JP2008282858A - Pin for supporting substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pin capable of stably supporting a substrate without causing damage thereto. <P>SOLUTION: In the pin 23 for supporting the substrate comprises an abutting member 28 which can support the substrate 11 abutting on the substrate 11, and a column 27 for supporting the abutting member 28 wherein a portion 45 of the member 28 abutting on the substrate 11 is formed planarly, a plurality of small balls 41 are laid between the abutting member 28 and the column 27, the abutting member 28 is movable in the horizontal direction, and an elastic member 33 is connected between the abutting member 28 and the column 27 in order to hold the abutting member 28 at a predetermined position when the substrate 11 does not abut on the abutting member 28. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate support pin.

  Conventionally, for example, a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method is known as a film forming method for forming a thin film on a glass substrate. The procedure for forming a glass substrate using this CVD method is as follows. The glass substrate is transported by a robot or the like from atmospheric pressure to a vacuum state, heated to about 200 to 500 ° C., and then formed. After the glass substrate is cooled, the glass substrate is transported again from the vacuum state to the atmospheric pressure. In this manner, the glass substrate is transferred to each processing chamber using a robot, and the substrate processing is performed in each processing chamber. And when using such a film-forming apparatus, it is set as the structure which mounts a glass substrate on a some support pin.

  However, conventional support pins are made of metal or ceramics that can be easily machined, such as stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum oxide, etc. in consideration of cost. As a result, thermal elongation caused by heating the glass substrate to a high temperature and shrinkage caused by cooling the glass substrate after film formation occur, and the glass substrate and the support pins rub against each other, thereby damaging the glass substrate. There was a thing.

In order to solve this problem, it is known that a sphere is provided at the tip of the support pin, the sphere is rotated in accordance with the thermal elongation of the glass substrate, and the occurrence of scratches caused by rubbing the glass substrate against the support pin is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-507162 A

By the way, in the support pin as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since the contact point between the glass substrate and the support pin is a spherical surface, it is a point contact. There was a problem that it could not be placed stably.
In addition, when the tip of the support pin is a sphere, a small sphere may be provided between the sphere and the support pin support to facilitate rotation of the sphere (see, for example, FIG. 8 of Patent Document 1). In such a case, the contact point of the sphere with the small sphere also becomes the contact point with the substrate. There has been a problem that the lubricating oil applied between the sphere and the above-mentioned wear powder adheres to the surface of the sphere and adheres to the glass substrate or particles.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a substrate support pin that can stably support a substrate and can support the substrate without damaging it. .

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate support pin including an abutting member capable of abutting on the substrate and supporting the substrate, and a support column for supporting the corresponding member. A contact portion is formed in a planar shape, a plurality of small balls are laid between the contact member and the support column, and the contact member is configured to be movable in a horizontal direction. An elastic member for holding the contact member in a predetermined position when the substrate is not in contact with the contact member is connected to the support column.

By comprising in this way, since a board | substrate and a board | substrate support pin can be surface-contacted, there exists an effect which can support a board | substrate stably.
Further, since the contact member that is in contact with the substrate can be moved in accordance with the thermal expansion or contraction due to cooling of the substrate, the relative position between the substrate and the contact member does not shift. Therefore, there is an effect that the substrate can be supported without being damaged.
In addition, since the contact point of the contact member with the small ball does not become the contact point with the substrate, the substrate is damaged or the lubricant or wear powder applied between the contact member and the small ball is applied to the substrate. There is no longer any adhesion or particle adhesion. Therefore, there is an effect that the substrate can be supported without being damaged.
Further, when the substrate is not placed on the contact member (no load state), the contact member can be held at a fixed position by the elastic member, for example, at a substantially central portion in a plan view of the substrate support pin. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to reliably follow the deformation amount of the substrate when the substrate is placed.

The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the elastic member is constituted by a coil spring.
With this configuration, the abutting member can be moved in accordance with the deformation of the substrate by the biasing force of the coil spring, and the abutting member is in a fixed position when the substrate is not placed on the abutting member. Therefore, there is an effect that the deformation amount of the substrate can be surely followed when the substrate is placed.

