JP2009032712A - Substrate conveyance and processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate conveyance and processing apparatus which can reduce the adhesion of particles to the surface of a substrate and improve throughput. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate conveyance and processing apparatus is provided with a carrying-in and -out section S1 of a hoop 1 for housing a wafer W, a processing section S2 provided with a plurality of processing units U1, U2 and U3, a carrying-in and -out arm 2 which is provided in an interface section S3 for connecting the carrying-in and -out section and the processing section and carries in/out the wafer to/from the hoop, a substrate delivery section 3 which is provided between the processing section and the interface section and delivers the wafer to/from the carrying-in and -out arm, and a main conveyance arm 4 which is provided in the processing section and carries in/out the wafer to/from each of the processing units. The carrying-in and -out arm is provided with a suction holding section for suck and hold the rear side of the wafer and an inversion mechanism to invert the front and reverse sides of the wafer. The substrate delivery section, the main conveyance arm and the processing unit are provided with a suction holding section for sucking and holding the rear side of the wafer, respectively. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer processing apparatus that transfers a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or an LCD glass substrate to a processing section and performs processing.

  In general, in a photolithography technique in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a resist solution, which is a coating solution, is applied to the surface of a substrate, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), and the resist film formed thereby is applied to a predetermined circuit pattern. The exposure is performed, and the exposure pattern is developed to form a desired circuit pattern on the resist film.

  In general, in this type of photolithography technology, a wafer is transferred to a plurality of processing units, for example, a resist processing unit, a development processing unit, and a heat treatment unit that heat-treats the wafer before and after resist coating or before and after the development processing. Then, the wafer is transferred to each processing unit with the processing surface of the wafer surface facing upward to perform processing.

By the way, in the processing mode, it may be preferable to face the processing surface downward. In this case, generally, the processing is performed by inverting the front and back surfaces of the wafer using a reversing mechanism that holds both sides of the wafer. A method is adopted in which the surface is turned downward, the wafer is turned over again after processing, and the processing surface is transferred upward (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-203452 A

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that particles adhere to the wafer surface because the wafer faces upward at least in the wafer transfer section, except that the wafer is processed downward. Further, in the case where wafers are continuously transferred to a plurality of processing units for processing, there is a problem that if the front and back surfaces of the wafer are reversed each time, it takes time to reverse the wafer and the throughput is reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and by carrying and processing the substrate with the processing surface of the substrate facing downward, it is possible to reduce the adhesion of particles to the surface of the substrate and to improve the throughput. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer processing apparatus which can be realized.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a loading / unloading portion of a storage container for storing a substrate to be processed with a processing surface facing upward, and a plurality of processes for processing the substrate to be processed A processing unit having a unit; an interface unit that connects the carry-in / carry-out unit and the processing unit; and a substrate carry-out / carry-in means for carrying out and carrying a substrate to be processed into and from the storage container; and the processing unit And the interface unit, the substrate transfer unit for transferring the substrate to be processed between the substrate unloading / carrying means, and the substrate transfer unit disposed in the processing unit. A substrate transfer processing apparatus including a main substrate transfer means for carrying in and out, wherein the substrate carry-out / load-in means includes a suction holding unit that sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate to be processed; A reversing mechanism for reversing the front and back surfaces of the plate, wherein the substrate transfer section, the main substrate transfer means, and the processing unit each include a suction holding section that sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate to be processed. To do.

  With this configuration, the back surface of the substrate to be processed in the storage container placed on the loading / unloading unit is sucked and held by the substrate unloading / loading means, and the substrate is unloaded from the storage container. After inverting the back surface, the processing surface (front surface) of the substrate to be processed can be transferred to the substrate transfer portion in a downward state. The back surface of the substrate to be processed, which is sucked and held by the substrate transfer unit, is sucked and held by the main substrate transfer means, taken out from the substrate transfer unit, and transferred to the processing unit with the processing surface (front surface) facing downward. The substrate to be processed is processed with the back surface held by suction. The substrate to be processed is transferred to the substrate transfer section by the main substrate transfer means with the processing surface (front surface) facing downward, and is transferred from the substrate transfer section to the substrate unloading / loading means. After being reversed to the original position, it is carried into the container.

  Therefore, the substrate to be processed carried out from the storage container is transported with the processing surface (front surface) facing downward and processed in the processing unit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the suction holding portions of the substrate carry-out / carry-in means and the main substrate transfer means are formed in a substantially horseshoe shape, and the suction holding of the substrate transfer portion The unit is located in an inward recess of the suction holding unit of the substrate carry-out / loading unit and the main substrate transfer unit so as to avoid interference with the suction holding unit of the substrate transfer / loading unit and the main substrate transfer unit. The suction holding part of the processing unit is formed so as to be positioned in an inward recess of the suction holding part of the main substrate transfer means so as to avoid interference with the suction holding part of the main substrate transfer means. It is characterized by that.

  With this configuration, the substrate to be processed is transferred between the substrate unloading / carrying unit and the substrate transfer unit, the substrate to be processed is transferred between the substrate transfer unit and the main substrate transfer unit, and the main substrate transfer unit and the processing unit. The substrate to be processed can be transferred smoothly.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the processing section supplies a processing liquid to the substrate to be processed and performs processing, and the substrate to be processed at a predetermined temperature. A heat treatment unit for adjusting, and the heat treatment unit is provided with a cooling plate for cooling the substrate to be processed and a heating plate for heating the substrate to be processed in parallel, and the substrate to be processed on the cooling plate and the heating plate. An auxiliary substrate transfer means for transferring the substrate without interfering with the suction holding portion of the main substrate transfer means during the transfer with the main substrate transfer means. It has side suction holding parts that suck and hold opposite side parts on the back side, and is slidable on a guide rail installed parallel to the cooling plate and heating plate. The cooling plate and the heating plate are each provided with a suction holding portion that sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate to be processed, and the auxiliary side plate on the opposite side portions. A notch portion is provided so as not to interfere with the elevation of the side suction holding portion of the substrate transfer means. In this case, the liquid processing unit includes, for example, a coating processing unit that discharges the resist liquid onto the surface of the substrate to be processed with the back surface adsorbed and held, and a developing process that discharges the developer onto the substrate to be processed with the back surface adsorbed and held. It can be a unit (claim 4).

