Movable device, polishing device and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

To facilitate positioning of a member arranged around a movable member.SOLUTION: A movable device includes a movable member, a detector, a stop part, and a control device. A target position, a reference position, a first position and a second position are positioned in this order in a direction where the movable member moves or rotates. The movable member is moved or rotated between the reference position and the target position. The detector detects the movable member at the first position. The stop part stops the movable member at the second position. When the detector detects the movable member, the control device restricts the movement or the rotation of the movable member. A first distance in the direction between the reference position and the first position is 30% or less of a second distance in the direction between the reference position and the second position, or a first rotation angle between the reference position and the first position is 30% or less of a second rotation angle between the reference position and the second position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a movable device, a polishing device, and a substrate processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] A movable device having a movable member configured to move or rotate between a target position and a reference position is known. When moving or rotating from the target position to the reference position, such a movable member is allowed to move or rotate past the reference position to a certain extent, and is configured to perform control such as an emergency stop when it is detected that the movable member has reached an overtravel position. When the movable member passes the overtravel position, it is physically stopped by a collision or the like at a mechanical stop position, which is the limit position of movement or rotation. Patent Document 1 discloses a polishing device in which polishing processing is stopped when an overtravel detection signal is generated, indicating that the polishing arm has swung beyond a predetermined swing angle range.

[0003] On the other hand, there may be a demand for larger moving parts or for parts to be densely arranged in a moving device. For example, in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) devices are used to planarize the surface of a substrate. As the demand for substrate planarization increases, there may be a demand for parts to be densely arranged around a moving part, such as a swing arm in a polishing device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-301690 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As the size of the movable member increases, a larger inertia is applied when stopping the moving or rotating movable member, which requires a longer movement distance or a larger rotation angle. Furthermore, if more components need to be arranged around the movable member, it may be necessary to narrow the area in which the movable member moves or rotates. It is desirable to appropriately position the reference position, overtravel position, and mechanical stop position described above while ensuring the positioning accuracy of the components arranged around the movable member.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide a movable device, a polishing apparatus, or a substrate processing apparatus that facilitates positioning of members arranged around a movable member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a movable device includes a movable member, a drive unit having an encoder and configured to drive the movable member, a detector for detecting the movable member, a stop unit, and a control unit, wherein the movable member is configured to be movable or rotatable to a target position, a reference position, a first position, and a second position, the target position, the reference position, the first position, and the second position being located in this order along a direction in which the movable member moves or rotates, the movable member is configured to move or rotate between the reference position and the target position, the detector is configured to detect the movable member in the first position, the stop unit is configured to stop the movable member at the second position by contacting the movable member, the control unit is configured to limit the movement or rotation of the movable member when the detector detects the movable member, and a first distance along the direction from the reference position to the first position is a distance from the reference position to the second position. The distance is 30% or less of a second distance along the direction, or a first rotation angle from the reference position to the first position is 30% or less of a second rotation angle from the reference position to the second position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a polishing unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a movable member according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a target position and a reference position of a movable member. [Figure 5] 3 is a plan view schematically showing a reference position, a first position, and a second position of a movable member. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a stopping mechanism that schematically illustrates a detector. [Figure 7A] FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing the stop mechanism when the movable member is at a reference position. [Figure 7B] FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the stop mechanism when the movable member is in a first position. [Figure 7C] FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing the stop mechanism when the movable member is in a second position. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the stop mechanism, schematically illustrating the stop portion. [Figure 9A] FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing the stop mechanism when the movable member is at a reference position. [Figure 9B] FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the stop mechanism when the movable member is in a first position. [Figure 9C] FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing the stop mechanism when the movable member is in a second position. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the vicinity of the top ring when the movable member is in a second position. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a movable device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of a movable member and a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, identical or similar elements are designated by identical or similar reference symbols, and duplicate descriptions of identical or similar elements may be omitted in the description of each embodiment. Furthermore, features shown in each embodiment can also be applied to other embodiments as long as they are not mutually inconsistent.

[0010] First embodiment FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1000 according to a first embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1000 shown in FIG. 1 includes a load unit 100, a transfer unit 200, a polishing unit 300, a drying unit 500, and an unload unit 600. In the illustrated embodiment, the transfer unit 200 includes two transfer units 200A and 200B, and the polishing unit 300 includes two polishing units 300A and 300B. In one embodiment, each of these units can be formed independently. By forming these units independently, substrate processing apparatuses 1000 with different configurations can be easily formed by arbitrarily combining the number of each unit. The substrate processing apparatus 1000 also includes a control device 900, which controls each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1000. In one embodiment, the control device 900 can be configured as a general computer including an input / output device, a calculation device, a storage device, and the like.

[0011] <Load unit> The load unit 100 is a unit for introducing a substrate WF before processing such as polishing and cleaning into the substrate processing apparatus 1000. In one embodiment, the load unit 100 is configured to comply with the SMEMA (Surface Mount Equipment Manufacturers Association) Mechanical Device Interface Standard (IPC-SMEMA-9851).

