TW200416882A - Thin film forming apparatus, film supplier, film cassette, transport mechanism and transport method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a compact thin film forming apparatus that is capable of efficiently forming a thin film onto a substrate adopting a sheet film, wherein within a process portion PP, a center robot 2 transports a sheet film F and/or a substrate W among a coating unit 3, a drying unit 4, a transfer printing unit 5 and a film-supplying unit 7, and a thin film is formed onto the substrate W adopting the sheet film F. As a result, forming a thin film by adopting the sheet film F is feasible without using an operator. In addition, the sheet film F is supplied to the process portion PP directly by disposing the film-supplying unit 7 onto the process portion PP, and whereby transportation efficiency of the sheet film F and throughput of the device are both capable of being enhanced.

Description

200416882 i1, description of the hairpin (i) [Technical field to which the invention belongs] The present invention relates to a thin film forming apparatus using a sheet film to form a thin film on a substrate, a film supply mechanism, a film storage box, a transport mechanism, And handling methods. [Prior Art] In recent years, with the increase in the diameter of wafers used for manufacturing large-scale integrated circuits or the increase in the area of liquid crystal panels, a method for forming a thin film suitable for a large area is required. Furthermore, in the field of multilayer wiring technology in large-scale integrated circuit manufacturing technology, in order to realize multilayer wiring, it is necessary to flatten the surface of a multi-layered film with high precision. Therefore, in addition to the need for larger areas, thin-film The demand for surface planarization technology at the time of formation is also increasing. To meet these needs, Fang has proposed a thin film forming technology for forming a thin film on a substrate by a pressure transfer method. This thin film forming apparatus is, for example, the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2000-1-3 5 6 34. In this device, a thin film is formed on a substrate in the thin film formation sequence shown in FIG. 18. First, as shown in FIG. 18 (a), the electrode wiring 1 1 1 formed on the substrate W surface of a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal panel, or the like is placed on a sample table so as to face upward. Here, the surface 1 1 2 of the electrode wiring 1 1 1 is formed as a thin film formation surface formed by the procedure described below. Next, as shown in FIG. 18 (b), a sheet film F having an insulating film 1 2 1 formed on its surface in advance is mounted on a transfer plate disposed opposite to the sample table. Here, the insulating film 1 2 1 is a thin film for transferring to the substrate W, and the insulating film 1 2 1 is a film forming surface 1 1 2 which is disposed opposite to the substrate W placed on the sample table. Of course

314408.ptd Page 6 200416882 V. Description of the invention (2) Im- After moving the sample stage to the transfer plate to make the substrate W and P 丨 film F abut, as shown by the arrow in Figure 18 (b) Apply each other for a certain period of time, and simultaneously add rail 4 to the substrate W to reach a predetermined temperature. In this way, the insulating film 1 21 is held, and the sheet film F is brought into close contact with the substrate W to form a sealed object. The sealed object thus formed is taken out of the film forming chamber, and then the sheet film F is applied as shown in FIG. 18 (c :). After peeling, a substrate W having an insulating film 1 2 1 as shown in FIG. 18 (d) is obtained. [Summary of the Invention] (Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In order to form a thin film by using the above device, it is necessary to take out the substrate before the transfer processing from the substrate cassette and place it on the sample table, and it is necessary to put the unused film F is taken out from the film cassette, and is coated on the surface of the film F with a coating device to form an insulating film 12 1. Then, the film F is placed on the transfer table of the film forming device. The film transfer adhesive (the thing in which the substrate W and the sheet film F are bonded by the insulating film 1 2 1) is taken out from the film forming apparatus, and the sheet film F is peeled from the adhesive by a peeling device. In this way, although the sheet film F and / or the substrate W are transported between the devices, the sheet film F or the substrate W is manually transported by an operator in the past. Therefore, the processing efficiency is not good, and this situation has become one of the main reasons for the decrease in production capacity. 5 An efficient film and film supply or operation (holding and transport) technology is expected. Furthermore, the film and film are manually transported. There are some problems such as the adherence of particulate dust particles to the film or the heat of the film, which makes it difficult to manage the thermal recording, and also causes the degradation of the film quality and the product yield. Moreover, there are also problems related to the installation of e-n. E, which requires a large floor area. To solve these problems,

314408.ptd Page 7 200416882 i. Description of the Invention (3) The automation of membrane handling is indispensable, but in the past, there is no operation technology suitable for this automation. The present invention has been developed in view of the above-mentioned subject, and a first object thereof is to provide a thin film forming apparatus that can efficiently form a thin film on a substrate using a sheet film. Furthermore, a second object of the present invention is to provide a film supply mechanism and a film storage cassette that can efficiently supply a sheet film without a manual operation in a thin film forming apparatus that uses a sheet film to form a thin film on a substrate. Furthermore, a third object of the present invention is to provide a transport mechanism and a transport method capable of efficiently transporting a substrate or a sheet film in a thin film forming apparatus using a sheet film and forming a special film on a substrate.手段 Means for solving the problem) The thin film forming apparatus of the present invention includes a process section for forming a thin film on a substrate using a sheet film, an index section for supplying the substrate to the process section, and a process section for achieving the above-mentioned first object. It includes: a film supply device for supplying a sheet film; a coating device for coating a film coating liquid on the surface of the sheet film supplied by the film supply device to form a film; Substrates are in close contact to form a seal, a transfer device for transferring a film to a base; a peeling device for peeling a film from the seal, and a film supply device, a coating device, a transfer device, and a peeling device Carrying device for transferring films and / or substrates (the first patent application scope). In the invention thus constituted, while the substrate is supplied to the process section by the indexing section, the sheet film is supplied from the film supply device provided in the process section by the transporting device. In the process section, the sheet film and / or the substrate are transferred by a conveying device.

314408.ptd Page 8 200416882 V. Description of the Invention (4) Transfer between the coating device, the transfer device, and the peeling device to form a thin film on a substrate using a sheet film. That is, the film is transported to the coating device, and after the film is formed on the surface of the film, it is transported to the transfer device. In this transfer device, the substrate is transported in addition to the sheet film, and the film is transferred to the substrate. Finally, the sheet film is peeled by a peeling device, and the film is formed on the substrate. As described above, in the present invention, a thin film can be formed without using a manual operation. Furthermore, in the present invention, since the film supply device is provided in the process section, and the sheet film is directly supplied to the process section, the transport efficiency is high and the throughput can be improved. Here, the arrangement layout of the film supply device, coating device, transfer device, and peeling device in the process section may be arbitrary, and for example, the processing device (film supply device, coating device, transfer device, and peeling device) may be peeled off. Device) is arranged around the conveying device (item 2 of the scope of patent application), and the above processing device can be arranged along the conveying path of the conveying device on both sides or one side of the conveying path (item 3 and 4 of the scope of patent application) ). In this arrangement layout, when the above processing device is arranged around the conveying device, there is no need to set a conveying path, so that the device can be more compact. A substrate holding portion is provided in the carrying device for conveying the substrate. The substrate holding portion can be supported by an arm body, an upper side holding mechanism that holds the substrate on the upper side of the arm body, and a lower side that holds the substrate on the lower side of the arm body. Institutional composition. In this case, the conveying device can hold the substrate in two holding states and simultaneously carry the substrate. The holding state can be switched according to the state of the substrate, so it can be adapted to the state of the substrate and efficiently carry the substrate (application Patent Scope Item 5).

314408.ptd Page 9 200416882 V. Description of the invention (5) When a drying device is additionally provided in order to dry the coating liquid for the film applied on the surface of the film, it is best to use the drying device and the coating device, the transfer device, and One of the peeling devices is arranged to overlap in the vertical direction. By arranging the drying device in this way, the floor space required to install the device can be reduced, which can also reduce the occupied space (item 6 in the scope of patent application). When the transfer device is configured in the following manner, the size of the transfer device in the up-down direction can be miniaturized. Therefore, in order to reduce the size of the device, it is best to arrange the drying device and the transfer device in an up-down direction (patent application) Scope item 7). That is, the transfer device that can meet such requirements can be arranged relatively and freely to move relative to each other along the upper and lower sides, and a substrate is mounted on one of the plates toward the surface, and is provided with: Set the first and second plates on the opposite side of the other plate; move at least one of the first and second plates in the moving direction to the other side 'to push the substrate and the film for a predetermined time, and A weighting mechanism for transferring a film to a substrate; and having the following first and second support bodies, and capable of supporting the first plate in an inclined manner with respect to the moving direction to automatically correct the inclination of the relative inclination with respect to the second plate A correction mechanism; the drying device and the transfer device are arranged to overlap with each other in the vertical direction. The first support system is arranged around the outer periphery of the first plate ~, and the first plate is rotatably supported by the first rotation axis extending in the first direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction. On the other hand, The second support system is disposed on the outer periphery of the first support body, and supports the first support body rotatably around a second rotation axis extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction and the first direction. The present invention is a thin film used to form a thin film on a substrate using a film __ 1

