JP5001877B2 - Plate-shaped object conveying apparatus and plate-shaped object conveying method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a plate-like object conveying apparatus and a plate-like object conveying method, such as conveying a ground plate-like workpiece held on a chuck table in a grinding apparatus onto a spinner table.

  In the semiconductor device manufacturing process, the back surface of a semiconductor wafer on which a plurality of circuits such as ICs and LSIs are formed is ground by a grinding device to thin the semiconductor wafer. Semiconductor wafers are divided into chips for each circuit and are widely used in electronic devices such as mobile phones, personal computers and smart cards. Here, in recent years, in order to meet the demand for lighter weight and smaller size, the semiconductor wafer is thinly processed to a thickness of 100 μm or less, preferably 50 μm or less.

  As described above, the grinding apparatus for grinding the back surface of the semiconductor wafer includes a chuck table for sucking and holding the semiconductor wafer, a grinding means for grinding the semiconductor wafer sucked and held on the chuck table, and a semiconductor ground on the chuck table. A transport mechanism for sucking and holding the wafer and transporting the wafer onto a spinner table of the cleaning device is provided. Here, a conventional transport mechanism for transporting a cut semiconductor wafer employs a structure using a ceramic porous or resin vacuum transport pad, which is brought into contact with the grinding surface of the semiconductor wafer and sucked by vacuum ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-059872 A

  However, in the conventional vacuum-type transport pad transport mechanism, vacuuming causes a thin wafer to follow the shape of the suction-holding surface of the transport pad (the shape of porous microholes or grooves), resulting in local deformation. There is a risk of damaging a thin wafer. Further, foreign matter remaining on the suction holding surface of the transport pad or the suction surface of the wafer may damage the thin wafer by the foreign matter during vacuuming.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a plate-like object conveying apparatus and a plate-like object conveying method capable of conveying a thin plate-like object such as a semiconductor wafer without damaging it. Objective.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a plate-like object conveying device according to the present invention is a plate-like object conveying device that conveys a plate-like object from a first position to a second position, A holding pad that is provided so as to be displaceable between the first position and the second position and that holds a plate-like object via a medium having a melting point higher than room temperature , a holding surface of the holding pad, and the first A medium supply means for supplying the melted medium in a space with the plate-like object held at the position, and a plurality of passages communicating with each other, and an outer peripheral end of some passages communicating with the outside air And a cooling means for cooling and solidifying the supplied medium by generating an air flow through the passage from the opening , and a melting means for melting the solidified medium. Features.

  In the plate-like article conveying apparatus according to the present invention as set forth in the invention described above, the medium supply means includes a metering and feeding means for weighing and sending a predetermined amount of the medium to the holding pad side.

  Moreover, the plate-shaped article conveyance device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the cooling means and the melting means are disposed in the holding pad.

  In the plate-shaped article conveying apparatus according to the present invention, in the above invention, the cooling means and the melting means are arranged on a surface opposite to the holding surface of the holding pad. .

Moreover, the plate-shaped object conveyance method concerning this invention uses the holding pad provided so that a displacement between the 1st position and the 2nd position was possible, and the plate-shaped object hold | maintained at the said 1st position. Is a plate-like object conveying method for conveying the holding pad to the second position, and the holding surface of the holding pad is parallel to the surface of the plate-like object held at the first position while maintaining a slight space. A holding pad positioning step, a medium supplying step for supplying a melted medium having a melting point higher than room temperature to the space between the holding surface of the holding pad and the plate-like object, and a plurality of passages communicating with each other. and using the cooling means the outer peripheral end is formed as an opening communicating with the outside air portion of the passageway, said by generating an air flow through said passage from the opening to cool the supplied the medium by the cooling means coagulation A medium solidification step to be solidified and the solidified medium A conveying step of conveying the plate-like object held on the holding surface of the holding pad to the second position by displacement of the holding pad, and the solidified medium by the melting means at the second position And a medium melting step for melting.

