JP7606380B2 - SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing substrates. Substrates to be processed include, for example, semiconductor wafers, substrates for FPDs (Flat Panel Displays) such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL (Electroluminescence) displays, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, and substrates for solar cells.

In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, a substrate processing apparatus is used to process substrates such as semiconductor wafers. An example of such a substrate processing apparatus is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This substrate processing apparatus includes a carrier holding section that holds a carrier that houses a substrate, a plurality of processing units that process the substrate, a transport unit that transports the substrate between the carrier and the processing units, and a control unit. When a processing unit is not in use for a predetermined period of time, the control unit requests the host device to load a dummy carrier that holds a dummy substrate. When the dummy carrier is loaded into the carrier holding section, the transport unit transports the dummy substrate from the dummy carrier to the processing unit. The processing unit is cleaned using the dummy substrate.

The transport unit includes an indexer robot and a main transport robot, with a transfer unit disposed therebetween. The indexer robot transfers the substrate between the carrier and the transfer unit. The main transport robot transfers the substrate between the transfer unit and the processing unit.
When the dummy carrier is placed on the carrier holding section, the indexer robot removes the dummy substrate from the dummy carrier and transports it to the transfer unit. The dummy substrate is transported from the transfer unit to the processing unit by the main transport robot. When the unit cleaning process using the dummy substrate is completed, the main transport robot removes the dummy substrate from the processing unit and transports it to the transfer unit. The dummy substrate is transported from the transfer unit to the dummy carrier by the indexer robot. When all the dummy substrates are accommodated in the dummy carrier, the dummy carrier is removed from the carrier holding section.

JP 2017-41506 A

In this way, the dummy substrate is introduced from outside the substrate processing apparatus, transported to the processing unit through the same route as the product substrate, and then removed from the processing unit and stored in the dummy carrier. Therefore, both the indexer robot and the main transport robot are used to transport the dummy substrate, and the dummy substrate is transported through the transfer unit. This causes interference with the transport of the product substrates, reducing the efficiency of transporting the product substrates, and as a result, preventing improvements in productivity.

In particular, in a substrate processing apparatus configured to process a large number of product substrates in parallel by increasing the number of processing units, the transport load on the indexer robot and main transport robot is large, and reducing this load is the key to improving productivity.
In addition, the dummy carrier is carried into the carrier holding section, the dummy substrate is carried from there to the processing unit, and the dummy carrier occupies the carrier holding section until the dummy substrate is accommodated in the carrier after the processing in the processing unit is completed. Therefore, since the dummy carrier continues to occupy the carrier holding section, there is a risk that a waiting time will occur before the product substrate can be carried in. Therefore, from this viewpoint as well, the improvement of productivity is hindered.

Therefore, one embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can perform processing using dummy substrates in a processing unit while reducing the impact on the transportation of product substrates.

One embodiment of the present invention includes a carrier holding section that holds a carrier that accommodates a substrate or a dummy substrate, a first processing unit group having a plurality of first processing units that process a substrate and perform processing using the dummy substrate, a second processing unit group having a plurality of second processing units that process a substrate and perform processing using the dummy substrate, a first dummy substrate accommodating section that accommodates a dummy substrate, a second dummy substrate accommodating section that accommodates a dummy substrate, a substrate placement section on which a substrate is placed, a first transport unit that is configured to be accessible to the plurality of first processing units, the substrate placement section, and the first dummy substrate accommodating section, transports a substrate between the plurality of first processing units and the substrate placement section, and transports a dummy substrate between the plurality of first processing units and the first dummy substrate accommodating section, and a second transport unit that is configured to be accessible to the plurality of second processing units, the substrate placement section, and the second dummy substrate accommodating section, transports a substrate between the plurality of second processing units and the first dummy substrate accommodating section, and transports a substrate between the plurality of second processing units and the first dummy substrate accommodating section. the substrate processing apparatus includes: a second transport unit that transports a substrate between the substrate mounting portions and transports a dummy substrate between the plurality of second processing units and the second dummy substrate accommodating portion; a third transport unit that is accessible to a carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the substrate mounting portion and transports a substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the substrate mounting portion; a memory unit that stores data including a first status representing a state of the first processing unit group and a second status representing a state of the second processing unit group; a schedule creation unit that creates a transport schedule for the substrate or dummy substrate by the first transport unit, the second transport unit, and the third transport unit; and a transport control unit that controls transport of the substrate or dummy substrate by the first transport unit, the second transport unit, and the third transport unit in accordance with the transport schedule created by the schedule creation unit. The first status includes a prohibited mode in which neither a process on a substrate nor a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the first processing unit included in the first processing unit group, and a possible mode in which neither a process on a substrate nor a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the first processing unit included in the first processing unit group. The second status includes a prohibited mode in which neither a process on a substrate nor a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group, and a possible mode in which neither a process on a substrate nor a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group. When the first status changes from the possible mode to the prohibited mode, the schedule creation unit discards a transport schedule for a substrate (particularly a substrate before being removed from a carrier) that is planned to be transported by the first transport unit to any of the first processing units of the first processing unit group, and creates a transport schedule that plans to transport the substrate to any of the second processing units of the second processing unit group by the second transport unit. When the second status changes from the possible mode to the prohibited mode, the schedule creation unit discards the transport schedule of the substrate (particularly the substrate before being removed from the carrier) that was planned to be transported by the second transport unit to any of the second processing units of the second processing unit group, and creates a transport schedule that plans to transport the substrate by the first transport unit to any of the first processing units of the first processing unit group.

According to this configuration, a dummy substrate accommodation section is provided within the substrate processing apparatus, so that when a need arises to use a dummy substrate in the processing unit, the dummy substrate can be transported between the dummy substrate accommodation section and the processing unit without the involvement of the third transport unit.
Therefore, the transport load of the third transport unit can be reduced, and processing using dummy substrates can be performed while reducing the impact on the transport of product substrates. In particular, the transport load of the third transport unit, which is involved in the transport of all substrates between the first and second processing unit groups each having a plurality of processing units and the carrier held by the carrier holding part, is very large. Therefore, by reducing the transport load of the third transport unit, the transport efficiency of the product substrates is improved, and the productivity can be improved accordingly. The first and second transport units share the transport of substrates between the first and second processing unit groups and the substrate placement part, and therefore the transport load is smaller than that of the third transport unit. Therefore, the first and second transport units taking charge of the transport of dummy substrates is not a major problem from the viewpoint of production efficiency.

In addition, since the first and second transport units can access the first and second dummy substrate accommodation sections, respectively, the transport of the dummy substrate between the dummy substrate accommodation section and the processing unit can be performed without passing through the substrate placement section. This reduces interference between the transport of the dummy substrate and the transport of the product substrate, improving the efficiency of transporting the product substrate and, accordingly, improving productivity.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first transport unit transports the dummy substrate between the first dummy substrate accommodation section and the first processing unit group, and the second transport unit transports the dummy substrate between the second dummy substrate accommodation section and the second processing unit group. This distributes the transport load of the dummy substrate, suppressing interference between the transport of product substrates and the transport of the dummy substrate, improving the efficiency of substrate transport. This also improves productivity.

Furthermore, unlike the case of Patent Document 1, the carrier holding portion is not occupied for a long period of time by the dummy carrier accommodating the dummy substrate, which can reduce waiting time for carrying in the carrier accommodating the product substrate, thereby contributing to improving productivity.
Moreover, in this embodiment, the first processing unit group and the second processing unit group can be individually set to a prohibited mode and a possible mode, and these modes are stored in the storage unit as a first status corresponding to the first processing unit group and a second status corresponding to the second processing unit group. That is, for the first processing unit group, a first status representing the prohibited mode or the possible mode is stored in the storage unit, and for the second processing unit group, a second status representing the prohibited mode or the possible mode is stored in the storage unit. The prohibited mode is an operating state in which neither a substrate nor a dummy substrate can be processed in the processing unit group. The possible mode is an operating state in which a substrate can be processed in the processing unit group and a process using a dummy substrate can be performed. The first processing unit group and the second processing unit group are therefore individually in a prohibited mode or a possible mode. That is, there may be cases where both the first and second processing unit groups are in a possible mode, where both the first and second processing unit groups are in a prohibited mode, and where one of the first and second processing unit groups is in a possible mode and the other is in a prohibited mode.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the first status, i.e., the operating state of the first processing unit group, transitions from the possible mode to the prohibited mode, the transport schedule of the substrate planned to be processed by the first processing unit group is changed. Specifically, the transport schedule of the substrate planned to be transported to the first processing unit group by the first transport unit is discarded, and a transport schedule for transporting the substrate by the second transport unit to the possible mode second processing unit group is newly created. As a result, the substrate can be transported by the second transport unit to the second processing unit constituting the second processing unit group, and can be processed in the second processing unit. Similarly, when the second status, i.e., the operating state of the second processing unit group, transitions from the possible mode to the prohibited mode, the transport schedule of the substrate planned to be processed by the second processing unit group is changed. Specifically, the transport schedule of the substrate planned to be transported to the second processing unit group by the second transport unit is discarded, and a transport schedule for transporting the substrate by the first transport unit to the possible mode first processing unit group is newly created. As a result, the substrate can be transported by the first transport unit to a processing unit that constitutes the first processing unit group, and can be processed by the first processing unit group.

In this way, even if one of the first and second processing unit groups transitions from the enabled mode to the disabled mode, the other processing unit group in the enabled mode can continue to transport and process substrates, thereby reducing downtime of the entire substrate processing apparatus and improving productivity.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the first transport unit is configured to be unable to access either the second processing unit or the second dummy substrate accommodation unit. Also, in one embodiment of the present invention, the second transport unit is configured to be unable to access either the first processing unit or the first dummy substrate accommodation unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the third transport unit transports a dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding section and the substrate placement section. The first transport unit transports a dummy substrate between the plurality of first processing units, the substrate placement section, and the first dummy substrate accommodation section. The second transport unit transports a dummy substrate between the plurality of second processing units, the substrate placement section, and the second dummy substrate accommodation section. This allows an unused dummy substrate to be introduced into the first dummy substrate accommodation section and the second dummy substrate accommodation section via the substrate placement section, and a used dummy substrate to be discharged from the first dummy substrate accommodation section and the second dummy substrate accommodation section to the carrier.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit stores usage history information of the dummy substrate accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodation unit and usage history information of the dummy substrate accommodated in the second dummy substrate accommodation unit. The substrate processing apparatus further includes a status setting unit that determines whether or not replacement of the dummy substrates accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodation unit and the second dummy substrate accommodation unit is necessary based on the usage history information stored in the storage unit, and sets the first status to a prohibited mode when it is determined that replacement of the dummy substrate accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodation unit is necessary, and sets the second status to a prohibited mode when it is determined that replacement of the dummy substrate accommodated in the second dummy substrate accommodation unit is necessary.

With this configuration, the necessity of replacing the dummy substrate is appropriately determined based on the usage history of the dummy substrate, and the first status and the second status can be appropriately set to the prohibited mode accordingly. That is, when it becomes necessary to replace the dummy substrate, the processing unit cannot perform processing using the dummy substrate, and the status of the processing unit group including the processing unit becomes the prohibited mode. As described above, since the first status and the second status are set individually, even if one of the first status and the second status becomes the prohibited mode, if the other is in the possible mode, the processing of the substrate and the processing using the dummy substrate can be continued in the processing unit group having the possible mode status. On the other hand, the dummy substrate of the dummy substrate accommodation unit corresponding to the processing unit group in the prohibited mode can be replaced. In this way, the processing of the substrate can be continued even when it becomes necessary to replace the dummy substrate, and productivity can be improved.

In one embodiment of the invention, the schedule creation unit creates a transport schedule for transporting a dummy substrate by the first transport unit and the third transport unit between a carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the first dummy substrate accommodation unit when the first processing unit group is in the prohibited mode, and for transporting a dummy substrate by the second transport unit and the third transport unit between a carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the second dummy substrate accommodation unit when the second processing unit group is in the prohibited mode.

According to this configuration, a dummy substrate is loaded into and/or unloaded from a dummy substrate accommodating section corresponding to a processing unit group in the prohibited mode. Therefore, while a processing unit group in the permitted mode transports and processes product substrates, a dummy substrate can be loaded into and unloaded from a dummy substrate accommodating section corresponding to a processing unit group in the prohibited mode. This allows the introduction, removal, or replacement of a dummy substrate to be performed without stopping the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus. This makes it possible to avoid production stoppages due to the introduction, removal, or replacement of a dummy substrate, thereby increasing productivity.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the substrate placement section includes a first substrate placement section accessible to the first transport unit and the third transport unit, and a second substrate placement section accessible to the second transport unit and the third transport unit. The first transport unit transports a substrate between the first processing units and the first substrate placement section, and transports a dummy substrate between the first processing units, the first substrate placement section, and the first dummy substrate accommodation section. The second transport unit transports a substrate between the second processing units and the second substrate placement section, and transports a dummy substrate between the second processing units, the second substrate placement section, and the second dummy substrate accommodation section. The third transport unit transports a substrate and a dummy substrate between a carrier held by the carrier holding section and the first substrate placement section, and transports a substrate and a dummy substrate between a carrier held by the carrier holding section and the second substrate placement section.

According to this configuration, a first substrate placement section corresponding to the first processing unit group and a second substrate placement section corresponding to the second processing unit group are provided. This reduces interference between the transport of the substrate to the first processing unit group and the transport of the dummy substrate to the first dummy substrate accommodation section and the transport of the substrate to the second processing unit group and the transport of the dummy substrate to the second dummy substrate accommodation section. This increases the efficiency of substrate transport, thereby improving productivity.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the third transport unit is configured to be able to access the first dummy substrate accommodation section and the second dummy substrate accommodation section, and the schedule creation section creates a transport schedule for transporting a dummy substrate by the third transport unit between a carrier held by the carrier holding section and the first dummy substrate accommodation section when the first processing unit group is in the prohibited mode, and for transporting a dummy substrate by the third transport unit between a carrier held by the carrier holding section and the second dummy substrate accommodation section when the second processing unit group is in the prohibited mode.

