JP6614879B2 - Support apparatus and support method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a support device and a support method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a support device that supports a support object from the one surface side while restricting movement of the one surface of the support object in the surface direction is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-19545 A

  However, in the substrate processing apparatus (support apparatus) described in Patent Document 1, the substrate W (support object) is positioned below the spin base 5 (base member) and the substrate W is being supported. If the blowing of gas from the substrate support head 71 (supporting force applying means) is stopped for some reason and the suction force (supporting force) is lost, there is a disadvantage that the substrate W falls.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a support device and a support method capable of preventing a support object from falling even when the support force is lost.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a support device for supporting a support object, a base member, and a support force applying unit that is supported by the base member and applies a support force to the support object. And a movement restriction that is supported by the base member and abuts against an outer edge of the support object to which the support force is applied by the support force applying means to restrict movement of one surface of the support object in the surface direction. The movement restricting means is recessed outward in the surface direction of one surface of the support object to which the support force is applied by the support force applying means, and the outer edge portion of the support object has the support force. It is a support apparatus characterized by having a recessed part which enters with the movement of the said support target produced by giving .

  The supporting force applying means may apply a supporting force to the supporting object by blowing gas toward one surface of the supporting object.

  The movement restricting means may be provided so as to be elastically deformable.

  The supporting force applying means may be provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the base member.

  The recess may be provided at a plurality of locations in a direction in which the recess is in contact with or away from the base member.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a supporting method for supporting a supporting object, a supporting force applying step for applying a supporting force to the supporting object, and an outer edge of the supporting object to which a supporting force is applied in the supporting force applying step. A movement restricting step for restricting movement of one surface of the support object in the surface direction by a movement restricting means, and in the movement restricting step, the support force is applied in the support force applying step. Along with the movement of the support object generated by applying the support force to the outer edge of the support object, the movement restricting means provided with a recess recessed outward in the surface direction of one surface of the object. It is the supporting method characterized by including the process to enter.

According to the present invention, the movement restricting means is provided with the recess into which the outer edge portion of the support object enters, so that the support object can be prevented from falling even if the support force is lost.
Moreover, if it is set as the structure which sprays gas toward the one surface of a support target object and provides support force to the said support target object, the said support target object will be supported non-contactingly other than the outer edge part of a support target object. be able to.
Furthermore, since the movement restricting means is provided so as to be elastically deformable, the outer edge portion of the support object can easily enter the recess.
Further, since the supporting force applying means is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the base member, the outer edge portion of the supporting object can be easily guided to the position of the concave portion.
Furthermore, the outer edge part of a support target object can be more reliably made to enter into a recessed part more reliably because the recessed part is provided in multiple places in the direction which contacts / separates with respect to a base member.

The side view which shows the support apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Operation | movement explanatory drawing of the support apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows a modification.

Hereinafter, a supporting device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In this embodiment, the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis are orthogonal to each other, the X axis and the Y axis are axes within a predetermined plane, and the Z axis is an axis orthogonal to the predetermined plane. To do. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when viewed from the near side of FIG. 1 parallel to the Y axis, when indicating the direction, “up” is the arrow direction of the Z axis, “down” is the opposite direction, “ “Left” is the arrow direction of the X axis, “Right” is the opposite direction, “Front” is the front direction orthogonal to the page, and “Rear” is the opposite direction of the Y axis arrow direction.

  In FIG. 1, the transfer device 10 is supported by a base member 20 and a base member 20, and one surface (upper surface) of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as “wafer”) WF as a support target. The support force applying means 30 for applying a support force to the wafer WF and the base member 20 and supporting the support force by the support force applying means 30 on the outer edge of the wafer WF by blowing gas toward A movement restricting means 40 that abuts and restricts movement of one surface of the wafer WF in the surface direction and a moving means 50 that supports and moves the base member 20 are provided, and the upper surface is the mounting surface 60A. The first table 60 is disposed in the vicinity of the second table 61 (see FIG. 2D) whose upper surface is the mounting surface 61A. The base member 20, the support force applying means 30, and the movement restricting means 40 in the present embodiment constitute a support device 70 of the present invention.

