JP2003037150A - Processing apparatus and method for the same, robot apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a processing apparatus having a plurality of processing parts which can be installed in a small space. SOLUTION: The processing apparatus for processing an object to be processed is provided with a plurality of the processing parts vertically disposed in two stages, a loader 4 disposed opposite to the processing part located at one end of an upper or lower stage and holding an unprocessed object to be processed, an unloader 73 disposed opposite to the processing part located at one end of another stage and storing a processed object to be processed, the first transferring means 6 vertically and movably disposed and supplying the unprocessed object to be processed from the loader to the processing part located at one end of the upper or lower stage, and the second transferring means 31 vertically and movably disposed and receiving the object to be processed from the processing part located at another end of the upper or lower stage and supplying the object to be processed to the processing part located at another end of the another stage.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a method for sequentially processing an object to be processed such as a glass substrate for liquid crystal or a semiconductor wafer by a plurality of processing units, and a robot apparatus for conveying the object to be processed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a manufacturing process for forming a circuit pattern on an object to be processed such as a glass substrate for liquid crystal or a semiconductor wafer, it is required to perform various kinds of processing on the object. One of the processes is a process that requires cleaning the above-mentioned object to be processed with high cleanliness.

To wash the object to be treated, an ultraviolet ray irradiating means for irradiating the object to be treated with ultraviolet rays to decompose and remove organic substances,
Various cleaning means (processing section, such as brush cleaning means for cleaning a conveyed object to be processed with a brush while spraying a chemical solution, spin cleaning means for spraying a chemical solution while the object to be processed is held and rotated on a table. ) Is known, and when a plurality of cleaning means are used to clean an object to be processed, a conveying means (processing section) for carrying in and out the object to be processed is also provided to the cleaning means. .

In order to improve the cleanliness of the object to be processed, the object to be processed is cleaned by as many cleaning means as possible among the plurality of cleaning means described above. In that case, the cleaning means unitized are arranged in parallel in the clean room, and the objects to be cleaned are successively carried in and out of the plurality of cleaning means by the carrying means. ing.

However, when a plurality of cleaning means and the above-mentioned transfer means are arranged in a plane, the space occupied by each cleaning means and transfer means in the clean room may increase. In clean rooms, it is required to utilize the space as effectively as possible. Therefore, when cleaning an object to be processed, it is desired to reduce the space occupied by a plurality of cleaning means and transfer means.

In order to convey the object to be treated between the cleaning means arranged in parallel, if the cleaning treatment in the cleaning means can be continuously carried out, it may be continuously conveyed by a conveyor. However, when the cleaning process in the cleaning unit cannot be continuously performed, such as spin cleaning, the object to be processed is transferred by a robot device that constitutes the above-described transfer unit that is one of the processing units. Is being done.

When a robot device is used as the transfer means,
This robot apparatus is caused to travel along the cleaning means provided in parallel. In that case, a track is provided over the traveling range of the robot device.

However, when an object to be processed that has been cleaned by the robot apparatus is carried in and out, the cleaning liquid dropped from the object to be processed sometimes drops onto the track. In addition to pure water, for example, a highly acidic chemical liquid may be used as the cleaning liquid. Therefore, the chemical liquid dropped from the object to be processed may corrode the orbit and damage the cable for controlling the robot device.

Further, when the object to be processed is carried into the predetermined cleaning means by the robot apparatus, the object cleaned in the previous step is held and waits until the cleaning of the object to be processed by the cleaning means is completed. I have something to do. In that case, if the waiting time becomes long, the cleaning liquid adhered to the object to be processed in the previous step may be dried, and the object to be processed may be stained.

The space problem described above does not occur only in the case of cleaning the object to be processed, but also in various processes. For example, when a resist is applied to an object to be processed, a plurality of processing parts such as a coating device, a heating device, and a preheating device are provided, so that the same problem occurs.

[0011]

As described above, conventionally, when an object to be processed is processed by a plurality of processing parts, the plurality of processing parts are arranged in a plane, so that the arrangement space becomes large. Therefore, especially in a clean room, if the arrangement space becomes large, the effective use of the clean room is hindered.

When the means for transferring the object to be processed among a plurality of processing units is a robot apparatus and the robot apparatus is caused to travel along the processing sections arranged in parallel, a robot for controlling the trajectory and the robot apparatus. -There is a case where a cleaning liquid is dropped on a bull or the like and these are damaged early.

Further, when the robot apparatus stands by while holding an object to be supplied to the next processing section, for example, when the object is cleaned in the previous step, the cleaning liquid attached to the object is dried. There are also cases where stains can be made.

An object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus in which a plurality of processing units can be installed in a small space.

Another object of the present invention is to transfer an object to be processed by a robot apparatus, so that when the robot apparatus is made to travel along a processing section, the processing liquid from the object to be processed is orbited by the robot. It is to provide a processing device that does not drip into a container.

Still another object of the present invention is to hold an object to be processed which the robot apparatus transfers to the processing section, and to wait,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing device that does not require drying of the object to be processed.

