JP3938436B2 - Substrate transfer apparatus and substrate processing apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for photomask, a glass substrate for liquid crystal display, a substrate for optical disk (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”), and substrate processing using the same. Relates to the device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a substrate transfer device that transfers substrates between a plurality of carriers includes a batch type substrate transfer device that transfers a plurality of substrates at once, and a single wafer transfer method that transfers substrates one by one. The substrate transfer apparatus is known as the main one.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the above-described batch type substrate transfer apparatus has the following problems.
[0004]
(1) The boards cannot be rearranged.
[0005]
In the processing of the substrate after the transfer, it may be necessary to individually change the arrangement of the plurality of aligned substrates in the first carrier and rearrange them on the second carrier. However, since the batch type substrate transfer apparatus transfers the substrates all at once, the arrangement of the substrates cannot be changed.
[0006]
Further, depending on the processing after the transfer, the intervals between the substrates may have to be equal.
[0007]
For example, in the case of a substrate processing apparatus that has a first carrier and a second carrier in which a plurality of grooves for holding the substrate are provided at equal intervals, and processes the substrate at intervals arranged on the second carrier, a batch type substrate When the substrate is transferred from the first carrier to the second carrier at once by the transfer device, the following problems occur. That is, if the substrates are accommodated in the first carrier at unequal intervals, the intervals between the substrates in the second carrier also become unequal. For this reason, in the said substrate processing apparatus, it will have to process with respect to a board | substrate with the space | interval of board | substrates being unequal intervals. Then, there arises a disadvantage that the predetermined processing quality cannot be maintained.
[0008]
(2) Only one arbitrary substrate cannot be transferred.
[0009]
For example, there is a case where only one substrate is processed on a trial basis in the substrate processing apparatus. Even in such a case, the batch type substrate transfer apparatus could not transfer the substrates one by one.
[0010]
In addition, the single-wafer type substrate transfer apparatus has the following problems.
[0011]
(1) It takes time to transfer all the substrates in the first carrier.
[0012]
Since a plurality of substrates had to be transferred one by one, it took time to transfer and was inefficient.
[0013]
The present invention is intended to overcome the above-described problems in the prior art, and provides a substrate transfer apparatus capable of efficiently transferring substrates according to the number of sheets and a substrate processing apparatus using the same. With the goal.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention selectively uses a sheet holding means for holding substrates one by one and a plurality of sheet holding means for holding a plurality of substrates. A substrate transfer device comprising substrate transfer means for transferring a substrate from the first storage means storing the substrate to the second storage means, wherein the substrate transfer means includes a plurality of single wafer holding means and a substrate A plurality of single-wafer holding means having a plurality of types of holding states with different contact positions; and a substrate transport mechanism for transferring a substrate, wherein the plurality of single-wafer holding means A first sheet holding means for holding and a second sheet holding means for holding the processed substrate, wherein the plurality of sheet holding means includes a first holding state for holding an unprocessed substrate; A second holding state for holding the processed substrate; In a posture in which each substrate mounting surface of the plurality of sheet holding means and the plurality of sheet holding means is vertical, A holding means exchanging unit for placing the plurality of sheet holding means and the plurality of sheet holding means is further provided.
[0016]
Further, the claims of the present invention 2 The device according to claim 1 The holding means exchanging unit arranges a plurality of single wafer holding means in parallel in the horizontal direction.
[0017]
Further, the claims of the present invention 3 The apparatus according to claim 1. Or claim 2 The substrate transfer apparatus according to 1), further comprising a plurality of sheet holding means or a suction means for sucking particles generated by attaching / detaching the plurality of sheet holding means.
[0018]
Further, the claims of the present invention 4 The device according to claim 1 is a claim. 3 And a substrate processing unit that performs a process using a processing liquid on the substrate or a heat treatment for heating or cooling the substrate.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0021]
<1. First Embodiment>
<< 1-1. Outline of the device >>
1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3 are diagrams showing a substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, and the outline of the apparatus will be described with reference to these drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a partial configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a partial configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 as seen from the direction of the arrow AP (see FIG. 2). In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, three-dimensional coordinates including the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis are defined. Further, the surface pointed by the arrow FA in FIG. 1 is the front surface of the substrate processing apparatus 1.
[0022]
As shown in these drawings, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a carrier placement unit 100, a horizontal transfer robot 200, a hand exchange unit 270, a posture changing mechanism 300, a pusher 400, a transport mechanism 500, a substrate processing unit 600, and a control unit. CL is provided. Note that the combination of the horizontal transfer robot 200 and the hand exchanging unit 270 forms the substrate transfer unit WT.
[0023]
A carrier C that stores a plurality of substrates W is mounted on the carrier mounting unit 100, and the substrate W stored in the carrier C is carried into and out of the substrate processing apparatus 1. At this time, the plurality of substrates W are held in a horizontal posture in the carrier C.
