JP2009004661A - Substrate treating device and substrate carrier device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate carrier device in which increase in the size of a carrier chamber can be avoided without widening the opening of a treatment chamber for carrying a substrate and further without applying excessive load to a mechanism, and to provide a substrate treating device mounted with such substrate carrier device. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate carrier device includes a pick 52 for holding and carrying a glass substrate into the treatment chamber 10 and a main operating mechanism 60 for operating the pick 52. The pick 52 includes a base part 56b, a plurality of first support materials 56a extending in a fork shape from the base part 56b, and the second support material 57a connected to the first support materials 56a in a way that it may advance and retract. These first support material 56a and second material 57a constitute an elastic support material. The substrate is carried in a state where the support material is stretched. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing chamber for performing a process such as dry etching on a substrate such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer for manufacturing a flat panel display (FPD) such as a liquid crystal display device (LCD), and a substrate mounting table in the processing chamber. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate transport apparatus including a substrate transport apparatus that transports a substrate to the substrate and a transport chamber that houses the transport apparatus.

  In the manufacturing process of a flat panel display (FPD) typified by a liquid crystal display (LCD), a so-called multi-chamber is provided with a plurality of processing chambers for performing predetermined processing such as etching, ashing, and film formation on a glass substrate under vacuum. A type of substrate processing apparatus is used.

  Such a substrate processing apparatus has a transfer chamber in which a transfer device for transferring a substrate is provided and a plurality of processing chambers provided around the transfer chamber. The processing substrate is loaded into each processing chamber, and the processed substrate is unloaded from the processing chamber of each processing apparatus. A load lock chamber is connected to the transfer chamber, and a plurality of substrates can be processed while maintaining the processing chamber and the transfer chamber in a vacuum state when loading and unloading the substrate on the atmosphere side. Such a multi-chamber type processing system is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

  In such a processing system, when the glass substrate is carried into the processing chamber, the glass substrate is placed on the pick portion of the transfer device, and the glass substrate is carried above the substrate placing table in the process chamber. After the glass pins are placed on the lift pins by projecting the lift pins from the top, the pick portion is retracted into the transfer chamber. Thereafter, the lifting pins are lowered to place the glass substrate on the substrate mounting table. Further, when the glass substrate is carried out of the process chamber, the glass substrate on the mounting table is lifted by the lifting pins and transferred to the pick portion of the transfer device.

  By the way, in recent years, the increase in size of the glass substrate has been progressed, and accordingly, the increase in size of each chamber in the substrate processing apparatus has been progressed, and the transfer distance (transfer distance between chambers) by the transfer device tends to be long, and the distance is 5 m. Something like that has also appeared.

As a result, the stroke of the arm of the transfer device becomes longer, and the transfer chamber becomes larger by the stroke. In order to avoid an increase in the size of the transfer chamber, for example, it is effective to accommodate the stroke of the substrate transfer with a structure having a multi-stage telescopic arm, but when using a multi-stage telescopic arm, The mechanism for driving the arm must also enter the processing chamber, and as a result, the opening of the processing chamber becomes wide.

Further, when the pick is extended while supporting the glass substrate and enters the processing chamber, the pick becomes a cantilever state, and the moment load on the mechanism portion of the pick at the base end portion becomes large. For this reason, the mechanism portion is enlarged.
JP 11-340208 A

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the transfer chamber, and without increasing the opening for transferring the substrate in the processing chamber, an excessive burden is placed on the mechanism unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer apparatus that does not apply the substrate and a substrate processing apparatus equipped with such a substrate transfer apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a processing chamber that performs a predetermined process on a substrate on a substrate mounting table, a substrate transfer device that transfers a substrate to the substrate mounting table, and the substrate transfer device And a transfer chamber to which the processing chamber is connected, and the substrate transfer device enters the processing chamber in a state of supporting the substrate and transfers the substrate to the substrate mounting table, A main drive mechanism for driving the pick, and the pick includes a base, a plurality of support members extending in a fork shape from the base to support the substrate, and a sub-drive mechanism for extending and contracting the support members. The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that the substrate is transported with the support member extended.

  In the first aspect, the support member includes a first member coupled to the base portion, and a second member provided so as to be able to advance and retreat relative to the first member. The second member can be driven.

  The support member includes a first member coupled to the base portion, and a second member provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the first member, and the sub-drive mechanism includes a second member. It can be configured to drive.

  The sub-drive mechanism can be configured to advance the second member in conjunction with slide movement of the pick by the main drive mechanism. In this case, the substrate transfer apparatus further includes a base on which the pick can slide, and the pick slides on the base so as to be able to enter the processing chamber from the transfer chamber. Can do. The pick includes a connecting portion that connects the plurality of second members, and the sub-drive mechanism is suspended from the base or the first member toward the base, and the pick is slid. A first pulley that rotates and is disposed on the base or the first member, and is disposed on the base or first member that rotates as the first pulley rotates, and the second pulley that rotates. A third pulley that rotates via a belt as the pulley rotates, and is provided on the belt, mechanically connected to the second member, moves as the belt moves, and moves the plurality of second pulleys. It can be set as the structure which has a clamp member which moves 2 members collectively. In this configuration, a speed reducer may be interposed between the first pulley and the second pulley.

