JP2009071008A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus that can transfer a substrate to a processing section with high positioning accuracy. <P>SOLUTION: A transfer robot TR1 transfers a substrate W from cooling units provided at heat treatment towers 22, 23 to coating treatment units provided at a first ground coating treatment section 21 and a second ground coating treatment section 121. On the other hand, a transfer robot TR2 transfers the substrate W from cooling units provided at heat treatment towers 32, 33 to coating treatment units provided at a resist coating treatment section 31 and a resist cover film coating treatment section 131. The cooling units are provided with positioning mechanisms, which align a position of the substrate W within a horizontal plane with a reference position. Suction transfer arms on the transfer robots TR1 and TR2 perform suction holding of the substrate W aligned with the reference position for transfer to the coating treatment units, thereby allowing the substrate W to be carried in with high positioning accuracy. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention conveys a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a photomask, a substrate for an optical disk (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) to a predetermined processing unit such as a coating processing unit, and performs substrate processing. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus.

  As is well known, products such as semiconductors and liquid crystal displays are manufactured by performing a series of processes such as cleaning, resist coating, exposure, development, etching, interlayer insulation film formation, heat treatment, and dicing on the substrate. Has been. Among these various processes, the exposure process is a process for transferring a pattern of a reticle (mask for baking) to a resist-coated substrate, and is a process that is the core of a so-called photolithography process. Usually, since the pattern is extremely fine, so-called step exposure is performed in which exposure is performed repeatedly by dividing into several chips without performing batch exposure on the entire surface of the substrate.

  On the other hand, in recent years, with the rapid increase in density of semiconductor devices and the like, there is a strong demand for further miniaturization of mask patterns. For this reason, a deep ultraviolet light source (Deep UV) such as a KrF excimer laser light source or an ArF excimer laser light source having a relatively short wavelength is becoming the mainstream as a light source of an exposure apparatus that performs exposure processing. However, even an ArF excimer laser light source is not sufficient for the recent demand for further miniaturization. In order to cope with this, it is conceivable to employ a light source having a shorter wavelength, for example, an F2 laser light source, in the exposure apparatus. However, as an exposure technique that enables further pattern miniaturization while reducing the cost burden. An immersion exposure processing method has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the immersion exposure processing method, the “immersion” is performed in a state where a liquid having a refractive index n larger than the atmosphere (n = 1) (for example, pure water with n = 1.44) is filled between the projection optical system and the substrate. By performing “exposure”, the aperture ratio is increased to improve the resolution. According to this immersion exposure processing method, even if a conventional ArF excimer laser light source (wavelength 193 nm) is used as it is, the equivalent wavelength can be set to 134 nm, and the resist mask pattern can be formed while suppressing an increase in cost. It can be miniaturized.

  In an exposure apparatus that performs such immersion exposure processing, the exposure processing is performed in a state where the resist film formed on the substrate and the liquid (usually pure water) are in contact with each other. There is a possibility that the acid is eluted in the liquid and the photosensitive performance is deteriorated. For this reason, when performing the immersion exposure process, a resist cover film (top coat) is formed so as to cover the resist film.

  On the other hand, as a pre-process for forming a resist film, an antireflection film for reducing standing waves and halation generated during exposure is formed. In particular, when the aperture ratio is large as in the case of immersion exposure processing, the incident angle of light is not perpendicular to the resist film but rather is oblique, so that the antireflection film is to prevent the reflection as effectively as possible. Is formed in two layers.

  That is, a coating film in which a substrate to be subjected to immersion exposure processing has a base antireflection film formed on its surface in two layers, a resist film formed on the upper surface, and a resist cover film formed thereon. The multi-stage stack structure is realized.

International Publication No. 99/49504 Pamphlet

  Conventionally, a so-called EBR (Edge Bead Remover) process for removing a peripheral portion of a resist film, an antireflection film, or the like is performed during a coating formation process. In the EBR process, a nozzle dedicated to EBR is provided in the coating processing unit, and the coating film removal liquid is discharged from the nozzle to the peripheral part of the rotating substrate following the coating process, thereby forming a film at a predetermined distance from the peripheral part of the substrate. It is a process to remove. Therefore, if the center position shifts when the substrate is carried into the coating processing unit, the substrate is decentered during rotation and accurate EBR processing cannot be performed.

  However, in the past, it was difficult to bring the substrate into the coating processing unit with the center position perfectly accurately, and it was difficult to avoid a slight error in the EBR processing. If the number of coating films to be formed is small, there is no major problem even if the EBR process is slightly shifted. However, in the case of forming a multi-layer stack structure of coating films corresponding to the immersion exposure process, If the EBR treatment of the coating film is not performed with high accuracy, a deviation occurs between the laminated coating films, and an accurate multi-stage stack structure cannot be realized. In the worst case, there is a problem that the resist cover film is peeled by receiving a liquid pressure during the immersion exposure process.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of transporting a substrate with high positional accuracy with respect to a processing unit.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a first aspect of the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus that performs substrate processing by transporting a substrate to a predetermined processing unit, and a positioning mechanism that positions a substrate in a horizontal plane at a reference position; A transport unit that receives the substrate positioned by the positioning mechanism and transports the substrate to the predetermined processing unit, and the transport unit includes a suction arm that sucks and holds the positioned substrate. To do.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined processing unit is a coating processing unit that supplies a coating solution to a rotating substrate to form a film of the coating solution. In addition, the positioning mechanism is provided in a cooling unit that cools the substrate to a predetermined temperature before performing the coating process.

  The invention of claim 3 is the substrate processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 1, wherein the predetermined processing unit is a coating processing unit that supplies a coating liquid to a rotating substrate to form a film of the coating liquid. And the positioning mechanism is provided in a delivery section for delivering the substrate to the transport means.

  According to the present invention, the position of the substrate in the horizontal plane is positioned at the reference position by the positioning mechanism, and the substrate is sucked and held by the suction arm and transported to the predetermined processing unit. There is no deviation, and the substrate can be transported with high positional accuracy relative to the processing unit.

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

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. 2 is a front view of the liquid processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus 1, FIG. 3 is a front view of the heat treatment unit, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an arrangement configuration of the transfer robot and the substrate mounting unit. In addition, in FIG. 1 and subsequent figures, in order to clarify the directional relationship, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction and the XY plane is a horizontal plane is appropriately attached.

