Substrate transport device and substrate processing device

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate conveying device and a substrate processing device, which can improve the quality of the substrate. The embodiment is a substrate conveying device for conveying a substrate with warpage, comprising: a plurality of conveying rollers, each having a cylindrical portion supporting the concave side of the substrate, and the cylindrical portion rotates around an axis to convey the substrate; a first axis is coaxially arranged with the conveying roller along a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the substrate; a pressing roller presses the convex surface of the substrate; and a second axis is coaxially arranged with the pressing roller, and the conveying rollers are two conveying rollers arranged spaced apart in the width direction as a group, and multiple groups are arranged along the conveying direction, and two conveying rollers in each group are provided with two first axes spaced apart in the width direction, and the distance between the conveying roller and the pressing roller has a portion that becomes shorter along the conveying direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a substrate transfer apparatus and a substrate processing apparatus. Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing process of liquid crystal display devices or semiconductor elements, a substrate processing device is used to process substrates such as glass substrates or semiconductor substrates. Examples of substrate processing include resist coating, resist stripping, etching, cleaning, and drying. The substrate processing device processes the substrate by supplying a processing fluid such as a processing liquid or a drying gas to the substrate by a supply tool while transporting the substrate by a plurality of transport rollers.

[0003] [Prior art literature]

[0004] [Patent Document]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-10096 Summary of the invention

[0006] [Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The substrate to be transported is usually a flat substrate, but there are also substrates with warping. For example, when a substrate as thin as about 1 mm is used as a substrate to be processed, when a film is formed on one side of the substrate, the substrate will warp due to the stress of the film. Therefore, sometimes one side of the substrate is concave and the other side is convex. If a substrate with warping like this is transported with the concave side facing upward by multiple transport rollers while maintaining the warping state, the processing fluid from the supply tool cannot be evenly supplied, so the processing of the substrate will become uneven. Therefore, for example, uneven coating, uneven peeling, uneven etching, uneven cleaning, uneven drying and other uneven processing may occur, and the quality of the substrate will decrease.

[0008] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a substrate conveying device and a substrate processing device capable of improving the quality of the substrate.

[0009] [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention is a substrate conveying device for conveying a substrate with warping, the substrate conveying device comprising: a plurality of conveying rollers having a cylindrical portion supporting the substrate from a concave side, the cylindrical portion being used to rotate about an axis to convey the substrate; a first axis being coaxial with the conveying roller and arranged along a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the substrate; a pressing roller for pressing the convex surface of the substrate; and a second axis being coaxially arranged with the pressing roller, wherein the conveying rollers are composed of two conveying rollers arranged spaced apart in the width direction as a group, and a plurality of groups are arranged along the conveying direction, and the two conveying rollers in each group are provided with two of the first axes spaced apart in the width direction, and the distance between the conveying roller and the pressing roller has a portion that becomes shorter along the conveying direction.

[0011] Moreover, an embodiment of the present invention is a substrate processing device, comprising a correction chamber and a processing chamber, wherein the correction chamber is provided with the substrate conveying device, wherein the correction chamber has a portion where the separation distance between the conveying roller and the pressing roller becomes shorter along the conveying direction, and the processing chamber has a fluid supply part, and the fluid supply part supplies fluid from between each separated group of conveying rollers to the substrate passing through the correction chamber.

[0012] [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the embodiment of the present invention, the quality of the substrate can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a side view showing a schematic structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 (A) is Figure 1 The arrow AA′ diagram, Figure 2 (B) is Figure 1 Arrow BB′ diagram.

[0016] Figure 3 Yes means Figure 1 A plan view of the schematic structure of a substrate transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate transfer device according to a second embodiment.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate transfer device according to a third embodiment.

[0019] Figure 6 (A) and Figure 6 (B) means Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the structure of a conveying roller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 7 It is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a substrate transfer device according to a fourth embodiment.

[0021] Figure 8 Yes means Figure 7 A partial cross-sectional view of a guide roller of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Fig. 9 It is a side view showing a schematic structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment.

[0023] [Explanation of Symbols]

[0024] 10: Substrate processing equipment

[0025] 21: Correction Room

[0026] 22: Processing Room

[0027] 30: Substrate transport device

[0028] 31: Conveying roller

[0029] 31a, 312a: cylindrical part

[0030] 31b, 312b: flange-shaped portion

[0031] 31c: First axis

[0032] 32: Pressing roller

[0033] 32a: Second axis

[0034] 40: Fluid supply unit

[0035] 41: Liquid injection unit

[0036] 41a: Nozzle

[0037] 42: Gas injection unit

[0038] 42a: Blowing port

[0039] 50: Control Department

[0040] 311: Fixed part

[0041] 311a: Trail section

[0042] 311b: Large diameter part

[0043] 312: Movable part

[0044] 312c: End face

[0045] 313: Force-applying member

[0046] 314: Guide roller

[0047] 314a: Support

[0048] 314b: Roller

[0049] 314c: Guidance

[0050] ax: axial length of the cylindrical part

[0051] d: The distance between the flanges

[0052] D, H: Separation distance

[0053] dmax: Maximum separation distance of the flange

[0054] Dmax: Maximum separation distance

[0055] dmin: The minimum spacing between flanges

[0056] Dmin: minimum separation distance

[0057] La: The length of the corrected substrate in the width direction when viewed from above

[0058] Lo: The length of the substrate in the width direction when viewed from above before correction

[0059] P: Pattern

[0060] pa: The length in the width direction from the edge of the corrected substrate to the edge of the pattern forming region in a plan view

[0061] S1: Concave

[0062] S2: Convex

[0063] T: Transport path

[0064] Td: Transport direction

[0065] W: substrate

[0066] X: Width direction DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] [First embodiment]

[0068] Reference Figures 1 to 3 The first embodiment is described below. In addition, the dimensions and shapes of the drawings do not reflect the exact dimensions and shapes of the actual substrate and the device, and some parts are exaggerated for ease of understanding. Moreover, in the following description, the direction following gravity is set as downward, and the direction overcoming gravity is set as upward, but these directions do not limit the installation direction of the device.

