JP2010093196A - Apparatus for drying substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform drying processing, while stably and smoothly transporting a large substrate using an inexpensive structure. <P>SOLUTION: An apparatus for drying the substrate includes a mechanism for transporting the substrate W and an air knife 16 which goes obliquely across a path for transporting the substrate W by the mechanism for transporting the substrate. The mechanism for transporting the substrate includes an upstream side roller group arranged in an upstream side region EA of the air knife 16, a downstream side roller group provided in a downstream side region EB, a driving system 50, and an auxiliary supporting apparatus 70 having an auxiliary roller 76. The roller groups consist of unit roller groups G1-G3 and G4-G6 consisting of a plurality of transporting rollers having the same length, respectively. The length of the transporting roller in the unit roller groups G1-G3 and G4-G6 is set to be longer toward an upstream side unit roller group in the upstream side roller group and set to be shorter toward an upstream side unit roller group in the downstream side roller group. The auxiliary supporting apparatus 70 is arranged in spaces S1-S4 formed between the roller groups in the upstream side and the downstream side and the air knife 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to various substrates such as glass substrates for FPD (flat panel displays) such as LCD (liquid crystal display) and PDP (plasma display), glass substrates for organic EL, optical disk substrates, glass substrates for photomasks, and semiconductor wafers. The present invention relates to a drying processing apparatus that performs a drying process.

  Conventionally, cleaning liquid adhering to the substrate is removed by blowing air (gas) to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate while transporting substrates such as LCD and PDP glass substrates after wet cleaning by driving the transport rollers. A substrate drying apparatus for drying the substrate is known.

  In many of this type of apparatus, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, a pair of upper and lower air knives are provided so as to obliquely cross a substrate conveyance path, and gradually from the tip corner of the substrate as the substrate is conveyed. The cleaning liquid adhering to the substrate is removed by blowing air.

In this case, if the conveying roller is provided over the entire width of the conveying path, the conveying roller intersects with the lower air knife and obstructs the blowing of air, so normally, the document 1 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 4, by arranging the conveying rollers whose length is set to be gradually shortened (longer) along the air knife, separately on the upstream side and the downstream side with the air knife interposed therebetween, The above-mentioned circumstances have been avoided.
JP 2003-176882 A

  In recent years, the size of substrates to be processed has been significantly increased. Such a large-sized substrate is required to be transported in a flatter state because slight bending during transportation causes cracks and the like. Further, in order to smoothly transport a substrate that has been increased in weight due to an increase in size, it is necessary to transmit more driving force to the substrate. Therefore, in the substrate drying apparatus as described above, it is desirable to arrange a larger number of transport rollers with the pitch being reduced.

  However, as in Patent Document 1, in the conventional apparatus in which the conveying rollers whose lengths are set to be gradually shortened (longer) along the air knife are arranged, a large number of conveying rollers are arranged with a small pitch. If it is going to arrange, since many conveyance rollers from which length mutually differs are needed, there exists a problem that manufacturing cost (especially manufacturing cost of a conveyance roller) will become expensive. In particular, when the shaft length is long, it is difficult to obtain the accuracy and the manufacturing cost is high. Therefore, when targeting a large substrate, a large number of transport rollers having a long shaft length and different lengths are required. Therefore, this problem becomes remarkable.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a substrate drying apparatus capable of performing a drying process on a substrate while stably and smoothly transporting a large substrate with a more inexpensive configuration. It is intended to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a transport unit that transports a substrate in a predetermined direction, and a substrate that is provided so as to obliquely cross a transport path of the substrate by the transport unit and is transported by the transport unit. In the substrate drying apparatus provided with a pair of upper and lower nozzle members for injecting gas to each of the upper and lower surfaces, the transfer means is disposed in a region upstream of the nozzle member in the substrate transfer direction, and the substrate An upstream roller group having a plurality of transport rollers arranged parallel to each other in the transport direction, and a plurality of rollers arranged in a region downstream of the nozzle member in the substrate transport direction and arranged parallel to each other in the substrate transport direction A downstream roller group having a conveyance roller, a drive system for driving the conveyance roller of each roller group, and supporting the substrate and rotating as the substrate is conveyed Each of the roller groups is composed of a plurality of unit roller groups arranged in the substrate transport direction, and each of the unit roller groups has a plurality of the transports having the same length. The upstream roller group has the longest conveyance roller length of the unit roller group located on the most upstream side in the substrate conveyance direction, and the unit roller group located on the downstream side has a conveyance roller length that is longer. The length of the transport roller of each unit roller group is set so as to be shorter, and the length of the transport roller of the unit roller group located on the most upstream side in the substrate transport direction is the shortest, and the downstream roller group The length of the transport roller of each unit roller group is set so that the length of the transport roller is longer in the unit roller group located on the side, and the auxiliary support member is In which is disposed in a gap portion formed between the nozzle member and the respective rollers of the fine downstream.

