JP2010103226A - Carrier and substrate carrier device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carrier capable of highly accurately positioning a glass substrate to the predetermined mounting position, and to provide a substrate carrier device provided with the same. <P>SOLUTION: A positioning means 31 includes: an approximately L-shaped supporting member 32; and a pressing member 33 for rotating the supporting member 32. The supporting member 32, for instance, is of an approximately L-shaped member with its whole part formed by a resin. The supporting member 32 is rotatably pivotally-fixed to a carrier frame 15 by a revolving shaft 34. The supporting member 32 also respectively hits and contacts a base 11b and a side 11c of the glass substrate 11. These parts where the supporting member 32 hits and contacts the glass substrate 11 are preferably formed, for instance, in the shape forming semicircular roll parts 32a, 32b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a carrier that supports a substrate, and a substrate transfer apparatus including the carrier.

  For example, in the manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display, a color filter is formed on a substrate made of glass or the like. In forming the color filter, a film forming apparatus (sputtering apparatus) that performs a heat treatment, a film forming process, and the like on a glass substrate in a vacuum environment is used.

  In recent years, with an increase in size of a liquid crystal display, a carrier circulation type in-line sputtering apparatus is used as a film forming apparatus. This carrier circulation type in-line sputtering apparatus includes a preparation chamber for introducing a glass substrate into a vacuum, a film formation chamber in which a sputtering target is disposed, a take-out chamber for returning the glass substrate from the vacuum to the atmosphere, and the like. And a glass substrate is mounted in the conveyance trolley called a carrier, and moves between each chamber which comprises an in-line sputtering apparatus (for example, refer patent document 1).

  As a carrier on which a glass substrate is placed, a so-called vertical carrier that holds the glass substrate in a substantially vertical direction is often used in order to minimize the installation area of the in-line sputtering apparatus. Such a vertical carrier includes a frame that is held in contact with the peripheral edge of the glass substrate. The frame is formed with an opening that exposes one film surface side of the glass substrate.

  When the glass substrate is put into the in-line sputtering apparatus, for example, the glass substrate placed horizontally is picked up by an articulated robot arm equipped with a suction cup or the like. Next, the glass substrate is rotated in a vertical state, and the glass substrate is leaned against the carrier frame. When the articulated robot arm releases the adsorption of the glass substrate, the glass substrate sinks by its own weight to a position where the bottom of the glass substrate is in contact with the receiving portion at the lower end of the frame. Thereafter, the glass substrate is gripped by pressing the peripheral edge of the substrate surface against the frame with a clamp or the like attached to the frame.

  In the above-described process of placing the glass substrate on the vertical carrier, a displacement of several millimeters may occur in the placement position of the glass substrate due to the restriction of the driving accuracy of the articulated robot arm. In addition, a glass substrate has a tolerance (dimensional error) of about 0.1%, but a large glass substrate having a side of several meters has a variation of several millimeters even with a tolerance of 0.1%.

  On one film-forming surface side of the glass substrate, a film-forming region is defined by the opening of the frame. For this reason, in the vertical type carrier, the horizontal width at the frame opening is defined in consideration of an error in placing the glass substrate and the tolerance of the glass substrate itself. In the vertical direction (height direction) of the glass substrate, the bottom of the glass substrate comes into contact with the receiving portion at the lower end of the frame by its own weight, so that the positioning with respect to the frame is performed without deviation.

  However, the horizontal direction of the carrier is not allowed to come into contact with both sides of the glass substrate in consideration of the error in the driving accuracy of the articulated robot arm, and allows the glass substrate to move slightly in the horizontal direction. Yes. For this reason, the horizontal direction of the glass substrate is positioned at a position leaning against the frame by the articulated robot arm. Therefore, there may be a deviation in the horizontal direction due to restrictions on the driving accuracy of the articulated robot arm.

