JPH08139158A - Processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To safely support a glass substrate for an LCD by a mounting part without bringing it into contact with the surface of the mounting part and at the same time prevent its dislocation during conveyance even when a conveyance speed is increased in the case that a rectangular substrate to be processed such as a large-size glass substrate for an LCD is conveyed. CONSTITUTION: O-rings R1 to R5 are installed not only in the peripheral part of the main body 55 of a mounting member 54 installed on a first arm 53 in a conveyance arm but also in the central part. At both end parts of the main body 55, grip blocks 81, 82 for holding under pressure a glass substrate for an LCD which is energized by coil springs 83, 84 to the center are slidably provided. Pressing and release are performed by the sliding of racks 71, 72 engaged with a pinion integrated with the first arm 53 to realize the rotation of the mounting member 54 with respect to the first arm 53.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus configured to process a rectangular substrate to be processed under a reduced pressure atmosphere.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, LCD (Liquid Cryst)
2. Description of the Related Art In a manufacturing process of a substrate for an al Display (liquid crystal display device), various processing devices are used to perform processing such as etching and ashing on an LCD substrate or the like under a reduced pressure atmosphere. In such a processing chamber, a load lock chamber and a load lock chamber are provided via an openable gate valve so that it is not necessary to return the vacuum processing chamber to a normal pressure each time the LCD glass substrate is loaded and unloaded into the vacuum processing chamber. A so-called preliminary vacuum chamber is often provided. A transfer device having a transfer arm for transferring the LCD glass substrate into the processing chamber is provided in the load lock chamber.

Conventionally, in this type of transfer device, an LCD is used.
A flat aluminum mounting portion on which the glass substrate for LCD is mounted is usually provided on the uppermost first arm of the transfer arm. A supporting member made of a fluorine-based resin, for example, an O-ring, for contacting and supporting the same, is provided to project upward. Conventionally, this support member has been designed to support a peripheral portion of the back surface of the glass substrate for LCD, for example, a portion located inside by about 5 mm from the peripheral edge at, for example, 4 or 6 portions.

[0004]

However, according to such a conventional technique, various problems occur in transporting a glass substrate for an LCD, the size of which is increasing more and more today. That is, the substrate of the LCD device has become larger with the expansion of the display portion of the LCD device, for example, 650 mm × 65.
A glass substrate for LCD with a size of 0 mm is also emerging,
Its own weight reaches about 1000g. LC of this size
When the glass substrate for D is supported by the mounting portion of the transfer arm,
If it is supported only by its peripheral portion as in the conventional case, its center portion may be bent by its own weight and may come into contact with the mounting portion surface.

Further, when processing the surface of the glass substrate for LCD, various processing gases are introduced into the processing chamber for depressurization to perform plasma processing or heat processing, but the number of times of processing is increased. Then, the processing gas component adheres to the surface of the supporting member, its friction coefficient is reduced, and it becomes slippery, and there is a possibility that the position shifts during transportation. In addition, the peripheral part of the substrate warps upward due to the heat treatment, resulting in insufficient contact with the support member, which also causes misalignment during transport, and the risk of dropping from the mounting part if the transport speed is further increased. there were.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in transferring various rectangular processing substrates including the above-mentioned glass substrate for LCD to the vacuum processing chamber,
Even if the target substrate to be processed has the above-described size, its first purpose is to safely support the substrate without contacting the surface of the platform. Further, as described above, the present invention improves the yield and throughput by reducing the coefficient of friction of the supporting member by repeating the number of times of processing and further preventing the positional deviation during the transportation even if the transportation speed is increased. The second purpose is to do so.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a vacuum processing chamber capable of reducing the pressure, and a transfer device capable of transferring a rectangular substrate to be processed into the vacuum processing chamber. In the processing apparatus configured to perform a predetermined process on the substrate to be processed that has been transferred into the vacuum processing chamber, the transfer device includes a transfer arm having a mounting part on which the substrate to be processed is placed. A plurality of supporting members are provided on the surface of the placing portion, and the supporting members are arranged so that the supporting member supports the peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate to be processed. A processing device is provided.

In this case, as described in claim 2, it is more preferable that the mounting portion is provided with a pressing member that can press two facing side end surfaces of the substrate to be processed in the facing direction.

Further, in this case, the pressing member is configured so as to be able to approach and separate by the sliding of the rack which slides in the facing direction of the two facing end faces of the substrate to be processed, as described in claim 3. And is configured to slide by rotation of a pinion that meshes with the rack, or
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the rack is configured to be movable toward and away from each other by the sliding of the rack that slides in the opposing direction of the two facing side end surfaces of the substrate to be processed, and the mounting portion is provided in the transfer arm. The mounting portion is provided on the uppermost first arm, and the mounting portion is configured to be rotatable with respect to the first arm by an appropriate rotation drive mechanism.
It is also possible to provide a pinion that is integrated with the arm of the above-mentioned one on the same axis as the center of rotation so that the rack meshes with this pinion.

Further, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the pressing state is released by constantly pressing the pressing member in the pressing direction with an appropriate elastic member and separating the pressing member against the pressing force. Good.

As the supporting member, an O-ring can be used as in claim 6, and as described in claim 7, a spacer having a height lower than that of the supporting member is placed in addition to the supporting member. It may be provided on the surface of the part. In this case, the spacer is preferably PEEK (polyether ether ketone) described in claim 8.

Further, as described in claim 9, a plurality of vacuum processing chambers are installed to form a so-called multi-process chamber, and one pre-vacuum chamber capable of carrying a substrate to be processed between these vacuum processing chambers. Alternatively, each of the above-mentioned transfer devices may be installed.

