PCB transport module and PCB transport method

Abstract

To prevent a transfer space where a transfer body for a substrate moving in the transfer space by magnetic floating is moved, from being affected by a non-transfer space on the outside.SOLUTION: A substrate transfer module comprising a transfer space where a substrate is transferred by a transfer body with a magnet floating from a floor by a magnetic force in a lateral direction, comprises: a hole formation member having a penetration hole formed in a vertical direction; a segmentation member for forming the transfer space where an atmosphere is separated from a non-transfer space including the floor on the outside of the transfer space while overlapping in the vertical direction on a hole edge part of the penetration hole to form the floor by blocking the penetration hole; and a plurality of electromagnets that is provided at a position overlapping with the penetration hole in the non-transfer space in order to move the transfer body in the lateral direction, and to which power is individually supplied from a power supply part provided in the non-transfer space via a power supply path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate transport module and a substrate transport method.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] For example, in a system (substrate processing apparatus) that performs processing on a semiconductor wafer which is a substrate (hereinafter also referred to as "wafer"), the wafer is transported between a carrier accommodating the wafer and a substrate processing chamber where the processing is performed. In transporting the wafer, substrate transport mechanisms of various configurations are used. The applicant is advancing the development of a substrate processing apparatus that transports substrates using a substrate transport body that utilizes magnetic levitation.

[0003] As an apparatus utilizing magnetic levitation, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration including a planar motor having arranged coils, and a transport unit that moves on the planar motor. This transport unit has arranged magnets, and includes a base that is magnetically levitated by the planar motor, and a substrate support member that supports a substrate. Further, Patent Document 2 describes a technique related to the arrangement of a magnet array in a displacement apparatus that includes a stator provided with coils and a movable stage provided with a magnet array, and causes relative movement between the stator and the movable stage.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0004]

PATENT DOCUMENT 1

PATENT DOCUMENT 2

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0005] This disclosure provides a technology that can suppress the influence of an external non-transport space on the transport space in which a transport body of a substrate moving by magnetic levitation moves. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The substrate transport module of this disclosure is a substrate transport module that has a transport space in which a transport body equipped with magnets moves laterally while floating above the floor by magnetic force to transport a substrate, A hole-forming member having a through hole formed in the vertical direction, A partition member for forming the transport space, which overlaps vertically with the edge of the through hole and closes the through hole, thereby forming the floor, and which separates the atmosphere of the transport space from the non-transport space including the space under the floor outside the transport space, To move the transporter laterally, a plurality of electromagnets are provided in the non-transport space at positions overlapping the through-hole, and each is individually powered from a power supply unit provided in the non-transport space via a power supply path, Equipped with 、 The partition member forms part of the case body. The plurality of electromagnets are provided inside the case body. The non-transport space includes the interior of the case body and the area below the case body, which is the underfloor space, and the power supply path is provided from the interior of the case body to the underfloor space. The aforementioned floor forms the bottom of the enclosure. An exhaust mechanism is provided to evacuate the transport space inside the housing and create a vacuum atmosphere. The non-transport space is the space outside the housing that is in an atmospheric environment. The hole-forming member comprises an outer frame and a plurality of crossbars extending forward, backward, left, and right within the outer frame, forming a grid-like frame that creates a plurality of through holes. A case body is provided for each of the aforementioned through holes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to suppress the influence of the transport space on the transport body of a substrate moving in the transport space by magnetic levitation from the outside non-transport space. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus in the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective see-through view showing a carrier and a floor in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a vertical sectional side view taken along line A-A′ in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a lower perspective view showing a frame body in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is an enlarged view of part B in Figure 4. [Figure 6] This is a partially exploded view of the floor in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a lower perspective view of a floor in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C' in Figure 7. [Figure 9] This is a vertical sectional side view of a floor in the third embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a vertical sectional side view of a floor in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a vertical sectional side view of a floor in the fifth embodiment. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0009] (First Embodiment) <Substrate Processing Apparatus> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the substrate transfer module 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the substrate transfer module 1 constitutes, for example, a multi-chamber type substrate processing apparatus 2 provided with a plurality of processing containers 11 capable of performing various processes on a wafer W which is a substrate, and transfers the wafer W to the corresponding processing container 11 to perform processing on the wafer W.

[0010] Before describing the substrate transport module 1, we will begin by describing the overall structure of the substrate processing apparatus 2. The substrate processing apparatus 2 is installed in a cleanroom in a semiconductor equipment manufacturing plant. As shown in Figure 1, the substrate processing apparatus 2 comprises an atmospheric transport chamber 61, a load lock chamber 62, a housing 12, and a plurality of processing containers 11, which are arranged in this order horizontally from the atmospheric transport chamber 61 side. In this example of the substrate processing apparatus 2, the processing containers 11 are configured to process wafers W under a vacuum atmosphere, and the wafer transport space S1 formed within the housing 12 is under a vacuum atmosphere.

[0011] In the following description of the entire substrate processing apparatus 2, the XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is used, where the XY direction is the horizontal direction. In Figure 1, the Y direction is the front-to-back direction, and the X direction is the left-to-right direction. In the front-to-back direction, the housing 12 is at the back (rear side), and the air transport chamber 61 is at the front (front side). The vertical direction is indicated as the Z direction.

