JPH0263303B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention automatically heats and dries a thin plate material such as a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) or a glass plate coated with a photoresist on a heat treatment table, and then places it on a cooling treatment table. , relates to a device that sequentially transports each processing table during cooling.

FIGS. 1 and 2 schematically show conventionally used conveyance devices, in which 1 is a wafer whose upper surface is coated with photoresist, 2 is a belt conveyor, 3 is a heat treatment table, and 4 is a A vertical groove cut below the belt conveyor 2 on the upper surface of the heat treatment table 3;
Reference numeral 5 designates an annular groove cut into the upper surface of the heat treatment table 3 and having approximately the same diameter as the wafer 1, and 6 designates a positioning pin.

In this apparatus, a wafer 1 is conveyed by a belt conveyor 2 and stopped above an annular groove 5 by positioning pins 6, 6, and the belt conveyor 2 or a heat treatment table 3 is moved up and down relative to each other. , by placing it on the heat treatment table 3 by immersing it in the vertical groove 4, and then adsorbing it with a vacuum suction device (not shown) and heating and drying it.

However, in this case, the photoresist being heated and dried on the heat treatment table 3 softens due to the rise in temperature, and the photoresist is exposed to the annular groove of the heat treatment table 3 from the periphery of the wafer 1.
, and the wafer 1 hangs down on the belt conveyor 2.
When the wafer 1 is transported, the photoresist adhering to the belt conveyor 2 may stain the back surface of the wafer 1.

Further, since the portion of the wafer 1 that is in contact with the vertical groove 4 of the heat treatment table 3 is not directly heated by the heat treatment table 3, the temperature distribution of the wafer 1 becomes uneven, resulting in uneven drying of the photoresist.

In recent years, integrated circuits have become increasingly dense and the diameter of the wafer 1 has become larger, so uniform drying of photoresist is an important issue.

Also provided are devices as schematically illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Reference numerals 11, 12, 13, and 14 in the figure represent a wafer, a heat treatment table, a vertical groove, and an annular groove corresponding to 1, 3, 4, and 5 above, respectively.

15 connects the lower ends of the rectangular frames 16, 16, which face in the front-rear direction and are parallel to each other, with a connecting rod 17.
It is a conveyance frame formed by connecting with
A plurality of upward protrusions 18 are provided at predetermined positions on the upper edges of a and 15a.

The transport frame 15 moves as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 3 by a drive device (not shown), and supports the photoresist-coated wafer 11 sent by the belt conveyor 19 from below by the protrusion 18. Then, as shown in the drawing, it is transported onto a heat treatment table 12.

Next, the transport frame 15 is lowered, each upper piece 15a and each protrusion 18 are recessed into the vertical groove 13, and the wafer 11 is attracted to the heat treatment table 12 and heated and dried.

In this apparatus, if the wafer 11 is supported by the protrusion 18 at a location slightly closer to the centripetal direction than the periphery of the lower surface, contamination of the back surface by the photoresist can be prevented, but the vertical grooves 13 exist. Therefore, uneven dryness cannot be prevented.

Furthermore, although not shown, there is also an apparatus that transports wafers by air, but during transport, the wafer vibrates and its lower peripheral edge comes into contact with the surface of the heat treatment table, causing photoresist to adhere to the surface of the heat treatment table. There is a drawback that the blown up dust adheres to the surface of the wafer.

The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional device, and will be specifically explained with reference to FIG. 5 and subsequent figures.

In FIG. 5, 21 is a wafer, 22 is a heat treatment table, 23 is approximately at the same height as the heat treatment table 22, and the internal structure is different from that of the heat treatment table 22, but the external structure is the same as that of the cooling treatment table, 24 is an annular groove,
25 and 26 are belt conveyors for loading and unloading the wafer 21, respectively, and 27 is a positioning pin.

In the front and rear portions of both upper surfaces of both processing tables 22 and 23, grooves 28 facing laterally are cut slightly inward of the annular groove 24 from the side surfaces.

Both processing tables 22, 23 and both belt conveyors 25,
Below both sides of 26, a pair of left and right guide rods 29, 29, which are parallel to each other and face the conveyance direction, are installed on the floor with mounting bases 30.

Both processing tables 22, 23 are attached to both guide rods 29, 29.
The lower ends of gate-shaped frames 31, one more than the number of processing tables 22 lined up front and rear, are fitted onto the outside so as to be able to freely slide back and forth, with equal intervals.

The lower ends of all the gate-shaped frames 31 on the same side are connected with an endless belt 32 and run synchronously by a motor (not shown).
It is stopped at a predetermined position by a pair of light shielding plate 33 and photo sensor 342 provided at the lower end and on the sides thereof.

On the inner surface of the vertical piece 31a of each gate-shaped frame 31, a bearing 35 facing in the vertical direction is pivotally mounted with a pin 36 facing in the front-rear direction. , tension spring 3
7 is installed.

An elevating shaft 38 is slidably fitted into the bearing 35, and a support plate 39 facing upward is fixed to the upper end of the elevating shaft 38.

