TWI763611B - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

A placement unit 40 of a substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate support part 411 and a measuring part 413. The substrate support part 411 supports a substrate 9 in a horizontal state. The measuring part 413 measures the edge position which is a position in the horizontal direction of the periphery of the substrate 9 supported by the substrate support part 411. A center robot receives the substrate 9 supported by the substrate support part 411 of the placement unit 40 and carries it into a processing unit. A calculation unit of a control unit obtains the center position of the substrate 9 based on the edge position measured by the measuring part 413. A transfer robot control unit adjusts the position of a hand of the center robot in the placement unit 40 based on the center position of the substrate 9 before the hand receives the substrate 9 from the substrate support part 411. Thereby, the positional accuracy of the substrate 9 carried into the processing unit can be improved.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing substrates.

Conventionally, in a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates, substrates housed in Front Open United Pods (FOUPs) were unloaded by an indexer robot, handed over to a center robot, and then loaded into to the treatment chamber and perform various treatments. In this substrate processing apparatus, the positioning of the substrate is performed before the substrate is processed.

For example, in the wafer processing system of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-152055 (Document 1), a wafer positioning device for positioning the wafer, a wafer transfer device for transferring the wafer, and a wafer for etching the wafer The round handling devices are provided separately. In this wafer positioning apparatus, the position of the peripheral portion of the wafer rotated by the spindle is measured by a line sensor to obtain the eccentricity of the wafer, and the spindle moves the same as the amount of eccentricity of the wafer. After a distance corresponding to the eccentricity, the substrate is taken out by the fingers of the wafer transfer device. Similarly, in the substrate processing apparatus of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-53552 (Document 2), the alignment unit for positioning the substrate is separated from the transfer chamber provided with the multi-joint transfer arm and the process unit for processing the substrate. set up.

On the other hand, in the substrate processing apparatus of Patent No. 5449239 (Document 3), a substrate processing apparatus for bevel processing and a substrate for positioning are incorporated in a plurality of processing units for processing substrates Positioning means. The substrate positioning device includes two positioning mechanism parts that face each other in the radial direction across the rotating part on which the substrate is placed. Each positioning mechanism portion includes a resin contact portion that contacts the side surface of the substrate, and the contact portion presses the substrate from the side surface and moves the substrate linearly in the radial direction, thereby mechanically positioning the substrate.

In addition, in the apparatuses of Documents 1 and 2, since the unit for positioning the substrate is provided separately from other units, there is a concern that the size of the apparatus will increase. In addition, in the substrate processing apparatus of Document 3, since the substrate positioning apparatuses are installed in the interiors of the plurality of processing units, respectively, the processing units and the apparatus may be increased in size. Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus of Document 3, the contact portion made of resin for pressing the substrate in the radial direction is worn away due to repeated contact with the substrate, which may lower the positioning accuracy of the substrate.

The present invention focuses on a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, and aims to improve the positional accuracy of a substrate carried into a processing unit in the substrate processing apparatus.

A substrate processing apparatus according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention includes: a placing unit on which a substrate is placed; a processing unit for handling the substrate; and a transfer robot for transferring the substrate from the placing unit to the processing unit; and the control unit. The placing unit includes: a substrate support part for supporting the substrate in a horizontal state; and a measurement part for measuring a position belonging to an edge position in the horizontal direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate supported by the substrate support part. The said transfer robot is provided with the hand part which picks up the said board|substrate supported by the said board|substrate support part of the said mounting unit, and carries it into the said processing unit. The control unit includes: an arithmetic unit that obtains a center position of the substrate based on the edge position measured by the measuring unit; and a transfer robot control unit that is configured before the hand receives the substrate from the substrate support unit , the position of the hand in the placing unit is adjusted based on the center position of the substrate. Thereby, the positional accuracy of the board|substrate carried into a process unit can be improved.

Preferably, the hand is used to adsorb and hold the lower surface of the substrate.

Preferably, the mounting unit further includes a rotation mechanism for relatively rotating the substrate support portion with respect to the measurement portion around a rotation axis facing the up-down direction. The said measuring part measures the said edge position of the said board|substrate in a relative rotation.

Preferably, the mounting unit further includes a rotation mechanism that rotates the substrate support portion around a rotation axis facing the up-down direction. Before the hand receives the substrate from the substrate support portion, the substrate is rotated by the rotation mechanism so that the center position of the substrate relative to the rotation axis is located in the advancing and retracting direction of the hand relative to the substrate or in the same direction as the substrate. The aforementioned forward and backward directions are vertical directions.

Preferably, the processing unit includes a jig that holds the substrate in a horizontal state, and another measuring unit that measures a horizontal position of the peripheral edge of the substrate held by the jig.

It is preferable that the said measuring part also measures the position of the up-down direction of the said peripheral edge of the said board|substrate supported by the said board|substrate support part, and this position is an edge height. The computing unit also obtains the shape of the peripheral edge of the substrate based on the edge height measured by the measuring unit.

Preferably, the calculation unit also obtains a degree of curvature indicating a degree of curvature of the substrate based on the height of the edge measured by the measurement unit. The control unit may further include a reporting unit that reports an abnormality of the curvature when the curvature of the substrate obtained by the arithmetic unit is larger than a predetermined threshold value.

Preferably, the mounting unit further includes a rotation mechanism that rotates the substrate support portion around a rotation axis facing the up-down direction. The control unit may further include a rotation mechanism control unit for driving the rotation mechanism to rotate the substrate based on the shape of the peripheral edge of the substrate obtained by the calculation unit, and to orient the substrate in a direction suitable for the direction of the substrate by the hand. The direction in which the hold is being performed.

Preferably, the processing unit includes a mechanical jig that is in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate and holds the substrate in a horizontal state. The said mounting unit is further provided with the rotation mechanism which rotates the said board|substrate support part centering on the rotation axis which faces an up-down direction. The control unit further includes: a rotation mechanism control unit for driving the rotation mechanism to rotate the substrate based on the shape of the peripheral edge of the substrate obtained by the calculation unit, and to orient the substrate in a direction suitable for the direction of the substrate by the mechanical jig. The direction in which the hold is being performed.

The present invention also focuses on a substrate processing method for processing a substrate by a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes a mounting unit on which a substrate is mounted, a processing unit for processing the substrate, and a transfer robot for transferring the substrate from the mounting unit to the processing unit. The placing unit includes: a substrate support part for supporting the substrate in a horizontal state; and a measurement part for measuring a position belonging to an edge position in the horizontal direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate supported by the substrate support part. The said transfer robot is provided with the hand part which picks up the said board|substrate supported by the said board|substrate support part of the said mounting unit, and carries it into the said processing unit. The substrate processing method includes: step a of obtaining a center position of the substrate based on the edge position measured by the measuring unit; and step b, before the hand receives the substrate from the substrate support part, The position of the hand in the placing unit is adjusted based on the center position of the substrate. Thereby, the positional accuracy of the board|substrate carried into a process unit can be improved.

The above objects and other objects, features, aspects and advantages will become apparent from the detailed description of the present invention which follows with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 viewed from the line II-II in FIG. 1 . In addition, in each of the drawings referred to below, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system with the Z-axis direction as the vertical direction (that is, the vertical direction) and the XY plane as the horizontal plane is appropriately attached. In addition, in FIG. 2, illustration of a part of the (+X) side of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is abbreviate|omitted.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for continuously processing a plurality of substantially disk-shaped semiconductor substrates 9 (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrates 9"). In the substrate processing apparatus 1 , for example, liquid processing in which a processing liquid is supplied to the substrate 9 is performed. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a plurality of carrier stages 11 , an indexer block 10 , a processing block 20 , a mounting unit 40 , and a control unit 60 . The index block 10 and the processing block 20 are called an indexer cell and a processing cell, respectively. Moreover, the index block 10 is also called an equipment front end module (EDEM; Equipment Front End Module) unit or the like. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , a plurality of (for example, three) carrier stages 11 , index blocks 10 , and processing blocks 20 are arranged adjacent to each other in this order from the (-X) side toward the (+X) side.

The plurality of carrier stages 11 are arranged in the Y direction along the side wall on the (-X) side of the index block 10 . The plurality of carrier tables 11 are respectively a mounting table on which a carrier 95 is mounted. The carrier 95 can accommodate a plurality of disk-shaped substrates 9 . Openings are provided in the side walls on the (-X) side of the index block 10 at positions corresponding to the carriers 95 on each carrier table 11 . The shutter for a carrier is provided in this opening part, and this shutter for a carrier is opened and closed when carrying out the carrying-out of the board|substrate 9 with respect to the carrier 95.

