JP2008311466A - Substrate holding device and substrate treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a manufacturing cost and shorten a treatment time of a substrate while maintaining the substrate treatment performance of a conventional substrate treatment device. <P>SOLUTION: A substrate holding device 3 is provided with a movable member 6. The movable member 6 includes a plunger 60 with a gasket 61 and an O ring 62 at its upper end. The upper side of the movable member 6 is inserted from the lower side of a substrate mounting stage 30 of the substrate holding device 3 toward a hole 37 formed at the substrate mounting stage 30. By such a constitution, long piping like a conventional one is not required, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, closed spaces 661 and 662 are formed of a lower surface of a substrate 90, the hole 37, the gasket 61 and the upper surface of the O ring 62. When the plunger 60 of the movable member 6 is driven up and down (driven reciprocatory) in this state, volumes of the closed spaces 661 and 662 can be varied, the substrate 90 can be sucked or peeled rapidly, and the treatment time of the substrate can be shortened. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for holding a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus.

  Conventionally, a substrate processing apparatus (slit coater) for applying a processing solution such as a photoresist to the surface of various substrates such as a glass square substrate for a liquid crystal, a semiconductor wafer, a flexible substrate for a film liquid crystal, a substrate for a photomask, a substrate for a color filter It has been known. The substrate processing apparatus sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate through the suction holes provided in the substrate mounting stage, and discharges the resist solution from the slit nozzle toward the held substrate surface to apply the resist solution to the surface of the substrate. To do.

  Here, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for adsorbing and peeling a substrate. That is, an adsorption hole provided in the substrate mounting stage and an exhaust mechanism (negative pressure source) communicating with the adsorption hole are provided, and the atmosphere in the chamber is discharged by driving the exhaust mechanism to adsorb the substrate. Further, the substrate holding device is provided with four ejector pins, and the substrate is peeled by projecting the ejector pins from the upper surface of the substrate mounting stage.

  On the other hand, for example, in Patent Document 2, a substrate processing apparatus is provided with a negative pressure source and a positive pressure source. By using the positive pressure source and feeding gas into the chamber, the substrate is peeled from the substrate mounting stage. Techniques to do this are disclosed.

JP-A-6-339830 JP 9-192567 A

  However, in the substrate peeling method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the substrate is forcibly peeled by the ejector pins, so that an excessive force is applied to the substrate, causing damage.

  Moreover, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, it takes time until the substrate is peeled after the adsorption of the substrate is completed and further processed. For this reason, it is difficult to keep up with the recent demand for a larger substrate to be processed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to maintain the coating performance of a conventional substrate processing apparatus, hold the substrate in close contact, and peel it off instantly.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 is a substrate holding apparatus for holding a substrate, comprising: a substrate placement stage on which a substrate is placed; and a substrate placed on the substrate placement stage. And a volume changing means for changing the volume of the closed space formed below.

  The invention of claim 2 is the substrate holding apparatus according to the invention of claim 1, wherein the closed space includes a lower surface portion of the substrate placed on the substrate placement stage, and the substrate mounting. It is formed by a hole provided in the mounting stage and a movable member capable of moving forward and backward, and the volume changing means drives the movable member forward and backward.

  The invention of claim 3 is the substrate holding device according to the invention of claim 2, wherein the movable member includes a plunger, and the volume changing means drives the plunger forward and backward. The movable member is driven forward and backward.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate holding apparatus according to the second or third aspect of the present invention, wherein the movable member includes a diaphragm member.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the substrate holding apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the substrate is placed on the substrate placement stage and above the substrate placement stage. The apparatus further comprises elevating means for elevating the substrate between the spaced positions, and a link member connecting the volume changing means and the elevating means, the link member elevating operation of the elevating means and changing the volume. The volume change operation of the means is interlocked.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the substrate holding apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the substrate holding apparatus conveys the substrate from a predetermined retracted position to a position above the substrate mounting stage. And a link member for connecting the volume changing means and the conveying means, wherein the link member links the conveying operation of the conveying means and the volume changing operation of the volume changing means.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process on a substrate, the substrate holding apparatus that holds the substrate, and the predetermined process that is performed on the substrate held by the substrate holding apparatus. The substrate holding device is configured to change a volume of a substrate placement stage on which a substrate is placed and a volume of a closed space formed below the substrate placed on the substrate placement stage. Means.

  According to the invention of claim 1 to claim 7, by changing the volume of the closed space formed below the substrate placed on the placement stage, the substrate can be quickly adsorbed and peeled off, Substrate processing time can be shortened. Further, since the conventional piping for exhaust or the like is not required, the manufacturing cost of the substrate holding device can be reduced.

  In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the movable member is provided with the diaphragm member, there is no sliding portion even when the movable member is driven forward and backward, so that no particles are generated and the substrate is contaminated. This can be suppressed. Further, even if the movable range (stroke) of the movable member is constant, the size of the suction force and the like can be adjusted by changing the size of the diaphragm member.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 5, by providing the link member in the substrate holding device, the volume of the closed space can be changed using the driving force of the lifting mechanism. As a result, it is possible to perform the adsorption / separation operation of the substrate quickly and with excellent reproducibility, and the substrate processing efficiency is improved.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 6, by providing the link member in the substrate holding device, the volume of the closed space can be changed by using the driving force of the transport mechanism. This makes it possible to perform the adsorption / separation operation of the substrate that is quick and excellent in reproducibility, and improves the processing efficiency of the substrate.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<1. First Embodiment>
<1.1. Configuration of substrate processing apparatus>
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, for the sake of illustration and explanation, the Z-axis direction is defined as the vertical direction and the XY plane is defined as the horizontal plane, but these are defined for convenience in order to grasp the positional relationship. The directions described below are not limited. The same applies to the following drawings.