  According to this substrate drying apparatus, as described above, each roller group on the upstream side and downstream side of the nozzle member is composed of a unit roller group including a plurality of transport rollers having the same length. Even when a large number of transport rollers are arranged, the manufacturing cost of the entire device can be reduced by the fact that a plurality of transport rollers of the same length can be used, that is, the transport rollers with high manufacturing costs can be shared. It becomes possible. On the other hand, when each of the upstream and downstream roller groups is configured as described above, the space occupied by each roller group becomes a staircase, and a triangular gap is formed between each roller group and the nozzle member. In this substrate drying apparatus, since the auxiliary support member having the auxiliary roller is disposed in the gap portion, it is possible to prevent the substrate from being bent in the gap portion while configuring each roller group as described above. Note that the auxiliary support member is simply provided with an auxiliary roller so as to support and rotate along with the movement of the substrate, so that the cost is much lower than that of a conveyance roller that requires high accuracy. Can be produced. Therefore, in total, the proportion of the transport means in the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and this makes it possible to reduce the cost of the substrate drying apparatus.

  In this apparatus, the upstream roller group and auxiliary support member provided in the upstream area, and the downstream roller group and auxiliary support member provided in the downstream area are substantially in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle member. It is preferable that the rotation positions are symmetrical with respect to the intermediate position.

  According to this configuration, the conveyance roller and the auxiliary support member provided in each of the upstream and downstream regions of the nozzle member can be shared, which is more advantageous in reducing the manufacturing cost.

  Further, in this apparatus, it is preferable that the transport rollers included in the upstream roller group and the transport rollers included in the downstream roller group are arranged on the same axis with the nozzle member interposed therebetween.

  According to this configuration, a driving force (propulsive force) can be applied over substantially the entire width direction of the substrate on the same axis, which is advantageous in ensuring the straight-running stability of the substrate.

  In addition, this apparatus preferably includes intermediate support means for rotatably supporting the transport roller at one or more positions in the longitudinal direction.

  According to this configuration, the transport rollers of the unit roller groups having different lengths can be stably provided without being bent.

  Further, in this apparatus, the auxiliary support member includes a plurality of types of auxiliary support members having different numbers or arrangements of the auxiliary rollers for each type, and these auxiliary support members fill the gap portion. It is preferable that the gaps are arranged in a predetermined arrangement.

  As described above, according to the configuration using a plurality of common auxiliary support members, it is possible to contribute to the reduction of the manufacturing cost through the common use of parts.

  In the above-described apparatus, the drive system includes a first drive system that drives a transport roller included in each roller group that is located upstream of a specific position of the nozzle member in the substrate transport direction. It is preferable that the transport roller is composed of a second drive system that drives a transport roller located downstream of the specific position.

  Specifically, each of the first and second drive systems is disposed at a position on one end side in the width direction of the transport path, and a drive source that generates a rotational driving force, and a shaft provided so as to cross the transport path A member, a transmission means for transmitting the rotational driving force of the driving source to the transport roller and the shaft member at a position on one end side in the width direction, and further transmitting the rotational driving force transmitted to the shaft member to the one end in the width direction. Transmission means for transmitting from the shaft member to the conveying roller at a position on the other end side opposite to the side.

  In other words, it is possible to smoothly transport a large substrate while suppressing the output of the drive source of each drive system by sharing the drive of the plurality of transport rollers among a plurality of drive systems. If each drive system is configured to drive the transport rollers in units of groups, a separate system of driving force (propulsive force) is provided on both sides of the nozzle member at a specific location on the substrate in the substrate transport direction. If there is a difference in rotational speed between the conveying roller of the upstream roller group and the conveying roller of the downstream roller group, a rotation (twisting) force acts on the substrate and the substrate is skewed. It is possible to invite. On the other hand, as described above, according to the configuration in which the transport roller is driven separately on the upstream side and the downstream side at the specific position in the substrate transport direction regardless of the roller group, Since the driving force (propulsive force) by the same drive system is applied to the positions on both sides of the nozzle member, it is possible to stably transport the substrate without the above-described disadvantages. .