[0013]

According to the present invention, the supporting member is arranged on the surface of the mounting portion of the transfer arm so as to support not only the peripheral portion of the substrate to be processed but also the central portion thereof. The central portion of the processing substrate does not bend and does not directly contact the surface of the mounting portion.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the pressing member is provided on the mounting portion so as to press the two facing side end surfaces of the substrate to be opposed in the facing direction. Therefore, the substrate to be processed is supported by the pressing member on the supporting member. Retained. Therefore, even if the contact between the support member and the substrate to be processed becomes insufficient, or the friction coefficient of the surface of the support member decreases, the position of the substrate to be processed does not shift during transportation.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the pressing member can be moved toward and away from the rack by sliding the rack by the rack and pinion system. When the pressing member comes close to the pressing member, the pressing member is released from the pressing member. Since the approaching and separating operations are realized by the rack sliding by the rack and pinion system described above, the movement is smooth and the torque transmission loss is small.

Also in the case of claim 4, basically, the pressing member is approached and separated by sliding the rack by a rack and pinion system, but unlike the case of claim 3, the pinion itself is separated. Rather than rotate directly, first
It is integrated with the arm and rotates relative to the rack as the mounting section rotates relative to the first arm. Therefore, a mechanism for independently rotating the pinion itself is unnecessary.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the pressing member is always urged in the pressing direction by an appropriate elastic member, and the pressing state is released by the separation of the pressing member against the urging force. When the substrate to be processed is pressed and held at this time, the pressing member is brought close to and pressed by the elastic member. Therefore, the pressing force can be arbitrarily set by selecting the biasing force of the elastic member,
Moreover, since the rack of the rack and pinion system can be gradually moved toward and away from the rack to press and release the pressure, there is no possibility of damaging the substrate to be processed when the pressure is held.

If the O-ring is used as the supporting member as in the sixth aspect, it can be easily obtained and installed.
As described above, if a spacer having a height lower than that of the supporting member is provided on the surface of the mounting portion in addition to the supporting member, the processing target substrate comes into contact with the spacer even if the processing target substrate vibrates. Therefore, the substrate to be processed does not come into direct contact with the surface of the mounting portion in any case. When PEEK (polyether ether ketone) described in claim 8 is used for this spacer, there is no fear of contamination.

According to the ninth aspect, since the multi-process chamber has a plurality of vacuum processing chambers, serial processing and parallel processing are possible and throughput is improved. That is, even if the substrate to be processed has a warp immediately after the heat treatment, it can be safely and promptly transported, so that the throughput is improved as compared with the conventional multi-process chamber type.

[0020]

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this example, a plasma treatment (etching treatment / ashing treatment) is performed on a large-sized LCD glass substrate (for example, 650 mm × 650 mm). 1 is an example embodied as a processing apparatus, and FIG. 1 shows an overview of the processing apparatus 1 and FIG. 2 shows its plane.

As is clear from these drawings, in the processing apparatus 1, three process chambers 1a, 1b and 1c are provided on the side surface of the first load lock chamber 2 and gate valves 3a and 3b which can be opened and closed respectively. It is provided via 3c. Then, the process chambers 1a and 1b respectively perform the same etching process under a predetermined depressurized atmosphere, and the remaining process chambers 1c have L after the etching process is completed.
The ashing process is performed on the CD glass substrate under a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere.

On the other hand, a second load lock chamber 5 is adjacently connected to the remaining side surface of the first load lock chamber 2 through a gate valve 4 which can be opened and closed. On the front side of the side gate valve 6
A support base 8 is provided which supports an atmospheric transfer arm 7 having mounting bases 7a and 7b for mounting a CD glass substrate in two upper and lower stages.

A cassette indexer for supporting cassettes 9 and 10 in which a large number of LCD glass substrates P to be processed (for example, 14 LCD glass substrates P _{1 to} P ₁₄ ) are stored on both sides of the support base 8. Reference numerals 11 and 12 are arranged to face each other with the support base 8 interposed therebetween. 2 like this
By arranging two cassette indexers 11 and 12 so as to face each other, one cassette 9 can be used for storing unprocessed substrates and another cassette 10 can be used for storing processed substrates, reducing the number of cassette replacements. can do.

Even when only one cassette indexer is installed, the atmospheric transfer arm 7 is mounted on the mounting table 7.
Since the a and 7b are provided in the upper and lower two stages, it is possible to return two processed substrates to the cassette in which the unprocessed substrates are taken out at a time, and the work efficiency of the transfer in such an atmospheric transfer system is high. It is a thing.

The cassette indexers 10 and 12 have basically the same structure. The structure of the cassette indexer 10 will now be described.
Has a table (not shown) that detachably holds the cassette 9 on its upper surface, and the table is configured to be vertically movable by an appropriate elevation mechanism 10a.

[0026] Such vertical movement is, for example LCD glass substrate P ₁ of the top which is housed in the cassette 9, and the glass substrate P ₂ is a LCD housed in the second from the top, respectively the air system Each mounting table 7a of the transfer arm 7,
It continuously rises until it is located at a position slightly higher than 7b, and after the transfer of the LCD glass substrate P by the atmospheric transfer arm 7 is started, it corresponds to twice the storage pitch of the cassette 9. The LCD glass substrate P is raised in a step shape (that is, two glass substrates for LCD) and stored.
After the processing of (1) is completed, it is controlled in advance so as to descend continuously.

On the other hand, the atmosphere system transfer arm 7 is provided between the cassette 9 or 11 and the second load lock chamber 5 so as to display an LCD.
The glass substrates P for LCD are configured to be transported, and the respective mounting tables 7a and 7b are vertically provided with the spacer 7c interposed therebetween, and it is possible to transport two LCD glass substrates P at a time. ing.

On the upper surface (mounting surface) side of each of the mounting tables 7a and 7b, suction pads made of PEEK which generate few particles are provided at four places, and the LCD glass substrate P to be transported is These four suction pads are vacuum-sucked and firmly held. Therefore LCD
It is possible to transport the glass substrate P for high speed at high speed, and the LC substrate is moved by inertia when the atmospheric transport arm 7 is started and stopped.
The glass substrate P for D will not be displaced. The atmospheric transfer arm 7 is configured to be rotatable on the support base 8 and slidable in the longitudinal direction of the mounting bases 7a and 7b. Further, the glass substrate P for LCD can be picked up and down. It is configured so that it can move up and down within the range of movement.

