JP6724622B2 - Horizontal installation device and horizontal installation method of installation object - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a horizontal installation device for horizontally installing an installation object on a support surface and a horizontal installation method for the installation object.

In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), which is a substrate, is processed by various substrate processing devices such as a resist coating and a resist development after exposure, and a developing device. Be seen. In order to secure the performance of the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus is adjusted so that the inclination, that is, the level value, falls within an allowable range at a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as an adjustment position). A plurality of adjustment points are set in the substrate processing apparatus. Further, a plurality of legs whose height can be freely adjusted are provided at the bottom of the substrate processing apparatus so that the level of each adjustment can be changed, and the level of a plurality of adjustment points can be changed by adjusting the height of one leg. To be done.

Further, in the level adjustment of the above-described substrate processing apparatus, a level measuring instrument installed at the adjustment point is used to measure (level) the level value at the adjustment point. Patent Document 1 describes an example of the level measuring instrument. Specifically, as the level adjustment of the above substrate processing apparatus, a level measuring instrument is installed at one adjustment point, and a leg corresponding to the one adjustment point is set so that the level value of the one adjustment point falls within an allowable range. Adjust the height of the section. After that, remove the level measuring instrument from one adjustment point and install it at another adjustment point, and adjust the height of the leg corresponding to the other adjustment point so that the level value of the other adjustment point falls within the allowable range. Make adjustments. By repeatedly installing such a level measuring device and adjusting by the legs, the level values of all the adjustment points are kept within the allowable range.

However, the more adjustment points are set, the more man-hours are required for the above-mentioned level adjustment, so that the time required for the work becomes longer. Further, when adjusting the height adjustment of one leg corresponding to one adjustment point, it is necessary to determine the adjustment amount in consideration of the influence on the level of another adjustment point that has already been adjusted. However, since the determination of this adjustment amount depends on the intuition of the operator, there is a risk that the level adjustment of one leg may fall outside the allowable range as a result of the height adjustment of one leg. If this happens, trial and error will be repeated until the standard values of all adjustment points fall within the allowable range, and there is a concern that a huge amount of work time will be required. The above Patent Document 1 does not describe a method for solving such a problem.

JP 2004-309447 A

The present invention has been made based on such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of shortening a working time required to horizontally install an object to be installed on a supporting surface.

The horizontal installation device of the present invention is a horizontal installation device for horizontally installing an object to be installed on a fulcrum by adjusting a plurality of height adjusting mechanisms provided at the bottom,
A level measuring instrument installed at each of a plurality of measurement points of the installation object,
A calculation unit that calculates an adjustment amount of at least one height adjustment mechanism so that a measurement value out of the proper level range among the measurement values of each level measuring instrument is contained in the proper level range,
A coping unit that performs coping operation based on the calculated adjustment amount;
Equipped with
The computing unit obtains the first information for obtaining the correspondence relationship between the adjustment amount of each height adjustment mechanism and the deviation value from each horizontal in the x and y directions for each measurement point, and the measurement of each level measuring instrument. Calculating an adjustment amount of the height adjustment mechanism based on the value, an appropriate level range, and second information indicating which height adjustment mechanism is involved in the adjustment of the measurement point,
The coping unit is a display unit that displays a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the measurement point and an adjustment amount of the height adjustment mechanism obtained by the calculation unit.

The horizontal installation method of the present invention is a horizontal installation method of an installation object for horizontally installing an installation object on a fulcrum by adjusting a plurality of height adjusting mechanisms provided at the bottom,
Installing a level measuring device in each of a plurality of measurement points of the installation object,
Next, a calculation step of calculating an adjustment amount of at least one height adjusting mechanism in order to put a measurement value out of the proper level range among the measurement values of each level measuring instrument into the proper level range,
Subsequently, a height adjusting step of adjusting the height of the height adjusting mechanism based on the calculated adjustment amount,
Equipped with
In the calculation step, the first information for obtaining the correspondence relationship between the adjustment amount of each height adjustment mechanism and the deviation value from each horizontal in the x and y directions for each measurement point, and the measurement of each level measuring instrument The adjustment amount of the height adjustment mechanism for the measurement point is calculated based on the value, the appropriate level range, and the second information indicating which height adjustment mechanism is involved in the adjustment of the measurement point. Including steps,
A height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the measurement point, and a display step of displaying the adjustment amount of the height adjusting mechanism obtained in the calculating step on a display unit,
The height adjusting step includes a step of adjusting the height of the height adjusting mechanism based on the display on the display unit .

According to the present invention, a calculation unit for calculating the adjustment amount of the height adjustment mechanism is provided in order to keep the measured value out of the proper level range among the measured values of the respective level measuring devices within the proper level range. A coping operation is performed based on the calculated adjustment amount. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the burden on the operator for horizontally installing the object to be installed, and it is possible to shorten the working time.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a coating/developing apparatus which is a substrate processing apparatus to which the horizontal installation supporting apparatus according to the present invention is applied. It is a perspective view of the coating and developing device. FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional side view of the coating and developing apparatus. It is a bottom side perspective view of a carrier block which constitutes the coating and developing device. It is a side view of the leg part provided in the carrier block. It is a side view of a level measuring instrument which constitutes the above-mentioned horizontal installation support device. It is a side view of a level measuring instrument which constitutes the above-mentioned horizontal installation support device. It is a coordinate diagram for showing the level data acquired by the level measuring device. It is a top view of the said carrier block. It is a block diagram of the said horizontal installation assistance apparatus. It is a chart figure which shows the flow of the level adjustment of the mounting base provided in the said carrier block performed using the said horizontal installation assistance apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display part which comprises the said horizontal installation assistance apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the said display part. It is a schematic diagram showing another example of composition of a horizontal installation support device. It is a schematic diagram showing another example of composition of a horizontal installation support device. It is a schematic diagram showing another example of composition of a horizontal installation support device. FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional side view of a resist coating module provided in the coating and developing device. It is a plan view of a measuring jig for level detection for detecting the level of the spin chuck of the resist coating module. It is a perspective view of the said jig for a measurement. It is a side view of a resist coating module on which the measuring jig is mounted. It is a top view which shows the structure of the horizontal installation apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a side view of a jack which constitutes the horizontal installation device. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the relationship between level data and the said jack used. It is a chart figure which shows the flow of level adjustment by the said horizontal installation apparatus.

A coating/developing apparatus 1 which is a substrate processing apparatus to which the horizontal installation supporting apparatus according to the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. 1, 2, and 3 are a plan view, a perspective view, and a schematic vertical sectional side view of the coating and developing apparatus 1, respectively. The coating/developing apparatus 1 is an object to be installed in a clean room, and is configured by linearly connecting a carrier block D1, a processing block D2, and an interface block D3. An exposure device D4 is connected to the interface block D3.

In the following description, the arrangement direction of the blocks D1 to D3 is the front-rear direction, the block D1 side is the front side, and the block D3 side is the rear side. The carrier block D1 transfers the wafer W stored in the carrier C from the outside of the coating/developing apparatus 1 and transferred to the coating/developing apparatus 1 between the inside of the carrier C and the coating/developing apparatus 1. It is a block for. In the carrier block D1, the mounting tables 11A to 11D of the carrier C thus transferred from the outside, the opening/closing section 12, and the transfer mechanism 13 for transferring the wafer W from the carrier C via the opening/closing section 12. And are provided. The mounting tables 11A to 11D are arranged in the left-right direction. In the figure, 10 is a housing of the carrier block D1.

The processing block D2 is configured by stacking unit blocks E1 to E6 in order from the bottom. The unit blocks E1 to E6 are configured similarly to each other except for the difference in the liquid processing module described later, and the wafer W is transferred and processed in parallel in each of the unit blocks E1 to E6. The unit block E3 will be described with reference to FIG. A plurality of shelf units U are arranged in the front-rear direction on one of the left and right sides of the transfer region 14 extending from the carrier block D1 to the interface block D3, and two resist coating modules 2 as liquid processing modules are provided in the front-rear direction on the other side. Has been. The shelf unit U includes a heating module 15. In the transfer area 14, a transfer arm F3 that is a transfer mechanism for the wafer W is provided.

