JP2013110268A - Substrate transfer apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate transfer apparatus of simple configuration capable of separating a glass substrate more reliably from a tray by using a lift arm.SOLUTION: A substrate transfer apparatus 1A for transferring a glass substrate 200 mounted on a tray 100 by separating the glass substrate 200 from the tray 100 comprises: a support 20 for supporting the tray 100 while opening the peripheral edge thereof; a press pin 14 for creating a clearance between the peripheral edges of the tray 100 and the glass substrate 200 by deflecting and deforming the peripheral edge of the tray 100 downward; and a lift arm 13 which is inserted into the clearance created between the peripheral edges of the tray 100 and the glass substrate 200 from the side, and separating the glass substrate 200 from the tray 100 by supporting the peripheral edge of the glass substrate 200 from below.

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate, and more specifically, to transfer a substrate by separating the substrate placed on the tray from the tray using a lift arm. Relates to the device.

  In the manufacturing process of solar cells, liquid crystal panels, semiconductor devices, etc., it is necessary to frequently transfer substrates (glass substrates, semiconductor substrates, etc.) that are workpieces between various manufacturing devices or between various manufacturing devices and substrate cassettes. become. Here, the substrate as a workpiece is not limited to the case where the substrate is transferred alone, but when the substrate on which the substrate is placed is transferred, or only the substrate is detached from the tray on which the substrate is placed. In some cases.

  For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-232465 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-73875 (Patent Document 2), a substrate housed in a load lock chamber of a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus is placed. There is disclosed a substrate transfer device for transferring a tray to a substrate cassette using a robot hand. Patent Documents 1 and 2 exemplify the case where the substrate is stored in the substrate cassette together with the tray. However, only the substrate may be stored in the substrate cassette by removing the substrate from the tray.

JP 2010-232465 A JP 2011-73875 A

  Here, various apparatuses are known as a substrate transfer apparatus used for transferring a substrate. One of them is a substrate transfer device that transfers a substrate using a lift arm. Since the substrate transfer apparatus using the lift arm can be realized with a simple configuration as compared with other types of substrate transfer apparatuses, there is an advantage that the installation cost can be greatly reduced.

  However, in order to lift the substrate placed on the tray from the tray using the lift arm, it is necessary to support the lower surface of the substrate by the lift arm. Usually, the lower surface of the substrate is placed on the upper surface of the tray. Since they are in contact with each other, it is not always easy to realize this.

  In addition, the substrate and the tray after the heat treatment or the like in the manufacturing process are often warped in an indefinite shape. Therefore, depending on how the warp is generated, it may not be possible to lift the substrate. There has been a concern that problems such as sudden stoppage of the production line frequently occur and problems such as damage to the substrate may occur.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a substrate transfer device having a simple configuration that can detach a substrate from a tray more reliably using a lift arm. Objective.

  A substrate transfer device according to the present invention transfers a substrate by detaching the substrate placed on the tray from the tray, and at least a part of the peripheral edge of the tray is opened. Forming a gap between the peripheral portion of the tray and the peripheral portion of the substrate by bending and deforming a support portion that supports the tray in a state and an open portion of the tray downward By inserting the gap from the side into a gap formed between the means and the peripheral edge of the tray and the peripheral edge of the substrate, the peripheral edge of the substrate is supported from below and the substrate is detached from the tray. And a lift arm.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that at least one pair of the gap forming means and the lift arm is provided so as to sandwich the support portion.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the gap forming means is constituted by a pressing portion that presses the opened portion of the tray from above.

  The substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention further includes a lift part including a lift mechanism and a moving mechanism that moves the lift arm along a horizontal direction, and a lifting mechanism that moves the lift part up and down along a vertical direction. You may have. In that case, it is preferable that the said press part is integrally provided in the said lift part.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention, the tip end surface of the pressing portion, which is a portion that presses the tray from above, supports the lift arm, which is a portion that supports the peripheral portion of the substrate from below. It is preferable that it is located below the surface.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention, the support surface of the lift arm, which is a portion that supports the peripheral edge of the substrate from below, is an inclined surface that gradually decreases toward the tip side. It is preferable to be configured.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention, the support portion may be constituted by a robot hand including a suction pad for holding the tray.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can be set as the board | substrate transfer apparatus of the simple structure which can detach | leave a board | substrate from a tray more reliably using a lift arm.

