JP2006193267A - Substrate conveying method and substrate conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate conveying method and a substrate conveying device capable of smoothly conveying a large substrate inclined at a large angle by reducing inconsistency of inclined conveyance associated with an increase in size of the substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate conveying device 10 to convey a substrate 11 with an angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal plane has a substrate curving and supporting means 14 to curve the substrate 11 to be conveyed so as to have the curvature in the conveying direction, and the substrate curving and supporting means 14 includes a substrate back side supporting means 15 and a substrate lower end supporting means 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for conveying a thin, bendable substrate made of a rectangle such as large glass, metal, synthetic resin, and inorganic material.

  A panel for an electronic device, for example, a thin film transistor (abbreviated TFT) type liquid crystal panel has a laminate of two thin glass substrates, a TFT substrate and a color filter substrate, and the TFT substrate is provided on the surface of the substrate. A TFT pattern is formed. This TFT pattern is formed by repeating a process consisting of film formation, resist coating, exposure, development, etching, resist stripping, etc. 7 to 8 times, and a substrate cleaning process is added between these processes. .

  Of the TFT pattern formation process, the development, etching, resist stripping, and cleaning processes are generally performed by wet processing by supplying a predetermined processing solution to the substrate surface. In addition, each process of film formation, resist coating, exposure, and etching is generally performed on a substrate surface in a dry state. Moreover, when performing these processes continuously, in each process, it is common to process a substrate surface while conveying a board | substrate by conveyance means, such as a conveyor. In addition, regarding the movement of the substrate between the processes, in recent years, as the size of the substrate increases, the number of flat-flow conveyance types in which the substrate is horizontally conveyed by a conveyance mechanism such as a conveyor is increasing.

  On the other hand, with an increase in the size of the substrate, there are problems such as an increase in the area of the transfer path and an increase in the installation area of the transfer device. As one of the conventional techniques for solving such a problem, an inclined flat flow conveying system is proposed in which a substrate is conveyed while being inclined with respect to a horizontal plane (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By transporting the substrate inclined with respect to the horizontal plane as in Patent Document 1, an increase in the area of the transport path can be suppressed.

  In addition, as a method of transporting the substrate while inclining, a method has been proposed in which the back surface of the substrate is supported by a transport roller that has been employed in the flat flow transport method, and the end surface of the substrate is supported by the roller (see Patent Document 2). ).

  In addition, when wet processing is used in the cleaning, developing, etching, or peeling process, for example, on a substrate transported in an inclined posture on a substrate transport path that is slightly tilted in a plane orthogonal to the transport direction. A method of performing a cleaning process is shown (see Patent Document 3).

  According to the technique of Patent Document 3, in a cleaning, etching, and peeling process for a large substrate, the processing liquid supplied to the substrate surface is replaced by performing the processing while holding the substrate while being inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. By increasing the efficiency and reducing the staying liquid on the substrate surface, it is said that there is an effect of reducing the amount of processing liquid used and increasing the cleaning effect.

  In addition to simply tilting the substrate, the substrate to be transported is prevented from being distorted as much as possible, and as a device for transporting the substrate cleanly, gas is introduced to the back surface of the substrate through a breathable porous material having a flat surface at the top. There has been proposed a levitation device that buoys and floats a substrate by forming a gas layer between the back surface of the substrate and the surface of the porous material (see Patent Document 4).

  In the substrate transport method disclosed in the above prior art, the back surface of the substrate is supported by a contact or non-contact method, and the lower end of the tilted substrate is connected to the side surface of the roller-shaped roller, the peripheral edge of the roller or the roller with a belt. By supporting by a belt conveyor-like support portion, a straight plate-like substrate is conveyed in an inclined manner. According to such a conventional technique, there is a problem that a large-sized substrate cannot be transported in a sufficiently stable state.

  When transporting or processing a large substrate, the thickness of the substrate tends to be the same or thinner than before, even though the weight of the substrate increases in proportion to the area. Since the distortion of the substrate due to the mechanical stress increases and the substrate conveyance speed tends to increase due to the demand for shortening the manufacturing time, it is difficult to stably convey the large substrate.

