Substrate Transport Device

Abstract

To provide a substrate transport device capable of suppressing a decrease in transfer speed and reducing the drop of liquid, thereby improving productivity.SOLUTION: A substrate transport device 100 according to an embodiment includes a gripping mechanism 200 having tip claws 222 and root claws 234, which are a plurality of gripping members for gripping a substrate W, and a moving mechanism 110 that moves the substrate W gripped by the gripping member together with the gripping mechanism 200. The gripping mechanism 200 includes a base-side movable plate 231, which is a movable member provided with the gripping member, and a tilt drive unit D that changes the heights of the plurality of gripping members by driving the base-side movable plate 231, and tilts the substrate W with a liquid applied to the surface relative to the horizon such that the surface faces in the acceleration direction of the movement by the moving mechanism 110.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate transfer device.

Background Art

[0002] A substrate processing apparatus is an apparatus that processes substrates such as wafers and liquid crystal substrates in a manufacturing process of semiconductors, liquid crystal panels, etc. The processing of substrates includes various processes such as etching for forming circuits, resist stripping, cleaning, drying, etc. In such a substrate processing apparatus, productivity may be increased by performing processing on a plurality of substrates at once. On the other hand, from the viewpoints of the uniformity and reproducibility of the processing for each substrate, the substrates may be processed one by one. The processing performed on each substrate one by one in this way is called single-wafer processing.

[0003] In a substrate processing apparatus that performs single-wafer processing, since the substrates are processed one by one in one chamber, the processing efficiency is lower than that in the case of batch processing. Further, when performing wet processing with a processing liquid such as a chemical solution or pure water, the processing is performed by supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate while holding the substrate horizontally and rotating it. When performing a plurality of types of processing continuously in one processing chamber, in order to prevent mixing of each processing liquid and contamination in the processing chamber, it is necessary to remove the chemical solution with pure water for each processing.

[0004] For example, when etching with an acidic processing liquid, applying an alkaline processing liquid to neutralize and remove the acid, and finally applying pure water for cleaning, if the alkaline processing liquid is added in a state where a large amount of the acidic processing liquid remains, deposits and particles will be generated in the processing chamber due to the salt generated by the mixing of the two processing liquids. To address this, after the processing with the acidic processing liquid, it is necessary to perform cleaning to remove the processing liquid with pure water and then perform neutralization processing with the alkaline processing liquid, resulting in a decrease in productivity.

[0005] For this reason, multiple dedicated chambers for performing each processing step are arranged horizontally inside the substrate processing apparatus, and the processing in each chamber is performed in parallel, thereby improving the work efficiency. In this manner, in the configuration where the processing chambers are dedicated, the substrate is processed with the processing liquid, and then transferred to the next processing chamber with the surface wet, so that the inside of the processing chamber is not contaminated and cleaning after each processing is not required, and thus, in addition to processing multiple substrates in parallel, the productivity can be improved.

[0006] In such single-wafer processing substrate processing apparatus, a substrate transport device is required to transport the cleaned substrate between each chamber with a liquid film of pure water formed on the substrate surface. This is because if the substrate surface is dry, particles floating in the substrate processing apparatus will adhere to the substrate and cannot be completely removed even by the final cleaning. For this reason, the substrate must be transported in such a way that the liquid film of pure water from the cleaning is not removed as much as possible. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-183666 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In order to prevent such a liquid film from falling, it is necessary to reduce the moving speed and acceleration of the substrate on which the liquid film is formed. However, in this case, the substrate transport time becomes longer, and the effect of improving productivity may not be fully achieved, even though the productivity is improved by parallel processing separated into multiple dedicated chambers.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transport device that can reduce the dropping of liquid while suppressing a decrease in transport speed, thereby improving productivity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The substrate transport device of the present invention includes a gripping mechanism having a plurality of gripping members for gripping a substrate, and a moving mechanism for moving the substrate gripped by the gripping members together with the gripping mechanism, the gripping mechanism including a movable member on which the gripping members are provided, and a tilt drive unit for changing the height of the plurality of gripping members by driving the movable member, and tilting the substrate having a liquid applied to its surface relative to the horizontal so that the surface faces the direction of acceleration of the movement by the moving mechanism; an opening / closing mechanism that moves the movable member in a direction in which the gripping member approaches and moves away from an edge of the substrate; has. In addition, the substrate transport device of the present invention has a gripping mechanism having a plurality of gripping members for gripping a substrate, and a moving mechanism for moving the substrate gripped by the gripping members together with the gripping mechanism, the gripping mechanism having a movable member on which the gripping members are provided, and a tilt drive unit for driving the movable member to change the height of the plurality of gripping members and tilt the substrate having a liquid applied to its surface relative to the horizontal so that the surface faces the direction of acceleration of the movement by the moving mechanism, and the tilt drive unit is configured to be able to change the tilt angle of the substrate using two orthogonal axes as fulcrums. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a substrate transport device that can reduce the dropping of liquid while suppressing a decrease in transport speed, thereby improving productivity. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing a substrate transport apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 4 is a plan view showing an operating state of an arm of the substrate transport device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a horizontal state of the substrate of the gripping mechanism of the embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing an inclined state in which the base side of the substrate of the gripping mechanism of the embodiment is raised. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a perspective view showing an inclined state in which the tip side of the substrate of the gripping mechanism of the embodiment is raised. FIG. [Figure 6] 4(A), a side view of FIG. 3(B), and a side view of FIG. 5(C). [Figure 7] 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing the principle by which liquid is prevented from falling when a substrate is moved. [Figure 8] 1 is a graph showing the relationship between the moving speed of a substrate and time. [Figure 9] 1 is a graph showing the relationship between acceleration and angle of a substrate. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a modified example in which the inclination axis is two axes. [Figure 11] 11A is a front view and FIG. 11B is a side view of FIG. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the principle by which the dropping of liquid caused by centrifugal force is suppressed during the pivoting operation of the arm. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] [overview] A substrate transfer device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The substrate transfer device according to the embodiment is applied to a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus is, for example, a single-wafer processing apparatus that includes multiple chambers for performing multiple substrate processing, and processes substrates that have been stored in a cassette (FOUP) in a previous process and transported one by one in each chamber.

