JP2004014966A - Substrate-processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus with high substrate process ability maintained and a plane surface occupied are suppressed. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of processing routes with a processing unit arranged are laminated and arranged so that a series of processing can be done by reciprocating. This enables designing the reduction of the plane surface occupied area and the increase of the substrate process ability. By simultaneously and concurrently activating transfer robots R1, R3-R10 with a limited role and a working range, continuous processing in each processing unit can be done and processing efficiency thereof is enhanced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process on a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, and the like (hereinafter, referred to as a “substrate”).
[0002]
[Prior art]
As is well known, products such as semiconductors and liquid crystal displays are manufactured by applying a series of processes such as cleaning, resist coating, exposure, development, etching, formation of an interlayer insulating film, heat treatment, and dicing on the above-mentioned substrate. Have been.
[0003]
In order to increase the production efficiency and the production capacity in a production line including such a plurality of processes, a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing units in charge of each processing step has been conventionally developed and put into practical use.
[0004]
For example, a substrate processing apparatus (so-called coater & developer) that performs a resist coating process and a developing process among the various processes described above is provided with a plurality of units that perform respective processes such as resist coating, developing, heating, and cooling. , The waiting time has been reduced to improve the production efficiency and the production capacity.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such a conventional substrate processing apparatus, transfer of a substrate between the processing units is often performed by one transfer robot. Therefore, as the number of processing units increases, the transport robot is required to perform more complicated operations, and the structure has to be complicated accordingly. On the other hand, the transfer capability of one transfer robot is limited, and the arrangement of the processing units beyond that limit only causes a stagnation of the processing flow. There were limitations on efficiency and throughput.
[0006]
Further, as described above, as the number of processing units increases, the size of the substrate processing apparatus has to be increased. However, the substrate processing apparatus is required to be disposed in a space having a limited area called a clean room. In view of this, it is desired that the plane occupied area of the substrate processing apparatus be as small as possible.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a substrate processing apparatus in which a plane occupying area is suppressed while maintaining high substrate processing capability.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, an invention according to claim 1 is a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a first processing unit having a first processing unit group; and a second processing unit group, wherein the first processing unit has a first processing unit group. And a second processing unit in a stacked arrangement relationship with the processing unit, wherein the substrate after being processed in the first processing unit is transferred to another device outside the substrate processing apparatus, and the other The substrate returned after being processed by the apparatus is processed by the second processing section.
[0009]
The invention according to claim 2 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second processing units performs at least one transfer for transferring a substrate between processing units. A mounting means, wherein a processing progress direction of the substrate in the first processing unit and a processing progress direction of the substrate in the second processing unit are substantially opposite to each other.
[0010]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the first processing unit group includes a chemical liquid application processing unit, and the second processing unit group includes a developing device. It is characterized by including a processing unit.
[0011]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a processing unit including a plurality of processing units and a plurality of transfer units configured to transfer a substrate between the plurality of processing units. For each unit, a transfer means used for transferring a substrate is selected from the plurality of transfer means and fixedly assigned.
[0012]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein each of the first and second process units is configured as the process unit and executes a different processing sequence. The substrate that has been disposed and processed by the first processing unit is transferred to another device outside the substrate processing apparatus, and the substrate that has returned after being processed by the other device is processed by the second processing unit. It is characterized in that it is processed in the process unit.
[0013]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the fourth or fifth aspect, a plurality of transfer mechanisms in each of the first and second process units can operate independently of each other. There is a feature.
[0014]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the fifth or sixth aspect, the processing direction of the substrate in the first processing unit and the processing of the substrate in the second processing unit are set. The traveling directions are substantially opposite to each other.
[0015]
The invention according to claim 8 is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the first processing unit includes a chemical liquid application processing unit, and the second processing unit includes It is characterized by including a development processing unit.