As shown in FIG. 6, the front and rear notch grooves 28 and 2 of the processing table 22 are provided at the front and rear parts of the upper end of the support plate 39.
A pair of fingers 40, 40 facing inward and parallel to each other are fixedly spaced at equal intervals of 8, and a protrusion 41 facing upward is curved at the inner end of the fingers 40, 40. .

A bottomed spring receiver cylinder 42 is provided at the lower end of the lifting shaft 38.
is fixedly installed, and the lifting shaft 38 is urged downward by a compression spring 43 wound between the bearing 35 and the spring receiving tube 42.

A pivot fitting 44 facing inward is fixed to the side surface of the spring receiving cylinder 42, and a vertical roller 45 and a horizontal roller 46 are pivotally attached to the free end thereof.

Below both the processing tables 22 and 23, a T-shaped elevation plate 47 is supported by a support device (not shown) so as to be able to rise and fall freely, and a first air cylinder 48 is provided between the elevation plate 47 and the floor. is installed.

At both left and right ends of the horizontal piece 47a of the elevating plate 47, there are provided the guide rods 2, which face in the front-rear direction and are parallel to each other.
9 and a pair of left and right L-shaped guide plates 49, 4 of approximately equal length.
The upper end of 9 is pivoted.

The vertical roller 4 is provided on the outer surface of the vertical piece 49a of each guide plate 49 and the upper surface of the horizontal piece 49b, respectively.
5 and the horizontal roller 46 are constantly compressed by the tension spring 37 and the compression spring 43.

The center of the rotating plate 51 and one end of the connecting plate 52 are fixed to a pivot 50 which is pivoted at the center of the vertical piece 47b of the elevating plate 47 and faces in the front-rear direction.

Both ends of the rotary plate 51 are connected to the center of the inner surface of the vertical piece 49a of each guide plate 49 through a first link 53, and the other end of the connecting plate 52 is connected to the lifting plate 47.
The second vertical piece 47b is fixed to the vertical piece 47b of the
A second link 5 is attached to the telescopic end of the air cylinder 54.
It is linked with 5.

5 and 8, the first wafer 21' is adsorbed onto the heat treatment table 22 and is being heated and dried, and the subsequent wafer 21' is
The wafer 22'' on the carry-in belt conveyor 25 is stopped and waiting at a predetermined position by the positioning pins 27, 27, the first air cylinder 48 is shortened, and the second air cylinder 54 is extended, The free end of each finger 40 is connected to the wafer 21', 2
The finger 40 located below the wafer 21' is shown to be recessed into the cut groove 28 of the heat treatment table 22.

When the heat treatment of the wafer 21' is completed by a timer (not shown) after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the first air cylinder 48 is extended, and the elevating plate 47, the guide plate 49, the pivot bracket 44, and the spring receiving cylinder 42 are moved. Rise. Therefore, the lifting shaft 38 rises together with the support plate 39 against the spring 43, and as shown by the imaginary line in FIG.
1'' is supported near the lower surface periphery by a protrusion 41, and rises to above the processing table 22.

Then, the endless belt 32 starts rotating, and due to the action of the light shielding plate 33 and the photo sensor 34, each gate-shaped frame 31 moves forward by the distance between the processing tables 22 and 23 and then stops.

At this time, both rollers 4 pivoted on the pivot bracket 44
5 and 46 are in pressure contact with the lower bent portion of the guide plate 49 by the bias of the springs 37 and 43, so that the posture of the support plate 39 does not change even while the portal frame 31 is moving, and the wafer 21 is moved from the finger 40. will not fall.

Next, the first air cylinder 48 is shortened and the lifting shaft 38 is lowered together with the guide plate 49 by the bias of the spring 43, so that the finger 40
The wafer 21' is placed on the cooling processing table 23, and the wafer 21'' is placed on the heat processing table 22.

Then, the second air cylinder 54 shortens and the respective guide plates 49 swing toward each other, so that, as shown by the imaginary lines in FIG. The lifting shaft 38 moves both rollers 45 and 46 at the lower end to the guide plate 4.
9 , rotate the finger 40 , which is immersed in the notch 28 , onto the processing tables 22 , 23 .
Evacuate to the outside of the area.

Next, each gate-shaped frame 31 retreats to the position shown in FIG.
The tip of each finger 40 of the wafer 2 is already waiting at a predetermined position on the carry-in belt conveyor 25.
Each finger 40 of the other portal frame 31 protrudes below the processing table 2 from the side.
It enters into the cut grooves 28 of No. 3 and 23 from the side.

By repeating the above-mentioned operation, a large number of wafers 21 transported on the carry-in belt conveyor 25 are
The material is automatically subjected to heat treatment and cooling treatment in sequence, and then transferred onto the delivery belt conveyor 26.

As mentioned above, the device of the present invention has the finger 40
An upward protrusion 41 formed at the tip of the finger 40 supports the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the wafer 21 to be transferred, and the wafer 21 is moved upward and away from the surface of the processing table 22. To,
Even if the photoresist hangs down and adheres, the finger 40 only contacts the lower surface of the wafer 21 in a small area at the upper end of the protrusion 41, so it will not stain the back surface of the wafer 21.