The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that a circulation path is formed in which the small balls circulate in accordance with the horizontal movement of the contact member.
With this configuration, when the contact member moves in accordance with the deformation of the substrate, the contact member can be moved more smoothly, so that the substrate can be more reliably supported without being damaged. effective.

The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that a gradient is formed on the surface on the column side where the small spheres are laid down so as to become lower toward the central axis in the vertical direction of the column.
With this configuration, the small ball can be surely disposed on the periphery of the central axis of the support column when there is no load when the substrate is not placed on the contact member. There is an effect that can be moved along the trajectory.

According to the present invention, since the substrate and the substrate support pin can be brought into surface contact, the substrate can be stably supported.
Further, since the contact member that is in contact with the substrate can be moved in accordance with the thermal expansion or contraction due to cooling of the substrate, the relative position between the substrate and the contact member does not shift. Accordingly, the substrate can be supported without being damaged.
In addition, since the contact point of the contact member with the small ball does not become the contact point with the substrate, the substrate is damaged or the lubricant or wear powder applied between the contact member and the small ball is applied to the substrate. There is no longer any adhesion or particle adhesion. Accordingly, the substrate can be supported without being damaged.

(First embodiment)
Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

(Deposition system)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a film forming apparatus in the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, a film forming apparatus 1 receives a substrate from another apparatus, transfers a substrate after film formation to another apparatus, and heats the substrate. A substrate heating chamber 5, a plurality of film forming chambers 7 (four chambers in the present embodiment) for forming a thin film on the substrate, and a substrate transfer chamber 9 provided with a substrate transfer robot for transferring the substrate. Has been. The film forming apparatus 1 is configured as a single wafer cluster apparatus in which the load lock chamber 3, the substrate heating chamber 5, and the film forming chamber 7 are arranged so as to correspond to the hexagonal sides with the substrate transfer chamber 9 as the center. Has been.

  The load lock chamber 3 is configured so that a substrate transferred from another apparatus can be placed, and a substrate on which film formation has been completed can be placed and further transferred to another apparatus. The substrate is configured to be supported by substrate support pins. Furthermore, a vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to the load lock chamber 3 so that it can be maintained in a vacuum state.

The substrate heating chamber 5 is configured so that the substrate conveyed from the load lock chamber 3 can be heated by a heater. The substrate is configured to be supported by substrate support pins. The substrate heating chamber 5 is configured to be able to place a plurality of substrates.
The film forming chamber 7 is provided with various apparatuses for forming a film on the substrate surface. Since four deposition chambers 7 are provided, throughput per substrate can be shortened.

  The substrate transfer chamber 9 is provided with a substrate transfer robot configured to place a substrate and transfer between the chambers. The substrate transfer robot is formed with a robot arm configured to be movable in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

(Substrate support pin)
Next, the structure of the substrate support pins for placing the substrate will be described by taking a heating device as an example.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram (plan view) of the heating device in the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram (side view) of the heating device.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the heating apparatus 10 includes a substrate heating chamber 5 in which an opening 13 through which a substrate 11 can be carried in and out is formed on a side surface 15. A substrate heating unit 24 including a heater 21 for heating the substrate 11 and substrate support pins 23 for placing the substrate 11 is provided in the substrate heating chamber 5. A plurality of substrate heating units 24 are provided and constitute a substrate heating unit 30.

  The heater 21 is formed by incorporating a plate-like heat transfer member made of carbon or the like and a sheath heater inside the plate-like heat transfer member. The heater 21 is configured to be heated by applying a voltage to the sheath heater from a power supply device (not shown). And it is comprised so that the board | substrate 11 can be heated with the radiant heat from the heated heater 21. FIG.

  Further, the heater 21 is arranged with a peripheral edge supported by the frame member 31. A reflector 35 is provided on the inner wall surface 33 of the substrate heating chamber 5. A shutter 47 configured to be able to open and close the opening 13 is provided in the opening 13 of the substrate heating chamber 5 on the front side in the loading / unloading direction of the substrate 11.

  Here, the substrate 11 is placed on the substrate support pins 23. A plurality of substrate support pins 23 are attached to the upper surface of the heater 21, and are attached at appropriate positions so as to minimize the bending due to the weight of the substrate 11 when the substrate 11 is placed. The substrate support pin 23 is provided at a position where it does not interfere with the robot hand (end effector) 51 of the substrate transport robot arm 50 in plan view.

