JP2013038436A - Substrate conveying apparatus and substrate processing apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate conveying apparatus and a substrate processing apparatus using the same in which time required for switching batch conveyance of a plurality of substrates and single sheet conveyance of a substrate can be shortened and a configuration can also be simplified.SOLUTION: A conveyance-in/conveyance-out mechanism 4 comprises: a batch hand 40 for collectively holding a plurality of substrates W in a stacked state; a batch hand forward/backward moving mechanism for forward/backward moving the batch hand 40; a single sheet hand 39 for holding a substrate W; a single sheet hand forward/backward moving mechanism for forward/backward moving the single sheet hand 39; a holding base 41 for holding the batch hand forward/backward moving mechanism and the single sheet hand forward/backward moving mechanism; an elevating block 43 for vertically moving the holding base 41; and a turning block 42 for turning the holding base 41 along a perpendicular direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus capable of collectively processing a plurality of substrates, and a substrate transport apparatus provided in the substrate processing apparatus. Examples of substrates to be processed or transported include semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display substrates, plasma display substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, and magneto-optical disk substrates. And a photomask substrate.

2. Description of the Related Art A substrate processing apparatus that performs processing using a chemical solution on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer includes a batch type that performs processing on a plurality of substrates at once. An example of a batch type substrate processing apparatus is shown in Patent Document 1 below. This substrate processing apparatus includes a carrier mounting unit, a horizontal transfer robot, a posture changing mechanism, a pusher, a main transfer mechanism, and a substrate processing unit.
The carrier placing section can place a carrier (container) that holds a plurality of substrates stacked in a vertical position in a horizontal posture.

  The horizontal transfer robot is configured by a vertical articulated arm type transfer robot, and is configured so that the articulated arm can be expanded and contracted and swung around a vertical axis. As a result, the horizontal transfer robot points the articulated arm toward the carrier, puts and removes a plurality of substrates stacked vertically in the horizontal posture with respect to the carrier, and further converts the articulated arm into a posture changing mechanism. Toward this, a plurality of substrates stacked in a vertical direction in a horizontal posture are transferred to the posture changing mechanism.

The posture changing mechanism is for changing the posture of a plurality of stacked substrates at once between a horizontal posture and a vertical posture.
The pusher is equipped with a holder that can move up and down and move horizontally, and can transfer a plurality of substrates in a vertical posture to and from the posture changing mechanism at once, and a plurality of substrates in a vertical posture with the main transfer mechanism Can be delivered in bulk.

The main transport mechanism has a substrate chuck that holds a plurality of (for example, 50) substrates forming a batch in a vertical posture, and a plurality of substrates constituting the batch by moving the substrate chuck in the horizontal direction. Are carried into / out of the substrate processing unit.
The substrate processing unit has a plurality of processing tanks arranged along the moving direction of the main transport mechanism. The treatment tank includes a chemical tank, a water washing tank, and a drying tank. In the chemical tank, a plurality of substrates in a vertical posture are immersed in a chemical stored in the tank, and the plurality of substrates are collectively subjected to a chemical treatment. A water rinsing tank immerses a plurality of substrates in a vertical position in pure water (deionized water) stored in the tank and performs a rinsing process on the plurality of substrates at once. is there. The drying tank collectively performs a process of supplying an organic solvent (for example, isopropyl alcohol) or shaking off a liquid component on a plurality of substrates.

  In the apparatus of Patent Document 1, the horizontal transfer robot includes a batch hand and a single-wafer hand that can be attached to and detached from an articulated arm. The batch hand is used to transfer a plurality of substrates at once, and the single-wafer hand is used to transfer substrates one by one. The hand exchange is performed by the horizontal transfer robot accessing the hand exchange unit. The hand exchange unit includes three hand holders for holding a batch hand, a single-wafer hand for unprocessed substrates, and a single-wafer hand for processed substrates. For example, when removing a batch hand and mounting a single-wafer hand, the horizontal transfer robot stores the batch hand in the batch-hand hand holder and mounts the single-wafer hand stored in the single-wafer hand holder. To work. As a result, the hands can be automatically exchanged without requiring human intervention.

JP-A-11-354604

  In the configuration according to the above-described prior art, since hands other than the hand in use are stored in the hand exchange unit, it is necessary to provide a space for the hand exchange unit. In addition, since the horizontal transfer robot needs to access the hand exchange unit every time the hand is exchanged, it takes time for the hand exchange, and further, it requires time for hand exchange. Therefore, when processing that requires hand replacement is performed, the substrate processing speed is greatly impaired.

Furthermore, a vertical articulated arm type robot is applied as a horizontal transfer robot in order to access the hand exchange unit and realize automatic hand exchange. However, since the vertical articulated arm type robot has a complicated structure and is expensive accordingly, there is a problem that the cost becomes high.
In addition, in order to move the substrate in the horizontal direction by the vertical multi-armed articulated robot, it is necessary to drive a plurality of drive shafts synchronously. For this reason, if the substrate is to be transported at a high speed, the hand is vibrated, which may cause a transport failure. Therefore, it is difficult to increase the substrate transport speed, and accordingly, there is a problem that it is difficult to improve the productivity of the substrate processing apparatus.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce the time required for switching between the collective conveyance of a plurality of substrates and the single wafer conveyance of a single substrate, and to simplify the configuration and a substrate using the same. It is to provide a processing device.

  The invention described in claim 1 for achieving the above object comprises a batch hand for holding a plurality of substrates in a stacked state, a batch hand advancing / retreating mechanism for advancing and retreating the batch hand, and one substrate. A single-wafer hand to be held, a single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism for moving the single-wafer hand forward, a holding base for holding the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism and the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism, and an elevating mechanism for moving the holding base up and down, And a turning mechanism for turning the holding base around a turning axis along the vertical direction. The batch hand advancing / retreating mechanism is supported by the holding base and is coupled to the pair of batch hand linear guides extending in parallel with each other, and the batch that is coupled to the pair of batch hand linear guides and moves forward and backward while holding the batch hand. Includes hand advance / retreat bracket. The single-wafer hand advancement / retreat mechanism is disposed between the pair of batch-hand linear guides, supported by the holding base, and extends in parallel with the pair of batch-hand linear guides. And a single-wafer hand advance / retreat bracket that is coupled to the single single-wafer hand linear guide and moves forward and backward while holding the single-wafer hand. When the batch hand and the single-wafer hand are in their retracted positions, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat bracket is included in the batch hand advance / retreat bracket, and the batch hand and single-wafer hand are stacked in the vertical direction. It is like that.

  According to this configuration, the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism for advancing / retreating the batch hand and the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism for advancing / retreating the single-wafer hand are held on a common holding base. The common holding base is moved up and down by an elevating mechanism and is turned around a vertical axis by a turning mechanism. Therefore, with the batch hand or single-wafer hand facing the transfer target location, the substrate is loaded into this transfer target location by advancing and retracting the batch hand or single-wafer hand relative to the transfer target location. / Can be carried out. Since the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism and the single wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism are individually provided, the batch hand and the single wafer hand can be independently advanced and retracted.

  In this way, since there is no need to replace the hand, the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism and the single-wafer hand can be switched between batch conveyance of a plurality of substrates by a batch hand and single-wafer conveyance of a single substrate by a single-wafer hand. This is achieved by selecting which of the advance and retreat mechanisms is activated. Therefore, unlike the above-described prior art, a long time is not required for switching between batch conveyance and single-wafer conveyance. Thereby, even if it is a case where switching with collective conveyance and single wafer conveyance is required, substrate conveyance can be performed efficiently.

  In addition, since there is no need to replace the hand, a vertical multi-function arm articulated robot with a complicated structure as in the prior art is not required, and an elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the holding base and a turning mechanism for turning the holding base are provided. Further, the holding base may be provided with a batch hand advance / retreat mechanism and a single wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism. Therefore, since the structure is simple compared to the prior art, the cost can be greatly reduced. Moreover, the movement of the substrate in the horizontal direction can be performed by turning the holding base and moving the hand back and forth, and there is no need for synchronous driving of a plurality of drive shafts as in the case of a vertical articulated arm type robot. Therefore, it is possible to increase the substrate conveyance speed.

Furthermore, since no hand exchange unit is required, the area occupied by the device (footprint) can be reduced, and at the same time, the cost can be reduced.
The advancing / retreating direction of the batch hand and the advancing / retreating direction of the single-wafer hand may be different, but are preferably parallel.
In the present invention, when the batch hand and the single-wafer hand are in their respective retracted positions, these batch hands and single-wafer hands are stacked in the vertical direction. According to this configuration, the turning radius in the state where the batch hand and the single-wafer hand are retracted can be reduced, so that the installation space for the substrate transfer apparatus can be reduced.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the single-wafer hand includes two hand elements that are spaced apart in the horizontal direction, and each hand element has first and second substrate support portions having different heights, The substrate transport apparatus further includes a hand opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes by driving the two hand elements in the horizontal direction, and the single-wafer hand is configured to open the two hands when the two hand elements are opened. In a state where the substrate is held at the first height by the first substrate support portion of the element and the two hand elements are closed, the second substrate support portion of the two hand elements is at the second height. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is held.

  According to this configuration, by opening and closing the two hand elements by the hand opening / closing mechanism, a state in which the substrate is supported by the first substrate support portion and a state in which the substrate is supported by the second substrate support portion. You can choose. Since the first and second substrate support portions are different in height, when the substrate is supported by one substrate support portion, the substrate can be prevented from coming into contact with the other substrate support portion. Therefore, the substrate can be supported by properly using the first and second substrate support portions.

  For example, one of the first and second substrate support portions can be used to support an unprocessed substrate, and the other can be used to support a processed substrate. As a result, the single-wafer hand can be properly used for two types of applications, and the single-wafer hand for the unprocessed substrate and the single-wafer hand for the processed substrate need to be prepared separately as in the prior art described above. There is no need to exchange them. This eliminates the need for a replacement hand and allows individual substrate support portions to be assigned to unprocessed substrates and processed substrates without requiring time for hand replacement.