[0012] A load port 63 is provided on the front side of the atmospheric transport chamber 61. The load port 63 is configured as a platform on which carriers C containing wafers W to be processed are placed, and for example, four of them are installed side by side in the left-right direction. For the carrier C, for example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) can be used. The atmospheric transport chamber 61 is at atmospheric pressure (normal pressure), and for example, a downflow of clean air is formed. In addition, a transport mechanism 66 consisting of, for example, a multi-joint arm is provided inside the atmospheric transport chamber 61 and is configured to transport wafers W between the carrier C and the load lock chamber 62.

[0013] Between the atmospheric transport chamber 61 and the housing 12, for example, two load lock chambers 62 are installed side by side. The load lock chambers 62 are configured to switch between an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere, and include a transfer stage 67 on which the wafer W is placed, and lifting pins 68 that push up and hold the wafer W from below. For example, three lifting pins 68 are provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction and are configured to move up and down. The lifting pins 69, described later, are configured similarly. The space between the load lock chamber 62 and the atmospheric transport chamber 61, and the space between the load lock chamber 62 and the housing 12, are configured to be openable and closable by gate valves G1 and G2, respectively.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the housing 12 is elongated in the front-to-back direction and has a rectangular shape in plan view. The bottom of the housing 12 is configured as a floor 3, and above the floor 3 inside the housing 12, a wafer W transport space S1 is formed. The housing 12 is provided with a vacuum exhaust mechanism 14, and the vacuum exhaust mechanism 14 is, above The flow end opens within the housing 12, reducing the transport space S1 to a vacuum atmosphere. In this example, eight processing containers 11 are connected to the left and right side walls 15 of the housing 12, four on each side. An opening 16 for transporting wafers W to each processing container 11 is formed in the side wall 15, and each opening 16 is configured to be openable and closable by a gate valve G3. Wafers W are loaded and unloaded between the housing 12 and the processing containers 11 through these openings 16.

[0015] Each processing container 11 is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere by a vacuum evacuation mechanism (not shown). A mounting table 17 is provided inside each processing container 11, and predetermined processing is carried out with the wafer W placed on this mounting table 17. Examples of processing performed on the wafer W include etching, film deposition, annealing, and ashing. Each processing container 11 is equipped with a processing module for performing such processing, specifically, a mounting table 17, a heater for adjusting the temperature of the mounting table 17, a gas supply unit such as a showerhead for supplying gas into the processing container 11, a group of gas flow equipment such as valves for introducing gas into the gas supply unit, and an exhaust mechanism such as valves and pumps for exhausting the inside of the processing container 11.

[0016] For example, when processing is performed while heating the wafer W, a heater is provided on the mounting table 17. If the processing performed on the wafer W utilizes a processing gas, a processing gas supply unit, consisting of a shower head or the like, is provided on the processing container 11. Note that these heaters and processing gas supply units are not shown in the figures. The mounting table 17 is also provided with lifting pins 69 for transferring the wafer W in and out.

[0017] A transporter 70 for transporting wafers W is installed inside the housing 12. As shown in Figure 1, the transporter 70 has a main body 71 that is placed on the floor 3, and this main body 71 is provided with a substrate holding section 72 that horizontally holds the wafer W to be transported. The substrate holding section 72 is provided so as to protrude horizontally from the main body 71.

[0018] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the bottom surface of the main body 71 of the transporter 70 and the interior of the floor 3, with the upper part of the main body 71 of the transporter 70 and the upper part of the case body 40 of the floor 3 (described later) visible through it. As will be described in detail later, the transporter 70 is configured to move laterally while floating above the floor surface 3A (the top surface of the floor 3) by utilizing the repulsive force between the magnetic unit 74 provided on the bottom surface of the main body 71 and the numerous electromagnets provided on the floor 3. This floating movement of the transporter 70 prevents dust generation and ensures a high level of cleanliness in the transport space S1.

[0019] Note that the lateral movement referred to here includes the movement of any point on the transporter 70 in the lateral direction. In other words, in addition to the transporter 70 moving to a distant position in the front-to-back direction (Y direction) or left-to-right direction (X direction) on the floor, it also includes rotational movement around the vertical axis in place. Furthermore, the height at which the transporter 70 floats above the floor surface 3A can also be changed. Therefore, the transporter 70 can also move in the vertical direction. As described above, the transporter 70 can change its position in the X, Y, and Z directions, but it is not limited to movement in only one of these XYZ directions; translational movement in multiple directions is also possible.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, for example, the tip of the substrate holding portion 72 is configured as a fork 73 that can be positioned to sandwich on both sides an area where three lifting pins 68 and 69 are provided. The substrate holding portion 72 is configured to be long enough to transfer the wafer W to the mounting table 17 by, for example, opening the gate valve G3 and inserting it into the processing container 11 through the opening 16 while the main body portion 71 remains located inside the housing 12.

[0021] Furthermore, the length of the shorter side of the rectangular housing 12 in plan view is such that two transport units 70, each holding a wafer W, can pass each other side by side. In this example, multiple transport units 70 provided inside the housing 12 are used to transport the wafer W.

