JP4451259B2 - Heat treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating an object to be heated such as a substrate with hot air.

  Conventionally, a heat treatment apparatus as disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 is a flat panel display (FPD: Flat Display) such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display (PDP), and an organic EL display. Panel display). Many of the heat treatment apparatuses have a structure in which a loading apparatus as disclosed in Patent Document 2 below is arranged in a heating chamber. The stacking apparatus has a bowl-like shape in which a plurality of stacking stages each including a plurality of substrate receivers in the vertical direction are provided in the vertical direction. The heat treatment apparatus applies a specific solution to a substrate (object to be heated) such as a glass plate and heats and drys it in advance, puts it in and out of the loading stage using a robot hand, and introduces it into the heating chamber. It is an apparatus for heat treatment (firing) by exposure to hot air at a predetermined temperature.

  The robot hand used for replacing the substrate is bent due to the weight of the substrate. Therefore, most of the conventional heat treatment apparatuses are configured to increase the interval between the stacking stages on which the substrates are placed in anticipation of the bending of the robot hand.

Moreover, some heat treatment apparatuses of the prior art employ a loading apparatus as disclosed in Patent Document 2 below. The stacking device disclosed in the following Patent Document 2 has a stacking stage for stacking a substrate by arranging a plurality of support members capable of supporting both ends of the substrate on a predetermined plane. Yes, this stacking stage is formed in multiple stages at a constant pitch. The robot hand employed in the stacking device disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a main body plate extending in the advancing and retreating direction, and an overhanging portion projecting laterally from the main body plate. For this reason, in the stacking device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the bending of the robot hand and the substrate is relatively small.
Japanese Patent No. 2971771 JP 2004-26426 A

  In recent years, with the increase in the size of flat panel displays, the substrate to be heated tends to be further increased in size. Therefore, for example, even when the configuration disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 is used, the bending of the robot hand due to the weight of the substrate tends to increase or the thickness of the robot hand tends to increase. . Therefore, in the heat treatment apparatus of the prior art, there is a problem in that the heat treatment apparatus is increased in size because it is necessary to take a large interval between the loading stages in anticipation of the bending and thickness of the robot hand.

  Usually, flat panel displays and the like are manufactured in a clean room. Therefore, when the heat treatment apparatus is increased in size, it may be necessary to increase the height of the clean room or it may not be installed in an existing clean room. On the other hand, in order to reduce the size of the heat treatment device to such an extent that it can be installed in an existing clean room, etc., the heat treatment efficiency of the heat treatment device is reduced if the number of loading steps is reduced and the interval between the loading steps is increased. There is a problem of end. Further, in order to maintain the heat treatment efficiency while downsizing the heat treatment apparatus in this way, it is necessary to arrange a plurality of heat treatment apparatuses in the clean room, and there is a problem that the installation area of the apparatus increases.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment apparatus capable of carrying out heat treatment by loading an object to be heated at a high density with a narrow interval between the loading stages on which the object to be heated is loaded.

The invention according to claim 1, which is provided to solve the above problem, is provided with a heating chamber for heating an object to be heated, temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the heating chamber, and the heating chamber. A stacking unit provided with a plurality of stacking stages in which the heated object is stacked; and an elevating mechanism. The stacking unit includes a support to be heated that supports the object to be heated on the surface side of the stacking stage. a lifting mechanism includes a pressure adjusting chamber having an opening, one end of which is fixed to the lower portion of the heated object support, and the other end side is extendable fixed to the opening of the cylindrical body, the pressure adjusting pressure chamber Pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure, and by adjusting the pressure by the pressure adjusting means, the cylindrical body is expanded and contracted, and the object to be heated is protruded and retracted from the surface of the loading stage main body in the vertical direction. It is the heat processing apparatus characterized by this.

  According to such a configuration, the object to be heated can be moved up and down by adjusting the pressure in the pressure adjustment chamber by the pressure adjusting means, and the object to be heated can be moved back and forth from the surface of the stacking stage main body. . For this reason, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention moves the transfer means such as a robot hand used for taking in and out the object to be heated within the range in which the object to be heated can be expanded and contracted. The object to be heated can be transferred between the loading stage and the transfer means described above by advancing and retreating. Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, it is not necessary to move the transfer means such as the robot hand up and down at the time of delivering the object to be heated, and the interval between the stacking stages can be minimized. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively use the space formed between a desired loading stage to which the object to be heated is taken in and out and a loading stage adjacent to the upper side, contributing to a compact heat treatment apparatus. be able to.