m page 10 314408.ptd 200416882 V. Description of the invention (6) The film supply mechanism of the film forming device for supplying the sheet film, in order to achieve the above-mentioned second purpose, is provided with a state in which the sheet is detached between the sheet film and the film. Film storage cassette for lower film storage, and removal device for removing film located at the uppermost part of the film storage cassette from the film storage cassette, so that the film is located at the uppermost part of the film storage cassette. item). In the invention thus constituted, a plurality of sheet films are housed in a film storage cassette in a state in which detached sheets are interposed between the sheet films. In the film storage cassette, since the release sheet is positioned at the uppermost portion, the film can be effectively prevented from being contaminated. Furthermore, when the uppermost release sheet is removed from the film storage box by the release sheet removal device, the film sheet is located at the uppermost part of the film storage box, so that the film sheet can be taken out of the film storage box. In this way, the film can be supplied as required without an operator, and the film can be efficiently supplied. Here, in order to protect the stored film, a protective cover that can be opened and closed freely is provided in the film storage box, and a cover opening and closing device for opening and closing the protective cover can also be provided. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the film from being contaminated (No. 9 in the scope of patent application). In addition, by providing a release sheet recovery device for recovering the release sheet removed from the film storage box, the release sheet can be reliably recovered, and the release sheet can be prevented from being scattered around the film storage box (the 10th in the scope of patent application ). The present invention relates to a film storage box used for a thin film forming device for forming a thin film on a substrate and used to store a sheet film. In order to achieve the second object described above, the present invention includes: A box body of a plurality of film films; and a positioning structure which is engaged with the peripheral edge portion of the film film and the release film contained in the box body so that the film film and the release film are positioned relative to the cymbal body

314408.ptd Page 11 200416882, 4 V. Description of invention (7) (No. 11 scope of patent application). In the film accommodating case thus constituted, a plurality of sheet films are accommodated in the case body with the release sheet interposed between the sheet films. The film and the release film are positioned relative to the box body by the positioning member, so that the film can be taken out and supplied from the box body. Furthermore, a protective cover that can be opened and closed can also be provided for the box body, so that the protective cover can be closed to cover and protect the film and the release film contained in the box body from above, and can reliably prevent the film from being affected by Pollution (item 12 of the scope of patent application). Φ In addition, when the film storage box is configured in a detachable manner with respect to the film forming device, a film storage box containing a film can be prepared in advance, and the film can be replenished by installing the film storage box on the device as needed. , Can make the film and film supply efficiency is better (item 13 of the scope of patent application). Furthermore, the present invention relates to a film-forming device that uses a sheet film to form a film, and a transport mechanism for transporting the sheet film. In order to achieve the third object, the present invention includes: A film arm provided with an adsorption hole; the internal space formed inside the film arm communicates with the adsorption hole, and the interior of the internal space is blasted and exhausted, so that the film is attached to and held by the film arm A blower, and a driving unit for moving the film arm to carry the film under the state that the film film sentence Λ is held on the film arm by the blower (item 14 of the scope of patent application). In the invention thus constituted, since the blast is exhausted in the internal space, the film is adsorbed and held in the suction hole of the arm for the film. The sheet is transported in such a state that it is held by suction. In this way, it is sucked by blast air

3] 4408.ptd Page] 20042004882 V. Description of the invention (8) Attached maintenance, that is, increasing the exhaust flow rate and applying negative pressure to the suction hole, so even if a certain part of the exhaust path from the suction hole to the blower occurs Leak. Although the negative pressure will only reduce the amount corresponding to the leakage amount, it can still generate enough negative pressure to adsorb and maintain the film. As a device for adsorption and holding, there have been conventional methods of applying a negative pressure to an adsorption hole and performing vacuum adsorption using a vacuum adsorption device such as a vacuum pump or an aspirator. However, when a leakage occurs in a part of the exhaust path in these methods, the adsorption hole is Negative pressure will not be applied, and even the film cannot be vacuum-adsorbed. On the other hand, the adsorption and holding of the blast air of the present configuration is most suitable for a film having a lighter weight than the substrate. Therefore, by adopting this structure of the conveying mechanism, the film mold can be conveyed with high stability, and the film film can be conveyed with good efficiency. When used in a thin film forming apparatus, a thin film is formed at the central portion of the surface of the sheet film, and no thin film is formed at the peripheral portion of the surface, even if the surface is exposed a lot. In this case, it is preferable to use a conveying mechanism to make the abutment area of the film arm contact the peripheral edge portion of the surface of the non-formed area of the film for suction support. This prevents impurities from adhering to the film, effectively prevents problems caused by uneven film thickness, and prevents contamination of the film arm (Patent Application No. 15). In addition, the present invention is a conveying mechanism for holding substrates and carrying them at the same time. To achieve the third object, the present invention includes: an arm body; an upper side supporting mechanism for holding the substrate on the upper side of the arm body; and a lower side of the arm body A holding mechanism for holding the substrate on the lower side; and a driving unit for moving the arm body to carry the substrate (the 16th in the scope of patent application). In the invention thus constituted, the carrying device can hold the substrate in two types.

314408.pld Page 13 200416882 Fifth, send a note (9) The state is maintained while the substrate is being transported, and the maintaining state is replaced according to the state of the substrate, so it can be adapted to the state of the substrate and efficiently transport the substrate. Here, the lower support mechanism can be configured to use a suction hole formed on the lower side of the arm body to adsorb and hold the substrate (the patent application scope item 17), or the upper support mechanism can be configured to be provided on the arm. It is also possible to use a substrate supporting member on the upper side of the body to support the substrate for mechanical support (item 18 in the scope of patent application). Furthermore, in order to achieve the third object described above, the present invention includes a first conveying mode in which the substrate is held on the upper side of the arm body to carry the substrate, and a second conveying mode in which the substrate is held on the lower side of the body to convey the substrate; According to the state of the substrate, the substrate is transported in one of the first and second transport modes (item 19 of the scope of patent application). Therefore, similar to the above-mentioned conveying mechanism, the holding state can be replaced according to the state of the substrate, which can not only adapt to the state of the substrate, but also efficiently convey the substrate. In a film forming apparatus that uses a sheet film to form a thin film on a substrate, a transfer device transfers a film formed on the surface of the sheet film to the film forming surface of the substrate, and integrates the sheet film and the substrate by the film forming film. After the adhesion, the method of peeling the sheet film from the adhesion using a peeling device is generally known, but in this film forming device, in order to transport the substrate, the above-mentioned conveying method can also be used. In this device, in order to prevent or reduce the For the damage of the film, it is best to transfer the adhered matter from the transfer device to the peeling device in the second transfer mode, and to remove the substrate on which the film has been formed from the peeling device in the first transfer mode (the 20th in the scope of patent application). [Embodiment]

314408.Ptd Page 14 200416882 V. Description of the invention (10) A. Device configuration: Figure 1 shows the configuration of an embodiment of the thin film forming device of the present invention. In this thin film forming apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, the index part ID is arranged on the upper side (left side of the IS), and the use sheet is arranged below the index part ID (right-hand side of FIG. 1). The film is formed on the substrate in a process step PP. In this indexing part ID, the substrate accommodating cassettes 1 1 for accommodating substrates are arranged in a row in four X directions, and along the arrangement direction X, a substrate conveying robot 12 which has been used conventionally is moved, and is stored in The substrate before the formation of the thin film of one substrate storage box 11 is taken out and transferred to the process section PP, or the thin film substrate is received by the process section PP, and the substrate is stored in the substrate storage box 11. In the following, for convenience of explanation, in each figure, it is indicated that the vertical direction Z,. And the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction X of the substrate storage box 11 are set to "Y, Y, XYZ, right-angled coordinate axes. + Y) side process part PP is provided around the central robot 2: coating unit 3, drying PT5 early morning 4, transfer unit 5, peeling unit 6, film supply unit 7, and reversing unit 8. 1 In this embodiment, two transfer units 5 are provided to perform the transfer processing of the transfer unit 5 together. As described later, the substrate received by the indexing unit ID is reversed by the reversing unit 8. After the transfer, in order to transfer to one of the transfer printing units 5, in the area adjacent to the indexing unit ID in the process section PP, two transfer units 5 are used to hold the reversing unit 8 They are arranged in the X direction. The drying unit 4 and each transfer unit 5 are arranged so as to reduce the occupied area of the device. The coating unit 3 and the peeling unit are arranged on the opposite side of the indexing part ID in the process part PP. Unit 6. In coating Between the element 3 and the transfer means 5, to supply a useful interposing

