JP5778944B2 - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing such as cleaning, etching, and drying on a substrate. Examples of substrates to be processed include semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display substrates, plasma display substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, and photomasks. Substrate, solar cell substrate and the like.

  In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display device, and the like, various processes using a processing liquid are performed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device. In order to perform such a series of processes, there has conventionally been a single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus as shown in Patent Document 1. The substrate processing apparatus includes a carrier holding unit that holds a plurality of carriers, a substrate processing unit that performs processing such as cleaning and drying on the substrate, and a stack between the carrier holding unit and the substrate processing unit. Two reversing units, an indexer robot that transports a substrate between each reversing unit and the carrier holding unit, and a main transport robot that transports a substrate between each reversing unit and the substrate processing unit are provided.

  In this substrate processing apparatus, first, the indexer robot transports the substrate held by the carrier placed on the carrier holding unit to the reversing unit. The reversing unit reverses the front and back of the substrate by rotating the substrate held horizontally by 180 degrees around the horizontal axis (rotation axis). Next, the main transport robot transports the substrate reversed by the reversing unit to the substrate processing unit.

  The substrate processing unit performs processing such as cleaning and etching on the substrate, and then dries the substrate. When the drying process of the substrate in the substrate processing unit is completed, the main transfer robot transfers the substrate from the substrate processing unit to the reversing unit. In the reversing unit, on the contrary, the substrate held horizontally is rotated 180 degrees around the horizontal axis (rotation axis) to invert the front and back of the substrate. Finally, the indexer robot transports the substrate reversed by the reversing unit from the reversing unit to the carrier of the carrier holding unit (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-252888 A

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a substrate processing apparatus, it has been desired to improve processing throughput (number of substrates processed per unit time) in the substrate processing apparatus such as transport and process. As a method for increasing throughput is to think we are able to shorten the drying time in the substrate processing unit.

  However, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus, there is a problem in that the remaining wetness of the processing liquid such as pure water occurs on the substrate due to the shortening of the drying time. In particular, in the case where a structure such as a device is formed on the surface of the substrate, such a phenomenon occurs remarkably. Further, when a circuit or the like made of a metal material is formed on the surface of the substrate, there is a risk of corrosion.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus and preventing the processing liquid from remaining on the substrate.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the invention described in claim 1 includes a first substrate holding unit that holds the substrate, a treatment liquid supplied to the substrate to perform a cleaning process, and a drying process on the substrate that has been cleaned. A substrate processing unit that performs processing, and a second substrate holding unit that is disposed between the first substrate holding unit and the substrate processing unit and that can receive and hold a plurality of substrates at different height positions. A reversing mechanism that is disposed above or below the second substrate holding unit and reverses the front and back of the substrate, and a first that conveys the substrate between the first substrate holding unit and the second substrate holding unit. A transport mechanism; a second transport mechanism that transports the substrate between the second substrate holding unit, the substrate processing unit, and the reversing mechanism; and a heating mechanism that dries the substrate reversed by the reversing mechanism , The heating mechanism is disposed above the reversing mechanism. And the side heating mechanism, having a the lower heating mechanism disposed on the lower side of the reversing mechanism is characterized in Rukoto.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising a downflow supply mechanism for supplying a downflow to the substrate reversed by the reversing mechanism.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a control unit that controls the reversing mechanism and the second transport mechanism, and the control unit includes the first processing unit. The substrate having been subjected to the cleaning process and the drying process in the substrate processing unit by the transport mechanism is transported to the reversing mechanism, and the substrate is heated by the heating mechanism while the substrate is reversed by the reversing mechanism. It is.

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the substrate processing unit supplies the processing liquid to the substrate, performs the cleaning process, performs the drying process, and then reverses the substrate by the reversing mechanism that reverses the substrate. However, since the substrate is dried by heating the substrate by the heating mechanism, there is a remarkable effect that the processing liquid can be prevented from remaining wet on the substrate. In addition, when the front and back sides of the substrate are reversed by the reversing mechanism disposed above or below the second substrate holding unit, the substrate is heated and dried by the heating device. There is also an effect that it can be improved.

1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which looked at the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention from the direction which the arrow II in FIG. 1 shows. It is the schematic of the substrate processing apparatus which follows the III-III line in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the 2nd inversion unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention from the direction which the arrow IV in FIG. 3 shows. It is the figure which looked at the 1st inversion unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention from the direction which the arrow IV in FIG. 3 shows It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The operations of the indexer robot, the main transport robot, and the second reversing unit when transporting a plurality of substrates from the carrier holding unit to the substrate processing unit while reversing the front and back of the substrate by the reversing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention It is the schematic for demonstrating an example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an outline of the substrate processing apparatus 1 along the line III-III in FIG. FIG.

  The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single wafer processing apparatus that processes substrates W such as semiconductor wafers one by one. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an indexer block 2, a processing block 3 coupled to the indexer block 2, and a control unit 4 that controls the substrate processing apparatus 1. A substrate transfer section 5 is provided at the boundary between the indexer block 2 and the processing block 3. The control unit 4 corresponds to the control means of the present invention.