It is the top view and front view of a board | substrate transfer apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. In the board | substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 1, it is the top view and front view which show the state which lifted the lift part. It is an enlarged view of the area | region III shown in FIG. In the board | substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 1, it is the top view and front view which show the state which inserted the support nail | claw part of the lift arm below the peripheral part of the glass substrate. It is an enlarged view of the area | region V shown in FIG. In the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 1, it is a front view which shows the state after lifting a glass substrate using a lift arm. It is a top view of the board | substrate transfer apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In Embodiments 1 and 2 shown below, a tray made of an aluminum thin plate on which a glass substrate is placed, for example, housed in a load lock chamber of a CVD apparatus is used to load the load lock chamber using a robot hand. This example illustrates a case where the present invention is applied to a substrate transfer apparatus that removes only a glass substrate placed on a tray from the tray using a lift arm and transfers it to a substrate cassette after taking out from the tray. .

(Embodiment 1)
1A and 1B are diagrams showing a configuration of a substrate transfer apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a front view. First, with reference to this FIG. 1, the structure of the board | substrate transfer apparatus 1A in this Embodiment is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate transfer apparatus 1A includes a lift unit 10 that is a unit for lifting the glass substrate 200 and a support unit 20 that is a unit for supporting the tray 100 on which the glass substrate 200 is placed. And mainly.

  The lift unit 10 is moved to the machine casing 11, the moving mechanism 12 provided on the machine casing 11, the lift arm 13 attached to the machine casing 11 via the moving mechanism 12, and the machine casing 11. It has a pressing pin 14 as a pressing portion which is a gap forming means directly attached without passing through the mechanism 12. In addition, the lift part 10 is comprised so that it can raise / lower along the Z-axis direction (namely, vertical direction) shown in a figure by being driven by the raising / lowering mechanism which is not shown in figure.

  Here, in the substrate transfer apparatus 1A, in order to stably support and transfer the glass substrate 200 having a rectangular shape in plan view, two pieces are respectively provided in portions corresponding to the pair of long sides of the glass substrate 200. Lift arms 13 are provided one by one. Thereby, the lift part 10 has the four lift arms 13 in total. More specifically, a pair of lift arms 13 and 13 are arranged facing each other along the X-axis direction shown in the drawing so as to sandwich the support portion 20 that supports the tray 100 on which the glass substrate 200 is placed. In addition, two pairs of the lift arms 13 are provided along the Y-axis direction shown in the drawing.

  The moving mechanism 12 is for moving the lift arm 13 along the X-axis direction (that is, the horizontal direction) shown in the drawing, and includes a guide mechanism that guides the lift arm 13, a drive mechanism that drives the lift arm, and the like. Contains. The moving mechanism 12 is provided corresponding to each of the four lift arms 13 described above, and individually drives these lift arms 13. Instead of this, the two lift arms 13, 13 arranged corresponding to one long side of the glass substrate 200 may be simultaneously driven using the single moving mechanism 12.

  The lift arm 13 has a substantially L-shape when viewed from the front, and has a support claw portion 13a at the lower end thereof. Each of the support claws 13 a is formed so as to protrude toward the support portion 20, and the upper surface near the tip of the support claw 13 a functions as a support surface for supporting the glass substrate 200. .

  Further, in the substrate transfer apparatus 1A, in order to enable stable pressing of the peripheral portion of the tray 100 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, two each of the portions corresponding to the pair of long sides of the tray 100 are provided. A pressing pin 14 is provided. Thereby, the lift part 10 has the four press pins 14 in total. More specifically, the pair of pressing pins 14 and 14 are arranged facing each other along the X-axis direction shown in the drawing so as to sandwich the support portion 20 that supports the tray 100 on which the glass substrate 200 is placed. In addition, two pairs of the pair of pressing pins 14 are provided along the Y-axis direction shown in the drawing.

  The pressing pin 14 has a rod-like shape, and its upper end is fixed to the machine casing 11. The pressing pin 14 is formed so as to extend downward, and the front end surface located at the lower end thereof functions as a portion for pressing the tray 100.

  Each of the total four pressing pins 14 is provided in association with each of the total four lifting arms 13 described above, and each pressing pin 14 is provided in the vicinity of the position where the lift arms 13 are disposed. ing.

