Free joint structure, pushing / pulling device, and substrate treatment module

Abstract

To provide a free joint structure that can absorb a displacement between a piston rod and a shaft.SOLUTION: A free joint structure 200 comprises a pushing / pulling force generation part 230, and an object load part 240.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a free joint structure, a push-pull device, and a substrate processing module. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a drive source for a push-pull mechanism that pushes and pulls an object is an air cylinder. The air cylinder includes a piston rod and a cylinder housing that accommodates the piston rod. The piston rod moves forward when compressed gas is supplied into the cylinder housing, and moves backward due to the biasing force of a biasing member (e.g., a spring) provided separately from the air cylinder.

[0003] Another example of an air cylinder is one that uses only compressed gas to move the piston rod forward and backward. This type of air cylinder does not have a biasing member, and supplies / discharges compressed gas to / from opposing spaces through a partition wall disposed in the cylinder housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7023592 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in an air cylinder having such a configuration, the piston rod may slide against the cylinder housing (more specifically, the guide portion) due to the movement of the piston rod. If sliding friction occurs between the piston rod and the cylinder housing in this way, the movement of the piston rod may not be controlled accurately.

[0006] To solve this problem, there exists an air bearing cylinder that uses an air bearing that supports the piston rod with compressed gas supplied into the cylinder housing. However, such an air bearing cylinder has a problem in that it has low radial rigidity for supporting the piston rod.

[0007] The piston rod and the shaft to which the object is connected may be connected via a joint member. In this case, in an air bearing cylinder with low radial rigidity, there is a risk that the piston rod may come into contact with the cylinder housing due to misalignment (i.e., eccentricity, angular misalignment) between the piston rod and the shaft. On the other hand, connecting the piston rod and the shaft via a joint member without any deviation takes a lot of time and effort, and is not realistic.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a free joint structure, a push-pull device, and a substrate processing module that can absorb misalignment between a piston rod and a shaft. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In one aspect, there is provided a free joint structure including a push / pull force generating unit that generates a push / pull force, and a target load unit that is connected to the push / pull force generating unit and to which the push / pull force from the push / pull force generating unit is applied. The push / pull force generating unit is configured to apply a push force to the target load unit by making point contact with the target load unit, and to apply a pull force to the target load unit by making surface contact with the target load unit.

[0010] In one embodiment, the free joint structure has an axial gap and a radial gap formed between the push / pull force generating portion and the target load portion. In one embodiment, the free joint structure includes a shim that adjusts the size of the axial gap. In one aspect, the target load portion comprises a pressing plane portion arranged opposite the pushing / pulling force generating portion, and an opening plane portion arranged on the opposite side of the pushing plane portion and having an opening into which the pushing / pulling force generating portion is inserted, and the pushing / pulling force generating portion comprises a spherical portion in point contact with the pushing plane portion and a plane flange portion in surface contact with the opening plane portion.

[0011] In one aspect, the spherical portion and the planar flange portion are disposed opposite one another. In one embodiment, the spherical portion is disposed opposite the pressing flat portion, and the flat flange portion is disposed opposite the opening flat portion. In one aspect, the target load portion includes a spacer disposed between the pressure plane portion and the opening plane portion.

[0012] In one aspect, there is provided a push-pull device comprising the above-described free joint structure and an air bearing cylinder connected to the free joint structure.

[0013] In one aspect, a substrate processing module is provided, comprising the above-described push-pull device, a shaft coupled to the push-pull device, and a processing member connected to the shaft for processing a substrate or a polishing pad.

[0014] In one embodiment, the processing member corresponds to at least one of a polishing head that polishes the substrate and a dresser that dresses the polishing pad. In one embodiment, the processing member corresponds to at least one of a buff cleaning member and a pencil cleaning member for cleaning the substrate. Effect of the Invention

