JP2022147234A - Substrate processing device and substrate lifting device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a lift pin mechanism capable of switching substrate support without increasing the number of through holes provided in a substrate support member.SOLUTION: A substrate processing device includes: a plurality of first lift pins formed in a cylindrical shape with the vertical direction regarded as an axial direction; a plurality of second lift pins formed in a cylindrical or rod shape with the vertical direction regarded as an axial direction, and inserted through the first lift pins respectively; and a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the first lift pin and the second lift pin. The lifting mechanism switches a first state in which the upper end of the first lift pin rises to a first height and the upper end of the second lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the first lift pin, and a second state in which the upper end of the second lift pin rises to a second height and the upper end of the first lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the second lift pin.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing while supporting a substrate in a horizontal position by a flat substrate support member, and more particularly to a structure of lift pins for lifting and lowering a substrate with respect to the substrate support member.

Processing steps for various substrates such as semiconductor substrates and glass substrates for display devices may include processing performed while the substrates are housed in a processing chamber. In this case, transfer of the substrate between the chamber and the outside necessarily occurs before and after processing. In order to transfer the substrate smoothly, there is an apparatus configured to load the substrate into the processing chamber while being placed on a flat substrate support member.

For example, the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is an apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid. In this apparatus, the substrate is carried into the chamber while being placed on a flat support tray so that the substrate can be loaded and unloaded through a slit-shaped opening provided on the side surface of the processing chamber. The support tray is provided with through-holes, and when the support tray is pulled out from the processing chamber, lift pins are raised from below through the through-holes to push up the substrate from the support tray. In this state, the substrate is transferred to and from the external transfer device.

Also, the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is a substrate processing apparatus for heat-treating a substrate in a chamber. In this substrate processing apparatus, a substrate is supported by a plurality of support pins provided on a flat plate-shaped susceptor. . Specifically, by lowering the susceptor, it is possible to support the substrate by protruding a plurality of other support pins through the through holes provided in the susceptor.

JP 2021-009877 A JP 2014-175638 A

Even in an apparatus that processes a substrate with a processing fluid, such as the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200310, it would be convenient if such a substrate support could be switched. For example, if a substrate after processing requires a high degree of cleanliness, different lift pins for supporting the substrate before processing and after processing can prevent contamination of the substrate after processing. is effective in However, the provision of through-holes for inserting lift pins in the substrate support member causes turbulence in the flow of the processing fluid in the chamber. Therefore, from the viewpoint of processing quality, the number of through-holes should preferably be as small as possible.

As described above, if the number of lift pins is increased in order to switch the substrate support, the number of through-holes provided in the substrate support member also increases, which poses a problem of affecting the processing quality. Therefore, a technique for solving this problem is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a lift pin mechanism capable of switching substrate support without increasing the number of through holes provided in a substrate support member.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is a substrate supporting member having a flat plate shape provided with a plurality of through holes in the vertical direction, and supporting the substrate in a horizontal position by placing the substrate on the upper surface. a first lift pin formed in a cylindrical shape having an axial direction extending in the vertical direction and provided in plurality corresponding to each of the through holes; It comprises a plurality of second lift pins inserted into each lift pin, and an elevating mechanism for elevating the first lift pins and the second lift pins.

Here, in the lifting mechanism, the upper end of the first lift pin protrudes above the upper surface through the through hole, while the upper end of the second lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the first lift pin. a first state; and a second state in which the upper end of the second lift pin protrudes above the upper surface through the through hole, while the upper end of the first lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the second lift pin. switch between

In the invention configured as described above, the second lift pins are provided inside the cylindrical first lift pins, and one of them protrudes above the upper surface of the substrate support member to lift the substrate upward from the substrate support member. By switching between a state in which the substrate is supported while being spaced apart from each other and a state in which the other side supports the substrate, it is possible to switch the main body for supporting the substrate. Since the second lift pins are inserted through the cylindrical first lift pins provided corresponding to the respective through holes provided in the substrate support member, the first lift pins pass through when the first lift pins move up and down. It goes up and down through the through holes of the same substrate supporting member.

Therefore, while the support by the first lift pins and the second lift pins can be switched, the first lift pins and the corresponding second lift pins move up and down at substantially the same position, so that they can be lifted through the same through holes. It is possible to raise and lower these. Therefore, the number of through-holes in the substrate supporting member does not increase. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize switching of support without increasing the number of through-holes provided in the substrate support member.

Another aspect of the present invention is a substrate lifting device for lifting and lowering a substrate while supporting it in a horizontal position. a plurality of second lift pins formed in a cylindrical or rod shape with an axial direction extending in the vertical direction and inserted through the respective interiors of the first lift pins; and lifting and lowering the first and second lift pins. and a lifting mechanism for

Here, the lifting mechanism includes a first state in which the upper end of the first lift pin rises to a predetermined first height while the upper end of the second lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the first lift pin; While the upper end of the second lift pin rises to a predetermined second height, the upper end of the first lift pin is switched to a second state positioned below the upper end of the second lift pin.

