JP3225344B2 - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for processing an object to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate, in a single wafer process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device, a processing liquid, for example, a photoresist liquid is applied to an object to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon substrate (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer), and a circuit pattern or the like is formed by photolithography. There is a series of processing steps in which the photoresist film is exposed after being reduced and developed.

In a processing system for performing this processing step, a cassette station for carrying a wafer as a workpiece to and from a cassette, a cleaning unit for cleaning the wafer, and an adhesion unit for hydrophobizing the surface of the wafer. A cooling unit that cools the wafer to a predetermined temperature, a resist coating unit that applies a resist liquid to the surface of the wafer, a baking unit that performs pre-bake or post-bake that heats the wafer before and after applying the resist liquid, and a resist at a peripheral portion of the wafer. A peripheral exposure unit for removing, a wafer delivery table for delivering a wafer to and from an adjacent exposure apparatus, and a developing solution for exposing the exposed wafer to a developing solution to selectively expose a photosensitive portion or a non-photosensitive portion of a resist. The development unit, etc., which dissolves the toner into a single unit is integrated into one unit to improve the work.

In the above-mentioned processing system, a wafer transfer path is generally provided in a central portion in a longitudinal direction. Each unit is disposed on the wafer transfer path with its front face facing each other. It is configured to move on a wafer transfer path in order to transfer a wafer. Therefore, a horizontally long system configuration in which various processing units are arranged along a wafer transfer path extending in the horizontal direction is required, so that the space occupied by the entire system is increased and the clean room cost is increased. In particular, when trying to increase the cleanliness of the whole system or each part by a vertical laminar flow system effective for this type of processing system, the initial cost and maintenance cost of an air conditioner or a filter are very high because of the large space. .

The applicants have conducted intensive studies to solve the above problems, and as a result, have made the wafer carrier movable vertically and rotatable about a vertical axis. A processing system with multiple units has been developed.

According to the processing system described above, the space occupied by the system can be reduced, the clean room cost can be reduced, the high-speed transfer or access speed can be achieved, and the throughput can be improved.

[0007]

However, in a conventional processing system of this type, since a predetermined processing is performed on a wafer in each of the processing units arranged in multiple stages, the atmosphere of the clean air supplied into the processing system is reduced. That is, the air volume,
Temperature, pressure, etc. may fluctuate. Due to the fluctuation of the atmosphere in this processing system, proper processing cannot be performed.
There are problems such as lowering of processing capacity and yield.

Further, when the air supplied into the processing system is exhausted out of the system after the processing, particles generated in the processing system and organic contaminants such as amines, for example, flow into the clean room. There is a problem that not only the degree is lowered but also the life is shortened. Furthermore, if organic contaminants such as amines are present in the coon room, there is a problem that other processing apparatuses in the clean room, for example, a CVD apparatus may hinder the formation of a thin film.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and controls the atmosphere of the clean air supplied into the processing system to improve the effective use of the clean air, improve the processing capacity and the yield, and provide the processing to the processing system. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus that supplies circulated air in a circulating manner to prevent the air from flowing out of the apparatus.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, an object of the present invention is to provide an object conveying means movable in vertical and horizontal directions and rotatable about a vertical axis;
At least one set of a plurality of single-wafer processing units, which are arranged around the object transporting means and provided in a vertical direction with a plurality of processing units for performing a series of processes on the object to be processed; A circulation pipe connected to an air supply port and an air discharge port provided at an upper portion and a lower portion of a chamber accommodating the means, a blower provided in the circulation pipe, and an air volume in the circulation pipe
And an outside air intake provided through an adjusting means .

[0011] The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the vertical and horizontal directions
Object transporter that can move around and rotate around a vertical axis
And a step, which is disposed around the object transfer means,
Multiple processing units that perform a series of processes on the body
At least one set of a plurality of single wafer processing units provided in
At the top and bottom of the chamber containing the object transfer means
A circulation pipeline connected to the provided air supply and exhaust ports,
A blower provided in the circulation pipe, and the exhaust port
And an exhaust fan disposed at a connection of the circulation pipeline.
It is characterized by doing .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the object to be processed is held.
Has a plurality of transport members for transporting vertically and horizontally.
Workpiece transfer means that is movable and rotatable about a vertical axis
And the object to be processed, which is disposed around the object to be processed transfer means,
Multiple processing units that perform a series of processing
At least one set of a plurality of sheet processing units;
Provided at the top and bottom of the chamber that accommodates the object transfer means
A circulation line connected to the supply and exhaust ports provided
Air blowing means provided in the circulation pipeline.
Sign .

