JP6739295B2 - Substrate holder, plating apparatus, and method for holding a substrate - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate holder, a plating device, and a method for holding a substrate.

Conventionally, wiring, bumps (protruding electrodes), etc. have been formed on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a printed circuit board. An electrolytic plating method is known as a method of forming the wiring, the bump, and the like.

A plating apparatus used for the electroplating method includes a substrate holder that seals the end surface of a circular or polygonal substrate and exposes and holds the surface (surface to be plated). When performing a plating process on the substrate surface in such a plating apparatus, the substrate holder holding the substrate is immersed in the plating solution.

Patent Document 1 describes a substrate holder for a semiconductor wafer. In this substrate holder, the substrate placed on the fixed holding member (first holding member 22) is sandwiched by the movable holding members (second holding member 24), and the holding ring 27 on the second holding member 24 is rotated to make the first holding member. The substrate is fixed to the substrate holder by engaging the clamper 33 on the holding member 22.
Patent Document 2 describes a substrate holding jig for a rectangular printed circuit board. In this board holding jig, the printed board P is fixed by four holding members 30 provided on the rectangular frame 20.
Patent Document 3 describes a plating apparatus that conveys a substrate in a horizontal state and performs a plating process while the substrate is horizontally held on a holding base 42 of a plating unit 26.

JP, 2016-117917, A Japanese Patent No. 4179707 JP, 2009-270167, A

The configuration described in Patent Document 1 is for plating a circular semiconductor wafer, but at present, it is required to plate substrates having various sizes, shapes, and thicknesses. In particular, when the large-sized thin film substrate is held by the substrate holder disclosed in Patent Document 1, the substrate may be bent by the rotation of the pressing ring.
In the substrate holding jig described in Patent Document 2, both blocks are screwed and the substrate is fixed by the gripping member 30 with the end portion of the substrate sandwiched between the pair of blocks 31 and 32 of the gripping member 30. However, this configuration is not suitable for automating the holding by the substrate holding jig.
The configuration described in Patent Document 3 describes that the apparatus is downsized without providing a complicated posture changing mechanism by carrying and processing the inside of the apparatus with the surface to be processed of the glass substrate facing upward. There is. However, when processing a substrate that is thinner than the glass substrate and has a warp, the substrate surface may be scratched or damaged if the substrate is conveyed with the surface to be processed facing upward.

An object of the present invention is to solve at least some of the above-mentioned problems.

[1] A substrate holder according to an aspect of the present invention includes first and second holding members that sandwich and fix a substrate, and the first holding member includes a first holding member main body and the first holding member. A clamp provided on the main body, the clamp being rotatable about an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member main body or reciprocating in a direction intersecting the surface of the first holding member main body; The second holding member has a second holding member body, and the clamp engages with the second holding member in a state where the first holding member body and the second holding member body are in contact with each other, The second holding member can be fixed to the first holding member.

According to this substrate holder, a first clamp for clamping the substrate by a clamp that can rotate about an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member body or can reciprocate in a direction intersecting the surface of the first holding member body. Since the holding member and the second holding member are fixed to each other, it is possible to suppress or prevent a force in the rotation direction from being applied to the substrate. Especially when the substrate is a large thin film, the substrate may be bent when a force in the rotation direction is applied to the substrate. However, this substrate holder does not cause the bending even when holding a large thin substrate. Can be suppressed or prevented.

[2] In the substrate holder described in [1], the clamp is biased in a closing direction by a first biasing member, and the second holding member main body is held by the first holding member in a state where the clamp is opened. The second holding member can be fixed to the first holding member in a state where the second holding member is brought into contact with the member main body and then the clamp is closed.
In this configuration, since the clamp is a normally closed type, if the clamp is opened when the second holding member main body is brought into contact with the first holding member main body, it is not necessary to apply an external force by an actuator or the like in the clamped state, Energy consumption can be suppressed.

[3] In the substrate holder according to [1] or [2], the first holding member includes a plurality of clamps, and further includes a connecting member that connects the plurality of clamps. , Are configured to operate the plurality of clamps in synchronization.
With this configuration, the second holding member can be sandwiched by the clamps at a plurality of points, and the operation of each clamp is synchronized by the connecting member, so that the clamp operation can be performed efficiently. Further, by interlocking the plurality of clamps with the connecting member, it is possible to simplify the structure of the actuator that applies a force from the outside.

[4] In the substrate holder described in [3], the connecting member is a rotation shaft rotatably attached to the first holding member main body.
In this case, the structure is simple and the clamps can be reliably synchronized by forming the connecting member by the rotary shaft.

[5] The substrate holder according to [3] or [4], including a first force receiving portion provided on the connecting member, wherein the first force receiving portion is configured such that the connecting member has the first force. It is configured to operate when force is applied to the receiving portion.
In this case, each clamp can be operated via the interlocking member by applying a force to the first force receiving portion with, for example, an actuator, so that the holding by the clamp can be easily automated.

