JPH10326820A - Substrate transporting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To raise functionality of substrate transportation device, wherein a substrate is supported with a pair of supporting shafts for transportation. SOLUTION: A guide plate 12 which extends in a direction of allocation of a processing part (X-axis direction) is provided, and a movable member 16 which is movable along the guide plate 12 is provided. The movable member 16 is provided with a pair of fixed rails 24 extending in the X-axis direction, and it is movably attached with a pair of movable pieces 25, while being reciprocally driven by an air cylinder 26. Each movable piece 25 is provided with an arm 22 extending in a Y-axis direction, and the arm 22 is attached with a supporting claw 32. Then, with the pair of arms 22, a substrate W is supported along two facing sides of the substrate W via the supporting claw 32.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a glass square substrate for a liquid crystal display, a glass square substrate for a plasma display,
The present invention relates to a substrate transfer device applied to a substrate processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined processing on a substrate such as a glass square substrate for a liquid crystal display, for example, an apparatus having a plurality of processing units arranged in a line as shown in FIG. Generally known.

[0003] This apparatus includes, in order from the upstream side (left side in the figure), a substrate input section 101, a processing liquid application section 102 for applying a processing liquid such as a resist to the input substrate, and a coated processing liquid. A drying unit 103 for drying the substrate, a cleaning unit 104 for washing off the processing liquid adhering to the back surface of the substrate, and a hot plate (not shown) for heating and drying are arranged side by side. It is configured to perform predetermined processing while sequentially transporting the processing to a downstream processing unit.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer of substrates W is performed by transfer devices 10 provided between processing units (hereinafter referred to as processing units and the like) such as a charging unit 101 and a processing liquid coating unit 102, respectively.
5 is performed.

[0005] Each transfer device 105 is provided with a movable member 106 which can move over an adjacent processing section or the like. A pair of horizontal arms 107 for supporting the substrate W are provided on the movable member 106. I have.

The arms 107 are supported by the movable member 106 at a slightly wider interval than the substrate W so as to be rotatable around its axis. Although not shown, each arm 107 is provided with a support claw. The support claw is interposed between the arms 107 in accordance with the rotation of the arm 107 (support position), and both arms are supported. It is configured to be displaced to a position (retreat position) that retreats outside the 107. Then, the support claws are held at the support position, so that the substrate W
The substrate W is held by the arms 107 while both ends (ends along two sides opposed to each other in the transport direction) are supported.

The transfer of the substrate W between each processing section and the like and the transfer device 105 is performed, for example, as follows. First, when the substrate W is transferred from each processing unit or the like to the transfer device 105, the movable member 106 is arranged above the processing unit with the support claws of both arms 107 held at the retracted position,
In this state, the processing unit stage 108 (substrate support)
Is raised, the substrate W is lifted upward between the arms 107. After each supporting claw 107 is displaced to the supporting position, the stage 108
Is lowered, the substrate W is supported by the arms 107 via the support claws. Thus, the substrate W is delivered from each processing unit to the transfer device 105.

[0008] Then, by performing the reverse operation, the substrate W is transferred from the transfer device 105 to each processing section or the like.
Is to be delivered.

[0009]

However, in the above-described conventional substrate processing apparatus, the distance between the arms 107 is fixed to a value corresponding to the substrate W as described above.
Since the configuration is such that both ends are supported along the side, there are various problems as described below.

That is, in recent years, the size of substrates to be produced has been diversified due to the expansion of market needs for liquid crystal displays and the like. , But
The above-described transfer device 105 in which the interval between the arms 107 is fixed cannot flexibly cope with the production of substrates having different sizes, and this needs to be solved.

In the conventional substrate processing apparatus described above, a standby space for the transfer device 105 is provided between the processing sections and the like, and the transfer device 105 is often set in this space during substrate processing. In an apparatus for producing a large-sized substrate, the space between the arms 107 is increased, so that the standby space of the transfer device 105 is increased, which is one of the causes of the increase in the size of the substrate processing apparatus.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, since the substrate is supported at both ends, the substrate is apt to bend, so that there is a problem that a large substrate or a thin substrate is likely to be broken when being transported. In particular, when the substrate W is suctioned and held on the stage 108, the substrate W can be easily moved from the stage even when the stage 108 is lowered as described above when the processing unit or the like transfers the substrate W to the substrate W. It is also conceivable that the substrate does not peel off, which causes the substrate to be largely bent and cracked.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transfer apparatus capable of coping with the production of substrates having different sizes in view of the above points.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer apparatus capable of reducing the space occupied at the standby position and making the substrate processing apparatus compact.

It is a third object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer apparatus capable of preventing a substrate from being broken when a large or thin substrate is transferred.