In the invention configured in this manner, the support can be switched by the first lift pins and the second lift pins that move up and down in substantially the same position, as in the substrate processing apparatus described above. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the number of through-holes even when these are moved up and down through the through-holes of the substrate supporting member.

As described above, according to the present invention, the second lift pin is inserted through the interior of the first cylindrical lift pin, which lifts and lowers substantially the same position. By switching between the support by the first lift pins and the support by the second lift pins, there is no need to increase the number of through-holes even when these are moved up and down through the through-holes of the substrate support member.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the mode of delivery of a board|substrate. It is a figure which shows the shape and positional relationship of each part involved in delivery. It is a figure which shows the structure of a lift pin. It is a figure which shows the operation|movement of a lift pin. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first aspect of a mechanism for raising and lowering lift pins; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second aspect of the mechanism for raising and lowering the lift pins;

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of one embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. This substrate processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for processing the surfaces of various substrates such as semiconductor substrates using a supercritical fluid. An XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set as shown in FIG. 1 in order to uniformly show the directions in the following figures. Here, the XY plane is the horizontal plane, and the Z direction is the vertical direction. More specifically, the (−Z) direction represents the vertically downward direction.

Here, the "substrate" in this embodiment includes a semiconductor wafer, a photomask glass substrate, a liquid crystal display glass substrate, a plasma display glass substrate, a FED (Field Emission Display) substrate, an optical disk substrate, and a magnetic disk substrate. Various substrates such as a substrate and a magneto-optical disk substrate can be applied. Although a substrate processing apparatus used mainly for processing semiconductor wafers will be described below with reference to the drawings, the present invention can be similarly applied to the processing of various types of substrates exemplified above.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing unit 10 , a transfer unit 30 , a supply unit 50 and a control unit 90 . The processing unit 10 is the entity that performs the supercritical drying process, and the transfer unit 30 receives unprocessed substrates transported by an external transport device (not shown), loads them into the processing unit 10, and processes them. Subsequent substrates are transferred from the processing unit 10 to an external transport device. The supply unit 50 supplies chemical substances and power necessary for processing to the processing unit 10 and the transfer mechanism 30 .

The control unit 90 controls each part of these devices to realize predetermined processing. For this purpose, the control unit 90 includes a CPU 91 for executing various control programs, a memory 92 for temporarily storing processing data, a storage 93 for storing control programs executed by the CPU 91, and a user or an external device. It has an interface 94 and the like for exchanging information. The operation of the device, which will be described later, is realized by causing the CPU 91 to execute a control program written in advance in the storage 93 and cause each section of the device to perform a predetermined operation.

The processing unit 10 has a structure in which a processing chamber 12 is attached on a pedestal 11 . The processing chamber 12 is made up of a combination of several metal blocks, and its interior is hollow to form a processing space SP. A substrate S to be processed is carried into the processing space SP and subjected to processing. A slit-shaped opening 121 elongated in the X direction is formed in the (−Y) side surface of the processing chamber 12, and the processing space SP communicates with the external space through the opening 121. FIG.

A lid member 13 is provided on the (−Y) side surface of the processing chamber 12 so as to close the opening 121 . A flat support tray 15 is attached in a horizontal posture to the (+Y) side surface of the lid member 13, and the upper surface of the support tray 15 serves as a support surface on which the substrate S can be placed. The lid member 13 is supported so as to be horizontally movable in the Y direction by a support mechanism (not shown).

The cover member 13 can be moved forward and backward with respect to the processing chamber 12 by an advancing and retreating mechanism 53 provided in the supply unit 50 . Specifically, the advance/retreat mechanism 53 has a linear motion mechanism such as a linear motor, a linear motion guide, a ball screw mechanism, a solenoid, an air cylinder, etc. Such a linear motion mechanism moves the lid member 13 in the Y direction. move to The advance/retreat mechanism 53 operates according to a control command from the control unit 90 .

When the cover member 13 moves in the (−Y) direction and the support tray 15 is pulled out from the processing space SP through the opening 121, the support tray 15 can be accessed. That is, the substrate S can be placed on the support tray 15 and the substrate S placed on the support tray 15 can be removed. On the other hand, by moving the lid member 13 in the (+Y) direction, the support tray 15 is housed in the processing space SP. When the substrate S is placed on the support tray 15 , the substrate S is carried into the processing space SP together with the support tray 15 .

The processing space SP is hermetically sealed by the cover member 13 moving in the (+Y) direction and closing the opening 121 . Although not shown, a sealing member is provided between the (+Y) side surface of the lid member 13 and the (−Y) side surface of the processing chamber 12 to keep the processing space SP airtight. be. Also, the lid member 13 is fixed to the processing chamber 12 by a lock mechanism (not shown). In this manner, the substrate S is processed within the processing space SP while the airtight state of the processing space SP is ensured.