  For example, the distortion of the substrate during the inclined conveyance by a typical conventional substrate conveyance device will be exemplified. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a transport state of the substrate 2 by the conventional substrate transport apparatus 1. 13A is a side view of the substrate transport apparatus 1, FIG. 13B is a top view of the substrate transport apparatus 1 viewed from the tilt direction, and FIG. 13C is a front view of the substrate transport apparatus 1. It is.

  The substrate 2 receives a force in the direction of the arrow 4 by the gravity applied to the weight of the substrate 2 and the drag from the back surface transport roller 3 which is the substrate back surface support. The force acting in the direction of the arrow 4 is supported by the substrate support boat 5 which is a lower end support that supports the lower end of the substrate. In the portion where the substrate support boat 5 and the substrate 2 are in contact, it is necessary to support the entire force of the substrate 2 with an equal force.

  However, the substrate 2 has a substrate transport path tolerance, a deflection due to gravity of the substrate 2 itself, a deflection due to internal stress, and an external force and vibration received from a processing liquid supplied especially when processing such as cleaning is performed. A positional shift with respect to the support boat 5 occurs. Due to this displacement, stress is generated locally on the substrate 2, causing local cracks, and further increasing the displacement, causing problems such as dropping the substrate 2 from the substrate support boat 5. To do.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-81414 Japanese Patent No. 3384666 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-155307 JP 2000-136024 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transport method and a substrate transport apparatus capable of reducing the instability of tilted transport accompanying the increase in size of a substrate and smoothly transporting a large substrate tilted at a high angle.

The present invention provides a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate so as to have an inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane.
The board is
A substrate transport method, wherein the substrate is transported in a curved state so as to have a curvature in the transport direction.

  Further, the invention is characterized in that the substrate is transported in a state where the surface facing the upper side of the substrate inclined with respect to the horizontal plane is curved in a concave shape.

  Further, the invention is characterized in that the substrate is transported in a state where the surface side facing the lower side of the substrate inclined with respect to the horizontal plane is curved in a concave shape.

  In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the inclination angle of the substrate with respect to the horizontal plane is not less than 30 degrees and not more than 90 degrees.

Further, the present invention provides a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate so as to have an inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane.
A substrate transport apparatus comprising substrate bending support means for bending a substrate to be transported so as to have a curvature in the transport direction.

In the present invention, the substrate bending support means includes substrate back surface support means for supporting a back surface that is a surface facing the lower side of the substrate inclined with respect to the horizontal plane,
The substrate back surface support means is
The substrate to be transported is configured to be in a curved state with a curvature in the substrate transport direction.

  Further, the invention is characterized in that the substrate back surface support means includes a plurality of rotating rollers arranged in the tilt direction of the substrate.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the diameters of the plurality of rotating rollers are different from each other depending on the position of the substrate in the tilt direction.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the plurality of rotating rollers having different diameters are provided so that the rotation axis is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

In the present invention, the substrate back surface supporting means is
Driving means for driving a plurality of rotating rollers having different diameters;
And a rotation control means for controlling the operation of the driving means so as to rotate the plurality of rotating rollers at different rotational speeds for each diameter of the rotating rollers.

In the present invention, the substrate bending support means includes substrate lower end support means for supporting the lower end portion of the substrate inclined with respect to the horizontal plane,
The substrate lower end support means is configured such that the substrate to be transported is curved with a curvature with respect to the substrate transport direction.

In the present invention, the substrate lower end supporting means is
The rotating roller structure includes a plurality of rotating rollers provided such that the rotating shafts intersect each other in the substrate transport direction.

In the present invention, the substrate lower end supporting means is
The belt structure includes a belt wound around a plurality of rotating rollers provided such that the rotation shafts intersect each other in the substrate transport direction.

In the present invention, the substrate lower-end support means includes a lower-end support portion that contacts and supports the lower end of the substrate,
The lower end support portion has a boat structure that moves with the substrate to be conveyed and does not slide with the substrate at the contact portion with the substrate.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the lower end support portion is formed in a pin shape.
Further, the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate by spraying a processing liquid onto a substrate from a processing nozzle provided facing the surface of the substrate,
A substrate processing apparatus comprising any one of the substrate transfer apparatuses.