  By configuring in this way, the substrate to be processed can be subjected to liquid processing, for example, resist coating processing, development processing, with the processing surface (surface) of the processing substrate facing downward, and heat treatment before and after the liquid processing, For example, cooling treatment or heat treatment can be performed. Further, the transfer of the substrate to be processed between the main substrate transfer means and the auxiliary substrate transfer means can be performed smoothly, and the transfer of the substrate to be processed between the auxiliary substrate transfer means, the cooling plate and the heating plate is performed smoothly. be able to.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a second interface unit that connects the processing unit and the exposure processing unit, and the second interface A substrate loading / unloading means for loading and unloading a substrate to be processed with respect to the exposure processing unit; and between the processing unit and the second interface unit. And a second substrate transfer section for transferring the substrate to be processed between the means and the main substrate transfer means, wherein the substrate loading / unloading means sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate to be processed. And a reversing mechanism for reversing the front and back surfaces of the substrate to be processed, and the second substrate transfer portion includes a suction holding portion that sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate to be processed. Characterize

  With this configuration, the substrate to be processed that has been processed with the processing surface (front surface) facing downward is transferred to the second substrate transfer unit, and the substrate to be processed that is sucked and held by the second substrate transfer unit. The back surface can be sucked and held by the substrate carrying-in / out means, taken out from the second substrate transfer section, and can be carried into the exposure processing unit with the processing surface (front surface) facing upside down by inverting the front and back surfaces. Then, the back surface of the substrate to be processed in the exposure processing unit subjected to the exposure processing is sucked and held by the substrate carrying-in / out means, carried out from the exposure processing unit, and the processing surface (front surface) is turned downward by inverting the front and back surfaces. Can be transferred to the second substrate transfer portion. Thereafter, the back surface of the substrate to be processed sucked and held by the second substrate transfer unit is sucked and held by the main substrate transfer means, taken out from the second substrate transfer unit, and the processing unit (front surface) faces downward in the processing unit. In the processing unit, the substrate to be processed is processed in a state where the back surface is sucked and held.

  Therefore, the substrate to be processed carried out from the storage container and from the exposure processing unit is transported with the processing surface (surface) facing downward and processed in the processing unit.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer processing apparatus of the fifth aspect, the suction holding portion of the substrate carry-in / out means is formed in a substantially horseshoe shape, and the suction holding of the second substrate transfer portion The unit is positioned in an inward recess of the suction holding unit of the substrate carry-in / out unit and the main substrate transfer unit so as to avoid interference with the suction holding unit of the substrate carry-in / out unit and the main substrate transfer unit. It is formed.

  With this configuration, the substrate to be processed is transferred between the substrate loading / unloading unit and the second substrate transfer unit, and the substrate to be processed is transferred between the second substrate transfer unit and the main substrate transfer unit. It can be carried out.

  As described above, since the substrate transfer processing apparatus of the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) According to the first aspect of the present invention, the substrate to be processed carried out from the storage container is transported with the processing surface (surface) facing downward, and is processed in the processing unit. Therefore, the adhesion of particles to the surface of the substrate to be processed can be reduced and the throughput can be improved.

  (2) According to the invention described in claim 2, the substrate to be processed is transferred between the substrate carry-out / carry-in means and the substrate transfer portion, the substrate to be processed is transferred between the substrate transfer portion and the main substrate transfer means, and the main substrate transfer. Since the substrate to be processed can be smoothly transferred between the means and the processing unit, the throughput can be further improved in addition to the above (1).

  (3) According to the invention described in claim 3, the substrate to be processed can be subjected to a liquid treatment, for example, a resist coating treatment or a development treatment, with the treatment surface (surface) of the substrate to be treated facing downward. Heat treatment before and after the treatment, for example, a cooling treatment or a heat treatment can be performed. Further, the transfer of the substrate to be processed between the main substrate transfer means and the auxiliary substrate transfer means can be performed smoothly, and the transfer of the substrate to be processed between the auxiliary substrate transfer means, the cooling plate and the heating plate is performed smoothly. be able to. Accordingly, in addition to the above (1) and (2), liquid processing of the substrate to be processed, for example, resist coating processing, development processing, etc., and heat treatment before and after the liquid processing, for example, cooling processing, heat processing, etc. are smoothly performed. And throughput can be improved.

  (4) According to the invention described in claim 5, the substrate to be processed carried out from the storage container and from the exposure processing unit is transported with the processing surface (surface) facing downward and processed in the processing unit. Therefore, in addition to the above (1) to (3), the adhesion of particles to the surface of the substrate to be processed before and after the exposure processing can be further reduced, and the throughput can be improved. .

  (5) According to the invention described in claim 6, the substrate to be processed is transferred between the substrate carry-in / out means and the second substrate transfer unit, and the substrate to be processed in the second substrate transfer unit and the main substrate transfer unit. Since the delivery can be performed smoothly, the throughput can be further improved in addition to the above (4).

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, a case where the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer resist coating / development processing apparatus will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the resist coating / developing apparatus includes a container 1 (hereinafter referred to as a hoop (hereinafter referred to as a hoop)) that accommodates a semiconductor wafer W (hereinafter referred to as a wafer W), which is a substrate to be processed, with the processing surface facing upward. FOUP) 1) loading / unloading unit S1, a plurality of processing units for processing the wafer W, for example, a processing unit S2 having two liquid processing units U1, U2 and four heat treatment units U3, and a loading / unloading unit S1 And a loading / unloading arm 2 which is a substrate unloading / loading means for unloading and loading the wafer W into and from the FOUP 1, and the processing unit S 2 and the first unit. 1 between the first interface unit S3 and the first substrate transfer unit 3 for transferring the wafer W to / from the unloading / loading arm 2, and the processing unit S2. And bets U1, U2, U3 main conveying arm 4 is primarily a substrate conveying means for loading and unloading the wafer W to and comprises a.

  The resist coating / development processing apparatus is disposed in the second interface section S4 that connects the processing section S2 and the exposure processing apparatus 5 that is an exposure processing section, and in the second interface section S4. Arranged between a loading / unloading arm 6 which is a substrate loading / unloading means for loading and unloading the wafer W to / from the apparatus 5, and between the processing unit S2 and the second interface unit S4. And a second substrate transfer section 3A for transferring the wafer W to and from the main transfer arm 4.

  The carry-in / carry-out unit S1 includes two tables 7a on each of the carry-in side and the carry-out side on which the FOUPs 1 in which the wafers W are accommodated are placed, the carry-in / carry-out unit S1, and the first interface unit S3. A wall 7b is provided. The wall 7b is provided with a carry-out port (not shown) for carrying the wafer W out of the FOUP 1 and a carry-in port (not shown) for carrying the wafer W into the FOUP 1. Each of the doors 8 is closed by a door opening / closing device (not shown).

  The carry-out / carry-in arm 2 and the carry-in / carry-out arm 6 are formed to be slidable along the guide rail 2a disposed in the Y direction in the first interface part S3 and the second interface part S4. , And can be moved in the X direction and the vertical Z direction, and can be rotated on a horizontal plane.

  Further, since the carry-out / carry-in arm 2 and the carry-in / carry-out arm 6 are configured in the same manner, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the carry-out / carry-in arm 2 will be described as a representative. As shown in FIG. 2, the carry-out / carry-in arm 2 (carry-in / carry-out arm 6) is connected to the upper end of a base 2b that can slide along the guide rail 2a via a link member 2c that can rotate in the horizontal direction. An upper horizontal shaft 2d is provided, and a wafer holding portion 2e is provided that can advance and retract in the horizontal direction outward along the upper horizontal shaft 2d. The unloading / loading arm 2 includes a reversing mechanism 2f including a reversing motor (not shown), and the reversing mechanism 2f allows the wafer holding unit 2e to rotate 180 degrees with respect to the upper horizontal shaft 2d. It is formed to be reversible.

