JP5165718B2 - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus having a mechanism for transporting a substrate.

  In the manufacturing process of precision electronic device substrates such as glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, semiconductor wafers, flexible substrates for film liquid crystals, photomask substrates, color filter substrates, solar cell substrates, electronic paper substrates, etc. Various substrate processing apparatuses having a mechanism for performing the above are used. The size of a substrate to be processed in such a substrate processing apparatus tends to increase with the times. In recent years, in order to stably transport a large substrate horizontally, a transport mechanism that transports the substrate while floating on the stage has been proposed.

  In a substrate processing apparatus that transports a substrate while floating on the stage, a mechanism for changing the substrate support method from another support method to a floating support method is required. As a technique for changing the substrate support system, Patent Document 1 describes a substrate transport apparatus having a mechanism for shifting from a transport mechanism different from floating transport to floating transport. In Patent Document 1, the roller supporting the substrate is lowered, so that the substrate on the roller is levitated and held on the levitating plate arranged in a sawtooth shape.

JP 2008-166348 A

  However, in the substrate transport apparatus of Patent Document 1, a floating plate having a length equal to or longer than the dimension in the substrate transport direction is required at a portion where the substrate support method is changed. Moreover, in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus of patent document 1, the roller which can be raised / lowered is arrange | positioned in the clearance gap between the floating plates arrange | positioned in the shape of a slat. As described above, it is difficult to design the floating plate and the roller and the mechanism for moving the roller up and down alternately so as not to contact each other.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and in the conversion unit that changes the substrate support method, suppresses the length in the transport direction of the portion that supports the floating of the substrate, and the lift roller and the other It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can easily avoid contact with a member.

  In order to solve the above problems, a first invention of the present application is a substrate processing apparatus having a mechanism for transporting a substrate, the first transport unit transporting the substrate to a predetermined position on the transport path, and the predetermined transport A second transport unit that transports the substrate while floating on the stage at a downstream side in the transport direction from the position; and a conversion unit that changes a substrate support method between the first transport unit and the second transport unit. A control means for controlling the conversion unit, and the conversion unit actively rotates while contacting and supporting the substrate, and is movable up and down between a standard position and a lowered position, A free roller that rotates in response to the movement of the substrate while supporting and supporting the substrate at a height position between the upper end of the lifting roller at the standard position and the upper end of the lifting roller at the lowered position; Located on the downstream side of the free roller in the transport direction An entrance levitation stage that supports the substrate while floating the substrate at a height lower than the support height of the substrate by the lifting roller at the standard position, and the control means includes the lifting roller at the standard position and the height of the substrate. After being arranged across the entrance floating stage, the conversion unit is controlled so that the lifting roller is lowered to the lowered position and a part of the upstream side of the substrate transport direction is transferred to the free roller. .

A second invention of the present application is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first invention , wherein the conversion unit is downstream in the transport direction of the substrate disposed across the lifting roller at the standard position and the inlet floating stage. A positioning pin extending vertically to determine the position of the downstream edge of the substrate, and from the upstream end of the entrance levitation stage in the transport direction, the transport direction of the substrate The length in the transport direction to the positioning pin when contacting the downstream edge is shorter than the length in the transport direction of the substrate.

  3rd invention of this application is the substrate processing apparatus of 1st invention or 2nd invention, Comprising: The length of the conveyance direction of the area | region where the said raising / lowering roller and the said free roller are arrange | positioned from the length of the conveyance direction of a board | substrate, short.

  4th invention of this application is a substrate processing apparatus in any one of 1st invention from 3rd invention, Comprising: The said free roller was arranged along the side edge part of the conveyance direction upstream of the said inlet floating stage. A plurality of downstream free rollers, and a plurality of upstream free rollers arranged upstream of the plurality of downstream free rollers in a conveying direction, wherein the plurality of upstream free rollers are the plurality of upstream free rollers. It is arranged at a lower density than the downstream free rollers.

  A fifth invention of the present application is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the conversion unit has the substrate straddling the lifting roller at the standard position and the inlet floating stage. It further has positioning means for determining the horizontal position of the substrate in the disposed state.

  A sixth invention of the present application is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the elevating roller and the free roller, and the inlet floating stage are supported by different support bases, and Not connected.

  A seventh invention of the present application is the substrate processing apparatus according to any of the first to sixth inventions, wherein the free roller is a roller having a smaller diameter than the lifting roller.

  According to the first to seventh inventions of the present application, a part of the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate is transferred from the lifting roller to the free roller in the conversion unit. This makes it possible to change the substrate support system while suppressing the length of the entrance floating stage in the transport direction. The free roller can reliably support the substrate with a simple structure and can be arranged in a narrow area. Therefore, the free roller can be easily arranged at a position where it does not contact the lifting roller.

