JP4422625B2 - Inter-substrate liquid injection method and inter-substrate liquid injection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a practical method and device, of high productivity, for injecting a liquid formulation between substrates. <P>SOLUTION: The gap between substrates of laminated substrates 11 and 12 is evacuated, which is placed on a substrate receiving device 13 in a liquid supply chamber 2 which is evacuated. Then a liquid formulation L is supplied into a liquid reservoir formed with the peripheral edges of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate receiving device 13. The peripheral opening of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 is stopped with the liquid formulation L, and this state is held by the substrate receiving device 13. The laminated substrates 11 and 12, liquid formulation L, and substrate receiving device 13 are moved together in one body and carried to the outside of the liquid supply chamber 2, then further moved to the place where the pressure is higher than vacuum to complete the injection of the liquid formulation L into the gap. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

  The invention of the present application relates to a technique for injecting a liquid agent, and relates to a method and an apparatus for injecting a liquid agent into a gap between substrates of a plurality of stacked substrates that are stacked and bonded together.

Semiconductor integrated circuits such as various memories and processors have been highly integrated and highly functional due to advances in microfabrication technology. However, the limitation to planar (two-dimensional) miniaturization has been pointed out, and there is an expectation for the technology of a three-dimensional integrated circuit in which elements are integrated also in the vertical direction.
Multi-layer circuits are integrated on a single substrate, and each element is formed by connecting each layer with an interlayer wiring to form a single element.Three-dimensional integrated circuits are also three-dimensional integrated circuits, but in order to simplify processes and improve yield, A technique for realizing a three-dimensional integrated circuit by bonding substrates is studied. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-261001 discloses this technique.

When a three-dimensional integrated circuit is manufactured by the bonding method, a circuit element such as a MOSFET is formed on the surface of the first substrate, an interlayer wiring is formed by trench etching and embedded wiring, and the back surface is then subjected to CMP (chemical mechanical). The substrate is thinned by a polishing method to expose the lower end of the interlayer wiring. Then, a micro bump is formed at the lower end of the exposed interlayer wiring. Next, a circuit element and an interlayer wiring are formed in advance, and the first substrate is placed on a second substrate having a micro bump provided on the upper end of the interlayer wiring, and bonding is performed. The bonding is performed by aligning the micro bumps on the lower surface of the first substrate with the micro bumps on the upper surface of the second substrate and bonding the micro bumps using a conductive adhesive or the like. Is called.
Note that not only two substrates but also three or more substrates may be bonded together. In the following description, a substrate composed of a plurality of substrates stacked and bonded in this manner is referred to as a “laminated substrate”.

  The substrates constituting the laminated substrate are separated because both micro bumps protrude, and there is a gap between the substrates. If this is left as it is, there are problems in terms of mechanical strength and interlayer insulation. Therefore, both are bonded with an adhesive. In the invention of the above publication, an insulating adhesive is injected into the gap between the two substrates to bond them together. An insulating epoxy resin is used as the adhesive, and it is cured after injection to bond the two substrates. When the substrates are further bonded, the second substrate is similarly polished by the CMP method to expose the lower end of the interlayer wiring, and the same process is repeated.

The above publication describes the details of the method of injecting the adhesive as follows.
First, weirs (referred to as “walls” in the publication) are formed on the opposing surfaces of the substrates to be bonded together. The weir is formed in a circumferential shape so as to surround a region where a large number of micro-bumps are formed (a region used for producing a device in each substrate), and a place where the weir is interrupted is formed in one place. Then, the two substrates are overlaid and placed in a vacuum chamber. A container storing an adhesive is provided in the vacuum chamber, and the place (opening) where the weir is interrupted is immersed in the adhesive. In this state, the inside of the vacuum chamber is vented to return to atmospheric pressure. Thereby, an adhesive agent is inject | poured from opening by a pressure difference and it fills the space inside a weir. The adhesive is also injected into the space outside the weir by capillary action.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-261001

According to the study of the inventors of the present application, the above-described adhesive injection method has the following problems.
First, there is the hassle of having to make a weir prior to injection. The weir itself is not necessary for the structure of the element, and increasing the number of processes due to such a structure poses a problem in terms of productivity, contrary to the demand for simplification of the process.

Moreover, since the location where the adhesive enters is limited to the opening of the weir, it takes time to inject. Even in this respect, there is a problem that productivity cannot be increased. Furthermore, since the injection to the next two substrates cannot be performed until the injection is completed after returning to the atmospheric pressure, the throughput is poor and the productivity is not good in this respect as well.
The invention of the present application has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and has a high productivity in injecting a liquid agent between substrates such as an adhesive injection performed at the time of manufacturing a three-dimensional integrated circuit. It has the significance of providing a method and apparatus.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is an inter-substrate liquid injection method for injecting a liquid into a gap between substrates of a laminated substrate composed of a plurality of substrates laminated and bonded.
Evacuating the gap between the substrates of the multilayer substrate to a vacuum;
Placing the laminated substrate in which the gap between the substrates is evacuated in a vacuum at a predetermined position in the vacuum chamber evacuated;
Supplying a liquid agent to the peripheral edge of the multilayer substrate disposed at a predetermined position, and holding the state in which the liquid agent blocks the opening formed at the peripheral edge of the multilayer substrate;
The step of moving the laminated substrate, the liquid agent and the holder together while maintaining the holding state by the holder and positioning the laminated substrate, the liquid agent and the holder at a different location under a pressure higher than the vacuum to complete the injection of the liquid agent into the gap. Have.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 2 is an inter-substrate liquid injection device that injects a liquid agent into a gap between substrates of a laminated substrate composed of a plurality of substrates laminated and bonded.
An exhaust means for exhausting a gap between the substrates of the multilayer substrate to a vacuum;
A liquid supply chamber which is a vacuum chamber capable of taking in and out the laminated substrate;
A carry-in mechanism for carrying the laminated substrate in which the gap between the substrates is evacuated into a liquid supply chamber evacuated to a vacuum;
Substrate placement means for placing the loaded laminated substrate at a predetermined position;
A liquid supply system for supplying liquid to the periphery of the laminated substrate disposed at a predetermined position;
A holder that holds a state in which the supplied liquid agent closes the opening formed at the periphery of the multilayer substrate;
An unloading mechanism that moves the laminated substrate, the liquid agent, and the holding tool together to be located at another place under a pressure higher than the vacuum while maintaining the holding state by the holding tool.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the configuration of claim 2, the holder is constituted by a substrate holder that is a member on which the laminated substrate is placed,
The substrate holder has a shape in which a liquid reservoir for storing a liquid agent so as to block an opening formed by the peripheral edge of the multilayer substrate is formed along the peripheral edge of the stacked substrate.
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 4 is the configuration according to claim 3, wherein the substrate holder includes a base portion having a horizontal surface and a peripheral portion extending around the base portion. The peripheral portion protrudes upward with respect to the base portion, the surface of the peripheral portion extends upward from the peripheral edge of the surface of the base portion, and the liquid agent is held by the surface extending upward. It is configured to be performed.
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 5 is the configuration according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the surface of the portion of the substrate holder that forms the liquid reservoir is between the substrates of the multilayer substrate. It has the structure that the wettability with respect to a liquid agent is low compared with the surface in a clearance gap.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 6 is the structure according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the substrate holder has an opening to block a space between the laminated substrate. It has a configuration of no shape.
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 7 is the structure according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the liquid supply system discharges and supplies the liquid from above the formed liquid reservoir. Having a liquid dispenser.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 8 is the structure according to claim 7, wherein the laminated substrate and the substrate holder are integrally rotated with respect to the stationary liquid agent dispenser so that the liquid agent is stored in the liquid reservoir. It has the structure that the rotation mechanism which makes it supply along is provided.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 9 is the structure according to claims 1 to 8, wherein when the liquid material is injected into the gap, the liquid becomes a temperature higher than room temperature. It has the structure that the preheating means which heats so that the viscosity of may fall is provided.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 10 provides the heating means for heating and hardening the liquid agent after the injection of the liquid material into the gap is completed. It has a configuration that is.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 11 is the structure according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the laminated substrate, the liquid agent, and the substrate holder are set in another place under a pressure higher than the vacuum. After the injection of the liquid agent into the gap is completed by being positioned for a time, a heating means for heating and hardening the liquid agent is provided.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 12 further comprises pick-up means for picking up the laminated substrate from the substrate holder after the injection of the liquid agent into the gap is completed. The heating means is configured to heat the pick-up means after picking up the laminated substrate, and to heat the liquid agent without heating the substrate holder.

As described below, according to the invention described in claim 1 or 2 of the present application, the laminated substrate, the liquid agent, and the holder are moved together to be located at a different place under a pressure higher than the vacuum and to the gap. Thus, the liquid injection can be performed with high productivity.
According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2, the liquid reservoir for storing the liquid agent so as to close the opening formed by the periphery of the multilayer substrate is the peripheral edge of the stacked substrate on which the liquid reservoir is placed. At the same time, the liquid agent is injected from the entire periphery of the peripheral opening of the laminated substrate. Since the liquid agent spreads from the entire circumference of the peripheral edge of the laminated substrate toward the center due to the pressure difference and is completely filled between the substrate gaps, it is not necessary to form a weir as in the prior art, and the process is simplified. In addition, the injection port is not limited to one specific place such as the opening of the weir. For this reason, the time until the injection is completed is shortened, and the productivity is high also in this respect.
Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the above effect, the wettability of the surface of the liquid reservoir is lower than the surface in the gap between the substrates of the laminated substrate. Progress is promoted. For this reason, injection can be completed in a short time.
According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the effect of the invention of any of claims 3 to 5, since the substrate holder has a shape that does not block the space between the laminate substrate, In addition to preventing damage, there is no problem that the liquid agent adheres to the lower surface of the laminated substrate due to flowing into the space or the liquid agent is insufficient.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of any of the third to sixth aspects of the present invention, the substrate receiver is provided with the liquid agent dispenser that discharges and supplies the liquid agent from above the liquid reservoir. It is extremely practical to realize a configuration in which productivity is increased by moving the gas to another place to complete the injection.
According to the eighth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the invention of the seventh aspect, the liquid agent can be uniformly supplied to the liquid reservoir with a relatively simplified structure.
Further , according to the invention described in claim 9 , since the preheating means for the liquid agent is provided, the injection time can be shortened by injecting while lowering the viscosity of the liquid agent. Can be high.
According to the invention of claim 10, since the heating means for heating and hardening the liquid agent is provided after the injection by the injection means is completed, the injection of the liquid agent and the hardening of the liquid agent are consistently performed with one apparatus. This can be done and contribute to the reduction of the equipment cost of the entire process. Moreover, there is little possibility that the properties of the liquid agent will change depending on the circumstances after injection, which is preferable.
Further, according to the invention of claim 11 , in addition to the effects of the inventions of claims 3 to 8 , the contribution to the reduction of the equipment cost of the whole process and the prevention of the change in the properties of the liquid agent due to the circumstances after the injection. An effect is obtained.
According to the invention of claim 12 , in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 11 , since the heating means heats the liquid agent without heating the substrate holder, the heating efficiency is eliminated without unnecessary heating. In addition, the liquid agent remaining on the substrate holder is not cured, so that it is possible to easily remove the liquid agent remaining on the substrate holder.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described below.
The method and apparatus of the embodiment are a method and apparatus for injecting a thermosetting liquid agent into a gap between laminated substrates. The liquid agent is injected by a pressure difference. That is, after placing the laminated substrate in a vacuum atmosphere and setting the gap between the substrates of the laminated substrate to a vacuum pressure, the liquid agent is applied so as to block the opening formed at the entrance of the gap, that is, the peripheral edge of the laminated substrate (hereinafter referred to as the peripheral opening). Supply. Thereafter, the liquid agent and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are exposed to the atmospheric pressure so that the liquid agent is injected into the gap due to a pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure and the vacuum.