  In this case, the wafer holding part 2e is configured to have a front end formed in a substantially horseshoe shape and to hold the center of the back surface of the wafer W by, for example, vacuum suction. In this case, the horseshoe-shaped portion of the wafer holding portion 2e is provided with a plurality of suction holes 9a at appropriate intervals along the circumferential direction. These suction holes 9a are connected to an adsorption source such as a vacuum pump (not shown) via a pipe (not shown) provided with an opening / closing valve (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the main transfer arm 4 is slidable along a guide rail 4b provided in a transfer path 4a provided in the center of the processing unit S2 along the X direction. An upper wafer holding arm 4d and a lower wafer holding arm 4e, which are suction holding parts, are movable in the horizontal and vertical directions (X, Y, and Z directions) with respect to the traveling base 4c and are rotatable in the horizontal direction. is doing.

  The upper wafer holding arm 4d and the lower wafer holding arm 4e are configured to have a substantially horseshoe-shaped tip and hold the center of the back surface of the wafer W by, for example, vacuum suction, like the carry-out / load-in arm 2. Has been. The horseshoe-shaped upper wafer holding arm 4d and lower wafer holding arm 4e are provided with a plurality of suction holes 9b at appropriate intervals along the circumferential direction. These suction holes 9b are connected to an adsorption source such as a vacuum pump (not shown) via a pipe (not shown) provided with an opening / closing valve (not shown).

  The first substrate transfer unit 3 and the second substrate transfer unit 3A are configured in the same manner, and as shown in FIG. 4, an upper storage chamber 3a and a lower storage chamber 3b that are partitioned vertically by a partition plate 3c. In the upper and lower storage chambers 3a and 3b, loading / unloading ports 3d are provided on the first and second interface portions S3 and S4 side and the processing portion S2 side, respectively. In addition, a suction holding unit 3f that is suspended from the top plate 3e and holds the back surface of the wafer W by, for example, vacuum suction is disposed in the upper storage chamber 3a, and is suspended from the partition plate 3c in the lower storage unit 3b. Then, a suction holding unit 3f that holds the back surface of the wafer W by, for example, vacuum suction is provided. The suction holding unit 3f is arranged so that it does not interfere with the wafer holding unit 2e, the upper wafer holding arm 4d, and the lower wafer holding arm 4e of the carry-in / carry-in arm 2 (carry-in / carry-out arm 6). The wafer holding arm 4d and the lower wafer holding arm 4e are formed in a disc shape that can be positioned in the horseshoe-shaped inner recesses 2g, 4g. Further, the suction holding portion 3f is provided with a plurality of suction holes 9c. These suction holes 9c are connected to a suction source such as a vacuum pump (not shown) via a pipe (not shown) provided with an opening / closing valve (not shown). Connected).

  When the wafer W is loaded into the first substrate transfer unit 3 configured as described above by the unloading / loading arm 2, the wafer W held by the unloading / loading arm 2 is, for example, in the lower housing chamber 3b. The wafer W is delivered to the suction holding unit 3f. When the wafer W is unloaded from the first substrate transfer unit 3 by the unloading / loading arm 2, for example, the wafer W held by the suction holding unit 3 f in the upper accommodation chamber 3 a is unloaded. And the wafer W is unloaded from the first substrate transfer unit 3.

  When the main transfer arm 4 unloads the wafer W from the first substrate transfer unit 3, for example, the main transfer arm 4 transfers the wafer W held by the suction holding unit 3f in the lower storage chamber 3b. Then, the wafer W is unloaded from the first substrate transfer unit 3. Further, when the wafer W is carried into the first substrate transfer unit 3 by the main transfer arm 4, the wafer W held by the main transfer arm 4 is transferred to, for example, the suction holding unit 3f in the upper storage chamber 3a. Hand over.

  The transfer of the wafer W by the unloading / loading arm 2 and the main transfer arm 4 to the first substrate transfer unit 3 can be similarly performed. Hereinafter, a case where the wafer W is unloaded from the first substrate transfer section 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the main transfer arm 4 (specifically, the wafer W having the back side sucked and held by the suction holding unit 3f in the lower housing chamber 3b of the first substrate transfer unit 3 through the loading / unloading port 3d (specifically, The upper wafer holding arm 4d) enters the lower storage chamber 3b, and stops entering with the suction holding portion 3f positioned in the horseshoe-shaped inner recess 4g of the upper wafer holding arm 4d. Next, when the vacuum suction of the suction holding unit 3f is released by switching the on-off valve of the vacuum piping system, the vacuum suction of the upper wafer holding arm 4d is started at the same time or immediately before the release, and the upper wafer holding arm 4d Adsorb and hold the back side. Thereafter, the upper wafer holding arm 4d is unloaded from the first substrate transfer section 3 via the loading / unloading port 3d.

  Note that the transfer of the wafer W by the main transfer arm 4 and the carry-in / carry-out arm 6 to the second substrate transfer unit 3A is performed in the same manner as described above, ie, both the second substrate transfer unit 3A and the main substrate transfer unit 3A. This can be done by switching between releasing and starting the suction of the transfer arm 4, the second substrate transfer unit 3 </ b> A, and the loading / unloading arm 6.

  On the other hand, the processing section S2 is provided with liquid processing units U1, U2 and a heat treatment unit U3 with the transport path 4a of the main transport arm 4 as a boundary. In this case, two resist coating apparatuses 10 and two development processing apparatuses 50 are arranged in parallel in the liquid processing units U1 and U2. Further, four cooling / heating devices 60 are arranged in parallel in the heat treatment unit U3.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 11, the resist coating apparatus 10 includes a spin chuck 10 a that is a holding unit that holds the surface of the wafer W downward, for example, by vacuum suction, and a motor 10 m that rotationally drives the spin chuck 10 a. An openable / closable processing container 11 for storing the wafer W held by the spin chuck 10a, a resist nozzle 41 for discharging a resist solution toward the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 10a, and the spin chuck 10a. A thinner nozzle 42 that discharges thinner, which is a solvent of a resist solution, toward the surface of the held wafer W, and a kinematic viscosity coefficient higher than that of air toward the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 10a. Gas supply for supplying He gas, which is a gas with a lower specific gravity It is provided with means 40.

  The spin chuck 10a has a horseshoe-shaped inner recess formed in the upper wafer holding arm 4d and the lower wafer holding arm 4e in order to avoid interference with the suction holding portion of the main transfer arm 4, that is, the upper and lower wafer holding arms 4d and 4e. It is formed in a disc shape that can be positioned within 4 g. Further, the spin chuck 10a is provided with a plurality of suction holes (not shown) for vacuum-sucking the back surface of the wafer W, for example, and these suction holes are pipes (not shown) provided with opening / closing valves (not shown). ) Through an adsorption source such as a vacuum pump (not shown).

  The processing container 11 includes a lower container body 11a having an upper opening that surrounds the outside and lower side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 10a, and a lid body 13 that tightly closes the opening 12 of the lower container body 11a. The lid body 13 and the lower container body 11a are moved relative to each other by the moving mechanism 14 of the lower container body 11a and the moving mechanism 15 of the lid body 13.