4 is a front sectional view of the substrate support pin 23, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion B in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate support pin 23 includes a column 27 attached on the heater 21 and a contact member 28 provided on the top of the column 27.

  The support column 27 and the heater 21 are joined by screws or the like (not shown). The support column 27 is formed in a circular shape in plan view. A first recess 35 for arranging the coil spring 33 is formed in a circular shape in plan view on the upper surface of the column 27. A concave portion 37 for fitting the coil spring 31 is formed on the bottom surface 36 of the first concave portion 35. The center points of the support column 27 and the first recess 35 are formed to coincide with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a second recess 39 is formed in a ring shape outside the first recess 35 in plan view. The center point of the second recess 39 in plan view is formed so as to coincide with the center points of the support column 27 and the first recess 35. The bottom surface 40 of the second recess 39 is formed horizontally. A plurality of small spheres 41 are arranged in the second recess 39.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the depth d of the second recess 39 is formed smaller than the diameter D <b> 1 of the small sphere 37. As a result, the small ball 41 reliably contacts the contact member 28 and the contact member 28 is placed above the small ball 41.

  The contact member 28 is placed above the small ball 41. Further, the contact member 28 is connected to the support column 27 via the coil spring 33. A recess 44 for fitting the coil spring 33 is formed on the bottom surface 43 of the contact member 28. On the upper surface of the contact member 28, a contact portion 45 on which the substrate 11 is placed is formed in a convex shape. The upper surface 46 of the contact portion 45 is formed in a circular shape in plan view and is formed horizontally. That is, the substrate 11 and the contact portion 45 are configured to be in surface contact. The small sphere 41 is configured to contact the peripheral edge of the bottom surface 43 of the contact member 28.

  Further, a notch 53 is formed on the entire periphery of the support 27 in plan view, and a stopper member 55 is provided in the notch 53. The stopper member 55 is bent inward at the wall 56 formed so as to rise upward from the notch 53 and the tip of the wall 56, and extends in the horizontal direction toward the center point of the column 27. It is comprised with the cover part 57. FIG. The lid portion 57 is formed in a ring shape in plan view, and is configured so that the lid portion 57 and the abutting portion 45 do not come into contact when the abutting member 28 is held at the center portion.

  The contact member 28 is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction by a gap W formed between the side surface 58 of the peripheral portion and the inner wall surface 59 of the wall portion 56 of the stopper member 55. Further, the upper surface 46 of the contact portion 45 of the contact member 28 is formed at a position protruding above the upper surface 60 of the lid portion 57 of the stopper member 55. As a result, the substrate 11 is configured to be reliably brought into contact with the contact portion 45.

  The coil spring 33 is attached so that when the substrate 11 is deformed, the contact member 28 can move accordingly, and when the substrate 11 is separated from the contact member 28, the contact member 28 can be returned to the center position. Has power.

FIG. 7 is a plan layout view of the substrate support pins.
As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of substrate support pins 23 are arranged at positions that can reliably support the substrate 11 without interfering with the robot hand (end effector) 51 of the substrate transport robot arm 50. The substrate support pin 23a at a position corresponding to the center of the substrate 11 is a fixed pin. With this configuration, even when the substrate 11 is heated, the center position of the substrate 11 does not shift, and when the substrate 11 that has been heated is unloaded (conveyed), the substrate 11 is reliably aligned without being aligned. Can be carried out.

  Returning to FIGS. 2 and 3, a substrate transfer chamber 9 is provided in connection with the substrate heating chamber 5. The substrate transfer chamber 9 includes a substrate transfer robot arm 50 that can transfer the substrate 11. A plurality of substrate transfer robot arms 50 are installed (two in this embodiment). The substrate transfer robot arm 50 includes a robot hand (end effector) 51 configured to be movable in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, and a main body unit 52 including a control unit and the like.

  The robot hand (end effector) 51 is formed so that the substrate 11 can be placed, and in the present embodiment, four robot hands (end effectors) 51 are formed in a plan view.