The unit block E1 includes an antireflection film forming module as a liquid processing module and supplies a chemical liquid for forming the antireflection film to the wafer W. The unit block E5 includes a developing module as a liquid processing module and uses the developing liquid as a chemical liquid. The wafer W is supplied. The unit blocks E2, E4, E6 have the same configurations as the unit blocks E1, E3, E5, respectively. Further, in FIG. 3, the transfer arms of the unit blocks E1 to E6 are shown as F1 to F6, respectively.

On the carrier block D1 side of the processing block D2, a tower T1 extending vertically over the unit blocks E1 to E6 and a transfer arm 18 for transferring the wafer W to the tower T1 are provided. The tower T1 is composed of a plurality of modules stacked on each other, and the transfer module TRS provided at each height of the unit blocks E1 to E6 is connected to each of the transfer arms F1 to F6 of the unit blocks E1 to E6. The wafer W can be delivered.

The interface block D3 includes towers T2, T3, and T4 extending vertically over the unit blocks E1 to E6, an interface arm 21 for transferring the wafer W between the tower T2 and the tower T3, the tower T2, and the tower T2. An interface arm 22 for transferring the wafer W to and from the wafer T4, and an interface arm 23 for transferring the wafer W between the tower T2 and the exposure apparatus D4 are provided. The tower T2 includes a transfer module TRS, a buffer module for storing and retaining a plurality of wafers W before exposure processing, a buffer module for storing a plurality of wafers W after exposure processing, and a temperature for adjusting the temperature of the wafer W. Although the temperature control module and the like are stacked on each other, the buffer module and the temperature control module are not shown here. Although various modules are provided in the tower T3 and the tower T4, description of these modules will be omitted.

The transfer path of the wafer W in the coating/developing apparatus 1 will be described below. The wafer W is transferred from the carrier C mounted on the mounting tables 11A to 11D to the transfer module TRS0 of the tower T1 in the processing block D2 by the transfer mechanism 13. The wafer W is transferred from the transfer module TRS0 to the unit blocks E1 and E2. For example, when the wafer W is transferred to the unit block E1, among the transfer modules TRS of the tower T1, the transfer module TRS1 (transfer module capable of transferring the wafer W by the transfer arm F1) corresponding to the unit block E1 is transferred. The wafer W is delivered from the TRS0. When the wafer W is transferred to the unit block E2, the wafer W is transferred from the TRS0 to the transfer module TRS2 corresponding to the unit block E2 among the transfer modules TRS of the tower T1. The transfer arm 18 transfers these wafers W.

The wafer W thus sorted is transferred in the order of TRS1 (TRS2)→antireflection film forming module→heating module 15→TRS1(TRS2), and then the transfer arm 18 transfers the transfer module TRS3 corresponding to the unit block E3. , And the transfer module TRS4 corresponding to the unit block E4.

The wafer W thus sorted to the TRS3 and TRS4 is carried in the order of TRS3 (TRS4)→resist coating module 2→heating module 15→tower T2 transfer module TRS31 (TRS41). Then, the wafer W is carried into the exposure apparatus D4 via the tower T3 by the interface arms 21 and 23. The exposed wafer W is transferred between the towers T2 and T4 by the interface arms 22 and 23 and transferred to the transfer modules TRS51 and TRS61 of the tower T2 corresponding to the unit blocks E5 and E6, respectively. Then, the wafer W is transferred to the heating module 15→developing module→heating module 15→transfer module TRS5 (TRS6) of the tower T1 and then returned to the carrier C via the transfer mechanism 13.

By the way, FIG. 4 shows the lower surface of the carrier block D1. Nine legs 31 for supporting the housing 10 of the carrier block D1 on the floor surface (support surface) 30 of the clean room are provided on the lower surface. The leg portions 31 are arranged in a 3×3 matrix along the coating device in the vertical and horizontal directions and in the front, rear, left and right sides of the developing device 1. Hereinafter, the leg portions 31 provided in the carrier block D1 may be shown as 31A to 31I.

FIG. 5 shows the side surface of the leg portion 31. The leg portion 31 is a so-called adjuster foot, and its height is adjustable. Specifically, the leg 31 includes a vertical leg body 32 that is a bar screw and an adjuster 33 that is a bolt that is screwed into the bar screw. An operator who installs the device in a clean room or performs maintenance of the device rotates the adjuster 33 to change the height of the adjuster 33, so that the height of the leg 31 from the lower surface of the housing 10 to the floor 30 is increased. The height can be adjusted. By adjusting the height of the leg portion 31, the level of each part of the carrier block D1 can be adjusted. Note that the processing block D2 and the interface block D3 are also provided with a large number of legs 31 similarly to the carrier block D1, and the level of the processing block D2 and the level of the interface block D3 can be adjusted respectively. The blocks D1 to D3 are divided from each other, and the level can be adjusted independently for each block.

Regarding the carrier block D1, by adjusting the height of each of the leg portions 31 so that the wafer W can be normally transferred between the carrier C and the transfer mechanism 13, the mounting tables 11A to 11D are adjusted. The level is adjusted to be within the allowable range. As an example, the horizontal installation support device 4 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured to assist an operator in level adjustment of the mounting tables 11A to 11D. Specifically, the horizontal installation support device 4 sets the adjuster 33 of any one of the legs 31A to 31I of the carrier block D1 in order to keep all the levels of the mounting tables 11A to 11D within the allowable range. It is configured to display to the operator how much the rotation is performed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal installation support device 4 includes four flat cylindrical level gauges 41 and a data processing unit 42. Each of the level measuring devices 41 is configured as an inclination sensor for detecting the level (inclination) of the mounting tables 11A to 11D, and the mounting tables 11A to 11D, which are the level measurement points, have predetermined levels instead of the carrier C. It is placed in the orientation. The level measuring instruments 41 mounted on the mounting tables 11A to 11D are referred to as 41A to 41D, respectively.

The level measuring instruments 41A to 41D have the same configuration as each other, and the level measuring instrument 41A will be described as a representative. The level measuring instrument 41A detects the inclination of a place to be placed (the mounting table 11A in this example). To obtain data (hereinafter referred to as level data), a communication unit that wirelessly transmits the detected level data to the data processing unit 42, and to supply power to the data acquisition unit and the communication unit. And a power supply section of. The data acquisition unit is composed of, for example, an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor. The communication unit is configured in accordance with standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Zigbee (registered trademark), and the power supply unit is configured of, for example, a button type lithium ion battery.

The level measuring instrument 41A has an x axis and ay axis which are orthogonal to each other at the center of the level measuring instrument 41A in plan view and which are along the lower surface (placement surface) of the level measuring instrument 41A. 6 and 7 show the x-axis and the y-axis, respectively, and show one end side and the other end side of each axis with + and − respectively when viewed from the intersection P1 of the x-axis and the y-axis.

For convenience of explanation, the level data acquired by the level measuring instrument 41A is represented as a point P in the XY coordinate system shown in FIG. The X coordinate and the Y coordinate in this XY coordinate system respectively correspond to the inclination of the x-axis and the inclination of the y-axis of the above-mentioned level measuring instrument 41A with respect to the horizontal plane, and the larger the inclination of the x-axis and the inclination of the y-axis are, respectively. The point P is represented as a point having a large absolute value of the X coordinate and a large absolute value of the Y coordinate. Also, when the + axis is tilted so as to be higher than the − side with respect to the x-axis and the y-axis, the point P is located on the + side with respect to the X-axis and the Y-axis, and the − side is tilted so as to be higher than the + side. Then, the point P is located on the negative side with respect to the X axis and the Y axis, respectively, and when both the x axis and the y axis are parallel to the horizontal plane, the point P is located at the origin of the XY coordinate system. In this way, the level data acquired by the level measuring device 41A is represented as a deviation value from the horizontal in each of the x direction and the y direction which are different directions. Note that FIG. 8 illustrates the level P 41A when the level P is higher on the −x side than the +x side and on the +y side than the −y side, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Since the x-axis and y-axis of the level measuring instrument 41A correspond to the XY coordinate system as described above, the value of the X-axis and the value of the Y-axis of the point P will be represented as x and y, respectively.