  The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is an apparatus (so-called coater and developer) that applies a photoresist film to a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer and performs development processing on the substrate W after pattern exposure. The substrate W to be processed by the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and may be a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a photomask, or the like.

  The substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is configured by arranging five processing blocks of an indexer block 10, a bark block 20, a resist coating block 30, a development processing block 40, and an interface block 50 in parallel. An exposure unit (stepper) EXP, which is an external device separate from the substrate processing apparatus 1, is connected to the interface block 50.

  The indexer block 10 is a processing block for carrying an unprocessed substrate received from outside the apparatus into the apparatus and carrying out a processed substrate having undergone development processing out of the apparatus. The indexer block 10 takes a mounting table 11 on which a plurality of carriers C (four in this embodiment) are placed side by side, and takes out an unprocessed substrate W from each carrier C and also transfers a processed substrate W to each carrier C. And an indexer robot IR for storage.

  The indexer robot IR can move horizontally along the mounting table 11 (along the Y-axis direction) and can move up and down (Z-axis direction) and rotate around the axis along the vertical direction. 12 is provided. Two movable arms 13 a and 13 b that hold the substrate W in a horizontal posture are mounted on the movable table 12. The holding arms 13a and 13b are slidable back and forth independently of each other. Accordingly, each of the holding arms 13a and 13b performs a horizontal movement along the Y-axis direction, a vertical movement, a turning operation in the horizontal plane, and a forward / backward movement along the turning radius direction. As a result, the indexer robot IR can access the carriers C individually by the holding arms 13a and 13b to take out the unprocessed substrate W and store the processed substrate W. In addition to the FOUP (front opening unified pod) that accommodates the substrate W in a sealed space, the carrier C may be a standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pod or an OC (open cassette) that exposes the storage substrate W to the outside air. There may be.

  A bark block 20 is provided adjacent to the indexer block 10. A partition wall 15 is provided between the indexer block 10 and the bark block 20 for shielding the atmosphere. In order to deliver the substrate W between the indexer block 10 and the bark block 20, two substrate placement portions (delivery portions) PASS 1 and PASS 2 for placing the substrate W are stacked on the partition wall 15 in the vertical direction. ing. Two cooling units (cool plates) CP that cool the substrate W and maintain the substrate W at a predetermined temperature are stacked and arranged further below the substrate platforms PASS1, PASS2.

  The upper substrate platform PASS <b> 1 is used to transport the substrate W from the indexer block 10 to the bark block 20. The substrate platform PASS1 is provided with three support pins, and the indexer robot IR of the indexer block 10 places the unprocessed substrate W taken out from the carrier C on the three support pins of the substrate platform PASS1. To do. Then, the transfer robot TR1 of the bark block 20 described later receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS1. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS <b> 2 is used to transport the substrate W from the bark block 20 to the indexer block 10. The substrate platform PASS2 also includes three support pins, and the transfer robot TR1 of the bark block 20 places the processed substrate W on the three support pins of the substrate platform PASS2. Then, the indexer robot IR receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS2 and stores it in the carrier C. In addition, the structure of the board | substrate mounting parts PASS3-PASS10 mentioned later is also the same as the board | substrate mounting parts PASS1 and PASS2.

  The substrate platforms PASS1, PASS2 and the two cooling units CP are provided so as to partially penetrate a part of the partition wall 15. The substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 are provided with optical sensors (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate W, and the indexer robot IR and the transport robot TR1 are controlled based on detection signals from the sensors. It is determined whether or not the substrate W can be delivered to the substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2.

  Next, the bark block 20 will be described. The bark block 20 is a processing block for applying and forming an antireflection film on the base of the photoresist film in order to reduce standing waves and halation generated during exposure. In the bark block 20 of the present embodiment, different types of antireflection films are formed on the surface of the substrate W in two layers. The bark block 20 includes a first base coating processing unit 21 and a second base coating processing unit 121 for coating and forming an antireflection film on the surface of the substrate W, and two heat treatments accompanying the coating formation of the antireflection film. The heat treatment towers 22 and 23, the first base coating processing unit 21, the second base coating processing unit 121, and the transfer robot TR 1 that delivers the substrate W to the heat processing towers 22 and 23 are provided.

  In the bark block 20, the first base coating processing unit 21, the second base coating processing unit 121, and the heat treatment towers 22 and 23 are arranged to face each other with the transfer robot TR 1 interposed therebetween. Specifically, the first base coating processing unit 21 and the second base coating processing unit 121 are on the front side of the apparatus ((−Y) side), and the two heat treatment towers 22 and 23 are on the back side of the apparatus ((+ Y) side). Respectively. A heat partition (not shown) is provided on the front side of the heat treatment towers 22 and 23. By disposing the first base coating processing unit 21 and the second base coating processing unit 121 and the heat treatment towers 22 and 23 apart from each other and providing a thermal partition wall, the first base coating processing unit 21 and the first heat treatment towers 21 and 23 are provided. 2 to avoid thermal influence on the base coating processing unit 121.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first base coating treatment unit 21 is configured by vertically stacking two coating processing units BRC-A having the same configuration, and the second base coating processing unit 121 has the same configuration. The two coating processing units BRC-B provided with are stacked in a vertical direction. The coating processing unit BRC-A and the coating processing unit BRC-B have the same mechanical configuration, although different types of coating liquids are used. That is, the first base coating processing unit 21 and the second base coating processing unit 121 are stacked in four stages with coating processing units having the same configuration. Each of the coating processing units BRC-A and BRC-B has a spin chuck 26 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates it in a substantially horizontal plane, and reflects on the substrate W held on the spin chuck 26. A coating nozzle 27 that discharges the coating liquid for the prevention film, a spin motor (not shown) that rotationally drives the spin chuck 26, and a cup (not shown) that surrounds the periphery of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 26 are provided. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the heat treatment tower 22, two heating units HP for heating the substrate W to a predetermined temperature, the heated substrate W is cooled to lower the temperature to a predetermined temperature, and the substrate W is cooled. In order to improve the adhesion between the two cooling units CP and the resist film and the substrate W that are maintained at the predetermined temperature, three adhesion reinforcements that heat-treat the substrate W in a vapor atmosphere of HMDS (hexamethyldisilazane). Processing units AHL are stacked in a vertical direction. On the other hand, in the heat treatment tower 23, two heating units HP and two cooling units CP are stacked one above the other. In FIG. 3, pipe wiring sections and spare empty spaces are assigned to the locations indicated by “x” marks (the same applies to other heat treatment sections described later).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the transport robot TR1 includes transport arms 24a and 24b that hold the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and suction transport arms 24c that are close to each other in three upper and lower stages. Among these, the two transfer arms 24a and 24b from the upper side have a “C” -shaped tip in plan view, and a plurality of pins projecting inward from the inside of the “C” -shaped arm. Thus, the periphery of the substrate W is supported from below. The transfer arms 24 a and 24 b are mechanical arms that simply support the periphery of the substrate W.

