Substrate superposition device and substrate superposition method

Abstract

To effectively prevent excessive pressure from being applied to two substrates when the substrates are superimposed.SOLUTION: A substrate superposition device 100 includes lift pins 41 that support and raise and lower substrates 301, 302, and a holding unit 30 that receives the substrate 301 from the lift pins 41 and holds the substrate 301. By bringing the lift pins 41 and the holding unit 30 closer to each other, the substrate 301 held by the holding unit 30 and the substrate 302 supported by the lift pins 41 are superposed on each other. The lift pin 41 includes a pin body 45 that extends in the vertical direction, a first member attached to the upper end of the pin body 45 and formed of a material that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction, and a second member provided on the upper surface of the first member and that comes into contact with the substrates 301, 302.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate superposing apparatus and a substrate superposing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Substrate superposing devices that superpose two substrates are known. One such substrate superposing device has been disclosed in which, when the lower substrate is pressed against the upper substrate to superpose them, the lower substrate is supported and lifted by lift pins (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The lift pins of the substrate superposing device shown in Patent Document 1 have a portion that supports the substrate, which is circular when viewed from above and formed like a plate with a predetermined thickness in the vertical direction. The lift pins support the substrates by placing the central portions of the substrates on their circular upper surfaces. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-156160 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when a lower substrate is lifted by lift pins and pressed against an upper substrate, the area where the lift pins come into contact can experience greater localized pressure on the two substrates than the surrounding areas where the lift pins do not come into contact. This can result in damage to devices mounted on the substrates. This is particularly important with the three-dimensional packaging technology used in today's advanced semiconductor manufacturing, which thins and stacks substrates such as wafers.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate superposing device and a substrate superposing method that can effectively prevent excessive pressure from being applied to the substrates when superposing two substrates. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate superposition device comprising lift pins that support and raise and lower a substrate, and a holding portion that receives the substrate from the lift pins and holds the substrate, and which superposes the substrate held by the holding portion and the substrate supported by the lift pins by bringing the lift pins and the holding portion closer to each other, wherein the lift pins comprise a pin body that extends in the vertical direction, a first member attached to the upper end of the pin body and formed of a material that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction, and a second member provided on the upper surface of the first member and that comes into contact with the substrate.

[0007] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate superposition device comprising lift pins that support and raise and lower a substrate, and a holding portion that receives the substrate from the lift pins and holds the substrate, and which superposes the substrate held in the holding portion and the substrate supported by the lift pins by bringing the lift pins and the holding portion closer to each other, wherein the lift pins comprise a first member that elastically deforms with a pressing force of 10 kPa to 50 kPa when superposing the substrates, and a second member that is provided on the upper surface of the first member and comes into contact with the substrate.

[0008] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate superposition device comprising lift pins that support and raise and lower a substrate, and a holding part that receives the substrate from the lift pins and holds the substrate, and which superposes the substrate held in the holding part and the substrate supported by the lift pins by bringing the lift pins and the holding part closer to each other, wherein the lift pins comprise a pin body that extends in the vertical direction, and a pressure pin that is attached to the upper end of the pin body and is configured to be freely retractable in the vertical direction.

[0009] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate superposition method, which includes using the above-mentioned substrate superposition device to adsorb the upper surface of the previously transported substrate with the holding part, and after the substrate has been adsorbed with the holding part, supporting the next transported substrate with the lift pins, and bringing the holding part and the lift pins closer to each other and superposing the two substrates with a pressing force that deforms the first member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to this aspect of the present invention, when two substrates are stacked together, it is possible to effectively prevent excessive pressure from being applied to the substrates. Furthermore, according to this aspect of the present invention, when two substrates are stacked together, it is possible to prevent damage to devices mounted on the substrates, thereby improving yield. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a substrate superposing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a view of the substrate support portion as viewed from above. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a lift pin. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a substrate superposition method according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a substrate superposition method according to an embodiment of the present invention, following FIG. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B show an example of the operation of the substrate superposing apparatus, in which the upper substrate is carried into the chamber and supported by lift pins. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of the operation of the substrate superposing apparatus, in which the upper substrate is placed on the support member. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of the operation of the substrate superposing apparatus, in which an alignment operation is performed on the upper substrate. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of the operation of the substrate superposing device, in which the upper substrate is sucked and held by the suction portion. [Figure 10]10A and 10B show an example of the operation of the substrate superposing apparatus, in which the lower substrate is carried into the chamber and supported by lift pins. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of the operation of the substrate superposing device, in which the lower substrate is supported by the substrate support portion. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B show an example of the operation of the substrate superposing apparatus, in which an alignment operation is performed on the lower substrate. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of the operation of the substrate superposing apparatus, in which the lift pins are raised to superpose the upper substrate and the lower substrate. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of the operation of the substrate superposing apparatus, in which the lift pins are raised and the superposed substrates are raised. [Figure 15] 10A and 10B show an example of the operation of the substrate superposing device, in which the superposed substrates are transferred from the lift pins to the arm. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the results of measuring the pressure acting between two substrates using a pressure-sensitive film when the lower substrate is pressed against the upper substrate by the lift pins of a substrate superposition device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following description. In addition, in the drawings, some parts are omitted to facilitate understanding of the embodiments. Furthermore, the scale is appropriately changed, such as by enlarging or emphasizing some parts, and the size and shape may differ from those of the actual product. In each of the following drawings, directions in the drawings will be explained using an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system. In this XYZ Cartesian coordinate system, a plane parallel to the horizontal plane is defined as the XY plane. In this XY plane, the direction parallel to the transport direction of substrates 301 and 302 is defined as the X direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X direction is defined as the Y direction. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the XY plane is defined as the Z direction (height direction). In the following explanation, the X, Y, and Z directions will be explained assuming that the direction indicated by the arrow in the drawing is the + direction and the direction opposite to the arrow is the - direction.