In the XY coordinate system shown in FIG. 8, a dotted circle centered at the origin and having a radius of a represents a boundary within and outside the permissible range of a practical level, and overlaps with this circle or x inside the circle. , Y is included, the wafer W can be transferred to and from the carrier C normally if the level of the mounting table 11A is adjusted. That is, practically, it is required that the point P(x, y) be (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 ≦a. In addition, a is a predetermined numerical value. However, in this embodiment, in order to easily distinguish whether or not x and y are within the permissible range, the actual permissible range of the level of the mounting table 11A at the end of the level adjustment work is set to R1 is a range (may be described as a final allowable range) that is |x|≦0.7a and |y|≦0.7a represented by a rectangular area inside the circle. That is, the mounting table 11A is adjusted so that the point P acquired from the level measuring instrument 41A falls within the final allowable range R1. Although the mounting table 11A has been described above, as with the mounting table 11A, the points P, which are the level data acquired from the level measuring instruments 41B to 41D, are the same as the mounting table 11B to 11D at the end of the level adjustment work. The level is adjusted so that it falls within the allowable range R1.

However, during the level adjustment work of the mounting tables 11A to 11D described later, the point P is narrower than the final permissible range R1 |x|≦0.5a and |y|≦0.5a (referred to as an adjustment permissible range). The height of the leg portion 31 is adjusted so as to fit within R2. The adjustment allowable range R2 is set because the level of one of the mounting bases 11A to 11D is adjusted by adjusting the height of one leg 31 in the level adjustment described later. After that, the height of the other leg 31 may be adjusted to adjust the level of the other mounting table of 11A to 11D. That is, since the level of the one mounting table that has already been adjusted is changed by adjusting the level of the other mounting table, it is possible that the level of the one mounting table deviates from the final allowable range R1 by the level adjustment of the other mounting table. The adjustment allowable range R2 is set for the purpose of preventing it.

Here, in order to describe the data processing unit 42 that is the calculation unit that constitutes the horizontal installation support device 4, an outline of a method for performing the level adjustment for the mounting table 11A will be described with reference to FIG. In the original level adjustment, the x and y directions of the level measuring devices 41A to 41D on the mounting tables 11A to 11D are aligned with the left and right directions of the coating and developing device 1, respectively, and the +y side is directed to the front side. The level measuring devices 41A to 41D are mounted on the mounting bases 11A to 11D so that the levels of the mounting bases 11A to 11D are collectively contained in the final allowable range R1. It is assumed that only the mounting table 11A is adjusted in level.

Among the legs 31A to 31I, the leg whose height is adjusted to adjust the level of the mounting table 11A is determined in advance. For example, it is assumed that it is determined that the level of the mounting table 11A is adjusted by the dots 31A and 31B shown in FIG. 9 in the leg portion 31. Further, the level measuring instrument 41A is mounted on the mounting table 11A in the orientation described above. Further, regarding the point P described in FIG. 8, the variation amount of x (=Ax) and the variation amount of y (=Ay) when the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31A is rotated once, and the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31B are compared with each other. The variation amount of x (=Bx) and the variation amount of y (=By) when rotated once are known, and the variation amount of x (Ax, Bx) and the variation amount of y (Ay, By) are It is assumed to be proportional to the number of times each adjuster 33 is rotated.

Therefore, the variation amount of x (=Δx _A ) and the variation amount of y (=Δy _A ) when the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31A is rotated n times can be expressed by the following equations 1 and 2, respectively. Then, the variation amount of x (=Δx _B ) and the variation amount of y (=Δy _B ) when the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31B is rotated m times can be expressed by the following equations 3 and 4, respectively. n and m are natural numbers, respectively.
Δx _A =nAx (Equation 1)
Δy _A =nAy (Equation 2)
Δx _B =mBx (Equation 3)
Δy _B =mBy (Equation 4)

Then, x and y of the point P before the height of the legs 31A and 31B are changed to x1 and y1, and x and y of the point P after the height of the legs 31A and 31B are changed to x2 and y2. Then, the following equations 5 and 6 are obtained from the above equations 1 to 4. Since the adjustment permissible range (appropriate level range) R2 is set as described with reference to FIG. 8, for x2 and y2 in Expressions 5 and 6, −0.5a≦x2≦0.5a, −0. 0.5a≦y2≦0.5a.
x2=x1+Δx _A +Δx _B =x1+nAx+mBx (Equation 5)
y2=y1+Δy _A +Δy _B =y1+nAy+mBy (Equation 6)

Therefore, in order to keep the level of the mounting table 11A within the adjustment allowable range R2, x2, y2 is calculated from x1, y1 of the point P acquired from the level measuring instrument 41A and known Ax, Ay, Bx, By. Will calculate n and m in equations 5 and 6 that fall within the adjustment allowable range R2, and the operator will adjust the heights of the legs 31A and 31B with the calculated values.

By the way, in this case, the number of legs 31 determined to adjust the level of the mounting table 11A is two, that is, 31A and 31B. There are two terms that are multiplied by the number of times the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31 is rotated and the amount of change in x or y. This number of terms is equal to the number of leg portions 31 that are decided to be adjusted. It will be compliant. For example, when there is another leg 31 that is determined to be adjusted in addition to 31A and 31B, Equations 5 and 6 are x2=x1+nAx+mBx+kZx and y2=y1+nAy+mBy+kZy, respectively. In the equation, k is the number of times the adjuster 33 of the other leg portion 31 is rotated, and Zx and Zy are the amount of change in x and the change in y with respect to the point P caused by rotating the adjuster 33 once. Is the amount. That is, Expressions 5 and 6 are appropriately changed according to the number of legs 31 determined to be adjusted.

Even when the level adjustment is collectively performed on the mounting tables 11A to 11D, after the adjustment based on x1 and y1 of the point P which is the level data of one of the mounting tables 11A to 11D as described above. The number of rotations of the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31 that is determined to adjust the level of one mounting table is calculated so that x2 and y2 of the point P are within the adjustment allowable range R2. The data processing unit 42 of the horizontal installation support device 4 is configured so that the rotation speed can be calculated and displayed to the operator.

By the way, in order to prevent the carrier block D1 from coming into contact with the ceiling surface of the clean room or exceeding the shortenable range of the legs 31, the number of times the adjuster 33 of the legs 31 can be rotated is, for example, -2 times or more, +2 times or less. In addition, when adjusting the adjusters 33 of the plurality of legs 31, in order to prevent the number of combinations of rotating each adjuster 33 from becoming infinite, each adjuster is rotated at, for example, 1/4 times. That is, n and m in the above expressions 1 to 6 are multiples of 0.25, and −2≦n≦+2 and −2≦n≦+2.

Subsequently, the data processing unit 42 configured by, for example, a computer will be described with reference to FIG. The data processing unit 42 is provided with a receiving unit 43 that receives the level data wirelessly transmitted from each level measuring instrument 41, a program 44, a display unit 45, an operating unit 46, and a memory 47. The program 44 is configured to perform various calculations based on the level data transmitted from the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D and received by the receiving unit 43, and to execute a level adjusting flow described later. There is. The program 44 is installed in the main body while being stored in a storage medium such as a flexible disk, a compact disk, a hard disk, an MO (magneto-optical disk) and a memory card.

The display unit 45 displays information on which leg 31 of the legs 31A to 31I the operator rotates the adjuster 33 and the number of times the adjuster 33 of the leg 31 is rotated. The operation unit 46 is composed of a plurality of buttons, a keyboard, and the like, and a predetermined operation is performed by an operator in order to proceed with a level adjustment flow described later.