  The sub-drive mechanism can be configured to drive the second member forward independently of movement of the pick. In this case, the sub-driving mechanism is disposed on the base or the first member, and is disposed on the base or the first member with the telescopic cylinder having the telescopic rod, and with the movement of the telescopic rod, A fourth pulley that rotates, a fifth pulley that is disposed on the base or the first member and that rotates via the belt as the fourth pulley rotates, and is provided on the belt; A clamp member that is mechanically coupled and moves with the movement of the belt to move the second member may be employed. In this configuration, the fourth pulley includes a small pulley that rotates as the telescopic rod moves, and a large pulley that rotates together with the small pulley and on which the belt is stretched. it can. The sub-drive mechanism is disposed on the base or the first member, and moves the second member so that the second member advances from the first member and returns onto the first member. It can be set as the structure provided with the cylinder for expansion / contraction which has an expansion-contraction rod to be made. In addition, the sub-drive mechanism protrudes from the first member by introducing the pressurized gas, and accordingly, the bellows for advancing the second member from the first member, and the interior of the bellows And a spring that elastically biases the second member so that the second member returns onto the first member when the pressure is reduced. Even in the configuration in which the second member is advanced and driven independently of the movement of the pick, the substrate transport apparatus further includes a base on which the pick can slide, and the pick slides on the base. Thus, it can be configured to be able to enter the processing chamber from the transfer chamber.

  In the first aspect, an insertion space that allows insertion of an elevating pin that moves up and down from the substrate mounting table of the processing chamber may be formed between the plurality of support members. Further, a plurality of processing chambers may be connected to the transfer chamber.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate transport apparatus for transporting a substrate, comprising: a pick that transports the substrate while supporting the substrate; and a main drive mechanism that drives the pick; And a plurality of support members extending in a fork shape from the base to support the substrate, and a sub-driving mechanism for expanding and contracting the support members, and the substrate is transported with the support member extended. A substrate transfer apparatus is provided.

  In the second aspect, the support member includes a first member coupled to the base, and a second member provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the first member. The second member can be driven.

  The support member includes a first member coupled to the base portion, and a second member provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the first member, and the sub-drive mechanism includes a second member. It can be configured to drive.

  The sub-drive mechanism can be configured to advance the second member in conjunction with slide movement of the pick by the main drive mechanism. In this case, the pick may further include a slidable base, and the pick may be configured to slide on the base to transport the substrate. The pick includes a connecting portion that connects the plurality of second members, and the sub-drive mechanism is suspended from the base or the first member toward the base, and the pick is slid. A first pulley that rotates and is disposed on the base or the first member, and is disposed on the base or first member that rotates as the first pulley rotates, and the second pulley that rotates. A third pulley that rotates via a belt as the pulley rotates, and is provided on the belt, mechanically connected to the second member, moves as the belt moves, and moves the plurality of second pulleys. It can be set as the structure which has a clamp member which moves 2 members collectively. In this configuration, a speed reducer may be interposed between the first pulley and the second pulley.

  The sub-drive mechanism can be configured to drive the second member forward independently of movement of the pick. In this case, the sub-driving mechanism is disposed on the base or the first member, and is disposed on the base or the first member with the telescopic cylinder having the telescopic rod, and with the movement of the telescopic rod, A fourth pulley that rotates, a fifth pulley that is disposed on the base or the first member and that rotates via the belt as the fourth pulley rotates, and is provided on the belt; A clamp member that is mechanically coupled and moves with the movement of the belt to move the second member may be employed. In this configuration, the fourth pulley includes a small pulley that rotates as the telescopic rod moves, and a large pulley that rotates together with the small pulley and on which the belt is stretched. it can. The sub-drive mechanism is disposed on the base or the first member, and moves the second member so that the second member advances from the first member and returns onto the first member. It can be set as the structure provided with the cylinder for expansion / contraction which has an expansion-contraction rod to be made. In addition, the sub-drive mechanism protrudes from the first member by introducing the pressurized gas, and accordingly, the bellows for advancing the second member from the first member, and the interior of the bellows And a spring that elastically biases the second member so that the second member returns onto the first member when the pressure is reduced. Even in the configuration in which the second member is driven to advance independently of the movement of the pick as described above, the pick further has a slidable base, and the pick slides on the base to carry the substrate. It can be configured.

  In the second aspect, an insertion space that allows insertion of an elevating pin that moves up and down from the substrate mounting table of the processing chamber may be formed between the plurality of support members. Further, it can be configured to be provided in a transfer chamber connected to a processing chamber for performing a predetermined process on the substrate on the substrate mounting table, and to transfer the substrate to the substrate mounting table provided in the processing chamber.

  According to the present invention, the pick has a base, a plurality of support members extending in a fork shape from the base, and a sub-drive mechanism for expanding and contracting these support members, and the substrate is in a state where the support member is extended. Since it is configured to be placed, the support member is shortened when the pick is retracted into the transfer chamber, and the support member is advanced when the pick enters the processing chamber. be able to. For this reason, the pick itself can be reduced in the transfer chamber, the transfer chamber can be reduced in size, and the pick support member itself can be extended only when the substrate is transferred. There is no need to insert a mechanism for driving a pick as in the prior art, and only a simple and thin mechanism that only expands and contracts the support member is inserted, thereby avoiding widening the opening of the processing chamber. Further, when the pick enters the processing chamber, the advancement amount of the support member may be a short distance that is less than half of its length, and there is almost no bending moment from the support member to the proximal end of the pick. A load applied to a mechanism unit such as a sub drive mechanism can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, a multi-chamber type plasma etching system equipped with a plasma etching apparatus that performs plasma etching on an FPD glass substrate G, which is an embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, will be described as an example. Here, as FPD, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an electroluminescence (Electro Luminescence; EL) display, a plasma display panel (PDP), etc. are illustrated.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a multi-chamber type plasma etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view schematically showing the inside thereof.

