KR20060047677A - Substrate transferring apparatus and substrate processing apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The substrate transfer apparatus which can carry out the conveyance smoothly also in the board | substrate of high temperature, and can shorten the processing time of the whole production process. In the unload chamber 13 of the substrate processing apparatus 10, the chuck portion 20 for chucking the substrate W placed on the tray 17 and moving to the recovery tray 18 and the horizontal driving mechanism for driving the chuck portion 20 are provided. 21 is provided. In addition, when the chuck 20 chucks the substrate W, the unload chamber 13 includes a lifting plate 30 which vertically moves the substrate W from the tray 17 to help chuck the substrate W. An elevating mechanism 31 for driving the elevating plate 30 is provided.

Substrate Processing Unit, Substrate Transfer Unit, Chuck, Tray, Cooling Mechanism

Description

Substrate transfer apparatus and substrate processing apparatus provided with the same {SUBSTRATE TRANSFERRING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME}

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the whole block diagram which showed typically the outline of the substrate processing apparatus with which the substrate transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention was equipped.

It is a perspective view of the chuck | zipper part provided in the board | substrate conveying apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention.

3 is a partial configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of the substrate transfer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

It is a partial block diagram which shows typically the structure of the board | substrate transfer apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

It is the whole block diagram which showed typically the outline when the board | substrate transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is installed in the exterior of a substrate processing apparatus.

(Short description of drawing)

10, 10A: substrate processing apparatus, 11: load chamber,

12: processing chamber, 13: unload chamber,

14: recovery station, 15 to 17, 117: tray,

18: recovery tray, 19: cooling mechanism,

20: chuck, 21: horizontal drive mechanism,

30, 130: lifting plate, 31, 32: lifting mechanism,

40: cassette portion, 50: adsorption portion,

W: Substrate

The present invention relates to a substrate transfer device and a substrate processing apparatus including the transfer device.

Semiconductor substrates and glass substrates are processed into a number of products. One means for shortening the overall manufacturing time is to recover the substrate as soon as possible in order to put the substrate which has finished one step into the next step. For example, in a solar cell panel in which amorphous silicon is formed on a glass substrate, scribing is performed after film formation, but the panel after the film forming step is at a high temperature. Conventionally, the pattern is gripped and conveyed by a vacuum chuck system that adsorbs the pattern to an adsorption portion made of synthetic resin.

The conventional vacuum chuck system uses an adsorption part of a synthetic resin, and neither the gripping nor the conveying is performed while the panel is in a high temperature state, and it takes time to cool the panel on the processed tray. Therefore, the flow of the panels sequentially processed in turn is stagnant, and it is impossible to shorten the processing time as the whole production process.

The substrate transfer apparatus of Claim 1 is a substrate transfer apparatus which transfers the board | substrate of a high temperature state put on the process tray to the collection | recovery tray of the back end, WHEREIN: The holding member formed from the heat resistant material which receives and maintains the board | substrate on a process tray, The first water supply means for transferring the substrate from the processing tray to the holding member, the moving means for moving the holding member from the processing tray to the recovery tray, and the holding member moved over the recovery tray by the moving means. It is characterized by including a second water supply means for transferring the substrate to the recovery tray.

The substrate transfer device of claim 2, wherein the substrate transfer device of claim 1, wherein the first water supply unit has a lifting pin that moves up and down through a through hole provided in the processing tray, and the lifting pin protrudes from the surface of the processing tray through the through hole. The substrate is held at the distal end of the substrate, the rear end of the substrate rising from the processing tray is aligned with the holding member, and then the lifting pin is retracted from the through hole of the processing tray to deliver the substrate to the holding member. Can be configured to In addition, the second water supply means includes a second elevating member for elevating and collecting the collecting tray, and lifting and collecting the collecting tray by the second elevating member, which is stored in the holding member and moved up to the collecting tray. Can be configured to

The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 4 is the substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein a portion of the processing tray has a position member capable of being lifted apart from a portion thereof, and the first water supply means moves up and down the position member. A first elevating member is provided to raise the position member from the main body of the processing tray by the first elevating member to align the rear end of the position member with the retaining member, and then the first elevating member is lowered to hold the position member together with the substrate. It can be configured to hand over to the member. In addition, the second water supply means includes a second lifting member for elevating and collecting the recovery tray, and lifting and collecting the recovery tray by the second lifting member, which is held in the holding member and moved up to the recovery tray together with the substrate. It can be comprised so that it may be in a collection tray.