  According to the present invention, when a large substrate is transported while being inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, by transporting the substrate in a curved state, uniform internal stress is generated on the substrate, and in gravity and other processing. It is possible to stably and smoothly transport a large substrate inclined at a high angle against external force and transport system fluctuation.

  Further, according to the present invention, the substrate bending support means can convey the substrate to be conveyed in a curved state by curving the substrate to be conveyed so as to have a curvature in the conveyance direction. A substrate transport apparatus capable of achieving the above is provided.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the substrate transport apparatus that transports the inclined substrate in a curved state is provided, stable transport is possible even when the processing liquid acts, the processing effect is high, and the amount of processing liquid used is suppressed. A substrate processing apparatus capable of performing the above is provided.

  FIG. 1 is a top view of the substrate transfer apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the tilt direction, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the substrate transfer apparatus 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line III-III in FIG. 2. Here, the term “transport” in the substrate transport apparatus is not limited to the movement direction such as the horizontal direction or the vertical direction, and is not limited to the movement that moves in parallel while maintaining the substrate posture. It is used to mean all operations for moving the substrate, such as when the substrate is rotated, such as when the substrate is moved from the horizontal to the inclined state, from the inclined state to the horizontal state, or from one inclined state to another inclined state.

  The substrate transport apparatus 10 transports the substrate 11 in the direction of the arrow 13 so as to have an inclination angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane 12. The substrate transfer apparatus 10 is provided with substrate bending support means 14 for bending the substrate 11 to be transferred so as to have a curvature with respect to the transfer direction indicated by an arrow 13.

  The substrate bending support means 14 of the substrate transport apparatus 10 includes a substrate back surface support means 15 that supports a back surface 11a that faces the lower surface of the substrate 11 that is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane 12, and a substrate that supports the lower end portion 11b of the substrate 11. Lower end support means 16. 1 and 3, the direction indicated by reference sign A is the direction of the force acting by the gravity applied to the weight of the substrate 11 and the drag force from the substrate back surface support means 15. Sometimes called.

  The substrate back surface support means 15 and the substrate lower end support means 16 are configured such that the substrate 11 to be transported is curved with a curvature with respect to the substrate transport direction 13.

  The substrate back surface support means 15 includes a plurality of back surface transport rollers 21 arranged so that the rotation axis is perpendicular to the substrate transport direction 13, and the plurality of back surface transport rollers 21 are virtual including each rotation axis. The plane 22 has a curvature and is disposed so as to be curved in a concave shape on the upper side with respect to the inclination direction. Therefore, the substrate 11 supported by the substrate back surface support means 15 including the plurality of back surface transport rollers 21 is a surface 11c that faces the substrate 11 inclined with respect to the horizontal plane due to gravity acting on the weight of the substrate 11. The side is concavely curved.

  The plurality of back surface conveying rollers 21 are driven to rotate around the rotation axis in the direction of the arrow 23 by a driving unit (not shown). Rotation driving of the back surface conveyance roller 21 is performed by rotating one back surface conveyance roller 21 by a driving means and connecting the rotationally driven back surface conveyance roller 21 and the remaining back surface conveyance roller 21 with, for example, a chain. Alternatively, the individual back surface transport rollers 21 may be driven to rotate by driving means.

  The substrate lower end support means 16 includes a plurality of lower end support portions 24 having a substantially L-shaped cross section disposed on the same plane parallel to the horizontal plane, and the plurality of lower end support portions 24 are connected to the lower end support portions 24. The virtual plane has a curvature and is arranged to be concavely curved on the upper side with respect to the tilt direction.

  The plurality of lower end support portions 24 are connected by a belt (not shown), and move in the direction of the arrow 13 at an equal speed by the operation of a driving unit that drives the belt. A structure in which the lower end support 24 moves together with the substrate 11 in a state where the substrate 11 is placed is referred to as a boat structure. Since the lower end support portion 24 moves together with the substrate 11 to be transported, it does not slide with the substrate 11 at the contact portion with the substrate 11, so that generation of particles due to sliding can be prevented. , The cleanliness can be improved.