[0017]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus which has a plurality of processing units, and sequentially processes an object to be processed to the processing units. It is characterized by being arranged in two stages.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a processing apparatus for processing an object to be processed, there are provided a plurality of processing units arranged in upper and lower two stages and a processing unit located at one end of either the upper stage or the lower stage. A loader unit facing each other and holding an unprocessed object, and an unloader arranged opposite to the processing unit located at the other end of the upper stage or the lower stage to store the processed object. And a first transfer means for supplying an unprocessed object to the processing section located at one end of the upper section or the lower section from the loader section, and the other of the upper section or the lower section. The present invention is characterized by further comprising: second transfer means for receiving an object to be processed from the processing unit located at the end and supplying the object to be processed to the processing unit located at the other end.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, a plurality of processing units that perform the same processing on the object to be processed are serially provided in either the upper stage or the lower stage. It is characterized in that a carrying-in / carrying-out means for carrying-in / carrying-out an object to be carried into / out of each processing section is provided on the side of these processing sections.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the invention, the carry-in / carry-out means is arranged in a lower stage, and another processing section is arranged in parallel to the side of the carry-in / carry-out means. Between the carry-out means and the other processing section, there is provided a flow dividing means for dividing a part of the clean air supplied to the other processing section toward the carry-in / carry-out means. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the second transfer means prevents the target object to be processed from being dried by the transfer mechanism for transferring the target object. Supply means for supplying a liquid for use, a drain pan provided on the lower surface side of the transfer mechanism for collecting the liquid supplied from the liquid supply means and vertically driven integrally with the transfer mechanism, and a drain pan It is characterized in that it is composed of a movable pipe which is connected and discharges the liquid accumulated in the drain pan, and a fixed pipe into which the movable pipe is slidably inserted and into which the liquid discharged from the movable pipe is introduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, a fixed type roll is arranged at a predetermined height on the carry-out side of the predetermined processing section and receives the object to be processed carried out from the processing section. A movable roller unit that is provided with a roller unit, and the second transfer means is driven in the up-down direction and receives an object to be processed carried out to the fixed roller unit at a raised position and moves down. When one of the fixed roller unit and the movable roller unit is adjacent to each other when the movable roller unit is lifted, one side of the fixed roller unit and the movable roller unit is lowered toward the inside of each roller unit. A first waterproof cover and a second waterproof cover having slanted slanted portions are provided, and the slanted portion of the second waterproof cover provided on the movable unit is provided when the movable unit rises. Above fixed type
It is characterized in that it is positioned below the inclined portion of the waterproof cover of the la unit.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the carrying-in / carrying-out means is provided with a guide portion provided along the moving direction thereof, and in parallel with the guide portion with a predetermined interval. And a robot disposed between the guide unit and the drive unit, movably supported by the guide unit and the drive unit, and driven in the traveling direction by the drive unit, and the robot. It is characterized in that it comprises a cover body provided so as to cover the guide portion and the drive device along both sides in the traveling direction.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in a processing method for carrying and processing an object to be processed, a supply step of supplying an unprocessed object at a predetermined height, and an object to be processed supplied and conveyed from the supplying step. Are processed at substantially the same transfer height, a height changing step for changing the transfer height of the object processed in the first processing step, and a height changing step for changing the transfer height. It is characterized by comprising a second processing step for processing the object to be processed at substantially the same height as the height and a storage step for storing the object to be processed processed in the second processing step.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, a first arm body and a second arm body, which are connected to a plurality of links in a rotatable manner and provided with a setter for holding an object to be processed at an end thereof and are driven to expand and contract, are provided. And a second arm unit, the setter of the first arm unit is located below the setter of the second arm unit. The body setter is characterized in that it is provided with a nozzle body for ejecting a liquid toward the object to be treated held therein.

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, since the plurality of processing units are arranged in the upper and lower two stages, the occupied area can be reduced as compared with the case where the processing units are arranged two-dimensionally.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a pair of processing units that perform the same processing on the object to be processed are provided in series, and the object to be processed is provided for each processing unit on the side of these processing units. Since the loading / unloading means for loading / unloading is provided movably, the cycle time as a whole can be shortened when batch processing is performed on the objects to be processed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the plurality of processing units are arranged in the upper and lower two stages, the clean air can be branched from the upper processing unit to the lower processing unit, so that the processing units are arranged in the upper and lower two stages. Even in this case, it is possible to secure the cleaning degree in the lower processing section.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the second transfer means, which is vertically driven to transfer the object to be processed between the upper and lower processing parts, is supplied to prevent the object to be dried. Since the liquid is discharged through a movable pipe that is connected to a vertically driven drain pan and moves up and down together with the drain pan and a fixed pipe through which the movable pipe is inserted, the space for discharging the liquid can be reduced.

According to the invention of claim 6, a first waterproof cover and a second waterproof cover each having an inclined portion on one of adjacent sides of the fixed roller unit and the movable roller unit. Is provided so that when the movable roller unit is raised, the inclined portion of the second waterproof cover is positioned below the inclined portion of the first waterproof cover so as to overlap with each other. Even when a liquid such as a cleaning liquid drops from the object to be processed when the object to be processed is transferred from the fixed roller unit to the movable roller unit, the liquid remains in the first waterproof cover. It does not drip on the inclined portion and the inclined portion of the second waterproof cover and is guided to the inside of each roller unit and does not scatter to the outside.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the guide portion for guiding the traveling of the robot and the driving device for driving the robot which is provided in parallel with the guide portion are covered with the cover body. Even if the liquid is dropped from the object to be processed conveyed by the robot, it is possible to prevent the liquid from corroding the guide portion and causing the drive device to malfunction.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the object to be processed is processed at a predetermined carrying height and further processed by changing the carrying height. The space can be effectively used in three dimensions.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the nozzle body is provided in the setter of the second arm body located on the lower side so that the liquid can be jetted to the object to be treated held by the setter. , The surface of the object to be processed held by the setter can be prevented from drying, and the liquid can be prevented from adhering to the object to be processed held by the setter of the first arm body located on the upper side. it can.