  On the other hand, the glass substrate repeatedly accelerates and decelerates when moving between the chambers of the in-line sputtering apparatus while being placed on the carrier. In the horizontal direction of the carrier, there is no regulating member that comes into contact with both sides of the glass substrate, and the carrier is only sandwiched between clamps. For this reason, there is a concern that the glass substrate may be displaced in the horizontal direction on the carrier due to acceleration / deceleration during carrier movement.

  The opening of the frame is formed to be slightly smaller than the predetermined opening width corresponding to the horizontal positioning error that occurs when the glass substrate is placed as described above and the horizontal displacement that occurs when the glass substrate moves. . As a result, a large area (non-film formation area) where no film is formed at the peripheral edge of the glass substrate is taken to absorb a positional deviation in the horizontal direction of the glass substrate.

  However, in recent years, there has been a growing need for effective use up to the vicinity of the edge of a glass substrate due to a significant improvement in the manufacturing accuracy of liquid crystal displays. For this reason, it is necessary to form a film up to the vicinity of the edge of the glass substrate. For example, with respect to a glass substrate having a side of about 2 m, conventionally, a non-deposition region is formed from the edge to a position of about 18 mm inward. However, in recent years, it is necessary to make a non-film formation region from the edge to a position about 10 mm inward.

As described above, when placing a glass substrate on a vertical carrier, there is a carrier that can always accurately position the glass substrate regardless of the driving error of the robot arm that delivers the glass substrate and the tolerance of the glass substrate itself. It was sought after. Further, when the glass substrate is moved by a vertical carrier, a carrier is desired in which the glass substrate does not deviate from a predetermined placement position due to acceleration / deceleration accompanying the movement.
JP 2006-114675 A

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a carrier capable of always accurately positioning the glass substrate when the glass substrate is placed on a vertical carrier. In addition, a carrier in which the glass substrate is not displaced from a predetermined placement position by the movement of the carrier on which the glass substrate is placed is provided.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transport apparatus including a carrier capable of holding a glass substrate at a predetermined position when the glass substrate is placed and moved.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following carrier.
That is, the carrier of the present invention is a carrier that holds the substrate substantially vertically so that one surface of the substrate is substantially along the vertical direction, and is in contact with at least the peripheral edge of the substrate, and a carrier frame that supports the substrate; Positioning means for finely moving the substrate in the horizontal direction of the carrier frame by its own weight and positioning the substrate at a predetermined position of the carrier frame is provided.

  The positioning means may be a substantially L-shaped support member that is pivotally attached to the carrier frame and is in contact with the bottom side and the side side of the substrate. It is preferable that the support member has a shape that contacts the substrate in a dot shape or a linear shape. Further, it is preferable that a biasing member for rotating the support member is further provided. The support member may be made of resin.

  The substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention is characterized by comprising the carrier.

  According to the carrier of the present invention, even if the glass substrate is inserted in the carrier in a state where it is displaced in the horizontal direction from the predetermined holding position, the positioning means moves the glass substrate by the amount displaced in the horizontal direction. Thereby, a glass substrate can be mounted in a predetermined holding position. Even when the size of the glass substrate itself has an error, the support member can always align the center of the glass substrate with the center of the carrier frame.

  Such positioning means is configured to be simple and less likely to cause a failure, in which the support member held rotatably is rotated by its own weight of the glass substrate, and can be realized at low cost. This eliminates the need for an expensive and complicated position adjustment mechanism and a highly accurate robot arm, and realizes a carrier with high positioning accuracy at low cost.

  Moreover, such a carrier of the present invention can also suppress displacement of the glass substrate during movement. For example, if the carrier moves and stops repeatedly for each process while a large glass substrate is placed, the inertial force that causes the glass substrate to shift horizontally from a predetermined holding position due to the weight of the glass substrate, especially when stopped Will be added. However, in the carrier of the present invention, the support member always regulates the movement of the glass substrate in the horizontal direction due to its own weight. For this reason, even if the glass substrate slightly moves in the horizontal direction due to the acceleration / deceleration of the carrier, the deviation is immediately suppressed by the support member, and no deviation exceeding a certain value occurs. Therefore, even if it is a large and heavy glass substrate, it can convey between processes, always mounting in the predetermined holding position.

