JP7705337B2 - Vacuum Processing Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus that performs a predetermined vacuum processing on the processing surface of a substrate to be processed while transporting a transport tray on one side of which the substrate is placed, and more specifically, to an apparatus that includes a first chamber that allows the position of the transport tray to be changed and a second chamber connected thereto.

The above-mentioned type of vacuum processing apparatus is known, for example, from Patent Document 1. Hereinafter, the movement direction of the transport tray is defined as the X-axis direction, the direction of gravitational acceleration perpendicular to the X-axis direction as the Z-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Z-axis directions as the Y-axis direction. The attitude of the transport tray (and the substrate) in which the processing surface of the substrate to be processed (hereinafter referred to as the "substrate") faces upward in the Z-axis direction is defined as the horizontal attitude, and the attitude in which the processing surface faces one side of the Y-axis direction is defined as the upright attitude. The apparatus described in Patent Document 1 above, for example, is equipped with a first chamber and a second chamber to transport a substrate before processing that exists in an atmospheric atmosphere in a horizontal attitude, place it on the transport tray, and after changing the attitude to an upright attitude (including an attitude in which the transport tray is tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the Z axis), transport the upright transport tray to each vacuum (processing) chamber in a vacuum atmosphere. The first chamber is, for example, a so-called position chamber in which the substrate is attached to and detached from the transport tray, and inside the first chamber, for example, a tilting part that can be tilted while holding the transport tray from the other side side, and a moving part that can move the tilting part left and right in the Y-axis direction are provided.

When a substrate is placed on the horizontally oriented transport tray in the first chamber, the tilting section lifts the transport tray while rotating it to put it in an upright position, and then the moving section moves it in one direction along the Y axis to a position above the transport section in the Z axis direction described below, and then hands it over to the transport section by inserting the transport tray. When receiving the transport tray Tr containing the processed substrate Sw from the transport section, the tilting section holds the transport tray from the other side, lifts the upright transport tray by pulling it out upward in the Z axis direction, then rotates the transport tray while lowering it to change it to a horizontal position, and moves it in the other direction along the Y axis to a predetermined position, making it possible to recover the processed substrate from the transport tray.

The second chamber connected in the X-axis direction via a gate valve is a so-called load lock chamber, and is provided with a vacuum pump and an air release valve so that the inside can be switched between air and vacuum, making it possible to transport a transport tray to each vacuum chamber in a vacuum atmosphere, for example. The first and second chambers are provided with a transport means for transporting the transport tray in an upright position along the X-axis direction. The transport means includes a guide section (hereinafter referred to as the "first guide section") that guides the movement in the X-axis direction while pulling the upper part of the transport tray upward in the Z-axis direction without contact, and a transport section that supports the transport tray in contact and transports it (see, for example, Patent Document 2). As the first guide section, one that includes one magnet (hereinafter referred to as the "first magnet") provided on the upper surface of the transport tray in the Z-axis direction, and the other magnet (hereinafter referred to as the "second magnet") that is spaced above the first magnet in the Z-axis direction and is arranged along the X-axis direction at the top of the first and second chambers so as to attract the first magnet.

The commonly used transport section is equipped with transport rollers with a curved groove of a predetermined curvature that engage with a cylindrical rail member provided on the underside of the transport tray in the Z-axis direction and extending in the X-axis direction. The transport tray is transported back and forth in the X-axis direction between the first and second chambers while being guided in the X-axis direction by the first guide section as each transport roller rotates. Usually, in order to increase the so-called throughput, the first and second chambers are provided with two lanes (a forward transport path and a return transport path) each equipped with a first guide section and a transport section, spaced apart in the Y-axis direction, allowing the transport tray to be transported simultaneously between the first and second chambers.

