Substrate holding device

Abstract

Provided is a substrate holding device with which substrates of various sizes can be suctioned to a stage.　Specifically, a substrate holding device 1 is equipped with a stage 10 for holding a substrate W. The stage 10 includes: a placement surface 60 on which the substrate W is placed; and a plurality of suction grooves 70 formed of recesses provided on the placement surface 60 and arranged concentrically. The suction grooves 70 suck the substrate W by negative pressure. The placement surface 60 includes a boundary portion 61 that intersects with the suction grooves 70. The suction grooves 70 are each divided by the boundary portion 61.

Description

Substrate holding device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate holding device.

[0002] Various techniques have been disclosed for substrate holding devices. Patent Document 1 discloses a vacuum chuck. The vacuum chuck holds the substrate by vacuum-adsorbing the substrate using a number of vacuum-adsorbing holes.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 02-087543

[0004] There are substrate holding devices with a stage provided with multiple concentrically arranged suction grooves. Each concentrically arranged suction groove corresponds to the size of the substrate. In this type of substrate holding device, the center of the substrate is usually aligned with the center of the concentric suction groove when the substrate is held on the stage.

[0005] In this type of substrate holding device, if the substrate has a uniform shape, such as a perfect circle, the substrate will cover the entire suction groove located inside the outer diameter of the substrate, so the substrate can be sufficiently suction-held on the stage.

[0006] However, with this type of substrate holding device, when an attempt is made to hold a flat substrate, for example, one with an aspect ratio (ratio of the longitudinal dimension to the lateral dimension) other than 1, on a stage provided with multiple concentrically arranged suction grooves, there will be areas of the suction grooves that are not covered by the substrate, causing gas to leak from the suction grooves and preventing the substrate from being adequately suction-held on the stage.

[0007] When there are a plurality of substrates with different sizes (outer diameter, aspect ratio, etc.), it is not economically preferable to prepare a plurality of dedicated stages according to the variations in substrate size.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a substrate holding device that is capable of suction-holding substrates of various sizes on a stage.

[0009] A substrate holding device according to the present disclosure includes a stage for holding a substrate, the stage including a mounting surface on which the substrate is placed and a plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves formed by recesses in the mounting surface, the suction grooves suctioning the substrate by negative pressure, the mounting surface including a boundary portion that crosses the suction grooves, and the suction grooves being divided by the boundary portion.

[0010] According to the substrate holding device of the present disclosure, a boundary portion that crosses a plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves divides the suction grooves into a portion of the suction groove on one side of the boundary portion and a portion of the suction groove on the other side of the boundary portion, and the portion of the suction groove on one side of the boundary portion and the portion of the suction groove on the other side of the boundary portion are separated by the boundary portion and do not communicate with each other.

[0011] Even when a flat substrate having an aspect ratio other than 1 is used, at least one of the portions of the suction grooves on one side of the boundary and the portions of the suction grooves on the other side of the boundary can be entirely covered with the substrate, thereby preventing gas from leaking from the suction grooves that are attempting to suction the substrate, and allowing the substrate to be adequately suction-held on the stage.

[0012] When a substrate with a uniform aspect ratio of 1 is used, it is sufficient to cover both the portion of the suction groove on one side of the boundary and the portion of the suction groove on the other side of the boundary with the substrate.

[0013] Furthermore, it is only necessary to appropriately select which suction groove to use from among a plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves according to the outer diameter of the substrate.

[0014] As described above, it is possible to provide a substrate holding device that can hold substrates of various sizes (outer diameters and aspect ratios) on a stage by suction.

[0015] In one embodiment, the substrate is positioned on the stage by aligning an edge of the substrate with the suction groove.

[0016] According to this configuration, by aligning the edge of the substrate with the suction groove, it is possible to prevent the formation of areas in the suction groove that are not covered by the substrate, compared to when the center of the substrate is aligned with the center of the suction groove.

[0017] In one embodiment, a determination unit is provided that determines, based on a dimension of the substrate, the suction groove with which the edge of the substrate should be aligned from among the plurality of suction grooves that are concentrically arranged.

[0018] According to this configuration, it is possible to easily identify the suction groove with which the edge of the substrate should be aligned from among a plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves.

[0019] In one embodiment, the device comprises a negative pressure pump that sucks gas from the suction groove, a plurality of valves that open and close the gas passage between the negative pressure pump and the suction groove, and a determination unit, wherein the valves correspond to both of the portions of the suction groove divided by the boundary portion for each of the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves, and the determination unit determines which of the plurality of valves should be opened based on the dimensions of the substrate.