The carriers 95 storing the plurality of unprocessed substrates 9 are carried in from the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1 by an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) or the like, and are placed on the respective carrier stages 11 . And the processed board|substrate 9 whose process in the process block 20 has completed is accommodated in the carrier 95 mounted on the carrier table 11 again. The carrier 95 in which the processed substrate 9 is accommodated is carried out to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1 by an AGV or the like. That is, the carrier stage 11 functions as a substrate stacking portion for stacking the unprocessed substrate 9 and the processed substrate 9 .

The carrier 95 is, for example, a FOUP that accommodates the substrate 9 in a closed space. The carrier 95 is not limited to a FOUP, for example, it can also be a SMIF (Standard Mechanical Inter Face) box, or can also be an OC (Open Cassette) that exposes the accommodated substrate 9 to the outside air. Moreover, the number of the carrier stage 11 may be one or two or more.

The index block 10 receives the unprocessed substrate 9 from the carrier 95 and delivers it to the processing block 20 . Furthermore, the index block 10 receives the processed substrate 9 carried out from the processing block 20 and carries it into the carrier 95 . In the inner space 100 of the index block 10 , the index robot 12 that carries out the unloading and loading of the substrate 9 with respect to the carrier 95 is arranged.

The index robot 12 includes two transfer arms 121 a and 121 b , an arm table 122 and a movable table 123 . The two transfer arms 121 a and 121 b are mounted on the arm base 122 . The movable table 123 is screwed to the ball screw 124 and is slidably disposed relative to the two guide rails 125 . The ball screw 124 extends parallel to the arrangement direction of the plurality of carrier tables 11 (ie, along the Y direction). When the ball screw 124 is rotated by a rotary motor (not shown), the entire index robot 12 including the movable table 123 is moved horizontally in the Y direction.

The arm base 122 is mounted on the movable base 123 . In the movable table 123, a motor (not shown) for rotating the arm table 122 around a rotation axis extending in the up-down direction (ie, the Z direction) and a motor (not shown in the figure) for moving the arm table 122 in the up-down direction are built in . The conveyance arms 121a and 121b are arranged on the arm base 122 so as to be spaced apart from each other up and down.

A hand portion 126 having a substantially U-shape in plan view is provided at the front ends of the conveyance arms 121a and 121b, respectively. The hand portion 126 includes, for example, a base portion extending in the width direction, and two claw portions extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction perpendicular to the width direction from both ends of the base portion in the width direction. The transfer arms 121a and 121b support the lower surface of one substrate 9 with the hands 126, respectively. In addition, the conveying arms 121a and 121b are bent and stretched by the multi-joint mechanism using a drive mechanism (not shown) built in the arm base 122, thereby extending along the horizontal direction (that is, centered on the rotation axis of the arm base 122). the radial direction) move independently of each other. In other words, the hand 126 is provided on the index robot 12 so as to be able to move forward and backward, to move up and down, and to rotate freely.

The index robot 12 is a transfer robot that individually accesses the carrier 95 and the mounting unit 40 mounted on the carrier table 11 by the transfer arms 121 a and 121 b holding the substrate 9 by the hand 126 . This transfers the substrate 9 between the carrier 95 and the placement unit 40 . The above-mentioned moving mechanism in the indexing robot 12 is not limited to the above-mentioned example, and may be other mechanisms. For example, as a mechanism for moving the conveying arms 121a and 121b in the vertical direction, a belt conveyor mechanism using a pulley and a timing belt or the like can be used.

The processing block 20 is provided with a transport path 23 for transporting the substrate 9 , and a plurality of processing units 21 arranged around the transport path 23 . In the example shown in FIG. 1, the conveyance path 23 extends in the X direction at the center of the processing block 20 in the Y direction. In the inner space 230 of the conveyance path 23, the center robot 22 that carries out the unloading and loading of the substrates 9 to and from the respective processing units 21 is arranged.

The center robot 22 includes two transfer arms 221 a and 221 b , an arm base 222 and a base 223 . The two transfer arms 221 a and 221 b are mounted on the arm base 222 . The base 223 is fixed to the frame of the processing block 20 .

The arm base 222 is mounted on the base 223 . A motor (not shown) for rotating the arm table 222 around a rotating shaft extending in the up-down direction and a motor (not shown in the figure) for moving the arm table 222 in the up-down direction are built in the base 223 . The conveyance arms 221a and 221b are arranged on the arm base 222 so as to be spaced apart from each other up and down.

A substantially U-shaped hand portion 226 is provided at the front ends of the conveyance arms 221a and 221b, respectively. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of the hand 226 of the transfer arm 221a. The hand 226 of the transfer arm 221b also has the same structure as the hand shown in FIG. 3 . The hand portion 226 includes, for example, a base portion 227 extending in the width direction, and two claw portions 228 extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction perpendicular to the width direction from both ends of the base portion in the width direction. A plurality of (eg, three) suction ports 229 are provided on the upper surface of the hand 226 . In the example shown in FIG. 3 , one suction port 229 is provided at the front end portion of each claw portion 228 , and one suction port 229 is provided at the center portion in the width direction of the base portion 227 . Each suction port 229 is connected to a suction mechanism not shown.

The transfer arms 221a and 221b are sucked by the hands 226 and hold the lower surface of one substrate 9, respectively. The position indicated by the × mark in FIG. 3 is the center position of the hand 226 and the center position is the hand center position 220 . The hand center position 220 is an imaginary point between the two claws 228 . The hand center position 220 is the position where the center of the base plate 9 is located when the base plate 9 is held at the designed position (ie, the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3 ) by the hand 226 . The hand center position 220 is, for example, a position located at approximately the same distance from the three suction ports 229 of the hand 226 . In addition, if the hand center position 220 and the center position of the substrate 9 are substantially the same in plan view with the substrate 9 held by the hand 226, the position of the suction port 229 may be appropriately changed.

The conveying arms 221a and 221b use the drive mechanism (not shown) built in the arm base 222 to bend and stretch the multi-joint mechanism, thereby extending along the horizontal direction (that is, the radial direction with the rotation axis of the arm base 222 as the center). move independently of each other. In other words, the hand 226 is provided on the center robot 22 so as to be able to move forward and backward, to move up and down, and to rotate freely.

The center robot 22 is a transfer robot that makes the transfer arms 221 a and 221 b holding the substrate 9 by the hands 226 individually access the placement unit 40 and the plurality of processing units 21 , and thereby the placement unit 40 and the processing units The substrate 9 is transported between 21 . In the following description, the center robot 22 and the index robot 12 are referred to as a "first transfer robot" and a "second transfer robot", respectively. The above-mentioned moving mechanism in the center robot 22 is not limited to the above-mentioned example, and may be other mechanisms. For example, as a mechanism for moving the conveyance arms 221a and 221b in the up-down direction, a belt conveyor mechanism using a pulley and a timing belt can be used.

The substrate 9 is processed in each processing unit 21 . In the example shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , twelve processing units 21 are provided in the processing block 20 . Specifically, four groups of three processing units 21 stacked in the Z direction are arranged around the processing unit 21 in a plan view.

Between the index block 10 and the processing block 20, a partition wall 30 for blocking an atmosphere extending substantially in the Y direction is provided. At the central portion of the index block 10 in the Y direction, a part of the partition wall 30 protrudes toward the processing block 20 side (that is, the (+X) side). In the following description, the protruding portion is referred to as the "connecting portion 31". The substantially tunnel-shaped inner space 310 of the connection portion 31 connects the inner space 100 of the index block 10 and the inner space 230 of the transport path 23 of the processing block 20 .

The placing unit 40 is placed in the inner space 310 of the connecting portion 31 . In other words, the placing unit 40 is disposed at the connecting portion of the index block 10 and the processing block 20 . As described above, the index robot 12 and the center robot 22 can access the placement unit 40 . The placement unit 40 is connected to the plurality of processing units 21 via the conveyance path 23 in which the central robot 22 is arranged.

The index robot 12 places the unprocessed substrate 9 carried out from the carrier 95 on the placement unit 40 . The center robot 22 unloads the unprocessed substrate 9 from the mounting unit 40 and carries it into the processing unit 21 . Furthermore, the center robot 22 mounts the processed substrate 9 carried out from the processing unit 21 on the mounting unit 40 . The index robot 12 carries out the processed substrate 9 from the placement unit 40 and carries it into the carrier 95 . In other words, the placement unit 40 holds the unprocessed substrates 9 handed over from the indexing robot 12 to the center robot 22 and the processed substrates 9 handed over from the center robot 22 to the indexing robot 12 .

