JP2021034686A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To shorten an installation work time such as adjustment of the height position between an indexer robot and a reversing path block when a device is assembled.SOLUTION: An inversion path block 5 is integrally attached to an indexer block 3 on a processing block side of an indexer block 3. Therefore, after a substrate processing apparatus 1 is separated and transported, it is not necessary to perform mounting work such as adjustment of the height position between the indexer robot and the inversion path block 5 at the time of assembling the substrate processing apparatus 1, or the installation work can be simplified, such that an installation work such as the adjustment of the height position between the indexer block and the inversion path block 5 can be shortened.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to substrates such as semiconductor wafers, substrates for liquid crystal displays and organic EL (Electroluminescence) display devices, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, ceramic substrates, substrates for solar cells, etc. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs cleaning treatment such as front surface cleaning and back surface cleaning with respect to (referred to as a substrate).

Conventionally, there is a device of this type including an indexer block, a processing block including a front surface cleaning unit and a back surface cleaning unit, and an inverted path block attached between the indexer block and the processing block (). For example, see Patent Document 1). The inverted path block is attached integrally with the processing block.

The indexer block includes a carrier mounting portion on which a carrier accommodating a plurality of substrates is mounted, and an indexer robot that transports the substrate between the carrier and the inverted path block. The inverting pass block is provided with a plurality of shelves on which the substrate is placed, and is provided with an inverting path unit for transferring the substrate to and from the processing block and inverting the front and back of the substrate. The processing block includes a front surface cleaning unit and a main robot that transfers a substrate between the back surface cleaning unit and the reversing path unit. In this device, there is one main robot in the processing block, but recently, in order to improve throughput, two main robots corresponding to the upper processing unit and the lower processing unit in the processing block have been installed. Some are installed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-166369 (Fig. 1) JP-A-2016-201526 (Fig. 10)

However, in the case of the conventional example having such a configuration, there are the following problems.
That is, in the conventional device, since the reversing pass block is integrally attached to the processing block, the mounting work time such as adjusting the height position between the indexer robot and the reversing pass block when assembling the board processing device is required. There is a problem that it becomes long.

This is because in the processing block, the upper and lower main robots access the upper and lower parts of the inverted path unit, respectively, whereas in the indexer block, one indexer robot transports the inverted path unit from the upper part to the lower part. This is because the indexer robot needs to adjust the height position more accurately than the main robot.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of shortening the mounting work time such as adjusting the height position between the indexer robot and the reversing path block at the time of assembling the apparatus. With the goal.

The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve such an object.
That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a plurality of substrate processing devices including a surface cleaning unit that performs a surface cleaning process of a substrate and a processing block that includes a back surface cleaning unit that performs a back surface cleaning process of a substrate as a processing unit. An indexer block including a carrier mounting portion on which a carrier accommodating a single substrate is mounted and an indexer robot for transporting a substrate between the carrier mounting portion and the carrier, the indexer block, and the processing. An inversion pass block which is arranged between blocks and has a plurality of stages of shelves on which a substrate is placed and has an inversion function for inverting the front and back of the substrate, and each processing unit and the inversion pass block. A transport block including a center robot for transporting a substrate between the blocks is provided, and the inverted path block is integrally attached to the indexer block on the processing block side of the indexer block. Is to be.

[Action / Effect] According to the invention of claim 1, the inverted path block is integrally attached to the indexer block on the processing block side of the indexer block. Therefore, there is no need to perform mounting work such as adjusting the height position of the indexer robot and the reversing path block when assembling the device, or it can be simplified. Work can be shortened.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the inverted pass block is configured so that at least a part thereof can be stored inside the indexer block when the substrate processing apparatus is transported (claim 2).

Since at least a part of the inverted path block can be stored inside the indexer block when the substrate processing apparatus is transported, the volume of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced. Therefore, in addition to the height, width, and depth restrictions that occur during transportation by aircraft, the volume restrictions can be cleared.

Further, in the present invention, the indexer robot has a guide rail which is erected with a fixed horizontal position, a base portion which moves up and down along the guide rail, and many arranged on the base portion. The indexer block is provided with a joint arm and a hand for supporting the substrate on the arm on the tip end side of the articulated arm, and the base portion is from the back surface of the indexer block to the carrier mounting portion side in a plan view. It is preferable that the inverted path block is arranged so as to allow at least a part of the accommodation (claim 3).

