JP2006232468A - Treatment system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize outstanding improvement of a tact time in a system for performing giving/receiving of a substrate between a cassette station and a process station through a conveying mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: A first conveying passage 162 arranged with rod-like rollers 160 at a predetermined pitch is laid on a conveying-in unit (IN) 120 and a washing process part 25. A temporary support part 168 for simultaneously receiving once two sheets of substrates G<SB>i</SB>, G<SB>i+1</SB>from the conveying mechanism 24 of the conveying unit 20 in the horizontal state and temporarily supporting it and a transferring mechanism 170 for loading the substrates G<SB>i</SB>, G<SB>i+1</SB>from the temporary support part 168 to a predetermined position on the conveying passage 162 in the order in every one sheet are provided on the conveying-in unit (IN) 120. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing system for extracting a substrate to be processed from a cassette on the cassette station side, performing a series of processes on the substrate at the process station, and returning the substrate to the cassette on the cassette station side.

Conventionally, in manufacturing a flat panel display (FPD) and a semiconductor device, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, various processing apparatuses are combined to perform a series of processing on a substrate in-line. Many systems are used. In general, this type of processing system is a cassette in which a cassette station is installed near a process station in which processing apparatuses are centrally arranged, and a fixed number of unprocessed substrates are accommodated with an external transfer device such as an automatic guided vehicle. Is loaded into the cassette station, and a cassette containing a fixed number of processed substrates is discharged from the cassette station. Between the cassette station and the process station, a multi-axis movable transport mechanism or transport robot transfers and transports the substrate. This transfer robot has a handling arm that can move forward and backward while holding the substrate almost horizontally, and accesses any cassette placed in the cassette station and unprocesses it from any storage position in the cassette. The substrate is taken out, conveyed to the carry-in portion of the process station, and transferred to the substrate receiving portion on the carry-in portion side. Also in the process station, one or a plurality of transfer mechanisms or transfer devices are provided for sequentially transferring the substrate from the carry-in part to the carry-out part through a series of processing apparatuses. When a substrate that has been completely processed in the process station is sent to the carry-out section, the transfer robot accesses the substrate to receive the substrate, and transfers the received substrate to the cassette station. Store in an arbitrary storage position (usually the original storage position in the original cassette). In addition, although it is accompanied with the increase in a footprint, it is preferable in terms of throughput that the carrying-in part and carrying-out part of a process station are independent.
JP 11-54588 A

  In the conventional system, as in Patent Document 1, a transport robot transports substrates one by one between a cassette station and a process station. That is, the transfer robot takes out only one unprocessed substrate or stores only one processed substrate in one access to the cassette on the cassette station. The process station also carries only one unprocessed substrate into the carry-in section with one access, and receives only one processed substrate from the carry-out section with one access. If the operation cycle time or takt time of the entire system is 60 seconds, for example, the transfer robot moves (1) to the desired cassette on the cassette station within one cycle of 60 seconds. (2) From the cassette Take out one desired unprocessed substrate, (3) move to the loading section of the process station, (4) load one unprocessed substrate into the loading section, (5) move to the unloading section of the process station, (6) Receive one processed substrate from the carry-out section, (7) Move to the corresponding cassette on the cassette station, and (8) Store one processed substrate in the cassette Good.

  However, this type of processing system is urgently required to shorten the tact time in terms of throughput improvement. In this regard, the process station side can cope with the short tact time by providing a plurality of processing devices for controlling the overall tact time and operating them in parallel. However, if the transfer robot transfers and transfers the substrate between the cassette station and the process station in the conventional manner, tact improvement tailored to the cassette station cannot be expected due to the limitation of the robot operation speed. It has become a neck.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art, and provides a processing system that realizes a significant improvement in tact time in a system in which a cassette station and a process station are coupled via a transport mechanism. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, a processing system of the present invention includes a plurality of processing apparatuses that process substrates to be processed one by one, and sequentially transfers the substrates to the plurality of processing apparatuses to perform a series of processing. Provided between the cassette station and the process station; a process station; a cassette station in which one or a plurality of cassettes for accommodating a plurality of substrates in a multistage manner so that a plurality of substrates can be taken in and out are arranged side by side; Transporting substrates from any of the cassettes on the cassette station in units of two to the process station, and transporting processed substrates from the process station back to any of the cassettes on the cassette station in units of two Mechanism and the transfer mechanism provided in the process station A carry-in unit that receives unprocessed substrates in units of two and supplies them one by one to the first-stage processing apparatus, and one substrate after completion of all processing from the final-stage processing apparatus, provided in the process station. And an unloading unit that receives and transfers the sheet to the transport mechanism in units of two sheets.

  In the processing system of the present invention, the transport mechanism transfers the substrate in units of two to the cassette on the cassette station side and the loading / unloading unit of the process station, and transports the substrate in units of two between the stations. The operation cycle of the transport mechanism can be devoted to twice the tact time of the process station. Thereby, the tact time of the entire system can be limited by the tact time of the process station with a margin without being limited by the operation speed of the transport mechanism.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the process station is provided with a first transport path extending in the horizontal direction starting from the carry-in part, and unprocessed substrates from the carry-in part pass through the first transport path one by one. It is conveyed to the first stage processing apparatus. In this case, it is preferable that the carry-in unit includes a loader unit that receives unprocessed substrates in pairs from the transport mechanism and places the substrates one by one at a predetermined placement position on the first transport path. The loader unit receives two unprocessed substrates from the transport mechanism at a first position set above the placement position on the first transport path and a second position higher than the first position by a predetermined value. The first and second temporary support portions to be temporarily supported, the original position set below the placement position on the first transport path, and the forward movement position set above the placement position. A first lift member that can be moved up and down between the two unprocessed substrates from the transport mechanism to the first and second temporary support portions, respectively. The first substrate is moved back and forth between the first position and the first substrate is moved to the placement position from the first temporary support portion, and the first substrate leaves the placement position on the first transport path. Later, the first lift member is reciprocated between the original position and the second position to move the second substrate from the second temporary support portion. And a first transfer unit transferring the location position. In such a configuration, the first and second temporary support portions and the first transfer portion cooperate with each other to efficiently transfer the unprocessed substrates in a set of two sheets from the transport mechanism sequentially in the shortest route. It can be loaded on the transport path and sent out.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the first temporary support portion is positioned between the first position and the outside of the substrate ascending / descending region with a vertical first rotation axis provided outside the ascending / descending region of the substrate. A first support arm pivotable between a third position, one or more support pins attached to the first support arm, and a first support for pivotally driving the first support arm; An arm driving unit. In addition, the second temporary support portion can pivot between a second position and a fourth position outside the substrate lift area around the vertical second rotation axis provided outside the substrate lift area. A second support arm, one or a plurality of support pins attached to the second support arm, and a second support arm drive unit that drives the second support arm to pivot. In such a configuration, the first and second temporary support portions rotate the first and second support arms at a predetermined timing, respectively, so that a set of two pieces with the first transfer portion or the transport mechanism is set. The substrate can be transferred smoothly.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the process station is provided with a second transport path extending in the horizontal direction with the unloading portion as an end point, and the second transport path for each processed substrate from the final stage processing apparatus. It is conveyed to the unloading part. In this case, the carry-out unit has an unloader unit that sequentially picks up the processed substrates one by one from a predetermined take-out position on the second conveyance path and passes the processed substrates to the conveyance mechanism in pairs. Is preferred. The unloader unit has a fifth position set above the take-out position and a predetermined position above the take-out position in order to pass the processed substrates picked up from the take-out position on the second transport path to the transport mechanism in pairs. A third temporary support portion and a fourth temporary support portion for temporarily supporting two substrates at a sixth position that is higher by a value, and an original position and an extraction position set below the extraction position on the second transport path. A second lift member that can move up and down between the forward movement positions set above, and the second lift member is moved from the original position to the sixth position after the first substrate arrives at the take-out position; The first substrate is moved from the take-out position to the fourth temporary support portion, and then the second lift member is moved to the original position after the second substrate arrives at the take-out position. The second substrate is moved back and forth between the fifth position and the third substrate is moved from the removal position to the third temporary support portion. And a second transfer portion. In such a configuration, a pair of processed substrates from the second transport path are unloaded efficiently and sequentially in the shortest route by the cooperative operation of the third and fourth temporary support portions and the second transfer portion. It can be loaded and passed to the transport mechanism.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the third temporary support portion is located at the fifth position around the vertical third rotation axis provided outside the region where the substrate moves up and down and outside the substrate lifting region. A third support arm pivotable between the seventh position, one or a plurality of support pins attached to the third support arm, and a third support for pivotally driving the third support arm An arm driving unit. In addition, the fourth temporary support portion can pivot between a sixth position and an eighth position outside the substrate lift area around the vertical fourth rotation axis provided outside the substrate lift area. A fourth support arm, one or a plurality of support pins attached to the fourth support arm, and a fourth support arm drive unit that drives the fourth support arm to pivot. In such a configuration, the third and fourth temporary support portions pivot the third and fourth support arms at a predetermined timing, respectively, thereby making a set of two pieces with the second transfer portion or the transport mechanism. The substrate can be transferred smoothly.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the transport mechanism aligns the first and second substrates taken out from the cassette in two upper and lower stages and carries them into the carry-in section of the process station, from the carry-out section of the process station. The first and second substrates aligned in the upper and lower two stages with the same vertical positional relationship as when loaded into the loading section are unloaded together. In this way, by loading / unloading a set of two substrates in two upper and lower stages, it is possible to save space and improve transport efficiency.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the process station determines the transfer order of the first substrate sent out from the carry-in unit toward the first stage processing apparatus and the second substrate sent out later. To a carry-out section through a plurality of processing devices, and a replacement section that replaces each other. Preferably, the replacement unit may be provided in either the first or second transport path. As a preferred configuration example of the replacement unit, a fifth temporary temporarily supporting the first substrate at a ninth position set above a predetermined replacement position on the first or second transport path. A third lift member that can move up and down between the support portion and the original position and the ninth position set below the replacement position, and the third lift after the first substrate reaches the replacement position; The member is reciprocated between the original position and the ninth position to move the first substrate from the replacement position to the ninth position, and after the second substrate passes the replacement position, the third lift member is moved to the original position. And a third transfer unit that reciprocates between the position and the ninth position to move the first substrate from the ninth temporary support unit to the replacement position. With this configuration, the transport order of a set of two substrates can be changed using the transport path.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the transport mechanism has a transport body movable between the loading section and the unloading section of the cassette station and the process station, and a desired stroke in the horizontal direction attached to the transport body. A transfer arm capable of moving forward and backward, and first and second tweezers for supporting the substrate fixed in two upper and lower stages at the front end of the transfer arm, the first and second unprocessed first and second continuous from the cassette The second substrate is placed on the first and second tweezers and taken out at the same time, and then the unprocessed first and second substrates are simultaneously carried into the carry-in portion, and the processed first and second from the carry-out portion. The substrates are placed on the first and second tweezers and removed simultaneously, and then the processed first and second substrates are returned to the cassette at the same time. Thus, according to the structure in which the transfer mechanism includes two upper and lower tweezers on one transfer arm, two substrates can be efficiently handled by one handling of one transfer arm with access to the cassette, the loading unit or the unloading unit. Can be delivered well.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the transport mechanism has a transport main body movable between the cassette station and the loading and unloading portions of the process station, and a horizontal stroke attached to the transport main body with a desired stroke. First and second transfer arms capable of reciprocating movement, and first and second tweezers for supporting a substrate fixed to the front ends of the first and second transfer arms, respectively, are arbitrarily selected from the cassette. The first and second substrates are placed on the first and second tweezers and taken out simultaneously or sequentially, and then the unprocessed first and second substrates are carried simultaneously or sequentially into the carry-in section and carried out. The processed first and second substrates are placed on the first and second tweezers at the same time or taken out in sequence, and then the processed first and second substrates are simultaneously removed. Other return to the cassette in order. Thus, according to the configuration in which the transport mechanism has such two independent transport arms, the first and second tweezers are stacked in two upper and lower stages by accessing the cassette, the carry-in part or the carry-out part. If it is possible to transfer the two substrates at the same time by causing the transfer arms to simultaneously advance and retract at the same stroke once, the transfer arms can be individually or sequentially operated once or sequentially. It is also possible to deliver two substrates one by one in order.