  The indexer block 2 includes a carrier holding unit 6, an indexer robot IR1, and an indexer robot moving mechanism (hereinafter referred to as “IR moving mechanism 7”). The carrier holding unit 6 holds a plurality of carriers C (accommodating members). The plurality of carriers C are held by the carrier holding unit 6 in a state of being arranged along the carrier arrangement direction U that extends horizontally. The indexer robot IR1 is disposed between the carrier holding unit 6 and the processing block 3. The IR moving mechanism 7 horizontally moves the indexer robot IR1 along the carrier arrangement direction U. The indexer robot IR1 is arranged by the IR moving mechanism 7 at a position facing each carrier C and a position facing the substrate transfer section 5. The indexer robot IR <b> 1 transports the substrate W between each carrier C and the substrate transfer unit 5. Further, the indexer robot IR1 performs a carry-in operation for carrying the substrate W into the carrier C and the substrate delivery unit 5 and a carry-out operation for carrying out the substrate W from the carrier C and the substrate delivery unit 5. Here, the carrier holding unit 6 corresponds to the first substrate holding unit of the present invention, and the indexer robot IR1 corresponds to the first transport mechanism of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the indexer robot IR1 includes, for example, two arms 8 and two hands 9. The indexer robot IR1 can extend and contract the two arms 8 horizontally independently of each other. One hand 9 is attached to the tip of each arm 8. The two hands 9 are horizontally arranged with an interval in the vertical direction D1 (see FIG. 3). In FIG. 1, the two hands 9 are overlapped vertically. The indexer robot IR <b> 1 can hold the two substrates W horizontally by supporting the substrate W with each hand 9. The number of hands 9 provided in the indexer robot IR1 is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more. When three or more hands 9 are provided, a plurality of hands 9 may be attached to one arm 8 at intervals in the vertical direction D1, or a dedicated arm 8 is provided for each hand 9. Also good.

  Although not shown, the indexer robot IR1 includes a first turning mechanism and a first lifting drive mechanism built in the indexer robot IR1. The first turning mechanism rotates the two hands 9 together with the corresponding arms 8 around the vertical axis. In addition, the first raising / lowering driving mechanism raises and lowers the two hands 9 together with the corresponding arms 8 in the vertical direction D1. Thereby, the indexer robot IR1 can make each hand 9 face each carrier C and the substrate transfer section 5.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing block 3 includes a plurality (for example, eight) of substrate processing units 12 that process the substrate W and a main transfer robot TR1. Of the eight substrate processing units 12, four substrate processing units 12 constitute a first processing unit 13, and the remaining four substrate processing units 12 constitute a second processing unit 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the four substrate processing units 12 constituting the first processing unit 13 are stacked one above the other, and the four substrate processing units 12 constituting the second processing unit 14 are stacked one above the other. ing. As shown in FIG. 1, the first processing unit 13 and the second processing unit 14 are arranged so as to face the carrier arrangement direction U with the main transfer robot TR1 interposed therebetween. Further, the first processing unit 13 and the second processing unit 14 are arranged with a space in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the carrier arrangement direction U with respect to the carrier holding unit 6. The main transport robot TR1 transports the substrate W between each substrate processing unit 12 and the substrate transfer unit 5. Further, the main transport robot TR1 performs a carry-in operation for carrying the substrate W into the substrate processing unit 12 and the substrate transfer unit 5 and a carry-out operation for carrying out the substrate W from the substrate processing unit 12 and the substrate transfer unit 5. Here, the main transfer robot TR1 corresponds to the second transfer mechanism of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the main transfer robot TR <b> 1 includes two arms 15 and two hands 16. The main transport robot TR1 can extend and contract the two arms 15 horizontally independently of each other. One hand 16 is attached to the tip of each arm 15. The two hands 16 are horizontally arranged with an interval in the vertical direction D1 (see FIGS. 2 and 3. Note that in FIG. 1, the two hands 16 overlap each other in the vertical direction). The main transfer robot TR1 can hold the two substrates W horizontally by supporting the substrate W with each hand 16. The number of hands 16 provided in the main transfer robot TR1 is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more. When three or more hands 16 are provided, a plurality of hands 16 may be attached to one arm 15 at intervals in the vertical direction D1, or a dedicated arm 15 is provided for each hand 16. Also good.

  Although not shown, the main transfer robot TR1 includes a second turning mechanism and a second lifting drive mechanism built in the main transfer robot TR1. The second turning mechanism rotates the two hands 16 together with the corresponding arms 15 around the vertical axis. Further, the second elevating drive mechanism elevates and lowers the two hands 16 together with the corresponding arms 15 in the vertical direction D1. Accordingly, the main transport robot TR1 can make each hand 16 face the substrate processing unit 12 and the substrate transfer unit 5.