  The plasma etching apparatus 1 has a transfer chamber 20 and a load lock chamber 30 connected to each other at the center. Three processing chambers 10 for performing plasma etching are connected around the transfer chamber 20.

  An opening that communicates between the transfer chamber 20 and the load lock chamber 30, between the transfer chamber 20 and each processing chamber 10, and between the load lock chamber 30 and the outside air atmosphere is hermetically sealed. In addition, gate valves 22 configured to be openable and closable are respectively inserted.

  Two cassette indexers 41 are provided outside the load lock chamber 30, and cassettes 40 for accommodating the glass substrates G are placed thereon. These cassettes 40 can accommodate, for example, an unprocessed substrate on one side and a processed substrate on the other side. These cassettes 40 can be moved up and down by a lifting mechanism 42.

  Between these two cassettes 40, a transport mechanism 43 is provided on a support base 44. The transport mechanism 43 includes picks 45, 46 provided in two upper and lower stages, as well as advancing and retracting them. A base 47 is rotatably supported.

  Similarly to the vacuum processing chamber, the transfer chamber 20 can be maintained in a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere, and a transfer device 50 is disposed therein as shown in FIG. The transfer device 50 transfers the glass substrate G between the load lock chamber 30 and the three plasma etching devices 10. In the transport device 50, two slide picks 52 and 53 are provided on a base 51 capable of turning and moving up and down so as to be movable back and forth. The detailed structure of the transport device 50 will be described later.

  The load lock chamber 30 can be maintained in a predetermined reduced-pressure atmosphere like each processing chamber 10 and the transfer chamber 20. The load lock chamber 30 is for transferring the glass substrate G between the cassette 40 in the air atmosphere and the processing chamber 10 in the reduced pressure atmosphere. The load lock chamber 30 repeats the air atmosphere and the reduced pressure atmosphere as much as possible. Its internal volume is small. Further, the load lock chamber 30 is provided with a substrate housing portion 31 in two upper and lower stages (only the upper stage is shown in FIG. 2), and a buffer 32 and a glass for supporting the glass substrate G in each substrate housing portion 31. A positioner 33 for aligning the substrate G is provided.

  As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the processing chamber 10 has a configuration for performing an etching process. The processing chamber 10 is formed, for example, in a rectangular tube shape made of aluminum whose surface is anodized (anodized), and a glass substrate G as a substrate to be processed is placed on the bottom of the processing chamber 10. A susceptor 101 which is a substrate mounting table is provided. In the susceptor 101, elevating pins 130 for loading and unloading the glass substrate G thereon are inserted so as to be movable up and down. When the glass substrate G is transported, the elevating pins 130 are raised to the transport position above the susceptor 101, and are otherwise immersed in the susceptor 101. The susceptor 101 is supported on the bottom of the processing chamber 10 via an insulating member 104, and includes a metal base material 102 and an insulating member 103 provided on the periphery of the base material 102.

  A power supply line 123 for supplying high-frequency power is connected to the base material 102 of the susceptor 101, and a matching unit 124 and a high-frequency power source 125 are connected to the power supply line 123. For example, high frequency power of 13.56 MHz is supplied from the high frequency power supply 125 to the susceptor 101.

  Above the susceptor 101, a shower head 111 that functions as an upper electrode is provided in parallel with the susceptor 101. The shower head 111 is supported on the upper portion of the processing chamber 10, has an internal space 112 inside, and has a plurality of discharge holes 113 for discharging processing gas on the surface facing the susceptor 101. The shower head 111 is grounded and forms a pair of parallel plate electrodes together with the susceptor 101.

A gas inlet 114 is provided on the upper surface of the shower head 111, and a processing gas supply pipe 115 is connected to the gas inlet 114, and a valve 116 and a mass flow controller 117 are connected to the processing gas supply pipe 115. A processing gas supply source 118 is connected thereto. A processing gas for etching is supplied from the processing gas supply source 118. As the processing gas, a gas usually used in this field, such as a halogen-based gas, an O ₂ gas, or an Ar gas, can be used.

  An exhaust pipe 119 is formed at the bottom of the processing chamber 10, and an exhaust device 120 is connected to the exhaust pipe 119. The exhaust device 120 includes a vacuum pump such as a turbo molecular pump, and is configured so that the inside of the processing chamber 10 can be evacuated to a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere. A substrate loading / unloading port 121 is provided on the side wall of the processing chamber 10, and the substrate loading / unloading port 121 can be opened and closed by the gate valve 22 described above. The glass substrate G is loaded and unloaded by the transfer device 50 in the transfer chamber 20 with the gate valve 22 opened.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each component of the plasma etching apparatus 1 is controlled by a process controller 70 having a microprocessor. Connected to the process controller 70 is a user interface 71 including a keyboard for an operator to input commands for managing the plasma etching apparatus 1 and a display for visualizing and displaying the operating status of the plasma etching apparatus 1. Has been. Further, the process controller 70 causes the plasma etching apparatus 1 to execute a predetermined process in accordance with a control program for realizing various processes executed by the plasma etching apparatus 1 under the control of the process controller 70 and processing conditions. Is connected to a storage unit 72 in which a control program, i.e., recipe, and various databases are stored. The storage unit 72 has a storage medium, and recipes and the like are stored in the storage medium. The storage medium may be a hard disk or semiconductor memory, or may be portable such as a CDROM, DVD, flash memory or the like. Then, if necessary, an arbitrary recipe is called from the storage unit 72 by an instruction from the user interface 71 and is executed by the process controller 70, so that a desired one in the plasma etching apparatus 1 is controlled under the control of the process controller 70. Is performed.