  As described above, according to the processing system of the present invention, the tact time can be greatly improved by transferring and transporting the substrate between the cassette station and the process station in pairs. .

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a coating and developing processing system as one configuration example to which the processing system of the present invention can be applied. The coating and developing processing system 10 is installed in a clean room, and uses, for example, an LCD substrate as a substrate to be processed, and performs various processes such as cleaning, resist coating, pre-baking, developing, and post-baking in the photolithography process in the LCD manufacturing process. Is. The exposure process is performed by an external exposure apparatus 12 installed adjacent to this system.

  In the coating and developing system 10, a horizontally long process station (P / S) 16 is disposed at the center, and a cassette station (C / S) 14 and an interface station (I / F) are disposed at both ends in the longitudinal direction (X direction). ) 18. A transport unit 20 is provided between the cassette station (C / S) 14 and the process station (P / S) 16.

  The cassette station (C / S) 14 is a cassette loading / unloading port of the system 10, and includes one or a plurality of cassettes C (not shown) that can accommodate a plurality of cassettes C in a horizontal Y direction by stacking substrates G in multiple stages. The example has four cassette stages 15 which are placed side by side. Although not shown in the drawings, a load port for loading and unloading the cassette C to and from an external transport device such as an automatic guided vehicle, and a photo sensor in the front direction of each cassette C is scanned in the vertical direction, and each of the cassettes in the cassette is scanned. The cassette station (C / S) 14 is also provided with a mapping mechanism for optically inspecting the presence / absence of the substrate and the positional deviation at the storage position.

  The transport unit 20 includes a transport path 22 that extends in the Y direction parallel to the cassette arrangement direction on the cassette stage 15, and a transport robot or transport mechanism 24 that can move horizontally on the transport path 22. The transport mechanism 24 can be operated with four axes of X, Y, Z, and θ, has a transport arm 24 a that can move forward and backward while holding the substrate G almost horizontally, and can move any cassette on the cassette stage 15. In addition to accessing C, the substrate G can be taken in and out at an arbitrary storage position in the cassette C, and the substrate G can also be transferred to and from the process station (P / S) 16 side. The specific configuration and operation of the transport mechanism 24 will be described in detail later.

  In the process station (P / S) 16, the processing units are arranged in the order of the process flow or process on a pair of parallel and opposite lines A and B extending in the system longitudinal direction (X direction).

  More specifically, the upstream process line A from the cassette station (C / S) 14 side to the interface station (I / F) 18 side includes a carry-in unit (IN) 120, a cleaning process unit 25, a first The thermal processing unit 26, the coating process unit 28, and the second thermal processing unit 30 are arranged in a horizontal row. Among these, the carry-in unit (IN) 120 and the cleaning process unit 25 are connected by a first flat flow type conveyance path. Here, the cleaning process unit 25 includes a flat-flow excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 and a scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42.

  On the other hand, in the downstream process line B from the interface station (I / F) 18 side to the cassette station (C / S) 14 side, a second thermal processing unit 30, a development process unit 32, and a decolorization process unit 34 are provided. The third thermal processing unit 36, the inspection unit (AP) 122, the replacement unit (CH) 124, and the carry-out unit (OUT) 126 are arranged in a horizontal row. Among these, the development process unit 32 and the decolorization process unit 34 are connected by the second flat flow type conveyance path, and the inspection unit (AP) 122, the replacement unit (CH) 124, and the carry-out unit (OUT) 126 are the third. It is connected by a flat flow type conveyance path. In this line configuration, the second thermal processing unit 30 is located at the end of the upstream process line A and at the beginning of the downstream process line B, and straddles between both lines A and B. ing.

  An auxiliary transfer space 38 is provided between the process lines A and B, and a shuttle 40 that can horizontally place the substrate G in units of one sheet is bidirectional in the line direction (X direction) by a drive mechanism (not shown). Can be moved to.

The first thermal processing unit 26 adjacent to the downstream side of the cleaning process unit 25 is provided with a vertical transfer mechanism 46 at the center along the process line A, and a plurality of units are stacked in multiple stages on the front and rear sides thereof. is doing. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the upstream multi-stage unit section (TB) 44 includes a substrate transfer pass unit (PASS _L ) 50, dehydration baking heating units (DHP) 52, 54, and adhesion. Units (AD) 56 are stacked in order from the bottom. Here, the pass unit (PASS _L ) 50 is used to receive the substrate G in a flat flow from the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 side. Further, in the multi-stage unit section (TB) 48 on the downstream side, the path unit for substrate transfer (PASS _R) 60, the cooling unit (CL) 62, 64 and the adhesion unit (AD) 66 are stacked in order from the bottom . Here, pass unit (PASS _R) 60 is for sending a flat flow of substrate G to the application process unit 28 side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical transport mechanism 46 can be moved up and down along a guide rail 68 extending in the vertical direction, and can be rotated or swiveled in the θ direction on the lift transport body 70. A revolving transport body 72 and a transport arm or tweezers 74 that can move back and forth in the front-rear direction while supporting the substrate G on the revolving transport body 72. A drive unit 76 for driving the lifting and lowering conveyance body 70 up and down is provided on the base end side of the vertical guide rail 68, and a driving unit 78 for driving the swiveling conveyance body 72 to rotate is attached to the lifting and lowering conveyance body 70. A drive unit 80 for advancing and retracting 74 is attached to the rotary transport body 72. Each drive part 76,78,80 may be comprised by the electric motor etc., for example. The transport mechanism 46 configured as described above can move up and down or swivel at high speed to access any unit in the adjacent multistage unit sections (TB) 44 and 48, and the shuttle 40 on the side of the auxiliary transport space 38 and the substrate G can be accessed. Can be handed over.

  The second thermal processing unit 30 adjacent to the downstream side of the coating process unit 28 also has the same configuration as that of the first thermal processing unit 26, and a vertical type is formed between both process lines A and B. , A multi-stage unit portion (TB) 88 is provided on the process line A side (last), and the other multi-stage unit portion (TB) 92 is provided on the process line B side (lead). Further, the third thermal processing unit 36 disposed on the downstream side of the developing process unit 32 has the same configuration as the first thermal processing unit 26 and the second thermal processing unit 30. Along the process line B, a vertical transport mechanism 100 and a pair of multi-stage unit parts (TB) 98 and 102 are provided on both front and rear sides thereof.

  The interface station (I / F) 18 includes a transfer device 104 for exchanging the substrate G with the adjacent exposure device 12, and a buffer stage (BUF) 106 and an extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) around the transfer device 104. ) 108 and peripheral device 110 are arranged. A stationary buffer cassette (not shown) is placed on the buffer stage (BUF) 106. The extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 108 is a stage for transferring a substrate having a cooling function, and is used when the substrate G is exchanged with the process station (P / S) 16 side. For example, the peripheral device 110 may have a configuration in which a titler (TITLER) and a peripheral exposure device (EE) are stacked vertically. The transfer device 104 has a means for holding the substrate G, for example, a transfer arm 104a, and transfers the substrate G to and from the adjacent exposure device 12, each unit (BUF) 106, (EXT / COL) 108, (TITLER / EE) 110. Can be done.

  FIG. 3 shows a processing procedure for one substrate G in this coating and developing processing system. First, the transport mechanism 22 of the transport unit 20 takes out the substrate G from the predetermined cassette C on the stage 15 of the cassette station (C / S) 14, and carries it in the carry-in unit (IN) of the process station (P / S) 16. It carries in to 120 (step S1). The substrate G is supplied from the carry-in unit (IN) 120 to the cleaning process unit 25. The configuration and operation of the carry-in unit 120 will be described in detail later.

In the cleaning process section 25, the substrate G is transported in the direction of the process line A in the direction of the process line A on the first transport path. And a scrubbing cleaning process are sequentially performed (steps S2 and S3). The substrate G that has been cleaned in the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 is placed on the first transport path, and the pass unit in the upstream oven tower (TB) 44 of the first thermal processing section 26 ( PASS _L ) 50.

