CN1484279A - Elevating substrate processing device and substrate processing system having the device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a substrate processing device, which has the function of transferring the substrate from one part of the processing line to another, and can effectively process the substrate during the transfer. The substrate processing device (10) is composed of an outer casing (11), a processing mechanism (20) and a lifting mechanism (40). The outer casing (11) has a substrate input port (11a) and a substrate discharge port (11b) arranged in parallel at the upper and lower positions, and has a frame shape. The processing mechanism (20) is built in the outer casing (11), including: a transfer-support mechanism for accommodating and supporting the substrate fed in from the substrate input port (11a) and discharging the substrate from the substrate discharge port (11b); supporting the transfer-support mechanism The support platform (21) of the mechanism; the substrate tilting mechanism for tilting the substrate supported by the transfer-support mechanism; the processing fluid ejection mechanism arranged above the transfer-support mechanism and spraying the processing fluid onto the substrate tilted by the substrate tilt mechanism. The lifting mechanism (40) supports the processing mechanism (20) and makes it lift up and down, so that the processing mechanism (20) passes through the substrate input port (11a) and the substrate discharge port (11b).

Description

Elevating substrate processing device and substrate processing system having the device

technical field

The present invention relates to a processing device and multi-connection device for performing predetermined processing on various substrates such as semiconductor (silicon) wafers, liquid crystal glass substrates, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for optical discs, etc., while moving (transporting) them. A substrate processing system composed of a processing device.

Background technique

For example, in the manufacturing process of liquid crystal glass substrates, wet processing of coating of developing solution, coating of etchant, and coating of stripping liquid for stripping resist film is carried out, and cleaning is performed during each wet processing. Net treatment and dry treatment.

In addition, as a processing apparatus used for each of the above-mentioned processings, a processing apparatus configured in such a manner that a substrate is placed on a conveying roller and passed through the conveying roller while moving the substrate in the horizontal direction is known at present. It is processed on the transmit side. In addition, a substrate processing system shown in FIG. 15 is known, and the system is configured by connecting processing apparatuses in order to continuously perform the above-mentioned processes.

15 is a plan view showing the basic configuration of a conventional substrate processing system. As shown in FIG. The above-mentioned substrate input/discharge unit 201 is constituted by a mounting table 202 on which a cassette 203 containing a plurality of substrates is mounted, and a transfer device 204. The substrates are taken out one by one and put into the substrate processing unit 205 , and the processed substrates are taken out from the substrate processing unit 205 and stored in the cassette 203 . In addition, the above-mentioned transfer device 204 is usually constituted by a robot, and the robot can move along the longitudinal direction of the mounting table 202 .

The substrate processing section 205 is composed of two processing lines, a first processing section 206 and a second processing section 207, which are arranged parallel to each other. As shown in FIG. 16, the first processing section 206 and the second processing section 207 have respective A plurality of conveying rollers 208 convey the substrate in the direction of the arrow, and the predetermined process can be performed on the substrate while being conveyed by the conveying rollers 208 . For example, the first processing unit 206 is a processing unit that performs an etching process on a substrate, and applies an etching solution to the substrate being transported. In addition, the second processing unit 207 is composed of a washing processing unit 207a that supplies washing water to the substrate and a drying processing unit 207b that supplies drying gas to the substrate in the drying processing unit 207a.

The above-mentioned substrate transfer unit 210 is a mechanism for transferring the substrate processed by the first processing unit 206 to the second processing unit 207. The transport direction of the substrate discharged from the first processing unit 206, and transport it; a plurality of transport rollers 212, the transport rollers 212 transport the substrate discharged from the direction switching device 211 along the discharge direction; the direction switching device 213, the direction switching device 213 The direction switching device 213 switches the transport direction of the substrate transported by the transport rollers 212 and transports the substrate to the second processing unit 207 .

As shown in FIG. 17, the above-mentioned direction switching device 211 is composed of the following parts, which include: a plurality of first conveying rollers 214, and the plurality of first conveying rollers 214 are connected to the conveying rollers constituting the first processing part 206. In the same horizontal plane as the conveying surface of 208, the substrate K is conveyed along the same conveying direction; the lifter 215, which is arranged between the first conveying rollers 214, protrudes from the conveying surface of the first conveying roller 214 in the up and down direction Return; multiple groups of the 2nd conveying rollers 216, the 2nd conveying rollers 216 of the multiple groups are mutually oppositely arranged on the top of the 1st conveying rollers 214, have a central axis perpendicular to the central axis of the 1st conveying rollers 214, the substrate K It is conveyed to the above-mentioned conveying roller 212 side. Moreover, the 2nd conveyance roller 216 which opposes mutually is movable in the direction which mutually approaches/separates. In addition, in the drawing, reference numeral 217 denotes a stopper for preventing the substrate K from moving.

According to this direction switching device 211 , the substrate K discharged from the first processing unit 206 is conveyed in the discharge direction by the first conveying roller 214 until it comes into contact with the stopper 217 . At this time, the lifter 215 retracts downward from the conveying surface of the first conveying roller 214 . Next, the lifter 215 protrudes upward from the conveying surface of the first conveying roller 214 , thereby raising the substrate K to the position indicated by the dashed-two dotted line in FIG. 17 . At this time, the second transport rollers 216 are located at positions separated from each other. Next, the second transport rollers 216 move to a position close to each other, and then the lifter 215 descends. Thus, the substrate K is in a state supported by the second conveying roller 216, and then, is conveyed by the second conveying roller 216 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the first conveying roller 214, that is, toward the conveying roller 212 side, and discharged. substrate. In this way, the transfer direction of the substrate K is switched.

In particular, the above-mentioned direction switching device 213 also has basically the same structure as the above-mentioned direction switching device 211, switches the conveying direction of the substrate K conveyed by the conveying roller 212, and conveys it to the second processing part 207, although this point is not shown in the figure. not shown.

As shown in FIG. 15, in the substrate processing system 200, the first processing unit 206, the substrate transfer unit 210, and the second processing unit 207 are arranged in a C-shape when viewed from a plane, and the substrate K taken out from the cassette 203 by the transfer device 204, First, it is put into the first processing unit 206 . Next, while the substrate K is transferred in the first processing unit 206 in the direction of the arrow, a predetermined process (etching process) is performed on the substrate, and then the transfer direction is switched in the substrate transfer unit 210, and the substrate is put into the The second processing unit 207 . Then, while the substrate K is conveyed in the second processing unit 207 in the direction of the arrow, predetermined processing (washing processing and drying processing) is performed on the substrate, and then stored in the cassette 203 again by the transfer device 204 .

However, in the first processing part 206 and the second processing part 207, if the posture of the substrate K changes during the transfer, for example, if it is inclined in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction, it is not possible to perform high-precision processing. deal with. Therefore, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 16 , flange portions 208 a are formed on the rollers at both ends of the conveyance roller 208 , and the posture of the substrate K during conveyance can be controlled by the flange portions 208 a. This is also the same for the above-mentioned first conveyance roller 214 and second conveyance roller 216 . However, if such a flange portion 208a is provided, the flange portion 208a becomes an obstacle, and the transfer direction of the substrate K cannot be switched within the transfer surface of the transfer roller 208 . Therefore, in the above-mentioned direction switching devices 211 and 213, the substrate K is lifted up above the upper end of the flange portion 208a to switch its conveying direction.

In addition, for the reasons described above, in the substrate transfer unit 210 configured to raise and lower the substrate K, the processing of the substrate K cannot be performed in this unit, and therefore only transfer of the substrate K is performed. That is, for example, when cleaning the substrate in this part, if the substrate K is raised and lowered, there will be a part where the cleaning liquid sprayed from the nozzle is stronger and a part where the cleaning liquid is not so strong, and the cleaning effect will be different.

Therefore, in the current substrate processing system 200, as described above, the substrate K is not processed in the substrate transfer section 210, but on the other hand, problems described below arise due to this situation.

