SUBSTRATE POSITION CHANGE DEVICE AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS

Abstract

To enable narrower pitch of conveyance rollers in a substrate posture changer that changes the posture of a substrate conveyed by a plurality of conveyance rollers arranged parallel to each other in the conveyance direction along the main surface of the substrate.SOLUTION: According to the present invention, the plurality of conveyance rollers is divided into a plurality of conveyance roller groups consisting of a plurality of conveyance rollers adjacent to each other in the conveyance direction. For each group of conveyance rollers, both ends of the conveyance rollers are rotatably supported by the roller supports. A pivoting section is provided for each roller support section, and the pivoting of the roller support section by the pivoting section switches the conveyance rollers between the first and second posture in each conveyance roller group. Moreover, each roller support section is provided with a drive unit, and the drive power generated by the motor is transmitted to direct drive rollers and also to indirect drive rollers via the direct drive rollers, and all conveyance rollers supported by the roller support section rotate synchronously.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a posture changing technique for changing a substrate, which is conveyed by a plurality of conveying rollers arranged parallel to one another in a conveying direction along the main surface of the substrate, between a first posture and a second posture. Here, the substrates include substrates for semiconductor packages manufactured using manufacturing methods such as wafer level packaging (WLP) and panel level packaging (PLP), semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays and substrates for flat panel displays (FPDs) such as organic electroluminescence (EL) displays, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for solar cells, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] A known technology incorporates a substrate position changing device that switches a substrate between a horizontal and an inclined position in a substrate processing apparatus that applies a predetermined process by supplying a processing liquid to the main surface of a substrate transported by a plurality of unit rollers (corresponding to the "transport rollers" of the present invention) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this substrate position changing device, a cylinder is connected to each unit roller. Each cylinder can switch the unit roller between a horizontal and an inclined position by vertically raising and lowering one end of the unit roller. This conventional technology allows the position of each of the unit rollers to be individually changed between a horizontal and an inclined position. Therefore, a substrate can be transported in the following manner. A substrate is transported with all unit rollers switched to the horizontal position. When the substrate has completely entered the substrate position changing device, all cylinders are activated to switch the substrate from the horizontal position to an inclined position. The substrate is then transported in the transport direction while maintaining the inclined position. After the transport begins, the cylinders are returned to their original positions in the order in which the trailing end of the inclined substrate passed by. As a result, the unit rollers are returned to a horizontal position in the above order, and the system is ready to receive the next substrate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-226916 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, as substrates have become larger and thinner, there has been a need to narrow the pitch of the transport rollers in the transport direction. However, in conventional devices that have a structure in which a cylinder is attached to each unit roller, there is a limit to how much the pitch can be reduced, considering interference between adjacent cylinders.

[0005] This invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to enable the pitch of transport rollers to be narrowed in a substrate posture changing device that changes the posture of a substrate being transported by multiple transport rollers arranged parallel to each other in the transport direction along the main surface of the substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention is a substrate posture changing device that changes the posture of a substrate, which is conveyed in a conveyance direction by a plurality of conveyance rollers arranged parallel to one another in the conveyance direction along a main surface of the substrate, between a first posture and a second posture that is inclined more than the first posture, and includes: a roller support mechanism that divides the plurality of conveyance rollers into a plurality of conveyance roller groups each consisting of a plurality of conveyance rollers adjacent to one another in the conveyance direction, and rotatably supports both ends of the conveyance rollers that constitute each conveyance roller group by roller support parts provided corresponding to the conveyance roller group; and a roller support mechanism that rotates one end of the conveyance roller supported by the roller support part for each roller support part around a rotation axis parallel to the conveyance direction by rotating the roller support part around one end of the conveyance roller supported by the roller support part. The conveying device is provided with a rotation mechanism that switches the conveying rollers supported by the roller support parts integrally between a first position and a second position using a rotation part provided corresponding to the roller support parts, and a drive mechanism that drives the conveying rollers supported by the roller support parts for each roller support part using a drive part provided corresponding to the roller support part, and when one of the conveying rollers corresponding to the drive part is defined as a direct drive roller and the rest are defined as indirect drive rollers, each drive part has a motor that generates drive force, a one-side power transmission part that transmits the drive force from the motor to one end of the direct drive roller, and a other-side power transmission part that transmits the rotation force of the direct drive roller that rotates by the drive force to the indirect drive roller at the other end side of the direct drive roller. The one-side power transmission unit has a rotating shaft that is rotatably supported by the roller support unit while extending in the conveying direction, and transmits the driving force generated by the motor to the rotating shaft at a first position of the rotating shaft that is perpendicular to and faces the rotation axis of the motor, and transmits the driving force transmitted to the rotating shaft to the direct drive roller at a second position of the rotating shaft that is perpendicular to and faces one end of the direct drive roller. It is characterized by the following.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus characterized by comprising the above-mentioned substrate posture changing device and a processing liquid supply unit that supplies processing liquid to a main surface of a substrate transported in a transport direction by a plurality of transport rollers.