[0012] In the illustrated embodiment, the transport mechanism of the load unit 100 includes a plurality of transport rollers 202 and a plurality of roller shafts 204 to which the transport rollers 202 are attached. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, each roller shaft 204 has three transport rollers 202. The substrate WF (see FIG. 10) is placed on the transport rollers 202, which rotate to transport the substrate WF. The transport rollers 202 may be attached to the roller shaft 204 at any position that allows stable transport of the substrate WF. However, since the transport rollers 202 come into contact with the substrate WF, they should be positioned so that they come into contact with an area of ​​the substrate WF that is the target of processing without causing any problems. In one embodiment, the transport rollers 202 of the load unit 100 may be made of a conductive polymer. In one embodiment, the transport rollers 202 are electrically grounded via the roller shaft 204 or the like. This is to prevent the substrate WF from becoming charged and damaging the substrate WF. In one embodiment, the load unit 100 may be provided with an ionizer (not shown) to prevent the substrate WF from becoming charged.

[0013] <Transport unit> 1 includes two transport units 200A and 200B. The two transport units 200A and 200B can have the same configuration, and therefore will be collectively referred to as the transport unit 200 in the following description.

[0014] The transport unit 200 shown in the figure is equipped with a plurality of transport rollers 202 for transporting the substrate WF. By rotating the transport rollers 202, the substrate WF on the transport rollers 202 can be transported in a predetermined direction. The transport rollers 202 of the transport unit 200 may be formed from a conductive polymer or a non-conductive polymer. The transport rollers 202 are driven by a motor (not shown). The substrate WF is transported to a substrate transfer position by the transport rollers 202.

[0015] In one embodiment, the transport unit 200 includes a cleaning nozzle 284. The cleaning nozzle 284 is connected to a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown). The cleaning nozzle 284 is configured to supply the cleaning liquid to the substrate WF transported by the transport rollers 202.

[0016] <Polishing unit> FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of a polishing unit 300 according to one embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1000 shown in FIG. 1 includes two polishing units 300A and 300B. The two polishing units 300A and 300B can have the same configuration, and therefore will be collectively referred to as the polishing unit 300 below. The top ring cover 368 (see FIG. 3) is not shown in FIG. 2.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the polishing unit 300 includes a polishing table 350 and a top ring 302 constituting a polishing head that holds a substrate WF, which is an object to be polished, and presses it against a polishing surface 352a. The polishing table 350 is connected to a polishing table rotation motor (not shown) disposed below the table shaft 351 and is rotatable about the table shaft 351. A polishing pad 352 is attached to the upper surface of the polishing table 350, and the surface of the polishing pad 352 constitutes a polishing surface 352a that polishes the substrate WF. In one embodiment, the polishing pad 352 may be attached via a layer that facilitates removal from the polishing table 350. Such a layer may be, for example, a silicone layer or a fluorine-based resin layer, and those described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-176950 may be used.

[0018] A polishing liquid supply nozzle 354 is installed above the polishing table 350, and the polishing liquid is supplied onto the polishing pad 352 on the polishing table 350 by this polishing liquid supply nozzle 354. As shown in FIG. 2, the polishing table 350 and the table shaft 351 are provided with a passage 353 for supplying the polishing liquid. The passage 353 is connected to an opening 355 on the surface of the polishing table 350. A through-hole 357 is formed in the polishing pad 352 at a position corresponding to the opening 355, and the polishing liquid passing through the passage 353 is supplied to the surface of the polishing pad 352 through the opening 355 in the polishing table 350 and the through-hole 357 in the polishing pad 352. The opening 355 in the polishing table 350 and the through-hole 357 in the polishing pad 352 may be one or more. The opening 355 in the polishing table 350 and the through-hole 357 in the polishing pad 352 may be positioned at any position, but in one embodiment, they are positioned near the center of the polishing table 350.

[0019] 2, in one embodiment, the polishing unit 300 includes an atomizer 358 (see FIG. 1) for spraying a liquid or a mixture of liquid and gas toward the polishing pad 352. The liquid sprayed from the atomizer 358 is, for example, pure water, and the gas is, for example, nitrogen gas.

[0020] The top ring 302 is connected to a top ring shaft 18, which is movable up and down relative to a swing arm 360 by a vertical movement mechanism 319. The vertical movement of the top ring shaft 18 moves the entire top ring 302 up and down relative to the swing arm 360, thereby positioning it. The top ring shaft 18 is rotated by a top ring rotation motor (not shown). The rotation of the top ring shaft 18 causes the top ring 302 to rotate around the top ring shaft 18.

