JP2003309159A - Substrate carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate carrying device capable of suppressing the sticking of particles to a substrate and being miniaturized. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate carrying device comprises: a carrying base 31; a carrying arm 35 disposed on the carrying base 31 which can be extended and contracted in a horizontal direction; and a housing container 50 for housing a plurality of wafers W carried by the carrying arm 35 in multiple stages in a vertical direction. A plurality of the wafers W are formed so as to be held with tweezers 40 and housed in the housing container 50 respectively, the carrying arm 35 and the tweezers 40 are formed so as to be attached and detached by an attaching/detaching means 60, and the carrying arm 35 and the housing container 50 are formed so as to be moved relatively in the vertical direction. Thus, a plurality of the tweezers 40 and the selected one of the wafers W are carried into a substrate treatment unit by one kind of the carrying arm 35 and the wafer W treated in the substrate treatment unit, and the tweezers 40 are housed in the housing container 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate transfer processing apparatus for transferring a substrate to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for LCD before and after processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a photoresist or various films are formed on a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) as a substrate to be processed, and a photoresist or A series of treatments have been applied to remove various films. These processes include
Also included are chemical treatments, cleaning treatments, and drying treatments on the front and back surfaces of wafers and the like.

When processing the above-mentioned wafers and the like, if the wafers before processing and the wafers after processing are held and transferred by the same transfer means, particles adhering to the wafers before processing are transferred through the transfer means. In order to adhere to a processed wafer or the like, a substrate transfer processing apparatus is generally used in which a plurality of transfer means are provided to distinguish between transfer of an unprocessed wafer or the like and transfer of a processed wafer or the like. .

As a conventional substrate transfer processing device of this type,
2. Description of the Related Art There is known a structure in which a plurality of transfer arms integrally provided with a holding unit for holding a wafer or the like are arranged in a multi-stage in the vertical direction. This substrate transfer processing apparatus is roughly classified into a direct-acting type in which a holding portion is horizontally reciprocated via a guide rail, and a holding member having a holding portion and a plurality of links are rotatably pivotally attached to each other. There are two types, a link type (also called a scalar type) that expands and contracts in the direction.

[0005]

However, in the former, ie, the direct-acting type transfer processing device, there is a problem that particles are easily generated because the holding part is slid on the guide rail to reciprocate. In addition, the holding unit is reciprocally moved to carry a wafer or the like into the processing unit or the like.
If the stroke is long for carrying out, there is a problem that the conveying speed becomes slow, and not only the size of the apparatus is increased, but also it is difficult to incorporate the apparatus into the processing system.

On the other hand, in the latter, that is, in the link type (scalar type) transfer processing device, the generation of particles can be suppressed because the number of vibrations and sliding parts is smaller than that in the direct-acting type transfer device, and the size of the device is increased. The stroke can be lengthened without doing so and high-speed conveyance is possible. However, this link type (scalar type) has a structure in which a holding member having a holding portion and a plurality of links are rotatably pivotally attached to each other so as to be capable of expanding and contracting in the horizontal direction. It is difficult to provide a plurality on the same axis. Therefore, in the link type (scalar type),
It is necessary to provide a transfer arm having a holding portion on each of a plurality of axes, which causes a problem of increasing the size of the device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transfer processing apparatus capable of suppressing the adhesion of particles to a substrate and reducing the size of the apparatus. It is a thing.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the first substrate transfer processing apparatus of the present invention has a transfer base and is horizontally expandable and contractable arranged on the transfer base. A transport arm and a storage unit for storing a plurality of substrates to be processed transported by the transport arm in a vertical direction in multiple stages, each of the plurality of substrates being held by a substrate holder. It is formed so that it can be stored in the storage section,
The transfer arm and the substrate holder are detachably formed via an attaching / detaching means, and the transfer arm and the storage portion are formed so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction (claim 1). .

A second substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a transfer base movable in a vertical direction, a horizontal transfer arm arranged on the transfer base, and a transfer arm. A plurality of substrates to be processed that are conveyed are accommodated in a vertical direction in multiple stages, and a substrate processing unit that processes the substrates is provided. Each of the plurality of substrates is a substrate holder. It is formed so that it can be held and stored in the storage section, the transfer arm and the substrate holding body can be detachably attached through the attaching / detaching means, and the transfer arm and the storage section can be relatively movable in the vertical direction. (Claim 2).

In the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention, the structure of the attachment / detachment means may be arbitrary as long as it connects the transfer arm and the substrate holder detachably, but it is preferable. The attachment / detachment means is provided on the transfer arm, and a pair of gripping bodies that move in the contact / separation direction when driven by the driving means, and an engagement receiving portion that is provided on the substrate holding body and with which the gripping surfaces of the both gripping bodies are engageable And it is better to have (Claim 3). In this case, the grasping body includes at least an opposing surface of the grasping rod having an arcuate shape, and an arcuate grasping engaging portion protruding concentrically with the opposing surface of the grasping bar, and the engagement receiving portion. Is preferably provided with a small-diameter circular groove into which the circular arc portion of the grip bar is fitted and a large-diameter circular groove into which the grip engaging portion is fitted (claim 4).

As another attachment / detachment means, a notch provided on the tip of the transfer arm and an engaging piece projecting outward from the substrate holder, for avoiding interference with the engaging piece in the vertical direction. A retaining piece having a portion, and the engaging hole portion provided on the lower surface of the engaging piece and the engaging pin provided on the upper surface of the retaining piece are configured to be detachable from each other. Is also preferable (Claim 5).

A third substrate transfer processing apparatus of the present invention is a transfer base, a transfer arm arranged on the transfer base and capable of expanding and contracting in a horizontal direction, and a plurality of transfer arms which are transferred by the transfer arm. And a storage section for storing the substrate to be processed in a multi-stage in the vertical direction,
The transfer arm and the storage section are formed so as to be capable of expanding and contracting toward the lower side of the substrate in the storage section, and the transfer arm and the storage section are relatively movable in the vertical direction. A first inclined holding region including a first tip-side holding unit having a substrate holding surface with a different height at the base end and a first proximal-side holding unit, and the first inclined holding region being offset from the first inclined holding region. A second tip-side holding portion and a second base-side holding portion, each of which has a substrate holding surface having a height different from that of the first tip-side holding portion and the first base-side holding portion. And a second inclined holding region consisting of (6).