  According to the plate-like object conveying apparatus and the plate-like object conveying method according to the present invention, the molten medium is supplied to the space between the plate-like object and the holding surface of the holding pad, and the medium is cooled and solidified. Since the medium is melted and the holding pad is detached from the plate-like material after the conveyance, the holding pad is in a non-contact state due to the presence of the medium. An object is held, and even a thin plate-like object can be held and transported without causing damage.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a plate-like object conveying apparatus and a plate-like object conveying method that are the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a grinding apparatus provided with a plate-like object conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment. The grinding apparatus 1 includes three chuck tables 2 for sucking and holding a thin plate-like object W such as a semiconductor wafer, a turntable 3 for rotating these chuck tables 2 rotatably, and a plate-like object W. Cassettes 4 and 5 to be accommodated, unloading / unloading means 6 for unloading the plate-shaped object W from the cassette 4 or loading the plate-shaped object W into the cassette 5, and alignment means for aligning the center position of the plate-shaped object W 7, loading means 8 for loading the plate-like object W into the chuck table 2, grinding means 9, 10 for grinding the plate-like object W held on the chuck table 2, and suctioning and holding the plate-like object W Cleaning means 12 provided with a rotating spinner table 11 and a ground surface of the ground plate W after grinding; a plate-like material transporting device 20 for transporting the plate-like material W from the chuck table 2 onto the spinner table 11; , Laboratory And a cleaning means 13 for cleaning the chuck table 2 after. Here, the three chuck tables 2 arranged on the turntable 3 are sequentially moved by the rotation of the turntable 3, and are moved into the carry-in / out area E1, the rough grinding area E2, and the finish grinding area E3. Positioned sequentially.

  In such a grinding apparatus 1, the plate-like object W accommodated in the cassette 4 is conveyed to the alignment means 7 by the carry-in / out means 6, and after being centered here, it is carried in / out by the carry-in means 8. It is transported and placed on the chuck table 2 in the area E1. The plate-like object W used in the grinding apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is a relatively thin wafer having a thickness of about 100 μm or less, for example.

  The grinding means 9 for performing rough grinding on the plate-like object W held on the chuck table 2 positioned in the rough grinding region E2 is fixed to the lower surface of the grinding wheel 9a in an annular shape so that the plate-like object W It has a grinding wheel 9b for roughly grinding the back surface (upper surface), and is configured to move up and down in the Z-axis direction by the grinding feed means 14. Therefore, the grinding means 9 is ground and fed downward by the grinding feed means 14 and the grinding wheel 9b of the rotating grinding wheel 9a comes into contact with the back surface of the plate-like object W, so that the rough grinding region E2 is reached. The back surface of the plate-like object W held on the positioned chuck table 2 is roughly ground.

  Further, the grinding means 10 that performs finish grinding on the plate-like object W held on the chuck table 2 positioned in the finish grinding region E3 is fixed to the lower surface of the grinding wheel 10a in an annular shape so that the plate-like object W It has a grinding wheel 10b for finish-grinding the back surface (upper surface), and is configured to move up and down in the Z-axis direction by the grinding feed means 15. That is, the grinding means 10 is different from the grinding means 9 only in the type of grinding wheel. Therefore, the grinding means 10 is ground and fed downward by the grinding feed means 15, and the grinding wheel 10 b of the rotating grinding wheel 10 a comes into contact with the back surface of the plate-like object W, so that the finish grinding region E 3 is reached. The back surface of the plate-like object W held on the positioned chuck table 2 is finish-ground.

  The chuck table 2 that sucks and holds the plate-like object W whose back surface (upper surface) is finish-ground is returned to the carry-in / carry-out region E1. The plate-like object W whose back surface is finish-ground is held at this position by the plate-like object conveying device 20 and conveyed onto the spinner table 11 of the cleaning means 12, and grinding dust is removed by the cleaning by the cleaning means 12. Later, it is accommodated in the cassette 5 by the loading / unloading means 6. Further, the cleaning means 13 cleans the back surface (upper surface) of the finish-ground plate-like object W on the chuck table 2 returned to the carry-in / out region E1, and the finish-ground plate-like object W is plate-shaped. The chuck table 2 in the carry-in / carry-out area E1 that has been picked up by the article transport device 20 and is in an empty state is cleaned.

  That is, in the plate-like object transporting apparatus 20 of the present embodiment, the position of the chuck table 2 positioned in the carry-in / out area E1 is the first position, and the position of the spinner table 11 in the cleaning means 12 is the second position. The finish-ground plate-like object W held on the chuck table 2 which is the first position is conveyed onto the spinner table 11 which is the second position.