  On the other hand, the support unit 20 includes a robot hand 21 serving as a base and a suction pad 22 provided on the robot hand 21. More specifically, the robot hand 21 has a plurality of arms extending in parallel with each other, and a plurality of suction pads 22 are provided on each of the arms. The support unit 20 is configured to be freely movable along an arbitrary direction or a vertical direction in a horizontal plane by being driven by a movement mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a turning mechanism, or the like (not shown). .

  The support unit 20 is inserted in a load lock chamber of a CVD apparatus (not shown) below the tray 100 placed in the load lock chamber on which the glass substrate 200 is placed, and the tray 100 using the suction pad 22 described above. The tray 100 is supported together with the glass substrate 200 by sucking and holding the lower surface of the glass substrate 200. Thereafter, the support unit 20 is pulled out of the load lock chamber while being supported by the tray 100 on which the glass substrate 200 is placed by being driven by the above-described moving mechanism, lifting mechanism, turning mechanism, and the like. It will be moved below the lift 10 described above.

  Here, as illustrated, the support unit 20 supports the tray 100 in a state in which the peripheral edge of the tray 100 is opened. As a result, the upper surface and the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the tray 100 are both exposed without being blocked by the robot hand 21 or the like, and are disposed below the lift unit 10.

  The substrate transfer apparatus 1 </ b> A according to the present embodiment performs the lift operation described later, thereby detaching only the glass substrate 200 from the tray 100 supported by the support unit 20 using the lift unit 10. Then, the glass substrate 200 is stored in a substrate cassette (not shown) using the lift unit 10.

  Here, the substrate transfer apparatus 1A uses the pressing pin 14 as the gap forming means described above to bend and deform the peripheral edge of the tray 100 downward, so that there is no gap between the tray 100 and the glass substrate 200. And the support claw 13a of the lift arm 13 described above is inserted into the gap so that the peripheral edge of the glass substrate 200 is supported by the lift arm 13 from below, so that only the glass substrate 200 from the tray 100 is supported. It is possible to lift and release. The details will be described below.

  2 is a plan view and a front view showing a state in which the lift portion is lowered in the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a region III shown in FIG. 4 is a plan view and a front view showing a state where the support claw portion of the lift arm is inserted below the peripheral edge portion of the glass substrate in the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is the enlarged view of the area | region V shown. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state after the glass substrate is lifted using the lift arm in the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1 described above and FIGS. 2 to 5, details of the lift operation described above in the substrate transfer apparatus 1 </ b> A according to the present embodiment will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, the support portion 20 that supports the tray 100 on which the glass substrate 200 is placed is disposed below the lift portion 10. At this time, the support portion 20 is positioned with respect to the lift portion 10 so that each of the pressing pins 14 provided in the lift portion 10 is positioned on the opened peripheral edge portion of the tray 100. In addition, in the state after the positioning, each of the lift arms 13 is retracted to the side in advance so that none of the lift arms 13 provided in the lift unit 10 is positioned on the glass substrate 200. Move it.

  Next, by driving the lift part 10 using the above-described lifting mechanism, the lift part 10 is lowered toward the support part 20 (that is, in the direction of the arrow A1 shown in FIG. 1). Instead of this, the support portion 20 may be raised toward the lift portion 10 side.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the front end surface located at the lower end of the pressing pin 14 comes into contact with the upper surface of the opened peripheral portion of the tray 100, and accordingly, the peripheral portion of the tray 100 is lowered downward. Will be bent and deformed. Therefore, a gap G (see FIG. 3) is formed between the tray 100 and the glass substrate 200.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the lift portion 10 is such that the tip surface located below the pressing pin 14 reaches below the reference surface P that is the upper surface of the tray 100 supported by the support portion 20. Is lowered, the peripheral portion of the tray 100 is greatly bent and deformed as shown in the figure, whereby a gap G is generated between the peripheral portion of the tray 100 and the peripheral portion of the glass substrate 200.

  Next, by driving the lift arm 13 using the moving mechanism 12 described above, the lift arm 13 is moved toward the support portion 20 (that is, in the directions of arrows B1 and B2 shown in FIG. 2). .