  In addition, if the carrier is used as a substrate transfer device for an in-line type sputtering apparatus, a large glass substrate can be placed in a predetermined holding position without deviation, so that it can be used as a carrier for a substrate transfer device that requires highly accurate positioning. Can also be used.

  Hereinafter, the best mode of a carrier according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is specifically described for better understanding of the gist of the invention, and does not limit the invention unless otherwise specified. In addition, in the drawings used in the following description, in order to make the features of the present invention easier to understand, there is a case where a main part is shown in an enlarged manner for convenience, and the dimensional ratio of each component is the same as the actual one. Not necessarily.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a carrier of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state where a substrate is placed on a carrier. As shown in FIG. 1, when film formation or the like is performed on a substrate, for example, a glass substrate 11, the glass substrate 11 is placed on a frame body called a carrier 10, and the carrier 10 is transported by a conveyor to be described later, as appropriate. Process.

  The carrier 10 is configured such that the glass substrate 11 is placed in a state in which the carrier 10 is arranged vertically. That is, the glass substrate 11 is held substantially vertically so that one surface 11a of the glass substrate 11 is along the substantially vertical direction V. The carrier 10 includes a frame-shaped carrier frame 15 made of aluminum or the like, a magnet 16 provided along the upper side of the carrier frame 15, and a slider 17 formed of a round bar provided along the lower side of the carrier frame 15. And.

  A plurality of substrate receivers 18 for receiving the load of the glass substrate 11 and maintaining the level of the glass substrate 11, and the periphery of the opening 21 of the carrier frame 15, hold the glass substrate 11 on the carrier 10. And a plurality of clamps 19 for making them. With such a configuration, the carrier frame 15 supports at least the peripheral edge of the glass substrate 11 and supports the glass substrate 11. Note that a mask 20 for covering the non-deposition region on the periphery of the glass substrate 11 is integrally formed with the carrier frame 15 at the periphery of the opening 21 of the carrier frame 15.

  In addition, the carrier frame 15 is not limited to the structure hold | maintained so that the one surface 11a of the glass substrate 11 may follow a perpendicular direction correctly. The carrier frame 15 may be configured to hold the glass substrate 11 in a substantially vertical direction inclined several degrees from the vertical direction.

  FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state where a carrier is placed in a vacuum chamber in the film forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2, the carrier 10 is placed in a vacuum chamber 50 that constitutes a film forming apparatus (not shown). The carrier 10 is circulated and conveyed through, for example, a plurality of vacuum chambers that constitute a vertical conveyance type vacuum film forming apparatus, an atmospheric conveyance conveyor that conveys in an atmospheric pressure environment, and the like.

  The vacuum chamber 50 includes, for example, a frame 22 supported and fixed to the floor surface FL, and a lower support mechanism 23 and an upper support mechanism 24 provided in the frame 22. Thus, the slider 17 provided on the lower side of the carrier 10 is engaged with the roller 25 of the lower support mechanism 23, and the roller 25 is driven to rotate by the motor 26. Side groove). Further, the magnet 16 provided on the upper side of the carrier 10 and the pair of magnets 27a and 27b constituting the upper support mechanism 24 are repelled so that the carrier 10 can be conveyed while being held vertically. Yes.

  FIG. 3A is an enlarged perspective view of the main part near the bottom (lower part) of the carrier. FIG. 3B is an enlarged perspective view in which the positioning means is enlarged. For convenience of explanation, the illustration of the clamp 19 is omitted. A plurality of substrate receivers 18 for receiving the glass substrate 11 are formed in contact with the bottom of the glass substrate 11 at the lower part of the carrier frame 15.