[0024]
The horizontal transfer robot 200 is an articulated substrate transfer robot, and includes a horizontal rotation unit 210 communicating with the inside of the base 205, a first arm 215 attached to one end of the horizontal rotation unit 210, and a first arm. 215, the second arm 220 having one end connected to the other end, the third arm 225 connected to the other end of the second arm 220, and the batch hand 250 that can be attached to and removed from the other end of the third arm 225, A single-wafer hand 260a, 260b (hereinafter collectively referred to as “hand” when these batch hand 250 and single-wafer hand 260a, 260b are collectively referred to) is driven by an internal drive mechanism (not shown) as follows. The
[0025]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the horizontal rotation unit 210 can be rotated (turned) at an arbitrary angle in a substantially horizontal plane around the rotation axis A <b> 1 at the connection portion with the base 205. Further, the first arm 215 is around the rotation axis A2 at the connection portion with the horizontal rotation portion 210, the second arm 220 is around the rotation axis A3 at the connection portion with the first arm 215, and the third arm 225 is Each of the connecting portions with the second arm 220 can rotate at an arbitrary angle within a predetermined range in the XZ plane around the rotation axis A4. Further, by such a mechanism, the horizontal transfer robot 200 holds the substrate W with the hand while holding any one of the batch hand 250 and the single wafer hands 260a and 260b on the third arm 225. The substrate W is movable between the carrier C placed on the carrier platform 100 and the posture changing mechanism 300, and the substrate in the posture changing mechanism 300 is movable within a three-dimensional space. W is transferred.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 2, the hand exchanging unit 270 includes three hand holders 272a to 272c described later on a rotation table 271 that can be rotated in a horizontal plane around the rotation axis A5. Each of the hand holders 272a to 272c can hold the batch hand 250 and the single-wafer hands 260a and 260b, respectively. The hand holders 272a to 272c holding the hand can be positioned at the hand replacement position HT. Further, an air duct 273 is provided at a position adjacent to the horizontal transfer robot 200 side (Y-axis positive side) of the hand replacement position HT of the hand replacement unit 270 (see also FIGS. 11 and 12). Particles generated by attaching and detaching the hand in the HT are sucked and removed outside the facility.
[0027]
The posture changing mechanism 300 includes a support base 305, a base 310, a rotating base 320, a pair of first holding mechanisms 330 and a pair of second holding mechanisms 340 for holding a substrate, a first alignment device 350, and a second alignment device. 360. The turntable 320 can rotate about the axis A30 in the direction indicated by the arrow AR30 (see FIG. 3), and takes a posture P1 indicated by a solid line and a posture P2 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It is possible. Further, the first holding mechanism 330 and the second holding mechanism 340 rotate in conjunction with the turntable 320. Therefore, by rotating the turntable 320, the posture conversion mechanism 300 converts the postures of the plurality of substrates W held by the first holding mechanism 330 and the second holding mechanism 340 between a horizontal posture and a vertical posture. Specifically, a plurality or one substrate simultaneously taken out from the carrier C by the horizontal transfer robot 200 is received in the posture P1 (see FIG. 3), and the rotating table 320 is rotated 90 degrees around the axis A30. By rotating to the posture P2 (see FIG. 3), the plurality of substrates W are converted into a vertical posture.
[0028]
The pusher 400 includes a base 410, a Y direction movable part 420, a Z direction movable part 430, and a holder 440. The Y-direction movable unit 420 is driven by a motor, a ball screw, a rail, or the like (not shown) provided on the base 410, and linearly moves in a predetermined range in the horizontal direction (Y direction) with respect to the base 410 as indicated by an arrow AR42. The Z direction movable portion 430 is driven by a motor, a ball screw, and a rail (not shown) provided in the Y direction movable portion 420, and is in a predetermined range in the vertical direction (Z direction) with respect to the Y direction movable portion 420 as indicated by an arrow AR40. Make a linear motion. The holder 440 is provided on the upper part of the Z-direction movable unit 430, can hold the substrate in a vertical posture, and can take postures P3 and P4 by the vertical movement of the Z-direction movable unit 430. By using such a mechanism, the pusher 400 can transport a plurality of substrates W in a vertical posture between the posture changing mechanism 300 and the transport mechanism 500. Further, the pusher 400 can transfer a plurality of substrates W in a vertical posture between the posture changing mechanism 300 and the transport mechanism 500 by the vertical movement thereof.
[0029]
The transport mechanism 500 includes a transport robot 510 that can move horizontally and move up and down. Further, the transport mechanism 500 includes a pair of clamping mechanisms 520 for clamping a plurality of substrates W in a vertical posture. Each of the clamping mechanisms 520 has support parts 522 and 524, and each of the support parts 522 and 524 has a plurality of grooves GV for supporting a plurality of substrates. The clamping mechanism 520 can support the substrate W or release the support of the substrate W by rotating in the direction of the arrow AR in the figure. The transport mechanism 500 having such a configuration exchanges substrates with the pusher 400. Further, as will be described later, the substrate can be exchanged between the lifter 550 and the lifter 560 provided in the substrate processing unit 600. The transport mechanism 500 transports or transfers the substrate before processing, during processing, and after processing from one place to another.
[0030]
The substrate processing unit 600 includes a transport mechanism water washing processing unit 610 having cleaning tanks 612a and 612b for cleaning the pair of clamping mechanisms 520, a chemical processing unit 620 and 640 having a chemical tank CB for storing chemicals, and pure water. The water-washing processing units 630 and 650 having the water-washing tank WB for storing the water and the drying processing unit 660 are provided. Although the transport mechanism rinsing processing unit 610 does not strictly process the substrate, it is handled as one of the substrate processing units 600 for performing processing associated with the substrate processing for convenience.
[0031]
The plurality of processing units are linearly arranged in the X-axis direction, and the above-described transport mechanism 500 is provided on the side of the linear array. The transport mechanism 500 can move in a linear arrangement direction, and transports a substrate between the processing units as described above.
[0032]
Further, a lifter 550 is disposed on the rear side of the chemical solution processing unit 620 and the water washing processing unit 630. The lifter 550 can move up and down (Z direction) and traverse (X direction), so that the substrate received from the transport mechanism 500 is immersed in the chemical bath CB of the chemical treatment section 620, or the water washing tank WB of the washing section 630. Or soak in. Similarly, a lifter 560 is disposed on the rear side of the chemical solution processing unit 640 and the water washing processing unit 650. The lifter 560 can move up and down (Z direction) and traverse (X direction), so that the substrate received from the transport mechanism 500 is immersed in the chemical bath CB of the chemical treatment section 640, or the washing tank WB of the water treatment section 650. Or soak in. With such a mechanism, chemical treatment and water washing treatment can be performed in these treatment units.