314408.ptd Section 15 I 200416882 V. Description of the invention (11) Film supply unit 7 for film. In this way, in the process section PP, the processing units 3 to 8 are arranged radially with the central robot 2 as the center, and the central robot 2 is fixed to the approximate central position of the process section PP. The substrate is transported between the transfer unit 5, the peeling unit 6, and the reversing unit 8, while the film arm is retracted, and the sheet can be transported between the coating unit 3, the drying unit 4, the transfer unit 5, and the film supply unit. membrane. B · Central robot (conveying mechanism) 2: Figure 2 shows the central robot, while Figure 2 (a) is a plan view from above, and Figure 2 (b) is a side view. This central robot 2 is a multi-joint robot corresponding to the present #handling mechanism, which has a robot body 21 and two multi-joint arms 2 2 and 23 mounted on top of the robot body 21. This robot body 21 is fixedly arranged in the central part of the process part PP, and can rotate around the rotation axis AX 1 and can be retracted and retracted in the Z direction. The top part of the multi-joint arm 2 2 is used for installation. The multi-joint arm 2 2 is used to support the substrate arm 2 4 having the function of a substrate holding portion of the substrate W, and according to an operation command of a control unit (symbol 9 in FIG. 12 described later) for controlling the entire device. The telescopic drive and the rotation around the square shaft AX 1 of the robot body 21 and the Z-direction drive move the substrate W from each unit 6, 8 or vice versa to move the substrate W held by the substrate arm 2 4 to each Units 5, 6, and 8. As described above, in this embodiment, the robot body 21 and the multi-joint arm 2 2 move the substrate arm 2 4 corresponding to the "substrate holding portion" of the present invention to perform the function of a driving unit that transports the substrate W.

iiii—

Page 16 3] 4408.ptd 200416882 V. Description of the invention (12) Figure 3 shows the structure of the substrate arm, and Figure 3 (a) shows a plan view of the substrate arm from above 7 fhu is a sectional view taken along line A-Α in Fig. 3. The arm 2 4 of this substrate is shown in the figure 3 of Min Le. It has a right hand made up of two upper and lower plates 2 4 1 and 2 4 2 overlapping with each other + ^ f body 2 4 3. Here, the front end portion and the central portion of the arm body 24 3 are formed with wings 2 extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction of the inviter @ 1 # — 1 H arm body 2 4 3. a. 4 And the substrate support block 2 4 5 is fixed on the upper surface of each wing 244, so as shown by the dotted line 2 in the figure of the qth tooth d, by buckling the outer side of the substrate W, p can be placed on the arm The upper surface of the main body 2 4 3 holds the substrate W mechanically. Therefore, in this embodiment, the substrate supporting block 2 4 5 will perform the function of the “sergeant μ ^ j labor-side holding mechanism” of the present invention. Three suction holes 24 6 to 248 are provided in the central portion of the lower plate 24 2, and a groove portion 2 4 9 is formed on the lower side of the upper plate 241. The upper and lower plates 241 and 2 4 2 are integrated to use the groove portion. 2 4 9 communicates the three suction holes 246 to \ 48. This groove portion 249 is connected to a vacuum suction mechanism such as a vacuum pump (not shown). The vacuum suction mechanism is operated to apply a negative pressure to the groove portion, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 3 (b). The lower surface of the arm body 24 3 sucks and supports the substrate W. Thus, in this embodiment, the suction holes 2 46 to 2 48 and the groove portion 2 4 9 provided in the arm body 2 4 3 and the vacuum suction mechanism can function as the "lower-side holding mechanism" of the present invention. In this way, in the present embodiment, the center robot 2 can hold the substrate in two states, that is, the state where it is mechanically held on the upper side and the state where the substrate W is sucked and held on the lower side while holding the substrate at the same time. The support state can be replaced according to the state of the substrate W and adapted to the state of the substrate w, effectively

3] 4408.ptd Page 17 200416882 V. Description of the invention (13) Carrying out substrate handling. And, can also be simultaneously? The second base is produced / handled before the other-square articulated arm 23. The film arm 25 on the surface and peripheral part of the film holding film F is used to absorb the movement instructions of the women's clothing to control the multi-joint arm 2 3 1 makeup is controlled from the rotation around the rotation axis AXi of the early 21 and 2 sides 2 = Drive and robot body

It is carried out from each of the units 3 to 5 and 7, or vice versa, whereby the sheet film F of the sheet film F is carried into each of the units 3 to 5. In this way, the human body 21 and the multi-joint hand f 23 held by the arm 25 make the film of the present embodiment +, the machine part "moving with the arm 25 to perform the transportation. < The work of the driving part of β MF Figure 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the arm of the membrane, 7-side view of the bottom of the arm of the membrane, and Figure 4 (a) is a sectional view of the line. The arm of the membrane 25 is on the body of the arm: a ring having an outer diameter equal to that of the sheet film F is installed in the middle of the male ^ ^ the ring member 2 5 2 is installed on the lower side of the sheet film F large " cattle here 2 5 3. T ^ M 251 ^ 3,; ^ / 5t Λ " ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^… is called Z b 2 to form an internal space 2 5 4. In addition, to supplement and strengthen the arm body 251 and the plate member 2 5 3 = part space 2 5 4 is equipped with 6 pillar members 2 5 5.% 円 L is formed at the periphery of the plate 2 5 3 with 18 through holes 2 5 3a, and a pad 2 5 6 made of rubber or resin A ring plate 2 5 7 having a diameter substantially the same as that of the sheet F is attached to the plate member 2 5 3. The gasket 2 5 6 is formed corresponding to the through hole 2 5 3 of the plate ί 3 and a through hole 2 5 6 is formed. a, which is related to Baye 2 5 3 a 1-to-1 to be disposed opposite, and six suction holes across three through holes 25.3 a A 257 of the ring section 257 is formed, and each through hole 3 2 5 3, a

1

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Jl 1 3] 4408.ptd page 18 200416882 V. Description of the invention (14) One adsorption hole 2 5 7 a is correspondingly arranged. In this way, the lower side of the ring plate 2 5 7 and the internal space 2 5 4 are communicated with each other by the suction holes 2 5 7 a, the through holes 2 5 6 a, and 2 5 3 a. On the other hand, a communication hole 251a is provided on the upper surface of the arm body 2 51 as shown in Fig. 4 (b), and is connected to an exhaust fan (not shown) through an exhaust pipe 25 8. Therefore, by operating the exhaust blower to apply a negative pressure to the internal space 2 5 4, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the entire lower surface of the ring plate 2 5 7 will form the “abutment field” of the present invention, and the The peripheral edge portion connected to the sheet film F can be adsorbed and held. C. Film supply unit (film supply mechanism) 7 and film storage cassette 7 1: FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a film supply unit provided in a film supply device. This film supply unit 7 allows the film storage cassette 7 1 containing the film F to be freely attached to and detached from the cassette mounting table 72. In addition, the cassette mounting table 72 can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction Z by a lifting mechanism (not shown), so that the film storage cassette 71 loaded on the cassette mounting table 7 2 can be positioned in the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, three cassette mounting stations 7 2 are provided, and a maximum of three film storage cassettes 7 1 can be mounted at the same time, but the number of the cassette mounting stations 7 2 is not limited. "3" can be set arbitrarily. Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a film storage box provided in the film forming apparatus of Fig. 1; Each of the film accommodating cassettes 71 can store a plurality of film membranes F in the cassette body 7 1 1 with the release sheet SH interposed therebetween. Three positioning pins 7 1 2 are neutrally provided in the box body 7 1 1 and are engaged with the peripheral edges of the sheet film F and the release sheet S Η housed in the box body 7 1 1 to separate the sheet film F and the film. The sheet S Η is positioned relative to the cassette body 7 1 1. With this, in the cassette body 7 1 1, the sheet film F and

314408.ptd Page 19 200416882 V. Description of the invention (15) The release sheet S (Η) is housed in a regular arrangement. As described later, the removal of the film F or the removal of the release sheet S (Η) can be performed efficiently. deal with. In addition, a protective cover 7 1 3 which is openable and closable with respect to the box body 7 1 1 is provided. To further elaborate, four portions of the peripheral portion of the lower end of the protective cover 71 3 are provided with protruding portions 7 1 4, and corresponding insertion portions 7 1 4 are provided with insertion holes 7 1 5 in the box body 7 1 1. Insert the protruding portions 7 1 4 into the corresponding insertion holes. 7 1 5 and install the protective cover 7 1 3 on the box body 7 1 1. Then, the protective cover 7 1 3 will be in a closed state and covered and stored in The sheet film F and the release sheet SH of the cassette body 7 1 1 are protected. This can reliably prevent contamination of the sheet film. When the protective cover 7 1 3 is moved upward from the box body 7 1 1, the protective cover will be opened, so that the film F and the release sheet SH 忐 stored in the box body 71 1 can be carried out. In order to open and close the protective cover 7 1 3, as shown in FIG. 5, in the film supply unit 7 of the present embodiment, a cover opening and closing drive mechanism 7 3 is disposed above the cassette mounting table 7 2. This cover opening and closing drive mechanism 7 3 includes a rotating arm 731 that can rotate freely around the rotation axis AX2, and a holding portion 7 3 2 attached to the front end thereof; and a rotating arm 7 3 1 by a driving portion (not shown). Rotate in the direction of the dotted arrow P 1 at one point. Then, the lid opening / closing driving mechanism 7 3 is a handle part 7 1 6 of the film storage box 7 1 which is positioned at a predetermined lid opening / closing position (FIG. 8 (a)). After the portion 7 3 2 is grasped, a structure is formed in which the rotating arm 7 3 1 is rotated to the (-P 1) direction to move it to the retreat position in FIG. 5. To close the protective cover 7 1 3, perform the opposite operation. A position for removing the cover opening and closing driving mechanism 73 is provided.

