JP4642610B2 - Substrate alignment device and substrate accommodation unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate alignment apparatus that aligns a substrate when processing a substrate such as a glass substrate for a flat panel display (FPD), and a substrate accommodation unit that includes the substrate alignment apparatus.

  A so-called multi-chamber type in which a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for performing the above-described processing are provided as a vacuum processing apparatus that performs processing such as etching, ashing, and film formation on a glass substrate in a vacuum state in the manufacturing process of an FPD. The vacuum processing apparatus is used.

  In such a vacuum processing apparatus, vacuum processing is performed through an opening that can be opened and closed by a gate valve so that it is not necessary to return the vacuum processing chamber to normal pressure each time a substrate in the vacuum processing chamber is loaded / unloaded. A load lock chamber, which is a preliminary vacuum chamber, is connected to the chamber. The substrate before processing is once transported to the load lock chamber by a transport mechanism such as a transport pick before being transported to the vacuum processing chamber, and after the load lock chamber is in a vacuum state similar to the vacuum processing chamber, the vacuum processing chamber It is conveyed to. For this reason, in the load lock chamber, the substrate is aligned at a predetermined position so that the substrate is accurately transported to the processing position in the vacuum processing chamber by the transport mechanism.

As an alignment apparatus used for alignment of such a substrate, a device including a pair of positioners capable of pressing opposite corner portions of a substrate supported on a buffer in a load lock chamber has been proposed ( For example, see Patent Document 1). In this technique, each positioner has a pair of rollers and a support that supports these rollers, moves in the diagonal direction of the substrate, and holds the substrate in a state where the corner of the substrate is sandwiched between the pair of rollers. The substrate is aligned by pressing. Each positioner can be retracted downward so as not to hinder the conveyance of the substrate.
JP 2000-306980 A

  By the way, the LCD substrate has recently been increasing in size, and a huge one having a side of 2 m has appeared. When the chamber such as the load lock chamber is increased in size as the substrate increases, Since the apparatus itself becomes extremely large, it is directed to miniaturize the chamber as much as possible while keeping the space around the substrate in the chamber small. However, in the technique of Patent Document 1 described above, the positioner is configured by a pair of rollers supported by a support, and thus the positioner itself has to be relatively large. Since it moves in the vertical direction, the space for that is required, and there is a limit to downsizing the load lock chamber.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a substrate alignment apparatus capable of aligning a substrate by reducing a space around the substrate as much as possible in a container that accommodates the substrate, such as a load lock chamber. Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate accommodation unit including the substrate alignment apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a rectangular substrate that is transported in a horizontal direction from an opening provided on a side wall of a container and is placed on the substrate platform in the container. And a pair of second end surfaces along the substrate transport direction, and a pair of first pressing mechanisms that press the pair of first end surfaces orthogonal to the substrate transport direction. A pair of second pressing mechanisms for pressing the first pressing mechanism, the first pressing mechanism and the second pressing mechanism are respectively a driving mechanism, and the first end surface and the second end surface driven by the driving mechanism. And at least one of the pair of first pressing mechanisms is a cylinder mechanism having a piston in which the drive mechanism moves back and forth horizontally and in a direction perpendicular to the substrate transport direction. with some, driving of the driving mechanism Thus, the driving force conversion mechanism unit moves the pressing element between a retracted position for retracting the substrate out of the conveyance path of the substrate and a pressable position where the substrate can be pressed, and moves the pressing element in the pressing direction at the pressable position. The driving force conversion mechanism section moves the pressing element at the retracted position to the pressable position when the piston of the cylinder mechanism advances to a predetermined stroke, and the piston of the cylinder mechanism further increases the predetermined pressure. When the stroke advances, the pressing element at the pressable position is moved in the pressing direction so that the first end surface is pressed, and in this state, when the piston of the cylinder mechanism is retracted by a predetermined stroke, the first When the pressing element in the pressing state of the end surface is moved to the pressable position and the piston of the cylinder mechanism is further retracted by a predetermined stroke, The serial said pushing element for pushing possible position to provide a substrate alignment apparatus characterized by moving to the retracted position.

In the substrate alignment apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the drive mechanism is provided outside the container. The driving force conversion mechanism is provided above or below the substrate transport path, and is driven by the drive mechanism so that the pressing element is parallel to the transport path above or below the substrate transport path. It is preferable to move between a retracted position where the substrate is retracted and a pressable position where the substrate can be pressed, and to move in the pressing direction at the pressable position. Furthermore, before Symbol driving force conversion mechanism includes a guide member fixed to said container, together with advancing and retracting of the piston of the cylinder mechanism, the driving sliding member that slides in forward and backward direction of the piston along the guide member And a driven slide member that slides horizontally along the guide member in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the main slide member along with the slide movement of the main slide member by a predetermined stroke, and one end portion of the driven slide member The slide member is rotatably provided, and the pressing member is rotatably provided at the other end, so that the main slide member slides and rises about the one end as the main slide member slides for a predetermined stroke. A link member that rotates, and the link member rotates so as to fall down and stand up. A child is moved between the retracted position and the pressable position, and the driven slide member is slid to move the presser in a pressing direction and a direction opposite to the pressing direction with the pressable position as a start point and an end point. It is preferable to move to.

