JP7332391B2 - Substrate transfer device and substrate processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate transfer device and a substrate processing device.

For example, in an apparatus for processing a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a processing liquid or processing gas (hereinafter collectively referred to as "processing fluid") is supplied from a nozzle provided in the middle of the substrate while the substrate is being transported. be done.

The substrate is often transported by rotating transport rollers, but when the size of the substrate is increased, in order to increase the transport force of the substrate, there are cases where a top roller is provided facing the transport roller. By providing the top roller, the frictional force between the transport roller and the substrate is increased, and the substrate transport force is increased.

JP-A-11-10096

In the conventional apparatus, the weight of the roller shaft that supports the top roller is used as the pressing force of the top roller against the substrate. must be provided. If the roller shaft becomes long, the roller shaft becomes a barrier, causing unevenness in the state of supply of the processing fluid supplied from the supply unit to the substrate. Therefore, it becomes difficult to process a substrate with good quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer apparatus and a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing high-quality substrate processing in substrate processing using a processing fluid.

The substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of transfer shafts which are rotatably supported at both ends in the axial direction and which are arranged parallel to the substrate transfer direction at predetermined intervals with their axes crossing each other;
a plurality of transport rollers each provided on the transport shaft and supporting a lower surface of a portion of the substrate excluding both ends in the width direction;
a pair of end support rollers provided on each of the transport shafts for supporting the lower surface of both ends in the width direction of the substrate;
a loading roller shaft rotatably supported above at least one end and the other end of the transport shaft with its axis facing in parallel with the transport shaft;
A pair of roller shafts provided at a portion facing the pair of end support rollers and pressing the upper surface of the widthwise end of the substrate, the lower surface of the widthwise end of which is supported by the end support rollers. an overlay roller;
The top roller is mounted via an elastic body so as to be vertically movable with respect to the top roller shaft , and the thickness of the substrate is set between the top roller and the support roller before coming into contact with the substrate. It is characterized in that it is provided so as to have an interval smaller than the height .

According to the present invention, it is possible to perform high-quality substrate processing in substrate processing using a processing fluid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; AA arrow diagram in FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing one end of the conveying shaft provided with the placing roller shaft. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the top roller. The figure explaining the modification of a top roller.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment includes a processing chamber 1. As shown in FIG. The processing chamber 1 has a loading port 2 at one end in the longitudinal direction and a loading port 3 at the other end. The conveying device C has a plurality of conveying shafts 4 rotatably arranged in parallel with each other at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the processing chamber 1 . A plurality of transport rollers 5 are provided on each transport shaft 4 at predetermined intervals in the axial direction to form a transport path for the substrate W. As shown in FIG. The transport roller 5 is fixed to the transport shaft 4 and rotates together with the transport shaft 4 to transport the substrate W in the direction of the arrow a. A mounting groove 5b is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the conveying roller 5, and an O-ring 5a made of a chemical-resistant elastic material such as fluororesin is mounted in the mounting groove 5b (see FIG. 1). 3). End support rollers 6 made of the same material as the transport rollers 5 and having the same shape as the transport rollers 5 are provided at positions on the transport shaft 4 facing both ends in the width direction of the substrate W to be transported. In this specification, the term "edge" means not only the exact edge of the substrate W but also the vicinity of the edge. Each of the transport rollers 5 supports the lower surface of the substrate W excluding both ends in the width direction, and each end support roller 6 supports the lower surface of the substrate W at both ends in the width direction.

