Substrate transport arm member and substrate transport mechanism

Abstract

To surely prevent the damage on a substrate in a substrate conveyance mechanism which grounds the substrate via an electrically conductive path provided in a support part of the substrate for static elimination.SOLUTION: A substrate conveyance mechanism comprises: a non-conductive support part whose upper surface faces a substrate for supporting the substrate; a movement mechanism which moves the support part for conveying the substrate; a connection part which connects the support part with the movement mechanism and is grounded; a conductive contact part which is provided on the upper surface of the support part and supports the substrate by being in contact with the lower surface of the substrate such that the substrate is not in contact with the support part; a band-like electrically conductive path which is provided so as to connect the contact part with the connection part; and a bent part which is provided in the band-like electrically conductive path such that an interval between the band-like electrically conductive paths with respect to the width of the band-like electrically conductive path becomes twice or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate transport method. Arm parts and substrate transport mechanism Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various processes are performed, such as a coating process in which a coating liquid is applied to a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a "wafer"), which is a substrate, an exposure process, a heating process, etc. To perform these processes, the wafer is transported, for example, between modules included in the device, and the transport is performed using a substrate transport mechanism that transports the substrate while supporting it with a support part.

[0003] However, static electricity may accumulate on a wafer during processing. When this static electricity causes a discharge (ESD: Electro Static Discharge), the energy may cause defects in the films, electronic elements, or electrical circuits formed on the wafer. In recent years, the ESD resistance of semiconductor devices has been gradually decreasing due to device design. Patent Document 1 describes a substrate transport mechanism (substrate transport device) equipped with a support part (substrate support member) that releases the charge of the supported wafer to earth via a conductive material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-227798 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique that can reliably prevent damage to a substrate in a substrate transport mechanism that removes static electricity by grounding the substrate via a conductive path provided in a support portion of the substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The substrate transport arm member of the present disclosure includes a support part having an upper surface facing the substrate to support the substrate, the support part including a conductive surface connected to a ground part having a ground potential; The diameter of the nozzle increases toward the upper end. a conductive pad provided on an upper surface of the support portion and in contact with a lower surface of the substrate so as to support the substrate so that the substrate does not come into contact with the support portion; a conductive portion provided to connect the pad and the surface; Equipped with the support portion has a recess in the upper surface thereof, the pad being disposed therein; The conductive portion is disposed below the upper surface of the pad that contacts the substrate. Only inside the recess , which is connected to the pad. Another substrate transport arm member of the present disclosure includes a support portion having an upper surface facing the substrate to support the substrate, the support portion including a conductive surface connected to a ground portion at a ground potential; a conductive pad provided on an upper surface of the support portion and in contact with a lower surface of the substrate so as to support the substrate so that the substrate does not come into contact with the support portion; a conductive portion provided to connect the pad and the surface; Equipped with the conductive portion is connected to the pad below an upper surface of the pad that contacts the substrate; a guide portion that abuts against a side wall of the substrate to regulate a position of the substrate relative to the support portion is provided on the support portion; a conductive path is provided on the surface of the support portion and the surface of the guide portion, the conductive path connecting the guide portion and the ground portion; The resistance value between the guide portion and the ground portion is higher than the resistance value between the pad and the ground portion. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, in a substrate transport mechanism that neutralizes static electricity by grounding the substrate via a conductive path provided in a support portion of the substrate, damage to the substrate can be reliably prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a support portion of the transport arm. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a branch portion of the support portion. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are top and side views of a branching portion. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 is a development view of a branching portion laid out on a plane. [Figure 6] 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a gap between a contact portion and a covering portion. FIG. [Figure 7] 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a gap between a contact portion and a covering portion. FIG. [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams showing other examples of the support portion. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a development view showing another example of a strip-shaped conductive path. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a development view showing another example of a strip-shaped conductive path. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a development view showing another example of a strip-shaped conductive path. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a development view showing another example of a strip-shaped conductive path. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another example of the support portion. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of the support portion. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another example of the support portion. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the coating and developing apparatus. [Figure 17] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A substrate transport mechanism according to the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a support part 20 in a transport arm 2, which is a substrate transport mechanism for transporting a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a "wafer"), which is a substrate, in a non-vacuum, for example, in an atmospheric environment. The support part 20 is a plate-like body configured in a bifurcated fork shape, and supports the wafer W with its upper surface facing the rear surface of the wafer W from below. The support part 20 includes a base part 23 and two branch parts 21, 22 formed by extending forward from the left and right sides of the base part 23, respectively. The support part 20 is made of a non-conductive member, for example, ceramics, so that it can obtain high rigidity even if it is relatively thin. The non-conductive nature of the support part 20 is, for example, 10 12This means that the support portion 20 has a resistance value of Ω or more. In the following description of the support portion 20, the left and right refer to the left and right as viewed from the front, with the branch portion 22 located on the left side and the branch portion 21 located on the right side. The support portion 20 is configured symmetrically.