  According to such a configuration, the cylinder connected to the loading stage main body is expanded and contracted by adjusting the pressure acting in the pressure adjusting chamber by the pressure adjusting means, and the heated object support is moved forward and backward with respect to the loading stage main body. Can be made. Therefore, according to the present invention, the interval between the loading stages can be effectively used, and the heat treatment apparatus can be made more compact.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other end side of the cylindrical body is fixed so as not to move relative to the stacking stage main body.

In the heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, the upper end side of the cylindrical body is fixed to the opening, and the lower end side of the cylindrical body can be expanded and contracted in a vertical direction in a region below the opening . The support body may be disposed inside the cylinder body, and the lower end side portion of the heated object support body may be fixed to the lower end side of the cylinder body. (Claim 3)

  In the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, when the lower end side of the cylinder is extended downward by adjusting the pressure by the pressure adjusting means, the object to be heated is retracted inside the cylinder, and the top of the object to be heated is downward. Can be regressed. On the other hand, when the cylinder is contracted by adjusting the pressure, the lower end side of the cylinder is lifted upward, the article to be heated is projected to the outside of the cylinder, and the top of the article to be heated is projected upward. Therefore, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention can advance and retract the object to be heated by appropriately adjusting the pressure in the pressure adjustment chamber in accordance with the loading and unloading of the object to be heated, and minimizes the interval between the loading stages. can do.

  The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3 may have a configuration including a pressure adjusting chamber that accommodates at least a part or the whole of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body. (Claim 4)

  According to this configuration, the pressure adjustment in the pressure adjustment chamber by the pressure adjustment means can be performed with high accuracy, and the support to be heated can be moved forward and backward reliably and smoothly.

Further, in the heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, the lower end side of the cylindrical body is fixed to the opening , and the upper end side can be expanded and contracted in the vertical direction with respect to the stacking stage main body, and is positioned at the upper end side of the cylindrical body. The lower end side of the heated object support may be fixed, and the heated object support may protrude upward from the upper end side of the cylindrical body. (Claim 5)

  Even in such a configuration, the pressure acting in the pressure adjusting chamber can be accurately adjusted by the pressure adjusting means, and the object support can be moved forward and backward reliably and smoothly.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the heat processing apparatus which can fully ensure the space | interval of the stacking stages of the part which should perform exchange operation can be provided, suppressing the space | interval of stacking stages to the minimum.

  Subsequently, a heat treatment apparatus and a loading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, 1 is the heat processing apparatus of this embodiment. The heat treatment apparatus 1 has a configuration in which a device housing portion 3 is provided below a metal box-shaped main body case 2 and a substrate processing portion 5 is provided above the device housing portion 3. The device housing unit 3 includes a power supply device (not shown) that supplies power to the substrate processing unit 5, a control device (not shown) that controls the operation of the substrate processing unit 5, and the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate processing unit 5 has a replacement port 6 for loading and unloading the substrate W by a transfer device such as a robot hand H on the front side, and a door 7 used for maintenance on the back side. Is provided. A shutter 10 that opens and closes in conjunction with the operation of the air cylinder 8 is attached to the replacement port 6.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the substrate processing unit 5 has a heat treatment chamber 12 (heating chamber) in the center, and is surrounded by an air adjusting unit 11. The air adjusting unit 11 is surrounded on four sides by peripheral walls 13a to 13d made of a heat insulating material. The air adjusting unit 11 heats air to a predetermined temperature and blows it into the heat treatment chamber 12 and circulates the air discharged from the heat treatment chamber 12 upstream.

  More specifically, the air adjusting unit 11 is roughly divided into hot air supply means 14, a duct 17, and an equipment room 18, as shown in FIGS. The hot air supply means 14 heats the outside air introduced into the heat treatment apparatus 1, the air exhausted from the downstream end of the heat treatment chamber 12 and returned through the duct 17, and the like, and sends it into the heat treatment chamber 12. It is provided with a blower, a heater, etc. (not shown).

