JP7573403B2 - SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process on a substrate.

Substrate processing equipment is used to carry out various processes on various substrates, such as substrates for FPDs (Flat Panel Displays) used in liquid crystal displays or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) displays, semiconductor substrates, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, or substrates for solar cells.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a substrate processing apparatus including multiple processing units and a transport mechanism that transports a substrate between the multiple processing units using first and second hands. The multiple processing units include a heat treatment unit, a cooling unit, and a coating processing unit that perform heat treatment, cooling processing, and coating processing on the substrate, respectively. The transport mechanism moves between the multiple processing units while holding the substrate with the first hand and not holding the substrate with the second hand. The transport mechanism also transports the processed substrate out of the destination processing unit with the second hand, and transports the unprocessed substrate held by the first hand into the processing unit.

JP 2013-77639 A

In the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the first and second hands of the transport mechanism continuously transport the processed substrate out of the processing unit and the unprocessed substrate into the processing unit. This was thought to improve throughput. However, in order to transport the processed substrate out of the destination processing unit, the transport mechanism needs to move between multiple processing units without holding a substrate in any of the hands. In this case, only a number of substrates less than the number of hands can be transported at one time, so there is a limit to how much throughput can be improved.

The object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can improve throughput.

(1) A substrate processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention has an input position where an unprocessed substrate is loaded and an output position where a processed substrate is loaded, and is equipped with a processing unit that processes the unprocessed substrate , and a substrate transport section having a transport holding section configured to hold both the unprocessed substrate and the processed substrate, and the transport holding section holds the unprocessed substrate while entering the processing unit and delivers the unprocessed substrate to the input position, then receives the processed substrate from the output position and exits the processing unit after receiving the processed substrate.

In this substrate processing apparatus, the transport holder of the substrate transport section enters the processing unit. The unprocessed substrate held by the transport holder is delivered to the loading position of the processing unit. After the unprocessed substrate has been delivered to the loading position, the transport holder receives the processed substrate from the unloading position of the processing unit. After the processed substrate has been received from the unloading position, the transport holder exits the processing unit. The processing unit processes the unprocessed substrate.

With this configuration, even if a processed substrate is present in the processing unit, the unprocessed substrate can be carried into the processing unit. Therefore, after the unprocessed substrate is delivered to the processing unit, the processed substrate can be received by the transport holder. Therefore, there is no need to provide a transport holder that does not hold a substrate in order to receive the processed substrate. This makes it possible to improve the throughput per number of transport holders.

(2) The loading position and the unloading position may be arranged vertically side by side. In this case, the floor area (footprint) required for installing the processing unit can be reduced.

(3) A plurality of processing units may be provided, and a plurality of transport holders may be provided corresponding to the plurality of processing units, and each of the plurality of substrate transport units may enter a corresponding processing unit to deliver the unprocessed substrate to a carry-in position, receive the processed substrate from a carry-out position, and exit the corresponding processing unit after receiving the processed substrate. In this case, it is possible to continuously perform the operations of delivering the unprocessed substrate and receiving the processed substrate for the plurality of processing units. This can further improve throughput.

(4) The processing unit may include a first substrate holding section that holds a substrate brought into the loading position, a first processing section that performs processing on the substrate held by the first substrate holding section, a second substrate holding section that holds a substrate brought into the unloading position, a transfer section that transfers the substrate processed by the first processing section from the first substrate holding section to the second substrate holding section, and a second processing section that performs processing on the substrate held by the second substrate holding section. In this case, the substrate brought into the loading position and processed by the first and second processing sections can be unloaded from the unloading position as a processed substrate.

(5) The first processing unit and the second processing unit may perform different processes on the substrate. In this case, different processes can be efficiently performed on the substrate.

(6) The first processing unit may perform a cleaning process on a central region of the underside of the substrate, and the second processing unit may perform a cleaning process on an outer region of the underside that surrounds the central region of the underside of the substrate. In this case, the entire underside of the substrate can be efficiently cleaned.

(7) The substrate processing method according to the second invention includes the steps of: moving the transport holder of the substrate transport section into the processing unit; transferring the unprocessed substrate held by the transport holder to a loading position of the processing unit; receiving the processed substrate from the unloading position of the processing unit by the transport holder after the unprocessed substrate has been transferred to the loading position; withdrawing the transport holder from the processing unit after the processed substrate has been received from the unloading position; and processing the unprocessed substrate by the processing unit.

According to this substrate processing method, even if a processed substrate is present in the processing unit, the unprocessed substrate can be transported into the processing unit. Therefore, after the unprocessed substrate is delivered to the processing unit, the processed substrate can be received by the transport holder. Therefore, there is no need to provide a transport holder that does not hold a substrate in order to receive the processed substrate. This makes it possible to improve the throughput per number of transport holders.

The present invention can improve throughput.

1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus taken along line JJ in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing an internal configuration of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the substrate processing apparatus; 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 3. 6 is a flowchart showing a substrate processing performed by the control device of FIG. 5 . 6 is a flowchart showing a substrate processing performed by the control device of FIG. 5 .

The following describes a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the substrate refers to a semiconductor substrate (wafer), a substrate for an FPD (Flat Panel Display) such as a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device, a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a magnetic disk, a substrate for a magneto-optical disk, a substrate for a photomask, a ceramic substrate, or a substrate for a solar cell. In this embodiment, the upper surface of the substrate is the circuit formation surface (front surface), and the lower surface of the substrate is the surface opposite the circuit formation surface (rear surface). In this embodiment, the substrate has a circular shape excluding the notch.

(1) Configuration of the Substrate Processing Apparatus Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus 100 taken along line J-J in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment has an indexer block 110 and a processing block 120. The indexer block 110 and the processing block 120 are provided adjacent to each other.

The indexer block 110 includes multiple (four in this example) carrier mounting tables 140 and a transport section 150. The multiple carrier mounting tables 140 are connected to the transport section 150 and are arranged in a row with spaces between them. A carrier C that stores multiple substrates W is placed on each carrier mounting table 140.

The transport section 150 is provided with an indexer robot 200 and a control device 170. The indexer robot 200 includes multiple (four in this example) hands Ia, Ib, Ic, and Id, a hand support member 210, and a transport drive section 220.

The multiple hands Ia to Id are configured to be able to hold multiple substrates W, respectively, and are arranged on the hand support member 210 in a state where they are arranged at regular intervals in the vertical direction. The hand support member 210 is formed to extend in one direction, and supports the multiple hands Ia to Id so that they can move forward and backward in that one direction. The transport drive unit 220 is configured to be able to move in the horizontal direction (the direction in which the multiple carrier mounting tables 140 are arranged), and supports the hand support member 210 so that it can rotate around a vertical axis and rise and fall. Furthermore, the transport drive unit 220 includes multiple motors, air cylinders, etc., and moves the hand support member 210 in the horizontal direction, rotates the hand support member 210 around the vertical axis, and raises and lowers it in order to transport multiple substrates W by the multiple hands Ia to Id. The transport drive unit 220 also moves the multiple hands Ia to Id forward and backward in the horizontal direction. The control device 170 is composed of a computer including a CPU (central processing unit), RAM (random access memory), ROM (read only memory), and a storage device, and controls each component within the substrate processing device 100.

The processing block 120 includes cleaning units 161 and 162 and a transport unit 163. The cleaning unit 161, the transport unit 163, and the cleaning unit 162 are arranged adjacent to the transport unit 150 and aligned in that order. In the cleaning units 161 and 162, multiple (e.g., four) substrate cleaning apparatuses 1 are stacked vertically. Each substrate cleaning apparatus 1 has a load position where the unprocessed substrate W is loaded and an unload position where the processed substrate W is unloaded. The configuration and operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 will be described in detail later.

