JP2001267392A - Method and equipment for transferring substrate and aligner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and equipment for identifying and transferring each substrate with certainty, based on the bar code information by reading the bar code information of each substrate stably, and also to provide an aligner. SOLUTION: Along the way of a transfer mechanism H for transferring a reticle R from a library 11 to a reticle stage 17, an identification section A is installed, which comprises a holding section 1 for holding the reticle R delivered from the transfer mechanism H and a bar code reader 3 for reading a bar code B of the reticle R held by the holding section 1. The reticle R is held, in such a state where the bar code B can be easily read by the identification section A, so that the bar code B is read stably and the reticle R is identified surely.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for transporting a substrate provided with a bar code from a storage section to a substrate processing section, and an exposure apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A reticle or mask (hereinafter, referred to as a reticle) is used to transfer a pattern of a circuit or the like onto a wafer (or a glass substrate) in an exposure process which is a part of a semiconductor manufacturing process or a liquid crystal display device manufacturing process. Is done. Normally, this pattern is different for each exposure step, so various reticles are required for each step.Therefore, among various types of reticles, the one required for each exposure step is quickly identified and Is required to be supplied. For this reason, a barcode that stores various information on the exposure device and the exposure process is provided on a part of the surface of the reticle,
There is a method in which each reticle is identified by reading the barcode by a barcode reader and processing the obtained barcode information by a computer.

A method for identifying such a reticle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-305554. This method includes, as shown in FIG. 9, a transport hand 93 that transports a reticle 91 provided with a bar code 90 in the direction of arrow 92 while holding the reticle 91, and a bar code reader 94 provided at a fixed position for reading the bar code 90. The bar code reader 94 is adapted to identify the conveyed reticle 91 by reading a bar code 90 passing through the reading area. At this time, the substrate portion of the reticle 91 is formed of glass, and the barcode 90 and the pattern portion are formed of chrome. Then, the barcode reader 94 reads the barcode 90 by emitting light to the area where the barcode 90 is formed and detecting the reflected light. That is, the barcode reader 94 reads the barcode 90 using the difference between the reflectance of the glass substrate and the reflectance of the chrome portion.

[0004]

However, a halftone reticle used in recent years has a bar code portion having substantially the same reflectance as a glass substrate. Therefore, it is difficult for the barcode reader to read the barcode stably. Since the halftone reticle forms a barcode pattern in the same process as the circuit pattern, the reflectance of the substrate and the barcode portion of the halftone reticle becomes substantially the same. Therefore, it is difficult to stably read a barcode formed on the halftone reticle by a conventional barcode reading method using reflected light. On the other hand, for example, a method in which the bar code portion of the reticle is sandwiched between the CCD line sensor and the light projecting unit and the bar code is read by the transmitted light can be considered. At this time, the transport hand holds the reticle while avoiding the bar code portion. There is a need. However,
Since the reticle generally has a pellicle for preventing foreign matter from adhering to the pattern forming surface, the transport hand needs to hold the reticle while avoiding the pellicle portion and the barcode portion. In this case, it is extremely difficult to hold the reticle by the transport hand.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and stably reads barcode information of a board having a barcode for information processing, and based on the barcode information, individual board information. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer method and a substrate transfer device capable of transferring the substrate to the next step after reliably identifying the same, and an exposure apparatus provided with the transfer device.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention employs the following structure corresponding to FIGS. 1 to 8 shown in the embodiment. The substrate transport method of the present invention is a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate (reticle R) provided with a barcode (B) from a storage unit (library 11) to a substrate processing unit (projection exposure unit E). (R)
In the middle of the transfer, the identification unit (A) for reading the barcode (B) while holding the substrate (R) is installed, and the substrate (R) taken out of the storage unit (11).
Is passed to the identification section (A) to read the barcode (B), and then the substrate (R) is received and transported to the substrate processing section (E).

According to the present invention, the substrate (R) taken out of the storage section (11) is transferred to the identification section (A) during the transportation to the substrate processing section (E), and the bar code (B) is read. It is kept in a state that is easy to be operated. Therefore, the operation of reading the barcode (B) of the substrate (R) is performed stably, and the identification of the substrate (R) is performed reliably.

Then, while holding the substrate (R) in the identification portion (A), the substrate (R) is positioned to a predetermined position and then transferred to the substrate processing portion (E).
The processing in the substrate processing section (E) is performed stably. In this case, it is possible to perform alignment for the reading operation of the barcode (B), and therefore, the reading operation of the barcode (B) in the identification unit (A) is also performed stably.

The substrate transfer device of the present invention is a substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate (R) provided with a bar code (B) from a storage section (11) to a substrate processing section (E) by a transfer mechanism (H). A holding unit (1) that is installed in the middle of the transfer of the substrate (R) and holds the substrate (R) passed by the transfer mechanism (H); and the holding unit (1) held by the holding unit (1). An identification unit (A) having a bar code reader (3) for reading a bar code (B) on the substrate (R) is provided.

According to the present invention, the substrate (R) provided with the barcode (B) is once passed from the transport mechanism (H) to the holding section (1), and the barcode (B) is transferred by the holding section (1). The bar code (B) is read by the bar code reader (3) after it is held in a state where it can be easily read.
Therefore, the operation of reading the barcode (B) of the substrate (R) by the barcode reader (3) is performed stably, and the identification of the substrate (R) is performed reliably.

The identification section (A) is a diffuse reflection plate (7) that reflects transmitted light emitted from the bar code reader (3) and transmitted through a region including the bar code (B) of the substrate (R).
The bar code reader (3) is a diffuse reflection plate (7)
It is configured to receive the reflected light (9). In this case, the difference in the amount of light of the reflected light (9) passing through the substrate (R) and the bar code (B) becomes larger than the difference in the amount of light due to the directly reflected light on the surface of the substrate (R). The bar code (B) can be read stably even when the reflectance of the bar code (B) is substantially equal to that of the bar code (B). Therefore, the substrate (R) can be reliably identified.

