TWI798529B - Substrate support device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate supporting device, in which, in a substrate supporting device having a carrier plate for supporting a substrate to be processed, the positional displacement of the carrier plate relative to the support for supporting the carrier plate can be reliably suppressed, and the substrate can be easily and inexpensively Carry out replacement of the carrier plate. The substrate supporting device 6 has: a carrier plate 14 on which the substrate to be processed 100 is placed; a support body 13 which can attach and detach the carrier plate 14 by moving the carrier plate 14 in the loading and unloading direction X1; plates 11 and 12 which are fixed There are support body 13; and movement restriction members 15L, 15R. The movement limiting members 15L, 15R are provided to restrict the movement of the carrier plate 14 relative to the support body 13 by allowing the substrate 100 to be processed to enter and exit relative to the carrier plate 14 , and to attach and detach the carrier plate 14 to the support body 13 , the movement limiting members 15L, 15R can be loaded and unloaded from plates 11, 12.

Description

Substrate support device

The invention relates to a substrate supporting device.

An apparatus for heat-treating a semiconductor wafer is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The device described in Patent Document 1 is a vertical wafer support device. This device has a structure in which protrusions are provided on the side surfaces of a plurality of pillars, and a wafer support ring is placed on the protrusions. A silicon wafer is placed on the wafer support ring.

[Prior Art Literature] [Patent Document]

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-50626

However, in the semiconductor heat treatment process, there is an annealing treatment for correcting the warp of the resin substrate, such as annealing the Fan-Out wafer (fan-out wafer). In such semiconductor heat treatment process, a carrier plate (substrate support plate) is required to support the lower surface of the wafer. Furthermore, in a batch type heat treatment apparatus, in order to heat process a plurality of wafers at one time, it is necessary to install a plurality of carrier plates. In addition, Patent Document 1 does not specifically disclose how to fix the pillars to the wafer support ring.

On the other hand, as a method of mounting the carrier board on the pillars, the following methods can be mentioned: (1) Insert the carrier board into the grooves formed in a plurality of pillars respectively, and utilize the support between the pillars and the carrier board The outer peripheral edge is supported; (2) The bearing plate is welded and fixed to a plurality of pillars.

Wherein, in the above-mentioned method (1), when the substrate supporting device of the heat treatment device is used for a long time, external forces such as vibration and air pressure will cause the carrier plate to shift in position relative to the support, and there is a possibility that the carrier plate will fall off the support. . In addition, due to the above-mentioned external force, the carrier plate will rotate clockwise or counterclockwise when viewed from above with respect to the pillars, and there is a possibility that wafer transfer hands and the like may come into contact with the carrier plate.

In the case of the method (2) above, no positional shift of the carrier plate with respect to the pillar occurs. However, assuming that one carrier board is damaged, it is also necessary to replace the entire substrate supporting device including the pillars and the plurality of carrier boards. Therefore, it is necessary to store the equipment of the substrate supporting device in advance in the semiconductor manufacturing factory, and thus the cost burden on the semiconductor manufacturing factory becomes large. In addition, even in the case of repairing a wafer boat with a damaged carrier plate, in addition to the member cost of the new carrier plate, welding processing costs are also required, and not only the repair is time-consuming, but also the cost burden is also increased.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to reliably suppress positional displacement of the carrier plate relative to a support for supporting the carrier plate in a substrate supporting device including a carrier plate for supporting a processing substrate such as a wafer, and Replacement work of the carrier plate can be performed easily and at low cost.

(1) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a substrate support device according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a plurality of carrier plates on which the substrates to be processed are placed; The supporting parts are arranged along the longitudinal direction, and the supporting parts corresponding to the above-mentioned supporting parts can be attached and detached by moving the above-mentioned carrying board along the predetermined loading and unloading direction intersecting with the above-mentioned longitudinal direction; the base board is fixed There are the support body; and a movement restriction member configured to allow the substrate to be processed to move in and out relative to the carrier plate and to restrict the movement of each carrier plate relative to the support body, and to attach and detach the carrier plate in In the support body, the movement restricting member is detachable from the base plate.

According to this configuration, by providing the movement restricting member, it is possible to suppress the positional displacement of the loading plate relative to the support body. Thereby, even if an external force such as vibration or air pressure acts between the support body and the loading plate, the positional displacement of the loading plate relative to the support body can be more reliably suppressed. Thereby, it can suppress that a carrier board falls off from a support body. In addition, since the carrier plate can be suppressed from rotating clockwise or counterclockwise in plan view, contact between the carrier plate and other members such as wafer transfer hands can be more reliably suppressed. In addition, the movement restricting member is configured to be detachable from the base plate. Thereby, when replacing a damaged carrier plate, the carrier plate can be detached from the support body by detaching the movement restricting member from the base plate. Thereby, for example, when replacing a damaged bearing plate among a plurality of bearing plates, only the damaged bearing plate can be detached from the supporting body. As a result, the carrier plate can be replaced easily and inexpensively.

(2) There is a case where the above-mentioned supporting body includes a plurality of column members arranged to be separated from each other and extend along the above-mentioned longitudinal direction, and each of the above-mentioned column members is formed in a comb-like shape along the above-mentioned longitudinal direction. A plurality of the support portions are formed, and the movement restricting member includes a bar member extending in the longitudinal direction and capable of contacting each of the carrier plates.

According to this configuration, a plurality of carrier plates can be individually supported by the comb-shaped portion of the column member. Furthermore, since the rod member is in contact with the bearing plates, positional displacement of the bearing plate relative to the column member can be suppressed.

(3) There may be a case where the base plate and the movement restricting member are connected by tapered coupling with the axis extending along the longitudinal direction as a central axis.

According to this configuration, the movement restricting member can be firmly fixed to the base plate at a correct position. In addition, the movement restricting member can be easily detached from the base plate by releasing the tapered coupling.