In the first thermal processing section 26, the substrate G is rotated by a predetermined unit by a vertical transfer mechanism 46 in a predetermined sequence. For example, the substrate G is first transferred from the pass unit (PASS _L ) 50 to one of the heating units (DHP) 52, 54 where it is subjected to a dehydration process (step S4). Next, the substrate G is transferred to one of the cooling units (COL) 62 and 64, where it is cooled to a constant substrate temperature (step S5). Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred to an adhesion unit (AD) 56, where it is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment (step S6). After completion of the hydrophobic treatment, the substrate G is cooled to a constant substrate temperature by one of the cooling units (COL) 62 and 64 (step S7). Finally, the substrate G is moved to the pass unit (PASS _R ) 60 belonging to the downstream multi-stage unit section (TB) 48.

  As described above, in the first thermal processing unit 26, the substrate G is interposed between the upstream multi-stage unit unit (TB) 44 and the downstream multi-stage unit unit (TB) 48 via the transport mechanism 46. You can come and go arbitrarily. The second and third thermal processing units 30 and 36 can perform the same substrate transfer operation.

The substrate G that has undergone a series of thermal or thermal processing as described above in the first thermal processing section 26 is downstream from the pass unit (PASS _R ) 60 in the downstream multistage unit section (TB) 48. It moves to the resist coating unit (CT) 82 of the adjacent coating process unit 28.

  The substrate G is coated with a resist solution on the upper surface (surface to be processed) by a resist coating unit (CT) 82, for example, by spin coating, and immediately after that, it is subjected to a drying process by a reduced pressure drying unit (VD) 84 adjacent to the downstream side. Then, the unnecessary (unnecessary) resist on the peripheral edge of the substrate is removed by the edge remover unit (ER) 86 adjacent to the downstream side (step S8). When a spinless method using a long nozzle, for example, is employed for the resist coating unit (CT) 82, edge rinsing after resist coating is unnecessary, and the edge remover unit (ER) 86 can be omitted.

  The substrate G that has been subjected to the resist coating process as described above in the coating process unit 28 is a pass unit (PASS) that belongs to the upstream multi-stage unit unit (TB) 88 of the second thermal processing unit 30 located adjacent to the downstream side. Is passed on.

  Within the second thermal processing unit 30, the substrate G is rotated through a predetermined unit by the transport mechanism 90 in a predetermined sequence. For example, the substrate G is first transferred from the pass unit (PASS) to one of the heating units (PREBAKE), where it is subjected to baking after resist coating (step S9). Next, the substrate G is transferred to one of the cooling units (COL), where it is cooled to a constant substrate temperature (step S10). Thereafter, the substrate G passes through the downstream side multistage unit (TB) 92 side pass unit (PASS) or without passing through the interface station (I / F) 18 side extension cooling stage (EXT COL). ) 108.

  In the interface station (I / F) 18, the substrate G is transferred from the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 108 to the peripheral exposure device (EE) of the peripheral device 110, where the resist adhering to the peripheral portion of the substrate G is removed. After receiving an exposure for removal at the time of development, it is sent to the adjacent exposure apparatus 12 (step S11).

  In the exposure device 12, a predetermined circuit pattern is exposed to the resist on the substrate G. Then, when the substrate G that has undergone pattern exposure is returned from the exposure apparatus 12 to the interface station (I / F) 18 (step S11), it is first carried into a titler (TITLER) of the peripheral device 110, where there is a predetermined on the substrate. Predetermined information is written in the part (step S12). Thereafter, the substrate G is returned to the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 108. Transfer of the substrate G in the interface station (I / F) 18 and exchange of the substrate G with the exposure apparatus 12 is performed by the transfer device 104.

  In the process station (P / S) 16, the transport mechanism 90 receives the exposed substrate G from the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 108 in the second thermal processing unit 30, and the multi-stage unit unit on the process line B side (TB) The image is transferred to the development process unit 32 via the pass unit (PASS) in 92.

  In the development process unit 32, the substrate G received from the pass unit (PASS) in the multi-stage unit unit (TB) 92 is carried into the development unit (DEV) 94. In the development unit (DEV) 94, the substrate G is transported in a flat flow by, for example, roller transportation toward the downstream of the process line B on the second transportation path, and a series of development processing steps of development, rinsing, and drying are performed during the transportation. Performed (step S13).

  The substrate G that has undergone the development process in the development process unit 32 is loaded onto the decolorization process unit 34 adjacent to the downstream side while being placed on the second transport path, where it undergoes a decolorization process by i-line irradiation (step S14). ), And is sent to the pass unit (PASS) in the upstream multi-stage unit section (TB) 98 of the third thermal processing section 36 which is the end point of the second transport path.

  In the third thermal processing section 36, the substrate G is first transferred from the pass unit (PASS) to one of the heating units (POBAKE), where it is subjected to post-baking (step S15). Next, the substrate G is transferred to a path cooling unit (PASS COL) in the downstream multistage unit section (TB) 102, where it is cooled to a predetermined substrate temperature (step S16). The transport mechanism 100 transports the substrate G in the third thermal processing unit 36.

The substrate G that has undergone the cooling process in the pass cooling unit (PASS COL) is then placed on the third transport path and sent to the inspection unit (AP) 122. In the inspection unit (AP) 122, line width inspection, film quality / film thickness inspection, and the like are performed on the resist pattern on the substrate G while moving the substrate G by roller conveyance (step S17). The substrate G that has been inspected goes down on the third transport path in the direction of line B, passes through the replacement unit (CH) 124, and arrives at the end point position in the carry-out unit (OUT) 126. In the replacement unit (CH) 124, the transport order is switched between a set of two substrates (G _i , G _{i + 1} ) that are carried into the carry-in unit (IN) 120 together. The carry-out unit (OUT) 126 picks up the substrate G from the third transfer path and picks it up by the transfer mechanism 24 of the transfer unit 20 at a predetermined delivery position. The configuration and operation of the replacement unit (CH) 124 and the carry-out unit (OUT) 126 will be described in detail later.

  The transport mechanism 22 takes out the substrate G that has undergone all the coating and developing processes from the carry-out unit (OUT) 126, and stores the taken-out substrate G in one of the cassettes C on the cassette station (C / S) 14 side ( Step S1). Usually, it is returned to the original storage position in the original cassette stored in the unprocessed state.

  The main processing apparatus that controls the tact time in the process station (P / S) 16 is a coating process unit 28, particularly a resist coating unit (CT) 82. Therefore, the tact time in the process station (P / S) 16 can be reduced by speeding up the coating processing operation in the resist coating unit (CT) 82 or adopting a system in which a plurality of coating processing units are provided and operated in parallel. It can be greatly shortened (for example, 1/2).

In this coating and developing treatment system 10, the transport mechanism 24 of the transport unit 22 transfers and transports the substrate G between the cassette station (C / S) 14 and the process station (P / S) 16 as a set. (G _i , G _{i + 1} ).

  4 to 7 show a configuration example of the transport mechanism 24. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the transport mechanism 24 includes a transport base unit or a transport body configured to be horizontally movable in the Y direction along the guide rail 22 that configures the transport path in the transport unit 20. 130. The transport main body 130 includes an elevating unit 132 having a nested triple box structure, and a disk-type rotating body or a rotating table 134 that is rotatably attached to the upper surface of the elevating unit 132.

  The elevating part 132 has an outer box 136, an intermediate box 138, and an inner box 140 each having an upper surface opened. The outer box 136 has a pair of guide portions 141 slidably engaged with the guide rail 22 extending in the Y direction on the left and right side surfaces, and linearly moves in the Y direction by a straight drive mechanism (not shown) such as a belt mechanism. (Advance / Retreat) can be done. The intermediate box 138 is inserted into the outer box 136 so as to be movable up and down, and can be moved up and down within a predetermined stroke or height relative to the outer box 136 by an actuator (not shown) such as a ball screw mechanism. It has become. The inner box 140 is inserted into the intermediate box 138 so as to be vertically movable, and can be moved up and down within a predetermined stroke or height relative to the intermediate box 138 by an actuator (not shown) such as a ball screw mechanism. It has become. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, at an arbitrary height position of the entire lifting unit 132, the stroke h 1 at which the intermediate box 138 projects upward with respect to the outer box 136 and the intermediate box 138. The stroke h2 from which the inner box 140 projects upward is always the same (h1 = h2). A rotation drive motor 142 for rotating or turning the rotary table 134 around the central axis (vertical axis) is attached to the upper part in the inner box 140.

  A transfer arm 24 a that is extendable in the horizontal direction is attached to the rotary table 134 of the transfer body 130. The transfer arm 24a is configured as a manipulator composed of a three-axis horizontal articulated robot or a scalar robot, and connects two links 146, 148 rotatable in a horizontal plane and a pair of upper and lower end effectors 150, 152 in series. It becomes. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the base end portion of the first link 146 is attached to the rotary table 134 via a rotary shaft (shoulder shaft) J1 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane. A proximal end portion of the second link 148 is attached to a distal end portion of the first link 146 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane via a rotation axis (elbow shaft) J2. At the distal end portion of the second link 148, the base end portions of a pair of upper and lower end effectors 150 and 152 configured as tweezers on which the substrate G can be placed and held are arranged in a horizontal plane via a rotation axis (wrist axis) J3. It is mounted for rotation.

  In the first and second links 146 and 148, a transmission mechanism (not shown) that transmits a driving force generated by a driving source (not shown) (for example, an electric motor) attached to the rotary table 134 to each link unit or hand unit ( For example, pulleys, belts, reduction gears, etc.) are built in. In this embodiment, the first and second end effectors or the tweezers 150 and 152 move straight in the tweezers longitudinal direction with the rotation axis (shoulder shaft) J1 at the base end of the first link 146 as the origin. The links 146 and 148 and the tweezers 150 and 152 are configured to rotate in conjunction with each other.