  Since the substrate 11 is supported on the back surface 11a by the substrate back surface support means 15 configured as described above and is supported on the bottom surface 11b by the substrate bottom edge support means 16, the arrow 13 in a state of being curved concavely on the front surface 11c side. Conveyed in the direction. By bending the substrate 11, stress acts on the entire surface of the substrate 11, so that the biased stress with respect to the substrate 11 due to the vibration of the conveyance and the cleaning process, and the internal stress of the substrate 11 itself are reduced. Can be held stably. In addition, since the tilt direction A, which is the bending axis direction perpendicular to the curvature direction of the substrate 11, coincides with the direction of the force acting on the substrate 11, a bending moment is prevented from being generated in the substrate.

  Next, the range of the inclination angle θ of the substrate 11 will be described. The inclination angle θ is preferably 30 degrees or greater and 90 degrees or less.

  By tilting the substrate from the horizontal, an increase in the installation area of the substrate transfer apparatus is suppressed, and an improvement in performance in wet processing by the substrate processing apparatus including the substrate transfer apparatus is expected. The performance improvement effect becomes higher as the tilt angle of the substrate is increased. However, if the inclination angle is increased without bending the substrate, the stress is concentrated near the lower end of the substrate and the supporting part of the end surface due to the influence of gravity, the transport state becomes unstable, and the substrate is cracked or chipped. May occur. Such instability of the transport state, cracking or chipping of the substrate, etc. are likely to occur when the inclination angle of the substrate is 30 degrees or more.

  The present invention suppresses concentration of stress on the substrate by supporting and transporting the substrate in a curved state in an inclined state, and is prominent at an inclination angle of 30 degrees or more where various problems occur in the above-described straight plate state. The stress concentration suppressing effect is exhibited. Although the present invention has the effect even when the inclination angle of the substrate is less than 30 degrees, it is preferably applied at an inclination angle of 30 degrees or more because the difference from the case of transporting in a straight plate state is not significant.

  Further, in the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal element, the surface on which the semiconductor element is manufactured is used as the surface of the substrate, and the substrate is transported with the surface facing upward. Therefore, when the tilt angle of the substrate exceeds 90 degrees, the front surface is in a downward state, and when the rear surface is supported and transported as in the present invention, gravity acts in the opposite direction, and the substrate drops from the apparatus. Therefore, the present invention cannot be applied unless the inclination angle is 90 degrees or less. Therefore, the preferable inclination angle θ of the substrate 11 is set to 30 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less.

  As for the curvature of the substrate 11, the larger the curvature, that is, the smaller the curvature radius R, the greater the effect on the stabilization of the conveyance. However, unless the substrate is a straight plate having a perfect planar shape, the curvature is small, that is, a large curvature radius R. Even if there is, it is possible to obtain a transport stabilization effect. Therefore, the curvature of the substrate 11 is not limited to a specific value and may be determined according to the size of the substrate 11, but preferably the curvature radius R is not more than 5 times the length of the substrate 11 in the transport direction. It is.

  FIG. 4 is a top view seen from the inclination direction showing the configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The substrate transfer apparatus 30 of the present embodiment is similar to the substrate transfer apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted, and a side view and a front view are omitted. To do.

  It should be noted in the substrate transport apparatus 30 that the substrate back surface support means 32 and the substrate lower end support means 33 constituting the substrate bending support means 31 are concave on the back surface 11a side, which is the surface facing the lower side of the substrate 11 inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. To be curved, that is, configured to bend in the opposite direction to the case of the first embodiment. The substrate transport apparatus 30 of the present embodiment that supports and transports the substrate 11 curved in the direction opposite to that of the first embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the substrate transport apparatus 10 of the first embodiment. .