[0013] <Substrate superposition device> A substrate superposing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the substrate superposing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. The substrate superposing apparatus 100 bonds a substrate 301 having an adhesive layer F formed thereon and a substrate 302 having an adhesive layer F formed thereon by bringing the adhesive layers F into contact with each other. Note that the adhesive layer F does not necessarily have to be formed on both the substrate 301 and the substrate 302, but may be formed on either the substrate 301 or the substrate 302. The adhesive layer F is formed by applying a coating agent to the substrate 301 and the substrate 302 using, for example, a coating device and drying the coating agent before the substrates are loaded into the substrate superposing apparatus 100. Note that this coating device may be provided in the substrate superposing apparatus 100. In addition, there is a case where the adhesive layer F is formed on one of the substrates 301 and 302, and a reaction layer, for example, is formed on the other substrate.

[0014] In this embodiment, of the two substrates to be bonded together, the upper substrate is referred to as substrate 301, and the lower substrate is referred to as substrate 302. Substrates 301 and 302 are, for example, glass substrates, semiconductor substrates, or resin substrates. In this embodiment, for example, upper substrate 301 is a glass substrate, and lower substrate 302 is a silicon substrate. Also, the form in which substrates 301 and 302 are bonded together is referred to as substrate 300 (see FIG. 14 ). Both substrates 301 and 302 are circular substrates that are circular in plan view (as viewed from the Z direction), but are not limited to circular substrates and may be rectangular (square, rectangular) substrates, elliptical, oval, or other shapes in plan view.

[0015] 1, the substrate superposing apparatus 100 includes a chamber 10, a substrate support unit 20, a holding unit 30, a lift unit 40, an alignment mechanism 60, and a control unit C. The control unit C controls the overall operation of each unit in the substrate superposing apparatus 100.

[0016] In the substrate superposing apparatus 100, to superpose the substrates 301 and 302, first, the substrate 301 is carried into the chamber 10 and aligned by the alignment mechanism 60, and then the substrate 301 is lifted by the lift unit 40 and held by the holder 30. Thereafter, the substrate 302 is carried into the chamber 10 and aligned by the alignment mechanism 60, and then the substrate 302 is lifted by the lift unit 40 and superposed on the substrate 301 held by the holder 30.

[0017] When the substrate 301 is carried into the chamber 10, the substrate 301 is carried with the surface on which an element such as a semiconductor chip is mounted with an adhesive or the like facing downward (-Z direction). When the substrate 302 is carried into the chamber 10, the substrate 302 is carried with the adhesive layer F facing upward (+Z direction).

[0018] The chamber 10 is disposed on a base 15 of the substrate superposing apparatus 100. The chamber 10 is formed in a box shape having a sidewall 10a rising upward from the outer periphery of the base 15 and a top plate 10b covering the upper part of the sidewall 10a. The chamber 10 accommodates a substrate support unit 20, a holding unit 30, a lift unit 40, and an alignment mechanism 60. The chamber 10 has an opening 11 in a part of the sidewall 10a. The opening 11 is formed on the −X side surface of the chamber 10, and connects the inside and outside of the chamber 10. The opening 11 is sized to allow the passage of substrates 301 and 302 held by the transfer device 90, as well as the substrate 300 formed by bonding both of them.

[0019] The substrates 301 and 302 are each carried into the chamber 10 through the opening 11 by an arm 91 of the transfer device 90. The substrate 300 is carried out of the chamber 10 through the opening 11. In this embodiment, the transfer device 90 has two flat arms 91, and when carrying the substrate 301 into the chamber 10, the transfer device 90 holds the substrate 301 by suction from the upper side of the substrate 301. When carrying the substrate 302 in or carrying the substrate 300 out of the chamber 10, the transfer device 90 holds the substrates 302 and 300 by suction from the lower sides of the substrates 302 and 300. When carrying the substrates 302 and 300, the arm 91 may be configured to hold the substrates 302 and 300 by placing them on the upper surface of the arm 91 without suction. The number of arms 91 is not limited to two, and may be three or more.

[0020] Chamber 10 is equipped with a gate valve 12 that opens and closes opening 11. Gate valve 12 is disposed on the outer side of chamber 10 on the -X side, and is slidable, for example, in the vertical direction (Z direction) by a drive unit (not shown). Gate valve 12 opens and closes opening 11 by sliding. Note that even when opening 11 is closed by gate valve 12, chamber 10 remains in an atmospheric pressure state. Alternatively, chamber 10 may be sealed by closing opening 11, creating a vacuum atmosphere within chamber 10.