The placement unit 40 includes a first placement portion 41 and a second placement portion 42 . One substrate 9 can be placed on the first placement portion 41 and the second placement portion 42 , respectively. In the example shown in FIG. 2 , the placement unit 40 includes two first placement portions 41 and two second placement portions 42 . The two first placement portions 41 are stacked in the Z direction. The two second placement portions 42 are stacked in the Z direction, and are arranged on the upper side of the two first placement portions 41 . In the present embodiment, the unprocessed substrate 9 is mounted on each of the first mounting portions 41 , and the processed substrate 9 is mounted on each of the second mounting portions 42 . In addition, the number and arrangement of the first placement portion 41 and the second placement portion 42 may be appropriately changed.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the placement unit 40 viewed from the (+X) side. In FIG. 4 , the housing 410 of each of the first placement portions 41 and the housing 420 of each of the second placement portions 42 are shown in cross-section, and the inside of the placement unit 40 is illustrated (the same applies to FIGS. 15 to 18 ). . In the example shown in FIG. 4 , each of the first placement portions 41 includes a housing 410 , a substrate support portion 411 , a rotation mechanism 412 , and a measurement portion 413 . The case 410 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member. The substrate support portion 411 , the rotation mechanism 412 , and the measurement portion 413 are accommodated in the inner space of the casing 410 .

The substrate support portion 411 supports the substrate 9 in a horizontal state. The substrate support portion 411 is, for example, a substantially disk-shaped member having a diameter smaller than that of the substrate 9 . The substrate support portion 411 supports the substrate 9 from below by bringing the upper surface of the substrate support portion 411 into contact with the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate 9 . A suction port may also be provided on the upper surface of the substrate support portion 411 to suction and hold the lower surface of the substrate 9 . The rotation mechanism 412 relatively rotates the substrate support part 411 with respect to the measurement part 413 around the rotation axis J1 facing the vertical direction. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the board|substrate support part 411 is rotated by the rotation mechanism 412, and the board|substrate 9 supported by the board|substrate support part 411 is rotated. The rotation mechanism 412 is, for example, an electric motor connected to the lower surface of the substrate support portion 411 .

The measuring unit 413 measures a position belonging to an edge position in the horizontal direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 supported by the substrate supporting unit 411 . In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the measuring unit 413 is a photo sensor, and is fixed to the casing 410 in the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 . The measuring unit 413 includes a light-emitting unit 414 and a light-receiving unit 415 . One of the light-emitting portion 414 and the light-receiving portion 415 is arranged on the upper side of the substrate 9 separated from the substrate 9 , and the other is arranged on the lower side of the substrate 9 separated from the substrate 9 . In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the light-emitting portion 414 is arranged above the peripheral portion of the substrate 9 , and the light-receiving portion 415 is arranged below the peripheral portion of the substrate 9 . The light-emitting portion 414 and the light-receiving portion 415 are located at substantially the same position in the circumferential direction (hereinafter also simply referred to as "circumferential direction") with the rotation axis J1 as the center, and overlap in plan view.

The light-emitting portion 414 emits linear light extending substantially parallel to the radial direction (hereinafter also simply referred to as “radial direction”) centered on the rotation axis J1 toward the light-receiving portion 415 (ie, downward). The light emitting unit 414 includes, for example, an LD (Laser Diode) or an LED (Light Emitting Diode) as a light source. The light-receiving portion 415 is a line sensor, and extends substantially parallel to the radial direction across the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 . The radial length of the light receiving portion 415 is, for example, 10 mm to 40 mm. The linear light emitted from the light emitting portion 414 spans the periphery of the substrate 9 , and the portion of the linear light radially outward from the periphery of the substrate 9 is received by the light receiving portion 415 . Thereby, the edge position of the substrate 9 (that is, the position in the radial direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9) between the light-emitting portion 414 and the light-receiving portion 415 (hereinafter also referred to as "measurement position") is measured.

Specifically, the measurement result in the light receiving unit 415 is sent to the control unit 60 , and the control unit 60 obtains the edge position of the substrate 9 . In the first placing portion 41 , the measurement of the edge position of the substrate 9 by the measuring portion 413 is continuously performed in a state in which the substrate 9 is rotated by the rotation mechanism 412 . Thereby, the edge position of the substrate 9 is measured over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction.

Each of the second placement portions 42 includes a housing 420 and a substrate support portion 421 . The case 420 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member. The substrate support portion 421 is accommodated in the inner space of the casing 420 . The substrate support portion 421 supports the substrate 9 in a horizontal state. The substrate support portion 421 is, for example, a substantially cylindrical member having a diameter smaller than that of the substrate 9 . The substrate support portion 421 supports the substrate 9 from below by bringing the upper surface of the substrate support portion 421 into contact with the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate 9 .

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the computer 8 included in the control unit 60 . The computer 8 is an ordinary computer, and includes a processor 81 , a memory 82 , an input/output unit 83 , and a bus bar 84 . The bus bar 84 is a signal circuit, and is connected to the processor 81 , the memory 82 , and the input/output unit 83 . The memory 82 stores programs and various information. The processor 81 uses the memory 82 and the like to execute various processing (for example, numerical calculation) according to programs and the like stored in the memory 82 . The input/output unit 83 includes a keyboard 85 and a mouse 86 for accepting input from the operator, a display 87 for displaying output from the processor 81 and the like, and a transmitter 88 for transmitting the output from the processor 81 and the like.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing functions realized by the computer 8 of the control unit 60 . The control unit 60 includes a memory unit 61 , a calculation unit 62 , a transfer robot control unit 63 , a notification unit 64 , and a rotation mechanism control unit 65 . The memory unit 61 is mainly realized by the memory 82 , and stores various information such as measurement values of the measurement unit 413 of the mounting unit 40 . Moreover, the memory part 61 memorizes the position of the rotation axis J1 of each of the first placement parts 41 .

The arithmetic unit 62 is mainly realized by the processor 81 and obtains the edge of the substrate 9 over the entire circumference based on the measurement value of the measurement unit 413 stored in the memory unit 61 (for example, the output from each light-receiving element of the above-mentioned line sensor) Location. Then, the calculation unit 62 obtains the center position of the substrate 9 by a known method based on the edge position of the substrate 9 . The computing unit 62 also obtains the radial distance between the rotation axis J1 of the first placing portion 41 and the center of the substrate 9 (hereinafter also referred to as “eccentricity”) and the position of the center of the substrate 9 in the circumferential direction (hereinafter referred to as the center of the substrate 9 ). Also known as "eccentric direction"). In other words, the calculation unit 62 obtains the relative position of the center of the substrate 9 with respect to the rotation axis J1. In the calculation part 62, the circumferential direction position (henceforth "notch direction") of the notch (that is, a notch) provided in the peripheral edge of the board|substrate 9 beforehand and not shown in figure may be calculated|required.

The transfer robot control unit 63 is mainly realized by the processor 81 and the transmission unit 88 , and controls the center robot 22 by transmitting a control signal to the center robot 22 based on the calculation result of the calculation unit 62 and the like. The reporting unit 64 is mainly realized by the processor 81 and the display 87 , and reports various information such as the calculation result of the calculation unit 62 or a warning based on the calculation result to the operator of the substrate processing apparatus 1 or the like. The rotation mechanism control unit 65 is mainly realized by the processor 81 and the transmission unit 88 , and controls the rotation mechanism 412 by transmitting a control signal to the rotation mechanism 412 of the mounting unit 40 based on the calculation result of the calculation unit 62 and the like.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the processing unit 21 . The processing unit 21 includes a housing 211 and a processing unit 24 . The processing unit 24 is accommodated in the inner space of the casing 211 . The processing unit 24 includes a jig 241 , a substrate rotation mechanism 242 , a shield unit 243 , a first nozzle 244 , a second nozzle 245 , and a measurement unit 246 . The processing part 24 performs processing (that is, bevel processing) with respect to the peripheral part of the board|substrate 9, for example.

The jig 241 is a suction jig for holding the substrate 9 in a horizontal state. The jig 241 is, for example, a substantially disk-shaped member having a diameter smaller than that of the substrate 9 . The upper surface of the jig 241 is in contact with the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate 9 . A suction port (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the jig 241 to suction and hold the lower surface of the substrate 9 . The substrate rotation mechanism 242 rotates the jig 241 around the rotation axis J2 oriented in the up-down direction, thereby rotating the substrate 9 held by the jig 241 . The substrate rotation mechanism 242 is, for example, an electric motor, and is connected to the lower surface of the jig 241 . The substrate rotation mechanism 242 is accommodated in a cover portion 240 arranged below the jig 241 .

