plurality of transport rollers and the like, but the plurality of transport rollers may be replaced by a belt conveyor or the like.
In short, any transporting means that can transport the substrate in a direction along the surface while supporting the substrate may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an apparatus for transporting a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device is taken as an example. However, the present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a plasma display panel, and a glass for a photomask. The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus for transporting another type of substrate such as a substrate.

In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the technical matters described in the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus to which a substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the transport mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration for driving a transport roller.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining another modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a transport mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from above.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration for driving a transport roller.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view as viewed from above showing a configuration of a transport mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration for driving a transport roller.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a modification of the third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing another configuration example for inclining a transport roller.

FIG. 14 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing another configuration example for inclining a transport roller.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another configuration example for driving a transport roller.

[Explanation of symbols]

 S substrate 2 etching treatment tank (storage means) 21, 31 transfer roller (transfer means) 7, 7A, 7B transfer mechanism (substrate transfer device) 71 roller support frame (roller support member) 78 bevel gear (input gear) 79 bevel Gears (intervening gears) 80, 105, 111, 112 Motors (drive sources) 81 Bevel gears 82 Cylinders (tilting means) 84 Mounting members (tilting means) 86 Lever (tilting means) 89 Lifting rods (tilting means) 103 Rotating shaft ( Input shaft) 104 Flexible coupling (coupling means) 113 Output shaft of first motor (first output shaft) 114 Output shaft of second motor (second output shaft) 115 Worm gear (first output gear) 116 Worm gear (first output shaft) 2 output gear) 117 spur gear (first interposed gear) 118 spur gear (second interposed gear) G1 input shaft G2 output shaft

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3B201 AA02 AA03 AB02 AB14 AB39 AB42 BB24 BB33 BB62 BB81 BB93 CB15 CC01 CC11 CD22 5F031 BC05 CC15 JJ01 JJ05 KK02 KK06

Claims (6)

[Claims] The substrate is transported in a transport direction along its main surface, and the posture of the substrate is changed from a predetermined first posture to a rotation axis substantially parallel to the transport direction with respect to the first posture. In a substrate transfer apparatus that changes to a tilted second posture, a transfer unit that transfers a substrate in a direction along a main surface thereof while supporting the substrate, and tilts the transfer unit around the rotation axis to support the transfer unit. Tilting means for changing the attitude of the substrate thus set from the first attitude to the second attitude, storage means for storing the transfer means therein, and disposed inside the storage means and on the rotation axis, A drive shaft rotatably driven around the rotation axis, a drive source fixedly arranged outside the storage means, and a drive source for driving the drive shaft; and a drive source provided through the storage means and provided by the drive source. Transfer the driving force to the drive shaft A first transmission means for, second transmitting a driving force by the drive shaft to the conveying means
A substrate transfer device comprising: a transmission unit. 2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first transmission means is connected to the drive source, and an output shaft rotated by the drive source around an axis orthogonal to the transfer direction. A substrate transfer device comprising: an output gear provided on the output shaft; and an intervening gear provided on the drive shaft and meshing with the output gear. 3. The substrate transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the second transmission unit is provided on the input shaft, the input shaft being driven to rotate about an axis orthogonal to the transfer direction. A substrate transfer device, comprising: an input gear; and an intervening gear provided on the drive shaft and meshing with the input gear. 4. A substrate is transported in a transport direction along a main surface thereof, and the posture of the substrate is changed from a predetermined first posture to a rotation axis substantially parallel to the transport direction with respect to the first posture. In a substrate transfer apparatus that changes to a tilted second posture, a transfer unit that transfers a substrate in a direction along a main surface thereof while supporting the substrate, and tilts the transfer unit around the rotation axis to support the transfer unit. Tilting means for changing the attitude of the substrate thus set from the first attitude to the second attitude, storage means for storing the transport means therein, and fixedly disposed outside the storage means to drive the transport means A drive source for driving the motor, an output shaft that penetrates the storage means and is driven to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the transport direction by the drive source, and connected to the transport means and around an axis perpendicular to the transport direction. Turning drive The input shaft, the output shaft and the input shaft are transmitted linearly and the input shaft is inclined with respect to the output shaft, and the driving force of the output shaft is transmitted to the input shaft. A substrate transfer device, comprising: a connecting means for connecting the output shaft and the input shaft as much as possible. 5. A substrate is transported in a transport direction along a main surface thereof, and the posture of the substrate is changed from a predetermined first posture to a rotation axis substantially parallel to the transport direction with respect to the first posture. In a substrate transfer apparatus that changes to a tilted second posture, a transfer unit that transfers a substrate in a direction along a main surface thereof while supporting the substrate, and tilts the transfer unit around the rotation axis to support the transfer unit. Tilting means for changing the attitude of the mounted substrate from the first attitude to the second attitude, storage means for storing the transfer means therein, and fixedly disposed outside the storage means to drive the transfer means And a driving force transmitted by the drive source to the transfer means when the transfer means is tilted by the tilt means so that the posture of the substrate supported by the transfer means becomes the first position. The first drive to do Force transmitting means, and transmitting the driving force from the drive source to the transfer means when the transfer means is tilted by the tilting means so that the posture of the substrate supported by the transfer means becomes the second position. A second driving force transmitting means for driving the substrate. 6. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transfer means is driven to rotate about an axis parallel to the transfer direction, and has a drive shaft inclined to the transfer means and the body by the tilt means. Wherein the first driving force transmitting means penetrates the storage tank and is driven to rotate by the driving source; a first output gear provided on the first output shaft; When the transfer means is tilted by the tilting means so that the posture of the substrate supported by the transfer means becomes the first posture, the substrate is provided on the drive shaft so as to mesh with the first output gear. A first intervening gear, wherein the second driving force transmitting means penetrates the storage tank and is driven to rotate by the driving source; and a second output shaft provided on the second output shaft. The output gear and the substrate supported by the transfer means A second intervening gear provided on the drive shaft so as to mesh with the second output gear when the conveying means is tilted by the tilting means so as to be in the second posture. Characteristic substrate transfer device.