[0021] The substrate superposing apparatus 100 may or may not include the chamber 10, and may be of a type that does not include the chamber 10 (open to the atmosphere). The inside of the chamber 10 may be connected to a gas supply device (not shown). By supplying a predetermined gas into the chamber 10 from this gas supply device, the atmospheric pressure atmosphere in the chamber 10 can be replaced with a predetermined gas atmosphere.

[0022] The predetermined gas may be, for example, a gas such as nitrogen gas that is inert to the thin films formed on the substrates 301 and 302, or dry air. To create a vacuum atmosphere inside the chamber 10, the chamber 10 is connected to a suction device (not shown). The chamber 10 can be evacuated (exhausted) using this suction device to create a vacuum atmosphere inside the chamber 10. Furthermore, the chamber 10 may be provided with a valve that can be opened to the outside in order to release the vacuum atmosphere inside.

[0023] The substrate support part 20 supports the substrates 301, 302 from below as they are carried into the chamber 10. When the lift pins 41 described below are lowered, the substrate support part 20 supports the substrates 301, 302 transferred from the lift pins 41. Although the substrate support part 20 has a circular shape when viewed from above, the shape is not limited to this and may be, for example, a rectangular shape (square shape, oblong shape), an elliptical shape, an oval shape, or the like. The substrate support part 20 is set to have an outer diameter larger than the substrates 301, 302.

[0024] The substrate support part 20 has a support plate 21, a heater (heating part) 22, and a base plate 23. The support plate 21, heater 22, and base plate 23 are stacked in this order from the lower side (-Z side). The substrate support part 20 is supported by a plurality of support columns 24 provided on the lower surface side of the support plate 21. The support plate 21 and the heater 22, and the heater 22 and the base plate 23 are fixed together by fastening members such as bolts.

[0025] The support plate 21, the heater 22, and the base plate 23 have through holes 20a in their central portions when viewed from above, through which lift pins 41 of the lift unit 40, described below, pass. The through holes 20a are circular when viewed from above, and pass through the support plate 21, the heater 22, and the base plate 23 in the vertical direction. It is optional whether or not to provide the heater 22, and the substrate support unit 20 may be configured without the heater 22. The reason for heating the substrate 302 on the substrate support unit 20 with the heater 22 is to soften the material and achieve suitable bonding by appropriately heating the adhesive layer F, etc., via the substrate 302; however, there are processes in which the use of the heater 22 is inappropriate depending on the combination of materials, such as the substrate 302 and the adhesive layer F.

[0026] The support plate 21 is a plate-like body made of, for example, a material such as metal, resin, or ceramic. The heater 22 is an example of a heating unit, and is, for example, a hot plate having a heating mechanism (heat source) such as an electric heating wire inside. The heater 22 heats the substrates 301 and 302 via the base plate 23. The heater 22 may be a laminated structure in which a sheet-like heat source is sandwiched between the substrates. The substrates 301 and 302 and the substrate 300 are arranged on the upper surface 23f of the base plate 23, which is the surface on the +Z side. The base plate 23 is a plate-like body made of, for example, ceramic, but may also be made of metal, resin, or the like.

[0027] In this embodiment, support members 80 are provided on the base plate 23. When receiving the substrates 301, 302 from the lift pins 41, the support members 80 abut against the outer peripheries of the lower surfaces of the substrates 301, 302. The support members 80 are provided at three or more locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the base plate 23. The support members 80 are, for example, pins 81 that protrude from the upper surface of the base plate 23. By abutting the pins 81 against the outer peripheries of the lower surfaces of the substrates 301, 302, the substrates 301, 302 can be stably supported with a simple configuration.

[0028] A plurality of support pillars 24 are provided on the lower surface of the support plate 21. The lower end of each support pillar 24 is fixed to the base 15 at the bottom of the chamber 10. The number and arrangement of the support pillars 24 can be set as desired depending on the size of the substrate support part 20, etc.

[0029] The lift unit 40 is provided below the substrate support unit 20. The lift unit 40 supports the substrates 301, 302, and 300 above the substrate support unit 20 and raises and lowers the substrates 301, 302, and 300. The lift unit 40 lowers the supported substrates 301 and 302 and places them on the substrate support unit 20 so that the alignment mechanism 60 can align each of the substrates 301 and 302 that have been carried into the chamber 10. The lift unit 40 raises the supported substrate 301 so that the substrate 301, which has been aligned by the alignment mechanism 60, can be held on the suction pad 33. The lift unit 40 raises the substrate 302 so that the substrate 302, which has been aligned by the alignment mechanism 60, can be superimposed on the substrate 301.

[0030] The lift unit 40 has lift pins 41, moving units 42 connected to the lower ends of the lift pins 41 and moving up and down in the Z direction, and a lift pin driving unit 43 that moves the moving units 42 up and down. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lift pins 41 are arranged in the center of the substrate support unit 20. The lift pins 41 support the substrates 301 and 302 by hitting the centers of the substrates 301 and 302 from below. The lift pins 41 move up and down while supporting the substrates 301 and 302. The lift pins 41 are arranged inside through holes 20a formed in the substrate support unit 20. For example, a plurality of lift pins 41 are provided.