[0022] <Department Head> Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus 2 is equipped with a control unit 5. The control unit 5 is composed of a computer with a CPU and a memory unit, and controls each part of the substrate processing apparatus 2. The memory unit stores a program consisting of steps (instructions) for controlling the operation of the processing container 11 and other components in various processing steps. This program is stored on a storage medium such as a hard disk, compact disk, magnetic optical disk, memory card, or non-volatile memory, and installed from there onto the computer. The memory unit also stores a program for controlling the wafer transport operation of the transport body 70, and also stores a program related to a depressurization process that pre-emptively creates a vacuum atmosphere in the transport space S1 before the wafer transport operation.

[0023] <Transportation Operation> Next, an example of wafer W transport operation in the substrate processing apparatus 2 having the above configuration will be described. First, a carrier C containing the wafer W to be processed is placed on the load port 63. Then, the transport mechanism 66 in the atmospheric transport chamber 61 removes the wafer W from the carrier C and moves it into the load lock chamber 62, and in cooperation with the lifting pin 68, the wafer W is transferred to the stage 67. After that, when the transport mechanism 66 retracts from the load lock chamber 62, the gate valve G1 is closed, and the atmosphere inside the load lock chamber 62 is switched from an atmospheric atmosphere to a vacuum atmosphere.

[0024] Once the load lock chamber 62 is in a vacuum, the gate valve G2 is opened. At this time, inside the housing 12, the transport body 70 is waiting near the connection point of the load lock chamber 62, facing the load lock chamber 62 directly. Then, as will be described later, the transport body 70 is raised by magnetic levitation.

[0025] Next, the substrate holding section 72 of the transport body 70 enters the load lock chamber 62, and the wafer W is received from the stage 67 to the fork 73 of the substrate holding section 72 via the lifting pin 68. Subsequently, the substrate holding section 72 holding the wafer W is moved out of the load lock chamber 62. The transport body 70 is moved back to a position to the side of the processing container 11 where the wafer W is processed, and the leading edge of the substrate holding section 72 holding the wafer W is positioned to the side of the gate valve G3.

[0026] Once the tip of the substrate holder 72 reaches the side of the gate valve G3, the gate valve G3 is opened, and the main body 71 rotates, retracts, and moves forward as appropriate to transport the wafer W into the processing container 11, bringing the wafer W above the mounting table 17. Next, the wafer W is transferred to the mounting table 17 via the lifting pin 69, and the transporter 70 is moved away from the processing container 11. After closing the gate valve G3, the processing of the wafer W is started.

[0027] Specifically, the wafer W placed on the mounting table 17 is heated as needed to reach a preset temperature, and if a processing gas supply unit is provided, processing gas is supplied into the processing container 11. In this way, the desired processing of the wafer W is performed. After processing the wafer W for a preset period, the heating of the wafer W is stopped, and the supply of processing gas is also stopped.

[0028] Subsequently, the wafer W is transported in the reverse order of its initial arrival, returning it from the processing container 11 to the load lock chamber 62. Furthermore, after switching the atmosphere in the load lock chamber 62 to atmospheric pressure, the transport mechanism 66 on the atmospheric transport chamber 61 side removes the wafer W from the load lock chamber 62 and returns it to the designated carrier C.

[0029] The substrate transport module 1 will be described in detail below. The substrate transport module 1 consists of a housing 12 that forms a transport space S1 in which wafers W are transported as described above, a vacuum exhaust mechanism 14 that exhausts the transport space S1 to create a vacuum atmosphere, and a transport body 70. The bottom of the housing 12 is configured as a floor 3 on which many electromagnets are provided. As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 2 is installed in a clean room, so the outside of the housing 12 is an atmospheric environment. This atmospheric space outside the housing 12 will be referred to as the external space 100. As will be described later, the atmosphere of the transport space S1 and the atmosphere of the external space 100 are separated, and the transport space S1 is configured to have high airtightness. For example, the transport of wafers W in the transport space S1 is performed in a vacuum atmosphere of 300 Pa or less.

[0030] <Conveyor> Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view along the line AA' shown in Figure 2, showing the magnet unit 74 and the electromagnets (first coil 56, second coil 57) included in the floor 3. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the main body 71 is configured, for example, in a square shape in plan view, and the bottom surface of the main body 71 is facing and parallel to the floor 3. In Figures 2 and 3, the main body 71 is positioned on the floor 3 such that the four sides constituting the periphery of the main body 71 are parallel to the X and Y directions, respectively, and the substrate holding portion 72 is shown extending in the Y direction. The arrangement of the transporter 70 can be changed arbitrarily, but for the sake of explaining the configuration, the magnet unit 74 of the transporter 70 will be described assuming that the transporter 70 is arranged as shown in Figure 2.

[0031] <Magnetic Unit> As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each magnet unit 74 is a plate-like body configured as a rectangle in plan view, and they are all the same shape and are similarly composed of multiple magnets, as will be described in detail later. Each of these magnet units 74 extends horizontally, and its long side is positioned along the four sides of the outer edge of the main body 71. In adjacent magnet units 74, the long end of one magnet unit 74 is located on the extension of the long side of the other magnet unit 74. With this arrangement, the four magnet units 74 are configured to form an annular shape and are arranged to be rotationally symmetric about the Z axis.