The indexer robot is equipped with a guide rail, a base, an articulated arm, and a hand, but the base is on the carrier mounting side with a space that allows a part of the inverted path block to be accommodated. Is placed in. Therefore, when the inverted path block is housed in the indexer block, it is possible to prevent the indexer robot and the inverted path block from interfering with each other. Therefore, at least a part of the inverted path block can be reliably accommodated in the indexer block.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the indexer block includes a frame partially protruding on the processing block side, and the inverted path block is mounted on the frame (claim 4).

The indexer block includes a frame in which a part of the indexer block protrudes on the processing block side, and the inverted path block is mounted on this frame. Therefore, the inverted path block can be easily attached to the indexer block integrally.

Further, in the present invention, when the substrate processing apparatus is transported, it is preferable that the indexer block to which the reversing path block is integrally attached, the processing block, and the transport block are separably configured. Claim 5).

When transporting the substrate processing apparatus by aircraft, there may be restrictions on the volume in addition to the restrictions on the height, width and depth. These restrictions can be cleared by separating the indexer block to which the inversion path block is integrally attached, the processing block, and the transport block.

Further, in the present invention, the processing block includes the processing unit in the upper stage and the lower stage, the center-robot is arranged at a position corresponding to each of the upper stage and the lower stage, and the inverted path block is the upper stage. It is preferable that the upper inverted pass unit corresponding to the above and the lower inverted pass unit corresponding to the lower are provided, and the upper inverted pass unit and the lower inverted pass unit are arranged so as to overlap each other in a plan view (claim). 5).

The processing blocks are provided with processing units in the upper and lower stages, the center robot is arranged in the upper and lower stages, and the inverted pass block is composed of an upper inverted pass unit and a lower inverted pass unit. Therefore, the substrate can be distributed by each center robot to the upper and lower processing blocks via the upper inverted pass unit and the lower inverted pass unit of the inverted pass block, so that the throughput can be improved. Moreover, since the upper inverted pass unit and the lower inverted pass unit are arranged so as to overlap each other in a plan view, the footprint of the device can be reduced.

According to the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the inversion path block is integrally attached to the indexer block on the processing block side of the indexer block. Therefore, there is no need to perform mounting work such as adjusting the height position of the indexer robot and the reversing path block when assembling the device, or it can be simplified. Work can be shortened.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on Example. It is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus, and is the figure which shows the upper layer in the upper stage of a processing block. It is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus, and is the figure which shows the lower layer in the upper part of a processing block. It is a side view of the substrate processing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the whole of the indexer robot. It is a perspective view which shows the hand of an indexer robot, (a) shows four hand bodies, and (b) shows two hand bodies. It is a perspective view of the inverted path block in the state which the indexer block is seen from the back. It is a figure which shows the state which the indexer block and the inversion path block are seen from the left side surface. It is a perspective view which shows the main part of the inversion path unit. (A) to (d) are operation explanatory diagrams of the inverting path unit. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the state at the time of transportation of a substrate processing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the main part of the transport block.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Note that FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus, and is a diagram showing an upper layer in the upper stage of the processing block, and FIG. Is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus, and is a view showing a lower layer in the upper stage of the processing block, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the substrate processing apparatus.

The substrate processing device 1 according to this embodiment is an apparatus capable of performing a front surface cleaning process for cleaning the front surface of the substrate W and a back surface cleaning process for cleaning the back surface of the substrate. The substrate processing device 1 includes an indexer block 3, an inverted path block 5, a processing block 7, a transport block 9, and a utility block 11.

The indexer block 3 passes the substrate W to be processed to and from the inverted path block 5. The inversion path block 5 is arranged between the indexer block 3 and the processing block 7. The reversing pass block 5 transfers the substrate W as it is between the indexer block 3 and the transport block 9 without inverting the front and back of the substrate W, or reverses the front and back of the substrate W and connects the substrate W to the transport block 9. Hand over W. The transport block 9 transports the substrate W between the reversal pass block 5 and the processing block 7. The processing block 7 includes a front surface cleaning unit SS for cleaning the front surface of the substrate W and a back surface cleaning unit SSR for cleaning the back surface of the substrate W. The utility block 11 has a configuration for supplying a treatment liquid such as a chemical solution or pure water, or a gas such as nitrogen gas or air to the treatment block 7.