314408.ptd 苐 page 20 200416882 V. Description of the invention (16) The detachment piece removing mechanism 7 of the detachment piece S Η. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, this release piece removing mechanism 74 is provided with two rotating arms 7 4 1 and 7 4 2 at intervals wider than the outer diameters of the film F and the release piece SH. Further, on the tops of these rotating arms 7 4 1 and 7 4 2, a connecting beam 7 4 3 extending horizontally is hung. An adsorption plate 7 4 4 for adsorbing the release sheet S Η is attached to the central portion of the connecting beam 7 4 3, and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, in the adsorption position, the lower surface of the adsorption plate 7 4 4 Forming an adsorption surface 7 4 4 a. As shown in FIG. 8 (b), when the cassette mounting table 72 is raised in a state where the absorbing surface 74 4a faces the (-Z) direction, the cassette mounting table 72 is placed in the film storage cassette 71 in the most position. The upper release sheet S Η will abut on the adsorption surface 7 4 4 a, and is held by the adsorption plate 7 4 4 as shown in FIG. 8 (c). The space between the film storage boxes 7 1 placed on the cassette mounting table 7 2 in the up-down direction is connected to the cover opening and closing drive mechanism 7 3. When the protective cover 7 1 3 is detached, it is sufficient to pass the protective cover 7 1 3 Interval. On the rotating arms 7 4 1 and 7 4 2, as shown in FIG. 7, shaft members 7 4 5 and 74 6 extending in the (+ Y) direction and (-Y) direction are respectively installed, and the rotation axis AX3 is used as Rotation center can rotate freely. The rotating arms 741 and 742 are driven by a driving unit (not shown) and can rotate in the direction of a dotted arrow P 2. Therefore, as described above, after the release sheet S 吸附 is sucked and held by the suction plate 7 4 4, the rotating arms 7 4 1 and 7 4 2 are rotated in the direction of the (+ P 2) arrow shown in FIG. 9 (a), The adsorption plate 7 4 4 will be positioned at the removal position. Then, when the adsorption of the adsorption plate 7 4 4 is released, the release sheet S Η will fall down from the adsorption plate 7 4 4. In this embodiment, a release sheet recovery box 76 for recovering the release sheet S Η is disposed on the bottom surface portion of the film supply unit 7, and a release sheet S Η guided to the release sheet recovery box 76 is provided. Guide member 7 7, 7 8. So, by

314408.ptd Page 21 200416882 V. Description of the invention (17) The detachment sheet recovery box 76 and the guide members 7 7, 7 8 constitute the "detachment sheet recovery device" of the present invention, so that the detachment sheet SH can be reliably recovered to the detachment. Tablet recovery box 7 6. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the release sheet S Η from being scattered around the film supply unit 7. Next, since the release sheet SH has been removed from the film storage cassette 71, the sheet film F can be exposed at the uppermost part and carried out from the cassette 71. Then, the film arm 25 is moved toward the film supply unit 7 at an appropriate timing, and the uppermost film F is sucked and held (Fig. 9 (b)). It is then transported to the next processing unit, i.e. the coating unit 3. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, an ionizer 7 9 is provided near the release sheet removing mechanism 7 4 to effectively prevent the film F from being removed from the film receiving box 71 or When the release sheet S Η is removed, electrification occurs. D. Coating unit 3: FIG. 10 is a structural diagram of a coating unit provided in the thin film forming apparatus shown in FIG. The coating unit 3 includes a disc-shaped stage 3 1; a rotation shaft 3 2 of a motor (not shown) that rotates the stage 31; and a film coating liquid such as S 0 G (S pi η-ο η-G 1 ass) S 0 G liquid nozzle 3 3, for washing the peripheral edge, the washing liquid nozzle 3 4 is used to deplete the cleaning liquid on the peripheral portion of the sheet F; Scattering prevention cups 3, 5 that prevent the coating liquid or cleaning liquid from scattering around the coating single day. A plurality of suction holes (not shown) are provided on the entire surface of the stage 31, and are connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). As described above, after the sheet film F is transported from the film supply unit 7 to the coating unit 3 by the film with the hand arm 25 and placed on the stage 31, the vacuum pump is operated, so that the sheet film F is surely vacuumed.

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Page 22 314408.ptd 200416882 V. Description of the invention (18) Adsorption on the stage 31. In addition, a scatter prevention cup 35 surrounds the structure around the stage 31 having the above-mentioned structure. In the coating unit 3 thus configured, when the sheet film F is placed on the stage 31 and the preparation of the coating process is completed, a motor (not shown) provided in the coating unit 3 will operate, as shown in FIG. 10. As shown, the rotation axis 32 starts to rotate, and the film F and the stage 31 will rotate around the rotation axis AX4. At the same time as this rotation, or slightly delayed, the SOG liquid is supplied from the SOG liquid nozzle 33 to the center point of the sheet film F. Then, the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the sheet film F is applied in a thin film form from the center of the sheet film F to the entire surface. At this time, the SOG liquid scattered on the outside of the sheet film F is discharged to the outside of the coating unit 3 through the scattering prevention cup 35 and a discharge pipe (not shown). After the SOG solution was supplied to the entire surface of the sheet film F, peripheral rinsing was performed. That is, the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the cleaning liquid nozzle 34 to the peripheral portion of the sheet film F. At this time, the sheet film F continues to rotate. Therefore, the coating liquid adhering to the peripheral portion of the sheet film F can be removed by this rotation. When the coating process for the sheet film is completed, the film arm 25 will enter the coating unit 3, and the sheet film F is adsorbed and held, and the vacuum pump is stopped to release the vacuum adsorption to the stage 31. Then, the sheet film F on which the SOG film (thin film) has been formed is carried out by the film arm 25, and is carried to the next processing unit, that is, the drying unit 4. The coating unit 3 in this embodiment uses a SOG liquid as a coating liquid, but as exemplified by a photoresist used in semiconductor lithography technology, as long as it is a coating liquid that can form a desired film for the substrate W ' It is not specifically limited. Moreover, in this embodiment, the sheet film is moved to the

3] 4408.pid Page 23 200416882 V. Description of the invention (19) The drying unit 4 described below is used to perform the drying process, but the drying unit 4 may be directly transferred to the transfer unit 5 without performing the drying process. E. Drying unit 4 FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a drying unit provided in the thin film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 0. This drying unit 4 is provided with a processing container 41 in which a processing chamber 4 1 1 is disposed inside; disposed in the processing Inside the hot plate (stage) 4 2 inside the chamber 4 1 1. The first symbol 1 21 in the figure indicates a SOG film (thin film) on the surface of the sheet film F formed by the coating unit 3 described above. The bottom of the processing container 41 is provided with: 2 nitrogen inlets 4 1 2, # 3 · A nitrogen supply source (not shown) supplies nitrogen (N helium) through the inlet 4] 2 • 4 1 3 Room 4 1 1 inside. The top of the processing container 4 1 is provided with # 气 Ό 4] L 4 so that the gas component in the processing chamber 4 1 1 can be discharged from the processing chamber 4 1 1. Therefore, the processing chamber 4] is filled with nitrogen, and thus Drying is performed under ambient gas. The heater 4 2 1 has a heater 4 2 1 built therein, and the heater 4 2 1 generates heat by an electric signal supplied from the control unit. The hot plate 4 2 is the same as the stage of the coating unit 3, and a plurality of suction holes 5 (not shown) are provided on the top plate 4 2 as a whole and connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). The membrane arm 25 is used to dry the substrate 3 and placed on the hot plate 42, and then the vacuum film is applied to the hot plate 42 by vacuum pumping the film F. Then, the drying process was started in the state of vacuum adsorption by the slab 4 2. When the film F is heated for a predetermined period of time and the drying process is completed, the film is moved into the drying unit 4 with the arm 25 and the film F is adsorbed and held, and the vacuum pump is stopped to release the vacuum adsorption of the plate 42. Then, with the membrane with the arm 2 5

314408.ptd Page 24 200416882 V. Description of the invention (20) The film F subjected to the drying process is carried out from the drying unit 4 and is transferred to the next processing unit, that is, the transfer unit 5. F. Transfer unit 5: Fig. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a transfer unit provided in the film forming apparatus of Fig. 1. In Fig. 12, the transfer unit 5 is evacuated inside, and is provided with a processing container 51 formed with a chamber 5 1 1 for performing a SOG film (film) transfer process. An exhaust port 5 1 2 is provided on a side surface of the processing container 51, and a vacuum pump 5 2 is connected to the exhaust port 5 1 2. This vacuum pump 5 2 is electrically connected to the control unit 9 for controlling the entire device, and operates in accordance with an operation command issued by the control unit 9 to evacuate the inside of the chamber 5 1 1 through the exhaust port 5 1 2. The first and second plates 5 4 and 5 5 are arranged in the chamber 511, and the inclination of the first plate 5 4 with respect to the second plate 55 is automatically corrected so that the substrates W and The SOG film of the film F can be fully tilted by a tilt correction mechanism 58. The first plate 5 4 is suspended above the second plate 5 5 by the inclination correction mechanism 5 8 so as to be aligned with the axis of the second plate 55, and is installed on the face (lower) facing the second plate 5 5 The substrate W is provided to constitute a substrate plate. Therefore, a polished quartz plate (not shown) is installed under the first plate 54 to ensure flatness, and the substrate W is fixed to the quartz plate. The reason for using a quartz plate is that quartz does not contain a substance that contaminates the substrate W, and because it has good workability and easily obtains the required flatness, it is suitable as a material for the mounting substrate W. The first plate 5 4 includes a heater 5 4 1 as a heating device. The heater 5 4 1 is electrically connected to the heater controller 5 4 2 and is controlled by the control unit 9 according to