  In this case, the shaft member of the first drive system is a substrate transport roller provided at a position upstream of the roller group in the substrate transport direction, and the shaft member of the second drive system is It is preferable that the transfer roller for substrate transfer is provided at a position downstream of the roller group in the substrate transfer direction.

  According to this structure, it becomes a more rational apparatus structure which used both the shaft member for drive transmission, and the conveyance roller for board | substrate conveyance.

  According to the present invention, even when a large number of transport rollers are arranged with a small pitch, as described above, since a plurality of transport rollers having the same length can be used, the ratio of transport means in the manufacturing cost is total. Can be reduced. Accordingly, the substrate can be subjected to a drying process while stably and smoothly transporting a large substrate with a cheaper configuration.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a substrate drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the substrate drying apparatus has a closed processing tank 10. The processing tank 10 includes a box-shaped tank body 10A having a rectangular shape in plan view having a carry-in port 12 and a carry-out port 14, and a support frame 10B that includes a column 111, a crosspiece 112, and the like and supports the tank body 10A from the outside. The tank body 10B is made of a hard resin material such as vinyl chloride that has been subjected to an antistatic treatment (for example, coating of a conductive resin), while the support frame 10B is made of a relatively hard material such as an aluminum alloy. It is made of light metal materials and resin materials that are light and strong.

  The processing tank 10 incorporates a substrate transport mechanism (corresponding to the transport means of the present invention) for transporting the substrate W from the transport inlet 12 toward the transport outlet 14 in the tank body 10A. A pair of upper and lower air knives 16 and 16 (see FIG. 2) for injecting air (CDA (Clean Dry Air) whose cleanliness and temperature and humidity are adjusted to a predetermined level) on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W transported by the mechanism. Corresponding to the nozzle member of the present invention).

  As will be described in detail later, the substrate transport mechanism has an inclined posture in which the substrate W is tilted, specifically, the front side of the apparatus (that is, the side on which the operation panel or the like is disposed; the lower side in FIG. 1) is first lowered. The substrate is configured to transport the substrate W, and the air knives 16 and 16 are disposed on both upper and lower positions across the transport path of the substrate W transported by the substrate transport mechanism.

  Each of the air knives 16 and 16 comprises a so-called slit nozzle having a slit-like injection port, and as shown in the figure, the air knife 16 and 16 crosses the transport path obliquely and can be opposed to the substrate W with a certain gap. The front side is arranged in a sloping posture with a downward slope. Specifically, the lower end is disposed on the downstream side in the substrate transport direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the downstream side) with respect to the upper end. Each air knife 16, 16 is arranged to inject air slightly toward the upstream side (hereinafter simply referred to as the upstream side) in the substrate transport direction, as schematically shown in FIG. As the substrate W is transported, air is blown obliquely downward along the substrate W in order from the upper corner of the tip.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate transport mechanism is provided in a region upstream of the position of the air knives 16 and 16 (referred to as upstream region EA), and is arranged in parallel with each other at regular intervals in the substrate transport direction. A plurality of rollers arranged in parallel to each other at regular intervals in the substrate transport direction, provided in an upstream roller group composed of a transport roller and a region downstream of the position of the air knives 16 and 16 (referred to as a downstream region EB). A downstream roller group composed of conveyance rollers, a drive system 50 for driving the conveyance rollers of each roller group, and an auxiliary support device 70 (corresponding to the auxiliary support member of the present invention) disposed in each area are provided. .

  The upstream roller group provided in the upstream area EA is composed of unit roller groups each having a plurality of conveying rollers having the same length. In this embodiment, two upstream rollers having the same length are sequentially arranged from the upstream side. The first unit roller group G1 including the transport roller 21, the second unit roller group G2 including 12 transport rollers 22 of the same length, and the third unit roller group G3 including 6 transport rollers 23 of the same length It is made up of. In each of the unit roller groups G1 to G3, the length of the transport roller 21 of the first unit roller group G1 located on the most upstream side in the substrate transport direction is the longest, and the unit roller group located on the downstream side has the length of the transport roller. The lengths of the transport rollers 21 to 23 of the unit roller groups G1 to G3 are set so as to be shorter.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each of the transport rollers 21 to 23 includes a roller shaft 20a and a roller body 20b fixed to a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction with respect to the roller shaft 20a. In the state in which the substrate W is supported by the roller main body 20b, a rotational driving force is applied to the roller shaft 20a by the drive system 50, thereby transporting the substrate W in the tangential direction of the roller main body 20b. In FIG. 1, the reference numerals of the roller shaft 20a and the roller body 20b are shown only for some of the conveying rollers.

