CN102888647B - Plating equipment and plating method - Google Patents

Abstract

A plating apparatus that ensures that a substrate holder can be easily touched and that the substrate holder can be easily maintained while a substrate is being processed in the plating apparatus. The plating apparatus includes a plating section for plating a substrate, a substrate holder for holding the substrate, a substrate holder transporter for holding and transporting the substrate holder, a storage section for storing the substrate holder, and a storage section mounting section for storing the storage section therein. The storage mounting portion includes a moving mechanism for moving the storage into and out of the storage mounting portion.

Description

Plating equipment and plating method

technical field

The present invention relates to a kind of equipment and method for plating on the surface of workpieces (substrates) such as semiconductor wafers, and in particular to a fine interconnected groove, hole or resistance opening suitable for defining in the surface of the substrate It is suitable for forming a plated film in the substrate, or forming a bump (protruding electrode) electrically connected to an electrode of a package or the like on the surface of the substrate. For a three-dimensional package for a semiconductor chip or the like, it is necessary to form a plurality of through via plugs called interposers or spacers in a substrate. In order to form such a through plug, the plating apparatus and plating method according to the present invention can also be used to fill the via hole to form such a through plug. More specifically, the present invention relates to a dip-type plating apparatus for plating a substrate held by a substrate holder by immersing the substrate in a plating solution in a plating bath and immersion-type plating methods.

Background technique

Equipment for plating a substrate is roughly classified into face-down type plating equipment and immersion type plating equipment.

When the face-down type plating apparatus performs plating on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, the substrate is held horizontally by the head with its surface to be plated facing downward. Generally, the substrate is housed in a carrier container such as a Front Opening Unified Pod, and the substrate is held horizontally with its surface to be plated facing upward. Therefore, before the substrate is plated by the face-down type plating apparatus, the substrate needs to be turned upside down in the face-down plating apparatus.

On the other hand, an immersion-type apparatus performs plating on a substrate held by a substrate holder by causing the substrate to vertically enter a plating solution in a plating bath. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the substrate holder horizontal when the substrate is held in the substrate holder, and it is necessary to keep the substrate holder vertical when the substrate is to be immersed in the plating solution. Therefore, the immersion type plating apparatus has a mechanism for turning the substrate from the vertical state to the horizontal state and turning the substrate from the horizontal state to the vertical state.

As shown in FIG. 33 , for example, a conventional plating apparatus has an arm 304 rotatably mounted on a carrier 300 , and the arm 304 can be rotated by a motor 302 . After the arm 304 clamps one end of the substrate holder 306, the motor 302 is energized to turn the arm 304 vertically by 90° to turn the substrate holder 306 from a vertical state to a horizontal state. The substrate holder 306 is then placed horizontally on the stage 308 . As shown in FIG. 34, another conventional plating apparatus has a fixed area 316 including a vertically rotatable table 310 and a rotatable shaft 314 that clamps one end of a substrate holder 312 and rotates the substrate holder. device 312. The shaft of rotation 314 rotates about its own axis to turn the substrate holder 312 from a vertical state to a horizontal state.

In recent years, due to the large size of the substrate, the size of the mechanism for rotating the arm or table for such a substrate is also large, and the time required to turn the substrate holder from the vertical state to the horizontal state and hold the substrate The time required for the device to rotate from a horizontal state to a vertical state is also longer. A large mechanism for rotating the arm or table requires a large space within the plating apparatus to rotate the arm or table. Therefore, the plating equipment itself is large in size and high in manufacturing cost.

Conventional plating equipment also includes a substrate holder opening and closing mechanism, eg, a fixing robot for placing the substrate on the substrate holder. The substrate holder opening and closing mechanism has the following problems:

A plating apparatus is known comprising a substrate holder for holding a substrate vertically and immersing the substrate in a plating solution. In this plating apparatus, the substrate holder holds the substrate by sandwiching the substrate between a fixed support member and a movable support member that can be opened and closed about a hinge. The movable support member has a non-detachable rotatable support member. When the support member is rotated so that its outer peripheral portion slides into the clamping device of the fixed support member, the seal ring of the movable support member seals the outer peripheral edge of the substrate and certain areas of the fixed support member, allowing the power of the fixed support member to The feed contact can contact the outer circumferential edge of the substrate (see Japanese Patent No. 3979847, Japanese Patent No. 3778282, Japanese Patent No. 3940265, and Japanese Patent No. 4162440).

According to the above-described plating apparatus, when the support member rotates, it wears itself and causes the movable support member to rotate, possibly shifting the substrate out of alignment with the seal ring and damaging the sealing ability of the seal ring. In order to avoid this disadvantage, a pressing lever is used to press the movable support member, and the pressing lever is rotated and wear of the supporting member and the pressing lever is reduced. However, in order to reduce wear on the support member when the support member is rotated, the plating apparatus requires a complex mechanism that reciprocates vertically along a vertical axis and is capable of rotation. The complex mechanism makes the opening and closing mechanism of the substrate holder complicated. The complex substrate holder opening and closing mechanism takes up a lot of space within the plating apparatus, making the plating apparatus large in size and expensive to manufacture.

Conventional substrate holder opening and closing mechanisms have another problem: If the substrate holders have different thicknesses, the pressing distance at which the pressing rod presses the sealing ring and presses the sealing ring against the substrate holder varies. Specifically, if the thickness of the substrate holder is thinner than conventional, since the seal ring is thus not sufficiently compressed, the support member is more likely to be worn while rotating. If the thickness of the substrate holder is thicker than usual, the seal ring will be excessively compressed and damaged. Therefore, a substrate holder that is not properly fabricated to meet thickness requirements can reduce the sealing ability of the seal ring.

Conventional substrate holder opening and closing mechanisms are generally combined with a position shift detection unit for detecting the shift when the substrate is mounted in the substrate holder and when the substrate is shifted to a misaligned position. shift. According to this positional deviation detection unit, the substrate guide is provided on the fixed support member at a position close to the outer peripheral edge of the substrate. A horizontal light sensor, such as a photosensor or a laser sensor, measures the amount of light from a beam of light applied horizontally onto the substrate within the substrate holder. If the substrate is placed on the substrate guide, the substrate is tilted and blocks the beam. Consequently, the amount of light detected by the level light sensor becomes smaller than if the substrate were properly arranged in the substrate-guided substrate holder gap. In this way, based on the detected reduction in the amount of light, a shift in the position of the substrate in the substrate holder is detected. When the substrate is shifted out of alignment in the substrate holder, the substrate guide holds the substrate on the substrate guide and maintains the tilt of the substrate, preventing the substrate from shifting out of alignment in a horizontal section.

However, the horizontal light sensor has a problem in that when there are water droplets on the substrate, the shape of the substrate itself is deformed, the shape of the substrate holder itself is deformed, the shape of the table on which the substrate holder is placed is also deformed, or the substrate holder is deformed due to the When tilted due to paper dust or dust present on the substrate, the substrate may be falsely detected as being out of alignment in the substrate holder. Horizontal light sensors also have problems with detection accuracy because the height of the substrate guide is limited by the size of the substrate holder, as the surface of the sensor fogs up due to the passage of time due to smudges, the amount of light that can be detected by the sensor amount decreases over time.

In immersion-type plating installations, the substrate holders are therefore stored in storage before work. When the immersion type plating apparatus starts to operate, the substrate holder is taken out of the storage, and the substrate to be processed is taken out of its storage and held in the substrate holder. The substrate holder holding the substrate is transported by the substrate holder carrier into a plating tank where the substrate is processed accordingly and other processing tanks related to the plating process.

When a substrate holder is found to have a problem such as a power feed failure and is repaired to solve the problem, the conventional immersion type plating apparatus has to be shut down and thus its operability is low. Substrate holders found to have power feed failures are returned to storage and cannot be used again until they are repaired. When the immersion-type plating equipment is performing a plating process, access to the interior of the immersion-type plating equipment is restricted for safety reasons. Therefore, when the substrate holder is repaired, it is necessary to wait at least until the plating process started just before the occurrence of the problem is completed. Since the substrate holder that cannot be used cannot be used in the plating process, the processing amount per unit time of the immersion type plating apparatus is reduced.

In a conventional immersion type plating apparatus, a storage portion for storing substrate holders is integrally incorporated in the apparatus. When a substrate holder placed in the storage needs to be serviced, the substrate holder is removed from the storage manually or by a dedicated crane. Alternatively, the storage is transported to a delivery tank or service area within the immersion-type plating plant that is accessible from outside the immersion-type plating plant, and the substrate holders are then removed from the storage either manually or by a dedicated crane. go. Removing and reinstalling the substrate holder from and back to the immersion-type plating apparatus is very tedious and time-consuming. The tedious and time-consuming repair process is made worse by the larger size of the substrate to be manipulated, the increased manual labor required and the larger size of the required crane.

Contents of the invention

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention is provided. A first object of the present invention is to provide a plating apparatus and a plating method which allow a substrate holder to be easily serviced and at the same time ensure that substrates can easily touch the substrate holder while being processed in the plating apparatus.

The second object of the present invention is to provide a plating apparatus, a plating method, and a method of changing the posture of a substrate holder used in a plating apparatus, which can change the posture of the substrate holder for detachably holding The base plate enables it to change from a horizontal state to a vertical state or from a vertical state to a horizontal state without the need for a large-sized rotating mechanism.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a plating apparatus capable of placing a substrate in a substrate holder with a substrate holder opening and closing mechanism that does not require a large size, complicated structure , and enables detection when the substrate is shifted out of alignment when mounted in the substrate holder, while allowing the substrate holder to have different thicknesses.

The invention provides a plating equipment, which includes: a plating part, the plating part is used for plating a substrate; a substrate holder, the substrate holder is used to hold the substrate; a substrate holder transporter, the substrate holder transporter is used to hold and a transport substrate holder; a storage part, the storage part is used to store the substrate holder; and a storage part installation part, the storage part installation part is used to store the storage part in the storage part installation part; wherein, the storage part includes a moving mechanism, which moves A mechanism is used to move the storage unit into and out of the storage unit mounting portion.

With this structure, the substrate holder can be taken out of the storage without stopping the processing of the substrate in the plating apparatus. Therefore, the throughput per unit time of the plating apparatus does not become low, and the substrate holder can be easily and quickly maintained.

According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the moving mechanism comprises castors for moving and separating the storage from the plating apparatus.

The storage part installation part may include: a door which can be selectively opened and closed; The air in the coating equipment is isolated from each other.

The substrate holder transporter may include a sensor for detecting whether the substrate holder is currently located in the storage, or detecting the position of the substrate holder in the storage.

The plating apparatus may further include: a controller for monitoring and controlling states of the substrate holder carrier and the storage installation part; and an indication part for instructing the controller to move the storage. The storage portion may include a latch handle for locking the storage portion in the storage portion mounting portion, and the storage portion mounting portion includes a latch receiving portion for engaging the latch handle.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the storage part installation part includes a door switch for restricting opening of the door and a shutter switch for restricting opening of the shutter, wherein the door switch and the shutter switch cooperate with each other.

The present invention provides a plating method for controlling a plating apparatus to automatically perform steps, which includes the following steps: removing a substrate holder from a storage part; holding a substrate using the substrate holder; The substrate holder of the substrate is transported to the plating section; the substrate is plated in the plating section; and the substrate holder is transported back to the storage section using a substrate holder transporter; wherein the plating method includes: when the plating apparatus is in When performing the above-mentioned steps automatically, the storage part is moved out of the plating equipment using the moving mechanism of the storage part.

According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the moving mechanism comprises castors for moving and separating the storage from the plating apparatus.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the plating method further includes: when the plating equipment automatically performs the above steps, before the storage portion is moved out of the plating equipment, instruct the controller of the plating equipment to remove the plating from the storage portion. equipment.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the plating method further includes: before the storage part is moved out of the plating device, closing the shutter to isolate the inside of the plating device from the outside air; and when the storage part has been moved into the plating device After that, the shutter is opened to allow the substrate holder transporter to touch the storage section.

The present invention provides a storage section for storing substrate holders used in plating equipment, the storage section includes: a substrate holder storage area for storing substrate holders in the substrate holder storage area A substrate holder; and a moving mechanism; wherein the storage is moved and separated from the plating apparatus by the moving mechanism.

The storage portion may include a drain pan disposed at the bottom of the storage portion.

Substrate holder storage area Anode holders can be stored in the substrate holder storage area.

The present invention provides another storage section for storing anode holders used in plating equipment, the storage section comprising: an anode holder storage area for storing in the anode holder storage area an anode holder; a drain pan provided at the bottom of the storage; and a moving mechanism; wherein the storage is moved and separated from the plating apparatus by the moving mechanism.