  In particular, according to the third invention of the present application, the length in the transport direction of the region where the elevating roller and the free roller are arranged is suppressed.

  In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the number of free rollers can be suppressed as a whole while suppressing contact between the edge portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the inlet levitation stage and the substrate.

  In particular, according to the fifth invention of the present application, the substrate is positioned in a state of being supported in contact with the lifting roller. For this reason, the horizontal movement of the substrate after positioning is suppressed by the friction between the lifting roller and the substrate.

  In particular, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, propagation of mechanical vibrations of the elevating roller and the free roller to the entrance floating stage is suppressed.

  In particular, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the free roller can be more easily disposed at a position where it does not contact the lifting roller.

It is a top view of a substrate processing apparatus. It is a top view of the vicinity of the first transport unit and the conversion unit. It is a side view near the 1st conveyance part and a change part. It is the figure which looked at the raising / lowering roller, the raising / lowering drive mechanism, the free roller, and the chuck mechanism from the AA position in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the raising / lowering roller, the raising / lowering drive mechanism, the free roller, and the chuck mechanism from the AA position in FIG. It is the block diagram which showed the electrical connection structure of a control part and each part of a substrate processing apparatus. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of operation | movement of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 10 is a side view of the vicinity of a conversion portion when a substrate is disposed across the lifting roller and the entrance floating stage. It is a side view near a change part when raising a plurality of lift pins. It is a side view near a change part when raising and lowering a roller. FIG. 6 is a side view of the vicinity of a conversion portion when a chuck mechanism is disposed below both ends in the width direction of the substrate. FIG. 6 is a side view of the vicinity of a conversion portion when both end portions in the width direction of the substrate are attracted to the chuck mechanism.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<1. Configuration of substrate processing apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a top view of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 applies a resist solution (photoresist) to the upper surface of the substrate 9 in a photolithography process for etching a rectangular glass substrate 9 (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate 9”) for a liquid crystal display device. It is a device. The substrate processing apparatus 1 has a mechanism for transporting the substrate 9 while supporting the substrate 9 in a horizontal posture. Hereinafter, the direction in which the substrate 9 is transported is referred to as “transport direction”, and the horizontal direction orthogonal to the transport direction is referred to as “width direction”. In each drawing of the present application, the conveyance direction and the width direction are indicated by arrows.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a first transport unit 10, a conversion unit 20, a second transport unit 30, a resist coating mechanism 40, a carry-out unit 50, and a control unit 60. FIG. 2 is a top view of the vicinity of the first transport unit 10 and the conversion unit 20. FIG. 3 is a side view of the vicinity of the first transport unit 10 and the conversion unit 20. 4 and 5 are views of the elevating roller 21, the elevating drive mechanism 23, the free roller 24, and the chuck mechanism 32 as viewed from the position AA in FIG. In the following, FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 will be referred to together with FIG.

  The 1st conveyance part 10 is a site | part which conveys the board | substrate 9 carried out from the apparatus 2 of the front process to the conversion part 20 along a conveyance path | route. The 1st conveyance part 10 has the some conveyor roller 11 rotated centering on the rotating shaft 11a extended in the width direction. In this embodiment, four conveyor rollers 11 are respectively attached to the plurality of rotating shafts 11a arranged at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction at equal intervals in the width direction. The plurality of conveyor rollers 11 are arranged at a single fixed height position.

  A rotation driving mechanism 12 conceptually shown in FIG. 2 is connected to the rotation shaft 11 a of the conveyor roller 11. The rotation drive mechanism 12 is realized, for example, as a mechanism that combines a motor serving as a drive source and a timing belt that transmits drive force. When the rotation drive mechanism 12 is operated, the plurality of conveyor rollers 11 are actively rotated in the same direction. Thereby, the board | substrate 9 contact-supported on the conveyor roller 11 is conveyed downstream in a conveyance direction.

  The conversion unit 20 is a part for changing the support method of the substrate 9 between the first transfer unit 10 and the second transfer unit 30. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the conversion unit 20 includes a plurality of lifting rollers 21, a rotation driving mechanism 22, a lifting driving mechanism 23, a plurality of free rollers 24, an inlet floating stage 25, four guide rollers 26, and positioning. A mechanism 27 and a plurality of lift pins 28 are provided.

  The plurality of elevating rollers 21 are rollers that rotate about a rotation shaft 21a extending in the width direction and that can be moved up and down. In the present embodiment, four elevating rollers 21 are attached to the two rotating shafts 21a arranged in the longitudinal direction at equal intervals in the width direction.