[0014] The substrate is, for example, a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer. The processing includes, for example, etching, resist stripping, rinsing, cleaning, etc. However, the substrate is not limited to this, and various substrates that are subjected to single-wafer processing, such as substrates for display devices, can be used. In the following description, the surface to which the processing liquid is applied, that is, the surface on which the liquid is supplied and a liquid film is formed, is referred to as the front surface, and the opposite surface is referred to as the back surface. Also, the direction following gravity is referred to as down, and the direction against gravity is referred to as up.

[0015] The substrate transport device transports substrates between a buffer unit, which is a platform on which substrates W are temporarily placed when they are loaded into or unloaded from the substrate processing apparatus, and the chambers in which the substrates are processed, and also transports substrates between each chamber.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate transport device 100 includes a moving mechanism 110 for moving a substrate W, and a gripping mechanism 200 mounted on the moving mechanism 110 for gripping the substrate W. The moving mechanism 110 is provided so as to be movable between a buffer unit and a chamber, and between the chambers. The moving mechanism 110 includes a traveling mechanism 120, a lifting and rotating mechanism 130, and an arm unit 140. The arm unit 140 is connected to the gripping mechanism 200 for gripping the substrate W, and moves the gripping mechanism 200 forward and backward in the horizontal direction. The substrate transport device 100 is a double-arm robot having two sets of arm units 140 in two levels, one above the other. The two sets of arm units 140 are basically of the same configuration. Here, only one of the arm units 140 will be described.

[0017] The traveling mechanism 120 has a linear guide with a moving base, and moves horizontally along a guide rail R. The guide rail R is a straight rail provided at the bottom of the substrate processing apparatus. The lifting and rotating mechanism 130 lifts and lowers the arm unit 140 and the gripping mechanism 200, which will be described later. Furthermore, the lifting and rotating mechanism 130 is formed to be rotatable about a vertical axis. In other words, the lifting and rotating mechanism 130 rotates the arm unit 140 and the gripping mechanism 200. The lifting and rotating mechanism 130 is supported by the traveling mechanism 120, and moves horizontally together with the traveling mechanism 120.

[0018] The arm section 140 has a table 141 and an arm 142. The table 141 is a platform arranged with its top surface in a horizontal direction. The arm 142 is provided on the top surface of the table 141. Around the table 141, a water receiver 144 is provided to prevent liquid from the substrate W in a puddle state from dropping onto the lifting and rotating mechanism 130 and the traveling mechanism 120.

[0019] One end of the arm 142 is supported by the table 141 so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction around a vertical axis. The arm 142 is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). The arm 142 is provided so as to be capable of being raised and lowered by the above-mentioned lifting and rotating mechanism 130. This lifting and lowering is required for the gripping mechanism 200 to lower when placing the substrate W thereon and to lift the substrate W.

[0020] A gripping mechanism 200 (described later) is attached to the other end of the arm 142 around a vertical axis, and is provided so as to be movable together with the gripping mechanism 200 in the horizontal direction.

[0021] Although not shown, a pulley is fixed inside the arm 142 and is coaxial with the axis of rotation. A timing belt is stretched between these pulleys. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2, when the arm 142 is rotated by the motor, the gripping mechanism 200 moves in the horizontal direction while maintaining the orientation shown in Fig. 1. As a result, the substrate W gripped by the gripping mechanism 200 moves outside the table 141, making it possible to transfer the substrate W to and from the chamber.

[0022] The traveling mechanism 120 or the arm unit 140 moves, thereby moving the substrate W held by the gripping mechanism 200 in the horizontal direction. The lifting and rotating mechanism 130 raises and lowers the arm unit 140, thereby moving the substrate W held by the gripping mechanism 200 in the vertical direction.

[0023] The substrate processing apparatus includes a liquid supplying device that supplies various processing liquids, such as an etching liquid, a resist stripping liquid, a rinsing liquid, a cleaning liquid, etc., to the chamber. The inside of the substrate processing apparatus is configured as a clean room.

[0024] The substrate processing apparatus further includes a control device 300. The control device 300 is a computer including an arithmetic unit, a storage device, a signal transmission / reception device, an input / output device, etc. The control device 300 controls each part of the substrate processing apparatus by executing substrate processing information and various programs stored in the storage device. For example, the control device 300 of this embodiment controls the operation of the moving mechanism 110 and the gripping mechanism 200 to control the moving direction, moving speed, and tilt angle of the substrate W.

[0025] [Gripping mechanism] The gripping mechanism 200 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 6. In the following description, the side supported by the arm portion 140 is referred to as the root side, and the opposite side is referred to as the tip side. In addition, in a horizontal plane, the direction along the line connecting the root side and the tip side is referred to as the X direction, the direction perpendicular to the X direction is referred to as the Y direction, and the vertical direction is referred to as the Z direction.