By the atmospheric transfer arm 7 configured as described above, the second glass substrate P for LCD, which is an object to be processed, is first loaded into the second load lock chamber 5 as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
A buffer mechanism constituted by 2 is provided.
Each of the buffers 21 and 22 has a bilaterally symmetrical shape. For example, referring to the structure of the buffer 22, the buffers 22 and 22 have a mounting portion 22a protruding toward the buffer 21 side.
22b is provided on the upper and lower sides, and the rear surface side edge of the LCD glass substrate P is mounted on each of the mounting portions 22a and 22b. Similarly to this, the buffer 21 also has mounting portions 21a and 21b projecting to the buffer 22 side in two stages, and in FIG. 3, two buffer glass substrates P ₁ and LCD glass substrates P ₁ , P ₂ is placed up and down,
The glass substrates P ₁ for LCD are mounted on the upper mounting portions 21a and 22a.
Shows the state where the LCD glass substrate P ₂ is placed on the lower placing portions 21b and 22b, respectively.

The positioners 31 and 32 for aligning the glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ for LCD mounted on the buffers 21 and 22 as described above are provided on the glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ for LCD. They are provided so as to face each other on the extension line of the diagonal line.

The positioners 31 and 32 have the same basic structure. First, regarding the positioner 31 near the atmosphere side transfer port 5a of the second load lock chamber 5, the positioner 31 is for LCDs. Glass substrate P
_1, the roller 31a of performing alignment in direct contact in the vicinity of each corner of P _2, 31b and the rollers 31a, is constituted by a support member 31c for supporting the 31b, another provided below the second load lock chamber 5 By driving an installed air cylinder (not shown), as shown by reciprocating arrows A and B in FIG. 3, it can be moved vertically and diagonally.

On the other hand, the positioner 32 on the side closer to the vacuum side transfer port 5b of the second load lock chamber 5 also comes into direct contact with the vicinity of the corners of the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ to perform the alignment with the rollers 32a and 32b. , And these rollers 32a, 32
It is constituted by a support member 32c that supports b, and is movable in the vertical direction and the diagonal direction by driving an air cylinder (not shown), as indicated by reciprocating arrows C and D in FIG. However, the movement in the diagonal direction indicated by the reciprocating arrow D is set to be smaller than the movement width of the above-mentioned positioner 31, and the positioner 31 is configured to function as a fixed-side positioner.

That is, when the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ are placed on the buffers 21 and 22, the positioners 3 are placed.
When 1, 32 respectively ascend and reach the ascending end point, each of these positioners 31, 32 next moves toward the center on the extension line of the diagonal line, but at this time, the positioner 32 stops first. and, in still go about positioner 31, the roller 31a, while pressing the corners near the LCD glass substrate P _1, P ₂ by 31b, the glass substrate P _1, P ₂ whole for these LCD , And pushes it toward the positioner 32 side which has stopped first. As a result, the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ are aligned at predetermined positions.

The total height of each of the rollers 31a and 31b and the rollers 32a and 32b is two levels above and below the buffers 21 and 22, respectively.
It is larger than the vertical distance between the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ placed on the tier, and is configured so that the upper and lower LCD glass substrates can be aligned at one time. There is.

As described above, the positioner 32 functions as a fixed-side positioner at the time of positioning, but is further configured so as to move in the diagonal direction indicated by the reciprocating arrow D as described above. Therefore, even when the LCD glass substrate is placed at a position relatively displaced from the buffers 21 and 22, it is possible to cover the LCD glass substrate and align it at a predetermined position.

On both sides of the roller 31a in the positioner 31, both side walls 5 of the second load lock chamber 5 are provided.
A through hole 33 is formed in a direction parallel to the c and 5d directions, and the side wall 5c correspondingly has a glass window 34 and a side wall 5d.
A glass window 35 is hermetically provided in each of the glass windows 35, and a laser emitting device 36 is provided outside the glass window 34.
Laser light receiving devices 37 are provided outside the respective devices. In FIG. 3, for convenience of explanation, the laser emitting device 36 and the laser receiving device 37 are shown separated from both side walls 5c and 5d of the second load lock chamber 5.

In the laser emitting device 36 and the laser receiving device 37, the glass substrate P for LCD is used for each of the positioners 3
It is arranged so that the laser light of the laser light emitting device 36 passes through the through hole 33 of the roller 31a and is received by the laser light receiving device 37 when the laser light is aligned to a predetermined position by the first and the second 32.

Further, the moving range of the roller 31a in the diagonal direction indicated by the reciprocating arrow B in FIG. 3 is set so that the roller 31a itself can shield the laser light from the laser emitting device 36. There is. Of course, if it is desired to expand the moving range arbitrarily, a suitable shielding member may be provided on the outer periphery of the side surface of the roller 31a. With such a structure, the moving range of the roller 31a, that is, the positioner 31 in the diagonal direction can be increased. Can be set freely.

The LCD glass substrate P ₁ buffered at a predetermined position in the second load lock chamber 5 as described above,
The P ₂ is taken out by the vacuum transfer arm 41 provided in the first load lock chamber 2 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, and the buffer mechanism 42 provided alongside the transfer arm 41.
Is temporarily buffered there, and then distributed and conveyed into the predetermined process chambers 1a and 1b, respectively.

FIG. 4 shows an outline of the transfer arm 41 and the buffer mechanism 42. As is clear from the figure, in the present embodiment, the transfer arm 41 and the buffer mechanism 42 are shown.
Are both provided on a turntable 44 that is rotationally driven by an arm drive 43.

The transfer arm 41 is a second arm 52 which is provided near one end of the rotary table 44 and which is rotatable with respect to an elevating shaft 51, and a first arm which is rotatable with respect to the second arm 52. 53, and a mounting member 54 for mounting the LCD glass substrate P by being rotationally driven (forward or reverse) with respect to the first arm 53.