(4) There is a situation where a bottom plate and a top plate are provided as the base plate, the bottom plate is arranged at the lower end of the support body in the longitudinal direction, the top plate is arranged at the upper end of the support body in the longitudinal direction, and the base plate The supporting device further has: the lower conical joint mechanism, the conical joint the above-mentioned movement limiting member and the above-mentioned bottom plate; and the upper conical coupling mechanism, which conically combines the above-mentioned movement limiting member and the above-mentioned top plate.

According to this structure, each of the bottom plate arrange|positioned at the lower part of a support body, and the top plate arrange|positioned at the upper part of a support body can be taper-coupled with a movement restriction member. Thereby, the mutual bonding strength of the movement restricting member and the base plate (bottom plate and top plate) can be further improved.

(5) There is a case where the carrier plate includes: a substrate arrangement portion for arranging the substrate to be processed; and a stopper protruding from the substrate arrangement portion in a predetermined width direction intersecting the loading and unloading direction. And extend, and be accepted by the above-mentioned movement restriction member.

According to this configuration, the stopper protrudes in the width direction from the substrate arrangement portion. Thereby, the stopper can be arranged at a position avoiding the passage of the substrate to be processed. Thereby, the stopper suppresses positional deviation of the carrier plate by being in contact with the movement limiting member, and does not hinder the movement of the substrate to be processed.

(6) There is a situation in which a pair of the stoppers are provided separately in the width direction, each stopper includes a first parallel portion, and the support includes a pair that can contact the pair of first parallel portions. Regarding the second parallel portion, the first parallel portion and the second parallel portion adjacent to each other extend parallel to each other.

According to this configuration, each of the blocked first parallel bodies can be received by the corresponding second parallel portion of the supporting portion. Thereby, it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of positional displacement of the bearing plate relative to the supporting body when it rotates and moves.

According to the present invention, in the substrate support apparatus including the carrier plate for supporting the substrate to be processed, the positional displacement of the carrier plate relative to the support body supporting the carrier plate can be reliably suppressed, and the carrier plate can be replaced easily and inexpensively. Operation.

1: Heat treatment device

2: Bottom plate

3: Heater

4: chamber

5: Bottom flange

6: Substrate support device

7: Lifting mechanism

8: Sealing member

9: Sealing member

10: Moving hands

11: Bottom plate (base plate)

12: Top plate (base plate)

13: Support body

14: Loading board

15a: upper end

15b: lower end

15c: middle part

15L: Movement limiting member

15R: Movement limiting member

16L: Lower conical joint mechanism

16R: Lower conical joint mechanism

17L: Upper taper joint mechanism

17R: Upper conical joint mechanism

21: column member

21a: support part

21b: concave part

22: column member

22a: support part

22b: concave part

23: column member

23a: support part

23b: concave part

25: Substrate configuration department

25a: Outer peripheral edge

26: Incision

27L: stop

27R: stop

28L: Front end

28R: front end

29L: 1st Parallel Section

29R: 1st Parallel Section

30L: left front

30R: right front

32L: 2nd Parallel Section

32R: 2nd Parallel Section

33L: The first tapered hole on the left

33R: The first tapered hole on the right side

34L: Left 1st tapered shaft

34R: The first tapered shaft on the right

35L: The second tapered hole on the left

35R: The second tapered hole on the right

36L: left cap

36R: right cap

37L: The second tapered shaft on the left

37R: The second tapered shaft on the right

38L: left side insertion hole

38R: Right side insertion hole

100: processed substrate

X1: loading and unloading direction

X11: Installation direction

X12: Removal direction

θ1: 1st cone angle

θ2: the second cone angle

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state of the heat treatment apparatus including a substrate support device viewed from the side.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the substrate supporting device in a state where a plurality of substrates to be processed are placed.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the middle portion of the substrate supporting device shown in FIG. 2 , showing a state in which a movement limiting member is omitted.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along line IV-IV of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, showing the state of the substrate supporting device viewed from above.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of main parts of the upper and lower parts of the substrate supporting device shown in FIG. 2 .

Fig. 6 is a view for explaining the replacement operation of the carrier plate, and shows a disassembled state of the substrate supporting device with a part omitted.

Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the state of the heat treatment apparatus 1 including a substrate supporting device 6 viewed from the side. Referring to FIG. 1 , a heat treatment apparatus 1 is configured to perform heat treatment on a substrate 100 to be processed. Annealing treatment is mentioned as an example of this heat treatment. In addition, the heat treatment performed in the heat treatment apparatus 1 may be general heat treatment other than annealing treatment. The substrate 100 to be processed is, for example, a Fan-Out wafer, and is formed in a disc shape in this embodiment.

The heat treatment apparatus 1 has a bottom plate 2 , a heater 3 , a chamber 4 , a bottom flange 5 , a substrate supporting device 6 attached to the bottom flange 5 , and an elevating mechanism 7 .

A bottom plate 2 is provided as a member supporting the heater 3 and the chamber 4 . In the center of the bottom plate 2, a through hole is formed. The heater 3 is arranged so as to close the through hole from above. The heater 3 is, for example, an electrothermal heater, formed in a box shape as a whole, and has a downwardly open shape. being being A chamber 4 is arranged in a space surrounded by the heater 3 .

The chamber 4 forms a processing chamber for heat-treating the substrate 100 to be processed. The chamber 4 is formed in a box shape as a whole, and has an opening opened downward. The opening of the chamber 4 is in contact with the sealing member 8 . The space in the chamber 4 is continuous with the space below the bottom plate 2 through the through hole of the bottom plate 2 .

During heat treatment by the heat treatment apparatus 1 , the substrate to be processed 100 is arranged in the space inside the chamber 4 . In this embodiment, the substrate to be processed 100 is supported by the substrate supporting device 6 (also called a wafer boat) in a horizontal posture.