[0016]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to a substrate transport apparatus for horizontally supporting and transporting a substrate, comprising: a pair of support members for supporting the substrate; And variable means for moving both support members together (claim 1).

According to this apparatus, the substrate is supported by the supporting member, and in this state, the substrate is transported by moving the supporting member by the moving means. In transferring such a substrate, a plurality of types of substrates having different sizes can be transferred by changing the interval between the support members according to the size of the substrate by the interval varying unit. Further, when the substrate transfer device is at the standby position, the space occupied by the substrate transfer device at the standby position can be reduced by reducing the interval between the pair of support members. Further, by adjusting the interval between the support members according to the size of the substrate, it is possible to support an optimum location according to the size and material of the substrate.

In particular, in the above-described apparatus, when the substrate is transferred to and from the substrate holding means for holding the substrate from below by a support portion smaller than the substrate, the support member and the substrate holding means are connected to each other. What is necessary is just to provide the displacement means which relatively displaces up and down direction (claim 2).

According to this structure, the distance between the supporting members is set to be larger than the substrate held by the substrate holding means and is disposed below the substrate, and after the distance between the supporting members is narrower than the distance between the substrates. By moving the support member upward relative to the substrate holding means, the substrate can be picked up from the substrate holding means. Further, by performing the reverse operation, the substrate can be transferred from the support member to the substrate holding means.

Further, in the apparatus according to the first or second aspect, if the supporting member is configured to support the substrate along two opposing sides of the rectangular substrate (claim 3), The substrate can be reliably supported and transported.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for picking up and transporting a substrate from a substrate holding means for holding the substrate from below by a supporting portion smaller than the substrate. And a transfer mechanism for transferring the picked-up substrate,
The pick-up mechanism includes a pair of support members that horizontally support the substrate, an interval variable unit that changes an interval between these support members, and a displacement unit that relatively displaces the substrate holding unit and the support member in the vertical direction. The transfer means includes a receiving member for receiving the substrate supported by the support member, and a moving means for moving the receiving member (claim 4).

According to this apparatus, the substrate held by the substrate holding means is first picked up from the substrate holding means by the removing mechanism, and then transported to the next step by the transfer means. At this time, the distance between the support members is set to be larger than the substrate held by the substrate holding means, and the support members are arranged below the substrate. The substrate on the substrate supporting member can be picked up by the picking-up mechanism by moving the board relatively upward with respect to.

In particular, in the apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, when the substrate holding means has a suction surface for sucking and holding the substrate as the support portion, the substrate held by the substrate holding means is used. At the time of picking up, after both support members are arranged below the substrate with the distance between the support members being larger than the distance between the substrates, the support members are moved while moving each support member relatively upward with respect to the substrate holding means. The support member, the interval variable means and the displacement means are configured to support the substrate by the support member and to displace the support position from the peripheral portion of the substrate toward the central portion by gradually reducing the interval of the substrate. This makes it possible to peel off the substrate from the suction surface while suppressing the bending of the substrate suction-held by the substrate holding means.

[0024]

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

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention.
It is a perspective view which shows embodiment. This substrate transfer device 1
Is a transfer apparatus applied to a substrate processing apparatus as described in the related art, that is, a substrate processing apparatus in which a plurality of processing units and the like are arranged in a line.

The substrate transfer apparatus 1 has a movable member 16 for supporting a rectangular substrate W (hereinafter simply referred to as a substrate W) as shown in FIG. It is configured to move in the setting direction (referred to as X-axis direction).

That is, the substrate transfer apparatus 1 includes a guide plate 12 provided with a pair of fixed rails 13 extending in the X-axis direction and a ball screw shaft 14 driven to rotate by a servomotor 15 in each processing section. It has it above the side of the place,
A frame 20 of the movable member 16 is movably mounted on the fixed rail 13, and a nut portion (not shown) provided on the frame 20 is connected to the ball screw shaft 13.
Is screwed into. The movable member 1 is moved according to the forward / reverse rotation of the ball screw shaft 14 by the operation of the servo motor 15.
6 moves in the X-axis direction along the fixed rail 13. That is, the frame 20, the fixed rail 13, the ball screw shaft 14, and the like constitute a moving unit of the present application for moving the arm 22 described later.

As shown in the figure, the frame 20 of the movable member 16 has a vertical surface portion 20a substantially parallel to the guide plate 12 and a horizontal upper surface portion 20b connected to the upper end thereof.
The guide plate 12 is mounted on the fixed rail 13 of the guide plate 12 via the vertical surface portion 20a.

On the upper surface 20b of the frame 20, a pair of shaft-like arms 22 (support members) for supporting the substrate, which protrude on a horizontal plane in a direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction (referred to as Y-axis direction).
Is provided. The arms 22 are supported so as to be displaceable between a separated position where the interval is slightly wider than the substrate size and an approach position where the interval is sufficiently narrower than the separated position.