  A rotation drive mechanism 22 conceptually shown in FIG. 2 is connected to the rotation shaft 21a. The rotational drive mechanism 22 is realized as a mechanism that combines, for example, a motor serving as a drive source and a timing belt that transmits a drive force. When the rotation drive mechanism 22 is operated, the plurality of lifting rollers 21 are actively rotated in the same direction. Thereby, the board | substrate 9 contact-supported on the raising / lowering roller 21 is conveyed downstream in a conveyance direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a lifting drive mechanism 23 is connected to the rotating shaft 21 a of the lifting roller 21. The elevating drive mechanism 23 includes an arm 23a that supports the rotary shaft 21a via a bearing, and an air cylinder 23b that moves the arm 23a up and down. When the air cylinder 23b is operated, the plurality of elevating rollers 21 moves up and down between the standard position shown in FIG. 4 and the lowered position shown in FIG. In addition, the raising / lowering drive mechanism 23 may utilize drive mechanisms (for example, motor) other than an air cylinder.

  The height position of the upper end portion (the portion that contacts the lower surface of the substrate 9) of the elevating roller 21 disposed at the standard position substantially coincides with the height position of the upper end portion of the conveyor roller 11. Further, the height position of the upper end portion of the elevating roller 21 arranged at the lowered position is lower than the height position of the upper end portion of the free roller 24.

  The plurality of free rollers 24 are rollers for supporting a part of the upstream side of the substrate 9 in the transport direction instead of the lifting roller 21 when the lifting roller 21 is lowered. The plurality of free rollers 24 are rotatable with respect to a specific rotation shaft provided for each roller. When the substrate 9 moves downstream while a part of the substrate 9 is supported on the free rollers 24, the plurality of free rollers 24 are rotated in accordance with the movement of the substrate 9.

  The plurality of free rollers 24 are arranged at a single fixed height position. The height position of the upper end portion of the free roller 24 is lower than the height position of the upper end portion of the elevating roller 21 arranged at the standard position, and the height of the upper end portion of the elevating roller 21 arranged at the lowered position. It is above the position. The height position of the upper end portion of the free roller 24 is substantially equal to the lower surface of the substrate 9 supported on the entrance floating stage 25 and the upper end portion of the chuck mechanism 32 described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each free roller 24 is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the plurality of elevating rollers 21 and the rotating shaft 21 a of the elevating rollers 21 in a plan view. For this reason, the plurality of elevating rollers 21 and the rotation shaft 21 a of the elevating roller 21 can move up and down without contacting the plurality of free rollers 24.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of free rollers 24 include a plurality of downstream free rollers 24a and a plurality of upstream free rollers 24b. The plurality of downstream-side free rollers 24a are arranged in the width direction between the lifting roller 21 and the inlet levitation stage 25 that are arranged on the most downstream side in the transport direction. In other words, the plurality of downstream free rollers 24 a are arranged along the upstream edge portion of the inlet levitation stage 25 in the transport direction. On the other hand, the plurality of upstream free rollers 24b are arranged at positions upstream of the downstream free rollers 24a in the transport direction.

  The interval in the width direction between adjacent downstream free rollers 24a is narrower than the interval in the width direction between adjacent upstream free rollers 24b. For this reason, the downward deflection of the substrate 9 between the downstream free rollers 24a is smaller than the downward deflection of the substrate 9 between the upstream free rollers 24b. As a result, contact between the edge portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the inlet levitation stage 25 and the substrate 9 is suppressed. Further, since the upstream free rollers 24b are arranged at a lower density than the downstream free rollers 24a, the number of free rollers 24 as a whole is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, a free roller 24 having a smaller diameter than the lifting roller 21 is used. For this reason, the plurality of free rollers 24 can be easily arranged at positions where they do not come into contact with the elevating roller 21 while securing a space in which the elevating roller 21 moves up and down. The free roller 24 may be completely separated from the drive mechanism, but may be connected to any drive mechanism as long as it can release power transmission from the drive mechanism. However, it is preferable that the drive mechanism is not connected to the free roller 24 in that a space in which the elevating roller 21 moves up and down can be more easily secured.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of conveyor rollers 11, the plurality of lifting rollers 21, and the plurality of free rollers 24 are supported by a common roller support base 71. On the other hand, the inlet floating stage 25, the coating stage 31 described later, and the outlet floating stage 51 described later are supported by a stage support 72 provided separately from the roller support 71.

