JP2000077500A - Wafer treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease the occurrence of miss-transfers particles, damaged wafer and the like, and moreover to realize simplifying of the configuration, reducing size, and shortening the required time. SOLUTION: This device comprises a pair of nearly-shaped wafer supporting plates 42a with a space for accepting a wafer holder for wafer transfer robot, a fixing block 42b provided in a prescribed position of each wafer supporting plate 42a, a pair of clamp levers 42c for holding and releasing a semiconductor wafer with the fixing block 42b, a motor 42e for causing rotation of every wafer support plate 42a from a horizontal state in directions opposite to each other, to a standing state, in a direction parallel with each other, a comb-tooth shaped first supporting stand 41a, a second supporting stand 41b, a first elevating mechanism 41c for elevating the first supporting stand 41a, and a second elevating mechanism 41d for elevating the second supporting stand 41b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for taking out a substrate from a carrier accommodating a plurality of substrates and supplying the substrate to a substrate support, and a device for accommodating a plurality of substrates.
The substrate is removed from the pair of carriers and supplied to the substrate support, and / or the substrate is removed from the substrate support and
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a pair of carriers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a substrate processing apparatus, an apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-175179, Japanese Patent No.
No. 98359, Patent No. 25983
An apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 60 is proposed.

[0003] The apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-175179 discloses a method in which two carriers (cassettes) are respectively n
The first wafer group and the second wafer group are formed by taking out the two wafers, and the pitch is converted by inserting the wafers of the second wafer group into the gaps between the respective wafers of the first wafer group. A third wafer group consisting of 2n wafers is formed, and these are subjected to wafer processing collectively.

[0004] The apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 2598359 discloses a method in which, at a substrate loading / unloading section, a wafer mounting table for accommodating a plurality of substrates and a plurality of substrates on the wafer mounting table are used to remove every other substrate. It has a wafer detaching means for detaching the set in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction thereof, and a rotating means for relatively rotating the wafer detaching means and the wafer mounting table around a central axis in the arrangement direction of the substrates.

The apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 2598360 discloses a wafer transfer means for transferring a plurality of substrates at a normal arrangement pitch to a substrate loading / unloading section, and a wafer having a half arrangement pitch of the normal arrangement pitch. It has a wafer mounting table provided with an array groove and receiving a substrate from the wafer transfer means, and a moving means for relatively moving the wafer mounting table and the wafer transfer means in the substrate arrangement direction.

[0006]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention
In the case where the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-204, is adopted, a mechanism for supporting a first wafer group, a mechanism for supporting a second wafer group, and a wafer for the second wafer group are each used as a first wafer group. A mechanism for inserting the wafer into the gap between the wafers, a mechanism for supporting the third wafer group, and the like are required, and there is a disadvantage that the overall configuration becomes complicated and the size becomes large.
Further, when the number of wafers in each wafer group changes, there is also a disadvantage that these mechanisms must be replaced in accordance with the change in the number of wafers.

In the case where the apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 2598359 is adopted, after supporting a plurality of substrates in an upright state, every other set of substrates is detached in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction thereof. By relatively rotating around the center axis of the arrangement direction of the substrates and returning to the original position again, the directions of the adjacent substrates are set opposite to each other,
A large space is required as a space for allowing the processing by the rotating means, and since the separation processing and the rotation processing are performed only after all the substrates are once arranged, the required time as a whole becomes longer. There is.

In the case where the apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 2598360 is adopted, after supporting a plurality of substrates in an upright state, every other set of substrates is detached in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction thereof. Move relatively in the arrangement direction of the board,
By returning the substrate to the original position again, the pitch between the substrates is set to １ ／. Therefore, the separation process and the rotation process are performed only after all the substrates are arranged once. There is a disadvantage that the time is long.

Further, in any of the substrate processing apparatuses, since the wafer is transferred in an unstable state, particles are generated from the portion where the wafer comes into contact with the carrier, or the wafer is damaged (chipping, cracking). There is a disadvantage that it occurs. In particular, when processing a semiconductor wafer, these disadvantages cannot be tolerated at all.