[0010] The description will continue with reference to the perspective view of branch portion 21 in Fig. 2. Disk-shaped suction pads 3 are provided on the tip sides of branches 21, 22 and base portion 23 on the upper surface of support portion 20, and the lower ends of suction pads 3 are embedded in circular recesses 24 provided in support portion 20. Each suction pad 3 is made of a conductive member such as a conductive resin, and contacts the back surface of wafer W to support wafer W in a state where it is floating above the upper surface of support portion 20.

[0011] The inner wall of the recess 24 formed on the tip side of the branch portions 21, 22 is partially cut out on the left side and partially cut out on the right side toward the outside of the recess 24. This forms a long and narrow groove 29 that connects the edges of the branch portions 21, 22 to the recess 24. The bottom surfaces of the recess 24 and the groove 29 form a first surface on which the end of the strip-shaped conductive path described below is formed. The outer side of the recess 24 and the groove 29 on the upper surface of the support portion 20 forms a second surface that is higher than the first surface.

[0012] Each suction pad 3 is shaped so that the diameter increases toward the upper end side so that the wafer W can be stably supported, and the wafer W is placed on the upper surface of the suction pad 3. A suction hole 25 is opened at the center of the upper surface of the suction pad 3. The suction hole 25 is connected to a suction path 26 formed inside the support part 20 as shown in FIG. 3, and the suction path 26 is connected to a suction part 27. A valve V26 is interposed in the suction path 26. By opening and closing the valve V26, a suction state and a non-suction state from the suction hole 25 are switched to each other, and when the back surface of the wafer W is placed on each suction pad 3, the suction state is set and the wafer W is sucked. With regard to the suction pads 3, those provided on the branch parts 21 and 22 may be indicated as 31, and those provided on the base part 23 may be indicated as 32. The suction pads 31 and 32 correspond to contact parts and are connected to a conductive path provided on the support part 22.

[0013] As described in the background art, if static electricity accumulates on the wafer W and ESD occurs, the wafer W may be damaged. The transfer arm 2 is configured to be able to neutralize the wafer W so as to suppress the occurrence of ESD. Specifically, a coating made of a conductive material is formed on the support portion 20, and is configured as a conductive path that connects the suction pad 31 to a ground potential (screw member 6 described below). In this way, the support portion 20 has high rigidity while ensuring a route for dissipating static electricity.

[0014] However, if the impedance of the conductive path is too low, when the wafer W is placed on the suction pad 31, a steep charge transfer occurs from the wafer W to the suction pad 31 and then to the conductive path formed on the support part 20. That is, a relatively large current flows in a short time in the conductive path formed on the support part 20, and the peak value of the current becomes large. When an excessive current flows through the conductive path, an excessive current also flows on the wafer W side so as to flow into the conductive path. Therefore, a large current flows through the circuit formed on the wafer W, causing Joule heat, which may cause the destruction of the junctions of the circuit elements constituting the circuit and the melting of the wiring film. Furthermore, a steep potential change occurs in the circuit, which may cause a local electric field to be generated and the oxide film to be destroyed. Therefore, in the transfer arm 2, a part of the conductive path is configured as a strip-shaped conductive path 5 so that a sufficient length of the conductive path is ensured to obtain an appropriate impedance. The strip-shaped conductive path 5 is configured to prevent a short circuit between one part of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 and another part of the strip-shaped conductive path 5. As a result, the resistance value between the upper surface of the suction pad 3 and the screw member 6 is within a range of, for example, 1×10 5 Ω or more, 1×10 12 A value lower than Ω, for example 1×10 7 Ω~9.9×10 9 It is said to be Ω.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the surface of the support part 20, excluding the tip parts of the branches 21 and 22 and the periphery of the suction pad 32, is covered with a covering part 4, which is, for example, a coating made of the above-mentioned conductive material. Specifically, the covering part 4 is made of, for example, a conductive fluororesin. Therefore, the periphery of the suction pad 32 is surrounded by the covering part 4, and the suction pad 32 and the covering part 4 are insulated from each other. The covering part 4 is also formed on the branches 21 and 22, but the front edge of the covering part 4 is located behind the suction pad 31.