  Here, the plate-like object conveying device 20 according to the present embodiment includes an arm 21 that is pivotably driven in a horizontal plane around a fulcrum portion 21a, and a plate-like object W that is provided at the tip of the arm 21. And a holding pad 22 for holding. The holding pad 22 is reciprocally displaced between the position (first position) of the chuck table 2 positioned at least in the loading / unloading area E1 by the turning of the arm 21 and the position (second position) of the spinner table 11. It is possible.

  2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example in the vicinity of the holding pad, FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the holding pad, and FIG. 4 is a horizontal section showing a configuration example of the hot water layer. FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view showing a configuration example of the cooling layer. The holding pad 22 is roughly formed in a disk shape having a size corresponding to the plate-like object W to be held, and has a holding surface 22a on the lower surface side. The plate-like object transport device 20 according to the present embodiment holds the plate-like object W on the holding surface 22a of the holding pad 22 via the medium 23, and is positioned in the holding surface 22a and the loading / unloading area E1. A medium supply unit 24 is provided for supplying the melted medium 23 to a space with the plate-like object W on the chuck table 2. Here, in the present embodiment, as the medium 23, for example, ethylene carbonite having a melting point of 36 ° C. and slightly higher than normal temperature (around 20 ° C.) is used. The medium supply means 24 includes a medium tank (not shown), a medium supply pipe 24 a connected between the medium tank and the holding pad 22, and is connected to the medium supply pipe 24 a so as to pass through the holding pad 22 in the thickness direction. The medium pipe 24b exposed on the surface 22a side and the heating unit 24c for heating the medium 23 provided on the pipe path of the medium supply pipe 24a to maintain the molten state using, for example, a heater or hot water. With. A part of the medium supply pipe 24a is piped to the holding pad 22 by using the inside of the arm 21, for example.

  The holding pad 22 has a two-layer structure of a cooling layer 25 and a hot water layer 26. The cooling layer 25 located on the lower side and having the holding surface 22a on the lower surface side is formed to have a thickness of, for example, about 5 mm, and inside the cross and a plurality of concentric passages 25a as shown in FIG. Are formed so as to communicate with each other, and the outer peripheral end of the cross-shaped passage 25a is formed as an opening 25b so as to communicate with the outside air. In addition, the center crossing portion of the cross-shaped passage 25a has a cooling pipe 26a formed through the center of the hot water layer 26, and an intake pipe (not shown) connected to the cooling pipe 26a by, for example, the inside of the arm 21 connected thereto Is connected to an air suction source (not shown). The cooling layer 25 and the air suction source constitute cooling means 27 for cooling and solidifying the melted medium 23 supplied between the holding surface 22a and the plate-like object W. The medium pipe 24b is formed in the vicinity of the center of the cooling layer 25 so as to penetrate therethrough.

  The hot water layer 26 laminated on the upper side of the cooling layer 25 is formed thicker than the cooling layer 25, and a plurality of, for example, four hot water chambers 26b are formed in a cross shape as shown in FIG. It is formed so as to communicate with each other through the communication portion 26d while being partitioned by the partition wall 26c. Further, at the upper part of the hot water layer 26, a supply port 26e for supplying the hot water 28 to the hot water chamber 26b and an exhaust port 26f for discharging and circulating the hot water 28 in the hot water chamber 26b sandwich the center. They are formed at different positions in the radial direction. A hot water supply pipe 26g is connected to the supply port 26e, and a hot water discharge pipe 26h is connected to the discharge port 26f. The hot water supply pipe 26g and the hot water discharge pipe 26h are connected to a hot water supply source (not shown) so that the hot water 28 can be circulated and supplied as necessary. The hot water layer 26, the hot water supply source, and the like constitute a dissolving means 29 for dissolving the medium 23 solidified under the holding surface 22a. The above-mentioned cooling pipe 26a is formed at the center of the hot water layer 26, and the above-mentioned medium pipe 24b is formed therethrough.

