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Patent · US7874261B2 · B2 · US

Stage apparatus and coating treatment device

(11) Publication number
US7874261B2
(21) Application number
US-81678406-A
(22) Filing date
2006-02-15
(30) Priority date
2005-02-23
(43) Publication date
2011-01-25
(45) Date of grant
2011-01-25
(51) IPC
B05C 13/00
(52) CPC
  • H10P Generic processes or apparatus for the manufacture or treatment of devices covered by class H10: 72/0458, 72/0456, 72/3302, 72/78
  • B65G Transport or storage devices, e.g. conveyors for loading or tipping, shop conveyor systems or pneumatic tube conveyors: 2249/02, 2249/04, 2249/045, 49/065, 49/067, 49/068
  • G03F Photomechanical production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. for printing, for processing of semiconductor devices; materials therefor; originals therefor; apparatus specially adapted therefor: 7/16
(73) Assignee
TOKYO ELECTRON LTD
(72) Inventors
YAMASAKI TSUYOSHI; SAKAI MASATAKA
(54) Title
Stage apparatus and coating treatment device
(57) Abstract

A stage apparatus includes a stage over which a substrate is to be transferred, and a levitation mechanism which levitates the substrate over the stage. The stage includes a plurality of gas spray ports (16 a) to spray a gas for levitating the substrate (G), and a plurality of suction ports (16 b) to take in air sprayed from the gas spray ports (16 a). The plurality of gas spray ports (16 a) and the plurality of suction ports (16 b) are set not to be arranged on straight lines parallel to a substrate transfer direction in a predetermined length along the substrate transfer direction.

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Claims (14)