With this configuration, since the third transport unit can access the first dummy substrate accommodation section and the second dummy substrate accommodation section, the dummy substrate can be transported directly between the carrier held in the carrier holding section and the first and second dummy substrate accommodation sections, i.e., without the involvement of the first or second main transport robot. This allows the dummy substrate to be quickly introduced, removed, or replaced, and reduces the transport load on the first and second main transport robots, contributing to improved productivity.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus includes a first processing block layer and a second processing block layer located above the first processing block layer, the first processing unit group being arranged on the first processing block layer, and the second processing unit group being arranged on the second processing block layer.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus includes a first processing block and a second processing block located to the side of the first processing block, the first processing unit group is arranged in the first processing block, and the second processing unit group is arranged in the second processing block.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the first dummy substrate accommodating portion and the second dummy substrate accommodating portion overlap with the substrate placement portion in a plan view.
According to this configuration, the dummy substrate accommodating section can be arranged to overlap the substrate mounting section in a plan view by utilizing the space above or below the substrate mounting section, thereby realizing an arrangement of the dummy substrate accommodating section that does not impede the transport of product substrates and achieves an arrangement with good space utilization efficiency.

The arrangement in which the dummy substrate accommodating portion overlaps the substrate mounting portion in a planar view may specifically be an arrangement in which part or all of the dummy substrate accommodated in the dummy substrate accommodating portion overlaps with the substrate held on the substrate mounting portion.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the first dummy substrate accommodating portion and the second dummy substrate accommodating portion are arranged above and below the substrate placement portion.

One embodiment of the present invention includes a process for transporting a substrate by a first transport unit between a plurality of first processing units belonging to a first processing unit group and a substrate placement section in accordance with a transport schedule, a process for processing the substrate transported by the first transport unit in the first processing unit, a process for transporting a dummy substrate by the first transport unit between the plurality of first processing units and a first dummy substrate accommodation section in accordance with the transport schedule, a process for performing dummy processing in the first processing unit using the dummy substrate transported by the first transport unit, a process for transporting a substrate by the second transport unit between a plurality of second processing units belonging to a second processing unit group and the substrate placement section in accordance with the transport schedule, and a step of processing a substrate transported by the second transport unit in the second processing unit; a step of transporting a dummy substrate by the second transport unit between the plurality of second processing units and a second dummy substrate accommodation unit in accordance with the transport schedule; a step of performing a dummy process using the dummy substrate transported by the second transport unit in the second processing unit; a step of transporting a substrate by a third transport unit between a carrier held by a carrier holding unit and the substrate placement unit in accordance with the transport schedule; a prohibition mode for the first processing unit group in which neither a process on a substrate nor a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the first processing units included in the first processing unit group; setting a first status including a possible mode in which a treatment on a substrate and a treatment using a dummy substrate can be performed in the first processing unit included in the first processing unit group; setting a second status for the second processing unit group including a prohibited mode in which neither a treatment on a substrate nor a treatment using a dummy substrate can be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group, and a possible mode in which a treatment on a substrate and a treatment using a dummy substrate can be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group; The present invention provides a substrate processing method including a step of discarding a transport schedule for a substrate (particularly a substrate before being removed from a carrier) planned to be transported to one of the second processing units of the second processing unit group by the second transport unit, and creating the transport schedule so that the substrate is transported to one of the second processing units of the second processing unit group by the second transport unit when the second status changes from a possible mode to a prohibited mode, and a step of discarding a transport schedule for a substrate (particularly a substrate before being removed from a carrier) planned to be transported to one of the second processing units of the second processing unit group by the second transport unit, and creating the transport schedule so that the substrate is transported to one of the first processing units of the first processing unit group by the first transport unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of setting the first status determines whether or not the dummy substrate accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodating section needs to be replaced based on usage history information of the dummy substrate accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodating section, and sets the first status to a prohibited mode when it is determined that the dummy substrate accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodating section needs to be replaced. The step of setting the second status determines whether or not the dummy substrate accommodated in the second dummy substrate accommodating section needs to be replaced based on usage history information of the dummy substrate accommodated in the second dummy substrate accommodating section, and sets the second status to a prohibited mode when it is determined that the dummy substrate accommodated in the second dummy substrate accommodating section needs to be replaced.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the internal configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic elevational view showing the internal structure of the processing block as viewed from the direction IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the substrate placement unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a dummy substrate accommodating section. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration example of the processing unit. FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration relating to control of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the controller related to the dummy process. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of an operation regarding the transition of the first status of the first processing block layer and the second status of the second processing block layer, and the change of the transfer schedule based thereon. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an example of an operation relating to the loading of an unused dummy substrate into a dummy substrate accommodation section and the unloading of a used dummy substrate. FIG. 12A is a time chart showing an example of a substrate transport operation when both the first status and the second status are in the possible mode. FIG. 12B is a time chart showing an example of the substrate transport operation when the second status transitions from the enabled mode to the disabled mode. FIG. 13 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing an internal configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing an internal configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view showing an internal configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the internal configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view taken along line II-II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic horizontal sectional view taken along line III-III in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a schematic elevational view showing a part of the internal configuration as viewed from direction IV in Fig. 1.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an indexer block 2 and a processing block 3 adjacent to the indexer block 2 in the lateral direction (first horizontal direction X).
The indexer block 2 includes a plurality of (four in this embodiment) carrier holding parts 25 (load ports) and an indexer robot 26. In the following description, for convenience, the side of the carrier holding parts 25 with respect to the first horizontal direction X may be defined as the front, and the opposite side may be defined as the rear.

The multiple carrier holding parts 25 are arranged along a second horizontal direction Y perpendicular to the first horizontal direction X. Each carrier holding part 25 is configured to receive and hold a carrier C that is automatically transported by a carrier transport mechanism 300 provided in the factory. Each carrier holding part 25 is configured to hold one carrier C. The carrier C is a substrate container that contains a substrate W (product substrate) to be processed. An example of the carrier C is a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod). The carrier C is configured to hold multiple substrates W (e.g., 25 substrates) in a stacked state. More specifically, when the carrier C is held by the carrier holding part 25, the carrier C is configured to hold multiple substrates W in a stacked state along the vertical direction Z in a horizontal position. The carrier holding part 25 is an example of a container holding part that holds the carrier C, which is a substrate container. The substrate W is, for example, a semiconductor wafer.

The indexer robot 26 is an example of a third transport unit. The indexer robot 26 is configured to access the carriers C held by the multiple carrier holders 25, load/unload the substrate W, and transport the substrate W between the carrier holders 25 and the processing block 3. In this embodiment, the indexer robot 26 is a multi-joint arm robot equipped with a multi-joint arm 27. Specifically, the indexer robot 26 includes a multi-joint arm 27 to which multiple arms 28 are connected, one or more hands 29 connected to the tip of the multi-joint arm 27, and a base unit 30 that supports the multi-joint arm 27 and moves up and down. The multiple arms 28 and hands 29 that constitute the multi-joint arm 27 can swing around a vertical swing axis set at each base end, and although not shown, each arm 28 and hand 29 is provided with an individual actuator (typically an electric motor) for swinging it.

The processing block 3 includes a plurality of processing block layers BL, BU stacked in the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, the processing block 3 includes a first (lower) processing block layer (hereinafter referred to as the "first processing block layer BL") and a second (upper) processing block layer (hereinafter referred to as the "second processing block layer BU") stacked above it. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the components of the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU, the components of the first processing block layer BL are designated by reference signs having the letter "L" at the end, and the components of the second processing block layer BU are designated by reference signs having the letter "U" at the end. The same applies to the reference signs in the attached drawings.

The first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU have substantially the same internal configuration in plan view. Therefore, it should be noted that the configuration (arrangement in plan view) of the first processing block layer BL is represented by replacing the last letter "U" of the reference numerals in FIG. 1 with the letter "L."
The first processing block layer BL includes a plurality of (12 in this embodiment) processing units 11L-13L, 21L-23L, 31L-33L, 41L-43L (hereinafter, the processing units of the first processing block layer BL will be collectively referred to as "processing units 11L-43L"), which constitute a first processing unit group. The first processing block layer BL further includes a substrate placement part 6L, a dummy substrate accommodation part 7L, and a main transport robot 8L. The processing units 11L-43L process substrates W. In this embodiment, each of the processing units 11L-43L is a single-wafer processing unit that processes substrates W one by one. The substrate placement part 6L is a unit for temporarily holding a substrate W to be transferred between the indexer robot 26 and the first processing block layer BL. The dummy substrate accommodation part 7L is a unit for holding, inside the substrate processing apparatus 1, a dummy substrate DW that can be used in the processing units 11L-43L, and provides a waiting place for the dummy substrate DW. The main transport robot 8L is configured to be able to access the substrate placement part 6L, the processing units 11L-43L, and the dummy substrate accommodation part 7L. The main transport robot 8L is an example of a first transport unit that transports substrates W between the substrate placement part 6L and the processing units 11L-43L, and transports dummy substrates DW between the dummy substrate accommodation part 7L and the processing units 11L-43L.

The dummy substrate DW is a substrate having the same shape (e.g., circular) and size as the substrate W. Unlike the product substrate W supplied from the carrier C, the dummy substrate DW is not used in the manufacture of actual products. The dummy substrate DW is introduced into the processing unit 11L-43L for use in performing pre-processing (preparation processing) to prepare the environment inside the processing unit 11L-43L, unit cleaning processing to clean the inside of the processing unit 11L-43L, and the like. Processing using the dummy substrate DW in this manner is referred to as "dummy processing" below. The above-mentioned pre-processing and unit cleaning processing are maintenance processing for maintaining the processing unit 11L-43L, and the dummy processing includes such maintenance processing.

The processing units 11L-43L are arranged on both sides of the transport space 52L, which provides a transport path 51L along which the substrate W is transported by the main transport robot 8L, and face the transport space 52L. In a plan view, the transport space 52L has a constant width in the second horizontal direction Y, and extends linearly in a direction away from the indexer block 2 along the first horizontal direction X. The transport space 52L has a height in the vertical direction Z that is approximately equal to the height of the first processing block layer BL. In a plan view, on one side of the transport space 52L, a first liquid supply unit 91, a first processing unit stack S1L, a first exhaust unit 101, a second liquid supply unit 92, a second processing unit stack S2L, and a second exhaust unit 102 are arranged along the transport path 51L in order from the side closest to the indexer block 2. On the other side of the transfer space 52L, in order from the side closest to the indexer block 2, a third exhaust section 103, a third processing unit stack S3L, a third liquid supply section 93, a fourth exhaust section 104, a fourth processing unit stack S4L, and a fourth liquid supply section 94 are arranged along the transfer path 51L. These are arranged to define the transfer space 52L, which has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The first to fourth processing unit stacks S1L-S4L each include multiple stages (three stages in this embodiment) of processing units 11L-13L, 21L-23L, 31L-33L, and 41L-43L stacked in the vertical direction Z. The third processing unit stack S3L faces the first processing unit stack S1L across the transport space 52L. The fourth processing unit stack S4L faces the second processing unit stack S2L across the transport space 52L. Therefore, the multiple processing units 31L-33L constituting the third processing unit stack S3L face the multiple stages of processing units 11L-13L constituting the first processing unit stack S1L across the transport space 52L. Similarly, the multiple stages of processing units 41L-43L constituting the fourth processing unit stack S4L face the multiple stages of processing units 21L-23L constituting the second processing unit stack S2L across the transport space 52L. In this embodiment, the first processing block layer BL includes 12 processing units 11L-13L, 21L-23L, 31L-33L, 41L-43L, which are arranged in groups of three in four processing unit stacks S1L-S4L.

The transfer space 52L is partitioned from above by a middle partition 16 arranged at a position aligned with the upper surface of the uppermost processing unit 13L, 23L, 33L, 43L of each processing unit stack S1L-S4L, and is partitioned from below by a lower partition 15 arranged at a position aligned with the lower surface of the lowermost processing unit 11L, 21, 31L, 41L. All processing units 11L-43L have a substrate loading/unloading opening 37 that opens into the transfer space 52L. The main transport robot 8L transports the substrate W and dummy substrate DW through the transfer space 52L, and loads/unloads the substrate W and dummy substrate DW to/from each processing unit 11L-43L via the substrate loading/unloading opening 37.

The substrate placement unit 6L is disposed between the indexer robot 26 and the main transport robot 8L. More specifically, the substrate placement unit 6L is disposed at the end of the transport space 52L on the indexer robot 26 side in a plan view. In this embodiment, the substrate placement unit 6L is located between the first liquid supply unit 91 and the third exhaust unit 103. The substrate placement unit 6L is disposed at a height between the middle partition 16 and the lower partition 15 in the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, the substrate placement unit 6L is disposed near the middle height of the height range from the middle partition 16 to the upper partition 17. The vertical position of the substrate placement unit 6L needs to be within a height range accessible by the indexer robot 26 and within a height range accessible by the main transport robot 8L.

The substrate placement portion 6L includes an unprocessed substrate placement portion 61 on which an unprocessed substrate W is placed, and a processed substrate placement portion 62 on which a processed substrate W is placed. The unprocessed substrate placement portion 61 and the processed substrate placement portion 62 are stacked in the vertical direction Z. It is preferable that the unprocessed substrate placement portion 61 is disposed above the processed substrate placement portion 62.
5, the unprocessed substrate placement part 61 and the processed substrate placement part 62 include boxes 63, 64 that are open to both the indexer robot 26 side and the main transport robot 8L side along the first horizontal direction X, and substrate holding shelves 65, 66 arranged inside the boxes 63, 64. The substrate holding shelves 65, 66 have a plurality of (e.g., 10) substrate support members 67, 68 arranged in the vertical direction Z. Each substrate support member 67, 68 is configured to support the peripheral portion of the lower surface of one substrate W from below and hold the substrate W in a horizontal position. Thereby, the unprocessed substrate placement part 61 and the processed substrate placement part 62 can hold a plurality of (e.g., 10) substrates W stacked on the substrate holding shelves 65, 66 in a horizontal position with a gap therebetween in the vertical direction Z.

As shown in FIG. 2, a window 4L corresponding to the substrate placement unit 6L is formed penetrating the rear partition 2a of the indexer block 2 and the front partition 3a of the processing block 3, i.e., their adjacent partitions. The indexer robot 26 can access the substrate placement unit 6L through this window 4L to load/unload a substrate W onto/from the substrate placement unit 6L.