  In this case, the lower container body 11a has a concave portion 16 at the center, and a disc portion 19 having a bent piece 18 whose tip hangs down on an outer peripheral edge via an inclined piece 17 having a downward slope outward. The inner peripheral wall 20a positioned on the inner side of the inclined piece 17 of the disc portion 19, the outer peripheral wall 20b positioned with a gap outside the bent piece 18, and the lower ends of the inner peripheral wall 20a and the outer peripheral wall 20b. It is comprised by the peripheral groove part 20 which consists of the bottom part 20c which has a downward gradient which connects mutually, and the opening edge part 21 extended horizontally inward from the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 20b. An O-ring 22 is maintained on the upper surface of the opening edge 21 to maintain air / water tightness when the lower container 11a and the lid 13 are closed.

  Further, a drain port 23a is provided on the outer peripheral side of the bottom 20c of the peripheral groove 20 of the lower container body 11a, and a drain tube 24 is connected to the drain port 23a. Further, through holes 23b are provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential groove portion 20, and exhaust pipes 25 are fitted into these through holes 23b so that the opening ends are located slightly above, and each exhaust pipe 25 is It is connected to a main exhaust pipe 27 for exhausting outside the factory through a joint 26. The main exhaust pipe 27 is provided with an auto damper 28 which is a valve whose opening degree can be adjusted. An exhaust mechanism 30 is configured by the exhaust pipe 25, the main exhaust pipe 27, and the auto damper 28.

  In addition, the recessed part 16 provided in the center part of the lower container body 11a is formed in the narrow taper shape in the bottom part, and the drain pipe 31 is connected to the through-hole 23c provided in the lowest end.

  A bracket 11a projects from one side of the lower portion of the lower container body 11a configured as described above, and the first moving mechanism is a first moving mechanism erected on the bracket 11a on the fixed side of the apparatus. The piston rod 14a of the cylinder 14 is connected. Accordingly, the lower container body 11a moves up and down in the vertical direction by the expansion and contraction of the piston rod 14a by driving the first cylinder 14.

  On the other hand, the lid 13 has a magnetic fluid seal member 10c interposed on the rotating shaft 10b of the spin chuck 10a, and a cylindrical slide seal member 10d interposed on the outer peripheral surface of the motor 10m. It is attached to. In this case, the lid body 13 includes a sliding cylinder portion 32 that surrounds the outer periphery of the motor 10m with a sliding seal member 10d interposed therebetween, and a disk-like shape that extends outward from the lower end of the sliding cylinder portion 32. A top plate portion 33 and a cylindrical hanging piece 34 are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the top plate portion 33. The top plate portion 33 of the lid body 13 thus configured covers the upper surface of the opening edge portion 21 of the lower container body 11a, and the cylindrical hanging piece 34 covers the outer periphery of the outer peripheral wall 20b of the lower container body 11a. It is supposed to be.

  Also, a bracket 32a projects from one end of the upper end of the sliding cylinder portion 32 of the lid 13, and a second moving mechanism which is a second moving mechanism fixed to the fixing portion 35 of the apparatus on the bracket 32a. The piston rod 15a of the cylinder 15 is connected. Therefore, the lid body 13 moves up and down in the vertical direction by the expansion and contraction of the piston rod 15a by driving the second cylinder 15.

  By driving the first cylinder 14 that moves up and down the lower container body 11a configured as described above and the second cylinder 15 that moves up and down the cover body 13, the lower container body 11a and the cover body 13 are relatively moved. Moved toward and away.

  In the above description, the movement mechanism of the lower container body 11a and the lid body 13 is formed by the cylinders 14 and 15. However, the movement mechanism relatively moves the lower container body 11a and the lid body 13 apart from each other. For example, a ball screw mechanism or a timing belt mechanism may be used instead of the cylinder. Further, a moving mechanism that moves one of the lower container body 11a and the lid body 13 toward and away from the other may be used.

  The gas supply means 40 is formed by a gas supply nozzle located immediately below the center of the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 10a. This gas supply means, that is, the gas supply nozzle 40 is provided in a swingable movable body 43 provided with a resist nozzle 41 and a thinner nozzle 42 on concentric circles, and is accommodated in the recess 16 of the lower container body 11a. . In this case, the gas supply nozzle 40, the resist nozzle 41, and the thinner nozzle 42 protrude from the outer peripheral portion of the oscillating body 43 at equal intervals, that is, at an interval of 120 °. Further, the oscillating body 43 is connected to, for example, a nozzle switching motor 44 that can rotate forward and backward, and the nozzle switching motor 44 oscillates, that is, switches in a range of 240 °, so that the gas supply nozzle 40, the resist nozzle 41, or Any one of the thinner nozzles 42 is located immediately below the center of the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 10a.

  Although not shown, the gas supply nozzle 40 is connected to a He gas supply source via a He gas supply pipe provided with an on-off valve whose flow rate can be adjusted. Although not shown, the resist nozzle 41 is connected to a resist supply source via a resist supply pipe provided with an on-off valve. Although not shown, the thinner nozzle is connected to a thinner supply source via a thinner supply pipe having an open / close valve.

  Further, an auxiliary gas supply nozzle 40A, which is an auxiliary gas supply means for discharging (supplying) He gas to the top plate portion 33 of the lid 13 of the processing container 11 toward the back surface side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 10a. Is provided. The auxiliary gas supply nozzle 40A is connected to a He gas supply source via an auxiliary gas supply pipe (not shown) branched from the gas supply pipe.

  The top plate 33 of the lid 13 of the processing container 11 is provided with a pressure sensor 45 that detects the pressure in the processing container 11 and a gas concentration sensor 46 that detects the concentration of He gas in the processing container 11. ing. The pressure sensor 45 and the gas concentration sensor 46 are electrically connected to a control unit (not shown), and the pressure detection signal in the processing container 11 detected by the pressure sensor 45 and the He gas detected by the gas concentration sensor 46. The concentration detection signal is transmitted to the control unit, and is compared with data stored in advance in the control unit. That is, the ratio of air and He gas is calculated by the gas concentration sensor and converted to the He gas concentration. Then, a control signal from the control unit is transmitted to the on-off valve with adjustable flow rate and the auto damper 28 with adjustable opening. As a result, it is possible to prevent the inside of the processing container 11 from being in an excessive positive pressure state, and the He gas concentration in the surface layer of the wafer W in the processing container 11 can be set to an optimum concentration, for example, 60% or more. it can. Further, the amount of He gas purged (supplied) from the He gas supply source is set equal to or larger than the exhaust amount of the exhaust mechanism. At this time, by interlocking the detected pressure value detected by the pressure sensor 45 with the purge flow rate of He gas, it is possible to prevent the inside of the processing container 11 from being in an excessive positive pressure state. Further, by continuing the He gas purge, it is possible to prevent mist from entering the back surface of the wafer W.

  The control unit is electrically connected to the drive motor 10m of the spin chuck 10a, the first and second cylinders 14 and 15, the nozzle switching motor 44, and the on-off valve. As a result, the motor 10m is driven to rotate at a predetermined number of rotations based on a control signal from the control unit, and the first and second cylinders 14 and 15 are driven to move the lower container body 11a and the lid body 13 together. It can be moved up and down, and one of the gas supply nozzle 40, the resist nozzle 41 and the thinner nozzle 42 can be switched to a position directly below the surface of the wafer W by the switching drive of the nozzle switching motor 44, and the on-off valves V1 and V2 , V3 are opened and closed, and He gas, resist solution, and thinner are discharged (supplied) toward the wafer W.

