WO2022202529A1

WO2022202529A1 - Substrate processing device and substrate lifting/lowering device

Info

Publication number: WO2022202529A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/011884
Authority: WO
Inventors: 智達王
Original assignee: 株式会社Ｓｃｒｅｅｎホールディングス
Priority date: 2021-03-23
Filing date: 2022-03-16
Publication date: 2022-09-29
Also published as: TW202245130A; TWI807703B; JP2022147234A

Abstract

The substrate processing device according to the present invention is provided with: a plurality of first lift pins formed in tubular shape having an axial direction in an up-down direction; a plurality of second lift pins formed in tubular or bar shape having an axial direction in the up-down direction, and respectively inserted in the first lift pins; and a lifting/lowering mechanism for lifting/lowering the first lift pins and the second lift pins. The lifting/lowering mechanism switches between a first state in which the upper ends of the first lift pins are lifted to a first height and the upper ends of the second lift pins are positioned lower than the upper ends of the first lift pins, and a second state in which the upper ends of the second lift pins are lifted to a second height and the upper ends of the first lift pins are positioned lower than the upper ends of the second lift pins. This makes it possible to achieve substrate support switching without increasing the number of through-holes provided in a substrate support member.

Description

Substrate processing equipment and substrate lifting equipment

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus in which processing is performed while a substrate is horizontally supported by a flat substrate supporting member, and more particularly to a structure of lift pins for raising and lowering the substrate with respect to the substrate supporting member.

The processing steps for various substrates such as semiconductor substrates and glass substrates for display devices may include processing performed while the substrates are housed in a processing chamber. In this case, transfer of the substrate between the chamber and the outside necessarily occurs before and after processing. In order to transfer the substrate smoothly, there is an apparatus configured to load the substrate into the processing chamber while being placed on a flat substrate support member.

For example, the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is an apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid. In this apparatus, the substrate is carried into the chamber while being placed on a flat support tray so that the substrate can be loaded and unloaded through a slit-shaped opening provided on the side surface of the processing chamber. The support tray is provided with through-holes, and when the support tray is pulled out of the processing chamber, lift pins are raised from below through the through-holes to push up the substrate from the support tray. In this state, the substrate is transferred to and from the external transfer device.

Also, the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is a substrate processing apparatus for heat-treating a substrate in a chamber. In this substrate processing apparatus, a substrate is supported by a plurality of support pins provided on a flat plate-shaped susceptor. . Specifically, a through hole is provided in the susceptor, and by lowering the susceptor, a plurality of other support pins protrude through the through hole to support the substrate.

JP 2021-009877 A JP 2014-175638 A

Even in an apparatus that processes a substrate with a processing fluid, such as the technology described in Patent Document 1, it would be convenient if such substrate support could be switched. For example, when a substrate after processing requires a high degree of cleanliness, different lift pins for supporting the substrate before processing and after processing prevent contamination of the substrate after processing. is effective in However, the provision of the through-holes for inserting the lift pins in the substrate support member causes turbulence in the flow of the processing fluid within the chamber. Therefore, from the viewpoint of processing quality, it is preferable that the number of through-holes is as small as possible.

As described above, if the number of lift pins is increased in order to switch the substrate support, the number of through-holes provided in the substrate support member also increases, which poses a problem of affecting the processing quality. Therefore, a technique for solving this problem is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a lift pin mechanism capable of realizing switching of substrate support without increasing the number of through holes provided in the substrate support member.

In order to achieve the above objects, one aspect of the present invention provides a substrate supporting member that is flat and has a plurality of through holes provided in the vertical direction, and that supports the substrate in a horizontal position by placing the substrate on the upper surface thereof. a first lift pin formed in a cylindrical shape having an axial direction extending in the vertical direction and provided in plurality corresponding to each of the through holes; It comprises a plurality of second lift pins inserted inside each of the lift pins, and an elevating mechanism for elevating the first lift pins and the second lift pins.

Here, in the lifting mechanism, the upper end of the first lift pin protrudes above the upper surface through the through hole, while the upper end of the second lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the first lift pin. a first state; and a second state in which the upper end of the second lift pin protrudes above the upper surface through the through hole, while the upper end of the first lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the second lift pin. switch between

In the invention configured as described above, the second lift pin is provided inside the cylindrical first lift pin. By switching between a state in which one of these protrudes upward from the upper surface of the substrate supporting member to separate the substrate from the substrate supporting member and supports the substrate, and a state in which the other supports the substrate, the substrate supporting main body can be switched. The second lift pins are inserted into cylindrical first lift pins provided corresponding to the through holes provided in the substrate support member. Therefore, the first lift pins ascend and descend through the same through-holes of the substrate supporting member that pass through when ascending and descending.

Therefore, while the support by the first lift pins and the second lift pins can be switched, the first lift pins and the corresponding second lift pins move up and down at substantially the same position. Therefore, they can be raised and lowered through the same through hole. As a result, the number of through-holes in the substrate supporting member does not increase. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize switching of support without increasing the number of through-holes provided in the substrate support member.