Further, the identification section (A) includes a reading portion changing device (30) for changing a reading portion of the bar code reader (3) in accordance with a portion of the substrate (R) where the bar code (B) is formed. Is possible. By providing the reading portion changing device (30), even when the position of the barcode (B) on the substrate (R) being transported is changed, the barcode reader (3) is read by the reading portion changing device (30). ) Can be moved to the position where the barcode (B) is formed, so that the barcode (B) can be read stably. Therefore, the substrate (R) is reliably identified.

The identification section (A) is provided with a substrate moving device (20) for aligning the substrate (R) to a predetermined position while holding the substrate (R) on the holding section (1). The substrate (R) is moved by the substrate moving device (20)
After being aligned with respect to a predetermined position, the substrate is transported to the substrate processing section (E). Therefore, the processing in the substrate processing section (E) is performed stably. Further, since the alignment for the barcode (B) reading operation can be performed by the substrate moving device (20), the barcode (B) reading operation is performed stably, and therefore, the substrate (R) is read. Identification can also be performed reliably.

In the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the mask (reticle R) stored in the storage section (11) is transferred to the mask stage (reticle stage 17) by the transfer mechanism (H) and held on the mask stage (17). An exposure apparatus for transferring the image of the pattern (6) of the mask (R) onto a substrate (wafer W) disposed on the mask (R), the exposure apparatus being installed in the middle of the transport of the mask (R). Then, the holding unit (1) holding the mask (R) passed by the transport mechanism (H) and the bar code (B) of the mask (R) held by the holding unit (1) are read. An identification unit (A) having a barcode reader (3) is provided.

According to the present invention, the mask (R) provided with the bar code (B) is transferred to the identification section (A) while being conveyed to the mask stage (17). After the barcode (B) is held in a state that is easy to read, the barcode (B) is read by the barcode reader (3). Therefore, the storage unit (11)
Among the various types of masks (R) stored in the storage unit, the desired mask (R) is reliably identified by the identification unit (A), and then is transferred to the mask stage (17).

[0016]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a substrate transfer method and a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an exposure apparatus provided with a substrate transfer device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining the identification unit A,
FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG.

In these figures, an exposure apparatus S includes a reticle case 12 for individually storing a plurality of reticles R used at the time of exposure, and a reticle R for storing a plurality of reticles R stored in the reticle case 12. A library (storage unit) 11, a transfer arm 13 for taking out a reticle R from a reticle case 12 in the library 11, a reticle R taken out by the transfer arm 13 is received from the transfer arm 13 at a position CA1, and a position CA1 is set. A carrier 14 movably provided between the carrier 14 and a load arm 15 for receiving a reticle R from the carrier 14 moved to the position CA2 and transferring the reticle R to a reticle stage 17 provided in a projection exposure unit (substrate processing unit) E; And the reticle R after the exposure process is taken out of the reticle stage 17. And an unload arm 16 to put out.

Then, the reticle R is transferred from the library 11 to the projection exposure section E by the transport arm 13, the carrier 14, the load arm 15, and the unload arm 16.
A transport mechanism (transport path) H for transporting to the reticle stage 17 of FIG. Further, on a part of the surface of the reticle R, a bar code B storing various information on the exposure process such as information on the pattern 6 formed on each reticle R is formed. In the middle of the transport path H, there is provided an identification unit A provided independently of the transport path H for identifying each reticle R based on the information of the bar code B. The exposure apparatus S is housed inside an air-conditioning chamber set at a set temperature.

The operation of the exposure apparatus S is controlled by a control unit (not shown). An operation display unit having a keyboard and a monitor is provided outside the air-conditioning chamber, and the operation display unit enables operation of the control unit and selection and registration of a desired reticle R. By operating this operation display unit, one of the reticles R individually stored in the reticle case 12 and filled in the library 11 is designated one to be used at the time of exposure in advance.

The library 11 stores a plurality of reticles R individually stored in a reticle case 12. At this time, the reticles R are individually accommodated in the reticle case 12 so as to be parallel to the XY plane in FIG. 1, and the plurality of reticle cases 12 individually accommodating the reticle R are moved in the library 11 in the Z direction. Are arranged so as to be stacked in multiple stages. That is, the reticle R used at the time of exposure is stored in the library 11 while being stored in the reticle case 12. The reticle case 12 containing the reticle R is opened by opening a front door T provided in a part of the air conditioning chamber.
1 is loaded into each slot.

The transfer arm 13 which is a part of the transfer mechanism H
Takes out a reticle R used at the time of exposure from a reticle case 12 specified in advance from among a plurality of reticle cases 12 arranged in a library 11,
The reticle case 12 is used to store a reticle R used in the exposure process and to be returned to the reticle case 12, and is provided so as to be movable in the Y and Z directions in FIG. That is, the transfer arm 13 is movably supported by the Y-axis guide portion 13a so as to approach and separate from the reticle case 12, and the Z-axis guide portion 13b is arranged along the direction in which the reticle cases 12 are arranged.
, And can enter a reticle case 12 designated in advance.

The transfer arm 13 is provided with a vacuum suction hole, which is used to turn on / off a connected vacuum pump (not shown).
The FF holds and releases the reticle R. Therefore, the transfer arm 13 enters the designated reticle case 12 so that the desired reticle R
Reticle case 1 in which reticle R to be returned to reticle case 12 can be taken out.
2 can be stored.

When the reticle R used for exposure is transported to the projection exposure section E, the transport arm 13 sucks the reticle R in the reticle case 12 and takes out the reticle R in the Y direction. The sheet is conveyed to CA1 and transferred to the carrier 14 at this position CA1. The carrier 14 is movably provided between the position CA1 and the position CA2 while being supported by the carrier guide portion 14a, and movably provided in the Z direction together with the carrier guide portion 14a. That is, the carrier 14 is provided so as to be movable in the X and Z directions in FIG. The carrier 14 has a vacuum suction hole on the lower surface, and is connected to a ON / OFF of a connected vacuum pump (not shown).
The reticle R is held and released by turning OFF. After receiving the reticle R from the transfer arm 13 at the position CA1, the carrier 14 moves to the position CA1.
2 is transported.

The carrier 14 is provided with a mechanism (not shown) for pre-aligning the reticle R by sandwiching the reticle R from two directions on the basis of the four sides. To be transported. Note that the carrier 14 can receive the reticle R used in the exposure process and to be returned to the reticle case 12 from the unload arm 16 and pass it to the transport arm 13 at the position CA1.