The present invention provides another plating device, which includes: a substrate holder, the substrate holder is used to detachably hold the substrate; a table, the substrate holder is horizontally placed on the table; a plating part, a plating The part has a plating tank for plating a substrate held by a substrate holder by immersing the substrate in a plating solution in a vertical plane; and a substrate holder carrier for the substrate holder carrier For conveying the substrate holder between the table and the plating section, the substrate holder transporter includes a holding portion for holding the substrate holder; wherein the table has a horizontal movement mechanism, and when the horizontal movement mechanism supports the lower end of the substrate holder, the horizontal movement mechanism can move horizontally; and wherein the substrate holder transporter includes an arm capable of vertical movement, the arm moves horizontally when the lower end of the substrate holder is supported by the horizontal movement mechanism and moves horizontally by the vertical movement holding portion Used to change the posture of the substrate holder from a vertical state to a horizontal state, or from a horizontal state to a vertical state.

With this structure, the substrate holder can be stably rotated without a large-sized rotating mechanism, and the plating apparatus can save space and can be manufactured at low cost. In particular, since the substrate holder transporter used to transfer the substrate holder to the plating zone is used to rotate the substrate holder, no additional power mechanism is required for rotating the substrate holder. Therefore, the plating device can be manufactured at very low cost.

The plating apparatus may further include: a sensor for detecting whether the substrate holder carrier holds the substrate holder, or detecting a distance of the substrate holder held by the substrate holder carrier

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, if the sensor detects that the substrate holder is not held by the substrate holder transporter or the distance to the substrate holder held by the substrate holder transporter deviates from a reference value, the vertically movable arm is deactivated. .

The substrate holder may include a round handle, and the holding portion holds the round handle.

The holding portion may have a shape to rotatably support the circular handle.

A lower end of the substrate holder supported by the horizontal movement mechanism may have a semicircular portion in contact with the horizontal movement mechanism.

The horizontal movement mechanism is normally biased in a direction in which the holding portion is lowered by a weight suspended from the horizontal movement mechanism.

The substrate holder transporter may include a gripper for preventing the substrate holder from shaking while the substrate holder is being transported.

The present invention provides a method of switching the posture of a substrate holder for detachably holding a substrate, the method comprising: holding one end of the substrate holder using a holding portion of a substrate holder carrier; The substrate holder held by the holding portion; the holding portion is lowered so that the other end of the substrate holder comes into contact with the horizontal movement mechanism on the stage; part to move the horizontal movement mechanism horizontally.

The method further includes: using a sensor to detect whether the substrate holder transporter is holding the substrate holder, or detecting the distance of the substrate holder being held by the substrate holder transporter; and if the sensor detects that the substrate holder transporter is not holding the substrate The holder or the distance to the substrate holder held by the substrate holder transporter deviates from the reference value, stopping the operation of the holding section.

The method further includes horizontally moving the substrate holder transporter such that the substrate holder is inclined at a predetermined angle after the other end of the substrate is in contact with the horizontal moving mechanism.

The present invention provides another plating method comprising: placing a substrate holder on a stage; mounting and holding a substrate using the substrate holder placed on the stage; holding the substrate using a holding portion of a substrate holder transporter The end of the substrate holder; lift the substrate holder carrier and horizontally move the horizontal movement mechanism located on the table to change the posture of the substrate holder from a horizontal state to a vertical state; hold the substrate using the substrate holder carrier moving the device to a position above the plating tank with the plating solution; and lowering the substrate holder using the substrate holder transporter to immerse the substrate in the plating solution in the plating tank.

The present invention provides another plating device, which includes: a substrate holder, the substrate holder is used to detachably hold the substrate; a table, the substrate holder is horizontally placed on the table; a plating part, a plating The part has a plating tank for plating the substrate by immersing the substrate held by the substrate holder in a plating solution in a vertical plane; and a substrate holder carrier for The substrate holder is transported between the table and the plating section, the substrate holder transporter includes a holding portion for holding the substrate holder; a substrate holder opening and closing mechanism, the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism is used to open and close the A substrate holder on a stage; wherein the substrate holder includes: a movable support member having a rotatable support member; and a fixed support member for cooperating with the movable support member to hold a substrate , the movable support member is removably fastened to the fixed support member; and wherein the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism comprises: a head portion for pressing the movable support member, the head portion having at least a The member is fastened to the fixed support member and the rotatable part that releases the movable support member from the fixed support member, the movable support member is removably held by the head part; the first actuator, the first actuator is used to vertically moving the head portion linearly; and a second actuator for rotating at least a portion of the head portion.

This can simplify the mechanism for opening and closing the substrate holder to reduce the size of the plating apparatus, so that the cost of the plating apparatus can be reduced.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the head portion includes a rotating plate and a pressing piece, the pressing piece has a hook for holding the movable supporting member, and the pressing piece is used for pressing the movable supporting member; the supporting member includes a protrusion; The support member includes a holder; the rotating plate is connected to the shaft, and when the shaft is pushed by the second actuator, the rotating plate is rotated to rotate the support member; and as the support member rotates, the protrusion fits into the holder. to fasten the mobile support member to the fixed support member, or to move the mobile support member to a position suspended by the hook.

The head portion may include a substrate position detection portion for determining a position of the substrate in the substrate holder.

Therefore, the shifted position of the substrate when the substrate is placed in the substrate holder can be accurately detected regardless of, for example, deformation of the substrate and the substrate holder and water droplets applied to the substrate and the substrate holder.

The pressing piece may have a pressing block for pressing the movable supporting member, and the pressing block includes a pre-compressed spring arranged in the pressing block.

This can reduce the frictional resistance applied to the assembly when the substrate holder is opened and closed, and achieve stable sealing ability for sealing the substrate holder even if the substrate holder has different thicknesses

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a plating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is the plan view of plating equipment shown in Fig. 1;

3 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a substrate holder;

4A is a schematic view showing the structure of the substrate holder transporter; FIG. 4B is a schematic view showing the manner in which the substrate holder transporter shown in FIG. 4A holds the substrate holder; Sectional view of line Y-Y';

5A to 5F are diagrams schematically showing the operation sequence of the horizontal movement mechanism for the horizontal movement stage and the arm of the substrate holder transporter for placing the substrate holder horizontally on the stage;

6A to 6F are views showing the substrate holder and the horizontal movement mechanism in detail in the operation sequence in FIGS. 5A to 5F;

7A to 7D are views showing the operation sequence of the substrate holder carrier for placing the substrate holder on the horizontal movement mechanism;

8A to 8C are diagrams schematically showing another sequence of operations of the horizontal movement mechanism for the horizontal movement stage and the arm of the substrate holder conveyor for placing the substrate holder horizontally on the stage;

9A to 9C are diagrams schematically showing another operation sequence for horizontally moving the horizontal movement mechanism of the stage and the arm of the substrate holder conveyor for horizontally placing the substrate holder on the stage,

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the structure of another substrate holder;

11A is a schematic view showing a fixed support member of the substrate holder shown in FIG. 10; and FIG. 11B is a schematic view showing a movable support member of the substrate holder shown in FIG. 10;

12 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the movable support member and the fixed support member of the substrate holder shown in FIG. 10;

13 is a schematic view showing the structure of the opening and closing mechanism of the substrate holder;

14A is a plan view showing the structure of the head portion of the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism; and FIG. 14B is a front view showing the head portion in FIG. 14A ;

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a pressing block on the head portion;

16A and 16B illustrate schematic views of a process of detecting a positional deviation of a substrate using a sensor;

17 is a plan view of a substrate holder having a recessed portion defined within the substrate holder at a substrate placement position;

18A and 18B illustrate schematic views of a process of detecting a positional deviation of a substrate using a sensor;

Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism works;

Figure 20 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism works;

Figure 21 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism works;

Figure 22 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism works;

Fig. 23 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a truck type storage part;

Fig. 24 is a perspective view showing the structure of another truck-type storage part;

Fig. 25 is a side view schematically showing a storage installation part and a truck type storage in the plating equipment;

Fig. 26 is a rear view schematically showing the storage installation part and the truck-type storage part in the plating equipment;

Fig. 27 is a plan view of the guide plate in the storage part installation part and the vertical rollers and horizontal rollers in the truck type storage part;

Fig. 28 is a front view of the guide plate in the storage part installation part and the vertical roller and the horizontal roller in the truck type storage part;

29A is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the lock handle on the truck-type storage part and the lock guide on the door of the storage part installation part; FIG. 29B is a diagram showing the relationship between the surface of the door on which the lock guide is installed and the lock handle Schematic; and Figure 29C is a side view of a door with a lock guide installed;

30 is a block diagram showing the connection between the controller of the plating equipment, the substrate holder transporter, the storage unit installation unit, the storage unit touch indication unit and the touchable/untouchable display unit;

31A to 31E are perspective views schematically showing steps for placing the truck storage unit to the storage unit mounting portion of the truck storage unit and removing the storage unit mounting portion from the truck storage unit;

32 is a flowchart of the steps for placing a truck storage unit into a storage unit mount of a truck storage unit and removing the storage unit installation portion from the truck storage unit while the plating apparatus is in operation;

33 is a schematic diagram showing a mechanism for rotating a substrate holder provided in a conventional plating apparatus; and

Fig. 34 is a schematic view showing another mechanism for rotating a substrate holder provided in another conventional plating apparatus.

detailed description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a plating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the plating apparatus shown in FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plating apparatus includes an apparatus frame 100, a substrate holder 110 (see FIG. 3) for supporting a substrate 500, a carrier container such as a FOUP for storing the substrate 500 placed thereon. Pair load port 170 , substrate automated transporter 180 , spin rinse dryer (SRD) 190 , table 120 , plating section 130 , substrate holder transporter 140 , truck storage section 150 and aligner 195 . The cart type storage unit 150 is placed at the storage unit installation portion 160 in the equipment frame 100 . In the above-described embodiments, the cart-type storage unit 150 is used as the storage unit.

The substrate automatic transporter 180 takes the substrate 500 out of the carrier container placed on one load port 170 and transfers the substrate 500 to the stage 120 . The substrate automatic transporter 180 also transports the processed substrates from the station 120 and stores the processed substrates in carrier containers placed on one of the load ports 170 . Substrate automated transporter 180 is rotatable and transports substrate 500 between load port 170 , stage 120 , spin rinse dryer 190 , and aligner 195 . The spin rinse dryer 190 spins the plated substrate 500 while rinsing the plated substrate 500 , and finally dries the substrate 500 by rotating the plated substrate 500 at high speed.

The aligner 195 is angularly aligned with a certain position of the substrate 500 in the circumferential direction of the substrate 500 . Specifically, aligner 195 detects the position of a notch or depression defined in substrate 500 and guides the notch into alignment with the marked angular position, thereby rotating substrate 500 to the marked angular position. When the substrate 500 is rotated, the aligner 195 is also aligned with the center position of the substrate 500 at a predetermined position.

The plating apparatus also includes a transport shaft 101 for moving a substrate holder transporter 140 along the transport shaft 101, a substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102, and a controller 200 comprising a substrate holder Transporter controller.

The substrate holder 110 holds the substrate 500 when the substrate 500 is plated, and seals the end and the reverse side of the substrate 500 and exposes the surface to be plated. The substrate holder 110 also has electrical contacts for electrically contacting the outer edges of the surface to be plated of the substrate 500 and which are powered by an external power source. The substrate holders 110 are stored in the cart storage 150 prior to the plating process. In the plating process, the substrate holder 110 is moved between the stage 120 and the plating section 130 by the substrate holder carrier 140 . After the plating process, the substrate holder 110 is stored in the rear of the cart storage unit 150 .

The substrate holder 110 can be horizontally placed on the stage 120 . The automatic substrate carrier 180 places the substrate 500 into the substrate holder 110 placed horizontally on the stage 120 or takes out the substrate 500 from the substrate holder 110 placed horizontally on the stage 120 .

Plating equipment uses two plating solutions in its plating process. The plating section 130 includes a pre-wash tank 130a, a pre-treatment tank 130b, a rinse tank 130c, a first plating tank 130d, a rinse tank 130e, a second plating tank 130f, and a rinse tank 130g, which are sequentially arranged in the order of plating treatment. and melting tank 130h. Preferably, the treatment tanks 130a to 130h are sequentially arranged in the order of the plating treatment along the direction from x toward x', excluding other additional delivery paths. The type, number and arrangement of tanks in the plating apparatus can be freely selected based on the purpose of substrate processing.