[0015] The free joint structure, which includes a push / pull force generating unit configured to apply a push / pull force to a target load unit, can absorb the misalignment between the piston rod and the shaft. Therefore, even if a misalignment occurs between the piston rod and the shaft, the free joint structure can prevent the piston rod from sliding against the cylinder housing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a polishing module. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 shows a cleaning module equipped with a buffing member. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 shows a cleaning module equipped with a pencil cleaning member. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a dressing device having a free joint structure. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a free joint structure. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing a free joint structure in a state in which a push-pull force generating portion is not applying a push-pull force to a target load portion. FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram showing a free joint structure in a state in which a push-pull force generating portion applies a pulling force to a target load portion. FIG. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram showing a free joint structure in a state in which a push-pull force generating portion applies a pushing force to a target load portion. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing radial and axial clearances of a free joint structure. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a free joint structure having a shim for adjusting the size of the gap. [Figure 13] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing another embodiment of a free joint structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. In the multiple embodiments described below, the configuration of one embodiment that is not particularly described is the same as the other embodiments, so duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0018] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus. As shown in Fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a housing 10 and a load port 12 on which a substrate cassette for stocking a large number of wafers is placed. The load port 12 is disposed adjacent to the housing 10. The wafers are, for example, semiconductor wafers, and are an example of a substrate.

[0019] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a polishing unit 2 and a cleaning unit 4 disposed inside a housing 10. The polishing unit 2 includes a plurality of (four in this embodiment) polishing modules 14a to 14d. The cleaning unit 4 includes a first cleaning module 16 and a second cleaning module 18 that clean the polished substrate, and a drying module 20 that dries the cleaned substrate.

[0020] The polishing modules 14a to 14d are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus 1. Similarly, the first cleaning module 16, the second cleaning module 18, and the drying module 20 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0021] In this specification, the polishing modules 14a to 14d, the first cleaning module 16, and the second cleaning module 18 are collectively referred to as substrate processing modules that process substrates.

[0022] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a first transfer robot 22 disposed adjacent to the load port 12, and a transfer module 24 disposed adjacent to the polishing modules 14a to 14d. The first transfer robot 22 receives unpolished substrates from the load port 12 and delivers them to the transfer module 24, and receives dried substrates from the drying module 20 and returns them to the load port 12. The transfer module 24 transports the substrates received from the first transfer robot 22, and delivers the substrates between the polishing modules 14a to 14d.

[0023] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a second transfer robot 26 disposed between the first cleaning module 16 and the second cleaning module 18, and a third transfer robot 28 disposed between the second cleaning module 18 and the drying module 20. The second transfer robot 26 transfers substrates between the transfer module 24 and each of the cleaning modules 16 and 18. The third transfer robot 28 transfers substrates between each of the modules 18 and 20.

[0024] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a control device 30 disposed inside the housing 10. The control device 30 is configured to control the operation of each device in the substrate processing module.

[0025] 2 is a diagram showing the polishing modules. In the embodiment described below, the polishing modules 14a to 14d may be collectively referred to as the polishing module 14. The polishing module 14 includes a polishing table 80 supporting a polishing pad 84 having a polishing surface 84a, a polishing head (top ring) 81 holding a wafer W and pressing it against the polishing surface 84a, and a slurry supply nozzle 82A supplying a slurry (polishing liquid) to the polishing surface 84a.

[0026] The polishing module 14 includes a pure water supply nozzle 82B for supplying pure water to the polishing surface 84a, a chemical supply nozzle 82C for supplying a chemical to the polishing surface 84a, and a pure water supply nozzle 85 for supplying pure water for removing slurry adhering to the polishing surface 84a. In other words, the pure water supply nozzle 85 is an atomizer. Therefore, hereinafter, the pure water supply nozzle 85 may be referred to as the atomizer 85.

[0027] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the polishing module 14 is provided with multiple supply nozzles 82A, 82B, and 82C, but in one embodiment, the polishing module 14 may be provided with a single supply nozzle that selectively supplies any one of the liquids, slurry, pure water, and chemical liquid, instead of the multiple supply nozzles 82A, 82B, and 82C.

[0028] The polishing module 14 includes a dressing device 110 for dressing the polishing pad 84. The dressing device 110 includes a dresser 115 that is in sliding contact with the polishing surface 84a of the polishing pad 84, a shaft 113 connected to the dresser 115, a dresser arm 111 that supports the dresser 115 via the shaft 113, and a dresser pivot shaft 112 that pivots the dresser arm 111. The dresser pivot shaft 112 is disposed outside the polishing pad 84.

[0029] The dresser 115 oscillates on the polishing surface 84a in accordance with the rotation of the dresser arm 111. The lower surface of the dresser 115 constitutes a dressing surface made of a large number of abrasive grains such as diamond particles.

[0030] The polishing module 14 includes an air bearing cylinder 163 mounted on the dressing device 110. The air bearing cylinder 163 (more specifically, a shaft 165) is connected to the shaft 113 via a free joint structure 200 described later.