[0016] The front edge of the covering portion 4 and the suction pad 3 (31) are connected by a strip-shaped conductive path 5 which is formed as a coating of a conductive material like the covering portion 4. The strip-shaped conductive path 5 is a conductive path that is not branched along the way but is in the shape of a single strip. In the drawing, the covering portion 4 and the strip-shaped conductive path 5 are indicated by dots.

[0017] Before describing the strip-shaped conductive path 5 in detail, the configuration of each of the other parts of the transfer arm 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The transfer arm 2 has a moving body 10 which is a moving mechanism that slides the support part 20, for example, in the front-rear direction and moves on the base 9. Although not shown in the figure, the transfer arm 2 has a rotation mechanism that rotates the base 9 about a vertical axis and a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the rotation mechanism in the vertical direction, and is configured to be able to transfer the wafer W between each module of the apparatus described later.

[0018] The support 20 is connected to the movable body 10 by a screw member 6, which is a conductive connecting member provided so as to be electrically connected to the covering 4. A housing 10A constituting the movable body 10 is made of, for example, a conductive material and is connected to a ground potential. As a result, a conductive path is formed that flows through the wafer W, the suction pad 31, the strip-shaped conductive path 5, the covering 4, the screw member 6, and the housing 10A of the movable body 10 and leads to the ground potential, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0019] The configuration of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. The strip-shaped conductive path 5 is provided at the tip of each of the branch portions 21 and 22, and when the direction in which the branch portions 21 and 22 extend is the forward direction, the strip-shaped conductive paths 5 are formed in mirror symmetry with respect to an axis extending in the front-rear direction. Therefore, here, the configuration of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 formed in the right branch portion 21 will be described.

[0020] Fig. 4 shows the top and right side of branch portion 21, and Fig. 5 shows a development of the tip of branch portion 21 in a plane. Note that in Fig. 5, recess 24 formed in the top surface of support portion 20 is not shown, the top surface side is shown as a flat surface, and the thicknesses of coating portion 4 and strip-shaped conductive path 5 are ignored. In Figs. 4 and 5, the top surface of branch portion 21 is shown as 21A, the right side surface as 21B, the bottom surface as 21C, and the left side surface as 21D.

[0021] As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is provided by routing a single strip-shaped conductive path over four surfaces, namely the upper surface 21A (specifically, the bottom surface of the recess 24 and the groove 29) and the lower surface 21C of the branch portion 21, and further over the left and right side surfaces 21B and 21D of the branch portion 21. On the lower surface 21C of the branch portion 21, three conductive paths 51 to 53 extending in the left and right directions are formed side by side at equal intervals in the front and rear directions. If the three conductive paths are referred to as the front stage, middle stage, and rear stage conductive paths 51 to 53 from the front side, the covering portion 4 and the rear stage conductive path 53 are connected by a conductive path 54 provided on the left side surface 21D of the branch portion 21. Moreover, the rear stage conductive path 53 and the middle stage conductive path 52 are connected by a conductive path 55 provided on the right side surface 21B of the branch portion 21. Furthermore, the conductive path 52 in the middle stage and the conductive path 51 in the previous stage are connected by a conductive path 56 provided on the left side surface 21D of the branch portion 21. The conductive paths 54 to 56 provided on the right side surface 21B or the left side surface 21D are formed so as to extend in the front-rear direction on each side surface.

[0022] A conductive path 57 is connected to the right end of the preceding conductive path 51 via the right side surface 21B of the branch portion 21 and the bottom surface of the groove 29, with its tip routed to the bottom surface of the recess 24. The conductive path 57 routed to the bottom surface of the recess 24 and the lower surface of the suction pad 31 are connected to each other via a conductive adhesive (not shown). Therefore, on the upper surface 21A of the branch portion 21, outside the suction pad 31A, the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is provided only on the bottom surface of the groove 29.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 5, the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is formed as a conductive pattern in which one conductive path is bent multiple times from the side of the covering portion 4 toward the tip of the branch portion 21, and repeatedly meanders to form a periodic rectangular wave shape. Therefore, the strip-shaped conductive path 5 has multiple bent portions 50. Note that the bent portion 50 refers to a conductive path that is bent when developed on a plane, and a bent portion 50 does not include a conductive path that is simply a straight-line shaped conductive path formed across different planes and bent along the outer shape of the support portion 20. In addition, the width of each portion of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is the same from the portion that contacts the suction pad 31 to the portion that is connected to the covering portion 4, and the size of the width is indicated as F in the figure. The conductive paths 51 to 57 are arranged at intervals of 2F or more from each other. Note that the width F of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is the thickness of the branch portion 21 in this example.

