JP2023055817A - Platen substrate adhesion prevention film, substrate handling device and substrate handling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to effectively respond also to a positional deviation of a substrate, by minimizing load on a running cost and by making easy to mount or exchange, with no defective shape or garbage dump discharge of the substrate, when preventing sticking to a platen to an adhesive substrate.

SOLUTION: A resin-made substrate sticking prevention film 1 having substrate suction holes 11 at positions corresponding to the respective substrate vacuum suction holes 21 of a platen 2 is arranged in a state of covering a substrate placement region R of the platen 2. A sensor 3 in the platen 2 detects deviation of a mark 12 provided on the substrate sticking prevention film 1 . When the substrate sticking prevention film 1 is displaced, a loading operation of the substrate W is stopped. The substrate sticking prevention film 1 is vacuum-sucked to the platen 2 through the film vacuum suction holes 25.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

The invention of this application relates to the handling of substrates in the manufacturing process of various products, and more particularly to a technique of handling substrates placed on a platen.

In the manufacture of various products, plate-like members (collectively referred to as substrates in the present application) that serve as bases are often handled. The substrate may remain and be incorporated into the final product, such as a printed circuit board or liquid crystal substrate, but may also be removed during the manufacturing process and not remain.
In manufacturing processes that handle such substrates, the substrates are often placed on the surface of a member called a platen. In the present application, platen is a general term for a platform-shaped member on which a substrate is placed.
For example, in photolithography for forming fine shapes on a substrate, an exposure apparatus is used that exposes the substrate by irradiating the substrate with light of a predetermined pattern. The exposure apparatus has a platen, and is configured to irradiate a substrate placed on the platen with light of a predetermined pattern using a mask or the like.

JP-A-2001-133986 JP 2013-153146 A JP 2013-146970 A JP-A-2000-114316 JP-A-10-6358 JP 2013-123849 A

In the apparatus provided with the platen as described above, there is a problem that the substrate may stick to the platen, making it difficult to remove the substrate from the platen. For example, printed circuit boards on which fine circuits are formed may have a highly adhesive film such as a solder resist formed on the surface of the board. A coating is often formed on the back surface of the substrate that contacts the platen, and when placed on the platen, the coating tends to adhere due to adhesive force. In this case, when the substrate is removed from the platen after the completion of processing, it may become impossible to remove it, or the film may be peeled off by forcibly separating the substrate. When the coating peels off, there may be problems such as shape defects occurring at that portion, and fragments of the peeled coating becoming dust.
In consideration of this point, in equipment that handles substrates with a highly sticky surface, a configuration is adopted in which a metal plate treated with a non-adhesive treatment such as fluorine-based coating is attached to the platen, and the substrate is placed on it. ing.

However, the non-adhesive treated metal plate has a low surface hardness, so the non-adhesive layer on the surface peels off after long-term use, and dents and grooves are formed as a result of the edge of the substrate being pressed against it. There's a problem. If dents or grooves are formed on the surface non-adhesive layer of the metal plate, they may be transferred to the substrate side, which may impair the appearance of the product or degrade its performance. Therefore, the metal plate needs to be replaced after being used for a certain period of time. However, the metal plate subjected to this type of surface treatment is expensive and has a large running cost burden.
Also, the substrate often needs to rest on a highly flat surface, which requires a platen with a highly flat surface. In this respect, the flatness of metal plates with non-adhesive surface treatment is often poor, and it is common to adopt a method of fixing the platen to the surface of a platen with high flatness while correcting the surface by means such as screwing. many. For this reason, it takes a lot of time and effort to install and replace the parts, resulting in poor workability.