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus 40 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, viewed from an inclination direction. The substrate transfer apparatus 40 of this embodiment is similar to the substrate transfer apparatuses 10 and 30 of the first and second embodiments, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The substrate transfer device 40 is a combination of the substrate transfer device 10 of the first embodiment and the substrate transfer device 30 of the second embodiment. That is, in the substrate transport apparatus 40, at the portion corresponding to the substrate transport apparatus 10 of the first form, the substrate 11 is transported in a curved state so that the front surface 11c side is concave, and is transferred to the substrate transport apparatus 30 of the second form. At the corresponding portion, the substrate 11 is conveyed in a curved state so that the back surface 11a side is concave (the front surface 11c side is convex). In such a substrate transport apparatus 40, the same effect as the substrate transport apparatus 10 of the first embodiment can be obtained, the direction of the substrate when the substrate 11 starts to be transported, and the transport of the substrate 11 is completed. Since the direction of the substrate when passing to the next process apparatus or the like is substantially parallel, it is possible to provide an effect that it is easy to arrange the transport apparatus for the process.

  FIG. 6 is a front view showing a configuration of a substrate transfer device 45 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a view as seen from a cutting plane line VII-VII shown in FIG. The substrate transfer device 45 of this embodiment is similar to the substrate transfer device 10 of the first embodiment, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  It should be noted that in the substrate transport apparatus 45 of this embodiment, the substrate back surface support means 47 of the substrate bending support means 46 is constituted by a back surface support floating unit, the substrate lower end support means 48 is configured so that the rotation shaft 52 is in the transport direction of the substrate 11. 13 has a rotating roller structure including end surface support rollers 49 which are a plurality of rotating rollers provided so as to intersect with each other.

  The back surface support levitation unit which is the substrate back surface support means 47 is mounted with a porous member such as a sintered metal filter on the side facing the back surface 11a of the substrate 11 and curved concavely on the side facing the back surface 11a of the substrate 11. It is a thin box-shaped member. The back surface support levitation unit 47 is connected to an air supply source for supplying pressurized air by piping, and the pressurized air supplied to the box-shaped internal space is conveyed through the porous member of the substrate 11. Injected toward the back surface 11a. Therefore, the surface on which the porous member is mounted facing the substrate back surface 11a is referred to as an ejection surface 50 for convenience. Since the ejection surface 50 is formed in a concave shape, the substrate 11 is levitated and supported in a concave shape along the shape of the ejection surface 50 by the air pressure ejected from the ejection surface 50 and the gravity acting on its own weight.

  Since only the back surface support levitation unit 47 does not have a force to convey and propel the substrate 11, the end surface support roller 49 constituting the substrate lower end support means 48 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow 51, thereby lowering the lower end surface 11 b of the substrate 11. The substrate 11 is transported in the direction of the arrow 13 while being supported.

  According to such a substrate transport device 45, the substrate 11 does not come into contact with the substrate back surface support means 47, so that problems of generation of particles and adhesion to the back surface 11a are reduced. Therefore, the configuration using the substrate levitation unit is applied to an ultra-clean process in which generation and adhesion of particles are mainly affected. For example, a liquid crystal TFT array process is an object. The method of floating the substrate is not limited to the above-described method of blowing the air to the back surface of the substrate at a high pressure, and a method of generating static electricity on the back surface support levitation unit and floating the substrate by the static electricity is used. May be.

  In the present embodiment, the substrate lower end supporting means has a rotating roller structure having a plurality of end surface supporting rollers provided so that the rotating shafts intersect each other in the substrate transport direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The belt structure may further include a belt that is further wound around an end surface supporting roller that is a rotating roller.

  FIG. 8 is a side view showing a simplified configuration of the substrate transfer device 55 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a simplified configuration of the substrate back surface support means 57 of the substrate transfer device 55 shown in FIG. FIG.

  The substrate transport device 55 of this embodiment is characterized by the substrate back surface support means 57 of the substrate curve support means 56.

  The substrate back surface support means 57 includes a plurality of rotating rollers 58a, 58b, 58c, and 58d arranged in the inclination direction of the substrate 11, and driving means 59a, 59b, 59c, and 59d that drive the plurality of rotating rollers 58a to 58d, And rotation control means 60 for controlling the operation of the drive means 59a to 59d.