In the plating apparatus described in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the substrate 500 held by the substrate holder 110 is processed by the processing fluid in the processing tanks 130 a to 130 h of the plating part 130 . Specifically, the substrate 500 held by the substrate holder 110 is vertically immersed in the plating solution in the plating tank 130f, and is plated in the plating solution while the plating solution is introduced from below for plating. Plating tank 130f and overflows plating tank 130f. In the present embodiment, the plating tank 130f is divided into a plurality of regions, and one substrate 500 held by the substrate holder 110 is vertically immersed in the plating solution and plated in each region. Each area of the plating bath 130f has an insertion slot for passing the substrate holder 110 therethrough, a power supply unit for supplying electric power to the substrate holder 110, a positive electrode, a stirring device, and a shielding plate. The positive electrode is mounted on the positive electrode holder coaxially with the substrate 500 and has an exposed surface facing the substrate 500 .

The substrate holder transporter 140 is movable along the transport shaft 101 between the stage 120, the plating section 130, and the truck storage section 150 by a transport mechanism such as a linear motor or the like, but not shown in the figure. The substrate holder transporter 140 transports the substrate holder 110 while maintaining the substrate holder 110 in a vertical posture.

The cart storage 150 is capable of storing a plurality of substrate holders 110 each extending in a vertical plane. In FIG. 1, a cart type storage part 150 is disposed near the rear surface of the plating apparatus. However, the truck storage section 150 may be provided at other locations, such as between the stage 120 and the plating section 130 .

The operation sequence of the plating apparatus will be briefly described below by way of example. The sequence of operations includes the following steps (a) to (h).

(a) The substrate holder transporter 140 moves to a position above the cart storage 150, and holds and takes out the substrate holders 110 stored in the cart storage.

(b) Then, the substrate holder transporter 140 moves to a position above the stage 120 while holding the substrate holder 110 , and places the substrate holder 110 horizontally on the stage 120 .

(c) The substrate 500 is set to the substrate holder 110 .

(d) The substrate holder transporter 140 vertically holds the substrate holder 110 and moves to the pre-wash tank 130 a of the plating section 130 . Thereafter, the substrate holder transporter 140 sequentially passes through the processing tank 130a of the plating section 130 to the processing tank 130h of the plating section 130 in the direction from x to x' while the substrate 500 held by the substrate holder 110 is being processed. Tank 130a is processed in processing tank 130h.

(e) After the processing of the substrate 500 in the plating section 130 is completed, the substrate holder transporter 140 moves to the stage 120 while vertically holding the substrate holder 110, and then places the substrate holder 110 horizontally on the stage 120 .

(f) The substrate 500 is removed from the substrate holder 110 .

(g) If a plurality of substrates 500 to be processed are to be processed continuously, the next unprocessed substrate 500 is placed in the substrate holder 110, and the above sequence from step (d) to step (f) is repeated .

(h) When the entire plating process is completed, the substrate holder transporter 140 vertically holds the substrate holder 110 from which the substrate 500 has been removed, the substrate holder transporter 140 moves to the truck storage section 150, And the substrate holder 110 is stored vertically in the cart type storage 150 .

In the above operation sequence, after the substrate 500 is set in the substrate holder 110 , the substrate holder transporter 140 moves the substrate holder 110 holding the substrate 500 to the pre-wash tank 130 a of the plating part 130 . However, after the substrate 500 is set on the substrate holder 110, the substrate holder transporter 140 may transport the substrate holder 110 to the truck storage part 150, and may temporarily place the substrate holder 110 on the truck storage part 150. .

Structural details of the substrate holder 110 will be described below. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the structure of the substrate holder 110;

As shown in FIG. 3 , the substrate holder 110 has a handle 111 at one end thereof. The handle 111 is held by the substrate holder transporter 140 . The handle 111 is in the form of a round rod rotatable around its own axis for switching the posture of the substrate holder 110 from a vertical state to a horizontal state and from a horizontal state to a vertical state.

The handle 111 is desirably made of corrosion resistant stainless steel so that it is itself resistant to plating solutions that may be applied thereto. In the case where the handle 111 is made of stainless steel but is still susceptible to corrosion due to contact with the plating solution, the surface of the handle 111 should desirably be coated with a chromium plating layer or a titanium carbide (TiC) layer for increasing corrosion resistance. The handle 111 may be made of titanium which is highly corrosion resistant. In this case, since the level of surface frictional resistance of the substrate holder carrier 140 is generally high, it is necessary to finish the substrate holder carrier so as to be able to smoothly rotate and slidingly contact the lifter 142 of the substrate holder carrier 140, The elevator 142 will be described later.

The substrate holder 110 has a pair of hangers 112 each located on opposite upper ends of the substrate holder 110 . Each hanger 112 is in the form of a cuboid or a cube. Hangers 112 are respectively placed in the hanger receivers, and the hanger 120 functions to lift the substrate holder 110 when the substrate holder 110 is placed in the treatment tanks 130 a to 130 h of the plating part 130 . One of the hangers 112 has a power feed contact 114 . If the plating cells 130d and 130f are electroplating cells, the power feed contacts 114 on the hanger 112 are held in contact with electrical contacts located on the corresponding hanger receivers for transferring current from External power is supplied to the surface to be plated of the substrate 500 . When the substrate holder 110 is lifted by the hanger 112 placed on the hanger receiver, the power feeding contact 114 is located at a position not in contact with the plating solution in the plating bath. When the substrate holder 110 is stored in the truck storage 150 , the hanger 112 is supported on a hanger receiver 152 of the truck storage 150 , which will be described later.

Each hanger 112 is in the form of a cuboid or a cube, and each hanger 112 is designed to prevent the substrate holder 110 from shaking when the substrate holder 110 moves, resisting being applied to the substrate along the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. The force on the holder transporter 140. When the substrate holder 110 is in a vertical state and its lower end 113 faces downward, the hangers 112 have their upper surfaces arranged horizontally.

The lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 has a semicircular cross section (see FIGS. 6A to 6F ) for smooth rotational sliding contact with a horizontal movement mechanism 121 of the stage 120 which will be described later.

FIG. 4A is a schematic view showing the structure of the substrate holder 110 . FIG. 4B is a schematic view showing the manner in which the substrate holder 110 is held by the substrate holder transporter 140 shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view along line Y-Y' of FIG. 4B. The substrate holder transporter 140 includes an ascending and descending mechanism, not shown, incorporated in the vertical support column 145 . The ascending and descending mechanism operates vertically to raise and lower the substrate holder 110 . The raising and lowering mechanism includes a horizontal arm 141 for lifting the substrate holder 110 . The arm 141 has a lifter 142 as a holding portion for lifting and holding the substrate holder 110 by supporting the handle 111 from below. In order to support the handle 111 from below, the lifter or holding portion 142 has a pair of semicircular finger members 142a for engaging with the handle 111 . Semicircular finger elements 142 have an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of handlebar 111 . The lifter 142 has a space between the semicircular finger elements 142a, and also includes a sensor 144, which acts as a substrate holder detector, for detecting whether the handle 111 is presently present in the space, and for detecting The distance of the handlebar 111 in space. If the sensor or substrate holder detector 144 detects an abnormal state or does not detect the handling handle 111, that is, the substrate holder 110, or detects when the distance to the handling handle 111 deviates from a reference value, that is, when the substrate holder 110 is deflected When moving out of position relative to the arm 141, the sensor 144 indicates an abnormal state to the raising and lowering mechanism controller, not shown, which stops raising and lowering the arm 141. The sensor 144 is also capable of detecting another abnormal state in which the fingers of the lifter 142 are displaced because the position of the substrate holder 110 is shifted when the fingers 142a want to support the handle 111 from below. 142a does not support handlebar 111 properly.

Preferably, the surfaces of the finger elements 142a which remain in contact with the handle 111 should be combined with a layer of synthetic resin such as PTFE or the like, or an aluminum layer treated with TUFRAM or covered with PEEK to reduce the coefficient of friction of the surface , so that the handle 111 is smoothly rotated relative to the finger member 142a.

The substrate holder transporter 140 includes a pair of grippers 143 for preventing the substrate holder 110 from shaking. When the substrate holder transporter 140 moves horizontally, the gripper 143 exerts a downward force on the upper horizontal surface of the hanger 112 of the substrate holder 110 to prevent the substrate holder 110 from moving along the substrate holder transporter 140. Shake in direction. In order to prevent the substrate holder 110 from shaking more effectively, the hanger 112 may be designed to have a shape that fits and engages with the holder 143 .

In this embodiment, the clamper 143 has a downwardly open C-shape for exerting a downward force on the upper horizontal surface of the hanger 112 of the substrate holder 110 and supporting the opposite vertical surface of the hanger 112, To prevent the substrate holder 110 from shaking. If the degree of force applied vertically from the gripper 143 to the upper horizontal plane of the hanger 112 can be set to be greater than the force that tends to shake the substrate holder 110, the gripper 143 need not support the opposite side of the hanger. vertical surface. Basically, since the upper horizontal surface of the hanger 112 does not have a large area, preferably the holder 143 should support the opposite vertical surface of the hanger 112 .

When the substrate holder 110 is changed from the vertical state to the horizontal state, the gripper 143 is moved upward to release the substrate holder 110 . The gripper 143 is moved vertically by an independent actuator 146 mounted on the arm 141, such as an air cylinder, an electric actuator, or the like. In this embodiment, two actuators 146 are used to move the gripper 143 that supports the hanger 112 on opposite ends of the substrate holder 110 . However, a single actuator 146 could be mounted on the arm 141 and aligned with the center of the substrate holder 110, and the attachment could be mounted on the movable part of the actuator 146 and connected to both clamps. 146, this attachment is not shown.

The stage 120 is used to horizontally place the substrate holder 110 thereon by transitioning from a horizontal state to a vertical state. The stage 120 includes a horizontal movement mechanism 121 for supporting the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 (see FIGS. 5A to 5F ). The horizontal movement mechanism 121 is capable of guiding the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 to perform linear motion along with the guide sliding in the direction along the transport axis 101 of the substrate holder transporter 140, such as a linear motion (LM) guide, without the guide shown in the figure.

In this embodiment, the horizontal movement mechanism 121 is subjected to an external force applied by the weight 123 via the wire 122, and the horizontal movement mechanism 121 tends to return the horizontal movement mechanism 121 to the original position, that is, when the substrate holder transporter 140 is moved toward When the stage 120 is lowered, the horizontal movement mechanism 121 is always in a position of contacting the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 . The weight 123 can be replaced by a coil spring. Preferably, the horizontal moving mechanism 121 should have a shape and material suitable for sliding contact with the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 .

An operation sequence for changing the substrate holder 110 from the vertical state to the horizontal state and placing the substrate holder 110 horizontally on the stage 120 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5F , 6A to 6F, and 7A to 7D.

5A to 5F are schematic diagrams for placing the substrate holder 110 horizontally on the stage 120, the operation of the horizontal movement mechanism 121 for the horizontal movement stage 120 and the arm 141 of the ascending and descending mechanism of the substrate holder transporter 140. sequential view. 6A to 6F are views showing in detail the substrate holder 110 and the horizontal movement mechanism 121 in the operation sequence of FIGS. 5A to 5F . 7A to 7D are views showing the operation sequence of the substrate holder carrier 140 for placing the substrate holder 110 on the horizontal movement mechanism 121 .

The substrate holder transporter 140 moves to a position above the table 120 as the lifter 142 of the arm 141 lifts the substrate holder 110 and the clamper 143 clamps the substrate holder 110 against shaking. The spatial relationship between the substrate holder 110 and the horizontal movement mechanism 121 at this time is shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B . The stage 120 includes a horizontal movement mechanism 121 capable of horizontal movement while supporting the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 . When the substrate holder transporter 140 moves to a position above the stage 120, the arm 141 vertically holding the substrate holder 110 starts to descend. FIG. 5A shows a state where the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 is lowered to a position slightly higher than the horizontal moving mechanism 121 . The positional relationship between the substrate holder 110 and the horizontal movement mechanism 121 at this time is shown in FIGS. 6A and 7B .

Then, as shown in FIG. 7C , the gripper 143 releases the substrate holder 110 . As shown in 5B, 6B and 7D, the arm 141 is lowered until the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 contacts the horizontal movement mechanism 121 .

During the downward movement of the substrate holder 110 as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B , preferably the arm 141 should be lowered at high speed and the gripper 143 supports the substrate holder 110 against the rocking motion until the substrate holder 110 The lower end 113 of the lower end 113 reaches a position slightly higher than the horizontal movement mechanism 121. Then, preferably, the gripper 143 releases the substrate holder 110 and lowers the arm 141 at a low speed until the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 contacts the horizontal movement mechanism 121 . In this way, the substrate holder 110 is stably lowered in a short period of time.

When the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 just contacts the horizontal moving mechanism 121, the substrate holder 110 is at the bottom dead center of its rotation circle and cannot rotate smoothly. Therefore, after the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 contacts the horizontal movement mechanism 121 , the arm 141 is slightly lowered and moved horizontally toward the plating part 130 slightly as shown in FIG. 5C . Accordingly, the substrate holder 110 is now tilted and begins to rotate smoothly, as shown in FIG. 6C .