[0020] This configuration makes it easy to identify the valve to be opened from among the multiple valves. By suppressing the unnecessary suction of gas in the suction grooves that does not contribute to suction of the substrate, it is possible to efficiently suction air in the suction grooves that contributes to suction of the substrate.

[0021] In one embodiment, the stage includes an undivided suction groove that is not divided at the boundary and is located at a position that is not concentric with the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves, and the undivided suction groove adsorbs the substrate by negative pressure.

[0022] According to this configuration, even if suction grooves are not used, by using the undivided suction grooves, it is possible to apply a minimum negative pressure to the substrate.

[0023] In one embodiment, the stage includes an adjacent groove formed by a recess provided on the mounting surface and adjacent to the suction groove.

[0024] According to this configuration, the adjacent grooves to the suction grooves can be used as guides for manually placing the substrate on the stage.

[0025] In one embodiment, the suction groove is rectangular.

[0026] According to this configuration, substrates of various quadrangular shapes, ranging from rectangular to square, can be adsorbed and held suitably on the stage.

[0027] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a substrate holding device that is capable of suction-holding substrates of various sizes on a stage.

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a front cross-sectional view of a substrate holding device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the substrate holding device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a state in which a substrate is held on a stage in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a front cross-sectional view of a substrate holding device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the substrate holding device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the non-divided suction grooves of a substrate holding device according to a third embodiment.

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its applications, or its uses.

[0030] <First Embodiment> (Substrate Holding Device) A substrate holding device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 shows the substrate holding device 1 in a front cross-sectional view taken along line II. Fig. 2 shows the substrate holding device 1 in a plan view taken along arrow II. The substrate holding device 1 includes a stage 10, an air passage 20 as a gas passage, a vacuum pump 30 as a negative pressure pump, a main pipe valve 41, a plurality of branch pipe valves 42 as a plurality of valves, and a controller 50 as a determination unit.

[0031] The stage 10 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction in the vertical direction and extends horizontally. The vertical and horizontal directions are perpendicular to each other. In this example, the stage 10 is formed in a quadrilateral shape (more specifically, a square shape). The stage 10 has a central axis O that extends in the vertical direction. The stage 10 includes a mounting surface 60 and a plurality of suction grooves 70.

[0032] The mounting surface 60 is a portion of the upper surface of the stage 10 where the suction grooves 70 are not provided. A substrate W is placed on the mounting surface 60 of the stage 10. In this example, the substrate W is manually placed on the stage 10 by a user.

[0033] The substrate W is a plate-like substrate with its thickness extending vertically. In this example, the substrate W is a rectangular plate. The substrate W is, for example, a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate.

[0034] The plurality of suction grooves 70 are formed as recesses provided in the mounting surface 60. The plurality of suction grooves 70 are arranged concentrically (more specifically, concentrically) with a central axis O as the starting point. Concentrically means that the plurality of suction grooves 70 share a common central axis O. The suction grooves 70 are recessed downward relative to the mounting surface 60. In this example, the suction grooves 70 are quadrangular when viewed from above. More specifically, the suction grooves 70 are square when viewed from above. When the suction grooves 70 are quadrangular, the central axis O is at the intersection of the diagonals of the suction grooves 70.

[0035] The outer diameter (length of each side) of each suction groove 70 increases with increasing distance from the central axis O. In this example, there are five suction grooves 70. Hereinafter, the five suction grooves 70 will be referred to as a first suction groove 71, a second suction groove 72, a third suction groove 73, a fourth suction groove 74, and a fifth suction groove 75, in order from the groove closest to the central axis O (the groove with the smaller outer diameter) to the groove farthest from the central axis O (the groove with the larger outer diameter).

[0036] In the following description, the side away from the central axis O may be referred to as the outer side, and the side closer to the central axis O may be referred to as the inner side.

[0037] The suction grooves 70 may be numbered on the stage 10 so as to correspond to the first suction groove 71 , the second suction groove 72 , the third suction groove 73 , the fourth suction groove 74 and the fifth suction groove 75 .

[0038] The mounting surface 60 includes a boundary portion 61. The boundary portion 61 crosses the suction grooves 70 in the horizontal direction so as to pass through the central axis O. More specifically, the boundary portion 61 crosses the first suction groove 71, the second suction groove 72, the third suction groove 73, the fourth suction groove 74, and the fifth suction groove 75 so as to pass through the central axis O. The boundary portion 61 extends straight in the horizontal direction (more specifically, the left-right direction in FIG. 2 ). Because the boundary portion 61 is part of the mounting surface 60, the substrate W is placed on the boundary portion 61.