  The duct 17 communicates with the downstream end of the heat treatment chamber 12 and is an air flow path disposed on the outer periphery of the heat treatment chamber 12, and returns air or gas discharged from the heat treatment chamber 12 to the hot air supply unit 14.

  The heat treatment chamber 12 is an area surrounded by the upstream wall 20 and the partition walls 41 and 43, and a gondola 55 for placing the substrate W is disposed therein. The partition wall 41 has an opening 47 at a position corresponding to the replacement opening 6 provided in the substrate processing unit 5. The opening 47 has a minimum size and shape necessary for the substrate W and the robot hand H to enter and exit. The opening 47 is isolated from the duct 17 by a protective wall 49 provided so as to surround the periphery of the opening 47 and communicates with the replacement port 6. Therefore, the gas flowing in the duct 17 does not enter the heat treatment chamber 12 through the opening 47 or leak out to the outside through the replacement port 6. On the other hand, the partition wall 43 is fixed at a position corresponding to the door 7 and is configured to be removable as necessary when performing maintenance or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the gondola 55 has a structure in which a large number of loading stages 56 are attached to the gondola frame 70 at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. The gondola 55 has a structure in which an elevating device 80 is connected to the lower side of the loading stage 56 constituting the lowermost stage, and the loading stage 56 moves up and down together with the gondola frame 70 in accordance with the operation of the elevating apparatus 80. It is supposed to be configured.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the stacking stage 56 has a configuration in which a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) bars 58 are integrated with a metal frame member 57. The frame member 57 has four corners fixed to the support 69 of the gondola frame 70.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the loading stage 56 has a substrate support composed of a metal or resin support (object to be heated support) 50 and an elevating mechanism 52 for elevating and lowering the support 50. A mechanism 53 is incorporated. The support 50 supports the substrate W by coming into contact with the substrate W mounted on the stacking stage 56 from the back side. The support 50 is configured to advance and retreat from the surface side of the loading stage 56 when the elevating mechanism 52 operates.

  More specifically, the support 50 is a conical protrusion having a circular bottom surface 50a and a top portion 50b as shown in FIG. The substrate support mechanism 53 is configured to connect a piping system 61 for taking air in and out of a rectangular parallelepiped air chamber 60 and accommodate a cylindrical body 62 in which the support 50 is connected inside the air chamber 60. Yes. The support body 50 is integrated with the cylinder body 62 by fixing the bottom 50a to one end side (lower end section 62b) of the cylinder body 62 by an appropriate method such as welding or bonding in a posture accommodated inside the cylinder body 62. Has been. Since the opening diameter of the cylindrical body 62 is substantially the same as the circumscribed circle of the bottom surface 50a of the support body 50, the connection portion between the two is in a sealed state (airtight state).

  The cylinder 62 is a cylinder generally referred to as a bellows tube, a bellows tube, or a telescopic tube. The cylindrical body 62 can easily expand and contract in the axial direction when it receives pressure acting in the axial direction, but has high rigidity in a direction intersecting the axial direction. Therefore, the cylindrical body 62 expands and contracts in the axial direction along with the atmospheric pressure variation in the air chamber 60.

  The cylindrical body 62 has a flange 62c extending outward in the radial direction on the other end side (upper end portion 62a). The cylindrical body 62 is inserted into the opening 63 provided on the top surface 60a of the air chamber 60 from above the air chamber 60 until the flange 62c comes into contact with the top surface 60a with the lower end 62b side (bottom surface 50a side) at the top. The top surface 60a and the flange 62c are fixed so as to be airtight. Therefore, the cylindrical body 62 is attached to the air chamber 60 with the lower end 62b side extending substantially vertically downward with respect to the top surface 60a, that is, the bottom surface 60b side of the air chamber 60, and the air chamber 60 is airtight. It is in a state.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the height of the air chamber 60 is substantially the same as the height of the frame member 57 of the stacking stage 56, and fits inside the frame member 57 with almost no gap. In the frame member 57, an opening 57c through which the support body 50 can advance and retreat is formed at the mounting position of the support body 50. The air chamber 60 is fixed inside the frame member 57 so that the opening portion of the upper end portion 62a of the cylindrical body 62 located on the top surface 60a side and the opening 57c of the frame member 57 are aligned. Therefore, when the air chamber 60 is incorporated in the frame member 57, the top surface 60a of the air chamber 60, the upper end portion 62a of the cylindrical body 62, and the top portion 50b of the support body 50 are located on the surface side of the loading stage 56, and the bottom surface 60b and lower end The part 62 b and the bottom surface 50 a are located on the back side of the stacking stage 56.