The transport section 163 is provided with a main robot 300. The main robot 300 includes multiple (four in this example) hands Ma, Mb, Mc, Md, a hand support member 310, and a transport drive section 320. The multiple hands Ma to Md are configured to be capable of holding multiple substrates W, respectively, and are provided on the hand support member 310 in a vertically aligned state.

The hand support member 310 is formed to extend in one direction, and supports the multiple hands Ma to Md in that direction so that they can each move forward and backward independently. The transport drive unit 320 supports the hand support member 310 so that it can rotate around a vertical axis and move up and down. Furthermore, the transport drive unit 320 includes multiple motors, air cylinders, etc., and rotates the hand support member 310 around the vertical axis and moves it up and down in order to transport multiple substrates W using the multiple hands Ma to Md. The transport drive unit 320 also moves the multiple hands Ma to Md forward and backward in the horizontal direction.

Between the indexer block 110 and the processing block 120, multiple (four in this example) substrate placement parts PASS1 and multiple substrate placement parts PASS2 are stacked vertically to transfer substrates W between the indexer robot 200 and the main robot 300. The multiple substrate placement parts PASS1 are located above the multiple (four in this example) substrate placement parts PASS2.

The multiple substrate placement parts PASS2 are used to transfer substrates W from the indexer robot 200 to the main robot 300. The multiple substrate placement parts PASS1 are used to transfer substrates W from the main robot 300 to the indexer robot 200. The spacing between the multiple substrate placement parts PASS1 may be approximately equal to the spacing between the multiple hands Ma-Md of the main robot 300. Similarly, the spacing between the multiple substrate placement parts PASS2 may be approximately equal to the spacing between the multiple hands Ma-Md of the main robot 300.

The indexer robot 200 removes an unprocessed substrate W from one of the multiple carriers C placed on the multiple carrier placement stages 140. The indexer robot 200 also places the removed unprocessed substrate W on one of the multiple substrate placement parts PASS2. The indexer robot 200 then receives a processed substrate W placed on one of the multiple substrate placement parts PASS1 and stores it in an empty carrier C.

The main robot 300 receives the multiple unprocessed substrates W placed on the multiple substrate placement parts PASS2 with the multiple hands Ma to Md, respectively. At this time, the main robot 300 may receive the multiple substrates W sequentially with the multiple hands Ma to Md. If the spacing between the multiple substrate placement parts PASS2 is approximately equal to the spacing between the multiple hands Ma to Md, the main robot 300 may receive the multiple substrates W simultaneously with the multiple hands Ma to Md.

Next, the main robot 300 transfers the multiple unprocessed substrates W received by the multiple hands Ma to Md from the substrate placement unit PASS2 to the loading positions of the multiple substrate cleaning devices 1 in the cleaning unit 161 or cleaning unit 162, respectively. Next, the main robot 300 receives the multiple processed substrates W placed at the unloading positions of the multiple substrate cleaning devices 1, respectively, with the multiple hands Ma to Md.

The main robot 300 then places the multiple processed substrates W received by the multiple hands Ma to Md from the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 onto the multiple substrate placement parts PASS1, respectively. At this time, the main robot 300 may sequentially place the multiple processed substrates W onto the multiple substrate placement parts PASS1. If the spacing between the multiple substrate placement parts PASS1 is approximately equal to the spacing between the multiple hands Ma to Md, the main robot 300 may simultaneously place the multiple substrates W onto the multiple substrate placement parts PASS1 by the multiple hands Ma to Md.

(2) Configuration of the Substrate Cleaning Apparatus Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an external perspective view showing the internal configuration of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 of Fig. 3. In the substrate cleaning apparatus 1, mutually orthogonal X-, Y-, and Z-directions are defined to clarify the positional relationship. In Fig. 3 and certain figures following Fig. 4, the X-, Y-, and Z-directions are appropriately indicated by arrows. The X- and Y-directions are mutually orthogonal in a horizontal plane, and the Z-direction corresponds to the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 includes upper holding devices 10A and 10B, a lower holding device 20, a pedestal device 30, a transfer device 40, a lower surface cleaning device 50, a cup device 60, an upper surface cleaning device 70, an edge cleaning device 80, and an opening/closing device 90. These components are provided in a unit housing 2. In FIG. 3, the unit housing 2 is indicated by a dotted line.

The unit housing 2 has a rectangular bottom surface 2a and four side walls 2b, 2c, 2d, and 2e extending upward from the four sides of the bottom surface 2a. The side walls 2b and 2c face each other, and the side walls 2d and 2e face each other. A rectangular opening is formed in the center of the side wall 2b. This opening is an entrance 2x for the substrate W, and is used when the substrate W is loaded into and unloaded from the unit housing 2. In FIG. 4, the entrance 2x is indicated by a thick dotted line. In the following description, the direction in the Y direction from inside the unit housing 2 through the entrance 2x to the outside of the unit housing 2 (the direction from the side wall 2c to the side wall 2b) is referred to as the front, and the opposite direction (the direction from the side wall 2b to the side wall 2c) is referred to as the rear.

An opening/closing device 90 is provided in the portion of the side wall 2b where the loading/unloading opening 2x is formed and in the area nearby. The opening/closing device 90 includes a shutter 91 configured to be able to open and close the loading/unloading opening 2x, and a shutter driver 92 that drives the shutter 91. In FIG. 4, the shutter 91 is indicated by a thick two-dot chain line. The shutter driver 92 drives the shutter 91 to open the loading/unloading opening 2x when the substrate W is loaded into and unloaded from the substrate cleaning apparatus 1. The shutter driver 92 also drives the shutter 91 to close the loading/unloading opening 2x when the substrate W is cleaned in the substrate cleaning apparatus 1.

A pedestal device 30 is provided in the center of the bottom surface portion 2a. The pedestal device 30 includes a linear guide 31, a movable pedestal 32, and a pedestal drive unit 33. The linear guide 31 includes two rails and is provided so as to extend in the Y direction from the vicinity of the side wall portion 2b to the vicinity of the side wall portion 2c in a plan view. The movable pedestal 32 is provided so as to be movable in the Y direction on the two rails of the linear guide 31. The pedestal drive unit 33 includes, for example, a pulse motor, and moves the movable pedestal 32 in the Y direction on the linear guide 31.

The lower holding device 20 and the lower surface cleaning device 50 are arranged on the movable base 32 in the Y direction. The lower holding device 20 includes an adsorption holding unit 21 and an adsorption holding drive unit 22. The adsorption holding unit 21 is a so-called spin chuck, and has a circular adsorption surface capable of adsorbing and holding the lower surface of the substrate W, and is configured to be rotatable around an axis extending in the vertical direction (axis in the Z direction). In FIG. 3, the outline of the substrate W adsorbed and held by the lower holding device 20 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. In the following description, when the substrate W is adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding unit 21, the area of the lower surface of the substrate W to be adsorbed by the adsorption surface of the adsorption holding unit 21 is referred to as the lower surface central area. On the other hand, the area of the lower surface of the substrate W that surrounds the lower surface central area is referred to as the lower surface outer area.

The suction-holding drive unit 22 includes a motor. The motor of the suction-holding drive unit 22 is provided on the movable base 32 so that the rotation shaft protrudes upward. The suction-holding unit 21 is attached to the upper end of the rotation shaft of the suction-holding drive unit 22. A suction path is formed on the rotation shaft of the suction-holding drive unit 22 for suctioning and holding the substrate W in the suction-holding unit 21. The suction path is connected to an air suction device (not shown). The suction-holding drive unit 22 rotates the suction-holding unit 21 around the rotation shaft.

