JP2002184832A - Tilting draining device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently eliminate a treating liquid from the upper part of a substrate without increasing the angle of inclination of the substrate even in the case where the viscosity of the treating liquid is high in a tilting draining device which eliminates the treating liquid from the upper part of the substrate by the inclination of the substrate. SOLUTION: In a tilting draining device, a drain promoting means 43 is provided on one side of a draining device main body 42 which slants a substrate 10 on a transfer roller 41 to the side of the transfer direction of the substrate 10. The means 43 has a multitude of contact members 43a arranged at prescribed intervals in the transfer direction of the substrate 10 and when the substrate is slanted to its side at a prescribed angle, a multitude of the members 43a are contacted with the treating liquid which stagnates on the side edge on the downstream side in the direction of the inclination of the substrate 10, whereby the treating liquid is eliminated from the side edge.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transport type substrate processing apparatus used for manufacturing a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus in which the substrate is inclined by tilting the substrate. The present invention relates to an inclined type liquid draining device for removing a processing liquid from the surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A glass substrate used in a liquid crystal display device is manufactured by repeatedly performing chemical treatments such as etching and peeling on the surface of a glass substrate as a material. The processing apparatus is roughly classified into a dry type and a wet type, and the wet type is further divided into a batch type and a single-wafer type. Further, the single wafer type is subdivided into a rotary type and a transport type by roller transport or the like.

[0003] Of these substrate processing apparatuses, the transport type has a basic configuration in which a processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate while transporting the substrate in the horizontal direction. It is used for peeling treatment and the like.

In a transfer type substrate processing apparatus used for an etching process, an etching solution is sprayed from a large number of spray nozzles arranged in a matrix above a substrate transfer line, and the substrate is passed through the etching solution. Thereby, the etching liquid is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate. By this shower treatment, the surface of the substrate is selectively etched except for the portion where the masking material is applied.

After etching, the surface of the substrate is washed with washing water sprayed from a similar spray nozzle, but the etching process is quickly stopped, contamination of the washing water in the initial washing is suppressed, and the amount of the initial washing water is discarded. The etchant remaining on the surface of the substrate before cleaning is physically removed for the purpose of, for example, reducing cleaning. As one of the draining devices,
There is a tilt type in which the substrate is temporarily stopped during the transfer and tilted sideways to remove the etchant from above the surface to the side. In a substrate processing apparatus for a stripping process, a chemical treatment, a drainage, and a water washing are similarly performed.

[0006]

In the meantime, as for the glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, the size of the substrate is increased and the circuit is becoming finer. In the past, Cr was often used as a wiring material used for the substrate, but with the recent increase in definition, conversion to Al or Al / Mo having a smaller specific resistance has been attempted. For this reason, even in a transport type substrate processing apparatus for etching, an etching solution for Al has begun to be used, but it has been found that the following problem arises with the use of this etching solution.

The etching solution for Al has a higher viscosity than the etching solution for Cr. Therefore, when the substrate is tilted by the tilting type liquid draining device after the etching, the liquid draining property is deteriorated. That is, since the surface tension of the etching solution for Al is large, a large amount of the etching solution on the surface accumulates on the side edge even by the inclination of the substrate, and when the substrate is returned to the horizontal posture,
The etchant spreads again on the surface.

If the angle of inclination of the substrate is increased, this problem will be solved. However, under the current situation where the substrate is enlarged, it is difficult to increase the angle of inclination of the substrate due to interference with equipment. In addition, when the inclination angle is increased, it takes time to incline the substrate, and the substrate stopping time for draining the liquid becomes longer. Therefore, there is a restriction that the inclination angle of the substrate cannot be increased. Due to this restriction, the deterioration of the drainage property when using the etching solution for Al is inevitable, and as a result,
A problem arises in that rapid liquid replacement from the etching solution to the cleaning water is not performed, and the amount of initial cleaning water discarded increases.