In the substrate processing device 1, the indexer block 3, the reversing bus block 5, the processing block 7, the transport block 9, and the utility block 11 are arranged in this order.

In the following description, the direction in which the indexer block 3, the inversion path block 5, the processing block 7, the transport block 9, and the utility block 11 are lined up is defined as the "front-back direction X" (horizontal direction). In particular, the direction from the utility block 11 to the indexer block 3 is referred to as "forward XF", and the direction opposite to the forward XF direction is referred to as "rear XB". The direction orthogonal to the front-back direction X in the horizontal direction is defined as the "width direction Y". Further, when viewed from the front of the indexer block 3, one direction of the width direction Y is appropriately referred to as "right YR", and the other direction opposite to the right YR is referred to as "left YL". Further, the vertical direction is defined as "vertical direction Z" (height direction, vertical direction). In addition, when it is simply described as "lateral" or "horizontal direction", it is not limited to either the front-rear direction X or the width direction Y.

The indexer block 3 includes a carrier mounting portion 13, a transport space AID, and an indexer robot TID. The substrate processing apparatus 1 in this embodiment includes, for example, four carrier mounting portions 13. Specifically, four carrier mounting portions 13 are provided in the width direction Y. The carrier C is mounted on each carrier mounting portion 13. The carrier C is for stacking and storing a plurality of (for example, 25) substrates W, and each carrier mounting portion 13 is also referred to as, for example, an OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport) (not shown). ) And the carrier C. The OHT transports the carrier C using the ceiling of the clean room. Examples of the carrier C include FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod).

The transport space AID is arranged in the rear XB of the carrier mounting portion 13. An indexer robot TID is arranged in the transport space AID. The indexer robot TID delivers the substrate W to and from the carrier C, and also delivers the substrate W to and from the inversion block 5. Only one indexer robot TID is arranged in the transport space AID.

See FIG. 5 here. Note that FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the entire indexer robot.

As shown in FIG. 5, the indexer robot TID includes a guide rail 15, a base portion 17, an articulated arm 19, and a hand 21. The guide rail 15 is arranged in the vertical direction Z in the vertical direction, and the base portion 17 moves up and down when driven by a drive unit (not shown). At that time, the base portion 17 is guided in the vertical direction Z. The positions of the guide rail 15 in the front-rear direction X and the width direction Y are fixed. Specifically, the guide rail 15 is arranged in the width direction Y at a position that does not overlap with the mounting position of the substrate W in the inverted path block 5 when viewed from the carrier mounting portion 13 side of the indexer block 3. ing. Further, among the indexer blocks 3, they are arranged on the inner wall side of the inverted path block 5 side. Here, in a plan view, a virtual line VL connecting the center of the indexer block 3 in the width direction Y and the center of the inverted path block 5 in the width direction Y is defined (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The guide rail 15 and the base portion 17 are arranged at positions deviated from the virtual line VL to the side, and in this embodiment, to the right YR. The base portion 17 is arranged in a plan view from the back surface of the indexer block 3 to the carrier mounting portion 13 side with a space SP. This space SP has a size that allows at least a part of the inverted path block 5 to be accommodated.

The base portion 17 includes a base portion main body 17a that is movably arranged on the guide rail 15, and a fixed arm 17b that extends laterally from the base portion main body 17a. The fixed arm 17b is arranged so that its tip side extends from the base portion main body 17a to the front XF so as to be located at the center of the four carrier mounting portions 13 in the width direction Y, that is, at the virtual line VL. ing. The articulated arm 19 is composed of a first arm 19a, a second arm 19b, and a third arm 19c. The third arm 19c on which the hand 21 is arranged is on the tip end side, and the first arm 19a is on the base end portion. On the side, the base end portion of the first arm 19a, which is the base end portion side, is attached to the tip end portion side of the fixed arm 17b.