In this embodiment, a fluid of a substance that can be used for supercritical processing, such as carbon dioxide, is supplied to the processing unit 10 in a gaseous or liquid state from a fluid supply section 57 provided in the supply unit 50 . Carbon dioxide is a chemical substance that is suitable for supercritical drying processing because it is in a supercritical state at a relatively low temperature and pressure and has the property of being highly soluble in organic solvents that are frequently used in substrate processing.

The fluid is filled in the processing space SP, and when the inside of the processing space SP reaches an appropriate temperature and pressure, the fluid becomes supercritical. The substrate S is thus processed in the processing chamber 12 with the supercritical fluid. A fluid recovery section 55 is provided in the supply unit 50, and the fluid after processing is recovered by the fluid recovery section 55. FIG. The fluid supply section 57 and the fluid recovery section 55 are controlled by the control unit 90 .

The transfer unit 30 is responsible for transferring the substrate S between the external transport device and the support tray 15 . For this purpose, the transfer unit 30 includes a main body 31, elevating members 33 and 34, base members 35 and 36, and two types of lift pins 37 and 38 each provided in plurality. The elevating members 33 and 34 are columnar members extending in the Z direction, and are supported by the main body 31 so as to be movable in the Z direction.

A base member 35 having a substantially horizontal upper surface is attached to the upper portion of the lifting member 33 , and a plurality of lift pins 37 are erected upward from the upper surface of the base member 35 . As will be described later, each of the lift pins 37 supports the substrate S in a horizontal position from below by contacting the lower surface of the substrate S with its upper end. In order to stably support the substrate S, it is desirable to provide three or more lift pins 37 having the same upper end height.

A base member 36 having a substantially horizontal upper surface is attached to the upper portion of the lifting member 34 , and a plurality of lift pins 38 are erected upward from the upper surface of the base member 36 . Each of the lift pins 38 supports the substrate S in a horizontal position from below by contacting the lower surface of the substrate S with the upper end portion thereof. In order to stably support the substrate S, it is desirable to provide three or more lift pins 38 having the same upper end height.

The lift pins 37 and the lift pins 38 can be raised and lowered individually. Therefore, although details will be described later, in this embodiment, there is a support mode in which the lift pins 37 rise above the support tray 15 to support the substrate S, and a support mode in which the lift pins 38 rise above the support tray 15 to support the substrate S. mode can be switched.

The elevating members 33 and 34 are controlled by an elevating control section 51 provided in the supply unit 50 so as to be capable of elevating movement. Specifically, the main body 31 of the transfer unit 30 is provided with a linear motion mechanism such as a linear motor, a linear motion guide, a ball screw mechanism, a solenoid, and an air cylinder. The lifting members 33 and 34 are moved in the Z direction under the control of the unit 51 . The elevation control section 51 operates according to a control command from the control unit 90 .

As the elevating member 33 moves up and down, the base member 35 moves up and down, and the plurality of lift pins 37 move up and down integrally therewith. As a result, transfer of the substrate S between the transfer unit 30 and the support tray 15 is realized as described below. A more detailed structure of the transfer unit 30 will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing how substrates are transferred. Also, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the shape and positional relationship of each part involved in delivery. More specifically, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration involved in transferring the substrate S. FIG. In addition, in FIG. 3, in order to clarify the structure of each part, the distance in the Z direction between the members is enlarged more than the actual one. As shown in these figures, the transfer of the substrate S is performed with the support tray 15 pulled out from the processing chamber 12 . For this reason, the transfer unit 30 is arranged at a position below the support tray 15 in the pulled out state.

In this embodiment, a support mode in which the substrate S is supported by the lift pins 37 and a support mode in which the substrate S is supported by the lift pins 38 can be realized. Here, in order to facilitate understanding of the operation, a mode in which the substrate S is supported by the lift pins 37 will be described as an example, but support by the lift pins 38 is the same in principle. When it is necessary to distinguish between the two types of lift pins, the lift pins 37 may be called "first lift pins" and the lift pins 38 may be called "second lift pins".

2(a) to 2(d), the operation of each part in transferring the substrate S will be described. The initial state of the device is shown in FIG. From this state, when receiving the substrate S loaded from the outside, the cover member 13 moves to the (-Y) side and the support tray 15 is pulled out from the processing chamber 12, as shown in FIG. 2(a). The position of the support tray 15 at this time is hereinafter referred to as the "pull-out position". Also, the first lift pins 37 protrude from the upper surface (support surface) 151 of the support tray 15 due to the elevation of the elevating member 33 .

As shown in FIG. 3, a through hole 152 is provided vertically through the support tray 15 at a position corresponding to the position of the first lift pin 37 in the horizontal direction. When the base member 35 is lifted by the lifting member 33 , the first lift pins 37 protrude above the support surface 151 through the through holes 152 .

