US 5,853,483 AGranted

Substrate spin treating method and apparatus

AssigneeDainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.

InventorsAkihiko Morita, Kenji Ueno

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A substrate supporting device includes support elements for supporting a substrate, and positioning elements for contacting outer peripheries of the substrate to check horizontal movement thereof. A substrate sensor is disposed around the supporting device for detecting the substrate supported thereon. The supporting device is surrounded also by light projectors for horizontally projecting light having projection tracks overlapping, in a plan view, the substrate supported by the substrate supported device and extending at an angle to one another, and light receivers for receiving the projected light. The substrate sensor and light receivers input signals to a microcomputer for determining whether the substrate is correctly supported. A light projector may project a light beam toward the surface of the substrate supporting on the substrate supporting device, and cause the light beam to be reflected by the substrate surface. Whether the substrate is correctly supported may be determined based on whether the reflected light beam is received by a light receiver. The determination of the substrate being correctly supported is made while the substrate is supported on the supporting device. When the substrate is correctly supported, the substrate supporting device is rotated about a vertical axis to effect a predetermined treatment of the substrate.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A substrate spin treating apparatus for effecting a predetermined treatment of a substrate by spinning the substrate about a vertical axis, said apparatus comprising:

substrate supporting means including support elements for supporting said substrate, and positioning elements for contacting outer peripheries of said substrate supported by said support elements to check for horizontal movement thereof, said support elements and said positioning elements being cooperative to support said substrate;
rotating means for rotating said substrate supporting means about said vertical axis;
a substrate sensor for determining whether said substrate is supported by said substrate supporting means;
light projecting means disposed around said substrate supporting means for projecting light traveling horizontally along a plurality of projection tracks overlapping said substrate supported by said substrate supporting means and extending at an angle to one another;
light receiving means disposed around said substrate supporting means for receiving the light projected by said light protecting means and having traveled horizontally along said projection tracks;
posture determining means for determining whether said substrate is correctly supported by said substrate supporting means, based on results of determination made by said substrate sensor and result of reception by said light receiving means of the light prolected by said light projecting means and having traveled horizontally along said projection tracks;
and
substrate treating means for effecting said predetermined treatment of said substrate supported by said substrate supporting means;
wherein said posture determining means is operable, while said substrate supporting means is maintained motionless, to determine whether said substrate is correctly supported by said substrate supporting means, and when said substrate is determined to be correctly supported by said substrate supporting means said substrate supporting means is rotated about said vertical axis for allowing said substrate treating means to effect said predetermined treatment of said substrate correctly supported by said substrate supporting means.

6 more elements

A substrate spin treating apparatus for effecting a predetermined treatment of a substrate by spinning the substrate about a vertical axis, said apparatus comprising:

substrate supporting means including supporting elements for supporting said substrate, and positioning elements for contacting outer peripheries of said substrate supported by said support elements to check a horizontal movement thereof, said support elements and said positioning elements being cooperative to support said substrate;
rotating means for rotating said substrate supporting means about said vertical axis;
light projecting means for projecting a light beam to be reflected by a surface of said substrate supported motionless on said substrate supporting means;
light receiving means disposed in a position for receiving said reflected light beam projected by said light proiecting means and reflected by said surface of said substrate when said substrate is supported correctly by said substrate support means;
posture determining means for determining whether said substrate, when motionless, is correctly supported by said substrate supporting means, based on whether said light beam projected by said light projecting means and reflected by said surface of said substrate is received by said light receiving means;
and
substrate treating means for effecting said predetermined treatment of said substrate supported by said substrate supporting means;
wherein said posture determining means is operable, while said substrate supporting means is maintained still, to determine whether said substrate is correctly supported by said substrate supporting means and when said substrate is determined to be correctly supported by said substrate supporting means, said substrate supporting means is rotated about said vertical axis for allowing said substrate treating means to effect said predetermined treatment of said substrate correctly supported by said substrate supporting means.

5 more elements

A substrate spin treating apparatus for effecting a predetermined treatment of a substrate by spinning the substrate about a vertical axis, said apparatus comprising:

a substrate supporting device including support elements for supporting said substrate, and positioning elements for contacting outer peripheries of said substrate to check for horizontal movement thereof;
a motor for rotating said substrate supporting device about said vertical axis;
a substrate sensor for detecting said substrate supported by substrate supporting device;
light projecting device disposed around said substrate supporting device for projecting light having a plurality of horizontal projection tracks overlapping said substrate supported by said substrate supporting device and extending at an angle to one another;
light receiving device disposed around said substrate supporting device to pair with said light projecting device;
posture determining device for determining whether said substrate is correctly supported by said substrate supporting device, based on signals from said substrate sensor and said light receiving device;
and
substrate treating device for effecting said predetermined treatment of said substrate supported by said substrate supporting device.

5 more elements

A substrate spin treating apparatus for effecting a predetermined treatment of a substrate by spinning the substrate about a vertical axis, said apparatus comprising:

substrate supporting device including support elements for supporting said substrate, and positioning elements for contacting outer peripheries of said substrate to check for horizontal movement thereof;
motor for rotating said substrate supporting device about said vertical axis;
light projecting device for projecting a light beam toward said substrate supported on said substrate supporting device, and causing said light beam to be reflected by a surface of said substrate;
light receiving device for receiving said reflected light beam;
posture determining device for determining whether said substrate is correctly supported by said substrate supporting device based on whether said reflected light beam is received by said light receiving device;
and
substrate treating device for effecting said predetermined treatment of said substrate supported by said substrate supporting device.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/644,376Filed 10 May 1996
Priority: JP 7-1412705 May 1995
Granted: 29 Dec 1998
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

H10P 72/0606
Apparatus for monitoring, sorting, marking, testing or measuring: position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection
B05C 11/08
Apparatus for spreading or distributing liquids or other fluent materials already applied to a surface ; Controlling means therefor; Control of…:…
B08B 11/02
Cleaning flexible or delicate articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto: devices for holding articles during cleaning
H10P 72/53
For positioning, orientation or alignment: using optical controlling means