JP5480605B2 - Substrate transfer apparatus and substrate processing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus and a substrate processing system.

  In an FPD manufacturing process typified by a liquid crystal display (LCD), various processes such as etching and film formation are performed on a substrate such as a glass substrate, which is an object to be processed, under vacuum. In manufacturing an FPD, a so-called multi-chamber type substrate processing system including a plurality of process chambers as substrate processing chambers is used. Such a substrate processing system has a transfer chamber in which a substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate is provided, and a plurality of process chambers provided around the transfer chamber. Then, the substrate is carried into each process chamber by the substrate carrying device in the carrying chamber, or the processed substrate is carried out from each process chamber. For transporting the substrate, a fork-shaped substrate holder having a plurality of support members for supporting the substrate called a pick is usually used.

  In recent years, in order to increase production efficiency, the size of an FPD substrate has been increased, and the size of a substrate holder for holding the substrate has also increased. In order to enable operations such as turning while holding a large substrate on the substrate holder, the transfer chamber must also be enlarged. However, in the case of a vacuum transfer chamber that transfers a substrate in a vacuum state, it is necessary to maintain a mechanical strength that resists atmospheric pressure, and the increase in size is approaching its limit. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, in order to avoid an increase in the size of the transfer chamber and to reduce the burden on the drive mechanism, a plurality of first support members that are slidable on the base and the first support member are provided. A substrate holder having a plurality of second support members slidably provided on a support member has been proposed. The substrate holder disclosed in Patent Document 1 is made compact by retracting the first and second support members in the transfer chamber while securing a stroke necessary for transferring the substrate by a two-stage slide mechanism. Therefore, enlargement of the transfer chamber can be avoided.

JP 2009-4661 A

  When the slide mechanism is employed in the substrate holder as in Patent Document 1, since the member is slid inside the vacuum container, contaminants such as particles are likely to be generated at the sliding portion. There are concerns. Therefore, it is necessary to take precautions so that even if contamination-causing substances such as particles are generated at the sliding portion of the substrate holder, they do not adhere to the substrate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to prevent contamination of the substrate by contamination-causing substances such as particles as much as possible in the substrate transport apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, a substrate transport apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a substrate transport apparatus that supports and transports a substrate, and is slidable with respect to the first member and the first member. A second member provided to support the substrate;
Diffusion that forms a bottleneck between a slide part for sliding the second member and an external substrate transfer space, and prevents contamination-causing substances generated in the slide part from diffusing into the substrate transfer space A prevention member;
It has.

Further, in a second aspect of the present invention, the substrate transport apparatus is a substrate transport apparatus that supports and transports a substrate by a substrate holder having a plurality of support members,
The support member includes a main body,
A movable member that is slidably provided with respect to the main body and supports the substrate;
A diffusion preventing member configured to form a bottleneck between a slide part for sliding the movable member and an external substrate transfer space, and preventing contamination-causing substances generated in the slide part from diffusing into the substrate transfer space When,
It has.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the diffusion preventing member is provided in the main body so as to protrude in a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction of the movable member. The diffusion preventing member is provided so as to cover a part or all of the side surface of the movable member. The diffusion preventing member includes a bottom wall portion and a side wall portion standing from the bottom wall portion and covering part or all of the side surface of the movable member. The movable member includes a support portion having a support surface for supporting the substrate, and a pair of bent side plate portions that hang downward from both sides of the support portion, and the diffusion preventing member includes at least one of the bent side plate portions. It is provided close to cover the lower end from the outside. The main body includes a guide member that slidably guides the movable member, and the diffusion preventing member is provided in the longitudinal direction of the main body so as to be longer than the length of the guide member. Furthermore, a pair of surrounding members are provided on the main body so as to surround the end portion of the guide member.

Further, in the third aspect of the present invention, the substrate transfer device includes:
A substrate transport device that supports and transports a substrate by a substrate holder having a plurality of support members,
A slide base that slidably supports the substrate holder in a horizontal direction;
Diffusion prevention that forms a bottleneck between a slide part for sliding the substrate holder and an external substrate transfer space, and prevents contamination-causing substances generated in the slide part from diffusing into the substrate transfer space Members,
It has.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the diffusion preventing member is provided on the slide base so as to protrude in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the substrate holder. Moreover, the said board | substrate holder has a connection member which connects between the said slide bases so that a slide is possible. Further, the diffusion preventing member is provided in close proximity so as to cover part or all of the side surface of the connecting member. In addition, the slide base includes a guide member that guides the connecting member in a slidable manner, and the diffusion preventing member is provided in the longitudinal direction of the slide base so as to be longer than the length of the guide member. Yes.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention, an adsorbent layer is provided on the inner wall surface of the diffusion preventing member. In this case, the adsorbent layer may be composed of an adhesive member or a liquid absorbent member.

  A substrate processing system of the present invention includes any one of the above-described substrate transfer apparatuses.