  In other words, in this embodiment, the portion where the substrate 9 is contact-supported by the roller and the portion where the substrate 9 is levitated and supported on the stage are supported by different support bases and are not connected to each other. Thereby, it is suppressed that the mechanical vibration from the conveyor roller 11, the raising / lowering roller 21, and the free roller 24 is propagated to the inlet floating stage 25, the coating stage 31, and the outlet floating stage 51.

  The entrance levitation stage 25 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the plurality of free rollers 24. The entrance floating stage 25 supports the substrate 9 together with the lifting roller 21, the free roller 24, or the coating stage 31 described later. A plurality of discharge holes 25 a for discharging compressed air are provided on the upper surface of the inlet levitation stage 25.

  When the substrate 9 is transported, compressed air supplied from a supply source (not shown) is discharged upward from the plurality of discharge holes 25a. The substrate 9 is supported in a state of being floated from the upper surface of the inlet levitation stage 25 by compressed air ejected from the plurality of ejection holes 25a. That is, the entrance levitation stage 25 supports the substrate 9 without contacting the lower surface of the substrate 9.

  The four guide rollers 26 are mechanisms for guiding the substrate 9 in the transport direction in the conversion unit 20. The four guide rollers 26 are arranged on both sides of the transport path of the substrate 9. Each guide roller 26 is rotatable about a rotating shaft extending vertically. When the substrate 9 deviates from the transport path, the guide roller 26 rotates while contacting the edge of the substrate 9. Thereby, the orientation of the substrate 9 is corrected, and the substrate 9 is correctly transported in the transport direction.

  The four guide rollers 26 can be moved up and down by a drive mechanism (not shown). When the substrate 9 is transported in the conversion unit 20, the four guide rollers 26 are in a state of being lifted to both sides of the transport path of the substrate 9. On the other hand, when a chuck mechanism 32 to be described later enters the lower side of the substrate 9, the four guide rollers 26 are lowered to a height position where they do not come into contact with the chuck mechanism 32.

  The positioning mechanism 27 is a mechanism for positioning the substrate 9 in the conversion unit 20. The positioning mechanism 27 has a plurality of positioning pins 27a extending vertically. The plurality of positioning pins 27 a are arranged at positions that surround the substrate 9 arranged in the conversion unit 20. Each positioning pin 27 a can be moved between a position where it abuts on the edge of the substrate 9 and a position separated from the edge of the substrate 9 by a drive mechanism (not shown).

  When the substrate 9 is disposed across the lifting roller 21 and the entrance levitation stage 25 at the standard position, the plurality of positioning pins 27 a abut against the edge of the substrate 9. Thereby, the horizontal position and posture of the substrate 9 are determined. On the other hand, when the substrate 9 is transported or when the chuck mechanism 32 enters below the substrate 9, the plurality of positioning pins 27 a are retracted to positions that do not contact the substrate 9 or the chuck mechanism 32.

  The plurality of lift pins 28 are mechanisms for temporarily lifting both end portions of the substrate 9 in the width direction when the conversion unit 20 changes the support method of the substrate 9. The plurality of lift pins 28 are disposed at positions slightly inward in the width direction from both ends in the width direction of the substrate 9 in a state where the substrate 9 is positioned by the positioning mechanism 27. The plurality of lift pins 28 can be integrally moved up and down by a drive mechanism (not shown). When the plurality of lift pins 28 are raised, the lift pins 28 come into contact with the lower surface of the substrate 9, and both end portions in the width direction of the substrate 9 are lifted by the lift pins 28.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of lift pins 28 are arranged on the inner side in the width direction from both ends in the width direction of the inlet levitation stage 25. For this reason, the chuck mechanism 32 described later can enter the position outside the entrance levitation stage 25 in the width direction without coming into contact with the plurality of lift pins 28. Further, it is only necessary that at least a portion of the substrate 9 that is attracted to the chuck mechanism 32 protrudes outward in the width direction of the entrance levitation stage 25. For this reason, the protrusion amount of the board | substrate 9 from the entrance floating stage 25 can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the length L <b> 1 of the conversion unit 20 in the transport direction is long enough to arrange the single substrate 9 (that is, slightly longer than the length of the substrate 9 in the transport direction). Is set. Of the conversion unit 20, the length L <b> 2 in the transport direction of the region where the lifting roller 21 and the free roller 24 are arranged and the length L <b> 3 in the transport direction of the inlet levitation stage 25 are both in the transport direction of the substrate 9. It is set shorter than the length. Thereby, the length of the transfer part 20 in the conveyance direction is suppressed.