[0016]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus for performing a plurality of types of processing on a substrate, wherein a plurality of first unit sections each capable of completing a first substrate processing sequence are arranged adjacently. A first processing unit, and a second processing unit in which a plurality of second unit units each capable of completing the second substrate processing sequence are arranged adjacent to each other. After being processed according to the first processing sequence in any of the plurality of first unit sections, it is transferred to another apparatus outside the substrate processing apparatus and processed by the other apparatus. After returning, any one of the plurality of second unit units is processed in accordance with the second processing sequence.
[0017]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, each of the plurality of first and second unit units transfers a substrate between processing units. A plurality of transfer units, and a processing progress direction of the substrate in each of the plurality of first unit portions and a processing progress direction of the substrate in each of the plurality of second unit portions are substantially opposite to each other. It is characterized by the following.
[0018]
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the ninth or tenth aspect, each of the plurality of first unit units includes a chemical liquid application processing unit, and Each of the unit sections includes a development processing unit.
[0019]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
<Apparatus overview>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an indexer ID for transferring a substrate to and from the outside of the apparatus, a process module PM including a plurality of processing units for performing predetermined processing on the substrate, and an exposure apparatus. An interface IF for transferring a board to and from a certain stepper STP. Note that FIG. 1 is provided with an xyz three-dimensional coordinate system, where xy indicates a horizontal direction and z indicates a vertical direction. In the following description, the coordinate system follows this in principle.
[0020]
The process module PM has a two-stage structure including two upper and lower process units for performing different processes. Hereinafter, the upper stage is an upper process module UPM, and the lower stage is a lower process module LPM. Further, both the indexer ID and the interface IF have a structure in which a substrate can be transferred between each of the upper process module UPM and the lower process module LPM. Therefore, for convenience of the following description, a portion corresponding to the upper process module in the indexer ID is referred to as an upper indexer UID, a portion corresponding to the lower process module LPM is referred to as a lower indexer LID, and a portion corresponding to the upper process module in the interface IF is referred to as an upper interface module. A portion corresponding to the UIF and the lower process module LPM is referred to as a lower interface LIF. Further, the upper indexer UID, the upper process module UPM, and the upper interface UIF are collectively referred to as an upper stage UF, and the lower indexer LID, the lower process module LPM, and the lower interface LIF are generally referred to as a lower stage LF.
[0021]
<Configuration of each part of the device>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a lower portion LF of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an upper portion UF of the substrate processing device 1. Hereinafter, the configuration of each part of the substrate processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0022]
As the indexer ID, a plurality of cassettes C capable of storing a plurality of substrates in multiple stages can be placed on each of the upper indexer UID and the lower indexer LID.
[0023]
Now, let the cassette C mounted on the upper indexer UID be the upper cassette UC, and the cassette C mounted on the lower indexer LID be the lower cassette LC. An unprocessed substrate W to be processed in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is stored in the lower cassette LC. On the other hand, the upper cassette UC stores the substrates W that have been subjected to predetermined processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1.
[0024]
The lower indexer LID has a transfer robot R1 that takes out a substrate from the lower cassette LC. The transfer robot R1 is provided with an arm AM1, and appropriately combines horizontal movement in the y-direction, vertical movement in the z-axis direction, rotation about the z-axis, expansion and contraction of the arm AM1, and the like by a drive mechanism (not shown). This makes it possible to take out the substrate W from the lower cassette LC and to transfer the substrate W to the process module PM for the subsequent processing. On the other hand, the upper indexer UID has a transfer robot R21 for storing the substrates in the upper cassette UC. The transfer robot R2 includes an arm AM2, can perform the same operation as the transfer robot R1, can receive the substrate W that has been subjected to a predetermined process in the process module PM, and can transfer the substrate W to the upper cassette LC. Storage is possible.
[0025]
As described above, the process module PM includes the lower process module LPM and the upper process module UPM.
