JP2004119628A - Substrate treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treating device that can continuously execute a wet treatment and a dry treatment with high productivity. <P>SOLUTION: This substrate treating device 1 is constituted by docking a cleaning section 2 which cleans the surface of a wafer W with a cleaning solution and a dry-treating section 3 which treats the wafer W in a dry atmosphere (without using any treating liquid) to each other. The cleaning section 2 is provided with an interface section 17 used for docking the section 2 to the dry-treating section 3 and docked to the section 3 through the section 17. The cleaning section 2 is also provided with two cleaning chambers 12a and 12b for cleaning the wafer W, and a carrying-in/out robot 13 which carries the wafer W in and out of the cleaning chambers 12a and 12b and dry treating chamber 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing a substrate processing performed in a dry atmosphere and a substrate processing performed in a wet atmosphere.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The substrate processing includes processing using a processing liquid such as cleaning using a cleaning liquid, etching using an etchant (hereinafter, referred to as “wet processing”), heat treatment performed for the purpose of oxidizing the substrate surface, chemical vapor deposition, and the like. , Dry etching using an ion beam, ashing, and the like without using a processing liquid (hereinafter, referred to as “dry processing”). For example, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, both a wet process and a dry process are performed on a semiconductor substrate.
[0003]
In this case, if the apparatus for performing the wet processing and the apparatus for performing the dry processing are separately prepared, the cost increases and the productivity cannot be increased. In particular, when these processes are single-wafer processes, time loss increases.
Therefore, there is an apparatus in which wet processing and dry processing can be performed by one apparatus. Such a substrate processing apparatus is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 below.
[0004]
This substrate processing apparatus includes two cleaning / drying units arranged in a so-called cluster so as to extend along a transfer chamber having a substantially hexagonal shape in plan view and a portion corresponding to each side of the regular hexagon around the transfer chamber. It has a chamber, three film forming chambers, and one loader / unloader.
In the transfer chamber, a mechanical hand for transferring a substrate to and from each chamber is provided. The substrate is sequentially transferred into the cleaning / drying chamber and the film forming chamber via the transfer chamber by the mechanical hand, so that the cleaning as the wet processing and the film forming as the dry processing are continuously performed by one substrate processing apparatus. Can be done. Further, it is possible to transfer the substrate to / from the outside of the substrate processing apparatus via the loader / unloader.
[0005]
If the atmosphere in the processing chamber where the wet processing is performed (hereinafter referred to as “wet atmosphere”) is mixed with the atmosphere in the processing chamber where the dry processing is performed (hereinafter referred to as “dry atmosphere”), the dry processing is adversely affected. Therefore, in the above-described substrate processing apparatus, a buffer chamber is provided between the transfer chamber and the cleaning / drying chamber. By adjusting the air pressure in the transfer chamber, the buffer chamber, and the cleaning / drying chamber, the wet atmosphere in the cleaning / drying chamber is prevented from being brought into the film forming chamber via the transfer chamber.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-144775 (FIG. 1)
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the substrate processing apparatus in which the cleaning / drying chamber and the film forming chamber are arranged in a cluster around the transfer chamber, the number of the cleaning / drying chambers and the film forming chambers that can be arranged is limited due to space limitations. In this substrate processing apparatus, the total number of the cleaning / drying chambers and the film forming chambers is a maximum of five.
For this reason, if the number of film forming chambers is increased, the number of cleaning / drying chambers is reduced, so that the rate of the cleaning / drying step in the substrate processing step is limited. In addition, when the number of cleaning / drying chambers is increased, the number of film forming chambers is reduced, so that the rate of the film forming process in the substrate processing process is limited. Therefore, the productivity of the total process including the film formation and the cleaning cannot be increased to a certain degree or more.
[0008]
Further, loading and unloading of wafers from the outside of the substrate processing apparatus via the loader / unloader, loading / unloading of wafers into / from the cleaning / drying chamber, and loading / unloading of wafers into / from the film forming chamber are all performed by one mechanical hand. . Therefore, the loading / unloading of the wafer and the loading / unloading of the wafer from / to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus cannot be performed in time for the cleaning / drying process and the film forming process in each chamber, so that productivity cannot be increased.