[0034]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The processing apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 shows a cleaning processing apparatus 1 for cleaning a glass substrate for liquid crystal as an object to be cleaned. This cleaning processing apparatus 1 includes a plurality of processing units indicated by chain lines in the figure, and first to fifth processing units in this embodiment.
Processing units 1a to 1e, first to third processing units 1a to 1c, and fourth and fifth processing units 1d,
1e are juxtaposed in two rows. Incidentally, reference numeral 2 in the figure denotes an electrical unit.

A frame 3 is installed in the first processing unit 1a.
It has a loader unit 4 installed above. A plurality of liquid crystal glass substrates 5 are stacked and held on the loader unit 4, and the liquid crystal glass substrates 5 are successively carried out one by one from below by a carry-out mechanism (not shown) provided on the frame 3. It has become.

The glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal carried out from the loader section 4 is sent to the second processing unit 1b by the first transfer mechanism 6. First above
The transfer mechanism 6 has a column 7 that stands vertically.
A roller unit 8 is provided on the column 7 so as to be vertically movable by a drive source (not shown). The roller unit 8 has a frame 9, and a plurality of rollers 11 are rotatably installed on the frame 9 with their axes parallel to each other. A drive source 12 for rotationally driving the roller 11 is provided on one side of the frame 9.

The roller unit 8 has its upper surface lowered to the same height as the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 carried out from the loader section 4 and stands by. The liquid crystal glass substrate 5 carried out from the loader unit 4 is supplied onto the roller unit 8. The roller unit 8 which has received the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal rises and supplies the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal to the ultraviolet irradiation device 15 provided at a predetermined height in the second processing unit 1b.

The ultraviolet irradiation device 15 has a supply port 1 on one side.
6 is formed, the roller unit 8 rises to a position where the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 placed on the upper surface thereof has the same height as the supply port 16. Then, the roller 11 is rotationally driven by the drive source 12, so that the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 is supplied into the ultraviolet irradiation device 15.

Although not shown in detail, the ultraviolet irradiating device 15 is provided with ultraviolet rays inside the carrier roller for carrying the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal and the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal carried by the carrier roller. It has an ultraviolet lamp for irradiating it, and by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays, organic substances attached to the glass substrate for liquid crystal 5 are decomposed and removed.

In the second processing unit 1b, a brush cleaning unit 20 is disposed adjacent to and at the same height as the ultraviolet irradiation device 15, and the liquid crystal processed by the ultraviolet irradiation device 15 is disposed inside the brush cleaning unit 20. A conveyor means (not shown) for continuously conveying the glass substrate 5 for use is provided.

The brush cleaning unit 20 is provided with a supply port 21 for supplying the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 on one side, and an inert gas is supplied to the inside thereof to maintain the internal atmosphere neutral. Neutral chamber 22, a brush cleaning chamber 23 for brush cleaning while spraying a cleaning liquid such as a chemical solution on the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal that has passed through the neutral chamber 22, and a liquid crystal cleaned in the brush cleaning chamber 23. Shower chamber 2 for washing glass substrate 5 with pure water
4 and 4 are arranged side by side. The shower chamber 24 is provided with a carry-out port (not shown) through which the shower-cleaned liquid crystal glass substrate 5 is carried out.

The glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal carried out from the carry-out port of the shower chamber 24 is almost the same as the first delivery mechanism 6 via the delivery roller unit 30 (fixed roller unit). It is received by the second delivery mechanism 31 having the same structure. The second transfer mechanism 31 has a column 32. A movable roller unit 33 is provided on the column 32 so as to be vertically movable by a drive source (not shown). The movable roller unit 33 has a bottomed casing 34 (drain pan) having an open upper surface, and a plurality of rollers 35 are rotatably installed on the casing 34 with their axes parallel to each other. ing. The drive source 3 is provided on one side of the housing 34.
4a (shown in FIG. 4) is provided, and the roller 35 is rotationally driven by this drive source.

The movable roller unit 33 has its upper surface raised to a height substantially the same as the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 sent out from the outlet of the shower chamber 24, and stands by.
Liquid crystal glass substrate 5 carried out from the shower chamber 24
When the movable roller unit 33 receives the above, the movable roller unit 33 descends.

The liquid crystal glass substrate 5 placed on the movable roller unit 33 is a robot device for loading and unloading mechanism 4.
One of the first spin processing apparatus 42 and the second spin processing apparatus 43, which is taken out by the robot 41 configuring 0 (which is one of the processing units) and is installed in parallel in the fourth processing unit 1d. Is supplied to.

A movable roller of the second transfer mechanism 31.
The glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal delivered to the laser unit 33 is
If dried before being transferred to the robot 41 of the carry-in / carry-out mechanism 40, stains or the like will occur, so pure water is sprayed as a drying prevention liquid to prevent such stains.

That is, the movable roller unit 33 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the above-mentioned bottomed box-shaped casing 34 as a drain pan is provided, and pipe-shaped shower nozzles 37 are arranged on both upper sides of the casing 34. Pure water is sprayed from each shower nozzle 37 toward the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal held by the movable roller unit 33.

