JP2018152447A - Substrate Levitation Transport Device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate levitation transport device capable of restraining impairment of flatness of a substrate, even if a levitated substrate is held while being sucked.SOLUTION: In a substrate levitation transport device for transporting a substrate in levitated state by moving a substrate holding unit in the transport direction, the substrate holding unit has a substrate support part for holding the substrate at a prescribed height position by abutting on the lower surface of the levitated state, the substrate support part has a support reference surface abutting on the lower surface of the substrate, a housing part opening to the support reference surface, and a substrate suction part provided in the housing part and sucking the lower surface of the substrate. When sucked by the substrate suction part, the lower surface of the substrate buts on the support reference surface, and the substrate is held at a position of prescribed height, and a notch is formed lower than the reference height position, at least on the end side in the transport direction, out of the marginal part of the housing part located at the outermost end of the substrate support part in the transport direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate levitation conveyance apparatus that conveys a substrate while levitating, and particularly relates to a substrate levitation conveyance apparatus that can suppress formation of coating unevenness.

  A flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display uses a substrate coated with a resist solution (referred to as a coated substrate). In the coated substrate, a coating film is formed by uniformly applying a resist solution onto the substrate by the coating device while the substrate is transported by the substrate transport device. Thereafter, the coating film is further transported by a substrate transporting device, and the coating film is dried by a drying device or the like to produce.

  In recent substrate transport apparatuses, in order to avoid damage to the back surface (the side opposite to the coating surface) of the coated substrate W, there is a substrate floating transport apparatus that transports the substrate W while floating the substrate W, such as air levitation or ultrasonic levitation. It is used. As shown in FIG. 12, the substrate levitation transfer apparatus includes a levitation stage unit 100 that levitates the substrate W, a substrate holding unit 102 that sucks and holds the substrate W in the levitated state, and the substrate holding unit 102. A transfer driving unit 103 that moves the substrate holding unit 102 by driving the transfer driving unit 103 and moving the substrate holding unit 102 in the transfer direction in a state where the substrate W floats on the floating stage unit 100. It is designed to be conveyed.

  The substrate W to be transported is subjected to predetermined processing in a substrate processing unit (for example, a coating processing unit) 110 provided in the middle of transport. In order to perform processing with high accuracy by the substrate processing unit 110, it is necessary to hold the posture of the substrate W horizontally. Therefore, the substrate holding unit 102 is formed so that the substrate W can be held in a horizontal state. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the substrate holding unit 102 has a plurality of substrate support portions 104 arranged along the transport direction, and the substrate support portion 104 attracts the lower surface of the substrate W. And can be held.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14A, the substrate support portion 104 has a support reference surface portion 104a that comes into contact with the lower surface of the substrate W, and each support reference surface portion 104a is set at a reference height position. Has been. As shown in FIG. 14B, the support reference surface portion 104 a is provided with a plurality of storage portions 105 that are open to the support reference surface portion 104 a, and the substrate W is sucked into these storage portions 105. A substrate suction portion 106 for suction is accommodated. The substrate suction portion 106 has a suction pad 107 (see FIG. 15) whose tip is formed of a stretchable rubber member, and is formed so that a suction force is generated on the suction pad 107. Yes. Then, as shown in FIG. 13B, when the suction force is generated while the substrate holding unit 102 is raised and the suction pad 107 is in contact with the lower surface of the surface of the substrate W, the suction pad 107 is accommodated in the housing portion 105. By contracting to the side, the substrate W is pulled toward the substrate suction portion 106 side, and the lower surface of the substrate W comes into contact with the support reference surface portion 104a. As a result, the lower surface of the substrate W comes into contact with the support reference surface portion 104a of all the substrate support portions 104, and the entire substrate W is held at the set height position. When the transport driving unit 103 moves in the transport direction in this state, the substrate W that has floated on the levitation stage unit 100 is transported in the transport direction while maintaining the entire horizontal posture.