[0026]
The lower process module LPM (FIG. 2) is a part that performs a chemical solution coating process before exposure, etc., and includes eight transfer robots R3 to R10, six multi-stage heat treatment units 11 to 16, and four anti-reflection units. It mainly includes film coating units BARC1 to BARC4 and four resist coating units SC1 to SC4.
[0027]
On the other hand, the upper process module (FIG. 3) is a part responsible for development processing after exposure and the like. Eight transfer robots R11 to R18, six multi-stage heat treatment units 17 to 22, and eight development processing It mainly includes units SD1 to SD8.
[0028]
The central part of the process module PM is a closed space, and is a maintenance area 41 common to the upper process module UPM and the lower process module LPM.
[0029]
In each of the lower process module LPM and the upper process module UPM, two rows in which three multi-stage heat treatment units and two transfer robots are alternately arranged are formed in the x-axis direction. In the multi-stage heat treatment sections at both ends of each row, transfer robots are further arranged vertically adjacent to the row in the y-axis direction. Further, adjacent to the latter transfer robot, any two of the antireflection film coating units BARC1 to BARC4 or the resist coating units SC1 to SC4 are provided in the lower process module LPM, and the development process is provided in the upper process module UPM. Two units SD1 to SD8 are arranged at a time.
[0030]
That is, in both the lower process module LPM and the upper process module UPM, the arrangement of the processing units and the like in the two rows is completely the same, so that the same processing sequence is performed independently and in parallel in each row. Is possible.
[0031]
The transfer robots R3 to R18 are provided with arms AM3 to AM18, respectively. All of the transfer robots R3 to R18 are arranged adjacently by appropriately combining vertical movement in the z-axis direction by a drive mechanism not shown, rotation about the z-axis, expansion and contraction of the arms AM3 to AM18, and the like. The substrate W can be exchanged between the processing unit and the like. However, the transfer robots R3 to R10 can move up and down only within the range of the lower process module LPM, and the transfer robots R11 to R18 can move up and down only within the range of the upper process module UPM. Since the transfer robots R3 to R18 do not move in the horizontal plane and transport the substrate W, the substrate holding time from receiving the substrate W in one unit to transferring it to the next unit is short, and The substrate can be transferred one after another. Further, since no horizontal moving mechanism is required, the structure can be simplified. The transfer robots R3 to R18 may have the same structure.
[0032]
The multi-stage heat treatment units 11 to 22 include 22 heat treatment units H1 to H22, 16 cooling treatment units C1 to C16, four hydrophobic treatment units A1 to A4, and 12 Some of the pass units P1 to P12 are combined and stacked. The combination of the units differs depending on each of the multi-stage heat treatment sections 11 to 22. In each of the multi-stage heat treatment sections 11 to 16, the units are actually stacked and arranged, but in FIGS. 2 and 3, individual processing units are arranged in a plane for convenience of illustration. It is shown as follows. Also, to emphasize that they are actually stacked and arranged, hatching is added around them (the same applies hereinafter).
[0033]
In FIGS. 2 and 3, arrows and the like attached to the reference numerals of the respective processing units indicate the opening directions of the respective processing units in a notation in accordance with the notation method of the coordinate axes. This indicates that the arm of the transfer robot located on the tip side of the arrow can access the processing unit and transfer a substrate with each processing unit. For example, the arm AM3 of the transfer robot R3 and the arm AM4 of the transfer robot R4 can access the cooling unit C1 of the multi-stage heat treatment unit 11, and the cooling unit C5 of the multi-stage heat treatment unit 14 can be accessed. Is accessible by the arm AM7 of the transfer robot R7 and the arm AM8 of the transfer robot R8. Further, for example, the arm AM3 of the transfer robot R3 can access all the units of the multi-stage heat treatment unit 11 and the pass unit P2 and the heat treatment units H3 to H4 of the multi-stage heat treatment unit 12.