The articulated arm 19 is attached to a rotation shaft P1 on the base end side of the first arm 19a, a rotation shaft P2 on the base end side of the second arm 19b, and a rotation shaft P3 on the base end side of the third arm 19c. The first to third arms 19a, 19b, and 19c are rotatably configured, and the hand 21 is configured to be freely movable in the front-rear direction X and the width direction Y. The hand 21 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction Z by moving the base portion 17 up and down along the guide rail 15. Further, in the articulated arm 19, the rotation axis P1 of the first arm 19a on the proximal end side is displaced toward the inverted pass block 5 side from the guide rail 15 in the width direction Y when viewed from the carrier mounting portion 13 side. Are arranged. That is, the rotation axis P1 is located on the virtual line VL. Further, the rotation axis P1 is located on the left YL with reference to the base portion 17. The indexer robot TID configured in this way is accessible by the articulated arm 19 to the four carriers C and the inverted path block 5 described later.

Here, reference is made to FIG. 6A and 6B are perspective views showing the hands of the indexer robot, in which FIG. 6A shows four hand bodies and FIG. 6B shows two hand bodies.

The indexer robot TID described above includes a hand 21, and as shown in FIG. 6A, the hand 21 includes a hand body 21a, a hand body 21b, and a hand body 21c in order from top to bottom. It is equipped with a hand body 21d. The four hand bodies 21a to 21d in the hand 21 are attached to the third arm 19c. Of these four hand bodies 21a to 21d, the uppermost hand body 21a and the lowermost hand body 21d are configured to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction Z as shown in FIG. 6B. There is. When the indexer robot TID conveys the substrate W to and from the carrier C, for example, when 25 substrates W are housed in the carrier C, the indexer robot TID uses the four hand bodies 21a to 21d to connect the substrate W. When four boards are sequentially conveyed and one is left, for example, one board W is conveyed by the hand bodies 21a and 21b integrated with the hand body 21a and the hand body 21b, and then the next carrier. One substrate W of C is conveyed by the hand bodies 21c and 21d in which the hand body 21c and the hand body 21d are integrated. As a result, the indexer robot TID provided with the four hand bodies 21a to 21d can efficiently transport the 25 substrates W to the carrier C.

See now with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. Note that FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the inverted path block when the indexer block is viewed from the back surface, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state where the indexer block and the inverted path block are viewed from the left side surface.

The inversion path block 5 is integrally attached to the indexer block 3 on the processing block 7 side of the indexer block 3. Specifically, the indexer block 3 has a mounting frame 25 extending from the indexer block 3 to the processing block side 7, a mounting suspension frame 27, and a suspension frame 29 on the back side (rear XB) of the indexer block 3. I have. The reverse pass block 5 includes a reverse pass unit 31. On the back side of the indexer block 3, an upper access port 3a and a lower access port 3b communicating with the transport space AID are formed. The reversing pass unit 31 includes an upper reversing pass unit 33 and a lower reversing pass unit 35. The upper inverted pass unit 33 is arranged at a position corresponding to the upper access port 3a, and the lower inverted pass unit 35 is arranged at a position corresponding to the lower access port 3b. The lower portion of the lower inverted pass unit 35 is screwed and fixed to the mounting frame 25, and the upper portion is fixed to the mounting suspension frame 27 by the fixture 37. Further, the upper portion of the upper inverted pass knit 33 is screwed and fixed to the mounting suspension frame 27, and the upper portion is fixed to the suspension frame 29 by the fixture 39.

The above-mentioned mounting frame 25, the mounting suspension frame 27, and the suspension frame 29 correspond to the "frame" in the present invention.

The upper inverted pass unit 31 and the lower inverted pass unit 33 are arranged so as to overlap each other in the front-rear direction X and the width direction Y without being displaced in a plan view. Therefore, the footprint of the substrate processing device 1 can be reduced.

The inverted pass block 5 is integrally configured with the indexer block 3, but the inverted pass block 5 is configured so that at least a part of the inverted pass block 5 can be housed inside the indexer block 3 when the substrate processing apparatus 1 is transported. ..