  On the other hand, the lowermost suction transfer arm 24c also supports the periphery of the substrate W from below by three suction portions 29 protruding inward from the inside of the arm 28 surrounding the outer periphery of the substrate W, as shown in FIG. . However, the suction portion 29 of the suction transfer arm 24c is provided with a suction hole 29a connected to a suction mechanism (not shown). By supporting the peripheral edge of the substrate W from below by the suction portion 29 and sucking the peripheral edge by the suction hole 29a, the suction transfer arm 24c can securely hold and transport the substrate W.

  The transfer arms 24 a and 24 b and the suction transfer arm 24 c are mounted on the transfer head 27. The transport head 27 can be moved up and down along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and rotated around the axis along the vertical direction by a drive mechanism (not shown). Further, the transport head 27 can move the transport arms 24a and 24b and the suction transport arm 24c forward and backward in the horizontal direction independently of each other by a slide mechanism (not shown). Accordingly, each of the transfer arms 24a and 24b and the suction transfer arm 24c performs the up-and-down movement, the turning operation in the horizontal plane, and the forward and backward movement along the turning radius direction. As a result, the transfer robot TR1 has two transfer arms 24a and 24b and an adsorption transfer arm 24c that are individually provided on the substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 and the heat treatment towers 22 and 23, respectively (heating unit HP, cooling unit). Unit CP and adhesion reinforcement processing unit AHL), coating processing unit BRC-A provided in first base coating processing section 21, coating processing unit BRC-B provided in second base coating processing section 121, and substrate mounting described later. The placement units PASS3 and PASS4 can be accessed, and the substrate W can be exchanged between them.

  Next, the resist coating block 30 will be described. A resist coating block 30 is provided so as to be sandwiched between the bark block 20 and the development processing block 40. A partition wall 25 for shielding the atmosphere is also provided between the resist coating block 30 and the bark block 20. In order to transfer the substrate W between the bark block 20 and the resist coating block 30, two substrate platforms PASS 3 and PASS 4 on which the substrate W is placed are stacked on the partition wall 25. The substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 have the same configuration as the substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 described above. In addition, two cooling units CP that cool the substrate W and maintain the substrate W at a predetermined temperature are stacked and disposed below the substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4.

  The upper substrate platform PASS3 is used to transport the substrate W from the bark block 20 to the resist coating block 30. That is, the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 30 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS3 by the transport robot TR1 of the bark block 20. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS 4 is used to transport the substrate W from the resist coating block 30 to the bark block 20. That is, the transport robot TR1 of the bark block 20 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS4 by the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 30.

  The substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 and the two cooling units CP are provided so as to partially penetrate a part of the partition wall 25. The substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 are provided with optical sensors (not shown) for detecting the presence / absence of the substrate W, and the transfer robots TR1 and TR2 are mounted on the substrate based on detection signals from the sensors. It is determined whether or not the substrate W can be delivered to the placement units PASS3 and PASS4.

  The resist coating block 30 forms a resist film by coating a resist on the substrate W on which the antireflection film is coated, and forms a resist cover film for protecting the resist film from the liquid during the immersion exposure process. It is a processing block for doing. In the present embodiment, a chemically amplified resist is used as the photoresist. The resist coating block 30 includes a resist coating processing unit 31 that coats a resist on the antireflection film that has been applied to the base, a resist cover film coating processing unit 131 that coats and forms a resist cover film so as to cover the resist film, and a resist Transfer of the substrate W to the two heat treatment towers 32 and 33 for performing the heat treatment associated with the coating process and the resist cover film coating formation, the resist coating processing unit 31, the resist cover film coating processing unit 131, and the heat treatment towers 32 and 33. And a transfer robot TR2.

  In the resist coating block 30, the resist coating processing unit 31, the resist cover film coating processing unit 131, and the heat treatment towers 32 and 33 are arranged to face each other with the transfer robot TR2 interposed therebetween. Specifically, the resist coating processing unit 31 and the resist cover film coating processing unit 131 are located on the front side of the apparatus, and the two heat treatment towers 32 and 33 are located on the back side of the apparatus. A heat partition (not shown) is provided on the front side of the heat treatment towers 32 and 33. The resist coating processing unit 31, the resist cover film coating processing unit 131 and the heat treatment towers 32, 33 are arranged apart from each other and a thermal partition is provided, so that the resist coating processing unit 31, resist resist film coating processing is performed from the heat treatment towers 32, 33. This avoids thermal influence on the part 131.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the resist coating processing unit 31 is configured by vertically stacking two coating processing units SC having the same configuration. In addition, the resist cover film coating processing unit 131 is configured by stacking two coating processing units TC having the same configuration vertically. The coating processing unit SC and the coating processing unit TC have the same mechanical configuration, and a spin chuck 36 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates it in a substantially horizontal plane, on the spin chuck 36. A coating nozzle 37 that discharges the coating liquid onto the held substrate W, a spin motor (not shown) that rotates the spin chuck 36, and a cup (not shown) that surrounds the periphery of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 36. Etc.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the heat treatment tower 32, two heating units HP for heating the substrate W to a predetermined temperature and the heated substrate W are cooled to lower the temperature to a predetermined temperature, and the substrate W is cooled. Two cooling units CP that are maintained at the predetermined temperature are stacked in a vertical direction. On the other hand, in the heat treatment tower 33, two heating units HP and two cooling units CP are stacked one above the other.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the transport robot TR2 has the same configuration as the transport robot TR1, and the transport arms 34a and 34b that hold the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and the suction transport arm 34c are close to each other in three stages. I'm prepared. Among these, the two transfer arms 34a and 34b from the upper side are mechanical arms that support the periphery of the substrate W from below with a plurality of pins. On the other hand, the lowermost suction transfer arm 34c is the same as the suction transfer arm 24c shown in FIG. Therefore, the suction transfer arm 34c can reliably hold and transfer the substrate W.