Reference numeral 151a in FIG. 3 denotes a recess for accommodating the substrate S provided on the upper surface 151 of the support tray 15. As shown in FIG. The planar size of the recess 151a is slightly larger than the outer shape of the substrate S, and its depth is equal to or slightly smaller than the thickness of the substrate S. As shown in FIG. The substrate S carried in from the outside is stably supported on the support tray 15 by fitting into the recess 151a. It should be noted that it is not an essential requirement that the support tray 15 is provided with the recess 151a.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), the substrate S is conveyed while being held by a hand H provided on an external conveying device. The substrate S is transferred from the hand H to the first lift pins 37 by the first lift pins 37 rising through the through holes 152 and protruding above the upper surface of the hand H. The shape and arrangement of the hand H and the first lift pin 37 are determined so as not to interfere with each other. In this state, the hand H can retreat sideways. As shown in FIG. 2B, the substrate S supported by the first lift pins 37 is lowered by lowering the elevating member 33 .

Finally, as shown in FIG. 2C, the lower surface of the substrate S contacts the support surface 151, and the first lift pins 37 descend below the support surface 151. to the support tray 15. In this manner, the substrate S is transferred from the external transport device to the support tray 15 . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2D, the substrate S is housed in the processing space SP of the processing chamber 12 together with the support tray 15 by moving the lid member 13 in the (+Y) direction.

Carrying-out of the substrate S after processing is a movement opposite to that described above. Also, at this time, the substrate S is supported by the second lift pins 38 instead of the first lift pins 37 . Specifically, after the substrate S after processing is pulled out of the processing chamber 12 together with the support tray 15, the elevating member 34 is lifted, so that the second lift pins 38 are lifted through the through holes 152, and the substrate S is lifted. Lift off the support tray 15 . Then, the substrate S is held by the hand H by transferring the substrate S from the second lift pins 38 to the hand H entering from the outside. The substrate S is discharged from the substrate processing apparatus 1 by the hand H carrying out the substrate S to the outside.

The upper surface of the substrate S loaded into the processing chamber 12 may be covered with liquid or solid. For example, when a fine pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate S, the pattern may collapse due to the surface tension of the liquid remaining on the substrate. Also, watermarks may remain on the surface of the substrate S due to incomplete drying. Further, the surface of the substrate S may be deteriorated such as by being oxidized when it comes into contact with the outside air. In order to avoid such a problem, the surface of the substrate S may be covered with a liquid or solid surface layer during transport.

Therefore, among the transfer processes of the substrate S described above, the process in which the substrate S loaded from the outside is housed in the processing chamber 12 via the transfer unit 30 is performed while the upper surface of the substrate S is covered with the surface layer. may be executed. For example, a semiconductor substrate having a fine pattern formed on its surface is transported in a state in which a liquid film is formed with a liquid having relatively low surface tension and low corrosiveness to the substrate, such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol) or acetone. executed. On the other hand, in the process of unloading the substrate S from the processing chamber 12, the substrate S is in a dry state.

As described above, the state of the substrate S changes before and after processing, and the substrate S after processing has particularly high cleanliness. Also, if liquids, solids, particles, or the like adhered to the substrate S at the time of loading adhere to the lift pins 37, these may become sources of contamination of the substrate S after processing. For this reason, it is desirable to distinguish between lift pins that receive unprocessed substrates S during loading and lift pins that push up processed substrates S during unloading. The structure of the lift pins of this embodiment, which enables this, will be described in more detail below.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of lift pins. More specifically, FIG. 4(a) is a perspective view showing the structure of the tips of the lift pins 37 and 38, and FIG. 4(b) is a sectional view thereof. The first lift pin 37 is a member having a cylindrical shape whose axial direction is the vertical direction (Z direction). On the other hand, the second lift pin 38 is a rod-shaped member having an axial direction in the vertical direction, which is inserted into the inside of the first lift pin 37 with a small gap from the inner wall of the first lift pin 37 . It should be noted that it may be a cylindrical member like the first lift pin 37, and its cross-sectional shape is arbitrary.