  The gap between the laminated substrates is hereinafter referred to as “inter-substrate gap”. In the present embodiment, the laminated substrate is obtained by stacking and bonding two substrates, that is, the upper substrate 11 and the lower substrate 12, but by stacking and bonding three or more substrates. It may be. The substrate is circular, and a semiconductor wafer is assumed in this embodiment.

  As described above, the liquid agent is injected for the purpose of insulating between the substrates constituting the laminated substrate and improving the mechanical strength of the laminated substrate, and also for improving the thermal conductivity between the substrates. is there. In the present embodiment, the liquid agent is a thermosetting insulating resin, and specifically, a thermosetting insulating epoxy resin is assumed. The apparatus of the present embodiment has a function of heating and curing the injected liquid agent as well as injecting the liquid agent.

  The major feature of the method and apparatus of the embodiment is that after supplying the liquid agent under vacuum pressure, the laminated substrate, the liquid agent, and the holder are integrated while holding the state where the peripheral edge of the laminated substrate is closed with the liquid agent. This is the point where the injection is completed by moving to the atmospheric pressure. This point will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an injection operation using a holder.

  As the holder, in this embodiment, a substrate holder 13 which is a member on which the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 are placed is used. The substrate receiver 13 is generally annular. As shown in FIG. 1, the outer diameter of the substrate holder 13 is slightly larger than the laminated substrates 11 and 12, and the inner diameter is slightly smaller. More specifically, the substrate holder 13 is mainly formed from an annular plate-like base portion 131 and an annular peripheral portion 132 provided extending around the base portion 131. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper portion of the peripheral portion 132 has a triangular shape in cross section, and the thickness gradually decreases toward the inside (side closer to the central axis of the substrate holder 13). Therefore, the upper surface of the peripheral portion 132 is a slope 133.

The laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed on the base 131 so as to be coaxial with the substrate holder 13. The base portion 131 is slightly larger in diameter than the multilayer substrates 11 and 12, and thus the surface of the base portion 131 is slightly protruded from the multilayer substrates 11 and 12. The slope 133 extends from the peripheral edge of the surface of the protruding base 131 toward the outer side obliquely upward.
A recess formed by the slope 133, the surface of the base portion 131 (horizontal plane) and the peripheral edges of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 forms a liquid reservoir, and the liquid reservoir is used to close the peripheral opening. The liquid agent L is stored. Note that the peripheral edge of the lower substrate 12 may reach the inclined surface 133, and in this case, a liquid reservoir is formed only by the inclined surface 133 and the peripheral edges of the laminated substrates 11 and 12.

  Moreover, the surface of the part which forms the liquid reservoir of the substrate holder 13 has low wettability with respect to the liquid agent. An example of a configuration for this purpose is to perform a surface treatment that reduces wettability. Examples of the surface treatment for reducing wettability include coating a film of a material such as a fluororesin. The low wettability is compared with the surface treatment before being low, but the wettability is low compared with the opposing surfaces of the laminated substrates 11 and 12. By making the wettability of the liquid agent lower than the opposing surface of each substrate (surface in the inter-substrate gap), the liquid agent can easily enter the inter-substrate gap, and the injection is promoted. The surface treatment may be performed on the entire surface of the substrate holder 13. Further, the substrate holder 13 itself may be formed of a material having low wettability and may be the surface of such a material.

In FIG. 1, the inside of the liquid supply chamber 2 is evacuated to a vacuum, and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed on the substrate holder 13 in this vacuum atmosphere (FIG. 1 (1)). The gap between the substrates of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 is also evacuated to a predetermined vacuum in advance. Thereafter, the liquid L is supplied to the liquid reservoir described above. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1B, the liquid agent closes the peripheral openings of the laminated substrates 111 and 12, and the substrate holder 13 holds this state. That is, since the substrate holder 13 has the inclined surface 133, the liquid agent L does not flow out and the state where the peripheral opening is closed is maintained. That is, the substrate holder 13 may be formed of a metal such as stainless steel or aluminum, or may be formed of ceramics, but is solid and has shape stability. As a result of the substrate holder 13 holding the shape, the closed state of the peripheral opening by the liquid L is held.
In this state, the laminated substrates 11 and 12, the liquid agent L, and the substrate holder 13 are moved together and placed at another place in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. Then, by maintaining the state exposed to the atmospheric pressure for a predetermined time, the liquid L is filled between the substrate gaps due to the pressure difference, and the injection is completed (FIG. 1 (3)).

Next, the structure of each part of the inter-substrate liquid injection device that achieves the above method will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the inter-substrate liquid injection device according to the embodiment. The apparatus shown in FIG. 2 includes an exhaust unit that exhausts the inter-substrate gap between the multilayer substrates 11 and 12, a liquid supply chamber 2 that is a vacuum chamber in which the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 can be taken in and out, and the multilayer substrate 11 that is carried in. , 12 are arranged at predetermined positions, and the laminated substrates 11, 12 are arranged at predetermined positions while the liquid supply chamber 2 is in a vacuum pressure state, and then the peripheral openings of the laminated substrates 11, 12 are closed. The liquid supply system for supplying the liquid, the injection means for exposing the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the liquid to the atmospheric pressure atmosphere to inject the liquid into the gap due to the pressure difference, and the injection by the injection means are completed. And heating means for heating and curing the liquid agent.

  As described above, the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 does not complete the injection in the liquid supply chamber 2 but holds the substrate holder 13 in a state where the liquid agent closes the peripheral openings of the laminated substrates 11 and 12. The laminated substrates 11 and 12, the liquid agent and the substrate holder 13 are moved together to complete the injection at another location. That is, the injection means takes out the injection station 5 which is always at atmospheric pressure and completes the injection, and the laminated substrates 11 and 12, the liquid agent and the substrate holder 13 from the liquid supply chamber 2 together to the injection station 5. It is mainly configured by a transport mechanism for transporting.

  The transport mechanism includes a first transport robot 41 and a robot movement mechanism (not shown) that moves the first transport robot 41 as a whole. The first transfer robot 41 is a dual arm type robot having two articulated arms. A substrate fork 411 for transporting the laminated substrates 11 and 12 is provided at the tip of one arm, and a fork for the substrate holder 13 (hereinafter referred to as a “receiver fork”) is provided at the tip of the other arm. 412.

As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus includes a floor unit 100. A guide hole 101 for moving the first transfer robot 41 is formed in the floor unit 100. The first transfer robot 41 is supported by a post (not shown), and the post is inserted through the guide hole 101. A moving mechanism (not shown) moves the first transfer robot 41 by moving the support along the guide hole 101. In addition, the first transfer robot 41 can rotate around the central axis of the robot itself, move up and down, extend and contract each arm, rotate each arm, and the like.
As shown in FIG. 2, the injection station 5 is provided at the upper right position on the paper. The heating means is provided in the heating station 7. As shown in FIG. 2, the heating station 7 is provided at the upper center position on the paper surface and is adjacent to the injection station 5.

The substrate holder 13 is a jig that is used by being transferred to the liquid supply chamber 2 at each injection. Therefore, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the transfer system of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13 are used. There are two transport systems called transport systems.
First, each part of the apparatus will be described along the transport system of the laminated substrates 11 and 12.
The apparatus includes a loading station (not shown) that is a place where the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 are loaded into the apparatus. The loading station is a place where a loading cassette (not shown) in which a predetermined number of laminated substrates 11 and 12 are accommodated is arranged.

  In addition, as an apparatus for evacuating the gap between the substrates of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 to a vacuum, the apparatus includes a load lock chamber 31 and 32 and an exhaust system for evacuating the interior of the load dock chambers 31 and 32 (FIG. 1). (Not shown). When the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are loaded into the apparatus, they are first loaded into the load lock chambers 31 and 32. This carry-in operation may be performed by a loading mechanism that conveys each cassette or one by one, or may be performed by the operator for each cassette. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, two load lock chambers 31 and 32 are provided side by side.

  An alignment mechanism (not shown) for aligning the laminated substrates 11 and 12 is provided on the conveyance path from the loading station to the load lock chambers 31 and 32 or in the load lock chambers 31 and 32. Alignment refers to centering and circumferential positioning. Centering means aligning so that the central axes of the stacked substrates 11 and 12 to be carried are always at the same position. The circumferential positioning means that the stacked substrates 11 and 12 to be carried are aligned so that they are always at the same position in the circumferential direction (rotating direction around the central axis). As an alignment mechanism for performing such alignment, for example, a mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-31727 can be employed. Therefore, detailed description is omitted.

  The liquid supply chamber 2 is provided such that the load lock chambers 31 and 32 and the vacuum are continuous. In other words, the transfer chamber 4, which is another vacuum chamber, is provided between the load lock chambers 31 and 32, and the vacuum continues through the transfer chamber 4. Each of the load lock chambers 31 and 32 has a gate valve 10 at a boundary portion with the transfer chamber 4 and an atmospheric wall.