  The transfer arms 34 a and 34 b and the suction transfer arm 34 c are mounted on the transfer head 37. The transport head 37 can be moved up and down along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and rotated around the axis along the vertical direction by a drive mechanism (not shown). Further, the transport head 37 can move the transport arms 34a and 34b and the suction transport arm 34c forward and backward in the horizontal direction independently of each other by a slide mechanism (not shown). Accordingly, each of the transfer arms 34a and 34b and the suction transfer arm 34c performs an up-and-down movement, a turning operation in a horizontal plane, and a forward and backward movement along the turning radius direction. Thus, the transfer robot TR2 includes two transfer arms 34a and 34b and an adsorption transfer arm 34c, which are individually provided on the substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 and the heat treatment towers 32 and 33, and the resist coating processing unit 31. The two coating processing units SC provided in the above, the two coating processing units TC provided in the resist cover film coating processing unit 131, and the substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6 described later are accessed, and between them. The substrate W can be exchanged.

  Next, the development processing block 40 will be described. A development processing block 40 is provided so as to be sandwiched between the resist coating block 30 and the interface block 50. A partition wall 35 for shielding the atmosphere is also provided between the development processing block 40 and the resist coating block 30. In order to transfer the substrate W between the resist coating block 30 and the development processing block 40, two substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6 on which the substrate W is mounted are stacked on the partition wall 35. . The substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6 have the same configuration as the substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 described above. Further, two cooling units CP that cool the substrate W and maintain the substrate W at a predetermined temperature are stacked and disposed below the substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6.

  The upper substrate platform PASS5 is used for transporting the substrate W from the resist coating block 30 to the development processing block 40. That is, the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 40 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS5 by the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 30. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS 6 is used to transport the substrate W from the development processing block 40 to the resist coating block 30. That is, the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 30 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS6 by the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 40.

  The substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6 and the two cooling units CP are provided partially penetrating through a part of the partition wall 35. The substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6 are provided with optical sensors (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate W, and the transport robots TR2 and TR3 are mounted on the substrate based on detection signals from the sensors. It is determined whether or not the substrate W can be delivered to the placement units PASS5 and PASS6.

  The development processing block 40 is a processing block for performing development processing on the substrate W after the exposure processing. The development processing block 40 includes a development processing unit 41 that performs a development process by supplying a developing solution to the substrate W on which the pattern has been exposed, a heat treatment tower 42 that performs a heat treatment after the development process, and a substrate W immediately after the exposure. A heat treatment tower 43 that performs heat treatment, and a transfer robot TR3 that transfers the substrate W to the development processing unit 41 and the heat treatment tower 42 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the development processing unit 41 is configured by vertically stacking five development processing units SD having the same configuration. Each development processing unit SD includes a spin chuck 46 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates the substrate W in a substantially horizontal plane, and a nozzle 47 that supplies a developer onto the substrate W held on the spin chuck 46. A spin motor (not shown) for rotating the spin chuck 46 and a cup (not shown) surrounding the periphery of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 46 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the heat treatment tower 42, the two heating units HP for heating the substrate W to a predetermined temperature and the heated substrate W are cooled to lower the temperature to a predetermined temperature, and the substrate W is cooled. Two cooling units CP that are maintained at the predetermined temperature are stacked in a vertical direction. On the other hand, in the heat treatment tower 43, two heating units HP and two cooling units CP are stacked one above the other. The heating unit HP of the heat treatment tower 43 performs a post-exposure bake on the substrate W immediately after the exposure. The transfer robot TR4 of the interface block 50 carries the substrate W in and out of the heating unit HP and the cooling unit CP of the heat treatment tower 43.

  In addition, two substrate platforms PASS7 and PASS8 for transferring the substrate W between the development processing block 40 and the interface block 50 are incorporated in the heat treatment tower 43 so as to be close to each other in the vertical direction. The upper substrate platform PASS7 is used to transport the substrate W from the development processing block 40 to the interface block 50. That is, the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 50 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS7 by the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 40. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS8 is used to transport the substrate W from the interface block 50 to the development processing block 40. That is, the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 40 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS8 by the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 50. The substrate platforms PASS7 and PASS8 are open to both sides of the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 40 and the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 50.

  The transfer robot TR3 includes two transfer arms 44a and 44b that hold the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture so as to be close to each other in the vertical direction. The transport arms 44a and 44b are mechanical arms that support the periphery of the substrate W from below with a plurality of pins. The transfer robot TR3 does not include an adsorption transfer arm. The transfer arms 44 a and 44 b are mounted on the transfer head 47. The transport head 47 can be moved up and down along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and rotated around the axis along the vertical direction by a drive mechanism (not shown). Further, the transport head 47 can move the transport arms 44a and 44b forward and backward in the horizontal direction independently of each other by a slide mechanism (not shown). Accordingly, each of the transfer arms 44a and 44b performs an up-and-down movement, a turning operation in a horizontal plane, and a forward and backward movement along the turning radius direction. As a result, the transfer robot TR3 individually transfers the two transfer arms 44a and 44b to the substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6, the heat treatment unit provided in the heat treatment tower 42, and the development processing unit SD provided in the development processing unit 41. In addition, it is possible to access the substrate platforms PASS7 and PASS8 of the heat treatment tower 43 and transfer the substrate W between them.