The invention according to claim 3 is held by the container holding unit that holds a container that holds a plurality of substrates in a stacked state, a substrate holding unit that holds a plurality of substrates, and the container holding unit. It is a substrate processing apparatus containing the substrate conveyance apparatus of Claim 1 or 2 which conveys a board | substrate between a container and the said board | substrate holding part.
According to this configuration, the substrate conveyance between the container held by the container holding unit and the substrate holding unit is performed by batch conveyance using a batch hand or by single wafer conveyance using a single wafer hand. Can be. When switching between batch conveyance and single-wafer conveyance, time for hand exchange is not necessary, and the switching can be performed quickly. Thereby, since a board | substrate conveyance can be sped up, the improvement of a substrate processing speed can be aimed at according to it.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an illustrative plan view for explaining the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 10 includes a FOUP holding unit 1, a substrate processing unit 2, a main transport mechanism 3, a carry-in / out mechanism 4, a posture changing mechanism 5, a pusher 6, a delivery mechanism 7, a chuck cleaning unit 8, and a controller 9. (Control unit).

  The hoop holding unit 1 is disposed at one corner of the substrate processing apparatus 10 formed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The hoop holding unit 1 is capable of holding a hoop F as a container that accommodates a plurality of (for example, 25) substrates W in a horizontal posture stacked in the Z direction (vertical direction, vertical direction). It is a container holding part. An automatic hoop conveyance device 11 indicated by a two-dot chain line is arranged so as to face the front surface 10a of the substrate processing apparatus 10 (corresponding to one short side in a plan view). The automatic hoop conveyance device 11 serves to supply the hoop F containing the unprocessed substrate W to the hoop holding unit 1 and the hoop F (empty hoop) to store the processed substrate W to the hoop holding unit 1. It has a function of supplying and a function of retracting the hoop F held in the hoop holding unit 1 in order to exchange the hoop held in the hoop holding unit 1. In this embodiment, the substrate W is a circular substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. For example, a semiconductor wafer has a notch for expressing the crystal direction at the peripheral edge.

  The substrate processing unit 2 includes a plurality of processing units 20 (processing units) arranged along the Y direction (horizontal direction) along the side surface (corresponding to one long side in plan view) 10b of the substrate processing apparatus 10. . The plurality of processing units 20 include a first chemical liquid tank 21, a first rinse liquid tank 22, a second chemical liquid tank 23, a second rinse liquid tank 24, and a drying processing section 25. The first chemical solution tank 21 and the second chemical solution tank 23 store chemical solutions of the same type or different types, respectively, and immerse a plurality of substrates W in the chemical solutions in a lump. The first rinsing liquid tank 22 and the second rinsing liquid tank 24 each store a rinsing liquid (for example, pure water), and immerse a plurality of (for example, 52 sheets) of substrates W in the rinsing liquid. The surface is rinsed.

  In this embodiment, the first chemical liquid tank 21 and the first rinse liquid tank 22 adjacent thereto are paired, and the second chemical liquid tank 23 and the second rinse liquid tank 24 adjacent thereto are paired. It has become. Then, the first lifter 27 as a dedicated transport mechanism for transferring the substrate W treated with the chemical solution in the first chemical solution tank 21 to the first rinse solution tank 22 and the substrate W treated with the chemical solution in the second chemical solution tank 23 A second lifter 28 is provided as a dedicated transport mechanism for transfer to the 2-rinse liquid tank 24. The first and second lifters 27 and 28 include a substrate support portion that can support a plurality of (for example, 52) substrates W in a vertical posture stacked in the X direction (horizontal direction), and the substrate. An elevating drive mechanism that moves the support portion up and down and a traverse drive mechanism that traverses the substrate support portion along the Y direction are provided. The X direction is a horizontal direction along the front surface 10a of the substrate processing apparatus 10 and is a direction orthogonal to the Y direction.

  With this configuration, the first lifter 27 collectively receives a plurality of substrates W stacked in the X direction in a vertical posture from the main transport mechanism 3, and lowers the plurality of substrates W into the first chemical tank 21. And soak in the chemical. Further, after waiting for a predetermined chemical solution processing time, the first lifter 27 raises the substrate support portion to pull up the plurality of substrates W from the chemical solution, and causes the substrate support portion to traverse to the first rinse liquid tank 22. Further, the substrate support portion is lowered into the first rinsing liquid tank 22 and immersed in the rinsing liquid. After waiting for a predetermined rinsing time, the first lifter 27 raises the substrate support portion and pulls up the substrate W from the rinse liquid. Thereafter, a plurality of substrates W are collectively delivered from the first lifter 27 to the main transport mechanism 3. Similarly, the second lifter 28 collectively receives a plurality of substrates W stacked in the X direction in a vertical posture from the main transport mechanism 3, and lowers the plurality of substrates W into the second chemical tank 23. Immerse in the chemical. Further, after waiting for a predetermined chemical solution processing time, the second lifter 28 raises the substrate support portion to pull up the plurality of substrates W from the chemical solution, and causes the substrate support portion to traverse to the second rinse liquid tank 24. Further, the substrate support portion is lowered into the second rinse liquid tank 24 and immersed in the rinse liquid. After waiting for a predetermined rinsing time, the second lifter 28 raises the substrate support portion and pulls up the substrate W from the rinse liquid. Thereafter, a plurality of substrates W are collectively delivered from the second lifter 28 to the main transport mechanism 3.

  The drying processing unit 25 has a substrate holding mechanism capable of holding a plurality of (for example, 52) substrates W stacked in the X direction in a vertical posture, and an organic solvent (isopropyl alcohol) in a reduced-pressure atmosphere. Etc.) is supplied to the substrate W, or the liquid component on the surface of the substrate W is shaken off by centrifugal force, thereby drying the substrate W. The drying processing unit 25 can deliver the substrate W to and from the main transport mechanism 3.

  The main transport mechanism 3 includes a pair of substrate chucks (clamping mechanisms) 30 serving as a substrate batch holding unit that collectively holds a plurality of (for example, 52) substrates W in a vertical posture while being stacked in the X direction, and the substrate chuck. 30, a chuck driving mechanism for operating the substrate chuck 30, a horizontal driving mechanism for moving the substrate chuck 30 horizontally (transverse) along the Y direction, and a lift driving mechanism for moving the substrate chuck 30 up and down along the Z direction. . Each of the pair of substrate chucks 30 includes a pair of shaft-like support guides 31 extending in the X direction, and a plurality of substrates W in a vertical posture are received on opposite sides of each support guide 31 from below. A plurality of substrate support grooves for supporting are formed at intervals in the axial direction. The chuck drive mechanism expands or contracts the distance between the pair of support guides 31 by rotating the pair of substrate chucks 30 in the direction of the arrow 33. Accordingly, the substrate chuck 30 can perform an opening / closing operation for switching between a holding state in which the substrate W is held and held and a release state in which the holding of the substrate W is released. The substrate W can be transferred between the first and second lifters 27 and 28 and the substrate chuck 30 by the opening / closing operation and the vertical movement of the first and second lifters 27 and 28. Further, the main transport mechanism 3 can collectively transfer a plurality of substrates W to and from the drying processing unit 25 while being stacked in the X direction in a vertical posture.

The main transport mechanism 3 receives a plurality of unprocessed substrates W stacked in the X direction in a vertical posture at the substrate transfer position P, and receives a plurality of processed substrates W stacked in the X direction in a vertical posture at the substrate transfer position. Works like paying out with P.
The chuck cleaning unit 8 is disposed between the substrate delivery position P and the processing unit 20. The chuck cleaning unit 8 has a cleaning tank 35 in which a pair of openings into which a pair of substrate chucks 30 are respectively inserted are formed on the upper surface. In the cleaning tank 35, the substrate chuck 30 (particularly the support guide 31) is cleaned using a cleaning liquid. The main transport mechanism 3 inserts the substrate chuck 30 into the cleaning tank 35 of the chuck cleaning unit 8 before transporting the processed substrate W after the drying processing in the drying processing unit 25 is completed. Then, after the substrate chuck 30 is cleaned in the cleaning tank 35, the main transport mechanism 3 operates so as to collectively receive the processed substrates W from the drying processing unit 25. The main transport mechanism 3 can narrow the distance between the pair of support guides 31 provided at the lower end of the substrate chuck 30. Therefore, if the cleaning process in the cleaning tank 35 is performed in a state where the interval between the support guides 31 is narrowed, the cleaning tank 35 can be reduced in size, so that the area occupied by the substrate processing apparatus 10 can be suppressed.

  A shutter 15 is provided between the chuck cleaning unit 8 and the substrate delivery position P. The shutter 15 is opened when the main transport mechanism 3 moves from the substrate delivery position P to the processing unit 20 side and when the main transport mechanism 3 moves from the processing unit 20 side to the substrate delivery position P. The period is kept closed. As a result, leakage of the chemical atmosphere on the processing unit 20 side is suppressed or prevented.

FIG. 2A is an enlarged plan view for explaining a configuration related to substrate conveyance between the FOUP F and the main conveyance mechanism 3. The carry-in / out mechanism 4 faces the hoop holding unit 1. An opener 12 for opening and closing a lid closing the front surface of the hoop F is disposed on the side of the carry-in / out mechanism 4 of the hoop holding unit 1.
On the substrate delivery position P side of the carry-in / out mechanism 4, the attitude changing mechanism 5 is arranged. A pusher 6 is disposed on the substrate transfer position P side of the posture conversion mechanism 5. A delivery mechanism 7 is disposed at the substrate delivery position P. The delivery mechanism 7 operates to transport the substrate W between the substrate transfer position S that is the position of the pusher 6 and the substrate delivery position P.

  The transport path TP1 between the carry-in / out mechanism 4 and the pusher 6 and the transport path TP2 between the pusher 6 and the substrate delivery position P intersect at a predetermined angle (for example, 170 degrees to 185 degrees). ing. That is, the transport path TP2 is parallel to the X direction, while the transport path TP1 forms a skew path that is skewed away from the front surface 10a as it goes from the pusher 6 toward the transporting mechanism 4. A carry-in / out mechanism 4, an attitude changing mechanism 5, and a pusher 6 are arranged along the transport path TP1. A substrate transfer position S and a substrate delivery position P where the pushers 6 are arranged are arranged along the transport path TP2. Therefore, the pusher 6 is disposed at the intersection of the transport paths TP1 and TP2.

