JP5473591B2 - Conveyance vibration monitoring apparatus, vacuum processing apparatus, and conveyance vibration monitoring method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer vibration monitoring apparatus, a vacuum processing apparatus, and a transfer vibration monitoring method for measuring the vibration of a carrier that transfers a substrate in an inline type film forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a carrier during substrate transfer in an inline type film forming apparatus. The present invention relates to a transfer vibration monitoring apparatus, a vacuum processing apparatus, and a transfer vibration monitoring method capable of constantly monitoring vibrations applied to a substrate via a substrate.

  The substrate transport mechanism of the inline film forming apparatus is configured to transport a carrier on which a substrate is mounted along a transport path (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). Specifically, a large number of bearings are arranged along the carrier conveyance direction in the conveyance path, and the carrier on which the substrate is mounted is configured to be positioned during conveyance by contacting these bearings. Has been.

  For this reason, when an error occurs in the mounting position of the bearing on the conveyance path, a step generated between adjacent bearings is transmitted as vibration to the carrier being conveyed. When this vibration is large, the substrate mounted on the carrier may fall off the carrier holder, leading to a reduction in the operating rate of the film forming apparatus.

  In order to prevent such a substrate from falling off, in the adjustment of the conventional substrate transfer device, a plurality of flat bars with high surface accuracy are brought into contact with the cylindrical surfaces of the bearings arranged in parallel and in a straight line. While measuring the gap between the cylindrical surface of the bearing and the flat bar, the conveying device was adjusted until the gap became a predetermined value or less.

JP-A-10-194451 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-091945 JP 2001-206548 A

  However, in the conventional method of observing the gap by bringing a flat bar into contact with the bearing, there is a problem that the adjustment accuracy is likely to vary depending on the skill of the operator, and a long time is required for maintenance. Further, in the conventional method, it is difficult to detect a minute step, and thus there is a problem that it is difficult to quickly solve a conveyance trouble due to vibration. Furthermore, there is a possibility that particles generated by the sliding contact of the components due to the vibration of the carrier may adversely affect the product yield.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and by adjusting the step between the bearings of the substrate transport mechanism with higher accuracy and speed than before, it is possible to improve apparatus operation rate, product yield, and maintenance cost. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer vibration monitoring apparatus, a vacuum processing apparatus, and a transfer vibration monitoring method for an in-line film forming apparatus that can be reduced.

The conveyance vibration monitoring apparatus according to the present invention can measure a change in acceleration attached to a carrier that is conveyed along a conveyance path that is provided through a plurality of chambers that constitute a vacuum processing apparatus by mounting a substrate. A transport provided with an acceleration sensor, a substrate fall detection means attached to the transport path side for detecting whether or not the carrier holds the substrate, and a computer for processing a measurement value measured by the acceleration sensor A vibration monitoring apparatus, wherein the computer compares a measurement value measured by the acceleration sensor with the carrier being transported and a first reference value of acceleration set in advance. A first conveyance stop step for stopping conveyance of the carrier when the measured value is larger than the first reference value; and the measured value is preset. A second vibration determining step for comparing with a second reference value of acceleration; and the substrate drop detecting means for determining whether or not the substrate is held on the carrier when the measured value is larger than the second reference value. Performing a process including: a substrate confirmation step to be used and a second conveyance stop step for stopping conveyance of the carrier when it is confirmed that the substrate is not held by the carrier in the substrate confirmation step. It is characterized by that.

  Alternatively, the conveyance vibration monitoring method according to the present invention may be configured to detect an acceleration change attached to a carrier that is conveyed along a conveyance path that is provided through a plurality of chambers that form a vacuum processing apparatus with a substrate mounted thereon. A conveyance vibration monitoring method using an acceleration sensor that can be measured, a substrate drop detection unit that is attached to the conveyance path side and detects whether the carrier holds the substrate, and a computer that analyzes the measurement value measured by the acceleration sensor A first vibration determination step for comparing a measured value measured by the acceleration sensor with the carrier being transported and a first reference value of acceleration set in advance, and the measured value is the first reference value. The first conveyance stop step for stopping the carrier conveyance when the value is larger than the second vibration determination step for comparing the measured value with the second reference value of the preset acceleration. A step of confirming whether the substrate is held on the carrier when the measured value is larger than the second reference value, and when confirming that the substrate is not held on the carrier in the substrate checking step. A second conveyance stop step for stopping conveyance of the carrier, wherein the first reference value is an acceleration value larger than the second reference value.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately monitor the vibration applied to the carrier during carrier conveyance, and the vibration state can be digitized and visualized, thereby effectively preventing the occurrence of conveyance trouble due to vibration. Therefore, the operating rate of the film forming apparatus can be increased.