[0021] The top ring 302 is adapted to hold a rectangular substrate WF on its underside. The swing arm 360 is rotatable about a support shaft 362. The swing arm 360 rotates to move the top ring 302 between the substrate transfer position of the transport unit 200 and above the polishing table 350. By lowering the top ring shaft 18, the top ring 302 can be lowered to press the substrate WF against the surface (polishing surface) 352a of the polishing pad 352. At this time, the top ring 302 and the polishing table 350 are rotated, and a polishing liquid is supplied onto the polishing pad 352 from a polishing liquid supply nozzle 354 provided above the polishing table 350 and / or an opening 355 provided in the polishing table 350. In this manner, the surface of the substrate WF can be polished by pressing it against the polishing surface 352a of the polishing pad 352. During polishing of the substrate WF, the arm 360 may be fixed or swung so that the top ring 302 passes through the center of the polishing pad 352 (so that it covers the through-hole 357 of the polishing pad 352). The shape of the substrate WF is not particularly limited and may be, for example, circular. The shape of the top ring 302 may also be formed to match the shape of the substrate WF to be held.

[0022] The up-and-down movement mechanism 319 that moves the top ring shaft 18 and the top ring 302 up and down includes a bridge 28 that rotatably supports the top ring shaft 18 via a bearing 321, a ball screw 32 attached to the bridge 28, a support base 29 supported by a support column 130, and an AC servo motor 38 provided on the support base 29. The support base 29 that supports the servo motor 38 is fixed to a swing arm 360 via the support column 130.

[0023] The ball screw 32 includes a screw shaft 32a connected to a servo motor 38 and a nut 32b onto which the screw shaft 32a is threaded. The top ring shaft 18 moves up and down integrally with the bridge 28. Therefore, when the servo motor 38 is driven, the bridge 28 moves up and down via the ball screw 32, which in turn moves the top ring shaft 18 and the top ring 302 up and down.

[0024] The polishing unit 300 according to one embodiment includes a dressing unit 356 that dresses the polishing surface 352a of the polishing pad 352. The dresser 50 includes a dresser 50 that slides against the polishing surface 352a, a dresser shaft 51 to which the dresser 50 is connected, an air cylinder 53 attached to the upper end of the dresser shaft 51, and a dresser swing arm 55 that rotatably supports the dresser shaft 51. The lower part of the dresser 50 is formed by a dressing member 50a, and needle-shaped diamond particles are attached to the underside of this dressing member 50a. The air cylinder 53 is placed on a support base 57 supported by struts 56, and these struts 56 are fixed to the dresser swing arm 55.

[0025] The dresser swing arm 55 is driven by a motor (not shown) and configured to rotate around a support shaft 58. The dresser shaft 51 is rotated by the drive of the motor (not shown), and the rotation of the dresser shaft 51 causes the dresser 50 to rotate around the dresser shaft 51. The air cylinder 53 moves the dresser 50 up and down via the dresser shaft 51, and presses the dresser 50 against the polishing surface 352a of the polishing pad 352 with a predetermined pressing force.

[0026] The polishing surface 352a of the polishing pad 352 is dressed as follows. The dresser 50 is pressed against the polishing surface 352a by the air cylinder 53, and simultaneously, pure water is supplied to the polishing surface 352a from a pure water supply nozzle (not shown). In this state, the dresser 50 rotates around the dresser shaft 51, and the dresser swing arm 55 swings over the polishing surface 352a, causing the lower surface (diamond particles) of the dressing member 50a to slide against the rotating polishing surface 352a. In this way, the dresser 50 scrapes off the polishing pad 352, and the polishing surface 352a is dressed.

[0027] <Drying unit> The drying unit 500 is an apparatus for drying the substrate WF. In the substrate processing apparatus 1000 shown in FIG. 1, the drying unit 500 dries the substrate WF that has been polished in the polishing unit 300 and then cleaned in the cleaning section of the transfer unit 200. As shown in FIG. 1, the drying unit 500 is disposed downstream of the transfer unit 200. The drying unit 500 has a nozzle 530 for spraying gas toward the substrate WF being transported on the transport rollers 202. The gas can be, for example, compressed air or nitrogen. The substrate WF can be dried by having the drying unit 500 blow away water droplets on the substrate WF being transported.

[0028] <Unload unit> The unload unit 600 is a unit for unloading the substrate WF after processing such as polishing and cleaning to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1000. In the substrate processing apparatus 1000 shown in FIG. 1, the unload unit 600 receives the substrate WF after drying in the drying unit 500. As shown in FIG. 1, the unload unit 600 is disposed downstream of the drying unit 500. In one embodiment, the unload unit 600 is configured to comply with the SMEMA (Surface Mount Equipment Manufacturers Association) Mechanical Device Interface Standard (IPC-SMEMA-9851).

[0029] <Moving parts> 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the movable member 36 in this embodiment. The movable member 36 can include the above-mentioned top ring 302 and swing arm 360 for transporting the substrate WF, which is the object to be polished, and a top ring cover 368 that covers the top ring 302 and swing arm 360. The polishing unit 300 has a stopping mechanism 400 that detects the position of the movable member 36 and stops the movable member 36. The stopping mechanism 400 will be described in detail later. The substrate processing apparatus 1000 has a substrate transfer device 290. Hereinafter, the substrate transfer device 290 and the polishing unit 300 will be referred to as the polishing apparatus 30. The polishing apparatus 30 is Alternatively, the polishing unit 300 may not include the substrate transfer device 290 and may be configured by the polishing unit 300. The substrate transfer device 290 includes a retainer ring station and a transfer stage, and is configured to attach the substrate WF to the top ring 302 and detach the substrate WF from the top ring 302. The substrate transfer device 290 is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of transferring the substrate WF, and may include, for example, a pusher.