[0039] The suction grooves 70 are divided by a boundary 61 (which is part of the mounting surface 60). The portion of the suction grooves 70 divided by the boundary 61 on one side of the boundary 61 (the lower side in FIG. 2 ) is referred to as a one-side suction groove 70A. The portion of the suction grooves 70 divided by the boundary 61 on the other side of the boundary 61 (the upper side in FIG. 2 ) is referred to as an other-side suction groove 70B. The boundary 61 is an area on the mounting surface 60 sandwiched between two chain double-dashed lines extending in the left-right direction in FIG. 2 .

[0040] The boundary portion 61 constitutes a boundary separating the one-side suction groove 70A and the other-side suction groove 70B.

[0041] The portions of the first suction groove 71, the second suction groove 72, the third suction groove 73, the fourth suction groove 74 and the fifth suction groove 75, which are divided by the boundary portion 61, on one side of the boundary portion 61 are designated as the first suction groove 71A on one side, the second suction groove 72A on one side, the third suction groove 73A on one side, the fourth suction groove 74A on one side and the fifth suction groove 75A on one side.

[0042] The portions of the first suction groove 71, the second suction groove 72, the third suction groove 73, the fourth suction groove 74 and the fifth suction groove 75, which are divided by the boundary portion 61, on the other side of the boundary portion 61 are referred to as the other side first suction groove 71B, the other side second suction groove 72B, the other side third suction groove 73B, the other side fourth suction groove 74B and the other side fifth suction groove 75B.

[0043] The one-side suction groove 70A and the other-side suction groove 70B face each other in a generally U-shape with a boundary 61 in between. The one-side suction groove 70A and the other-side suction groove 70B are separated by the boundary 61 and do not communicate with each other.

[0044] As described above, the square suction groove 70 is divided by the boundary 61 into a one-side suction groove 70A and an other-side suction groove 70B. The one-side suction groove 70A has a flattened rectangular shape with an aspect ratio (the ratio of the longitudinal dimension to the lateral dimension, more specifically, the ratio of the long side dimension to the short side dimension) of 2:1. The other-side suction groove 70B has a flattened rectangular shape with an aspect ratio of 2:1. Note that in the following description, the term "rectangular" is interpreted in the narrow sense of the term, not including the square shape of a rectangular shape.

[0045] The air passage 20 is a passage for air A. The air passage 20 has a main pipe 21 and a plurality of branch pipes 22. The plurality of branch pipes 22 are connected to one main pipe 21.

[0046] The branch pipes 22 are connected to both of the portions of each of the concentrically arranged suction grooves 70 that are divided by the boundary portions 61. In detail, the branch pipes 22 are connected to both of the one-side suction grooves 70A and the other-side suction grooves 70B that are divided by the boundary portions 61 of each of the concentrically arranged suction grooves 70.

[0047] More specifically, a total of ten branch pipes 22 are connected corresponding to the first suction groove 71A, the second suction groove 72A, the third suction groove 73A, the fourth suction groove 74A, and the fifth suction groove 75A on one side, and the first suction groove 71B, the second suction groove 72B, the third suction groove 73B, the fourth suction groove 74B, and the fifth suction groove 75B on the other side.

[0048] A vacuum pump 30 is connected to the main pipe 21. The vacuum pump 30 sucks air A, which is gas, from within each suction groove 70 through the air passage 20.

[0049] The main pipe valve 41 is connected to the main pipe 21. The main pipe valve 41 is disposed between the vacuum pump 30 and the branch pipe 22. The main pipe valve 41 opens and closes the flow of air A in the main pipe 21.

[0050] The plurality of branch pipe valves 42 correspond to the plurality of branch pipes 22. There are a total of ten branch pipe valves 42, one for each branch pipe 22. The branch pipe valves 42 are connected to the branch pipes 22. The branch pipe valves 42 open and close the flow of air A in the branch pipes 22.

[0051] The branch pipe valves 42 correspond to both of the portions of each of the concentrically arranged suction grooves 70 that are divided by the boundary portions 61. In detail, the branch pipe valves 42 correspond to both of the one-side suction grooves 70A and the other-side suction grooves 70B that are divided by the boundary portions 61 of each of the concentrically arranged suction grooves 70.

[0052] More specifically, the branch pipe valve 42 corresponds to the first suction groove 71A, the second suction groove 72A, the third suction groove 73A, the fourth suction groove 74A, and the fifth suction groove 75A on one side, and the first suction groove 71B, the second suction groove 72B, the third suction groove 73B, the fourth suction groove 74B, and the fifth suction groove 75B on the other side.