[0032] figure 2 In this configuration, two magnet units 74 whose longer sides are aligned along the X direction are called the first magnet unit 75, and two magnet units 74 whose longer sides are aligned along the Y direction are called the second magnet unit 76. As shown in Figure 3, which represents two second magnet units 76, each magnet unit 74 is composed of nine permanent magnets 79. The nine permanent magnets 79 are formed in an elongated prismatic shape extending along the Y direction and are arranged along the X direction.

[0033] Figure 3 schematically shows the orientation of the north pole of each permanent magnet 79 with arrows. As shown in the figure, each permanent magnet 79 is arranged so that its north pole faces either the Z direction or the X direction, and the orientation of the north poles of adjacent permanent magnets 79 differs by 90°. Specifically, looking sequentially from one end (+X side) to the other end (-X side) in the X direction, the north poles of each permanent magnet 79 are arranged to face +Z, -X, -Z, +X, +Z, -X, -Z, +X, +Z, and the orientation of these magnetic poles changes periodically. That is, these nine permanent magnets 79 form a Halbach arrangement, and a stronger magnetic field is formed on the lower side than on the upper side, aiming to obtain a high levitation force. The first magnet unit 75 has the same configuration as the second magnet unit 76, except that its length is aligned with the X direction. Therefore, the description of the second magnet unit 76 described above, when reinterpreted as if the second magnet unit 76 were rotated 90° around the Z-axis, represents the first magnet unit 75.

[0034] <Floor> The floor 3, which is the bottom of the housing 12, is composed of a grid-like frame 30 with multiple through holes 31 formed therein, and multiple case bodies 40, one for each through hole 31. Figure 4 is a downward perspective view showing the frame 30, and Figure 5 is an enlarged bottom view of section B shown in Figure 4, with the outer edges of each case body 40 attached to the frame 30 indicated by dashed lines. Figure 6 is a partially exploded view of the floor 3 in this embodiment. The floor 3 is generally composed of this frame 30 and case bodies 40, but the rear end of the floor 3, for example, that is outside the movement area of ​​the transport body 70, does not have these components, and instead has an exhaust port 14A opening (see Figure 1). The transport space S1 is evacuated by a vacuum exhaust mechanism 14 such as a vacuum pump through the exhaust port 14A.

[0035] As shown in Figure 4, the frame 30 comprises a rectangular outer frame 32 and a plurality of crossbars 33 extending within the outer frame 32 in the X and Y directions, respectively. These crossbars 33, arranged in a grid pattern, demarcate the space inside the outer frame 32 and, together with the inner edge of the outer frame 32, form a plurality of through holes 31. Therefore, the frame 30 is a hole-forming member. The dashed lines in Figures 4 and 5 indicate the periphery of the inner wall of the housing 12 that overlaps the frame 30. Each through hole 31 is square in plan view and is arranged at equal intervals in the X and Y directions, respectively. Furthermore, the spacing between adjacent through holes 31 in the X direction is equal to the spacing between adjacent through holes 31 in the Y direction. Note that the shape of the through holes 31 and the case body 40 is not limited to a square; for example, it may be circular in plan view.

[0036] On the lower surface of the frame 30, annular arrangement grooves 36 are formed on the outer edge of each through hole 31, which are indicated by dots in Figure 5. The arrangement grooves 36 are provided concentrically with respect to the lower opening of the through hole 31 and are spaced apart from the through hole 31. An annular member 37 is placed in each arrangement groove 36, and each annular member 37 is formed along the circumference of the through hole 31. The annular member 37 is, for example, an elastic O-ring and is a sealing member for sealing the through hole 31. Also, on the lower surface of the frame 30, screw holes 38 are provided, slightly away from each of the four corners of each through hole 31. The detailed arrangement of the screw holes 38 will be described later, along with the configuration of the flange 41 of the case body 40.

[0037] <Case components that make up the floor> The case body 40 separates the transport space S1, which is a vacuum atmosphere, from the external space 100, which is an atmospheric atmosphere, by blocking the through-hole 31 of the frame body 30. As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the case body 40 comprises a case body 42, a flange 41 formed by protruding from the lower side circumference of the case body 42, and a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped internal space 43 provided inside the case body 42. This internal space 43 is a sealed space with an atmospheric atmosphere separated from the transport space S1, and this internal space 43 and the external space 100 form a non-transport space S2, which is separated from the transport space S1 in terms of atmosphere and is not transported by the transport body 70.

[0038] The internal space 43, which is at atmospheric pressure and a sealed space, houses electromagnets and the like. To prevent the case body 40 from being strongly magnetized by the electromagnets and interfering with the operation control of the transporter 70, the case body 40 is made of a paramagnetic or diamagnetic material. Specifically, it is made of aluminum (Al), for example. For the same reason, the frame body 30 described above is also made of a paramagnetic or diamagnetic material, like the case body, and is made of aluminum, for example.

[0039] The case body 42 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is square in plan view, and its size in plan view is approximately the same as the size of the through hole 31 in plan view. The flange 41 is provided on the lower side of the case body 42 and is therefore located lower than the top surface of the case body 42. The flange 41 is square in plan view, and its shape in plan view is slightly larger than the through hole 31 of the frame 30.