  Each tweezers 150, 152 has a horizontal base plate 154 coupled to the wrist axis J3 and a pair of tweezer arms 156 extending horizontally from the base plate 84 in the tweezer longitudinal direction. Each tweezer arm 156 is made of, for example, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), and a plurality of suction pads 158 made of, for example, polyacetal (POM) are attached to the upper surface thereof at appropriate intervals. These suction pads 158 are for sucking and holding the substrate G on the back side of the substrate with a vacuum suction force, and are connected to a vacuum system (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the transport mechanism 24 accesses the cassette station (C / S) 14, it moves to the front of the selected cassette C on the cassette stage 15 and operates the transport arm 24a. Thus, the two substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} which are continuous in the vertical direction are simultaneously taken out from the cassette C by one arm handling. More specifically, the transfer arm 24a is moved or advanced forward at a predetermined height position, and the tweezers 150 and 152 are inserted under the corresponding substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} in the cassette C, respectively. Both tweezers 150 and 152 are slightly lifted vertically upward to transfer both substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} to the respective tweezer arms 156, and simultaneously apply vacuum suction to each suction pad 158 to generate both substrates G _i , G _{i + 1} is sucked and held on both tweezers 150 and 152, respectively. Next, the transfer arm 76 is moved or retracted rearward, and the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} are simultaneously taken out from the cassette C while being held by the tweezers 150 and 152, respectively. The transport arm 24 a or the tweezers 150 and 152 are moved up and down by the elevating unit 132 of the transport body 130. Thus, according to the configuration in which the transport mechanism 24 includes the pair of upper and lower tweezers 150 and 152 on one transport arm 24a, two substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} are handled by one handling of one transport arm. Can be delivered efficiently. The vertical distance between the tweezers 150 and 152 corresponds to the arrangement pitch of the substrates in the cassette C. Although not shown in the figure, a support portion for supporting each substrate G in a horizontal posture is provided in the cassette C.

When the transport mechanism 24 performs a turning operation in the θ direction or a straight movement in the Y direction, as shown in FIG. 5, the transport mechanism 24 includes the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} on both tweezers 150 and 152, or is close to or close to it. Both tweezers 150 and 152 are moved back to a predetermined home position in the transport mechanism 24 so as to be within the turning radius. When accessing the carry-in unit (IN) 120 and the carry-out unit (OUT) 126 of the process station (P / S) 16, it is carried in the same manner as described above for simultaneous delivery of both substrates G _i and G _{i + 1.} The arm 24a is moved back and forth.

  Next, the carry-in unit (IN) 120 of the process station (P / S) 16 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 9 shows the overall configuration of the carry-in unit (IN) 120 and the cleaning process unit 25. As shown in the figure, the carry-in unit (IN) 120 and the cleaning process unit 25 lay a first conveyance path 162 in which rod-shaped rollers 160 are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the X direction (the direction of the process line A). The whole is integrated by _five blocks or modules M _{1 to} M ₅ arranged in a line along the conveyance path 162. In the partition wall 164 that separates these modules M _{1 to} M ₅ , a slit 166 for passing the transport path 162 is formed. The transport path 162 is drawn into a pass unit (PASS _L ) 50 (FIG. 2) in the upstream multi-stage unit section (TB) 44 in the first thermal processing section 26, and terminates there.

These out of five modules M ₁ ~M _5, 1 th module M ₁ located at the most upstream end of the conveyance path 162 constitutes a loading unit (IN) 120, 2 th module M ₂ excimer UV irradiation unit (E-UV) 41 is configured, and the remaining three modules M ₃ , M ₄ , and M ₅ configure a scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42.

The carry-in unit (IN) 120 includes a temporary support unit 168 that simultaneously receives and temporarily supports two substrates G _i , G _{i + 1} in a horizontal state from the transport mechanism 22 of the transport unit 20, and this temporary support. And a transfer mechanism 170 that loads the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1 one} by _one from the section 168 to a predetermined position on the transport path 162. The configuration and operation of each part in the carry-in unit (IN) 120 will be described later.

  The excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 is provided with a lamp chamber 174 in which an ultraviolet lamp 172 is accommodated above the conveyance path 162. The ultraviolet lamp 172 is made of, for example, a dielectric barrier discharge lamp, and irradiates the substrate G on the transport path 162 directly through the quartz glass window 176 with ultraviolet light (ultraviolet excimer light) having a wavelength of 172 nm suitable for cleaning organic contamination. It has become. A concave reflecting mirror 178 having a circular arc cross section is provided behind or above the ultraviolet lamp 172.

In the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42, the module M ₃ constitutes a scrubbing cleaning chamber, and a chemical solution supply nozzle 180, a roll brush 182, a cleaning spray tube 184, and the like are disposed along the transport path 162. The module M ₄ constitutes a rinsing chamber, and a rinsing nozzle 186 is disposed above the conveying path 162 in the chamber. The module M ₅ constitutes a drying chamber, and an air knife 188 is disposed above the conveyance path 162 in the chamber. Under the processing chambers M ₃ , M ₄ , and M ₅ , pans 183, 185, and 187 for collecting liquid that has fallen under the conveyance path 162 are provided. A recovery system or a drain system pipe is connected to a drain port provided at the bottom of each pan.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the overall operation and action of the carry-in unit (IN) 120 and the cleaning process unit 25 will be described. FIG. 10 schematically shows the transition of the position or movement of each substrate G in the carry-in unit (IN) 120.

As shown by a chain line in FIG. 9, two substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} are arranged in two stages at the same time from the transport mechanism 24 of the transport unit 20 and are simultaneously loaded into the carry-in unit (IN) 120. The The vertical positional relationship between the two substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} is the same as when the cassette station (C / S) 16 stored the cassette C. That is, the substrate G _i is on the bottom and the substrate G _{i + 1} is on the top.

In the carry-in unit (IN) 120, the temporary support unit 168 receives both the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} at predetermined height positions and supports them in a horizontal state as they are (FIG. 10A). Transfer mechanism 170 is placed from the temporary supporting portion 168 in the first predetermined position down to the transport path 162 directly below take back the lower substrate G _i (conveyance start position) (FIG. 10 (B)). Immediately after this, the roller 160 constituting the conveying path 162 is rotated in a direction to advance the substrate G _i by the driving force of the electric motor via a transmission mechanism such as a rotary drive shaft and gear. Thus, the substrate G _i is conveyed toward the roller next to the excimer UV irradiation unit by the transfer (e-UV) 41 on the conveying path 162 (of FIG. 10 (C)). Then, after the elapse of a certain time according to the tact in the cleaning process unit 25, the upper substrate G _{i + 1} that has been supported by the temporary support unit 168 until then is taken up by the transfer mechanism 170 and directly below the transport path. It is loaded at the conveyance start position 162, and is sent out to the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 by a plain flow roller conveyance ((D) in FIG. 10). In the conveyance path 162, it is preferable to divide the roller conveyance drive system between the carry-in unit (IN) 120 and the cleaning process unit 25 and to operate them independently.

In the cleaning process unit 25, in the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41, the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 172 in the lamp chamber 174 pass through the quartz glass window 176 and irradiate each substrate G on the transport path 162. Is done. Oxygen in the vicinity of the substrate surface is excited by the ultraviolet rays to generate ozone, and organic substances on the substrate surface are oxidized and vaporized and removed by the ozone. After leaving an excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41, then the substrate G is carried into the scrubbing washing chamber M ₃ scrubber cleaning units (SCR) 42.

In the scrubbing cleaning chamber M ₃ , each substrate G is first sprayed with, for example, an acid or alkaline chemical solution from the chemical solution nozzle 180. Next, each substrate G passes through while rubbing under the roll brush 182. The roll brush 182 rotates in a direction opposite to the conveying direction by a rotational driving force of a brush driving unit (not shown), and scrapes off foreign matters (dust, debris, contaminants, etc.) on the substrate surface. Immediately thereafter, the cleaning spray tube 184 sprays a cleaning liquid such as pure water on each substrate G to wash away foreign substances floating on the substrate.

Next to the scrubbing cleaning chamber M ₃ , each substrate G passes through the rinsing chamber M ₄ . In the rinse treatment chamber M ₄ , the rinse nozzle 186 supplies a rinse liquid such as pure water to each substrate G on the transport path 162. Thereby, the liquid on the substrate G which is brought in from the scrubbing cleaning chamber M ₃ (liquid foreign matters floating) is replaced with the rinse liquid.

Subsequent to the rinse treatment chamber M ₄ , the substrate G is sent to the drying treatment chamber M ₅ . In the drying processing chamber M ₅ , an air knife 188 applies a knife-like sharp gas flow, for example, air, to each substrate G transported on the transport path 162. Thereby, the liquid attached to the substrate G is wiped off by the wind of air. Each substrate G drained in the drying processing chamber M ₅ is directly transferred to the transport path 162 and sent to the upstream pass unit (PASS _L ) 50 (FIG. 2) in the adjacent first thermal processing section 26.

  Next, a more detailed configuration and operation in the carry-in unit (IN) 120 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are a plan view and a side view showing the configuration of the main part in the carry-in unit (IN) 120. In the carry-in unit (IN) 120, a frame 190 fixed to the floor is assembled vertically and horizontally, and the roller 160 of the conveyance path 162, the temporary support unit 168, the transfer mechanism 170, and the conveyance drive unit 192 are assembled on the frame 190. Etc. are attached.

  More specifically, both ends of the roller 160 are supported by a pair of left and right bearings 194 fixed to the frame 190 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal posture. Further, the central portion of the roller 160 is also rotatably supported by a bearing 196 fixed to the frame 190. The roller 160 is formed of a rigid shaft having a constant thickness (diameter), and cylindrical roller portions 160a that support both side ends (long side edge portions) of the substrate G are attached to both ends of the shaft, and a shaft intermediate portion is attached. A plurality of cylindrical roller portions 160b for supporting an intermediate portion of the substrate G are attached to the substrate. The roller portions 160a at both ends are integrally formed with a bowl-shaped large-diameter portion that receives the side surface on the lower end side of the substrate G.

  The transport driving unit 192 includes an electric motor 198 fixed to the frame 190 and a transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational driving force of the electric motor 198 to each roller 160. This transmission mechanism includes a rotary drive shaft 202 extending in the transport direction (X direction) connected to the rotary shaft of the electric motor 198 via an endless belt 200, and an intersection for operatively coupling the rotary drive shaft 202 and each roller 160. It is comprised with the shaft-type gear 204. FIG.

  The transfer mechanism 170 includes a plurality of air cylinders 206 fixed vertically upward to the bottom of the frame 190, a lift base 208 composed of a horizontal plate coupled to the piston rods of these air cylinders 206, and the lift base 208 And a plurality of lifters 210 attached at predetermined intervals in the transport direction (X direction).