[6] In the substrate holder according to any one of [1] to [5], the clamp has an engaging portion at a tip thereof, and the second holding member has a shape for receiving the engaging portion of the clamp. Has an engagement receiving portion.
In this case, the engagement by the clamp can be improved by providing the second holding member with the engagement receiving portion having a shape that receives the engagement portion of the clamp.

[7] In the substrate holder according to [6], the engagement receiving portion is a separate body from the second holding member body, and is attached to the second holding member body.
In this case, by adopting a configuration in which the separate engagement receiving portion is attached to the second holding member body, it becomes easy to appropriately select the size, shape, number, etc. of the engagement receiving portions.

[8] The substrate holder described in [1] to [7] can further include a clip for holding the substrate. After holding the substrate with the clip, the substrate is sandwiched by the first and second holding members, so that the substrate can be held accurately and reliably.
[9] In the substrate holder according to [8], the clip further includes a clip that is provided on a surface of the second holding member main body that is in contact with the substrate and that holds the substrate. Is rotatable about an axis parallel to the surface of the second holding member body or reciprocally movable in a direction intersecting the surface of the second holding member body.
According to this substrate holder, the clip is rotatable about an axis parallel to the surface of the second holding member body, or reciprocally movable in a direction intersecting the surface of the second holding member body. Since it is fixed to the substrate, it is possible to suppress or prevent application of a force in a direction parallel to the substrate surface such as a rotation direction to the substrate. Especially when the substrate is a large thin film, the substrate may bend when a force is applied to the substrate in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate such as a rotation direction. Also in the case of performing, it is possible to suppress or prevent the occurrence of bending. Further, it is easy to move the second holding member after the substrate is fixed by the clip and change the posture.

[10] In the substrate holder described in [9], the clip is biased in a closing direction by a second biasing member.
With this configuration, since the clip is a normally closed type, if the clip is opened when the substrate is brought into contact with the second holding member body, it is not necessary to apply a force from the outside by an actuator or the like in the clipped state, and energy consumption is suppressed it can.

[11] In the substrate holder according to [10], the second holding member includes a second force receiving portion provided on the second holding member main body, and the second force receiving portion includes the substrate. The clip is configured to be displaceable so as to come into contact with the clip by receiving a force from a surface opposite to the abutting side surface, and the clip is pressed by the second force receiving portion to cause the second It is configured to open against the biasing member.
In this case, since the clip can be operated by applying a force to the second force receiving portion with an actuator, for example, fixing by the clip can be easily automated. Since the second force receiving portion that receives the force from the surface opposite to the surface contacting the substrate is provided, the actuator can be arranged on the side opposite to the substrate contact surface, and the second holding member after the substrate is fixed. It is easy to move and change the posture.

[12] In the substrate holder according to any one of [1] to [11], the first holding member has a first holder that holds the first elastic protrusion on a surface that comes into contact with the substrate; It further comprises a second holder, which is different from the first holder, and holds the second elastic protrusion.
In this case, since the holders for holding the first elastic protrusion and the second elastic protrusion are separately provided, the elastic protrusions can be exchanged separately.

[13] In the substrate holder according to any one of [1] to [12], the substrate holder includes an arm portion on one end side.
In this case, the substrate holder can be conveyed while being suspended vertically by the arm portion, and the risk of damage to the substrate surface can be suppressed or prevented.

[14] In the substrate holder according to any one of [1] to [13], the substrate holder is configured to hold a rectangular substrate.
A large-sized thin film rectangular substrate can be held without bending.

[15] A plating apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a substrate holder that holds a substrate, and a plating tank that receives the substrate holder and performs a plating process on the substrate. The substrate holder includes first and second holding members that sandwich and fix the substrate. The first holding member is provided on the first holding member main body and the first holding member main body, and is rotatable about an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member main body or the first holding member main body. And a clamp capable of reciprocating in a direction intersecting the plane. The second holding member has a second holding member body. The clamp is engaged with the second holding member so as to press the second holding member toward the first holding member in a state where the first holding member main body and the second holding member main body are in contact with each other. Is configured to.
According to this plating apparatus, the same employment effect as described in [1] can be obtained. Moreover, since a large-sized thin film substrate can be properly held by the substrate holder, the plating quality can be secured and improved.

[16] In the method for holding a substrate according to an aspect of the present invention, the substrate is sandwiched between first and second holding members and rotatable about an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member. Alternatively, the second holding member is fixed so as to be pressed toward the first holding member side by a clamp capable of reciprocating in a direction intersecting the surface of the first holding member main body.
According to this method, the same operational effect as described above in [1] can be obtained.

[17] The method for holding a substrate according to [16], wherein the substrate is placed on the second holding member when the substrate is sandwiched between the first and second holding members, May be held by a clip, the first holding member and the second holding member may be brought close to each other, and the substrate may be sandwiched between the first and second holding members.
In this case, since the substrate is held by the first holding member and the second holding member after the substrate is held by the clip on the second holding member, it is possible to move the second holding member after the substrate is held by the clip and change the posture. In addition, the substrate can be held accurately and reliably.