[0010] Furthermore, since the number of times of switching one wafer is large, there is an inconvenience that transfer errors, particles, damage to the wafer, and the like occur.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and can reduce the occurrence of transfer errors, particles, damage to wafers, and the like, and can simplify and reduce the size of the structure. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of shortening the required time.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus includes a pair of comb-like members as a substrate support.
A posture control unit configured to be capable of engaging with and separating from each other and capable of supporting the substrate by each of the comb-shaped members, and supplying the substrate taken out of the carrier to the substrate support in an upright state. Means, and position control means for moving one comb-shaped member to a substrate receiving position and moving the other comb-shaped member to a non-substrate receiving position during substrate supply by the attitude control means. This is to make the substrate pitch in the substrate support portion smaller than the pitch.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus, the position control means engages the two comb-shaped members with each other in response to the substrate support receiving a predetermined number of substrates. It is.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a pair of substrate extracting means for extracting a substrate from a carrier; receiving the substrates extracted by each of the substrate extracting means; And a pair of attitude control means for supplying, wherein the attitude in the upright state controlled by the one attitude control means and the attitude in the upright state controlled by the other attitude control means are set to be opposite to each other. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising a pair of comb-like members as a substrate supporting portion.
A substrate that is configured to be separable and that each of the comb-like members can support the substrate, and supplies the substrate taken out of the carrier to the substrate support in an upright state; and / or A pair of attitude control means for taking out the substrate from the substrate and supplying the carrier to each carrier in a horizontal state, and moving one of the comb-shaped members to the first position when the substrate is supplied by each of the attitude control means, Position control means for moving the tooth-like member to the second position, wherein the substrate accommodated in the pair of carriers is supported by the substrate support at a pitch smaller than the pitch of the substrates in the carrier, and / or The substrate supported by the substrate supporting portion at a pitch is accommodated in a pair of carriers.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus, the pair of attitude control means includes an upright attitude controlled by one attitude control means and an upright attitude controlled by the other attitude control means. Set opposite to each other, and / or
Alternatively, a substrate in which the substrates in the upright state set in the opposite directions to each other are set in the horizontal state in the same direction is adopted.

[0017]

In the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, when the substrate is taken out of the carrier containing a plurality of substrates and supplied to the substrate support, the posture of the substrate taken out of the carrier is raised by the posture control means. When the substrate is supplied by the attitude control means, one of the comb-shaped members of the substrate support is moved to the substrate receiving position by the position control means, and the other is not received. Can be moved to the position.

Therefore, at the time when all the substrates are supplied to the substrate support, the processing for reducing the substrate pitch can be achieved, and the required time can be shortened. In addition, the number of elements required to achieve these processes is reduced, and the configuration can be simplified and downsized. Further, by reducing the number of times the substrate is changed, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of transfer errors, particles, damage to the wafer, and the like.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, as the position control means, the two comb-toothed members are engaged with each other in response to the substrate support receiving a predetermined number of substrates. Therefore, after all the substrates are supplied to the substrate supporting portion, all the substrates can be aligned, and the same operation as the first aspect can be achieved.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, when a substrate is taken out from a carrier accommodating a plurality of substrates and supplied to the substrate support, the substrate is taken out from the carrier by a pair of substrate taking out means. The pair of posture control means receives the substrates taken out by the respective substrate take-out means, and supplies the substrates to the substrate support in an upright state. In this case, the upright posture controlled by the one posture control unit and the upright posture controlled by the other posture control unit are set to be opposite to each other. In this way, the surfaces can face each other.

Therefore, when all the substrates are supplied to the substrate support, the substrates can be brought into a state where the surfaces face each other, and the required time can be reduced.
In addition, the number of elements required to achieve these processes is reduced, and the configuration can be simplified and downsized. Further, by reducing the number of times the substrate is changed, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of transfer errors, particles, damage to the wafer, and the like.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, a substrate is taken out from a pair of carriers accommodating a plurality of substrates and supplied to a substrate supporting portion, and / or a substrate is taken out from the substrate supporting portion and taken out. In supplying to the carrier of
The pair of posture control means sets the posture of the substrate taken out of the carrier to an upright state and supplies it to the substrate support, and / or takes out the substrate from the substrate support and makes the posture horizontal and supplies it to each carrier. The position control means moves one comb-shaped member to the first position and supplies the other comb-shaped member to the second position when the substrate is supplied by each attitude control means.
Can be moved to the position.