The substrate supporting device 6 is mounted on the upper surface of the bottom flange 5 . The bottom flange 5 can be raised and lowered integrally with the substrate support device 6 . The space inside the chamber 4 is made a closed space by making the bottom flange 5 close the opening of the bottom plate 2 . A sealing member 9 is disposed on the lower surface of the outer peripheral portion of the bottom plate 2 . The bottom flange 5 is supported by a lifting mechanism 7 . By the operation of the lifting mechanism 7, the bottom flange 5, the substrate supporting device 6, and the substrate 100 to be processed are integrally displaced in the vertical direction.

As for the heat treatment operation in the heat treatment apparatus 1 , first, a plurality of substrates 100 to be processed are placed on the substrate support apparatus 6 in a state where the substrate support apparatus 6 is lowered below the chamber 4 . Specifically, for example, the substrates 100 to be processed are carried into the substrate support device 6 one by one, for example, from a magazine not shown, by the operation of the transfer hand 10 provided at the front end of the multi-axis robot arm. Then, after the plurality of substrates 100 to be processed are placed on the substrate support device 6 , the lifting mechanism 7 performs a lifting operation. Thereby, the bottom flange 5 , the substrate supporting device 6 and the substrate to be processed 100 are arranged in the space in the chamber 4 .

Next, the heating operation of the heater 3 is performed. Thereby, the space in the chamber 4 is heated, and the heat treatment of the substrate 100 to be processed is performed. After the heat treatment of the substrate 100 to be processed is completed and the heater 3 is stopped, the elevating mechanism 7 performs a descending operation. Thereby, the bottom flange 5 , the substrate supporting device 6 and the processed substrate 100 reach below the chamber 4 . Next, the transfer hand 10 carries out the substrates 100 to be processed, for example, one by one, thereby taking out the processed substrates 100 from the substrate support device 6 . Substrate 100.

Next, the detailed configuration of the substrate supporting device 6 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the substrate support device 6 in a state where a plurality of substrates 100 to be processed are placed. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the middle portion of the substrate supporting device 6 shown in FIG. 2 , showing a state in which the movement restricting members 15L, 15R are omitted. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIGS. 2 and 3 , showing the state of the substrate supporting device 6 viewed from above. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of main parts of the upper and lower parts of the substrate supporting device 6 shown in FIG. 2 .

In addition, in this embodiment, the up-down and left-right directions will be described based on the state in which the substrate support device 6 is viewed from the front. In addition, in this embodiment, the front-back direction is demonstrated based on the state which viewed the board|substrate support apparatus 6 from above.

2 to 5, in this embodiment, the substrate support device 6 is formed of a single material of quartz. Thus, by forming the substrate supporting device 6 from a single material, the coefficients of thermal expansion in each part of the substrate supporting device 6 can be substantially equalized. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the generation of slack between members at interconnected parts of each part of the substrate supporting device 6 .

The substrate support device 6 has: a bottom plate 11 and a top plate 12, which serve as base plates; a support body 13, which is fixed to these plates 11, 12; a plurality of carrier plates (substrate support plates) 14, which are supported on the support body 13; movement limiting members 15L, 15R, which are installed on the plates 11, 12 for preventing the positional deviation of the bearing plate 14; lower tapered coupling mechanisms 16L, 16R, which are used to make the movement limiting members 15L, 15R, etc. 15R and the bottom plate 11 are mutually coupled; and upper tapered coupling mechanisms 17L, 17R for coupling the movement limiting members 15L, 15R and the top plate 12 to each other.

The bottom plate 11 is disposed at the lower end of the supporting body 13 . On the other hand, the top plate 12 is disposed on the upper end of the support body 13 . The bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 are plates on which a support body 13 is fixed. In the present embodiment, the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 are flat members, and the shapes and positions of the outer peripheral portions are set to be mutually identical in plan view. In addition, the top view shape of the bottom plate 11 is shown in FIG. 4 and omitted. An illustration of the top view shape of the top plate 12. The respective front shapes of the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 are formed in a rectangular shape extending parallel to the left-right direction. In addition, each rear portion of the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 is formed in a semicircular shape protruding rearward. The bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 are integrated via the support body 13, and are mutually inseparable.

The supporting body 13 is configured to support a plurality of carrying plates 14 . In this embodiment, the support body 13 has the right column 21, the left column 22, and the rear column 23 which are some column members extended in the up-down direction.

The right column 21 is disposed on the right front portions of the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 , respectively. The left column 22 is disposed on the left front portions of the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 , respectively. The rear pillar 23 is arranged at the respective rear ends of the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 . In this way, the columns 21 , 22 , 23 are arranged on the plates 11 , 12 to be separated from each other. In addition, the number of columns is not limited to 3 shown in this embodiment, but may be 2 or 4 or more. Each column 21, 22, 23 is formed in the shape of an elongated shaft. The lower ends of the columns 21, 22, 23 are integrated with the bottom plate 11 by fixing methods such as welding. The upper ends of the columns 21, 22, 23 are integrated with the top plate 12 by fixing means such as welding.

A plurality of support portions 21 a are formed on the right column 21 . Similarly, a plurality of support portions 22 a are formed on the left column 22 . A plurality of support portions 23 a are formed on the rear pillar 23 . The number of support parts 21a, 22a, 23a is set to be the same as each other. In this embodiment, the number of support parts 21a, 22a, and 23a is about 30, respectively. The supporting parts 21a, 22a, and 23a are formed in the middle parts of the corresponding columns 21, 22, and 23 in the vertical direction.

The support portion 21 a is a small piece formed on the left side of the right column 21 . The support part 21a and the recessed part 21b formed in the left side part of the cylindrical right column 21 are arrange|positioned alternately in an up-down direction. Thereby, the several support part 21a which supports the several loading plate 14 is arranged in the up-down direction (vertical direction). The concave portion 21b is a portion penetrating the support portion 21a along the front-rear direction, and is open to the left side of the right column 21 . In this way, the right column 21 is formed in a comb-tooth shape along the up-down direction, thereby forming A plurality of supporting parts 21a.

