JP4978477B2 - Substrate transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus.

  In general, in a manufacturing process of a thin film solar cell or the like, a silicon film is formed on a glass substrate, and a substrate transport apparatus that holds a plurality of glass substrates vertically at a predetermined interval is used. Then, when the substrate transfer apparatus moves inside the film forming apparatus provided with a plurality of identical substrate processing apparatuses, each substrate processing apparatus is arranged between the plurality of glass substrates. The same film forming process is performed.

Conventionally, as such a substrate transfer apparatus, one having a configuration as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This is because the guide bar parallel to the left and right of the rectangular outer frame is fixed vertically, and a clip that clamps the top edge of the board is attached to the fixed support plate at both ends, and both ends move to the guide bar. The clip which clamps the lower end of a board | substrate is attached to the support plate attached so that an upper end and a lower end of a board | substrate are clamped with a both-ends clip.
Japanese Patent No. 3243044

  However, in the substrate transfer apparatus of Patent Document 1, a thin film is not uniformly formed unless the processing surface of each substrate and the substrate processing apparatus are at a certain distance, and the substrate transfer apparatus, each substrate processing apparatus, There has been a problem that the distance of must be strictly designed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and provides a substrate transfer apparatus capable of uniformly forming a thin film even if the distance between the substrate transfer apparatus and the substrate processing apparatus is not strictly designed. The purpose is to do.

The substrate transport apparatus according to the present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
The substrate transport apparatus according to the present invention is a substrate transport apparatus that transports the substrate to the substrate processing apparatus while holding the substrate on the substrate holding section so that the processing surface is exposed. A substrate advancing / retreating mechanism capable of moving back and forth in a substantially normal direction and positioning the substrate with respect to the substrate processing apparatus is provided.
As a result, the distance between the substrate and the substrate processing apparatus changes, and the positions of the two become appropriate for processing the substrate.

The substrate advancing / retreating mechanism positions the substrate and the substrate processing apparatus in contact with each other.
Thereby, if a board | substrate and a substrate processing apparatus are contact | abutted, both position will become an appropriate thing.

The substrate advance / retreat mechanism includes a load adjustment mechanism that reduces a load generated on the substrate due to contact between the substrate and the substrate processing apparatus.
Thus, even when the substrate is pressed against the substrate processing apparatus, a load exceeding a certain level does not occur.

  According to the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention, the distance between the substrate and the substrate processing apparatus is changed, and the positions of the two become appropriate. Therefore, the distance between the substrate transfer apparatus and the substrate processing apparatus is strictly designed. Even without this, a thin film can be formed uniformly. It is also possible to change the arrangement of the constituent members of the substrate transfer apparatus and the substrate processing apparatus.

  Further, since the substrate advancing / retreating mechanism makes contact between the substrate and the substrate processing apparatus and the positions of both are appropriate, a thin film can be uniformly formed without strictly controlling the substrate advancing / retreating mechanism. It becomes possible.

  In addition, since a load exceeding a certain level does not occur on the substrate, it is possible to prevent the substrate from being damaged by being pressed against the substrate transfer device.

Embodiments of a substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a substrate transfer apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 1 is provided with the trolley | bogie 2 which has the wheel 2a in the lower part, and can move along a manufacturing line. The substrate transport apparatus 1 is configured to mount a plurality of substrates at a substrate mounting position, transfer the substrates to the inside of a film forming processing apparatus, and transport the silicon thin film on the substrate to a substrate take-out position.

The substrate transport apparatus 1 includes six substrate mounting units 3 and the substrate mounting units 3 are arranged so as to have a predetermined interval in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction.
The substrate mounting unit 3 includes two columns 4 that are erected so as to face the traveling direction of the carriage 2, a substrate holding unit 5 that is supported by the columns 4 via the substrate advance / retreat mechanism 20 and holds the substrate, A substrate advancing / retracting mechanism 20 provided on the two columns 4 is schematically configured.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the board mounting unit 3, and FIG. 3 is a rear view of the board mounting unit 3.
As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate holding unit 5 includes a holding frame 10 and a substrate holding mechanism 15.