[0069] [Substrate]

[0070] like Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 (A) and Figure 2 As shown in (B), in this embodiment, the substrate W as a conveying object and a processing object has a warp. As the substrate W, a rectangular thin substrate such as a glass substrate is used. The thickness of the substrate W is about 0.5 mm to 1.1 mm, and the warping amount of the substrate W is about 7 mm to 10 mm. In the accompanying drawings, the short side direction of the substrate W is shown to be warped into a U-shape, but the warping of the actual rectangular substrate W is located around the substrate W. Due to the warping, one of the surfaces of the substrate W shrinks and the other surface stretches. The surface that is concave due to the shrinkage is set as the concave surface S1, and the surface that is raised due to the stretching is set as the convex surface S2. The substrate W of this embodiment uses the concave surface S1 as the processing surface. For example, a substrate W with a circuit pattern P formed on the processing surface like a multilayer substrate is used. In addition, near the outer edge of the processing surface of the substrate W, there is an area where the pattern P is not formed. The area on the processing surface where the pattern P is formed is set as the pattern forming area, and the area where the pattern P is not formed is set as the non-pattern forming area.

[0071] [Basic structure]

[0072] The substrate processing device 10 of the present embodiment is a device that supports the concave surface S1 side while transporting the substrate W, and processes the concave surface S1 as the processing surface. When the substrate W is transported in such a manner that the concave surface S1 is at the bottom and the convex surface S2 is at the top, basically, the substrate W can be transported stably only by supporting the end portion thereof. And the concave surface S1 at the bottom is processed. The substrate processing device 10 includes a correction chamber 21, a processing chamber 22, a substrate transport device 30, a fluid supply unit 40, and a control unit 50. The correction chamber 21 and the processing chamber 22 are each a frame having a transport path T for transporting the substrate W inside, and are formed so that the substrate W can pass through the inside along the transport path T. The correction chamber 21 functions as a place for correcting the warpage of the substrate W moving on the transport path T. The processing chamber 22 functions as a place for processing the substrate W that moves on the transport path T after the warpage is corrected in the correction chamber 21. In this embodiment, the substrate W is cleaned and dried. A discharge port (not shown) for discharging liquid is formed on the bottom surface of the processing chamber 22 .

[0073] The substrate transport device 30 includes a plurality of transport rollers 31 and a plurality of pressing rollers 32. The substrate transport device 30 is provided throughout the entire interior of the correction chamber 21 and the processing chamber 22, and the convex surface S2 of the substrate W is pressed by each pressing roller 32, and the concave surface S1 side is supported by each transport roller 31 to transport the substrate W.

[0074] [Substrate transfer device]

[0075] (Configuration of conveying roller and pressing roller)

[0076] The substrate transport device 30 transports the substrate W with the concave surface S1 positioned downward. The transport rollers 31 are arranged at a predetermined interval below the transport path T along the transport direction Td of the substrate W. The pressing rollers 32 are positioned above the transport path T in a manner of sandwiching the transport path T and being separated from the transport rollers 31, and are arranged along the transport direction Td at a predetermined interval that is the same as the predetermined interval of the transport rollers 31. The transport rollers 31 and the pressing rollers 32 are rotatably disposed in the correction chamber 21 and the processing chamber 22, and are configured to rotate synchronously with each other via a driving mechanism (not shown). The transport rollers 31 are arranged at a predetermined interval. Figure 1 The pressing roller 32 rotates clockwise and the pressing roller 32 rotates counterclockwise.

[0077] The transport rollers 31 (two in one set in this embodiment) and the pressing rollers 32 arranged in a spaced manner sandwiching the transport path T are grouped together, and the spacing distance H between each group of the transport rollers 31 and the pressing rollers 32 in the correction chamber 21 gradually shortens toward the downstream side along the transport direction Td, and becomes fixed in the middle of the transport path T in the correction chamber 21, and thus becomes fixed in the processing chamber 22. In this embodiment, the spacing distance H is the spacing distance in the vertical direction. The so-called fixed spacing distance H refers to, for example, a predetermined distance that allows the substrate to be transported and is less than the thickness of the substrate W.

[0078] In addition, if Figure 2 As shown in (A), the distance H between a pair of conveying rollers 31 and a pressing roller 32 located at the most upstream (upstream end) in the conveying direction Td is longer than the warpage amount of the substrate W. The so-called warpage amount refers to the maximum vertical distance between the plane on which the substrate W is placed and the upper surface of the substrate W placed on the plane. The substrate W passes between such conveying rollers 31 and pressing rollers 32 in the correction chamber 21, and thus, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 (B) Figure 3 As shown, the warping is corrected.