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8— ^ page 25 3] 4408.ptd 200416882 V. The heater controller 5 4 2 operated by the substrate temperature signal of invention description (21) is controlled to be heated between 25 ° C and 300 ° C. The other plate, that is, the second plate 5 5 is arranged below the first plate 5 4, and a film plate is formed by mounting a film F on the plate. This second plate 5 5 is composed of a stage made of quartz on which a film ρ is placed, and a heating stage for heating the film F, and has a heater 5 5 1 as a heating device inside the heating stage. . The heater 5 5 1 is electrically connected to the heater controller 5 5 2 and is controlled by a heater controller 5 5 2 which is operated according to a substrate temperature signal from the control unit 9 at 25 ° C to 3 0 (TC Between the heating. A shaft 5 5 3 is vertically integrated in the center of the heating table. This shaft 5 5 3 is supported by a bearing 5 9! It can be moved up and down freely, and is moved along by a weighting motor 5¾ 2 as a weighting mechanism. The direction z moves up and down. Secondly, the structure of the inclination correction mechanism 58 is described in detail with reference to Figs. 12 to 14. Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along line C-C of Fig. 12. Fig. 14 shows the inclination correction. Partially cut oblique view of the mechanism. In this embodiment, the tilt correction mechanism 58 is arranged so as to live outside the first plate 54, and extends in a first direction X substantially perpendicular to the moving direction Z The first shaft member 5 8 1 is connected to the first plate 54 and is provided with a first rotation plate 5 4 centered on the first rotation axis αχ 5 and a first support 5 5 2 ; Placed on the outer periphery of the first support body 5 8 2 'in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction Z and the first direction X The Y-extended second shaft member 5 8 3 is connected to the first support body 5 8 2 and the second support body 5 8 2 is rotatably supported by the second support body 5 8 4 with the second rotation axis AX 6 as the center. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, on the surface of the substrate W mounted on the first plate 54, that is, a thin film is formed.

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26th I 3] 4408.ptd 200416882 V. Description of the invention (22) In the plane of the plane 112, each axis including the first and second rotation axes ax5 and AX6 is provided. 5 8 1, 5 8 3 In the tilt correction mechanism 58 constructed in this way, the first plate is supported by the first support 8 1 so as to be rotatable around the first rotation axis AX 5, and is supported by the second support 5 8 3. It can be rotatably supported around the second rotation axis AX 6, and the first plate 54 can be tilted with respect to the moving direction Z by a so-called axis rotation. The second support body 5 8 4 of the tilt correction mechanism 5 8 is, as shown in FIG. 14, two pillar portions 5 8 extending in the direction Z so as to hold the first support body 5 8 2 in the Y direction. 4 a, 5 8 4 b, and a beam portion 5 8 4 c connecting the upper portions of the two column portions 5 8 4 a, 5 8 4 b. A pillar portion 5 84d extends upward from the central portion of the beam portion 5 8 4 c and is hung in the chamber 5 1 1. To explain in more detail, the pillar portion 5 8 4d is supported by a bearing 5 9 3 so as to be able to move up and down freely. The upper end of the pillar portion 5 9 4 is integrally provided with a flange 5 9 4 to prevent falling down. The symbol 5 9 5 in FIG. 12 is a weighting sensor provided corresponding to the flange 5 9 4 and is used to detect the weighting value applied between the substrate W and the film F, and send the weighting value. To the control unit 9. Next, a transfer processing step using the transfer unit 5 will be described. In this embodiment, the substrate support block 2 4 5 is used to mechanically support the substrate in a state where the film formation surface 1 1 2 (the surface where the electrode wiring and the like should be formed) is facing downward. W, and the substrate W is transferred from the reversing unit 8 to the transfer unit 5 described later, and the substrate W is mounted below the first plate 54 so that the film formation surface π 2 faces downward. The surface of the second plate 55 is mounted so that the S0G film faces upward, and the surface is coated with the S o G film 1 2 1 in advance.

3l4408.ptd Page 27 200416882 V. The film F formed by invention (23) (refer to Figure 11). Then, the control unit 9 controls each part of the device as described below to transfer the thin film on the sheet film F to the substrate W. First, the heater controller 5 4 2 is energized to the heater 541 to heat the first plate 5 4 to heat the substrate W to a desired temperature, and the heater controller 5 5 2 is energized to the heater 5 5 1 to heat the second plate 5 5 to heat the film to the desired temperature. Vacuum is evacuated by the vacuum pump 5 2 so that the desired degree of vacuum is achieved in the chamber 5 1 1. After the desired degree of vacuum is reached in the chamber 5 1 1, the driving signal is transmitted from the control unit 9 to the weighting motor 5 9 2 to start the weighting operation. By #, the second plate 5 5 rises in the moving direction Z and pushes the sheet film F to the substrate W. At this time, the first plate 54 and the tilt correction mechanism 58 are pushed up by the second plate 5 5. When this push-up is performed, if the first plate 5 4 is inclined with respect to the second plate 5 5, when the second plate 5 5 is in contact with the first plate 5 4, the first plate 5 4 is adjusted by the tilt correction mechanism 5 8. The inclination of plate 54 is automatically corrected. That is, since the first plate 5 4 is held by the tilt correction mechanism 58 so as to be tiltable with respect to the moving direction Z, for example, when tilting to the left at a small angle in FIG. 12, the second plate is first The left end of plate 5 5 will contact the first plate 5 4 and push the first reverse block 5 4 upward. Therefore, the first plate 54 is rotated clockwise with the first rotation axis AX 5 existing on the surface of the substrate W as the rotation center, so that the contact area between the substrate W and the film F is gradually enlarged to the right. Then, when the inclination of the first plate 5 4 is completely corrected so as to be parallel to the second plate 55, the substrate W and the sheet film F are pushed by the uniform pressure. Then, the weighting is continued by the weighting motor 5 9 2 when the weighting sensor

3] 4408.ptd Page 28 200416882 V. Description of the invention (24) 5 9 5 When the desired weight is detected, the control unit 9 will control the weight motor 5 9 2 to make the weight last for a certain time. During this period, the substrate W and the sheet film F are still heated and maintained at a predetermined temperature. After the above-mentioned successive weighting operations are completed, the control unit 9 transmits a signal to the weighting motor 5 9 2 so that the weighting state becomes zero. Control stops vacuum exhaust. As described above, after the S 0 G film 1 2 1 is transferred to the substrate W in the transfer unit 5, the substrate W and the sheet film F are integrated with the S0G film (thin film) in the middle, and enter the transfer unit by The substrate 2 of 5 uses the suction holes 2 4 6 to 2 4 8 of the arm 2 to suck and hold the substrate W in an integrated state. In other words, the substrate (the substrate M and the film F, which are closely adhered to each other by the SOG film 1 2 1), are used to adsorb the adhered objects (the ones indicated by the symbol M in FIG. 15, that is, the substrate W and the sheet film F are adhered to each other). maintain. Then, in this suction-holding state, the substrate arm 2 4 transfers the adherend from the chamber 5 1 1 to the peeling unit 6. G. Peeling unit 6: Fig. 15 shows a diagram of a peeling unit provided in the film forming apparatus of Fig. 1. This peeling unit 6 is provided with a processing container 6 1 whose inside is a processing chamber 6 1 1; and a sealing material M which is arranged below the processing chamber 6 1 1 and vacuum-adsorbs the sealant M formed by the transfer unit 5. The adsorption plate 6 2 of the sheet film F; and the substrate W provided above the adsorption plate 62 in the processing chamber 6 1 1 and capable of adsorbing the closely-sealed object M placed on the adsorption plate 62, and The substrate suction portion 63 is rotated around the axis AX 7 in the vertical direction (Z direction) and the X direction. Reference numeral 1 1 1 in Fig. 15 indicates an electrode wiring formed on the film formation surface 1 1 2 of the substrate W.