In the conveying section of the conveying means, the first guide section usually pulls part of the weight of the conveying tray (including the weight of the substrate if a substrate is placed thereon) in order to suppress wear powder (dust generation), thereby reducing the surface pressure and load applied to the conveying roller that contacts and supports the remaining weight of the conveying tray. At the same time, the conveying roller of the conveying section is configured to limit the degree of freedom in the Y-axis direction, etc. In other words, when the conveying tray is conveyed by the conveying means, the first guide section is configured to limit the movement of the conveying tray to a certain range at the top of the conveying tray with respect to rotation (yaw) around the up-down axis in the Z-axis direction, rotation (roll) around the front-back axis in the X-axis direction, and movement in the Y-axis direction, and similarly, the conveying roller is configured to limit the movement of the conveying tray to a certain range at the bottom of the conveying tray with respect to rotation (yaw) around the up-down axis in the Z-axis direction, rotation (roll) around the front-back axis in the X-axis direction, and movement in the Y-axis direction. In addition, the conveyor rollers are configured to limit the freedom of movement in the Z-axis direction and rotation (pitching) around the Y-axis direction, and the guide section only serves to reduce the surface pressure and load applied to the conveyor rollers.

In the above-mentioned configuration of the transport section, it is possible to impose a certain restriction on the degree of freedom of rotation of the transport tray around the X-axis or Z-axis front and rear axes and the left and right movement in the Y-axis direction (i.e., it is possible to prevent the transport tray from departing from the transport roller at the bottom), but the restriction on the degree of freedom of movement at the bottom of the transport tray is a configuration that uses mechanical engagement elements such as the rail members and the grooves of the transport rollers. For this reason, in the grooves of the transport rollers, the engagement members may slide left and right in the Y-axis direction as the transport tray moves, and there is a problem that the sliding friction at this time generates wear powder in the grooves as the engagement members and transport rollers rotate. This is particularly noticeable when the transport tray is always tilted at a certain angle to the Z-axis direction and transported.

To solve this problem, it is proposed to configure the portion of the transport section that contacts and supports the transport tray with rolling bodies such as spheres, limiting the degree of freedom only in the Z-axis direction, and to provide another guide section (hereinafter referred to as the "second guide section") that guides movement in the X-axis direction while being pulled upward in the Z-axis direction without contact at the lower part of the transport tray in the Z-axis direction. The second guide section, like the first guide section, can be configured with one magnet (hereinafter referred to as the "third magnet") provided at the lower part of the transport tray in the Z-axis direction, and another magnet (hereinafter referred to as the "fourth magnet") provided in the first and second chambers, spaced above the third magnet in the Z-axis direction and attracting the third magnet. In such a case, the third magnet may be provided, for example, on the other side of the transport tray, with the lower end extending outward in the Y-axis direction to form a support plate portion, which is provided on the upper surface of the Z-axis direction, and the fourth magnet may be provided on the lower surface of the horizontal wall portion, which is provided with support walls that face the support plate portion of the transport tray along the outward transport path and return transport path into the first chamber and second chamber, with the horizontal wall portion spaced apart in the Z-axis direction.

According to the above, when the transport tray is transported while being guided by the first guide section at the top of the transport tray, even if the transport tray has the freedom of rotation (roll) of the transport tray about the front and rear axis in the X-axis direction and the freedom of movement in the left and right direction in the Y-axis direction, only rolling friction occurs in the transport section, so that the generation of wear powder due to sliding friction as in the above conventional example can be suppressed as much as possible. In addition, a part of the remaining weight of the transport tray that is contact-supported by the transport section is also pulled by the second guide section, so that the load of the transport tray applied to the part of the transport section that contact-supports the transport tray can be reduced, and further, the freedom of rotation (roll) of the transport tray about the front and rear axis in the X-axis direction and the freedom of movement in the left and right direction in the Y-axis direction at the bottom of the transport tray is limited, so that the generation of wear powder due to friction can be further suppressed. In addition, in the present invention, the "lower part in the Z-axis direction" of the transport tray does not refer only to the lower end part in the Z-axis direction, but refers to the part located below the center of gravity of the transport tray that is contact-supported by the transport section in the Z-axis direction. However, providing the second guide section as described above creates a problem in that interference between the third and fourth magnets, which are close to each other, can impede the insertion and removal of the transport tray into and from the transport section.

Re-table No. 2012-140801 JP 2005-289556 A

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a vacuum processing device that allows the insertion and removal of a transport tray into and from the transport section, even when a configuration is adopted in which the transport tray is pulled upward in the Z-axis direction without contact at the upper and lower parts in the Z-axis direction while guiding movement in the X-axis direction in order to minimize the generation of wear powder due to sliding friction.