  A stage that floats and supports the substrate 9 like the entrance floating stage 25 requires a high level of processing technology for forming the discharge holes 25a and the manufacturing cost is high. In the present embodiment, the length of the entrance levitation stage 25 in the transport direction is suppressed. Thereby, manufacture of the substrate processing apparatus 1 becomes easy and manufacturing cost is also suppressed. Further, the amount of compressed air supplied to the inlet levitation stage 25 is also suppressed.

  The second transport unit 30 is a part that transports the substrate 9 downstream in the transport direction when a resist solution is applied to the upper surface of the substrate 9. As shown in FIG. 1, the second transport unit 30 includes a coating stage 31 and a pair of chuck mechanisms 32.

  The application stage 31 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the inlet levitation stage 25. A plurality of discharge holes for discharging compressed air and a plurality of suction holes for sucking air on the application stage 31 are provided on the upper surface of the application stage 31. When the substrate 9 is transported on the coating stage 31, upward pressure due to discharge of compressed air from the plurality of discharge holes and downward pressure due to suction to the plurality of suction holes act on the substrate 9. . Thereby, the substrate 9 is stably supported in a state of slightly floating from the upper surface of the coating stage 31.

  The chuck mechanism 32 is disposed in a pair of left and right outside the coating stage 31 in the width direction. Each chuck mechanism 32 is provided with a pair of suction portions 32a that are attracted to the lower surface of the end portion in the width direction of the substrate 9 in the transport direction. Each chuck mechanism 32 can be moved in the transport direction by a drive mechanism such as a linear motor along a guide rail 32b formed on the upper surface of the stage support 72. As shown in FIG. 1, the guide rail 32 b extends in the transport direction from a position outside the width direction of the free roller 24 to a position outside the width direction of the outlet lifting stage 51 described later. The pair of chuck mechanisms 32 can transport the substrate 9 from the conversion unit 20 to the carry-out unit 50 while adsorbing and holding the substrate 9.

  The resist coating mechanism 40 is a mechanism for coating a resist solution on the upper surface of the substrate 9 that is transported while being supported by the coating stage 31. In FIG. 1, the resist coating mechanism 40 is indicated by a broken line to clearly show the coating stage 31 and the chuck mechanism 32. The resist coating mechanism 40 includes a bridging portion 41 that extends over the coating stage 31 in the width direction, and a slit nozzle 42 that is attached to the bridging portion 41. The slit nozzle 42 discharges a resist solution supplied from a resist solution supply source (not shown) onto the upper surface of the substrate 9 through a slit-like discharge port extending in the width direction.

  The carry-out part 50 is a part for carrying out the substrate 9 coated with the resist solution from the substrate processing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the carry-out unit 50 includes an outlet floating stage 51 and a plurality of carry-out pins 52.

  The outlet levitation stage 51 is disposed downstream of the coating stage 31 in the transport direction. A plurality of discharge holes for discharging compressed air are provided on the upper surface of the outlet levitation stage 51. When the substrate 9 is supported on the outlet floating stage 51, compressed air supplied from a supply source (not shown) is discharged upward from the plurality of discharge holes. The substrate 9 is supported in a state of being lifted from the upper surface of the outlet levitation stage 51 by compressed air discharged from a plurality of discharge holes. That is, the exit levitation stage 51 supports the substrate 9 without contacting the lower surface of the substrate 9.

  The plurality of unloading pins 52 are arranged at equal intervals in the transport direction and the width direction in the plane of the outlet floating stage 51. The plurality of carry-out pins 52 contact and support the substrate 9 at their upper ends. The plurality of carry-out pins 52 can be moved up and down integrally by a driving mechanism (not shown). For this reason, the plurality of unloading pins 52 can move the substrate 9 up and down while supporting the substrate 9.

  When the substrate 9 is transported from the coating stage 31 to the outlet levitation stage 51, the plurality of unloading pins 52 are retracted downward from the upper surface of the outlet levitation stage 51 in order to avoid contact with the substrate 9. Yes. When unloading the substrate 9 from the outlet floating stage 51, the plurality of unloading pins 52 protrude upward from the upper surface of the outlet floating stage 51. As a result, the substrate 9 is lifted above the exit levitation stage 51. The substrate 9 supported on the plurality of unloading pins 52 is transported to the post-process apparatus 4 by the transfer robot 3 disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the outlet floating stage 51.

  The control unit 60 is configured by a computer having a CPU and a memory. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical connection configuration between the control unit 60 and each unit of the substrate processing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 60 is connected to the rotary drive mechanisms 12, 22 and the air cylinder 23b. The control unit 60 is also connected to other drive mechanisms, compressed air supply mechanisms, exhaust mechanisms, sensors, and the like that are not shown in FIGS. The control unit 60 electrically controls the operation of each unit according to a preset program and data. Thereby, the processing of the substrate 9 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 proceeds.