[0031] The dresser 115 (and the shaft 113) is configured to be movable in the vertical direction by an air bearing cylinder 163. The air bearing cylinder 163 is configured to adjust the distance between the dresser 115 and the polishing pad 84 by driving it.

[0032] The dressing apparatus 110 having such a configuration operates the dresser 115 so as to rotate while oscillating above the polishing surface 84a, and dresses the polishing surface by slightly scraping off the polishing pad 84 with the dresser 115.

[0033] The polishing table 80 is formed in a disk shape and is configured to be rotatable about its central axis as the axis of rotation. A polishing pad 84 is attached to the upper surface of the polishing table 80. When the polishing table 80 is rotated by a motor (not shown), the polishing pad 84 rotates integrally with the polishing table 80.

[0034] The top ring 81 holds the wafer W on its lower surface by vacuum suction or the like. The top ring 81 is configured to be rotatable together with the wafer W by the power of a motor (not shown).

[0035] The top ring 81 is connected to a shaft 81a. The shaft 81a is coupled to an air bearing cylinder 163 (more specifically, a shaft 165) via a free joint structure 200. The top ring 81 is configured to be movable in the up and down direction by the air bearing cylinder 163.

[0036] The air bearing cylinder 163 is configured to adjust the distance between the top ring 81 and the polishing table 80 by its drive. With this configuration, the top ring 81 presses the wafer W held by it against the polishing surface 84a of the polishing pad 84.

[0037] A support arm 81b supporting the top ring 81 is configured to be swingable by a motor (not shown), and moves the top ring 81 in a direction parallel to the polishing surface 84a. In this embodiment, the top ring 81 is configured to be movable between a position for receiving the wafer W (not shown) and a position above the polishing pad 84, and the position at which the wafer W is pressed against the polishing pad 84 can be changed.

[0038] The slurry supply nozzle 82A is provided above the polishing table 80, and supplies slurry onto the polishing pad 84. The slurry supply nozzle 82A is supported by a shaft 83A. The shaft 83A is configured to be movable by a motor (not shown). Therefore, the slurry supply nozzle 82A can change the position at which the slurry is dropped during the polishing process of the wafer W, centering on the shaft 83A. In this way, the slurry supply nozzle 82A supplies the slurry so that it penetrates into the contact interface between the rotating wafer W and the polishing pad 84.

[0039] The pure water supply nozzle 82B is provided above the polishing table 80 and supplies pure water onto the polishing pad 84. The pure water supply nozzle 82B is supported by a shaft 83B. Similarly, the chemical liquid supply nozzle 82C is provided above the polishing table 80 and supplies chemical liquid onto the polishing pad 84. The chemical liquid supply nozzle 82C is supported by a shaft 83C. Each of these shafts 83B and 83C is configured to be movable by a motor (not shown).

[0040] The atomizer 85 is provided above the polishing table 80 and extends along the radial direction of the polishing table 80. Immediately after the polishing process of the wafer W with the slurry, the atomizer 85 sprays a cleaning fluid at a predetermined flow rate toward the polishing pad 84 to wash away a part of the slurry adhering to the polishing surface 84a and the wafer W. The cleaning fluid is composed of a mixed fluid of a liquid (usually pure water) and a gas (for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas).

[0041] 3 is a diagram showing a cleaning module equipped with a buff cleaning member. As shown in FIG 3, the cleaning module 16 (or the cleaning module 18) includes a buff cleaning member 150 that cleans the wafer W while contacting the surface of the wafer W, and a rotating table 140 that supports the wafer W.

[0042] The buff cleaning member 150 includes a buff pad 151 for buffing the wafer W, and a buff head 152 for holding the buff pad 151. The buff head 152 is connected to a shaft 153.

[0043] The shaft 153 is connected to an air bearing cylinder 163 (more specifically, a shaft 165) via a free joint structure 200. The buff cleaning member 150 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction by the air bearing cylinder 163.

[0044] The air bearing cylinder 163 is configured to adjust the distance between the buff cleaning member 150 and the wafer W supported by the rotary table 140 by its drive. The buff head 152 is configured to bring the buff pad 151 into contact with the wafer W while rotating the buff pad 151.

[0045] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning module 16 (or the cleaning module 18) is equipped with a pure water supply nozzle 160A for supplying pure water to the surface of the wafer W, and a chemical liquid supply nozzle 160B for supplying a chemical liquid to the surface of the wafer W.

