JPH0276242A - Conveying method of base board and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the occurrence of dust in the course of conveyance by varying the distribution of a flow rate of a jetted fluid on the occasion of the conveyance of a base board wherein the base board is made to float up for conveyance by using a jet stream of the fluid. CONSTITUTION:A plurality of jetting orifices 12 each having a circular section and provided in the main body 1 of a conveying apparatus are opened in the upper surface of the main body 1 of the conveying apparatus, and they are provided at right angles to the upper surface of the main body 1 and at intervals of about 1/3 of the length of a base board 5. A plurality of flow rate controlling means 15 provided between an introducing port of the main body of the conveying apparatus and the jetting orifices 2 incline in an arbitrary direction the distribution of a flow rate of a jet stream of a fluid jetted from below the base board 5 and thereby drive the base board 5 in said direction. Thereby the base board 5 is prevented from getting into contact with a track guide wall or the like, the occurrence of dust in the course of conveyance is prevented, while it turns unnecessary to jet out the fluid at a high speed from the jetting orifices and thus raising of the dust on the upper surface of the main body 1 of the conveying apparatus is prevented.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a substrate transport method in which a substrate such as a semiconductor crystal substrate is floated and transported using a jet of fluid, and a substrate transport method for carrying out the substrate transport method. It is related to the device.

[Conventional technology]

Recently, substrate transfer devices that use fluid jets to transfer semiconductor crystal substrates between various devices such as thin film forming devices, impurity introduction devices, heat treatment devices, pattern forming devices, and substrate cleaning devices have been used. ing.

FIG. 10 is a schematic side sectional view showing a conventional substrate transfer device, and FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view thereof. In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a main body of the conveying device, and 22 denotes an ejection hole provided at an angle with respect to the upper surface of the main body 21 of the conveying device. Gas such as nitrogen gas is supplied to the ejection hole 22. 26 is a stopper provided above the transport device main body 21, 27 is a track guide wall attached to the side of the transport device main body 21, and 5 is a substrate such as a silicon wafer.

In this substrate transfer device, if gas is ejected from the ejection hole 22, the substrate 5 can be floated by the gas, and since the ejection hole 22 is provided at an angle with respect to the upper surface of the transfer device main body 21, , since a horizontal force f acts on the substrate 5, the substrate 5 can be moved, the stopper 26 can stop the substrate 5, and the track guide wall 27 can stabilize the conveyance direction of the substrate 5. be able to.

Figure 12 shows another conventional substrate transfer device (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-40
40) is a schematic side sectional view showing the same. In the figure,
31 is the main body of the conveying device, and the main body 31 of the conveying device is connected to areas A and C.
and E are horizontal, and regions B and D are slanted. 32 is an ejection hole provided in the conveyor main body 31;
The injection holes 32 are provided at an angle with respect to the top surface of the transport device main body 31 in the region A, and are provided at right angles to the top surface of the transport device main body 31 in the region B-E. Supplied.

In this substrate transfer device, if fluid is ejected from the ejection holes 32, the substrate 5 can be levitated by the fluid, and in area A, the ejection holes 32 are provided at an angle with respect to the upper surface of the transfer device main body 31. Therefore, an initial velocity is given to the substrate 5, the substrate 5 is accelerated in region B by gravity, the substrate 5 is transported at a constant speed in region C, the substrate 5 is decelerated in region E, and the substrate 5 is transported in region E. will be stopped.

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing another conventional substrate transfer device (IEICE technical research report, Vol. 87, No. 397, p. 65), and FIG. 14 is an example of the substrate transfer device shown in FIG. 15 is a front sectional view, FIG. 16 is a plan view showing another part of the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 13, and FIG. 17 is a front sectional view. In the figure, 4
Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of the transport device, 42 a jet hole dedicated to floating provided in the main body 41 of the transport device, 43 a jet hole dedicated to driving provided in the center of the main body 41 of the transport device, and 44 provided at an end of the main body 41 of the transport device. Among the guide-only jet holes, the floating-only jet holes 42, the drive-only jet holes 43, and the guide-only jet holes 44 have a structure that prevents fluid from being jetted out at high speed. 4
5 is a substrate position detection means provided in the transport device main body 41;
46 is a control valve, and the control valve 46 is connected to the drive-only jet hole 43.

