JP7369384B2 - Non-contact positioning device and inspection system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a non-contact positioning device and inspection system.

For example, the wafer transport device described in Patent Document 1 includes a wafer transport path that is inclined along the traveling direction and is provided with an air outlet, and a wafer transport path that is provided on both sides of the wafer transport path and has air outlets that are provided on both sides of the wafer transport path. and a guide rail provided with. The wafer is floated in a non-contact manner through this wafer transport path, and the wafer is moved by applying a lateral force to the wafer due to the inclination of the wafer transport path.

Utility Model Publication No. 5-14034

In the configuration of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to position the wafer, and there is a risk that the floating wafer may be deformed by the air.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides a non-contact positioning device and an inspection system that can position a floating object with high precision in a non-contact manner and can suppress deformation of the floating object. With the goal.

In order to achieve the above object, the non-contact positioning device according to the first aspect of the present invention levitates the floating object relative to the floating surface by simultaneously supplying positive pressure fluid and negative pressure fluid to the floating object. a floating part that holds the floating object so that it does not separate from the floating surface in a state where the floating object is floating; a positioning part that positions the floating object in a floating state by supplying ultrasonic waves to an edge of the floating object; a positioning rotation section having a rotation section that rotates the floating object in a floating state around a rotation axis by supplying ultrasonic waves; a housing recess that accommodates the positioning rotation section; and a fluid supply section that supplies fluid to the positioning rotation section to make the positioning rotation section float in the accommodation recess when the ultrasonic wave is supplied to the positioning rotation section.

In order to achieve the above object, a non-contact positioning device according to a second aspect of the present invention levitates the floating object relative to the floating surface by simultaneously supplying positive pressure fluid and negative pressure fluid to the floating object. a floating part that holds the floating object so that it does not separate from the floating surface when the floating object is in the floating state; a positioning part that positions the floating object in the floating state by supplying ultrasonic waves to the edge of the floating object; a floating object drive unit that moves the floating object in a state of floating relative to the floating object, and the floating object driving unit moves the floating object that is levitated by the floating unit and positioned by the positioning unit to and the positioning section.

In order to achieve the above object, a non-contact positioning device according to a third aspect of the present invention levitates the floating object relative to the floating surface by simultaneously supplying positive pressure fluid and negative pressure fluid to the floating object. a floating part that holds the floating object so that it does not separate from the floating surface in a state where the floating object is floating; a positioning part that positions the floating object in a floating state by supplying ultrasonic waves to an edge of the floating object; a floating object drive section that rotates or moves the floating object in a state of floating relative to the floating object, and the floating section, the positioning section, and the floating object driving section are arranged on the back side of the floating object.

Further, in the non-contact positioning device, the floating object driving section is a rotating section that rotates the floating object in a floating state around a rotation axis by supplying ultrasonic waves to the floating object. Good too.

Further, in the non-contact positioning device, the rotating section extends along the rotating direction of the floating object and is formed to surround the floating section, and the plurality of positioning sections are arranged around the rotating section. The floating object may be arranged so as to face the edge of the disk-shaped floating object .

In order to achieve the above object, an inspection system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes an inspection system that inspects the non-contact positioning device and an inspection area that is a part of the wafer, which is the floating object, for defects or dirt. and a rotating section, the rotating section moves the position of the inspection area relative to the wafer by rotating the wafer.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, a floating object can be positioned with high precision without contact, and deformation of the floating object can be suppressed.

FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view of the non-contact positioning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a rotating section according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the inspection program concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. (a) is a schematic bottom view of a non-contact positioning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line EE in (a), and (c) This is a partially enlarged view of (b). (a) is a schematic bottom view of a non-contact positioning device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a schematic sectional view taken along line DD in (a), and (c) is a schematic bottom view of a non-contact positioning device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. This is a partially enlarged view of (b). (a) to (d) are schematic bottom views of a non-contact positioning device according to a modification of the present invention. It is a typical sectional view of the conveyance system concerning the modification of the present invention. 9 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 8. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate transfer system according to a modification of the present invention.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of a non-contact positioning device and inspection system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inspection system 1 includes a non-contact positioning device 2, inspection sections 3A, 3B, and 3C, and a control section 60.