In consideration of such problems, it is conceivable to use a non-adhesive treated resin film such as a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film instead of the non-adhesive treated metal plate. However, according to the inventor's research, this type of resin film cannot be screwed, so it is necessary to fix it to the platen by a method such as vacuum suction. Easy to store. If the resin film is displaced, the substrate thereon is also displaced, which is likely to cause defective products when performing processing such as exposure processing that requires high positional accuracy.
The invention of this application has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art. The purpose is to eliminate problems such as substrate shape defects and dust emission. Further, it is another object of the present invention to reduce the burden on running costs, facilitate installation and replacement, and effectively cope with positional deviation of the substrate.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 of this application provides a substrate handling apparatus that includes a platen on which a substrate is placed and handles the substrate while the placed substrate is vacuum-adsorbed to the platen. A platen substrate sticking prevention film covering the substrate placement area of
It has a square shape as a whole,
A large number of substrate suction holes are provided so as not to hinder the platen from vacuum-sucking the substrate through the large number of substrate vacuum suction holes in the platen,
A large number of substrate suction holes are arranged in the direction of one side of the square and also arranged in the direction of the other side perpendicular to the one side,
A large number of substrate suction holes are provided in a rectangular setting area having sides parallel to each side of the overall rectangular shape,
Further, a mark is provided for detecting positional deviation with respect to the platen,
The marks are provided outside the set area and at least two of the four corners of the overall rectangular shape.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a second aspect of the invention provides a substrate handling apparatus comprising a platen on which a substrate is placed, and handling the substrate while the placed substrate is vacuum-adsorbed to the platen. ,
A substrate mounting area of the platen is covered with the platen substrate sticking prevention film according to claim 1,
The platen has a large number of substrate vacuum suction holes for vacuum-sucking the substrate, and a film vacuum suction hole for vacuum-sucking the platen substrate sticking prevention film,
each of the plurality of substrate suction holes in the platen substrate sticking prevention film is provided at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of substrate vacuum suction holes of the platen,
A configuration comprising: a sensor for detecting the mark on the platen substrate sticking prevention film; and a controller for determining whether the platen substrate sticking prevention film is displaced from the platen according to the detection result of the sensor. have
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 3 uses a substrate handling apparatus having a platen on which a substrate is placed, and a substrate handling method for handling the substrate in a state in which the substrate is vacuum-sucked on the platen. and
A substrate mounting area of the platen is covered with the platen substrate sticking prevention film according to claim 1,
The platen has a large number of substrate vacuum suction holes for vacuum-sucking the substrate, and a film vacuum suction hole for vacuum-sucking the platen substrate sticking prevention film. The film vacuum suction holes are in communication with different exhaust paths,
each of the plurality of substrate suction holes in the platen substrate sticking prevention film is provided at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of substrate vacuum suction holes of the platen,
The suction through the film vacuum suction holes is a method that is continued not only during handling of the substrate but also when the substrate is unloaded from the platen after handling is completed.
The vacuum adsorption force of the platen substrate sticking prevention film to the platen is greater than the sticking force of the platen substrate sticking prevention film to the substrate. It has a configuration in which the state of being vacuum-sucked to the platen is maintained.
Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 4 uses a substrate handling apparatus having a platen on which a substrate is placed, and a substrate handling method for handling the substrate in a state in which the substrate is vacuum-adsorbed to the platen. and
A substrate mounting area of the platen is covered with the platen substrate sticking prevention film according to claim 1,
The platen has a large number of substrate vacuum suction holes for vacuum-sucking the substrate, and a film vacuum suction hole for vacuum-sucking the platen substrate sticking prevention film,
each of the plurality of substrate suction holes in the platen substrate sticking prevention film is provided at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of substrate vacuum suction holes of the platen,
The substrate handling device is equipped with a transport system that transports the substrate to the platen,
When the substrate is transferred to the platen by the transfer system, a sensor is used to check whether the mark is misaligned before the transfer, and the transfer is stopped if the mark is shifted.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 5 is the structure of claim 4, in which it is checked whether the film vacuum suction holes are closed before the substrate is conveyed, and if they are not closed, the vacuum suction holes are checked. has a configuration to stop transportation.