The upper end of a movable pipe 38 is connected to the bottom of the casing 34. The movable pipe 38 is vertically installed and slidably inserted into a fixed pipe 39 having a larger diameter than this. The middle portion of the fixed pipe 39 is fixed to the pedestal 31a of the second delivery mechanism 31, and the lower end portion communicates with a waste liquid portion (not shown). As a result, the pure water sprayed toward the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 held by the movable roller unit 33 is discharged from the unit main body 36 through the movable pipe 38 and the fixed pipe 39. .

By connecting the movable pipe 38 to the unit body 36 and inserting the movable pipe 38 into the fixed pipe 39, even if the movable roller unit 33 moves up and down, drainage from the unit body 36 is discharged. Can be reliably performed.

That is, normally, when the drain is discharged from the movable part, in order to cope with the movement of the movable part,
A flexible tube is used. In that case, since the flexible tube is set to a length that allows the movable portion to rise, when it descends, it bends and projects laterally.
Therefore, it is necessary to secure a space for bending the flexible tube to the side, or the flexible tube is repeatedly bent due to the vertical movement of the movable part, so that the bent portion is early. It was sometimes damaged.

However, in the present invention, the movable pipe 3 is attached to the unit main body 36 without using the flexible tube.
8 was connected, and the movable pipe 38 was slidably inserted into the fixed pipe 39. Therefore, since the movable pipe 38 slides in the fixed pipe 39 by the vertical movement of the unit main body 36, it is only necessary to secure a space necessary for installing the fixed pipe 39, and moreover, it bends like a flexible tube. It does not cause premature damage.

As shown in FIG. 6, the transfer roller unit 30 has a casing 131, like the movable roller unit 33. The housing 131 is provided with a drainage pipe 132 at the center of the bottom which is inclined downward toward the center, and a plurality of rollers 13 are provided between a pair of opposing side walls.
3 are erected rotatably at predetermined intervals with their axes parallel. The roller 133 is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown).

Therefore, the glass substrate for liquid crystal 5 carried out from the shower chamber 24 onto the roller 133 of the transfer roller unit 30 is rotated and driven by the roller 133. It is transferred onto the roller 35 of the movable roller unit 33.

Cases 131 and 3 of the transfer roller unit 30 and the transfer roller unit 33, which are adjacent to each other when the moveable roller unit 33 is in the raised position.
The side walls of No. 4 have a first waterproof cover 134 and a second waterproof cover 134, respectively.
And a waterproof cover 135 are provided.

Each of the waterproof covers 134 and 135 has a vertical portion 13.
4a, 135a and inclined portions 134b, 135b, and the lower ends of the vertical portions 134a, 135a are attached to the inner surface of the side wall via a spacer 136. Thereby, the inclined portion 134 of each waterproof cover 134, 135
b and 135b project outward from the side walls of the housings 131 and 34, and are inclined downward toward the inside of the housings 131 and 34.

Further, in a state where the movable roller unit 33 is raised, the first roller provided on the transfer roller unit 30 which is on the upstream side of the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 in the conveying direction.
The inclined portion 134b of the prevention cover 134 is located above the second waterproof cover 135 provided on the movable roller unit 33.

As a result, when the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 washed in the shower chamber 24 is transferred from the fixed roller unit 30 to the movable roller unit 33, the cleaning liquid dropped from the glass substrate 5 is Each waterproof cover 134,
It is dropped on the inclined portions 134b and 135b of the pipe 135, and flows into the housings 131 and 34 along the inclination. for that reason,
The cleaning liquid dropped from the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 is prevented from being scattered around.

Moreover, the pair of waterproof covers 134, 135
Since the inclined portions 134b and 135b of the above are polymerized, the cleaning liquid is not scattered through the gaps between the roller units 30 and 33.

Furthermore, if the cleaning liquid is a waterproof cover 134,
Even if it adheres to the lower surface of 135 and flows from the inclined portions 134b and 135b to the vertical portions 134a and 135a,
The lower ends of a and 135a are connected to the housing 3 via a spacer 136.
It is attached to the inner surface of the side wall of 4,131. Therefore, the cleaning liquid flowing along the lower surfaces of the waterproof covers 134 and 135 does not drip outside the housings 131 and 34.

The robots 41 are arranged in parallel, in the present embodiment, beside the pair of spin processing devices 42 and 43, below the ultraviolet irradiation device 15 and the brush cleaning device 20, that is, as shown in FIG. Second processing unit 1b
In addition, the pair of spin processing devices 42 and 43 arranged in the fourth processing unit 1d are provided so as to be movable along the juxtaposed direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a guide rail 44 that forms a guide portion is provided on the side of the spin processing devices 42 and 43, and a linear motor as a drive device that is separated in parallel with the guide rail 44 at a predetermined interval. Type 4
5 are provided.

A slider 46 is slidably provided on the guide rail 44, and a first horizontal member 47 is provided on the upper surface of the slider 46. A first vertical member 48 is vertically provided on the first horizontal member 47.

The linear motor 45 has a fixed portion 45a,
The movable portion 45b is driven along the fixed portion 45a, and the second horizontal member 49 is attached to the movable portion 45b. A second vertical member 51 is vertically provided on the second horizontal member 47.

A mounting plate 52 is horizontally installed between the lower ends of the first vertical member 48 and the second vertical member 51, and the robot 41 is installed and fixed on the mounting plate 52. There is. The robot 41 has a columnar main body 41a, and the main body 41a is formed to have a diameter smaller than the distance between the pair of vertical members 48 and 49.

