JP2004273847A - Substrate carrying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate carrying apparatus that carries a square substrate placed on a support arm while being aligned with high accuracy. <P>SOLUTION: Four placing parts 41 to 44 for supporting each corner of the substrate G are provided to a support arm 31 whose inner edge is configured to be arcuate. One of the placing parts is configured to be a restriction placing part 5 for supporting a C face C1 of a first corner S1 of the substrate and restricting the corner S1 in press contact with end faces of two sides sandwiching the corner S1. The other placing parts are configured as tilt placing parts 6 each provided with a first tilt face 61 for guiding end edges of two sides sandwiching C faces C2 to C4 of the other corners of the substrate downward and tilted downward toward the inner side of the support arm 31. When the substrate is delivered to the support arm 31, the corners S2 to S4 placed on the tilt placing parts 6 are guided along the tilt face, and the corner S1 is pressed into contact with the restriction placing part 5. Thus, the substrate is placed on the support arm 31 in an aligned state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a square substrate.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a resist pattern is applied to a rectangular mask substrate, the resist film is exposed using a photomask, and further developed to produce a desired pattern mask. . When performing the above processing, for example, a coating film unit for applying a resist solution to a substrate, a developing unit for supplying a developing solution to the substrate to perform development processing, and processing before and after the coating processing and development processing are performed. A plurality of processing units to be performed are provided in one apparatus, and a predetermined process is performed in the apparatus by transporting a substrate to these units by a transport arm.
[0003]
By the way, the mask substrate is rectangular, but from the point of delivery of the substrate to and from the processing unit, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 15A and the side sectional view of FIG. One inner edge 11 is formed in an arc shape. Then, holding parts 12 are provided to hold the corners of the substrate 10 so as to sandwich the corners of the substrate 10 at four locations on the inner edge 11 of the arm 1, and the substrate 10 is held in a state where the four corners of the substrate 10 are held by the holding parts 12. I was carrying it. At this time, the substrate 10 is preferably positioned and placed on the transfer arm 1 so that the center position of the arc of the inner edge 11 of the transfer arm 1 and the center position of the substrate 10 are aligned. Since there is an error of 5 mm, the holding portion 12 has a clearance exceeding the maximum tolerance of the substrate accuracy. For this reason, even if the corner portion of the substrate 10 is held by the holding unit 12, the substrate 10 is easily displaced in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction during the transfer, and it is difficult to transfer the substrate 10 in a state in which the substrate 10 is reliably positioned. .
[0004]
For this reason, the present inventors are examining a transfer arm that holds the substrate in a positioned state. As such a configuration, a technique is known in which a substrate is mechanically pressed and positioned on a transfer arm. For example, a square substrate is placed on a placement means, and the first of the square substrates is placed. A configuration in which a mechanism for pressing the two side surfaces of the corner portion in the diagonal direction and pressing the two side surfaces of the second corner portion facing the first corner portion of the square substrate in the diagonal direction is provided on the transfer arm (for example, Patent Document 1) has been proposed.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-100198 (see FIG. 1)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the above-described configuration, a mechanism for pressing two opposite corners of the substrate must be provided on the transfer arm, which is structurally complicated and also has a problem in weight. Since the mask substrate itself is as heavy as about 0.3 kg, there is a background that it is desired to reduce the weight of the arm.
[0007]
The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technology for accurately transporting a square substrate by holding the substrate in a precisely positioned state. There is.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention is a substrate transfer apparatus provided with a holding arm for placing a square substrate.
The holding arm includes four placement portions on which four corners of the substrate are placed,
One of the mounting portions holds the back side of the first corner portion of the substrate and contacts the end surfaces of the two sides sandwiching the first corner portion to regulate the first corner portion. It is a regulated placement part,
At least two of the other mounting portions are inclined downward toward the inside of the holding arm so as to guide the edges of the two sides sandwiching the corner portion of the back surface of the substrate downward. An inclined mounting portion having a first inclined surface;
A state where the corner portion of the substrate is placed on the inclined placement portion and guided along the inclined surface, thereby bringing the first corner portion of the substrate into contact with the restriction placement portion, thereby aligning the substrate. It is mounted on a holding arm.