  Next, the interface block 50 will be described. The interface block 50 is disposed adjacent to the development processing block 40 and passes an unexposed substrate W coated with a resist film to an exposure unit EXP, which is an external device separate from the substrate processing apparatus 1. This is a block that receives a completed substrate W from the exposure unit EXP and passes it to the development processing block 40. In addition to the transport mechanism IFR for transferring the substrate W to and from the exposure unit EXP, the interface block 50 includes two edge exposure units EEW that expose the peripheral portion of the substrate W on which the resist film is formed, and development A heat treatment tower 43 of the processing block 40 and a transfer robot TR4 that delivers the substrate W to the edge exposure unit EEW are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the edge exposure unit EEW irradiates light to the periphery of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 56 and the spin chuck 56 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates it in a substantially horizontal plane. And a light irradiator 57 for exposure. The two edge exposure units EEW are stacked one above the other at the center of the interface block 50. Further, below the edge exposure unit EEW, two substrate platforms PASS9 and PASS10, a substrate return return buffer RBF, and a substrate feed send buffer SBF are stacked one above the other. The upper substrate platform PASS9 is used to pass the substrate W from the transport robot TR4 to the transport mechanism IFR, and the lower substrate platform PASS10 is used to pass the substrate W from the transport mechanism IFR to the transport robot TR4. It is used for

  In the case where the development processing block 40 cannot perform the development processing of the exposed substrate W due to some trouble, the return buffer RBF performs the post-exposure heating processing in the heat treatment tower 43 of the development processing block 40, and then the substrate W Is temporarily stored. On the other hand, the send buffer SBF temporarily stores and stores the substrate W before the exposure processing when the exposure unit EXP cannot accept the unexposed substrate W. Each of the return buffer RBF and the send buffer SBF is configured by a storage shelf that can store a plurality of substrates W in multiple stages. The transport robot TR4 accesses the return buffer RBF, and the transport mechanism IFR accesses the send buffer SBF.

  The transfer robot TR4 disposed adjacent to the post-exposure bake processing unit 43 of the development processing block 40 includes two transfer arms 54a and 54b that hold the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture so as to be close to each other in the vertical direction. The configuration and operation mechanism are the same as those of the transfer robot TR3. In addition, the transport mechanism IFR includes a movable base 52 that can perform horizontal movement in the Y-axis direction, vertical movement, and rotation around the axis along the vertical direction, and holds the substrate W on the movable base 52 in a horizontal posture. Two holding arms 53a and 53b are mounted. The holding arms 53a and 53b are slidable back and forth independently of each other. Accordingly, each of the holding arms 53a and 53b performs a horizontal movement along the Y-axis direction, a vertical movement, a turning movement in a horizontal plane, and a forward / backward movement along the turning radial direction.

  Next, coating processing units BRC-A, BRC-B, provided in each of the first base coating processing unit 21, the second base coating processing unit 121, the resist coating processing unit 31, and the resist cover film coating processing unit 131, SC and TC will be described. The four types of coating processing units BRC-A, BRC-B, SC, and TC have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following, the coating processing unit SC will be described, but the same applies to the other three types of coating processing units BRC-A, BRC-B, and TC.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a main configuration of the coating processing unit SC. The coating processing unit SC includes a spin chuck 36 for holding the substrate W in a horizontal posture and rotating the substrate W around a vertical rotation axis passing through the center of the substrate W.

  The spin chuck 36 is fixed to the upper end of a rotating shaft 202 that is rotated by a chuck rotation driving mechanism 201 configured by a spin motor or the like. The spin chuck 36 is provided with an intake path (not shown). The substrate W is placed on the spin chuck 36 and the intake path is evacuated so that the lower surface of the substrate W is placed on the spin chuck 36. The substrate W can be held in a horizontal posture by vacuum suction.

  A coating nozzle 37 is provided above the spin chuck 36. The application nozzle 37 is movable between a discharge position above the spin chuck 36 and a standby position outside the cup 205.

  A tip of a coating liquid supply pipe 271 is connected to the coating nozzle 37 in communication. The base end side of the coating liquid supply pipe 271 is connected to the coating liquid supply source 273. Further, a valve 272 is inserted in the middle of the coating liquid supply pipe 271, and is supplied onto the substrate W from the coating liquid supply source 273 via the coating liquid supply pipe 271 by controlling the opening and closing of the valve 272. The supply amount of the coating liquid for the resist film to be adjusted can be adjusted.

  On the other hand, a rotation motor 280 is provided on the side of the cup 205. A rotation shaft 281 is connected to the rotation motor 280. An arm 282 is connected to the rotation shaft 281 so as to extend in the horizontal direction, and an edge nozzle 285 is provided at the tip of the arm 282. When the rotation motor 280 is driven, the rotation shaft 281 rotates and the arm 282 rotates, and the edge nozzle 285 moves between the upper edge of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 36 and the outside of the cup. .

  The tip of a removal liquid supply pipe 291 is connected to the edge nozzle 285 in communication. The base end side of the removal liquid supply pipe 291 is bifurcated, one of the branch pipes 291a is connected to the cleaning liquid supply source 294, and the other branch pipe 291b is connected to the removal liquid supply source 295. . A valve 292 is inserted in the branch pipe 291a, and a valve 293 is inserted in the branch pipe 291b. By controlling the opening and closing of these valves 292 and 293, it is possible to select the liquid to be supplied to the peripheral portion of the substrate W through the removal liquid supply pipe 291 and to adjust the supply amount. That is, the cleaning liquid can be supplied to the substrate W by opening the valve 292, and the removal liquid can be supplied to the substrate W by opening the valve 293. As the removing liquid, for example, an organic solvent such as PGMEA (propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate) is used. As the cleaning liquid, an organic solvent or pure water can be used.

  Next, the cooling unit CP provided in each heat treatment tower will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a main configuration of the cooling unit CP. FIG. 7A is a plan view inside the cooling unit CP, and FIG. 7B is a side view. The cooling unit CP includes a cool plate 81, lift pins 82, positioning protrusions 85, and an alignment mechanism 86.

  The cool plate 81 is a flat plate made of aluminum and includes a cooling mechanism inside. As the cooling mechanism, for example, a Peltier element or a water-cooled tube can be applied. The lift pin 82 is made of, for example, quartz, and has a delivery position where the tip protrudes upward from the upper surface of the cool plate 81 by a lifting mechanism (not shown) and a processing position where the tip is immersed in the cool plate 81. It is possible to move up and down.