The first lift pin 37 is supported by a base member 35, and the second lift pin 38 is supported by a base member 36, respectively. As shown in FIG. 7(b), a gap space G between the first lift pin 37 and the second lift pin 38 is connected to an exhaust portion 39 that generates a negative pressure. Therefore, downward air currents are formed in the gap space G as indicated by arrows A1 and A2. Particles entering the gap space G from the outside and contaminants such as fine powder generated by contact between the first lift pins 37 and the second lift pins 38 are carried downward by this air flow, and are prevented from adhering to the substrate S. be.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of lift pins. In this embodiment, the independent lifting and lowering of the first lift pin 37 and the second lift pin 38 provide three conditions:
(1) First state: Fig. 5(a)
The upper ends of the first lift pins 37 pass through the through holes 152 of the support tray 15 and protrude above the upper surface 151 and contact the lower surface of the substrate S, thereby supporting the substrate S away from the support tray 15 while supporting the second lift pins 37 . A state in which the lift pin 38 is accommodated inside the first lift pin 37 with its upper end positioned below the upper end of the first lift pin 37;
(2) Second state: FIG. 5(b)
The upper ends of the second lift pins 38 pass through the through holes 152 of the support tray 15 and protrude above the upper surface 151 and contact the lower surface of the substrate S, thereby supporting the substrate S away from the support tray 15 while supporting the first lift pins 38 . A state in which the upper end of the lift pin 37 is located below the upper end of the second lift pin 38;
(3) Third state: FIG. 5(c)
The upper ends of the first lift pins 37 and the second lift pins 38 are located below the upper surface 151 of the support tray 15 and do not come into contact with the substrate S. Therefore, the state in which the support tray 15 supports the substrate S can be realized. Yes, and can switch between these states as appropriate.

In the first state shown in FIG. 5( a ), the first lift pins 37 protrude significantly above the support tray 15 so that the substrate loading hand of the external transport device can enter between the substrate S and the support tray 15 . A space S1 is formed to allow the On the other hand, in the second state shown in FIG. 5B, the second lift pins 38 protrude significantly above the support tray 15, so that the substrate unloading hand of the external transport device is positioned between the substrate S and the support tray 15. to form a space S2 for entering.

In this way, the paired two types of lift pins 37 and 38 both pass through the same through hole 152 to ascend and descend. For this reason, the support tray 15 may be provided with through holes 152 having an inner diameter that allows the first lift pins 37 having a larger diameter to be inserted therethrough, as many as the first lift pins 37 .

In the substrate processing apparatus 1 in which the substrate S placed on the support tray 15 is accommodated in the processing chamber 12 and processed with the processing fluid in the chamber, the vertical flow of the processing fluid through the through holes 152 is the processing. Quality may be affected. Specifically, for example, contaminants removed from the substrate S by the processing fluid may stay in the vicinity of the substrate S due to the turbulent flow of the processing fluid generated around the substrate S and reattach to the substrate S.

For this reason, it is preferable that the through holes 152 provided in the support tray 15 for allowing the lift pins to pass therethrough have a diameter as small as possible and the number of through holes 152 is kept to a necessary minimum. The lift pins 37, 38 of this embodiment can meet such demands. In particular, by adopting a coaxial structure in which the first lift pin 37 is cylindrical and the second lift pin 38 is columnar or cylindrical, it is possible to minimize the horizontal cross-sectional area while ensuring the strength of the lift pins. Thereby, the opening size of the through-hole 152 can be minimized.

The highest position Z1 reached by the first lift pins 37 in the first state and the highest position Z2 reached by the second lift pins 38 in the second state are such that there is a necessary and sufficient space between the substrate S and the support tray 15. They may be the same or different as long as they are formed. Also, the position of the second lift pin 38 in the first state and the position of the first lift pin 37 in the second state are not limited to those illustrated.

For the same reason as the proper use of the lift pins, it is desirable that the hands of the external transfer device used for transferring the substrate S are also distinguished between the hands during loading and unloading. Since it is conceivable that the transport path of the substrate S is different between receiving from the previous process and discharging to the post-process, the transport device for carrying in and the carrying out device for carrying out may be different. By distinguishing the hand or the transport device between loading and unloading in this manner, it is possible not only to prevent contamination of the substrate S after processing, but also to perform the loading operation and the unloading operation in parallel. Therefore, it is possible to expect an improvement in throughput when processing a large number of substrates.

In the third state, if the upper ends of the first lift pins 37 and the second lift pins 38 are lowered at least below the upper surface 151 of the support tray 15, contact with the substrate S is avoided. However, as shown in FIG. 5(c), if the upper end position Z3 is below the lower surface of the support tray 15, it is more preferable in that horizontal movement of the support tray 15 is permitted. For example, the support tray 15 moves in the Y direction to accommodate the substrate S in the processing chamber 12, as indicated by the dashed arrow in the figure. In this case as well, the lift pins 37 and 38 are prevented from interfering with the support tray 15 .

Next, the mechanism for individually raising and lowering the two types of lift pins 37 and 38 to realize the above states will be described in more detail. For example, the following two aspects are applicable as a mechanism capable of realizing such an operation. In the following description, in order to clarify the structural correspondence with the previous description of the principle, the same reference numerals are given to the substantially same configurations as in the above description.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first mode of the mechanism for raising and lowering the lift pins. The transfer unit 30a of this aspect corresponds to the transfer unit 30 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6( a ), in the first mode 30 a of the transfer unit 30 , a flat base member 36 is arranged below a flat base member 35 . A through hole is provided in the center of the base member 36, and the elevating member 33 that supports the base member 35 is inserted through this through hole. The elevating member 33 is driven up and down by a first linear motion mechanism 311 provided in the main body 31 . On the other hand, the elevating members 34 , 34 supporting the base member 36 are driven up and down by the second linear motion mechanisms 312 , 312 on the main body 31 . Therefore, the base member 35 and the base member 36 can be raised and lowered independently of each other.