[0009]
One of the four placement portions holds the back side of the first corner portion of the substrate and contacts with the end surfaces of the two sides sandwiching the first corner portion, thereby the first corner portion. Among the other placement units, the placement unit that is opposite to the regulation placement unit on the diagonal line of the substrate has two edges that sandwich the corner of the back surface of the substrate downward. It is good also as an inclination mounting part provided with the 1st inclined surface which inclines below toward the inner side of a holding | maintenance arm so that it may guide to the side.
[0010]
In such a substrate transport apparatus, the corner portion of the substrate is placed on the inclined placement portion, and the edges of the two sides sandwiching the corner portion are guided along the inclined surface, whereby the position of the substrate in the left-right direction is determined. The first corner of the substrate can be brought into contact with the restriction mounting portion in a state in which the substrate is corrected, so that the substrate is placed on the holding arm in a state where the substrate is accurately aligned. Further, since the positions of the edges of the two sides sandwiching the corner are held at the two corners of the substrate, the lateral displacement of the substrate G being transferred is suppressed, and the substrate is It is possible to reliably carry out the transfer while being accurately positioned.
[0011]
Here, the inclined mounting portion includes a second inclined surface which is inclined more gently than the first inclined surface above the first inclined surface, and is placed on the second inclined surface. You may make it the corner | angular part of a board | substrate guide to a 1st inclined surface along the said 2nd inclined surface. A driving mechanism for moving the holding arm of the substrate transfer device to be movable back and forth, freely moving up and down, and rotatable about a substantially vertical axis; the regulation placing portion provided on the front side of the holding arm in a moving direction; When placed on the holding arm, the holding arm is moved slightly at the first speed so that the substrate moves to the rear side in the advancing / retreating direction and the substrate is moved to the restricting placing portion side by inertial force, and then the holding arm is advanced / retreated. And a control unit that controls driving of the drive mechanism so as to move to the rear side in the direction at a second speed smaller than the first speed.
[0012]
Further, a pressing mechanism that is provided on a mounting portion other than the regulated mounting portion and presses and lifts the back side of the substrate, and when the substrate is placed on the holding arm, the back side of the substrate is lifted by the pressing mechanism. And a controller for controlling the driving of the pressing mechanism, or a mounting mechanism other than the restricting mounting section may be provided with a ball mechanism so as to contact the back side of the substrate. Also good. The mounting portion is provided on the holding arm so that the substrate is placed on the holding arm in a state where a pair of opposite sides of the substrate are obliquely positioned with respect to the axis of the holding arm in the advancing and retreating direction. You may do it. Further, as the holding arm, an arm whose inner edge is provided in an arc shape can be used. As the rectangular substrate, for example, a mask substrate used for manufacturing a pattern mask is used, and in this case, the regions held by the restriction mounting portion and the inclined mounting portion are the side surface and the bottom surface of the mask substrate. It is an inclined surface formed between them.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of a coating film forming apparatus provided with a substrate transfer means of the present invention will be described below. Here, FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration according to an embodiment of a coating film forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view thereof. In the figure, B1 is a carrier block for carrying in / out a carrier C in which, for example, five substrates, for example, a mask substrate G are accommodated, and this carrier block B1 is transferred to and from the carrier placing portion 21 on which the carrier C is placed. And means 22.
[0014]
The delivery means 21 takes out the substrate G from the carrier C, and can move left and right, back and forth, move up and down, vertically so as to deliver the removed substrate G to the processing unit B2 provided on the back side of the carrier block B1. It is configured to be rotatable around its axis.
[0015]
In the center of the processing section B2, there is provided a substrate transfer means 3 that forms a substrate transfer device. For example, when viewed from the carrier block B1, the application unit 23 and the development unit 24 are provided on the right side, and the left side is provided on the left side. In the cleaning unit 25, shelf units U1 and U2 in which heating / cooling units and the like are stacked in multiple stages are arranged on the front side and the back side, respectively. The coating unit 23 is a unit that performs a process of coating a resist solution on a substrate, and the developing unit 24 is a unit that deposits a developer on an exposed substrate and performs the developing process for a predetermined time, and a cleaning unit 25. Is a unit for cleaning the substrate before applying the resist solution.
[0016]
The shelf units U1 and U2 are configured by stacking a plurality of units. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the heating unit 26 and the cooling unit 27, the substrate G delivery unit 28 and the like are allocated vertically. . The substrate transport means 3 is configured to be movable up and down, reciprocated and rotatable about a vertical axis, and serves to transport the substrate G between the shelf units U1 and U2, the coating unit 23, the developing unit 24, and the cleaning unit 25. have. However, in FIG. 2, the delivery means 22 and the substrate transport means 3 are not drawn for convenience.