[0013] The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the vertical and horizontal directions
Object transporter that can move around and rotate around a vertical axis
And a step, which is disposed around the object transfer means,
Multiple processing units that perform a series of processes on the body
At least one set of a plurality of single wafer processing units provided in
At the top and bottom of the chamber containing the object transfer means
A circulation pipeline connected to the provided air supply and exhaust ports,
A blowing means interposed in the circulation pipe;
A duct that runs directly along the air
And a fan exhausting into the duct.
And

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the object to be processed is processed between a processing station for performing processing including resist coating and development processing on the object to be processed, and another system and between the processing stations. A transport unit for delivery;
An interface unit for transferring the object to and from the processing station and to and from the exposure apparatus, wherein the processing station is movable vertically and horizontally and rotatable around a vertical axis. And at least one set of a plurality of single-wafer processing units provided around the object-to-be-processed transfer means, and provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction for performing a series of processes on the object to be processed. Unit and
A circulation pipeline connected to an air supply port and an exhaust port provided at an upper portion and a lower portion of the chamber accommodating the object transfer means,
And a blower provided in the circulation pipeline.

[0015] In the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is preferable to further include a pressure adjusting means interposed in the circulation pipe (claim 6 ). Further, it is preferable to further include a temperature adjusting means provided in the circulation pipeline.
7 ). Further, it is more preferable to provide a humidity adjusting means in the circulation line. Also, at the connection between the exhaust port and the circulation line,
It is preferable to provide an exhaust fan (claim 8) .

In the invention described in claim 5 , the object-to-be-processed conveying means may be a single conveying member as long as it has a conveying member for holding and conveying the object to be processed. However, it is preferable to provide a plurality of transport members (claim 9 ). Further, provided with a duct along perpendicular to the chamber, is better to provide a fan for discharging the indoor air in the duct preferably (claim 10).

Further, in the invention according to claim 5 , the one set of single-wafer processing units can be provided by vertically stacking a resist coating unit and a developing unit for developing a resist pattern. In this case, who the coating unit is arranged to be below said developing unit is preferably (claim 11). Further, the one set of single-wafer processing units includes an alignment unit for performing alignment of an object to be processed, a baking unit for baking the object to be processed, a cooling unit for cooling the object to be processed, and an adhesion unit for performing adhesion to the object to be processed. A part or all of the unit and the extension unit can be provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction. In this case, who arranged so that the cooling unit is under the baking unit is preferably (claim 12).

According to the present invention, the air supply means is provided in the circulation pipes connected to the air supply and exhaust ports provided at the upper and lower portions of the chamber for accommodating the object transfer means, whereby the air supply means is provided. The air supplied to the space accommodating the processing object transport means can be circulated and supplied. Further, by providing the outside air intake through the air flow adjusting means in the circulation pipeline, it is possible to replenish the air consumed by the processing unit after the supply from the outside air intake. Therefore, the clean air supplied into the room accommodating the object transfer means can be effectively used without being exhausted to the outside, and the amount of air supplied into the processing apparatus can be made constant.

Further, by providing the pressure adjusting means in the circulation line, the amount of air supplied into the processing apparatus can be made constant, and the inside of the processing apparatus can be maintained at a constant positive pressure with respect to the outside. Can be held at pressure.

Further, the temperature in the processing apparatus can be kept constant by providing the temperature adjusting means in the circulation line.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the processing apparatus of the present invention is used to apply a resist solution to a semiconductor wafer.
A case where the present invention is applied to a development processing system will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of one embodiment of a resist liquid application / development processing system, FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a rear view of FIG. 2.

In the processing system described above, a semiconductor wafer W (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) as an object to be processed is placed in a wafer cassette
A cassette station 10 (transfer section) for loading or unloading wafers W from / into the system from outside, or loading / unloading wafers W into / from the wafer cassette 1 in units of, for example, 25 sheets; A processing station 20 having a processing apparatus according to the present invention in which various single-wafer processing units for performing predetermined processing on wafers W one by one are arranged at predetermined positions in multiple stages, and adjacent to the processing station 20. Interface unit 30 for transferring wafer W to and from an exposure apparatus (not shown) provided
And the main part is constituted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cassette station 10 has a plurality of, for example, up to four wafer cassettes 1 at the positions of the projections 3 on the cassette mounting table 2 with their respective wafer entrances facing the processing station 20 side. Wafer transfer mounted in a row along the horizontal X direction and movable in the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction) of wafers W accommodated in the cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and the vertical direction in the wafer cassette 1. Tweezers 4 are selectively transported to each wafer cassette 1. Further, the wafer transfer tweezers 4 is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction, and is an alignment unit (ALI) belonging to a multi-stage unit of a third set G3 on the processing station 20 side described later.
M) and the extension unit (EXT).

As shown in FIG. 1, the processing station 20 has a vertical transfer type main wafer transfer mechanism 21 provided at the center thereof, and a chamber 22 for accommodating the main wafer transfer mechanism 21.
, All the processing units are arranged in multiple stages over one set or a plurality of sets. In this example, five sets G1, G2,
G3, G4 and G5 are arranged in a multi-stage arrangement, and the first and second
The multistage units of the set G1 and G2 are arranged in parallel on the front side of the system (in FIG. 1), the multistage unit of the third set G3 is arranged adjacent to the cassette station 10, and
The multistage unit of the set G4 is disposed adjacent to the interface unit 30, and the multistage unit of the fifth set G5 is disposed on the back side.