[0031] In this embodiment, for example, three lift pins 41 are provided. When viewed from the top and bottom, the multiple lift pins 41 are concentrically arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, radially outward from the center of the substrates 301 and 302. By using such a lift unit 40 to bring the lift pins 41 and the holder 30 closer to each other, the substrate 301 held by the holder 30 and the substrate 302 supported by the lift pins 41 are superimposed on each other.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lift pin 41 includes a pin body 45 and a pad portion 50. The lower end of the pin body 45 is joined to the moving portion 42. The pin body 45 extends upward from the moving portion 42. The pin body 45 may be formed of, for example, a non-conductive material (e.g., resin, metal, ceramics, etc.). In this embodiment, the pin body 45 is made of, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE; fluororesin).

[0033] The pad portion 50 is attached to the tip of the pin body 45. The pad portion 50 is elastically deformable in the vertical direction when the substrate 302 is superimposed on the substrate 301. As shown in FIG. 3, the pad portion 50 includes a first member 51, a second member 52, and a third member 53. The second member 52, the first member 51, and the third member 53 are stacked in this order from top to bottom.

[0034] The first member 51 is disposed between the second member 52 and the third member 53. The first member 51 is formed of a material that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction. The first member 51 is formed of a material that is elastically deformable and has lower rigidity than the second member 52 and the third member 53. The first member 51 preferably has heat resistance higher than the operating temperature. In this embodiment, since the substrates 301 and 302 are heated to, for example, about 100°C, the first member 51 preferably has heat resistance of the operating temperature of 100°C or higher, more preferably 120°C or higher.

[0035] The material for forming the first member 51 is preferably a material containing at least one of fluororubber, polytetrafluoroethylene, and silicone rubber. The first member 51 is preferably a porous body made of such a material. Furthermore, it is particularly preferable that the first member 51 be a closed-cell porous body in which the cells contained in the porous body are arranged independently of each other.

[0036] Furthermore, when the substrates 301 and 302 are overlapped, the lift pins 41 are raised to a predetermined position, and the lift pins 41 and the holder 30 are brought close to each other, thereby overlapping the substrate 301 held by the holder 30 and the substrate 302 supported by the lift pins 41. When the substrates 301 and 302 are overlapped, the lift pins 41 raised to the predetermined position press the substrate 301 upward against the substrate 302 so that the substrates 301 and 302 are reliably bonded together by the adhesive force of the adhesive layer F. In this embodiment, the lift pins 41 raised to the predetermined position press the substrates 301 and 302 together with a pressure of, for example, 10 kPa or more and 50 kPa or less. Here, the predetermined position is set, for example, taking into account the amount of compression of the elastically deformable material forming the first member 51.

[0037] In this way, when pressing the substrate 302 against the substrate 301, it is preferable that the first member 51 elastically deforms in the vertical direction due to the pressing force, so that excessive pressure is not applied to the substrates 301, 302. For this reason, the first member 51 preferably has a rubber hardness of 15 to 36 (measured using an Asker rubber hardness tester, type C, adopted in JIS K 7312). Furthermore, it is preferable that the first member 51 has a thickness of, for example, 0.5 mm to 5.0 mm. In this embodiment, the thickness of the first member 51 is, for example, about 2 mm.

[0038] The uppermost second member 52 contacts the underside of the substrate 302 when holding the substrate 302. The second member 52 is preferably formed from a material that remains adhered to the substrate 302 or does not leave a contact mark when the substrate 302 separates from the first layer after contacting the substrate 302. That is, the second member 52 is preferably formed from a material that has higher releasability from the substrates 301 and 302 than the first member 51. Furthermore, the second member 52 is preferably capable of deforming in response to the elastic deformation of the first member 51 when the first member 51 elastically deforms. Note that poor releasability can cause problems such as peeling or misalignment of the stacked substrates 301 and 302. If the first member 51 made of a porous material were pressed directly against the substrate 302 without using the second member 52, the suction cup effect would prevent the first member 51 from separating from the substrate 302, resulting in problems.

[0039] The second member 52 preferably has heat resistance higher than the operating temperature. In this embodiment, since the substrates 301 and 302 are heated to, for example, approximately 100°C, the second member 52 preferably has heat resistance above the operating temperature of 100°C, more preferably above 120°C. Furthermore, the second member 52 may be formed from a conductive material to prevent static electricity from being generated when the second member 52 comes into contact with the substrate 302. Such a second member 52 is preferably formed from a material containing, for example, polyimide. The second member 52 preferably has a thickness of, for example, 5 μm to 200 μm. In this embodiment, the thickness of the second member 52 is, for example, approximately 25 μm. Thus, the second member 52 preferably has a thickness that allows for good releasability and does not interfere with the deformation of the first member 51 or poses problems with followability.

[0040] The third member 53, which is provided at the bottom, is provided between the pin body 45 and the first member 51. The third member 53 may be formed of the same material as the second member 52. That is, the third member 53 is preferably formed of a material containing, for example, polyimide. The second member 52 is preferably provided with a thickness of, for example, 5 μm to 200 μm. In this embodiment, the thickness of the second member 52 is, for example, about 25 μm.

