Substrate positioning device and substrate positioning method

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a substrate positioning device and a substrate positioning method. The substrate positioning device is used for positioning a square substrate, and comprises: a support base for supporting and lifting a substrate; two secondary centering action portions respectively acting on a set of opposite edges of the substrate located on the support base to move the substrate in a horizontal direction and configured to perform a secondary centering operation on the substrate; and a bearing mechanism having a rotating shaft, which bearing mechanism is configured to bear the substrate and rotate the substrate with the rotating shaft as a rotation center. After the secondary centering operation is performed on one set of opposite edges of the substrate, the support base is configured to: drive the substrate down to the bearing mechanism, so that the bearing mechanism drives the substrate to rotate by 90°; and after the rotation is completed, the support base rises and supports the substrate, so that the two secondary centering action portions complete the secondary centering operation on the other set of opposite edges of the substrate.

Description

Substrate positioning device and substrate positioning method

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410843707.2, filed on June 26, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, and relates to a substrate positioning device and a substrate positioning method for a semiconductor wafer or a FPD (flat panel display) and the like. BACKGROUND

[0003] In a substrate processing process, the substrate needs to be accurately positioned before the process of the substrate can be facilitated. For example, when performing edge washing on the substrate, the substrate is accurately positioned, and the position of the chemical liquid sprayed by the nozzle relative to the substrate can be accurately controlled. If the substrate is not placed accurately, when the substrate is rotated, the position of the chemical liquid sprayed by the nozzle relative to the substrate is not accurate, which affects the edge washing effect of the substrate, such as causing uneven edge washing width and the like. Before other process treatments are performed on the substrate, the substrate also needs to be positioned first. Therefore, accurately positioning the substrate has become one of the technical problems to be solved by those skilled in the art.

[0004] Therefore, in view of the problems existing in the prior art, the present application is designed by the designer with years of experience in this field, and actively researches and improves, thus providing a substrate positioning device and a substrate positioning method. SUMMARY

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of the present application is to provide a substrate positioning device and a substrate positioning method to solve the problem of inaccurate positioning of the substrate in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above object and other related objects, the present application provides a substrate positioning device for positioning a square substrate, comprising: a support seat for supporting and lifting the substrate; two secondary centering action parts for acting on a set of opposite edges of the substrate on the support seat to move the substrate in a horizontal direction, for performing secondary centering operation on the substrate; a bearing mechanism with a rotation shaft for bearing the substrate and rotating the substrate with the rotation shaft as the rotation center; wherein the secondary centering operation comprises: one secondary centering action part is first moved horizontally to a first target position, and the other secondary centering action part is then moved to a second target position, the distance between the first target position and the second target position and the rotation center is one half of the distance between the currently acting opposite edges of the substrate, and the distance between the first target position and the second target position is the distance between the currently acting opposite edges; after the secondary centering operation on one set of opposite edges of the substrate, the support seat is configured to: lower the substrate to the bearing mechanism to make the bearing mechanism rotate the substrate by 90°; after the rotation is completed, the support seat is configured to: lift and support the substrate, so that the two secondary centering action parts complete the secondary centering operation on the other set of opposite edges of the substrate.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, the substrate positioning device further comprises a primary centering action part, and the support seat comprises a plurality of guide columns, each guide column corresponding to a top corner of the substrate, the primary centering action part is used to guide the top corner of the substrate to move to the guide column of the support seat, and each guide column acts on two edges corresponding to the top corner to complete the primary centering operation on the substrate.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, the bearing mechanism comprises a plurality of suction cups acting on the lower surface of the substrate, and after the support seat lowers the substrate, the plurality of suction cups are configured to: at least part of the suction cups are in contact with the substrate, so that the at least part of the suction cups support the substrate.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, the bearing mechanism comprises a plurality of suction cups acting on the lower surface of the substrate, and the plurality of suction cups are configured to: at least part of the suction cups are adsorbed to the lower surface of the substrate and pulled downward to make other suction cups in the plurality of suction cups contact and adsorb to the substrate, wherein the other suction cups are suction cups that are not in contact with the substrate before the substrate is pulled downward.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present application, the plurality of suction cups includes intermediate suction cups and edge suction cups, and at least part of the suction cups are adsorbed to the lower surface of the substrate and pulled downward to make other suction cups in the plurality of suction cups contact and adsorb to the substrate, including: at least part of the intermediate suction cups and / or the edge suction cups respectively contact and adsorb to the corresponding areas of the substrate, and at least part of the intermediate suction cups and / or the edge suction cups move downward to pull the substrate downward until the substrate contacts other suction cups in the plurality of suction cups, wherein the intermediate suction cups adsorb the middle area of the substrate, and the edge suction cups adsorb the edge area of the substrate.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, the bearing mechanism includes a plurality of suction cups for adsorbing to the lower surface of the substrate to fix the substrate and a pressing plate for pressing the substrate downward, and the pressing plate is configured to contact the upper surface of the substrate and press the substrate downward to make the substrate deform to contact the lower surface of the substrate.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present application, each secondary centering action part includes two action ends for contacting the substrate.