[0024] By providing the strip-shaped conductive path 5 having the bent portion 50 between the suction pad 31 and the screw member 6 in this way, the length of the conductive path between the upper surface of the suction pad 31 and the screw member 6 is made appropriate, and the impedance of the conductive path is made appropriate. When providing the strip-shaped conductive path 5 having the bent portion 50 in this way, the width of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 and the intervals between the respective portions of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 are configured to satisfy the above-mentioned relationship. By providing such a configuration, a short circuit between one portion and another portion in the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is prevented. In other words, it is prevented that a short circuit occurs, which causes the impedance and resistance value of the conductive path to deviate from the desired range, and an excessive current flows through the conductive path, causing a discharge. The width and intervals between the respective portions of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 will be described in more detail later with other examples.

[0025] In addition, to prevent a short circuit in the conductive path provided in the support portion 20, the distance between the conductive path 53 constituting the strip-shaped conductive path 5 and the coating 4 on the lower surface 21C of the branch portion 21 is also set to 2F or more (2 times or more the width F of the strip-shaped conductive path 5). As shown in FIG. 6, the distance A1 between the edge of the coating 4 and the suction pad 31 on the upper surface 21A of the branch portion 21 is also set to 2F or more in order to prevent a short circuit in the conductive path. Also, when the coating portion 4 is provided below the upper surface of the suction pad 31, it is preferable that the distance between the suction pad 31 and the surface of the coating portion 4 is set to 2F or more like the distance A1. Specifically, this distance A1 is, for example, 4 mm or more. It is preferable that the appropriate value of the distance A1 is changed depending on the allowable target charge level of the wafer W.

[0026] The operation of the transfer arm 2 according to the present disclosure will now be described. The support portion 20 of the transfer arm 2 rises from below the charged wafer W, and the wafer W is supported horizontally so as to come into contact with the three suction pads 3 (31, 32) as shown in Fig. 3, and is adsorbed to the suction pads 3. The charge on the wafer W is transferred in this order to the suction pads 31, the conductive coating (the strip-shaped conductive path 5 and the covering portion 4), and the screw member 6, and the wafer W is de-electrified.

[0027] By providing the strip-shaped conductive path 5 constituting a conductive coating as described above, the impedance between the suction pad 31 and the screw member 6 is set to an appropriate value, and a short circuit between one part of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 and another part is prevented. Therefore, the occurrence of the above-mentioned excessive current is prevented. As a result, the flow of an excessive current to the wafer W can be suppressed, and damage to the wafer W is prevented.

[0028] When the wafer W is neutralized as described above, the short circuit between the covering portion 4 and the suction pad 31 is prevented by setting the interval between the covering portion 4 and the suction pad 31 to 2F or more as described above, as described in FIG. 6. To further explain the positional relationship between the covering portion 4 and the suction pad 31, the interval between the covering portion 4 and the suction pad 31 is, more specifically, the minimum interval between these members so that the short circuit is prevented. Specifically, since the suction pad 31 is flared upward as described above, the interval A1 between the upper end of the suction pad 31 and the edge of the covering portion 4 is the minimum interval between these members, and therefore, the interval A1 is set to 2F or more. However, if the suction pad 310 is a cylinder with a vertical wall as shown in FIG. 7, the lower end of the suction pad 310 is closest to the edge of the covering portion 4, and therefore, the interval A2 between the lower end and the edge of the covering portion 4 is set to 2F or more.

[0029] However, if the supported wafer W is warped, it is conceivable that the wafer W will come into contact with the support part 20, and the larger the area of ​​the strip-shaped conductive path 5 formed on the upper surface of the support part 20, the higher the risk that the strip-shaped conductive path 5 will be damaged due to wear or peeling due to contact with the wafer W. Since the resistance value of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is determined by its width, if wear or peeling progresses and the connection to the screw member 6 is cut off, there is a risk of significant loss of function. In the strip-shaped conductive path 5, only the conductive path 57 forming the end portion thereof is provided on the upper surface of the support portion 20, thereby making it possible to prevent damage to the strip-shaped conductive path 5 due to contact with the wafer W. In other words, by arranging only the end portion of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 on the upper surface of the support portion 20, an increase in the peak value of the current flowing between the suction pad 31 and the screw member 6 can be more reliably prevented, which is preferable. Furthermore, in view of the elasticity and rigidity of a substrate such as a silicon substrate or a glass substrate, in this case a wafer W, supported on the upper surface of the suction pad 31, the conductive path 57 forming the end portion is preferably disposed sufficiently inside the range in which the wafer W can warp from the upper surface of the pad to such an extent that the wafer W comes into contact with the conductive path 57. In other words, the conductive path 57 forming the end portion of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is preferably provided in a position within a range that does not come into contact with the wafer W supported using the suction pad 31 as a reference.