[0040] With the upper part of the case body 42 inserted into the through hole 31 from below, the flange 41 is screwed to the frame 30 so as to overlap the lower edge of the through hole 31. The upper surface of the case body 42 is positioned at approximately the same height as the upper surface of the frame 30, and together with the upper surface of the frame 30, it forms the floor surface 3A facing the transport space S1. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, the sides of each flange 41 attached to the frame 30 in this manner are close to and facing the sides of other adjacent flanges 41 in the X and Y directions.

[0041] Incidentally, to add some details about the structure of the flange 41, the upper surface of the flange 41 is configured as a contact surface 44 that contacts the annular member 37, and this contact surface 44 is polished to form an annular smooth surface. As a result, the contact between the annular member 37 and the contact surface 44 is high around the entire circumference, and the sealing performance of the through hole 31 is enhanced. In order to reduce the manufacturing cost of the device, this polishing is performed locally on the contact surface 44 that is involved in the sealing performance on the outer surface of the case body 40. As a result, the surface roughness of the contact surface 44 is smaller than the surface roughness of other areas on the outer surface of the case body 40, such as the upper surface. The surface roughness Ra of the contact surface 44 that has been polished for sealing is, for example, 1.6 μm or less, and more preferably, 0.8 μm or less.

[0042] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the flange 41 is square in plan view, but notches are formed at the four corners of this square. These notches are carved out more on the lower side toward the center of the flange 41 than on the upper side, so that thin-walled regions 45 with a small thickness in the Z direction are formed at each of the four corners of the flange 41. Screws 46 are inserted from below into the screw holes 38 of the frame 30, and the screws 46 and the screws in the screw holes 38 are screwed into each other, and the thin-walled regions 45 of the flange 41 are sandwiched between the heads of the screws 46 and the lower surface of the frame 30, thereby fixing the case body 40 to the frame 30 as described above. When fastened with screws in this way, the annular member 37, which is an elastic body, is crushed, and its restoring force causes it to be in close contact with the arrangement groove 36 of the frame 30 and the contact surface 44 of the flange 41, respectively, and as described above, the through hole 31 is sealed, and the atmosphere is separated between the transport space S1 and the external space 100.

[0043] The screws 46 and screw holes 38 are arranged in a matrix in a plan view. Furthermore, the corners of adjacent case body flanges 41 are close together, and a pair of screws 46 and screw holes 38 are provided to secure each of these close corners. Therefore, a pair of screw holes 38 and screws 46 are used to secure up to four case bodies 40.

[0044] The internal space 43 of the case body 40 will be described with reference to Figure 3. The electromagnet unit 51 is housed in the internal space 43. By being provided in the internal space 43 of the case body 40 in this way, the electromagnet unit 51 is positioned so as to overlap the through hole 31 in the opening direction (vertical direction) of the through hole 31. The electromagnet unit 51 comprises a first coil 56 whose winding shaft extends in the Y direction and a second coil 57 whose winding shaft extends in the X direction. The first coil 56 is provided in large numbers spaced apart in the Y direction, and the second coil 57 is provided in large numbers spaced apart in the X direction. Each of the first coil 56 and the second coil 57 is an electromagnet.

[0045] The first coil 56 and the second coil 57 are each provided with conductive paths 56m and 57m, respectively. Conductive path forming layers, in which many conductive paths 56m extending in the X direction are formed apart in the Y direction, and conductive path forming layers, in which many conductive paths 57m extending in the Y direction are formed apart in the X direction, are alternately stacked in the Z direction to form an electromagnet unit 51. Conductive paths 56m that are in the same position in the Y direction are connected to each other by wiring formed in the Z direction at the X-direction end of the electromagnet unit 51, and are formed as the first coil 56. Conductive paths 57m that are in the same position in the X direction are connected to each other by wiring formed in the Z direction at the electromagnet unit 51. Y The two conductive paths are connected to each other by wiring formed in the Z direction at their ends, forming the second coil 57 described above. Except at the ends of the electromagnet unit 51, the vertically overlapping conductive paths 56m and 57m are insulated from each other.

[0046] Each wire 52, which forms a power supply path connected to the first coil 56 and the second coil 57, is routed through the lower part of the case body 40 to the space under the housing 12, i.e., the external space 100. The wires 52 routed to the external space 100 are connected to the power supply unit 6 provided in the external space 100. In Figure 3, 53 is a connector provided at the lower part of the case body 40, and the portion of the wire 52 formed inside the case body 40 and the portion provided outside the case body 40 are connected to each other via the connector 53.

[0047] Incidentally, in Figure 3, the wiring 52 is shown to be connected to the power supply unit 6 by the wiring 52 of one first coil 56, but each first coil 56 and each second coil 57 is connected to the power supply unit 6 via the wiring 52. The power supply unit 6 consists of a power source and an adjustment mechanism that individually adjusts the amount of current supplied from the power source to each of the first coils 56 and each second coil 57. The power supply unit 6 adjusts the current individually for each coil of one case body 40, and furthermore, the current to the first coils 56 and second coils 57 is adjusted independently between case bodies 40. With such a configuration, the magnetic field formed on each part of the floor 3 can be adjusted, and the transport body 70 can be moved in each direction as explained in Figure 1. Although the movement of the transport body 70 has been described using repulsive force, it is also possible to use suction force in combination with repulsive force to control the transport body 70 to a desired location on the floor 3 by balancing the repulsive force and suction force. In other words, motion control is not limited to using only repulsive force.

