JP2008171929A - Substrate transfer apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate transfer apparatus capable of stably transferring a substrate having a warp. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate transfer apparatus 1 includes a substrate floating stage 3 which floats a substrate W by air, a substrate holding mechanism 27 which holds the middle part of the substrate W in its width direction on either the front end W4 or the rear end W5 of the substrate W in a transfer direction B, a transfer mechanism 5 which moves the substrate holding mechanism 27 in the transfer direction B relative to the substrate floating stage 3, and a retreating means which retreats the substrate holding mechanism 27 to the upside of the substrate W. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus that floats and transfers a large substrate.

In recent years, as the screen of a flat panel display (hereinafter abbreviated as “FPD”) such as a liquid crystal display (hereinafter abbreviated as “LCD”) or a plasma display panel (hereinafter abbreviated as “PDP”) is enlarged, the FPD can be multi-faceted. The size of the mother glass substrate to be manufactured has increased year by year, and a mother glass substrate having a side of 2000 mm or more than 3000 mm has appeared.
Conventionally, in a substrate transfer apparatus that transfers a large glass substrate in an FPD manufacturing process or the like, a breathable ceramic material is provided on the upper surface side of a plurality of air supply pipes arranged in parallel as in Patent Document 1, for example. There is one in which air is blown from the air-permeable ceramic material onto the lower surface of the glass substrate, and the air supply pipes are conveyed together with the glass substrate floating.

In addition, as the substrate transport device, for example, a transport mechanism is provided that transports the glass substrate while adsorbing and holding the end of the glass substrate in a state where the glass substrate is floated on a substrate floating stage in which a large number of holes for blowing air are formed. There is something. The transport mechanism is movably provided on a guide rail laid in parallel along one side of the substrate levitation stage, holds the side edge of the glass substrate, and moves relative to the substrate levitation stage. The glass substrate is forcibly transferred.
JP 2000-136024 A (FIGS. 1 and 2)

By the way, in the FPD manufacturing process, a resist may be applied to the surface of the glass substrate and dried, but the glass substrate may be warped in the thickness direction due to a difference in shrinkage from the resist. Here, if the glass substrate is greatly warped below the flying height of the glass substrate by the substrate floating stage, the front and rear end portions in the transport direction of the glass substrate come into contact with the substrate floating stage. There arises a problem that the substrate cannot be conveyed in a non-contact manner.
In particular, when the glass substrate is transported to the substrate levitation stage by the transport mechanism, the front and rear ends of the glass substrate not held by the transport mechanism move while rubbing on the substrate levitation stage. However, there is a problem that the substrate floating stage is damaged due to contact with the joint of the substrate floating stage or the substrate floating stage is scraped and damaged by the glass substrate, and the glass substrate is contaminated by dust at this time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transport apparatus that can stably transport a warped substrate.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate levitating stage for levitating a substrate and a substrate holding mechanism for holding an intermediate portion in the width direction of the substrate among at least one of a front end portion and a rear end portion in the transport direction of the substrate. And a transport mechanism for moving the substrate holding mechanism in the transport direction with respect to the substrate floating stage, and a retracting means for retracting the substrate holding mechanism above the substrate.

According to the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention, since the substrate holding mechanism that holds the middle part of the front end portion and the rear end portion of the substrate is provided, the substrate is floated on the upper surface of the substrate floating stage. Even if the front end portion or the rear end portion of the substrate is warped, the warp of the front end portion or the rear end portion of the substrate can be corrected by the substrate holding mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the front end and rear end of the substrate from rubbing against the upper surface of the substrate floating stage, and the substrate can be transported in a stable state.
Note that when the front end of the substrate rubs against the upper surface of the substrate floating stage, it is more likely to be scratched than when the rear end rubs, so it is particularly effective to hold the front end of the substrate with the substrate holding mechanism. It is.