  According to the substrate transfer device of the present invention, a shape is formed that forms a bottleneck between the slide portion and the external substrate transfer space, and contamination-causing substances generated in the slide portion are prevented from diffusing into the substrate transfer space. Since the diffusion preventing member is provided, contaminants such as particles generated at the slide portion can be received by the diffusion preventing member, and diffusion to the outside can be prevented. Therefore, the substrate transport apparatus used for transporting the substrate can prevent contamination of the substrate, which is a generation source, by particles and the like, and can realize highly reliable substrate processing.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a vacuum processing system. It is a top view of the vacuum processing system of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which evacuated the board | substrate holder in the conveying apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which advanced the board | substrate holder in the conveying apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the support pick provided with the diffusion prevention cover of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the support pick provided with the diffusion prevention cover of the modification. It is sectional drawing in the longitudinal direction of a support pick. It is drawing explaining the example of arrangement | positioning of a surrounding member. It is sectional drawing of the diffusion prevention member which provided the adsorbent layer. It is sectional drawing of another example of the diffusion prevention member which provided the adsorbent layer. It is a perspective view which shows the state which evacuated the board | substrate holder in the conveying apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the support pick provided with the diffusion prevention cover of 2nd Embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, description will be made by taking as an example a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and a substrate processing system including the substrate transfer apparatus. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a vacuum processing system 100 as a substrate processing system, and FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the inside of each chamber. The vacuum processing system 100 has a multi-chamber structure having a plurality of process chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c. The vacuum processing system 100 is configured as a processing system for performing plasma processing on a glass substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) S for FPD, for example. Examples of the FPD include a liquid crystal display (LCD), an electro luminescence (EL) display, a plasma display panel (PDP), and the like.

  In the vacuum processing system 100, a plurality of large chambers are connected in a cross shape in plan view. A transfer chamber 3 is disposed at the center, and three process chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c for performing plasma processing on the substrate S are disposed adjacent to the three side surfaces thereof. Further, a load lock chamber 5 is disposed adjacent to the remaining one side surface of the transfer chamber 3. These three process chambers 1a, 1b, 1c, the transfer chamber 3 and the load lock chamber 5 are all configured as vacuum chambers. An opening (not shown) is provided between the transfer chamber 3 and each process chamber 1a, 1b, 1c, and a gate valve 7a having an opening / closing function is provided in the opening. Further, a gate valve 7 b is disposed between the transfer chamber 3 and the load lock chamber 5. The gate valves 7a and 7b hermetically seal between the chambers in the closed state, and allow the substrate S to be transferred by communicating between the chambers in the open state. Further, a gate valve 7c is also provided between the load lock chamber 5 and the outside air atmosphere so that the airtightness of the load lock chamber 5 is maintained in the closed state and the inside and outside of the load lock chamber 5 are opened in the open state. The substrate S can be transferred between the two.

  Two cassette indexers 9 a and 9 b are provided outside the load lock chamber 5. On each cassette indexer 9a, 9b, cassettes 11a, 11b for accommodating the substrates S are placed. In each cassette 11a, 11b, substrates S are arranged in multiple stages at intervals in the vertical direction. Moreover, each cassette 11a, 11b is comprised by the raising / lowering mechanism parts 13a, 13b so that raising / lowering is possible respectively. In this embodiment, for example, an unprocessed substrate is accommodated in the cassette 11a, and a processed substrate is accommodated in the other cassette 11b.

  A transport device 15 for transporting the substrate S is provided between the two cassettes 11a and 11b. The transport device 15 supports substrate holders 17a and 17b provided in two upper and lower stages, a drive unit 19 that supports the substrate holders 17a and 17b so that the substrate holders 17a and 17b can advance, retreat, and turn, and the drive unit 19. And a support base 21.

  The process chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c are configured so that their internal spaces can be maintained in a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere (vacuum state). In each process chamber 1a, 1b, 1c, as shown in FIG. 2, a susceptor 2 as a mounting table on which the substrate S is mounted is arranged. In each of the process chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c, with the substrate S placed on the susceptor 2, the substrate S is subjected to plasma processing such as etching processing, ashing processing, and film formation processing under vacuum conditions. It is.

  In the present embodiment, the same type of processing may be performed in the three process chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c, or different types of processing may be performed for each process chamber. The number of process chambers is not limited to three and may be four or more.

  The transfer chamber 3 is configured so that it can be maintained in a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere in the same manner as the process chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c that are vacuum processing chambers. As shown in FIG. 2, a transfer device 23 is disposed in the transfer chamber 3. Then, the substrate S is transferred between the three process chambers 1 a, 1 b, 1 c and the load lock chamber 5 by the transfer device 23.