Specifically, after removing the screws holding the lower parts of the upper reversing pass unit 33 and the lower reversing pass unit 35 and removing the fixtures 37 and 39, the upper reversing pass unit 33 is connected to the indexer block from the upper access port 3a. It is pushed into the space SP inside the indexer block 3, and the lower inverted pass unit 35 is pushed into the space SP inside the indexer block 3 from the lower access port 3b. As a result, at least a part of the inverted path block 5 can be reliably stored inside the indexer block 3.

The upper inverted pass unit 33 includes an inverted path housing portion 33a and a housing portion partition 33b. The upper inverted pass portion 33U is arranged in the upper part partitioned by the housing portion partition 33b, and the lower inverted pass portion 33D is arranged in the lower portion partitioned by the housing portion partition 33b. Further, the lower inverted pass unit 35 includes an inverted path housing portion 35a and a housing portion partition 35b. The upper inverted pass portion 35U is arranged in the upper part partitioned by the housing portion partition 35b, and the lower inverted pass portion 35D is arranged in the lower portion partitioned by the housing portion partition 33b.

Here, the details of the inversion path unit 31 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. 9 is a perspective view showing a main part of the inverted pass unit, and FIGS. 10 (a) to 10 (d) are explanatory views of the operation of the inverted pass unit.

The inverted pass unit 31 includes an upper inverted pass unit 33 and a lower inverted pass unit 35, and the upper inverted pass unit 33 and the lower inverted pass unit 35 include upper inverted pass portions 33U and 35U and lower inverted pass portions 33D and 35D. ing. In the following description, the upper inverted pass portion 33U will be described as an example, but the upper inverted pass portion 35U and the lower inverted pass portions 33D and 35D have the same configuration.

The upper reversing path portion 33U includes a guide portion 41 for mounting the substrate W and a rotation holding portion 43 for rotating the substrate W mounted on the guide portion 41 so as to reverse the front and back sides. .. A similar guide portion 41 and a rotation holding portion 43 are arranged to face each other on the right YR side, but they are omitted for convenience of illustration. The guide portion 41 includes shelves 45 having a plurality of stages (for example, 5 stages + 5 stages in total of 10 stages) for stacking and holding a plurality of substrates W in a horizontal posture, separated from each other in the front-rear direction X. The guide unit 41 is driven by a drive unit (not shown) over a mounting position (not shown) protruding to the right YR and a retracted position retracted to the left YL shown in FIG. The retracted position is diagonally downward from the lower surface of the substrate W to the left YL. As a result, the guide portion 41 does not slide on the lower surface of the substrate W when retracted. The guide portion 41 (not shown) is driven over a mounting position protruding to the left YL and a retracted position obliquely downward of the right YR.

The rotation holding portion 43 is arranged between the guide portions 41, and includes the same number of shelves 47 as the guide portions 41 in a plurality of stages (10 stages in total). The height position where the shelves 47 are arranged in the vertical direction Z is the same as each shelf 45 of the guide unit 41 when the guide unit 41 is located at the mounting position. Each shelf 47 is provided with a gripping member (not shown) that weakly grips the front and back surfaces of the substrate W, and is prevented from falling from each shelf 47 when the substrate W is rotated. The rotation holding portion 43 is attached to the rotating member 49, and the shelves 47 are arranged apart from each other in the front-rear direction X. In this embodiment, the rotating member 49 has an H shape of the alphabet, and each shelf 47 is arranged in the I shape portion. The rotating member 49 is connected to a rotation driving unit and an advancing / retreating driving unit (not shown). The rotating member 49 is rotated around the rotation axis P4 along the width direction Y. Further, the rotating member 49 is driven forward and backward over a gripping position protruding to the right YR shown in FIG. 9 and a retracted position (not shown) retracted to the left YL. By these operations, each shelf 47 is rotated and moved forward and backward. The rotating member 49 (not shown) is driven forward and backward over a gripping position protruding to the left YL and a retracted position retracted to the right YR.

The above-mentioned upper inversion path portion 33U can be delivered as it is without inverting the front and back sides by placing a plurality of substrates W while keeping the state of FIG. 10 (a), or in FIG. 10 (a). By operating as in (d), the front and back sides of a plurality of substrates W are inverted and delivered.

When the front and back sides of the substrate W are reversed, for example, the guide portion 41 and the rotation holding portion 43 are driven as follows.

