JP2018040045A - Substrate holder, plating device, and method for holding substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve holdability of a large-sized substrate in a substrate holder.SOLUTION: Provided is a substrate holder which includes a first and a second holding members for clamping and fixing a substrate. The first holding member has: a first holding member main body; and a clamp provided to the first holding member main body, which is rotatable about a shaft parallel to a face of the first holding member main body or reciprocally movable in a direction crossing with the face of the first holding member main body. The second holding member has a second holding member main body. The clamp is engaged with the second holding member in a state where the first holding member main body and the second holding member main body are abutting against each other to be able to fix the second holding member to the first holding member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2C

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate holder, a plating apparatus, and a method for holding a substrate.

  Conventionally, wiring, bumps (projection electrodes), and the like are formed on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a printed circuit board. An electroplating method is known as a method for forming the wirings, bumps, and the like.

  The plating apparatus used for the electrolytic plating method includes a substrate holder that seals an end face of a circular or polygonal substrate and exposes and holds the surface (surface to be plated). When performing the plating process on the substrate surface in such a plating apparatus, the substrate holder holding the substrate is immersed in the plating solution.

Patent Document 1 describes a substrate holder for a semiconductor wafer. In this substrate holder, the substrate placed on the fixed holding member (first holding member 22) is sandwiched by the movable holding member (second holding member 24), and the press ring 27 on the second holding member 24 is rotated to rotate the first holding member. By engaging with the clamper 33 on the holding member 22, the substrate is fixed to the substrate holder.
Patent Document 2 describes a substrate holding jig for a square printed circuit board. In this substrate holding jig, the printed circuit board P is fixed by four gripping members 30 provided on the rectangular frame 20.
Patent Document 3 describes a plating apparatus that transports a substrate in a horizontal state and performs a plating process in a state of being horizontally held on a holding base 42 of a plating unit 26.

JP, 2006-117717, A Japanese Patent No. 4179707 JP 2009-270167 A

The configuration described in Patent Document 1 is for plating a circular semiconductor wafer. Currently, there is a demand for plating a substrate having various sizes, shapes, and thicknesses. In particular, when a large thin film substrate is held by the substrate holder of Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the substrate is bent by the rotation of the presser ring.
In the substrate holding jig described in Patent Document 2, both the blocks are screwed in a state where the end portions of the substrate are sandwiched between the pair of blocks 31 and 32 of the holding member 30, and the substrate is fixed by the holding member 30. However, this configuration is not suitable for automating the holding by the substrate holding jig.
In the configuration described in Patent Document 3, it is described that the size of the apparatus can be reduced without providing a complicated posture changing mechanism by conveying and processing the inside of the apparatus with the processing surface of the glass substrate facing upward. Yes. However, when processing a substrate that is warped with a thin film rather than a glass substrate, if the surface to be processed is transported upward, the substrate surface may be damaged or the substrate may be damaged.

  An object of the present invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above.

  [1] A substrate holder according to an aspect of the present invention includes first and second holding members that sandwich and fix a substrate, and the first holding member includes a first holding member body and the first holding member. A clamp provided on the main body and capable of rotating around an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member main body or reciprocating in a direction intersecting the surface of the first holding member main body, The second holding member has a second holding member main body, and the clamp engages with the second holding member in a state where the first holding member main body and the second holding member main body are in contact with each other, and The two holding members can be fixed to the first holding member.

  According to this substrate holder, the first holding the substrate by the clamp that can rotate around an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member main body or reciprocate in a direction intersecting the surface of the first holding member main body. Since the holding member and the second holding member are fixed to each other, it is possible to suppress or prevent the force in the rotation direction from being applied to the substrate. In particular, when the substrate is a large thin film, there is a possibility that the substrate will bend when a rotational force is applied to the substrate. However, this substrate holder can bend even when holding a large and thin substrate. It can be suppressed or prevented.

[2] In the substrate holder according to [1], the clamp is urged in a closing direction by a first urging member, and the second holding member main body is held in the first holding state with the clamp opened. The second holding member can be fixed to the first holding member in a state in which the second holding member is brought into contact with the member main body and then the clamp is closed.
In this configuration, since the clamp is a normally closed type, if the clamp is opened when the second holding member main body is brought into contact with the first holding member main body, it is not necessary to apply force from the outside by an actuator or the like in the clamped state. Energy consumption can be suppressed.

[3] In the substrate holder according to [1] or [2], the first holding member further includes a plurality of clamps, and further includes a connecting member that connects the plurality of clamps. The plurality of clamps are configured to operate synchronously.
In this configuration, the second holding member can be clamped at a plurality of locations, and the operation of each clamp is synchronized by the connecting member, so that the clamping operation can be performed efficiently. Moreover, the structure of the actuator which applies force from the outside can be simplified by interlocking a plurality of clamps with a connecting member.

[4] In the substrate holder according to [3], the connecting member is a rotating shaft rotatably attached to the first holding member main body.
In this case, by configuring the connecting member with a rotating shaft, the configuration is simple, and each clamp can be reliably synchronized.