As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the mounting member 54 has a plate-shaped main body 55 composed of, for example, stainless steel, an aluminum material whose surface is oxidized, or a carbon composite. It is configured. A storage recess 57 covered with a cover 56 is formed on one side of the main body 55, that is, on the side of the center of rotation with respect to the first arm 53.

At the center of the storage recess 57, the pinion 5
8 is fixed to the first arm 53, and the main body 55
Is provided so as to be rotatable. That is, the main body 59 of the first arm 53 has a hollow shape, the shaft 60 is erected at the bottom of the main body 59, and the upper end of the shaft 60 has the main body 59 of the first arm 53.
And is located in the accommodation recess 57 so as to project from the upper surface of the. Also, in the body 59, around the shaft 60,
A pulley 62 that is rotated by a belt 61 that is driven by an appropriate drive mechanism is rotatably mounted, and the upper end of the pulley 62 is fixed to the main body 55 of the mounting member 54.

Therefore, when the pulley 62 is rotated by the belt 61, the placing member 54 is rotated with respect to the first arm 53. The pinion 58 is fixed to the upper end of the shaft 60, and as a result, even if the mounting member 54 rotates with respect to the first arm 53,
The pinion 58 does not rotate, and the positional relationship with respect to the first arm 53 is maintained as it is.

On both sides in the longitudinal direction of the accommodating concave portion 57, racks 71, 72 whose gear teeth formed on the inner side thereof mesh with the gear teeth on the outer circumference of the pinion 58 are slidable along the longitudinal side walls. It is provided. Each rack 71, 7
Both of them have a groove formed in the longitudinal direction at the bottom thereof.
It is adapted to be fitted with a ridge provided in the storage recess 57 to realize smooth linear sliding.

Projecting portions 55a, 55b, 55c, 55d that project in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction are formed on the outer ends of both ends of the main body 55 of the placing member 54 in the longitudinal direction. Further, guide recesses 73, 74, 75, 76 are formed on both end faces in the longitudinal direction of the main body 55, and the guide recess 73 and the guide recess 75 form the guide recess 7.
4 and the guide recess 76 face each other. Then, the protrusions 81a and 81b of the grip block 81 having a substantially concave planar shape which serves as a pressing member are slidably inserted into the guide recesses 73 and 74, and the guide recesses 75 and 76 facing each other are provided.
The protrusions 82a and 82b of the grip block 82 are also slidably inserted therein.

The grip blocks 81 and 82 have the same basic structure. For example, regarding the structure of the grip block 81 located on the front side in FIG. 5, guides are provided on both sides of the protrusions 81a and 81b. The grip block 81 is slidable in the direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mounting member 54 by forming grooves and fitting with guide ridges formed on both side walls in the guide recesses 73 and 74. Has become.

Further, the protruding portion 81 of each grip block 81
Push pins 81c and 81d are provided at positions between a and 81b.
Is provided in the same direction as the protrusions 81a and 81b,
The push pins 81c and 81d slidably penetrate one end surface of the main body 55, and the tip end portion thereof has the storage recess 5
It is located in 7 and faces the above-mentioned racks 71 and 72.
Further, the push pin 81 in the grip block 81
A coil spring 83 is stretched between a central portion between c and 81d and a locking portion 57a provided on the inner bottom portion of the storage recess 57. Therefore, the grip block 81 is
Always in the storage recess 57 direction, that is, the main body 55 of the mounting member 54.
Is urged toward the center of. As shown in FIG. 7, the pressing surface 81e of the grip block 81, that is, the surface that comes into contact with the side end surface of the glass substrate P for LCD that is the substrate to be processed during pressing is subjected to bead blasting treatment, The coefficient of friction is increased to realize a reliable pressing.

On the other hand, with respect to the other grip block 82, the protrusions 82a and 82b are slidably inserted into the guide recesses 75 and 76, and the push pin 81 is further provided.
Push pins 82c and 82d longer than c and 81d
The main body 55 is slidably pierced from the other end surface of the main body 55, the front end portion of which is located in the storage recess 57, and the racks 71,
It is designed to face 2. The grip block 82 is also urged by the coil spring 84 toward the storage recess 57, that is, toward the center of the main body 55 of the mounting member 54. Of course, the inner side surface 82e of the grip block 82 is also subjected to bead blasting treatment in order to realize reliable pressing.

Then, the above-mentioned pinion 58, racks 71, 7
2 and each push pin 8 of the grip blocks 81 and 82
The relationship between 1c, 81d, 82c and 82d is set as follows. That is, first, 71 and 72 are set so as to be always point-symmetrical about the pinion 58, and when the main body 55 of the mounting member 54 rotates with respect to the first arm 53, the inside of the storage recess 57 of the main body 55 is moved. Sliding rack 7
From the viewpoint of 1, 72, the pinion 58 integrated with the first arm 53 is relatively rotating. Then, in the range of the maximum rotation angle of the main body 55 of the mounting member 54 with respect to the first arm 53 in the normal reversal, the rack 7 is rotated.
Nos. 1 and 72 are adapted to slide within the range shown in FIGS.

More specifically, the mounting member 54
When there is a mounting table (not shown) in the process chambers 1a, 1b, 1c, or the buffers 21, 22 in the second load lock chamber 5 described above, as shown in FIG. 71 pushes the push pins 81c and 81d of the grip block 81 outwardly against the bias of the coil spring 83, while the rack 72 resists the bias of the coil spring 84 and the grip block 81. The push pins 82c and 82d of 82 are pressed outwardly to separate the grip blocks 81 and 82 from each other. At this time, the glass substrate P for LCD, which is the substrate to be processed, is released. The gap d between the pressing surface 81e of the grip block 81 and the pressed surface of the LCD glass substrate P at that time is set to 2 mm in this embodiment.