1 is an overall layout view of a plating apparatus in which a substrate holder according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. It is a schematic front view of the substrate holder which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic side view of a substrate holder. It is a schematic rear view of a substrate holder. It is a front perspective view of a substrate holder. It is a rear perspective view of a substrate holder. It is a front view of a substrate holder. It is a rear view of a substrate holder. It is a front view of a back plate. It is a rear view of a back plate. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged rear view of the substrate holder showing a mounted state of the back plate. It is a partially expanded perspective view of a board|substrate holder which shows the attachment state of a back plate. It is a perspective view which shows the relationship between a clamp and a connection member. It is a perspective view of a clamp in a clamped state. It is a side view of a clamp in a clamped state. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the clamp in a clamped state. It is sectional drawing of a clamp in a clamped state. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the clamp of an unclamping state. It is a side view of a clamp in an unclamping state. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the clamp in an unclamped state. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the clamp of an unclamping state. It is a partially notched side view which shows the clip of a back plate. It is a partially expanded perspective view which shows the clip of a back plate. It is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the state of the clip when closed. It is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing the state of the clip when closed. It is a partially notched perspective view which shows the state of the clip at the time of opening. It is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing a state of the clip when opened. It is sectional drawing which shows the inner seal part of a front plate. It is sectional drawing which shows the inner seal part and outer seal part of a front plate.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each of the following embodiments, the same or corresponding members will be denoted by the same reference symbols and redundant description will be omitted. Further, in the present specification, expressions such as “front”, “back”, “front”, “back”, “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right” are used for convenience of description. The above shows the position and direction on the paper surface of the illustrated drawings, and may differ in actual arrangement when the device is used.

FIG. 1 is an overall layout diagram of a plating apparatus in which a substrate holder according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. As shown in FIG. 1, the plating apparatus 100 includes a load/unload unit 110 that loads a substrate (corresponding to an example of an object to be processed) onto the substrate holder 1 or unloads the substrate from the substrate holder 1. It is roughly divided into a processing section 120 for processing the substrate and a cleaning section 50a. The processing section 120 further includes a pre-processing/post-processing section 120A that performs pre-processing and post-processing of the substrate, and a plating processing section 120B that performs plating processing on the substrate. The substrates processed by the plating apparatus 100 include square substrates and circular substrates. Further, the rectangular substrate includes a polygonal glass substrate such as a rectangle, a liquid crystal substrate, a printed circuit board, and other polygonal objects to be plated. Circular substrates include semiconductor wafers, glass substrates, and other circular objects to be plated.

The loading/unloading unit 110 has two cassette tables 25 and a substrate loading/unloading mechanism 29. The cassette table 25 mounts a cassette 25a that accommodates substrates such as semiconductor wafers, glass substrates, liquid crystal substrates, and printed circuit boards. The substrate attachment/detachment mechanism 29 is configured to attach/detach the substrate to/from the substrate holder 1 (described later in FIG. 2A). A stocker 30 for housing the substrate holder 1 is provided near (for example, below) the substrate attaching/detaching mechanism 29. At the center of these units 25, 29, 30 is arranged a substrate transfer device 27 composed of a transfer robot for transferring a substrate between these units. The substrate transfer device 27 is configured to be able to travel by the traveling mechanism 28.

The cleaning unit 50a includes a cleaning device 50 that cleans and dries the plated substrate. The substrate transfer device 27 is configured to transfer the plated substrate to the cleaning device 50 and take out the cleaned substrate from the cleaning device 50.

The pre-treatment/post-treatment unit 120A includes a pre-wet tank 32, a pre-soak tank 33, a pre-rinse tank 34, a blow tank 35, and a rinse tank 36. In the pre-wet bath 32, the substrate is immersed in pure water. In the pre-soak tank 33, the oxide film on the surface of the conductive layer such as the seed layer formed on the surface of the substrate is removed by etching. In the pre-rinse tank 34, the pre-soaked substrate is cleaned together with the substrate holder with a cleaning liquid (pure water or the like). In the blow tank 35, the substrate after cleaning is drained. In the rinse tank 36, the plated substrate is washed with a washing liquid together with the substrate holder. The pre-wet tank 32, the pre-soak tank 33, the pre-rinse tank 34, the blow tank 35, and the rinse tank 36 are arranged in this order. The configuration of the pre-treatment/post-treatment unit 120A of the plating apparatus 100 is an example, and the configuration of the pre-treatment/post-treatment unit 120A of the plating apparatus 100 is not limited and other configurations can be adopted. ..

The plating processing section 120B has a plurality of plating tanks 39 having an overflow tank 38. Each plating tank 39 accommodates one substrate inside, and immerses the substrate in the plating solution held therein to perform plating such as copper plating on the substrate surface. Here, the type of plating solution is not particularly limited, and various plating solutions are used depending on the application.

The plating apparatus 100 has a substrate holder transfer device 37 that is located beside each of these devices and that transfers the substrate holder together with the substrate between these devices, for example, that employs a linear motor system. The substrate holder transfer device 37 is configured to transfer the substrate holder between the substrate attachment/detachment mechanism 29, the pre-wet tank 32, the pre-soak tank 33, the pre-rinse tank 34, the blow tank 35, the rinse tank 36, and the plating tank 39. To be done.