In this case, as shown in FIG.
In 1, two spinner-type processing units, for example, a resist coating unit (COT) and a developing unit for developing a resist pattern (COT), which perform a predetermined process by mounting a wafer W on a spin chuck (not shown) in the cup 23. DEV) are stacked in two stages from the bottom in the vertical direction. Similarly, the second set G2 has two spinner type processing units, for example, a resist coating unit (COT) and a developing unit (DE).
V) are stacked in two stages from the bottom in the vertical direction. The reason for disposing the resist coating unit (COT) on the lower side is that the drainage of the resist solution is troublesome both mechanically and in terms of maintenance. However, if necessary, a resist coating unit (COT) can be arranged in the upper stage.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the third set G3, an oven-type processing unit for mounting the wafer W on the mounting table 24 and performing a predetermined process, for example, a cooling unit (COL) for cooling the wafer W, Adhesion unit (AD) for performing adhesion to wafer W, alignment unit (ALIM) for aligning wafer W, extension unit (EXT), pre-baking unit (PREBAKE) for baking wafer W, and post-baking unit (POBAKE) Are stacked, for example, in eight stages from the bottom in the vertical direction. Similarly, the fourth set G4 includes an oven type processing unit such as a cooling unit (COL), an extension cooling unit (EXT · COL), and a cooling unit (CO
L), a pre-baking unit (PREBAKE) and a post-baking unit (POBAKE) are stacked in, for example, eight stages from the bottom in the vertical direction.

As described above, a cooling unit (COL) and an extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) having a low processing temperature are arranged in a lower stage, and a pre-baking unit (PREBAKE), a post-baking unit (POBAKE) and an ad-hoc unit having a high processing temperature are arranged. By arranging the John units (AD) in the upper stage, thermal mutual interference between the units can be reduced. Of course, a random multi-stage arrangement is also possible.

Although the interface section 30 has the same dimensions as the processing station 20 in the depth direction,
It is made small in the width direction. A portable pickup cassette 31 and a stationary buffer cassette 32 are arranged in two stages at a front portion of the interface portion 30, a peripheral exposure device 33 is arranged at a rear portion, and a wafer is arranged at a central portion. A transfer arm 34 is provided. The wafer transfer arm 34 is configured to move in the X and Z directions and transfer the wafer to the cassettes 31 and 32 and the peripheral exposure device 33. The wafer transfer arm 34 is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction, and includes an extension unit (EXT) belonging to the multistage unit of the fourth set G4 on the processing station 20 side and a wafer transfer table (shown in FIG. ).

The processing system configured as described above includes:
Although it is installed in the clean room 40, the cleanliness of each part is further increased in the system by the efficient vertical laminar flow system. 4 and 5 show the flow of clean air in the system.

As shown in FIG. 4, air supply chambers 10a, 20a, and 30a are provided above the cassette station 10, the processing station 20, and the interface section 30, and the air supply chambers 10a, 20a, and 30a are provided. Filter with dust-proof function, for example, ULPA filter 5
0 is attached. The air supply chamber 10a,
Air is introduced into 30a through a branch pipe (not shown) connected to a circulation pipe 52 for air introduction provided with a blower fan 51 (blower means) to be described later. Air is supplied to the cassette station 10 and the interface unit 30 in a downflow manner.

As shown in FIG. 5, an air supply port 25 is provided at an upper portion of a chamber 22 accommodating the main wafer transfer mechanism 21, and an exhaust port 26 is provided at a lower portion thereof. A circulation pipe line 52 is connected to the discharge port 25 and the exhaust port 26.
Further, an air supply chamber 20a is provided at a connection portion between the air supply port 25 and the circulation pipe line 52, and the ULPA filter 50 is attached to a lower surface of the air supply chamber 20a. A chemical filter 53 having a function of removing organic contaminants is attached.
Further, an exhaust chamber 20b is provided at a connection portion between the exhaust port 26 and the circulation pipeline 52, and a perforated plate 54 is mounted on an upper surface of the exhaust chamber 20b, and an exhaust fan 55 is provided in the exhaust chamber 20b. Has been established.

A pressure adjusting means, for example, a slit damper 56 is provided at a connection between the exhaust chamber 20b and the circulation pipe 52. As shown in FIG. 6, the slit damper 56 has a fixed perforated plate 56b having a large number of ventilation holes 56a.
And a movable perforated plate 56d disposed on the lower surface of the fixed perforated plate 56b so as to be capable of reciprocating in the horizontal direction and having a large number of adjusting holes 56c capable of matching the ventilation holes 56a. Means, for example, by adjusting the ventilation amount by adjusting the opening area of the ventilation hole 56a and the adjustment hole 56c by moving the movable porous plate 56d reciprocated in the horizontal direction by a cylinder mechanism, a timing belt mechanism, or the like. Adjusting pressure. That is, the pressure P1 within the chamber 22 as well as a positive pressure may be higher predetermined pressure for example 0.1mmH ₂ O with respect to the pressure P2 in the clean room 40. Here, the case where the pressure adjusting means is formed by the slit damper has been described, but the pressure adjusting means does not necessarily need to be formed by the slit damper 56, and adjusts the passage area of the air exhausted from the chamber 22. Any material other than the slit damper may be used as long as it can perform the operation.