The support portion 22 a is a small piece-like portion formed on the right side of the left column 22 . The support part 22a and the recessed part 22b formed in the right side part of the left column 22 of circular shaft shape are arrange|positioned alternately in an up-down direction. Thereby, the several support part 22a which supports the several loading plate 14 is arranged in the up-down direction (vertical direction). The concave portion 22b is a portion penetrating through the support portion 22a along the front-rear direction, and opens to the right side of the left column 22 . In this way, the left column 22 is formed in a comb-tooth shape along the up-down direction, thereby forming a plurality of support portions 22a.

The support portion 23 a is a small piece-like portion formed on the front side of the rear pillar 23 . The support part 23a and the recessed part 23b formed in the front side part of the circular axis|shaft rear column 23 are arrange|positioned alternately in an up-down direction. Thereby, the several support part 23a which supports the several loading plate 14 is arranged in the up-down direction (vertical direction). The recessed part 23b is a part which penetrates the support part 23a along the left-right direction, and opens toward the front side of the rear pillar 23. As shown in FIG. In this way, the rear pillar 23 is formed in a comb-tooth shape along the up-down direction, thereby forming a plurality of support portions 23a.

According to the above structure, the support parts 21a and 22a extend in the front-back direction, and the support part 23a extends in the left-right direction. Moreover, the position of the up-down direction of support part 21a, 22a, 23a matches. According to this configuration, the support parts 21a, 22a, and 23a having the same height position cooperate to support one substrate 100 to be processed in a horizontal posture. In this embodiment, the support plate 14 is moved along a predetermined attachment and detachment direction X1 (in this embodiment, the front-rear direction) intersecting the longitudinal direction with respect to the support portions 21a, 22a, and 23a whose height positions are the same. The loading plate 14 is attached to and detached from the support portions 21a, 22a, and 23a.

In this embodiment, the carrier board 14 can be mounted and attached to the support parts 21a, 22a, 23a by displacing the carrier board 14 in the mounting direction X11 with respect to the support parts 21a, 22a, 23a. In addition, the loading plate 14 can be detached from the supporting portions 21a, 22a, and 23a by displacing the loading plate 14 in the detachment direction X12 with respect to the supporting portions 21a, 22a, and 23a. In this way, the support parts 21a, 22a, 23a supports the outer peripheral portion of the bearing plate 14 at three points.

The carrier plate 14 is a member for placing the substrate 100 to be processed. One carrier plate 14 is installed for a group of supporting parts 21a, 22a, 23a having the same height position. In the present embodiment, the carrier plate 14 is attached to a part of the support portions 21a, 22a, and 23a of the set. In addition, the number of carrying plates 14 should just be one or more, and it is not limited to a specific number. The carrying plate 14 is tied to a horizontally extending flat member. In the present embodiment, the carrier plate 14 is formed in a left-right symmetrical shape, and is formed in a substantially Ω-shape when viewed from above. Furthermore, the carrier plate 14 is shown hatched in FIG. 4 .

The carrier plate 14 has: a substrate arrangement portion 25; a cutout portion 26 extending from the outer peripheral portion 25a of the substrate arrangement portion 25 toward the center of the substrate arrangement portion 25; The edge portion 25a protrudes.

The substrate placement unit 25 is a part where the substrate 100 to be processed is placed. The substrate placement portion 25 is formed in a substantially circular shape. The rear end portion of the outer peripheral edge portion 25a of the substrate arrangement portion 25 is placed on the support portion 23a.

The overall length of the substrate arrangement portion 25 in the left-right direction (the diameter of the substrate arrangement portion 25) is set shorter than the entire width of the support portions 21a, 22a (the length from the right end of the support portion 21a to the left end of the support portion 22a). Thereby, the substrate arrangement part 25 can be moved from the front of the support body 13 toward the support body 13 along the installation direction X11, thereby passing the support parts 21a, 22a, 23a of the support body 13.

The entire upper surface of the substrate placement portion 25 is defined as a surface on which the substrate 100 to be processed is placed. In the present embodiment, the substrate to be processed 100 is placed substantially in the center of the substrate placement section 25 by the transfer hand 10 .

The notch part 26 is provided in order to pass the conveyance hand part 10, and the notch part 26 extends rearward from the front end part of the board|substrate arrangement|positioning part 25. As shown in FIG. The notch portion 26 has a width wider than the width of the conveying hand portion 10 in the left-right direction, and extends to a position rearward from the central position of the board arrangement portion 25 in the front-rear direction. place. According to this configuration, the transfer hand 10 can arrange the substrate 100 to be processed at the center of the substrate arrangement part 25 .

The stoppers 27L, 27R protrude from the board arrangement portion 25 in the left-right direction (width direction) intersecting (orthogonal in the present embodiment) with the attaching and detaching direction X1, and are controlled by the corresponding movement restricting members 15L, 15R and the corresponding movement restricting members 15L, 15R. The part that the corresponding column 22, 21 undertakes. The pair of stoppers 27L, 27R are provided as a pair separated in the left-right direction.

The right stopper 27R, which is one of the pair of stoppers 27L, 27R, extends radially outward of the board arrangement portion 25 from the right oblique front portion of the outer peripheral portion 25 a of the board arrangement portion 25 . The left stopper 27L, which is the other of the pair of stoppers 27L, 27R, extends radially outward of the board arrangement portion 25 from the left obliquely front portion of the outer peripheral portion 25 a of the board arrangement portion 25 . Each stopper 27L, 27R is formed in a pointed shape. More specifically, each stopper 27L, 27R is formed in a curved shape when viewed from a plan view, and the connecting portion of each stopper 27L, 27R to the outer peripheral portion 25a is formed in a curved shape as the diameter from the outer peripheral portion 25a to the substrate arrangement portion 25 increases. Extending away from the outside and narrowing in width. Further, the outer peripheral edge portions of the respective front end portions 28L, 28R of the stoppers 27L, 27R are formed in a substantially V-shape when viewed from above.