[0030] The swing arm 360 is connected to a drive unit 364 disposed below the swing arm 360 via a support shaft 362 (FIG. 2), and is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis Ax. The drive unit 364 is configured to drive the movable member 36. In this embodiment, the drive unit 364 may be a motor that drives the rotation of the movable member 36. In this embodiment, the movable member 36 is configured to swing around the rotation axis Ax, but is not particularly limited to this. The drive unit 364 is electrically connected to a control device 900 (FIG. 1), and can control the rotation of the movable member 36 by a control signal from the control device 900.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the rotation of the movable member 36. FIG. 4 corresponds to a plan view of the movable member 36 as viewed from the direction of the rotation axis Ax. The movable member 36 is configured to be movable between a target position Pt and a reference position P0. In FIG. 4, the target position Pt and the reference position P0 are schematically indicated by dashed lines indicating the direction in which the swing arm 360 extends when the movable member 36 is at these positions, and the movable member 36 at the target position Pt is schematically indicated by a dashed line. The target position Pt is the position at which the substrate WF held by the top ring 302 overlaps with the polishing surface 352a in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis Ax. When the movable member 36 is at the target position Pt, the top ring 302 can be lowered vertically downward to bring the substrate WF into contact with the polishing surface 352a, thereby polishing the substrate. The reference position P0 is a position where the substrate WF held by the top ring 302 overlaps with the substrate transfer position in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis Ax. When the movable member 36 is at the reference position P0, the top ring 302 can be lowered vertically downward to position the substrate WF at the substrate transfer position of the substrate transfer device 290.

[0032] 4, the movable member 36 is configured to rotate clockwise from the target position Pt to the reference position P0 as viewed vertically from above, and to rotate counterclockwise from the reference position P0 to the target position Pt as viewed vertically from above. The rotation angle φ of the movable member 36 between the target position Pt and the reference position P0 is not particularly limited, but in the case of a swing arm 360 of a polishing apparatus, it can be, for example, between 30 degrees and 150 degrees. The direction in which the movable member 36 rotates is not particularly limited; for example, the movable member 36 may rotate counterclockwise from the target position Pt to the reference position P0.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3 , the driving device 364 includes an encoder 366. The driving device 364 is configured to control the movement of the movable member 36 based on information indicating the position of the movable member 36 from the encoder 366. This information will be referred to as position information hereinafter. When the driving device 364 receives a signal from the control device 900 instructing the driving device 364 to move to the reference position P0 or the target position Pt, the driving device 364 moves the movable member 36 to the reference position P0 or the target position Pt based on the position information from the encoder 366. The type of encoder 366 is not particularly limited as long as it can set a first position P1 and a second position P2, as described below. The encoder 366 is preferably an absolute type encoder in order to move the movable member 36 to the reference position P0 with high accuracy. The reference position P0 may be the origin position of the absolute type encoder 366. From a similar perspective, the encoder 366 may perform at least one of S-shaped control, which performs smooth acceleration and deceleration, and unidirectional positioning, which performs positioning multiple times in one direction.

[0034] 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the first position P1 and the second position P2 when the movable member 36 rotates beyond the reference position P0 and moves to the opposite side of the target position Pt. 5 corresponds to a plan view of the movable member 36 as viewed from the direction of the rotation axis Ax. In FIG. 5, the first position P1 and the second position P2 are schematically indicated by dashed lines indicating the direction in which the swing arm 360 extends when the movable member 36 is in these positions. The movable member 36 has a target position Pt, a reference position P0, a first position P1, and a second position P2. The movable member 36 is configured to be rotatable to the target position Pt, the reference position P0, the first position P1, and the second position P2. The target position Pt, the reference position P0, the first position P1, and the second position P2 are located in this order along the direction in which the movable member 36 rotates. The movable member 36 can be controlled by the control device 900 to rotate back and forth between the reference position P0 and the target position Pt. In this embodiment, in order to suppress adverse effects due to collisions and the like, if the movable member 36 moving from the target position Pt to the reference position P0 does not stop at the reference position P0, the movable member 36 is allowed to rotate further.

[0035] The first position P1 is a position where, when it is detected that the movable member 36 is at the first position P1, some processing is performed to prevent adverse effects, such as a collision, caused by the movement or rotation of the movable member 36. This processing is hereinafter referred to as overtravel (OT) processing. In this embodiment, the control device 900 is configured to limit the rotation of the movable member 36, for example, by performing an emergency stop of the movable member 36, when it is detected that the movable member 36 is at the first position P1. In this case, the emergency stop or other operation is preferably performed by a device other than the drive device 364. This is because the movable member 36 has moved beyond the reference position P0, which may indicate some abnormality in the drive device 364. In such an emergency stop, a control method that is closer to a rectangular shape, such as trapezoidal control, is preferable, rather than S-shaped control, which smoothly accelerates and decelerates.

