JP2001230304A - Apparatus for centering substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an apparatus for centering a substrate in which flexure in the vicinity of the central part of a wafer contained in a cassette is corrected to be flat and a shifted substrate is brought close to the center. SOLUTION: The apparatus 1 for centering a substrate comprises a table 3 for mounting a cassette 2 containing a substrate P mounted on a multistage supporting arm 2A, a plurality of supports 10 advancing into the cassette mounted on the mounting table and supporting the substrate in the vicinity of the central part thereof from below, a centering arm 11 for bringing the substrate to the central side by moving horizontally from the outside to the inside of the cassette, and an elevator for elevating/lowering an elevating/ lowering frame 5 provided with the supports and the centering arm.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for transferring a substrate, such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display or a semiconductor wafer, stored in a cassette one by one from a cassette by a robot hand. The present invention relates to a substrate centering device that corrects a deflection near a central portion of a stored substrate in advance and flattens it before unloading, and corrects a position of a substrate that is displaced during cassette conveyance or movement by moving it to the center of the cassette. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a substrate such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display or a semiconductor wafer is loaded into a cassette by a hand of a robot arm, the substrate is placed at a predetermined position in the cassette, and the substrate is removed by the hand when unloading. A device that ensures the holding is known (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-327724). In this apparatus, the substrate is placed in advance in the center in the carrying-in / out direction by setting the amount of hand entry when carrying the substrate into the cassette, but the bending near the center of the substrate is corrected. In addition, it does not have a function of correcting the position of the accommodated substrate to the left and right with respect to the carry-in / out direction.

[0003]

Substrates such as glass substrates for liquid crystal displays and semiconductor wafers are usually placed one by one on support arms provided in multiple stages in a cassette.
If the size of the board is large, the area near the center will bend and the position will shift during storage and storage, and the hand of the robot arm will come into contact with the board when unloading the board, making contact with the board or moving the cassette. The position of the board is shifted
There is a problem in that if it is carried out by supporting it with a hand as it is, the center of gravity is shifted, and it may fall. Also, in order to avoid such a situation, when the substrate is bent, take out the substrates one by one, transfer them to another centering device, correct the deflection, then correct the position, and adjust the position with the hand of the robot arm. Although it is also possible to support the vicinity of the portion, there has been a problem that the substrate unloading cycle from the cassette and the substrate transport cycle become long.

Accordingly, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, corrects the bending near the center of the substrate housed in the cassette, flattens it, and displaces the substrate that is displaced. It is an object of the present invention to provide a centering device that can also perform centering for bringing the center to the center.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a mounting table on which a cassette containing substrates mounted on a multi-stage support arm is mounted, and a mounting table mounted on the mounting table. A plurality of supports that enter into the cassette and support the vicinity of the center of the substrate from below, a centering arm that moves horizontally from the outside of the cassette to the inside to move the substrate toward the center, and a support and a centering arm. And a lifting / lowering device for lifting / lowering the lifting frame.

[0006]

The substrate centering device having the above structure is
In the cassette mounted on the mounting table, the vicinity of the central portion of the substrate is bent, and when the substrate is displaced from the center, the lifting frame provided with the support and the centering arm is raised by the lifting device, so that the inside of the cassette is lowered. A plurality of supports are inserted from below to correct the bending by supporting the vicinity of the center of the substrate from below and flatten, and the centering arm provided on the frame is moved horizontally from the outside of the cassette to the inside to move the substrate. This is to correct the position of the center.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described based on an embodiment with reference to FIGS. The substrate centering apparatus 1 includes a cassette 2 as shown in FIGS.
Is mounted on the main body frame 4, and the main body frame 4 is provided with:
An elevating frame 5 is provided below the mounting table 3 so as to be able to elevate and lower. The elevating frame 5 is moved up and down along the main body frame 4 by an elevating device composed of a geared motor 6, a ball screw 7, and a nut 8 attached to the elevating frame 5. The lifting frame 5 includes a substrate P
A plurality of push-up bars 10 constituting a support that comes into contact with the lower side are erected, and the centering arms 11 and 10 are positioned so that the cassette 2 is located at an intermediate position when the cassette 2 is raised by the elevating device.
11 are provided movably facing each other. The centering arms 11 and 11 are linear guide blocks (guide blocks with ball bearings) 1 guided by linear guide rails 12 and 12 provided on the lifting frame 5.
It is attached to a horizontal moving frame 14, 14 provided with 3,13. The horizontal moving frame 14 is provided with an air cylinder 15 provided facing the lifting frame 5.
Of the air cylinder 15,
By actuation of the actuator 15, the actuator 15 moves horizontally in the arrow X direction shown in FIG. At the end of the centering arm 11, a contact portion 11A is provided, which is located relatively higher than the end of the push-up bar 10 and abuts against the side surface of the substrate P. Shift 2 to correct the position toward the center.

In the cassette 2, a large number of substrates P are stored, and the substrates P are mounted on the support arms 2A provided in multiple stages. As shown in FIG. The push-up bar 10 enters between the lattice frames 2B, and supports the vicinity of the center of the lowermost substrate P in the cassette 2 from below.