Load arm 15 and unload arm 1
Reference numeral 6 is provided so as to be movable in the Y direction and the Z direction in FIG. The load arm 15 and the unload arm 16
It is provided so as to be individually movable in the Y direction between the position CA2 and the reticle stage 17, and is movable integrally in the Z direction while being supported by the Z-axis guide portion 15a. The load arm 15 receives the reticle R used at the time of exposure at the position CA2 from the carrier 14, while the unload arm 16
Receives the reticle R to be used in the exposure step and to be returned to the reticle case 12 from the reticle stage 17 and passes it to the carrier 14 at the position CA2. Each of the load arm 15 and the unload arm 16 has a vacuum suction hole for holding the reticle R similarly to the transfer arm 13, and the suction and holding and release of the reticle R can be freely controlled by turning on / off a connected vacuum pump. To do it.

A reticle stage 17 provided in a projection exposure section (substrate processing section) E is a reticle R used for exposure.
The pattern 6 formed on the reticle R is transferred to the wafer W set on the wafer stage 19 through the projection lens 18.

In the middle of a transport mechanism H for transporting a reticle R used for exposure toward a reticle stage 17 provided in a projection exposure section E, a portion of the surface of the reticle R is held while holding the reticle R. Barcode B provided
An identification unit A for identifying each reticle R by reading the reticle R is provided independently of the transport mechanism H. The identification section A is provided at a position on the way to the reticle stage 17 where the load arm 15 receives the reticle R used at the time of exposure at the position CA2, and the load arm 15 is positioned between the position CA2 and the reticle stage 17. The reticle R is passed to the identification section A in the transport path H between the first and second sections, and the reticle R is received from the identification section A.

The discriminating unit A is a holding unit 1 for holding the reticle R passed by the load arm 15 in the transport mechanism H.
And a barcode reader 3 that reads a barcode B of the reticle R held by the holding unit 1.

The holding portion 1 has a base portion 4 formed in a plate shape.
And pillars 5 equally arranged at the corners of the base 4. The base portion 4 is provided in the same shape so as to correspond to the reticle R to be held, and in this case, is formed in a plane quadrangular shape. Further, the four pillar portions 5 provided at the four corners of the base portion 4 evenly support the lower surface of the corner of the reticle R to be held.

The reticle R is made up of a flat rectangular glass substrate and a pattern 6 formed in the center of the glass substrate.
And a bar code B formed at a predetermined position on a part of the surface of the glass substrate. The pattern 6 is formed so as to occupy most of the area at the center of the reticle R, and the bar code B is provided in the right margin of the pattern 6 in FIG. The bar code B and the pattern 6 are formed of the same material such as chrome. The glass substrate has a halftone shape having substantially the same reflectance as the bar code B.

The bar code B is composed of a first segment b1 and a second segment b2 which are arranged in a predetermined direction in a blank portion of the reticle R in series. At this time, the barcode B can be constituted by one segment, but by constituting the barcode B by two segments, it becomes possible to input a larger amount of information. The bar code B has a width of, for example, about 3.5 mm. A pellicle P for preventing foreign matter from adhering to the pattern 6 is provided on the surface of the reticle R on which the pattern 6 is provided. At this time, the pellicle P is arranged so as not to cover the bar code B portion, and therefore the bar code B is exposed on the surface.

The column 5 directly supports the lower surface of the corner of the reticle R so as to avoid the pellicle P and the bar code B provided on one surface of the reticle R. Therefore, the reticle R and the pellicle P provided on the lower surface thereof are supported so as to be separated from the base portion 4. At this time, the base 4 and the reticle R are supported by the support 5 so as to be parallel while being separated by a predetermined distance (for example, about 15 mm).

The discriminating section A is provided with a diffuse reflection plate 7 for reflecting transmitted light emitted from the barcode reader 3 and transmitted through an area including the barcode B of the reticle R. The diffuse reflection plate 7 is provided at a predetermined position of the base 4 and is formed in a rectangular shape in a plane so as to substantially correspond to the shape of the arranged bar codes B. On the other hand, the reticle R is supported by the column 5 so that the bar code B and the diffuse reflection plate 7 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance (for example, about 15 mm) so as to face each other. Parts other than B are supported. Therefore, a space is formed below the barcode B portion of the reticle R.

The diffuse reflection plate 7 has a white plate shape, and its surface is formed flat. The diffuse reflection plate 7 is made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate).
Various white plate-shaped resins such as a resin impregnated with a white pigment such as titanium oxide or white paper can be selected and used.

The bar code reader 3 is for reading the bar code B of the reticle R held by the holding unit 1, and is a laser bar code reader having a light projecting unit 3a and a light receiving unit 3b. . At this time, the reticle R is held by the holding unit 1 so that the barcode B and the diffuse reflection plate 7 face each other in parallel, and the light projecting unit 3a moves toward the region of the reticle R including the barcode B. The projection light 8 is projected. Further, the barcode reader 3 is disposed at a position substantially above the barcode B such that the incident angle of the light 8 from the light projecting portion 3a to the barcode B is inclined at a predetermined angle (for example, 15 degrees).

The light 8 emitted from the light projecting portion 3a passes through the area of the reticle R containing the bar code B, and is reflected by the diffuse reflection plate 7 disposed opposite to the lower part of the bar code B. ing. On the other hand, the light receiving section 3b receives the reflected light 9 reflected by the diffuse reflection plate 7. Further, a processing unit 21 for analyzing the contents of the barcode reader 3 is connected to the barcode reader 3 so as to analyze the read barcode information.

The identification unit A includes a substrate moving device (alignment pin) 10 for aligning the mask R with a predetermined position while holding the mask R on the holding unit 1. That is, the reticle R is aligned by the alignment pin 10 so that the bar code B and the diffuse reflection plate 7 face each other. The alignment pin 10 mechanically aligns the reticle R by sandwiching the reticle R formed in a planar quadrilateral from two directions with reference to four sides of the reticle R. That is, the reticle R held by the holding unit 1 by the load arm 15 is aligned by the alignment pins 10 so that the bar code B and the diffuse reflection plate 7 face each other, and then the bar code B is read by the bar code reader 3. Is read. Further, the reticle R, which has been read to read the bar code B and is identified as being to be transported to the reticle stage 17, is held by the load arm 15 again and transported to the reticle stage 17. Pre-alignment, that is, rough alignment, is performed by the alignment pins 10.