A transfer device 40 is further provided on the movable base 32 near the lower holding device 20. The transfer device 40 includes a plurality of support pins 41 (three in this example), a pin connecting member 42, and a pin lifting and lowering drive unit 43. The pin connecting member 42 is formed to surround the suction holding unit 21 in a plan view, and connects the plurality of support pins 41. The plurality of support pins 41 extend upward a certain length from the pin connecting member 42 while being connected to each other by the pin connecting member 42. The pin lifting and lowering drive unit 43 raises and lowers the pin connecting member 42 on the movable base 32. As a result, the plurality of support pins 41 rise and lower relative to the suction holding unit 21.

The underside cleaning device 50 includes a underside brush 51, two liquid nozzles 52, a gas ejection unit 53, a lifting support unit 54, a moving support unit 55, a underside brush rotation drive unit 55a, a underside brush lifting drive unit 55b, and a underside brush moving drive unit 55c. The moving support unit 55 is provided so as to be movable in the Y direction relative to the lower holding device 20 within a certain area on the movable base 32. As shown in FIG. 4, the lifting support unit 54 is provided so as to be liftable on the moving support unit 55. The lifting support unit 54 has an upper surface 54u that slopes diagonally downward in the direction away from the suction holding unit 21 (rearward in this example).

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower brush 51 is formed, for example, from a PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) sponge or a PVA sponge with dispersed abrasive grains, and has a circular cleaning surface that can contact the lower surface of the substrate W. The lower brush 51 is attached to the upper surface 54u of the lifting support part 54 so that the cleaning surface faces upward and can rotate around an axis that passes through the center of the cleaning surface and extends in the vertical direction. The area of the cleaning surface of the lower brush 51 is larger than the area of the suction surface of the suction holding part 21.

Each of the two liquid nozzles 52 is attached to the upper surface 54u of the lift support 54 so that it is located near the lower brush 51 and the liquid outlet faces upward. A lower cleaning liquid supply unit 56 (FIG. 5) is connected to the liquid nozzle 52. The lower cleaning liquid supply unit 56 supplies cleaning liquid to the liquid nozzle 52. When the lower brush 51 cleans the substrate W, the liquid nozzle 52 supplies the cleaning liquid supplied from the lower cleaning liquid supply unit 56 to the lower surface of the substrate W. In this embodiment, pure water (deionized water) is used as the cleaning liquid supplied to the liquid nozzle 52. Note that, instead of pure water, carbonated water, ozone water, hydrogen water, electrolytic ionized water, SC1 (a mixed solution of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide), TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide), or the like can also be used as the cleaning liquid supplied to the liquid nozzle 52.

The gas ejection unit 53 is a slit-shaped gas injection nozzle having a gas ejection port extending in one direction. The gas ejection unit 53 is attached to the upper surface 54u of the lift support unit 54 so that it is located between the lower surface brush 51 and the suction holding unit 21 in a plan view and the gas ejection port faces upward. The gas ejection unit 53 is connected to an ejection gas supply unit 57 (FIG. 5). The ejection gas supply unit 57 supplies gas to the gas ejection unit 53. In this embodiment, nitrogen gas is used as the gas supplied to the gas ejection unit 53. The gas ejection unit 53 ejects the gas supplied from the ejection gas supply unit 57 onto the lower surface of the substrate W when the substrate W is cleaned by the lower surface brush 51 and when the lower surface of the substrate W is dried, as described later. In this case, a band-shaped gas curtain extending in the X direction is formed between the lower surface brush 51 and the suction holding unit 21. Instead of nitrogen gas, an inert gas such as argon gas or helium gas can be used as the gas supplied to the gas outlet 53.

The lower brush rotation drive unit 55a includes a motor and rotates the lower brush 51 when the lower brush 51 cleans the substrate W. The lower brush lift drive unit 55b includes a stepping motor or an air cylinder and lifts and lowers the lift support unit 54 relative to the moving support unit 55. The lower brush movement drive unit 55c includes a motor and moves the moving support unit 55 in the Y direction on the movable base 32. Here, the position of the lower holding device 20 on the movable base 32 is fixed. Therefore, when the moving support unit 55 moves in the Y direction by the lower brush movement drive unit 55c, the moving support unit 55 moves relative to the lower holding device 20. In the following description, the position of the lower cleaning device 50 when it is closest to the lower holding device 20 on the movable base 32 is called the approach position, and the position of the lower cleaning device 50 when it is farthest from the lower holding device 20 on the movable base 32 is called the separation position.

A cup device 60 is further provided in the center of the bottom surface portion 2a. The cup device 60 includes a processing cup 61 and a cup drive unit 62. The processing cup 61 is provided so as to surround the lower holding device 20 and the base device 30 in a plan view and is movable up and down. In FIG. 4, the processing cup 61 is indicated by a dotted line. The cup drive unit 62 moves the processing cup 61 between a lower cup position and an upper cup position depending on which part of the lower surface of the substrate W is to be cleaned by the lower surface brush 51. The lower cup position is a height position where the upper end of the processing cup 61 is located below the substrate W adsorbed and held by the suction holding unit 21. The upper cup position is a height position where the upper end of the processing cup 61 is located above the suction holding unit 21.

A pair of upper holding devices 10A, 10B are provided at a height position above the processing cup 61, facing each other across the base device 30 in a plan view. The upper holding device 10A includes a lower chuck 11A, an upper chuck 12A, a lower chuck drive unit 13A, and an upper chuck drive unit 14A. The upper holding device 10B includes a lower chuck 11B, an upper chuck 12B, a lower chuck drive unit 13B, and an upper chuck drive unit 14B.

The lower chucks 11A, 11B are disposed symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane that extends in the Y direction (front-to-back direction) through the center of the suction holding unit 21 in a plan view, and are provided so as to be movable in the X direction within a common horizontal plane. Each of the lower chucks 11A, 11B has two support pieces that can support the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate W from below the substrate W. The lower chuck driving units 13A, 13B move the lower chucks 11A, 11B so that the lower chucks 11A, 11B approach each other, or so that the lower chucks 11A, 11B move away from each other.

The upper chucks 12A, 12B, like the lower chucks 11A, 11B, are arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane that passes through the center of the suction holding unit 21 in the Y direction (front-rear direction) in a plan view, and are provided so as to be movable in the X direction within a common horizontal plane. Each of the upper chucks 12A, 12B has two holding pieces that are configured to abut against two parts of the outer periphery of the substrate W and to be able to hold the outer periphery of the substrate W. The upper chuck driving units 14A, 14B move the upper chucks 12A, 12B so that the upper chucks 12A, 12B approach each other, or so that the upper chucks 12A, 12B move away from each other.

As shown in FIG. 3, an upper surface cleaning device 70 is provided on one side of the processing cup 61 so as to be located near the upper holding device 10B in a plan view. The upper surface cleaning device 70 includes a rotating support shaft 71, an arm 72, a spray nozzle 73, and an upper surface cleaning drive unit 74.

The rotating support shaft 71 is supported by the upper surface cleaning drive unit 74 so as to extend vertically on the bottom surface portion 2a and to be movable up and down and rotatable. As shown in FIG. 4, the arm 72 is provided at a position above the upper holding device 10B and extends horizontally from the upper end of the rotating support shaft 71. A spray nozzle 73 is attached to the tip of the arm 72.

An upper surface cleaning fluid supply unit 75 (Figure 5) is connected to the spray nozzle 73. The upper surface cleaning fluid supply unit 75 supplies cleaning liquid and gas to the spray nozzle 73. In this embodiment, pure water is used as the cleaning liquid supplied to the spray nozzle 73, and nitrogen gas is used as the gas supplied to the spray nozzle 73. When cleaning the upper surface of the substrate W, the spray nozzle 73 mixes the cleaning liquid and gas supplied from the upper surface cleaning fluid supply unit 75 to generate a mixed fluid, and sprays the generated mixed fluid downward.