[0008] In the invention configured as described above, the multiple transport rollers for transporting the substrate in the transport direction are divided into multiple transport roller groups each consisting of multiple transport rollers adjacent to each other in the transport direction. A roller support unit is provided for each transport roller group, rotatably supporting both ends of the transport rollers that make up that transport roller group. A rotating unit is also provided for each roller support unit, allowing the roller support unit to rotate around a rotation axis parallel to the transport direction at one end of the transport roller supported by the roller support unit. Therefore, by rotating the roller support unit by the rotating unit, the transport rollers are switched between the first position and the second position for each transport roller group.

[0009] Furthermore, a drive unit is provided for each roller support section, and drives the conveying rollers (=direct drive rollers + indirect drive rollers) supported by that roller support section. More specifically, in each drive section, the driving force generated by the motor is transmitted to the direct drive rollers and also to the indirect drive rollers via the direct drive rollers, so that all the conveying rollers supported by that roller support section rotate synchronously. This makes it possible to narrow the pitch of the conveying rollers. The reason for this is as follows.

[0010] For example, a power transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force to all of the conveying rollers supported by the roller support portion may be provided on one end of the conveying roller. In this case, the pitch of the conveying rollers is limited due to the increased size of the power transmission mechanism in the conveying direction. In contrast, by providing the power transmission mechanisms on both sides of the conveying roller as in the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the power transmission mechanism in the conveying direction, and as a result, the conveying rollers supported by the roller support portion can be arranged at a relatively narrow pitch. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to change the posture of a substrate being transported by a plurality of transport rollers arranged at a narrow pitch. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a substrate processing system equipped with a rinsing unit as an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic view showing a rinsing unit of an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the substrate attitude changing device as seen from above. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the substrate attitude changing device. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the configuration and operation of a rotation unit that switches the position of a conveyance roller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a substrate processing system equipped with a rinsing unit, which is an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. The substrate processing system 100 of this embodiment is an apparatus for applying a resist solution to a glass substrate G for a liquid crystal display device (hereinafter referred to as substrate G), exposing the substrate to light, and developing the substrate after exposure. The substrate processing system 100 includes a loading unit 1, a cleaning unit 2, a dehydration bake unit 3, a coating unit 4, a reduced-pressure drying unit 5, a pre-bake unit 6, an exposure unit 7, a developing unit 8, a rinsing unit 9, a post-bake unit 10, and an unloading unit 11, which correspond to an example of a "substrate processing apparatus" according to the present invention. These processing units are arranged adjacent to each other in the above order, and are controlled by a control unit 12 to perform various processes on a substrate G transported by a transport unit (not shown) in the order indicated by the dashed arrows.

[0014] The loading unit 1 loads the substrate G to be processed in the substrate processing system 100 into the substrate processing system 100. The cleaning unit 2 cleans the substrate G loaded into the loading unit 1 to remove fine particles, as well as organic and metal contamination, oils and grease, natural oxide films, etc. The dehydration bake unit 3 heats the substrate G and evaporates the cleaning liquid adhering to the substrate G in the cleaning unit 2, thereby drying the substrate G.

[0015] The coating unit 4 applies a resist liquid as a coating liquid to the surface of the substrate G while suction-holding the substrate G on the upper surface of the stage after the drying process in the dehydration bake unit 3. Then, the reduced-pressure drying unit 5 evaporates the solvent of the resist liquid applied to the surface of the substrate G by reducing the pressure, thereby drying the substrate G.