Therefore, when all the substrates have been supplied to the substrate support, the substrates housed in the pair of carriers are integrated into one substrate group, and / or the one substrate group is separated into one pair of carriers. Can be stored, and the required time can be reduced. In addition, the number of elements required to achieve these processes is reduced, and the configuration can be simplified and downsized. Further, by reducing the number of times the substrate is changed, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of transfer errors, particles, damage to the wafer, and the like.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus,
As a pair of attitude control means, an upright attitude controlled by one attitude control means and an upright attitude controlled by the other attitude control means are set in opposite directions, and / or in opposite directions. Since the substrates in the set standing state are set to be in the horizontal state in the same direction as each other, in addition to the function of claim 4, a plurality of substrates can be brought into a state where the surfaces face each other. .

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of a substrate cleaning apparatus to which the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is applied. This substrate processing apparatus performs a cleaning process on a semiconductor wafer as a substrate.

In this substrate processing apparatus, a pair of substrate loading / unloading units 2 is provided at a predetermined position on the outer surface of one side wall of a clean room 1, and a pair of substrate transfer robots 3 and a substrate lot integration / The separation device 4, the substrate cleaning device cleaning device 5, the second cleaning device 6, and the first cleaning device 7 are arranged in this order, and the substrates are separated from the substrate lot integration / separation device 4 to the first cleaning device 7. A substrate transfer robot 8 for transferring is arranged.

The substrate loading / recovering section 2 has a support base 22 for supporting a transfer clean container 21 accommodating a plurality of semiconductor wafers, and is connected to the clean room 1 while maintaining a high cleanness. It has a door member (not shown) for communicating with the transport clean container 21.

The substrate transfer robot 3 takes out a predetermined number (for example, one by one) of semiconductor wafers 23 from the transfer clean container 21 and supplies the semiconductor wafers 23 to the substrate lot integration / separation device 4. Separation device 4
In this process, a predetermined number of semiconductor wafers 23 (for example, one by one) are taken out from the apparatus and supplied to the transfer clean container 21. The arm has a structure sufficient for performing these processes.

The first cleaning apparatus 7 performs a cleaning process by, for example, guiding a cleaning liquid supplied through a cleaning liquid supply pipe (not shown) to a semiconductor wafer accommodating section through a rectifying plate (not shown). It has a lifter 71 for transferring the semiconductor wafer 23 to and from the semiconductor wafer accommodating section. In addition, 72 is a lid member.

The second cleaning device 6 has the same configuration as the first cleaning device 7. However, since it is necessary to finally perform the drying process, the fluid for the drying process is also supplied.

The substrate transfer robot 8 has a linear motion member 82 that can reciprocate along a guide rail 81 in a range from the substrate lot integration / separation device 4 to the first cleaning device 7. A support shaft 83 is provided above the member 82.
A pair of gripping / release drive mechanisms (not shown) are provided on the main body 84 supported through the main body. Further, an eccentric arm member 86 extending in a direction orthogonal to each rotation shaft 85 is connected to the main body portion 84, and a rod 87 is connected to a distal end portion of the eccentric arm member 86. I have. This rod-shaped body 87 has a large diameter in a predetermined range near the base,
The remaining portion has a small diameter, and has a large-diameter flange member 88 at the boundary between the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion.
The large-diameter flange member 88 can be omitted by using a large-diameter portion. Further, a gripping groove 89 for gripping a plurality of semiconductor wafers 23 in an upright state is provided over substantially the entire range in the longitudinal direction of the small diameter portion. In addition, the holding groove 89 may be formed only in a range where the rods 87 face each other in a predetermined eccentric rotation state, or may be formed in the entire range of the rods 87.