The guide rail 44 and the linear motor 45 described above.
The fixed portion 45a is covered with cover bodies 53a and 53b made of a material such as metal or synthetic resin having high corrosion resistance.

Frames 53a and 53b each have a frame 54 whose upper end is provided along the traveling direction of the robot 41.
The guide rail 44 and the linear motor are fixed to the robot 41.
The vertical portion 4 of the vertical member
It is inserted between 8, 51 and the robot 41.

A drain pan 55 made of a material having high corrosion resistance is provided on the lower ends of the pair of cover bodies 53a and 53b over the entire length of the traveling range of the robot 41. As will be described later, the drain pan 55 is adapted to accumulate the drain dropped on the cover bodies 53a and 53b from the robot 41.

The robot 41 is a twin arm robot as shown in FIG. 4, and a drive source (not shown) is provided in the main body 41a. A first arm body 56 and a second arm body 57 are provided on the upper surface of the main body 41a. The first arm body 56 has a first link 56a.
And a second link 56b, the second arm body 57 is composed of a third link 57a and a fourth link 57b, and a first link 56a and a third link 57a.
Has one end connected to the drive shaft of the drive source.

One end of the second link 56b is connected to the other end of the first link 56a so as to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the first link. One end of the fourth link 57b is connected to the other end of each third link 57a so as to rotate in association with the rotation of the third link 57a. At the other ends of the second link 56b and the fourth link 56b, one end of the first setter 56c and one end of the second setter 57c are respectively provided at the second end.
The link 56b and the fourth link 57b are connected so as to rotate in association with the rotation.

Therefore, the pair of first and second arm bodies 56, 57 includes the first link 56a and the third link 57.
By rotating a, the second link 56b and the fourth link 56b
The link 57b, and the first setter 56c and the second setter 57c are interlocked with each other to expand and contract. Further, the first and second arm bodies 56 and 57 are adapted to change the direction of expansion and contraction and to be vertically driven. In FIG. 4, the first arm body 56 is reduced and the second arm body 56 is reduced.
The state in which the body 57 is extended is shown.

When the pair of arm members 56 and 57 are contracted, the second link 56a and the third link 57a interfere with each other, and the first setter 56c and the second setter 57c interfere with each other. To prevent this, they are provided at different heights. In this embodiment, the second arm member 57 is the first
It is provided lower than the arm body 56.

The first arm body 56 exclusively conveys the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal in the dry state, and the second arm body 57.
Is designed to exclusively convey the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 in a wet state.

The first setter 56 of each arm body 56, 57
c and the second setter 57c, a plurality of holding members 61 for positioning and holding the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal of a predetermined size.
Is provided. Further, a pair of nozzle bodies 62 is provided on the upper surface of the base end portion of the second setter 57c of the second arm body 57. From each nozzle body 62, the second setter 57
For example, pure water is sprayed as a liquid for preventing the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal held in c from drying.

That is, the glass substrate for liquid crystal 5 in the wet state, which has been cleaned by the brush cleaning device 20 and transferred to the second transfer mechanism 31, is received by the second setter 57c of the second arm body 57. Be done. Then, the glass substrate for liquid crystal 5 is used as the first or second spin processing apparatus 4.
2 and 43 are supplied. At that time, each spin processing device 4
Since Nos. 2 and 43 are batch processes, it is necessary to wait for a predetermined time while supplying the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal in a wet state. During the standby, pure water is sprayed from the nozzle body 62 toward the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal. As a result, the wet glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal is prevented from drying, and thus stains and the like due to drying are prevented.

The pair of spin processing devices 42 and 43 perform the same processing on the liquid crystal glass substrate 5. That is, while holding the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal and rotating it at a high speed, the chemical liquid with ultrasonic vibration applied to its upper surface is supplied from the chemical liquid supply nozzle 65 to clean the chemical liquid, and then pure water is supplied to the pure water supply nozzle. Supply from 66 and rinse. Then, the glass substrate for liquid crystal 5 is rotated at a high speed without supplying a chemical liquid or pure water to perform a drying process.

The ultraviolet irradiation device 15 and the brush cleaning unit 20 continuously process the liquid crystal glass substrate 5. On the other hand, the processing of the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 by the spin processing devices 42 and 43 is batch processing. for that reason,
The flow of the glass substrate 5 for liquid crystal becomes discontinuous and the tact time becomes long.

However, as described above, a pair of spin processing devices 42 and 43 for performing the same processing on the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 are provided in parallel, and the liquid crystal glass from the brush cleaning unit 20 is provided for these spin processing devices. The substrates 5 were supplied alternately. Therefore, the tact time of the cleaning processing apparatus 1 as a whole can be shortened as compared with the case where one liquid crystal glass substrate 5 is sequentially processed by one spin processing apparatus.

The liquid crystal glass substrate 5 in a dry state after being dried by the spin processing devices 42 and 43 is the robot 41.
Is taken out by the first setter 56c of the first arm body 56 and is conveyed to the fifth processing unit 1e.

The robot 41 attaches and detaches the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 to and from the spin processing devices 42 and 43 by referring to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, this is performed through the opening 63 that connects the second processing unit 1b and the fourth processing unit 1d. The opening 63 may be opened and closed by a gate (not shown).