  Further, the medium supply unit 24 includes a metering and feeding unit 30 positioned on the medium supply pipe 24a in the heating unit 24c, for example. The metering and sending means 30 is for sending a predetermined amount of the medium 23 to the holding pad 22 side by measuring on the supply path, and includes an inlet valve 30a and an outlet valve 30b disposed on the medium supply pipe 24a. It consists of a piston structure provided between the two. That is, with the outlet valve 30b closed, the medium 23 is sucked into the piston structure from the inlet valve 30a side until the predetermined amount is reached, and when the predetermined amount is reached, the inlet valve 30a is closed and the supply timing is reached. The outlet valve 30b is opened, and a predetermined amount of the medium 23 is pumped to the holding pad 22 side by the feed pressure by the piston structure.

  A plate-like material conveying method of the present embodiment using such a plate-like material conveying device 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram sequentially illustrating the plate-like object conveying step. First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the holding pad 22 is held directly above the surface of the plate-like object W held on the chuck table 2 positioned in the loading / unloading area E1 (first position). The surface 22a is positioned in parallel while maintaining a space of a slight dimension d (holding pad positioning step). In this case, the dimension d is, for example, about 0.1 mm.

  In this state, the melted medium 23 is supplied to the space between the holding surface 22a of the holding pad 22 and the plate-like object W by the medium supply means 24 (medium supply step). Here, since the medium 23 made of ethylene carbonate is in a solidified state at room temperature, the medium 23 is maintained in a molten state on the medium supply pipe 24a between the medium tank and the holding pad 22 by being heated by the heating unit 24c. Further, in order to supply a necessary amount of the medium 23, the medium 23 is weighed so that the medium 23 becomes a predetermined amount on the supply path of the medium 23 and is sent to the holding pad 22 side. The necessary amount in this case is an amount that can be accommodated in the space of the dimension d between the holding surface 22a and the plate-like object W, and is to prevent the unnecessary medium 23 from overflowing onto the turntable 3. During the supply operation of the medium 23, the air suction source and the hot water supply source are in a stopped state, and the hot water 28 is in the hot water chamber 26 b of the hot water layer 26. As a result, the medium pipe 24b is warmed by the hot water 28 in the hot water chamber 26b, and the medium 23 is smoothly supplied in the molten state through the medium pipe 24b and below the holding surface 22a. The space between the two is filled with the medium 23.

  Subsequently, in a state where the supply of the medium 23 by the medium supply means 24 is stopped (the hot water supply source remains stopped), the air suction source of the cooling means 27 is driven as shown in FIG. By generating an air flow from the opening 25b through the passage 25a and the cooling pipe 26a and causing a change in air pressure according to Boyle's law, the medium 23 in a molten state is cooled and solidified under the holding surface 22a ( Medium solidification process). That is, the medium 23 used in the present embodiment is ethylene carbonite and has a melting point slightly higher than room temperature, and it is not necessary to greatly reduce the temperature for solidification. 23 can be sufficiently cooled and solidified. Further, the cooling of the medium 23 also involves heat of vaporization due to evaporation of cutting water on the chuck table 2. In this way, the medium 23 filled in the space between the holding surface 22 a and the plate-like object W is solidified, whereby the plate-like object W is held on the holding surface 22 a of the holding pad 22 via the medium 23. Will be. As described above, the solidified medium 23 is interposed, so that the holding pad 22 holds the plate-like object W in a non-contact state, and even the thin plate-like object W is damaged by local deformation or residual foreign matter. It can be held and transported without giving any.

  Therefore, by rotating the arm 21, the plate-like object W held on the holding surface 22a of the holding pad 22 through the solidified medium 23 is rotated by the rotational displacement of the holding pad 22, and the spinner table 11 (first step) 2) (conveying step). Then, the suction operation by the air suction source is stopped, and the hot water supply source is driven to circulate the hot water 28 in the hot water chamber 26b of the hot water layer 26 as shown in FIG. 23 is melted by warming it through the cooling layer 25 (medium melting step). That is, the medium 23 used in the present embodiment is ethylene carbonite and has a melting point slightly higher than room temperature, and it is not necessary to raise the temperature greatly for melting. The hot water 28 can be sufficiently heated and melted simply by circulating the hot water 28. The melted medium 23 flows down around the spinner table 11 in the cleaning means 12. As a result, the holding of the plate-like object W via the medium 23 by the holding surface 22a is released. Therefore, when the holding pad 22 is returned and displaced by the turning motion of the arm 21, the holding pad 22 is returned in a single state in which the plate-like object W is not held. In this returning operation, it is desirable to clean the holding surface 22a of the holding pad 22 in the cleaning means 12 so that the medium 23 does not remain on the holding surface 22a.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the melted medium 23 is supplied to the space between the plate-like object W and the holding surface 22a of the holding pad 22, and the medium 23 is cooled and solidified. The plate-like object W is held and conveyed, and after the conveyance, the medium 23 is melted and the holding pad 22 is detached from the plate-like object W, so that the holding pad 22 is not in contact with the medium 23. The plate-like object W is held in a state, and even the thin plate-like object W can be held and transported without causing damage. Further, in the present embodiment, since ethylene carbonate having a melting point close to room temperature is used as the medium 23, damage such as expansion and contraction at the time of solidification can be reduced. Can be transported.