The cleaning device 5 includes a linear motion mechanism 51 (for example, a ball screw mechanism, a belt mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, not shown) which can reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the linear member 82. An air cylinder mechanism), a pair of cleaning tanks 52 extending horizontally from the linear motion mechanism 51 toward the main body 84, and a plurality of cleaning liquid supply pipes (shown in the drawing) provided inside the cleaning tank 52. Z). Here, the cleaning tank 52 has a cylindrical body whose base is closed as a main component, and a seal member 54 (for example, a ring-shaped member having an O-ring) is provided on the peripheral edge of the opening of the cylindrical body. Provided. Further, the plurality of cleaning liquid supply pipes are arranged at predetermined angles with respect to the rod-shaped body 87 accommodated in the cylindrical body, and supply the cleaning liquid to each cleaning liquid supply pipe through the base of the cylindrical body. A pipe (not shown) is provided, and a discharge pipe (not shown) for discharging the cleaning liquid from the cylindrical body is provided. The nozzle angle of the supply pipe may be angled to improve the flow to the discharge pipe. The plurality of cleaning liquid supply pipes 53, the supply pipe 55, and the discharge pipe 56 are used not only for the cleaning liquid but also for a drying gas. Further, the linear motion mechanism 51 may reciprocate only the cleaning tank 52. Further, the sealing member 54
For example, a bellows made of a synthetic resin can be used.

The substrate lot integration / separation device 4 converts the posture of a predetermined number of semiconductor wafers 23 supplied from each substrate transfer robot 3 from a horizontal state to a vertical state,
It has an integration / separation robot 42 supported on a semiconductor wafer support 41. Therefore, the semiconductor wafers 23 for two transfer clean containers can be integrated and supported on the semiconductor wafer support 41, and the semiconductor wafers 2 supported on the semiconductor wafer support 41 can be integrated.
3 can be separated corresponding to each transport clean container.

Next, the substrate lot integrating / separating apparatus 4 will be described in more detail.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the integration / separation robot 42, FIG. 3 is a front view, and FIG. 4 is a rear view.

The integration / separation robot 42 includes a pair of substantially U-shaped substrate support plates 42a in which a space into which the substrate holding portion of the substrate transfer robot 3 can enter is formed, and a pair of substrate support plates 42a. A fixed block 42b provided at a predetermined position; a pair of clamp levers 42c for holding and releasing the semiconductor wafer 23 by the fixed block 42b; a motor 42d for operating the clamp lever 42c;
The motor 42e rotates the horizontal direction 2a from a horizontal state facing in the opposite direction to an upright state aligned in parallel with each other, and a supporting member 42f rotatably supporting the two substrate supporting plates 42a (FIG. 7).
Reference) and the fixing member 42h as a reference.
and a slide mechanism 42g (see FIG. 7) for moving f in the direction orthogonal to the substrate support plate 42a in the upright state. As shown in FIG. 5, the fixed block 42b has a step 42b1 that receives the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer 23, and has a tapered surface member 42b2 that is lower inward than the step 42b1. . As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the clamp lever 42c is
The tip of the lever member rotated by d has a planar shape along the periphery of the semiconductor wafer 23, and this portion also has a recess for receiving the periphery of the semiconductor wafer 23. And a tapered surface member that is lower inward than the recess.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the relationship between the integration / separation robot 42 and the semiconductor wafer support 41, FIG. 8 is a rear view, and FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the semiconductor wafer support 41.

The semiconductor wafer support 41 includes a first support 41a, a second support 41b, a first lifting mechanism 41c for lifting and lowering the first support 41a, and a second lifting and lowering for raising and lowering the second support 41b. Mechanism 41d. The first lifting mechanism 41c and the second lifting mechanism 41d are fixed members 42.
h. The first support 41a and the second support 41b are formed such that the respective protrusions 41e and 41f are formed in a comb shape, and one protrusion can be located in a gap between the other protrusions. The relative position has been set. The protrusions 41e and 41f have an upper surface formed in an arc-shaped concave surface to support the semiconductor wafer 23, and a base portion has an arc-shaped concave portion so as not to hinder the rotation of the clamp lever 42c. I have. As shown in FIG. 10, a pair of grooves 41e1 for receiving the periphery of the semiconductor wafer 23 is formed on the upper surface of the protrusion 41e.
Are formed. Of course, the upper surface of the protruding portion 41f is also used for receiving the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer 23.
A pair of grooves is formed.

The operation of the substrate processing apparatus having the above configuration is as follows.