[0017]
The processing unit B2 is connected to an exposure apparatus B4 through an interface unit B3. The interface part B3 is provided with a delivery means 29. The delivery means 29 is, for example, configured to be movable up and down, movable left and right, back and forth, and rotatable about a vertical axis, and the processing block B2 and the exposure apparatus B4. The board | substrate G is delivered between.
[0018]
The flow of the substrate G in such a coating film forming apparatus will be described. First, the carrier C is carried into the carrier mounting portion 21 from the outside, and the substrate G is taken out from the carrier C by the transfer means 22. The board | substrate G is delivered to the board | substrate conveyance means 3 via the delivery unit 28 of the shelf unit U1 from the delivery means 22, and is sequentially conveyed to a predetermined unit. For example, a predetermined cleaning process is performed in the cleaning unit 25, heat drying is performed in one of the heating units 26, the temperature is adjusted to a predetermined temperature in the cooling unit 27, and a coating film is formed in the coating unit 23. A coating process of a resist solution in which components are dissolved in a solvent is performed.
[0019]
Subsequently, the substrate G is pre-baked by one of the heating units 26 and then adjusted to a predetermined temperature by one of the cooling units 27. Next, the substrate is transferred by the substrate transfer means 3 to the transfer means 29 of the interface unit B3 via the transfer unit 28 of the shelf unit U2, and is transferred to the exposure apparatus B4 by the transfer means 29 to perform a predetermined exposure process. Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred to the processing unit B2 via the interface unit B3, and post-exposure baking processing is performed in one of the heating units 26. Next, after cooling to a predetermined temperature by the cooling unit 27 and adjusting the temperature, the developer is accumulated in the developing unit 24 and a predetermined development process is performed. The substrate G on which the predetermined circuit pattern is thus formed is returned to, for example, the original carrier C through the substrate transfer means 3 and the delivery means 22 of the carrier block B1.
[0020]
Here, the mask substrate G will be briefly described. The mask substrate G is a substrate for forming a pattern mask, for example, and is, for example, a square with a side length of 152 ± 0.5 mm, a thickness of 6.35 mm, and a side length of 6 inches. The square glass substrate is used. The mask substrate G includes an R surface type in which corners are cut in an arc shape when viewed in plan, and a substrate G in which corner portions are linearly cut. In this embodiment, an R surface is used. A type substrate G will be described as an example. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the corner portion S of the R-plane type mask substrate G is cut into a part of a circular arc having a radius of 2 mm when viewed in plan.
[0021]
Such a mask substrate G holds the C surface 100 of the substrate G by the substrate transfer means 3. The C surface 100 is an inclined surface formed between the side surface and the bottom surface of the corner portion of the mask substrate G, as shown in FIG. In the mask substrate G, if particles adhere to somewhere on the substrate G, the presence of the particles makes it impossible to use all the wafers exposed using the mask substrate G as a pattern mask. In addition, the holding area by the substrate transfer means 3 is limited to be quite small.
[0022]
Next, the substrate transfer means 3 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the substrate transport unit 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The substrate transport unit 3 includes a holding arm 31 that holds the substrate G, a base 32 that supports the holding arm 31 so as to be movable forward and backward, A pair of guide rails 33, 34 that support the base 32 so as to be movable up and down, connecting members 35, 36 that connect the upper and lower ends of the guide rails 33, 34, guide rails 33, 34, and connecting members 35, 36, respectively. A rotation drive unit 37 integrally attached to the connecting member 36 at the lower end of the guide rail and a rotation provided at the connecting member 35 at the upper end of the guide rail to drive the frame body rotatably around the vertical axis. And a shaft portion 38.
[0023]
Each of the holding arms 31 has a three-stage configuration so as to hold the substrate G, and the base end of the arm 31 can slide along a guide groove 32 a provided in the longitudinal direction of the base 32. It has become. The forward / backward movement of the arm 31 and the upward / downward movement of the base 32 by the slide movement are driven by separate drive units (not shown). Therefore, the two drive parts (not shown), the guide groove 32a, the guide rails 33 and 34, and the rotation drive part 37 are a drive mechanism that drives the arm 31 so as to be rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, and to be movable up and down and back and forth. This drive mechanism is driven and controlled by a control unit (not shown) based on the conveyance program.