[0046] The buff arm 154 supporting the buff cleaning member 150 is configured to oscillate the buff cleaning member 150. When the buff arm 154 oscillates the buff head 151 while the turntable 140 rotates the wafer W, the wafer W is cleaned as a whole.

[0047] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a cleaning module equipped with a pencil cleaning member. As shown in Fig. 4, the cleaning module 18 (or the cleaning module 16) includes a substrate holding mechanism 70 that holds and rotates the wafer W, and a cleaning member 71 that comes into contact with the wafer W to scrub the wafer W.

[0048] The cleaning member 71 is connected to a shaft 72. The shaft 72 is coupled to an air bearing cylinder 163 (more specifically, a shaft 165) via a free joint structure 200. The cleaning member 71 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction by the air bearing cylinder 163. The air bearing cylinder 163 is configured to adjust the distance between the cleaning member 71 and the wafer W held by the substrate holding mechanism 70 by driving the air bearing cylinder 163. The air bearing cylinder 163 presses the cleaning member 71 against the surface of the wafer W with a predetermined pressure. The cleaning member 71 pressed against the surface of the wafer W scrubs the wafer W (scrub cleaning).

[0049] The cleaning module 18 (or cleaning module 16) is equipped with an arm swinging mechanism 79 that horizontally swings an arm 73 supporting the cleaning member 71, chemical liquid supply nozzles 75, 76 that supply a processing liquid (in this embodiment, a diluted chemical liquid) toward the front and back surfaces of the wafer W, and pure water supply nozzles 77, 78 that supply pure water toward the front and back surfaces of the wafer W.

[0050] The substrate holding mechanism 70 includes chucks 70a to 70d for holding the peripheral portion of the wafer W, and a motor 70e connected to the chucks 70a to 70d. The chucks 70a to 70d hold the wafer W, and the motor 70e is driven to rotate the wafer W about its axis.

[0051] The cleaning member 71 is a sponge member that has a pencil shape and rotates around the central axis of the cleaning member 71 to come into contact with the surface of the wafer W and scrub the wafer W. Hereinafter, the cleaning member 71 may be referred to as a pencil cleaning member 71.

[0052] The arm 73 is disposed above the wafer W, and is connected to an arm swinging mechanism 79. The arm swinging mechanism 79 includes a pivot shaft 79a and a rotation mechanism 79b. One end of the arm 73 is connected to the pivot shaft 79a, and the pencil cleaning member 71 is connected to the other end of the arm 73. The direction of the central axis of the pencil cleaning member 71 is perpendicular to the front surface (or back surface) of the wafer W.

[0053] A rotation mechanism 79b that rotates the arm 73 is connected to the rotation shaft 79a. The rotation mechanism 79b is configured to rotate the arm 73 within a plane parallel to the wafer W by rotating the rotation shaft 79a.

[0054] As described above, the substrate processing modules (i.e., the polishing module 14, the first cleaning module 16, and the second cleaning module 18) include the air bearing cylinder 163 that operates the processing members that process the wafer W or the polishing pad 84. Examples of the processing members that process the wafer W include the top ring 81, the buff cleaning member 150, and the pencil cleaning member 71. Examples of the processing members that process the polishing pad 84 include the dresser 115.

[0055] The air bearing cylinder 163 has a configuration in which the piston rod 165 is supported in a non-contact manner by compressed gas supplied into the cylinder housing 164. Therefore, unlike a general air cylinder, the air bearing cylinder 163 can prevent sliding friction occurring between the piston rod 165 and the cylinder housing 164.

[0056] On the other hand, the air bearing cylinder 163 has low radial rigidity. Therefore, if there is a misalignment (i.e., eccentricity or angular misalignment) between the piston rod 165 and the shaft 113 (and / or the shafts 81a, 153, and 72), the piston rod may come into contact with the cylinder housing when it moves due to the misalignment.

[0057] Therefore, the substrate processing module is provided with a free joint structure 200 capable of absorbing the misalignment between the piston rod and the shaft. The structure of the free joint structure 200 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0058] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a dressing device having a free joint structure. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the free joint structure. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the free joint structure. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 to 7, a free joint structure 200 coupled to the shaft 113 of the dressing device 110 is described, but the free joint structure 200 is not limited to the shaft 113 of the dressing device 110, and may be coupled to at least one of the shaft 81a to which the top ring 81 is connected, the shaft 153 to which the buff cleaning member 150 is connected, and the shaft 72 to which the pencil cleaning member 71 is connected (see Figs. 2, 3, and 4).

