Horizontal line processing equipment and operating method thereof

Abstract

A horizontal production line process equipment includes a transfer mechanism, a lifting mechanism, and a process frame. The lifting mechanism is mounted on the transfer mechanism and has a lifting gripping device. After the lifting mechanism moves horizontally above the process substrate, the lifting gripping device moves vertically to grip the process substrate. The process frame has a main loading area and a plurality of process slots. The main loading area and the plurality of process slots are arranged horizontally, with the main loading area adjacent to the process slots. The main loading area receives the process substrate, and after the lifting gripping device moves vertically to grip the process substrate, the lifting mechanism is further driven by the transfer mechanism to move the process substrate horizontally to sequentially move it into the plurality of process slots, so that the bottom surface of the process substrate enters the plurality of process slots.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a process equipment and its operating method, and in particular to a horizontal production line process equipment and its operating method that eliminates the traditional robotic arm process of removing and returning a substrate from the equipment, thereby reducing overall process time and improving the situation where the removal and return of the substrate causes liquid to drip everywhere and pollute the environment. Prior Technology

[0002] Generally, after completing etching, stripping, and developing processes, traditional semiconductor manufacturing equipment requires removing the substrate from each process unit for cleaning. However, the repeated removal and placement of the substrate undoubtedly necessitates frequent robotic arm movements. This not only lengthens the overall manufacturing time and reduces efficiency but also raises concerns about surface uniformity due to positional accuracy issues when returning the substrate to each process unit, thus lowering product yield. Furthermore, as the substrate is repeatedly removed and placed back into the equipment, droplets from the substrate can drip onto various parts of the equipment, contaminating the overall process environment. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One of the technical embodiments disclosed herein is a horizontal production line process equipment that can eliminate the traditional robotic arm process of extracting and returning the substrate to the equipment, thereby reducing the overall process time and improving manufacturing efficiency. It can also improve the problem of chemical spillage and environmental pollution caused by the extraction and return of the substrate.

[0004] The disclosed embodiments provide a horizontal production line process equipment, which includes a transfer mechanism, a lifting mechanism, and a process rack. The length direction of the transfer mechanism is parallel to the horizontal direction. The lifting mechanism is disposed on the transfer mechanism and has a lifting gripping device. After the lifting mechanism is driven by the transfer mechanism to move horizontally above the process substrate, the lifting gripping device moves vertically perpendicular to the horizontal direction to grip a top surface of the process substrate. The process rack is disposed on the side of the lifting mechanism away from the transfer mechanism and has a main loading area and a plurality of process slots. The main loading area and the plurality of process slots are arranged horizontally, with the main loading area adjacent to one of the plurality of process slots. The main loading area is used to receive the process substrate, and after the lifting gripping device moves vertically to grip the process substrate, the lifting mechanism is further driven by the transfer mechanism to move the process substrate horizontally to sequentially move it into the plurality of process slots, so that the bottom surface of the process substrate relative to the top surface enters the plurality of process slots.

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, after the process substrate leaves the main loading area of ​​the process rack, the transfer mechanism is used to drive the process substrate to move back and forth in the horizontal direction, and after passing through a plurality of process slots, the transfer mechanism is further used to drive the process substrate to move back to the main loading area in the horizontal direction.

[0006] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the aforementioned process rack further includes a secondary loading area, with the main loading area and the secondary loading area disposed at opposite ends of the process rack. After the process substrate leaves the main loading area of ​​the process rack, a transfer mechanism is used to drive the process substrate to move unidirectionally in the horizontal direction, and after passing through a plurality of process slots, the transfer mechanism is further used to drive the process substrate to move horizontally to the secondary loading area.

[0007] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, two of the plurality of process tanks use different liquid solvents, and the transfer mechanism is used to drive the lifting mechanism to pass horizontally above the plurality of process tanks arranged horizontally.

[0008] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, one of the plurality of process tanks further includes a shielding unit for covering the tank opening of one of the plurality of process tanks, and a plurality of collection openings are provided around the tank opening. The side of the process tank opening away from the lifting mechanism has an internal inclined channel, and the plurality of collection openings and the internal inclined channel are used to collect droplets falling from the process substrate.