As will be described below, according to the platen substrate sticking prevention film according to claim 1 of this application, since it has a substrate suction hole for vacuum-sucking the substrate, it is possible to prevent sticking of the substrate. Even when the substrate mounting area of the platen is covered, the vacuum adsorption of the substrate is not hindered. Further, since the mark for detecting the positional deviation with respect to the platen is provided at a position outside the substrate suction hole, the positional deviation of the prevention film can be detected by detecting the deviation of the mark.
According to the substrate handling apparatus of claim 2, the sensor for detecting the mark of the platen substrate sticking prevention film (hereinafter abbreviated as the substrate sticking prevention film) and the platen to prevent the substrate sticking to the platen. Since it is provided with a controller that determines whether the film is misaligned according to the detection result of the sensor, if the substrate sticking prevention film is misaligned with respect to the platen, the transport can be stopped, and the vacuum suction can be stopped. It is possible to prevent an error in which the substrate is placed on the platen even though it cannot be done.
Further, according to the substrate handling method of claim 3, the suction through the film vacuum suction holes is continued not only during the handling of the substrate but also when the substrate is unloaded from the platen after the handling is finished. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the substrate sticking prevention film from sticking to the substrate being carried out.
According to the substrate handling method of claim 4, a sensor is used to check whether the mark is misaligned. It is possible to prevent errors that may occur.
Further, according to the substrate handling method of claim 5, in addition to the above effect, the substrate is transported after confirming that the substrate sticking prevention film is vacuum-adhered to the platen, so that the substrate is placed. This prevents the problem that the anti-substrate sticking film is displaced due to the impetus.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an anti-substrate sticking film according to an embodiment and a platen on which this anti-substrate sticking film is used; FIG. It is a schematic cross-sectional front view showing the state of use of the film for preventing sticking to substrates. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an exposure apparatus as an example of using the substrate sticking prevention film and platen of the embodiment. 4 is a flow chart showing an outline of a sequence program implemented in a controller; 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the exposure apparatus of FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing technical significance according to the size of substrate suction holes;

Next, modes for carrying out the invention of this application (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an anti-substrate sticking film according to an embodiment and a platen on which this anti-substrate sticking film is used. FIG. 2 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing how the film for preventing sticking to substrates is used.
A substrate sticking prevention film 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a film that covers a substrate mounting area of a platen 2 on which a substrate to be processed is mounted. This substrate sticking prevention film (hereinafter abbreviated as prevention film) 1 is made of a transparent resin such as PET, and has a thickness of about 50 to 350 μm.

The platen 2 has a square pedestal shape in this embodiment, and the substrate is placed on the upper surface thereof. It is assumed that the substrate to be mounted is also rectangular, and thus the substrate mounting area is rectangular. The substrate mounting area means an area on the upper surface of the platen 2 occupied by the mounted substrate. Substrates with different dimensions and shapes may be placed thereon, and the substrate placement area is the area occupied by the largest substrate. In FIG. 1, the substrate placement region R is indicated by a dashed line.
As shown in FIG. 1, the prevention film 1 is also rectangular and has a size larger than the substrate mounting area R. As shown in FIG. However, the size of the prevention film 1 is smaller than the upper surface of the platen 2 .

Further, the platen 2 is adapted to fix the position of the mounted substrate by vacuum suction. As shown in FIG. 1, substrate vacuum suction holes 21 are formed in the substrate placement region R of the platen 2 . A plurality of substrate vacuum suction holes 21 are provided at regular intervals. Each substrate vacuum suction hole 21 is connected to a substrate exhaust pipe 23 through a substrate communication passage 22 provided in the platen 2 . The substrate exhaust pipe 23 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown), and the substrate exhaust pipe 23 is provided with a substrate open/close valve 24 .

The prevention film 1 also has a plurality of holes 11 as shown in FIG. This hole 11 is a hole for vacuum-sucking the substrate, and is hereinafter referred to as a substrate suction hole. The substrate suction holes 11 are provided at positions corresponding to the substrate vacuum suction holes 21 of the platen 2 in a state where the prevention film 1 covers the substrate mounting region R of the platen 2 . That is, the substrate suction holes 11 of the prevention film 1 are provided in the same number as the substrate vacuum suction holes 21 of the platen 2, and are provided in the same arrangement. In this embodiment, the substrate vacuum suction holes 21 are provided in a grid pattern in the vertical and horizontal directions in the same direction as the outline of the platen 2 . The substrate suction holes 11 of the prevention film 1 also have a grid pattern and are provided at the same positions and at the same intervals as the substrate vacuum suction holes 21 of the platen 2 .

Such an anti-film 1 is vacuum-sucked to the platen 2 and fixed in position, thereby fulfilling the function of preventing sticking of the substrate. That is, the platen 2 has vacuum suction holes (hereinafter referred to as film vacuum suction holes) 25 for vacuum-sucking the prevention film 1 .
The substrate vacuum suction holes 21 and the film vacuum suction holes 25 communicate with different exhaust pipes. A film exhaust pipe 27 is connected to the platen 2 separately from the substrate exhaust pipe 23 . As shown in FIG. 2, a film communication passage 26 is formed in the platen 2 separately from the substrate communication passage 22 . is connected to A film opening/closing valve 28 is provided in the film exhaust pipe 27 .