  An N2 gas purge nozzle 47 for purging an inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) gas is provided in the processing container 11 at a position near the recess 16 in the disk portion 19 of the lower container body 11a. On the outer peripheral side of the disk portion 19 of 11a, an edge rinse nozzle 48 for discharging a rinse liquid (thinner) to the peripheral portion of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 10a is provided. Further, a back rinse nozzle 49 for discharging a rinsing liquid (thinner) toward the back surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 10a is provided in the vicinity of the sliding cylinder portion 32 in the top plate portion 33 of the lid 13. It has been.

  Next, the operation mode of the resist coating apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the first and second cylinders 14 and 15 are driven to move the lower container 11a and the lid 13 away from each other, and the main transfer arm 4 such as the upper wafer is held. A state in which the wafer W whose back surface is attracted and held by the arm 4d is loaded from between the lower container 11a and the lid 13, and the spin chuck 10a is positioned in the horseshoe-shaped inner recess 4g of the upper wafer holding arm 4d. Thus, at the same time or just before releasing the suction of the upper wafer holding arm 4d, the suction of the spin chuck 10a is started and the wafer W is sucked and held. At this time, the auto damper 28 is open, and the air in the lower container body 11a is exhausted.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the first and second cylinders 14 and 15 are driven to move in a direction in which the lower container body 11a and the lid body 13 are relatively in contact with each other, and the lower container body 11a and the lid body 13 are moved. Close. Thereafter, the opening / closing valve is immediately opened, and He gas discharged (supplied) from the He gas supply source is supplied into the processing container 11 from the gas supply nozzle 40 and the auxiliary gas supply nozzle 40A, and the He gas is supplied into the processing container 11. Replace (purge) with. At this time, the auto damper 28 is closed. Further, since the He gas supplied into the processing container 11 has a specific gravity of about 1/10 of that of air, the surface layer of the wafer W is replaced in order from the top in the processing container 11 and held by the spin chuck 10a. The vicinity is promptly replaced to increase the He gas concentration. At this time, the lid 13 of the processing container 11 is sealed to the rotating shaft 10b of the spin chuck 10a via the magnetic fluid seal member 10c and sealed to the motor 10m via the slide seal member 10d. There is no risk of gas leaking outside.

  While the He gas is being supplied, the He gas concentration in the upper portion of the processing vessel 11 is detected by the gas concentration sensor 46, and a predetermined detection value {specifically, the final target He gas concentration is detected by the gas concentration sensor 46. When a value slightly lower than (60% or more) is detected, the detection signal is transmitted to the control unit, and the on-off valve V1 is closed by the control signal from the control unit. At this time, the pressure in the processing container 11 is detected by the pressure sensor 45, the detection signal is transmitted to the control unit, and the on-off valve V1 is controlled based on the control signal from the control unit. Thereby, it can avoid that the inside of the processing container 11 becomes an excessive positive pressure state.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the nozzle switching motor 44 is driven to place the thinner nozzle 42 directly below the surface of the wafer W instead of the gas supply nozzle 40, and the motor 10m is driven to move the wafer W at a low speed. Rotate (eg 1000 rpm). Then, thinner is discharged from the thinner nozzle 42 toward the surface of the rotating wafer W, and the entire surface of the wafer W is covered with a thinner thin film.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the nozzle switching motor 44 is driven, and the resist nozzle 41 is positioned directly below the surface of the wafer W instead of the thinner nozzle 42, and the resist is directed toward the surface of the rotating wafer W. A resist solution is discharged from the nozzle 41 to cover the entire surface of the wafer W with a resist film. At this time, due to the rotation of the wafer W, an air flow is generated from the center of the wafer W toward the outer periphery, and an amount of He gas corresponding to the air flow is discharged (supplied) from the gas supply nozzle 40, and the wafer center from the wafer center. A He gas flow is formed toward the outer periphery. Thereby, the high He gas concentration (60% or more) which is the final target can be stably maintained.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the nozzle switching motor 44 is driven so that the gas supply nozzle 40 is positioned immediately below the surface of the wafer W instead of the resist nozzle 41 and is directed toward the surface of the rotating wafer W. He gas is discharged from the gas supply nozzle 40 to replace the inside of the processing vessel 11 with He gas. Then, the rotational speed of the wafer W for obtaining a target resist film thickness is increased (for example, 1800 rpm), the solvent component in the resist is evaporated, and the resist film thickness is uniformly dried over the entire wafer surface. At this time, by adjusting the aperture of the auto damper 28, the resist film thickness on the outer periphery of the wafer can be controlled, and the uniformity of the resist film thickness on the entire wafer surface can be improved. Note that the pressure in the processing container 11 is increased by reducing the exhaust flow rate by adjusting the throttle of the auto damper 28. However, if the amount of He gas purge is reduced accordingly, the inside of the processing container 11 becomes excessive. A positive pressure can be avoided. This also contributes to reducing the amount of He gas used.

  Next, after the solvent component in the resist is evaporated and the resist film thickness reaches the target value, as shown in FIG. 10, a rinse liquid (thinner) is discharged from the edge rinse nozzle 82 to the peripheral portion of the wafer W. A rinse liquid (thinner) is discharged from the back rinse nozzle 83 toward the back surface of the wafer W. At this stage, since the drying is completed, no “wind mark” is generated, and therefore, the He gas purge is not necessary. Note that the purge of He gas can be narrowed, and in some cases, the purge may be switched to a purge of other gas (air or nitrogen). For exhaust, the auto damper 28 is returned to the original exhaust amount so that the generated mist is recovered.

  After performing the side rinse process and the back rinse process, when the side rinse thinner is dried by rotational drying of the wafer W, the coating process of the wafer W is finished.

  After the coating process is completed, the first and second cylinders 14 and 15 are driven to move the lower container body 11a and the lid body 13 in a direction in which they are relatively separated from each other. In this state, as shown in FIG. 11, the main transfer arm 4, for example, the lower wafer holding arm 4e enters between the lower container body 11a and the lid 13, and the horseshoe-shaped inward recess of the lower wafer holding arm 4e. With the spin chuck 10a positioned within 4g, when the suction of the spin chuck 10a is released, at the same time or immediately before the release, the lower wafer holding arm 4ea is started to suck and hold the wafer W. Then, the wafer W is carried out of the processing container 11. At this time, the auto damper 28 is open, and the air in the lower container body 11a is exhausted.

  As described above, after the coated wafer W is unloaded, the process waits for the next coating process. During this standby, the resist nozzle 41 is switched directly below, and the resist solution adhering to the resist nozzle 41 is removed by dummy dispensing.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the development processing apparatus 50 includes a spin chuck 50 a that is a holding unit that holds the wafer W downward, for example, by vacuum suction, and a motor 50 b that rotationally drives the spin chuck 50 a. And an openable / closable processing cup 51 for accommodating the wafer W held by the spin chuck 50a, and a developer nozzle 53 for immersing the developer in the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 50a. .