An object of the present invention is to provide a tilting type liquid draining apparatus which can efficiently remove a processing liquid from the surface thereof without increasing the tilt angle of the substrate even when the viscosity of the processing liquid is high. It is in.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, an inclined liquid draining apparatus of the present invention supplies a processing liquid to the surface of a substrate while transporting the substrate in a horizontal direction, and cleans the surface. It is disposed in a substrate processing line of a transport type for processing, and a liquid draining device main body that eliminates a processing liquid from above the substrate by tilting the substrate, and is disposed downstream of the substrate in the direction of tilt, and with the inclination of the substrate. The processing liquid is removed from the substrate by a large number of liquid contact members that contact or approach the side edge of the substrate at predetermined intervals over the entire length so that the processing liquid flows downstream in the inclined direction and contacts the remaining processing liquid. And a drainage promoting means for promoting the drainage.

In the inclined type liquid draining device of the present invention, the processing liquid accumulated on the side edge due to the inclination of the substrate is transmitted through the numerous liquid contact members which abut or approach the side edge at predetermined intervals over the entire length. It is effectively eliminated from its side edges.

It is preferable that the liquid contact member makes line contact or point contact with the processing liquid staying at the side edge of the inclined substrate from the viewpoint of drainage, and specifically, a substantially vertical pin-shaped member is preferable. . When the liquid contact member comes into contact with the side edge of the inclined substrate, there is a possibility that the side edge is shaved to generate foreign matter. Therefore, a non-contact type in which the liquid contact member approaches the side edge of the inclined substrate is preferable.

The tilt type liquid draining device of the present invention is particularly suitable for an etching solution for Al having a high viscosity, but is different from other etching solutions and further to a processing solution other than the etching, although the degree of effect is different. Is also effective.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a transfer type substrate processing apparatus using an inclined type liquid draining apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inclined type liquid draining device, and FIG.
FIG.

The transfer type substrate processing apparatus performs an Al etching process on a glass substrate 10 for a liquid crystal display device (hereinafter simply referred to as a substrate 10). This substrate processing apparatus is shown in FIG.
, A first line A in a straight line, a second line B connected at a right angle to the first line A, a third line C connected at a right angle to the second line B and parallel to the first line A, And a U-turn layout.

The first line A is configured by connecting the receiving portion 1, the liquid blocking portion 2, the etching portion 3, and the liquid removing portion 4 in a straight line. The etching unit 3 is equipped with a shower unit 31 for spraying Al etching water on the surface of the substrate 10 from above. In addition, the liquid draining unit 4 is equipped with the inclined liquid draining device 40 according to the present embodiment, and its configuration will be described later in detail.

The second line B is a washing section 5, and the substrate 10
Shower unit 5 for spraying washing water from above
Equipped with one. The third line C is configured by connecting the transfer device 6, the spin dryer 7, the transfer device 8, and the take-out unit 9 linearly.

The first line A and the second line B correspond to the substrate 1
In order to carry 0 in the longitudinal direction of the line, a plurality of carrying rollers arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval in the carrying direction are provided. Each transport roller is a horizontal roll perpendicular to the transport direction. Second
A turning mechanism 52 for changing the traveling direction of the substrate 10 by 90 degrees is provided at the line B, that is, at the entrance of the washing unit 5.

The substrate 10 to be subjected to the Al etching process is
It is carried into the receiving section 1 by the transport device 11. The substrate 10 is moved from the liquid blocking part 2 to the etching part 3 by the roller conveyance, and undergoes an etching process while passing therethrough. The substrate 10 that has passed through the etching unit 3 moves to the washing unit 5 via the inclined liquid draining device 40 in the liquid draining unit 4 by roller conveyance, and changes the traveling direction by 90 degrees. Then, it undergoes a water washing process while moving inside the water washing unit 5.

The substrate 10 moved to the outlet of the washing unit 5
Is transferred from the washing section 5 to the spin dryer 7 by the transfer device 6. Substrate 10 dried by spin dryer 7
Is transported from the spin dryer 7 to the take-out section 9 by the transfer device 8, and further transported out of the device by the transport device 11.

The inclined liquid draining device 40 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of transport rollers 41 for transporting the substrate 10 in the horizontal direction, a liquid removal device main body 42 for inclining the substrate 10 on the transport roller 41 to the transport direction side, The liquid draining device includes a liquid drainage accelerating means 43 provided on one side of the liquid draining device main body 42.