  In the substrate alignment apparatus according to the present invention described above, the first pressing mechanism and the second pressing mechanism alleviate an impact when the pressing element presses the first end face and the second end face, respectively. It is preferable to further have a buffer means.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container having a substrate accommodating portion that accommodates a rectangular substrate that is provided with an opening in a side wall and is transported in a horizontal direction from the opening; and the substrate accommodating portion. A substrate housing unit comprising: a substrate platform for placing a contained substrate; and a substrate alignment device for aligning the substrate placed on the substrate platform on the substrate platform. The substrate alignment apparatus includes a pair of first pressing mechanisms that press a pair of first end surfaces orthogonal to the substrate transport direction, and a pair that presses a pair of second end surfaces along the substrate transport direction. The first pressing mechanism and the second pressing mechanism are respectively a driving mechanism and a pressing element that presses the first end surface and the second end surface by driving the driving mechanism. Of the pair of first pressing mechanisms At least one Chino, the drive mechanism, as well as a cylinder mechanism having a piston that moves back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal, and the transport direction of the substrate, by the driving of the drive mechanism, the pressing element, the transport path of the substrate the retracted position and the substrate is retracted outside moved between depressible depressible position and further comprising a driving force conversion mechanism that moves in the pressing direction by the pressing can position, the driving force converting mechanism When the piston of the cylinder mechanism advances a predetermined stroke, the pusher in the retracted position is moved to the pressable position, and when the piston of the cylinder mechanism further advances a predetermined stroke, the press of the pressable position The child is moved in the pressing direction so that the first end face is pressed, and in this state, the piston of the cylinder mechanism When the retraction is performed, the pressing member in a state of pressing the first end surface is moved to the pressable position, and when the piston of the cylinder mechanism is further retracted by a predetermined stroke, the pressing member at the pressable position is moved to the retracting position. A substrate housing unit is provided that is moved to the position.

  In the substrate accommodation unit of the present invention, it is preferable that the substrate platform has a rotatable spherical roller that abuts against the back surface of the conveyed substrate. Moreover, it is preferable that the said container has the said board | substrate accommodating part two or more steps up and down. Further, the container is provided such that the opening is openable and closable on the side walls facing each other, and the interior of the container is provided in a vacuum processing chamber for performing a predetermined process on the substrate in a vacuum state and the atmosphere side through the opening. A load lock that can communicate with each other, and that the interior is held near atmospheric pressure when the substrate is transferred to the atmosphere side, and that the interior is maintained in a vacuum state when the substrate is transferred to and from the vacuum processing chamber. A chamber is preferred.

  According to the present invention, each end face of the substrate is pressed by each pair of first and second pressing mechanisms, so that the substrate can be accurately aligned, and the first and second pressing mechanisms are The pusher presses the end face of the substrate by driving each separate drive mechanism, and at least one of the first end faces perpendicular to the substrate transport direction, which corresponds to the substrate transport path. As for the pressing mechanism, a driving force conversion mechanism that moves the pressing element between a retracted position for retracting the substrate out of the conveyance path of the substrate and a pressable position where the substrate can be pressed, and moves the pressing element in the pressing direction at the pressable position. Since the presser is moved away from the substrate transfer path, the space for positioning the member in the container and the space for moving away from the substrate transfer path are provided. It can be significantly reduced. Therefore, the space around the substrate in the container can be minimized, and the container can be miniaturized as much as possible.

  In particular, when the present invention is applied to a load lock chamber used in a multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus, the load lock chamber can be miniaturized as much as possible, and the vacuum processing apparatus itself as the substrate becomes larger. Can be avoided.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the substrate alignment apparatus of the present invention is used for a load lock apparatus constituting a multi-chamber type plasma processing apparatus for performing plasma processing on an FPD glass substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) S. An example will be described. Here, as the FPD, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an electro luminescence (EL) display, a fluorescent display tube (VFD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and the like. Illustrated.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus in which a substrate alignment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a load lock chamber, and FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view schematically showing the inside thereof. is there.

  The plasma processing apparatus 1 has a transfer chamber 20 and a load lock chamber 30 connected to each other at the center. Around the transfer chamber 20, three process chambers 10a, 10b, 10c are arranged.

  Between the transfer chamber 20 and each of the process chambers 10a, 10b, and 10c, between the transfer chamber 20 and the load lock chamber 30, and in the opening that communicates the load lock chamber 30 with the outside air atmosphere, there is a space between them. Gate valves 22 that are hermetically sealed and configured to be openable and closable are respectively inserted (between the transfer chamber 20 and the process chambers 10a, 10b, and 10c, and between the transfer chamber 20 and the load lock chamber 30). Only the one shown).

  Two cassette indexers 41 are provided outside the load lock chamber 30, and cassettes 40 for accommodating the substrates S are placed thereon. One of these cassettes 40 can store, for example, an unprocessed substrate, and the other can store a processed substrate.

  Between these two cassettes 40, a transport mechanism 43 is provided on a support base 44. The transport mechanism 43 includes picks 45, 45 provided in two upper and lower stages, and these picks 45, 45. And a base 47 that can be individually moved forward and backward, and can be rotated and raised and lowered together.

  The process chambers 10a, 10b, and 10c can have their internal spaces held in a predetermined reduced-pressure atmosphere, and plasma processing, for example, etching processing or ashing processing is performed therein. Since it has three process chambers in this way, for example, two of the process chambers are configured as an etching process chamber, and the remaining one process chamber is configured as an ashing process chamber. It can be configured as an etching chamber or an ashing chamber that performs the same processing. The number of process chambers is not limited to three and may be four or more.