[0026] 3, the gripping mechanism 200 has a root side fixed part 210, a tip side movable part 220, and a root side movable part 230. The tip side movable part 220 has a tip side movable plate 221, the root side movable part 230 has a root side movable plate 231, and the root side fixed part 210 has an opening / closing drive part E and a tilt drive part D. The tip side movable plate 221 is a movable member provided with a tip claw 222. The root side movable plate 231 is a movable member provided with a root claw 234.

[0027] The opening / closing drive unit E drives the base side movable unit 230 to grip the edge of the substrate W between the tip claw 222 of the tip side movable unit 220 and the base claw 234 of the base side movable unit 230. The tilt drive unit D is a mechanism that tilts the substrate W, on which a liquid film has been formed, from the horizontal so that the surface faces the acceleration direction caused by the movement of the moving mechanism 110 by changing the height of the tip claw 222 and the base claw 234. The acceleration direction is the direction in which the substrate advances (moves) during acceleration, and is the opposite direction to the direction in which the substrate advances during deceleration. The tilt drive unit D and the opening / closing drive unit E are provided on the arm unit 140 side of the gripping mechanism 200. The movement of the gripping mechanism 200 by the moving mechanism 110 includes the movement by the traveling mechanism 120 and the movement by the arm unit 140.

[0028] In this embodiment, tilting the substrate W means making the front surface of the substrate W at an angle other than horizontal. Also, tilting in the direction of acceleration means tilting so that the front surface is in the acceleration direction and the back surface is in the opposite direction to the acceleration direction. Therefore, even if the traveling direction is the same, the tilt direction is opposite when accelerating and when decelerating.

[0029] (Fixed part on root side) The base side fixed part 210 has a fixed plate 211, an opening / closing drive source 212, an opening / closing bar 213, an opening / closing guide 214, a tilt drive source 215, a tilt rotation shaft 216, a tilt drive slide 217, a tilt slide shaft 218, and a tilt slide guide 219. The opening / closing drive source 212, the opening / closing bar 213, and the opening / closing guide 214 configure an opening / closing drive unit E. The tilt drive source 215, the tilt rotation shaft 216, the tilt drive slide 217, the tilt slide shaft 218, and the tilt slide guide 219 configure a tilt drive unit D.

[0030] The fixed plate 211 is a plate having a convex shape in a plan view. The fixed plate 211 is fixed to a member connected to the arm 142 at its base so as to be in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the member fixed to the fixed plate 211 moves and rotates together with the fixed plate 211 in accordance with the movement and rotation of the arm 142.

[0031] The opening / closing drive source 212 is a drive source for moving the root claws 234 in the X direction to open and close the grip of the substrate W between the root claws 222. The opening / closing drive source 212 transmits a driving force to the root side movable part 230 via the opening / closing bar 213. The opening / closing drive source 212 is, for example, a cylinder, and is fixed to the fixed plate 211 so that a drive rod faces the root side in the X direction.

[0032] The opening and closing bar 213 is a U-shaped member with both ends of a plate-like body in the Y direction extending to the tip side in the X direction. A drive rod of the opening and closing drive source 212 is connected to the Y direction portion of the opening and closing bar 213. A pin 213a for transmitting power to the base side movable part 230 is provided at the tip of the X direction portion of the opening and closing bar 213. The opening and closing guide 214 is a pair of guide rails fixed to the fixed plate 211 in the X direction, and guides the movement of the opening and closing bar 213 in the X direction.

[0033] The tilt drive source 215 is a drive source for tilting the substrate W gripped by the tip claws 222 and the base claws 234 by rotating the tip side movable part 220 and the base side movable part 230. The tilt drive source 215 is a motor having a threaded shaft 215S, and is supported by a block-shaped fixed member 211a. The bottom of the fixed member 211a is fixed to the fixed plate 211 so that the shaft 215S faces the tip side in the X direction. In this way, the tilt drive source 215 is fixed to the fixed plate 211. The tilt rotation shafts 216 are a pair of shafts extending along the Y direction, and serve as axes for rotation of the base side movable part 230.

[0034] The inclined driving slide 217 is a member extending in the Y direction, and has a nut to which a threaded shaft 215S of the inclined driving source 215 is combined, so that the inclined driving slide 217 moves in the X direction in accordance with the rotation of the shaft 215S. The inclined slide shafts 218 are a pair of shafts extending from both ends of the inclined driving slide 217, and transmit driving force to the tip side movable part 220 and the base side movable part 230. The inclined slide guides 219 are a pair of guide rails fixed to the fixed plate 211 in the X direction, and guide the movement of the inclined driving slide 217 in the X direction.

[0035] (Tip side movable part) The distal end side movable part 220 includes a distal end side movable plate 221, distal end claws 222, a connection part 223, and an inclined cam plate 224. The distal end side movable plate 221 is a rectangular plate. A pair of distal end claws 222 are provided near the short side on the distal end side of the distal end side movable plate 221. The distal end claws 222 are protrusions that come into contact with and separate from the edge of the substrate W, and are part of a plurality of gripping members. The other short side of the distal end side movable plate 221 has a concave shape due to a rectangular notch.

[0036] The connection part 223 connects the distal end side movable plate 221 and the fixed plate 211 in such a way that the angle can be changed. The connection part 223 is constituted by, for example, a leaf spring that elastically deforms. The connection part 223 connects the edge in the Y direction in the concave shape of the distal end side movable plate 221 and the edge on the distal end side of the fixed plate 211.

[0037] The inclined cam plate 224 is a pair of members that are raised parallel to each other along a pair of inner edges in the X direction in the concave portion of the distal end side movable plate 221. A cam hole 224a is formed in the inclined cam plate 224. The cam holes 224a are inclined so as to become higher from the base side toward the distal end side.