[0034]
Among the respective processing units constituting the multi-stage heat treatment units 11 to 22, the pass units P1 to P12 transfer substrates W between two transfer robots adjacent to the multi-stage heat treatment units 11 to 22 including the respective pass units. It is provided for performing. As the pass unit, for example, three support pins are provided, and one arm of the transfer robot places the substrate W on the support pin, and the other transfer robot takes out the substrate W. A mode of transmitting and receiving a substrate may be considered.
[0035]
Each of the heat processing units H1 to H22 includes a so-called hot plate that heats the substrate W to a predetermined temperature or maintains the substrate at a high temperature. The cooling processing units C1 to C16 include a so-called cool plate that cools the substrate W to a predetermined temperature or maintains the substrate W in a low temperature state. The cooling processing units C1, C3 to C5, C7 to C9, C11, C14, and C16 are accessible from two directions, and also have a function as a pass unit.
[0036]
Further, the hydrophobizing units A1 to A4 perform a process of hydrophobizing the surface of the substrate W for the purpose of strengthening the adhesion between the substrate W and a resist or an antireflection film applied to the substrate W in a later process. Unit.
[0037]
The anti-reflection film coating units BARC1 to BARC4 further provided in the lower process module LPM are units for applying an anti-reflection film for preventing the reflection of UV light at the time of exposure by the stepper STP on the substrate surface. The resist coating units SC1 to SC4 are so-called spin coaters that apply a uniform resist by dripping photoresist onto the main surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate.
[0038]
The development processing units SD1 to SD8 further provided in the upper process module UPM are so-called spin developers that perform a development process by supplying a developer onto the exposed substrate.
[0039]
The interface IF includes two transfer robots R19 and R20 that can move up and down between the lower interface LIF and the upper interface UIF. In addition, the lower interface LIF includes two edge exposure units 31 and 32 and a buffer. The upper interface UIF includes a cassette BF1 and a transfer robot R21. The upper interface UIF includes the multi-stage post-exposure heat treatment units 33 and 34, a buffer cassette BF2, and a transfer robot R22.
[0040]
The transfer robots R19 and R20 are robots having the same structure and functions as the transfer robots R3 to R18 used in the process module PM, but each of the transfer robots R3 to R18 has the upper process module UPM or While the vertical movement is possible only within the range of the lower process module LPM, the transfer robots R19 and R20 of the interface IF can move freely between the upper interface UIF and the lower interface LIF. Is different. That is, the transfer robots R19 and R20 serve to receive the substrate W before exposure subjected to the resist coating process in the lower process module LPM, and deliver the substrate W exposed in the stepper STP to the upper process module UPM. Has both roles.
[0041]
The edge exposure units 31 and 32 include two edge exposure units E1 and E2, E3 and E4, respectively. The edge exposure units E1 to E4 are units for performing edge exposure processing for removing unnecessary resist films on the edge of the substrate. The edge exposure unit 31 can be accessed only by the transfer robot R19, and the edge exposure unit 32 can be accessed only by the transfer robot R20.
[0042]
The buffer cassettes BF1 and BF2 are for accommodating the substrates W to be processed in the subsequent processing. The buffer cassette BF1 stores the substrate W which is waiting for the exposure process in the stepper STP, and the buffer cassette BF2 stores the substrate W after the exposure process in the stepper STP.
[0043]
The transfer robots R21 and R22 are robots for exchanging substrates with the stepper STP, and have the same structure and functions as the transfer robots R1 and R2 provided for the indexer ID. The transfer robot R21 takes out the substrate W before exposure processing stored in the buffer cassette BF1 by the arm AM21, moves the substrate W in the y direction as appropriate, and then transfers the substrate W to the stepper STP. The transfer robot R22 receives the exposed substrate W from the stepper STP and stores it in the buffer cassette BF2.