  The holding frame 10 has a rectangular shape having an opening 10a slightly smaller than the substrate P, and the four corners are supported by two opposing struts 4 via a substrate advancement / retraction mechanism 20 described later. The holding frame 10 has an installation portion 10b on which the substrate P is placed on the lower edge of the opening 10a, and a long hole 10c (see FIGS. 4 and 5) for attaching the substrate advance / retreat mechanism 20 to the four corners. is doing.

  The substrate holding mechanism 15 includes a clamp shaft 16 that is rotatably supported by the holding frame 10, a clamp arm 17 that is fixed to the clamp shaft 16 and presses the edge of the substrate P, and a coil spring that biases the clamp arm 17. 18.

The clamp shaft 16 is disposed along a vertical edge forming the opening 10a, and is rotatably provided on the holding frame 10. Further, the upper end of the clamp shaft 16 extends to above the holding frame 10 and serves as an operation end portion 16a.
The operation end portion 16a is rotated by an external driving means at the position where the substrate P is mounted or taken out.

  The clamp arm 17 is a U-shaped member and is fixed to the clamp shaft 16 at a predetermined interval. A ring-shaped member made of rubber or the like is provided at the tip of the clamp arm 17 to prevent the substrate P from being damaged.

  The coil spring 18 biases the clamp arm 17 in the direction of pressing the substrate P. One end is fixed to the clamp shaft 16 and the other end is fixed to the holding frame 10 with an initial torsion angle. Has been. The coil spring 18 always urges the clamp arm 17 in the direction toward the opening 10a with the clamp shaft 16 as a center. When the operation end 16a is operated by an external driving means, the clamp arm 17 is subjected to spring force. It is to be released against.

  With such a configuration, the substrate holding mechanism 15 can open and close the clamp arm 17 by rotating the operation end portion 16a, and the substrate P placed on the mounting table 10b can be opened and closed. Is pressed against the holding frame 10 to hold the substrate P.

  This board | substrate holding | maintenance part 5 is provided so that the front of the two board | substrate mounting units 3 may oppose (refer FIG. 1). That is, the back surface of the processing surface p (see FIG. 7) of the substrate P is pressed against the clamp arm 12, and the processing surface p and the front surface of the substrate mounting unit 3 are mounted in the same direction. The processed surfaces p of the two substrates P are opposed to each other.

4 is a configuration diagram showing the upper portion 20a of the substrate advance / retreat mechanism 20, and FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing the lower portion 20b of the substrate advance / retreat mechanism 20. As shown in FIG.
The substrate advancing / retracting mechanism 20 includes a rotating shaft 21 provided to be rotatable along the column 4, a coil spring 22 connected to the rotating shaft 21 in a state where the rotating shaft 21 is inserted, and a rotation fixed to the coil spring 22. The moving cylinder portion 23, a support arm 24 integrally formed with the rotating cylinder portion 23, and a lock mechanism 26 provided on the upper portion of the support column 4 are schematically configured. In addition, the coil spring 22, the rotation cylindrical part 23, and the support arm 24 are provided in each of the upper part 20a and the lower part 20b.

The rotating shaft 21 is disposed on the holding frame 10 side along the support column 4 and is supported so as to be rotatable at two positions on the upper end side and the lower end side. A portion 21a is formed. A fixing portion 21b to which one end of the coil spring 22 is fixed is provided in the vicinity of the upper end and the lower end.
The operation end portion 21a has a linear convex portion, and is rotated by an actuator 54 provided in the film forming apparatus 50 when the substrate transport apparatus 1 is moved into the film forming apparatus 50 described later. Is operated.

  One end of the coil spring 22 is fixed to the fixing portion 21b in a state where the rotating shaft 21 is inserted. The coil spring 22 is attached to the rotating shaft 21 with an initial torsion angle so as to urge the rotating shaft 21 in a direction opposite to the urging direction of the clamp shaft 16.

The rotating cylindrical portion 23 is fixed to the other end of the coil spring 22 with the rotating shaft 21 inserted therethrough.
The support arm 24 is formed integrally with the rotating cylindrical portion 23, and is formed so as to protrude in a direction orthogonal to the central axis of the rotating cylindrical portion 23. An attachment shaft 24 a formed so as to protrude in the direction of the central axis of the rotating cylindrical portion 23 is provided at the distal end portion of the support arm 24. The mounting shaft 24a is inserted into a long hole 10c formed in the holding frame 10 and can move along the inner wall of the long hole 10c.
Note that a reinforcing member 24 b is provided between the support arm 24 provided below the rotation shaft 21 and the rotation cylindrical portion 23.