[0048] Next, the internal structure of the case body 40 will be described. A fluid channel 54, such as water, is formed inside the case body 40. This channel 54 serves as a cooling section for cooling the inside of the case body 40, and one end and the other end of the channel 54 are connected to one end of pipes 55A and 55B provided in the external space 100 via connectors 53A and 53B, respectively, provided at the bottom of the case body 40. The other ends of pipes 55A and 55B are routed through the external space 100 and connected to a chiller 59, which is also provided in the external space 100, and the pipes 55A and 55B, the chiller 59, and the channel 54 form a water circulation path. Pipe 55A is a water supply pipe to the chiller 59, and pipe 55B is a water discharge pipe from the chiller 59. The chiller 59 includes a pump for circulating water and a channel connected to the supply pipe 55A and the discharge pipe 55B, which adjusts the water flowing through it to a predetermined temperature by heat exchange.

[0049] The water, whose temperature has been adjusted by the chiller 59, is supplied to the flow path 54 inside the case body 40. The electromagnet unit 51, which has been heated by the energization, is cooled by heat exchange with the water in the flow path 54, and the electromagnet unit 51 is adjusted to a preset temperature range. As a result, temperature-dependent changes in the electrical characteristics of the first coil 56 and the second coil 57, such as resistance, are suppressed. Therefore, the displacement of the magnetic field formed on the floor 3 due to the heat generated by the electromagnet unit 51 is suppressed, and the position of the transport body 70 can be controlled with high precision. For the sake of illustration, the power supply unit 6 and the chiller 59 are shown under the floor of the housing 12, but they can be located, for example, at a location away from the floor.

[0050] The wiring 52 connected to the electromagnet unit 51 described above may be made of resin, for example, for protection or insulation purposes. Made It is covered by an outer shell. Furthermore, the pipes 55 (55A, 55B) through which the cooling water flows are made of, for example, resin, to facilitate installation. Made Let's assume that the wiring 52 and resin tubes 55, which are covered with an outer sheath, are placed in a transport space S1 that is under a vacuum atmosphere. In that case, these resin Made Gas is released from each component. This raises concerns that components of the gas (outgassing) may adhere to the wafer W, contaminating it.

[0051] Furthermore, there is a concern that outgassing may cause the pressure in the transport space S1 to exceed the set value. In that case, various foreign substances may remain in the transport space S1, and there is a concern that these foreign substances may adhere to the wafer W or that unintended reactions may occur between the foreign substances and the wafer W. It should be noted that outgassing is described as occurring from resin components, but this is not limited to them; for example, in the case of wiring 52, it is also possible that a small amount of outgassing may occur from the wiring 52 itself.

[0052] However, in the substrate transport module 1 described above, the transport space S1, which is a vacuum atmosphere, is separated from the non-transport space S2, which consists of the external space 100 and the internal space 43 within the case body 40, by the through hole 31 formed in the floor 3 of the housing 12 being sealed by the case body 40 equipped with a flange 41. One end of the wiring 52 and pipe 55 is connected to the electromagnet unit 51 and flow path 54 inside the case body 40, respectively, while the other end is led out to the bottom of the case body 40 and connected to the power supply unit 6 and chiller 59 provided in the external space 100, respectively. In this way, the wiring 52 and pipe 55 are provided in the non-transport space S2 from one end to the other, so outgassing from these wiring 52 and pipe 55 into the transport space S1 is prevented. Consequently, the pressure in the transport space S1 does not exceed the set value, and a decrease in the cleanliness of the transport space S1 due to outgassing is prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the yield of semiconductor products manufactured from wafer W.

[0053] (Second Embodiment) Based on Figures 7 and 8, the floor 3a of the substrate transport module in the second embodiment of this disclosure will be described. In the following descriptions of each embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be the focus, and the same configuration as in the first embodiment will not be described. Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C' shown in Figure 7. Figure 8 omits the internal space 43 of the case body 40 and the various mechanisms arranged in the internal space 43.

[0054] In this embodiment, the floor 3a is equipped with multiple reinforcing members 8 that connect to the outer frame 32 and the multiple case bodies 40 from below. The outer frame 32 is wider and stronger than the crossbars 33 of the frame 30. By connecting the case bodies 40 to the outer frame 32 via the reinforcing members 8, the stress that the case bodies 40 and the crossbars 33 connected to the case bodies 40 receive due to atmospheric pressure is distributed between the reinforcing members 8 and the outer frame 32. Therefore, in this embodiment, deformation of the case bodies 40 and the crossbars 33 due to atmospheric pressure is more reliably prevented.