In this substrate transfer device, if fluid is ejected from the levitation only jet hole 42, the substrate 5 can be levitated by the fluid, and the control valve 46 By opening and closing the drive-only jet hole 43 and adjusting the amount of fluid jetted from the drive-only jet hole 43, the transport speed of the substrate 5 can be controlled, and the substrate 5 can be stopped gently. By spouting fluid from the holes 44, the substrate 5
can guide you.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in the substrate conveying apparatus shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the substrate 5 collides with the track guide wall 27 during conveyance, and also collides with the stopper 26 when stopping the substrate 5. Dust is generated and adheres to the substrate 5, reducing product fractionation. Furthermore, the substrate 5
In order to apply a horizontal force f to
Since it is necessary to eject gas at a high speed from the ejection holes 22 provided at an angle with respect to the upper surface of the transfer device 1, the dust on the upper surface of the transfer device main body 21 is blown up by the jet of gas, so that it adheres to the substrate 5. The amount of dust increases and reduces the fractionation of the product.

Further, in the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 12, the ejection holes 32 are provided at right angles to the upper surface of the transfer apparatus main body 31 in most areas, and it is necessary to eject the fluid from the ejection holes 32 at high speed. Since there is no dust on the upper surface of the conveying device main body 31, the amount of dust being stirred up is reduced. However, area B
Since it is not possible to control the position of the substrates 5 in area B-D, when a plurality of substrates 5 are introduced into area B-D, collision between the substrates 5 may occur and dust may be generated. Since only one substrate 5 can be introduced into -D, when transporting a large number of substrates 5,
Transport time increases significantly.

Furthermore, in the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIGS. 13 to 17, the floating, driving, and guiding of the substrate 5 are all performed by fluid force, so no dust is generated during transfer, and the floating Dedicated jet hole 42, drive dedicated jet hole 4
3. The guide-only jet hole 44 has a structure that prevents fluid from jetting out at high speed, so dust on the top surface of the transport device main body 31 is not stirred up, and a large amount of substrates 5 can be handled in a short time. can be transported to but,
The structures of the levitation-only nozzle 42, the drive-only nozzle 43, and the guide-only nozzle 44 are complicated, and when used for a long period of time, dust may form inside the levitation-only nozzle 42, the drive-only nozzle 43, and the guide nozzle 44. Because dust tends to accumulate and it is difficult to remove the accumulated dust, it is impossible to transport the substrate 5 without dust adhering to the substrate 5 for a long period of time.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it does not generate dust during transportation, does not cause dust to be raised on the top surface of the transportation device, and can handle a large amount of substrates in a short time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transport method and an apparatus therefor, which can transport a substrate and can transport the substrate without causing dust to adhere to the substrate for a long period of time.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, in a substrate transport method in which a substrate is floated and transported using a jet of fluid, the distribution of the jet flow rate of the fluid is changed.

Moreover, in order to carry out the above method, in this invention,
A substrate transfer device that levitates and transfers a substrate using a jet of fluid, comprising: a transfer device main body; ejection holes provided in the transfer device main body at intervals of 1/2 or less of the length of the substrate; a flow rate control means connected to the hole, a substrate position detection means for detecting the position of the substrate, a command input means for inputting a substrate transport command, and the flow rate control based on the position of the board and the board transport command. The means is provided with a conveyance control means for outputting a flow rate control signal.

[Effect]

In this substrate transport method and device, by tilting the distribution of the ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from below the substrate in an arbitrary direction, the substrate can be driven in that direction, and the substrate being transported can be By tilting the distribution of the ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from below in a direction opposite to the transport direction, the substrate can be decelerated.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a substrate transfer device for implementing the substrate transfer method according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view. In FIG. 6, 1 is a transfer device main body; The top surface of is flat.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a plurality of jet holes with a circular cross section provided in the transport device main body 1. The holes 2 are provided at intervals of about ⅓ of the length of the substrate 5. 4 is an inlet provided in the main body 1 of the conveying device, and 15 is a plurality of flow rate control means provided between the inlet 4 and the jet hole 2.

As the flow rate control means 15, when the fluid is a gas such as nitrogen, a high-speed mass flow controller, an air valve, etc. may be used, and when the fluid is a liquid such as pure water, for example, a liquid with variable operating speed may be used. You can use a commercial pump. Reference numeral 11 denotes substrate position detection means for detecting the position of the substrate 5. As the substrate position detection means 11, for example, an optical sensor that detects the blocking or reflection of light by the substrate 5 may be used directly or via an optical fiber. Alternatively, a pressure sensor may be used that detects an increase in pressure when the substrate 5 is present at a certain position on the transport device main body 1. Reference numeral 13 denotes a transfer control means that outputs a flow rate control signal to the flow rate control means 15 based on the position of the substrate 5 and a substrate transfer command inputted to a command input means (not shown). A computer that can quickly determine the appropriate flow rate distribution may be used.