[0059] As shown in FIG. 5, the dressing device 110 includes a guide member 160 that guides the shaft 113, a bearing 168 that rotatably supports the shaft 113, a pad height measuring device (e.g., a displacement sensor) 162 attached to the bearing 168, and a load measuring device (e.g., a load cell) 161 that measures the load of the dresser 115 applied to the polishing pad 84.

[0060] The pad height measuring device 162 is configured to measure the distance between the pad height measuring device 162 and the polishing surface 84a of the polishing pad 84. The control device 30 is electrically connected to the pad height measuring device 162 and the load measuring device 161. Therefore, the control device 30 accurately controls the dressing of the polishing pad 84 based on the measurement values ​​sent from the pad height measuring device 162 and the load measuring device 161.

[0061] The air bearing cylinder 163 includes a piston rod 165 connected to the shaft 113 via a free joint structure 200 , and a cylinder housing 164 that accommodates the piston rod 165 .

[0062] The combination of the air bearing cylinder 163 and the free joint structure 200 constitutes a pushing / pulling device 300. The control device 30 is electrically connected to the pushing / pulling device 300 and is configured to control the operation of the pushing / pulling device 300.

[0063] The cylinder housing 164 has a partition wall 169 disposed therein. The partition wall 169 divides the internal space of the cylinder housing 164 into a first space 164a and a second space 164b.

[0064] 5, by supplying compressed gas to the first space 164a, the compressed gas generates a pushing force Fc1 on the partition wall 169. By supplying compressed gas to the second space 164b, the compressed gas generates an attracting force Fc2 on the partition wall 169. The piston rod 165 moves forward due to the pushing force Fc1 and moves backward due to the attracting force Fc2.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 7, the cylinder housing 164 has an annular gas storage chamber 167 (more specifically, a first gas storage chamber 167a and a second gas storage chamber 167b) arranged around the piston rod 165. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, by supplying compressed gas to the gas storage chamber 167, the cylinder housing 164 forms a compressed gas layer in the gas storage chamber 167. The compressed gas layer supports the piston rod 165 in a non-contact manner. Note that FIG. 7 omits illustration of the first space 164a, the second space 164b, the partition wall 169, and the like shown in FIG. 5.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 7, the free joint structure 200 includes a push / pull force generating section 230 that generates a push / pull force in association with the movement of the piston rod 165, and a target load section 240 that is connected to the push / pull force generating section 230 and to which a push / pull force from the push / pull force generating section 230 is applied.

[0067] The push / pull force generating unit 230 is configured to apply a push force Fc1 to the target load unit 240 by making point contact with the target load unit 240, and to apply a pull force Fc2 to the target load unit 240 by making surface contact with the target load unit 240.

[0068] More specifically, the push / pull force generating unit 230 includes a pressing member 202 connected to the piston rod 165, and a lifting member 203 fixed to the pressing member 202. The target load unit 240 includes a pressing flat portion 207 arranged opposite to the push / pull force generating unit 230, and an opening flat portion 201 arranged on the opposite side to the pressing flat portion 207 and having an opening 201a into which the push / pull force generating unit 230 is inserted.

[0069] The pressing member 202 of the pushing / pulling force generating unit 230 has a spherical portion 202a that is in point contact with the pressing flat portion 207, and a rod portion 202b fixed to the spherical portion 202a. The rod portion 202b is fixed to the piston rod 165, and the spherical portion 202a is disposed at the tip of the rod portion 202b. The piston rod 165 and the rod portion 202b extend in a straight line.

[0070] The pull-up member 203 has a cylindrical portion 203b into which the rod portion 202b is inserted, and a flat flange portion 203a extending radially outward from the cylindrical portion 203b. The push-pull force generating portion 230 (more specifically, the rod portion 202b and the cylindrical portion 203b) is inserted into an opening 201a formed in the center of the open flat portion 201. The spherical portion 202a and the flat flange portion 203a are disposed below the open flat portion 201, and are disposed on opposite sides to each other.

[0071] The spherical portion 202a is disposed opposite the pressing flat portion 207 so as to be able to make point contact with the pressing flat portion 207. The flat flange portion 203a is disposed opposite the opening flat portion 201 so as to be able to make surface contact with the opening flat portion 201.

[0072] In this embodiment, the pressing flat portion 207 is disposed below the push / pull force generating portion 230. More specifically, the pressing flat portion 207 includes a contact member 206 disposed opposite the spherical portion 202a, and a support flange 205 that supports the contact member 206.