A loading roller shaft 7 is provided above the transport shaft 4 via the transport path. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a top roller shaft 7 is provided facing three adjacent conveying shafts 4 . The corresponding axes (axes) of the transport shaft 4 and the placing roller shaft 7 are parallel to each other and arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the substrate W transport direction a.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the top roller 8 is supported by the top roller shaft 7 . The top roller 8 is provided so as to face the end support roller 6 provided on the conveying shaft 4 corresponding to the top roller shaft 7 . The top rollers 8 press the upper surface of the widthwise end of the substrate W whose widthwise end lower surface is supported by the end support rollers 6 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the top roller 8 is composed of an inner ring 9, an outer ring 10, and a spring 11. As shown in FIG. The inner ring 9 is fixedly supported by the placing roller shaft 7 . The spring 11 is a compression coil spring, and a plurality of the same springs 11 are interposed along the outer circumference of the inner ring 9 in a compressed state between the inner ring 9 and the outer ring 10 at equal intervals. Each spring 11 is arranged so as to extend radially with respect to the central axis of the inner ring 9. One end of each spring 11 on the inner ring side contacts the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 9, and the other end contacts the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 10. are arranged to The outer ring 10 is made of a chemical-resistant material such as fluororesin. The outer ring 10 is rotatable integrally with the inner ring 9, but is radially movable with respect to the inner ring 9 via a spring 11 (see FIG. 4(b)). This can be achieved by fixing each end of the spring 11 to the inner ring 9 and the outer ring 10 and transmitting the rotational movement of the inner ring 9 to the outer ring 10 via the spring 11 . A plurality of recesses (not shown) are formed in the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 9 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 10 so as to correspond to the mounting positions of the springs 11, and the springs 11 are fitted in the recesses in a compressed state. It is good as That is, in this case, the spring 11 is not fixedly supported by the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 9 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 10 . Furthermore, by providing a cover (not shown) in the recess in which the spring 11 is fitted, it is possible to reliably prevent the spring 11 from jumping out. As the support structure for the spring 11, it is also possible to employ other well-known techniques, and details thereof will be omitted. In short, the configuration is such that the outer ring can move radially with respect to the inner ring (at least, it can move vertically).

A mounting groove 10b is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring 10, and an O-ring 10a made of a chemical-resistant elastic material such as fluororesin is mounted in the mounting groove 10b.

As shown in FIG. 3 , both ends of each transport shaft 4 are rotatably supported by bearings 102 provided on side walls 101 of the processing chamber 1 . The loading roller shaft 7 is rotatably supported by the side wall 101 by bearings 103 in a cantilevered state. Each transfer shaft 4 is rotated in the same direction, clockwise in FIG. The loading roller shaft 7 and the transport shaft 4 corresponding to the loading roller shaft 7 are dynamically interlocked via gears (not shown), and when the transport shaft 4 rotates, the loading roller shaft 7 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG.

A nozzle 12 is provided above the transport path of the substrate W by the transport rollers 5 . A processing fluid (cleaning liquid, dry gas, etc.) for processing the substrate W is supplied from the nozzle 12 .

In the substrate processing apparatus 100 , the control device 13 controls the rotation of the transport roller 5 , the operation of supplying the processing liquid from the nozzle 12 , and the like.

Next, operations of the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be described.

A rectangular substrate W made of glass, which is used for a liquid crystal display device, is carried in from a loading port 2 of the processing chamber 1 . The substrate W loaded into the processing chamber 1 is transported in a horizontal state while its lower surface is supported by transport rollers 5 provided on the transport shaft 4 . FIG. 4(a) shows the state before the top roller 8 is placed on the substrate W. FIG. At this time, the top roller 8 is in contact with the end support roller 6, and the outer ring 10 and the inner ring 9 of the top roller 8 are concentric.

FIG. 4(b) shows a state in which the top roller 8 is in contact with the substrate W being transported. Since the inner ring 9 is fixed to the top roller shaft 7 in the vertical direction, the outer ring 10 moves upward with respect to the inner ring 9 . At this time, the spring 11 corresponding to the vicinity of the contact portion with the substrate W in the outer ring 10 contracts. On the other hand, in the case of the configuration in which the end of the spring 11 is fixedly supported by the outer ring 10, the spring 11 corresponding to the vicinity of the side of the outer ring 10 opposite to the contact portion with the substrate W expands. Therefore, the outer ring 10 receives a downward biasing force against the mounting roller shaft 7 , and this biasing force becomes a part of the pressing force against the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Further rotation of the transport roller 5 and the placing roller 8 causes the substrate W to be further transported to reach below the nozzle 12 , and the processing fluid is supplied to the substrate W from the nozzle 12 . When the substrate W passes the top roller 8 and the top roller 8 leaves the substrate W, the position of the outer ring 10 returns to the state shown in FIG. 4(a). Then, the processed substrate W is unloaded from the unloading port 3 .

Here, the force that the substrate W receives when the substrate W enters between the placing roller 8 and the end support roller 6 will be described.

When the outer ring 10 of the placing roller 8 rises with respect to the inner ring 9 by the substrate W being conveyed, the weight of the outer ring 10 and the biasing force of the spring 11 described above are applied to the surface of the substrate W. Become.