Another aspect of the present invention is a substrate lifting device for lifting and lowering a substrate while supporting it in a horizontal position. a plurality of second lift pins formed in a cylindrical or rod shape with an axial direction extending in the vertical direction and inserted through the respective interiors of the first lift pins; and lifting and lowering the first and second lift pins. and a lifting mechanism for

Here, the lifting mechanism includes a first state in which the upper end of the first lift pin rises to a predetermined first height while the upper end of the second lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the first lift pin; While the upper end of the second lift pin rises to a predetermined second height, the upper end of the first lift pin is switched to a second state positioned below the upper end of the second lift pin.

In the invention configured in this manner, support can be switched by the first lift pins and the second lift pins that move up and down in substantially the same position, as in the substrate processing apparatus described above. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the number of through-holes even when these are moved up and down through the through-holes of the substrate supporting member.

As described above, according to the present invention, the second lift pins are inserted inside the cylindrical first lift pins, and they move up and down in substantially the same position. By switching between the support by the first lift pins and the support by the second lift pins, there is no need to increase the number of through-holes even when these are moved up and down through the through-holes of the substrate support member.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become more fully apparent when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the invention.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the mode of delivery of a board|substrate. It is a figure which shows typically the mode of delivery of a board|substrate. It is a figure which shows typically the mode of delivery of a board|substrate. It is a figure which shows typically the mode of delivery of a board|substrate. It is a figure which shows the shape and positional relationship of each part involved in delivery. It is a figure which shows the structure of a lift pin. It is a figure which shows the structure of a lift pin. It is a figure which shows the operation|movement of a lift pin. It is a figure which shows the operation|movement of a lift pin. It is a figure which shows the operation|movement of a lift pin. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first aspect of a mechanism for raising and lowering lift pins; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first aspect of a mechanism for raising and lowering lift pins; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second aspect of the mechanism for raising and lowering the lift pins; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second aspect of the mechanism for raising and lowering the lift pins;

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of one embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. This substrate processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for processing the surfaces of various substrates such as semiconductor substrates using a supercritical fluid. An XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set as shown in FIG. 1 in order to uniformly show the directions in the following figures. Here, the XY plane is the horizontal plane, and the Z direction is the vertical direction. More specifically, the (−Z) direction represents the vertically downward direction.

Here, the "substrate" in the present embodiment includes semiconductor wafers, photomask glass substrates, liquid crystal display glass substrates, plasma display glass substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, and magnetic disk substrates. Various substrates such as a substrate and a magneto-optical disk substrate can be applied. Although a substrate processing apparatus used mainly for processing semiconductor wafers will be described below with reference to the drawings, the present invention can be similarly applied to the processing of various types of substrates exemplified above.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing unit 10 , a transfer unit 30 , a supply unit 50 and a control unit 90 . The processing unit 10 is the subject of supercritical drying processing. The transfer unit 30 receives unprocessed substrates transported by an external transport device (not shown), loads them into the processing unit 10, and transfers processed substrates from the processing unit 10 to the external transport device. The supply unit 50 supplies chemical substances and power necessary for processing to the processing unit 10 and the transfer mechanism 30 .

The control unit 90 controls each part of these devices to realize predetermined processing. For this purpose, the control unit 90 includes a CPU 91 for executing various control programs, a memory 92 for temporarily storing processing data, a storage 93 for storing control programs executed by the CPU 91, and a user or an external device. It has an interface 94 and the like for exchanging information. The operation of the device, which will be described later, is realized by causing the CPU 91 to execute a control program written in advance in the storage 93 and cause each part of the device to perform a predetermined operation.

The processing unit 10 has a structure in which a processing chamber 12 is attached on a pedestal 11 . The processing chamber 12 is composed of a combination of several metal blocks, and has a hollow interior to form a processing space SP. A substrate S to be processed is carried into the processing space SP and subjected to processing. A slit-shaped opening 121 elongated in the X direction is formed in the (−Y) side surface of the processing chamber 12, and the processing space SP communicates with the external space through the opening 121. FIG.

A lid member 13 is provided on the (-Y) side surface of the processing chamber 12 so as to close the opening 121 . A flat support tray 15 is attached in a horizontal posture to the (+Y) side surface of the lid member 13, and the upper surface of the support tray 15 serves as a support surface on which the substrate S can be placed. The lid member 13 is supported so as to be horizontally movable in the Y direction by a support mechanism (not shown).

The lid member 13 can be moved forward and backward with respect to the processing chamber 12 by an advancing and retreating mechanism 53 provided in the supply unit 50 . Specifically, the advance/retreat mechanism 53 has a linear motion mechanism such as a linear motor, a linear motion guide, a ball screw mechanism, a solenoid, or an air cylinder. move in the direction The advance/retreat mechanism 53 operates according to a control command from the control unit 90 .