  The spin chuck 50a is formed in a disc shape that can be positioned in the horseshoe-shaped inner recess 4g of the upper wafer holding arm 4d and the lower wafer holding arm 4e in order to avoid interference with the suction holding portion of the main transfer arm 4. Is formed. The spin chuck 50a is provided with a plurality of suction holes (not shown) for vacuum-sucking the back surface of the wafer W, for example, and these suction holes are pipes (not shown) provided with opening / closing valves (not shown). Is connected to an adsorption source such as a vacuum pump (not shown).

  The processing cup 51 includes a cup body 51a having an open upper portion surrounding the outside and lower side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 50a, and a lid body 52 that closes the opening 51b of the cup body 51a in an air-watertight manner. The lid body 52 and the cup body 51a are moved relative to each other by the movement mechanism 56 of the cup body 51a and the movement mechanism 57 of the lid body 52.

  In this case, the cup body 51a has a concave portion 51q at the lower center portion of the developer tray 54, and a bent piece 51d whose tip hangs down through an inclined piece 51c inclined downward on the outer peripheral edge. A disc portion 51e, an inner peripheral wall 51f positioned on the inner side of the inclined piece 51c of the disc portion 51e, an outer peripheral wall 51g positioned with a gap on the outer side of the bent piece 51d, and an inner peripheral wall 51f A peripheral groove 51i composed of a bottom 51h having a downward slope that connects the lower ends of the outer peripheral walls 51g, and an opening edge 51j extending horizontally from the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 51g inward. It is configured.

  A drain port 51k is provided on the outer peripheral side of the bottom 51h of the circumferential groove 51i of the cup body 51a, and a drain tube 51m is connected to the drain port 51k. Further, through holes 51n are provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential groove portion 51i, and exhaust pipes 51p are fitted into these through holes 51n so that the opening ends are positioned slightly above.

  The recess 51q provided at the center of the cup body 51a has a narrow taper at the bottom, and a drain pipe 51s is connected to a through hole 51r provided at the lowermost end. Further, a developer nozzle 53 and a rinse / dry nozzle 55 that can be selectively connected to the developer tray 54 are disposed in the recess 51q, and one of the developer nozzle 53 and the rinse / dry nozzle 55 is disposed. The switching drive motor 50b is selectively connected to the developer tray 54.

  A bracket 51t projects from one side of the lower portion of the cup body 51a configured as described above, and a third cylinder, which is a third moving mechanism standing on the bracket 51t on the fixed side of the apparatus. 56 piston rods 56a are connected. Therefore, the cup body 51a moves up and down in the vertical direction by the expansion and contraction of the piston rod 56a by driving the third cylinder 56.

  On the other hand, the lid body 52 is airtightly attached to the spin chuck 10a with a slide seal member (not shown) interposed on the rotation shaft 10b of the spin chuck 10a. In this case, the lid 52 includes a sliding cylinder 52a that surrounds the outer periphery of the motor 50b with a sliding seal member interposed therebetween, and a disk-shaped ceiling that extends outward from the lower end of the sliding cylinder 52a. A cylindrical hanging piece 52c is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the plate portion 52b and the top plate portion 52b. The cylindrical hanging piece 52c of the lid body 52 configured as described above is configured to contact the inner peripheral surface of the opening edge portion 51j of the cup body 51a so as to cover the outer periphery of the developer tray 54.

  Further, a bracket 52d protrudes from one side of the upper end of the sliding cylinder portion 52a of the lid 52, and a fourth moving mechanism which is a fourth moving mechanism fixed to the fixing portion 57 of the apparatus on the bracket 52d. The piston rod 58a of the cylinder 58 is connected. Therefore, the lid 52 moves up and down in the vertical direction by the expansion and contraction of the piston rod 58a by driving the fourth cylinder 58.

  The cup body 51a and the lid body 52 are relatively moved toward and away from each other by driving the third cylinder 56 that moves up and down the cup body 51a configured as described above and the fourth cylinder 58 that moves the lid body 52 up and down. Moved.

  In the above description, the movement mechanism of the cup body 51a and the lid body 52 is formed by the cylinders 56 and 58. However, the movement mechanism is a mechanism that moves the cup body 51a and the lid body 52 relatively apart from each other. Therefore, it is not always necessary to use a cylinder. For example, a ball screw mechanism or a timing belt mechanism may be used instead of the cylinder. Moreover, you may use the moving mechanism which moves one of the cup main body 51a or the cover body 52 toward / separate with respect to the other.

  Next, the operation mode of the development processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 12, the third and fourth cylinders 56 and 58 are driven to move the cup body 51a and the lid body 52 in a relatively separated direction, and the main transfer arm 4 such as the upper wafer holding arm is moved. The wafer W after the exposure process, the back surface of which is sucked and held by 4d, is loaded from between the cup body 51a and the lid 52, and the spin chuck 50a is positioned in the horseshoe-shaped inner recess 4g of the upper wafer holding arm 4d. In this state, the suction of the upper wafer holding arm 4d is released, and at the same time or immediately before the release, the suction of the spin chuck 10a is started to hold the wafer W.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the third and fourth cylinders 56 and 58 are driven to move in a direction in which the cup body 51a and the lid body 52 are relatively in contact with each other, and the cup body 51a and the lid body 52 are brought into close contact with each other. At the same time, the developer tray 54 is closely surrounded by the lid 52. In this state, the developer nozzle 53 is connected to the developer tray 54, and the developer is supplied from the developer nozzle 53 into the developer tray 54. Next, the spin chuck 50a is lowered and the surface of the wafer W adsorbed and held by the spin chuck 10a is immersed in a developing solution for development. After the development, the rinsing and drying nozzle 55 is connected to the developer tray 54, and the rinsing process and the drying process are performed simultaneously.

  After the development processing is completed, the third and fourth cylinders 56 and 58 are driven to move the cup body 51a and the lid body 52 in a direction away from each other. In this state, the main transfer arm 4, for example, the lower wafer holding arm 4e enters between the cup body 51a and the lid 52, and the spin chuck 50a is positioned in the horseshoe-shaped inner recess 4g of the lower wafer holding arm 4e. In this state, when the suction of the spin chuck 50a is released, immediately before or just before the release, the lower wafer holding arm 4ea starts to be sucked and holds the wafer W. Then, the wafer W is carried out of the development processing apparatus 50.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the cooling / heating apparatus 60 has a coolant channel (not shown) for cooling the wafer W in a housing 61 having a wafer W loading / unloading port 61a on one side wall. A cooling plate 62 having a heater and a heating plate 63 having a heater (not shown) for heating the wafer W are provided in parallel, and auxiliary substrate transfer means for transferring the wafer W to the cooling plate 62 and the heating plate 63. And an auxiliary transfer arm 64. A shutter (not shown) is closed at the loading / unloading port 61a so as to be openable and closable.