1 is a schematic view of an in-line film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic of the carrier which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart figure of the vibration measurement using the vibration monitoring apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

  The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the structure and member demonstrated below are examples, and are not limited to this description.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an in-line type film forming apparatus S (hereinafter referred to as a film forming apparatus S), which includes a load chamber LL that supplies a substrate 6, an unload chamber UL that discharges the substrate, and a carrier T. A plurality of chambers having specific functions, such as a corner chamber C that rotates and changes its direction, and a process chamber S1 that processes a substrate, are connected in a rectangular shape. A stock chamber ST is connected to the corner chamber C. The film forming apparatus S includes a substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate 6 (carrier T) between these chambers and a transport vibration monitoring device for measuring vibration (acceleration) applied to the substrate during substrate transport. Is provided.

  The substrate transport mechanism includes a carrier T that holds the substrate 6 and a transport path R that moves the carrier T smoothly while supporting the carrier T in a vertical posture. The conveyance path R is configured to have a magnetic screw whose conveyance direction coincides with the rotation axis and a main rail 9 fixed to the bottom surface in the chamber. A plurality of guide rollers 7 that support the carrier T from below and smoothly convey the carrier T are attached to the main rail 9 in a straight line.

  FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the carrier T. A holder 2 that can hold the substrate 6 is attached to the upper side of the slider 1. The holder 2 can hold the substrate 6 via three substrate support claws 4 made of leaf springs, and can stably transport the substrate 6 against acceleration applied when the carrier T is conveyed at high speed. It is a possible structure. Further, a permanent magnet (not shown) capable of forming a magnetic coupling with a magnetic screw provided on the conveyance path R side is attached to the side surface of the carrier T, and the carrier T moves forward and backward as the magnetic screw rotates. Is configured to do.

  A carrier rail 8 that is in contact with the guide roller 7 on the main rail 9 side is attached to the bottom surface of the carrier T. That is, when the carrier T is transported along the transport path R, the guide roller 7 attached to the main rail 9 and the carrier rail 8 attached to the bottom surface of the carrier T are in contact with the carrier rail 8. As the guide roller 7 rotates, the carrier T can move smoothly. The guide roller 7 is also disposed at a position where the carrier T can be supported so as to sandwich the carrier T from the left and right sides, and guides the transport position of the carrier T in the horizontal direction.

  Further, the carrier T is provided with a substantially frame-shaped sensor holder 10 for fixing a vibration sensor 5 described later as a separate body from the holder 2. The vibration sensor 5 can be fixed to the sensor holder 10 with screws 11. The attachment position of the vibration sensor 5 to the carrier T is not limited to the above, and may be attached to a part other than the sensor holder 10. For example, the vibration sensor 5 may be attached to the holder 2 or the slider 1.

The carrier vibration monitoring apparatus includes a carrier T including a vibration sensor (acceleration sensor) 5, a measurement data receiving antenna 12, and a PC (computer) 13, and data measured by the vibration sensor 5. Can be stored in the PC 13 via the transmitting antenna (3) and the receiving antenna 12.
Below, each member which comprises a conveyance vibration monitoring apparatus is demonstrated.

  The vibration sensor (acceleration sensor) 5 is a sensor that measures the acceleration that the carrier T receives during conveyance, and a known sensor can be used. For example, when there is a step in the mounting height of the plurality of guide rollers 7, when the carrier T is transported along the transport path R, the carrier T moves in the vertical direction (vertical direction) according to the step of the guide roller 7. ) Is received from the main rail 9 side. By disposing the vibration sensor 5 so as to be able to measure vibration in the vertical direction, the step of the guide roller 7 can be detected as a change in acceleration.

  Similarly, by disposing the vibration sensor 5 so as to be able to measure vibration in the left and right direction (horizontal direction) of the conveyance path R, the deviation of the guide roller 7 located on the left and right sides of the conveyance path R and the horizontal direction of the main rail 9 are measured. Can be detected as a change in acceleration. Further, by arranging the vibration in the forward / backward direction of the transport path R so as to be measurable, a transport operation such as stop / advance of the carrier T can be detected as a change in acceleration.

