# US 2014/0196663 A1 · Alignment device and substrate processing apparatus

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- Number: US 2014/0196663 A1
- Document ID: US20140196663A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/132,334
- Filed: 2013-12-18
- Published: 2014-07-17
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-16
- Assignees: SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Masahito KASHIYAMA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196663A1

## CPC

- H10P 72/53: {using optical controlling means}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

An aligner includes a plurality of substrate rotators and a shaft member. Each substrate rotator includes a holder, a notch detector, an electromagnetic clutch and a driving belt. Each holder sucks the back surface of the substrate under vacuum and horizontally holds the substrate. Each notch detector detects a notch formed at the substrate, and supplies a detection result to the corresponding electromagnetic clutch as a detection signal. One end of the shaft member is connected to a motor. The shaft member is continuously rotated by the motor. Each electromagnetic clutch switches to a connection state in which rotational force of an inner periphery is transmitted to an outer periphery and a disconnection state in which rotational force of the inner periphery is transmitted to the outer periphery according to a detection signal supplied from the notch detector.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An alignment device comprising:
a plurality of holders respectively configured to be rotatable about a rotational center axis in a vertical direction while holding a substrate having a portion for detection substantially in a horizontal attitude, and arranged to line up in a vertical direction;
a shaft member having an axis that extends in the vertical direction;
a rotation driver that rotates the shaft member with the axis as a center;
a plurality of detectors provided to respectively correspond to the plurality of holders, and respectively configured to detect the portions for detection of the substrates held by the corresponding holders;
a plurality of transmission switchers that are provided to respectively correspond to the plurality of holders, and switch to a transmission state in which rotation of the shaft member is transmitted to the corresponding holder and a non-transmission state in which rotation of the shaft member is not transmitted to the corresponding holder, wherein
the plurality of transmission switchers are configured to switch from the transmission state to the non-transmission state based on a detection result by the corresponding detector when a portion for detection of the substrate rotated by the corresponding holder is positioned in a predetermined common direction with respect to the rotational center axis.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein
each transmission switcher includes
a clutch attached to the shaft member and
a transmission member that transmits rotational force to the corresponding holder from the clutch, and
the transmission switcher enters the transmission state when the clutch is connected, and the transmission switcher enters the non-transmission state when the clutch is disconnected.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein
the plurality of detectors are arranged to line up on a straight line in the vertical direction parallel to the rotational center axes of the plurality of holders, and are configured to detect the portions for detection when the portions for detection of the substrates rotated by the corresponding respective holders are aligned in the predetermined direction with respect to the rotational center axis, and
the plurality of transmission switchers are configured to switch from the transmission state to the non-transmission state when the portions for detection of the substrates are detected by the corresponding respective detectors.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a processing unit that performs predetermined processing on a substrate;
the alignment device according to claim 1; and
a first transport mechanism configured to transport the substrate after alignment by the alignment device to the processing unit.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:
a processing section;
a carry-in/carry-out section for carrying in the substrate to and carrying out the substrate from the processing section;
an interface section provided between the processing section and the carry-in/carry-out section, wherein
the processing section includes the processing unit and the first transport mechanism,
the carry-in/carry-out section includes
a container platform on which a storing container that stores the substrate is placed, and
a second transport mechanism that transports the substrate between the storing container placed on the container platform and the interface section, and
the interface section includes the alignment device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an appearance inspection device that inspects appearance of the substrate after processing by the processing unit.