[0030] Further, the conductive path 57 is formed on the bottom surface of the groove 29 provided on the upper surface 21A of the branching portions 21, 22. Therefore, since the distance between the upper edge of the suction pad 31 and the conductive path 57 is relatively large, a short circuit between the upper edge and the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is prevented when the wafer W is neutralized as described above. Therefore, an increase in the peak value of the current flowing between the suction pad 3 and the screw member 6 can be more reliably prevented as described above. Furthermore, when the wafer W is received, the support portion 20 rises and approaches the rear surface of the wafer W, but at that time, the wafer W and the conductive path 57 are separated by a relatively large distance, which is preferable because a short circuit from the wafer W to the conductive path 57 is also prevented.

[0031] Increasing the distance between the conductive path 57 and the suction pad 31 is not limited to forming the conductive path 57 in the groove 29 (recess 24). As shown in Fig. 8, the surface of the tip of the branch portion 21 (22) may be configured as an inclined surface, and the end portion 57 of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 may be formed on the inclined surface.

[0032] However, as described above, when the wafer W is warped, it is considered that the wafer W may come into contact with the support part 20, and the larger the area of ​​the strip-shaped conductive path 5 formed on the upper surface of the support part 20, the higher the risk that the strip-shaped conductive path 5 will be damaged due to contact with the wafer W. Forming the strip-shaped conductive path 5 on the side and lower surfaces of the branch part 21 as described above is preferable because it contributes to ensuring an appropriate length of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 while reducing such a risk.

[0033] For example, the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is formed by masking a part of the branching portions 21 and 22 and then forming a film that becomes a conductive path. In forming the strip-shaped conductive path 5 in this manner, a linear mask pattern may be formed on each of the lower surface 21C, the side surface 21B, and the side surface 21D of the branching portions 21 and 22. In other words, if the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is formed only on the lower surface 21C without using the side surfaces of the branching portions 21 and 22, the mask pattern will be complicated with bent portions, but by forming the strip-shaped conductive path 5 using the side surface of the branching portion 21 as described above, the mask pattern can be simplified. In other words, forming a part of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 on the side surface of the branching portion 21 has the advantage that the support portion 20 can be manufactured easily.

[0034] Furthermore, by forming the strip-shaped conductive path 5 using the side surfaces 21B, 21D as well as the bottom surfaces 21C of the branching portions 21, 22, it is possible to form a strip-shaped conductive path 5 of sufficient length even for a transport arm 2 in which the distance between the suction pad 31 and the screw member 6 is relatively short. This makes it possible to optimize the impedance between the suction pad 31 and the screw member 6. Therefore, forming the strip-shaped conductive path 5 on the side surfaces of the branching portions 21, 22 contributes to a high degree of freedom in the layout of the suction pad 3 (31).

[0035] The strip-shaped conductive path 5 may be provided on only one of the branch portions 21, 22. Also, the suction pad 32 on the base portion 23 side of the support portion 20 shown in Fig. 1 may be connected to one end of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 having the pattern shape shown in Fig. 5, and the other end of the strip-shaped conductive path 5 may be connected to the covering portion 4. In other words, at least one of the two suction pads 31 and one suction pad 32 may be connected to the screw member 6 via the strip-shaped conductive path 5 and the covering portion 4.

[0036] Next, other examples of the strip-shaped conductive paths 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 9 to Fig. 12. Fig. 9 to Fig. 12 show views of the strip-shaped conductive paths 5A to 5D developed on a plane, and the strip-shaped conductive paths 5A to 5D may be formed across multiple faces of the support part 20, or may be formed on only one face.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 9 as an example of the strip-shaped conductive path 5A, the width of each part of the strip-shaped conductive path may be different. The relationship between the width of the strip-shaped conductive path and the interval between each part will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9. When viewed from a point P of the strip-shaped conductive path, a line L1 perpendicular to the direction in which the conductive path is formed is drawn from one end to the other end of the conductive path. The length of this L1 is the width F of the conductive path at point P. An extension line L2 of this L1 is drawn so that the length is 2F. It is sufficient that the extension line L2 does not contact the strip-shaped conductive path. The strip-shaped conductive path 5A in FIG. 9 and the strip-shaped conductive path 5 in FIG. 5 are bent at right angles. Since the line L1 representing the width cannot be drawn for the bent portion 50 (if it were to be drawn, it would be a line representing the length direction of the strip-shaped conductive path), it is sufficient that the parts other than the bent portion 50 satisfy the relationship of the interval 2F or more for the width F.

