JPH07176595A - Board conveyer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To insert a substrate supporting arm under a substrate easily and take out the substrate regardless of the posture of the substrate stored in a cassette. CONSTITUTION:A substrate supporting arm 23 which supports a substrate W is provided so as to be able to move horizontally and vertically. The substrate supporting arm 23 is inserted between the substrates W stored in a cassette C and lifts the substrate W to increase the space S between the substrate W and the substrate W1 under the substrate supporting arm 24. Then an auxiliary arm 29 is inserted into the increased space and a pressing member 30 which is provided on the tip of the auxiliary arm 29 and has a thickness smaller than the height of the space is pressed against the outer circumferential edge of the inner side of the substrate W and the substrate W is pushed to be taken out of the cassette C.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a photomask, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device,
The present invention relates to a substrate transfer device used to transfer a substrate such as a substrate for an optical disk from a cassette, support it, and transfer it to various processing devices, measuring devices, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a substrate transfer apparatus of this type, generally, a vacuum suction hole is provided in an arm for mounting and supporting a substrate,
Some substrates hold the substrate by vacuum suction, but there is a problem that particles adhere to the back surface of the substrate because the suction surface of the vacuum suction adheres to the substrate. Therefore, it is conceivable that the substrate can be held without using vacuum suction, and the one disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-18435 is conventionally known.

According to this conventional example, a fixed first pressing portion is provided at the tip of each of the pair of grippers, while
The other gripper is provided so that it can be moved back and forth by a push rod and a pressing force can be applied by a spring, the gripper is provided with a second pressing portion, and the two first pressing portions are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the substrate. And the second pressing portion are brought into contact with each other, and the substrate is held in a state of being supported at three points by the contact pressure given by the spring, and the substrate is held by being positioned so as not to contact both front and back surfaces of the substrate. It is configured to avoid the adhesion of dust.

There is also a technique proposed by the applicant of the present application to support the substrate in a positioned state while suppressing the adhesion of particles due to dust generation as much as possible (Japanese Patent Application No. 5-95293).

In this proposed example, support members are arranged so as to be opposed to each other so that the distance between the support members can be changed, and a bottom surface support for mounting and supporting the bottom surface of the substrate on the outer peripheral edge side and an outer periphery of the substrate are arranged on the support members. An outer edge support body that contacts the surface and regulates the position in the direction along the bottom surface of the substrate, and when adjusting the facing interval between both support members, the outer edge support body plays a predetermined play with respect to the substrate. So that when the outer edge support acts on the outer peripheral surface of the substrate, only a small force that can be moved against the inertial force and the frictional force on the lower surface of the substrate is sufficient. It is configured to avoid dust generation due to contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate. Further, even during the conveyance, the play between the outer peripheral surface of the substrate and the outer edge support does not apply a large force to the outer peripheral surface of the substrate to avoid dust generation.

[0006]

However, in a cassette in which substrates are stored in multiple stages in the vertical direction, a part of the substrates is accommodated in an inclined posture due to vibrations during cassette transport, which causes There is a case where the space between the vertically adjacent substrates on the substrate take-out side, that is, the opening side of the cassette is small. However, if the space under the board is narrow, it is difficult to insert a thick presser section or outer edge support below the board,
There was still room for improvement in practical use, such as when it could not be inserted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the arm can be easily inserted under the substrate regardless of the accommodation posture of the substrate in the cassette, and the arm can be easily attached on the arm. The object is to enable the substrate to be taken out in a positioned state.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention is provided with a substrate support arm that supports a substrate so as to be movable in horizontal and vertical directions. Is inserted between the substrates housed in the cassette to raise the substrate, and a sub-arm that is inserted into the gap with the gap below the substrate being enlarged is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. A pressing member that presses against the end face of the substrate is provided at the tip of, and the thickness of the pressing member is smaller than the gap.

[0009]

According to the structure of the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention, the substrate support arm is horizontally moved and inserted below the take-out side end of the substrate to be taken out from the cassette, and the substrate is then moved. , By moving upward, raise the substrate, widen the gap between the substrate and the lower substrate,
The sub-arm is inserted into the enlarged gap, the substrate support arm is lowered to bring the pressing member to a position where it can act on the end surface of the substrate, and the sub-arm is moved to the side opposite to the insertion direction, thereby pressing the pressing member. The substrate can be taken out from the cassette while pressing the end face of the substrate.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus using a substrate transfer apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The substrate processing apparatus is an apparatus for applying a photoresist solution to a substrate W having an arc-shaped outer peripheral surface such as a semiconductor wafer and performing a drying process. It is composed of a portion (hereinafter, referred to as an indexer module) 1 for storing the used substrate and a substrate processing unit 2 for processing the substrate W.