In the present embodiment, ten liquid supply chambers 2 are provided. Each liquid supply chamber 2 is provided on the peripheral surface of the transfer chamber 4 via a gate valve 10A. In the transfer chamber 4, a loading mechanism for transferring the laminated substrates 11 and 12 from the load lock chambers 31 and 32 to the liquid supply chambers 2 is provided.
The carry-in mechanism is configured by a second transfer robot 42. The second transfer robot 42 is also a robot having an articulated arm, and carries the stacked substrates 11 and 12 on a fork 421 as a substrate support provided at the tip of the arm. Note that the inside of the transfer chamber 4 is always at a vacuum pressure while the apparatus is moving, so that the second transfer robot 42 can operate in vacuum.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ten liquid supply chambers 2 are arranged in two upper and lower stages. Each of the five liquid supply chambers 2 is arranged at equal intervals on one arc. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the five liquid supply chambers 2 is arranged at a position slightly shifted in the vertical direction. Note that the second transfer robot 42 is disposed inside the arc in which the liquid supply chambers 2 are arranged, and is disposed at a substantially central position of the arc.

As described above, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are unloaded from the liquid supply chamber 2 by the first transfer robot 41 together with the liquid agent and the substrate holder 13. A feature of this embodiment is that this mechanism for integral transport is provided outside the portion where the liquid supply chambers 2 are arranged, and the unloading operation is performed on the side opposite to the loading side of the laminated substrates 11 and 12. It is a point that has come to do.
That is, each liquid supply chamber 2 has another gate valve (hereinafter referred to as second gate valve) 10B on the opposite side separately from the gate valve (hereinafter referred to as first gate valve) 10A between the liquid supply chamber 2 and the transfer chamber 4. ing. As shown in FIG. 2, the guide hole 101 of the floor unit 100 has a shape extending in an arc shape outside the portion where the liquid supply chambers 2 are arranged. The arc of the guide hole 101 is substantially concentric with the arc in which the liquid supply chambers 2 are arranged. The first transfer robot 41 is stopped at a position where it can operate with respect to each liquid supply chamber 2 while moving along the guide hole 101 by a robot moving mechanism (not shown).

  The laminated substrates 11 and 12 that are transferred to the injection station 5 together with the liquid agent and the substrate holder 13 by the first transfer robot 41 are transferred to the heating station 7 after the injection at the injection station 5 is completed. A first auxiliary transfer mechanism 43 is provided for transfer from the injection station 5 to the heating station 7.

The apparatus also includes a collection station 8 that collects the laminated substrates 11 and 12 after the liquid agent is heated and cured at the heating station 7. A second auxiliary transport mechanism 44 is provided for transport from the heating station 7 to the collection station 8, and the first transport robot 41 described above is also used. That is, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are transported from the heating station 7 to the collection station 8 by the second auxiliary transport mechanism 44 and the first transport robot 41. Note that the first transport robot 41 is operable with respect to the second auxiliary transport mechanism 44 when it is positioned approximately in the upper center of the guide hole 101 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the collection station 8 is provided at the lower left position on the paper surface. In the collection station 8, a collection cassette 81 is disposed in which a predetermined number of laminated substrates 11 and 12 that have been injected and cured with a liquid agent are accommodated.

Next, each part of the apparatus will be described along the transport system of the substrate holder 13.
First, the apparatus includes a receiver load station 6 which is a place where a substrate receiver is loaded and collected. As shown in FIG. 2, the receiving load station 6 is provided at the lower right position on the paper surface. In the receiving device load station 6, a receiving device cassette 61 is arranged.

  The substrate receiver 13 is directly carried into each liquid supply chamber 2 from the atmosphere side, and the substrate receiver 13 is transported from the receiver station 6 to each liquid supply chamber 2 in the first described above. The transfer robot 41 is also used. That is, the first transfer robot 41 can operate with respect to the receiving station 6 when it is located at the right end of the guide hole 101. The first transfer robot 41 takes out the substrate holders 13 in the receiver cassette 61 one by one, moves along the guide holes 101 and stops at a predetermined position, and then holds the substrate holders 13 in each liquid supply chamber 2. Is supposed to be transported. The substrate receiver 13 is carried into each liquid supply chamber 2 through the second gate valve 10B.

  The first transfer robot 41 can operate with respect to the injection station 5 when stopped at the upper right position of the guide hole 101 shown in FIG. As described above, the substrate holder 13 is transported together with the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the liquid agent by the first transport robot 41 to the injection station 5, but after the injection at the injection station 5 is completed, the substrate receiver 13 is received. The tool 13 is returned to the receiver station 6. The first transfer robot 41 is also used for the return transfer of the substrate holder 13 from the injection station 5 to the receiver station 6. That is, after receiving the substrate holder 13 at the injection station 5, the first transfer robot 41 moves to the right end along the guide hole 101 and returns the substrate holder 13 to the receiver cassette 61. .

The apparatus includes an alignment mechanism (not shown) for the substrate holder 13. Each substrate receiver 13 is centered and circumferentially positioned by this alignment mechanism while being transported from the receiver cassette 61 to the liquid supply chamber 2 by the first transport robot 41. In some cases, the circumferential positioning of the substrate holder 13 may be unnecessary.
Each of the transfer robots 41 and 42 may transfer the stacked substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13 while adsorbing them. Adsorption may be unnecessary when transporting while supporting the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13 horizontally, but adsorption is necessary when transporting in a vertical posture.

In FIG. 2, an exhaust system (not shown) for exhausting each liquid supply chamber 2, each load lock chamber 31, 32, and the transfer chamber 4 to a vacuum is provided. The exhaust system can exhaust each chamber at an independent timing. In some cases, the exhaust system may be provided independently in each chamber, or a part of the exhaust system may be used. For example, a roughing pump may also be used, and a main pump may be provided for each chamber.
A control box 9 is provided on the front side of the apparatus. In the control box 9, a main controller for controlling each part of the apparatus is provided. In addition, an operation panel for an operator to operate the apparatus is provided on the front surface of the control box 9.

Next, the configuration of the load lock chambers 31 and 32 will be described.
Each load lock chamber 31, 32 can accommodate a plurality of laminated substrates 11, 12. The load lock chambers 31 and 32 of the present embodiment have a structure in which the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed in a horizontal posture and are arranged side by side.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic front sectional view of the load lock chambers 31 and 32. The two load lock chambers 31 and 32 shown in FIG. 2 have the same structure, and one of them is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the load lock chamber 31 is provided with a shelf unit 33 in addition to an exhaust system 36 and a vent gas introduction system 37. The shelf unit 33 has a shelf portion 34 on which the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 are placed. A predetermined number of shelves 34 are provided above and below at regular intervals, and the number of shelves 34 can accommodate the stacked substrates 11 and 12. For example, 20 shelves 34 are provided, and 20 sets of laminated substrates 11 and 12 can be accommodated at a time.

  Another feature of the apparatus of the present embodiment is that it includes preheating means for heating the liquid agent to lower the viscosity of the liquid agent when the injection means performs injection. As preheating means, heaters 35 are provided in the load lock chambers 31 and 32. Since the load lock chambers 31 and 32 are evacuated to a vacuum, the heater 35 is of a radiant heating type (for example, a ceramic heater).

A plurality of heaters 35 are provided, and the position between the stacked substrates 11 and 12 accommodated on the shelves 34, the upper position of the uppermost stacked substrates 11 and 12, and the lowermost position. Are provided at positions below the laminated substrates 11 and 12, respectively. The laminated substrates 11 and 12 accommodated in the load lock chambers 31 and 32 are preheated to a predetermined temperature by these heaters 35.
In addition to the above configuration, when the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are loaded into the load lock chambers 31 and 32 together with the cassettes, a heater may be provided on the inner wall surface of the load lock chambers 31 and 32 for preheating. is there. Moreover, the heater provided in the wall surface and the said heater 35 may be used together.

  Next, the structure of each liquid supply chamber 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic front sectional view of one liquid supply chamber 2 shown in FIG. All of the ten liquid supply chambers 2 shown in FIG. 2 have the same structure, and one of them is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid supply chamber 4 includes an exhaust system 202 and a vent gas introduction system 203. In the liquid supply chamber 2, there is provided a substrate arrangement means for arranging the loaded laminated substrates 11 and 12 at predetermined positions. In this embodiment, the substrate placement means is a pin 21 on which the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 are placed. In this embodiment, three pins 21 are provided and are arranged at equal intervals (120-degree intervals). The number of pins 21 may be two, or four or more. The height of the upper end of each pin 21 is the same, and when the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed on each pin 21, they are in a horizontal posture. The position at this time is the predetermined position. Each pin 21 is fixed to the bottom plate portion of the liquid supply chamber 2.

As described above, the substrate holder 13 is carried into the liquid supply chamber 2 as a holder for holding the state in which the liquid agent closes the peripheral openings of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12. A receiving stage 24 is provided as a member to be placed.
The support stage 24 has an annular shape that is slightly smaller in outer diameter and inner diameter than the substrate support 13. The pin 21 described above is disposed inside the receiver stage 24.

  A lifting mechanism 22 is attached to the receiving stage 24. The receiving stage 24 is mounted on a driving plate 241 in a horizontal posture. The raising / lowering mechanism 22 raises / lowers the receiving stage 24 by raising / lowering the drive plate 241. The elevating mechanism 22 mainly includes a support column 242 that supports the drive plate 241 and a linear drive source 243 connected to the support column 242. The column 242 supports the drive plate 241 at the center. As the linear drive source 242, for example, a servo motor is used, and a mechanism for converting the rotation of the servo motor into a linear motion using a ball screw and a rotation stopper is employed. The receiving stage 24 can be positioned at a predetermined position in the vertical direction by controlling the servo motor. A fluid pressure cylinder such as an air cylinder may be employed instead of the combination of the servo motor and the ball screw.

Note that a linear guide (not shown) is provided so that the receiving stage 24 can be vertically moved with good linearity. Further, an opening 200 through which the support column 242 is inserted is provided in the bottom plate portion of the liquid supply chamber 2. A bellows 201 is provided so as to extend downward from the edge of the opening 200 to prevent a vacuum leak from the opening 200.
The elevating mechanism 22 raises the receiver stage 24 and raises the substrate receiver 13 to a predetermined raised position. In the ascending process, the substrate holder 13 receives the laminated substrates 11 and 12 on the pins 21, and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed on the substrate holder 13. In addition, the mounting position on the pin 21 of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 is set so that the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 are mounted at a position coaxial with the substrate holder 13.