Next, the mounting member 54 is moved from the mounting table (not shown) in the process chambers 1a, 1b, 1c and the buffers 21, 22 in the second load lock chamber 5 to another position, for example, the mounting member 54. When moving to the above-mentioned buffer mechanism 42, the mounting member 54 is configured to move while rotating forward with respect to the first arm 53, and the rotation causes the rack to move, for example, as shown in FIG. 71 and 72 move to the central part, respectively, and the grip blocks 81 and 82
The outward push on each push pin 81c, 81d, 82c, 82d is released. As a result, each grip block 81, 82 has a corresponding coil spring 8
Due to the urging forces of 3, 84, they approach each other, resulting in LC
The glass substrate P for D is pressed and held by the grip blocks 81 and 82.

The mounting member 54 is replaced by the buffer mechanism 42.
10, the racks 71 and 72 are in a position symmetrical with respect to the state of FIG. 8 described above, as shown in FIG. That is, the rack 71 resists the bias of the coil spring 84 and pushes the push pins 82 c, 82 of the grip block 82.
d is pushed outwards to the maximum, while the rack 72 resists the bias of the coil spring 83 and the grip block 81.
The push pins 81c and 81d of the LCD are pressed outwardly to separate the grip blocks 81 and 82 from each other, and the LCD
The glass substrate P for use is released.

In the mounting member 54 having the above structure, the grip block 82 side of the main body 55 is
An appropriate number of openings 85 are formed to reduce the weight. The main body 55 has an LCD as a substrate to be processed.
O serving as a support member for directly supporting the glass substrate P for use
Rings R are mounted at a total of 9 locations from R _{1 to} R ₉ . Specifically, the O-ring R is located at the center of the body 55.
₁ is about 1/4 of the length of the main body 55 in the longitudinal direction,
O-rings R _{2 to} R _{5 that} are located away from the end portions and on the peripheral edges of both side ends in the longitudinal direction are provided on the protrusions 55 a, 55 b, 55 c, 55 d located at the respective corner portions of the main body 55, and the O-rings are attached. R ₆ to R ₉ is mounted.

Next, the details of the buffer mechanism 42 will be described. The buffer mechanism 42 is provided near the other end of the rotary table 44, and as shown in FIG.
It is configured by three mounting portion groups 91, 92, 93 on which the vicinity of the three corners of the CD glass substrate P is mounted and held.

Each of the mounting portion groups 91, 92, 93 is 4
The placement section group 91 has four upper and lower stages, and the placement section group 91 has placement sections 91a, 91b, 91c, and 91d of the same shape and size arranged in order from the top through an appropriate spacer 91s. The placement group 92 also has placement sections 92a, 92 of the same shape and size, which are arranged at equal intervals in order from the top through appropriate spacers 92s.
b, 92c, and 92d are arranged, and also in the mounting portion group 93, the mounting portions 93a, 93b, 93c, and 93d are arranged at equal intervals in order from the top via an appropriate spacer 93s. By mounting the glass substrates P for LCD, it is possible to hold up to four LCD glass substrates P independently.

With the above-described structure, the LC carried by the mounting member 54 of the carrying arm 41, for example.
The glass substrate P for D is mounted between the arbitrary mounting portions of the buffer mechanism 42, or conversely, the glass substrate P for LCD mounted on the arbitrary mounting portion is mounted on the transfer arm 41. It is possible to take it out by the placing member 54 and convey it to a predetermined place, that is, a predetermined position in each process chamber 1a, 1b, 1c and the buffers 21 and 22 of the second load lock chamber 5. There is.

The processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is configured as described above, and its processing operation will be described below.
First, when the cassette 9 accommodating the unprocessed glass substrate P for LCD is set at a predetermined position on the table of the cassette indexer 10 with its entrance (open side) facing the support base 8 side as described above, The elevation mechanism 10a raises the cassette 9, and the two LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ housed in the uppermost portion and secondly from the uppermost portion are first exposed to the atmosphere. It is taken out by the system transfer arm 7.

Thereafter, the atmospheric transfer arm 7 is retracted to 90
After rotating by a degree, the slide glass is moved forward, and the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ are placed on the buffers 21 and 22 in the second load lock chamber 5 from the opened gate valve 6. After that, the atmospheric transfer arm 7 is retracted and retracted, the gate valve 6 is closed, and the inside of the second load lock chamber 2 is evacuated to a predetermined depressurized atmosphere, for example, about 10 ^-1 Torr.

After the vacuum is evacuated as described above, the positioners 31 and 32 rise, and by the subsequent diagonal movement, the glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ for LCD are pressed by the rollers 31a, 31b, 32a and 32b. Alignment is performed. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the substrates are aligned after being evacuated, the LCD glass substrate P ₁ ,
It is possible to correct this even if P ₂ is displaced and the position shifts. Therefore, the LC that has been increasing in size in recent years
Even with respect to the D glass substrate, it is possible to effectively prevent the positional deviation.

Positioners 31, 3 as described above
2, when the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ are aligned, that is, the rollers 31a, 31b, 32a,
When the LCD substrates P ₁ and P ₂ are pressed and held by 32 b, laser light is emitted from the laser emitting device 36 toward the opposing laser receiving device 37. At this time L
If the glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ for CD are properly aligned at predetermined positions, the laser light passes through the through hole 33 of the roller 31a and is received by the laser light receiving device 37, as shown in FIG. To be done. Therefore, it can be confirmed that the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ are aligned at predetermined positions.

However, if the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ are displaced from the predetermined position or do not exist for some reason, the roller 31a does not stop at the predetermined position, so the laser light is emitted from the roller 31a. Shielded by. As a result, the laser light receiving device 37 cannot receive the laser light, whereby it can be confirmed that the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ are not present at the predetermined positions.

In this way, the glass substrate for LCD P ₁ ,
The laser light is not emitted directly to P _2, since the presence or absence of a predetermined position of the LCD glass substrate as an object to be processed is detected, for example, a glass substrate P _1, glass material high in P ₂ is transparency for an LCD Even if there is, the reliable detection is performed without being influenced by the surface condition or the like.