[0038] An inclined slide shaft 218 is inserted through the cam hole 224a so as to be slidable. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6(A), when the inclined slide shaft 218 is on the base side of the cam hole 224a, since the cam hole 224a is biased upward, with the connection part 223 as a fulcrum, the base side of the distal end side movable plate 221 inclines so as to rise, and the distal end claws 222 descend.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6(B), when the inclined slide shaft 218 is at the center of the cam hole 224a, the distal end side movable plate 221 becomes horizontal. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6(C), when the inclined slide shaft 218 moves to the distal end side of the cam hole 224a, since the cam hole 224a is biased downward, with the connection part 223 as a fulcrum, the base side of the distal end side movable plate 221 inclines so as to descend, and the distal end claws 222 rise.

[0040] (Movable part at base) The root side movable part 230 has a root side movable plate 231, an inclined cam plate 232, a biasing member 233, and a root claw 234. The root side movable plate 231 is an X-direction plate, and a pair is arranged sandwiching the root side fixed part 210 and the tip side movable part 220. A root side end of the root side movable plate 231 is rotatably connected to the inclined rotation shaft 216 of the root side fixed part 210. The root side opening and closing plate 231a is an X-direction plate, and is connected to the root side movable plate 231 so as to be movable in the X direction.

[0041] The inclined cam plate 232 is raised along the inner edge of each of the pair of base side movable plates 231. A cam hole 232a is formed in the inclined cam plate 232. The cam hole 232a is inclined so as to become higher from the base side toward the tip side.

[0042] The inclined slide shaft 218 is slidably inserted into the cam hole 232a. As shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 6(A), when the inclined slide shaft 218 is located on the base side of the cam hole 232a, the cam hole 232a is biased upward, so that the base side movable plate 231 is inclined such that the tip side rises, with the inclined rotation shaft 216 as a fulcrum.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6(B), when the inclined slide shaft 218 is in the center of the cam hole 232a, the base side movable plate 231 is horizontal. As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6(C), when the inclined slide shaft 218 moves to the tip side of the cam hole 232a, the cam hole 232a is biased downward, so that the base side movable plate 231 is inclined so that the tip side descends with the inclined rotation shaft 216 as a fulcrum.

[0044] The biasing member 233 is a member that biases the base side opening / closing plate 231a toward the tip side. The biasing member 233 is, for example, a tension coil spring whose both ends are suspended between the base side movable plate 231 and the base side opening / closing plate 231a. A pin hole 231b that is long in the X direction is formed on the base side of the base side opening / closing plate 231a. The pin 213a of the opening / closing bar 213 is inserted into the pin hole 231b and is in contact with the base side of the pin hole 231b.

[0045] The root claws 234 are provided near the edge of each tip of the root side opening / closing plate 231a. The root claws 234 are protrusions that approach and separate from the edge of the substrate W, and are part of a plurality of gripping members. The root claws 234 move in a direction approaching and separating from the edge of the substrate W according to the movement of the root side opening / closing plate 231a. That is, the root side opening / closing plate 231a is biased toward the tip side by the biasing member 233, so that the root claws 234 sandwich the substrate W between the tip claws 222 and grip the substrate W. In addition, when the opening / closing bar 213 is moved toward the root side by the opening / closing drive source 212, the pin 213a pulls the pin hole 231b toward the root side, and the root side opening / closing plate 231a moves toward the root side against the biasing force of the biasing member 233. As a result, the root claws 234 move away from the edge of the substrate W.

[0046] [Principle of preventing liquid leakage] Next, we will explain the principle by which the outflow of the liquid forming the liquid film can be suppressed by tilting the substrate W while moving it. First, let us assume that the acceleration in the direction of movement of the substrate W by the substrate transport device 100 is α, the tilt angle of the substrate W with respect to the horizontal is θ, the mass of the liquid is m, and the gravitational acceleration acting on the liquid is 1 G.

[0047] 7, when liquid L on substrate W is moved in the direction indicated by the solid black arrow, an inertial force m×α due to acceleration α (G) during movement acts on liquid L in the direction indicated by the white arrow. For this reason, if substrate W is held horizontal, liquid L will attempt to stay put due to the inertial force m×α, so it will slide over the moving substrate W and spill out from the rear end in the direction of movement.

[0048] However, if the acceleration α of the substrate W is very small, that is, if the change in speed of the substrate W is gradual, the liquid L can be moved while remaining on the substrate W without slipping. The acceleration α at this time is equal to a very small angle of inclination at which the liquid L on the substrate W does not move even if the substrate W is tilted. The minimum inclination at which water can flow is 0.5% (= 5 / 1000), so the acceleration of movement at which the substrate W is held horizontally and water does not flow is 0.005G or less.

[0049] If a substrate W with a diameter of 300 mm is to be transported at this acceleration, it will take 8 seconds to move it 196 mm because the movement will be at an acceleration of 0.005 G. To stop the substrate W at a position after moving it 400 mm, it is necessary that the water does not spill even if a force in the opposite direction is applied, so the substrate W is stopped after moving for 8 seconds while decelerating at 0.005 G. In this way, it will take 16 seconds to transport the substrate W 400 mm. With this limited acceleration, it is possible to move the substrate W so that the liquid L remains on it by accelerating and decelerating. However, this takes a long time to transport, and the advantage of improving productivity by parallel processing in multiple chambers is hindered.

[0050] After much research, the inventors discovered that by tilting the substrate W, a flowing force is generated in the liquid L due to the component force of gravity in the tilting direction, and by balancing this force with the inertial force due to acceleration, the liquid L can move together with the substrate W without flowing.