A method of transporting the reticle R having the bar code B from the library 11 to the reticle stage 17 of the projection exposure section E by the transport device having the identification section A in the exposure apparatus S having the above-described configuration will be described. . A plurality of reticle cases 12 containing the reticle R are manually filled into the library 11 from a front door T provided in a part of the air conditioning chamber. The operation of filling the library 11 with the reticle case 12 can be automatically performed using an automatic carrier or the like.

At the same time, the reticle R filled in the library 11 is registered by the operation display unit provided outside the air conditioning chamber. That is, information such as which reticle R has which pattern 6 among the plurality of filled reticles R is registered so as to correspond to the information of the barcode B. Then, when the registration work of the reticle R is completed, the operation of the operation display unit causes
Among the reticles R individually stored in the reticle case 12 and filled in the library 11, one reticle R to be used at the time of exposure is designated in advance, and
The start of the exposure process is instructed. On the other hand, the operation display unit always displays information on the reticle R and the state of the exposure apparatus S.

By operating the operation display unit, the control unit instructs the transfer arm 13 to carry out the designated reticle R from the reticle case 12. The designated reticle R is sucked and held by the vacuum suction holes of the transfer arm 13 that has entered the inside of the reticle case 12 from the front side of the reticle case 12, and is carried out of the reticle case 12 by the transfer arm 13. The reticle R is transferred to the position CA1 by the transfer arm 13 and then transferred to the carrier 14, where
To the position CA2. The reticle R is pre-aligned by an alignment pin (not shown) while being transported by the carrier 14.

The reticle R transported by the carrier 14 to the position CA2 is transferred to the load arm 15 at this position CA2. The reticle R held by the load arm 15 is transported toward the reticle stage 47. The reticle R is passed to the identification unit A in the middle of the transport path H from the position CA2 to the reticle stage 17.

The holding unit 1 of the identification unit A is a load arm 1
The reticle R is provided below the transfer path 5 (in the negative Z direction in FIG. 1), and is transferred to the holding unit 1 by the load arm 15. That is, when the load arm 15 holding the reticle R moves above the holding unit 1, the load arm 15 moves downward while the bar code B of the reticle R and the diffuse reflection plate 7 provided on the base unit 4 face each other to move the reticle R. It is placed on the holding unit 1 and once withdrawn from the vicinity of the holding unit 1. The reticle R is a bar code B
Are stored in the reticle case 12 in advance such that the diffuse reflector 7 faces the diffuse reflector 7.

That is, when the holding unit 1 holds the reticle R by the load arm 15, as shown in FIG.
Then, the reticle R is lowered while the reticle R is opposed to each other, and the reticle R is moved so as to retreat in the lateral direction in FIG. At this time, if the reticle R is not stably mounted on the column 5 or is mounted so that the bar code B and the diffuse reflection plate 7 are displaced, the load arm 15 is connected to the reticle R and the base. The operation may be controlled so as to enter the space between the reticle R and the reticle R again, and perform the repositioning operation.

The reticle R held by the holder 1 is positioned by the alignment pins 10. That is, the reticle R formed in a planar quadrilateral is sandwiched by the alignment pins 10 from two directions with respect to the four sides of the reticle R while being held by the holding unit 1, so that the bar code B of the reticle R and the diffuse reflection plate 7 is positioned so as to be opposed. Thus, the reticle R is set at a position appropriate for reading the barcode B.

When the reticle R is disposed so that the bar code B and the diffuse reflection plate 7 face each other, the control unit
The light emitting unit 3a of the bar code reader 3 provided on the reticle R side is instructed to emit the light 8 toward the area where the bar code B of the reticle R is formed. At this time, the barcode reader 3 is installed at a fixed position, and the light projecting unit 3a scans the barcode B along the longitudinal direction of the barcode B arranged in series.

The projected light 8 is applied to an area of the reticle R including the bar code B. At this time, the projection light 8 passes through the bar code B portion, passes through the space formed between the reticle R and the base portion 4, reaches the diffuse reflection plate 7, and is reflected. The light reflected on the diffuse reflector 7 passes through the space formed between the reticle R and the base portion 4 again as reflected light 9, passes through the reticle R, and is received by the light receiving section 3 b of the barcode reader 3. . At this time, since the projection light 8 is provided so as to be incident on the reticle R while being inclined, the reflection light 9 is reflected while being diffused by the diffusion reflection plate 7.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, when the chromium forming the bar code B and the glass substrate have substantially the same reflectance as a halftone reticle, that is, the glass portion 22 and the chrome portion 23 (bar code B) both transmit the projected light 8 by substantially the same amount, the reticle R
Is transmitted through the reticle R twice while being received by the light receiving section 3b of the bar code reader 3. Therefore, the light receiving section 3b of the bar code reader 3 reads the reflected light 9 transmitted twice through the reticle R.

The bar code information read by the bar code reader 3 is sent to the processing section 21 and instantly analyzed. And the analysis result is sent to the control unit instantly,
The control unit determines whether or not this reticle R is specified in advance.

When it is determined that the reticle R is a desired one, the control unit instructs the load arm 15 to receive the reticle R from the identification unit A. That is, the load arm 15 approaches the holding unit 1 and enters the space formed between the reticle R and the base unit 4, sucks and holds the reticle R by the vacuum suction hole, and lifts the reticle R upward (in the Z direction). . The reticle R is conveyed to the reticle stage 17 by the load arm 15 and installed. Note that the reticle R has already been aligned (pre-aligned) with the reticle stage 17 while being held by the holder 1 by the alignment pins 10 at the time of reading by the barcode reader 3.

After the reticle R mounted on the reticle stage 17 of the projection exposure section E is aligned, the image of the pattern 6 is transferred onto the wafer W of the wafer stage 19 placed on the reticle R.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the reticle R is not the desired one, the control unit
In order to return to the reticle case 12, the unload arm 16 is instructed to receive the reticle R from the identification unit A. The holding of the reticle R by the unload arm 16 is performed in the same manner as the operation of the load arm 15 by the unload arm 16 entering the space between the reticle R and the base 4.
Is carried out by the adsorption holding.