In addition, the cleaning liquid supplied to the spray nozzle 73 may be carbonated water, ozone water, hydrogen water, electrolytic ion water, SC1 (a mixed solution of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide), or TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide), instead of pure water. Also, the gas supplied to the spray nozzle 73 may be an inert gas such as argon gas or helium gas, instead of nitrogen gas.

The upper surface cleaning drive unit 74 includes one or more pulse motors and air cylinders, etc., and raises and lowers the rotating support shaft 71 and rotates the rotating support shaft 71. With the above configuration, the spray nozzle 73 is moved in an arc over the upper surface of the substrate W that is attracted and held by the suction holding unit 21 and rotated, thereby cleaning the entire upper surface of the substrate W.

As shown in FIG. 3, an edge cleaning device 80 is provided on the other side of the processing cup 61 so as to be located near the upper holding device 10A in a plan view. The edge cleaning device 80 includes a rotating support shaft 81, an arm 82, a bevel brush 83, and a bevel brush drive unit 84.

The rotating support shaft 81 is supported by a bevel brush drive unit 84 on the bottom surface portion 2a so as to extend in the vertical direction and to be movable up and down and rotatable. As shown in FIG. 4, the arm 82 is provided at a position above the upper holding device 10A and extends horizontally from the upper end of the rotating support shaft 81. A bevel brush 83 is provided at the tip of the arm 82 so as to protrude downward and to be rotatable around a vertical axis.

The bevel brush 83 is formed, for example, from a PVA sponge or a PVA sponge with dispersed abrasive grains, and has an inverted truncated cone shape in the upper half and a truncated cone shape in the lower half. With this bevel brush 83, the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W can be cleaned at the central portion in the vertical direction of the outer peripheral surface.

The bevel brush driving unit 84 includes one or more pulse motors and air cylinders, and raises and lowers the rotating support shaft 81 and rotates the rotating support shaft 81. With the above configuration, the entire outer periphery of the substrate W can be cleaned by contacting the central portion of the outer periphery of the bevel brush 83 with the outer periphery of the substrate W that is rotated while being attracted and held by the attracting and holding unit 21.

Here, the bevel brush driving unit 84 further includes a motor built into the arm 82. The motor rotates the bevel brush 83 provided at the tip of the arm 82 around an axis extending in the vertical direction. Therefore, when cleaning the outer circumferential edge of the substrate W, the rotation of the bevel brush 83 improves the cleaning power of the bevel brush 83 at the outer circumferential edge of the substrate W.

(3) Control System of Substrate Processing Apparatus Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the substrate processing apparatus 100. As described above, the control device 170 in Fig. 1 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and a storage device. The RAM is used as a working area for the CPU. The ROM stores a system program. The storage device stores a substrate processing program.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 170 includes, as functional parts, a chuck control part 171, an adsorption control part 172, a base control part 173, a delivery control part 174, a lower surface cleaning control part 175, a cup control part 176, an upper surface cleaning control part 177, a bevel cleaning control part 178, a loading/unloading control part 179, and transport control parts 180 and 181. The functional parts of the control device 170 are realized by the CPU executing, on the RAM, a substrate processing program stored in the storage device. Some or all of the functional parts of the control device 170 may be realized by hardware such as electronic circuits.

The chuck control unit 171, the suction control unit 172, the base control unit 173, the delivery control unit 174, the lower surface cleaning control unit 175, the cup control unit 176, the upper surface cleaning control unit 177, the bevel cleaning control unit 178, and the loading/unloading control unit 179 control the operation of each substrate cleaning apparatus 1. Specifically, the chuck control unit 171 receives the substrate W that is loaded into each substrate cleaning apparatus 1, and controls the lower chuck driving units 13A, 13B and the upper chuck driving units 14A, 14B to hold the substrate W at a position above the suction holding unit 21.

The suction control unit 172 controls the suction holding drive unit 22 to suction and hold the substrate W by the suction holding unit 21 and rotate the suction-held substrate W. The pedestal control unit 173 controls the pedestal drive unit 33 to move the movable pedestal 32 relative to the substrate W held by the upper holding devices 10A and 10B. The transfer control unit 174 controls the pin lift drive unit 43 to move the substrate W between the height position of the substrate W held by the upper holding devices 10A and 10B and the height position of the substrate W held by the suction holding unit 21.

The bottom cleaning control unit 175 controls the bottom brush rotation drive unit 55a, the bottom brush lift drive unit 55b, the bottom brush movement drive unit 55c, the bottom cleaning liquid supply unit 56 and the jet gas supply unit 57 to clean the bottom surface of the substrate W. The cup control unit 176 controls the cup drive unit 62 to allow the processing cup 61 to receive the cleaning liquid that splashes from the substrate W when cleaning the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding unit 21.

The top surface cleaning control unit 177 controls the top surface cleaning drive unit 74 and the top surface cleaning fluid supply unit 75 to clean the top surface of the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding unit 21. The bevel cleaning control unit 178 controls the bevel brush drive unit 84 to clean the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding unit 21. The loading/unloading control unit 179 controls the shutter drive unit 92 to open and close the loading/unloading opening 2x of the unit housing 2 when loading and unloading the substrate W in each substrate cleaning device 1.

The transport control unit 180 controls the transport drive unit 220 to transport substrates W between the multiple carriers C and the multiple substrate placement units PASS1, PASS2. The transport control unit 181 controls the transport drive unit 320 to transport substrates W between the multiple substrate placement units PASS1, PASS2 and the multiple substrate cleaning devices 1.

5, the control device 170 controls the operation of the indexer robot 200 and the main robot 300 as well as the operation of the multiple substrate cleaning devices 1, but the embodiment is not limited to this. Each substrate cleaning device 1 may have a control device for controlling the operation of the substrate cleaning device 1. In this case, the control device 170 may not include the chuck control device 171, the suction control device 172, the pedestal control device 173, the transfer control device 174, the lower surface cleaning control device 175, the cup control device 176, the upper surface cleaning control device 177, the bevel cleaning control device 178, and the loading/unloading control device 179.

(4) Operation of the Substrate Cleaning Apparatus In the plurality of substrate cleaning apparatuses 1, cleaning processing is sequentially performed on the plurality of substrates W transported by the hands Ma to Md of the main robot 300 in Fig. 1. Below, the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 for the substrate W transported by the hand Ma will be described, but the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 for the substrate W transported by the hands Mb to Md is similar to the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 for the substrate W transported by the hand Ma.

Figures 6 to 17 are schematic diagrams for explaining an example of the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 of Figure 3. In each of Figures 6 to 17, a plan view of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 is shown in the upper part. A side view of the lower holding device 20 and its surroundings as viewed along the Y direction is shown in the middle part, and a side view of the lower holding device 20 and its surroundings as viewed along the X direction is shown in the lower part. The side view in the middle part corresponds to the side view of line A-A in Figure 3, and the side view in the lower part corresponds to the side view of line B-B in Figure 3. Note that in order to facilitate understanding of the shape and operating state of each component in the substrate cleaning apparatus 1, the enlargement and reduction ratios of some components are different between the plan view in the upper part and the side views in the middle and lower parts. In addition, in Figures 6 to 17, the processing cup 61 is shown by a two-dot chain line, and the outer shape of the substrate W is shown by a thick dashed line.