[0009]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of continuously performing wet processing and dry processing with high productivity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus for performing a wet process in which a wet process and a dry process can be continuously performed with high productivity by docking with a dry process unit for performing a dry process. That is.
[0010]
Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention
The invention according to claim 1 for solving the above problem is directed to a dry processing unit (3) including a plurality of dry processing chambers (31a to 31d) for processing a substrate (W) in a dry atmosphere. A substrate processing apparatus (2, 4, 7, 60) capable of transferring and docking a substrate, comprising a plurality of wet processing chambers (12a, 12b) for processing a substrate in a wet atmosphere; A main transfer section (9) provided with a loading / unloading robot (13) for loading and unloading a substrate into and from the wet processing chamber, and provided adjacent to the main transfer section for docking with the dry processing section. And an interface section (17, 37, 47).
[0011]
It should be noted that the alphanumeric characters in parentheses indicate corresponding components and the like in embodiments described later. Hereinafter, the same applies in this section.
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION The substrate processing apparatus of this invention can perform a wet process and a dry process with respect to a board | substrate by docking with a dry process part via an interface part.
Further, since the wet processing chamber and the dry processing chamber are separately provided for the substrate processing apparatus and the dry processing unit of the present invention, the number of dry processing chambers that can be provided is less than the number of wet processing chambers. Independently, the number of wet processing chambers that can be provided does not depend on the number of dry processing chambers. For example, even when the dry processing section has a plurality of dry processing chambers arranged in a cluster around the transfer chamber, the number of dry processing chambers is not reduced by providing many wet processing chambers.
[0012]
Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus can be docked with a dry processing section for performing a substrate processing in a dry atmosphere, and can continuously perform wet processing and dry processing with high productivity.
The processing in the dry processing unit can be, for example, heat treatment performed for the purpose of oxidizing the substrate surface, film formation by a chemical vapor deposition method, dry etching using an ion beam, ashing, or the like.
[0013]
Means for transferring the substrate between the substrate processing apparatus and the dry processing section may be provided in the substrate processing apparatus or in the dry processing section, and may be provided in the dry processing section. It may be provided in both the processing unit.
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the main transport section has a transport path (15) of a predetermined length through which a substrate to be transported passes, and the interface section is provided at one end side of the transport path. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
[0014]
According to the present invention, when the dry processing section is docked via the interface section, the dry processing section is located at one end side of the transport path. Therefore, the substrate can be transferred to and from the dry processing unit by using the transfer path for transferring the substrate in the substrate processing apparatus.
The transport path may be, for example, a linear transport path.
The wet processing chamber may be provided on only one side of the transport path, or may be provided on both sides of the transport path.
[0015]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, an arbitrary number of wet processing chambers can be arranged compactly by setting the transport path to an appropriate length. Therefore, when the wet processing and the dry processing are continuously performed on the substrate, the rate of the wet processing is not limited. Thereby, wet processing and dry processing can be performed with high productivity.
The processing in the wet processing chamber may be, for example, a cleaning processing. In this case, the wet processing chamber may include the cleaning units (20a, 20b). Thereby, for example, cleaning before and / or after the dry processing can be performed. Here, "cleaning" includes etching performed for the purpose of removing foreign substances and the like.
[0016]
The processing in the wet processing chamber may be etching or plating for removing an undesired film formed on the substrate surface.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the wet processing chamber can perform a single-side cleaning in which the cleaning liquid is discharged to one surface of the substrate to perform cleaning, and a double-side cleaning in which the cleaning liquid is discharged to both surfaces of the substrate to perform cleaning. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a cleaning unit.
[0017]
For example, when the substrate is a semiconductor substrate, the method of cleaning the semiconductor substrate differs depending on the type and amount of contaminants attached to the semiconductor substrate, the degree to which the semiconductor substrate must be cleaned, and the like, and the semiconductor substrate is cleaned on one side. There are cases where both sides are washed.
Since the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention can perform both single-sided cleaning and double-sided cleaning, it can perform various cleanings as described above. In the cleaning unit, one for single-sided cleaning and one for double-sided cleaning may be arranged in different wet processing chambers among a plurality of wet processing chambers, and can perform both single-sided cleaning and double-sided cleaning. The objects may be arranged in one wet processing chamber.