[0024]
Next, the holding arm 31 will be described. The inner edge 30 of the arm 31 is constituted by a part of a circular arc having a radius of 127 mm as shown in FIG. 5, for example, and there are four positions on the inner edge 30 of the arm 31. The first mounting portion 41, the second mounting portion 42, the third mounting portion 43, and the fourth mounting portion 44 for holding the corner portions S1 to S4 of the substrate G are provided. Yes. In this example, the center position of the arc of the inner edge of the holding arm 31 is aligned with the center position of the substrate G, and the length of a pair of sides of the arm 31 that are indicated by arrows in FIG. The four placement portions 4 (41 to 44) are provided at positions where the substrate G is placed on the arm 31 in a state substantially parallel to the vertical direction.
[0025]
One of the four placement portions 4A to 4D, for example, the first placement portion 41 provided on the front side in the forward / backward direction of the arm 31 is, for example, a restriction placement portion 5 as shown in FIG. It is configured as. The regulated placement portion 5 carries the back surface side of the first corner S1 of the substrate G, for example, the C surface C1 on the back surface side (hereinafter, the C surface refers to the C surface on the back surface side of the corner portion). In order to place, the mounting surface 51 that inclines from the substantially horizontal direction toward the inside of the holding arm 31 in accordance with the inclination of the C surface C1, and a part of the end surfaces of the two sides sandwiching the corner S1 of the substrate G are in contact with each other. A substantially vertical contact surface 52, and the C surface C1 of the corner S1 of the substrate G is placed so that the end surfaces of two sides sandwiching the corner S1 of the substrate G abut on the contact surface 52. The substrate G is positioned by being placed on the surface 51. That is, in the first corner portion S1, the C surface C1 of the corner portion S1 and the end surfaces of the two sides sandwiching the corner portion S1 are placed in contact with the restriction placement portion 5, so The shift in the left-right direction is restricted.
[0026]
Further, the remaining three of the four mounting portions 4, for example, the first to third mounting portions 42 to 44 are configured as inclined mounting portions 6 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, for example. ing. The inclined mounting portion 6 has two side edges (in this example, two side edges sandwiching the C plane C3 (C2, C4)) sandwiching the corner S3 (S2, S4) on the back surface of the substrate G downward. And a first inclined surface 61 that is inclined downward toward the inner side of the holding arm 31 with respect to the horizontal plane, and a first inclined surface 61 is provided above the first inclined surface 61. A second inclined surface 62 having a gentler inclination with respect to the horizontal plane than the inclined surface 61 is provided (see FIG. 8A).
[0027]
Here, when the mask substrate G is held, when the first corner portion S1 is held so as to position the substrate G by the restricting placement portion 5, the C surface C3 of the corner portion S3 (S2, S4) ( C2 C3 (C2, C4) of corner S3 (S2, S4) as shown in FIG. 8 with the convex edge on the back side of C2, C4) overlapping the concave edge of the corner of first inclined surface 61 Is held in contact with the first inclined surface 61.
[0028]
Therefore, the inclination angle θ1 (angle formed with the horizontal plane) of the first inclined plane 61 is set to be substantially the same as the angle θ (see FIG. 3) formed with the horizontal plane of the C plane 100 of the mask substrate G. Yes. For example, when the holding arm 31 holds the mask substrate G whose angle θ formed by the C surface 100 is 45 degrees, the first inclined surface 61 has, for example, a width W1 of 3 mm, an inclination angle θ1 of about 67 degrees, and a height. H1 is set to about 7 mm, and the second inclined surface 62 is set to have a width W2 of 1.7 mm, an inclination angle θ2 of about 60 degrees, and a height H2 of about 3 mm, for example.
[0029]
Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8B, the inclination of the second inclined surface 62 with respect to the horizontal plane may be set to be larger than that of the first inclined surface 61. In this case, the first inclined surface 61 is set to have a width W1 of 3 mm, an inclination angle θ1 of about 60 degrees, and a height H1 of about 5 mm, and the second inclined surface 62 has a width W2 of 2 mm and an inclination angle θ2. About 70 degrees and the height H2 are set to about 5.5 mm, respectively.