  The substrate processing apparatus 1 is roughly divided into a main body 2 and a control unit 8, and a square glass substrate for manufacturing a screen panel of a liquid crystal display device is a substrate to be processed (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) 90. In the process of selectively etching an electrode layer or the like formed on the surface of the substrate 90, the coating apparatus is configured to apply a resist solution as a processing solution to the surface of the substrate 90. Therefore, in this embodiment, the slit nozzle 41 discharges the resist solution. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be modified and used not only as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device but also as a device for applying a processing liquid to various substrates for a flat panel display.

  The substrate holding device 3 constituting the main body 2 includes a substrate placement stage 30 that places and holds the substrate 90 and also functions as a base for each attached mechanism. The substrate placement stage 30 is made of, for example, an integral stone having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the placement surface 31 and the side surface on which the substrate 90 is placed are processed into flat surfaces. The structure of the substrate holding device 3 will be described in detail later.

  A pair of traveling rails 32 extending in parallel in a substantially horizontal direction are fixed to both ends of the mounting surface 31 of the substrate mounting stage 30 with the holding area of the substrate 90 (region where the substrate 90 is held) interposed therebetween. ing. The traveling rail 32 constitutes a linear guide that supports the bridge structure 4 above the placement surface 31 together with a support block (not shown) fixed to the lowermost part of both ends of the bridge structure 4.

  On the placement surface 31 of the substrate placement stage 30, an opening 33 is provided on the (−X) direction side of the holding area. The opening 33 has a longitudinal direction in the Y-axis direction, similar to the slit nozzle 41, and the longitudinal direction length is substantially the same as the longitudinal direction length of the slit nozzle 41.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, a pre-coating mechanism for normalizing the state of the slit nozzle 41 and the drying of the waiting slit nozzle 41 are suppressed inside the main body 2 below the opening 33. There are standby pods and so on. The standby pod is also used when the resist solution is discharged from a resist pump (not shown).

  A bridging structure 4 is provided above the substrate mounting stage 30 so as to extend from both side portions of the substrate mounting stage 30 in a substantially horizontal direction. The bridging structure 4 is mainly composed of, for example, a nozzle support portion 40 that uses carbon fiber reinforced resin as an aggregate, and nozzle lifting mechanisms 43 and 44 that support both ends thereof.

  A slit nozzle 41 is attached to the nozzle support portion 40. In FIG. 1, a slit nozzle 41 having a longitudinal direction in the Y-axis direction is provided with a resist supply mechanism (not shown) that supplies a resist solution to the slit nozzle 41.

  The slit nozzle 41 scans the surface of the substrate 90 and discharges the supplied resist solution to a predetermined region (hereinafter referred to as “resist application region”) on the surface of the substrate 90 to thereby apply the resist solution to the substrate 90. Apply. The resist coating region is a region on the surface of the substrate 90 where the resist solution is to be applied, and is usually a region obtained by excluding a region having a predetermined width along the edge from the entire area of the substrate 90. is there.

  The nozzle elevating mechanisms 43 and 44 elevate and lower the slit nozzle 41 in translation. The nozzle lifting mechanisms 43 and 44 are also used to adjust the posture of the slit nozzle 41 in the YZ plane.

  The linear motors 50 and 51 have a function of generating a driving force for moving the nozzle support portion 40 along the X-axis direction. In addition, since the linear motor 51 is provided with the structure substantially the same as the linear motor 50, the linear motor 50 is demonstrated here.

  The linear motor 50 includes a stator 50a and a mover 50b, and generates a driving force for moving the bridging structure 4 in the X-axis direction by electromagnetic interaction between the stator 50a and the mover 50b. . The amount and direction of movement by the linear motor 50 can be controlled by a control signal from the control unit 8. The stator 50 a is fixed to the side surface of the substrate holding device 3 so as to extend along the moving direction of the bridging structure 4, and is horizontally disposed at a position lower than the placement surface 31. The mover 50b is fixed to the bridging structure 4 side and faces the stator 50a in a non-contact manner.

  In addition, linear encoders 52 and 53 each having a scale portion and a detector are disposed at both ends of the bridging structure 4. The linear encoders 52 and 53 detect the positions of the linear motors 50 and 51 and transmit them to the control unit 8.

  The control unit 8 includes a calculation unit 80 that processes various data according to a program and a storage unit 81 that stores the program and each data. In addition, an operation unit 82 for an operator to input necessary instructions to the substrate processing apparatus 1 and a display unit 83 for displaying various data are provided on the front surface.

  The control unit 8 is electrically connected to each mechanism attached to the main body 2 by a cable (not shown) in FIG. The calculation unit 80 of the control unit 8 supplies the resist solution to the slit nozzle 41 based on an input signal from the operation unit 82 and signals from various sensors (not shown), and lifts and lowers by the nozzle lifting mechanisms 43 and 44. The operation and the scanning operation of the slit nozzle 41 by the linear motors 50 and 51 are controlled.

  In the configuration of the control unit 8, specific examples of the storage unit 81 include a RAM that temporarily stores data, a read-only ROM, and a magnetic disk device. However, the storage unit 81 may be replaced by a storage medium such as a portable magneto-optical disk or a memory card and a reading device thereof. The operation unit 82 corresponds to buttons and switches (including a keyboard and a mouse), but may have a function of the display unit 83 such as a touch panel display. The display unit 83 corresponds to a liquid crystal display or various lamps.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the YZ plane of the substrate holding device 3 according to the first embodiment. The substrate holding device 3 mainly includes a substrate mounting stage 30, lift pins 34 (edge lift pins 341, center lift pins 342), lift pin lifting mechanisms 35 (first lifting mechanism 351, second lifting mechanism 352) and suction. A part. The substrate mounting stage 30 is provided with a hole 37 for sucking the substrate 90 and a pin hole 38 for passing the lift pins 34.