A plurality of through holes are provided in the vicinity of the periphery of the base member 35, and the first lift pins 37 are attached to each of these through holes. Therefore, the plurality of first lift pins 37 move up and down integrally as the base member 35 moves up and down. Since the upper ends of the first lift pins 37 are set at the same height, the substrate S can be supported in a horizontal posture by contacting the lower surface of the substrate S. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, a plurality of second lift pins 38 are fixed to the upper surface of the base member 36 , and each of the second lift pins 38 is inserted inside the corresponding first lift pin 37 . Therefore, the plurality of second lift pins 38 move up and down integrally as the base member 36 moves up and down. Since the upper ends of the second lift pins 38 are set at the same height, the substrate S can be supported in a horizontal posture by coming into contact with the lower surface of the substrate S. As shown in FIG.

According to such a configuration, the base members 35 and 36 move up and down independently of each other, resulting in a state in which the first lift pins 37 protrude above the second lift pins 38 as shown in FIG. 6(b), the state in which the second lift pins 38 protrude higher than the first lift pins 37 can be switched.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a second aspect of the mechanism for raising and lowering the lift pins. In the transfer unit 30b of this mode, the supporting structure of the base member 35 is partially different from that of FIG. As shown in FIG. 7( a ), in the second mode 30 b of the transfer unit 30 , a flat base member 36 is arranged below the flat base member 35 . An elevating member 33 is attached to the lower portion of the base member 35 , and the elevating member 33 is attached to the base member 36 via a first linear motion mechanism 313 .

A plurality of through holes are provided in the vicinity of the periphery of the base member 35, and the first lift pins 37 are attached to each of these through holes. Therefore, the plurality of first lift pins 37 move up and down integrally as the base member 35 moves up and down. Since the upper ends of the first lift pins 37 are set at the same height, the substrate S can be supported in a horizontal posture by contacting the lower surface of the substrate S. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, a plurality of second lift pins 38 are fixed to the upper surface of the base member 36 , and each of the second lift pins 38 is inserted inside the corresponding first lift pin 37 . Therefore, the plurality of second lift pins 38 move up and down integrally as the base member 36 moves up and down. Since the upper ends of the second lift pins 38 are set at the same height, the substrate S can be supported in a horizontal posture by coming into contact with the lower surface of the substrate S. As shown in FIG. An elevating member 34 is connected to the lower portion of the base member 36 , and the elevating member 34 is driven up and down by the second linear motion mechanism 314 .

When the elevating member 34 is elevated by the operation of the second linear motion mechanism 314, the base member 35 and the base member 36 are integrally elevated. Along with this, the first lift pin 37 and the second lift pin 38 move up and down integrally. On the other hand, when the elevating member 33 is raised and lowered by the operation of the first linear motion mechanism 313 , the base member 35 is raised and lowered with respect to the base member 36 . Accordingly, the first lift pins 37 move up and down with respect to the second lift pins 38 . As a result, the state in which the first lift pins 37 protrude above the second lift pins 38 shown in FIG. 7A and the state in which the second lift pins 38 protrude above the first lift pins 37 shown in FIG. It can be switched between the protruded state.

As described above, the mechanism for executing the lifting operation of the lift pins of the present embodiment includes a mechanism for independently lifting and lowering the first lift pin 37 and the stage 2 lift pin 38, and a mechanism for lifting and lowering the first lift pin 37 and the second lift pin 38. A combination of a mechanism for relatively raising and lowering and a mechanism for integrally raising and lowering them can be considered.

From the viewpoint of minimizing the number of through-holes provided in the support tray, for example, two types of lift pins may be arranged close to each other and a through-hole through which both of them can be inserted may be provided in the support tray. However, increasing the diameter of the through-holes can also cause the same problem as increasing the number of through-holes. The coaxial shape as in the above embodiment is also advantageous in that the hole diameter can be kept small.

It is also conceivable to dispose two semi-cylindrical lift pins so that their plane portions face each other. However, in this case, a problem may arise in that the rigidity is reduced due to the reduction in the horizontal cross-sectional area of each lift pin. On the other hand, in the combination of a column and a cylinder or the combination of cylinders as in the above embodiment, it is possible to maximize the rigidity of the lift pin with a small cross-sectional area.

Furthermore, in terms of forming a downward air flow in the gap space between the lift pins and reliably removing particles and the like that are sources of contamination, the structure in which the other lift pin is inserted into the cylindrical lift pin as described above. is valid.