The indexer module 1 includes four cassettes C ... Mounted in a line on a fixed base 3, and a substrate transfer device 4 for loading / unloading substrates W into / from these cassettes C. And consists of. The substrate W is transferred between the indexer module 1 and the substrate processing section 2 at a predetermined substrate transfer position P between the substrate transfer device 4 and the substrate transfer means 10 (described later) of the substrate processing section 2. Done.
The substrate transfer device 4 takes out the substrate W to be transferred to the substrate processing section 2 from the cassette C and transfers it to the substrate delivery position P,
At the substrate transfer position P, the substrate W received from the substrate transfer means 10 is transferred and stored in the cassette C.

A plurality of substrate supporting grooves (to be described later) are formed on the respective side walls of the cassette C at upper and lower sides at predetermined intervals, and one substrate W is inserted into each groove to vertically move the substrate W. It can be stored in multiple stages.

The substrate processing unit 2 heats the substrate W at a predetermined temperature such as 120 ° C. to remove water and the like.
The substrate heating unit 5 and the first substrate heat removal unit 6 provided below the substrate heating unit 5 for cooling the substrate W after the heat treatment to a predetermined temperature such as 23 ° C. and returning the temperature to room temperature, and holding the substrate W. A substrate rotation type photoresist processing unit 7 for applying a photoresist solution to the surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate;
The substrate W coated with the photoresist solution is, for example, 100 ° C.
A second substrate heating unit 8 that heats the substrate W at a predetermined temperature such as to volatilize the solvent component to bring the photoresist film into close contact with the substrate W, and the substrate W after the heat treatment that is provided below the second substrate heating unit 8. For example, it is provided with a second substrate heat removal unit 9 that is cooled to a predetermined temperature such as 23 ° C. and returned to room temperature.

Further, the substrate transfer means 10 is provided in the substrate processing section 2.
And a substrate W which is provided and discharged from the substrate transfer position P.
Are carried in between the first and second substrate heating units 5 and 8, the first and second substrate heat removal units 6 and 9, and the substrate rotating photoresist processing unit 7 in any order.
It is configured to be shipped.

In the substrate transfer device 4, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 2, a first screw shaft 13 that is normally and reversely rotated by a first electric motor 12 is attached to a mounting base 11 fixed to a base 3.
A first support 15 is provided so as to be horizontally movable by the first guide 14 and the first guide 14. This first support 1
The moving direction of 5 is a direction along the row of the cassettes C mounted on the base 3.

The second electric motor 1 is mounted on the first support base 15.
The second support base 1 is movable up and down by the second screw shaft 17 and the second guide 18 which are rotated in the forward and reverse directions by 6.
9 is provided.

A first belt 2 reciprocally movable on a second support 19 by a third electric motor 20 capable of forward and reverse rotation.
By the first and third guides 22, 22, it is possible to move in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first support base 15,
Substrate support arms 23, 23 for supporting the substrate W in a horizontal posture
Is provided.

The substrate support arm 23 is composed of a thin plate member, and a positioning guide 24 having an arc-shaped guide surface F in a plan view is provided on the upper surface of the substrate support arm 23 at the base end side.
The guide surface F is integrally provided so as to face the front end side of the substrate support arm 23.

Further, the pair of substrate support arms is provided on the second support base 19 by the second belt 26 reciprocally movable by the fourth electric motor 25 capable of forward and reverse rotation and the fourth guides 27, 27. The first support base 1 between 23 and 23
5, an air cylinder 28 is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the moving direction of 5, and a sub arm 29 is provided so as to be able to move up and down by the air cylinder 28, and is housed in the cassette C on the upper end surface of the sub arm 29. A pressing member 30 that acts on the outer peripheral end surface of the back side of the substrate W to press the substrate W is provided.

Next, the operation of taking out a predetermined substrate W from the cassette C using the substrate transfer device 4 having the above-mentioned structure will be described with reference to the drawings. First, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 3A and the side view of FIG. 3B, the substrate support arm 23 and the sub arm 29 are moved to the front of a predetermined cassette C, and then the substrate is moved. The support arm 23 is lifted to a predetermined height, and then the substrate support arm 23 is moved to the cassette C side as shown in the plan view of FIG. 4A and the side view of FIG. Then, it is inserted below the substrate W to be taken out.