The reticle R sucked and held by the unload arm 16 is transferred to the carrier 14 at the position CA2, further transferred to the position CA1, transferred to the transfer arm 13, and stored in the reticle case 12. When it is determined that the reticle R is not the desired one, the transport path for returning the reticle R to the reticle case 12 does not depend on the transport mechanism H (that is, regardless of the transport path used at the time of loading). For example, it may be constituted by a transport mechanism provided in another system. Further, the reticle R that has not been identified as a desired one can of course be stored in another storage unit without being returned to the reticle case 12 of the library 11.

The reticle R that has completed the exposure process in the projection exposure section E is suction-held by the unload arm 16 on the reticle stage 17, and is moved to the position CA2 by moving in the Y direction. The reticle R transported to the position CA2 is transferred to the carrier 14 waiting at the position CA2, and the carrier 14
It is transported to 1. Then, reticle R transported to position CA1 is transferred to transport arm 13 waiting at position CA1, and stored in reticle case 12 designated by transport arm 13.

Note that, even when the reticle R after the exposure step is returned to the reticle case 12 of the library 11, the reticle R can be transported by a transport system of another system without using the transport mechanism H. Furthermore, this reticle R
Of course, it is also possible to store it in another storage unit without returning to the reticle case 12.

Incidentally, alignment of the reticle R conveyed to the reticle stage 17 can be performed using exposure light. As this type of alignment method, a VR that irradiates an exposure light onto an alignment mark drawn on a reticle R, performs image processing on image data of the alignment mark captured by a CCD camera or the like, and measures the mark position
A (Visual Reticle Alignmen)
t) method.

As the reticle alignment sensor, for example, a TTR (through the reticle) type alignment sensor can be used. The alignment method of the reticle alignment sensor of the TTR method is H
LSA method and LIA using e-Ne laser etc.
An exposure light alignment method using exposure light or an exposure light is desirable.

The reticle alignment sensor measures the positional relationship (deviation) between the alignment mark formed on the reticle R and the reference mark on the reference mark member or the wafer W observed via the projection optical system. In the exposure light alignment method, the positional relationship can be directly observed by displaying the image on a monitor using an image sensor (CCD). The reference mark member is fixed on the reticle stage 17 and has a mark formed at the same height position as the surface of the wafer W. Then, by measuring this mark, the reference position of the alignment sensor can be determined.

In order to align the wafer W, a laser beam is applied to an alignment mark in the form of a row of dots on the wafer, and the position of the mark is detected using light explained or scattered by the mark.
Irradiation with light having a wide wavelength band using a halogen lamp or the like as a light source.
An FIA (FiA) that performs image processing on alignment mark image data captured by a CD camera or the like to measure the mark position
(eld image alignment) method, or by irradiating a diffraction grating alignment mark on the wafer W with two coherent beams inclined in contrast to the pitch direction, causing the two generated diffracted lights to interfere with each other, and determining the phase of the alignment mark from the phase thereof. LIA (L
aserInterferometric Align
ment) method can be adopted.

As described above, in the middle of the transport path H for transporting the reticle R having the barcode B extracted from the library 11 to the reticle stage 47 of the projection exposure unit E, the identification unit A for identifying the reticle R is used. Is provided independently of the transport mechanism H, the reading operation of the bar code B is performed stably. That is, in the conventional method of reading the barcode B while being mounted on the transfer hand (transfer arm) or the like, the method of reading the barcode B is limited, and the barcode B is read stably. There were cases where it was difficult to perform the operation. However, since the identification section A is provided as a read-only section of the bar code B, the reticle R is passed to the identification section A to hold the bar code B so that it can be easily read, and then the reading operation is performed. The reading operation of B is performed stably. Therefore, the identification of each reticle R is reliably performed. In other words, by providing the identification unit A independent of the transport mechanism H, various restrictions for reading the barcode B can be easily eliminated, and a stable barcode B reading operation can be realized. .

The reticle R is held by the holding section 1 so that the bar code B and the diffuse reflection plate 7 are separated from each other by a predetermined distance, and the projection light 8 is projected onto a region of the reticle R containing the bar code B. Since the bar code B is read by reading the reflected light 9 from the diffuse reflection plate 7, it is possible to stably read the bar code B of the reticle R in a form difficult to read conventionally. Can be. That is, in the case of a so-called halftone reticle in which the reflectance of the substrate portion of the reticle R is substantially equal to that of the bar code B portion, the conventional method of reading directly reflected light on the surface of the reticle R and the bar code B are not used. Since the contrast (light amount difference) with the portion is detected to be small, it is difficult to read the barcode B by this method. However, the projected light 8 from the barcode reader 3 is transmitted through the reticle R once, the transmitted light is reflected by the diffuse reflection plate 7, and the light transmitted through the reticle R twice (that is, the reflected light 9) is read. Since the bar code B is read based on the reflected light 9, in this case, the light amount difference between the reflected light 9 of the substrate portion (glass portion 22) and the reflected light 9 of the bar code B (chrome portion 23) ( The difference between the attenuation factors)
The reading operation is performed stably. Therefore, even when the reticle R of various forms is conveyed, the reticle R is reliably identified. Therefore, the desired reticle R is reliably conveyed to the reticle stage 17 of the projection exposure section E.

Further, the identification portion A is provided with the alignment pin 10 for performing positioning so that the bar code B of the reticle R and the diffuse reflection plate 7 face each other.
The reticle R is read out of the bar code B after the reticle R is aligned with a predetermined position in the reading operation of the bar code B. Therefore, the reticle R is set at an appropriate position to read the barcode B, and then read by the barcode reader 3, so that the plurality of reticles R can be reliably identified. Furthermore, the reticle stage 1 is
After rough alignment (pre-alignment) with respect to 7, reticle R can be transported to reticle stage 17, so that the exposure process is performed stably. In other words, the reticle R is generally conveyed to the reticle stage 17 after being pre-aligned, and this pre-alignment can be performed in the identification unit A. In other words, the bar code B can be read by the conventional pre-alignment unit.

