JP5075246B2 - Substrate transfer apparatus, substrate processing system, and substrate transfer method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, a substrate processing system including the substrate transfer apparatus, and a substrate transfer method, and more particularly to a plurality of first to second substrate receiving sections. The present invention relates to a substrate transport apparatus capable of rapidly transporting the substrate, a substrate processing system including the substrate transport apparatus, and a substrate transport method.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various types of substrate processing systems are known for performing processing such as cleaning processing and thermal processing on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.
An example of such a conventional substrate processing system will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 14 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a conventional substrate processing system, and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate processing system of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a conventional substrate processing system 70 includes a carrier station 70a for mounting a semiconductor wafer W (hereinafter also referred to as wafer W) before and after processing, and this carrier station 70a. And a process station 70b for performing a cleaning process and a thermal process after the cleaning process on the wafer W. In the carrier station 70a, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) 20 and a FOUP 20 that can accommodate a plurality of wafers W, for example, 25 wafers W at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction, and a FOUP 20 are arranged in parallel. A plurality of, for example, four, mounting platforms 25 that can be mounted are disposed. Further, in the process station 70 b, a transfer unit (TRS; Transit Station) 30 on which the wafer W sent from the FOUP 20 is temporarily placed, and a wafer W temporarily placed on the delivery unit 30 are placed. Further, for example, four spin processing chambers (SPIN) 40 (for example, only two of the four processing chambers 40 are shown in FIG. 14) that perform processing such as cleaning and drying of the wafer W that has been sent. Are disposed).

  Further, in the carrier station 70a, a single movable wafer transfer device (CRA) 80 for transferring the wafer W between the FOUP 20 and the transfer unit 30 is disposed. Similarly, in the process station 70b, another movable wafer transfer device (PRA) 60 that is responsible for transferring the wafer W between the transfer unit 30 and the processing chamber 40 is disposed.

  Next, a detailed description will be given of one wafer transfer device 80 used to transfer the wafer W between the FOUP 20 and the transfer unit 30.

  One wafer transfer device 80 has a base member 81 that runs on a rail (not shown) extending in the Y direction in FIG. 15 and a vertical movement that is provided on the upper surface of the base member 81 and can expand and contract in the Z direction. And a mechanism 82. A base 85 is provided on the vertical movement mechanism 82, and a fork support member 83 is attached to the base 85. The fork 84 for holding the wafer W is supported by the fork support member 83.

  Further, the vertical movement mechanism 82 can rotate in the θ direction with respect to the base member 81 as shown in FIG. That is, the base 85 is configured to be able to move in the Y direction and the Z direction and to rotate in the θ direction. A fork 84 is disposed above the base 85. The fork support member 83 has a horizontal movement mechanism (not shown) attached to the base end portion of the fork 84. The horizontal movement mechanism moves the fork 84 forward and backward in the X direction of FIGS. It is like that.

  The situation when the fork 84 takes out the wafer W from the hoop 20 will be described. First, the fork 84 is moved to a pre-take-out position below the wafer W to be taken out, and then the base 85 is moved upward. The fork 84 is moved upward by a predetermined distance from the pre-take-out position. Thus, in the upward movement process of the fork 84, the fork 84 lifts the wafer W accommodated in the hoop 20, so that the wafer W is transferred to the upper surface of the fork 84.

  In order to process a plurality of wafers W sequentially in the processing chamber 40, it is necessary to sequentially transfer the plurality of wafers W in the FOUP 20 to the delivery unit 30. Here, since one wafer transfer apparatus 80 has only one fork 84, when transferring the plurality of wafers W in the FOUP 20 to the transfer unit 30 in sequence, the wafer transfer apparatus 80 first has the FOUP 20. Next, the fork 84 takes out and holds one wafer W from the hoop 20, and then the one wafer transfer device 80 moves to the vicinity of the transfer unit 30 and holds the wafer W. A series of cycles consisting of the operation of transferring the wafer W to the delivery unit 30 is repeated 84. However, in such a method, it takes time to sequentially transfer the plurality of wafers W in the FOUP 20 to the delivery unit 30, and the overall processing capability of the substrate processing system 70 is lowered. is there.

