JP5078180B2 - Substrate transfer device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate to be processed such as a glass substrate for a flat panel display (FPD) .

In manufacturing an FPD, a photolithography technique is used to form a circuit pattern on a glass substrate for FPD. The circuit pattern is formed by photolithography by applying a resist solution as a processing solution on a glass substrate to form a resist film, exposing the resist film so as to correspond to the circuit pattern, and developing the resist film. Done.
Generally, in the photolithography technique, after the resist film is formed and developed, a heat treatment is performed on the glass substrate in order to dry the resist film.

In the heat treatment, as a means for transporting the glass substrate, there is a roller transport system in which both ends of the glass substrate are placed on a plurality of transport rollers having a rotation shaft, and the substrate is transported by the rotation of the transport rollers.
However, due to the recent increase in the size of glass substrates, there is a problem that the substrate bends into a concave shape only by placing both ends of the rectangular glass substrate.
Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1 and the like (see FIG. 7), not only the transport roller 50 that supports both ends of the substrate G but also the vicinity of the center of the substrate G is supported by the transport roller 51 (support roller). The substrate G is supported so that it does not bend into a concave shape.

Japanese Patent No. 3960087

However, when the effective area (directly below) where the resist film is formed on the glass substrate is directly supported by the transport roller, the heat capacity of the transport roller between the portion that is not in contact with the transport roller Due to the influence, a difference occurs in the drying speed of the resist film, and there is a problem that spots are formed on the resist film after the resist is dried.
In order to solve such a problem, a resist film drying speed due to the influence of the heat capacity of the transfer roller between a plurality of transfer rollers arranged in the width direction of the substrate and a portion not in contact with the transfer roller. It is conceivable to prevent the difference from occurring.
However, when a large number of transport rollers are arranged in the width direction of the substrate, the transport rollers are heated and cooled to expand and contract, the outer peripheral surface of the transport rollers is curved, and gaps are formed at the joints between the roller members. was there.

The present invention has been made under the circumstances as described above. In the substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate to be processed , even if the transfer roller is heated and cooled and expands and contracts, the outer peripheral surface portion of the transfer roller is curved and deformed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transport apparatus that suppresses the occurrence of a gap and the like and suppresses the generation of a gap or the like at the joint between the roller members.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a substrate transport apparatus according to the present invention is a substrate transport apparatus for transporting a substrate to be processed, which extends in the width direction of the substrate to be processed and is rotatably supported in the substrate transport direction. A transport roller laid at a predetermined interval in the substrate transport direction, a rotating shaft that pivotally supports the transport roller, and a drive unit that rotationally drives the rotary shaft, wherein the transport roller is predetermined in the axial direction. A plurality of cylindrical roller members having a length of 1 mm are attached to the rotating shaft, and each roller member is connected to an adjacent roller member, and the roller member at one end of the conveying roller is connected to the rotating shaft. The other roller member is fixed only to the adjacent roller member to be connected, and the other roller member is not fixed to the rotating shaft so as to be expandable and contractable in the axial direction of the rotating shaft. It has a special feature.

By comprising in this way, when a conveyance roller is heated and thermally expanded, it will extend in the axial direction from the edge part side of the conveyance roller which is not being fixed to the rotating shaft. And when thermal contraction occurs when returning to normal temperature, it contracts from the end side of the extended conveying roller and returns to its original state.
Therefore, even if the conveyance roller is heated and cooled and expands and contracts, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a gap or the like in the outer peripheral surface portion of the conveyance roller or the joint between the roller members.

Further, it is preferable that one end of the roller member is formed in a male screw shape, and the other end is formed in a female screw shape, and is connected to each adjacent roller member by screwing.
By connecting the roller members by screwing in this way, it is possible to prevent a gap at the connection portion from occurring.

Further, in the transport roller, the plurality of roller members connected to the one roller member fixed to the rotating shaft are respectively rotated in a direction opposite to the rotating direction of the rotating shaft to be adjacent to the roller member. It is desirable that it is screwed.
By configuring in this way, even if the rotary shaft is driven to rotate during the conveyance of the substrate, it is possible to prevent the connecting portions between the roller members from being loosened by screw tightening.