<2. Operation of substrate processing apparatus>
Subsequently, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

  When processing the substrate 9 in the substrate processing apparatus 1, first, the substrate 9 unloaded from the previous process apparatus 2 is transferred by the first transfer unit 10 (step S1). The substrate 9 is contacted and supported on the conveyor roller 11 and is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction by the rotation of the conveyor roller 11. At this time, the elevating roller 21 is disposed at the standard position and is rotating in the same direction as the conveyor roller 11. For this reason, the board | substrate 9 is continuously conveyed to the conversion part 20 with the conveyor roller 11 and the raising / lowering roller 21. FIG.

  At this time, the four guide rollers 26 are in a state of being lifted to both sides of the transport path of the substrate 9. Guided by these guide rollers 26, the substrate 9 is correctly transported downstream in the transport direction.

  When the substrate 9 reaches the conversion part 20, the elevating roller 21 stops rotating. Thereby, the board | substrate 9 stops in the state which straddled the raising / lowering roller 21 and the entrance floating stage 25 (step S2).

  FIG. 8 is a side view of the vicinity of the conversion unit 20 when the substrate 9 is disposed across the lifting roller 21 and the entrance floating stage 25. A part of the substrate 9 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction is contact-supported on the lifting roller 21 at the standard position. On the other hand, a part of the substrate 9 on the downstream side in the transport direction is levitated and supported on the inlet levitating stage 25. Of the substrate 9, the height position of the portion supported on the entrance floating stage 25 is lower than the height position of the portion supported on the lifting roller 21.

  Next, the plurality of positioning pins 27 a come into contact with the respective edge portions on the upstream side in the transport direction, the downstream side in the transport direction, and both sides in the width direction of the substrate 9. Thereby, the position and attitude of the substrate 9 in the horizontal direction are determined (step S3).

  When the positioning of the substrate 9 is completed, the four guide rollers 26 are lowered and retracted to a predetermined retracted position. Of the plurality of positioning pins 27 a, the positioning pins 27 a that are in contact with both edge portions in the width direction of the substrate 9 are also separated from the substrate 9 and retreated to a predetermined retraction position. Even after the positioning pin 27a is retracted, a part of the substrate 9 on the upstream side in the transport direction is supported by the lifting roller 21 in contact. For this reason, displacement of the substrate 9 in the width direction is prevented by the static friction between the substrate 9 and the lifting roller 21.

  Subsequently, the plurality of lift pins 28 are raised (step S4). The lift pins 28 are in contact with the lower surface of the substrate 9 and lift both ends of the substrate 9 in the width direction. FIG. 9 is a side view of the vicinity of the conversion unit 20 when a plurality of lift pins 28 are raised. As shown in FIG. 9, the upper ends of the lift pins 28 rise to a position above the upper end of the lifting roller 21 at the standard position.

  Note that the substrate 9 of the present embodiment is large and flexible. For this reason, in step S4, only the vicinity of both ends in the width direction of the substrate 9 is lifted. The central portion in the width direction of the substrate 9 is supported by the lifting roller 21 and the inlet floating stage 25. Therefore, positional displacement in the width direction of the substrate 9 is prevented by static friction between the substrate 9 and the lifting roller 21.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the plurality of lift pins 28 are raised after the positioning pins 27a that have been in contact with both edge portions in the width direction of the substrate 9 are retracted. For this reason, when the lift pin 28 is raised, the edge portion in the width direction of the substrate 9 and the positioning pin 27a are not in sliding contact. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the particle by the sliding contact of the board | substrate 9 and the positioning pin 27a is prevented.

  Thereafter, the lifting roller 21 is lowered from the standard position to the lowered position (step S5). FIG. 10 is a side view of the vicinity of the conversion unit 20 when the elevating roller 21 is lowered. The height position of the upper end portion of the elevating roller 21 is lower than the height position of the upper end portion of the free roller 24. At this time, the vicinity of both end portions in the width direction of the substrate 9 remains supported by the lift pins 28, but in the vicinity of the center in the width direction, a plurality of free rollers 24 replace the plurality of lifting rollers 21. Support a part.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11, the chuck mechanism 32 is moved upstream in the transport direction. As a result, the chuck mechanism 32 is disposed below both ends of the substrate 9 in the width direction. And after starting the attraction | suction operation | movement of the adsorption | suction part 32a, the some lift pin 28 is lowered | hung like FIG. Thereby, the both ends of the width direction of the board | substrate 9 are made to adsorb | suck to the adsorption | suction part 32a of the chuck mechanism 32 (step S6). A part of the substrate 9 on the upstream side in the transport direction is contacted and supported on the free roller 24, a part on the downstream side in the transport direction is levitated and supported on the inlet levitation stage 25, and both end portions in the width direction are chuck mechanisms 32. It will be in the state of being held by adsorption.