Next, the memory 47 will be described. The memory 47 stores information on the legs 31 determined to adjust the heights of the mounting tables 11A to 11D respectively (hereinafter, referred to as mounting table-leg correspondence data). Has been done. As the mounting table-leg portion correspondence data (second information), for the mounting table 11A, the leg portions 31A and 31B are determined as the leg portions for performing height adjustment as described with reference to FIG. 9, for example. Regarding 11B, for example, the leg portions 31A, 31B, 31C are determined as the leg portions for height adjustment. Correspondence with the legs of the mounting tables 11C and 11D is omitted.

Further, in the memory 47, when the adjuster 33 of any one of the leg portions 31A to 31I is rotated once, the level measuring instrument placed on the mounting tables 11A to 11D in the above-described orientation. The amount of change in x and the amount of change in y of the point P respectively acquired from 41A to 41D are stored as level change data (first information). Ax, Ay, Bx, By described in the above equations 1 to 4 are the level fluctuation data.

Further, in FIG. 10, as the level data, the x variation amount and the y variation amount of the point P of the level measuring instrument 41B when the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31A is rotated once are stored as Dx and Dy, respectively. I am supposed to. Further, it is assumed that the amount of change in x and the amount of change in y of the point P of the level measuring instrument 41B when the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31B is rotated once are stored as Ex and Ey, respectively. Further, when the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31C is rotated once, the variation amount of x at the point P of the level measuring instrument 41A and the variation amount of y at the level measuring instrument 41A are Cx and Cy, respectively, and the variation amount of x at the point P of the level measuring instrument 41B. , Y are stored as Fx and Fy.

Subsequently, the level adjustment of the mounting tables 11A to 11D will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the operator mounts the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D on the mounting tables 11A to 11D in the orientation described above. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D are mounted on the mounting tables 11A to 11D in this way. Subsequently, the worker rotates the adjusters 33 of the legs 31A to 31I one by one in a predetermined order to acquire the level fluctuation data described in FIG. 10, and the acquired level fluctuation data is stored in the memory 47. (Step S1). If the level variation data is stored in the memory 47 in advance, this step S1 can be omitted.

Then, level data is acquired in parallel from each of the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D (step S2), and whether or not all the points P which are the level data described in FIG. 8 are within the final allowable range R1. It is determined (step S3). When it is determined in step S3 that each of the points P acquired from each of the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D does not fall within the final permissible range R1, the point P that does not fall within the final permissible range R1. For example, (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 is calculated. When there are a plurality of points P for which (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 is calculated, the magnitude of (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 between the points P is compared.

Then, for example, a table 51 as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the display unit 45. This table 51 shows that for the mounting tables 11A to 11D, the number of the legs 31 determined to be adjusted by the mounting base-leg correspondence data described in FIG. Whether or not the point P falls within the final permissible range R1 and, if the point P is outside the final permissible range R1, what is the largest deviation? (As a result of comparison, what is (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 ? It was the second largest).

In the table 51 of FIG. 12, as an example, the points P of the level measuring instruments 41A and 41B are not included in the final allowable range R1, and the points P of the level measuring instruments 41C and 41D are included in the final allowable range R1. It is shown that the point P of the measuring instrument 41A deviates most from the final allowable range R1 and the point P of the level measuring instrument 41B deviates second most from the final allowable range R1. Further, it is displayed that the numbers of the leg portions 31 that need to be adjusted in the mounting tables 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D are two, three, three, and two, respectively.

Based on Table 51, the operator finds that among the mounting tables 11 whose point P is not included in the final allowable range R1, the point P falls within the adjustment allowable range R2 described in FIG. Whether to make the adjustment) is selected using the operation unit 46 (step S4). This selection is performed by selecting the mounting table 11 in which the point P is markedly deviated from the final permissible range R1 in order to reduce the number of man-hours of the work or by adjusting the level. The mounting table 11 that is considered to have the greatest influence on the level of the mounting table 11, that is, the mounting table 11 that has the largest number of legs 31 that need to be adjusted is selected. Therefore, when the table 51 is displayed with the contents as described above, the operator may select either the mounting table 11A or 11B.

When the mounting table 11 is selected by the operator, which of the legs 31A to 31I is to be height-adjusted is determined according to the mounting table-leg portion correspondence data stored in the memory 47 ( Step S5). In the following description, it is assumed that the operator has selected to perform level adjustment on the mounting table 11A in step S4. With respect to the mounting table 11A, the mounting table-leg part correspondence data described in FIG. 10 specifies that the heights of the legs 31A and 31B are adjusted, and therefore, in step S5, the legs 31A and 31B are adjusted to be high. Is determined as the leg to be adjusted. Therefore, as in the case illustrated using FIG. 9, −2≦n (the number of times the adjuster 33 of the leg 31A is rotated)≦2, −2≦m (the number of times the adjuster 33 of the leg 31B is rotated)≦ Under the condition that 2, n and m are multiples of 0.25, a combination of n and m in which x2 and y2 in the above formulas 5 and 6 are within the adjustment allowable range R2 is calculated. In this calculation, as x1 and y1 in Expressions 5 and 6, x and y of the point P acquired by the level measuring instrument 41A in step S2 are used, respectively.

After that, regarding the combination of the legs 31A and 31B that need to be adjusted and the number of times n and m that the adjuster 33 of each leg 31A and 31B is rotated, for example, a table 52 shown in FIG. 13 is displayed. It is displayed on the section 45. Regarding this combination of n and m, in Table 52, n=-0.5, m=0 (adjustment plan 1), n=0, n=+1 (adjustment plan 2), n=-0.25. In addition, m=+0.5 (adjustment plan 3) is shown. In addition to the display of the table 52 as described above, points of the mounting tables 11B to 11D other than the mounting table 11A selected in step S4 when the adjusters 33 of the leg portions 31A and 31B are rotated according to each adjustment plan (X ² +y ² ) ^{1/2 for} P are calculated respectively.

The calculation of (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 for the points P of the mounting tables 11B to 11D is performed by the level fluctuation data described in FIG. 10 and the respective points P(x of the mounting tables 11B to 11D acquired in step S2. , Y) and. Specifically, if x and y of the points P acquired for the mounting table 11B in step S2 are x′ and y′, respectively, when the adjusters 33 are rotated according to the adjustment plan 1, the points P are changed. As for x, x becomes x′+(−0.5×Dx)+(0×Ex), and y becomes y′+(−0.5×Dy)+(0×Ey). Therefore, (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 ={{x′+(−0.5×Dx)+(0×Ex)} ² +{y′+(−0.5×Dy)+(0× Ey)} ² } ^1/2 . Similarly, for the mounting table 11C and the mounting table 11D, (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 when the adjuster 33 is rotated according to the adjustment plan 1 is calculated. Similarly, the (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 of each point P of the mounting tables 11B to 11D when the adjusters 33 are rotated in accordance with the adjustment plans 2 and 3 respectively (step S7). ..

Then, for example, of the proposed adjustments 1-3, the mounting base ^{11B (x 2 + y 2)} 1/2, (x 2 + y 2) of the mounting table 11C ^1/2, of the mounting table ^{11D (x 2 + y 2)} 1 For all ^/2 , if there is an adjustment proposal smaller than the other two adjustment proposals, the adjustment proposal is determined. If there is no such adjustment plan, for example, the average value of (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 of the mounting tables 11B to 11D is calculated, and the adjustment plan having the smallest average value is determined. Then, which of the adjustment plans 1 to 3 is the determination plan is displayed on the display unit 45. That is, the leg portion 31 for rotating the adjuster 33 and the number of times the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31 is rotated for the worker are displayed on the display unit 45 (step S8). That is, in this step S8, when adjusting the level of one mounting table 11, the level fluctuation data in the memory 47 and the other mounting table 11 are adjusted in step S2 so that the level fluctuation of the other mounting table 11 is minimized. The number of rotations of the adjuster 33 is selected based on the level data obtained from the above, and the number of rotations selected is displayed to the operator.

The worker rotates the adjusters 33 of the legs 31A and 31B according to the displayed decision plan (step S9). After that, the steps after step S2 are executed again. When it is determined in step S3 that all the points P are within the final allowable range R1, the level adjusting process ends. The above steps S3 and S5 to S8 are automatically performed by the data processing unit 42.