[0018]
The invention according to claim 6 is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the loading / unloading robot transfers the substrate to / from a dry processing unit.
According to the present invention, the loading / unloading robot can carry in / out the substrate to / from the wet processing chamber and transfer the substrate to / from the dry processing unit, so that the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified.
[0019]
The loading / unloading robot may be configured to directly transfer the substrate to and from the dry processing unit, and may transfer the substrate to and from a transfer robot provided in the dry processing unit via a mounting table or the like. It may be constituted as follows.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate accommodating section (19) for accommodating an unprocessed and processed substrate, and a transfer robot (5) for transferring the substrate between the substrate accommodating section and the loading / unloading robot. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:
[0020]
According to the present invention, the transfer of the substrate between the substrate accommodating section and the vicinity of the wet processing chamber and the loading / unloading of the substrate into / from the wet processing chamber are respectively performed by the transfer robot and the loading / unloading robot. Is done. Therefore, the transfer and the loading / unloading of the substrate are not limited by the substrate processing (wet processing and dry processing), so that the productivity can be increased.
The loading / unloading robot may not move in the direction along the transport path. The substrate may be configured to be directly transferred between the transfer robot and the loading / unloading robot. Further, the substrate may be configured to be transferred via a transfer unit including a mounting table or the like. That is, the substrate may be placed on the mounting table of the transfer unit by the transfer robot or the loading / unloading robot, and the substrate may be received by the loading / unloading robot or the unloading robot.
[0021]
In the invention according to claim 8, the interface section has a replacement chamber (35, 45, 46) whose interior can be replaced with a predetermined atmosphere, and the interface section has a space between the replacement chamber and the main transport section and the dry processing section. And a shutter (39A, 39B, 52A, 52B, 53A, 53B) that can be opened and closed independently. is there.
According to the present invention, for example, the substrate can be transferred from the main transport section to the dry processing section according to the following procedure. First, with the shutter on the dry processing unit side closed, the shutter on the main transfer unit side is opened to carry the substrate into the replacement chamber, and then the shutter on the main transfer unit side is closed to seal the replacement chamber. Subsequently, after replacing the inside of the replacement chamber with a predetermined atmosphere (for example, a nitrogen atmosphere), the shutter on the dry processing unit side is opened with the shutter on the main transfer unit side closed, and the substrate in the replacement chamber is opened. Into the dry processing room.
[0022]
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a wet atmosphere from being brought into the dry processing section (dry processing chamber), and it is possible to perform the dry processing satisfactorily.
If necessary, when the substrate is transferred from the dry processing unit to the main transfer unit, the atmosphere in the replacement chamber may be replaced after the substrate is loaded into the replacement chamber. This can prevent a dry atmosphere from being brought into the wet processing chamber.
[0023]
The interface unit may be provided with a plurality of replacement chambers. Each of the plurality of replacement chambers can be independently opened and closed with respect to the main transfer section side and the dry processing section side. With such a configuration, while transferring the substrate from the main transfer section to the dry processing section using one replacement chamber, the substrate is transferred from the dry processing section to the main transfer section using another replacement chamber. Can be handed over. As a result, it is possible to prevent the wet atmosphere from being introduced into the dry processing unit (and the atmosphere in the dry processing unit from being brought into the main transport unit), and to reduce the time between the main transport unit and the dry processing unit. The substrate can be delivered to the customer.
[0024]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects as a wet processing unit (2, 4, 7), docked to the wet processing unit via the interface unit, A substrate processing apparatus (1, 34, 44) further comprising a dry processing unit (3) having a plurality of dry processing chambers (31a to 31d) for processing a substrate (W) in a dry atmosphere. is there.
According to this substrate processing apparatus, the same effects as those of the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 can be obtained.
[0025]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the dry processing section further includes a transfer robot (33) capable of transferring a substrate to and from a loading / unloading robot provided in the main transport section. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9.