According to the present invention, in a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate to be processed , even if the transfer roller is heated and cooled and expanded and contracted, the outer peripheral surface portion of the transfer roller is prevented from being curved and deformed, and the seam between the roller members It is possible to obtain a substrate transfer apparatus that suppresses the occurrence of gaps and the like .

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a resist coating and developing apparatus provided with a roller transport mechanism as a substrate transport apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in the planar direction of a heat treatment unit (HT) including a roller transport mechanism as a substrate transport apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the heat treatment unit (HT) of FIG. 2 in the side surface direction. FIG. 4 is an overall view of a single conveying roller mounted on a rotating shaft and a partially enlarged view thereof. FIG. 5 is a partially broken sectional view of the roller member. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement example of the unevenness of adjacent conveyance rollers. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a conventional substrate transfer apparatus. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the shape of the roller member used in the example.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention is suitably used, for example, in the heat treatment unit (HT) 28 in the resist coating and developing treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIG.
First, the operation flow of the resist coating and developing treatment apparatus 100 will be briefly described.
In the resist coating and developing apparatus 100, first, the substrate G in the cassette C mounted on the mounting table 12 of the cassette station 1 is upstream of the transfer line A of the processing station 2 by the transfer arm 11a of the transfer apparatus 11. It is transported to the end and further transported on the transport line A, and the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 21 removes organic substances contained in the substrate G.
The substrate G that has been subjected to the organic substance removal processing in the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 21 is transported on the transport line A, and scrub cleaning processing and drying processing are performed in the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 22. .

The substrate G that has been subjected to the scrub cleaning process and the drying process in the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 22 is transported on the transport line A, subjected to a heat treatment in the dehydration unit (DH) 23, and dehydrated.
The substrate G that has been subjected to the heat treatment in the dehydration unit (DH) 23 is transported on the transport line A, and is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment in the adhesion unit (AD) 24. The substrate G that has been subjected to the hydrophobization process in the adhesion unit (AD) 24 is transported on the transport line A and cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 25.

  The substrate G cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 25 is transported on the transport line A, and a resist film is formed by the resist coating unit (CT) 26. The resist film is formed in the resist coating unit (CT) 26 by supplying a resist solution onto the substrate G while the substrate G is being transported on the transport line A.

  The substrate G on which the resist film is formed by the resist coating unit (CT) 26 is transported on the transport line A and exposed to a reduced pressure atmosphere by the reduced pressure drying unit (DP) 27, whereby the resist film is dried. Is done.

The substrate G that has been subjected to the drying process of the resist film by the reduced pressure drying unit (DP) 27 is transported on the transport line A, and is subjected to the heating process by the heat processing unit (HT) 28, and the solvent contained in the resist film. Is removed. The heat treatment of the substrate G is performed while being transported on the transport line A by the roller transport mechanism 5 described later.
The substrate G that has been subjected to the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit (HT) 28 is transported on the transport line A and cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 29.

The substrate G cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 29 is transported on the transport line A to the downstream end, and then transported to the rotary stage (RS) 44 by the transport arm 43 of the interface station 4.
Next, the substrate G is transferred by the transfer arm 43 to the peripheral exposure apparatus (EE) of the external apparatus block 90, and the peripheral exposure apparatus (EE) removes the outer peripheral portion (unnecessary portion) of the resist film. Is given. Subsequently, the substrate G is transported to the exposure apparatus 9 by the transport arm 43, and a predetermined pattern of exposure processing is performed on the resist film.
The substrate G may be transported to the exposure apparatus 9 after being temporarily stored in a buffer cassette on the rotary stage (RS) 44. The substrate G that has been subjected to the exposure processing is transported to the titler (TITLER) of the external device block 90 by the transport arm 43, and predetermined information is written in the titler (TITLER).

  The substrate G on which the predetermined information is written by the titler (TITLER) is transported on the transport line B, and the developing unit (DEV) 30 sequentially performs a developer coating process, a rinsing process, and a drying process. In the coating process, the rinsing process and the drying process of the developer, for example, the developer is deposited on the substrate G while the substrate G is transported on the transport line B, and then the transport is temporarily stopped and the substrate is set at a predetermined angle. In this state, the developer flows down and rinse solution is supplied onto the substrate G to wash away the developer. Thereafter, the substrate G returns to the horizontal posture and is transported again, so that dry gas is blown onto the substrate G. Performed in the procedure.