[0051] That is, as shown in Figure 7, by tilting the substrate W at an angle θ, a force acting on the liquid L in the tilt direction due to the gravitational acceleration of 1G acts on the liquid L to cause it to flow in the tilted direction. This force in the tilt direction, i.e., the force Pf in the direction parallel to the tilted surface of the substrate W, is m×1G×sinθ. On the other hand, when the substrate W is tilted while accelerating, if the acceleration is α, then the inertial force Pb acting on the liquid in the direction along the surface of the substrate W is m×αG×cosθ. To balance these two forces, m×1G×sinθ=m×αG×cosθ is satisfied, and the relationship between the acceleration α and the tilt angle θ can be found as α=tanθ.

[0052] Therefore, if it is desired to move the substrate W at an acceleration αG, the liquid L will not flow if the substrate W is moved while tilted by an angle θ such that tan θ=α. The graph in Figure 8 shows the change in speed over time when the substrate W is moved. The graph in Figure 9 shows the relationship between the acceleration α and the tilt angle θ when the angle is changed while the substrate W is moved while changing the acceleration α (G). In Figures 8 and 9, [1] to [8] are the points where the speed changes.

[0053] In the section [1]~[2], the acceleration increases from 0 to α1 (G). In the section [2]~[3], the acceleration is constant at α1, and in the section [3]~[4], the acceleration changes from α1 to 0. In the section [4]~[5], the acceleration is 0, meaning the motion is at a constant speed. In the section [5]~[6], the acceleration changes from 0 to -α1, which is a negative value, meaning the motion decelerates, in the section [6]~[7] the acceleration is constant at -α1, and in the section [7]~[8] the acceleration becomes 0 and the motion stops.

[0054] 9, the force acting on the liquid L on the substrate W can be cancelled out by tilting the substrate W at an angle θ in accordance with the acceleration α in each state. In this embodiment, by providing a gripping mechanism 200 that tilts the substrate W at an angle θ in proportion to the acceleration α of the movement of the substrate W, the substrate W can be transported while suppressing the outflow of the liquid L on the substrate W without suppressing the acceleration α or while minimizing the suppression of the acceleration α. ​​In other words, by the control device 300 changing the angle θ in accordance with the acceleration α as described above, the substrate W can be transported at high speed while suppressing the outflow of the liquid from the substrate W.

[0055] Here, the acceleration at which the liquid does not flow out, even when the substrate W is horizontal, is 0.005 G. From this transport, if we calculate the travel distance and required time when the substrate W is tilted and moved while increasing the acceleration, we find that if the acceleration is increased by 0.005 G every second, it will be possible to reach a speed of 294 mm / s after 3 seconds, and move 270 mm. This means that the substrate W can be transported 3.6 times the distance compared to when it is transported while maintaining the horizontal state at a constant acceleration of 0.005 G.

[0056] [Operation] The operation of the substrate transfer device 100 of this embodiment will be described. Note that a liquid film of the processing liquid is formed on the surface (upper surface) of the substrate W to be gripped in the chamber, and the substrate W is held horizontally with a space for inserting the tip side movable plate 221.

[0057] 3, in the gripping mechanism 200, the inclined slide shaft 218 is located at the center of the cam hole 224a of the inclined cam plate 224 and at the center of the cam hole 232a of the inclined cam plate 232 by the inclination drive source 215. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6(B), the tip side movable plate 221 and the base side movable plate 231 are horizontal, and the tip claws 222 and the base claws 234 are at the same height.

[0058] (Substrate grip release operation) In the above-described horizontal state, when the opening / closing drive source 212 moves the opening / closing bar 213 toward the base side, the pin 213a in contact with the pin hole 231b moves the base side opening / closing plate 231a toward the base side against the biasing member 233. As a result, the base claw 234 moves toward the base side, and the distance between the tip claw 222 and the base claw 234 becomes larger than the distance at which the substrate W is gripped.

[0059] The arm section 140 inserts and raises the tip side movable plate 221 of the gripping mechanism 200 below the substrate W held by a substrate holding means (not shown) in the chamber (not shown), thereby placing the substrate W between the tip claws 222 and the base claws 234. Then, when the opening / closing drive source 212 moves the opening / closing bar 213 to the tip side, the base side opening / closing plate 231a moves to the tip side by the biasing force of the biasing member 233. As a result, the base claw 234 moves to the tip side, and the edge of the substrate W is gripped by the tip claws 222 and the base claws 234.

[0060] The substrate W thus held by the holding mechanism 200 can be moved to a destination chamber by the moving mechanism 110 including the arm unit 140. After the substrate W is inserted into the destination chamber, the opening / closing drive source 212 moves the base side opening / closing plate 231a toward the base side against the biasing member 233, and moves the base claws 234 toward the base side, whereby the base claws 234 are separated from the edge of the substrate W, and the substrate W is released.

[0061] (Tilt of the board) By gripping the substrate W as described above, the substrate W is gripped in a horizontal state. That is, in the initial position, the tip claws 222 and base claws 234, which are the multiple gripping members, are arranged at the same height, that is, in a horizontal positional relationship. An operation for tilting the substrate W from this state will be described.

[0062] First, we will explain the operation of tilting the substrate W by raising the base side of the substrate W when the acceleration direction is toward the tip side, i.e., when the substrate W is moved while accelerating toward the tip side or when it is moved while decelerating toward the base side.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 4, the inclined slide shaft 218 is moved to the base side of the cam hole 232a together with the inclined drive slide 217 by the inclined drive source 215. Then, the cam hole 232a is urged upward, so that the tip side of the base side movable plate 231 is inclined upward with the inclined rotation shaft 216 as a fulcrum, and the base claw 234 rises, as shown in Fig. 6(A).

