JP3563851B2 - Substrate transfer device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display panel, and more particularly, to a substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate transferred from a previous process by a first transfer mechanism to a next process by a second transfer mechanism. Equipment related.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as such a substrate transfer device, after a substrate transferred by a first transfer mechanism including a plurality of transfer rollers is lifted by a plurality of lifting pins disposed below the first transfer mechanism, A substrate is used in which the substrate is supported and transferred by a second transfer mechanism having a pair of arms disposed above the first transfer mechanism.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such a conventional transfer device, since the substrate is raised by a plurality of lifting pins, the substrate may be displaced during the lifting operation, and a delivery error of the substrate may occur. In particular, when the substrate to which the processing liquid is attached is transported, the transport error is likely to occur because the substrate is easily slipped by the coating of the processing liquid attached to the substrate. In the case of a thin (0.7 mm) substrate or the like, there is a possibility that breakage or damage may occur.
[0004]
Further, since the configuration is such that the substrate is transferred from the elevating pins to the pair of arms, it is necessary to precisely adjust their positional relationship, and the control thereof is complicated.
[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide a substrate transfer device that can transfer a substrate accurately with a simple configuration.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a substrate transport includes a first transport mechanism for transporting a substrate in a horizontal direction, and a second transport mechanism for supporting and transporting the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism. In the apparatus, the first transport mechanism is composed of a plurality of transport rollers that rotate in synchronization with each other, and the second transport mechanism is attached to a pair of arms and each of the arms, and A support member for supporting the lower surfaces of both ends, a lower end of the support member being transported by the first transport mechanism and a first position where the lower end is located above the lower surface of the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism; Lifting means for raising and lowering the pair of arms in a vertical direction between a second position located below the lower surface of the substrate, and a state in which the pair of arms are located in the second position. Arm by the transport roller Moving means for supporting the substrate by the support member by moving the board in a direction parallel to the board transfer direction and in a direction approaching each other; and the second transfer mechanism includes the pair of arms. In a state where a support member attached to at least one of the arms is located between two adjacent rollers of the plurality of transport rollers in a plan view, the support member is positioned between the first position and the first position. The pair of arms is vertically moved up and down so as to move between the second position and the second position .
[0007]
The invention according to claim 2 has a first transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in the horizontal direction, and a second transport mechanism for supporting and transporting the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism, A substrate transport apparatus for transporting a substrate to which a processing liquid has adhered to a substrate drying apparatus from a processing step using a processing liquid in a preceding stage, wherein the first transport mechanism includes a plurality of transports rotating in synchronization with each other. The second transport mechanism includes a pair of arms, a support member attached to each of the arms, for supporting lower surfaces of both ends of the substrate, and a lower end of the support member having the lower end. Between a first position located above the lower surface of the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism and a second position located below the lower surface of the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism; Lifting means for raising and lowering the arm in the vertical direction; In a state where the pair of arms are located at the second position, the arm is moved in a direction parallel to a direction in which the substrate is transported by the transport roller and in a direction close to each other, thereby supporting the substrate. The second transport mechanism is configured such that a support member attached to at least one of the pair of arms is adjacent to one of the plurality of transport rollers in plan view. The pair of arms is vertically moved up and down so that the support member moves between the first position and the second position while being positioned between two rollers. I do.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a rotary substrate drying apparatus to which a substrate transfer device according to the present invention is applied.
[0009]
This rotary substrate drying apparatus performs a drying process on a rectangular glass substrate for a liquid crystal display panel, and includes a substrate carrying-in unit 2, a substrate drying unit 3, a substrate carrying-out unit 4, a substrate carrying unit 5, Is provided.
[0010]
The substrate carry-in section 2 carries the substrate W with the treatment liquid such as pure water attached thereto from the treatment step using the treatment liquid at the previous stage into the rotary substrate drying apparatus 3, and is synchronized with each other. A plurality of transport rollers 12 that transport the substrate W by rotating are provided.
[0011]
The substrate drying unit 3 is for drying the substrate W by rotating the substrate W at a high speed. The spin chuck 13 holding and rotating the substrate W and the spin chuck 13 for promoting the drying on the surface of the substrate W are provided. The apparatus includes a gas supply unit 14 for supplying gas and a scattering prevention cup 15 for preventing the processing liquid from scattering to the outside.
[0012]
The substrate unloading unit 4 is for unloading the substrate W that has been subjected to the drying process by the substrate drying unit 3 to a subsequent processing step. A plurality of transport rollers 12 for transport are provided.