The dummy substrate accommodation section 7L is provided at a different height than the substrate placement section 6L, and in this embodiment, is disposed below the substrate placement section 6L within the transport space 52L. The dummy substrate accommodation section 7L is provided so as to overlap the substrate placement section 6L in a planar view. More specifically, when a substrate W is held on the substrate placement section 6L and a dummy substrate DW is held on the dummy substrate accommodation section 7L, the dummy substrate accommodation section 7L is disposed so that the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW overlap in a planar view. The overlap between the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW in a planar view may be a partial overlap or a total overlap, i.e., the dummy substrate DW may overlap almost the entire substrate W.

The dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L is disposed between the lower partition 15 and the middle partition 16, and is disposed within a height range accessible to the main transport robot 8L. In front of the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L, i.e., on the indexer block 2 side, the rear partition 2a of the indexer block 2 and the front partition 3a of the processing block 3, i.e., their adjacent partitions, are located. These partitions do not have windows corresponding to the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L. Therefore, in this embodiment, the indexer robot 26 cannot access the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L.

As shown in an enlarged configuration example in FIG. 6, the dummy substrate accommodating section 7L is provided with a dummy substrate holding shelf 71. The configuration of the dummy substrate holding shelf 71 may be substantially similar to the configuration of the substrate holding shelves 65, 66 of the substrate placement section 6L. However, the number of dummy substrates DW that the dummy substrate holding shelf 71 can hold does not have to be equal to the number of substrates that the substrate holding shelves 65, 66 can hold. Specifically, the dummy substrate holding shelf 71 has a plurality of (for example, 12) dummy substrate support members 72 arranged in the vertical direction. Each dummy substrate support member 72 is configured to support the lower peripheral portion of one dummy substrate DW from below and hold the dummy substrate DW in a horizontal position. The dummy substrate accommodating section 7L can hold a plurality of (for example, 12) dummy substrates DW stacked on the dummy substrate holding shelf 71 in a horizontal position with a gap between them in the vertical direction Z. That is, the dummy substrate accommodating section 7L has multiple stages (in this embodiment, the same number as the number of processing units provided in the first processing block layer BL) of slots (hereinafter referred to as "dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12") stacked vertically so as to accommodate one dummy substrate DW in each stage in a horizontal position. A dummy substrate sensor (not shown) may be provided for detecting the presence or absence of a dummy substrate DW in each of the dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12. In this embodiment, unlike the substrate placement section 6L, the dummy substrate accommodating section 7L does not have a box surrounding the accommodated dummy substrate DW. Of course, there is no problem if such a box is provided.

2, the main transport robot 8L is disposed in the transport space 52L. The main transport robot 8L includes a hand 81 that holds one substrate in a horizontal position, and a hand drive mechanism 82 that drives the hand 81. A plurality of hands 81 (for example, two) may be provided. The hand drive mechanism 82 can move the hand 81 in the horizontal directions X and Y and the vertical direction Z, and can rotate the hand 81 around a vertical axis of rotation. The hand drive mechanism 82 includes two columns 83, a vertical movement unit 84, a horizontal movement unit 85, a rotation unit 86, and an advance/retract unit 87. The hand 81 is connected to the advance/retract unit 87. When a plurality of hands 81 are provided, it is preferable to provide a plurality of advance/retract units 87 corresponding to the hands 81.

The two pillars 83 are spaced apart along the first horizontal direction X and fixed to the side walls of the transport space 52L. The two pillars 83 extend along the vertical direction Z and function as rails to guide the vertical movement of the vertical moving part 84. The vertical moving part 84 extends in the first horizontal direction X across the two pillars 83 and has the form of a rail with both ends connected to the two pillars 83. The vertical moving part 84 is configured to move up and down relative to the pillars 83 while being guided by the two pillars 83. The horizontal moving part 85 is supported on the vertical moving part 84 and is configured to move in the first horizontal direction X relative to the vertical moving part 84 while being guided by the vertical moving part 84. The rotating part 86 is supported on the horizontal moving part 85. The rotating part 86 is configured to rotate around a vertical rotation axis on the horizontal moving part 85. The forward and backward part 87 is connected to the rotating part 86. The advance/retract part 87 advances and retreats horizontally relative to the axis of rotation, thereby moving the hand 81 forward and backward horizontally.

With this configuration, the main transport robot 8L can transfer the substrate W between the substrate placement unit 6L and the hand 81 by accessing the substrate placement unit 6L. The main transport robot 8L can also transfer the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW between any processing unit 11L-43L in the first processing block layer BL and the hand 81. The main transport robot 8L can also transfer the dummy substrate DW between the dummy substrate placement unit 7L and the hand 81 by accessing the dummy substrate placement unit 7L and the hand 81. The main transport robot 8L can then transfer the substrate W or DW held by the hand 81 between the substrate placement unit 6L, the processing unit 11L-43L, and the dummy substrate placement unit 7L within the first processing block layer BL.

The configuration of the second processing block layer BU is almost the same as that of the first processing block layer BL, so that the following mainly describes the different configurations, while omitting redundant explanations as much as possible. The configurations of the elements having the same names as those in the first processing block layer BL are substantially the same.
The second processing block layer BU includes a plurality of (12 in this embodiment) processing units 11U-13U, 21U-23U, 31U-33U, 41U-43U (hereinafter, the processing units of the second processing block layer BU are collectively referred to as "processing units 11U-43U"), which constitute a second processing unit group. The second processing block layer BU further includes a substrate placement unit 6U, a dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U, and a main transport robot 8U. The first to fourth liquid supply units 91-94 and the first to fourth exhaust units 101-104 are arranged to extend in the vertical direction Z across the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU.

The arrangement of the multiple processing units 11U-43U in the second processing block layer BU is substantially the same as the arrangement of the multiple processing units 11L-43L in the first processing block layer BL. The second processing block layer BU includes first to fourth processing unit stacks S1U-S4U, each of which includes multiple stages (three stages in this embodiment) of processing units 11U-13U, 21U-23U, 31U-33U, 41U-43U stacked in the vertical direction Z.

In a plan view, the first to fourth processing unit stacks S1U-S4U of the second processing block layer BU are arranged so as to overlap the first to fourth processing unit stacks S1L-S4L of the first processing block layer BL, respectively. The first processing unit stacks S1L, S1U of the first and second processing block layers BL, BU are stacked in the vertical direction Z to form a first tower T1 in which multiple stages (six stages in this embodiment) of processing units 11L, 12L, 13L, 11U, 12U, 13U are stacked. Similarly, the second processing unit stacks S2L, S2U of the first and second processing block layers BL, BU are stacked in the vertical direction Z to form a second tower T2 in which multiple stages (six stages in this embodiment) of processing units 21L, 22L, 23L, 21U, 22U, 23U are stacked. Further, the third processing unit stacks S3L, S3U of the first and second processing block layers BL, BU are stacked in the vertical direction Z to form a third tower T3 in which multiple stages (six stages in this embodiment) of processing units 31L, 32L, 33L, 31U, 32U, 33U are stacked. Similarly, the fourth processing unit stacks S4L, S4U of the first and second processing block layers BL, BU are stacked in the vertical direction Z to form a fourth tower T4 in which multiple stages (six stages in this embodiment) of processing units 41L, 42L, 43L, 41U, 42U, 43U are stacked.

The transport space 52U, which is partitioned within the second processing block layer BU and provides the transport path 51U, overlaps with the transport space 52L of the first processing block layer BL. The transport space 52U in the second processing block layer BU is partitioned from below by a middle partition wall 16, and from above by an upper partition wall 17. The upper partition wall 17 is positioned at a height that matches the top surfaces of the uppermost processing units 13U, 23U, 33U, 43U of the first to fourth towers T1-T4.

The arrangement of the substrate placement unit 6U in plan view is the same as that of the first processing block layer BL. That is, the substrate placement unit 6U is arranged between the indexer robot 26 and the main transport robot 8U, and is arranged at the end of the transport space 52U on the indexer robot 26 side. The substrate placement unit 6U of the second processing block layer BU is arranged so as to overlap with the substrate placement unit 6L of the first processing block layer BL in plan view. The substrate placement unit 6U is arranged at a height between the middle partition wall 16 and the upper partition wall 17 in the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, the substrate placement unit 6U is arranged below the intermediate height of the height range from the middle partition wall 16 to the upper partition wall 17. More specifically, the substrate placement unit 6U is arranged at the highest position within the height range accessible by the indexer robot 26. The vertical position of the substrate placement unit 6U must be within a height range accessible by the indexer robot 26 and within a height range accessible by the main transport robot 8U. As with the first processing block layer BL, the substrate placement unit 6U includes an unprocessed substrate placement unit 61 on which an unprocessed substrate W is placed, and a processed substrate placement unit 62 on which a processed substrate W is placed. The configurations of the unprocessed substrate placement unit 61 and the processed substrate placement unit 62 are the same as those of the substrate placement unit 6L of the first processing block layer BL (see FIG. 5).

A window 4U corresponding to the substrate platform 6U is formed through the rear partition 2a of the indexer block 2 and the front partition 3a of the processing block 3, i.e., through their adjacent partitions. The indexer robot 26 can access the substrate platform 6U through this window 4U to load/unload the substrate W onto/from the substrate platform 6U.
The dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U is provided at a different height from the substrate placement unit 6U, and in this embodiment, is disposed above the substrate placement unit 6U in the transport space 52U. The dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U is provided so as to overlap the substrate placement unit 6U in a plan view. More specifically, when the substrate W is held on the substrate placement unit 6U and the dummy substrate DW is held on the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U, the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U is disposed so that the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW overlap in a plan view. The overlap between the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW in a plan view may be a partial overlap, or a total overlap, that is, the dummy substrate DW may overlap almost the entire substrate W. The dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U is disposed at a height between the upper partition wall 17 and the middle partition wall 16, and is disposed within a height range accessible by the main transport robot 8U. In front of the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U, i.e., on the indexer block 2 side, there are disposed the rear partition 2a of the indexer block 2 and the front partition 3a of the processing block 3, i.e., the partitions adjacent to them. These partitions 2a, 3a are not provided with a window corresponding to the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U. Therefore, the indexer robot 26 cannot access the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U.

The configuration of the dummy substrate accommodating section 7U may be substantially the same as the configuration of the dummy substrate accommodating section 7L of the first processing block layer BL (see FIG. 6). The dummy substrate accommodating section 7U has multiple stages (in this embodiment, the same number as the number of processing units provided in the second processing block layer BU) of slots (hereinafter referred to as "dummy substrate slots DU1-DU12") stacked vertically so as to accommodate one dummy substrate DW in each stage in a horizontal position. A dummy substrate sensor may be provided to detect the presence or absence of a dummy substrate DW in each of the dummy substrate slots DU1-DU12.

The main transport robot 8U is disposed within the transport space 52U. The main transport robot 8U includes a hand 81 that holds one substrate in a horizontal position, and a hand drive mechanism 82 that drives the hand 81. The hand drive mechanism 82 includes two support columns 83, a vertical movement section 84, a horizontal movement section 85, a rotation section 86, and an advance/retract section 87. These components are similar to those of the main transport robot 8L of the first processing block layer BL. The main transport robot 8U is configured to be accessible to the substrate placement section 6U, the processing unit 11U-43U, and the dummy substrate accommodation section 7U. The main transport robot 8U is an example of a second transport unit that transports substrates W between the substrate placement section 6U and the processing unit 11U-43U, and transports dummy substrates DW between the dummy substrate accommodation section 7U and the processing unit 11U-43U.

The first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU are separated by an intermediate partition 16, and it is not possible to transport a product substrate W or a dummy substrate DW beyond this intermediate partition 16. In other words, the main transport robot 8L of the first processing block layer BL is configured to be unable to access any of the processing units 11U-43U, the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U, and the substrate placement unit 6U of the second processing block layer BU. Similarly, the main transport robot 8U of the second processing block layer BU is configured to be unable to access any of the processing units 11L-43L, the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L, and the substrate placement unit 6L of the first processing block layer BL.

The liquid supply units 91-94 define liquid piping spaces that accommodate piping for supplying processing liquids used in the processing units 11L-43L; 11U-43U. The liquid piping spaces defined by each liquid supply unit 91-94 penetrate the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU in the vertical direction Z. Each liquid supply unit 91-94 accommodates piping 56 that supplies processing liquids to the six processing units 11L, 12L, 13L, 11U, 12U, 13U; 21L, 22L, 23L, 21U, 22U, 23U; 31L, 32L, 33L, 31U, 32U, 33U; 41L, 42L, 43L, 41U, 42U, 43U that are stacked in six stages in the vertical direction Z at the same position in a plan view to form the towers T1-T4. The liquid supply units 91-94 may also house processing liquid-related equipment such as valves installed in the piping, flow meters, tanks for temporarily storing the processing liquid, and pumps for delivering the liquid.

The exhaust section 101-104 defines an exhaust piping space that accommodates piping for exhausting the atmosphere inside the processing unit. The exhaust piping space defined by each exhaust section 101-104 penetrates the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU in the vertical direction Z. Each exhaust section 101-104 accommodates exhaust piping 76 for directing exhaust from six processing units 11L, 12L, 13L, 11U, 12U, 13U; 21L, 22L, 23L, 21U, 22U, 23U; 31L, 32L, 33L, 31U, 32U, 33U; 41L, 42L, 43L, 41U, 42U, 43, which are stacked in six stages in the vertical direction Z at the same position in a plan view to form towers T1-T4, to an exhaust facility outside the substrate processing apparatus 1. The exhaust units 101-104 may further house a switching mechanism 77 that switches the exhaust pipe 76 depending on the type of processing (more specifically, the type of processing liquid) in the processing unit. Although not shown in the figure, the exhaust unit 101 includes actuators that drive the switching mechanism 77.