JP 2011-213435 A

  However, the above-described substrate floating transport apparatus has a problem that it is difficult to make the flatness of the held substrate W uniform. As described above, in the substrate levitation transfer apparatus, when the substrate W is sucked by the substrate suction unit 106, a part of the substrate W is drawn into the storage unit 105 and slightly deformed. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, when the substrate W is drawn into the housing portion 105, the lower surface of the substrate W comes into contact with the edge portion 108 (see FIG. 14B) that forms the housing portion 105 (see FIG. 15). The one-dot chain line portion) is deformed so as to move away from the support reference surface portion 104a as it moves away from the housing portion 105 (floating up). In particular, the accommodating portion 105a located at the extreme end in the transport direction has the other accommodating portion 105 only on one side in the transport direction and does not have the accommodating portion 105 on the other side, so the deformation amount of the substrate W on the other side is small. growing. For this reason, the amount of deformation of the substrate W due to the suction is larger in the storage unit 105a located at the transport direction end, compared to the storage unit 105 in which the storage unit 105 exists on both sides in the transport direction. The tendency for the flatness of the substrate W to be impaired by the accommodating portion 105a located was remarkable.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate levitating and conveying apparatus that can prevent the flatness of a substrate from being lost even if the levitated substrate is sucked and held.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a substrate levitation transport apparatus according to the present invention includes a levitation stage unit that levitates a substrate, and a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate levitated on the levitation stage unit, and the substrate holding unit. Is a substrate levitation transport apparatus that transports the substrate on the levitation stage section in a floating state by moving the substrate in the transport direction, wherein the substrate holding unit contacts the lower surface of the floating substrate. The substrate support portion holds the substrate at a predetermined height position. The substrate support portion is in contact with the lower surface of the substrate and is provided at a reference height position. The substrate reference portion is open to the support reference surface portion. And a substrate suction portion that is provided in the housing portion and sucks the lower surface of the substrate. When the lower surface of the substrate is sucked by the substrate suction portion, the lower surface of the substrate comes into contact with the support reference surface portion. The substrate is formed so as to be held at a predetermined height position, and the support reference surface portion is at least an end portion in the transport direction among the edge portions of the housing portion positioned at the transport direction end of the substrate support portion. A cutout portion formed lower than the reference height position is formed on the side.

  According to the present invention, since the notch portion is formed at least on the transport direction end portion side of the edge portion of the accommodating portion located at the transport direction end of the substrate support portion, the deformation amount of the substrate due to suction is suppressed. be able to. That is, when a suction force is generated by the substrate suction portion of the housing portion, the substrate is drawn into the housing portion, and the lower surface of the substrate contacts the edge of the housing portion and deforms, but the housing located on the end side in the transport direction Since the notch is formed on the end side in the conveyance direction of the part, it is formed lower than the reference height position of the support reference surface part. Therefore, there is no edge that contacts the lower surface of the substrate that is pulled into the housing portion and deforms, and deformation of the substrate can be suppressed. That is, when the notch portion is not formed as in the prior art, the substrate that contacts the edge portion on the transport direction end portion side (the side where there is no adjacent storage portion) of the storage portion located at the transport direction endmost portion is Although it deforms the most, the notch is formed on the end side in the transport direction, so that deformation of the substrate due to being drawn into the accommodating portion and coming into contact with the edge can be suppressed, and the floating substrate is adsorbed. Even if held, the flatness of the substrate can be prevented from being impaired.

  Moreover, the edge part of the said accommodating part has circular shape, and the said notch part is nearest to the conveyance direction edge part of the said board | substrate support part among the edge parts of the said accommodating part located in the conveyance direction most end part. You may make it the structure currently formed in the part.

  According to this configuration, when the substrate is sucked into the housing portion, the back surface of the substrate comes into contact with the portion of the edge closest to the end in the transport direction and the amount of deformation of the substrate increases. By providing the portion, it is possible to prevent the substrate from coming into contact, and it is possible to prevent the flatness of the substrate from being impaired.

  Further, the cutout portion may be configured to be formed over the entire region on the conveyance direction end portion side of the substrate support portion in the edge portion of the housing portion located at the extreme end portion in the conveyance direction. .

  According to this configuration, the notch portion is formed over the entire region on the transport direction end portion side of the accommodating portion located at the transport direction end, so that the notch portion is the edge portion. Compared with the case where the substrate is provided in part, the amount of deformation of the substrate on the side of the substrate support portion in the transport direction can be more effectively suppressed.

  Further, a plurality of the accommodating portions may be arranged in the transport direction, and the cutout portion may be formed at an edge portion between the accommodating portions.

  According to this configuration, since the notch portion is provided not only on the edge portion side in the conveyance direction but also on the inter-accommodating portion side of the edge portion, it is possible to avoid contact of the back surface of the substrate sucked into the accommodating portion. And the deterioration of the flatness of the substrate can be suppressed.

  And the said notch part may be set as the structure currently connected with the notch part formed in the adjacent accommodating part.

  The cutout portion may be formed to extend from an edge portion of the housing portion to an end portion of the substrate support portion.