[0016] The substrate G that has been subjected to the reduced pressure drying process in the reduced pressure drying section 5 is transported to the pre-bake section 6 and is heated. The pre-bake section 6 is a heat treatment unit that heats the substrate G and solidifies the resist component on the surface of the substrate G. As a result, a thin film of the coating liquid, i.e., a resist film, is formed on the surface of the substrate G.

[0017] Next, the exposure unit 7 performs an exposure process on the surface of the substrate G on which the resist film has been formed. The exposure unit 7 irradiates the surface with far ultraviolet light through a mask on which a circuit pattern has been drawn, and transfers the pattern to the resist film. The development unit 8 immerses the substrate G, on which the pattern has been exposed in the exposure unit 7, in a developer, and performs a development process.

[0018] The rinse unit 9 rinses the substrate G developed in the developer unit 8, thereby stopping the progress of the development process. The rinse unit 9 includes a substrate position changer according to the present invention and a processing liquid supply unit that supplies a rinse liquid, which is an example of a processing liquid, to the upper surface of the substrate G (corresponding to an example of the "main surface" of the present invention). The rinse unit 9 receives the substrate G from the developer unit 8 in a horizontal position with its upper surface facing upward (an example of the "first position" of the present invention), and then, in response to a command from the control unit 12, changes the position of the substrate G using the substrate position changer to an inclined position (an example of the "second position" of the present invention) that is inclined by several degrees from the horizontal position. The rinse unit 9 then supplies a rinse liquid to the upper surface of the substrate G while the substrate G is still in the inclined position to perform a rinse process, and then transports the substrate G to the post-bake unit 10. As in the conventional device, the transport rollers that transport the substrate G are sequentially returned to the horizontal position in the order in which the rear end of the inclined substrate G passed, preparing to receive the next substrate G. The configuration and operation of the rinse unit 9 will be described in detail later.

[0019] The post-bake section 10 heats the substrate G, and the rinse liquid adhering to the substrate G is vaporized in the rinse section 9, thereby drying the substrate G. The substrate G that has been processed in each processing unit of the substrate processing system 100 is transported to the unloading section 11. Then, the substrate G is unloaded from the unloading section 11 to the outside of the substrate processing system 100.

[0020] Although the substrate processing system 100 of the present embodiment has the exposure unit 7, the exposure unit may be omitted from the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In this case, the substrate processing apparatus may be used in combination with a separate exposure apparatus.

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a rinse unit 9, which is one embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. To clarify the directional relationships between Figure 2 and the following figures, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is appropriately added, with the Z direction being the vertical direction and the XY plane being the horizontal plane. Furthermore, for ease of understanding, the dimensions and number of each part are exaggerated or simplified as necessary.

[0022] The rinsing section 9 is housed in a housing 91 provided between the developing section 8 and the post-bake section 10. The housing 91 is provided with a partition plate 911 that separates the developing section 8 from the rinsing section 9, and a partition plate 912 that separates the rinsing section 9 from the post-bake section 10. The partition plate 911 is provided with a passage opening 913 for allowing the substrate G to pass through, and the partition plate 912 is provided with a passage opening 914 for allowing the substrate G to pass through.