In the present embodiment, the front end portion 28R of the right stopper 27R is arranged at a position protruding slightly to the right from the position of the right end portion of the substrate arrangement portion 25 . In this embodiment, the front end portion 28L of the left stopper 27L is arranged at a position protruding slightly to the left from the position of the left end portion of the board arrangement portion 25 . The respective stoppers 27L, 27R are disposed at positions advanced from the position of the front end portion of the board arrangement portion 25 to the rear side.

The front end portion 28R of the right stopper 27R has a right first parallel portion 29R and a right front portion 30R. Similarly, the front end portion 28L of the left stopper 27L has a left first parallel portion 29L and a left front portion 30L.

The right first parallel portion 29R constitutes the right end portion of the front end portion 28R, and extends linearly along the attaching and detaching direction X1 in the present embodiment. The first parallel portion 29R on the right side is located in the substrate configuration The front of the right end of part 25. The right first parallel portion 29R is opposed to the right second parallel portion 32R in the left-right direction. The right second parallel portion 32R is the right end surface of the concave portion 21b of the right column 21, and is arranged above the supporting portion 21a on which the corresponding right stopper 27R is placed. The right second parallel portion 32R extends along the attaching and detaching direction X1 which is the direction in which the right first parallel portion 29R extends, and extends parallel to the right first parallel portion 29R. That is, the mutually adjacent right first parallel portion 29R and the right second parallel portion 32R extend parallel to each other.

The left first parallel portion 29L constitutes the left end portion of the front end portion 28L, and extends linearly along the attaching and detaching direction X1 in the present embodiment. The left first parallel portion 29L is located in front of the left end portion of the substrate arrangement portion 25 . The left first parallel portion 29L and the left second parallel portion 32L face each other in the left-right direction. The left second parallel portion 32L is the left end surface of the concave portion 22b of the left column 22, and is arranged above the supporting portion 22a on which the corresponding left stopper 27L is placed. The left second parallel portion 32L extends along the detachment direction X1 which is the direction in which the left first parallel portion 29L extends, and extends parallel to the left first parallel portion 29L. That is, the left first parallel portion 29L and the left second parallel portion 32L that are adjacent to each other extend parallel to each other.

According to the structure mentioned above, the left column 22 and the right column 21 of the support body 13 have a pair of 2nd parallel part 32L, 32R which can contact a pair of 1st parallel part 29L, 29R. In addition, in this embodiment, a slight gap is formed between the right first parallel portion 29R and the right second parallel portion 32R, and a slight gap is formed between the left first parallel portion 29L and the left second parallel portion 32L. gap. Thereby, when the loading plate 14 is attached to and detached from the supporting body 13 , the stoppers 27L and 27R can be restrained from contacting the left post 22 and the right post 21 .

The right front portion 30R is a portion received by the right movement limiting member 15R. The right front portion 30R constitutes the front end portion of the front end portion 28R, and extends in the left-right direction (width direction). In the present embodiment, the length of the right front portion 30R and the length of the right first parallel portion 29R are set substantially the same. The right front portion 30R is disposed immediately behind the right movement limiting member 15R.

The left front portion 30L is a portion received by the left movement limiting member 15L. The left front portion 30L constitutes the front end portion of the front end portion 28L, and extends in the left-right direction (width direction). In the present embodiment, the length of the left front portion 30L and the length of the left first parallel portion 29L are set substantially the same. The left front portion 30L is arranged directly behind the left movement restricting member 15L.

The right movement regulating member 15R and the left movement regulating member 15L, which are a pair of movement regulating members 15L, 15R, are provided so as to allow the substrate 100 to be processed to move relative to the carrier plate 14 in the state mounted on the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 . The movement of each carrier plate 14 relative to the support body 13 is restricted by the entry and exit. In addition, the movement restricting members 15L, 15R are rod members respectively extending from the height position of the bottom plate 11 to the height position of the top plate 12, and are configured to be detachable from the plates 11, 12 for attaching and detaching the carrier plate 14 on the support body 13. .

The right movement limiting member 15R corresponds to the right stopper 27R, and the left movement limiting member 15L corresponds to the left stopper 27L. Each movement limiting member 15L, 15R is a rod member, which is a circular shaft member in this embodiment, extends in the vertical direction and can contact the corresponding stopper 27L, 27R of each carrier plate 14 . In addition, the movement restricting members 15L, 15R may be formed in a prism shape. Each movement restricting member 15L, 15R has a structure in which the upper end portion 15a and the lower end portion 15b are formed in a block shape, and a through hole extending in the vertical direction is formed at the center of each of the upper end portion 15a and the lower end portion 15b. Moreover, the intermediate part 15c of each movement control member 15L, 15R is formed in cylindrical shape, and the upper end part 15a and the lower end part 15b are integrally formed.

The right movement limiting member 15R is arranged directly in front of the right front portion 30R of the right stopper 27R, and is attached to the right front ends of the plates 11 , 12 . The left movement restricting member 15L is arranged directly in front of the left front portion 30L of the left stopper 27L, and is attached to the left front ends of the plates 11 , 12 . In the present embodiment, the diameters of the respective movement restricting members 15L, 15R are set substantially the same as the diameter of the right column 21 (the diameter of the left column 22 ).

According to the above-mentioned configuration, each carrier plate is received by the movement restricting members 15L, 15R. The stops 27L and 27R of 14 prevent the bearing plate 14 from shifting forward and falling off from the supporting body 13 . In addition, by receiving a pair of stoppers 27L, 27R through a pair of movement limiting members 15L, 15R, it is possible to prevent the carrier plate 14 from clockwise or counterclockwise rotational displacement (rotational position deviation) relative to the support body 13 when viewed from above. ). In addition, the movement restricting members 15L, 15R are arranged adjacent to the right column 21 and the left column 22 . As a result, the pair of second parallel portions 32L, 32R is disposed adjacent to the pair of first parallel portions 29L, 29R so as to sandwich the pair of first parallel portions 29L, 29R. Thereby, when any one of a pair of 1st parallel part 29L, 29R contacts a corresponding 2nd parallel part, the rotational displacement of the loading plate 14 in planar view is restricted.