[0041] The first member 51, the second member 52, and the third member 53 constituting the pad portion 50 are preferably formed as a single unit. That is, it is preferable to attach the pad portion 50, in which the first member 51, the second member 52, and the third member 53 are integrally formed in advance, to the tip of the pin body 45. The integrally formed pad portion 50 (the first member 51, the second member 52, and the third member 53) is fixed to the tip of the pin body 45, for example, with double-sided tape or adhesive. In this case, if an attempt is made to directly fix the pin body 45 and the first member 51 made of a porous body made of the above-mentioned material to the pin body 45, sufficient adhesive strength may not be obtained. In contrast, sufficient adhesive strength can be easily obtained by previously providing the third member 53 integrally below the first member 51 and then adhering the third member 53 to the pin body 45 with double-sided tape or adhesive.

[0042] 1, the moving part 42 moves up and down by driving the lift pin driving part 43. The lift pin driving part 43 uses, for example, an electric rotary motor, a linear motor, an air cylinder device, a hydraulic cylinder device, or the like, and the driving force is transmitted to the moving part 42 by a transmission mechanism (not shown).

[0043] The holding unit 30 is provided above and spaced from the substrate support unit 20. In this embodiment, the holding unit 30 adsorbs and holds the upper substrate 301. The holding unit 30 receives the substrate 301 from the lift pins 41 and holds the substrate 301. The holding unit 30 includes a support shaft 31, an upper plate 32, and a suction pad 33. The support shaft 31 is fixed to the base 15 via an appropriate frame or the like, and is disposed so as to hang down from the center of the top plate 10b of the chamber 10.

[0044] The upper plate 32 is fixed to the lower end of the support shaft 31. The upper plate 32 is formed of, for example, metal, resin, ceramics, etc. When the substrates 301 and 302 are attached to each other, the upper plate 32 receives the substrate 302, which is pressed upward by the lift pins 41, with the upper plate 32 holding the substrate 301. The upper plate 32 is formed in a circular shape when viewed from above. The upper plate 32 is a plate-like shape extending along a plane intersecting the vertical direction. The shape of the upper plate 32 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a rectangular shape (square shape, oblong shape), an elliptical shape, an oval shape, or the like.

[0045] When viewed from above, the upper plate 32 is disposed at a position that overlaps at least the lift pins 41. With this configuration, when the substrates 301, 302 are stacked, the substrates 301, 302 are sandwiched from above and below between the upper plate 32 and the lift pins 41, and the substrates 301, 302 can be reliably stacked.

[0046] The suction pad 33 is provided on the lower surface of the upper plate 32. The suction pad 33 adsorbs the upper surface of the substrate 301. The suction pad 33 adsorbs the upper surface of the substrate 301 supported by the lift pins 41, and receives the substrate 301 from the lift pins 41. The suction pad 33 is a so-called vacuum suction pad. A plurality of suction pads 33 may be provided on the lower surface of the upper plate 32. Note that the suction pad 33 is not limited to a vacuum suction pad, and may also be an electrostatic suction mechanism (electrostatic chuck) or an adhesive pad (adhesive suction mechanism or adhesive chuck). When an adhesive pad is used, an adhesive peeling mechanism (not shown) is provided for separating the substrate 301 from the adhesive pad.

[0047] In this embodiment, the upper plate 32 is fixed in height. As shown in FIG. 1 , the suction pad 33 is supported at a predetermined height. However, if the support shaft 31 is movable up and down, the upper plate 32 (suction pad 33) may be configured to move up and down integrally with the support shaft 31. The suction pad 33 can hold the substrate 301 by suctioning the upper surface of the substrate 301, which has been raised while being supported by the lift pins 41, using its lower surface as an adsorption surface. The upper plate 32 may be configured to include a heater (heating unit) for heating the substrate 301 held by the suction pad 33. Alternatively, instead of the upper plate 32 being configured to include a heater, a heater for heating the interior of the chamber 10 may be provided. It is optional whether or not to provide a heater (heating unit), and the holding unit 30 may be configured without a heater (heating unit). The reason for heating the substrate of the holding part 30 with a heater is to apply appropriate heat to the adhesive layer F etc. through the substrate 301 to soften the material and achieve suitable adhesion, and this is because there are some processes in which the use of a heater is not suitable depending on the combination of materials for the substrate 301 and adhesive layer F.

[0048] The alignment mechanism 60 positions the substrates 301, 302 supported by the substrate support unit 20. The alignment mechanism 60 includes a plurality of alignment drive units 61 and a plurality of alignment blocks 62. The alignment blocks 62 are used to align (position) the substrates 301, 302 by sandwiching the substrates 301, 302 in the radial direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plurality of alignment blocks 62 are arranged on the outer periphery of the base plate 23 of the substrate support unit 20 at intervals in the circumferential direction around the central axis AX of the substrate support unit 20.

[0049] The alignment blocks 62 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction around the central axis AX, for example, three in number. The number of alignment blocks 62 may be four or more. Each of the alignment blocks 62 is movable in a direction along the surfaces of the substrates 301, 302 by a guide (not shown). The alignment blocks 62 are preferably made of a conductive material to prevent the substrates 301, 302 from becoming charged.