  According to this configuration, since the notch portion is formed from the edge portion of the accommodating portion located at the end portion in the transport direction to the end portion of the substrate supporting portion, the back surface of the substrate sucked into the accommodating portion is supported. It is possible to avoid contact with the reference surface portion (including the edge portion of the housing portion), and it is possible to suppress the deformation amount of the substrate located at the transport direction end of the contacting substrate.

  Further, the substrate suction portion has a stretchable tip portion that is attracted to the back surface of the substrate, and the tip portion protrudes from the support reference surface portion when there is no substrate, and in a state where the substrate is placed, The bottom surface of the substrate is formed so as to contact the support reference surface portion by contracting while adsorbing the bottom surface of the substrate, and in the state where the tip portion is completely contracted, the height position of the tip portion is the height of the support reference surface portion. It may be configured to be set at the height position.

  According to this configuration, when the suction portion is completely contracted, the height position of the tip portion is set to the height position of the support reference surface portion. The position can be maintained on the support reference plane. Therefore, even if the floating substrate is sucked and held, it is possible to suppress the flatness of the substrate from being impaired.

  The cutout portion may be configured to generate a suction force.

  According to this configuration, the floating of the substrate can be suppressed. That is, when a suction force is generated in the housing portion, a portion of the substrate corresponding to the housing portion is sucked by the housing portion and held at the height position of the support reference surface portion. On the other hand, in the notch portion, it is possible to avoid the lower surface of the substrate from abutting, but as the distance from the housing portion, the substrate rises higher than the height position of the support reference surface portion, but by generating a suction force in the notch portion, The floating of the substrate can be suppressed.

  In addition, a porous member having the same height as the support reference surface portion may be provided on the cutout portion, and the porous member may be configured to generate a suction force.

  According to this configuration, even when a suction force is generated in the housing portion and the substrate is drawn into the housing portion and the substrate is lifted, the substrate is sucked by the suction force of the porous member provided in the notch portion. Since the member is set at the same height as the support reference surface, the sucked substrate is held at the same height as the support reference surface. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the flatness of the substrate from being lost even if the floating substrate is sucked and held.

  According to the present invention, even if the floating substrate is sucked and held, it is possible to prevent the flatness of the substrate from being impaired.

It is a perspective view which shows roughly the coating device combined with the board | substrate floating conveyance apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which looked at the said substrate floating conveyance apparatus combined with the coating device in the conveyance direction. In the said board | substrate levitation conveyance apparatus, it is the figure which looked at the state holding the board | substrate which floated in the X-axis direction. It is the figure which looked at the substrate holding unit of the above-mentioned substrate floating conveyance device in the Y-axis direction. It is a figure which shows the board | substrate support part of the said board | substrate floating conveyance apparatus, (a) is the figure seen from upper direction, (b) is AA sectional drawing in (a), (c) is the state which adsorb | sucked the board | substrate FIG. It is a figure which shows the suction pad of the board | substrate holding | maintenance part of the said substrate floating conveyance apparatus, (a) is a figure which shows the state before adsorbing, (b) is a figure which shows the adsorbed state. It is a figure which shows the board | substrate support part of the said substrate floating conveyance apparatus, (a) is a figure which shows the state which adsorb | sucked the board | substrate, (b) It is a figure which shows the state which adsorb | sucked the substrate in the conventional board | substrate support part. It is a figure which shows the board | substrate support part of the said board | substrate floating conveyance apparatus, (a) is the example which provided the notch part partially in the edge part nearest to the edge part of a board | substrate support part in the accommodating part of the conveyance direction end part. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a shape in which the notch portion of FIG. 5A extends to the end portion of the substrate support portion, and FIG. 5C is an end in the transport direction at the housing portion at the extreme end in the transport direction. The figure which shows the example provided over the whole area | region of the part side, (d) is a figure which shows the example which provides a notch part in a part of edge part located in the side between accommodating parts, (e) is a support reference | standard It is a figure which shows the example provided over the whole surface part. It is a figure which shows the example which formed the groove | channel in the notch part, (a) is the figure which looked at the board | substrate support part from upper direction, (b) is BB sectional drawing of (a). It is a figure which shows the example which provided the porous member in the notch part, (a) The figure which looked at the board | substrate support part from upper direction, (b) is BB sectional drawing of (a). It is a figure which shows the shape of a notch part, (a) is the figure in which the notch part was formed in the taper shape, (b) is the figure in which the notch part was formed in the curve shape. It is a schematic perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the conventional board | substrate floating conveyance apparatus. It is the figure which looked at the conventional board | substrate holding unit in the Y-axis direction, (a) is a figure which shows the state which fell to the height position which is not holding a board | substrate, (b) is the height which hold | maintains a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the state raised to the vertical position. It is a figure which shows the conventional board | substrate support part, (a) is the figure seen from the Y-axis direction, (b) is the figure seen from upper direction. It is sectional drawing of the conventional board | substrate support part.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a coating apparatus 2 combined with the substrate floating conveyance apparatus 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating apparatus 2 combined with the substrate floating conveyance apparatus 1 in FIG. is there. In addition, although this embodiment demonstrates the example combined with the coating device 2, if it is a substrate processing apparatus which processes the board | substrate which floats, it can apply also except the coating device 2. FIG.