That is, for example, as in the example shown in FIG. 15, in the first processing unit 206, after the substrate K is etched, if it is transported without cleaning, the transfer time to the second processing unit 207 will be reduced. The difference of the etching process is different, and the etching cannot be controlled with high precision. Since the substrate conveying unit 210 has a complex operating mechanism consisting of a mechanism for raising and lowering the substrate K and a mechanism for moving the second conveying roller 216, it is difficult to control the conveying time with high precision.

Also, for example, when the final step of the first processing unit 206 is a cleaning step, if the substrate K is conveyed without drying, dry spots or stains occur on the surface, and the substrate K becomes defective.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned conventional substrate processing system 200, various processing liquids such as etching liquid and cleaning water are supplied to the substrate K while the substrate K in a horizontally supported state is conveyed in the horizontal direction, but there are the following problems That is, when the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate K in a horizontal posture in this way, it is difficult to generate a liquid flow of the processing liquid on the surface of the substrate K, and the initially supplied processing liquid stays on the surface of the substrate K, so it is difficult to replace the continuous substrate K. The supply of a new treatment liquid takes time for treatment, and uniform treatment cannot be performed.

On the other hand, if a large amount of processing liquid is supplied to the substrate K, although the replaceability of the processing liquid can be improved, the efficiency is poor if a large amount of processing liquid is used. change.

In addition, in the above-mentioned conventional substrate processing system 200, since two processing lines, the first processing unit 206 and the second processing unit 207, are provided in parallel, there is also a problem that installation efficiency of equipment is poor.

Contents of the invention

The present invention is developed in view of the above-mentioned actual situation. The object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing system that has the function of transferring substrates from one processing line to another processing line and can efficiently process the substrates being transferred. A device and a substrate processing system having the same.

The present invention for achieving the above object relates to a lifting type substrate processing device, characterized in that the lifting type substrate processing device comprises:

The outer shell, which has a substrate input port and a substrate discharge port arranged on the upper and lower sides, and is in the shape of a frame;

A processing mechanism, the processing mechanism is built in the above-mentioned housing, and the processing mechanism includes: a conveying-supporting mechanism, which accommodates and supports the substrates sent in from the above-mentioned substrate input port, and on the other hand, discharges them from the above-mentioned substrate discharge port the above-mentioned substrate; a support stand supporting the above-mentioned conveying-supporting mechanism; a substrate tilting mechanism which tilts the substrate supported by the above-mentioned conveying-supporting mechanism; a processing fluid ejecting mechanism provided on Above the conveying-supporting mechanism, the processing fluid is sprayed onto the substrate tilted by the substrate tilting mechanism;

an elevating mechanism that supports the processing mechanism and moves the processing mechanism up and down so that the processing mechanism passes through the substrate input port and the substrate discharge port.

According to the aforementioned elevating substrate processing apparatus, the elevating mechanism moves the processing mechanism up and down to pass through the substrate input port and the substrate discharge port. And when the processing mechanism passes through the substrate input port, the substrate discharged from the processing part of the previous process is accommodated from the substrate input port, and it is supported. , ejecting the processing fluid onto the substrate. Thereby, predetermined processing is performed on a substrate, and after processing, it is discharged from the above-mentioned substrate discharge port and conveyed to a processing unit in the next step. In addition, while the processing fluid is ejected to perform predetermined processing, the substrate is tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane by the substrate tilting mechanism.

In this way, according to this elevating substrate processing apparatus, since the entire processing mechanism composed of the conveying-supporting mechanism for supporting the substrate and the processing fluid ejection mechanism for ejecting the processing fluid onto the supported substrate can be raised and lowered, Since the positional relationship between the substrate and the processing fluid ejection mechanism does not change when the substrate is removed, for example, in the case of cleaning the substrate, the cleaning liquid ejected from the processing fluid ejection mechanism can be supplied almost uniformly. Each part on the substrate can be cleaned without spots.

In addition, since the substrate can be conveyed in a single operation of raising and lowering the processing mechanism by the raising and lowering mechanism, the speed control is easy, so even when processing such as etching is performed, it can be controlled with high precision.

Moreover, since the processing fluid can be ejected to the inclined substrate, the processing fluid supplied to the surface of the substrate generates a liquid flow flowing downward due to the inclination of the substrate. Replace with new treatment fluid supplied. In this way, through the replacement action of the treatment fluid, the surface of the substrate can be uniformly treated with a small amount of treatment fluid in a relatively short period of time.

Also, in recent years, with the increase in the size of the substrate, there is a tendency to increase the amount of processing fluid used for processing it and the processing time. However, as described above, by tilting the substrate and processing it, it is possible to reduce The amount of treatment fluid used can achieve the purpose of miniaturization of the device and reduce the treatment cost.

In the present invention, the above-mentioned treatment fluids include a developer, an etching solution, a stripping solution for stripping a resist film, washing water for washing, and gas for drying, etc., which are used for treating the substrate. Fluids, the above-mentioned various processing fluids can be supplied onto the substrate to process it.

However, as far as the inclination angle of the substrate is concerned, the speed at which the liquid flows on the surface of the substrate is controlled, in other words, the time during which the processing liquid stays on the surface of the substrate is controlled. When the speed is appropriate, the desired processing effect can be obtained.

In this sense, when the processing liquid discharge mechanism is configured to discharge an etching liquid as a processing fluid, the substrate tilted by the substrate tilt mechanism preferably has an inclination angle of 1° to 7.5° with respect to the horizontal plane. Within the following range (more preferably within the range of not less than 2° and not more than 5°). The reason for adopting this range is: if the above-mentioned inclination angle exceeds 7.5°, the speed of the liquid flow is too fast, that is, the residence time of the etching solution on the substrate surface is too short, otherwise, when the inclination angle is less than 1°, the liquid flow will be too fast. If the flow rate is too low, that is, the etching solution stays on the surface of the substrate for a long time. In either case, the treatment cannot be performed sufficiently, and the usage amount of the etching solution increases.

In addition, when the inclination angle of the above-mentioned substrate is in the range of 1° to 7.5°, if it is converted into the acceleration of the etching solution flowing on the surface of the substrate, the acceleration is 0.08 times the acceleration of gravity In the range of 0.13 times or less, especially preferably 2° to 5°, the acceleration of the etching solution is in the range of 0.03 to 0.09 times the gravitational acceleration.

In addition, when the processing fluid ejection mechanism is configured to eject cleaning liquid or stripping liquid as the processing fluid, the inclination angle of the substrate tilted by the substrate tilting mechanism with respect to the horizontal plane is preferably 45°. The above range is within the range of 75° or less (more preferably, it is within the range of 55° to 70°). The reason for adopting this range is: if the above-mentioned inclination angle exceeds 75°, then the speed of the liquid flow is too fast, that is, the residence time of the cleaning liquid or the stripping liquid on the substrate surface is too short, otherwise, when the inclination angle is less than 45° In some cases, the speed of the liquid flow is too slow, that is, the etching liquid on the surface of the substrate stays for a long time, and in any case, the treatment cannot be performed sufficiently, and the amount of cleaning liquid and stripping liquid used increases.

In addition, when the inclination angle of the above-mentioned substrate is in the range of 45° to 75°, if it is converted into the acceleration of the cleaning liquid and the stripping liquid flowing on the surface of the substrate, the acceleration is 0.7% of the gravitational acceleration. In the range of 0.97 times or more, in the case of a particularly preferred range of 55° to 70°, the acceleration of the cleaning solution and the stripping solution is in the range of 0.82 to 0.94 times the acceleration of gravity.

In addition, the processing mechanism may include a swing mechanism that makes the discharge direction of the processing fluid discharged from the processing fluid discharge mechanism be within a plane that is parallel to the inclination direction of the substrate and perpendicular to the substrate. Swing, ie, swing between the inclined upward and downward directions of the substrate.

In this way, when the ejection direction of the processing fluid is oscillated toward the inclination upward direction of the substrate, the effect of the processing fluid staying on the surface of the substrate is increased by the above-mentioned oscillating movement. When the inclination of the substrate is oscillated downward, the velocity of the processing fluid flowing on the substrate surface increases due to the oscillating motion, and stagnation and flow of the processing liquid repeatedly occur on the entire substrate surface. Thus, through this action, the entire surface of the substrate can be uniformly treated with a smaller amount of treatment fluid in a shorter time.