[0053] The main pipe valve 41 and the plurality of branch pipe valves 42 open and close the air passage 20 (passage for air A) between the vacuum pump 30 and each suction groove 70 .

[0054] 3 shows a state in which the substrate W is held on the stage 10. In this example, the ratio of the long side Wa to the short side Wb of the substrate W, i.e., the aspect ratio of the substrate W, is in the range of Wa:Wb=2:1 to 1:1.

[0055] As shown in Figure 3, the substrate W is placed on the placement surface 60 of the stage 10 so as to cover the suction grooves 70. The vacuum pump 30 sucks air A from the suction grooves 70 through the air passage 20. The suction grooves 70 suction the substrate W by negative pressure. Note that negative pressure means that the pressure inside the suction grooves 70 is lower than the pressure outside the suction grooves 70 (e.g., the pressure near the placement surface 60, the pressure around the stage 10, the indoor pressure, the atmospheric pressure, etc.). The substrate W is pressed against the placement surface 60. In this way, the substrate W is held by the stage 10. In other words, the stage 10 holds the substrate W. The stage 10 chucks the substrate W.

[0056] The substrate W is held by the stage 10 so that the long sides Wa are parallel to the boundary 61 and conversely, the short sides Wb are perpendicular to the boundary 61 .

[0057] The substrate W is positioned on the stage 10 by aligning the edge Wk of the substrate W with the edge 70k of the suction groove 70. The edge Wk of the substrate W is a corner of the rectangular substrate W. The edge 70k of the suction groove 70 is a corner of the rectangular suction groove 70.

[0058] The edge 70k of the suction groove 70 to which the edge Wk of the substrate W should be aligned can be determined based on the dimension of the long side Wa of the substrate W, from among the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves 70.

[0059] For example, focus on the one-side fourth suction groove 74A, which is the portion of the fourth suction groove 74 on one side of the boundary portion 61, and the one-side fifth suction groove 75A, which is the portion of the fifth suction groove 75 on one side of the boundary portion 61.

[0060] 3, the dimension of the long side Wa of the substrate W is larger than the dimension of the long side of the one-side fourth suction groove 74A and smaller than the dimension of the long side of the one-side fifth suction groove 75A. In this case, the one-side edge Wk of the substrate W can be aligned with the one-side edge 70k of the one-side fourth suction groove 74A.

[0061] In this case, the substrate W covers the part of the one-side suction groove 70A that is more inward than the one-side fifth suction groove 75A, i.e., the one-side first suction groove 71A, the one-side second suction groove 72A, the one-side third suction groove 73A and the one-side fourth suction groove 74A.

[0062] More precisely, the edge Wk of the substrate W on one side is aligned with and placed on the placement surface 60 between the one-side fourth suction groove 74A and the one-side fifth suction groove 75A.

[0063] As described above, the aspect ratio of the one-side suction groove 70A is 2:1. The aspect ratio of the long side Wa to the short side Wb of the substrate W is in the range of Wa:Wb=2:1 to 1:1.

[0064] 3 , an appropriate one-side suction groove 70A is selected from the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves 70, and one edge Wk of the substrate W is aligned with the edge 70k of the appropriate one-side suction groove 70A. As a result, the other end Wp of the substrate W is positioned at least on the other side of the boundary 61 (which is part of the mounting surface 60). In other words, at least a part of the substrate W is mounted on the boundary 61.

[0065] 3, the aspect ratio of the long side Wa to the short side Wb of the substrate W is Wa:Wb=2:1. The substrate W is rectangular. In this case, the other end Wp of the substrate W is positioned at the boundary 61 and placed on the boundary 61.

[0066] 3 , the aspect ratio of the long side Wa to the short side Wb of the substrate W is Wa:Wb=4:3. The substrate W is rectangular. In this case, the other end Wp of the substrate W is positioned on the other side of the boundary 61 and covers the other-side suction groove 70B, which is the portion of the suction groove 70 on the other side of the boundary 61. More specifically, in this example, the substrate W covers the other-side first suction groove 71B and the other-side second suction groove 72B of the other-side suction groove 70B.

[0067] 3 , the aspect ratio of the long side Wa to the short side Wb of the substrate W is Wa:Wb=1:1. The substrate W is square. In this case, the other end Wp of the substrate W is positioned on the other side of the boundary 61 and covers the other-side suction groove 70B, which is the portion of the suction groove 70 on the other side of the boundary 61. More specifically, in this example, the substrate W covers the other-side first suction groove 71B, the other-side second suction groove 72B, the other-side third suction groove 73B, and the other-side fourth suction groove 74B in the other-side suction groove 70B, as well as the one-side suction groove 70A.