  Further, each substrate processing unit 12 processes one substrate W at a time. Each substrate processing unit 12 performs various processes such as cleaning, etching, and peeling process. In this embodiment, for example, each substrate processing unit 12 performs scrub cleaning in which a substrate is cleaned by rubbing a brush while supplying a processing liquid to the substrate W. The first processing unit 13 is, for example, a surface processing unit for scrub cleaning the surface of the substrate W, and the second processing unit 14 is, for example, a back surface processing unit for scrub cleaning the back surface of the substrate W. That is, each substrate processing unit 12 configuring the first processing unit 13 is a surface processing unit 12a that scrubs and cleans the surface of the substrate W, and each substrate processing unit 12 configuring the second processing unit 14 includes This is a back surface processing unit 12b for scrub cleaning the back surface.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the surface treatment unit 12 a includes a first spin chuck 19 that rotates the substrate W horizontally, a nozzle 20 that supplies a treatment liquid to the upper surface (front surface) of the substrate W, and the substrate W And a brush 21 pressed against the upper surface. Further, the back surface processing unit 12b includes a second spin chuck 22 that rotates the substrate W while holding it horizontally, a nozzle 20 that supplies a processing liquid to the top surface (back surface) of the substrate W, and a brush that is pressed against the top surface of the substrate W. 21. The first spin chuck 19 is, for example, a vacuum spin chuck that holds the substrate W horizontally by sucking the lower surface (back surface) of the substrate W and rotates the substrate W about a vertical axis passing through the center of the substrate W. is there. The second spin chuck 22 is, for example, a sandwich type spin chuck that holds the substrate W by sandwiching the substrate W from the periphery and rotates the substrate W about a vertical axis passing through the center of the substrate W.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the board | substrate delivery part 5 is arrange | positioned between the carrier holding part 6 and main conveyance robot TR1 in planar view. As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate transfer unit 5 includes a first reversing unit 23, a plurality of feed-side placement units 24 that are stacked up and down, a plurality of return-side placement units 25 that are stacked up and down, A second reversing unit 26. The first reversing unit 23, the plurality of feed-side placement units 24, the plurality of return-side placement units 25, and the second reversing unit 26 are stacked vertically in this order from above.

  The first reversing unit 23 is configured to be accessible from the main transfer robot TR1 side and not from the indexer robot IR1 side. Further, each feed-side placement unit 24, each return-side placement unit 25, and the second reversing unit 26 are configured to be accessible from any direction on the indexer robot IR1 side and the main transfer robot TR1 side. . The first inversion unit 23 and the second inversion unit 26 invert the front and back of the substrate W by rotating the substrate W held horizontally by 180 degrees around the horizontal axis. Further, each feed-side placement unit 24 and each return-side placement unit 25 place and hold the substrate W by the indexer robot IR1 and the main transport robot TR1. Here, the second reversing unit 26 corresponds to the second substrate holding portion of the present invention, and the first reversing unit 23 corresponds to the reversing mechanism.

  For example, when processing only the back surfaces of the plurality of substrates W one by one, the control unit 4 controls the indexer robot IR1, the main transfer robot TR1, and the like, and repeatedly executes, for example, the following series of operations. That is, each carrier C holds a plurality of substrates W with the surface of the substrate W, which is a device formation surface, facing up. The unprocessed substrate W accommodated in the carrier C is unloaded from the carrier C by the indexer robot IR1, and is loaded into the second reversing unit 26 with the surface facing upward. The unprocessed substrate W carried into the second reversing unit 26 is reversed by the second reversing unit 26 and then carried out by the main transport robot TR1. Then, the unprocessed substrate W carried out from the second reversing unit 26 is carried into one of the substrate processing units 12 (the back surface processing unit 12b) by the main transport robot TR1 with the back surface facing up. . Thereby, the back surface of the substrate W is processed.

  The processed substrate W processed by the substrate processing unit 12 (back surface processing unit 12b) is unloaded from the substrate processing unit 12 by the main transfer robot TR1 and loaded into the first reversing unit 23. The processed substrate W carried into the first reversing unit 23 is reversed by the first reversing unit 23 and then carried out by the main transport robot TR1. Then, the processed substrate W carried out from the first reversing unit 23 is carried into one of the return-side placement units 25 with the surface thereof facing upward by the main transport robot TR1. The processed substrate W carried into the return side placement unit 25 is carried out of the return side placement unit 25 by the indexer robot IR1, and is carried into one of the carriers C with the surface thereof facing up. Such a series of operations is repeated, and only the back surfaces of the plurality of substrates W are processed.

  4 is a view of the second reversing unit 26 according to the embodiment of the present invention as seen from the direction indicated by the arrow IV in FIG. The second reversing unit 26 includes a plurality of substrate holding units 27 that hold the substrate W and a rotation mechanism 28 that rotates the plurality of substrate holding units 27. The plurality of substrate holders 27 are arranged in a predetermined arrangement direction. The rotation mechanism 28 rotates the plurality of substrate holders 27 by 180 degrees around an axis that intersects the arrangement direction. When the rotation mechanism 28 rotates the plurality of substrate holding units 27, the plurality of substrate holding units 27 are arranged in the arrangement direction in the reverse order to that before the rotation.