By moving the lid member 13 in the (-Y) direction, the support tray 15 is pulled out from the processing space SP through the opening 121 to the outside. Then, access to the support tray 15 becomes possible. That is, the substrate S can be placed on the support tray 15 and the substrate S placed on the support tray 15 can be removed. On the other hand, by moving the lid member 13 in the (+Y) direction, the support tray 15 is housed in the processing space SP. When the substrate S is placed on the support tray 15 , the substrate S is carried into the processing space SP together with the support tray 15 .

The processing space SP is hermetically sealed by the lid member 13 moving in the (+Y) direction and closing the opening 121 . Although not shown, a sealing member is provided between the (+Y) side surface of the lid member 13 and the (−Y) side surface of the processing chamber 12 to keep the processing space SP airtight. be. Also, the lid member 13 is fixed to the processing chamber 12 by a lock mechanism (not shown). In this manner, the substrate S is processed within the processing space SP while the airtight state of the processing space SP is ensured.

In this embodiment, from the fluid supply section 57 provided in the supply unit 50, a fluid of a substance that can be used for supercritical processing, such as carbon dioxide, is supplied to the processing unit 10 in a gaseous or liquid state. Carbon dioxide enters a supercritical state at a relatively low temperature and pressure, and has the property of being highly soluble in organic solvents that are frequently used in substrate processing. In this respect, carbon dioxide is the preferred chemical for supercritical drying processes.

The fluid is filled in the processing space SP, and when the inside of the processing space SP reaches an appropriate temperature and pressure, the fluid enters a supercritical state. The substrate S is thus processed in the processing chamber 12 with the supercritical fluid. A fluid recovery section 55 is provided in the supply unit 50, and the fluid after processing is recovered by the fluid recovery section 55. FIG. The fluid supply section 57 and the fluid recovery section 55 are controlled by the control unit 90 .

The transfer unit 30 is responsible for transferring the substrate S between the external transport device and the support tray 15 . For this purpose, the transfer unit 30 includes a main body 31, elevating

members

33 and 34,

base members

35 and 36, and two types of lift pins 37 and 38 each provided in plurality. The elevating

members

33 and 34 are columnar members extending in the Z direction, and are supported by the main body 31 so as to be movable in the Z direction.

A base member 35 having a substantially horizontal upper surface is attached to the top of the elevating member 33 . A plurality of lift pins 37 are erected upward from the upper surface of the base member 35 . As will be described later, each of the lift pins 37 supports the substrate S in a horizontal position from below by contacting the lower surface of the substrate S with its upper end. In order to stably support the substrate S, it is desirable to provide three or more lift pins 37 having the same upper end height.

A base member 36 having a substantially horizontal upper surface is attached to the upper portion of the lifting member 34, and a plurality of lift pins 38 are erected upward from the upper surface of the base member 36. Each of the lift pins 38 supports the substrate S in a horizontal position from below by contacting the lower surface of the substrate S with the upper end portion thereof. In order to stably support the substrate S, it is desirable to provide three or more lift pins 38 having the same upper end height.

Although details will be described later, the lift pins 37 and 38 can be raised and lowered individually. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to switch between a support mode in which the lift pins 37 rise above the support tray 15 to support the substrate S and a support mode in which the lift pins 38 rise above the support tray 15 to support the substrate S. It's becoming

The elevating

members

33 and 34 are controlled by an elevating control section 51 provided in the supply unit 50 so that they can move up and down. Specifically, the main body 31 of the transfer unit 30 is provided with a linear motion mechanism such as a linear motor, a linear motion guide, a ball screw mechanism, a solenoid, or an air cylinder. Such a linear motion mechanism is controlled by the elevation control section 51 to move the

elevation members

33 and 34 in the Z direction. The elevation control section 51 operates according to a control command from the control unit 90 .

The elevation of the elevating member 33 causes the base member 35 to move up and down, and the plurality of lift pins 37 to move up and down integrally therewith. As a result, transfer of the substrate S between the transfer unit 30 and the support tray 15 is realized as described below. A more detailed structure of the transfer unit 30 will be described later.

FIGS. 2A to 2D are diagrams schematically showing how substrates are transferred. Also, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the shape and positional relationship of each part involved in delivery. More specifically, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration involved in transferring the substrate S. FIG. In addition, in FIG. 3, in order to clarify the structure of each part, the distance between the members in the Z direction is enlarged more than the actual one. As shown in these figures, the transfer of the substrate S is performed with the support tray 15 pulled out from the processing chamber 12 . For this reason, the transfer unit 30 is arranged at a position below the support tray 15 in the pulled out state.

In this embodiment, a support mode in which the substrate S is supported by the lift pins 37 and a support mode in which the substrate S is supported by the lift pins 38 can be realized. Here, in order to facilitate understanding of the operation, a mode in which the substrate S is supported by the lift pins 37 will be described as an example, but support by the lift pins 38 is the same in principle. When it is necessary to distinguish between the two types of lift pins, the lift pins 37 may be called "first lift pins" and the lift pins 38 may be called "second lift pins".