[0033]
The control unit CL controls the operations of the carrier mounting unit 100, the horizontal transfer robot 200, the hand exchanging unit 270, the posture changing mechanism 300, the pusher 400, the transport mechanism 500, and the substrate processing unit 600.
[0034]
With the above configuration, the substrate processing apparatus 1 takes out a plurality of unprocessed substrates W stored in the carrier C carried into the carrier platform 100 from the outside one by one or one by one, and performs substrate processing on the substrates. After performing a chemical solution process, a water washing process, and a drying process in each processing unit of the unit 600, a series of processes such as storing the processed substrate W in an empty carrier C mounted on the carrier mounting unit 100 is performed. It has become.
[0035]
<< 1-2. Main part configuration and hand replacement >>
4, 5, and 6 are a cross-sectional view, a partial vertical cross-sectional view, and a vertical cross-sectional view, respectively, of the batch hand 250. 4 is a BB sectional view in FIG. 6, and FIG. 6 is an AA sectional view in FIG. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the batch hand 250 enters between the substrates held by the carrier C. Hereinafter, the mechanical configuration of the batch hand 250 will be described.
[0036]
The batch hand 250 mainly includes a base 251 and a hand laminated body 252.
[0037]
A hand side attachment HA, which will be described later, is attached to the lower surface of the base 251.
[0038]
Each of the hand laminated bodies 252 includes hand element groups 252a and 252b provided in a state in which a plurality of sets of ceramic hand elements 253a and 253b arranged in parallel in a substantially horizontal direction are stacked in the vertical direction. The hand element groups 252a and 252b are also provided apart from each other in the substantially horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the number of hand elements 253a and 253b included in each of the hand element groups 252a and 252b is the same as the number of substrates W that can be stored in the carrier C, and the hand elements 253a. , 253b in the stacking direction is the same as the arrangement interval of the substrate support grooves in the carrier C or the like. However, in FIG. 5, only a part of the hand element 253b is provided with a reference symbol.
[0039]
Each of the hand element groups 252a and 252b is connected to two rods 254a, 255a and 254b, 255b provided through the base 251. The rods 254a, 255a, 254b, 255b are connected to the base 251. It is slidable with respect to the base portion 251 by a linear motion guide 256 provided in the interior of the.
[0040]
Further, as shown in FIG. 6, air cylinders 257a and 257b are provided in the base 251 so as to be back to back so that the directions of the drive rods DRa and DRb are opposite to each other. Hand element groups 252a and 252b are attached to the front ends of the drive rods DRa and DRb of the air cylinders 257a and 257b, respectively, outside the base 251. The two hand element groups 252a and 252b can be brought close to and separated from each other, that is, can be opened and closed relatively by driving the air cylinders 257a and 257b under the control of the controller CL.
[0041]
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate guides 258a and 258b of the batch hand 250. Each of the hand elements 253a and 253b is provided with substrate guides 258a and 258b made of fluororesin, particularly Teflon (registered trademark), near the end on the base 251 side and near the other end. The substrate guides 258a and 258b have a circular shape (see FIG. 4) in plan view, and further have a central portion that protrudes slightly upward in a circular shape and an inclined surface IS that gradually decreases outward in the periphery. Yes.
[0042]
As shown in FIG. 4, when the position of the substrate W when supported by the substrate guides 258a and 258b is set as the support position SP, the substrate guides 258a and 258b are located at the support position SP and are substantially circular substrates W. The substrate guide 258a is disposed on the outer side and the substrate guide 258b is disposed on the inner side relative to the substrate center CW. More specifically, when both hand element groups 252a and 252b are opened (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4), the inclined surface IS of each of the four substrate guides 258b is at the edge of the substrate W at the support position SP. In a state in which both hand element groups 252a and 252b are closed (shown by a solid line in FIG. 4), the inclined surface IS of the substrate guide 258a is located on the corresponding same circumference (outer periphery of the substrate W). It arrange | positions so that it may be located on the same periphery (board | substrate W outer periphery).
[0043]
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the substrate guide 258a provided on the outside is formed slightly higher than the uppermost portion of the substrate guide 258b provided on the inside. Accordingly, when the substrate W is supported by the hand elements 253a and 253b with the hand element groups 252a and 252b opened, the side closer to the substrate center CW of the inclined surface IS of each of the four low substrate guides 258b (the substrate W). ), The substrate W is supported, and the substrate W does not contact the outer substrate guide 258a.
[0044]
On the other hand, when the hand element groups 252a and 252b are supported in a closed state, the edge portion of the substrate W abuts on the side closer to the substrate center CW of the inclined surface IS of each of the four high substrate guides 258a. The substrate W is supported, and the support height of the substrate W is higher than the low substrate guide 258b as shown in FIG. 7, so that the substrate W does not contact them.
[0045]
8 and 9 are a plan view and a side view of the single wafer hand 260a (260b), respectively. The single wafer hand 260a has a long support plate 262 provided with a notch 262n at the tip of the base 261. The support plate 262 includes four substrate guides 262a to 262d, which are the same as the substrate guides 268a and 268b of the batch hand 250, and all have the same height. Each of the four substrate guides 262a to 262d is disposed so that the inclined surface IS is located on the same circumference (outer periphery of the substrate W) corresponding to the edge of the substrate W at the support position. The substrate W is supported by IS.
[0046]
The single wafer hand 260b has the same structure as the single wafer hand 260a.