The processing operation in the plasma etching apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described below.
First, the two picks 45 and 46 of the transport mechanism 43 are moved forward and backward to transfer the two glass substrates G from the one cassette 40 containing unprocessed substrates into the two-stage substrate accommodation chamber 31 of the load lock chamber 30. Carry in.

  After the picks 45 and 46 are retracted, the gate valve 22 on the atmosphere side of the load lock chamber 30 is closed. Thereafter, the inside of the load lock chamber 30 is evacuated, and the inside is depressurized to a predetermined degree of vacuum. After evacuation, the glass substrate G is aligned by pressing the substrate with the positioner 33.

  After the alignment as described above, the gate valve 22 between the transfer chamber 20 and the load lock chamber 30 is opened, and the transfer device 50 in the transfer chamber 20 accommodates the substrate lock 31 in the load lock chamber 30. The glass substrate G received is received and carried into the processing chamber 10, and the glass substrate G is placed on the susceptor 101.

  Thereafter, the gate valve 22 is closed, and the inside of the processing chamber 10 is evacuated to a predetermined vacuum level by the exhaust device 120. Then, the valve 116 is opened, and the processing gas from the processing gas supply source 118 is adjusted by the mass flow controller 117, and the internal space 112 of the shower head 111 passes through the processing gas supply pipe 115 and the gas inlet 114. Then, the gas is uniformly discharged to the substrate G through the discharge holes 113, and the inside of the processing chamber 10 is controlled to a predetermined pressure while adjusting the exhaust amount.

  In this state, a predetermined processing gas is introduced into the chamber 10 from the processing gas supply source 118, and high frequency power is applied to the susceptor 104 from the high frequency power source 125, and the susceptor 101 as the lower electrode and the shower head 111 as the upper electrode, A high-frequency electric field is generated between them to generate plasma of a processing gas, and the glass substrate G is etched by this plasma.

  After performing the etching process in this way, the application of the high frequency power from the high frequency power supply 125 is stopped, and the introduction of the processing gas is stopped. Then, the processing gas remaining in the processing chamber 10 is exhausted, and the glass substrate G is raised to the transfer position by the lifting pins 130. In this state, the gate valve 22 is opened, and the glass substrate G is unloaded from the processing chamber 10 to the transfer chamber 20 by the transfer device 50.

  The glass substrate G unloaded from the processing chamber 10 is transported to the load lock chamber 30 and stored in the cassette 40 by the transport mechanism 43. At this time, it may be returned to the original cassette 40 or may be accommodated in the other cassette 40.

  A series of operations as described above are repeated for the number of glass substrates G accommodated in the cassette 40, and the processing is completed.

Next, the transfer device 50 in the transfer chamber 20 will be described in detail.
First, the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a transport device in which the pick unit according to the first embodiment slides, and FIG. 5 transports the glass substrate from the transport chamber to the processing unit by the transport device illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the transfer device shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and FIG. 6A is a state when the slide pick is located at the origin position in the transfer chamber. (B) shows the state when the slide pick enters the processing chamber.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the transport apparatus 50 includes a long base 51, slide picks 52 and 53 provided in two upper and lower stages so as to be independently slidable on the base 51, and the base 51 is driven to rotate (θ And a drive mechanism 54 that drives the slide pick 52 and controls the drive by the drive mechanism 54 to control the transport of the transport device.

  The slide pick 52 is provided so as to move on the base 51 and be able to enter the processing chamber 10, and includes a main body portion 56 and an advancing / retracting portion 57 capable of advancing and retracting from the main body portion 56. Further, the slide pick 53 is provided so as to move on the base 51 and be able to enter the processing chamber 10, and includes a main body portion 256 and an advancing and retracting portion 257 that can be advanced and retracted from the main body portion 256. Since the slide picks 52 and 53 have the same configuration, the slide pick 52 will be mainly described below for convenience of explanation.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the main body portion 56 constituting the slide pick 52 includes a base portion 56 b including a connection portion with the base 51, and a plurality of first support members having a long shape extending horizontally from the base portion 56 b in a fork shape. 56a. Further, the advancement / retraction unit 57 includes a plurality of second support members 57a coupled to the plurality of first support members 56a so as to be capable of advancement / retraction, respectively. The first support member 56a and the second support member 57a constitute an extendable support member, and the glass substrate G is disposed on the second support member 57a. An insertion space 131 that allows insertion of the elevating pin 130 is formed between the plurality of first support members 56a and second support members 57a. In addition, the number of support members can be set freely as appropriate. In FIG. 6, a part of the support members is omitted.

  The plurality of second support members 57a are mechanically connected by a connection member 57b and can move integrally.

  In addition, a main drive mechanism 60 for driving the main body 56 is provided in the base 51. The main drive mechanism 60 includes a drive-side pulley 62 provided at the base end portion of the base 51, a driven-side pulley 64 provided at the distal end portion of the base 51, and a belt 63 wound around the pulleys 62, 64. (Timing belt) and a clamp member 65 provided on the belt 63, mechanically connected to the main body 56, and moved along with the movement of the belt 63 to move the main body 56. The pulley 62 on the driving side is rotated by a motor 61 (see FIG. 7 etc.) belonging to the driving mechanism 54. The belt 63 may be a steel wire (belt) or other than the timing belt.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the main body 56 moves by the distance Lm shown in the figure, and the advancement / retraction part 57 moves by the distance Ls shown in the figure. When the slide pick 52 enters the processing chamber 10, the advance / retreat portion 57 may advance from the main body portion 56 by a length equal to or less than half of its entire length.