The carrier transport mechanism 300 (see FIG. 1) operates to transport a carrier C housing an unprocessed product substrate W into the carrier holding section 25 and to transport a carrier C housing a processed product substrate W out of the carrier holding section 25. The carrier transport mechanism 300 also operates to transport a supply dummy carrier DC housing an unused dummy substrate DW into the carrier holding section 25 and, after the unused dummy substrate DW is removed from the supply dummy carrier DC, to transport the dummy carrier DC out of the carrier holding section 25. The carrier transport mechanism 300 also operates to transport a recovery dummy carrier DC for recovering a used dummy substrate DW into the carrier holding section 25 and, after the used dummy substrate DW is accommodated in the recovery dummy carrier DC, to transport the recovery dummy carrier DC out of the carrier holding section 25. The dummy carrier DC may have a configuration substantially similar to that of the carrier C for the product substrate W.

The carrier transport mechanism 300 typically includes an overhead hoist transport (OHT). The carrier transport mechanism 300 transports the carrier C between the carrier storage area 350 and the carrier holding unit 25 (load port). The carrier transport mechanism 300 also transports the dummy carrier DC between the dummy carrier storage area 351 and the carrier holding unit 25.

The carrier transport mechanism 300 is controlled by the host computer 150 and transports the carriers C and the dummy carriers DC. The host computer 150 is communicatively connected to the controller 110 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 via a communication line 170.
The controller 110 controls the indexer robot 26 and the main transport robots 8L, 8U to transport the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW. The controller 110 also controls each part of the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U to perform substrate processing in the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U and dummy processing using the dummy substrate DW.

Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining an example configuration of processing units 11L-43L; 11U-43U (hereinafter collectively referred to as "processing units 11L-43U"). Processing unit 11L-43U includes a unit partition 36 forming a processing chamber 35 (chamber), a processing cup 39 disposed within the unit partition 36, a spin chuck 40 disposed within the processing cup 39, and a nozzle 55 for supplying processing liquid to the substrate W, DW held by the spin chuck 40.

The unit partition 36 includes, for example, a side wall 36a that is substantially rectangular in plan view, a top wall 36b that defines the upper part, and a bottom wall 36c that defines the lower part. One surface of the side wall 36a faces the transport space 52U, extends along the first horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Z, and has a substrate loading/unloading opening 37 for loading/unloading the substrates W and DW. The substrate loading/unloading opening 37 may have a slot shape extending in the first horizontal direction X. A shutter 38 is provided for opening and closing the substrate loading/unloading opening 37. The substrates W and DW are loaded through the substrate loading/unloading opening 37 formed in the unit partition 36 and handed over to the spin chuck 40.

The spin chuck 40 includes a spin base 45 that holds one substrate W, DW in a horizontal position, and a spin motor 46 that rotates the spin base 45 around a vertical axis of rotation. The spin chuck 40 may be of a vacuum type that holds the lower surface of the substrate W, DW by suction to the upper surface of the spin base 45. The spin base 45 may also be of a mechanical type chuck that has a circular planar shape corresponding to the substrate W, DW and has three or more holding pins spaced apart circumferentially on its periphery, and that grips the substrate W, DW with the holding pins.

The processing unit 11L-43U includes one or more nozzles 55 that supply processing liquid to the substrate W, DW held by the spin chuck 40. In this embodiment, a plurality of nozzles 55 is provided. The plurality of nozzles 55 may include a plurality of chemical liquid nozzles used to eject a plurality of types of chemical liquid, respectively.
A processing liquid is supplied from a nozzle 55 to the surface of the substrate W, DW held and rotated by the spin chuck 40. The nozzle 55 is coupled to a processing liquid pipe 56 arranged through the liquid supply units 91-94. The processing liquid pipe 56 is routed through the liquid supply units 91-94 and connected to the processing liquid supply source 54. A valve 59 for opening and closing the flow path is interposed in the processing liquid pipe 56. A pump 60 for sending the processing liquid toward the nozzle 55 is also interposed in the processing liquid pipe 56. The valve 59 and the pump 60 are arranged in the liquid supply units 91-94. The processing liquid supply source 54 supplies a chemical liquid such as an etching liquid and a rinsing liquid such as pure water (deionized water). A plurality of processing liquid pipes 56 and a corresponding plurality of nozzles 55 may be provided depending on the type of processing liquid. A part or all of the plurality of nozzles 55 may have the form of a moving nozzle that moves above the substrate W, DW and along the upper surface of the substrate W, DW. The movable nozzle may have a structure in which a base end of a horizontal nozzle arm 57 is supported by a swing shaft 58 disposed to the side of the spin chuck 40 and the swing shaft 58 is rotated about a vertical axis (see FIG. 1). Some or all of the multiple nozzles 55 may be fixed nozzles whose relative positions with respect to the spin chuck 40 are invariable.

The atmosphere inside the unit partition 36 is exhausted through an exhaust connection pipe 75 that penetrates the unit partition 36. The exhaust connection pipe 75 is connected to exhaust piping 76 arranged in the exhaust section 101-104. The exhaust connection pipe 75 may be connected to multiple exhaust piping 76 via a switching mechanism 77. The switching mechanism 77 operates, for example, to guide the exhaust from the exhaust connection pipe 75 to an exhaust piping 76 that is pre-associated with the type of processing liquid (e.g., type of chemical liquid) discharged from the multiple nozzles 55.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration related to the control of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a controller 110. The controller 110 may be a computer including a processor 111 (CPU) and a memory 112 (storage unit). The processor 111 executes a program 120 stored in the memory 112. As a result, the controller 110 has a function as a schedule creation unit that creates a transport schedule for a substrate transport operation in which the indexer robot 26 and the main transport robots 8L and 8U transport the substrates W and DW, and a function as a transport control unit that controls the transport of the substrates W and DW based on the created transport schedule. Furthermore, the controller 110 has a function as a substrate processing control unit that realizes a substrate processing operation in which the substrate W is processed by the processing unit 11L-43U. The controller 110 further has a function as a dummy processing control unit that realizes a dummy processing operation in which a dummy processing is performed using a dummy substrate DW in the processing unit 11L-43U. To perform these substrate transport operations, substrate processing operations, and dummy processing operations, the controller 110 controls various control objects provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The control objects include the drive units provided in the indexer robot 26, the main transport robots 8L and 8U, the processing units 11L-43U, etc. Furthermore, the control objects of the controller 110 include the valves 59 and pumps 60 arranged in the liquid supply units 91-94, and the actuators arranged in the exhaust units 101-104.

Various data 130 are stored in the memory 112. The data 130 includes a product recipe 131 for processing a product substrate W, and a dummy processing recipe 132 for dummy processing using a dummy substrate DW. The product recipe 131 is data that specifies the transport operation of the substrate W and the processing content for the substrate W. The dummy processing recipe 132 is data that specifies the transport operation of the dummy substrate DW and the processing content using the dummy substrate DW. When processing a substrate W, the controller 110 controls the control object according to the product recipe 131, and when performing dummy processing, the controller 110 controls the control object according to the dummy processing recipe 132.

The product recipe 131 may be provided by data communication from a host computer 150 communicatively connected to the controller 110 and stored in the memory 112. Similarly, the dummy processing recipe 132 may be provided by communication from the host computer 150 and stored in the memory 112. In addition, these recipes 131, 132 may be input or edited by an operator using a user interface 140 connected to the controller 110. The dummy processing recipe 132 may be automatically generated by the controller 110 according to the contents of the product recipe 131. There is no need to be only one type of product recipe 131 or dummy processing recipe 132, and multiple product recipes 131 or multiple dummy processing recipes 132 may be stored in the memory 112.

For example, the dummy processing recipe 132 includes a pre-processing recipe that specifies a pre-processing for performing the same processing on the dummy substrate DW as on the product substrate W. The pre-processing recipe may be a recipe in which the substrate to be loaded into the processing unit 11L-43U is replaced from the product substrate W to the dummy substrate DW in the product recipe 131. Such a pre-processing recipe may be automatically generated by the controller 110 based on the product recipe 131. For example, when performing processing to supply high-temperature processing liquid to the substrate W, the high-temperature processing liquid can be guided to the nozzle 55 by performing the pre-processing, and the inside of the pipe 56 and the processing unit 11L-43U can be heated by the high-temperature processing liquid. This allows the processing liquid at an appropriate temperature to be supplied to the product substrate W in an appropriately temperature-controlled environment. In this way, the pre-processing is an example of a preparation process for preparing the processing environment of the processing unit 11L-43U for appropriately processing the product substrate W.

The dummy processing recipe 132 also includes a unit cleaning recipe for cleaning the inside of the processing unit 11L-43U by holding the dummy substrate DW on the spin chuck 40. In the unit cleaning process performed according to the unit cleaning recipe, the spin chuck 40 holds the dummy substrate DW and rotates, and in this state, a cleaning liquid (chemical liquid or pure water) is supplied to the dummy substrate DW. As a result, the cleaning liquid subjected to centrifugal force on the dummy substrate DW splashes around the spin chuck 40 and cleans the inside of the processing cup 39. If necessary, the processing cup 39 can be moved up and down to change the incident position of the cleaning liquid on the inner wall surface of the processing cup 39 up and down, so that the inner wall surface of the processing cup 39 can be efficiently cleaned. In addition, the dummy substrate DW can be positioned above the upper end of the processing cup 39 by moving the processing cup 39 up and down or the spin chuck 40 up and down, and the cleaning liquid can be supplied to the inside of the processing chamber 35 outside the processing cup 39 to clean the inside of the processing chamber 35.

The data 130 stored in the memory 112 further includes a dummy substrate table 133 that associates the multiple processing units 11L-43U with the dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12 of the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U. The multiple dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12 are each assigned a unique dummy substrate slot number (dummy substrate slot identification information). Then, one dummy substrate slot number is associated with each processing unit 11L-43U. The dummy substrate table 133 associates the multiple (12 in this embodiment) processing units 11L-43U of the first processing block layer BL with the multiple (12 in this embodiment) dummy substrate slot numbers of the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L of the first processing block layer BL in a one-to-one manner. Furthermore, the dummy substrate table 133 provides a one-to-one correspondence between the multiple (12 in this embodiment) processing units 11L-43U of the second processing block layer BU and the multiple (12 in this embodiment) dummy substrate slot numbers of the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U of the second processing block layer BU. Therefore, the dummy substrate table 133 provides a one-to-one correspondence between the multiple (24 in this embodiment) processing units 11L-43U provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 and the multiple (24 in this embodiment) slot numbers of the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U.

The data 130 stored in the memory 112 further includes dummy substrate history data 134. The dummy substrate history data 134 includes data (usage history information) representing the usage history of the dummy substrate DW accommodated in the dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12 corresponding to the multiple dummy substrate slot numbers of the dummy substrate accommodation sections 7L, 7U, respectively. The usage history preferably includes at least one of the number of times the dummy substrate DW was used for processing in the processing unit 11L-43U (cumulative number of times), the usage time (cumulative time) for which the dummy substrate DW was used for processing in the processing unit 11L-43U, and the history of the processing contents that the dummy substrate DW underwent in the processing unit 11L-43U.

The data 130 stored in the memory 112 further includes unit use history data 135 representing the unit use history of each processing unit 11L-43U. The unit use history data 135 preferably includes the number of substrates processed by each processing unit 11L-43U and the continuous non-use time representing the continuous time during which each processing unit 11L-43U is not used for substrate processing. Since the environment inside the processing unit 11L-43U gradually deteriorates with repeated substrate processing, it is preferable to set an appropriate upper limit for the number of substrates that can be continuously processed without requiring maintenance. In addition, the environment inside the processing unit 11L-43U gradually deteriorates as the time during which substrates W are not processed increases. Specifically, the chemical liquid adhering to the inner wall of the processing cup 39 and the like may dry and crystallize, causing particles. In addition, when a high-temperature processing liquid that is higher than room temperature is used, if the flow of the processing liquid is blocked for a long period of time due to continued non-use, the temperature of the pipe 56 or the nozzle 55 will decrease. Therefore, the next time the processing liquid is discharged, heat from the processing liquid may be lost in the pipe 56 or the nozzle 55, and the temperature of the processing liquid immediately after discharge may become inappropriate. Therefore, it is preferable to set an appropriate upper limit for the duration of non-use as well. By comparing the unit usage history data 135 (number of substrates processed, duration of non-use, etc.) with the corresponding set values, it is possible to determine whether maintenance is required for the processing unit 11L-43U.

The data 130 stored in the memory 112 further includes a first status 141 representing the state of the first processing block layer BL (first processing unit group) and a second status 142 representing the state of the second processing block layer BU (second processing unit group). The first status 141 includes a prohibited mode and a possible mode. Similarly, the second status 142 includes a prohibited mode and a possible mode.

When the first status 141 is in the prohibited mode, neither processing nor dummy processing can be performed on a substrate W in the processing units 11L-43L included in the first processing block layer BL. More precisely, it is not possible to start a new processing on a substrate W or to start a new dummy processing. In this embodiment, starting processing on a substrate W means unloading (discharging) the substrate W to be processed in the processing unit 11L-43L from the carrier C, and starting dummy processing means unloading (discharging) the dummy substrate DW used for the dummy processing in the processing unit 11L-43L from the first dummy substrate accommodation section 7L. When the first status 141 is in the permitted mode, both processing of a substrate W and dummy processing in the processing units 11L-43L included in the first processing block layer BL are permitted, and these processing can be newly started.

When the second status 142 is in the prohibited mode, neither processing nor dummy processing can be performed on a substrate W in the processing units 11U-43U included in the second processing block layer BU. More precisely, it is not possible to start a new processing on a substrate W, nor to start a new dummy processing. In this embodiment, starting processing on a substrate W means unloading (discharging) the substrate W to be processed in the processing unit 11U-43U from the carrier C, and starting dummy processing means unloading (discharging) the dummy substrate DW used for the dummy processing in the processing unit 11U-43U from the second dummy substrate accommodation section 7U. When the second status 142 is in the permitted mode, both processing of a substrate W and dummy processing in the processing units 11U-43U included in the second processing block layer BU are permitted, and these processing can be newly started.

The controller 110 has the function of a status setting unit that determines whether or not the dummy substrate DW stored in the dummy substrate accommodating units 7L, 7U needs to be replaced based on the dummy substrate history data 134, and sets a first status 141 and a second status 142 based on that determination.
9 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the controller 110 relating to the dummy processing. The controller 110 executes the processing of FIG. 9 in parallel or sequentially for each of the multiple processing units 11L-43U.