In order to solve the above problems, a vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention performs a predetermined vacuum processing on a processing surface of a substrate to be processed while transporting a transport tray on one surface of which the substrate is placed, the vacuum processing apparatus having the following features: two mutually perpendicular directions in a horizontal plane are the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction; a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is the Z-axis direction; a horizontal position is a position of the transport tray in which the processing surface of the substrate to be processed faces upward in the Z-axis direction; and an upright position is a position in which the processing surface faces one side in the Y-axis direction; the vacuum processing apparatus has a first chamber and a second chamber connected to each other in the X-axis direction; the first chamber and the second chamber are provided with transport means for transporting the upright-positioned transport tray along the X-axis direction; The conveying means is provided inside the first chamber and the second chamber and includes a first guide section that guides movement in the X -axis direction while pulling an upper part of the conveying tray upward in the Z-axis direction without contact, a second guide section that guides movement in the X-axis direction while pulling a lower part of the conveying tray upward in the Z-axis direction without contact, and a conveying section that supports the conveying tray in contact and conveys the conveying tray back and forth in the X-axis direction, and is provided with a drive section that moves at least the part of the second guide section located inside the first chamber in the Y-axis direction.

In the present invention, when the first and second transport paths are provided in the first and second chambers with a first guide section, a transport section, and a second guide section spaced apart in the Y-axis direction, the second guide section includes one magnet provided on the upper surface in the Z-axis direction of a support plate section formed on the lower part of the transport tray on the other side, and the other magnet provided on the lower surface in the Z-axis direction of a support wall arranged along each transport path in the first and second chambers so as to attract the one magnet from above in the Z-axis direction, and a configuration can be adopted in which the parts of each second guide section are movable parts of the support wall including the other magnet, and each movable part is moved integrally in the Y-axis direction by the drive section.

According to the above, when inserting the transport tray into the transport section or removing the transport tray from the transport section, if the drive unit retracts the part of the second guide unit including the other magnet (the movable part of the support wall including the other magnet) to one side in the Y-axis direction, there is no problem that one magnet as the second guide unit interferes with the other magnet, hindering the insertion or removal of the transport tray. In this case, if another drive unit is further provided to move the above part in the Z-axis direction, and, for example, before holding the transport tray in an upright position with the tilting unit when removing the transport tray, there is no problem that the two magnets close to each other come into contact due to vibrations when holding the transport tray with the tilting unit. Moreover, since only the above part is moved independently, there is no problem that the throughput is reduced.

If there is a risk that the movable part of the second guide unit will interfere with the transport unit when it is retracted in the Y-axis direction, it is preferable that the transport unit has rolling elements arranged along the first and second transport paths in the first and second chambers and in point contact with the underside of the transport tray, and that another drive unit is provided to move each rolling element in the first chamber together in at least one of the Y-axis and Z-axis directions.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the in-line vacuum processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the in-line vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view showing a transport state of the transport tray. 6A to 6F are diagrams for explaining the operation of receiving a transport tray from the transport section and handing over the transport tray to the transport section.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention will be described using an in-line type example in which the substrate to be processed is a large-area glass substrate (hereinafter referred to as "substrate Sw") used in the manufacture of flat panel displays, and the transport tray Tr on which the substrate Sw is placed is transported along the transport paths Tp1 and Tp2 described below in a vacuum chamber while performing various vacuum processes such as film formation, heat treatment, and etching on one side (processing surface) of the substrate Sw. In the following, the movement direction of the transport tray Tr along the transport paths Tp1 and Tp2 is defined as the X-axis direction, the direction of gravitational acceleration perpendicular to the X-axis direction is defined as the Z-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Z-axis directions is defined as the Y-axis direction. In addition, the posture of the transport tray (and substrate Sw) in which the processing surface of the substrate Sw placed on the transport tray Tr faces upward in the Z-axis direction is defined as the horizontal posture, and the posture of the transport tray Tr (and substrate Sw) in which the processing surface of the substrate Sw faces one side in the Y-axis direction is defined as the upright posture (including the posture in which the transport tray Tr is tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the Z-axis).