  Positioning means 31 for positioning the glass substrate 11 at a predetermined position is formed at the corners on both sides of the lower portion of the carrier frame 15. The positioning means 31 includes, for example, a substantially L-shaped support member 32 and a biasing member 33 that rotates the support member 32.

  The support member 32 is a substantially L-shaped member made of metal having excellent heat resistance such as stainless steel. The support member 32 is pivotally attached to the carrier frame 15 by a rotating shaft 34. Further, the support member 32 abuts on the base 11b and the side 11c of the glass substrate 11, respectively. Such a portion where the support member 32 abuts on the glass substrate 11 is preferably formed with a circumferential surface, for example, semi-cylindrical roll portions 32a and 32b. The roll parts 32a and 32b should just be formed from the member excellent in slipperiness with respect to the glass substrate 11, for example, resin.

  If the outer shape of the support member 32 is a semi-cylindrical shape, the support member 32 and the glass substrate 11 come into contact with each other in the form of dots or lines. As a result, the contact area between the support member 32 and the glass substrate 11 is kept to a minimum, friction can be reduced, and the glass substrate 11 can be positioned and moved smoothly with respect to the support member 32. Become. In addition, it is also preferable that the shape of the portion where the support member 32 abuts on the glass substrate 11 is a hemisphere having a smaller contact area (point contact) other than the semicylindrical shape described above.

  Further, by forming the support member 32 with resin, friction between the support member 32 and the glass substrate 11 can be reduced, and the glass substrate 11 can be smoothly positioned and moved with respect to the support member 32. become. And since friction reduces, the wear of support member 32 itself can also be reduced and the fall of the positioning accuracy of the glass substrate 11 can be prevented.

  An urging member 33 that urges the support member 32 in the rotation direction R1 around the rotation shaft 34 is in contact with the lower surface (bottom surface) of the support member 32. The urging member 33 may be formed from, for example, a leaf spring. By the action of the urging member 33, the support member 32 is urged so that the roll portion 32 a rotates in a direction away from the side edge 11 c of the glass substrate 11, that is, in a direction in which the roll portion 32 b pushes up the bottom side 11 b of the glass substrate 11. Is done.

  The operation of the carrier 10 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing stepwise the movement of the positioning means when placing the glass substrate on the carrier of the present invention. In FIG. 4, in order to clearly show the movement of the positioning unit 31, the size of the positioning unit 31 with respect to the carrier frame 15 is enlarged. When placing the glass substrate 11 on the carrier 10, for example, the glass substrate 11 is sucked and held by a robot arm (not shown) and inserted from above the vertical carrier frame 15 (FIG. 4A). )reference).

  At this time, a case where the glass substrate 11 is inserted along a position P2 shifted by Δt in the horizontal direction X with respect to a predetermined holding position (mounting position) P1 of the glass substrate 11 with respect to the carrier frame 15, for example. Suppose. The glass substrate 11 is inserted into the carrier frame 15 in a state shifted by Δt in the horizontal direction X. When the suction of the robot arm is released, the glass substrate 11 sinks along the insertion direction G due to its own weight. And the base 11b of the glass substrate 11 is in contact with the roll portion 32b of the support member 32 in a state of being flipped up by the urging member 33. When the glass substrate 11 further sinks in the insertion direction G due to its own weight, the support member 32 is rotated in the direction R2 opposite to the urging direction against the urging member 33.

  When the support member 32 is rotated in the direction R <b> 2, the roll portion 32 a of the support member 32 contacts the side 11 c of the glass substrate 11. When the support member 32 continues to rotate in the direction R due to the sinking of the glass substrate 11, the glass substrate 11 that has shifted in the horizontal direction X with respect to the predetermined holding position P <b> 1 is moved by the support member 32 in the horizontal direction X. Pressed. Then, the glass substrate 11 is moved in the horizontal direction X by Δt.