  The transfer device 23 includes transfer devices provided in two upper and lower stages, and is configured so that the substrates S can be taken in and out independently. 3 and 4 show a schematic configuration of the upper transfer device 23a having the fork-shaped substrate holder 101. FIG. FIG. 3 shows a state where the substrate holder 101 is retracted, and FIG. 4 shows a state where the substrate holder 101 is advanced. The transport device 23 a includes a slide base 111 and a substrate holder 101 that is slidable with respect to the slide base 111 as main components. The substrate holder 101 includes a pick base 113 slidably provided on a slide base 111 by a main drive mechanism (not shown), and a plurality of “first members” provided on the pick base 113 (FIGS. 3 and 4). 3) pick bodies 115, and a plurality (three in FIGS. 3 and 4) of movable picks 117 as "second members" slidably provided on the pick body 115 by a sub drive mechanism (not shown). And have. The pick body 115 and the movable pick 117 constitute a support pick 118 as a support member. Each movable pick 117 is provided so as to be slidable between an advanced state extended forward with respect to each pick main body 115 and a retracted state retracted from the advanced state. In addition, the movable pick 117 is configured to move back and forth in synchronization with a connecting portion (not shown).

  The pick base 113 may be of any configuration as long as it can securely fix a plurality of pick bodies 115 provided in a comb shape and can be movably connected to the slide base 111. Further, the connection structure between the pick base 113 and the pick main body 115 is also arbitrary.

  The substrate S is supported on the movable pick 117 and is transported. The main drive mechanism and the sub drive mechanism (not shown) are linked to each other, and the pick base 113 (that is, the entire substrate holder 101) is moved forward in the first stroke on the slide base 111. A movable pick 117 moves forward on the main body 115 in the second stroke. Therefore, the substrate S on the movable pick 117 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3 by the total amount of the first stroke and the second stroke at the time of advance, for example, any of the process chambers 1a, 1b, 1c. The substrate S is transferred between the heels. When the substrate holder 101 and the movable pick 117 are withdrawn, the substrate S moves in the direction opposite to the time of advance (the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4) by the total amount of the first stroke and the second stroke.

A linear guide 119 as a guide member is provided on the upper surface 115 a of the pick body 115. Since the movable pick 117 has an engaging member (not shown here) that engages with the linear guide 119, the movable pick 117 can advance and retreat while being guided in the linear direction by the linear guide 119. The pick body 115 receives contamination-causing substances such as particles (hereinafter, simply referred to as “particles”) that may be generated by sliding between the linear guide 119 and the engaging member, and prevents diffusion. A diffusion prevention cover 121 is provided.
The detailed configuration of the diffusion prevention cover 121 will be described later.

  3 and 4, the upper transport device 23a has been described, but the lower transport device (not shown) has the same configuration as the upper transport device 23a. The upper and lower transport devices 23 are connected by a connection mechanism (not shown) and are configured to be integrally rotated in the horizontal direction. In addition, the transport device 23 configured in two upper and lower stages is connected to a drive unit (not shown) that performs a slide operation of the pick base 113 and the slide pick main body 115 and a rotation operation and a lift operation of the slide base 111. The main drive mechanism that slides the pick base 113 on the slide base 111 and the sub drive mechanism that slides the movable pick 117 on the pick body 115 may be driven independently of each other.

  The load lock chamber 5 is configured to be able to be maintained in a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere in the same manner as the process chambers 1a, 1b, 1c and the transfer chamber 3. The load lock chamber 5 is for transferring the substrate S between the cassettes 11a and 11b in the atmospheric atmosphere and the transfer chamber 3 in the reduced pressure atmosphere. The load lock chamber 5 is configured to have a small internal volume as much as possible because of the repeated atmosphere and reduced pressure atmosphere. The load lock chamber 5 is provided with substrate accommodation portions 27 in two upper and lower stages (only the upper stage is shown in FIG. 2), and each substrate accommodation portion 27 is provided with a plurality of buffers 28 that support the substrate S. . In the load lock chamber 5, a positioner 29 is provided that abuts near corners of the rectangular substrate S facing each other and performs alignment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each component of the vacuum processing system 100 is connected to and controlled by a control unit 30 having a computer function (not shown in FIG. 1). The control unit 30 includes a controller 31 including a CPU, a user interface 32, and a storage unit 33. In the vacuum processing system 100, the controller 31 controls each component such as the process chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c, the transfer device 15, and the transfer device 23 in an integrated manner. The user interface 32 includes a keyboard on which a process manager manages command input in order to manage the vacuum processing system 100, a display that visualizes and displays the operating status of the vacuum processing system 100, and the like. The storage unit 33 stores a recipe in which a control program (software) for realizing various processes executed in the vacuum processing system 100 under the control of the controller 31 and processing condition data are recorded. The user interface 32 and the storage unit 33 are connected to the controller 31.

  If necessary, an arbitrary recipe is called from the storage unit 33 by an instruction from the user interface 32 and is executed by the controller 31, so that a desired process in the vacuum processing system 100 is performed under the control of the controller 31. Is done.