The inspection units 3A, 3B, and 3C inspect the wafer W, which is stopped in a floating state without contact by the non-contact positioning device 2, for defects or stains. As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection units 3A, 3B, and 3C are cameras that image an inspection area Wk that is a part of the wafer W, and output the captured data to the control unit 60. The inspection area Wk is set to include a part of the side surface of the wafer W.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection sections 3A, 3B, and 3C are arranged on the outer peripheral side of a rotating section 30, which will be described later, of the non-contact positioning device 2, and are opposed to the side surface of the wafer W stopped by the non-contact positioning device 2. position to do so. In this example, the wafer W is formed into a disk shape. The wafer W is, for example, a silicon wafer. The inspection parts 3A, 3B, and 3C are arranged on the side peripheral surface of the wafer W at equal angular intervals, in this example, at intervals of 120 degrees.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the non-contact positioning device 2 rotates the wafer W around the rotation axis O of the wafer W without contact, and stops the wafer W at a desired rotational position without contact.
The non-contact positioning device 2 includes a floating section 10 that floats the wafer W, positioning sections 20A, 20B, and 20C that position the floating wafer W in a non-contact manner, and a rotating section 30 that rotates the wafer W.

As shown in FIG. 2, the floating section 10 supplies a fluid such as air with positive pressure to the wafer W, thereby floating the wafer W with the positive pressure of the fluid, and supplying fluid such as air with negative pressure. By supplying the fluid to the wafer W, the negative pressure of this fluid holds the floating wafer W so that it does not separate from the floating section 10. The floating section 10 includes a fluid passage plate 11, a case section 12, a pipe section 14, a pressurizing section 40, and a pressure reducing section 50.
The fluid passage plate 11 has a plate shape, for example, a disk shape. The fluid passage plate 11 is formed with a plurality of air passage holes 11a and 11b that penetrate the fluid passage plate 11 in its thickness direction. The air passage holes 11a and 11b are arranged in a matrix in the surface direction of the fluid passage plate 11. The air passage hole 11a is a hole through which air supplied to the wafer W passes. The air passage hole 11b is a hole through which air sucked into the floating section 10 from the wafer W passes.
The fluid passage plate 11 includes an air bearing surface 11f that is a surface of the fluid passage plate 11. The wafer W floats on the floating surface 11f.
Note that the fluid passage plate 11 may be a porous body such as porous ceramic through which fluid can pass. In this case, a positive pressure space and a negative pressure space are formed on the back surface of the fluid passage plate 11.

The case portion 12 has a box shape that opens in the direction in which the wafer W is located. A fluid passage plate 11 is fitted into the opening of the case portion 12 . The case portion 12 includes a partition wall 13 that partitions the internal space into a positive pressure chamber 12a and a negative pressure chamber 12b.
The positive pressure chamber 12a communicates with each air passage hole 11a of the fluid passage plate 11. The negative pressure chamber 12b communicates with each air passage hole 11b of the fluid passage plate 11 via each pipe portion 14.

The pressurizing section 40 applies positive pressure to the positive pressure chamber 12a under the control of the control section 60. As a result, positive pressure air is supplied to the back surface of the wafer W, so that the wafer W floats relative to the floating surface 11f.
Under the control of the control unit 60, the pressure reducing unit 50 brings the negative pressure chamber 12b to negative pressure. As a result, the area facing each air passage hole 11b on the back surface of the wafer W becomes under negative pressure. By driving the pressurizing section 40 and the depressurizing section 50 simultaneously, the wafer W is held on the air bearing surface 11f without contacting it while floating on the air bearing surface 11f. Further, at this time, since positive pressure spaces and negative pressure spaces are alternately formed on the back side of the wafer W, deformation of the wafer W into a dome shape is suppressed.