  Each lifter 210 has a horizontal bar 212 extending in the Y direction, a plurality of lift pins 214 attached to the horizontal bar 212 at an appropriate interval in the longitudinal direction, and a horizontal bar 212 for moving up and down. And a plurality of air cylinders 215 attached to the lift base 208 vertically upward.

  FIG. 12 shows a state where the lifter 210 is waiting at the lowest position within the lifting range, that is, the original position or the backward movement position. In this state, the piston rods of the air cylinder 206 for lifting the lift base and the air cylinder 215 of the lifter 210 are retracted, the horizontal bar 212 is under the roller 160, and the tip of each lift pin 214 is at the transport path 162. Lurking underneath.

The temporary support section 168 is a pair of substrates G _i and G _{i +} that are loaded horizontally on the tweezers 150 and 152 of the transfer arm 22a from the transfer mechanism 24 of the transfer unit 20 (next to the left in FIG. 11). ₁ is received at the first and second substrate support positions set right above the transport path 162, and the received substrate G is supported in a horizontal posture temporarily, that is, until it is transferred to the transfer mechanism 170. The temporary support portion 168 in the illustrated configuration example includes first and second temporary support portions 168A and 168B for individually supporting both the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} .

These temporary support portions 168A and 168B are respectively connected to a plurality of rotating shafts 216A and 216B extending in the vertical direction around the substrate ascending / descending region, and rotating coupled to lower ends of the respective rotating shafts 216A and 216B. Drive units such as rotary cylinders 218A and 218B, horizontal support arms 220A and 220B extending horizontally from the upper ends of the respective rotation shafts 216A and 216B, and a plurality of vertically extending members attached to the respective horizontal support arms 220A and 220B Support pins 222A and 222B. The horizontal support arms 220A and 220B are rotated between the original position or the backward movement position outside the substrate lifting area and the inner forward movement position by the rotational drive of the rotary cylinders 218A and 218B fixed to the frame 190, respectively. Or it is designed to turn. FIG. 12 shows a state immediately after the first and second temporary support arm 168A and 168B receive both the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} from the tweezers 150 and 152 of the transport mechanism 24.

Next, the operation of the carry-in unit (IN) 120 will be described with reference to FIGS. Prior to loading a new or unprocessed substrate G from the cassette station (C / S) 14, in the loading unit (IN) 120, the temporary support portions 168A and 168B move the horizontal support arms 220A and 220B to the substrate lifting area. Wait at the forward movement position. Then, the transport mechanism 22 inserts both tweezers 150 and 152 of the transport arm 22a from the upstream side (left side in FIG. 11), and both the horizontal support arms 220A and 220B with the two substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} in the horizontal state. The support pins 222A and 222B are respectively passed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the transfer mechanism 170 waits the lifter 210 and the lift base 208 at the original position or the backward movement position.

When the transfer arm 22a of the transfer mechanism 22 passes both the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} to the temporary support portions 168A and 168B and leaves the transfer unit (IN) 120, the transfer mechanism 170 thereafter moves the lift base 208 and the lifter. 210 is moved upward from the original position in FIG. 12 to the first forward movement position in FIG. As described above, since a plurality of lifters 210 are provided at a predetermined interval in the transport direction (X direction), all the lifters 210 are moved simultaneously at the same timing. Specifically, when the lift cylinder lifting air cylinder 206 advances or extends the piston rod, the lift base 208 rises in a horizontal position, and the lifters 210 attached to the lift base 208 rise all at once. At the same time, the air cylinders 215 of the lifters 210 also advance or extend the piston rods, so that the lift pins 214 and the horizontal bars 212 are lifted through the rollers 160 of the transport path 162 in the lifters 210. The upper end rises until it reaches the substrate support position (strictly, slightly higher position) of the first temporary support portion 168A. In the middle of a rising or forward operation of the lifter 210, possess the support pins 222A of the horizontal support arm 220A remains the lift pins 214 of the substrate G _i horizontal posture.

Thus when the first support pins 222A of the temporary supporting portion 168A requires the transfer of a substrate G _i to the lift pins 214 of the lifter 210, the first temporary supporting portion 168A is pivoted to the horizontal support arm 220A of the substrate lifting area It is evacuated outside (FIG. 12). Immediately thereafter, the transfer mechanism 170 lowers the lift base 208 and the lifter 210 from the first forward movement position in FIG. 13 to the backward movement position in FIG. Specifically, the lift cylinder elevating air cylinder 206 and the lift cylinder 210 air cylinder 215 retract or shorten the respective piston rods, so that the horizontal rod 212 and the lift pin 214 of each lifter 210 are connected to the roller 160 of the conveyance path 162. After passing through, it descends to the original position or the backward movement position, and the upper end of the lift pin 214 becomes lower than the conveyance path 162. During the downward movement of the lifter 210, it possesses the lift pins 214 of the lifter 210 roller portion 160a of the left roller 160 of the substrate G _i is a horizontal posture, to 160 b. Thus, the substrate G _i is placed or loaded into the transport start position on the conveying path 162 in a horizontal state. Thereafter, the substrate G _i is sent to the cleaning process unit 25 by a roller carried on the conveying path 162.

After the substrate G _i as described above is fed from the loading unit (IN) 120, a second forward in FIG. 16 the transfer mechanism 170 at a predetermined timing to lift base 208 and the lifter 210 from the standby position of FIG. 15 Move up to the moving position. At this time, the upper end of the lift pin 214 rises until it reaches the substrate support position (strictly, a position slightly higher than that) of the second temporary support portion 168B. In the middle of the lifter 210 ascending or moving forward, the substrate G _{i + 1} is transferred from the support pins 222B of the horizontal support arm 220B to the lift pins 214 in a horizontal posture.

When the substrate Gi _{+ 1} is transferred from the support pin 222B of the second temporary support portion 168B to the lift pin 214 of the lifter 210 in this way, the second temporary support portion 168B rotates each horizontal support arm 220B to raise and lower the substrate. Evacuate outside the area. Immediately thereafter, the transfer mechanism 170 lowers the lift base 206 and the lifter 210 from the second forward movement position in FIG. 17 to the backward movement position in FIG. In the middle of the downward movement of the lifter 210, the substrate Gi _{+ 1} is transferred from the lift pins 214 of the lifter 210 to the roller portions 160a and 160b of the roller 160 in a horizontal state. In this way, the substrate G _{i + 1} is loaded at the transfer start position on the transfer path 162 in a horizontal posture. Immediately after this loading, the substrate G _{i + 1} is sent to the cleaning process section 25 by roller conveyance on the conveyance path 162.

As described above, in the carry-in unit (IN) 120, the first and second temporary support portions 168A and 168B are carried together in the upper and lower stages from the transport mechanism 24 of the transport unit 20 above the transport path 162. The substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} are received at the first and second substrate support positions, respectively, and supported substantially horizontally. The transfer mechanism 170 is, pick the first remains horizontal position of the substrate G _i from the first temporary supporting portion 168A raises the lifter 210 from the conveyance path 162 Shimonoharu position to the first substrate support position of the lower the lifter 210 after the first temporary supporting portion 168A is retracted lowered to the original position, loading the substrates G _i in a horizontal attitude from the lifter 174 in the middle of its lowered to a predetermined position of the transfer path 162. Then, after the substrate G _i is fed to the cleaning process unit 25 on the downstream side on the conveying path 162, transfer mechanism 170, the lifter 210 from the conveyance path 162 Shimonoharu position to a second substrate support position of the upper The substrate G _{i + 1} is pulled up from the second temporary support portion 168B in a horizontal posture, and the lifter 210 is lowered to the original position after the second temporary support portion 168B is retracted. Then, the substrate G _{i + 1} is loaded in a horizontal posture at a predetermined position on the transport path 162. Thereafter, the substrate G _{i + 1} is also sent out to the cleaning process unit 25 on the transport path 162. Thus, loading unit (IN) 120 to the substrates G _i that has been carried along by a set of two sheets, G i _{+ 1,} the substrate G _i is the process station in the order of later substrate G _{i + 1} in the previous (P / S) Each processing unit in 16 is transferred.

According to the loading / loading / sending method as described above in the loading unit (IN) 120, the substrates G _i and G loaded together in the upper and lower stages by the transport mechanism 24 of the transport unit 20 with a relatively simple configuration. _{The i + 1} can be efficiently put on the transport path 162 in the shortest route in order and supplied to the first-stage processing apparatus (cleaning process unit 25) of the flat flow method.

  Next, the replacement unit (CH) 124 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 19 schematically shows the transition of the position or movement of each substrate G in the replacement unit (CH) 124. As described above, loading unit (IN) 120 to the substrates G _i that has been carried along by a set of two sheets, G i _{+ 1} is, G _{i + 1} is then followed by processing station G _i is in previously ( (P / S) 16 is transferred to each processing unit. Accordingly, the substrate G _{i that} has been subjected to all the processing prior to the upstream inspection unit (AP) 122 is sent to the replacement unit (CH) 124 in a flat manner on the third transport path 230 (FIG. 19 (A)). Here, the conveyance path 230 is formed, for example, by arranging rod-shaped rollers 160 at a predetermined pitch in the X direction (the direction of the process line B), and the downstream multi-stage unit section (TB) in the third thermal processing section 36. The path cooling unit (PASS COL) in 102 extends through the inspection unit (AP) 122 and the replacement unit (CH) 124 to the carry-out unit (OUT) 126.

In replacement unit (CH) 124, the substrate G _i arrives at a predetermined replacement position, the roller conveyor is stopped in this unit, lifted to the retracted position the substrate G _i is set from the transport path 230 to the upper immediately (B in FIG. 19). Thereafter, the substrate G _{i + 1 that} has undergone all the processing is sent from the upstream inspection unit (AP) 122 in a flat flow on the transport path 230 ((B) of FIG. 19). The substrate G _{i + 1} passes under the substrate G _i evacuated upward without stopping in the replacement unit (CH) 124 ((C) of FIG. 19). After the substrate G _{i + 1} has passed, the substrate G _i is lowered onto the transfer path 230 from the upper retreat position, and sent to the unloading unit (OUT) 126 on the downstream side in a flat-flow roller transfer ((FIG. 19 ( D)). Thus, the transfer order of both the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} is reversed in the replacement unit (CH) 124, and the substrate G _{i + 1} arrives _first at the unloading unit (OUT) 126, and then the substrate G _i arrive. In the conveyance path 230, it is preferable to divide the roller conveyance drive system among the inspection unit (AP) 122, the replacement unit (CH) 12, and the carry-out unit (OUT) 126 and to operate them independently.