As for the board | substrate transfer apparatus of Claim 6, in the board | substrate transfer apparatus of any one of Claims 1-5, you may provide the cooling means in the collection tray which cools the board | substrate moved from a process tray.

The substrate processing apparatus of Claim 7 is equipped with the chamber which accommodates the process tray which holds the board | substrate of a high temperature state, and the board | substrate transfer apparatus of any one of Claims 1-6, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

 According to the present invention, even in a substrate at a high temperature state, by transporting the substrate on the processing tray to the recovery tray using a holding member formed of a heat resistant material, the substrate can be transported smoothly, thereby shortening the processing time of the entire production process. Can be.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the substrate transfer apparatus and substrate processing apparatus which concern on embodiment of this invention are demonstrated, referring FIGS.

(First embodiment)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the whole block diagram which showed typically the outline of the substrate processing apparatus with which the substrate transfer apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention was equipped. It is a perspective view of the chuck | zipper part provided in the substrate transfer apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a partial block diagram which shows typically the structure of the board | substrate transfer apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment.

The substrate processing apparatus 10 includes a load chamber 11, a processing chamber 12, an unload chamber 13, and a recovery station 14. The load chamber 11 is provided with a gate G1 facing the outside, the gate G2 is provided at a boundary between the load chamber 11 and the processing chamber 12, and the processing chamber 12 and the unload chamber 13 are provided. ), A gate G3 is provided at the boundary, and the unload chamber 13 is provided with a gate G4 facing the recovery station 13. The gates G1 to G4 are configured to be openable and closed respectively. In addition, the recovery station 14 may be a predetermined space not configured as a chamber.

In the load chamber 11, the processing chamber 12, the unload chamber 13, and the recovery station 14, the trays 15, 16, 17 and the tray 18 on which the substrates W are placed are housed, respectively. . The trays 15, 16, and 17 are flat plates of the same shape in which a plurality of substrates W are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns. However, the trays 17 have a plurality of substrates W based on the arrangement of the substrates W. The through hole 17a is drilled. The recovery tray 18 is a flat plate on which a plurality of substrates W in one row or one column are placed. The substrate W is, for example, a solar cell panel using an amorphous silicon film, and a silicon nitride film is formed on the surface of the panel as the antireflection film in the processing chamber 12. In general, the solar cell panel is heated to about 300 ~ 500 ℃ by parallel plate plasma CVD.

In the unload chamber 13, the chuck 20 and the lifting plate 30 are accommodated, and the lifting mechanism 31 for lifting up and down the horizontal drive mechanism 21 for driving the chuck 20 and the lifting plate 30 is also included. It is prepared. The chuck portion 20 reciprocates from side to side in the drawing by the horizontal drive mechanism 21, and when the substrate W on the tray 17 is moved to the recovery tray 18, the chuck 20 passes through the gate G4 to recover the recovery station ( 14) Go inside. The structure of the chuck | zipper part 20 is mentioned later.

The elevating plate 30 reciprocates up and down in the drawing by the elevating mechanism 31. The plurality of pins 30a are fitted to the plurality of through holes 17a of the tray 17 on the upper surface of the elevating plate 30. In addition, the recovery station 14 is provided with a lifting mechanism 32 for elevating the recovery tray 18, and in the recovery station 14, a cassette unit 40 that receives and receives the substrate W from the recovery tray 18. ) Is housed.