When the transfer clean container 21 is supported on the support table 22 of the pair of substrate loading / recovering sections 2, the door transfer member 3 is opened and the substrate transfer robot 3 is operated, whereby the transfer clean container 21 is operated. A predetermined number of semiconductor wafers 23 are taken out from 21 and supplied to the substrate lot integration / separation device 4. Then, in the substrate lot integration / separation device 4, the posture of each semiconductor wafer 23 supplied from each substrate transfer robot 3 is changed from a horizontal state to a vertical state, and the semiconductor wafer 23 is supported on the semiconductor wafer support 41. Accordingly, the semiconductor wafers 23 for two transfer clean containers can be integrated and supported on the semiconductor wafer support 41.

This operation will be described in more detail.

With the pair of clamp levers 42c expanded, the substrate gripping portions of the respective substrate transfer robots 3 enter the spaces of the corresponding substrate support plates 42a to supply the semiconductor wafer 23 being gripped. Then, each substrate transfer robot 3 evacuates the substrate holding part. Next, the motor 42d
By rotating the pair of clamp levers 42c in the reverse direction, the semiconductor wafer 23 is clamped while being received by the tapered surface member 42b2. Thereby, the semiconductor wafer 2
3 can be transferred to the integration / separation robot 42. Thereafter, each of the substrate transfer robots 3 moves back and takes out the next semiconductor wafer 23.

In the integration / separation robot 42 which has received the semiconductor wafer 23, the pair of substrate support plates 42a is rotated by the motor 42e until the pair of substrate support plates 42a stand in parallel. Further, a pair of substrate support plates 42a is provided by the slide mechanism 42g so as to correspond to one of the first support table 41a and the second support table 41b at a position where the semiconductor wafer is to be received.
Slide. Then, in order to receive the semiconductor wafer, the corresponding support table is raised to a state where the semiconductor wafer 23 has completely entered the guide portion (the groove 41e1) and has a clearance. In this state, the semiconductor wafer 23 is provided on both the substrate support plates 42a. If the semiconductor wafer 23 is released by rotating the clamp lever 42c in the reverse direction (downward), 1
A pair of semiconductor wafers 23 are supported in a pair of grooves of the corresponding protrusion.

By repeating the above series of processing,
The semiconductor wafer 23 stored in the pair of transfer clean containers 21 can be transferred to the semiconductor wafer support 41. That is, they can be integrated. Here, the interval between the transferred semiconductor wafers 23 can be smaller than the interval between the semiconductor wafers 23 in the clean transfer container 21. The transferred semiconductor wafers 23 are arranged such that the front surfaces face each other and the back surfaces face each other. Further, since the number of times of switching the semiconductor wafer can be reduced, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of transfer errors, particles, damage to the wafer, and the like. Moreover, simplification of the configuration,
Then, the substrate transfer robot 8 is operated so that the linear motion member 82 faces the substrate lot integration / separation device 4, and the two rods 87 are eccentrically rotated in this state. Then, the distance between the two is set to be larger than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer 23, the semiconductor wafer support 41 is raised, and after the semiconductor wafer support 41 is raised, the rods 87 are eccentrically rotated upward to rotate the semiconductor wafer. 23 and the holding groove 89 are engaged,
Finally, by lowering the semiconductor wafer support 41, a plurality of semiconductor wafers 23 can be transferred.

Next, the substrate transfer robot 8 is operated so that the linear moving member 82 faces the first processing apparatus 7, and a process reverse to the above-described process of transferring the semiconductor wafer 23 is performed to remove the plurality of semiconductor wafers 23. It can be supplied to the first processing device 7 to perform a first-stage cleaning process. here,
Since the semiconductor wafers 23 are arranged such that the front surfaces and the rear surfaces face each other, the inconvenience of particles or the like adhering to the rear surface adhering to the front surface can be significantly reduced.

Further, after the semiconductor wafer 23 is supplied to the first processing apparatus 7, the substrate transfer robot 8 is operated so that the direct-acting member 82 faces the substrate-gripping-apparatus cleaning apparatus 5. 87 is washed.