314408.ptd Page 29 200416882 V. Invention 4 (25) Connected to the substrate adsorption section 6 3 · To rotate the substrate adsorption section 6 3 AX 7, a rotating mechanism such as a rotary cylinder 6 4 is used . Furthermore, a lifting mechanism 65 is provided in the substrate suction section 63. The elevating mechanism 65 has a pin 67 capable of advancing and retreating with respect to a substrate contact surface of the substrate adsorption portion 63 by a driving member 66 of a cylinder or the like. When the plate and the suction section 63 are rotated to make the substrate W face upward, the substrate W can be raised above the substrate suction section 63 by raising the pin. Elimination of Electricity In the processing chamber 6 1 1 of the processing container 61, an ozone (0 3) ambient gas is formed in the processing chamber 611 (not shown). Next, the operation of the peeling unit 6 configured as described above will be described. The substrate W of the sheet film F, that is, the seal M, is bonded by the transfer unit 5 with the S0G film 1 2 1 interposed therebetween. The substrate W of the central robot 2 is sucked and held by the arm 24 while being carried in. ” In the processing chamber 6 1 1 of the unit 6. At this time, the substrate adsorption portion 63 is retracted to the upper side. The substrate arm 2 4 makes the sheet film F contact the adsorption plate 6 2, and places the sealed object M on the adsorption plate 6 After 2, it retreats out of the processing container 61. While the suction plate 62 absorbs the sheet film F, the substrate suction portion 63, which is retracted above, lowers and adsorbs the back surface (non-film-forming surface) of the substrate W. , The processing container 61 is closed, and the static eliminator is operated to form a state of ozone ambient gas in the processing chamber 6 1 1. In this way, the sheet film F is adsorbed, and the sheet film F is a solvent in the SOG film 1 2 1 The S0G film 1 2 1 is dried by being discharged. By this drying process, the interface between the sheet film F and the S0G film 1 2 1 and the interface between the substrate W and the SOG film 1 2 1 can promote the S0G film 1 2 1 more. It is dry and easy to peel off. After the lapse of a predetermined time, when the substrate adsorption portion 63 is raised, the interface between the sheet film F and the SOG film 121 Will peel off, so the S0G film will change from film F

m

A 1111 3] 4408.ptd page 30 200416882 V. Description of the invention It is printed on the substrate W. Next, the raised substrate suction portion 63 is rotated around the axis AX 7 by a rotation mechanism 64. On the other hand, the film formation surface 1 2 of the substrate W is stopped in a state where the film formation surface 1 1 2 faces upward, that is, in a state of facing upward. Then, while the substrate suction portion 63 releases the suction of the substrate W, the lift mechanism 65 raises the substrate w. That is, the pin 66 is raised by the driving member 66, and the substrate W is raised from the contact surface with the substrate adsorption portion 63. The lifted substrate W is transferred to the following inversion unit 8 by the substrate arm 24, and then the substrate transfer robot 12 of the indexing section ID is stored in the substrate storage cassette 11. H · Reversing Unit 8: Figure 16 shows the structure of the reversing unit provided in the thin film forming apparatus shown in Figure 1. Figure 16 (a) is a plan view of the reversing unit viewed from above. Figure 16 Figure (b) is a sectional view taken along the line DD in Figure 16 (a). This reversing unit 8 has a pair of substrate clamping claws 8 1, 8 1 for receiving and delivering one% of the substrates to and from the substrate arm 24 of the center robot 2. The pair of substrate clamping claws 81 and 81 are arranged at intervals so as to face each other. Further, each of the substrate clamping claws 8 is mounted on the front end of the rod 83 of the rotary cylinder 82, and moves with the rod 83 in the χ direction toward the> direction, and is rotated around the rod 83 by the rotation of the rod 83. Rotate. When the substrate handling robot 12 with the indexing part ID transports the unprocessed two to the spaced between the substrate clamping jaws 81 and 81, the two rods 83 # of Γ: as shown in 帛 16 A pair of substrate clamping claws 8 and 81 will clamp the substrate W to the substrate 1 and the transport robot 12 will retreat. Then, two shots 8 3 spin

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Page 200416882 V. Description of the invention (27) 18 0 °. Then, the substrate W carried in the state of facing up, that is, the state where the electrode wiring 1 1 1 formed on the film forming surface 1 1 2 faces upward, is reversed to form the state of facing down. On the other hand, as described above, when the substrate robot W is mechanically held by the substrate arm 2 4 in a face-up state, the substrate W formed by the film is moved from the peeling unit 6 to the reversing unit 8. The rod 83 will be extended. As shown in FIG. 16, a pair of substrate clamping claws 81 and 81 will only hold the substrate W, and will not perform the inversion process, but directly receive and deliver the substrate transfer robot 12. I. Action: Figure 17 shows the overall operation of the thin film forming apparatus with the above configuration. The solid line arrows in Figure 17 indicate the transfer order of the substrate W, and the dotted line head indicates the transfer of the film F. In sequence, the hollow arrows indicate the handling of the seal. In this thin film forming apparatus, a substrate W having electrode wirings 11 1 formed on its surface is housed in a substrate housing E 1 1, and a sheet film F is housed in a film housing box 7 b and will be located at the uppermost part of the film housing box 7 1 The sheet film F is conveyed to the coating unit 3 by the film arm 2 5, and the SOG film 1 2 1 is coated on the surface of the sheet film F (step S 1: coating process). At this time, if the release sheet S Η is located at the uppermost part of the film storage box 71, the uppermost part is moved in the order of operations described in the item "C. Film supply unit (film supply mechanism) 7 and film storage E 7 1". The detached sheet SH is removed. # After the sheet film F is positioned at the uppermost part, the sheet film F is transported to the coating unit 3 described above, and the coating process of the coating unit 3 is performed. In parallel with the unloading and coating process of this sheet of film F, in the indexing section ID, the substrate W stored in the substrate storage box 11 by the substrate transfer robot 12 is taken out with the face up and transferred to Inversion unit 8. By counter

314408.ptd Page 32 200416882 V. Description of the invention (28) The turning unit 8 reverses the substrate W to form a face-down state (step S 2: reverse processing). Then, the substrate supporting block 2 4 5 of the substrate arm 2 4 receives the substrate W from the reversing unit 8 and transfers the substrate W to the transfer unit 5, and then installs it under the first plate 54 of the transfer unit 5. As described above, in this embodiment, the substrate W is held by the substrate holding mechanism 24 above the arm 24, and is transferred from the reversing unit 8 to the transfer unit 5. When the coating process is completed, the sheet film is moved from the coating unit 3 to the drying unit 4 by the film arm 25, and in this drying unit 4, the SOG film 1 2 1 on the sheet film F is dried (step S3 · · Drying treatment). At this time, if a drying process is not required, the sheet film F is directly transferred from the coating unit 3 to the transfer unit 5 by the film arm 25, and the sheet film F is mounted on the second plate 55. In this way, when the substrate W and the >! film F are mounted on the first and second plates 5 4 and 5 5 respectively, according to the action sequence detailed in the above item "F. Transfer unit 5" Then, a process of transferring the SOG film 1 2 1 to the substrate W is performed (step S4: transfer process). Next, the substrate arm 2 4 is brought into the transfer unit 5, and the substrate W is sucked and held by the lower surface of the arm body 2 4 3, and then the adhered matter is transferred to the peeling unit 6 in the sucked state. In this manner, the transfer unit 5 transfers the adhered matter to the peeling unit 6 by using the lower side holding mechanism of the substrate arm 24. Next, only the sheet film F is selectively peeled from the adherend M carried to the peeling unit 6 (step S 5: peeling process). In this way, a substrate W having only the S0G film 1 2 1 formed on the thin film formation surface 1 1 2 can be obtained. Then, the substrate W is held in a face-up state by the substrate supporting block 2 4 5 of the substrate arm 2 4, and the substrate W is transferred to the reversing unit 8. That is, the upper side of the substrate arm 2 4

314408.ptd Page 33 200416882 V. Description of Invention (29) The substrate is moved by the holding mechanism. The peeled film F was discarded. In this way, the thin-film-formed substrate W returned to the reversing unit 8 is housed in the indexing section ID by the substrate carrying robot 12 in the substrate storage cassette 11. J. Effect: As described above, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained: (1) The thin film forming apparatus configured as described above, in the process part PP, the central robot 2 having the function of the "conveyor" of the present invention The sheet film F and / or the substrate W are transported between a coating unit (coating device) 3, a drying unit (drying device #) 4, a transfer unit (transfer device) 5, and a peeling unit (peeling device) 6. The step of forming the thin film on the substrate W using the sheet film F is performed, so that the thin film formation using the sheet film F can be performed without a manual operation. Furthermore, since a film supply unit (film supply device) 7 is provided in the process section PP to directly supply the sheet film F to the process section PP, the transport efficiency of the sheet film F can be improved, and the throughput of the device can be increased accordingly. (2) The central robot 2 is fixedly disposed at a substantially central portion of the process part PP, and a coating unit (coating device) 3, a drying unit (drying device) 4, and a transfer unit (transfer device) are arranged around the central robot 2 ) 5, peel 4 units (peeling device) 6, film supply unit (film supply device) 7, and reversing element 8, and can make the substrate arm 2 4 or the film arm 2 5 directly into each unit 3 to 8, Therefore, there is no need to provide a transport path for the center robot 2, which is advantageous for miniaturization of the device. (3) The center robot 2 has an upper-side holding mechanism and a lower-side holding mechanism, and can carry the substrate W in two holding modes, and the above embodiment is based on the basic