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, the transfer unit 30 corresponds to the "substrate lifting device" of the present invention. In the transfer unit 30, the elevating member 33 and the base member 35 serve as the "first support section" of the present invention, the elevating member 34 and the base member 36 serve as the "second support section" of the present invention, The driving mechanisms 311 and 313 function as the "first elevating section" of the present invention, and the second linear motion mechanisms 312 and 314 function as the "second elevating section" of the present invention. "mechanism". Also, the exhaust section 39 functions as the "airflow generating section" of the present invention.

Further, in the above embodiment, the support tray 15 functions as the "substrate support member" of the present invention. Furthermore, the heights Z1, Z2, and Z3 shown in FIGS. 5(a) to 5(c) are the "first height," "second height," and "third height," respectively. Equivalent.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the processing chamber 12 of the above embodiment executes supercritical drying processing in the internal processing space SP. However, the technical idea of the present invention is also applicable to other substrate processing. In particular, the present invention is effective for general apparatuses in which a substrate to be processed is placed on a flat substrate support member such as a support tray, carried into a processing chamber, and processed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the first lift pins 37 are used when the substrate S is loaded into the support tray 15, and the second lift pins 38 are used when the substrate S is unloaded, but these may be reversed. In addition to using different lift pins for loading and unloading, for example, the state in which the substrate S is supported by the first lift pins 37 and the state in which the substrate S is supported by the second lift pins 38 can be changed. , it is also possible to switch directly.

Also, in the above embodiment. A second lift pin 38 is inserted through the inner cavity of the cylindrical first lift pin 37 and the two are not in contact with each other. However, a structure in which one lift pin and the other lift pin are partially and slidably engaged may be used. In this way, one lift pin can be supported by the other lift pin, so the lift pin can be thinner. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the diameter of the through-holes provided in the support tray.

In this case, it is preferable that the two lift pins engage at a position spaced downward from the upper end portion that abuts on the substrate in order to prevent fine powder generated by sliding from becoming a source of contamination. Further, it is more preferable to use means for generating a downward airflow between both lift pins.

Further, in the delivery of the substrate S in the above embodiment, an external transport device transports the substrate S in the Y direction. Therefore, the lift pins 37 and 38 need to support the substrate S above the upper end of the lid member 13 . Alternatively, for example, if the substrate is transported in the X direction, the substrate S does not need to pass over the lid member 13, and the lift pins 37 and 38 can support the substrate S at a lower position. Enough. For example, the approach direction of the hand of the transport device may be changed between when the substrate S is carried in and when the substrate S is carried out.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the support tray 15 is attached to the side surface of the lid member 13 so that they move integrally, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the support tray may be configured to be movable independently of the lid member. In this case, the lid member may be a door-like member attached to the opening of the processing chamber so as to be openable and closable.

In the above-described embodiment, the substrate S is supported by directly contacting the upper surface of the support tray 15, which is the substrate support member, with the lower surface of the substrate S. The substrate may be supported by the upper end of the portion contacting the lower surface of the substrate.

Further, the various chemical substances used in the treatment of the above embodiment are only examples, and various substances may be used in place of them as long as they conform to the technical concept of the present invention described above. It is possible to use

As described above by exemplifying specific embodiments, in the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate lifting device according to the present invention, the lifting mechanism includes the first support portion that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins. a first elevating part for elevating the first supporting part; a second elevating part for integrally supporting the plurality of second lift pins; and a second elevating part for elevating the second supporting part independently of the first supporting part. It can be provided with a part.

Further, for example, the lifting mechanism includes a first support portion that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins, a second support portion that integrally supports the plurality of second lift pins, the first support portion and the second support portion. and a second elevating unit for integrally elevating the first support unit and the second support unit.

With any of these configurations, the first to third states of the present invention can be achieved by individually raising and lowering the first lift pins and the second lift pins.

Further, for example, an airflow generating portion that generates a downward airflow in the gap space between the first lift pin and the second lift pin may be further provided. With such a configuration, it is possible to discharge downward fine powder that may be generated by the relative movement of the first lift pin and the second lift pin while they are in contact with each other, thereby preventing the substrate from becoming a source of contamination. .

In addition to the first state and the second state, for example, the lifting mechanism may be configured to realize a third state in which the upper ends of the first lift pins and the second lift pins are both positioned below the upper surface. can be done. 5. The substrate processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in the third state, switching is performed between the first and second lift pins.
In the third state, both the upper ends of the first lift pins and the second lift pins may be located below the lower surface of the substrate support member. According to such a configuration, the substrate can be transported by horizontally moving the substrate support member without interference between the first lift pins and the second lift pins.

For example, by adopting the above configuration in an apparatus having an advance/retreat mechanism for moving the substrate support member and the chamber relative to each other in the horizontal direction, the substrate supported by the substrate support member can be moved. Interference of the lift pins during loading into and out of the chamber is avoided.