[0073] The contact member 206 has a contact portion 206a that contacts the spherical portion 202a of the pressing member 202, and a rod portion 206b fixed to the contact portion 206a. The contact portion 206a has a machined surface formed on its surface.

[0074] The rod portion 206b is connected to the shaft 113 and extends in a straight line with the rod portion 202b. The support flange 205 has an opening 205a formed in the center thereof. The rod portion 206b passes through the opening 205a of the support flange 205.

[0075] In this embodiment, the spherical portion 202a is formed on the pressing member 202, and the contact portion 206a is formed on the contact member 206, but the structure of the free joint structure 200 is not particularly limited as long as the pressing member 202 can be brought into point contact with the contact member 206. In one embodiment, the pressing member 202 may have a contact portion corresponding to the contact portion 206a, and the contact member 206 may have a spherical portion corresponding to the spherical portion 202a.

[0076] The pressing plane portion 207 and the opening plane portion 201 are arranged parallel to each other. The target load portion 240 includes a plurality of spacers 209 arranged between the pressing plane portion 207 and the opening plane portion 201, and a fastener 208 that fastens the pressing plane portion 207 and the opening plane portion 201.

[0077] The opening plane portion 201 has a plurality of fastening holes 201b arranged around the opening 201a. The support flange 205 has a plurality of insertion holes 205b arranged around the opening 205a. The spacer 209 has a cylindrical shape through which the fastener 208 passes.

[0078] The fastener 208 is inserted into the insertion hole 205b and the fastening hole 201b through the spacer 209. In this state, the fastener 208 is tightened, whereby the fastener 208 fixes the relative positions of the pressing flat portion 207 and the opening flat portion 201.

[0079] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a free joint structure in a state where the push-pull force generating unit does not apply a push-pull force to the target load part. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a free joint structure in a state where the push-pull force generating unit applies a pulling force to the target load part. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a free joint structure in a state where the push-pull force generating unit applies a pushing force to the target load part. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a radial gap and an axial gap of the free joint structure.

[0080] 11, the free joint structure 200 has axial gaps D1, D2 and a radial gap D3 formed between the push-pull force generating part 230 and the target load part 240. In one embodiment, the size of each of the axial gaps D1, D2 is 0.1 mm. For example, when the spherical part 202a is in point contact with the contact part 206a (i.e., when the axial gap D1 is zero), the axial gap D2 is 0.2 mm.

[0081] Similarly, when the flat flange portion 203a is in surface contact with the opening flat portion 201 (i.e., when the axial gap D2 is zero), the axial gap D1 is 0.2 mm. In one embodiment, the radial gap D3 is 2.0 mm.

[0082] In one embodiment, from the viewpoint of push / pull control responsiveness and the necessary tolerance for misalignment, the respective sizes of the axial gaps D1, D2 may be set in the range of 0.01 to 0.2 mm, and the radial gap D3 may be set in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm.

[0083] 8, when no push / pull force is applied from the push / pull force generating unit 230 to the target load unit 240, the push / pull force generating unit 230 is fixed to the piston rod 165 with axial gaps D1, D2 and radial gap D3 formed. In other words, the push / pull force generating unit 230 is in a free state with respect to the target load unit 240.

[0084] 9, when compressed gas is supplied to the second space 164b to raise the pushing / pulling force generating unit 230, the flat flange portion 203a of the pulling member 203 comes into surface contact with the opening flat portion 201. In this manner, the pushing / pulling force generating unit 230 applies a pulling force Fc2 to the target load portion 240. As a result, the pushing / pulling force generating unit 230 separates the dresser 115 together with the shaft 113 from the polishing pad 84 via the target load portion 240.

[0085] 10, when compressed gas is supplied to the first space 164a to lower the push-pull force generating unit 230, the spherical portion 202a of the pressing member 202 comes into point contact with the contact portion 206a of the contact member 206. In this manner, the push-pull force generating unit 230 applies a pushing force Fc1 to the target load unit 240. As a result, the push-pull force generating unit 230 brings the dresser 115 together with the shaft 113 closer to the polishing pad 84 via the target load unit 240.

[0086] According to this embodiment, the free joint structure 200 can absorb the misalignment between the piston rod 165 and the shaft 113. More specifically, when the push-pull force generating part 230 is brought into point contact with the target load part 240, the axial gaps D1, D2 and the radial gap D3 allow the misalignment (angle) between the piston rod 165 and the shaft 113.