[0013] To achieve the above object and other related objects, the present application further provides a substrate positioning method suitable for a substrate positioning device, wherein the substrate positioning device includes a support seat, two secondary centering action parts, and a bearing mechanism, and the method includes the following steps: S1: the support seat supports a substrate; S2: the two secondary centering action parts act on one set of edges of the substrate to complete secondary centering operation on the set of edges; S3: the support seat descends to make the bearing mechanism contact and bear the substrate held on the support seat, and the support seat is separated from the substrate; S4: the bearing mechanism fixes the substrate; S5: the bearing mechanism rotates the substrate by 90° and releases the substrate; S6: the support seat ascends to contact and support the substrate, and the substrate is separated from the bearing mechanism; and S7: the two secondary centering action parts act on another set of edges of the substrate to complete secondary centering operation on the other set of edges.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present application, in the step S2, the secondary centering operation includes: one secondary centering action part moves horizontally to a first target position, and the other secondary centering action part moves to a second target position, the distances between the first target position and the second target position and the rotation center are each one half of the distance between the currently acting edges, and the distance between the first target position and the second target position is the distance between the currently acting edges.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, the supporting mechanism comprises a plurality of suction cups acting on the lower surface of the substrate, and in the step S3, the support seat is lowered to contact the substrate with at least part of the plurality of suction cups, so that the at least part of the suction cups support the substrate.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present application, the step S4 that the supporting mechanism fixes the substrate comprises the following steps: deforming the substrate to make the lower surface of the substrate contact other suction cups in the plurality of suction cups, wherein the other suction cups are the suction cups in the plurality of suction cups that are not in contact with the substrate when the substrate is not deformed; and the plurality of suction cups are adsorbed to the substrate to fix the substrate.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present application, the plurality of suction cups comprises intermediate suction cups and edge suction cups, and deforming the substrate to make the lower surface of the substrate contact other suction cups in the plurality of suction cups comprises: at least part of the intermediate suction cups and / or the edge suction cups respectively contact and adsorb to the corresponding areas of the substrate, and at least part of the intermediate suction cups and / or the edge suction cups move downward to pull down the substrate until the substrate contacts the other suction cups in the plurality of suction cups, wherein the intermediate suction cups adsorb the middle area of the substrate, and the edge suction cups adsorb the edge area of the substrate.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present application, the intermediate suction cups are raised to contact and adsorb the lower surface of the middle area of the substrate and then pull down the substrate, and / or the edge suction cups are raised to contact and adsorb the lower surface of the edge area of the substrate and then pull down the substrate.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present application, the supporting mechanism further comprises a pressing plate for pressing the substrate downward, and deforming the substrate to make the lower surface of the substrate contact the plurality of suction cups comprises: the pressing plate contacts the upper surface of the substrate and presses the substrate downward, so that the plurality of suction cups contact the lower surface of the substrate.

[0020] In an embodiment of the present application, in the step S5, the plurality of suction cups rotate with the substrate fixed to the end of the suction cups.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present application, in the step S5, the suction device stops suctioning the plurality of suction cups to make the suction cups release the substrate.

[0022] In an embodiment of the present application, the support seat comprises a plurality of pairs of guide columns, and each pair of guide columns corresponds to each top corner of the substrate, and the support seat supporting the substrate comprises: moving the four top corners of the substrate along the corresponding guide columns to the support seat to complete a primary centering operation on the substrate.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present application, after the first centering operation is completed, the carrier mechanism is rotated to make any edge of the substrate parallel to the straight line where the two action ends of the second centering mechanism are located.

[0024] As described above, the substrate positioning device and the substrate positioning method of the present application can precisely position the substrate by centering operation, and facilitate the process of the substrate.

[0025] SUMMARY

[0026] The features and advantages of the present application are further described by the following embodiments and drawings.