  In this embodiment, for example, three substrate holding units 27 (a first substrate holding unit 27a, a second substrate holding unit 27b, and a third substrate holding unit 27c) are provided in the second reversing unit 26. The first substrate holding unit 27a, the second substrate holding unit 27b, and the third substrate holding unit 27c are arranged in the vertical direction D1 in this order from the top, for example. That is, in this embodiment, the vertical direction D1 is the arrangement direction. The rotation mechanism 28, for example, moves the three substrate holding portions 27 180 degrees around a horizontal rotation axis L1 passing through the substrate holding portion 27 (second substrate holding portion 27b) positioned in the middle of the three substrate holding portions 27. Rotate. The rotation axis L1 is, for example, an axis parallel to the carrier arrangement direction U. Accordingly, the rotation mechanism 28 rotates the three substrate holding portions 27 180 degrees along a plane orthogonal to the carrier arrangement direction U.

  Each substrate holding portion 27 includes, for example, a movable plate 29 and a fixed plate 30 that are vertically opposed to each other, and an actuator 31 that translates the movable plate 29 in the vertical direction D1. Each movable plate 29 is, for example, a rectangular plate, and each fixed plate 30 is, for example, a rectangular plate having substantially the same size as the movable plate 29. The movable plate 29 and the fixed plate 30 of the three substrate holding units 27 are arranged in the vertical direction D1 in a horizontal posture so as to overlap in plan view. Furthermore, the movable plate 29 and the fixed plate 30 of the three substrate holders 27 are arranged in the vertical direction D1 so that the movable plate 29 and the fixed plate 30 are alternately arranged.

  The second reversing unit 26 includes a support plate 32 disposed along a vertical plane, and a plurality of (for example, three) guides 34 extending in the vertical direction D1. Each fixed plate 30 and movable plate 29 are disposed on the opposite side of the rotation mechanism 28 with respect to the support plate 32. The three fixing plates 30 are horizontally fixed to the support plate 32 at equal intervals in the vertical direction. Each movable plate 29 is horizontally attached to the support plate 32 via a guide 34. Each movable plate 29 can be translated in the vertical direction D1 along the guide 34. The rotation mechanism 28 is attached to the support plate 32 on the side opposite to the fixed plates 30 and the movable plate 29.

  Each actuator 31 translates the corresponding movable plate 29 in the vertical direction D1 between the open position and the closed position. The open position is a position where each hand 9 of the indexer robot IR1 and each hand 16 of the main transfer robot TR1 can enter between the movable plate 29 and the fixed plate 30 forming a pair. Further, the closed position is a position where the distance between the movable plate 29 and the fixed plate 30 forming a pair is narrower than when the movable plate 29 is located at the open position. The actuator 31 includes, for example, an air cylinder. The rotation mechanism 28 rotates the support plate 32 by 180 degrees around the rotation axis L1. Thereby, the three board | substrate holding | maintenance parts 27 are rotated collectively. The rotation mechanism 28 includes, for example, a motor.

  A plurality of first support pins 35 projecting from the surface are provided on the surface of each movable plate 29 facing the fixed plate 30 (the lower surface of each movable plate 29 in FIG. 4). Further, a plurality of second support pins 36 protruding from the surface (the upper surface of each fixed plate 30 in FIG. 4) facing the movable plate 29 of each fixed plate 30 are provided. The plurality of first support pins 35 are arranged at appropriate intervals on a circumference corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the substrate W. Similarly, the plurality of second support pins 36 are arranged at appropriate intervals on the circumference corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the substrate W.

  In a state where each movable plate 29 and the fixed plate 30 are disposed so that the fixed plate 30 is positioned below the pair of movable plates 29 (the state shown in FIG. 4), each fixed plate 30 includes a plurality of fixed plates 30. The tip of the second support pin 36 can be brought into point contact with the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W to support the substrate W. In addition, in a state where each movable plate 29 and the fixed plate 30 are arranged so that the movable plate 29 is positioned below the pair of fixed plates 30, each movable plate 29 has a plurality of first support pins 35. It is possible to support the substrate W by making point contact with the lower edge of the substrate W. Each substrate holding unit 27 includes a substrate detection sensor 37, and the presence or absence of the substrate W in each substrate holding unit 27 is detected by the substrate detection sensor 37. The detection value of each substrate detection sensor 37 is input to the control unit 4.

  In a state where each movable plate 29 is located at the open position (position shown in FIG. 4), each transfer robot (each of the indexer robot IR1 and the main transfer robot TR1) has two substrate holding units 27 adjacent vertically. The substrates W can be simultaneously loaded one by one, or the two substrates W can be simultaneously unloaded from the two vertically adjacent substrate holding portions 27. Further, in a state where each movable plate 29 is located at the open position, each transfer robot carries one substrate W into any one of the three substrate holding units 27, One substrate W can be carried out from one substrate holding part 27.