  1. A stage apparatus comprising: a stage over which a substrate is to be transferred; and a levitation mechanism which levitates the substrate over the stage, wherein the stage includes a group of gas spray ports to spray a gas to levitate the substrate, and a group of suction ports to take in air sprayed from the gas spray ports, and wherein each of the group of gas spray ports and the group of suction ports are linearly arrayed with a predetermined interval between adjacent ports in an array direction shifted from a substrate transfer direction by a predetermined angle, such that, within each of the groups, no two adjacent ports are aligned on a straight line parallel to the substrate transfer direction in a predetermined length along the substrate transfer direction.
  2. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas spray ports within the group of gas spray ports are arrayed with an interval of 1 cm to 5 cm between adjacent gas spray ports, wherein the suction ports within the group of suction ports are arrayed with an interval of 1 cm to 5 cm between adjacent suction ports, and wherein the predetermined length is not less than 0.2 m.
  3. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage includes a base which has gas spray holes and suction holes formed at predetermined positions, a first block which has the gas spray ports and includes a porous material, and a second block which has the suction ports and includes a porous material, and wherein the first block and the second block are arranged on the base such that the gas spray ports formed in the first block communicate with the gas spray holes formed in the base, and the suction ports formed in the second block communicate with the suction holes formed in the base.
  4. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage includes, on a surface, grooves linearly formed to discharge gas sprayed from the gas spray ports to a side surface of the stage, and wherein the grooves extend in a first longitudinal direction that is parallel to the array direction or in a second longitudinal direction that is perpendicular to the array direction.
  5. The stage apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the stage further includes a base which has gas spray holes and suction holes formed at predetermined positions, a first block which has the gas spray ports and includes a porous material, and a second block which has the suction ports and includes a porous material, and wherein the first block and the second block are arranged on the base such that the gas spray ports formed in the first block communicate with the gas spray holes formed in the base, the suction ports formed in the second block communicate with the suction holes formed in the base, and the grooves are formed between the first block and the second block.
  6. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle is an angle not less than 15° and not more than 90°.
  7. A stage apparatus comprising: a stage over which a substrate is to be transferred; and a levitation mechanism which levitates the substrate over the stage, wherein the stage includes a group of gas spray ports to spray a gas to levitate the substrate, and linear grooves to discharge gas sprayed from the gas spray ports to a side surface of the stage, wherein the group of gas spray ports are linearly arrayed with a predetermined interval between adjacent ports in an array direction shifted from a substrate transfer direction by a predetermined angle, such that, within the group of gas spray ports, no two adjacent ports are aligned on a straight line parallel to the substrate transfer direction in a predetermined length along the substrate transfer direction, and wherein the grooves extend in a first longitudinal direction that is parallel to the array direction or in a second longitudinal direction that is perpendicular to the array direction.
  8. The stage apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the gas spray ports within the group of gas spray ports are arrayed with an interval of 1 cm to 5 cm between adjacent gas spray ports, and wherein the predetermined length is not less than 0.2 m.
  9. The stage apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the stage includes a base which has gas spray holes formed at predetermined positions, and a block which has the gas spray ports and includes a porous material, and wherein the block is arranged on the base such that the gas spray ports formed in the block communicate with the gas spray holes formed in the base, and the grooves are formed between the blocks.
  10. The stage apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined angle is an angle not less than 15° and not more than 90°.
  11. A coating system which applies a coating liquid to a substrate to form a coating film while transferring the substrate, the system comprising: a stage apparatus which includes a stage over which the substrate is to be transferred, and a levitation mechanism which levitates the substrate over the stage; a substrate transfer mechanism which transfers the substrate levitated over the stage; and a coating mechanism which applies the coating liquid to a surface of the substrate transferred over the stage by the substrate transfer mechanism, wherein the stage includes a group of gas spray ports to spray a gas to levitate the substrate, and a group of suction ports to take in air sprayed from the gas spray ports, and wherein each of the group of gas spray ports and the group of suction ports are linearly arrayed with a predetermined interval between adjacent ports in an array direction shifted from a substrate transfer direction by a predetermined angle, such that, within each of the groups, no two adjacent ports are aligned on a straight line parallel to the substrate transfer direction in a predetermined length along the substrate transfer direction.
  12. A coating system which applies a coating liquid to a substrate to form a coating film while transferring the substrate, the system comprising: a stage apparatus which includes a stage over which the substrate is to be transferred and a levitation mechanism which levitates the substrate over the stage; a substrate transfer mechanism which transfers the substrate levitated over the stage; and a coating mechanism which applies the coating liquid to a surface of the substrate to be transferred over the stage by the substrate transfer mechanism, wherein the stage includes a group of gas spray ports to spray a gas to levitate the substrate, and linear grooves to discharge gas sprayed from the gas spray ports to a side surface of the stage, wherein the group of gas spray ports are linearly arrayed with a predetermined interval between adjacent ports in an array direction shifted from a substrate transfer direction by a predetermined angle, such that, within the group of gas spray ports, no two adjacent ports are aligned on a straight line parallel to the substrate transfer direction in a predetermined length along the substrate transfer direction, and wherein the grooves extend in a first longitudinal direction that is parallel to the array direction or in a second longitudinal direction that is perpendicular to the array direction.
  13. The coating system according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined angle is an angle of not less than 15° and not more than 90°.
  14. The coating system according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined angle is an angle of not less than 15° and not more than 90°.

Description

The present invention relates to a stage apparatus used for transferring a substrate such as a glass substrate employed in an FPD (Flat Panel Display) such as a liquid crystal display device (LCD), and a coating system comprising the stage apparatus.

For example, in a manufacturing process for a liquid crystal display apparatus (LCD), a predetermined circuit pattern is formed on a glass substrate by using photolithography. More specifically, a resist liquid is supplied to the glass substrate to form a coating film. After drying and heat treating the coating film, a light exposure process and a developing process are successively performed. As an apparatus that supplies a resist liquid to a glass substrate to form a coating film, there is known a coating film forming system (for example, see Patent Document 1) including a stage which vacuum chucks a glass substrate horizontally, a resist nozzle which supplies the resist liquid to the substrate held on the stage, and a moving mechanism which moves the stage and resist nozzle relative to each other in the horizontal direction. When holding the glass substrate by vacuum chucking, however, suction holes formed in the stage tend to be printed onto the surface of the glass substrate, and many particles attach to the lower surface of the substrate. Since either the resist nozzle or the stage must be moved, the apparatus becomes bulky with a complicated structure and requires a high power cost.