According to the present invention, since the dry processing unit includes the independent transfer robot, loading / unloading of the substrate into / from the wet processing chamber and loading / unloading of the substrate into / from the dry processing chamber can be performed independently. .
[0026]
Therefore, the loading / unloading of the substrate is not limited by the substrate processing (the wet processing chamber and the dry processing), so that the productivity can be increased.
[0027]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an illustrative plan view showing the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a cleaning processing unit 2 for cleaning the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, simply referred to as “wafer”) using a cleaning liquid, and a dry atmosphere (using no processing liquid) for the wafer. The dry processing unit 3 that performs the processing is docked. The cleaning processing unit 2 includes an interface unit 17 for docking with the dry processing unit 3, and is docked to the dry processing unit 3 via the interface unit 17. The interface unit 17 may be provided in the dry processing unit 3, or may be provided in both the cleaning processing unit 2 and the dry processing unit 3.
[0028]
The cleaning processing unit 2 can be used alone as the substrate processing apparatus 60 whose plan view is shown in FIG. The cleaning processing section 2 (substrate processing apparatus 60) includes a wafer loading / unloading section 19 for loading and unloading unprocessed and processed wafers into and from the substrate processing apparatus 1 (60), and a cleaning processing section 2 for cleaning wafers. There are provided two cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b, and a main transfer section 9 for transferring a wafer between the wafer loading / unloading section 19 and the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b.
[0029]
The wafer loading / unloading section 19 includes a first transport path 14 that is linear in the horizontal direction, and a plurality (three in this embodiment) of cassette stages 16 arranged along the first transport path 14. On each cassette stage 16, one cassette C capable of accommodating the wafer W can be placed one by one.
On the other hand, the main transport section 9 includes a second transport path 15 provided linearly along a horizontal direction orthogonal to the first transport path 14. The second transport path 15 extends from a substantially intermediate position of the first transport path 14 in this embodiment. Fluid valve chambers 11a and 11b adjacent to the first transport path 14 and cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b adjacent to the fluid valve chambers 11a and 11b are provided on both sides of the second transport path 15, respectively. 15 are arranged.
[0030]
In the fluid valve chambers 11a and 11b, valves for controlling the flow of processing liquid and gas used in the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b and the like are arranged. The cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b include cleaning units 20a and 20b therein, and each of the cleaning units 20a and 20b can clean the surface of the wafer W by a single-wafer processing using a cleaning liquid. By arranging the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b and the fluid valve chambers 11a and 11b on both sides of the first transfer path 14, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is compact.
[0031]
An indexer robot 6 movable along the first transport path 14 is provided on the first transport path 14, and an indexer robot 6 movable along the second transport path 15 is provided on the second transport path 15. A transfer robot 5 is provided. The indexer robot 6 can access the cassette C mounted on the cassette stage 16 to load and unload the wafer W, and can transfer the wafer W to and from the auxiliary transfer robot 5.
[0032]
In the main transport section 9, a loading / unloading robot 13 that does not move in the horizontal direction is arranged on the side of the second transport path 15 opposite to the side of the first transport path 14. The loading / unloading robot 13 has a telescopic arm (for example, an articulated arm) and can transfer the wafer W, and can rotate and move up and down around a vertical axis. Thus, the loading / unloading robot 13 can load and unload the wafer W into and out of the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b, and transfer the wafer W to and from the auxiliary transfer robot 5.
[0033]
Each of the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b has a pentagonal shape obtained by cutting one corner of a rectangle in plan view. A partition 12A provided with a shutter 12S is provided in a portion corresponding to the hypotenuse of the pentagon in the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b, and the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b and the main transport unit 9 are separated from each other by the partition 12A. Are separated by The shutter 12S is normally closed, thereby separating the atmosphere in the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b from the atmosphere in the main transport unit 9. When the loading / unloading robot 13 loads / unloads the wafer W into / from the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b, the shutter 12S of the partition wall 12A is opened.
[0034]
In the main transport section 9, an interface section 17 provided with a shutter 18 is provided on a side opposite to the second transport path 15 side.
The dry processing section 3 includes a transfer chamber 30 and four dry processing chambers 31a to 31d arranged in a cluster around the transfer chamber 30. The transfer chamber 30 has a side wall formed by eight partition walls, and has an octagonal shape in plan view.