  Similarly to the vacuum processing chamber, the transfer chamber 20 can be maintained in a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere, and a transfer device 50 is disposed therein as shown in FIG. The transfer device 50 transfers the substrate S between the load lock chamber 30 and the three process chambers 10a, 10b, and 10c. The transport mechanism 50 has picks 51 and 51 (only the upper stage is shown in FIG. 2) provided in two upper and lower stages, and these picks 51 and 51 can be moved forward and backward individually, and can be rotated and lifted together. And a supporting base 52.

  The load lock chamber 30 can be maintained in a predetermined reduced-pressure atmosphere, like the process chambers 10 and the transfer chamber 20. The load lock chamber 30 is for transferring the substrate S between the cassette 40 in the air atmosphere and the process chambers 10a, 10b, and 10c in the reduced pressure atmosphere, and the relationship between the air atmosphere and the reduced pressure atmosphere is repeated. In addition, the internal volume is made as small as possible.

  The load lock chamber 30 is provided with substrate accommodation portions 31 in two upper and lower stages (only the upper stage is shown in FIG. 2), and each substrate accommodation portion 31 has a plurality of buffers (substrates) on which the substrate S is placed and supported. (Placing part) 32 is provided. Between these buffers 32, relief grooves 32 a for picks 45 and 51 when the substrate S is transported are formed. Further, in the load lock chamber 30 so as to correspond to the respective substrate accommodating portions 31, first and second positioners (first and second positioners) that perform alignment in the vicinity of opposite corner portions of the rectangular substrate S are provided. (Pressing mechanism) 7 and 8 are provided. The load lock chamber 30 and the first and second positioners 7 and 8 will be described in detail later.

  Each component of the plasma processing apparatus 1 is connected to and controlled by the controller 60 (not shown in FIG. 1). An outline of the control unit 60 is shown in FIG. The control unit 60 includes a process controller 61 having a CPU. The process controller 61 includes a keyboard on which a process administrator inputs a command to manage the plasma processing apparatus 1, and the plasma processing apparatus 1. A user interface 62 composed of a display for visualizing and displaying the operating status is connected.

  In addition, the control unit 60 stores a recipe in which a control program (software) for realizing various processes executed by the plasma processing apparatus 1 under the control of the process controller 61 and processing condition data are stored. The storage unit 63 is connected to the process controller 61.

  Then, if necessary, an arbitrary recipe is called from the storage unit 63 by an instruction from the user interface 62 and is executed by the process controller 61, so that a desired process in the plasma processing apparatus 1 is performed under the control of the process controller 61. Is performed.

  Recipes such as the control program and processing condition data may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, hard disk, flexible disk, flash memory, or from another device. For example, it is possible to transmit the data as needed via a dedicated line and use it online.

  Next, the substrate alignment apparatus according to this embodiment and the load lock chamber 30 including the substrate alignment apparatus will be described in detail.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the load lock chamber 30 with a part cut away.

  Each substrate accommodating portion 31 of the load lock chamber 30 has an opening 33 that can communicate with the transfer chamber 20 by a gate valve 22 on the side wall facing the transfer direction (Y direction) of the substrate S, and an outside air atmosphere. And at least when the opening 34 is closed, the inside can be depressurized to a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere, for example, a vacuum state. In each substrate housing portion 31, the substrate S transported horizontally or substantially horizontally by the transport mechanism 43 or 50 is housed in each substrate housing portion 31 through the opening 34 or 33 and straddles over the plurality of buffers 32. It is comprised so that it may be mounted.

  Among the plurality of buffers 32, for example, the upper end portion of the buffer 32 provided at the central portion in the horizontal direction (X direction) orthogonal to the substrate transport direction is rotatable to contact the back surface of the transported substrate S. A plurality of spherical rollers 35 are provided with a predetermined interval. For example, support pins 36 that contact the back surface of the corner of the transported substrate S are provided at both ends in the Y direction at the upper end of the buffer 32 outside the X direction. Is provided. Thus, the substrates placed on the plurality of buffers 32 can move on the buffer 32 by the rotation of the spherical roller 35 and can be stationary on the buffer 32 by friction with the support pins 36.

  The first positioner 7 is for pressing an end surface S1 orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the Y direction of the substrate S accommodated in the substrate accommodating portion 31, and includes a presser 70 that presses the end surface S1, and a presser A cylinder mechanism (driving mechanism) 71 for moving 70, and a driving force conversion mechanism that is interposed between the pressing element 70 and the cylinder mechanism 71, and changes the direction of the driving force of the cylinder mechanism 71 and transmits it to the pressing element 70. Part 72. The second positioner 8 is for pressing the end surface S2 orthogonal to or substantially orthogonal to the X direction of the substrate S accommodated in the substrate accommodating portion 31, and includes a presser 80 that presses the end surface S2, and a presser And a cylinder mechanism (drive mechanism) 81 for moving 80. The first positioner 7 and the second positioner 8 are respectively installed in the vicinity of two opposing corners of the substrate housing 31 and installed in the vicinity of different corners between the upper and lower substrate housings 31, 31. Has been. The first and second positioners 7 and 8 constitute a substrate alignment apparatus. The load lock chamber 30, the buffer 32 provided in the substrate accommodation portion 31 in the load lock chamber 30, and the substrate alignment apparatus are substrate accommodation units. Configure.