  In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a substrate floating transfer device 1 that transfers a substrate W is combined with a coating unit 21 of a coating device 2 that forms a coating film on the substrate W to be transferred to form a series of substrate processing devices. doing. The substrate levitation transport apparatus 1 has a levitation stage portion 10 extending in one direction, and the substrate W is transported along the direction in which the levitation stage portion 10 extends. In the example of FIG. 1, the levitation stage unit 10 is formed to extend in the X-axis direction so that the substrate W is transported from the upstream side (pre-process side) to the downstream side (post-process side) in the X-axis direction. It has become. Then, a coating film is formed on the substrate W by discharging the coating liquid from the coating unit 21.

  Specifically, a coating film having a uniform thickness is formed on the substrate W by discharging the coating liquid from the coating unit 21 while being transported in the X-axis direction while the substrate W is floated on the floating stage unit 10. It is supposed to be formed.

  In the following description, the direction in which the substrate W is transported is the X-axis direction, and the X-axis direction corresponds to the transport direction. Further, the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction on the horizontal plane is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the Y-axis direction is also referred to as the river width direction. The description will be made with the direction orthogonal to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction as the Z-axis direction.

  The application unit 21 applies an application liquid to the substrate W, and includes a frame portion 22 and an applicator 23. The frame portion 22 has support columns 22a arranged on both sides in the Y-axis direction of the levitation stage unit 10, and an applicator 23 is provided on the support column 22a. Specifically, the support columns 22a are fixedly provided on both sides in the Y-axis direction (river width direction), so that the travel of the substrate holding unit 30 to be described later is prevented from being hindered. Is also arranged on the outside. And the applicator 23 is spanned over these support | pillars 22a, and the applicator 23 is attached in the state which crosses the floating stage part 10. FIG. The support 22a is provided with a lifting mechanism, and the applicator 23 can move in the Z direction by operating the lifting mechanism. That is, the applicator 23 can be moved toward and away from the floating stage unit 10 by the lifting mechanism.

  The applicator 23 is for discharging a coating liquid and is formed to extend in one direction. The applicator 23 is formed with a slit nozzle 23a (see FIG. 2) extending in one direction so that the application liquid stored in the applicator 23 can be discharged from the slit nozzle 23a. Specifically, the slit nozzle 23a is formed on a surface facing the levitation stage unit 10, and the applicator 23 is installed in a state where the slit nozzle 23a extends in the river width direction. Then, in the state where the applicator 23 is moved up and down with respect to the substrate W to be transported and the distance between the substrate W and the slit nozzle 23a is adjusted to a predetermined distance, the coating liquid is ejected from the slit nozzle 23a. A uniform coating film is continuously formed in the transport direction. A coating film having a uniform thickness is formed on the substrate W by moving the substrate W while discharging the coating liquid from the slit nozzle 23a.

  Further, the substrate levitation transport apparatus 1 transports the substrate W in one direction (X-axis direction in the present embodiment) while levitating. The substrate levitation transport apparatus 1 includes a levitation stage unit 10 that levitates the substrate W, and a substrate transport unit 3 that holds and transports the substrate W levitated on the levitation stage unit 10.

  The levitation stage unit 10 levitates the substrate W, and has an air levitation mechanism in the present embodiment. The levitation stage unit 10 is formed by providing a flat plate portion 12 on a base 11, and is formed by arranging a plurality of flat plate portions 12 along the X-axis direction. That is, the flat plate portion 12 has a smooth substrate air bearing surface 12a (see FIG. 3), and the substrate air bearing surfaces 12a are arranged so as to have a uniform height. An air layer is formed between the substrate floating surface 12a and the substrate W to be transported, so that the substrate W can be floated to a predetermined height position. Specifically, the flat plate portion 12 is formed with a fine jet port (not shown) and a suction port (not shown) that open to the substrate floating surface 12a, and the jet port and the compressor are connected by a pipe. The suction port and the vacuum pump are connected by piping. Then, by balancing the air ejected from the ejection port and the suction force generated at the suction port, the substrate W can be floated in a horizontal posture at a predetermined height from the substrate air bearing surface 12a. . As a result, the substrate W can be transported in a state in which the planar posture (referred to as flatness) is maintained with high accuracy.