Such an anti-film 1 is provided with marks 12 in consideration of possible misalignment on the platen 2 .
A plurality of marks 12 are provided in this embodiment. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, marks 12 are provided at each corner of the square. Each mark 12 has a circular shape, and in this embodiment, serves as a reflective portion that reflects light. Each mark 12 can be formed by printing or filming a reflective portion of a color such as black or silver.

On the other hand, the platen 2 is provided with a sensor 3 for detecting displacement of each mark 12 so as to determine whether or not the prevention film 1 is displaced. As shown in FIG. 2 , the platen 2 is provided with a through hole 29 , and the sensor 3 is provided in the through hole 29 . As sensor 3, a fiber sensor is used in this embodiment. A fiber sensor has a light emitting part and a light incident part at the tip of a fiber, and detects an object (here, the mark 12) by capturing the reflected light of the emitted light.

The positions where the through-holes 29 and the sensors 3 are arranged are the positions facing each mark 12 when the prevention film 1 is arranged at the correct position. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the center of the rectangular outline of the protective film 1 and the center of the rectangular outline of the upper surface of the platen 2 are on the same vertical line, and the sides of each rectangle are in the same direction. correct position. That is, in this embodiment, "misalignment" also includes rotational misalignment. When placed in this position, the light from the fiber sensor 3 is reflected back to the mark 12 and captured, thereby detecting the mark 12 . In other words, the through holes 29 and the sensors 3 are provided at the corner positions of a square having the same dimensions as the square formed by the four marks 12 of the prevention film 1 .

Next, a usage example of the prevention film 1 and the platen 2 of such an embodiment will be described. Although the prevention film 1 and the platen 2 of the embodiments can be used in various devices that handle substrates, in the following description, an exposure device that exposes substrates will be taken as an example of the substrate handling device. Accordingly, the following description is also a description of an embodiment of the substrate handling apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of an exposure apparatus as a usage example of the prevention film 1 and the platen 2 of the embodiment. The exposure apparatus shown in FIG. and a transport system 5 for transporting the substrate W from the platen 2 after exposure.

The light irradiation unit 4 is appropriately selected and mounted according to the exposure method. The example of FIG. 3 is of a contact type, and the light irradiation unit 4 includes a mask 41 having a size similar to that of the substrate W, and a platen drive mechanism that brings the substrate W placed on the platen 2 into close contact with the mask 41. 20, and an irradiation optical system 42 that irradiates light of a predetermined pattern through a mask 41, and the like. The mask 41 is held by the frame 411 . The proximity method is basically the same as the contact method, except that the mask driving mechanism is configured to position the mask slightly away from the substrate W. FIG. In the case of the projection exposure method, the light irradiation unit is a projection optical system that forms an image on the substrate W with the light that has passed through the mask. Alternatively, a DI exposure method may be employed in which a spatial light modulation device such as a DMD is used to directly form an irradiation pattern without a mask.

As the transport system 5, in the example of FIG. 3, conveyors 51 and 52 and transport hands 53 and 54 are combined. A pair of conveyors 51 and 52 and transfer hands 53 and 54 are provided on the carry-in side and the carry-out side with the platen 2 interposed therebetween. Each transfer hand 53, 54 has suction pads 531, 541 for holding the substrate W by vacuum suction on the lower side. Each of the transport hands 53 and 54 is provided with hand drive mechanisms 530 and 540 that move the transport hands holding the substrate W in the horizontal and vertical directions.

Incidentally, the exposure apparatus has alignment means (not shown) arranged on the platen 2 . The alignment means includes a camera for photographing the alignment marks of the substrate W placed on the platen 2, a platen driving mechanism 20 for aligning the substrate W by driving the platen 2 according to the photographing results of the alignment marks, and the like.