  Further, the thickness of the robot hand (end effector) 51 in the vertical direction is formed to be thinner than the height of the substrate support pins 23 provided in the substrate heating chamber 5. By doing so, the substrate 11 is placed on the robot hand (end effector) 51, transported to the substrate heating chamber 5, and the substrate 11 is transferred onto the substrate support pins 23 in the substrate heating chamber 5. In this case, the substrate 11 can be smoothly transferred from the robot hand (end effector) 51 onto the substrate support pins without dropping the substrate 11. That is, the substrate 11 can be reliably moved without applying a concentrated load or the like. Further, after the heating of the substrate 11 is completed, the robot hand (end effector) 51 can be inserted into the gap between the substrate 11 and the heater 21 formed by the substrate support pins 23 when the substrate 11 is unloaded from the substrate heating chamber 5. Therefore, the substrate 11 can be reliably transferred onto the robot hand (end effector) 51.

  Further, an exhaust port 53 is formed in the substrate transfer chamber 9. The exhaust port 53 can exhaust the inside of the substrate transfer chamber 9 and exhaust the inside of the substrate heating chamber 5.

(Function)
Next, an operation when a film is formed on the substrate 11 using the film forming apparatus 1 will be described.
In order to form a thin film on the surface of the substrate 11 using the film forming apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, the substrate 11 transported to the load lock chamber 3 is held in a vacuum state, and the substrate is transported by the substrate transport robot arm 50. 11 is taken out into the substrate transfer chamber 9. At this time, the substrate 11 is placed on the robot hand (end effector) 51.

  While the substrate 11 is placed, the robot hand (end effector) 51 is rotated in the horizontal direction and the substrate 11 is transferred to the substrate heating chamber 5 while being moved in the vertical direction. Since the substrate heating chamber 5 is configured so that the substrates 11 can be arranged in three stages, the height of the robot hand (end effector) 51 is adjusted according to the position where the substrate 11 is placed.

  After the robot hand (end effector) 51 is adjusted to an appropriate height, the robot hand (end effector) 51 on which the substrate 11 is placed is moved into the substrate heating chamber 5. At this time, the robot hand (end effector) 51 is inserted into the substrate heating chamber 5 so that the robot hand (end effector) 51 does not interfere with the substrate support pins 23. When the center of the substrate 11 in a plan view is arranged so as to be positioned above the central substrate support pin 23a among the plurality of substrate support pins 23, the robot hand (end effector) 51 in the horizontal direction is arranged. Stop moving.

  After the horizontal position of the substrate 11 is determined, the robot hand (end effector) 51 is moved downward to bring the lower surface of the substrate 11 into contact with the contact portion 45 of the substrate support pin 23. When the substrate 11 is placed on the substrate support pins 23 of the substrate heating unit 24, the robot hand (end effector) 51 moves so as to be pulled out from the substrate heating chamber 5. At this time, the robot hand (end effector) 51 is pulled out while being held at a position where it does not contact the substrate 11 and the heater 21.

  When the substrate 11 is placed in the substrate heating chamber 5, heating of the substrate 11 is started. The substrate 11 is heated to about 200 to 500 ° C. The substrate 11 is heated by the radiant heat of the heater 21 disposed so as to face the upper and lower surfaces thereof. Here, when the substrate 11 is heated, if the shutter 47 is closed, the heat in the substrate heating chamber 5 can be prevented from leaking to the substrate transfer chamber 9 side, and the substrate 11 can be efficiently moved. While heating, the temperature distribution in the substrate surface can be improved.

  When the substrate 11 is heated, thermal expansion of the substrate 11 occurs. When the substrate 11 is thermally expanded, the contact member 28 that is in contact with the substrate 11 moves in accordance with the deformation of the substrate 11 without the contact surface with the substrate 11 being displaced. When the contact member 28 moves, a plurality of small spheres 41 are arranged on the bottom surface 43 of the contact member 28, so that the contact member 28 can be smoothly moved while rolling the small sphere 41. .

  Further, the substrate support pin 23a at a position corresponding to the center of the substrate 11 is a fixed pin. With this configuration, the center of the substrate 11 does not deviate even when the substrate 11 is heated, and the substrate 11 can be radially extended from the center of the substrate 11. Further, since the lower surface of the substrate 11 is in surface contact with the contact portion 45 of the contact member 28 and the contact member 28 can be moved in accordance with the thermal expansion of the substrate 11, the substrate 11 and the contact member 28 The relative position of no longer shifts. Therefore, generation | occurrence | production of the damage | wound resulting from the rubbing of the board | substrate 11 and the board | substrate support pin 23 can be suppressed.