Further, a fourth substrate transfer processing apparatus of the present invention comprises a transfer base movable in the vertical direction, a transfer arm arranged on the transfer base and capable of expanding and contracting in the horizontal direction,
The storage arm includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of substrates to be processed that are transferred by the transfer arm in a vertical multi-stage manner, and a substrate processing unit that processes the substrates. Is formed so as to be able to expand and contract toward the lower side of the substrate, and the transfer arm and the storage section are formed to be relatively movable in the vertical direction.
A first inclined holding region including a first tip-side holding portion having a substrate holding surface having different heights at a tip end portion and a base end portion in the extension / contraction direction of the transfer arm, and a first base-end holding portion; First above
And a second tip-side holding portion having a substrate holding surface having a height different from that of the first tip-side holding portion and the first base-side holding portion. And a second inclined holding region including the base end side holding portion of the above (Claim 7).

In the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6 and 7, the transfer arm comprises:
The transport arm may be a linear motion type that slides on a guide rail and reciprocates, but preferably, the transport arm includes a multi-joint link mechanism in which a plurality of links are pivotally rotatably attached to each other. The link type (scalar type) is preferable (claim 8).

Further, in the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6 and 7, it is preferable that the accommodating portion is formed so as to be vertically movable (claim 9).

According to the first aspect of the invention, after the horizontally movable carrier arm arranged on the carrier base is connected to an arbitrary substrate holder in the housing through the attaching / detaching means, By relatively moving the transfer arm and the storage part in the vertical direction,
The substrate holder can be separated from the storage unit, and the substrate can be taken out from the storage unit together with the substrate holder. On the contrary, after the substrate is carried into the storage part together with the substrate holder, the transfer arm and the storage part are relatively moved in the vertical direction to transfer the substrate holder to the storage part, and then the attachment / detachment means is engaged (connected). ) Can be released and the substrate and the substrate holder can be stored in the storage portion. With this, it is possible to select any one of the plurality of substrate holders and the substrates by one type of transfer arm, take them out from the storage section, and store them again. Therefore, for example, the pre-processed substrate and the post-processed substrate can be held by a dedicated substrate holder, so that the adhesion of particles to the post-processed substrate can be suppressed and the device can be downsized.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, after the horizontally movable telescopic arm arranged on the carrier base is connected to an arbitrary substrate holder in the accommodating section through the attaching / detaching means, By relatively moving the transfer arm and the storage part in the vertical direction,
Separate the substrate holder from the storage part, then take out the substrate together with the substrate holder from the storage part, carry the substrate taken out from the storage part into the substrate processing unit, and move the transfer arm in the vertical direction to transfer the substrate. After being transferred to the processing unit, the transfer arm together with the substrate holder is retracted from the substrate processing unit, the substrate is processed in the substrate processing unit, and the processed substrate is then stored by the substrate holder held by the transfer arm. Can be returned to the department. On the contrary, after the substrate is carried into the storage part together with the substrate holder, the transfer arm and the storage part are relatively moved in the vertical direction to transfer the substrate holder to the storage part, and then the attachment / detachment means is engaged (connected). ) Can be released and the substrate and the substrate holder can be stored in the storage portion. Thereby, one of the plurality of substrate holders and one of the substrates is selected by one type of transfer arm and taken out from the storage unit, the substrate is transferred to the substrate processing unit for processing, and then the substrate is stored again. Can be stored in the department. Therefore, the pre-processed substrate and the post-processed substrate can be held by the dedicated substrate holder, so that the adhesion of particles to the post-processed substrate can be suppressed and the apparatus can be downsized.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the attaching / detaching means includes a pair of gripping bodies that move in the contacting / separating direction by the driving of the driving means provided on the transfer arm, and both gripping bodies provided on the substrate holding body. Since the gripping surface is provided with the engagement receiving portion that can be engaged, the substrate holding body and the transfer arm can be easily moved in a state in which the driving means is driven and both the gripping bodies are engaged with the engagement receiving portion. It can be detachably connected. In this case, the grasping body includes at least an opposing surface of an arcuate grasping rod, and an arcuate grasping engaging portion that is concentrically raised on the opposing surface of the grasping rod, and the engagement receiving portion is Further, by providing the small-diameter circular groove for fitting the semi-circular portion of the grip bar and the large-diameter circular groove for fitting the grip engaging portion, the substrate holder and the transfer arm can be easily further provided. It can be detachably connected (Claim 4).

According to the invention of claim 5, the substrate holder
From the engaging piece protruding outward from the tip of the transfer arm.
Provided to avoid interference with the engaging piece in the vertical direction
And a holding piece having a cutout portion, and is provided on the lower surface of the engaging piece.
And the engaging pin provided on the upper surface of the holding piece.
The transport arm is made detachable from each other.
The holding piece of the substrate holder is loosely fitted in the notch
In other words, carry them vertically without interfering with each other.
Relatively move the sending arm and the storage part in the vertical direction,
Place the transfer arm below the substrate holder that holds the substrate.
It moves to the lower side of the substrate holder, and again the transfer arm and the storage section.
Are moved relative to each other in the vertical direction to transfer the substrate holder.
The substrate and the substrate holder from the storage unit.
Can be issued. Also, conversely, place the substrate together with the substrate holder.
After loading into the storage part, place the transfer arm and the storage part in the vertical direction.
Relative to each other to transfer the substrate holder to the storage unit,
After that, the engagement (connection) of the attaching / detaching means is released,
The holder can be stored in the storage section. By this
One type of transfer arm can be used only vertically and horizontally
Arbitrary of multiple substrate holders and substrates by moving
Select one of the above, remove it from the storage, and store it again.
You can So, for example, before processing and after processing
The substrate can be held by a dedicated substrate holder.
To suppress the adhesion of particles to the substrate after processing.
You can In addition, the device can be downsized and the substrate
The carrying process can be performed quickly.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the transfer arm disposed on the transfer base and capable of expanding and contracting in the horizontal direction is formed to be expandable and contractable toward the lower side of the substrate in the storage section, and the transfer arm is provided. And a storage part are formed so as to be movable relative to each other in the vertical direction, and the transfer arm includes a first front end side holding part having a substrate holding surface having different heights at the front end part and the base end part in the expansion / contraction direction of the transfer arm. A first tilted holding region including a first proximal end holding part and a first tilted holding region offset from the first distal end holding part and the first proximal end holding part. A second inclined holding region having a second tip-side holding portion and a second base-end-side holding portion having substrate holding surfaces of different heights;
With the above configuration, the tip of the transfer arm is moved below the substrate in the storage unit, and the transfer arm and the storage unit are relatively moved in the vertical direction, so that the substrate is moved to the first inclined holding region or the second tilt holding region.
It can be held in any of the inclined holding areas. Accordingly, different portions of the substrate can be held by the first tilt holding area or the second tilt holding area of one type of transfer arm, taken out from the housing section, and then housed again.
Therefore, for example, the unprocessed substrate and the processed substrate are
Since it can be held in the tilt holding region or the second tilt holding region, adhesion of particles to the processed substrate can be suppressed and the device can be downsized.