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the vacuum processing device VM includes a position chamber (first chamber) Pc for placing the unprocessed substrate Sw in a horizontal position on one side of the transport tray Tr by a transport robot (not shown), or for removing the processed substrate Sw from the horizontal transport tray Tr. The transport tray Tr is composed of a plate-like body 11 having an outline one size larger than the substrate Sw. The plate-like body 11 is provided with a substrate receiving portion 12 against which the lower side of the substrate Sw abuts when the substrate Sw is in an upright position, and a pressing portion (not shown) such as a clamp that locally presses the edge of the substrate Sw against the plate-like body 11, so that the substrate Sw in an upright position can be held on the transport tray Tr during vacuum processing. Depending on the vacuum processing of the substrate Sw, a mask plate may be attached together with the substrate Sw. Since a known one can be used as such a transport tray Tr, further explanation is omitted.

The position chamber Pc, which is maintained in an atmospheric atmosphere, is provided with a tilting unit 2 that can be tilted while holding the transport tray Tr from the other side, and the posture of the transport tray Tr can be changed between a horizontal posture and an upright posture. The tilting unit 2 is provided with a holding plate 21, and a holding mechanism such as a vacuum chuck (not shown) is provided at a predetermined position of the holding plate 21, so that the substrate Sw does not come off the holding plate 21 even when the transport tray Tr is in the upright posture. The holding plate 21 is connected to a rotating shaft 23 provided on two frames 22 that are erected at an interval in the X-axis direction and can be synchronously extended and retracted up and down in the Z-axis direction by a mechanism such as a single-axis robot (not shown). When the rotating shaft 23 is rotated in one direction by the motor Mt, the holding plate 21 rotates around the rotating shaft 23 to tilt the transport tray Tr. The lower end of each frame 22 is connected to a single-axis robot movement mechanism 24 installed in the position chamber Pc so that it extends in the Y-axis direction, and is freely movable back and forth in the Y-axis direction.

When the substrate Sw is placed on the horizontally oriented transport tray Tr in the position chamber Pc, the tilting unit 2 rotates the transport tray Tr while lifting it up to place it in an upright position, and then moves it in one direction along the Y axis to a position above the transport unit in the Z axis direction using the moving mechanism 24, which will be described later, and then passes the transport tray Tr to the transport unit by inserting it. On the other hand, when receiving the transport tray Tr with the processed substrate Sw from the transport unit, which will be described later, the tilting unit 2 holds the transport tray Tr from the other side, lifts the transport tray Tr in the upright position by pulling it out upward in the Z axis direction, and then rotates the transport tray Tr while lowering it to change it to a horizontal position and moves it to a predetermined position in the other direction along the Y axis, making it possible to collect the processed substrate Sw from the transport tray Tr.

A load lock chamber (second chamber) Lc is connected to the position chamber Pc in the X-axis direction via a gate valve Gv1. Although not shown or described, an exhaust pipe from a vacuum pump and a vent gas line for introducing vent gas are connected to the load lock chamber Lc, so that the load lock chamber Lc can be switched between a vacuum atmosphere and an air atmosphere as appropriate. A number of processing chambers Vc1 to Vcn corresponding to the various vacuum processes to be performed on the processing surface of the substrate Sw are connected to the load lock chamber Lc in the X-axis direction in sequence via gate valves Gv2 and Gvn. Each processing chamber Vc1 and Vcn is separated into two chambers, left and right, in the Y-axis direction by a partition wall 31 extending along the X-axis direction, and each chamber 31a and 31b is provided with a device 32 necessary for performing various vacuum processes, such as a sputtering cathode. While the transport tray Tr passes through each of the chambers 31a and 31b of each of the vacuum processing chambers Vc1 and Vcn in an upright position with the processing surface of the substrate Sw facing leftward in the Y-axis direction (downward in FIG. 2), various vacuum processes are performed on the processing surface of the substrate Sw. A turnback chamber Bc is connected to the processing chamber Vcn, which is located at the front and most downstream side in the X-axis direction.