[0079] (Detailed structure of conveying roller)

[0080] like Figure 2 As shown in (A), the conveying roller 31 has a cylindrical portion 31a on the concave surface S1 side supporting the substrate W, and the cylindrical portion 31a rotates around an axis to convey the substrate W. The cylindrical portion 31a is, for example, a roller made of rubber or resin. The axis of the cylindrical portion 31a is along the width direction X orthogonal to the conveying direction Td. The conveying roller 31 including the cylindrical portion 31a is composed of two cylindrical portions 31a spaced apart in the width direction X as a group, and multiple groups are arranged along the conveying direction Td. The two cylindrical portions 31a in each group have the same diameter.

[0081] In addition, the distance H between the transport roller 31 and the pressing roller 32 is the distance of the portion in contact with the substrate W, and in this embodiment, it is the distance between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31a and the outer peripheral surface of the pressing roller 32. That is, the distance H between the transport roller 31 and the pressing roller 32 includes the case where it is the distance between a part of the transport roller 31 and the pressing roller 32. Moreover, the transport path T in this embodiment is located between the cylindrical portion 31a of the transport roller 31 and the pressing roller 32.

[0082] The conveying roller 31 further includes a flange 31b. The flange 31b is a portion of the cylindrical portion 31a of the two conveying rollers 31, which is provided in a manner that the diameter becomes larger at the ends located on the outer sides of each other in the X direction. The flange 31b can abut against the end of the substrate W after the warpage is corrected along the conveying direction Td. Preferably, the flanges 31b of a group of conveying rollers 31 that are spaced apart in the width direction X are spaced apart from each other to be equal to or longer than the length of the substrate W in the width direction X after the warpage is corrected.

[0083] Furthermore, the conveying roller 31 is provided with a first shaft 31c coaxially therewith along the width direction X orthogonal to the conveying direction Td. Two first shafts 31c are provided in each group of two conveying rollers 31, which are separated in the width direction X and coaxially with each other. The diameter of the first shaft 31c is thinner than that of the cylindrical portion 31a, and is fixed to the end faces of the two cylindrical portions 31a of each group, which are located on the outer sides of each other in the X direction. The plurality of first shafts 31c are provided to be synchronously rotatable, for example, by a driving mechanism having a helical gear (helical gear) not shown in the figure. The two conveying rollers 31 of each group are driven to rotate at the same peripheral speed.

[0084] When the first shaft 31c rotates, each cylindrical portion 31a mounted on the first shaft 31c rotates with the first shaft 31c as the axis of rotation. The conveying roller 31 supports the non-pattern forming area on the concave surface S1 side or the end of the substrate W along the conveying direction Td and conveys it along the conveying direction Td. Figure 2 (A) Figure 2 As shown in (B), the first shaft 31c is not present in the lower portion near the center in the width direction X of the substrate W being transported.

[0085] When the warping of the substrate W is corrected, the length of the substrate W in the width direction X when viewed from above becomes longer. Therefore, the length ax of the cylindrical portion 31a of the conveying roller 31 in the axial direction is set to a length corresponding to the change in the length of the substrate W in the width direction X when viewed from above. That is, the length is set to be able to support the substrate W from the end of the substrate W in a warped state to the end of the substrate W in a warped state.

[0086] For example, it is preferable to set the axial length ax of the cylindrical portion 31a (see Figure 2 (A) and Figure 2 (B)) is set to be greater than the distance that the end portion of the substrate W along the conveying direction Td moves due to the correction of the warpage. More specifically, the length ax is set to the following length.

[0087] If:

[0088] The length of the substrate W in the width direction X when viewed from above before correction: Lo

[0089] The length of the corrected substrate W in the width direction X when viewed from above: La,

[0090] but:

[0091] {(La-Lo) / 2}≦ax

[0092] The length of the cylindrical portion 31a is set to a length that does not contact the pattern forming region of the corrected substrate W. For example, preferably, if the length from the edge of the corrected substrate W to the edge of the pattern forming region in the width direction X when viewed from above is pa (see Figure 2 (B)), then

[0093] ax≦pa.

[0094] Therefore, the length ax of the cylindrical portion 31a in the axial direction is preferably as follows.

[0095] {(La-Lo) / 2}≦ax≦paFormula 1

[0096] (Specific structure of the pressing roller)

[0097] The pressing roller 32 is circular with the width direction X as the axis. Figure 2 As shown in (A), the pressing roller 32 is arranged above each conveying roller 31 and facing the center of the width direction X of the space between the two conveying rollers 31 in a group in such a manner as to abut against the center of the convex surface S2 of the substrate W. A second shaft 32a is coaxially provided on the pressing roller 32. The second shaft 32a is arranged parallel to the first shaft 31c. The diameter of the second shaft 32a is thinner than that of the pressing roller 32, and extends over a length exceeding the width direction X of the substrate W, and is arranged in the correction chamber 21 and the processing chamber 22 so as to be synchronously rotatable, for example, by a driving mechanism having a spur gear (spur gear) not shown in the figure.

[0098] When the second shaft 32a rotates, the pressing roller 32 mounted on the second shaft 32a presses the convex surface S2 while rotating with the second shaft 32a as the rotation axis. The conveying roller 31 and the pressing roller 32 are both controlled to be rotationally driven at the same peripheral speed. Moreover, by changing the spacing distance between the first shaft 31c of the conveying roller 31 and the second shaft 32a of the pressing roller 32, the spacing distance between each set of conveying rollers 31 and the pressing roller 32 can be changed as described above.

[0099] [Fluid supply unit]

[0100] like Figure 1 As shown, a fluid supply unit 40 is provided in the processing chamber 22. The fluid supply unit 40 supplies fluid from between the separated groups of conveying rollers 31 to the substrate W passing through the correction chamber 21. The fluid supply unit 40 includes a liquid ejecting unit 41 and a gas blowing unit 42.