  After placing the laminated substrates 11 and 12 on the substrate holder 13, the liquid agent is supplied by the liquid agent supply system 23. The liquid agent supply system 23 includes a liquid agent dispenser 231 that discharges and supplies the liquid agent from above the formed liquid reservoir. The liquid agent dispenser 231 has the same configuration as the syringe, is provided in a vertically standing posture, and discharges the liquid agent from a needle provided at the tip.

  A liquid supply pipe 232 is connected to the liquid dispenser 231. The liquid supply pipe 232 penetrates the wall of the liquid supply chamber 2 in an airtight manner and is connected to a liquid feed pump (not shown). When the liquid feed pump operates, the liquid agent is sent to the liquid agent dispenser 231 through the liquid supply pipe 232. The liquid agent is once stored in the liquid agent dispenser 231 and then released from the needle. In addition, the liquid agent to be sent is defoamed so that bubbles are not mixed when injected between the substrates. The liquid dispenser 231 is preferably one that can control the discharge amount of the liquid with a required accuracy. The liquid dispenser 231 is provided with a moving mechanism 234 as necessary. The moving mechanism 234 can move the liquid dispenser 231 in the vertical direction, the radial direction of the laminated substrates 11 and 12, or both directions.

In addition, the structure which arrange | positions the main-body part of the liquid agent dispenser 231 outside the liquid supply chamber 2, arrange | positions only a needle part in the liquid supply chamber 2, and sends a liquid agent to a needle through a liquid supply tube may be employ | adopted. is there.
In addition, the entire liquid supply system 23 may be disposed in the liquid supply chamber 2. That is, the liquid supply pipe 232 does not penetrate the wall of the liquid supply chamber 2 and a configuration in which the liquid agent is replenished every time the apparatus is maintained may be employed. In this case, the maintenance door (not shown) provided in the liquid supply chamber 2 is opened, and the operator manually supplies the liquid agent dispenser 231 with a liquid agent, or the supply hose is supplied to the liquid agent dispenser 231 through the opened door. Connect and refill.

  As can be understood from the above description, the liquid reservoir formed by the peripheral edges of the substrate holder 13 and the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 has a shape extending along the peripheral edge of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 at 360 degrees. In the present embodiment, a rotation mechanism that rotates the liquid reservoir relative to the liquid agent dispenser 231 is provided in order to supply the liquid agent uniformly to the liquid reservoir. In essence, the liquid reservoir may be rotated with respect to the stationary liquid dispenser 231, or the liquid dispenser 231 may be rotated with respect to the stationary liquid reservoir, but in this embodiment, the liquid reservoir is rotated. The structure to rotate is adopted. That is, there is provided a rotation mechanism that integrally rotates the substrate holder 13 and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 mounted on the substrate holder 13.

  The rotating mechanism is configured by a motor 244 that rotates a receiving stage 24 on which the substrate receiving unit 13 is placed. As a configuration of the rotation mechanism, it is conceivable that a ring-shaped ultrasonic motor is adopted as the motor 244 and is directly connected to the receiving stage 24 or a rack and pinion mechanism. As the ring-shaped ultrasonic motor, a commercially available one may be arbitrarily selected and used, and is not particularly limited. When the rack and pinion mechanism is employed, an annular rack plate is fixed to the peripheral surface of the receiving stage 24. The rack plate has a structure in which the teeth are formed on the outer surface, and a pinion is engaged with the rack plate. The pinion is provided so that the rotation axis is vertical, and the rack plate is rotated by rotating the pinion with a motor. Thereby, the receiving stage 24 is rotated. Note that the axis of rotation of the support stage 24 coincides with the central axis of the support stage 24.

As the support stage 24 rotates, the substrate support 13 and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 on the support stage 24 rotate integrally. Although the substrate holder 13 is only placed on the holder stage 24, the rotation speed is not so high, so that the substrate holder 13 rotates integrally without sliding only by frictional force. If necessary, a surface treatment for increasing the frictional force between the substrate holder 13 and the receiver stage 24 is applied to one or both of the surfaces, or static electricity is induced on the surface of the receiver stage 24 to cause the substrate receiver. 13 may be adsorbed. Further, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13 may be configured to increase the frictional force.
The receiver stage 24 is supported by an annular fixed stage 246 via a bearing 245. The fixed stage 246 is fixed to the drive plate 241.

  In addition, heaters 251 and 252 as preheating means are also provided in the liquid supply chamber 2. Two heaters 251 and 252 are provided above and below the support stage 24. The upper heater 251 is fixed to the upper wall portion of the liquid supply chamber 2 by a holder 253. The lower heater 252 is fixed to the fixed stage 246 via a heater column 254.

Both the upper and lower heaters 251 and 252 are disk-shaped heaters and are arranged coaxially with the receiving stage 24. The upper and lower heaters 251 and 252 are heaters for radiation heating. The radiation from the lower heater 252 reaches the substrate holder 13 and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 through the opening of the receiver stage 24.
The lower heater 252 and the driving plate 241 are provided with pin insertion holes through which the pins 21 are inserted. As many pin insertion holes as the number of pins 21 are provided in the lower heater 252 and the drive plate 241.

  Next, the configuration of the injection station 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the injection station 5 shown in FIG. The injection station 5 is a place where the injection is completed by maintaining this state for a predetermined time under atmospheric pressure while the substrate holder 13 holds the state where the liquid agent has closed the peripheral openings of the laminated substrates 11 and 12. For this reason, the injection station 5 has a combination of the laminated substrates 11 and 12, the liquid agent and the substrate holder 13 (hereinafter referred to as the liquid agent and the substrate holder 13) held by the substrate holder 13 in a state where the liquid agent blocks the peripheral openings of the laminated substrates 11 and 12. A work stocker 51 is provided that accommodates 14) (referred to as a standby work set) under atmospheric pressure for a predetermined time.

The configuration of the work stocker 51 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the work stocker 51 includes a casing 52 that accommodates the standby work set 14, a plurality of shelf boards 53 provided in the casing 52, and a plurality of shelf boards 53 along a peripheral circuit. It is comprised from the circumference | surroundings mechanism 54 etc. which make it circulate.
Each shelf plate 53 has a slightly larger shape than the substrate holder 13. As shown in FIG. 5, the shelf plate 53 is provided with a notch 531. This notch 531 is adapted to the shape of the receiving fork 412 of the first transfer robot 41. Each shelf plate 53 may be smaller than the substrate holder 13, and if each shelf plate 53 is made small so that each shelf plate 53 is positioned inside the receiver fork 412, the notch 531 is formed. Is unnecessary.

  The circling mechanism 54 includes a base (not shown) to which a shelf arm (not shown) that supports the shelf plate 53 is fixed, a guide rail 541 in which the base is fitted, and a belt for moving the base along the guide rail 541. (Or a chain), a drive unit (not shown) composed of gears, and the like. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide rail 541 forms an endless peripheral circuit in a vertical plane, and the shelf plate 53 circulates along the vertical peripheral circuit. Yes. The shelf 53 is always kept in a horizontal posture during the lap.

  In FIG. 5, twelve shelf boards 53 are shown, but actually a larger number of shelf boards 53 are provided. Since the gap between the substrates is a very narrow space, a relatively long time is required for the implantation under exposure to atmospheric pressure. On the other hand, the liquid supply operation in the liquid supply chamber 2 is relatively short. Therefore, practically, the standby work sets 14 can be accommodated several times (for example, two to three times) the number of the liquid supply chambers 2, and the shelves 53 corresponding to this number can be accommodated. Is provided.

  The casing 52 has a rectangular parallelepiped box shape. A receiving device gate for taking in and out the substrate receiving device 13 is provided at a lower position of one side plate of the housing 52. The receiving gate is opened and closed by a receiving door 521. In addition, a substrate gate for taking out the laminated substrates 11 and 12 is provided below the other side plate. The substrate gate is opened and closed by a substrate door 522. The circling mechanism 54 stops the shelf 53 at a position closest to the receiving device gate, and this position is hereinafter referred to as a “receiving / removing position”. The circling mechanism 54 stops the shelf 53 at a position closest to the substrate gate, and this position is hereinafter referred to as a “substrate take-out position”.

  Preheating means are also provided in the injection station 5. Specifically, a heater is embedded in the shelf board 53, and as a result of the standby work set 14 being heated through contact with the shelf board 53, the liquid agent is also heated and the viscosity is lowered. In some cases, the heater is provided on the inner wall surface of the casing 52. Since the casing 52 is at atmospheric pressure, it may be heated by gas blow.

  Next, the configuration of the heating station 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the heating station 7 shown in FIG. The heating station 7 is a place for heating the injected liquid and curing the liquid. A heating chamber 71 is provided in the heating station 7. The heating chamber 71 includes a casing 72 that houses the laminated substrates 11 and 12, a plurality of heating stages 73 provided in the casing 72, a circulation mechanism 74 that circulates the plurality of heating stages 73 along a circumferential circuit, and the like. It is composed of

  Each heating stage 73 has a plate shape slightly larger than the laminated substrates 11 and 12. In the heating stage 73, a resistance heating type or radiation heating type heater is embedded. When the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 are placed on the heating stage 73, the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 are heated mainly by heat conduction transmission by contact. Similarly, since the inside of the heating chamber 71 is an atmospheric pressure atmosphere, a configuration similar to that of the heating furnace may be employed. That is, heating is performed by providing a heater on the inner wall surface of the casing 72, heating by circulating hot air in the heating chamber 71 (gas blow heating), or heating the casing 72 to heat the laminated substrates 11 and 12. (Hot wall heating) may be employed.

The circling mechanism 74 is substantially the same as that in the work stocker 51, and includes a pedestal (not shown) to which a stage arm (not shown) that supports the heating stage 73 is fixed, a guide rail 741 in which the pedestal is fitted, and a guide rail It is mainly comprised from the drive part not shown which consists of a belt (or chain), a gear, etc. for moving a base along 741.
Also in the heating chamber 71, an opening / closing gate that is opened and closed by a carry-in door 721 is provided on the lower part of one side surface of the casing 72, and the lower part of the other side surface is opened and closed by a carry-out door 722. An unloading gate is provided. The circling mechanism 74 stops the heating stage 73 at a position closest to the carry-in gate, and this position is hereinafter referred to as “carry-in position”. Further, the revolving mechanism 74 stops the heating stage 73 at a position closest to the carry-out gate, and this position is hereinafter referred to as “carry-out position”.