[0013]
The substrate transport section 5 transports the substrate W between the substrate loading section 2, the substrate drying section 3, and the substrate transport section 4, and is mounted on the transport roller 12 of the substrate loading section 2. The first chuck 16 for transporting the substrate W onto the spin chuck 13 of the substrate drying unit 3 and the transport roller 12 of the substrate unloading unit 4 for transporting the substrate W placed on the spin chuck 13 of the substrate drying unit 3. And a second chuck 17 for transporting the upper chuck. The first and second chucks 16, 17 are both connected to a synchronous belt 19 driven by a motor 18, and move in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 in synchronization with each other.
[0014]
Next, the configuration of the substrate transfer device will be described. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the substrate loading section 2, and FIG. 3 is a side view thereof.
[0015]
The substrate carrying-in portion 2 is provided with a pair of support plates 21 and five transport rollers 12 whose both ends are pivotally supported. The transport rollers 12 are connected to each other by a synchronous belt 22, and one of the transport rollers 12 is connected to a motor 24 via a synchronous belt 23. Therefore, the five transport rollers 12 rotate in synchronization with each other by driving of the motor 24. A photoelectric sensor 29 for detecting the tip of the substrate W conveyed by the conveyance roller 12 is provided below the conveyance roller 12.
[0016]
The substrate W carried in from a preceding processing step by a transport mechanism including transport rollers (not shown) is transported in a horizontal direction while being placed on the transport rollers 12 as the transport rollers 12 rotate. At this time, a support wheel 25 for supporting the edge of the substrate W is attached to each of the transport rollers 12, and the substrate W is transported with only the edge outside its effective portion supported. Then, the substrate W transported by the transport rollers 12 is transferred to the first chuck 16 in the substrate loading section 2.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 4, the first chuck 16 includes a pair of left and right arms 30a and 30b supported by a support member 31, a pair of air cylinders 32a and 32b for opening and closing the arms 30a and 30b, and It has an air cylinder 33 for raising and lowering the tool 31 and a connecting tool 34 for connecting the air cylinder 33 to the synchronous belt 19 described above.
[0018]
Each arm 30a, 30b is provided with two support members 35a, 35b for supporting both ends of the substrate W, respectively. Protrusions 36 (substrate support portions) are formed at the lower ends of the support members 35a and 35b, and the protrusions 36 support both ends of the lower surface of the substrate W.
[0019]
Above each arm 30a, 30b, a pair of positioning arms 37a, 37b connected to the connector 34 are arranged. The positioning arms 37a and 37b are provided with positioning members 38a and 38b having the same shape as the support members 35a and 35b. The pair of positioning arms 37a and 37b are connected to air cylinders 39a and 39b, respectively, and the positioning members 38a and 38b move in directions approaching each other by driving the air cylinders 39a and 39b.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 3, a supply pipe 40 of pure water is provided below the first chuck 16. The pure water supply pipe 40 is provided with a first chuck to prevent the processing liquid attached to the substrate W in the previous processing step from drying in an uneven state before being dried in the substrate drying section 3. This is for supplying pure water to the surface of the substrate W when the substrate 16 is transported by the substrate 16.
[0021]
The second chuck 17 has the same configuration as the first chuck 16 except that the second chuck 17 does not include the pure water supply pipe 40.
[0022]
Next, the transfer process of the substrate W will be described.
[0023]
The tip of the substrate W placed and transported on the transport roller 12 is detected by the photoelectric sensor 29, and stops at the substrate transfer position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. At the transfer position of the substrate W, the rear end of the substrate W is located between two adjacent transport rollers 12 of the plurality of transport rollers 12.
[0024]
Further, the first chuck 16 is moved above the transfer position of the substrate W by the driving of the motor 18, and as shown by a solid line in FIG. 2, the support member 35a attached to the first arm 30a is viewed in plan. It stops in a state located between the two transport rollers 12. At this time, the arms 30a and 30b are in an open state separated from each other.
[0025]
Next, by driving the air cylinder 33, the pair of arms 30a, 30b is lowered via the support 31. Thereby, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the convex portions 36 of the support members 35 a and 35 b move below the lower surface of the substrate W supported by the support wheels 25 of the transport roller 12. At this time, since the support member 35a is located between the two transport rollers 12 in a plan view, the support member 35a and the transport roller 12 do not interfere.
[0026]
In this state, by driving the air cylinders 32a and 32b, the pair of arms 30a and 30b are moved in directions approaching each other, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. As a result, the convex portions 36 of the support members 35a and 35b enter below the both ends of the substrate W. Then, by driving the air cylinder 33, the pair of arms 30a through the support 31, by increasing the 30b, both end portions of the lower surface support member 35a of the substrate W, Ru is supported by the convex portion 36 of 35b. At this time, since both ends of the substrate W are sandwiched by the support members 35a and 35b attached to the pair of arms 30a and 30b, there is no occurrence of a transport error due to a displacement or the like of the substrate W.
[0027]
Subsequently, the pair of positioning arms 37a, 37b are driven by driving the air cylinders 39a, 39b, and the positioning members 38a, 38b attached to the positioning arms 37a, 37b are moved in directions approaching each other. With this operation, the substrate W is positioned in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance by the conveyance roller 12.