[0035]
The interface unit 17 is connected to one partition of the transfer chamber 30. The shutter 18 provided in the interface unit 17 is normally closed, thereby separating the atmosphere of the cleaning processing unit 2 from the atmosphere of the dry processing unit 3.
The dry processing chambers 31a to 31d are connected to a partition wall to which the interface unit 17 is connected, and four partition walls 31A except for a partition wall adjacent to and facing the partition wall. Each partition 31A includes a shutter 31S. These shutters 31S are normally closed, thereby separating the atmosphere in the transfer chamber 30 from the atmosphere in the dry processing chambers 31a to 31d. The dry processing chambers 31a to 31d include dry processing units 32a to 32d, respectively.
[0036]
Each of the dry processing units 32a to 32d can perform processing of the wafer W in a dry atmosphere. For example, heat treatment performed for the purpose of oxidizing a substrate surface, film formation by a chemical vapor deposition method, ion beam, or the like can be used. Dry etching and ashing can be performed. The processing performed in each of the dry processing units 32a to 32d may be different from each other, or may be partially or entirely the same.
In the transfer chamber 30, a transfer robot 33 that transfers the wafer W to and from the load / unload robot 13 and transfers the wafer W to and from the dry processing chambers 31a to 31d is disposed. When the transfer robot 33 transfers the wafer W to and from the transfer robot 13, the shutter 18 of the interface unit 17 is opened. When the transfer robot 33 carries in / out the wafer W to / from the dry processing chambers 31a to 31d, the shutter 31S of the partition wall 31A is opened.
[0037]
In the substrate processing apparatus 1, cleaning of one wafer W by the cleaning processing unit 2 and processing in a dry atmosphere by the dry processing unit 3 (hereinafter, referred to as “dry processing”) are continuously performed. Can be. For example, the cleaning processing unit 2 may perform both-side cleaning of the wafer W in the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b as pre-cleaning or post-cleaning of the dry processing in the dry processing unit 3. In the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b, for example, the same processing can be performed in parallel.
[0038]
In the cleaning process, for example, ammonia (NH ₃ ), Hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ), And water (H ₂ After the mixed solution of O) is discharged, the treatment may be performed by discharging a mixed aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid (HF) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) or an aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid alone. In addition, ozone (O ₃ After the water is discharged, an aqueous hydrofluoric acid solution may be discharged for cleaning. By such cleaning, particles and metal contamination adhering to the surface of the wafer W can be satisfactorily removed.
[0039]
The cleaning treatment is performed using a buffered hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution (hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride (NH ₄ F) and a mixed solution of water) and a hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution may be used alone, and these cleaning solutions can be arbitrarily selected according to the purpose.
Only the processing chambers (dry processing chambers 31a to 31d) for performing the dry processing are arranged around the transfer chamber 30, and the processing is performed in a wet atmosphere (atmosphere in the processing chamber using the processing liquid) (hereinafter, “wet processing”). ) Are not provided. Therefore, as compared with a conventional substrate processing apparatus, a processing chamber (deposition chamber) for performing processing in a dry atmosphere and a processing chamber (cleaning / drying chamber) for performing wet processing are arranged around the transfer chamber. Thus, the number of dry processing chambers 31a to 31d that can be arranged around the transfer chamber 30 can be increased.
[0040]
The cleaning processing chambers 12 a and 12 b are arranged in the cleaning processing section 2 separately from the dry processing section 3. When the rate of the cleaning process is limited, the number of cleaning processing chambers may be increased. For example, the length of the second transfer path 15 may be increased, and a large number of cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b may be provided along the second transfer path 15. In this case, for example, the auxiliary transfer robot 5 can also carry in / out the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b. Thus, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present invention, the number of processing chambers for performing the wet processing and the number of the processing chambers for performing the dry processing are less restricted.
[0041]
Further, the loading / unloading of the wafer W into / from the cassette C, the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b, and the dry processing chambers 31a to 31d is performed by different robots, that is, the indexer robot 6, the loading / unloading robot 13, and the transfer robot 33, respectively. Therefore, loading / unloading does not become rate-determining for wet atmosphere processing and dry atmosphere processing.