According to the invention described in claim 7, in addition to the substrate transfer processing apparatus described in claim 6, the holding of the substrate to the substrate processing unit at the time of loading and unloading is performed by the first inclined holding region and the first inclined holding region. It can be shared with the two inclined holding regions. Therefore, since the substrate can be conveyed while changing its holding position before and after processing, it is possible to further suppress the adhesion of particles to the substrate and to downsize the apparatus.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the transfer arm is provided with a multi-joint link mechanism in which a plurality of links are pivotally attached to each other so as to reduce vibration and sliding. Therefore, the generation of particles can be further suppressed, the stroke can be lengthened, and the substrate can be transported at high speed.

In addition, according to the invention of claim 9, by forming the accommodating portion so as to be movable in the vertical direction, the accommodating portion is moved in the vertical direction while the transfer arm is moved into the accommodating portion. The substrate can be stored in or taken out from the storage portion only by performing the above operation.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, a case will be described in which the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a substrate processing system configured to perform resist removal processing, cleaning processing, and the like on the surface of a wafer.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a processing system incorporating a plurality of substrate processing units, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the processing system.

The substrate processing system 1 includes a processing section 2 for processing an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer W (hereinafter referred to as wafer W), and a loading / unloading section 3 for loading / unloading the wafer W into / from the processing section 2. The main part is composed of and.

The loading / unloading section 3 is provided with a wafer carrier C for accommodating a plurality of wafers W before and after processing, for example, 25 wafers W, and a mounting table 6 for mounting the wafer carrier C. It comprises an in / out port 4, and a wafer transfer section 5 provided with a wafer transfer device 7 for transferring the wafer W between the carrier C placed on the mounting table 6 and the processing section 2. .

A lid that can be opened and closed is provided on the side surface of the wafer carrier C, and the wafer W is loaded and unloaded through one side of the wafer carrier C with the lid opened. Further, the wafer carrier C is provided with a shelf plate for holding the wafers W at predetermined intervals on its inner wall, and is formed with, for example, 25 slots for accommodating the wafers W. It should be noted that the wafer W has one surface for each slot with the surface on which the semiconductor device is formed facing upward.
It is accommodated one by one.

On the mounting table 6 of the in / out port 4, for example, three wafer carriers C can be mounted side by side in the Y direction of the horizontal plane at predetermined positions. The wafer carrier C is mounted on the side with the lid.
It is placed toward the partition wall 8 side of the outport 4 and the wafer transfer section 5. A window 9 is formed in the partition wall 8 at a position corresponding to the mounting location of the wafer carrier C, and a window opening / closing mechanism for opening / closing the window 9 by a shutter or the like on the wafer transfer section 5 side of the window 9. 10 are provided.

The wafer transfer device 7 disposed in the wafer transfer section 5 is movable in the horizontal Y direction, the vertical Z direction, and in the XY plane (θ direction). Further, the wafer transfer device 7 includes a take-out and storage arm 11 that holds the wafer W.
The take-out storage arm 11 is configured to be slidable in the X direction. In this way, the wafer transfer device 7 is configured so that all of the wafer carriers C mounted on the mounting table 6 are mounted.
Access the slot of any height of the
Upper and lower two wafer transfer units 16 arranged in
The wafer W can be transferred from the side of the in / out port 4 to the side of the processing unit 2 and vice versa, and from the side of the processing unit 2 to the side of the in / out port 4 by accessing a and 16b.

The processing section 2 temporarily mounts the wafer W in order to transfer the wafer W between the main wafer transfer apparatus 30 constituting the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention and the wafer transfer section 5. Wafer transfer unit 16a to be placed,
16b, a wafer reversing unit (RVS) 17 for reversing the front and back surfaces of the wafer W, four substrate processing units such as wafer cleaning processing units 12, 13, 14, and 15,
It is provided with eight substrate processing units 23a to 23h. In addition, the wafer cleaning processing units 12, 13, 14,
Reference numeral 15 is a wafer cleaning processing unit 1 which is stacked in two units.
2, 13 and 14, 15 are separated by a wall surface 20 that forms the boundary between them. Further, in the substrate processing units 23a to 23h, four substrate processing units 23a to 23d and 23e to 23h, which are stacked, are partitioned by a wall surface 21 that forms a boundary between them.

Further, the processing unit 2 includes a substrate processing unit 2
An ozone gas generator 24 for generating a processing gas such as ozone gas to be supplied to 3a to 23h, and a chemical liquid storage unit 25 for storing a predetermined processing liquid to be sent to the substrate cleaning units 12 to 15 are arranged. A fan filter unit (FFU) 26 for downflowing clean air is provided in each unit and the main wafer transfer device 30 on the ceiling of the processing unit 2.

The fan filter unit (FFU)
A part of the downflow from 26 flows out toward the wafer transfer unit 5 through the wafer transfer units 16a and 16b, the wafer reversing unit 17, and the space above it. This prevents particles and the like from entering the processing section 2 from the wafer transfer section 5, and the processing section 2
The inside is kept clean.