The apparatus also includes a controller 6 that controls each part. A sequence program is installed in the controller 6 to operate each part according to a predetermined procedure. In this example, in particular, signals from each sensor 3 of the platen 2 are input to the controller 6, and these signals are given to the sequence program as control information.
More specifically, in this embodiment, each sensor 3 detects the presence or absence of reflected light. The output of the sensor 3 is ON if the reflected light is captured, and is OFF if the reflected light is not captured. Each sensor 3 sends either an ON or OFF signal to the controller 6 .

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an outline of a sequence program implemented in the controller 6. As shown in FIG. The sequence program is programmed to repeat loading operation, exposure, and unloading operation for each substrate W of one lot. At this time, before starting the carry-in operation, the signals from each sensor 3 are checked to determine whether an OFF signal is sent from any of the sensors 3 . If so, the sequence program is programmed to stop the loading operation. In this case, the sequence program outputs an error signal and terminates.

Next, the operation of the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 while also explaining the embodiment of the substrate handling method. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the exposure apparatus of FIG.
The controller 6 executing the sequence program sends a signal to the carry-in side conveyor 51, and as shown in FIG. do. At this point, controller 6 checks the input signal from each sensor 3 . When both signals are ON, the controller 6 sends a signal to the hand drive mechanism 530 of the carry-in hand 53 to transport the substrate W to the platen 2 as shown in FIG. 5(2). The substrate W is placed on the substrate placement area R of the platen 2 covered with the prevention film 1 .

Next, the controller 6 opens the substrate open/close valve 24 . As a result, the substrate W is vacuum-sucked to the platen 2 by the negative pressure passing through each vacuum-sucking hole 21 for substrates. After that, the platen driving mechanism 20 is operated, and the mask 41 is brought into close contact with the substrate W as shown in FIG. 5(3).
In this state, the controller 6 sends a signal to alignment means (not shown) to cause the substrate W to be aligned. When the alignment is completed, the controller 6 sends a signal to the light irradiation unit 4 to irradiate light in a predetermined pattern. Thereby, the substrate W is exposed. When the exposure for a predetermined time is completed, the controller 6 sends a signal to the carrying hand (carrying out hand) 54 on the carrying out side to cause the substrate W to be carried out. The substrate W is carried out to the carry-out side conveyor 52 and sent from the carry-out side conveyor 52 to the next process. Then, when the next substrate W is positioned at the loading standby position, the same operation is repeated.

In the above operation, if the signal from any of the sensors 3 is off when the substrate W is positioned at the loading standby position, an error signal is output as described above, and the loading operation of the substrate W is not performed. . In this case, the device is stopped. In this case, the substrate W preceding the substrate W may have already been carried out from the platen 2 and positioned on the carry-out side conveyor 53 . In this case, only the carry-out operation of the carry-out side conveyor 53 may be performed even after the apparatus is stopped.
In the above exposure apparatus, the controller 6 always sends an open signal to the film on-off valve 28 while the apparatus is in motion. Therefore, the prevention film 1 is always in a state of being vacuum-sucked to the platen 2 during operation of the apparatus.

According to the prevention film 1 of the above-described embodiment, since the substrate suction holes 11 for vacuum-sucking the substrate W are provided at positions corresponding to the substrate vacuum suction holes 21 of the platen 2, sticking of the substrate W is prevented. Even when the substrate mounting area R of the platen 2 is covered for prevention, vacuum adsorption of the substrate W is not hindered. In the prevention film 1 of the embodiment, since the marks 12 for detecting positional displacement with respect to the platen 2 are provided at positions outside the substrate suction holes 11 , the prevention film 1 can be detected by detecting the displacement of the marks 12 . can be detected.

If the mark 12 is not provided and the positional displacement of the prevention film 1 cannot be detected, the position of the prevention film 1 is displaced and the substrate W is placed with the substrate vacuum suction hole 21 of the platen 2 blocked. can be lost. In this case, the vacuum suction force does not work on the placed substrate W, or the vacuum suction is insufficient. As a result, a serious problem such as failure to align the substrate W occurs.
On the other hand, since the prevention film 1 of the embodiment has the marks 12 as described above, by providing some means for detecting the displacement of the marks 12, the positional displacement of the prevention film 1 can be easily detected and the vacuum adsorption can be performed. It is possible to prevent an error in which the substrate W is placed on the platen 2 even though the substrate W cannot be placed on the platen 2 .