On the other hand, between the blower fan 51 and the slit damper 56 in the circulation line 52, the outside air intake 5
The inside of the outside air intake 57 is provided with air volume adjusting means, for example, a damper 58. In addition,
Instead of the damper 58, another air volume adjusting means such as a flow rate adjusting valve may be used.

With this configuration, the blower fan 51 is driven, and the damper 58 is opened at a predetermined opening, so that the outside air, that is, the clean air in the clean room 40 is introduced into the circulation line 52 from the outside air inlet 57. Introduce room 2
2 can be supplied. Therefore, the clean air supplied into the chamber 22 (for example, 0.3 to 0.5 m / sec)
The flow rate of the air flowing through each processing unit (for example, 0.1 to 0.3 m / sec) is reduced by the outside air intake 57.
And the air volume of the clean air constantly flowing in the chamber 22 can be kept constant.

The blower fan 5 in the circulation line 52
1 and an air supply chamber 20a, a temperature controller 59 as temperature control means is interposed, and the temperature of the clean air supplied into the chamber 22 by the temperature controller 59 becomes a predetermined temperature, for example, 23 ° C. Is to be maintained. The humidity in the chamber 22 can be kept constant by providing the humidity adjusting means in the circulation pipeline 52.

The slit damper 5 configured as described above
6, the damper 58 and the temperature controller 59 are configured to be controlled by a control signal from a control means such as a central processing unit 60 (CPU). That is,
A signal detected by the pressure / air volume sensor 61 disposed on the side of the air supply port 25 in the chamber 22 is transmitted to the CPU 60, and the detected signal is compared with information stored in advance in the CPU 60, and the control signal is transmitted. Is transmitted to the slit damper 56 and the damper 58 so that the pressure in the chamber 22 and the amount of supplied clean air are controlled to predetermined values. In addition, the temperature signal detected by the temperature sensor 62 disposed on the lower side in the
U 60, and compares the temperature signal with information stored in advance in the CPU 60, and transmits a control signal to the temperature controller 59.
The clean air flowing through 2 is set at a predetermined temperature, for example, 23 ° C., and is supplied into the chamber 22.

Therefore, the atmosphere, that is, the pressure, the air volume, and the temperature in the chamber 22 can always be set to predetermined values, and each processing in the processing system can be suitably performed. Further, since the clean air supplied into the chamber 22 is circulated and supplied, the clean air does not flow outside, that is, into the clean room 40, and particles and organic contaminants generated in the processing system leak into the clean room 40. Not even.

In the cassette station 10,
As shown in FIG. 4, the space above the cassette mounting table 2 and the moving space of the wafer transfer tweezers 4 are vertically separated partition plates 5.
, And the downflow air flows separately in both spaces.

In the processing station 20, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the resist coating unit (COT) of the lower stage of the multistage units of the first and second sets G1 and G2 is arranged. ULPA filter 50A on the ceiling
The air supplied from the circulation line 52 into the chamber 22 flows through the ULPA filter 50A into the resist coating unit (COT). In this case, a temperature / humidity sensor 63 is provided near the outlet side of the ULPA filter 50A, and the sensor output is transmitted to the CPU 60 so that the temperature and humidity of the clean air can be accurately controlled by a feedback method. Has become.

As shown in FIG. 4, the main wafer transfer mechanism 2 of each spinner type processing unit (COT), (DEV)
The side wall facing 1 is provided with an opening 64 for the wafer W and the transfer arm to enter and exit. Each opening 64
A shutter (not shown) for preventing particles or organic contaminants from each unit from entering the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 side.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the processing station 20, the third and fourth units adjacent to the multistage units (spinner type processing units) of the first and second sets G1 and G2.
Ducts 65 and 66 are provided vertically in the side walls of the multi-stage unit (oven processing unit) of the set G3 and G4. These ducts 65,
In 66, the down-flow clean air or the air whose temperature is specially adjusted is supplied. With this duct structure, the heat generated in the oven type processing units of the third and fourth sets G3 and G4 is cut off, and the first and second sets G3 and G4 are cut off.
Are not extended to the spinner type processing units of the sets G1 and G2.

Further, in this processing system, a multistage unit of a fifth set G5 can be arranged on the back side of the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 as shown by a dotted line in FIG.
The multi-stage units of the fifth set G5 can be moved sideways as viewed from the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 along the guide rails 67. Therefore, even when the fifth set G5 of multi-stage units is provided, the space is secured by sliding the units, so that the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 is provided.
Maintenance work can be easily performed from behind.