The cup part 243 is a substantially cylindrical member, and surrounds the circumference|surroundings of the jig|tool 241 over the whole circumference. The shield portion 243 catches the liquid scattered from the rotating substrate 9 to the surroundings. The first nozzle 244 supplies the processing liquid toward the peripheral edge portion of the upper surface of the substrate 9 . The second nozzle 245 supplies the inert gas toward the center portion of the upper surface of the substrate 9, and forms a flow of the inert gas toward the radially outer side from the center portion.

The measuring part 246 is another measuring part different from the above-mentioned measuring part 413 , and measures the horizontal position of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 held by the jig 241 (ie, the edge position in the processing unit 21 ). In the example shown in FIG. 7 , the measuring unit 246 is a photo sensor and is fixed near the periphery of the substrate 9 . Like the above-described measurement unit 413 , the measurement unit 246 includes a light-emitting unit 247 and a light-receiving unit 248 . One of the light-emitting portion 247 and the light-receiving portion 248 is arranged on the upper side of the substrate 9 separated from the substrate 9 , and the other is arranged on the lower side of the substrate 9 separated from the substrate 9 . In the example shown in FIG. 7 , the light-emitting portion 247 is fixed to the inside of the cover portion 240 below the peripheral portion of the substrate 9 . The light receiving portion 248 is fixed to the top cover portion of the casing 211 above the peripheral edge portion of the substrate 9 . The light-emitting portion 247 and the light-receiving portion 248 are located at substantially the same position in the circumferential direction (hereinafter also simply referred to as "circumferential direction") centered on the rotation axis J2, and overlap in plan view.

The light-emitting portion 247 emits linear light extending substantially parallel to the radial direction (hereinafter also simply referred to as “radial direction”) centered on the rotation axis J2 toward the light-receiving portion 248 (ie, upward). The light-emitting unit 247 includes, for example, an LD or an LED as a light source. The light receiving portion 248 is a line sensor, and extends substantially parallel to the radial direction across the periphery of the substrate 9 . The radial length of the light receiving portion 248 is, for example, 10 mm to 40 mm. The linear light emitted from the light-emitting portion 247 spans the periphery of the substrate 9 , and the portion of the linear light radially outward from the periphery of the substrate 9 is received by the light-receiving portion 248 . Thereby, the edge position of the substrate 9 between the light-emitting portion 247 and the light-receiving portion 248 (that is, the radial position of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 ) is measured.

Specifically, the measurement result in the light receiving part 248 is sent to the control part 60, and the edge position of the board|substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 is calculated|required by the arithmetic part 62 (refer FIG. 6) of the control part 60. In the processing part 24, the measurement part 246 continuously performs the measurement of the edge position of the board|substrate 9 in the state which the board|substrate 9 is rotated by the board|substrate rotation mechanism 242. Thereby, the edge position of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 is measured over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. The computing unit 62 also obtains the radial distance between the rotation axis J2 of the processing unit 24 and the center of the substrate 9 (ie, the eccentricity in the processing unit 21 ) and the circumferential position of the center of the substrate 9 (ie, the processing unit 21 ). eccentric direction in unit 21). In the calculation part 62, the position of the circumferential direction of the notch of the board|substrate 9 (namely, the notch direction in the processing unit 21) is also calculated|required.

Next, the flow of the processing of the substrate 9 by the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8C . In the substrate processing apparatus 1, first, the substrate 9 is unloaded from the carrier 95 by the index robot 12 (step S11). The two substrates 9 are actually unloaded from the carrier 95 and the two substrates 9 are processed in parallel to be described later, but the processing of the substrate 9 will be described below focusing on one substrate 9 .

Next, the board|substrate 9 is carried into the 1st mounting part 41 of the mounting unit 40 by the index robot 12 (step S12). FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the substrate 9 in the first placement portion 41 . In FIG. 9 , the reference numeral 93 is attached to the center position of the substrate 9 . When the substrate 9 is supported by the substrate support portion 411 of the first placement portion 41, the rotation of the substrate support portion 411 and the substrate 9 is started by the rotation mechanism 412 (see FIG. 4). Then, the edge position of the rotating substrate 9 is measured over the entire circumference of the substrate 9 by the measuring unit 413 (step S13 ). The measurement result of the measurement unit 413 is sent to the control unit 60, and the calculation unit 62 obtains the position of the center 93 of the substrate 9 (that is, the position in the horizontal direction, specifically the X coordinate and the Y coordinate based on the above-mentioned edge position) ) (step S14). Furthermore, the amount of eccentricity, the direction of eccentricity, and the direction of the notch of the substrate 9 are also obtained by the calculation unit 62 .

Next, the hand 226 of the center robot 22 is moved in the (−X) direction and inserted into the first placement portion 41 of the placement unit 40 to be positioned below the substrate 9 . At this time, the center robot 22 is controlled by the transfer robot control unit 63 (see FIG. 6 ) based on the position of the center 93 of the substrate 9 obtained by the calculation unit 62 , and the center position 220 of the hand and the center position 220 of the hand as shown in FIG. The position of the hand portion 226 in the first placement portion 41 of the placement unit 40 is adjusted so that the center 93 of the substrate 9 overlaps in the up-down direction (step S15). In the example shown in FIG. 9 , the hand center position 220 is located on the (−X) side and the (+Y) side with respect to the rotation axis J1 of the first placement portion 41 .

After that, the hand 226 moves upward to suck and hold the lower surface of the substrate 9, thereby receiving the substrate 9 from the substrate support portion 411 of the first placement portion 41 (step S16). When the substrate 9 is held by the hand 226, the hand 226 moves in the (+X) direction and retreats from the first placement portion 41, thereby unloading the substrate 9 from the placement unit 40 (step S17).

Next, the hand 226 is inserted into one processing unit 21, whereby the substrate 9 is carried into the processing unit 21 and positioned above the jig 241 of the processing unit 24 (step S18). At this time, the transfer robot control unit 63 controls the center robot 22 to adjust the position of the hand 226 in the processing unit 21 so that the hand center position 220 is positioned on the rotation axis J2 of the processing unit 24 as shown in FIG. 10 . position (step S19). As described above, since the position of the center 93 of the substrate 9 held by the hand 226 overlaps with the hand center position 220 in the up-down direction, the center 93 of the substrate 9 is positioned at the processing unit 24 by the above-mentioned position adjustment of the hand 226 . on the rotation axis J2. Then, the hand 226 is moved downward, whereby the gripper 241 picks up, sucks, and holds the substrate 9 from the hand 226 (step S20 ). When the substrate 9 is held by the jig 241 , the hand 226 is retracted from the processing unit 21 .

Next, in the processing unit 21, the rotation of the jig 241 and the substrate 9 is started by the substrate rotation mechanism 242 shown in FIG. 7 . Then, the edge position of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 is measured over the entire circumference of the substrate 9 by the measuring unit 246 (step S21). The measurement result of the measurement unit 246 is sent to the control unit 60, and the calculation unit 62 obtains the position of the center 93 of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 based on the edge position in the processing unit 21 (step S22). Furthermore, the amount of eccentricity, the direction of eccentricity, and the direction of the notch of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 are also obtained by the calculation unit 62 .

As described above, in step S19, the position of the hand 226 in the processing unit 21 is adjusted so that the center 93 of the substrate 9 is positioned on the rotation axis J2. When the control unit 60 confirms that the center 93 of the substrate 9 is located on the rotation axis J2 based on the position of the center 93 of the substrate 9 obtained in step S22 (step S23), the processing unit 24 processes the substrate 9 (step S24). .

Specifically, a chemical solution (for example, an etching solution or the like) is supplied from the first nozzle 244 to the peripheral edge portion of the upper surface of the substrate 9 in rotation, and the chemical solution treatment of the peripheral edge portion is performed. At this time, the flow of the inert gas formed on the substrate 9 by the second nozzle 245 prevents the chemical solution and the like from adhering to the upper surface of the substrate 9 except for the peripheral portion. Next, a rinse liquid (for example, pure water, etc.) is supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate 9 from the first nozzle 244 or other nozzles not shown, and the peripheral portion is rinsed. The above-described airflow formation by the second nozzle 245 also continues in the cleaning process. Thereby, the cleaning liquid etc. are prevented from adhering to the area|region other than the peripheral part of the upper surface of the board|substrate 9. After that, the rotation speed of the substrate 9 is increased, and the drying process of the substrate 9 is performed.

On the other hand, in step S23, if it is confirmed that the substrate 9 is displaced for some reason and the center 93 of the substrate 9 is displaced beyond the allowable range from the rotation axis J2, the processing of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 is temporarily suspended. In the control unit 60 , the notification unit 64 may notify the operator of the termination of the processing of the substrate 9 . This notification is performed, for example, by being displayed on the display 87 or by a warning sound.