  Further, the flat plate portion 12 of the levitation stage portion 10 is formed such that the dimension in the Y-axis direction is smaller than the dimension in the Y-axis direction of the substrate W to be transported, and when the substrate W is placed on the substrate floating surface 12a, the substrate The end of the substrate W in the Y-axis direction protrudes from the air bearing surface 12a. By holding the protruding portion (protruding region T) by the substrate transfer unit 3 described later, the substrate W can be transferred. The dimension of the flat plate portion 12 in the Y-axis direction is set so that the protruding region T has a minimum necessary size that can be held by the substrate holding portion 30. That is, the protruding region T is such that a slight gap that does not contact each other is formed between the substrate holding unit 30 and the flat plate portion 12 when the substrate holding unit 30 holds the protruding region T of the substrate W. Is set to

  The substrate transport unit 3 transports the floating substrate W, and includes a substrate holding unit 30 that holds the substrate W and a transport drive unit 31 that causes the substrate holding unit 30 to travel.

  The transport driving unit 31 is configured to move the substrate holding unit 30 in the transport direction, and includes a transport rail unit 31a that extends in the transport direction along the floating stage unit 10, and a base that travels on the transport rail unit 31a. It is formed with the part 31b. Specifically, bases 31c (see FIG. 2) provided so as to extend in the transport direction are disposed on both sides in the river width direction of the levitation stage unit 10, and transport rails 31a are provided on the respective bases 31c. It has been. That is, the conveyance rail part 31a is continuously provided along the levitation stage part 10 without interruption. Moreover, the base part 31b is a plate-shaped member formed in a concave shape, and as shown in FIG. 2, it is provided so that the upper surface of the conveyance rail part 31a may be covered. Specifically, the base portion 31b is provided so as to cover the transport rail portion 31a via an air pad (not shown), and the base portion 31b is moved to the transport rail portion by driving a linear motor (not shown). It runs on 31a. That is, by driving and controlling the linear motor, the base portion 31b can travel without contacting the transport rail portion 31a and can be stopped at a predetermined position.

  The substrate holding unit 30 is for holding the substrate W and is attached to the base portion 31b. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the substrate holding unit 30 includes a holding frame portion 40 extending in the transport direction and a substrate support portion 41 attached to the holding frame portion 40. The frame part 40 is connected to the base part 31b via the elevating part 42. Then, by driving the elevating part 42, the holding frame part 40 moves up and down, and the substrate support part 41 can come into contact with and separate from the back surface (also referred to as the lower surface) of the substrate W.

  The holding frame portion 40 is for attaching the substrate support portion 41 and has a long flat plate shape. The holding frame portion 40 is disposed on each base portion 31b, and is disposed on the base portion 31b via an elevating portion 42. The holding frame portion 40 is disposed so as to sandwich the floating stage portion 10 in the river width direction, and the longitudinal direction thereof is disposed along the transport direction. When the conveyance driving unit 31 is driven, the two holding frame units 40 are synchronized and travel along the levitation stage unit 10.

  The length of the holding frame portion 40 in the longitudinal direction is formed according to the length of the transported substrate W in the transport direction, and a plurality of substrate support portions 41 are arranged at the upper end portion of the holding frame portion 40. Has been. That is, when the elevating part 42 is driven and the holding frame part 40 is raised, all the substrate support parts 41 are raised at once, and when the holding frame part 40 is lowered, all the substrate support parts 41 are lowered at once. Thereby, compared with the case where the board | substrate support part 41 has the raising / lowering part 42, a structure becomes easy and it can avoid that control becomes complicated.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the holding frame portion 40 has the substrate support portions 41 arranged at equal intervals, and the dimension from the one end portion to the other end portion in the transport direction is the transport direction of the substrate W. It is set to be less than the length. That is, when the holding frame unit 40 is raised while the substrate W is floating on the floating stage unit 10, all the substrate support units 41 come into contact with the lower surface of the substrate W and the holding frame unit 40 is lowered. All the substrate support portions 41 are separated from the substrate W.