The transport rollers 41 are horizontal drive rollers arranged at predetermined intervals in the transport direction. The transport rollers 41 support the substrate 10 at points by large-diameter portions 41b provided at a plurality of positions on a drive shaft 41a. At 41c, the substrate 10 is positioned in the width direction. When the plurality of transport rollers 41 are driven synchronously, the substrate 10 advances at a predetermined speed and stops at an arbitrary position.

The liquid removal device main body 42 includes a plurality of substrate support beams 42a for supporting the substrate 10 at a plurality of positions in the transport direction.
And a pair of lifting devices 42b and 42c on both sides for inclining the plurality of substrate support beams 42a to the side in the transport direction of the substrate 10.
And The plurality of substrate support beams 42a are beams arranged perpendicularly to the transport direction between the transport rollers 41, and are integrated by a plurality of connecting members 42d parallel to the transport direction of the substrate 10. In a horizontal state where the substrate is not inclined, the plurality of substrate support beams 42a are located slightly below the substrate transfer surface.

The pair of elevating devices 42b and 42c on both sides are motor type jacks in this case, and incline the plurality of substrate supporting beams 42a by inclining the central substrate supporting beam 42a. That is, the lifting / lowering device 42a located on the downstream side in the tilt direction raises / lowers a support member 42e that rotatably supports one end of the plurality of substrate support beams 42a, and raises the plurality of substrate support beams 4
The upper surface of one end of 2a is located slightly above the substrate transfer surface. The lifting / lowering device 42c located on the upstream side in the tilt direction raises the other end of the plurality of substrate support beams 42a via the lever 42f until the upper surface of the other end is located slightly above the substrate transfer surface, and continues to move the predetermined position. By increasing the stroke, the plurality of substrate support beams 42a are inclined to one end side about the rotation fulcrum at one end.

Thus, the substrate 1 on the transport roller 42a is
Numeral 0 is transferred onto the substrate support beam 42a and is inclined at a predetermined angle to the side in the transport direction. Substrate support beam 42a
The connecting member 42c connects the substrate supporting beam 42a sufficiently below the conveying roller 41 so that the conveying roller 41 and the connecting member 42c do not interfere with each other due to the inclination of. A stopper 42g is provided at one end of the substrate support beam 42a to prevent lateral displacement due to the inclination of the substrate 10.

The drainage promoting means 43 has a large number of contact members 43a arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of transport of the substrate 10. The plurality of contact members 43a are vertical round bar-shaped thin metal pins, each upper end of which is fixed to an upper horizontal support member 43b, and each lower end of which is open as a free end. When the substrate 10 is inclined to the side at a predetermined angle, the liquid drainage facilitating position is set at a position where the side edge on the downstream side in the inclination direction of the substrate 10 faces the many contact members 43a with a slight gap. Means 43 is provided.

The contact members 43a are basically arranged at an equal pitch, and the pitch will be described in detail later.
At a position where the contact member 43a interferes with a stopper 42g provided on the substrate support beam 42a, the contact member 43a is omitted.

Next, the function of the inclined liquid draining device 40 according to the present embodiment will be described.

The substrate 10 that has been subjected to the etching process in the etching section 3 enters the liquid draining section 4 and the liquid draining apparatus main body 4
2 to a predetermined position. At this time, the substrate support beam 42a of the liquid removal device main body 42 is waiting in a horizontal posture below the substrate transfer surface. When the substrate 10 stops at a predetermined position on the draining device main body 42, one end of the substrate support beam 42a slightly rises, and the other end largely rises. As a result, the substrate 10 is moved from above the transport roller 41 to the substrate support beam 4.
2a, and is further inclined sideways at a predetermined angle.

The etching liquid remaining on the surface of the substrate 10 flows sideways due to the inclination of the substrate 10 and is removed from the surface of the substrate 10. However, since the etching liquid is of high viscosity for Al, With only the inclination at the predetermined angle, a relatively large amount of the etching solution remains on the side edge on the downstream side in the inclination direction due to the surface tension. However, in the inclined liquid draining device 40 according to the present embodiment, the etching is performed such that the side edge of the substrate 10 on the downstream side in the inclination direction approaches the many contact members 43a of the liquid drainage promoting unit 43 and stays at the side edge. The liquid comes into contact with many contact members 43a. As a result, the etchant is efficiently removed from the side edge on the downstream side in the inclined direction along each contact member 43a. Therefore, the amount of the etching solution remaining on the side edge becomes small.