Then, the center robot 22 is controlled by the transfer robot control unit 63 , and the hand 226 is inserted into the processing unit 21 and positioned below the substrate 9 . At this time, based on the position of the center 93 of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 obtained by the arithmetic unit 62, the center robot 22 is controlled by the transfer robot control unit 63 so that the center position 220 of the hand and the center 93 of the substrate 9 are vertically aligned. The position of the hand 226 in the processing unit 21 is adjusted so that the directions overlap (step S231).

Next, the hand 226 is moved upward to suck and hold the lower surface of the substrate 9, thereby picking up the substrate 9 from the jig 241 of the processing unit 24 (step S232). When the substrate 9 is held by the hand 226, the hand 226 is retracted from the processing unit 21 to carry out the substrate 9 from the processing unit 21 (step S233).

Then, returning to step S18 , the loading of the substrate 9 relative to the processing unit 21 and the position adjustment of the hand 226 in the processing unit 21 are performed again. The hand center position 220 and the center 93 of the substrate 9 are located on the rotation axis of the processing unit 24 on J2 (step S18 to step S19). Then, the holding of the substrate 9 by the jig 241 , the measurement of the edge position of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 , and the calculation of the position of the center 93 of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 are performed (steps S20 to S22 ), and the position of the substrate 9 is checked. The center 93 is positioned on the rotation axis J1, and the processing of the substrate 9 by the processing unit 24 is performed (steps S23 to S24).

When the processing of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 is completed, the substrate 9 is unloaded from the processing unit 21 by the center robot 22 (step S25 ), and is carried into the second placing portion 42 of the placing unit 40 and supported by the substrate supporting portion 421 . (step S26). After that, the index robot 12 unloads the substrate 9 from the second placement portion 42 (step S27) and carries it into the carrier 95, thereby completing a series of processing of the substrate 9 (step S28).

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes the placing unit 40 , the processing unit 21 , the center robot 22 , and the control unit 60 . The substrate 9 is placed on the placement unit 40 . The processing unit 21 processes the substrate 9 . The center robot 22 is a transfer robot for transferring the substrate 9 from the placement unit 40 to the processing unit 21 . The placement unit 40 includes a substrate support portion 411 and a measurement portion 413 . The substrate support portion 411 supports the substrate 9 in a horizontal state. The measuring unit 413 measures the position belonging to the edge position in the horizontal direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 supported by the substrate supporting unit 411 .

The center robot 22 includes a hand 226 . The hand 226 picks up the substrate 9 supported by the substrate support portion 411 of the placement unit 40 and carries it into the processing unit 21 . The control unit 60 includes a calculation unit 62 and a transfer robot control unit 63 . The computing unit 62 obtains the center position of the substrate 9 based on the edge position measured by the measuring unit 413 . The transfer robot control unit 63 adjusts the position of the hand 226 in the placement unit 40 based on the center position of the substrate 9 before the hand 226 receives the substrate 9 from the substrate support unit 411 .

In this way, unlike the case where the position correction of the substrate is performed by pressing the contact portion against the side surface of the substrate and mechanically moving the substrate, since the position correction deviation does not occur due to abrasion of the contact portion, etc., the loading can be improved. Positional accuracy of the substrate 9 to the processing unit 21 . Furthermore, unlike the position correction in which the substrate is mechanically moved, it is possible to prevent (or suppress) the correction deviation caused by the accumulation of backlash or the like, so that the positional accuracy of the substrate 9 carried into the processing unit 21 can be further improved. .

The substrate processing method for processing the substrate 9 by the substrate processing apparatus 1 including the placing unit 40 , the processing unit 21 , and the center robot 22 includes the step of obtaining the center of the substrate 9 based on the edge position measured by the measuring unit 413 . position; and adjust the position of the hand 226 in the placement unit 40 based on the center position of the substrate 9 before the hand 226 receives the substrate 9 from the substrate support portion 411 . Thereby, as described above, the positional accuracy of the substrate 9 carried into the processing unit 21 can be improved.

As described above, the hands 226 of the center robot 22 are preferably attached to and hold the lower surface of the substrate 9 . Thereby, the position on the hand 226 of the substrate 9 conveyed by the center robot 22 can be prevented from being displaced from the position of the substrate 9 immediately after the center robot 22 has taken it from the placement unit 40 . As a result, the positional accuracy of the substrate 9 carried into the processing unit 21 can be further improved.

As described above, the placement unit 40 preferably further includes the rotation mechanism 412 that relatively rotates the substrate support portion 411 with respect to the measurement portion 413 around the rotation axis J1 oriented in the up-down direction. In addition, it is preferable that the measuring part 413 measures the edge position of the board|substrate 9 in relative rotation. Thereby, the measurement of the edge position of the board|substrate 9 in several positions in the circumferential direction can be performed easily. Furthermore, the edge position of the substrate 9 can also be easily measured over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. In this case, the center position of the substrate 9 can be obtained with high accuracy.

As described above, the processing unit 21 preferably includes the jig 241 and another measurement unit (ie, the measurement unit 246 ). The jig 241 holds the substrate 9 in a horizontal state. The measuring unit 246 measures the position in the horizontal direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 held by the jig 241 . In this way, by measuring the horizontal position of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 (that is, the edge position in the processing unit 21 ), it is possible to detect the substrate 9 held by the holding jig 241 in a state deviated from the predetermined position. . Thereby, it can prevent that the board|substrate 9 located in the position which deviates from the predetermined position more than the allowable range is processed.

Then, the shifted substrate 9 is carried out from the processing unit 21 by the center robot 22 as shown in steps S231 to S233 , and the substrate 9 is carried into the processing unit 21 again as shown in steps S18 to S20 and held by the jig 241 as shown in steps S18 to S20 , so that the substrate 9 can be arranged at a predetermined position in the processing unit 21 and required processing can be performed on the substrate 9 . As a result, the yield in the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be improved.

In addition, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the above-mentioned steps S23, S231 to S233 may be omitted. Thereby, the time required for the processing of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 can be shortened. In this case, the measuring unit 246 can be omitted from the processing unit 21, whereby the structure of the processing unit 21 can be simplified, and the processing unit 21 can be reduced in size. Furthermore, by applying this structure of the processing unit 21 to the substrate processing apparatus 1 including a plurality of processing units 21 , it is possible to achieve downsizing of the substrate processing apparatus 1 .

In the substrate processing apparatus 1, between the above-mentioned steps S14 and S15, the substrate 9 supported by the substrate support portion 411 may also be caused by the rotation mechanism 412 (see FIG. 4 ) of the first placement portion 41 of the placement unit 40. The position of the center 93 of the substrate 9 in the circumferential direction (ie, the eccentric direction) is rotated and changed. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , the center 93 of the substrate 9 may be arranged on the (+X) side of the rotation axis J1 so as to be aligned with the rotation axis J1 in the X direction. Furthermore, the center 93 of the substrate 9 may be arranged on the (-X) side of the rotation axis J1 so as to be aligned with the rotation axis J1 in the X direction. Alternatively, the center 93 of the substrate 9 may be arranged on the (+Y) side or the (−Y) side of the rotation axis J1 so as to be aligned with the rotation axis J1 in the Y direction.

In other words, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, before the hand 226 receives the substrate 9 from the substrate support portion 411, it is preferable that the center position of the substrate 9 is located at the forward and backward position of the hand 226 (ie, the X direction) with respect to the rotation axis J1. Or the direction perpendicular to the forward and backward direction (ie, the Y direction). Thereby, the position adjustment of the hand part 226 in the mounting unit 40 can be made easy. Furthermore, it is also preferable to rotate the substrate 9 before the hand 226 receives the substrate 9 from the substrate support portion 411 so that the center of the substrate 9 is located at the position closest to the center robot 22 (that is, even if the substrate 9 is located closest to (+X) )side). Thereby, since the moving distance of the hand 226 for receiving the substrate 9 is the shortest, the time required for the processing of the substrate 9 can be shortened.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of another processing unit 21a. The processing unit 21a includes a housing 211a and a processing unit 24a. The processing part 24a is accommodated in the inner space of the casing 211a. The processing part 24a is provided with the jig|tool 241a, the board|substrate rotation mechanism 242a, the shield part 243a, the 1st nozzle 244a, the 2nd nozzle 245a, the measuring part 246a, and the shielding plate 249a. The processing part 24a performs processing with respect to the lower surface of the board|substrate 9, for example.

The jig 241a is a mechanical jig for holding the substrate 9 in a horizontal state. The jig 241a includes a base portion 251a and a plurality of (for example, four) jig pins 252a. The base portion 251 a is a substantially disk-shaped member having a diameter larger than that of the base plate 9 . The plurality of clamp pins 252a are arranged in the circumferential direction at substantially equal angular intervals on the peripheral edge portion of the upper surface of the base portion 251a. The plurality of jig pins 252a are in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 to position the substrate 9 in the horizontal direction, and hold the substrate 9 at a position away from the upper surface of the base portion 251a upward.