  In this case, the auxiliary transfer arm 64 is connected to the upper and lower wafer holding arms 4d and 4e when the wafer W is transferred to and from the main transfer arm 4 (specifically, the upper and lower wafer holding arms 4d and 4e). A guide rail that includes side suction holding portions 64a that hold opposite side portions on the back surface of the wafer W by, for example, vacuum suction without interference, and is provided in parallel with the cooling plate 62 and the heating plate 63. 68 is formed so as to be slidable on the surface 68 and is vertically movable. The side suction holding part 64a is provided with a suction hole 64b, and a suction source such as a vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to the suction hole 64b via a pipe (not shown) provided with an open / close valve (not shown). )It is connected to the.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the cooling plate 62 and the heating plate 63 are provided with a plurality of groove-like suction holes 65 for vacuum-sucking the back surface of the wafer W, for example. These suction holes 65 are not shown. It is connected to an adsorption source such as a vacuum pump (not shown) through a pipe (not shown) provided with an on-off valve. Further, the cooling plate 62 and the heating plate 63 are provided with notches 66 on both sides facing each other so as not to interfere with the elevation of the side suction holding part 64a of the auxiliary transport arm 64.

  Next, the operation | movement aspect of the cooling / heating apparatus 60 is demonstrated with reference to FIG.14 and FIG.15. First, when a wafer whose rear surface is sucked and held by the main transfer arm 4, for example, the upper wafer holding arm 4d, is loaded into the housing 61 via the loading / unloading port 61a, the side suction holding portion 64a of the auxiliary transfer arm 64 is loaded. Are located on opposite sides of the wafer W, and in this state, when the suction of the upper wafer holding arm 4d is released, the side suction holding part 64a starts sucking at the same time or immediately before the release, and the upper wafer holding arm is started. The auxiliary transfer arm 64 receives the wafer W from 4d.

  Next, after the upper wafer holding arm 4 d is retracted to the outside of the housing 61, the wafer W sucked and held by the auxiliary transfer arm 64 is moved to the cooling surface side of the cooling plate 62. At the same time or immediately before the suction of the side suction holding unit 64a is released, the cooling plate 62 starts suction, and the cooling plate 62 receives the wafer W from the auxiliary transfer arm 64 and performs a cooling process. After the wafer W is transferred to the cooling plate 62, the auxiliary transfer arm 64 retracts upward through the notch portions 66 on both sides of the cooling plate 62 (see FIGS. 14C and 15).

  After the cooling process is performed, the side suction holding portions 64a of the auxiliary transfer arm 64 again approach the both sides of the wafer W through the notches 66 on both sides of the cooling plate 62, and in this state, the cooling plate At the same time or immediately before the release of the suction of 62, the side suction holding unit 64a starts the suction, and the auxiliary transfer arm 64 receives the wafer W from the cooling plate 62.

  After receiving the wafer W, the side suction holding portion 64a of the auxiliary transfer arm 64 moves to a lower position away from the cooling plate 62, moves to the heating plate 63 side, and moves the wafer W to the heating surface side of the heating plate 63. Moving. At the same time or immediately before the suction of the side suction holding unit 64a is released, the heating plate 63 starts the suction, and the heating plate 63 receives the wafer W from the auxiliary transfer arm 64 and performs the heating process. After the wafer W is transferred to the heating plate 63, the auxiliary transfer arm 64 retracts upward through the notch portions 66 on both sides of the heating plate 63 (see FIG. 14C and FIG. 15).

  After the heat treatment is performed, the side suction holding portions 64a of the auxiliary transfer arm 64 again approach the both side portions of the wafer W through the notches 66 on both sides of the heating plate 63, and in this state, the heating plate At the same time or immediately before the release of the suction of 63, the side suction holding unit 64a starts the suction, and the auxiliary transfer arm 64 receives the wafer W from the heating plate 63.

  After receiving the wafer W, the side suction holding portion 64a of the auxiliary transfer arm 64 moves to a lower position away from the heating plate 63 and moves toward the loading / unloading port 61a. At this time, when the lower wafer holding arm 4e of the main transfer arm 4 enters the housing 61 and is positioned on the back surface of the wafer W, the lower portion is held at the same time or just before the lower portion is released. The wafer holding arm 4 e starts suction, the lower wafer holding arm 4 e receives the wafer W from the auxiliary transfer arm 64, and unloads the wafer W from the housing 61.

  In the above description, the case where the cooling process by the cooling plate 62 and the heating process by the heating plate 63 are performed has been described, but only the cooling process by the cooling plate 62 or only the heating process by the heating plate 63 is performed. May be.

  Next, the wafer W processing process performed by the resist coating / developing apparatus configured as described above will be briefly described.

  First, the unloading / loading arm 2 enters the FOUP 1 placed on the loading side of the loading / unloading unit S1, sucks and holds the back surface of the wafer W, and keeps the wafer W upward from the FOUP 1. Take it out. After the wafer W is taken up by the carry-out / carry-in arm 2 and taken out to the first interface unit S3, the wafer W is turned down by the reversing mechanism 2f of the carry-out / carry-in arm 2. In this state, the unloading / carrying arm 2 carries in, for example, the lower housing chamber 3b of the first substrate delivery unit 3, and the rear surface of the wafer W is sucked and held by the suction holding unit 3f of the first substrate delivery unit 3.

  Then, for example, the upper wafer holding arm 4d of the main transfer arm 4 sucks and holds the back surface of the wafer W in the first substrate transfer unit 3, and cools and heats the downward wafer W with the resist coating apparatus 10 of the processing unit S2. It conveys to the apparatus 60, and performs the heat processing before and behind a resist coating process and a resist coating process.

  After the resist coating process, in the state where the back surface of the wafer W is sucked and held by, for example, the lower wafer holding arm 4e of the main transfer arm 4, it is carried into, for example, the lower accommodation chamber 3b of the second substrate transfer section 3A, and the second substrate The back surface of the wafer W is sucked and held by the suction holding portion 3f of the transfer portion 3A.

  The resist-coated wafer W carried into the second substrate transfer unit 3A is taken out to the second interface unit S4 by the carry-in / carry-out arm 6 and inverted upward by the reversing mechanism 2f of the carry-in / carry-out arm 6. It is carried into the exposure processing apparatus 5 in a state.

  The wafer W subjected to the exposure processing by the exposure processing apparatus 5 is unloaded from the exposure processing apparatus 5 by the loading / unloading arm 6, and inverted again downward by the reversing mechanism 2 f of the loading / unloading arm 6. In this state, the wafer W is loaded into, for example, the upper accommodation chamber 3a of the second substrate transfer unit 3A by the loading / unloading arm 6, and the back surface of the wafer W is sucked and held by the suction holding unit 3f of the second substrate transfer unit 3A. .

  Then, for example, the upper wafer holding arm 4d of the main transfer arm 4 sucks and holds the back surface of the wafer W in the second substrate transfer unit 3A, and cools and heats the downward wafer W with the development processing device 50 of the processing unit S2. It conveys to the apparatus 60, and heat-processes before and after a development process and a development process.

  The developed wafer W is loaded into the upper storage chamber 3 of the first substrate transfer unit 3 with the back surface being sucked and held by the main transfer arm 4, and sucked by the first substrate transfer unit 3. The back surface is sucked and held by the holding portion 3f.

  The developed wafer W carried into the first substrate transfer unit 3 is taken out to the first interface unit S3 by the carry-out / carry-in arm 2 and inverted upward by the reversing mechanism 2f of the carry-out / carry-in arm 2. Is carried into the hoop 1 on the carry-out side of the carry-in / carry-out unit S1, and the processing is completed.