In addition, the conveyance-support mechanism may be configured to repeatedly move the accommodated substrate back and forth along the carrying-in/ejecting direction of the substrate after storing the substrate.

As described above, in the elevating type substrate processing apparatus, the processing fluid ejected from the processing fluid ejection mechanism can be supplied almost uniformly to each part on the substrate, but on the other hand, there are problems such as in the processing fluid itself. There are cases where unevenness occurs, for example, in places where the pressure is high and where the pressure is low. However, in such a case, the substrate cannot be treated to be homogeneous in a strict sense.

Therefore, as described above, if the substrates accommodated and supported by the transport-support mechanism are repeatedly moved back and forth along the feeding/discharging direction, the processing fluid that hits the substrates will be affected by the back and forth movement of the substrates. Uneven pressure is averaged, and substrates can be processed homogeneously. In addition, the averaging process of the pressure unevenness of the treatment fluid may be performed by swinging the discharge direction of the treatment fluid.

In addition, the structure of the elevating substrate processing apparatus may be such that the outer housing is divided into two chambers, namely a driving chamber and a processing chamber, along the feeding/discharging direction of the substrate by a partition member, and the substrate input port is provided in the upper chamber. The above-mentioned processing mechanism is provided in the above-mentioned processing chamber of the substrate discharge port, and on the other hand, the above-mentioned elevating mechanism is provided in the above-mentioned driving chamber;

In the above-mentioned partition member, an opening portion is formed in the vertical direction to communicate with the above-mentioned processing chamber and the drive chamber;

The two edge portions along the up-down direction of the opening formed on the above-mentioned partition member are respectively cylindrical, and notch grooves along the up-down direction are formed on the mutually opposing surfaces of the pair of respective cylindrical portions;

The above-mentioned support platform of the above-mentioned processing mechanism is connected to the above-mentioned elevating mechanism by a connecting piece provided in the opening of the above-mentioned partition member;

On the above-mentioned connector, there is connected a belt-shaped piece, which is arranged between the above-mentioned pair of cylindrical parts, and is set in a manner extending toward the upper and lower sides of the above-mentioned connector. The above-mentioned notch groove is inserted into the above-mentioned cylindrical part;

The driving chamber and the processing chamber are separated by the partition member, the connecting piece and the sheet body.

The developing solution, etching solution, stripping solution, etc. contained in the processing fluid are highly corrosive, and if they adhere to the lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism may be damaged and its function may be impaired. Therefore, as described above, if the driving chamber provided with the lifting mechanism and the processing chamber provided with the processing mechanism are separated by a partition member, a connecting member, and a sheet, the processing fluid used in the processing chamber can be prevented from intruding into the driving chamber, and the processing fluid used in the processing chamber can be prevented. To prevent damage to the lifting mechanism caused by handling fluids. In particular, due to the adoption of a so-called labyrinth structure in which the edge along the up-down direction of the opening provided on the partition member is formed in a cylindrical shape and provided so as to extend upward and downward toward the connector Since both side edges of the sheet are inserted into the cylindrical portion through the notch grooves formed in the cylindrical portion, the airtightness of both the driving chamber and the processing chamber can be improved.

Moreover, multiple sets of the above-mentioned openings, connectors and sheets may also be provided. In addition, if the exhaust mechanism for discharging the gas in the above-mentioned cylindrical portion is provided, the processing fluid that intrudes into the cylindrical portion from the gap between the above-mentioned sheet body and the notch groove can be exhausted through the above-mentioned exhaust mechanism, so it can Intrusion of the process fluid into the drive chamber is more reliably prevented.

In addition, the above-mentioned sheet body may have an endless shape or a ring shape. In addition, it may also be configured in such a way that winding/discharging mechanisms for winding/discharging the above-mentioned sheet are respectively provided on the upper side and the lower side of the above-mentioned sheet body, and as the lifting mechanism is lifted by the above-mentioned elevating mechanism, The movement of the sheet is carried out by the winding/discharging mechanism of the above-mentioned sheet. The driving mechanism for the rotation of the winding shaft is constituted, and the structure of the above-mentioned driving mechanism is: when the above-mentioned winding shaft rotates along the discharge direction, only the braking force is applied to the winding shaft; When rotating in the winding direction, power is transmitted to the above-mentioned winding shaft through the friction clutch. According to this winding/ejecting mechanism, the sheet can be wound and ejected without slack.

In addition, the above-mentioned driving mechanism can be composed of the following components, which include: a driven gear, which is connected to the above-mentioned winding shaft; a driving gear, which is meshed with the above-mentioned driven gear; a friction clutch, the A friction clutch is connected to the above-mentioned driving gear; a rotating shaft is connected to the above-mentioned friction clutch; two one-way clutches are respectively connected to both ends of the rotating shaft to allow the rotating shaft to rotate in only one direction ; a pulley, the pulley is connected to the above-mentioned rotating shaft through one of the one-way clutches; a transmission belt, the transmission belt is wound on the above-mentioned pulley; a support member, the support member supports the other one-way clutch; The structure of the clutch may be: allow the rotation of the above-mentioned rotating shaft toward the direction that makes the above-mentioned winding shaft rotate in the winding direction, on the other hand, restrict the above-mentioned rotating shaft toward the direction that makes the above-mentioned winding shaft rotate in the discharge direction The rotation of; And above-mentioned drive belt is constituted with the mode that realizes rotation by above-mentioned elevating mechanism.

Furthermore, according to the elevating type substrate processing apparatus having the above-mentioned structure, it is possible to form a substrate processing system which is configured to process the substrate while moving the substrate in a horizontal state or an inclined state. The first substrate processing apparatus and the second substrate processing apparatus; the substrate discharge part of the above-mentioned first substrate processing apparatus is connected to the substrate inlet of the above-mentioned elevating substrate processing apparatus; on the other hand, the substrate of the above-mentioned second substrate processing apparatus The input unit is connected to the substrate discharge port of the elevating substrate processing device; the substrate is sequentially passed through the first substrate processing device, the elevating substrate processing device, and the second substrate processing device. Compared with the conventional processing system in which the first substrate processing device and the second substrate processing device are installed side by side in the same horizontal plane, the installation space can be smaller.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a basic configuration of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a basic configuration of a substrate processing system according to this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view showing a basic configuration of a lift-type substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view showing the basic configuration of an etching apparatus according to this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing the basic configuration of an etching apparatus according to this embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a planar cross-sectional view along CC-CC direction in FIG. 5 .

Fig. 7 is a planar sectional view along the line AA-AA in Fig. 3 .

Fig. 8 is a planar cross-sectional view along the BB-BB direction in Fig. 3 .

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view along the GG-GG direction in FIG. 6 .

Fig. 10 is a planar sectional view of the winding/discharging mechanism of the present embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a front sectional view showing a basic configuration of an elevating mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a plan sectional view along the direction EE-EE in Fig. 11 .

13 is a plan view showing a basic configuration of a substrate processing system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a side view along the direction FF in Fig. 13 .

Fig. 15 is a plan view showing a basic configuration of a conventional substrate processing system.

Fig. 16 is a front view showing a conventional conveying roller.

Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram showing a basic configuration of a conventional direction switching device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS: 1 substrate processing system, 2 substrate input/discharge unit, 5 cassette, 6 first substrate processing device, 7 second substrate processing device, 10 elevating substrate processing device, 11a, 14, 16 partition member, 13 cylindrical shape Components, 15 cylindrical part, 20 processing mechanism, 21 supporting frame, 22 etching device, 26 conveying roller, 29, 30 nozzle, 33 base, 37 driving cylinder, 40 lifting mechanism, 41 round head bolt, 42 nut, 43 servo Motor, 65,66 pieces, 70 winding/discharging mechanism, 72,76 winding shaft, 80 pulley, 82 transmission belt, 85,80 gear, 87,88 one-way clutch, 86 torque retainer, 110 shaking Device, 114 moving shaft, 117 the 2nd connecting rod, 118 the 2nd driving shaft, 119 joint parts.