  The lift pin 34 is a member that moves up and down while supporting the substrate 90 between the placement surface 31 and a position above the placement surface 31, and an edge lift pin 341 that supports the vicinity of the edge of the substrate 90, And a central lift pin 342 that supports the vicinity of the central portion of the substrate 90.

  The lower ends of the edge lift pins 341 are each connected to the base 361. The lower ends of the center lift pins 342 are connected to the base 362, respectively. Further, the base 361 is connected to the first lifting mechanism 351, and the base 362 is connected to the second lifting mechanism 352. The first elevating mechanism 351 and the second elevating mechanism 352 are driven under the control of the control unit 8. Thereby, the base 361 and the base 362 can be moved up and down independently. Therefore, the upper end of the edge lift pin 341 and the upper end of the center lift pin 342 can be moved up and down independently. The lift pins 34 and the lifting mechanism 35 correspond to lifting means according to the present invention.

  The adsorbing part is mainly composed of a movable member 6, a string spring 64, a link member 65, and the like. The movable member 6 includes a plunger 60, a gasket 61, an O-ring 62, and a stopper 63. The upper end side of the plunger 60 passes through the stopper 63 and is inserted into the hole 37 of the substrate mounting stage 30.

  A gasket 61 is fixed to the upper end portion of the plunger 60. Further, an O-ring 62 as a sealing mechanism is fixed to the side surface portion of the gasket 61. As described above, the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 are integrally provided so as to be fitted in the hole 37. Thereby, it has the structure where air does not leak below the position of the gasket 61. And the gasket 61 can be raised / lowered by driving the plunger 60 up and down (advancing and retracting).

  A stopper 63 is fixed at a predetermined position of the plunger 60. The stopper 63 has a function of restricting the movement of the movable member 6 so that the movable member 6 does not move too much upward.

  A string-wound spring 64 is fixed to the lower end portion of the plunger 60, and the string-wound spring 64 is fixed to a fixing plate 39 fixed to a gantry (not shown). Further, the string spring 64 is surrounded by a hollow cylindrical member (not shown), and movement in the left and right (each direction on the XY plane) is restricted.

  Further, a link member 65 is fixed at a predetermined position of each plunger 60. When the substrate 90 is placed on the placement surface 31, for example, when the base portion 361 is lowered to the upper end position of the link member 65 near the edge portion, the lower surface of the base portion 361 and the upper surface of the link member 65 are moved. Abut. As a result, the plunger 60 and the base 361 are connected by the link member 65, and the plunger 60 descends in conjunction with the base 361. When the plunger 60 is lowered in this way, the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 are lowered.

  On the other hand, when pulling up the substrate 90 from the mounting surface 31, for example, when the base 361 is raised, the coiled spring 64 near the end edge that has been pressed and shrunk so far moves the plunger 60 upward by its biasing force. Push up. As a result, the plunger 60 of the movable member 6 in the vicinity of the edge is raised in conjunction with the base 361. When the plunger 60 is raised in this way, the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 are raised.

  As described above, since the suction portion includes the link member 65, the substrate holding device 3 is configured to be able to use the driving force of the elevating mechanism 35 for the advance / retreat driving of the movable member 6. The above is the description of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the first embodiment.

<1.2. Explanation of operation of substrate holding device>
Next, the operation of the substrate holding device 3 will be described. FIGS. 3 to 5 are diagrams for explaining a procedure for placing and pulling up the substrate 90 in the present embodiment. When a transport mechanism (such as a transport robot) (not shown) or an operator carries the substrate 90 above the mounting surface 31, the mounting operation of the substrate holding device 3 starts. Here, a procedure until the suction of the substrate 90 to the placement surface 31 of the substrate holding device 3 is completed will be described first. Next, a procedure for releasing the suction state of the mounted substrate 90 and lifting the substrate 90 from the mounting surface 31 will be described.

  First, a procedure for placing the substrate 90 will be described. When the substrate 90 is carried above the placement surface 31 by a transport mechanism or the like, the lift mechanism 34 is driven to move the upper end of the lift pin 34 to the substrate delivery position. At this time, the amount of movement by the first elevating mechanism 351 and the second elevating mechanism 352 is controlled so that the height position of the upper end of the edge lift pin 341 is higher than the height position of the upper end of the center lift pin 342. .

  Here, by adjusting the height difference of the upper end, a desired deflection can be freely given to the substrate 90. By imparting the deflection to the substrate 90, the substrate 90 can be lowered to the placement surface 31 so that the vicinity of the center portion of the substrate 90 and the placement surface 31 are in good contact. Thereby, it can adsorb | suck reliably toward the edge part vicinity from the center part of the board | substrate 90 lower surface.

  Next, the substrate 90 is supported by the upper end of the edge lift pins 341 and the upper end of the center lift pins 342 at a predetermined position spaced above the substrate placement stage 30 (see FIG. 3). By this operation, the substrate 90 is delivered from the transport mechanism to the upper end of each lift pin 34. At this time, the substrate 90 is supported by the upper ends of the lift pins 34 in a bent state in which the height position near the center portion is lower than the height position near the edge portion. As a modification, when the substrate 90 is delivered to the lift pins 34, the upper end of the edge lift pins 341 and the upper end of the center lift pins 342 are raised to the same height position, and the substrate 90 is delivered. Alternatively, only the central lift pin 342 may be lowered, and the substrate 90 may be bent and supported on the upper end of each lift pin 34.