[0009] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the aforementioned process rack further includes an air blowing device disposed between the main loading area and the process tank, and a rinsing device disposed between the air blowing device and the process tank. The air blowing device is used to blow droplets from the process substrate off the process substrate, and the rinsing device is used to rinse the blown droplets into a plurality of collection openings. The lifting mechanism further includes an anti-splash device disposed on one side of the lifting gripping device, the anti-splash device being used to collect droplets blown off the process substrate in the horizontal direction.

[0010] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the lifting and gripping device of the lifting mechanism further includes two opposing transfer and anti-fall units, and an adsorption unit disposed between the two transfer and anti-fall units. The adsorption unit is used to adsorb the top surface of the process substrate, and the two transfer and anti-fall units are used to clamp the opposite ends of the process substrate.

[0011] Another embodiment disclosed herein is an operation method for a horizontal production line process equipment, which can eliminate the traditional process step of a robotic arm needing to extract and return the substrate from the equipment, thereby reducing the overall process time and improving manufacturing efficiency. It can also improve the problem of chemical spillage and environmental pollution caused by extracting and returning the substrate.

[0012] The embodiments disclosed herein provide an operation method for a horizontal production line process equipment, comprising: placing a lifting mechanism on a transfer mechanism, wherein the length direction of the transfer mechanism is parallel to the horizontal direction, and the lifting mechanism has a lifting gripping device; after the transfer mechanism drives the lifting mechanism to move horizontally above the process substrate, the lifting gripping device moves vertically perpendicular to the horizontal direction to grip the top surface of the process substrate; and the transfer mechanism drives the lifting mechanism to move the process substrate horizontally to sequentially move it into a plurality of process slots of the process rack, so that the bottom surface of the process substrate relative to the top surface enters the plurality of process slots, wherein the main loading area of ​​the process rack and the plurality of process slots are arranged horizontally, the main loading area is adjacent to one of the plurality of process slots, and the main loading area is used to receive the process substrate.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned transfer mechanism drives the lifting mechanism to move the process substrate in the horizontal direction, and the operation method further includes: after the process substrate leaves the main loading area of ​​the process rack, the transfer mechanism drives the process substrate to move back and forth in the horizontal direction; and after passing through a plurality of process slots, the transfer mechanism further drives the process substrate to move back to the main loading area in the horizontal direction.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned process rack further includes a secondary loading area, the main loading area and the secondary loading area are disposed at opposite ends of the process rack, and the method of the transfer mechanism driving the lifting mechanism to move the process substrate in the horizontal direction further includes: after the process substrate leaves the main loading area of ​​the process rack, the transfer mechanism drives the process substrate to move unidirectionally in the horizontal direction; and after passing through a plurality of process slots, the transfer mechanism further drives the process substrate to move in the horizontal direction to the secondary loading area.

[0015] In summary, in this disclosure, after the lifting mechanism of the horizontal production line process equipment is moved horizontally above the process substrate by the transfer mechanism, the lifting gripping device can grip the top surface of the process substrate vertically. The transfer mechanism then moves the process substrate horizontally to sequentially move it into a plurality of process slots, so that the bottom surface of the process substrate enters the plurality of process slots. In other words, process substrates manufactured using horizontal production line process equipment do not need to be pulled out of each process unit and then fed into another process unit (i.e., the front-to-back displacement of the process substrate is eliminated, and the front-to-back direction intersects perpendicularly with the horizontal and vertical directions). This eliminates the traditional process step of a robotic arm needing to extract and return the substrate, reducing overall process time and improving manufacturing efficiency. Furthermore, it improves the positional accuracy issues that must be considered when returning the substrate to each process unit, thereby improving the chemical process uniformity of the process substrate and improving the yield of the final product. Furthermore, eliminating the traditional robotic arm process of removing and reinstalling the substrate can mitigate environmental pollution caused by liquid dripping everywhere. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0016] One embodiment of this disclosure is best understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures, from the following detailed description. It should be emphasized that, according to standard industrial practice, the various features are not drawn to scale and are for illustrative purposes only. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or decreased for clarity of explanation. Figures 1 to 3 illustrate perspective views of horizontal production line process equipment in operation according to some embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 4 shows a partial perspective view of a process rack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a process rack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a lifting mechanism gripping a process substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 shows a perspective view of a lifting mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of a horizontal production line process equipment in operation according to another embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 9 illustrates a flowchart of the operation method of a horizontal production line process equipment according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Implementation

