JP2005101034A - Substrate processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing device that reduces man-hours when the device is reassembled without lowering the strength of an enclosure in a height direction. <P>SOLUTION: Top boards 71, 81, and 91 are provided in the upper part of an enclosure 72, and an electrical section 70 is provided above the top board 71. A plurality of hinges 75 are attached to the projecting sections 71a of the top board 71 and the top board 71 and the upper part of the enclosure 72 are connected to each other through the hinges 75. Therefore, when the top board 81 is removed and the top board 71 is rotated around a rotation axis A5, the electrical section 70 is housed in a vacant area 85 formed above a main transporting area 38. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention provides a substrate for applying a predetermined treatment such as coating or development to a substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) such as a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for a photomask, and a substrate for an optical disk. The present invention relates to a processing apparatus, and particularly relates to an improvement for reducing the number of reassembly work steps at the transfer destination while maintaining the strength of the casing when the substrate processing apparatus is transferred.

  A substrate processing apparatus is usually provided in a clean room, and it is not preferable that the footprint of one substrate processing apparatus be large in a clean room that requires a cost appropriate for maintaining the atmosphere. Therefore, conventionally, the processing units in the substrate processing apparatus are arranged in multiple stages to suppress an increase in footprint. However, when the processing units are arranged in multiple stages, the height of the substrate processing apparatus increases with the number of stages.

  On the other hand, when a substrate processing apparatus is shipped from a manufacturing factory and installed at a delivery destination, it is transported by a transportation means such as a truck or an aircraft. However, in these transportation means, the maximum height of a load that can be transported is predetermined. Therefore, it is necessary that the height of the substrate processing apparatus at the time of conveyance be less than or equal to this maximum height. Further, the substrate processing apparatus carried into the clean room is carried through the entrance of the clean room. Therefore, it is necessary that the height of the substrate processing apparatus at the time of conveyance be less than or equal to this maximum height.

  For this reason, various substrate processing apparatuses have been proposed in order to satisfy a footprint reduction requirement in a clean room and a restriction condition on the height of the substrate processing apparatus during conveyance (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-100554 JP 2002-198276 A

  However, in the substrate processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, since the support column of the housing unit is extendable, the strength in the height direction of the housing unit is reduced. Further, in the substrate processing apparatus of Patent Document 2, since the casing portion can be separated in the height direction, the strength in the height direction of the casing portion is reduced as in the substrate processing apparatus of Patent Document 1. On the other hand, in order to keep the height of the substrate processing apparatus below the maximum height due to transport and clean room restrictions, it is carried in when removing and separating the members (for example, electrical parts) arranged at the top of the substrate processing apparatus Reassembly is required first. Therefore, in this case, there is a problem that the number of work steps for installing the substrate processing apparatus at the destination is increased.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can reduce the man-hours required for reassembly without reducing the strength in the height direction of the casing of the substrate processing apparatus. To do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process on a substrate, and is disposed on a housing portion and an upper portion of the housing portion, and is attached to the housing portion. And an accompanying portion, wherein the housing portion has a free space in which the accompanying portion can be accommodated.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the housing portion is provided with a transfer robot therein, and the upper portion of the transfer area of the transfer robot is provided with the associated portion. It is used as the empty space that can be stored.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the auxiliary portion is rotated around a rotation axis along a substantially horizontal direction so that the auxiliary portion is moved to the empty area. It is characterized by being housed in.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the third aspect, the associated portion is connected to an upper portion of the housing portion via a hinge, and the associated portion is arranged around a rotation axis of the hinge. It is characterized by rotating.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an elevating mechanism capable of elevating the accompanying portion between the upper portion of the housing and the empty area. It is characterized by that.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a guide member capable of moving the associated portion above the empty area by guiding the associated portion along a horizontal direction. Is further provided.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the accompanying portion is an electrical component.

  The invention of claim 8 comprises a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on a substrate and a single main transfer unit that delivers the substrate to the processing unit, and constitutes a single processing block, A substrate processing apparatus configured by arranging the processing blocks side by side, wherein each processing block includes an entrance substrate mounting portion for mounting a substrate to receive the substrate in the processing block, and the processing block. An exit substrate placement unit for placing a substrate for dispensing a substrate is provided separately, and a main transfer unit of each processing block is provided via the entrance substrate placement unit and the exit substrate placement unit. In addition to delivering the substrate, each of the processing blocks arranged side by side can be separated into respective blocks, and at least one of the processing blocks is attached to the upper part of the processing block along with the processing block. Has an associated portion which is location, the associated unit may be housed near the top of the transport region of the main transfer section.

  According to the first to seventh aspects of the present invention, the accompanying portion disposed on the upper portion of the housing portion can be accommodated in an empty area in the housing portion. Thereby, the height of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced without removing the associated portion from the substrate processing apparatus. Therefore, while maintaining the strength in the height direction of the casing, the height of the substrate processing apparatus during transport satisfies the height direction constraint from the transport source to the transport destination (that is, the maximum transportable size). The height can be adjusted to be equal to or less than the height. As a result, there is no need to lift and place the accompanying part on the upper part of the casing at the transport destination, and the reassembly work can be made safe and work for reassembling the substrate processing apparatus at the transport destination. Man-hours can be reduced.

  In addition, according to the first to seventh aspects of the invention, since the accompanying part can be stored in the casing, the substrate processing apparatus can be transported without reducing the strength of the casing. .

  In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the accompanying part can be stored near the upper part of the transfer region, the height of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced without removing the accompanying part from the substrate processing apparatus. it can.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 3, by rotating the top plate around the rotation axis provided substantially parallel to the top plate, the accompanying portion can be accommodated in the free space of the housing portion. . Therefore, the height of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced without removing the associated part from the substrate processing apparatus.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 4, by rotating the top plate around the rotation axis of the hinge, the accompanying portion can be accommodated in the empty area of the housing portion.

  In particular, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the associated portion disposed at the upper portion of the casing is lowered from the upper portion of the casing to the empty area in the casing portion by the lifting mechanism and is stored in the empty area. be able to. Therefore, the height of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced without removing the associated portion from the substrate processing apparatus.