In the step S4, a brief description will be given of the case where the operator selects the level adjustment for the mounting table 11B. For the level adjustment of the mounting table 11B with the mounting table-leg part correspondence data, Since it is stipulated that the heights of 31A, 31B and 31C be adjusted, these 31A, 31B and 31C are determined as the legs to be adjusted in step S5. Then, in step S6, a combination of n, m, and t falling within the adjustment allowable range R2 is calculated for x2 and y2 of the following formulas 7 and 8 which are modified formulas 5 and 6, and the combination is displayed on the display unit. 45 is displayed. Since t in Expressions 7 and 8 is the number of times the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31C is rotated, it is a multiple of −2 or more and +2 or less and 0.25 as in the case of n and m. Further, x1 and y1 in Expressions 7 and 8 are x and y of the point P acquired by the level measuring instrument 41B in step S2. Dx, Dy, Ex, Ey, Fx and Fy are the level fluctuation data described in FIG.
x2=x1+nDx+mEx+tFx...Equation 7
y2=y1+nDy+mEy+tFy...Equation 8

When the combination of n, m, and t is calculated, for each combination of n, m, and t in step S7, (x ² for the point P of the mounting tables 11A, 11C, and 11D when the adjusters 33 are rotated). +y ² ) ^1/2 is calculated. As an example, assuming that x and y of the point P acquired for the mounting table 11A in step S2 are x″ and y″, respectively, the point when rotated at n, m, and t. X and y of P are x=x″+(n×Ax)+(m×Bx)+(t×Cx) and y=y″+(n×Ay)+( using the level fluctuation data. It is calculated as m×By)+(t×Cy), and (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 is calculated from these x and y. As for the mounting tables 11C and 11D, (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 is calculated using the level fluctuation data as in the mounting table 11A. After the calculation of (x ² +y ² ) ^{1/2 in} this way, similarly to the case where the mounting table 11A is selected, in step S8, the level fluctuation of the mounting tables 11A, 11B, and 11D is minimized n, A combination of m and t is selected, and the selected combination is displayed.

According to the horizontal installation support device 4 described above, the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D, which are placed on the mounting tables 11A to 11D and respectively acquire the level data of the mounting tables 11A to 11D, and the level data based on the respective level data. Data processing for detecting the mounting table 11 whose level needs to be adjusted and calculating the number of rotations of the adjuster 33 of the leg 31 that needs to adjust the height among 31A to 31I and displaying it on the display unit 45. And a section 42. According to such a configuration, the level data of each of the mounting tables 11A to 11D can be acquired in parallel, and when the respective levels of the mounting tables 11A to 11D are set within the final permissible range R1, the operator takes into consideration. There is no need to rely on adjusting the height of each leg 31. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the man-hours of the adjustment work and the work time required for the adjustment.

In step S4 of the above-described flow, whether the adjustment is performed for the mounting table 11 whose level data is the largest out of the final permissible range R1 or for the mounting table 11 having the largest number of legs 31 that need to be adjusted. The selection is made by the operator, but the selection is not limited to such an operation by the operator. That is, the program 44 may be assembled so as to select one of them, and steps S3 to S8 of the above flow may be automatically executed by the program 44.

By the way, the display unit 45 may be arranged anywhere as long as the operator can confirm the display. For example, a monitor provided on the outer wall of the coating/developing apparatus 1 may be used as the display unit 45. Further, a monitor arranged apart from the coating/developing apparatus 1 may be used as the display unit 45. Furthermore, the data processing unit 42 may be configured as a laptop type or tablet type personal computer, and a monitor that configures these personal computers may be used as the display unit 45, or a portable device that allows an operator to carry the data processing unit 42. The liquid crystal screen provided in the mobile device may be used as the display unit 45. In addition, the display unit 45 may be configured as a glasses type. Further, since it is only necessary for the worker to know the leg portion for adjusting the height and the adjustment amount thereof, the display unit is not limited to the above monitor and the like, and the display unit includes a speaker and the like for displaying voice.

Further, the height of the leg portion 31 is not limited to being adjusted by rotating the adjuster 33. For example, a hydraulic cylinder or an electric linear actuator may be used to allow expansion and contraction and height adjustment. In addition, in the above-described horizontal installation support device 4, the number of the level measuring devices 41 is four because the measurement positions are four of the mounting tables 11A to 11D, but the number of measurement positions at which the level is measured in parallel. Therefore, the number of level measuring devices 41 may be changed appropriately.

Further, the level measuring device 41 is not limited to be configured to wirelessly transmit the level data to the data processing unit 42, and as shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the level measuring device 41 and the data processing unit may be connected via the cable 55. 42 may be connected to each other, and the level data may be transmitted from the level measuring device 41 to the data processing unit 42 by the cable 55. In the horizontal installation support device 4 of FIG. 14, one ends of the four cables 55 are connected to the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D, respectively, and the other ends of the four cables 55 are connected to the data processing unit 42, so that the data processing unit The level measuring instruments 41 A to 41 D are connected to the multi-drop connection 42.

The horizontal installation support device 4 of FIG. 15 is different from the horizontal installation support device 4 of FIG. 14 in that a relay box 56 configured as a hub is provided between the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D and the data processing unit 42. Has been. Further, in the horizontal installation support device 4 of FIG. 16, the level measuring devices 41A to 41D and the data processing unit 42 are connected via a cable 55 by a daisy chain method. In the horizontal installation support device 4 shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, data communication between the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D and the data processing unit 42 is performed according to serial communication of a predetermined standard such as RS485 or RS232.

In this way, when the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D and the data processing unit 42 are connected by wire, the worker attaches the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D to the mounting tables 11A to 11D and the tension from the cable 55. The measurement error of the level should be suppressed by placing it so that the tension is suppressed or the tension is suppressed. That is, the device configuration in which the level measuring devices 41A to 41D wirelessly transmit the level data to the data processing unit 42 as shown in FIG. This is preferable in that the level measuring instrument 41 can be easily placed on the table 11.

The horizontal installation support device 4 is not limited to being used for adjusting the level of the mounting table 11. For example, it may be used to adjust the level of the transfer arms F1 to F6 of the processing block D2. More specifically, each transfer arm F can be moved back and forth in the transfer area 14, moved up and down, and rotated about a vertical axis, and also supports a base body 57 that supports a fork 58 that holds the wafer W (see FIG. 1). , See FIG. 3). In order for the fork 58 to accurately transfer the wafer W to each module, the level measuring instrument 41 is placed on the base body 57 of each transfer arm F, and each leg of the processing block D2 is based on each level data. By adjusting the height of the portion 31, the level of the base body 57 can be adjusted.

When the level of the base body 57 is adjusted in this way, the memory 47 of the data processing unit 42 is provided in the processing block D2 for each of the transfer arms F1 to F6 as data corresponding to the mounting table-leg correspondence data. The data defining the leg 31 that is determined to adjust the level is stored. Further, as data corresponding to the level fluctuation data, a point P acquired from the level measuring instrument 41 mounted on each base body 57 when the adjuster 33 of each leg 31 of the processing block D2 is rotated once. The data about the variation amount of the is stored in the memory 47.

Next, the level adjustment of the resist coating module 2 will be described. The resist coating module 2 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 17, which is a schematic longitudinal side view, and the resist coating module 2 includes, for example, two processing units 61. The processing unit 61 has a circular spin chuck 62 for horizontally adsorbing and holding the central portion of the back surface of the wafer W, a rotating mechanism 63 for rotating the spin chuck 62, and a cup 64 surrounding the wafer W held by the spin chuck 62. And are equipped with. The cup 64 is provided with a drain port for draining the liquid in the cup 64 and an exhaust port for exhausting the cup 64, but they are not shown. In the figure, reference numeral 65 denotes a nozzle for supplying the resist to the central portion of the wafer W, and the resist supplied to the central portion of the wafer W by the rotation of the wafer W is spread to the peripheral portion of the wafer W by the centrifugal force, so that the resist is It is applied to the entire surface of the wafer W.

