WO2010026733A1

WO2010026733A1 - Substrate transfer apparatus and vacuum film-forming apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2010026733A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/004267
Authority: WO
Inventors: 青沼大介; 梶原雄二
Original assignee: キヤノンアネルバ株式会社
Priority date: 2008-09-05
Filing date: 2009-08-31
Publication date: 2010-03-11

Abstract

A substrate transfer apparatus is provided with: trays (4a, 4b) which hold substrates (3a, 3b); a carrier (20) which moves on a transfer path (7) with a bearing (guide member) (6) between the carrier and the transfer path; and a driving means which moves the carrier (20) along the transfer path (7). The substrates are transferred along the transfer path by being driven by the driving means while being held in the direction perpendicular to the surface which includes the transfer surface. At that time, vibration generated while the carrier (20) is transferring the substrates is suppressed by disposing a vibration-proofing material (8) on a transfer path (7) portion in contact with a floor surface along the transfer path (7) or by disposing the vibration-proof material (8) between the carrier (20) and the rack gear (16) along the transfer path.

Description

Substrate transfer apparatus and vacuum film forming apparatus

The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate such as a glass substrate and a vacuum film forming apparatus using the same.

An in-line vacuum processing apparatus in which a plurality of processing chambers are connected is used for a film forming process of a large glass substrate used for a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display device, or the like. An apparatus that has a function of transporting a substrate and performs processing such as film formation, etching, heating, and cooling on the substrate is called a processing chamber or a processing apparatus. What is performed is called a vacuum film forming chamber or a vacuum film forming apparatus.

In recent years, as the substrate size increases, the glass substrate is held on a tray, and is sent to each processing chamber in a substantially vertical manner to be subjected to predetermined processing. Here, guide members such as bearings are provided along the conveyance path to prevent the tray from falling over. However, as the glass substrate increases in size, the conveyance distance in the processing chamber increases, and the number of processed sheets per unit time increases. There is a demand for an increase in the conveyance speed so as not to drop the toner.

However, when the transfer speed is increased, the glass substrate vibration accompanying the transfer increases, and thus problems such as film defects due to particles generated in the vacuum film forming chamber have occurred. For example, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a solution to vibration during substrate conveyance.

Patent Document 1 discloses that vibration is being transferred to a plate-like workpiece placed on a tray by providing a vibration isolating member between a grounding portion placed on the conveyance device and a placement portion on which the plate-like workpiece is placed. Is to suppress the transmission.

JP 2006-179690 A

In the thing of patent document 1, although it has an anti-vibration suppression effect when conveying a substrate processing surface toward an upper surface, when conveying a substrate standing at an angle close to perpendicularity, a sufficient anti-vibration effect is obtained. I can't.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transport apparatus and a vacuum film forming apparatus capable of stable high-speed transport even when a substrate is transported in the vertical direction.

A substrate transport apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a carrier that moves on a transport path via a guide member, a tray that is attached to the carrier and can hold a substrate, and the carrier Driving means for moving along the transport path, and a tray capable of holding the substrate along the transport path by driving the drive means is perpendicular to a plane including the transport path. A substrate transport apparatus that transports in a standing manner, wherein a part of the transport path constituting the guide member is configured in contact with a vibration isolating material.

In addition, a substrate transport apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a carrier that moves on a transport path via a guide member, a tray that is attached to the carrier and can hold a substrate, and the carrier Driving means for moving the substrate along the transport path, and a tray capable of holding the substrate along the transport path by driving the drive means with respect to a plane including the transport path. A substrate transfer apparatus for transferring vertically in a vertical direction, wherein the driving means has a rack gear attached to the carrier along the transfer path, and is along the transfer path between the carrier and the rack gear. A vibration-proof material is arranged.

According to the present invention, even a substrate transport apparatus that transports a substrate in a vertical direction with respect to a plane including a transport path can perform high-speed transport while suppressing vibration. Therefore, it is possible to cope with an increase in the size of the substrate without reducing the throughput.

Also, the vibration of the tray is suppressed, and even if the vibration occurs, it is attenuated immediately and the generation of particles is suppressed. As a result, it can be applied to the manufacture of a higher definition display device.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The accompanying drawings are included in the specification, constitute a part thereof, show an embodiment of the present invention, and are used to explain the principle of the present invention together with the description.
It is a mimetic diagram showing one embodiment of a vacuum film-forming device provided with a substrate transfer device concerning the present invention. It is a mimetic diagram showing one embodiment of a substrate conveyance device concerning the present invention. It is an enlarged view of the bearing used for the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a mimetic diagram showing one embodiment of a vacuum film-forming device provided with a substrate transfer device concerning the present invention.