That is, a pair of fixed rails 24 extending in the X-axis direction are provided on the upper surface portion 20a of the frame 20, and a pair of movable pieces 25 are mounted across the fixed rails 24. Each of the arms 22 is supported by 25. Also, the upper surface portion 20a
The ends of the rods of a pair of air cylinders 26 fixed to the movable pieces 25 are connected to these movable pieces 25, respectively. Each movable piece 25 is moved along the fixed rail 24 in response to the operation of these air cylinders 26, and each air cylinder 2 is moved.
In the position where the movable pieces 25 are separated from each other in the rod projecting drive state of FIG.
In the rod retracting drive state, the movable pieces 25 are respectively arranged at positions approaching each other (positions shown by two-dot chain lines in the drawing), and the two arms 22 are displaced between the separated position and the approach position accordingly. Has become. That is, the fixed rail 24, the movable piece 25, and the like constitute the interval varying means of the present application.

A plurality of support claws 32 for supporting the substrate W are mounted on each arm 22 at regular intervals in the axial direction.
In the illustrated example, three support claws 32 are provided at equal intervals on each arm 2.
2 respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the support claws 32 attached to each arm 22 have an L-shape that is bilaterally symmetric (ie, bilaterally symmetric in the figure). Vertical contact surface 33 provided
b.

Each arm 22 has a base end rotatably supported by a support block 28 provided on the movable piece 25 via a bearing.
Link 2 at the rod end of the air cylinder 30 fixed to
9 and is rotated in accordance with the operation of each air cylinder 30.

When the air cylinders 30 are driven to retract the rods, as shown by the solid line in FIG.
While the support claw 32 is held at a position where the 3a is interposed between the arms 22 (hereinafter, this position is referred to as a support position), in a rod protruding drive state of each air cylinder 30, the support is carried out as shown by a dashed line in FIG. The support claw 32 is held so as to retract the portion 33 to the outside of the arm 22 (hereinafter, this position is referred to as a retracted position).

According to the substrate transfer apparatus 1 configured as described above, for example, a substrate can be transferred as described below. In the following description, the substrate W is transported between two adjacent processing units, and the substrate W is moved between a vertically movable stage (substrate support; substrate holding means) provided in each processing unit. An example in which W is delivered will be described. Here, it is assumed that the stage is formed slightly smaller than the substrate W, and is configured to horizontally support the substrate W from below at a substantially central portion of the substrate W.

First, as shown in FIG.
The movable member 16 is disposed above the processing unit Ea in accordance with the operation of the servo motor 15 so as to receive the substrate W from a. At this time, each arm 22 is held at the separated position, and each support claw 32 is held at the retracted position.

When the movable member 16 is arranged above the processing section Ea, the stage 34 of the processing section Ea is raised, and the substrate W supported on the stage is moved above the movable member 16 via the two arms 22. To lift. And arm 2
2 is rotated to displace each support claw 32 to the support position (FIG. 3B), and then the stage 34 is lowered to move the X of the substrate W.
An edge portion is supported by each support claw 32 along two sides facing each other in the axial direction. Thus, the substrate W on the stage 34 is received by the movable member 16 (FIG. 3C).

When the substrate W is received, the movable member 16 is moved above the adjacent processing unit Eb in accordance with the operation of the servo motor 15. During the transfer, since the contact surface 33b is provided on the support claw 32 as described above, for example, even when the movable member 16 is accelerated or decelerated, the end of the substrate W is kept at the contact surface 33b. , The substrate W is prevented from being largely displaced in the X-axis direction and falling off the arm 22.

When the movable member 16 is arranged above the processing section Eb, the operation reverse to the transfer operation of the substrate W from the processing section Ea to the movable member 16 is performed.
The substrate W is delivered to the stage 34b.

After the substrate W is transferred from the processing unit Ea to the processing unit Eb, the arms 22 are moved from the separated position to the approach position according to the operation of the air cylinder 26 as shown in FIG. For example, the movable member 16 is moved to a predetermined standby space (the position shown in the drawing) between the processing units Ea and Eb. Then, the movable member 16 is made to wait in this standby space until the next transport.

As described above, according to the substrate transfer device 1,
A pair of arms 22 are arranged in the X-axis direction,
2 which are opposed in the transport direction by these arms 22
Since the arm 22 can be displaced between the separated position and the approach position while supporting and transporting the substrate edge along the side, during standby, the arm 22 is moved as described above.
Can be held at the approaching position to reduce the space occupied by the movable member 16 in the X-axis direction and make the movable member 16 stand by. Therefore, even when the present invention is applied to an apparatus for manufacturing a large-sized substrate, it is possible to suppress the expansion of the standby space in the X-axis direction. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively avoid a situation in which the standby space increases in the X-axis direction and the size of the manufacturing apparatus is increased.