[0023] In the rinse unit 9, a plurality of transport rollers 92 are arranged in a transport direction X along the upper surface of the substrate G. Each transport roller 92 is composed of a rotation shaft 921 and a plurality of substrate support portions 922 fixed to the rotation shaft 921. In this embodiment, in order to accommodate larger and thinner substrates G, the transport rollers 92 are arranged at a narrower pitch than in conventional devices (for example, the device described in Patent Document 1). In this embodiment, 24 transport rollers 92 are arranged. In addition, a substrate posture changing device 93 is provided to change the posture of the substrate G transported by the transport rollers 92 between a horizontal posture and an inclined posture.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a plan view of the substrate posture changing device as seen from above. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the substrate posture changing device, with Fig. 4(a) being an enlarged plan view and Fig. 4(b) being an enlarged side view. As shown in Fig. 3, the substrate posture changing device 93 is equipped with a roller support mechanism 94 having eight roller support portions 94a to 94h. The roller support portions 94a to 94h are arranged adjacent to each other in the conveying direction X in this order. That is, in this embodiment, the 24 conveying rollers 92 are divided into eight conveying roller groups 92a to 92h, each consisting of three conveying rollers adjacent to each other in the conveying direction X, and the conveying rollers 92 constituting the conveying roller groups 92a to 92h are rotatably supported inside the roller support portions 94a to 94h, respectively. The control unit 12 controls each unit of the device so that the roller support units 94a-94h are provided with drive units 95a-95h, respectively, to drive the transport rollers 92, and rotators 96a-96b, respectively, to switch the position of the transport rollers 92. In this manner, the substrate position changing device 93 includes a drive mechanism having drive units 95a-95h and a rotation mechanism having rotators 96a-96h, and is capable of individually controlling the drive and position of the transport rollers 92 for each transport roller group. Note that, in this embodiment, the substrate position changing device 93 is controlled by the control unit 12 that controls the entire substrate processing system 100, but a configuration may also be adopted in which a control unit specialized in controlling each unit of the rinsing unit 9 is provided, and the control unit controls the drive and position of the transport rollers 92 for each transport roller group. Furthermore, since the roller support portions 94a to 94h, the drive portions 95a to 95h, and the rotating portions 96a to 96h each have the same configuration, the following will describe the configuration and operation of the roller support portion 94a, the drive portion 95a, and the rotating portion 96a, and the rest will be given the same or equivalent symbols and will not be described again.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4(a), the roller support portion 94a has a support main body 940 having a rectangular cylindrical shape that opens in the vertical direction Z. Within the support main body 940, partition plates 941 and 942 extending in the X direction are fixedly arranged at a fixed interval in the width direction Y of the substrate G. Three spaces SP1 to SP3 are formed within the roller support portion 94a by the partition plates 941 and 942. Furthermore, three bearings 943 are attached to each of the partition plates 941 and 942 in the X direction at an arrangement pitch P of the transport rollers 92. Both ends of the shaft of the transport roller 92 are inserted into a pair of bearings 943 that face each other in the Y direction, and the transport roller 92 is rotatably supported in the space SP2. Furthermore, a one-side power transmission unit 951 is disposed in a space SP1 (hereinafter referred to as the "one-side space SP1") located on the (-Y) side of the conveyance roller 92, while a other-side power transmission unit 952 is disposed in a space SP3 (hereinafter referred to as the "other-side space SP3") located on the (+Y) side of the conveyance roller 92. A motor 953 is attached to the side surface of the support main body 940 on the (-Y) side. Specifically, the motor 953 is attached to the opposite side of the conveyance roller 92 with the one-side power transmission unit 951 in between, and to the outside of the roller support unit 94a. The one-side power transmission unit 951, the other-side power transmission unit 952, and the motor 953 provided in the roller support unit 94a are components of a drive unit 95a that rotationally drives the conveyance rollers 92 that constitute the conveyance roller group 92a, and details of which will be described later.

[0026] The roller support part 94a, to which the conveying roller group 92a and the drive part 95a are attached, is provided inside the housing 91 on one end side of the conveying roller 92, i.e., on the (-Y) side, so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis AX parallel to the conveying direction X. Furthermore, a rotation part 96a is attached to the other end, i.e., on the (+Y) side, of the roller support part 94a.

[0027] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating the configuration and operation of a rotation unit that switches the position of the conveyance roller. (a) shows the components of the rotation unit when the conveyance roller is switched to a horizontal position, and (b) shows the components of the rotation unit when the conveyance roller is switched to an inclined position. The rotation unit 96a rotates the roller support unit 94a about the rotation axis AX by raising and lowering the lower surface area on the (+Y) direction side of the roller support unit 94a in the vertical direction Z, thereby switching the position of the conveyance roller 92 between the horizontal position and the inclined position. More specifically, the rotation unit 96a includes a support member 961 attached to the lower surface area and supporting the roller support unit 94a from below, an elevating unit 962 that raises and lowers the support member 961, and a link block 963 that connects the support member 961 to a portion of the elevating unit 962.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, the lifting unit 962 includes a columnar member 962a attached to the housing 91, a ball screw 962b attached to the columnar member 962a and extending parallel to the vertical direction Z, a motor 962c connected to the lower end of the ball screw 962b, and a bracket 962d threadedly engaged with the ball screw 962b. When the motor 962c operates in response to a lift command from the control unit 12, the ball screw 962b rotates, and the bracket 962d moves up and down in the vertical direction Z according to the amount of rotation. A support member 961 is connected to the bracket 962d configured in this manner via a link block 963. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the support member 961 has a rod shape extending in the vertical direction. When the bracket 962d is positioned at its lowest position, the central axes of the support member 961 and the link block 963 are parallel to the vertical direction Z. However, the central axis of the support member 961 is slightly offset in the (-Y) direction from the central axis of the link block 963. When a lift command is given to the motor 962c from the control unit 12, the bracket 962d rises in the vertical direction Z in accordance with the amount of rotation, as shown in FIG. 5(b). In response to this rise of the bracket 962d, the end of the roller support portion 94a on the (+Y) direction side is pushed upward via the link block 963 and the support member 961, and the roller support portion 94a rotates around the rotation axis AX. As a result, as shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 4(b), the conveyance roller 92 supported by the roller support portion 94a is changed to an inclined position that is inclined by several degrees from the horizontal position.