A plating processing system including a plurality of plating apparatuses 100 configured as described above includes a controller 175 configured to control the above-mentioned units. The controller 175 has a memory 175B that stores a predetermined program, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 175A that executes the program of the memory 175B, and a control unit 175C that is realized by the CPU 175A executing the program. The control unit 175C, for example, controls the transfer of the substrate transfer device 27, the control of attaching/detaching the substrate to/from the substrate holder in the substrate attaching/detaching mechanism 29, the transfer control of the substrate holder transfer device 37, the control of the plating current and the plating time in each plating tank 39. In addition, the opening diameter of the anode mask (not shown) and the opening diameter of the regulation plate (not shown) arranged in each plating tank 39 can be controlled. Further, the controller 175 is configured to be communicable with a host controller (not shown) that controls the plating apparatus 100 and other related devices, and can exchange data with a database of the host controller. Here, the storage medium constituting the memory 175B stores various kinds of setting data and various programs such as a plating processing program described later. As the storage medium, a known medium such as a computer-readable memory such as a ROM or a RAM, a disk-shaped storage medium such as a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a flexible disk can be used.

[Substrate holder]
FIG. 2A is a schematic front view of the substrate holder according to the embodiment. FIG. 2B is a schematic side view of the substrate holder. FIG. 2C is a schematic rear view of the substrate holder. FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of the substrate holder. FIG. 3B is a rear perspective view of the substrate holder. FIG. 4A is a front view of the substrate holder. FIG. 4B is a rear view of the substrate holder.

The substrate holder 1 includes a front plate 300 and a back plate 400. The substrate S is held between the front plate 300 and the back plate 400. In this embodiment, the substrate holder 1 holds the substrate S with one surface of the substrate S exposed. The substrate S may be a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate, a liquid crystal substrate, a printed circuit board, or any other object to be plated. The substrate S has any shape such as a circular shape or a rectangular shape. In the following description, a rectangular substrate will be described as an example, but a substrate having a circular shape or another shape can be held by changing the shape of the opening of the substrate holder 1.

The front plate 300 includes a front plate body 310 and an arm portion 330. The arm portion 330 is a gripping portion that is gripped by the substrate holder transfer device 37, and is a portion that is supported when being placed in the plating bath 39. The substrate holder 1 is conveyed in an upright state with respect to the installation surface of the plating apparatus, and is placed in the plating tank 39 in an upright state.

The front plate body 310 has a substantially rectangular shape and has a front surface 301 and a back surface 302. The front plate body 310 is attached to the arm portion 330 at two locations by the attachment portions 320. The front plate body 310 is provided with an opening 303, and the surface to be plated of the substrate S is exposed from the opening 303. In this embodiment, the opening 303 is formed in a rectangular shape corresponding to the rectangular substrate S. When the substrate S is a circular semiconductor wafer or the like, the shape of the opening 303 is also circular.

A wiring buffer 311 is provided on the side of the front plate body 310 near the arm 330. The wiring buffer portion 311 is an area for distributing the cables that reach the front plate body 310 via the arm portion 330, and is an area for accommodating cables of a spare length. The wiring buffer portion 311 is formed so as to be slightly thicker than other portions of the front plate body 310 (see FIG. 2B). A connector 331 for electrically connecting to an external wiring is provided on one end side of the arm portion 330 (see FIG. 3A and the like). The back plate 400 is fixed to the back surface 302 of the front plate body 310 by the clamp 340 (FIGS. 2C, 3B, and 4B).

(Mounting structure of back plate to front plate)
FIG. 5A is a front view of the back plate. FIG. 5B is a rear view of the back plate. FIG. 6A is a partially enlarged rear view of the substrate holder showing a mounting state of the back plate. FIG. 6B is a partially enlarged perspective view of the substrate holder showing a mounted state of the back plate. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the clamp and the connecting member.

The back plate 400 includes a back plate body 410, which is generally rectangular but has a smaller size than the front plate body 310 of the front plate 300 (FIGS. 3B, 4B). The back plate body 410 has a front surface 401 (FIG. 5A) and a back surface 402 (FIG. 5B).

The front surface 401 of the back plate body 410 is a mounting surface of the substrate S and is attached to the back surface 302 of the front plate body 310. On the front surface 401 of the back plate body 410, a total of eight clips 420 for holding (fixing) the substrate S are provided corresponding to each side of the substrate S. In this example, one clip 420 is arranged on each of the upper and lower sides of the substrate S, and three clips 420 are arranged on each of the left and right sides. Note that the number and arrangement of the clips 420 are appropriately selected according to the size and shape of the substrate S, and are not limited to the number and arrangement shown.

Positioning pieces 490 are provided at three of the four corners of the back plate body 410. A through hole 490a is formed in the positioning piece 490. The positioning piece 490 may be formed integrally with the back plate body 410, or may be formed separately from the back plate body 410 and attached to the back plate body 410. Positioning pins 390 are provided on the rear surface 302 of the front plate body 310 at positions corresponding to the respective positioning pieces 490 (FIGS. 6A and 6B). The positioning pin 390 may be formed integrally with the front plate body 310, or may be formed separately from the front plate body 310 and attached to the front plate body 310. When the back plate 400 is attached to the front plate 300, the positioning pin 390 is inserted into the through hole 490a of the positioning piece 490 of the back plate 400 to align the two.