After the substrate holder 110 is tilted by a predetermined angle, preferably approximately 15°, the arm 141 is lowered so that the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 pushes the horizontal movement mechanism 121 under the weight of the substrate holder 110, as shown in FIG. 6D Show. When the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 is lowered, the arm 141 may be moved slightly toward the substrate automated transporter 180 . As shown in FIGS. 5D and 5E , the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 is supported by the horizontal movement mechanism 121 , and the lowering of the arm 141 causes the substrate holder 110 to be rotated and tilted from a vertical state to a horizontal state. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6E , when the arm 141 is lowered from the position shown in FIG. 6D , the substrate holder 110 is tilted into a horizontal state while being supported at point A.

When the arm 141 is further lowered, the substrate holder 110 is arranged horizontally, as shown in FIGS. 5F and 6F , and the downward movement of the substrate holder transporter 140 and the horizontal movement of the horizontal moving mechanism 121 are completed. The entire weight of the horizontal substrate holder 110 is borne by the table 120 . The arm 141 is further lowered, then retracted toward the plating part 130, and thereafter raised.

As described above, the substrate holder 110 is converted from the vertical posture to the horizontal posture without requiring a large-sized rotating mechanism having a large torque for rotating the substrate holder 110 . According to the present invention, it is important to optimize the design of: the distance the substrate holder transporter 140 initially moves to tilt the substrate holder 110, the speed at which the arm 141 is reduced, the force applied to bring the horizontal movement mechanism 121 back to the initial position, Sliding resistance between handle 111 and finger member 142a of lifter 142, sliding resistance between lower end 113 of substrate holder 110 and horizontal movement mechanism 121, shape of lower end 113 of substrate holder 110 and horizontal movement mechanism 121 .

According to the present invention, the posture of the substrate holder 110 is converted along with the horizontal movement of the horizontal movement mechanism 121 . According to another posture conversion scheme, as described in FIGS. 8A to 8C , the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 can be held in contact with the left end of the stage 120, and the arm 141 can be moved in an arc so that the substrate holder 110 becomes horizontal posture. However, as shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 enables the substrate holder 110 to release the substrate 500 when the substrate automatic handler 180 transports the substrate 500 to or receives the substrate 500 from the substrate holder 110 . , the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 is disposed above the stage 120, and the substrate holder transporter 140 and the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 tend to interfere with each other.

According to another posture conversion scheme, as described in FIGS. 9A to 9C , the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 can be kept in contact with the right end of the stage 120, and the arm 141 can tilt the substrate holder 110 toward the plating part 130 until the substrate The holder 110 is horizontal, and finally the arm 141 moves the substrate holder 110 onto the stage 120 . However, as shown in FIG. 9B , since the substrate holder carrier 140 protrudes from the stage 120 toward the plating section 130 by a large distance, there is a possibility of interfering with the processing operation of the plating section 130 .

According to the process of changing the posture of the substrate holder 110 according to the present invention, unlike the above other posture changing schemes, when the substrate holder transporter 140 changes the posture of the substrate holder 110, the substrate holder transporter 140 does not interfere with the opening and closing of the substrate holder. Processing operations in the closing mechanism 102 and the plating section 130 . Therefore, the distance between the substrate holder carrier 140 and the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 and the plating section 130 is not considered. The process of changing the posture of the substrate holder 110 according to the present invention is very effective for saving the space of the plating equipment.

The horizontal movement mechanism 121 may include a mechanism for horizontal movement by itself without the weight of the substrate holder 110 . However, such a mechanism requires its own power source and must cooperate with the arm 141 in order to switch the posture of the substrate holder 110, resulting in a complicated control process. Accordingly, it is desirable to enable the horizontal movement mechanism 121 to slide, and it is also desirable to control a mechanism to move the horizontal movement mechanism 121 horizontally under the external force exerted by the weight 123 or the coil spring so that the horizontal movement mechanism 121 returns to its original position.

As the substrate holder 110 changes from a vertical state to a horizontal state, in this embodiment, the handle 111 and the fingers 142 of the lifter 142, the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 and the horizontal movement mechanism 121 slide against each other . The opposite ends of the handle 111 may be supported by bearings and the rollers may be mounted at the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 if they are not required to slide against each other. However, because the substrate holder 110 is immersed in the plating solution, the bearings and rollers are disposed in the plating solution or near the surface of the plating solution. It may not be desirable for the bearings and rollers to be affected by the plating solution. Therefore, in order to avoid sliding movement of the components, rollers may be mounted on the fingers 142a of the lifter 142 or the horizontal movement mechanism 121 so that the handle 111 or the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110 is rotatable.

After the processed substrate 500 is removed from the substrate holder 110 placed on the stage 120 or the next substrate 500 to be processed is held by the substrate holder 110, the substrate holder 110 changes its posture from a horizontal state to a vertical state. state. For this posture transition, the finger member 142a of the lifter 142 enters under the handle 111 and engages with the handle 111, and the lifter 142 lifts the substrate holder 110 as the arm 141 rises. The horizontal movement mechanism 121 is not disengaged from the lower end 113 of the substrate holder 110, and returns to its original position, so that the substrate holder 110 becomes a vertical posture. The arm 141 is further raised, and when the arm 141 is raised, the clamper 143 operates as described above, preventing the substrate holder 110 from shaking.

In the present embodiment, in order to switch the posture of the substrate holder 110 between the vertical posture and the horizontal posture, power is only required to move the horizontal movement mechanism 121 horizontally and raise and lower the arm 141 . The mechanism of the substrate holder transporter 140 for generating horizontal and vertical movement is required to move the substrate holder 110 to the processing tank and immerse the substrate 500 in the processing solution in the processing tank. Therefore, no dedicated power is required to change the posture of the substrate holder 110 .

The present invention is applicable to many devices that use substrate holders to hold substrates, transport substrate holders, and plate substrates. In this example, an example is given to illustrate how the principles of the invention can be applied to plating equipment. However, the principles of the invention are also applicable to pickling plants and non-plating plants and the like. The principles of the present invention are applicable not only to processing equipment in which the substrate holder is fully submerged in a processing tank, but also to processing equipment comprising a processing tank in which openings are defined in the vertical side walls of the tank and are horizontally adjacent to the A substrate held by a substrate holder. In the present embodiment, the plating apparatus includes a single substrate holder transporter, which is generally used to change the posture of the substrate holder and transport the substrate holder to a processing bath including a plating bath. However, the principles of the present invention are applicable to a plating apparatus comprising a plurality of substrate holder transporters, for example, one of the plurality of substrate holder transporters is used to change the posture of the substrate The device is transported to the plating section 130.

According to the present invention, as described above, since the substrate holder can be rotated stably without requiring a large-sized rotating mechanism, the plating apparatus saves space and reduces manufacturing costs. In particular, since the substrate holder transporter used to transport the substrate holder to the plating bath is used to rotate the substrate holder, a separate power mechanism for rotating the substrate holder is not required, and the plating apparatus Manufacturing costs can be greatly reduced.

The operation sequence of the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 will be described below. The role of the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 is to mount and move the cover of the substrate holder 110, that is, the movable support member 11 to be described below, in order to mount the substrate 500 to the substrate holder placed horizontally on the stage 120 110, and removed from the substrate holder 110.

10 is a plan view showing the structure of a substrate holder 110 in which a movable support member 11 is mounted on a fixed support member 15 while protrusions (lobes) 13 are respectively held in contact with the holder. 16 fitting engagement. FIG. 11A is a plan view showing the fixed support member 15 of the substrate holder 110 . FIG. 11B illustrates a fixed plan view showing the movable support member 11 of the substrate holder 110 . 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the fixed support member 15 and the movable support member 11 of the substrate holder 110 .

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 , the substrate holder 110 has a movable support member 11 as a cover and a fixed support member 15 placed on a table 120 . The substrate 500 is clamped between the movable support member 11 and the fixed support member 15 . The movable supporting member 11 is formed in a substantially annular shape and has a supporting member 12 and a plurality of protrusions 13 integrally formed with the supporting member 12 and protruding outward from the supporting member 12 . The movable support member 11 can be fixed to the fixed support member 15 and can be removed from the movable support member 11 . As shown in FIG. 10 , the movable support member 11 is fixed to the upper surface of the fixed support member 15 . The fixed support member 15 has a plurality of clampers 16 whose positions correspond to the protrusions 13, respectively. The holder 16 has an inverted L shape with an inwardly bent top end. The clamp 16 secures the movable support member 11 to the fixed support member 15 when the protrusion 13 is fitted into the inwardly bent top end of the clamp 16 . Preferably, the protrusion 13 and the holder 16 should have tapered surfaces for enabling the protrusion 13 and the holder 16 to fit each other easily.

The supporting member 12 is rotatable relative to the movable supporting member 11 and is inseparably held by a dislodgment prevention member 12b, and the supporting member 12 and the protrusion 13 can be together around the center R of the movable supporting member 11 on a substantially horizontal plane. Can be rotated. The supporting member 12 is formed, for example, in a substantially annular shape. The supporting member 12 has a protrusion 12a provided on the circumferential surface of the supporting member 12 and protruding toward the head portion 1100 of the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism, which will be described later. The supporting member 12 is prevented from being separated from the movable supporting member 11 by the separation preventing member 12b.

The substrate 500 is clamped between the movable support member 11 and the fixed support member 15, which when the support member 12 is rotated so that the protrusion 13 fits into engagement with the holder 16, the movable support member 11 and the fixed support member 15 are fastened together. To install and remove substrate 500 , support member 12 is rotated to disengage protrusion 13 from mating engagement with holder 16 . The substrate 500 is placed in the substrate placement area 14 of the fixed support member 15 .

The movable supporting member 11 has a first sealing ring 18a and a second sealing ring 18b for sealing portions of the substrate 500 not to be plated, such as the edge and the reverse side of the substrate 500, from being in contact with the plating solution. The first seal ring 18 a is held in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the substrate 500 , and the second seal ring 18 b is held in contact with the surface of the fixed support member 15 . The substrate holder 110 is used in a plating apparatus. Accordingly, the substrate holder 110 has electrical contacts 20 for contacting and supplying electrical power to the substrate 500 through the edge region of the substrate 500 sealed by the first sealing ring 18 a. The electrical contacts 20 are electrically connected to an external power source, and the substrate 500 is sandwiched between the movable support member 11 and the fixed support member 15 . The first seal ring 18 a and the second seal ring 18 b are held by a seal ring holder 19 . For simplicity, the first seal ring 18 a and the second seal ring 18 b may be collectively referred to as the seal ring 18 .

In order to remove the substrate 500 from the substrate holder 110 , the movable support member 11 is moved away from the fixed support member 13 . At this time, the first sealing ring 18 a may be fastened together with the base plate 500 , and the base plate 500 may be attached to the movable support member 11 and lifted together with the movable support member 11 . In order to prevent the substrate 500 from being attached to the movable support member 11, preferably the movable support member 11 has a peeling spring for biasing the substrate 500 towards the fixed support member 15 when the substrate 500 is moved away from the first sealing ring 18a, And the substrate 500 is peeled off from the first seal ring 18a. The peeling spring is disclosed by Japanese Patent No. 4162440.

However, even if the movable support member 11 has a spring member, depending on the properties and characteristics of the protective layer applied to the substrate 500, such as material and thickness, since the seal ring 18a and the substrate 500 are tightly pressed when the movable support member 11 is removed, Together, the substrate 500 may be positionally offset from the substrate placement area 14 . In particular, a portion of the edge of the substrate 500 may be fastened to the first sealing ring 18 a, and the substrate 500 may be lifted obliquely and dropped into a misaligned position of the fixed support member 15 .

As described later, this problem is solved by preventing the plating apparatus from continuing to operate on the shifted substrate 500 when the sensor 1140 of the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 detects that the position of the substrate 500 is out of alignment.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing the structure of the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 . As shown in FIG. 13 , the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 includes a head portion 1100 , a first actuator 1200 and a second actuator 1300 .

The head portion 1100 placed above the stage 120 can hold the movable support member 11 of the substrate holder 110 placed on the stage 120 . The head portion 1100 is capable of rotating the support member 12 of the movable support member 11 to rotate the protrusion 13 for fastening the movable support member 11 to the fixed support member 15 or releasing the movable support member 11 from the fixed support member 15, and holding Movable support member 11'.

The first actuator 1200 is connected to the head part 1100 through the connection protrusion 1170 of the head part 1100 . When in operation, the first actuator 1200 moves the head portion 1100 vertically. In the present embodiment, the first actuator 1200 has an actuator unit 1210 and a shaft 1220 having an end connected to the head portion 1100 . The first actuator 1200 moves the head portion 1100 vertically as the shaft 1220 is extended and shortened.