Detailed ways

The following describes specific embodiments of the present invention according to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a basic configuration of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof. 3 is a front sectional view showing the basic configuration of the elevating substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment, FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing the basic configuration of the cleaning device according to this embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view thereof. In addition, FIG. 6 is a planar cross-sectional view along the CC-CC direction in FIG. 5 , FIG. 7 is a planar cross-sectional view along the AA-AA direction in FIG. 3 , and FIG. 8 is a planar cross-sectional view along the BB-BB direction in FIG. 3 . In addition, FIG. 3 is also a cross-sectional view along the DD-DD direction in FIG. 7 .

First, the configuration of the substrate processing system 1 of this example will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the substrate processing system 1 of this example includes a substrate input/discharge unit 2 , a first substrate processing device 6 , a second substrate processing device 7 , and a lift-type substrate processing device 10 arranged side by side at the top and bottom. constitute. The substrate input/discharge unit 2 is composed of a mounting table 4 on which a cassette 5 for accommodating a plurality of substrates is placed, and a transfer device 3 that takes out one by one from the cassette 5 placed on the mounting table 4 The substrate is put into the first substrate processing apparatus 6 , and the processed substrate is taken out from the second substrate processing apparatus 7 and stored in the cassette 5 . In addition, the transfer device 3 is constituted by a manipulator movable in the longitudinal direction (the direction indicated by the arrow) of the mounting table 4 . In addition, the cassette 5 is transported by a conveyor such as an AGV not shown in the figure.

The above-mentioned first substrate processing apparatus 6 has a substrate tilting mechanism section for tilting the substrate at an angle of 1° to 7.5° (in this example, 7°) relative to the horizontal state on the substrate input side thereof, and also has a substrate tilting mechanism that tilts the substrate in a continuously tilted state. The inclined conveying section conveys inclined substrates in the direction indicated by the arrow. On the other hand, the second substrate processing apparatus 7 sequentially has, along the direction indicated by the arrow, the substrates discharged from the elevating substrate processing apparatus 10, and the substrates are greatly inclined at an angle of not less than 45° and not more than 75° (in this example, 70° in the middle) substrate tilting mechanism part; the tilting transfer part that transports the tilted substrate along the direction indicated by the arrow in a continuous tilting state; the tilting return mechanism part that returns the tilted substrate to the horizontal state. Furthermore, in this example, the first substrate processing apparatus is configured to etch the substrate while conveying the substrate, and the second substrate processing apparatus 7 is configured to clean and dry the substrate while conveying the substrate.

As shown in FIG. 3 , FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , the elevating substrate processing apparatus 10 is composed of a frame-shaped outer casing 11 , a processing mechanism 20 and an elevating mechanism 40 disposed in the outer casing 11 . In addition, the outer casing 11 is formed with an opening 11 a communicating with the inside of the first substrate processing apparatus 6 and an opening 11 b communicating with the inside of the second substrate processing apparatus 7 . In addition, the outer shell 11 is supported by the pillars 12, and the inside of the outer shell 11 is divided into a processing chamber A and a driving chamber B.

The processing mechanism 20 is composed of an etching device 22 and a support stand 21 that supports the etching device 22 . As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, this etching apparatus 22 is composed of the following parts, etc., and the following parts include: a casing 23, and an opening 23a for carrying in/out the substrate K is provided on one side of the casing 23. The casing 23 is in the shape of a frame; a plurality of conveying rollers 26, the plurality of conveying rollers 26 are arranged inside the above-mentioned casing 23; a plurality of nozzles 29, the plurality of configurations 29 are arranged above the above-mentioned conveying rollers 26; a plurality of nozzles 30 , the plurality of nozzles 30 are disposed below the conveying roller 26 , the same as the plurality of nozzles 29 .

On the conveying roller 26 closest to the above-mentioned opening 23a, there is provided a nip roller 27 that contacts the upper portion of the conveying roller 26 and pinches the substrate K. The substrate K is rotated in the forward and reverse directions, and the substrate K is fed in from the opening 23a and discharged from the opening 23a.

In addition, both ends of the rotating shaft 26a of the conveyance roller 26 are rotatably supported on a base 33, and on the base 33, guide rollers 34 are provided which are aligned with the conveyance direction of the substrate K. Movement of the substrate K is restricted in the vertical direction. The base 33 is tiltably supported in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the substrate K, its central portion is swingably supported on the supporting member 35 via a connecting member 36, and one end thereof is supported by a joint member 38. Engages with the piston rod 37 a of the drive cylinder 37 .

The drive cylinder 37 is composed of a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder. By lifting and lowering the piston rod 37a, the support position of the connecting member 36 is used as a fulcrum to tilt the base 33 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the substrate K. Here, the substrate K on the transport roller 26 is similarly inclined. In addition, the inclination angle of the base 33 with respect to the horizontal plane is preferably in the range of 1° to 7.5°, and is set to 7° in this example.

Each nozzle 29 arranged on the top of the conveying roller 26 is respectively fixed on a plurality of supply pipes 28 connected with an etching solution supply source not shown in the figure, and is supplied from the above-mentioned etching solution supply source (not shown in the figure) to The etching solution in each supply pipe 28 is sprayed toward the upper surface (surface) of the substrate K. As shown in FIG. The supply pipes 28 are arranged in a row at a predetermined interval so that their axes are along the conveying direction of the substrate K, and the supply pipes 28 are arranged on a plane inclined at the same angle as the above-mentioned inclination angle of the base 33. The support parts 28a formed at both ends are rotatably supported by bearings 101 through support members 100 . Moreover, each row of supply pipes 28 can be rotated forward and reverse around its axis center by the swing device 110 . In this way, by the forward and reverse rotation of the supply pipe 28, each nozzle 29 swings in a plane perpendicular to the conveying direction of the substrate K, and the ejection direction of the etching liquid ejected from each nozzle 29 is in the direction of the substrate K in the inclined upward direction and Oscillating between down directions.

As shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 9, the above-mentioned swing device 110 is composed of the following components, etc., the following components include: a driving motor 111; a rotating plate 112, which is arranged on the output shaft 111a of the driving motor 111; 1 rod 113, the first rod 113 is erected at a position away from the center position of the rotating shaft 112 in a manner capable of rotating around the center of the shaft; , the other end is set outside the shell 23; the second rod 115, the second rod 115 is erected on the outer periphery of the other end side of the first rotating shaft 114 in a manner that can rotate around the axis center; the first connecting rod 116, the The first link 116 connects the first rod 113 and the second rod 115 together; two second drive shafts 118, the two second drive shafts 118 are spaced apart at a predetermined interval, in a manner parallel to the above-mentioned supporting member 100 Provided at the lower position between the supply pipes 28, 28 constituting the above-mentioned rows; a plurality of second connecting rods 117, at one end of the plurality of second connecting rods 117, an engaging hole 117a is formed, and the engaging hole 117a is respectively connected with The support portion 28a of each of the above-mentioned supply pipes 28 is engaged, and at the other end of the plurality of second connecting rods 117, an engaging shaft 117b is protruded. In the engagement hole 118a; the engagement member 119, the engagement member 119 has an engagement shaft 119a, and the engagement shaft 119a engages with the notch portion 118b formed in each of the above-mentioned second drive shafts 118; the support member 120, the support member 120 is fixed to the above-mentioned The one end portion of the first drive shaft 114 also supports the joint member 119 . In addition, FIG. 9 is a side sectional view along the GG-GG direction of FIG. 6 .

In this way, if the drive motor 111 rotates, its rotational driving force is transmitted to the rotating plate 112 through the output shaft 111a, and its rotation is accompanied by the rotation of the rotating plate 112 through the first rod 113, the first connecting rod 116 and the second rod. 115, make the first driving shaft 114 move back and forth (reciprocating) along its axis direction. Moreover, if the first drive shaft 114 moves back and forth along its axial direction, its power is transmitted to the second drive shaft 118 through the support member 120 and the joint member 119, so that the second drive shaft 118 is driven back and forth. And, with the back and forth movement of the second drive shaft 118, through the second link 117, each supply pipe 28 connected to the second drive shaft 118, as mentioned above, rotates around its axis center in the forward and reverse directions, and is fixed thereon. Each of the nozzles 29 swings in a plane perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate K.