[0027] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a first centering assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a second centering assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the second centering operation of the second centering assembly on the substrate carried by the carrier mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the movement of the substrate to the carrier mechanism after the first centering operation of the first centering assembly on the substrate according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the upper position of the end lifting chuck and the middle lifting chuck according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Fig. 7 is a flow chart of a substrate positioning method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Preferred embodiments of the present application

[0035] The present application is described in detail by specific working examples. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the disclosure of the present application. The present application can also be implemented or applied by different specific embodiments, and the details in the present specification can be modified or changed based on different views and applications without departing from the spirit of the present application.

[0036] In the detailed description of the embodiments of the present application, the cross-sectional view of the device structure is partially enlarged without the general proportion for the convenience of description, and the schematic diagram is only an example which should not limit the scope of protection of the present application. In addition, the three-dimensional spatial dimensions of length, width and depth should be included in the actual manufacture.

[0037] For convenience sake, spatial relationship words such as "under", "below", "lower", "lower than", "underneath", "above", "upper", "on top of", and the like can be used herein to describe a relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature as shown in the drawings. It will be understood that these spatial relationship words are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation, in addition to the orientations depicted in the drawings. Furthermore, when a layer is referred to as being "between" two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers or one or more intervening layers can also be present. As used herein, "between" is inclusive of both endpoints.

[0038] In the context of the present application, a structure described as having a first feature "on top of" a second feature can include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, as well as embodiments in which additional features are formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features can not be in direct contact.

[0039] It is to be noted that the diagrams provided in the embodiments herein are only schematic and that for purposes of explanation of the basic idea of the present application, only the components relevant to the present application are shown in the diagrams, not the number, shape and size of the components as they are in actual implementation. The actual implementation of the components can be a random change in shape, number and proportion, and the layout of the components can be more complex. The substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method below are used for processing of a semiconductor wafer or a substrate in the field of FPD (flat panel display).

[0040] Referring to FIG. 1, the substrate positioning apparatus includes a centering mechanism 100 for centering operation of the substrate and a carrying mechanism 200 for carrying and rotating the substrate W. In some embodiments, the substrate positioning apparatus is used in a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing process for edge trimming of the substrate W. The substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 includes at least one edge trimming mechanism 300 for edge trimming of the substrate W in a cavity 400. It is to be noted that the substrate positioning apparatus and the substrate positioning method in the present application are not limited to be applied in the edge trimming apparatus and the edge trimming process. The substrate W is non-circular, for example, the substrate W is square or rectangular. In addition, the substrate positioning apparatus in the present application positions the substrate such that the center of the substrate is aligned with the center of rotation of the carrying mechanism 200. The carrying mechanism 200 can rotate the substrate with the rotation center as the rotation axis, and the position where the substrate is positioned is the centering position.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 1, the substrate positioning apparatus further includes a control unit 800 for controlling the operation of the functional components (such as power units, suction devices, etc.) of the substrate positioning apparatus (for example, motors, electric cylinders, pneumatic cylinders, etc. for driving the movement of the structural components of the centering mechanism 100, the carrying mechanism 200, the edge trimming mechanism 300, etc.).