In the above example, the interval between the arms 22 is displaced to two intervals, that is, the separated position for supporting the substrate W and the approach position during standby.
The distance between the arms 22 may be maintained at one or more intervals between the separated position and the approach position.
In this case, for example, one or a plurality of stopper members which are operated by solenoid driving to prevent the movement of the movable piece 25 are provided in the moving direction of each movable piece 25, and when the air cylinder 26 is driven to protrude the lot, this stopper member is What is necessary is just to make it operate selectively. In this way, arm 2
2 can be changed variously, so that it is possible to transport a plurality of types of substrates W having different sizes in the X-axis direction, thereby further improving the functionality of the substrate transport apparatus 1.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a substrate transfer apparatus according to the second embodiment. The substrate transfer device 2 has basically the same configuration as the substrate transfer device 1 of the first embodiment, but is mainly described as a mechanism for changing the interval between the arms 22 as described below. The configuration is different from that of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 in that a mechanism is employed. In the following description, the same parts as those of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Only the differences will be described.

In the substrate transfer apparatus 2, the frame 20 of the movable member 16 is a flat plate substantially parallel to the guide plate 12, as shown in FIG.
And a ball screw shaft 4 rotationally driven by a servomotor 40 via pulleys 43a and 43b and a transmission belt 41.
2, a pair of movable blocks 36 are movably mounted on the fixed rail 38, and nut portions 37 provided on each of the movable blocks 36 are screwed to the ball screw shafts 42, respectively. . Ball screw shaft 4
2 is formed with screws in opposite directions on both sides of the center of the axial direction (referred to as screw portions 42a and 42b). One movable block 36 is a screw portion 42a, and the other movable block 36 is a screw portion. 42b.

The upper part of each movable block 36 projects above the frame 20 and the guide plate 12, and
Each arm 22 protrudes from the protruding portion.

That is, when the ball screw shaft 14 rotates forward and backward by the operation of the servo motor 40, the movable blocks 36 are moved uniformly in opposite directions along the fixed rails 38 in accordance with the forward and reverse movements. Can be changed.

The substrate transfer device 2 according to the second embodiment
Is not provided with a mechanism for rotating each arm 22 unlike the substrate transfer apparatus 1 described above.
The column 2 is provided with a columnar support 44 instead of the support claw 32.

According to the substrate transfer apparatus 2 configured as described above, the transfer of the substrate W between the processing units Ea and Eb as described above can be performed, for example, as follows.

First, as shown in FIG.
The movable member 16 is moved to the processing section Ea to receive the substrate W from
Above. At this time, the arms 22 are held at intervals wider than at least the width of the substrate W (dimension in the X-axis direction).

When the movable member 16 is disposed above the processing section Ea, the stage 34 of the processing section Ea is raised to move the substrate W supported on the stage above the movable member 16 via the two arms 22. To lift. And arm 2
2 is smaller than the width of the substrate W (FIG. 5).
(B)) By lowering the stage 34, the substrate W
Is supported by each support 44. Thus, the substrate W on the stage 34 is received by the movable member 16 (FIG. 5C).

At this time, for example, when the size of the substrate W to be transferred is changed during the production due to a change in the production lot or the like, the interval between the arms 22 is appropriately determined according to the size of the substrate W to be transferred. Is changed to support the substrate W.

After receiving the substrate W, the movable member 1
6 is moved above the processing unit Eb, and then the operation reverse to the above-described operation at the time of receiving is performed, thereby processing the processing unit Eb.
The substrate W is delivered to the stage 34 of FIG.

After the transfer of the substrate W from the processing section Ea to the processing section Eb, as shown in FIG. 5D, the interval between the arms 22 is minimized, and the standby space between the processing sections Ea and Eb is reduced. The movable member 16 is moved to a standby state.

According to such a substrate transfer device 2, since the arm 22 is moved using the ball screw mechanism, the distance between the arms 22 can be set to an arbitrary value within the movable range of the movable block 36. Can be set to
Therefore, there is an advantage that a substrate W of a larger size can be transferred as compared with the apparatus in which the stopper member is provided in the apparatus of the first embodiment.

In addition, the arm 22 of this device is
4 only supports the substrate W from below, that is, a portion that prevents the substrate W from being displaced during conveyance as in the arm 22 of the first embodiment (the contact surface 33 of the support claw 32).
Since b) is not provided, the position for supporting the substrate W is not limited to the edge of the substrate W, and a position near the center of the substrate W (the center in the X-axis direction) can also be supported. Therefore,
For example, for a large-sized substrate having a large dimension in the X-axis direction and supporting the edge portion, the bending of the substrate W is likely to be large and the substrate W may be damaged. It is possible to transfer the substrate at a narrow interval, and thus, there is a feature that the large substrate can be appropriately transferred.

