JPH1145925A - Substrate processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing device which prevents an atmosphere containing an outside air component from flowing in a processing chamber. SOLUTION: In a wafer processing device provided with a chemical treatment chamber MTC in which a treatment using chemicals is performed for a wafer W and a wash/dry processing chamber in which a treatment using pure water is performed for the wafer W, an atmosphere replacement chamber 1 is provided between an indexer chamber IDC filled with an outside air atmosphere and a transportation chamber TC filled with a gas atmosphere. In the atmosphere replacement chamber 1, an N2 gas is supplied into the chamber while the atmosphere in the chamber is discharged, thereby removing an outside air component from the atmosphere in the indexer chamber IDC, and preventing the outside air atmosphere from flowing into the chemical treatment chamber MTC, etc. Further, a chemical component is also removed from the atmosphere in the indexer chamber IDC, so that a chemical atmosphere is also prevented from flowing into the indexer chamber IDC.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing processing on various substrates to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, and a glass substrate for a PDP (plasma display panel).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a wafer processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid to a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as "wafer") to perform processing. The wafer processing apparatus stores an unprocessed wafer W and stores an processed wafer W in an indexer chamber 200.
And five processing chambers 201 for performing processing using a processing liquid (chemical solution or pure water) on the wafer W, and a transfer robot for transferring the wafer W between the indexer chamber 200 and the processing chamber 201 (Not shown) inside the transfer chamber 2
02. Each processing chamber 201 is connected to a transfer chamber 202 via a gate valve 203, and the arrangement thereof is a so-called cluster type centering on the transfer chamber 202. The indexer chamber 200 is connected to the transfer chamber 202 via a gate valve 204.

[0003] The indexer chamber 200 is provided with a cassette mounting portion 205 and an indexer robot 206. The cassette mounting unit 205 includes a load cassette 207 that can store a plurality of unprocessed wafers W and an unload cassette 2 that can store a plurality of processed wafers W.
08 are respectively mounted. The indexer robot 206 unloads unprocessed wafers W one by one from the load cassette 207 and transfers them to the transfer robot, or receives the processed wafers W from the transfer robot and transfers them to the unload cassette 208.

A load cassette 207 and an unload cassette 208 are provided on the partition wall of the indexer chamber 200 by an AGV.
An opening (not shown) is formed for setting the cassette mounting portion 205 by an (Auto Guided Vehicle) or an operator's hand, so that the indexer chamber 200 has an atmosphere containing an outside air component (hereinafter referred to as an “outside air atmosphere”). ").)

In a plurality of processing chambers 201, for example,
A processing chamber for performing a chemical treatment on the wafer W, and a rinsing / washing process in which the wafer W after the chemical treatment is rinsed with pure water and dried
A processing chamber for performing a cleaning process is included. The unprocessed wafer W is carried into the processing chamber for performing the chemical solution processing by the transfer robot, taken out by the transfer robot after the completion of the chemical solution processing, and then carried into the processing chamber for the washing / drying processing. The processing chamber 201 and the transfer chamber 202
It is filled with an atmosphere containing _two gas components, so that formation of an unintended natural oxide film can be suppressed.

The gate valves 203 and 204 prevent the outside atmosphere in the indexer chamber 200 from entering the processing chamber 201 and also prevent the chemical atmosphere from leaking from the processing chamber 201 to the indexer chamber 200. It is. That is, when an outside atmosphere enters the processing chamber 201 and the transfer chamber 202, particles adhere to the wafer W or a watermark is formed, and the wafer W
Is contaminated. Therefore, the gate valves 203 and 204
Is opened only when the wafer passes through, so that invasion of the outside atmosphere is prevented as much as possible.

When the chemical solution leaks from the processing chamber 201 to the indexer chamber 200, the chemical solution adheres to the indexer robot 206 and the wafer W, and the indexer robot 20
6 and the wafer W may be contaminated. Further, the chemical liquid atmosphere that has leaked into the indexer chamber 200 may reach the outside of the apparatus through the opening, and may contaminate the atmosphere outside the apparatus. Therefore, by opening the gate valves 203 and 204 only when passing through the wafer, it is possible to prevent the chemical atmosphere from leaking into the indexer chamber 200 as much as possible.

[0008]

However, in the above-described wafer processing apparatus, when the gate valve 204 is opened, the indexer chamber 200 and the transfer chamber 202 communicate with each other. I couldn't avoid it. When the gate valve 203 is opened, the transfer chamber 202 and the processing chamber 201 are communicated with each other.
Invading 01 was inevitable. Therefore, contamination of the wafer W cannot be avoided.

Similarly, when the gate valve 203 corresponding to the processing chamber 201 for performing the chemical processing is opened, it is impossible to prevent the chemical atmosphere from leaking into the transfer chamber 202, and the chemical atmosphere leaks into the transfer chamber 202. It was inevitable that the chemical atmosphere would leak out of the apparatus through the indexer chamber 200 when the gate valve 204 was opened. Therefore, contamination of the indexer robot 206 and the atmosphere outside the apparatus cannot be avoided.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems and to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing an atmosphere containing an outside air component from flowing into a processing chamber. Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing a chemical solution atmosphere in a processing chamber from flowing out of the apparatus.

[0011]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention According to the first aspect of the present invention, a processing liquid is supplied to a substrate to perform processing, and a processing chamber surrounded by partition walls is provided. Substrate transfer means for loading or unloading a substrate into or from the processing chamber, an atmosphere replacement chamber disposed at any position in the substrate transfer path between the outside air and the processing chamber, and surrounded by a partition, A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a replacement chamber gas supply unit for supplying gas into the atmosphere replacement chamber; and a replacement chamber exhaust unit for discharging gas from the atmosphere replacement chamber.

In the present invention, the atmosphere replacement chamber is arranged at any position in the substrate transfer path between the outside air and the processing chamber. In the atmosphere replacement chamber, the gas in the chamber is exhausted,
By supplying the gas into the room, the atmosphere is replaced. For example, when the outside air atmosphere flows into the atmosphere replacement chamber, the outside air atmosphere is exhausted, and a new gas is supplied into the room, so that the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber does not include the outside air component.