As shown in FIG. 4B, fixing members 350 are arranged on the back surface 302 of the front plate 300 so as to correspond to the four sides of the back plate 400. The two fixing members 350 are provided on one side of the back plate 400, and are arranged side by side along one side of the back plate 400. Two clamps 340 are attached to each fixing member 350, as shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 7. Therefore, four clamps 340 are provided per side. Further, a lever 342 for simultaneously operating the four clips 420 is attached between the two fixing members 350 on each side.

The rotary shaft 341 is attached across the two fixing members 350 on each side. The rotary shaft 341 is rotatably attached to the fixed member 350 (FIG. 7). Each of the clamps 340 and the lever 342 is non-rotatably attached to the rotary shaft 341 by key connection (key and key groove) (FIGS. 8A, B, 9A, B). The four clamps 340 are attached to the rotary shaft 341 in the same phase, but the lever 342 is attached to the rotary shaft 341 in a different phase from the four clamps 340. With this configuration, when the lever 342 rotates, the four clamps 340 rotate in synchronization with it. Although the clamp 340 is configured to rotate about the rotation axis 341 parallel to the surfaces 301 and 302 of the front plate body 310 here, the clamp 340 reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the surfaces 301 and 302 of the front plate body 310. The clamp 340 may be configured so as to clamp the back plate 400.

The clamp 340 has an engaging portion 340a that is curved like a hook at its tip. The clamp 340 has a through hole on the proximal end side, and the rotary shaft 341 is inserted into the through hole, and is fixed by a key and a key groove so as not to rotate. When no force is applied from the outside, the lever 342 is biased by the compression spring 343 so as to stand up from the rear surface 302 of the front plate 300 as shown in FIG. 7, and accordingly, each clamp 340 is closed. Biased in the direction. In other words, the clamp 340 is of a normally closed type. One end of the compression spring 343 is in contact with or fixed to the spring receiving member 344, and the other end is in contact with or fixed to the lever 342. Further, the lever 342 is configured as a force receiving portion capable of receiving a pressing force from the outside. The lever 342 can receive a pressing force from an actuator provided in the substrate attaching/detaching mechanism 29, for example. In FIG. 10B, the actuator AR1 is schematically shown. The actuator AR1 includes, for example, a drive unit DRV such as an air cylinder and a motor, and a rod-shaped member RD driven by the drive unit DRV. When the lever 342 receives a pressing force from the actuator AR1, the lever 342 rotates in a direction in which the lever 342 falls toward the back surface 302 of the front plate 300, and accordingly, the clamp 340 rotates in an opening direction. In this example, four actuators AR1 are provided corresponding to the levers 342 on each side. Preferably, the four actuators AR1 are driven simultaneously to push the lever 342. However, the four actuators AR1 may be driven separately, and are not limited to being driven simultaneously.

On the back surface 402 of the back plate 400, an engagement receiving portion 430 is provided at a position corresponding to the clamp 340. As shown in the present embodiment, the engagement receiving portion 430 is formed as a member different from the back plate body 410 of the back plate 400 and may be attached to the back plate body 410, or formed integrally with the back plate body 410. It may be the one. The engagement receiving portion 430 is formed with a protrusion 430a having a shape that allows the hook-shaped engaging portion 340a of the clamp 340 to be caught and engaged. The protrusion 430a has a longer dimension than the engaging portion 340a in order to reliably receive the engagement of the engaging portion 340a of the clamp 340.

Hereinafter, a mounting structure of the back plate 400 to the front plate 300 will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the clamp in a clamped state. FIG. 8B is a side view of the clamp in the clamped state. FIG. 9A is a sectional perspective view of the clamp in a clamped state. FIG. 9B shows
It is sectional drawing of a clamp in a clamped state. FIG. 10A is a perspective view showing a configuration of a clamp in an unclamped state. FIG. 10B is a side view of the clamp in an unclamped state. FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the clamp in the unclamped state. FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the clamp in the unclamped state.

As described above, the clamp 340 is a normally closed type, and is in the closed state as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B and FIGS. 9A and 9B when the pressing force is not applied to the lever 342. When attaching the back plate 400 to the front plate 300, first, a pressing force is applied to the lever 342 of the front plate 300 by the actuator AR1 (FIG. 10B), and as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B and FIGS. The clamp 340 is rotated in the opening direction against the biasing force of 343. With the clamp 340 opened, the back plate 400 is arranged at a predetermined position on the back surface 302 of the front plate 300. At this time, the alignment pin 390 of the front plate 300 engages with the through hole 490a of the alignment piece 490 of the back plate 400, and the back plate 400 is aligned with the predetermined position of the front plate 300.