  Next, the detail of the mechanism part of the slide pick of the conveying apparatus of 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. 7 and 8 are schematic views showing a slide pick mechanism of the transfer apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which the slide pick 52 is at the origin position of the transfer chamber 20. FIG. 8 is a view showing a state in which the slide pick 52 has entered the processing chamber 10. 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along line IXa in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IXb in FIG. In these drawings, only the slide pick 52 of the two slide picks 52 and 53 will be described.

  In the transport device 50 according to the present embodiment, the above-described main drive mechanism 60 for driving the main body 56 of the slide pick 52 is provided in the base 51, and the auxiliary drive for slidingly driving the advancement / retraction unit 57. A mechanism 80 is provided.

  The sub drive mechanism 80 has a base 81 provided on the base portion 56 b of the main body portion 56. The sub drive mechanism 80 includes a first pulley 82 a that is suspended from the main body 56 toward the base 51 and rotates as the main body 56 moves. That is, the pair of idlers 82b and 82b provided on the belt 63 of the main drive mechanism 60 rotate while moving together with the belt 63, and accordingly, the first pulley 82a moves along with the movement of the belt 63 and the main body 56. Rotate while moving.

  The first pulley 82a is connected to the second pulley 84 disposed on the base 81 via the speed reducer 83 (see FIG. 9B).

  The auxiliary drive mechanism 80 is further disposed on the base 81, provided on the belt 85 with a third pulley 86 that rotates via a belt 85 (timing belt) in accordance with the rotation of the second pulley 84, and an advancing and retracting unit. And a clamp member 87 that is mechanically coupled to the belt 57 and moves with the movement of the belt 85 to move the advancement / retraction portion 57. In addition to the timing belt, the belt 85 may be a steel wire (belt) or other things.

  Furthermore, as best shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, a pair of guide members 88, 88 are interposed between the upper surfaces on both sides of the base 51 and the lower surface of the base portion 56b of the main body portion 56. Yes. Further, a pair of guide members 89 a and 89 a are interposed between the upper surfaces on both sides of the base 81 of the sub drive mechanism 80 and the lower surface of the connecting member 57 b of the advancement / retraction portion 57. Thin guide members 89b,... Are interposed between the upper surface of the first support member 56a and the lower surface of the second support member 57a, respectively.

  In the transfer apparatus 50 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 5, the slide pick 52 enters the processing chamber 10 with the advancement / retraction unit 57 mounted on the glass substrate G, and the advancement / retraction unit 57. Is advanced from the main body 56.

  Next, the elevating pin 130 is raised, and the glass substrate G is received from the advanced / retracted portion 57 that has advanced. Thereafter, the slide pick 52 retreats from the processing chamber 10 to the transfer chamber 20, and the elevating pins 130 are lowered to place the glass substrate G on the susceptor 101. On the other hand, when the processed substrate G is transferred from the elevating pin 130 to the advancement / retraction unit 57, the reverse process is performed.

  As described above, when the glass substrate G is transferred to the processing chamber 10 by the transfer device 50, the motor 61 of the main drive mechanism 60 is driven to rotate the pulley 62 as shown in FIGS. Thus, the belt 63 and the pulley 64 are rotated. At this time, the clamp member 65 provided on the belt 63 moves, and the main body portion 56 of the slide pick 52 mechanically connected to the clamp member 65 moves.

  In the present embodiment, the auxiliary drive mechanism 80 has the same drive source as the main drive mechanism 60 as described above, and therefore the advancement / retraction unit 57 is moved in conjunction with the movement of the main body unit 56.

  The auxiliary drive mechanism 80 has the same configuration as that of the main drive mechanism 60, but the advancement drive unit 57 includes the reduction gear 83 described above in the power transmission path. The operation amount of the main body 56 is advanced by a reduced amount.

  That is, in the sub drive mechanism 80, the first pulley 82 a suspended from the main body 56 is rotated while moving along with the movement of the belt 63 and the main body 56 as the main body 56 moves, and the first pulley The rotation of 82a is transmitted to the second pulley 84 while being decelerated by the speed reducer 83, whereby the belt 85 wound around the second pulley 84 and the third pulley 86 moves, and the belt 85 is moved along with the movement. The clamp member 87 provided on the head moves, and the advance / retreat portion 57 mechanically connected to the clamp member 87 moves to advance from the main body portion 56.

  As the advance / retreat portion 57 on which the glass substrate G is placed advances, the glass substrate G can be transferred to a desired position in the processing unit 10.

  In this case, when the slide pick 52 is located in the transfer chamber 20, the advancement / retraction portion 57 is positioned on the main body 56 and overlaps with each other. can do.

  Further, in this case, when the glass substrate G is transported to the processing chamber 10, it is only necessary to advance the advancement / retraction unit 57 and extend the support member itself composed of the first support member 56 a and the second support member 57 a. Therefore, there is no need to insert a mechanism for driving a pick as in the prior art into the processing chamber 10, and only a simple and thin mechanism for expanding and contracting the support member is inserted into the processing chamber 10. Widening the opening of the chamber 10 is avoided.