When the alignment of the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ is confirmed, the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ are _first moved by the transfer arm 41 after the gate valve 4 is opened. It is carried into the load lock chamber 2.
Is retrieved from the LCD glass substrate P ₂ positioned on the lower side in this case 3, the top of the mounting portion 91a the LCD glass substrate P ₂ are in the buffer mechanism 42, 92
a, 93a. Thus, by taking out from the lower LCD glass substrate P ₂ , the upper L
Contamination of the glass substrate P ₁ for CD is prevented.

When the transfer arm 41 picks up the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ in the second load lock chamber 5 by the placing member 54 on the transfer arm 41, the first arm 53 and the second arm 53 52 is linear as shown in FIG. 2, and the grip blocks 81 and 82 of the mounting member 54 are in a released state as shown in FIG. Then, in that state, the LCD glass substrate P ₂ is picked up, and the LCD glass substrate P ₂
Is placed on the main body 55 of the placing member 54.

[0066] In this case, on the body 55, as a supporting member for supporting the LCD glass substrate P ₂ as a substrate to be processed directly, O-ring R ₆ to R ₉ which supports the peripheral portion of the LCD glass substrate P ₂ In addition, the O-ring R _{1 and the} O-rings R _{2 to} R ₅ supporting the central portion are arranged,
A large glass substrate P ₂ for LCD (for example, 650 mm
However, unlike the conventional case, the center portion does not bend due to its own weight and does not directly contact the surface of the main body 55.

After picking up the LCD glass substrate P ₂ in this way, the mounting member 54 also moves while the first arm 53 and the second arm 52 rotate.
The transfer arm 41 retracts from the second load lock chamber 5 while rotating in the normal direction. At that time, the mounting member 54 rotates in the normal direction, so that the racks 71 and 72 meshing with the pinion 58 slide to move the grip blocks 8 respectively.
1, 82 push pins 81c, 81d, 82c, 8
Release the outward pressure on 2d. As a result, each grip block 81, 82 has a coil spring 8
The glass substrates P ₂ for LCD are pressed and held by the grip blocks 81 and 82 as they approach each other by the urging forces of 3 and 84.

Accordingly, the LCD glass substrate P ₂ placed on the placing member 54 is pressed at the two facing side end faces in the facing direction, and as a result, the LCD glass substrate P ₂ is held. It In that case, basically LCD
The glass substrate P ₂ for use is held by the frictional force between the O-rings R _{1 to} R ₉ described above.
Since the two opposing end surfaces are pressed by the grip blocks 81 and 82, the holding stability of the LCD glass substrate P ₂ by the mounting member 54 is further improved. As a result, during start-up and stopping of the transfer arm 41, even if a large force is applied to the LCD glass substrate P _2, LCD glass substrate P ₂ is or misalignment, does not of course fall. Therefore, for example, the transfer arm 41 can be moved at a higher speed than in the conventional case, and the throughput is improved accordingly.

Then, the mounting member 54 moved into the first load lock chamber 2 temporarily mounts the LCD glass substrate P ₂ on the uppermost mounting portions 91a, 92a, 93a in the buffer mechanism 42. However, in that case, since the grip blocks 81 and 82 of the mounting member 54 are in the state of FIG. 10 when the mounting member 54 reaches the mounting position of the buffer mechanism 42, the mounting members as they are. 5
By lowering 4, the LCD glass substrate P ₂ is placed on the placing portions 91a, 92a, 93a.

On the other hand, the LCD glass substrate P ₁ remaining in the second load lock chamber 5 is also subjected to the first procedure in the same manner as described above.
It is carried into the load lock chamber 2 and then the gate valve 4
Is closed and the inside of the first load lock chamber 2 is, for example, 10 ^−3.
The glass substrate P for the LCD is depressurized to about Torr.
₁ is transported into the process chamber 1b, where etching processing is performed. Further, the LCD glass substrate P ₂ is also transported into the process chamber 1a and is subjected to etching treatment therein. Even when these are transported, when moving from the buffer mechanism 42 to each process chamber 1a, 1b, the procedure of pressing release-pressing-pressing release of the grip blocks 81, 82 is performed as shown in FIGS. During the transportation, the grip blocks 81 and 82 support the holding of the LCD glass substrate P, so that high-speed transportation is possible.

While the glass substrates for LCDs P ₁ and P _{2 in} the second load lock chamber 5 are subjected to the above process, the cassette indexer 10 raises the cassette 9 to the next position by the elevation mechanism 10a. Step up by 3
The two untreated LCD glass substrates P ₃ and P ₄ (the LCD glass substrates P ₃ and P ₄ are not specifically shown) housed in the 4th and 4th housings are , Taken out by the atmospheric transfer arm 7,
The buffer 2 in the second load lock chamber 5 is loaded into the load lock chamber 5, aligned and detected.
Waiting at 1 and 22.

On the other hand, the glass substrate P for LCD which is first carried into the process chamber 1a and completed with the etching process.
₂ is once taken out by the transfer arm 41 and held by the lowermost mounting portions 91d, 92d and 93d. And instead the LCD glass substrate P ₄ is the next unprocessed substrate is carried into the process chamber 1a to be subjected to an etching process. By holding the glass substrate P ₂ for LCD thus etched at the bottom of the buffer mechanism 42, the untreated LC substrate P ₂ is held.
Contamination of the D glass substrate P ₄ is prevented.

Then, the processed glass substrate for LCD P ₂
However, when the process is carried from the process chamber 1a to the buffer mechanism 42, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, a procedure of pressing release-pressing-pressing release of the grip blocks 81 and 82 is performed. In this case, even after the processing, even if the glass substrate P ₂ for LCD is warped due to heat, the glass blocks P ₂ for LCD are held by the grip blocks 81 and 82, so that reliable holding can be obtained. Therefore, safety during transportation is guaranteed.

