KR20200122277A - Substrate processing system and control method of transferring substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a substrate carrying method, which is a substrate carrying method for carrying two substrates at the same time from a cassette including a plurality of storage slots to a first chamber, includes the following steps of: confirming whether the two substrates are placed in one of the plurality of storage slots; if the two substrates are placed in the one storage slot, carrying the two substrates to the first chamber by placing the two substrates on a support bar of a carrying part; and if one of the substrates is placed in the one storage slot, placing the other one in the one storage slot, and then, carrying the two substrates to the first chamber by placing the two substrates on the support bar.

Description

Substrate processing system and substrate transfer method {SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD OF TRANSFERRING SUBSTRATE}

The present invention relates to a substrate processing system and a substrate transfer method in a substrate processing system.

The manufacturing process of the display device includes a plurality of unit processes that are different from each other, and each unit process is generally performed in different spaces. Therefore, when a display device is manufactured using a substrate, the substrate is moved to each space spaced apart from each other to perform unit processes.

As described above, one large substrate is injected into each processing chamber that performs each unit process, and a deposition process or the like may be performed on the large substrate.

In recent years, as the size of the manufactured display device is diversified, the size of the substrate to be applied to the deposition process has also been diversified. For example, instead of the conventional large substrate, a substrate corresponding to half of the large substrate may be used.

However, when such a half-sized substrate is introduced into a conventional process chamber, a space in the process chamber is left unnecessarily or a design change such as manufacturing a new process chamber for a half-sized substrate is required.

An object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of substrate processing systems capable of processing a plurality of substrates in one process chamber using a conventional process chamber for a large substrate.

In addition, to provide a substrate transport method for transporting at least two or more substrates into a chamber from a cassette for transporting and storing substrates.

A substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a first chamber in which at least two substrates are simultaneously carried in or out; A substrate alignment unit disposed in the first chamber and arranged to align the at least two substrates to be spaced apart at a predetermined interval; A plurality of second chambers for processing the at least two substrates aligned in the first chamber; And a substrate transfer unit transferring the aligned at least two substrates from the first chamber to the second chamber, wherein the substrate alignment unit is a first of the at least two substrates spaced apart from each other along a first direction. A substrate support for supporting the first substrate and the second substrate; A plurality of edge support portions including a first edge support portion supporting an edge of the first substrate and a second edge support portion supporting an edge of the second substrate; And a gap adjusting unit movable along a second direction and inserted into a space between the first substrate and the second substrate to adjust a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the gap adjustment The portion is rotatably coupled, and includes a gap extension portion capable of pushing both the one surface of the first substrate and the one surface of the second substrate, and the first direction is one of a plurality of side surfaces of the first substrate or the second substrate. It is a direction parallel to one side surface, and the second direction crosses the first direction and is a direction parallel to another side surface that is not parallel to the one side surface.

The spacing adjusting part may include a first spacing adjusting part insertable into the space between the first substrate and the second substrate from top to bottom along the second direction, and a first spacing adjusting part insertable into the space from bottom to top in the second direction It may include a second spacing adjustment unit.

The first substrate may include: a first side surface parallel to the first direction and positioned above the first substrate; A second side parallel to the first side and positioned under the first substrate; And a third side surface and a fourth side surface in parallel with the second direction crossing the first direction, wherein the second substrate is in parallel with the first direction, and a fifth side surface positioned above the second substrate ; A sixth side surface parallel to the fifth side surface and positioned under the second substrate; A seventh side surface parallel to the second direction and facing the third side surface of the first substrate; And an eighth side surface parallel to the seventh side surface, wherein each of the first space control parts includes: a first body; The first substrate side support and the first body are disposed on the first body and spaced apart from each other along the first direction, respectively, and contactable with the first side surface of the first substrate and the fifth side surface of the second substrate. It is rotatably coupled, and may include a first gap extension portion capable of simultaneously pushing the third side of the first substrate and the seventh side of the second substrate.