The operation of each part in transferring the substrate S will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2D. The initial state of the device is shown in FIG. However, the substrate S is not placed on the support tray 15 in the initial state. From this state, when receiving the substrate S carried in from the outside, the cover member 13 moves to the (-Y) side and the support tray 15 is pulled out from the processing chamber 12, as shown in FIG. 2A. The position of the support tray 15 at this time is hereinafter referred to as the "pull-out position". Also, the first lift pins 37 protrude from the upper surface (support surface) 151 of the support tray 15 due to the elevation of the elevating member 33 .

As shown in FIG. 3, a through hole 152 penetrating vertically is provided in the support tray 15 at a position corresponding to the arrangement position of the first lift pin 37 in the horizontal direction. When the base member 35 is lifted by the lifting member 33 , the first lift pins 37 protrude above the support surface 151 through the through holes 152 .

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 151a represents a recess for accommodating the substrate S provided on the upper surface 151 of the support tray 15. In FIG. The planar size of the recess 151a is slightly larger than the outer shape of the substrate S, and its depth is equal to or slightly smaller than the thickness of the substrate S. As shown in FIG. The substrate S carried in from the outside is stably supported on the support tray 15 by fitting into the recess 151a. It should be noted that it is not an essential requirement that the support tray 15 is provided with the recess 151a.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the substrate S is transported while being held by a hand H provided on an external transport device. The substrate S is transferred from the hand H to the first lift pins 37 by the first lift pins 37 rising through the through holes 152 and protruding above the upper surface of the hand H. The shape and arrangement of the hand H and the first lift pin 37 are determined so as not to interfere with each other. In this state, the hand H can be retracted to the side as shown in FIG. 2B. As the elevating member 33 descends, the substrate S supported by the first lift pins 37 descends.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 2C, the lower surface of the substrate S comes into contact with the support surface 151, and the first lift pins 37 descend below the support surface 151, whereby the substrate S moves from the first lift pins 37 to the support tray. 15. In this manner, the substrate S is transferred from the external transport device to the support tray 15 . After that, as shown in FIG. 2D , the lid member 13 is moved in the (+Y) direction, so that the substrate S is accommodated in the processing space SP of the processing chamber 12 together with the support tray 15 .

The unloading of the substrate S after processing is the opposite movement to the above. Also, at this time, the substrate S is supported by the second lift pins 38 instead of the first lift pins 37 . Specifically, after the substrate S after processing is pulled out from the processing chamber 12 together with the support tray 15, the elevating member 34 is raised. Thereby, the second lift pins 38 are raised through the through holes 152 to lift the substrate S from the support tray 15 . Then, the substrate S is held by the hand H by transferring the substrate S from the second lift pins 38 to the hand H entering from the outside. The substrate S is discharged from the substrate processing apparatus 1 by the hand H carrying out the substrate S to the outside.

The upper surface of the substrate S loaded into the processing chamber 12 may be covered with liquid or solid. For example, when a fine pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate S, the pattern may collapse due to the surface tension of the liquid remaining on the substrate. Also, watermarks may remain on the surface of the substrate S due to incomplete drying. Further, the surface of the substrate S may be deteriorated such as by being oxidized when it comes into contact with the outside air. In order to avoid such a problem, the surface of the substrate S may be covered with a liquid or solid surface layer during transport.

Therefore, among the transfer processes of the substrate S described above, the process in which the substrate S loaded from the outside is housed in the processing chamber 12 via the transfer unit 30 is performed while the upper surface of the substrate S is covered with the surface layer. may be executed. For example, a semiconductor substrate having a fine pattern formed on its surface is transported in a state in which a liquid film is formed with a liquid having relatively low surface tension and low corrosiveness to the substrate, such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol) or acetone. executed. On the other hand, in the process of unloading the substrate S from the processing chamber 12, the substrate S is in a dry state.

Thus, the state of the substrate S changes before and after processing, and the substrate S after processing has particularly high cleanliness. Also, if liquids, solids, particles, or the like adhered to the substrate S at the time of loading adhere to the lift pins 37, these may become sources of contamination of the substrate S after processing. For this reason, it is desirable to distinguish between lift pins that receive unprocessed substrates S during loading and lift pins that push up processed substrates S during unloading. The structure of the lift pins of this embodiment, which enables this, will be described in more detail below.

4A and 4B are diagrams showing the structure of lift pins. More specifically, FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the structure of tip portions of the lift pins 37 and 38, and FIG. 4B is a sectional view thereof. The first lift pin 37 is a member having a cylindrical shape whose axial direction is the vertical direction (Z direction). This example is cylindrical, but the cross-sectional shape is arbitrary. On the other hand, the second lift pin 38 is a round bar-shaped member whose axial direction is the vertical direction, and is inserted inside the first lift pin 37 with a small gap from the inner wall of the first lift pin 37 . It should be noted that it may be a cylindrical member like the first lift pin 37, and its cross-sectional shape is arbitrary. The upper ends of the first lift pin 37 and the second lift pin 38 have a tapered shape that tapers toward the top.