[0036] The second position P2 is a position configured so that the movable member 36 comes into contact with a stop portion 422 (described later) and is stopped at the second position P2. A predetermined angle is set between the first position P1 and the second position P2 depending on the mass, speed, etc. of the movable member 36 so that the movable member 36 stops at the second position P2 before a collision occurs or so that the collision at the second position P2 is gentle. On the other hand, in the prior art, the angle between the reference position and the overtravel (OT) position is set to the same angle as the angle between the OT position and the mechanical stop (MS) position. In other words, in the prior art, the OT position is set midway between the MS position and the reference position.

[0037] In this embodiment, the first rotation angle θ1 from the reference position P0 to the first position P1 is 30% or less of the second rotation angle θ2 from the reference position P0 to the second position P2. FIG. 5 shows a first reference angle θ1a, which is 30% of the second rotation angle θ2. In FIG. 5, the positions corresponding to the first reference angle θ1a and the second reference angle θ1b (described later) are schematically shown by dashed lines indicating the direction in which the swing arm 360 extends when the movable member 36 is at these positions. The first position P1 is set so that the first rotation angle θ1 is smaller than the first reference angle θ1a. This reduces the area through which the movable member 36 passes, thereby providing a polishing unit 300 that facilitates the positioning of components disposed around the movable member 36.

[0038] In this embodiment, the first rotation angle θ1 is preferably 10% or more of the second rotation angle θ2. FIG. 5 shows a second reference angle θ1b, which is 10% of the second rotation angle θ2. The first position P1 is preferably set so that the first rotation angle θ1 is greater than the second reference angle θ1b. This prevents the movable member 36 from being frequently detected as being at the first position P1 and unnecessary repetition of OT processing, such as an emergency stop. The second reference angle θ1b can be determined based on the mass and speed of the movable member 36, the accuracy of the drive device 364, particularly the encoder 366, and the dimensions of the stopping mechanism 400, and may be less than 10% as long as adverse effects, such as unnecessary repetition of OT processing, can be prevented. From the above perspective, the first rotation angle θ1 is set to be 10% or more and 30% or less of the second rotation angle θ2. It is preferable that there is.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the stop mechanism 400. The stop mechanism 400 has a movable part 410 that constitutes a part of the movable member 36 and a non-movable part 420 that is fixed with respect to the rotation axis Ax of the movable member 36. The stop mechanism 400 may be formed at a position where the movable member 36 and a member fixed with respect to the rotation axis Ax face each other. As shown in FIG. 3, the stop mechanism 400 may be disposed so as to include the rotation axis Ax of the swing arm 360, or may be disposed in the vicinity of the rotation axis Ax. The stop mechanism 400 may be formed by including a part of the swing arm 360 and a part of a base that supports the swing arm 360 at positions where they face each other along the rotation axis Ax.

[0040] The movable part 410 may be in the shape of a disk extending in a direction approximately perpendicular to the rotation axis Ax. In the illustrated example, members above the movable part 410 are not shown for clarity, but the movable part 410 may be formed integrally with any part of the movable member 36 or engaged with any part of the movable member 36. The movable part 410 is configured to rotate integrally with the movable member 36 around the rotation axis Ax.

[0041] The non-movable part 420 may have a disk shape extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis Ax. In the illustrated example, members below the non-movable part 420 are not shown for clarity, but the non-movable part 420 may be formed integrally with any part, such as a base that supports the movable member 36, or may be engaged with any part, such as the base.

[0042] The stopping mechanism 400 has a detection mechanism 10 that detects that the movable member 36 is at the first position P1. The detection mechanism 10 has a detector 411 and a dog 421. In the example shown in the figure, the detector 411 rotates integrally with the movable part 410, and the dog 421 is fixed to the non-movable part 420. It is also possible that the detector 411 is fixed to the non-movable part 420, and the dog 421 rotates integrally with the movable part 410.

[0043] The detector 411 is configured to detect the movable member 36 at the first position P1. From the viewpoint of performing detection with high accuracy, the detector 411 is preferably an optical sensor, more preferably a photointerrupter, and even more preferably a transmissive photointerrupter. In the illustrated example, the detector 411 is a transmissive photointerrupter. The detector 411 may also be a reflective photointerrupter. Note that the type of detector 411 is not particularly limited as long as it can perform detection with the desired accuracy.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6, the movable part 410 has a detector 411 and a first support part 413 that supports the detector 411. In the example shown, the first support part 413 is disk-shaped and has a cylindrical first outer peripheral surface 414, to which the detector 411 is attached. The non-movable part 420 has a dog 421 and a second support part 423 that supports the dog 421. In the example shown, the second support part 423 has a cylindrical second outer peripheral surface 424, to which the dog 421 is attached. In the example shown, the first outer peripheral surface 414 and the second outer peripheral surface 424 have approximately the same radius, and the dog 421 passes through the optical path of the detector 411, which is a transmissive photointerrupter.