Thereafter, the linear member 82 is moved to the first cleaning device 7.
The substrate transport robot 8 is operated to face the
A receiving process of the plurality of semiconductor wafers 23 cleaned by the cleaning device 7 is performed, and then the substrate transport robot 8 is operated so that the linear motion member 82 faces the second cleaning device 6, and the plurality of semiconductor wafers 23 are processed. Is supplied to the second cleaning device 6 to perform a second-stage cleaning process and drying process. Also in this case, the inconvenience of particles or the like adhering to the back surface adhering to the front surface can be greatly reduced.

After the semiconductor wafer 23 is supplied to the second processing apparatus 6, the substrate transfer robot 8 is operated so that the direct-acting member 82 faces the substrate-gripping-apparatus cleaning apparatus 5. The body 87 is washed.

After each rod 87 has been cleaned, the substrate transport robot 8 is operated so that the linear member 82 faces the second cleaning device 6, and is cleaned by the second cleaning device 6. Then, the plurality of semiconductor wafers 23 that have been dried are received, and then the substrate transport robot 8 is operated so that the direct-acting member 82 faces the substrate lot integration / separation device 4. The plurality of semiconductor wafers 23 are transferred to a semiconductor wafer support table 43 (a support table that moves up and down as a unit, instead of a comb-like shape on the left and right sides). After that, it is transferred to the semiconductor wafer support table 41. That is, since the mirror transfer and pitch conversion are performed while the semiconductor wafer 23 is transferred in lot units by the substrate transfer robot 8 and the lot integration is performed, the washed and dried lot is temporarily placed on the semiconductor wafer support table 43 once. Then, after the newly integrated lot is transferred to the first cleaning apparatus 7, the lot is transferred from the semiconductor wafer support table 43 to the substrate lot integration / separation apparatus 4, where the lot is separated.

Then, the semiconductor wafer 23 on the semiconductor wafer support table 41 is separated corresponding to each transport clean container by operating the integration / separation robot 42 in the reverse manner, and each substrate transfer robot is separated. 3 returns to the corresponding transport clean container 21.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another configuration of the integration / separation robot, and FIG. 12 is a front view.

The integration / separation robot 44 includes a base 4
A first arm 44b vertically movable with respect to the first arm 44b, a second arm 44c horizontally rotatable with respect to the first arm 44b,
Third arm 4 rotatable horizontally with respect to second arm 44c
4d and a fourth rotatable horizontally with respect to the third arm 44d.
It has an arm 44e, a fifth arm 44f rotatable vertically with respect to the fourth arm 44e, and a grip 44g provided at the tip of the fifth arm 44f.

If the integration / separation robot 44 having this configuration is adopted, the horizontal position and the vertical position of the semiconductor wafer 23 can be freely changed, and the posture of the semiconductor wafer 23 can be changed between the horizontal state and the vertical state. Can be changed freely.

Therefore, if the integration / separation robot 44 having this configuration is employed, the function of the substrate transfer robot 3 can also be achieved, so that the configuration of the entire apparatus can be simplified.

[0056]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when all the substrates have been supplied to the substrate supporting portion, the processing for reducing the substrate pitch can be achieved, and the required time can be shortened.
By reducing the elements required to achieve these processes, the structure can be simplified and downsized.Furthermore, the number of times of substrate switching can be reduced, and transfer errors, particles, and damage to wafers can be achieved. And the like.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, all the substrates can be aligned after all the substrates are supplied to the substrate supporting portion, and the same effect as that of the first aspect can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when all the substrates are supplied to the substrate supporting portion, the substrates can be brought into a state where the surfaces face each other, the required time can be reduced, and the processing time can be reduced. By reducing the elements required to achieve the above, simplification of the configuration and miniaturization can be achieved.Furthermore, the number of times of substrate switching is reduced, resulting in transfer errors, particles, damage to wafers, etc. Is achieved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when all the substrates are supplied to the substrate support, the substrates housed in the pair of carriers are integrated into one substrate group, and / or the one substrate group is combined into one pair. Can be stored separately in the carrier
The required time can be shortened, the number of elements required to achieve these processes can be reduced, the configuration can be simplified, the size can be reduced, and the number of times of changing the substrate can be reduced. Thus, a special effect is achieved in that the occurrence of transfer errors, particles, damage to the wafer, and the like can be reduced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the fourth aspect, a unique effect is provided in that a plurality of substrates can be brought into a state where the surfaces face each other.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a substrate cleaning apparatus to which a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the integration / separation robot.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the same.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing a configuration of a fixed block.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing a configuration of a clamp lever.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the relationship between the integration / separation robot and the semiconductor wafer support.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the above.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a semiconductor wafer support.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing a semiconductor wafer support portion of the semiconductor wafer support base.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another configuration of the integration / separation robot.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Substrate Transfer Robot 21 Transport Clean Container 23 Semiconductor Wafer 41 Semiconductor Wafer Support 41a First Support 41b Second Support 41c First Elevating Mechanism 41d Second Elevating Mechanism 42 Integration / Separation Robot