[0064] At this time, cam hole 224a of inclined cam plate 224 is biased upward, so that the tip side of tip side movable plate 221 inclines downward with connection portion 223 as a fulcrum, and tip claw 222 descends. In this manner, base claw 234 gripping substrate W rises and tip claw 222 descends, causing the surface of substrate W to incline toward the tip side. In other words, it inclines toward the acceleration direction. However, the distance that base claw 234 rises from the horizontal state is longer than the distance that tip claw 222 descends from the horizontal state. In other words, substrate W inclines so that the base side is lifted.

[0065] Next, we will explain the operation of tilting the substrate W by raising the tip side of the substrate W when the acceleration direction is toward the base side, i.e., when the substrate W is moved toward the tip side while decelerating or when the substrate W is moved toward the base side while accelerating.

[0066] As shown in Fig. 5, the inclined slide shaft 218 is moved to the tip side of the cam hole 232a together with the inclined drive slide 217 by the inclined drive source 215. Then, as shown in Fig. 6(C), the cam hole 232a is urged downward, and the tip side of the inclined cam plate 232 is tilted downward with the inclined rotation shaft 216 as the fulcrum, so that the base claw 234 descends.

[0067] At this time, cam hole 224a of inclined cam plate 224 is biased downward, so that the tip side of tip side movable plate 221 is inclined so as to rise, with connection portion 223 as the fulcrum, and tip claw 222 rises. In this manner, tip claw 222 gripping substrate W rises and base claw 234 descends, so that the surface of substrate W inclines toward the base side. In other words, it inclines toward the acceleration direction. However, the distance that tip claw 222 rises from the horizontal state is longer than the distance that base claw 234 descends from the horizontal state. In other words, substrate W inclines so that the tip side is lifted.

[0068] As described above, depending on whether the inclined slide shaft 218 is on the tip side or the base side of the cam holes 224a, 232a, the up-down relationship between the tip claws 222 and the base claws 234 is reversed, and the substrate W is inclined. The inclination angle of the substrate W can be determined by the shapes of the cam holes 224a, 232a. For example, it can be set to an inclination angle θ at which acceleration α=tan θ.

[0069] When the moving mechanism 110 moves the substrate W toward the tip side while accelerating, the amount of liquid that falls can be reduced by tilting the surface of the substrate W toward the tip side. This is the same when the substrate W is moved toward the base side while decelerating. In other words, by tilting, a force that balances the force (inertial force) acting on the liquid on the substrate W during acceleration and deceleration (force that cancels the inertial force) can be generated. When changing from acceleration to a constant speed, the liquid and the substrate W move at a constant speed by gradually returning to a horizontal state. When the substrate W is moved toward the tip side while decelerating, the amount of liquid that falls can be reduced by tilting the surface of the substrate W toward the base side. This is the same when the substrate W is moved toward the base side while decelerating.

[0070] In addition, when tilting the substrate W as described above, when comparing the height of rise and fall relative to the horizontal at the edge of the substrate W in the acceleration direction and the edge on the opposite side, the distance that the edge on the opposite side rises is longer than the distance that the edge in the acceleration direction falls, for the following reason.

[0071] First, by raising the side opposite to the acceleration direction of the substrate W from the horizontal state, the liquid is raised in a direction against gravity, and the liquid is more likely to adhere to the surface of the substrate W. By lowering the leading end side of the acceleration direction of the substrate W, the position of the liquid is lowered in a direction along gravity, and the liquid is more likely to separate from the surface of the substrate W. For this reason, by raising the opposite side higher than the acceleration direction of the substrate W, the outflow of the liquid is further suppressed. Note that if the fulcrum of the inclination of the substrate W is set at the center of the substrate W, the gravity acting on the liquid changes with the center as the boundary, and some of the liquid is more likely to disperse and spill, so it is preferable to use one of the opposing edges of the substrate W as a fulcrum and lift the other, as in this embodiment.

[0072] Furthermore, the mechanism for raising and lowering the edge of the substrate W is provided on the outside of the edge of the substrate W, that is, on the base side in this embodiment, because if the mechanism were provided on the inside of the edge of the substrate W, the space required to insert the mechanism would become large above and below the substrate W in the chamber.

[0073] [Effect] (1) This embodiment includes a gripping mechanism 200 having a plurality of gripping members (tip claws 222, base claws 234) for gripping a substrate W, and a moving mechanism 110 for moving the substrate W gripped by the gripping members together with the gripping mechanism 200.

[0074] The gripping mechanism 200 includes a movable member (base-side movable plate 231) provided with the gripping members, and an inclination drive unit D that drives the movable member to change the height of the plurality of gripping members, and inclines the substrate W with a liquid attached to its surface horizontally so that the surface faces the acceleration direction of the movement by the moving mechanism 110.

[0075] Therefore, by changing the height of the plurality of gripping members that grip the substrate W and inclining the substrate W with a liquid attached to its surface in the direction of the acceleration, a force that cancels out the inertial force acting on the liquid during acceleration or deceleration is applied, and the outflow of the liquid from the surface of the substrate W can be reduced. Accordingly, the substrate W can be moved at a higher speed than the speed at which the liquid does not drop when the substrate W is conveyed in a horizontal state, and the conveyance speed can be increased. This leads to an improvement in the productivity of the entire substrate processing without inhibiting the productivity due to parallel processing by a plurality of chambers.

[0076] (2) The inclination drive unit D inclines the substrate W by changing the arrangement of the plurality of gripping members arranged in a horizontal positional relationship so that the gripping members located on the side opposite to the acceleration direction are higher. As a result, the liquid is lifted in a direction against gravity, and the liquid easily adheres to the surface of the substrate W, so that the dropping of the liquid can be further suppressed.