[0050] The alignment drive unit 61 moves each of the multiple alignment blocks 62 in the radial direction of the base plate 23. The alignment drive unit 61 has a drive source, such as a cylinder device or an electric motor, and a transmission mechanism that transmits the drive force generated by the drive source to each of the alignment blocks 62.

[0051] The alignment mechanism 60 drives the alignment drive unit 61 to advance the alignment block 62 in the radial direction of the base plate 23, and presses the outer peripheral edges of the substrates 301, 302 in a direction parallel to the upper surface 23f of the base plate 23, thereby sandwiching the substrates 301, 302. The alignment mechanism 60 drives the alignment drive unit 61 to advance and retract the alignment block 62 in the radial direction of the base plate 23, thereby positioning the substrates 301, 302 with respect to the substrate support unit 20 and the holder 30.

[0052] The operation of the alignment mechanism 60 is controlled by the control unit C. When the alignment block 62 is used, the control unit C reads the shapes of the substrates 301 and 302 obtained by another unit (not shown), determines the alignment positions for the substrates 301 and 302, and then operates the alignment block 62. Note that the specific configuration of the alignment mechanism 60 is not limited in any way as long as it can perform the required functions, and can be changed to another configuration as appropriate.

[0053] <Board overlapping method> Next, a substrate superposing method according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the substrate superposing method according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart following FIG. 4 showing an example of the substrate superposing method according to this embodiment. This substrate superposing method is executed, for example, in response to an instruction from the control unit C. FIGS. 6 to 14 are process diagrams showing an example of the operation of the substrate superposing apparatus 100. Note that in these process diagrams, descriptions are simplified to make the operation of each part easier to understand. Below, an explanation will be given with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0054] First, the gate valve 12 of the chamber 10 is opened and a substrate is loaded (step S01). As shown in Fig. 6, the control unit C drives a drive unit (not shown) to raise the gate valve 12 and open the opening 11. Next, the substrate 301 (upper substrate) is loaded into the chamber 10. At this time, the control unit C raises the lift pins 41 to a height at which the substrate 301 can be transferred.

[0055] The arm 91 of the transfer device 90, holding the substrate 301 on its underside, enters the chamber 10 through the opening 11 and positions the substrate 301 above the lift pins 41. The arm 91 holds the substrate 301 by suction using a suction pad or the like (not shown) provided on its underside. The control unit C then lowers the arm 91 and transfers the substrate 301 from the arm 91 to the lift pins 41 (step S02). The lift pins 41 abut against the center of the underside of the substrate 301 from below. The arm 91 then exits the chamber 10. Note that if the substrate 301 has an adhesive layer F, the adhesive layer F faces downward when the substrate 301 is carried into the chamber 10.

[0056] 7, the control unit C lowers the lift pins 41 supporting the substrate 301 and places it on the base plate 23 of the substrate support unit 20 (step S03). At this time, the lift pins 41 are lowered to a position lower than the base plate 23 (i.e., the lower surface of the substrate 301), and the substrate 301 is supported by the support members 80 of the base plate 23. In this state, the heater 22 heats the substrate 301 for a predetermined time.

[0057] Next, an alignment operation is performed on the substrate 301 (step S04). As shown in Fig. 8, the control unit C drives the alignment drive units 61 to advance each alignment block 62 radially inward, and positions the substrate 301 by sandwiching the substrate between the alignment blocks 62. After the alignment operation, the control unit C retracts each alignment block 62 radially outward.

[0058] In step S04, instead of performing the alignment operation of the substrate 301 with the support members 80 of the base plate 23, the alignment operation may be performed with the substrate 301 placed on the lift pins 41.

[0059] Next, the substrate 301 is held by the suction pad 33 (step S05). As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit C raises the lift pins 41 to receive the substrate 301 from the base plate 23. The control unit C further raises the lift pins 41 to raise the substrate 301 and bring the substrate 301 into contact with the suction surface of the suction pad 33 of the holder 30. The control unit C has already driven the suction pad 33 to a state in which it can be adsorbed when the substrate 301 comes into contact. As a result, the substrate 301 is held by the suction pad 33. Thereafter, the lift pins 41 are lowered, so that the lift pins 41 separate from the substrate 301.

[0060] Next, the substrate 302 (lower substrate) is loaded into the chamber 10 (step S06). The control unit C lowers the lift pins 41 to a height at which the substrate 302 can be transferred. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10, the arm 91 loads the substrate 302 into the chamber 10 and positions it above the lift pins 41. The arm 91 holds the substrate 302 by suction on its underside. The control unit C then raises the lift pins 41 and transfers the substrate 302 from the arm 91 to the lift pins 41. The arm 91 then leaves the chamber 10. Note that the adhesive layer F of the substrate 302 is on the upper side when it is loaded into the chamber 10.

[0061] Next, gate valve 12 is closed, and substrate 302 is heated (step S07). As shown in FIG. 11, after gate valve 12 is closed, lift pins 41 are lowered to place substrate 302 on substrate support 20. Lift pins 41 are lowered to a position lower than base plate 23, so that substrate 302 is supported only by base plate 23. Thereafter, substrate 302 may be heated by heater 22 in a state exposed to the atmosphere, or may be heated with chamber 10 in a vacuum state. This heating process increases the temperature of substrate 302 to, for example, about 100°C.