  Further, when the slide pick 52 enters the processing chamber 10, the advancement / retraction unit 57 may advance from the main body unit 56 by a length that is half or less of the entire length thereof. Only a downward load is mainly applied, and the bending moment can be reduced. Therefore, the load applied to the mechanism portion of the sub drive mechanism 80 provided in the main body portion 56 can be reduced, thereby simplifying the structure of the sub drive mechanism 80 and the like.

  Moreover, since the size of the belt 85 (timing belt) for driving can be reduced by suppressing the weight and resistance of the advancement / retraction unit 57, the transport mechanism can be made compact.

Next, a second embodiment of the transfer device 50 will be described.
In this embodiment, the schematic configuration of the transport apparatus is the same as that of the first embodiment, but only the structure of the mechanism portion of the slide pick is different.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a slide pick mechanism part of a transport apparatus in which the pick part according to the second embodiment slides, and shows a state where the slide pick enters the processing chamber. In this figure, the slide pick 52 of the two slide picks will be mainly described.

  In the present embodiment, a sub drive mechanism 90 is used which is disposed on the base portion 56b of the main body portion 56 of the slide pick 52 and includes an expansion / contraction cylinder 91 (air cylinder) having an expansion / contraction rod 91a.

  A pulley 92, a fourth pulley (large pulley) 93 having a small pulley 93a, and a belt 94 spanned between the pulley 92 and the small pulley 93a are provided on the base portion 56b of the main body 56. Yes. The telescopic rod 91a of the telescopic cylinder 91 (air cylinder) is connected to the belt 94.

  The sub-drive mechanism 90 is further provided on the belt 96 and the fifth pulley 97 that rotates via the belt 96 (timing belt) as the fourth pulley 93 (large pulley) rotates, and the advance / retreat portion 57 is connected to the machine. And a clamp member 98 that moves in accordance with the movement of the belt 96 and moves the advancement / retraction portion 57. In addition to the timing belt, the belt 96 may be a steel wire (belt) or the like.

  Therefore, when pressurized air is supplied to the telescopic cylinder 91 (air cylinder), the telescopic rod 91a moves, the belt 94 moves, and the small pulley 93a rotates. As a result, the fourth pulley 93 (large pulley) rotates, and the belt 96 and the fifth pulley 97 rotate. The clamp member 98 provided on the belt 96 moves, and the advancement / retraction portion 57 mechanically connected to the clamp member 98 moves.

In the present embodiment, as described above, since the drive source of the sub drive mechanism 90 is different from that of the main drive mechanism 60, the advancement / retraction part 57 is moved independently of the movement of the main body part 56. ing.

  The sub-drive mechanism 90 includes the above-described fourth pulley 93 (large pulley) and the small pulley 93a in the power transmission path. For this reason, the advancement / retraction unit 57 is advanced by an amount corresponding to the speed increase ratio of the fourth pulley 93 (large pulley) and the small pulley 93a from the operation amount of the telescopic rod 91a.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the transport device in which the pick unit according to the second embodiment slides. Here, both slide picks 52 and 53 provided in two stages are shown.
As described above, the lower slide pick 52 has a pair of guide members 88, 88 interposed between the upper surfaces on both sides of the base 51 and the lower surface of the base portion 56 b of the main body portion 56. Further, thin guide members 89b,... Are interposed between the upper surface of the first support member 56a of the main body portion 56 and the lower surface of the second support member 57a of the advancement / retraction portion 57, respectively.

  Although not shown in detail in the upper slide pick 53, a main drive mechanism having a similar structure is provided, and a pair of guide members 288, between the upper surfaces on both sides of the base 51 and the lower surface of the support member 201 are provided. 288 is interposed. A main body 256 is coupled to the side of the support member 201 via a structural member 202.

  That is, the base 256b is supported by the structural member 202, and a plurality of first support members (not shown) of the main body 256 extend from the base 256b.

  Thin guide members 289b,... Are interposed between the upper surface of the first support member of the main body portion 256 and the lower surface of the second support member 257a of the advancement / retraction portion 257, respectively.

  Further, FIG. 11 shows an expansion / contraction cylinder 291 (air cylinder) for moving the upper advancement / retraction unit 257 and a fourth pulley 293.

  On the left side of the base 51, there is provided a cable bear 99b for an air tube 99a for supplying pressurized air to an expansion / contraction cylinder 91 (air cylinder) for the advancement / retraction portion 57 of the slide pick 52.

  Similarly, on the right side of the base 51, a cable bear 299b for an air tube 299a for supplying pressurized air to an expansion / contraction cylinder 291 (air cylinder) for the advancement / retraction portion 257 of the slide pick 53 is provided. Yes.

Next, a third embodiment of the transfer device will be described.
12A and 12B are perspective views showing a transport device in which the pick unit according to the third embodiment slides. FIG. 12A shows a state when the slide pick is located at the origin position in the transport chamber. FIG. Shows the state when the slide pick is entering the processing chamber. In this figure, of the slide picks 52 and 53, only the slide pick 52 is shown.

  In the present embodiment, a sub-drive mechanism 300 provided with an expansion / contraction cylinder 310 (air cylinder) that is disposed on the base portion 56b of the main body portion 56 and has the expansion / contraction rod 311 connected to the connection portion 57b of the advancement / retraction portion 57 is used. ing.

  Accordingly, when pressurized air is supplied to the expansion / contraction cylinder 310 (air cylinder), the expansion / contraction rod 311 moves, and the advancement / retraction portion 57 mechanically connected to the expansion / contraction rod 311 moves.