  In particular, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the associated part can be moved above the empty area, and the associated part can be lowered from above the empty area toward the empty area. Thereby, since an accompanying part can be accommodated in the inside of a housing | casing part, the height of a substrate processing apparatus can be made low, without removing an accompanying part.

  In particular, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus can be accommodated in the empty area and transported without removing the electrical component from the substrate processing apparatus. This eliminates the need to remove the wiring of the electrical component, thereby reducing the number of work steps when reassembling the substrate processing apparatus at the transfer destination.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to store the accompanying portion arranged at the top of at least one processing block in an empty area in the processing block. As a result, the height of the processing block can be reduced without removing the associated portion from the processing block. For this reason, the height of the processing block can be adjusted to be equal to or less than the maximum transportable height.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<1. First Embodiment>
<1.1. Configuration of substrate processing apparatus>
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. 2 is a front view of the liquid processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus, FIG. 3 is a front view of the heat treatment unit, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a peripheral configuration of the substrate mounting unit. 1 to 4 have an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction and the XY plane is the horizontal plane in order to clarify the directional relationship.

  The substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment is an apparatus that applies an antireflection film or a photoresist film to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and performs development processing on the substrate after pattern exposure. In addition, the board | substrate used as the process target of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, The glass substrate for liquid crystal displays etc. may be sufficient. Further, the processing content of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to coating film formation and development processing, but may be etching processing or cleaning processing.

  The substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment is configured by arranging five processing blocks of an indexer block 1, a bark block 2, a resist coating block 3, a development processing block 4 and an interface block 5 in parallel. An exposure apparatus (stepper), which is an external apparatus separate from the substrate processing apparatus, is connected to the interface block 5.

  The indexer block 1 takes a mounting table 11 on which a plurality of carriers C (four in this embodiment) are placed side by side, and takes out an unprocessed substrate W from each carrier C and also transfers a processed substrate W to each carrier C. A substrate transfer mechanism 12 is provided. The substrate transfer mechanism 12 includes a movable table 12a that can move horizontally along the mounting table 11 (along the Y direction), and a holding arm 12b that holds the substrate W in a horizontal posture is mounted on the movable table 12a. Has been. The holding arm 12b is configured to be capable of moving up and down (Z direction) on the movable table 12a, turning in a horizontal plane, and moving back and forth in the turning radius direction. As a result, the substrate transfer mechanism 12 can access the holding arms 12b to the carriers C to take out the unprocessed substrate W and store the processed substrate W. That is, the substrate transfer mechanism 12 is provided so as to be movable in a main transfer region 18 surrounded by the mounting table 11, the outer wall 16 of the indexer block 1, and the partition wall 13.

  In addition to the FOUP (front opening unified pod) that stores the substrate W in a sealed space, the carrier C may be an OC (open cassette) that exposes the standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pod or the storage substrate W to the outside air. There may be.

  A bark block 2 is provided adjacent to the indexer block 1. A partition wall 13 is provided between the indexer block 1 and the bark block 2 for shielding the atmosphere. In order to transfer the substrate W between the indexer block 1 and the bark block 2, two substrate platforms PASS 1 and PASS 2 on which the substrate W is mounted are stacked on the partition wall 13.

  The upper substrate platform PASS1 is used to transport the substrate W from the indexer block 1 to the bark block 2. The substrate platform PASS1 has three support pins, and the substrate transfer mechanism 12 of the indexer block 1 moves the unprocessed substrate W taken out from the carrier C onto the three support pins of the substrate platform PASS1. Place. Then, the transfer robot TR1 of the bark block 2 described later receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS1. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS <b> 2 is used for transporting the substrate W from the bark block 2 to the indexer block 1. The substrate platform PASS1 also includes three support pins, and the transfer robot TR1 of the bark block 2 places the processed substrate W on the three support pins of the substrate platform PASS2. Then, the substrate transfer mechanism 12 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS1 and stores it in the carrier C. In addition, the structure of the board | substrate mounting parts PASS3-PASS10 mentioned later is also the same as the board | substrate mounting parts PASS1 and PASS2.

  The substrate platforms PASS <b> 1 and PASS <b> 2 are provided so as to partially penetrate a part of the partition wall 13. The substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 are provided with optical sensors (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate W, and the substrate transfer mechanism 12 and the bark block 2 are based on detection signals from the sensors. It is determined whether the transfer robot TR1 is ready to deliver the substrate W to the substrate platforms PASS1, PASS2.

  Next, the bark block 2 will be described. The bark block 2 is a processing block for applying and forming an antireflection film on the base of the photoresist film in order to reduce standing waves and halation generated during exposure. The bark block 2 includes a base coating processing unit BRC for coating and forming an antireflection film on the surface of the substrate W, two heat treatment towers 21 and 21 for performing heat treatment associated with the coating formation of the antireflection film, and base coating processing A transfer robot TR1 that transfers the substrate W to the section BRC and the heat treatment towers 21 and 21.

  In the bark block 2, the base coating treatment unit BRC and the heat treatment towers 21 and 21 are arranged to face each other with the transfer robot TR1 interposed therebetween. Specifically, the base coating treatment part BRC is located on the front side of the apparatus, and the two heat treatment towers 21 and 21 are located on the rear side of the apparatus. In addition, a heat partition (not shown) is provided on the front side of the heat treatment towers 21 and 21. By arranging the base coating processing part BRC and the heat treatment towers 21 and 21 apart from each other and providing a thermal partition, the thermal processing towers 21 and 21 are prevented from having a thermal influence on the base coating processing part BRC. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the base coating processing unit BRC is configured by stacking and arranging three coating processing units BRC1, BRC2, and BRC3 having the same configuration in order from the bottom. If the three coating processing units BRC1, BRC2, and BRC3 are not particularly distinguished, these are collectively referred to as a base coating processing unit BRC. Each of the coating processing units BRC1, BRC2, and BRC3 includes a spin chuck 22 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates the substrate W in a substantially horizontal plane, and an antireflection film on the substrate W held on the spin chuck 22 And a cup (not shown) that surrounds the periphery of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 22.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the heat treatment tower 21 on the side close to the indexer block 1, six hot plates HP1 to HP6 for heating the substrate W to a predetermined temperature and the heated substrate W are cooled to a predetermined temperature. Cool plates CP <b> 1 to CP <b> 3 are provided that lower the temperature to a predetermined temperature and maintain the substrate W at the predetermined temperature. In the heat treatment tower 21, cool plates CP1 to CP3 and hot plates HP1 to HP6 are laminated in order from the bottom. On the other hand, the heat treatment tower 21 on the side far from the indexer block 1 has three adhesion reinforcements for heat-treating the substrate W in a vapor atmosphere of HMDS (hexamethyldisilazane) in order to improve the adhesion between the resist film and the substrate W. The processing units AHL1 to AHL3 are stacked in order from the bottom. In FIG. 3, piping wiring sections and spare empty spaces are assigned to the locations indicated by “x” marks.