The second actuator 1300 has an actuator unit 1310 that uniaxially moves and a shaft hook 1330 fixed to a moving plate 1320 of the actuator unit 1310 . The two rollers 1340 are rotatably mounted to the shaft hook 1330 at positions spaced from each other between the two rollers 1340 through a roller shaft 1350 for enabling the shaft 1130 to slide while being pushed. When the second actuator 1300 is operated, the shaft hook 1330 is horizontally reciprocated to push the shaft 1130 extending from the head part 1100 to rotate the rotation plate 1150 of the head part 1100 . The second actuator 1300 may comprise a ball screw.

14A and 14B show structural details of the header portion 1100 . 14A and 14B , the head part 1100 includes a pressing piece 1110 and a rotating plate 1150 installed on the pressing piece 1100 . The pressing piece 1110 includes a hook 1111 , a rotating plate guide 1112 , a guide roller 1113 and a pressing block 1114 . The sensor 1140 is firmly supported on the pressing piece 1110 at intervals along its periphery.

The rotating plate 1150 has a fastening hook 1151 and is connected to an end of the shaft 1130 . The rotating plate 1150 has a substantially circular shape and is sandwiched by the rotating plate guide 1112 on the pressing disc 1110 . The rotating plate 1150 is rotatable about its central axis in a substantially horizontal plane and engages with the guide roller 1113 .

The shaft 1130 includes, for example, a rod. When the second actuator 1300 operates to horizontally move the shaft hook 1330, the shaft 1130 is also horizontally moved, and the rotation plate 1150 is rotated. Specifically, the rotation of the rotating plate 1150 can be controlled by controlling the operation of the second actuator 1300 . A sensor 1131 for detecting the position of the shaft 1130 is attached to the pressing piece 1110 .

When the rotating plate 1150 is rotated about its central axis, the rotating plate 1150 rotates the supporting member 12 and the protrusion 13 . In this embodiment, two fastening hooks 1151 extend downward from the rotating plate 1150 at respective two circumferential positions. When the rotating plate 1150 is rotated by the second actuator 1300 , one of the fastening hooks 1151 pushes the protrusion 12 a of the supporting member 12 , rotating the supporting member 12 .

The pressing block 1114 is installed on the bottom surface of the pressing piece 1110 . When the first actuator 1120 lowers the head portion 1100 , for example, the pressing block 1114 comes into contact with the movable support member 11 at point P in FIG. 12 , pressing the movable support member 11 downward. When the movable support member 11 is pressed in this way, the seal ring 18 is deformed by a distance by which the movable support member 11 is pressed down. As the movable support member 11 is lowered, a gap is created between the protrusion 13 and the gripper 16 . Accordingly, the force applied to rotate the support member 12 , ie, the driving force generated by the second actuator 1300 may be small to minimize wear on the holder 16 and the protrusion 13 .

The distance by which the pressing block 1114 presses the movable supporting member 11 downward is determined by the position to which the head portion 1100 is lowered. If the substrate holders 110 have different thicknesses, the distance by which the seal ring 18 is deformed or compressed will be different. Specifically, if the substrate holder 110 is thinner than a normal thickness, the support member 12 tends to be worn more while rotating because the seal ring 18 is not sufficiently compressed. If the substrate holder 110 is thicker than normal, the seal ring 18 is excessively compressed and broken, and conversely, the sealing ability of the seal ring 18 is affected.

As shown in FIG. 15 , the above-mentioned problem can be solved by using a piston having an elastic member 30 such as a spring provided inside the piston like each pressing piece 1114 . The piston also houses a pin 31 held against the elastic member 30 and protruding out of the piston. The elastic member 30 having elastic force is pre-compressed to some extent and accommodated in the piston so that the elastic member 30 normally biases the pin 31 so that the pin 31 protrudes from the piston and comes into contact with the substrate holder 110 . The pressing blocks 1114 are thus configured to reduce differences in the distance of the sealing ring 18 due to the geometrical properties of the individual substrate holders 110 . Therefore, it is possible to allow the substrate holder 110 to have a difference in thickness, stably reduce the frictional force generated between elements when the substrate holder 110 is opened and closed, and stabilize the sealing ability of the seal ring 18 .

The pressing piece 1110 has a plurality of hooks 1111 on its outer edge. When the protrusion 13 of the movable supporting member 11 is rotated to a position directly above each hanger of the plurality of hooks 1111, the head portion 1100 is lifted. The protrusion 13 of the movable support member 11 is now suspended by the hook 1111 so that the movable support member 11 rises synchronously with the head part 1100 . At this time, a gap is generated between the movable support member 11 and the fixed support member 15 , allowing the substrate 500 to be placed on or removed from the fixed support member 15 .

As mentioned above, the support member 12 of the movable support member 11 is rotated to fasten the movable support member 11 to the fixed support member 15, and the movable support member 11 is raised and lowered by the separation actuator, each step by the head Portion 1100 operates in a single action. Therefore, there is no need for complex reciprocating and rotating mechanisms required by conventional plating equipment, and the plating equipment is small in size, simple in structure, and low in manufacturing cost. A conventional substrate holder comprising a movable support member 11 and a fixed support member 15 connected to each other by a hinge requires a mechanism for lifting the movable support member 11 to a position below the table. The substrate holder 110 according to the present invention does not require a dedicated actuator for opening and closing the substrate holder 110 .

A sensor 1140 serving as a position detector for detecting the position of the substrate 500 placed in the substrate holder 110 on the stage 120 is mounted on the outer peripheral edge of the pressing sheet 110 . The process of detecting the position of the substrate 500 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 16A and 16B .

Each sensor 1140 of the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 is placed above the substrate holder 110 as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B . The sensor 1140 may be, for example, a laser sensor, but is not limited thereto. At least one sensor 1140 of the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 is capable of accurately detecting positional misalignment of the substrate 500 . The fixed support member 15 of the substrate holder 110 has a concave portion 17 defined in an outer peripheral edge of the fixed support member 15 , and the concave portion 17 is aligned with a position where the sensor 1140 applies the laser beam. For example, as shown in FIG. 17 , the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 has three sensors 1140 , and the fixed support member 15 has three recesses 17 at the outer peripheral edge of the substrate seating area 14 . Preferably, each recess 17 has an inclined bottom surface substantially perpendicular to the axis of the laser beam from the sensor 1140 and allows the plating solution to flow out of the recess 17 so that a constant gap is maintained between the sensor 1140 and the inclined bottom surface of the recess 17. distance.

The sensor 1140 measures a distance to an object and determines whether the measured distance is within a predetermined range. For example, if the sensor 1140 is provided at a specific height at a distance A from the inclined bottom surface of the concave portion 17, as shown in FIG. The correct distance to the sloped bottom surface, not to the base plate 500 on the fixed support member 15. Therefore, it is found that the substrate 500 is not located between the sensor 1140 and the inclined bottom surface, ie, the recess 17 .

On the other hand, if the sensor 1140 detects a distance W ₁ smaller than the distance A, as shown in FIG. 16B , it is determined that the sensor 1140 has measured the distance to the substrate 500 and the substrate 500 is not aligned.

If the correct distance from the inclined bottom surfaces of the plurality of recesses 17 is detected by the corresponding sensor 1140, no misalignment of the position of the substrate 500 in the direction of any recess 17 is found. Therefore the positional misalignment of the substrate 500 can be more accurately detected.

The threshold D for determining the misalignment of the substrate 500 can be set to an appropriate value by adjusting the inclination R and the distance A of the sensor 1140 from the normal of the substrate 500 . Preferably, the threshold D should be in the range of 0.5 mm to 15 mm.

When the substrate 500 is not positioned between the sensor 1140 and the recess 17 , the substrate 500 may not be positioned on the fixed support member 15 . For example, the substrate 500 may be attached to the movable support member 11 and may be lifted together with the movable support member 11 . To prevent this from happening, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B , the sensor 1140 can be raised with the head portion 1100 and can again measure the height to the recess 17 from the height at which the sensor 1140 previously measured the distance to the sloped bottom surface of the recess 17. The distance of the sloped bottom.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18A , when the sensor 1140 rises by a height H from the height at which the sensor 1140 measured the distance to the sloped bottom surface of the recess 17 before the sensor 1140 , the sensor 1140 is separated from the substrate 500 by a distance W ₂ .

If the sensor 1140 measures the distance W ₂ from the substrate 500 , it is determined that the sensor 1140 has measured the correct distance to the substrate 500 and the substrate 500 is found to be placed on the fixed support member 15 .

As shown in FIG. 18B , on the other hand, if the sensor 1140 measures a distance B smaller than the distance W ₂ , it is judged that the sensor 1140 has measured the distance to the sloped bottom surface of the recess 17 and finds that the substrate 500 is not located on the fixed support member 15.

The operation sequence of the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 for placing and removing the substrate 500 in the substrate holder 110 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22 .

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the substrate holder 110 placed horizontally on the stage 120 by the substrate holder transporter 140 . In this state, the head portion 1100 connected to the first actuator 1200 through the connection protrusion 1170 is spaced upward from the substrate holder 110 . A shaft 1130 extends from the head portion 1100 to a position above the second actuator 1300 . The substrate holder 110 does not hold the substrate 500 , and the movable support member 11 is temporarily fastened to the fixed support member 15 by the protrusion 13 which is held in light engagement with the clamper 16 .

Then, the head part 1100 is lowered by the first actuator 1200 so that the shaft 1130 is positioned between the two rollers 1340 .

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 20 , the second actuator 1300 is operated to release the movable support member 11 from the fixed support member 15 , ie release the protrusion 13 from the gripper 16 . As shown in FIG. 20, the shaft hook 1330 is moved by the second actuator 1300 in the direction indicated by the arrow X', rotating the rotating plate 1150 counterclockwise. Therefore, as described above, one of the fastening hooks 1151 pushes the protrusion 12 a of the support member 12 , moving the protrusion 13 to the hook 1111 .

In the direction indicated by the arrows X, X', the second actuator 1300 is moved to its initial position to return the axle hook 1330 from the position shown in FIG. 20 to its intermediate position. The first actuator 1200 is then operated to lift the head portion 1100 , lifting the movable support member 11 . As shown in FIG. 21 , the substrate automatic transporter 180 places the substrate 500 on the substrate placement area 14 of the fixed support member 15 .

The first actuator 1200 is then operated to lower the head portion 1100 from the position shown in FIG. 21 . As described above, when the pressing blocks 1114 on the lower surface of the pressing piece 1110 press the movable support member 11, since the pressing blocks 1114 each include the elastic member 30 therein, the elastic members 30 can reduce the size of the seal ring 18 because the substrate holder The difference in the compressed distance due to the different thickness of 110.

When the first actuator 1200 lowers the head portion 1100 and the second actuator 1300 moves the shaft hook 1330 from the position shown in FIG. 21 in the direction indicated by the arrow X, the shaft hook 1330 pushes the shaft in the direction indicated by the arrow X. 1130, rotate the rotary plate 1150 clockwise, as shown in FIG. 22 . The fastening hook 1151 pushes the protrusion 12a of the support member 12, which also rotates clockwise. The protrusion 13 is now in fitting engagement with the holder 16 . The mobile support member 11 is now secured to the fixed support member 15 to clamp the substrate 500 between the mobile support member 11 and the fixed support member 15 .

FIG. 22 shows the protrusion 13 and the holder 16 held in fitted engagement with each other, the substrate 500 being clamped between the mobile support member 11 and the fixed support member 15 . If the mobile support member 11 is to be temporarily fastened to the fixed support member 15 without the base plate 500 being clamped between the mobile support member 11 and the fixed support member 15, the shaft hook 1330 may be stopped at a position other than that shown in FIG. position slightly forward.

As shown in Figure 22, when the protrusion 13 and the holder 16 are kept in fit engagement with each other, the second actuator 1300 moves to its initial position to move the shaft hook 1330 in the direction indicated by the arrow X, X' to return to its middle position. The substrate holder 110 holding the substrate 500 is then carried by the substrate holder carrier 140 to the plating section 130 where the substrate 500 is to be processed.

After the substrate 500 is processed, the substrate holder 110 holding the processed substrate 500 is placed on the stage 120, and the substrate 500 is removed from the substrate holder 110 by the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 and the substrate automatic transporter 180. remove. In order to remove the substrate 500 from the substrate holder 110, the process of separating the fixed support member 15 from the movable support member 11 is performed by the first actuator 1200 and the second actuator 1300 in the same manner as the method described above. FIG. 21 also shows the movable support member 11 with the head portion 1100 lifted after the substrate holder 110 holding the processed substrate 500 is placed on the stage 120 . If the substrate 500 is fastened to and lifted by the first sealing ring 18a and then falls into a misaligned position on the fixed support member 15, or if the substrate 500 continues to be attached to the movable support member 11, then when Such problems are detected by the sensor 1140 located on the head portion 1100 as the sensor 1140 measures the distance to the fixed support member 15 and to the substrate 500 as described above.