In the initial state, it is assumed that the guide portions 41 are moved to the mounting position separated by the diameter of the substrate W in the width direction Y, and the rotation holding portion 43 is moved to the retracted position (FIG. 10A). .. In this state, a plurality of substrates W are placed on the guide unit 41. Next, the rotation holding portion 43 is positioned at the gripping position (FIG. 10 (b)), and then the guide portion 41 is moved to the retracted position (FIG. 10 (c)). Further, the rotation holding portion 43 is rotated about half a circumference around the rotation axis P4 (FIG. 10 (d)). By these series of operations, the front and back sides of the plurality of substrates W are reversed at the same time.

Return to FIGS. 2 to 4. Further, refer to FIG. Note that FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a state of the substrate processing apparatus during transportation.

A processing block 7 and a transport block 9 are arranged behind the inverted path block 5 XB. The processing block 7 is arranged so as to face the left YL and the right YR with the transport block 9 interposed therebetween.

Each processing block 7 is provided with, for example, a two-layer processing unit PU in each of the upper UF and the lower DF. Further, each processing block 7 includes two processing units PU in the front-rear direction X. That is, one processing block 7 has eight processing unit PUs, and the two processing blocks 7 have a total of 16 processing unit PUs. In the following description, when it is necessary to distinguish each processing unit PU, as shown in FIG. 11, they are arranged from the top to the bottom of the front XF processing unit PU on the left YL. The four processing unit PUs are designated as processing units PU11 to PU14, respectively, and the four processing unit PUs arranged from the top to the bottom of the front XF processing unit PU on the right YR are designated as processing units PU21 to PU24, respectively. , The four processing unit PUs arranged from the top to the bottom of the rear XB processing unit PU in the left YL are treated as the processing units PU31 to PU34, respectively, and from the top of the rear XB processing unit PU in the right YR. The four processing unit PUs arranged downward are referred to as processing units PU41 to PU44, respectively.

Further, the four processing units PU11 to PU14 of the front XF on the left YL are referred to as tower units TW1, and the four processing units PU21 to PU24 of the front XF on the right YR are referred to as tower units TW2. The four processing units PU31 to PU34 of the rear XB are referred to as tower units TW3, and the four processing units PU41 to PU44 of the rear XB on the right YR are referred to as tower units TW4. The two processing units 7 are composed of four tower units TW1 to TW4, but control and management are performed for each tower unit TW1 to TW4, and electrical wiring and fluid pipelines are connected to the tower units TW1 to TW1. A configuration that can be easily separated and connected for each TW4 is adopted.

As shown in FIG. 2, for example, a surface cleaning unit SS is arranged on the upper layer of the upper UF of the processing block 7. The surface cleaning unit SS cleans the surface of the substrate W (generally, the surface on which an electronic circuit pattern or the like is formed). The surface cleaning unit SS includes, for example, a suction chuck 51, a guard 53, and a processing nozzle 55. The suction chuck 51 sucks the vicinity of the center of the back surface of the substrate W by vacuum suction. The suction chuck 51 is rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown), whereby the substrate W is rotationally driven in a horizontal plane. The guard 53 is arranged so as to surround the suction chuck 51, and prevents the processing liquid supplied from the processing nozzle 55 to the substrate W from scattering to the surroundings. The processing nozzle 55 cleans the surface of the substrate W by supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate W by, for example, a jet jet.

As shown in FIG. 3, for example, a back surface cleaning unit SSR is arranged in the lower layer of the upper UF of the processing block 7. The back surface cleaning unit SSR cleans the back surface of the substrate W (generally, the surface on which an electronic circuit pattern or the like is not formed). The back surface cleaning unit SSR includes, for example, a mechanical chuck 57, a guard 59, and a cleaning brush 61. The mechanical chuck 57 abuts and supports the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and supports the substrate W in a horizontal posture without contacting most of the lower surface of the substrate W. The mechanical chuck 57 is rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown), whereby the substrate W is rotationally driven in a horizontal plane. The guard 59 is arranged so as to surround the mechanical chuck 57, and prevents the treatment liquid from being scattered around by the cleaning brush 61. The cleaning brush 61 includes, for example, a brush that rotates around the vertical axis, and the supplied processing liquid acts on the back surface of the substrate W by the rotational force of the brush to clean the substrate W.