  As described above, the coating processing units BRC1 to BRC3 and the heat treatment units (hot plates HP1 to HP6, cool plates CP1 to CP3, adhesion strengthening processing units AHL1 to AHL3) are stacked in multiple stages to reduce the space occupied by the substrate processing apparatus. And footprint can be reduced. Further, by arranging two heat treatment towers 21 and 21 in parallel, there is an advantage that maintenance of the heat treatment unit is facilitated and duct piping and power supply equipment necessary for the heat treatment unit need not be extended to a very high position. .

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the transfer robot TR1. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the transfer robot TR1, and FIG. 5B is a front view of the transfer robot TR1. The transfer robot TR1 includes two holding arms 6a and 6b that hold the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture so as to be close to each other in the vertical direction. The holding arms 6a and 6b have a "C" shape at the top end in a plan view, and a plurality of pins 7 projecting inward from the inner side of the "C" shaped arm to surround the periphery of the substrate W. Supports from below.

  The base 8 of the transfer robot TR1 is fixedly installed on the apparatus base (apparatus frame). On the base 8, a guide shaft 9c is erected and the screw shaft 9a is erected and supported rotatably. A motor 9b that rotationally drives the screw shaft 9a is fixedly installed on the base 8. The lifting platform 10a is screwed onto the screw shaft 9a, and the lifting platform 10a is slidable with respect to the guide shaft 9c. With such a configuration, when the motor 9b rotationally drives the screw shaft 9a, the lifting platform 10a is guided by the guide shaft 9c to move up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction).

  Further, an arm base 10b is mounted on the lifting platform 10a so as to be able to turn around an axis along the vertical direction. A motor 10c for turning the arm base 10b is built in the elevator base 10a. The two holding arms 6a and 6b described above are arranged vertically on the arm base 10b. Each holding arm 6a, 6b is configured to be able to move forward and backward independently in the horizontal direction (in the turning radius direction of the arm base 10b) by a slide drive mechanism (not shown) mounted on the arm base 10b. .

With such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 5A, the transfer robot TR1 includes two holding arms 6a and 6b that are individually provided on the substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 and the heat treatment tower 21, respectively. It is possible to access a coating processing unit provided in the base coating processing unit BRC and substrate mounting units PASS3 and PASS4, which will be described later, and transfer the substrate W between them. That is, the transfer robot TR1 is provided so as to be movable in the main transfer area 28 surrounded by the heat treatment tower 21, the partition walls 13 and 25, and the base coating processing part BRC.

  Next, the resist coating block 3 will be described. A resist coating block 3 is provided so as to be sandwiched between the bark block 2 and the development processing block 4. Between the resist coating block 3 and the bark block 2, an atmosphere blocking partition 25 is also provided. In order to transfer the substrate W between the bark block 2 and the resist coating block 3, two substrate platforms PASS 3 and PASS 4 on which the substrate W is mounted are stacked on the partition wall 25 in the vertical direction. The substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 have the same configuration as the substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 described above.

  The upper substrate platform PASS3 is used to transport the substrate W from the bark block 2 to the resist coating block 3. That is, the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 3 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS3 by the transport robot TR1 of the bark block 2. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS 4 is used to transport the substrate W from the resist coating block 3 to the bark block 2. That is, the transport robot TR1 of the bark block 2 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS4 by the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 3.

  The substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 are provided partially through a part of the partition wall 25. The substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 are provided with optical sensors (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate W, and the transfer robots TR1 and TR2 are mounted on the substrate based on detection signals from the sensors. It is determined whether or not the substrate W can be delivered to the parts PASS3 and PASS4. Further, under the substrate platforms PASS 3 and PASS 4, two water-cooled cool plates WCP for roughly cooling the substrate W are provided above and below the partition wall 25.

  The resist coating block 3 is a processing block for coating and forming a photoresist film on the substrate W on which the antireflection film is coated and formed in the bark block 2. In the present embodiment, a chemically amplified resist is used as the photoresist. The resist coating block 3 includes a resist coating processing section SC that coats and forms a photoresist film on an antireflection film that has been coated on the base, two heat treatment towers 31 and 31 that perform heat treatment associated with the resist coating processing, and resist coating. A transfer robot TR2 that transfers the substrate W to the processing unit SC and the heat treatment towers 31, 31 is provided.

  In the resist coating block 3, the resist coating processing unit SC and the heat treatment towers 31 and 31 are arranged to face each other with the transfer robot TR2 interposed therebetween. Specifically, the resist coating processing section SC is located on the front side of the apparatus, and the two heat treatment towers 31 and 31 are located on the rear side of the apparatus. A heat partition (not shown) is provided on the front side of the heat treatment towers 31 and 31. By disposing the resist coating processing part SC and the heat treatment towers 31 and 31 apart from each other and providing a thermal partition, the thermal treatment towers 31 and 31 are prevented from having a thermal influence on the resist coating processing part SC. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the resist coating processing section SC is configured by stacking and arranging three coating processing units SC1, SC2, SC3 having the same configuration in order from the bottom. If the three coating processing units SC1, SC2, and SC3 are not particularly distinguished, they are collectively referred to as a resist coating processing unit SC. Each of the coating processing units SC1, SC2, SC3 discharges the photoresist onto the spin chuck 32 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates it in a substantially horizontal plane, and the substrate W held on the spin chuck 32. A coating nozzle 33 and a cup (not shown) surrounding the periphery of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 32 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the heat treatment tower 31 on the side close to the indexer block 1, six heating parts PHP <b> 1 to PHP <b> 6 that heat the substrate W to a predetermined temperature are sequentially stacked from below. On the other hand, in the heat treatment tower 31 on the side far from the indexer block 1, cool plates CP4 to CP9 for cooling the heated substrate W and lowering the temperature to a predetermined temperature and maintaining the substrate W at the predetermined temperature are provided from below. They are arranged in order.