[0101] (Liquid ejection unit)

[0102] The liquid injection unit 41 sprays and supplies the processing liquid to the processing surface of the substrate W moving on the transport path T. The liquid injection unit 41 is arranged to face the substrate W across the transport path T without hindering the substrate W being transported by the substrate transport device 30. In addition, there is no shaft or roller between the liquid injection unit 41 and the transport path T. For example, when the processing liquid is sprayed toward the transport path T by the liquid injection unit 41, the processing liquid is supplied to the concave surface S1 of the substrate W moving on the transport path T. For the processing liquid, a cleaning liquid, a stripping liquid, a developing liquid, a rinse liquid (pure water, etc.) are used according to each target process.

[0103] More specifically, as the liquid injection unit 41, for example, a shower pipe having a plurality of through holes or a pipe including a plurality of nozzles can be used. Figure 2 As shown in (B), a plurality of nozzles 41a are provided in the tube arranged along the width direction X. The liquid ejecting section 41 is as shown in FIG. Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown in (B), a plurality of nozzles 41a are arranged along the conveying direction Td below the conveying roller 31 in such a manner that the long side direction thereof is parallel to the width direction X. The processing liquid is supplied in a spraying manner from the nozzle outlet of the nozzle 41a to the processing surface of the conveyed substrate W. That is, the nozzle 41a sprays the processing liquid upward to the lower surface of the substrate W.

[0104] (Gas Blowing Section)

[0105] The gas blowing section 42 blows a drying gas such as air or nitrogen to the substrate W moving on the transport path T. The gas blowing section 42 is provided so as not to hinder the transport of the substrate W by the substrate transport device 30, and faces the substrate W across the transport path T. In addition, there is no shaft or roller between the gas blowing section 42 and the transport path T. The gas blowing section 42 blows gas at high pressure toward the substrate W passing through the transport path T, blows away the cleaning liquid attached to the substrate W, and dries the processing surface of the substrate W.

[0106] For example, Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown in (B), the gas blowing section 42 is an air knife having a slit-shaped blowing port 42a that is longer than the width La of the warped corrected substrate W. The gas blowing section 42 is configured to blow gas from the blowing port 42a toward the upstream side of the conveying direction Td to blow away the liquid attached to the substrate W.

[0107] [Control Department]

[0108] like Figure 1 As shown, the control unit 50 is a computer that controls various units of the substrate processing apparatus 10 such as the substrate transport device 30 and the fluid supply unit 40, and has a storage unit that stores various information and programs related to substrate transport and substrate processing, and a processor that executes various programs.

[0109] [action]

[0110] Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 10 will be described. The following operation is an example of an operation of correcting the substrate W, cleaning it with a cleaning liquid, and drying it. As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 10, the transport rollers 31 and the pressing rollers 32 of the substrate transport device 30 rotate synchronously, and the substrate W on each transport roller 31 is transported along the transport direction Td and moves along the transport path T, passing through the correction chamber 21 and the processing chamber 22.

[0111] when Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 When the warped substrate W shown in (A) is inserted into the correction chamber 21 in a manner in which the concave surface S1 side thereof is supported by the conveying rollers 31, it is conveyed along the conveying direction Td by the rotating conveying rollers 31, thereby moving along the conveying path T. In the correction chamber 21, the distance between each set of conveying rollers 31 and the pressing rollers 32 becomes shorter as it moves toward the downstream side of the conveying direction Td. Therefore, as the substrate W moves, the upper surface of the downstream side (front end side) of the warped substrate W, i.e., the convex surface S2, sequentially contacts the pressing rollers 32, and the substrate W is gradually pressed downward by the pressing rollers 32.

[0112] When the convex surface S2 on the downstream side of the substrate W is gradually pressed by each pressing roller 32, the convex surface S2 on the upstream side of the substrate W also comes close to and abuts against each pressing roller 32, and is thus pressed by each pressing roller 32. In this way, when the warped substrate W moves along the conveying path T, it is gradually corrected to a flat state starting from the downstream side of the substrate W. The corrected substrate W is clamped by a set of conveying rollers 31 and pressing rollers 32 separated by a fixed distance H, and is thus conveyed to the next processing chamber 22 in a flat state.

[0113] In the processing chamber 22, the cleaning liquid is supplied in advance by each liquid ejecting unit 41 from below the transport path T. When the substrate W is transported in a flat state and passes through the area in the liquid supply state, the cleaning liquid is supplied to clean the lower surface of the substrate W. The cleaning liquid dropped from the substrate W flows through the bottom surface of the processing chamber 22 and is discharged from the discharge port.

[0114] Furthermore, in the processing chamber 22, a drying gas is supplied in advance by the gas blowing unit 42 from below the transport path T. When the substrate W is transported in a flat state and passes through the gas supplying area, the processing liquid attached to the lower surface of the substrate W is blown away by the gas blowing, and the substrate W is dried. The processing liquid blown away from the substrate W flows through the bottom surface of the processing chamber 22 and is discharged from the discharge port.

[0115] [Effect]

[0116] (1) The present embodiment is a substrate conveying device 30 for conveying a warped substrate W, the substrate conveying device 30 comprising: a plurality of conveying rollers 31, each having a cylindrical portion 31a on the concave surface S1 side supporting the substrate W, the cylindrical portion 31a being rotated about an axis to convey the substrate W; a first axis 31c being coaxial with the conveying roller 31 and arranged along a width direction X that is orthogonal to a conveying direction Td of the substrate W; a pressing roller 32 for pressing a convex surface S2 of the substrate W; and a second axis 32a being coaxially arranged with the pressing roller 32.