Patent Document 1: Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-156255

Citations (16)

  • JP2000072251A
  • JP2001250857A
  • JP2002151571A
  • JP2002321820A
  • JP2004044330A
  • JP2004218156A
  • JP2004331265A
  • JP3130033B2
  • JPH03130033A
  • JPH0338843A
  • JPH0461958A
  • JPH0551130A
  • JPH07228346A
  • JPH10156255A
  • US4938994A
  • WO03060961A1
Record as JSON 
{
  "publication_number": "US7874261B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Stage apparatus and coating treatment device",
  "abstract": "A stage apparatus includes a stage over which a substrate is to be transferred, and a levitation mechanism which levitates the substrate over the stage. The stage includes a plurality of gas spray ports (16 a) to spray a gas for levitating the substrate (G), and a plurality of suction ports (16 b) to take in air sprayed from the gas spray ports (16 a). The plurality of gas spray ports (16 a) and the plurality of suction ports (16 b) are set not to be arranged on straight lines parallel to a substrate transfer direction in a predetermined length along the substrate transfer direction.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A stage apparatus comprising: a stage over which a substrate is to be transferred; and a levitation mechanism which levitates the substrate over the stage, wherein the stage includes a group of gas spray ports to spray a gas to levitate the substrate, and a group of suction ports to take in air sprayed from the gas spray ports, and wherein each of the group of gas spray ports and the group of suction ports are linearly arrayed with a predetermined interval between adjacent ports in an array direction shifted from a substrate transfer direction by a predetermined angle, such that, within each of the groups, no two adjacent ports are aligned on a straight line parallel to the substrate transfer direction in a predetermined length along the substrate transfer direction.",
    "2. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas spray ports within the group of gas spray ports are arrayed with an interval of 1 cm to 5 cm between adjacent gas spray ports, wherein the suction ports within the group of suction ports are arrayed with an interval of 1 cm to 5 cm between adjacent suction ports, and wherein the predetermined length is not less than 0.2 m.",
    "3. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage includes a base which has gas spray holes and suction holes formed at predetermined positions, a first block which has the gas spray ports and includes a porous material, and a second block which has the suction ports and includes a porous material, and wherein the first block and the second block are arranged on the base such that the gas spray ports formed in the first block communicate with the gas spray holes formed in the base, and the suction ports formed in the second block communicate with the suction holes formed in the base.",
    "4. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage includes, on a surface, grooves linearly formed to discharge gas sprayed from the gas spray ports to a side surface of the stage, and wherein the grooves extend in a first longitudinal direction that is parallel to the array direction or in a second longitudinal direction that is perpendicular to the array direction.",
    "5. The stage apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the stage further includes a base which has gas spray holes and suction holes formed at predetermined positions, a first block which has the gas spray ports and includes a porous material, and a second block which has the suction ports and includes a porous material, and wherein the first block and the second block are arranged on the base such that the gas spray ports formed in the first block communicate with the gas spray holes formed in the base, the suction ports formed in the second block communicate with the suction holes formed in the base, and the grooves are formed between the first block and the second block.",
    "6. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle is an angle not less than 15° and not more than 90°.",
    "7. A stage apparatus comprising: a stage over which a substrate is to be transferred; and a levitation mechanism which levitates the substrate over the stage, wherein the stage includes a group of gas spray ports to spray a gas to levitate the substrate, and linear grooves to discharge gas sprayed from the gas spray ports to a side surface of the stage, wherein the group of gas spray ports are linearly arrayed with a predetermined interval between adjacent ports in an array direction shifted from a substrate transfer direction by a predetermined angle, such that, within the group of gas spray ports, no two adjacent ports are aligned on a straight line parallel to the substrate transfer direction in a predetermined length along the substrate transfer direction, and wherein the grooves extend in a first longitudinal direction that is parallel to the array direction or in a second longitudinal direction that is perpendicular to the array direction.",
    "8. The stage apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the gas spray ports within the group of gas spray ports are arrayed with an interval of 1 cm to 5 cm between adjacent gas spray ports, and wherein the predetermined length is not less than 0.2 m.",
    "9. The stage apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the stage includes a base which has gas spray holes formed at predetermined positions, and a block which has the gas spray ports and includes a porous material, and wherein the block is arranged on the base such that the gas spray ports formed in the block communicate with the gas spray holes formed in the base, and the grooves are formed between the blocks.",