The structure of the chuck 20 is described with reference to FIG. 2. The chuck | zipper part 20 is a tubular shape with a cross section rectangular in both ends, and the center part is cut off in the lower surface. The end portion 20a is a portion which is kept in contact with both ends of the substrate W so that the substrate W does not fall, hereinafter, the operation in which the chuck portion 20 holds the substrate W is called chucking. In the figure, the distance y1 is set shorter than the dimension of the substrate W, and the distance y2 is set longer than the dimension of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Further, the distance y1 is set to be longer than the width dimension of the recovery tray 18 (perpendicular to the surface of Fig. 1) to allow the recovery tray 18 to pass therethrough. The longitudinal direction (x direction) dimension of the chuck | zipper part 20 is determined by the dimension of the board | substrate W, and the number of sheets chucked.

By forming the shape shown in FIG. 2, the chuck | zipper part 20 does not contact the upper surface of the board | substrate W at the time of chucking, and does not damage it. In addition, at the time of chucking, since it is in the state which covered the upper surface of the board | substrate W, attachment of dust and a particle can be prevented. The chuck 20 is made of a heat resistant material such as metal or ceramic. By using the chuck portion 20 made of metal or ceramic, the chuck portion 20 can be chucked and moved directly even at a high temperature substrate W, so that the processing time can be shortened.

Hereinafter, the process and the conveyance of the board | substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus 10 by this embodiment are demonstrated. The unprocessed substrate W is conveyed to the tray 15 of the load chamber 11 through the gate G1 from the outside, and further conveyed to the tray 16 of the processing chamber 12 through the gate G2. . The processing in the processing chamber 12 is performed by heating the substrate W to a predetermined temperature, for example, in the film formation processing as described above. The substrate W after the completion of the film forming process passes through the gate G3 and is conveyed to the tray 17 of the unload chamber 13. At this stage, the substrate W is in a high temperature state.

The substrate W after the film forming process is chucked by the chuck portion 20 and conveyed from the tray 17 of the unload chamber 13 to the recovery tray 18 of the recovery station 14. In addition, the substrate W after the film forming process is conveyed from the recovery tray 18 to the cassette 40 and accommodated in the cassette 40. This conveyance process will be described in detail with reference to the partial configuration diagrams of FIGS. 3A to 3I.

3A-3C show the state in the unload chamber 13, and FIGS. 3A-3F and 3G-3I show the state in the recovery station 14. 3A is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the tray 17 on which the substrate W is placed and the chuck portion 20. FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along line II of FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3C is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 3D is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the recovery tray 18 and the chuck portion 20 on which the substrate W is placed, FIG. 3E is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 3D, and FIG. 3F is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3D. to be. 3G is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the recovery tray 18 and the cassette portion 40 on which the substrate W is placed, FIG. 3H is a VV cross-sectional view of FIG. 3G, and FIG. 3I is a VI-VI cross-sectional view of FIG. 3G. .

As shown in the plan view of FIG. 3A, it is assumed that three substrates W are arranged on the tray 17. In the initial state, the chuck 20 is retracted from the upper side of the tray 17. First, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, the elevating plate 30 is raised to bring the tip of the pin 30a into contact with the rear surface of the three substrates W through the through holes 17a and the substrate W ) Is pushed up from the surface of the tray 17 to a predetermined distance. The chuck portion 20 is slid along the surface of the substrate W in the x1 direction of FIG. 3A to place three substrates W inside the chuck portion 20 and approach the end portion 20a. By lowering the lifting plate 30, the chucking of the substrate W is completed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, 3E, 3F, the chuck | zipper part 20 which chucked three board | substrates W is moved to the upper side of the collection tray 18. Then, as shown to FIG. When the recovery tray 18 is lifted from the correct position by the elevating mechanism 32, the upper surface of the recovery tray 18 passes through the central opening of the lower surface of the chuck 20 and contacts the rear surface of the three substrates W. The substrate W is pushed up to a predetermined distance. As a result, the three substrates W are separated from the end portion 20a of the chuck portion 20. In this state, the chuck | zipper part 20 is slid in the x2 direction of FIG. 3D, it is separated from three board | substrates W, and it returns to an initial position. The recovery tray 18 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 32 to return to the home position. By the above process, transfer of the substrate W from the tray 17 to the recovery tray 18 is completed. In FIG. 3A, the chuck | zipper part 20 which returned to the initial position was moved upward by 1 row, and moved to x4 direction, and the next board | substrate W conveyance is prepared.