  Subsequently, the first elevating mechanism 351 and the second elevating mechanism 352 are controlled so that the upper end of the edge lift pin 341 and the upper end of the center lift pin 342 are adjusted and lowered so as to have substantially the same lowering speed. Thereby, the board | substrate 90 descend | falls toward the mounting surface 31, hold | maintaining the bent state.

  Subsequently, when the height position of the upper end of the center lift pin 342 is lowered to a predetermined position, the link member near the lower surface of the base 362 and the center of the substrate holding device 3 (hereinafter also simply referred to as “center vicinity”). The upper surface of 65 abuts, and the base 362 and the plunger 60 of the movable member 6 near the center are connected. When the center lift pin 342 is further lowered, the connected plunger 60 near the center is lowered, and the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 fixed to the upper end thereof are lowered. Thereby, the atmosphere between the substrate 90 and the placement surface 31 is sucked into the hole 37 near the center.

  Subsequently, when the height position of the upper end of the center lift pin 342 reaches substantially the same height position as the placement surface 31, the lower surface near the center portion of the substrate 90 contacts the placement surface 31. Here, a closed space 662 is formed in the hole 37 by the lower surface of the substrate 90 in the vicinity of the central portion, the hole 37 just below it, and the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 provided in the hole 37 (FIG. 4). reference). Further, when the base portion 362 is lowered, the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 near the center portion are further lowered, and the volume of the closed space 662 is increased. As a result, the atmospheric pressure in the closed space 662 decreases (becomes negative pressure), and the vicinity of the central portion of the substrate 90 is adsorbed to the substrate mounting stage 30 through the hole 37. At the time when the lowering of the center lift pin 342 stops, the suction of the vicinity of the center of the substrate 90 to the placement surface 31 is completed (see FIG. 4). On the other hand, the upper end of the edge lift pin 341 continues to descend.

  The vicinity of the edge portion of the substrate 90 is also attracted to the substrate mounting stage 30 by the same action as the vicinity of the central portion. That is, when the height position of the upper end of the edge lift pin 341 is lowered to a predetermined position, the lower surface of the base 361 and the link member 65 are brought into contact with each other, and the base 361 and the vicinity of the edge of the substrate holding device 3 (hereinafter, referred to as “below”). The plunger 60 is also connected. When the edge lift pin 341 is further lowered, the plunger 60 near the connected edge is lowered, and the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 fixed to the upper end thereof are lowered. As a result, the atmosphere between the substrate 90 and the placement surface 31 is sucked into the hole 37 near the edge.

  Subsequently, when the height position of the upper end of the edge lift pins 341 reaches substantially the same height as the placement surface 31, the lower surface near the edge of the substrate 90 contacts the placement surface 31. Here, a closed space 661 is formed in the hole 37 by the lower surface of the substrate 90 in the vicinity of the edge portion, the hole 37 immediately below it, and the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 provided in the hole 37. Further, when the base portion 361 is lowered, the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 near the edge portion are lowered, and the volume of the closed space 661 is increased. Thereby, the atmospheric pressure in the closed space 661 decreases (becomes negative pressure), and the vicinity of the edge portion of the substrate 90 is adsorbed to the placement surface 31 through the hole 37. Then, the lowering operation of the edge lift pins 341 is stopped. At this point, the suction to the placement surface 31 is completed for the vicinity of the edge of the substrate 90 (see FIG. 5).

  By such an operation procedure, the lower surface of the substrate 90 gradually contacts the placement surface 31 from the vicinity of the center toward the end edge. Further, the lower surface of the substrate 90 is adsorbed to the mounting surface 31 from the vicinity of the central portion toward the end edge by the action of the plurality of adsorbing portions. The above is the description of the procedure until the substrate 90 is attracted to the placement surface 31 of the substrate holding device 3.

  Next, a procedure for lifting the substrate 90 will be described. Note that, after the resist coating process is completed by the substrate processing apparatus 1, the lifting procedure of the substrate holding apparatus 3 starts.

  First, the first elevating mechanism 351 is driven to start raising the upper end of the edge lift pin 341. At this time, the central lift pin 342 is stopped. As the base 361 is raised, the plunger 60 in the vicinity of the edge connected to the base 361 is pushed upward by the biasing force of the string spring 64 and is fixed to the upper end of the plunger 60 together with this. The gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 are raised. Thereby, the volume of the closed space 661 in the vicinity of the edge portion is reduced, and the internal atmospheric pressure rises. When the atmospheric pressure in the closed space 661 becomes substantially atmospheric pressure or higher (positive pressure), the adsorption of the substrate 90 is released. Then, the atmosphere in the closed space 661 is pushed out toward the lower surface of the substrate 90. Further, when the upper end of the edge lift pin 341 reaches the height position of the placement surface 31, it comes into contact with the lower surface of the substrate 90, and the lower surface of the substrate 90 extends from the placement surface 31 toward the center portion from the edge portion. It is peeled off (see FIG. 4).