  Accordingly, the wafer W carried out of the FOUP 1 is transferred with the processing surface (surface) facing downward, and the processing is performed in the processing units, that is, the liquid processing units U1 and U2 and the heat treatment unit U3. In addition, the adhesion of particles to the surface of the wafer W can be reduced, and the throughput can be improved.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the means for sucking and holding the back surface of the wafer W is vacuum suction has been described. However, the back surface of the wafer W may be sucked and held by electrostatic suction instead of vacuum suction.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to the resist coating / development processing of a semiconductor wafer has been described. However, the substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention is a resist coating / processing of an LCD glass substrate. It can also be applied to development processing.

1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a resist coating / development processing apparatus to which a substrate transfer processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied. Schematic side views (a) and (b) showing the carry-in / carry-out operation of the carry-in / carry-in arm and carry-in / carry-out arm in this invention, and schematic front views (c), (d) and (d) showing the reverse operation It is an arrow view (e). It is a schematic side view (a), (b) and (b) arrow II view (c) which shows the operation | movement aspect of the main conveyance arm in this invention. It is sectional drawing (b) which follows the schematic sectional drawing (a) of the board | substrate delivery part in this invention, and the III-III line of (a). It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which received the wafer with the resist coating device in this invention. It is the schematic sectional drawing (a) which shows the state which substitutes the inside of the processing container of the said resist coating apparatus with He gas, and the principal part expanded sectional view (b). It is the schematic sectional drawing (a) which shows the state which discharges thinner to a wafer with the said resist coating apparatus, and its principal part expanded sectional view (b). It is the schematic sectional drawing (a) which shows the state which discharges a resist liquid to a wafer with the said resist coating apparatus, and the principal part expanded sectional view (b). It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the shake-off dry state of the said resist coating device. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state of the side rinse process and back rinse process of the said resist coating apparatus. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which delivers the wafer after the process of the said resist coating apparatus. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which received the wafer with the image development processing apparatus in this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state before the developing process of the said developing processing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view (a), a schematic cross-sectional view (b), and a cross-sectional view (c) taken along line IV-IV in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the cooling plate in this invention, a heating plate, and an auxiliary conveyance arm.

Explanation of symbols

W Semiconductor wafer (substrate to be processed)
S1 Loading / unloading unit S2 Processing unit S3 First interface unit S4 Second interface unit U1, U2 Liquid processing unit U3 Heat treatment unit 1 Hoop (container)
2 Unloading / loading arm (substrate unloading / loading means)
2e Wafer holder (suction holder)
2f Inversion mechanism 2g Inward recess 3 First substrate transfer portion 3A Second substrate transfer portion 3f Suction holding portion 4 Main transfer arm (main substrate transfer means)
4d Upper wafer holding arm (suction holding part)
4e Lower wafer holding arm (Suction holding part)
4g Inner recess 5 Exposure processing device 6 Loading / unloading arm (substrate loading / unloading means)
10 resist coating apparatus 10a spin chuck (adsorption holding part)
50 Development processing apparatus 50a Spin chuck (adsorption holding unit)
60 Cooling / heating device 62 Cooling plate 63 Heating plate 64 Auxiliary transfer arm (auxiliary substrate transfer means)
64a Side adsorption holding part 66 Notch part

Claims (6)

A loading / unloading unit for a storage container for storing a substrate to be processed with the processing surface facing upward, a processing unit having a plurality of processing units for processing the substrate to be processed, and the loading / unloading unit and the processing unit. A substrate unloading / loading means disposed in an interface unit to be connected and configured to unload and load a substrate to / from the storage container, and disposed between the processing unit and the interface unit. A substrate transfer processing apparatus comprising: a substrate transfer unit that transfers a substrate to be processed; and a main substrate transfer unit that is disposed in the processing unit and carries the substrate to and from the processing unit. In
The substrate carry-out / carry-in means includes a suction holding unit that sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate to be processed, and a reversing mechanism that reverses the front and back surfaces of the substrate to be processed.
The substrate transfer unit, the main substrate transfer means, and the processing unit each include a suction holding unit that sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate to be processed.
A substrate transfer processing apparatus. The substrate transfer processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The suction and holding portion of the substrate carry-out / carry-in means and the main substrate transfer means is formed in a substantially horseshoe shape,
The suction holding unit of the substrate transfer unit is disposed inward of the suction holding unit of the substrate carry-out / carry-in unit and the main substrate transfer unit so as to avoid interference with the suction / hold unit of the substrate carry-out / carry-in unit and the main substrate transfer unit. Formed to be located in the recess,
The suction holding part of the processing unit is formed so as to be located in an inward recess of the suction holding part of the main substrate transporting means so as to avoid interference with the suction holding part of the main substrate transporting means.
A substrate transfer processing apparatus. The substrate transfer processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The processing unit includes a liquid processing unit that supplies a processing liquid to a substrate to be processed and performs processing, and a heat treatment unit that adjusts the substrate to be processed to a predetermined temperature.
The heat treatment unit includes a cooling plate that cools the substrate to be processed and a heating plate that heats the substrate to be processed, and an auxiliary substrate transport unit that transports the substrate to be processed to the cooling plate and the heating plate; Comprising
The auxiliary substrate transfer means sucks and holds the opposing side portions on the back surface of the substrate to be processed without interfering with the suction holding part of the main substrate transfer means during the transfer with the main substrate transfer means. It has a side suction holding part, and is formed to be slidable on a guide rail provided parallel to the cooling plate and the heating plate, and is formed to be vertically movable.
Each of the cooling plate and the heating plate includes a suction holding portion that sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate to be processed, and interferes with the side suction holding portion of the auxiliary substrate transfer means on both sides facing each other. Do not provide a notch,
A substrate transfer processing apparatus. The substrate transfer processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
The liquid processing unit is a coating processing unit that discharges a resist solution onto the surface of the substrate to be processed with the back surface adsorbed and held, and a development processing unit that discharges the developer onto the substrate to be processed with the back surface adsorbed and held. A substrate transfer processing apparatus. The substrate transfer processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A second interface unit that connects the processing unit and the exposure processing unit, and a substrate loading / unloading unit that is disposed in the second interface unit and loads and unloads the substrate to be processed from the exposure processing unit; A second substrate transfer unit disposed between the processing unit and the second interface unit and configured to transfer a substrate to be processed between the substrate loading / unloading unit and the main substrate transfer unit. And
The substrate loading / unloading means includes a suction holding unit that sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate to be processed, and a reversing mechanism that reverses the front and back surfaces of the substrate to be processed.
The second substrate transfer unit includes an adsorption holding unit that adsorbs and holds the back surface of the substrate to be processed.
A substrate transfer processing apparatus. The substrate transfer processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
The suction holding portion of the substrate carrying-in / out means is formed in a substantially horseshoe shape,
The suction holding unit of the second substrate transfer unit is configured to avoid interference with the suction holding unit of the substrate carry-in / out unit and the main substrate transfer unit, and the suction holding unit of the substrate carry-in / out unit and the main substrate transfer unit. Formed to be located in the inward recess of the
A substrate transfer processing apparatus.

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