Each of the second spacing adjustment units may include a second body; The second substrate side support and the second body are disposed on the second body and spaced apart from each other along the first direction, respectively, and contactable with the second side of the first substrate and the sixth side of the side of the second substrate. It is rotatably coupled, and may include a second gap expansion portion capable of simultaneously pushing the third side surface of the first substrate and the seventh side surface of the second substrate.

The first gap expansion part and the second gap expansion part may include a pair of bar-shaped members spaced apart at predetermined intervals.

The pair of bar-shaped members may include rubber, silicone or urethane.

The first edge support and the second edge support may have shapes corresponding to the edges of the first and second substrates, respectively.

The substrate transfer unit may include a first support bar that supports the at least two substrates, and a first driving unit that is coupled to the first support bar and moves the first support bar.

It may further include a cassette for storing the at least two substrates carried into the first chamber, and a transport unit for transporting the at least two substrates from the cassette to the first chamber.

The transfer unit supports the at least two substrates arranged in parallel with each other, a plurality of second support bars extending in one direction and the plurality of second support bars are coupled, and a second driving unit for moving the second support bar It may include.

Each of the plurality of second support bars may have a seating groove in which the at least two substrates are seated.

The plurality of second support bars may be three or more.

The length of the plurality of second support bars may be longer than the total length of the at least two substrates.

The first edge support portion and the second edge support portion may contact or be separated from the edges of the first substrate and the second substrate, respectively.

The first chamber and the plurality of second chambers may be arranged along an annular imaginary line.

A substrate processing system according to an embodiment includes a substrate alignment unit that aligns the first substrate and the second substrate to be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval in a substrate processing system in which a first substrate and a second substrate are carried in or taken out at the same time. The substrate alignment unit may include: a first edge support portion supporting an edge of the first substrate; A second edge support portion supporting an edge of the second substrate; And a gap adjusting part inserted into the space between the first and second substrates to adjust a gap between the first and second substrates, and the gap adjusting part is rotatably coupled to the second substrate. It may include a gap expansion portion that can push both the one surface of the first substrate and the one surface of the second substrate.

The spacing adjusting part may include a first spacing adjusting part insertable into the space between the first substrate and the second substrate from top to bottom along the second direction, and a first spacing adjusting part insertable into the space from bottom to top in the second direction It may include a second spacing adjustment unit.

The first substrate may include: a first side surface parallel to the first direction and positioned above the first substrate; A second side parallel to the first side and positioned under the first substrate; And a third side surface and a fourth side surface in parallel with the second direction crossing the first direction, wherein the second substrate is in parallel with the first direction, and a fifth side surface positioned above the second substrate ; A sixth side surface parallel to the fifth side surface and positioned under the second substrate; A seventh side surface parallel to the second direction and facing the third side surface of the first substrate; And an eighth side surface parallel to the seventh side surface, wherein each of the first space control parts includes: a first body; The first substrate side support and the first body are disposed on the first body and spaced apart from each other along the first direction, respectively, and contactable with the first side surface of the first substrate and the fifth side surface of the second substrate. It is rotatably coupled, and may include a first gap extension portion capable of simultaneously pushing the third side of the first substrate and the seventh side of the second substrate.

Each of the second spacing adjustment units may include a second body; The second substrate side support and the second body are disposed on the second body to be spaced apart from each other along the first direction, respectively, and contactable with the second side surface of the first substrate and the sixth side surface of the second substrate. It is rotatably coupled, and may include a second gap expansion portion capable of simultaneously pushing the third side surface of the first substrate and the seventh side surface of the second substrate.

The first gap expansion part and the second gap expansion part may include a pair of bar-shaped members spaced apart at predetermined intervals.

The pair of bar-shaped members may include rubber, silicone or urethane.

The first edge support and the second edge support may have shapes corresponding to the edges of the first and second substrates, respectively.

It may further include a transport unit for transporting the at least two substrates.

The transport unit may support the at least two substrates arranged parallel to each other, a plurality of support bars extending in one direction and a plurality of support bars are coupled, and may include a driving unit for moving the support bar.

Each of the plurality of support bars may have a seating groove in which the at least two substrates are seated.

The plurality of support bars may be three or more.