[5] The substrate holder according to [3] or [4], further including a first force receiving portion provided on the connecting member, wherein the first force receiving portion includes the first force. It is comprised so that it may operate | move when force is given to a receiving part.
In this case, for example, by applying a force to the first force receiving portion with an actuator, each clamp can be operated via the interlocking member, so that it is easy to automate the holding by the clamp.

[6] The substrate holder according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the clamp has an engaging portion at a tip, and the second holding member receives the engaging portion of the clamp. Having an engagement receiving portion.
In this case, the engagement by the clamp can be improved by providing the second holding member with an engagement receiving portion configured to receive the engagement portion of the clamp.

[7] The substrate holder according to [6], wherein the engagement receiving portion is separate from the second holding member main body and is attached to the second holding member main body.
In this case, by adopting a configuration in which a separate engagement receiving portion is attached to the second holding member main body, it is easy to appropriately select the size, shape, number, etc. of the engagement receiving portions.

[8] The substrate holder described in [1] to [7] may further include a clip for holding the substrate. Since the substrate is held by the first and second holding members after the substrate is held by the clip, the substrate can be held accurately and reliably.
[9] The substrate holder according to [8], wherein the clip is provided on a surface of the second holding member main body that is in contact with the substrate, and further includes a clip for holding the substrate. Can rotate around an axis parallel to the surface of the second holding member body or can reciprocate in a direction intersecting the surface of the second holding member body.
According to this substrate holder, the substrate is held by the second holding member by a clip that can rotate around an axis parallel to the surface of the second holding member main body or reciprocate in a direction intersecting the surface of the second holding member main body. Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent the force in the direction parallel to the substrate surface such as the rotation direction from being applied to the substrate. In particular, when the substrate is a large thin film, there is a risk of bending the substrate if a force in a direction parallel to the substrate surface, such as the rotation direction, is applied to the substrate, but this substrate holder holds the large thin film substrate. Also when it does, generation | occurrence | production of a bending can be suppressed thru | or prevented. In addition, it is easy to move the second holding member after the substrate is fixed by the clip, change the posture, and the like.

[10] In the substrate holder according to [9], the clip is urged in a closing direction by a second urging member.
In this configuration, since the clip is a normally closed type, if the clip is opened when the substrate is brought into contact with the second holding member body, it is not necessary to apply an external force by an actuator or the like in the clipped state, thereby suppressing energy consumption. it can.

[11] The substrate holder according to [10], wherein the second holding member includes a second force receiving portion provided in the second holding member main body, and the second force receiving portion includes the substrate and the second force receiving portion. It is configured to be able to be displaced so that it receives a force from a surface opposite to the surface on the abutting side and abuts against the clip, and the clip is pressed against the second force receiving portion to It is configured to open against the biasing member.
In this case, for example, the clip can be operated by applying a force to the second force receiving portion with an actuator, so that it is easy to automate the fixing with the clip. Since the second force receiving portion that receives the force from the surface opposite to the surface that contacts the substrate is provided, the actuator can be disposed on the side opposite to the substrate contacting surface, and the second holding member after fixing the substrate It is easy to move and change the posture.

[12] In the substrate holder according to any one of [1] to [11], the first holding member includes a first holder that holds the first elastic protrusion on a surface that contacts the substrate; A second holder that is different from the first holder and that holds the second elastic protrusion.
In this case, since the holders for holding the first elastic protrusion and the second elastic protrusion are separately provided, the elastic protrusions can be exchanged separately.

[13] In the substrate holder according to any one of [1] to [12], the substrate holder includes an arm portion on one end side.
In this case, it becomes possible to carry the substrate holder while the substrate holder is vertically suspended by the arm portion, and the risk of damage to the substrate surface can be suppressed or prevented.

[14] The substrate holder according to any one of [1] to [13], wherein the substrate holder is configured to hold a rectangular substrate.
A large thin-film rectangular substrate can be held without bending.

[15] A plating apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a substrate holder that holds a substrate, and a plating tank that receives the substrate holder and performs plating on the substrate. The substrate holder includes first and second holding members that sandwich and fix the substrate. The first holding member is provided on the first holding member main body and the first holding member main body, and is rotatable around an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member main body or of the first holding member main body. And a clamp capable of reciprocating in a direction intersecting the surface. The second holding member has a second holding member body. The clamp engages with the second holding member so as to press the second holding member toward the first holding member in a state where the first holding member main body and the second holding member main body are in contact with each other. Is configured to do.
According to this plating apparatus, the same effects as described above in [1] can be obtained. Moreover, since the large thin film substrate can be appropriately held by the substrate holder, the plating quality can be secured and improved.

[16] In the method for holding a substrate according to an aspect of the present invention, the substrate is sandwiched between first and second holding members, and can be rotated around an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member. Alternatively, the second holding member is fixed so as to be pressed toward the first holding member by a clamp capable of reciprocating in a direction intersecting the surface of the first holding member main body.
According to this method, the same operational effects as described in [1] can be obtained.

[17] The method for holding a substrate according to [16], wherein the substrate is placed on the second holding member when the substrate is sandwiched between the first and second holding members. May be held by a clip, and the first holding member and the second holding member may be brought close to each other so that the substrate is sandwiched between the first and second holding members.
In this case, since the substrate is held between the first holding member and the second holding member after the substrate is held on the second holding member by the clip, the second holding member can be moved and the posture thereof can be changed after holding the substrate by the clip. In addition, the substrate can be held accurately and reliably.