Further, since the platen 2 of the embodiment is provided with the film vacuum suction holes 25 to vacuum-suck the prevention film 1, the prevention film 1 does not need to be screwed. Therefore, an inexpensive resin film such as PET can be used, and the running cost can be greatly reduced. In addition, it can be removed simply by turning off the vacuum suction, and it is very convenient to mount it by simply setting it at a predetermined position and turning on the vacuum suction.

Further, in the platen 2, the substrate vacuum suction holes 21 and the film vacuum suction holes 25 are in communication with exhaust pipes 23 and 27 of different systems. can be vacuum-adsorbed at all times. If the substrate vacuum suction holes 21 and the film vacuum suction holes 25 do not communicate with exhaust pipes of different systems, the vacuum suction of the prevention film 1 is also turned on when the substrate W is vacuum-sucked. , the prevention film 1 is not vacuum-sucked, and is likely to be misaligned. Although it is conceivable to keep the vacuum suction of both in constant operation, there is a problem that the mounting operation becomes unstable because the substrate W is placed in the suction holes that are vacuum-sucked. In that the platen 2 of the embodiment does not have such a problem, the substrate handling apparatus of the embodiment having the platen 2 has an advantage.

Further, the fact that the platen 2 is provided with the sensor 3 for detecting the mark 12 of the prevention film 1 is significant in simplifying the structure of the apparatus on which the platen 2 is mounted. As means for detecting the mark 12 of the prevention film 1, a configuration in which the sensor 3 is provided at a place other than the platen 2 is also conceivable. For example, a configuration is conceivable in which a sensor (for example, an image sensor such as a camera) is arranged above the platen 2 to monitor deviation of the marks 12 from above.

However, structures are often located above the platen 2 for handling or processing the substrates W placed on the platen 2 . The light irradiation unit 4 in the aforementioned exposure apparatus is one example. Due to such a structure, it is often difficult or impossible to dispose positional deviation detection means such as the sensor 3 above the platen 2 . For example, in the exposure apparatus described above, it is conceivable to arrange a camera above the platen 2 and attach an advance/retreat mechanism for retracting the light irradiation unit 4 during operation. It takes time. Compared to this, the platen 2 provided with the sensor 3 can simplify the structure and operation of the entire apparatus, and has an advantage in this respect.

In addition, the prevention film 1 of the embodiment has marks 12 outside the area where the substrate suction holes 11 are provided. The "area where the substrate suction holes are provided" corresponds to the area of the prevention film 1 that is covered with the substrate W when the substrate W is placed. The fact that the mark 12 is provided outside this region means that the mark 12 is not covered with the substrate W even when the substrate W is placed thereon. This structure has the significance that the mark 12 can be easily detected at all times.

If the mark 12 is located at a position covered by the substrate W, the sensor 3 in the platen 2 of the embodiment captures the reflected light. will output an ON signal by catching . That is, even if the prevention film 1 is displaced, it is determined that it is not displaced. It is possible to use a high-performance sensor 3 such as a color image sensor so that the mark 12 can be detected even when the mark 12 is superimposed on the substrate W. There are also problems that become difficult and take time. Therefore, the prevention film 1 of the embodiment in which the mark 12 is formed at a position not covered by the substrate W has the significance of being able to easily detect deviation with a simple configuration.

Incidentally, in the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the frame 411 of the mask 41 exists above the platen 2 . During exposure of the substrate W, the mask is in contact with the substrate W and the frame 411 is positioned directly above the platen 2 . If the frame is behind the mark 12 of the protective film 1 during exposure, the sensor 3 may catch the reflected light from the frame 411 even if the mark 12 is displaced. Therefore, in the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 3, it is desirable to check the signal from the sensor 3 when the frame 411 is separated from the platen 2.
However, when the frame 411 is positioned outside the sensor 3 and the through hole 29, or when there is no frame (for example, in the case of the projection exposure method), such consideration is not required, and the positional deviation of the prevention film 1 is eliminated. It can be constantly monitored.

Also, in this embodiment, the prevention film 1 is provided with a plurality of marks 12 . Therefore, the positional deviation can be reliably detected. Although it is possible to detect positional deviation with only one mark 12, positional deviation in the direction of rotation about the mark 12 cannot be detected. Since such a positional deviation can block the substrate vacuum suction hole 21 of the platen 2, it is preferable to detect such a positional deviation. This can be easily done by providing and detecting a plurality of marks 12 . Although the number of marks 12 is four in the above example, it may be two or three.