For the above reasons, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can continuously perform wet processing and dry processing with high productivity.
[0042]
A partition 12A, an interface unit 17, and a partition 31A exist between the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b and the dry processing chambers 31a to 31d, and the shutters 12S, 18, and 31S provided respectively for the wafer W Opened only at the time of delivery. Therefore, the atmosphere of the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b and the dry processing 31a to 31d can be satisfactorily separated. It is preferable that the shutter 12S of the partition wall 12A and the shutter 18 of the interface unit 17 are not simultaneously opened, and it is preferable that the shutter 18 of the interface unit 17 and the shutter 31S of the partition wall 31A are not simultaneously opened.
[0043]
Further, the transfer of the wafer W between the cassette C and the vicinity of the wet processing chambers 12a and 12b and the loading / unloading of the wafer W into / from the wet processing chambers 12a and 12b are performed by loading the wafer W into and out of the indexer robot 6 and the auxiliary transport robot 5, respectively. And carried out by the carry-out robot 13. Therefore, the transfer of the wafer W and the loading / unloading of the wafer W are not limited by the processing (cleaning processing and dry processing) of the wafer W, so that the productivity can be increased.
[0044]
FIG. 2 is an illustrative plan view showing the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Components in FIG. 2 that correspond to components in the substrate processing apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG.
In the substrate processing apparatus 34, a cleaning processing unit 4 for cleaning the surface of the wafer W using a cleaning liquid and a dry processing unit 3 for processing the wafer W in a dry atmosphere are docked. The cleaning processing section 4 includes an interface section 37 for docking with the dry processing section 3, and is docked to the dry processing section 3 via the interface section 37. The cleaning processing unit 4 can be used alone as a substrate processing apparatus for cleaning the surface of the wafer W using a cleaning liquid.
[0045]
The interface section 37 is provided on the main transport section 9 on the side opposite to the second transport path 15 with respect to the loading / unloading robot 13. The interface unit 37 includes a replacement chamber 35. A mounting table 38 for mounting the wafer W is disposed inside the replacement chamber 35.
The replacement chamber 35 includes a partition 36A having a shutter 39A that can be opened and closed with respect to the main transport unit 9 and a partition 36B having a shutter 39B that can be opened and closed with respect to the transfer chamber 30 of the dry processing unit 3. . The shutter 39A of the partition 36A and the shutter 39B of the partition 36B can be opened and closed independently, and by closing both the shutters 39A and 39B, the replacement chamber 35 can be made substantially sealed. An inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas) is supplied to the replacement chamber 35 from an inert gas supply source (not shown) so that the internal atmosphere can be replaced with the inert gas.
[0046]
Both the loading / unloading robot 13 and the delivery robot 33 can place the wafer W on the mounting table 38 and can unload the wafer W mounted on the mounting table 38 from the replacement chamber 35. is there.
According to the substrate processing apparatus 34, when the wafer W is transferred from the cleaning processing unit 4 to the dry processing unit 3, the following procedure can be performed. First, with the shutter 39B of the partition 36B closed, the shutter 39A of the partition 36A is opened, and the loading / unloading robot 13 places the wafer W on the loading table 38. Subsequently, after closing the shutter 39A, the atmosphere in the replacement chamber 35 is replaced with an inert gas. Thereafter, the shutter 39B is opened, and the transfer robot 33 unloads the wafer W mounted on the mounting table 38 from the replacement chamber 35.
[0047]
Accordingly, it is possible to avoid bringing a wet atmosphere accompanying the cleaning processing in the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b into the dry processing unit 3, and to perform a good dry processing in the dry processing chambers 31a to 31d.
If necessary, when transferring the wafer W from the dry processing unit 3 to the cleaning processing unit 4, similarly, after the wafer W is loaded into the replacement chamber 35, the atmosphere inside the replacement chamber 35 is replaced with an inert gas. You may do it. In the case where a special gas is used in the dry processing section 3, such a gas can be avoided from being brought into the cleaning processing section 4 and affecting the cleaning processing and the like.