  Furthermore, by arranging the vibration sensor 5 at a biased position on the front side or the rear side of the carrier T, it is possible to detect a change in acceleration applied to the carrier T during rotation in the corner chamber C. It is preferable to use a vibration sensor that can simultaneously measure accelerations in the three axial directions of the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the forward / backward direction.

  The vibration sensor 5 includes a built-in battery and a transmitting antenna 3 (not shown), and is configured to be able to transmit measurement values wirelessly. The measurement value transmitted from the transmitting antenna can be received by the receiving antenna 12. The receiving antenna 12 is disposed on the atmosphere side, and in the present embodiment, the receiving antenna 12 is disposed in a space (courtyard) on the inner side of the in-line type film forming apparatus S in which the chambers are connected in a rectangular shape.

  Regardless of the position of the carrier T on the transport path R, the measurement value from the transmission antenna can be received by arranging the reception antenna 12 in the courtyard. The receiving antenna 12 is connected to the PC 13. The PC 13 analyzes the measured value, and various outputs according to the analysis result are performed via the monitor of the PC 13 or a predetermined output terminal.

  FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of vibration measurement using the vibration monitoring apparatus. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the vibration sensor 5 is arranged so as to be able to measure vibration in the vertical direction. First, the substrate transport device is operated to start transporting the carrier T (S001). The vibration measurement is started simultaneously with the start of carrier conveyance (S001) (S002). In the vibration measurement (S002), the acceleration measurement value a measured by the vibration sensor 5 is taken into the PC 13 via the transmission antenna 3 and the reception antenna 12. Further, it is assumed that the acceleration measurement value can be sampled every arbitrary set time of 1 ms or more.

  The acceleration reference values b and c are set before the vibration measurement (S002) is started. The reference value b (first reference value) is a value of the acceleration received by the carrier T when a large level difference immediately exceeding the level requiring maintenance occurs between the guide rollers 7, and the reference value c (second reference value). Is a value of the acceleration that the carrier T receives when there is a level difference between the guide rollers 7 that is not at a level that requires immediate maintenance but is likely to drop the substrate 6.

  Further, since the vibration sensor 5 cannot be measured when it is used for a certain period of time and the built-in battery runs out, it is necessary to replace the vibration sensor 5 with another vibration sensor-mounted carrier T held in the stock chamber ST. Therefore, an upper limit time (exchange time t) that can be measured with a built-in battery (not shown) mounted on the vibration sensor 5 is set.

In S003, the acceleration measurement value a is compared with the reference value b (first vibration determination step).
When a vibration numerical value (acceleration) exceeding the reference value b is detected (S003: YES), carrier transport is stopped (S004: first transport stop step), and the substrate transport apparatus T is maintained such as adjustment between the guide rollers 7. (S005). After the maintenance, the carrier is again transferred to the START (S001). If the measured value is less than or equal to the reference value b (S003: NO), the process proceeds to S006.

In S006, the acceleration measurement value a is compared with the reference value c (second vibration determination step).
When the vibration numerical value (acceleration value) exceeding the reference value c is measured (S006: YES), it is confirmed whether or not the substrate 6 is mounted on the carrier T (holder), that is, whether or not the substrate 6 is present (S007: substrate). Confirmation step). This is because there is a possibility that the substrate 6 is dropped due to the vibration received by the carrier T. When it is confirmed that the substrate 6 has been dropped (S007: YES), the conveyance of the carrier T is stopped (S008: second conveyance stop step), and adjustment of the substrate conveyance device such as adjustment between the guide rollers 7 is performed (S009).

  When it is confirmed that the substrate 6 has not dropped (S007: NO), vibration measurement is continued (to S002). If the measured value is equal to or less than the reference value c (S006: NO), the process proceeds to S010. Note that when the substrate transport is stopped in S004 and S008, the identification number of the carrier T in which the abnormal acceleration is detected and the detection position (chamber identification symbol) are displayed on the monitor of the PC 13.