In the present embodiment, as described above, since the drive source of the auxiliary drive mechanism 300 is different from that of the main drive mechanism 60, the advancement / retraction part 57 is moved independently of the movement of the main body part 56. It has become.

  In a region (P) indicated by a wavy line in FIG. 12B, there is a cable bear for an air tube (not shown) for supplying pressurized air to the expansion / contraction cylinder 310 (air cylinder) for the advancement / retraction unit 57. Is provided.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the transfer device will be described.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a transport device in which the pick unit according to the fourth embodiment slides, (a) is a state when the slide pick is located at the origin position in the transport chamber, and (b). Shows the state when the slide pick is entering the processing chamber. In this figure, only the slide pick 52 is shown among the slide picks 52 and 53.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of bellows 410 provided in the plurality of second support members 57a of the advancement / retraction portion 57, the base end portion of one second support member 57a, and one first of the main body portion 56 are provided. The auxiliary drive mechanism 400 provided with the spring 420 provided between the base end part of the 1 support member 56a is used.

  The bellows 410 is connected to an air pipe 430, and the air pipe 430 is connected to an air supply source 432 and a vacuum pump 433 via a solenoid valve 431.

  Therefore, when the advancement / retraction unit 57 is moved to enter the processing chamber 10, the solenoid valve 431 is switched to the air supply source 432 side. Compressed air is supplied to the bellows 410 from the air supply source 432 via the air pipe 430 and the like, and the bellows 410 advances so as to advance from above the main body portion 56 by pressurized gas (compressed air). The evacuation unit 57 is moved. When the advance / retreat portion 57 moves so as to advance, the spring 420 extends against the elastic biasing force.

  On the other hand, the solenoid valve 431 is switched to the vacuum pump 433 side when the advancement / retraction unit 57 is moved to exit the processing chamber 10. The inside of the bellows 410 is depressurized from the vacuum pump 433 via the air pipe 430 and the like, and the bellows 410 contracts. At this time, the extended spring 420 returns the advancement / retraction portion 57 onto the main body portion 56 by its elastic biasing force.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, since the drive source of the auxiliary drive mechanism 400 is different from that of the main drive mechanism 60, the advancement / retraction part 57 can be moved independently of the movement of the main body part 56. it can.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the plurality of second support members of the advancement / retraction portion are connected by the connection portions, but the connection portions are not necessary when each second support member has a sub-drive mechanism. Further, although the transport mechanism having the slide pick in which the pick portion supporting the substrate slides is used, other transport mechanisms such as a pick of a scalar transport mechanism having a joint may be used. Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the conveyance in a vacuum was performed, it is not restricted to this, It is also possible to apply to the conveying apparatus which conveys in air | atmosphere.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the etching apparatus. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the etching process and can be applied to other processes such as film formation. In the above embodiment, the multi-chamber type apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to a single-chamber type apparatus having only one processing chamber.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which a glass substrate for FPD is used as the substrate has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and another substrate such as a semiconductor wafer may be used.

The perspective view which shows roughly the plasma etching apparatus which is one Embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of this invention. FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view schematically showing the inside of the plasma etching apparatus of FIG. 1. Sectional drawing which shows the processing chamber used for the plasma etching apparatus of FIG. The schematic block diagram which shows the conveying apparatus to which the pick part which concerns on 1st Embodiment slides. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a configuration when a glass substrate is transferred from a transfer chamber to a processing unit by the transfer apparatus shown in FIG. FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views showing the transfer apparatus shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in which FIG. 4A is a state when the slide pick is located at the origin position in the transfer chamber, and FIG. Indicates the state when entering. The schematic diagram which shows the mechanism part in case the slide pick of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention exists in the origin position of a conveyance chamber. The schematic diagram which shows the mechanism part in case the slide pick of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention has approached in the processing chamber. (A) is sectional drawing along the IXa line of FIG. 7, (b) is sectional drawing along the IXb line of FIG. The schematic diagram which shows the mechanism part of the slide pick of the conveying apparatus with which the pick part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment slides. The typical sectional view of the conveying device which the pick part concerning a 2nd embodiment slides. It is a perspective view which shows the conveying apparatus to which the pick part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment slides, (a) is a state when a slide pick is located in the origin position in a conveyance chamber, (b) is a slide pick. Shows the state when is entering the processing chamber. It is a perspective view which shows the conveying apparatus with which the pick part which concerns on 4th Embodiment slides, (a) is a state when a slide pick is located in the origin position in a conveyance chamber, (b) is a slide pick. Shows the state when is entering the processing chamber.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Plasma etching apparatus 10; Processing chamber 20; Transfer chamber 22; Gate valve 30; Load lock chamber 50; Transfer device 51; Base 52, 53; Slide pick 56; Main body portion 57; Advance retracting portion 54; Conveyance control unit 60; main drive mechanism 70; process controller 80; secondary drive mechanism 82a; first pulley 83; speed reducer 84; second pulley 85; belt 86; third pulley 87; Telescopic cylinder 93; Fourth pulley 96; Belt 97; Fifth pulley 98; Clamp member 101; Susceptor 130; Elevating pin 131; Insertion space 300; Sub drive mechanism 310; Telescopic cylinder 400; Sub drive mechanism 410; 420; Spring G; Glass substrate

Claims (28)