Next, the pressing force of the actuator AR1 is removed from the lever 342 of the front plate 300. As a result, the lever 342 rotates toward the original position by the biasing force of the compression spring 343, and each clamp 340 rotates in the closing direction. As a result, the engagement portion 340a of the clamp 340 engages with the engagement receiving portion 430 of the back plate 400, and the back plate 400 is fixed to the front plate 300 (FIGS. 8A, B and 9A, B).

When the back plate 400 is removed, as described above, a pressing force is applied to the lever 342 of the front plate 300 by an actuator (not shown) to rotate the clamp 340 in the opening direction against the biasing force of the compression spring 343. (FIG. 10A, B and FIG. 11A, B). As a result, the clamp 340 is released from the engagement receiving portion 430, and the back plate 400 can be removed from the front plate 300.

(Mounting structure of the board to the back plate)
FIG. 12A is a partially cutaway side view showing a clip of the back plate. FIG. 12B is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the clip of the back plate. FIG. 13A is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the state of the clip when closed. FIG. 13B is a partially cutaway sectional view showing the state of the clip when closed. FIG. 14A is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the state of the clip when opened. FIG. 14B is a partially cutaway sectional view showing the state of the clip when opened.

The front surface 401 of the back plate 400 is provided with a total of eight clips 420 corresponding to each side of the substrate S (see FIG. 5A). Buttons 470 are provided on the back surface 402 of the back plate 400 at positions corresponding to the respective clips 420 (see FIG. 5B). When no force is applied to the button 470, the surface of the button 470 on the front surface 401 side is arranged with a predetermined distance from the base ends of the two clips 421 (FIG. 13B). The button 470 has a force receiving portion 471, an elastic portion 472 that displaceably supports the force receiving portion 471 with respect to the back plate body 410, and a mounting portion 473 on the outer periphery of the elastic portion 472. The button 470 is fixed to the attachment portion 473 by the pressing member 474 and the fastening member 475. The fastening member 475 is, for example, a stud, a bolt, or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, each clip 420 has a fixed portion 423 fixed to the front surface 401 of the back plate body 410, a fixed shaft 424 non-rotatably fixed to the fixed portion 423, and a fixed shaft 424. Two clips 421 that are rotatably supported while translating in parallel are provided, and a winding spring 422 that is provided in each clip 421 and biases the clip 421 in the closing direction.

The clip 421 has a claw portion 421a at its tip, and a slot 421b and two round holes 421c are formed at the base end side thereof. The clip 421 is attached by inserting the fixed shaft 424 into the elongated hole 421b. As shown in FIG. 13B, the winding spring 422 has a winding portion 422c and leg portions 422a and 422b extending from the winding portion 422c. The coil spring 422 is formed by winding a wire or the like in a circular shape a plurality of times to provide a coil portion 422c, and leaving leg portions 422a and 422b of a predetermined length. The leg portion 422a has a bent portion that bends at a substantially right angle at the tip, and this bent portion is inserted and fitted into the round hole 421c on the base end side of the two round holes 421c of the clip 421. The other leg portion 422b is not attached to the clip 421 and has a bent portion that bends at a substantially right angle at the tip, and this bent portion abuts against the restriction surface 423a provided on the fixed portion 423. Supported by the state. Further, the leg portion 422a is guided by the guide surface 423b provided on the fixed portion 423 (FIGS. 13B and 14B).

With this configuration, the clip 421 can rotate toward the outside of the back plate body 410 while moving in the direction away from the back plate body 410 (FIGS. 13B to 14B). As a result, the clip 421 is opened (FIGS. 14A and 14B). On the contrary, the clip 421 can rotate toward the inside of the back plate body 410 while moving in the direction of approaching the back plate body 410 (FIGS. 14B to 13B ). As a result, the clip 421 is closed (FIGS. 13A and 13B). In the present embodiment, the clip 421 is a normally closed type in which it is biased in the closing direction by the coil spring 422 when no force is applied from the outside (FIGS. 13A and 13B).

When mounting the substrate S on the back plate 400, a pressing force is externally applied to the eight buttons 470 (force receiving portions 471) of the back plate 400 by the actuator AR2 (FIG. 14B). As a result, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the force receiving portion 471 is displaced toward the front surface 401 side and abuts on the base end portions of the two clips 421. Due to the force received from the force receiving portion 471, the clip 421 is moved to the direction away from the back plate body 410 and is rotated to the outside of the back plate body 410 to be in the open state as shown in FIG. 14B (FIG. 14B). .. As schematically shown in FIG. 14B, the actuator AR2 includes a drive unit DRV such as an air cylinder and a motor, and a rod-shaped member RD driven by the drive unit DRV. Eight actuators AR2 are provided corresponding to the eight buttons 470. Preferably, the eight actuators AR2 are driven simultaneously to push the button 470. However, the eight actuators AR2 may be driven separately, and are not limited to being driven simultaneously.

The substrate S is placed at a predetermined position on the front surface 401 of the back plate 400 with the clip 421 opened, and then the pressing force of the actuator AR2 is released from the button 470. As a result, the clip 421 rotates inward of the back plate body 410 while moving in a direction approaching the back plate body 410 by the urging force of the coil spring 422, and is in a closed state (FIGS. 14B to 13B). At this time, the claw portion 421a at the tip of the clip 421 engages with the peripheral portion of the substrate S, and the substrate S can be fixed to the front surface 401 of the back plate 400.