[0047]
FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the structure of the robot side attachment portion RA and the hand side attachment portion HA and their attachment / detachment in the first embodiment. Each hand is provided with a hand side attachment HA on the lower surface of the bases 251 and 261 as a connecting means between each hand and the horizontal transfer robot 200, and the horizontal transfer robot 200 is connected to the third arm 225 on the robot side attachment RA. It has. Each hand is connected to or separated from the horizontal transfer robot 200 by an attachment / detachment mechanism between the robot side attachment portion RA and the hand side attachment portion HA and an attachment / detachment operation described below.
[0048]
As shown in FIG. 10 (a), the hand side attachment portion HA includes four open / close ports HAb (two of which are not shown) protruding from the peripheral surface of the substantially cylindrical cylinder portion HAa. . Each open / close port HAb is connected to an air supply pipe HAc, which is connected to the air cylinders 257a and 257b. In addition, an air intake port HAab that communicates with each of the fitting opening HAaa and the four opening / closing ports HAb is provided on the surface of the hand side attachment portion HA that is not connected to the hand (the lower side in the figure). Further, an engagement groove HAac is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder portion HAa of the hand side attachment portion HA.
[0049]
Similarly, the robot side attachment portion RA includes a wear port RAb and a removal port RAc each having an air supply pipe RAe around the main body RAa, and four opening / closing ports RAd (two of which are not shown). ing.
[0050]
In addition, the robot side attachment portion RA is provided with an insertion portion RAf that is inserted into the insertion opening HAaa of the hand side attachment portion HA, and the insertion portion RAf is provided in each of the four protrusions RAfh provided on the side surface thereof. Is provided with an engagement ball RAg. The engagement ball RAg is formed larger than the diameter of the projection port RAfh, and a part of the engagement ball RAg is exposed from the projection port RAfh. And it advances / retreats with respect to the protrusion RAfh by the presence or absence of the press by the below-mentioned press shaft RAh.
[0051]
A press shaft RAh that presses the engagement ball RAg from the inside or releases the press is provided inside the fitting portion RAf. The pressing shaft RAh is a truncated cone-shaped member that becomes smaller as the diameter of the distal end portion becomes closer to the distal end, and is advanced and retracted in the vertical direction in FIG. FIG. 10A shows a state in which the pressing shaft RAh has moved upward in the drawing and pressed the engagement ball RAg from the inside.
[0052]
Air is supplied to the driving means for moving the pressing shaft RAh forward and backward through the wearing port RAb and the removal port RAc. When the air is supplied from the wearing port RAb and the air is not supplied to the removal port RAc, the pressing shaft RAh advances upward in the drawing to press the engagement ball RAg. On the other hand, when the air is not supplied from the wearing port RAb and the air is supplied to the removal port RAc, the pressing shaft RAh retreats downward in the drawing to release the pressing of the engaging ball RAg.
[0053]
Further, an air supply port RAaa communicating with each opening / closing port RAd is provided on the upper surface of the main body RAa around the fitting portion RAf.
[0054]
And each said air supply pipe RAe is connected with the air supply means (not shown) through the solenoid valve controlled by the control part CL.
[0055]
When the horizontal transfer robot 200 attaches a hand by the hand side attachment portion HA and the robot side attachment portion RA having such a configuration, air is not supplied to the wearing port RAb in advance, and the air is supplied to the removal port RAc. After the insertion portion RAf of the robot side attachment portion RA is inserted into the insertion port HAaa of the hand side attachment portion HA, the supply of air to the removal port RAc is stopped and the wear port RAb is supplied. By supplying air, the engaging ball RAg and the engaging groove HAac are engaged with each other, and both are connected as shown in FIG.
[0056]
Conversely, when removing the hand, after the supply of air to the wearing port RAb is stopped, the engagement ball RAg and the engagement groove HAac are separated by supplying air to the removal port RAc, and the robot side attachment The hand can be removed by taking out the insertion portion RAf of the portion RA from the insertion opening HAaa of the hand side attachment portion HA.
[0057]
In addition, when the hand side attachment part HA of the batch hand 250 and the robot side attachment part RA of the horizontal transfer robot 200 are connected, the air intake port and the air supply port are completely connected. The air supplied from the robot side attachment portion RA flows into the hand side attachment portion HA and is supplied to the air cylinders 257a and 257b through the opening / closing port HAb at a predetermined timing, whereby the hand element 253a. , 253b perform opening and closing operations.
[0058]
Further, since the single-wafer hands 260a and 260b have no movable parts such as the hand elements 253a and 253b of the batch hand 250, the open / close port HAb is not connected to the air supply pipe HAc of the batch hand 250. However, the attachment and detachment mechanism and operation are the same as those of the batch hand 250.
[0059]
In the drawings other than FIG. 10, the details of the hand side attachment portion HA and the robot side attachment portion RA of each hand are omitted.
[0060]
11 and 12 are diagrams for explaining hand exchange in the horizontal transfer robot 200. FIG. The horizontal transfer robot 200 can be exchanged by attaching and detaching the hand by the mechanism as described above. The specific operation for exchanging the hand is as follows.
[0061]
An example of attachment of the batch hand 250 shown in FIG. 11 will be described. First, in a state where the batch hand 250 is held in advance by the hand holder 272a, the hand holder 272a is positioned at the hand replacement position HT. In this state, the horizontal transfer robot 200 moves the robot side attachment portion RA closer to the hand holder 272a as indicated by an arrow AA1, and the insertion portion RAf of the robot side attachment portion RA is changed to the hand side attachment portion HA of the batch hand 250. The fitting port HAaa is inserted and air is supplied to the wearing port RAb so that the two are not separated from each other. Thereafter, the third arm 225 is raised as indicated by an arrow AA2, and the batch hand 250 is taken out from the hand holder 272a. And the 1st arm 215 is rotated like arrow AA3, and the delivery operation | movement of the board | substrate W with respect to the carrier C or the attitude | position conversion mechanism 300 is performed.