Hereinafter, a substrate transfer apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.
As shown in FIG. 1, a substrate transport apparatus 1 according to this embodiment transports a rectangular glass substrate (substrate) W for manufacturing an FPD such as an LCD or a PDP in a multi-faced state in a floating state. A substrate levitation stage 3 for levitating W in a non-contact state and a transport mechanism 5 for transporting the glass substrate W in one direction along the upper surface 3a of the substrate levitation stage 3 (transport direction B) are provided.
The substrate floating stage 3 is formed to extend in the transport direction B of the glass substrate W, and the dimension in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the transport direction B of the glass substrate in the upper surface 3a) is larger than the width of the glass substrate W. Is also shorter. That is, in a state where the glass substrate W is disposed on the substrate floating stage 3, the side end portions W 1 and W 2 of the glass substrate W protrude from both side portions 3 c and 3 d of the substrate floating stage 3.

  A large number of air holes 3e, 3e,... For air blowing are formed in the upper surface 3a of the substrate levitation stage 3, and compressed air is ejected from these air holes 3e, 3e,. Thus, the glass substrate W floats on the upper surface 3 a of the substrate floating stage 3. In addition, the upper surface 3a of the substrate levitation stage 3 has a plurality of passages 7, 7, and 7 (three in the illustrated example) that extend in the transport direction B of the glass substrate W and pass through suspension parts 31, 31, and 31 described later. Is formed. In this embodiment, the passages 7, 7, and 7 are formed in a groove shape. However, the substrate floating stage 3 is divided into a plurality of substrate floating stage blocks, and the substrate floating stage blocks are separated from each other by a predetermined interval. , 7.

The transport mechanism 5 includes a pair of rails 11, 11 that are arranged in parallel with both side portions 3 c, 3 d of the substrate floating stage 3 and extend in the transport direction B, and the transport direction B and the opposite direction on each rail 11, 11. It is comprised by a pair of conveyance parts 13 and 13 made movable. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each transport unit 13 transports a transport drive unit 15, a plurality of suction units 17, 17, 17 provided above the transport drive unit 15, and each suction unit 17. An elevating mechanism 19 composed of an actuator that moves the drive unit 15 in the vertical direction is provided.
The conveyance drive unit 15 is constituted by, for example, a linear motor, and can reciprocate along the conveyance direction B of the glass substrate W on the linear guide laid on the upper surface 11 a of the rail 11 facing the conveyance drive unit 15. It has become.

  The plurality of suction units 17, 17, 17 are arranged side by side in the transport direction B of the glass substrate W, and form a substrate holding mechanism that sucks and holds the back surfaces W <b> 3 of the side end portions W <b> 1, W <b> 2 of the glass substrate W. That is, at the upper part of each suction unit 17 is a suction part 21 for sucking and holding the back surfaces W3 of the side edges W1 and W2 of the glass substrate W protruding from the side parts 3c and 3d of the substrate floating stage 3 by air suction. Are provided in a plurality of (four in the illustrated example), and the plurality of suction portions 21, 21,. A suction hole 21b communicating from the inside of the suction unit 17 to the vacuum pump (not shown) is opened in a flat recess (not shown) of the upper surface 21a of each suction part 21 that contacts the side edges W1 and W2 of the glass substrate W. In addition, the back surface W3 of the side end portions W1, W2 of the glass substrate W is sucked and held by evacuating the upper surface 21a side of each suction portion 21 with a vacuum pump.