[0077] (3) The moving mechanism 110 has an arm unit 140 connected to the gripping mechanism 200 and moves the gripping mechanism 200 back and forth in the horizontal direction, and the tilt drive unit D is provided on the arm unit 140 side of the gripping mechanism 200. Therefore, when the gripping mechanism 200 is inserted into the chamber, the tilt drive unit D does not get in the way, and it is possible to suppress an increase in space around the substrate W in the chamber. Also, since the substrate W is tilted by changing the height of the gripping member that grips the substrate W, rather than changing the angle of the arm unit 140, it is possible to suppress the space required around the substrate W for changing the angle. This is effective when there are many space constraints on the transport path in the substrate processing apparatus.

[0078] (4) An opening / closing drive unit E is provided that moves the movable member in a direction in which the gripping member approaches and moves away from the edge of the substrate W. In this way, by sharing the movable member with the tilt drive unit D, it is possible to save space required for the movement path and simplify the configuration.

[0079] (5) A control device 300 is provided that changes the tilt angle of the substrate W caused by the tilt drive unit D in response to the acceleration of the movement of the substrate W caused by the movement mechanism 110. Since the inertial force acting on the liquid differs depending on the increase or decrease in acceleration, and the tilt angle at which the liquid does not flow out also differs, the outflow of the liquid can be further suppressed by changing the tilt angle in response to the acceleration.

[0080] [Variations] The present embodiment can also be modified as follows. For example, the tilt driver D may be provided so as to be able to change the tilt angle of the substrate W around two orthogonal axes as fulcrums. Such an embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 10 to 12.

[0081] In this embodiment, the pair of base side movable plates 231 arranged on the left and right sides sandwiching the tip side movable plate 221 and the fixed plate 211 are configured to be able to operate independently on the left and right sides. Therefore, the left and right base claws 234 can move up and down in opposite directions, thereby allowing the substrate W to be tilted around the X direction as an axis.

[0082] That is, as shown in Fig. 10, this embodiment has a lateral inclination drive source 215a, a lateral inclination drive rod 216a, a lateral inclination slide 217a, a lateral inclination slide shaft 218a, and a lateral inclination link 219a in addition to the configuration of the above embodiment. The lateral inclination drive source 215a is a cylinder arranged in parallel with the inclination drive source 215. The lateral inclination drive source 215a is fixed to the fixed plate 211 by a block-shaped drive member 211b. The lateral inclination drive rod 216a is a drive rod of the lateral inclination drive source 215a, and moves in the X direction by penetrating the inclination drive slide 217.

[0083] The horizontally inclined slides 217a are plates that are arranged along the pair of inclined cam plates 224 and move in the X direction. The horizontally inclined slide shafts 218a are provided on the horizontally inclined slides 217a and movably inserted into the cam holes 224a of the inclined cam plates 224. The horizontally inclined links 219a are a pair of plates that are parallel to each other and have a rotation shaft 219b at their centers. The rotation shaft 219b is fixed to the fixed plate 211, and the horizontally inclined links 219a are provided to be horizontally rotatable around the rotation shaft 219b.

[0084] Both ends of the lateral inclination link 219a are connected to the left and right lateral inclination slides 217a so as to be rotatable around the rotation shafts 219c. By providing this rotation shaft 219c, the lateral inclination slide 217a moves in the X direction in accordance with the rotation of the lateral inclination link 219a. A lateral inclination shaft block 216b is slidably connected (in the Y direction) to a part of the lateral inclination link 219a at a position offset from the rotation shaft 219b. The lateral inclination shaft block 216b is a screw nut portion, and the lateral inclination drive rod 216a is rotatably connected to the lateral inclination link 219a.

[0085] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the tip side movable plate 221 has a substantially triangular portion that tapers from the base side to the tip side. And, there is one tip claw 222 provided at the tip of the tip side movable plate 221. Therefore, the substrate W is supported at three points by the one tip claw 222 and the two base claws 234.

[0086] As a result, when the horizontal inclination drive source 215a rotates the shaft, the horizontal inclination shaft block 216b moves in the X direction, and the horizontal inclination link 219a rotates horizontally around the rotation shaft 219b. Then, of the pair of left and right horizontal inclination slides 217a, one moves toward the substrate W and the other moves away from the substrate W, that is, they move in opposite directions, and the pair of horizontal inclination slide shafts 218a move in opposite directions of the cam holes 224a through which they are inserted. As a result, the pair of base side movable plates 231 move up and down in opposite directions.

[0087] That is, when the horizontal inclined shaft block 216b moves in a direction toward the substrate W, one of the base claws 234 rises and the other base claw 234 descends. Conversely, when the horizontal inclined shaft block 216b moves in a direction away from the substrate W, the other base claw 234 rises and one of the base claws 234 descends.

[0088] Since the inclined slide shaft 218 of the inclined drive slide 217 driven by the inclined drive source 215 is inserted only into the cam hole 224a of the inclined cam plate 224, the inclined drive source 215 inclines the tip side movable plate 221 but is not involved in the inclination of the base side movable plate 231.

[0089] Although not shown, also in this embodiment, a gripping mechanism is provided in which the base side opening / closing plate 231a slides to move the base claws 234, and grips the substrate W between the base claws 234 and the tip claws 222. For example, as described in the above embodiment, the gripping mechanism 200 including the opening / closing drive source 212 can be applied.