  For example, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is known a wafer transfer apparatus in which a plurality of forks simultaneously perform forward horizontal movement, up-and-down movement, and backward horizontal movement in order. By using a wafer transfer apparatus as shown in Patent Document 1, a plurality of wafers W are collectively taken out from the hoop by a plurality of forks, and a plurality of wafers W are collectively collected by the plurality of forks in a delivery unit. However, it is difficult to actually use such a method. The reason will be described below.

  In a general substrate processing system, a pitch between a plurality of wafers W accommodated in a hoop is determined to be about 10 mm for a 300 mm wafer W according to a standard or the like. Cannot be changed. Further, the pre-removal position for taking out the wafer W from the hoop is also determined at a certain location based on the structure of the hoop.

On the other hand, the pitch between the forks for transferring the wafer W from the hoop to the delivery unit must be the same as the pitch between the wafers W in the hoop. Further, it is generally necessary to design the pitch between the wafers W when the plurality of wafers W are accommodated in the delivery unit so as to be the same as the pitch in the hoop.
However, the pitch between the forks of other wafer transfer apparatuses (wafer transfer apparatus 60 in FIG. 15) that transfers the wafer W between the transfer unit and the processing chamber is matched to the pitch between the wafers W in the transfer unit. It may be difficult to design. This is because other wafer transfer apparatuses that unload wafers W from the transfer unit are required to move at a higher speed than one wafer transfer apparatus in order to access a plurality of processing chambers. It is necessary to increase the strength of the fork that holds the wafer W as compared with the wafer transfer device of this type. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the fork. This is because it must be enlarged. Further, when a plurality of forks move simultaneously, in order to take out a plurality of wafers W from the hoop, the wafers W are taken out from the hoop in order from the upper side or the lower side. It becomes difficult when every other wafer W needs to be taken out.

JP 9-270450 A

  As described above, in the conventional substrate processing system, it takes time to sequentially transfer the plurality of wafers W in the hoop to the transfer unit, and the overall processing capability of the substrate processing system is reduced. There's a problem. Further, when the wafer W is taken out from the hoop, it may be required to take out the wafers W one by one from the upper side or the lower side in the hoop, so that such a take-out operation can be performed. There is a need for a substrate transfer apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides a substrate transport apparatus and a substrate transport method that can more quickly transport a substrate from a first substrate housing portion to a second substrate housing portion. The purpose is to provide. Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing system capable of improving the throughput (processing capability) by including such a substrate transfer apparatus.

The present invention provides a plurality of substrates that are larger than the first pitch P1 with respect to each other in the vertical direction from a first substrate housing portion that accommodates the substrates so as to be stacked apart from each other in the vertical direction by a first pitch P1. A substrate transport apparatus for transporting a substrate to a second substrate housing portion that is stacked so as to be separated from each other by a second pitch P2, and moves in a vertical direction with respect to the first substrate housing portion and the second substrate housing portion. And a plurality of forks that are provided on the fork support portion so as to be movable in the horizontal direction independently of each other, and each of the forks is set in advance in the vertical direction. The fork support portion is provided so as to be separated by the fork pitch P3, and the substrate is placed when the substrate held by each fork is transferred to the second substrate housing portion. The fork pitch P3 is substantially the same as the second pitch P2 by moving the substrate to the second substrate housing portion by moving downward from the pre-loading position above the place to be formed. A plurality of forks that are set to a size and a base on which the plurality of forks are integrally provided via the fork support portion to move the plurality of forks simultaneously. A vertical movement mechanism for driving in the vertical direction, and taking out the substrates one by one from the first substrate housing portion and holding the plurality of substrates from the first substrate housing portion to the second substrate housing portion. A substrate transfer apparatus characterized in that a plurality of substrates moved and held are simultaneously transferred to the second substrate accommodating portion .

  According to such a substrate transport apparatus, the forward horizontal movement and the backward horizontal movement of all the forks are simultaneously performed in the step of transferring the substrate to the second substrate housing portion, and further, the fork is moved downward to each fork once. Since all the substrates held on these forks by movement are collectively transferred to the second substrate housing portion, the substrate transfer apparatus is compared with the case where the substrate is transferred with one fork. However, the time required for transferring a plurality of substrates to the second substrate housing portion can be shortened. Thus, the substrate transfer apparatus can more rapidly transfer the substrate from the first substrate storage unit to the second substrate storage unit.