[0087] Therefore, even if a misalignment (angle) occurs between the piston rod 165 and the shaft 113, the piston rod 165 can move forward and backward without being affected by the angle. As a result, the free joint structure 200 can prevent the piston rod 165 from sliding against the cylinder housing 164.

[0088] When the push / pull force generating unit 230 is brought into surface contact with the target load unit 240, the axial gaps D1, D2 and the radial gap D3 allow misalignment (eccentricity) between the piston rod 165 and the shaft 113. Therefore, even if misalignment (eccentricity) occurs between the piston rod 165 and the shaft 113, the piston rod 165 can move forward and backward without being affected by the eccentricity. As a result, the free joint structure 200 can prevent the piston rod 165 from sliding against the cylinder housing 164.

[0089] If there is a design error in the flat flange portion 203a that comes into surface contact with the target load portion 240, that is, if the flat flange portion 203a does not have a completely flat surface, the push / pull force generating portion 230 may not be able to reliably absorb the eccentricity. A similar problem may also occur in the open flat portion 201 of the target load portion 240 with which the flat flange portion 203a comes into surface contact.

[0090] Therefore, it is desirable to make the contact area of ​​the flat flange portion 203a with the target load portion 240 as small as possible. In one embodiment, the outer diameter of the flat flange portion 203a is 1.5 times the diameter of the rod portion 202b.

[0091] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a free joint structure having a shim for adjusting the size of the gap. As shown in Fig. 12, the free joint structure 200 may have shims 220A, 220B, and 220C for adjusting the size of the gap. By disposing at least one of the shims 220A, 220B, and 220C according to the design error of the push-pull force generating unit 230 and the target load unit 240 and the required precision, the free joint structure 200 can adjust the size of the gap.

[0092] 12, the shim 220A is disposed between the cylindrical portion 203b of the pulling-up member 203 and the piston rod 165. By disposing the shim 220A, the size of the axial gap D2 between the flat flange portion 203a of the pulling-up member 203 and the opening flat portion 201 can be adjusted.

[0093] The shim 220B is disposed between the spacer 209 and the open flat portion 201. By disposing the shim 220B, the size of the axial gap D1 between the spherical portion 202a of the pressing member 202 and the contact portion 206a of the contact member 206 can be adjusted.

[0094] The shim 220C is disposed between the flat flange portion 203a of the pulling member 203 and the opening flat portion 201. By disposing the shim 220C, the size of the axial gap D2 between the flat flange portion 203a and the opening flat portion 201 can be adjusted.

[0095] In this manner, the free joint structure 200 may include shim 220A (and / or shim 220C) that adjusts the size of the axial gap D2, and may include shim 220B that adjusts the size of the axial gap D1.

[0096] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the free joint structure. As shown in Fig. 13, the free joint structure 200 may include a push-pull force generating part 230 in which the pressing member 202 and the lifting member 203 described with reference to the above embodiment are integrally formed, and a target load part 240 in which the opening flat part 201, the pressing flat part 207, and the spacer 209 are integrally formed.

[0097] 13, the target load section 240 includes a pressing flat section 240a disposed opposite the push-pull force generating section 230, and an opening flat section 240c having an opening 240b into which the push-pull force generating section 230 is inserted. The push-pull force generating section 230 includes a spherical section 230a in point contact with the pressing flat section 240a, and a flat flange section 230b in surface contact with the opening flat section 240c.

[0098] According to this embodiment, the free joint structure 200 can have a simple structure and the number of parts can be reduced. In this embodiment, the free joint structure 200 can also achieve the same effects as the free joint structure 200 according to the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0099] In the above-described embodiment, the substrate processing module (more specifically, the polishing module 14) includes a push-pull device 300 consisting of a combination of an air bearing cylinder 163 and a free joint structure 200, a shaft 113 connected to the push-pull device 300, and a dresser 115 as a processing member connected to the shaft 113 (see, for example, FIG. 5).

[0100] In one embodiment, the substrate processing module (more specifically, the polishing module 14) may include a push-pull device 300, a shaft 81a connected to the push-pull device 300, and a top ring (i.e., polishing head) 81 as a processing member connected to the shaft 81a (see FIG. 2).

[0101] In one embodiment, the substrate processing module (cleaning module 16, 18) may include a push-pull device 300, a shaft 153 coupled to the push-pull device 300, and a buff cleaning member 150 as a processing member connected to the shaft 153 (see FIG. 3).