  Such an arrangement is useful for reducing the occupation area (footprint) of the substrate processing apparatus 10 while securing a hand stroke when the carry-in / out mechanism 4 accesses the FOUP F. Further, if the conveyance path from the carry-in / out mechanism 4 to the substrate delivery position P is a straight line, the carry-in / out mechanism 4, the posture changing mechanism 5, the pusher 6 and the substrate delivery position P must be arranged on a straight line, and the accuracy thereof Adjustment to ensure the is a difficult task. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the transport paths TP1 and TP2 intersect each other at a predetermined angle, the carry-in / out mechanism 4 and the attitude conversion mechanism 5 are aligned along the transport path TP1, Since the pusher 6 and the substrate transfer position P are aligned along the transport path TP2, and the pusher 6 has only to be arranged at the intersection of the transport paths TP1 and TP2, the adjustment becomes easy.

FIG. 2B is an elevation view seen from the arrow A1 in FIG. 2A. However, the chuck cleaning unit 8 is not shown.
The carry-in / out mechanism 4 is a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a single-wafer hand 39 capable of holding one substrate W and a plurality of substrates W are collectively held in a stacked state. A batch hand 40 that is a plurality of holding hands, a holding base 41 that holds these hands 39 and 40 in common, a turning block 42, and a turning block 42 that can turn around a vertical axis. And an elevating block 43 that supports the elevating block 43 and a base 44 that supports the elevating block 43 so as to be movable up and down. The holding base 41 incorporates a hand advance / retreat mechanism (not shown) for independently advancing and retracting the single-wafer hand 39 and the batch hand 40. The turning block 42 supports the holding base 41 and turns around a vertical axis by the action of a built-in turning mechanism (not shown), thereby turning the hands 39 and 40 around the vertical axis together with the holding base 41. . By this turning, the hands 39 and 40 can be made to face the FOUP F, or the posture changing mechanism 5 as an example of the substrate holding part. The base unit 44 incorporates an elevating mechanism (not shown) for elevating the elevating block 43 along the Z direction. The hands 39 and 40 can be moved up and down by the function of the lifting mechanism. By this vertical movement and the advance / retreat operation by the hand advance / retreat mechanism, the hands 39, 40 can carry the substrate W into and out of the hoop F and transfer the substrate W to / from the posture changing mechanism 5.

  The batch hand 40 includes a plurality of (for example, 25) hand elements stacked at the same interval as the substrate holding interval in the hoop F, and, for example, 25 substrates W are collectively collected by the plurality of hand elements. Can be held. Therefore, by using the batch hand 40, for example, 25 substrates W can be loaded / unloaded to / from the FOUP F at a time, and the 25 substrates W can be collectively moved to / from the attitude changing mechanism 5. Can be handed over.

  The single wafer hand 39 can hold one substrate W. For example, in addition to 25 substrates W, a dummy substrate for testing is added and processed simultaneously, or a substrate in the FOUP F It is used for rearranging and processing the substrates W in an order different from the order of W. By using this single wafer hand 39, one substrate W can be carried in / out with respect to the FOUP F, and one substrate W can be transferred to and from the posture changing mechanism 5.

  The posture conversion mechanism 5 changes the posture of the substrate W between a horizontal posture and a vertical posture. More specifically, the posture changing mechanism 5 can hold a plurality of substrates W delivered in a horizontal posture from the carry-in / out mechanism 4 in a vertically stacked state, and these substrates W can be held horizontally in a vertical posture. The posture is changed to a state of being stacked in the direction. The plurality of substrates W in the vertical posture are transferred to the pusher 6. Further, the posture conversion mechanism 5 collectively receives a plurality of substrates W stacked in the vertical direction in the vertical posture from the pusher 6, and converts the postures of these substrates W into the posture stacked in the vertical direction in the horizontal posture. To do. The horizontally oriented substrate W is delivered to the carry-in / out mechanism 4.

More specifically, the posture changing mechanism 5 includes a base 49 fixed to the frame of the substrate processing apparatus, a rotating block 50, a pair of first holding mechanisms 51 attached to the rotating block 50, Similarly, a pair of second holding mechanisms 52 attached to the rotation block 50 and a substrate restriction mechanism 53 are provided.
The rotation block 50 is attached to the base 49 so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft 50a. The axis of the rotation shaft 50a is along the horizontal direction, and this axis is in a plane orthogonal to the transport path TP1. A motor 55 for rotating the rotation block 50 around the rotation shaft 50 a is attached to the base 49 via a gear head 54. Therefore, by driving the motor 55, the postures of the first and second holding mechanisms 51 and 52 can be changed.

  The pair of first holding mechanisms 51 are a pair of long components arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport path TP1. A pair of holding groove groups is formed on the circumferential surface of the first holding mechanism 51 at positions facing each other across the central axis. These holding groove groups are configured by a plurality of holding grooves formed along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first holding mechanism 51, and these holding grooves are formed in the longitudinal direction of the first holding mechanism 51. It is arranged at a predetermined pitch in the direction. This pitch is equal to the pitch at which the batch hand 40 of the carry-in / out mechanism 4 holds the plurality of substrates W, that is, the substrate holding pitch in the FOUP F.

  The pair of first holding mechanisms 51 are attached to the rotation block 50 in a posture parallel to each other. When the pair of first holding mechanisms 51 is in the posture along the vertical direction (Z direction), the plurality of substrates W in the horizontal posture can be supported from below by any one of the pair of holding groove groups. . One of the pair of holding groove groups is used to hold an unprocessed substrate W, and the other is used to hold a processed substrate W.

  The pair of second holding mechanisms 52 are a pair of long components arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport path TP1. These second holding mechanisms 52 are attached to the rotation block 50 in a posture parallel to the first holding mechanism 51. Each second holding mechanism 52 has a plurality of holding groove members. The plurality of holding groove members include a plurality of plate-like bodies fixed at a predetermined pitch in the longitudinal direction of the second holding mechanism 52. This pitch is equal to the substrate holding pitch in the batch hand 40 of the carry-in / out mechanism 4. Each holding groove member has a pair of holding grooves on a pair of opposed end faces. The plurality of holding groove members are arranged so that these holding grooves are aligned along the longitudinal direction of the second holding mechanism 52. Each holding groove is formed along a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the second holding mechanism 52.

  The pair of second holding mechanisms 52 are attached to the rotation block 50 in a posture parallel to each other. Then, when the pair of second holding mechanisms 52 are in the posture along the horizontal direction, the plurality of substrates W in the vertical posture are supported from below by any of the pair of holding grooves formed in each holding groove member. Can be done. One of the pair of holding grooves is used to hold an unprocessed substrate W, and the other is used to hold a processed substrate W.

  The rotation block 50 includes a first holding mechanism 51 and a second holding mechanism 51 and a horizontal holding attitude in which the substrate regulating mechanism 53 is in a vertical attitude (an attitude shown by a solid line in FIGS. 2A and 2B), and a first and second holding mechanism. 51 and 52 and the board | substrate control mechanism 53 are rotated between the vertical holding | maintenance attitude | positions (position shown with a dashed-two dotted line in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B) used as a horizontal attitude | position. Hereinafter, the postures of the first and second holding mechanisms 51 and 52 and the board regulating mechanism 53 when the rotating block 50 is in the horizontal holding posture are also referred to as horizontal holding postures, and when the rotating block 50 is in the vertical holding posture. The postures of the first and second holding mechanisms 51 and 52 and the substrate regulating mechanism 53 are also referred to as a vertical holding posture. In the horizontal holding posture, the peripheral edge portion of the substrate W in the horizontal posture is supported from below by the first holding mechanism 51 at two opposing positions. In the vertical holding posture, the peripheral edge portion of the substrate W in the vertical posture is supported by the second holding mechanism 52 at two locations below.

  The substrate regulating mechanism 53 is made of a round bar-like member provided in parallel with the first and second holding mechanisms 51 and 52. The substrate restricting mechanism 53 is attached to the rotating block 50 so as to be positioned closer to the pusher 6 than the second holding mechanism 52 in the horizontal holding posture. The substrate restricting mechanism 53 is movable along the facing direction of the pair of second holding mechanisms 52. That is, the substrate restricting mechanism 53 has a restricting position (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2A) that makes contact with the peripheral end surface of the substrate W in the vicinity of an intermediate position between the pair of second holding mechanisms 52 and a retracted position that does not interfere with the substrate W ( The position can be moved between the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2A. When in the retracted position, the substrate regulating mechanism 53 does not interfere with the substrate W when the substrate W moves along the arrangement direction of the first and second holding mechanisms 51 and 52 (the direction along the transport path TP1). It is like that.

The rotation block 50 accommodates a driving mechanism for driving the first and second holding mechanisms 51 and 52 and the substrate regulating mechanism 53.
The pusher 6 is an elevating mechanism having an elevating / holding unit 105 that collectively receives a plurality of substrates W stacked in a horizontal direction in a vertical posture from the posture changing mechanism 5. At the substrate transfer position S, the pusher 6 can move the lifting / lowering holding unit 105 up and down in the Z direction, rotate it around the vertical axis, and linearly move along a small distance (for example, 5 mm) along the X direction. Can be moved. More specifically, the elevation holding unit 105 includes an origin height H10, a first transfer height H11 that is higher than the origin height, and a second transfer height H12 that is higher than the first transfer height H11. The height can be changed.

  The pusher 6 can deliver a plurality of substrates W to and from the posture changing mechanism 5 by the vertical movement of the lifting and lowering holding unit 105. The lifting / lowering holding unit 105 sets the substrate holding pitch (hoop) in the posture changing mechanism 5 to the number of substrates W (for example, 52) that is twice as many as the posture changing mechanism 5 (for example, 26). It can be held at a half pitch (half pitch) equal to the substrate holding pitch in F).