  The elevating mechanism 19 is constituted by an air actuator including a cylinder 23 and a piston 25 fixed to the upper part of the transport driving unit 15. When the elevating mechanism 19 moves to the carry-in side to receive the glass substrate W, it lowers the suction unit 17 to a position where the suction unit 21 does not come into contact with the glass substrate W waiting on the carry-in side. Further, when the glass substrate W is sucked and transported, the lifting mechanism 19 has a suction unit up to a height at which the side end portions W1 and W2 of the glass substrate W can be supported by the substrate flying height of the substrate floating stage 3 by the suction portion 21. Raise 17 The lifting mechanism 19 lifts and lowers the suction unit 17 that is a substrate holding mechanism so that the suction portion 21 can move up and down between a suction position where the suction portion 21 contacts the back surface W3 of the glass substrate W and a retract position where the suction portion 21 is separated from the glass substrate W. For example, an electromagnetic actuator may be used.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the substrate transport apparatus 1 includes a substrate holding mechanism that holds a middle portion in the width direction of the glass substrate W among the front end W4 and the rear end W5 in the transport direction B of the glass substrate W. 27 and 27 are provided. One substrate holding mechanism 27 is provided on each of the front end W4 side and the rear end W5 side of the glass substrate W.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, each substrate holding mechanism 27 has a substantially rod-like support shaft 29 extending over the width direction of the substrate floating stage 3 above the glass substrate W floating on the upper surface 3 a of the substrate floating stage 3. And a plurality (three in the illustrated example) of suspension parts 31, 31, 31 that are attached to the middle part of the support shaft 29 in the extending direction and project perpendicularly to the extending direction from the support shaft 29, An adsorption portion 33 is provided at the tip of the hanging portion 31 and adsorbs and holds the back surface W3 of the glass substrate W based on air suction.

Both ends of the support shaft 29 in the extending direction are respectively connected to bearing portions 35 and 35 that are integrally formed so as to protrude above the substrate floating stage 3 from the respective transport driving portions 15, and thereby the substrate holding mechanism 27 is connected to the support shaft 29. It can move in the transport direction B and the opposite direction together with the transport unit 13. That is, the transport mechanism 5 described above also serves to move the substrate holding mechanism 27 in the transport direction B and the opposite direction with respect to the substrate floating stage 3. Each support shaft 29 is rotatable with respect to the bearing portion 35 with its extending direction as an axis L1. One end of the support shaft 29 in the extending direction is for rotationally driving the support shaft 29. A motor 37 is provided.
Each hanging portion 31 is formed in a substantially L shape by connecting two linear portions 31 a and 31 b orthogonal to each other, and the tip of one linear portion 31 a is fixed to the support shaft 29. Moreover, the adsorption | suction part 33 is being fixed to the front-end | tip of the other linear part 31b.

The upper surface 33a of each suction portion 33 that contacts the front end portion W4 of the glass substrate W and the rear surface W3 of the rear end portion W5 is similar to the suction portion 21 of the transport portion 13 described above, and the interior of the suspended portion 31 and the support shaft 29. To the vacuum pump (not shown) is opened, and the upper surface 33a side of each suction portion 33 is evacuated by the vacuum pump, so that the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W are The back surface W3 is sucked and held.
In the substrate holding mechanism 27 configured as described above, the upper surface 33a of the suction portion 33 is changed to the front end portion W4 of the glass substrate W or the rear surface W3 of the rear end portion W5 according to the rotation of the support shaft 29 based on the driving of the motor 37. The suspension part 31 and the suction part 33 are moved between a suction position (see FIG. 4) in contact with the suspension part and a retreat position (see FIG. 5) where the suspension part 31 and the suction part 33 are retracted above the support shaft 29. The evacuation means is configured by being able to.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, in the state in which the suspended portion 31 and the adsorption portion 33 are arranged at the adsorption position, they are arranged in the passage 7 of the substrate floating stage 3. A part of the lower part 31 and the suction part 33 are arranged below the upper surface 3 a of the substrate floating stage 3.
Further, in the state where the suspended portion 31 and the suction portion 33 are arranged at the suction position, the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion of the glass substrate W are further rotated by slightly rotating the support shaft 29 in the direction from the retracted position toward the suction position. W5 can be lifted above the upper surface 3a of the substrate floating stage 3.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, in the state in which the suspended portion 31 and the suction portion 33 are disposed at the retracted position, the upper surface 3 a of the substrate floating stage 3 and the linear portion of the suspended portion 31 across the width direction of the substrate floating stage 3. A gap is formed between 31a and 31a.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus 1 configured as described above, when the glass substrate W is transferred in the transfer direction B while being held by the suction unit 17 or the substrate holding mechanism 27, first, the glass substrate W is transferred to the substrate floating stage 3. It is placed on the upper surface 3a. Next, the glass substrate W is placed in the gap in a state where the suspended portion 31 and the suction portion 33 of the substrate holding mechanism 27 are disposed at the retracted position and a gap is formed between the upper surface 3a of the substrate floating stage 3 and the suspended portion 31. By moving the substrate holding mechanism 27 in the direction opposite to the transport direction B by the transport driving unit 15 so as to pass, each suction is performed inside the side ends W1, W2, the front end W4, and the rear end W5 of the glass substrate W. Parts 21 and 33 are arranged.