[0029] Conversely, when the control unit 12 issues a command to lower the motor 962c in this inclined position (when the bracket 962d is at the upper limit position), the bracket 962d lowers, and the end of the roller support portion 94a on the (+Y) direction side lowers together with the link block 963 and the support member 961. This returns the conveyance roller 92 to a horizontal position (FIG. 5(a)).

[0030] 4(a), the configuration and operation of the drive unit 95a will be described. The drive unit 95a has a one-side power transmission unit 951, an other-side power transmission unit 952, and a motor 953. The motor 953 is attached to the outer surface on the (-Y) direction side of the roller support portion 94a, with the rotation shaft 963a inserted into the one-side space SP1.

[0031] A first-side power transmission unit 951 is disposed in the first-side space SP1. The first-side power transmission unit 951 has a rotating shaft 951a extending in the X direction. The rotating shaft 951a is rotatably supported by the roller support unit 94a within the first-side space SP1. A spiral gear 951c is attached to the rotating shaft 951a at a position facing the rotating shaft of the motor 953 so as to mesh with a spiral gear 951b attached to the rotating shaft. Therefore, when the motor 953 is activated in response to a command from the control unit 12, the driving force generated by the motor 953 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 951a via the pair of spiral gears 951b and 951c, causing the rotating shaft 951a to rotate. A spiral gear 951e is attached to the rotating shaft 951a at an end on the (-Y) direction side of one of the conveying rollers 92, i.e., at a position facing one end of the rotating shaft 921, so as to mesh with a spiral gear 951d attached to that end. As a result, the rotation of the rotating shaft 951a is transmitted to the rotating shaft 921 of the conveying roller 92 via a pair of spiral gears 951d and 951e, causing the conveying roller 92 to rotate. In this manner, the driving force generated by the motor 953 is transmitted to one conveying roller 92 (the one located furthest in the (-X) direction in FIG. 4(a)) via the one-side power transmission unit 951, thereby directly driving the conveying roller 92. In this manner, the one-side power transmission unit 951 is configured by the rotating shaft 951a and the four spiral gears 951b to 951e, and transmits the driving force of the motor 953 directly to the conveying roller 92. The conveying roller 92 that is directly driven in this manner is referred to as a "directly driven roller." Furthermore, the remaining two of the three conveying rollers 92 (the ones located closer to the (+X) direction than the directly driven roller in FIG. 4(a)) are driven via the directly driven roller, as will be described below, and are therefore referred to as "indirectly driven rollers." Although the one-side power transmission unit 951 transmits power using spiral gears 951b to 951e, a non-contact power transmission device such as a magnetic gear that utilizes the attractive and repulsive forces of magnets may also be used. Also, other power transmission methods such as a gear train system or a belt system may also be used. This also applies to the other-side power transmission unit 952, which will be described next.

[0032] The (+Y) direction end of the rotation shaft 921 of the direct drive roller, i.e., the other side end, extends into the space SP3 and is connected to the other side power transmission unit 952. The other side power transmission unit 952 has a rotation shaft 952a extending in the X direction. The rotation shaft 952a is rotatably supported by the roller support unit 94a within the other side space SP3. A spiral gear 952c is attached to the rotation shaft 952a at a position facing the rotation shaft 921 of the direct drive roller so as to mesh with a spiral gear 952b attached to the rotation shaft 921. Therefore, the rotation force of the direct drive roller is transmitted to the rotation shaft 952a via the pair of spiral gears 952b and 952c, causing the rotation shaft 952a to rotate. Spiral gears 952f and 952g are attached to the ends of the rotating shaft 952a on the (+Y) direction side of the two indirectly driven rollers, i.e., at positions facing the other end of the rotating shaft 921, so as to mesh with spiral gears 952d and 952e attached to each end. As a result, the rotational force is transmitted to the indirectly driven rollers via the spiral gears 952d to 952g, and the indirectly driven rollers rotate in synchronization with the direct driven rollers. This makes it possible to transport the substrate G in the transport direction X regardless of the orientation of the direct driven rollers and indirectly driven rollers.