The lower DF of the processing block 7 in this embodiment has, for example, the same configuration as the upper layer and the lower layer of the upper UF described above. That is, the upper layer of the lower DF of the processing block is provided with the front surface cleaning unit SS, and the lower layer of the lower DF of the processing block is provided with the back surface cleaning unit SSR. That is, all 16 processing unit PUs of the processing block 7 include eight front surface cleaning units SS and eight back surface cleaning units SSR.

Here, reference is made to FIG. 12 in addition to FIGS. 2 to 4. Note that FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a main part of the transport block.

In the transport block 9, the center robots CR1 and CR2 are arranged at positions corresponding to the upper UF and the lower DF, respectively. In the transport block 9, a partition plate or the like is not arranged at the boundary position between the upper UF and the lower DF, and the downflow in the device can be distributed from the upper UF to the lower DF. The center robot CR1 conveys the substrate W between the upper inverted pass unit 33 in the inverted pass block 5 and each processing unit PU in the upper UF. Further, the center robot CR2 transports the substrate W between the lower inverted pass unit 35 in the inverted pass block 5 and each processing unit PU in the lower DF. In this way, the substrate W can be distributed to the processing blocks 7 of the upper UF and the lower DF via the upper inverted pass unit 33 and the lower inverted pass unit 35 of the inverted pass block 5 by the center robots CR1 and CR2. Throughput can be improved.

Since the center robot CR1 and the center robot CR2 have the same configuration, the center robot CR1 will be described here as an example.

The center robot CR1 includes a fixed frame 63, a movable frame 65, a base portion 67, a swivel base 69, and an arm 71. The fixed frame 63 has an opening extending to all the processing unit PUs in the upper UF. The movable frame 65 is mounted in the fixed frame 63 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction X. The base portion 67 is attached to the lower frame of the four frames constituting the movable frame 65. A swivel base 69 is mounted on the upper portion of the base portion 67, and the swivel base 69 is configured to be swivelable in a horizontal plane with respect to the base portion 67. An arm 71 is mounted on the upper part of the swivel base 69 so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the swivel base 69. The arm 71 is arranged so that the arm body 71b is overlapped on the arm body 71a. The arm 71 is configured to be able to advance and retreat over a first position overlapping the swivel base 69 and a second position protruding from the swivel base 69. With this configuration, for example, when accessing the processing unit PU, the center robot CR1 receives the substrate W processed by the processing unit PU at the arm body 71a with the swivel base 69 facing the processing unit PU, and also receives the substrate W processed by the processing unit PU at the arm body 71a. The unprocessed substrate W supported by the arm body 71b can be passed to the processing unit PU.

The transport block 9 is configured as described above, and does not have a common frame with the two processing blocks 7 adjacent to each other in the width direction Y. Therefore, the transport block 9 can be separated from the adjacent processing block 7. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the substrate processing device 1 having the above-described configuration includes an indexer block 3 to which an inverted path block 5 is integrally attached, a processing block 7, a transport block 9, and a utility block during transportation. It can be separated into 11. Further, the processing block 7 can be further separated into four tower units TW1 to TW4. Therefore, the height, width, and depth restrictions that occur during transportation by aircraft can be cleared. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the inverted path block 5 integrally attached to the indexer block 3 can accommodate a part thereof inside the indexer block 3. Therefore, in addition to the height, width, and depth restrictions that occur during transportation by aircraft, the volume restrictions can be cleared.