The rotating section 30 rotates the wafer W floated by the floating section 10 in a rotation direction C about the rotation axis O without contacting the wafer W. The rotating part 30 is located on the outer periphery of the floating part 10 and has an annular shape surrounding the floating part 10. The rotating section 30 rotates the wafer W using ultrasonic waves.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the rotating section 30 includes a plurality of excitation actuators 31 and an elastic diaphragm 32.
The elastic diaphragm 32 has a flat ring plate shape, and faces the wafer W floated by the floating section 10 (see FIG. 2) with a gap therebetween. The plurality of excitation actuators 31 are located on the surface of the elastic diaphragm 32 opposite to the wafer W. The plurality of excitation actuators 31 apply ultrasonic vibrations to the elastic diaphragm 32 in the form of traveling waves. As a result, the flexural traveling wave Wv propagates to the elastic diaphragm 32, so that the ultrasonic acoustic viscous force S acts on the wafer W. As a result, the wafer W rotates in the rotation direction C.

As shown in FIG. 1, the positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C grip the side portions of the wafer W in a non-contact manner. The holding force of the wafer W in the radial direction by the positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C is set larger than the holding force of the wafer W in the rotational direction C by the positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C. The holding force of the wafer W in the rotational direction C by the positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C is set smaller than the rotational force transmitted to the wafer W from the rotating part 30. Thereby, the wafer W can be rotated by the rotating part 30 while the wafer W is held by the positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20. Further, when the operation of the rotating section 30 is stopped while the wafer W is rotating, the positioning sections 20A, 20B, and 20 perform a brake function to stop the rotation of the wafer W.
The positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C are located on the outer peripheral side of the rotating part 30, and are arranged at equal angular intervals in the rotation direction C of the wafer W. The positioning sections 20A, 20B, and 20C are arranged at intermediate positions between the inspection sections 3A, 3B, and 3C in the rotation direction C. The positioning portions 20A, 20B, and 20C are formed at positions spanning the outer peripheral surface of the wafer W in the radial direction of the wafer W.

As shown in FIG. 2, the positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C each include a diaphragm 21, a conical horn 22, and a vibrator 23.
The vibrator 23 is a Langevin vibrator that emits ultrasonic waves. The conical horn 22 extends along the rotation axis O and is located between the diaphragm 21 and the vibrator 23. A diaphragm 21 is fixed to a first end of the conical horn 22 near the wafer W. A vibrator 23 is fixed to a second end of the conical horn 22 that is far from the wafer W. The ultrasonic waves from the vibrator 23 pass through the conical horn 22 and are transmitted to the diaphragm 21 .
The diaphragm 21 is located opposite to the edge of the back surface of the wafer W floated by the floating section 10 . The diaphragm 21 is excited by ultrasonic waves from the vibrator 23. The diaphragm 21 is formed into a rectangular plate made of aluminum. The diaphragm 21 has a first-order bending mode in the longitudinal direction (radial direction of the wafer W) at a frequency of 28 kHz, and has antinodes at both ends and the center. The diaphragm 21 bends at high speed due to the ultrasonic waves, thereby forming a negative pressure area, and the wafer W is attracted by this negative pressure area. As a result, the positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C grip the side portions of the wafer W without contacting them.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control section 60 controls the pressurizing section 40, the depressurizing section 50, the positioning sections 20A, 20B, and 20C, the rotating section 30, and the inspection sections 3A, 3B, and 3C. The control unit 60 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. This ROM stores, for example, an inspection program in which control procedures for the control unit 60 are defined. The control unit 60 controls the inspection system 1 according to this inspection program.

Next, the procedure of the inspection program executed by the control unit 60 will be explained along the flowchart of FIG. 4.
First, the control unit 60 levitates the wafer W to the floating surface 11f via the floating unit 10 (step S101). At this step S101, the control section 60 operates the pressurizing section 40 and the depressurizing section 50 simultaneously.