  The base member 20 includes a facing surface 21 that can face one surface of the wafer WF, and a recess 22 formed in the facing surface 21.

  The supporting force imparting means 30 includes a suction member 32 supported by an output shaft 31A of a linear motion motor 31 as a driving device supported in the recess 22, a pressure pump that supplies gas to the suction member 32, a turbine, and the like. Gas supply means (not shown). The suction member 32 is a so-called Bernoulli chuck using Bernoulli's theorem, and jets gas toward the outside in the surface direction of one surface of the wafer WF from an ejection hole 32B formed in the suction surface 32A. A reduced pressure region is formed between the suction surface 32A and the wafer WF, and the wafer WF is supported by applying a suction force as a support force.

  The movement restricting means 40 is provided on the tapered surface 41 that is further away from the center side of the facing surface 21 as it is away from the facing surface 21, and one surface of the wafer WF to which the supporting force is applied by the supporting force applying means 30. And a recess 42 into which the outer edge of the wafer WF enters, and an orthogonal shape formed on the opposite surface 21 side of the recess 42 and projecting toward the center side of the opposite surface 21 from the extended line of the tapered surface 41. And a direction restricting portion 43. The movement restricting means 40 is provided such that at least the tapered surface 41 can be elastically deformed by an elastic member such as rubber or resin.

  The moving means 50 has first to sixth arms 51A to 51F, holds the support device 70 with the sixth arm (working arm) 51F, and supports the support device 70 with any one within the working range. A multi-joint robot 51 is provided as a drive device that can be displaced at any position and position.

Next, the operation of the transport device 10 in this embodiment will be described.
First, when the wafer WF is placed with the other surface abutting on the placement surface 60 </ b> A of the first table 60 with respect to the transfer apparatus 10 in which each member stands by at the initial position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1. Then, the moving means 50 drives the articulated robot 51 and moves the support device 70 until the facing surface 21 is located at a predetermined distance from one surface of the wafer WF as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. At this time, the movement restricting means 40 may be in contact with the placement surface 60A or may not be in contact. Next, the supporting force applying means 30 drives the linear motion motor 31 to move the suction member 32 until the suction surface 32A is located at a predetermined distance from one surface of the wafer WF. At this time, the predetermined interval between the suction surface 32A and one surface of the wafer WF is set to be equal to or smaller than the interval over which the suction force of the suction member 32 reaches the Bernoulli suction force.

  Thereafter, the supporting force imparting means 30 drives a gas supply means (not shown), and as shown in FIG. 2A, the gas is blown toward the one surface of the wafer WF from the ejection holes 32B, so that the wafer WF is blown. A suction force as a supporting force is applied. Next, when the supporting force applying means 30 drives the linear motion motor 31 and raises the suction member 32, the outer edge comes into contact with the tapered surface 41 and self-aligning is performed as shown in FIG. The wafer WF floats from the mounting surface 60A. When the suction member 32 continues to rise, the tapered surface 41 is elastically deformed by the outer edge of the wafer WF, and the outer edge of the wafer WF enters the recess 42 as shown in FIG. The wafer WF to be lifted does not move above the recess 42 because the outer edge portion thereof abuts on the orthogonal direction restricting portion 43.

  When the detection means (not shown) such as an imaging means such as a camera or an optical sensor detects that the outer edge of the wafer WF has entered the recess 42, the supporting force applying means 30 stops driving the gas supply means (not shown). . Thereafter, the moving means 50 drives the articulated robot 51 to transport the wafer WF supported by the support device 70 as shown by a solid line in FIG. 2D, and to oppose as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure. The support device 70 is moved until the surface 21 is at a predetermined distance from the placement surface 61A of the second table 61. At this time, the movement restricting means 40 may be in contact with the placement surface 61A of the second table 61 or may not be in contact. Then, the supporting force applying means 30 drives a gas supply means (not shown) and the linear motion motor 31 to lower the suction member 32 while blowing gas onto one surface of the wafer WF, so that the outer edge portion of the wafer WF is recessed into the recess 42. The wafer WF is escaped from the inside, and the wafer WF is placed on the placement surface 61 </ b> A of the second table 61. Next, after the support force applying means 30 stops driving the gas supply means (not shown), the support force applying means 30 and the moving means 50 drive the linear motion motor 31 and the articulated robot 51, and the suction member 32 and the support device 70. Is returned to the initial position, and the same operation is repeated thereafter.