The board|substrate rotation mechanism 242a rotates the board|substrate 9 hold|maintained by the jig|tool 241a by rotating the jig|tool 241a centering on the rotation axis J3 which goes to an up-down direction. The substrate rotation mechanism 242a is, for example, an electric motor, and is connected to the lower surface of the jig 241a. The board rotation mechanism 242a is accommodated in the inside of the cover part 240a arrange|positioned below the jig|tool 241a. The shielding plate 249 a is a substantially disc-shaped member, and covers the upper side of the substrate 9 . The shielding plate 249a is detachably engaged with the jig 241a, and can be rotated together with the jig 241a.

The shield portion 243a is a substantially cylindrical member, and surrounds the jig 241a over the entire circumference. The shield portion 243a receives the liquid scattered from the rotating substrate 9 to the surroundings. The first nozzle 244 a supplies the processing liquid toward the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate 9 . The 1st nozzle 244a is arrange|positioned inside the hollow shaft part of the board|substrate rotation mechanism 242a. The second nozzle 245a supplies the inert gas toward the center portion of the upper surface of the substrate 9, and forms a flow of the inert gas toward the radially outer side from the center portion.

The measuring part 246a is another measuring part different from the above-mentioned measuring part 413, and measures the horizontal position of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 held by the jig 241a (ie, the edge position in the processing part 24a). In the example shown in FIG. 12 , the measuring unit 246 a is a photo sensor, and is fixed to the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 . The measurement part 246a has the same structure as the measurement part 246 mentioned above. The measuring unit 246a measures the edge position of the substrate 9 between the light emitting unit 247a and the light receiving unit 248a (that is, the radial position of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 24a).

In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the measurement result in the light receiving unit 248a is sent to the control unit 60, and the arithmetic unit 62 (see FIG. 6) of the control unit 60 obtains the edge position of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 24a. In the processing part 24a, the measurement part 246a continuously performs the measurement of the edge position of the board|substrate 9 in the state which the board|substrate 9 was rotated by the board|substrate rotation mechanism 242a. Thereby, the edge position of the board|substrate 9 in the process part 24a is measured over the whole circumference of the circumferential direction. In addition, in the shielding plate 249a and the base portion 251a, the portion passing between the light-emitting portion 247a and the light-receiving portion 248a is a light-transmitting portion formed of a material that transmits light. The calculation unit 62 also obtains the amount of eccentricity, the direction of eccentricity, and the direction of the notch in the processing unit 24a.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1, even if the processing unit 21a shown in FIG. 12 is provided in place of the processing unit 21 shown in FIG. 7, the processing flow of the substrate 9 by the substrate processing apparatus 1 is the same as that shown in FIGS. The flow shown in 8C is roughly the same. In step S24, a chemical solution (eg, etching solution, etc.) is supplied from the first nozzle 244a to the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate 9 under rotation in the processing unit 21a, and the entire lower surface is treated with the chemical solution. At this time, the chemical liquid and the like are prevented from adhering to the upper surface of the substrate 9 by the gas flow of the inert gas formed on the substrate 9 by the second nozzle 245a.

Next, a cleaning solution (for example, pure water or the like) is supplied to the lower surface center portion of the substrate 9 from the first nozzle 244a or from another nozzle not shown, and the entire lower surface is cleaned. The above-described airflow formation by the second nozzle 245a also continues in the cleaning process. This prevents the cleaning liquid and the like from adhering to the upper surface of the substrate 9 . After that, the rotation speed of the substrate 9 is increased, and the drying process of the substrate 9 is performed.

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the horizontal position of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21a (that is, the edge position in the processing unit 21a) in the horizontal direction can be measured, whereby a deviation from a predetermined position can be detected. The state of the substrate 9 is held by the jig 241a. Thereby, it can prevent that the board|substrate 9 located in the position which deviates from the predetermined position more than the allowable range is processed. In the processing unit 21a, even if the substrate 9 is displaced to a certain extent from the predetermined position, the measuring unit 413a may be omitted from the processing unit 21a as long as the displacement can be corrected by the movement of the jig pins 252a or the like.

The substrate 9 loaded into the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be warped under the influence of processing (ie, pretreatment) performed before being loaded into the substrate processing apparatus 1 . There are many kinds of warpage (ie, bending) of the substrate 9 . FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are perspective views showing examples of the substrate 9 with different bending states.

The substrate 9 shown in FIG. 13 is curved with a first curvature in the first radial direction K1 to one side in the thickness direction (ie, the direction protruding upward in the figure). The substrate 9 is on the above-mentioned side of the thickness direction in the second radial direction K2 orthogonal to the first radial direction K1 with a second curvature greater than the first curvature (that is, the same direction as the bending direction in the first radial direction K1 ). direction) bend. The base plate 9 shown in FIG. 14 is bent to one side in the thickness direction (ie, the direction protruding upward in the figure) in the first radial direction K3. The substrate 9 is bent to the other side of the thickness direction (ie, the direction opposite to the bending direction in the first radial direction K3 ) in the second radial direction K4 orthogonal to the first radial direction K3 .

In FIGS. 13 and 14 , the curvature of the substrate 9 is drawn to be larger than actual. The degree of curvature of the substrate 9 is a value indicating the degree of curvature of the substrate 9 , and the greater the degree of curvature, the greater the curvature of the substrate 9 . The degree of curvature of the substrate 9 is, for example, subtracted from the distance in the thickness direction between the lowermost point and the uppermost point in the thickness direction (that is, the normal line direction of the substrate 9 ) when the bent substrate 9 is set to a horizontal posture without bending. The value obtained from the thickness of the flat substrate 9 . The actual curvature of the substrate 9 is, for example, 0.5 mm or less.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing another example of the placement unit of the substrate processing apparatus 1 . FIG. 15 is a side view of the placement unit 40a viewed from the (+X) side. The placing unit 40a has the same structure as the placing unit 40 shown in FIG. 4 except that the first placing unit 41 is provided with a measuring unit 413a instead of the measuring unit 413 shown in FIG. 4 . In the following description, the components of the mounting unit 40 a are assigned the same reference numerals as those corresponding to the mounting unit 40 .

In the above-mentioned step S13, the measuring part 413a of the mounting unit 40a measures the position in the up-down direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 supported by the substrate supporting part 411 in addition to the above-mentioned edge position of the substrate 9 (hereinafter referred to as "edge height"). ".) In the example shown in FIG. 15 , the measuring unit 413 a includes a plurality of laser distance sensors 416 and a reflection plate 417 . A plurality of laser distance sensors 416 are arranged in the radial direction above the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 and fixed to the casing 410 . The reflector 417 extends in the radial direction below the peripheral edge portion of the substrate 9 . The plurality of laser distance sensors 416 and the reflecting plates 417 are located at substantially the same position in the circumferential direction and overlap when viewed from above.

Each laser distance sensor 416 includes a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element. In the laser distance sensor 416, the laser light emitted downward from the light-emitting element is reflected by the substrate 9 or the reflector 417 and received by the light-receiving element. Then, the distance in the vertical direction up to the object to which the laser light is irradiated (that is, the substrate 9 or the reflection plate 417 ) is obtained based on the light-receiving position in the light-receiving element.

The distance in the vertical direction up to the object measured by each laser distance sensor 416 (hereinafter referred to as “measured distance”) is sent to the calculation unit 62 of the control unit 60 (see FIG. 6 ). In the computing unit 62, when the measured distance measured by the laser distance sensor 416 is greater than a predetermined distance (for example, a distance slightly smaller than the distance in the vertical direction between the laser distance sensor 416 and the reflector 417) In this case, it is determined that the substrate 9 does not exist under the laser distance sensor 416 . On the other hand, when the measured distance is equal to or smaller than the predetermined distance, it is determined that the substrate 9 exists below the laser distance sensor 416 . Then, according to whether the substrate 9 exists under each laser distance sensor 416 , the position belonging to the edge position in the horizontal direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 is obtained by the arithmetic unit 62 . Then, when the measurement distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, the measurement distance is stored in the memory unit 61 as a position in the vertical direction of the upper surface of the substrate 9 .

In the first mounting portion 41 , the edge position of the substrate 9 and the vertical position of the upper surface of the substrate 9 are continuously measured by the measuring portion 413 a while the substrate 9 is rotated by the rotation mechanism 412 . Thereby, the edge position of the substrate 9 is measured over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. Then, in the calculation unit 62, the center position, the eccentric amount, the eccentric direction, and the notch direction of the substrate 9 are obtained (step S14).