In the robot 41, the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 in the wet state is delivered by the second arm body 57, and the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 in the dry state after the cleaning process is completed is transferred to the first arm body. I try to hand it over at 56. As a result, the first setter 56c of the first arm body 56 is not contaminated with dirt on the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 in a wet state, so that the first setter 56c is in a clean state. The liquid crystal glass substrate 5 is not contaminated by the transfer by the robot 41.

Moreover, the first arm member 56 is connected to the second arm member 56.
Since it is located above 57 of the arm body, the second arm body 57
The first liquid is dropped from the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 in the wet state held by the second setter 57c of the first setter 57c.
The first setter 56c of the frame body 56 and the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 held therein are not contaminated.

When the second arm body 57 of the robot 41 supplies the wet liquid crystal glass substrate 5 to either one of the pair of spin processing devices 42 and 43, it is driven by the linear motor 45, The vehicle runs along the guide rails 44. At that time, a drain such as a processing liquid is dripped from the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 in the wet state onto the upper surfaces of the intermediate portions of the pair of cover bodies 53a and 53b.

Since the intermediate portions of the cover bodies 53a and 53b are inclined downward toward the robot 41, the treatment liquid dropped on the intermediate portions of the cover bodies 53a and 53b is the same as indicated by the arrow in FIG. Drain pan 5 from the middle to the bottom
Collected in 5.

That is, the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 in a wet state
It is possible to prevent the treatment liquid dropped from the above from dropping to the guide rail 44 that guides the traveling of the robot 41 to corrode the guide rail 44 at an early stage, or to the linear motor 45 to damage it. To be done.

The fifth processing unit 1e has a carry-out section 71 consisting of a plurality of rollers, as shown in FIG. A first arm of the robot 41 is provided at one end of the carry-out section 71.
A pusher 72 for receiving the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 held by the first setter 56c of the frame body 56 is provided so as to be vertically movable.

When the pusher 72 moves up and receives the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 from the first setter 56c, it moves down and transfers the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 to the carry-out section 71. An unloader section 73 is arranged at the other end of the carry-out section 71,
The liquid crystal glass substrate 5 conveyed through the carry-out section 71 is stacked and accommodated in the unloader section 73. The flow of the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 in the cleaning device 1 is shown by an arrow in FIG.

The cleaning processing apparatus 1 is installed in a clean room, and a cleaning unit 75 is provided on the upper outer surface of each of the processing units 1a to 1e as shown in FIG. The cleaning unit 75 cleans the air in the cleaning room and introduces it into each of the processing units 1a to 1e.

In the second processing unit 1b, the robot 41 is arranged below the brush cleaning unit 20. Therefore, the clean air supplied from the cleaning unit 75 above the second processing unit 1b is blocked by the brush cleaning unit 20, and the cleanliness of the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 held by the robot 41 can be maintained. It gets harder.

Therefore, a first guide body for diverting a part of the clean air from the cleaning unit 75 is provided above the fourth processing unit 1d arranged in parallel with the second processing unit 1b. 76 is provided. As shown by the arrow in the figure, the clean air divided by the first guide body 76 is guided to the through hole 77 that connects the fourth processing unit 1d and the second processing unit 1b.

The through hole 77 is formed in the second processing unit 1b.
The second that guides the clean air that has flowed in from downwards
The guide body 78 is provided. As a result, the clean air flows toward the robot 41, so that the cleanliness of the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 held by the robot 41 can be maintained.

According to the cleaning processing apparatus 1 having the above-mentioned configuration, the ultraviolet irradiation device 15 as a processing section for processing the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 and the brush cleaning unit 20 are arranged in the upper stage, and the processing section is also disposed in the lower stage thereof. Robot 41 as
Was placed.

Therefore, the width dimension of the cleaning processing apparatus 1 as a whole can be made smaller than that in the case where the robot apparatus 40 is arranged side by side with respect to the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 15 and the brush cleaning unit 20. The space that occupies the room can also be reduced.

The ultraviolet irradiator 15 and the brush cleaning unit 20 and the robot 41 are arranged in upper and lower two stages, and the first side is provided at the entrance side of the upper ultraviolet irradiator 15.
The delivery mechanism 6 is provided, and the second delivery mechanism 31 is provided on the outlet side of the brush cleaning unit 20.

Therefore, even if a plurality of processing parts are arranged in two stages, the transfer from the loader part 4 of the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 to the ultraviolet irradiation device 15 and the transfer from the brush cleaning unit 20 to the robot 41 are ensured. It is possible to

By disposing the ultraviolet irradiation device 15 and the brush cleaning unit 20 in the upper stage and arranging the robot 41 in the lower stage, the downflow from the upper part of the second processing unit 1b is blocked by the upper processing unit.

However, the second processing unit 1
Part of the downflow from the fourth processing unit 1d arranged in parallel with b is diverted by the first guide body 76,
A through hole 7 that connects the second and fourth processing units 1b and 1d.
It is guided toward the robot 41 by the second guide body 78 passing through 7.

Therefore, the liquid crystal glass substrate 5 held by the robot 41 after the cleaning processing is the second processing unit 1b.
The cleanliness is maintained by the clean air from the fourth processing unit 1d adjacent to. In other words, even if the plurality of processing units are arranged in the upper and lower two stages, the cleanliness of the processing units arranged in the lower stage can be reliably maintained by the clean air from the cleaning unit 75.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment,
Various modifications are possible. For example, in the above-described one embodiment, the cleaning processing apparatus is used as the processing apparatus, but the present invention can be applied to apparatuses that perform other processing as long as the apparatus has a plurality of processing units.