[0062] Next, an alignment operation is performed on the substrate 302 (step S08). As shown in Fig. 12, the control unit C drives the alignment drive units 61 to advance each alignment block 62 radially inward, and positions the substrate 302 by sandwiching the substrate 302 between the alignment blocks 62. The alignment operation in step S08 is similar to the alignment operation in step S04. Therefore, the substrates 301 and 302 are positioned at approximately the same position in a plan view.

[0063] In step S08, instead of performing the alignment operation of the substrate 302 with the support members 80 of the base plate 23, the alignment operation may be performed with the substrate 302 placed on the lift pins 41.

[0064] 13, the control unit C raises the lift pins 41 to raise the substrate 302, thereby overlapping the substrates 301 and 302 (step S09). At this time, the upper plate 32 of the holding unit 30 presses down the upper surface of the substrate 301, and the lift pins 41 raise the substrate 302 to overlap the substrate 301, thereby overlapping the substrates 301 and 302. In other words, the upper plate 32 and the suction pad 33 function as a holding unit that holds the substrate 301, and also have the function of contacting the upper surface of the substrate 301 to press down the upper surface of the substrate 301.

[0065] In step S09, the adhesive layer F of the substrate 301 and the adhesive layer F of the substrate 302 come into contact with each other, thereby bonding the substrates 301 and 302 together. The force with which the substrates 301 and 302 are bonded together is controlled by the force with which the lift pin driving unit 43 raises the lift pins 41 to a predetermined position. In this embodiment, the lift pins 41 press the substrates 301 and 302 together with a pressure of, for example, 10 kPa or more and 50 kPa or less. This pressure (pressing force) causes the first member 51 to elastically deform (contract) in the vertical direction under the pressure. As a result, excessive pressing force is prevented from being applied to the substrates 301 and 302.

[0066] Next, the suction pad 33 releases its suction to the substrate 301 (step S10). After the substrates 301 and 302 are bonded together, the control unit C causes the suction pad 33 to release its suction to the substrate 301. Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the lift pins 41 are lowered to position the bonded substrate 300 at a height for removal. This process separates the substrate 300 from both the substrate support unit 20 and the holder 30. The substrate 300 is released from the pressing force on the lift pins 41. As a result, the first member 51 returns from the contracted state to its original state by being released from the pressing force.

[0067] Next, gate valve 12 is opened to unload substrate 300 from chamber 10 (step S11). As shown in Fig. 15, after gate valve 12 is raised to open opening 11, arm 91 of transfer device 90 is advanced into chamber 10 through opening 11 and positioned below substrate 300 supported by lift pins 41. Thereafter, control unit C raises arm 91 and suction-holds substrate 300 on the upper surface of arm 91, thereby transferring substrate 300 from lift pins 41 to arm 91.

[0068] It should be noted that arm 91 may be configured to hold substrate 300 by placing it on the upper surface of arm 91 rather than by suction. Thereafter, arm 91 retreats from chamber 10, thereby unloading substrate 300 from chamber 10. Thereafter, control unit C closes gate valve 12, thereby completing the series of processes.

[0069] As described above, the substrate superposing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment includes a first member 51 formed of a material that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction at the upper end of the pin body 45. With this configuration, when the substrate 302 supported by the lift pins 41 is pressed against the substrate 301 held by the holder 30 to superpose the substrates 301 and 302, the first member 51 elastically deforms, thereby preventing pressure from acting locally on the substrates 302, 301 from the lift pins 41. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent excessive pressure from being applied to the substrates 301, 302 when the two substrates 301, 302 are superposed.

[0070] (Example of consideration) The configuration described in the above embodiment was verified, and the results are shown below. As an example, as shown in Figure 13, with the upper substrate 301 attached to the suction pad 33, the lower substrate 302 was raised by the lift pin 41 equipped with the pad portion 50 to a position where the elastically deformable material contracted by 0.5 mm, and the substrates were superimposed on the substrate 301. After that, a pressure-sensitive film that reacts within a pressure range of 50 kPa to 200 kPa was placed on the lower substrate 302 in advance, and the film was sandwiched between the substrates 302 and 301, and the results (response results of the pressure-sensitive paper) were confirmed and evaluated. The total thickness of the elastically deformable material was 2 mm. As a comparative example, a similar test was conducted using the lift pin 41 without the pad portion 50.

[0071] 16, in the comparative example not provided with the pad portion 50, it was confirmed that a pressure of a level that would cause a reaction in the pressure-sensitive film was acting at points P1 to P3 corresponding to the three lift pins 41. In contrast, in the example provided with the pad portion 50, no reaction indicating that a pressure of a level that would cause a reaction in the pressure-sensitive film was acting was confirmed, and no localized pressure increase due to the lift pins 41 was observed.

[0072] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the aspects described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Furthermore, forms incorporating such modifications or improvements are also included within the technical scope of the present invention. One or more of the requirements described in the above embodiments may be omitted. Furthermore, the requirements described in the above embodiments may be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, the order of execution of each operation shown in the embodiments can be realized in any order as long as the results of a previous operation are not used in a subsequent operation. Furthermore, even if the operations in the above embodiments are described using terms such as "first," "next," and "subsequently" for convenience, it is not necessary to perform them in this order.