When it is necessary to prevent the displacement of the substrate W during the transfer in this apparatus, for example, the movable member 16 is placed below the position where the arm 22 supports the substrate W as shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to provide the auxiliary support mechanism 45. That is, the air cylinder 46 having the rubber support 47 attached to the rod tip is attached to the frame 20 via the bracket 48 or the like, and the support is carried out in the rod protruding drive state of the air cylinder 46 (the state shown by the one-dot chain line in the figure). What is necessary is just to provide the auxiliary | assistant support mechanism 45 comprised so that 47 may contact the back surface of the board | substrate W in the movable member 16. FIG. If such an auxiliary support mechanism 45 is provided, the displacement of the substrate W is effectively prevented by bringing the air cylinder 46 into a rod protruding drive state and bringing the support 47 into contact with the substrate W during the transport of the substrate W. can do. If a suction cup is used as the support 47, the displacement of the substrate W can be more effectively prevented.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a substrate transfer device according to the third embodiment. The configuration of the substrate transfer device 3 is substantially the same as that of the substrate transfer device 2 of the second embodiment, and the arm 22 is rotatably supported by a movable block 36 via a bearing. The configuration is different from that of the substrate transfer device 2 in that an abacus ball-shaped support 50 as shown in FIG. 9 is mounted on the arm 22 instead of the support 44. That is, in the substrate transfer device 3, the servo motor 40
Is operated to move the movable block 36, the substrate W
The arm 22 is configured to rotate with respect to the movable block 36 due to friction between the arm 22 and the support 50, so that the support position of the substrate W by the arm 22 can be changed even during conveyance. .

According to the substrate transfer apparatus 3 of the third embodiment, the transfer of the substrate W between the processing units Ea and Eb as described above can be performed as follows. In the following description, it is assumed that the processing units Ea and Eb are configured to hold the substrate W in a state of being sucked on the stage 34.

First, when the substrate W is received from the processing unit Ea, each arm 22 is at least the width of the substrate W (dimension in the X-axis direction), as in the substrate transfer device 2 of the second embodiment.
The movable member 16 is disposed above the processing unit Ea while holding the movable member 16 at a wider interval, and then the stage 3 of the processing unit Ea
4 is lifted, and the substrate W is lifted above the movable member 16 via between the arms 22 (see FIGS. 5A and 5B).

After the interval between the arms 22 is made smaller than the width of the substrate W (FIG. 8A), the stage 34 is lowered to move the edge of the substrate W to the support 5 of the arm 22.
0, and the distance between the arms 22 is gradually narrowed as the stage 34 is lowered (FIG. 8B,
(C)). By doing so, the substrate W adsorbed on the stage 34 is gradually peeled off from its end.

After the substrate W is peeled off from the stage 34 of the processing section Ea, the movable member 16 is moved above the processing section Eb, and the arm 22 is moved during the transfer so that, for example, the bending of the substrate W does not increase. Is adjusted so that the substrate W is supported at an optimal position according to its size and material (FIG. 8D).

When the substrate W is transferred to the processing unit Eb, the substrate W is transferred to the stage 34 of the processing unit Eb by performing an operation reverse to the above operation.

According to such a substrate transfer apparatus 3, the substrate W can be properly picked up from the stage 34 and transferred while avoiding damage or the like due to bending of the substrate W.

That is, when the substrate W adsorbed on the stage 34 is picked up by the movable member 16, for example, both ends of the substrate W are fixed by the arm 22 as in the substrate transfer device 2 of the second embodiment. , And the substrate W can be picked up from the stage 34 as the stage 34 moves down. However, in this case, since the interval between the arms 22 is constant, for example, with respect to the substrate W having a large dimension in the X-axis direction, the center portion of the substrate W is pulled downward as the stage 34 is lowered, and the substrate W is largely bent. This may cause the substrate W to be damaged. However, according to the operation of the substrate transfer device 2 as described above, the arm 22 moves toward the center of the substrate W between the substrate W and the stage 34 as the stage 34 descends. The substrate W can be satisfactorily separated from the stage 34 without being greatly bent. Therefore, even when a large substrate W having a large dimension in the X-axis direction is transported, the substrate W can be appropriately placed on the stage 3 without causing damage or the like due to bending.
You can pick up from 4.

When the substrate W is transported while supporting both ends thereof, if the substrate W is enlarged, the bending during the transportation is increased, and the substrate W may be easily damaged due to this. According to the substrate transport apparatus 3, the substrate W can be supported and transported at an optimum position according to the size and the like while adjusting the interval between the arms 22 during the transport as described above, so that the large substrate Even when transporting W, substrate W
Can be transported without significantly bending. Therefore, the substrate W can be appropriately transported without causing damage or the like due to bending.