  The substrate G that has been subjected to the developer coating process, the rinsing process, and the drying process in the development unit (DEV) 30 is transported on the transport line B, and is subjected to the heat process in the heat processing unit (HT) 31 to be subjected to the resist process. The solvent and moisture contained in the film are removed. The heat treatment of the substrate G is performed while being transported on the transport line B by the roller transport mechanism 5 described later. Note that an i-line UV irradiation unit that performs a decoloring process of the developer may be provided between the development unit (DEV) 30 and the heat treatment unit (HT) 31. The substrate G that has been subjected to the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit (HT) 31 is transported on the transport line B and cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 32.

  The substrate G cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 32 is transported on the transport line B and inspected by the inspection unit (IP) 35. The substrate G that has passed the inspection is accommodated in a predetermined cassette C mounted on the mounting table 12 by the transfer arm 11a of the transfer device 11 provided in the cassette station 1.

Next, the heat treatment unit (HT) 28 in which the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention is provided as the roller transfer mechanism 5 will be described. The heat treatment unit (HT) 31 has the same structure as the heat treatment unit (HT) 28.
2 is a cross-sectional view in the plane direction showing the heat treatment unit (HT) 28 (heat treatment apparatus), and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in the side surface direction.

  The heat treatment unit (HT) 28 includes a roller transport mechanism 5 as a substrate transport device that transports the substrate G toward one side in the X direction, a casing 6 provided to surround or house the roller transport mechanism 5, and A heating mechanism 7 that heats the substrate G that is roller-transferred by the roller transfer mechanism 5 in the casing 6 is provided.

In the roller transport mechanism 5, a plurality of substantially cylindrical transport rollers 50 extending in the Y direction (width direction of the substrate G) are laid at a predetermined interval in the X direction (substrate transport direction). Each conveyance roller 50 is pivotally supported by a rotation shaft 51 so as to be rotatable in the X direction.
The rotating shaft 51 is directly or indirectly connected to a driving source (driving means) such as a motor (not shown), and is rotated by driving of the driving source, whereby the substrate G moves on the plurality of transport rollers 50 in the X direction. It is conveyed toward the side.
As shown in the figure, the roller transport mechanism 5 has a transport path or a transport surface constituting a part of a transport line A (a transport line B in the heat treatment unit (HT) 31 ) .

The casing 6 is formed in a thin box shape so that the substrate G can be accommodated in a substantially horizontal state. The opposite side walls of the casing 6 in the X direction have a slit-like carry-in port 61 and a carry-out port 62 extending in the Y direction through which the substrate G can pass.
A transport roller 50 of the roller transport mechanism 5 is disposed in the casing 6, and a rotation shaft 51 of the transport roller 50 is rotatably supported by a bearing 60 provided on a side wall portion facing the Y direction of the casing 6. Yes.

The wall portion of the casing 6, here, the upper wall portion, the bottom wall portion, and the side wall portions facing each other in the Y direction have a double wall structure including an inner wall 63 and an outer wall 64 provided with a space therebetween. .
A space 65 between the inner wall 63 and the outer wall 64 functions as an air insulation layer that insulates the inside and outside of the casing 6. A heat insulating material 66 for insulating the inside and outside of the casing 6 is also provided on the inner side surface of the outer wall 64.

The heating mechanism 7 includes first and second planar heaters 71 and 72 provided in the casing 6 along the transport path of the substrate G by the roller transport mechanism 5.
The first and second planar heaters 71 and 72 are disposed on the back surface (lower surface) side and the front surface (upper surface) side of the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5 so as to be close to the substrate transported by the roller transport mechanism 5. Is provided. Thereby, thickness reduction of the casing 6 is achieved.

The first planar heater 71 is formed in a strip shape extending in the Y direction, and is provided between the conveying rollers 50 and arranged in the X direction. Thereby, the thickness of the casing 6 is further reduced. The 1st planar heater 71 is attached and supported by the side wall part which opposes the Y direction of the casing 6, for example.
The second planar heaters 72 are formed in a strip shape extending in the Y direction, and a plurality of second planar heaters 72 are arranged in the X direction so as to correspond to the arrangement pitch of the first planar heaters 71.
The second planar heater 72 is attached to and supported by the casing 6 on the upper wall portion. The distance between the first planar heater 71 and the transport path of the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5 and the distance between the second planar heater 72 and the transport path of the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5 Are equal.