  Subsequently, when the upper end of the edge lift pin 341 rises to a predetermined height, the second lifting mechanism 352 is driven, and the moving speeds of the upper end of the center lift pin 342 and the upper end of the edge lift pin 341 become substantially the same. Thus, the upper end of the center lift pin 342 is raised. As the base 362 is raised, the plunger 60 near the center connected to the base 362 is pushed upward by the urging force of the string spring 64. Then, the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 near the center are pushed up, and the atmospheric pressure inside the closed space 662 near the center increases. As a result, the atmosphere collected in the hole 37 near the center is pushed toward the lower surface of the substrate 90. Further, when the upper end of the center lift pin 342 reaches the height position of the placement surface 31, it comes into contact with the lower surface of the substrate 90 and the lower surface of the substrate 90 near the center is peeled off from the placement surface 31.

  The lower surface of the substrate 90 rises in a bent state because the height position near the center is lower than the height position near the edge. Then, when the substrate 90 is raised to the substrate delivery position, the pulling operation ends (see FIG. 3). In this way, the substrate 90 is sucked and peeled off by pushing down or pushing up the plunger 60 (advance / retreat drive). As a modification, the upper end of the edge lift pin 341 and the upper end of the center lift pin 342 may be raised to the same height position, and the substrate 90 may be delivered to a transport mechanism or the like without being bent.

<1.3. Advantages of this embodiment>
In a conventional substrate holding device, a long pipe is provided on the substrate mounting stage, connected to a vacuum pump provided outside the mounting stage, and the vacuum pump is operated to attract the substrate to the mounting surface. I was letting. On the other hand, in the substrate holding device 3 in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the plunger 90 of the movable member 6 is driven forward and backward to attract the substrate 90 to the mounting surface 31 or peel it from the mounting surface 31. By adopting such a configuration, a conventional relatively long exhaust pipe or the like is unnecessary, and the manufacturing cost of the substrate holding device can be suppressed.

  Further, when the plunger 60 of the movable member 6 is driven back and forth in the suction portion of the substrate holding device 3, the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 are moved up and down at a position relatively close to the lower surface of the substrate 90. Response characteristics are improved, for example, by applying a negative pressure and a positive pressure. Thereby, it becomes possible to quickly place and lift the substrate 90, and the processing time of the substrate 90 by the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be shortened.

  Further, by providing the link member 65, the driving force of the lifting mechanism 35 that lifts and lowers the lift pin 34 can be used to drive the movable member 6 back and forth. Thereby, the manufacturing cost and operation cost of the substrate holding device 3 can be suppressed. Further, in the conventional substrate holding apparatus, the lift pins are raised and lowered and the vacuum pump is controlled separately in the placement and lifting procedures of the substrate 90. Without using complicated control, it is possible to achieve high speed and high reproducibility, and it is possible to efficiently place and lift the substrate 90. Thereby, the processing efficiency of the substrate 90 is improved.

  In the substrate holding device 3, the link member 65 is provided on the plunger 60 of the movable member 6, and the movable member 6 is driven up and down (advanced and retracted) by using the driving force of the elevating mechanism 35. Of course, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a separate drive mechanism for the movable member 6 may be provided, and the movable member 6 may be driven up and down (advanced and retracted) independently of the elevating mechanism 35.

<2. Second Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the link member 65 is used to drive the plunger 60 provided in the movable member 6 by using the driving force of the lifting mechanism 35 that lifts and lowers the lift pin 34. . However, the method of driving the plunger 60 using other driving force is not limited to this.

<2.1. Configuration of substrate processing apparatus>
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the YZ plane of the substrate holding device 3a according to the second embodiment configured based on such a principle. FIG. 6 shows a state where the transport mechanism 7 is retracted to a predetermined position. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the substrate holding device 3a sucks the substrate 90 onto the placement surface 31a.

  The substrate holding device 3a according to the second embodiment will be described below. However, the description will be focused on differences from the substrate holding device 3 according to the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations. A description will be omitted as appropriate. The same applies to each of the following embodiments.

  The substrate holding device 3a includes a plurality of lift pins 34a and an elevating mechanism 35a. The lift pins 34a are different from the lift pins 34 in the substrate holding device 3, and as shown in FIG. 6, the height position of the upper end of the lift pins 34a is gradually increased from the center portion to the edge portion of the mounting surface 31. Designed. Therefore, the substrate 90 is held at the upper end of the lift pin 34a in a state where it is bent. The plurality of lift pins 34 a are erected on one support member 363. The elevating mechanism 35a moves the support member 363 up and down to raise and lower the upper end of the lift pin 34a between a height position where it is buried in the substrate placement stage 30a and a spaced position above the substrate placement stage 30a. be able to. The configurations of the lift pins 34a and the lifting mechanism 35a are not limited to this, and may be the same as the lift pins 34 and the lifting mechanism 35 in the first embodiment, for example.

  Also in the substrate holding device 3a, a hole 37a provided with a suction portion is provided below, but the relative position is different from the hole 37 in the substrate holding device 3. Of course, the position of the hole 37 a is not limited to this, and may be provided at the same position as the hole 37.

  The transport mechanism 7 has a plurality of (for example, three) protrusions (not shown) in the (+ X) direction, and supports the arm part 70 in the horizontal direction, holding the substrate 90 by the protrusions. Arm support portion 71, a carriage portion 72 having a moving mechanism, and an interlocking mechanism 73. With such a configuration, the transport mechanism 7 transports the substrate 90 from a predetermined retracted position (+ Y direction side) to a position above the placement surface 31a of the substrate holding device 3a. Further, the processed substrate 90 is transported from a position above the placement surface 31a to a predetermined retreat position.