Therefore, if the atmosphere is replaced in the atmosphere replacement chamber prior to the loading of the substrate into the processing chamber, the outside atmosphere does not flow into the processing chamber. Therefore, oxidation of the substrate due to oxygen, which is a component of the outside air, can be prevented, so that formation of a watermark on the substrate can be prevented. Further, it is possible to prevent particles contained in the outside air from adhering to the substrate. Therefore, since contamination of the substrate can be prevented, a high-quality substrate can be provided.

Further, for example, when the processing liquid atmosphere leaked from the processing chamber flows into the atmosphere replacement chamber, the atmosphere is exhausted and a new gas is supplied into the chamber. It may not be included. Therefore, if the atmosphere is replaced after the substrate is unloaded from the processing chamber, the processing liquid atmosphere can be prevented from leaking out of the apparatus. Therefore, contamination of the atmosphere outside the apparatus can be prevented.

It is preferable to form an entrance for taking the substrate in and out of the atmosphere replacement chamber, and to provide a gate valve capable of closing and opening this entrance in an airtight manner. Thereby, the outside air and the atmosphere of the processing liquid can be reliably shut off. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the atmosphere replacement chamber includes a cassette mounting portion on which a cassette capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates is mounted. It is.

For example, when a cassette accommodating unprocessed substrates is newly set on the cassette mounting portion,
An outside atmosphere outside the apparatus flows into the atmosphere replacement chamber. Therefore, in this case, if the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber is replaced, the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber can be made free of the outside air component. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the outside air from flowing into the processing chamber.

Further, even if the processing solution atmosphere leaked from the processing chamber flows into the atmosphere replacement chamber, the atmosphere replacement can prevent the processing solution atmosphere from leaking out of the apparatus. Therefore, contamination of the atmosphere outside the device can be prevented. Furthermore, space saving can be achieved as compared with the case where the cassette mounting section is provided separately from the atmosphere replacement chamber.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the atmosphere replacement chamber includes the substrate transfer means therein. In the present invention, if the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber is replaced before the substrate is loaded into the processing chamber by the substrate transfer means,
Even if the outside air atmosphere flows into the atmosphere replacement chamber, the outside air component can be removed from the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the outside atmosphere from flowing into the processing chamber.

Further, if the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber is replaced after the substrate is unloaded from the processing chamber by the substrate transfer means, even if the processing solution atmosphere flows into the atmosphere replacement chamber, the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber is removed. Processing solution components can be removed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid atmosphere from leaking out of the apparatus. Further, space saving can be achieved as compared with the case where the atmosphere replacement chamber and the substrate transfer means are provided separately.

Further, when the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber including the substrate transfer means is constantly replaced with an atmosphere, the substrate transfer means is always covered with a clean atmosphere. Corrosion due to oxygen, moisture, or the like in the atmosphere can be prevented, and the life of the substrate transfer means can be extended. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the replacement chamber supply means supplies an inert gas to the atmosphere replacement chamber. is there.

According to the present invention, since the atmosphere after the replacement in the atmosphere replacement chamber can contain the inert gas component, the oxidation of the substrate can be favorably prevented. Therefore, formation of a watermark can be favorably prevented. Further, when the substrate transfer means is included in the atmosphere replacement chamber, corrosion due to oxidation of the substrate transfer means can be favorably prevented, and the life of the substrate transfer means can be further extended.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a processing chamber air supply means for supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber, and a processing chamber exhaust means for discharging a gas from the processing chamber. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: According to the present invention, the processing chambers can be filled with the inert gas atmosphere, so that the processing in each processing chamber can be favorably performed without forming a watermark.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a wafer cleaning apparatus according to a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. This wafer cleaning apparatus is a single-wafer cleaning apparatus for cleaning wafers W, which are substrates to be processed, one by one. Chamber MTC and three washing / drying processing chambers DTC for washing the wafer W after the chemical treatment with pure water and then rotating the wafer W at a high speed to dry it.
The wafer W to be supplied to the chemical processing chamber MTC and the rinsing / drying processing chamber DTC is stored, and the indexer chamber IDC in which the processed wafer W is stored, the indexer chamber IDC, the chemical processing chamber MTC, And a transfer chamber TC having therein a transfer robot TR for transferring the wafer W to and from the rinsing / drying processing chamber DTC.

This wafer processing apparatus also has an atmosphere replacement chamber 1 disposed between the indexer chamber IDC and the transfer chamber TC. Atmosphere replacement room 1 has an indexer room ID
In order to reliably prevent the atmosphere of C and the atmosphere of the transfer chamber TC from coming and going, the atmosphere in the room is replaced.
It is connected to the indexer chamber IDC and the transfer chamber TC via gate valves GV1 and GV2, respectively. The gate valves GV1 and GV2 can airtightly close and open the space between the indexer chamber IDC and the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 and the space between the transfer chamber TC and the atmosphere replacement chamber 1, respectively.

The chemical processing chamber MTC and the washing / drying processing chamber DTC are connected to a transfer chamber TC having a circular shape in plan view via gate valves GV3 and GV4. That is, the chemical solution treatment chamber MTC and the washing / drying treatment chamber DTC are arranged in a so-called cluster type centering on the transfer chamber TC. Gate valve GV3, GV4
Can airtightly close and open the space between the chemical processing chamber MTC and the transfer chamber TC, and the space between the washing / drying processing chamber DTC and the transfer chamber TC.

A chemical solution collecting box 2 and a water washing / drying collecting box 3 are connected to the chemical processing chamber MTC and the washing / drying processing chamber DTC via pipes 4 and 5, respectively. In the chemical solution collecting box 2, a chemical solution supply pipe (not shown) for supplying a chemical solution to the chemical solution processing chamber MTC, a chemical solution collection tube for collecting used chemical solution, and the like are assembled through a pipe 4. The rinsing / drying collecting box 3 includes a pure water supply pipe (not shown) for supplying pure water to the rinsing / drying processing chamber DTC and a pure water collecting pipe for collecting used pure water.
Are gathered through.