[0033] The above-described configurations and operations are also the same for the other roller support units 94b-94h, drive units 95b-95h, and rotators 96b-96h. Therefore, by integrating control of the drive units 95a-95h and rotators 96a-96h by the control unit 12, the orientation of the substrate G can be changed to a horizontal orientation or an inclined orientation, and the substrate G can be transported in the transport direction X in either orientation, as in conventional devices. Furthermore, by individually controlling the drive units 95a-95h and rotators 96a-96h by the control unit 12, the timing of the orientation change and the transport speed of the substrate G can be adjusted for each transport roller group. For example, the transport speed may be changed depending on whether or not a substrate G is present at each transport roller group.

[0034] 2, the rinse unit 9 is provided with a rinse liquid nozzle 97a and a shower nozzle 97b as a processing liquid supply unit that supplies rinse liquid L to the upper surface of the substrate G transported by the transport rollers 92. The rinse liquid nozzle 97a is provided near the downstream side of the partition plate 911 in the housing 91. Further, downstream of the rinse liquid nozzle 97a, a plurality of shower nozzles 97b supply rinse liquid from above the substrate G. As a result, the upper surface of the substrate G is covered with a liquid film of rinse liquid L and cleaned.

[0035] As described above, in this embodiment, the plurality of transport rollers 92 for transporting the substrate G in the transport direction X are divided into eight transport roller groups 92a-92h, and the orientation of the transport rollers 92 is changed between a horizontal orientation and an inclined orientation for each transport roller group. Therefore, even if the pitch P between adjacent transport rollers 92 is narrowed, it is possible to reliably prevent the rotating portions 96a-96h for switching the orientation of the transport rollers 92 from interfering with each other.

[0036] In this embodiment, the drive of the transport rollers 92 is controlled for each transport roller group. More specifically, a drive unit 95a-95h is provided for each roller support unit 94a-94h. In each drive unit 95a-95h, the drive force generated by the motor 953 is transmitted to the direct drive roller at one end (-Y direction side) and to the indirect drive roller 92I via the direct drive roller at the other end (+Y direction side), causing the three transport rollers 92 to rotate synchronously. That is, by distributing the one-side power transmission unit 951 and the other-side power transmission unit 952, which function as a power transmission mechanism, to one side and the other side of the transport roller 92, respectively, the power transmission mechanism in the transport direction X can be made smaller. As a result, it is possible to arrange three transport rollers 92 driven by a single motor 953 at a relatively short pitch P, which enables the orientation of and transport of not only conventional substrates G but also large, thin substrates G.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the group of conveying rollers is composed of three adjacent conveying rollers, but the number of conveying rollers constituting the group of conveying rollers is not limited to "3," and may be "2" or "4 or more."

[0038] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the number of conveying rollers in the conveying roller groups 92a to 92h is the same, but the number of conveying rollers may differ between the conveying roller groups.

[0039] In addition, in the above embodiment, a so-called ball screw drive is used as a drive source for raising and lowering the lower surface area on the (+Y) direction side of the roller support portions 94a to 94h in the vertical direction Z, but other drive sources such as the cylinder described in Patent Document 1 may also be used.