  Recipes such as the control program and processing condition data that are stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk, a flexible disk, or a flash memory can be used. Alternatively, it can be transmitted from other devices as needed via, for example, a dedicated line and used online.

Next, the operation of the vacuum processing system 100 configured as described above will be described.
First, the two substrate holders 17 a and 17 b of the transfer device 15 are driven to receive the substrate S from the cassette 11 a that stores unprocessed substrates, and is transferred to the buffer 28 of the upper and lower two-stage substrate storage portions 27 of the load lock chamber 5. Place each one.

  After retracting the substrate holders 17a and 17b, the gate valve 7c on the atmosphere side of the load lock chamber 5 is closed. Thereafter, the inside of the load lock chamber 5 is evacuated and the inside is depressurized to a predetermined degree of vacuum. Next, the gate valve 7 b between the transfer chamber 3 and the load lock chamber 5 is opened, and the substrate S accommodated in the substrate accommodating portion 27 of the load lock chamber 5 is received by the substrate holder 101 of the transfer device 23. At this time, the pick base 113 (the whole substrate holder 101) slides with respect to the slide base 111, and each movable pick 117 slides with respect to each pick body 115, so that the movable pick 117 advances or retracts. Then, the substrate S is delivered.

  Next, in a state where the substrate S is held by the substrate holder 101 of the transfer device 23, the process chambers 1a and 1b are combined by a combination of the slide operation of the pick base 113 and the movable pick 117 and the rotation operation and the lifting operation of the slide base 111. , 1c, and the substrate S is transferred to the susceptor 2. In the process chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c, the substrate S is subjected to a predetermined process such as etching. Next, the processed substrate S is transferred from the susceptor 2 to the substrate holder 101 of the transfer device 23 by the same sliding operation as described above, and is unloaded from the process chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c.

  Then, the substrate S is accommodated in the cassette 11b by the transfer device 15 through the load lock chamber 5 through a path opposite to the above. The processed substrate S may be returned to the original cassette 11a.

  Next, the detailed configuration of the diffusion preventing member according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 10 by taking the diffusion preventing cover 121 attached to the substrate holder 101 as an example. First, the configuration of the substrate holder 101 to which the diffusion prevention cover 121 is attached will be described. FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the support pick 118 at a portion where the pick body 115 and the movable pick 117 overlap in the retracted state shown in FIG. The pick body 115 of the substrate holder 101 has a long hollow rectangular tube shape. As a material of the pick body 115, for example, CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) or the like is used as a material having high rigidity so that bending due to load is not generated as much as possible while the large-sized substrate S is placed. It has been. The pick body 115 may be a solid plate, for example.

  The movable pick 117 is a long plate whose cross section has an inverted U shape. The movable pick 117 includes a support portion 117b having a support surface 117a that supports the substrate S, and a pair of bent side plate portions 117c that are bent from the support portion 117b and hang down in a hook shape downward on both sides. The bent side plate portion 117c is provided for the purpose of maintaining the mechanical strength while reducing the weight of the movable pick 117. In this embodiment, the bent side plate portion 117c also has an action of containing particles together with the diffusion prevention cover 121. The pick main body 115 is inserted into a space formed by the support portion 117b of the movable pick 117 and a pair of opposed bent side plate portions 117c. The movable pick 117 is made of the same material as the pick body 115.

  As described above, the linear guide 119 is provided on the upper surface 115a of the pick body 115 in the longitudinal direction. A sliding block 123 as an engaging member is provided on the lower surface 117d of the support portion 117b of the movable pick 117. The sliding block 123 slides while engaging with the linear guide 119, and defines the advancing / retreating direction and the advancing / retreating stroke of the movable pick 117 with respect to the pick body 115. As described above, the linear guide 119, the sliding block 123, and the auxiliary driving unit (not shown) constitute sliding means for sliding the movable pick 117.

  A diffusion prevention cover 121 as a diffusion prevention member is attached to the pick body 115. The diffusion prevention cover 121 includes a bottom wall part 121a and a side wall part 121b that rises substantially vertically from the bottom wall part 121a. Further, the diffusion prevention cover 121 has a fixing portion 121c formed by being bent at a substantially right angle from the bottom wall portion 121a. The bottom wall 121a and the side wall 121b are L-shaped in cross section. The material of the diffusion prevention cover 121 is not particularly limited as long as it can be attached to the pick body 115, and for example, a metal such as aluminum, a synthetic resin, or the like can be used. The diffusion prevention cover 121 is fixed to the pick body 115 at the fixing portion 121c by fixing means (not shown) such as a screw or an adhesive. The method for fixing the diffusion prevention cover 121 is not particularly limited. For example, the diffusion prevention cover 121 may be detachably provided, or may be provided integrally with the pick body 115 by welding or the like.