[0030]
When the substrate G is placed on the substrate transport means 3, the case where the substrate G is received from a delivery means such as a lifting pin of a predetermined processing unit will be described as an example. A plurality of, for example, four lifting pins are provided. The substrate transfer means 3 is positioned at a predetermined position below the held substrate G, and the lifting pins are lowered, so that four corners S1 to S4 of the substrate G are placed on the substrate transfer means 3 from the lifting pins. It passes so that it may each be located in the mounting parts 41-44.
[0031]
Here, normally, corner portions S2 to S4 other than the first corner portion S1 of the substrate G are formed on the first inclined surface 61 of the inclined mounting portion 6 on the C surface C2 of the corner portions S2 to S4 on the substrate rear surface side. Passed so that C4 is located. When delivered in this way, the substrate G is as heavy as 0.3 kg. Therefore, two edges that sandwich the corner S2 on the back surface side of the substrate G, in this example, the C plane C3 (C2, C4) are sandwiched 2 The edge of the side is guided downward along the first inclined surface 61 by its own weight (FIG. 9A).
[0032]
At this time, when the substrate G is transferred to the holding arm 31, the convex edge on the back surface side of the C surface C 3 (C 2, C 4) of the corner portion S 3 (S 2, S 4) is recessed in the corner portion of the first inclined surface 61. Although not overlapping the edge, the three corners S2 to S4 of the substrate G are guided toward the inside of the holding arm 31 along the first inclined surface 61, so that the lateral shift is corrected. Will move. By moving the substrate G in this way, as shown in FIG. 9B, the end surfaces of the two sides sandwiching the first corner S1 of the substrate G come into contact with the contact surface 52 of the restriction mounting portion 5, The movement of the other corners S2 to S4 stops at the abutted position.
[0033]
When the position of the first corner portion S1 is thus restricted by the restriction mounting portion 5, the other corner portions S2 to S4 have the back side of the C surface C3 (C2, C4) of the corner portion S3 (S2, S4). The movement is stopped in a state where the convex edge overlaps with the concave edge at the corner of the first inclined surface 61, and is fixed in that state. In other words, in the other corner S3 (S2, S4), the C surface C3 (C2, C4) of the corner and the edges of the two sides sandwiching the C surface C3 (C2, C4) are inclined mounting portions 6. Since it is mounted in a state where it is in contact with the vertical axis, the vertical and horizontal shifts are restricted. In this way, the substrate G is positioned and held by the substrate transfer means 3 while being slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and is transferred to the next step. Here, the inclination angle θ3 of the substrate G is about 1.4 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane, and there is no problem in the transfer of the substrate G and the delivery to and from other processing units.
[0034]
In such a substrate transport means 3, among the four placement portions 41 to 44, the three placement portions 42 to 44 are the inclined placement portions 6 having the first inclined surfaces 61, and the substrate G The corner portion (C surface in this example) is moved by its own weight while being guided, and the first corner portion S1 of the substrate G is positioned by the remaining one placement portion 41 (regulation placement portion 5). Therefore, the square substrate G can be held in a state in which it is accurately positioned on the holding arm 31 whose inner edge is formed by a part of the arc. As described above, the substrate G is held by the holding arm 3 in a state in which the substrate G is regulated in the vertical direction and the left-right direction, so that the substrate G can be held in a state of being accurately positioned even during transfer and can be accurately transferred. it can.
[0035]
At this time, since a high positioning accuracy can be ensured by a simple configuration of the inclined placement portion 6 and the restriction placement portion 5, it is not necessary to provide a complicated mechanism such as a mechanical guide mechanism. For this reason, the board | substrate conveyance means 3 can be reduced in size and weight, and it is advantageous in space and cost.
[0036]
Further, if the substrate G is transferred to the substrate transport means 3, the position of the substrate G is shifted, and the other corners S <b> 2 to S <b> 4 are not placed on the first inclined surface 61 of the inclined mounting portion 6. Even when delivered so as to be positioned on the second inclined surface 62, the corners S <b> 2 to S <b> 4 move downward along the inclined surface 62 due to their own weight and are guided to the first inclined surface 61. As a result, the substrate G is held in an accurately positioned state.
[0037]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this example, as shown in FIG. 10, the mounting portion, for example, the first mounting portion 41 on the front side in the advancing / retreating direction of the holding arm 31 is configured as the restricting mounting portion 5, for example, the other three mounting portions. The placement portions 42 to 44 are configured as the inclined placement portion 6.