The above wafer transfer units 16a, 16
In FIG. 2B, the wafer W is temporarily placed between the wafer transfer unit 5 and the wafer transfer units 16a and 16b, and the wafer transfer units 16a and 16b are vertically stacked. In this case, the lower wafer transfer unit 16
b is used for mounting the wafer W so as to be transferred from the in / out port 4 side to the processing section 2 side, and the upper wafer transfer unit 16a is transferred from the processing section 2 side to the in / out port 4 side. It can be used to mount the wafer W to be mounted.

Next, the main wafer transfer device will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First Embodiment FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view (a) and a schematic side view (b) of the main wafer transfer device 30 of the first embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a main wafer transfer device of the first embodiment. 5 is a plan view (a) of a main part showing a state before engagement (coupling) of the attaching / detaching means 60 in FIG. 30 and FIG. 5 (b) is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. (A) and (a) of the main part plan view showing the (connected) state
It is sectional drawing (b) which follows the II-II line.

The main wafer transfer device 30 includes a transfer base 31 which is movable in the vertical direction, a transfer arm 35 which is disposed on the transfer base 31 and which can extend and contract in the horizontal direction, and the transfer arm 35. A plurality of wafers W, for example, four wafers W to be transferred are mainly configured by a storage unit 50 that holds the wafer W by a substrate holding body 40 described later and stores the wafers W in multiple stages in the vertical direction. Further, the transfer arm 35 and the substrate holder 40 are detachably formed via the attaching / detaching means 60, and the transfer arm 35 is engaged (connected) with an arbitrary substrate holder 40 holding the wafer W. Then, the wafer W and the substrate holder 40 are taken out from the storage portion 50, and the predetermined wafer cleaning processing units 12, 13, 14, 15 or the substrate processing unit 23a are taken.
It is formed so that the wafer W can be loaded into or unloaded from ˜23 h.

In this case, the transport base 31 is provided with the base portion 32.
And the first air cylinder 3 between the base 32 and
Elevating part 34 movable in the vertical direction (Z direction) via 3
It consists of and. Transport base 3 configured in this way
A transfer arm 35 is disposed on one side of the upper surface of the elevating part 34 so as to be rotatable (θ) in the horizontal direction (XY direction) and extendable. In addition, on the other side of the upper surface of the elevating unit 34 of the transport base 31, a storage unit 50 that stores a plurality of, for example, four substrate holders 40 in a multi-stage manner is arranged between the elevating unit 34 and the second storage unit 50. Vertical direction (Z direction) via air cylinder 36
It is arranged so that it can move (see FIG. 4).

The transfer arm 35 is composed of a plurality of, for example, three links, which are rotatably attached to each other by a base end side arm piece 37, an intermediate arm piece 38, and a front end side arm piece 39 via a pivot pin 35a. It has a joint link mechanism.
The transfer arm 35 is configured to be rotatable and extendable / contractible by a drive mechanism (not shown). Also,
The attaching / detaching means 6 for detachably engaging (connecting) the substrate holder 40 to the tip of the tip-side arm piece 39 of the transfer arm 35.
0 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the attaching / detaching means 60 is moved in the contact / separation direction by driving a driving air cylinder 61, which is a driving means provided on the distal end arm piece 39 of the transfer arm 35. The pair of gripping bodies 62 and an engagement receiving portion 64 provided on the substrate holding body 40 and capable of engaging the gripping surfaces 63 of both gripping bodies 62 constitute a main part.

In this case, the sliders 65 provided on the base end sides of the two grippers 62 are slidably fitted on the guide rails 66, and the first sliders 65 are respectively provided with the first sliders. One end is swingably attached by means of a pivot pin 67a of 2
The other ends of the operation links 68, 68 of the book are pivotally attached to the piston rod 69 of the drive air cylinder 61 by the second pivot pin 67b. Therefore, when the driving air cylinder 61 is driven to expand and contract the piston rod 69, the two gripping bodies 62 move in the contacting / separating direction so that the substrate holding body 40 can be detachably engaged (connected).

Further, in the grip body 62, at least the gripping surfaces 63 facing each other are arcuate gripping rods 70, and the arcuate gripping engagement concentric with the facing gripping surfaces 63 on the tip side of the gripping rods 70. And part 71. In the drawings, the gripping body 62 is formed by a stepped cylinder in which the gripping engagement portion 71 is provided at the tip of the gripping rod 70. However, if at least the gripping surfaces 63 facing each other are arcuate, The gripping body 62 may be formed of a rod-shaped member having a semi-arcuate cross section in which the surface opposite to the facing surface (gripping surface 63) is flat.

The engagement receiving portion 64 has a small-diameter arc-shaped groove 72 into which the grip surface 63, which is the arc-shaped portion of the grip rod 70, is fitted.
It is formed by a stepped groove having a large-diameter circular arc-shaped groove 73 into which the grip engaging portion 71 is fitted.

As described above, the gripping body 62 has an arc-shaped gripping bar 70 having at least a facing gripping surface 63, and an arcuate gripping engagement concentric with the facing gripping surface 63 of the gripping bar 70. While the portion 71 is provided, the engagement receiving portion 64,
By providing a small-diameter arc-shaped groove 72 into which the grip surface 63, which is the arc-shaped portion of the grip bar 70, and a large-diameter arc-shaped groove 73 into which the grip engaging portion 71 is fitted, the arc shape of the grip body 62 is obtained. Small-diameter arcuate groove 7 provided in the grip surface 63 and the engagement receiving portion 64
The engagement and disengagement with the second and large-diameter arc-shaped groove 73 can be made smooth and reliable. In particular, the gripping body 6
When the engagement (connection) between 2 and the engagement receiving portion 64 is released, since the engagement surface has an arc shape, there is no biting due to the pressing force at the time of engagement (connection), and the grip body 62 is easily formed. The engagement (connection) between the engagement receiving portion 64 and the engagement receiving portion 64 can be released.