The indexer room IDC is provided with a cassette mounting portion 6 and an indexer robot IDR.
In the cassette mounting section 6, a load cassette LC capable of accommodating a plurality of unprocessed wafers W and an unload cassette ULC accommodating a plurality of processed wafers W can be arranged. . The indexer robot IDR can carry out the wafers W one by one from the load cassette LC, and can load the wafers W one by one.
The wafer W can be carried into C.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. However, in FIG. 2, the illustration of the chemical solution collecting box 2 is omitted. The indexer chamber IDC, the atmosphere replacement chamber 1, the transfer chamber TC, and the chemical processing chamber MTC are respectively partitioned by partitions 10,
It is surrounded by 30, 50, 70. An opening 11 is formed in the partition wall 10 at a position facing the gate valve GV <b> 1 so as to pass the wafer W. Similarly, the position of the partition 30 facing the gate valves GV1 and GV2, the position of the partition 50
The openings 31, 51, and 71 are formed at positions facing the gate valves GV2 and GV3, and at positions facing the gate valve GV3 of the partition 70, respectively. The wafer W has a gate valve GV
1, GV2 and GV3 are opened, and are conveyed through the respective openings 11, 31, 51 and 71.

An opening 12 is formed on the side of the partition wall 10 of the indexer chamber IDC opposite to the atmosphere replacement chamber 1. The opening 12 serves as a cassette passage when the load cassette LC and the unload cassette ULC are set on the cassette mounting portion 6 or when they are unloaded from the cassette mounting portion 6. For this reason, the indexer chamber IDC is filled with an atmosphere containing an outside air component (hereinafter, referred to as “outside air atmosphere”).

The indexer robot IDR can move on a rail 13 arranged along the cassette arrangement direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2). Thus, the load cassette LC and the unload cassette UL
C can be accessed. The indexer robot IDR includes a base 14 movably provided along a rail 13, a first lower arm 16 rotatably mounted on a top of the base 14 via a rotation shaft 15, The second lower arm 1 rotatably mounted on the upper part near the tip of the lower arm 16 via a rotation shaft 17
8 and a rotating shaft 19 on the upper part near the tip of the second lower arm 18.
And an upper arm 20 that is rotatably mounted through the upper arm 20.

The indexer robot IDR rotates the first lower arm 16, the second lower arm 18, and the upper arm 20 around respective rotation shafts 15, 17, 19, respectively. The lower arm 18 and the upper arm 20 can be in a deployed state. Thereby, the upper arm 20 can be inserted into the load cassette LC and the unload cassette ULC, or can be inserted into the atmosphere replacement chamber 1. Also, the first lower arm 16,
The second lower arm 18 and the upper arm 20 are connected to the respective rotation shafts 15,
The first lower arm 16, the second lower arm 18, and the upper arm 20
Can be in a contracted state. Thereby, the upper arm 20 inserted in the load cassette LC, the unload cassette ULC, or the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 can be retracted.

The indexer robot IDR is movable in the vertical direction, so that it can access a plurality of wafers W stacked and stored in the load cassette LC in the vertical direction. The wafers W can be respectively stored in a plurality of wafer storage shelves (not shown) formed in the load cassette ULC along the vertical direction.

An air supply hole 32 is formed in the partition wall 30 above the atmosphere replacement chamber 1. A gas supply pipe 33 for supplying N ₂ gas as an inert gas into the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 is connected to the air supply hole 32. An end of the gas supply pipe 33 opposite to the air supply hole 32 is connected to an N ₂ gas supply source (not shown), and an N ₂ gas to be supplied is supplied to an intermediate part of the gas supply pipe 33. Filter 3 for purification
4, and a gas supply valve 35 are interposed. Thus, clean N ₂ gas can be supplied into the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 as needed.

As shown in FIG. 3, which is a plan view showing the internal structure of the atmosphere replacement chamber 1, the partition wall 30 at the bottom of the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 has a substantially circumferential shape in a region outside the wafer W in plan view. Are formed with a plurality of exhaust holes 36. An exhaust chamber 37 is connected to the bottom of the bottom wall 30 where the exhaust holes 36 are formed via the exhaust holes 36, and the exhaust chamber 37 is connected to one exhaust pipe 38. . Exhaust pipe 3
The end opposite to the exhaust chamber 37 of 8 is connected to a blower 39. As a result, the blower 39 is operated while the N ₂ gas is supplied into the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 to exhaust the atmosphere inside the atmosphere replacement chamber 1, so that the atmosphere inside the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 becomes N 2.
It can be replaced with an atmosphere containing _two gas components (hereinafter referred to as “N ₂ gas atmosphere”). Further, since the exhaust holes 36 are arranged circumferentially below the outside of the wafer W as described above, the atmosphere containing the N ₂ gas supplied from above the wafer W and flowing down below the wafer W can be efficiently removed. Can be exhausted.

Inside the atmosphere replacement chamber 1, a wafer holding section 40 for temporarily holding the wafer W when performing atmosphere replacement is fixedly arranged. The wafer holding unit 40 has no driving part, and therefore, the wafer holding unit 40 does not generate particles. Therefore, particles do not mix in the N ₂ gas atmosphere after the atmosphere replacement.

The transfer chamber TC can be filled with an N ₂ gas atmosphere in order to prevent oxidation of the wafer W. That is, an air supply hole 52 is formed in the upper partition wall 50, and a gas supply pipe 53 connected to a N ₂ gas supply source is connected to the air supply hole 52. A filter 54 and a gas supply valve 55 are provided in the middle of the gas supply pipe 53. Partition wall 50 at the bottom of the transfer chamber TC
Has two exhaust holes 56 formed therein.
Is connected to a first exhaust pipe 57. Each first
The exhaust pipe 57 is connected to one second exhaust pipe 58 connected to the blower 59. Thus, by operating the blower 59 while supplying the N ₂ gas into the transfer chamber TC, the transfer chamber TC can be filled with the N ₂ gas atmosphere.