[0062]
Conversely, when removing the hand from the horizontal transfer robot 200, the arms are driven in the reverse order to store the batch hand 250 in the hand holder 272a, and then the supply of air to the wearing port RAb is stopped, and the hand is removed. After the supply of air to the port RAc is started, the robot side attachment portion RA and the hand side attachment portion HA are separated from each other, and then the third arm 225 is moved backward as indicated by an arrow AA4 to move the batch hand 250. Remove.
[0063]
Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the attachment and detachment of the single-wafer hands 260a and 260b is performed in exactly the same manner as the attachment and detachment of the batch hand 250 described above.
[0064]
Furthermore, when the batch hand 250 is removed and the single-wafer hand 260a or 260b is attached as an example of hand exchange, it is performed as follows.
[0065]
First, the batch hand 250 is placed in the hand holder 272a and removed from the horizontal transfer robot 200 in the same manner as described above. Then, the hand holder 272b or 272c holding the single-wafer hand 260a or 260b is positioned at the hand replacement position HT by rotating the rotation table 271 of the hand replacement unit 270 about the rotation axis A5. Then, the single wafer hand 260a or 260b is attached to the horizontal transfer robot 200 in the same manner as described above.
[0066]
Note that such hand exchange can be performed in the same manner in exchange of any different hand among the batch hand 250 and the single-wafer hands 260a and 260b.
[0067]
In addition, at the hand replacement position HT, the surface where the robot side attachment portion RA and the hand side attachment portion HA are in contact is parallel to the vertical direction. For this reason, when the robot side attachment portion RA and the hand side attachment portion HA come in contact with each other, the particles generated from the contact portion fall without being scattered in the horizontal direction and are sucked into the air duct 273. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the particles from being scattered and adhering to the substrate W to contaminate the substrate W.
[0068]
The horizontal transfer robot 200 as described above removes the unprocessed substrates W from the carrier C one by one while exchanging the hands and passes them to the posture changing mechanism 300, or conversely, a plurality of pieces from the posture changing mechanism 300. Alternatively, the substrates W are transferred such that the processed substrates W are taken out one by one and stored in the carrier C.
[0069]
By the way, the substrate W transferred from the carrier C to the posture changing mechanism 300 is an unprocessed substrate W having a low cleanness, and conversely, the substrate W transferred from the posture changing mechanism 300 to the carrier C is processed by the substrate processing unit 600. Is a processed substrate W with a high degree of cleanliness that should be free of contamination as much as possible. Therefore, in this apparatus, the contact between the substrate W and the hand is different between the case where the unprocessed substrate W is held and the case where the processed substrate W is held as described below.
[0070]
As shown in the example of FIG. 5, when the substrates W are transferred by the batch hand 250, the hand elements 253 a and 253 b are interposed between the carriers C of the carrier platform 100 or the substrates W held by the attitude changing mechanism 300. After each set is inserted, the elevating shaft 220 of the horizontal transfer robot 200 slightly rises and supports the substrate W by picking up the substrate W, and the substrate W is placed between the carrier C and the posture changing mechanism 300. W is transported. At that time, as in the case of transporting an unprocessed substrate W, such as transport from the carrier C to the posture changing mechanism 300, and as transporting from the posture converting mechanism 300 to the carrier C, When the processed substrate W is transported, the open / close state of the hand element groups 252a and 252b is changed to make the substrate guides 258a and 258b contacting the substrate W different. That is, when the unprocessed substrate W is transported from the carrier platform 100 to the posture changing mechanism 300, the substrate guide 258a is brought into contact with the substrate W by closing the hand element groups 252a and 252b. In contrast, when the processed substrate W is transported from the posture changing mechanism 300 to the carrier platform 100, the substrate guide 258b is brought into contact with the substrate W by opening the hand element groups 252a and 252b. For example, contact and support it. Thereby, it is possible to suppress cross contamination in which contaminants such as particles adhering to the unprocessed substrate W adhere to the processed substrate W via the hand and are contaminated.
[0071]
Note that the open / closed state of the hand element groups 252a and 252b when the unprocessed substrate W or the processed substrate W is supported may be reversed. That is, the unprocessed substrate W is supported and transported by the substrate guide 258b in the state where the hand element groups 252a and 252b are open, and the processed substrate W is supported and transported by the substrate guide 258a in the closed state. It may be a thing.
[0072]
Further, when transferring the unprocessed substrates W one by one, the single wafer hand 260a is attached to the horizontal transfer robot 200, and the unprocessed substrates W are taken out from the carrier C one by one to the posture changing mechanism 300. hand over. Conversely, when transferring the processed substrate W, the single wafer hand 260b is attached to the horizontal transfer robot 200, and the processed substrates W are taken out from the posture changing mechanism 300 one by one and stored in the carrier C.
[0073]
As described above, even when transferring the substrates W one by one, the sheet attached to the horizontal transfer robot 200 when transferring the unprocessed substrate W and when transferring the processed substrate W. The occurrence of cross-contamination is suppressed by using different hands.
[0074]
The single-wafer hand 260a for transferring the unprocessed substrate W and the single-wafer hand 260b for transferring the processed substrate W may be used in reverse. That is, the unprocessed substrate W may be transferred by the single wafer hand 260b, and the processed substrate W may be transferred by the single wafer hand 260a.