  For example, after 25 substrates W are transferred from the posture changing mechanism 5 to the lifting / lowering holding unit 105, the lifting / lowering holding unit 105 is rotated 180 degrees. The turning center axis of the lifting / lowering holding unit 105 is eccentric in the substrate alignment direction by half of the half pitch with respect to the center of the plurality of substrate holding positions. Therefore, the held 25 substrates W are moved by a half pitch by the rotation of 180 degrees. In this state, another 25 substrates W are transferred from the posture changing mechanism 5 to the lift holding unit 105. As a result, the 25 substrates W passed later enter between the previously delivered 25 substrates W, and a batch consisting of a total of 50 substrates is formed on the lift holding unit 105. In this way, batch assembly is performed in which a plurality of substrate groups are combined to form a batch. At this time, the pair of adjacent substrates W are in a state (face-to-face) in which the front surfaces (or the back surfaces) face each other.

There may be a case where processing is desired in a state (face-to-back) where the surfaces of all the substrates W are directed in the same direction and the surface of each substrate W faces the back surface of the adjacent substrate W. In this case, instead of the 180-degree turning operation described above, the lifting / lowering holding unit 105 is horizontally moved by a minute distance corresponding to a half pitch. This allows face-to-back batch assembly.
When the substrate W is transferred from the pusher 6 to the posture changing mechanism 5, for example, 25 of the 50 substrates W held by the lift holding unit 105 are transferred to the posture changing mechanism 5, and the 25 substrates W are transferred. Is transferred to the loading / unloading mechanism 4 after being converted into a horizontal posture. Thereafter, the elevation holding unit 105 is rotated 180 degrees or horizontally moved by a half pitch. In this state, the remaining 25 substrates W on the lifting and lowering holding unit 105 are transferred to the posture changing mechanism 5, changed in posture to a horizontal posture, and then discharged by the carry-in / out mechanism 4. In this way, 50 substrates W are separated into two groups of 25 substrates each.

The delivery mechanism 7 includes a payout mechanism 70, a carry-in mechanism 71, and an intermediary mechanism 72, which collectively hold a plurality of substrates W stacked in the horizontal direction (X direction) in a vertical posture. Chucks 73, 74, and 75 are provided, respectively.
A chuck 73 (hereinafter referred to as “delivery chuck 73”) of the delivery mechanism 70 is disposed above a chuck 74 (hereinafter referred to as “delivery chuck 74”) of the carry-in mechanism 71. The payout mechanism 70 traverses (horizontal movement) the payout chuck 73 as the first traverse holding portion along the X direction along the first traverse path 101 set at the payout height H0, thereby moving the substrate W. This is a first traversing mechanism that transports from the substrate transfer position P to the substrate transfer position S (the position of the pusher 6). That is, the delivery chuck 73 receives the processed substrate W from the main transport mechanism 3 at the delivery height H0 at the substrate delivery position P, and delivers the substrates W to the substrate transfer position S at the delivery height H0. The pusher 6 raises the lifting / lowering holding unit 105 to the second transfer height H <b> 12 to receive the substrate W from the dispensing chuck 73.

  The carry-in mechanism 71 traverses along the X direction (transverse movement) the carry-in chuck 74 as the second traverse holding portion along the second traverse path 102 set to the carry-in height H1 lower than the payout height H0. This is a second traversing mechanism that transports the substrate W from the substrate transfer position S to the substrate transfer position P. That is, the carry-in chuck 74 transfers unprocessed substrates W from the lifting / lowering holding unit 105 of the pusher 6, transports the substrates W to the substrate transfer position P, and holds them at the carry-in height H <b> 1.

  The mediation mechanism 72 receives the substrate W from the carry-in chuck 74 by moving up and down a chuck 75 (hereinafter referred to as “mediation chuck 75”) as an intermediary holding portion in a region below the payout height H0. It is an intermediary mechanism that raises W to a transfer height H2 that is between the payout height H0 and the carry-in height H1. The substrate W held by the transfer chuck 75 at the transfer height H2 is received by the main transport mechanism 3.

  When the mediation mechanism 72 receives the substrate W from the carry-in chuck 74, the carry-in chuck 74 can receive the next batch of substrates W from the pusher 6 without waiting for the operation of the main transfer mechanism 3. That is, since the mediation chuck 75 provides a buffer position, it can absorb a timing shift between the operations of the carry-in / out mechanism 4, the posture changing mechanism 5, the pusher 6, and the like and the operation of the main transport mechanism 3. Thereby, the board | substrate carrying-in operation by the carrying-in chuck | zipper 74 can be performed smoothly. In particular, when the substrate processing conditions (so-called recipe) are changed, a waiting time may occur at the substrate transfer position P. However, since the substrate W can be kept on standby at the intermediate chuck 75, the loading / unloading mechanism 4, It is possible to eliminate or shorten the waiting time that occurs in the posture conversion mechanism 5 and the operation of the pusher 6 and the like.

  At the substrate delivery position P, a substrate direction alignment mechanism 13 is disposed below the carry-in height H1 as necessary. The substrate direction alignment mechanism 13 aligns the direction of the substrate W (for example, the direction of the notch of the semiconductor wafer) constituting the batch held by the carry-in chuck 74 at the carry-in height H1 at the substrate transfer position P. The substrate W that has been subjected to the substrate alignment process by the substrate direction alignment mechanism 13 is carried to the transfer height H2 by the mediation chuck 75.

  The substrate direction alignment mechanism 13 includes an alignment processing head 16 and an elevating mechanism 17 that raises and lowers the alignment processing head 16. The alignment processing head 16 includes a pair of substrate guides 18 arranged to face each other with an interval in the Y direction, and a roller mechanism 19 disposed between the pair of substrate guides 18. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the roller mechanism 19 is formed on a roller that contacts each of a plurality of lower peripheral edges stacked in the horizontal direction and rotates each substrate W around the center, and on the peripheral edge of the substrate W. And an engaging member that engages with the notch to regulate the rotation of the substrate W.

  When performing the substrate alignment processing, the alignment processing head 16 is raised to the vicinity of the carry-in height H1, and the substrate W held by the carry-in chuck 74 is supported on the roller of the roller mechanism 19, and only a small distance from the carry-in chuck 74. lift. When the roller mechanism 19 is operated in this state, the substrate W rotates while being guided by the substrate guide 18. When the roller mechanism 19 is operated for a time required for one rotation of the substrate W, the notches of all the substrates W are engaged with the engaging members, and the notches are aligned linearly. Thereby, the direction of the substrate W (the crystal direction in the case of a semiconductor wafer) is aligned. Thus, after the substrate alignment processing is performed, the alignment processing head 16 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 17, and the substrate W after the alignment processing is transferred to the carry-in chuck 74.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration related to turning and vertical movement of the carry-in / out mechanism 4. The holding base 41 is fixed to the upper end of the swivel block 42, and the swivel block 42 is attached to the lift block 43 so as to be able to turn around the vertical axis, and the lift block 43 is attached to the base portion 44. It is attached so as to be movable up and down in the Z direction. A turning mechanism 45 is built in the turning block 42, and an elevating mechanism 46 is provided on the base portion 44.

The turning block 42 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The turning mechanism 45 includes a motor 161 fixed inside the turning block 42 and a gear head 162 to which the driving force of the motor 161 is input. The gear head 162 is coupled to the lower end of the turning block 42. An output shaft 162 a of the gear head 162 is coupled to the upper end of the lifting block 43.
With this configuration, when the motor 161 is driven, the driving force is transmitted to the lifting block 43 via the gear head 162. Since the elevating block 43 is coupled to the base portion 44 in a non-rotating state, the reaction force from the elevating block 43 causes the gear head 162 and the swivel block 42 coupled thereto to rotate around the vertical axis. Become.

  The lifting mechanism 46 includes a motor 165 and a ball screw mechanism 166. The motor 165 is accommodated in the base portion 44 and is fixed to the base portion 44. The drive shaft of the motor 165 is transmitted to the screw shaft 168 of the ball screw mechanism 166 via the gear head 167. The screw shaft 168 is disposed along the vertical direction. A ball nut 169 is screwed onto the screw shaft 168. The ball nut 169 is coupled to the lifting block 43. The raising / lowering movement of the raising / lowering block 43 in the Z direction is guided by a linear guide (not shown).

  With this configuration, by driving the motor 165, the ball nut 169 can be moved up and down, and the lifting block 43 and the swivel block 42 held thereby can be lifted and lowered accordingly. Thus, since the holding base 41 supported by the turning block 42 can be raised and lowered, the single-wafer hand 39 and the batch hand 40 supported by the holding base 41 can be raised and lowered.

  FIG. 4A is a perspective side view for explaining the configuration of the single-wafer hand 39, the batch hand 40, and the advance / retreat drive mechanism 47 for advancing and retracting them. 4B is a rear view as seen from the direction of arrow A4 in FIG. 4A. The batch hand 40 includes a hand element group 175. The hand element group 175 includes a plurality of hand elements 176 stacked in the Z direction. Each hand element 176 extends in the horizontal direction, and faces each other in another horizontal direction orthogonal to the extending direction. Each pair of hand elements 176 opposed in the horizontal direction can support one substrate W from below in a horizontal posture. The arrangement pitch of the hand elements 176 in the Z direction is equal to the arrangement pitch of the substrate accommodation positions in the FOUP F.

  The left hand element 176 is cantilevered by a left support block 177 (not shown in FIG. 4A), and the right hand element 176 is cantilevered by a right support block 178. The left support block 177 supports one side of each pair of hand elements 176 opposed in the horizontal direction in a state of being stacked in the Z direction. The right support block 178 supports the other side of each pair of hand elements in a stacked state in the Z direction. These left and right support blocks 177 and 178 are coupled to the hand opening / closing mechanism 180. The hand opening / closing mechanism 180 is further coupled to the holding base 41 via an advance / retreat bracket 179.

A single-wafer hand 39 is arranged below the batch hand 40. More precisely, when both the back hand 40 and the single-wafer hand 39 are in the retracted position, they are arranged in a stacked state in the Z direction.
The single wafer hand 39 has a hand element 186 similar to the hand element 176 of the batch hand 40. That is, the hand elements 186 extend in the horizontal direction, and a pair of hand elements 186 are provided so as to face each other in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the extending direction. The pair of hand elements 186 can support a single substrate W from below in a horizontal posture. One hand element 186 is cantilevered by the left hand support member 187 and the other hand element 186 is cantilevered by the right hand support member 188. These left and right hand support members 187 and 188 are coupled to a hand opening / closing mechanism 190. The hand opening / closing mechanism 190 is coupled to the holding base 41 via an advance / retreat bracket 189.