Next, the control unit 60 holds the floating wafer W by the positioning units 20A, 20B, and 20C in a non-contact manner (step S102). This prevents the floating wafer W from shifting in the radial direction with respect to the floating surface 11f.
Note that the order of steps S101 and S102 may be reversed, or steps S101 and S102 may be executed simultaneously.

Then, while rotating the wafer W via the rotating unit 30, the control unit 60 inspects the wafer W for defects etc. via the inspection units 3A, 3B, and 3C, and displays the inspection results on a display (not shown). (Step S103).
In step S103, in detail, the control unit 60 rotates the wafer W by a specified angle via the rotation unit 30, and then stops the rotation of the wafer W by stopping the operation of the rotation unit 30. This specified angle is set based on the inspection area Wk of the inspection sections 3A, 3B, and 3C. The control unit 60 inspects the wafer W, and in this example, images the wafer W via the inspection units 3A, 3B, and 3C while the rotation of the wafer W is stopped.
In this example, since the plurality of inspection sections 3A, 3B, and 3C are arranged at equal angular intervals around the wafer W, in step S103, in order to inspect the entire circumference of the wafer W, the inspection section The wafer W is rotated through an angle divided by the numbers 3A, 3B, and 3C, which is 120° in this example.

Then, the control unit 60 stops the rotation of the wafer W by the positioning units 20A, 20B, and 20C by stopping the operation of the rotating unit 30 (step S104), and ends this flowchart.

(effect)
According to the first embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved.
(1) The non-contact positioning device 2 is in a state where the wafer W is levitated relative to the floating surface 11f by simultaneously supplying positive pressure fluid and negative pressure fluid to different positions of the wafer W, which is an example of a floating object. a floating part 10 that holds the wafer W so that it does not separate from the floating surface 11f; a positioning part 20A, 20B, and 20C that positions the wafer W in a floating state by supplying ultrasonic waves to the wafer W; A rotating section 30, which is an example of a floating object drive section that rotates the floating object.
According to this configuration, the positive pressure fluid and the negative pressure fluid are simultaneously supplied to the floating wafer W, thereby suppressing deformation of the wafer W. Moreover, the positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C can accurately position the floating wafer W without contact.
Further, according to the above configuration, the wafer W does not leave the air bearing surface 11f while floating relative to the air bearing surface 11f. Therefore, regardless of the direction of gravity of the wafer W, the wafer W does not leave the floating surface 11f. Therefore, the degree of freedom in installing the non-contact positioning device 2 increases.
Moreover, it becomes possible to rotate the entire non-contact positioning device 2 in the direction of gravity.
Furthermore, by supplying negative pressure air to the back surface of the wafer W, the wafer W is prevented from deforming into a dome shape, and is easily maintained in a flat state.

(2) The rotating unit 30 rotates the floating wafer W around the rotation axis O by supplying ultrasonic waves to the wafer W.
According to this configuration, the wafer W is rotated by the rotating part 30 without contact, and the wafer W is stopped by the positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C without contact. This eliminates the need to fix the wafer W with a fixing member that is a jig, and suppresses external force from being applied to the wafer W from the fixing member. Furthermore, for example, when the non-contact positioning device 2 is applied to the wafer W inspection system 1, defects on the wafer W are not hidden by the fixing member, so defects on the wafer W can be accurately inspected. be able to.

(3) The rotating part 30 is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the periphery of the floating part 10. The plurality of positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C are arranged around the rotating part 30 and are located opposite to the edge of the disc-shaped wafer W.
According to this configuration, the wafer W can be stably floated, rotated, and stopped.

(4) The floating section 10, the positioning sections 20A, 20B, 20C, and the rotating section 30 are arranged on the back side of the wafer W.
According to this configuration, since the non-contact positioning device 2 is not arranged on the front side of the wafer W, the front surface of the wafer W can be exposed. Therefore, for example, the front side of the wafer W can be easily inspected by the inspection sections 3A, 3B, and 3C.