Further, exhaust ports 67 are provided in, for example, the upper wall portion and the bottom wall portion of both ends in the X direction of the casing 6, and an exhaust device 68 is connected to the exhaust port 67. When the exhaust device 68 is activated, the casing 6 is exhausted through the exhaust port 67.
On the other hand, for example, an upper wall portion and a bottom wall portion of the central portion in the X direction of the casing 6 are provided with an intake port 69 as an intake mechanism for performing intake air in the casing. In contrast to the exhaust port 67, the intake port 69 is provided at the center of the casing 6 in the X direction so that the atmosphere in the casing 6 can be reliably prevented from being retained. In addition, it is possible to prevent the sublimate contained in the resist film from adhering to the casing 6 that is generated during the heat treatment.

Then, the conveyance roller 50 with which the roller conveyance mechanism 5 is provided is demonstrated in detail. FIG. 4 is an overall view (FIG. 4A) of one transport roller 50 attached to the rotating shaft 51 and a partially enlarged view thereof (FIG. 4B).
As shown in FIG. 4, one transport roller 50 is configured by connecting a plurality (14 in the figure) of roller members 52 having a predetermined length in the axial direction in the axial direction. Each roller member 52 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is attached to the rotating shaft 51 so as to cover the rotating shaft 51.
Further, the roller member 52, as difficult to heat transfer of the substrate G which is heated by the heating mechanism 7, the outer peripheral surface portion 53 resin (preferably PEEK) such as thermal conductivity is formed at a lower material. The rotating shaft 51 is formed of a material having a relatively low thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, stainless steel, or ceramic.

As shown in FIG. 4 (a), the conveying roller 50 in which a plurality of roller members 52 are connected to the rotating shaft 51 has only the roller member 52A fixed to the rotating shaft 51 at one end 50a. The member 52 is connected and fixed only to the adjacent roller member 52. The other end 50 b of the transport roller 50 is connected and fixed to the adjacent roller member 52 and is not fixed to the rotating shaft 51.
With this configuration, when the conveyance roller 50 is heated and thermally expanded in the heat treatment unit (HT) 28, the conveyance roller 50 that is not fixed to the rotating shaft 51 extends in the axial direction from the other end 50b side. To do. When the thermal contraction occurs when the temperature returns to the normal temperature, the contraction can be performed from the other end portion 50b side of the extended conveying roller 50 to return to the original state.
Therefore, even if the conveying roller 50 is heated and cooled and expands and contracts, no bending of the outer peripheral surface portion, a gap at the joint between the roller members 52, and the like are prevented.

  4B, one end 54 of each roller member 52 is formed in a male screw shape and the other end 55 is formed in a female screw shape, and each roller member 52 is connected to the adjacent roller member 52 by screwing. Is done. When connecting the roller member 52, the end portion 54 of the roller member 52 to be additionally connected is opposite to the rotation direction of the rotation shaft 51 with respect to the end portion 55 of the roller member 52 previously mounted on the rotation shaft 51. It is made by screwing into the. Thereby, when the conveyance roller 50 is rotationally driven, the connection between the roller members 52 can be prevented from being loosened.

  In the transport roller 50, the length in the axial direction of the portion where the concavo-convex shape is formed on the outer peripheral surface is equal to or greater than the width of the effective region where the resist film is applied and formed on the glass substrate G. Thereby, the heat capacity given from one conveyance roller 50 with respect to the resist film (effective region) can be made substantially uniform without any separation.

Further, the roller member 52 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a partially broken sectional view of the roller member 52. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer peripheral surface 53 of the roller member 52 is formed in a concavo-convex shape (bellows shape) that is regularly continuous in the axial direction. The tip end 56 in the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface 53 is a portion in contact with the glass substrate G, and the shape thereof is sharp so that the radius of curvature R is preferably 3 mm or less, and is substantially point-contacted with the glass substrate G. Yes.
The shape of the concave portion 57 is not limited to a convex shape and a symmetrical shape (valley shape with a radius of curvature R of 3 mm or less) as shown in the figure, but has an acute valley shape with no curved tip and a flat bottom. It may be a valley shape.