  The upper surface of the carriage part 72 has a flat surface and a slope. The interlocking mechanism 73 mainly includes a pulley portion 730 and a base portion 731. The pulley unit 730 includes a pulley at the lower portion, and can roll on the upper surface (flat surface and slope) of the carriage unit 72. However, the side surface portion of the housing above the pulley portion 730 is fixed (not shown) and can move in the Z-axis direction, but cannot move in each direction of the XY plane, and its movement is Limited. In FIG. 6, the conveyance mechanism 7 and the pulley unit 730 are shown not on a cross section but on a side surface for convenience of explanation.

  Link members 65 are respectively fixed at predetermined height positions of the plunger 60 of the movable member 6. As will be described later, these link members 65 are members that connect the base portion 731 of the interlocking mechanism 73 and have a function of interlocking the transport mechanism 7 and the movable member 6.

<2.2. Explanation of operation of substrate holding device>
Regarding the operation of the substrate holding device 3a, a procedure for placing the substrate 90 will be described first. After the substrate 90 is transferred from the arm part 70 of the transport mechanism 7 to the lift pins 34a, the transport mechanism 7 moves in the (+ Y) direction to a predetermined position (first retracted position). During this time, since the pulley portion 730 of the interlocking mechanism 73 rolls on the flat surface of the carriage portion 72, the interlocking mechanism 73 does not descend. When the arm part 70 of the transport mechanism 7 is completely retracted from above the substrate mounting stage 30a, the lifting mechanism 35a is driven, the upper end of the lift pin 34a is lowered, and the substrate 90 supported by the upper end of the lift pin 34a is lowered. . During this time, the transport mechanism 7 continues to move in the (+ Y) direction, and as a result, the pulley unit 730 of the interlocking mechanism 73 relatively moves from the flat surface of the carriage unit 72 of the transport mechanism 7 to the slope. Since the pulley unit 730 moves downward while the pulley of the pulley unit 730 rolls on the slope, the interlocking mechanism 73 moves downward.

  When the interlocking mechanism 73 moves downward to a predetermined position, first, the lower surface of the base portion 731 and the upper surface of the link member 65 near the center are brought into contact, and the interlocking mechanism 73 and the plunger 60 of the movable member 6 near the center are contacted. Are concatenated. Further, when the interlocking mechanism 73 moves downward, the plunger 60 in the vicinity of the central portion is lowered, and the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 fixed to the upper end thereof are lowered. As a result, the atmosphere between the substrate 90 near the center and the placement surface 31a is sucked into the hole 37a near the center.

  Subsequently, when the interlocking mechanism 73 moves downward, an operation similar to that in the vicinity of the center portion also occurs in the vicinity of the edge portion. That is, in the vicinity of the edge portion, the base portion 731 comes into contact with the link member 65 in the vicinity of the edge portion. As a result, the plunger 60 of the movable member 6 in the vicinity of the edge is lowered, and the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 fixed to the upper end thereof are lowered. As a result, the atmosphere between the substrate 90 near the edge and the placement surface 31a is sucked into the hole 37a near the edge.

  With the above operation, the lower surface of the substrate 90 is brought into contact with the placement surface 31a from the vicinity of the center portion to the vicinity of the edge portion.

  The vicinity of the center portion and the vicinity of the edge portion of the substrate 90 are in contact with the placement surface 31a, respectively, so that the lower surface of the substrate 90 in each vicinity, the hole 37a immediately below it, and the gasket 61 provided in the hole 37a. In addition, closed spaces 661 and 662 are formed with the upper surface of the O-ring 62 (see FIG. 7). Further, when the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 of each part are pushed down, the volumes of the closed spaces 661 and 662 increase, the internal atmospheric pressure begins to decrease (negative pressure), and the substrate 90 is attracted to the placement surface 31a. Is done.

  In this way, the substrate 90 is adsorbed to the placement surface 31a from the center portion to the edge portion. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, when the transport mechanism 7 moves to a predetermined retracted position (second retracted position), the transport mechanism 7 stops and the lowering of the pulley unit 730 stops. As a result, the downward movement of the interlocking mechanism 73 is stopped, and the placement operation of the substrate 90 is completed.

  The descending speed of the interlocking mechanism 73 is determined by the moving speed of the transport mechanism 7, the inclination angle of the inclined surface of the carriage unit 72, and the like. Here, if the lowering speed of the lift pins 34a by the elevating mechanism 35a is too high as compared with the lowering speed of the interlocking mechanism 73, the substrate 90 is rapidly lowered when the substrate 90 is placed. The atmosphere accumulated between the surface 31a may not be sufficiently removed through the hole 37a. For this reason, there is a possibility that the substrate 90 slips during mounting. On the other hand, if the lowering speed of the lift pins 34a is too slow as compared with the lowering speed of the interlocking mechanism 73, the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 may be rapidly lowered, and the substrate 90 may not be sufficiently adsorbed. For this reason, it is preferable that the descending speed of the lift pin 34a is appropriately determined from the descending speed of the interlocking mechanism 73, that is, the moving speed of the transport mechanism 7, the inclination angle of the inclined surface of the carriage unit 72, and the like.

  The above is the description of the procedure for placing (sucking) the substrate 90 on the placement surface 31a. Next, a procedure for releasing the suction state of the mounted substrate 90 and lifting the substrate 90 from the mounting surface 31a will be described.

  When the transport mechanism 7 moves in the (−Y) direction from the state of FIG. 7, the carriage unit 72 moves in the (−Y) direction. As a result, the pulley unit 730 rolls on the slope of the carriage unit 72 and moves upward. Moving. As a result, the interlocking mechanism 73 moves upward, the plunger 60 near the end edge is pushed up by the elastic force of the string spring 64, and the volumes of the closed spaces 661 and 662 are reduced. As a result, the pressure inside the closed spaces 661 and 662 becomes equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure (positive pressure), and the adsorption of the substrate 90 in the vicinity of the edge is released. Further, when the lifting mechanism 35a is driven, the lift pins 34a are raised, the tip portions of the lift pins 34a abut against the lower surface of the substrate 90 near the edge portion, and the substrate 90 near the edge portion is moved from the placement surface 31a. Torn off. Further, when the lift pins 34a are raised, the substrate 90 is peeled off from the placement surface 31a even near the center.