[0055] These multiple reinforcing members 8 are so-called beams, each extending in the X direction and spaced apart from one another along the Y direction. Each reinforcing member 8 is located below the crossbar 33 extending in the X direction, and its ends 81 and 82 in the extension direction are attached to the lower surface of the outer frame 32, for example, by screws (not shown). In the example shown in Figure 8, the flange 41 of the case body 40 and the reinforcing member 8 are sandwiched between the head of the screw 46 and the frame body 30, thereby fixing them to each other. However, the attachment of the reinforcing members 8 to the frame body 30 is not limited to this example and is arbitrary.

[0056] The shape of the reinforcing member is not limited to a beam shape like reinforcing member 8. For example, it may be formed in a cup shape with an open top, where the opening edge of the cup is connected to the outer frame, and the bottom surface inside the cup is connected to the bottom surface of the case body 40. If the reinforcing member is configured as a cup in this way, multiple through holes should be formed in the bottom of the cup so that the pipe 55 and wiring 52 can be pulled out downwards through these through holes.

[0057] (Third embodiment) A third embodiment of this disclosure will be described based on Figure 9. Figure 9 and subsequent Figures 9 to 11 are longitudinal cross-sectional side views showing the same parts as in Figure 3 relating to the first embodiment. In Figure 9, the case body 40c forming the floor 3c may have a flange 41 formed on the upper side instead of the lower side, and the case body 42 may be inserted into the through hole 31 of the frame 30 from the upper side (i.e., the transport space S1 side). In other words, in the third embodiment, the flange 41 is located in the transport space S1, which is a vacuum atmosphere. Since atmospheric pressure acts on the case body 40c from below, the screw 46 is provided so that its head presses the flange 41 downwards. That is, a screw hole 38 is formed on the upper surface of the frame 30, the screw 46 is inserted into the screw hole 38 from above, and the flange 41 is screwed in so that it is sandwiched between the head of the screw 46 and the frame 30. However, this screw 46 is subjected to relatively strong upward stress from the flange 41 due to atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the first embodiment is preferable because the load on the screw 46 is suppressed in this way, and the deterioration of the screw 46 is suppressed.

[0058] (Fourth Embodiment) Next, the floor 3d in the fourth embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 10. The case body 40d forming the floor 3d in this embodiment does not have a flange and is square in shape, larger than the through hole 31 in plan view. The outer edge of the upper surface of the case body 40d overlaps the edge of the through hole 31 from below. The screw 46 is a long screw and is inserted into the screw hole 38 by penetrating the peripheral edge of the case body 42 in the Z direction, thereby fixing the case body 40d to the frame 30.

[0059] Thus, the case body surrounding the electromagnet is not limited to being located within the through hole 31, nor is it limited to having a flange 41. However, in this fourth embodiment, since the upper surface of the case body 40d is lower than the upper surface of the frame body 30, the amount of current supplied to the electromagnet unit 51 is relatively large when levitating the transport body 70 relative to the upper surface of the frame body 30. In other words, the configuration of the first embodiment described above is preferable because it has the advantage of reducing the current required to levitate the transport body 70, thereby reducing the operating costs of the device.

[0060] Furthermore, within the case body 40d, instead of the flow path 54 connected to the chiller 59 as described in Figure 3, a fan 54d is provided as a cooling unit, capable of releasing gas downwards from the case body 40d. For example, a through-hole is formed at the bottom of the case body 40d, connecting the external space 100 to the inside of the case body 40d. The fan 54d draws air from the external space 100 into the case body 40d through this through-hole and releases it into the case body 40d, cooling the inside of the case body 40d with the flow of this air. Thus, the cooling unit that cools the inside of the case body is not limited to the cooling water flow path 54.

[0061] (Fifth embodiment) Based on Figure 11, the floor 3e of the substrate transport module in the fifth embodiment of this disclosure will be described. The floor 3e is composed of a square plate member 40e whose side size is slightly larger than the through hole 31 in a plan view, and the peripheral edge of this plate member 40e overlaps the edge of the through hole 31 from below, thereby closing the through hole 31. A connecting column 41e extends downward from the lower surface of the plate member 40e, and a base 42e is provided so as to be suspended from this connecting column 41e. A coil 58 that forms an electromagnet is provided on this base 42e at a position below the through hole 31.

[0062] Thus, the coil is not limited to a configuration in which it is enclosed in a case, as described in the first to fourth embodiments. However, from the viewpoint of protecting the coil and facilitating handling, a configuration with a case is advantageous. Incidentally, the coil 58 of this fifth embodiment differs from the first coil 56 and second coil 57 described in Figure 3 in that its winding shaft is arranged along the Z direction, and multiple coils are provided distributed on the XY plane below the through hole 31. Thus, the coil configuration is not limited to the configuration described in Figure 3. Note that, in order to avoid cluttering the figure, only the wiring 52 connected to one end of the coil 58 is shown, and the wiring 52 on the other end is not shown, but the other end is also provided in the external space 100, just like the one end.

[0063] (modified version) In each embodiment, the arrangement groove 36 of the outer frame 32 and the opening of the through hole 31 are spaced apart, but the arrangement groove 36 may be connected to the lower opening. Specifically, the lower end of the through hole 31 is configured to widen slightly to form a step. An O-ring is placed below this step, and the O-ring is pressed against the step by a flange 41 placed below the O-ring to provide a seal. In other words, the O-ring is not limited to being placed in a groove. Furthermore, although the annular member 37, which is the sealing member, has been described as an elastic O-ring, it is not limited to being an elastic material as long as it can tightly seal between the arrangement groove 36 and the flange 41, for example, it may be a metal gasket.