[0042] Further, the control section 800 can be realized by a combination of hardware and software. For example, a general-purpose computer can be used as the hardware, and a program (device control program and processing recipe, etc.) for causing the general-purpose computer to act can be used as the software. The software is stored in any storage medium (i.e., non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) that can be read by the hardware. Thus, the software can be stored in a storage medium such as a hard disk drive fixedly provided in a computer, or can be stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, or flash memory that is detachably attached to a computer.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 1, the carrying mechanism 200 includes a rotating power part 230, an execution part 210 acting on the surface of the substrate, a rotating shaft 220 supporting the execution part 210 and rotating with the execution part 210 under the driving action of the rotating power part 230. Referring to FIG. 6, the execution part 210 includes a plurality of suction cups for being adsorbed to the lower surface of the substrate, and the carrying mechanism further includes an air passage 500 located inside the execution part 210 and communicating with the suction cups, and the plurality of suction cups communicate with a suction device (not shown) through the air passage 500, so that the suction device sucks the plurality of suction cups through the air passage 500 to fix the substrate to the end of the suction cup. The warping of the substrate can cause the position of the substrate surface to fluctuate in the thickness direction, some of which are regular warping, such as the middle of the substrate being convex upward, and the edge of the substrate being convex upward; some are irregular warping, the substrate is wavy, and the middle of the substrate and the edge of the substrate are convex upward. When the plurality of suction cups support the warped substrate, due to the warping of the substrate, only part of the suction cups may contact the substrate. However, for a flat substrate, the plurality of suction cups can all contact the substrate. Therefore, when the plurality of suction cups support the substrate, at least part of the suction cups contact the lower surface of the substrate. Before the substrate is processed, the suction cups in the embodiment are used to fix the substrate to facilitate the processing of the substrate. Some processes also require the substrate to be rotated, and if the substrate is not fixed firmly, it may be thrown out and cause debris, so it is very important to fix the substrate firmly. Therefore, it is necessary to adsorb all or a sufficient number of suction cups to the lower surface of the substrate. However, due to the warping of the substrate, part of the suction cups cannot contact the substrate, so it cannot be ensured that the substrate is fixed firmly. Therefore, the warped area of the substrate needs to be deformed first, so that all or a sufficient number of suction cups can fully contact the lower surface of the substrate, so that the plurality of suction cups firmly fix the substrate. At least part of the plurality of suction cups are provided to be liftable, and in the case of different warping areas of the substrate, the suction cups in the corresponding area are lifted to make the substrate contact the warping area and be adsorbed to the lower surface of the substrate, and the lifted suction cups are lowered with the warped area of the substrate to flatten the substrate. In some embodiments, the plurality of suction cups have different functions and include edge suction cups 211, middle suction cups 212, and fixed suction cups 213 located between the edge suction cups 211 and the middle suction cups 212. The edge suction cups 211 and / or the middle suction cups 212 are driven to rise by the lifting power part 224 to make part of the edge suction cups 211 and the middle suction cups 212 contact the lower surface of the substrate, wherein the middle suction cups 212 and the edge suction cups 211 correspond to the middle area and the edge area of the substrate respectively and are adsorbed. For different warping areas of the substrate, it is roughly divided into the substrate with the middle area convex upward and / or the edge area convex upward.In the embodiment, the middle chuck 212 is required to adsorb the middle upward convex region of the substrate and / or the edge chuck 211 is required to adsorb the edge upward convex region of the substrate, and the middle chuck 212 and / or the edge chuck 211 pull down the substrate until other chucks are in contact with the substrate and adsorbed to the lower surface of the substrate, so that the substrate is fixed to the end of all chucks, the other chucks are the chucks that are not in contact with the substrate before the substrate is pulled down, including the fixed chuck, the middle chuck and the edge chuck, which depends on the warping of the substrate. In this way, the substrate can be firmly fixed to the end of the chuck. The middle chuck 212 and / or the edge chuck 211 adsorb and move downward to pull the substrate, so as to improve the warping amplitude of the substrate, and then all or enough chucks can be in contact with the substrate and adsorbed to fix the substrate. Alternatively, the plurality of chucks are arranged in a cross shape in the direction of the substrate surface, the edge chuck 211 is located at the end of the cross shape and corresponds to the edge of the substrate, and is used to adsorb the edge of the substrate, and the middle of the cross shape corresponds to the middle of the substrate and is used to adsorb the middle of the substrate. The region adsorbed by the plurality of chucks is the non-electroplated region of the substrate, and the adsorption of the non-effective region of the substrate by the chucks will not damage the substrate. It can be understood that if the non-effective region of the substrate is of other shapes, the plurality of chucks can also be arranged in other shapes. In the above embodiment, the chuck with lifting function is first lifted to contact the lower surface of the substrate, and then the lifting chuck is lowered to pull the substrate downward synchronously, so that the substrate is deformed. In other embodiments, the substrate can also be deformed by pressing the substrate downward with a pressing plate instead of being pulled downward by the lifting chuck, until all chucks are in contact with the substrate. At this time, all chucks are at the same height and do not need to be lifted.