[0038]
In this example, when the substrate G is placed on the holding arm 31, the substrate G is moved slightly backward, for example, about 20 mm at a first speed, for example, 300 mm / s to 500 mm / s. (FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b)), and then a predetermined distance, for example, about 450 mm is moved at a second speed that is slower than the first speed, for example, 100 mm / s or more and less than 300 mm / s (FIG. 11 (c). )), The driving of the holding arm 31 in the forward / backward direction is controlled by a control unit (not shown).
[0039]
As described above, after the substrate G is placed on the holding arm 31, the holding arm 31 is moved to the rear side in the advancing / retreating direction of the holding arm at a high speed such as the first speed (FIG. 11A). The substrate G is moved forward by the inertial force in the advancing / retreating direction of the holding arm 31, and a combination of this force and the movement of the substrate G due to its own weight causes the first corner S <b> 1 of the substrate G to be a predetermined portion of the restriction mounting portion 5. It moves instantaneously to a position (FIG. 11 (b)), and the corner portion S1 can be brought into contact with the restricting placement portion 5 more reliably. At this time, if the first speed is too fast or the moving distance is too long, the inertial force acting on the substrate G becomes too large, and the substrate G easily falls from the holding arm 31. Then, the predetermined distance is moved at a second speed slower than the first speed. Here, the reason why the second speed is moved in the same direction as the first speed is that the force from the other direction on the substrate G is prevented from being applied and the displacement of the substrate G is suppressed. .
[0040]
Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this example, for example, one placement portion 4 of the holding arm 31 is configured as a restriction placement portion 5, and the other three placement portions 4 are configured as inclined placement portions 6. In this example, one of the inclined mounting portions 6 includes a pressing mechanism, and the rear surface side of the substrate is lifted by raising the inclined mounting portion 6 by the pressing mechanism. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the pressing mechanism includes electromagnets 71 and 72 and a power supply unit 73. When the substrate G is transferred to the holding arm 31, the control unit 7 turns on the power supply unit 73. As a result, the electromagnets 71 and 72 are repelled, and the inclined mounting portion 6 is raised by the repulsive force to press the substrate G from the lower side (FIGS. 12A and 12B).
[0041]
When a part of the substrate G is lifted in this way (FIG. 12B), the substrate G is instantaneously inclined, so that one corner portion of the substrate G is restricted by the restriction placement portion due to the combination with the own weight of the substrate G. 5 is instantaneously moved to a predetermined position 5 (FIG. 12C), and the corner portion 1 can be brought into contact with the restricting placement portion 5 more reliably. At this time, if the lifting height of the inclined mounting portion 6 is too large, the substrate G is likely to fall from the holding arm 31, and is preferably about 1 mm to 5 mm. Or as a press mechanism, the structure which provided the piezoelectric element so that the volume could be changed to the vertical direction (height direction) instead of an electromagnet may be sufficient.
[0042]
Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this example, for example, one placement portion 4 of the holding arm 31 is configured as a restriction placement portion 5, and the other three placement portions are configured as inclined placement portions 6. In this example, one of the inclined mounting portions 6 includes a ball mechanism 8, and the ball mechanism 8 makes the back side of the substrate G slip easily. The ball mechanism 8 is, for example, between a placement position when the substrate G of the first inclined surface 61 is transferred to the holding arm 31 and a placement position when the substrate G is aligned with the holding arm 31. In this position, for example, a ball 81 made of ceramic, PEEK resin, or the like is provided such that a part of the ball 81 comes into contact with the back side of the substrate G (the back side of the C side on the back side). Here, for example, the balls 81 are provided on two inclined surfaces of the first inclined surface 61 such that the heights of the positions where the balls 81 are attached are different and the positions of the inclined surfaces in the width direction are different.
[0043]
In such a configuration, when the substrate G is delivered to the holding arm 31 (FIG. 13A), the substrate G is moved along the first inclined surface 61 in the inclined mounting portion 6. Since the inclined surface 61 slides so as to come into contact with the ball mechanism 8 and the substrate G is sent out by the rotation of the ball mechanism 8 (FIG. 13B), one corner of the substrate G is combined with the weight of the substrate G itself. S1 moves quickly to a predetermined position of the restriction placing portion 5 (FIG. 13C), and the one corner can be brought into contact with the restriction placement portion 5 more reliably.