In addition, in the first placing portion 41, the position in the vertical direction of the upper surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate 9 is also measured by the measuring portion 413a over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. Then, in step S14, based on the measurement result, the arithmetic unit 62 obtains the position belonging to the edge height in the vertical direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 over the entire circumference of the substrate 9, and obtains the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 based on the edge height shape. In addition, in the case where the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 is located between the two laser distance sensors 416 that are adjacent to each other in the radial direction, for example, based on a plurality of laser distance sensors 416 located vertically above the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 The output of , obtains the edge height by spline interpolation or the like.

In the calculation part 62, the curvature of the board|substrate 9 is calculated|required based on the edge height of the board|substrate 9 measured by the measurement part 413a. When the degree of curvature of the substrate 9 obtained by the calculation unit 62 is larger than a predetermined threshold value, the control unit 60 determines that the processing unit 21 and 21a cannot normally perform the bending of the substrate 9 because the curvature of the substrate 9 is too large. deal with. Then, the abnormality of the curvature (that is, the curvature of the substrate 9 is large and exceeds the allowable range) is notified to the operator by the notification unit 64 . This notification is performed, for example, by a display on the display 87 or by a warning sound. The substrate 9 judged to have abnormal curvature is not processed by the processing units 21 and 21 a, but is removed from the substrate processing apparatus 1, for example. In addition, it is also possible to omit the notification of abnormal curvature to the operator.

On the other hand, when the curvature of the substrate 9 is equal to or less than the above-mentioned threshold value, the hand 226 of the center robot 22 is inserted into the first placing portion 41 of the placing unit 40 a as described above, and the hand center position The position of the hand portion 226 in the first placing portion 41 is adjusted so that the 220 and the center 93 of the substrate 9 overlap in the up-down direction (step S15).

In the placing unit 40a, between the above-mentioned steps S14 and S15, the rotating mechanism 412 of the first placing portion 41 may be driven by the rotating mechanism control unit 65 (refer to FIG. 6 ), so that the rotating mechanism 412 of the first placing portion 41 is supported by the substrate supporting portion 411. The base plate 9 is rotated and the orientation of the base plate 9 is changed to a direction suitable for holding by the hand 226 . The rotation mechanism control part 65 controls the rotation mechanism 412 based on the shape of the periphery of the board|substrate 9 calculated|required by the calculation part 62 in step S14.

For example, in the case of the substrate 9 in the bent state shown in FIG. 13 , the first radial direction K1 with a relatively small curvature is parallel to the length direction of the hand 226 (ie, the direction in which the claw 228 of the hand 226 extends). The direction of the substrate 9 is adjusted by the rotation mechanism 412 in the manner of . Thereby, the contact area between the two claw portions 228 and the lower surface of the substrate 9 is increased, and the substrate 9 is stably held by the hand portion 226 .

Furthermore, in the mounting unit 40a, between the above-mentioned steps S14 and S15, the rotation mechanism 412 of the first mounting portion 41 may be driven by the rotation mechanism control portion 65 to rotate the substrate 9 supported by the substrate support portion 411. , and the orientation of the substrate 9 is changed to an orientation suitable for holding by the jig 241 a of the processing unit 21 a (see FIG. 12 ). The rotation mechanism control part 65 controls the rotation mechanism 412 based on the shape of the periphery of the board|substrate 9 calculated|required by the calculation part 62 in step S14. In addition, as described above, the gripper 241a of the processing unit 21a includes the four gripper pins 252a arranged at intervals of 90°.

For example, in the case of the substrate 9 in the bent state shown in FIG. 14 , the four points where the two radial directions inclined by 45° with respect to the first radial direction K3 and the second radial direction K4 intersect the periphery of the substrate 9 are located at approximately the same position in the up and down direction. Therefore, when the substrate 9 is handed over from the hand 226 to the jig 241a, the substrate 9 is preferably held by the hand 226 so that the four points on the periphery of the substrate 9 contact the above-mentioned four jig pins 252a. Thereby, since all the jig pins 252a of the jig 241a are in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate 9, the substrate 9 is stably held by the jig 241a. In the mounting unit 40a, the substrate is adjusted by the rotation mechanism 412 in such a way that the first radial direction K3 or the second radial direction K4 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the hand 226 (that is, the direction in which the claws 228 of the hand 226 extend). 9 directions.

As described above, in the mounting unit 40a, the measuring unit 413a preferably also measures the position belonging to the edge height in the vertical direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 supported by the substrate supporting unit 411. Moreover, it is preferable that the calculation part 62 also calculates|requires the shape of the peripheral edge of the board|substrate 9 based on the edge height measured by the measuring part 413a. Thereby, when the substrate 9 is bent, the shape of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 (ie, the bent state of the substrate 9 ) can be obtained without greatly changing the structure of the placement unit and the substrate processing apparatus 1 .

As described above, it is more preferable for the calculation unit 62 to obtain the degree of curvature indicating the degree of curvature of the substrate 9 based on the edge height measured by the measurement unit 413a. Furthermore, the control unit 60 preferably further includes a reporting unit 64 that reports abnormality of the curvature when the curvature of the substrate 9 obtained by the arithmetic unit 62 is larger than a predetermined threshold value. Thereby, the board|substrate 9 which has abnormal curvature can be discovered at an early stage. Furthermore, unnecessary substrate processing can be prevented by removing the substrate 9 from the substrate processing apparatus 1 .

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 provided with the mounting unit 40 a, the control unit 60 preferably further includes the rotation mechanism control unit 65 that controls the rotation mechanism 412 . The rotation mechanism control unit 65 drives the rotation mechanism 412 to rotate the substrate 9 based on the shape of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 obtained by the calculation unit 62 , and orients the substrate 9 in a direction suitable for holding by the hand 226 . Thereby, even when the substrate 9 is bent, the substrate 9 can be stably held by the hand 226 .

Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 provided with the processing unit 21 a, the control unit 60 preferably further includes a rotation mechanism control unit 65 that controls the rotation mechanism 412 . The processing unit 21 a is provided with a mechanical jig (ie, jig 241 a ) that is in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 and holds the substrate 9 in a horizontal state. The rotation mechanism control unit 65 drives the rotation mechanism 412 to rotate the substrate 9 based on the shape of the peripheral edge of the substrate 9 obtained by the calculation unit 62 and orient the substrate 9 in a direction suitable for holding by the mechanical jig. Thereby, even when the substrate 9 is bent, the substrate 9 can be stably held by the mechanical jig.

Various modifications can be made to the substrate processing apparatus 1 and the substrate processing method described above.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the structure of the mounting units 40 and 40a may be variously changed. For example, in the mounting unit 40a shown in FIG. 15, in addition to the measurement part 413a, the measurement part 413 shown in FIG. 4 may be provided. In this case, the edge height of the substrate 9 is obtained by the measuring unit 413a including the laser distance sensor 416, and the edge position of the substrate 9 is obtained by the measuring unit 413 belonging to the photosensor.

Furthermore, in the placement unit 40b shown in FIG. 16, the inner spaces of the two first placement portions 41 are connected in the up-down direction, the two substrate support portions 411 are rotated simultaneously by one rotating mechanism 412, and the two substrate support portions 411 are simultaneously rotated by the two The measuring unit 413 measures the edge positions of the two substrates 9 . Thereby, the structure of the mounting unit 40b can be simplified. In the mounting unit 40b illustrated in FIG. 16 , the lower substrate support portion 411 is directly connected to the rotation mechanism 412, and the upper substrate support portion 411 is indirectly connected to the rotation mechanism 412 via the frame 418b.

The frame 418b includes a first member 431 , a plurality of first arms 432 , a plurality of support members 433 , a plurality of second arms 434 , and a second member 435 . The first member 431 is a substantially disc-shaped member, and is fixed to the outer surface of the shaft portion of the rotating mechanism 412 . The plurality of first arms 432 are substantially rod-shaped members, and radially extend radially outward from the first members 431 . The second member 435 is a substantially disk-shaped member, and is fixed to the lower end portion of the upper substrate support portion 411 . The plurality of second arms 434 are substantially rod-shaped members, and radially extend radially outward from the second members 435 . The number of the plurality of first arms 432 and the plurality of second arms 435 is, for example, four, respectively. The plurality of first arms 432 and the plurality of second arms 435 are arranged at substantially equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction and overlap in plan view. The plurality of strut members 433 are substantially rod-shaped members, and extend in the vertical direction by connecting the radially outer ends of the plurality of first arms 432 and the radially outer ends of the plurality of second arms 435 , respectively.