[0068] Which branch pipe valve 42 should be opened from among the plurality of branch pipe valves 42 may be determined based on the dimensions of the long side Wa and the short side Wb of the substrate W.

[0069] It is possible to determine which of the multiple one-side suction grooves 70A will be covered by the substrate W, based on the dimension of the long side Wa of the substrate W. The branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the one-side suction grooves 70A determined to be covered by the substrate W (in the example of FIG. 3 , the one-side first suction groove 71A, the one-side second suction groove 72A, the one-side third suction groove 73A, and the one-side fourth suction groove 74A) can be opened.

[0070] It is possible to determine which of the multiple other-side suction grooves 70B is covered by the substrate W based on the dimension of the short side Wb of the substrate W. The branch pipe valve 42 corresponding to the other-side suction groove 70B determined to be covered by the substrate W can be opened.

[0071] In the example shown on the left in Fig. 3, no other-side suction groove 70B is determined to be covered by the substrate W, so the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the other-side suction groove 70B are not opened. In the example shown in the middle in Fig. 3, it is determined that the other-side first suction groove 71B and the other-side second suction groove 72B are covered by the substrate W, so it is sufficient to open the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the other-side first suction groove 71B and the other-side second suction groove 72B. In the example shown on the right in Fig. 3, it is determined that the other-side first suction groove 71B, the other-side second suction groove 72B, the other-side third suction groove 73B, and the other-side fourth suction groove 74B are covered by the substrate W, so it is sufficient to open the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the other-side first suction groove 71B, the other-side second suction groove 72B, the other-side third suction groove 73B, and the other-side fourth suction groove 74B.

[0072] The controller 50 is built into the main body of the substrate holding device 1. The controller 50 includes, for example, a processor mounted on a control board and a memory device that stores software for operating the processor.

[0073] The controller 50 controls the opening and closing of the main pipe valve 41 and the plurality of branch pipe valves 42 .

[0074] The user inputs to the controller 50 information relating to the specifications of the substrate W, particularly the dimensions of the long sides Wa and short sides Wb of the substrate W. The controller 50 holds a table T, which will be described later.

[0075] The table T is a table in which the dimension of the long side Wa of the substrate W corresponds to the suction groove 70, among the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves 70, to which the edge Wk of the substrate W should be aligned.

[0076] On the table T, the dimensions of the long side Wa and the short side Wb of the substrate W correspond to the branch pipe valves 42 that should be opened among the plurality of branch pipe valves 42 .

[0077] An example of the table T is shown in Table 1. The values ​​shown in Table 1 are merely an example.

[0078]

[0079] By using the table T, the controller 50 determines, based on the dimension of the long side Wa of the substrate W, the suction groove 70 to which the edge Wk of the substrate W should be aligned from among a plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves 70.

[0080] In the example of Figure 3, the controller 50 uses the table T to determine, based on the dimension of the long side Wa of the substrate W, that the edge Wk of the substrate W should be aligned with the edge 70k of the one-side fourth suction groove 74A.

[0081] The controller 50 may display to the user, for example, on a display, information relating to the suction groove 70 to which the edge Wk of the substrate W should be aligned (for example, a number indicating the corresponding suction groove 70).

[0082] The controller 50 uses the table T to determine which branch pipe valve 42 to open from among the plurality of branch pipe valves 42 based on the dimensions of the long side Wa and the short side Wb of the substrate W.

[0083] In the example of Figure 3, the controller 50 uses the table T to determine, based on the dimension of the long side Wa of the substrate W, that the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the one-side first suction groove 71A, one-side second suction groove 72A, one-side third suction groove 73A and one-side fourth suction groove 74A of the one-side suction grooves 70A should be opened.

[0084] In the example of Figure 3, the controller 50 uses the table T to determine, based on the dimension of the long side Wa of the substrate W, whether the branch pipe valve 42 corresponding to the one-side fifth suction groove 75A of the one-side suction grooves 70A should be closed (not opened).

[0085] Furthermore, in the example shown on the left in Figure 3, the controller 50 uses the table T to determine, based on the dimension of the short side Wb of the substrate W, that all of the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the other-side suction grooves 70B should be closed (not opened).

[0086] Furthermore, in the example shown in the middle figure in Figure 3, the controller 50 uses the table T to determine, based on the dimension of the short side Wb of the substrate W, that of the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the other-side suction groove 70B, the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the other-side first suction groove 71B and the other-side second suction groove 72B should be opened.