In the initial state before the substrate W is loaded into the substrate cleaning device 1, the shutter 91 of the opening/closing device 90 closes the loading/unloading port 2x. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower chucks 11A and 11B are maintained in a state in which the distance between the lower chucks 11A and 11B is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the substrate W. The upper chucks 12A and 12B are also maintained in a state in which the distance between the upper chucks 12A and 12B is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the substrate W. The movable base 32 of the base device 30 is arranged so that the center of the suction holder 21 is located at the center of the processing cup 61 in a plan view. The lower surface cleaning device 50 is arranged at a close position on the movable base 32. The lifting support part 54 of the lower surface cleaning device 50 is in a state in which the cleaning surface (upper end) of the lower surface brush 51 is located below the suction holder 21. The transfer device 40 is in a state in which the multiple support pins 41 are located below the suction holder 21. Furthermore, in the cup device 60, the processing cup 61 is in the lower cup position. In the following description, the center position of the processing cup 61 in a planar view is referred to as the planar reference position rp. In addition, the position of the movable base 32 on the bottom surface portion 2a when the center of the suction holding portion 21 is at the planar reference position rp in a planar view is referred to as the first horizontal position.

An unprocessed substrate W is loaded into the unit housing 2 of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1. Specifically, the shutter 91 opens the loading/unloading opening 2x immediately before the substrate W is loaded. Thereafter, as indicated by the thick solid arrow a1 in FIG. 6, the hand Ma of the main robot 300 in FIG. 1 enters the unit housing 2 through the loading/unloading opening 2x and delivers the substrate W to a position approximately in the center of the unit housing 2. At this time, the substrate W held by the hand Ma is positioned between the lower chuck 11A and upper chuck 12A and the lower chuck 11B and upper chuck 12B, as shown in FIG. 6.

Next, as shown by the thick solid arrow a2 in FIG. 7, the lower chucks 11A and 11B approach each other so that the multiple support pieces of the lower chucks 11A and 11B are positioned below the lower peripheral edge of the substrate W. In this state, the hand Ma descends. As a result, multiple portions of the lower peripheral edge of the substrate W held by the hand Ma are supported by the multiple support pieces of the lower chucks 11A and 11B. The position of the substrate W at this time is the loading position. At this point, the substrate W that was previously loaded into the unit housing 2 and has been processed is present at the unloading position. Therefore, the hand Ma passes the substrate W to the lower chucks 11A and 11B at the loading position as described above, and then receives the processed substrate W at the unloading position and exits the unit housing 2. After the hand Ma exits, the shutter 91 closes the loading/unloading opening 2x.

8, the upper chucks 12A and 12B approach each other so that the multiple holding pieces of the upper chucks 12A and 12B abut against the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W. The multiple holding pieces of the upper chucks 12A and 12B abut against multiple parts of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W, and the substrate W supported by the lower chucks 11A and 11B is further held by the upper chucks 12A and 12B. In this way, the center of the substrate W held by the upper holding devices 10A and 10B overlaps or nearly overlaps with the planar reference position rp in a planar view. Also, as shown by the thick solid arrow a4 in FIG. 8, the suction holding unit 21 is shifted a predetermined distance from the planar reference position rp and the movable base 32 moves forward from the first horizontal position so that the center of the lower brush 51 is located at the planar reference position rp. At this time, the position of the movable base 32 located on the bottom surface portion 2a is called the second horizontal position.

9, the lifting support 54 rises so that the cleaning surface of the lower brush 51 comes into contact with the central region of the lower surface of the substrate W. Also, as shown by the thick solid arrow a6 in FIG. 9, the lower brush 51 rotates (spins) around an axis in the vertical direction. As a result, contaminants adhering to the central region of the lower surface of the substrate W are physically peeled off by the lower brush 51.

9, an enlarged side view of the portion where the lower brush 51 contacts the lower surface of the substrate W is shown in a bubble. As shown in the bubble, when the lower brush 51 contacts the substrate W, the liquid nozzle 52 and the gas ejection part 53 are held in a position close to the lower surface of the substrate W. At this time, the liquid nozzle 52 ejects the cleaning liquid toward the lower surface of the substrate W at a position close to the lower brush 51, as shown by the outlined arrow a51. As a result, the cleaning liquid supplied to the lower surface of the substrate W from the liquid nozzle 52 is guided to the contact part between the lower brush 51 and the substrate W, and the contaminants removed from the rear surface of the substrate W by the lower brush 51 are washed away by the cleaning liquid. In this way, in the lower surface cleaning device 50, the liquid nozzle 52 is attached to the lift support part 54 together with the lower brush 51. As a result, the cleaning liquid can be efficiently supplied to the portion of the lower surface of the substrate W cleaned by the lower brush 51. Therefore, the consumption of the cleaning liquid is reduced and excessive scattering of the cleaning liquid is suppressed.

The rotational speed of the lower surface brush 51 when cleaning the underside of the substrate W is maintained at a speed that prevents the cleaning liquid supplied from the liquid nozzle 52 to the underside of the substrate W from splashing to the sides of the lower surface brush 51.

Here, the upper surface 54u of the lifting support 54 is inclined obliquely downward in a direction away from the suction holder 21. In this case, when cleaning liquid containing contaminants falls from the underside of the substrate W onto the lifting support 54, the cleaning liquid received by the upper surface 54u is guided in a direction away from the suction holder 21.

When the lower surface of the substrate W is cleaned by the lower brush 51, the gas ejection unit 53 ejects gas toward the lower surface of the substrate W at a position between the lower brush 51 and the suction holder 21, as shown by the white arrow a52 in the blowout in FIG. 9. In this embodiment, the gas ejection unit 53 is attached to the lift support unit 54 so that the gas ejection port extends in the X direction. In this case, when gas is ejected from the gas ejection unit 53 toward the lower surface of the substrate W, a band-shaped gas curtain extending in the X direction is formed between the lower brush 51 and the suction holder 21. This prevents the cleaning liquid containing contaminants from scattering toward the suction holder 21 when the lower surface of the substrate W is cleaned by the lower brush 51. Therefore, when the lower surface of the substrate W is cleaned by the lower brush 51, the cleaning liquid containing contaminants is prevented from adhering to the suction holder 21, and the suction surface of the suction holder 21 is kept clean.

In the example of FIG. 9, the gas ejection part 53 ejects gas obliquely upward from the gas ejection part 53 toward the lower surface brush 51, as shown by the white arrow a52, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The gas ejection part 53 may eject gas from the gas ejection part 53 toward the lower surface of the substrate W along the Z direction.

Next, when cleaning of the central region of the underside of the substrate W is completed in the state shown in FIG. 9, the rotation of the lower surface brush 51 is stopped and the lifting support part 54 is lowered so that the cleaning surface of the lower surface brush 51 is spaced a predetermined distance from the substrate W. In addition, the ejection of cleaning liquid from the liquid nozzle 52 onto the substrate W is stopped. At this time, the injection of gas from the gas ejection part 53 onto the substrate W continues.

Then, as shown by the thick solid arrow a7 in FIG. 10, the movable base 32 moves backward so that the suction holder 21 is positioned at the planar reference position rp. That is, the movable base 32 moves from the second horizontal position to the first horizontal position. At this time, gas continues to be sprayed from the gas outlet 53 onto the substrate W, so that the central region of the underside of the substrate W is sequentially dried by the gas curtain.

Next, as shown by the thick solid arrow a8 in Fig. 11, the lifting support part 54 descends so that the cleaning surface of the lower surface brush 51 is positioned below the suction surface (upper end) of the suction holding part 21. Also, as shown by the thick solid arrow a9 in Fig. 11, the upper chucks 12A, 12B move away from each other so that the multiple holding pieces of the upper chucks 12A, 12B are separated from the outer peripheral end of the substrate W. At this time, the substrate W is supported by the lower chucks 11A, 11B.