  In the present embodiment, the pressure change of the air is used for the cooling means 27. Instead of air suction by the air suction source, cold water may be supplied to the cooling layer 25 to be cooled. .

(Modification 1)
FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating the first modification at the time of cooling and solidification. Modification 1 shows an example in which a medium 31 having a melting point slightly lower than room temperature (around 20 ° C.), for example, about 17 ° C. is used instead of the medium 23. In this case, since it is not necessary to greatly reduce the temperature in the medium solidifying step, the structure is such that the opening 25b of the cooling layer 25 is closed, and the cold water 32 is circulated and supplied to the passage 25a, whereby the medium 31 below the holding surface 22a. Is cooled and solidified. The holding pad positioning process, the medium supply process, the transport process, and the medium melting process may be performed in the same manner as described with reference to FIG.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram sequentially illustrating a plate-like object conveying process according to the second modification. Modification 2 shows an example in which water having a melting point of, for example, near 0 ° C. is used as the medium 41 instead of the medium 23. In the second modification, the holding pad 42 is formed in a simple disk shape by a member having good thermal conductivity in correspondence with the medium 41 to be used, and the lower surface side is a holding surface 42a. A medium pipe 24b is formed through the holding pad 42, and the medium supply pipe 24a of the medium supply unit 24 is connected to the holding pad 42. A cooling means 43 and a melting means 44 are mounted on the upper surface side of the holding pad 42 (that is, the surface side opposite to the holding surface 42a). As the cooling means 43, for example, an electrothermal conversion element such as a Peltier element that cools the holding pad 42 side by energization is used. The melting means 44 uses, for example, a heater that generates heat when energized and heats the holding pad 42.

  First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the holding pad 42 is held directly above the surface of the plate-like object W held by the chuck table 2 positioned in the loading / unloading area E1 (first position). The surface 42a is positioned in parallel while maintaining a space of a slight dimension d (holding pad positioning step). In this case, the dimension d is, for example, about 0.1 mm.

  In this state, the medium 41 in a molten state is supplied to the space between the holding surface 42a of the holding pad 42 and the plate-like object W by the medium supply means 24 (medium supply step). Here, since the medium 41 such as water is in a molten state at room temperature, heating by the heating unit 24c is not essential. Further, in order to supply a necessary amount of the medium 41, the medium 41 is weighed so that the medium 41 becomes a predetermined amount on the supply path of the medium 41 and is sent to the holding pad 42 side. The necessary amount in this case is an amount that can be accommodated in the space of the dimension d between the holding surface 42 a and the plate-like object W, so that the unnecessary medium 41 does not overflow onto the turntable 3. During the supply operation of the medium 41, the cooling means 43 and the melting means 44 are in a stopped state. The medium 41 is supplied in a molten state through the medium pipe 24 b and below the holding surface 42 a, and the space between the holding surface 42 a and the plate-like object W is filled with the medium 41.

  Subsequently, in the state where the supply of the medium 41 by the medium supply means 24 is stopped, the cooling pad 43 is driven to cool the holding pad 42 as shown in FIG. The medium 41 in a molten state is cooled and solidified (medium solidification step). In this way, the medium 41 filled in the space between the holding surface 42a and the plate-like object W is solidified, so that the plate-like object W is held on the holding surface 42a of the holding pad 42 via the medium 41. Will be. As described above, the solidified medium 41 is interposed, so that the holding pad 42 holds the plate-like object W in a non-contact state, and even the thin plate-like object W is damaged by local deformation or residual foreign matter. It can be held and transported without giving any.