In this substrate transfer apparatus, when a command to make the substrate 5 stand still is input to the command input means, the transfer control means 13 controls the flow rate control means 15 based on the command and the position of the substrate 5.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flow rate control signal is output to make the ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from the ejection hole 2 under the substrate 5 higher than the ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from the other ejection holes 2. Moreover, since the flow rate of the fluid ejected from the ejection holes 2 under the substrate 5 is kept uniform around the center of gravity of the substrate 5, the substrate 5 floats in a stable horizontal stationary state. Also,
When a command to move the substrate 5 in a certain direction is input to the command input means, the transport control means 13 inputs the command and the board 5.
A flow rate control signal is output to the flow rate control means 15 based on the position of the substrate 5, so that the distribution of the ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from the injection holes 2 under the substrate 5 is tilted in the direction in which it should move, as shown in FIG. be done. The main force acting on the substrate 5 at this time is the fourth
As shown in the figure, there are a force fg due to gravity and a force ff due to the fluid ejected from the injection hole 2, and these forces f1! , f
The horizontal component force fa in the direction of inclination of the distribution of the ejection flow rate of the fluid, which is generated by the combination of f, becomes the driving force for the substrate 5. When the substrate 5 is moved by this driving force, the substrate position detection means 11 detects the position of the substrate 5 being moved, and the transport control means 1
3 determines an appropriate flow rate distribution and outputs a flow rate control signal to the flow rate control means 15, and as shown in FIG. tilt in the direction in which it should be moved. This movement of the substrate 5 is similar to the movement of a wave board, and by optimizing the distribution of the ejection flow rate of the ejected fluid, the movement of the substrate 5 can be continued stably. Furthermore, by keeping the ejection flow rate distribution of the fluid in the direction perpendicular to the movement direction as shown in FIG. 2 while the substrate 5 is moving, it is possible to prevent the movement direction of the substrate 5 from deviating from the direction in which it should be moved. can.

Further, when a command to stop the board 5 at a certain position is input to the command input means while the board 5 is moving in a certain direction, the transport control means 13 controls the flow rate based on the command and the position of the board 5. A flow rate control signal is output to the control means 15, and as shown in FIG. 6, the distribution of the ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from the injection holes 2 under the substrate 5 is tilted in the opposite direction to the direction in which it should be moved. . At this time, the horizontal component force f, I generated by the combination of the force f8 due to gravity and the force ff due to the fluid ejected from the injection hole 2 acts in the opposite direction to the moving direction of the substrate 5, so the substrate 5 decelerates. . When the decelerated substrate 5 stops at a predetermined position, the conveyance control means 13 outputs a flow control signal to the flow rate control means 15 based on the position of the substrate 5, and as shown in FIG. The ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from the lower ejection hole 2 is smaller than the ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from the other ejection holes 2, and moreover, the ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from the ejection hole 2 below the substrate 5 is smaller than the ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from the other ejection holes 2. Since the center of gravity is maintained uniformly, the substrate 5 floats in a stable horizontal stationary state.

In this way, in this substrate conveyance method and substrate conveyance device, the substrate 5 does not come into contact with the track guide wall, stopper, etc., so no dust is generated during conveyance, so dust does not adhere to the substrate 5. It is possible to effectively prevent this, and the fractionation of the product does not decrease. Moreover, since the substrate 5 is moved by tilting the distribution of the ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from the ejection holes 2 below the substrate 5, the ejection holes 2
There is no need to eject fluid at high speed from the substrate, and since the ejection hole 2 is provided perpendicular to the top surface of the transfer device main body 1, dust on the top surface of the transfer device main body 1 will not be stirred up. There is no increase in the amount of dust adhering to No. 5, and the fractionation of the product does not decrease. Furthermore, the substrate 5 is
Since positional control can be performed, a large number of substrates 5 can be transported simultaneously, and a large number of substrates can be transported in a short time. Further, the structure of the ejection hole 2 can be simplified because there is no need to eject the fluid from the ejection hole 2 at high speed, and it is sufficient to eject the fluid from the ejection hole 2 in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the conveying device main body 1. Because of this, there is no risk of dust accumulating inside the nozzle 2, and even when dust accumulates, it can be easily removed.
The substrate 5 can be transported without dust adhering to the substrate 5 for a long period of time.

Note that when placing the substrate 5 from the Teflon cassette onto the transfer apparatus main body 1, when placing the substrate 5 into the Teflon cassette from above the transfer apparatus main body 1, the substrate 5 is placed between the transfer apparatus main body 1 and the thin film forming apparatus, and impurities are introduced. A robot, a vacuum suction device, or the like is used when moving between various devices such as a heat treatment device, a pattern forming device, and a substrate cleaning device.

Further, while the substrate 5 is being transported by the substrate transporting device, processing such as thin film formation processing, impurity introduction processing, heat treatment processing, pattern formation processing, substrate cleaning processing, etc. may be performed.

Furthermore, if this substrate transport method is applied to the transport of silicon wafers for manufacturing integrated circuits, there will be no generation of dust or winding up of dust due to the transport of silicon wafers, thereby preventing dust from adhering to the silicon wafers. Since this can be prevented, the yield of manufactured integrated circuits can be improved.