Also in the mounting unit 40c shown in FIG. 17, the inner space of the two first mounting parts 41 is connected in the up-down direction. In the mounting unit 40c, the two substrate support parts 411 arranged up and down are fixed to the casing 410 and do not rotate. On the other hand, the two measuring units 413 are indirectly connected to one rotating mechanism 412 via the frame 418c, and the two measuring units 413 are rotated by the rotating mechanism 412 about the rotating axis J1. In other words, the two substrate support parts 411 are rotated relative to the two measurement parts 413 by the rotation mechanism 412 . Thereby, the edge positions of the two substrates 9 are measured over the entire circumference.

In this way, the mounting unit 40c includes the rotation mechanism 412 that relatively rotates the substrate support portion 411 with respect to the measurement portion 413 around the rotation axis J1 oriented in the up-down direction. Then, the measuring unit 413 measures the edge position of the substrate 9 during relative rotation. Thereby, the measurement of the edge position of the board|substrate 9 in several positions in the circumferential direction can be performed easily. Furthermore, the edge position of the substrate 9 can also be easily measured over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. In this case, the center position of the substrate 9 can be obtained with high accuracy.

The second placing portion 42 may be omitted in the placing unit 40 , and the processed substrate 9 may also be placed on the first placing portion 41 . The same applies to the mounting units 40a to 40c.

The measurement of the edge position of the substrate 9 in the above-described placement unit does not necessarily need to be performed over the entire circumference of the substrate 9 . For example, as in the mounting unit 40d shown in FIG. 18, the rotating mechanism 412 may be omitted from the first mounting portion 41, and a fixed housing may be provided around the substrate 9 supported by the non-rotating substrate supporting portion 411. 410 of three or more measuring units 413 . In this case, the calculation unit 62 (see FIG. 6 ) obtains the center position and the like of the substrate 9 by a known method based on the three or more edge positions of the substrate 9 measured by the three or more measuring units 413 .

In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the structure of the center robot 22 may be variously changed. For example, the number of substrates 9 that can be conveyed by the central robot 22 at one time may be one, or three or more. Moreover, the shape and structure of the hand 226 of the center robot 22 may be variously changed. For example, the hand 226 may hold the substrate 9 by a method other than suction. In addition, the structure of the index robot 12 may be variously changed.

Processing units of various structures other than the processing units 21 and 21 a may be provided in the processing block 20 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 , and various processing may be performed on the substrate 9 . The jig holding the substrate 9 in the processing unit is not limited to the above-mentioned jigs 241 and 241a, and jigs having various structures may be provided in the processing unit.

The above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus 1 can be used not only for semiconductor substrates, but also for glass substrates used in flat panel displays (Flat Panel Displays) such as liquid crystal display devices and organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display devices, or other During processing of glass substrates used in display devices. Furthermore, the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus 1 can also be used for the processing of optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, mask substrates, ceramic substrates, solar cell substrates, and the like.

The configurations in the above-described embodiment and each modification example can be appropriately combined as long as they do not contradict each other.

The present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, but what has been done is illustrative and not restrictive. Therefore, it can be said that many modifications and aspects can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1: Substrate processing device 8: Computer 9: Substrate 10: index block 11: Carrier Table 12: Index Robot 20: Processing blocks 21,21a: Processing unit 22: Center Robot 23: Transport path 24,24a: Processing Section 30: next door 31: Liaison Department 40, 40a~40d: Mounting unit 41: The first loading part 42: Second loading part 60: Control Department 61: Memory Department 62: Computation Department 63: Transfer Robot Control Section 64: Reporting Department 65: Rotary Mechanism Control 81: Processor 82: memory 83: I/O 84: Busbar 85: keyboard 86: Mouse 87: Display 88: Sending Department 93: Center (of the substrate) 95: Carrier 100,230,310: Internal space 121a, 121b, 221a, 221b: transfer arm 122,222: Arm rest 123: movable table 124: Ball Screw 125: Rails 126,226: Hands 211, 211a: Shells 220: hand center position 223: Abutment 227: Base 228: Claws 229: suction port 240, 240a: Hood 241, 241a: Fixtures 242, 242a: Substrate Rotation Mechanism 243, 243a: Guards 244, 244a: First Nozzle 245, 245a: Second Nozzle 246, 246a: Measurement section (of processing unit) 247, 247a, 414: Light-emitting parts 248, 248a, 415: Receiver 249a: Shrouds 251a: base 252a: Clamp pins 410,420: Shell 411, 421: Board support 412: Rotary Mechanism 413, 413a: Measurement section (of the placement unit) 416: Laser Distance Sensor 417: Reflector 418b, 418c: Frame 431: First Member 432: First Arm 433: Pillar member 434: Second Arm 435: Second Member K1: first radial K2: Second radial K3: third radial K4: Fourth radial J1,J2,J3:

1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment. [ Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a front view showing the inside of the substrate processing apparatus. [ Fig. 3 ] is an enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of the hand of the transfer arm. [Fig. 4] is a side view of the placement unit. [ Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a control unit. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the function of the control unit. [ Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a processing unit. 8A is a diagram illustrating a flow of processing of the substrate. [ FIG. 8B ] A diagram illustrating a flow of processing of the substrate. [ Fig. 8C ] is a diagram illustrating a flow of processing of the substrate. [ Fig. 9] Fig. 9 is a plan view showing the substrate in the first placement portion. 10 is a plan view showing a substrate in the processing unit. 11 is a plan view showing the substrate in the first placement portion. 12 is a diagram showing another example of the processing unit. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a bent substrate. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a bent substrate. [ Fig. 15 ] is a side view showing another example of the placement unit. [ Fig. 16 ] is a side view showing another example of the placement unit. [ Fig. 17 ] is a side view showing another example of the placement unit. [ Fig. 18 ] is a side view showing another example of the placement unit.

9: Substrate 40: Placement unit 41: The first loading part 42: Second loading part 410,420: Shell 411, 421: Board support 412: Rotary Mechanism 413: Measurement section (of the placement unit) 414: Luminous part 415: Light Receiver J1: Rotary axis

Claims (5)

A substrate processing apparatus is used for processing substrates, and is provided with: The placing unit is placed on the substrate; a processing unit for processing the aforementioned substrate; a transfer robot for transferring the substrate from the placement unit to the processing unit; and control department; The aforementioned placing unit is provided with: a substrate supporting portion supporting the aforementioned substrate in a horizontal state; and a measuring part for measuring a position belonging to the height of the edge in the vertical direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate supported by the substrate supporting part; The control unit includes a calculation unit that obtains the shape of the peripheral edge of the substrate based on the edge height measured by the measurement unit; The processing unit includes: a mechanical jig that is in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate and holds the substrate in a horizontal state; The mounting unit further includes: a rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate support portion around a rotation axis facing the up-down direction; The control unit further includes a rotation mechanism control unit that drives the rotation mechanism to rotate the substrate based on the shape of the peripheral edge of the substrate obtained by the calculation unit, and orients the substrate to be suitable for the operation performed by the mechanical jig. direction of maintenance. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer robot is provided with: a hand that receives the substrate supported by the substrate support portion of the placement unit and carries it into the processing unit; The hand is attached to and holds the lower surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the computing unit also obtains a degree of curvature indicating a degree of curvature of the substrate based on the height of the edge measured by the measuring unit; The control unit may further include a reporting unit that reports an abnormality of the curvature when the curvature of the substrate obtained by the arithmetic unit is larger than a predetermined threshold value. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transfer robot is provided with: a hand that receives the substrate supported by the substrate support portion of the placement unit and carries it into the processing unit; The rotation mechanism control unit drives the rotation mechanism to rotate the substrate based on the shape of the peripheral edge of the substrate obtained by the calculation unit, and orients the substrate in a direction suitable for holding by the hand. A substrate processing method is to process a substrate by a substrate processing device: The aforementioned substrate processing apparatus includes: The placing unit is placed on the substrate; a processing unit for processing the aforementioned substrate; and a transfer robot for transferring the substrate from the placement unit to the processing unit; The aforementioned placing unit is provided with: the substrate support part supports the substrate in a horizontal state; a measuring unit for measuring a position belonging to the height of the edge in the vertical direction of the peripheral edge of the substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit; and a rotation mechanism, which makes the substrate support part rotate around the rotation axis facing the up-down direction; The processing unit includes: a mechanical jig that is in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate and holds the substrate in a horizontal state; The aforementioned substrate processing method includes: In step a, the shape of the peripheral edge of the substrate is obtained based on the edge height measured by the measuring unit; and Step b: Before the transfer robot picks up the substrate from the substrate support portion, the substrate is rotated by the rotation mechanism based on the shape of the peripheral edge of the substrate, and the substrate is oriented in a direction suitable for the operation performed by the mechanical jig. maintain the direction.

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