[0017] The following disclosure of embodiments provides many different implementations, or examples, for carrying out different features of the provided object. Specific examples of elements and arrangements are described below to simplify the subject matter. Of course, these examples are merely illustrative and are not intended to be limiting. Furthermore, element symbols and / or letters may be repeated in various examples. This repetition is for simplicity and clarity and does not in itself specify the relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations discussed.

[0018] Spatial relative terms such as “below,” “under,” “lower,” “above,” and “upper” are used herein for descriptive purposes to describe the relationship between one element or feature and another, as shown in the accompanying drawings. Spatial relative terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation other than those shown in the accompanying drawings. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or otherwise), and the spatial relative descriptors used herein shall be interpreted accordingly.

[0019] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3, which illustrate perspective views of a horizontal production line process equipment 100 in operation according to some embodiments of this disclosure. In Figures 1 to 3, the horizontal production line process equipment 100 includes a transfer mechanism 110, a lifting mechanism 120, and a process rack 130. The length direction of the transfer mechanism 110 is parallel to the horizontal direction D1. The lifting mechanism 120 is disposed on the transfer mechanism 110 and has a lifting gripping device 122. The lifting mechanism 120 can be driven by the transfer mechanism 110 to move along the horizontal direction D1. When the lifting mechanism 120 moves above the process substrate 200, the lifting gripping device 122 can move along a vertical direction D2 perpendicular to the horizontal direction D1 to grip the top surface 210 of the process substrate 200.

[0020] In some embodiments, the process rack 130 is disposed on the side of the lifting mechanism 120 away from the transfer mechanism 110, and the process rack 130 has a main loading area 131 and a plurality of process slots 133. The main loading area 131 and the plurality of process slots 133 are arranged along the horizontal direction D1, and the main loading area 131 is adjacent to the process slots 133. The main loading area 131 can receive the process substrate 200. For example, another conveying device can place the process substrate 200 that has not completed the process into the main loading area 131, and then the lifting mechanism 120 picks up the process substrate 200 for chemical processing. After the chemical process is completed, the lifting mechanism 120 can put the process substrate 200 back into the main loading area 131, and another conveying device can transfer the process substrate 200 that has completed the process to the next work station.

[0021] In some embodiments, after the lifting gripping device 122 moves vertically in the direction D2 to grip the process substrate 200, the lifting mechanism 120 can be further driven by the transfer mechanism 110 to move the process substrate 200 horizontally in the direction D1 to sequentially move it into a plurality of process slots 133, so that the process substrate 200 relative to the bottom surface 220 of the top surface 210 (see FIG. 6) enters the plurality of process slots 133 for chemical processing. For example, the chemical process may include etching, stripping, development, and other processes, but is not limited thereto.

[0022] Specifically, after the lifting mechanism 120 of the horizontal production line process equipment 100 is moved horizontally in the direction D1 to above the process substrate 200 by the transfer mechanism 110, the lifting gripping device 122 can grip the top surface 210 of the process substrate 200 in the vertical direction D2, and the transfer mechanism 110 drives the process substrate 200 to move horizontally in the direction D1 to move sequentially into a plurality of process slots 133, so that the bottom surface 220 of the process substrate 200 enters the plurality of process slots 133. In other words, the process substrate 200 manufactured using the horizontal production line process equipment 100 does not need to be pulled out of each process unit and then fed into another process unit (i.e., the displacement of the process substrate 200 in the front-to-back direction is eliminated, and the front-to-back direction intersects perpendicularly with the horizontal direction D1 and the vertical direction D2). This eliminates the traditional process step of a robotic arm extracting and returning the substrate from the equipment, reducing overall process time and improving manufacturing efficiency. Furthermore, it improves the positional accuracy issues that need to be considered when returning the substrate to each process unit, thereby improving the chemical process uniformity of the process substrate 200 and improving the yield of the final product. In addition, eliminating the traditional process step of a robotic arm extracting and returning the substrate from the equipment also reduces the environmental pollution caused by chemical dripping.