In the substrate transfer apparatus 3, since the position of the arm 22 is moved while the arm 22 is in contact with the substrate W via the support 50 as described above,
For example, for a lightweight substrate W or the like, the position of the substrate W may deviate from the normal support position as the arm 22 moves. Therefore, it is preferable that the substrate transfer device 3 is also provided with the auxiliary support mechanism 45 as shown in FIG.

In this substrate transfer device 3, the arm 2
2 is rotatably supported by a movable block 36 via a bearing, but when the axial dimension of the arm 22 is long, the bending moment of the arm 22 is increased to allow smooth rotation. In such a case, for example, the arm 22 may be fixed to the movable block 36 and the support 50 may be rotatably mounted on the arm 22.

The supporting member mounted on the arm 22 may be, for example, a screw-shaped supporting member 5 as shown in FIG.
1, or a rubber support 52 such as an O-ring may be employed.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a substrate transfer apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. Substrate transfer device 4 shown in FIG.
Is composed of a substrate removal mechanism 60 integrated into the processing unit Ec, and a transfer mechanism 61 (transfer means) for transferring the substrate W between the processing unit Ec and another processing unit.

As shown in the figure, the processing unit Ec includes a base 8
On the upper surface of the base 80, a vertically movable square stage 81 for holding the substrate W and the above-mentioned removal mechanism 60 are provided. The stage 81 is formed slightly smaller than the substrate W, and is configured to hold the central portion of the substrate W substantially horizontally while adsorbing the central portion.

The detaching mechanism 60 has a pair of parallel support shafts 64 (support members) for picking up the substrate W from the stage 81 above the stage 81 set at the lower end position. It is configured such that the intervals of 64 can be changed.

That is, on the base 80, as shown in the figure, the support 81 extends in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the support shaft 64 on the horizontal plane (X-axis direction) with the stage 81 interposed therebetween. A pair of fixed rails 62 and pulleys 67 and 6
8 and a ball screw shaft 70 driven to rotate by a servo motor 66 via a transmission belt 69, and movable blocks 63 mounted on both ends of each support shaft 64.
a and 63b are movably mounted on the fixed rails 62, and nut portions of the movable blocks 63a and 63b mounted on one of the fixed rails 62 are screwed to the ball screw shaft 70, respectively. I have. In the ball screw shaft 70, screws in opposite directions are formed on both sides of the center of the axial direction (referred to as screw portions 70a and 70b), and one movable block 63a is provided in the screw portion 70a and the other movable block 63b is provided. Are screwed into the screw portions 70b, respectively. When the ball screw shaft 14 rotates forward and reverse by the operation of the servo motor 66, each movable block 63
The a and 63b are configured to move evenly in opposite directions along each fixed rail 62, thereby changing the distance between the support shafts 64.

A support 65 for supporting the substrate W is mounted on each support shaft 64 at regular intervals in the axial direction.
In the illustrated example, three support members 65 are provided at equal intervals on each support shaft 6.
4 is attached. The support 65 has the same abacus ball shape as the support 50 employed in the arm 22 of the third embodiment (see FIG. 9), and is rotatably mounted on the support shaft 64. I have.

On the other hand, the transfer mechanism 61 has a movable member 72 which can be moved in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) by a movement mechanism (not shown). And a pair of arms 73 (receiving members).

The arm 73 is rotatably supported by the movable member 72 at an interval slightly wider than the substrate size, and is rotated by a driving mechanism (not shown). The arm 73 has a plurality of support claws 7 for supporting the substrate W.
4 are mounted at regular intervals in the axial direction, and in the illustrated example, three support claws 74 are mounted on each arm 73 at regular intervals.

The support claw 74 is, like the support claw 32 (see FIG. 2) employed in the arm 73 of the first embodiment, an L-shaped support claw having a support portion 75 for supporting the substrate W. The support position is such that the support portion 75 is interposed between the arms 73 in accordance with the rotation of the arm 73 by the operation of the drive mechanism, and the retracted position is where the support portion 75 is retracted outside the arm 73. Is to be held.

According to the substrate transport apparatus 4 described above, the substrate W held by the stage 81 of the processing unit Ec is held.
Can be picked up from the stage 81 and transported to another processing section as described below.

First, the movable member 72 of the moving mechanism 61 is arranged above the processing unit Ec to receive the substrate W from the processing unit Ec. At this time, the support claws 74 are held at the retracted position. The stage 81 is set at the lower end position. Further, the respective support shafts 64 of the detaching mechanism 60 are arranged at positions sufficiently separated from the width of the substrate W.

When the movable member 72 is arranged above the processing section Ec, the stage 81 is raised to arrange the substrate W above each support shaft 64 as shown in FIG. The support shafts 64 are arranged below the end of the substrate W with a reduced interval.