When the back plate 400 with the substrate S attached in this manner is attached to the front plate 300 as described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 13, the attachment of the substrate S to the substrate holder 1 is completed. When the substrate S is removed from the back plate 400, as described above, the pressing force is externally applied to the eight buttons 470 (force receiving portions 471) of the back plate 400 by the actuator AR2 (FIGS. 14A and 14B).

Although the clip 421 is configured to rotate around the fixed shaft 424 parallel to the surfaces 401 and 402 of the back plate body 410 here, the surface 4 of the back plate body 410 is described.
The clip 421 may be configured to reciprocate in the direction perpendicular to 01 and 402 to clamp the substrate S.

(Structure of seal part)
FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing the inner seal portion of the front plate. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing an inner seal portion and an outer seal portion of the front plate.

An inner seal 361 is provided on the back surface 302 of the front plate 300 adjacent to the opening 303. The inner seal 361 is attached to the back surface 302 of the front plate 300 by the seal holder 363. The inner seal 361 seals between the substrate S and the front plate 300, and prevents the plating solution from entering the end portion of the substrate S. A contact 370 for supplying a potential to the substrate S is also attached to the seal holder 363.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16, an outer seal 362 is attached to the back surface 302 of the front plate 300 outside the inner seal 361 by a seal holder 364. The outer seal 362 contacts the back plate 400 and seals between the front plate 300 and the back plate 400.

In this embodiment, since the seal holders 363 and 364 for attaching the inner seal 361 and the outer seal 362 are configured by separate members, the inner seal 361 and the outer seal 362 can be replaced separately.

According to the substrate holder 1 of the present embodiment, the substrate can be moved by the clamp 340 that can rotate about the axis parallel to the surface of the front plate body 310 or can reciprocate in the direction intersecting the surface of the front plate body 310. Since the front plate 300 and the back plate 400 that are sandwiched are fixed to each other, it is possible to suppress or prevent application of a rotational force to the substrate. When the substrate is large and thin, the substrate may be bent when a force in the rotation direction is applied to the substrate. However, according to the substrate holder 1, the occurrence of the bending is suppressed even when the large and thin substrate is held. Can be prevented.

Further, since the clamp 340 is a normally closed type, if the clamp is opened when the back plate body 410 is brought into contact with the front plate body 310, it is not necessary to apply external force by an actuator or the like in the clamped state, and energy consumption is reduced. Can be suppressed.

Further, the back plate 400 can be clamped by the clamps 340 at a plurality of points, and the operation of each clamp 340 is synchronized by the connecting member (rotary shaft 341), so that the clamp operation can be performed efficiently. it can. Further, the structure of the actuator AR1 that applies a force from the outside can be simplified. Since the lever 342 can receive a force from the external first actuator AR1 to operate each clamp 340 via the rotation shaft 341, it is easy to automate the fixing by the clamp 340.

Further, by providing the back plate 400 with the engagement receiving portion 430 having a shape that receives the engagement portion 340a of the clamp 340, the engagement by the clamp can be improved. By adopting a configuration in which the separate engagement receiving portion 340 is attached to the back plate body 410, it becomes easy to appropriately select the size, shape, number, etc. of the engagement receiving portion 340.

In addition, since the substrate is fixed to the back plate 400 by a clip 421 that can rotate around an axis 424 parallel to the surface of the back plate body 410 or can reciprocate in a direction intersecting the surface of the back plate body 410, It is possible to suppress or prevent a force in the rotation direction from being applied to. When the substrate is large and thin, the substrate may be bent when a force in the rotation direction is applied to the substrate. However, this substrate holder does not suppress the occurrence of bending even when holding the large and thin substrate. It can be prevented.

Since the clip 421 is a normally closed type, if the clip 421 is opened when the substrate is brought into contact with the back plate body 410, it is not necessary to apply a force from the outside by an actuator or the like in the clipped state, and energy consumption can be suppressed.

Since the button 470 that receives the force from the surface opposite to the surface that contacts the substrate is provided, the actuator AR2 can be arranged on the side opposite to the substrate contact surface, and the back plate 400 moves after the substrate is fixed. It is easy to change the posture.

Since the button 370 can actuate the clip 421 by receiving a force from the external second actuator AR2, it is easy to automate the fixing by the clip 421.

Since the seal holders 363 and 364 for holding the inner seal 361 and the outer seal 362 are separately provided, each seal can be replaced separately.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above based on some examples, the embodiments of the present invention described above are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention. .. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. Further, in a range in which at least a part of the problems described above can be solved, or in a range in which at least a part of the effect is achieved, any combination of the constituent elements described in the claims and the specification, or omission is possible. Is.