Next, the configuration and operation of the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 in the processing station 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 shows the main wafer transfer mechanism 21.
8 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the main part of FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the main part of the main wafer transfer mechanism 21, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional plan view in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8 is an inside side view seen in the direction of arrow B, and FIG. 11 is an inside side view seen in the direction of arrow C in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 has a wafer inside a cylindrical support 70 comprising a pair of opposed vertical walls 71 and 72 connected at the upper and lower ends. A wafer transfer body 73 that holds and transfers W is attached movably in the vertical direction (Z direction). The cylindrical support 70 is connected to a rotation shaft of a rotation drive motor 74, and is configured to rotate integrally with the wafer carrier 73 around the rotation shaft by the rotation of the motor 74. The rotary drive motor 74 is fixed to a base plate 75 of the processing system, and a flexible cable carrier 76 for feeding power is wound around the motor 74. Note that the cylindrical support 70 may be configured to be attached to another rotating shaft (not shown) rotated by the rotation driving motor 74.

The vertical movement range of the wafer carrier 73 is such that the wafer carrier 73 moves the wafer W to the first to fifth sets G1 to G1.
It is set so that it can be transported to all of the multi-stage units of G5. The wafer carrier 73 is placed on the carrier base 77,
A plurality of, for example, three transport members, for example, tweezers 78A, 78B, and 78C (represented by reference numeral 78) that are movable in the X direction (front-back direction) are provided. Each tweezer 78 can pass through a side opening 79 between both vertical walls 71, 72 of the cylindrical support 70. An X-direction drive unit for moving each tweezers 78 in the X direction is configured by a drive motor and a belt (not shown) built in the transport base 77. Note that the uppermost tweezers 78A of the three tweezers may be used exclusively for transporting the cooled wafer W. Also,
A heat insulating plate may be arranged between each pair of tweezers to prevent heat interference.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, a pair of pulleys 80 and 81 are attached to the upper and lower ends substantially at the center of one of the vertical walls 71. An endless belt 82 for vertical drive is stretched between them. The transfer base 77 of the wafer transfer body 73 is connected to the vertical drive belt 82 via a belt clamp 83. The lower pulley 80 is connected to a drive shaft 84a of a drive motor 84 fixedly arranged on the bottom surface of the cylindrical support 70, and forms a drive pulley. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a pair of guide rails 85 are provided at right and left end portions inside the vertical wall portion 71 so as to extend in the vertical direction.
A pair of horizontal support bars 86 protruding from the side surface of the transport base 77
Sliders 87 respectively provided at the tips of the guide rails slidably engage with both guide rails 85. With such a vertical belt driving mechanism and a vertical slider mechanism, the wafer transfer body 73 can be moved up and down in the vertical direction by the driving force of the driving motor 84.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a rodless cylinder 88 extends vertically between a central portion inside the vertical wall portion 71 and one of the guide rails 85. ing. A cylindrical movable portion 88 a movably fitted outside the rodless cylinder 88 is connected to a transfer base 77 of the wafer transfer body 73 via a horizontal support bar 86. Since the movable portion 88a is magnetically coupled to a piston (not shown) slidably inserted into the cylinder 88, the wafer carrier 73 and the piston can be simultaneously moved via the movable portion 88a. Can be operated as follows. Compressed air is supplied to the lower end port 88b of the cylinder 88 from the regulator 89 through the pipe 90 at a pressure that generates a force substantially equal to the weight of the wafer transfer body 73. The port 88 at the upper end of the cylinder 88
c is open to the atmosphere.

Since the weight of the wafer carrier 73 is canceled by the lift of the cylinder 88, the wafer carrier 73 can move upward at a high speed without being affected by the gravity of the wafer carrier 73. Furthermore, even if the drive belt 82 breaks, the wafer carrier 73 is held at that position by the lift of the cylinder 88, and there is no danger of falling by gravity. Therefore, there is no possibility that the wafer carrier 73 or the cylindrical support 70 is damaged.

As shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 9 and FIG. 11, a central portion and both ends inside the other vertical wall portion 72 are provided with a power supply and a control signal for supplying the wafer carrier 73 with the power. A sleeve 92 is provided for accommodating the flexible cable carrier 91 extending in the vertical direction. Opposing outer surfaces of the two sleeves 92 at the center constitute a vertical guide 93, and the vertical guide 93 guides a slider 94 projecting from the side surface of the transport base 77. . As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of openings 70b are provided on both sides of the rotation center shaft 70a on the upper surface of the cylindrical support 70, and the above-described clean air of the downflow flows through these openings 7a.
0b, and flows into the main wafer transfer mechanism 21. The down-flow clean air keeps the vertical moving space of the wafer carrier 73 clean at all times.

Also, inside the vertical wall portions 71 and 72,
As shown in FIG. 9, vertical partition plates 71a and 72a are provided, and ducts 71b and 72b are formed by the back sides of the vertical partition plates 71a and 72a and the vertical wall portions 71 and 72. These ducts 71b, 72b communicate with the inner space of the vertical wall portions 71, 72 via a plurality of fans 95 attached to the vertical partition plates 71a, 72a at fixed intervals. Thereby, the vertical drive belt 8
2. Dust generated from a movable body such as a rodless cylinder 88, a cable bear 91, etc.
b, 72b.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, also in the wafer transfer body 73, the internal space of the transfer base 77 is formed by the vertical walls 71, 72 through the holes in the fan 96 and the horizontal support rod 86. Communicates with the inside space of As a result, dust generated by the tweezers driving motor and the belt and the like built in the transport base 77 can also be discharged to the ducts 71b and 72b.