As described above, since the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 is assembled with simple components, it is relatively small in size and low in cost. Since the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 in the present embodiment includes the sensor 1140 on the vertically movable head portion 1100 for detecting the misalignment of the substrate 500, the substrate holder opening and closing mechanism 102 The positional misalignment of the substrate 500 can be detected more accurately than existing devices regardless of whether the substrate 500 and the substrate holder 110 are deformed and whether there is water drop on the substrate 500 . In addition, since the pressing blocks 1114 for pressing the substrate holder 1100 respectively include respective elastic members 30 therein, the elastic members 30 can reduce the difference in the distance that the seal ring 18 is compressed due to different thicknesses of the substrate holder 110, And stabilize the sealing ability of the sealing ring 18 relative to the substrate 500 .

In this embodiment, the second actuator 1300 is positioned along the table 120 . However, since the second actuator 1300 functions to rotate the rotating plate 1150 relative to the pressing piece 1110 , the second actuator 1300 may be installed on the pressing piece 1110 for rotating the rotating plate 1150 . In the present embodiment, the pressing blocks 114 respectively including the elastic members 30 reduce the difference in the distance at which the seal ring 18 is compressed due to the different thicknesses of the substrate holder 110 . However, the first actuator 1200 for vertically moving the head portion 1100 may comprise a servo motor with torque monitoring capability that may be controlled to control the lowering of the head portion 1100 such that the force compressing the sealing ring 18 is constant . In this way, the distance by which the sealing ring 18 is compressed can be constant despite the different thicknesses of the substrate holder 110 . The truck-type storage portion 150 (see FIGS. 1 and 2 ) in this embodiment is adapted to store substrate holders 110 each extending in a vertical plane. The van-type storage section 150 is capable of storing at least the same number of substrate holders 110 as the compartments in the plating tank 130 f in the plating section 130 . Preferably, the van-type storage section 150 should store an extra set of substrate holders 110 as a spare for substrate holders 110 that are found to be malfunctioning due to power feed failure or the like.

The truck-type storage unit 150 is located at the storage unit installation portion 160 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the storage installation part 160 is disposed close to the rear surface of the plating apparatus, and has the loading port 170 on the front surface of the plating apparatus. The storage installation part 160 and the truck-type storage 150 may be placed at other locations, for example, between the stage 120 and the plating part 130 . However, the stage 120, the plating part 130, and the storage part installation part 160 should be sequentially arranged in the order shown in FIG. 1 to improve efficiency because such a layout can generate a higher throughput per unit time. Specifically, when the plating apparatus is in continuous operation, after the substrate holder 110 transports the substrate 500 that has been processed in the plating section 130 , the substrate holder 110 receives the next substrate 500 to be processed. Therefore, unless the substrate holder 110 encounters a problem such as a power feed failure, the corresponding compartment in the truck-type storage part 150 becomes empty, and will cause the substrate holder 110 to pass over the empty truck-type storage part 150. Shipping time loss. In other words, when the plating apparatus is in continuous operation, the substrate holder 110 is not transported to the right beyond the point indicated by X in FIG. 1 .

If the truck type storage part 150 and the storage part installation part 160 are arranged between the table 120 and the plating part 130, the side wall of the plating equipment facing the observer of Fig. 1 needs to have an opening, and the truck type storage part 150 must pass through The opening is put into and taken out of the storage installation part 160 . However, the plating equipment is usually spaced about 1 meter apart from adjacent equipment, providing a limited space in which the operator puts the truck-type storage unit 150 into and takes it out of the storage unit installation portion 160, and continues to operate in the storage unit. Work on the truck-type storage unit 150 . It is difficult to manufacture a truck-type storage unit that is movable in such a limited space and can store a plurality of substrate holders. According to the present embodiment, the storage installation part 160 is provided close to the rear surface of the plating apparatus, since there is a large space behind the rear surface of the plating apparatus, the storage installation part 160 can be freely accessed.

Next, structural details of the truck-type storage unit 150 will be described below. When the plating apparatus is powered off, that is, when no substrate 500 is processed, the truck-type storage part 150 stores therein all the substrate holders 110 . When the plating apparatus is in operation, that is, when the substrate 500 is processed, the necessary substrate holder 110 is taken out of the truck-type storage part 150, and the substrate holder 110 that is not used or encounters, for example, a power feed failure The substrate holders 110 for problems such as the above are stored in the truck-type storage unit 150 .

FIG. 23 is a schematic view showing the structure of the truck-type storage unit 150 . As shown in FIG. 23 , the truck-type storage unit 150 includes a plurality of hangers as a plurality of casters 151 for moving the truck-type storage unit 150 , a hanger 112 for supporting the substrate holder 110 to lift the substrate holder 110 The receiver 152 and the substrate holder shaking prevention member 153 for preventing the substrate holder 110 suspended by the hanger receiver 152 from shaking. The truck-type storage unit 150 includes a pair of storage unit locks 159, such as locking pins, for locking the truck-type storage unit 150 in the storage unit mounting portion 160, a frame 155, vertical rollers 156, horizontal rollers 157, a drain pan 158 and handle 154 . Details of these components will be described below. The truck-type storage section 150 has a substrate holder storage area defined within the frame 155 as a space for storing a plurality of substrate holders 110 therein.

Because the truck type storage part 150 has the casters 151 as a moving mechanism, the truck type storage part 150 can be moved into and out of the storage part installation part 160, that is, into and out of the plating equipment. . In this embodiment, casters 151 are used as the moving mechanism. However, the truck-type storage unit 150 may have another moving mechanism instead of the casters 151 . For example, rails may be provided to slidably guide the truck-type storage unit 150 into or out of the storage unit installation portion 160 . Because the truck type storage part 150 can be pulled out from the storage part installation part 160 in the plating equipment, the substrate holder 110 can be put into and taken out from the truck type storage part 150 outside the plating equipment, The burden on the operator is compared to that the substrate holder 110 is put into and taken out of the truck-type storage 150 manually or by a lifter located in the plating apparatus.

Since the truck type storage part 150 is movable due to the casters 151, the truck type storage part 150 can be completely separated from the plating apparatus. The substrate holder 110 suspended from the hook receiver 152 can be easily taken out from the truck-type storage part 150 via the recess 155a, and the substrate holder 110 can be easily guided into the truck-type storage part 150 and removed from the hook receiver via the recess 155a. 152 hanging. The recess 155a enables the substrate holder 110 to be easily put in and out of the truck-type storage unit 150 via the recessed recess without lifting the truck-type storage unit 150 out of the substrate holder 110 . FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing the structure of another truck-type storage unit 150 . As shown in FIG. 24 , the frame 155 of the truck-type storage unit 150 has a recess 155 a defined in a side wall of the frame 155 . The substrate holder 110 suspended from the hook receiver 152 can be easily taken out from the truck-type storage part 150 via the recess 155a, and the substrate holder 110 can be easily guided into the truck-type storage part 150 and removed from the hook receiver via the recess 155a. 152 hanging. The recess 155 a enables the substrate holder 110 to be easily put in and out of the truck-type storage 150 via the recess 155 a without the need to lift the truck-type storage 150 out of the substrate holder 110 .

FIG. 25 is a schematic side view of the storage installation part 160 and the truck-type storage 150 located in the plating apparatus. FIG. 26 is a schematic rear view of the storage installation part 160 and the truck type storage 150 located in the plating apparatus.

Preferably, the storage section installation portion 160 is placed at a position close to the rear surface of the plating apparatus in the direction of extension of the transport shaft 101 of the substrate holder transporter 140 because the substrate holder 110 does not pass through the empty truck-type storage section 150 and the response time is reduced without loss of transit time. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the storage installation part 160 may be provided between the stage 120 and the dissolution tank 130h instead of being close to the rear surface of the plating apparatus. However, when the truck type storage part 150 is pulled out from the storage part installation part 160 located between the stage 120 and the dissolution tank 130h, the truck type storage part 150 is placed at the side of the plating apparatus. Since the space at the side of the plating equipment is limited by adjacent equipment so that the truck type storage 150 cannot be freely touched, the storage installation part 160 is desirably provided near the rear surface of the plating equipment.

As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 , the storage portion installation portion 160 includes a door 161 through which the truck-type storage portion 150 is put into the storage portion installation portion 160 and taken out from the storage portion installation portion 160 , and the door 161 is arranged in a defined position. In the opening of the rear surface of the plating apparatus, the shutter 162 serves as an opening and closing means for minimizing a gap through which ambient air may flow into the plating apparatus when the door 161 is opened. In this embodiment, door 161 includes a locking mechanism that works with shutter 162 . When the shutter 162 is open, the locking mechanism locks the door 161 in the closed position.

The locking mechanism in this embodiment includes a shutter switch 165 a for locking the shutter 162 and a door switch 165 b for locking the door 161 . A shutter switch 165 a and a door switch 165 b are provided at the storage installation part 160 . Each of the paddle switch 165a and door switch 165b is preferably an actuator combination switch. When the actuator installed on the shutter 162 or the door 161 is inserted into the shutter switch 165a or the door switch 165b, the shutter switch 165a or the door switch 165b detects that the shutter 162 or the door 161 is closed, and the shutter switch 165a OR door switch 165b locks the actuator against removal. When the unlock signal is transmitted to the shutter switch 165a or the door switch 165b, the shutter switch 165a or the door switch 165b unlocks the actuator. When the shutter switch 165a locks the actuator, the shutter 162 cannot be opened, and when the door switch 165b locks the actuator, the door 162 cannot be opened. The paddle switch 165a and the door switch 165b cooperate with each other such that the door switch 165b cannot be unlocked unless the paddle switch 165a is locked, and the paddle switch 165a cannot be unlocked unless the door switch 165b is locked. Therefore, whenever one of the shutter switch 165 a and the door switch 165 b is open, the other must be closed to minimize ambient air flow into areas such as the plating section 130 and the substrate holder transporter 140 .

Each of the shutter switch 165a and the door switch 165b may include a solenoid-operated safety switch. The rear panel of the plating apparatus may be used as a door of the truck type storage part 150 and integrated with the truck type storage part 150 instead of the door of the storage part installation part 160 . The shutter 162 comprises a pivoting shutter that is angularly movable between an open position and a closed position by a shutter rotation mechanism 162a to save space. The storage installation part 160 detects when the shutter 162 is opened or closed through the shutter switch 165a.

In this embodiment, each of the storage unit lock or storage unit latch 159 includes a latch handle 159a for securely securing the truck-type storage unit 150 to the storage unit mounting portion 160 . When the truck type storage unit 150 is in the storage unit mounting portion 160 , the storage unit lock or storage unit detent 159 immovably holds the truck type storage unit 150 in the storage unit mounting portion 160 . An elastic block 167 made of rubber or the like is mounted on one end of the truck type storage part 150, and when the truck type storage part 150 moves into the storage part installation part 160, this end acts as a front end, or when the truck type storage part 150 enters the storage part. The storage unit installation portion 160 abuts against the rear surface of the truck type storage unit 150 when the storage unit 160 is installed. The elastic block 167 functions to reduce shock when the rear surfaces of the truck type storage part 150 and the storage part mounting part 160 contact each other. When the truck-type storage unit 150 is guided into the storage unit installation portion 160, the operator pushes the truck-type storage unit 150 into the storage unit installation portion 160 until the truck-type storage unit 150 squeezes the elastic block 167, and then uses the storage unit lock or storage The truck-type storage unit 150 is secured in place in the storage unit mounting portion 160 by the storage unit latch pin 159 .

In the present embodiment, the storage unit installation portion 160 has a horizontal guide plate 163 provided in the storage unit installation portion 160 for being put into the storage unit installation portion 160 and from the storage unit installation portion 160 when the truck type storage unit 150 Adjust the position and height of the truck-type storage unit 150 when taking it out. 27 is a plan view of the guide plate 163 provided in the storage part installation part 160 and the vertical roller 156 and the horizontal roller 157 on the truck type storage part 150. Referring to FIG. 28 is a side view of the guide plate 163 provided in the storage part installation part 160 and the vertical roller 156 and the horizontal roller 157 on the truck type storage part 150 .

As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28 , the truck type storage unit 150 includes vertical rollers 156 located beside the casters 150 , and the storage unit mounting portion 160 includes guide plates 163 . When the truck type storage unit 150 is pushed into the storage unit installation portion 160 , the vertical roller 156 is positioned on the guide plate 163 . At this point, the casters 151 are lifted off the floor.