  Among the transport rollers 21 to 23, the adjacent transport rollers 21 to 23 are configured such that the roller body 20b is shifted by a half pitch in the axial direction. That is, each of the unit roller groups G1 to G3 has, as the transport rollers 21 to 23, two types of transport rollers having the same length and the arrangement pitch of the roller main bodies 20b shifted by a half pitch. Various types of conveyance rollers are alternately arranged in the substrate conveyance direction. As a result, the roller main bodies 20b of the conveying rollers 21 to 23 adjacent to each other are arranged so as to be shifted by a half pitch.

  As for the conveyance rollers 21-23 of each unit roller group G1-G3, the front-end part penetrates the side plate 101 of the tank main body 10A, protrudes outside the tank main body 10A, and the protruded end is supported on the support frame body 10B side. Further, with respect to the transport rollers 21 and 22, one or a plurality of positions in the axial direction are supported on the tank main body 10A side in the middle part thereof.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, in the support frame 10 </ b> B, a support plate 34 is supported on the horizontal rail 112 via a bracket 36, and the roller shaft 20 a of the transport rollers 21 to 23 is supported on the support plate 34. Is rotatably supported. Specifically, an auxiliary support plate 38 is disposed inside the support plate 34 (left side in FIG. 3), and the auxiliary support plate 38 is connected to the support plate 34 via a connecting shaft 37, and this auxiliary support plate 38. The bearing member 39 is fixed to the upper end of the roller, and the roller shaft 20a of the transport rollers 21 to 23 is supported by the bearing member 39.

  On the other hand, in the tank body 10A, a bearing device 30 (corresponding to the intermediate support means of the present invention) is erected on the inner bottom plate 102, and a bearing 32 provided at the upper end of each of the conveying rollers 21, 22 is provided. A middle portion of the roller shaft 20a is rotatably supported. A plurality of bearings 32 are provided in the bearing device 30 so as to be aligned in the substrate transport direction, and thereby a plurality of adjacent roller shafts 20a are supported by the common bearing device 30.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of convenience, the upstream roller group further includes a pressing roller 41. As shown in FIG. 3, the pressing roller 41 is provided above a specific conveying roller 21 among the conveying rollers 21 to 23, and includes a roller shaft 40a and a roller body 40b fixed to the tip thereof. ing. The roller main body 40b is positioned above the outermost roller main body 20b of the roller main body 20b such as the transport roller 21. Therefore, the pressing roller 41 has the end in the width direction of the substrate W at the position from above. Hold down. Then, by rotating in synchronization with the rotation of the transport rollers 21 to 23, the floating of the substrate W is suppressed while allowing the transport of the substrate W.

  The end portion of the press roller 41 passes through the side plate 101 on the front side of the tank body 10A and protrudes to the outside of the tank body 10A, and is supported on the support frame 10B side in a cantilever state. Specifically, a bearing member 42 is fixed to the upper end portion of the support plate 34 and a bearing member 44 is fixed to the auxiliary support plate 38, and the roller shaft 40 a of the presser roller 41 is supported by the bearing members 42 and 44. It is supported.

  The downstream roller group provided in the downstream region EB is configured to be symmetric with the upstream roller group described above. Specifically, the downstream roller group rotates with the upstream roller group around the intermediate position of the air knives 16 and 16 in the substrate transport direction. It has a symmetrical configuration. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the downstream roller group includes, in order from the upstream side, a fourth unit roller group G4 including six transport rollers 24 having the same length, and 12 transport rollers 25 having the same length. It includes a fifth unit roller group G5 including the sixth unit roller group G6 including the two transport rollers 26 having the same length.

  In each of the unit roller groups G4 to G6, the transport roller 24 of the fourth unit roller group G4 located on the most upstream side in the substrate transport direction has the longest length, and the unit roller group positioned on the downstream side has a transport roller length. The lengths of the transport rollers 24 to 26 of the unit roller groups G4 to G6 are set such that the transport roller 24 of the fourth unit roller group G4 and the transport roller 26 of the third unit roller group G3 The transport roller 25 of the fifth unit roller group G5 has the same configuration as the transport roller 22 of the second unit roller group G2, and the transport roller 26 of the sixth unit roller group G6 has the same configuration as the transport roller 21 of the first unit roller group G1. Have. The transport rollers 24 and 25 of the unit roller groups G4 and G5 in the downstream roller group and the transport rollers 22 and 23 of the unit roller groups G2 and G3 in the upstream roller group are those at both ends in the substrate transport direction. Except for this, the air knives 16 and 16 are arranged so as to be aligned on the same axis.