Then, as shown by the thick solid arrow a10 in FIG. 11, the pin connecting member 42 rises so that the upper ends of the multiple support pins 41 are positioned slightly above the lower chucks 11A and 11B. As a result, the substrate W supported by the lower chucks 11A and 11B is received by the multiple support pins 41.

Next, as shown by the thick solid arrow a11 in FIG. 12, the lower chucks 11A and 11B move away from each other. At this time, the lower chucks 11A and 11B move to positions where they do not overlap the substrate W supported by the multiple support pins 41 in a plan view. As a result, both upper holding devices 10A and 10B return to their initial states.

13, the pin connecting member 42 is lowered so that the upper ends of the multiple support pins 41 are positioned below the suction holding unit 21. As a result, the substrate W supported on the multiple support pins 41 is received by the suction holding unit 21. In this state, the suction holding unit 21 suctions and holds the central region of the lower surface of the substrate W. In this way, the center of the substrate W suction-held by the lower holding device 20 overlaps or nearly overlaps with the planar reference position rp in a planar view. The position of the substrate W at this time is the unloading position. Therefore, in this example, the unloading position is below the loading position. Simultaneously with the descent of the pin connecting member 42 or after the descent of the pin connecting member 42 is completed, the processing cup 61 is raised from the lower cup position to the upper cup position as shown by the thick solid arrow a13 in FIG. 13. As a result, the substrate W at the unloading position is positioned below the upper end of the processing cup 61.

Next, as shown by the thick solid arrow a14 in FIG. 14, the suction holder 21 rotates around the vertical axis (the axis of the rotation axis of the suction holder drive unit 22). As a result, the substrate W suction-held by the suction holder 21 rotates in a horizontal position.

Next, the rotary support shaft 71 of the upper surface cleaning device 70 rotates and descends. As a result, as shown by the thick solid arrow a15 in FIG. 14, the spray nozzle 73 moves to a position above the substrate W, and descends so that the distance between the spray nozzle 73 and the substrate W becomes a predetermined distance. In this state, the spray nozzle 73 sprays a mixed fluid of cleaning liquid and gas onto the upper surface of the substrate W. The rotary support shaft 71 also rotates. As a result, as shown by the thick solid arrow a16 in FIG. 14, the spray nozzle 73 moves to a position above the rotating substrate W. The mixed fluid is sprayed onto the entire upper surface of the substrate W, so that the entire upper surface of the substrate W is cleaned.

When the upper surface of the substrate W is cleaned by the spray nozzle 73, the rotary support shaft 81 of the edge cleaning device 80 also rotates and descends. As a result, the bevel brush 83 moves to a position above the outer circumferential edge of the substrate W, as shown by the thick solid arrow a17 in FIG. 14. The central portion of the outer circumferential surface of the bevel brush 83 also descends so as to contact the outer circumferential edge of the substrate W. In this state, the bevel brush 83 rotates (spins) around an axis extending in the vertical direction. As a result, contaminants adhering to the outer circumferential edge of the substrate W are physically peeled off by the bevel brush 83. The contaminants peeled off from the outer circumferential edge of the substrate W are washed away by the cleaning liquid of the mixed fluid sprayed from the spray nozzle 73 onto the substrate W.

When the upper surface of the substrate W is cleaned by the spray nozzle 73, the lifting support 54 is raised so that the cleaning surface of the lower brush 51 comes into contact with the outer region of the lower surface of the substrate W. As shown by the thick solid arrow a18 in FIG. 14, the lower brush 51 rotates (spins) around an axis in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the liquid nozzle 52 ejects cleaning liquid toward the lower surface of the substrate W, and the gas ejection unit 53 ejects gas toward the lower surface of the substrate W. In this state, as shown by the thick solid arrow a19 in FIG. 14, the moving support 55 moves back and forth between the approach position and the separated position on the movable base 32. In this way, the moving support 55 moves the lower brush 51 in the horizontal direction while contacting the lower surface of the substrate W, thereby expanding the range of the lower surface of the substrate W that can be cleaned by the lower brush 51. As a result, the entire outer region of the lower surface of the substrate W that is adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding unit 21 and rotated is cleaned by the lower brush 51.

Next, when cleaning of the upper surface, outer peripheral edge, and lower outer region of the substrate W is completed, the spray nozzle 73 stops spraying the mixed fluid onto the substrate W. Also, as shown by the thick solid arrow a20 in FIG. 15, the spray nozzle 73 moves to a position on one side of the processing cup 61 (initial state position). Also, as shown by the thick solid arrow a21 in FIG. 15, the bevel brush 83 moves to a position on the other side of the processing cup 61 (initial state position). Furthermore, the rotation of the lower brush 51 is stopped, and the lift support part 54 is lowered so that the cleaning surface of the lower brush 51 is separated from the substrate W by a predetermined distance. Also, the discharge of the cleaning liquid from the liquid nozzle 52 onto the substrate W and the spray of gas from the gas blowing part 53 onto the substrate W are stopped. In this state, the suction holding part 21 rotates at high speed, so that the cleaning liquid adhering to the substrate W is shaken off, and the entire substrate W is dried.

16, the processing cup 61 is lowered from the upper cup position to the lower cup position. As a result, the substrate W in the unloading position is positioned above the upper end of the processing cup 61. In addition, in preparation for a new substrate W being loaded into the unit housing 2, the lower chucks 11A and 11B approach each other to positions where they can support the new substrate W, as shown by the thick solid arrow a23 in FIG. 16.

Finally, the substrate W is unloaded from the unit housing 2 of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1. Specifically, the shutter 91 opens the loading/unloading opening 2x just before the substrate W is unloaded. At this point, there is no substrate W at the loading position. Therefore, the hand Ma of the main robot 300 in FIG. 1 enters the unit housing 2 through the loading/unloading opening 2x while holding the next unprocessed substrate W, and delivers the unprocessed substrate W to the loading position. Thereafter, as shown by the thick solid arrow a24 in FIG. 17, the hand Ma receives the processed substrate W at the unloading position and exits the unit housing 2. After the hand Ma exits, the shutter 91 closes the loading/unloading opening 2x.

(5) Substrate Processing Figures 18 and 19 are flow charts showing substrate processing by the control device 170 of Figure 5. The substrate processing of Figures 18 and 19 is performed by the CPU of the control device 170 executing a substrate processing program stored in the storage device on the RAM. The substrate processing will be described below with reference to the flow charts of Figures 18 and 19.

Note that the flowcharts in Figures 18 and 19 mainly describe the operation of hand Ma of the main robot 300, but the operations of hands Mb to Md are similar to the operation of hand Ma. Also, the explanation of the operation of the indexer robot 200 is omitted in the flowcharts in Figures 18 and 19.

First, the main robot 300 removes the unprocessed substrate W from the substrate placement part PASS2 using each of the hands Ma to Md (step S1). Next, the main robot 300 moves the hand Ma into the unit housing 2 of the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1 (step S2).

Then, the main robot 300 uses the hand Ma to deliver the unprocessed substrate W that was unloaded from the substrate placement unit PASS2 in step S1 to the load position (step S3). At this time, there is no substrate W at the unload position. Therefore, the main robot 300 causes the hand Ma to retreat from the unit housing 2 of the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1 (step S4). The main robot 300 also uses the hands Mb to Mc to sequentially perform processes similar to steps S2 to S4 on the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1.

Next, each substrate cleaning apparatus 1 performs the cleaning process shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 17 (step S5). The main robot 300 then removes the unprocessed substrate W from the substrate placement part PASS2 using each of the hands Ma to Md (step S6). Steps S5 and S6 may be performed in parallel.