  Each of the heating units PHP1 to PHP6 includes a substrate temporary placement unit that places the substrate W on an upper position separated from the hot plate, in addition to a normal hot plate that places the substrate W and performs heat treatment. The heat treatment unit includes a local transport mechanism 34 (see FIG. 1) for transporting the substrate W between the hot plate and the temporary substrate placement unit. The local transport mechanism 34 is configured to be capable of moving up and down and moving back and forth, and includes a mechanism for cooling the substrate W in the transport process by circulating cooling water.

  The local transport mechanism 34 is a transport mechanism provided in each of the heating units PHP1 to PHP6, and is installed on the opposite side to the transport robot TR2 across the hot plate and the temporary substrate placement unit, that is, on the back side of the apparatus. . The local transport mechanism 34 moves up and down in a local transport region 39 surrounded by the outer wall 36 of the resist coating block 3, the partition wall 25, the partition wall 35, and the heat treatment tower 31.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the local transfer area 39 is an area separated from the main transfer area 38 by the heat treatment tower 31, and the heating units PHP <b> 1 to PHP <b> 6 for the purpose of leaking a thermal atmosphere as will be described later. This area is necessary because the local transport mechanism 34 is added to each of the above.

  The temporary substrate placement portion is open to both the transfer robot TR2 side and the local transfer mechanism 34 side, while the hot plate is open only to the local transfer mechanism 34 side and is closed to the transfer robot TR2 side. . Accordingly, both the transport robot TR2 and the local transport mechanism 34 can access the temporary substrate placement portion, but only the local transport mechanism 34 can access the hot plate.

  When the substrate W is carried into each of the heating units PHP1 to PHP6 having such a configuration, the transport robot TR2 first places the substrate W on the temporary substrate placement unit. Then, the local transport mechanism 34 receives the substrate W from the temporary substrate placement unit, transports it to the hot plate, and heats the substrate W. The substrate W that has been subjected to the heat treatment by the hot plate is taken out by the local transport mechanism 34 and transported to the temporary substrate placement unit. At this time, the substrate W is cooled by the cooling function provided in the local transport mechanism 34. Thereafter, the substrate W after the heat treatment transferred to the temporary substrate placement unit is taken out by the transfer robot TR2.

  In this way, in the heating units PHP1 to PHP6, the transfer robot TR2 only transfers the substrate W to the substrate temporary placement unit at room temperature, and does not transfer the substrate W to the hot plate. Temperature rise can be suppressed. Further, since the hot plate is opened only on the local transfer mechanism 34 side, the transfer robot TR2 and the resist coating processing unit SC are prevented from being adversely affected by the thermal atmosphere leaked from the hot plate. Note that the transfer robot TR2 directly transfers the substrate W to the cool plates CP4 to CP9.

  The configuration of the transfer robot TR2 is exactly the same as that of the transfer robot TR1. Therefore, the transfer robot TR2 has two holding arms individually for the substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4, a heat treatment unit provided in the heat treatment tower 31, a coating processing unit provided in the resist coating processing unit SC, and a substrate mounting described later. The placement units PASS5 and PASS6 can be accessed, and the substrate W can be exchanged between them. That is, the transfer robot TR2 is movably provided in the main transfer region 38 surrounded by the heat treatment tower 31, the partition walls 25 and 35, and the resist coating processing unit SC.

  Next, the development processing block 4 will be described. A development processing block 4 is provided so as to be sandwiched between the resist coating block 3 and the interface block 5. A partition wall 35 for shielding the atmosphere is also provided between the resist coating block 3 and the development processing block 4. In order to transfer the substrate W between the resist coating block 3 and the development processing block 4, two substrate platforms PASS 5 and PASS 6 on which the substrate W is mounted are stacked on the partition wall 35 in the vertical direction. . The substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6 have the same configuration as the substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 described above.

  The upper substrate platform PASS5 is used for transporting the substrate W from the resist coating block 3 to the development processing block 4. That is, the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS5 by the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 3. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS 6 is used to transport the substrate W from the development processing block 4 to the resist coating block 3. That is, the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 3 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS6 by the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4.

  The substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6 are provided so as to partially penetrate a part of the partition wall 35. The substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6 are provided with optical sensors (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate W, and the transport robots TR2 and TR3 are mounted on the substrate based on detection signals from the sensors. It is determined whether or not the substrate W can be delivered to the parts PASS5 and PASS6. Further, below the substrate platforms PASS 5 and PASS 6, two water-cooled cool plates WCP for roughly cooling the substrate W are provided vertically through the partition wall 35.

  The development processing block 4 is a processing block for performing development processing on the exposed substrate W. The development processing block 4 includes a development processing unit SD that performs development processing by supplying a developing solution to the substrate W on which the pattern has been exposed, two heat treatment towers 41 and 42 that perform heat treatment associated with the development processing, and development. A transfer robot TR3 that transfers the substrate W to the processing unit SD and the heat treatment towers 41 and 42 is provided. The transfer robot TR3 has exactly the same configuration as the transfer robots TR1 and TR2 described above, and can move in the main transfer region 48 surrounded by the partition walls 35, the heat treatment towers 41 and 42, the partition walls 45, and the development processing unit SD. Is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the development processing unit SD is configured by stacking five development processing units SD1, SD2, SD3, SD4, and SD5 having the same configuration in order from the bottom. Note that the five development processing units SD1 to SD5 are collectively referred to as the development processing unit SD unless particularly distinguished. Each of the development processing units SD1 to SD5 includes a spin chuck 43 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates the substrate W in a substantially horizontal plane, and a nozzle that supplies a developer onto the substrate W held on the spin chuck 43. 44 and a cup (not shown) that surrounds the periphery of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 43.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the heat treatment tower 41 on the side close to the indexer block 1, five hot plates HP7 to HP11 for heating the substrate W to a predetermined temperature and the heated substrate W are cooled to a predetermined temperature. Cool plates CP <b> 10 to CP <b> 13 are provided that lower the temperature to a predetermined temperature and maintain the substrate W at the predetermined temperature. In this heat treatment tower 41, cool plates CP10 to CP13 and hot plates HP7 to HP11 are laminated in order from the bottom. On the other hand, in the heat treatment tower 42 on the side far from the indexer block 1, six heating parts PHP7 to PHP12 are laminated. Each of the heating units PHP7 to PHP12 is a heat treatment unit including a temporary substrate placement unit and a local transport mechanism 47, similarly to the heating units PHP1 to PHP6 described above. However, the temporary substrate placement portions of the heating units PHP7 to PHP12 are open on the side of the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 5, but are closed on the side of the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4. That is, the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 5 can access the heating units PHP7 to PHP12, but the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4 is not accessible. Note that the transfer robot TR3 of the development processing block 4 accesses the heat treatment unit incorporated in the heat treatment tower 41.