The turnback chamber Bc is provided with a moving stage 4 with a transport roller 41 on its upper surface that can move left and right in the Y-axis direction, and the transport tray Tr received from the chamber 31a on the left side of the Y-axis direction of the processing chamber Vcn can be returned to the chamber 31b on the right side of the Y-axis direction of the processing chamber Pcn. A transport means Tm is provided so that the transport tray Tr can be transported in an upright position along two transport paths extending in the X-axis direction between the position chamber Pc and the turnback chamber Bc. In the following, the forward transport path Tp1 is the path that transports the transport tray Tr forward in the X-axis direction (from left to right in Figures 1 and 2) from the position chamber Pc, which are connected to each other in the X-axis direction, through the load lock chamber Lc, and the chamber 31a on the left side of the Y-axis direction of each processing chamber Vc1, Vcn, to the turnback chamber Bc. Conversely, the return transport path Tp2 is the path that transports the transport tray Tr backward in the X-axis direction (from right to left in Figure 1) from the turnback chamber Tc, through the chamber 31b on the right side of the Y-axis direction, and the load lock chamber Lc, to the position chamber Pc.

The transport means Tm includes a first guide unit 4 that guides the transport tray Tr in the upright position to move forward or backward in the X-axis direction while towing it upward in the Z-axis direction without contact, a transport unit 5 that transports the transport tray Tr forward or backward in the X-axis direction by contacting and supporting the remaining weight of the transport tray Tr, part of whose weight has been towed by the first guide unit 4, and a second guide unit 6 that guides the transport tray Tr in the forward or backward direction in the X-axis direction while towing it upward in the Z-axis direction without contact at the lower part of the Z-axis direction. The first guide unit 4 includes a first magnet 41 that is long in the X-axis direction and is attached along the upper edge of the Z-axis upper surface of the plate-like body 11 of the transport tray Tr, and a second magnet 42 that is arranged along the forward transport path Tp1 and the return transport path Tp2 at the upper part of the Z-axis direction in the position chamber Pc, the load lock chamber Lc, and each of the processing chambers Vc1 and Vcn. The first magnet 41 and the second magnet 42 are magnetized so that the polarities of their opposing surfaces are different, thereby guiding the movement of the transport tray Tr back and forth in the X-axis direction while pulling it upward in the Z-axis direction without contact. Note that the first magnet 41 and the second magnet 42 can be provided in multiple instances at intervals in the Y-axis direction, and in this case, it is preferable to alternate the polarities of the first magnet 41 and the second magnet 42 that face each other.

The transport unit 5 includes transport rollers 51 as rolling elements provided at intervals in the X-axis direction at the bottom of the position chamber Pc, the load lock chamber Lc, and each of the processing chambers Vc1 and Vcn along the forward transport path Tp1 and the return transport path Tp2. Each transport roller 51 is composed of a shaft body 51a journaled at a predetermined position in the position chamber Pc, the load lock chamber Lc, and each of the processing chambers Vc1 and Vcn, and a wheel portion 51b fitted to each shaft body 51a and contacting the Z-axis direction lower surface of the transport tray Tr. In this case, at least two wheel portions 51b are attached to a single shaft body 51a at intervals in the Y-axis direction, and the tip of the wheel portion 51b is also formed in an elliptical shape tapered radially outward, so that the wheel portion 51b makes point contact with the Z-axis direction lower surface of the transport tray Tr. In this embodiment, each transport roller 51 constitutes a part of the transport unit 5 that contacts and supports the transport tray Tr while restricting only the degree of freedom in the Z-axis direction. Although not specifically shown or described, the shaft 51a of each conveying roller 51 is connected to a known power transmission mechanism such as a pulley, gear, drive belt, or motor, and each conveying roller 51 is driven to rotate in the same direction in synchronization for the forward conveying path Tp1 and the return conveying path Tp2.

The second guide section 6 includes a third magnet (one magnet) 61 provided at the bottom of the transport tray Tr in the Z-axis direction, and a fourth magnet 62 arranged at the bottom of the position chamber Pc, the load lock chamber Lc, and each of the processing chambers Vc1 and Vcn along the forward transport path Tp1 and the return transport path Tp2. A support plate section 13 is formed on the plate-like body 11 of the transport tray Tr, extending outward from its lower end on the other surface side (left side in FIG. 3) facing away from the one surface on which the substrate Sw is placed, and the third magnet 61 is provided on the upper surface of the support plate section 13 in the Z-axis direction. On the other hand, along the forward transport path Tp1 and the return transport path Tp2, in the lower part of the Z axis direction in the position chamber Pc, the load lock chamber Lc, and each processing chamber Vc1, Vcn, a support wall 63 having a horizontal wall portion 63a facing the support plate portion 13 of the transport tray Tr at an interval in the Z axis direction is provided so as to extend along the X axis direction, and a fourth magnet 62 is provided on the lower surface of the horizontal wall portion 63a. The third magnet 61 and the fourth magnet 62 are magnetized so that the polarities of their opposing surfaces are different, thereby guiding the movement of the transport tray Tr forward and backward in the X axis direction while pulling the lower part of the Z axis direction of the transport tray Tr upward in the Z axis direction without contact. The third magnet 61 and the fourth magnet 62 can also be provided in multiple rows at intervals in the Y axis direction, as described above, and in this case, it is preferable to alternate the polarities of the third magnet 61 and the fourth magnet 62 that face each other.