The first lift pin 37 is supported by the base member 35, and the second lift pin 38 is supported by the base member 36, respectively. As shown by the dashed line arrow and the dotted line arrow in the figure, both can be raised and lowered individually. As shown in FIG. 2B, the gap space G between the first lift pin 37 and the second lift pin 38 has , an exhaust section 39 controlled by a control unit 90 to generate a negative pressure is connected. Therefore, downward air currents are formed in the gap space G as indicated by arrows A1 and A2. Particles entering the gap space G from the outside and contaminants such as fine powder generated by contact between the first lift pins 37 and the second lift pins 38 are carried downward by this air flow, and are prevented from adhering to the substrate S. be.

5A-5C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the lift pins. In this embodiment, the first lift pin 37 and the second lift pin 38 move up and down individually, thereby realizing the following three states, and switching between these states can be performed as appropriate.
(1) First state (Fig. 5A)
The upper ends of the first lift pins 37 protrude above the upper surface 151 through the through holes 152 of the support tray 15 and contact the lower surface of the substrate S to separate the substrate S from the support tray 15 and support it. On the other hand, the second lift pin 38 is housed inside the first lift pin 37 with its upper end located below the upper end of the first lift pin 37 .
(2) Second state (Fig. 5B)
The upper ends of the second lift pins 38 pass through the through-holes 152 of the support tray 15 and protrude above the upper surface 151 to abut against the lower surface of the substrate S, thereby separating the substrate S from the support tray 15 and supporting it. On the other hand, the upper end of the first lift pin 37 is positioned below the upper end of the second lift pin 38 .
(3) Third state (Fig. 5C)
The upper ends of the first lift pins 37 and the second lift pins 38 are below the upper surface 151 of the support tray 15 and do not abut on the substrate S, so that the support tray 15 supports the substrate S.

In the first state shown in FIG. 5A, the first lift pins 37 protrude significantly above the support tray 15 . By doing so, a space S1 is formed between the substrate S and the support tray 15 for inserting a substrate carrying-in hand of an external transport device. On the other hand, in the second state shown in FIG. 5B, the second lift pins 38 protrude significantly above the support tray 15, thereby allowing the substrate unloading hand of the external transport device to enter between the substrate S and the support tray 15. A space S2 is formed for

In this way, the paired two types of lift pins 37 and 38 both pass through the same through hole 152 and ascend and descend. Therefore, the support tray 15 may be provided with through holes 152 having an inner diameter that allows the first lift pins 37 having a larger diameter to be inserted therethrough.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1 in which the substrate S placed on the support tray 15 is accommodated in the processing chamber 12 and processed with the processing fluid in the chamber, the vertical flow of the processing fluid through the through holes 152 is the processing. Quality may be affected. Specifically, for example, contaminants removed from the substrate S by the processing fluid may stay in the vicinity of the substrate S due to the turbulent flow of the processing fluid generated around the substrate S and reattach to the substrate S. .

For this reason, it is preferable that the through-holes 152 provided in the support tray 15 for allowing the lift pins to pass therethrough are as small in diameter as possible and are kept to the minimum necessary number. The lift pins 37, 38 of this embodiment can meet such demands. In particular, by adopting a coaxial structure in which the first lift pin 37 is cylindrical and the second lift pin 38 is columnar or cylindrical, it is possible to minimize the horizontal cross-sectional area while ensuring the strength of the lift pins. Thereby, the opening size of the through-hole 152 can be minimized.

The highest position Z1 reached by the first lift pins 37 in the first state and the highest position Z2 reached by the second lift pins 38 in the second state are such that there is a necessary and sufficient space between the substrate S and the support tray 15. They may be the same or different as long as they are formed. Also, the position of the second lift pin 38 in the first state and the position of the first lift pin 37 in the second state are not limited to those illustrated.

For the same reason as the proper use of lift pins, it is desirable that the hand of the external transport device used for transferring the substrate S is also distinguished between the time of loading and the time of unloading. Since it is conceivable that the transport path of the substrate S is different between receiving from the previous process and discharging to the post-process, the transport device for carrying in and the carrying out device for carrying out may be different. In this way, by distinguishing the hand or the transport device between loading and unloading, contamination of the substrate S after processing can be prevented. In addition to this, it is possible to perform the operation for carrying in and the operation for carrying out in parallel, so an improvement in throughput when processing a large number of substrates can be expected.

In the third state, if the upper ends of the first lift pins 37 and the second lift pins 38 are lowered at least below the upper surface 151 of the support tray 15, contact with the substrate S is avoided. However, as shown in FIG. 5C, if the upper end position Z3 is below the lower surface of the support tray 15, it is more preferable in that horizontal movement of the support tray 15 is permitted. For example, the support tray 15 moves in the Y direction to accommodate the substrate S in the processing chamber 12, as indicated by the dashed arrow in the figure. In this case as well, the lift pins 37 and 38 are prevented from interfering with the support tray 15 .