[0073] In the above embodiment, examples are given of the materials and thicknesses of the first member 51, second member 52, and third member 53 that make up the pad portion 50, but configurations other than those exemplified above may be used depending on the pressure when the lift pin 41 presses the substrate 302 against the substrate 301, the temperature to which the substrates 301 and 302 are heated, etc.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the two substrates 301 and 302 are bonded together, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, another substrate may be bonded to the substrate 300, which is formed by bonding the substrates 301 and 302 together.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the holder 30 holds the upper substrate 301 by suction using the suction pad 33, but the present invention is not limited to this. The holder 30 may hold the upper substrate 301 by any suitable method, such as by clamping the upper substrate 301.

[0076] Furthermore, the holding unit 30 may use, for example, a plurality of spacers that support the outer periphery of the upper substrate 301. The spacers are provided so as to be movable by a drive device between a position where they support the outer periphery of the substrate 301 and a position where they are retracted radially outward from the substrate 301. When spacers are used as the holding unit 30, when bonding the upper substrate 301 and the lower substrate 302, the upper plate 32 is lowered to press the substrate 301 against the substrate 302 on the lift pins 41. At this time, the spacers are retracted from the substrate 301, thereby bonding the substrates 301 and 302 together.

[0077] For example, a plurality of pressing pins that protrude downward are provided on the lower surface of upper plate 32. Each of the pressing pins is elastically supported so that it can sink into the lower surface of upper plate 32. Therefore, when substrate 301 and substrate 302 are attached to each other, as upper plate 32 descends, substrate 301 is pressed against substrate 302 by the elastic force of the pressing pins as they sink.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the lift pin 41 includes the pin body 45 and a pad portion 50 made of an elastically deformable material or the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a pressure pin (not shown) that can protrude further upward is embedded in the upper surface of the lift pin 41 and is elastically supported so as to be retractable relative to the upper surface of the lift pin 41. As a specific example, the pressure pin is supported using a compression spring or the like. Therefore, when the lift pin 41 is raised to bond the substrates 301 and 302, the substrate 302 may be pressed against the substrate 301 by the elastic force of the retraction of the pressure pin embedded in the lift pin 41 as the lift pin 41 rises. Furthermore, the lift pin 41 may further include a pad portion 50 made of an elastically deformable material or the like on the top of the pressure pin embedded in the lift pin 41. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 20... Substrate support part 30...Holding part 41···Lift pin 45···Pin body 51... First member 52... Second member 53 Third member 60 Alignment mechanism 100....Board alignment device 300, 301, 302... Substrate

Claims

1. a lift pin that supports the substrate and moves it up and down; a holder that receives the substrate from the lift pins and holds the substrate, a substrate superposing device that superposes the substrate held by the holding unit and the substrate supported by the lift pins by bringing the lift pins and the holding unit closer to each other, The lift pins are a pin body extending in the vertical direction; a first member attached to an upper end of the pin body and made of a material that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction; a second member provided on an upper surface of the first member and in contact with the substrate.

2. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first member is a porous body.

3. 3. The substrate stacking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first member is a closed-cell porous body.

4. 4. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first member is made of a material containing at least one of fluororubber, polytetrafluoroethylene, and silicone rubber.

5. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second member has a higher releasability with respect to the substrate than the first member.

6. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the first member and the second member have a heat resistance higher than an operating temperature.

7. 7. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second member is made of a material containing polyimide.

8. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the second member is deformable in response to elastic deformation of the first member.

9. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a third member provided between the pin body and the first member.

10. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the third member is made of the same material as the second member.

11. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the first member, the second member, and the third member are integrally formed.

12. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a substrate support portion that supports the substrate handed over from the lift pins when the lift pins are lowered.

13. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein one or both of the holding part and the substrate support part are provided with a heating part for heating the substrate.

14. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising an alignment mechanism that positions the substrate supported by the substrate support portion.

15. The substrate superposing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the holding portion has a fixed height position.

16. a lift pin that supports the substrate and moves it up and down; a holder that receives the substrate from the lift pins and holds the substrate, a substrate superposing device that superposes the substrate held by the holding unit and the substrate supported by the lift pins by bringing the lift pins and the holding unit closer to each other, The lift pins are a first member that elastically deforms under a pressing force of 10 kPa to 50 kPa when the substrates are superimposed; a second member provided on an upper surface of the first member and in contact with the substrate.

17. a lift pin that supports the substrate and moves it up and down; a holder that receives the substrate from the lift pins and holds the substrate, a substrate superposing device that superposes the substrate held by the holding unit and the substrate supported by the lift pins by bringing the lift pins and the holding unit closer to each other, The lift pins are a pin body extending in the vertical direction; a pressing pin attached to an upper end of the pin body and configured to be retractable in the vertical direction; A substrate superposition device comprising:

18. Using the substrate superposition device according to claim 1, claim 16, or claim 17, sucking the upper surface of the previously transported substrate with the holding unit; After the substrate is attracted by the holder, the next transported substrate is supported by the lift pins; bringing the holding portion and the lift pins closer to each other and overlapping the two substrates with a pressing force that deforms the first member.

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