[0023] In some embodiments, two of the plurality of process tanks 133 of the process rack 130 use different liquid solvents. For example, the process tank 133 on the left may be a water washing tank with water as the liquid solvent, while the process tank 133 on the right may be a chemical process tank with a chemical solution as the liquid solvent. The process tank 133 on the left may have a wastewater discharge device to discharge the wastewater after washing. The process tank 133 on the right may have a chemical solution recycling device to recover the chemical solution for reuse. Therefore, by separating the treatment of water and chemical solution, the process rack 130 can reduce the situation where chemical solution is mixed with water and all chemical solution needs to be discharged, thereby reducing the amount of chemical solution used and increasing the recycling of chemical solution.

[0024] Please refer to Figures 4 to 7. Figure 4 shows a partial perspective view of the process rack 130 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the process rack 130 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the lifting mechanism 120 gripping the process substrate 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the lifting mechanism 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In Figures 4 to 7, after the process substrate 200 leaves the main loading area 131 of the process rack 130, the transfer mechanism 110 is used to drive the process substrate 200 to reciprocate along the horizontal direction D1. After passing through a plurality of process slots 133, the transfer mechanism 110 is further used to drive the process substrate 200 to move back to the main loading area 131 along the horizontal direction D1. In other words, the horizontal production line process equipment 100 is a single-station reciprocating mechanism, and the transfer mechanism 110 is used to drive the lifting mechanism 120 to pass directly above the plurality of process slots 133 arranged in the horizontal direction D1.

[0025] In some embodiments, one of the plurality of process tanks 133 further includes a shielding unit 136, which covers the tank opening 138 of one of the plurality of process tanks 133. The tank opening 138 is surrounded by a plurality of collection openings 137. The side of the tank opening 138 of the process tank 133 away from the lifting mechanism 120 has an internal inclined channel 139. The plurality of collection openings 137 and the internal inclined channel 139 are used to collect droplets 230 dripping from the process substrate 200. In addition, the process rack 130 has an air blowing device 132 disposed between the main loading area 131 and the process tank 133 and a rinsing device 134 disposed between the air blowing device 132 and the process tank 133. The air blowing device 132 is used to blow the droplets 230 of the process substrate 200 off the process substrate 200, and the rinsing device 134 is used to rinse the blown droplets 230 into a plurality of collection openings 137.

[0026] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism 120 further includes a splash guard 124 disposed on one side of the lifting gripping device 122, the splash guard 124 being used to collect droplets 230 blown off the process substrate 200 in the horizontal direction D1. The lifting gripping device 122 of the lifting mechanism 120 further includes two opposing transfer anti-fall units 121 and an adsorption unit 123 disposed between the two transfer anti-fall units 121, the adsorption unit 123 being used to adsorb the top surface 210 of the process substrate 200, and the two transfer anti-fall units 121 being used to clamp the opposite ends of the process substrate 200.

[0027] Please refer to Figure 8, which shows a perspective view of a horizontal production line process equipment 100a in operation according to another embodiment of this disclosure. The horizontal production line process equipment 100a shown in Figure 8 differs from the horizontal production line process equipment 100 shown in Figure 1 in that the process rack 130a further includes a secondary loading area 135a, and the main loading area 131a and the secondary loading area 135a are located at opposite ends of the process rack 130a. Specifically, after the process substrate 200 leaves the main loading area 131a of the process rack 130a, the transfer mechanism 110 drives the process substrate 200 to move unidirectionally along the horizontal direction D1. Furthermore, after passing through a plurality of process slots 133a, the transfer mechanism 110 further drives the process substrate 200 to move along the horizontal direction D1 to the secondary loading area 135a. In other words, the horizontal production line process equipment 100a is a unidirectional mechanism, that is, the transfer mechanism 110 moves from the main loading area 131a to the auxiliary loading area 135a, and the transfer mechanism 110 is also used to drive the lifting mechanism 120 to pass directly above the plurality of process slots 133a arranged in the horizontal direction D1.