1 is an overall layout view of a plating apparatus in which a substrate holder according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. It is a schematic front view of the substrate holder which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic side view of a substrate holder. It is a schematic rear view of a substrate holder. It is a front perspective view of a substrate holder. It is a back perspective view of a substrate holder. It is a front view of a substrate holder. It is a rear view of a substrate holder. It is a front view of a back plate. It is a rear view of a back plate. It is a partial enlarged rear view of the substrate holder showing the attachment state of the back plate. It is a partial expansion perspective view of a substrate holder which shows the attachment state of a backplate. It is a perspective view which shows the relationship between a clamp and a connection member. It is a perspective view of the clamp of a clamp state. It is a side view of the clamp of a clamp state. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the clamp in a clamped state. It is sectional drawing of the clamp of a clamp state. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the clamp of an unclamp state. It is a side view of the clamp of an unclamp state. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the clamp in an unclamped state. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the clamp of an unclamp state. It is a partially notched side view which shows the clip of a backplate. It is a partially expanded perspective view which shows the clip of a backplate. It is a partially notched perspective view which shows the state of the clip at the time of closure. It is a partially notched sectional view which shows the state of the clip at the time of closing. It is a partially notched perspective view which shows the state of the clip at the time of open | release. It is a partially cutaway sectional view showing the state of the clip at the time of opening. It is sectional drawing which shows the inner seal part of a front plate. It is sectional drawing which shows the inner seal part and outer seal part of a front plate.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same or corresponding members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. In this specification, expressions such as “front”, “back”, “front”, “back”, “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, etc. are used. The above shows the position and direction on the paper surface of the example drawing, and may differ in actual arrangement when the apparatus is used.

  FIG. 1 is an overall layout diagram of a plating apparatus in which a substrate holder according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. As shown in FIG. 1, this plating apparatus 100 loads a substrate (corresponding to an example of an object to be processed) on the substrate holder 1 or unloads the substrate from the substrate holder 1, It is roughly divided into a processing unit 120 for processing a substrate and a cleaning unit 50a. The processing unit 120 further includes a pre-processing / post-processing unit 120A that performs pre-processing and post-processing of the substrate, and a plating processing unit 120B that performs plating processing on the substrate. In addition, the board | substrate processed with this plating apparatus 100 contains a square substrate and a circular substrate. The rectangular substrate includes a polygonal glass substrate such as a rectangle, a liquid crystal substrate, a printed circuit board, and other polygonal plating objects. The circular substrate includes a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate, and other circular plating objects.

  The load / unload unit 110 includes two cassette tables 25 and a substrate detachment mechanism 29. The cassette table 25 is mounted with a cassette 25a that stores substrates such as semiconductor wafers, glass substrates, liquid crystal substrates, and printed circuit boards. The substrate removal mechanism 29 is configured to attach and detach the substrate to and from the substrate holder 1 (described later in FIG. 2A). In addition, a stocker 30 for accommodating the substrate holder 1 is provided in the vicinity (for example, below) of the substrate removal mechanism 29. In the center of these units 25, 29, and 30, a substrate transfer device 27 including a transfer robot that transfers a substrate between these units is disposed. The substrate transfer device 27 is configured to be able to travel by the travel mechanism 28.

  The cleaning unit 50a includes a cleaning device 50 that cleans and dries the substrate after the plating process. The substrate transport device 27 is configured to transport the plated substrate to the cleaning device 50 and take out the cleaned substrate from the cleaning device 50.

The pre-processing / post-processing unit 120A includes a pre-wet tank 32, a pre-soak tank 33, a pre-rinse tank 34, a blow tank 35, and a rinse tank 36. In the pre-wet tank 32, the substrate is immersed in pure water. In the pre-soak tank 33, the oxide film on the surface of the conductive layer such as the seed layer formed on the surface of the substrate is removed by etching. In the pre-rinse tank 34, the substrate after the pre-soak is cleaned with a cleaning liquid (pure water or the like) together with the substrate holder. In the blow tank 35, the substrate is drained after cleaning. In the rinsing tank 36, the substrate after plating is cleaned with a cleaning liquid together with the substrate holder. The pre-wet tank 32, the pre-soak tank 33, the pre-rinse tank 34, the blow tank 35, and the rinse tank 36 are arranged in this order. The configuration of the pretreatment / post-processing unit 120A of the plating apparatus 100 is an example, and the configuration of the pre-processing / post-processing unit 120A of the plating apparatus 100 is not limited, and other configurations can be adopted. .

  The plating processing unit 120 </ b> B has a plurality of plating tanks 39 provided with an overflow tank 38. Each plating tank 39 accommodates one substrate therein and immerses the substrate in a plating solution held therein to perform plating such as copper plating on the substrate surface. Here, the type of the plating solution is not particularly limited, and various plating solutions are used depending on the application.

  The plating apparatus 100 includes a substrate holder transfer device 37 that employs, for example, a linear motor system, which is located on the side of each of these devices and transfers the substrate holder together with the substrates between these devices. The substrate holder transport device 37 is configured to transport the substrate holder between the substrate desorption mechanism 29, the pre-wet tank 32, the pre-soak tank 33, the pre-rinse tank 34, the blow tank 35, the rinse tank 36, and the plating tank 39. Is done.