In this case, the first lift pins and the second lift pins can be arranged corresponding to the positions of the through holes of the substrate support member pulled out from the chamber. That is, the first lift pins and the second lift pins can be arranged at positions that allow access to the substrate pulled out of the chamber together with the substrate support member. According to such a configuration, it is possible to transfer the substrate between the substrate support member and the external transport device in a favorable manner.

Further, for example, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention may process a substrate with a processing fluid in a chamber. In an apparatus that performs such processing, the flow of processing fluid through through-holes provided in the substrate support member for passage of the lift pins causes turbulence, which can affect processing quality. By minimizing the number and diameter of through-holes, it is possible to reduce such effects on processing quality.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to general techniques in which a substrate is accommodated in a chamber and processed while being horizontally supported by a flat support member. In particular, it is suitable for substrate processing using a processing fluid in a chamber, such as supercritical drying processing.

1 substrate processing apparatus 15 support tray (substrate support member)
30 transfer unit (substrate lifting device)
33 Lifting member (first support part, lifting mechanism)
34 Elevating member (second support part, elevating mechanism)
35 base member (first support, lifting mechanism)
36 base member (second support, lifting mechanism)
37 First lift pin 38 Second lift pin 39 Exhaust part (airflow generating part)
53 Retraction mechanism 311, 313 First linear motion mechanism (first elevating unit, elevating mechanism)
312, 314 Second linear motion mechanism (second elevating unit, elevating mechanism)
S Substrate Z1 First height Z2 Second height Z3 Third height

Claims (13)

a substrate supporting member having a flat plate shape provided with a plurality of vertical through-holes, and supporting the substrate in a horizontal position in the chamber by placing the substrate on the upper surface thereof;
a plurality of first lift pins formed in a cylindrical shape having an axial direction extending in the vertical direction and provided in plurality corresponding to each of the through holes;
a plurality of second lift pins formed in a cylindrical or rod shape with an axial direction extending in the vertical direction and inserted through each of the first lift pins;
an elevating mechanism for elevating the first lift pin and the second lift pin, the elevating mechanism comprising:
a first state in which the upper end of the first lift pin protrudes above the upper surface through the through hole, while the upper end of the second lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the first lift pin;
a second state in which upper ends of the second lift pins protrude above the upper surface through the through holes and upper ends of the first lift pins are positioned below upper ends of the second lift pins; processing equipment. The lifting mechanism is
a first support that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins;
a first elevating section that elevates the first support section;
a second support portion that integrally supports the plurality of second lift pins;
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second elevating section that elevates said second support section independently of said first support section. The lifting mechanism is
a first support that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins;
a second support portion that integrally supports the plurality of second lift pins;
a first elevating section that relatively elevates the first support section and the second support section;
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second elevating section that integrally elevates the first supporting section and the second supporting section. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an airflow generator for generating a downward airflow in a gap space between said first lift pin and said second lift pin. The lifting mechanism switches between the first state, the second state, and a third state in which the upper ends of the first lift pins and the second lift pins are both positioned below the upper surface. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in said third state, upper ends of said first lift pins and said second lift pins are both located below the lower surface of said substrate support member. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an advancing/retreating mechanism for moving said substrate supporting member and said chamber relative to each other in a horizontal direction to advance and retreat said substrate supporting member with respect to said chamber. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first lift pins and said second lift pins are arranged corresponding to positions of said through holes of said substrate support member pulled out from said chamber. 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is processed with a processing fluid within said chamber. A substrate lifting device that lifts and lowers a substrate while supporting it in a horizontal posture,
a plurality of first lift pins formed in a cylindrical shape with an axial direction extending in the vertical direction;
a plurality of second lift pins formed in a cylindrical or rod shape with an axial direction extending in the vertical direction and inserted through each of the first lift pins;
an elevating mechanism for elevating the first lift pin and the second lift pin, the elevating mechanism comprising:
a first state in which the upper end of the first lift pin rises to a predetermined first height while the upper end of the second lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the first lift pin;
A substrate lifting device that switches between a second state in which the upper ends of the second lift pins rise to a predetermined second height, and the upper ends of the first lift pins are positioned below the upper ends of the second lift pins. The lifting mechanism is
a first support that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins;
a first elevating section that elevates the first support section;
a second support portion that integrally supports the plurality of second lift pins;
11. The substrate lifting apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a second elevating section that elevates the second supporting section independently of the first supporting section. The lifting mechanism is
a first support that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins;
a second support portion that integrally supports the plurality of second lift pins;
a first elevating section that relatively elevates the first support section and the second support section;
12. The substrate lifting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a second elevating section that integrally elevates the first supporting section and the second supporting section. 13. The substrate lifting device according to claim 10, further comprising an airflow generator for generating a downward airflow in a gap space between said first lift pin and said second lift pin.

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