Subsequently, the substrate W transferred to the recovery tray 18 is stored in the cassette unit 40. As shown in Figs. 3G, 3H and 3I, the recovery tray 18 is moved toward the cassette section 40, i.e., in the x3 direction of Fig. 3G, so that the substrate is formed at each end of the cassette section 40 having a multistage interior. (W) is stored one by one. At this time, the cassette part 40 is intermittently moved in the z direction of FIG. 3H. This intermittent moving distance is the short interval of the cassette unit 40. Moreover, even if the collection tray 18 is intermittently moved upward and the cassette part 40 is reciprocated to the left-right direction, the board | substrate W can be accommodated in the cassette part 40. FIG. This series of conveyance processes are repeated one by one to accommodate all of the substrates W on the tray 17 in the cassette unit 40.

In addition, the recovery tray 18 is provided with a cooling mechanism 19 for cooling the substrate W. As shown in FIG. In particular, since the substrate W subjected to the film formation and the heat treatment is at a high temperature, it is important to put it into the next step as soon as possible in order to shorten the processing time of the entire process. By providing the cooling mechanism 19, since the board | substrate W on the collection | recovery tray 18 cools quickly, it is possible to accommodate the board | substrate W in the cassette part 40 in a short time. The cooling mechanism 19 includes circulation of cooling water, blowing of cold air, and the like.

The substrate transfer device of the present embodiment mechanically chucks (holds) the substrate W by the chuck portion 20 made of a heat resistant material, so that the substrate transfer device can be directly transferred even at a high temperature substrate W, thereby shortening the processing time. You can. Moreover, by providing the cooling mechanism 19 for cooling the board | substrate W in the collection tray 18, since it can cool immediately even in the high temperature board | substrate W, processing time can be further shortened. Moreover, since the chuck | zipper part 20, the horizontal drive mechanism 21, the lifting board 30, and the lifting mechanism 31 are provided in the unload chamber 13, a new space as a substrate transfer apparatus is unnecessary, and the substrate processing apparatus 10 Substrate processing and conveyance can be performed in a compact configuration without causing an increase in size). In addition, in this embodiment, the chuck | zipper part 20, the horizontal drive mechanism 21, the lifting board 30, and the lifting mechanisms 31 and 32 comprise a board | substrate transfer apparatus.

(2nd embodiment)

It is a partial block diagram which shows typically the structure of the board | substrate transfer apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The structure of the substrate processing apparatus provided with the substrate transfer apparatus of this embodiment is fundamentally the same as what was demonstrated in 1st Embodiment, and only a different point is demonstrated. In addition, the chuck | zipper part, a horizontal drive mechanism, and an elevation mechanism are also the same as the board | substrate transfer apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and attach the same code | symbol to the same component.

4A-4C show the state in the unload chamber 13, and FIGS. 4D-4F and 4G-4I show the state in the recovery station 14. 4A is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the tray 117 on which the substrate W is placed and the chuck portion 20. FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4C is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 4A. 4D is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the recovery tray 18 and the chuck portion 20 on which the substrate W is placed, FIG. 4E is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 4D, and FIG. 4F is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 4D. to be. 4G is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the recovery tray 18 and the cassette unit 140 on which the substrate W is placed, FIG. 4H is a VV cross-sectional view of FIG. 4G, and FIG. 4I is a VI-VI cross-sectional view of FIG. 4G. .