[0090] In this embodiment, the substrate W can be tilted around two orthogonal axes. That is, the substrate W can be tilted around the Y-axis by the tilt drive source 215, and the substrate W can be tilted around the X-axis by the lateral tilt drive source 215a, as shown in Figs. 11(A) and 11(B).

[0091] This makes it possible to prevent the liquid from leaking out even when the substrate W on which the liquid film is formed is moved in two directions by the moving mechanism 110. For example, this is effective not only for linear movement but also for the polar coordinate type substrate transport device 100 in which the arm unit 140 extends, retracts, and rotates.

[0092] (Usefulness of two-way tilt) In this way, since tilting is possible not only about the X-direction axis but also about the Y-direction axis, outflow of liquid can be suppressed not only in the X-direction movement but also in the Y-direction movement. Furthermore, when rotating the substrate W by the arm unit 140, outflow of liquid can be suppressed by tilting about an axis parallel to the tangent direction of the circular arc that forms the rotation path as a fulcrum.

[0093] When the arm unit 140 performs an operation of rotating the substrate W, a centrifugal force F acts on the liquid on the surface of the substrate W. The centrifugal force F is a force determined by the rotation angular velocity and the rotation radius. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 12, a tilt angle θ that balances the force Pc acting on the liquid in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate W due to the centrifugal force F can be obtained by a calculation similar to that described above.

[0094] However, the centrifugal force changes depending on the radius r of rotation. Therefore, the angle θ that balances the centrifugal force also changes depending on the radius r of rotation. However, the substrate W is a plate with a wide surface, and the radius r when rotating differs depending on the location within the surface. For this reason, it is necessary to change the appropriate tilt angle θ depending on the position within the surface, but it is difficult to do this accurately.

[0095] As a result, with regard to centrifugal force, at a radius r in a specific region, the liquid will not move on the substrate W, but in a region with a small radius r, the centrifugal force is small and the liquid will flow toward the center, and in a region with a large radius r, the centrifugal force is large and the liquid will flow to the outside. For this reason, instead of rotating at a constant angle θ, the angle θ is slightly changed to move the liquid alternately in the outer and inner directions on the substrate W, thereby reducing the amount of liquid that falls.

[0096] (Other embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but also includes other embodiments described below. The present invention also includes a combination of all or any of the above-described embodiment and the other embodiments described below. Furthermore, these embodiments can be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention, and such modifications are also included in the present invention.

[0097] For example, the number of gripping members is not limited to three or four, and may be a greater number. Also, the gripping members at multiple locations may be raised and lowered independently, so that the tilt direction can be changed in accordance with various acceleration directions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 100 Substrate transport device 110 Moving mechanism 113 Connecting part 120 Running mechanism 130 Lifting and Rotating Mechanism 140 Arm section 141 Table 142 Arm 143 Connecting part 144 Water Receiver 200 Gripping mechanism 210 Root side fixed part 211 Fixing plate 211a Fixing member 211b Driving member 212 Opening and closing drive source 213 Opening and closing bar 213a Pin 214 Opening and closing guide 215 Inclined Drive Source 215S Shaft 215a Horizontal tilt drive source 216 Inclined Rotating Axis 216a Horizontal inclination drive rod 216b Horizontal inclination block 217 Inclined Drive Slide 217a Horizontal inclined slide 218 Tilt slide axis 218a Lateral tilt slide axis 219 Tilt slide guide 219a Lateral tilt link 219b Rotation axis 219c Rotation axis 220 Tip-side movable part 221 Tip-side movable plate 222 Tip claw 223 Connection part 224 Tilt cam plate 224a Cam hole 230 Base-side movable part 231 Base-side movable plate 231a Base-side opening / closing plate 231b Pin hole 232 Tilt cam plate 232a Cam hole 233 Biasing member 234 Base claw 300 Control device

Claims

1. a gripping mechanism having a plurality of gripping members for gripping the substrate; a moving mechanism that moves the substrate gripped by the gripping member together with the gripping mechanism; having The gripping mechanism includes: a movable member provided with the gripping member; a tilt drive unit that changes the height of the plurality of gripping members by driving the movable member, and tilts the substrate, on whose surface the liquid has been applied, relative to the horizontal so that the surface faces a direction of acceleration of the movement by the movement mechanism; an opening / closing mechanism that moves the movable member in a direction in which the gripping member approaches and moves away from an edge of the substrate; A substrate transport device comprising:

2. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tilt drive unit tilts the substrate by changing the height of the arrangement of the multiple gripping members that are arranged in a horizontal positional relationship so that the gripping members located on the opposite side to the acceleration direction are higher.

3. the moving mechanism has an arm portion connected to the gripping mechanism and moves the gripping mechanism forward and backward in a horizontal direction; 3. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, wherein the tilt drive unit is provided on the arm side of the gripping mechanism.

4. 4. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control device that changes an angle of inclination of the substrate caused by the tilt drive unit in response to an acceleration of the movement of the substrate caused by the moving mechanism.

5. 5. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, wherein the tilt drive unit is provided so as to be able to change the tilt angle of the substrate about two axes in orthogonal directions as fulcrums.

6. A gripping mechanism having a plurality of gripping members for gripping a substrate; a moving mechanism that moves the substrate gripped by the gripping member together with the gripping mechanism; having The gripping mechanism includes: a movable member provided with the gripping member; a tilt drive unit that changes the height of the plurality of gripping members by driving the movable member, and tilts the substrate, on whose surface the liquid has been applied, relative to the horizontal so that the surface faces a direction of acceleration of the movement by the movement mechanism; having The substrate transport device is characterized in that the tilt drive unit is provided so as to be able to change the tilt angle of the substrate about two axes in perpendicular directions as fulcrums.

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