  The advancing / retreating bracket 179 for the batch hand 40 includes a support portion 182 that supports the hand opening / closing mechanism 180, and a connection portion 183 that is substantially C-shaped in a side view when the support portion 182 is fixed to the top surface. . The connecting portion 183 is formed so as to include the hand opening / closing mechanism 190 when the single-wafer hand 39 is in the retracted position, and interferes with the single-wafer hand 39 or the like when the single-wafer hand 39 or the batch hand 40 advances or retreats. It is formed to avoid. More specifically, the connecting portion 183 includes a top surface portion 183a to which the support portion 182 is fixed, a pair of side surface portions 183b that are arranged on the sides of the single-wafer hand 39 and hang down from both side edges of the top surface portion 183a, The pair of side surface portions 183b has a pair of bottom surface portions 183c protruding in a direction approaching each other. Between the pair of bottom surface portions 183c, a moving space is secured in which the advance / retreat bracket 189 for the single-wafer hand 39 moves.

FIG. 5 is an illustrative plan view for explaining the configuration of the advance / retreat drive mechanism 47. Reference is made to FIG. 5 together with FIGS. 4A and 4B.
The advance / retreat drive mechanism 47 includes a single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 for advancing / retreating the single-wafer hand 39 and a batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 202 for advancing / retreating the batch hand 40.
The single wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 includes a linear guide 205 and a belt drive mechanism 206. The linear guide 205 is disposed so as to extend in parallel with the extending direction of the hand element 186, and is fixed to the upper end surface of a plate-like support member 207 erected on the inner bottom surface of the holding base 41. The belt drive mechanism 206 includes a motor 208, a drive pulley 209, a driven pulley 210, a belt 211, and an idle pulley 212. The motor 208 is fixed to the lower surface side of the holding base 41. The driving pulley 209 is disposed on the upper surface of the bottom wall of the holding base 41 so that a driving force from the motor 208 is applied. The driven pulley 210 is disposed so as to face the drive pulley 209 in a direction parallel to the linear guide 205. The belt 211 is wound between the driving pulley 209 and the driven pulley 210. The idle pulley 212 is in contact with the belt 211 from the outer peripheral side so as to apply tension to the belt 211. The advance / retreat bracket 189 for the single-wafer hand 39 is coupled to the linear guide 205 and is guided by the linear guide 205 so that it can move linearly. A belt fixing portion 189 a is provided at the lower end portion of the advance / retreat bracket 189. The belt fixing portion 189 a holds the belt 211 together with the belt presser 213.

  When the motor 208 is driven, the drive pulley 209 is rotated, whereby the belt 211 rotates. As a result, a driving force is applied to the advance / retreat bracket 189. As a result, the advance / retreat bracket 189 moves linearly while being guided by the linear guide 205. Thereby, the single-wafer hand 39 supported by the advance / retreat bracket 189 via the hand opening / closing mechanism 190 can be advanced / retreated.

  The batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 202 includes a pair of left and right linear guides 215 and a belt drive mechanism 216. The pair of linear guides 215 are parallel to each other and are disposed so as to extend in parallel with the extending direction of the hand element 176. The pair of linear guides 215 are respectively fixed to upper end surfaces of a pair of plate-like support members 217 erected on the inner bottom surface of the holding base 41. The belt drive mechanism 216 includes a motor 218, a drive pulley 219, a driven pulley 220, a belt 221, and an idle pulley 222. The motor 218 is fixed to the lower surface of the holding base 41. The driving pulley 219 is disposed on the upper surface of the bottom wall of the holding base 41 so that a driving force from the motor 218 is applied. The driven pulley 220 is disposed so as to face the drive pulley 219 in a direction parallel to the linear guide 215. The belt 221 is wound around the driving pulley 219 and the driven pulley 220. The idle pulley 222 is in contact with the belt 221 from the outer peripheral side so as to apply tension to the belt 221. The advancing / retreating bracket 179 for the batch hand 40 can be moved linearly by the pair of bottom surface portions 183c of the connecting portion 183 being coupled to the pair of linear guides 215 and guided by the linear guides 215, respectively. ing. The belt fixing portion 183d advances and retreats from the inner edge of one bottom surface portion 183c of the connecting portion 183. The belt fixing portion 183d holds the belt 221 together with the belt presser 223.

  When the motor 218 is driven, the drive pulley 219 rotates, and the belt 221 rotates around. As a result, a driving force is applied to the advance / retreat bracket 179. As a result, the advance / retreat bracket 179 moves linearly while being guided by the linear guide 215. Thereby, the batch hand 40 supported by the advance / retreat bracket 179 via the hand opening / closing mechanism 180 can be advanced / retreated.

  The linear guides 205 and 215 are fixed in parallel to each other on the holding base 41. Therefore, the single-wafer hand 39 and the batch hand 40 advance and retreat in directions parallel to each other. In this embodiment, the advancing and retreating paths of the single-wafer hand 39 and the batch hand 40 are overlapped in the vertical direction, and at the retracted position, the single-wafer hand 39 and the batch hand 40 have a positional relationship in which they are stacked vertically. . More specifically, the advancing / retreating path of the single-wafer hand 39 is located below the advancing / retreating path of the batch hand 40, and when both the hands 39, 40 are in the retreat position, the single-wafer hand 39 is connected to the batch hand 40. Located directly below. Therefore, when turning the holding base 41, the turning radius of the carry-in / out mechanism 4 can be reduced by controlling the hands 39, 40 to the retracted position, so that the installation space of the carry-in / out mechanism 4 can be reduced. Accordingly, the area occupied by the substrate processing apparatus 10 can be suppressed accordingly.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the single-wafer hand 39 and the hand opening / closing mechanism 190. Reference is made to FIG. 6 together with FIGS. 4A and 4B.
The pair of hand elements 186 arranged opposite to each other in the horizontal direction will be referred to as “left hand element 186L” and “right hand element 186R”. The left hand element 186L is cantilevered by the left hand support member 187, and the right hand element 186R is cantilevered by the right hand support member 188.

  The leading edges of the left and right hand elements 186L and 186R form an inclined side (exactly a bent inclined side bent in the middle) that recedes toward the base end as it goes outward. An inner substrate guide 225 and an outer substrate guide 226 are disposed as first and second substrate support portions. The inner substrate guide 225 has a shorter distance from the center of the substrate W held by the single wafer hand 39 than the outer substrate guide 226. That is, the inner substrate guide 225 is located relatively inside the center of the substrate W, and the outer substrate guide 226 is located relatively outside.

An inner substrate guide 227 and an outer substrate guide 228 as first and second substrate support portions are disposed on the upper surfaces of the base end portions of the hand elements 186L and 186R. The inner substrate guide 227 is located relatively inside with respect to the center of the substrate W, and the outer substrate guide 228 is located relatively outside.
The substrate guides 225 to 228 are formed in a circular shape in plan view (however, the substrate guides 225 and 226 on the front end side are semicircular), and as shown in FIG. 7, a cylindrical protrusion 240 is formed at the center. Has been. The periphery of the protruding portion is a conical inclined surface 241 that becomes lower toward the outside. The peripheral edge of the substrate W is in point contact with the inclined surface 241. The horizontal movement of the substrate W is regulated by the peripheral surface of the protruding portion 240.

  The outer substrate guides 226 and 228 are formed higher than the inner substrate guides 225 and 227 as a whole. That is, the substrate holding height by the outer substrate guides 226 and 228 is higher than the substrate holding height by the inner substrate guides 225 and 227. More specifically, when the substrate W is held by the outer substrate guides 226 and 228, the height of the lower surface of the substrate W is higher than the protrusion 240 of the inner substrate guides 225 and 227, and thus the substrate W Does not contact the inner substrate guides 225, 227.

  Looking at the opposing direction of the left and right hand elements 176L, 176R (hand element opening / closing direction), the inner board guides 225, 227 are located outside the outer board guides 226, 228. Therefore, in the open state (the state shown in FIG. 6) in which the distance between the left and right hand elements 186L and 186R is relatively wide (the state shown in FIG. 6), the substrate W is held by the inner substrate guides 225 and 227, and the outer substrate guides 226 and 228 are It is outside the outer peripheral edge of W and does not contact the substrate W. On the other hand, in the closed state in which the distance between the left and right hand elements 186L and 186R is relatively narrow, the substrate W is held by the outer substrate guides 226 and 228, and the inner substrate guides 225 and 227 are separated from the lower surface of the substrate W. Is also below and does not contact the substrate W. Therefore, either the inner substrate guides 225, 227 or the outer substrate guides 226, 228 can be selected for holding the substrate W by opening / closing the left and right hand elements 186L, 186R.

  In this embodiment, when the unprocessed substrate W is transported, the single-wafer hand 39 is closed and the substrate W is supported by the outer substrate guides 226 and 228, and when the processed substrate W is transported, the single-wafer hand 39 is moved. The operation of the hand opening / closing mechanism 190 is controlled so that the substrate W is supported by the inner substrate guides 225 and 227 in the open state. Of course, the correspondence between the unprocessed substrate W and the processed substrate W and the open / close state of the single wafer hand 39 is reversed, and the unprocessed substrate W is supported by the inner substrate guides 225 and 227, while the processed substrate W is You may make it support by the outer side board | substrate guide 226,228.

  The hand opening / closing mechanism 190 includes an opening / closing guide portion 231, a left cylinder 232L, and a right cylinder 232R. The open / close guide portion 231 includes a guide base 233 and four guide shafts 234 inserted through the guide base 233. The four guide shafts 234 are inserted into the guide base 233 along a horizontal direction parallel to the opening / closing direction of the hand element 186. These guide shafts 234 are arranged along the advance / retreat direction of the single-wafer hand 39. Of the four guide shafts 234, the other two guide shafts 234 are connected to the arm portion projecting to the rear of the left hand support member 187, and the other ends are connected to the right. An insertion hole 188 a formed in an arm portion protruding rearward of the hand support member 188 is inserted. Ends inserted through the insertion hole 188a are joined by a connecting plate 235. One end of each of the remaining two guide shafts 234 is coupled to the right hand support member 188, and the other end is inserted through an insertion hole 187 a formed in the left hand support member 187. Ends inserted through the insertion hole 187a are joined by a connecting plate 236.