  According to the present embodiment as described above, by providing the movement restricting means 40 with the concave portion 42 into which the outer edge portion of the wafer WF enters, even if the supporting force is lost, the wafer WF can be prevented from falling.

  The means and steps in the present invention are not limited in any way as long as they can perform the operations, functions, or steps described with respect to those means and steps. The process is not limited at all. For example, as long as the supporting force applying means is supported by the base member and can apply the supporting force to the object to be supported, the supporting force applying means is within the range in view of the common general technical knowledge at the time of filing. There is no limitation (the description of other means and steps is omitted).

The base member 20 may have any shape as long as it can support the supporting force applying means 30 and the movement restricting means 40, and the recess 22 may not be formed.
The base member 20 may be divided into a part that supports the supporting force applying means 30 and a part that supports the movement restricting means 40.

The support force applying means 30 may be configured to apply a suction force as a support force to the wafer WF with a decompression means such as a vacuum pump or a vacuum ejector, a cycletron suction member, or the like. A configuration in which an adhesive force such as an adhesive, a magnetic force such as a permanent magnet or an electromagnet, a Coulomb force such as an electrostatic chuck, or the like is applied to a support object may be supported.
The supporting force applying means 30 may be singular or plural, and in the case of plural, may be arranged at equal intervals or unequal intervals, may be arranged in a predetermined pattern, or are randomly arranged. Also good.
The supporting force application unit 30 may not stop driving the gas supply unit (not shown) even if the outer edge portion of the wafer WF enters the recess 42.
The linear motor 31 may be supported on the upper surface of the base member 20, and the output shaft 31 </ b> A may support the suction member 32 through a through hole formed in the base member 20.
The suction member 32 may not be in contact with or separated from the base member 20.
As the gas supply means, one that supplies a gas such as a single gas such as nitrogen gas, oxygen gas, or rare gas, a mixed gas, or the atmosphere can be employed.

The movement restricting means 40 may be singular or plural, and in the case of singular, the movement restricting means 40 may be a circular ring, an elliptical ring, a ring such as a triangle or a quadrilateral polygon or an irregular ring, or a straight line and a curve The ring may be combined with each other. In the case of a plurality of rings, the ring may have an intermittent shape, and the intervals may be equal or may be unequal.
The movement restricting means 40 may be composed entirely of an elastically deformable member such as rubber or resin, or may be composed of an inelastically deformable member such as resin, metal or glass, and is not elastically deformable. When the support object is configured, the support object may be elastically deformed and the outer edge portion may enter the recess 42, or the movement restricting means 40 may be formed of an elastic member such as a spring or rubber in the central direction of the facing surface 21. It is good also as a structure which energizes and the said movement control means 40 whole shrinks after once spreading to the outer side of a support target object.
The recess 42 may be laminated with a coating layer containing fluorine, silicon, or the like, or the recess 42 itself or the entire movement restricting means 40 may be formed of fluorine resin, silicon resin, or the like. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the outer edge portion of the wafer WF from sticking to the recess 42.
The orthogonal direction restricting portion 43 may be laminated with a coating layer containing fluorine, silicon, or the like, or the orthogonal direction restricting portion 43 itself or the entire movement restricting means 40 may be formed of fluorine resin, silicon resin, or the like. . Thereby, it is possible to prevent one surface of the wafer WF from sticking to the orthogonal direction restricting portion 43.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the recesses 42 may be provided at a plurality of locations (two or more locations may be provided) in the direction in which the recess 42 is in contact with and away from the base member 20.
As shown in FIG. 3B, the surface 44 that connects the recesses 42 may be a surface that is orthogonal or nearly orthogonal to the opposing surface 21, or the opposing surface as the distance from the opposing surface 21 increases as shown in FIG. It is good also as a taper surface which approaches the center side of the surface 21, and it is good also as a surface which combined those surfaces. In this case, the orthogonal direction regulation part 43 is good also as a structure which protruded in the center side of the opposing surface 21 rather than the extension line of the surface 44 to connect.
The cross-sectional shape or planar shape of the concave portion 42 may be recessed in the same shape as the sectional shape or planar shape of the outer edge portion of the wafer WF, or may be recessed in a different shape.
The orthogonal direction restricting portion 43 may be a tapered surface that moves away from the center side of the facing surface 21 as the distance from the facing surface 21 increases. In this case, when the outer edge portion of the supporting object enters the recess 42, the supporting target The center of the object can be easily deformed into a convex shape approaching the facing surface 21, whereby the distance between the outer edges of the support object is reduced and the object can easily enter the recess 42. In addition, the orthogonal direction regulation part 43 may be parallel to the opposing surface 21, may be a tapered surface that approaches the center side of the opposing surface 21 as it is far from the opposing surface 21, or may be a surface that combines these surfaces. .
The orthogonal direction regulation part 43 may be comprised with the member which can be elastically deformed, may be comprised with the member which cannot be elastically deformed, and does not need to be.