Next, the mechanism for individually raising and lowering the two types of lift pins 37 and 38 to realize each of the above states will be described in more detail. For example, the following two aspects are applicable as a mechanism capable of realizing such an operation. In the following description, in order to clarify the structural correspondence with the previous description of the principle, the same reference numerals are given to the substantially same configurations as in the above description.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing the first mode of the mechanism for raising and lowering the lift pins. The transfer unit 30a of this aspect corresponds to the transfer unit 30 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6A , in the first mode 30 a of the transfer unit 30 , a flat base member 36 is arranged below the flat base member 35 . A through hole is provided in the center of the base member 36, and the elevating member 33 that supports the base member 35 is inserted through this through hole. The elevating member 33 is driven up and down by a first linear motion mechanism 311 provided in the main body 31 . On the other hand, the elevating

members

34 , 34 supporting the base member 36 are driven up and down by the second

linear motion mechanisms

312 , 312 provided in the main body 31 . Therefore, the base member 35 and the base member 36 can be raised and lowered independently of each other.

A plurality of through-holes are provided near the periphery of the base member 35, and the first lift pins 37 are attached to each of these through-holes. Therefore, the plurality of first lift pins 37 move up and down integrally as the base member 35 moves up and down. Since the upper ends of the first lift pins 37 are set at the same height, the substrate S can be supported in a horizontal posture by coming into contact with the lower surface of the substrate S. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, a plurality of second lift pins 38 are fixed to the upper surface of the base member 36. Each of the second lift pins 38 is inserted inside the corresponding first lift pin 37 . Therefore, the plurality of second lift pins 38 move up and down integrally as the base member 36 moves up and down. Since the upper ends of the second lift pins 38 are set at the same height, the substrate S can be supported in a horizontal posture by coming into contact with the lower surface of the substrate S.

According to such a configuration, the

base members

35 and 36 move up and down independently of each other, so that the first lift pins 37 protrude above the second lift pins 38 (FIG. 6A) and the second lift pins 38 It is possible to switch between the state of protruding above the first lift pin 37 (FIG. 6B).

7A and 7B are diagrams showing a second aspect of the mechanism for raising and lowering the lift pins. In the transfer unit 30b of this mode, the supporting structure of the base member 35 is partially different from that of FIG. As shown in FIG. 7A , in the second mode 30 b of the transfer unit 30 , a flat base member 36 is arranged below a flat base member 35 . An elevating member 33 is attached to the lower portion of the base member 35 , and the elevating member 33 is attached to the base member 36 via a first linear motion mechanism 313 .

A plurality of through-holes are provided near the periphery of the base member 35, and the first lift pins 37 are attached to each of these through-holes. Therefore, the plurality of first lift pins 37 move up and down integrally as the base member 35 moves up and down. Since the upper ends of the first lift pins 37 are set at the same height, the substrate S can be supported in a horizontal posture by contacting the lower surface of the substrate S. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, a plurality of second lift pins 38 are fixed to the upper surface of the base member 36. Each of the second lift pins 38 is inserted inside the corresponding first lift pin 37 . Therefore, the plurality of second lift pins 38 move up and down integrally as the base member 36 moves up and down. Since the upper ends of the second lift pins 38 are set at the same height, the substrate S can be supported in a horizontal posture by coming into contact with the lower surface of the substrate S. As shown in FIG. An elevating member 34 is connected to the lower portion of the base member 36 , and the elevating member 34 is driven up and down by the second linear motion mechanism 314 .

When the elevating member 34 is elevated by the operation of the second linear motion mechanism 314, the base member 35 and the base member 36 are integrally elevated. Along with this, the first lift pin 37 and the second lift pin 38 move up and down integrally. On the other hand, when the elevating member 33 is raised and lowered by the operation of the first linear motion mechanism 313 , the base member 35 is raised and lowered with respect to the base member 36 . Accordingly, the first lift pins 37 move up and down with respect to the second lift pins 38 . As a result, it is possible to switch between a state in which the first lift pins 37 protrude above the second lift pins 38 (FIG. 7A) and a state in which the second lift pins 38 protrude above the first lift pins 37 (FIG. 7B). can.

As described above, the mechanism for performing the lifting operation of the lift pins of the present embodiment includes a mechanism for independently lifting and lowering the first lift pins 37 and the second lift pins 38, and a mechanism for lifting and lowering the first lift pins 37 and the second lift pins 38. It is conceivable to combine a mechanism for relatively raising and lowering them with a mechanism for integrally raising and lowering them.

From the viewpoint of minimizing the number of through-holes provided in the support tray, for example, two types of lift pins may be arranged close to each other, and through-holes through which both of them can be inserted may be provided in the support tray. However, increasing the diameter of the through-holes can also cause the same problem as increasing the number of through-holes. The coaxial shape as in the above embodiment is also advantageous in that the hole diameter can be kept small.

Alternatively, for example, two semi-cylindrical lift pins may be arranged so that their flat portions face each other. However, in this case, a problem may arise in that the rigidity is reduced due to the reduction in the horizontal cross-sectional area of each lift pin. On the other hand, in the combination of a column and a cylinder or the combination of cylinders as in the above embodiment, it is possible to maximize the rigidity of the lift pin with a small cross-sectional area.

Furthermore, in terms of forming a downward air flow in the gap space between the lift pins and reliably removing particles and the like that are sources of contamination, the structure in which the other lift pin is inserted into the cylindrical lift pin as described above. is valid.