According to this embodiment, the inversion path block 5 is integrally attached to the indexer block 3 on the processing block 7 side of the indexer block 3. Therefore, it is not necessary or simplified to perform mounting work such as adjusting the height position of the indexer robot TID and the reversing path block 5 at the time of assembling the substrate processing device 1 after being separated and transported as shown in FIG. Therefore, the mounting work such as adjusting the height position between the indexer robot TID and the reversing path block 5 can be shortened.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified as follows.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, the inverted path block 5 is configured so that at least a part thereof can be stored in the indexer block 3. However, the present invention does not require such a configuration.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the base portion 17 of the indexer robot TID is arranged with a space SP that allows a part of the inverted path block 5 to be accommodated when viewed in a plan view. However, the present invention does not require such a configuration. For example, even if the base portion 17 is arranged in close contact with the inner wall of the back surface of the indexer block 3, if the space SP can be obtained on the indexer block 3 side of the inverted path block 5, the arrangement of the base portion 17 is performed. It is not limited as in the embodiment.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the inverted path block 5 is mounted on a frame (mounting frame 25, mounting suspension frame 27, suspension frame 29) partially protruding from the indexer block 3. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the inverted pass block 5 may be provided with a frame in which a part of the inverted pass block 5 protrudes toward the indexer block 3, and the inverted pass block 5 may be integrally attached to the indexer block 3 in this frame.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the inverted pass block 5 includes an upper inverted pass unit 33 and a lower inverted pass unit 35, which are arranged so as to overlap each other in a plan view. However, the present invention is not limited to such an arrangement. For example, it may be arranged at a position shifted in the width direction Y or the front-rear direction X in a plan view.

As described above, the present invention is suitable for a substrate processing apparatus that performs cleaning treatment such as front surface cleaning and back surface cleaning.

1… Board processing device 3… Indexer block 5… Inverted path block 7… Processing block 9… Conveying block 11… Utility block W… Board SS… Front surface cleaning unit SSR… Back surface cleaning unit 13… Carrier mounting part TID… Indexer robot C ... Carrier 15 ... Guide rail 17 ... Base 17a ... Base body 17b ... Fixed arm SP ... Space 19 ... Articulated arm 19a ... 1st arm 19b ... 2nd arm 19c ... 3rd arm P1 to P3 ... Rotating shaft 21… Hand 21a ~ 21d… Hand body VL… Virtual line 25… Mounting frame 27… Mounting suspension frame 29… Suspension frame 31… Inverted path unit 33… Upper inverted path unit 35… Lower inverted path unit 37, 39… Fixed Tool 41 ... Guide part 43 ... Rotation holding part 45, 47 ... Shelf 49 ... Rotating member P4 ... Rotating shaft UF ... Upper DF ... Lower PU ... Processing unit PU11-14, PU21-24, PU31-3, PU41-44 ... Processing Units TW1 to TW4 ... Tower units CR1, CR2 ... Center robot CTS ... Transport space

Claims (6)

In a substrate processing apparatus provided with a processing block including a front surface cleaning unit that performs surface cleaning treatment of a substrate and a back surface cleaning unit that performs back surface cleaning treatment of a substrate as a processing unit.
An indexer block provided with a carrier mounting portion on which a carrier accommodating a plurality of substrates is mounted, and an indexer robot for transporting the substrate between the carrier mounting portion and the carrier.
An inversion path block, which is arranged between the indexer block and the processing block, has a plurality of shelves on which a substrate is placed, and has an inversion function for inversion of the front and back of the substrate.
A transport block provided with a center robot that transports a substrate between each of the processing units and the inverted path block.
With
A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that the inverted path block is integrally attached to the indexer block on the processing block side of the indexer block. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that the inverted path block is configured so that at least a part thereof can be housed inside the indexer block when the substrate processing apparatus is transported. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The indexer robot includes a guide rail erected with a fixed horizontal position, a base portion that moves up and down along the guide rail, and an articulated arm arranged on the base portion. The arm on the tip side of the joint arm is equipped with a hand that supports the board.
The indexer block is arranged in a plan view from the back surface of the indexer block to the carrier mounting portion side with a space allowing at least a part of the inverted path block to be accommodated. A substrate processing device characterized by. In the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The indexer block includes a frame partially protruding on the processing block side.
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the inverted pass block is mounted on the frame. In the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that when the substrate processing apparatus is transported, the indexer block to which the inverted path block is integrally attached, the processing block, and the transport block are separably configured. In the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The processing block includes the processing units in the upper and lower stages.
The center-robot is arranged at a position corresponding to each of the upper stage and the lower stage.
The inversion pass block includes an upper inversion pass unit corresponding to the upper stage and a lower inversion pass unit corresponding to the lower stage.
A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that the upper inverted pass unit and the lower inverted pass unit are arranged so as to overlap each other in a plan view.

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