The controller 110 judges whether the processing of the product substrate W is being performed in the target processing unit 11L-43U (step A1). When the processing of the substrate W is completed in the processing unit 11L-43U and the processed substrate W is unloaded from the processing unit 11L-43U (step A1: NO), the controller 110 refers to the unit usage history data 135 of the processing unit 11L-43U and judges whether the number of substrates processed has reached a set value (step A2). If the number of substrates processed is equal to or greater than the set value (step A2: YES), the controller 110 judges that the unit cleaning execution condition (an example of a maintenance execution condition) has been satisfied, and executes a unit cleaning process (an example of a maintenance process) according to the unit cleaning recipe to clean the inside of the processing unit 11L-43U (step A3). The controller 110 also resets the number of substrates processed in the processing unit to an initial value (for example, 0) and updates the unit usage history data 135 (step A4).

The unit cleaning process is an example of dummy processing, and includes a transport schedule creation step A30, a dummy substrate loading step A31, a dummy processing step A32, and a dummy substrate accommodation step A33. The transport schedule creation step A30 is a step of creating a transport plan (transport schedule) for dummy processing. The dummy substrate loading step A31 is a step of controlling the main transport robots 8L, 8U according to the created transport schedule. As a result, the main transport robots 8L, 8U unload the dummy substrate DW from the corresponding dummy substrate slot DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12, transport it to the processing unit 11L-43U, and load it into the processing unit. The dummy processing step A32 is a step of performing a process using the dummy substrate DW in the processing unit, and in this case, is a cleaning process for the inside of the processing unit. The dummy substrate accommodation step A33 is a step in which, after cleaning the inside of the processing unit, the dummy substrate DW is removed from the processing unit in accordance with the transport schedule, and transported to and accommodated in the original dummy substrate slot DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12. The controller 110 refers to the dummy substrate table 133, identifies the dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12 that correspond to the processing unit 11L-43U, and creates a transport schedule for the dummy substrate loading step A31 and the dummy substrate accommodation step A33.

After completing the unit cleaning process, the controller 110 determines whether pre-processing is required to prepare the processing environment (processing conditions) of the processing unit 11L-43U (steps A5 and A6). Specifically, the controller 110 checks whether a processing request (processing reservation) for a product substrate has been received from the host computer 150 (step A5). When a processing request for a product substrate is received (step A5: YES), the controller 110 determines whether the non-use duration of the processing unit 11L-43U has reached a set value (step A6). If the non-use duration is equal to or greater than the set value (step A6: YES), that is, if the processing unit 11L-43U has not been used for product substrates W for a predetermined long time or longer, the controller 110 determines that pre-processing is required, that is, that the pre-processing execution condition (an example of the maintenance execution condition) is satisfied.

When it is determined that pre-processing is necessary, the controller 110 performs pre-processing according to the pre-processing recipe (step A7). Specifically, the controller 110 refers to the dummy substrate table 133 to identify the dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12 corresponding to the processing unit 11L-43U, and creates a transport schedule for pre-processing based on the identified dummy substrate slots (transport schedule creation step A70). Then, the controller 110 controls the main transport robots 8L, 8U according to the created transport schedule, and causes the dummy substrate DW to be removed from the identified dummy substrate slot and transported to the processing unit 11L-43U (dummy substrate carry-in step A71). After the transport, the host computer 150 performs the same processing on the dummy substrate DW in the processing unit 11L-43U as that for the product substrate W (dummy processing step A72). When the processing is completed, the host computer 150 controls the main transport robots 8L, 8U according to the transport schedule to remove the dummy substrate DW from the processing unit 11L-43U, transport it to the original dummy substrate slot, and accommodate the dummy substrate DW in the dummy substrate slot (dummy substrate accommodation step A73). After performing the pre-processing in this manner, the controller 110 resets the duration of non-use to an initial value (for example, 0) and updates the unit usage history data 135 (step A8).

As described above, when a processing request (processing reservation) for the product substrate W is given, the controller 110 executes the preprocessing. The preprocessing includes the transportation of the dummy substrate DW (step A71) and the dummy processing using the dummy substrate DW (step A72). Therefore, the carrier C containing the product substrate W is held by the carrier holding part 25, and the preprocessing (dummy substrate carrying-in step A71 and/or dummy processing step A72) is executed in parallel with or before the substrate loading operation (step A20) in which the indexer robot 26 takes out the substrate W to be processed from the carrier C and transports it to the substrate placement parts 6L, 6U. At this time, the indexer robot 26 is not involved in the transportation of the dummy substrate DW. Therefore, the dummy substrate DW is transported inside the processing block 3 and the preprocessing is executed without impeding the transportation of the product substrate W by the indexer robot 26.

For convenience, FIG. 9 shows step A20 of loading the product substrate W by the indexer robot 26, but this does not mean that the sequence with respect to pre-processing step A7 is as shown. As mentioned above, product substrate loading step A20 may be performed (started) prior to or in parallel with pre-processing step A7, and product substrate loading step A20 may also be performed (started) after pre-processing step A7.

The pre-processing recipe specifies the pre-processing to be performed on the dummy substrate DW, which is to be performed on the product substrate W. Therefore, by performing the pre-processing on the dummy substrate DW, the dummy substrate DW is worn out. Specifically, by performing the pre-processing on the dummy substrate DW using a chemical solution having an etching effect, the surface of the dummy substrate DW is etched and the thickness of the dummy substrate DW is reduced. Therefore, when the pre-processing recipe is executed, the controller 110 updates the dummy substrate history data 134 of the dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12 associated with the processing unit 11L-43U (step A9). For example, if the dummy substrate history data 134 includes usage count data, the usage count data is incremented.

After completing the pre-processing, the controller 110 executes control according to the product recipe (step A12). Specifically, the controller 110 creates a transport schedule for processing the product substrates (transport schedule creation step A120), and controls the indexer robot 26 and the main transport robots 8L, 8U according to the transport schedule. The indexer robot 26 then removes the product substrate W from the carrier C and places it on the substrate placement units 6L, 6U. The main transport robots 8L, 8U then remove the substrate W from the substrate placement units 6L, 6U and transport it to the processing unit 11L-43U (substrate loading step A121). Then, in the processing unit 11L-43U, processing is performed on the substrate W using a processing liquid (chemical liquid, rinse liquid, etc.) (processing step A122). After that, the main transport robots 8L, 8U take out the processed substrate W and transport it to the substrate placement units 6L, 6U according to the transport schedule, and the indexer robot 26 stores the processed substrate W in a carrier (substrate storage step A123). If an unprocessed substrate W remains (if multiple substrates W are being processed continuously) (step A13: YES), the same operation is repeated. If the number of substrates processed in the processing unit reaches a set value (step A14: YES), the process returns to step A3 and the unit cleaning process is performed. If continuous processing is not being performed (step A13: NO), the process returns and the process from step A1 is repeated.

If there is no processing request (processing reservation) from the host computer 150 (step A5: NO), the controller 110 judges whether the duration of the standby state, i.e., the duration of non-use, has reached a set value (step A15). If the duration of non-use has not reached the set value, the controller 110 enters a standby state. If the duration of non-use reaches the set value (step A15: YES), the controller 110 executes a preset maintenance process (step A16). The maintenance process may be a unit cleaning process. As in the case of step A3, this unit cleaning process may be a process using a dummy substrate DW (a type of dummy process), or may be a process not using a dummy substrate DW. The maintenance process may also be a process similar to the pre-processing. The maintenance process may also be other processes. The maintenance process is mainly a process for maintaining the environment in the processing chamber 35 of the processing unit 11L-43U in a state suitable for processing the product substrate W, and may be a process preset by the user of the substrate processing apparatus 1. When dummy processing using a dummy substrate DW is performed as a maintenance process, the maintenance process includes a transport schedule creation step A160 in which a transport plan (transport schedule) for the process is created, a step A161 in which the dummy substrate DW is removed from the corresponding dummy substrate slot and loaded into the processing unit in accordance with the transport plan, a step A162 in which dummy processing is performed using the dummy substrate DW in the processing unit, and a step A163 in which, after the processing, the dummy substrate DW is accommodated in the corresponding dummy substrate slot in accordance with the transport schedule.

When there is no processing request (processing reservation) from the host computer 150, the controller 110 cannot automatically plan pre-processing similar to the product recipe 131. Therefore, even if the maintenance process (step A16) is performed at any time, when there is a processing request (processing reservation) from the host computer 150, it is preferable to perform the pre-processing (step A7) corresponding to that product processing.

The dummy substrate DW is introduced into the substrate processing apparatus 1 in advance and accommodated in the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L and 7U. Specifically, for example, a carrier transport mechanism 300 (see FIG. 1) provided in the factory transfers the supply dummy carrier DC accommodating the dummy substrate DW to the carrier holding unit 25. The indexer robot 26 removes the dummy substrate DW from the supply dummy carrier DC and transports it to the substrate placement units 6L and 6U. The main transport robot 8L of the first processing block layer BL transports the dummy substrate DW from the substrate placement unit 6L to the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L and accommodates it. The main transport robot 8U of the second processing block layer BU transports the dummy substrate DW from the substrate placement unit 6U to the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U and accommodates it. The controller 110 creates a transport schedule for the introduction of the dummy substrate DW, and achieves the transport operation described above by controlling the indexer robot 26 and the main transport robots 8L and 8U in accordance with the transport schedule.

When a new dummy substrate DW is introduced and accommodated in a dummy substrate accommodating section 7L, 7U, the controller 110 resets the dummy substrate history data 134 corresponding to the dummy substrate slot in which the new dummy substrate DW is accommodated to an initial value.
When replacing the dummy substrate DW in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the main transport robots 8L, 8U and the indexer robot 26 transport the dummy substrate DW from the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U to the recovery dummy carrier DC held by the carrier holding unit 25. Specifically, when the dummy substrate DW to be replaced is accommodated in the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L of the first processing block layer BL, the main transport robot 8L transports the dummy substrate DW from the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L to the substrate placement unit 6L. When the dummy substrate DW to be replaced is accommodated in the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U of the second processing block layer BU, the main transport robot 8U transports the dummy substrate DW from the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U to the substrate placement unit 6U. The indexer robot 26 transports the dummy substrate DW placed on the substrate placement units 6L, 6U to the recovery dummy carrier DC held by the carrier holding unit 25 and accommodates it therein. When a plurality of dummy substrates DW are to be replaced, the same operation is repeated. The controller 110 creates a transport schedule for replacing (discharging) the dummy substrates DW, and controls the indexer robot 26 and the main transport robots 8L, 8U in accordance with the transport schedule, thereby achieving the transport operation as described above.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of setting the first status 141 and the second status 142, and changing the transport schedule based on them, and shows an example of processing that is repeatedly executed by the controller 110 at a predetermined control period.
The controller 110 refers to the dummy substrate history data 134 and calculates status data indicating whether or not the dummy substrate DW needs to be replaced (step S1). A calculation formula for calculating the status data is stored in the memory 112. The calculation formula may be stored in the memory 112 in the form of a table. For example, when the number of uses reaches a predetermined threshold, the status data becomes a value indicating the need for replacement. The status data is calculated for all dummy substrates DW accommodated in the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U. The calculation formula for calculating the status data is not necessarily common among a plurality of dummy substrates DW. As described above, a plurality of dummy substrates DW are associated one-to-one with a plurality of processing units. The processing of the product substrate W and the dummy processing performed in each processing unit are not necessarily common. Therefore, it is possible to set a calculation formula individually for each dummy substrate DW corresponding to each processing unit. That is, a plurality of calculation formulas are stored in the memory 112, and the status data is calculated using a calculation formula corresponding to each dummy substrate DW (i.e., corresponding to each processing unit). The controller 110 may calculate the status data each time each dummy substrate DW is used in the corresponding processing unit, that is, each time the dummy substrate history data 134 is updated, and store the latest status data in the memory 112.

The controller 110 executes the function of a determination unit that determines whether or not the dummy substrate DW needs to be replaced based on the status data. Specifically, it determines whether the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the first dummy substrate accommodating unit 7L is a value indicating the need for replacement (step S2), and determines whether the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the second dummy substrate accommodating unit 7U is a value indicating the need for replacement (steps S3, S4). The controller 11 further executes the function of a status setting unit that sets the first status 141 and the second status 142 to a possible mode or a prohibited mode based on the above determination (steps S5 to S8). Specifically, the status of the processing block layers BL, BU corresponding to the dummy substrate accommodating units 7L, 7U having the dummy substrate DW whose status data indicates the need for replacement is set to the prohibited mode. In addition, the status of the processing block layers BL, BU corresponding to the dummy substrate accommodating units 7L, 7U in which the status data of none of the dummy substrates DW is a value indicating the need for replacement is set to the possible mode. However, if the status is the same as the previous status, the previous value is maintained.

More specifically, if the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the first dummy substrate accommodating section 7L is a value indicating the need for replacement (step S2: YES), and if the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the second dummy substrate accommodating section 7U is a value indicating the need for replacement (step S3: YES), the first status 141 and the second status 142 are both set to the prohibited mode (step S5). Also, if the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the first dummy substrate accommodating section 7L is a value indicating the need for replacement (step S2: YES), and if the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the second dummy substrate accommodating section 7U is not a value indicating the need for replacement (step S3: NO), the first status 141 is set to the prohibited mode, and the second status 142 is set to the possible mode (step S6). Furthermore, if the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the first dummy substrate accommodating section 7L is not a value indicating the need for replacement (step S2: NO), and if the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the second dummy substrate accommodating section 7U is not a value indicating the need for replacement (step S4: NO), then the first status 141 and the second status 142 are both set to possible mode (step S7). If the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the first dummy substrate accommodating section 7L is not a value indicating the need for replacement (step S2: NO), and if the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the second dummy substrate accommodating section 7U is a value indicating the need for replacement (step S4: YES), then the first status 141 is set to possible mode, and the second status 142 is set to prohibited mode (step S8).