In this way, the right column 21 and the right movement regulating member 15R arranged adjacent to each other cooperate with the left column 22 and the left movement regulating member 15L arranged adjacent to each other. Thereby, the bearing plate 14 can be prevented from being displaced in the detachment direction X12 of the supporting body 13 and the bearing plate 14 is prevented from being displaced in the rotation direction when viewed from above. In addition, the supporting board 14 can be prevented from shifting backward relative to the supporting body 13 by the rear column 23 receiving the supporting board 14 .

The distance between the movement limiting members 15L, 15R is set to be larger than the diameter of the substrate 100 to be processed. This prevents the movement limiting members 15L, 15R from coming into contact with the substrate 100 to be processed during the movement of the substrate 100 to be processed by the conveyance hand 10 .

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5 , in the present embodiment, the plates 11 , 12 are connected to the movement limiting members 15L, 15R by a tapered connection whose central axis is an axis extending in the vertical direction (longitudinal direction). In addition, the movement restricting members 15L and 15R are configured to be detachably attached to the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 . Specifically, it is provided with lower taper coupling mechanisms 16L, 16R that taper-bond the movement restricting members 15L, 15R with the bottom plate 11 . In addition, it is provided with upper taper joint mechanisms 17L, 17R that taper joint the movement restricting members 15L, 15R with the top plate 12 .

The right lower tapered coupling mechanism 16R, one of the pair of lower tapered coupling mechanisms 16L, 16R, has a right first tapered hole portion 33R and a right first tapered shaft portion 34R. Similarly, The left lower tapered coupling mechanism 16L, which is the other of the pair of lower tapered coupling mechanisms 16L, 16R, has a left first tapered hole portion 33L and a left first tapered shaft portion 34L.

The right first tapered hole portion 33R is formed in the right front portion of the bottom plate 11 where the right movement restricting member 15R is arranged. The left first tapered hole portion 33L is formed in the left front portion of the bottom plate 11 where the left movement restricting member 15L is arranged. Each of the first tapered hole portions 33L, 33R is a truncated conical portion open to the upper surface of the bottom plate 11 , and penetrates through the bottom plate 11 in the vertical direction in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the first taper angle θ1 of the taper angles of the respective first tapered hole portions 33L, 33R is set to 40° based on the vertical direction.

The right first tapered shaft portion 34R is formed at the lower end portion of the right movement restricting member 15R. The left first tapered shaft portion 34L is formed at the lower end portion of the left movement restricting member 15L. Each of the first tapered shaft portions 34L, 34R is a truncated conical portion whose diameter becomes smaller as it goes downward. In this embodiment, the taper angle of each of the first tapered shaft portions 34L, 34R is set to a first taper angle θ1 that is the same as the taper angle of each of the first tapered hole portions 33L, 33R. Each of the first tapered shaft portions 34L, 34R is taperedly fitted into the corresponding first tapered hole portion 33L, 33R. Thereby, each movement restricting member 15L, 15R is taper-coupled with the corresponding 1st tapered hole part 33L, 33R of the bottom plate 11. As shown in FIG.

The right upper tapered coupling mechanism 17R, one of the pair of upper tapered coupling mechanisms 17L, 17R, has a right second tapered hole portion 35R and a right cap 36R including the right second tapered shaft portion 37R. Similarly, the left upper tapered coupling mechanism 17L, the other of the pair of upper tapered coupling mechanisms 17L, 17R, has a left second tapered hole portion 35L and a left cap 36L including the left second tapered shaft portion 37L.

The right second tapered hole portion 35R is formed in the right front portion of the top plate 12 where the right movement restricting member 15R is arranged. The left second tapered hole portion 35L is formed in the left front portion of the top plate 12 where the left movement restricting member 15L is disposed. Each of the second tapered hole portions 35L, 35R is a truncated conical portion, and penetrates through the top plate 12 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the second taper angle θ2 of the taper angles of the respective second tapered hole portions 35L, 35R is set to 30° based on the vertical direction.

That is, the first taper angle θ1 is set larger than the second taper angle θ2. In this way, by making the first taper angle θ1 large, first, the lower ends of the movement restricting members 15L, 15R can be positioned with high precision in the first tapered hole portions 33L, 33R, and the positions can be adjusted. The upper ends of the movement restricting members 15L, 15R are disposed in the second tapered hole portions 35L, 35R. Furthermore, since the second taper angle θ2 is made smaller than the first taper angle θ1, by using the upper taper coupling mechanisms 17L, 17R with caps 36L, 36R, the overall posture of the movement limiting members 15L, 15R can be stabilized. . Thereby, the lower ends of the movement restricting members 15L, 15R away from the upper tapered coupling mechanisms 17L, 17R are also positioned at predetermined positions of the first tapered hole portions 33L, 33R, and their movement is restricted. Therefore, even when the first taper angle θ1 is large, the first tapered shaft portions 34L, 34R can be prevented from coming off through the inclination of the first tapered hole portions 33L, 33R. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both the improvement of the positional accuracy of the movement restricting members 15L, 15R and the stabilization of the posture. In addition, the above-mentioned configuration in which the first taper angle θ1 is larger than the second taper angle θ2 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this configuration. In accordance with the arrangement position and shape of the substrate supporting device 6, the second taper angle θ2 can also be made larger than the first taper angle θ1.

The upper end portion 15a of the right movement restricting member 15R is arranged in the right second tapered hole portion 35R. Similarly, the upper end portion 15a of the left movement limiting member 15L is arranged in the left second tapered hole portion 35L.