  The transport rollers 24 to 26 have the same configuration as the transport rollers 21 to 23 described above, and the support structure of the transport rollers 24 to 26 with respect to the processing tank 10 is also basically the transport rollers of the upstream roller group. It is common with the support structure of 21-23. Although not shown, the downstream roller group also includes a pressing roller similar to the pressing roller 41, and the structure of the pressing roller and the support structure for the processing tank 10 are basically the same as the pressing roller 41. It is. Therefore, the description about the conveyance rollers 24-26 and the pressing roller is omitted here.

  The drive system 50 is located upstream of the substantially intermediate position (intermediate position in the substrate transport direction) of the air knives 16 and 16 among the transport rollers 21 to 26 of the upstream and downstream roller groups. The first drive system 50A for driving the second drive system 50B and the second drive system 50B for driving the one located downstream.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the first drive system 50A transmits a motor 54A as a drive source and a driving force output from the motor 54A to the transport rollers 21, 22, 24, and 25. Drive transmission mechanism. This drive transmission mechanism includes a transport roller 61A (corresponding to the shaft member of the present invention) arranged at an upstream position separately from the upstream roller group, and an output shaft and a transport roller of the motor 54A on the rear side of the apparatus. Pulleys 56 fixed to the ends of the respective roller shafts 20a, 60a of 24, 25, 61A, drive transmission belts 58A wound around these pulleys 56, and rollers of the conveying rollers 21, 22, 61A on the front side of the apparatus The pulley 57 is fixed to the ends of the shafts 20a and 60a, and the drive transmission belt 59A is wound around the pulleys 57. That is, the first drive system 50A transmits the driving force of the motor 54A to the transport rollers 24 and 25 (the transport roller 25 is a part thereof) of the unit roller groups G4 and G5 via the drive transmission belt 58A and the like. Then, it is transmitted to each of the transport rollers 21 and 22 (part of the transport roller 22) of the unit roller groups G1 and G2 via the transport roller 61A and the drive transmission belt 59A.

  On the other hand, the second drive system 50B includes a motor 54B as a drive source and a drive transmission mechanism for transmitting the drive force output from the motor 54B to the transport rollers 22, 23, 25, and 26. This drive transmission mechanism includes a transport roller 61B (corresponding to the shaft member of the present invention) arranged at a downstream position separately from the downstream roller group, and an output shaft and a transport roller of the motor 54B on the rear side of the apparatus. Pulleys 56 fixed to the ends of the respective roller shafts 20a, 60a of 25, 26, 61B, drive transmission belts 58B wound around these pulleys 56, and rollers of the conveying rollers 22, 23, 61B on the front side of the apparatus The pulley 57 is fixed to the shaft end portion, and the drive transmission belt 59B is wound around the pulley 57. That is, the second drive system 50B transmits the driving force of the motor 54B to the transport rollers 25 (part of the transport rollers 25) and 26 of the unit roller groups G5 and G6 via the drive transmission belt 58B and the like. Then, it is transmitted to the respective transport rollers 22 (part of the transport roller 22) and 23 of the unit roller groups G2 and G3 via the transport roller 61B and the drive transmission belt 59B.

  Similarly to the transport roller 21 and the like, the transport rollers 61A and 61B are configured to include a roller shaft 60a and a roller main body 60b fixed to a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction of the roller shaft 60a. Both ends of the transport rollers 61A and 61B pass through the side plates 101 before and after the tank body 10A and protrude to the outside of the tank body 10A. Like the transport rollers 21 to 26, the protruding ends are support frame bodies. It is supported on the 10B side. This support structure is the same as that of the conveyance rollers 21 to 26 as shown in parentheses in FIG. Also, the roller shaft 60a of the transport rollers 61A and 61B is supported on the tank body 10A side by the bearing device 30 in this way, and this is the same as the transport roller 21 and the like.

  Note that gears 64 and 66 that mesh with each other are fixed to the roller shaft 20a of the conveying rollers 21 to 26 and the roller shaft 40a of the pressing roller 41, respectively. Accordingly, the press roller 41 is also rotationally driven in synchronism with the rotation of the conveying roller 2 and the like.