The substrate holder 40 (hereinafter tweezers 4
6), as shown in FIG. 6, a bifurcated front end side holding portion 41 that holds one side of the wafer W facing in the diametrical direction.
And an arcuate base end side holding portion 42 that holds the other side facing each other.
It is formed of a stepped plate-like body including. Note that the base-side holding portion 42 may be divided into two parts, like the tip-side holding portion 41. Further, an engagement piece 43 extending outward from the base end side of the tweezers 40 is bent in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the tweezers 40 outward from the base end side.
Are provided integrally. The engagement receiving portions 64 are formed on both sides of the tip of the engagement piece 43. Further, through holes 44 for positioning are formed at two positions on the tip end side and the base end side from the center of the tweezers 40.

On the other hand, the storage section 50, as shown in FIG.
It is formed of a storage container having four mounting plates 52 extending parallel to each other on one side surface of the vertical wall 51. Two positioning pins 53 that fit into the through holes 44 provided in the tweezers 40 are provided on the upper surface of the mounting plate 52 of the storage portion 50 (hereinafter referred to as the storage container 50). The tweezers 40 is housed in the housing container 50 with the pin 53 fitted in the through hole 44 of the tweezers 40 (see FIG. 7).

Next, an operation mode of the main wafer transfer device 30 configured as described above will be described. First, a drive mechanism (not shown) is driven to move the tip-side arm piece 39 of the transfer arm 35 to a facing position in proximity to the engagement piece 43 of the arbitrary tweezers 40 (see FIG. 4). Next, the driving air cylinder 61 is driven, the piston rod 69 is contracted, the pair of gripping bodies 62 are moved in the approaching direction, and the gripping surface 63 of the gripping bodies 62 is received by the tweezers 40. The tweezers 40 are gripped by engaging (connecting) with the small-diameter circular arc-shaped groove 72 and the large-diameter circular arc-shaped groove 73 of the portion 64 (see FIG. 5). In this state, the second air cylinder 36 is driven to move the storage container 50 downward to release the engagement between the through hole 44 of the tweezers 40 and the positioning pin 53. in this case,
Instead of lowering the storage container 50, the first air cylinder 33 may be driven to raise the transfer arm 35 to release the engagement between the through hole 44 of the tweezers 40 and the positioning pin 53, or Second air cylinder 3
By driving both of 3, 3 and 36, the transfer arm 35 and the storage container 50 are relatively moved in the vertical direction, and tweezers 40
The engagement between the through hole 44 and the positioning pin 53 may be released.

After the engagement between the through hole 44 of the tweezers 40 and the positioning pin 53 is released, the driving mechanism (not shown) is driven to draw the distal end arm piece 39 of the transfer arm 35 out of the storage container 50 to the outside. The wafer W is taken out of the storage container 50 together with the tweezers 40. And the storage container 5
The wafer W taken out from the wafer 0 is transferred to the predetermined substrate processing units 23a to 23h or the wafer cleaning processing units 12 and 1
3, 14 and 15 are loaded into the processing units 23a-23.
h, the transfer arm 35 is lowered in a state of being loaded into 12 to 15, and only the wafer W is transferred to a support pin or the like (not shown). Then, the transfer arm 35 is moved together with the tweezers 40 to the processing units 23a to 23h ,. 12 to 15 (back). Then, the processing units 23a-23h, 1
The wafer W is appropriately processed within 2 to 15. For example,
In the substrate processing units 23a to 23h, a process of water-solubilizing the resist applied on the surface of the wafer W is performed. In the wafer cleaning processing units 12 to 15, the wafer W before being loaded into the substrate processing units 23a to 23h.
A cleaning process and a drying process are performed on the. Further, the cleaning process and the drying process are performed on the wafer W that has been subjected to the resist water solubilization process in the substrate processing units 23a to 23h. Further, the back surface cleaning and drying processing of the wafer W is performed.

The wafer W is processed by the processing units 23a to 23h,
After being transported to the inside of 12 to 15, the tweezers 40 are transported to the mounting plate 52 in the original storage container 50 by the transport arm 35, and the tweezers 40 are moved by the raising operation of the storage container 50 or the lowering operation of the transport arm 35. The positioning pin 53 of the storage container 50 fits into the through hole 44. In this state, the driving air cylinder 61 of the attaching / detaching means 60 is driven, the piston rod 69 is extended, both gripping bodies 62 are moved in the separating direction, and the engagement (connection) between the transport arm 35 and the tweezers 40 is released. (See Figure 4).

Next, the processing units 23a-23h, 12
˜15 For example, when receiving the wafer W that has been subjected to the cleaning process and the drying process in the wafer cleaning process unit 12, the tip side arm piece 39 of the transfer arm 35 is emptied into the empty tweezers 40 stored in the upper part of the storage container 50. Of the attaching / detaching means 6 in the same manner as described above.
0 is driven to grip the tweezers 40. In this state,
The storage container 50 is lowered or the transfer arm 3
5 is lifted to release the engagement between the through hole 44 of the tweezers 40 and the positioning pin 53, and then the empty tweezers 40 is taken out from the storage container 50. Next, the transfer arm 35 is driven to move the tweezers 40 taken out from the storage container 50.
Are loaded into the wafer cleaning processing unit 12, and the processed wafer W is received. Then, after the tweezers 40 holding the processed wafer W are transferred to the storage position in the upper part of the storage container 50, the processed wafer is processed in a state in which the engagement (connection) between the transfer arm 35 and the tweezers 40 is released. The tweezers 40 are stored in the upper storage position of the storage container 50 together with W. Here, the processed wafer W is stored in the storage container 5
The reason why it is stored in the upper storage position of 0 is to prevent the particles falling from the upper storage position from adhering as much as possible.

With the above structure, the tweezers 40 can be used separately for holding the wafer W before processing and for holding the wafer W after processing.
The processing units 23a to 23h and 12 to 15 can be specialized and used. Therefore, adhesion of particles to the wafer W after processing can be suppressed, and the size of the apparatus can be reduced as compared with the apparatus having a plurality of transfer arms.

Second Embodiment FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view (a) and a schematic side view (b) of the main wafer transfer apparatus 30A of the second embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a main wafer transfer apparatus of the second embodiment. Detaching means 60A for 30A
2A is a schematic plan view showing an engaged (connected) state of (a) and a schematic plan view showing a taken out state of the wafer W and the tweezers 40A (b).