The right cap 36R has: a right second tapered shaft portion 37R formed on the outer peripheral surface of the right cap 36R; and a right insertion hole portion 38R formed on the inner peripheral surface of the right cap 36R into which the right movement restricting member 15R is inserted. . Similarly, the left cap 36L has: a left second tapered shaft portion 37L formed on the outer peripheral surface of the left cap 36L; The restricting member 15L.

The diameter of each insertion hole 38L, 38R is set to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the movement restricting member 15L, 15R, and is configured so that rattle does not occur between each cap 36L, 36R and the corresponding movement restricting member 15L, 15R.

The right second tapered shaft portion 37R is formed at the lower end portion of the right cap 36R. The left second tapered shaft portion 37L is formed at the lower end portion of the left cap 36L. Each of the second tapered shaft portions 37L, 37R is a truncated conical portion whose diameter becomes smaller as it goes downward. In this embodiment, the taper angle of each second tapered shaft portion 37L, 37R is set to a second taper angle θ2 that is the same as the taper angle of each second tapered hole portion 35L, 35R. The respective second tapered shaft portions 37L, 37R are inserted into the corresponding second tapered hole portions 35L, 35R from above to perform tapered fitting. Thereby, each movement restricting member 15L, 15R is taper-coupled with the corresponding 2nd tapered hole part 35L, 35R of the top plate 12. As shown in FIG.

When the caps 36L, 36R are respectively fitted into the second tapered hole portions 35L, 35R, the upper ends of the caps 36L, 36R protrude upward from the top plate 12 . Thereby, an operator can grasp the upper end part of each cap 36L, 36R with a clamping tool etc. FIG. Thereby, each cap 36L, 36R can be easily detached from the top plate 12. As shown in FIG.

The above is the schematic configuration of the heat treatment apparatus 1 .

In the substrate supporting device 6 of the thermal processing apparatus 1 , when replacing the carrier plate 14 , referring to FIG. 6 , first, the operator removes the respective caps 36L, 36R from the top plate 12 . Next, the operator removes the movement regulating members 15L, 15R from the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 by lifting the movement regulating members 15L, 15R upward.

Thereby, the movement restricting members 15L, 15R are detached from the front of the loading plate 14 . In this state, the operator moves the carrier plate 14 to be replaced in the detachment direction X12 (the near side of the paper surface in FIG. 6 ) with respect to the support body 13, and pulls it out forward. Then, the carrier plate 14 newly installed on the support body 13 is placed on the corresponding support portion 21a of the support body 13 by moving from the front side of the support body 13 toward the installation direction X11 (the back side of the paper in FIG. 6 ). , 22a, 23a.

Next, the movement restricting members 15L, 15R pass through the corresponding second tapered hole portions 35L, 35R of the top plate 12 , and then pass through the corresponding first tapered hole portions 33L, 33R of the bottom plate 11 . Conical fit. Thereafter, the respective caps 36L, 36R are taper-fitted into the corresponding second tapered hole portions 35L, 35R. Through the above operations, the replacement operation of the carrier plate 14 can be completed.

As described above, according to the substrate supporting device 6 of the present embodiment, the displacement of the carrier plate 14 with respect to the supporting body 13 can be suppressed by providing the movement restricting members 15L, 15R. Thereby, even if an external force such as vibration or air pressure acts between the supporting body 13 and the loading plate 14 , the positional displacement of the loading plate 14 relative to the supporting body 13 can be more reliably suppressed. Thereby, it can suppress that the carrier board 14 falls off from the support body 13. As shown in FIG. In addition, since the carrier plate 14 can be suppressed from rotating clockwise or counterclockwise in a plan view, contact between the carrier plate 14 and other members such as the wafer transfer hand 10 can be more reliably suppressed. In addition, the movement restricting members 15L and 15R are configured to be detachably attached to the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 . Thereby, when the damaged loading plate 14 is replaced, the loading plate 14 can be detached from the support body 13 by detaching the movement restricting members 15L, 15R from the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 . Thereby, for example, when replacing a damaged carrier board 14 among the plurality of carrier boards 14 , only the damaged carrier board 14 can be removed from the supporting body 13 . As a result, the replacement work of the carrier plate 14 can be performed easily and inexpensively.

In addition, according to the substrate supporting device 6 , the carrier plate 14 is positioned in the front-rear direction by the movement restricting members 15L, 15R. According to this configuration, when the damaged loading plate 14 is replaced with a new loading plate 14 , the movement restricting members 15L, 15R position the loading plate 14 . Thereby, even when the replacement|exchange operation of the carrier plate 14 is repeated, the positional relationship of each part of the board|substrate support device 6 in the new state of the board|substrate support device 6 can be maintained. Thereby, regardless of the operator's proficiency, the accuracy of the positioning work of the carrier plate 14 accompanying the replacement work of the carrier plate 14 can be improved. Thereby, it is possible to further reduce the effort required for the education of the workers.

In addition, according to the substrate supporting device 6 , although the carrier plate 14 is not bonded to the support body 13 , instead, by providing the movement restricting members 15L, 15R, the carrier plate 14 can be prevented from coming off the support body 13 . Therefore, the operator does not need to regularly visually check whether the carrier plate 14 is displaced from the support body 13 due to vibration, air pressure, or the like. As a result, it is possible to The maintenance cycle (period between maintenance and maintenance) of the substrate supporting device 6 is extended by one step.

In addition, according to the substrate support device 6 , the plurality of carrier plates 14 can be individually supported by the comb-shaped portions (support portions 21 a , 22 a , 23 a ) of the column members 21 , 22 , 23 . Furthermore, by bringing the movement restricting members 15L, 15R of the bar members into contact with these loading plates 14 , it is possible to suppress the positional displacement of the loading plate 14 relative to the columns 21 , 22 , 23 .

In addition, according to the substrate supporting device 6 , the respective plates 11 , 12 are connected to the movement restricting members 15L, 15R by tapered coupling whose central axis is the axis extending in the vertical direction. According to this configuration, the movement restricting members 15L, 15R can be firmly and accurately fixed to the respective plates 11 , 12 . Furthermore, the movement restricting members 15L, 15R can be easily detached from the respective plates 11, 12 by releasing the tapered coupling.