The left and right cylinders 232L and 232R are held by an advance / retreat bracket 189 that holds a guide base 233. The operating rods of these cylinders 232L and 232R are coupled to the arm portions projecting rearward from the left and right hand support members 187 and 188, respectively.
With this configuration, by driving the cylinders 232L and 232R, the hand support members 187 and 188 approach or separate from each other while being guided by the open / close guide portion 231. Thereby, the interval between the left and right hand elements 186L and 186R can be narrowed to close the single-wafer hand 39, or the interval can be widened to open the single-wafer hand 39.

FIG. 8 is a plan view for explaining the configuration of the batch hand 40 and the like. Reference is made to FIG. 8 together with FIGS. 4A and 4B.
A pair of hand element groups 175 of the batch hand 40 are arranged to face each other in the horizontal direction. The pair of hand elements 176 arranged to face each other in the horizontal direction will be referred to as “left hand element 176L” and “right hand element 176R”. The left hand element 176L is cantilevered by the left support block 177, and the right hand element 176R is cantilevered by the right support block 178.

  The leading edges of the left and right hand elements 176L, 176R form an inclined side (exactly, a bent inclined side bent in the middle) that recedes toward the base end as it goes outward. An inner substrate guide 245 and an outer substrate guide 246 are arranged. The inner substrate guide 245 is shorter than the outer substrate guide 246 in distance from the center of the substrate W held by the hand elements 176L and 176R. That is, the inner substrate guide 245 is located relatively inside the center of the substrate W, and the outer substrate guide 246 is located relatively outside. An inner substrate guide 247 and an outer substrate guide 248 are disposed on the upper surface of the base end portion of the hand elements 176L and 176R. The inner substrate guide 247 is located relatively inside with respect to the center of the substrate W, and the outer substrate guide 248 is located relatively outside.

  The substrate guides 245 to 248 have the same configuration as the above-described substrate guides 225 to 228 provided in the single wafer hand 39. That is, the substrate guides 245 to 248 are formed in a circular shape in plan view (however, the substrate guides 245 and 246 on the front end side are semicircular), and a cylindrical protrusion is formed at the center. The periphery of this protrusion is a conical inclined surface that becomes lower toward the outside. The peripheral edge of the substrate W is in point contact with the inclined surface. And the horizontal movement of the board | substrate W is controlled by the surrounding surface of a protrusion part.

  The outer substrate guides 246 and 248 are formed higher than the inner substrate guides 245 and 247 as a whole. That is, the substrate holding height by the outer substrate guides 246 and 248 is higher than the substrate holding height by the inner substrate guides 245 and 247. More specifically, when the substrate W is held by the outer substrate guides 246 and 248, the height of the lower surface of the substrate W is higher than the protrusions of the inner substrate guides 245 and 247, and thus the substrate W is It does not contact the inner substrate guides 245 and 247.

  The inner substrate guides 245 and 247 are located outside the outer substrate guides 246 and 248 when viewed in the facing direction of the left and right hand elements 176L and 176R (hand element opening and closing direction). Therefore, in the open state in which the distance between the left and right hand elements 176L and 176R is relatively wide, the substrate W is held by the inner substrate guides 245 and 247, and the outer substrate guides 246 and 248 are outside the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W. Therefore, it does not contact the substrate W. On the other hand, in the closed state in which the distance between the left and right hand elements 176L and 176R is relatively narrow, the substrate W is held by the outer substrate guides 246 and 248, and the inner substrate guides 245 and 247 are held from the lower surface of the substrate W. Is also below and does not contact the substrate W. Therefore, the inner substrate guides 245 and 247 or the outer substrate guides 246 and 248 can be selected for holding the substrate W by opening and closing the left and right hand elements 176L and 176R.

  In this embodiment, when the unprocessed substrate W is transferred, the batch hand 40 is closed and the substrate W is supported by the outer substrate guides 246 and 248, and when the processed substrate W is transferred, the batch hand 40 is opened. The operation of the hand opening / closing mechanism 180 is controlled so that the substrate W is supported by the inner substrate guides 245 and 247. Of course, the correspondence relationship between the unprocessed substrate W and the processed substrate W and the open / close state of the batch hand 40 is reversed, and the unprocessed substrate W is supported by the inner substrate guides 245 and 247, while the processed substrate W is placed outside. You may make it support by the board | substrate guides 246,248.

  The hand opening / closing mechanism 180 includes an opening / closing guide portion 251, a left cylinder 252L, and a right cylinder 252R. The open / close guide portion 251 includes a guide base 253 and four guide shafts 254 inserted through the guide base 253. The guide base 253 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the vertical direction, and the four guide shafts 254 are inserted into the guide base 253 along a horizontal direction parallel to the opening / closing direction of the hand elements 176L and 176R. These guide shafts 254 are respectively arranged at positions corresponding to four vertices of a rectangle in a side view (see FIG. 4A). One end of each of the two guide shafts 254 arranged at the diagonal positions of the rectangle is coupled to the rear projecting portion of the left support block 177, and the other end is coupled to the rear projecting portion of the right support block 178. The formed insertion hole 178a is inserted. Ends inserted through the insertion hole 178a are joined by a connecting plate 255. The remaining two guide shafts 254 arranged at the other diagonal positions of the rectangle have one end coupled to the rear projecting portion of the right support block 178 and the other end rear of the left support block 177. The insertion hole 177a formed in the overhanging portion is inserted. Ends inserted through the insertion hole 177a are joined by a connecting plate 256.

In the guide base 253, a rectangular opening 253a is formed at the center in the rear view. The left and right cylinders 252L and 252R are fixed to both side surfaces of the opening 253a. The operating rods of these cylinders 252L and 252R are coupled to the left and right support blocks 177 and 178, respectively.
With this configuration, driving the cylinders 252L and 252R causes the support blocks 177 and 178 to approach or separate from each other while being guided by the opening / closing guide portion 251. Thereby, the interval between the left and right hand elements 176L, 176R can be widened to open the batch hand 40, or the interval between the hand elements 176L, 176R can be narrowed to close the batch hand 40.

Next, an operation example of the carry-in / out mechanism 4 will be described. The operation of the carry-in / out mechanism 4 is achieved by the controller 9 controlling each part of the carry-in / out mechanism 4, in particular, the turning mechanism 45, the elevating mechanism 46, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 and the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 202. .
As a first operation example, an operation (collective conveyance) in which 25 unprocessed substrates W are accommodated in the FOUP F and these are collectively conveyed to the attitude changing mechanism 5 will be described.

  The carry-in / out mechanism 4 turns the holding base 41 by the turning mechanism 45 so that the batch hand 40 faces the hoop F. In this state, the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 202 advances the batch hand 40 toward the hoop F and causes each hand element 176 to enter under each substrate W in the hoop F. At this time, the batch hand 40 is in a closed state (a state in which the substrate W is supported by the outer substrate guides 246 and 248). Next, by the action of the lifting mechanism 46, the holding base 41 is raised by a minute distance (for example, equal to the pitch of the substrate holding position in the hoop F), whereby the batch hand 40 is raised, Twenty-five substrates W are scraped together. In this state, the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 202 moves the batch hand 40 backward. As a result, the 25 substrates W in the FOUP F are unloaded together.

  Next, the holding base 41 is turned by the turning mechanism 45, and the batch hand 40 is made to face the posture changing mechanism 5. In this state, the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 202 advances the batch hand 40 toward the posture changing mechanism 5 and causes the plurality of substrates W to enter the plurality of holding grooves of the first holding mechanism 51. At this time, the pair of first holding mechanisms 51 are controlled in a posture in which the holding groove groups for the unprocessed substrate are opposed to each other. Next, the holding base 41 is lowered by a minute distance (for example, equal to the pitch of the holding grooves in the first holding mechanism 51) by the action of the lifting mechanism 46, whereby the batch hand 40 is lowered and 25 substrates are obtained. W is collectively delivered from the batch hand 40 to the first holding mechanism 51. In this state, the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 202 moves the batch hand 40 backward. Thereby, the collective conveyance from the hoop F to the posture changing mechanism 5 is completed.

As a second operation example, an operation (collective conveyance) in which 25 processed substrates W are held in the posture changing mechanism 5 and these are collectively conveyed to the FOUP F will be described.
The carry-in / out mechanism 4 turns the holding base 41 by the turning mechanism 45 so that the batch hand 40 faces the posture changing mechanism 5. In this state, the batch hand advancing / retreating mechanism 202 advances the batch hand 40 toward the posture changing mechanism 5 so that each hand element 176 is below each substrate W held in each holding groove of the first holding mechanism 51. Let it enter. At this time, the pair of first holding mechanisms 51 makes the holding groove groups for the unprocessed substrates face each other. The batch hand 40 is in an open state (a state in which the substrate W is supported by the inner substrate guides 245 and 247). Next, by the action of the lifting mechanism 46, the holding base 41 is raised by a minute distance (for example, equal to the pitch of the holding grooves in the first holding mechanism 51), whereby the batch hand 40 is raised and the first holding is performed. The 25 substrates W held by the mechanism 51 are scraped together. In this state, the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 202 moves the batch hand 40 backward. As a result, 25 substrates W are unloaded from the first holding mechanism 51 together.

  Next, the holding base 41 is turned by the turning mechanism 45, and the batch hand 40 is made to face the hoop F. In this state, the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 202 advances the batch hand 40 toward the FOUP F, and causes a plurality of substrates W to enter a position slightly above the substrate holding height in the FOUP F. Next, the holding base 41 is lowered by a minute distance (for example, equal to the pitch of the substrate holding position in the FOUP F) by the action of the elevating mechanism 46, whereby the batch hand 40 is lowered and the 25 substrates W are moved. Are collectively delivered from the batch hand 40 to the substrate holding shelf in the FOUP F. In this state, the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 202 moves the batch hand 40 backward. Thereby, the collective conveyance from the posture changing mechanism 5 to the FOUP F is completed.