  The confirmation of the presence or absence of the substrate 6 performed in S007 is performed using an optical sensor (substrate drop detection means) installed at a height that allows the substrate 6 in the process chamber S1 to pass. That is, the substrate conveyance is started and the light shielding time or the light detection pattern when the holder 1 passes between the optical sensors is measured. If the light shielding time is longer than a predetermined value or the light detection pattern is a predetermined pattern. In this case, it is determined that the substrate 6 is held (S007: NO). On the other hand, if the light shielding time is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time or the light detection pattern is a specific pattern, it is determined that the substrate 6 has fallen (S007: YES), the conveyance is stopped (S008), and the substrate conveyance apparatus is maintained. It performs (S009). In the present embodiment, the optical sensor for checking the presence / absence of the substrate is installed in each chamber.

  In S010, the elapsed time x (continuous measurement time) from the start of vibration measurement S002 is compared with the replacement time t (reference time). When the elapsed time x has reached the replacement time t (S010: YES), the carrier T that has been used for vibration measurement until then is accommodated in the stock chamber ST, and instead stored in the stock chamber ST. Is replaced with the carrier T with the vibration sensor 5 (S011), and then vibration measurement is resumed (S001).

  By using the vibration monitoring apparatus and the film forming apparatus S according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately monitor the vibration applied to the carrier T during carrier conveyance, and the vibration state can be quantified and visualized. Therefore, highly accurate maintenance can be performed in a short time, and as a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of transport troubles due to vibration during carrier transport, and to improve the operating rate of the film forming apparatus.

S In-line type film forming apparatus R Transport path S1 Process chamber ST Stock chamber LL Load chamber UL Unload chamber C Corner chamber T Carrier 1 Slider 2 Holder 3 Transmitting antenna 4 Substrate support claw 5 Vibration sensor (acceleration sensor)
6 Substrate 7 Guide roller 8 Carrier rail 9 Main rail 10 Sensor holder 11 Screw 12 Transmitting antenna 13 PC

Claims (4)

  An acceleration sensor capable of measuring a change in acceleration attached to a carrier transported along a transport path disposed through a plurality of chambers constituting a vacuum processing apparatus by mounting a substrate;
  A substrate fall detection means attached to the transport path side for detecting whether the carrier holds the substrate;
  A transfer vibration monitoring apparatus comprising: a computer that processes measurement values measured by the acceleration sensor;
The computer
  A first vibration determination step of comparing a measurement value measured by the acceleration sensor with the carrier being transported and a first reference value of acceleration set in advance;
  A first conveyance stop step of stopping conveyance of the carrier when the measured value is larger than the first reference value;
  A second vibration determining step of comparing the measured value with a second reference value of acceleration set in advance;
  A substrate confirmation step for confirming whether or not the substrate is held on the carrier when the measurement value is larger than the second reference value, using the substrate drop detection means;
  A transport vibration monitoring apparatus, comprising: a second transport stop step that stops transport of the carrier when it is confirmed that the substrate is not held by the carrier in the substrate check step. . An acceleration sensor capable of measuring a change in acceleration attached to a carrier transported along a transport path disposed through a plurality of chambers constituting a vacuum processing apparatus by mounting a substrate;
A substrate fall detection means attached to the transport path side for detecting whether the carrier holds the substrate;
A conveyance vibration monitoring method using a computer that analyzes a measurement value measured by the acceleration sensor,
A first vibration determination step of comparing a measurement value measured by the acceleration sensor with the carrier being transported and a first reference value of acceleration set in advance;
A first conveyance stop step of stopping conveyance of the carrier when the measured value is larger than the first reference value;
A second vibration determining step of comparing the measured value with a second reference value of acceleration set in advance;
A substrate confirmation step for confirming whether the substrate is held on the carrier when the measured value is larger than the second reference value;
A second conveyance stop step of stopping conveyance of the carrier when it is confirmed that the substrate is not held on the carrier in the substrate confirmation step,
The conveyance vibration monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the first reference value is an acceleration value larger than the second reference value. Position information of the chamber in which the first reference value or the second reference value is detected is displayed on the computer when the carrier transport is stopped by the first transport stop step and the second transport stop step. The conveyance vibration monitoring method according to claim 2 , wherein: The continuous measurement time when the acceleration is measured using the acceleration sensor is compared with a preset reference time. When the continuous measurement time exceeds the reference time, the carrier to which the acceleration sensor is attached is replaced. The conveyance vibration monitoring method according to claim 2, wherein the conveyance vibration monitoring method is performed.