  Next, a more detailed configuration and operation in the replacement unit (CH) 124 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  20 and 21 are a plan view and a side view showing the configuration of the main part in the replacement unit (CH) 124. FIG. In the replacement unit (CH) 124, a frame 232 fixed to the floor is vertically and horizontally assembled. The roller 232 of the transport path 230, the temporary support unit 234, the transfer mechanism 236, and the transport drive unit 238 are assembled to the frame 232. Etc. are attached.

  As shown in the figure, the configuration within the replacement unit (CH) 124 is such that one of the first and second temporary support portions 168A and 168B is omitted in the above-described carry-in unit (IN) 120 (FIGS. 12 to 18). It may be equivalent to the configuration. The illustrated configuration corresponds to a configuration in which the first temporary support unit 168A is omitted from the carry-in unit (IN) 120, and the temporary support unit 234, the transfer mechanism 236, and the transport drive unit 238 are the first in the carry-in unit (IN) 120. 2 corresponding to the temporary support unit 168B, the transfer mechanism 170, and the transport driving unit 192, respectively.

  FIG. 21 shows a state where the lifter 210 of the transfer mechanism 236 stands by at the lowest position within the lifting range, that is, the original position or the backward movement position. In this state, the piston rods of the air cylinder 206 for lifting the lift base and the air cylinder 215 of the lifter 210 are retracted, the horizontal bar 212 is directly below the roller 160, and the tip of each lift pin 214 is at the transport path 230. Lurking underneath.

First, the substrate G _i arrives to change position on the inspection unit conveying path 230 conveyed flat flowed replacement unit (CH) 124 from (AP) 122, the transport drive unit 238 to stop the roller conveyor. Immediately after, the transfer mechanism 236 lifts the base 208 and the lifter 210 is moved upward from the original position of Figure 21 to the forward position of FIG. 22, the left transport path 230 of the horizontal position of the substrate G _i lifter 210 by lift pins 214 Take it up and lift it to a predetermined height (retracted position). There, the temporary supporting portion 234, placed in the outside of the substrate lifting region to pivot the horizontal support arm 220B, thereby submerge the support pin 222B of the horizontal support arm 220B below the substrate G _i as shown in FIG. 23 . Next, the transfer mechanism 236 lowers the lift base 208 and the lifter 210 to their original positions, and returns the lift pins 214 of the lifter 210 to the bottom of the transport path 230 as shown in FIG. Thus, the substrate G _i is supported on the support pins 222B of the horizontal support arm 220B is retracted above the transport path 230.

Thereafter, the conveyance driving unit 238 resumes the roller conveyance of the conveyance path 230 and does not stop the substrate G _{i + 1} conveyed from the inspection unit (AP) 122 on the conveyance path 230 as shown in FIG. To pass through. Thus, is sent to the substrate G _{i + 1} is the replacement unit (CH) downstream of the unloading unit previously remove the substrate G _i in the 124 (OUT) 126.

In the replacement unit (CH) 124, after the substrate G _{i + 1} passes, the transport driving unit 238 stops the roller transport of the transport path 230, and the substrate G _i is transferred between the transfer mechanism 236 and the temporary support unit 234. The reverse operation of rewinding the operation lifted from the replacement position on the transport path 230 to the upper retreat position is performed. That is, the transfer mechanism 236 the lifter 210 is raised moved from the backward position of Fig. 24 to the forward position of FIG. 23, the taken off the substrate G _i lift pins 214 of the lifter 210 from the temporary supporting portion 234. Next, as shown in FIG. 22, after the temporary support portion 234 has retreated out of the substrate lifting area, the transfer mechanism 236 moves the lifter 210 downward from the forward movement position of FIG. 22 to the backward movement position of FIG. during the movement pass from the lift pins 214 of the lifter 210 the substrate G _i the roller 160 of the conveyance path 230 (return). Thereafter, the conveyance drive section 238 to resume roller conveyance of the conveying path 230, to transfer the substrate G _i to unloading unit (OUT) 126.

As described above, according to the replacement unit (CH) 124, the pair of substrates G _i , E 2, and E 2 can be efficiently arranged on the flat flow path 230 shared by the other apparatuses 122 and 126 with a relatively simple configuration. The transport order of G _{i + 1} can be changed.

  Next, the carry-out unit (OUT) 126 will be described. FIG. 25 schematically shows the transition of the position or movement of each substrate G in the carry-out unit (OUT) 126.

As described above, in the process station (P / S) 16, loading unit (IN) 120 into a set of two sheets in the loaded substrate G _i together, G _{i + 1} is, G _i is in the previous G _{i + 1} is subsequently transferred to each processing unit, but the transfer order of both is switched by the replacement unit (CH) 124, and G _{i + 1} is sent to the unloading unit (OUT) 126 first (FIG. 25). (A)).

In unloading unit (OUT) 126, the substrate G _{i + 1} arrives at the end position on the conveying path 230 (pick position), the roller conveyor is stopped once, the substrate G _{i + 1} immediately after the transport path 230 that It is lifted to the upper delivery position set above ((B) of FIG. 25). From then, the replacement unit (CH) 124 from the substrate G _i is sent on a transfer path 230 in a flat flow (FIG. 25 (C)). At this time, the roller conveyance in the carry-out unit (OUT) 126 is resumed. When the substrate G _{i + 1} arrives at the end point position (the pick-up position), the roller conveyance is stopped, and immediately after that, the substrate G _i is lifted from the conveyance path 230 to the lower delivery position set above (see FIG. 25). (D)). Thus, in the carry-out unit (OUT) 126, both the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} are in the same positional relationship as when they are carried into the carry-in unit (IN) 120, that is, the substrate G _i is down and the substrate G _{i + 1} is up. Are arranged in multiple stages at a predetermined delivery position. Immediately thereafter, the transport mechanism 24 of the transport unit 20 accesses the carry-out unit (OUT) 126, inserts the transport arm 24a into the unit, and places both substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} on the pair of upper and lower tweezers 150 and 152. And take it out ((D) of FIG. 25).

Specifically, the carry-out unit (OUT) 126 has the same configuration as that of the carry-in unit (IN) 120, although not shown in the drawing, and the reverse operation is performed such that the operation of the carry-in unit (IN) 120 is rewound in time. It may be an operation. That is, in the carry-out unit (OUT) 126, when the substrate G _{i + 1 first} arrives at the end point position (the pick-up position) on the transfer path 230, the transfer mechanism 170 moves the lift base 208 and the lifter 210 into FIG. 17 is moved up to the second forward movement position shown in FIG. 17, and the substrate G _{i + 1} is placed on the lift pin 214 of the lifter 210 from the pick-up position on the transport path (230), that is, the upper predetermined position, that is, Lift to the upper substrate transfer position. Immediately after that, the second temporary support portion 168B puts the horizontal support arm 220B from the outside of the substrate ascending / descending region and causes the support pin 222B to go under the substrate Gi _{+ 1} (FIG. 16). Next, the transfer mechanism 170 lowers the lift base 208 and the lifter 210 to their original positions, and the lift pins 214 of the lifter 210 return to the bottom of the transport path (230) (FIG. 15). Thus, the substrate G _{i + 1} is supported substantially horizontally at the upper substrate transfer position by the second temporary support portion 168B.

Next, the substrate G _i arrives to the end position of the transport path 230 (pick position) later, the transfer mechanism 170, first shows the lift base 208 and the lifter 210 from the backward position shown in Figure 15 Figure 14 It raised moved to the first forward position, lift the substrate G _i from the pick position on the conveying path (230) placed on a lift pin 214 of the lifter 210 to the lower substrate transfer position. Immediately after, the submerge the support pins 222A placed in the first temporary supporting portion 168A is a horizontal support arm 220A from outside the substrate lifting area below the substrate G _i (Figure 13). Immediately after that, the transfer mechanism 170 lowers the lift base 208 and the lifter 210 to their original positions, and retracts the lift pins 214 of the lifter 210 below the conveyance path (230) (FIG. 12). Thus, the substrate G _i is supported substantially horizontally in the substrate delivery position of the lower by the first temporary supporting portion 168A. In this way, the carry-out unit (OUT) 126 has a relatively simple configuration and is the shortest from the last stage processing apparatus (inspection unit 122) of the flat flow method with a set of two substrates G _i and G _{i + 1.} Can be efficiently arranged in two upper and lower stages and passed to the transport mechanism 24 of the transport unit 20.

In the transport unit 20, the transport mechanism 24 simultaneously receives a set of two substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} from the transport unit (OUT) 126 of the process station (P / S) 16 in one access. After that, it turns to the cassette station (C / S) 14 side to access the corresponding cassette C on the stage 15, and simultaneously stores both substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} in the corresponding storage position. Since the transport mechanism 24 transfers and transports substrates between the cassette station (C / S) 14 and the process station (P / S) 16 in units of two, the tact time of the process station (P / S) 16 In order to meet the above, it is sufficient to operate at twice that cycle. That is, when the tact time on the process station (P / S) 16 side is T (for example, 30 seconds), the transport mechanism 24 moves to the desired cassette C on the cassette station (C / S) 14. (2) Desired unprocessed substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} are simultaneously taken out from the cassette C in pairs, and (3) moved to the loading unit (IN) 120 of the process station (P / S) 16. (4) The unprocessed substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} are simultaneously loaded into the carry-in unit (IN) 120. (5) Move to the carry-out unit (OUT) 126 of the process station (P / S) 16. (6) Receive processed substrates G _i and G _{j + 1} in pairs from the carry-out unit (OUT) 126, (7) move to the corresponding cassette C on the cassette station (C / S) 14, (8) The processed substrates G _i and G _{j + 1} are loaded into the cassette C in pairs. A series (one cycle) of operations such as storing at the same time may be performed within a time of 2T (60 seconds). In this case, the takt time of the entire cystum is T (30 seconds).