With reference to FIG. 4, the difference from what was demonstrated in 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. First, the tray 117 is structurally different from the tray 17 of FIG. 3. As shown in Figs. 4A, 4B, and 4C, a plurality of stepped blood sections 117b having a two-stage structure are formed in the tray 117, and a position member for placing the substrate W in each stepped blood section 117b. 117a is set to be removable, respectively. In addition, the lifting plate 130 is also different from the lifting plate 30 in FIG. 3. That is, the elevating plate 130 is elevated by bringing the upper surface of the elevating plate 130 into contact with the lower surface of the positioning member 117a.

The board | substrate W conveyance process in the substrate processing apparatus comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 4A, it is assumed that three substrates W are arranged on the tray 117. In the initial state, the chuck 20 is retracted from the upper side of the tray 117. First, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, when the elevating plate 130 is raised, the upper surface of the elevating plate 130 contacts the lower surface of the positioning member 117a and pushes the positioning member 117a to a predetermined distance. At this time, three substrates W are placed on the upper surface of the positioning member 117a. As described in the first embodiment, the chuck portion 20 is slid along the surface of the substrate W in the x1 direction of FIG. 4A, and the position member 117a on which the three substrates W are placed is placed on the chuck portion 20. Is chucked to the end portion 20a. This chucking is the same as the method described in the first embodiment. Even when the chucking of the substrate W is completed, the lifting plate 30 is not lowered.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 4D, 4E, and 4F, the chuck portion 20 chucking the position member 117a on which the three substrates W are placed is moved to the upper side of the recovery tray 18. When the recovery tray 18 is lifted from the correct position by the elevating mechanism 32, the upper surface of the recovery tray 18 passes through the central opening of the lower surface of the chuck portion 20, and contacts the lower surface of the positioning member 117a. The position member 117a is pushed up to a distance. As a result, the positioning member 117a is separated from the end portion 20a of the chuck portion 20 while the three substrates W are placed thereon. In this state, the chuck 20 is slid in the x2 direction of FIG. 4D to be separated from the position member 117a. The recovery tray 18 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 32 to return to the correct position. By the above process, the transfer of the substrate W from the tray 117 to the recovery tray 18 is completed. The three substrates W remain on the positioning member 117a.

Subsequently, the substrate W on the position member 117a moved to the recovery tray 18 is stored in the cassette unit 40. When the chuck | zipper part 20 separates from the position member 117a, the surface of three board | substrates W is exposed. The suction part 50 of the vacuum chuck apparatus is lowered from above the three substrates W, and the three substrates W are vacuum-adsorbed at the same time, and then the suction part 50 is detached from the positioning member 117a. .

As shown in Figs. 4G, 4H and 4I, the adsorption part 50 in which the three substrates W are vacuum-adsorbed is moved toward the cassette part 40, that is, in the x3 direction of Fig. 4G, and the interior is multistage. Each board | substrate W is accommodated in each stage of the cassette part 40 which exists. At this time, the cassette unit 40 is intermittently moved in the z direction of FIG. 4H by a short interval. Moreover, even if the suction part 50 of the vacuum chuck apparatus is intermittently moved upward and the cassette part 40 is reciprocated to the left-right direction, the board | substrate W can be accommodated in the cassette part 40. FIG. When such a series of conveyance processes are complete | finished, the chuck | zipper part 20 is moved to the x4 direction again by moving one column upward in FIG. 4A, and the next board | substrate W is conveyed.