  The auxiliary support device 70 supports the substrate W in an area where the substrate group cannot be supported by the roller group in the upstream area EA and the downstream area EB. That is, the space occupied by the upstream roller group in the upstream area EA is stepped as a result of the unit roller groups G1 to G3 having different lengths arranged in the transport direction as described above. Between the air knives 16, 16, triangular spaces S 1, S 2 are formed along the air knives 16, 16. Therefore, the auxiliary support device 70 is disposed in the spaces S1 and S2. Also in the downstream area EB, the downstream roller group has a rotationally symmetric configuration with the upstream roller group as described above. Therefore, like the upstream area EA, the triangular space S3 that is rotationally symmetric with the spaces S1 and S2. S4 is formed along the air knives 16,16. Therefore, the auxiliary support device 70 is disposed in the spaces S3 and S4.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the auxiliary support device 70 is fixed to the base 72 having a lip groove type cross section fixed to the inner bottom plate 102 of the tank body 10 </ b> A and the side surface of the base 72 so as to face each other. The substrate W is movably supported by an auxiliary roller 76 that is rotatably supported on the upper end of each adjustment plate 74.

  Each adjustment plate 74 is fastened to the base 72 by a bolt 78 and can be displaced in the vertical direction with respect to the base 72 by loosening the fixing bolt 78. Each adjustment plate 74 is provided with a nut portion 80 having a screw hole penetrating in the vertical direction. An adjustment bolt 82 is screwed into the nut portion 80 from above, and the tip of the bolt is a nut. The portion 80 is abutted against the lip portion 72 a of the base 72 through the portion 80. In other words, when the adjustment bolt 82 is rotated with the fixing bolt 78 loosened, the adjustment plate 74 is displaced in the vertical direction with respect to the base 72, whereby the height of the auxiliary roller 76 can be adjusted and after the adjustment, The height can be maintained by fastening the fixing bolt 78.

  Although illustration is omitted, as the auxiliary support device 70, in addition to those shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a plurality of types of auxiliary support devices 70 having different numbers or arrangements of auxiliary rollers 76 are provided for each type. These auxiliary support devices 70 are arranged in the spaces S1 to S4 in a predetermined arrangement so as to fill the spaces S1 to S4 (see FIG. 1). The type and arrangement of the auxiliary support devices 70 arranged in the spaces S1 and S2 and the type and arrangement of the auxiliary support devices 70 arranged in the spaces S3 and S4 are rotationally symmetric with each other.

  In the substrate drying apparatus described above, the roller group in each area EA, EB is driven by the drive system 50 so that the substrate W is transported in an inclined posture along the transport path. , 16 passes through the positions of the air knives 16, 16 so that air is sprayed onto the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W, and the cleaning liquid adhering to the substrate W is removed. At this time, in this substrate drying apparatus, as described above, the roller groups are provided in a state where the air knives 16 and 16 are separated from each other on the upstream side and the downstream side. The air is not blocked by the transport rollers 21 to 26, and therefore, the air can be blown to the substrate W satisfactorily.

  In addition, in this substrate drying apparatus, the roller groups in the areas EA and EB are each composed of a plurality of unit roller groups G1 to G3 and G4 to G6 including a plurality of transport rollers having the same length, so that the pitch is reduced. Even when a large number of transport rollers are arranged, this type of conventional apparatus (background art patent) can be used because a plurality of transport rollers of the same length can be used, that is, a transport roller having a high manufacturing cost can be shared. Compared with the literature 1), the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  More specifically, in the above embodiment, for example, the total number of transport rollers 21 to 23 included in the upstream roller group provided in the upstream area EA is 20 (first unit roller group G1; two, second unit) The roller groups G2: 12 and the third unit roller group G3: 6), but the types of the transport rollers 21 to 26 included in the unit roller groups G1 to G3 are considered in consideration of the arrangement of the roller body 20b as described above. Since there are two types per unit roller group, the upstream roller group can be constructed with a total of six types of conveying rollers. On the other hand, in the conventional apparatus, since all the conveying rollers having different lengths are arranged along the air knife, if the conveying rollers are arranged at the same pitch as in the above embodiment, 20 kinds of conveying rollers are required. Therefore, according to the substrate drying apparatus of the embodiment, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the transport roller as compared with the conventional apparatus because the number of types of the transport roller is small. In the substrate drying apparatus of this embodiment, the roller groups in the areas EA and EB are configured as described above. As a result, a triangular space is formed between the upstream and downstream roller groups and the air knives 16 and 16. S1 to S4 are formed, but in this apparatus, the auxiliary support device 70 is disposed in the S1 to S4, and thereby configured to support the substrate W so as to be movable. While constituting the roller group, it is possible to effectively prevent the substrate W from being bent in the spaces S1 to S4. Therefore, the substrate W can be supported flat at a level comparable to that of the conventional apparatus.