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the distal end portion of the support claw portion 13 a of the lift arm 13 is inserted from the side with respect to the gap G described above. Therefore, the tip end portion of the support claw portion 13 a of the lift arm 13 is positioned below the peripheral portion of the glass substrate 200, and the peripheral portion of the glass substrate 200 is supported by the support claw portion 13 a of the lift arm 13. Become.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the tip end portion of the support claw portion 13 a of the lift arm 13 is inside the end portion on the long side of the glass substrate 200 in the vicinity of the portion where the reference plane P is located. By moving the lift arm 13 so as to reach the position, the tip of the support claw portion 13a is inserted into the gap G, whereby the peripheral edge of the glass substrate 200 is supported as shown in the figure. It is supported by the above-described support surface, which is the upper surface of the tip of the portion 13a.

  Here, the height of the front end surface located at the lower end of the pressing pin 14 that is a part that presses the peripheral part of the tray 100 from above is set to the above of the lift arm 13 that is a part that supports the peripheral part of the glass substrate 200 from below. If it arrange | positions below a support surface, it will become possible to support the glass substrate 200 by the lift arm 13 more reliably.

  Further, as shown in the figure, if the support surface of the support claw portion 13a is configured as an inclined surface so as to gradually become lower toward the front end portion side, the front end portion of the support claw portion 13a can be smoothly formed. The glass substrate 200 is inserted into the gap G, and the glass substrate 200 can be more reliably supported by the lift arm 13.

  Next, by driving the lift unit 10 using the above-described lifting mechanism, the lift unit 10 is raised in a direction away from the support unit 20 (that is, in the direction of arrow A2 shown in FIG. 4). Instead of this, the support portion 20 may be lowered in a direction away from the lift portion 10.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to lift only the glass substrate 200 from the tray 100 and lift the glass substrate 200. Note that after the glass substrate 200 is lifted using the lift arm 13, the pressing of the pressing pins 14 against the peripheral edge of the tray 100 is also released, thereby returning the tray 100 to its original shape.

  As described above, by using the substrate transfer apparatus 1A in the present embodiment, the glass substrate 200 placed on the tray 100 can be reliably transferred using the lift arm 13. . That is, since the gaps G are formed between the peripheral edge of the tray 100 and the peripheral edge of the glass substrate 200 due to the presence of the pressing pins 14 as the gap forming means described above, the peripheral edge of the glass substrate 200 is The state where the lower surface is in contact with the tray 100 can be easily released. Therefore, a space for inserting the lift arm 13 can be surely secured.

  Further, in many cases, the glass substrate 200 and the tray 100 subjected to heat treatment or the like in the manufacturing process often have an indefinite shape of warpage. Since the gap G can be surely formed even when the lift occurs, it is possible to easily secure a space for inserting the lift arm 13. In particular, the height of the front end surface located at the lower end of the pressing pin 14 and the height of the support surface of the lift arm 13 are appropriately adjusted in accordance with the degree of variation in warpage occurring in the glass substrate 200 and the tray 100, or the lift arm If the degree of inclination of the support surface 13 is adjusted as appropriate, even when there is a large variation in warp, it can be absorbed with sufficient margin.

  Therefore, by using the substrate transfer apparatus 1A in the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a substrate transfer apparatus having a simple configuration that can detach the glass substrate 200 from the tray 100 more reliably. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the production line from being suddenly stopped and the glass substrate 200 from being damaged, which greatly contributes to the reduction of the manufacturing cost.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 7 is a plan view of the substrate transfer apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Below, with reference to this FIG. 7, the board | substrate transfer apparatus 1B in this Embodiment is demonstrated. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected in the figure about the part similar to the board | substrate transfer apparatus 1A in Embodiment 1 mentioned above, and the description is not repeated here.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the substrate transfer apparatus 1 </ b> B, not only two lift arms 13 are provided at portions corresponding to the pair of long sides of the glass substrate 200, but also the glass substrate 200. Two lift arms 13 are provided at each of the portions corresponding to the pair of short sides, and only two pressing pins 14 are provided at the portions corresponding to the pair of long sides of the tray 100. In addition, one pressing pin 14 is provided at each of the portions corresponding to the pair of short sides of the tray 100.

  Here, each of a total of two pressing pins 14 provided in a portion corresponding to the pair of short sides of the tray 100 has a total of four lift arms 13 provided in a portion corresponding to the pair of short sides of the glass substrate 200. Among these, a total of two lift arms 13 provided in the portion corresponding to the short side on one side are provided in correspondence with each other, and each pressing pin 14 is in the vicinity of the position where these two lift arms 13 are disposed. Is provided at an intermediate position.