As a third operation example, an operation (single wafer transfer) of transferring the unprocessed substrates W accommodated in the FOUP F one by one to the attitude changing mechanism 5 will be described.
The carry-in / out mechanism 4 turns the holding base 41 by the turning mechanism 45 so that the single-wafer hand 39 faces the hoop F. Further, the holding base 41 is moved up and down by the action of the lifting mechanism 46, so that the holding base 41 is lowered by a minute distance (a distance shorter than the interval between the substrate accommodation positions in the FOUP F) than the accommodation position of the transport target substrate W in the FOUP F. The height of the single-wafer hand 39 is controlled so that In this state, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 advances the single-wafer hand 39 toward the hoop F, and causes the single-wafer hand 39 to enter below the transfer target substrate W. At this time, the single-wafer hand 39 is in a closed state (a state in which the substrate W is supported by the outer substrate guides 226 and 228). Next, by the action of the lifting mechanism 46, the holding base 41 is raised by a minute distance (for example, equal to the pitch of the substrate holding position in the hoop F), whereby the single-wafer hand 39 rises, and the inside of the hoop F The one substrate to be transported W is scraped off. In this state, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 moves the single-wafer hand 39 backward. Thereby, the one board | substrate W to be conveyed in the FOUP F is carried out.

Next, the holding base 41 is turned by the turning mechanism 45, and the single-wafer hand 39 is made to face the posture changing mechanism 5. Further, the height of the single-wafer hand 39 is changed by raising and lowering the holding base 41 by the action of the lifting mechanism 46 as necessary. As a result, the substrate W held by the single-wafer hand 39 can be passed to the holding groove of any height of the first holding mechanism 51. Next, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 changes the posture of the single-wafer hand 39. Advancing toward the mechanism 5, one substrate W is caused to enter one of the plurality of holding grooves of the first holding mechanism 51 (holding groove corresponding to the height of the single wafer hand 39). At this time, the pair of first holding mechanisms 51 are controlled in a posture in which the holding groove groups for the unprocessed substrate are opposed to each other.

  Next, the holding base 41 is lowered by a minute distance (for example, equal to the pitch of the holding grooves in the first holding mechanism 51) by the action of the lifting mechanism 46, whereby the single-wafer hand 39 is lowered and one sheet is moved. The substrate W is transferred from the single wafer hand 39 to the first holding mechanism 51. In this state, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 moves the single-wafer hand 39 backward. Thereby, the single wafer conveyance from the hoop F to the attitude changing mechanism 5 is completed.

  By repeatedly executing this single wafer transfer, a plurality of substrates W can be transferred from the FOUP F to the attitude changing mechanism 5. At this time, the substrate W held at an arbitrary substrate holding position in the FOUP F can be transported to a holding groove having an arbitrary height of the first holding mechanism 51. Therefore, the first holding mechanism 51 can hold the substrate W in an arrangement state different from the arrangement state of the substrates W in the FOUP F. Specifically, the substrates W can be held by the first holding mechanism 51 in an order different from the order in which the substrates W in the FOUP F are arranged. Further, when less than 25 (for example, several) substrates W are held at unequal intervals in the FOUP F, these substrates W can be held by the first holding mechanism 51 at equal intervals. Furthermore, when several substrates W are held at the middle position in the FOUP F, these substrates W can be fixed and arranged at the upper position or the lower position of the first holding mechanism 51.

As a fourth operation example, an operation (single-wafer transport) for transporting the processed substrates W held by the posture changing mechanism 5 one by one to the FOUP F will be described.
The carry-in / out mechanism 4 turns the holding base 41 by the turning mechanism 45 so that the single-wafer hand 39 faces the posture changing mechanism 5. Further, the holding base 41 is moved up and down by the action of the lifting mechanism 46, so that the distance from the accommodation position of the transfer target substrate W held by the first holding mechanism 51 of the posture changing mechanism 5 (the first holding mechanism 51 of the first holding mechanism 51). The height of the single-wafer hand 39 is controlled so that the height is lower by a distance shorter than the distance between the holding grooves. In this state, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 advances the single-wafer hand 39 toward the posture changing mechanism 5 and causes the single-wafer hand 39 to enter below the substrate W to be transported. At this time, the pair of first holding mechanisms 51 are controlled in a posture in which the holding groove groups for the processed substrate are opposed to each other. The single wafer hand 39 is in an open state (a state in which the substrate W is supported by the inner substrate guides 225 and 227).

  Next, by the action of the lifting mechanism 46, the holding base 41 is raised by a minute distance (for example, equal to the pitch of the holding grooves in the first holding mechanism 51), whereby the single-wafer hand 39 rises and the first One transport target substrate W is picked up from the holding mechanism 51. In this state, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 moves the single-wafer hand 39 backward. Accordingly, one transport target substrate W is unloaded from the first holding mechanism 51.

Next, the holding base 41 is turned by the turning mechanism 45, and the single-wafer hand 39 is made to face the hoop F. Further, the height of the single-wafer hand 39 is changed by raising and lowering the holding base 41 by the action of the lifting mechanism 46 as necessary. As a result, the substrate W held by the single-wafer hand 39 can be transferred to a substrate holding shelf of an arbitrary height of the hoop F. Next, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 points the single-wafer hand 39 toward the hoop F. The substrate W is moved forward to allow one substrate W to enter one of the plurality of substrate holding shelves in the FOUP F (the substrate holding shelf corresponding to the height of the single wafer hand 39).

  Next, the holding base 41 is lowered by a minute distance (for example, equal to the pitch of the substrate holding position in the hoop F) by the action of the lifting mechanism 46, whereby the single-wafer hand 39 is lowered and one sheet is moved. The substrate W is transferred from the single wafer hand 39 to the substrate holding shelf of the FOUP F. In this state, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 moves the single-wafer hand 39 backward. Thereby, the single-wafer conveyance from the attitude changing mechanism 5 to the FOUP F is completed.

  By repeatedly executing this single wafer transfer, a plurality of substrates W can be transferred from the attitude changing mechanism 5 to the FOUP F. At this time, the substrate W held in the arbitrary holding groove of the first holding mechanism 51 can be transported to the substrate holding shelf at an arbitrary height of the FOUP F. Therefore, the substrate W can be accommodated in the FOUP F in an arrangement state different from the arrangement state of the substrates W in the first holding mechanism 51. Specifically, the substrates W can be accommodated in the FOUP F in an order different from the order in which the substrates W are arranged in the first holding mechanism 51. For example, as described in the third operation example, when the unprocessed substrates W in the FOUP F are transferred to the first holding mechanism 51 while changing the arrangement of the unprocessed substrates W, the processing for those substrates W is performed. These processed substrates W can be returned to the hoop F in the original arrangement state.

As a fifth operation example, a combination of batch conveyance and single wafer conveyance will be described.
For example, 25 unprocessed substrates W are taken out from one FOUP F and transported to the posture changing mechanism 5, and one unprocessed substrate W (for example, a test dummy substrate) is taken out from another FOUP F to be postured. There are cases where the total of 26 substrates W are transported to the conversion mechanism 5 and held by the posture conversion mechanism 5 in some cases.

In this case, first, 25 unprocessed substrates W are transferred from one FOUP F to the attitude changing mechanism 5 by batch transfer using the batch hand 40 described in the first operation example. Next, a single unprocessed substrate W is transferred from another FOUP F to the posture changing mechanism 5 by the single wafer transfer using the single wafer hand 39 described in the third operation example.
As another operation example, 25 unprocessed substrates W are batch-unloaded from one FOUP F by the batch hand 40, and one unprocessed substrate W is unloaded from another FOUP F by the single-wafer hand 39. Accordingly, a total of 26 unprocessed substrates W can be held in the carry-in / out mechanism 4. Then, after turning the single-wafer hand 39 and the batch hand 40 until they face the posture changing mechanism 5 by the turning mechanism 45, the batch hand 40 collectively carries 25 substrates W into the posture changing mechanism 5, The remaining one substrate W may be carried into the posture changing mechanism 5 with the hand 39.

On the other hand, 26 substrates W that have been processed are held in the attitude changing mechanism 5, 25 of which are accommodated in one FOUP F, and the remaining one substrate W (for example, a test dummy substrate). ) May be housed in another hoop F.
In this case, first, 25 processed substrates W are transferred from the attitude changing mechanism 5 to one FOUP F by batch transfer using the batch hand 40 described in the second operation example. Next, the remaining one substrate W is transported from the posture changing mechanism 5 to another FOUP F by the single-wafer transport using the single-wafer hand 39 described in the fourth operation example.

  As another operation example, 25 processed substrates W are collectively unloaded by the batch hand 40 from the posture changing mechanism 5, and the remaining one processed substrate W is unloaded by the single wafer hand 39, for a total of 26 The processed substrate W can be held by the carry-in / out mechanism 4. Then, after turning the single-wafer hand 39 and the batch hand 40 until they face the hoop F by the turning mechanism 45, the batch hand 40 collectively carries 25 substrates W into one hoop F, and further the single-wafer hand 39. Then, the remaining one substrate W may be carried into another FOUP F.

  Switching between batch conveyance and single-wafer conveyance may be performed according to the number of substrates in the FOUP F held by the FOUP holding unit 1. For example, when a predetermined number or more of unprocessed substrates W are accommodated in the FOUP F, batch transfer is performed according to the first operation example, while the unprocessed substrates W of less than the predetermined number are stored in the FOUP F. May be conveyed in accordance with the third operation example. Of course, even when 25 substrates W are accommodated in the FOUP F, in order to change the arrangement order of the substrates W, the single wafer transfer according to the third operation example may be applied.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 201 and the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 202 are commonly held on the holding base 41, and thereby the single-wafer hand 39 and the batch hand 40 are independently advanced and retreated. It is configured. Further, since the holding base 41 is swung around the vertical axis by the swivel mechanism 45 and lifted by the lift mechanism 46, the swivel mechanism 45 and the lift mechanism 46 are shared by the single-wafer hand 39 and the batch hand 40.

  With such a configuration, the batch conveyance by the batch hand 40 and the single-wafer conveyance by the single-wafer hand 39 can be switched immediately, so that time for hand exchange is not required. Further, since the configuration does not require synchronous driving of a plurality of axes for the horizontal transfer of the substrate W unlike the vertical articulated arm type robot, the transfer of the substrate W can be speeded up. Therefore, the substrate processing speed can be improved.