The transfer robot TR includes a support table 60 and a turntable 6 rotatably mounted on the support table 60.
A first lower arm 63 rotatably mounted on an upper portion of the turntable 61 via a rotation shaft 62;
The second lower arm 65 is rotatably mounted on the upper portion near the distal end of the third lower arm via a rotary shaft 64, and is rotatable via the rotary shaft 66 on the upper portion near the distal end of the second lower arm 65. And an upper arm 67 attached thereto.

The transfer robot TR includes a first lower arm 63,
The second lower arm 65 and the upper arm 67 are connected to the respective rotating shafts 62,
The first lower arm 63, the second lower arm 65, and the upper arm 67
Can be expanded. Thus, the upper arm 67 can be inserted into the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 or can be inserted into the chemical processing chamber MTC and the water washing / drying processing chamber DTC. Further, the first lower arm 63, the second lower arm 65, and the upper arm 67 are connected to the respective rotating shafts 62, 64, 66.
, The first lower arm 63, the second lower arm 65, and the upper arm 67 can be in a contracted state. Thereby, the upper arm 67 inserted into the atmosphere replacement chamber 1, the chemical processing chamber MTC, or the washing / drying processing chamber DTC can be retracted.

The transport robot TR inserts the upper arm 67 into any of the chemical treatment chamber MTC and the washing / drying treatment chamber DTC arranged in a cluster by rotating the turntable 61. You can do it. The chemical processing chamber MTC can be filled with an N ₂ gas atmosphere to prevent oxidation of the wafer W. That is, the upper partition 7
An air supply hole 72 is formed at 0, and a gas supply pipe 73 connected to an N ₂ gas supply source is connected to the air supply hole 72. A filter 74 is provided in the middle of the gas supply pipe 73.
And a gas supply valve 75. Chemical processing chamber M
Two exhaust holes 76 are formed in the partition wall 70 at the bottom of the TC, and a first exhaust pipe 77 is connected to each of the exhaust holes 76. Each first exhaust pipe 77 is connected to one second exhaust pipe 78 connected to the blower 79. Thus, by operating the blower 79 while supplying N ₂ gas to the chemical treatment chamber MTC, a chemical treatment chamber MTC N ₂
It can be filled in a gas atmosphere.

A spin chuck 80 capable of holding and rotating the wafer W horizontally is provided inside the chemical processing chamber MTC. The spin chuck 80 includes a rotating shaft 81 rotatable by a motor M, and a rotating shaft 81.
And a holding claw 83 erected on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the rotating plate 82. Further, a nozzle 84 for supplying a chemical to the upper surface of the wafer W is provided in the chemical processing chamber MTC. Further, near the upper end of the rotating shaft 81, a nozzle (not shown) for supplying a chemical solution to the lower surface of the wafer W is arranged. Further, a cup 85 for receiving the chemical solution scattered by the rotation of the wafer W is provided so as to surround the spin chuck 80.

The washing / drying processing chamber DTC has substantially the same structure as the chemical processing chamber MTC except that a nozzle for supplying pure water is provided in place of the nozzle for supplying the chemical. Description is omitted. When the wafer W is carried out of the load cassette LC by the indexer robot IDR, the gate valve GV1 is opened. As a result, the outside air atmosphere in the indexer chamber IDC flows into the atmosphere replacement chamber 1. The wafer W carried out by the indexer robot IDR is carried into the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 and held by the wafer holding unit 40. Then, the gate valve GV1
Is closed.

Thereafter, the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 is replaced. That is, the gas supply valve 35 is opened and the blower 39 is operated. As a result, the outside air component is removed from the atmosphere of the atmosphere replacement chamber 1, and the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 is filled with a clean N ₂ gas atmosphere. Thereafter, the gate valve GV2 is opened, and the wafer W is unloaded from the atmosphere replacement chamber 1. That is, the transfer robot TR inserts the upper arm 67 into the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 and receives the wafer W held by the wafer holding unit 40 by the upper arm 67. Then, the wafer W is carried out of the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 by retracting the upper arm 67 from the atmosphere replacement chamber 1. In this case, when the gate valve GV2 is opened, the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 flows out to the transfer chamber TC. On the other hand, since the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 does not contain an outside air component, the outside air does not flow into the transfer chamber TC.

Atmosphere replacement chamber 1 by transfer robot TR
When the wafer W is unloaded from any one of the chemical processing chambers M
The gate valve GV3 corresponding to TC is opened. The transfer robot TR rotates to carry the wafer W into the chemical processing chamber MTC corresponding to the opened gate valve GV3, causes the upper arm 67 to be inserted into the chemical processing chamber MTC, and moves the wafer W into the chemical processing chamber MTC. Carry in. After loading the wafer,
Gate valve GV3 is closed.

Wafer W loaded into chemical processing chamber MTC
Is horizontally held by the spin chuck 80. In this state, the spin chuck 80 is rotated, and
The chemical liquid is discharged from the nozzle 84. Thereby, the wafer W is processed by the chemical. When the processing in the chemical processing chamber MTC is completed, the gate valve GV3 corresponding to the chemical processing chamber MTC is opened. After that, the transfer robot TR inserts the upper arm 67 into the chemical processing chamber MTC, retreats, and unloads the wafer W from the chemical processing chamber MTC.
After unloading the wafer, the gate valve GV3 is closed.

The transfer robot TR, which has unloaded the wafer W,
As in the case described above, any of the washing / drying processing chambers DT
The wafer W is loaded into C. The wafer W is dried after being washed in the washing / drying processing chamber DTC. Thereafter, the transfer robot TR unloads the wafer W from the washing / drying processing chamber DTC. Thus, the cleaning process for the wafer W is performed.

After the cleaning process for the wafer W is completed,
Gate valve GV between transfer chamber TC and atmosphere replacement chamber 1
2 can be opened. After that, the transfer robot TR rotates the upper arm 67 to a position where the upper arm 67 can enter the atmosphere replacement chamber 1, and then inserts the upper arm 67 into the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 to transfer the wafer W into the wafer in the atmosphere replacement chamber 1. It is held by the holding unit 40. In this case, the N ₂ gas atmosphere in the transfer chamber TC flows into the atmosphere replacement chamber 1.