  Further, the substrate support portion 41 is configured to suck and hold the substrate W and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped block shape. The substrate support part 41 has a longitudinal direction arranged along the transport direction (X-axis direction) of the substrate W, and a plurality of substrate support parts 41 are arranged in a line along the transport direction. The substrate support portion 41 includes a support reference surface portion 41a that is brought into contact with the lower surface of the substrate W, an accommodation portion 5 that is formed by opening the support reference surface portion 41a, and a lower surface of the substrate W that is provided in the accommodation portion 5. It has the board | substrate adsorption | suction part 6 to adsorb | suck (refer FIGS. 5-7).

  The support reference surface portion 41a is located on the upper surface portion of the substrate support portion 41, and is formed in a flat planar shape. The support reference surface portion 41a is set to the same height (referred to as a reference height position) in each substrate support portion 41. Accordingly, in accordance with the raising and lowering operation of the holding frame portion 40, each support reference surface portion 41a also moves up and down, and the position where the holding frame portion 40 rises and comes into contact with the lower surface of the substrate W, that is, the holding frame portion 40 lowers and moves to the substrate. The support reference surface portions 41a of all the substrate support portions 41 can be located at positions away from W. Therefore, the substrate W can be held at a predetermined height position by adsorbing the substrate W and bringing the lower surface of the substrate W into contact with the support reference surface portion 41a.

  The accommodating part 5 accommodates the board | substrate adsorption | suction part 6, and is opened and formed in the support reference surface part 41a. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, five accommodating portions 5 are provided on the support reference surface portion 41 a of each substrate support portion 41. These accommodating portions 5 are arranged in a line along the conveyance direction, and are arranged at equal intervals from the end side of the substrate support portion 41. These accommodating portions 5 all have the same shape, and in this embodiment, are formed in a cylindrical shape that opens to the support reference surface portion 41a. That is, the edge portion 51 of the accommodating portion 5 is formed in a circular shape on the support reference surface portion 41a. Here, the accommodating part 5 is a case where the accommodating part 5 (accommodating part 5 located at the end in the transport direction) arranged at the position closest to the end of the substrate support part 41 is referred to as distinguishing from the other accommodating parts 5. In particular, it is referred to as the accommodating portion 5a. However, if it is not necessary to distinguish between the accommodating portions 5, they are simply referred to as the accommodating portions 5.

  The substrate adsorbing unit 6 adsorbs the substrate W and is accommodated in the accommodating unit 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate suction portion 6 is provided with an elastically deformable bellows-like suction pad 61 at its tip, and the suction pad 61 is housed in the housing portion 5 in an upright state. Yes. The suction pad 61 is connected in communication with a vacuum pump, and can suck and hold the substrate W by generating a suction force at the tip portion thereof. That is, as shown in FIG. 6A, the front end of the substrate suction portion 6 is set to stand by in a state of slightly protruding from the storage portion 5 in a normal state (a state where there is no substrate W). . Then, when the substrate W is placed on the substrate floating surface 12a, a portion (protruding region T) that protrudes from the substrate floating surface 12a in the river width direction comes into contact with the suction pad 61. When a suction force is generated in the suction pad 61 in this state, the lower surface of the substrate W is sucked by the suction pad 61 and the suction pad 61 itself contracts into the housing portion 5 while maintaining the suction state. The lower surface of the substrate abuts against the support reference surface portion 41a, and the substrate W is held at a predetermined height position formed by each support reference surface portion 41a (see FIG. 6B).

  The substrate support portion 41 is formed with a notch portion 7. The cutout portion 7 is for suppressing the flatness of the substrate W from being damaged by the substrate W being pulled into the accommodating portion 5 and deformed when the substrate W is sucked and held. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the notch 7 is provided at the end in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) and is formed to be lower than the reference height position of the support reference surface 41a. . In the present embodiment, the cutout portion 7 is provided from the edge portion 51 of the storage portion 5 a located at the end in the transport direction to the end portion of the substrate storage portion 5. That is, the notch portion 7 is provided so as to include a semicircular portion on the transport direction end portion side of the edge portion 51 of the accommodating portion 5a located at the transport direction end, and the semicircle of the edge portion 51 is provided. The height position of the part is lower than the reference height position.

  The cutout portion 7 may be formed so as to be lower than the reference height position as described above, and may be formed to be lower than the reference height position with a linear step. Good. Further, as shown in FIG. 11A, the cutout portion 7 may be formed by tapering the edge portion 51 of the accommodating portion 5a, or may be formed in a curved shape as shown in FIG. 11B. . Further, the notch portion 7 may be formed in a groove shape, or may be formed so that the formed groove penetrates the bottom surface of the substrate support portion 41.