[0117] The conveying rollers 31 are composed of two conveying rollers 31 spaced apart in the width direction X as a group, and multiple groups of conveying rollers 31 are arranged along the conveying direction Td. The two conveying rollers 31 in each group are provided with two first shafts 31c spaced apart in the width direction X, and the spacing distance between the conveying rollers 31 and the pressing roller 32 has a portion that becomes shorter along the conveying direction Td.

[0118] Moreover, the present embodiment is a substrate processing device 10, comprising a correction chamber 21 and a processing chamber 22 provided with a substrate conveying device 30, wherein in the correction chamber 21, there is a portion where the spacing distance H between the conveying roller 31 and the pressing roller 32 becomes shorter along the conveying direction Td, and the processing chamber 22 has a fluid supply unit 40, and the fluid supply unit 40 supplies fluid from between each separated group of conveying rollers 31 to the substrate W passing through the correction chamber 21.

[0119] In this embodiment, the distance H between each set of conveying rollers 31 and pressing rollers 32 has a portion that becomes shorter along the conveying direction Td. That is, there is a portion where the distance H becomes shorter as it moves toward the downstream side. As a result, the warped substrate W is pressed by each pressing roller 32 so that the warping amount is gradually reduced. Therefore, compared with the case where the warped substrate W is forcibly pressed by each pressing roller 32 in a manner that the warping amount is rapidly reduced to suppress the warping of the substrate W, damage to the substrate W can be suppressed. Therefore, the quality of the substrate W can be suppressed from being degraded.

[0120] Furthermore, the substrate W is corrected to a flat state by each pressing roller 32, and passes through the area where the fluid is supplied in a flat state. That is, the substrate W in a flat state is cleaned or dried. As a result, it is easy to evenly supply the processing liquid or the drying gas to the processing surface of the substrate W, so that the substrate W can be evenly processed. Therefore, the occurrence of uneven cleaning or uneven drying on the substrate W can be suppressed, so the quality of the substrate W can be improved. For example, in the case where a fluid is ejected from a slit-shaped opening such as an air knife to the entire width direction X of the substrate W, the distance between the supply position and the substrate W is fixed throughout the entire width direction X, so uneven processing can be prevented.

[0121] Furthermore, if a shaft is provided over the entire width direction X of the substrate W, the fluid supplied from the fluid supply unit 40 may hit the shaft or may not reach the substrate W, and thus may not be uniformly supplied to the substrate W, thereby hindering efficient processing of the substrate W. However, in the present embodiment, on the processing surface side, the conveying roller 31 and the first shaft 31c are provided separately in the width direction X, so that the fluid supplied from the fluid supply unit 40 is prevented from being blocked by the conveying roller 31 or the first shaft 31c. Therefore, the fluid can be uniformly sprayed onto the processing surface, so that uniform processing can be achieved, thereby improving the quality of the substrate W.

[0122] (2) The axial length of the cylindrical portion 31a is greater than the distance that the end of the substrate W moves due to the correction of the warpage. Therefore, both the end of the substrate W with warpage and the end of the substrate W after the warpage is corrected can be prevented from deviating from the support of the cylindrical portion 31a.

[0123] (3) The conveying roller 31 further includes a flange 31b that can abut against the edge of the substrate W along the conveying direction Td. Therefore, when the substrate W is widened in the width direction A1 due to the correction of the warpage of the substrate W, the edge of the substrate W is restricted by the flange 31b, thereby preventing the substrate W from deviating greatly in the width direction A1.

[0124] [Second embodiment]

[0125] Reference Figure 4 The second embodiment will be described. Note that the configuration of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore only the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and other descriptions will be omitted.

[0126] In the substrate transport device 30 of this embodiment, in the correction chamber 21, the distance D between the two transport rollers 31 spaced apart in the width direction X has a portion that gradually becomes longer along the transport direction Td. In addition, as long as the distance between each set of transport rollers 31 gradually becomes longer only in the portion where the distance between the transport rollers 31 and the pressing rollers 32 gradually becomes shorter, after the correction in the correction chamber 21, and then in the subsequent processing chamber 22, the substrate W is already in a flat plate shape, and therefore the distance D between the transport rollers 31 is set to be fixed.

[0127] The spacing distance D is preferably set as follows.

[0128] If:

[0129] The length of the substrate W in the width direction X when viewed from above before correction: Lo

[0130] The length of the corrected substrate W in the width direction X when viewed from above: La

[0131] Minimum separation distance Dmin

[0132] The maximum separation distance Dmax,

[0133] but

[0134] Dmin<Lо Formula 2

[0135] Dmax<La Formula 3

[0136] Furthermore, if the distance between the flange-shaped portions 31 b of each set of conveying rollers 31 is d, it is preferable to set the distance as follows.

[0137] The minimum spacing distance dmin of the flange-shaped portion 31b

[0138] The maximum spacing distance dmax of the flange-shaped portion 31b

[0139] dmin≧Lо Equation 4

[0140] dmax≧La Formula 5

[0141] Furthermore, the length ax of the cylindrical portion 31 a in the axial direction need not take into account the movement of the end portion of the substrate W due to correction of the warpage, and may be a length capable of supporting the end portion of the substrate W.