[0064] In each embodiment, the arrangement groove 36 and the annular member 37 are positioned at the edge of the through hole 31, and the contact surface 44 is positioned on the upper surface of the flange 41, but they may be positioned in the opposite direction. Furthermore, there are not limited to multiple sets of through holes 31 and case bodies 40; a configuration with only one relatively large set may be provided.

[0065] In this embodiment, the transport space S1 is subjected to a vacuum by the vacuum evacuation mechanism 14, but is not limited to this, and may be subjected to atmospheric pressure, for example. Even when the transport space S1 is subjected to atmospheric pressure, foreign matter coming from the outer sheath attached to the wiring 52 provided in the non-transport space S2 is prevented from being supplied to the transport space S1, and the transport space S1 can be kept clean. Furthermore, the substrate to be transported is not limited to a wafer W, but may be a rectangular substrate such as a substrate for manufacturing flat panel displays (FPDs).

[0066] Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, substituted, modified and combined in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] W wafer S1 Transport Space S2 Non-transport space 1. PCB transport module 3 beds 6 Power supply section 30 Frame 31 Through hole 40 cases 52 Wiring 56. First coil 57. Second coil 70 Conveyor 74 Magnet Unit

Claims

1. In a substrate transport module equipped with a transport space in which a transport body with magnets moves laterally while levitating from the floor by magnetic force to transport substrates, A hole-forming member having a through hole formed in the vertical direction, A partition member for forming the transport space, which overlaps vertically with the edge of the through hole and closes the through hole, thereby forming the floor, and which separates the atmosphere of the transport space from the non-transport space including the space under the floor outside the transport space, To move the transporter laterally, a plurality of electromagnets are provided in the non-transport space at positions overlapping the through-hole, and each is individually powered from a power supply unit provided in the non-transport space via a power supply path, Equipped with, The partition member forms part of the case body. The plurality of electromagnets are provided inside the case body. The non-transport space includes the interior of the case body and the area below the case body, which is the underfloor space, and the power supply path is provided from the interior of the case body to the underfloor space. The aforementioned floor forms the bottom of the enclosure. An exhaust mechanism is provided to evacuate the transport space inside the housing and create a vacuum atmosphere. The non-transport space is the space outside the housing that is in an atmospheric environment. The hole-forming member comprises an outer frame and a plurality of crossbars extending forward, backward, left, and right within the outer frame, forming a grid-like frame that creates a plurality of through holes. A substrate transport module in which the case body is provided for each of the through holes.

2. The case body comprises a case body surrounding the electromagnet and a flange provided on the side circumference of the case body. The substrate transport module according to claim 1, wherein the flange overlaps the hole edge in the longitudinal direction, and the case body is provided inside the through hole.

3. The flange overlaps the hole edge from below, The substrate transport module according to claim 2, wherein the case body has an upper surface provided at a position higher than the flange, and the upper surface forms a floor surface facing the transport space.

4. An annular member, which is an elastic material and is formed along the circumference of the through hole, is interposed between the flange and the hole edge. The substrate transport module according to claim 3, wherein the contact surface of the flange with respect to the annular member has a smaller surface roughness than the upper surface of the case body.

5. The substrate transport module according to claim 1, wherein a cooling unit is provided for cooling the inside of the case body.

6. The substrate transport module according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing member is provided that is connected from below to the outer frame and each of the case bodies, and connects each of the case bodies to the outer frame to prevent distortion of each of the case bodies.

7. The reinforcing member is Extending along the aforementioned crossbar that extends along either the front / back or left / right side, The substrate transport module according to claim 6, wherein one end and the other end in the extension direction are connected to the outer frame, and a plurality of beams are provided at intervals on the other side of the front and rear and left and right.

8. In a substrate transport method that transports substrates in a transport space where the atmosphere is separated from the non-transport space by a transport body equipped with magnets, A process of supplying power individually to electromagnets, which are provided on the outside of the transport space formed by partition members that overlap vertically with the edges of through holes formed vertically in the hole-forming member and close the through holes, and which are located in the non-transport space including the space under the floor, via a power supply path from a power supply unit provided in the non-transport space, and which are provided individually to these electromagnets. The process of transporting the substrate by moving the transporter laterally while it is levitated from the floor by magnetic force, Equipped with, The partition member forms part of the case body. The plurality of electromagnets are provided inside the case body. The non-transport space includes the interior of the case body and the area below the case body, which is the underfloor space, and the power supply path is provided from the interior of the case body to the underfloor space. The aforementioned floor forms the bottom of the enclosure. An exhaust mechanism is provided to evacuate the transport space inside the housing and create a vacuum atmosphere. The non-transport space is the space outside the housing that is in an atmospheric environment. The hole-forming member comprises an outer frame and a plurality of crossbars extending forward, backward, left, and right within the outer frame, forming a grid-like frame that creates a plurality of through holes. A substrate transport method in which the case body is provided for each of the through holes.

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