When the liquid removal by the inclination is completed, the substrate supporting beam 42a returns to the original horizontal state. Thereby, the substrate 1
The reference numeral 0 is transferred from the substrate supporting beam 42a onto the transport roller 41, and is transported from the liquid draining section 4 to the water washing section 5 by re-driving the transport roller 41.

In the liquid draining section 4, since the liquid is efficiently drained without increasing the tilt angle of the substrate 10 by the tilting type liquid draining device 40, the extension of the time required for the liquid draining is avoided. In addition, upsizing of the equipment is avoided. In the washing section 5, the substrate 1
The initial cleaning water is subjected to initial cleaning, and the initial cleaning water is discarded because the dirt is conspicuous. However, since the amount of the etchant brought into the water washing unit 5 decreases, the initial cleaning water to be discarded decreases.

The inclination angle of the substrate 10 by the inclined liquid draining device 40 is preferably 5 to 20 degrees, and particularly preferably 8 to 15 degrees. If the inclination angle is too small, the liquid drainage is not sufficiently performed, and if it is too large, there is a problem of interference on equipment and an increase in the time required for the inclination. The arrangement pitch of the contact members 43a is 2
-15 mm is preferable, and 3-8 mm is particularly preferable. If this pitch is too small, it causes a liquid pool, and if it is too large, the liquid hardly runs off between adjacent contact members,
In any case, the drainage property decreases. The dimension of the contact member 43a is
The outer diameter of the round bar is preferably 1 to 8 mm, particularly preferably 2 to 4 mm. If this outer diameter is too small, processing becomes difficult,
If it is too large, the drainage property will decrease due to an increase in the arrangement pitch.

[0034]

As described above, in the tilting type liquid draining apparatus of the present invention, the side edge on the downstream side in the tilt direction of the tilted substrate is connected to a large number of contact members arranged along the side edge. By contacting or approaching, even when the viscosity of the processing liquid is high, the processing liquid can be efficiently removed from the surface without increasing the inclination angle of the substrate. As a result, the load in the washing following the drainage is reduced, and the cost of water is reduced. In addition, the extension of the time required for liquid drainage can be avoided, and the increase in equipment length can be avoided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a transfer type substrate processing apparatus using an inclined type liquid draining apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inclined type liquid draining device.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along a line XX in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Receiving part 2 Liquid shielding part 3 Etching part 4 Liquid draining part 40 Inclined liquid draining device 41 Conveyance roller 42 Liquid draining device main body 42a Substrate support beams 42b, 42c Lifting device 43 Liquid draining promotion means 43a Contact member 43b Supporting member 5 Washing unit 6, 8 Transfer device 7 Spin dryer 9 Take-out unit 10 Substrate 11 Transport device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3B116 AA02 AB14 AB42 BA01 BA22 CC03 5F031 CA05 FA02 FA18 GA53 HA73 LA11 MA03 MA24 5F043 AA24 AA40 EE36 EE40

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing method comprising: supplying a processing liquid to a surface of a substrate while transporting the substrate in a horizontal direction; disposing the substrate in a substrate processing line of a transport type for processing the surface; A liquid removal device main body that removes the processing liquid from above, and is disposed on the downstream side in the tilt direction of the substrate, so as to contact the processing liquid on the substrate that has flowed and stayed downstream in the tilt direction with the tilt of the substrate. A slant-type liquid comprising: liquid drainage promoting means for promoting the elimination of the processing liquid from the substrate by means of a number of liquid contact members abutting or approaching the side edges of the substrate at predetermined intervals over the entire length. Cutting device. 2. The inclined liquid draining device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid contact member is a substantially vertical pin-shaped member. 3. The tilting type liquid drainer according to claim 1, wherein the processing liquid is an etching liquid for Al.