  The local transport mechanism 47 is installed on the opposite side of the transport robot TR3 with respect to the temporary substrate placement section, that is, on the back side of the apparatus, and the outer wall 46, the partition walls 35 and 45 of the development processing block 4, and the heat treatment tower 41. , 42 is moved up and down in a local transfer area 49 surrounded by. Here, the local transfer area 49 is an area separated from the main transfer area 48 by the heat treatment towers 41 and 42, and the local transfer mechanism 47 is provided to each of the heating units PHP7 to PHP12 for the purpose of improving the performance of the heat treatment. This is an area that is necessary because of the addition.

  Further, two substrate platforms PASS7 and PASS8 for transferring the substrate W between the development processing block 4 and the interface block 5 adjacent to the development processing block 4 are incorporated in the heat treatment tower 42 so as to be close to each other in the vertical direction. ing. The upper substrate platform PASS7 is used to transport the substrate W from the development processing block 4 to the interface block 5. That is, the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 5 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS7 by the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS 8 is used to transport the substrate W from the interface block 5 to the development processing block 4. That is, the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS8 by the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 5. The substrate platforms PASS7 and PASS8 are open to both sides of the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4 and the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 5.

  Next, the interface block 5 will be described. The interface block 5 is a block which is provided adjacent to the development processing block 4 and delivers the substrate W to an exposure apparatus which is an external apparatus separate from the substrate processing apparatus.

A partition wall 45 for shielding the atmosphere is also provided between the interface block 5 and the development processing block 4. In the interface block 5 of the present embodiment, in addition to the transport mechanism 55 for transferring the substrate W to and from the exposure apparatus, two edge exposures for exposing the peripheral portion of the substrate W on which the photoresist film is formed are performed. And a transport robot TR4 that delivers the substrate W to the heating units PHP7 to PHP12 and the edge exposure unit EEW disposed in the development processing block 4.

  The edge exposure unit EEW, as shown in FIG. 2, applies light to the spin chuck 56 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates the substrate W in a substantially horizontal plane, and the periphery of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 56. And a light irradiator 57 that exposes the light. The two edge exposure portions EEW are stacked in the vertical direction at the center of the interface block 5. The transfer robot TR4 disposed adjacent to the edge exposure unit EEW and the heat treatment tower 42 of the development processing block 4 has the same configuration as the transfer robots TR1 to TR3 described above. The outer transfer wall 53 and the main exposure area 59 surrounded by the edge exposure unit EEW are movable.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a return buffer RBF for returning the substrate is provided below the two edge exposure units EEW, and two substrate platforms PASS9 and PASS10 are stacked on the lower side. Is provided. When the development processing block 4 cannot perform the development processing of the substrate W due to some trouble, the return buffer RBF performs the post-exposure heating processing by the heating units PHP7 to PHP12 of the development processing block 4, and then the substrate W Is temporarily stored. The return buffer RBF is configured by a storage shelf that can store a plurality of substrates W in multiple stages. The upper substrate platform PASS9 is used to transfer the substrate W from the transport robot TR4 to the transport mechanism 55, and the lower substrate platform PASS10 transfers the substrate W from the transport mechanism 55 to the transport robot TR4. It is used to pass. Note that the transfer robot TR4 accesses the return buffer RBF.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transport mechanism 55 includes a movable base 55a that can move horizontally in the Y direction, and a holding arm 55b that holds the substrate W is mounted on the movable base 55a. The holding arm 55b is configured to be capable of moving up and down, turning and moving in the turning radius direction with respect to the movable base 55a. With such a configuration, the transport mechanism 55 transfers the substrate W to and from the exposure apparatus, transfers the substrate W to the substrate platforms PASS9 and PASS10, and transfers the substrate W to the send buffer SBF for substrate transfer. Store and remove. That is, the transport mechanism 55 is provided so as to be movable in the main transport area 58 surrounded by the outer wall 53 of the interface block 5, the partition wall 45, and the edge exposure unit EEW.

  The send buffer SBF temporarily stores and stores the substrate W before the exposure processing when the exposure apparatus cannot accept the substrate W, and is configured by a storage shelf that can store a plurality of substrates W in multiple stages. .

  The indexer block 1, the bark block 2, the resist coating block 3, the development processing block 4 and the interface block 5 are always supplied with clean air as a downflow, and the process is caused by the rising of particles and airflow in each block. To avoid the negative effects of. In addition, the inside of each block is kept at a slightly positive pressure with respect to the external environment of the apparatus to prevent entry of particles and contaminants from the external environment.

  The indexer block 1, the bark block 2, the resist coating block 3, the development processing block 4 and the interface block 5 described above are units obtained by mechanically dividing the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. Each block is assembled to an individual block frame (frame body), and the substrate processing apparatus is configured by connecting the block frames.

<1.2. Storage of accompanying parts>
FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of a cross section of the resist coating block 3 as seen from line VV. FIG. 7 is a top view showing an example of the configuration of the upper part of the resist coating block 3 in the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of the upper part of the resist coating block 3 in the present embodiment.

  By the way, when a substrate processing apparatus is shipped from a manufacturing factory and installed at a delivery destination, it is transported by a transportation means such as a truck or an aircraft. The substrate processing apparatus is disposed in a clean room. Therefore, the smaller one of the maximum height of the load that can be transported or the entrance height of the clean room (hereinafter also referred to as “height limit value during transport”) H1. It is necessary to be as follows (see FIG. 6).