  Another feature of the apparatus of the present embodiment is that a pick-up means for picking up the laminated substrates 11 and 12 that have been injected from the substrate holder 13 is provided, and the substrate holder 13 is not heated and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are removed. This is the point that only the liquid is heated. As a component of the pick-up means, a first auxiliary transfer mechanism 43 is provided on the carry-in side of the heating chamber 71 as shown in FIGS. Further, as described above, the second auxiliary transport mechanism 44 is provided on the carry-out side of the heating chamber 71. These auxiliary transport mechanisms 43 and 44 are also provided for the purpose of reducing the operation load of the first transport robot 41.

The first auxiliary transport mechanism 43 performs a transport operation between the work stocker 51 and the heating chamber 71. The first auxiliary transfer mechanism 43 is a transfer robot having a relatively small and simple structure. This transfer robot is provided with a suction head at the tip of an arm 431, and holds the laminated substrates 11 and 12 while sucking them from above. Although this adsorption is vacuum adsorption, since it is an atmospheric pressure atmosphere, electrostatic adsorption may be used.
The second auxiliary transport mechanism 44 performs an operation of transferring the laminated substrates 11 and 12 taken out from the heating chamber 71 to the first transport robot 41 for transport to the collection station 8. The second auxiliary transport mechanism 44 is a transport robot similar to the first auxiliary transport mechanism 43, and sucks and transports the laminated substrates 11 and 12 from above at the tip of the arm 441.

Next, the operation of the apparatus according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic views showing the operation in the liquid supply chamber 2.
First, the gate valve 10 on the atmosphere side of the load lock chambers 31 and 32 is opened, and a predetermined number of laminated substrates 11 and 12 are loaded as described above. Further, an empty collection cassette 81 is disposed in the collection station 8. A predetermined number of unused substrate receivers 13 are accommodated in the receiver cassette 61.
When a predetermined number of laminated substrates 11 and 12 are carried into the load lock chambers 31 and 32, the gate valve 10 is closed, and the exhaust operation of the load lock chambers 31 and 32 is started. The laminated substrates 11 and 12 are heated by the heater 35.

  In parallel, the operation of loading the substrate holder 13 into each liquid supply chamber 2 is performed. That is, the first transfer robot 41 takes out the substrate holders 13 one by one from the receiver cassette 61 and transfers them to each liquid supply chamber 2. The substrate holder 13 is carried in through the opened second gate valve 10 </ b> B and placed on the holder stage 24. As shown in FIG. 7 (1), the receiving fork 412 of the first transfer robot 41 that supports the substrate receiving unit 13 enters along a surface having a predetermined height, and then descends to the substrate. The receiver 13 is transferred to the receiver stage 24. At this time, the receiving stage 24 is positioned inside the receiving fork 412. The mounting position of the substrate holder 13 is a position where the substrate holder 13 is coaxial with the receiver stage 24. Further, the elevating mechanism 22 positions the receiving stage 24 at a predetermined lowered position, and thus the substrate receiving apparatus 13 is also arranged at the predetermined lowered position. When the carry-in operation of the substrate holder 13 is completed, the second gate valve 10B is closed, and the exhaust operation of the liquid supply chamber 2 by the exhaust system 202 is started.

  On the other hand, when the load lock chambers 31 and 32 are evacuated to a predetermined vacuum pressure, the evacuation between the substrate gaps of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 is completed. Therefore, these laminated substrates 11 and 12 are sequentially carried into the liquid supply chamber 2 that has been carried into the substrate holder 13 and evacuated to a predetermined vacuum pressure. That is, the first gate valve 10 </ b> A is opened, and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are loaded from the load lock chambers 31 and 32 through the transfer chamber 4 by the second transfer robot 42. The laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed on the pins 21 as shown in FIG. At this time, the fork 421 of the second transfer robot 42 that supports the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 is positioned between the three pins 21. In addition, the mounting positions of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are similarly positions that are coaxial with the receiving stage 24.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7 (3), the lifting mechanism 22 raises the receiving stage 24 to a predetermined raised position. In the ascending process, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed on the substrate holder 13. As a result of placing the laminated substrates 11 and 12 on the substrate holder 13, a liquid reservoir is formed as described above.
The laminated substrates 11 and 12 are already preheated in the load lock chambers 31 and 32, but are continuously preheated by the heaters 251 and 252 in the liquid supply chamber 2. The substrate holder 13 is also preheated by the heaters 251 and 251.

  Next, the liquid supply system 23 is operated while rotating the receiving stage 24 by operating the rotation mechanism. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8 (1), the liquid agent L is discharged from the liquid agent dispenser 231 and the liquid agent L is supplied along the rotating liquid reservoir. The receiving stage 24 finishes rotating in one rotation (360 degrees). By this operation, the liquid L is stored in the liquid reservoir. The liquid reservoir is formed on the entire circumference along the periphery of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12, but the liquid agent is also accumulated on the entire circumference without interruption. By this liquid supply, the peripheral openings of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 are closed by the liquid L on the entire periphery. When the peripheral opening is not completely blocked by the stored liquid L, that is, when the liquid is in contact with only the peripheral edge of the lower substrate 12 and is not in contact with the peripheral edge of the upper substrate 11, There is a risk of air contamination during exposure.

  The raising position of the receiving stage 24 by the lifting mechanism 22 is set so that the distance from the liquid dispenser 231 to the substrate receiving piece 13 is optimal. In addition, the distance may be adjusted by a moving mechanism 234 attached to the liquid dispenser 231. In any case, it is preferable to supply the liquid agent at a short distance from the liquid agent dispenser 231 to the liquid reservoir because the liquid supply operation becomes stable. In addition, as a structure of a rotation mechanism, when a rack board is located in a predetermined raising position, it may be comprised so that a pinion may mesh with a rack board.

The liquid agent L supplied by the liquid agent dispenser 231 is preheated to the same degree by receiving heat from the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13 because they are heated. Thereby, the viscosity of the liquid agent L falls.
Then, when the supply of the liquid L to the liquid reservoir is completed and the laminated substrates 11 and 12, the liquid L and the substrate holder 13 constitute the standby work set 14, the carry-out operation of the standby work set 14 is started. That is, vent gas (air or inert gas) is introduced into the liquid supply chamber 2 by the vent gas introduction system 203, and the pressure in the liquid supply chamber 2 is set to atmospheric pressure. Then, the second gate valve 10B is opened, and the receiving fork 412 of the first transfer robot 41 enters and is positioned below the standby work set 14 as shown in FIG.

  Then, the elevating mechanism 22 operates to lower the receiving stage 24 to a predetermined lowered position. As a result, the standby work set 14 is placed on the receiving fork 412 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the first transfer robot 41 retracts the receiving fork 412 and carries the standby work set 14 out of the liquid supply chamber 2. After unloading, the second gate valve 10B is closed. When the inside of the liquid supply chamber 2 is at atmospheric pressure, the gap between the substrates is at a vacuum pressure, so that the liquid agent L is pushed into the gap between the substrates due to the pressure difference, and injection is started. However, at this stage, the liquid L has just entered the gap between the substrates, and is not in a state of filling the gap between the substrates.

The first transfer robot 41 transfers the unloaded standby work set 14 to the injection station 5. Then, the carry-in door 521 of the work stocker 51 is opened, and the standby work set 14 is placed on the shelf board 53 at the receiving / taking-out position. At this time, the receiving fork 412 of the first transfer robot 41 moves down through the notch 531 of the shelf board 53.
The work stocker 51 is in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere, while the gap between the substrates is kept at the vacuum pressure because the entrance is blocked by the liquid agent. For this reason, while the standby work set 14 is circulated by the circulator mechanism 74, it is exposed to the atmospheric pressure and the liquid agent is pushed out between the substrate gaps by the pressure difference to fill the inter-substrate gap. That is, the time until the standby work set 14 placed on the shelf 53 at the receiving / removing position reaches the substrate removal position is optimally set, and the liquid agent is completely filled between the substrate gaps during this time. ing. In addition, at the time of the said injection | pouring, the preheating of a liquid agent is continued by the heater in the shelf board 53, and the viscosity is falling. For this reason, the time required for injection is shortened.
In this way, the substrate holder 13 and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are sequentially carried into each liquid supply chamber, and the standby work set 14 is configured by supplying the liquid agent, and then the standby work set 14 is sequentially transferred to the injection station 5. Transport. Then, the standby work sets 14 are successively placed on the respective shelf boards 53.

  The laminated substrates 11 and 12 that have reached the substrate take-out position in the work stocker 51 and have been injected are transported to the heating station 7. That is, the carry-out door 522 is opened, the arm 431 of the first auxiliary transport mechanism 43 enters, and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are sucked and taken out from above. When the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are transported to the heating chamber 71 by the first auxiliary transport mechanism 43, the carry-in door 721 is opened and placed on the heating stage 73 at the carry-in position. The heating stage 73 on which the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 are placed is moved along the peripheral circuit by the rotating mechanism 74, and during this time, the injected liquid agent is heated by the heat from the heating stage 73. When the heating stage 73 reaches the carry-out position, the liquid agent is completely cured. That is, when the heating stage 73 reaches the carry-out position, the temperature of the heater in the heating stage 73, the moving speed by the rotating mechanism 74, and the moving distance are optimally set so that the liquid is completely cured.

  On the other hand, the substrate holder 13 remaining after the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are removed is transported to the receiver loading station 6 by the first transport robot 41. That is, the shelf board 53 on which the substrate holders 13 remaining after the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are removed is moved by the rotating mechanism 74 and reaches the receiving / taking-out position. Then, the receiving door 521 is opened, and the first transfer robot 41 takes out the substrate receiving device 13 at this position and transfers it to the receiving station 6. The transported substrate receiver 13 is returned to the receiver cassette 61.

  On the other hand, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 that have reached the carry-out position in the heating chamber 71 and have completed the curing of the liquid agent are transported to the collection station 8 by the second auxiliary transport mechanism 44 and the first transport robot 41. That is, the arm 441 of the second auxiliary transport mechanism 44 takes out the heating substrate 71 while adsorbing and holding the laminated substrates 11 and 12 from above. Then, the substrate fork 411 of the first transport robot 41 receives and supports it, transports it to the recovery station 8, and stores it in the recovery cassette 81.