[0044]
The multi-stage post-exposure heat treatment units 33 and 34 are provided for performing a baking process and a subsequent cooling process on the substrate W exposed by the stepper STP. The post-exposure bake unit 33 includes three post-exposure bake units B1 to B3 and three cooling processing units C21 to C23. The post-exposure bake unit 34 similarly includes post-exposure bake units B4 to B6 and cooling units C24 to C26.
[0045]
The post-exposure bake units B1 to B6 are units for performing a baking process for the purpose of promoting a catalytic reaction of the resist on the exposed substrate W. On the other hand, the cooling units C21 to C26 are units that cool the substrate W with a cool plate in order to quickly finish the baking process on the substrate W. The development process is performed on the substrate W on which these processes have been performed by the upper process module UPM.
[0046]
It should be noted that the process module PM and the interface IF are provided with a fan filter unit (not shown) for each processing unit or to function in common for several processing units. Supply air is supplied.
[0047]
With the configuration as described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is provided with a high processing capability, and the increase in the plane occupied area is suppressed.
[0048]
<Substrate processing flow>
Hereinafter, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, what processing sequence is used to form a circuit pattern on the substrate W, and how the substrate is transported at that time will be described. explain. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of a series of processes performed in the lower stage LF of the substrate processing apparatus 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a series of processes performed in the upper stage UF of the substrate processing apparatus 1. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the reference numerals of the transfer robots that transfer the data between the processing units are given near the arrows.
[0049]
The processing in the lower section LF shown in FIG. 4 is processing performed before the exposure processing in the stepper STP. First, the transfer robot R1 takes out a substrate from the lower cassette LC of the lower indexer LID and places it on the pass unit P1 or P4 (step S1). Thereafter, the processing unit that performs processing on the substrate W differs depending on which path unit the substrate W is mounted on, but the processing itself performed is exactly the same in either case. Only the case where the substrate W is placed on the pass unit P1 will be described.
[0050]
The substrate W placed on the pass unit P1 is transferred to the hydrophobic processing unit A1 or A2 by the transfer robot R2, and subjected to the hydrophobic processing (step S2). After passing through the cooling unit C1 (step S3), the substrate W that has been subjected to the hydrophobic treatment is transferred to the antireflection film coating unit BARC1 or BARC2, and the back surface is coated with the antireflection film (step S4). .
[0051]
The substrate W to which the antireflection film has been applied passes through the cooling unit C1 again (step S5), and undergoes a heating process (dehydration bake) for strengthening the adhesion of the resist in any of the heating units H1 to H4. (Step 6). Then, after passing through the pass unit P2 and the cooling processing unit C3 or C4 (Steps S7 and S8), it is mounted on the resist coating unit SC1 or SC2 and subjected to a resist coating process (Step S9).
[0052]
The substrate W that has been subjected to the resist coating processing passes through the cooling processing unit C3 or C4 again (step S10), and is then subjected to any of the heat processing units H5 to H9 for the purpose of removing the solvent from the coating film and enhancing the resist adhesion. A heating process (pre-bake) is performed (step S11), and a cooling process is performed in the cooling unit C2 (step S12).
[0053]
The substrate W thus applied with the resist is transferred to the lower interface LIF via the pass unit P3 (step S13), and is subjected to edge exposure in the edge exposure unit E1 or E2 (step S14). ). The substrate W on which the edge exposure has been performed is once stored in the buffer cassette BF1 (step S15), and thereafter, is transferred to the stepper STP by the transfer robot R21 to undergo exposure processing.
[0054]
The process in the upper section UF shown in FIG. 5 is a process performed after the exposure process in the stepper STP. The substrate W after the exposure processing received by the transfer robot R22 from the stepper STP is first stored in the buffer cassette BF2 (step S21). Thereafter, the transfer robot R19 or R20 takes out the substrate W from the buffer cassette BF2. Thereafter, depending on which transfer robot takes out the substrate W, the processing unit that performs the process on the substrate W is different, but the process itself is exactly the same in either case. Only the case where the substrate W is taken out will be described.