  When the heating of the substrate 11 is completed, the shutter 47 is opened, and the robot hand (end effector) 51 is moved from the opening 13 into the substrate heating chamber 5. The robot hand (end effector) 51 is moved so as to be inserted into the gap between the lower surface of the substrate 11 and the upper surface of the heater 21. When the tip of the robot hand (end effector) 51 moves from the peripheral edge of the substrate 11 in the substrate loading / unloading direction to the back side in plan view, the robot hand (end effector) 51 is then moved upward to move the robot hand. The substrate 11 is placed on the (end effector) 51.

  When the substrate 11 is moved to a position away from the contact portion 45 of the substrate support pin 23, the robot hand (end effector) 51 is moved in the horizontal direction so as to be pulled out from the substrate heating chamber 5. When carrying out the substrate 11 from the substrate heating chamber 5 while exhausting it from the exhaust port 53 of the substrate transfer chamber 9, the influence of heat on the main body 52 of the substrate transfer robot arm 50 can be reduced. The operation accuracy of the transfer robot arm 50 can be maintained.

  Here, when the substrate 11 is separated from the substrate support pin 23, the contact member 28 of the substrate support pin 23 is returned to the original position (the central portion of the substrate support pin 23 in plan view) by the urging force of the coil spring 33. By doing in this way, when the board | substrate 11 is mounted after the next time, the movement amount of the horizontal direction of the contact member 28 can always be made substantially the same.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the substrate 11 unloaded from the substrate heating chamber 5 is transferred to the film forming chamber 7 by the substrate transfer robot arm 50 while being kept at a high temperature. In the film formation chamber 7, film formation is performed on the substrate 11 using a CVD method or the like. When film formation on the substrate 11 is completed, the substrate 11 is transferred to the load lock chamber 3 by the substrate transfer robot arm 50. The substrate 11 placed in the load lock chamber 3 is unloaded and changed from a vacuum state to an atmospheric pressure. At this time, the substrate 11 may be cooled in the load lock chamber 3.

When the substrate 11 is cooled in the load lock chamber 3, the substrate 11 contracts contrary to when the substrate 11 is heated. Here, if the substrate support pin 23 used in the substrate heating chamber 5 is used as the substrate support pin of the load lock chamber 3, substantially the same effect can be obtained and the substrate 11 can be stably supported without being damaged.
Then, the substrate 11 on which film formation has been completed is taken out from the load lock chamber 3 by a transfer device (not shown), and the substrate 11 is transferred to another device (next process).

  According to the present embodiment, in the substrate support pin 23 including the contact member 28 that can contact the substrate 11 and support the substrate 11, and the support column 27 that supports the contact member 28, the substrate in the contact member 28. 11 is formed in a planar shape, and a plurality of small balls 41 are laid between the contact member 28 and the support column 27, and the contact member 28 is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction. A coil spring 33 for holding the contact member 28 in a predetermined position is connected between the contact member 28 and the support 27 when the substrate 11 is not in contact with the contact member 28.

Since it comprised in this way, since the board | substrate 11 and the board | substrate support pin 23 can be surface-contacted, the board | substrate 11 can be supported stably.
Further, since the contact member 28 that is in contact with the substrate 11 can be moved in accordance with the thermal expansion or cooling of the substrate 11, the relative position between the substrate 11 and the contact member 28 does not shift. Therefore, the substrate 11 can be supported without being damaged.

  Further, since the contact point of the contact member 28 with the small ball 41 does not become the contact point with the substrate 11, the substrate 11 is damaged or the lubricating oil applied between the contact member 28 and the small ball 41. And wear powder adhere to the substrate 11 and particles do not adhere. Therefore, the substrate 11 can be supported without being damaged.