  The bottom wall portion 121a of the diffusion prevention cover 121 projects substantially horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support pick 118 (the transverse direction of the pick body 115 and the movable pick 117). The bottom wall portion 121a has a function of receiving particles that are generated when the sliding block 123 and the linear guide 119 rub against each other and fall. In FIG. 5, the trajectory until particles generated at the sliding portion (sliding portion) between the sliding block 123 and the linear guide 119 fall on the bottom wall portion 121 a of the diffusion prevention cover 121 and are received is schematically indicated by a broken line. This is indicated by the arrow.

  The side wall portion 121b of the diffusion prevention cover 121 is substantially parallel to the side surface 115b of the pick body 115 and the bent side plate portion 117c of the movable pick 117, and covers at least the lower end of the bent side plate portion 117c. It is provided close to 117c. The side wall portion 121b of the diffusion prevention cover 121 has an effect of receiving particles as in the case of the bottom wall portion 121a and enclosing the particles so that they are not scattered outside. For this purpose, as shown in the drawing, the height of the support surface 117a of the movable pick 117 from the bottom surface 115c of the pick body 115 is H1, the height of the upper end of the side wall 121b of the diffusion prevention cover 121 is H2, and the movable pick 117 When the height of the lower end of the bent side plate portion 117c is H3, H1> H2> H3. That is, the lower end of the bent side plate portion 117 c of the movable pick 117 is inserted between the side surface 115 b of the pick body 115 and the side wall portion 121 b of the diffusion prevention cover 121. And the space | interval of the bending side board part 117c of the movable pick 117 and the side wall part 121b of the spreading | diffusion prevention cover 121 is formed narrowly, and the bottleneck which cannot diffuse a particle outside is formed. By adopting such a structure, it is possible to prevent particles received by the diffusion prevention cover 121 from rising and scattering to the outside of the diffusion prevention cover 121. That is, a bottleneck is formed between the sliding portion of the sliding block 123 and the linear guide 119 and the external substrate transport space, and particles generated by sliding the movable pick 117 diffuse into the substrate transport space. This can be prevented.

  The diffusion prevention cover 121 may not be a shape having the bottom wall portion 121a and the side wall portion 121b, but may be a diffusion prevention cover 121A having a curved shape having a circular cross section as shown in FIG. 6, for example. . Also in this case, the upper end portion of the diffusion prevention cover 121A is provided in the vicinity of the bent side plate portion 117c of the movable pick 117, and has a structure that encloses the particles received by the diffusion prevention cover 121A inside.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in the longitudinal direction of one support pick 118 with the movable pick 117 retracted. As illustrated, the diffusion prevention cover 121 is disposed longer than the linear guide 119 so as to cover the range in which the linear guide 119 extends in the longitudinal direction of the pick body 115. As described above, the movable pick 117 advances and retracts when the sliding block 123 slides while engaging the linear guide 119. Therefore, by disposing the diffusion prevention cover 121 so as to cover the moving range of the sliding block 123 where particles are most likely to be generated, particles falling from the sliding portion can be received. In addition, although the structure which has the two sliding blocks 123 was illustrated in FIG. 7, the sliding block 123 may be one piece or three or more pieces.

  In the substrate holder 101 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a pair of particles generated in the sliding portion between the sliding block 123 and the linear guide 119 are further sealed in order to contain the particles without diffusing to the outside. The surrounding members 125a and 125b may be provided. The pair of surrounding members 125a and 125b are U-shaped walls that are erected on the upper surface 115a of the pick main body 115, and are arranged so as to surround the proximal end portion 119a and the distal end portion 119b of the linear guide 119 from the front and rear. Opposed to each other. As described above, the movable pick 117 advances and retreats by sliding while the sliding block 123 engages with the linear guide 119. Therefore, in the advance operation, the movable pick 117 moves toward the front end 119b side of the linear guide 119. In the retracting operation, particles are likely to be scattered toward the base end portion 119a side of the linear guide 119. The pair of surrounding members 125 a and 125 b have an action of receiving particles generated at the sliding portion and preventing the particles from dropping toward the distal end side or the proximal end side of the pick body 115. The particles received by the surrounding members 125a and 125b can be received by the diffusion prevention cover 121 even if they fall from the side. Therefore, it is more preferable that the diffusion prevention cover 121 is provided below the pair of surrounding members 125a and 125b within a range that can cover both. As described above, in the substrate holder 101 of the present embodiment, the diffusion prevention cover 121 and, if necessary, the pair of surrounding members 125a and 125b are further provided, so that particles generated at the sliding portion of the sliding mechanism can be effectively obtained. Contained and prevented from spreading outside. Only one of the surrounding members 125a and 125b may be disposed.

  A configuration for further enhancing the particle containment effect will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 9, an adhesive sheet 131 that adsorbs particles as an adsorbent layer is provided on the inner surface of the bottom wall portion 121 a and the inner surface of the side wall portion 121 b of the diffusion prevention cover 121. The adhesive sheet 131 can be made of a material such as an adhesive synthetic resin. The adhesive sheet 131 can adsorb and capture particles flying or falling into the diffusion prevention cover 121, so that the diffusion of particles to the outside can be prevented more reliably.