Next, in the above processing system, the wafer W
A wafer transfer operation when the device receives a series of processes will be described. First, in the cassette station 10, the wafer transfer tweezers 4 accesses the cassette 1 containing unprocessed wafers W on the cassette mounting table 2,
One wafer W is taken out of the cassette 1. When the wafer W is taken out of the cassette 1, the wafer transfer tweezers 4 aligns the alignment unit (A) disposed in the multistage unit of the third set G 3 on the processing station 20 side.
LIM), and places the wafer W on the wafer mounting table 24 in the unit (ALIM). The wafer W undergoes orientation flat alignment and centering on the wafer mounting table 24. Thereafter, the wafer transfer body 73 of the main wafer transfer mechanism 21
Accesses the alignment unit (ALIM) from the opposite side, and receives the wafer W from the wafer mounting table 24.

In the processing station 20, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 first loads the wafer W into the adhesion unit (AD) belonging to the multistage unit of the third set G3. The wafer W undergoes an adhesion process in the adhesion unit (AD). When the adhesion processing is completed, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 unloads the wafer W from the adhesion unit (AD), and then performs the third
And the cooling unit (COL) belonging to the multi-stage unit of the set G3 or the fourth set G4. In the cooling unit (COL), the wafer W is cooled to a set temperature before the resist coating processing, for example, 23 ° C. When the cooling process is completed, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 unloads the wafer W from the cooling unit (COL) by the tweezers 78A, and then moves the resist coating unit (a multi-stage unit of the first set G1 or the second set G2). (COT). In the resist coating unit (COT), the wafer W is coated with a resist having a uniform thickness on the wafer surface by a spin coating method.

When the resist coating process is completed, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 transfers the wafer W to the resist coating unit (C).
OT) and then pre-baking unit (PR
EBAKE). The wafer W is placed on a hot plate (not shown) in the prebaking unit (PREBAKE) and heated at a predetermined temperature, for example, 100 ° C. for a predetermined time. As a result, the remaining solvent is evaporated and removed from the coating film on the wafer W. When the pre-bake is completed, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 unloads the wafer W from the pre-baking unit (PREBAKE), and then transfers the wafer W to the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) belonging to the multi-stage unit of the fourth group G4. This unit (CO
In L), the wafer W is cooled to a temperature suitable for the next step, ie, a peripheral exposure process in the peripheral exposure device 33, for example, 24 ° C. After this cooling, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 transfers the wafer W to the extension unit (EXT) immediately above, and a mounting table (not shown) in this unit (EXT).
Place the wafer on the top. When the wafer W is mounted on the mounting table of the extension unit (EXT), the wafer transfer arm 34 of the interface unit 30 accesses from the opposite side and receives the wafer W. Then, the wafer transfer arm 34 carries the wafer W into the peripheral exposure device 33 in the interface unit 30. Here, the wafer W is exposed at the edge.

When the peripheral exposure is completed, the wafer transfer arm 34 unloads the wafer W from the peripheral exposure device 33 and transfers it to the adjacent wafer receiving table (not shown) on the exposure device side. In this case, before the wafer W is transferred to the exposure apparatus,
It may be temporarily stored in the buffer cassette 32.

When the wafer W is returned to the wafer receiving table on the side of the exposure device after the entire surface exposure by the exposure device is completed,
The wafer transfer arm 34 of the face section 30 accesses the wafer receiving table to receive the wafer W, and transfers the received wafer W to an extension unit (EX) belonging to the multistage unit of the fourth set G4 on the processing station 20 side.
T) and placed on a wafer receiving table. Also in this case, the wafer W is transferred to the buffer cassette 3 in the interface section 30 before being transferred to the processing station 20 side.
2 may be temporarily stored.

The above extension unit (EXT)
When the wafer W is carried into the first set G, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 accesses from the opposite side to receive the wafer W, and
The developing unit (DEV) belonging to the multistage unit of the first or second set G2 is carried in. In the developing unit (DEV), the wafer W is placed on a spin chuck, and the developing solution is evenly applied to the resist on the wafer surface by, for example, a spray method. When the development is completed, a rinsing liquid is applied to the wafer surface to wash away the developing liquid.

When the developing process is completed, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 unloads the wafer W from the developing unit (DEV), and then moves the post-baking unit belonging to the third set G3 or the fourth set G4 of the multistage unit. (POBAKE). In this unit (POBAKE), the wafer W is heated at, for example, 100 ° C. for a predetermined time. by this,
The resist swollen by development is hardened, and the chemical resistance is improved.