[0044] The centering mechanism 100 comprises primary centering assemblies 110 and secondary centering assemblies 120. Referring to the embodiments shown in Figs. 2(a) and 2(b), each primary centering assembly 110 comprises a lifting power unit 111 and a pair of guide posts 113 driven by the lifting power unit 111 to lift, the guide posts 113 serving as primary centering units. Referring to Fig. 2 and in conjunction with Fig. 5, the centering mechanism 100 of the present embodiment comprises four primary centering assemblies 110, which are respectively arranged at the four corners of the square substrate, and the pair of guide posts 113 of each primary centering assembly 110 is respectively arranged at the two sides of each corner, so that the substrate is centered when placed. At this time, it is not yet certain that the substrate is accurately placed at the centering position, and there can be a certain deviation from the centering position. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, each primary centering assembly 110 comprises one lifting power unit 111 for driving two guide posts 113 to lift simultaneously. In other embodiments not shown, each primary centering assembly 110 can comprise two lifting power units 111 for driving a pair of guide posts 113 respectively. The lifting power unit 111 can be an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a motor, etc. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the end of each guide post 113 is further provided with a guide unit 114 for guiding each corner of the substrate to enter between the corresponding two guide posts 113. In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 2, each primary centering assembly 110 further comprises a support seat 112 connected between the lifting power unit 111 and the guide posts 113, and a pair of guide posts 113 are mounted on the support seat 112. Here, the lifting power unit 111 drives the support seat 112 to move so as to lift the guide posts 113. In the present embodiment, each corner of the substrate is moved along the corresponding guide post 113 to contact the support seat 112 to place the substrate, and the four corners of the substrate are respectively placed on the corresponding support seats 112. The action of the lifting power unit 111 driving the guide posts 113 to lift will be described below.

[0045] The two secondary centering assemblies 120 are configured to jointly act on the substrate to achieve the secondary centering operation of the substrate. Referring to FIG. 4, the two secondary centering assemblies 120 are respectively arranged on the two sides of the substrate W and move the substrate to complete the secondary centering operation. After the primary centering assembly 110 performs the primary centering operation on the substrate, the substrate cannot be guaranteed to be accurately moved to the centering position and may still have some deviation, and the position of the substrate needs to be fine-tuned to the centering position of the substrate by the two secondary centering assemblies 120. Referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, each secondary centering assembly 120 includes a telescopic mechanism 122 and a secondary centering acting part 121 at the end of the telescopic mechanism 122. The telescopic mechanism 122 is configured to drive the secondary centering acting part 121 to extend and retract. The two secondary centering acting parts 121 of the two secondary centering assemblies 120 are oppositely arranged and respectively act on one side of a set of opposite sides of the substrate. During the secondary centering operation of the substrate, one of the secondary centering acting parts 121 is moved to a first target position close to the substrate and remains stationary, and the other secondary centering acting part 121 is driven by the telescopic mechanism 122 to extend and retract, so that the other secondary centering acting part 121 contacts the substrate and moves the substrate. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the secondary centering assembly 120 further includes a lifting mechanism 124 configured to drive the secondary centering acting part 121 to lift. The two secondary centering acting parts 121 are first lifted to the same horizontal plane as the substrate and are respectively positioned on the two sides of a set of opposite sides of the substrate, so as to move the substrate in the same horizontal plane. The lifting mechanism 124 is connected to the telescopic mechanism 122, and under the driving action of the lifting mechanism, the telescopic mechanism 122 and the secondary centering acting part 121 are lifted simultaneously. The secondary centering assembly 120 further includes a base 125 connected to the lifting mechanism 124. In other embodiments, the structure and driving mode of the telescopic mechanism 122 and the lifting mechanism 124 can be different from those in the above-mentioned embodiment. The telescopic mechanism 122 drives the lifting mechanism 124 to slide on the base 125 to drive the secondary centering acting part 121 to extend and retract synchronously with the lifting mechanism 124. The present application does not limit the structure of the lifting mechanism and the telescopic mechanism and the connection mode of the structural members. The structure and the connection mode of the structural members capable of driving the secondary centering assembly 120 to lift and extend are within the protection scope of the present application. The two secondary centering assemblies 120 are each provided with a secondary centering acting part 121 that can be driven to extend and retract. Each secondary centering acting part 121 includes two acting ends 126 for contacting the substrate to move the substrate to the centering position. The relative distance between the two secondary centering acting parts 121 is determined based on the distance between the currently acting opposite sides of the substrate, and one of the secondary centering acting parts 121 moves to a first target position and remains stationary, and the other secondary centering acting part 121 horizontally extends to a second target position to perform the secondary centering operation. The first target position and the second target position are positions with a distance of one-half of the distance between the currently acting opposite sides of the substrate from the rotation center. The distance between the first target position and the second target position is the distance between the currently acting opposite sides of the substrate.

[0046] More details of the device embodiments can be referred to the description of the substrate positioning method below, which will not be expanded here.

[0047] From another perspective, moving the substrate W to the centering position and fixing it in the centering position specifically uses the following substrate positioning method, referring to FIG. 7, the substrate positioning method includes the following steps:

[0048] S1: the support seat supports the substrate;

[0049] In the example of this step, referring to FIG. 5 and combining FIG. 2, the four corners of the substrate W are moved to the support seat 112 along the corresponding guide posts 113 to complete the first centering operation of the substrate W. After the first centering operation is completed, the support seat 112 supports the substrate W;

[0050] At this time, the position of the substrate W is at least partially defined by the support seat 112 and the four pairs of guide posts 113, for example, a small amount of displacement can occur in the horizontal direction.