  The substrate W transported by each transport robot is carried between the movable plate 29 and the fixed plate 30 that form a pair with the movable plate 29 positioned at the open position, and is supported by the movable plate 29 or the fixed plate 30. . The control unit 4 controls the actuator 31 to move the movable plate 29 to the closed position while the substrate W is supported by the movable plate 29 or the fixed plate 30, so that the movable plate 29 and the fixed plate forming a pair are moved. Decrease the 30 interval. Thereby, the tips of the first support pins 35 and the second support pins 36 are in point contact with the substrate W, and the substrate W is sandwiched between the pair of the movable plate 29 and the fixed plate 30.

FIG. 5 is a view of the first reversing unit 23 according to the embodiment of the present invention as seen from the direction indicated by the arrow IV in FIG.

  The first reversing unit 23 includes a reversing mechanism including a plurality of substrate holding units 40 that hold the substrate W and a rotation mechanism 41 that rotates the plurality of substrate holding units 40. The plurality of substrate holders 40 are arranged in a predetermined arrangement direction. The rotation mechanism 41 rotates the plurality of substrate holders 40 by 180 degrees around an axis that intersects the arrangement direction. When the rotation mechanism 41 rotates the plurality of substrate holding units 40, the plurality of substrate holding units 40 are arranged in the arrangement direction in the reverse order to that before the rotation.

In this embodiment, for example, two substrate holding units 40 (a first substrate holding unit 40a and a second substrate holding unit 40b) are provided in the first reversing unit 23. The first substrate holding part 40a and the second substrate holding part 40b are arranged in the vertical direction D1 in this order from the top, for example. That is, in this embodiment, the vertical direction D1 is the arrangement direction. For example, the rotation mechanism 41 rotates the two substrate holding units 40 by 180 degrees around a horizontal rotation axis L2 passing through a position located between the two substrate holding units 40. The rotation axis L2 is an axis parallel to the carrier arrangement direction U, for example. Therefore, the rotation mechanism 41 rotates the two substrate holding portions 40 by 180 degrees along a plane orthogonal to the carrier arrangement direction U.

  Each substrate holding unit 40 includes, for example, a movable plate 42 and a fixed plate 43 that are vertically opposed to each other, and an actuator 44 that translates the movable plate 42 in the vertical direction D1. Each movable plate 42 is, for example, a rectangular plate, and each fixed plate 43 is, for example, a rectangular plate having substantially the same size as the movable plate 42. The movable plate 42 and the fixed plate 43 of the two substrate holding units 40 are arranged in the vertical direction D1 in a horizontal posture so as to overlap in plan view. Further, the movable plate 42 and the fixed plate 43 of the two substrate holding units 40 are arranged in the vertical direction D1 so that the movable plate 42 and the fixed plate 43 are alternately arranged.

  The first reversing unit 23 includes a support plate 45 disposed along a vertical plane, and a plurality of (for example, two) guides 46 extending in the vertical direction D1. Each fixed plate 43 and movable plate 42 are disposed on the opposite side of the rotation mechanism 41 with respect to the support plate 35. The two fixing plates 43 are horizontally fixed to the support plate 45 at equal intervals in the vertical direction. Each movable plate 42 is horizontally attached to the support plate 45 via a guide 46. Each movable plate 42 can be translated in the vertical direction D1 along the guide 46. The rotation mechanism 41 is attached to the support plate 45 on the side opposite to the fixed plates 43 and the movable plate 42.

  Each actuator 44 translates the corresponding movable plate 42 in the vertical direction D1 between the open position and the closed position. The open position is a position where each hand 16 of the main transfer robot TR1 can enter between the movable plate 42 and the fixed plate 43 that form a pair. The closed position is a position where the distance between the movable plate 42 and the fixed plate 43 forming a pair is narrower than when the movable plate 42 is in the open position. The actuator 44 includes, for example, an air cylinder. The rotation mechanism 41 rotates the support plate 32 by 180 degrees around the rotation axis L2. Thereby, the two board | substrate holding | maintenance parts 40 are rotated collectively. The rotation mechanism 41 includes, for example, a motor.

  A plurality of first support pins 47 projecting from the surface are provided on the surface of each movable plate 42 facing the fixed plate 43 (the lower surface of each movable plate 42 in FIG. 5). A plurality of second support pins 48 projecting from the surface are provided on the surface of each fixed plate 43 facing the movable plate 42 (the upper surface of each fixed plate 43 in FIG. 5). The plurality of first support pins 47 are arranged at an appropriate interval on the circumference corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the substrate W. Similarly, the plurality of second support pins 48 are arranged at appropriate intervals on a circumference corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the substrate W.

  In the state in which each pair of movable plate 42 and fixed plate 43 is disposed so that the fixed plate 43 is positioned below the pair of movable plates 42 (the state shown in FIG. 5), there are a plurality of fixed plates 42. The tip of the second support pin 48 can be point-contacted with the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W to support the substrate W. In addition, in a state where each pair of movable plate 42 and fixed plate 43 is arranged so that the movable plate 42 is positioned below the pair of fixed plates 43, each movable plate 42 includes a plurality of first support pins. The substrate W can be supported by bringing the tip of 47 into point contact with the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W. Each substrate holding unit 40 includes a substrate detection sensor 49, and the presence or absence of the substrate W in each substrate holding unit 40 is detected by the substrate detection sensor 49. The detection value of each substrate detection sensor 49 is input to the control unit 4.