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, the transfer unit 30 corresponds to the "substrate lifting device" of the present invention. In the transfer unit 30, the elevating member 33 and the base member 35 serve as the "first support section" of the present invention, the elevating member 34 and the base member 36 serve as the "second support section" of the present invention, The driving

mechanisms

311 and 313 function as the "first elevating section" of the present invention, and the second

linear motion mechanisms

312 and 314 function as the "second elevating section" of the present invention. "mechanism". Also, the exhaust section 39 functions as the "airflow generating section" of the present invention.

Also, in the above embodiment, the support tray 15 functions as the "substrate support member" of the present invention. Further, heights Z1, Z2 and Z3 shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C respectively correspond to the "first height", "second height" and "third height" of the present invention.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the processing chamber 12 of the above embodiment performs supercritical drying processing in the internal processing space SP. However, the technical idea of the present invention is also applicable to other substrate processing. In particular, the present invention is effective for general apparatuses in which a substrate to be processed is placed on a flat substrate support member such as a support tray, carried into a processing chamber, and processed.

Also, in the above embodiment, the first lift pins 37 are used when the substrate S is carried into the support tray 15, and the second lift pins 38 are used when the substrate S is carried out, but these may be reversed. In addition to using different lift pins for loading and unloading, for example, the state in which the substrate S is supported by the first lift pins 37 and the state in which the substrate S is supported by the second lift pins 38 can be changed. , it is also possible to switch directly.

Also, in the above embodiment. A second lift pin 38 is inserted through the inner cavity of the cylindrical first lift pin 37 and the two are not in contact with each other. However, a structure in which one lift pin and the other lift pin are partially and slidably engaged may be used. In this way, one lift pin can be supported by the other lift pin, so the lift pin can be thinner. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the diameter of the through-holes provided in the support tray.

In this case, in order to prevent fine powder generated by sliding from becoming a contamination source, it is preferable that the two lift pins engage at a position spaced downward from the upper end portion that contacts the substrate. Further, it is more preferable to use means for generating a downward airflow between both lift pins.

Also, in the delivery of the substrate S in the above embodiment, an external transport device transports the substrate S in the Y direction. Therefore, the lift pins 37 and 38 need to support the substrate S above the upper end of the lid member 13 . Alternatively, if the substrate is transported in the X direction, for example, the substrate S does not need to pass over the lid member 13 . Therefore, it is sufficient if the lift pins 37 and 38 can support the substrate S at a lower position. For example, the approach direction of the hand of the transport device may be changed between when the substrate S is carried in and when the substrate S is carried out.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the support tray 15 is attached to the side surface of the lid member 13 and they move integrally, but it is not limited to this. For example, the support tray may be configured to be movable independently of the lid member. In this case, the lid member may be a door-like member attached to the opening of the processing chamber so as to be openable and closable.

Further, in the above embodiment, the substrate S is supported by directly contacting the upper surface of the support tray 15, which is a substrate support member, with the lower surface of the substrate S. However, for example, a structure in which a protrusion is provided on the upper surface of the substrate support member and the upper end of the protrusion contacts the lower surface of the substrate to support the substrate may be employed.

Also, the various chemical substances used in the processing of the above embodiments are only examples. Various things can be used in place of these as long as they match the technical idea of the present invention described above.

As described above by exemplifying specific embodiments, in the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate lifting device according to the present invention, the lifting mechanism includes the first support portion that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins. a first elevating part for elevating the first supporting part; a second elevating part for integrally supporting the plurality of second lift pins; and a second elevating part for elevating the second supporting part independently of the first supporting part. It can be provided with a part.

Further, for example, the lifting mechanism includes a first support portion that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins, a second support portion that integrally supports the plurality of second lift pins, the first support portion and the second support portion. and a second elevating unit for integrally elevating the first support unit and the second support unit.

With any of these configurations, it is possible to raise and lower the first lift pins and the second lift pins individually to realize the first to third states of the present invention.

Further, for example, an airflow generating portion that generates a downward airflow in the gap space between the first lift pin and the second lift pin may be further provided. With such a configuration, it is possible to discharge downward fine powder that may be generated by the relative movement of the first lift pin and the second lift pin while they are in contact with each other, thereby preventing the substrate from becoming a source of contamination. .

In addition to the first state and the second state, for example, the lifting mechanism is configured to realize a third state in which the upper ends of the first lift pins and the second lift pins are both positioned below the upper surface. good too. In the third state, both the upper ends of the first lift pins and the second lift pins may be located below the lower surface of the substrate support member. According to such a configuration, the substrate can be transported by horizontally moving the substrate support member without interference between the first lift pins and the second lift pins.

For example, the above configuration can be adopted in an apparatus provided with an advancing/retreating mechanism that relatively moves the substrate supporting member and the chamber in the horizontal direction to move the substrate supporting member forwards and backwards with respect to the chamber. This prevents the lift pins from interfering when the substrate supported by the substrate support member is loaded into and unloaded from the chamber.