  The piping system 61 is connected to an elevating mechanism 52 arranged in the frame member 57 and an atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65 existing outside the loading stage 56, and clean and low-humidity air flows inside. . The piping system 61 is connected to the air chamber 60 of each lifting mechanism 52. More specifically, the piping system 61 is roughly divided into a main system 61a and a branch system 61b as shown in FIG. The main system 61 a is connected to the atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65 accommodated in the device accommodating portion 3, passed through the elevating shaft 81 and introduced to the heat treatment chamber 12 side. A branch system 61b disposed for each frame member 57 is connected in parallel to the main system 61a. The branch system 61 b is inserted along the framework of each frame member 57 and connected to each air chamber 60. Therefore, by operating the atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65, the atmospheric pressure in the air chamber 60 can be raised and lowered, and the pressure acting on the bottom surface 50 a of the support body 50 existing on the lower end portion 62 b side of the cylindrical body 62 can be changed.

  When the internal pressure of the air chamber 60 is raised by operating the atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65 in the state shown in FIG. 7A, the cylindrical body 62 is positioned on the top surface 60a side of the air chamber 60 as shown in FIG. Shrink in the direction toward (upward). Thereby, the top part 50b of the support body 50 arranged inside the cylindrical body 62 protrudes from the opening part of the upper end part 62a, that is, the opening 57c formed on the surface side of the stacking stage 56.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the internal pressure of the air chamber 60 is reduced by the atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65 with the support 50 protruding, the support 50 fixed to the lower end 62 b side of the cylindrical body 62. The bottom surface 50 a of the air chamber 60 is drawn toward the bottom surface 60 b of the air chamber 60. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7A, the support 50 is drawn downward, and the cylindrical body 62 extends downward (on the bottom surface 60b side). As a result, the top portion 50 b of the support body 50 is retracted to the back surface side (downward side) of the stacking stage 56, and a part or the whole is retracted into the cylindrical body 62.

  The frame member 57 is fixed to the gondola frame 70 disposed inside the heat treatment chamber 12 as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. The gondola frame 70 has four columns 69 erected in a direction perpendicular to the top surface 45 and the bottom surface 46 of the heat treatment chamber 12, and the upper beam members 72, 73 between the adjacent columns 69, 69 and They are connected by lower beam members 75 and 76 to form a skeleton structure. The gondola frame 70 is fixed vertically to a pedestal plate 78 whose lower end of the support 69 is disposed horizontally with respect to the bottom surface 46 of the heat treatment chamber 12. That is, the bottom surface of the gondola frame 70 is constituted by the pedestal plate 78. The gondola frame 70 is formed by a plurality of reinforcing plates (not shown) that are fixed to each other between the columns 69 and 69 adjacent to each other on the side (surfaces upstream and downstream of the airflow flowing in the heat treatment chamber 12). Reinforced and prevented from bending.

  The pedestal plate 78 constituting the bottom surface of the gondola frame 70 is connected to the lifting shaft 81 of the lifting device 80 as shown in FIG. The lifting / lowering device 80 is disposed in the device accommodating portion 3 and has a function of extending / lowering the lifting / lowering shaft 81 in the vertical direction through an opening (not shown) provided in the bottom surface 46 of the heat treatment chamber 12. The base plate 78 moves up and down in a region surrounded by the gondola frame 70 while maintaining a posture parallel to the bottom surface 46 of the heat treatment chamber 12 in conjunction with the vertical movement of the elevating shaft 81. Therefore, the stacking stage 56 of the gondola 55 can be moved in the vertical direction by extending and retracting the lifting shaft 81 of the lifting device 80.

  The heat treatment chamber 12 is provided with a temperature sensor (not shown) for measuring the ambient temperature. The heat treatment apparatus 1 is configured such that a control device (not shown) feedback-controls the operation of the hot air supply means 14 in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature sensor. In the embodiment, the temperature is adjusted to 230 to 250 ° C.