If any of the dummy substrates DWs needs to be replaced (YES in step S2, YES in step S3, or YES in step S4), the controller 110 transmits a dummy substrate replacement request to the host computer 150 to request replacement of the dummy substrate DW (step S11). The dummy substrate replacement request is made by identifying the dummy substrate DW that needs to be replaced, more specifically, by identifying the slot in which the dummy substrate DW is accommodated. The controller 110 does not repeatedly transmit a replacement request for a dummy substrate DW for which a dummy substrate replacement request has already been transmitted to the host computer 150, but transmits a dummy substrate replacement request to the host computer 150 for a dummy substrate DW whose status data has newly become a value indicating the need for replacement. For example, when calculating the status data (step S1), the dummy substrate DW whose status data has become a value indicating the need for replacement may be excluded from the new calculation target until the dummy substrate history data 134 is reset.

When the first status 141 transitions from the possible mode to the prohibited mode and the second status 142 is in the possible mode (step S6), the controller 110 discards the transport schedule for the substrate W planned to be transported from the carrier C to the processing unit of the first processing block layer BL, and changes it to a transport schedule for transporting the substrate W to the processing unit of the second processing block layer BU (step S9). The controller 110 also discards the transport schedule for the dummy substrate DW planned to be transported from the first dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L to the processing unit of the first processing block layer BL. At this time, it is preferable that the controller 110 maintains the transport schedule for the substrate W already removed from the carrier C and the dummy substrate DW already removed from the first dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L, that is, the transport schedule for the substrates W and DW for which processing, including transport, has started. In this way, by transitioning the first status 141 to the prohibited mode, both processing of the substrate W in the processing units of the first processing block layer BL and dummy processing are prohibited, and the substrate W that was planned to be processed in the processing units of the first processing block layer BL is transported to and processed in the processing units of the second processing block layer BU in the permitted mode.

Similarly, when the second status 142 transitions from the possible mode to the prohibited mode and the first status 141 is in the possible mode (step S8), the controller 110 discards the transport schedule for the substrate W planned to be transported from the carrier C to the processing unit of the second processing block layer BU, and changes it to a transport schedule for transporting the substrate W to the processing unit of the first processing block layer BL (step S10). The controller 110 also discards the transport schedule for the dummy substrate DW planned to be transported from the second dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U to the processing unit of the second processing block layer BU. At this time, it is preferable that the controller 110 maintains the transport schedule for the substrate W already removed from the carrier C and the dummy substrate DW already removed from the second dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U, that is, the transport schedule for the substrates W and DW for which processing, including transport, has begun. In this way, by the second status 142 transitioning to the prohibited mode, both processing of the substrate W and dummy processing in the processing units of the second processing block layer BU are prohibited, and the substrate W that was planned to be processed in the processing units of the second processing block layer BU is transported to and processed in the processing units of the first processing block layer BL in the permitted mode.

When the host computer 150 receives a dummy substrate exchange request from the substrate processing apparatus 1, it determines whether a recovery dummy carrier DC is held in any of the carrier holding units 25 of the substrate processing apparatus 1. If a recovery dummy carrier DC is not held in any of the carrier holding units 25, the host computer 150 plans the supply of a recovery dummy carrier DC by the carrier transport mechanism 300 and operates the carrier transport mechanism 300 according to the plan. If a recovery dummy carrier DC is held in any of the carrier holding units 25, the host computer 150 determines whether a supply dummy carrier DC is held in any of the carrier holding units 25 of the substrate processing apparatus 1. If a supply dummy carrier DC is not held in any of the carrier holding units 25, the host computer plans the supply of a supply dummy carrier DC by the carrier transport mechanism 300 and operates the carrier transport mechanism 300 according to the plan.

11 is a flow chart for explaining an example of a dummy substrate replacement operation performed when the first processing block layer BL or the second processing block layer BU is in the prohibited mode. When the recovery dummy carrier DC is held by any of the carrier holding parts 25 (step S21: YES), the controller 110 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 operates to transport the used dummy substrate DW into the recovery dummy carrier DC (step S22). That is, the used dummy substrate DW is transported from the dummy substrate accommodation parts 7L, 7U to the substrate placement parts 6L, 6U by the main transport robots 8U, 8L, and is transported from the substrate placement parts 6L, 6U to the recovery dummy carrier DC by the indexer robot 26 and accommodated therein. When the supply dummy carrier DC is held by any of the carrier holding parts 25 (step S23: YES), the controller 110 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 operates to transport the unused dummy substrate DW from the supply dummy carrier DC to the dummy substrate accommodation parts 7L, 7U (step S24). That is, the unused dummy substrate DW is transported from the supply dummy carrier DC to the substrate placement parts 6L, 6U by the indexer robot 26, and is transported from the substrate placement parts 6L, 6U to the dummy substrate accommodation parts 7L, 7U by the main transport robots 8L, 8U, and is loaded into the dummy substrate accommodation parts 7L, 7U.

When the dummy substrate DW in a certain slot of the dummy substrate accommodating sections 7L, 7U is replaced with an unused dummy substrate DW, the dummy substrate history data 134 corresponding to that slot (i.e., corresponding to the dummy substrate DW accommodated in that slot) is reset to an initial value (step S25).
By resetting the dummy substrate history data 134 to the initial value, the status data calculated for the dummy substrate DW in the corresponding slot (step S1 in FIG. 10) is no longer a value indicating the need for replacement. Then, when the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the first dummy substrate accommodating portion 7L is no longer a value indicating the need for replacement (step S2: NO), the first status 141 is set to possible mode (steps S7, S8). Similarly, when the status data of any of the dummy substrates DW in the second dummy substrate accommodating portion 7U is no longer data indicating the need for replacement (steps S3: NO, step S4: NO), the second status 142 is set to possible mode (steps S6, S7).

Figure 12A is a time chart for explaining an example of a substrate transport operation when both the first status 141 of the first processing block layer BL and the second status 142 of the second processing block layer BU are in the possible mode. The indexer robot 26 takes out the substrate W1 from one of the carriers C held by the carrier holding part 25, and places the taken out substrate W1 on the substrate placement part 6L of the first processing block layer BL. This substrate W1 is taken out by the main transport robot 8L and carried into one of the processing units 11L-43L in the first processing block layer BL. When the processing in the processing unit L1 is completed, the main transport robot 8L takes out the processed substrate W1 and places it on the substrate placement part 6L. The indexer robot 26 takes out the processed substrate W1 from the substrate placement part 6L, and carries it into one of the carriers C held by the carrier holding part 25.

The indexer robot 26 also removes another substrate W2 from one of the carriers C held by the carrier holding part 25 and places the removed substrate W2 on the substrate placement part 6U of the second processing block layer BU. This substrate W2 is removed by the main transport robot 8U and loaded into one of the processing units U1 among the processing units 11U-43U in the second processing block layer BU. When processing in the processing unit U1 is completed, the main transport robot 8U removes the processed substrate W2 and places it on the substrate placement part 6U. The indexer robot 26 removes the processed substrate W2 from the substrate placement part 6U and loads it into one of the carriers C held by the carrier holding part 25.

Similarly, the next substrate W3 is loaded into and processed in one of the processing units 11L-43L provided in the first processing block layer BL, and the next substrate W4 is loaded into and processed in one of the processing units U2 provided in the second processing block layer BU.
In this manner, processing of the product substrate W is performed in parallel by both the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU.

When both the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU are in the possible mode, the controller 110 creates a transport schedule for the transport operation described above, and controls the indexer robot 26 and the main transport robots 8L, 8U in accordance with the transport schedule.
12B is a time chart for explaining an example of a substrate transport operation when one of the statuses of the processing blocks transitions from a possible mode to a prohibited mode. In this example, it is assumed that the first status 141 corresponding to the first processing block layer BL is maintained in the possible mode, and the second status 142 corresponding to the second processing block layer BU transitions from the possible mode to the prohibited mode. It is also assumed that a transport schedule such as that shown in FIG. 12A is created, and the transport and processing of the substrate W proceeds according to the transport schedule.

Let us assume that at time t1, after substrate W2 has been removed from carrier C by indexer robot 26 and before substrate W4 has been removed from carrier C by indexer robot 26, it becomes necessary to replace the dummy substrate DW in the second processing block layer BU. Then, at time t1, the second status 142 corresponding to the second processing block layer BU transitions from the possible mode to the prohibited mode.

In this case, the controller 110 discards the existing transport schedule (see FIG. 12A) for the substrate W that has not been removed from the carrier C at time t1, and changes it to the transport schedule shown as an example in FIG. 12B. In particular, the transport schedule for the plan to transport the substrate W to the second processing block layer BU that has not been removed from the carrier C at time t1 and whose status has become prohibited mode is discarded.

At time t1, substrate W2 has already been unloaded from carrier C and its transport has begun. Substrate W2 is then transported according to the existing transport schedule, loaded into one of the processing units U1 in the second processing block layer BU in the prohibited mode for processing, and after processing, substrate W2 is unloaded from the processing unit U1 and transported to carrier C. That is, substrate W2 is transported in the same manner as in the case of FIG. 12A.

Substrate W3 is removed from carrier C after time t1, but since it is scheduled for processing in the first processing block layer BL in the possible mode, its transport schedule is maintained as is and it is transported in the same manner as in Figure 12A.
On the other hand, the existing transport schedule (see FIG. 12A) plans to transport the substrate W4 to one of the processing units U2 in the second processing block layer BU, but this plan is discarded. Then, the controller 110 creates a transport schedule for transporting the substrate W4 to one of the processing units L3 among the processing units 11L-43L included in the first processing block layer BL in the possible mode, and controls the indexer robot 26 and the main transport robot 8L according to this transport schedule. Specifically, the indexer robot 26 takes out the substrate W4 from the carrier C and places it on the substrate placement part 6L of the first processing block layer BL. This substrate W4 is taken out by the main transport robot 8L and carried into one of the processing units U3 in the first processing block layer BL. When the processing in the processing unit U3 is completed, the main transport robot 8L takes out the processed substrate W4 and places it on the substrate placement part 6L. The indexer robot 26 removes the processed substrate W 4 from the substrate platform 6 L, and carries it into one of the carriers C held by the carrier holding part 25 .

Subsequent substrates W that are scheduled to be transported to processing unit U2 of the second processing block layer BU in the existing transport schedule (see Figure 12A) are similarly transported to a processing unit of the first processing block layer BL, which is a possible mode, and processed there.
On the other hand, the controller 110 creates a transport schedule for planning the replacement of the dummy substrate DW for the second processing block layer BU in the prohibited mode, and controls the main transport robot 8U and the indexer robot 26 accordingly (see FIG. 11). This allows the following dummy substrate replacement to be performed. When a recovery dummy carrier DC for recovering a used dummy substrate DW is held in the carrier holding part 25, the main transport robot 8U in the second processing block layer BU takes out the used dummy substrate DW to be replaced from the dummy substrate accommodation part 7U, and places the dummy substrate DW on the substrate placement part 6U. The indexer robot 26 takes out the used dummy substrate DW from the substrate placement part 6U and carries it into the recovery dummy carrier DC. Furthermore, when a supply dummy carrier DC accommodating an unused dummy substrate DW is held by the carrier holding part 25, the indexer robot 26 removes one unused dummy substrate DW from the supply dummy carrier DC and places it on the substrate mounting part 6U. The main transport robot 8U removes the unused dummy substrate DW and carries it into the dummy substrate accommodating part 7U. In this way, one dummy substrate DW in the dummy substrate accommodating part 7U can be replaced. When replacement of another dummy substrate DW is required, the same operation is repeated.

In this manner, while the dummy substrate DW can be replaced in the second processing block layer BU in the prohibited mode, processing of the product substrate W can be continued in the first processing block layer BL in the permitted mode.
An explanation of the operation when the first processing block layer BL transitions from the enabled mode to the disabled mode is omitted here, since it can be obtained by interchanging the configuration of the first processing block layer BL and the configuration of the second processing block layer BU in the above explanation.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the processing block 3 laterally adjacent to the indexer block 2 is constructed by stacking a plurality of processing block layers BL, BU in the vertical direction Z. Each processing block layer BL, BU is provided with a dummy substrate accommodation portion 7L, 7U that accommodates a dummy substrate DW. Since the dummy substrate DW can be accommodated inside the processing block layers BL, BU, when it becomes necessary to use the dummy substrate DW in the processing unit 11L-43U, the dummy substrate DW can be transported between the dummy substrate accommodation portion 7L, 7U and the processing unit 11L-43U without the involvement of the indexer robot 26.

This reduces the transport load of the indexer robot 26, so that processing using a dummy substrate DW can be performed while reducing the impact on the transport of the product substrate W. In particular, the transport load of the indexer robot 26, which transports the substrate W between the carrier holder 25 and the multiple processing block layers BL, BU each having multiple processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U, is very large. Therefore, by reducing the transport load of the indexer robot 26, the transport efficiency of the product substrate W is improved, and productivity can be improved accordingly. The main transport robots 8L, 8U of each processing block layer BL, BU are responsible for transporting the substrate W within the processing block layer BL, BU, so that their transport load is smaller than that of the indexer robot 26. Therefore, the main transport robots 8L, 8U being responsible for transporting the dummy substrate DW inside the processing block layers BL, BU is not a major problem from the viewpoint of production efficiency.

In addition, since the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U are located within the processing block layers BL, BU, the transport of the dummy substrate DW between the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U and the processing units 11L-43U can be performed without passing through the substrate placement units 6L, 6U for substrate transfer between the indexer robot 26 and the processing block layers BL, BU. This reduces interference between the transport of the dummy substrate DW and the transport of the product substrate W, improving the efficiency of transport of the product substrate W and, accordingly, improving productivity.

Furthermore, unlike the case of Patent Document 1, the carrier holding portion 25 is not occupied for a long period of time by the dummy carrier accommodating the dummy substrate DW. This makes it possible to suppress waiting time for the carrier C accommodating the product substrate W to be carried in, thereby contributing to improved productivity.
In this embodiment, in each processing block layer BL, BU, a plurality of processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U are arranged on both sides of the transport path 51L, 51U along which the substrates W are transported by the main transport robots 8L, 8U, and are arranged stacked in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, the arrangement of the plurality of processing units 11L-43U in the processing block layer BL, BU is designed to enable efficient substrate transport by the main transport robots 8L, 8U, which can contribute to improved productivity.