[0075]
FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining the rearrangement of the substrates W. FIG. 13A is a view of the carrier C as viewed from the X-axis positive direction toward the negative direction, and FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating the first holding mechanisms 330 and 330 of the attitude changing mechanism 300 from the Y-axis negative direction to the positive direction. FIG. For convenience of explanation, there are seven positions for holding the substrate W included in the carrier C and the first holding mechanisms 330 and 330 shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b).
[0076]
In FIG. 13A, the carrier C has seven positions Pc1 to Pc7 for accommodating the substrate. In addition to the position Pc2 and the position Pc6, there are five substrates W1 to W5.
[0077]
As shown in FIG. 13B, the first holding mechanisms 330 and 330 also have a position Ph1 to a position Ph7 for accommodating the substrates in order from the top.
[0078]
By the way, when the substrates are processed in the substrate processing unit 600, if the intervals between the substrates W1 to W5 are not uniform, it becomes difficult to perform the processing equally on all the substrates, and it becomes impossible to ensure the uniformity of the processing. End up. For this reason, the intervals between the substrates W1 to W5 need to be equal.
[0079]
Here, the single-wafer hand 260a is attached to the horizontal transfer robot 200, and the substrates W1 to W5 in the carrier are sequentially extracted one by one, and are sequentially accommodated in the positions Ph1 to Ph7 of the first holding mechanisms 330 and 330. I will do it. At this time, the intervals between the substrates W1 to W5 can be made equal by accommodating the positions Ph1 to Ph7 without accommodating the positions where the substrates are not accommodated. FIG. 13B shows a state where the first holding mechanisms 330 and 330 accommodate the substrates W1 to W5 at equal intervals. Thereafter, since the substrate processing unit 600 performs processing on the substrates W1 to W5 rearranged at equal intervals, all the substrates W1 to W5 can be processed equally, and processing uniformity can be ensured.
[0080]
In this case, since the substrates W1 to W5 are unprocessed, the horizontal transfer robot 200 is equipped with a single wafer hand 260a.
[0081]
In the above case, the sheets are transferred one by one by the single-wafer hand 260a, but may be as follows.
[0082]
First, the batch hand 250 is mounted on the horizontal transfer robot 200, and the substrate W 1 to the substrate W 5 are transferred collectively from the carrier C to the first holding mechanisms 330, 330 by the batch hand 250. Thus, the substrates W1 to W5 are accommodated in the positions Ph1, Position Ph3 to Position Ph5, and Position Ph7 of the first holding mechanisms 330 and 330, respectively. (Positions Ph2 and Ph6 do not contain substrates.) Then, the batch hand 250 mounted on the horizontal transfer robot 200 is replaced with a single-wafer hand 260a, and the substrate W5 at the position Ph7 is transferred to the position Ph2. To do. By so doing, the intervals between the substrates W1 to W5 can be made equal as shown in FIG.
[0083]
The following may be used. That is, first, the single wafer hand 260a is used to transfer the substrate W5 at the position Pc7 in the carrier C to the position Pc2 so that the intervals between the substrates W1 to W5 are equal. The substrates W1 to W5 may be collectively transferred from C to the first holding mechanisms 330 and 330.
[0084]
Further, in a substrate processing apparatus such as this apparatus, in addition to a plurality of processing target substrates W, a check dummy substrate W for checking the substrate processing state is processed together with the processing target substrates W. There is. In this case, it is necessary to transfer only one dummy substrate W separately from the substrate W to be processed. Such transfer can also be performed by using the single wafer hands 260a and 260b.
[0085]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the substrate transport unit WT includes the single-wafer hands 260a and 260b that hold the substrates W one by one, and the batch hands 250 that hold a plurality of substrates W. In order to transfer the substrate between the carrier C accommodating the substrate W and the posture changing mechanism 300 and in the carrier C or in the posture changing mechanism 300, a plurality of substrates W are transferred at once. In addition, since the transfer can be performed one by one, transfer according to the number of target substrates W can be efficiently performed.
[0086]
In addition, since the horizontal transfer robot 200 selectively attaches and detaches the single-wafer hands 260a and 260b and the batch hand 250 to transfer the substrate W, the horizontal transfer robot 200 includes the horizontal transfer robot and the batch hand including the single-wafer hand. Since it is not necessary to provide a horizontal transfer robot separately, the occupation area of the apparatus can be reduced and the manufacturing cost of the apparatus can be suppressed.
[0087]
Further, since the two single wafer hands 260a and 260b and the one batch hand 250 having two kinds of holding states that do not contact the substrate W at the same time are provided, the case of holding one unprocessed substrate W and the case of 1 The case where the single-wafer hands 260a and 260b are different from the case where the processed substrates W are held, the case where a plurality of unprocessed substrates W are held, and the case where a plurality of processed substrates W are held. Thus, by making the holding state of the substrate W different by the batch hand 250, occurrence of cross contamination can be suppressed.
[0088]
Furthermore, according to the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, since the substrate transport unit WT and the substrate processing unit 600 are provided, a plurality of substrates W that are not aligned at equal intervals are transferred to the single wafer hand 260a, By aligning at equal intervals using 260b, the influence of the chemical solution and pure water on those substrates W can be made uniform, so that the treatment with the uniform chemical solution and pure water can be performed.
[0089]
<2. Second Embodiment>
FIG. 14 is a side view showing a partial configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the substrate transport unit WT includes one horizontal transfer robot 200 and a hand exchanging unit 270, whereas the substrate of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. The transport unit WT includes two horizontal transfer robots instead of providing a hand exchange unit. More specifically, a horizontal transfer robot 201b having a single wafer hand is provided above a horizontal transfer robot 201a having a batch hand. That is, both horizontal transfer robots 201a and 201b are provided at different heights at substantially the same position in plan view, that is, at different heights at substantially overlapping positions.