Thereafter, the elevating mechanism 19 causes the suction units 21 and 33 of the suction unit 17 and the substrate holding mechanism 27 to be lifted to the substrate flying height in contact with the side end portions W1 and W2, the front end portion W4, and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W. The suction unit 17 is raised and the support shaft 29 is rotated to bring the suction portion 33 of the substrate holding mechanism 27 into contact with the back surface W3 of the glass substrate W. In this state, the vacuum pumps are used to evacuate the upper surfaces 21a and 33a of the suction units 21 and 33 of the suction units 17 and the substrate holding mechanisms 27, so that the side edges W1 and W2 of the glass substrate W and the front edge The back surface W3 of the part W4 and the rear end part W5 is sucked and held.
In this way, the glass substrate W can be transported in the transport direction B by the driving force of the transport drive unit 15 without bringing the glass substrate W into contact with the upper surface 3a of the substrate floating stage 3.

  Further, when removing the glass substrate W from each suction unit 17 and each substrate holding mechanism 27, evacuation of the upper surfaces 21 a and 33 a side of the suction portions 21 and 33 by the vacuum pump is stopped and the side edge of the glass substrate W is stopped. The suction holding state of the back surface W3 of the parts W1, W2, the front end part W4, and the rear end part W5 is released. Next, each suction unit 17 is lowered by each lifting mechanism 19 and the support shaft 29 is rotated to place the suction portion 33 of the substrate holding mechanism 27 at the retracted position as shown in FIG. A gap is formed between the upper surface 3 a and the support shaft 29. In this state, each suction unit 17 and each substrate holding mechanism 27 can be moved without contacting the glass substrate W by moving each suction unit 17 and each substrate holding mechanism 27 in the direction opposite to the transport direction B by the transport mechanism 5. The glass substrate W can be returned to the loading position.

  As described above, according to the substrate transport apparatus 1, the front end portion of the glass substrate W is provided with the substrate holding mechanism 27 that sucks and holds the front end portion W4 and the middle portion of the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W. Even if W4 and the rear end W5 are warped toward the upper surface 3a of the substrate floating stage 3, the warp of the front end W4 and the rear end W5 of the glass substrate W can be corrected by the substrate holding mechanism 27. Therefore, the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W can be prevented from rubbing against the upper surface 3a of the substrate floating stage 3, and the glass substrate W can be safely transported without being contaminated.

Further, by rotating the support shaft 29 and disposing the hanging portion 31 and the suction portion 33 at the retracted position, a gap is formed between the upper surface 3 a of the substrate floating stage 3 and the hanging portion 31 over the width direction of the substrate floating stage 3. Thus, the transport mechanism 5 can be moved to an arbitrary position without the substrate holding mechanism 27 contacting the glass substrate W.
Further, by holding the side end portions W1, W2, the front end portion W4, and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W by the adsorbing portions 21, 33, it becomes possible to correct the warp over the entire circumference of the glass substrate W. The glass substrate W can be floated and held horizontally on the substrate floating stage 3. For example, by inspecting defects on the glass substrate W while moving the glass substrate W in the transport direction B, or by correcting the warped glass substrate W horizontally when exposing the pattern to the glass substrate W, the inspection accuracy is improved. And exposure accuracy can be increased.

  In addition, since the substrate transport apparatus 1 can float and transport the glass substrate W in a stable state, it can be applied to, for example, in-line inspection in the manufacturing process of FPDs such as LCDs and PDPs. The in-line inspection includes, for example, a pattern inspection and a defect inspection of the glass substrate W. For each inspection, for example, various inspection devices such as a microscope, a line sensor, and a CCD camera may be provided in the substrate transfer apparatus 1.