In the embodiment of the substrate handling method described above, it is more preferable to transfer the substrate W after confirming that the film vacuum suction holes 25 are closed. Specifically, a pressure sensor is provided on the film exhaust pipe 27 so that the output of the pressure sensor is input to the controller 6 . The sequence program on the controller 6 checks the closure of the film vacuum suction holes 25 from the output of the pressure sensor, confirms that they are closed (that is, the prevention film 1 is vacuum-sucked), and then removes the substrate W. is programmed to perform a transport operation.

Although the mark 12 is correctly detected and the prevention film 1 is not displaced, it is possible that the vacuum adsorption of the prevention film 1 is not working due to some error. If the substrate W is transported and placed on the platen 1 in this state, the momentum of placing the substrate W may cause the prevention film 1 to shift. If this occurs, the prevention film 1 blocks the substrate vacuum suction hole 21, and the substrate W cannot be vacuum-sucked, or the substrate W is displaced. As described above, if it is confirmed in advance that the prevention film 1 is turned on by vacuum suction, such a problem will not occur.

In the prevention film 1 of the embodiment described above, the substrate suction holes 11 are smaller than the substrate vacuum suction holes 21 of the platen 2 . This point is particularly significant in the case of soft surface substrates such as substrates with solder resist. Conversely, if the substrate suction holes 11 are larger than the substrate vacuum suction holes 21 of the platen 2, it is significant to increase the tolerance of the deviation of the prevention film 1. FIG. These points will be explained using FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing the technical significance according to the size of the substrate suction hole.

The substrate W may have a soft surface. A typical example is a board with a solder resist, and the solder resist is often adhered to the back surface as well. On the other hand, if the substrate suction holes 11 are formed by punching the resin sheet, the peripheral edges tend to be sharp like burrs. Therefore, when a substrate W having a soft surface such as a substrate with a solder resist is pressed with a certain amount of force, traces of the peripheral edges of the substrate suction holes 11 tend to remain on the surface of the substrate W. FIG. If traces remain, the product looks unattractive and may cause performance problems.

The prevention film 1 of the embodiment is a resin film having a thickness of about 50 to 350 μm as described above, and has flexibility. Therefore, when the substrate W is placed and vacuum-sucked, the peripheral edge of the substrate suction hole 11 bends toward the inner side of the substrate vacuum suction hole 21 due to the vacuum suction force, as shown in FIG. 6(A). Therefore, the back surface of the substrate W is less likely to be marked by the peripheral edges of the vacuum suction holes 11 . The smaller the substrate suction hole 11, the greater the amount of deflection, so this effect becomes more reliable. If the substrate suction hole 11 is circular, it is practically preferable not to make the diameter smaller than 2 mm.

Conversely, when the substrate suction holes 11 are larger than the substrate vacuum suction holes 21 of the platen 2, as shown in FIG. Never put away. That is, the tolerance for deviation is increased. In this case, the larger the substrate suction hole 11, the greater the tolerance for deviation. Local degradation becomes non-negligible. Therefore, when the substrate suction hole 11 and the substrate vacuum suction hole 21 are circular, it is practically preferable that the diameter of the substrate suction hole 11 is up to about 2 mm larger than the diameter of the substrate vacuum suction hole 21 .
If the substrate suction holes 11 are larger than the substrate vacuum suction holes 21, the above problem may occur in the case of a substrate with a solder resist. You can keep the problem out of the way.

In the above embodiment, the anti-reflection film 1 was entirely transparent and the mark 12 was a reflective portion, but the reverse is also possible. For example, the prevention film 1 may be entirely opaque by a method such as coating, while partially transparent portions may be left to form the marks 12 . Alternatively, the mark 12 may be partially cut out. In this case, the state in which the sensor 3 does not capture the reflected light is normal, and when the sensor 3 captures the reflected light, it is determined that a positional deviation has occurred.