Thereafter, the stage 81 is lowered to move the substrate W
Is supported by a support shaft 64 via a support body 65, and the support shaft 6
4 gradually narrow the interval. As a result, the substrate W adsorbed on the stage 81 is gradually peeled off from its end and is supported on both support shafts 64 (FIG. 13).
(B)-(d)).

After the substrate W is thus supported on the support shaft 64, the movable member 72 is lowered to interpose the substrate W between the two arms 73, and the arms 73 are rotated to place the respective support claws 74 in the supporting position. (FIG. 13)
(E)). After that, by moving the movable member 72 upward, the substrate W is transported to another processing unit while being supported by the arm 73 via the support claws 32.

According to such a substrate transfer apparatus 4, the substrate W can be peeled off from the stage 81 while gradually narrowing the interval between the support shafts 64 as the stage 81 moves down. The substrate W can be picked up from the stage 81 without significantly bending the substrate W, similarly to the substrate transfer device 3 of the embodiment. Therefore, even when a large substrate W having a large dimension in the X-axis direction is transported, the substrate W can be appropriately peeled off from the stage 81 and transported without causing damage or the like due to bending.

The substrate transfer devices 1 to 4 according to the first to fourth embodiments are examples of the substrate transfer device according to the present invention. It can be changed as appropriate without departing from the scope.

For example, the above-described substrate transfer device 2 which can transfer substrates of different sizes by a common movable member 16.
3, the support bodies 44 attached to each arm 22,
The configuration may be such that the arm 50 can be moved in the axial direction of the arm 22. That is, the support 4 of the arm 22
The supporting position of the substrate by 4, 50 is usually the position shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, there is no particular effect even when the substrate W is in contact with the edge portion of the substrate W, or a part of a dividing line C (cutting boundary line) when a plurality of substrates are cut from one substrate. Although it is set in an ineffective portion of the substrate W, if the supports 44 and 50 are fixedly provided, for example, as shown in FIG. In addition, the ineffective portion cannot be supported, which may adversely affect the substrate. Therefore, the supports 44,5
0 can be moved in the axial direction of the arm 22;
The same figure (c) when transferring substrates of different sizes.
By moving the supports 44 and 50 so as to be able to support the ineffective portion as shown in (1), the adverse effect on the effective portion as described above can be effectively avoided. The support 50
May be manually performed, or may be automatically performed using an actuator.

The interval between the pair of arms 22 provided in the substrate transfer devices 2 and 3 may be changed according to the production (processing) process. More specifically, for example, when the substrate W is transferred from the processing liquid application unit 102 to the reduced-pressure drying unit 103 as shown in FIG. Support 44,
It is preferable to set the interval between the pair of support arms 22 so that 50 contacts the ineffective portion near the edge of the substrate W. This is because the processing liquid such as the resist applied to the upper surface of the substrate W transferred from the processing liquid coating unit 102 to the reduced-pressure drying unit 103 has not been sufficiently dried.
This is to prevent traces of the supports 44 and 50 contacting the lower surface of the substrate W from being generated in the processing liquid applied to the effective portion of the upper surface of the substrate W. As described above, the traces of the supports 44 and 50 generated in the processing liquid applied to the substrate W are generated due to the difference in the thermal conductivity between the air around the substrate W and the supports 44 and 50. , Adversely affecting the subsequent steps. On the other hand, during a production (processing) process before a processing liquid such as a resist is applied to the upper surface of the substrate W, for example, the substrate transfer device is transferred from the input unit 101 to the processing liquid application unit 102 as shown in FIG. When the substrate W is transported by the substrates 2 and 3, since the processing liquid is not applied to the upper surface of the substrate W, it is not necessary to consider that traces of the supports 44 and 50 are generated in the applied processing liquid. Therefore, the pair of support arms 22
The distance between the substrates W is made smaller than when the substrate W coated with the processing liquid is transported, and the support 4
The substrate W may be transported more stably by bringing the substrates 4 and 50 into contact with each other. As described above, the support 4
Even when the positions of the substrates W with which the substrates 4 and 50 can abut are different, the substrates can be transported by the substrate transport devices 2 and 3.

Further, the substrate transfer devices 1 to 3 according to the first to third embodiments transfer a substrate in a direction along one side of the substrate W, respectively. The transport direction is not limited to this,
The substrate W may be transported by the substrate transport device in, for example, an arbitrary direction in a horizontal plane, or may be transported so as to move the substrate up and down in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

Further, the substrate transfer devices 1 to 3 described in the above-described first to third embodiments and the transfer mechanism 61 described in the fourth embodiment are arranged such that the lower surface of the substrate W is supported by its support surface. The configuration is such that the substrate W is transferred to and from the supporting stages 34 and 81. Instead of these stages 34 and 81, the substrate W contacts a plurality of locations on the lower surface of the substrate W, for example, four locations near the four corners of the substrate W. It is also possible to provide a plurality of lift pins that can move up and down to hold the substrate W, and transfer the substrate W to and from the lift pins.