[0038] Furthermore, when an extension line L2 of L1 is drawn so as to have a length of 2F, the extension line L2 need not be in contact with the strip-shaped conductive path 5. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 10, the strip-shaped conductive path 5B may be formed to have one bent portion 50. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 11, the strip-shaped conductive path 5C may be S-shaped. That is, when the strip-shaped conductive path 5C is developed in a plane, it does not have to be folded back. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 12, the bent portion 50 of the strip-shaped conductive path 5D may be formed in an arc shape.

[0039] 13 shows another example of the transfer arm 2. In this example, the support 20 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a guide 204 for aligning the wafer W. The guide 204 is provided, for example, from the left and right sides of the base 23 of the support 20 so as to protrude outward from the periphery (sidewall) of the wafer W supported by the support 20. The guide 204 is abutted by the periphery of the wafer W and plays the role of alignment for aligning the wafer W, as will be described in detail later when explaining other support parts. The guide 204 is made of a conductive member such as a conductive resin. Since the guide 204 is in contact with the base 23, the surface of the guide 204 is electrically connected to the screw member 6 via the coating 4 of the base 23.

[0040] However, when a discharge occurs from any member, the discharge is likely to occur from the pointed portion of the member. Therefore, discharge from the charged wafer W is more likely to occur from the periphery of the wafer W where the corners are present than from the center side, which is a planar body. Therefore, when the support part 20 contacts the charged wafer W to receive the wafer W, discharge from the wafer W to the guide 204 is relatively likely to occur. However, as described above, the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is provided in the conductive path between the suction pad 31 and the screw member 6, and the impedance of the conductive path is adjusted to be appropriate. In other words, if the charge mainly moves from the guide 204 to the screw member 6 when receiving the wafer W, the peak value of the current flowing on the surface of the support part 20 becomes large, and the strip-shaped conductive path 5 cannot fully fulfill its role.

[0041] Therefore, the resistance value R1 in the conductive path between the guide 204 and the screw member 6 is configured to be higher than the resistance value R2 in the conductive path between the suction pad 31 and the screw member 6. As a result, when the supporting part 20 receives the charged wafer W, when the guide 204 approaches the periphery of the wafer W and the suction pad 31 approaches the rear surface of the wafer W, the charge on the wafer W moves to the conductive path via the suction pad 31, through which the charge flows more easily. This suppresses the peak current value as described above, thereby suppressing the occurrence of discharge.

[0042] Note that since the resistance values between the guide 204 and the screw member 6 and between the suction pad 31 and the screw member 6 change depending on the measurement positions in each part, these resistance values will be described in detail. The resistance value between the guide 204 and the screw member 6 is the resistance value of the path with the lowest resistance between the contact position of the wafer W on the guide 204 and the screw member 6. Therefore, in this example, a plurality of screw members 6 are provided, and among the plurality of screw members 6, it is the resistance value between the screw member 6 closest to the contact position of the wafer W on the guide 204 and the contact position, specifically, the resistance value between P12 and P13 in the figure. Also, the contact position of the wafer W on the guide 204 is the designed contact position of the wafer W. That is, when the wafer W to be transported is assumed to be flat, it is the position designed to contact the wafer W on the surface of the guide 204.

[0043] Similarly, regarding the resistance value between the suction pad 3(31) and the screw member 6, it is the resistance value of the path with the lowest resistance between the contact position of the wafer W on the suction pad 3 (i.e., the position on the upper surface) and the screw member 6, specifically, the resistance value between P11 and P13 in the figure. Therefore, the resistance value R2 between P11 and P13 is less than the resistance value R1 between P12 and P13.

[0044] As described above, the guide 204 is configured as a conductive member so that R2 < R1 for the resistance value. However, for example, the guide 204 may be formed as an insulating member, and a pattern made of a conductive member may be formed on the surface so that the wafer W and the screw member 6 are electrically connected. As this conductive pattern, a strip-shaped conductive path 5 provided with the bent portion 50 described in FIGS. 4, 5, etc. may be provided.

[0045] If the guide 204 is made of a non-conductive material and its surface is not de-electrified, the guide 204 may become charged and attract particles, which may then adhere to the wafer W. Therefore, in order to prevent particle contamination of the wafer W, it is preferable to make the guide 204 from a conductive material as described above and to connect it to a ground potential so that it can be de-electrified.