The length of the plurality of support bars may be longer than the total length of the at least two substrates.

The first edge support portion and the second edge support portion may contact or be separated from the edges of the first substrate and the second substrate, respectively.

According to the substrate processing system as described above, it is possible to simultaneously process a plurality of substrates in a conventional process chamber for large-sized substrates.

Further, according to the substrate transfer method, at least two or more substrates can be simultaneously transferred from the cassette into the chamber.

1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the cassette and the transfer unit of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which two substrates are placed in the conveying unit of FIG.
4 to 8 are views illustrating a process of transferring two substrates from a cassette to a first chamber by a transfer unit.
9 to 15 are views explaining a process in which two substrates are transferred from the cassette to the second chamber.
16 to 19 are views for explaining a process in which two substrates are aligned by the substrate alignment unit.
FIG. 20 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a spacing adjustment unit of FIG. 16.
21 is a view schematically showing the edge support of FIG. 16.
22 is a diagram illustrating a process of moving a substrate support on which two aligned substrates are placed.
23 and 24 are views in which a blocking part is installed on a substrate support on which two aligned substrates are placed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily implement the present invention. The present invention may be implemented in various different forms, and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar components throughout the specification.

In addition, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of description, so the present invention is not necessarily limited to the illustrated bar.

In the drawings, the thicknesses are enlarged to clearly express various layers and regions. And in the drawings, for convenience of description, the thickness of some layers and regions is exaggerated. When a part of a layer, film, region, plate, etc. is said to be "on" or "on" another part, this includes not only the case where the other part is "directly above" but also the case where there is another part in the middle.

In addition, throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components unless otherwise stated. In addition, throughout the specification, the term "on" means that it is positioned above or below the target portion, and does not necessarily mean that it is positioned above the direction of gravity.

Hereinafter, a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

1 is a schematic view of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a cassette and a transfer unit of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing two substrates placed on the transfer unit of FIG. It is a diagram showing the state.

1 to 3, the substrate processing system of the present embodiment includes a cassette 100, a transfer unit 300, a first chamber 510, a second chamber 520, 530, 540, 560, 570, Substrate alignment units 710, 720, 730, 740, 750, 760 (see FIG. 16) and a substrate transfer unit 580 may be included. In this embodiment, two substrates (S1, S2) from the cassette 100 are simultaneously transferred to the first chamber 510, which is a load lock chamber, and the two substrates (S1, S2) in the first chamber 510 After alignment, the two substrates S1 and S2 may be simultaneously transported to the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560, and 570, which are process chambers.

2 and 3, the cassette 100 stores a plurality of substrates, and the cassette 100 has a plurality of storage slots in which each substrate S1, S2 is placed, and the plurality of storage slots are vertical. It can be arranged in line in the direction. In this embodiment, two substrates S1 and S2 are placed in each storage slot. The two substrates S1 and S2 placed in each receiving slot may be simultaneously transferred to the first chamber 510 by the transfer unit 300.

At this time, the transfer unit 300 simultaneously transfers the two substrates S1 and S2 from the cassette 100 to the first chamber 510, and a plurality of second support bars ( 310) and a second driving unit 350 may be included. The plurality of second support bars 310 simultaneously support the two substrates S1 and S2, and the plurality of second support bars 310 may be members of a bar shape extending in one direction. The plurality of second support bars 310 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other at regular intervals.

Each of the plurality of second support bars 310 may be provided with a plurality of seating grooves so that the two substrates do not move during movement. As the two substrates are seated in the plurality of seating grooves, the two substrates do not move during movement.

In this embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 330, 331, 333, and 335 coupled to the plurality of second support bars 310 may have stepped seating grooves. In this case, the plurality of protrusions 330, 331, 333, 335 may be integrally formed with the plurality of second support bars 310.

Meanwhile, the second driving unit 350 may move the second support bar 310 on which the two substrates are placed from the cassette 100 to the first chamber 510. The second driving unit 350 may move the second support bar 310 in an up-down direction in order to move the second support bar 310 to a desired storage slot of the cassette 100. In addition, the second driving unit 350 may rotate the second support bar 310 or may move the second support bar 310 in a horizontal direction.