1... Substrate holder 25... Cassette table 25a... Cassette 27... Substrate transport device 28... Traveling mechanism 29... Substrate attachment/detachment mechanism 30... Stocker 32... Pre-wet tank 33... Pre-soak tank 34... Pre-rinse tank 35... Blow tank 36... Rinse tank 37 ... Substrate holder transfer device 38... Overflow tank 39... Plating tank 50... Cleaning device 50a... Cleaning part 100... Plating device 110... Unloading part 120... Processing part 120A... Pre-processing/post-processing part 120B... Processing part 175... Controller 175A … CPU
175B... Memory 175C... Control part 300... Front plate 301... Front face 302... Back face 303... Opening part 310... Front plate body 311... Wiring buffer part 320... Attachment part 330... Arm part 331... Connector 340... Clamp 342... Lever 350... Fixing member 361... Inner seal 362... Outer seal 363... Seal holder 364... Seal holder 370... Contact 390... Alignment pin 400... Back plate 401... Front face 402... Back surface 410... Back plate body 420... Clip part 421... Clip 421a... Claw portion 421b...Long hole 421c...Round hole 422...Coil spring 422a...Leg portion 422b...Leg portion 422c...Wound portion 423...Fixing portion 423b...Regulating surface 423b...Guide surface 424...Fixing shaft 430...Engaging receiving portion 430a ...Projection part 470...button 471...force receiving part 472...elastic part 473...mounting part 474...pressing member 475...fastening member 490...positioning piece 340a...engaging part

Claims (17)

A first and a second holding member for sandwiching and fixing the substrate,
The first holding member is provided on the first holding member main body and the first holding member main body, and is rotatable about an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member main body or the first holding member main body. A clamp that can reciprocate in a direction intersecting the plane,
The second holding member has a second holding member body,
The clamp is configured to engage the second holding member with the first holding member main body and the second holding member main body in contact with each other and fix the second holding member to the first holding member. Has been
Substrate holder. The substrate holder according to claim 1,
The clamp is biased in a closing direction by a first biasing member,
The second holding member main body is brought into contact with the first holding member main body with the clamp opened, and then the second holding member can be fixed to the first holding member with the clamp closed. A substrate holder that is configured. The substrate holder according to claim 1 or 2,
The first holding member has a plurality of clamps, and further has a connecting member that connects the plurality of clamps,
The substrate holder, wherein the connecting member is configured to operate the plurality of clamps in synchronization. The substrate holder according to claim 3,
The substrate holder, wherein the connecting member is a rotation shaft rotatably attached to the first holding member body. The substrate holder according to claim 3 or 4,
A lever provided on the connecting member,
The substrate holder is configured to operate when a force is applied to the lever . The substrate holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The clamp has an engaging portion at the tip,
The said 2nd holding member is a board|substrate holder which has an engagement receiving part of a shape which receives the said engaging part of the said clamp. The substrate holder according to claim 6,
The engagement holder is a substrate holder that is separate from the second holding member body and is attached to the second holding member body. The substrate holder according to claim 1, further comprising a clip for holding the substrate. The substrate holder according to claim 8,
The clip is provided on the second holding member on a surface of the second holding member main body that is in contact with the substrate, and is rotatable about an axis parallel to the surface of the second holding member main body or the second holding member. A substrate holder capable of reciprocating in a direction intersecting a surface of a member body. The substrate holder according to claim 9,
The substrate holder, wherein the clip is biased in a closing direction by a second biasing member. The substrate holder according to claim 10,
The second holding member has a button provided on the second holding member main body,
The button is configured to be displaceable so as to come into contact with the clip by receiving a force from a surface opposite to a surface in contact with the substrate.
The substrate holder, wherein the clip is configured to open against the second biasing member when pressed by the button . The substrate holder according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The first holding member includes a first holder that holds the first elastic protrusion and a second holder that is different from the first holder and that includes the second elastic protrusion on a surface that contacts the substrate. The second holder that holds the substrate holder. The substrate holder according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the substrate holder includes an arm portion on one end side. The substrate holder according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the substrate holder is configured to hold a rectangular substrate. A substrate holder for holding the substrate,
A plating bath for receiving a substrate holder and plating the substrate,
Equipped with
The substrate holder includes first and second holding members for sandwiching and fixing the substrate,
The first holding member is provided on the first holding member main body and the first holding member main body, and is rotatable about an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member main body or the first holding member main body. A clamp that can reciprocate in a direction intersecting the plane,
The second holding member has a second holding member body,
The clamp is configured to engage the second holding member with the first holding member main body and the second holding member main body in contact with each other and fix the second holding member to the first holding member. An apparatus for plating, which is provided with a substrate holder. A method of holding a substrate,
Sandwiching the substrate between the first and second holding members,
The second holding member is moved to the first holding member side by a clamp that can rotate around an axis parallel to the surface of the first holding member or can reciprocate in a direction intersecting the surface of the first holding member main body. The method of fixing so as to press on the. A method for holding a substrate according to claim 16, wherein
When sandwiching the substrate between the first and second holding members,
The substrate is placed on the second holding member, the substrate is held by a clip, the first holding member and the second holding member are brought close to each other, and the substrate is held by the first and second holding members. The method is to sandwich it between the two.

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