The laminated substrates 11 and 12 are successively taken out from the substrate holder 13 on the shelf plate 53 that has reached the substrate take-out position in the work stocker 51 and conveyed to the heating chamber 71. Then, the transported laminated substrates 11 and 12 are successively placed on the heating stage 73 sequentially positioned at the carry-in position in the heating chamber 71. Then, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are sequentially taken out and collected from the heating stage 73 that has sequentially reached the carry-out position.
Such operations are repeated to evacuate the load lock chambers 31 and 32 between the substrate gaps of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 and place the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 on the substrate holder 13 in the liquid supply chamber 2. (Liquid reservoir formation), supply of the liquid agent, maintenance of the closed state of the peripheral opening by the liquid agent, injection operation at the injection station 5, and heat curing of the liquid agent at the heating station 7 are performed.

When all the laminated substrates 11 and 12 in the load lock chambers 31 and 32 have been loaded into the liquid supply chamber 2, the next lot of laminated substrates 11 and 12 are charged into the load lock chambers 31 and 32. . When a predetermined number of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 having been filled and hardened with the liquid agent are accommodated in the recovery cassette 81, the operator replaces the recovery cassette 81 with an empty one.
Further, when all the substrate holders 13 originally in the receiver cassette 61 are used and returned to the receiver cassette 61, the receiver cassette 61 is replaced. Since the liquid agent often remains on the used substrate holder 13, the liquid agent is taken out from the apparatus, removed, stored in the receiver cassette 61, and put into the apparatus again. The removal of the liquid agent is performed by a method such as air blowing or wiping.

  When there is no residual adhesion of the liquid agent to the substrate holder 13 or when the residual liquid agent is removed in the apparatus, the substrate holder 13 may be always put in the apparatus. In this case, the substrate holder 13 is taken out from the holder loading / unloading position of the work stocker 51 by the first transfer robot 41, and after the liquid is removed in the apparatus by an air blow mechanism or the like as necessary, It is transferred to the liquid supply chamber 2 (where the substrate holder 13 is not disposed).

  In the operation in the liquid supply chamber 2, as shown in FIG. 7 (1), the receiving fork 412 of the first transfer robot 41 is lowered and placed on the receiving stage 24. In some cases, the receiver stage 24 is raised to receive the substrate receiver 13 from the receiver fork 412. In this case, the support stage 24 is raised by the lifting mechanism 22 to a position slightly higher than the support fork 412 so that the substrate support 13 is placed on the support stage 24.

  The same applies when the standby work set 14 is removed after supplying the liquid agent, and the standby work set 14 may be transferred to the receiving tool fork 412 by the lifting and lowering operation of the receiving tool stage 24. That is, the standby work set 14 is raised to a predetermined ascending position by the elevating mechanism 22 in advance, and the receiving fork 412 is entered below the standby work set 14 at that position. Then, the receiving stage 24 is lowered, and the standby work set 14 is transferred to the receiving fork 412 in the lowering process.

  When the transfer is performed by the lifting / lowering operation of the receiver stage 24 in this way, the vertical movement distance of the receiver fork 412 of the first transfer robot 41 can be reduced or made zero. The receiving fork 412 enters the liquid supply chamber 2 through the second gate valve 10B, but if the vertical moving distance of the receiving fork 412 is small, the height of the opening / closing portion of the second gate valve 10B is reduced. There is an advantage that the structure of the gate valve does not become large.

The method and apparatus of the embodiment related to the configuration and operation described above have the following effects.
First, it is not necessary to form a weir between the laminated substrates 11 and 12 prior to injection. Therefore, the process is simplified and the productivity is high. Further, the injection port is not limited to one specific place such as the opening of the weir, and the liquid agent is injected from the entire circumference of the peripheral edges of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12. For this reason, the time until the injection is completed is shortened, and the productivity is high also in this respect. Furthermore, since the liquid agent spreads uniformly from the entire circumference of the peripheral edges of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 toward the center due to the pressure difference and completely fills the gaps between the substrates, the weight of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 after the completion of the injection. The balance is completely uniform. For this reason, a problem does not arise when handling the laminated substrates 11 and 12 in a subsequent process.

  In addition, while holding the substrate holder 13 in a state in which the liquid agent closes the peripheral openings of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12, the standby work set 14 composed of them is transported integrally and separated from the liquid supply chamber 2 under atmospheric pressure. In addition to completing the injection at the injection station 5 which is the location of the next, the next laminated substrates 11 and 12 are arranged in the liquid supply chamber 2 to supply the liquid agent, so that the productivity is further improved. is doing. It is not impossible to complete the injection by setting the liquid supply chamber 2 to atmospheric pressure while the substrate holder 13, the liquid agent, and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are arranged in the liquid supply chamber 2. However, it takes a considerable amount of time for the liquid agent having a certain degree of viscosity to fill between the substrate gaps due to the pressure difference. During this time, the liquid agent cannot be supplied to the next laminated substrates 11 and 12, and the next laminated substrates 11 and 12 stand by outside the liquid supply chamber 2, thereby reducing the throughput. In the present embodiment, since the liquid agent is supplied to the next laminated substrates 11 and 12 in parallel with the injection of the liquid agent into the gap between the substrates under atmospheric pressure, the throughput is high and it is extremely suitable in terms of productivity. is there.

  In the apparatus of the above embodiment, since the liquid reservoir for storing the liquid agent is formed by the substrate holder 13 and the peripheral edges of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 placed on the substrate holder 13, the operation for storing the liquid agent and the liquid agent are performed. In addition, the operation of closing the peripheral openings of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 can be easily performed. In order to fill the gap between the substrates by injecting the liquid agent from the entire periphery of the peripheral edges of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12, a container for storing the liquid agent in the entire periphery is required. It is also possible to configure this container so that the liquid agent can be stored by itself, regardless of the liquid reservoir as described above. However, it is not easy to store the laminated substrates 11 and 12 in a horizontal posture so that the peripheral openings are closed by the liquid agent. Although a configuration in which a liquid agent is accumulated in a circumferential groove and protruded by surface tension and the peripheral edges of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are brought into contact therewith is considered, high accuracy is provided for controlling the protruding amount and position control of the laminated substrates 11 and 12. It becomes technically difficult. In this embodiment, there is no such problem, and it is easy to supply the liquid agent to the peripheral edges of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12.

  In particular, in this embodiment, the liquid reservoir is formed by the slope 133 of the substrate holder 13, the surface of the portion of the base portion 131 that protrudes from the multilayer substrates 11 and 12, and the peripheral edges of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12. Therefore, the volume of the liquid reservoir can be determined by appropriately setting the width of the protruding portion and the angle of the inclined surface 133 according to the total thickness of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12. For this reason, it is easy to design a liquid reservoir according to the amount of liquid to be injected. In some cases, substrate holders 13 having different outer diameters of the base portion 131 and different angles of the inclined surfaces 133 may be prepared and used depending on the injection amount of the liquid agent.

  The configuration for maintaining the state where the liquid agent closes the peripheral opening is not limited to the inclined surface 133. A wall surface extending vertically upward from the periphery of the base portion 131 may be formed, and the same effect can be obtained by this. That is, it is sufficient if the peripheral portion 132 protrudes upward with respect to the base portion 131 and the surface of the peripheral portion 132 extends upward from the peripheral edge of the surface of the base portion 131. However, according to the configuration in which the closed state is maintained by the inclined surface 133 as described above, the liquid agent tends to approach the peripheral opening in the process of injection. Therefore, this configuration is suitable for reliably performing injection and reducing the residual liquid.

  Further, since the surface of the portion forming the liquid reservoir has lower wettability with respect to the liquid agent as compared with the opposing surfaces of the laminated substrates 11 and 12, the liquid agent can be injected efficiently and the substrate holder can be provided after the injection. The amount of liquid remaining in 13 is also small. As described above, the liquid agent stored in the liquid reservoir is pushed into the gap between the substrates due to the pressure difference. At this time, the surface in the gap between the substrates (the surfaces of the upper substrate 11 and the lower substrate 12 facing each other). However, since the wettability is higher than that of the inclined surface 133, the liquid agent tends to leave the inclined surface 133 and propagate along the opposing surface. This makes the injection more efficient. In the process of injection, the liquid agent in the liquid reservoir is reduced, but the remaining liquid agent is always accumulated at a position near the laminated substrates 11 and 12 because the wettability of the surfaces of the slope 133 and the base portion 131 is low. Become. For this reason, if the amount initially stored in the liquid reservoir is matched with the volume between the gaps of one substrate, the liquid agent hardly remains on the inclined surface 133 when the injection is completed. In addition, when the liquid agent remains, when the next laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed, there is a possibility that they enter the lower side of the lower substrate 12 and adhere to the lower surface, but this possibility is low in this embodiment. .

  Moreover, the shape of the annular substrate holder 13 is an example of “a shape that has an opening in a portion facing the laminated substrate and does not block a space between the laminated substrates”. If the substrate holder 13 has a shape that closes the space between the laminated substrates 11 and 12, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 may be deformed at the time of injection. That is, since the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed on the substrate holder 13 in a state where the liquid supply chamber 2 is in a vacuum pressure, the lower space of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 is blocked by the substrate holder 13. This space remains at a vacuum pressure even during injection. Since the space above the laminated substrates 11 and 12 becomes atmospheric pressure at the time of injection, there is a possibility that the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are pushed downward due to a pressure difference and deformed. If the pressure difference is large, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 may be damaged. In this embodiment, since the space below the laminated substrates 11 and 12 is not blocked as described above, there is no such problem. If there is a space under vacuum pressure on the lower side of the laminated substrates 11 and 12, the liquid agent will easily flow into the injection station 5 at the time of injection, and the lower surface of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 (the lower surface of the lower substrate 12). However, in this embodiment, there is no such problem. In addition, if the liquid agent flows into the lower side of the laminated substrates 11 and 12, the liquid agent is insufficient by that amount, and there is a possibility that the liquid agent is not sufficiently injected between the substrate gaps. Nor.

  In addition, the liquid dispenser 231 that discharges and supplies the liquid agent from above the liquid reservoir to be formed has the advantage that the productivity is improved by moving the substrate holder 13 to another place and completing the injection as described above. It has become extremely practical to achieve an enhanced configuration. As a structure for supplying the liquid agent to the liquid reservoir, it is conceivable to connect a liquid supply pipe to the liquid reservoir. However, with this structure, since the substrate holder 13 forms a liquid reservoir, the substrate receiver 13 is moved after disconnecting the pipe connection, and a connection / disconnection mechanism for the pipe is required. In the present embodiment, such a mechanism is unnecessary and is extremely practical.