In the second embodiment, the transfer arm 35A and the tweezers 40A are attached / detached to each other only by the vertical direction (Z direction) and the horizontal direction (X-Y direction) of the transfer arm 35A.
This is the case where the 0A enables detachable engagement (connection).

In this case, the attaching / detaching means 60A is provided on the substantially T-shaped engaging piece 43A protruding outward from the base end of the tweezers 40A and the tip of the transfer arm 35A, that is, the tip side arm piece 39A. , The engaging piece 43 in the vertical direction
A holding piece 81 having a substantially T-shaped cutout portion 80 for avoiding interference with A is provided. Also, the attaching / detaching means 60A
As shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of, for example, four engaging hole portions 82 provided on the lower surface of the engaging piece 43A, and a plurality of, for example, four engaging pins 83 provided on the upper surface of the holding piece 81. Are formed to be detachable from each other.

With the above structure, as shown in FIG. 8, the engaging pieces 43A of the tweezers 40A are loosely fitted in the notches 80 of the transfer arm 35A, that is, the engaging pieces 43A do not interfere with each other in the vertical direction. Then, the transfer arm 35A and the storage container 50 are moved relative to each other in the vertical direction, and at a position below the tweezers 40A that holds an arbitrary wafer W, the transfer arm 35A is moved below the tweezers 40A and again with the transfer arm 35A. The tweezers 40A is moved relative to the storage container 50 in the vertical direction to move the tweezers 40A to the transfer arm 3
5A receives the wafer W and the tweezers 40A from the storage container 50 (see FIG. 9). On the contrary, the wafer W and the container 5 together with the tweezers 40A.
After being carried into 0, the transfer arm 35A and the storage container 50 are relatively moved in the vertical direction to transfer the tweezers 40A to the storage container 50, and thereafter, the engagement (connection) of the attaching / detaching means 60A is released, that is, the engagement. The engagement between the hole portion 82 and the engagement pin 83 can be released, and the wafer W and the tweezers 40A can be stored in the storage container 50. As a result, by moving one type of transfer arm 35A only in the vertical and horizontal directions, a plurality of tweezers 40A and the wafer W can be obtained.
Can be selected from the storage container 50 and stored again. Therefore, for example, the unprocessed wafer W and the processed wafer W are treated with dedicated tweezers 40A.
Since it can be held by, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of particles to the wafer W after processing and to downsize the apparatus. Furthermore, since the moving range of the transfer arm 35A can be reduced to engage and disengage with the tweezers 40A, the transfer process of the wafer W 1 can be performed quickly.

Since the other parts of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

Third Embodiment FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view (a) of the main wafer transfer device 30B of the third embodiment and a schematic side view (b) of FIG.
[FIG. 9] Schematic plan views (a) and schematic side view (b) of (a) showing a state of taking out a wafer W from a storage container 50B in a main wafer transfer device 30B of a third embodiment.

In the third embodiment, one type of transfer arm 35 is used.
This is a case where the wafer W can be carried by holding two different positions of the wafer W by B. In other words, the third embodiment is the tweezers 4 of the first and second embodiments.
This is a case where the tweezers for holding two different positions of the wafer W are integrally formed on the transfer arm 35B without using the 0 and 40A.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, the transfer arm 35 is attached to the leading end side arm piece 39B of the transfer arm 35B.
First tilt holding including a first tip-side holding section 91 and a first base-side holding section 92 having substrate holding surfaces 90a and 90b having different heights at the tip and the base in the direction of expansion and contraction of B. Area 9
3, and the substrate holding surfaces 90c and 90d, which are provided so as to be deviated from the first inclined holding region 93 and opposite in height to the first tip-side holding portion 91 and the first proximal-end holding portion 92. Second
A second inclined holding region 96 including a front end side holding portion 94 and a second proximal end side holding portion 95 is provided.

In this embodiment, the case where the second tilt holding area 96 is biased toward the base end side in the extension / contraction direction of the transfer arm 35B with respect to the first tilt holding area 93 is shown.
In the first inclined holding region 93 of the first inclined holding region 93 and the second inclined holding region 96 that are biased in this way, the holding surface 90a of the first tip-side holding portion 91 is the first base. It is higher than the holding surface 90b of the end side holding portion 92.
In the second inclined holding area 96, the holding surface 90c of the second tip-side holding portion 94 is the second proximal-end holding portion 95.
Is lower than the holding surface 90d. As a result,
As shown in FIG. 3, the wafer W is held in the first tilt holding region 93.
In the state of holding the wafer W, the wafer W is held in a downward slope from the tip side of the tip side arm piece 39B toward the base side (see the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 13). On the other hand, in the state where the wafer W is held in the second tilt holding region 96, the wafer W is held in an upwardly inclined shape from the front end side to the base end side of the tip side arm piece 39B (see FIG. 13). See the chain double-dashed line). Therefore, the wafer W before processing and the wafer W after processing can be held at different holding positions by one type of transfer arm 35B.

Further, the storage container 50 in the third embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 12, B is equipped with two sets of mounting plates 54 that extend parallel to each other on one side surface of the vertical wall 51. The wafer W is placed on the upper surface of each mounting plate 54 of the storage container 50B.
Two support pins 55 for supporting the wafer W are projected, and the wafer W is stored in the storage container 50B in a horizontally supported state by the support pins 55.

Next, the main wafer transfer device 3 of the third embodiment
The operation mode of 0B will be described. First, the transfer arm 3
5B is driven (extended) to move the tip side arm piece 39B below the wafer W stored in the storage container 50B, for example, in a state of being supported by the support pins 55 on the lower side, for example, the first arm 5B. A first inclined holding region 93 is formed immediately below the wafer W so that the inclined holding region 93 can hold the first inclined holding region 93.
The holding surface 90a of the front end side holding portion 91 and the holding surface 90b of the first base end side holding portion 92 are positioned. Next, in this state, the storage container 50B is lowered or the transfer arm 35B is raised, or the storage container 50B is lowered and the transfer arm 35B is raised, and the support pin 55 is supported. The wafer W that is being transferred is transferred to the first inclined holding area 93 (see the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 13).