  In a state where each movable plate is located at the open position (position shown in FIG. 5), the main transport robot TR1 simultaneously carries the substrates W one by one into the two substrate holders 40 adjacent vertically. Two substrates W can be carried out simultaneously from two vertically adjacent substrate holding units 40. Further, in a state where each movable plate 42 is in the open position, the main transport robot TR1 carries one substrate W into one of the two substrate holding units 40 or the like. One substrate W can be carried out from one substrate holding part 40.

  The substrate W transported by the main transport robot TR1 is carried between the pair of the movable plate 42 and the fixed plate 43 with the movable plate 42 positioned at the open position, and is supported by the movable plate 42 or the fixed plate 43. The The control unit 4 controls the actuator 44 to move the movable plate 42 to the closed position while the substrate W is supported by the movable plate 42 or the fixed plate 43, so that the pair of the movable plate 42 and the fixed plate 43 are moved. Reduce the interval. As a result, the tips of the first support pins 47 and the second support pins 48 are in point contact with the substrate W, and the substrate W is sandwiched between the movable plate 42 and the fixed plate 43 forming a pair.

  In addition, the control unit 4 controls the rotation mechanism 41 to rotate the support plate 45 about the rotation axis L2 by 180 degrees with the substrate W being sandwiched, thereby inverting the front and back of the substrate W. And the control part 4 moves the movable plate 42 to an open position by controlling the actuator 44, and increases the space | interval of the movable plate 42 and the stationary plate 43 which make a pair. As a result, the holding of the substrate W by the movable plate 42 and the fixed plate 43 forming a pair is released. Thereafter, the substrate W supported by the movable plate 42 or the fixed plate 43 is unloaded from the first reversing unit 23 by the main transport robot TR1.

  A heating device 50 is disposed above and below the reversing mechanism of the first reversing unit 23. The heating device 50 includes a plurality of LED infrared lamps 51 along the carrier arrangement direction U. The substrate W is dried by heating the infrared lamps 51 of the plurality of LEDs. The infrared lamps 51 of the plurality of LEDs are set to about 150 ° C. Here, the heating device 50 disposed on the upper side corresponds to the upper heating mechanism of the present invention, and the heating device 50 disposed on the lower side corresponds to the lower heating mechanism of the present invention.

  A filter fan unit (FFU) 52 is disposed on the upper side of the upper heating device 50. As shown in FIG. 5, the downflow from the filter fan unit 52 is guided into the first reversing unit 23 and flows to the lower heating device 50 side. By adopting such a structure, in addition to heating the substrate W by the heating device 50, the drying of the substrate W is further promoted by the flow of the downflow, and the particles are attached to the substrate W in the first reversing unit 23. Can be suppressed.

  Next, the processing operation of this substrate processing apparatus will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of this substrate processing apparatus, and FIG. 7 shows the substrate processing section from the carrier holding section 6 while inverting the front and back of the substrate W by the second reversing unit 26 according to the embodiment of the present invention. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of operations of the indexer robot IR1, the main transport robot TR1, and the second reversing unit 26 when a plurality of substrates W are transported by the robot 12. FIG.

  The control unit 4 causes the indexer robot IR1 to transfer n (n is an integer of 2 or more) substrates W from the carrier C to the second reversing unit 26 at the same time. To be brought in. Then, the control unit 4 reverses the front and back of each substrate W by the second reversing unit 26, and then converts the n substrates W held by the second reversing unit 26 to m (m is a positive value smaller than n). An integer and a divisor of n) are carried out from the second reversing unit 26 by the main transfer robot TR1.

  In this embodiment, for example, the control unit 4 causes the indexer robot IR1 to simultaneously transport the two substrates W from the carrier C to the second reversing unit 26, and carries the two substrates W into the second reversing unit 26. Let Then, the control unit 4 reverses the front and back of each substrate W by the second reversing unit 26, and then the second reversal of the two substrates W held by the second reversing unit 26 one by one by the main transport robot TR1. Unload from the unit 26. That is, in the first embodiment, n is 2 and m is 1. In addition, the number of substrate holders 27 provided in the second reversing unit 26 is n + m, and is 3 in this embodiment.

  In the following, the indexer robot IR1, the main transport robot TR1, and the second transport robot TR2 when transporting a plurality of substrates W from the carrier holding unit 6 to the substrate processing unit 12 while reversing the front and back of the substrate W by the second reversing unit 26. An example of a series of operations of the reversing unit 26 will be specifically described.