Further, when the wafer 21 is placed on the processing table 22 and heat treatment is performed, the finger 40 is connected to the processing table 22.
The wafer 21 is recessed into a groove 28 cut into the wafer 2, and when being transported, the support plate 39 rises to a position higher than the surface of the processing table 22, allowing movement in the transport direction. When returning to the original position after being transported, by retracting the support plate 39 outward, the finger 40 can be moved to the processing table 22.
It can be pulled out from the cut groove 28 and returned to its original position through the outside of the side surface of the processing table 22.

In addition, a cut groove 28 is cut in the wafer 21 suction surface of the processing table 22, but since the cut portion is small with respect to the total area of the processing table 22, the wafer 21 is held in place during heat treatment. The temperature distribution in 21 is maintained substantially uniform, and there is no risk of uneven drying.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 7, a guide piece 56 for the wafer 21 may be provided at the center of the finger 40 and protrudes above the projection 41.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that the apparatus of the present invention can be effectively used even when the number of processing units is one or three or more.

In the above embodiment, by raising and lowering the guide plate 49 using the first air cylinder 48, the finger 40 is raised and lowered together with the support plate 39 via the lifting shaft 38, and by using the second air cylinder 54, Support plate 3 via links etc.
However, the support plate 39 is pivotally mounted on the gate-shaped frame 31, and a cam mechanism is used to raise and lower the gate-shaped frame 31, thereby raising and lowering the finger 40 and supporting it. A roller pivotally mounted on the plate 39 is constantly pressed against a tapered guide fitting that moves up and down, and the finger 40
It can also be swung laterally.

In addition, a support plate 39 pivotally mounted on the gate-shaped frame 31
One end of the wire inserted through the portal frame 31 is fixed to the end of the wire, and the other end is fixed to a solenoid or air cylinder, etc.
It is also possible to swing the fingers 40 laterally.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing an example of a conventional device;
Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, and
The figure is a side view schematically showing another example of the conventional device.
The figures are a sectional view taken along the line B-B in Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a plan view of the device of the present invention, Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the finger, and Fig. 7 is an enlarged view showing another example of the finger. The side view, FIG. 8, is C- in FIG.
It is an enlarged sectional view taken along the C line. 1...Wafer, 2...Belt conveyor, 3...
Heat treatment table, 4... Vertical groove, 5... Annular groove, 6... Positioning pin, 11... Wafer, 12... Heat treatment table, 13... Vertical groove, 14... Annular groove, 15... Transfer frame, 15a... Upper piece, 16... Rectangular frame, 17
... Connecting rod, 18 ... Protrusion, 19 ... Belt conveyor, 21 ... Wafer, 22 ... Heat treatment table, 23
... Cooling processing table, 24 ... Annular groove, 25, 26 ...
...Belt conveyor, 27...Positioning pin, 28
... Cut groove, 29 ... Guide rod, 30 ... Mounting stand,
31... Gate-shaped frame, 31a... Vertical piece, 32
... Endless belt, 33 ... Light shielding plate, 34 ... Photo sensor, 35 ... Bearing, 36 ... Pin, 37
...Tension spring, 38...Elevating shaft, 39...Support plate, 40...Finger, 41...Protrusion, 42...
...Spring receiver tube, 43...Compression spring, 44...Spindle fitting, 45, 46...Roller, 47...Elevating plate, 47a...Horizontal piece, 47b...Vertical piece, 48
...First air cylinder, 49...Guidance plate, 4
9a... Vertical piece, 49b... Horizontal piece, 50... Pivot, 51... Rotating plate, 52... Connection plate, 53...
1st link, 54... 2nd air cylinder, 5
5...Second link, 56...Guidance piece.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Cut grooves are cut from both sides of the thin plate material and are oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the thin plate material, and whose inner ends reach the peripheral edge of the part on which the thin plate material is placed. Processing tables are arranged in rows along the conveyance direction, and processing tables are placed on both sides of the treatment tables so that they can be raised and lowered. at least a pair of left and right support plates; and each support plate has at least one pair of upward protrusions extending toward the processing table, moving together with the support plates, and forming upward protrusions at each tip for supporting the thin plate material. In the raised position of the support plate, the finger rises from within the cut groove of the processing table to a position higher than the surface of the processing table, while in the lowered position of the support plate, the upward protrusion of the finger sink into the groove of the processing table so that the tip is lower than the surface of the processing table,
In addition, the tip of the finger is retracted to the outside of the side surface of the processing table by retracting the support plate laterally, and the thin plate material placed on the surface of the processing table is lifted by raising the pair of left and right support plates. is supported by the upward protrusion of each finger and raised from the surface of the processing table, and is transported above the next processing table by movement of the support plate in the transport direction,
Next, the support plate is lowered and the thin plate material is placed on the next processing table, and after being lowered to a position where the fingers are separated from the thin plate material, the support plate is retracted outward and returned to its original position. 1. A thin plate material conveying device, characterized in that the thin plate material is successively conveyed to a processing table by repeating the process.