In the first embodiment described above, the transport unit 13 that moves by sucking and holding the side ends W1 and W2 of the glass substrate W is provided on both side portions 3c and 3d of the substrate floating stage 3. As shown in FIG. 6, it may be provided only on one side 3 c of the substrate floating stage 3. In this configuration, only one side end W <b> 1 of the glass substrate W is sucked and held by one transport unit 13.
In the case of this configuration, the bearing portion 43 for supporting the ends of the support shafts 29 and 29 of the substrate holding mechanisms 27 and 27 on the other side portion 3d of the substrate floating stage 3 and the bearing portion 43 are provided. It is necessary to provide a rail 45 that can move in the transport direction B and in the opposite direction. However, it is not necessary to provide the bearing portion 43 that positively drives it like the transport driving portion 15 of the above embodiment.

In this case, for example, a large number of rollers 47, 47,... That can rotate in the transport direction B are arranged in the transport direction B on the other side 3 d of the substrate floating stage 3. The other side end W2 of the glass substrate W may be supported by the rollers 47, 47,.
In the case of this configuration, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained, and the number of installation of the conveyance unit 13 including the conveyance driving unit 15, the lifting mechanism 19, and the suction unit 21 can be reduced. Manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Further, a large number of rollers 47 that can be rotated in the transport direction B are arranged on both sides 3c and 3d of the substrate floating stage 3 so that the front end W4 and the rear end W5 of the glass substrate W are placed by the substrate holding mechanisms 27 and 27. The glass substrate W may be transported by suction.
As described above, both the side portions 3c and 3d of the glass substrate W are supported by the rollers 47, and the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W are supported by the substrate holding mechanism 27. The substrate can be safely transported without contacting the substrate floating stage 3. Further, by sucking and holding the central portion of the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W, the glass substrate W can be stably transported without being affected by the rotational moment of the glass substrate W. it can.

  Further, a plurality of suspension portions 31 and suction portions 33 attached to the support shaft 29 are arranged so as to hold a plurality of locations in the middle portion in the width direction of the glass substrate W among the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is only necessary to provide one so as to hold at least one location. However, in this case, it is preferable to provide the hanging portion 31 and the suction portion 33 at a position that holds the intermediate position in the width direction of the glass substrate W among the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W.

  Further, the substrate levitation stage 3 is configured by forming the passage 7 that is recessed from the upper surface 3a. However, the substrate levitation stage 3 is not limited to this, and for example, a large number of air holes 3e, 3e,. It is also possible to prepare a plurality of elongated substrate-like substrate levitation stage blocks formed with a plurality of substrate levitation stage blocks arranged at intervals. In the case of this configuration, a gap between adjacent substrate levitation stage blocks forms the same passage 7 as in the above embodiment, and the suspended portion 31 and the suction portion 33 of the substrate holding mechanism 27 can pass through this gap. it can.

  Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that, in the substrate transfer apparatus of the second embodiment, the same components as those of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the substrate transport apparatus 51 according to this embodiment holds halfway portions in the width direction of the glass substrate W among the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion W5 in the transport direction B of the glass substrate W. A substrate holding mechanism 53 is provided.
The substrate holding mechanism 53 extends in the width direction of the substrate floating stage 3 on the upper side of the glass substrate W that has floated on the upper surface 3 a of the substrate floating stage 3, and is connected to the transport mechanism 5. In addition, a suction part 57 fixed to a position facing the front end W4 of the glass substrate W and the surface W6 of the rear end W5 in the middle part in the extending direction of the support part 55 is provided.

  The support columns 55a and 55a forming both ends in the extending direction of the support portion 55 protrude outward from the side end portions W1 and W2 of the glass substrate W, and the transport driving portion 15 is provided via an elevating mechanism (retracting means) 59. It is connected to. That is, a gap is always formed between the support portion 55 and the upper surface 3 a of the substrate floating stage 3 in the width direction of the substrate floating stage 3. In addition, the raising / lowering mechanism 59 mentioned above becomes the structure similar to the raising / lowering mechanism 19 which connects the conveyance drive part 15 and the adsorption | suction unit 17, the adsorption | suction position which adsorb | sucks the adsorption | suction part 57 to the surface W6 of the glass substrate W, and adsorption | suction The support portion 55 is moved up and down between a retreat position where the portion 57 is retreated upward away from the glass substrate W.