  The plating processing system including a plurality of plating apparatuses 100 configured as described above includes a controller 175 configured to control each unit described above. The controller 175 includes a memory 175B that stores a predetermined program, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 175A that executes the program in the memory 175B, and a control unit 175C that is realized by the CPU 175A executing the program. The control unit 175C, for example, controls the transport of the substrate transport device 27, controls the attachment / detachment of the substrate to / from the substrate holder in the substrate detachment mechanism 29, controls the transport of the substrate holder transport device 37, and controls the plating current and plating time in each plating tank 39. In addition, the opening diameter of an anode mask (not shown) and the opening diameter of a regulation plate (not shown) disposed in each plating tank 39 can be controlled. The controller 175 is configured to be communicable with a host controller (not shown) that performs overall control of the plating apparatus 100 and other related apparatuses, and can exchange data with a database included in the host controller. Here, the storage medium constituting the memory 175B stores various programs such as various setting data and a plating processing program described later. As the storage medium, known media such as a computer-readable memory such as ROM and RAM, and a disk-shaped storage medium such as a hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and flexible disk can be used.

[Substrate holder]
FIG. 2A is a schematic front view of a substrate holder according to an embodiment. FIG. 2B is a schematic side view of the substrate holder. FIG. 2C is a schematic rear view of the substrate holder. FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of the substrate holder. FIG. 3B is a rear perspective view of the substrate holder. FIG. 4A is a front view of the substrate holder. FIG. 4B is a rear view of the substrate holder.

  The substrate holder 1 includes a front plate 300 and a back plate 400. The substrate S is held between the front plate 300 and the back plate 400. In this embodiment, the substrate holder 1 holds the substrate S with one side of the substrate S exposed. The substrate S can be a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate, a liquid crystal substrate, a printed board, or other objects to be plated. The substrate S has any shape such as a circle and a square. In the following description, a rectangular substrate will be described as an example. However, if the shape of the opening of the substrate holder 1 is changed, it is possible to hold a circular or other shape substrate.

The front plate 300 includes a front plate main body 310 and an arm portion 330. The arm portion 330 is a grip portion that is gripped by the substrate holder transport device 37 and is a portion that is supported when the arm portion 330 is disposed in the plating tank 39. The substrate holder 1 is conveyed vertically with respect to the installation surface of the plating apparatus, and is disposed in the plating tank 39 in a vertically standing state.

  The front plate main body 310 is generally rectangular and has a front surface 301 and a back surface 302. The front plate body 310 is attached to the arm portion 330 at two locations by the attachment portion 320. The front plate main body 310 is provided with an opening 303, and the surface to be plated of the substrate S is exposed from the opening 303. In the present embodiment, the opening 303 is formed in a rectangular shape corresponding to the rectangular substrate S. When the substrate S is a circular semiconductor wafer or the like, the shape of the opening 303 is also circular.

  A wiring buffer portion 311 is provided on the side of the front plate body 310 close to the arm portion 330. The wiring buffer unit 311 is a region for distributing cables that reach the front plate main body 310 via the arm unit 330, and is a region that accommodates a cable having a spare length. The wiring buffer portion 311 is formed with a thickness slightly larger than other portions of the front plate body 310 (see FIG. 2B). A connector 331 for electrically connecting to an external wiring is provided on one end side of the arm portion 330 (see FIG. 3A and the like). The back plate 400 is fixed to the back surface 302 of the front plate body 310 by a clamp 340 (FIGS. 2C, 3B, and 4B).

(Mounting structure of back plate to front plate)
FIG. 5A is a front view of the back plate. FIG. 5B is a rear view of the back plate. FIG. 6A is a partially enlarged rear view of the substrate holder showing the attachment state of the back plate. FIG. 6B is a partially enlarged perspective view of the substrate holder showing a state where the back plate is attached. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the clamp and the connecting member.

  The back plate 400 includes a back plate body 410. The back plate body 410 has a generally rectangular shape, but has a smaller size than the front plate body 310 of the front plate 300 (FIGS. 3B and 4B). The back plate body 410 has a front surface 401 (FIG. 5A) and a back surface 402 (FIG. 5B).

  A front surface 401 of the back plate body 410 is a mounting surface of the substrate S, and is attached to the back surface 302 of the front plate body 310. A total of eight clips 420 for holding (fixing) the substrate S are provided on the front surface 401 of the back plate body 410 corresponding to each side of the substrate S. In this example, one clip 420 is arranged on each of the upper side and the lower side of the substrate S, and three clips 420 are arranged on the left piece and the right side, respectively. The number and arrangement of the clips 420 are appropriately selected according to the size and shape of the substrate S, and are not limited to the illustrated number and arrangement.