  Further, in FIG. 9, not only the inner surface of the diffusion prevention cover 121 but also the side surface 115 b of the pick main body 115 and the inner surface of the bent side plate portion 117 c of the movable pick 117 that faces the side surface 115 b in the retracted state. Is provided. As described above, since the movable pick 117 is slidably provided with respect to the pick body 115, the side surface 115b of the pick body 115 and the bent side plate portion of the movable pick 117 when the movable pick 117 is fully advanced. Most of the inner surface of 117c is not exposed to each other and is exposed to the outside. In the advanced state, the diffusion prevention cover 121 does not exist below the movable pick 117. For this reason, if particles generated at the sliding portion of the sliding mechanism are attached to the inner surface of the bent side plate portion 117c of the movable pick 117, the particles may fall or scatter and cause particle contamination. In addition, when the movable pick 117 is advanced, the side surface 115b of the pick main body 115 is exposed. Therefore, if there are particles adhering to the side surface 115b, they are easily scattered around. As shown in FIG. 9, the adhesive sheet 131 is arranged on the side surface 115b of the pick body 115 and the inner surface of the bent side plate portion 117c of the movable pick 117, thereby adsorbing and firmly capturing particles adhering to these surfaces. And can be prevented from falling or scattering. The adhesive sheet 131 may be provided so as to cover the entire wall surface to be disposed, or may be provided only in a part.

  In FIG. 10, a liquid absorbent sheet 133 is provided as an adsorbent layer on the inner surface of the bottom wall 121 a of the diffusion prevention cover 121. The liquid-absorbent sheet 133 can be made of a material having excellent liquid absorption ability and liquid retention ability such as a porous material such as a sponge or a fiber material. Lubricating oil (grease) or the like may be injected into the sliding portion between the sliding block 123 and the linear guide 119 to enable smooth sliding. The lubricating oil may become fine oil droplets with the sliding operation and scatter around the substrate, causing contamination of the substrate S. The liquid absorbent sheet 133 absorbs and captures minute oil droplets of the lubricating oil that has fallen into the diffusion prevention cover 121. The liquid absorbent sheet 133 absorbs and captures the oil flowing down along the inner wall surface of the bent side plate portion 117c of the movable pick 117 or the side surface 115b of the pick main body 115.

  Since the liquid absorbent sheet 133 is excellent in the ability to absorb and retain the liquid, it encloses the oil once trapped and prevents diffusion to the outside. As a result, contamination of the substrate S with oil can be effectively prevented. In FIG. 10, particles are applied to the inner surface of the side wall portion 121b other than the bottom wall portion 121a of the diffusion prevention cover 121, the side surface 115b of the pick main body 115, and the inner surface of the bent side plate portion 117c of the movable pick 117, as in FIG. An adhesive sheet 131 to be adsorbed is provided. Thus, by arranging the adhesive sheet 131 and the liquid-absorbing sheet 133 having different properties as the adsorbent layer, contamination of the substrate S due to contamination-causing substances such as particles can be prevented more reliably. Of course, the liquid-absorbent sheet 133 may also be disposed on the inner surface of the side wall portion 121b of the diffusion prevention cover 121, the side surface 115b of the pick body 115, and the inner surface of the bent side plate portion 117c of the movable pick 117. The liquid absorbent sheet 133 may be provided so as to cover the entire wall surface to be disposed, or may be provided only in a part.

  The adhesive sheet 131 and the liquid-absorbent sheet 133 can be prevented from becoming a source of contamination-causing substances by being fixed, for example, with a double-sided adhesive tape or the like and periodically replaced.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a substrate transfer apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a schematic configuration of a transport apparatus 200 to which the diffusion prevention cover of the present embodiment can be applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 shows a state in which the diffusion prevention cover is not attached in order to clarify the configuration of the transport apparatus 200. As shown in FIG. 11, the transport apparatus 200 has a structure in which the substrate holder 205 is suspended from the slide base 201. The transport apparatus 200 has a slide base 201 as a main configuration, a substrate holder 205 that has a connecting slider 203 and is slidable with respect to the slide base 201, and a plurality of frames (see FIG. 11 has two) 207. FIG. 11 shows a state where the substrate holder 205 is retracted. The transfer device 200 can be used in the vacuum processing system 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2 in place of the transfer device 23 of the first embodiment. Note that the transport apparatus 200 may include a slide base 201 and a substrate holder 205 in multiple stages, for example, two stages at the top and bottom.

  The slide base 201 has a long plate shape and has slide portions 201a at both ends along the longitudinal direction thereof. A guide (not shown in FIG. 11, see FIG. 12) is formed on each slide portion 201a. The slide base 201 is fixed to and supported by two frames 207 disposed so as to traverse upward. The transport apparatus 200 is configured to be able to move up and down and turn integrally with the two frames 207 by a drive mechanism (not shown).