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Katsuhiro Tetsuya 3-12 Chikushinmachi, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture Daikin Industries, Ltd. Sakai Plant Rinkai Plant (72) Inventor Eiji Taguchi 3 Chikushinmachi, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture No. 12 Daikin Industries Co., Ltd. Sakai Plant Rinkai Plant F-term (reference) 3B201 AA03 AB24 AB44 BB02 BB94 CB15 CC12 5F031 BB04 BB05 CC01 CC04 CC13 CC63 EE01 EE03 LL05 LL07 LL10 MM03 MM04

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus for taking out substrates (23) one by one from a carrier (21) containing a plurality of substrates (23) and supplying the substrates to a substrate support (41). 41) is a pair of comb-shaped members (41a)
(41b), and are configured to be mutually engageable and separable, and that each of the comb-like members (41a) (41b) can support the substrate (23), respectively. A posture control means (42) for supplying the substrate support portions (41a) and (41b) with the posture of the taken-out substrate in an upright state, and a position for receiving one of the comb-like members when the substrate is supplied by the posture control means (42). (41c) and (41d) for moving the other comb-shaped member to the non-substrate receiving position, so that the substrate supporting portion (41) can be moved more than the pitch of the substrate (23) in the carrier (21). The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pitch of the substrate (23) is reduced. 2. The position control means (41c) (41d).
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the comb-shaped members (41a) and (41b) engage with each other in response to the substrate supporter (41) receiving a predetermined number of substrates. . 3. A substrate processing apparatus for taking out a substrate (23) from a carrier (21) containing a plurality of substrates (23) and supplying the substrate (23) to a substrate support (41). Receiving a pair of substrate take-out means (3) to be taken out and the substrates (23) taken out by each of the substrate take-out means (3), supplying the substrate (23) to the substrate support part (41) in an upright state. And a pair of posture control means (42) for controlling the standing posture controlled by one posture control means (42) and the standing posture controlled by the other posture control means (42). A substrate processing apparatus characterized by being set in the opposite direction. 4. A substrate (23) is taken out from a pair of carriers (21) accommodating a plurality of substrates (23) and supplied to a substrate support (41), and / or a substrate support (4).
The substrate (23) is taken out from 1) and a pair of carriers (2
1) a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a comb-shaped member to a pair of comb-like members (41a);
(41b), and are configured to be mutually engageable and separable, and that each of the comb-like members (41a) (41b) can support the substrate (23), respectively. The removed substrate (23) is supplied to the substrate supporter (41) in an upright state, and / or
Alternatively, a pair of posture control means (42) for taking out the substrate (23) from the substrate support portion (41) and supplying the substrate (23) in a horizontal state to each carrier (21), and a substrate by each posture control means (42) Position control means (41c) and (41d) for moving one comb-shaped member to the first position and moving the other comb-shaped member to the second position during supply.
The substrate (23) accommodated in the pair of carriers (21) is supported on the substrate support (41) at a smaller pitch than the pitch of the substrate (23) in the carrier (21), and / or at a smaller pitch. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a substrate (23) supported by a support portion (41) is housed in a pair of carriers. 5. A pair of posture control means (42) comprising a posture in a standing state controlled by one posture control means (42) and a posture in a standing state controlled by the other posture control means (42). Are set in the opposite directions to each other and / or the upright substrates (23) set in the opposite directions to each other
5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the substrates are set in a horizontal state in the same direction.