[0028] The following description will explain the operation of the horizontal production line process equipment. Component connections, materials, and functions already described will not be repeated; they will be stated separately.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 9, which illustrates a flowchart of an operation method for a horizontal production line process equipment according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The operation method of the horizontal production line process equipment includes the following steps. First, in step S1, a lifting mechanism is mounted on a transfer mechanism, wherein the length direction of the transfer mechanism is parallel to the horizontal direction, and the lifting mechanism has a lifting gripping device. Next, in step S2, after the transfer mechanism drives the lifting mechanism to move horizontally above the process substrate, the lifting gripping device moves vertically perpendicular to the horizontal direction to grip the top surface of the process substrate. Next, in step S3, the transfer mechanism drives the lifting mechanism to move the process substrate horizontally to sequentially move it into a plurality of process slots on the process rack, so that the bottom surface of the process substrate relative to its top surface enters the plurality of process slots, wherein the main loading area of ​​the process rack and the plurality of process slots are arranged horizontally, the main loading area is adjacent to one of the plurality of process slots, and the main loading area is used to receive the process substrate. The above steps will be described in detail below.

[0030] Returning to Figures 1 to 5, firstly, the lifting mechanism 120 can be mounted on the transfer mechanism 110. The length direction of the transfer mechanism 110 is parallel to the horizontal direction D1, and the lifting mechanism 120 has a lifting gripping device 122. Next, after the transfer mechanism 110 drives the lifting mechanism 120 to move along the horizontal direction D1 above the process substrate 200, the lifting gripping device 122 can move along the vertical direction D2, which is perpendicular to the horizontal direction D1, to grip the top surface 210 of the process substrate 200. Then, the transfer mechanism 110 can drive the lifting mechanism 120 to move the process substrate 200 along the horizontal direction D1 to sequentially move it into a plurality of process slots 133 of the process rack 130. In this way, the process substrate 200 can enter the plurality of process slots 133 relative to the bottom surface 220 of the top surface 210. The main loading area 131 of the process rack 130 and a plurality of process slots 133 are arranged along the horizontal direction D1. The main loading area 131 is adjacent to one of the plurality of process slots 133, and the main loading area 131 can be used to receive the process substrate 200.

[0031] Furthermore, in the embodiments of Figures 1 to 3, the transfer mechanism 110 driving the lifting mechanism 120 to move the process substrate 200 along the horizontal direction D1 further includes: after the process substrate 200 leaves the main loading area 131 of the process rack 130, the transfer mechanism 110 drives the process substrate 200 to reciprocate along the horizontal direction D1; and after passing through a plurality of process slots 133, the transfer mechanism 110 further drives the process substrate 200 to move back to the main loading area 131 along the horizontal direction D1.

[0032] Next, referring to Figure 8, in the embodiment of Figure 8, the process rack 130a further has a secondary loading area 135a. The main loading area 131a and the secondary loading area 135a are disposed at opposite ends of the process rack 130a, and the transfer mechanism 110 drives the lifting mechanism 120 to move the process substrate 200 in the horizontal direction D1. This further includes: after the process substrate 200 leaves the main loading area 131a of the process rack 130a, the transfer mechanism 110 moves the process substrate 200 unidirectionally in the horizontal direction D1; and after passing through a plurality of process slots 133a, the transfer mechanism 110 moves the process substrate 200 in the horizontal direction D1 to the secondary loading area 135a.