  The plurality of rotating rollers 58a to 58d arranged in the inclination direction of the substrate 11 are provided such that the rotating shaft 61 (the rotating shaft 61 is common in the present embodiment) is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane, that is, the vertical direction. The diameters are different depending on the positions arranged in the vertical direction from top to bottom. In the present embodiment, the diameters of the rotating rollers 58a to 58d arranged in the vertical direction from the top to the bottom are sequentially increased. In other words, if the reference numerals represent the diameters of the rotating rollers 58a to 58d, the magnitude relationship is 58a <58b <58c <58d.

  A group of four rotating rollers 58a to 58d having different diameters is referred to as a group of rotating rollers 58. In the substrate transport device 55, a plurality of sets of rotating roller groups 58 are provided, and the plurality of sets of rotating roller groups 58 are arranged such that an arc connecting the respective rotating shafts 61 forms a part of the virtual circle 62. As a result, the substrate 11 supported by the substrate back surface support means 57 is supported such that the substrate 11 has an inclination angle with respect to the horizontal plane and the surface 11c side of the substrate 11 is curved in a concave shape. In FIG. 9, in order to avoid complication of the drawing, the illustration of the rotation roller 58d, the drive means 59a to 59d, the rotation control means 60, and the substrate lower end support means 48 is omitted.

  Drive means 59a-59d is an electric motor, for example. Although the electric motor may be provided for each rotating roller, for example, the rotating roller 58a included in each rotating roller group 58 is connected by a chain or the like, and all the rotating rollers 58a are connected by one electric motor. It is preferable to rotate. The same applies to the rotating rollers 58b, 58c, and 58d.

  The driving means 59a to 59d for rotating the respective rotating rollers 58a, 58b, 58c, 58d are connected to the rotation control means 60. The rotation control means 60 includes a power supply and a processing circuit including a large scale integrated circuit (LSI), and the LSI portion is also provided with a storage unit. The rotation control means 60 controls the operation of the drive means 59a to 59d so as to rotate the rotation rollers 58a to 58d at different rotation speeds for each diameter according to an operation program stored in advance in the storage unit. In the substrate transfer device 55 of the present embodiment, the rotation speed of each of the rotation rollers 58a to 58d is controlled to rotate at a ratio that is inversely proportional to the diameter. For example, when the ratio of the diameters of the rotating rollers 58a, 58b, 58c, and 58d is 1: 2: 3: 4, the rotating rollers 58a, 58b, 58c, and 58d rotate at 4: 3: 2: 1. It is controlled to rotate at.

  The substrate lower end support means 48 of the substrate transfer apparatus 55 of the present embodiment is configured in the same manner as the substrate lower end support means provided in the substrate transfer apparatus 45 of the fourth embodiment, and includes a rotating roller structure including a plurality of end surface support rollers 49. Have In a state where the lower end 11b of the substrate 11 is supported, the end surface support roller 49 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 63 to convey the substrate 11.

  Such substrate bending support means can be applied to any configuration in which the surface side of the substrate 11 is concave, the surface side of the substrate 11 is convex, or a combination of concave and convex shapes. By using the substrate bending support means having such a configuration, the substrate 11 can be transported while keeping the transport level at a constant height with a simple apparatus configuration.

  FIG. 10 is a view seen from an inclined direction showing a simplified configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 70 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a side view and a front view of the substrate processing apparatus 70 shown in FIG. It is. The substrate transfer device 71 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 70 of the present embodiment is similar to the portion of the substrate transfer device of each of the embodiments described above, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The substrate processing apparatus 70 processes the substrate 11 by spraying a processing liquid 73 onto the substrate 11 from a processing nozzle 72 provided facing the surface of the substrate 11 transported in the direction of arrow 13 by the substrate transport apparatus 71. Used for. A substrate transfer device 71 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 70 includes a substrate back surface support means 32 similar to that of the second embodiment, and a substrate lower end support means 48 similar to that of the fourth embodiment. A substrate bending support means 74 is constituted by the substrate lower end support means 48.