  As described above, in this embodiment, the tact time in the coating / development processing system can be significantly shortened without significantly increasing the operating speed of the transport mechanism 24 of the transport unit 20 and the throughput can be greatly improved. be able to.

In the coating and developing treatment system 10 of this embodiment, the replacement unit (CH) 124 may be disposed between the carry-in unit (IN) 120 and the cleaning process unit 25. In this case, carrying units (IN) 120 from G _i, G _{i + 1} of a set of two sheets sent to the conveying path in the order of the substrate G _i, G _{i + 1} is conveyed at a replacement unit (CH) 124 The order is changed, and G _{i + 1} is first, and G _i is subsequently transferred to each processing unit in the process station (P / S) 16. Then, the unloading unit (OUT) 126 is, G _{i + 1} in the same manner as described above arrives earlier, G _i arrives thereafter.

Depending on the operation of the system, when the unprocessed substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} are taken out from the cassette C in the cassette station (C / S) 14 as a set, the positional relationship between the two, When the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} have been processed at the process station (P / S) 16 and returned to the cassette C as processed substrates, the vertical positional relationship between them may be reversed. There is a case. For example, when loaded into the cassette station (C / S) 14, the unprocessed substrates G ₁ , G ₂ , G ₃ ... It may be stored in order from the cassette station (C / S) 14. In such a case, the loading unit (IN) 120 can be omitted in the process station (P / S) 16.

  Further, it is also possible to convey the substrate G in an inclined posture by inclining the plain flow conveyance paths 162 and 230 at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal line orthogonal to the conveyance direction in the process station (P / S) 16. In this case, the transfer mechanism 170, 236 is configured in a bowl shape that allows the lifter 210 to turn, so that each substrate G is transferred in a horizontal state with respect to the temporary support portions 168, 234, and the transfer paths 162, 230 and Can transfer each substrate G in an inclined state.

  FIG. 26 shows a layout configuration of a coating processing system as another embodiment to which the processing system of the present invention can be applied. This coating processing system is a stand-alone machine that uses, for example, an LCD substrate as a substrate to be processed and performs cleaning, resist coating, and prebaking processes in a photolithography process in the LCD manufacturing process. In the figure, parts having the same configuration or function as those in the coating and developing treatment system of FIG.

  The coating processing system 240 connects the cassette station (C / S) 14 and the process station (P / S) 242 via the transport unit 20. The process station (P / S) 242 arranges each processing unit in a pair of parallel and opposite lines C and D along the process flow extending in the system longitudinal direction (X direction) in the order of the process flow or process. ing.

  More specifically, the vertical thermal processing section (TB) 244 is cleaned in the outward process line C from the cassette station (C / S) 14 side to the vertical transport mechanism (S / A) 254 at the other end. The process unit 246 and the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 252 are arranged in a horizontal row. Here, the cleaning process unit 246 includes a flat-flow excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 248 and a scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 250.

  In addition, a vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 256, 258, a vertical type is included in the process line D on the return path from the vertical type transport mechanism (S / A) 254 at the other end to the cassette station (C / S) 14 side. And a horizontal transport mechanism (M / A) 260, a coating processing unit (COT) 262, an extension unit (EXT) 264 for substrate transfer, a vertical transport mechanism (S / A) 266, and a vertical (multistage) vacuum drying unit. (VD) 268, extension unit (EXT) 270, vertical transport mechanism (S / A) 272, and vertical thermal processing section (TB) 274 are arranged partially in one horizontal row and part in two horizontal rows. Yes.

  In the process flow, vertical thermal processing units (TB) 252, 256, and 258 located between the cleaning process unit 246 and the coating processing unit (COT) 262 include a dehydration baking heating unit (DHP), an adhesive John units (AD), cooling units (CL) and the like are appropriately stacked in multiple stages. The vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 252 is also provided with a substrate transfer pass unit (PASS) that is connected to the cleaning process unit 246 through a flat flow path.

  One vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 244 adjacent to the transport unit 20 includes a pre-baking heating unit (PREBAKE), both the transport mechanism 24 and the vertical transport mechanism (S / A) 272 (bidirectional). ), A horizontal loading type horizontal loading type input unit (IN), a substrate transfer pass unit (PASS) connected to the cleaning process unit 246 via a flat flow path, etc. are stacked in multiple stages. ing. The other vertical thermal processing section (TB) 274 can be accessed from the pre-baking heating unit (PREBAKE) and from both the transport mechanism 24 and the vertical transport mechanism (S / A) 272 (bidirectional). A horizontal insertion type horizontal carry-out unit (OUT) and the like are stacked in multiple stages.

Although not shown in the drawing, the horizontal loading type loading unit (IN) provided in the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 244 is provided with a supporting unit for horizontally supporting the substrates G in two upper and lower stages. Yes. The transport mechanism 24 of the transport unit 20 delivers the unprocessed substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} taken out from the cassette C on the cassette station (C / S) 14 side in pairs to the support unit together. Here, the vertical positional relationship between the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} is the same as when the cassette station (C / S) 16 stored the cassette C. That is, the substrate G _i is on the bottom and the substrate G _{i + 1} is on the top. The vertical transfer mechanism (S / A) 272 may have the same configuration as that of the vertical transfer mechanism 46 of FIG. 2, and an unprocessed substrate G loaded in pairs into the loading unit (IN). _i and G _{i + 1} are taken out from the above-mentioned supporting part in order using the single tweezers-type transfer arm 74, for example, G _{i first} and then G _{i + 1} one by one, and passed through the pass unit (PASS). Then, the sheets are fed one by one in order and supplied to the cleaning process unit 246.

In addition, the horizontal insertion and horizontal ejection unit (OUT) provided in the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 274 is also provided with a support unit for supporting the substrates G in two upper and lower stages, although not shown. ing. The substrates G that have been all processed in the process station (P / S) 242 are carried into the carry-out unit (OUT) one by one by the vertical transfer mechanism (S / A) 272. Here, the vertical transfer mechanism (S / A) 272 is a cassette station (C / S) for a set of two substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} regardless of the transfer order or processing order of the substrates. ) 16 can be loaded onto the support in the carry-out unit (OUT) in the same vertical relationship as when stored in the cassette C. That is, a single forceps-type using the transfer arm 74 of the substrate support position of the lower of the support portion (transfer position) is loaded with substrates G _i, the substrate G _i is the upper part of the substrate support position (transfer position) ₊₁ can be loaded. In this way, a pair of processed substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} can be arranged in two upper and lower stages and delivered together from the carry-out unit (OUT) to the transfer mechanism 24 of the transfer unit 20.

  As described above, in this coating processing system 240 as well, since the substrate is transferred and transported in units of two sheets between the cassette station (C / S) 14 and the process station (P / S) 242, the transport mechanism 24 By avoiding the operating speed becoming a bottleneck, the tact time of the entire system can be greatly shortened and the throughput can be improved.

  As a modification, although not shown in the figure, it is possible to provide a loading / unloading port corresponding to a flat flow and a loading / unloading port corresponding to a multistage unit at the process station (P / S). For example, when the first-stage processing apparatus is a flat-flow type, the above-described flat-flow type 120 is adopted as the carry-in unit (IN), and when the final-stage processing apparatus is a multistage or stacked type, the carry-out unit (OUT). In addition, a horizontal insertion / extraction type as described above may be used. Further, a configuration in which the function of the carry-in unit (IN) and the function of the carry-out unit (OUT) are combined into one unit is also possible.

Further, the transport mechanism 22 of the transport unit 20 in the above-described embodiment has a pair of upper and lower tweezers 150 and 152 at the distal end portion of one transport arm 24a, and the transport section of the cassette C or process station (P / S). In the access to (IN) or the unloading part (OUT), the two substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} are simultaneously transferred by one advance / retreat operation of the transfer arm 24a. As a modification, for example, as shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the transport mechanism 22 has two independently-driven transport arms 24 b and 24 c, and each of the transport arms 24 b and 24 c has a single tweezer 150, A configuration in which 152 is attached is also possible.

  27 and 28, two transfer arms 24 b and 24 c that are horizontally expandable and contractable as a manipulator composed of a three-axis horizontal articulated robot or a scalar robot are attached to the rotary table 134 of the transfer body 130 in parallel in the left and right direction. Yes. Each of the transfer arms 24b and 24c has almost the same configuration as the transfer arm 24a in the above-described embodiment except that the end effector is a single tweezers 150 and 152. Of course, between the transfer arms 24b and 24c, the tweezers 150 of the transfer arm 24b are on the upper side and the tweezers 152 of the transfer arm 24c are on the lower side so as not to interfere with each other.

When the transport mechanism 22 has such twin transport arms 24b and 24c, the tweezers 150 and 152 are moved up and down in two stages by accessing the loading section or unloading section of the cassette C or process station (P / S). If it is possible to transfer the two substrates G _i , G _{i + 1} at the same time by causing the transfer arms 24b, 24c to perform the same advancing / retreating operation once at the same time so as to overlap each other, both transfer arms 24b , 24c can be transferred individually one by one in order, and the two substrates G _i , G _{i + 1} can be delivered one by one. In any of the methods, two substrates can be transferred simultaneously in a set (G _i , G _{i + 1} ) between the cassette station (C / S) and the process station (P / S). Compared to the conventional method, it is possible to realize a significant improvement in transport throughput and tact time.

More specifically, the former method, that is, the method of transferring two substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} at the same time is the same as that in the above embodiment, and has an advantage that the transfer time can be shortened. On the other hand, the latter method, that is, a method in which two substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} are sequentially transferred one by one is transferred to the carry-in part (IN) or carry-out part (OUT) of the process station (P / S). This is advantageous when there is no room (especially space room) for transferring the substrates G _i and G _{i + 1} at the same time. There is also an advantage that two substrates G _i and G _j can be taken in and out of any two storage positions in the cassette C by one access. For example, two substrates G _i and G _j (C _{i + 2} ) can be taken in and out of every other storage position in the cassette C.