  The abutting member 28 can be moved in accordance with the deformation of the substrate 11 by the urging force of the coil spring 33, and the abutting member 28 is moved to a fixed position when the substrate 11 is not placed on the abutting member 28. Therefore, when the substrate 11 is placed, the deformation amount of the substrate 11 can be more reliably followed.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration of this embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment only in the structure of the substrate support pins, and the other configurations are substantially the same. Therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 8 is a front sectional view of the substrate support pins in the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, the substrate support pin 70 includes a column 27 attached on the heater 21 and a contact member 28 provided on the top of the column 27.
The support column 27 is formed in a circular shape in plan view. A first recess 35 and a second recess 39 are formed on the upper surface of the column 27.

Here, the bottom surface 40 of the second recess 39 is formed horizontally. A plurality of small balls 41 are arranged in the second recess 39 so as to cover the entire bottom surface 40 of the second recess 39.
A groove-like circulation path 71 is formed at the peripheral edge of the second recess 39. The circulation path 71 is formed in a substantially mortar shape other than the region of the first recess 35 in the vertical cross section of the substrate support pin 70. The circulation path 71 is formed over the entire circumference along the circumferential direction of the substrate support pins 70. A plurality of small spheres 41 are arranged in the circulation path 71. That is, the small sphere 41 is disposed in substantially the entire area of the second recess 39 and the circulation path 71.

  The contact member 28 is placed above the small ball 41 located in the second recess 39. On the upper surface of the contact member 28, a contact portion 45 on which the substrate 11 is placed is formed in a convex shape. The substrate 11 and the contact portion 45 are configured to be in surface contact.

Further, a notch 53 is formed on the entire periphery of the support 27 in plan view, and a stopper member 55 is provided in the notch 53.
The contact member 28 is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction by a gap W formed between the side surface 58 of the peripheral portion and the inner wall surface 59 of the wall portion 56 of the stopper member 55. Further, the substrate 11 is configured to be surely brought into contact with the contact portion 45.

  The coil spring 33 is attached so that when the substrate 11 is deformed, the contact member 28 can move accordingly, and when the substrate 11 is separated from the contact member 28, the contact member 28 can be returned to the center position. Has power.

(Function)
By configuring the substrate support pin 70 as described above, when the contact member 28 moves in accordance with the deformation of the substrate 11, the small ball 41 also rolls accordingly. It rolls while moving not only to 39 but also to the circulation path 71. That is, when several small spheres 41 move from the second recess 39 to the circulation path 71, substantially the same small spheres 41 are moved from the circulation path 71 on the opposite side in the diameter direction in the plan view of the substrate support pin 70 to the second. Move to the recess 39. That is, the small ball 41 is positioned below the contact member 28 in any direction, and the contact member 28 can be reliably held in the horizontal direction.

According to the present embodiment, the circulation path 71 through which the small sphere 41 can circulate is formed in accordance with the movement of the contact member 28.
Since it comprised in this way, since the contact member 28 can be moved more smoothly when the contact member 28 moves according to the deformation | transformation of the board | substrate 11 in addition to the effect of 1st embodiment, it is more reliable. The substrate can be supported without being damaged.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration of this embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment only in the structure of the substrate support pins, and the other configurations are substantially the same. Therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 9 is a front sectional view of the substrate support pins in the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 9, the substrate support pin 80 includes a column 27 attached on the heater 21 and a contact member 28 provided on the top of the column 27.
The support column 27 is formed in a circular shape in plan view. A first recess 35 and a second recess 39 are formed on the upper surface of the column 27.

  Here, the bottom surface 40 of the second recess 39 is formed in a curved surface shape. The bottom surface 40 is formed to have a downward slope from the peripheral edge of the substrate support pin 80 in the plan view toward the center. The gradient is formed with a radius of curvature SR of about 200. A plurality of small spheres 41 are arranged in the second recess 39.

  The contact member 28 is placed above the small ball 41 located in the second recess 39. On the upper surface of the contact member 28, a contact portion 45 on which the substrate 11 is placed is formed in a convex shape. The substrate 11 and the contact portion 45 are configured to be in surface contact.

Further, a notch 53 is formed on the entire periphery of the support 27 in plan view, and a stopper member 55 is provided in the notch 53.
The contact member 28 is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction by a gap W formed between the side surface 58 of the peripheral portion and the inner wall surface 59 of the wall portion 56 of the stopper member 55. Further, the substrate 11 is configured to be surely brought into contact with the contact portion 45.