Reference numeral 66 in the figure denotes a circular support plate that supports the rotation mechanism 63 and the spin chuck 62. In the figure, 67 is a floor plate, and the support plate 66 is fixed on the floor plate 67 by a fixture 68 such as a bolt. A shim 69, which is a thin plate, is inserted between the floor plate 67 and the support plate 66. As shown in FIG. 18, three insertion regions 60 in which the shims 69 are inserted are provided in the circumferential direction of the support plate 66, separated from each other. FIG. 18 shows the spin chuck 62 in a state in which a measurement jig 7 described later is installed, and the cup 64 is omitted in FIG. The thickness of the shim 69 can be adjusted by stacking a plurality of sheets, and the level of the spin chuck 62 can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of each shim 69. As the level adjustment of the resist coating module 2, the level adjustment of the spin chuck 62 is performed.

Next, the measuring jig 7 used for adjusting the level of the spin chuck 62 will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG. 19 and the vertical side view of FIG. The measuring jig 7 includes a level measuring device 71 and a plate 72. The level measuring instrument 71 is configured substantially the same as the level measuring instrument 41 described with reference to FIG. 2 and the like, and a difference is that the protrusion 71A is formed on the side. The data processing unit 42 receives the level data output from the level measuring device 71, and the data processing unit 42 displays x and y of the point P, which is the level data, on the display unit 45.

The plate 72 has a role of stably mounting the level measuring device 71 on the spin chuck 62, is configured in a circular shape, and has a peripheral edge bent vertically. The plate 72 is configured to be attachable/detachable to/from the spin chuck 62, and when mounted on the spin chuck 62, the lower surface of the plate 72 and the peripheral edge of the plate 72 fit the surface and peripheral edge of the spin chuck 62. When the operator rotates the plate 72 due to the friction between the plate 72 and the spin chuck 62, the spin chuck 62 also rotates.

A ring-shaped protrusion 73 protruding upward is provided at the center of the plate 72, and the protrusion 73 is provided with four elongated notches 74 extending downward from the upper end of the protrusion 73. Each notch 74 is formed at a position shifted by 90 degrees in the circumferential direction when viewed from the center of the plate 72. The inner peripheral side surface of the protrusion 73 is formed so as to fit the outer peripheral side surface of the level measuring instrument 71, and the level measuring instrument 71 is placed at the center of the plate 72 so that the protrusion 71A fits into one of the four notches 74. Placed on top. That is, the protrusion 71A and the notch 74 are formed to regulate the position and orientation of the level measuring instrument 71 on the plate 72. The level measuring instrument 71 is configured to be detachable from the plate 72. In the figure, 75 is a reference line indicating the direction of the plate 72.

Hereinafter, level adjustment of the spin chuck 62 using the measuring jig 7 will be described. First, an operator places the plate 72 on the spin chuck 62 so that the label (not shown) indicating the orientation of the spin chuck 62 and the reference line 75 are aligned, and the protrusion 71A is leveled so as to face the predetermined direction. The measuring instrument 71 is placed on the plate 72. The level data is acquired from the level measuring instrument 71 thus mounted. Subsequently, the operator removes the level measuring instrument 71 from the plate 72, rotates the plate 72 together with the spin chuck 62 by 90°, and mounts the level measuring instrument 71 on the plate 72 in the same direction as when the level data was previously obtained. That is, the level measuring instrument 71 is mounted on the plate 72 so that the orientation of the level measuring instrument 71 with respect to the plate 72 and the spin chuck 62 is changed by 90° compared to when the level data is acquired, but the orientation with respect to the floor plate 67 is not changed. Placed. After that, the level data is acquired.

After that, the operator removes the level measuring instrument 71 from the plate 72, rotates the plate 72 and the spin chuck 62 by 90°, and spins the level measuring instrument 71 so that the orientation with respect to the floor plate 67 is the same as when the previous level data was acquired. The placement on the chuck 62 and the acquisition of the level data are repeated twice. That is, level data in four states in which the spin chuck 62 is oriented in different directions by 90° is acquired. Based on the acquired level data, the operator adjusts the thickness of the shim 69 in each insertion region 60 and adjusts the level of the spin chuck 62. After the adjustment, the spin chuck 62 is again rotated by 90° to obtain the level data, and the thickness of the shim 69 is adjusted again if necessary.

The plate 72 is made of a material such as a metal such as aluminum or a resin in order to prevent the plate 72 from being damaged by being dropped on the floor during handling. Further, the diameter of the plate 72 is smaller than the diameter of the wafer W, and an operator can access the insertion region 60 and attach/detach the shim 69 while the plate 72 is attached to the spin chuck 62. Therefore, from the viewpoint of preventing the damage of the wafer W and simplifying the work, the method of mounting the level measuring instrument 71 on the plate 72 and acquiring the level data as described above is, for example, instead of the plate 72. This is more advantageous than the method of mounting the wafer W on the spin chuck 62 and mounting the level measuring device 71 on the wafer W to acquire the level data.

In the resist coating module 2, since the support plate 66 whose level is freely changeable is provided for each spin chuck 62, the level of one spin chuck 62 is changed by the shim 69 and the level of another spin chuck 62 is changed. Can be adjusted to not. However, with respect to the spin chuck 62 whose level is out of the final allowable range R1 as described in the flowchart of FIG. 11, the level data of the plurality of spin chucks 62 are acquired in parallel by using the plurality of measuring jigs 7. The case where the adjuster 33 of the corresponding leg 31 is rotated to adjust the level of the spin chuck 62 is also included in the scope of the present invention. The measuring jig 7 is not limited to being used in the resist coating module 2, but can be used in various liquid processing modules such as the above-described antireflection film forming module and developing module.

The display unit 45 in the horizontal installation support device 4 indicates to the operator the leg 31 to be adjusted and the adjustment amount so that the level of the carrier block D1, which is the object to be installed, is adjusted. It is a coping unit for. The horizontal installation support device 4 whose level is adjusted by the operator in this manner is also included in the horizontal installation device in this specification. Next, the horizontal installation device 8 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The horizontal installation device 8 automatically sets the level of the mounting tables 11A to 11D of the carrier block D1 and the level of the floor surface 24 forming the transfer area 14 of the wafer W by the transfer mechanism 13 of the carrier block D1. Adjust so that it is within the allowable range. Since the transfer mechanism 13 is provided in a moving mechanism that moves the floor surface 24 to the left and right, in order to normally transfer the wafer W between the carrier C and the transfer mechanism 13, the horizontal placement device 8 mounts the wafer W. The level of the floor 24 is adjusted as well as the level of the table 11A to 11D. The right side and the left side used in the following description are the right side and the left side as viewed from the front side (carrier block D1 side) toward the rear side (interface block D3 side), unless otherwise specified. To do.

The horizontal installation device 8 includes, for example, level measuring instruments 41A to 41G, jacks 81A to 81D, and a controller 91. The level measuring instruments 41A to 41D are used by being respectively mounted on the mounting tables 11A to 11D sequentially arranged from left to right as described above in the above-described orientation. The level measuring devices 41E, 41F, 41G are configured in the same manner as the level measuring devices 41A to 41D described above, and are arranged on the left side, the center part, and the right side in the length direction of the floor surface 24 formed in a slender shape on the left and right. Each is placed and used. The level measuring instruments 41E to 41G are installed in the same direction as the level measuring instruments 41A to 41D. The place where each of the level measuring instruments 41A to 41G is installed is a level measuring point.

The bottom surface of the housing 10 of the carrier block D1 is formed in a rectangular shape, and the four jacks 81A to 81D respectively support the corners of the bottom surface of the housing 10 with respect to the floor surface 30 of the clean room. The jacks provided on the rear right side, the rear left side, the front left side, and the front right side of these four jacks are 81A, 81B, 81C, and 81D, respectively. Although not shown in FIG. 21, the above-described leg portions 31A to 31I are provided on the bottom surface of the casing 10. For example, after the level adjustment by the jacks 81A to 81D, the casing is formed by the leg portions 31A to 31I. In order to support the body 10 on the floor surface 30, the jacks 81A to 81D are configured to be removable from the bottom surface of the housing 10. Therefore, the jacks 81A to 81D can be reused among a plurality of objects to be installed in order to install the plurality of objects.