  In this embodiment, the manufacturing cost of the transport roller can be reduced by using a plurality of transport rollers of the same length, but it is necessary to provide the auxiliary support device 70 in the spaces S1 to S4. That much manufacturing cost is required. However, since the auxiliary support device 70 is simply a device in which the auxiliary roller 76 is provided so as to support the substrate W as it is moved as described above, the conveyance roller 21 is required to have high accuracy. It can be manufactured at a much lower cost than ~ 26. Moreover, in this embodiment, as described above, the auxiliary support device 70 includes a plurality of types of auxiliary support devices 70 having different numbers or arrangements of the auxiliary rollers 76 for each type, and these auxiliary support devices 70 are the spaces. Arranged in the spaces S1 to S4 in a predetermined arrangement so as to fill S1 to S4. By using a plurality of common auxiliary support devices 70 in this way, the cost required for the auxiliary support devices 70 can be suppressed. Yes. Accordingly, the ratio of the substrate transport mechanism in the manufacturing cost can be reduced in total, and as a result, a large-sized substrate W can be stably and smoothly manufactured with an inexpensive configuration as compared with the conventional apparatus. The substrate can be dried while being conveyed.

  In the substrate drying apparatus of the above embodiment, the drive system 50 for driving the roller groups in the areas EA and EB is mainly composed of the air knives 16 and 26 among the transport rollers 21 to 26 in the upstream and downstream roller groups. The first drive system 50A that drives the one located upstream of the substantially intermediate position 16 (intermediate position in the substrate transport direction) and the second drive system 50B that drives the one located downstream are configured. Therefore, there is an advantage that the substrate W can be transported satisfactorily without inconvenience such as skew. That is, the upstream roller group and the downstream roller group may be driven by separate drive systems, but in this case, the width direction of the transport path across the position of the air knives 16 and 16 in the substrate W For example, if there is a difference between the rotational speed of the upstream roller group and the rotational speed of the downstream roller group, a rotational (twisting) force acts on the substrate W because the driving force (propulsive force) of different systems is applied to both sides. This may cause inconvenience such as the substrate W skewing. In that respect, according to the configuration in which the transport rollers 21 to 26 are driven separately on the upstream side and the downstream side with respect to the intermediate position as in the case of the roller group as in the above-described embodiment, Can apply a driving force (propulsive force) by the same driving system to positions on both sides of the air knives 16, 16, so that the substrate W can be transported smoothly and stably without the above disadvantages. It becomes possible.

  The substrate drying apparatus described above is an example of an embodiment of the present invention, and the specific configuration thereof can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment, the roller group provided in each of the upstream and downstream areas EA and EB includes three unit roller groups G1 to G3 and G4 to G6 arranged in the transport direction, but is included in each roller group. The number of unit roller groups and the number of transport rollers included in the unit roller group are not limited to those in the embodiment, and are appropriately selected according to the width of the areas EA and EB, the size of the substrate W, and the like. be able to.

  In the embodiment, the upstream roller group provided in the upstream area EA and the downstream roller group provided in the downstream area EB are rotationally symmetric as described above, but are not necessarily rotationally symmetric. There is no need. However, when rotationally symmetric as in the embodiment, as described above, the transport rollers 21 to 23 of the upstream roller group and the transport rollers 24 to 26 of the downstream roller group can be made common, so that the manufacturing cost is increased. This is advantageous in terms of cost reduction and parts management. This also applies to the arrangement and configuration of the auxiliary support devices 70 arranged in the areas EA and EB.

  In the embodiment, among the transport rollers 21 to 26, the one located mainly upstream of the substantially intermediate position (intermediate position in the substrate transport direction) of the air knives 16 and 16 is driven by the first drive system 50A and is downstream. The drive system 50 is configured so that the second drive system 50B is driven by the second drive system 50B. Of course, the influence of the rotational speed of the upstream roller group and the downstream roller group does not matter. In this case, a configuration in which the conveyance roller is driven for each roller group as a drive system may be adopted. Further, each of the upstream and downstream roller groups may be driven by a single drive system.