[0051] In this step, the four pairs of guide posts 113 have been moved to a position where they can receive the substrate W. Each of the four pairs of guide posts 113 receives a corner of the substrate W, and each corner of the substrate W is located between a corresponding pair of guide posts 113. The corresponding guide post 113 guides the corresponding corner to move along the corresponding guide post to move the entire substrate W to the support seat 112. Since there will be an error in the position where the robot places the substrate W after transporting the substrate W, a certain amount of space is left between each pair of guide posts 113, that is, the distance between each pair of guide posts 113 is generally greater than the distance between the two sides of the corresponding corner of the substrate W to be placed. Therefore, further secondary centering operation is needed for the substrate W.

[0052] S2: two secondary centering acting parts act on one set of opposite edges of the substrate to complete the secondary centering operation of the set of opposite edges;

[0053] In this step, the relative distance between the two secondary centering acting parts is determined based on the distance between the currently acting opposite edges of the substrate W, and the first target position of one of the two secondary centering acting parts 126 and the second target position of the other are obtained. The first target position and the second target position are both positions with a distance from the rotation center that is half the distance between the currently acting opposite edges of the substrate.

[0054] Specifically, in this step, the pair of secondary centering units 121 are moved to the same horizontal plane as the substrate, and each of the pair of secondary centering units 121 is located on the two sides of the substrate. Then, one of the pair of secondary centering units 121 is moved to a first target position and remains stationary, and the other is moved to a second target position in the horizontal direction to complete the secondary centering operation on the substrate. It should be noted that during the secondary centering operation, the substrate can be horizontally moved on the support seat 112, but due to the limiting effect of the guide posts 113 on the top corners, the horizontal movement distance is limited. In some embodiments, the substrate is rotated by the carrying mechanism 200 so that any one edge of the substrate is parallel to the straight line where the two action ends 126 of the same secondary centering unit 121 are located, and then the secondary centering operation is performed on the substrate by the secondary centering unit 121.

[0055] S3: Lowering the support seat so that the carrying part contacts and carries the substrate held on the support seat, and the support seat is separated from the substrate;

[0056] In this step, in some embodiments, after the four pairs of guide posts and the support seat are lowered to contact the substrate with the carrying part, the four sets of guide posts and the support seat continue to be lowered so that the substrate is held on the carrying part and separated from the support seat, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0057] In this step, in some embodiments, the intermediate chuck or the edge chuck is in the raised position, and the substrate is lowered to contact the intermediate chuck or the edge chuck. At this time, the intermediate chuck or the edge chuck carries the substrate, so that at least part of the carrying part is the intermediate chuck or the edge chuck. If the substrate is convex upward in the middle, the intermediate chuck is configured to be in the raised position, and the other chucks are configured to remain in the lowered position. If the substrate is convex downward in the middle, the edge chuck is configured to be in the raised position, and the other chucks remain in the lowered position. It can be understood that the height of the raised position is higher than the height of the lowered position, and the raised position of the edge chuck or the intermediate chuck is defined at a position capable of contacting the corresponding lower surface of the substrate. In other embodiments, the carrying part of this step can also include other structures capable of carrying the substrate.

[0058] S4: Fixing the substrate;

[0059] In some embodiments, fixing the substrate specifically includes the following steps:

[0060] S4(a), deforming the substrate so that the lower surface of the substrate contacts all the chucks;

[0061] In some embodiments, the substrate is deformed, and the middle chuck or the edge chucks can be used to suck the corresponding area of the substrate and pull the substrate downward to contact other chucks so that the substrate is in contact with all or enough chucks. If the middle of the substrate is convex upward, the middle chuck is used to suck the substrate and move downward to pull the substrate downward to contact other chucks. If the middle of the substrate is convex downward, the edge chucks are used to suck the substrate and move downward to pull the substrate downward to contact other chucks.

[0062] In other embodiments, the substrate can also be deformed in other ways. The pressing plate contacts the upper surface of the substrate and presses the substrate downward to deform the substrate so that all the chucks are in contact with the lower surface of the substrate. At this time, unlike the above-mentioned embodiments in which the position of the middle chuck or the edge chucks needs to be raised to pull the substrate downward, all the chucks are at the same height and do not need to be raised or lowered.