Next, embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is particularly suitable for a substrate transfer apparatus that holds a large glass substrate of 1 m or more on a tray and transfers it at a high speed in an in-line vacuum film formation apparatus having a plurality of vacuum film formation chambers. be able to.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a vacuum film forming apparatus provided with a plurality of substrate transfer apparatuses (vacuum film forming chambers) according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the inside of a vacuum film forming chamber 10 when the vacuum film forming chamber 10 of FIG. 2 is viewed from the transport direction (indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2).

The vacuum film formation chamber 10 of this embodiment includes, for example, a vacuum film formation chamber by sputtering. The embodiment of the present invention relates to the vacuum film formation chamber 10 having a substrate transfer function. The vacuum film formation chamber 10 having the substrate transfer function is also referred to as a substrate transfer apparatus.

In the example of the vacuum film forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2, three direction changing chambers 18 each having a carrier rotation mechanism 22 are connected to each other, and a plurality of vacuum film forming chambers are provided around each direction changing chamber 18. 10 is connected.

Further, for example, an intermediate chamber 19 as a spare chamber is connected to one of the three direction changing chambers 18, and two load lock chambers 21 are connected to the intermediate chamber 19. Here, both the intermediate chamber 19 and the load lock chamber 21 function as a substrate transfer chamber having a substrate transfer mechanism.

Further, between the respective vacuum film forming chambers 10 connected to the respective direction changing chambers 18, between the direction changing chambers 18 connected to the intermediate chamber 19, and between the intermediate chamber 19 and each load lock chamber 21. A gate valve 14 is disposed on the side.

Reference numerals

9a and 9b (FIG. 1) denote gas supply units.

Next, the substrate transfer apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum film formation chamber 10 is, for example, a sputtering chamber connected via a gate valve. The carrier 20 including the two

trays

4a and 4b is supported by a bearing 6 that constitutes a guide member. The bearing 6 is laid along the conveyance path 7. The carrier 20 refers to a carrier that transports a tray that holds a substrate. Substrates (glass substrates or the like) 3a, 3b are held on the

trays

4a, 4b.

The

trays

4a and 4b may be attached at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. Here, when one side of the

substrates

3a and 3b is, for example, about 1 m or more, the angle is preferably set to 0.5 ° or more and 3 ° or less. That is, the substrate is preferably inclined by 0.5 to 3 ° from the vertical direction with respect to the plane including the transport path 7. As a result, the substrate during transportation is prevented from popping out, and stable high speed transportation (for example, 500 to 600 mm / second) is possible.

The present invention includes the vertical direction even when the substrate is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. The

trays

4a and 4b may be provided with openings (not shown) in order to heat the substrate from the inside (the side holding the substrate).

An exhaust device 11 is attached to each vacuum film forming chamber 10. As a result, the vacuum film forming chamber is evacuated to about 2 × 10 Pa to 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ Pa. Further, the

targets

1a and 1b are respectively arranged so as to face the

substrates

3a and 3b, and the

targets

1a and 1b are supported by the

backing plates

2a and 2b.

On the back side of the

backing plates

2a and 2b, a magnet unit (not shown) for generating a closed loop magnetic field on the surfaces of the

targets

1a and 1b is provided. Reference numeral 12 denotes a shield.

In a preparation chamber (not shown), the

trays

4a and 4b are tilted and two

substrates

3a and 3b are attached to the carrier 20. Although the

trays

4a and 4b for holding the

substrates

3a and 3b are shown as being arranged on both sides of the carrier 20 in FIG. 1, for example, a configuration in which only one side of the tray is arranged at the center of the carrier 20 may be used. The

substrates

3a and 3b are held by the carrier 20 by being pressed on the four sides by fixing jigs (not shown) attached to the four sides of the

trays

4a and 4b, for example.

The carrier 20 is formed with an engaging portion 5 so as to engage with the bearing 6. The carrier 20 is supported by the bearing 6 through the engaging portion 5. The carrier 20 is supported by a bearing 6 constituting a guide member, and moves on the transport path 7 while being guided by the bearing 6. At this time, the weight of the entire carrier 20 reaches, for example, about 200 kg or more, but since it is a self-supporting structure symmetrical to the transport path 7, it is stably supported by the bearing 6.

The vacuum film forming chamber 10 according to the present invention is characterized by the structure of the transfer path 7. That is, a part of the conveyance path 7 constituting the guide member is composed of the vibration isolating material 8. The vibration isolator 8 is fixed to the vacuum film forming chamber 10 and suppresses vibrations when the carrier 20 is conveyed.

In the example of FIG. 1, the attachment location of the vibration isolator 8 is a contact part with the floor surface of the vacuum film-forming chamber 10, for example. That is, the vibration isolator 8 is attached to the lower part of the conveyance path 7 and is disposed along the conveyance path 7 between the conveyance path 7 and the floor surface. Since this portion is a portion where the weight of the entire carrier 20 is applied to the floor surface, the effect of vibration isolation is great. Moreover, the stability at the time of conveyance of the carrier 20 is not impaired. Although the rubber | gum etc. are employ | adopted as the vibration isolator 8, this invention is not limited to this. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a vibration isolator 8 may be disposed inside a bearing 6 (a periphery of the bearing or the like) that directly contacts the engaging portion 5 of the carrier 20.