The jacks 81A to 81D, which are height adjusting mechanisms, are configured similarly to each other, and the jack 81A will be representatively described with reference to FIG. The jack 81A includes, for example, a pantograph 82, a bar screw 83, and a drive unit 84. The pantograph 82 includes a support portion 80 that supports the housing 10 on the upper portion thereof. The bar screw 83 is screwed into a screw provided in a connecting portion 87 that connects the upper arm 85 and the lower arm 86 that form the pantograph 82. By rotating the rod screw 83, the folding condition of the pantograph 82 is changed, and the height of the support portion 80 with respect to the floor surface 30 is changed. The drive unit 84 includes a motor and rotates the rod screw 83. That is, the height of the support portion 80 changes according to the rotation amount (output amount) of the motor, and the corner portion of the bottom surface of the carrier block D1 moves up and down. The driving unit 84 includes a receiving unit 88 for receiving a control signal wirelessly transmitted from the controller 91, and the rotation amount of the motor is controlled by this control signal.

Returning to FIG. 21, the controller 91 that forms the calculation unit and the determination unit will be described. The controller 91 is configured by a computer like the data processing unit 42 of the horizontal installation support device 4 described above, and the difference from the data processing unit 42 will be mainly described below. The controller 91 includes a receiving unit 92, a program 93, a memory 94, and a transmitting unit 95. The receiving unit 92 wirelessly receives the level data output from the level measuring instruments 41A to 41G, similarly to the receiving unit 43 of the data processing unit 42.

The program 93 is shown in steps S1 to S9 based on each level data received from the level measuring instruments 41A to 41G and the data stored in the memory 94 as a difference from the program 44. Instead of the flow, the flow shown in step T described later is executed. The data stored in the memory 94 will be described later. The transmitter 95 wirelessly transmits a control signal corresponding to the rotation amount of the motor of each jack 81A to 81D calculated by executing the flow of step T to the receiver 88 of the jack 81A to 81D. Further, the controller 91 is provided with an operation unit 46 so that the user can instruct the start of the level adjustment and a display unit 45 so that the user can be notified of the end of the level adjustment.

Next, an outline of level adjustment in the horizontal installation device 8 will be described. In this horizontal installation device 8, the level is adjusted so that the point P(x, y), which is the level data acquired from each of the level measuring instruments 41A to 41G, is (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 ≦a. Shall be performed. In other words, the allowable range (spec) R of the level is on the circle with the radius a centered on the origin and inside the circle. For the level data acquired from the level measuring instruments 41A to 41G arranged as described above, if there is level data that is not included in the permissible range R, which is a proper level range, then (x ² +y ² ) ^{1 The} level data having the largest //2 is selected, and one or two of the jacks 81A to 81D are selected and driven based on the level data so that the selected level data falls within the allowable range R. The selection of the level data that maximizes (x ² +y ² ) ^{1/2 in} this series, the selection of the jacks 81A to 81D, and the driving of the selected jack based on the selected level data are the level measuring instruments 41A to 41A. The level adjustment is performed by repeatedly performing all the level data acquired from 41G within the allowable range R.

Regarding the selection of the jack in the above level adjustment and the driving of the jack based on the level data, it is assumed that the largest (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 is the level data of the level measuring instrument 41A, with reference to FIG. explain. This FIG. 23 shows the point P(x, y) and the XY coordinate system acquired by the level measuring instrument 41A. Further, in this XY coordinate system, regions outside the allowable range R and belonging to the first quadrant, the second quadrant, the third quadrant, and the fourth quadrant are shown as regions 96A, 96B, 96D, and 96D, respectively. Further, assuming that the position where the XY coordinate system is set is the position where the level measuring instrument 41A is placed, the positions of the jacks 81A to 81D with respect to the XY coordinate system are schematically shown in the figure.

As described above, since the jacks 81A to 81D are arranged at the corners of the bottom surface of the housing 10, and the level measuring instrument 41A has the X axis and the Y axis arranged in the left-right direction and the front-back direction, respectively, When the point P is located in the first area 96A or the third area 96C, by driving the jack 81A or 81C, when the point P is located in the second area 96A or the fourth area 96C, Can drive the jack 81B or 81D to bring the point P closer to the allowable range R, respectively. Here, when the point P is located in the first area 96A, the second area 96B, the third area 96C, and the fourth area 96D, the jacks 81A, 81B, 81C, and 81D are selected so as to be driven, respectively. I shall. That is, the jacks 81A, 81B, 81C, and 81D are arranged at the positions corresponding to the third quadrant, the fourth quadrant, the first quadrant, and the second quadrant of the XY coordinate system, respectively. , The jack in the position corresponding to the quadrant opposite the origin is selected to be driven. Thus, when the point P is included in any of the first to fourth quadrants outside the allowable range R, one jack is selected. In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 23, since the point P is located in the second region 96B, the jack 81B is selected to be driven.

If the point P does not belong to any of the first to fourth quadrants outside the allowable range R, that is, if it is located on the X axis or the Y axis, for example, two jacks are driven. To be selected. Specifically, when the point P is located on the − side on the X axis, for example, the jacks 81B and 81C are located on the + side on the X axis, and for example, the jacks 81A and 81D are located on the − side on the Y axis. When located on the side, for example, the jacks 81C and 81D are selected, and when located on the + side on the Y axis, for example, the jacks 81A and 81B are selected. The memory 94 stores the correspondence between the position of the point P, which is the level data, in the XY coordinate system, and the jack selected to be driven to perform the level adjustment among 81A to 81D. ing. As described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, the point P is located on the side with the larger height of the + side and the − side in the X axis and the Y axis. Therefore, in this example, the selected jack is adjusted so that the height of the supporting portion 80 is increased, and the level is adjusted.

In this way, for the jack selected based on the position of the point P where (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 becomes the maximum, for example, an amount of the support portion 80 of the support portion 80 is increased by an amount corresponding to the (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 . The control signal is output so that the height increases. That is, it is considered that the point P(x, y) moves toward the origin by driving the selected jack, and the target of P(x, y) is defined as the origin (0, 0). The selected jack is driven by an amount corresponding to the deviation from the acquired level data. In order to operate the jack in that manner, the rotation of the motor of the drive unit 84, which is an adjustment amount of (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 and the height of the support unit 80 of the pantograph 82, is stored in the memory 94. The correspondence with the quantity is also stored.

By the way, the target value of the point P(x, y) is not limited to the origin, and a point other than the origin within the allowable range R may be set. Further, the jack is not limited to be selected so that the level is adjusted by increasing the height of the supporting portion 80, and the level is adjusted by decreasing the height of the supporting portion 80. Alternatively, the jack may be selected.

Subsequently, the procedure of the above level adjustment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, for example, when the pantograph 82 of the jacks 81A to 81D is folded and the bottom surface of the housing 10 of the carrier block D1 is closest to the floor surface 30 of the clean room, the user performs the level adjustment from the operation unit 46 of the controller 91. Give instructions. Thereby, for example, in order to prevent the leg portions 31 and the like from coming into contact with the floor surface 30 and hindering the level adjustment, the support portion 80 of the pantograph 82 is raised by a predetermined amount, for example, 150 mm, and the height of the housing 10 is raised. (Step T1). Subsequently, the level data is, for example, simultaneously acquired by the controller 91 from the level measuring instruments 41A to 41G (step T2). Then, it is determined whether or not all the level data respectively acquired from the level measuring instruments 41A to 41G are within the allowable range R (step T3).