  The substrate holder 205 includes a pair of connecting sliders 203 and 203 (only one side is shown in FIG. 11), a pick base 209 that is fixed to these connecting sliders 203 and is slidable with respect to the slide base 201, The pick base 209 includes a plurality of (for example, three) pick bodies 211 and a movable pick 213 provided on each pick body 211 so as to be slidable by a sub-drive mechanism (not shown). The connection slider 203 is fixed to the pick base 209 and engages with the slide portion 201 a of the slide base 201 to suspend the entire substrate holder 205. Then, the connecting slider 203 slides the pick base 209 (that is, the substrate holder 205) by a main drive mechanism (not shown) while engaging the slide portion 201a.

  The pick body 211 and the movable pick 213 constitute a support pick 215 as a support member. Each movable pick 213 extends forward (in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 11) with respect to the respective pick body 211, and retracted from the advanced state to the rear (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 11). The sliding movement is provided between the two. In addition, the movable pick 213 is configured to move back and forth in synchronization with a connecting portion (not shown).

  The configuration of the pick base 209 is not limited as long as it can securely fix a plurality of pick bodies 211 provided in a comb shape and can be movably connected to the slide base 201. Further, the connection structure between the pick base 209 and the pick body 211 is also arbitrary.

  The substrate S is supported on the movable pick 213 and is transported. The pick base 209 (that is, the entire substrate holder 205) is advanced forward (in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 11) with respect to the slide base 201 by the first stroke by the main drive mechanism and the sub drive mechanism (not shown). The movable pick 213 can be advanced forward by the second stroke on the pick body 211. Therefore, the substrate S on the movable pick 213 moves forward by the total amount of the first stroke and the second stroke when moving forward, and, for example, between the process chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c, Delivery takes place. When the substrate holder 205 and the movable pick 213 are withdrawn, the substrate S moves in the direction opposite to the time of advance (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 11) by the total amount of the first stroke and the second stroke.

  FIG. 12 shows a cross section in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the slide base 201 and the support pick 215 in the transport apparatus 200 in a state where the diffusion prevention cover 221 as a diffusion prevention member is mounted, as viewed from the direction of the arrow B in FIG. It is an enlarged view. The diffusion prevention cover 221 is attached to the slide base 201. That is, in the present embodiment, the slide base 201 is a “first member”, and the substrate holder 205 including the connecting slider 203 is a “second member”. The diffusion prevention cover 221 includes an upper wall portion 221a and a side wall portion 221b that hangs substantially vertically from the upper wall portion 221a. The upper wall portion 221a and the side wall portion 221b have an L-shaped cross section. The material of the diffusion prevention cover 221 is the same as that of the first embodiment. The diffusion prevention cover 221 is fixed to the slide base 201 by a fixing means (not shown) such as a screw or an adhesive. The method for fixing the diffusion prevention cover 221 is not particularly limited, and may be provided detachably or may be provided integrally with the slide base 201 by welding or the like.

  The upper wall portion 221a of the diffusion prevention cover 221 projects substantially horizontally in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the slide base 201. As shown in FIG. 12, the pair of connecting sliders 203 and 203 fixed to the pick base 209 are engaged with guides 201 b protruding from the left and right slide portions 201 a of the slide base 201. The connecting slider 203 slides along the guide 201b to slide the entire substrate holder 205 horizontally. The diffusion prevention cover 221 acts so that particles generated at the sliding portion (sliding portion) between the connecting slider 203 and the guide 201b do not diffuse into the external conveyance space. That is, the upper wall portion 221a and the side wall portion 221b of the diffusion prevention cover 221 are provided so as to be substantially parallel to the upper surface 203a and the side surface 203b on the outer side of the connection slider 203 and so as to cover at least the upper portion of the connection slider 203. It has been. The distance between the upper wall portion 221a of the diffusion prevention cover 221 and the upper surface 203a of the connection slider 203, and the distance between the side wall portion 221b of the diffusion prevention cover 221 and the side surface 203b of the connection slider 203 are both narrow, and particles are externally disposed on the substrate. A bottleneck is formed so that it cannot diffuse into the transport space.

  The diffusion prevention cover 221 may have any shape that can form a bottleneck with the connection slider 203. For example, when the shape of the connection slider is curved, the diffusion prevention cover also has a curved cross section. The shape can be made.

  In the present embodiment, the auxiliary cover 223 is further disposed so as to shield the slide portions 201a formed on the left and right sides of the slide base 201. The auxiliary cover 223 is provided in parallel and close to the inner side wall surface 203c of the connecting slider 203. The auxiliary cover 223 receives particles generated between the auxiliary slider 223 and the guide 201 b due to the movement of the connecting slider 203, and prevents the auxiliary cover 223 from falling on the substrate S below the slide base 201.