For example, even a processing apparatus having a processing section for performing a developing process, an etching process, a thin film forming process, etc., for forming a circuit pattern on a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal glass substrate as an object to be processed. Of course, the point is not limited to the type or combination of the processing units, or the type of the object to be processed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the object to be processed contained in the loader section is supplied to the upper processing section by the first transfer mechanism, and the object to be processed processed in the last processing section of the upper stage is supplied. Although the second transfer mechanism is used to transfer to the lower processing section, depending on the arrangement of the processing section, the object to be processed in the loader section is transferred to the lower processing section by the first transfer mechanism, and the second processing section is transferred to the second processing section. The object to be processed processed by the lower processing unit by the transfer mechanism may be transferred to the upper processing unit. In that case, if the loader section and the lower processing section have the same height, the first delivery mechanism does not have to be vertically movable.

Further, although the pair of spin processing devices are arranged in one processing unit, they may be arranged in different processing units. In this respect, the design may be changed depending on the size of the processing unit or the size of the processing unit. It is possible.

Further, in the above-mentioned one embodiment, the ultraviolet irradiation device and the brush cleaning unit are arranged above, and the robot is arranged below the ultraviolet irradiation device and the brush cleaning unit. Although it is arranged diagonally below the unit, it goes without saying that the robot and the spin processing device may be arranged directly below the ultraviolet irradiation device and the brush cleaning unit.
In that case, the loader and unloader may be arranged vertically.

[0102]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, a plurality of processing units are arranged in upper and lower two stages, and an object to be processed which is processed in one of the upper and lower processing units is in the other. Processing is performed in the processing unit.

Therefore, the occupied area required for installing the apparatus can be reduced as compared with the case where a plurality of processing units are arranged in a plane, so that the space in the clean room is effectively used, for example. can do.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, even if the plurality of processing units are arranged in the upper and lower stages, the object to be processed is transferred from the upper processing unit by the first transfer means and the second transfer means. Since the flow can be made to flow to the lower processing unit or vice versa, it is possible to expand the selection range of the flow of the object to be processed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of processing units that perform the same processing on the object to be processed are provided in series, and the object to be processed is carried into each processing unit on the side of these processing units. The carrying-in / carrying-out means for carrying out is provided movably.

Therefore, in the case where the processing units for batch processing and the processing units for continuous processing coexist, a plurality of processing units for batch processing are provided side by side so that an apparent appearance of the processing units for batch processing can be achieved. The processing time of can be greatly shortened according to the number of processing units, so that the overall takt time can also be shortened.

According to the invention of claim 4, when the plurality of processing units are arranged in upper and lower two stages, the clean air supplied to the adjacent processing units can be branched to the processing units arranged in the lower stage.

Therefore, even if the processing units are arranged in the upper and lower two stages, it is possible to secure the cleaning degree in the lower processing unit.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the movable pipe is connected to the drain pan of the transfer means which is driven up and down to transfer the object to be processed between the upper and lower processing units, and the movable pipe is slid on the fixed pipe. By freely inserting the liquid, the injected liquid can be discharged from the drain pan through the movable pipe and the fixed pipe in order to prevent the object to be processed held by the delivery means from drying.

Therefore, it is sufficient to secure a space below the drain pan so that a fixed pipe can be installed.
The space required for discharging the liquid can be reduced. Moreover, since the movable pipe slides on the fixed pipe by the vertical movement of the vertical drive means, it is hardly damaged even if the vertical movement is repeated.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the first waterproof cover and the second waterproof cover each having an inclined portion on one of the adjacent sides of the fixed roller unit and the movable roller unit. And-is provided so that the inclined portion of the second waterproof cover is superposed below the inclined portion of the first waterproof cover when the movable roller unit is raised.

Therefore, even if a liquid such as a cleaning liquid drops from the object to be processed when the object to be processed is transferred from the fixed roller unit to the movable roller unit, the liquid remains in the first liquid. It is possible to prevent the water from scattering to the outside because it is dropped on the inclined portion of the waterproof cover and the inclined portion of the second waterproof cover and is guided into the inside of each roller unit.

According to the invention of claim 7, a pair of processing units for performing the same processing on the object to be processed is installed, and a robot as a means for supplying and discharging the object to be processed is provided with the processing unit. When traveling along the parallel installation direction, the guide body for guiding the traveling of the robot and the linear motor provided in parallel with the guide portion for driving and driving the robot are covered with the cover body.

Therefore, even if the liquid is dropped from the object to be processed conveyed by the robot, it is possible to prevent the guide part from being corroded by the liquid and the linear motor from being damaged.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the object to be processed is processed at a predetermined carrying height, and the carrying height is changed for further processing.

Therefore, the space for processing the object to be processed can be effectively utilized three-dimensionally. That is,
When a plurality of treatments are performed on an object to be treated, the space required for those treatments can be reduced.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, in the robot apparatus having the first arm body and the second arm body, the setter of the first arm body is replaced by the second arm body. The second arm setter is positioned below the setter of the column body, and the second setter of the column body is provided with a nozzle body for injecting a liquid toward the object to be treated.

Therefore, in the case where a waiting time is required until the object to be processed held by the setter of the second arm body is transferred, the object to be processed is ejected by ejecting the liquid from the nozzle body. It can prevent it from drying.