[0142] As described above, in the substrate transport device 30 of the present embodiment, the distance D between the two transport rollers 31 in each group in the width direction X has a portion that becomes larger along the transport direction Td of the substrate W. In this way, the distance D between the transport rollers 31 becomes wider by the warpage correction of the substrate W by the pressing roller 32, thereby supporting the end of the substrate W. That is, it is not necessary to set the length of the cylindrical portion 31a of the transport roller 31 in consideration of the movement of the end of the substrate W, so that the length of the cylindrical portion 31a can be shortened compared with the first embodiment, and the transport roller 31 is prevented from contacting the pattern forming area, thereby suppressing the quality of the substrate W from being deteriorated. In the first embodiment, it is a necessary condition that the length pa in the width direction X from the edge of the corrected substrate W to the edge of the pattern forming area when viewed from above is longer than the length ax in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 31a of the transport roller 31, but in the present embodiment, the substrate W can be transported and the warpage of the substrate W can be corrected regardless of the length pa.

[0143] [Third Embodiment]

[0144] Reference Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 (A) and Figure 6 The third embodiment will be described with reference to (B). In addition, the structure of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, so the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the other descriptions will be omitted.

[0145] like Figure 5 As shown, in the substrate transport device 30 of the present embodiment, the transport roller 31 is provided so as to be movable by force applied by the end of the substrate W. The transport roller 31 of the correction chamber 21 of the present embodiment moves outward when the end of the warped and corrected substrate W is pushed outward from the transport path T. That is, since the warpage of the transported substrate W is corrected and force is applied by the end of the substrate W, the distance D between the two transport rollers 31 of each group is increased.

[0146] Figure 6 (A) and Figure 6 (B) shows an example of the structure of such a conveying roller 31. That is, a fixing portion 311 is provided on the first shaft 31c. The fixing portion 311 is a cylindrical member, and is inserted into and fixed to the end of the first shaft 31c on the conveying path T side. The fixing portion 311 has a small diameter portion 311a with a small diameter on the conveying path T side, and a large diameter portion 311b with a large diameter on the outside.

[0147] The conveying roller 31 includes a movable portion 312. The movable portion 312 includes a cylindrical portion 312a, a flange portion 312b, and an end face 312c. The cylindrical portion 312a is a hollow member having a space formed inside to accommodate the fixed portion 311. The flange portion 312b is a portion of the cylindrical portion 312a, which is on the opposite side of the conveying path T, similarly to the flange portion 31b described above, in which the diameter of the end portion is enlarged. The end face 312c is an annular member having a through hole formed in the center in a manner that narrows the opening of the end portion of the cylindrical portion 312a on the conveying path T side. The small diameter portion 311a of the fixed portion 311 is inserted into the through hole of the end face 312c. Thus, the movable portion 312 can move in the axial direction along the outer periphery of the fixed portion 311.

[0148] Between the inner side of the end surface 312c of the conveying roller 31 and the end surface of the large diameter portion 311b facing it, a biasing member 313 is provided. The biasing member 313 is a member that biases the conveying roller 31 toward the conveying path T, and a plurality of biasing members 313 are provided along the circumferential direction of the small diameter portion 311a. As the biasing member 313, for example, an elastic body such as a compression coil spring can be used. Figure 6 As shown in (B), when the flange 312b is forced outward by the end of the warped substrate W, the conveying roller 31 moves outward and the force applying member 313 is compressed. Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 2(A) , when the flange 312 b is released from the end of the substrate W, the transport roller 31 is restored to the transport path T side by the urging force of the urging member 313 .

[0149] like Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the minimum spacing distance Dmin and the maximum spacing distance Dmax of the moving conveying roller 31, the minimum spacing interval dmin of the flange-shaped portion 312b, and the maximum spacing interval dmax of the flange-shaped portion 312b are the same as those of the second embodiment. Also, as in the second embodiment, the axial length of the cylindrical portion 312a need not take into account the movement of the end of the substrate W due to the correction of the warpage, and may be a length that can support the end of the substrate W.

[0150] As the substrate W is corrected and widened by the pressing roller 32, the conveying roller 31 moves outward, so that the force-applying member 313 becomes compressed and supports the end of the substrate W. The substrate W that has passed through the correction chamber 21 is conveyed to the processing chamber 22 and is processed as described above. In addition, as long as the conveying roller 31 is set to be movable only in the portion where the distance between the conveying roller 31 and the pressing roller 32 gradually becomes shorter, after the correction in the correction chamber 21, and then in the subsequent processing chamber 22, the substrate W is already in a flat plate shape, so the conveying roller 31 may also be a structure that does not move.

[0151] In the present embodiment as described above, the same effect as that of the second embodiment can be obtained. Moreover, since the conveying roller 31 moves as the substrate W widens, the flange-shaped portion 312b is easier to abut against the end of the substrate W than in the second embodiment, so that the substrate W can be conveyed more stably. Moreover, the situation where the end of the substrate W contacts the surface of the cylindrical portion 312a and slides can be reduced, thereby suppressing scratches or damage to the substrate W. Furthermore, the two conveying rollers 31 of each group are forced toward the conveying path T by the force-applying member 313, so that the substrate W can be aligned with the center of the width direction X to prevent position deviation. Therefore, the deviation of the substrate W relative to the fluid supply position of the fluid supply portion 40 is reduced, and the quality degradation of the substrate W can be suppressed.

[0152] [Fourth Embodiment]

[0153] Reference Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 The fourth embodiment will be described. Note that the configuration of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore only the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the other descriptions will be omitted.