Further, on the outer peripheral surface 53 of the conveying roller 50, the distance dimension L1 between the convex portion tips 56 continuous in the axial direction is formed to be at least 2 mm (preferably 4 mm) and not more than 8 mm. The depth dimension L2 is at least 1 mm or more.
Thus, the amount of heat transfer from the conveyance roller 50 to the substrate G is made uniform by bringing the contact portion (convex tip 56) and the non-contact portion (concave portion 57) of the conveyance roller 50 to the substrate G close to each other (contact). The difference in heat transfer amount between the non-contact portion and the non-contact portion can be reduced), and transfer spots can be eliminated.

Note that, in the plurality of transport rollers 50 configured as described above, the concave and convex shape continuous in the axial direction formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof may have the same concave and convex position between the adjacent transport rollers 50, but is preferable. As schematically shown in FIG. 6, it is desirable that the positions of the projections and depressions be different between adjacent conveyance rollers 50 in a staggered arrangement.
By arranging the transport roller 50 in this manner, the locus of the contact portion of the transport roller 50 with respect to the substrate G is dispersed, and the occurrence of transfer spots can be further prevented.

  In the heat treatment unit (HT) 28 configured as described above, the substrate conveyed by the conveyance mechanism on the reduced pressure drying unit (DP) 27 side (the development unit (DEV) 30 side in the heat treatment unit (HT) 31)). When G passes through the carry-in entrance 61, the first and second planar heaters are delivered to the roller transport mechanism 5 and temperature-controlled by a heater controller (not shown) while being transported by the roller transport mechanism 5. Heated in the casing 6 by 71 and 72.

Here, as described above, the conveyance roller 50 that conveys the glass substrate G during the heat treatment has the outer peripheral surface 53 formed in a concave-convex shape (bellows shape) that is regularly continuous in the axial direction, and the tip of the convex portion. The shape 56 has a radius of curvature R that is pointed to 3 mm or less, and is in point contact with the glass substrate G. Therefore, the heat of the transport roller 50 is transported without being transmitted to the glass substrate G through the contact portion.
Further, in the concavo-convex shape of the outer peripheral surface 53, the distance dimension L1 between the convex part tips 56 is at least 2 mm or more (preferably 4 mm) and 8 mm or less, and the depth dimension L2 of the concave part 57 is at least 1 mm or more (preferably 2 mm or more). It is said. Thereby, the contact part and non-contact part with respect to the board | substrate G of the conveyance roller 50 adjoin, the heat transfer amount from the conveyance roller 50 to the board | substrate G becomes uniform (the difference in heat transfer amount becomes small), and transfer spots Occurrence is suppressed.

  When the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5 passes through the carry-out port 62, it is delivered to the transport mechanism on the cooling unit (COL) 29 side (the cooling unit (COL) 32 side in the heat treatment unit (HT) 31)). It is conveyed by a flat flow type conveying mechanism.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the outer peripheral surface 53 of the conveying roller 50 is formed into a concavo-convex shape that is regularly continuous in the axial direction, and the conveying roller has a point contact with the glass substrate G. Heat may not be transferred to the substrate through the contact portion or may be dissipated.
In particular, by setting the distance L1 between the projections 56 to at least 2 mm (preferably 4 mm), 8 mm or less, and the depth L2 of the recess 57 to at least 1 mm (preferably 2 mm or more), the conveying roller 50 The contact portion and the non-contact portion with respect to the substrate G can be brought close to each other, the amount of heat transfer from the transport roller 50 to the substrate G can be made uniform (the difference in the amount of heat transfer is small), and transfer spots can be eliminated.

In the above embodiment, the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention is applied to the heat treatment unit (HT). However, the present invention is not limited to the heating apparatus, and the cooling apparatus (COL) 25, 29, 32, etc. Can also be suitably used.
That is, when the substrate G after the heat treatment is cooled by the cooling unit (COL), the heat transfer amount from the transfer roller to the substrate G can be made uniform, and the cooling treatment can be performed so as not to cause a temperature difference.

  Next, the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention will be further described based on examples. In this example, the effect was verified by actually performing experiments using the heat treatment unit having the structure described in the above embodiment.