Again, referring to FIG. 1, two substrates S1 and S2 conveyed by the conveying unit 300 are a processing space in which the first and second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560 and 570 are disposed ( 500). The processing space 500 may be a virtual space in which various processes such as deposition and etching are performed on the substrates S1 and S2 moved from the outside.

The first chamber 510 of the processing space 500 may be a chamber into which the substrates S1 and S2 carried into the processing space 500 from outside are inserted. In this case, the first chamber 510 may be a load lock chamber. The substrates S1 and S2 carried from the outside may be transferred to the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560 and 570, which are other process chambers through the first chamber 510. Meanwhile, the first chamber 510 may carry out the substrates S1 and S2 that have been processed in the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560 and 570 to the outside. In the present embodiment, the present embodiment is not limited thereto, and the first chamber 510 may only carry the substrates S1 and S2 from the outside, and may carry the substrates S1 and S2 from the other chamber to the outside.

The second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560, and 570 are process chambers, in which a deposition material is deposited on the substrates S1 and S2 transferred from the first chamber 510 and etched into a specific pattern to form a specific pattern. The process and the like can be performed.

In this case, the substrate transfer unit 580 may perform a process of transferring the substrates S1 and S2 from the first chamber 510 to the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560 and 570. The substrate transfer unit 580 may include a first support bar 582 and a first driving unit 581. The first support bar 582 is a bar-shaped member extending in one direction and may simultaneously support two substrates S1 and S2 aligned in the first chamber 510. The first driver 581 may move the first support bar 582 on which the two substrates are placed from the first chamber 510 to the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560 and 570 disposed at a specific position. . The first driving unit 581 may move in the vertical and horizontal directions, and may also rotate.

Hereinafter, a process of simultaneously transporting two substrates S1 and S2 from the cassette 100 to the first chamber 510 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8.

4 to 8 are views illustrating a process of transferring two substrates from a cassette to a first chamber by a transfer unit.

The second support bar 310 (refer to FIG. 3) of the transfer unit 300 supports two substrates S1 and S2 at the same time in the receiving slot of the cassette 100 (refer to FIG. 1), thereby supporting the two substrates S1 and S2. ) Can be moved to the first chamber 510. However, when two substrates S1 and S2 are not placed in the storage slot of the cassette 100 (refer to FIG. 1), that is, when only one substrate is placed in the storage slot, an additional substrate is inserted into the storage slot. After that, the second support bar 310 (refer to FIG. 3) moves the two substrates at the same time.

Substrates to be carried into the first chamber 510 (refer to FIG. 1) are placed in each storage slot of the cassette 100 (see FIG. 1). In some cases, only one substrate is placed in one storage slot instead of two substrates. There is.

At this time, if only one substrate in which the second support bar 310 (refer to FIG. 3) is disposed in the receiving slot is moved to the first chamber 510 (refer to FIG. 1), only one substrate is transferred to the second chamber 520, 530, 540, 560, 570, see Fig. 1). Only one substrate is placed in the second chamber 520, 530, 540, 560, 570 (refer to FIG. 1) in which two substrates are placed to perform a deposition process or the like. As a result, in the second chamber 520, 530, 540, 560, 570 (refer to FIG. 1), a deposition process or the like may be performed while one substrate is empty.

As described above, when an empty spot is generated in the second chamber 520, 530, 540, 560, 570 (refer to FIG. 1), it affects the flow of the deposition material and thus the second chamber 520, 530, 540, 560, 570 (refer to FIG. 1) may also affect the deposition of the substrate.

In this embodiment, in order to prevent one substrate from being carried into the second chamber 520, 530, 540, 560, 570 (see FIG. 1), that is, the second chamber 520, 530, 540, 560, 570 , In order to insert the two substrates S1 and S2 into the first chamber 510 (refer to FIG. 1), two substrates are inserted into each storage slot of the cassette 100 (refer to FIG. 1) before carrying the substrate into the first chamber 510 (see FIG. 1). Place the substrate.