  Although not described here, the specific configuration, shape, operation, and the like of the lift arm 13 and the pressing pin 14 arranged on the short side of the tray 100 and the glass substrate 200 are all described above. The configuration, shape, operation, and the like of the lift arm 13 and the pressing pin 14 disposed on the long side of the glass substrate 200 are the same.

  When configured in this manner, the peripheral edge of the tray 100 can be pressed and bent almost uniformly using the pressing pins 14 around the entire periphery of the tray 100 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The periphery of the glass substrate 200 can be more stably supported by the lift arm 13 around the entire circumference of the rectangular glass substrate 200. Therefore, it becomes possible to transfer the glass substrate 200 more reliably and stably by using the substrate transfer apparatus 1B.

  In the substrate transfer apparatuses 1A and 1B according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention described above, the lift arm 13 and the pressing pin 14 are both integrated into the lift unit 10 that is a single unit. Although the case where it is provided has been described as an example, the lift arm 13 and the pressing pin 14 may be provided separately in different units. That is, the lifting / lowering operation of the lift arm 13 and the lifting / lowering operation of the pressing pin 14 do not have to be performed simultaneously, and these may be configured to be realized by separate lifting mechanisms with a time difference.

  Further, in the substrate transfer apparatuses 1A and 1B according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention described above, the case where the pressing pin 14 is employed as the gap forming means is illustrated, but instead of this, a block shape or It is good also as using pressing parts, such as plate shape, and it is good also as utilizing the other means which bends the peripheral part of the tray 100, without pressing the tray 100. FIG. As the other means, for example, a suction means for holding the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the tray 100 by suction and pulling it downward to cause the peripheral portion of the tray 100 to bend and deform is assumed.

  Further, in the substrate transfer apparatuses 1A and 1B according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention described above, the case where the support unit 20 is configured by the robot hand 21 including the suction pads 22 is illustrated. As described above, the support unit 20 may be a robot hand without a suction pad 22 or a simple stage.

  In the substrate transfer apparatuses 1A and 1B according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention described above, the upper surface of the tip end portion of the support claw portion 13a that is the support surface of the lift arm 13 is an inclined surface. Although the case where it is configured has been described as an example, the upper surface of the tip of the support claw portion 13a may be configured by a horizontal plane or the like. Also, the above description is merely an example for the arrangement position, number, and shape of the lift arm 13 and the arrangement position, number, shape, and the like of the pressing pin 14, and can be changed as appropriate.

  Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments of the present invention described above, the glass substrate 200 is exemplified as the substrate detached from the tray 100. However, the substrate is a semiconductor substrate such as a wafer. Alternatively, the tray 100 is not limited to an aluminum one, and may be a tray made of another material as long as it is flexible.

  Thus, the above-described embodiment disclosed herein is illustrative in all respects and is not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  1A, 1B Substrate transfer device, 10 lift part, 11 machine frame, 12 moving mechanism, 13 lift arm, 13a support claw part, 14 pressing pin, 20 support part, 21 robot hand, 22 suction pad, 100 tray, 200 glass Substrate, G gap, P reference plane.

Claims (7)

A substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate by detaching the substrate placed on the tray from the tray,
A support part for supporting the tray in a state where at least a part of the peripheral edge of the tray is opened;
A gap forming means for creating a gap between the peripheral edge of the tray and the peripheral edge of the substrate by bending and deforming the opened portion of the tray downward;
A lift arm for supporting the peripheral edge of the substrate from below and separating the substrate from the tray by being inserted from a side into a gap formed between the peripheral edge of the tray and the peripheral edge of the substrate; A substrate transfer apparatus comprising:   2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one pair of the gap forming unit and the lift arm is provided so as to sandwich the support portion.   The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gap forming unit is configured by a pressing portion that presses the opened portion of the tray from above. A lift portion including a movement mechanism for moving the lift arm and the lift arm along a horizontal direction;
An elevating mechanism that elevates and lowers the lift part along the vertical direction;
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pressing portion is provided integrally with the lift portion.   The front end surface of the pressing portion, which is a portion that presses the tray from above, is located below the support surface of the lift arm, which is a portion that supports the peripheral portion of the substrate from below. The board | substrate transfer apparatus of description.   The support surface of the lift arm, which is a portion that supports the peripheral edge of the substrate from below, is configured by an inclined surface that gradually decreases toward the tip side. The board | substrate transfer apparatus of description.   The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support unit is configured by a robot hand including a suction pad for holding the tray.

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