  The cylinder mechanism 71 is installed outside the substrate housing portion 31 of the load lock chamber 30, more specifically, the load lock chamber 30 or so as to be substantially the same height as the substrate S placed on the buffer 32. An electric motor having a cylinder main body 73 extending from the side wall orthogonal to the X direction of the substrate housing portion 31 and extending outside the load lock chamber 30 and extending in the X direction, and a piston 74 provided in the cylinder main body 73 so as to advance and retreat. It is constituted by a cylinder (see also FIGS. 5 to 8 and 10 to 12), and converts the electric energy into mechanical energy by a stepping motor and moves the piston 74 forward and backward with respect to the cylinder body 73.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 9 (FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the driving force converting mechanism 72, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the first stage of the operation of the driving force converting mechanism 72. 7 is a perspective view for explaining a second stage of the operation of the driving force converting mechanism 72, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining a third stage of the operation of the driving force converting mechanism 72. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a part of the driving force conversion mechanism 72 cut away), and the driving force conversion mechanism 72 includes a plate-shaped guide member 75 fixed to the bottom surface in the substrate housing 31, and X A driven slide member 76 attached to the guide member 75 so as to be slidable in the direction, a driven slide member 77 attached to the guide member 75 so as to be slidable in the Y direction, and one end portion of the driven slide member 77 in the Y direction. It is pivotally provided as a shaft, and is Child 70 and a pair of link members 78 and 79 rotatably provided.

  The main slide member 76 has a shape extending in the X direction, and a pair of slide portions 760 are provided in the intermediate portion in the X direction with an interval in the Y direction. A slide groove 761 extending in the X direction is formed on each bottom surface of the slide portion 760 (only one is shown), and the slide groove 761 slides on the X direction guide portion 751 formed in the guide member 75 and extending in the X direction. The main sliding member 76 is attached to the guide member 75 so as to be slidable in the X direction by being fitted. At least the slide groove 761 portion is formed of a low friction material so that the slide portion 760 can easily slide along the X direction guide portion 751. Stopper portions 753 for restricting sliding of the slide portion 760 are provided at both ends of the X direction guide portion 751.

  An engagement recess 765 is formed at one end of the main slide member 76 in the X direction, and this engagement recess 765 engages with an engagement groove 740 formed at the tip of the piston 74 in the X direction. The member 76 is connected to the piston 74 of the cylinder mechanism 71, so that the main slide member 76 slides in the X direction as the piston 74 advances and retracts.

  The driven slide member 77 has a shape extending in the X direction, and a pair of slide portions 770 are provided at intervals in the X direction. A slide groove 771 extending in the Y direction is formed on each bottom surface of the slide portion 770, and the slide groove 771 is formed closer to the center in the Y direction of the substrate housing portion 31 than the X direction guide portion 751 of the guide member 75. In addition, by being slidably fitted into the Y direction guide portion 752 extending in the Y direction, the driven slide member 77 is provided closer to the center in the Y direction of the substrate housing portion 31 than the main slide member 76, and slides in the Y direction. It is attached to the guide member 75 as possible. At least the slide groove 771 portion is formed of a low friction material so that the slide portion 770 can easily slide along the Y-direction guide portion 752. Stopper portions 753 for restricting sliding of the slide portion 770 are provided at both ends of the Y-direction guide portion 752.

  The main slide member 76 has a pressing blade portion 762 that extends toward the outside of the substrate housing portion 31 so as to form an angle of about 45 degrees with the X direction and the Y direction on the slide portion 760 near the center in the Y direction of the substrate housing portion 31. Are integrally provided, and the driven slide member 77 is provided with a column-shaped pressed portion 772 extending in the height direction, for example, on the upper surface. Then, when the main slide member 76 slides toward the center in the X direction due to advancement of the piston 74 by a predetermined stroke, the pressing blade portion 762 contacts the pressed portion 772 and presses the pressed portion 772. The driven slide member 77 is configured to slide toward the center in the Y direction (see particularly FIGS. 7 and 8).

  A tension coil spring 754 is connected to both ends of the driven slide member 77 and the guide member 75 in the X direction, and the driven slide member 77 is moved outward in the Y direction of the substrate housing portion 31 by the tension coil spring 754. It is energized. As a result, the driven slide member 77 slid and moved toward the center in the Y direction of the substrate housing portion 31 is slid and moved toward the outside in the X direction of the substrate housing portion 31 by retraction of a predetermined stroke of the piston 74. In this case, the substrate housing 31 is configured to slide and move outward in the Y direction.

  The pair of link members 78 and 79 are provided closer to the center in the X direction of the substrate housing portion 31 than the pressed portion 772 of the driven slide member 77 so that the rotation shaft of one end portion is parallel to the X direction. One is bent in a V shape toward the other to form a parallelogram. The link member 78 is provided with a columnar or cylindrical cam portion 780 extending toward the outside in the Y direction of the substrate housing portion 31, and the cam portion 780 is formed at the other end portion of the main slide member 76 in the X direction. The cam hole 763 enters. The cam hole 763 has a shape in which the cross section in the Y direction extends vertically, and the pair of link members 78 and 79 has the cam portion 780 vertically moved along the cam hole 763 when the main slide member 76 slides. By displacing to the position, it is configured to rotate and stand up and lie down on the link member 78 (particularly, see FIGS. 6 and 7). Further, the cam hole 763 has a shape in which the Y-direction cross section extends from the upper end portion toward the outer side in the X direction of the substrate housing portion 31, and the main slide member 76 and the driven slide member 77 are respectively in the X direction and Y direction. The pair of standing link members 78 and 79 can be moved in the Y direction together with the driven slide member 77 while the cam portion 780 is inserted into the cam hole 763 (see FIG. 7 in particular). , 8). As a result, the pair of link members 78 and 79 can be reliably supported in an upright state.