To this end, in this embodiment, it is first checked whether two substrates are disposed in the receiving slot of the cassette 100 (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 4, when one substrate S is placed in the receiving slot of the cassette 100 (see FIG. 1), the other substrate is additionally disposed and the two substrates are placed in the first chamber 510. , See FIG. 1).

Before placing another substrate further, it is checked whether the substrate S placed in the receiving slot of the cassette 100 (see FIG. 1) is located in the inner side (I) or the outer side (II) of the receiving slot. Here, the inner side (I) and the outer side (II) correspond to the outer side (II) of the storage slot in a position close to the entrance to which the substrate is inserted into the storage slot, and a portion far from the entrance of the storage slot is the inner side ( It may correspond to I).

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, when the substrate S is disposed on the inside (I) of the storage slot, another substrate D is additionally disposed on the outside (II) of the storage slot. In this case, the substrate D added to the outer side II may be the same substrate for deposition as the one disposed on the inner side I, or may be a dummy substrate.

Unlike FIG. 4, when the substrate is placed on the outer side II of the receiving slot, the additional substrate D is not disposed directly on the inner side I of the receiving slot. As shown in FIG. 7, if the additional substrate D is disposed directly inside the receiving slot I, the second support bar 310 (refer to FIG. 3) of the transfer unit 300 in the process of placing the substrate D The substrate S placed on the outer side II may be damaged.

To prevent this, the substrate S placed on the outside (II) of the storage slot is moved to the inside (I) of the storage slot (I), and then an additional substrate (D) is disposed on the outside (II) of the storage slot. Through this process, the substrates S and D are placed on both the inside (I) and the outside (II) of the storage slot. Thereafter, the two substrates disposed in the receiving slots are transferred to the first chamber 510 (see FIG. 1).

If, in the process of checking whether two substrates are disposed in the receiving slot of the cassette 100 (see FIG. 1), if the substrates S1 and S2 are placed on the inner side (I) and the outer side (II) of the receiving slot, respectively , As shown in FIG. 8, the second support bar 310 (see FIG. 3) of the transfer unit 300 converts two substrates into the first chamber 510 (see FIG. 1) without going through the process of adding a substrate. It is transferred at the same time.

9 to 12, when both the two substrates S1 and S2 are placed in the storage slot, the two substrates S1 and S2 are transferred to the first chamber 510 by the transfer unit 300. . In FIGS. 9 to 12, it is shown that both the substrates S1 and S2 are substrates for deposition. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and one of the two substrates may be a dummy substrate.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, when two substrates S1 and S2 are placed in the first chamber 510, the substrate alignment units 710, 720, 730, 740, and 750 are placed in the first chamber 510. 760 (see FIG. 16) may align the two substrates S1 and S2. The substrate alignment units 710, 720, 730, 740, 750, 760 (refer to FIG. 16) may be arranged in the first chamber 510 so that the two substrates S1 and S2 are spaced apart at a predetermined interval. . A process of aligning the two substrates S1 and S2 by the substrate alignment units 710, 720, 730, 740, 750, 760, and FIG. 16 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 16 to 21.

When the alignment of the two substrates S1 and S2 in the first chamber 510 is completed, as shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the two substrates S1 and S2 are replaced with the second chambers 520 and 530. 540, 560, 570) can be carried at the same time. Here, the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560, and 570 may be process chambers in which a deposition or etching process is performed, as described above. In this embodiment, in the second chamber (520, 530, 540, 560, 570) that previously performed a deposition process on one large substrate, two substrates (S1, S2) are inserted to perform the deposition process. I can. The substrates S1 and S2 applied in this embodiment may be half the size of a conventional large substrate. That is, according to the present embodiment, the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560, and 570 used for one large substrate can be used for a deposition process of a plurality of substrates having a size smaller than that of a large substrate.

Meanwhile, a plurality of second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560 and 570 may be disposed in the processing space 500. Different processes may be performed in each of the plurality of second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560 and 570 disposed in the processing space 500. In this case, the plurality of second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560, and 570 and the first chamber 510 may be arranged in the processing space 500 along an imaginary annular line.