  The control unit 4 causes the indexer robot IR1 to carry out the two substrates W having the upper surface from the carrier C, and, as shown in FIG. 7A, removes the two substrates W from the carrier C to the second reversing unit. 26 are simultaneously conveyed (step S1). Then, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), the control unit 4 uses the indexer robot IR1 to transfer the two substrates W to the two substrate holding units 27 (FIG. 7) from the one end in the vertical direction D1 to the second. 7 (a), the first substrate holding unit 27a and the second substrate holding unit 27b) are simultaneously loaded.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7B, the control unit 4 causes the rotation mechanism 28 to rotate the three substrate holding units 27 by 180 degrees around the rotation axis L1, thereby reversing the front and back of the substrate W (step). S2). Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7C, the three substrate holding portions 27 are arranged in the vertical direction D1 in the reverse order to that before the rotation. That is, the three substrate holders 27 arranged in the vertical direction D1 in the order of the first substrate holder 27a, the second substrate holder 27b, and the third substrate holder 27c from the top hold the third substrate from the top. The portion 27c, the second substrate holding portion 27b, and the first substrate holding portion 27a are arranged in the vertical direction D1 in this order.

  The control unit 4 rotates the three substrate holding units 27 by 180 degrees, and then causes the main transfer robot TR1 to carry out the two substrates W loaded into the two substrate holding units 27, respectively. The substrate W is carried into the substrate processing unit 12. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7C, the control unit 4 uses the main transport robot TR1 to place the back surface of the substrate W held on the second substrate holding unit 27b (first substrate W). And the substrate W is carried into the back surface processing unit 12b (step S3). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7D, the control unit 4 causes the main transfer robot TR1 to carry out the substrate W (second substrate W) whose back surface is held by the first substrate holding unit 27a. Then, the substrate W is carried into the back surface processing unit 12b (step S4). In this way, the control unit 4 unloads the substrates W one by one in order from the substrate W positioned at one end in the vertical direction D1.

  As shown in FIG. 7D, after the substrate W (first substrate W) held by the second substrate holding unit 27b is unloaded by the main transfer robot TR1, the two pieces from the top to the second are shown. The substrate holding portion 27 (in FIG. 7D), the third substrate holding portion 27c and the second substrate holding portion 27b are empty. As shown in FIG. 7 (d), the control unit 4 unloads one substrate W (second substrate W) by the main transfer robot TR1, and then moves the one end in the vertical direction D1 by the indexer robot IR1. To the second substrate holding unit 27 (in FIG. 7D, the third substrate holding unit 27c and the second substrate holding unit 27b) are simultaneously loaded with two substrates W (step S5).

  The control unit 4 again loads the two substrates W simultaneously by the indexer robot IR1, and unloads the substrate W (second substrate W) held by the first substrate holding unit 27a by the main transfer robot TR1. After that, the rotation mechanism 28 rotates the three substrate holders 27 about the rotation axis L1 by 180 degrees to reverse the front and back of the substrate W. Then, the control unit 4 again carries the substrate W out of the second substrate holding unit 27b by the main transport robot TR1. The control unit 4 repeatedly performs such a series of operations, and transports a plurality of substrates W from the carrier C to the substrate processing unit 12.

  The loading of the two substrates W by the indexer robot IR1 performed after the main transport robot TR1 unloads the first substrate W may be performed before the main transport robot TR1 unloads the second substrate W. It may be performed after unloading. Further, the loading of the two substrates W by the indexer robot IR1 and the unloading of the second substrate W by the main transport robot TR1 may be performed in parallel.

  When only the back surface processing of the substrate W transported to the substrate processing unit 12 is performed in step S3 described above, the main transport robot TR1 transports the first substrate to the back surface processing unit 12b. In the back surface processing unit 12 b, the brush 21 is pressed against the back surface of the substrate W while the nozzle 20 supplies the processing liquid to the back surface of the substrate W held by the second spin chuck 22, thereby cleaning the back surface of the substrate W. . As a cleaning process here, after using a chemical | medical solution, the rinse process is performed with a pure water. Thereafter, the supply of the processing liquid from the nozzle 20 is stopped, the second spin chuck 22 holding the substrate W is rotated, and the substrate W is dried (step S6).

  When the drying process of the substrate W in step S6 is completed, the main transport robot TR1 transports the first substrate W whose back surface is the top surface from the back surface processing unit 12b to the first reversing unit 23 (step S7).

  In the above-described step S4, when only the back surface processing of the substrate W transported to the substrate processing unit 12 is performed, the main transport robot TR1 transports the second substrate to the back surface processing unit 12b. In the back surface processing unit 12 b, the brush 21 is pressed against the back surface of the substrate W while the nozzle 20 supplies the processing liquid to the back surface of the substrate W held by the second spin chuck 22, thereby cleaning the back surface of the substrate W. . As a cleaning process here, after using a chemical | medical solution, the rinse process is performed with a pure water. Thereafter, the supply of the processing liquid from the nozzle 20 is stopped, the second spin chuck 22 holding the substrate W is rotated, and the substrate W is dried (step S8).

  When the drying process of the substrate W is completed, the main transport robot TR1 transports the second substrate W whose back surface is the top surface from the back surface processing unit 12b to the first reversing unit 23 (step S9).

  When the main transport robot TR1 transports the second substrate W to the first reversing unit 23, the control unit 4 starts a downflow from the filter fan unit 52 (step S10) and the first reversing unit. Heating of the heating device 50 arranged above and below the reversing mechanism 23 is started (step S11).