  Positioning pieces 490 are provided at three of the four corners of the back plate body 410. A through hole 490 a is formed in the positioning piece 490. The positioning piece 490 may be formed integrally with the back plate body 410, or may be formed separately from the back plate body 410 and attached to the back plate body 410. On the back surface 302 of the front plate main body 310, positioning pins 390 are provided at positions corresponding to the positioning pieces 490 (FIGS. 6A and 6B). The positioning pins 390 may be formed integrally with the front plate body 310, or may be formed separately from the front plate body 310 and attached to the front plate body 310. When the back plate 400 is attached to the front plate 300, the positioning pins 390 are inserted through the through holes 490a of the positioning pieces 490 of the back plate 400, and the both are aligned.

As shown in FIG. 4B, fixing members 350 are disposed on the back surface 302 of the front plate 300 corresponding to the four sides of the back plate 400. Two fixing members 350 are provided for one side of the back plate 400, and are arranged side by side along one side of the back plate 400. As shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 7, two clamps 340 are attached to each fixing member 350. Therefore, four clamps 340 are provided per side. Further, a lever 342 for operating the four clips 420 simultaneously is attached between the two fixing members 350 on each side.

  A rotating shaft 341 is attached across the two fixing members 350 on each side. The rotating shaft 341 is rotatably attached to the fixed member 350 (FIG. 7). Each clamp 340 and lever 342 are non-rotatably attached to the rotation shaft 341 by key coupling (key and key groove) (FIGS. 8A, B, and 9A, B). The four clamps 340 are attached to the rotation shaft 341 with the same phase, but the lever 342 is attached to the rotation shaft 341 with a phase different from that of the four clamps 340. With this configuration, when the lever 342 rotates, the four clamps 340 rotate in synchronization therewith. Here, the clamp 340 is configured to rotate around a rotation axis 341 parallel to the surfaces 301 and 302 of the front plate body 310, but reciprocating in a direction perpendicular to the surfaces 301 and 302 of the front plate body 310. Then, the clamp 340 may be configured to clamp the back plate 400.

  The clamp 340 has an engaging portion 340a that is curved like a bowl at the tip. The clamp 340 has a through hole on the base end side, and a rotation shaft 341 is inserted through the through hole and fixed to be non-rotatable by a key and a key groove. When not receiving external force, the lever 342 is urged to rise from the back surface 302 of the front plate 300 by a compression spring 343 as shown in FIG. 7, and each clamp 340 is closed accordingly. Is biased in the direction. In other words, the clamp 340 is configured as a normally closed type. One end of the compression spring 343 is in contact with or fixed to the spring receiving member 344, and the other end is in contact with or fixed to the lever 342. The lever 342 is configured as a force receiving portion that can receive a pressing force from the outside. The lever 342 can receive a pressing force from an actuator provided in the board attaching / detaching mechanism 29, for example. In FIG. 10B, the actuator AR1 is schematically shown. Actuator AR1 is provided with drive parts DRV, such as an air cylinder and a motor, and rod-shaped member RD driven by drive part DRV, for example. When the lever 342 receives a pressing force from the actuator AR1, the lever 342 rotates in a direction to tilt toward the back surface 302 of the front plate 300, and accordingly, the clamp 340 rotates in the opening direction. In this example, four actuators AR1 are provided corresponding to the levers 342 on each side. Preferably, the four actuators AR1 are simultaneously driven to push the lever 342. However, the four actuators AR1 may be driven separately and are not limited to being driven simultaneously.

  An engagement receiving portion 430 is provided on the back surface 402 of the back plate 400 at a position corresponding to the clamp 340. As shown in this embodiment, the engagement receiving portion 430 is formed as a separate member from the back plate body 410 of the back plate 400 and may be attached to the back plate body 410 or formed integrally with the back plate body 410. It may be what you did. The engagement receiving portion 430 is formed with a protruding portion 430a having a shape capable of being hooked and engaged with the hook-like engagement portion 340a of the clamp 340. The protrusion 430a has a longer dimension than the engagement portion 340a in order to reliably receive the engagement of the engagement portion 340a of the clamp 340.

Hereinafter, a structure for attaching the back plate 400 to the front plate 300 will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the clamp in a clamped state. FIG. 8B is a side view of the clamp in a clamped state. FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the clamp in a clamped state. FIG. 9B shows
It is sectional drawing of the clamp of a clamp state. FIG. 10A is a perspective view showing a configuration of a clamp in an unclamped state. FIG. 10B is a side view of the clamp in an unclamped state. FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the clamp in an unclamped state. FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the clamp in an unclamped state.

  As described above, the clamp 340 is a normally closed type, and is in a closed state as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B and FIGS. 9A and 9B when the lever 342 is not subjected to a pressing force. When the back plate 400 is attached to the front plate 300, first, a pressing force is applied to the lever 342 of the front plate 300 by the actuator AR1 (FIG. 10B), and as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B and FIGS. The clamp 340 is rotated in the opening direction against the urging force of 343. With the clamp 340 opened, the back plate 400 is disposed at a predetermined position on the back surface 302 of the front plate 300. At this time, the alignment pin 390 of the front plate 300 engages with the through hole 490a of the alignment piece 490 of the back plate 400, and the back plate 400 is aligned with a predetermined position of the front plate 300.