    "10. The stage apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined angle is an angle not less than 15° and not more than 90°.",
    "11. A coating system which applies a coating liquid to a substrate to form a coating film while transferring the substrate, the system comprising: a stage apparatus which includes a stage over which the substrate is to be transferred, and a levitation mechanism which levitates the substrate over the stage; a substrate transfer mechanism which transfers the substrate levitated over the stage; and a coating mechanism which applies the coating liquid to a surface of the substrate transferred over the stage by the substrate transfer mechanism, wherein the stage includes a group of gas spray ports to spray a gas to levitate the substrate, and a group of suction ports to take in air sprayed from the gas spray ports, and wherein each of the group of gas spray ports and the group of suction ports are linearly arrayed with a predetermined interval between adjacent ports in an array direction shifted from a substrate transfer direction by a predetermined angle, such that, within each of the groups, no two adjacent ports are aligned on a straight line parallel to the substrate transfer direction in a predetermined length along the substrate transfer direction.",
    "12. A coating system which applies a coating liquid to a substrate to form a coating film while transferring the substrate, the system comprising: a stage apparatus which includes a stage over which the substrate is to be transferred and a levitation mechanism which levitates the substrate over the stage; a substrate transfer mechanism which transfers the substrate levitated over the stage; and a coating mechanism which applies the coating liquid to a surface of the substrate to be transferred over the stage by the substrate transfer mechanism, wherein the stage includes a group of gas spray ports to spray a gas to levitate the substrate, and linear grooves to discharge gas sprayed from the gas spray ports to a side surface of the stage, wherein the group of gas spray ports are linearly arrayed with a predetermined interval between adjacent ports in an array direction shifted from a substrate transfer direction by a predetermined angle, such that, within the group of gas spray ports, no two adjacent ports are aligned on a straight line parallel to the substrate transfer direction in a predetermined length along the substrate transfer direction, and wherein the grooves extend in a first longitudinal direction that is parallel to the array direction or in a second longitudinal direction that is perpendicular to the array direction.",
    "13. The coating system according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined angle is an angle of not less than 15° and not more than 90°.",
    "14. The coating system according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined angle is an angle of not less than 15° and not more than 90°."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a stage apparatus used for transferring a substrate such as a glass substrate employed in an FPD (Flat Panel Display) such as a liquid crystal display device (LCD), and a coating system comprising the stage apparatus.\n\nFor example, in a manufacturing process for a liquid crystal display apparatus (LCD), a predetermined circuit pattern is formed on a glass substrate by using photolithography. More specifically, a resist liquid is supplied to the glass substrate to form a coating film. After drying and heat treating the coating film, a light exposure process and a developing process are successively performed. As an apparatus that supplies a resist liquid to a glass substrate to form a coating film, there is known a coating film forming system (for example, see Patent Document 1) including a stage which vacuum chucks a glass substrate horizontally, a resist nozzle which supplies the resist liquid to the substrate held on the stage, and a moving mechanism which moves the stage and resist nozzle relative to each other in the horizontal direction. When holding the glass substrate by vacuum chucking, however, suction holes formed in the stage tend to be printed onto the surface of the glass substrate, and many particles attach to the lower surface of the substrate. Since either the resist nozzle or the stage must be moved, the apparatus becomes bulky with a complicated structure and requires a high power cost.\n\nPatent Document 1: Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-156255",
  "cpc": [
    "H10P 72/0458",
    "B65G 2249/02",
    "B65G 2249/04",
    "B65G 2249/045",
    "B65G 49/065",
    "B65G 49/067",
    "B65G 49/068",
    "G03F 7/16",
    "H10P 72/0456",
    "H10P 72/3302",
    "H10P 72/78"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B05C 13/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "TOKYO ELECTRON LTD"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "YAMASAKI TSUYOSHI",
    "SAKAI MASATAKA"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2006-02-15",
  "publication_date": "2011-01-25",
  "grant_date": "2011-01-25",
  "priority_date": "2005-02-23",
  "application_number": "US-81678406-A",
  "family_id": "36927260",
  "citations": [
    "JP2000072251A",
    "JP2001250857A",
    "JP2002151571A",
    "JP2002321820A",
    "JP2004044330A",
    "JP2004218156A",
    "JP2004331265A",
    "JP3130033B2",
    "JPH03130033A",
    "JPH0338843A",
    "JPH0461958A",
    "JPH0551130A",
    "JPH07228346A",
    "JPH10156255A",
    "US4938994A",
    "WO03060961A1"
  ]
}

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