In this case, the substrate transfer unit 580 disposed in the processing space 500 may transfer the two substrates S1 and S2 to the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560 and 570. The substrate transfer unit 580 may include a plurality of first support bars 582 and a first driving unit 581. The plurality of first support bars 582 simultaneously support two substrates S1 and S2, and the plurality of first support bars 582 may be members having a bar shape extending in one direction. The plurality of first support bars 582 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other at regular intervals. At this time, when the plurality of first support bars 582 transport the two substrates S1 and S2 to the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560, 570, the plurality of first support bars 582 Lift the substrate support 511 on which the two aligned substrates S1 and S2 are placed (refer to FIG. 16) to transport the substrates S1 and S2, or the plurality of first support bars 582 directly connect the two substrates ( S1, S2 can be lifted and the board|substrates S1, S2 can be conveyed.

Meanwhile, the first driver 581 may move the first support bar 582 on which the two substrates are placed from the first chamber 510 to the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560 and 570. Like the second driving unit 350 of the transport unit 300, the first driving unit 581 may move the first support bar 582 in the vertical or horizontal direction, and also the first support bar 582 You can also rotate it.

In the following, with reference to FIGS. 16 to 21, the substrate alignment units 710, 720, 730, 740, 750, 760 in the first chamber 510 align the two substrates S1 and S2. It will be described in detail.

16 to 19 are views for explaining a process in which two substrates are aligned by the substrate alignment unit, FIG. 20 is a perspective view schematically showing a spacing adjustment unit of FIG. 16, and FIG. 21 is a schematic view of a corner support portion of FIG. 16 It is a drawing.

Referring to FIG. 16, the substrate alignment unit may include a substrate support 511, a plurality of edge support portions 710, 720, 730, and 740, a first spacing control unit 750 and a second spacing control unit 760. I can.

The substrate support 511 may support two substrates S1 and S2 conveyed from the cassette 100. The substrate support 511 may have a plate shape having a rectangular plane.

In this embodiment, two substrates (S1, S2) are arranged to be spaced apart from each other on the substrate support (511), while maintaining the gap between the two substrates (S1, S2) in the receiving slot, on the substrate support (511). Is placed. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, when viewing FIG. 16 in a plan view, the substrate disposed on the left side of the first direction (X-axis direction) is disposed on the right side of the first substrate S1 and the first direction (X-axis direction). The resulting substrate is referred to as a second substrate S2.

Meanwhile, a plurality of edge support portions 710, 720, 730, and 740 may be disposed at the edges of the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, edge support portions 710 and 720 are disposed at the left edge of the first substrate S1, and edge support portions 730 and 740 are disposed at the right edge of the second substrate S2. Can be placed.

At this time, when the first and second spacing control units 750 and 760 push the first substrate S1 to the left, the edge support units 710 and 720 move the first substrate S1 to the left. While preventing this, the left edge of the first substrate S1 may be fixed at a predetermined position. When the first gap adjusting part 750 and the second gap adjusting part 760 push the second substrate S2 to the right, the edge support parts 730 and 740 prevent the second board S2 from moving to the right Meanwhile, the right edge of the second substrate S2 may be fixed at a predetermined position.

Referring to FIG. 17, a plurality of edge support portions 710, 720, 730, and 740 may be moved to a predetermined position. Here, the predetermined position is a position where the corners of the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2 are to be disposed when the distance adjustment of the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2 is completed. Can be indicated. Meanwhile, in FIG. 17, it is shown that the edges of the plurality of edge support portions 710, 720, 730, and 740 and the first and second substrates S1 and S2 contact each other, but may not contact each other. .

As shown in FIG. 17, when the plurality of edge support portions 710, 720, 730, and 740 are placed in a predetermined position, the plurality of edge support portions 710, 720, 730, and 740 are placed in a predetermined position until the distance adjustment of the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2 is completed. The corner supports 710, 720, 730, and 740 are fixed.