In addition, when the twin type transfer arms 24b and 24c are used, if the substrate storage pitch in the cassette is smaller than the minimum distance between the arms 24b and 24c, the distance between the arms 24b and 24c is set to the storage pitch. By setting it to an integral multiple, both the transfer arms 24b, 24c are simultaneously moved forward and backward at the same stroke once, and two substrates are simultaneously transferred at two storage positions separated by two pitches or more in the cassette. Is also possible. For example, when the interval between the arms 24b and 24c is set to twice the storage pitch, the first and third substrates G ₁ and G ₃ are simultaneously loaded / unloaded to the cassette at the first access, The second and fourth substrates G ₂ and G ₄ are simultaneously loaded / unloaded in the second access, and the fifth and seventh substrates G ₅ and G ₇ are simultaneously loaded / unloaded in the third access. The sixth and eighth substrates G ₆ and G ₈ can be carried in / out at the same time.

  The present invention can be suitably applied to the coating and developing processing system as in the above embodiment, but can be applied to any processing system that transfers and transports a substrate between a cassette station and a process station via a transport mechanism. is there. The substrate to be processed in the present invention is not limited to an LCD substrate, and other FPD substrates, semiconductor wafers, CD substrates, glass substrates, photomasks, printed substrates and the like are also possible.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the application | coating development processing system which can apply this invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the thermal process part in the application | coating development processing system of embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process with respect to one board | substrate in the coating and developing treatment system of embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (state which extended the conveyance arm) of the conveyance mechanism in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (state which contracted the conveyance arm) of the conveyance mechanism in embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the main body raising / lowering part of the conveyance mechanism in embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the principal part of the conveyance mechanism in embodiment. It is a side view which shows one step of the operation | movement which the conveyance mechanism takes out a board | substrate from the cassette of a cassette station in embodiment. It is a schematic side view which shows the whole structure of the carrying-in unit and washing | cleaning process part in embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the transition of the position thru | or movement of the board | substrate in the carrying-in unit in embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the principal part in the carrying-in unit in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (one step) of the principal part in the carrying-in unit in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (one step) of the principal part in the carrying-in part in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (one step) of the principal part in the carrying-in part in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (one step) of the principal part in the carrying-in part in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (one step) of the principal part in the carrying-in part in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (one step) of the principal part in the carrying-in part in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (one step) of the principal part in the carrying-in part in embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the transition of the position thru | or movement of the board | substrate in the replacement unit in embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the principal part in the carrying-in unit in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (one step) of the principal part in the carrying-in unit in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (one step) of the principal part in the carrying-in part in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (one step) of the principal part in the carrying-in part in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure (one step) of the principal part in the carrying-in part in embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the transition of the position thru | or movement of the board | substrate in the carrying-out unit in embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the coating processing system which can apply this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the principal part of the conveyance mechanism in one modification of embodiment. It is a partial cross section rear view which shows the structure of the principal part of the conveyance mechanism in the said modification.

Explanation of symbols

10 Coating and Development Processing System 14 Cassette Station (C / S)
16 Process station (P / S)
20 transport unit 24 transport mechanism 24a, 24b, 24c transport arm 25 cleaning process section 120 transport unit (IN)
122 Inspection unit (AP)
124 Replacement unit (CH)
126 Unloading unit (OUT)
130 Transport body 150, 152 Tweezers 160 Roller 162, 230 Transport path 168, 168A, 168B, 234 Temporary support section 170, 236 Transfer section 192 Transport drive section 240 Coating processing system 242 Process station (P / S)
244 Carry-in unit (IN)
274 Unloading unit (OUT)

Claims (17)

A process station that includes a plurality of processing apparatuses that process substrates to be processed one by one, and sequentially transfers the substrates to the plurality of processing apparatuses to perform a series of processing;
A cassette station in which one or a plurality of cassettes are arranged side by side so that a plurality of substrates can be taken in and out in the vicinity of the process station;
Provided between the cassette station and the process station, transports substrates from any of the cassettes on the cassette station to the process station in units of two, and treats substrates from the process station in units of two A transport mechanism for returning to any of the cassettes on the cassette station;
A carry-in unit provided in the process station, which receives unprocessed substrates from the transport mechanism in units of two sheets and supplies the unprocessed substrates one by one to a first-stage processing apparatus;
A processing system provided at the process station and having a carry-out unit that receives one substrate at a time from the last-stage processing apparatus and passes the substrates to the transport mechanism in units of two.   The process station is provided with a first transport path extending in the horizontal direction starting from the carry-in section, and unprocessed substrates from the carry-in section one by one through the first transport path to the first stage processing apparatus. The processing system according to claim 1 to be conveyed.   3. The loader unit according to claim 2, wherein the carry-in unit includes a loader unit that receives two unprocessed substrates from the transport mechanism in pairs and sequentially places the substrates one by one at a predetermined placement position on the first transport path. The processing system described. The loader unit is
Temporarily receiving two unprocessed substrates from the transport mechanism at a first position set above the placement position on the first transport path and a second position higher than the first position by a predetermined value. First and second temporary support portions supported by
A first lift member that is movable up and down between an original position set below the placement position on the first transport path and a forward movement position set above the placement position; After the two unprocessed substrates are transferred from the transport mechanism to the first and second temporary support portions, the first lift member is reciprocated between the original position and the first position. The first lift member is moved after the first substrate has moved from the first temporary support portion to the placement position, and the first substrate has left the placement position on the first transport path. And a first transfer unit that reciprocates between the original position and the second position to move a second substrate from the second temporary support unit to the placement position. The processing system described in. The first temporary support portion is
A first support that is pivotable between the first position and a third position outside the substrate lifting area, with a vertical first rotation axis provided outside the area where the substrate moves up and down as a center. Arm,
One or more support pins attached to the first support arm;
The processing system according to claim 4, further comprising: a first support arm driving unit that drives the first support arm to pivot. The second temporary support portion is
A second support arm pivotable between the second position and a fourth position outside the substrate lifting area, with a vertical second rotation axis provided outside the substrate lifting area as a center; ,
One or more support pins attached to the second support arm;
The processing system according to claim 4, further comprising: a second support arm driving unit that drives the second support arm to pivot.   The process station is provided with a second transport path extending in the horizontal direction with the unloading section as an end point, and the unloaded section passes through the second transport path one by one the processed substrates from the final stage processing apparatus. The processing system of any one of Claims 1-6 conveyed to.   The unloading unit includes an unloader unit that sequentially picks up processed substrates one by one from a predetermined take-out position on the second transport path and passes the processed substrates to the transport mechanism in pairs. 8. The processing system according to 7. The unloader unit is
A fifth position set above the take-out position and a predetermined value above the take-out position for passing the processed substrates picked up from the take-out position on the second transport path to the transport mechanism in pairs. Third and fourth temporary support portions for temporarily supporting the two substrates respectively at the high sixth position;
A second lift member that is movable up and down between an original position set below the take-out position on the second transport path and a forward movement position set above the take-out position; The second lift member is reciprocated between the original position and the sixth position after the substrate reaches the take-out position, and the first substrate is moved from the take-out position to the fourth temporary position. The second substrate is moved to the support portion, and then the second substrate is moved back and forth between the original position and the fifth position after the second substrate reaches the take-out position. The processing system according to claim 8, further comprising: a second transfer unit that transfers the storage unit from the take-out position to the third temporary support unit. The third temporary support portion is
Third support pivotable between the fifth position and a seventh position outside the substrate lift area around a vertical third rotation axis provided outside the substrate lift area. Arm,
One or more support pins attached to the third support arm;
The processing system according to claim 9, further comprising: a third support arm driving unit that drives the third support arm to pivot. The fourth temporary support portion is
A fourth support arm pivotable between the sixth position and an eighth position outside the substrate lifting area, with a vertical fourth rotation axis provided outside the substrate lifting area as a center; ,
One or more support pins attached to the fourth support arm;
The processing system according to claim 9, further comprising: a fourth support arm driving unit that drives the fourth support arm to pivot.   The transport mechanism has the same vertical position as when the first and second substrates taken out from the cassette are aligned in two upper and lower stages and carried into the carry-in section and carried into the carry-in section from the carry-out section. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first and second substrates that are aligned in two upper and lower stages are unloaded together.   The process station determines the transfer order of the first substrate sent out from the carry-in unit and the second substrate sent out later from the carry-in unit toward the first stage processing apparatus from the carry-in unit. The processing system according to claim 12, further comprising a replacement unit that replaces each other in the middle of transporting to the carry-out unit via a processing device.   The processing system according to claim 13, wherein the replacement unit is provided in either the first or second transport path. The replacement unit is
A fifth temporary support portion for temporarily supporting the first substrate at a ninth position set above a predetermined replacement position on the first or second transport path;
A third lift member that is movable up and down between an original position set below the replacement position and the ninth position; and the third substrate after the first substrate reaches the replacement position. A lift member is reciprocated between the original position and the ninth position to move the first substrate from the replacement position to the ninth position, and the second substrate passes the replacement position. To move the third lift member back and forth between the original position and the ninth position to move the first substrate from the ninth temporary support portion to the replacement position. The processing system according to claim 14, comprising: The transport mechanism is
A transfer body movable between the carry-in portion and the carry-out portion of the cassette station and the process station;
A transfer arm attached to the transfer body and capable of moving back and forth in a horizontal direction with a desired stroke;
First and second tweezers for supporting a substrate fixed to the top and bottom of the transfer arm in two upper and lower stages;
Unprocessed first and second substrates that are continuous in the vertical direction from the cassette are placed on the first and second tweezers and simultaneously taken out, and then the unprocessed first and second substrates are simultaneously removed from the loading section. The first and second substrates processed from the carry-out section are simultaneously placed on the first and second tweezers and taken out, and then the processed first and second substrates are simultaneously loaded into the cassette. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 15, which is returned. The transport mechanism is
A transfer body movable between the cassette station and the loading and unloading portions of the process station;
First and second transfer arms attached to the transfer body and capable of reciprocating with a desired stroke in the horizontal direction;
And first and second tweezers for supporting a substrate fixed to the front ends of the first and second transfer arms, respectively.
Arbitrary first and second substrates are placed on the first and second tweezers from the cassette and taken out simultaneously or sequentially, and then the unprocessed first and second substrates are loaded simultaneously or sequentially. The first and second substrates processed from the carry-out unit are placed on the first and second tweezers and taken out simultaneously or in sequence, and then the processed first and second substrates are removed. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein the processing system is returned to the cassette simultaneously or sequentially.

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