  The cam portion 780 can be rotated by a plurality of ball bearings 781 (see FIG. 9), and thereby the inside of the cam hole 763 can be smoothly displaced relatively. The cam portion cam portion may be provided in the link member 79 instead of the link member 78, or the cam portion may be provided in the main slide member 76 and the cam hole may be provided in the link member 78 or 79. The cam portion 780 and the cam hole 763 constitute a cam mechanism, and the pair of link members 78 and 79 are configured to stand up and fall by rotating by the cam mechanism when the main slide member 76 slides. Yes.

  A tension coil spring 755 is connected to the link member 79 and the driven slide member 77, and the pair of link members 78, 79 are urged to stand up by the tension coil spring 755. As a result, the pair of link members 78 and 79 that have fallen down are moved by the tension coil spring 755 when the main slide member 76 slides toward the center in the X direction of the substrate housing portion 31 by the advance of the piston 74 by a predetermined stroke. Standing up is assisted. Note that a compression coil spring may be used instead of the tension coil spring 755, and the pair of link members 78 and 79 standing by the compression coil spring may be assisted.

  The pressing element 70 includes a pressing body 700 that contacts the end surface S1 of the substrate S and presses the end surface S1, a rotating plate 701 to which the other ends of the link members 78 and 79 are rotatably attached, and a pressing body. 700 and a rotating plate 701, and a connecting portion 702 extending in the Y direction. When the pair of link members 78 and 79 stand up, the pressing element 70 is positioned at a height substantially equal to the substrate S placed on the buffer 32 (pressable position), and when the pair of link members 78 and 79 fall down. The substrate S is configured to be positioned below the substrate S placed on the buffer 32 (retracted position) while maintaining a state parallel to the substrate S.

  The pressing body 700 is made of a material that does not cause scratches or breakage on the end surface S1 of the substrate S that is in contact with the substrate and that hardly generates fine particles due to contact with the substrate S. For example, a material such as a synthetic resin having a certain elasticity can be used, and a fluorine-based resin such as polytetrafluoroethylene can be preferably used. In addition, the pressing body 700 has a pressing surface formed in an arc shape so as to be able to make point contact with the end surface S1 of the substrate S in the horizontal direction from the viewpoint of improving the alignment accuracy. The pressing body 700 may be, for example, a columnar rotating body with the height direction as an axis.

  The connecting portion 702 is configured such that an inner cylinder member 704 is inserted into the outer cylinder member 703 and is prevented from coming off, and a compression coil spring 705 is disposed in the outer cylinder member 703 and the inner cylinder member 704. That is, the connecting portion 702 can be expanded and contracted, and is biased in the extension direction by the compression coil spring 705, and functions as a buffering means for reducing the impact when the pressing body 700 presses the end surface S1 of the substrate S. .

  The driving force conversion mechanism 72 may be provided upside down by fixing the guide member 75 to the upper surface of the substrate housing 31, for example. In this case, when the pair of link members 78 and 79 are erected, the pressing element 70 is positioned at a height substantially equal to the substrate S placed on the buffer 32 (pressable position), and the pair of link members 78 and 78 At the time of lying down 79, it is configured to be positioned above the substrate S placed on the buffer 32 (retracted position) while maintaining a state parallel to the substrate S.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, in the second positioner 8, the cylinder mechanism 81 is installed outside the substrate housing portion 31 of the load lock chamber 30. More specifically, the second positioner 8 is substantially the same as the lower end portion of the buffer 32. A cylinder main body 83 extending in the X direction and protruding from the side wall perpendicular to the X direction of the load lock chamber 30 or the substrate housing 31 so as to extend in the X direction, and the cylinder main body 83 is advanced and retracted. It is comprised by the electric cylinder mechanism which has the piston 84 provided so that the presser 80 is provided in the front-end | tip part of the piston 84. FIG.

  Note that one of the pair of cylinder mechanisms 71 and one of the pair of cylinder mechanisms 81 may be other cylinders such as an air cylinder instead of the electric cylinder. In addition to the cylinder mechanisms 71 and 81, the drive mechanism for moving the pressers 70 and 80 can be operated as long as it can be advanced and retracted in the X direction and stopped at any X position. Regardless of the principle or type, for example, an electromagnet motor, a solenoid, a piezoelectric element, or the like can be used.

  Like the pressing body 700 of the pressing element 70, the pressing element 80 is formed of a material that does not cause scratches or breakage on the end surface S2 of the substrate S that is in contact with the pressing element 80 and that is unlikely to generate fine particles due to contact with the substrate S. The pressing surface is formed in an arc shape so as to make point contact with the end surface S2 of the substrate S in the horizontal direction. The pressing element 80 may be, for example, a cylindrical rotating body whose axis is the height direction. Further, it is preferable that the pressing member 80 and the piston 84 are connected via a buffering means such as the connecting portion 702 so that the impact when the pressing member 80 presses the end surface S2 of the substrate S can be reduced.