  The cutout 7 can suppress the deformation of the substrate W when being sucked and held. That is, when the floating substrate W is sucked and held by the substrate suction portion 6, the suction pad 61 of the substrate suction portion 6 contracts into the housing portion 5, so that the substrate W is slightly pulled into the housing portion 5. When the substrate W is slightly pulled into the housing portion 5, the lower surface of the substrate W comes into contact with the edge portion 51 of the housing portion 5 as shown in FIG. Is damaged. Here, when the accommodating part 5 exists adjacently among the accommodating parts 5, since the floated board | substrate W is attracted | sucked by the accommodating part 5, the board | substrate W can be made to follow the support reference surface part 41a substantially. On the other hand, in the accommodating part 5a located in the conveyance direction end part, the accommodating part 5 does not exist in the conveyance direction edge part side, but it becomes a free end, but the edge part 51 of the accommodating part 5 is cut off by the notch part 7. FIG. Therefore, there is no edge portion 51 that contacts the lower surface of the substrate W, and the substrate W comes away from the support reference surface portion 41a as the substrate W moves away from the accommodating portion 5 as shown in FIG. It is possible to avoid such deformation (so that it floats up) (one-dot chain line portion in FIG. 7).

  According to the substrate levitation transfer apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the notch portion 7 is formed at least on the transport direction end portion side of the edge portion 51 of the accommodating portion 5a located at the transport direction endmost portion of the substrate support portion 41. Therefore, the deformation amount of the substrate due to adsorption can be suppressed. That is, when the notch portion 7 is not formed as in the prior art, the edge portion 51 is formed on the transport direction end portion side (the side without the adjacent storage portion 5) of the storage portion 5 a located at the transport direction end. The abutting substrate W is most greatly deformed. However, since the cutout portion 7 is formed on the transport direction end portion side, the substrate W is drawn into the accommodating portion 5 and abuts on the edge portion 51. Deformation can be suppressed, and even if the floating substrate W is attracted and held, the flatness of the substrate W can be suppressed from being impaired.

  In the said embodiment, although the notch part 7 demonstrated the example currently formed from the edge part 51 of the accommodating part 5a in the conveyance direction end part to the edge part of the board | substrate support part 41, Fig.8 (a) (b) As shown in FIG. 5, the notch 7 (hatched portion) may be partially provided in the edge 51 at a position closest to the end of the substrate support 41. That is, the deformation of the substrate W due to the suction becomes remarkable when the back surface of the substrate W comes into contact with the edge portion 51 closest to the end portion of the substrate support portion 41, and thus the edge closest to the end portion of the substrate support portion 41. By providing the notch portion 7 in the portion 51, it is possible to avoid the back surface of the substrate W from coming into contact with the edge portion 51, and it is possible to suppress the substrate W from being deformed so as to be lifted. In addition, since there exists a possibility that the board | substrate W may deform | transform by contact | abutting to the edge part 51 located in the edge part side of the board | substrate support part 41 among the edge parts 51 of the accommodating part 5 in a conveyance direction end part, FIG. As shown to c), you may form over the whole area | region by the side of the conveyance direction edge part of the board | substrate support part 41 among the edge parts 51 of the accommodating part 5 in a conveyance direction outermost part.