  In the processing nozzle 72, the nozzle port 75 faces the surface 11 c of the transport substrate 11 that is the material to be processed, has an angle α with respect to the transport direction 13 of the substrate 11, and from the downstream side of the transport direction 13 of the substrate 11. It is provided so as to have an inclination angle β with respect to the vertical line 76 so that the treatment liquid 73 can be ejected toward the upstream side. A processing liquid supply means (not shown) is connected to the processing nozzle 72, and a wet processing liquid such as pure water that is a resist stripping solution or a cleaning liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply means is used as a processing surface of the substrate 11. 11c is sprayed from the nozzle port 75, and the substrate 11 is wet-treated in a sheet-like manner.

  During this wet processing, the substrate 11 is transported by the substrate transport device 71 in a state where it is inclined from the horizontal plane 12 by an angle θ and curved in a convex shape on the front surface 11c side (a concave shape on the back surface 11a side). Since the wet processing is performed in a state where the substrate 11 is inclined from the horizontal plane 12, the retention of the processing liquid 73 on the substrate 11 can be prevented, the replacement efficiency can be improved, and the amount of processing liquid taken out between the processing tanks can be reduced. . Therefore, in wet processing steps such as cleaning or resist stripping, it is possible to obtain effects such as a reduction in processing time associated with an increase in cleaning or stripping force, an improvement in cleaning effect, and a reduction in the amount of processing liquid used.

  In general, by increasing the tilt angle θ, the effects of reducing the processing time, improving the cleaning effect, and reducing the amount of processing liquid used can be remarkably exhibited. However, the deflection due to the internal stress of the substrate 11 increases. In addition, the load applied to the lower end 11b of the substrate 11 by its own weight also increases. Further, when the processing liquid 73 is supplied to the substrate 11, the external load and vibration applied by the processing liquid 73 are increased, and accordingly, the substrate 11 is dropped from the end surface support roller 49 or locally due to deflection. There arises a situation where it is difficult to carry stably, such as cracking due to stress. However, in the substrate processing apparatus 70 of the present invention, the substrate 11 is transported by the substrate transport apparatus 71 so as to be curved in a convex shape on the surface 11c side, so the external load and vibration applied by the processing liquid 73 are significantly reduced. Thus, it is possible to stably carry the inclined conveyance, and the effect of the wet treatment can be obtained stably.

  FIG. 12 is a side view and a front view showing a simplified configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 80 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 80 of this embodiment is similar to the parts of the substrate processing apparatus 70 and the substrate transfer apparatus of the above-described embodiment, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  A substrate transfer device 81 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 80 includes a substrate back surface support means 47 similar to that in the fourth embodiment, and a substrate bottom surface support means 83 in which a lower end support portion 82 is formed in a pin shape. The means 47 and the substrate lower end support means 83 constitute a substrate bending support means 84.

  The substrate lower end support means 83 is provided with a plurality of lower end support portions 82 formed in a pin shape on the outer periphery of an endless belt, for example, and the endless belt is driven by driving means such as a pulley, thereby supporting the lower end support. The unit 82 moves in the direction of the arrow 85 in conjunction with the substrate 11 and conveys the substrate 11. At this time, since the pin-shaped lower end support portion 82 and the lower end 11b of the substrate 11 do not slide, the substrate lower end support means 83 has a boat structure. Further, since the substrate back surface support means 47 is a back surface support levitation unit, generation of particles accompanying the transport of the substrate 11 is prevented, and the substrate processing apparatus 80 with extremely excellent cleanliness is realized.

  In the substrate processing apparatus 80 of the present embodiment, the processing nozzle 72 extends parallel to the horizontal plane 12 and has an inclination angle β with respect to the vertical line 76 and parallel to the inclination direction (A direction) of the substrate back surface support means 47. It is provided so as to be able to scan from top to bottom. The scanning means for scanning the processing nozzle 72 is not shown.

  The substrate 11 is supported and held by the back surface support floating unit which is the back surface support means 47 and the substrate lower end support means 83 in a state where it is inclined from the horizontal plane 12 by the inclination angle θ. A substrate 11 inclined by scanning the processing nozzle 72 from the top to the bottom while supplying a wet processing solution 73 such as a resist stripping solution or pure water from the processing nozzle 72 to the surface 11c of the substrate 11 in the inclined state. The processing liquid 73 is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate 11, and the substrate 11 is wet-processed with a single wafer. Such a substrate processing apparatus 80 can achieve the same effects as the substrate processing apparatus 70 described above.