Moreover, since the setter of the second arm body is located below the setter of the first arm body, the liquid is dripped from the object to be treated held by the second arm body. However, the liquid does not contaminate the setter of the first arm body or the object to be treated held by the setter.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a second delivery mechanism of the same.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the same robot arrangement state.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the robot.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration for introducing clean air into the robot.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a movable roller unit and a fixed roller unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 ... loader section 5 ... Liquid crystal glass substrate (processing object) 6 ... First delivery means 15 ... Ultraviolet irradiation device (processing unit) 20 ... Brush cleaning unit (processing unit) 31 ... Second delivery means 33 ... Roller unit (transport mechanism) 34 ... Housing (drain pan) 37 ... Shower nozzle (liquid supply means) 38 ... Movable pipe 39 ... Fixed pipe 41 ... Robot (processing unit) 42 ... First spin processing apparatus (processing section) 43 ... Second spin processing apparatus (processing section) 44 ... Guide rail (guide section) 45 ... Linear motor 53a, 53b ... Cover body 62 ... Nozzle body 73 ... Unloader section

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G02F 1/1333 500 G02F 1/1333 500 H01L 21/02 H01L 21/02 Z 21/304 642 21/304 642Z 648 648A F term (reference) 2H088 FA21 FA24 FA30 HA01 MA20 2H090 JB02 JC19 3B201 AA02 AA03 AB24 AB34 BA02 BB93 BC01 CB15 CC01 5F031 CA02 CA05 FA01 FA02 FA07 FA11 FA12 FA15 GA35 GA38 GA43 GA47 GA48 NA49 GA50 GA49 GA04 GA50

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A processing apparatus having a plurality of processing units, wherein a processing object is processed by sequentially transporting an object to be processed to the processing units, wherein the plurality of processing units are arranged in upper and lower two stages. Processing equipment. 2. A processing apparatus for processing an object to be processed, wherein a plurality of processing units arranged in upper and lower two stages and a processing unit located at one end of either the upper stage or the lower stage are arranged so as to face each other. A roll holding an unprocessed object
An unloader that is disposed so as to face the processing part located at the other end of the upper part or the lower part, and stores the processed object.
First part for supplying an untreated object from the loader part to the processing part located at one end of either the upper part or the lower part from the loader part
And a second delivery means for receiving an object to be processed from a processing unit located at the other end of either the upper stage or the lower stage and supplying the object to the processing unit located at the other end of the other stage. A processing device comprising: 3. In either the upper stage or the lower stage,
A plurality of processing units that perform the same processing on the object to be processed are provided in series, and a carry-in / carry-out means for carrying in and out the object to be processed is provided on the side of these processing units. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 4. The carrying-in / carrying-out means is arranged in a lower stage, and another processing section is arranged in parallel beside the carrying-in / carrying-out means, and between the carrying-in / carrying-out means and the other processing section. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a flow dividing unit that divides a part of the clean air supplied to the other processing unit toward the loading / unloading unit. 5. The second transfer means, a transport mechanism for transporting the object to be processed, a liquid supply means for supplying a liquid for preventing drying toward the object to be processed transported by the transport mechanism, A drain pan provided on the lower surface side of the transfer mechanism for collecting the liquid supplied from the liquid supply means and vertically driven integrally with the transfer mechanism, and a movable unit connected to the drain pan for discharging the liquid accumulated in the drain pan. The processing apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a pipe and a fixed pipe into which the movable pipe is slidably inserted and into which the liquid discharged from the movable pipe is introduced. 6. A fixed-type roller unit, which is arranged at a predetermined height on a carry-out side of a predetermined processing section and receives an object to be processed carried out from the processing section, said second transfer The means comprises a movable roller unit that is driven in the vertical direction and that receives the object to be processed that has been carried out to the fixed roller unit at the elevated position and descends, and the movable roller unit rises. At the side of the fixed roller unit and the movable roller unit, which are adjacent to each other, a first waterproof cover having an inclined portion inclined inwardly toward the inside of each roller unit. And the second waterproof cover
And the inclined portion of the second waterproof cover provided on the movable unit is located below the inclined portion of the waterproof cover of the fixed roller unit when the movable unit rises. The processing device according to claim 2, wherein 7. The carrying-in / carrying-out means includes a guide portion provided along the moving direction thereof, a drive device provided in parallel with the guide portion at a predetermined interval, the guide portion and the drive device. A robot that is disposed between the two and is movably supported by these guide portions and a drive device and that is driven by the drive device in the traveling direction thereof;
4. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, comprising a cover body provided in a state of covering the guide portion and the drive unit along both sides of the traveling direction of the robot. 8. A processing method for carrying and processing an object to be processed, comprising: a supply step for supplying an unprocessed object at a predetermined height; And a height changing step for changing the carrying height of the object to be processed processed in the first processing step, and a height changed in the height changing step are substantially the same. A method of treating an object to be treated, comprising: a second treatment step of treating the object to be treated at a height; and a storing step of storing the object to be treated in the second treatment step. . 9. A first arm body and a second arm body, which are rotatably driven by connecting a plurality of links rotatably and provided with a setter for holding an object to be processed at a tip thereof. In the robot apparatus including, the setter of the first arm body is located below the setter of the second arm body, and the setter of the second arm body is located below the setter of the second arm body.
A robot apparatus characterized in that a nozzle body for ejecting a liquid toward a processing object held here is provided on the setter of the frame body.