A processing chamber for performing predetermined processing on the substrate on the substrate mounting table;
A substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate to the substrate mounting table;
Containing the substrate transfer device, and having a transfer chamber to which the processing chamber is connected,
The substrate transport apparatus has a pick that enters the processing chamber while supporting a substrate and transports the substrate to the substrate mounting table, and a main drive mechanism that drives the pick,
The pick includes a base, a plurality of support members extending in a fork shape from the base to support the substrate, and a sub-drive mechanism for extending and contracting the support members, and the substrate is conveyed in a state in which the support member is extended. A substrate processing apparatus.   The support member includes a first member coupled to the base portion, and a second member provided so as to be able to advance and retreat relative to the first member, and the auxiliary driving mechanism drives the second member. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sub drive mechanism drives the second member to advance in conjunction with slide movement of the pick by the main drive mechanism.   4. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a base on which the pick is slidable, and the pick can slide on the base and enter the processing chamber from the transfer chamber. The substrate processing apparatus as described. The pick has a connecting portion that connects the plurality of second members,
The sub-drive mechanism is
A first pulley suspended from the base or the first member toward the base and rotating in accordance with the sliding movement of the pick;
A second pulley disposed on the base or the first member and rotating in accordance with the rotation of the first pulley;
A third pulley disposed on the base or the first member and rotating via a belt with the rotation of the second pulley;
And a clamp member that is provided on the belt, mechanically connected to the second member, and moves with the movement of the belt to collectively move the plurality of second members. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a speed reducer is interposed between the first pulley and the second pulley.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sub drive mechanism drives the second member to advance independently of movement of the pick. The sub-drive mechanism is
A telescopic cylinder disposed on the base or the first member and having a telescopic rod;
A fourth pulley that is disposed on the base or the first member and rotates with the movement of the telescopic rod;
A fifth pulley disposed on the base or the first member and rotating via a belt with the rotation of the fourth pulley;
The clamp member is provided on the belt, mechanically connected to the second member, and moved along with the movement of the belt to move the second member. Substrate processing equipment. The fourth pulley is
A small pulley that rotates as the telescopic rod moves,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a large pulley that rotates together with the small pulley and on which the belt is stretched. The sub-drive mechanism is
An expansion / contraction cylinder disposed on the base or the first member and having an expansion / contraction rod that moves the second member so that the second member advances from the first member and returns onto the first member. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: The sub-drive mechanism is
When the pressurized gas is introduced, the bellows protrudes from the first member, and the second member moves forward from the first member. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a spring that elastically biases the two members so as to return to the first member.   The substrate transport apparatus further includes a base on which the pick is slidable, and the pick can slide on the base and enter the processing chamber from the transport chamber. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11.   13. The insertion space for allowing insertion of an elevating pin that moves up and down from the substrate mounting table of the processing chamber is formed between the plurality of support members. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to item 1.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of processing chambers are connected to the transfer chamber. A substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate,
A pick for transporting the substrate while supporting the substrate;
A main drive mechanism for driving the pick,
The pick includes a base, a plurality of support members extending in a fork shape from the base to support the substrate, and a sub-drive mechanism for extending and contracting the support members, and the substrate is conveyed in a state in which the support member is extended. A substrate transfer apparatus.   The support member includes a first member coupled to the base portion, and a second member provided so as to be able to advance and retreat relative to the first member, and the auxiliary driving mechanism drives the second member. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 15.   The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the sub drive mechanism drives the second support member to advance in conjunction with slide movement of the pick by the main drive mechanism.   The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the pick further includes a slidable base, and the pick slides on the base to transport the substrate. The pick has a connecting portion that connects the plurality of second members,
The sub-drive mechanism is
A first pulley suspended from the base or the first member toward the base and rotating in accordance with the sliding movement of the pick;
A second pulley disposed on the base or the first member and rotating in accordance with the rotation of the first pulley;
A third pulley disposed on the base or the first member and rotating via a belt with the rotation of the second pulley;
And a clamp member that is provided on the belt, mechanically connected to the second member, and moves with the movement of the belt to collectively move the plurality of second members. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 18.   The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 19, wherein a speed reducer is interposed between the first pulley and the second pulley.   The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the sub driving mechanism drives the second member to advance independently of movement of the pick. The sub-drive mechanism is
A telescopic cylinder disposed on the base or the first member and having a telescopic rod;
A fourth pulley that is disposed on the base or the first member and rotates with the movement of the telescopic rod;
A fifth pulley disposed on the base or the first member and rotating via a belt with the rotation of the fourth pulley;
The clamp member provided on the belt, mechanically connected to the second member, and moved along with the movement of the belt to move the second member. Substrate transfer device. The fourth pulley is
A small pulley that rotates as the telescopic rod moves,
23. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising a large pulley that rotates together with the small pulley and on which the belt is stretched. The sub-drive mechanism is
An expansion / contraction cylinder disposed on the base or the first member and having an expansion / contraction rod that moves the second member so that the second member advances from the first member and returns onto the first member. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 21, comprising: The sub-drive mechanism is
When the pressurized gas is introduced, the bellows protrudes from the first member, and the second member moves forward from the first member. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising a spring that elastically biases the two members so as to return to the first member.   26. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the pick further includes a slidable base, and the pick slides on the base to transport the substrate.   27. The insertion space for allowing insertion of an elevating pin that moves up and down from the substrate mounting table of the processing chamber is formed between the plurality of support members. 2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to item 1. 16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the substrate is provided in a transfer chamber connected to a processing chamber for performing a predetermined process on the substrate on the substrate mounting table, and the substrate is transferred to the substrate mounting table provided in the processing chamber. Item 28. The substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of Items 27.

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