The reticle R identified as the one designated in advance by the identification unit A is not transferred to the load arm 15 as the transfer mechanism H, but is transferred to another independent transfer path of another system. Of course, it is also possible to be transferred to the reticle stage 17 by this transfer path. The reticle R can be conveyed to the reticle stage 17 after performing pre-alignment on the reticle stage 17 by a pre-alignment unit provided in the middle of the conveyance path.

The delivery of the reticle R to the identification section A is performed directly by the load arm 15 of the transport mechanism H, and the identification section provided independently of the transport mechanism H as shown in FIG. It can be performed by the arm 61 for use. That is, when the holding unit 1 of the identification unit A is provided at a position separated from the transport path H, the transport path H
An arm 61 for the identification unit independent of the transport path H is provided between the identification unit A and the arm A for the identification unit.
, The reticle R of the identification unit A can be returned to the transport path H while the reticle R is passed to the identification unit A.

The identification section arm 61 is provided with a vacuum suction hole for sucking and holding the reticle R, and is provided so as to suck and hold and release the reticle R by driving and stopping the connected vacuum pump. I have. Further, the identification unit arm 61 is supported rotatably with reference to the base end 61a, and the suction holding unit 61b on the distal end side is movable between the holding unit 1 of the identification unit A and the transport path H. ing.

When transferring the reticle R conveyed by the load arm 15 to the identification unit A, the control unit moves the reticle stage 1 from the position CA2 while holding the reticle R.
7 is instructed to temporarily stop at a position where the identification unit arm 61 can be accessed. The identification unit arm 61 includes the load arm 1
The reticle R is rotated to hold the reticle R on the holder 5 by the suction holder 61b. Then, the identification unit arm 61 holding the reticle R on the load arm 15 is turned to place the reticle R on the holding unit 1 of the identification unit A. The identification unit arm 61 that has passed the reticle R to the identification unit A temporarily retreats from the identification unit A. Reticle R passed to identification unit A
After pre-alignment, the barcode B is read by the barcode reader 3. And processing unit 2
The control unit 1 and the control unit determine whether or not the reticle R is specified in advance based on the barcode information.

When it is determined that the reticle R is desired, the identification unit arm 61 is moved closer to the reticle R to hold the reticle R of the identification unit A. The reticle R on the holding unit 1 is suction-held by the identification unit arm 61, and the identification unit arm 61 attaches the reticle R to the load arm 15.
Turned to pass to. Then, the load arm 15 receiving the reticle R starts moving toward the reticle stage 17, and moves the reticle R to the reticle stage 1.
Pass to 7.

On the other hand, if the reticle R is not the desired one, the identifying unit arm 61 transfers the reticle R to the transport mechanism toward the reticle case 12 in order to return the reticle R to the reticle case 12 of the library 11. The path for returning the reticle R to the reticle case 12 can be configured by a transport mechanism provided in a separate system from the transport mechanism H. That is, the identification unit arm 61 can transfer the reticle R from the identification unit A to a transport mechanism of a different system from the transport mechanism H. Of course, reticle R is reticle case 12
Can also be returned by the transport mechanism H. In this case, the control unit moves the unload arm 16 near the identification unit A and instructs the identification unit arm 61 to pass the reticle R to the unload arm 16.
The reticle R held by the unload arm 16 is stored in the reticle case 12 via the carrier 14 and the transfer arm 13. The storage destination of the reticle R is not limited to the reticle case 12.

As a substrate moving device, as shown in FIG.
An XY stage 71 for horizontally moving the base 4 of the holding unit 1 holding the reticle R, and the base 4 is interposed between the base 4 and the XY stage 71 to rotate the base 4 about a vertical axis. And a θ stage to be used. Each of these stages is driven by a stage driving unit 72, and the barcode B of the reticle R is aligned with the barcode reader 3.

Next, another embodiment relating to the identification section of the transporting apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
Has a holding unit 1 for holding the reticle R2, a barcode reader 3, and an alignment pin 10 for positioning the reticle R2 held by the holding unit 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holding section 1 includes a base section 4 having a diffuse reflection plate 7 and four support sections 5 for supporting the four corners of the reticle R2. Similarly, the barcode reader 3 includes a light projecting unit 3a, a light receiving unit 3b, and a processing unit 21. The bar code reader 3 emits the light 8 and receives the reflected light 9. Further, the barcode reader 3 is supported by a reading portion changing device 30 that changes the reading portion of the barcode reader 3 in accordance with the barcode C forming portion of the reticle R2.
The barcode C formed on the reticle R2 includes inner and outer segments c1 and c2 provided in two rows. The position of the barcode C varies depending on the product, and the reticle R2 is one form thereof.

The reading portion changing device 30 supporting the bar code reader 3 includes a linear motor 31 for moving the support portion 32 in the longitudinal direction of the bar code C and the diffuse reflection plate 7 in parallel with the holding portion 1. The trapezoidal cam 34 disposed between the linear motor 31 and provided in parallel with the diffuse reflection plate 7 and the linear motor 31 is connected to the support 32 and the barcode reader 3, and the barcode reader 3 is always connected to the trapezoidal cam 3.
And a spring portion 33 for generating a force for pulling the bar code reader 4 to the side of the bar code reader 3.
And a wheel portion 35 that slidably supports the cam on a trapezoidal cam 34.

The reading portion changing device 30 includes a reticle R
2 of the barcode C formed in the inner segment c1
Alternatively, it is for moving the barcode reader 3 to a position where any of the outer segments c2 can be read. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, when the reticle R includes a plurality of rows of bar codes C, or when the reticle R has a changed bar code formation position, the bar code of the reticle is read stably. Leader 3
Is used to change the reading position of. The barcode reader 3 is configured to read barcodes one by one in the arrangement direction, and in FIG.
1 and the outer segment c2 are read independently. The barcode reader 3 can read one barcode (for example, only the inner segment c1) at a fixed position.
It is not necessary to read at the center position in the longitudinal direction.