(5) The inspection system 1 includes a non-contact positioning device 2 and inspection sections 3A, 3B, and 3C that inspect the inspection area Wk, which is a part of the wafer W, for defects or dirt. The rotating unit 30 rotates the wafer W to move the position of the inspection area Wk relative to the wafer W.
According to this configuration, the entire circumference of the wafer W can be inspected by the inspection sections 3A, 3B, and 3C.

(Second embodiment)
A second embodiment of the non-contact positioning device and inspection system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the positioning section and the rotation section are realized by a positioning rotation section having a common configuration. In the following, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the non-contact positioning device 2C includes a floating section 110 and a plurality of positioning rotation sections 121, 122, and 123. The floating section 110 has a different shape from the floating section 10 of the first embodiment, but has the same function.
The floating section 110 has a substantially circular shape that includes the wafer W when viewed from the direction along the rotation axis O. The floating section 110 includes notches 110A, 110B, and 110C formed around the floating section 110. The notches 110A, 110B, and 110C are provided at positions facing the outer circumferential side of the wafer W, and open toward the outside in the radial direction of the wafer W. One inspection section 3A, 3B, 3C can be placed in each of the cutout sections 110A, 110B, 110C.

The positioning rotation parts 121, 122, and 123 each have a curved plate shape along the outer peripheral side of the wafer W. A plurality of positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123, which are three in this example, are arranged at equal angular intervals along the rotation direction C via cutouts 110A, 110B, and 110C.
As shown in FIG. 5(b), the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, and 123 are installed in an accommodation recess 115 formed in the floating surface of the fluid passage plate 111 of the floating part 110. The positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123 are formed of piezoelectric elements. The positioning rotation units 121, 122, and 123 are selectively supplied with either a traveling wave or a standing wave alternating current under the control of the control unit 60. When the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, and 123 are supplied with a traveling wave current, they function as rotation parts and apply ultrasonic vibrations as traveling waves so as to rotate the wafer W. On the other hand, when the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, and 123 are supplied with a standing wave current, they function as positioning parts and grip the wafer W in a non-contact manner so as to stop the rotation of the wafer W.
Note that the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, and 123 may each be composed of a plurality of piezoelectric elements divided in the rotation direction C. The piezoelectric elements adjacent in the rotation direction C may be supplied with alternating currents whose phases are shifted by 180°.

As shown in FIG. 5(c), the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, and 123 are held in a floating state within the housing recess 115 by the positive pressure air that passes through the fluid passage plate 111 supplied by the pressurizing part 40. It is maintained. The fluid passage plate 111 is a porous body, for example, a porous ceramic. Since the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123 are in a floating state, ultrasonic waves can be applied to the wafer W more reliably than in the case where the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123 are fixed to the fluid passage plate 111. can be supplied. In addition, since the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123 are in a floating state, the gap between the wafer W and the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123 can be adjusted to a constant distance.

The positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123 are operated by the sum of the squeezing force that pulls the wafer W due to the supply of ultrasonic waves, the gravity of the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123, and the air received by the back surfaces of the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123. It is maintained in a floating state within the accommodation recess 115 due to the balance of forces. Moreover, the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, and 123 are positioned in the surface direction of the fluid passage plate 111 by the air received from the side wall of the accommodation recess 115 while floating within the accommodation recess 115.
Further, in addition to positive pressure air, negative pressure air may be applied to the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, and 123 by the pressure reducing part 50 while floating in the accommodation recess 115. Thereby, the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123 are maintained in a floating state within the accommodation recess 115.