After the wafer W is held by the wafer holder 40, the gate valve GV2 is closed, and the atmosphere is replaced. That is, the gas supply valve 35 is opened and the blower 39 is operated. As a result, the transfer chamber T
The chemical component that has entered the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 from C is removed, and the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 is filled with a clean N ₂ gas atmosphere.

Thereafter, the gate valve GV1 is opened.
In this case, since the chemical component is not contained in the atmosphere of the atmosphere replacement chamber 1, the chemical does not adhere to the indexer robot IDR and the wafer W in the indexer chamber IDC, and the chemical atmosphere does not leak out of the apparatus. Nor. The indexer robot IDR moves the upper arm 20 to the atmosphere replacement chamber 1
After receiving the wafer W in the wafer holding unit 40 by inserting it into the inside, the upper arm 20 is retracted and the wafer W is unloaded from the atmosphere replacement chamber 1. Then, after moving to a position just before the unload cassette ULC, the upper arm 20 is inserted into the unload cassette ULC to transfer the wafer W to the unload cassette ULC.
Store in C. Thus, the processing for the wafer W ends.

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
Since the atmosphere is replaced in the middle of the wafer transfer path between the outside air atmosphere and the chemical processing chamber MTC and the rinsing / drying processing chamber DTC, the outside air is supplied to the chemical processing chamber MTC and the rinsing / drying processing chamber DTC. It can be prevented from flowing. Therefore, since oxidation of the wafer W can be prevented, formation of a watermark can be prevented. Further, particles contained in the outside atmosphere do not adhere to the wafer W. Therefore, a high quality wafer W can be provided.

Also, since the chemical atmosphere can be prevented from leaking to the indexer chamber IDC,
Corrosion of the indexer robot IDR and contamination of the unprocessed wafer W stored in the unload cassette ULC can be prevented. Further, it is possible to prevent the atmosphere outside the apparatus from being contaminated by the chemical solution atmosphere. FIG.
It is a sectional view showing the composition of the wafer processing device as a 2nd embodiment of the substrate processing device of the present invention. In FIG. 4, FIG.
The same reference numerals are used for the same functional parts as described above.

In the first embodiment, the indexer room ID
C and the transfer chamber TC, the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 is provided, whereas in the second embodiment, the indexer chamber IDC
Is used as an atmosphere replacement chamber. The indexer chamber IDC according to the second embodiment is connected to the transfer chamber TC via a gate valve GV5. The opening 12 formed in the partition wall 10 of the indexer chamber IDC is opened and closed by a gate valve GV6.

An air supply hole 90 is formed in the partition wall 10 above the indexer chamber IDC, and a gas supply pipe 91 connected to an N ₂ gas supply source is connected to the air supply hole 90. A filter 92 is provided at an intermediate portion of the gas supply pipe 91.
And a gas supply valve 93 are interposed. In addition, the partition wall 10 at the bottom of the indexer chamber IDC has a wafer W in plan view.
A plurality of exhaust holes 94 are formed in a substantially outer circumferential area in a region outside of the partition wall 10 at the bottom where the exhaust holes 94 are formed.
And the exhaust pipe 97 are connected.

It is to be noted that the chemical processing chamber MTC and the washing / drying processing chamber DTC are arranged in a cluster around the transfer chamber TC in plan view, as in the first embodiment. When the load cassette LC and the unload cassette ULC are set in the indexer room IDC by an AGV (Auto Guided Vehicle) or an operator's hand, the gate valve GV6 is opened. In this case, an outside air atmosphere flows into the indexer room IDC. When the load cassette LC and the unload cassette ULC are carried into the indexer chamber IDC via the opening 12 and are mounted on the cassette mounting section 6, the gate valve GV6 is closed.

Thereafter, the atmosphere in the indexer room IDC is replaced. That is, the gas supply valve 93 is opened and the blower 95 is operated. As a result, the outside air component is removed from the atmosphere in the indexer chamber IDC. Therefore, even if the gate valve GV5 is subsequently opened,
The outside atmosphere does not flow into the transfer chamber TC. on the other hand,
When the gate valve GV5 is opened, the chemical liquid atmosphere leaking from the chemical processing chamber MTC to the transfer chamber TC flows into the indexer chamber IDC. Therefore, in this wafer processing apparatus, the atmosphere is replaced after the gate valve GV5 is opened.

More specifically, the wafer W after the cleaning processing is transferred to the washing / drying processing chamber DT by the transfer robot TR.
When unloaded from C, the gate valve GV5 is opened, and the wafer W is transferred to the indexer robot IDR. The indexer robot IDR stores the received wafer W in the unload cassette ULC, and then loads the load cassette L.
The unprocessed wafer W is unloaded from C. Then, the unloaded wafer W is transferred to the transfer robot TR. Thereafter, the gate valve GV5 is closed, and the atmosphere in the indexer chamber IDC is replaced. As a result, even if a chemical solution atmosphere enters the indexer chamber IDC from the transfer chamber TC, the chemical solution component is removed. Thereby, the indexer chamber IDC is filled with a clean N ₂ gas atmosphere.

After the load cassette LC and the unload cassette ULC are loaded into the wafer cleaning apparatus, the gate valve GV6 is kept closed until it is removed from the wafer processing apparatus. Therefore, even if the chemical liquid atmosphere flows into the indexer chamber IDC, the chemical liquid atmosphere does not leak out of the apparatus. Thus, this second
Also in the embodiment, the atmosphere is replaced in the middle of the wafer transfer path between the outside air atmosphere and the chemical processing chamber MTC and the washing / drying processing chamber DTC. It can be prevented from flowing into the chamber MTC and the washing / drying processing chamber DTC. Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, since contamination of the wafer W can be prevented, a high-quality wafer W can be provided.

Further, even if the chemical liquid atmosphere flows into the indexer chamber IDC, the chemical liquid atmosphere can be quickly removed from the indexer chamber IDC, so that the corrosion of the indexer robot IDR and the unprocessed wafer W stored in the unload cassette C can be eliminated. Pollution can be prevented. Furthermore, since the chemical atmosphere can be prevented from leaking out of the apparatus, it is possible to prevent the atmosphere outside the apparatus from being contaminated by the chemical atmosphere.