[0045] Fig. 7A is a side view of the stop mechanism 400, schematically illustrating the detection mechanism 10 when the movable member 36 is at the reference position P0. Fig. 7B is a side view of the stop mechanism 400, schematically illustrating the detection mechanism 10 when the movable member 36 is at the first position P1. Fig. 7C is a side view of the stop mechanism 400, schematically illustrating the detection mechanism 10 when the movable member 36 is at the second position P2.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 7A, when the movable member 36 is located closer to the reference position P0 than the first position P1, the optical path of the detector 411 is not blocked by an object such as the dog 421. When the movable member 36 is at the first position P1 as shown in FIG. 7B, the optical path of the detector 411 is blocked by the dog 421, and the detector 411 outputs a detection signal indicating the detection of the dog 421. The output detection signal is received by the control device 900, and the control device 900 performs OT processing such as an emergency stop. When the movable member 36 is at the second position P2 side of the first position P1 as shown in FIG. 7C, the optical path of the detector 411 can be configured not to be blocked by an object such as the dog 421.

[0047] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the stopping mechanism 400, schematically illustrating the collision mechanism 20. The stopping mechanism 400 includes the collision mechanism 20, which physically stops the movable member 36 at the second position P2 by collision or the like. The collision mechanism 20 includes a contact portion 412 and a stop portion 422. The stop portion 422 is configured to stop the movable member 36 at the second position P2 by contacting the movable member 36. In the illustrated example, the contact portion 412 rotates integrally with the movable portion 410, and the stop portion 422 is fixed to the non-movable portion 420. The contact portion 412 is attached to a first outer peripheral surface 414 of a first support portion 413 of the movable portion 410. In the illustrated example, the contact portion 412 is a plate-like or block-like member formed along the first outer peripheral surface 414. The stop portion 422 is attached to a second outer peripheral surface 424 of a second support portion 423 of the non-movable portion 420. In the illustrated example, the stop portion 422 is a plate-like or block-like member that is formed along the second outer circumferential surface 424 and that protrudes toward the movable portion 410 along the rotation axis Ax. Note that the contact portion 412 may be fixed to the non-movable portion 420, and the stop portion 422 may rotate integrally with the movable portion 410.

[0048] It is preferable that the contact portion 412 and the stop portion 422 do not come into contact with each other when the movable member 36 is not at the second position P2. The contact portion 412 and the stop portion 422 are configured to come into contact with each other when the movable member 36 is at the second position P2, and the rotation of the movable member 36 is stopped at the second position P2. In the illustrated example, an end face on one circumferential end side of the portion of the contact portion 412 that protrudes outward from the first outer peripheral surface 414 comes into contact with an end face of the stop portion 422 that faces it in the circumferential direction at the second position P2. The shapes and materials of the contact portion 412 and the stop portion 422 are not particularly limited as long as the movable member 36 can be stopped by contact, and the material of the contact portion 412 and the stop portion 422 may include, for example, metal.

[0049] Fig. 9A is a side view of the stopping mechanism 400, schematically illustrating the collision mechanism 20 when the movable member 36 is at the reference position P0. Fig. 9B is a side view of the stopping mechanism 400, schematically illustrating the collision mechanism 20 when the movable member 36 is at the first position P1. Fig. 9C is a side view of the stopping mechanism 400, schematically illustrating the collision mechanism 20 when the movable member 36 is at the second position P2.

[0050] 9A and 9B, when the movable member 36 is closer to the reference position P0 than the second position P2, the contact portion 412 does not come into contact with the stop portion 422. When the movable member 36 reaches the second position P2 as shown in Fig. 9C, the contact portion 412 comes into contact with the stop portion 422, the circumferential movement of the contact portion 412 is stopped by the contact with the stop portion 422, and the rotation of the movable member 36 is stopped.

[0051] In the polishing unit 300, the diameter of the movable part 410 and the non-movable part 420 is assumed to be 300 mm. This diameter is the dimension of the components disposed near the rotation axis Ax of the swing arm 360, and therefore does not change significantly even if the dimensions of the swing arm 360, such as its length, change. In this case, if the rotation angle (θ2-θ1) between the first position P1 and the second position P2 is assumed to be 1 degree, the movement distance of the detector 411 and the contact part 412 between the first position P1 and the second position P2 due to the rotation is approximately 2 mm-3 mm. Here, the movement distance refers to the distance along the movement direction, and if the movement direction changes, it refers to the distance along the movement path. In the prior art, the movement distance between the reference position P0 and the first position P1 is set to be equal to the movement distance between the first position P1 and the second position P2.