  In addition, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13 are integrally rotated with respect to the stationary liquid dispenser 231 so that the liquid is supplied along the liquid reservoir. It has the meaning that it can supply. In the configuration in which the pipe is connected as described above to supply the liquid agent, or in the configuration in which the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13 are supplied without rotating together, the liquid supply location is relative to the circumferential liquid reservoir. Since there is only one place, there is a high possibility that the amount of liquid supply cannot be made uniform. That is, in the case of a highly viscous liquid agent, the amount is large at a position close to the liquid supply location and small at a distant position. In the present embodiment, since the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13 are rotated integrally (that is, while the liquid reservoir is rotating), the liquid agent is discharged from the liquid agent dispenser 231 and supplied. The liquid agent is uniformly supplied to each of the above. The same effect can be obtained by rotating the liquid dispenser 231 around the rotation axis coaxial with the central axes of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13, but the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13 are rotated. Is a relatively simple mechanism.

  Further, the load lock chambers 31 and 32 can accommodate the plurality of laminated substrates 11 and 12, and the gap between the substrates of the plurality of laminated substrates 11 and 12 can be simultaneously evacuated to a vacuum. It has the significance of further improving productivity. As described above, when the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed on the substrate holder 13 in the liquid supply chamber 2 and the liquid agent is supplied, both of them need to be arranged in a vacuum atmosphere, and the inter-substrate gap Needs to be evacuated to a vacuum. In this case, the substrate holder 13 and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are similarly carried directly into the liquid supply chamber 2 from the atmosphere side, and after placing the laminated substrates 11 and 12 on the substrate holder 13, the inside of the liquid supply chamber 2 is filled. It is conceivable that the space between the substrates is evacuated to a vacuum pressure. However, with this configuration, the gap between the substrates is a very narrow space and the conductance is small. Therefore, it takes a considerably long time to exhaust to a predetermined vacuum pressure. On the other hand, if only the substrate holder 13 is used, evacuation of the liquid supply chamber 2 in which the substrate holder 13 is disposed can be completed in a short time. The apparatus of the present embodiment is a technical idea that effectively increases productivity by using a batch type vacuum exhaust between the substrate gaps, which takes time, and a single wafer type vacuum exhaust of the substrate holder 13 (atmosphere in which the substrate holder 13 is disposed). It has become.

  The liquid supply chamber 2 is provided with a first gate valve 10A provided between the load lock chambers 31 and 32 and a second gate valve 10B opened to an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. , Has the significance of effectively achieving the above technical idea. In the case of the normal cluster tool type chamber layout, the gate valve is not opened to the atmospheric pressure atmosphere during normal operation in the process chamber, and it is opened to other vacuum chambers such as the load lock chamber and transfer chamber. Only (opened to the chamber under vacuum pressure). With this configuration, the substrate holder 13 cannot be directly carried from the atmospheric pressure atmosphere, and the standby work set 14 cannot be directly taken out to the atmospheric pressure atmosphere. In the configuration of this embodiment, this is possible.

  The configuration of the chamber layout and the transport system of the present embodiment is not limited to inter-substrate liquid injection, but is also very unique in general vacuum processing apparatuses. In the chamber layout of a normal cluster tool, a transfer chamber having a transfer robot is provided in the center, and a plurality of process chambers and load lock chambers are only connected to the peripheral surface. An apparatus configuration in which a transfer means that performs a transfer operation further outside the process chamber is not known so far. In the configuration of the present embodiment, a transfer robot that operates further outside the plurality of process chambers arranged around the transfer chamber is provided, and the transfer robot is moved along the direction in which the plurality of process chambers are arranged. It is. With this configuration, the work and member loading / unloading paths for each process chamber can be routed through paths outside the process chambers as well as through the central transfer chamber. That is, the degree of freedom of the work and member loading / unloading path for each process chamber is increased. For this reason, by appropriately designing the two transfer robots, it is possible to increase the tact time and throughput of the apparatus, which greatly contributes to the improvement of productivity.

  Further, in the apparatus of this embodiment, when the liquid agent is injected, the liquid agent is heated by the preheating means to reduce the viscosity of the liquid agent, so that the progress of the liquid agent into the inter-substrate gap is promoted. For this reason, the liquid agent fills the gaps between the substrates in a short time, and the productivity is high in this respect as well.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since injection | pouring of a liquid agent and hardening of a liquid agent can be performed consistently with one apparatus, it can contribute to the reduction of the installation cost of the whole process. In the conventional process, since the injection of the liquid agent and the hardening of the liquid agent are performed by separate devices, it is necessary to install each device, and a transport mechanism between the devices is also required. They are unnecessary. Accordingly, the equipment cost is greatly reduced. Moreover, since hardening is performed within a short time after the injection of the liquid agent, the possibility that the properties of the liquid agent change depending on the circumstances after the injection is small. The apparatus of this embodiment is suitable also in this point.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the pick-up means picks up the laminated substrates 11 and 12 after the injection of the liquid agent from the substrate holder 13 and heats only the liquid agent via the laminated substrates 11 and 12 without heating the substrate holder 13. In addition to eliminating unnecessary heating to increase the efficiency of heating, there is an advantage that the liquid agent remaining on the substrate holder 13 is not cured. When the liquid agent remaining and adhered to the substrate holder 13 is cured, the liquid agent is fixed to the substrate holder 13 and cannot easily be removed. When the substrate holder 13 with the liquid agent remaining solidified is used for the next liquid agent supply, as a result of placing the laminated substrates 11 and 12 on the liquid agent with the solidified residue, the substrate holder 13 and the laminated substrates 11 and 12 There may be a gap between the two. In this case, the supplied liquid agent may leak from this gap. In this embodiment, even if the liquid agent remains and remains, it does not harden and can be easily removed by air blowing or wiping.

  In the inter-substrate liquid injection device having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that a liquid supply monitor is provided for monitoring whether or not liquid supply to the liquid reservoir is reliably performed. That is, when the liquid agent is discharged by supplying the liquid agent from the liquid agent dispenser 231 while rotating the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13 together, the entire circumference is formed along the liquid reservoir formed around the laminated substrates 11 and 12. (Circumferentially) liquid is collected. If the reservoir of this liquid agent is interrupted in the middle of the circumference or there are extremely few places, the liquid agent does not flow uniformly between the substrate gaps at the time of injection at the injection station 5, and the injection becomes uneven, There is a risk of mixing. Further, if there is a portion where the peripheral openings of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are opened without being closed all around, there is a possibility that bubbles are generated. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a liquid supply monitor for monitoring whether or not there is a break in the accumulation of the liquid agent.

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing an example of the configuration of the liquid supply monitor. The liquid supply monitor 233 shown in FIG. 9 uses a distance sensor. The liquid supply monitor 233 is attached to the rear of the liquid dispenser 231 in the rotation direction of the receiving stage 24, and detects the distance to the vertically lower side.
The distance D measured by the liquid supply monitor 233 increases when the amount of the liquid agent is small or when the liquid agent is interrupted as compared with the case where the liquid agent is properly stored in the liquid reservoir. Therefore, by measuring the distance with the liquid supply monitor 233, it is possible to monitor whether or not the liquid L is properly stored in the liquid reservoir.

  In the inter-substrate liquid injection device having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that a bubble monitor for monitoring whether or not there is a bubble after the injection of the liquid agent and prior to heating at the heating station 7 is provided. If the liquid is cured in the presence of air bubbles, the bonding strength is reduced at the air bubbles, which can easily lead to product defects and reduced reliability. As the configuration of the bubble monitor, an image sensor that covers and captures the entire area between the substrate gaps of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 after the completion of injection can be employed. As the image sensor, since it is necessary to image through the semiconductor wafer, an X-ray image sensor or an ultrasonic image sensor is suitable. When the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are transparent substrates such as glass substrates, an optical image sensor may be used.

  The bubble monitor is provided, for example, so as to monitor the generation of bubbles when the first auxiliary transport mechanism 43 takes out the laminated substrates 11 and 12 that have been injected from the work stocker 51. That is, a bubble monitor is provided so that images of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 held by the arm 431 of the first auxiliary transport mechanism 43 are taken from below, and the bubble monitor monitors whether bubbles are generated.

Next, the structure of a suitable apparatus that takes into account an orientation flat (hereinafter referred to as orientation flat) will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a suitable apparatus in consideration of the orientation flat.
When there is an orientation flat, as shown in FIG. 10, the upper substrate 11 and the lower substrate 12 are overlapped with each other while making the orientation flats coincide (the orientation flats overlap in a plan view). In this case, two configurations of the substrate holder 13 are conceivable. One is a configuration in which, as shown in FIG. 10A, the base 131 of the substrate holder 13 also has a shape having a flat periphery, and the periphery 132 has a shape having a linear portion. The other is a configuration in which the peripheral portion 132 has a complete annular shape regardless of the orientation flat as shown in FIG. In the case of FIG. 10 (1), the substrate holder 13 needs to be positioned in the circumferential direction, but in the case of FIG. 10 (2), it is not necessary, so the configuration of the apparatus is simplified.

  10 (1) and FIG. 10 (2), in order to supply an appropriate amount of the liquid L in the orientation flat portion, the liquid dispenser 231 is moved by the moving mechanism 234 provided in the liquid dispenser 231. The laminated substrates 11 and 12 are shifted in the radial direction. That is, when the support stage 24 rotates, the liquid dispenser 231 is shifted closer to the rotation axis (that is, the central axis) at the timing when the orientation flat portion reaches below the liquid dispenser 231. Then, the liquid dispenser 231 is returned to the original position at the timing when the orientation flat part passes. Thereby, also in the orientation flat part, the liquid agent L is stored in the state which contacted the periphery of the multilayer substrates 11 and 12 correctly. Strictly speaking, the shift amount of the liquid agent dispenser 231 is the closest position to the rotation axis in the central portion of the orientation flat.

Further, since the moving mechanism 234 is complicated when the liquid dispenser 231 is provided, as shown in FIG. 10 (2), the liquid supply amount is increased by the portion of the orientation flat and the peripheral edges of the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are surely provided. You may make it the liquid agent L contact. As a method for increasing the amount of liquid supply, a method of slowing the rotation speed at the timing when the orientation flat portion reaches below the liquid agent dispenser 231 is practical, but the amount released from the liquid agent dispenser 231 may be increased. If the liquid supply amount is large only in the orientation flat part, there may be a problem in terms of the uniformity of liquid injection into the gap between the substrates, but if the liquid L is not so high in viscosity and fluidity is high In many cases, problems do not occur.
Note that it is preferable that the wettability of the liquid agent is made lower not only on the inclined surface 133 of the substrate holder 13 but also on the horizontal surface (the surface of the base portion 131) compared to the opposing surfaces of the laminated substrates 11 and 12. By reducing the wettability, the liquid agent approaches the laminated substrates 11 and 12 as the injection proceeds, and surely enters the gap between the substrates.