  When the glass substrate 11 is inserted into the carrier frame 15 in a state shifted from the predetermined holding position along the horizontal direction X by the above-described action, the L-shaped support member 32 is moved by the weight of the glass substrate 11. Rotate. The glass substrate 11 is moved (corrected) along the horizontal direction X to a predetermined holding position (mounting position) P1, and then supported by the base 11b by the plurality of substrate receivers 18 (FIG. 4B). reference).

  According to the carrier 10 of the present invention, even if the glass substrate 11 is inserted in a state shifted along the horizontal direction X from a predetermined holding position, the glass substrate 11 is shifted in the horizontal direction X by the positioning means 31. The glass substrate 11 can be placed at a predetermined holding position. Even when the size of the glass substrate 11 itself has an error, the support member 32 can always align the center of the glass substrate 11 with the center of the carrier frame 15.

  Further, such positioning means 31 can be realized at a low cost with a simple and less fear of causing a failure in which the L-shaped support member 32 held rotatably is rotated by its own weight of the glass substrate 11. It has a configuration. This eliminates the need for an expensive and complicated position adjustment mechanism and a highly accurate robot arm, and realizes a carrier with high positioning accuracy at low cost.

  On the other hand, the carrier 10 of the present invention can also suppress the positional deviation of the glass substrate 11 during movement. For example, the carrier 10 is also used for the purpose of transporting a large glass substrate 11 having a side of several meters. When the carrier 10 is repeatedly moved and stopped for each process in a state where such a large glass substrate 11 is placed, a stress is applied to the glass substrate 11 to move along the horizontal direction X from a predetermined holding position due to inertia. In particular, a large glass substrate has a large inertial force, and the horizontal displacement cannot be suppressed only by holding the glass substrate 11 with the clamp 19 interposed therebetween.

  However, in the carrier 10 of the present invention, the L-shaped support member 32 always regulates the movement of the glass substrate 11 in the horizontal direction due to its own weight. For this reason, even if the glass substrate 11 tries to move in the horizontal direction X due to acceleration / deceleration accompanying the movement or stop of the carrier 10, the shift is immediately corrected by the support member 32 and returned to the predetermined holding position. Therefore, even if it is a large and heavy glass substrate 11, it can convey between processes, always mounting in the predetermined holding position.

  If the carrier 10 as described above is used as, for example, a substrate transfer device of an inline sputtering apparatus, the large glass substrate 11 can be placed at a predetermined holding position without deviation. Accordingly, for example, a carrier of a substrate transport apparatus that requires a highly accurate positioning of a substrate for forming a film on a substrate surface inside the non-deposition region within a range of 10 mm from the edge with respect to the glass substrate 11. Can also be used.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows an example of the carrier of this invention. It is a side view which shows the state which mounted the carrier on the conveyor. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the positioning means of the carrier of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the effect | action of a positioning means.

Explanation of symbols

10 Carrier 11 Glass substrate (substrate)
15 Carrier frame 31 Positioning means 32 Support member 33 Biasing member

Claims (6)

A carrier that holds the substrate substantially vertically so that one surface of the substrate is along a substantially vertical direction,
A carrier frame for supporting the substrate in contact with at least a peripheral edge of the substrate;
A carrier comprising: positioning means for finely moving the substrate in a horizontal direction of the carrier frame by its own weight and positioning the substrate at a predetermined position of the carrier frame.   2. The carrier according to claim 1, wherein the positioning unit is a substantially L-shaped support member that is pivotally attached to the carrier frame and is in contact with a bottom side and a side side of the substrate. .   The carrier according to claim 2, wherein the support member has a shape in contact with the substrate in a point shape or in a line shape.   The carrier according to claim 2, further comprising an urging member that rotates the support member.   The carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the support member is made of resin. A substrate transport apparatus comprising the carrier according to claim 1.

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