The above-mentioned each nozzles 30 that are arranged on the below of the conveying roller 26 are fixed on a plurality of supply pipes 31 connected to the above-mentioned etching solution supply source (not shown in the figure), and through these each supply pipes 31, the above-mentioned etching solution is supplied to The etchant supplied from a source (not shown in the figure) is sprayed toward the lower surface of the substrate K. As shown in FIG. In addition, each supply pipe 31 is arranged side by side along the conveyance direction of the substrate K, and is supported by a support member 103 fixed to the base 33 via a fixing member 102 . Moreover, the sensor 32 which detects the presence or absence of the board|substrate K is provided in the said support member 103. As shown in FIG.

In addition, at the lower end portion of the housing 23, a liquid collection tank 24 is provided, and the liquid collection tank 24 communicates with each other through the opening 23b. 25. Discharge properly.

In the above-mentioned driving chamber B, a support 17 is erected, and the support 17 is formed of a square tube in a longitudinal grid shape, and the above-mentioned elevating mechanism 40 is arranged on the support 17 . In addition, the bracket 17 is attached to the pillar 12 through the bracket 18 .

Above-mentioned elevating mechanism 40 is made up of following parts etc., and these following parts comprise: elevating platform 44, and this elevating platform 44 is connected with support frame platform 21 through connector 55,56 and 57,58; A pair of guide rails 45, the pair of The guide rails 45 are arranged on the surface of the above-mentioned processing chamber A side of the vertical frame constituting the above-mentioned support 17; the sliding member 46 is respectively engaged with each guide rail 45 in a manner movable along each guide rail 45, and is fixed on the lifting platform. On the platform 44; the round head bolt 41, the round head bolt 41 is supported on the support 17 in a manner that is rotatable and parallel to the guide rail 45; the nut 42, the nut 42 is fixed according to the mode of screwing with the round head bolt 41 On the lifting platform 44 ; the servo motor 43 , which is fixed on the bracket 17 , rotates and drives the round head bolt 41 .

If the ball head bolt 41 is rotated by the above-mentioned servo motor 43, the nut 42 screwed with it moves (lifts) along the ball head bolt 41, and the elevating table 44 connected to the nut 42 passes through the connecting parts 55, 56 and 57, 58 is connected to the support frame platform 21 on this lifting platform 44 and the etching device 22 supported thereon and the nut 42 are lifted together.

The driving chamber B and the processing chamber A are partitioned by partition members 11 a , 14 , 16 . Openings are respectively formed between the partition members 11a, 14 and between the partition members 14, 16, and connectors 55, 56, 57, 58 are provided so as to be located in the respective openings. In addition, the side edge portions 15 of the partition members 14 forming the openings are formed in a cylindrical shape extending along them, and the respective edge portions of the partition members 11a and 16 facing the partition members 11a and 16 are respectively provided with cylindrical members along the edge portions. 13. In addition, notch grooves along the vertical direction are respectively formed on the facing surfaces of the cylindrical member 13 of the cylindrical portion 15 on both side edges of the partition member 14 .

Further, belt-shaped pieces 65 and 66 are respectively provided along the gap between the cylindrical portion 15 on both side edges of the partition member 14 and the cylindrical member 13 . The two side edges of the sheets 65, 66 are respectively inserted into the cylindrical part 15 and the cylindrical part 13 from the above-mentioned notch grooves, and are fixed on them in a manner of clamping from the inside and outside by the connecting pieces 55, 56 and 57, 58. . Also, each upper end portion and lower end portion of the sheet bodies 65 , 66 are respectively wound on a winding/discharging mechanism 70 described later. In addition, the cylindrical portion 15 and the cylindrical member 13 can discharge the gas inside them through a suitable exhaust mechanism not shown in the figure. In addition, in this example, the above-mentioned sheet bodies 65 and 66 are made of Teflon (registered trademark) excellent in wear resistance and corrosion resistance. However, it is not limited thereto, and a sheet made of stainless steel, for example, may be used.

Thus, the driving chamber B and the processing chamber A are substantially partitioned by the partition members 11 a , 14 , 16 , the cylindrical members 13 , 13 , the connectors 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , and the fins 65 , 66 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7 , a drive motor 60 is mounted on the elevating table 44 , and a balance weight 50 is connected thereto. The driving motor 60 is fixed on the lifting platform 44 through the bracket 62 , and drives the conveying roller 26 of the etching device 22 through the transmission belt 61 . On the other hand, the balance weight 50 is composed of a guide rod 51 and a main body 52. The guide rod 51 is fixed on the support 17 in a manner parallel to the guide rail 45. The guide rod 51 is engaged, and is engaged with the above-mentioned elevating table 44 .

The above-mentioned winding/discharging mechanism 70, as shown in FIG. A drive shaft 71 to which both shafts 72 and 76 are connected, a gear 85 for driving the drive shaft 71 , and the like are configured.

The winding shafts 72, 76 are rotatably supported by brackets 75, 79, respectively. Furthermore, the sheet body 66 sequentially passes through the guide rollers 73 and 74 rotatably supported on the bracket 75, and its end portion is wound on the winding shaft 72, and the sheet body 65 sequentially passes through the guide rollers 73 and 74 rotatably supported on the bracket 75. The ends of the guide rollers 77 and 78 on the bracket 79 are wound around the winding shaft 76 .

The aforementioned gear 85 is fixed to a torque keeper (torque keeper) 86 as shown in FIG. 10 . The rotational shaft 81 passes through the torque retainer 86 , and the rotational shaft 81 is supported by a bearing 90 fixed to the bracket 84 and a one-way clutch 87 . In addition, a pulley 80 is fixed to an end portion of the rotating shaft 81 via a one-way clutch 88 . Furthermore, the gear 85 meshes with a gear 89 fixed to the drive shaft 71 . In addition, the one-way clutches 87 and 88 have a function of restricting the rotational direction of the rotating shaft 81 . In this example, in the case of the winding/discharging mechanism 70 provided at the upper part, the rotation of the rotation shaft 81 in the arrow E direction is restricted, while the rotation of the rotation shaft 81 in the arrow F direction is allowed, In the case of the winding/discharging mechanism 70 provided at the lower portion, the rotation of the rotation shaft 81 in the arrow F direction is restricted, while the rotation of the rotation shaft 81 in the arrow E direction is permitted. In addition, the torque retainer 86 is a so-called friction clutch, and applies a predetermined braking force to the rotary shaft 81 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 , an endless drive belt 82 is passed around the pulleys 80 , 80 arranged up and down, and the drive belt 82 is held by a holder 83 fixed to the nut 42 .

Next, the operation of the substrate processing system 1 having the above configuration will be described. In addition, the lift-type substrate processing apparatus 10 is in a state shown by a solid line in FIG. 3 .

First, the substrates K are sequentially taken out from the cassette 5 by the transfer device 3 and put into the first substrate processing device 6 . In the first substrate processing device 6, the substrate K that has been put in is tilted by a predetermined angle (7° in this example) relative to the horizontal state through the substrate tilting mechanism part, and is moved along the direction of the arrow by the tilting conveying part in the tilted state. The substrates are conveyed in the direction shown, are subjected to predetermined processing (etching processing), and then are sequentially discharged from the first substrate processing apparatus 6 .

Next, the discharged substrate K passes through the opening 11 a and the opening 23 a of the elevating substrate processing apparatus 10 in sequence, enters the etching device 22 , and is sent into the interior by the action of the conveying roller 26 .

Furthermore, the base 33 in the etching apparatus 22 is tilted by 7° in advance with respect to the horizontal plane by the above-mentioned driving cylinder 37, and the substrate K discharged from the first substrate processing apparatus 6 in the tilted state is held while maintaining the tilted state. It is sent into the etching device 22. At this time, both sides of the substrate K are guided by the guide rollers 34, and the substrate K does not slide down in an oblique direction. Then, when the feeding of the substrate K is completed, the etching process and the lowering of the etching apparatus 22 are simultaneously performed.