Further, since the indexer room IDC is used as a room for atmosphere replacement, the indexer room IDC is used as compared with the case where the atmosphere replacement room 1 is provided as in the first embodiment.
The size of the wafer cleaning apparatus can be reduced. Therefore, space can be saved. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a wafer processing apparatus as a third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the same reference numerals are used for the same functional parts as in FIG.

In the second embodiment, the cassette mounting section 6
And the indexer robot IDR is provided in one indexer room IDC, and the indexer room IDC is used as an atmosphere replacement room. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the cassette mounting portion 6 and the indexer robot IDR are provided in the third embodiment.
Are separately provided in the cassette chamber 100 and the robot chamber 110, and the robot chamber 110 is used as an atmosphere replacement chamber.

The cassette chamber 100 is surrounded by a partition wall 101 and connected to the robot chamber 110 via a gate valve GV7. Gate valve GV for partition 110
The opening 1 which is a passage for the wafer W is located at a position facing the opening 7.
02 is formed. In addition, a partition opposed to the partition in which the opening 102 is formed has an opening 103 through which the load cassette LC and the unload cassette ULC pass.
Are formed. With this opening 103, the cassette chamber 100 is filled with an outside air atmosphere.

The robot chamber 110 is surrounded by a partition wall 111 and connected to the transfer chamber TC via a gate valve GV8. Gate valve GV7, G of partition wall 111
At the position facing V8, openings 112 are formed to pass through the wafer W. An air supply hole 113 is formed in the upper partition wall 111.
Is connected to a gas supply pipe 114 connected to a N ₂ gas supply source. A filter 115 and a gas supply valve 116 are interposed in the middle of the gas supply pipe 114. Further, a plurality of exhaust holes 117 are formed in the bottom partition wall 111 substantially in a region outside the wafer W in plan view, and the bottom partition wall 30 in which the exhaust holes 117 are formed is formed.
On the lower side, an exhaust chamber 118 and an exhaust pipe 119 connected to the blower 120 are connected.

The point that the chemical treatment chamber MTC and the washing / drying treatment chamber DTC are arranged in a cluster around the transfer chamber TC in plan view is the same as in the first embodiment. Wafer W by indexer robot IDR
Is discharged from the load cassette LC, the gate valve GV7 is once opened. At this time, cassette room 1
The outside air atmosphere of 00 flows into the robot room 110. After the unloading of the wafer W, the atmosphere is replaced. That is, the gas supply valve 116 is opened, and the blower 120 is operated. As a result, the outside air component is removed from the atmosphere in the robot room 110. Therefore, when the wafer W is transferred from the indexer robot IDR to the transfer robot TR, the outside atmosphere does not flow into the transfer chamber TC even if the gate valve GV8 is opened.

On the other hand, when the gate valve GV8 is opened, the chemical atmosphere leaked from the chemical processing chamber MTC to the transfer chamber TC enters the robot chamber 110. Therefore, after the wafer W is transferred from the indexer robot IDR to the transfer robot TR, and the gate valve GV8 is closed, the atmosphere in the robot chamber 110 is replaced. As a result, the chemical component that has entered the robot chamber 110 is removed. Thereby, the robot room 110 is filled with a clean N ₂ atmosphere.

The gate valve GV8 is also opened when the wafer W after the cleaning process is transferred from the transfer robot TR to the indexer robot IDR. Therefore, even in this case, the gate valve GV
After 8 is closed, the atmosphere in the robot room 110 is replaced. Thereby, the robot room 110 is filled with a clean N ₂ atmosphere containing no chemical component.

Thereafter, the gate valve GV7 is opened,
The upper arm 20 of the indexer robot IDR is inserted into the unload cassette ULC, and the wafer W is stored in the unload cassette ULC. In this case, the robot room 110
Is an N ₂ gas atmosphere that does not contain a chemical solution component, so that the chemical solution atmosphere does not flow out into the cassette chamber 100.

As described above, also in the third embodiment, the atmosphere is replaced in the middle of the wafer transfer path between the outside atmosphere and the chemical solution processing chamber MTC and the rinsing / drying processing chamber DTC. The first and second
As in the embodiment, it is possible to prevent the outside air from flowing into the transfer chamber TC, the chemical treatment chamber MTC, and the washing / drying treatment chamber DTC. Therefore, a high quality wafer W can be provided.

Further, even if the chemical liquid atmosphere flows into the robot chamber 110, the chemical liquid atmosphere can be quickly removed from the robot chamber 110, so that the corrosion of the indexer robot IDR and the unprocessed wafer W stored in the unload cassette C can be reduced. Pollution can be prevented. Further, since the chemical liquid atmosphere can be prevented from leaking into the outside air atmosphere, the contamination of the atmosphere outside the apparatus can be prevented.

Further, since the robot room 110 is used as a room for atmosphere replacement, the space can be saved as compared with the case where a dedicated atmosphere replacement room is provided. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a wafer processing apparatus as a fourth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. 6, the same reference numerals are used for the same functional parts as in FIG.

The wafer cleaning apparatus according to the fourth embodiment has a configuration in which the atmosphere replacement chamber 1 is removed from the wafer cleaning apparatus according to the first embodiment, and the indexer chamber IDC and the transfer chamber TC are connected by a gate valve GV9. The transfer chamber TC is used as an atmosphere replacement chamber. That is, an air supply hole 122 is formed in the partition wall 50 above the transfer chamber TC, and the gas supply pipe 123 connected to the N ₂ gas supply source is connected to the air supply hole 122. A filter 124 and a gas supply valve 125 are interposed in the middle of the gas supply pipe 122. In addition, the bottom partition wall 50
Has a plurality of exhaust holes 126 formed in a substantially circumferential area outside the wafer W in plan view.
Blower 1 is provided below partition wall 50 at the bottom where 26 is formed.
An exhaust chamber 127 and an exhaust pipe 128 leading to 29 are connected.