Next, another embodiment of the inter-substrate liquid injection device will be described. FIG. 11 is a schematic front sectional view of a main part of a liquid medicine injection device according to another embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a schematic configuration of the liquid supply chamber 2 in an apparatus according to another embodiment.
In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, the substrate placing means is a fixed pin 21, and the substrate holder 13 moves with respect to the laminated substrates 11 and 12 placed on the pin 21, whereby the laminated substrate 11. , 12 are mounted. On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed on the substrate holder 13 by moving the laminated substrates 11 and 12 with respect to the stationary substrate holder 13. .

That is, the pin 21 is a lift pin that moves in the vertical direction. The pin 21 is fixed on a pin driving plate 211 in a vertical posture. The lifting mechanism 22 is attached to the pin drive plate 211. The structure of the elevating mechanism 22 is the same as that shown in FIG. 4, and is mainly composed of a column 242 that supports the pin drive plate 211 at the center and a linear drive source 243 that drives the column 242 to move up and down. .
Similarly, the receiving stage 24 is fixed to the fixed stage 246 via a bearing 245. The fixed stage 246 is fixed to the bottom plate portion of the liquid supply chamber 2 by a stage column 247.

Also in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, the receiving fork 412 of the first transfer robot 41 supports the substrate receiving 13 and is placed on the receiving stage 24 while supporting the substrate receiving 13. Put. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed on the pins 21 while being supported by the forks 421 of the second transfer robot 42.
Thereafter, the elevating mechanism 22 operates to lower the pin 21 to a predetermined lowered position. In the descending process, the laminated substrates 11 and 12 are placed on the substrate holder 13.

Then, the liquid agent is similarly supplied by the liquid agent supply system 23 while rotating the receiving stage 24. At this time, the liquid dispenser 231 may be moved by the moving mechanism 234 provided in the liquid dispenser 231 to adjust the distance to the substrate holder 13.
After supplying the liquid agent, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the receiving fork 412 of the first transfer robot 41 receives the standby work set 14 from the receiving stage 24 and transfers it to the injection station 5.

  Also in the apparatus related to the above configuration and operation, the same effect as that of the apparatus described above can be obtained. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 as well, a mechanism for raising and lowering the receiving stage 24 may be provided. This mechanism can be used to adjust the distance between the liquid agent dispenser 231 and the substrate holder 13 or to reduce the vertical movement stroke of the forks 412 and 421 as in the above embodiment.

  In the configuration of each embodiment described above, the temperature of the preheating by the preheating unit is set to a sufficiently low temperature from the curing temperature so that the liquid agent is not cured before the injection is completed. The preheating temperature is a temperature at which the viscosity of the liquid agent is minimized. If the viscosity of the liquid agent has no temperature dependency, or if it is small, preheating may not be performed. As is clear from the above description, the final goal of preheating is to increase the temperature of the liquid agent and lower the viscosity at the time of injection. However, the direct heating target is not limited to the liquid agent, and the laminated substrate 11, 12 or the substrate holder 13. In other words, the preliminary heating also includes heating the liquid agent indirectly by heating the laminated substrates 11 and 12 and the substrate holder 13.

  In the present invention, the liquid agent to be injected is not limited to the above-described thermosetting insulating epoxy resin. In addition, the laminated substrate may be a laminate of three or more substrates stacked on top of each other, and the liquid agent can be simultaneously injected into each gap formed by them. In implementing the present invention, there is no need for a plurality of liquid supply chambers 2, and there may be only one.

  In each of the above embodiments, the liquid agent is supplied to the periphery of the multilayer substrate in a vacuum atmosphere, and then the multilayer substrate and the liquid agent are placed in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere to complete the injection. However, this is not an essential condition. Since the injection is performed by the pressure difference, it is sufficient to perform the injection under a pressure higher than the vacuum in the gap between the substrates when the liquid agent is supplied and the peripheral opening is closed with the liquid agent. Therefore, the injection may be performed in a vacuum atmosphere at a pressure higher than the vacuum at the time of supplying the liquid agent, or the injection may be performed under a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure.

  In addition, although each said embodiment was a technique which inject | pours a liquid agent with respect to the laminated substrate (wafer) for three-dimensional integrated circuits, this invention is not restricted to this, A board | substrate other than a wafer is laminated | stacked The present invention can also be applied to the laminated substrate. For example, the present invention can be similarly applied to a laminated substrate in which a plurality of glass substrates for flat panel displays such as a liquid crystal display and a plasma display are laminated and bonded together.

It is the figure which showed roughly about injection | pouring operation | movement using a holder. It is a plane schematic diagram of an inter-substrate liquid injection device concerning an embodiment. 3 is a schematic front sectional view of load lock chambers 31 and 32. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic front sectional view of one liquid supply chamber 2 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the injection station 5 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the heating station 7 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an operation in the liquid supply chamber 2. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an operation in the liquid supply chamber 2. It is the front schematic which showed an example of the composition of a liquid supply monitor. It is the plane schematic shown about the structure of the suitable apparatus which considered the orientation flat. It is a front sectional schematic diagram of the principal part of the liquid injection device concerning another embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10 Gate valve 10A First gate valve 10B Second gate valve 11 Lower substrate 12 Upper substrate 13 Substrate holder 131 Base portion 132 Peripheral portion 133 Slope 2 Liquid supply chamber 21 Pin 22 Lifting mechanism 23 Liquid agent supply system 231 Liquid agent dispenser 24 Equipment stage 244 Motor 251 Heater 252 Heater 31 Load lock chamber 32 Load lock chamber 34 Shelf portion 35 Heater 4 Transfer chamber 41 First transfer robot 42 Second transfer robot 43 First auxiliary transfer mechanism 44 Second auxiliary transfer mechanism 5 Injection station 51 Work stocker 52 Case 53 Shelf 54 Circulation mechanism 6 Receptacle load station 61 Receptacle cassette 7 Heating station 71 Heating chamber 72 Housing 73 Heating stage 74 Circulation mechanism 8 Collection station 81 Collection cassette 9 control box 100 beds face unit 101 guide hole

Claims (12)

A substrate-to-substrate solution injection method for injecting a solution into a gap between substrates of a laminated substrate composed of a plurality of substrates laminated and bonded,
Evacuating the gap between the substrates of the multilayer substrate to a vacuum;
Placing the laminated substrate in which the gap between the substrates is evacuated in a vacuum at a predetermined position in the vacuum chamber evacuated;
Supplying a liquid agent to the peripheral edge of the multilayer substrate disposed at a predetermined position, and holding the state in which the liquid agent blocks the opening formed at the peripheral edge of the multilayer substrate;
The step of moving the laminated substrate, the liquid agent and the holder together while maintaining the holding state by the holder and positioning the laminated substrate, the liquid agent and the holder at a different location under a pressure higher than the vacuum to complete the injection of the liquid agent into the gap. A method for injecting an inter-substrate liquid agent, comprising: An inter-substrate liquid injection device that injects a liquid agent into a gap between substrates of a laminated substrate composed of a plurality of substrates laminated and bonded,
An exhaust means for exhausting a gap between the substrates of the multilayer substrate to a vacuum;
A liquid supply chamber which is a vacuum chamber capable of taking in and out the laminated substrate;
A carry-in mechanism for carrying the laminated substrate in which the gap between the substrates is evacuated into a liquid supply chamber evacuated to a vacuum;
Substrate placement means for placing the loaded laminated substrate at a predetermined position;
A liquid supply system for supplying liquid to the periphery of the laminated substrate disposed at a predetermined position;
A holder that holds a state in which the supplied liquid agent closes the opening formed at the periphery of the multilayer substrate;
An unloading mechanism for moving the laminated substrate, the liquid agent, and the holder together to be located at another place under a pressure higher than the vacuum while maintaining the holding state by the holder. Liquid injection device. The holder is constituted by a substrate holder that is a member on which the laminated substrate is placed,
The substrate holder has a shape in which a liquid reservoir for storing a liquid agent so as to close an opening formed by the peripheral edge of the multilayer substrate is formed along the peripheral edge of the stacked substrate. The inter-substrate liquid injection device according to claim 2.   The substrate holder is composed of a base portion having a horizontal surface and a peripheral portion extending around the base portion, the peripheral portion protruding upward with respect to the base portion, and the surface of the peripheral portion is 4. The inter-substrate liquid injection device according to claim 3, wherein the liquid agent is extended upward from a peripheral edge of the surface of the base portion, and the liquid agent is held by the surface extending upward.   5. The surface of a portion of the substrate holder that forms a liquid reservoir has lower wettability with respect to the liquid agent than a surface in a gap between the substrates of the laminated substrate. Inter-substrate liquid injection device. The substrate receptacle, the substrate between the liquid injection device according to claim 3 to 5, characterized in that a shape that does not block the space between the laminated substrate has an opening. Said liquid supply system, the inter-substrate liquid injection device according to claim 3 to 6, characterized in that from above the front Symbol reservoir having a liquid dispenser for supplying to release the liquid. Claims, characterized in that the rotating mechanism to allow the rotate together the laminated substrate and the substrate receiving tool against stationary the liquid dispenser liquid is supplied along the reservoir the liquid is provided Item 8. The inter-substrate liquid injection device according to Item 7. When performing the injection of the liquid material to the gap, wherein the said liquid, characterized in that the preheating means for heating such that lowered the viscosity of the solution becomes higher than room temperature provided Item 9. The inter-substrate liquid injection device according to any one of Items 2 to 8 . The inter-substrate liquid agent according to any one of claims 2 to 9 , further comprising a heating unit that heats and cures the liquid agent after the liquid material is injected into the gap. Injection device. After the laminated substrate, injection of liquid into the gap the liquid and the substrate receptacle by causing a predetermined time position elsewhere under pressure higher than the vacuum is complete, heat cured by heating the solution inter-substrate liquid injection device according to any one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that it comprises a means. After injection of the liquid into the gap is completed, further comprising a pick means to pick up multilayer substrate from the substrate receptacle,
Said heating means, there is performing the heating after the pick means took up the laminated board, according to claim 11, characterized in that for heating the liquid agent without heating the substrate receptacle Inter-substrate liquid injection device.

Images