When the post baking is completed, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 unloads the wafer W from the post baking unit (POBAKE), and then loads the wafer W into any one of the cooling units (COL). Here, after the wafer W has returned to the normal temperature, the main wafer transfer mechanism 21
To the extension unit (E
XT). This extension unit (E
When the wafer W is mounted on a mounting table (not shown) of the XT), the wafer carrier 73 on the cassette station 10 accesses from the opposite side and receives the wafer W. Then, the wafer carrier 73 puts the received wafer W into a predetermined wafer accommodating groove of the processed wafer accommodating cassette 1 on the cassette mounting table, and the processing is completed.

As described above, the processing units are arranged in multiple stages around the chamber 22 accommodating the main wafer transfer mechanism 21, and the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 is provided with a cylindrical support 7 for each unit.
0 is rotated in the θ direction, and
3 is moved in the vertical direction, and the tweezers 78 are moved forward and backward in the horizontal X direction to receive the wafer W, so that the access time is reduced. As a result, the processing time of the entire process is significantly reduced, and the throughput is greatly improved. Further, the space occupied by the entire system can be reduced, so that the cost of the clean room can be reduced.

The clean air supplied into the chamber 22 from the upper part of the chamber 22 accommodating the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 is supplied to the chamber 2.
In order to adopt a circulation system that circulates again from the lower part of 2,
Particles generated from the main wafer transfer mechanism 21 and organic contaminants generated from, for example, a resist coating unit (COT) are removed from a clean room 40 outside the processing system.
Since it does not flow into the inside, the cleanliness of the clean room 40 can be increased, and the life of the clean room can be extended.

Furthermore, the amount of clean air supplied into the chamber 22 consumed by each unit is determined by the damper 58 of the outside air inlet 57.
Is adjusted to supply a constant amount of clean air into the chamber 22 at all times. In addition, circulation line 5
By adjusting the amount of ventilation by adjusting the slit damper 56 interposed in the chamber 2, the inside of the chamber 22 can be maintained at a predetermined pressure while maintaining a positive pressure with respect to the external clean room 40. Further, the temperature of the clean air supplied into the chamber 22 by the temperature controller 59 provided in the circulation pipeline 52 can be maintained at a predetermined temperature, for example, 23 ° C. Therefore, the atmosphere, that is, the pressure, the air volume, and the temperature in the chamber 22 can always be set to predetermined values, and each processing in the processing system can be suitably performed.

The arrangement of each unit in the processing system in the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, in the multi-stage unit configuration in the processing station 20, the first and second sets G1 and G2 each include multi-stage spinner type processing units arranged in two stages, and the third and fourth sets G3 and G3. , G4 have the oven type processing unit and the wafer transfer unit arranged in eight stages, respectively, but any other number of stages are possible, and the spinner type processing unit and the oven type processing unit or the wafer transfer unit are included in one set. It is also possible to mix units. It is also possible to add another processing unit such as a scrubber unit.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the relative positional relationship between the cassette station 10 and the interface unit 30 disposed on both sides of the processing station 20 can be reversed. In this case, the cassette station 10 and the interface 30 are detachably connected to the processing station 20 by connecting means 97 such as bolts. The control panel 100 attached to the front of the cassette station 10 is also detachable. Thereby, it is possible to easily cope with a change in the layout. For example, it is possible to cope with a case where the exposure apparatus is arranged on either the left or right side.
Also, no new design / production is required, and cost reduction can be achieved.

In the above embodiment, the case where the processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer coating / developing processing system has been described. However, the processing apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to other processing systems. The object to be processed is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, but may be an object to be processed such as an LCD substrate, a glass substrate, a CD substrate, a photomask, a printed substrate, a ceramic substrate, or the like.

[0067]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained because of the configuration described above.

1) By providing an air blower in a circulation pipe connected to an air supply port and an exhaust port provided at an upper portion and a lower portion of a chamber accommodating the object transfer means, the object transfer means is provided. The air supplied to the space accommodating the air can be circulated and supplied. Further, by providing an outside air intake through the air flow adjusting means in the circulation pipeline, replenishment of the air consumed by the processing unit after the supply is supplied from the outside air intake, so that the room accommodating the object transfer means is provided. It is possible to effectively use the clean air supplied to the processing device without exhausting it to the outside, and to make the amount of air supplied into the processing apparatus constant. Therefore, the effective use of the clean air can be achieved, and the life of the clean room outside the processing apparatus can be increased.

2) By providing a pressure adjusting means in the circulation line, the amount of air supplied into the processing apparatus can be made constant, and the processing apparatus can be maintained at a constant positive pressure with respect to the outside. Since the pressure can be maintained, the atmosphere in the room can be further stabilized in addition to the above 1), so that the processing capacity can be improved and the yield can be improved.

3) Since the temperature in the processing apparatus can be kept constant by providing the temperature adjusting means in the circulation line, the indoor atmosphere can be further stabilized in addition to the above 1) and 2). The processing capacity can be further improved, and the yield can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an example of a system for applying and developing a resist solution for a semiconductor wafer provided with a processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a resist liquid application / development processing system.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the resist liquid application / development processing system.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing a flow of clean air in the processing system.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the processing apparatus of the present invention and showing a part thereof in an enlarged manner.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view of a main part showing an example of a pressure adjusting unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of the object transfer means in the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of the object transfer means.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional plan view in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

10 is an inside side view as viewed in the direction of arrow B in FIG.