Thus, in this embodiment, the biasing force of the spring 11 is used as the pressing force of the top roller 8 against the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a long top roller shaft 7 in order to obtain the necessary pressing force from the top roller. Since the mounting roller shaft 7 can be shortened, it can be prevented from becoming a barrier to the supply of the processing fluid supplied to the substrate W. FIG. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unevenness in the supply state of the processing fluid, and to perform high-quality substrate processing.

Further, the pressing force of the mounting roller 8 against the substrate W can be easily changed and adjusted by changing the spring constant of the spring 11 .

In addition, since the top roller 8 is configured to have the inner ring 9, the outer ring 10, and the spring 11 disposed therebetween, it is possible for the spring 11 to absorb the impact when the substrate W comes into contact with the outer ring 10. It is also possible to prevent cracking, chipping, etc. of the substrate W due to impact.

In the above-described embodiment, the cantilevered mounting roller shafts 7 are provided above the one end and the other end of the conveying shaft 4, respectively. In terms of using the urging force of the spring 11 as the pressing force of the mounting roller 8 against the substrate W, the mounting roller shaft 7 has the same length as the transport shaft 4 and is arranged above the transport shaft 4 so as to face it. Placement rollers 8 may be provided in the vicinity of both ends of the placement roller shaft 7 so as to face the end support rollers 6 provided on the conveying shaft 4 . In this case, the top roller shaft 7 is supported on both sides.

Furthermore, an example in which the spring 11 is fixedly supported by the inner ring 9 and the outer ring 10 has been described, but when the spring 11 is only interposed between the inner ring 9 and the outer ring 10 and is not fixedly supported by the inner ring 9 and the outer ring 10 ( In other words, when the spring 11 is held by the stress of the spring 11 itself), even if the outer ring 10 rises with respect to the inner ring 9 (top roller shaft 7), the stress of the spring 11 located on the side not in contact with the substrate W is is not applied to the substrate W, and only the stress of the spring 11 in contact with the substrate W is applied to the substrate W surface. Even if only the spring 11 is interposed between the inner ring 9 and the outer ring 10 as described above, the outer ring 10 will be pulled from the inner ring 9 when the top roller 8 comes into contact with the substrate W being conveyed. However, the top roller shaft 7 and the inner ring 9 supported by the top roller shaft 7 do not rise.

According to the substrate processing apparatus 100 configured in this way, it is possible to process the substrates W with good quality while minimizing the impact applied to the surfaces of the substrates W, and transporting the substrates W satisfactorily.
(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment is an example in which the placing roller shaft 7 does not have a drive source. In the first embodiment, the conveying shaft 4 and the placing roller shaft 7 are interlocked by gears or the like. In contrast, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it does not have a gear or the like for interlocking the placing roller shaft 7 and the conveying shaft 4 .

In this embodiment, the placing roller shaft 7 is rotatably supported by the side wall 101 shown in FIG. An inner ring 9 of the top roller 8 is fixedly supported by the top roller shaft 7 . Therefore, when the substrate W is conveyed and the outer ring 10 of the mounting roller 8 rides on the substrate W, the outer ring 10 moves upward with respect to the inner ring 9, and as the substrate W moves, the mounting roller The shaft 7 and the placing roller 8 rotate integrally.

This embodiment has the same effect as the first embodiment.
(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that the top roller shaft 7 is fixedly supported, and the top roller 8 is rotatably supported by the top roller shaft 7 .

In FIG. 3, the placing roller shaft 7 is fixedly supported by the side wall 101 . As shown in FIG. 5, the top roller 8 is supported by the top roller shaft 7 via a rotary bearing 20. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, ball bearings are used as rotary bearings.

With this configuration, the top roller 8 is rotatably supported by the rotation bearing 20 with respect to the top roller shaft 7 . Then, when the substrate W is conveyed and the outer ring 10 of the mounting roller 8 rides on the substrate W, the outer ring 10 moves upward with respect to the inner ring 9, and the mounting roller 8 moves along with the movement of the substrate W. rotates with respect to the placing roller shaft 7 .

This embodiment has the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments.

Although several embodiments have been described, in each of the above embodiments, an example in which springs are provided radially between the inner ring and the outer ring of the placing roller as elastic bodies has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. do not have. For example, an elastic rubber material may be interposed between the inner ring and the outer ring.