Next, the transfer arm 35B is driven (contracted) to retract the tip side arm piece 39B from the storage container 50B and take out the wafer W from the storage container 50B. Then, the wafer W taken out of the storage container 50B is loaded into the predetermined substrate processing units 23a to 23h or the wafer cleaning processing units 12, 13, 14, and 15 and loaded into the processing units 23a to 23h, 12 to 15. In this state, the transfer arm 35B is lowered to support pins (not shown).
After transferring the wafer W to the wafer W, the transfer arm 35B is retracted (retracted) from the processing units 23a to 23h and 12 to 15. Then, the processing units 23a-23h, 12-1
Within the wafer 5, the wafer W is appropriately processed.

Next, the processing units 23a-23h, 12
˜15 For example, when receiving the wafer W that has been subjected to cleaning processing and drying processing in the wafer cleaning processing unit 12, the transfer arm 35B is driven (extended) to move the tip side arm piece 3.
9B is moved to the lower side of the wafer W in the wafer cleaning processing unit 12, and the second inclined holding region 96 is located immediately below the wafer W so that the second inclined holding region 96 can be held, for example.
The holding surface 90c of the second distal-side holding portion 94 and the holding surface 90d of the second proximal-side holding portion 95 that configure the above are positioned. In this state, the transfer arm 35B is raised, and the processed wafer W is held and received in the second inclined holding area 96 (see the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 13). Then, the transfer arm 35
B is driven (contracted) to transfer the tip side arm piece 39B holding the processed wafer W to the storage position above the storage container 50B, and then the storage container 50B is raised or the transfer arm 35B is lowered. The processed wafer W is transferred to the support pin 55 at the upper storage position of the storage container 50B. After that, the tip side arm piece 39B of the transfer arm 35B is retracted from the inside of the storage container 50B, and the wafer W before the processing of the next process is performed.
To prepare for transportation.

Since the other parts of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, when the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a processing system incorporating a substrate processing unit configured to perform resist removal processing and cleaning processing on the surface of a semiconductor wafer. However, of course, the present invention can be applied to etching processing and processing of, for example, LCD substrates other than semiconductor wafers.

[0067]

As described above, according to the present invention, since it is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

1) According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to select any one of the plurality of substrate holders and the substrates by one type of transfer arm, take them out of the storage portion, and store them again. For example, the pre-processed substrate and the post-processed substrate can be held by a dedicated substrate holding member, the adhesion of particles to the post-processed substrate can be suppressed, and the apparatus can be downsized.

2) According to the second aspect of the invention, any one of the plurality of substrate holders and substrates is selected by one type of transfer arm and taken out from the storage section, and the substrate is transferred to the substrate processing unit. The substrate can be stored in the storage portion again after the treatment is performed. Therefore, the pre-processed substrate and the post-processed substrate can be held by the dedicated substrate holder, so that the adhesion of particles to the post-processed substrate can be suppressed and the apparatus can be downsized.

3) According to the third aspect of the invention, the attaching / detaching means is provided with a pair of gripping bodies which are moved in the contacting / separating direction by the drive of the driving means provided on the transfer arm, and both holding means provided on the substrate holding body. Since the gripping surface of the body is provided with the engagement receiving portion that can be engaged, the substrate holding body and the transfer arm can be easily moved in a state where the driving means is driven to engage both the gripping bodies with the engagement receiving portion. Can be detachably connected to. In this case, the grasping body includes at least an opposing surface of an arcuate grasping rod, and an arcuate grasping engaging portion that is concentrically raised on the opposing surface of the grasping rod, and the engagement receiving portion is By providing a small-diameter arc-shaped groove that fits the arc-shaped portion of the grip bar and a large-diameter arc-shaped groove that fits the grip engaging portion, the substrate holder and the transfer arm can be easily attached and detached. It is possible to engage (connect) with each other (claim 4).

4) According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by moving one type of transfer arm only in the vertical and horizontal directions, any one of the plurality of substrate holders and substrates is selected and the storage section is selected. It can be taken out and stored again. Therefore, for example, the pre-processed substrate and the post-processed substrate can be held by a dedicated substrate holder, so that the adhesion of particles to the post-processed substrate can be suppressed. Further, the size of the apparatus can be reduced, and the substrate transfer process can be performed quickly.

5) According to the invention described in claim 6, a different portion of the substrate is held by the first tilt holding area or the second tilt holding area of one type of transfer arm, taken out from the storage section, and then stored again. can do. Therefore, for example, the pre-processed substrate and the post-processed substrate can be held in the first inclined holding region or the second inclined holding region, so that adhesion of particles to the processed substrate can be suppressed and The size of the device can be reduced.

6) According to the invention as set forth in claim 7, in addition to the substrate transfer processing apparatus as set forth in claim 6, the first inclined holding region is used for holding the substrate in and out of the substrate processing unit. And the second inclined holding region can be shared. Therefore, since the substrate can be conveyed while changing its holding position before and after processing, it is possible to further suppress the adhesion of particles to the substrate and to downsize the apparatus.

7) According to the invention as set forth in claim 8, the transfer arm is provided with a multi-joint link mechanism in which a plurality of links are pivotally connected to each other so that vibration and sliding are reduced. Therefore, the generation of particles can be further suppressed, the stroke can be lengthened, and the substrate can be transported at high speed.

8) According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the storage section is formed to be movable in the vertical direction, so that the storage section is moved in the vertical direction while the transfer arm is moved into the storage section. It is possible to store or take out the substrate from the storage portion only.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a semiconductor wafer processing system to which a substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a part of the processing system in cross section.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view (a) and a schematic side view (b) showing a first embodiment of the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view (a) of a main part showing a state before engagement (coupling) of attachment / detachment means in the substrate transfer processing apparatus of the first embodiment and a cross-sectional view (b) taken along line I-I of (a). Is.

FIG. 5 is a plan view (a) of a main part showing an engaged (connected) state of the attachment / detachment means and a sectional view (b) taken along line II-II of (a).