In addition, in this embodiment, the substrate placement units 6L, 6U and the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U are all disposed between the indexer robot 26 and the main transport robots 8L, 8U. This allows efficient transport of substrates W between the indexer robot 26 and the main transport robots 8L, 8U via the substrate placement units 6L, 6U. Furthermore, the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U can be disposed in positions that do not interfere with the transport of substrates W by the indexer robot 26 and the transport of substrates W by the main transport robots 8L, 8U. Therefore, the dummy substrates DW can be held in the processing block layers BL, BU without affecting the transport of product substrates W.

More specifically, in this embodiment, the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U and the substrate placement units 6L, 6U are arranged three-dimensionally with different heights from each other. This allows the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U to be appropriately positioned within the processing block layers BL, BU by effectively utilizing the space within the processing block layers BL, BU. As a result, the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U can be positioned so as not to impede the transport of product substrates W.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U are arranged so as to overlap the substrate placement units 6L, 6U in a plan view. As a result, the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U are arranged using the space above or below the substrate placement units 6L, 6U. This allows the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U to be arranged in a way that does not impede the transport of the product substrate W, and the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U can be arranged by effectively utilizing the space in the processing block layers BL, BU. As described above, the arrangement in which the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U overlap the substrate placement units 6L, 6U in a plan view may specifically be an arrangement in which a part or all of the dummy substrate DW accommodated in the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U overlaps the substrate W held on the substrate placement units 6L, 6U.

More specifically, in this embodiment, a second processing block layer BU (upper processing block layer) is stacked on a first processing block layer BL (lower processing block layer). In the first processing block layer BL, the dummy substrate accommodation portion 7L is located below the substrate placement portion 6L. On the other hand, in the second processing block layer BU, the dummy substrate accommodation portion 7U is located below the substrate placement portion 6U. This reduces the height difference between the substrate placement portion 6L of the first processing block layer BL and the substrate placement portion 6U of the second processing block layer BU. This shortens the substrate transport stroke in the vertical direction Z by the indexer robot 26, thereby reducing the transport load of the indexer robot 26. This increases the transport efficiency of product substrates W, contributing to improved productivity.

In this embodiment, the dummy substrate accommodation section 7L, 7U of each processing block layer BL, BU includes a number of dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12, the same number as the number of processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U included in the processing block layer BL, BU. Each dummy substrate slot DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12 is configured to hold one dummy substrate DW. This allows the same number of dummy substrates DW as the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U to be held in each processing block layer BL, BU. Therefore, if it becomes necessary to carry a dummy substrate DW into any of the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U, the main transport robot 8L, 8U can quickly carry the dummy substrate DW into the processing unit and perform dummy processing. The indexer robot 26 is not involved in the loading of the dummy substrate DW, so any impact on the transport of the product substrate W can be reduced or prevented.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the multiple processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U of each processing block layer BL, BU correspond one-to-one to the multiple dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12 of that processing block layer. The main transport robots 8L, 8U then transport dummy substrates DW between the corresponding dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12 and the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U. With this configuration, the dummy substrates DW held in the dummy substrate slots can be used as dedicated dummy substrates for the corresponding processing units. This makes it easier to manage the usage history of the dummy substrates DW.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the dummy processing conditions (unit cleaning execution conditions, pre-processing execution conditions, maintenance execution conditions) are satisfied, the controller 110 controls the main transport robots 8L, 8U to transport the dummy substrate DW from the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U to the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U, and executes the dummy processing in the processing units. In this way, the dummy processing can be started by transporting the dummy substrate DW within the processing block layers BL, BU, so that the dummy processing can be started promptly while minimizing or preventing any effects on the transport of the product substrates W.

According to this embodiment, the controller 110 controls each part of the substrate processing apparatus 1 to execute the following steps. That is, in each processing block layer BL, BU, a dummy substrate loading step (steps A31, A71, A161) is executed in which the main transport robot 8L, 8U loads the dummy substrate DW accommodated in the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L, 7U in the processing block layer into one of the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U in the processing block layer. Then, a dummy processing step (steps A32, A72, A162) is executed in which dummy processing is performed using the loaded dummy substrate DW in the processing unit. Furthermore, after the dummy processing, a step is executed in which the main transport robot 8L, 8U removes the dummy substrate DW from the processing unit and transports it to the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L, 7U (steps A33, A73, A163). Furthermore, a step is performed in which the substrate W placed on the substrate placement portion 6L, 6U of the processing block layer BL, BU is loaded into one of the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U of the processing block layer BL, BU (step A121). Then, a step is performed in which the loaded substrate W is processed in the processing unit (step A122). This allows processing using the dummy substrate DW to be performed in the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U of each processing block layer BL, BU while reducing the transport load on the indexer robot 26. This can improve production efficiency.

The controller 110 may control the indexer robot 26 to take out the substrate W from the carrier C held by the carrier holder 25 and to carry it into the substrate placement unit 6L, 6U of one of the processing block layers BL, BU in parallel with the substrate carrying-in step (step A20) or prior to the substrate carrying-in step (step A20). This allows the indexer robot 26 to carry the product substrate W into the processing block layer BL, BU while carrying the dummy substrate DW into the processing unit 11L-43L, 11U-43U in each processing block layer BL, BU. The indexer robot 26 does not need to be involved in carrying in the dummy substrate DW, so the dummy substrate DW can be transported in the processing block layer BL, BU without waiting for the substrate W to be transported by the indexer robot 26 or in parallel with the substrate transport. This reduces the transport load on the indexer robot 26, and within the processing block layers BL and BU, the dummy substrates DW can be transported quickly to the processing units.

Furthermore, under the control of the controller 110, the above-mentioned dummy processing step (step A72) may be executed in parallel with or prior to the substrate loading step (step A20) in which the indexer robot 26 loads the product substrate W into the substrate placement unit 6L, 6U. This reduces the transport load on the indexer robot 26 and allows dummy processing to be started promptly in the processing block layers BL, BU. For example, when a substrate processing request is received from the host computer 150, the transport of the dummy substrate DW and the subsequent dummy processing can be started at an appropriate time in response to the request. This allows the environment in the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U to be prepared at an appropriate time, so that when the carrier C containing the product substrate W is loaded into the carrier holding unit 25, processing of the substrate W can be started promptly. This contributes to improving productivity.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU can be individually set to a prohibited mode and a possible mode, and these modes are stored in the memory 112 as a first status 141 corresponding to the first processing block layer BL and a second status 142 corresponding to the second processing block layer BU. The first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU are therefore individually in a prohibited mode or a possible mode. That is, there may be cases where both the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU are in a possible mode, where both the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU are in a prohibited mode, and where one of the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU is in a possible mode and the other is in a prohibited mode.

In this embodiment, therefore, when the first status 141, i.e., the operating state of the first processing block layer BL, transitions from the possible mode to the prohibited mode, the transport schedule of the substrate W planned to be processed in the first processing block layer BL is changed. Specifically, the transport schedule of the substrate W planned to be transported to the processing unit 11L-43L of the first processing block layer BL by the main transport robot 8L is discarded, and a new transport schedule is created for the substrate W to be loaded into the second processing block layer BU and transported to the processing unit 11U-43U of the second processing block layer BU by the main transport robot 8U. As a result, the substrate W can be processed in the second processing block layer BU. Similarly, when the second status 142, i.e., the operating state of the second processing block layer BU, transitions from the possible mode to the prohibited mode, the transport schedule of the substrate W planned to be processed by the second processing block layer BU is changed. Specifically, the transport schedule for the substrate W that was planned to be transported by the main transport robot 8U to the processing unit 11U-43U of the second processing block layer BU is discarded, and a new transport schedule is created for the substrate W to be loaded into the first processing block layer BL and then transported by the main transport robot 8L to the processing unit 11L-43L of the first processing block layer BL. As a result, the substrate W can be processed in the first processing block layer BL.

In this way, even if one of the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU transitions from the possible mode to the prohibited mode, the other processing block layer in the possible mode can continue to transport and process the product substrates W. This makes it possible to reduce downtime of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and thereby increase productivity.
13 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and shows the configuration in a vertical cross-section corresponding to the vertical cross-section in FIG. 2. Compared with the first embodiment described above, in this embodiment, the intermediate partition wall 16 that separates the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU is removed. Furthermore, the support pillars 83 that guide the vertical movement of the main transport robots 8L and 8U extend vertically across the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU. This allows the main transport robots 8L and 8U to move vertically with a larger stroke than in the first embodiment. Of course, the controller 110 controls the operations of the main transport robots 8L and 8U so that they do not interfere with each other.

In this embodiment, the two substrate placement parts 6U and 6L in the first embodiment are replaced with one substrate placement part 6. The substrate placement part 6 is shared by the first processing block layer BL and the second processing block layer BU. That is, the main transport robot 8L of the first processing block layer BL can access the substrate placement part 6 and transports the product substrate W between the substrate placement part 6 and the processing units 11L-43L of the first processing block layer BL. The main transport robot 8L also transports the dummy substrate DW between the substrate placement part 6, the processing units 11L-43L, and the dummy substrate accommodation part 7L. Similarly, the main transport robot 8U of the second processing block layer BU can access the substrate placement part 6 and transports the product substrate W between the substrate placement part 6 and the processing units 11U-43U of the second processing block layer BU. In addition, the main transport robot 8U transports dummy substrates DW between the substrate placement unit 6, the processing unit 11U-43U, and the dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U.

The substrate placement section 6 includes an unprocessed substrate placement section 61 and a processed substrate placement section 62. However, since the substrate placement section 6 is shared by the first and second processing block layers BL and BU, it is preferable that the unprocessed substrate placement section 61 and the processed substrate placement section 62 each include a substrate holding shelf 65, 66 having more slots than in the first embodiment. The substrate holding shelves 65, 66 provided in the substrate placement section 6 may be arranged such that at least one (i.e., a part or all) of the slots is accessible by both main transport robots 8L and 8U. More specifically, the substrate holding shelf 65 (see FIG. 5) of the unprocessed substrate placement section 61 may be arranged such that at least one (i.e., a part or all) of the slots is accessible by both main transport robots 8L and 8U. Similarly, the substrate holding shelf 66 (see FIG. 5) of the processed substrate placement section 62 may be arranged so that at least one (i.e., some or all) of the slots can be accessed by both main transport robots 8L and 8U.

The substrate placement portion 6 is preferably arranged so as to be accessible by the indexer robot 26. More specifically, the indexer robot 26 is preferably configured so as to be able to access all of the slots of the substrate holding shelves 65, 66 of the substrate placement portion 6 and to be able to load and unload the product substrates W or dummy substrates DW thereto.
Fig. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention, showing the configuration in a vertical cross section corresponding to the vertical cross section of Fig. 2. In the first embodiment, windows 4L, 4U corresponding to the substrate placement portions 6L, 6U are formed in the adjacent partition walls 2a, 3a of the indexer block 2 and the processing block 3, but no windows corresponding to the dummy substrate accommodation portions 7L, 7U are formed. In contrast, in this embodiment, windows 5L, 5U corresponding to the dummy substrate accommodation portions 7L, 7U are added to the partition walls 2a, 3a.

By providing such additional windows 5L, 5U, when introducing the dummy substrate DW into the processing block layers BL, BU, the indexer robot 26 can directly access the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U to load the dummy substrate DW. Furthermore, when unloading a used dummy substrate DW from the processing block layers BL, BU, the indexer robot 26 can directly access the dummy substrate accommodation units 7L, 7U to unload the dummy substrate. When loading/unloading the dummy substrate DW, neither the main transport robots 8L, 8U need to be involved. Therefore, the transport load on the main transport robots 8L, 8U can be reduced, improving productivity.

When the first processing block layer BL is in the prohibited mode, the controller 110 creates a transfer schedule for transporting the dummy substrate DW by the indexer robot 26 between the dummy carrier DC held by the carrier holding unit 25 and the first dummy substrate accommodation unit 7L, and controls the indexer robot 26 according to the transfer schedule. Similarly, when the second processing block layer BU is in the prohibited mode, the controller 110 creates a transfer schedule for transporting the dummy substrate DW by the indexer robot 26 between the dummy carrier DC held by the carrier holding unit 25 and the second dummy substrate accommodation unit 7U, and controls the indexer robot 26 according to the transfer schedule.

Figure 15 is a schematic plan view showing the internal configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the multiple processing units 11L-43U are divided into a first processing unit group provided in the lower processing block layer BL and a second processing unit group provided in the upper processing block layer BU, with a horizontal intermediate partition wall 16 provided between them. In contrast, in this embodiment, there is no intermediate partition wall 16 that divides the space in the processing block 3 into upper and lower parts, and instead there is a central partition wall 18 that divides the space in the processing block 3 horizontally.

The central partition 18 divides the space in the processing block 3 into left and right sections in a front view in the first horizontal direction X from the carrier holding section 25 side. The central partition 18 is a flat partition extending along the first horizontal direction X and the up-down direction Z near the center of the processing block 3 in the second horizontal direction Y (left-right direction). The central partition 18 forms a first processing block B1 arranged on one side thereof and a second processing block B2 arranged on the other side thereof. That is, the first processing block B1 and the second processing block B2 are arranged to the sides of each other. The multiple processing units 11L-43U provided in the processing block 3 are divided into a first processing unit group G1 included in the first processing block B1 and a second processing unit group G2 included in the second processing block B2. The arrangement of the multiple processing units 11L-43U is similar to that of the first embodiment, so in FIG. 15, the multiple processing units 11L-43U are given the same reference symbols as in FIG. 1. The first processing unit group G1 is composed of multiple processing units 11L, 12L, 13L, 11U, 12U, 13U; 21L, 22L, 23L, 21U, 22U, 23U that form the first tower T1 and the second tower T2. The second processing unit group G2 is composed of multiple processing units 31L, 32L, 33L, 31U, 32U, 33U; 41L, 42L, 43L, 41U, 42U, 43U that form the third tower T3 and the fourth tower T4.