The lock mechanism 26 is provided on the upper end side of the support column 4, and at the reference position where the pin 26 a protrudes upward, the rotation shaft 21 is not rotatable, and the pin 26 a is placed on the lower side. The rotary shaft 21 is configured to be rotatable when it is pushed in.
Further, the support 4 is provided with a stopper 27 that receives the substrate holding portion 5 biased by the coil spring 22. That is, when the stopper 27 abuts a part of the holding frame 10, the movement of the substrate holding unit 5 from the straight line connecting the two support columns 4 supporting the substrate holding unit 5 to the rear surface direction is restricted. ing.

  With such a configuration, the substrate advance / retreat mechanism 20 is configured such that the rotation of the rotation shaft 21 is indirectly transmitted to the substrate holding unit 5 via the coil spring 22, the rotation cylindrical portion 23, and the support arm 24. Thus, the substrate holding part 5 can be advanced and retracted in the front direction of the holding frame 5. That is, the substrate P can be moved back and forth in the direction of the normal line of the processing surface p.

  Even if the substrate P mounted on the substrate holding unit 5 is pressed against a substrate processing apparatus 52 described later, the coil spring 22, the rotating cylindrical portion 23, and the support arm 24 reduce the load. That is, the coil spring 22, the rotating cylindrical portion 23, and the support arm 24 function as a load adjustment mechanism 28.

FIG. 6 is a principal cross-sectional view showing a state when the substrate transfer apparatus 1 is moved into the film forming apparatus 50, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the film forming apparatus 50 has an internal space 50 a in which the substrate transfer apparatus 1 can be accommodated, and the ceiling part 51 is fixed so that three substrate processing apparatuses 52 are parallel to each other in the vertical direction. It is provided at intervals. The substrate processing apparatus 52 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between two substrate holding units 3 (surface to be processed p) facing each other when the substrate transfer apparatus 1 is accommodated in the film forming apparatus 50. Yes.
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a linear groove 51 a is formed in the ceiling 51 from the carry-in port 53 toward the carry-out port 54, and an actuator 54 is provided on the groove 51 a.

  The actuator 54 is rotatable about a vertical center axis, and has a linear groove 54a that can communicate with the groove 51a. The actuator 54 is disposed so that the operation end portion 16a is positioned when the substrate transfer apparatus 1 stops inside the film forming apparatus 50. When the substrate transfer apparatus 1 is carried in / out, the groove 54a and the groove portion are arranged. 51a communicates. Then, the operation end portion 16a is rotated by rotating about the vertical center axis during the film forming process of the substrate P.

Next, the operation of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described.
At the substrate mounting position, the operation end 16a of the substrate transport apparatus 1 is rotated by a driving means (not shown) to release the clamp arm 17, and the substrate P is placed on the installation portion 10b by the substrate mounting means (not shown). Is done. The clamp arm 17 biased by the coil spring 18 presses the substrate P against the holding frame 10, and the substrate P is pressed and held by the substrate holding unit 5.
In this way, the substrate transfer apparatus 1 in which the substrate P is mounted on each substrate mounting unit 3 moves from the carry-in port 53 into the film forming apparatus 50 along the production line. At this time, the linear convex portion of the operation end 21a moves along the groove 51a and the groove 54a.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the substrate transfer apparatus 1 stops at a predetermined position inside the film forming apparatus 50, an actuator (not shown) is operated to push the pin 26a of the lock mechanism 26 downward. Then, the actuator 54 rotates to engage the linear convex portion of the operation end 21a located in the groove 54a, and the operation end 21a is rotated.
When the operation end 21a of the rotation shaft 21 is rotated, the rotation shaft 21 is rotated together with the fixed portion 21b, the coil spring 22 is twisted, and the rotation cylindrical portion 23 is rotated.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the rotating cylindrical portion 23 rotates, the mounting shaft 24 a of the support arm 24 formed integrally with the rotating cylindrical portion 23 rotates about the axis of the rotating shaft 21. Then, the holding frame 10 moves in a substantially normal direction (on the substrate processing apparatus 52 side) of the processing surface p, and the substrate P comes into contact with the substrate processing apparatus 52. Even if the actuator 54 rotates after the substrate P comes into contact with the substrate processing apparatus 52, only the coil spring 22 is twisted, and no load is generated on the substrate P.