In this configuration, when an unprocessed wafer W is transferred from the indexer robot IDR to the transfer robot TR, the gate valve GV9 is once opened. At this time, since the outside air atmosphere of the indexer chamber TC flows into the transfer chamber TC, the atmosphere of the transfer chamber TC contains an outside air component. Therefore, before the gate valve GV2 corresponding to the chemical processing chamber MTC into which the wafer W is to be loaded is opened, the atmosphere in the transfer chamber TC is replaced. That is, the gas supply valve 125 is opened and the blower 127 is operated. As a result, the transfer chamber TC is filled with the N ₂ gas atmosphere. Therefore, the transfer robot TR
Accordingly, even if the wafer W is carried into the chemical processing chamber MTC and the rinsing / drying processing chamber DTC, the outside air does not flow into the chemical processing chamber MTC and the rinsing / drying processing chamber DTC.

When the wafer W after the cleaning process is transferred from the transfer robot TR to the indexer robot IDR, the gate valve GV9 is once opened. On the other hand, when the wafer W after the chemical processing is carried out from the chemical processing chamber MTC, the chemical atmosphere may leak from the chemical processing chamber MTC to the transfer chamber TC. Therefore, in order to prevent the chemical liquid atmosphere from leaking into the indexer chamber IDC, the atmosphere in the transfer chamber TC is replaced before the gate valve GV9 is opened. As a result, the chemical component can be removed from the atmosphere in the transfer chamber TC. Therefore, even if the wafer W is subsequently transferred to the indexer robot IDR, the chemical liquid atmosphere does not leak to the indexer chamber IDC.

As described above, also in the fourth embodiment, the atmosphere is replaced in the middle of the wafer transfer path between the outside atmosphere and the chemical processing chamber MTC and the washing / drying processing chamber DTC. As in the first to third embodiments, it is possible to prevent the outside atmosphere from flowing into the chemical treatment chamber MTC and the washing / drying treatment chamber DTC. Therefore, a high quality wafer W can be provided.

Further, since it is possible to prevent the chemical solution atmosphere from leaking into the indexer chamber IDC and the outside air atmosphere, the corrosion of the indexer robot IDR and the unload cassette UL can be prevented.
The contamination of the wafer W accommodated in C and the contamination of the atmosphere outside the apparatus can be prevented. Further, the transfer chamber T
Because C is used as a room for atmosphere replacement,
Space can be saved as compared with the case where a dedicated atmosphere replacement chamber is provided.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a wafer processing apparatus as a fifth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. 7, the same reference numerals are used for the same functional parts as those in FIG. In the first to fourth embodiments, the indexer robot IDR takes out the wafers W stored in the load cassette LC one by one and transfers them to the transfer robot TR, and the indexer robot IDR transfers the processed wafers W from the transfer robot TR. It is received and stored in the unload cassette ULC. On the other hand, in the fifth embodiment, one cassette C is used as a load cassette and an unload cassette, and the transport robot TR directly accesses the cassette C. Further, a cassette chamber 130 for accommodating the cassette is provided, and the cassette chamber 130 is used as an atmosphere replacement chamber.

The cassette chamber 130 is surrounded by a partition 131 and is connected to the transfer chamber TC via a gate valve GV10. At a position of the partition 131 facing the gate valve GV10, an opening 132 is formed to be a passage of the wafer W. An opening 133 serving as a cassette passage is provided in a partition wall facing the partition wall in which the opening 132 is formed.
Are formed. In connection with opening 133, opening 133
There is provided a gate valve GV11 for opening and closing the valve.

The cassette chamber 130 is provided with a cassette mounting section 6 on which the cassette C is mounted. Also,
In connection with the cassette chamber 130, a structure for changing the atmosphere in the room to an N ₂ gas atmosphere is provided. That is,
An air supply hole 134 is provided in the partition 131 at the upper part of the cassette chamber 130.
A filter 135 and a gas supply valve 136 are interposed in the air supply hole 134 in the middle, and N ₂
A gas supply pipe 137 connected to a gas supply source is connected. The partition 131 at the bottom of the cassette chamber 130 includes:
A plurality of exhaust holes 138 are formed in a substantially circumferential shape in a region outside the wafer W in a plan view.
Blower 1 is provided below partition wall 131 at the bottom where 8 is formed.
An exhaust chamber 140 and an exhaust pipe 141 leading to 39 are connected.

The point that the chemical processing chamber MTC and the washing / drying processing chamber are arranged in a cluster around the transfer chamber TC in plan view is the same as in the first embodiment. When the cassette C is set in the cassette chamber 130, the gate valve GV11 is opened. In this case, the outside air atmosphere flows into the cassette chamber 130. When the cassette C is carried into the cassette chamber 130 through the opening 133 and is placed on the cassette placing section 6, the gate valve GV11 is closed.

Thereafter, the atmosphere in the cassette chamber 130 is replaced. That is, the gas supply valve 136 is opened, and the blower 139 is operated. As a result, the outside air component is removed from the atmosphere in the cassette chamber 130. Thereby, the cassette chamber 130 is filled with the N ₂ atmosphere. When an unprocessed wafer W is taken out of the cassette C by the transfer robot TR, the gate valve GV10 is opened. In this case, since the atmosphere in the cassette chamber 130 does not include an outside air component, the outside atmosphere does not flow into the transfer chamber TC. On the other hand, the gate valve GV10
Is opened, the chemical atmosphere leaked from the chemical processing chamber MTC to the transfer chamber TC flows into the cassette chamber 130.

Then, the unprocessed wafer W is taken out of the cassette C by the transfer robot TR and the gate valve G
After V10 is closed, the atmosphere in the cassette chamber 130 is replaced. As a result, the chemical component is removed from the atmosphere in the cassette chamber 130. Thereby, the cassette chamber 130
Is filled in a clean N ₂ gas atmosphere containing no chemical component.

The gate valve GV10 is also opened when the wafer W after the cleaning process is stored in the cassette C by the transfer robot TR. Therefore, also in this case, after the wafer W is stored in the cassette C and the gate valve GV10 is closed, the cassette chamber 130
Atmosphere is replaced. Therefore, the cassette chamber 130
Is filled in a clean N ₂ atmosphere containing no chemical components.