(effect)
According to the second embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved.
The non-contact positioning device 2C includes a positioning rotation unit 121 that rotates the wafer W in a non-contact manner by supplying ultrasonic waves with a traveling wave, and positions the wafer W in a non-contact manner by supplying ultrasonic waves with a standing wave. 122, 123, an accommodation recess 115 that accommodates the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123, and a housing recess 115 that accommodates the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123. The pressurizing section 40 is an example of a fluid supply section that makes the positioning rotation sections 121, 122, and 123 floating within the housing recess 115 by supplying air, which is an example of a fluid.
According to this configuration, the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123 are in a floating state, so that the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, 123 can supply ultrasonic waves to the wafer W more reliably. Therefore, rotation and positioning of the wafer W using ultrasonic waves becomes easy.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the non-contact positioning device and inspection system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, differences from the second embodiment will be mainly described.
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the non-contact positioning device 2D includes the same floating section 10 as in the first embodiment, a positioning rotation section 220, and a housing section 223.
The positioning rotation unit 220 has a ring plate shape along the outer peripheral side of the wafer W so as to surround the floating unit 10 . The positioning rotation unit 220 has the same function as the plurality of positioning rotation units 121, 122, 123 of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6C, the positioning rotation unit 220 includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements 221 divided along the rotation direction C, and a ring stator 222 to which the plurality of piezoelectric elements 221 are fixed.
The positioning rotation part 220 is housed in a housing recess 225 formed in the housing part 223. The housing portion 223 is made of the same material as the fluid passage plate 111 of the second embodiment, for example, porous ceramic. Similar to the positioning rotation parts 121, 122, and 123 of the second embodiment, the positioning rotation part 220 is placed in a floating state within the housing recess 225 by air supplied by a pressurizing part (not shown). This embodiment also provides the same effects as the second embodiment.

Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and drawings. It is possible to make changes (including deletion of components) as appropriate without changing the gist of the present disclosure. An example of the modification will be described below.

(Modified example)
In the first embodiment, the rotating part 30 and the positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C may each be of a type having a piezoelectric element, as in the second embodiment and the third embodiment.
In each of the embodiments described above, the number of inspection units 3A, 3B, and 3C is not limited to three, but may be one, two, or four or more.
Further, in each of the above embodiments, the inspection units 3A, 3B, and 3C are cameras that image the side surface of the wafer W, but they may also image other parts of the wafer W, for example, the front surface of the wafer W. However, the entire wafer W may be imaged.
Further, in each of the above embodiments, the inspection units 3A, 3B, and 3C are cameras, but the wafer W may be inspected by other methods such as a laser.
Further, in each of the above embodiments, the inspection sections 3A, 3B, and 3C are arranged on the front side of the wafer W, but the present invention is not limited to this, and they may be arranged on the back side of the wafer W.

Although the floating unit 10 in each of the embodiments described above levitates the wafer W using air, the present invention is not limited to this, and the wafer W may be levitated using ultrasonic waves. Furthermore, the positioning units 20A, 20B, and 20C may position the wafer W by supplying ultrasonic waves to areas other than the edges of the wafer W. Further, the positioning sections 20A, 20B, and 20C may position the wafer W in a non-contact manner using magnetic means other than ultrasonic waves.
In each of the above embodiments, the rotation axis O of the wafer W passes through the center of the wafer W, but is not limited to this, and may pass through a position offset from the center of the wafer W.

In each of the embodiments described above, the shape of the wafer W is formed into a disk shape, but the shape is not limited to this, and may be formed into a polygonal plate shape.
In the first embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the wafer W may have a square plate shape, and the positioning portions 20D may be arranged at the center of each side of the wafer W.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7B, the wafer W may have a triangular plate shape, and the positioning portions 20E may be arranged at the center of each side of the wafer W.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7(c), the wafer W has a rectangular plate shape. The positioning section 20F is arranged at the center of each side of the wafer W at the first rotational position indicated by the solid line in the figure, and the positioning section 20G is arranged at the second rotational position indicated by the dashed-dotted line in the figure. It may be arranged at the center of each side of a certain wafer W. The first rotational position and the second rotational position are located 90° apart in the rotational direction C.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7(d), when the wafer W has a rectangular plate shape as in FIG. 7(c), the wafer W at the first rotational position shown by the solid line in the figure The positioning portions 20H may be arranged at four points where the wafers W at the second rotational position intersect, which are indicated by dashed lines.
Further, the positioning section may be arranged at each corner of the wafer W shown in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(d).