[0087] Furthermore, in the example shown in the middle figure in Figure 3, the controller 50 uses the table T to determine, based on the dimension of the short side Wb of the substrate W, that the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the other-side suction groove 70B, namely, the other-side third suction groove 73B, the other-side fourth suction groove 74B, and the other-side fifth suction groove 75B, should be closed (not opened).

[0088] Furthermore, in the example shown on the right in Figure 3, the controller 50 uses the table T to determine, based on the dimension of the short side Wb of the substrate W, that of the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the other-side suction groove 70B, the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the other-side first suction groove 71B, the other-side second suction groove 72B, the other-side third suction groove 73B and the other-side fourth suction groove 74B should be opened.

[0089] Furthermore, in the example shown on the right in Figure 3, the controller 50 uses the table T to determine, based on the dimension of the short side Wb of the substrate W, that the branch pipe valve 42 corresponding to the other-side fifth suction groove 75B, among the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the other-side suction groove 70B, should be closed (not opened).

[0090] The controller 50 opens the branch pipe valves 42 that are determined to be open, and closes (does not open) the branch pipe valves 42 that are determined to be closed (determined not to be opened).

[0091] (Operation and Effect) According to the substrate holding device 1 of this embodiment, the boundary 61 that crosses the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves 70 divides the suction grooves 70 into one-side suction grooves 70A, which are portions of the suction grooves 70 on one side of the boundary 61, and other-side suction grooves 70B, which are portions of the suction grooves 70 on the other side of the boundary 61. The one-side suction grooves 70A and the other-side suction grooves 70B are separated by the boundary 61 and do not communicate with each other.

[0092] Even when a flat (e.g., rectangular) substrate W having an aspect ratio other than 1 is used, at least one of the one-side suction groove 70A, which is the portion of the suction groove 70 on one side of the boundary 61, and the other-side suction groove 70B, which is the portion of the suction groove 70 on the other side of the boundary 61, can be entirely covered by the substrate W. This prevents air A from leaking from the suction groove 70 that is attempting to suction the substrate W, and allows the substrate W to be sufficiently suction-held on the stage 10.

[0093] 3, the aspect ratio of the long side Wa to the short side Wb of the substrate W is Wa:Wb = 2:1. Even when such a rectangular substrate W is used, the substrate W can be sufficiently suction-held on the stage 10 by using only the one-side suction grooves 70A without using the other-side suction grooves 70B.

[0094] 3, the rectangular substrate W entirely covers the one-side first suction groove 71A, one-side second suction groove 72A, one-side third suction groove 73A, and one-side fourth suction groove 74A of the one-side suction grooves 70A, which is intended to suction the substrate W. This prevents air A from leaking from the one-side suction grooves 70A (one-side first suction groove 71A, one-side second suction groove 72A, one-side third suction groove 73A, and one-side fourth suction groove 74A).

[0095] Even in the example shown in the middle figure of Figure 3 (Wa:Wb = 4:3), the substrate W can be sufficiently adsorbed and held on the stage 10 by using some of the other-side suction grooves 70B (the other-side first suction groove 71B and the other-side second suction groove 72B) to adsorb the substrate W.

[0096] As in the example shown in the right diagram of Figure 3 (Wa:Wb = 1:1), when using a substrate W with an even aspect ratio of 1 (for example, a square shape), it is sufficient to evenly cover both the one-side suction groove 70A, which is the portion of the suction groove 70 on one side of the boundary 61, and the other-side suction groove 70B, which is the portion of the suction groove 70 on the other side of the boundary 61, with the substrate W.

[0097] In fact, in the example shown on the right in Figure 3 (Wa:Wb = 1:1), the substrate W evenly covers the first suction groove 71A, the second suction groove 72A, the third suction groove 73A, and the fourth suction groove 74A on one side of the one side suction grooves 70A, as well as the first suction groove 71B, the second suction groove 72B, the third suction groove 73B, and the fourth suction groove 74B on the other side of the other side suction grooves 70B.

[0098] Furthermore, depending on the outer diameter of the substrate W, it is only necessary to appropriately select which suction groove 70 to use from among the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves 70 .

[0099] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a substrate holding device 1 that can suck and hold substrates W of various sizes (outer diameters and aspect ratios) on the stage 10 .

[0100] The substrate holding device 1 can accommodate substrates W of multiple sizes according to various user specifications.