FIG. 6 is a plan view (a) and a side view (b) showing a storage state of a storage container and tweezers in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a part of the storage container in section (a).
3A and 3B are enlarged cross-sectional views (b) showing a part III of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view and a schematic side view (b) showing a substrate transfer processing apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view (a) showing an engagement (connection) state of an attaching / detaching means in a substrate transfer processing apparatus of a second embodiment, and a schematic plan view (b) showing a taking-out state of a wafer W and tweezers.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing an engaging portion between an engaging piece and a holding piece in the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view (a) showing a substrate transfer processing apparatus according to a third embodiment and a schematic side view (b) of (a).

FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view (a) and a schematic side view (b) of (a) showing a state where a wafer is taken out from a storage container in the substrate transfer processing apparatus of the third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view (a) and a schematic side view (b) showing different holding states of a wafer in the substrate transfer processing apparatus of the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

W Semiconductor wafer (substrate to be processed) 12 to 15 Wafer cleaning processing unit (substrate processing unit) 23a to 23h Substrate processing unit 31 Transfer base 33 First air cylinder 35, 35B Counter-attack arm 36 Second air cylinder 40, 40A Tweezers (substrate holder) 43, 43A Engagement pieces 50, 50A, 50B Storage container (storage section) 60, 60A Attachment / detachment means 61 Drive air cylinder (drive means) 62 Grip body 64 Engagement receiving surface 70 Grip rod 71 Gripping engagement portion 72 Small-diameter circular groove 73 Large-diameter circular groove 80 Notch portion 81 Holding piece 82 Engagement hole portion 83 Engaging pins 90a to 90d Holding surface 91 First tip-side holding portion 92 First base end Side holding portion 93 First inclined holding area 94 Second tip side holding portion 95 Second proximal holding portion 96 Second inclined holding area

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 3C007 AS05 AS24 BS15 CT04 CV07                       CW07 DS01 ES17 GS03 GS16                       NS09 NS12                 5F031 CA02 CA05 DA08 EA14 FA01                       FA02 FA07 FA11 FA12 FA15                       GA06 GA40 GA43 GA47 GA49                       KA03 KA20 LA15 MA23 NA02                       NA09 NA16

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A transfer base, a transfer arm arranged on the transfer base and capable of expanding and contracting in a horizontal direction, and a plurality of substrates to be processed transferred by the transfer arm in a multi-stage in a vertical direction. And a storage unit for storing the plurality of substrates, each of which is held by a substrate holder to be housed in the storage unit, and the transfer arm and the substrate holder are attached via a detaching unit. A substrate transfer processing apparatus, which is formed so as to be detachable, and in which the transfer arm and the storage section are formed to be relatively movable in a vertical direction. 2. A vertically movable transfer base, a horizontally extendable transfer arm disposed on the transfer base, and a plurality of substrates to be processed transferred by the transfer arm. And a substrate processing unit that processes the substrate, and each of the plurality of substrates is held by a substrate holder so that the plurality of substrates can be stored in the storing unit. Substrate transfer, wherein the transfer arm and the substrate holder are detachably formed via an attaching / detaching means, and the transfer arm and the storage section are formed to be relatively movable in the vertical direction. Processing equipment. 3. The substrate transfer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attachment / detachment means is provided on a transfer arm, and is provided on a substrate holding body and a pair of gripping bodies that move in a contact / separation direction by driving of a drive means. A substrate transfer processing apparatus, comprising: an engagement receiving portion that is provided and is capable of engaging the gripping surfaces of both gripping bodies. 4. The substrate transfer processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the gripping body has an arcuate gripping bar having at least opposing surfaces, and an arcuate gripping concentric with the facing surface of the gripping bar. An engagement portion, wherein the engagement receiving portion includes a small-diameter arc-shaped groove into which the arc-shaped portion of the grip bar is fitted, and a large-diameter arc-shaped groove into which the grip engagement portion is fitted. A substrate transfer processing apparatus characterized in that. 5. The substrate transfer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attachment / detachment means is provided at an engagement piece protruding outward from the substrate holder and at a tip of a transfer arm, and is arranged in a vertical direction. A holding piece having a notch for avoiding interference with the engagement piece, an engagement hole provided on the lower surface of the engagement piece, and an engagement pin provided on the upper surface of the holding piece. A substrate transfer processing apparatus, characterized in that the substrates are formed to be detachable from each other. 6. A transfer base, a transfer arm arranged on the transfer base and capable of expanding and contracting in a horizontal direction, and a plurality of substrates to be processed transferred by the transfer arm in a multi-stage in a vertical direction. And a storage section for storing the storage arm in the storage section, and the transfer arm is formed so as to be capable of expanding and contracting toward the lower side of the substrate in the storage section, and the transfer arm and the storage section are formed to be relatively movable in the vertical direction. The transfer arm includes a first front-end-side holding part having a substrate holding surface having different heights at the front-end part and the base-end part in the extending and contracting direction of the transfer arm, and a first base-end-side holding part. Of the inclined holding region and the first inclined holding region, and the substrate holding surface having a different height from the first tip side holding part and the first base end side holding part. Second tilt holding part composed of the second tip side holding part and the second base side holding part. Substrate transfer processing apparatus characterized by comprising: a region. 7. A vertically movable transfer base, a horizontally extendable transfer arm disposed on the transfer base, and a plurality of substrates to be processed transferred by the transfer arm. And a substrate processing unit for processing the substrate, and the transfer arm is formed to be extendable toward the lower side of the substrate in the storage unit. The transfer arm and the storage section are formed so as to be movable relative to each other in the vertical direction, and the transfer arm has a first tip having substrate holding surfaces of different heights at the tip end and the base end in the extension / contraction direction of the transfer arm. A first inclined holding region including a side holding portion and a first proximal end holding portion; and a first inclined holding region that is offset from the first inclined holding region, the first distal holding portion and the first base. Has a substrate holding surface with a different height from the end side holding part Substrate transfer processing apparatus characterized by comprising a second distal end side holding portion and a second inclined holding region and a second base end side holding portion. 8. The substrate transfer / processing apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 6 or 7, wherein the transfer arm is a multi-joint link mechanism in which a plurality of links are rotatably pivoted. A substrate transfer processing apparatus comprising: 9. The substrate transfer processing apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 6 or 7, wherein the storage section is formed so as to be vertically movable. .