Evacuation means such as a vacuum pump may be connected to the replacement chamber 35. In this case, the atmosphere in the replacement chamber 35 can be quickly and efficiently replaced with the inert gas by introducing the inert gas after exhausting the gas in the replacement chamber 35.
[0048]
FIG. 3 is an illustrative plan view showing the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Components in FIG. 3 corresponding to the components of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG.
In the substrate processing apparatus 44, a cleaning processing unit 7 for cleaning the surface of the wafer W using a cleaning liquid and a dry processing unit 3 for performing processing on the wafer W in a dry atmosphere are docked. The cleaning processing section 7 includes an interface section 47 for docking with the dry processing section 3, and is docked to the dry processing section 3 via the interface section 47. The cleaning processing unit 7 can be used alone as a substrate processing apparatus for cleaning the surface of the wafer W using a cleaning liquid.
[0049]
The interface unit 47 is provided on the main transport unit 9 on the side opposite to the second transport path 15 with respect to the loading / unloading robot 13. The interface unit 47 includes two replacement chambers 45 and 46. The mounting tables 48 and 49 for mounting the wafer W are arranged inside the replacement chambers 45 and 46, respectively.
The replacement chambers 45 and 46 include partition walls 50A and 51A having shutters 52A and 53A that can be opened and closed with respect to the main transport unit 9, and shutters 52B and 53B that can be opened and closed with respect to the transfer chamber 30 of the dry processing unit 3. Partition walls 50B and 51B are provided, respectively. The shutter 52A of the partition 50A and the shutter 52B of the partition 50B can be opened and closed independently, and by closing both the shutters 52A and 52B, the replacement chamber 45 can be made substantially sealed. Similarly, the shutter 53A of the partition wall 51A and the shutter 53B of the partition wall 51B can be opened and closed independently, and by closing both the shutters 53A and 53B, the replacement chamber 46 can be made substantially sealed.
[0050]
An inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas) is supplied to the replacement chambers 45 and 46 from an inert gas supply source (not shown) so that the atmosphere inside the replacement chambers 45 and 46 can be replaced with the inert gas.
Both the loading / unloading robot 13 and the transfer robot 33 can place the wafer W on the mounting tables 48 and 49, and transfer the wafer W mounted on the mounting tables 48 and 49 from the replacement chambers 45 and 46. It is possible to carry it out.
[0051]
According to the substrate processing apparatus 44, by using the replacement chambers 45 and 46 in the same manner as the replacement chamber 37 of the substrate processing apparatus 34 in FIG. 2, it is possible to prevent a wet atmosphere from being brought into the dry processing unit 3. Further, when it is not preferable that the atmosphere in the dry processing unit 3 is brought into the cleaning processing unit 7, it is possible to prevent the atmosphere in the dry processing unit 3 from being brought into the main transport unit 9.
Further, while the wafer W is being transferred from the main transfer section 9 to the dry processing section 3 using one replacement chamber 45 (46), the dry processing section 3 is used using another replacement chamber 46 (45). Can transfer the wafer W to the main transfer section 9 side. Thus, the wafer W can be quickly transferred between the main transfer section 9 and the dry processing section 3.
[0052]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but can be implemented in other forms. For example, the dedicated loading / unloading robot 13 is eliminated, and the auxiliary transport robot 5 is configured to load / unload the wafer W into / from the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b and transfer the wafer W to / from the dry processing unit 3. May be.
Further, instead of the auxiliary transport robot 5, a transfer unit including a mounting table (transfer table) may be provided. That is, the wafer W is mounted on the mounting table of the transfer unit by the indexer robot 6 or the loading / unloading robot 13, and the wafer W on the mounting table is received by the loading / unloading robot 13 or the indexer robot 6. Is also good. Further, the auxiliary transfer robot 5 may be omitted, and the wafer W may be directly transferred between the indexer robot 6 and the loading / unloading robot 13.
[0053]
The cleaning processing chamber 12a and the cleaning processing chamber 12b may be capable of performing different types of cleaning processing. In this case, one of the cleaning processing chambers 12a (12b) may be capable of cleaning one side of the wafer W, and the other cleaning processing chamber 12b (12a) may be capable of cleaning both sides of the wafer W. In the process of processing the wafer W, the method of cleaning the wafer W differs depending on the type and amount of the contaminants attached to the wafer W, the degree to which the wafer W must be cleaned, and the like. May be washed. By making the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b capable of single-sided cleaning and double-sided cleaning, respectively, the wafer W can be cleaned according to the purpose.