[0033] The foregoing outlines the features of several embodiments, enabling those skilled in the art to better understand the nature of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that they can readily use this disclosure as the basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures to achieve the same objectives and / or advantages as the embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art should also recognize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, and that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made to them without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

[0034] 100, 100a: Horizontal production line process equipment 110: Transfer mechanism 120: Lifting mechanism 121: Transfer Fall Protection Unit 122: Lifting and gripping device 123: Adsorption Unit 124: Splash protection device 130, 130a: Processing rack 131, 131a: Main loading area 132: Air blowing device 133, 133a: Process tank 134: Flushing device 135a: Secondary loading area 136: Shielding Unit 137: Collection opening 138: Tank opening 139: Internal Inclined Passage 200: Process substrate 210: Top surface 220: Bottom 230: Droplet D1: Horizontal direction D2: Vertical direction S1~S3: Steps

Claims

1. A horizontal production line process equipment, comprising: a transfer mechanism (110) having a length direction parallel to a horizontal direction (D1); a lifting mechanism (120) disposed on the transfer mechanism (110) and having a lifting gripping device (122), wherein after the lifting mechanism (120) is driven by the transfer mechanism (110) to move along the horizontal direction (D1) above a process substrate (200), the lifting gripping device (122) is used to move along a vertical direction (D2) perpendicular to the horizontal direction (D1) to grip a top surface (210) of the process substrate (200); and a process rack (130) disposed on the side of the lifting mechanism (120) away from the transfer mechanism (110) and having a main loading area (131) and a plurality of process slots (133), wherein the main loading area (131) and the plurality of process slots (133) are connected in a horizontal direction (D1) and a vertical direction (D2) perpendicular to the horizontal direction (D1) to grip a top surface (210) of the process substrate (200); and a process rack (130) disposed on the side of the lifting mechanism (120) away from the transfer mechanism (110) and having a main loading area (131) and a plurality of process slots (133). A plurality of process slots (133) are arranged along the horizontal direction (D1) and the main loading area (131) is adjacent to one of the plurality of process slots (133). The main loading area (131) is used to receive the process substrate (200). After the lifting gripping device (122) moves along the vertical direction (D2) to grip the process substrate (200), the lifting mechanism (120) is further driven by the transfer mechanism (110) to move the process substrate (200) along the horizontal direction (D1) to move sequentially into the plurality of process slots (133) so that the process substrate (200) enters the plurality of process slots (133) relative to a bottom surface (220) of the top surface (210). Two of the plurality of process tanks (133) use different liquid solvents, and the transfer mechanism (110) is used to drive the lifting mechanism (120) to pass directly above the plurality of process tanks (133) arranged along the horizontal direction (D1).

2. The horizontal production line process equipment as described in claim 1, wherein after the process substrate (200) leaves the main loading area (131) of the process rack (130), the transfer mechanism (110) is used to drive the process substrate (200) to reciprocate along the horizontal direction (D1), and after passing through the plurality of process slots (133), the transfer mechanism (110) is further used to drive the process substrate (200) to move back to the main loading area (131) along the horizontal direction (D1).

3. The horizontal production line process equipment as described in claim 1, wherein the process rack (130a) further has a secondary loading area (135a), the main loading area (131a) and the secondary loading area (135a) are disposed at opposite ends of the process rack (130a), after the process substrate (200) leaves the main loading area (131a) of the process rack (130a), the transfer mechanism (110) is used to drive the process substrate (200) to move unidirectionally along the horizontal direction (D1), and after passing through the plurality of process slots (133a), the transfer mechanism (110) is further used to drive the process substrate (200) to move along the horizontal direction (D1) to the secondary loading area (135a).

4. The horizontal production line process equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of process tanks (133) further comprises a shielding unit (136) for covering a tank opening (138) of one of the plurality of process tanks (133), and the tank opening (138) is surrounded by a plurality of collection openings (137), and the side of the tank opening (138) of the process tank (133) away from the lifting mechanism (120) has an internal inclined channel (139), and the plurality of collection openings (137) and the internal inclined channel (139) are used to collect a droplet (230) dripping from the process substrate (200).