By adopting the above configuration, when the transport tray Tr is transported back and forth in the X-axis direction, the transport rollers 51, which are rolling bodies and have point contact, are used as the lower surface of the transport tray Tr and the transport section 5, so that sliding friction between the track surface on the transport tray Tr side and the rolling bodies does not occur, and the generation of wear powder due to sliding friction as in the above conventional example can be suppressed as much as possible. Moreover, in addition to the first guide section 4 pulling a part of the weight of the transport tray Tr, the second guide section 6 also pulls a part of the remaining weight of the transport tray Tr that is contact-supported by the transport rollers 51, so that the load of the transport tray Tr applied to each transport roller 51 can be further reduced, and in addition, the second guide section 6 limits the degree of freedom of rotation (roll) of the transport tray Tr around the X-axis front and rear axis at the bottom of the transport tray Tr and the movement left and right in the Y-axis direction, so that the generation of wear powder due to friction can be further suppressed. However, when the transport tray Tr is handed over to or received from the transport unit 5 in the position chamber Pc, it is necessary to configure the configuration so that the insertion operation of the transport tray Tr into the transport roller 51 and the removal operation of the transport tray Tr from the transport roller 51 are not hindered by interference between the third magnet 61 and the fourth magnet 62, which are close to each other.

In this embodiment, the portions of both support walls 63 that exist within the position chamber Pc are configured as movable parts 63L and 63R that can move freely left and right in the Y-axis direction and up and down in the Z-axis direction. Each movable part 63L and 63R is erected on a common first movable base 71 provided within the position chamber Pc. The first movable base 71 is connected to (first) drive units 72a and 72b that can move it left and right in the Y-axis direction and up and down in the Z-axis direction with a predetermined stroke length. As the drive units 72a and 72b, publicly known devices such as air cylinders and linear motors can be used. In addition, support rods 52a and 52b equipped with bearings (not shown) are connected to the shaft body 51a of each conveying roller 51 that exists within the position chamber Pc, and the lower ends of the Z-axis direction of each support rod 52a and 52b are attached to a common second movable base 73 provided within the position chamber Pc. The second movable base 73 is connected to (second) drive units 74a and 74b that can move the second movable base 73 independently in the left and right direction in the Y-axis direction and the up and down direction in the Z-axis direction with a predetermined stroke length. As the second drive units 74a and 74b, known devices such as air cylinders and linear motors can be used as described above. In addition, when the first movable base 71 is moved to the left in the Y-axis direction to transfer the next transport tray Tr to the outgoing transport path Tp1, if the movable part 63R on the return transport path Tp2 side and the transport roller 51 on the outgoing transport path Tp1 side interfere with each other, in order to avoid this, a (third) drive unit 75 may be further provided, and only the movable part 63L on the outgoing transport path Tp1 side may be configured to be further movable left and right in the Y-axis direction. Below, with reference to FIG. 4, the operation of receiving the transport tray Tr from the return transport path Tp2 and transferring the transport tray Tr to the outgoing transport path Tp1 in the position chamber Pc will be described.