  However, the substrate processing apparatus tends to increase in the height direction in response to a request to improve the throughput of the processing without increasing the footprint of the substrate processing apparatus. Therefore, the height H3 of the substrate processing apparatus becomes larger than the above-described height H1, and the substrate processing apparatus cannot be transported by the transportation means or cannot be transported into the clean room.

  Therefore, in the following, for the electrical unit 70 as an accompanying part disposed on each of the indexer block 1, the bark block 2, the resist coating block 3, the development processing block 4, and the interface block 5, a corresponding transport area, respectively. A method for lowering the height of the substrate processing apparatus during conveyance by storing in the container will be described. In addition, in order to store the electrical equipment part 70 in the same procedure in each of the blocks 1 to 5, here, the storing procedure in the resist coating block 3 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the resist coating block SC, the transfer robot TR2, and the heat treatment tower 31 are disposed inside the resist coating block 3 as described above. In addition, top plates 71, 81, and 91 are disposed above the resist coating processing unit SC, the transfer robot TR2, and the heat treatment tower 31, respectively. When the top plate 81 is removed, the main transfer area 38 of the transfer robot TR2 and the outer area of the resist coating block 3 can be communicated with each other. Similarly, the local transport area 39 and the external area of the resist coating block 3 are removed by removing the top plate 91, and the area near the resist coating processing section SC and the external area of the resist coating block 3 are removed by removing the top board 71. , Each can communicate.

  A plurality of casters 79 are attached to the lower part of the resist coating block 3. Therefore, the resist coating block 3 is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction during conveyance.

  Here, as described above, the resist coating block 3 is assembled to an individual block frame (frame body). Further, partition walls 25 and 35 are provided in portions adjacent to the bark block 2 and the development processing block 4, respectively, and an outer wall 36 is provided on the other side surfaces. Therefore, the resist coating block 3 constitutes the casing 72.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, an electrical component 70 is disposed on the top plate 71. Here, the electrical unit 70 includes an amplifier of a drive motor that rotates the spin chuck 32 of each of the coating processing units SC1 to SC3, a DC power source used in a control system by a sensor, a terminal block that relays signal lines and power lines, and the like. The electrical parts are arranged. Therefore, in order to remove and separate the electrical unit 70 from the upper part of the housing 72, it is necessary to remove the signal line and the power line that connect the electrical unit 70 and the housing 72.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality (two in the present embodiment) of protrusions 71a are provided on the side surface of the transport robot TR of the top plate 71, and a plurality of (this embodiment) are provided on each protrusion 71a. One end of the hinge 75 is attached. Further, the other end of each hinge 75 is attached to the upper portion of the housing 72. Thus, the top plate 71 and the upper part of the housing 72 are connected by a plurality of (four in this embodiment) hinges 75. The plurality of hinges 75 are arranged such that the axis of each hinge 75 is on the extension line of the rotation axis A5. Therefore, the top plate 71 is provided so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow AR1 about the rotation axis A5 along the substantially horizontal direction.

  By adopting such a hardware configuration, (1) the top plate 81 is removed, the area outside the casing 72 is communicated with the main transfer area 38, and (2) the transfer robot TR2 is moved to the lowest position. After forming the empty area 85 in which the transfer robot TR and other objects are not disposed above the main transfer area 38, (3) when the top plate 71 is rotated about the rotation axis A5 by the plurality of hinges 75, the top plate The electrical unit 70 (see FIG. 8) disposed on the upper portion of 71 is accommodated in the empty area 85.

  That is, the electrical component 70 connected to the top plate 71 as a connecting member is connected to the upper portion of the housing 82 via the top plate 71 and the hinge 75. Therefore, the electrical component 70 can be stored in the empty area 85 by rotating in the direction of the arrow AR1 about the rotation axis A5 along the substantially horizontal direction (see FIG. 9).

  Therefore, the height of the resist coating block 3 can be set to H2 without detaching and separating the electrical component 70 from the housing 72, and the height limit value H1 or less during transportation can be set. As a result, at the transfer destination of the substrate processing apparatus, the work of lifting and attaching the heavy electrical component 70 to the upper portion of the housing 72 as in the prior art, and the signal line and the power line between the electrical component 70 and the housing 72 are performed. This eliminates the need to reconnect the wires, thereby reducing the number of work steps during reassembly. In addition, since it is not necessary to lift and attach the heavy electrical component 70 to the upper portion of the housing 72, it is possible to make the reassembly work safe.

  In the present embodiment, the height of the resist coating block 3 can be reduced without changing the hardware configuration of the frame portion of the casing 72. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the height of the resist coating block 3 during conveyance while maintaining the strength of the casing 72.

<1.3. Advantages of the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment>
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the height of the resist coating block 3 is transported without removing and separating the electrical component 70 from the housing 72 by storing the electrical component 70 in the empty area 85. The height limit value H1 or less can be set. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of reassembly work steps at the transport destination.

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment is different from the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment except that the hardware configuration of the upper portion of the housing 72 is different from that of the first embodiment. This is the same as the substrate processing apparatus of the embodiment. Therefore, in the following, this difference will be mainly described.

  In the following description, the same components as those in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Since the components with the same reference numerals have already been described in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted in the present embodiment.

<2.1. Storage of accompanying parts>
FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of a cross section of the resist coating block 3 as seen from the line VV. FIG. 11 is a top view showing an example of the configuration of the upper part of the resist coating block 3 in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, an electrical equipment section 70, a pair of guides 173, a frame body 174, and a plurality of (two in this embodiment) dampers 175 are mainly provided on the upper portion of the housing 72.

  Similar to the first embodiment, the electrical component 70 is disposed on the top plate 71, and electrical components used in the resist coating processing unit SC are disposed. A pair of guides 173 are provided at both ends of the upper portion of the casing 72 with the electrical component 70 interposed therebetween so as to be substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the casing 72.