314408.ptd Page 34 200416882 V. Description of the invention (30) The state of the board W remains the same. Therefore, it can be adapted to the state of the substrate W, and the substrate can be efficiently carried. (4) The transfer device that transfers the SOG film 1 2 1 on the sheet film F to the film formation surface 1 1 2 of the substrate W, in addition to the transfer unit 5 used in the above embodiment, it can also use the previous Various devices have been disclosed, for example, the devices described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2000-1-3 5 6 34. However, in this embodiment, the tilt correction mechanism 58 is described in detail in the item "F · Transfer unit 5" described above, and can be rotated by using two axes of rotation AX 5, AX 6 as the center of rotation. The transfer unit 5 that allows the first plate 54 to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction Z, so as shown in FIG. 1, the drying unit 4 and the transfer unit 5 can be arranged in an overlapping manner in the vertical direction Z, thereby reducing the use. The reason for providing the floor space required for the thin film forming apparatus is as follows. In order to press the entire surface of the substrate W to the film F with a uniform pressure, a proposal is made to tilt the correction mechanism described in the above publication, that is, by rotating the first plate along the spherical surface of the convex plate and the concave plate. A method for assembling the transfer unit by a mechanism for performing tilt correction, but this disclosed example has a problem that the size of the transfer unit is increased in the vertical direction Z, and it is actually difficult to arrange the stacked layers of the transfer unit and the drying unit. In contrast, with the transfer unit of the above embodiment, compared with the conventional transfer unit, the height of the transfer unit 5 can be greatly reduced, and the drying unit 4 and the transfer unit 5 can be overlapped and arranged in the vertical direction. , Which can reduce the footprint of the device. (5) Since the sheet film F is stored in the film storage box 7 1 with the release sheet S Η interposed between the sheet films F, the sheet films can be prevented from being closely contacted with each other, and each sheet film can be reliably separated and used. F. Further, since the release sheet S Η is located at the uppermost part of the film container 71, the film F can be effectively prevented from being contaminated. Furthermore,

3] 4408.ptd Page 35 200416882 V. Description of the invention (31) In this embodiment, a release sheet removing mechanism 74 is provided, which is a structure that can remove the release sheet S Η located at the uppermost part, so that it can be removed. The film film F is located at the uppermost part of the film storage box 71, and the film film F can be easily taken out from the film storage box 71. As a result, the sheet film F can be supplied as needed without manual operation, and the sheet film F can be efficiently supplied. The film F is a thin film or film made of resin. The release sheet SH is a thin plate-like or thin-film-like object for protecting the sheet film F or suppressing charging and sandwiching the sheet film F. From the standpoint of charging suppression or dust suppression, it is preferable to use dust-free paper, and other materials such as paper and resin are also acceptable. φ (6) Since the film storage box 7 1 can be freely attached to and detached from the film storage device, a film storage box 7 1 containing a film F can be prepared in advance, and the film storage box 7 1 is installed on the device to replenish the film. F, and the film F can be efficiently supplied. (7) The internal space 2 5 4 formed inside the film arm 25 is brought into a negative pressure state by a blower, so that the sheet film F is adsorbed and held on the film arm 25, that is, the exhaust flow rate is increased to prevent the adsorption. Negative pressure is applied to the holes, so even if a leak occurs from a part of the suction hole 2 4 6 to 2 4 8 to the exhaust path of the blower, the negative pressure only reduces the amount corresponding to the amount of leakage, but still generates sufficient adsorption protection # The negative pressure of the sheet film F can transport the sheet film F with good stability, and can efficiently carry the sheet film. K. Others: The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various changes other than the above can be made as long as they do not depart from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG.

314408.ptd Page 36 200416882 V. Description of the invention (32) The elements 3 to 8 are arranged radially, but the configuration layout of the central machine 2 and each processing unit 3 to 8 is not limited to this, even if the central robot 2 is moved along The conveying path can be arranged freely, and the processing units 3 to 8 may be arranged on both sides or one side of the conveying path along the conveying path. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a coating unit 3 for performing a coating process, a drying unit 4 for performing a drying process, a transfer unit 5 for performing a transfer process, and a peeling process are provided for performing a process of the sheet film F. The peeling unit 6 is a unit for performing other treatments besides these units, for example, a unit for hydrophilic treatment to which the sheet film F is subjected to a hydrophilic surface treatment is assembled, or conversely, a part of the units may be deleted, that is, The present invention is applicable to all thin film forming apparatuses provided with a unit for processing the sheet film F. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the transfer unit 5 corresponding to the transfer device and the peel unit 6 corresponding to the peeling device are configured by different units, respectively, both the transfer device and the peeling device are provided. The present invention can also be applied to a thin film forming apparatus in which units are replaced with units 5 and 6. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the drying unit 4 is laminated and arranged in the direction Z above and below the transfer unit 5, the drying unit 4 may be laminated and disposed relative to other processing units, or the drying unit 4 may be independently arranged. When the drying units are arranged independently, a plurality of drying units 4 may also be stacked and arranged together. When a drying process is not necessary, the arrangement of the drying unit 4 may be omitted. In addition, the center robot 2 has two types of holding modes, and has the feature that the holding modes can be replaced according to the state of the substrate and the substrate can be transported or the two substrates can be transported simultaneously, which is equivalent to the transport mechanism of the present invention. In the above embodiment

3] 4408.ptd Page 37 200416882 5. In the description of the invention (33), the center robot 2 is applied to a thin film forming device using this feature, but the conveying mechanism of the present invention can be applied to all devices having substrate conveyance, and The above-mentioned effect (3) can be obtained, that is, it is adapted to the state of the substrate, and the effect of efficiently carrying the substrate can be obtained. Furthermore, the present invention is suitable for a process of crimping a film without forming a void in a recessed portion of a substrate having a concave-convex pattern, and flattening the surface of the film. For example, when a substrate having a wiring pattern such as a metal is formed as a SOD film or a SOG film as an interlayer insulating film, or when a conductive thin film is buried in a hole such as a contact hole or a substrate having a groove shape. Φ In addition, the present invention is applicable not only to semiconductor wafers or glass substrates for liquid crystal panels, but also to substrates such as glass substrates for photomasks, plasma display angle-glass substrates, and optical disk substrates. It can be applied to the manufacture of IC cards or solar cell devices. [Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, the sheet film and / or the substrate are transported between the coating device, the transfer device, and the peeling device by the transport device in the process section. The step of forming a thin film on a substrate using a sheet film is performed, and therefore, the formation of a thin film of a sheet film for maintenance can be achieved without manual operation. In addition, since a sheet film such as a film supply device is provided in the process section and is directly supplied to the process section, the transport efficiency of the sheet film can be improved, and the throughput can be increased. Furthermore, according to the film supply mechanism and the film storage S of the present invention, since the uppermost release sheet is removed from the film storage box, the film film is located at the uppermost portion of the film storage box so that the film film can be taken out of the film storage box. , So there is no need for people

314408.ptd Page 38 200416882 V. Description of the invention (34) The film can be efficiently supplied by manual operation. Furthermore, according to the film film conveying mechanism of the present invention, since the film is conveyed while being held by the blower exhaust suction, the film is conveyed, so the film can be conveyed with stability, and the film can be efficiently conveyed. Furthermore, according to the substrate transporting mechanism and method of the present invention, since the substrates are held and transported in mutually different states, and the retained state can be replaced according to the state of the substrate, it can be adapted to the state of the substrate. Moreover, it is possible to efficiently carry the substrate.

314408.ptd Page 39 200416882 Brief description of drawings [Simplified description of drawings] Fig. 1 shows a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a thin film forming apparatus of the present invention. Figures 2 (a) and (b) show the central robot. Figures 3 (a) and (b) show the structure of the arm for the substrate of the center robot shown in Figure 2. Figs. 4 (a) and (b) are diagrams showing the structure of a manual arm of a membrane constituting the center robot of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a film supply unit of the thin film forming apparatus shown in Fig. 1; -Fig. 6 is an exploded & installed oblique view of the film storage box of the film forming apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a release sheet removing mechanism provided in the film supply unit of Fig. 5; Figures 8 (a) to (c) are diagrams showing the operation of the film supply unit of Figure 5. Figures 9 (a) and (b) are diagrams showing the operation of the film supply unit of Figure 5. Fig. 10 shows a configuration diagram of a coating unit provided in the thin film forming apparatus shown in Fig. 1. '' FIG. 11 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a transfer unit of the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 12 shows a transfer unit of the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. Figure 13 is a sectional view taken along the line C-C in Figure 12. Figure 14 shows the tilt correction mechanism of the transfer unit shown in Figure 12

314408.ptd Page 40 200416882 Brief description of the drawing Partial cut oblique view. Fig. 15 is a view showing a peeling apparatus provided in the film forming apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 16 (a) and (b) are diagrams showing the constitution of a reversing unit of the thin film forming apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Figs. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing the overall operation of the thin film forming apparatus of Fig. 1; Figs. 18 (a) to (d) are diagrams showing a sequence of film formation in a conventional film formation apparatus. 2 Central robot (conveying mechanism) 3 Coating unit (coating device) 4 Drying unit (drying device) 5 Transfer unit (transfer device) 6 Peeling unit (peeling device) 7 Film supply unit (film supply device, film supply mechanism) 8 Reversing unit 9 Control unit 11 Substrate storage box 21 Robot body 11, 2 3 Multi-joint arm (driving part) 24 Substrate arm (substrate holding part) 25 Membrane arm (substrate holding part) 31 Stage 32 Rotating shaft 33 S0G liquid nozzle 34 Cleaning liquid nozzle 35 Scatter prevention ring 54 First plate (substrate plate) 55 Second plate (membrane plate) 58 Tilt correction mechanism 62 Suction plate 63 Suction section 64 Rotation mechanism 65 Lifting Mechanism 66 drive member 67 pin 71 film storage cassette