[0090]

As described above, the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention can change the distance between the support members by providing the variable distance means, while supporting and conveying the substrate by the pair of support members. Therefore, it is possible to transfer a plurality of types of substrates having different sizes with a common device, and by adjusting the interval between the support members according to the size, material, etc. of the substrate, an optimal location of the substrate can be obtained. The substrate can be supported and transported, and the substrate can be prevented from being broken during the transport. Further, when the substrate transfer device is at the standby position, the space between the pair of support members is reduced, so that the space occupied by the substrate transfer device at the standby position can be reduced, and the substrate transfer device can be made compact. it can.

In particular, when the substrate is transferred to and from the substrate holding means for holding the substrate from below by a support portion smaller than the substrate, the support member and the substrate holding means are relatively moved in the vertical direction. It is preferable to further provide a displacing means for displacing. In this case, the transfer of the substrate between the substrate holding means and the support member can be performed by a simple operation.

Further, if the supporting member is configured to support the substrate along two opposing sides of the rectangular substrate, the rectangular substrate can be reliably supported and transported.

Further, when the substrate holding means sucks and holds the substrate via the suction surface, when the substrate held by the substrate holding means is picked up, the distance between the support members is made larger than the distance between the substrates. After disposing both support members below the substrate, the distance between the support members is gradually reduced while moving each support member relatively upward with respect to the substrate holding means, thereby supporting the substrate with the support members. If the supporting member, the variable interval means and the displacing means are configured so that the supporting position is displaced from the peripheral portion of the substrate toward the central portion, the substrate may be displaced from the suction surface without causing damage to the substrate due to bending. The substrate can be appropriately peeled off and transported.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a substrate transfer device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram viewed from an arrow A in FIG. 1 illustrating a configuration of a movable member.

FIGS. 3A to 3D are schematic diagrams illustrating a transfer operation by a substrate transfer device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the substrate transfer device according to the present invention.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are schematic diagrams illustrating a transfer operation by the substrate transfer device.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of an auxiliary support mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the substrate transfer device according to the present invention.

FIGS. 8A to 8D are schematic diagrams illustrating a transfer operation by the substrate transfer device.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a support mounted on the arm.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the support mounted on the arm.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a modification of the support mounted on the arm.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the substrate transfer device according to the present invention.

FIGS. 13A to 13E are schematic diagrams illustrating a transfer operation by the substrate transfer device.

FIGS. 14A to 14C are schematic diagrams illustrating advantages of providing a support so as to be movable.

FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view showing a conventional substrate processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2, 3, 4 Board transfer device 12 Guide plate 13 Fixed rail 14 Ball screw shaft 16 Movable member 20 Frame 22 Arm 36 Movable block 37 Nut portion 38 Fixed rail 40 Servo motor W Board

Claims (5)

[Claims] In a substrate transfer apparatus for horizontally supporting and transferring a substrate, a pair of support members for supporting the substrate, an interval variable means for changing an interval between the support members, and a pair of support members are integrally moved. And a moving means for moving the substrate. 2. An apparatus for transferring a substrate to and from a substrate holding means for holding the substrate from below by a supporting portion smaller than the substrate, wherein the supporting member and the substrate holding means are relatively moved in a vertical direction. 2. The substrate transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising a displacement unit that displaces the substrate. 3. A method for transporting a square substrate, comprising:
The said support member is comprised so that a board | substrate may be supported along two opposing sides of a board | substrate, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.
Or the substrate transfer device according to 2. 4. An apparatus for picking up and transporting a substrate from substrate holding means for holding the substrate from below by a support portion smaller than the substrate, and a pick-up mechanism for picking up the substrate from the substrate holding means, and transferring the picked-up substrate. Transfer means, the pick-up mechanism comprises a pair of support members for horizontally supporting the substrate, a distance variable means for changing the distance between these support members, and the substrate holding means and the support member are vertically moved relative to each other. Wherein the transfer means includes a receiving member for receiving the substrate supported by the support member, and a moving means for moving the receiving member. . 5. The substrate holding means has a suction surface for sucking and holding a substrate as the support portion, and the support member, the interval variable means and the displacement means are provided on the substrate holding means. When picking up, after disposing the pair of support members below the substrate in a state where the interval between the support members is larger than the interval between the substrates, the pair of support members are moved upward relative to the substrate holding means. The distance between the supporting members is gradually reduced while supporting the substrate by the supporting member and displacing the supporting position from the peripheral portion of the substrate toward the central portion. 5. The substrate transfer device according to any one of 2 to 4.