  The heat treatment apparatus 1 bakes the substrate W by exposing the substrate W loaded on the loading stage 56 of the gondola 55 disposed in the heat treatment chamber 12 to hot air introduced into the heat treatment chamber 12. When the predetermined loading stage 56 reaches the height of the replacement port 6, the heat treatment apparatus 1 stops the vertical movement of the gondola 55 for a certain period of time and replaces (loads and unloads) the substrate W, and when the replacement of the substrate W is completed. The gondola 55 is configured to employ a tact system (save operation system) that resumes vertical movement. The heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is characterized by the operation of the gondola 55 when the substrate W is replaced. Hereinafter, the operation of the heat treatment apparatus 1 at the time of firing the substrate W will be described focusing on the replacement operation of the substrate W.

  Prior to the start of heat treatment, the heat treatment apparatus 1 activates the hot air supply means 14 by a control device (not shown) to adjust the temperature in the heat treatment chamber 12 to a predetermined firing temperature. When the atmospheric temperature in the heat treatment chamber 12 reaches a predetermined heat treatment temperature (230 ° C. to 250 ° C. in the present embodiment), the heat treatment apparatus 1 is ready to fire the substrate W. When the atmospheric temperature of the heat treatment chamber 12 reaches the heat treatment temperature, an unfired substrate W disposed outside the heat treatment apparatus 1 is mounted on a transfer device such as a robot hand H.

  On the other hand, the control device of the heat treatment apparatus 1 moves the elevating shaft 81 of the elevating device 80 arranged in the device accommodating section 3 up and down to load a stacking stage 56 (hereinafter referred to as a target stacking stage if necessary) on which the substrate W is to be stacked. 56a) is adjusted so that it comes to a position adjacent to the shutter 10. Here, in the state where the substrate 50 is not mounted, the support 50 is in a state in which the top portion 50b slightly protrudes from the surface of the frame member 57 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the robot hand H in a state where the substrate W is placed is inserted between the target loading stage 56a and the loading stage 56 (hereinafter referred to as the upper loading stage 56b if necessary) existing at a position adjacent to the upper side. A sufficient space is formed.

  When the position adjustment of the gondola 55 is completed, the control device operates the shutter 10 and opens the replacement opening 6. When the replacement port 6 is opened, the robot hand H enters from the replacement port 6 to a predetermined position in the heat treatment chamber 12 as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. When the robot hand H reaches a predetermined position, the control unit operates the atmospheric pressure adjustment unit 65 to increase the atmospheric pressure in the air chamber 60. Thereby, the pressure toward the upper side in the axial direction of the cylindrical body 62 acts on the bottom surface 50a of the support body 50 fixed to the lower end 62b side of the cylindrical body 62, and the cylindrical body 62 is moved as shown in FIG. Shrink. Thereby, the support body 50 accommodated inside the cylinder body 62 is pushed out from the cylinder body 62, and the top portion 50b protrudes from the surface of the frame member 57 as shown by an arrow A in FIG. Lift from the back side.

  When the substrate W is lifted from the robot hand H as shown in FIG. 8B, the robot hand H is pulled out from the replacement port 6 as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. Thereafter, the support 50 provided on the target stacking stage 56a is drawn into the frame member 57 as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 8D, and maintains a slightly protruding posture from the surface of the frame member 57. The substrate W is supported.

  When the loading of the substrate W on the target loading stage 56a is completed, the control device operates the shutter 10 to close the replacement opening 6. After that, the control device operates the elevating device 80 to move the gondola 55 up and down, and the substrate W is placed on the other stacking stages 56 existing above or below the target stacking stage 56a in the same manner as described above. Mount. Meanwhile, the substrate W supported by the support 50 is exposed to high-temperature air flowing in the heat treatment chamber 12 and heat-treated (fired).

  When a predetermined time (baking time) elapses after the substrate W is mounted on the target stacking stage 56a as described above, the control device moves the gondola 55 up and down to take out the substrate W, and moves the target stacking stage 56a. Return to the position adjacent to the replacement port 6. Further, the control device operates the atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65 to increase the atmospheric pressure in the air chamber 60, and lifts the support 50 upward as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. A space in which the robot hand H can enter is formed between the surface of the member 57.