After the cleaning process is completed, the main robot 300 causes the hand Ma to enter the unit housing 2 of the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1 (step S7). The main robot 300 then transfers the unprocessed substrate W, which was unloaded from the substrate placement part PASS2 in step S6, to the load position by the hand Ma (step S8). At this time, the substrate W that has been subjected to the cleaning process in step S5 or in step S11 described later is present at the unload position.

Then, the main robot 300 receives the processed substrate W from the unloading position using the hand Ma (step S9). The main robot 300 then causes the hand Ma to retreat from the unit housing 2 of the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1 (step S10). The main robot 300 also uses the hands Mb to Mc to sequentially perform the same processes as steps S7 to S10 on the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1.

Next, each substrate cleaning apparatus 1 performs the cleaning process of Figures 6 to 17 (step S11). The main robot 300 also transfers each processed substrate W received from the unloading position in step S9 into the substrate placement part PASS1 using the hands Ma to Md (step S12). Steps S11 and S12 may be performed in parallel.

The controller 170 then determines whether or not to terminate the substrate processing (step S13). The controller 170 may determine to terminate the substrate processing when a termination command is given by the user. Alternatively, the controller 170 may determine to terminate the substrate processing when cleaning processing has been performed on a predetermined number of substrates W. If it is determined to terminate the substrate processing, the controller 170 returns to step S6. In this case, steps S6 to S13 are repeated until it is determined to terminate the substrate processing.

If it is determined that the substrate processing is to be terminated, the main robot 300 causes the hand Ma to enter the unit housing 2 of the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1 (step S14). At this time, the substrate W that has been cleaned in step S11 is present at the unloading position. The main robot 300 then receives the processed substrate W from the unloading position using the hand Ma (step S15). The main robot 300 then causes the hand Ma to exit the unit housing 2 of the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1 (step S16). The main robot 300 also uses the hands Mb to Mc to sequentially perform the same processes as steps S14 to S16 on the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1.

Finally, the main robot 300 transfers each processed substrate W received from the unloading position in step S15 into the substrate placement part PASS1 using the hands Ma to Md (step S17). This completes the substrate processing.

(6) Effects In the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the hands Ma to Md of the main robot 300 enter the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1. The unprocessed substrate W held by each of the hands Ma to Md is delivered to the load position of the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1. After the unprocessed substrate W is delivered to the load position, each of the hands Ma to Md receives the processed substrate W from the unload position of the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1. After the processed substrate W is received from the unload position, each of the hands Ma to Md exits the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1. The unprocessed substrate W is processed by each substrate cleaning apparatus 1.

With this configuration, even if a processed substrate W is present in each substrate cleaning apparatus 1, an unprocessed substrate W can be loaded into the substrate cleaning apparatus 1. Therefore, after the unprocessed substrate W is delivered to the corresponding substrate cleaning apparatus 1 by the hands Ma to Md, the processed substrate W can be received by the same hands Ma to Md. Therefore, there is no need to provide a hand that does not hold a substrate W in order to receive the processed substrate W. Furthermore, the operations of delivering the unprocessed substrate W and receiving the processed substrate W by the multiple hands Ma to Md can be performed continuously for multiple substrate cleaning apparatuses 1. This can further improve throughput.

In each substrate cleaning apparatus 1, the substrate W loaded into the loading position is held by the upper holding devices 10A, 10B, and the central region of the lower surface is cleaned by the lower surface cleaning device 50. Next, the substrate W is transferred to the lower holding device 20 by the transfer device 40. Then, the outer region of the lower surface is cleaned by the lower surface cleaning device 50, while the substrate W is held by the lower holding device 20. This allows the entire lower surface of the substrate W to be efficiently cleaned, while the cleaned substrate W is unloaded from the unloading position. The loading position and unloading position are arranged vertically side by side, and therefore the installation floor area (footprint) of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 can be reduced.

As described above, since one hand is used to transfer and receive substrates to and from one substrate cleaning apparatus 1, if a transport error such as cracking of the substrate W occurs due to a fault in the hand, the hand in question can be easily identified. Furthermore, since throughput is improved, there is no need to increase the transport speed of the main robot 300. This can improve transport stability.

(7) Other embodiments (a) In the above embodiment, the unloading position is provided below the loading position, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The unloading position may be provided above the loading position. For example, the loading position may be provided at the center of the suction holding portion 21 of the lower holding device 20, and the unloading position may be provided between the upper holding devices 10A and 10B.

In this configuration, the substrate W is delivered to the loading position, and while initially held by suction by the lower holding device 20, the central region of its lower surface, its outer peripheral edge and its upper surface are cleaned. The substrate W held by the lower holding device 20 is then received by the upper holding devices 10A, 10B and held at the unloading position. In this state, the central region of the lower surface of the substrate W is cleaned. After cleaning, the substrate W is unloaded from the upper holding devices 10A, 10B to the outside of the unit housing 2.

Alternatively, the loading position and the unloading position do not have to be arranged so as to be aligned vertically. The loading position and the unloading position may be arranged so as to be aligned horizontally, for example.

(b) In the above embodiment, the transfer device 40 is the transfer section, and the substrate W is transferred between the upper holding device 10A, 10B and the lower holding device 20, but the embodiment is not limited to this. If at least one of the upper holding device 10A, 10B and the lower holding device 20 is configured to be able to rise and fall, the transfer device 40 does not need to be provided. In this case, at least one of the upper holding device 10A, 10B and the lower holding device 20 is the transfer section, and the substrate W is transferred between the upper holding device 10A, 10B and the lower holding device 20 by raising and lowering the transfer section.

(c) In the above embodiment, the main robot 300 has four hands Ma to Md, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The main robot 300 may have two, three, or five or more hands. Also, it is preferable that the substrate processing apparatus 100 is provided with a substrate cleaning apparatus 1 corresponding to the hands of the main robot 300. Alternatively, the main robot 300 may have one hand. Even in this case, the throughput per number of hands can be improved.

(d) In the above embodiment, a substrate cleaning apparatus 1 that performs a cleaning process is provided as a processing unit, but the embodiment is not limited to this. A heat treatment apparatus that performs a heat treatment, a developing apparatus that performs a developing process, or a coating apparatus that performs a coating process may be provided as a processing unit. In addition, the heat treatment apparatus may be configured to be capable of performing a heating process and a cooling process as different processes on the substrate. The developing apparatus may be configured to be capable of performing positive development and negative development as different processes on the substrate.

(e) In the above embodiment, different processes are performed on the substrate W held by the upper holding devices 10A, 10B and the substrate W held by the lower holding device 20, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The same process may be performed on the substrate W held by the upper holding devices 10A, 10B and the substrate W held by the lower holding device 20. Alternatively, no process may be performed on the substrate W held by the upper holding devices 10A, 10B or the substrate W held by the lower holding device 20.

(f) In the above embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a control device 170 that controls the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 and the main robot 300, etc., but the embodiment is not limited to this. If the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 and the main robot 300 are configured to be controllable by an information processing device external to the substrate processing apparatus 100, the substrate processing apparatus 100 does not need to include the control device 170.

(8) Correspondence between each component of the claims and each part of the embodiment The following describes examples of the correspondence between each component of the claims and each element of the embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. Various other elements having the configuration or function described in the claims can also be used as each component of the claims.