  With such a configuration, the second positioner 8 moves the presser 80 toward the center in the X direction of the substrate housing portion 31 when the piston 84 of the cylinder mechanism 81 advances, and the piston 84 of the cylinder mechanism 81 retracts. By doing so, the presser 80 is moved to the X direction outer side of the board | substrate accommodating part 31. FIG.

  Next, a substrate alignment method using the substrate alignment apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the first stage of the operation of the substrate alignment apparatus, FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the second stage of the operation of the substrate alignment apparatus, and FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the 3rd step of operation | movement of an apparatus.

  First, with the pistons 74 and 84 of the cylinder mechanisms 71 and 81 provided in the first and second positioners 7 and 8 being completely retracted, the substrate S is transported into the substrate accommodating portion 31 and placed on the buffer 32. Then, the pistons 74 and 84 of the cylinder mechanisms 71 and 81 are advanced (see FIG. 10).

  When the piston 74 of the cylinder mechanism 71 is advanced by a predetermined stroke, the main slide member 76 slides toward the center of the substrate housing 31 in the X direction. At this time, the cam portion 780 is raised along the cam hole 763 and the tension coil spring 755 is also actuated so that the pair of link members 78 and 79 are rotated so that the pusher is in the retracted position. 70 rises to a pressable position (see FIG. 11).

  When the piston 74 of the cylinder mechanism 71 is further advanced by a predetermined stroke, the main driving slide member 76 further slides toward the center of the substrate housing portion 31 in the X direction. At this time, the pressing blade portion 762 abuts against the pressed portion 772 to press the pressed portion 772, and the driven slide member 77 moves closer to the center in the Y direction of the substrate housing portion 31 against the bias of the tension coil spring 754. Is moved toward the center in the Y direction of the substrate housing portion 31, and abuts against the end surface S1 of the substrate S to press the end surface S1 (FIG. 12). reference).

  On the other hand, when the piston 84 of the cylinder mechanism 81 is advanced by a predetermined stroke, the presser 80 moves toward the center in the X direction of the substrate housing portion 31 and contacts the end surface S2 of the substrate S to press the end surface S2.

  Thus, the substrate S is aligned at a predetermined position on the buffer 32 by pressing the end surfaces S 1 and S 2 of the substrate S by the first and second positioners 7 and 8. The advancing drive of the pair of cylinder mechanisms 71, 81 may be performed at the same time. After driving one cylinder mechanism 71, 81 out of the pair of cylinder mechanisms 71, 81, the other cylinder mechanism 71, 81 is driven. 81 may be driven to advance.

  When the alignment of the substrate S is completed, the pistons 74 and 84 of the cylinder mechanisms 71 and 81 are retracted, respectively. When the piston 74 is retracted by a predetermined stroke, the main slide member 76 slides toward the outside in the X direction of the substrate housing portion 31. At this time, the follower slide member 77 urged by the tension coil spring 754 slides toward the outer side in the Y direction of the substrate housing portion 31, so that the presser 70 in contact with the end surface S <b> 1 of the substrate S is It moves toward the outer side in the Y direction of the substrate housing part 31, moves away from the end surface S <b> 1, and moves to a pressable position.

  When the piston 74 is further retracted for a predetermined stroke, for example, completely, the main slide member 76 slides further toward the outside in the X direction of the substrate housing portion 31. At this time, the cam portion 780 descends along the cam hole 763 and rotates so that the pair of link members 78 and 79 fall down against the urging force of the tension coil spring 755, thereby pressing the position. The presser 70 is lowered to the retracted position.

  On the other hand, when the piston 84 of the cylinder mechanism 81 is fully retracted, for example, completely retracted, the pressing member 80 moves toward the outside in the X direction of the substrate housing portion 31 and is separated from the end surface S2 of the substrate S.

  Thus, when the pressing members 70 and 80 are retracted from the transport path of the substrate S, the substrate S is transported to one of the process chambers 10a, 10b, and 10c. Since the substrate S aligned by the first and second positioners 7 and 8 is transported to a regular processing position in the process chambers 10a, 10b, and 10c, a highly accurate process that does not cause uneven processing is realized. It becomes possible.

  In this embodiment, the pushers 70 and 80 are moved into the first and second positions of the substrate S by the advancement of the pistons 74 and 84 of the cylinder mechanisms 71 and 81 provided with the first and second positioners 7 and 8 respectively. For the first positioner 7 that presses the first end surface S1 corresponding to the transport path of the substrate S, the presser 70 is moved between the retracted position and the pressable position. In addition, since the driving force converting mechanism 72 that moves in the pressing direction at the pressable position is provided so that the pressing element 70 moves away from the transport path of the substrate S, the positioning for the positioning in the substrate accommodating portion 31 is performed. A space for avoiding the installation space of the members and the transport path of the substrate S can be significantly reduced. Therefore, the space around the substrate S in the substrate accommodating portion 31 can be made as small as possible, and the load lock chamber 30 can be miniaturized as much as possible.

  Further, in the present embodiment, cylinder mechanisms 71 and 81 for moving the pressers 70 and 80 are provided outside the substrate housing portion 31 of the load lock chamber 30, so that alignment for the substrate housing portion 31 is performed. The installation space for the member can be further reduced.