After inserting the substrate support arm 23 to a predetermined position, the second electric motor 16 is driven to drive the second support base 1.
9 to raise the substrate support arm 23 to raise the substrate W from the upper surface of a substrate support groove (described later) of the cassette C, and to set a gap S between the substrate W to be taken out and the substrate W1 below it. Make big Then, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 5A and the side view of FIG. 5B, the sub arm 29 is inserted into the enlarged gap.

Then, the plan view of FIG. 6A and
As shown in the side view of FIG. 6B, the air cylinder 28
Is extended to raise the sub arm 29 to raise the pressing member 30 to a position where it acts on the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W, and then the fourth electric motor 25 is driven to drive the pressing member 30.
Is moved to the substrate taking-out side of the cassette C to press the substrate W, and the other outer peripheral end face is brought into contact with the arc-shaped guide face F of the positioning guide 24 for positioning, and thereafter, the third and fourth The electric motors 20 and 25 are synchronously driven, and the substrate support arm 23 and the sub arm 29 are moved out of the cassette C while being positioned by the pressing member 30 and the positioning guide 24, and the substrate W is taken out from the cassette C.
Since the guide surface F of the positioning guide 24 has an arcuate shape that matches the outer periphery of the substrate W, the substrate W is located at a predetermined position not only in the base end-tip direction of the substrate support arm 23 but also in the direction orthogonal thereto. Positioned. It should be noted that if the positioning by the pressing member 30 described above has some play with respect to the maximum diameter of the substrate W, the force for positioning is not continuously applied to the substrate W.

After being taken out from the cassette C, the substrate support arm 23 is moved to the substrate transfer position P to transfer the substrate W to the substrate transfer means 10. When the substrate W is transferred from the substrate transfer position P to the cassette C and accommodated therein, the pressing member 3 is used.
0 in the downward direction, the substrate W is transferred from the substrate transfer means 10 to the substrate support arm 23 at the substrate transfer position P.
And then the sub-arm 29 is lifted and then moved to the base end side of the substrate support arm 23 to push the pressing member 3
The substrate W is positioned by 0 and the guide surface F of the positioning guide 24. After that, the substrate support arm 23 and the sub arm 29 are moved in front of the predetermined cassette C, and the third and fourth electric motors 20 and 25 are synchronously driven to move the substrate support arm 23 and the sub arm 29 into the cassette C. Then, the substrate W is inserted at a height apart from the supporting surface of the substrate supporting groove (described later). Then, the substrate W is supported by the substrate support arm 23 at that height, and the fourth electric motor 25 is driven to keep the pressing member 30 from the substrate outer peripheral end surface while keeping a wide space between the substrate W and the substrate therebelow. Then, the sub-arm 29 and the pressing member 30 are moved downward by moving the air cylinder 28 away from the cassette C, and the fourth electric motor 25 is driven to move them outside the cassette C. Sub arm 29,
After moving the pressing member 30 out of the cassette C, the second electric motor 16 is driven to lower the substrate support arm 23, and the substrate W is moved from the substrate support arm 23 onto the support surface of the substrate support groove of the cassette C. Then, the third electric motor 20 is driven to move the substrate support arm 23 to the outside of the cassette C.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a substrate transfer device according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a side view thereof. The differences from the first embodiment are as follows. That is, the third belt 33 and the fifth guide 3 which can be reciprocally moved by the fifth electric motor 32 capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions are provided on the second support base 19.
4 and 34, a support member 35 of the substrate support arm 23 is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first support base 15. The support member 35 is provided with a sixth electric motor 36. The third screw shaft 37 that is rotated in the normal direction
And a sixth guide 38, an air cylinder 39 is provided between the pair of substrate supporting arms 23, 23 so as to be movable in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first supporting base 15, and by the air cylinder 39. A sub-arm 29 is provided so as to be able to move up and down, and a pressing member 30 is provided at the tip of the sub-arm 29 to act on and press the back side outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W accommodated in the cassette C. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the case of this second embodiment, the pressing member 30
Thus, after the substrate W is positioned and supported between the positioning guide 24 and the fifth electric motor 32,
There is an advantage that the synchronized driving of the two third and fourth electric motors 20 and 25 as in the first embodiment can be eliminated.

In the case of the first and second embodiments described above, a pair of substrate support arms 23, 23 are provided in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the direction of taking out the substrate W from the cassette C, and the substrate support arms 23, 23 are positioned between them. As described above, since the sub arm 29 having the pressing member 30 at the tip thereof is provided, there is an advantage that it can be used more suitably when the substrate W having the orientation flat is taken out from the cassette C.