[0044]
At this time, since the ball 81 does not have direction directivity, the substrate G can be moved more quickly, which is effective. As described above, the ball 81 is provided on the two inclined surfaces of the first inclined surface 61 such that the height of the position where the ball 81 is attached is different and the position of the inclined surface in the width direction is different. The catch of the substrate G is suppressed, and the substrate G slides down smoothly. The ball 81 may be provided on one of the inclined surfaces of the first inclined surface 61, or may be provided at substantially the same position on the two inclined surfaces of the first inclined surface 61.
[0045]
11 to 13, the frictional force of the contact surface between the back surface side of the corner portion of the substrate G and the first inclined surface 61 of the inclined mounting portion 6 is large, and the substrate G has the first structure. This is effective when the inclined surface 61 is difficult to slip. Moreover, in these structures, since one corner | angular part of the board | substrate G can contact | abut to the regulation mounting part 5 reliably, when the board | substrate G is mounted in the state in which it positioned, the board | substrate G will become a horizontal surface. On the other hand, the shapes of the restricting placement unit 5 and the inclined placement unit 6 can be set in advance so as not to be inclined.
[0046]
Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the substrate G is aligned with the holding arm 31 such that the center position of the substrate G and the center position of the holding arm are aligned, and the axis of the holding arm 31 is in the advancing / retreating direction. On the other hand, four mounting portions are provided on the holding arm 31 so that a pair of opposite sides of the substrate are positioned obliquely. When placed in this way, when the substrate G moves along the first inclined surface 61, the diagonal component of the acceleration vector acting on the substrate G becomes large, and the corner portion of the first is surely placed on the restriction. It can be brought into contact with the portion 5.
[0047]
In the above-described embodiment, except for the examples of FIGS. 10 and 11, any one of the four placement portions 41 to 44 is the restriction placement portion 5 and the remaining three are inclined placements. The placement unit 6 may be used. Of the four placement portions 41 to 44, two placement portions facing diagonally of the substrate G are the inclined placement portions 6 or one is the restriction placement portion 5, and the other is the inclined placement. If it is the mounting part 6, since the board | substrate G can be hold | maintained in the state which restrained the shift | offset | difference of the left-right direction or an up-down direction, one of the four mounting parts 41-44 is made into the restriction | limiting mounting part 5. Further, two of the other placement units may be set as the inclined placement unit 6, and the remaining one placement unit may have, for example, an inclined surface along the inclination of the C plane.
[0048]
Further, one of the four placement portions 41 to 44 is defined as a restriction placement portion 5, and the placement portion facing the restriction placement portion 5 and the diagonal line of the substrate G among the other placement portions. As the inclined mounting portion 6, the remaining two mounting portions may have an inclined surface along the inclination of the C surface, for example. Also in these configurations, the concave edge at the corner of the first inclined surface 61 of the inclined mounting portion 6 and the convex edge on the back surface side of the corner portion of the substrate G (in this example, the back surface side of the C surface) overlap. By placing the substrate G on the holding arm 31 as described above, the horizontal displacement of the substrate G is suppressed, and the substrate G is held in a positioned state.
[0049]
Further, the inclined mounting portion 6 of the present invention may be configured not to include the second inclined surface 62. In this case, the inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined surface 61 is set to 65 degrees and the height H1 is set to about 8 mm. .
[0050]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a rectangular substrate for a semiconductor mask has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to a substrate transfer unit that transfers a square substrate for an FPD (flat panel display) or the like. For the substrate on which the C-plane is not formed, the area near the corner on the back side of the first corner S1 of the substrate G is placed on the placement surface 51 with respect to the restricting placement unit 5, The end surface of the corner portion S1 is placed so as to contact the contact surface 52. Further, with respect to the inclined mounting portion 6, the other corners are arranged so that the convex edge on the back surface side of the other corner portion of the substrate G overlaps the concave edge of the first mounting surface 61 of the inclined mounting portion 6. Since the end edges of the two sides sandwiching the portion are placed so as to be guided downward by the first inclined surface 61, the same effect can be obtained.
[0051]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the square substrate can be placed on the holding arm in a state where the substrate is accurately positioned, and accurate conveyance can be performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of a coating film forming apparatus provided with a substrate transfer means of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an overall configuration of the coating film forming apparatus.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are a plan view and a side view for explaining a mask substrate processed by the coating film forming apparatus. FIGS.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of the substrate transfer means.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a holding arm of the substrate transfer means.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are a plan view and a side view showing an example of a restriction mounting portion provided on the holding arm. FIGS.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of an inclined mounting portion provided on the holding arm.