[0154] The substrate transport device 30 of this embodiment includes a guide roller 314. The guide roller 314 is provided between a plurality of first shafts 31c arranged along the transport direction Td of the substrate W, and is provided so as to be movable by being applied force by the end portion of the substrate W along the transport direction Td. That is, the guide roller 314 is pushed outward by the end portion of the substrate W that has been corrected and widened. In addition, the transport roller 31 has only a cylindrical portion 31a, and does not have a flange-shaped portion 31b.

[0155] like Figure 8 As shown, the guide roller 314 includes a support portion 314a, a roller portion 314b and a guide portion 314c. The support portion 314a is a cylindrical member erected in the vertical direction. The roller portion 314b is a cylindrical member through which the upper end of the support portion 314a is inserted. The roller portion 314b does not have a driving portion, but is mounted on the support portion 314a via a bearing, thereby being arranged to be able to rotate with the vertical direction as an axis. The roller portion 314b is arranged at a position where its outer periphery contacts / separates from the end of the substrate W transported on the transport path T.

[0156] The guide portion 314c supports the lower end of the support portion 314a so as to be slidable along the width direction X. As the guide portion 314c, for example, a linear guide along which a slider moves can be used. In addition, although not shown in the figure, a biasing member for biasing the support portion 314a toward the conveying path T is provided in the guide portion 314c. As the biasing member, for example, an elastic body such as a compression coil spring can be used.

[0157] When the roller 314b is urged outward by the warped end of the substrate W, the support column 314a moves outward and the urging member is compressed. When the roller 314b is released from the end of the substrate W, the roller 314b is returned to the transport path T side by the urging force of the urging member.

[0158] In this embodiment as described above, the same effects as those of the third embodiment can be obtained. In particular, the roller portion 314b is urged toward the conveying path T by the urging member, so that the substrate W can be aligned with the center in the width direction X and positional deviation can be prevented. In addition, the conveying roller 31 of the processing chamber 22 can also be configured to have a cylindrical portion 31a and a flange-shaped portion 31b and not move, as in the first embodiment.

[0159] [Other embodiments]

[0160] (1) The structure for gradually decreasing the distance H between the conveying roller 31 and the pressing roller 32 along the conveying direction Td is not limited to the above-described form. The distance H can be adjusted by changing the interval between each set of the first shaft 31c and the second shaft 32a, changing the diameter of the pressing roller 32, changing the thickness of the O-ring attached to the pressing roller 32, etc. Furthermore, the pressing roller 32 does not necessarily need to be driven by a driving mechanism, and may be a structure that rotates following the movement of the substrate W.

[0161] (2) In the above-described embodiment, one pressing roller 32 is provided in the width direction X orthogonal to the conveying direction Td, but the present invention is not limited thereto and a plurality of pressing rollers may be provided. For example, one pressing roller 32 may be provided at a position facing each conveying roller 31, thereby making it possible to smoothly correct the warping. Furthermore, the pressing roller 32 may be a flat roller.

[0162] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the distance between the conveying roller 31 and the pressing roller 32 gradually decreases row by row. However, the distance may be gradually decreased in a state including a group of two or more rows having the same distance.

[0163] (4) The belt may be hung around the pressing roller 32 to form a roller conveyor. By adopting this structure, the contact area with respect to the warping of the substrate W is increased compared with the case where only the pressing roller 32 is used, so that the phenomenon of damage to the substrate W can be further suppressed and the warping of the substrate W can be corrected.

[0164] (5) A measuring unit for measuring the warpage amount of the substrate W and a moving mechanism for raising and lowering each pressing roller 32 may be provided, and the distance between each set of the transport rollers 31 and the pressing rollers 32 may be adjusted according to the warpage amount of the substrate W measured by the measuring unit. For example, when the warpage amount of the substrate W measured by the measuring unit is greater than a predetermined value, the pressing rollers 32 may be raised by the moving mechanism according to the difference between the two values, so that the distance between the transport rollers 31 and the pressing rollers 32 located at the most upstream in the transport direction Td is greater than the measured warpage amount of the substrate W, and in coordination with this, the distance between the transport rollers 31 and the pressing rollers 32 of the other sets is also adjusted so that the warped substrate W is gradually pressed by each pressing roller 32.

[0165] On the contrary, when the warping amount of the substrate W measured by the measuring unit is smaller than the specified value, the distance between a group of conveying rollers 31 and a pressing roller 32 located at the upstream end of the conveying direction Td is made close to the measured warping amount of the substrate W (under the condition that it is greater than the warping amount) based on the difference between them, and in coordination with this, the distance between other groups of conveying rollers 31 and pressing rollers 32 is also adjusted so that the warped substrate W can be gradually pressed by each pressing roller 32.

[0166] (6) In the above embodiment, the correction and treatment are performed in different chambers, but the present invention is not limited to this. The correction and treatment may be performed in the same chamber. That is, in the above embodiment, the treatment chamber 22 is provided downstream of the correction chamber 21, but if Fig. 9 As shown, the correction and processing can also be performed in the same correction chamber 21. At this time, the substrate W has been corrected to a flat plate shape at the portion receiving the fluid supply from the fluid supply unit 40, so it can be cleaned and dried uniformly.