  In addition, positioning protrusions 85 are provided at four locations on the upper surface of the cool plate 81. Each positioning protrusion 85 is a truncated cone-shaped member. The four positioning protrusions 85 are accurately installed at positions equidistant from the center of the upper surface of the cool plate 81. In a state where the lift pins 82 are raised to the delivery position, after the substrate W is loaded into the cooling unit CP and placed on the lift pins 82, the lift pins 82 are lowered to the processing position, thereby positioning the substrate W in the horizontal plane. It is adjusted to the reference position by the tapered surface of the protrusion 85. Here, the “reference position” is a position of the substrate W defined in advance in the process, and is a position where the center of the substrate W coincides with the center of each processing unit. For example, in the cooling unit CP, the center of the substrate W coincides with the center of the upper surface of the cool plate 81.

  The cooling unit CP is provided with an alignment mechanism 86. The alignment mechanism 86 includes two position restricting members 88 and two air cylinders 87 that drive the position restricting members 88. The two position regulating members 88 are provided opposite to the delivery position where the lift pins 82 are raised. Normally, the air cylinder 87 retracts the position restricting member 88. After completion of the cooling process, the lift pins 82 rise to the delivery position, lift the substrate W from the upper surface of the cool plate 81, and support it at the delivery position. Then, the air cylinders 87 on both sides advance the position restricting members 88 in a state where the substrate W is supported at the delivery position by the lift pins 82. Thereby, the position restricting members 88 on both sides come into contact with the end edge portion of the substrate W supported by the lift pins 82 and finely adjust the position of the substrate W in the horizontal plane to match the reference position. The reference position has the same meaning as described above.

  That is, the cooling unit CP of the present embodiment is provided with two types of positioning projections 85 and an alignment mechanism 86 as positioning mechanisms for positioning the position of the substrate in the horizontal plane at the reference position. Note that a positioning mechanism may also be provided in the cooling unit CP provided below the substrate placement unit.

  Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. Here, first, the entire processing procedure in the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be briefly described.

  First, an unprocessed substrate W is loaded into the indexer block 10 by AGV or the like while being stored in the carrier C from the outside of the apparatus. Subsequently, the unprocessed substrate W is dispensed from the indexer block 10. Specifically, the indexer robot IR takes out an unprocessed substrate W from a predetermined carrier C and places it on the upper substrate platform PASS1. When the unprocessed substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS1, the transport robot TR1 of the bark block 20 receives the substrate W and transports it to one of the adhesion strengthening processing units AHL of the heat treatment tower 22. In the adhesion strengthening processing unit AHL, the substrate W is heat-treated in an HMDS vapor atmosphere to improve the adhesion of the substrate W. The substrate W that has been subjected to the adhesion strengthening process is taken out by the transport robot TR1, transported to one of the cooling units CP of the heat treatment towers 22 and 23, and cooled.

  The cooled substrate W is transported from the cooling unit CP to any coating processing unit BRC-A of the first base coating processing unit 21 by the transport robot TR1. In the coating processing unit BRC-A, the coating liquid of the first antireflection film is supplied to the surface of the substrate W and is spin-coated.

  At this point, the antireflection film is formed so as to cover the entire surface of the substrate W (including the peripheral portion). Since the peripheral portion of the substrate W is in contact with the transfer arm of the transfer robot or the like, if an antireflection film is formed on the peripheral portion, it may cause contamination or dust generation. For this reason, the EBR process which removes the 1st anti-reflective film formed in the peripheral part of the board | substrate W by supplying a removal liquid from the edge nozzle 285 of the coating process unit BRC-A is performed.

  Subsequently, the substrate W is transferred to one of the heating units HP of the heat treatment towers 22 and 23 by the transfer robot TR1. When the substrate W is heated by the heating unit HP, the coating liquid is dried and the underlying first antireflection film is baked on the substrate W. Thereafter, the substrate W taken out from the heating unit HP by the transfer robot TR1 is transferred to one of the cooling units CP of the heat treatment towers 22 and 23 and cooled. The cooled substrate W is transported to the coating processing unit BRC-B of the second base coating processing unit 121 by the transport robot TR1. In the coating processing unit BRC-B, the coating solution for the second antireflection film is supplied to the surface of the substrate W and is spin-coated. Thereafter, EBR processing for removing the second antireflection film formed on the peripheral edge of the substrate W is performed in the coating processing unit BRC-B.

  Subsequently, the substrate W is transferred to one of the heating units HP of the heat treatment towers 22 and 23 by the transfer robot TR1. When the substrate W is heated by the heating unit HP, the coating liquid is dried, and the underlying second antireflection film is baked on the substrate W. Thereafter, the substrate W taken out from the heating unit HP by the transfer robot TR1 is transferred to one of the cooling units CP of the heat treatment towers 22 and 23 and cooled. The cooled substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS3 by the transport robot TR1.

  Next, when the substrate W on which the antireflection film is formed is placed on the substrate platform PASS3, the transfer robot TR2 of the resist coating block 30 receives the substrate W and cools one of the heat treatment towers 32 and 33. It conveys to unit CP and temperature-controls to predetermined temperature. Subsequently, the transport robot TR2 transports the temperature-controlled substrate W to one of the coating processing units SC of the resist coating processing unit 31. In the coating processing unit SC, a resist film coating solution is spin-coated on the substrate W, and its peripheral portion is removed by EBR processing. Hereinafter, the processing procedure in the coating processing unit SC will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a chemically amplified resist is used as the resist.

  First, the transport robot TR2 carries the substrate W into the coating processing unit SC and places it on the spin chuck 36. The spin chuck 36 holds the substrate W by suction in a horizontal posture. Next, the chuck rotation drive mechanism 201 starts to rotate the rotation shaft 202, and the substrate W held by the spin chuck 36 rotates accordingly. Then, the valve 272 is opened, and the resist film coating solution is discharged from the coating nozzle 37. The resist film coating liquid is supplied from the upper surface of the substrate W on which the antireflection film is formed, and spreads over the entire surface of the substrate W by centrifugal force. In this manner, the resist film coating liquid is spin-coated on the substrate W, and the coating liquid discharge from the coating nozzle 37 is stopped. Before supplying the resist film coating solution, the valve 292 may be opened and the cleaning liquid may be discharged from the edge nozzle 285 to the peripheral portion of the substrate W to perform the cleaning processing of the peripheral portion of the substrate W. .