[0102] In one embodiment, the substrate processing module (cleaning module 16, 18) may include a push-pull device 300, a shaft 72 connected to the push-pull device 300, and a pencil cleaning member 71 as a processing member connected to the shaft 72 (see FIG. 4).

[0103] The above-described embodiments have been described for the purpose of enabling a person having ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications of the above-described embodiments are naturally possible for a person skilled in the art, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention can be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is to be interpreted in the broadest scope according to the technical idea defined by the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 1. Substrate Processing Equipment 2 Polishing section 4. Cleaning section 10. Housing 12 Loading Port 14a~14d Polishing module 16 First Cleaning Module 18 Second Cleaning Module 20 Drying Module 22 First Transport Robot 24 Transport module 26 Second Transport Robot 28 Third Transport Robot 30 Control device 70 Board holding mechanism 70a~70d Chuck 70e motor 71 Cleaning materials 72 Shaft 73 Arm 75,76 Chemical supply nozzle 77,78 Pure water supply nozzle 79 Swing Mechanism 79a Swivel shaft 79b Rotation mechanism 80 Polishing Table 81 Polishing head (top ring) 81a Shaft 81b Support arm 82A Slurry supply nozzle 82B Pure water supply nozzle 82C Chemical supply nozzle 83A Shaft 83B Shaft 83C Shaft 84 Polishing Pad 84a Polished surface 85 Pure water supply nozzle (atomizer) 110 Dressing device 111 Dresser arm 112 Dresser swivel axis 113 Shaft 115 Dresser 140 Rotating Table 150 Buff cleaning materials 151 Buffing Pad 152 Buff Head 153 Shaft 160A Pure Water Supply Nozzle 160B Chemical supply nozzle 164 Cylinder housing 164a 1st space 164b 2nd space 165 Piston rod 167 Gas Containment Chamber 167a First gas chamber 167b Second Gas Containment Chamber 169 Bulkhead 200 Free joint structure 201 Opening plane part 201a aperture 201b Fastening hole 202 Pressing member 202a Spherical part 202b Rod part 203 Lifting member 203a Flat flange section 203b Cylinder part 205 Support flange 205a aperture 205b Insertion hole 206 Contact member 206a Contact part 206b Road Section 207 Pressing plane 208 Fasteners 209 Spacer 220A, 220B, 220C Shim 230 Push / pull force generating section 230a Spherical part 230b Flat flange section 240 Target load section 240a Pressing plane 240b aperture 240c Opening plane part 300 Push-pull device Fc1 Pushing force Fc2 Attraction

Claims

1. A push / pull force generating unit that generates a push / pull force; A target load unit connected to the push / pull force generating unit and to which a push / pull force is applied from the push / pull force generating unit, A free joint structure, wherein the push / pull force generating portion is configured to apply a pushing force to the target load portion by making point contact with the target load portion, and to apply a pulling force to the target load portion by making surface contact with the target load portion.

2. The free joint structure according to claim 1 , wherein the free joint structure has an axial gap and a radial gap formed between the push / pull force generating portion and the target load portion.

3. The free joint structure according to claim 2 , further comprising a shim for adjusting the size of the axial gap.

4. The target load section is A pressing flat surface portion disposed opposite the push / pull force generating portion; an opening plane portion disposed on the opposite side of the pressing plane portion and having an opening into which the pushing / pulling force generating portion is inserted; The push / pull force generating unit is A spherical portion that comes into point contact with the pressing flat portion; The free joint structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a flat flange portion that is in surface contact with the opening flat portion.

5. The free joint structure according to claim 4 , wherein the spherical portion and the flat flange portion are disposed opposite each other.

6. The spherical portion is disposed opposite to the pressing flat portion, The free joint structure according to claim 4 , wherein the flat flange portion is disposed opposite the opening flat portion.

7. The free joint structure according to claim 4 , wherein the target load portion includes a spacer disposed between the pressure plane portion and the opening plane portion.

8. The free joint structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and an air bearing cylinder connected to the free joint structure.

9. A push-pull device according to claim 8 , A shaft connected to the push-pull device; a processing member connected to the shaft for processing a substrate or a polishing pad.

10. The substrate processing module of claim 9 , wherein the processing member corresponds to at least one of a polishing head for polishing the substrate and a dresser for dressing the polishing pad.

11. The substrate processing module of claim 9 , wherein the processing member corresponds to at least one of a buffing member and a pencil cleaning member for cleaning the substrate.

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