That is, the etchant is supplied from an etchant supply source (not shown) to the supply pipes 28 and 31, respectively, and the etchant is sprayed from the nozzle 29 provided on the supply pipe 28 and the nozzle 30 provided on the supply pipe 31, respectively. , etch the surface of the substrate K. In addition, the reason why the etchant is sprayed toward the back surface of the substrate K is that otherwise, the etchant partially spreads from the surface of the substrate K to form stains on the back surface. By blowing the etchant on the entire back surface, it is possible to prevent Stains form. Moreover, during etching, each supply pipe 28 is rotated forward and reverse around its axis center by the swing device 110, so that the spraying direction of the etching liquid sprayed from each nozzle 29 is between the oblique upward direction and the downward direction of the substrate K. swing.

Then, when etching is performed for a predetermined time, the supply of the etching solution from the etching solution supply source (not shown in the figure) is stopped, and the swinging of the nozzle 29 by the swinging device 110 is stopped. Furthermore, this etching process ends before the etching device 22 is completely lowered.

On the other hand, the lowering of the etching device 22 is performed by driving the servo motor 43 of the lifting mechanism 40 . That is, if the ball head bolt 41 is rotated in the descending direction by the servo motor 43, then the nut 42 screwed with it descends along the ball head bolt 41, and the elevating table 44 connected with the nut 42, by means of the connectors 55, 56 and 57, 58 The support platform 21 connected with the lifting platform 44 and the etching device 22 supported on the support platform 21 descend together with the nut 42 .

When the nut 42 descends, the drive belt 82 connected to the nut 42 rotates in the direction of the arrow C via the holder 83 . In addition, if the connectors 55, 56 and 57, 58 descend, the sheet bodies 65, 66 fixed thereon move downward together, and along with this movement, the sheet body is discharged from the winding/discharging mechanism 70 provided at the upper part. 65, 66, wind the sheets 65, 66 on the winding/discharging mechanism 70 provided at the lower part.

Next, the winding/discharging operation of the winding/discharging mechanism 70 will be described more specifically using FIG. 10 . Fig. 10 is a planar sectional view of the winding/discharging mechanism 70 provided at the upper and lower parts. In addition, although the connectors 57 , 58 and the sheet body 66 have been described based on the illustrations, the same applies to the connectors 55 , 56 and the sheet body 65 .

First, the winding/discharging mechanism 70 provided at the upper part will be described. In the upper winding/discharging mechanism 70, when the link members 57, 58 descend, tension is generated on the sheet body 66, and rotational force is applied to the winding shaft 72 in the direction indicated by the arrow H. The rotational power is sequentially transmitted to the rotating shaft 81 through the drive shaft 71 connected to the winding shaft 72 , the gear 88 fixed thereto, the gear 85 meshing with the gear 88 , and the torque retainer 86 on which the gear 85 is mounted. However, since the rotation of the rotating shaft 81 in the direction indicated by the arrow E is restricted by the one-way clutch 87, rotation in the same direction is blocked. As a result, the tension acting on the sheet body 66 gradually increases, and the torque transmitted to the torque retainer 86 increases.

If the torque acting on the gear 85 is greater than a prescribed value, the torque retainer 86 allows the gear 85 to rotate in the torque acting direction. As a result, the gear 85 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow E, the gear 88 , the drive shaft 71 and the winding shaft 72 rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow H respectively, and the sheet 66 is discharged from the winding shaft 72 . In this way, since the sheet body 66 is delivered with a predetermined tension generated, no slack occurs during delivery.

On the other hand, if the transmission belt 82 rotates in the arrow C direction shown in FIG. The action of the clutch 88 allows the pulley 80 to freely rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow E relative to the rotating shaft 81 . The pulley 80 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow E along with the drive belt 82 without any hindrance. The one-way clutch 88 restricts the rotation of the rotary shaft 81 in the direction indicated by arrow E, but allows its rotation in the direction indicated by arrow F. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the one-way clutch 88 can freely rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow E with respect to the rotating shaft 81 .

Next, the winding/discharging mechanism 70 provided at the lower portion will be described. In the winding/discharging mechanism 70 provided at the lower part, if the nut 42 descends, the transmission belt 82 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow C, and the pulley 82 receives a rotational force in the direction indicated by the arrow E. As described above, in the case of the winding/discharging mechanism 70 provided at the lower part, the one-way clutches 87, 88 restrict the rotation of the rotating shaft 81 in the direction indicated by the arrow F, and on the other hand, allow it to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow E. direction of rotation. Therefore, if the pulley 82 receives a rotational force in the direction indicated by the arrow E, the rotation shaft 81 rotates in the same direction. If the rotating shaft 81 rotates along the direction shown by the arrow E, then its rotational power is transmitted to the drive shaft 71 and the winding shaft 72 through the torque holder 86, the gear 85 and the gear 88, so that they rotate along the direction shown by the arrow H, The sheet body 66 is wound up on the winding shaft 66 .

In this example, the shaft diameter of the winding shaft 72, the diameter of the pulley 80, and the gap between the gear 85 and the gear 88 are set so that the winding speed of the winding shaft 72 is greater than the moving speed of the sheet body 66 and the transmission belt 82. gear ratio. If the winding speed of the winding shaft 72 is higher than the moving speed of the sheet 66 , the tension acting on the sheet 66 gradually increases, and the torque transmitted to the torque holder 86 increases. As described above, if the torque acting on the gear 85 is greater than a prescribed value, the torque retainer 86 allows the gear 85 to rotate in the torque acting direction. As a result, the gear 85 and the rotating shaft 81 are in a slip state, and the rotating shaft 81 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow E along with the pulley 80 without any hindrance. In this way, since the sheet body 66 is wound with predetermined tension generated, no slack occurs during winding.

As specifically described above, if the present winding/ejecting mechanism 70 is used, the sheet bodies 65, 66 can be wound and ejected without slack as the etching device 22 descends.

In addition, as described above, when the etching device 22 descends to the descending end, the conveying roller 26 is rotated in the discharge direction, the substrate K is discharged from the opening 23a, and the substrate K is conveyed from the opening 11b of the housing 11 to the second substrate K. 2 In the substrate processing apparatus 7. In addition, the dashed-two dotted line in FIG. 3 shows the state where the etching apparatus 22 has reached the descending end.

When the discharge of the substrate K is completed, the servo motor 43 of the lifting mechanism 40 is driven to raise the etching device 22 . At this time, the sheet bodies 65, 66 are wound on the winding/discharging mechanism 70 provided at the lower part by driving in the opposite direction to the above, and the sheet body 65 is discharged from the winding/discharging mechanism 70 provided at the lower part. , 66.

Then, when the etching device 22 reaches the ascending end, the above-described operations after carrying in the substrate K are repeated. In addition, when the etching device 22 is raised and lowered, the load acting on the servo motor 43 can be reduced by the balance weight 50 .

On the other hand, in the second substrate processing apparatus 7, the substrate K discharged from the elevating substrate processing apparatus 10 is tilted more at an angle of 70° by the substrate tilting mechanism, and the substrate is conveyed in the direction of the arrow in this inclined state. K, while carrying out prescribed processing (washing processing and drying processing) on it, after processing, return to the horizontal state by the inclined return mechanism part, then, discharge from the second substrate processing device 7, and store it in the box again by the transfer device 3 within 5. In this way, in the substrate processing system 1 of this example, the substrate K stored in the cassette 5 sequentially passes through the first substrate processing apparatus 6, the elevating substrate processing apparatus 10, and the second substrate processing apparatus 7, whereby it is defined. processing, and store it inside the box 5 again.

As described in detail above, since the structure of the substrate processing system 1 of this example is that the first substrate processing device 6 and the second substrate processing device 7 are arranged in the upper and lower places, and they are connected by the elevating substrate processing device 10, so Compared with the above-mentioned conventional processing system 200 in which the first substrate processing apparatus 6 and the second substrate processing apparatus 7 are arranged in parallel on the same horizontal plane, the installation space can be reduced, and the system can be installed efficiently.