When the transport tray Tr is transported to the receiving position of the return transport path Tp2 in the position chamber Pc (see FIG. 4(a)), the tilting unit 2 holds the transport tray Tr from the other side (hereinafter, the position of the transport tray Tr in the Z-axis direction is referred to as the "holding position"). The first drive unit 72a raises the first movable base 71 and both support walls 63L and 63R in the Z-axis direction, and the second drive unit 74a lowers the second movable base 73 and each transport roller 51 in the Z-axis direction (see FIG. 4(b)). Next, the first drive unit 72b and the second drive unit 74b synchronously move the first movable base 71 and the second movable base 73 to the left in the Y-axis direction (see FIG. 4(c)). In addition, when the first movable base 71 is moved to the left in the Y-axis direction, if there is no interference between the movable part 63R on the return transport path Tp2 side and the transport rollers 51 on the forward transport path Tp1 side, it is possible to eliminate the need to move the second movable base 73. Then, the transport tray Tr on which the processed substrate Sw is located is lifted from the holding position so as to be pulled upward in the Z-axis direction and removed from the return transport path Tp2. After that, although not specifically shown or described, the holding plate 21 is rotated to return to a horizontal position, and the processed substrate Sw on the transport tray Tr in the horizontal position is exchanged for the unprocessed substrate Sw in the position chamber pc.

Next, the first and second movable bases 71 and 73 are moved to the right in the Y-axis direction by the other first and second drive units 72b and 74b to their original positions, and the movable part 63L is moved to the left in the Y-axis direction by the third drive unit 75. In this state, the tilt unit 2 moves the upright conveying tray Tr to the holding position on the conveying unit 5 of the outgoing conveying path Tp1 and makes it wait (see FIG. 4(d)). Then, the second movable base 73 is raised to its original position in the Z-axis direction by the second drive unit 74a, and the conveying tray Tr is contact-supported by the conveying rollers 51 (see FIG. 4(e)). Finally, the third drive unit 75 moves the movable part 63L to its original position to the right in the Y-axis direction, and the first movable base 71 is lowered to its original position in the Z-axis direction by the first drive unit 72a, and then the tilt unit 2 is released (see FIG. 4(f)). This allows the transport tray Tr to be transported simultaneously between the position chamber Pc and the load lock chamber Lc.

According to the above embodiment, when inserting or removing the transport tray Tr into or from the transport unit 5, the third magnet 61 and the fourth magnet 62 serving as the second guide unit 6 do not interfere with each other, preventing the transport tray Tr from being inserted or removed. Moreover, since the movable parts 63L and 63R are moved and retracted in advance upward in the Z-axis direction, there is no problem in that the close third and fourth magnets 61 and 62 come into contact with each other due to vibrations when the tilting unit 2 holds the transport tray Tr. Moreover, since only the movable parts 63L and 63R and the transport roller 51 in the position chamber Pc are moved, there is no problem in that throughput is reduced.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the tilting unit 2 holds the transport tray Tr from the other side, but the form is not important as long as the transport tray Tr can be held so that the substrate Sw does not come off the holding plate 21 even when the transport tray Tr is in an upright position. In addition, in the above embodiment, the transport unit 5 includes the transport rollers 51 that support the transport tray Tr by point contact with the underside of the Z-axis direction, but the present invention is not limited to this as long as the transport tray Tr can be contact-supported while only the degree of freedom in the Z-axis direction is limited. For example, the transport tray Tr may be contact-supported by a sphere (not shown).

In the above embodiment, the first guide unit 4 and the second guide unit 6 are described as having a pair of magnets 41, 42, 61, 62 arranged to attract each other, but the first guide unit 4 is not limited to this as long as it can pull most of the weight of the transport tray Tr (including the weight of the substrate Sw) and can limit at least the degree of freedom in the X-axis direction, the degree of freedom of movement up and down in the Z-axis direction, and the degree of freedom of rotation (pitching) around the axis of the Y-axis direction to some extent. Although not particularly illustrated and described, for example, rail members may be provided in the upper part of the position chamber Pc, the load lock chamber Lc, and each processing chamber Vc1, Vcn, and the transport tray Tr may be guided in a pulled state by a plurality of wires provided on a slider that slidably engages with the rail members and suspended from the slider at intervals in the X-axis direction. On the other hand, the second guide section 6 is also not limited to this, and may adopt a configuration similar to that of the first guide section, as long as it can restrict to some extent the degree of freedom of rotation (roll) of the transport tray Tr around the axis in the front-back direction in the X-axis direction and the movement left-right in the Y-axis direction.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the conveying roller 51 is described as a rolling body provided in the conveying unit 5, in which at least two wheel parts 51b are provided on a single shaft body 51a, but this is not limited to this, and there is no problem with a configuration with one wheel part. In addition, there is no problem if the degree of freedom of the conveying tray Tr in the Z axis direction is limited and the driving force in the X axis direction is transmitted to the conveying tray Tr by frictional force due to rolling contact. In other words, an ideal embodiment would be one in which the normal force required to drive the conveying tray Tr by rolling contact rather than sliding contact is secured as the remaining weight of the conveying tray Tr, part of whose weight is pulled by the first guide unit 4, and a necessary safety factor is given to this. In addition, in the above embodiment, the tip of the wheel part 51b is made to make point contact with the underside of the conveying tray Tr in the Z axis direction, and the point contact part is a mechanism for transmitting the rotational driving force via the shaft body 51a, but if a constant velocity joint is used for example at the fitting part between the wheel part and the shaft body, the driving force can be reliably transmitted to the conveying tray Tr by rolling contact.