  Next, the pressing force of the actuator AR1 is removed from the lever 342 of the front plate 300. Accordingly, the lever 342 is rotated toward the original position by the urging force of the compression spring 343, and the clamps 340 are rotated in the closing direction. As a result, the engaging portion 340a of the clamp 340 engages with the engaging receiving portion 430 of the back plate 400, and the back plate 400 is fixed to the front plate 300 (FIGS. 8A and B and FIGS. 9A and 9B).

  When the back plate 400 is removed, as described above, a pressing force is applied to the lever 342 of the front plate 300 by an actuator (not shown), and the clamp 340 is rotated in a direction to open against the urging force of the compression spring 343. (FIGS. 10A and B and FIGS. 11A and B). As a result, the clamp 340 is released from the engagement receiving portion 430, and the back plate 400 can be detached from the front plate 300.

(Mounting structure of the board to the back plate)
FIG. 12A is a partially cutaway side view showing a clip of the back plate. FIG. 12B is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a clip of the back plate. FIG. 13A is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a state of a clip at the time of closing. FIG. 13B is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing the state of the clip when closed. FIG. 14A is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a state of a clip when opened. FIG. 14B is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing the state of the clip when opened.

  A total of eight clips 420 corresponding to each side of the substrate S are provided on the front surface 401 of the back plate 400 (see FIG. 5A). In addition, buttons 470 are provided on the back surface 402 of the back plate 400 at positions corresponding to the respective clips 420 (see FIG. 5B). When no force is applied to the button 470, the surface on the front surface 401 side of the button 470 is disposed with a predetermined distance from the base ends of the two clips 421 (FIG. 13B). The button 470 includes a force receiving portion 471, an elastic portion 472 that supports the force receiving portion 471 so as to be displaceable with respect to the back plate body 410, and a mounting portion 473 on the outer periphery of the elastic portion 472. The button 470 is fixed at the attachment portion 473 by a pressing member 474 and a fastening member 475. The fastening member 475 is, for example, a stud, a bolt, or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, each clip 420 is fixed to a fixed portion 423 fixed to the front surface 401 of the back plate body 410, a fixed shaft 424 fixed to the fixed portion 423 so as not to rotate, and a fixed shaft 424. Two clips 421 that are rotatably supported while being translated, and a winding spring 422 that is provided on each of the clips 421 and biases the clip 421 in the closing direction.

  The clip 421 has a claw portion 421a at its distal end, and a long hole 421b and two round holes 421c are formed on its proximal end side. The clip 421 is attached by inserting the fixed shaft 424 through the elongated hole 421b. As illustrated in FIG. 13B, the winding spring 422 includes a winding portion 422c and legs 422a and 422b extending from the winding portion 422c. The winding spring 422 is formed by winding a wire or the like a plurality of times in a circular shape to provide a winding portion 422c, leaving leg portions 422a and 422b having a predetermined length. The leg portion 422a has a bent portion that bends at a substantially right angle at the tip, and this bent portion is inserted and fitted into a round hole 421c on the proximal end side of the two round holes 421c of the clip 421. The other leg portion 422b is not attached to the clip 421, and has a bent portion that bends at a substantially right angle at the tip, and this bent portion abuts on a regulating surface 423a provided on the fixing portion 423. Supported by the state. Moreover, the leg part 422a is guided by the guide surface 423b provided in the fixing | fixed part 423 (FIG. 13B, FIG. 14B).

  With this configuration, the clip 421 can rotate toward the outside of the back plate body 410 while moving away from the back plate body 410 (FIGS. 13B to 14B). As a result, the clip 421 is opened (FIGS. 14A and 14B). Conversely, the clip 421 can rotate toward the inside of the back plate body 410 while moving in a direction approaching the back plate body 410 (FIGS. 14B to 13B). As a result, the clip 421 is closed (FIGS. 13A and 13B). In this embodiment, the clip 421 is biased in the closing direction by the winding spring 422 in a state in which no force is applied from the outside, and is normally closed (FIGS. 13A and 13B).

  When the substrate S is placed on the back plate 400, a pressing force is applied to the eight buttons 470 (force receiving portion 471) of the back plate 400 from the outside by the actuator AR2 (FIG. 14B). As a result, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the force receiving portion 471 is displaced toward the front surface 401 and comes into contact with the proximal end portions of the two clips 421. As shown in FIG. 14B, the clip 421 rotates in the direction away from the back plate body 410 by the force received from the force receiving portion 471, and rotates to the outside of the back plate body 410 to be in an open state (FIG. 14B). . As schematically shown in FIG. 14B, the actuator AR2 includes, for example, a drive unit DRV such as an air cylinder or a motor, and a rod-shaped member RD driven by the drive unit DRV. Eight actuators AR2 are provided corresponding to the eight buttons 470. Preferably, the eight actuators AR2 are simultaneously driven to press the button 470. However, the eight actuators AR2 may be driven separately and are not limited to being driven simultaneously.

  In a state where the clip 421 is opened, the substrate S is placed at a predetermined position on the front surface 401 of the back plate 400, and then the pressing force by the actuator AR2 is released from the button 470. As a result, the clip 421 rotates inward of the back plate main body 410 while moving in a direction approaching the back plate main body 410 by the urging force of the winding spring 422, and enters a closed state (FIGS. 14B to 13B). At this time, the claw portion 421 a at the tip of the clip 421 engages with the peripheral edge portion of the substrate S, and the substrate S can be fixed to the front surface 401 of the back plate 400.