It is the top view seen from the inclination direction which shows the structure of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 10 which is 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 10 shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the cut surface line III-III of FIG. It is the top view seen from the inclination direction which shows the structure of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 30 which is 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure seen from the inclination direction which shows the structure of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 40 which is 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 45 which is the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure seen from the cut surface line VII-VII shown in FIG. It is a side view which simplifies and shows the structure of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 55 which is 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which simplifies and shows the structure of the board | substrate back surface support means 57 of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 55 shown in FIG. It is the figure seen from the inclination direction which simplifies and shows the structure of the board | substrate washing | cleaning apparatus 70 which is another embodiment of this invention. It is the side view and front view of the board | substrate cleaning apparatus 70 which are shown in FIG. It is the side view and front view which simplify and shows the structure of the substrate processing apparatus 80 which is further another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the conveyance state of the board | substrate 2 by the conventional board | substrate conveyance apparatus 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10, 30, 40, 45, 55, 71, 81 Substrate transport device 11 Substrate 12 Horizontal surface 14, 31, 46, 56, 74, 84 Substrate bending support means 15, 32, 47, 57 Substrate back surface support means 16, 33, 48, 83 Substrate lower end support means 49 End face support roller 58 Rotating roller group 59 Drive means 60 Rotation control means 61 Rotating shaft 62 Virtual circle 70, 80 Substrate processing apparatus 72 Processing nozzle 73 Processing liquid 75 Nozzle port 82 Lower end support section

Claims (16)

In a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate so as to have an inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane,
The board is
A substrate transport method, wherein the substrate is transported in a curved state so as to have a curvature in the transport direction. The board
The substrate transport method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is transported in a state in which a surface facing the upper side of the substrate inclined with respect to the horizontal plane is curved in a concave shape. The board
2. The substrate transfer method according to claim 1, wherein a surface facing the lower side of the substrate inclined with respect to the horizontal plane is transferred in a concavely curved state. The inclination angle of the substrate relative to the horizontal plane is
The substrate transport method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transport method is 30 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less. In a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate so as to have an inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane,
A substrate conveyance apparatus comprising substrate bending support means for bending a substrate to be conveyed so as to have a curvature in the conveyance direction. The substrate bending support means includes substrate back surface support means for supporting a back surface that is a surface facing the lower side of the substrate inclined with respect to the horizontal plane,
The substrate back surface support means is
6. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the substrate to be transferred is configured to be curved with a curvature in the substrate transfer direction. The substrate back surface support means is
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a plurality of rotating rollers arranged in a tilt direction of the substrate. The diameter of multiple rotating rollers is
8. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the substrate transfer device differs depending on the position of the substrate in the tilt direction. Multiple rotating rollers with different diameters
9. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the rotation axes are provided so as to be substantially perpendicular to a horizontal plane. The substrate back surface support means is
Driving means for driving a plurality of rotating rollers having different diameters;
10. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: a rotation control unit that controls the operation of the driving unit so as to rotate the plurality of rotating rollers at a different rotational speed for each diameter of the rotating roller. The substrate bending support means includes a substrate lower end support means for supporting a lower end portion of the substrate inclined with respect to the horizontal plane,
The substrate lower end support means is
6. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the substrate to be transferred is configured to be curved with a curvature in the substrate transfer direction. The substrate lower end support means is
12. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the substrate transfer device has a rotation roller structure including a plurality of rotation rollers provided such that the rotation shafts intersect each other in the substrate transfer direction. The substrate lower end support means is
12. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus has a belt structure including a belt wound around a plurality of rotation rollers provided such that the rotation shafts intersect each other in the substrate transfer direction. The substrate lower end support means includes a lower end support part that supports and supports the lower end of the substrate,
The lower end support is
12. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus has a boat structure that moves with the substrate to be transferred and does not slide with the substrate at a contact portion with the substrate. The lower end support is
15. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus is formed in a pin shape. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate by spraying a processing liquid onto a substrate from a processing nozzle provided facing the surface of the substrate,
A substrate processing apparatus comprising the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 5.

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