  When the lift pins 34a continue to rise, the substrate 90 is pulled up to a predetermined height, and the procedure for lifting the substrate 90 by the substrate holding device 3a is completed. At this time, the transport mechanism 7 has moved to the first retracted position shown in FIG. Furthermore, when the transport mechanism 7 moves in the (−Y) direction, the arm unit 70 moves to above the placement surface 31a. Then, the substrate 90 is delivered to the arm portion 70 from the upper end portion of the lift pin 34a.

  The above is the description of the lifting procedure by the substrate holding device 3a.

<2.3. Advantages of this embodiment>
As described above, the substrate holding device 3a according to the second embodiment links the operation of sucking and peeling the substrate 90 with the transfer operation by the transfer mechanism 7, thereby making the substrate holding device 3 according to the first embodiment. The same effect can be obtained.

  As described above, when the substrate 90 is placed on the substrate placement stage 30a, the time near the center portion of the substrate 90 reaches the placement surface 31a faster than the vicinity of the edge portion. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the installation position of the link member 65 near the edge is slightly lower than the installation position of the link member 65 near the center. Thereby, a time difference can be provided at the timing when the atmosphere starts to be sucked through the hole 37a between the vicinity of the edge portion and the vicinity of the center portion. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and the installation position of the link member 65 may be set to substantially the same height position.

<3. Third Embodiment>
In the above embodiment, the example in which the bottoms of the closed spaces 661 and 662 are formed by the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 has been described. That is, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the suction and peeling operation with respect to the substrate 90 is realized by driving the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 forward and backward. However, the configuration for changing the volume of the closed space is not limited to such a configuration.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the YZ plane of the substrate holding device 3b according to the third embodiment configured based on such a principle. In the substrate holding device 3 b, the movable member 6 b includes a diaphragm member 67 instead of the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 in the substrate holding device 3.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the diaphragm member 67 is provided directly below each hole 37, and a side surface portion 671 that can be expanded and contracted in a bellows shape and a bottom surface portion 672 made of a relatively hard material form a concave shape. And the bottom of each hole 37 is formed. The upper end of the side surface portion 671 is fixed to the lower surface of the substrate mounting stage 30 and is arranged so that air does not leak from the lower side of the hole 37. The bottom surface of the bottom surface portion 672 is bonded to the upper end of the plunger 60b. When the plunger 60b is driven up and down, the side surface portion 671 contracts or expands in the Z-axis direction, and the bottom surface portion 672 is driven up and down (advance and retreat drive). ) The other configuration and operation procedure of the substrate holding device 3b are substantially the same as those of the substrate holding device 3 of the first embodiment.

  In the substrate holding device 3 b, when a part of the lower surface of the substrate 90 is bonded to the mounting surface 31, the lower surface of the bonded substrate 90, the hole 37 immediately below it, and the diaphragm member 67 installed in the hole 37 A closed space 661b is formed near the edge, and a closed space 662b is formed near the center. When the substrate 90 is placed on the substrate placement stage 30, the bottom surface portion 672 of the diaphragm member 67 is pushed downward, and as a result, the volumes of the closed spaces 661b and 662b are increased. Thereby, since the atmospheric pressure inside the closed spaces 661b and 662b becomes a negative pressure, the substrate 90 is attracted to the substrate mounting stage 30.

  On the other hand, when the substrate 90 is pulled up from the placement surface 31, the bottom surface portion 672 of the diaphragm member 67 is pushed upward, and the volumes of the closed spaces 661b and 662b are reduced. Thereby, the atmospheric pressure inside the closed spaces 661b and 662b becomes equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure (positive pressure), and the adsorption of the substrate 90 is released.

  By configuring the substrate holding device 3b as described above, the manufacturing cost of the substrate holding device 3b can be reduced, and the time for substrate processing can be shortened. Thus, the substrate holding device 3b is the same as the substrate holding device 3 in the first embodiment. An effect can be obtained.

  In addition, since the gasket 61 and the O-ring 62 are driven up and down in the substrate holding device 3, there is a possibility that particles are generated by the sliding movement of these members and adhere to the substrate 90 during use. However, since the substrate holding device 3b uses the diaphragm member 67, generation of such particles can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, even if the stroke of the plunger 60b is constant, the size of the suction force and the like can be adjusted by changing the size of the diaphragm member 67.

  In the substrate holding device 3b, similarly to the substrate holding device 3 in the first embodiment, the link member 65 is provided, and the driving force of the elevating mechanism 35 is used to drive the movable member 6b up and down (advance and retreat drive). Yes. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a separate drive mechanism for the movable member 6b may be provided, and the movable member 6b may be driven up and down (advanced and retracted) independently of the elevating mechanism 35b. Further, similarly to the substrate holding device 3a of the second embodiment, an interlocking mechanism may be provided and interlocked with the transport mechanism.

<4. Fourth Embodiment>
In the third embodiment, the diaphragm member 67 is provided for each hole 37, but is not limited to such a configuration.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view in the YZ plane of the substrate holding device 3c configured based on such a principle. Similar to the diaphragm member 67, the diaphragm member 67c includes a bellows-shaped side surface portion 671c and a bottom surface portion 672b. However, the size of the diaphragm member 67 c is larger than that of the diaphragm member 67. As shown in FIG. 9, the substrate holding device 3c includes a single diaphragm member 67c below the plurality of holes 37 (two in FIG. 9).