When it is determined in step T3 that the acquired level data is out of the allowable range R, (x ² +y ² ) ^1/2 is the largest among the level data outside the allowable range R. The level data is specified (step T4). Based on the specified level data, the jack to be driven is selected from 81A to 81D as described with reference to FIG. 22 (step T5). Further, the rotation amount of the motor of the driving unit 84 of the jack selected from (x ² +y ² ) ^{1/2 of} the level data specified in step T4 is calculated (step T6). After that, a control signal corresponding to the calculated rotation amount is transmitted to the jack selected in step T5, and the motor is driven based on the control signal to raise the height of the support portion 80 of the jack. However, the level of each part of the housing 10 of the carrier block D1 changes. After that, the level data is acquired from each of the level measuring instruments 41A to 41G in the above step T2, and subsequently, the determination in the above step T3 is executed. That is, it is determined whether or not further adjustment by any of the jacks 81A to 81D is necessary.

When it is determined by the determination in step T3 that all the level data acquired from all the level measuring instruments 41A to 41G are within the allowable range R, the level adjustment on the display unit 45 of the controller 91 is completed. Is displayed. The operator adjusts the adjuster 33 of the leg portion 31, supports the housing 10 on the floor surface 30 by the leg portion 31, and removes the jacks 81A to 81D from the housing 10. After that, the carrier C is installed on the mounting tables 11A to 11D, the transfer mechanism 13 is installed on the floor surface 24, and the wafer W is transferred on the carrier block D1. The wafer W may be transported by the carrier block D1 while the carrier block D1 is supported by the jacks 81A to 81D without adjusting the adjuster 33.

According to the horizontal installation device 8, the level measured by the level measuring instruments 41A to 41G is automatically adjusted so as to fall within the allowable range R. Therefore, the burden on the operator can be eliminated or further reduced. It should be noted that the height adjusting unit in the horizontal installation device 8 is not limited to the configuration of the jacks 81A to 81D as long as it can change the height of the housing 10 based on a control signal from the controller 91. .. For example, a vertical cylinder that supports the housing 10 may be configured to move up and down with respect to the main body installed on the floor surface 30. The drive mechanism for raising and lowering the cylinder may be an electric drive mechanism using a motor as described above, or may be configured to raise and lower the cylinder by air pressure or hydraulic pressure. Further, the number and positions of the jacks 81A to 81D are not limited to the examples described above. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and appropriate modifications and combinations of the embodiments are possible.

W wafer 1 coating/developing apparatus 10 housing 11 mounting table D1 carrier block 31 leg 33 adjuster 4 horizontal installation support device 41 level measuring instrument 42 main body 44 program 45 display 8 horizontal installation device 81A to 81D jack 91 controller 93 program

Claims (13)

In a horizontal installation device for adjusting the object to be installed by a plurality of height adjustment mechanisms provided in the lower part and horizontally installing it on a supporting surface,
A level measuring instrument installed at each of a plurality of measurement points of the installation object,
A calculation unit that calculates an adjustment amount of at least one height adjustment mechanism so that a measurement value out of the proper level range among the measurement values of each level measuring instrument is contained in the proper level range,
A coping unit that performs coping operation based on the calculated adjustment amount;
Equipped with
The computing unit obtains the first information for obtaining the correspondence relationship between the adjustment amount of each height adjustment mechanism and the deviation value from each horizontal in the x and y directions for each measurement point, and the measurement of each level measuring instrument. Calculating an adjustment amount of the height adjustment mechanism based on the value, an appropriate level range, and second information indicating which height adjustment mechanism is involved in the adjustment of the measurement point,
The coping unit is a display unit that displays a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the measurement point and an adjustment amount of the height adjustment mechanism obtained by the calculation unit. Horizontal installation device for objects. The height adjustment mechanism includes a support portion that is adjustable in height from the supporting surface and supports the object to be installed,
The apparatus for horizontally installing an object to be installed according to claim 1, wherein the coping unit includes a lifting drive unit that lifts and lowers the support unit based on the adjustment amount. After adjusting the height of the supporting unit by the elevating/lowering drive unit, it is necessary to further adjust any one of the plurality of height adjusting mechanisms based on the measured value of each level measuring instrument and an appropriate level range. A determination unit for determining whether
3. The arithmetic unit recalculates the adjustment amount of the height adjusting mechanism when it is determined that the adjustment of any one of the plurality of height adjusting mechanisms is further required. Horizontal installation device for objects to be installed. 4. The calculation unit calculates the adjustment amount of the height adjusting mechanism so that the measured value that is the largest and falls outside the appropriate level range falls within the appropriate level range. The horizontal installation device for the installation object according to one. The calculation unit is the measurement point where the level measurement device having the largest measurement value outside the proper level range is installed, or the measurement point where the level measurement device having the measurement value outside the proper level range is installed. for out largest number measuring point of the second information at a height adjusting mechanism involved in adjustment, claim 1, characterized in that for calculating the adjustment amount of the height adjusting mechanisms involved in the first information The horizontal installation device of the installation object according to any one of 1 to 4 . When the calculation unit can calculate a plurality of adjustment amounts of the height adjustment mechanism for one measurement point, based on the measurement value of the level measuring instrument installed at another measurement point and the first information. Select one of the plurality of adjustment amounts,
Horizontal installation device of the installation as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that adjusting the amount selected by the computing unit on the display unit is displayed. The horizontal installation device for an installation object according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the measured value is wirelessly transmitted from each of the level measuring devices to the calculation unit. In the horizontal installation method of the installation object for adjusting the installation object by a plurality of height adjustment mechanisms provided at the bottom and installing it horizontally on the fulcrum,
Installing a level measuring device in each of a plurality of measurement points of the installation object,
Next, a calculation step of calculating an adjustment amount of at least one height adjusting mechanism in order to put a measurement value out of the proper level range among the measurement values of each level measuring instrument into the proper level range,
Subsequently, a height adjusting step of adjusting the height of the height adjusting mechanism based on the calculated adjustment amount,
Equipped with
In the calculation step, the first information for obtaining the correspondence relationship between the adjustment amount of each height adjustment mechanism and the deviation value from each horizontal in the x and y directions for each measurement point, and the measurement of each level measuring instrument The adjustment amount of the height adjustment mechanism for the measurement point is calculated based on the value, the appropriate level range, and the second information indicating which height adjustment mechanism is involved in the adjustment of the measurement point. Including steps,
A height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the measurement point, and a display step of displaying the adjustment amount of the height adjusting mechanism obtained in the calculating step on a display unit,
The said height adjustment process includes the process of adjusting the height of a height adjustment mechanism based on the display of the said display part, The horizontal installation method of the to-be-installed object characterized by the above-mentioned. In the height adjusting step, the height adjusting mechanism is configured to adjust a height from the supporting surface and a supporting portion that supports the object to be installed based on the adjustment amount by an elevating and lowering driving portion. The horizontal installation method of the installation object according to claim 8, further comprising a step of moving up and down. After adjusting the height of the supporting unit by the elevating/lowering drive unit, it is necessary to further adjust any one of the plurality of height adjusting mechanisms based on the measured value of each level measuring instrument and an appropriate level range. A determination step for determining whether
Wherein when one of the adjustment of the plurality of height adjusting mechanism is determined to further require the determination step, according to claim 9, wherein said arithmetic step and said height adjusting step is performed again Horizontal installation method of the installation object. The arithmetic process, as measured values deviating from the largest the appropriate level range to fit to the appropriate level range, to claims 8, characterized in that it comprises a step of calculating an adjustment amount of the height adjusting mechanism The horizontal installation method of the installation object according to any one of 10 . In the calculation step, the measurement value is the largest and the measurement point where the level measuring device outside the proper level range is installed, or the measurement point where the measuring value is outside the proper level range is set. It is characterized by including a step of calculating an adjustment amount of the height adjustment mechanism involved in the second information, for a measurement point having the largest number of height adjustment mechanisms involved in the adjustment in the first information. The horizontal installation method of the installation object according to any one of claims 8 to 11 . In the calculation step, when a plurality of adjustment amounts of the height adjustment mechanism for one measurement point can be calculated, based on the measurement value of the level measuring instrument installed at another measurement point and the first information. Comprising the step of selecting one of the plurality of adjustment amounts,
13. The horizontal installation method for an object to be installed according to claim 8 , wherein the selected adjustment amount is displayed in the display step.

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