  When the resist film coating solution is spin-coated, the resist film is formed so as to cover the entire surface of the substrate W. Similarly to the above-described antireflection film, if a resist film is formed on the peripheral edge of the substrate W, contact with the transfer arm or the like may cause contamination or dust generation. Therefore, the valve 293 is opened and the edge nozzle 285 is opened. The removal liquid is discharged to the peripheral edge of the rotating substrate W. Thereby, the resist film formed on the peripheral edge of the substrate W is removed.

  Thereafter, the valve 293 is closed to stop the discharge of the removal liquid from the edge nozzle 285, and the transfer robot TR2 carries the substrate W out of the coating processing unit SC. Also in the coating processing units BRC-A, BRC-B, and TC, the coating liquid rotation coating and the film peripheral edge removal processing (EBR processing) are executed by the same process as the coating processing unit SC. However, in the coating processing units BRC-A and BRC-B, the coating solution is a coating solution for the antireflection film, and in the coating processing unit TC, the coating solution is a coating solution for the resist cover film.

  Subsequently, the substrate W carried out of the coating processing unit SC is transferred to one of the heating units HP of the heat treatment towers 32 and 33 by the transfer robot TR2. When the substrate W is heated (Post Applied Bake) by the heating unit HP, the coating liquid is dried and the resist film is baked on the substrate W. Thereafter, the substrate W taken out from the heating unit HP by the transport robot TR2 is transported to one of the cooling units CP of the heat treatment towers 32 and 33 and cooled. The cooled substrate W is transported to one of the coating processing units TC of the resist cover film coating processing unit 131 by the transport robot TR2. In the coating processing unit TC, a coating liquid for a resist cover film for protecting the resist film is supplied to the substrate W and is spin-coated.

  The operation content of the spin coating is the same as that in the above-described coating processing unit SC, and the resist cover film coating solution is supplied from the upper surface of the substrate W on which the resist film is formed, and the substrate W is subjected to the centrifugal force of the rotating substrate W. It spreads over the entire surface. At this time, a resist cover film is formed so as to cover the entire surface of the substrate W. Similarly to the antireflection film described above, if a resist cover film is formed on the peripheral edge of the substrate W, contact with the transfer arm or the like may cause contamination and dust generation. The removal liquid is supplied from 285 to remove the resist cover film formed on the peripheral edge of the substrate W.

  Subsequently, the substrate W is transferred to one of the heating units HP of the heat treatment towers 32 and 33 by the transfer robot TR2. When the substrate W is heated by the heating unit HP, the coating liquid is dried and the resist cover film is baked on the substrate W. Thereafter, the substrate W taken out from the heating unit HP by the transport robot TR2 is transported to one of the cooling units CP of the heat treatment towers 32 and 33 and cooled. The cooled substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS5 by the transport robot TR2.

  By forming the resist cover film, a multi-layer stack structure of coating films as shown in FIG. 8 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate W. That is, the antireflection film of the first antireflection film 1 and the second antireflection film 2 is formed in two layers immediately above the upper surface of the substrate W, the resist film 3 is formed thereon, and further covers the resist film 3. Then, the resist cover film 4 is formed. The edge portion of each coating film is defined by EBR processing. For example, the distance from the edge of the substrate W to the edge portions of the first antireflection film 1, the resist cover film 4, and the resist film 3 is 0. 2 mm, 0.8 mm, and 1 mm.

  Next, when the substrate W on which the resist cover film 4 is formed is placed on the substrate platform PASS5, the transfer robot TR3 of the development processing block 40 receives the substrate W and places it on the substrate platform PASS7 as it is. To do. Then, the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS7 is received by the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 50 and carried into one of the upper and lower edge exposure units EEW. In the edge exposure unit EEW, exposure processing (edge exposure processing) of the edge portion of the substrate W is performed. The substrate W that has undergone the edge exposure process is placed on the substrate platform PASS9 by the transport robot TR4. Then, the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS9 is received by the transport mechanism IFR, carried into the exposure unit EXP, and subjected to pattern exposure processing.

  Since a chemically amplified resist is used in the present embodiment, an acid is generated by a photochemical reaction in the exposed portion of the resist film 3 formed on the substrate W. In the exposure unit EXP, since the immersion exposure processing is performed on the substrate W, high resolution can be realized with almost no change in conventional light sources and exposure processes. Since the resist film 3 is protected by the resist cover film 4, the acid generated in the resist film 3 is prevented from being eluted into the liquid (pure water) for the immersion exposure process.

  The exposed substrate W for which the pattern exposure processing has been completed is returned from the exposure unit EXP to the interface block 50, and is placed on the substrate platform PASS10 by the transport mechanism IFR. When the exposed substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS10, the transport robot TR4 receives the substrate W and transports it to one of the heating units HP of the heat treatment tower 43 of the development processing block 40. In the heating unit HP of the heat treatment tower 43, reaction such as cross-linking / polymerization of the resist resin proceeds using the product generated by the photochemical reaction during exposure as an acid catalyst, and the solubility in the developing solution is locally changed only in the exposed portion. A post-exposure heat treatment (Post Exposure Bake) is performed.

  The substrate W that has been subjected to post-exposure heat treatment is cooled by a mechanism inside the heating unit HP, whereby the chemical reaction is stopped. Subsequently, the substrate W is taken out from the heating unit HP of the heat treatment tower 43 by the transfer robot TR4 and placed on the substrate platform PASS8.

  When the substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS 8, the transport robot TR 3 of the development processing block 40 receives the substrate W and transports it to one of the cooling units CP of the heat treatment tower 42. In the cooling unit CP, the substrate W that has been subjected to the post-exposure heat treatment is further cooled and accurately adjusted to a predetermined temperature. Thereafter, the transport robot TR3 takes out the substrate W from the cooling unit CP and transports it to one of the development processing units SD of the development processing unit 41. In the development processing unit SD, a developing solution is supplied to the substrate W to advance the development processing. After the development process is finished, the substrate W is transferred to one of the heating units HP of the heat treatment tower 42 by the transfer robot TR3, and further transferred to one of the cooling units CP.