11 is an inside side view seen in the direction of arrow C in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 W Semiconductor wafer (object to be processed) 10 Cassette station 20 Processing station 30 Interface unit 21 Main wafer transfer mechanism 22 Room 25 Air supply port 26 Exhaust port 40 Clean room 51 Blow fan (blower means) 52 Circulation line 55 Exhaust fan 56 Slit damper (pressure adjusting means) 57 Outside air intake 58 Damper (air flow adjusting means) 59 Temperature controller (temperature adjusting means) 60 CPU (control means) 61 Pressure / air flow sensor 62 Temperature sensor 71b, 72b Duct 78A-78C Tweezers (transportation) Members) 95 fans

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Masaki Atsumoto 2655 Tsukure, Kikuyo-cho, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture Tokyo Electron Kyushu Co., Ltd. Kikuyo Office (56) References JP-A-7-180871 (JP, A) JP-A-7-226382 (JP, A) JP-A-3-97216 (JP, A) JP-A-64-738 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/02 H01L 21/30 H01L 21/68

Claims (12)

(57) [Claims] An object transfer means movable in a vertical and horizontal direction and rotatable around a vertical axis, and a plurality of objects arranged around the object transfer means for performing a series of processes on the object to be processed. And a plurality of single-wafer processing units provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction, and connected to an air supply port and an exhaust port provided at an upper portion and a lower portion of a chamber accommodating the object transfer means. A circulation pipe, an air blowing means provided in the circulation pipe , and an outside air intake provided in the circulation pipe via an air flow adjusting means.
A processing apparatus, comprising: an inlet ; 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said movable means is movable in vertical and horizontal directions.
An object transporting means rotatable around, and an object disposed around the object transporting means;
Multiple processing units that perform consecutive processing are provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction
At least one pair of the plurality of sheet processing units, the upper and set at the bottom of the chamber for accommodating the workpiece conveying means
A circulation line connected to the supplied air supply port and the exhaust port, a blower provided in the circulation line, and an exhaust fan disposed in a connection portion between the exhaust port and the circulation line.
Processing apparatus characterized by the, the equipped. 3. A plurality of conveyances for holding and conveying an object to be processed.
It has a member, it can move vertically and horizontally,
An object transporting means rotatable in parallel with the object to be processed;
Multiple processing units that perform consecutive processing are provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction
At least one pair of the plurality of sheet processing units, the upper and set at the bottom of the chamber for accommodating the workpiece conveying means
A processing apparatus comprising: a circulation pipe connected to the supplied air supply port and the exhaust port; and a blower provided in the circulation pipe . 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, which is movable vertically and horizontally and has a vertical axis.
An object transporting means rotatable around, and an object disposed around the object transporting means;
Multiple processing units that perform consecutive processing are provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction
At least one pair of the plurality of sheet processing units, the upper and set at the bottom of the chamber for accommodating the workpiece conveying means
A circulation pipe connected to the supplied air supply port and the exhaust port, ventilation means interposed in the circulation pipe, a duct provided vertically along the chamber, And a fan that discharges the inside of the processing device. 5. A processing station for performing processing including resist coating and development processing on an object to be processed, and a transport unit for transferring the object to and from another system and between the processing stations. An interface for transferring the object between the processing station and the exposure apparatus, wherein the processing station is movable in vertical and horizontal directions and rotated around a vertical axis. At least one set of a plurality of sheets provided with a plurality of processing units arranged around the object to be processed and provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction and arranged around the object to be processed and performing a series of processes on the object to be processed. A processing unit, a circulation pipe connected to an air supply port and an air exhaust port provided at an upper portion and a lower portion of the chamber accommodating the object transfer means, and a blower provided in the circulation pipe, Equipped with Processing apparatus according to claim Rukoto. In the processing apparatus according to any one of claims 6] claims 1 to 5, the processing apparatus characterized by further comprising a pressure regulating means is interposed the circulation line. In the processing apparatus according to any one of claims 7] claims 1 to 6, processing device characterized by further comprising temperature adjusting means is interposed the circulation line. 8. The processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein an exhaust fan is provided at a connection between the exhaust port and the circulation pipe. 9. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the object transporting means includes a plurality of transport members that hold and transport the object to be processed. 10. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a duct is provided along the chamber in a vertical direction, and a fan for exhausting room air into the duct is provided. 11. The processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said one set of single-wafer processing units is provided with a resist coating unit and a developing unit for developing a resist pattern superposed in a vertical direction, and wherein said coating unit is A processing apparatus characterized by being arranged below a developing unit. 12. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the one set of single-wafer processing units includes: an alignment unit for performing alignment of a processing target; a baking unit for baking the processing target; and cooling for cooling the processing target. A unit, part or all of an adhesion unit and an extension unit for performing adhesion to an object to be processed are provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction, and the cooling unit is arranged below the baking unit. Processing equipment.