  When the target stacking stage 56a returns to the position adjacent to the replacement port 6 and the support body 50 is lifted upward, the control means operates the shutter 10 to open the replacement port 6 and is indicated by an arrow B in FIG. As described above, the robot hand H is inserted into an area formed below the top 50b of the support 50 from the outside.

  When the robot hand H is inserted to a predetermined position, the control unit operates the atmospheric pressure adjusting unit 65 to lower the atmospheric pressure in the air chamber 60. Thereby, the cylindrical body 62 that has been contracted as shown in FIG. 7B gradually extends downward, and eventually the cylindrical body 62 extends downward as shown in FIG. The entire support body 50 is accommodated inside the cylindrical body 62.

  As described above, when the support 50 is gradually lowered downward, the substrate W supported by the support 50 is also gradually moved downward as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. As a result, the substrate W is slowly transferred onto the robot hand H inserted in advance downward. When the substrate W is transferred to the robot hand H in this way, the robot hand H is extracted from the replacement port 6 as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. Thereafter, when another substrate W is fired, the substrate W is mounted on the target stacking stage 56a in the same procedure as described above, and the heat treatment (baking) is continued.

  As described above, the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment adjusts the pressure acting on the bottom surface of the support 50 by adjusting the atmospheric pressure in the air chamber 60 in which the cylindrical body 62 is accommodated by the atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65. Thus, the cylindrical body 62 can be expanded and contracted, and the support body 50 can be moved back and forth in the vertical direction from the surface of the frame member 57 of the stacking stage 56. Therefore, in the heat treatment apparatus 1, the robot hand H is inserted into a range where the support 50 can move up and down when the substrate W is taken in and out, and the support 50 is moved up and down in this state, The substrate W can be transferred to and from the robot hand H. Therefore, in the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to move the robot hand H up and down almost when the substrate W is inserted and removed, and the space between the stacking stages 56 can be suppressed correspondingly, and this space can be used effectively. Therefore, the above-described heat treatment apparatus 1 can load the substrates W on the gondola 55 with high density, and the apparatus configuration is compact.

  In the above embodiment, the air chamber 60 constituting the substrate support mechanism 53 is a rectangular parallelepiped and hollow box, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, as another shape such as a cylindrical shape. Also good. The air chamber 60 may have a configuration in which guide means such as another cylinder in which the cylinder body 62 is accommodated in order to guide expansion and contraction of the cylinder body 62.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the substrate support mechanism 53 employed in the heat treatment apparatus 1 fixes the upper end 62a side of the cylindrical body 62 to the top surface 60a of the air chamber 60, that is, the surface side of the loading stage 56. However, the lower end 62b side can be extended toward the back side of the stacking stage 56, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the substrate support mechanism 100 shown in FIGS. It may have such a configuration.

  More specifically, the substrate support mechanism 100 includes a support 50 and a lifting mechanism 101 as shown in FIG. The elevating mechanism 101 has a rectangular parallelepiped air chamber 102, and a cylindrical body 103 is connected to the top surface 102 a of the air chamber 102. A piping system 61 connected to the air adjusting means 65 is connected to the air chamber 102 as in the lifting mechanism 52 of the above embodiment. An opening 102 c is provided in the top surface 102 a of the air chamber 102. The substrate support mechanism 100 is aligned so that the horizontal position of the opening 102 c and the opening 57 c provided on the front surface side of the frame member 57 coincide with each other, and the bottom surface 102 b of the air chamber 102 is positioned on the back surface side in the frame member 57. It is fixed to.

  The cylinder 103 is generally referred to as a bellows tube, a bellows tube, or an expansion / contraction tube, similar to the cylinder 62 employed in the above embodiment, and easily expands / contracts when pressure is applied in the axial direction. it can. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the cylinder 103 is used in a posture in which the axial direction is in the vertical direction. A support body 50 is attached to the upper end portion 103 a side of the cylinder body 103. The support body 50 is fixed so that the bottom surface 50a faces the inside of the cylinder body 103 and the top portion 50b faces the axial direction outside of the cylinder body 103 so that the cylinder body 103 is airtight. Therefore, the cylindrical body 103 is in a state where the upper end portion 103 a side is closed by the support body 50.