18 and 19, when a plurality of edge support portions 710, 720, 730, and 740 are placed in a predetermined position, the first and second distance adjustment units 750 and 760 face each other. The view may be inserted into the space between the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2. At this time, the first and second spacing control units 750 and 760 may be configured to separate the first and second substrates S1 and S2 from the corners of the first and second substrates S1 and S2, respectively. ) Can be pushed toward the corners. More specifically, the first and second spacing adjustment units 750 and 760 may push the first substrate S1 to the left and the second substrate S2 to the right. Accordingly, the left edge of the first substrate S1 is brought into close contact with the edge support portions 710 and 720, and the right edge of the second substrate S2 is brought into close contact with the edge support portions 730 and 740.

In the present embodiment, the first gap adjusting unit 750 may be inserted into the space between the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2 from top to bottom along the second direction (Y-axis direction). In addition, the second gap adjusting unit 760 may be inserted into a space between the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2 from bottom to top along the second direction (Y-axis direction).

Meanwhile, the first spacing adjustment unit 750 may include a first body 751, a first substrate side support 755, and a first spacing extension 753. In addition, the second spacing adjustment unit 760 may include a second body 761, a second substrate side support 765, and a second spacing extension 763.

The first substrate side support 755 may be coupled to the first body 751 and may contact the first side P1 of the first substrate S1 and the fifth side P5 of the second substrate. Further, the second substrate side support 765 may be coupled to the second body 761 and may contact the second side P2 of the first substrate S1 and the sixth side P6 of the second substrate. . When the first and second spacing adjustment units 750 and 760 operate, the first substrate side support 755 and the second substrate side support 765 are formed of the first substrate S1 and the second substrate. It is possible to prevent (S2) from moving upward or downward along the second direction (Y-axis direction). In the present description, for convenience of explanation, when FIG. 18 is viewed in a plan view, the first substrate S1 includes a first side P1 positioned at the upper side, a second side P2 positioned at the lower side, and the first substrate S1 positioned at the right side. It will be described as including the three side (P3) and the fourth side (P4) positioned on the left. In addition, the second substrate S2 includes a fifth side (P5) located on the upper side, a sixth side (P6) located on the lower side, a seventh side (P7) located on the left, and an eighth side (P7) located on the right side. It will be described as including P8).

At this time, the first spacing extension 753 is rotatably coupled to the first body 751, and simultaneously connects the third side P3 of the first substrate and the seventh side P7 of the second substrate S2. And, likewise, the second spacing extension 763 is rotatably coupled to the second body 761, and the third side P3 of the first substrate and the seventh side of the second substrate S2 You can push (P7) at the same time. That is, the first gap extension part 753 and the second gap extension part 763 have the third side P3 of the first substrate to the left, and the seventh side P7 of the second substrate S2 to the right. You can push.

In the present embodiment, the first and second spacing extensions 753 and 763 may include a pair of bar-shaped members spaced apart at a predetermined spacing. When the first gap extension portion 753 is first inserted into the space between the third side P3 of the first substrate and the seventh side P7 of the second substrate S2, the pair of bar-shaped members is It is arranged in a line parallel to the direction (Y-axis direction). Then, as shown in Fig. 19, the first gap extension part 753 and the second gap extension part 763 rotate, so that a pair of bar-shaped members are arranged in parallel with the first direction (X-axis direction). do. As a result, the first gap extension part 753 and the second gap extension part 763 can push the third side P3 of the first substrate and the seventh side P7 of the second substrate S2 at the same time. .

Referring to FIG. 20, the first substrate side support 755 may include a pair of bar members. However, the first substrate side support 755 is not limited thereto, and may be formed in the shape of an extended plate.

Meanwhile, a pair of bar-shaped members of the first gap extension part 753 may be disposed on the first rotating plate 753c. As the first rotating plate 753c rotates, a pair of bar-shaped members may be arranged in parallel with the first direction (X-axis direction) or in the second direction (Y-axis direction). In this case, the first rotating plate 753c may be controlled by a motor. The motor applied to this embodiment may be a servo motor. However, the first rotating plate 753c is not limited thereto, and a link member may be coupled between the first rotating plate 753c and the motor.