[0054]
The cleaning chambers 12a and 12b may be arranged on one side of the second transport path 15. In the cleaning processing unit 2 (wet processing unit), an undesired film formed on the surface of the wafer W is replaced with a part or all of the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b or added to the cleaning processing chambers 12a and 12b. An etching chamber for performing an etching process for removal or a plating chamber for performing plating may be provided. By making the second transport path 15 longer, it is possible to arrange a required number of cleaning processing chambers.
[0055]
The cleaning processing units 2, 4, and 7 may be provided with a plurality of interface units 17, 37, and 47. In this case, the cleaning processing units 2, 4, and 7 are docked with the plurality of dry processing units 3. May be. The substrate processing apparatus 60 may be provided with a plurality of interface units 17, 37, 47. In this case, the plurality of dry processing units 3 can be docked to the substrate processing apparatus 60.
In the substrate processing apparatus 60 of the fourth embodiment, the interface section 37 of the substrate processing apparatus 34 of the second embodiment or the interface section 47 of the third substrate processing apparatus 44 can be provided instead of the interface 17. is there. In these cases, by docking the dry processing unit 3 via the interface units 37 and 47, the substrate processing apparatuses 34 and 44 according to the second or third embodiment are obtained, and are similar to the substrate processing apparatuses 34 and 44. The effect can be achieved.
[0056]
In addition, various changes can be made within the scope of the matters described in the claims.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an illustrative plan view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an illustrative plan view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an illustrative plan view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an illustrative plan view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1,34,44,60 Substrate processing equipment
2,4,7 Cleaning section
3 Dry processing section
5 Auxiliary transfer robot
6 Indexer robot
9 Main transport section
12a, 12b Cleaning treatment room
13 Loading / Unloading Robot
14 First transport path
15 Second transport path
16 cassette stage
17, 37, 47 Interface section
18, 39A, 39B, 52A, 52B, 53A, 53B Shutter
19 Wafer loading / unloading section
20a, 20b Cleaning unit
30 Delivery room
31a-31d Dry processing room
33 Delivery Robot
35, 45, 46 replacement chamber
C cassette
W wafer

Claims (10)

A substrate processing apparatus capable of docking a substrate so that the substrate can be transferred to a dry processing unit including a plurality of dry processing chambers for processing the substrate in a dry atmosphere,
A plurality of wet processing chambers for processing the substrate in a wet atmosphere;
A main transfer unit including a loading / unloading robot that transports the substrate and loads and unloads the substrate into and from the wet processing chamber;
A substrate processing apparatus provided adjacent to the main transport section and having an interface section for docking with a dry processing section. The main transport unit includes a transport path of a predetermined length through which the substrate to be transported passes,
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface unit is provided at one end of the transport path. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the wet processing chamber is provided on both sides of the transport path. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wet processing chamber includes a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate. The wet processing chamber includes a cleaning unit capable of single-side cleaning for discharging and cleaning a cleaning liquid on one surface of a substrate, and a cleaning unit capable of performing double-side cleaning for discharging and cleaning a cleaning liquid on both surfaces of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the loading / unloading robot transfers the substrate to and from a dry processing unit. A substrate accommodating section for accommodating unprocessed and processed substrates,
7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a transfer robot that transfers a substrate between the substrate storage unit and the loading / unloading robot. A replacement chamber in which the interface unit can replace the inside with a predetermined atmosphere,
8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shutter that can be independently opened and closed between the replacement chamber and the main transfer section and the dry processing section. Including the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 as a wet processing unit,
A substrate processing apparatus, further comprising a dry processing unit docked to the wet processing unit via the interface unit and including a plurality of dry processing chambers for processing a substrate in a dry atmosphere. 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the dry processing unit further includes a transfer robot capable of transferring a substrate to and from a loading / unloading robot provided in the main transfer unit.

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