  During the operations of steps S3 to S6 in the conversion unit 20, the positioning pins 27a are in contact with the edge portions of the substrate 9 on the upstream side in the transport direction and on the downstream side in the transport direction. For this reason, displacement of the substrate 9 in the transport direction is prevented. Further, during steps S3 to S6, the substrate 9 is continuously contacted and supported by the elevating roller 21 or the free roller 24. For this reason, the positional displacement of the substrate 9 in the width direction is prevented by the static friction between the lifting roller 21 or the free roller 24 and the substrate 9.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the lower surface of the substrate 9 is brought closer to the chuck mechanism 32 by once lifting the vicinity of both end portions in the width direction of the substrate 9 with a plurality of lift pins 28 and lowering the lift pins 28. For this reason, it is not necessary to move the adsorption | suction part 32a of the chuck mechanism 32 up and down. Therefore, the structure of the chuck mechanism 32 can be simplified.

  When the substrate 9 is held by the pair of chuck mechanisms 32, the positioning pins 27a that have been in contact with the end edges of the substrate 9 on the upstream side in the transport direction and on the downstream side in the transport direction are retracted to a predetermined retraction position. Then, the chuck mechanism 32 moves along the guide rail 32b to the downstream side in the transport direction, so that the substrate 9 is transported downstream in the transport direction.

  The substrate 9 is transported from the entrance levitation stage 25 to the exit levitation stage 51 through the coating stage 31 while being supported and floated on each stage. The slit nozzle 42 discharges a resist solution toward the upper surface of the substrate 9 transported on the coating stage 31. Thereby, a resist solution is applied to the upper surface of the substrate 9 (step S7).

  In this embodiment, the upstream end of the substrate 9 in the transport direction is supported on the inlet levitation stage 25 before the end of the substrate 9 in the transport direction downstream reaches the position below the slit nozzle 42. The That is, when the resist solution is applied to the upper surface of the substrate 9, the entire substrate 9 is floated and supported on the inlet floating stage 25 and the coating stage 31. For this reason, it is suppressed that the mechanical vibration of the free roller 24 propagates to the substrate 9 during application of the resist solution. Thereby, application failure of the resist solution on the upper surface of the substrate 9 is suppressed.

  The substrate 9 coated with the resist solution is transported to the exit floating stage 51 and stops. Thereafter, a plurality of unloading pins 52 protrude from the upper surface of the outlet levitation stage 51. As a result, the substrate 9 is lifted above the exit levitation stage 51. Thereafter, the transfer robot 3 receives the substrate 9 supported by the plurality of unloading pins 52, and the substrate 9 is transferred from the transfer robot 3 to the apparatus 4 in the subsequent process.

  As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, in the conversion unit 20, a part of the substrate 9 on the upstream side in the transport direction is transferred from the plurality of lifting rollers 21 to the plurality of free rollers 24. For this reason, the support method of the board | substrate 9 can be changed, suppressing the length of the conveyance direction of the entrance floating stage 25. FIG. Moreover, the free roller 24 can support the substrate 9 with a simple structure and can be disposed in a narrow area. Therefore, the plurality of free rollers 24 can be easily arranged at positions where they do not contact the plurality of lifting rollers 21.

<3. Modification>
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, the suction part 32a of the chuck mechanism 32 is fixed at a certain height position, but the suction part 32a may be moved up and down. If the suction part 32a can be moved up and down, the suction part 32a can be brought closer to the lower surface of the substrate 9. Therefore, the support of the substrate 9 by the lift pins 28 can be omitted.

  In the above embodiment, the chuck mechanism 32 is disposed on the lower surface side of the substrate 9. However, the chuck mechanism may be disposed on the upper surface side of the substrate 9. Further, the chuck mechanism 32 may hold the substrate 9 from above and below. In addition, the chuck mechanism 32 of the above-described embodiment has the two suction portions 32a in the transport direction, but the number of the suction portions 32a may be one, or may be three or more.

  In the above embodiment, an example of the conveyor roller 11, the lifting roller 21, and the free roller 24 is shown. However, the size, number, and arrangement of these rollers are different depending on the type of substrate to be processed and the surroundings. It may be changed as appropriate in relation to the structure.