  Further, the contact member 28 and the support column 27 are connected by a thin line 83 at a substantially central portion in plan view. The thin wire 83 is an elastic member, and is formed of a steel material such as stainless steel, for example. Further, when the substrate 11 is deformed, the thin wire 83 can move the contact member 28 accordingly, and when the substrate 11 is separated from the contact member 28, the contact member 28 can be returned to the center position. Has resilience that can.

(Function)
By configuring the substrate support pins 80 as described above, when the contact member 28 moves in accordance with the deformation of the substrate 11, the small sphere 41 also rolls accordingly. Thereafter, when the substrate 11 is separated from the contact member 28, the contact member 28 returns to the original position (substantially central portion in plan view of the substrate support pin 80) by the restoring force of the thin wire 83 made of an elastic member. Further, since the bottom surface 40 of the second concave portion 39 is inclined, the small ball 41 also returns to the substantially central portion of the substrate support pin 80 in plan view together with the contact member 28. That is, when the substrate 11 is placed on the contact member 28, the contact member 28 and the small sphere 41 can be positioned at a substantially central portion in plan view of the substrate support pin 80.

According to the present embodiment, the gradient is formed on the bottom surface 40 on the column 27 side where the small balls 41 are laid so as to become lower toward the central axis in the vertical direction of the column 27.
Since it comprised in this way, in addition to the effect of 1st embodiment, when there is no load in which the board | substrate 11 is not mounted in the contact member 28, the small ball | bowl 41 is reliably arrange | positioned to the center axis periphery of the support | pillar 27 Therefore, the contact member 28 can always be moved along substantially the same locus.

  Further, since the contact member 28 and the support column 27 are connected by the thin wire 83, the size of the first recess 35 in a plan view can be reduced. Accordingly, a region where the contact member 28 and the small sphere 41 do not come into contact with each other due to the gradient of the bottom surface of the second recess 39 is formed in the center portion of the substrate support pin 80. The area in contact with can be formed in an area substantially equivalent to the above-described first embodiment and second embodiment. Therefore, the contact member 28 can be reliably moved in accordance with the deformation of the substrate 11.

It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes those in which various modifications are made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. That is, the specific materials, configurations, and the like given in the embodiment are merely examples, and can be changed as appropriate.
For example, in the present embodiment, the column and the contact member have been described as having a circular shape in plan view, but may have another shape such as a rectangular shape.
In the present embodiment, the substrate support pin corresponding to the center point of the substrate in plan view is a pin to which the contact member is fixed. However, the contact member can be moved like the other substrate support pins. Also good.
In the present embodiment, the case of the substrate support pin that supports the substrate in the heating device has been described. Good.

It is a schematic block diagram of the film-forming apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram (plan view) of the heating device in the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram (side view) of the heating apparatus in 1st embodiment of this invention. It is front sectional drawing of the board | substrate support pin in 1st embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is the B section enlarged view of FIG. It is a plane arrangement view of substrate support pins in an embodiment of the present invention. It is front sectional drawing of the board | substrate support pin in 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is front sectional drawing of the board | substrate support pin in 3rd embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Board | substrate 23,70,80 ... Board | substrate support pin 27 ... Support | pillar 28 ... Contact member 33 ... Coil spring (elastic member) 40 ... Bottom surface (surface on the support | pillar side) 41 ... Small ball 45 ... Contact part 71 ... Circulation path

Claims (4)

A contact member capable of supporting the substrate by contacting the substrate;
In a substrate support pin provided with a support for supporting the contact member,
A contact portion with the substrate in the contact member is formed in a planar shape,
A plurality of small balls are laid between the contact member and the support column, and the contact member is configured to be movable in a horizontal direction.
An elastic member for holding the contact member in a predetermined position when the substrate is not in contact with the contact member is connected between the contact member and the support column. Substrate support pins.   The substrate support pin according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is configured by a coil spring.   The substrate support pin according to claim 1, wherein a circulation path is formed in which the small sphere circulates and moves with the horizontal movement of the contact member.   The gradient which becomes low toward the central axis of the perpendicular direction of this support | pillar is formed in the surface at the said support | pillar side by which the said small ball is laid down, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Board support pins.

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