The bar code reader 3 is a linear motor 3
The bar code C is connected by a spring portion 33 to a support portion 32 movably provided in the longitudinal direction of the bar code C.
On the other hand, the trapezoidal cam 34 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the barcode C, and both ends protrude toward the reticle R2. Therefore, the bar code reader 3 is provided so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the bar code C by the linear motor 31 while being constantly drawn to the trapezoidal cam 34 side by the spring portion 33, and the bar moved to the end of the trapezoidal cam 34. The code reader 3 moves toward the inner segment c1 along the shape of the trapezoidal cam 34, while the barcode reader 3 moved to the center of the trapezoidal cam 34 is pulled outward toward the trapezoidal cam 34 to move outward. Segment c
Moved to two sides. That is, the trapezoidal cam 34 is formed so that the moving barcode reader 3 is arranged at a position where the bar code segments c1 and c2 can be read. The diffuse reflection plate 7 is formed to have a large area so as to face all the regions of the barcode C including the inner and outer segments c1 and c2.

The operation of reading the barcode C by the identification unit A2 having such a configuration will be described. In order to read the barcode C of the reticle R2 placed on the holding section 1 of the identification section A2, the reading portion changing device 30 places the barcode reader 3 at a position where the barcode C can be read. At this time, since the barcode reader 3 is configured to be able to read any one segment of the barcode C, for example, the inner segment c
When reading 1, the reading portion changing device 30
The barcode reader 3 is moved to a position above the inner segment c1. That is, the support portion 32 is
The bar code reader 3 is moved to the end position of the trapezoidal cam 34 by moving the bar code reader 3 with the bar code reader 1. The barcode reader 3 moved to the end position of the trapezoidal cam 34
It is moved above the inner segment c1 so as to follow the shape of the trapezoidal cam 34.

The light emitting section 3 of the bar code reader 3
The light 8 is emitted from a toward a region including the inner segment c1 in the barcode C of the reticle R2. The light 8 is transmitted through the inner segment c1 and then reflected by the diffuse reflection plate 7 disposed to face the same. The reflected light 9 reflected by the diffuse reflection plate 7 passes through the reticle R2 again and is received by the light receiving section 3b. Light receiving section 3b
Is connected to a processing unit 21 for decoding bar code information.
1 is analyzed.

The bar code reader 3 that has completed the reading operation of the inner segment c 1 is moved toward the center of the trapezoidal cam 34 in the longitudinal direction by the linear motor 31, and is thus drawn toward the trapezoidal cam 34 by the spring portion 33. It is moved to a position above the outer segment c2 according to the shape of the cam 34. The light projecting portion 3a of the bar code reader 3 emits the light 8 toward a region including the outer segment c2 of the reticle R, and the light 8 transmitted through the reticle R is reflected by the diffuse reflection plate 7. Reflected light 9
The reflected light 9 is received by the light receiving section 3b after passing through the reticle R. Then, the processing unit 21 connected to the light receiving unit 3b
In, the barcode information of the outer segment c2 is analyzed. In FIG. 8, when the outer segment c2 is read by the barcode reader 3, the barcode reader 3 is not arranged at the longitudinal center position of the outer segment c2, but does not affect the reading operation of the barcode C (outer segment c2). .

As described above, since the position of the barcode C formed on the reticle R2 varies depending on the product, it is necessary to flexibly correspond to the reticle R2 having the barcode C at different positions. In this case, since the identification unit A2 includes the reading portion changing device 30 that changes the reading portion of the barcode reader 3 in accordance with the formation portion of the barcode C of the reticle R2, the bar provided on the reticle R2 to be conveyed. Even when the position of the code C is changed, or in the case of a bar code C composed of a plurality of rows such as the inner and outer segments c1 and c2, the bar code reader 3 is used to The bar code C can be read stably since the bar code C can be moved to the position where the bar code C is formed. Therefore, identification of reticle R2 is performed stably.

The movement of the bar code reader 3 in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the bar code C is performed by the linear motor 31.
, And the movement of the inner and outer segments c1 and c2 in the direction along the arrangement direction is passively performed by the shape of the trapezoidal cam 34 and the action of the spring portion 33. That is, the barcode reader 3 is configured to be moved in the two-axis direction by active control of only the one-axis direction by the reading portion changing device 30, and is moved to a position where each segment c1, c2 can be read with a simple configuration. You. In addition, the reading portion changing device 3
In the case of 0, the barcode reader 3 can be movably supported by using a ball screw.

As described above, since the identification section A (A2) for reading the barcode B (C) is provided independently of the transport path H, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the barcode reader 3 is increased. , Reticle R (R2) is bar code B
(C) can be maintained in a state where it can be easily read. Therefore, various types of bar codes B (C)
Is stably identified.

The above-described identification unit A (A2) is provided on the transport path H from the library 11 to the reticle stage 17.
Position CA2 and reticle stage 1
No matter what arrangement,
A configuration may be used.

The transfer method of the present invention is applicable to a semiconductor wafer for a semiconductor device, a glass plate for a liquid crystal display device, a ceramic wafer for a thin film magnetic head, and the like, in addition to the reticle (mask) R described above. It is possible to

The exposure apparatus S may be a step-and-repeat type exposure apparatus (stepper) that exposes the pattern of the reticle R while the reticle R and the wafer W are stationary and sequentially moves the wafer W step by step. Step-and-scan type scanning projection exposure apparatus (so-called scanning stepper) for exposing the pattern of reticle R by synchronously moving R and wafer W
Can also be applied. Further, as the exposure apparatus S,
The present invention can also be applied to a proximity exposure apparatus that exposes the pattern of the reticle R to the wafer W by bringing the reticle R and the wafer W into close contact without using a projection optical system.

The application of the exposure apparatus S is not limited to an exposure apparatus for manufacturing semiconductors. For example, an exposure apparatus for a liquid crystal for exposing a liquid crystal display element pattern on a glass plate of each type, a thin film magnetic head Also, the present invention can be widely applied to an exposure device for manufacturing an image pickup device (CCD) or a mask.

The light source of the exposure apparatus S is g-line (436).
nm), i-line (365 nm), KrF excimer laser (248 nm), ArF excimer laser (193n)
m) and F2 laser (157 nm), as well as charged particle beams such as X-rays and electron beams. For example, when an electron beam is used, lanthanum hexaborite (LaB6) or tantalum (Ta) of thermionic heat radiation type can be used as the electron gun. Further, the magnification of the projection optical system may be not only a reduction system but also any one of an equal magnification and an enlargement system.