  In the said embodiment, although the notch part 7 demonstrated the example provided in the edge part side of the board | substrate support part 41 among the edge parts 51 of the accommodating part 5 in a conveyance direction end part, it is located in the accommodating part 5 side. You may provide also in the edge part 51. FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8 (d), a notch portion 7 may be provided in a part of the edge portion 51 located on the side between the accommodating portions 5, or as shown in FIG. 8 (e), The cutout portion 7 may be provided over the entire support reference surface portion 41a including the edge portion 51 between the accommodating portions 5. That is, the notch part 7 formed in the adjacent accommodating part 5 may be connected and provided. By providing the notch portion 7 between the accommodating portions 5, it is possible to prevent the substrate W positioned between the accommodating portions 5 from being lifted when the substrate W is sucked.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the tip of the substrate suction portion 6, that is, the suction pad 61 contracts into the housing portion 5 when suctioned to the substrate W has been described, but the tip portion of the suction pad 61 in the most contracted state. The height position may be adjusted to be the same as that of the support reference surface portion 41a. By adjusting in this way, the height position of the portion of the substrate W sucked by the suction pad 61 coincides with the support reference surface portion 41a, so that the substrate W is brought into contact with the edge portion 51 at the housing portion 5 position. The deformation of the substrate W can be suppressed, and the flatness of the substrate W when the substrate W is sucked and held can be suppressed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the suction force is not generated in the cutout portion 7 has been described. Also good. For example, the cutout portion 7 of FIG. 8 may be formed in a groove shape, and the groove and the vacuum source may be connected to generate a suction force, as shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b). In addition, a groove 71 may be further formed in the cutout portion 7 and a suction force may be generated from the groove 71. Alternatively, a porous member 8 or the like may be installed in the cutout portion 7 and the porous member 8 and the vacuum device may be connected to generate a suction force. For example, as shown in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b), by installing a porous member 8 in the cutout portion 7 to generate a suction force, the substrate on the end side in the transport direction and on the side between the accommodating portions 5 is used. W lift can be suppressed. And the height position of this porous member 8 is set to the same height position as the height position of the support reference surface part 41a, thereby preventing the substrate W from being deformed and floating while supporting the substrate W. Since it can hold | maintain in the height position of the surface part 41a, it can suppress as much as possible that the flatness of the board | substrate W is impaired. In particular, when the accommodation unit 5 (substrate adsorption unit 6) is provided away from the conveyance direction, the interval between the accommodation units 5 extends, so that the substrate W is likely to float during adsorption, but the notch 7 between the accommodation units 5 is provided. Is provided so as to generate a suction force at the cutout portion 7, so that the flatness of the substrate W can be prevented from being impaired even in the accommodating portion 5 having a wide interval, and the substrate W can be accurately held. Can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate floating conveyance apparatus 2 Coating apparatus 5 Storage part 6 Substrate adsorption part 7 Notch part 8 Porous member 10 Levitation stage part 30 Substrate holding unit 31 Conveyance drive part 41 Substrate support part 41a Support reference plane part

Claims (9)

A levitation stage for levitating the substrate;
A substrate holding unit for holding a substrate levitated on the levitation stage portion;
A substrate levitating and conveying apparatus for conveying the substrate holding unit in a levitated state by moving the substrate holding unit in the conveying direction,
The substrate holding unit has a substrate support portion that holds the substrate at a predetermined height position by contacting the lower surface of the floating substrate,
The substrate support portion is in contact with the lower surface of the substrate and is provided at a reference height position, a receiving portion that opens to the support reference surface portion, and a substrate suction that is provided in the receiving portion and sucks the lower surface of the substrate. And when the lower surface of the substrate is adsorbed by the substrate adsorbing portion, the lower surface of the substrate is in contact with the support reference surface portion, and the substrate is held at a predetermined height position.
The support reference surface portion is formed with a notch portion formed lower than a reference height position on at least the transport direction end portion side of the edge portion of the housing portion located at the transport direction end portion of the substrate support portion. A substrate levitation transport apparatus characterized in that   The edge part of the accommodating part has a circular shape, and the cutout part is located at a portion of the edge part of the accommodating part located at the end part in the transport direction closest to the end part in the transport direction of the substrate support part. The substrate floating transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate floating transfer device is formed.   The cutout portion is formed over the entire region on the transport direction end portion side of the substrate support portion in the edge portion of the housing portion located at the transport direction endmost portion. The substrate floating transfer apparatus according to 1 or 2.   The said accommodating part is arranged in multiple numbers and provided in the conveyance direction, The said notch part is formed in the edge part of the said accommodating part side side, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Substrate floating transfer device.   The substrate levitation transfer apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cutout portion is formed by being connected to a cutout portion formed in an adjacent storage portion.   6. The substrate levitation transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cutout portion is formed to extend from an edge portion of the housing portion to an end portion of the substrate support portion.   The tip of the substrate adsorbing part has a stretchability at the tip adsorbed on the back surface of the substrate, and the tip protrudes from the support reference surface when there is no substrate, and when the substrate is placed, The lower surface of the substrate is formed so as to contact the support reference surface portion by contracting while adsorbing the lower surface. When the tip portion is completely contracted, the height position of the tip portion is the height of the support reference surface portion. The substrate floating transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate floating transfer device is set at a position.   8. The substrate levitation transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notch is formed so as to generate a suction force.   The porous member having the same height as the support reference surface portion is provided on the cutout portion, and is formed so that suction force is generated in the porous member. 7. A substrate levitation transfer apparatus according to claim 7.

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