  Therefore, by rotating the arm 21, the plate-like object W held on the holding surface 42 a of the holding pad 42 via the solidified medium 41 is rotated by the rotational displacement of the holding pad 42, so that the spinner table 11 (first step) 2) (conveying step). Then, the cooling operation by the cooling means 43 is stopped, and as shown in FIG. 8C, the melting means 44 is driven to heat the holding pad 42, and the solidified medium 23 is heated to melt (medium). Melting process). The melted medium 41 flows around the spinner table 11 in the cleaning means 12. As a result, the holding of the plate-like object W via the medium 41 by the holding surface 42a is released. Therefore, when the holding pad 42 is returned and displaced by the turning motion of the arm 21, the holding pad 42 is returned in a single state in which the plate-like object W is not held. In this returning operation, it is desirable to clean the holding surface 42a of the holding pad 42 in the cleaning means 12 so that the medium 41 does not remain on the holding surface 42a.

  In the second modification, for the sake of simplification, the cooling means 43 and the melting means 44 are shown divided into two portions on the holding pad 42, but the entire surface of the holding pad 42 is evenly cooled or heated. Therefore, it is desirable to disperse them evenly as appropriate. Further, the Peltier element may be disposed entirely on the upper surface side of the holding pad 42, and the cooling means and the melting means for the holding pad 42 may be shared by switching the energization direction for the Peltier element. .

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows a grinding device provided with the plate-shaped object conveyance apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of holding pad vicinity. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of a holding pad typically. It is a horizontal sectional view showing an example of composition of a warm water layer. It is a horizontal sectional view which shows the structural example of a cooling layer. It is a schematic block diagram which shows a plate-shaped object conveyance process in order. It is a schematic block diagram at the time of cooling solidification which shows the modification 1. FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the plate-shaped object conveyance process by the modification 2 in order.

Explanation of symbols

2 Chuck table 11 Spinner table 20 Plate-like material transport device 22 Holding pad 22a Holding surface 23 Medium 24 Medium supply means 27 Cooling means 29 Melting means 30 Metering delivery means 31 Medium 41 Medium 42 Holding pad 42a Holding surface 43 Cooling means 44 Melting means W Plate

Claims (5)

A plate-like object conveying device for conveying a plate-like object from a first position to a second position,
A holding pad which is provided so as to be displaceable between the first position and the second position, and holds a plate-like object via a medium having a melting point higher than room temperature ;
Medium supply means for supplying the melted medium to the space between the holding surface of the holding pad and the plate-like object held at the first position;
A plurality of passages communicating with each other are formed, and an outer peripheral end of a part of the passages is formed as an opening communicating with the outside air, and an air flow passing through the passage is generated from the opening to supply the medium Cooling means for cooling and solidifying,
Melting means for melting the solidified medium;
A plate-like object conveying device comprising:   2. The plate-like object transport device according to claim 1, wherein the medium supply unit includes a metering and feeding unit that measures and sends a predetermined amount of the medium to the holding pad side.   The plate-like article transporting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooling means and the melting means are disposed in the holding pad.   3. The plate-shaped article transport device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling unit and the melting unit are disposed on a surface of the holding pad opposite to the holding surface. A plate-shaped object conveying method for conveying a plate-shaped object held at the first position to a second position using a holding pad that is displaceable between the first position and the second position. Because
A holding pad positioning step for positioning the holding surface of the holding pad parallel to the surface of the plate-like object held at the first position while maintaining a slight space;
A medium supply step of supplying a melted medium having a melting point higher than room temperature into the space between the holding surface of the holding pad and the plate-like object;
The cooling means in which a plurality of passages communicating with each other is formed and an outer peripheral end of a part of the passages is formed as an opening communicating with the outside air is used to generate an air flow through the passage and supply the air flow. a medium solidifying step of cooling the medium by the cooling means solidification,
A conveying step of conveying a plate-like object held on the holding surface of the holding pad via the solidified medium to the second position by displacement of the holding pad;
A medium melting step of melting the solidified medium at the second position by a melting means;
A plate-like object carrying method comprising:

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