Individual plating installations generally have different heights from the floor. If the storage part installation part 160 does not have the guide plate, when the truck type storage part 150 is pushed into the storage part installation part 160, the casters 151 remain in contact with the floor, and then the truck type storage part 150 may not be properly installed with respect to different plating equipment. positioned vertically. A truck-type storage unit 150 that has been vertically adjusted relative to one plating apparatus may not be properly vertically positioned relative to another plating apparatus. Such disadvantages can be avoided by means of a guide plate 163 which is positioned vertically and serves as a reference for the common height of the components in the different plating installations. Since the truck type storage part 150 is supported on the guide plate 163, when the truck type storage part 150 is in the storage part installation part 160, the truck type storage part 150 may be commonly used by different plating apparatuses. Unless otherwise stated, multiple truck-type storage units 150 may be used in one plating facility.

In order to smoothly put the truck-type storage unit 150 into the storage unit installation portion 160, in this embodiment, the guide plate 163 has a central vertical guide rail 163a, which is positioned at the truck-type storage unit 150 when the truck-type storage unit 150 moves into the storage unit installation portion 160. The horizontal rollers 157 on the storage portion 150 are held in rolling contact with the sides of the rails 163a. When the horizontal roller 157 is held in rolling contact with the side of the guide rail 163a, the horizontal roller restricts the lateral movement of the caster 151, thereby adjusting the position of the caster 151.

In this embodiment, the upper surface of the guide plate 163 has a slope 163b near the front end of the upper surface for allowing the vertical roller 156 to roll onto the guide plate 163 smoothly. The guide rail 163a has a pair of slopes 163c on opposite sides thereof near the front end thereof for allowing the horizontal roller 157 to smoothly roll onto the guide rail 163a. The guide rail 163a may have a width that gradually becomes larger in a direction away from the slope 163c to gradually reduce a gap between the horizontal roller 157 and the guide rail 163a. The horizontal roller 157 is smoothly moved and rolls in contact with the guide rail 163 a, adjusting the truck type storage part 150 to a more accurate position in the storage part installation part 160 .

In addition to the vertical rollers 156 on the truck storage unit 150, ball casters can be installed on the guide plate 163, and when the truck storage unit 150 is pushed into the storage unit installation portion 160, the truck storage unit 150 can be mounted on the guide plate 163. Move on spherical casters. The truck storage 150 may have rollers, and the storage installation part 160 may have a guide for adjusting a position of the truck storage 150 in the storage installation part 160 .

In this embodiment, the support column 164 is installed on the lower surface of the guide plate 163 to bear the weight of the truck-type storage unit 150 . The support column 164 has the function of height adjustment. The height of the entire plating apparatus from the floor is adjusted by an adjuster 168 (see FIG. 25 ) located on the lower surface of the plating apparatus. In FIG. 25 , the guide plate 163 has a left end fixed to the plating apparatus, and is adjusted to be parallel to the floor by the height adjustment function of the support column 164 .

The storage unit mounting portion 160 may have a storage unit detector, not shown, such as an infrared sensor or camera, for determining whether the truck storage unit 150 is located in the storage unit mounting portion 160 and whether the truck storage unit 150 is Fastened in place in the storage portion mounting portion 160 . The storage installation part 160 may also have an indication part, such as a light bulb, for indicating to the operator whether the truck type storage 150 is located in the storage installation part 160 .

Unless the storage unit detector detects that the truck storage unit 150 is fastened in place in the storage unit mounting portion 160, and unless the door switch 165b locks the door 161, an unlock signal will not be sent to the locking paddle 162. The shutter switch 165a, that is, the shutter 162 remains closed. This can prevent transportation problems caused by the substrate holder 110 when the cart storage unit 150 is installed in the wrong position in the storage unit installation portion 160, or prevent outside air from being introduced into the plating unit 130 and the substrate holder transporter 140 from being confused. flow.

As shown in FIGS. 29A to 29C , a latch handle 159 a is mounted on the side wall of the cart storage portion 150 facing the door 161 . The storage portion mounting portion 160 has latch receivers 159b for respectively receiving the latch handles 159a. The latch handle 159a and the latch receiver 159b combine to form a latch or storage unit lock 159 for locking the truck storage unit 150 in the storage unit mounting portion 160 . The door 161 has a latch guide 169 on the surface of the door 161 facing the truck storage portion 150 for guiding the respective latch handle 159a.

29A is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the latch handle on the truck type storage part 150 and the latch guide 169 of the door 161 of the storage part installation part 160; 29C is a side view of the door 161 with the deadbolt guide 169 installed.

The truck storage unit 150 is locked in place in the storage unit mounting portion 160 when the latch handle 159a is engaged with the latch receiver 159b. The deadbolt handle 159a engages the deadbolt receiver 159 when the deadbolt handle 159a passes through the deadbolt receiver 159b under the reaction force from the compressed resilient mass.

The latch guide 169 is provided on an inner surface of the door 161 that faces the truck storage 150 when the truck storage 150 is placed in the storage installation part 160 . As shown in Figure 29C, the latch guide 169 is in the form of a bracket protruding from the door 161 and extending substantially horizontally, shaped to retain the latch handle 159a therein. In order to install the truck storage unit 150 in the storage unit mounting portion 160 and close the door 161 , the deadbolt handle 159a must be positioned generally horizontal so that the deadbolt handle 159a is held between the deadbolt guides 169 .

In order to position the latch handle 159a substantially horizontally, the cart type storage part 150 needs to be pushed into a predetermined position in the storage part mounting part 160 . When the truck storage unit 150 is located at a predetermined position in the storage unit installation part 160, the truck storage unit 150 is locked in the storage unit installation part 160 by a lock pin 159 consisting of a lock pin handle 159a and a lock pin receiver 159b. Unless the deadbolt handle 159a is positioned approximately horizontal, the deadbolt handle 159a and the deadbolt receiver 159b interfere with each other and prevent the door 161 from being closed. Therefore, the door 161 cannot be closed unless the cart type storage part 150 is pushed into a predetermined position in the storage part installation part 160 .

In this way, the cart type storage unit 150 must be installed and locked in a predetermined position in the storage unit installation portion 160 . The truck storage unit 150 may have a switch, not shown, for detecting when the latch handle 159a is engaged with the latch receiver 159 in place, and an actuator for tightening the lock. The latch handle 159a is secured against inappropriate movement.

As shown in FIGS. 23 , 25 and 26 , a drain pan 158 is provided on a lower portion of the truck storage unit 150 or at the bottom of the truck storage unit 150 . As shown in FIG. 25 , an opening 166 through which the substrate holder 110 held by the substrate holder transporter 140 enters and exits the storage installation part 160 is defined above the storage installation part 160 . The opening 166 is configured smaller than the drain pan 158 in the truck storage 150 . Accordingly, when the shutter 162 is open, droplets fall through the opening 166 and are received in the truck storage 150 through the drain pan 158 rather than falling on the floor and soiling it.

The storage mounting portion 160 may have a size large enough to place the truck storage 150 therein. However, preferably, when the truck type storage unit 150 is put into the storage unit installation portion 160, there should not be a large space between the truck type storage unit 150 and the storage unit installation portion 160, so as to prevent the opening of the storage unit when the shutter 162 is opened. When , too much outside air enters the plating part 130 . Regardless of whether the truck storage unit 150 is placed in the storage unit installation section, in order to minimize the change in the area of the opening that allows outside air to enter the plating equipment and to prevent internal gas and liquid droplets from being discharged from the plating equipment, a spacer can be provided. Around the truck storage portion 150, partitions are not shown in the figure.

According to the plating apparatus of the present embodiment, even when the plating apparatus is in operation, the cart type storage part 150 can be pulled out from the plating apparatus, that is, the outside of the outer panel of the plating apparatus, without interrupting the plating. operation of the device. Accordingly, the cart storage 150 can be taken out of the plating apparatus, and the substrate holder 110 can be maintained without reducing the operability of the plating apparatus. When the plating equipment is in operation, in order to put the truck-type storage part 150 into or leave the plating equipment, it is necessary to consider the operational safety of the plating equipment, and try to minimize the interference caused by touching the truck-type storage part 150. Airflow to the device is minimized. The above requirements for operational safety of the plating plant and minimizing disturbing airflow should be met if the truck storage section 150 is to be accessed when the plating plant is not in operation. Section 150, the above requirements are to be more precisely met.

When the substrate holder transporter 140 puts the substrate holder 110 into or removes the substrate holder 110 from the truck storage 150, preferably, the plating apparatus should be controlled to lock the truck. Storage section 150, so that it cannot be removed from the plating equipment. Therefore, the plating apparatus includes a substrate holder carrier controller 210 (see FIG. 30 ) for grasping and controlling the operating state of the substrate holder carrier 140 .

30 is a block diagram showing the connection between the controller 200 of the plating apparatus, the substrate holder carrier 140, the storage installation part 160, the storage touch indication part 250 and the touchable/untouchable display part 260. As shown in FIG. 30 , the plating apparatus includes a controller 200 including a substrate holder carrier controller 210 , a storage section installation section controller 220 , an indication section controller 230 , and a display section controller 240 .

The substrate holder transporter controller 210 monitors and controls the substrate holder transporter 140 and receives a detection signal from a sensor 144 mounted on the substrate holder transporter 140 (see FIGS. 4A to 4C ). The storage section installation section controller 220 monitors and controls various components of the storage section installation section 160, including the door 161, the door switch 165b for locking the door 161, the shutter 162, and the shutter switch for locking the shutter 162 165a.

The indication part controller 230 receives a touch indication from the storage part touch indication part 250 . The display controller 240 controls the touchable/untouchable display 260 to display that the storage installation part 160 is touchable or the storage installation part 160 is not touchable based on the information on whether the storage installation part 160 can be touched.

The storage part touches the instruction part 250 (hereinafter referred to as "instruction part") to instruct the instruction part controller 230 to start the operation of taking out the truck type storage part 150 from the storage part installation part 160 and to return the truck type storage part 150 to the storage part installation part 160 , and the substrate holder transporter controller 210 is controlled to restrict the substrate holder transporter 140 from touching the storage unit installation part 160 . The indicating part 250 may be in the form of a touch panel for inputting processing instructions or a dedicated button provided near the rear surface of the plating apparatus. The instructing part 250 instructs the instructing part controller 230 that the cart storage part 150 is accessible, and the instructing part controller 230 transmits the instruction to the substrate holder transporter controller 210 . The substrate holder carrier controller 210 restricts access to the storage installation part 160 by the substrate holder carrier 140 .

When the indication part 250 indicates to the indication part controller 230 that a touch on the truck-type storage part 150 is about to occur, the indication part controller 230 sends the indication to the storage part installation part controller 220 . The storage installation section controller 220 determines the accessibility or inaccessibility to the storage installation section 160 based on the state of the storage installation section 160 and the operating state of the substrate holder transporter 140, wherein the substrate holder transporter 140 The operating state of 140 is controlled by the substrate holder transporter controller 210 . The touchable/untouchable display part 260 displays the determined touchability or untouchability to the operator.

The touchable/untouchable display 260 may include a light bulb, a GUI screen image, or an alarm to indicate to an operator or device user whether it is touchable or not. The touchable/non-touchable display part 260 may display information on whether the cart type storage part 150 is installed in the storage part installation part 160, to allow the operator to easily confirm whether the storage part installation part 160 is accessible and whether the storage part installation part 160 is accessible or not. The state of the installed part 160.

When the substrate holder transporter 140 is operated to store the substrate holder 110 in the cart storage 150, touching to the cart storage 150 is prohibited, and the storage installation part controller 220 judges that the cart storage 150 is untouchable. When the storage unit installation part controller 220 judges that the truck type storage unit 150 is untouchable, the door 161 is firmly locked to prevent the door 161 from being accidentally opened.

The door 161 is locked by a switch 165 consisting of a shutter switch 165 a for locking the shutter 162 and a door switch 165 b for locking the door 161 .

The door 161 may include an opening and closing sensor to prevent a situation in which the door 161 is opened due to some reason that a door switch 165 for locking the door 161 malfunctions although the shutter 162 is opened. The opening and closing sensors are not shown. An interlock mechanism may also be included which may be used to detect when the door 161 is opened and generate an error signal based on the signals from the opening and closing sensors.

In this embodiment, the sensor 144 (see FIGS. 4A to 4C ) mounted on the substrate holder transporter 140 is also used to detect the number and position of the substrate holders 110 stored in the cart storage 15 . The sensor 144 detects the number and position of the substrate holders 110 stored in the truck storage 150 when the plating apparatus is activated and initialized. Subsequently, the substrate holder transporter 140 removes the substrate holder 110 from the cart storage 150 according to an instruction for starting the plating process. The controller 200 of the plating system always knows which substrate holder 110 has been removed from the truck storage 150 . Therefore, the controller 200 of the plating apparatus can know how many substrate holders 110 are stored in the cart storage 150 before the cart storage 150 is removed from the storage installation part 160 . In addition, the substrate holder 110 may be inspected and inspected again before the cart storage unit 150 is removed from the storage unit installation portion 160 .