  The transfer apparatus 10 may be configured to transfer the wafer WF by placing it upside down or placing it horizontally.

  The material, type, shape, and the like of the support object in the present invention are not particularly limited. For example, examples of supporting objects include adhesive sheets, resin sheets, rubber sheets, paper, resin plates, wood plates, iron plates, stainless steel plates, aluminum plates, copper plates, and other metal plates, glass plates, foods, resin containers, silicon semiconductors. It may be a semiconductor wafer such as a wafer or a compound semiconductor wafer, an information recording substrate such as a circuit board, an electrode substrate or an optical disk, or a single piece of earthenware, or a composite of two or more of them laminated.

  The drive device in the embodiment includes an electric device such as a rotation motor, a linear motion motor, a linear motor, a single-axis robot, and an articulated robot, an actuator such as an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a rodless cylinder, and a rotary cylinder. In addition to these, a combination of them directly or indirectly may be employed (some of them overlap with those exemplified in the embodiment).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Base member 30 ... Supporting force provision means 40 ... Movement control means 42 ... Concave part 70 ... Support apparatus WF ... Wafer (support object)

Claims (6)

In a support device for supporting a support object,
A base member;
A supporting force applying means that is supported by the base member and applies a supporting force to the object to be supported;
A movement restricting means that is supported by the base member and abuts against an outer edge of the support object to which the support force is applied by the support force applying means and restricts movement of one surface of the support object in the surface direction; With
The movement restricting means is recessed outward in the surface direction of one surface of the support object to which the support force is applied by the support force applying means, and the outer edge portion of the support object is provided with the support force. A support device comprising a recess that enters as the support object moves .   The support device according to claim 1, wherein the support force applying unit applies a support force to the support target object by blowing a gas toward one surface of the support target object.   The support device according to claim 1, wherein the movement restricting unit is provided so as to be elastically deformable.   The support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support force applying unit is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the base member.   5. The support device according to claim 1, wherein the recess is provided at a plurality of locations in a direction in which the recess is in contact with and away from the base member. In a support method for supporting a support object,
A supporting force imparting step of imparting a supporting force to the support object;
A movement restricting step of restricting movement in the surface direction of one surface of the support object by a movement restricting means in contact with the outer edge of the support object to which the support force is applied in the support force applying process,
In the movement restriction step, the movement restriction means having a recess which is recessed in the surface direction outside of one surface of the supporting object imparted with supporting force by the supporting force applying step, the outer edge of the support object, wherein A support method, comprising: a step of entering along with the movement of the object to be supported that is generated when a support force is applied .

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