  If the back plate 400 with the substrate S attached in this way is attached to the front plate 300 as described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 13, the attachment of the substrate S to the substrate holder 1 is completed. When removing the substrate S from the back plate 400, as described above, the pressing force is applied to the eight buttons 470 (force receiving portion 471) of the back plate 400 from the outside by the actuator AR2 (FIGS. 14A and 14B).

Here, the clip 421 is configured to rotate around the fixed axis 424 parallel to the surfaces 401 and 402 of the back plate body 410, but the surface 4 of the back plate body 410 is configured to rotate.
The clip 421 may be configured to reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to 01 and 402 to clamp the substrate S.

(Configuration of seal part)
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the inner seal portion of the front plate. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the inner seal portion and the outer seal portion of the front plate.

  An inner seal 361 is provided on the back surface 302 of the front plate 300 adjacent to the opening 303. The inner seal 361 is attached to the back surface 302 of the front plate 300 by a seal holder 363. The inner seal 361 seals between the substrate S and the front plate 300 and prevents the plating solution from entering the end of the substrate S. A contact 370 for supplying a potential to the substrate S is also attached to the seal holder 363.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 16, an outer seal 362 is attached to the back surface 302 of the front plate 300 by a seal holder 364 outside the inner seal 361. The outer seal 362 contacts the back plate 400 and seals between the front plate 300 and the back plate 400.

  In the present embodiment, since the seal holders 363 and 364 to which the inner seal 361 and the outer seal 362 are attached are configured as separate members, the inner seal 361 and the outer seal 362 can be replaced separately.

  According to the substrate holder 1 according to the present embodiment, the substrate is clamped by the clamp 340 that can rotate around an axis parallel to the surface of the front plate body 310 or reciprocate in a direction intersecting the surface of the front plate body 310. Since the front plate 300 and the back plate 400 to be sandwiched are fixed to each other, it is possible to suppress or prevent the force in the rotation direction from being applied to the substrate. If the substrate is large and thin, the substrate may be bent when a rotational force is applied to the substrate. However, the substrate holder 1 suppresses the occurrence of bending even when holding a large and thin substrate. It can be prevented.

  In addition, since the clamp 340 is a normally closed type, if the clamp is opened when the back plate body 410 is brought into contact with the front plate body 310, it is not necessary to apply an external force by an actuator or the like in the clamped state, thereby reducing energy consumption. Can be suppressed.

  In addition, the back plate 400 can be held by the clamps 340 at a plurality of locations, and the operation of each clamp 340 is synchronized by the connecting member (rotating shaft 341), so that the clamping operation can be performed efficiently. it can. In addition, the configuration of the actuator AR1 that applies force from the outside can be simplified. Since the lever 342 receives the force from the external first actuator AR1 and can operate each clamp 340 via the rotary shaft 341, it is easy to automate the fixing by the clamp 340.

  Further, by providing the back plate 400 with the engagement receiving portion 430 having a shape for receiving the engagement portion 340a of the clamp 340, the engagement by the clamp can be improved. By adopting a configuration in which the separate engagement receiving portion 340 is attached to the back plate body 410, it is easy to appropriately select the size, shape, number, etc. of the engagement receiving portions 340.

In addition, the substrate is fixed to the back plate 400 by a clip 421 that can rotate around an axis 424 parallel to the surface of the back plate body 410 or reciprocate in a direction intersecting the surface of the back plate body 410. It is possible to suppress or prevent a force in the rotational direction from being applied to the surface. If the substrate is large and thin, the substrate may bend when a rotational force is applied to the substrate, but this substrate holder suppresses the occurrence of bending even when holding a large and thin substrate. Can be prevented.

  Since the clip 421 is a normally closed type, if the clip 421 is opened when the substrate is brought into contact with the back plate main body 410, it is not necessary to apply an external force by an actuator or the like in the clipped state, and energy consumption can be suppressed.

  Since the button 470 that receives force from the surface opposite to the surface that contacts the substrate is provided, the actuator AR2 can be disposed on the side opposite to the substrate contact surface, and the back plate 400 can be moved after the substrate is fixed. It is easy to change the posture.

  Since the button 370 can operate the clip 421 by receiving a force from the external second actuator AR2, it is easy to automate the fixing by the clip 421.