  In such a state, the substrate processing apparatus 52 performs a film forming process on the processing surface p of the substrate P. At this time, since the substrate P and the substrate processing apparatus 52 are in contact with each other, the distance between the surface to be processed p and the substrate processing apparatus 52 is uniform in any part, and a thin film is uniformly formed on the surface to be processed p. Is formed.

After the thin film processing is completed, an actuator (not shown) is deactivated, and the pin 26a returns to the reference position. When the actuator 54 rotates in the reverse direction and returns to the reference position, the groove 51a communicates again, and the holding frame 10 contacts the stopper 27 and returns to the reference position.
Thereafter, the substrate P is moved from the carry-out port 54 to the substrate take-out position, and each substrate P is taken out by a driving unit and a substrate mounting unit (not shown).

  As described above, according to the substrate transfer apparatus 1, the substrate advance / retreat mechanism 20 changes the distance between the substrate P and the substrate processing apparatus 52 so that the positions of both are suitable for the film forming process. Even if the distance between 1 and the substrate processing apparatus 52 is not strictly designed, a thin film can be formed uniformly.

Further, since the substrate advance / retreat mechanism 20 brings the substrate P and the substrate processing apparatus 52 into contact with each other, and the positions of the substrate P and the substrate processing apparatus 52 become appropriate, the substrate advance / retreat mechanism 20 is not strictly controlled. However, a thin film can be formed uniformly.
Further, the substrate advancing / retracting mechanism 20 includes a load adjusting mechanism that reduces the load generated on the substrate P, and the substrate P does not generate a load exceeding a certain level, so that the substrate P is pressed against the substrate processing apparatus 52 and is damaged. Can be prevented.

  Note that the operation procedure shown in the above-described embodiment, various shapes and combinations of the constituent members, and the like are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 52 is disposed at a constant distance, but may be disposed at a different distance. Moreover, if the space | interval which can pass the board | substrate P is vacant, it will not necessarily arrange in a parallel state. This is because if the substrate advance / retreat mechanism 20 is driven, the positions of the two become appropriate.

In the above-described embodiment, the substrate P and the substrate processing apparatus 52 are positioned by bringing them into contact with each other. However, the actuator 54 may be positioned by strictly controlling the rotation of the actuator 54. Furthermore, the load adjusting mechanism is not necessarily provided.
Of course, the rotation means of the rotation mechanism 54 is not limited to the actuator 54.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the clamp holding mechanism 15 of the above embodiment, and various configurations of clamp holding mechanisms can be used.

It is a perspective view which shows the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the board | substrate mounting unit 3 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view of the board | substrate mounting unit 3 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the upper part 20a of the board | substrate advance / retreat mechanism 20 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the lower part 20b of the board | substrate advance / retreat mechanism 20 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part when the substrate transfer apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is accommodated in the film forming apparatus 50. FIG. It is II sectional drawing in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Substrate conveyance apparatus 5 ... Substrate holding part 20 ... Substrate advance / retreat mechanism 28 ... Load adjustment mechanism 52 ... Substrate processing apparatus P ... Substrate p ... Surface to be processed

Claims (2)

In a substrate transfer apparatus that holds a substrate on a substrate holder so that the surface to be processed is exposed and transfers the substrate to the substrate processing apparatus,
A substrate advancing / retreating mechanism capable of moving the substrate holding portion in the normal direction of the surface to be processed and positioning the substrate with respect to the substrate processing apparatus ;
A carriage on which a plurality of the substrate holding part and the substrate advance / retreat mechanism are installed , and
The substrate advancing / retreating mechanism is integrally formed with a rotating shaft provided rotatably, a rotating cylindrical portion rotated with the rotation of the rotating shaft, and the rotating cylindrical portion. A support arm connected to the substrate holding portion, and the rotation of the rotation shaft is transmitted to the substrate holding portion via the rotating cylindrical portion and the support rod to move the substrate holding portion. A substrate transfer apparatus.   The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate advancing / retreating mechanism positions the substrate and the substrate processing apparatus in contact with each other.

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