[0028]
Then, the first chuck 16 is moved in the horizontal direction by the drive of the motor 18, thereby transporting the substrate W to a position above the spin chuck 13 in the substrate drying unit 3. Then, the substrate W is placed on the spin chuck 13 by an operation reverse to the above-described operation.
[0029]
In parallel with the process in which the first chuck 16 transports the substrate W from the substrate loading unit 2 to the substrate drying unit 3, the second chuck 17 that moves in synchronization with the first chuck 16 is a first chuck. By performing the same operation as in step 16, the substrate W that has been subjected to the drying process is transported from the substrate drying unit 3 to the substrate unloading unit 4.
[0030]
By repeating the above operation, the substrate W is sequentially transported to the substrate carry-in unit 2, the substrate drying unit 3, and the substrate carry-out unit 4, and the drying process is performed.
[0031]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the edge of the substrate W is transported while being supported by the support wheel 25 of the transport roller 12 has been described, but the transport roller 12 may transport the substrate W while supporting the entire back surface of the substrate W. Alternatively, an O-ring or the like may be stretched between the transport rollers 12, and the O-ring may be used to support and transport the back surface of the substrate W. Further, it is also possible to carry the substrate W while supporting the back surface of the substrate W with a transport belt instead of the transport roller 12.
[0032]
Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the rotary substrate drying apparatus has been described. However, the first transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in the horizontal direction and the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism are used. The present invention can be applied to various types of substrate processing apparatuses having a second transport mechanism for supporting and transporting.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the substrate on the first transfer mechanism can be directly supported and transferred by the support member attached to the pair of arms, so that the substrate is moved up and down by the pin. Therefore, it is not necessary to raise the substrate, and the substrate can be reliably transported and positioned. Therefore, even when the substrate to which the processing liquid is adhered is transported, there is no occurrence of a substrate transport error. Also, since the lifting pins do not come into contact with the back surface of the substrate, the substrate is not damaged or damaged.
[0034]
Further , according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, it is possible to transport the substrate with the support member entering between the transport rollers without causing interference between the transport rollers and the support member.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a rotary substrate drying apparatus to which a substrate transfer device according to the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the substrate loading section 2.
FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an outline of a first chuck 16;
[Explanation of symbols]
2 Substrate carry-in section 3 Substrate drying section 4 Substrate carry-out section 5 Substrate transport section 12 Transport roller 16 First chuck 17 Second chuck 18 Motor 24 Motor 25 Support wheels 30a, 30b Arms 32a, 32b Air cylinder 33 Air cylinder 35a 35b Support member 36 Convex part

Claims (2)

A substrate transport device having a first transport mechanism for transporting a substrate in a horizontal direction, and a second transport mechanism for supporting and transporting the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism,
The first transport mechanism includes a plurality of transport rollers that rotate in synchronization with each other,
The second transport mechanism includes:
A pair of arms,
A support member attached to each of the arms, for supporting lower surfaces of both ends of the substrate,
A first position in which the lower end of the support member is located above the lower surface of the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism, and a second position located below the lower surface of the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism. Lifting means for raising and lowering the pair of arms in a vertical direction,
In a state where the pair of arms is located at the second position, the substrate is moved by moving each arm in a direction parallel to a direction in which the substrate is transported by the transport roller and in a direction close to each other. And moving means for supporting by a support member,
The second transport mechanism is configured such that a support member attached to at least one of the pair of arms is located between two adjacent rollers of the plurality of transport rollers in plan view. A substrate transport apparatus for vertically moving the pair of arms so that the support member moves between the first position and the second position . A first transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in the horizontal direction, and a second transport mechanism for supporting and transporting the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism, wherein a processing step using a processing liquid in the preceding stage A substrate transport device for carrying a substrate to which a processing liquid is attached to a substrate drying device,
The first transport mechanism includes a plurality of transport rollers that rotate in synchronization with each other,
The second transport mechanism includes:
A pair of arms,
A support member attached to each of the arms, for supporting lower surfaces of both ends of the substrate,
A first position in which the lower end of the support member is located above the lower surface of the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism, and a second position located below the lower surface of the substrate transported by the first transport mechanism. Lifting means for raising and lowering the pair of arms in a vertical direction,
In a state where the pair of arms is located at the second position, the substrate is moved by moving each arm in a direction parallel to a direction in which the substrate is transported by the transport roller and in a direction close to each other. And moving means for supporting by a support member,
The second transport mechanism is configured such that a support member attached to at least one of the pair of arms is located between two adjacent rollers of the plurality of transport rollers in plan view. A substrate transport apparatus for vertically moving the pair of arms so that the support member moves between the first position and the second position .

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