[0063] S4(b), all the chucks are sucked to the substrate to fix the substrate;

[0064] In this step, all the chucks are communicated with the suction device through the same air channel, so that the suction device can suck air through the same air channel to all the chucks.

[0065] In some other embodiments, the substrate can be fixed by other structures for clamping the substrate, which are not limited in the present application.

[0066] S5: rotating and releasing the substrate;

[0067] In this step, the following steps are specifically included:

[0068] S5(a), the chucks with the substrate are rotated by 90 degrees;

[0069] S5(b), all the chucks release the substrate;

[0070] In the step S5(b), the suction device stops sucking air to the chucks so that the chucks release the substrate.

[0071] S6: the support seat is raised to contact and support the substrate, and the substrate is separated from the carrier;

[0072] In this step, after the four groups of guide columns and the support seat with the substrate are raised to contact the support seat with the substrate, the four groups of guide columns and the support seat continue to rise so that the substrate is held on the support seat and separated from the carrier. In some embodiments, if the substrate is fixed by the way of sucking the lower surface of the substrate by the chucks, at least part of the carrier is the chucks, so the substrate is separated from the chucks.

[0073] S7: two secondary centering parts act on another group of edges of the substrate to complete the secondary centering operation on the group of edges;

[0074] The operation steps in this step are similar to those in step S2, and will not be described in detail. The distance between the two secondary centering parts in this step is determined according to the distance between the two edges of the substrate to be subjected to secondary centering operation.

[0075] S8: repeating steps S3-S4.

[0076] In this step, the substrate is first lowered onto the bearing part and then fixed on the bearing part. Before being fixed on the bearing part, the substrate needs to be pulled down or pressed down so that all the suction cups are in contact with the substrate, ensuring that all the suction cups are in suction and fixation with the substrate, so that the substrate is fixed firmly.

[0077] More details of the method embodiment can be referred to the description of the substrate positioning device in the foregoing, which will not be described here.

[0078] The above embodiments are only illustrative of the principles and effects of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. Any person skilled in the art can modify or change the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical ideas disclosed by the present application shall be covered by the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A substrate positioning device for positioning a square substrate, characterized in that, include: Support base, used to support and raise / lower the base plate; Two secondary centering units act on a set of opposite edges of the substrate located on the support to move the substrate in the horizontal direction, for performing a secondary centering operation on the substrate; A bearing mechanism with a rotating shaft is used to support the substrate and rotate the substrate around the rotating shaft as the rotation center; The secondary centering operation includes: one secondary centering unit first moves horizontally to a first target position, and another secondary centering unit then moves to a second target position. The distance between the first target position, the second target position and the rotation center is half the distance between the current working opposite edges of the substrate, and the distance between the first target position and the second target position is the distance between the current working opposite edges. After performing a secondary alignment operation on one set of opposite edges of the substrate, the support is configured to: lower the substrate onto the bearing mechanism so that the bearing mechanism rotates the substrate by 90°; after the rotation is completed, rise and support the substrate so that the two secondary alignment working parts complete the secondary alignment operation on the other set of opposite edges of the substrate.

2. The substrate positioning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a primary centering mechanism, and the support base includes multiple pairs of guide posts, each pair of guide posts corresponding to each apex corner of the substrate. The primary centering mechanism is used to guide the apex corner of the substrate to move to the guide post of the support base. Each pair of guide posts acts on both sides of the corresponding apex corner to complete the primary centering operation of the substrate.

3. The substrate positioning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support mechanism includes a plurality of suction cups acting on the lower surface of the substrate. After the support base lowers the substrate, the plurality of suction cups are configured such that at least some of the suction cups contact the substrate so that the at least some of the suction cups support the substrate.

4. The substrate positioning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bearing mechanism includes a plurality of suction cups acting on the lower surface of the substrate. The plurality of suction cups are configured such that at least some of the suction cups are adsorbed onto the lower surface of the substrate and pulled downward so that other suction cups among the plurality of suction cups contact and adsorb onto the substrate, wherein the other suction cups are suction cups that were not in contact with the substrate before the substrate was pulled downward.

5. The substrate positioning device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The plurality of suction cups includes a central suction cup and edge suction cups. At least some of the suction cups are adsorbed onto the lower surface of the substrate and pulled downwards so that the other suction cups in the plurality of suction cups contact and adsorb onto the substrate. This includes: at least some of the central suction cups and / or the edge suction cups respectively contacting and adsorbing onto corresponding areas of the substrate; at least some of the central suction cups and / or the edge suction cups moving downwards to pull the substrate downwards until the substrate contacts the other suction cups in the plurality of suction cups, wherein the central suction cups adsorb onto the central area of ​​the substrate, and the edge suction cups adsorb onto the edge area of ​​the substrate.