  A flange 103 c extending outward in the radial direction of the cylinder 103 is formed on the lower end 103 b side of the cylinder 103. As shown in FIG. 10, the cylinder 103 is brazed, welded, or bonded to the top surface 102a so that the lower end 103b faces the air chamber 102 and faces upward from the top surface 102a of the air chamber 102. Thus, the posture is to rise almost vertically upward, and is fixed so as to be airtight with respect to the air chamber 102. As a result, the air chamber 102 and the cylinder 103 communicate with each other via the opening on the lower end 103b side of the cylinder 103 and the opening 102c provided on the top surface 102a of the air chamber 102 (pressure adjustment chamber). Has been.

  Similar to the substrate support mechanism 53 described above, the substrate support mechanism 100 is built in the frame member 57 of the stacking stage 56 as shown in FIG. In the substrate support mechanism 100, the support body 50 is disposed at a position corresponding to the opening 57 c formed in the frame member 57.

  When the inside of the air chamber 102 is depressurized by the atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65, the substrate support mechanism 100 is in a state in which the cylindrical body 103 contracts toward the air chamber 102 side, that is, the back side of the stacking stage 56 as shown in FIG. The top 50b of the support 50 is lowered below the surface of the frame member 57, or slightly protrudes from the surface. On the other hand, when the air pressure adjusting means 65 is operated with the cylinder 103 contracted as shown in FIG. 11A and the air pressure in the air chamber 102 is increased, the cylinder 103 is moved upward as shown in FIG. The support 50 is projected from an opening 57 c provided on the surface of the frame member 57.

  The substrate support mechanism 100 operates the atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65 in the same manner as the substrate support mechanism 53 described above to adjust the atmospheric pressure in the lower region of the support 50 (that is, in the air chamber 102), thereby supporting the support 50. Can be moved up and down. For this reason, in the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, even when the substrate support mechanism 100 is adopted instead of the substrate support mechanism 53, the substrate W can be inserted and removed without moving the robot hand H up and down almost. It is possible to achieve a configuration in which the interval between the loading stages 56 is suppressed by that amount. Therefore, even when the substrate support mechanism 100 is adopted, the distance between the loading stages 56 can be effectively used, and the substrate W can be loaded on the gondola 55 with high density. The configuration can be made compact.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the gondola 55 in which a large number of loading stages 56 are fixed to the gondola frame 70 is moved up and down using the lifting device 80 in accordance with the position of the replacement port 6 is exemplified, but the present invention is limited to this. Instead, the gondola 55 may be configured not to move up and down in the heat treatment chamber 12 and the position of the opening for taking in and out the substrate W may be moved up and down. More specifically, for example, the heat treatment apparatus 1 has a configuration in which the elevating device 80 is not provided and the gondola 55 is not moved up and down, and an opening larger than this is formed instead of the replacement port 6, and a plurality of the openings are formed. It is good also as a structure which obstruct | occludes by this shutter plate, and moves the opening position up and down by moving this shutter plate up and down.

  As described above, since the heat treatment apparatus 1 is configured to support the substrate W by the large number of supports 50 provided in the stacking stage 56, each support 50 is prevented in order to prevent problems such as tilting of the substrate W. Preferably operate at a constant speed at the same time. Therefore, it is desirable for the heat treatment apparatus 1 to take measures so that the air pressure entering and exiting the air chambers 60 and 102 is substantially the same for each of the substrate support mechanisms 53 and 100. More specifically, the piping system 61 connecting the atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65 and the air chambers 60 and 102 is configured not to be branched as much as possible, or the pipe diameters of the respective piping systems 61 and the cylinders 62 and 103 are increased. It is desirable that the air pressures in the air chambers 60 and 102 of the substrate support mechanisms 53 and 100 are not significantly different.

  In the heat treatment apparatus 1 described above, the piping system 61 connected to the air chambers 60 and 102 is connected in parallel to the branch system 61 provided for each frame member 57 with respect to the main system 61 a connected to the atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65. In addition, although the air chambers 60 and 102 of each lifting mechanism 52 are connected to the branch system 61, the present invention is not limited to this. More specifically, for example, all the frame members 57 constituting the gondola 55 are classified into a plurality of groups, and the number of atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65 corresponding to the number of groups is provided, and an independent piping system 61 is provided for each group. It is good also as a structure which connected the branch system 61b and the atmospheric pressure adjustment means 65 which were distribute | arranged to the frame member 57 of each group by this piping system 61. FIG. In the case of such a configuration, the number of lifting mechanisms 52 in which the atmospheric pressure adjusting means 65 is responsible for atmospheric pressure adjustment is smaller than in the case of the configuration exemplified in the above embodiment. Therefore, according to the configuration described above, it is possible to further suppress the variation in atmospheric pressure in each air chamber 60. Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, it is possible to provide the heat treatment apparatus 1 that can hardly raise and lower the raising and lowering speed of the support 50 depending on the installation location and can move the substrate W up and down substantially horizontally with respect to the frame member 57.