  A frame 174 is provided between the pair of guides 173. As shown in FIG. 10, the frame body 174 has a rectangular ring shape and is disposed so as to surround the electrical component section 70. Further, two of the end portions (near side portions) of the frame body 174 that face the guide 173 are slidably fitted to the corresponding guide 173. Therefore, the frame body 174 is provided so as to be slidable along the guide 173 in the Y axis positive direction or the negative direction.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the damper 175 mainly includes a movable rod 175a, a fixed rod 175b, and a substantially cylindrical main body 175c. Gas is sealed in the gas chamber 175e inside the main body 175c, and the piston 175d inside the main body 175c moves in the longitudinal direction of the main body 175c by the release pressure of the gas. As a result, the movable rod 175a fixed to the piston 175d is provided so as to be able to move out of the main body 175c in the longitudinal direction of the damper 175. Further, the end of the movable side rod 175a opposite to the piston 175d is supported by the movable side support 177. Here, the movable-side support portion 177 is a support member fixed to the surface of the electrical equipment portion 70 that faces the guide 173, and the movable-side rod 175a is provided to be rotatable about the rotation axis A2. It has been.

  One end of the fixed side rod 175b is fixed to the end of the main body 175c opposite to the movable side rod 175a, and the other end of the fixed side rod 175b is fixed to the fixed side support portion 176. It is supported. Here, the fixed-side support portion 176 is a support member fixed to the frame body 174, and the fixed-side rod 175b is provided to be rotatable about the rotation axis A1.

  Further, when the electrical component 70 is stored in the empty area 85 of the main transfer region 38, a fixture 179 is attached to the side of the electrical component 70 that faces the top plate 81, and the electrical component is connected via the fixture 179. The part 70 is fixed to the frame body 174.

  As described above, the electrical unit 70 can move while being guided along the pair of guides 173 together with the frame body 174 in a state of being fixed to the frame body 174 via the plurality of dampers 175 and the fixture 179. Thereby, the electrical equipment section 70 can be moved from the position above the resist coating processing section SC (see FIG. 11) to the position above the main transport area 38 of the transport robot TR2 (FIG. 12). When the electrical component 70 is moved along the guide 173, the electrical component 70 is preferably moved by the plurality of dampers 175 and the fixtures 179 so that the lower surface of the electrical component 70 and the upper surface of the top plate 71 are separated from each other. Fix it.

  Further, the plurality of dampers 175 are rotatably supported by the movable side support portion 177 for the movable side rod 175a that can be retracted from the main body 175c, and by the fixed side support portion 176 for the fixed side rod 175b.

  As a result, when the electrical component 70 is disposed above the main transfer area 38 and the top plate 81 attached to the casing 72 and the fixture 179 that fixes the electrical component 70 to the frame 174 are removed, the electrical component 70 The damper 175 rotates in the direction of the arrow AR2 around the rotation axis A1 of the fixed-side support portion 176, and the movable-side rod 175a extends while the damper 175 is tilted downwardly. At this time, since the downward force (gravity) acting on the electrical component 70 can be relaxed by the damper 175, the lower surface of the electrical component 70 can be gradually lowered until it reaches the support surface 183a of the support 183. That is, the damper 175 serves as a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the electrical component 70.

  When the electrical component 70 reaches the support 183, the electrical component 70 is rotated about the rotation axis A <b> 2 of the movable support 177. For this reason, the electrical unit 70 is supported by the support 183 in a posture substantially parallel to the XY plane, and is accommodated in the empty area 85 of the main transfer area 38.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the operation of storing the electrical unit 70 in the empty area 85 is executed according to the following procedure.

  (1) By moving the frame body 174 along the guide 173, the electrical equipment section 70 is moved from above the resist coating processing section SC to above the main transport area 38 that is the transport area of the transport robot TR2 (see FIG. 12). ).

  (2) The top plate 81 disposed on the upper portion of the casing 72 is removed so that the main transfer area 38 of the transfer robot TR2 communicates with the outer area of the resist coating block 3, and the transfer robot TR2 is moved to the lowest position. Thus, an empty area 85 in which the transfer robot TR and other objects are not disposed is formed above the main transfer area 38.

  (3) Remove the fixture 179 and lower the electrical unit 70 from the upper part of the housing 72 and store it in the empty area 85. In this lowering, the downward force acting on the electrical component 70 by the damper 175 can be relieved, so that the electrical component 70 can be gradually lowered and supported by the support 183 (see FIG. 13).

<2.2. Advantages of Substrate Processing Apparatus According to Second Embodiment>
As described above, in the second embodiment, the electrical component 70 is moved from above the resist coating processing unit SC to above the transfer robot TR2 along the guide 173, and the electrical component 70 is moved from the upper part of the casing 72. By lowering and storing in the vacant area 85, the height of the resist coating block 3 can be made equal to or less than the height limit value H1 during transportation without removing the electrical unit 70 from the casing 72 and separating it. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of reassembly work steps at the transport destination.

<3. Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The substrate processing apparatus according to the third embodiment is the same as the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment except that the hardware configuration of the upper portion of the housing 72 is different from that of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. This is the same as the substrate processing apparatus of the embodiment. Therefore, in the following, this difference will be mainly described.

  In the following description, constituent elements similar to those in the substrate processing systems of the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals. Since the components with the same reference numerals have been described in the first and second embodiments, description thereof will be omitted in the present embodiment.

<3.1. Storage of accompanying parts>
FIG. 14 is a view showing an example of a cross section of the resist coating block 3 as seen from the line VV. FIG. 15 is a top view showing an example of the configuration of the upper part of the resist coating block 3 in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, an electrical component 70, a frame body 284, and a plurality of (two in this embodiment) dampers 175 are mainly provided on the upper portion of the housing 72. As shown in FIG. 14, the frame body 284 has a rectangular ring shape, and is disposed above the main transfer region 38 and on the upper portion of the housing 72 so as to surround the electrical component 70.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the damper 175 mainly includes a movable rod 175a, a fixed rod 285b, and a substantially cylindrical main body 175c. Gas is sealed in the gas chamber 175e inside the main body 175c. Therefore, the movable rod 175a is provided so as to be able to move out of the main body 175c in the longitudinal direction of the damper 175 by the release pressure of the gas in the gas chamber 175e.

  Further, the end of the movable rod 175a opposite to the piston 175d is supported by a movable support 177, and the movable rod 175a is provided to be rotatable about the rotation axis A4. ing.