[0055]
The substrate W taken out by the transfer robot R19 is subjected to post-exposure bake in any of the post-exposure bake units B1 to B3 (Step S22), and further cooled by the cooling processing unit (Step S23).
[0056]
Thereafter, the substrate W placed on the pass unit P7 (Step S24) is subjected to the development processing by one of the development processing units SD1 to SD4. Is performed, the subsequent processing flow differs.
[0057]
When the development processing is performed in one of the development processing units SD1 and SD2, the substrate W taken out of the pass unit P7 by the transfer robot R11 passes through the cooling processing unit C9 (step S25), and is then moved to the development processing unit SD1 or SD2. The data is transferred to SD2 and subjected to development processing (step S26).
[0058]
The substrate W that has been subjected to the development processing passes through the cooling processing unit C9 again (step S27), and then undergoes a heating processing (post-baking) for resist hardening in the heating processing unit H19 (step S28).
[0059]
Thereafter, the substrate W that has been subjected to the cooling processing in the cooling processing unit C10 (Step S29) is transferred to the upper indexer UID via the pass units P8 and P9 (Steps S30 and S31), and is transferred to the upper cassette by the transfer robot R2. It is stored in one of the UCs (step S38).
[0060]
On the other hand, when the development processing on the substrate W is performed in any of the development processing units SD3 and SD4, the substrate W taken out of the pass unit P7 by the transfer robot R11 further passes through the pass unit P8 and the cooling processing unit C11. After that (Steps S32 and S33), the image data is transferred to the development processing unit SD3 or SD4 and subjected to development processing (Step S34). Then, after passing through the cooling processing unit C11 again (step S35), post-baking in the heating processing unit H20 (step S36), and further passing through cooling processing in the cooling processing unit C12 (step S37), via the pass unit P9. It is delivered to the upper indexer UID, and is also stored in one of the upper cassettes UC (step S38).
[0061]
As described above, in the processing flow in the lower section LF and the upper section UF, there is a processing flow in which two independent and identical processing sequences are performed in parallel on the way. In the upper part UF, each part is further branched into two parallel flows. Accordingly, it is possible to process the substrate W in the flow on the processable side, it is possible to reduce the processing wait time of the substrate W, and it is possible to increase the processing capacity per unit time.
[0062]
In addition, each transfer robot that transfers a substrate between the processing units has a limited role and an operation range for each individual arrangement location, and can perform independent operations within the range. Are operated simultaneously and in parallel within the limit that is not saturated, and the transfer of the substrate W can be performed without interruption. Thus, processing can be performed in each processing unit in parallel without interruption, and processing efficiency per unit time can be increased.
[0063]
<Modification>
The functions of the upper section UF and the lower section LF may be interchanged. That is, a configuration in which a resist coating process or the like is performed in the upper portion UF and a developing process is performed in the lower portion LF may be employed. Alternatively, processing paths may be further provided, and these may be arranged in multiple stages.
[0064]
The number and arrangement of the processing units and the transfer robots are not limited to the examples described above, and may be appropriately changed according to the target processing. Alternatively, a processing unit having an inspection function may be provided.
[0065]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the plane occupied area of the substrate processing apparatus can be suppressed.
[0066]
In particular, according to the second and third aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of efficiently exchanging substrates with the outside of the apparatus while suppressing a plane occupied area.
[0067]
Further, according to the invention of claims 4 to 8, the structure and operation of the transfer robot of the substrate processing apparatus can be simplified.
[0068]
In particular, according to the fifth to eighth aspects of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus, the structure and operation of the transfer robot can be simplified while suppressing the plane occupation area.
[0069]
In particular, according to the inventions of claims 6 to 8, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus having the above effects and capable of efficiently performing parallel processing in each section of the apparatus.
[0070]
In particular, according to the inventions of claims 7 and 8, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus having the above-mentioned effects and capable of efficiently exchanging substrates with the outside of the apparatus.