  Thereafter, the control unit 4 causes the rotation mechanism 41 to rotate the two substrate holding units 40 by 180 degrees around the rotation axis L2, thereby reversing the front and back of the substrate W (step S12). As a result, the surface of the substrate W faces upward along with the two substrates W. At this time, the remaining wetness of the processing liquid on the surface of the substrate W can be prevented by the heat treatment by the heating devices 50 arranged above and below. In particular, since heating is performed from above and below, the front and back surfaces of the substrate W can be reliably dried. In addition, the flow of the downflow from the filter fan unit 52 can further accelerate the drying of the substrate W and can suppress the adhesion of particles to the substrate W in the first reversing unit 23.

  The control unit 4 rotates the two substrate holding units 40 by 180 degrees and finishes the operation of inverting the substrate, and then heats the two substrates W by the heating devices 50 arranged above and below the heating device 50. Is stopped (step S13), and the downflow from the filter fan unit 52 is also stopped (step S14). Thereafter, the main transfer robot TR1 carries out the two substrates W from the first reversing unit 23, and transfers the two substrates W to the return side placement unit 25 (step S15). Finally, the control unit 4 causes the indexer robot IR1 to simultaneously transport the two substrates W from the return side placement unit 25 to the carrier C (step S16), and a series of processing operations on the substrate W is completed.

  Although the description of the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. In this embodiment, the second reversing unit 26 is used as the second substrate holding portion of the present invention in the back surface processing of the substrate W, but the second reversing unit 26 may not be used. For example, a plurality of feeding side placement units 24 may be used as the second substrate holding unit of the present invention. In this case, specifically, the carrier C, the indexer robot IR1 (conveyance), the feeding side placement unit 24, the main conveyance robot TR1 (conveyance), the first reversing unit 23 (inversion from the front surface to the back surface), the main conveyance robot. TR1 (transport), back surface processing unit 12b (cleaning / drying process), main transport robot TR1 (transport), first reversing unit 23 (inversion from the back surface to the surface and drying of the substrate W), main transport robot TR1 (transport) The return side placement unit 25, the indexer robot IR1 (conveyance), and the carrier C are conveyed in this order.

In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning / drying process is performed only for the back surface processing of the substrate W. However, the front and back surface processing may be performed. In this case, specifically, the carrier C, the indexer robot IR1 (conveyance), the feeding side placement unit 24, the main conveyance robot TR1 (conveyance), the surface treatment unit 12a, the main conveyance robot TR1 (conveyance), the first reversing unit. 23 (reversing from the front surface to the back surface), the main transport robot TR1 (transport), the back surface processing unit 12b (cleaning / drying process), the main transport robot TR1 (transport), the first reversing unit 23 (reversing from the back surface to the front surface and drying of the substrate W), the main transfer robot TR1 (transport), the return-side mounting portion 25, the indexer robot IR1 (conveyance) will be conveyed in the order of the carriers C.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first reversing unit 23 corresponding to the reversing mechanism of the present invention is disposed above the second reversing unit 26 corresponding to the second substrate holding unit of the present invention. The first reversing unit 23 may be disposed below the unit 26.

  In the above-described embodiment, the infrared lamp 51 is used as the heating device 50. However, the heater is not limited to the infrared lamp 51.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 4 Control part 6 Carrier holding part 7 IR moving mechanism 12 Substrate processing part 12b Back surface processing part 23 1st inversion unit 26 2nd inversion unit 28 Rotation mechanism 41 Rotation mechanism 50 Heating device 51 Infrared lamp 52 Filter fan unit ( FFU)
C Carrier D1 Vertical IR1 Indexer robot TR1 Main transfer robot

Claims (3)

A first substrate holding unit for holding a substrate;
A substrate processing unit that supplies a processing liquid to the substrate to perform a cleaning process, and performs a drying process on the cleaned substrate;
A second substrate holding unit disposed between the first substrate holding unit and the substrate processing unit and capable of receiving and holding a plurality of substrates at different height positions ;
A reversing mechanism that is disposed at an upper position or a lower position of the second substrate holding unit and reverses the front and back of the substrate;
A first transport mechanism for transporting a substrate between the first substrate holding unit and the second substrate holding unit;
A second transport mechanism for transporting a substrate between the second substrate holding unit, the substrate processing unit, and the reversing mechanism;
A heating mechanism for drying the substrate that is reversed by the reversing mechanism ,
The heating mechanism includes an upper heating mechanism disposed on the upper side of the reversing mechanism, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim Rukoto which have a and the lower heating mechanism disposed on the lower side of the reversing mechanism. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus further comprising a downflow supply mechanism for supplying a downflow to the substrate inverted by the inversion mechanism. In the substrate processing apparatus of Claim 1 or Claim 2 ,
A control means for controlling the reversing mechanism and the second transport mechanism;
The control means transports the substrate subjected to the cleaning process and the drying process in the substrate processing unit by the second transport mechanism to the reversing mechanism, and heats the substrate by the heating mechanism while reversing the substrate by the reversing mechanism. A substrate processing apparatus.

Images