After that, the glass substrate P ₂ for LCD, which has been subjected to the etching treatment, is carried into the process chamber 1c for the ashing treatment which is the next treatment step. Next, the remaining unprocessed glass substrate P ₃ for LCD is carried into the first load lock chamber 2, and the buffer mechanism 42
The glass substrates for LCDs P ₅ and P _{6 as the} next processing substrates are loaded into the empty second load lock chamber 5 placed on the uppermost mounting portions 91a, 92a and 93a. come.

Next, the glass substrate P ₁ for LCD, which has been subjected to the etching treatment in the process chamber 1b, has the buffer mechanism 4
2, the glass substrate P ₃ for LCD, which is the next unprocessed substrate, is held by the mounting portions 91d, 92d, and 93d at the bottom, and is carried into the process chamber 1b for etching. .

The LCD glass substrate P ₂ for which the ashing process has been completed in the process chamber 1c is the second mounting portion 91b, 92b in the buffer mechanism 51.
The glass substrate for LCD P _{1 which} is held at 93b and which has been subjected to the etching treatment instead is conveyed into the process chamber 1c and subjected to the ashing treatment. Thereafter, the LCD glass substrate P ₁ for which the ashing process is completed is
Third mounting portions 91c and 92 in the buffer mechanism 51
c, 93c.

As described above, in the buffer mechanism 42, the uppermost mounting portions 91a, 92a, 93a function as a standby place before being carried into the process chamber 1a or 1b, and the second mounting portions 91b, 92b are provided. , 93b, and 3
The third mounting portions 91c, 92c, 93c function as a standby place for the substrate for which the ashing process has been completed in the process chamber 1c, and the mounting portions 91d, 92d, 9 at the bottom are placed.
3d functions as a standby place before the ashing process of the substrate etched in the process chamber 1a or 1b.

Regarding the LCD glass substrates P ₅ and P _{6 in} the second load lock chamber 5 to be processed next, the lower LCD glass substrate P ₆ is the uppermost part of the buffer mechanism 42. The second mounting portions 91b, 92b in the buffer mechanism 42 are held by the mounting portions 91a, 92a, 93a, and the ashing process is completed first instead.
The glass substrate P ₂ for LCD held by 93b is
After being loaded into the second load lock chamber 5 and the glass substrate for LCD P ₆ being loaded into the process chamber 1a from the uppermost loading portions 91a, 92a, 93a, the empty loading portions 91a, 92a are loaded. , 93a at the second load lock chamber 5
The LCD glass substrate P ₅ in the inside is placed, and in the buffer on the upper side in the second load lock chamber 5 where the LCD glass substrate P ₅ is held until now, the remaining LCD glass substrate P for the ashing process is performed. ₁ is transported.

In this way, since the LCD glass substrate P ₁ is located above the buffer in the second load lock chamber 5 and the LCD glass substrate P ₂ is located below it, it is exactly the same as the first loading. Due to the positional relationship, the processed glass substrates for LCD P ₁ and P ₂ are held. The processed glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ for LCD are the atmospheric transfer arm 7
Is carried out from the second load lock chamber 5 and stored in the cassette 11 in the atmosphere. In this case, as described above, the LCD glass substrate P ₁ is located above the buffer in the second load lock chamber 5, and the LCD glass substrate P _{2 is} below.
, Which was located in the cassette 11,
The glass substrates for CDs P ₁ and P ₂ are stored in the order of serial numbers. After the LCD glass substrates P ₁ and P ₂ are stored as described above, the cassette 11 is moved up by the cassette indexer 12 for the next step (two LCD glass substrates) to move to the next L.
Stand by in preparation for storing the CD glass substrates P ₃ and P ₄ .

As described above, for example, the last two LCD glass substrates P ₁₃ and P stored in the cassette 9 are used.
_When the loading of ₁₄ into the second load-lock chamber 5 is completed, the cassette 9 is replaced with a cassette containing the next unprocessed substrate, and then the processed glass glass substrates P ₁₃ , P for the LCD 11 are transferred to the cassette 11. If the cassette 11 is replaced with the next processed storage cassette when ₁₄ is stored, the glass substrate for LCD can be processed extremely efficiently. That is, compared to the conventional cassette chamber system, the cassette can be replaced more quickly, and the throughput is improved accordingly.

As described above, in this embodiment, the glass substrate for LCD, which is the substrate to be processed, can be securely held by the mounting member 54 when it is transported.
The safety during transportation is guaranteed even if the transportation speed is increased. Therefore, in combination with the operation of the buffer mechanism 42 described above,
Realizes extremely high throughput. Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the pinion 58 is fixed to the first arm 53, and the racks 71 and 7 are rotated by the rotation of the main body 55 of the mounting member 54 that houses the racks 71 and 72.
Since 2 is slid, the inside of the main body 55 does not become complicated due to the structure, and accordingly, the weight does not increase so much as compared with the conventional case.

Although the grip blocks 81 and 82 in the above-described embodiment do not have a length that extends over the entire end of the mounting member 54, they have the same size as the mounting member 54, but a larger pressing force is required. For example, the mounting member 91 shown in FIG. 11 can be proposed. Note that, in FIG. 11, members referred to by the same reference numerals as the members of the placing member 54 shown in FIG. 5 are the same members.

The main body 92 of the mounting member 91 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view and is provided at the end thereof.
Projecting portions 93a, 93b, 94a, 94 projecting toward the grip blocks 93, 94 at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the main body 92.
b is provided. The O-rings R _{6 to} R ₉ that support the peripheral portion of the glass substrate for LCD that is the substrate to be processed are arranged at the ends of the main body 92.

The coil spring 9 for urging the grip blocks 93, 94 toward the center of the main body 92.
5 is a step portion 96, 97, 98 provided on both sides of the main body 92,
It is installed in 99 and is bridged between the end surfaces of the step portions 96, 97, 98, 99 on the central portion side and both sides of the grip blocks 93, 94. Each grip block 9
Push pins 93c, 93d and push pins 94c for realizing the pressed state and the released state of 3, 94,
The configuration of 94d is the push pins 81c, 81d, 82 of the grip blocks 81, 82 in the mounting member 54.
It is the same as c and 82d.