Similarly to the suction portions 21 and 33 of the first embodiment, a vacuum pump (from the inside of the support portion 55 is applied to the lower surface 57a of the suction portion 57 that contacts the front end portion W4 and the front end portion W5 of the glass substrate W. A suction hole 57b communicating with the glass substrate W (not shown) is opened, and the front surface W4 of the glass substrate W and the surface W6 of the rear end W5 are sucked and held by evacuating the lower surface 57a side of the suction portion 57 by a vacuum pump. It is supposed to be. In this case, it is assumed that the suction part 57 sucks the outside of the pattern formation region formed on the surface W6 of the glass substrate W.
Note that, for example, a plurality of the adsorbing portions 57 may be arranged side by side in the extending direction of the support portion 55, or only one adsorbing portion 57 may be provided at a position that holds an intermediate position in the width direction of the glass substrate W. Absent.

  In the substrate transport apparatus 51 configured as described above, when transporting the glass substrate W in the transport direction B while being held by the suction unit 17 or the substrate holding mechanism 53, first, as in the first embodiment, The glass substrate W is placed on the upper surface 3 a of the substrate floating stage 3. Next, the support unit 55 is lifted by the lifting mechanism 59, and the suction unit 17 and the substrate holding mechanism 53 are opposite to the transport direction B in a state where a gap is formed between the support unit 55 and the upper surface 3 a of the substrate floating stage 3. The suction unit 17 and the suction portions 21 and 57 of the substrate holding mechanism 53 are disposed opposite to the side end portions W1 and W2, the front end portion W4, and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W.

  Thereafter, the suction unit 17 is lifted by the lifting mechanism 19 so that the suction portion 21 of the suction unit 17 is lifted to the substrate flying height in contact with the side ends W1 and W2 of the glass substrate W. At the same time, the support portion 55 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 59 to bring the suction portion 57 of the substrate holding mechanism 53 into contact with the front end portion W4 of the glass substrate W and the surface W6 of the rear end portion W5. In this state, the upper ends 21 a and 57 a of the suction units 21 and 57 of the suction unit 17 and the substrate holding mechanism 53 are evacuated by a vacuum pump, so that the side ends W 1 and W 2 and the front end W 4 of the glass substrate W are obtained. And the back surface W3 and the front surface W6 of the rear end W5 are sucked and held.

Thereby, the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W are sucked by the suction portion 57 of the substrate holding mechanism 53, and the warpage thereof is corrected. Similarly, both end portions W1 and W2 of the glass substrate W are adsorbed by the adsorbing unit 17, and the warpage thereof is corrected.
By holding the entire circumference of the glass substrate W in this way, the glass substrate W is transported in the transport direction B by the driving force of the transport drive unit 15 without bringing the glass substrate W into contact with the upper surface 3a of the substrate floating stage 3. can do.

Further, when removing the glass substrate W from the suction unit 17 and the substrate holding mechanism 53, the evacuation by the vacuum pump is stopped, and the side end portions W1, W2, the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W are stopped. The suction holding state of the back surface W3 and the front surface W6 is released. Next, the suction unit 17 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 19, and the support portion 55 is lifted by the lifting mechanism 59 and moved to the retracted position.
In this state, a gap is formed between the support portion 55 and the upper surface 3 a of the substrate floating stage 3, and the respective suction units 17 and the respective substrate holding mechanisms 53 are moved in the direction opposite to the transport direction B by the transport mechanism 5. The suction units 17 and the substrate holding mechanism 53 can be returned to the loading position of the glass substrate W without contacting the glass substrate W.