On one or both sides of the lower end of the carrier 20, a linear gear called a rack gear 16 is arranged along the carrying direction as a carrier carrying mechanism, and a drive gear called a pinion gear 17 that meshes with this is provided in the vacuum film forming chamber 10. It has been. The rack gear 16 is fixed to the carrier 20 and is disposed along the transport direction.

The pinion gear 17 is rotated by driving the pinion driving device 15. The rack gear 16 that meshes with the rotation of the pinion gear 17 is driven in the transport direction, and accordingly, the carrier 20 moves from, for example, the vacuum film forming chamber of the pretreatment to the vacuum film forming chamber 10 that performs the next processing. Be transported.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the substrate transfer apparatus. In the example of FIG. 4, the vibration isolator 8 is attached between the carrier 20 and the rack gear 16. Since this portion is between the rack gear 16 serving as a vibration generation source and the carrier 20, vibration from the rack gear 16 is not easily transmitted to the carrier 20, and the vibration isolation effect is great. Moreover, the stability at the time of conveyance of the carrier 20 is not impaired. Although rubber etc. are employ | adopted as the vibration isolator 8, this invention is not limited to this.

The carrier 20 is controlled to move so that the

substrates

3a and 3b held on the

trays

4a and 4b stop at a fixed position in the vacuum film forming chamber 10 so as to face the

targets

1a and 1b. The

substrates

3a and 3b are formed by sputtering while being stopped in front of the

targets

1a and 1b. After the predetermined film formation on the

substrates

3a and 3b is completed, the carrier 20 moves to the next vacuum film formation chamber through the gate valve 14.

In the present embodiment, the vibration isolator 8 is disposed along the conveyance path 7 at the contact portion between the conveyance path 7 and the floor of the vacuum film forming chamber 10 as described above, or the carrier 20 and the rack gear 16 are By disposing the vibration isolator 8 along the conveyance path between them, not only the life of the bearing 6 is extended but also the generation of particles from the bearing 6 and the like can be prevented, and higher quality processing can be performed. . In addition, high-speed conveyance of a large substrate is possible, and stable high-speed conveyance is possible without suppressing shaking of the

trays

4a and 4b or dust generation and contaminating the atmosphere in the vacuum film formation chamber.

Furthermore, even when the

substrates

3a and 3b are vertically conveyed with respect to the plane including the conveyance path 7, high-speed conveyance can be performed while suppressing vibration. Therefore, it is possible to cope with an increase in the size of the substrate without reducing the throughput. Further, not only the vibration of the

trays

4a and 4b is suppressed, but even if the vibration occurs, the vibration is immediately attenuated by the vibration isolating material 8, which is effective in suppressing particles. As a result, it can be suitably used for manufacturing a large glass substrate or the like used for a higher-definition liquid crystal display device or plasma display device.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, in order to make the scope of the present invention public, the following claims are attached.

This application claims priority on the basis of Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-228341 filed on September 5, 2008 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-228342 filed on September 5, 2008 All of the description is incorporated herein.

Claims

A carrier that moves on a conveyance path via a guide member;
A tray attached to the carrier and capable of holding a substrate;
Drive means for moving the carrier along the transport path;
A substrate transport apparatus that transports a tray capable of holding the substrate along the transport path by driving the drive unit in a vertical direction with respect to a plane including the transport path,
A part of said conveyance path which comprises the said guide member is comprised in contact with the vibration isolator, The board | substrate conveyance apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.
A carrier that moves on a conveyance path via a guide member;
A tray attached to the carrier and capable of holding a substrate;
Drive means for moving the carrier along the transport path;
A substrate transport apparatus that transports a tray capable of holding the substrate along the transport path by driving the drive unit in a vertical direction with respect to a plane including the transport path,
A part of the guide member is made of a vibration isolating material.
A carrier that moves on a conveyance path via a guide member;
A tray attached to the carrier and capable of holding a substrate;
Drive means for moving the carrier along the transport path;
A substrate transport apparatus that transports a tray capable of holding the substrate along the transport path by driving the drive unit in a vertical direction with respect to a plane including the transport path,
The drive means has a rack gear attached to the carrier along the transport path, and a vibration isolating material is disposed along the transport path between the carrier and the rack gear. Substrate transfer device.
4. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a vibration-proof material is disposed along the transfer path at a contact portion between the transfer path and the floor surface.
5. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is inclined with respect to a vertical direction with respect to a plane including the transfer path.
A vacuum film forming apparatus comprising at least one substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.