In the first embodiment, the floating section 10, the positioning sections 20A, 20B, 20C, and the rotating section 30 are arranged on the back side of the wafer W, but the floating section 10, the positioning sections 20A, 20B, 20C, and the rotating section 30 are arranged on the front side of the wafer W. Any one or two of the section 10, the positioning sections 20A, 20B, 20C, and the rotating section 30 may be arranged. The second embodiment and the third embodiment described above can also be modified in the same manner.
In each of the above embodiments, the floating object rotated and stopped by the non-contact positioning device 2 is the wafer W, but it may be an object other than the wafer W.

In each of the above embodiments, the non-contact positioning devices 2, 2C, and 2D are applied to the inspection system 1 that inspects the wafer W, but are not limited to this, and are applied to a conveyance system that conveys a substrate that is a floating object. may be done. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the transport system 1A includes a non-contact positioning device 2A, a slide section 19, a substrate drive section 70 that is an example of a floating object drive section, and a control section 60. . The non-contact positioning device 2A includes a floating section 10A and positioning sections 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G. That is, unlike the non-contact positioning device 2 of the first embodiment, the non-contact positioning device 2A does not include the rotating part 30 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The floating section 10A has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has the same structure and function as the floating section 10 of the above embodiment except for the shape. The floating surface 11f of the floating section 10A has a rectangular shape. In this example, the substrate W1 has a rectangular plate shape. The substrate W1 is held in a floating state relative to the floating surface 11f of the floating section 10A.

The positioning parts 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G have the same structure and function as the positioning parts 20A, 20B, and 20C of the above embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 9, the positioning parts 20D and 20E are arranged along the first side Wa of the substrate W1 so as to face the first side Wa. The positioning parts 20F and 20G are arranged along the second side Wb so as to face the second side Wb of the substrate W1. The first side Wa and the second side Wb extend in directions perpendicular to each other. The positioning units 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G position the substrate W1 in a floating state with respect to the air bearing surface 11f. Note that the positioning parts 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G may be arranged one on each side of the substrate W1.

As shown in FIG. 8, the sliding portion 19 is provided with a floating portion 10A and positioning portions 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G.
The substrate drive section 70 moves the slide section 19 together with the floating section 10A and the positioning sections 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G under the control of the control section 60. The moving direction of the slide portion 19 is a direction along the air bearing surface 11f. The substrate W1 is moved by the substrate drive section 70 while being floated by the floating section 10A and positioned by the positioning sections 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G. Thereby, the transport system 1A can transport the substrate W1 without contact. The board drive unit 70 includes, for example, a motor, a ball screw, and the like.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the substrate transfer system 4 may include a plurality of transport systems 1A, 1B, and may be configured to be able to transfer the substrate W1 between the plurality of transport systems 1A, 1B. A plurality of transport systems 1A and 1B, two in this example, are provided to face each other in the thickness direction of the substrate W1 to be transported, and are arranged at different positions in the surface direction of the substrate W1 to be transported. The transport system 1A moves the substrate W1 to a position facing the floating part 10A of the transport system 1B, as shown by arrow Y, while floating the substrate W1 by the floating part 10A and positioning it by the positioning parts 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G. move it. Then, by driving the floating section 10A and the positioning sections 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G of the transport system 1B, the substrate W1 is held in a state separated from the floating section 10A of the transport system 1B. Next, the driving of the floating section 10A and the positioning sections 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G of the transport system 1A is stopped. Therefore, even if the floating section 10A, the positioning sections 20D, 20E, 20F, 20G, and the sliding section 19 of the transport system 1A move to their original positions, the substrate W1 is moved to the floating section 10A, the positioning sections 20D, 20E, It is maintained at 20F and 20G. Thereby, the substrate W1 can be exchanged between the transport systems 1A and 1B without contact.