In addition, in the elevating substrate processing apparatus 10 of this example, since the entire etching apparatus 22 composed of the conveying roller 26 for conveying and supporting the substrate K and the nozzles 29 and 30 for spraying the etching liquid to the substrate K can be raised and lowered, When the substrate K is transported, the positional relationship between the substrate K and the nozzles 29, 30 does not change, so the etchant sprayed from the nozzles 29, 30 can be supplied to each part of the substrate K almost uniformly, thereby enabling stain-free cleaning. Etching treatment.

In addition, since the substrate K is conveyed by a single action of raising and lowering the etching device 22 by the lifting mechanism 40, and by a mechanism that can be controlled with high precision by the servo motor 43, the button bolt 41 and the nut 42, the Since the substrate K is raised and lowered, its speed can be controlled with high precision.

Also, since the etchant can be sprayed against the inclined substrate K, the etchant supplied to the surface of the substrate K generates a liquid flow flowing downward due to the inclination of the substrate K, and the etchant on the surface of the substrate K is removed by this flow. The new etchant that is continuously supplied is sequentially replaced, and through the replacement of the etchant, the surface of the substrate K can be uniformly etched with a small amount of etchant in a relatively short period of time.

Furthermore, since each nozzle 29 is swung, the injection direction of the etching solution sprayed from these nozzles can be swung between the oblique upward direction and the downward direction of the substrate, so when the injection direction of the etching liquid is directed toward the oblique upward direction of the substrate When swinging, the effect of making the etchant stay on the surface of the substrate K is increased by the swing. The velocity of the etching solution flowing on the surface of K increases, and the stagnation and flow of the etching solution are repeated over the entire surface of the substrate K. By this effect, it is possible to use a smaller amount of etching solution in a short period of time. The entire surface of the substrate K is uniformly etched.

In addition, in recent years, as the size of the substrate increases, the amount of etchant used for etching and the etching time tend to increase. However, by etching the substrate K with an inclination as described above, it can be reduced. The amount of usage makes the device miniaturized and the processing cost can be reduced.

The swing angle of the nozzle 29 is preferably in the range of 90° to 120°, and the swing speed is preferably 2 seconds to 10 seconds for one swing operation.

Also, if the etchant is highly corrosive and flows out from the etching device 22 and adheres to the lifting mechanism 40, there is a risk of damaging the lifting mechanism 40 and impairing its function. According to the elevating substrate processing apparatus 10 of this example, since the elevating mechanism 40 is partitioned by the partition members 11a, 14, 16, the cylindrical members 13, 13, the connectors 55, 56, 57, 58, and the sheets 65, 66, The driving chamber B and the processing chamber A provided with the etching device 22 can prevent the etching liquid flowing out from the etching device 22 from intruding into the driving chamber B, and prevent the etching liquid from causing damage to the lifting mechanism 40 .

In particular, since the so-called labyrinth structure described below is adopted, and the interior of the cylindrical portion 15 and the cylindrical member 13 is exhausted by the exhaust mechanism, it is possible to reliably prevent the etchant from entering the drive chamber B. In this labyrinth structure, a cylindrical portion 15 and a cylindrical member 13 are respectively provided on the vertical edge portions of the openings formed between the partition members 11a, 14, and 16, and are fixed to the connectors 55, 56 and Both side edge portions of the pieces 65 , 66 on 57 , 58 are inserted into the interior through notch grooves formed in the cylindrical portion 15 and the cylindrical member 13 .

One embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but specific forms that the present invention can take are not limited thereto.

For example, in the above example, corresponding to the lifting of the etching device 22, the winding/discharging mechanism 70 winds and discharges the sheets 65, 66, but it can also be formed in the following manner. 65 and 66 are endless and ring-shaped, corresponding to the lifting of the etching device 22, they realize the rotation.

In addition, in the above example, the etching process is performed in the elevating type substrate processing apparatus 10, but it is not limited to this, and other processes such as cleaning and peeling process may be performed. In this case, the same applies to the first substrate processing apparatus 6 and the second substrate processing 7 .

In addition, when cleaning and peeling are performed, the tilt angle of the substrate K tilted by the drive cylinder 37 is preferably in the range of 45° to 75° (more preferably 55° to 70°). The reason for doing this is: if the inclination angle exceeds 75°, the speed of the liquid flow is too fast, that is, the residence time of the cleaning liquid and the stripping liquid on the surface of the substrate K is too short; otherwise, if the inclination angle is less than 45°, the liquid flow If the flow speed is too slow, that is, the cleaning solution and the stripping solution remain on the substrate K for a long time, in any of the above cases, the treatment cannot be performed sufficiently, and the usage of the cleaning solution and the stripping solution increases.

In addition, it may be configured such that the rotation of the transport roller 26 is continuously switched forward and reverse during the etching process of the substrate K so that the substrate K moves back and forth by a predetermined distance in the carrying/discharging direction. According to this method, even if the injection amount and injection pressure of the etching liquid ejected from the nozzles 29, 30 are not uniform, the above-mentioned unevenness on the upper surface of the substrate K can be averaged by moving the substrate K back and forth. The substrate K is uniformly etched.

Furthermore, the processing carried out in the above-mentioned processing mechanism 20 is not applicable to the post-etching process as described above. If there is no problem caused by the adhesion of the etching solution, it is not necessary to divide the inside of the above-mentioned outer casing 11 into the above-mentioned In the processing chamber A and the driving chamber B, the lifting mechanism 40 described above is replaced with a lifting mechanism 130 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 .

That is, the elevating mechanism 130 includes: a driving motor 131; two lower rotating shafts 133, which are arranged parallel to each other, and sprockets 132 are installed at both ends thereof; two upper rotating shafts 135 , the two upper rotating shafts 135 are respectively arranged above the lower rotating shaft 133, and sprockets 134 are installed on the same two ends; Rotational power is transmitted to each lower side rotating shaft 133; support frame 139, this support frame 139 supports etching device 22; 4 guide plates 137, these 4 guide plates 137 are respectively fixed on the above-mentioned pillar 12; A plurality of rollers 138 are supported on the above-mentioned supporting stand 139 in a rotatable manner, contact with the above-mentioned guide plates 137, and guide the plurality of rollers 138 respectively along the guide plates 137; 4 chains 140, the 4 chains 140 hang One end of the sprockets 132 and 134 wound on the above-mentioned upper and lower sides is fixed to the upper part of the supporting frame 139 , and the other end is fixed to the lower part of the supporting frame 139 .

According to the lifting mechanism 130, when the drive motor 131 rotates in the forward and reverse directions, its rotational power is transmitted to the lower rotating shafts 133 through the transmission shaft 136, and the lower rotating shafts 133 are respectively rotated around the axis center, and the above-mentioned rotation is accompanied by The rotation of the shaft 133 rotates the chain 140 through the sprocket 132, and the support frame 139 supporting the etching device 22 is guided by each guide plate 137 and each roller 138, and moves upward or downward, even if it realizes lifting.

In this way, according to the lifting mechanism 130, compared with the lifting mechanism 40 of the above example, the structure can be simplified, and its manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In addition, as another form of the substrate processing system using the elevating substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the type shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 can be exemplified. As shown in FIG. 13 , the substrate processing system 150 is composed of a substrate input/discharge device 151 , a dry processing device 160 , and an etching-cleaning device 170 .

The substrate input/discharge device 151 is composed of a mounting table 152 on which a cassette 181 containing a plurality of substrates is placed, and a transfer device 153 for transferring substrates. 155 composition. The transfer robot 155 has a hand that can move to an arbitrary position in a three-dimensional space, and performs the following process in a state where the substrate is placed on the hand. , taking out the substrates one by one, putting them into the dry processing device 160 and the etching-cleaning device 170, storing the substrates discharged from the dry processing device 160 and the etching-cleaning device 170 in the box 181 again, and The process of transferring the substrate is performed between the dry processing apparatus 160 and the etching-cleaning apparatus 170 .

The dry processing apparatus 160 performs dry processing such as ashing processing and film forming processing on the substrate. In addition, the cassette 181 is loaded onto the mounting table 152 by the automatic transfer vehicle 180 and sent out from the mounting table 152 .