In each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which each transport shaft 4 is arranged parallel to the transport direction a of the substrate W with the axis perpendicular to the transport direction a is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, each of the transport shafts 4 may be arranged parallel to the transport direction a of the substrate W at predetermined intervals so that the axes intersect each other.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the loading roller shaft 7 is supported by the side wall 101, but when the substrate W to be transported is changed, the transporting roller 5 and the loading roller 8 may be separated from each other. In order to adjust the gap between the substrates according to the thickness of the substrate, an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the gap between the conveying roller 5 and the top roller 8 may be provided. That is, when the substrate to be transported is thick, the position is adjusted so that the top roller shaft 7 is separated from the transport shaft 4, and when the substrate is thin, the position is adjusted relative to the transport shaft 4. and adjust so that the top roller shaft 7 is brought closer.

Further, the substrate is not limited to a substrate for liquid crystal display, and the present invention can be applied to any substrate processing that uses a processing fluid.

Moreover, although the example in which the placing roller shafts 7 are provided so as to face the three adjacent conveying shafts 4 has been described, the number of the placing roller shafts 7 may be arbitrary, and may be one or more.

Also, the example in which the top roller 8 and the edge support roller 6 are in contact with each other until the substrate W contacts the top roller 8 has been described. may be configured to be separated from each other.

Further, the substrate W is configured to be transported in a horizontal state by the transport rollers 5, and the upper surfaces of both widthwise end portions of the substrate W are pressed by the placing rollers 8. may be conveyed while being supported at an inclination angle of . That is, the substrate W may be transported while being inclined at a predetermined angle in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate W (hereinafter referred to as “tilt transport”).

When the substrate W is conveyed at an angle, the top roller 8 may be used to press the upper surface of the substrate W on the lower end side in the tilt direction. When the substrate W is transported at an angle, a guide roller is newly provided to support the lower end of the substrate W in the tilt direction of the substrate W and to apply a transporting force. In this case, the transport rollers 5 support the back surface of the substrate W and bear a part of the transport force, but the main transport force is given by the guide rollers. When the substrate W is transported in a horizontal state, it is preferable to press the upper surface of both widthwise ends of the substrate W using the placing rollers 8 so that the substrate W does not meander. On the other hand, in the case of inclined transport, part of the weight of the substrate is applied to the guide rollers, so the possibility of meandering is less than in horizontal transport. Therefore, the substrate W can be conveyed without meandering by pressing only the upper surface portion of the substrate W on the lower end side in the tilt direction using the top roller 8 . Of course, even in the case of inclined transport, the top rollers 8 may be arranged on both the lower end side and the upper end side of the substrate W in the direction of inclination.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

100 Substrate processing apparatus 1 Processing chamber 101 Side wall 102 Bearing 103 Bearing 2 Inlet 3 Outlet 4 Transport shaft 5 Transport roller 5a O-ring 6 End support roller 7 Top roller shaft 8 Top roller 9 Inner ring 10 Outer ring 10a O-ring 11 Spring 12 Nozzle 13 Controller W Substrate C Transfer device a Substrate transfer direction

Claims (8)

a plurality of transport shafts rotatably supported at both ends in the axial direction and arranged parallel to the substrate transport direction at predetermined intervals with the axes intersecting;
a plurality of transport rollers each provided on the transport shaft and supporting a lower surface of a portion of the substrate excluding both ends in the width direction;
a pair of end support rollers provided on each of the transport shafts for supporting the lower surface of both ends in the width direction of the substrate;
a loading roller shaft rotatably supported above at least one end and the other end of the transport shaft with its axis facing in parallel with the transport shaft;
A pair of roller shafts provided at a portion facing the pair of end support rollers and pressing the upper surface of the widthwise end of the substrate, the lower surface of the widthwise end of which is supported by the end support rollers. an overlay roller;
The top roller is mounted via an elastic body so as to be vertically movable with respect to the top roller shaft , and the thickness of the substrate is set between the top roller and the support roller before coming into contact with the substrate. A substrate transport apparatus, wherein the substrate transport apparatus is provided so as to have a spacing smaller than the height . 2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said top roller includes an outer ring and an inner ring, and said elastic body is provided between said outer ring and said inner ring. 3. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said elastic body is held by its own stress between said outer ring and said inner ring without being fixed to either said outer ring or said inner ring. 4. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said elastic body is fitted in a groove provided in said outer ring. 5. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said elastic body is a compression coil spring. 6. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said top roller shaft is in a cantilevered state. The loading roller shaft is fixedly arranged,
7. The substrate conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said top roller is supported by said top roller shaft via a rotary bearing. A substrate processing apparatus comprising a mechanism for supplying a processing fluid to a substrate transported by the substrate transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 .

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