(effect)
According to the modified examples of FIGS. 8 to 10 described above, the following effects are achieved.
The substrate driving unit 70, which is an example of a floating object driving unit, moves the substrate W1, which is floated by the floating unit 10A and positioned by the positioning units 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G, to the floating unit 10A and the positioning units 20D, 20E, and 20F. , 20G.
According to this configuration, it is possible to transport the substrate W1 while suppressing deformation of the floating substrate W1 and positioning the substrate W1 with high precision in a non-contact manner by the positioning sections 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Inspection system, 1A, 1B... Transfer system, 2, 2A, 2C, 2D... Non-contact positioning device, 3A, 3B, 3C... Inspection part, 4... Substrate transfer system, 10, 10A... Floating part, 11... Fluid Passage plate, 11a, 11b... Air passage hole, 11f... Air bearing surface, 12... Case part, 12a... Positive pressure chamber, 12b... Negative pressure chamber, 13... Partition wall, 14... Pipe part, 20, 20A, 20B, 20C , 20D, 20E, 20F, 20G...positioning section, 21...diaphragm, 22...conical horn, 23...vibrator, 30...rotating section, 31...excitation actuator, 32...elastic diaphragm, 40...pressure section, 50 ... Pressure reducing part, 60... Control part, 221... Piezoelectric element, 222... Ring stator, 223... Accommodating part, 115, 225... Accommodating recess, 121, 122, 123, 220... Positioning rotation part, C... Rotation direction, O... Rotation axis, S...Ultrasonic acoustic viscous force, W...Wafer, W1...Substrate, Wk...Inspection area, Wv...Bending traveling wave

Claims (6)

a floating unit that simultaneously supplies a positive pressure fluid and a negative pressure fluid to the floating object to hold the floating object in a state of floating relative to the floating surface so as not to separate from the floating surface;
a positioning unit that positions the floating object in a floating state by supplying ultrasonic waves to an edge of the floating object; a positioning rotation unit having a rotation unit that rotates around the center;
an accommodation recess that accommodates the positioning rotation part;
a fluid supply unit that supplies fluid to the positioning rotation unit to make the positioning rotation unit floating within the accommodation recess when the positioning rotation unit supplies ultrasonic waves to the floating object. ,
Non-contact positioning device. a floating unit that simultaneously supplies a positive pressure fluid and a negative pressure fluid to the floating object to hold the floating object in a state of floating relative to the floating surface so as not to separate from the floating surface;
a positioning unit that positions the floating object in a floating state by supplying ultrasonic waves to an edge of the floating object;
a floating object drive unit that moves the floating object while floating with respect to the floating surface,
The floating object driving section moves the floating object that is levitated by the floating section and positioned by the positioning section integrally with the floating section and the positioning section.
Non-contact positioning device. a floating unit that simultaneously supplies a positive pressure fluid and a negative pressure fluid to the floating object to hold the floating object in a state of floating relative to the floating surface so as not to separate from the floating surface;
a positioning unit that positions the floating object in a floating state by supplying ultrasonic waves to an edge of the floating object;
a floating object drive unit that rotates or moves the floating object while floating with respect to the floating surface ,
The floating unit, the positioning unit, and the floating object drive unit are arranged on the back side of the floating object,
Non-contact positioning device. The floating object driving unit is a rotating unit that rotates the floating object in a floating state around a rotation axis by supplying ultrasonic waves to the floating object.
The non-contact positioning device according to claim 3 . The rotating part extends along the rotation direction of the floating object and is formed to surround the periphery of the floating part,
The plurality of positioning parts are arranged around the rotating part and are located opposite to the edge of the disc-shaped floating object.
The non-contact positioning device according to claim 4 . A non-contact positioning device according to claim 1, 4 or 5 ,
an inspection section that inspects the presence or absence of defects or dirt in an inspection area that is a part of the wafer that is the floating object,
The rotating section moves the position of the inspection area relative to the wafer by rotating the wafer.
Inspection system.