  In the embodiment, the application example of the present invention has been described with respect to a substrate drying apparatus that blows air onto the substrate W while transporting the substrate W in an inclined posture when viewed from the transport direction. The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus that transports W in a horizontal posture, and in that case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

It is a plane schematic diagram showing a substrate drying device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between an air knife and a board | substrate. It is sectional drawing (III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 5) which shows the support structure of a conveyance roller and a pressing roller. It is a side view (IV arrow view of FIG. 1) of the board | substrate drying apparatus which shows the drive system which drives a roller group. It is a side view of the substrate drying apparatus showing a drive system for driving the roller group (viewed in the direction of arrow V in FIG. 1). It is a side schematic diagram showing composition of an auxiliary support device. It is sectional drawing (the VII-VII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 6) which shows the structure of an auxiliary | assistant support apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Processing tank 10A Tank main body 10B Support frame body 12 Carry-in port 14 Carry-out port 16 Air knife 20a Roller shaft 20b Roller main body 21-26 Conveyance roller 50 Drive system 50A 1st drive system 50B 2nd drive system 61A, 61B Conveyance roller 70 Auxiliary support Device EA Upstream area EB Downstream area G1 1st unit roller group G2 2nd unit roller group G3 3rd unit roller group G4 4th unit roller group G5 5th unit roller group G6 6th unit roller group W Substrate

Claims (8)

A transport means for transporting the substrate in a predetermined direction, and an upper and lower surface provided so as to obliquely cross the transport path of the substrate by the transport means, and jetting gas to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate transported by the transport means In a substrate drying apparatus provided with a pair of nozzle members,
The transport means is disposed in a region upstream of the nozzle member in the substrate transport direction, and has an upstream roller group having a plurality of transport rollers arranged in parallel with each other in the substrate transport direction, and in the substrate transport direction. A downstream roller group having a plurality of transport rollers arranged in a region downstream of the nozzle member and arranged in parallel with each other in the substrate transport direction, and a drive system for driving the transport rollers of each roller group; An auxiliary support member that includes an auxiliary roller that supports the substrate and rotates with the conveyance of the substrate,
Each of the roller groups is composed of a plurality of unit roller groups arranged in the substrate transport direction, and each of the unit roller groups is composed of a plurality of transport rollers having the same length,
In the upstream roller group, the length of the conveyance roller of the unit roller group located on the most upstream side in the substrate conveyance direction is the longest, and the length of the conveyance roller becomes shorter in the unit roller group located on the downstream side. The length of the transport roller of each unit roller group is set,
In the downstream roller group, the length of the transport roller of the unit roller group located on the most upstream side in the substrate transport direction is the shortest, and the length of the transport roller is longer in the unit roller group located on the downstream side. The length of the transport roller of each unit roller group is set,
The substrate drying apparatus, wherein the auxiliary support member is disposed in a gap formed between each of the upstream and downstream roller groups and the nozzle member. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 1,
The upstream roller group and auxiliary support member provided in the upstream area, and the downstream roller group and auxiliary support member provided in the downstream area have a substantially intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle member as a fulcrum. A substrate drying apparatus having a rotationally symmetrical structure. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A substrate drying apparatus, wherein each conveyance roller included in the upstream roller group and each conveyance roller included in the downstream roller group are arranged on the same axis with the nozzle member interposed therebetween. The substrate drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A substrate drying apparatus comprising intermediate support means for rotatably supporting the transport roller at one or more positions in the longitudinal direction. The substrate drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
As the auxiliary support member, there are a plurality of types of auxiliary support members having different numbers or arrangements of the auxiliary rollers for each type, and the gap portions are arranged in a predetermined arrangement so that the auxiliary support members fill the gap portions. A substrate drying apparatus, wherein the substrate drying apparatus is disposed on the substrate. The substrate drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The drive system includes: a first drive system that drives a transport roller included in each roller group that is located upstream of a specific position of the nozzle member in the substrate transport direction; and A substrate drying apparatus comprising: a second drive system that drives a device located downstream of the specific position. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
Each of the first and second drive systems is disposed at a position on one end side in the width direction of the transport path to generate a rotational driving force, a shaft member provided so as to cross the transport path, Transmission means for transmitting the rotational driving force of the driving source to the transport roller and the shaft member at a position on one end side in the width direction, and the rotational driving force transmitted to the shaft member further opposite to the one end side in the width direction And a transmission means for transmitting the shaft member to the conveying roller at a position on the other end side of the substrate. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 7,
The shaft member of the first drive system is composed of a transport roller for transporting a substrate provided at a position upstream of the roller group in the substrate transport direction, and the shaft member of the second drive system is composed of the roller group. And a substrate transporting roller provided at a downstream position in the substrate transport direction.

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