[0046] 14 shows a support part 200 provided with gap pins 300, which are conductive contact parts protruding from the surface of the support part 200, instead of the suction pads 3. In the support part 200, the outer region of the gap pins 300 is covered with a coating part 4, and the lower end of the gap pins 300 is electrically connected to the coating part 4. Therefore, the wafer W supported on the gap pins 300 is de-electrified in the same manner as the wafer W supported on the suction pad 3. In the support part 200 of the transfer arm 2, a large number of gap pins 300 are provided distributed at the tip parts 201, 202 and the base part 203.

[0047] The support part 200 also includes a guide 204 similar to that of the support part 20 shown in Fig. 13, and is also neutralized by contacting the guide 204. Regarding the guide 204, the support part 200 supporting the wafer W advances along the base 9 shown in Fig. 3. At that time, the wafer W, which tends to remain in place due to inertia, comes into contact with the guide 204 and is pressed against it. This prevents the wafer W from falling off the support part 200 and aligns it on the support part 200. For the support part 20 provided with the suction pad 3 shown in Fig. 13, such alignment can be performed while suction from the suction pad 3 is stopped.

[0048] Incidentally, the upper surface of each of the support parts 20, 200 faces the wafer W from below, but it does not have to be parallel to the wafer W and may be inclined with respect to the back surface of the wafer W. In the above examples, the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is provided on the support part 20 facing the wafer W in this way, but the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is not limited to being provided on such a member. In the example of the transfer arm 205 shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of support parts 210 having suction pads 31, 32 are provided and connected to the inner circumference of an arc-shaped surrounding part 212 surrounding the side circumference of the wafer W. The surrounding part 6 is connected to the moving body 10 (not shown in FIG. 15) via a screw member 6. The support part 210 and the surrounding part 212 on which the suction pad 31 is provided are covered with a conductive covering part 4 like the support part 20, and the suction pad 31 and the screw member 6 are electrically connected via the covering part 4. With regard to the covering portion 4, the coating on the upper surface of the surrounding portion 10 is configured as a strip-shaped conductive path 5 having a plurality of bent portions 50 as described in Fig. 5. In other words, the strip-shaped conductive path 5 is not limited to being provided on a member facing the wafer W.

[0049] Next, a coating and developing apparatus in which the above-mentioned transport arm 2 is provided will be described. As shown in Figures 16 and 17, the coating and developing apparatus is configured by linearly connecting a carrier block B1, a processing block B2, and an interface block B3. An exposure station B4 is further connected to the interface block B3.

[0050] The carrier block B1 has the role of loading and unloading substrates, e.g., wafers W having a diameter of 300 mm, from a carrier C (e.g., a FOUP), which is a transport container that stores multiple substrates, e.g., wafers W having a diameter of 300 mm, into and out of the apparatus, and is equipped with a loading stage 101 for the carrier C, a door 102, and a transport arm 2 (103) for transporting the wafers W from the carrier C. Processing block B2 is constructed by stacking first to sixth unit blocks D1 to D6 in order from the bottom up for performing liquid processing on wafers W, and each unit block D1 to D6 has roughly the same configuration except that the processing liquid supplied to wafers W in liquid processing unit 110 described below is different.

[0051] 17 shows the configuration of unit block D3 as a representative example. Unit block D3 is provided with a transfer arm 205(A3) that moves in a linear transfer region R3 from the carrier block B1 side toward the interface block B3, and a liquid processing unit 110 equipped with a cup module 111 for supplying, for example, a resist liquid to a wafer W. The liquid processing unit 110 supplies a processing liquid, here a resist liquid, to the rotating wafer W, for example, in the cup module 111, and spreads the resist liquid over the surface of the wafer W to form a coating film.

[0052] In the liquid processing units 110 of the unit blocks D1 to D3, a processing liquid that becomes a resist film is applied to the wafer W, and in the liquid processing units 110 of the unit blocks D4 to D6, a developer is supplied to the wafer W for development processing. Heat treatment devices are stacked in the shelf units U1 to U6. On the carrier block B1 side of the transfer region R3, a shelf unit U7 composed of a plurality of modules stacked on top of each other is provided. The transfer of the wafer W between the transfer arm 2 (103) and the transfer arm 205 (A3) is performed via the transfer module of the shelf unit U7 and the transfer arm 205 (104).

[0053] The interface block B3 is provided with shelf units U8, U9, and U10 in which a plurality of processing modules are stacked on top of each other, and is used to transfer the wafer W between the processing block B2 and the exposure station B4. Reference numerals 105 and 106 in Fig. 15 denote transfer arms 2 for transferring the wafer W between the shelf units U8 and U9 and between the shelf units U9 and U10, respectively, and reference numeral 107 in Fig. 17 denotes a transfer arm 2 for transferring the wafer W between the shelf unit U10 and the exposure station B4.