  Since the seal holders 363 and 364 holding the inner seal 361 and the outer seal 362 are separately provided, each seal can be replaced separately.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above based on some examples. However, the above-described embodiments of the present invention are for facilitating understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. . The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention naturally includes equivalents thereof. In addition, any combination or omission of each constituent element described in the claims and the specification is possible within a range where at least a part of the above-described problems can be solved or a range where at least a part of the effect is achieved. It is.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Substrate holder 25 ... Cassette table 25a ... Cassette 27 ... Substrate transport device 28 ... Traveling mechanism 29 ... Substrate removal mechanism 30 ... Stocker 32 ... Pre-wet tank 33 ... Pre-soak tank 34 ... Pre-rinse tank 35 ... Blow tank 36 ... Rinse tank 37 ... Substrate holder transfer device 38 ... Overflow tank 39 ... Plating tank 50 ... Cleaning apparatus 50a ... Cleaning section 100 ... Plating apparatus 110 ... Unloading section 120 ... Processing section 120A ... Pre-processing / Post-processing section 120B ... Processing section 175 ... Controller 175A ... CPU
175B ... Memory 175C ... Control part 300 ... Front plate 301 ... Front face 302 ... Back face 303 ... Opening part 310 ... Front plate body 311 ... Wiring buffer part 320 ... Mounting part 330 ... Arm part 331 ... Connector 340 ... Clamp 342 ... Lever 350 ... Fixing member 361 ... Inner seal 362 ... Outer seal 363 ... Seal holder 364 ... Seal holder 370 ... Contact 390 ... Alignment pin 400 ... Back plate 401 ... Front surface 402 ... Back surface 410 ... Back plate body 420 ... Clip portion 421 ... Clip 421a ... Claw part 421b ... elongated hole 421c ... round hole 422 ... winding spring 422a ... leg part 422b ... leg part 422c ... winding part 423 ... fixed part 423b ... regulating surface 423b ... guide surface 424 ... fixed shaft 430 ... engagement receiving part 430a ... Projection part 470 ... Button 471 ... Force receiving part 472 ... Elastic part 473 ... Mounting part 474 ... Holding member 475 ... Fastening member 490 ... Positioning piece 340a ... Engagement part

Claims (17)

Comprising first and second holding members for sandwiching and fixing the substrate;
The first holding member is provided on the first holding member main body and the first holding member main body, and is rotatable around an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member main body or of the first holding member main body. A clamp capable of reciprocating in a direction intersecting the surface,
The second holding member has a second holding member body,
The clamp is configured to engage the second holding member in a state where the first holding member main body and the second holding member main body are in contact with each other, and to fix the second holding member to the first holding member. Being
Substrate holder. The substrate holder according to claim 1,
The clamp is biased in a closing direction by a first biasing member;
The second holding member main body is brought into contact with the first holding member main body in a state in which the clamp is opened, and then the second holding member can be fixed to the first holding member in a state in which the clamp is closed. A configured substrate holder. The substrate holder according to claim 1 or 2,
The first holding member further includes a plurality of clamps, and further includes a connecting member that connects the plurality of clamps,
The connecting member is a substrate holder configured to operate the plurality of clamps in synchronization. The substrate holder according to claim 3,
The connection member is a substrate holder that is a rotation shaft rotatably attached to the first holding member main body. In the substrate holder according to claim 3 or 4,
A first force receiving portion provided on the connecting member;
The connection member is a substrate holder configured to operate when a force is applied to the first force receiving portion. The substrate holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The clamp has an engaging portion at the tip,
The second holding member is a substrate holder having an engagement receiving portion configured to receive the engagement portion of the clamp. The substrate holder according to claim 6, wherein
The engagement holder is a substrate holder that is separate from the second holding member main body and is attached to the second holding member main body.   8. The substrate holder according to claim 1, further comprising a clip for holding the substrate. The substrate holder according to claim 8,
The clip is provided on the second holding member on a surface of the second holding member main body that is in contact with the substrate, and can be rotated around an axis parallel to the surface of the second holding member main body or the second holding member. A substrate holder capable of reciprocating in a direction intersecting the surface of the member body. The substrate holder according to claim 9,
The clip holder is urged in a closing direction by a second urging member. The substrate holder according to claim 10, wherein
The second holding member has a second force receiving portion provided in the second holding member main body,
The second force receiving portion is configured to be able to be displaced so as to receive a force from a surface opposite to the surface that contacts the substrate and to contact the clip,
The substrate holder configured to open the clip against the second biasing member when pressed by the second force receiving portion. The substrate holder according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The first holding member is a first holder that holds the first elastic protrusion on a surface that contacts the substrate, and a second holder that is different from the first holder, and the second elastic protrusion is A substrate holder, further comprising the second holder for holding.   13. The substrate holder according to claim 1, wherein the substrate holder includes an arm portion on one end side.   14. The substrate holder according to claim 1, wherein the substrate holder is configured to hold a rectangular substrate. A substrate holder for holding the substrate;
A plating tank for receiving a substrate holder and plating the substrate;
With
The substrate holder includes first and second holding members for sandwiching and fixing the substrate,
The first holding member is provided on the first holding member main body and the first holding member main body, and is rotatable around an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member main body or of the first holding member main body. A clamp capable of reciprocating in a direction intersecting the surface,
The second holding member has a second holding member body,
The clamp is configured to engage the second holding member in a state where the first holding member main body and the second holding member main body are in contact with each other, and to fix the second holding member to the first holding member. A plating apparatus comprising a substrate holder. A method of holding a substrate,
Sandwiching the substrate between the first and second holding members;
The second holding member is moved to the first holding member side by a clamp that can rotate around an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member or can reciprocate in a direction intersecting the surface of the first holding member body. The method of fixing to press. The method of holding a substrate according to claim 16,
When sandwiching the substrate between the first and second holding members,
The substrate is placed on the second holding member, the substrate is held by a clip, the first holding member and the second holding member are brought close to each other, and the substrate is moved to the first and second holding members. A method that is sandwiched between the two.

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