6. The substrate positioning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support mechanism includes a plurality of suction cups for adsorbing onto the lower surface of the substrate to fix the substrate and a pressure plate for pressing the substrate downward. The pressure plate is configured to contact the upper surface of the substrate and press the substrate downward, causing the substrate to deform until the plurality of suction cups contact the lower surface of the substrate.

7. The substrate positioning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each secondary centering unit includes two working ends for contacting the substrate.

8. A substrate positioning method, applicable to a substrate positioning device, the substrate positioning device comprising a support base, two secondary centering parts, and a bearing mechanism, characterized in that, The method includes: S1: The support base supports the substrate; S2: The two secondary centering action parts act on one of the pairs of opposite edges of the substrate to complete the secondary centering operation on the pairs of opposite edges; S3: The support base descends to allow the bearing mechanism to contact and bear the substrate held on the support base, while the support base separates from the substrate; S4: The supporting mechanism fixes the substrate; S5: The supporting mechanism releases the substrate after rotating the substrate by 90°; S6: The support rises to contact the substrate and support the substrate, while the substrate separates from the bearing mechanism; S7: The two secondary centering units act on another set of opposite edges of the substrate to complete the secondary centering operation on the other set of opposite edges.

9. The substrate positioning method according to claim 8, characterized in that, In step S2, the secondary centering operation includes: One secondary centering unit moves horizontally to the first target position, and the other secondary centering unit moves to the second target position. The distances between the first target position and the second target position and the rotation center are both half the distance between the current opposite sides of the substrate. The distance between the first target position and the second target position is the distance between the current opposite sides.

10. The substrate positioning method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The supporting mechanism includes a plurality of suction cups acting on the lower surface of the substrate. In step S3, the support base descends until the substrate contacts at least a portion of the suction cups, so that the at least a portion of the suction cups support the substrate.

11. The substrate positioning method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The step S4, in which the supporting mechanism fixes the substrate, includes the following steps: The substrate is deformed so that its lower surface contacts other suction cups among the plurality of suction cups, wherein the other suction cups are those that were not in contact with the substrate when the substrate was not deformed; The plurality of suction cups are attached to the substrate to fix the substrate in place.

12. The substrate positioning method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The plurality of suction cups includes a central suction cup and an edge suction cup. Deforming the substrate so that its lower surface contacts the other suction cups in the plurality of suction cups includes: at least some of the central suction cups and / or the edge suction cups respectively contacting and adsorbing onto corresponding areas of the substrate; at least some of the central suction cups and / or the edge suction cups moving downward to pull the substrate downward until the substrate contacts the other suction cups in the plurality of suction cups, wherein the central suction cups adsorb onto the central area of ​​the substrate, and the edge suction cups adsorb onto the edge area of ​​the substrate.

13. The substrate positioning method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The middle suction cup rises to contact and adsorb the lower surface of the middle region of the substrate and then pulls the substrate downwards, and / or the edge suction cup rises to contact and adsorb the lower surface of the edge region of the substrate and then pulls the substrate downwards.

14. The substrate positioning method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The bearing mechanism further includes a pressure plate for pressing down on the substrate, causing the substrate to deform until the lower surface of the substrate contacts the plurality of suction cups, including: the pressure plate contacts the upper surface of the substrate and presses down on the substrate, causing the substrate to deform until the plurality of suction cups contact the lower surface of the substrate.

15. The substrate positioning method according to any one of claims 11 or 14, characterized in that, In step S5, the plurality of suction cups rotate with the substrate fixed to the end of the suction cups.

16. The substrate positioning method according to any one of claims 11 or 14, characterized in that, In step S5, the suction device stops pumping air from the plurality of suction cups to allow the suction cups to release the substrate.

17. The substrate positioning method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The support base includes multiple pairs of guide posts, each pair of guide posts corresponding to each apex corner of the substrate. The support base supports the substrate by moving the four apex corners of the substrate along the corresponding guide posts onto the support base to complete a first-level centering operation on the substrate.

18. The substrate positioning method according to claim 17, characterized in that, After the first-stage alignment operation is completed, the bearing mechanism is rotated so that any one side of the substrate is parallel to the straight line containing the two working ends of the second-stage alignment mechanism.

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