  One end of the fixed side rod 285b is fixed to the end of the main body 175c opposite to the movable side rod 175a, and the other end of the fixed side rod 285b is fixed to the fixed side support portion 286. It is supported. Here, the fixed side support portion 286 is a support member fixed to the frame body 284, and the fixed side rod 175b is provided to be rotatable about the rotation axis A1.

  Furthermore, when the electrical unit 70 is stored in the empty area 85 of the main transport area 38, a fixture 289 is attached, and the electrical unit 70 is fixed to the frame body 284 via the fixture 289.

  As a result, (1) the top plate 81 is removed so that the area outside the casing 72 communicates with the main transfer area 38, and (2) the transfer robot TR2 is moved to the lowest position to move the transfer robot above the main transfer area 38. (3) When the fixing tool 179 is removed after forming the vacant area 85 where TR and other objects are not arranged, the damper 175 causes the rotation axis A3 of the fixed-side support part 286 to move due to the influence of gravity acting on the electrical component part 70. Since the movable rod 175a extends while rotating in the direction of the arrow AR3 about the center, the electrical component 70 descends obliquely downward. At this time, since the downward force (gravity) acting on the electrical component 70 can be relaxed by the damper 175, the lower surface of the electrical component 70 can be gradually lowered until it reaches the support surface 288a of the support 288.

  When the electrical component 70 reaches the support 288, the electrical component 70 is rotated about the rotation axis A <b> 4 of the movable support 177. Therefore, the electrical unit 70 is supported by the support 288 in a posture substantially parallel to the XY plane and stored in the empty area 85 of the main transfer area 38.

<3.2. Advantages of Substrate Processing Apparatus According to Third Embodiment>
The electrical component 70 is lowered from the upper part of the housing 72 into the empty area 85 and stored, so that the height of the resist coating block 3 can be restricted during transportation without removing the electrical device 70 from the housing 72 and separating it. The value H1 or less can be set. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of reassembly work steps at the transport destination.

<4. Modification>
While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above examples.

  (1) In the present embodiment, the electrical unit 70 is housed in the empty area 85 of the main transfer area 38 that is the transfer area of the transfer robot TR, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be a free area formed in the local conveyance area 39 or the local conveyance area 49 of the development processing block 4.

  (2) In the present embodiment, the electrical component 70 is accommodated in the empty area 85 of the main transfer area 38, but the object to be accommodated is not limited to the electrical component 70, and the exterior of the housing 72 A fan unit may be used as long as it is incidentally arranged.

  (3) In the second embodiment, the electrical component 70 is fixed to the frame 174 by fixing one side surface of the electrical component 70 with one fixture 179. However, the electrical component 70 is electrically connected with a plurality of fixtures 179. The part 70 may be fixed. In this case, the side surface to which the fixing tool 179 is attached may be another side surface different from the one side surface. The same applies to the fixture 289 of the third embodiment.

  (4) In the third embodiment, the electrical unit 70 as the accompanying unit disposed above the transfer robot TR is housed in the empty area 85, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be an accompanying part such as an electric part disposed above the coating processing part SC.

It is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the liquid processing part of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a front view of the heat processing part of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the periphery structure of the substrate mounting part of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the conveyance robot of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the cross section which looked at the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 from the VV line. It is a top view which shows an example of a structure of the upper part of the resist application block in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows an example of a structure of the upper part of the resist application block in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the accommodation procedure of the electrical equipment part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of a structure of the upper part of the resist application block in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows an example of a structure of the upper part of the resist application block in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the accommodation procedure of the electrical equipment part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the accommodation procedure of the electrical equipment part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of a structure of the upper part of the resist application block in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows an example of a structure of the upper part of the resist application block in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the accommodation procedure of the electrical equipment part in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indexer block 2 Bark block 3 Resist application block 4 Development processing block 5 Interface block 12 Substrate transfer mechanism 21, 31, 41, 42 Heat treatment tower 38 Main transfer area 39 Local transfer area 55 Transfer mechanism 70 Electrical component 71, 81, 91 Top plate 72 Housing 75 Hinge 85 Empty area 173 Guide 174,284 Frame 175 Damper 176,286 Fixed side support 177 Movable side support 179,289 Fixing tool 183,288 Support tool AHL1 to AHL3 Adhesion strengthening processing part BRC1 BRC3, SC1 to SC3 Coating processing unit C carrier CC cell controller CP1 to CP13 Cool plate HP1 to HP11 Hot plate IP input panel PASS1 to PASS10 Substrate placing part PHP1 to PHP12 Heating part SD1 to SD5 Development unit TC Transfer robot controller TR1 to TR4 Transfer robot W Substrate

Claims (8)

A substrate processing apparatus for performing predetermined processing on a substrate,
(a) the casing,
(b) an accompanying part that is arranged on the upper part of the casing part and that accompanies the casing part;
With
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the casing has a free space that can accommodate the accompanying part. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a transfer robot is provided inside the housing unit, and an upper portion of the transfer area of the transfer robot is used as the empty area that can store the associated part. In the substrate processing apparatus of Claim 1 or Claim 2,
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the accompanying part is accommodated in the empty area by rotating the accompanying part around a rotation axis substantially in the horizontal direction. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the associated part is connected to an upper portion of the housing part via a hinge, and the associated part rotates around a rotation axis of the hinge. In the substrate processing apparatus of Claim 1 or Claim 2,
(c) an elevating mechanism capable of elevating the associated part between the upper part of the housing and the empty area;
A substrate processing apparatus further comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5,
(d) a guide member capable of moving the accompanying part above the empty area by guiding the accompanying part along the horizontal direction;
A substrate processing apparatus further comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the accompanying unit is an electrical unit. A single processing block is configured including a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the substrate and a single main transfer unit that transfers the substrate to the processing unit, and the processing blocks are arranged in parallel. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
Each processing block includes an inlet substrate mounting portion for mounting a substrate to receive the substrate in the processing block, and an outlet substrate mounting portion for mounting the substrate to eject the substrate from the processing block. Provided separately,
The main transfer unit of each processing block performs delivery of the substrate via the entrance substrate placement unit and the exit substrate placement unit,
The processing blocks arranged side by side are separable into respective blocks,
At least one of the processing blocks is
Having an accompanying portion disposed on the processing block at the top of the processing block;
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the accompanying part can be stored near an upper part of a transfer area of the main transfer part.

Images