In addition, it is not necessary to use a transport mechanism with a complicated structure like a vertical articulated arm type robot, and a hand exchanging unit is also unnecessary, so that the configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced accordingly. it can. In addition, since the hand exchange unit is unnecessary, it is possible to contribute to a reduction in the area occupied by the substrate processing apparatus.
Further, the single-wafer hand 39 moves the substrate guides 225, 227; 226, 228 between the unprocessed substrate W and the processed substrate W by changing the distance between the two hand elements 186 that are disposed apart in the horizontal direction. Can be used properly. Therefore, it is not necessary to replace the hand, which can contribute to speeding up the substrate processing.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention can also be implemented with another form. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the batch hand 40 is disposed above the single-wafer hand 39, but these vertical relationships may be reversed.
In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the present invention is applied to the carry-in / out mechanism 4 that transports the substrate W between the FOUP F and the attitude changing mechanism 5 has been described. You may apply this invention to board | substrate conveyance.

In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.
In addition to the features described in the claims, the following features can be extracted from the description of the present specification.
A1. A batch hand that holds a plurality of substrates in a stacked state, a batch hand advance / retreat mechanism that advances and retreats the batch hand, a single-wafer hand that holds one substrate, and a single-wafer that advances and retreats the single-wafer hand A hand advance / retreat mechanism, a holding base for holding the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism and the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism, an elevating mechanism for moving the holding base up and down, and a turning mechanism for turning the holding base around a turning axis along the vertical direction And a substrate transfer device.

  According to this configuration, the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism for advancing / retreating the batch hand and the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism for advancing / retreating the single-wafer hand are held on a common holding base. The common holding base is moved up and down by an elevating mechanism and is turned around a vertical axis by a turning mechanism. Therefore, with the batch hand or single-wafer hand facing the transfer target location, the substrate is loaded into this transfer target location by advancing and retracting the batch hand or single-wafer hand relative to the transfer target location. / Can be carried out. Since the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism and the single wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism are individually provided, the batch hand and the single wafer hand can be independently advanced and retracted.

  In this way, since there is no need to replace the hand, the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism and the single-wafer hand can be switched between batch conveyance of a plurality of substrates by a batch hand and single-wafer conveyance of a single substrate by a single-wafer hand. This is achieved by selecting which of the advance and retreat mechanisms is activated. Therefore, unlike the above-described prior art, a long time is not required for switching between batch conveyance and single-wafer conveyance. Thereby, even if it is a case where switching with collective conveyance and single wafer conveyance is required, substrate conveyance can be performed efficiently.

  In addition, since there is no need to replace the hand, a vertical multi-function arm articulated robot with a complicated structure as in the prior art is not required, and an elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the holding base and a turning mechanism for turning the holding base are provided. Further, the holding base may be provided with a batch hand advance / retreat mechanism and a single wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism. Therefore, since the structure is simple compared to the prior art, the cost can be greatly reduced. Moreover, the movement of the substrate in the horizontal direction can be performed by turning the holding base and moving the hand back and forth, and there is no need for synchronous driving of a plurality of drive shafts as in the case of a vertical articulated arm type robot. Therefore, it is possible to increase the substrate conveyance speed.

Furthermore, since no hand exchange unit is required, the area occupied by the device (footprint) can be reduced, and at the same time, the cost can be reduced.
The advancing / retreating direction of the batch hand and the advancing / retreating direction of the single-wafer hand may be different, but are preferably parallel.
A2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to A1, wherein when the batch hand and the single-wafer hand are in their retracted positions, the batch hand and single-wafer hand are stacked in a vertical direction.

According to this configuration, the turning radius in the state where the batch hand and the single-wafer hand are retracted can be reduced, so that the installation space for the substrate transfer apparatus can be reduced.
A3. The single-wafer hand includes two hand elements that are spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction. Each hand element has first and second substrate support portions having different heights. A hand opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes by driving each of the two hand elements in the horizontal direction, and the single-wafer hand has the first substrate support portion of the two hand elements when the two hand elements are opened. The substrate is held at the first height by the second height, and when the two hand elements are closed, the substrate is held at the second height by the second substrate support portion of the two hand elements. The substrate transfer apparatus according to A2.

  According to this configuration, by opening and closing the two hand elements by the hand opening / closing mechanism, a state in which the substrate is supported by the first substrate support portion and a state in which the substrate is supported by the second substrate support portion. You can choose. Since the first and second substrate support portions are different in height, when the substrate is supported by one substrate support portion, the substrate can be prevented from coming into contact with the other substrate support portion. Therefore, the substrate can be supported by properly using the first and second substrate support portions.

  For example, one of the first and second substrate support portions can be used to support an unprocessed substrate, and the other can be used to support a processed substrate. As a result, the single-wafer hand can be properly used for two types of applications, and the single-wafer hand for the unprocessed substrate and the single-wafer hand for the processed substrate need to be prepared separately as in the prior art described above. There is no need to exchange them. This eliminates the need for a replacement hand and allows individual substrate support portions to be assigned to unprocessed substrates and processed substrates without requiring time for hand replacement.

A4. A container holding unit for holding a container for storing a plurality of substrates in a stacked state, a substrate holding unit for holding a plurality of substrates, a container held by the container holding unit, and the substrate holding unit A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: the substrate transport apparatus according to any one of A1 to A3, which transports a substrate to and from the substrate.
According to this configuration, the substrate conveyance between the container held by the container holding unit and the substrate holding unit is performed by batch conveyance using a batch hand or by single wafer conveyance using a single wafer hand. Can be. When switching between batch conveyance and single-wafer conveyance, time for hand exchange is not necessary, and the switching can be performed quickly. Thereby, since a board | substrate conveyance can be sped up, the improvement of a substrate processing speed can be aimed at according to it.

1 is a schematic plan view for explaining an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an enlarged plan view for demonstrating the structure relevant to the board | substrate conveyance between a hoop and the main conveyance mechanism. It is an elevation view seen from arrow A1 of FIG. 2A. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the structure regarding turning and a vertical motion of a carrying in / out mechanism. It is a see-through | perspective side view for demonstrating the structure of a single wafer hand, a batch hand, and the advancing / retreating drive mechanism for advancing / retreating these. It is the rear view seen from the arrow A4 direction of FIG. 4A. It is an illustrative top view for demonstrating the structure of a single wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism and a batch hand advance / retreat mechanism. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the structure of a single wafer hand and a hand opening / closing mechanism. It is a partial expanded sectional view for demonstrating the structure of the board | substrate guide with which the hand was equipped. It is a top view for demonstrating the structure of a batch hand and a hand opening / closing mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hoop holding | maintenance part 2 Substrate processing part 3 Main conveyance mechanism 4 Carrying in / out mechanism 5 Posture change mechanism 6 Pusher 7 Delivery mechanism 8 Chuck cleaning unit 9 Controller 10 Substrate processing apparatus 13 Substrate direction alignment mechanism 20 Processing part 39 Single wafer hand 40 Batch hand 41 Holding base 42 Turning block 43 Lifting block 44 Base block 45 Turning mechanism 46 Lifting mechanism 47 Advance / retreat drive mechanism 175 Hand element group 176 Hand element 176L Left hand element 176R Right hand element 177 Left support block 178 Right support block 179 Advance bracket ( (For batch hands)
180 Hand opening / closing mechanism 186 Hand element 186L Left hand element 186R Right hand element 187 Left hand support member 188 Right hand support member 189 Advance / Retreat bracket (for single wafer hand)
190 Hand opening / closing mechanism 201 Single wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism 202 Batch hand advance / retreat mechanism 205 Linear guide (for single wafer hand)
206 Belt drive mechanism 215 A pair of linear guides (for batch hands)
216 Belt drive mechanism 225 Inner board guide 226 Outer board guide 227 Inner board guide 228 Outer board guide 231 Opening / closing guide portion 232L Left cylinder 232R Right cylinder 233 Guide base 234 Guide shaft 245 Inner board guide 246 Outer board guide 247 Inner board guide 248 Outside Substrate guide 251 Open / close guide portion 252L Left cylinder 252R Right cylinder 253 Guide base 254 Guide shaft W Substrate

Claims (3)

A batch hand that holds a plurality of substrates in a stacked state, and
A batch hand advance / retreat mechanism for advancing and retracting the batch hand;
A single-wafer hand holding one substrate;
A single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism for moving the single-wafer hand forward and backward,
A holding base for holding the batch hand advance / retreat mechanism and the single-wafer hand advance / retreat mechanism;
An elevating mechanism for moving the holding base up and down;
A turning mechanism for turning the holding base around a turning axis along the vertical direction,
The batch hand advancing / retreating mechanism is supported by the holding base and coupled to the pair of batch hand linear guides extending in parallel with each other, and the batch that is coupled to the pair of batch hand linear guides and moves forward and backward while holding the batch hand. Including hand advance and retreat bracket,
The single-wafer hand linear mechanism is disposed between the pair of batch-hand linear guides, supported by the holding base, and extends in parallel with the pair of batch-hand linear guides. A guide, and a single-wafer hand advance / retreat bracket coupled to the one single-wafer hand linear guide and moving forward and backward while holding the single-wafer hand;
When the batch hand and the single-wafer hand are in their retracted positions, the single-wafer hand advance / retreat bracket is included in the batch hand advance / retreat bracket, and the batch hand and single-wafer hand are stacked in a vertical direction. A substrate transfer device. The single-wafer hand comprises two hand elements arranged horizontally apart;
Each hand element has first and second substrate supports having different heights,
The substrate transport apparatus further includes a hand opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes by driving the two hand elements in a horizontal direction,
In the state in which the two hand elements are opened, the single-wafer hand holds the substrate at a first height by the first substrate support portion of the two hand elements and closes the two hand elements. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is held at a second height by the second substrate support portion of the two hand elements. A container holding unit for holding a container for storing a plurality of substrates in a stacked state;
A substrate holder for holding a plurality of substrates;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a container held by the container holding unit; and the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the substrate is transferred between the substrate holding unit.

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