In the above-described embodiment, the substrate W is an example of a substrate, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 is an example of a processing unit, the hands Ma to Md are an example of a transport/holding section, the main robot 300 is an example of a substrate transport section, and the substrate processing apparatus 100 is an example of a substrate processing apparatus. The upper holding devices 10A and 10B are examples of a first substrate holding section, the lower surface cleaning device 50 is an example of a first and second processing section, the lower holding device 20 is an example of a second substrate holding section, and the delivery device 40 is an example of a delivery section.
(9) Reference form
(9-1) A substrate processing apparatus according to a first reference embodiment has an entrance position where an unprocessed substrate is loaded and an exit position where a processed substrate is loaded, and is equipped with a processing unit that processes the unprocessed substrate, and a substrate transport section having a transport holding section configured to selectively hold the unprocessed and processed substrate, the transport holding section holding the unprocessed substrate while entering the processing unit and transferring the unprocessed substrate to the entrance position, then receiving the processed substrate from the exit position and exiting the processing unit after receiving the processed substrate.
In this substrate processing apparatus, the transport holder of the substrate transport section enters the processing unit. The unprocessed substrate held by the transport holder is delivered to the load position of the processing unit. After the unprocessed substrate has been delivered to the load position, the transport holder receives the processed substrate from the unload position of the processing unit. After the processed substrate has been received from the unload position, the transport holder exits the processing unit. The processing unit processes the unprocessed substrate.
According to this configuration, even if a processed substrate is present in the processing unit, an unprocessed substrate can be carried into the processing unit. Therefore, after the unprocessed substrate is delivered to the processing unit, the processed substrate can be received by the transport holder. Therefore, there is no need to provide a transport holder that does not hold a substrate in order to receive the processed substrate. This makes it possible to improve the throughput per number of transport holders.
(9-2) The loading position and the unloading position may be arranged vertically side by side, which can reduce the installation floor area (footprint) of the processing unit.
(9-3) A plurality of processing units may be provided, and a plurality of transport holders may be provided corresponding to the plurality of processing units, and each of the plurality of substrate transport units may enter the corresponding processing unit to deliver the unprocessed substrate to the carry-in position, receive the processed substrate from the carry-out position, and exit the corresponding processing unit after receiving the processed substrate. In this case, the operations of delivering the unprocessed substrate and receiving the processed substrate can be performed continuously for the plurality of processing units. This can further improve throughput.
(9-4) The processing unit may include a first substrate holding part that holds a substrate carried in to the carry-in position, a first processing part that performs processing on the substrate held by the first substrate holding part, a second substrate holding part that holds a substrate carried in from the unloading position, a transfer part that transfers the substrate processed by the first processing part from the first substrate holding part to the second substrate holding part, and a second processing part that performs processing on the substrate held by the second substrate holding part. In this case, the substrate carried in to the carry-in position and processed by the first and second processing parts can be unloaded from the unloading position as a processed substrate.
(9-5) The first and second processing sections may perform different processes on the substrate. In this case, the different processes can be efficiently performed on the substrate.
(9-6) The first processing unit may perform a cleaning process on a central region of the underside of the substrate, and the second processing unit may perform a cleaning process on an outer region of the underside surrounding the central region of the underside of the substrate. In this case, the entire underside of the substrate can be efficiently cleaned.
(9-7) A substrate processing method according to a second reference embodiment includes the steps of: entering a transport holding part of a substrate transport part into a processing unit; transferring an unprocessed substrate held by the transport holding part to a load position of the processing unit; receiving the processed substrate from an unloading position of the processing unit by the transport holding part after the unprocessed substrate has been transferred to the load position; withdrawing the transport holding part from the processing unit after the processed substrate has been received from the unloading position; and processing the unprocessed substrate by the processing unit.
According to this substrate processing method, even if a processed substrate is present in the processing unit, an unprocessed substrate can be carried into the processing unit. Therefore, after the unprocessed substrate is delivered to the processing unit, the processed substrate can be received by the transport holder. Therefore, there is no need to provide a transport holder that does not hold a substrate in order to receive the processed substrate. This makes it possible to improve the throughput per number of transport holders.

1...substrate cleaning device, 2...unit housing, 2a...bottom surface portion, 2b to 2e...side wall portion, 2x...loading/unloading port, 10A, 10B...upper holding device, 11A, 11B...lower chuck, 12A, 12B...upper chuck, 13A, 13B...lower chuck drive unit, 14A, 14B...upper chuck drive unit, 20...lower holding device, 21...suction holding unit, 22...suction holding drive unit, 30...pedestal device, 31...linear guide, 32...movable pedestal, 33...pedestal drive unit, 40...transfer device, 41...support pin, 42 ...Pin connecting member, 43...Pin lifting drive unit, 50...Undersurface cleaning device, 51...Undersurface brush, 52...Liquid nozzle, 53...Gas ejection unit, 54...Lifting support unit, 54u...Upper surface, 55...Movement support unit, 55a...Undersurface brush rotation drive unit, 55b...Undersurface brush lifting drive unit, 55c...Undersurface brush movement drive unit, 56...Undersurface cleaning liquid supply unit, 57...Ejected gas supply unit, 60...Cup device, 61...Processing cup, 62...Cup drive unit, 70...Upper surface cleaning device, 71, 81...Rotary support shaft, 72, 82... Arm, 73... spray nozzle, 74... upper surface cleaning drive unit, 75... upper surface cleaning fluid supply unit, 80... edge cleaning device, 83... bevel brush, 84... bevel brush drive unit, 90... opening/closing device, 91... shutter, 92... shutter drive unit, 100... substrate processing device, 110... indexer block, 120... processing block, 140... carrier placement table, 150, 163... transport unit, 161, 162... cleaning unit, 170... control device, 171... chuck control unit, 172... suction control unit, 17 3...Pedestal control unit, 174...Delivery control unit, 175...Lower surface cleaning control unit, 176...Cup control unit, 177...Upper surface cleaning control unit, 178...Bevel cleaning control unit, 179...Loading and unloading control unit, 180, 181...Transport control unit, 200...Indexer robot, 210, 310...Hand support member, 220, 320...Transport drive unit, 300...Main robot, C...Carrier, Ia-Id, Ma-Md...Hand, PASS1, PASS2...Substrate placement unit, rp...Plane reference position, W...Substrate

Claims (7)

a processing unit having an input position into which an unprocessed substrate is loaded and an output position into which a processed substrate is unloaded, the processing unit processing the unprocessed substrate;
a substrate transport unit having a transport holder configured to be able to hold both the unprocessed substrate and the processed substrate,
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the transport holding section holds the unprocessed substrate, enters the processing unit, delivers the unprocessed substrate to the loading position, receives the processed substrate from the unloading position, and exits the processing unit after receiving the processed substrate. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the loading position and the unloading position are arranged vertically side by side. A plurality of the processing units are provided,
a plurality of the transfer holders are provided corresponding to the plurality of processing units,
3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of substrate transport parts enters a corresponding processing unit, delivers the unprocessed substrate to the loading position, receives the processed substrate from the unloading position, and exits the corresponding processing unit after receiving the processed substrate. The processing unit includes:
a first substrate holding unit that holds the substrate carried into the carrying-in position;
a first processing unit that performs processing on the substrate held by the first substrate holding unit;
a second substrate holding section that holds the substrate carried in from the unloading position;
a transfer section that transfers the substrate processed by the first processing section from the first substrate holding section to the second substrate holding section;
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second processing section that performs processing on the substrate held by the second substrate holding section. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first processing section and the second processing section perform different processes on the substrate. The first processing unit performs a cleaning process on a central region of a lower surface of a substrate,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the second processing section performs cleaning processing on an outer region of a lower surface surrounding the central region of the lower surface of the substrate. Entering a transport holder of the substrate transport part into a processing unit;
transferring the unprocessed substrate held by the transport holder to a carry-in position of the processing unit;
receiving the processed substrate from an unloading position of the processing unit by the transport holder after the unprocessed substrate is delivered to the loading position;
after the processed substrate is received from the unloading position, moving the transport holder away from the processing unit;
and performing a process on the unprocessed substrate by the processing unit.

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