[0040] In the above embodiment, all of the transport rollers 92 arranged in the rinsing unit 9 correspond to the "plurality of transport rollers" of the present invention, but only a portion of the transport rollers 92 may be configured to correspond to the "plurality of transport rollers" of the present invention. For example, all of the transport rollers 92 except for the transport roller 92 located below the rinse liquid nozzle 97a may be configured to correspond to the "plurality of transport rollers" of the present invention.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the rinse unit 9 that performs a rinse process on the substrate G that has undergone the development process, but the present invention may also be applied to the cleaning unit 2 in Fig. 1. In addition to the cleaning unit 2 and the rinse unit 9, the present invention can also be applied to a substrate transport device that transports a substrate using a plurality of transport rollers, and to substrate processing apparatuses in general that are equipped with such a substrate transport device. [Industrial Applicability]

[0042] This invention can be applied to general posture change techniques for changing a substrate transported by a plurality of transport rollers arranged parallel to each other in the transport direction along the main surface of the substrate between a first posture and a second posture. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 9...Rinse section (substrate processing device) 92...Transport roller 92a~92h...Conveyor roller group 93...Board position change device 94...Roller support mechanism 94a~94h...Roller support part 95a~95h...Drive unit 96a~96b... Rotating part 97a... Rinse liquid nozzle (processing liquid supply unit) 97b...Shower nozzle (processing liquid supply unit) 951...One side power transmission part 952... Other side power transmission part 953...Motor 962...Lifting section AX...rotation axis G...Substrate L...Rinse liquid (processing liquid) X: Transport direction Y: Width direction Z: Vertical direction

Claims

1. A substrate posture changing device that changes a posture of a substrate transported in a transport direction along a main surface of the substrate by a plurality of transport rollers arranged parallel to each other in the transport direction between a first posture and a second posture inclined from the first posture, a roller support mechanism that divides the plurality of conveying rollers into a plurality of conveying roller groups each including a plurality of conveying rollers adjacent to each other in the conveying direction, and rotatably supports both ends of the conveying rollers constituting each of the conveying roller groups by roller support portions provided corresponding to the conveying roller groups; a rotation mechanism that rotates the roller support portion around a rotation axis parallel to the conveying direction at one end side of the conveying roller supported by the roller support portion for each roller support portion, thereby switching the conveying roller supported by the roller support portion between the first posture and the second posture by a rotation portion provided corresponding to the roller support portion; a drive mechanism for driving the conveying roller supported by each of the roller support parts by a drive part provided corresponding to the roller support part, Each drive unit is When one of the conveying rollers corresponding to the driving unit is defined as a direct driving roller, and the remaining rollers are defined as indirect driving rollers, A motor for generating a driving force; a one-side power transmission unit that transmits the driving force from the motor to one end of the direct drive roller; a second-side power transmission unit that transmits a rotational force of the direct drive roller, which is rotated by the driving force, to the indirect drive roller at the second end side of the direct drive roller, The one-side power transmission portion is a rotating shaft that is rotatably supported by the roller support portion while being extended in the conveying direction, A substrate posture changing device characterized in that a driving force generated by the motor is transmitted to the rotating shaft at a first position of the rotating shaft that is perpendicular to and faces the rotation axis of the motor, and the driving force transmitted to the rotating shaft is transmitted to the direct drive roller at a second position of the rotating shaft that is perpendicular to and faces one end of the direct drive roller.

2. 2. The substrate attitude changing device according to claim 1, A substrate posture changing device in which, for each roller support part, the conveying roller corresponding to that roller support part, the one-side power transmission part, and the other-side power transmission part are arranged inside the roller support part, while the motor corresponding to that roller support part is attached on the opposite side of the conveying roller across the one-side power transmission part and to the outside of the roller support part.

3. 3. The substrate attitude changing device according to claim 2, Each rotating part has a lifting part that raises and lowers the roller support part at the other end side of the conveying roller supported by the roller support part corresponding to the rotating part, and the lifting part raises the roller support part to switch the posture of the substrate to the second posture, while the lifting part lowers the roller support part to switch the posture of the substrate to the first posture.

4. 2. The substrate attitude changing device according to claim 1, a control unit that controls the plurality of drive units individually so as to change the transport speed of the substrate for each of the roller support units.

5. 2. The substrate attitude changing device according to claim 1, The one-side power transmission portion is A first spiral gear attached to the rotary shaft of the motor; a second spiral gear attached to the first position of the rotating shaft in a state of meshing with the first spiral gear; a third spiral gear attached to the second position of the rotating shaft; a fourth spiral gear attached to one end of the direct drive roller in a state of meshing with the third spiral gear; A substrate attitude changing device having the following features.

6. A substrate attitude changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a processing liquid supply unit that supplies a processing liquid to a main surface of the substrate transported in the transport direction by the plurality of transport rollers.

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