A first main transport robot 8A is provided on one side of the central partition 18 in correspondence with the first processing unit group G1. The first main transport robot 8A operates in a first transport space 53A partitioned between the central partition 18 and the first processing unit group G1, whereby the product substrate W and the dummy substrate DW are transported through the first transport space 53A. Similarly, a second main transport robot 8B is provided on the other side of the central partition 18 in correspondence with the second processing unit group G2. The second main transport robot 8B operates in a second transport space 53B partitioned between the central partition 18 and the second processing unit group G2, whereby the product substrate W and the dummy substrate DW are transported through the second transport space 53B. The configurations of the first main transport robot 8A and the second main transport robot 8B are substantially the same as those in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 13, and therefore the same reference numerals are used for the corresponding components, and the description thereof is omitted. However, in this embodiment, the support pillar 83 that guides the vertical movement is fixed to the central partition wall 18.

Furthermore, a first substrate placement section 6A is provided at the end of the first transfer space 53A adjacent to the indexer block 2 in correspondence with the first processing unit group G1. Furthermore, a first dummy substrate accommodation section 7A is arranged above and/or below the first substrate placement section 6A so as to overlap in part or in whole with the first substrate placement section 6A in plan view. Similarly, a second substrate placement section 6B is provided at the end of the second transfer space 53B adjacent to the indexer block 2 in correspondence with the second processing unit group G2. Furthermore, a second dummy substrate accommodation section 7B is arranged above and/or below the second substrate placement section 6B so as to overlap in part or in whole with the second substrate placement section 6B in plan view.

The first main transport robot 8A can access the multiple processing units constituting the first processing unit group G1, the first substrate placement part 6A, and the first dummy substrate accommodation part 7A. As a result, the first main transport robot 8A transports the product substrate W between the multiple processing units constituting the first processing unit group G1 and the first substrate placement part 6A. The first main transport robot 8A also transports the dummy substrate DW between the multiple processing units constituting the first processing unit group G1, the first substrate placement part 6A, and the first dummy substrate accommodation part 7A. In this embodiment, the first main transport robot 8A cannot access any of the second processing unit group G2, the second substrate placement part 6B, and the second dummy substrate accommodation part 7B.

Similarly, the second main transport robot 8B can access the multiple processing units constituting the second processing unit group G2, the second substrate placement part 6B, and the second dummy substrate accommodation part 7B. As a result, the second main transport robot 8B transports the product substrate W between the multiple processing units constituting the second processing unit group G2 and the second substrate placement part 6B. The second main transport robot 8B also transports the dummy substrate DW between the multiple processing units constituting the second processing unit group G2, the second substrate placement part 6B, and the second dummy substrate accommodation part 7B. In this embodiment, the second main transport robot 8B cannot access any of the first processing unit group G1, the first substrate placement part 6A, and the first dummy substrate accommodation part 7A.

The indexer robot 26 can access the carriers C, DC held by the carrier holding section 25, the first substrate placement section 6A, and the second substrate placement section 6B, and transports the product substrates W and dummy substrates DW between them. In this embodiment, the indexer robot 26 cannot access either the first dummy substrate accommodation section 7A or the second dummy substrate accommodation section 7B. Of course, the indexer robot 26 cannot access the first processing unit group G1 or the second processing unit group G2 either.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1 having such a configuration, a first status 141 and a second status 142 can be set for the first processing block B1 and the second processing block B2 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Then, when the status of one of the processing blocks transitions from a possible mode to a prohibited mode, the transport schedule for the substrate W planned to be loaded into that processing block in the prohibited mode is discarded, and a new transport schedule for loading the substrate W into the other processing block in the possible mode is created. This allows the processing of the substrate W to continue by utilizing the processing block in the possible mode.

This fourth embodiment may be modified according to the second embodiment (see FIG. 13) described above, and instead of the first substrate placement portion 6A and the second substrate placement portion 6B, a substrate placement portion that is commonly accessible by the indexer robot 26, the first main transport robot 8A, and the second main transport robot 8B may be provided. For example, a notch may be provided in the end portion of the central partition 18 on the indexer block 2 side, and a substrate placement portion shared by the first processing unit group G1 and the second processing unit group G2 may be disposed therein.

The fourth embodiment may also be modified according to the third embodiment (see FIG. 14) described above, so that the indexer robot 26 can access the first dummy substrate accommodation unit 7A and the second dummy substrate accommodation unit 7B. This allows the indexer robot 26 to load and unload the dummy substrate DW into and from the first dummy substrate accommodation unit 7A and the second dummy substrate accommodation unit 7B without the involvement of the first main transport robot 8A and the second main transport robot 8B.

Although four embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can also be embodied in other forms. For example, in the first embodiment and the like described above, the configuration of the processing block 3 configured by stacking two processing block layers BL and BU was shown, but the processing block may be configured by stacking three or more processing block layers. In addition, in the first embodiment and the like described above, an example was shown in which each processing block layer BL, BU has a processing unit arrangement in which it is stacked in three stages, but the processing units included in each processing block layer may be stacked in two stages, or may be stacked in four or more stages, or all the processing units may be arranged in one stage. Furthermore, in the first embodiment and the like described above, an example was shown in which the processing units 11L-43U were arranged on both sides of the transport paths 51L and 51U, but the processing units may be arranged on one side of the transport paths 51L and 51U. In addition, in the first embodiment described above, two processing units are arranged along one side of the transport paths 51L, 51U, but one processing unit may be arranged, or three or more processing units may be arranged.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment and the like described above, the dummy substrate accommodation sections 7L, 7U of each processing block layer BL, BU are provided with the same number of dummy substrate slots DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12 as the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U, which correspond one-to-one to the processing units 11L-43L, 11U-43U. However, for example, the number of dummy substrate slots in each processing block layer BL, BU may be made less than the number of processing units, so that one dummy substrate slot corresponds to multiple processing units.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the status of the corresponding processing unit group was set to the prohibited mode on the condition that the dummy substrate DW accommodated in the dummy substrate accommodating portion 7L, 7U reached a state requiring replacement, but the status of the processing unit group may also be transitioned to the prohibited mode based on other predetermined conditions.
In addition, various design modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

C Carrier DC Dummy carrier W Substrate (product substrate)
DW dummy substrate 1 substrate processing apparatus 2 indexer block 25 carrier holder 26 indexer robot 3 processing block BL first processing block layer 11L-13L processing units 21L-23L processing units 31L-33L processing units 41L-43L processing units 6L substrate placement portion 7L dummy substrate accommodation portion DL1-DL12 dummy substrate slot 8L main transport robot 51L transport path 52L transfer space BU second processing block layer 11U-13U processing units 21U-23U processing units 31U-33U processing units 41U-43U processing units 6U substrate placement portion 7U dummy substrate accommodation portion DU1-DU12 dummy substrate slot 8U main transport robot 51U transport path 52U Transfer space B1 First processing block B2 Second processing block G1 First processing unit group G2 Second processing unit group 8A First main transport robot 8B Second main transport robot 6 Substrate placement part 6A First substrate placement part 6B Second substrate placement part 7A First dummy substrate accommodation part 7B Second dummy substrate accommodation part 110 Controller 141 First status 142 Second status 150 Host computer 300 Carrier transport mechanism

Claims (10)

a carrier holding portion that holds a carrier that houses a substrate or a dummy substrate;
a first processing unit group having a plurality of first processing units for processing a substrate and performing a process using a dummy substrate;
a second processing unit group having a plurality of second processing units for processing a substrate and performing a process using a dummy substrate;
a first dummy substrate accommodating portion for accommodating a dummy substrate;
a second dummy substrate accommodating portion for accommodating a dummy substrate;
a substrate placement section on which a substrate is placed;
a first transport unit configured to be accessible to the plurality of first processing units, the substrate mounting portion, and the first dummy substrate accommodation portion, and configured to transport a substrate between the plurality of first processing units and the substrate mounting portion and to transport a dummy substrate between the plurality of first processing units and the first dummy substrate accommodation portion;
a second transport unit configured to be accessible to the second processing units, the substrate mounting portion, and the second dummy substrate accommodation portion, and configured to transport a substrate between the second processing units and the substrate mounting portion and to transport a dummy substrate between the second processing units and the second dummy substrate accommodation portion;
a third transport unit that is accessible to the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the substrate mounting unit, and transports a substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the substrate mounting unit;
a storage unit configured to store data including a first status indicating a state of the first processing unit group and a second status indicating a state of the second processing unit group;
a schedule creation unit that creates a transport schedule for the first transport unit, the second transport unit, and the third transport unit, for transporting a substrate or a dummy substrate;
a transport control unit that controls transport of the substrate or the dummy substrate by the first transport unit, the second transport unit, and the third transport unit in accordance with a transport schedule created by the schedule creation unit,
the first status includes a prohibited mode in which neither a process on a substrate nor a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the first processing unit included in the first processing unit group, and a possible mode in which a process on a substrate and a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the first processing unit included in the first processing unit group,
the second status includes a prohibited mode in which neither a process on a substrate nor a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group, and a possible mode in which a process on a substrate and a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group,
when the first status changes from a possible mode to a prohibited mode, the schedule creation unit discards a transport schedule for a substrate planned to be transported by the first transport unit to any one of the first processing units of the first processing unit group, and creates a transport schedule for planning the substrate to be transported by the second transport unit to any one of the second processing units of the second processing unit group,
When the second status changes from a possible mode to a prohibited mode, the schedule creation unit discards a transport schedule for a substrate planned to be transported by the second transport unit to any one of the second processing units of the second processing unit group, and creates a transport schedule for the substrate to be transported by the first transport unit to any one of the first processing units of the first processing unit group. the storage unit stores usage history information of the dummy substrate accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodating unit and usage history information of the dummy substrate accommodated in the second dummy substrate accommodating unit,
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a status setting unit that determines whether or not replacement of the dummy substrates accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodating unit and the second dummy substrate accommodating unit is necessary based on the usage history information stored in the memory unit, and sets the first status to a prohibited mode when it is determined that replacement of the dummy substrate accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodating unit is necessary, and sets the second status to a prohibited mode when it is determined that replacement of the dummy substrate accommodated in the second dummy substrate accommodating unit is necessary. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the schedule creation unit creates a transport schedule for transporting a dummy substrate by the first transport unit and the third transport unit between a carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the first dummy substrate accommodation unit when the first processing unit group is in the prohibited mode, and for transporting a dummy substrate by the second transport unit and the third transport unit between a carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the second dummy substrate accommodation unit when the second processing unit group is in the prohibited mode. the substrate placement part includes a first substrate placement part accessible to the first transport unit and the third transport unit, and a second substrate placement part accessible to the second transport unit and the third transport unit,
the first transport unit transports a substrate between the plurality of first processing units and the first substrate mounting part, and transports a dummy substrate between the plurality of first processing units, the first substrate mounting part, and the first dummy substrate accommodation part;
the second transport unit transports a substrate between the second processing units and the second substrate mounting part, and transports a dummy substrate between the second processing units, the second substrate mounting part, and the second dummy substrate accommodation part;
The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the third transport unit transports a substrate and a dummy substrate between a carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the first substrate mounting portion, and transports a substrate and a dummy substrate between a carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the second substrate mounting portion. the third transport unit is configured to be accessible to the first dummy substrate accommodating portion and the second dummy substrate accommodating portion,
3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the schedule creation unit creates a transport schedule for transporting a dummy substrate by the third transport unit between a carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the first dummy substrate accommodating unit when the first processing unit group is in a prohibited mode, and for transporting a dummy substrate by the third transport unit between a carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the second dummy substrate accommodating unit when the second processing unit group is in a prohibited mode. a first processing block layer and a second processing block layer located above the first processing block layer,
the first processing unit group is disposed on the first processing block layer,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second processing unit group is arranged on the second processing block layer. a first processing block and a second processing block located to one side of the first processing block,
the first processing unit group is disposed in the first processing block;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second processing unit group is arranged in the second processing block section. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first dummy substrate accommodation section and the second dummy substrate accommodation section overlap with the substrate placement section in a plan view. transporting substrates between a plurality of first processing units belonging to a first processing unit group and the substrate mounting part by a first transport unit in accordance with a transport schedule;
processing the substrate transferred by the first transfer unit in the first processing unit;
transporting a dummy substrate between the first processing units and a first dummy substrate accommodation unit by the first transport unit in accordance with the transport schedule;
performing a dummy process in the first processing unit using a dummy substrate transported by the first transport unit;
transporting the substrate between a plurality of second processing units belonging to a second processing unit group and the substrate mounting part by a second transport unit in accordance with the transport schedule;
processing the substrate transferred by the second transfer unit in the second processing unit;
transporting a dummy substrate between the second processing units and a second dummy substrate accommodation unit by the second transport unit in accordance with the transport schedule;
performing a dummy process in the second processing unit using a dummy substrate transported by the second transport unit;
transporting a substrate between a carrier held by a carrier holding part and the substrate mounting part by a third transport unit in accordance with the transport schedule;
setting a first status for the first processing unit group, the first status including a prohibited mode in which neither a process on a substrate nor a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the first processing unit included in the first processing unit group, and a permitted mode in which the first processing unit included in the first processing unit group can perform a process on a substrate and a process using a dummy substrate;
setting a second status for the second processing unit group, the second status including a prohibited mode in which neither a process on a substrate nor a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group, and a permitted mode in which a process on a substrate and a process using a dummy substrate can be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group;
when the first status changes from the enabled mode to the disabled mode, discarding a transport schedule for a substrate planned to be transported by the first transport unit to any one of the first processing units of the first processing unit group, and creating the transport schedule so that the substrate is transported by the second transport unit to any one of the second processing units of the second processing unit group;
when the second status changes from the enabled mode to the disabled mode, discarding a transport schedule for a substrate planned to be transported by the second transport unit to any one of the second processing units of the second processing unit group, and creating the transport schedule so that the substrate is transported by the first transport unit to any one of the first processing units of the first processing unit group;
A method for processing a substrate, comprising: The step of setting the first status includes determining whether or not replacement of the dummy substrate accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodating section is necessary based on usage history information of the dummy substrate accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodating section, and setting the first status to a prohibited mode when it is determined that replacement of the dummy substrate accommodated in the first dummy substrate accommodating section is necessary;
10. The substrate processing method according to claim 9, wherein the step of setting the second status determines whether or not the dummy substrate accommodated in the second dummy substrate accommodating section needs to be replaced based on usage history information of the dummy substrate accommodated in the second dummy substrate accommodating section, and sets the second status to a prohibited mode when it is determined that the dummy substrate accommodated in the second dummy substrate accommodating section needs to be replaced.

Images