In the experiment, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), a roller member is used in which the outer peripheral surface has an uneven shape that is continuous in the axial direction, and the tip of the protrusion has a predetermined radius of curvature R, as in the above embodiment. Then, the glass substrate was transported, and the state of the resist film after the heat treatment (presence of transfer spots due to transport rollers) was observed. As conditions for the heat treatment, the conveyance speed was set to 44 mm / sec, the preheating treatment was set to 160 ° C. for 45 sec, the baking treatment was set to 110 ° C. for 90 sec, and the hot air temperature was set to 115 ° C.
Table 1 shows the results of evaluating the plurality of conditions in the examples and the presence or absence of transfer spots corresponding thereto. In the evaluation results, ◯ indicates no spots, Δ indicates substantially no spots, and x indicates spots.

As a result of the experiment, as shown in the results of Condition 1 to Condition 4, when the radius of curvature R of the tip of the convex portion was 3 mm or less, transfer spots were not confirmed and good results were obtained. This is because when the radius of curvature R of the tip of the convex portion is 4 mm or more, the contact between the tip of the convex portion and the substrate surface becomes a line contact, and the drying speed of the resist solution is affected between the portion where the tip of the convex portion is not in contact. It is considered that transfer spots occur.
Further, as shown in the results of Condition 3 to Condition 9, good results are obtained when the distance L1 between the protrusion tips is at least 2 mm (preferably 4 mm) and the recess depth L2 is at least 1 mm. It was.
As for the distance dimension L1 between the tips of the convex portions, it is considered that if the distance is too close, the line contact is approached, and if the interval is wide, the amount of heat transfer from the conveying roller to the substrate is not uniform. The same applies to the depth dimension L2 of the concave portion with respect to the tip of the convex portion.
From the above, it was confirmed that transfer spots can be suppressed when the distance L1 between the tips of the protrusions is at least 2 mm (preferably 4 mm) and the recess depth L2 is at least 1 mm.

Comparative example

As a comparative example, as shown in FIGS. 8 (b) and 8 (c), using a roller member having a predetermined width dimension with a flat front end of the roller outer peripheral surface, the same heat treatment conditions as in the above example Then, heat treatment was performed and the presence or absence of transfer spots was observed.
Table 2 shows the conditions of the comparative examples (conditions 9 and 10) and the results of evaluating the presence or absence of transfer spots corresponding thereto. In the evaluation results of Table 2, “◯” indicates no spots, “Δ” indicates substantially no spots, and “×” indicates spots.

  As shown in Table 2, the width L3 of the tip of the convex portion that comes into contact with the glass substrate is as wide as 5 mm (condition 9) or 10 mm (condition 10), and is particularly longer than the width L3 as in condition 10. In the roller member having the distance L1 between the convex portions, the occurrence of transfer spots was recognized remarkably between the contact portion with the glass substrate and the non-contact portion.

  As a result of the above examples, it was confirmed that the occurrence of coating unevenness can be greatly suppressed according to the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention.

5 Roller transport mechanism (substrate transport device)
50 Conveying roller 51 Rotating shaft 52 Rolling member 56 Convex tip 57 Concave 60 Bearing G Glass substrate
R Curvature radius

Claims (3)

In a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate to be processed,
A transfer roller that extends in the width direction of the substrate to be processed and is rotatably supported in the substrate transfer direction, and is laid at a predetermined interval in the substrate transfer direction; a rotation shaft that supports the transfer roller; and Drive means for rotationally driving the rotating shaft,
The transport roller is formed by connecting a plurality of cylindrical roller members having a predetermined length in the axial direction to the rotating shaft and connecting each roller member with an adjacent roller member,
The roller member at one end of the transport roller is fixed to the rotating shaft, the other roller member is fixed only to the adjacent roller member to be connected, and the other roller member is in the axial direction of the rotating shaft. The substrate transfer device is not fixed to the rotating shaft so as to be extendable and contractable .   2. The roller member according to claim 1, wherein one end of the roller member is formed in a male screw shape and the other end is formed in a female screw shape, and is connected to adjacent roller members by screwing. Substrate transfer device.   In the transport roller, a plurality of roller members connected to the one roller member fixed to the rotating shaft are screwed to adjacent roller members by rotating in a direction opposite to the rotating direction of the rotating shaft. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus is provided.

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