[0167] (7) As the fluid supply unit 40, in addition to the nozzle and air knife that eject the processing liquid in a shower shape, a water knife (aqua knife) or the like may also be used. Moreover, as long as it is a tool for ejecting fluid, the tool used is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the above-mentioned multiple tools may be used in combination. Moreover, the fluid supply unit 40 may also be arranged above the conveying path T of the substrate W to supply the processing fluid to the convex surface S2 (non-pattern forming surface on which the pattern P is not formed) of the substrate W. At this time, by using the method to correct the substrate W, when using the air knife or water knife for processing, the distance between the ejection port and the non-pattern forming surface of the substrate W can also be set to be fixed, so that the processing can be better performed. Moreover, the fluid supply unit 40 may also be arranged on the upper and lower sides to process both sides of the substrate W.

[0168] Furthermore, when the nozzle of the fluid supply unit 40 ejects from the lower side of the substrate W, when the fluid is ejected in the vertical direction (from Figure 1 The right side of the paper faces the left side, from Figure 2 (A) and Figure 2 When the processing liquid is ejected from the substrate W in the direction from the lower side of the paper surface of (B) toward the upper side), the processing liquid passing through the substrate W will hang on the nozzle, causing the nozzle itself to be contaminated. In order to prevent this phenomenon, it is effective to make the ejection direction of the nozzle tilted at a specified angle from the vertical direction and eject. At this time, the tilt angle of the ejection direction is ideally set to the range described below, that is, the position where the ejected processing liquid falls through the substrate W will not hit the ejection outlet of the adjacent nozzle. Moreover, as described above, in the case of tilting the ejection direction of multiple nozzles, by arranging the groups of adjacent nozzles in the conveying direction Td in a tilted manner in directions relative to each other, the processing liquid that hits the substrate W can fall between the nozzles of the groups tilted in directions relative to each other, thereby preventing the contamination of the nozzles. Moreover, the processing liquids ejected from the opposite nozzles collide with each other on the substrate W, causing the processing liquid to fall between the nozzles, thereby preventing the contamination of the nozzles. Furthermore, in the case where the number of nozzles arranged along the conveying direction Td is an odd number, the ejection direction of the nozzles near the entrance of the processing chamber 22 can also be tilted toward the outside of the processing chamber 22.

[0169] (8) In the above-described embodiment, as the processing of the substrate processing apparatus 10, the processing of cleaning and drying the substrate W is exemplified, but the processing is not limited to this. In order to manufacture a liquid crystal substrate, a semiconductor substrate, a photomask, etc., for example, a resist processing apparatus, an exposure processing apparatus, a developing processing apparatus, an etching processing apparatus, and a stripping processing apparatus may be used. Accordingly, various chemical solutions may be used as the processing liquid.

[0170] (9) In the above-described embodiment, the substrate W is transported in a horizontal state, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The substrate W may be transported in an inclined state by tilting it. For example, the substrate W may be transported in an inclined state by tilting one end of the substrate W in the width direction X higher than the other end.

[0171] (10) In the above-described embodiment, the substrate W having warpage on all sides (substrate W having warpage on all sides) is described as an object, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, even if a substrate has warpage on any two or three sides of a rectangle, the present invention can be applied. In addition, a plurality of pressing rollers 32 can be provided along the X direction. In addition, a plurality of pressing rollers 32 can be provided along the conveying direction Td. Thus, for example, for a substrate W having more warpage sides, the warpage can be corrected more appropriately by distributing the portions to be pressed for correcting the warpage in a plurality of portions.

[0172] In the embodiment described in (11), Figure 1 As shown, the first shaft 31c and the second shaft 32a supporting the conveying roller 31 and the pressing roller 32 are configured to overlap in a plan view, but may be arranged offset in the conveying direction Td. In this case, it is also preferable to set them parallel to each other.

[0173] (12) Several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but these embodiments are provided as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments or their modifications are included in the scope or spirit of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A substrate transporting device for transporting a warped substrate, the substrate transporting device comprising: A plurality of conveying rollers having a cylindrical portion supporting the substrate from a concave surface side and conveying the substrate by rotating the cylindrical portion around an axis; A first shaft is coaxial with the conveying roller and is provided along a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the substrate; A pressing roller pressing the convex surface of the substrate; as well as The second shaft is coaxially arranged with the pressing roller, and The conveying rollers are arranged in a plurality of sets along the conveying direction, with two conveying rollers arranged in a spaced relationship in the width direction as one set. The two conveying rollers in each group are provided with two first shafts spaced apart in the width direction. The pressing roller is disposed facing the center portion in the width direction of the space between the two conveying rollers in each group. A distance between the conveying roller and the pressing roller in the vertical direction has a portion that becomes shorter along the conveying direction.

2. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, wherein: The length of the cylindrical portion in the axial direction is greater than or equal to a distance that the end portion of the substrate moves due to correction of the warpage.

3. The substrate transport device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The transport roller further includes a flange portion capable of coming into contact with an end portion of the substrate along a transport direction.

4. The substrate transport device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The distance between the two conveying rollers in each set in the width direction has a portion that becomes larger along the conveying direction of the substrate.

5. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, wherein: The transport roller is provided so as to be movable by being urged by the end portion of the substrate.

6. The substrate transport device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A guide roller is provided between the plurality of first shafts arranged along the conveying direction of the substrate and is movable by being urged by an end portion of the substrate along the conveying direction.

7. A substrate processing device, comprising a correction chamber and a processing chamber, wherein the correction chamber is provided with a substrate transfer device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the substrate processing device is characterized in that: The correction chamber has a portion where the distance between the conveying roller and the pressing roller becomes shorter along the conveying direction. The processing chamber includes a fluid supply unit configured to supply a fluid from between the separated groups of conveying rollers to the substrate that has passed through the correction chamber.

Images