[0090]
However, since the horizontal transfer robots 201a and 201b in the second embodiment do not need to replace the hand, there is no need to remove the hand from the hand holder. Therefore, the horizontal transfer robot in the first embodiment is as follows. The mechanism is slightly different from the transfer robot 200.
[0091]
The horizontal transfer robot 201a is an articulated substrate transfer robot, and includes a lift shaft 211 communicating with the inside of the base 206, a first arm 216 having one end connected to the top end of the lift shaft 211 above the base 206, A second arm 221 having one end connected to the other end of the first arm 216 and a batch hand 259 connected to the other end of the second arm 221 are provided. It is driven like this.
[0092]
As shown in FIG. 14, the elevating shaft 211 is movable up and down in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and the first arm 216 is substantially in a horizontal plane around the rotation axis A <b> 11 at the connecting portion with the elevating shaft 211. It can be rotated (turned) at an arbitrary angle. Similarly, the second arm 221 is around the rotation axis A12 at the connection portion with the first arm 216, and the batch hand 259 is substantially in the horizontal plane around the rotation axis A13 at the connection portion with the second arm 221, respectively. It can be rotated (turned) at any angle. Further, the batch hand 259 provided in the horizontal transfer robot 201a has the same structure as the batch hand 250 in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. However, the batch hand 259 is different in that it is fixed to the second arm 221 of the horizontal transfer robot 201a.
[0093]
By such a mechanism, the horizontal transfer robot 201a can move within a three-dimensional space within a predetermined range while holding the substrate W by the batch hand 259, and the carrier is loaded as in the first embodiment. The substrate W is transported between the carrier C placed on the placement unit 100 and the posture changing mechanism 300.
[0094]
The horizontal transfer robot 201b is attached to the frame F so as to be turned upside down above the horizontal transfer robot 201a. The structure is exactly the same except that the horizontal transfer robot 201a has different hands.
[0095]
FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of a single wafer hand 269 according to the second embodiment. In the batch hand 250 of the first embodiment, the hand elements 253a and 253b are provided in multiple layers, but the single wafer hand 269 has a structure including only one of them. Accordingly, the planar configuration of the single-wafer hand 269 is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. That is, two hand elements 263 (one not shown) can be opened and closed by the air cylinder 267, and a board guide 268a and a board guide 268b having slightly different heights are provided on the upper surfaces of the hand elements 263, respectively. ing.
[0096]
Because of this structure, when the unprocessed substrate W is held by one single-wafer hand 269 and when the processed substrate W is held as in the batch hand 250 of the first embodiment. Generation of cross-contamination is suppressed by using different substrate guides 268a and 268b in contact with the substrate W. In addition, since the unprocessed substrate W and the processed substrate W can be transferred with one single wafer hand 269 in this way, the horizontal transfer robot 201b does not need to exchange hands. Therefore, the single wafer hand 269 is fixed to the second arm 221 of the horizontal transfer robot 201b.
[0097]
Further, in this apparatus, since the substrate W can be transferred by the two horizontal transfer robots 201a and 201b, the horizontal transfer robot 201b is in a state where the horizontal transfer robot 201a transfers the substrate W. It is located at the standby position WPb as shown in FIG.
[0098]
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state when the single-wafer hand 269 is used in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, when the horizontal transfer robot 201b transfers the substrate W, the horizontal transfer robot 201a stands by at a standby position WPa as shown. Thus, the horizontal transfer robots 201a and 201b are prevented from interfering with each other by being controlled by the controller CL. As described above, in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the substrate W can be transferred between the carrier C and the posture changing mechanism 300 and in the carrier C or the posture changing mechanism 300. it can.
[0099]
The configuration other than the above is the same as that of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment.
[0100]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, the substrate transport unit WT selectively selects the single-wafer hand 269 that holds the substrates W one by one and the batch hand 259 that holds a plurality of substrates W. In order to transfer the substrate between the carrier C containing the substrate W and the posture changing mechanism 300, and to rearrange the substrates in the carrier C or the posture changing mechanism 300, a plurality of substrates W are batched. Since transfer can be performed, or transfer can be performed one by one, transfer according to the number of target substrates W can be efficiently performed.
[0101]
Further, since the batch hand 250 and the single-wafer hand 269 having two types of holding states that do not contact the substrate at the same time are provided, the batch is performed when holding the unprocessed substrate W and when holding the processed substrate W. By making the holding state of the substrate W by the hand 250 different from the holding state of the substrate W by the single-wafer hand 269, occurrence of cross-contamination can be suppressed.
[0102]
Further, since the horizontal transfer robot 201b provided with the single-wafer hand 269 and the horizontal transfer robot 201a provided with the batch hand 259 are arranged at substantially the same position in plan view, the area occupied by the apparatus is reduced. be able to.
[0103]
Furthermore, according to the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment, since the substrate transport unit WT and the substrate processing unit 600 are provided, a plurality of substrates W that are not aligned at equal intervals are used by the single wafer hand 269. By aligning them at regular intervals, the influence of the chemical solution and pure water on the substrate W can be made uniform, so that the treatment with the uniform chemical solution and pure water can be performed.
[0104]
<3. Modification>
In the first and second embodiments, examples of the substrate processing apparatus have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
[0105]
For example, the horizontal transfer robot 200 of the first embodiment includes the batch hand 250 that opens and closes the hand element and supports the unprocessed substrate and the processed substrate by different substrate guides 258a and 258b. However, it has two batch hands in which a plurality of hand elements similar to the support plate 262 of the single-wafer hand 260a are stacked, and the batch hands are used when holding an unprocessed substrate and when processing a processed substrate. It may be exchanged. Also, in that case, two batch hands (for example, those having 13 hand elements and those having 25 sheets) having different numbers of stacked hand elements (ie, the number of substrates that can be held at one time) are provided. Alternatively, it may be possible to flexibly cope with a change in the number of substrates W to be transferred.