[0052] In this embodiment, the movement distance between the reference position P0 and the first position P1 is The distance θ1 is set shorter than the distance traveled between the reference position P0 and the first position P1. This reduces the swing range, allowing more components to be placed around the movable member 36 and facilitating the positioning of these components. Even in this case, adjusting the accuracy of the detector 411 or the encoder 366 can prevent excessive OT processing and enable sufficient discrimination between when the movable member 36 is at the reference position P0 and when it is at the first position P1. For example, the detector 411 can be a transmission-type photointerrupter or the like, achieving an accuracy of several tens to several hundreds of micrometers, even considering the travel difference due to hysteresis. Therefore, the distance traveled by the detector 411 between the reference position P0 and the first position P1 can be approximately 0.3 mm or more. As described above, if the distance traveled by the detector 411 between the first position P1 and the second position P2 is approximately 2 mm to 3 mm, the first rotation angle θ1 can be 10% or more of the second rotation angle θ2.

[0053] 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the movable member 36 at the second position P2. As shown in FIG. 10, the substrate transfer device 290 may have a spray nozzle 292. The spray nozzle 292 is configured to spray a fluid onto the substrate WF held by the top ring 302 at the substrate transfer position from the radially outer side with respect to the rotation axis Ax1 of the top ring 302, thereby facilitating removal of the substrate WF. The fluid is not particularly limited and may include at least one of a liquid such as pure water and a gas such as compressed air or nitrogen.

[0054] A member arranged in the polishing unit 300 or the substrate transfer device 290 that is closest to the movable member 36 at the second position P2 is referred to as an adjacent member 294. Hereinafter, "a member arranged in the polishing unit 300 or the substrate transfer device 290" and "a member arranged in a movable device" exclude members that support the movable member 36, such as the support shaft 362 and the non-movable part 420. Furthermore, the "movable device" may refer to the polishing unit 300 as the movable device, or may refer to a single movable device that includes the polishing unit 300 and the substrate transfer device 290, or may refer to the substrate processing apparatus 1000 as the movable device.

[0055] The jet nozzle 292 may be an adjacent member 294. The following description will be given taking the jet nozzle 292 as an adjacent member 294 as an example. As shown in FIG. 10 , the distance between the adjacent member 294 and the movable member 36 at the second position P2 is defined as the shortest distance D10. The width of the movable member 36 in the direction of movement of the movable member 36 at the second position P2 is defined as the member width W10. In this case, the shortest distance D10 is preferably 0.5% or more of the member width W10. This reduces the possibility of adverse effects, such as collisions between the movable member 36 and the adjacent member 294. From the perspective of compactly configuring the polishing apparatus 30, the shortest distance D10 can be set to 3%, 5%, 10%, or less of the member width W10. Here, the movement direction of the movable member 36 at the second position P2 refers to the movement direction of the movable member 36 when it reaches the second position P2. The adjacent member 294 may be a retaining ring displacement sensor (not shown) or its cover that measures the displacement of the retaining ring of the top ring 302. The retaining ring displacement sensor may be a contact type displacement sensor.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the movable member 36 including the swing arm 360 of the polishing unit 300 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to any movable device in which the movable member 36 is configured to be movable or rotatable to a target position Pt, a reference position P0, a first position P1, and a second position P2, and the target position Pt, the reference position P0, etc. can be set appropriately depending on the application, etc.

[0057] Second embodiment In the above embodiment, the movable member 36 rotates. However, the movable member 36 can move in any manner, such as linear movement or movement accompanied by rotation, instead of rotation.

[0058] FIG. 11 shows an example in which the movable member 36A is configured to be linearly movable from a target position Pt to a second position P2. The movable device of this embodiment includes a movable member 36A, a driving device 364A, a detector 411A, a stopper 422A, and a control device 900A. The movable member 36A is driven by the driving device 364A. The driving device 364A may be, for example, a linear stepping motor. The movable member 36A is configured to be movable to a target position Pt, a reference position P0, a first position P1, and a second position P2. The target position Pt, the reference position P0, the first position P1, and the second position P2 are located in this order along the direction in which the movable member 36A moves. The control device 900A controls the driving device 364A so that the movable member 36A moves between the reference position P0 and the target position Pt. The detector 411A is configured to detect the movable member 36A at the first position P1, and the control device 900A can be configured to restrict the movement of the movable member 36A by an OT process such as an emergency stop when the detector 411A detects the movable member 36A. The stop portion 422A is configured to stop the movable member 36A at the second position P2.

[0059] The movement distance (distance along the movement direction) from the reference position P0 to the first position P1 is defined as the first distance D1. Here, the movement distance from the reference position P0 to the second position P2 is defined as the second distance D2. In this embodiment, the first distance D1 is set to 30% or less of the second distance D2. This makes it possible to reduce the area through which the movable member 36A passes, and facilitates the positioning of members disposed around the movable member 36A. Furthermore, it is preferable that the first distance D1 be 10% or more of the second distance D2. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary repetition of OT processing such as emergency stops.