As a projection optical system, when far ultraviolet rays such as an excimer laser are used, a material which transmits far ultraviolet rays such as quartz or fluorite is used as a glass material, and when an F2 laser or X-ray is used, a catadioptric system or a refraction system is used. The optical system may be a reflection type reticle. In the case where an electron beam is used, an electron optical system including an electron lens and a deflector may be used as the optical system. It goes without saying that the optical path through which the electron beam passes is in a vacuum state.

When a linear motor is used for reticle stage 17, either an air levitation type using an air bearing or a magnetic levitation type using Lorentz force or reactance force may be used. Further, the stage may be of a type that moves along a guide, or may be a guideless type in which a guide is not provided.

For a semiconductor device, a step of designing the function and performance of the device, a step of manufacturing a reticle based on this design step, a step of manufacturing a wafer from a silicon material, and a step of forming a reticle pattern by the exposure apparatus of the above-described embodiment. It is manufactured through a step of exposing a wafer, a device assembling step (including a dicing step, a bonding step, and a package step), an inspection step, and the like.

[0087]

The substrate transfer method, the substrate transfer apparatus and the exposure apparatus according to the present invention have the following effects. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the substrate conveyed from the storage unit to the substrate processing unit is transferred to the identification unit during the conveyance, and the barcode is read after being held in a state in which the barcode is easily read. Therefore, the barcode reading operation of the substrate is performed stably. Therefore, identification of the substrate is performed reliably.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in a state where the substrate is held by the identification unit, the substrate is aligned with respect to a predetermined position and then transported to the substrate processing unit. Processing is performed stably. in this case,
It is also possible to perform alignment for the barcode reading operation, and thus the barcode reading operation in the identification unit is also performed stably.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the substrate provided with the bar code is once passed from the transport mechanism to the holding unit, and the bar code reader is held in a state where the bar code is easily read by the holding unit. The bar code is read by the Accordingly, the operation of reading the barcode of the substrate by the barcode reader is performed stably, and the substrate is reliably identified.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the identification unit includes the diffuse reflection plate that reflects the transmitted light emitted from the bar code reader and transmitted through the area including the bar code on the substrate. The code reader is configured to receive light reflected from the diffuse reflection plate. In this case, the difference in the amount of reflected light passing through the substrate portion and the bar code portion is larger than the difference in light amount due to the directly reflected light on the substrate surface. However, the bar code can be read stably. Therefore, the board can be identified reliably.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the reading portion changing device is provided, even when the position of the bar code on the substrate to be conveyed is changed, the bar code is changed by the reading portion changing device. Since it is possible to move the reader to the position where the barcode is formed,
Barcode reading is performed stably. Therefore, identification of the substrate is performed reliably.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the substrate is transferred to the substrate processing section after being aligned with the predetermined position by the substrate moving device, so that the processing in the substrate processing section is stable. It is done. In addition, since the alignment for the barcode reading operation can be performed by the substrate moving device, the barcode reading operation is performed stably, and thus the substrate can be reliably identified.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the reticle (mask) provided with the bar code is transferred to the identification unit while being conveyed to the reticle stage, and the bar code can be easily read by the identification unit. After being held in
Since the barcode is read by the barcode reader, of the various types of reticles stored in the storage section, the desired reticle is reliably identified by the identification section and then transferred to the reticle stage.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an exposure apparatus provided with a substrate transfer device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an identification unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining light projection and reflected light.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a transport mechanism supplies a substrate to an identification unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment in which a transport mechanism supplies a substrate to an identification unit.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining another embodiment of the substrate moving device.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining another embodiment of the identification unit, particularly for explaining a reading portion changing device.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a conventional substrate transfer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Holding part 3 Barcode reader 3a Light-emitting part 3b Light-receiving part 6 Pattern 7 Diffuse reflector 8 Light-emitting light 9 Reflected light 10 Alignment pin (substrate moving device) 11 Library (storage part) 12 Reticle case (storage part) 13 Transport Arm 14 Carrier 15 Load arm 16 Unload arm 17 Reticle stage 21 Processing unit 30 Reading part changing device 61 Identification unit arm A, A2 Identification unit B, C Barcode E Projection exposure unit (substrate processing unit) H Transport mechanism (Transport) Road) P pellicle R, R2 Reticle (mask, substrate) S Exposure device W Wafer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/30 514F

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A substrate transport method for transporting a substrate provided with a barcode from a storage unit to a substrate processing unit, comprising: an identification for reading the barcode while holding the substrate while transporting the substrate. A substrate transfer method, comprising: transferring a substrate taken out of the storage unit to the identification unit, reading the barcode, receiving the substrate, and transporting the substrate to the substrate processing unit. 2. The substrate transfer method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is aligned with a predetermined position and transferred to the substrate processing unit while the substrate is held by the identification unit. A substrate transfer method characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. A substrate transport apparatus for transporting a substrate provided with a barcode from a storage section to a substrate processing section by a transport mechanism, wherein the substrate transport apparatus is installed in the middle of transporting the substrate and transfers the substrate passed by the transport mechanism. A substrate transport device, comprising: an identification unit having a holding unit for holding the same and a barcode reader for reading a barcode of the substrate held by the holding unit. 4. The substrate transfer device according to claim 3, wherein the identification unit reflects the transmitted light emitted from the barcode reader and transmitted through a region including the barcode of the substrate. A substrate transport device, comprising: a plate, wherein the barcode reader receives light reflected from the diffuse reflection plate. 5. The reading device according to claim 3, wherein the identification unit changes a reading portion of the barcode reader in accordance with a barcode forming portion of the substrate. A substrate transfer device comprising: 6. The substrate transfer device according to claim 3, wherein the identification unit positions the substrate with respect to a predetermined position while holding the substrate on the holding unit. A substrate transport device comprising a substrate moving device for alignment. 7. An exposure apparatus for transporting a mask stored in a storage section to a mask stage by a transport mechanism, and transferring an image of the pattern of the mask held on the mask stage to a substrate disposed on the mask. An identification comprising: a holding unit that is installed in the middle of the transfer of the mask and holds the mask passed by the transfer mechanism; and a barcode reader that reads a barcode of the mask held by the holding unit. An exposure apparatus comprising a unit.