The pair of bar-shaped members of the first gap extension portion 753 may include rubber, silicone, or urethane. However, the material of the pair of bar-shaped members is not limited thereto, and may be made of a soft material so that the first and second substrates S1 and S2 in contact with the pair of bar-shaped members are not damaged. . Meanwhile, the second spacing extension part 763 includes the same configuration as the first spacing extension part 753, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 21, the edge support part 730 may have a shape corresponding to the edge of the second substrate S2 in contact. In this embodiment, the edge support 730 may have a shape bent at 90 degrees to correspond to the edge of the second substrate S2. Meanwhile, the edge support part 730 may be coupled to the plurality of link members 820 and 830 and the driving part 810. As shown in FIG. 16, after the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2 are placed on the substrate support 511 of the first chamber 510, the edge support 730 moves to a predetermined position. Move. In this way, the plurality of link members 820 and 830 and the driving unit 810 may move the edge support 730 to a predetermined position.

On the other hand, when the alignment of the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2 is completed by the substrate alignment units 710, 720, 730, 740, 750, 760 (refer to FIG. 16) in the first chamber 510 As shown in FIG. 22, it may be transferred to the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560 and 570 in a state aligned by the substrate transfer unit 580.

23 and 24, in this embodiment, before the aligned first and second substrates S1 and S2 are transferred to the second chambers 520, 530, 540, 560, 570, Blocking portions 610, 611, and 613 may be disposed around the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2. When FIG. 23 is viewed in plan view, the blocking portions 610, 611, and 613 may be disposed along the circumferences of the first and second substrates S1 and S2. When a plasma deposition process is performed on the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2 in the second chamber 520, 530, 540, 560, 570 (refer to FIG. 13), the first substrate S1 And a side surface of the second substrate S2 may be affected by plasma. The first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2 may be damaged by this plasma. That is, in this embodiment, blocking portions 610, 611, and 613 are disposed around the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2, and the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S1 by plasma are It is possible to minimize damage to the side of S2).

As described above, the present invention has been described through limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the technical spirit of the present invention and the following description by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Various modifications and variations are possible within the equal scope of the claims.

100 cassette
300 conveyance
500 processing space
510 first chamber
520, 530, 540, 560, 570 second chamber
511 substrate support
710, 720, 730, 740 Multiple edge supports
750 first spacing adjustment unit
751 first body
753 first gap extension
755 first substrate side support
760 second spacing control

Claims (6)

A first chamber in which at least two substrates are carried in or out at the same time;
A substrate alignment unit disposed in the first chamber and arranged to align the at least two substrates to be spaced apart at a predetermined interval;
A plurality of second chambers for processing the at least two substrates aligned in the first chamber; And
And a substrate transfer unit for transferring the aligned at least two substrates from the first chamber to the second chamber or from the second chamber to the first chamber. A substrate transport method for simultaneously transporting two substrates from a cassette including a plurality of storage slots to a first chamber,
Checking whether the two substrates are disposed in one of the plurality of storage slots;
When the two substrates are disposed in the one receiving slot, transporting the two substrates to the first chamber by mounting the two substrates on a support bar of a transfer unit; And
When one substrate is disposed in the one receiving slot, after placing the other substrate in the one receiving slot, the two substrates are mounted on the support bar to transfer the two substrates to the first chamber. A method of transporting a substrate comprising the step of transporting. The method of claim 2,
Placing the other substrate in the one receiving slot,
And checking whether the one substrate is located inside the one storage slot or outside the one storage slot. The method of claim 3,
Placing the other substrate in the one receiving slot,
When the one substrate is located inside the one storage slot, the substrate transport method comprising the step of disposing the other substrate outside the storage slot. The method of claim 3,
Placing the other substrate in the one receiving slot,
When the one substrate is located outside the one storage slot,
And moving the one substrate disposed on the outside to the inside of the one receiving slot and disposing the other substrate outside the receiving slot. The method of claim 2,
When the one substrate is disposed in the one storage slot,
The one substrate is a substrate for deposition, and the other substrate to be added is a dummy substrate.

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