  Moreover, although the 1st conveyance part 10 of said embodiment conveyed the board | substrate 9 with the some conveyor roller 11, the 1st conveyance part of this invention conveys the board | substrate 9 with another mechanism. It may be. For example, while supporting the board | substrate 9 on a some free roller, the both ends of the width direction of the board | substrate 9 may be hold | maintained, and you may convey to a conveyance direction downstream. Moreover, the board | substrate 9 may be mounted on a certain movement member, and the board | substrate 9 may be conveyed to a conveyance direction downstream with the said movement member.

  In addition, the “conversion unit” of the present invention may be any unit that changes the substrate support method between the first transport unit and the second transport unit in a spatial or temporal sense. For example, if the substrate support method is changed in the time between the transfer by the first transfer unit and the transfer by the second transfer unit, the first transfer unit, the conversion unit, and the second transfer unit are in space. You may have the part which mutually overlaps as target arrangement. Moreover, the conversion part may be spatially separated from the 1st conveyance part or the 2nd conveyance part.

  Further, the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above is an apparatus that applies a resist solution to the upper surface of the substrate 9, but the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention may be an apparatus that applies a processing liquid other than the resist solution to the substrate. Good. Further, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention may be an apparatus that performs processes other than the coating process (for example, heat treatment or exposure process).

  In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above is intended for processing the glass substrate 9 for a liquid crystal display device, but the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is a semiconductor wafer, a flexible substrate for film liquid crystal, a photomask substrate, and a color filter substrate. Other substrates such as a substrate, a solar cell substrate, and an electronic paper substrate may be processed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 9 Substrate 10 1st conveyance part 11 Conveyor roller 12 Rotation drive mechanism 20 Conversion part 21 Lifting roller 22 Rotation drive mechanism 23 Lifting drive mechanism 24 Free roller 24a Downstream free roller 24b Upstream free roller 25 Inlet floating stage 25a Discharge hole 26 Guide roller 27 Positioning mechanism 28 Lift pin 30 Second transport unit 31 Coating stage 32 Chuck mechanism 40 Resist coating mechanism 41 Bridging unit 42 Slit nozzle 50 Unloading unit 51 Exit floating stage 52 Unloading pin 60 Control unit 71 Roller support base 72 Stage support

Claims (7)

A substrate processing apparatus having a mechanism for transporting a substrate,
A first transport unit that transports the substrate to a predetermined position on the transport path;
A second transport unit that transports the substrate while floating on the stage on the downstream side in the transport direction from the predetermined position;
Between the first transport unit and the second transport unit, a conversion unit for switching the substrate support method,
Control means for controlling the conversion unit;
With
The conversion unit is
A lifting roller that actively rotates and can move up and down between a standard position and a lowered position while supporting and supporting the substrate;
A free roller that rotates in response to the movement of the substrate while supporting and supporting the substrate at a height position between the upper end of the lifting roller at the standard position and the upper end of the lifting roller at the lowered position;
An inlet levitation stage that is arranged on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the free roller and supports the substrate while levitating to a height lower than the support height of the substrate by the lifting roller at the standard position;
Have
The control means, after the substrate is arranged across the lifting roller and the entrance floating stage at the standard position, lowers the lifting roller to the lowered position, and a part of the substrate upstream in the transport direction, The substrate processing apparatus which controls the said conversion part so that it may transfer to the said free roller. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The conversion unit abuts on an end edge on the downstream side in the transport direction of the substrate disposed across the lifting roller in the standard position and the entrance floating stage, and an end edge on the downstream side of the substrate A positioning pin extending vertically to determine the position of
The length in the transport direction from the upstream end in the transport direction of the entrance levitation stage to the positioning pin when contacting the edge of the substrate on the downstream side in the transport direction is greater than the length in the transport direction of the substrate. Short substrate processing equipment. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
A length of the region in which the elevating roller and the free roller are arranged in the conveyance direction is shorter than the length in the substrate conveyance direction. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
The free roller is
A plurality of downstream free rollers arranged along a side edge on the upstream side in the transport direction of the inlet levitation stage; and
A plurality of upstream free rollers arranged at a position upstream of the plurality of downstream free rollers in the conveying direction; and
Including
The plurality of upstream free rollers are disposed at a lower density than the plurality of downstream free rollers. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
The conversion unit further includes positioning means for determining a horizontal position of the substrate in a state where the substrate is disposed across the lifting roller at the standard position and the entrance floating stage. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
The lifting / lowering roller, the free roller, and the entrance floating stage are supported by different support bases and are not connected to each other. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the free roller is a roller having a smaller diameter than the lifting roller.

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