[0101] If the center of the substrate W were to be aligned with the center (central axis O) of the suction groove 70, a portion of the suction groove 70 that is intended to suction the substrate W would be formed that is not covered by the substrate W. According to this embodiment, by aligning the edge Wk of the substrate W with the edge 70k of the suction groove 70, it is possible to prevent a portion of the suction groove 70 that is intended to suction the substrate W from being formed that is not covered by the substrate W, compared to when the center of the substrate W is aligned with the center (central axis O) of the suction groove 70.

[0102] The controller 50 determines, from among the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves 70, the suction groove 70 to which the edge Wk of the substrate W should be aligned, based on the dimension of the long side Wa of the substrate W. According to this embodiment, by inputting the dimension of the long side Wa of the substrate W into the controller 50, it is possible to easily identify, from among the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves 70, the suction groove 70 to which the edge Wk of the substrate W should be aligned.

[0103] The controller 50 determines which branch pipe valve 42 to open from among the plurality of branch pipe valves 42 based on the dimensions of the long sides Wa and the short sides Wb of the substrate W. According to the present embodiment, by inputting the dimensions of the long sides Wa and the short sides Wb of the substrate W into the controller 50, it becomes easy to identify which branch pipe valve 42 to open from among the plurality of branch pipe valves 42. It is possible to easily identify the branch pipe valve 42 that corresponds to the suction groove 70 that contributes to suction of the substrate W.

[0104] It is possible to open the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the suction grooves 70 that contribute to the suction of the substrate W, and close the branch pipe valves 42 corresponding to the suction grooves 70 that do not contribute to the suction of the substrate W. By suppressing the wasteful suction of air A in the suction grooves 70 that do not contribute to the suction of the substrate W, it is possible to efficiently suction the air A in the suction grooves 70 that contribute to the suction of the substrate W.

[0105] Since the suction groove A is quadrangular, the substrate W having a variety of quadrangular shapes, from rectangular to square, can be suitably suction-held on the stage 10 .

[0106] Second Embodiment A substrate holding device 1 according to a second embodiment will be described. In the following description, the same components as those in the above embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description will be omitted. Figure 4 shows the substrate holding device 1 in a front cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV. Figure 5 shows the substrate holding device 1 in a plan view as viewed in the direction of arrow V.

[0107] The stage 10 includes an adjacent groove 80. The adjacent groove 80 is formed as a recess provided in the mounting surface 60. The adjacent groove 80 is adjacent to the suction groove 70 in the horizontal direction, with the mounting surface 60 sandwiched between them. The adjacent groove 80 is formed to be wider in the horizontal direction than the suction groove 70. The adjacent groove 80 is formed to be deeper in the vertical direction than the suction groove 70. The groove bottom of the adjacent groove 80 is located lower than the groove bottom of the suction groove 70. The adjacent groove 80 is a deep groove.

[0108] The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0109] According to this embodiment, the adjacent groove 80 adjacent to the suction groove 70 can be used as a guide for manually placing the substrate W straight on the stage 10, or as a finger hole for inserting fingers when removing the substrate W from the stage 10.

[0110] Third Embodiment A substrate holding device 1 according to a third embodiment will be described. In the following description, the same components as those in the above embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Figure 6 shows a plan view of the undivided suction groove 90 of the stage 10 in the substrate holding device 1.

[0111] The stage 10 includes an undivided suction groove 90. The undivided suction groove 90 is arranged at a position that is not concentric with the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves 70. The undivided suction groove 90 is not divided by a boundary portion 61. The undivided suction groove 90 suctions the substrate W by negative pressure.

[0112] The outer diameter of the undivided suction groove 90 is smaller than the outer diameter of the first suction groove 71. In this example, the undivided suction groove 90 is disposed on one side of the boundary 61. The undivided suction groove 90 is disposed offset from the central axis O to one side (leftward in FIG. 6 ) in the direction parallel to the boundary 61. The one-side first suction groove 71A is terminated and disappears midway in a portion to the one side (leftward in FIG. 6 ) of the central axis O in the direction parallel to the boundary 61. The undivided suction groove 90 is disposed in the region where the one-side first suction groove 71A is terminated and disappears midway. The undivided suction groove 90 is disposed between the boundary 61 and the one-side first suction groove 71A and one-side second suction groove 72A.

[0113] In this example, the undivided suction groove 90 has a rectangular shape. In this example, the undivided suction groove 90 has a square shape. The center 90o of the undivided suction groove 90 is not concentric with (does not coincide with) the center (central axis X) of the multiple suction grooves 70 arranged concentrically.

[0114] Although not shown, a branch pipe 22 is connected to the undivided suction groove 90. A branch pipe valve 42 is attached to the branch pipe 22 connected to the undivided suction groove 90.