  In the present embodiment, in the first positioner 7, the driving force conversion mechanism 72 converts the driving force in the X direction by the piston 74 of the cylinder mechanism 71 into driving force in the Y direction and the height direction, In order to move the pressing element 70 between the retracted position and the pressable position, and to move the pressing position in the direction opposite to the pressing direction and the pressing direction using the pressable position as a start point and an end point, the first and second positioners 7, 8 can be provided on the same side wall of the load lock chamber 30, whereby the space above and below the load lock chamber 30 can be used effectively. Further, the driving force conversion mechanism 72 moves the presser 70 between the retracted position and the pressable position by the advance and retreat of the piston 74 by one stroke, and presses the pressable position as the start point and the end point. Since it is moved in the direction opposite to the direction and the pressing direction, the positioning operation of the substrate S is facilitated.

  In addition, the arrangement position of the first and second positioners 7 and 8 in the substrate housing portion 31 is not limited to the vicinity of the corners facing each other. As shown in FIG. 13 (FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the arrangement position of the first and second positioners constituting the substrate alignment apparatus), the first positioner 7 is moved in the Y direction of the substrate accommodating portion 31. In the vicinity of adjacent corners, a pair is arranged so as to face each other in the Y direction, and two pairs of the second positioners 8 are arranged near each corner of the substrate housing portion 31 so as to face each other in the X direction. May be. In this case, for example, the cylinder mechanism 71 of one of the first positioners 7 is constituted by an air cylinder instead of the electric cylinder, and is adjacent to the Y direction on the side where the pair of first positioners 7 is provided. The cylinder mechanism 81 (81a, 81b) of the second positioner 8 can be constituted by an air cylinder instead of the electric cylinder. Thereby, since the number of electric cylinders can be reduced, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced. When aligning the substrate S, for example, after the pistons 74 and 84 of the cylinder mechanisms 71 and 81 configured by air cylinders are advanced, the pistons 74 and 84 of the cylinder mechanisms 71 and 81 configured by electric cylinders are advanced. Let

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. The container that accommodates the substrate is not limited to the load lock chamber 30, but may be the process chambers 10a, 10b, 10c, the transfer chamber 20, and the like. The substrate is not limited to a glass substrate for FPD, but may be a semiconductor wafer or the like. It may be a substrate. Moreover, you may provide three or more steps | paragraphs of board | substrate accommodating parts in a container.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus in which a substrate alignment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a load lock chamber. It is a horizontal sectional view which shows the inside of a plasma processing apparatus roughly. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a control part. It is a perspective view which cuts and shows a part of load lock chamber. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a driving force conversion mechanism part. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the 1st step of the action | operation of a driving force conversion mechanism part. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the 2nd step of the action | operation of a driving force conversion mechanism part. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the 3rd step of the action | operation of a driving force conversion mechanism part. It is a top view which notches and shows a part of driving force conversion mechanism part. It is a figure for demonstrating the 1st step | paragraph of the action | operation of a board | substrate alignment apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the 2nd step of operation | movement of a board | substrate alignment apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the 3rd step of the action | operation of a board | substrate alignment apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of a change of the arrangement position of the 1st and 2nd positioner which comprises a board | substrate position alignment apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

7: First positioner (first pressing mechanism)
8: Second positioner (second pressing mechanism)
30 ... Load lock chamber (container)
31 ... Substrate housing part 32 ... Buffer (substrate mounting part)
33, 34 ... opening 35 ... spherical roller 70, 80 ... presser 71, 81 ... cylinder mechanism (drive mechanism)
72 ... Driving force conversion mechanism 74, 84 ... Piston 75 ... Guide member 76 ... Main drive slide member 77 ... Driven slide member 78, 79 ... Link member S ... Substrate S1 ... First end surface S2 ... Second end surface

Claims (13)