In addition, according to the substrate support device 6 , the lower tapered bonding mechanisms 16L, 16R and the upper tapered bonding mechanisms 17L, 17R are provided. According to this configuration, the bottom plate 11 disposed on the lower portion of the support body 13 and the top plate 12 disposed on the upper portion of the support body 13 can be taperedly coupled to the movement restricting members 15L and 15R, respectively. Thereby, the mutual bonding strength of movement restricting member 15L, 15R and each plate 11, 12 can be improved further.

In addition, according to the substrate supporting device 6 , the stoppers 27L, 27R protrude from the substrate arrangement portion 25 in the left-right direction. Thereby, the stoppers 27L, 27R can be arranged at positions avoiding the passage of the substrate 100 to be processed. Therefore, the stoppers 27L, 27R suppress the displacement of the carrier plate 14 by contacting the movement restricting members 15L, 15R, and do not hinder the movement of the substrate 100 to be processed by the transfer hand 10 .

In addition, according to the substrate supporting device 6 , the stoppers 27L, 27R include the first parallel portions 29L, 29R. In addition, the left column 22 and the right column 21 include second parallel portions 32L, 32R. Furthermore, the first parallel portion 29L and the second parallel portion 32L that are adjacent to each other extend parallel to each other, and the first parallel portion 29R and the second parallel portion 32R that are adjacent to each other extend parallel to each other. According to the In this configuration, the respective first parallel portions 29L, 29R of the stoppers 27L, 27R can be received by the corresponding second parallel portions 32L, 32R of the left and right columns 22, 21 . Thereby, it is possible to more reliably suppress occurrence of positional displacement of the carrier plate 14 relative to the rotational movement of the columns 21 , 22 , 23 .

As mentioned above, although the embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. The present invention can be modified variously within the range described in the claims.

(1) In the above-mentioned embodiment, in the lower tapered coupling mechanisms 16L, 16R, the lower ends of the movement restricting members 15L, 15R are formed in a convex shape and the bottom plate 11 is formed in a concave shape as an example. . However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is also possible to provide a concave portion at the lower end of the movement limiting members 15L, 15R and a convex portion on the bottom plate 11, and make these convex portions and concave portions fit mutually so that the movement limiting members 15L, 15R and the bottom plate 11 combined in a detachable manner. In addition, the movement restricting members 15L, 15R and the respective plates 11, 12 may be connected by a screw connection structure other than the tapered connection, or the like.

(2) In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the structure which the board|substrate support apparatus 6 has various members was demonstrated as an example. However, the board|substrate support apparatus 6 should just have at least any one of the loading plate 14, the support body 13, each plate 11, 12, and the movement restriction member 15L, 15R.

(industrial availability)

The present invention is applicable to substrate support devices.

10: Moving hands

11: Bottom plate (base plate)

13: Support body

14: Loading board

15L: Movement limiting member

15R: Movement limiting member

21: column member

21a: support part

21b: concave part

22: column member

22a: support part

22b: concave part

23: column member

23a: support part

23b: concave part

25: Substrate configuration department

25a: Outer peripheral edge

26: Incision

27L: stop

27R: stop

28L: Front end

28R: front end

29L: 1st Parallel Section

29R: 1st Parallel Section

30L: left front

30R: right front

32L: 2nd Parallel Section

32R: 2nd Parallel Section

100: processed substrate

X1: loading and unloading direction

X11: Installation direction

X12: Removal direction

Claims (6)

A substrate supporting device, characterized in that it includes: a plurality of carrier plates on which substrates to be processed are placed; , and is configured to make the above-mentioned carrying plate detachable to the corresponding support portion by moving the above-mentioned carrying plate along a predetermined loading and unloading direction intersecting with the above-mentioned longitudinal direction; the base plate, which is fixed with the above-mentioned support body; and moves a restricting member configured to allow the substrate to be processed to enter and exit relative to the carrier plate and to restrict the movement of each of the carrier plates relative to the support body, and to attach and detach the carrier plate to the support body, the movement restriction The components can be attached and detached from the above-mentioned base plate; a top plate is provided as the above-mentioned base plate. The movement limiting member and the top plate are connected by a taper joint along the axis extending in the longitudinal direction as the central axis. The substrate supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the support includes a plurality of pillar members arranged to be separated from each other and extend along the longitudinal direction, and each of the pillar members is formed as comb teeth along the longitudinal direction A plurality of the above-mentioned supporting parts are formed in a shape, and the above-mentioned movement restricting member includes a rod member extending along the above-mentioned longitudinal direction and capable of contacting each of the above-mentioned carrier plates. The substrate supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the upper tapered coupling mechanism includes a cap and a tapered hole formed on the top plate, The cap has a tapered shaft portion and an insertion hole portion, the tapered shaft portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cap, is configured to be detachable from the tapered hole portion, and is taper-fitted into the tapered hole An insertion hole portion is formed in the inner peripheral surface of the cap, and the movement restricting member is inserted thereinto. The substrate supporting device according to claim 1, wherein a bottom plate is further provided as the base plate, and the bottom plate is arranged at the lower end of the above-mentioned supporting body in the above-mentioned longitudinal direction, and the substrate supporting device further has: a lower tapered joint mechanism, the The above-mentioned movement restricting member and the above-mentioned base plate are formed together. The substrate supporting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the carrier plate includes: a substrate arrangement part for arranging the substrate to be processed; The width direction protrudes and extends from the substrate arrangement portion, and is received by the movement restricting member. The substrate supporting device according to claim 5, wherein a pair of the stoppers are provided separately in the width direction, each of the stoppers includes a first parallel portion, and the support body includes a pair of first parallel portions that can be in contact with the pair of first parallel portions. A pair of second parallel portions, the first parallel portion and the second parallel portion adjacent to each other extend parallel to each other.

Images