That is, in the substrate W inserted into and supported by the substrate supporting grooves 31, 31, the intersection of the orientation flat portion and the arcuate outer peripheral surface is supported by the substrate supporting groove 31 in a point contact state. In this case, the front edge on the take-out side of the substrate W is inclined so that it is located below,
As shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 9A, the gap S between the substrate W and the substrate W1 below it becomes narrower on the central side. Even in such a case, first, as shown in (a) of FIG. 9, the substrate support arm 23 is first located at a gap S2 that is wider than the gap S1 in the central portion of the cassette C and is closer to the substrate support grooves 31 and 31. , 23 can be inserted respectively. After that, as shown in FIG. 9B, the substrate support arms 23, 23 are raised to raise the substrate W, and the gap S below the substrate W is widened, and then the sub arm 29 having the pressing member 30 at the tip thereof. Then, as shown in FIG. 9C, the sub arm 29 is raised to a position where the pressing member 30 acts on the inner peripheral surface of the back side of the substrate W, and the pressing member 30 is acted to act the substrate W. Can be removed from the cassette C.
Therefore, the substrate support arm 23 is attached to the substrate support grooves 31, 3
As compared with the case of inserting the substrate supporting arm 23 in the center side between the first and second substrates, there is an advantage that the substrate supporting arm 23 can be easily inserted without interfering with the substrate W. Moreover, since the sub arm 29 is inserted while the substrate W is being lifted, It is possible to smoothly insert the sub arm 29 to which the pressing member 30 having a thickness enough to position the substrate W is attached. In FIG. 9, the substrate W
Shows only the front edge from the viewpoint.

As for the thickness of the pressing member 30, as described above, the end portion on the take-out side of the substrate W is lifted to form the gap S.
Even if the lower substrate W1 is tilted when the width is widened, the gap S can be inserted in consideration of the maximum tilt state of the lower substrate W1 so that the substrate W1 can be inserted into the gap S without interfering with the substrate W1. It should be set smaller than the minimum amount of.

In the above embodiment, the positioning guide 24 is provided integrally with the substrate support arm 23. However, according to the present invention, the positioning guide 24 is provided separately from the substrate support arm 23, and only the substrate support arm 23 is provided. It may be provided so that the substrate W slidably moved by the pressing of the pressing member 30 can be received and positioned at a position where the substrate is inserted into and removed from the cassette C and taken out from the cassette C.

In the above embodiment, the substrate supporting arms 23, 2
Although the substrate W is mounted and supported on the third arm 3 and the sub arm 29, the following structure may be adopted as the present invention. (1) Depending on the substrate support arm 23, only the front end of the substrate W on the take-out side is lifted, and the substrate W is placed and supported on the sub arm 29. (2) The substrate W is placed and supported only by the substrate support arm 23.

The present invention can be applied not only to a circular substrate having an arcuate outer peripheral surface having a notch or an orientation flat, but also to a rectangular substrate. In this case, the positioning guide 24 receives the corner portion of the rectangular substrate. Thus, the guide surface F may be formed in a right angle shape.

[0034]

As described above, according to the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention, a substrate is accommodated in a cassette in an inclined posture due to vibration or the like, and a space below the substrate to be taken out on the take-out side of the substrate. Even if the
The substrate support arm raises the take-out side end of the substrate to be taken out to widen the gap with the lower substrate, inserts the arm into the enlarged gap, and presses the end face of the substrate with the pressing member while cassette Since the substrate is taken out from the substrate, the arm can be easily inserted below the substrate, and the substrate can be taken out in a state of being positioned on the arm, regardless of the attitude of housing the substrate in the cassette. For this reason, when the cassette is carried into the cassette placement part of various processing devices, it is not necessary to adjust the substrate posture so that it is horizontal, and its handling is easy and processing efficiency is improved. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus using a substrate transfer apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a substrate transfer device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation, (a) is a plan view,
(B) is a side view.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation, (a) is a plan view,
(B) is a side view.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation, (a) is a plan view,
(B) is a side view.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation, (a) is a plan view,
(B) is a side view.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side view of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a front view for explaining the operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 ... Substrate transfer device 23 ... Substrate support arm 29 ... Sub arm 30 ... Pressing member C ... Cassette S ... Gap W ... Substrate

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A substrate support arm for supporting a substrate is provided so as to be movable in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, and the substrate support arm is inserted between the substrates accommodated in a cassette to raise the substrate, and A sub-arm that is inserted into the gap is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction with a large gap between the lower substrate and a pushing member that pushes the end face of the substrate at the tip of the sub-arm. A substrate transfer device, wherein the thickness of the member is smaller than the gap.