  Further, although not shown, the diffusion prevention cover 221 and the auxiliary cover 223 are provided in such a length as to cover the formation range of the guide 201b of the slide base 201, as in the first embodiment. Similarly to the first embodiment, the diffusion prevention cover 221 may be provided with an adsorbent layer formed of an adhesive sheet or a liquid absorbent sheet on the inner wall surface thereof.

  In addition, the pick main body 211 of each support pick 215 of the transport apparatus 200 is provided with a diffusion prevention cover 121 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. The configuration and operation of this diffusion prevention cover 121 are as described in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the attachment of the diffusion prevention cover 121 to the support pick 215 is optional and may not be provided.

  Other configurations and operations in the present embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described in detail for the purpose of illustration, this invention is not restrict | limited to the said embodiment. Those skilled in the art can make many modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and these are also included within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the second embodiment, a diffusion prevention cover may be provided on the slide portion of the slide base 111 of the first embodiment as in the case where the diffusion prevention cover 221 is provided on the slide portion 201a of the slide base 201. good. In the above embodiment, the transport device 23 that transports the substrate S in a vacuum state has been described as an example. However, the diffusion prevention covers 121 and 221 are provided on the transport device 15 that transports a substrate in an atmospheric pressure state. Is also applicable.

  Moreover, the board | substrate conveyance apparatus of this invention provided with the diffusion prevention covers 121 and 221 is not restricted to the conveyance apparatus which carries the glass substrate for FPD manufacture as a conveyance object, For example, substrates for various uses, such as a board | substrate for solar cells, are conveyance object. The present invention can also be applied to the transfer device.

  In addition, the configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the slide system provided in the upper and lower two stages, and may be a one-stage configuration or a three-stage configuration. Further, in the slide type transport device 23 according to the first embodiment arranged in two upper and lower stages, the diffusion prevention cover 121 can be provided only for the upper transport device 23a.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a, 1b, 1c ... Process chamber, 3 ... Transfer chamber, 5 ... Load lock chamber, 100 ... Vacuum processing system, 101 ... Substrate holder, 111 ... Slide base, 113 ... Pick base, 115 ... Pick main body, 115a ... Upper surface 115b ... side surface, 117 ... movable pick, 117a ... support surface, 117b ... support portion, 117c ... bending side plate portion, 117d ... bottom surface, 118 ... support pick, 119 ... linear guide, 121 ... diffusion prevention cover, 121a ... bottom Wall part, 121b ... Side wall part, 121c ... Fixed part, 123 ... Sliding block, S ... Substrate

Claims (8)

A substrate transfer device for supporting and transferring a substrate,
A long first member;
A cross section in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction has an inverted U-shape by having a support portion having a support surface for supporting the substrate and a pair of opposite bent side plate portions that hang downward from both sides of the support portion. The first member is inserted between a pair of bent side plate portions, and slides with respect to the first member at a slide portion formed between the first member and the lower surface of the support portion. A long second member that is provided and supports the substrate;
A bottom wall portion and a side wall portion standing from the bottom wall portion, and the bottom wall portion projects from the first member in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the second member. The side wall portion is provided in close proximity so as to cover at least the lower end of the bent side plate portion from the outside, thereby forming a shape that forms a bottleneck between the slide portion and the external substrate transfer space. A diffusion preventing member for preventing contamination-causing substances generated in the slide part from diffusing into the substrate transfer space;
A substrate transfer apparatus comprising: A substrate transport device that supports and transports a substrate by a substrate holder having a plurality of support members,
The support member includes a long main body,
A cross section in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction has an inverted U-shape by having a support portion having a support surface for supporting the substrate and a pair of opposite bent side plate portions that hang downward from both sides of the support portion. The main body is inserted between a pair of bent side plate portions, and is provided so as to be slidable with respect to the main body at a slide portion formed between the main body and the lower surface of the support portion to support the substrate. A long movable member;
A bottom wall portion, and a side wall portion standing from the bottom wall portion, the bottom wall portion extending from the main body in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the movable member, The portion is provided in close proximity so as to cover at least the lower end of the bent side plate portion from the outside, thereby forming a bottleneck between the slide portion and the external substrate transfer space. A diffusion preventing member for preventing the generated pollutant from diffusing into the substrate transfer space;
A substrate transfer apparatus comprising: Said body, said movable member comprises a slidably guided guide member, in the longitudinal direction of the body, the guide claim wherein said diffusion preventing member in length or longer of the provided member 2 The board | substrate conveyance apparatus of description. The board | substrate conveyance apparatus of Claim 3 with which a pair of surrounding member is provided on the said main body so that the edge part of the said guide member may be enclosed. Wherein the inner wall surface of the diffusion preventing member, the substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of 4 from claim 1, further comprising an adsorbent layer. The board | substrate conveyance apparatus of Claim 5 with which the said adsorbent layer is comprised by the adhesive member. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the adsorbent layer is configured by a liquid absorbing member. A substrate processing system having a substrate transfer apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 7.

Images