  Thereafter, the substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS6 by the transport robot TR3. The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS6 is placed on the substrate platform PASS4 as it is by the transfer robot TR2 of the resist coating block 30. Further, the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS4 is stored in the indexer block 10 by being placed on the substrate platform PASS2 as it is by the transfer robot TR1 of the bark block 20. The processed substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS2 is stored in a predetermined carrier C by the indexer robot IR. Thereafter, the carrier C storing the predetermined number of processed substrates W is carried out of the apparatus, and a series of photolithography processes are completed.

  In the process of forming each coating film described above, the transport robots TR1 and TR2 transport the substrate W from the cooling unit CP to the coating processing unit, and then transport the substrate W to the heating unit HP. In the cooling unit CP, the position of the substrate W in the horizontal plane is adjusted to the reference position by the positioning protrusion 85 as the lift pins 82 that have received the substrate W descend to the processing position. Further, even when the cooling process is finished and the lift pins 82 are raised to the delivery position, the position of the substrate W in the horizontal plane is adjusted to the reference position by the alignment mechanism 86. Therefore, when the substrate W is unloaded from the cooling unit CP, the substrate W is placed at a reference position that is a position defined in advance in the process by the lift pins 82.

  Next, when the transport robots TR1 and TR2 unload the substrate W from the cooling unit CP, the substrate W is sucked and held by the suction transport arms 24c and 34c and unloaded. For this reason, even if the transfer robots TR1 and TR2 perform the transfer operation, the substrate W is prevented from being shifted from the reference position. Then, the transfer robots TR1 and TR2 transfer the substrate W to the coating processing units BRC-A, BRC-B, SC, and TC while adsorbing and holding the substrate W at the reference position, and pass them to the spin chuck 36. Therefore, also in the coating processing units BRC-A, BRC-B, SC, and TC, the substrate W is held at the reference position by the spin chuck 36. The reference position in the coating processing units BRC-A, BRC-B, SC, and TC is a position where the center of the substrate W coincides with the rotation center of the spin chuck 36. As a result, no eccentricity occurs even when the substrate W is rotated by the spin chuck 36, and the EBR process for removing the peripheral edge portion of the coating film is accurately executed by the edge nozzle 285. In each of the four coating processing units BRC-A, BRC-B, SC, and TC, if the EBR processing is accurately performed, a multi-stage stack structure of coating films as shown in FIG. 8 is also accurately formed. .

  However, since the suction transfer arms 24c and 34c require a predetermined time for the suction and release of the substrate W, the transfer arms 24a, 24b, 34a and 34b which are mechanical arms are preferable from the viewpoint of throughput, and from the cooling unit CP. The transfer arms 24a, 24b, 34a, and 34b are used for transfer operations other than the transfer of the substrate to the coating processing units BRC-A, BRC-B, SC, and TC.

  While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than those described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the transfer robots TR1 and TR2 are provided with two mechanical arms and one suction transfer arm. However, if throughput does not matter, the transfer robot has two suction transfer arms. And all the substrates may be transported by the suction transport arm.

  In the above embodiment, the cooling unit CP is provided with the two positioning mechanisms of the positioning protrusion 85 and the positioning mechanism 86. However, only one of the positioning mechanisms may be provided.

  In addition to the cooling unit CP, a positioning mechanism may be provided not only on the substrate mounting part (delivery part) provided between the blocks. In this case, the substrate mounting portion has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 7 except that the cool plate 81 is a normal plate without a cooling mechanism. If a positioning mechanism is provided in the substrate platform, the substrate W can be directly transferred to the coating processing unit after the position of the substrate W in the horizontal plane is adjusted to the reference position in the substrate platform. . In this case, the transfer robot receives the substrate W from the substrate platform by the suction transfer arm.

  Further, the transfer of the substrate W between the blocks may be performed by a cooling unit CP provided below the substrate platform instead of the substrate platform. In this case, the cooling unit CP provided below the substrate platform is configured as shown in FIG.

  Further, the target to be transported by suction holding the substrate W aligned with the reference position by the suction transport arm is not limited to the coating processing unit, and high positional accuracy is required for the edge exposure unit EEW and the inspection unit. Any unit can be used.

  In short, the position of the substrate W in the horizontal plane is adjusted to the reference position by the positioning mechanism immediately before the substrate W is transported to a unit that requires high positional accuracy of the substrate W, and the substrate W is sucked and held by the suction transport arm. If it is a form which carries in to the said unit, it is possible to select suitably the site | part which provides a positioning mechanism, and the unit used as conveyance object.

  Further, the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention is not limited to the form shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and high positional accuracy is required for a coating processing unit, an edge exposure unit, an inspection unit, and the like. As long as the unit is built in.

1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a front view of the liquid processing part of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a front view of the heat processing part of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the arrangement configuration of the conveyance robot and substrate mounting part of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a top view which shows a suction conveyance arm. It is a figure for demonstrating the principal part structure of a coating process unit. It is a figure which shows the principal part structure of a cooling unit. It is a figure which shows the multistage stack structure of the coating film formed on the board | substrate.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 10 Indexer block 20 Bark block 24c, 34c Suction conveyance arm 30 Resist coating block 40 Development processing block 50 Interface block 85 Positioning protrusion 86 Positioning mechanism BRC-A, BRC-B, SC, TC Coating processing unit CP Cooling Unit HP Heating unit PASS1 to PASS10 Substrate platform SD Development processing unit TR1, TR2, TR3, TR4 Transport robot W Substrate

Claims (3)

A substrate processing apparatus that transports a substrate to a predetermined processing unit and performs substrate processing,
A positioning mechanism for positioning the position of the substrate in the horizontal plane at the reference position;
A transport unit that receives the substrate positioned by the positioning mechanism and transports the substrate to the predetermined processing unit;
With
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the transport means includes a suction arm for sucking and holding the positioned substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The predetermined processing unit is a coating processing unit that forms a film of the coating solution by supplying the coating solution to a rotating substrate,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the positioning mechanism is provided in a cooling unit that cools the substrate to a predetermined temperature before performing the coating process. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The predetermined processing unit is a coating processing unit that forms a film of the coating solution by supplying the coating solution to a rotating substrate,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the positioning mechanism is provided in a delivery section for delivering the substrate to the transport means.

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