Then, the cart storage 150 is removed from the plating apparatus, the substrate holders 110 stored in the cart storage 150 are maintained, and the cart storage 150 is put back into the plating apparatus. When the cart storage unit 150 is put back into the storage unit installation portion 160 , the sensor 144 detects the substrate holder 110 in the cart storage unit 150 . At this time, if the number of substrate holders 110 detected after the cart storage unit 150 is put back into the storage unit installation portion 160 is greater than the number of substrates detected before the truck storage unit 150 is removed from the storage unit installation portion 160 Depending on the number of holders 110, the sensor 144 can send an alarm signal. The sensor 144 is to generate an alarm signal because the increased number of substrate holders 110 means that the cart storage 150 will have no room for the substrate holders 110 in the plating plant to be put back.

When the truck-type storage part 150 is removed from the plating apparatus, the substrate holders 110 stored therein are maintained, and then the maintained substrate holders 110 are put back into the truck-type storage part 150, the maintained substrates The holder 110 may be stored in a location in the cart storage portion 150 that is different from the original location from which it was removed. At this time, when the maintained substrate holder 110 is put back into the truck storage unit 150, the substrate holder 110 is detected as described above, and the position information of the substrate holder 110 in the truck storage unit 150 is obtained. renew. Therefore, when the substrate holder transporter 140 returns the substrate holder 110 to the truck storage section 150, if the location where the substrate holder 110 is to be stored is already occupied by another substrate holder 110, the sensor 144 will detect that another A substrate holder 110 has already occupied this position and a signal is generated for stopping the substrate holder transporter 140 to put the substrate holder 110 back. The sensor 144 is not necessarily installed in the substrate holder transporter 140 , but may be installed in any position capable of detecting the number and position of the substrate holders 110 stored in the truck storage unit 150 .

In order to reliably put the truck type storage unit 150 into the storage unit installation portion 160 and take it out from the storage unit installation portion 160, when the truck type storage unit 150 is put into the storage unit installation portion 160 and taken out from the storage unit installation portion 160, The substrate holder transporter 140 is prevented from moving to a position above the storage installation part 160 . The substrate holder carrier 140 is prevented from being moved to a position above the storage installation part 160 by, for example, a driving part of a servo motor that moves the substrate holder carrier 140 .

Operations for putting the cart type storage unit 150 into and removing the cart type storage unit 150 from the storage portion installation portion 160 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 31A to 31E . 31A to 31E are perspective views schematically showing the operation process for putting the cart type storage unit 150 into the storage portion mounting portion 160 and removing the cart type storage portion 150 from the storage portion mounting portion 160. FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 31A , the truck-type storage unit 150 is moved to a position close to the door 161 of the storage unit installation portion 160 . Then, as shown in Fig. 31B, the door 161 is opened. When the sensor detects the approaching truck type storage 150, the door 161 may be opened manually or may be opened automatically. Then, as shown in FIG. 31C , the truck type storage unit 150 is moved into a predetermined position of the storage unit installation portion 160 . As shown in FIG. 31D , after the door 161 is closed, it is confirmed that the truck type storage unit 150 is put in a predetermined position of the storage unit installation portion 160 . Then, as shown in FIG. 31E , after confirming that the truck type storage unit 150 is put into a predetermined position in the storage unit installation portion 160 , the door 161 is closed, and the shutter 162 in the storage unit installation portion 160 is opened. The storage unit installation portion 160 may have a display portion for indicating that the shutter 162 is opened and that the truck type storage unit 150 may be subjected to a plating process.

The truck type storage unit 150 is removed from the storage unit installation portion 160 in the following steps:

First, as shown in FIG. 31D, it is confirmed that the door 161 is closed, and then the shutter 162 is closed. Then, as shown in Fig. 31C, the door 161 is opened. The truck type storage unit 150 is now removed from the storage unit mounting portion 160 . As shown in FIG. 31B , the truck type storage unit 150 is removed from the storage unit installation portion 160 until the truck type storage unit 150 is completely separated from the storage unit installation portion 160 . After confirming that the truck-type storage unit 150 is completely separated from the storage unit installation portion 160, the door 161 is closed, as shown in FIG. 31A.

Operations for putting the truck type storage unit 150 into and removing the truck type storage unit 150 from the storage unit installation portion 160 when the plating apparatus is in operation will be described below with reference to FIG. 32 . Fig. 32 is a flowchart of the process of operation, in which successive steps are identified by identified reference numerals and preceded by the prefix "S".

When the plating apparatus is in normal operation, the truck type storage part 150 is put into the storage part installation part 160, the door 161 is closed and locked, and the shutter 162 is opened (step S101).

When it is necessary to remove the truck-type storage unit 150 from the storage unit installation part 160 in order to maintain the substrate holder 110 in the truck-type storage unit 150, for example, the instructing part 250 sends a message to install the truck-type storage unit 150 from the storage unit. The part 160 moves out the instruction of operation start, and the instruction part controller 230 receives the instruction from the instruction part 250 (step S102). When the instructing section controller 230 receives an instruction from the instructing section 250 , the substrate holder transporter controller 210 confirms the state of the substrate holder transporter 140 . Based on the state of the substrate holder 140 confirmed by the substrate holder transporter 210, the storage unit installation section controller 220 determines whether the truck-type storage unit 150 is accessible or not, for example, whether the substrate holder transporter 140 places the substrate Whether the holder 110 is removed from the truck-type storage unit 150 or the substrate holder transporter 140 puts the substrate holder 110 into the truck-type storage unit 150 (step S103 ).

If the storage part installation part controller 220 judges that the truck type storage part 150 is untouchable, the display part controller 240 controls the touchable/untouchable display part 260 to indicate that the truck type storage part 150 is untouchable (step S104 ). At this time, the door 161 remains locked and cannot be opened. Subsequently, if the state of the substrate holder carrier 140 is changed shortly thereafter, the storage unit installation section controller 220 judges that the truck type storage unit 150 is accessible, and the control proceeds to step S105.

If the storage part installation part controller 220 judges that the truck type storage part 150 is touchable, the display part controller 240 controls the touchable/untouchable display part 260 to display that the truck type storage part 150 is touchable (step S105). The shutter 162 is closed and locked by the switch 165a, the door 161 is released by the switch 165b, and the interlock mechanism is released. The storage installation part controller 220 now allows the door 161 to be opened (step S106).

Storage lock or latch 159 may be manually released when door 161 is opened to allow access to van-type storage 150 . The storage unit installation part controller 220 detects that the truck type storage unit 150 is removed from the storage unit installation part 160 using a sensor or the like installed on the storage unit installation part 160 (step S107).

After the truck type storage part 150 is removed from the storage part installation part 160, the door 161 is closed, and the storage part installation part controller 220 detects that the door 161 is closed (step S108). The substrate holder 110 in the truck-type storage unit 150 removed from the storage unit installation portion 160 is taken out from the truck-type storage unit 150 and maintained (step S109 ). When the maintenance of the substrate holder 110 is completed, the door 161 is opened and the truck type storage part 150 is put back into the storage part installation part 160 . The opening of the door 161 is detected by the storage installation part controller 220 (step S110).

The truck type storage unit 150 is placed in the storage unit mounting portion 160 and then locked by the storage unit lock or pin 159 . It is detected by the storage installation part controller 220 that the truck type storage 150 is locked in the storage installation part 160 by the storage lock or the lock pin 159 (step S111). After the truck type storage unit 150 is placed in the storage unit mounting portion 160 and locked by the storage unit lock or latch 159, the door 161 is closed. The closing of the door 161 is detected by the storage installation part controller 220 (step S112).

When the instruction unit 250 sends an instruction that the installation of the truck-type storage unit 150 is completed, the instruction unit controller 230 receives the instruction from the instruction unit 250 (step S113 ). The storage installation part controller 220 controls the switch 165b to lock the door 161, and the storage installation part controller 220 controls the switch 165a to release and open the shutter 162 (step S114). After the shutter 162 is closed in step S105, until step S114, the shutter 162 is kept closed to block outside air from entering.

In the present embodiment, the truck-type storage unit 150 stores the substrate holder 110 therein. If the plating apparatus is a plating apparatus performing electroplating, the van-type storage part 150 may store the anode holder for use in the plating tank, or may store both the substrate holder 110 and the anode holder. In the case where the substrate holder 110 and the anode holder are stored in the truck-type storage section 150, the substrate holder storage area for storing the substrate holder 110 in the truck-type storage section 150 also functions as anode holder storage. role of the district.

The anode holder holding the anode is placed in the plating solution in the plating tank. In the plating bath, the anode is held by the anode holder, the substrate 500 is disposed opposite to the anode by the substrate holder 110 , and the surfaces of the anode and the substrate 500 are parallel to each other. When the plating power supply supplies current between the anode and the substrate 500, the surface to be plated of the substrate 500 exposed from the substrate holder 110 is electronically plated. The shape of the anode holder is similar to that of the substrate holder 110 shown in FIG. 3 , for example, the anode holder includes a main body, a hanger and a handle, and the anode holder holds the anode on the main body. The anodes held by the anode holders were electrically connected to the power feed contacts located on the hanger in much the same way as shown in FIG. 3 .

The anode holder is placed in the truck-type storage in the following manner: First, the anode holder is pulled upwards from the plating tank. Anode holders typically have an anode rear to prevent diffusion of anode residue. Thus, the plating solution continues to drip from the rear of the anode for a short time after the anode holder is pulled upwards from the plating tank. After the plating solution droplets start to drip at sufficiently long intervals, the anode holder is rinsed in the rinse tank. When most of the rinse water has been removed from the anode holder, the anode holder is placed back into the truck type storage 150 . Because the plating solution continues to drip from the anode holder even after the anode holder is stored in the truck-type storage portion 150, the drain pan 158 located at the lower portion or bottom of the truck-type storage portion 150 receives and holds the dripping plating solution. Apply the solution.

The truck-type storage unit 150 storing the anode holders has the same advantages as the truck-type storage unit 150 storing the substrate holders 110 . Specifically, because the truck type storage part 150 can be pulled out from the plating equipment, and the anode holder can be put into the truck type storage part outside the plating equipment and from the truck type storage part outside the plating equipment Taking out is less burdensome on the operator than if the anode holder is manually put in and out of the truck-type storage by means of a lift in the plating plant.

In the present embodiment, the truck-type storage unit 150 is used as the storage unit. Instead of using the truck-type storage 150 , a storage configured to move into and out of the storage installation portion along rails may also be used.

Although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (8)

1. a plating apparatus, it is characterised in that described plating apparatus includes:

Plating portion, described plating portion is used for plating substrate；

Substrate holder, described substrate holder is used for keeping described substrate；

Substrate holder conveyer, described substrate holder conveyer is used for keeping and transport described substrate holder；

Storage unit, described storage unit is used for storing described substrate holder；With

Mounting portion, storage unit, mounting portion, described storage unit is for being stored in described storage unit in mounting portion, described storage unit；

Wherein, described storage unit includes travel mechanism, and described travel mechanism for moving into described plating apparatus and removing described storage unit from described plating apparatus by described storage unit；And

Wherein, mounting portion, described storage unit includes:

Door, described door can selectively open and close, and described door is arranged in the opening, and wherein by described opening, described storage unit can move into described plating apparatus or remove from described plating apparatus；With

Flashboard, described flashboard can selectively open and close, and for when described door is opened, makes the air in mounting portion, described storage unit and the air in described plating apparatus be isolated from each other.

2. plating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, it is characterised in that described travel mechanism includes castor, and described castor is for moving and separate described storage unit from described plating apparatus.

3. plating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that, described substrate holder conveyer includes that sensor, described sensor are used for detecting the most described substrate holder is positioned in described storage unit, or detects described substrate holder position in described storage unit.

4. plating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, it is characterised in that farther include:

Controller, described controller is for being monitored and controlled described substrate holder conveyer and the state of mounting portion, described storage unit；With

Indicating section, described indicating section for indicating the movement of described storage unit to described controller.

5. plating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that, described storage unit includes lock pin handle, and described lock pin handle is for being locked in described storage unit in mounting portion, described storage unit, and mounting portion, described storage unit includes the lock pin acceptance division for engaging with described lock pin handle.

6. plating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that, mounting portion, described storage unit includes the door trip of the unlatching for limiting described door and switchs for limiting the flashboard opened of described flashboard, and wherein, described door trip and described flashboard switch co-operate.

7. plating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, it is characterised in that described storage unit includes being arranged on the drain pan bottom described storage unit.

8. plating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, it is characterised in that described storage unit includes substrate holder memory block, and described substrate holder memory block can store anode holder in this substrate holder memory block.