After the cassette C is loaded into the wafer cleaning apparatus, the gate valve GV11 remains closed until the cassette C is removed from the wafer processing apparatus. Therefore, even if the chemical solution atmosphere flows into the cassette chamber 130,
The chemical atmosphere does not leak out of the apparatus. As described above, according to the fifth embodiment as well, the atmosphere is replaced in the middle of the wafer transfer path between the outside air atmosphere and the chemical processing chamber MTC and the washing / drying processing chamber DTC. Chemical treatment room MTC and washing /
It can be prevented from flowing into the drying processing chamber DTC. Therefore, similarly to the first to fourth embodiments, contamination of the wafer W can be prevented, and a high-quality wafer W can be provided.

Further, even if the chemical liquid atmosphere flows into the cassette chamber 130, the chemical liquid atmosphere can be quickly removed from the cassette chamber 130, so that contamination of the unprocessed wafer W stored in the unload cassette C can be prevented, and The outside atmosphere can be prevented from being contaminated by the chemical solution atmosphere. As described above, the five embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention can adopt embodiments other than the above-described embodiments. For example, in the first to fifth embodiments, the atmosphere is replaced by normal-pressure exhaust in which the atmosphere in the room is exhausted while supplying N ₂ gas. However, eg, N ₂ the chamber was evacuated indoor atmosphere pressure was reduced
By supplying the gas, the atmosphere in the room may be replaced. In this case, it is preferable that the atmosphere in the room is exhausted by a vacuum pump instead of the blower.

In the first to fifth embodiments, the replacement of the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacement chamber is performed intermittently in relation to the operation of the gate valve. But, for example,
The atmosphere in the room may always be replaced by always supplying the gas from the air supply hole and exhausting the atmosphere from the exhaust hole. In this case, in particular, the second
And in the third embodiment, the indexer robot ID
Since R is always covered with a clean atmosphere, the indexer robot IDR is prevented from being corroded by oxygen or moisture in the processing liquid atmosphere from the chemical processing chamber MTC and the washing / drying processing chamber DTC or in the outside air atmosphere. Robot I
The life of the DR can be extended. Also in the fourth embodiment, the transfer robot TR is always covered with a clean atmosphere, so that the life of the transfer robot TR can be similarly extended.

In the above embodiment, when the atmosphere is replaced after the wafer W is carried out of the washing / drying processing chamber DTC, the atmosphere in the atmosphere replacing chamber is replaced with the N ₂ gas atmosphere. It may be replaced. That is, in addition to the structure for supplying the N ₂ gas, for example so as to provide a structure for supplying the outside air atmosphere, an atmosphere of N ₂ gas during the previous atmosphere substitution wafer W is carried into the chemical treatment chamber MTC When the atmosphere is replaced after the wafer W is supplied into the replacement chamber and the wafer W is carried out of the washing / drying processing chamber DTC, an outside air atmosphere may be supplied into the room.

Further, in the above embodiment, the path through which unprocessed wafers W are taken out and transported to the chemical processing chamber MTC is the same as the path through which the processed wafers W are returned to the cassette. However, for example, the load cassette and the unload cassette may be accommodated in different rooms, and the above-mentioned respective paths may be different paths. In this case, a room for performing atmosphere replacement may be provided at any position of both routes, or an atmosphere replacement room may be provided at any position of either route. .

Further, in the above embodiment, the wafer W
Although the present invention is applied to an apparatus that performs a cleaning process on a wafer W, the present invention can be widely applied to an apparatus that processes a wafer W using a processing liquid. further,
In the above embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to an apparatus for processing a wafer W is described as an example. However, the present invention is also applied to an apparatus for processing a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device and an apparatus for processing a glass substrate for a PDP. Can be applied.

In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope described in the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a wafer cleaning apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an internal configuration of an atmosphere replacement chamber.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating a configuration of a wafer cleaning apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating a configuration of a wafer cleaning apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating a configuration of a wafer cleaning apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating a configuration of a wafer cleaning apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a configuration of a conventional wafer processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

MTC Chemical processing chamber (processing chamber) DTC Rinsing / drying processing chamber (processing chamber) TR Transfer robot (substrate transfer means) IDR indexer robot (substrate transfer means) 1 Atmosphere replacement chamber IDC indexer chamber (atmosphere replacement chamber) 110 Robot chamber ( Atmosphere replacement chamber) TC transfer chamber (Atmosphere replacement chamber) 130 Cassette chamber (Atmosphere replacement chamber) 32, 90, 113, 122, 134 Air supply holes (Substitution chamber air supply means) 33, 91, 114, 123, 137 Gas supply pipe (Replacement chamber supply means) 34, 92, 115, 124, 135 Filter (replacement chamber supply means) 35, 93, 116, 125, 136 Gas supply valve (replacement chamber supply means) 36, 94, 117, 126 138 exhaust holes (replacement chamber exhaust means) 37, 96, 118, 127, 140 exhaust chambers (replacement chamber exhaust means) 38, 97, 119, 28, 141 exhaust pipe (replacement chamber exhaust means) 39, 95, 120, 129, 139 blower 72 air supply hole (processing chamber air supply means) 73 gas supply pipe (processing chamber air supply means) 74 filter (processing chamber air supply means) ) 75 gas supply valve (processing chamber air supply means) 76 exhaust hole (processing chamber exhaust means) 77 first exhaust pipe (processing chamber exhaust means) 78 second exhaust pipe (processing chamber exhaust means) 79 blower

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A processing chamber for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate to perform processing thereon, a processing chamber surrounded by a partition, a substrate transfer means for loading or unloading the substrate into or from the processing chamber, an outside air and a processing chamber. An atmosphere replacement chamber that is disposed at any position in the substrate transfer path between and is surrounded by a partition wall; a replacement chamber supply means for supplying gas into the atmosphere replacement chamber; And a replacement chamber exhaust means for exhausting gas. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere replacement chamber includes a cassette mounting portion on which a cassette capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates is mounted. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said atmosphere replacement chamber includes said substrate transfer means therein. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said replacement chamber air supply means supplies an inert gas into said atmosphere replacement chamber. 5. A processing chamber air supply means for supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber, and a processing chamber exhaust means for discharging gas from the processing chamber. Item 5. A substrate processing apparatus according to item 4.