In this case, the first lift pins and the second lift pins can be arranged corresponding to the positions of the through holes of the substrate support member pulled out from the chamber. That is, the first lift pins and the second lift pins can be arranged at positions that allow access to the substrate pulled out of the chamber together with the substrate support member. According to such a configuration, it is possible to transfer the substrate between the substrate support member and the external transport device in a favorable manner.

Also, for example, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention may process a substrate with a processing fluid in a chamber. In an apparatus that performs such processing, the flow of processing fluid through through-holes provided in the substrate support member for passage of the lift pins causes turbulence, which can affect processing quality. By minimizing the number and diameter of through-holes, it is possible to reduce such effects on processing quality.

Although the invention has been described in accordance with specific embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It is therefore intended that the appended claims cover any such variations or embodiments without departing from the true scope of the invention.

The present invention can be applied to all techniques in which a substrate is accommodated in a chamber and processed while being horizontally supported by a flat support member. In particular, it is suitable for substrate processing using a processing fluid in a chamber, such as supercritical drying processing.

1 substrate processing apparatus 15 support tray (substrate support member)
30 transfer unit (substrate lifting device)
33 Lifting member (first support part, lifting mechanism)
34 Elevating member (second support part, elevating mechanism)
35 base member (first support, lifting mechanism)
36 base member (second support, lifting mechanism)
37 First lift pin 38 Second lift pin 39 Exhaust part (airflow generating part)
53

Retraction mechanism

311, 313 First linear motion mechanism (first elevating unit, elevating mechanism)
312, 314 Second linear motion mechanism (second elevating unit, elevating mechanism)
S Substrate Z1 First height Z2 Second height Z3 Third height

Claims

a substrate support member having a flat plate shape and provided with a plurality of through holes in the vertical direction, and supporting the substrate in a horizontal position in the chamber by placing the substrate on the upper surface thereof;
a plurality of first lift pins formed in a cylindrical shape having an axial direction extending in the vertical direction and provided in plurality corresponding to each of the through holes;
a plurality of second lift pins formed in a cylindrical or rod shape with an axial direction extending in the vertical direction and inserted through each of the first lift pins;
an elevating mechanism for elevating the first lift pin and the second lift pin, the elevating mechanism comprising:
a first state in which the upper end of the first lift pin protrudes above the upper surface through the through hole, while the upper end of the second lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the first lift pin;
a second state in which upper ends of the second lift pins protrude above the upper surface through the through holes and upper ends of the first lift pins are positioned below upper ends of the second lift pins; processing equipment.
The lifting mechanism is
a first support that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins;
a first elevating section that elevates the first support section;
a second support portion that integrally supports the plurality of second lift pins;
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second elevating section that elevates said second support section independently of said first support section.
The lifting mechanism is
a first support that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins;
a second support portion that integrally supports the plurality of second lift pins;
a first elevating section that relatively elevates the first support section and the second support section;
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second elevating section that integrally elevates the first supporting section and the second supporting section.
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an airflow generation section for generating a downward airflow in a gap space between said first lift pin and said second lift pin.
The lifting mechanism switches between the first state, the second state, and a third state in which the upper ends of the first lift pins and the second lift pins are both positioned below the upper surface. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.
6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in said third state, both upper ends of said first lift pins and said second lift pins are located below the lower surface of said substrate support member.
7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an advancing/retreating mechanism for moving said substrate supporting member and said chamber relative to each other in a horizontal direction to advance and retreat said substrate supporting member with respect to said chamber.
8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first lift pins and said second lift pins are arranged corresponding to positions of said through holes of said substrate support member pulled out from said chamber.
The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the substrate is processed with a processing fluid in the chamber.
A substrate lifting device that lifts and lowers a substrate while supporting it in a horizontal posture,
a plurality of first lift pins formed in a cylindrical shape with an axial direction extending in the vertical direction;
a plurality of second lift pins formed in a cylindrical or rod shape with an axial direction extending in the vertical direction and inserted through each of the first lift pins;
an elevating mechanism for elevating the first lift pin and the second lift pin, the elevating mechanism comprising:
a first state in which the upper end of the first lift pin rises to a predetermined first height while the upper end of the second lift pin is positioned below the upper end of the first lift pin;
A substrate lifting device that switches between a second state in which the upper ends of the second lift pins rise to a predetermined second height, and the upper ends of the first lift pins are positioned below the upper ends of the second lift pins.
The lifting mechanism is
a first support that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins;
a first elevating section that elevates the first support section;
a second support portion that integrally supports the plurality of second lift pins;
11. The substrate lifting apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a second elevating section that elevates the second supporting section independently of the first supporting section.
The lifting mechanism is
a first support that integrally supports the plurality of first lift pins;
a second support portion that integrally supports the plurality of second lift pins;
a first elevating section that relatively elevates the first support section and the second support section;
12. The substrate lifting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a second elevating section that integrally elevates the first supporting section and the second supporting section.
The substrate lifting device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising an airflow generation section for generating a downward airflow in a gap space between said first lift pin and said second lift pin.