FIG. 8 is a front sectional view showing a substrate transfer device for carrying out another substrate transfer method according to the present invention, and FIG. The main surface to be manufactured, the main surface 19, faces downward. 2
Reference numeral 0 denotes an ion adding means for adding ions to the fluid flowing through the inlet 4. As the ion adding means 2o, when using gas as the fluid, for example, a corona discharger may be used, and for example, water may be used as the fluid. In some cases, it is sufficient to use an addition means that adds, for example, HCl, CO, etc. at a concentration that does not damage the substrate 5. Furthermore, the upper surface of the transport device main body 1 is concave in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the substrate 5 is transported.

In this substrate transfer device, since the main surface 19 faces downward, it is possible to almost eliminate the possibility that dust falling from above will adhere to the main surface 19, and the ion adding means 2o Because ions are added,
Since the substrate 5 can be prevented from being electrically charged, the probability of dust adhering to the substrate 5 can be further reduced, and furthermore, since the upper surface of the conveying device main body 1 is concave in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the substrate 5. Even if the ejection of the fluid from the ejection hole 2 is stopped unintentionally, the center part of the main surface 19 of the substrate 5 will not come into contact with the upper surface of the transfer device main body 1, and the main surface 19 of the substrate 5 will not come into contact with the upper surface of the main surface 19 of the substrate 5. The central part is not damaged, so the yield of manufactured integrated circuits can be further improved.

In the above embodiment, the ejection holes 2 were provided at intervals of about 173 times the length of the substrate 5, but the ejection holes were provided at intervals of about 173 times the length of the substrate.
They may be provided at intervals of /2 or less.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the flow rate control means 15 is provided in each of the ejection holes 2, but the flow rate control means may be provided in common for a plurality of ejection holes 2.

Furthermore, the transfer control device 13 may be equipped with a learning function that increases work efficiency by repeating a series of operations.Furthermore, when a liquid is used as the fluid, the liquid may be It is a good idea to have a collection port for this.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the substrate transport method and device according to the present invention, the substrate does not come into contact with the track guide wall, stopper, etc.

Since no dust is generated during transportation, it is possible to effectively prevent dust from adhering to the substrate.

In addition, since the substrate is moved by tilting the distribution of the ejection flow rate of the fluid ejected from the ejection holes under the substrate, there is no need to eject fluid from the ejection holes at high speed, and the ejection holes are located close to the top surface of the transport device main body. Because it can be installed at right angles,
Since the dust on the top surface of the transfer device body does not roll up, the amount of dust adhering to the substrate does not increase, so the fractionation of the product does not decrease. Since the position of the substrate can be controlled in all areas, a large number of substrates can be transported simultaneously, and a large amount of substrates can be transported in a short time. In addition, it is not necessary to eject fluid from the ejection hole at high speed, and the fluid can be ejected from the ejection hole in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the conveyor main body, so the structure of the ejection hole can be simplified. There is no risk of dust accumulating in the ejection holes, and even if dust accumulates, it can be easily removed, so the substrate can be transported for a long period of time without dust adhering to the substrate.

As described above, the effects of this invention are remarkable.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a substrate transfer device for carrying out the substrate transfer method according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view, and FIGS. 3 to 7 are similar to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a front sectional view showing a substrate transfer device for implementing another substrate transfer method according to the present invention, FIG. 9 is a side sectional view, and FIG. 10 is a side sectional view. A schematic side sectional view showing a conventional substrate transfer device, FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view, and FIG. 12 is a schematic side sectional view showing another conventional substrate transfer device.
FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing another conventional substrate transfer device;
1.4 is a plan view showing a part of the substrate transfer device shown in FIG. 13, FIG. 15 is a front sectional view, and FIG.
A plan view showing another part of the substrate transport device shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 17 are a front sectional view. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Transfer device main body 2... Spout hole 5... Substrate 11... Substrate position detection means 13... Transfer control means 15... Flow rate control means Patent applicant
Junnosuke Nakamura, Patent Attorney, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation Figure 5 ゛. (i Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 9 Figure 13 Figure 14 Figure 15 Figure 17

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A substrate transport method in which a substrate is floated and transported using a fluid jet, the method comprising changing the distribution of the fluid jet flow rate. 2. A substrate transfer device that levitates and transfers a substrate using a jet of fluid, comprising: a transfer device main body; and ejection holes provided in the transfer device main body at intervals of 1/2 or less of the length of the substrate; a flow control means connected to the ejection hole; a substrate position detection means for detecting the position of the substrate; a command input means for inputting a substrate transport command; 1. A substrate transport apparatus comprising: transport control means for outputting a flow rate control signal to a flow rate control means.