With the mounting member 91 having the above-described structure, the same effect as that of the mounting member 54 can be obtained, and LC
The D glass substrate is supported by the O-rings R _{1 to} R ₅ not only in the peripheral portion but also in the central portion, and the grip blocks 93 and 94 are pressed to achieve reliable holding. Moreover, in the case of this mounting member 91, the lengths of the pressing surfaces 93e, 94e of the grip blocks 93, 94 are longer than those of the grip blocks 81, 82 in the front mounting member 54, which is for LCD. The side end surface of the glass substrate is pressed in a long range, and more stable pressing and holding is obtained.

In the above embodiment, the process chamber 1
Although a and 1b are configured to perform the etching process and the process chamber 1c is configured to perform the subsequent assig process,
Not limited to this, for example, all process chambers 1a, 1
b, 1c may be configured to perform the same processing, such as performing etching processing or assig processing, and configured to perform different continuous serial processing in each of these process chambers 1a, 1b, 1c. You may. Even with such a configuration, extremely high throughput can be realized. Of course, the number of process chambers may be two.

[0087]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if the substrate to be processed becomes larger than the conventional one and its own weight increases, there is no possibility that the substrate to be processed comes into direct contact with the mounting portion, and the yield is improved. be able to. In claim 2, even if the contact between the supporting member and the substrate to be processed becomes insufficient, or the coefficient of friction of the surface of the supporting member is reduced, the substrate to be processed is not displaced during transportation. , Further improve safety. Moreover, since the transport speed can be increased, it also contributes to the improvement of throughput.

According to the third and fourth aspects, the smooth operation of the pressing member can be realized, and the torque transmission loss is small. Therefore, it is easy to control the pressing member, for example, to set the pressing holding position and the pressing releasing position. In particular, according to claim 4, since an independent mechanism for rotating the pinion is unnecessary, it is possible to simplify the structures of the mounting portion and the first arm, and to separately provide a rotary drive system. Since it is unnecessary, it does not bring about an increase in the cause of pollution. Further, according to claim 5, it is easy to set the pressing force of the pressing member,
Moreover, there is an effect that there is no possibility of damaging the substrate to be processed during the pressing and holding.

According to claim 6, the structure and arrangement of the supporting member are easy, and according to claim 7, the safety of the substrate to be processed is further improved. And according to claim 8, there is no fear of contamination. According to claim 9, the throughput is improved as compared with the conventional multi-process chamber type.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the outline of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a second load lock chamber in the processing apparatus of FIG.

4 is a perspective view showing an outline of a transfer arm and a buffer mechanism in a first load lock chamber in the processing apparatus of FIG.

5 is a perspective view showing an overview of a mounting member in the transfer arm of FIG.

6 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a rotational relationship between a mounting member and a first arm in the transfer arm of FIG.

7 is a grip block of the mounting member of FIG.
It is sectional explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the edge surface of the glass substrate for CD is pressed.

8 is an LCD of the grip block when the mounting member of FIG. 5 is in the second load lock chamber or the process chamber.
It is a plane explanatory view showing the released state of the glass substrate for use.

9 is an explanatory plan view showing a state where the mounting member of FIG. 5 is pressing the glass substrate for LCD by the grip block during conveyance.

10 is an L of the grip block when the mounting member of FIG. 5 is located in the buffer mechanism in the first load lock chamber.
It is a plane explanatory view showing the release state of the glass substrate for CDs.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another proposal example of the mounting member.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing apparatus 1a, 1b, 1c Process chamber 2 1st load lock chamber 5 2nd load lock chamber 9, 11 Cassette 41 Transfer arm 53 1st arm 54 Mounting member 55 Main body 58 Pinion 71, 72 Rack 81, 82 Grip block 83, 84 Coil spring R _{1 to} R ₉ O-ring P LCD glass substrate

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A vacuum processing chamber that can be decompressed, and a transfer device that can transfer a rectangular substrate to be processed into the vacuum processing chamber, and the substrate to be processed that has been transferred into the vacuum processing chamber has a predetermined size. In the processing device configured to perform processing, the transfer device has a transfer arm having a mounting part on which a substrate to be processed is mounted, and a plurality of support members are provided on the surface of the mounting part. And the supporting member is arranged such that the peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate to be processed are supported by the supporting member. 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion includes a pressing member that presses two facing side end surfaces of the substrate to be processed in the facing direction. 3. The pressing member is configured so that it can be moved toward and away from the rack by sliding a rack that slides in the facing direction of two opposing side end surfaces of the substrate to be processed, and the rack rotates a pinion that meshes with the rack. The processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing device is configured to slide. 4. The pressing member is configured so as to be able to approach and separate by sliding of a rack that slides in the opposing direction of two facing side end surfaces of the substrate to be processed, and the mounting portion is provided in the transfer arm. The pinion provided on the uppermost first arm is configured such that the mounting portion is rotatable with respect to the first arm by an appropriate rotary drive mechanism, and is a pinion integrated with the first arm. Is provided coaxially with the said rotation center, and the said rack is meshing with this pinion, The processing apparatus of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. 5. The pressing member is always urged in the pressing direction by an elastic member, and the pressing state is released by the separation of the pressing member against the urging force. The processing device according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4. 6. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member is an O-ring. 7. A spacer having a height lower than that of the supporting member is provided on the surface of the mounting portion in addition to the supporting member.
The processing device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. 8. The spacer is PEEK (polyether.
The processing device according to claim 7, wherein the processing device is made of ether / ketone. 9. A transfer device is installed in one preliminary vacuum chamber having a plurality of vacuum processing chambers and capable of transferring a substrate to be processed between the vacuum processing chambers. The processing device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8.