In the above embodiment, the first chamber is the position chamber Pc and the second chamber is the load lock chamber, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a substrate is transported in a horizontal position to a load lock chamber, and when the inside of the load lock chamber is evacuated to a predetermined pressure, the substrate is transported to a position chamber connected to the load lock chamber, the substrate is placed on a transport tray in a horizontal position, and then the substrate is changed to an upright position and transported in this state to, for example, a processing chamber, and the transport tray is transported between the position chamber as the first chamber and the processing chamber as the second chamber.

VM...vacuum processing device, Sw...substrate (substrate to be processed), Tr...transport tray, 13...support plate portion, Pc...position chamber (first chamber), Lc...load lock chamber (second chamber), Vc1, Vcn...processing chamber (second chamber), Tm...transport means, 2...tilting portion, 4...first guide portion, 5...transport portion, 51...transport roller (rolling body), 6...second guide portion, Tp1...forward transport path (first transport path), Tp2...return transport path (second transport path), 61...third magnet (one magnet), 62...fourth magnet (other magnet), 63...support wall, 63L, 63R...movable portion of support wall, 72a, 72b...drive portion, 74a, 74b...second drive portion (other drive portion).

Claims (3)

A vacuum processing apparatus that performs a predetermined vacuum processing on a processing surface of a substrate to be processed while transporting a transport tray on one surface of which the substrate to be processed is placed,
Two mutually orthogonal directions in a horizontal plane are defined as the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and a direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is defined as the Z-axis direction. The orientation of the transport tray in which the processing surface of the substrate to be processed faces upward in the Z-axis direction is defined as a horizontal orientation, and the orientation in which the processing surface faces one side in the Y-axis direction is defined as an upright orientation.
A device comprising a first chamber and a second chamber connected to each other in an X-axis direction, a transport means for transporting a transport tray in an upright position along the X-axis direction between the first chamber and the second chamber, and a tilting section for tilting the transport tray while holding it in the first chamber, thereby making it possible to change the position of the transport tray between a horizontal position and an upright position,
The vacuum processing apparatus is characterized in that the transport means is provided inside the first chamber and the second chamber and comprises a first guide section that guides movement in the X-axis direction while pulling the upper part of the transport tray upward in the Z-axis direction without contact, a second guide section that guides movement in the X-axis direction while pulling the lower part of the transport tray upward in the Z-axis direction without contact, and a transport section that supports the transport tray in contact and transports the transport tray back and forth in the X-axis direction, and further comprises a drive section that moves at least the part of the second guide section located within the first chamber in the Y-axis direction. 2. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first transport path and a second transport path, each of which is provided with a first guide portion, a transport portion, and a second guide portion, are provided between the first chamber and the second chamber at a distance in the Y-axis direction,
The vacuum processing apparatus is characterized in that the second guide section includes one magnet provided on the upper surface in the Z-axis direction of a support plate section formed at the bottom of the transport tray on the other side of the processing surface , and another magnet provided on the lower surface in the Z-axis direction of a support wall arranged along the first transport path and the second transport path in the first chamber and the second chamber so as to attract the one magnet from above in the Z-axis direction, and each part of the second guide section is made a movable part of the support wall including the other magnet, and each movable part is moved together in the Y-axis direction by the drive section. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the transport unit has rolling elements arranged along the first and second transport paths in the first and second chambers and in point contact with the underside of the transport tray, and further includes another drive unit that moves each rolling element present in the first chamber together in at least one of the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction.

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