[0071]
Further, according to the ninth to eleventh aspects of the invention, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus having a high processing capability per unit time.
[0072]
In particular, according to the tenth to eleventh aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus having a high processing capability per unit time and capable of efficiently exchanging substrates with the outside of the apparatus.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a lower section LF of the substrate processing apparatus 1.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an upper UF of the substrate processing apparatus 1.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of a series of processes performed in a lower part LF of the substrate processing apparatus 1.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of a series of processes performed in an upper part UF of the substrate processing apparatus 1.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Substrate processing equipment
11-22 Multi-stage heat treatment section
31, 32 Edge exposure unit
33, 34 Heat treatment part after multi-stage exposure
41 Maintenance area
A1-A4 Hydrophobic treatment unit
AM1 to AM22 arm
B1 to B6 Post exposure bake unit
BARC1 to BARC4 Anti-reflection coating unit
BF1, BF2 Buffer cassette
C cassette
C1-C16, C21-C26 Cooling unit
E1 to E4 Edge exposure unit
H1-H22 Heat treatment unit
ID indexer
IF interface
P1 to P12 Pass unit
PM process module
R1 to R22 Transfer robot
S1 to S38 Step
SC1 to SC4 Resist coating unit
SD1-SD8 Development processing unit
W substrate

Claims (11)

A substrate processing apparatus,
A first processing unit having a first processing unit group;
A second processing unit having a second processing unit group and having a stacked arrangement relationship with the first processing unit;
With
The substrate processed in the first processing unit is transferred to another device outside the substrate processing apparatus, and the substrate returned after being processed in the other device is processed in the second processing unit. A substrate processing apparatus for performing processing. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
Each of the first and second processing units includes at least one transfer unit that transfers a substrate between processing units,
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a processing progress direction of a substrate in the first processing unit and a processing progress direction of a substrate in the second processing unit are substantially opposite to each other. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:
The first processing unit group includes a chemical liquid application processing unit,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the second processing unit group includes a development processing unit. A substrate processing apparatus,
A plurality of processing units, a process unit including a plurality of transfer means for transferring a substrate between the plurality of processing units,
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a transfer unit used to transfer a substrate is selected from the plurality of transfer units and fixedly assigned to each processing unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:
First and second process units each configured as the process unit and executing a mutually different processing sequence are stacked and arranged,
The substrate processed in the first processing unit is transferred to another device outside the substrate processing apparatus, and the substrate returned after being processed in the other device is processed in the second processing unit. A substrate processing apparatus for performing processing. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a plurality of transfer mechanisms in each of the first and second process units can operate independently of each other. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a processing progress direction of a substrate in the first processing unit and a processing progress direction of a substrate in the second processing unit are substantially opposite to each other. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:
The first processing unit includes a chemical liquid application processing unit,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the second processing unit includes a development processing unit. A substrate processing apparatus that performs a plurality of types of processing on a substrate,
A first processing unit in which a plurality of first unit units each capable of completing a first substrate processing sequence are arranged adjacent to each other;
A second processing unit in which a plurality of second unit units each capable of completing the second substrate processing sequence are arranged adjacent to each other;
With a stacking arrangement of
After each substrate is processed in any one of the plurality of first unit sections in accordance with the first processing sequence, the substrate is transferred to another apparatus outside the substrate processing apparatus, and the other apparatus is used. The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that after being returned by the processing in (1), processing is performed along one of the plurality of second unit sections in accordance with the second processing sequence. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
Each of the plurality of first and second unit units includes at least one transfer unit that transfers a substrate between processing units,
A substrate processing direction in each of the plurality of first unit portions and a substrate processing direction in each of the plurality of second unit portions are substantially opposite to each other. apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:
Each of the plurality of first unit units includes a chemical liquid application processing unit,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein each of the plurality of second unit units includes a development processing unit.

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