[0106]
Furthermore, it is assumed that there are three or more single-wafer hands or batch hands with one holding state, and they can be selectively attached to a horizontal transfer robot, or a single-wafer hand or batch hand that can change three or more holding states. The substrate W having three or more different substrate processing stages is held in different holding states according to the substrate processing stage, thereby suppressing the occurrence of cross-contamination between the processing stages. It is good also as what can be done.
[0107]
In the first and second embodiments, in order to suppress cross contamination, the unprocessed substrate and the processed substrate are supported by different hands or different substrate guides of the same hand. If there is no need to consider cross contamination, the single-wafer hand 260a of the first embodiment and a batch hand in which a plurality of hand elements similar to the support plate 262 are stacked one by one may be provided. Good.
[0108]
In the above embodiment, the substrate processing unit performs processing by bringing a processing solution such as a chemical solution or pure water into contact with the substrate. However, the substrate processing unit may perform a heat treatment for heating or cooling the substrate. When the present invention is applied to the substrate processing unit that performs heat treatment, the intervals between the plurality of substrates can be rearranged at equal intervals, and thus the plurality of substrates are equally subjected to the heat treatment. For this reason, uniform processing can be performed on each of the plurality of substrates.
[0109]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, claims 1 to 3 According to the invention, the substrate transfer means selectively uses the single wafer holding means for holding the substrates one by one and the multiple sheet holding means for holding the plurality of substrates, and the first accommodating means for accommodating the substrates is used. Since the substrates are transferred to the second accommodating means, a plurality of substrates can be transferred at a time or transferred one by one, so transfer according to the number of target substrates can be efficiently performed. It can be carried out.
[0110]
Claims 1 to 3 According to the invention, since the substrate transport mechanism for selectively transferring the substrate and transferring the substrate by attaching and detaching the single-wafer holding means and the multiple-sheet holding means is provided, Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a separate substrate transport mechanism with the device, so that the area occupied by the apparatus can be reduced and the manufacturing cost of the apparatus can be reduced.
[0111]
Claims 1 to 3 According to the invention, since a plurality of single-wafer holding means and a plurality of holding means having a plurality of holding states that do not contact the substrate at the same time are provided, when holding substrates of different processing stages one by one By making the sheet holding means different depending on the processing stage, and by holding the substrate holding state by the plurality of holding means different depending on the processing stage when holding a plurality of substrates having different processing stages The occurrence of cross-contamination between the processing stages can be suppressed.
[0113]
And claims 4 According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the substrate transfer part comprising the substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and the substrate processing part for performing processing using the processing liquid or heat treatment on the substrate Accordingly, a substrate processing apparatus having the same effects as in the first to fourth aspects can be provided, and a plurality of substrates that are not aligned at equal intervals are aligned at equal intervals using a single wafer holding means. By making it, the influence of the process with respect to each of a some board | substrate can be equalize | homogenized. For this reason, uniform processing can be performed on each of the plurality of substrates.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a partial configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing a partial configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the batch hand according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the batch hand according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the batch hand according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the batch hand according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the single wafer hand in the first embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a side view of the single wafer hand according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the structure and attachment / detachment of a robot-side attachment part and a hand-side attachment part.
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining hand replacement in a horizontal transfer robot.
FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining hand replacement in a horizontal transfer robot.
FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining rearrangement of substrates.
FIG. 14 is a side view showing a partial configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a single wafer hand according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a state of using the single wafer hand of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Substrate processing equipment
100 Carrier placement section
200, 201a, 201b Horizontal transfer robot
250,259 batch hand (multi-sheet holding means)
260a, 260b, 269 Single wafer hand (Single wafer holding means)
270 Hand Exchanger
300 Posture change mechanism
330 1st holding mechanism (1st accommodating means, 2nd accommodating means)
340 Second holding mechanism (first housing means, second housing means)
620,640 Chemical processing unit (substrate processing unit)
630, 650 Water washing processing section (substrate processing section)
C carrier (first accommodation means, second accommodation means)
W substrate
WT substrate transfer section

Claims (4)

A single wafer holding means for holding the substrates one by one and a plurality of holding means for holding a plurality of substrates are selectively used selectively, and the substrate is transferred from the first accommodating means accommodating the substrates to the second accommodating means. A substrate transfer apparatus comprising a substrate transfer means,
The substrate transfer means selectively attaches and detaches the plurality of single-wafer holding means and a plurality of the plurality of holding means having different holding positions with respect to the substrate to transfer the substrate. A substrate transport mechanism
The plurality of sheet holding means includes a first sheet holding means for holding an unprocessed substrate and a second sheet holding means for holding a processed substrate,
The multiple-sheet holding means has a first holding state for holding an unprocessed substrate and a second holding state for holding a processed substrate,
A holding means exchanging section for placing the plurality of single-sheet holding means and the plural-sheet holding means in a posture in which the substrate placement surfaces of the plural-sheet holding means and the plural-sheet holding means are vertical; A substrate transfer apparatus comprising the substrate transfer apparatus. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate transfer apparatus, wherein the holding means exchanging section arranges the plurality of sheet holding means in parallel in the horizontal direction. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
A substrate transfer apparatus, further comprising: a plurality of the single-wafer holding means or a suction means for sucking particles generated by the attachment / detachment of the plural-sheet holding means. A substrate transfer unit comprising the substrate transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A substrate processing unit for performing processing using a processing liquid on the substrate or heat treatment for heating or cooling the substrate;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

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