Next, the operation of the substrate centering device 1 will be described. The cassette 2 in which the substrates P are stored is mounted on the mounting table 3 by a transfer machine (not shown). Here, the geared motor 6 is driven, and the lifting frame 5 is raised by the rotation of the ball screw 7, whereby the push-up bar 10 and the centering arm 11 are moved to the lowermost substrate P in the cassette 2. When it rises, the position detection sensor detects and stops. At this time, the lowermost substrate P
When the vicinity of the center of the is bent, the lower part is supported by the push-up bar 10 to be flattened. Next, the air cylinders 15, 15 are actuated, the piston rods 16, 16 are retracted, and the centering arms 11, 11 are moved toward the center.
Moves horizontally, and the contact portion 11A provided on the centering arm 11 horizontally enters from the outside of the cassette 2 to the inside, and contacts the end of the substrate P. Thereby, the substrate P
Is shifted to the left or right with respect to the unloading direction, it is moved toward the center. Lowermost substrate P moved to the center side
Is the hand H of the robot arm inserted below
Will be carried out. After the lowermost substrate P is unloaded as described above, the lifting frame 5 and the push-up bar 1 are again moved by the lifting device to unload the upper substrate P.
0 and the centering arm 11 are raised to correct the bending,
Activate the position correction.

The substrate centering apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration includes a plurality of push-up rods (supports) that enter the cassette 2 mounted on the mounting table 3 from below and support the vicinity of the center of the substrate P from below. 10) and the centering arm 11 that horizontally moves from the outside to the inside of the cassette 2 and moves the substrate P to the center side is provided in the elevating frame 5, so that the vicinity of the center of the substrate P is bent. If
The push-up bar 10 is inserted into the cassette 2 from below, and the substrate P
, The deflection can be corrected and flattened, and when the substrate P is displaced from the center in the cassette 2, the centering arm 11 provided on the elevating frame 5 is moved from the outside of the cassette 2. A position correction (centering) in which the substrate P is horizontally moved inward to bring the substrate P to the center can be performed.

As described above, in the embodiment, when the substrate accommodated in the cassette is deflected and deviated from the center, as means for correcting this, a push-up bar (support) and a centering ring are provided on the frame which is raised and lowered by the lifting device. I explained about the arm provided, but without the push-up bar,
Horizontal arms (supports) extending inward of the cassette may be provided on the centering arm in multiple stages in the vertical direction. In this case, each horizontal arm is long enough not to contact the hand of the robot arm. In such a case, the centering arm is horizontally moved from the outside of the cassette to the inside to insert the horizontal arm between the substrates in the cassette, and then raised, so that the plurality of substrates mounted on the support arm in the cassette are moved. The substrate can be supported from below at a time and at the same time it can be centered.

[0012]

As described above, according to the present invention, there are provided a plurality of supports which enter the cassette placed on the mounting table from below and support the vicinity of the central portion of the substrate from below, and the supports are provided. Since there is a lifting device that raises and lowers the frame, if the vicinity of the center of the substrate is bent in the cassette, a plurality of supports enter the cassette from below and support the inner flat surface of the substrate to correct the bending. Can be flattened. At the same time, a centering arm that moves inward from the outside of the cassette and moves the substrate toward the center,
And a lifting / lowering device for lifting / lowering the frame provided with the centering arm. When the substrate is displaced from the center in the cassette, the centering arm provided on the frame is moved to the cassette at the position raised by the lifting / lowering device. (Centering) in which the substrate is moved horizontally from outside to inside to bring the substrate to the center. Further, as described above, since the centering can be performed at the same time as correcting and flattening the deflection of the substrate, the transfer cycle can be significantly shortened.

As described above, the deflection of the substrate can be corrected and the position to the center can be corrected. Therefore, when the substrates are unloaded one by one from the cassette, the hand of the robot arm can be prevented from contacting the substrate. Accordingly, the substrate can be supported around the center of gravity of the substrate, and the substrate can be prevented from dropping from the hand during unloading or transporting.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a main part of a substrate centering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an inner side view of a main part of the substrate centering apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an external side view of a main part of the substrate centering apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3 as viewed from above.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of unloading a substrate from a cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate centering apparatus 2 Cassette 2A Support arm 2B Lattice frame 3 Mounting table 4 Main body frame 5 Elevating frame 6 Geared motor 7 Ball screw 8 Nut part 9 Pillow type unit 10 Push-up rod 11 Centering arm 11A Contact part 12 Linear guide rail 13 Linear Guide block 14 Horizontal moving frame 15 Air cylinder 16 Piston rod 17 Top plate 18 Through hole P board H Hand

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A mounting table on which a cassette accommodating substrates mounted on a multi-stage support arm is mounted. A substrate, comprising: a plurality of supports for supporting; a centering arm that horizontally moves from the outside of the cassette to the inside to move the substrate toward the center; and a lifting device that lifts and lowers a lifting frame provided with the support and the centering arm. Centering device.