  Moreover, although the heat processing apparatus 1 operated the support body 50 by adjusting an air pressure, this invention is not limited to this, The pressure which acts on the support body 50 via gases and liquids other than air It is good also as a structure which adjusts and raises / lowers the support body 50. FIG. Moreover, in the said Example, although the structure which distribute | circulates clean and low-humidity air in the piping system 61 was illustrated, it is good also as a structure which distribute | circulates normal air and other gas which are not purifying or humidity-controlling. .

  The air chambers 60 and 102 of the lifting mechanisms 52 and 101 described above are fixed to the front surface side or the back surface side of the frame member 57, but the present invention is not limited to this, and The structure supported in the intermediate position of internal space may be sufficient.

It is a front view which shows the heat processing apparatus which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a fracture | rupture perspective view which shows the internal structure of the heat processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the outline of the internal structure of the heat processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the gondola employ | adopted in the heat processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the loading stage which comprises the gondola shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the board | substrate support mechanism employ | adopted as the loading stage shown in FIG. (A) is a perspective view which shows the 1st operation state of the board | substrate support mechanism shown in FIG. 6, (b) is a perspective view which shows the 2nd operation state of the board | substrate support mechanism shown in FIG. It is the conceptual diagram which showed typically the operation | movement at the time of removing / inserting a board | substrate in the heat processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is the conceptual diagram which showed typically the piping system with which the heat processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the modification of the board | substrate support mechanism employ | adopted as the loading stage shown in FIG. (A) is a perspective view which shows the 1st operation state of the board | substrate support mechanism shown in FIG. 10, (b) is a perspective view which shows the 2nd operation state of the board | substrate support mechanism shown in FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat processing apparatus 12 Heat processing chamber 14 Hot-air supply means 50 Support body 50a Bottom surface 50b Top 52,101 Lifting mechanism 53,100 Substrate support mechanism 55 Gondola 56 Loading stage 57 Frame member 60,102 Air chamber (pressure adjustment chamber)
60a, 102a Top surface 60b, 102b Bottom surface 61 Piping 62, 103 Cylindrical body 62a, 103a Upper end 62b, 103b Lower end 65 Atmospheric pressure adjusting means

Claims (5)

A heating chamber for heating an object to be heated; temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature in the heating chamber; and stacking means arranged in the heating chamber and provided with a plurality of stacking stages on which the object to be heated is stacked; and a lifting mechanism, said loading means includes a heated object support which supports an object to be heated at the surface side of the loading stage, the lifting mechanism includes a pressure adjusting chamber having an opening, one end side to be heated A telescopic cylinder fixed to the lower part of the object support and having the other end fixed to the opening ; and a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in the pressure adjusting chamber, and the pressure adjustment by the pressure adjusting means. A heat treatment apparatus characterized in that the cylinder body is expanded and contracted to cause the object to be heated to protrude and retreat vertically from the surface of the stacking stage main body.   The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other end side of the cylindrical body is fixed so as not to be relatively movable with respect to the loading stage main body. The upper end side of the cylindrical body is fixed to the opening, and the lower end side of the cylindrical body is configured to be able to expand and contract in the vertical direction in a region below the opening , and the heated object support is arranged inside the cylindrical body, The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a lower end side portion of the object to be heated is fixed to a lower end side of the cylindrical body.   The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a pressure adjusting chamber that accommodates at least a part of or the entire outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body. The lower end side of the cylindrical body is fixed to the opening , the upper end side is vertically extendable with respect to the stacking stage main body, and the lower end side of the object to be heated is fixed at a position on the upper end side of the cylindrical body The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the support to be heated protrudes upward from the upper end side of the cylindrical body.

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