[0115] When the substrate W is small, the edge Wk of the substrate W may be aligned with the edge 90k of the undivided suction groove 90. The edge 90k of the undivided suction groove 90 is a corner of the rectangular undivided suction groove 90.

[0116] Other configurations of the undivided suction groove 90 are the same as those of the suction groove 70 .

[0117] The other configurations are the same as those of the first and second embodiments.

[0118] According to this embodiment, even if the suction grooves 70 are not used, the undivided suction grooves 90 are used, so that the minimum negative pressure can be applied to the substrate W.

[0119] <Other Embodiments> Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, these descriptions are not limiting and, of course, various modifications, substitutions, and combinations are possible.

[0120] The shape of the stage 10 is not limited to a square, but may be rectangular, another polygonal shape, or a circle.

[0121] The suction groove 70 is not limited to a square shape, and may be rectangular, another polygonal shape, or a circle. When the suction groove 70 is circular, the one-side suction groove 70A and the other-side suction groove 70B are, for example, semicircular. When the suction groove 70 is circular, the one-side suction groove 70A and the other-side suction groove 70B face each other in a roughly C-shape, with the boundary 61 sandwiched between them. When the suction groove 70 is circular, the multiple suction grooves 70 are arranged concentrically. The suction groove 70 may have other complex shapes (for example, a polygonal shape with rounded corners). The same applies to the undivided suction groove 90.

[0122] In the above embodiment, the suction groove 70 is divided into two, the one-side suction groove 70A and the other-side suction groove 70B, by one boundary 61, but this is not limited to this. For example, the suction groove 70 may be divided into three or more by two or more boundaries 61. From the viewpoint of ensuring a sufficient suction area for the substrate W, it is preferable that the suction groove 70 be divided into fewer parts. From the viewpoint of accommodating a greater variety of sizes of substrates W, it is preferable that the suction groove 70 be divided into more parts.

[0123] The controller 50 may not be built into the main body of the substrate holding device 1, but may be configured as an external server outside the main body of the substrate holding device 1.

[0124] The operation of placing the substrate W on the stage 10 may be performed automatically by a robot or the like, instead of being performed manually by a user.

[0125] The stage 10 may be a plate-like structure with its thickness extending horizontally, and the substrate W may be held by suction on the side surface of the stage 10 .

[0126] The gas is not limited to air.

[0127] The numbers of suction grooves 70 and branch pipe valves 42 in the above embodiment are merely examples and are not limited to these.

[0128] The present disclosure is applicable to substrate holding devices and is therefore extremely useful and has high industrial applicability.

[0129] O Central axis W Substrate Wk Edge Wp End Wa Long side Wb Short side A Air (gas) 1 Substrate holding device 10 Stage 20 Air passage (gas passage) 21 Main pipe 22 Branch pipe 30 Vacuum pump (negative pressure pump) 41 Main pipe valve 42 Branch pipe valve (valve) 50 Controller (determination unit) 60 Placement surface 61 Boundary 70 Suction groove 70k Edge 70A One side suction groove 70B Other side suction groove 80 Adjacent groove 90 Non-divided suction groove 90k Edge 90o Center

Claims

1. A substrate holding device comprising: a stage for holding a substrate, the stage including a mounting surface on which the substrate is placed, and a plurality of suction grooves formed by recesses provided in the mounting surface and arranged concentrically, the suction grooves suction the substrate by negative pressure, the mounting surface including a boundary portion that crosses the suction grooves, and the suction grooves are divided by the boundary portion.

2. The substrate holding device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is positioned on the stage by aligning an edge of the substrate with the suction groove.

3. A substrate holding device as described in claim 2, further comprising a determination unit that determines, based on the dimensions of the substrate, the suction groove to which the edge of the substrate should be aligned from among a plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves.

4. A substrate holding device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: a negative pressure pump that sucks gas from the suction groove; a plurality of valves that open and close the gas passage between the negative pressure pump and the suction groove; and a judgment unit, wherein the valves correspond to both of the portions of the suction groove divided by the boundary portion for each of the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves, and the judgment unit judges which of the plurality of valves should be opened based on the dimensions of the substrate.

5. A substrate holding device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stage includes an undivided suction groove that is not divided at the boundary and is located at a position that is not concentric with the plurality of concentrically arranged suction grooves, and the undivided suction groove adsorbs the substrate by negative pressure.

6. A substrate holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stage includes an adjacent groove formed by a recess provided in the placement surface and adjacent to the suction groove.

7. A substrate holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the suction groove is rectangular in shape.

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