As the sensor 3, in addition to the fiber type photoelectric sensor as described above, it is also possible to use a sensor of another type such as a magnetic sensor or a proximity sensor.
Furthermore, the protective film 1 of the present invention can be used in various devices for processing substrates, in addition to the exposure device described above. The prevention film 1 of the present invention can be used for the platen 2 not only in processing equipment but also in handling substrates for various inspections, tests, and the like. This point also applies to the invention of the substrate handling method.

1 Substrate Sticking Prevention Film 11 Substrate Suction Hole 12 Mark 2 Platen 21 Substrate Vacuum Suction Hole 22 Substrate Communication Path 23 Substrate Exhaust Pipe 24 Substrate Open/Close Valve 25 Film Vacuum Suction Hole 26 Film Communication Path 27 Film Exhaust Pipe 28 Film on-off valve 29 Through hole 3 Sensor 4 Light irradiation unit 5 Transfer system 6 Controller W Substrate R Substrate placement area

Claims (5)

A substrate sticking prevention film for a platen that covers a substrate mounting area of the platen in a substrate handling device that includes a platen on which a substrate is mounted and handles the substrate while the mounted substrate is vacuum-adsorbed to the platen,
It has a square shape as a whole,
A large number of substrate suction holes are provided so as not to hinder the platen from vacuum-sucking the substrate through the large number of substrate vacuum suction holes in the platen,
A large number of substrate suction holes are arranged in the direction of one side of the square and also arranged in the direction of the other side perpendicular to the one side,
A large number of substrate suction holes are provided in a rectangular setting area having sides parallel to each side of the overall rectangular shape,
Further, a mark is provided for detecting positional deviation with respect to the platen,
A substrate sticking prevention film for a platen, wherein the marks are provided outside the set area and at positions of at least two corners out of four corners of the overall rectangular shape. A substrate handling apparatus comprising a platen on which a substrate is placed and handling the substrate while the placed substrate is vacuum-adsorbed to the platen,
A substrate mounting area of the platen is covered with the platen substrate sticking prevention film according to claim 1,
The platen has a large number of substrate vacuum suction holes for vacuum-sucking the substrate, and a film vacuum suction hole for vacuum-sucking the platen substrate sticking prevention film,
each of the plurality of substrate suction holes in the platen substrate sticking prevention film is provided at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of substrate vacuum suction holes of the platen,
A sensor for detecting the mark on the platen-substrate sticking prevention film; A substrate handling device characterized by: A substrate handling method using a substrate handling device having a platen on which the substrate is placed, and handling the substrate in a state where the substrate is vacuum-sucked to the platen,
A substrate mounting area of the platen is covered with the platen substrate sticking prevention film according to claim 1,
The platen has a large number of substrate vacuum suction holes for vacuum-sucking the substrate, and a film vacuum suction hole for vacuum-sucking the platen substrate sticking prevention film. The film vacuum suction holes are in communication with different exhaust paths,
each of the plurality of substrate suction holes in the platen substrate sticking prevention film is provided at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of substrate vacuum suction holes of the platen,
The suction through the film vacuum suction holes is a method that is continued not only during handling of the substrate but also when the substrate is unloaded from the platen after handling is completed.
The vacuum adsorption force of the platen substrate sticking prevention film to the platen is greater than the sticking force of the platen substrate sticking prevention film to the substrate. A method of handling a substrate, characterized in that the substrate is maintained in a state of being vacuum-sucked to a platen. A substrate handling method using a substrate handling device having a platen on which the substrate is placed, and handling the substrate in a state where the substrate is vacuum-sucked to the platen,
A substrate mounting area of the platen is covered with the platen substrate sticking prevention film according to claim 1,
The platen has a large number of substrate vacuum suction holes for vacuum-sucking the substrate, and a film vacuum suction hole for vacuum-sucking the platen substrate sticking prevention film,
each of the plurality of substrate suction holes in the platen substrate sticking prevention film is provided at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of substrate vacuum suction holes of the platen,
The substrate handling device is equipped with a transport system that transports the substrate to the platen,
A substrate handling method comprising the steps of: inspecting with a sensor whether the mark is misaligned before transporting the substrate to the platen by a transport system; and stopping the transport if the mark is misaligned. 5. The substrate handling method according to claim 4, wherein it is checked whether said film vacuum suction holes are closed before the substrate is conveyed, and if not closed, the conveyance is stopped.

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