  Even when the substrate holding device 3c has such a configuration, the same effect as the substrate holding device 3b can be obtained. Furthermore, the number of installed diaphragm members 67 and plungers 60 can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the substrate holding device 3b can be reduced.

<5. Modification>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

  In the first to fourth embodiments, the urging force of the string spring 64 is used as the power for pushing the plungers 60, 60b upward. However, of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and the power source may take any form.

  In the third and fourth embodiments, the shape of the side surface portions 671, 671c of the diaphragm members 67, 67c is a bellows shape. However, the shape is not limited to such a shape, and the shape can correspond to the volume change. Anything is acceptable.

  Further, it has been described that the substrate holding device 3b according to the third embodiment includes the diaphragm member 67 including the side surface portion 671 and the bottom surface portion 672. However, the diaphragm member is not limited to such a structure. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a diaphragm member 67d in a modified example. A diaphragm member 67d having only a bottom surface portion is fixed below the inside of the hole 37 of the substrate mounting stage 30, and a plunger 60d is vertically suspended and bonded to the lower side of the diaphragm member 67d. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the configuration of the substrate holding device 3b.

  Further, the structure of the suction portion is not limited to the structure shown in the above embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the suction portion in the modified example. As shown in FIG. 11, the diaphragm member 67, the gasket 61e, and the O-ring 62e may be combined. Specifically, the diaphragm member is fixed to the lower surface side of the substrate mounting stage 30 as in the substrate holding device 3b. Further, the diaphragm member 67 is accommodated in the hollow cylindrical member 68. And the plunger 60e which equips the upper end with the gasket 61e and the O-ring 62e in the cylindrical member 68 is inserted. Further, the interior 69 of the cylindrical member 68 between the diaphragm member 67 and the gasket 61e is filled with a liquid such as water. By setting it as such a structure, it can suppress that the particle | grains which generate | occur | produce by a sliding motion adhere to the board | substrate 90 similarly to the board | substrate holding | maintenance apparatus 3b. Furthermore, when the plunger 60e is driven up and down, the inside 69 of the cylindrical member 68 is filled with the liquid, so that the driving force is easily transmitted to the diaphragm member 67, and the response characteristic of the diaphragm member 67 is improved. Therefore, the substrate 90 can be placed and pulled up more quickly.

1 is an overall perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing in the YZ plane of the board | substrate holding | maintenance apparatus in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the mounting procedure and raising procedure of the board | substrate of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the mounting procedure and raising procedure of the board | substrate of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the mounting procedure and raising procedure of the board | substrate of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing in the YZ plane of the substrate holding device in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows a mode that the board | substrate holding | maintenance apparatus in 2nd Embodiment adsorb | sucked the board | substrate to the mounting surface. It is a schematic sectional drawing in the YZ plane of the substrate holding device in 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing in the YZ plane of the board | substrate holding | maintenance apparatus in 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the diaphragm member in a modification. It is a figure which shows the structure of the adsorption | suction part in a modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 2 Main body 3, 3a, 3b, 3c Substrate holding device 30, 30a Substrate placing stage 31, 31a Placement surface 32 Traveling rail 33 Opening 34, 34a Lift pin 341 Edge lift pin 342 Central lift pin 35, 35a Lifting mechanism 361, 362 Base 363 Support member 37, 37a Hole 41 Slit nozzle 6, 6b Movable member 60, 60b, 60d, 60e Plunger 61, 61e Gasket 62, 62e O-ring 64 String-wound spring 65 Link member 661, 661b, 662 , 662b Closed space 67, 67c, 67d Diaphragm member 7 Conveying mechanism 73 Interlocking mechanism 90 Substrate

Claims (7)

A substrate holding device for holding a substrate,
A substrate placement stage on which the substrate is placed;
Volume changing means for changing the volume of the closed space formed below the substrate placed on the substrate placing stage;
A substrate holding device comprising: The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 1,
The closed space is
A lower surface portion of the substrate in a state of being placed on the substrate placement stage;
A hole provided in the substrate mounting stage;
A movable member capable of advancing and retracting;
Formed by
The substrate holding apparatus, wherein the volume changing means drives the movable member to advance and retreat. The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 2,
The movable member includes a plunger,
The substrate holding apparatus characterized in that the volume changing means drives the movable member forward and backward by driving the plunger forward and backward. The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The substrate holding apparatus, wherein the movable member includes a diaphragm member. A substrate holding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Elevating means for elevating the substrate between a position where the substrate is placed on the substrate placement stage and a position spaced above the substrate placement stage;
A link member connecting the volume changing means and the elevating means;
Further comprising
The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the link member interlocks the lifting operation of the lifting means and the volume changing operation of the volume changing means. A substrate holding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Transport means for transporting the substrate from a predetermined retraction position to a position above the substrate placement stage;
A link member connecting the volume changing means and the conveying means;
Further comprising
The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the link member interlocks a transport operation of the transport unit and a volume change operation of the volume change unit. A substrate processing apparatus for performing predetermined processing on a substrate,
A substrate holding device for holding the substrate;
A processing mechanism for performing a predetermined process on the substrate held by the substrate holding device;
With
The substrate holding device is
A substrate placement stage on which the substrate is placed;
Volume changing means for changing the volume of the closed space formed below the substrate placed on the substrate placing stage;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

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