As described above, according to the substrate transport apparatus 1, the substrate holding mechanism 53 that sucks and holds the middle portion of the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W is provided as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the warped glass substrate W can be corrected horizontally, and the glass substrate W can be safely transported without being contaminated.
Further, by providing the support portion 55 so that it can be raised and lowered, a gap is formed between the support portion 55 and the suction portion 57 and the upper surface 3 a of the substrate floating stage 3, so that the substrate holding mechanism 53 contacts the glass substrate W. The transport mechanism 5 can be moved to an arbitrary position without any problem.

  Further, since the suction portion 57 is always arranged above the substrate floating stage 3, a passage 7 is formed in the substrate floating stage 3 as in the first embodiment, or the substrate floating stage is used as a plurality of substrate floating stage blocks. There is no need to divide and form. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the substrate floating stage 3 can be improved, and the manufacturing cost of the substrate transfer apparatus 51 can be reduced.

  In all the embodiments described above, the suction unit 17 and the substrate holding mechanisms 27 and 53 include the suction portions 21, 33, and 57 that suck and hold the front surface W6 and the back surface W3 of the glass substrate W based on air suction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is only necessary to be configured to hold at least the side end portions W1, W2, the front end portion W4, and the rear end portion W5 of the glass substrate W.

  The substrate holding mechanisms 27 and 53 may be provided so as to hold at least one of the front end portion W4 and the rear end portion W5. However, when the front end portion W4 of the glass substrate W is rubbed against the upper surface 3a of the substrate floating stage 3, the glass substrate W is easily damaged compared with the case where the rear end portion W5 is rubbed. , 53 is particularly effective to hold the front end W4 of the glass substrate W.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the concrete structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included.

1 is a schematic top view showing a substrate transfer apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a transfer unit in the substrate transfer apparatus of FIG. 1. It is AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a suspended portion and a suction portion of a substrate holding mechanism are arranged at a suction position in the substrate transport apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a suspended portion and a suction portion of a substrate holding mechanism are arranged at a retracted position in the substrate transfer apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a schematic top view which shows the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. In the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention, it is an expanded sectional side view which shows schematic structure of a board | substrate holding mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

1, 41, 51 Substrate transport device 3 Substrate floating stage 3a Upper surface 5 Transport mechanism 27, 53 Substrate holding mechanism 29 Support shaft 31 Suspended lower portion 33, 57 Suction portion 55 Support portion 59 Lifting mechanism (retracting means)
B Transport direction W Glass substrate (substrate)
W1, W2 side end W3 back surface W4 front end W5 rear end W6 surface

Claims (4)

A substrate levitating stage for levitating the substrate,
A substrate holding mechanism that holds a midway portion in the width direction of the substrate among at least one of a front end portion and a rear end portion in the transport direction of the substrate;
A transport mechanism for moving the substrate holding mechanism in the transport direction with respect to the substrate floating stage;
A substrate transfer apparatus comprising: a retracting unit configured to retract the substrate holding mechanism above the substrate.   The substrate holding mechanism includes an adsorption portion that adsorbs and holds the back surface of the substrate facing the upper surface of the substrate floating stage or the surface opposite to the back surface based on air suction. 2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to 1. The substrate holding mechanism protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction from the support shaft extending over the width direction of the substrate floating stage on the upper side of the substrate floating on the upper surface of the substrate floating stage. A suspension portion provided with a suction portion for sucking and holding the back surface of the substrate at the tip;
The retracting means moves the suspension portion between a suction position where the suction portion comes into contact with the back surface of the substrate and a retract position where the suction portion is retracted above the substrate according to the rotation of the support shaft. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus is moved. The substrate holding mechanism is provided on the support portion that extends over the width direction of the substrate levitation stage on the upper side of the substrate levitated on the upper surface of the substrate levitation stage, and is provided on the support portion to suck and hold the surface of the substrate. Comprising the adsorbing part,
The retracting means includes an elevating mechanism for elevating the support part,
The elevating mechanism raises and lowers the support portion between a suction position where the suction portion is in contact with the surface of the substrate and a retreat position where the suction portion is retracted upward away from the substrate. Item 2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to Item 1.

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