314408.ptd Page 41 200416882 Brief description of the diagram 72 Cassette mounting table 73 Cover opening / closing drive mechanism 7 4 Release sheet removal mechanism 7 6 Release sheet recovery box (detachment sheet recovery device) 7 7, 7 8 Guide member (release sheet recovery device ) 79 Ionizer 81 Substrate gripper 82 Rotary cylinder 83 Rod 11 1 Electrode wiring 1 12 Film forming surface 121 S0G film (film) 241 > 2 4 2 Plate 2 4 3, 251 Arm body 244 Wing 4 2 6 、 Substrate support block (upper holding mechanism) 2 4 7, 2, 4 8, 2, 5 7 a Suction hole (lower holding mechanism) 2 * 4 9 Groove (lower holding mechanism) 251a Communication hole 252 Ring member 253 Plate member 2 5 3 a, 256 a through hole 254 inner space 255 pillar member 256 gasket 257 ring plate 411 processing chamber 412, 4 1 3 nitrogen inlet 414 ^ 5 1 2 exhaust port 421 > 5 4 1, 5 5 1 heater 511 Room 5, 4 2, 5 5 2 Heater controller 553 Shaft spring, 5 8 3 shaft member 582 First support body 584 Second support body 591 Bearing 592 Weighting motor (weighting mechanism) 594 convex wire 595 Weighting sensor 711 Box body 712 Support pin 713 Guarantee Cover

314408.ptcl Page 42 200416882

314408.ptd Schematic description 714 Protruding part 715 Insertion part L 716 Handle part 751 > 741 ', 7 4 2 Rotating arm 732 Holding part 743 Connecting beam 744 Suction plate 7 4 4a Suction surface ID Indexing part F Sheet film M Adhesive PP Process part SH Release sheet W Substrate 第 43 页

Claims (1)

200416882 6. Scope of patent application 1. A thin film forming apparatus comprising: a process section for forming a thin film on a substrate using a sheet film; and a indexing section for supplying a substrate to the above process section; wherein the above process section includes: A film supply device for supplying a sheet film; a coating device for coating a film coating solution on the surface of the sheet film supplied by the film supply device to form a thin film; a thin film formed film and a substrate supplied from the indexing section A transfer device for forming a seal to adhere the film to the substrate; a peeling device for peeling the sheet film from the seal; and a film supply device, the coating device, the transfer device, And a conveying device for conveying a sheet film and / or a substrate between the peeling devices. 2. The thin film forming apparatus according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the film supply device, the coating device, the transfer device, and the peeling device are arranged around the conveying device. 3. For example, the thin film forming apparatus according to the first patent application range, wherein in the 'process section, the conveying device can move freely along a conveying path, and further, the film supplying device, the The coating device, the transfer device, and the peeling device are disposed on both sides of the conveyance path. 4. For example, the thin film forming apparatus of the scope of application for a patent, wherein in the process section, the conveying device can move freely along the conveying path, 314408.ptd Page 44 200416882 6. Scope of patent application Furthermore, the film supply device, the coating device, the transfer device, and the peeling device are arranged along one side of the transportation path along the transportation path. 5. The thin film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the conveying device includes: a film holding portion for holding the sheet film; and a substrate holding portion for holding the substrate. And moving the film holding portion and the substrate holding portion to carry the >! film and the substrate driving portion; the substrate holding portion includes: an arm body; and a substrate holding the substrate on the upper side of the arm body. The upper side holding mechanism and the lower side holding mechanism that holds the substrate on the lower side of the arm body. 6. The thin film forming device according to any one of the claims 1 to 5, further comprising: one of the above-mentioned coating device, the above-mentioned transfer device, and the above-mentioned peeling device is arranged in an up-down direction and used A drying device for drying the coating liquid for a thin film applied on the surface of the sheet film. 7. The thin film forming device according to item 6 of the patent application range, wherein the above-mentioned transfer device can be arranged opposite to each other in a freely movable manner along the up-down direction, and the device substrate on the opposite side of one of the plates Moreover, it is provided with: a first film and a second plate in which a film having a thin film is installed on the opposite side of the other plate; and at least one of the first and second plates is moved to the other along the moving direction Side to push the substrate and the sheet film for a predetermined time to make the film Page 45 3] 4408.ptd 200416882 6. The weighting mechanism of the patent application transferred to the above substrate; and it has the following first and second support bodies, which can maintain the first section in such a way that it can be inclined with respect to the above moving direction. 1 plate, an inclination correction mechanism that automatically corrects the relative inclination with respect to the second plate; the drying device is arranged in an up-down direction with the transfer device, and the first support system surrounds the outer periphery of the first plate. It is arranged in such a manner that the first plate is rotatably supported on a first rotation axis extending in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction, and the second support system is arranged on the first support. On the outer periphery of the body, the first support is rotatably supported around a second rotation axis extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction and the first direction. 8. — Seed film supply mechanism is a film supply mechanism for supplying a thin film on a substrate using a thin film forming device that uses a thin film to form a thin film on the substrate, and includes a state in which a release sheet is interposed between the thin films. A film storage cassette containing the above-mentioned film film below; and • removing the release sheet located at the uppermost part of the film storage cassette from the film storage cassette so that the film film is located at the uppermost release film of the film storage cassette Remove the device. 9. For example, the film supply mechanism of the scope of patent application No. 8, wherein the film storage box is opened and closed freely to provide protection for protecting the stored film. 314408.ptd Page 46 200416882 6. Scope of patent application For the cover, a cover opening and closing device is provided to open and close the protective cover. 10. The film supply mechanism according to item 8 or 9 of the scope of patent application, further comprising: a release sheet recovery device for recovering the release sheet removed from the film storage box. 1 1. A film storage box, which is a film storage box used to store a film in a film forming device for forming a film on a substrate, and includes: a plurality of films that can be stored in a state in which a release film is interposed between the films and films. And a positioning member that is engaged with the peripheral edge portion of the film film and the release sheet contained in the above-mentioned 11 body, so that the film film and the release sheet are positioned relative to the S body. 12. The film storage box according to item 11 of the scope of patent application, which further includes: It is freely installed and closed with respect to the box body, and covers the film and the release film contained in the box body from above in a closed state. It is protected, and in the open state, the film film and the release film contained in the box body can be carried out from above by a protective cover. 13. The film storage box according to item 11 or 12 of the scope of patent application, wherein the film storage device can be detachably attached to the film forming device. 1 4. A conveying mechanism is a thin film forming device using a sheet film to form a thin film, and the conveying mechanism for conveying the sheet film includes: a suction hole provided in an abutting area in contact with the sheet film; Membrane arm 314408.ptd Page 47 200416882 6. Scope of patent application The internal space formed inside the arm for the film is connected with the adsorption hole, and the interior of the internal space is blown and exhausted, so that the sheet film is adsorbed and held. A blower for the film arm; and a driving unit for moving the film arm while the film arm is adsorbed and held on the film arm by the blower. 15. The conveying mechanism according to item 14 of the scope of patent application, wherein a thin film is formed on a central portion of the surface of the sheet film, and when the surface peripheral portion is exposed, the conveying mechanism makes the film arm The abutting area abuts Λ on the peripheral edge portion of the surface to adsorb the holder. 16. A kind of conveying mechanism is a conveying mechanism for holding and conveying a substrate. The conveying mechanism includes: an arm body; an upper side holding mechanism for holding the substrate on the upper side of the arm body; and a lower side for holding the substrate. The lower side of the substrate holds: a mechanism; and a drive unit that moves the arm body to carry the substrate. 17. The conveying mechanism according to item 16 of the scope of patent application, wherein the lower holding mechanism is a holder for holding the substrate through an adsorption hole formed on the lower side of the arm body. 18. If the handling mechanism of item 16 or 17 of the scope of patent application, wherein the above 314408.ptd Page 48 200416882 VI. Scope of patent application The upper side holding mechanism is to mechanically support and hold the substrate by a substrate supporting member provided on the upper side of the arm body. 1 9. A transport method comprising: a first transport mode for holding a substrate on the upper side of the arm body and transporting the substrate; a second transport mode for holding a substrate on the lower side of the arm body and transporting the substrate; and The substrate is transferred in one of the first and second transfer modes. 20. The method for transporting item 19 in the scope of the patent application, wherein the film formed on the surface of the film is transferred to the film forming surface of the substrate by a transfer device, and the film is formed by the film. After the adhered material integrated with the substrate, the substrate is conveyed by a peeling device in a thin film forming device for peeling the sheet film from the adhered material, and the adhered material is conveyed from the transfer device to the peeling device in the second conveying mode. And carrying out the film-formed substrate from the peeling device in the first conveying mode. 314408.ptd Page 49