A substrate alignment apparatus for aligning a rectangular substrate, which is transported in a horizontal direction from an opening provided on a side wall of a container and placed on a substrate platform in the container, on the substrate platform. ,
A pair of first pressing mechanisms that press a pair of first end faces perpendicular to the substrate transport direction;
A pair of second pressing mechanisms for pressing a pair of second end faces along the substrate transport direction,
Each of the first pressing mechanism and the second pressing mechanism includes a driving mechanism and a pressing element that presses the first end surface and the second end surface by driving the driving mechanism,
At least one of the pair of first pressing mechanisms is a cylinder mechanism in which the drive mechanism has a piston that advances and retreats in a direction that is horizontal and orthogonal to the substrate transport direction, and is driven by the drive mechanism. A driving force conversion mechanism that moves the pressing element between a retracted position for retracting the substrate out of the conveyance path of the substrate and a pressable position where the substrate can be pressed, and moves the pressing element in the pressing direction at the pressable position. further Yes,
When the piston of the cylinder mechanism advances a predetermined stroke, the driving force conversion mechanism moves the pressing element at the retracted position to the pressable position, and when the piston of the cylinder mechanism further advances a predetermined stroke, The first end face is pushed by moving the pusher at the pushable position in the pushing direction, and when the piston of the cylinder mechanism is retracted by a predetermined stroke in that state, the first end face is pushed. The substrate alignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing element is moved to the pressing position, and when the piston of the cylinder mechanism is further retracted by a predetermined stroke, the pressing element at the pressing position is moved to the retracting position.   The substrate alignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism is provided outside the container.   The driving force conversion mechanism is provided above or below the substrate transport path, and the drive mechanism is driven to retract the pressing element above or below the substrate transport path in a state parallel to the transport path. 3. The substrate alignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate alignment apparatus moves between a retracted position to be moved and a pressable position where the substrate can be pressed and moves in the pressing direction at the pressable position. . The driving force conversion mechanism is
A guide member fixed in the container;
A main slide member that slides in the forward / backward direction of the piston along the guide member with the advance / retreat of the piston of the cylinder mechanism;
A driven slide member that slides horizontally along the guide member and in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the main slide member as the main slide member slides for a predetermined stroke;
One end portion is rotatably provided on the driven slide member, and the pressing member is rotatably provided on the other end portion, and the one end portion is centered as the main slide member slides for a predetermined stroke. A link member that rotates so as to fall and stand,
By rotating the link member so as to fall and stand, the pressing element is moved between the retracted position and the pressable position, and the driven slide member is slid to move the pressing element. The substrate alignment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the pressable position is moved in a pressing direction and a direction opposite to the pressing direction with a start point and an end point as a start point and an end point. The said 1st press mechanism and the 2nd press mechanism further have a buffer means which relieve | moderates the impact when said presser presses said 1st end surface and 2nd end surface, respectively. The substrate alignment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . An opening provided on the side wall, and a container having a substrate accommodating portion for accommodating a rectangular substrate conveyed in the horizontal direction from the opening;
A substrate mounting portion that is provided in the substrate storage portion and for mounting the substrate stored in the substrate storage portion;
A substrate housing unit comprising a substrate alignment device for aligning the substrate placed on the substrate platform on the substrate platform;
The substrate alignment apparatus includes:
A pair of first pressing mechanisms that press a pair of first end faces perpendicular to the substrate transport direction;
A pair of second pressing mechanisms that press a pair of second end faces along the substrate transport direction,
Each of the first pressing mechanism and the second pressing mechanism includes a driving mechanism and a pressing element that presses the first end surface and the second end surface by driving the driving mechanism,
At least one of the pair of first pressing mechanisms is a cylinder mechanism in which the drive mechanism has a piston that advances and retreats in a direction that is horizontal and orthogonal to the substrate transport direction, and is driven by the drive mechanism. A driving force conversion mechanism that moves the pressing element between a retracted position for retracting the substrate out of the conveyance path of the substrate and a pressable position where the substrate can be pressed, and moves the pressing element in the pressing direction at the pressable position. In addition,
When the piston of the cylinder mechanism advances a predetermined stroke, the driving force conversion mechanism moves the pressing element at the retracted position to the pressable position, and when the piston of the cylinder mechanism further advances a predetermined stroke, The first end face is pushed by moving the pusher at the pushable position in the pushing direction, and when the piston of the cylinder mechanism is retracted by a predetermined stroke in that state, the first end face is pushed. The substrate accommodating unit , wherein the pressing element is moved to the pressing position, and when the piston of the cylinder mechanism is further retracted by a predetermined stroke, the pressing element at the pressing position is moved to the retracting position . The substrate storage unit according to claim 6 , wherein the drive mechanism is provided outside the substrate storage portion of the container. The driving force conversion mechanism is provided above or below the substrate transport path, and the drive mechanism is driven to retract the pressing element above or below the substrate transport path in a state parallel to the transport path. The substrate accommodation unit according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein the substrate accommodation unit is moved between a retracted position to be moved and a pressable position where the substrate can be pressed, and moved in the pressing direction at the pressable position. The driving force conversion mechanism is
A guide member fixed to the substrate housing portion;
A main slide member that slides in the forward / backward direction of the piston along the guide member with the advance / retreat of the piston of the cylinder mechanism;
A driven slide member that slides horizontally along the guide member and in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the main slide member as the main slide member slides for a predetermined stroke;
One end portion is rotatably provided on the driven slide member, and the pressing member is rotatably provided on the other end portion, and the one end portion is centered as the main slide member slides for a predetermined stroke. A link member that rotates so as to fall and stand,
By rotating the link member so as to fall and stand, the pressing element is moved between the retracted position and the pressable position, and the driven slide member is slid to move the pressing element. The substrate accommodation unit according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the substrate housing unit is moved in a pressing direction and a direction opposite to the pressing direction with the pressable position as a start point and an end point. The said 1st press mechanism and the 2nd press mechanism further have a buffer means which relieve | moderates the impact when said presser presses said 1st end surface and 2nd end surface, respectively. substrate housing unit according to any one of claims 9 to 6. The substrate platform is a substrate accommodating unit according to any one of claims 10 claim 6, characterized in that it comprises a rotatable spherical roller abutting the back surface of the conveyed substrate. The substrate container unit according to any one of claims 6 to 11 , wherein the container includes two or more stages of the substrate container portion in the vertical direction. The container is provided such that the opening can be opened and closed on the side walls facing each other, and the inside can communicate with the atmosphere inside the vacuum processing chamber for performing predetermined processing on the substrate in a vacuum state via the opening. In the load lock chamber, the interior is held near atmospheric pressure when the substrate is transferred to the atmosphere side, and the interior is held in a vacuum state when the substrate is transferred to the vacuum processing chamber. substrate housing unit according to claims 6 to any one of claims 12, characterized in that.

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