FIG. 8 is a plan view and a side view showing an example of the inclined mounting portion.
FIG. 9 is a side view for explaining the operation of the holding arm.
FIG. 10 is a plan view for explaining another example of the holding arm.
FIG. 11 is a side view for explaining another example of the holding arm.
FIG. 12 is a side view for explaining still another example of the holding arm.
FIG. 13 is a side view for explaining still another example of the holding arm.
FIG. 14 is a plan view for explaining still another example of the holding arm.
15A and 15B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing a conventional transfer arm.
[Explanation of symbols]
G mask substrate
B1 carrier block
B2 processing block
3 Substrate transfer means
31 Holding arm
41-44 Placement section
5 regulation placement part
51 Placement surface
52 Contact surface
6 Inclined mounting part
61 First inclined surface
62 Second inclined surface

Claims (9)

In a substrate transfer apparatus having a holding arm for placing a square substrate,
The holding arm includes four placement portions on which four corners of the substrate are placed,
One of the mounting portions holds the back side of the first corner portion of the substrate and contacts the end surfaces of the two sides sandwiching the first corner portion to regulate the first corner portion. It is a regulated placement part,
At least two of the other mounting portions are inclined downward toward the inside of the holding arm so as to guide the edges of the two sides sandwiching the corner portion of the back surface of the substrate downward. An inclined mounting portion having a first inclined surface;
A state where the corner portion of the substrate is placed on the inclined placement portion and guided along the inclined surface, thereby bringing the first corner portion of the substrate into contact with the restriction placement portion, thereby aligning the substrate. A substrate carrying device, wherein the substrate carrying device is placed on a holding arm. In a substrate transfer apparatus having a holding arm for placing a square substrate,
The holding arm includes four placement portions on which four corners of the substrate are placed,
One of the mounting portions holds the back side of the first corner portion of the substrate and contacts the end surfaces of the two sides sandwiching the first corner portion to regulate the first corner portion. It is a regulated placement part,
Of the other placement units, the placement unit facing the regulation placement unit and the diagonal line of the substrate is such that the two edges sandwiching the corners on the back surface of the substrate are guided downward and a horizontal plane. An inclined mounting portion having a first inclined surface inclined downward toward the inside of the holding arm,
A state where the corner portion of the substrate is placed on the inclined placement portion and guided along the inclined surface, thereby bringing the first corner portion of the substrate into contact with the restriction placement portion, thereby aligning the substrate. A substrate carrying device, wherein the substrate carrying device is placed on a holding arm. The inclined mounting portion includes a second inclined surface which is inclined more gently than the first inclined surface above the first inclined surface, and the substrate placed on the second inclined surface is provided. 3. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the corner portion is guided to the first inclined surface along the second inclined surface. A drive mechanism for moving the holding arm of the substrate transfer device so as to be movable back and forth, freely movable, and rotatable about a substantially vertical axis;
The restriction mounting portion provided on the front side in the advancing / retreating direction of the holding arm;
When the substrate is placed on the holding arm, the holding arm is moved slightly at the first speed so that the substrate moves to the rear side in the advancing / retreating direction, and the substrate is moved to the regulated placement portion side by inertial force, and then the holding arm 4. A control unit that controls the drive of the drive mechanism so as to move the drive mechanism rearward in the forward / backward direction at a second speed smaller than the first speed. 5. The board | substrate conveyance apparatus of description. A pressing mechanism that is provided in a mounting portion other than the regulated mounting portion and presses and lifts the back side of the substrate;
5. A control unit that controls driving of the pressing mechanism so as to lift the back side of the substrate by the pressing mechanism when the substrate is placed on the holding arm. The board | substrate conveyance apparatus of description. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a ball mechanism is provided on a placement part other than the restriction placement part so as to be in contact with a back surface side of the substrate. The mounting portion is provided on the holding arm so that the substrate is placed on the holding arm in a state where a pair of opposite sides of the substrate are obliquely positioned with respect to the axis of the holding arm in the advancing and retreating direction. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner edge of the holding arm is provided in an arc shape. The square substrate is a mask substrate used for manufacturing a pattern mask, and the region held by the restriction mounting portion and the inclined mounting portion is an inclination formed between the side surface and the bottom surface of the mask substrate. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus is a surface.

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