Before this second conveyance operation, there is a step of resetting the positioning member 117a remaining on the recovery tray 18 to the tray 117. That is, after the adsorption | suction part 50 of the vacuum chuck apparatus adsorb | sucks the board | substrate W on the positioning member 117a to the cassette part 40, the chuck | zipper part 20 is slid, and the position on the collection | recovery tray 18 is carried out. By chucking only the member 117a, the chuck 20 is returned to the initial position, the position member 117a is transferred to the elevating plate 130, the elevating plate 130 is lowered, and the position member 117a is tray 117. Reset to). Moreover, also in this embodiment, it is possible to provide the collection | recovery tray 18 with the cooling mechanism 19 for cooling the board | substrate W. As shown in FIG. In addition, in this embodiment, the chuck | zipper part 20, the horizontal drive mechanism 21, the lifting board 130, and the lifting mechanisms 31 and 32 comprise a board | substrate transfer apparatus.

In this embodiment, the same effects as in the first embodiment are obtained. Furthermore, since the positioning member 117a is chucked together with the substrate W, even if it is moved from the tray 17 to the recovery tray 18, the positional relationship of the substrate W and the like is unchanged, so that no special positioning is necessary. For example, the operation of accommodating the substrate W in the cassette 40 becomes easy.

This invention is not limited to embodiment described above, unless the feature is impaired. For example, in the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the board | substrate W was moved by three sheets, but it is not limited to three sheets, but may be one sheet or multiple sheets. In addition, the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention can be used not only for transferring the substrate from the unload chamber 13 to the recovery station 14, but also for transferring the substrate from the processing chamber 12 to the unload chamber 13, for example. Do.

Furthermore, the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention can be used for substrate transfer after the substrate W is unloaded from the unload chamber 13 to the outside of the recovery station 14 or the substrate processing apparatus 10. That is, the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention can also be used for substrate transfer in the recovery station 14 and substrate transfer at a place outside the substrate processing apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the board | substrate transfer apparatus of this invention can be installed in the collection | recovery station 14, and can be used. As described above, when the recovery station 14 is independently in a predetermined space, the substrate transfer device is provided outside the substrate processing apparatus 10A. In addition, in FIG. 5, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component same as FIG. 1, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

According to the present invention, even when the substrate is in a high temperature state, the substrate conveyance can be smoothly carried out by transferring the substrate on the processing tray to the recovery tray using a holding material formed of a solvent resistant material, thereby shortening the processing time of the entire production process. You can.

Claims (7)

In the substrate transfer apparatus which transfers the board | substrate of the high temperature state on the process tray to the collection | recovery tray of the back end, A holding member formed of a heat resistant material that receives and holds a substrate on the processing tray; First water feeding means for transferring the substrate on the processing tray from the processing tray to the holding member; Moving means for moving the holding member from the processing tray to the recovery tray; And a second water supply means for transferring the substrate held in the holding member moved up to the recovery tray by the moving means to the recovery tray. The method according to claim 1, The first water supply means has a lifting pin for elevating through the through hole provided in the processing tray, The substrate is held at the tip of the lifting pin protruding from the surface of the processing tray through the through hole, and the rear end of the substrate floating from the processing tray is aligned with the holding member. And a lifting pin is retracted from the through hole of the processing tray to transfer the substrate to the holding member. The method according to claim 2, The second water supply means includes a second elevating member for elevating the recovery tray, And the substrate is lifted by the second elevating member so that the substrate is stored in the holding member and moved to the recovery tray. The method according to claim 1, The processing tray has a position member which can be lifted apart a part thereof, The first water supply means includes a first elevating member for elevating the position member through the processing tray, After raising the position member from the main body of the processing tray by the first elevating member and fitting the rear end of the position member to the holding member, the first elevating member is lowered so that the position member is moved together with the substrate. The substrate transfer apparatus characterized by also being a holding member. The method according to claim 4, The second water supply means includes a second elevating member for elevating the recovery tray,  And the collecting member is lifted and lowered by the second elevating member so that the position member, which is held in the holding member and moved up to the collecting tray, is also provided to the collecting tray together with the substrate. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, And said collecting tray is provided with cooling means for cooling said substrate transferred from said processing tray. A chamber accommodating a processing tray for placing the substrate at a high temperature; The substrate transfer apparatus of any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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