Etching-cleaning device 170, as shown in Figure 14, has the outer shell of frame body shape, has in it and divides and is formed by substrate receiving part 171, substrate descending conveying part 172, etching part 173, substrate ascending conveying part 174, substrate. A plurality of areas constituted by the drying section 175 and the substrate ejection section 176 are used to transport substrates into the substrate receiving section 171 by the transfer robot 155 and discharge the substrates from the substrate ejection section 176 .

The above-mentioned substrate receiving part 171, substrate descending conveying part 172, etching part 173, substrate ascending conveying part 174, substrate drying part 175 and substrate ejecting part 176 are respectively shown in Figure 16, have a plurality of conveying rollers 208, send into the substrate receiving The substrate in section 171 is conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow by conveying rollers 208 , and is conveyed to substrate ejection section 176 through substrate descending conveyance section 172 , etching section 173 , substrate ascending conveyance section 174 , and substrate drying section 175 .

The substrate descending transport unit 172 and the substrate ascending transport unit 174 have almost the same structure as the above-described elevating substrate processing apparatus 10 . Further, in this etching-cleaning apparatus 170 , etching is performed in the substrate descending transport unit 172 and etching unit 173 , cleaning is performed in the substrate ascending transport unit 174 , and drying process is performed in the substrate drying unit 175 .

Claims (15)

1. elevation type substrate board treatment is characterized in that: comprising:

Shell body, this shell body have and are located at substrate input port and the substrate outlet of locating up and down, are frame shaped;

Processing mechanism, this processing mechanism are built in the described shell body, and this processing mechanism comprises: the substrate that transmission-supporting mechanism, this transmission-supporting mechanism hold and support to send into from described substrate input port, on the other hand, discharge described substrate from described substrate outlet; Support pallet, this support pallet is supported described transmission-supporting mechanism; Substrate leaning device, this substrate leaning device tilt the substrate of being supported by described transmission-supporting mechanism; Handle fluid ejection mechanism, this processings fluid ejection mechanism is arranged at the top of described transmission-supporting mechanism, is ejected on the substrate by described substrate leaning device inclination handling fluid;

Elevating mechanism, this elevating mechanism is supported described processing mechanism, and makes the lifting along the vertical direction of this processing mechanism, makes described processing mechanism through described substrate input port and substrate outlet.

2. elevation type substrate board treatment according to claim 1 is characterized in that:

Described processing fluid sprays mechanism and constitutes in the mode of ejection as the etching solution of handling fluid;

Described substrate leaning device is so that described substrate is inclined relative to horizontal is that the mode of the angle below 7.5 ° more than 1 ° constitutes.

3. elevation type substrate board treatment according to claim 1 is characterized in that:

Described processing fluid sprays mechanism and constitutes in the mode of ejection as the etching solution of handling fluid;

Described substrate leaning device makes the acceleration of the processing fluid that flows along the incline direction of described substrate at more than 0.02 times in the scope below 0.13 times of acceleration of gravity so that the mode that described substrate tilts constitutes.

4. elevation type substrate board treatment according to claim 1 is characterized in that:

Described processing fluid sprays mechanism and constitutes as the detergent remover of handling fluid or the mode of stripper with ejection;

Described substrate leaning device is so that described substrate is inclined relative to horizontal is that the mode of the angle below 75 ° more than 45 ° constitutes.

5. elevation type substrate board treatment according to claim 1 is characterized in that:

Described processing fluid sprays mechanism and constitutes as the detergent remover of handling fluid or the mode of stripper with ejection;

Described substrate leaning device makes the acceleration of the processing fluid that flows along the incline direction of described substrate at more than 0.7 times in the scope below 0.97 times of acceleration of gravity so that the mode that described substrate tilts constitutes.

6. according to each described elevation type substrate board treatment in the claim 1～5, it is characterized in that:

Described processing mechanism possesses swing mechanism, and this swing mechanism makes the emission direction by the processing fluid of described processing fluid ejection mechanism ejection, parallel with the incline direction of described substrate and with the perpendicular plane of this substrate in swing.

7. according to each described elevation type substrate board treatment in the claim 1～6, it is characterized in that: described transmission-supporting mechanism with after holding described substrate, the substrate that held is constituted along the mode that direction seesaws repeatedly of sending into/discharge of described substrate.

8. according to each described elevation type substrate board treatment in the claim 1～7, it is characterized in that:

Utilize partition member, send into/discharge direction along described substrate, described shell body is divided into drive chamber and such two chambers of process chamber, and in described process chamber, described processing mechanism is set with described substrate input port and substrate outlet, on the other hand, described elevating mechanism is set in described drive chamber;

On described partition member, along the vertical direction, form peristome with described process chamber and drive chamber's connection;

The two edge portions along the vertical direction that are formed at the peristome on the described partition member are tubular respectively, and form gap slot along the vertical direction on mutual opposed of this a pair of each cylindrical portion;

The described support pallet of described processing mechanism utilizes the connector in the peristome that is arranged at described partition member, links with described elevating mechanism;

On described connector, be connected with banded lamellar body, this lamellar body is arranged between the described a pair of cylindrical portion, and is provided with in the mode of extending towards the above and below of described connector, and its both side edges portion is inserted in the described cylindrical portion from described gap slot respectively;

Described drive chamber separates institute with process chamber by described partition member, connector and lamellar body and becomes.

9. elevation type substrate board treatment according to claim 8 is characterized in that: the described peristome of many groups, connector and lamellar body are set become.

10. it is characterized in that according to Claim 8 or 9 described elevation type substrate board treatments: have the exhaust gear of discharging the gas in the described cylindrical portion.

11. each described elevation type substrate board treatment according to Claim 8～10, it is characterized in that: described lamellar body forms head, ring-type for no reason.

12. each described elevation type substrate board treatment according to Claim 8～10 is characterized in that:

Its structure is: respectively in the upper side and the lower side of described lamellar body, be provided with described lamellar body is reeled/coiling/dispatch mechanism of dispatch, along with carrying out the motion of the lamellar body of lifting, described lamellar body is reeled/dispatch by described coiling/dispatch mechanism by described elevating mechanism.

13. elevation type substrate board treatment according to claim 12 is characterized in that:

Described coiling/dispatch mechanism is made of the wireline reel of the described lamellar body of reeling and the driving mechanism that this wireline reel is rotated;

The structure of described driving mechanism is: when the dispatch direction is rotated, only make braking force act on wireline reel at described wireline reel, on the other hand, when described wireline reel is rotated in the take-up direction, by friction clutch, give described wireline reel with transmission of power.

14. elevation type substrate board treatment according to claim 13 is characterized in that:

Described driving mechanism is made of following parts, and these following parts comprise: driven gear, and this driven gear is connected with described wireline reel; Driven wheel, this driven wheel and the engagement of described driven gear; Friction clutch, this friction clutch and described driven wheel link; Rotating shaft, this rotating shaft and described friction clutch link; Two one-way clutch, these two one-way clutch link with the both ends of rotating shaft respectively, allow rotating shaft only along a direction rotation; Pulley, this pulley link with described rotating shaft by one of them described one-way clutch; Driving belt, this driving belt are wound on the described pulley; Holding components, this holding components are supported another described one-way clutch;

The structure of described two one-way clutch is: allow the rotation of described rotating shaft towards the direction that described wireline reel is rotated in the take-up direction, on the other hand, limit described rotating shaft towards the rotation that makes described wireline reel along the direction of dispatch direction rotation;

And described driving belt is to realize that by described elevating mechanism the mode of rotation constitutes.

15. a base plate processing system is characterized in that: the structure of this base plate processing system is:

In possessing claim 1～14 in each described elevation type substrate board treatment;

Locating and be provided with the 1st substrate board treatment and the 2nd substrate board treatment of this substrate being handled with level or heeling condition moving substrate up and down on one side on one side;

The substrate discharge portion of described the 1st substrate board treatment and the substrate input port of described elevation type substrate board treatment are connected;

The substrate throw-in part of described the 2nd substrate board treatment and the substrate outlet of described elevation type substrate board treatment are connected;

Make substrate successively through the 1st substrate board treatment, elevation type substrate board treatment, the 2nd substrate board treatment.

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