5. The horizontal production line process equipment as described in claim 4, wherein the process rack (130) further comprises an air blowing device (132) disposed between the main loading area (131) and the process tank (133) and a rinsing device (134) disposed between the air blowing device (132) and the process tank (133), the air blowing device (132) being used to remove the droplets (230) of the process substrate (200) from the process substrate. The droplets (230) blown off the plate (200) and the rinsing device (134) is used to rinse the blown droplets (230) into the plurality of collection openings (137). The lifting mechanism (120) further has a splash guard (124) disposed on one side of the lifting gripping device (122), which is used to collect the droplets (230) blown off the process substrate (200) in the horizontal direction (D1).

6. The horizontal production line process equipment as described in claim 1, wherein the lifting gripping device (122) of the lifting mechanism (120) further comprises two opposing transfer anti-fall units (121) and an adsorption unit (123) disposed between the two transfer anti-fall units (121), the adsorption unit (123) being used to adsorb the top surface (210) of the process substrate (200), and the two transfer anti-fall units (121) being used to clamp the opposing ends of the process substrate (200).

7. A method of operating a horizontal production line process equipment, comprising: placing a lifting mechanism (120) on a transfer mechanism (110), wherein the length direction of the transfer mechanism (110) is parallel to a horizontal direction (D1), and the lifting mechanism (120) has a lifting gripping device (122); after the transfer mechanism (110) drives the lifting mechanism (120) to move along the horizontal direction (D1) above a process substrate (200), the lifting gripping device (122) moves along a vertical direction (D2) perpendicular to the horizontal direction (D1) to grip a top surface (210) of the process substrate (200); and the transfer mechanism (110) drives the lifting mechanism (120) to move the process substrate (200) along the horizontal direction (D1) to sequentially move it to a process rack (110). In a plurality of process slots (133) of 30), the process substrate (200) enters the plurality of process slots (133) relative to a bottom surface (220) of the top surface (210), wherein a main loading area (131) of the process rack (130) and the plurality of process slots (133) are arranged along the horizontal direction (D1), the main loading area (131) is adjacent to one of the plurality of process slots (133), and the main loading area (131) is used to receive the process substrate (200); The transfer mechanism (110) driving the lifting mechanism (120) to move the process substrate (200) along the horizontal direction (D1) further includes: after the process substrate (200) leaves the main loading area (131) of the process rack (130), the transfer mechanism (110) moves the process substrate (200) back and forth along the horizontal direction (D1); and after passing through the plurality of process slots (133), the transfer mechanism (110) moves the process substrate (200) back to the main loading area (131) along the horizontal direction (D1).

8. A method of operating a horizontal production line process equipment, comprising: placing a lifting mechanism (120) on a transfer mechanism (110), wherein the length direction of the transfer mechanism (110) is parallel to a horizontal direction (D1), and the lifting mechanism (120) has a lifting gripping device (122); after the transfer mechanism (110) drives the lifting mechanism (120) to move along the horizontal direction (D1) above a process substrate (200), the lifting gripping device (122) moves along a vertical direction (D2) perpendicular to the horizontal direction (D1) to grip a top surface (210) of the process substrate (200); and the transfer mechanism (110) drives the lifting mechanism (120) to move the process substrate (200) along the horizontal direction (D1) to sequentially move it to a process rack (110). In a plurality of process slots (133) of 30), the process substrate (200) enters the plurality of process slots (133) relative to a bottom surface (220) of the top surface (210), wherein a main loading area (131) of the process rack (130) and the plurality of process slots (133) are arranged along the horizontal direction (D1), the main loading area (131) is adjacent to one of the plurality of process slots (133), and the main loading area (131) is used to receive the process substrate (200); The process rack (130a) further includes a secondary loading area (135a). The main loading area (131a) and the secondary loading area (135a) are located at opposite ends of the process rack (130a). The transfer mechanism (110) drives the lifting mechanism (120) to move the process substrate (200) along the horizontal direction (D1). This includes: after the process substrate (200) leaves the main loading area (131a) of the process rack (130a), the transfer mechanism (110) moves the process substrate (200) unidirectionally along the horizontal direction (D1); and after passing through the plurality of process slots (133a), the transfer mechanism (110) moves the process substrate (200) along the horizontal direction (D1) to the secondary loading area (135a).

Images