[0060] The above-described embodiments can also be described as the following embodiments. [Embodiment 1] According to embodiment 1, a movable device is proposed, the movable device comprising: a movable member; a drive device having an encoder and configured to drive the movable member; a detector for detecting the movable member; a stop unit; and a control device, the movable member is configured to be movable or rotatable to a target position, a reference position, a first position, and a second position, the target position, the reference position, the first position, and the second position being located in this order along a direction in which the movable member moves or rotates, the movable member is configured to move or rotate between the reference position and the target position, and the detector is configured to detect the movable member. and a control device configured to detect the movable member at the first position, the stopping portion configured to stop the movable member at the second position by contacting the movable member, the control device configured to limit movement or rotation of the movable member when the detector detects the movable member, wherein a first distance along the direction from the reference position to the first position is 30% or less of a second distance along the direction from the reference position to the second position, or a first rotation angle from the reference position to the first position is 30% or less of a second rotation angle from the reference position to the second position. According to the first aspect, it is possible to provide a movable device that can reduce the area through which the movable member passes and facilitates positioning of members disposed around the movable member.

[0061] [Mode 2] According to Mode 2, in Mode 1, the first distance is 10% or more of the second distance, or the first rotation angle is 10% or more of the second rotation angle. According to Mode 2, it is possible to prevent the movable member from being frequently detected as being in the first position and to prevent unnecessary repetition of OT processing such as an emergency stop.

[0062] [Feature 3] According to feature 3, in feature 1 or 2, the distance between the movable member at the second position and the member arranged on the movable device that is closest to the movable member at the second position is 0.5% or more of the width of the movable member in the direction of movement of the movable member at the second position. According to feature 3, it is possible to reduce the possibility of adverse effects such as a collision between the movable member and the member arranged on the movable device.

[0063] [Mode 4] According to Mode 4, in any one of Modes 1 to 3, the detector includes a photointerrupter. According to Mode 4, it is possible to accurately detect the movable member at the first position.

[0064] [Mode 5] According to Mode 5, there is provided a polishing apparatus, the polishing apparatus comprising the movable device of any one of Modes 1 to 4, the movable member including a swing arm for transporting an object to be polished. In polishing apparatuses, there is an increasing demand for densely arranging members around the swing arm, and according to Mode 5, the area through which the swing arm or its cover passes can be reduced, making it easier to position the members arranged around the swing arm. [Mode 6] According to Mode 6, a substrate processing apparatus is proposed, which includes the polishing apparatus of Mode 5. According to Mode 6, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus that facilitates positioning of members arranged around the swing arm.

[0065] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention naturally includes equivalents thereof. Furthermore, any combination or omission of the components described in the claims and specification is possible within the scope of solving at least part of the above-described problems or achieving at least part of the effects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10 Detection mechanism 20 Collision mechanism 30 Polishing equipment 36, 36A Movable member 290 Substrate transfer device 292 Injection Nozzle 294 Adjacent parts 300, 300A, 300B Polishing Unit 302 Top Ring 350 Polishing Table 352a Polished surface 360 Swing Arm 364,364A drive unit 366 Encoder 368 Top ring cover 400 Stopping mechanism 410 Moving parts 411,411A detector 412 Contact part 420 Non-moving parts 421 Dog 422,422A Stop part 900,900A control device 1000 Substrate Processing Equipment Ax Rotation axis of the swing arm D1 First distance D2 2nd distance D10 Shortest distance W10 Part width P0 reference position P1 1st position P2 2nd position Pt target position WF board θ1 First rotation angle θ1a 1st reference angle θ1b 2nd reference angle θ2 Second rotation angle

Claims

1. A movable member; a drive unit having an encoder and configured to drive the movable member; a detector for detecting the movable member; a stop; a control device; the movable member is configured to be movable or rotatable to a target position, a reference position, a first position, and a second position, and the target position, the reference position, the first position, and the second position are located in this order along a direction in which the movable member moves or rotates; the movable member is configured to move or rotate between the reference position and the target position; the detector is configured to detect the movable member in the first position; the stop portion is configured to contact the movable member to stop the movable member at the second position; the control device is configured to limit the movement or rotation of the movable member when the detector detects the movable member; a first distance along the direction from the reference position to the first position is less than or equal to 30% of a second distance along the direction from the reference position to the second position, or a first rotation angle from the reference position to the first position is less than or equal to 30% of a second rotation angle from the reference position to the second position.

2. The movable device of claim 1 , wherein the first distance is greater than or equal to 10% of the second distance or the first rotation angle is greater than or equal to 10% of the second rotation angle.

3. 3. The movable device of claim 1, wherein the distance between a member arranged on the movable device that is closest to the movable member in the second position and the movable member in the second position is 0.5% or more of the width of the movable member in the direction of movement of the movable member in the second position.

4. The movable device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the detector includes a photointerrupter.

5. A movable device according to claim 1 or 2, The movable member includes a swing arm for transporting the object to be polished.

6. A substrate processing apparatus comprising the polishing apparatus according to claim 5.

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