[0054] A brief outline of the transport path of the wafer W in the system consisting of the coating, developing device, and exposure station B4 will be described. The wafer W is transported in the order of the carrier C → transport arm 2 (103) → transfer module of the shelf unit U7 → transport arm 205 (104) → transfer module of the shelf unit U7 → unit blocks D1 to D3 → interface block B3 → exposure station B4. As a result, a resist film is coated on the surface of the wafer W, and the surface of the resist film is exposed. The wafer W that has been exposed is transported to the unit blocks D4 to D6 via the interface block B3. It is further subjected to heat treatment in the unit blocks D4 to D6, and then transported to the liquid processing unit 110 for development. The wafer W is then transported in the order of the transfer module TRS of the shelf unit U7 → transport arm 2 (103) → carrier C.

[0055] In such a coating and developing apparatus, for example, in liquid processing unit 110, when a processing liquid is supplied to a rotating wafer W, the wafer W may become statically charged due to friction between the processing liquid and the rotating wafer W. When such a wafer W is transferred to transfer arm 2, 205 (103, 104, 105, 106, 107, A3), the wafer W can be de-electrified while preventing an excessively large current from flowing instantaneously. As discussed above, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, modified, or combined in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

[0056] 2. Transport arm 5. Strip-shaped conductive path 6 Screw parts 10 Mobile 20 Support part 31 Suction Pad 50 Bend

Claims

1. a support portion having an upper surface facing the substrate for supporting the substrate, the support portion including a conductive surface connected to a ground portion having a ground potential; a conductive pad having a shape that expands in diameter toward an upper end side, the conductive pad being provided on an upper surface of the support portion and contacting and supporting a lower surface of the substrate so that the substrate does not contact the support portion; a conductive portion provided to connect the pad and the surface; Equipped with the support portion has a recess in the upper surface thereof, the pad being disposed therein; The conductive portion is below an upper surface of the pad that contacts the substrate and is connected to the pad only inside the recess.

2. A support part having an upper surface facing the substrate for supporting the substrate, the support part including a conductive surface connected to a ground part having a ground potential; a conductive pad provided on an upper surface of the support portion and in contact with a lower surface of the substrate so as to support the substrate so that the substrate does not come into contact with the support portion; a conductive portion provided to connect the pad and the surface; Equipped with the conductive portion is connected to the pad below an upper surface of the pad that contacts the substrate; a guide portion that abuts against a side wall of the substrate to regulate a position of the substrate relative to the support portion is provided on the support portion; a conductive path is provided on the surface of the support portion and the surface of the guide portion, the conductive path connecting the guide portion and the ground portion; A substrate transport arm member, wherein a resistance value between the guide portion and the ground portion is higher than a resistance value between the pad and the ground portion.

3. a coupling part that couples a moving mechanism that moves the support part to transport the substrate and the support part and is grounded; 3. The substrate transport arm member according to claim 1, wherein the ground portion is the connecting portion connected to the surface.

4. a support portion having an upper surface facing the substrate for supporting the substrate, the support portion including a conductive surface connected to a ground portion having a ground potential; a moving mechanism that moves the support part to transport the substrate; a conductive pad having a shape that expands in diameter toward an upper end side, the conductive pad being provided on an upper surface of the support portion and contacting and supporting a lower surface of the substrate so that the substrate does not contact the support portion; a conductive portion provided to connect the pad and the surface; Equipped with the support portion has a recess in the upper surface thereof, the pad being disposed therein; A substrate transport mechanism in which the conductive portion is connected to the pad only inside the recess, below an upper surface of the pad that contacts the substrate.

5. A support part having an upper surface facing the substrate for supporting the substrate, the support part including a conductive surface connected to a ground part having a ground potential; a moving mechanism that moves the support part to transport the substrate; a conductive pad provided on an upper surface of the support portion and in contact with a lower surface of the substrate so as to support the substrate so that the substrate does not come into contact with the support portion; a conductive portion provided to connect the pad and the surface; Equipped with the conductive portion is connected to the pad below an upper surface of the pad that contacts the substrate; a guide portion that abuts against a side wall of the substrate to regulate a position of the substrate relative to the support portion is provided on the support portion; a conductive path is provided on the surface of the support portion and the surface of the guide portion, the conductive path connecting the guide portion and the ground portion; A substrate transport mechanism, wherein the resistance value between the guide portion and the ground portion is higher than the resistance value between the pad and the ground portion.

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