The present invention provides a plurality of substrates that are larger than the first pitch P1 with respect to each other in the vertical direction from a first substrate housing portion that accommodates the substrates so as to be stacked apart from each other in the vertical direction by a first pitch P1. A substrate transfer method using the above-described substrate transfer apparatus, wherein the substrate is transferred to a second substrate storage portion that is stored so as to be stacked apart by a second pitch P2, wherein the substrates are transferred from the first substrate storage portion one by one. A step of removing, a step of moving the substrate transport apparatus from the first substrate housing section to the second substrate housing section while the substrate transport apparatus holds a plurality of substrates, and a substrate in the second substrate housing section. Moving all the forks holding the substrate to a pre-loading position above the place to be placed, and moving the base downward by the vertical movement mechanism, The process of moving the ark downward simultaneously and transferring each substrate held by these forks to the second substrate housing part, and the backward horizontal movement of all the forks at the same time, And a step of retracting from the housing portion.

The present invention provides a substrate transport apparatus that takes out a substrate from a first substrate housing portion that houses a plurality of substrates in a vertical direction spaced apart from each other by a first pitch P1, and a plurality of substrates in the vertical direction. A second substrate storage unit that accommodates the second substrate P so as to be separated and stacked by a second pitch P2 larger than the pitch P1, and to which the substrate transported by the substrate transport device is transferred. Are provided on the fork support part so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the first substrate housing part and the second substrate housing part, and to be movable in the horizontal direction independently of each other. A plurality of forks for holding a substrate, wherein each fork is provided in the fork support portion so as to be separated from each other by a preset fork pitch P3 in the vertical direction. When the substrate held by the ark is transferred to the second substrate accommodating portion, the substrate is accommodated in the second substrate by moving downward from the pre-positioning position above the portion where the substrate is to be placed. A plurality of forks adapted to be transferred to a portion, and a base on which the plurality of forks are integrally provided via the fork support portion, thereby moving the plurality of forks A vertical movement mechanism that simultaneously drives the substrate in a vertical direction, wherein the substrate transport device takes out the substrates one by one from the first substrate housing and holds the plurality of substrates in the first substrate housing moved from to the second substrate containing part, retained a plurality of substrates are simultaneously adapted to transferring to the second substrate containing part, the second pitch P2 is the distance P3 and substantially the same size And so as, the second pitch P2 and distance P3 is a substrate processing system characterized in that it is set respectively.

Alternatively, the present invention provides a substrate transport apparatus that takes out a substrate from a first substrate housing portion that houses a plurality of substrates in a vertical direction spaced apart from each other by a first pitch P1 and a plurality of substrates in a vertical direction. A second substrate housing unit that accommodates the second pitch P2 larger than the first pitch P1 so as to be stacked apart and stacks the substrate transported by the substrate transport device, The transfer device is provided in the fork support part movable in the vertical direction with respect to the first substrate housing part and the second substrate housing part, and provided in the fork support part so as to be movable in the horizontal direction independently of each other. A plurality of forks for holding the substrate, wherein each fork is provided on the fork support portion so as to be spaced apart from each other by a preset fork pitch P3 in the vertical direction. When the substrate held by each fork is transferred to the second substrate housing portion, the substrate is moved downward from the pre-positioning position above the place where the substrate is to be placed. A plurality of forks adapted to be transferred to a two-board housing part, and a plurality of forks integrally moved through the fork support part to vertically move the plurality of forks. A vertical movement mechanism for simultaneously driving the forks in the vertical direction, and the substrate transfer device moves from the first substrate accommodating portion to the second substrate accommodating portion while holding a plurality of substrates. it is, when the substrate is removed from the first substrate containing part, taking out from the first substrate containing part to the substrate one by one, when transferring the substrate held by the forks to the second substrate containing part, holds the substrate All the forks are moved forward and horizontally at the same time, respectively moved to the pre-loading position above the place where each substrate is to be mounted, and then all the forks are simultaneously moved downward, and these forks Each of the substrates held on the substrate is transferred to the second substrate housing portion, and then the forks are moved backward and horizontally at the same time so that the forks can be retracted from the second substrate housing portion, respectively. A substrate processing system comprising a control device for controlling each fork of a transfer device.

  According to each of the above substrate processing systems, each of the above-described various substrate transfer apparatuses is provided. For this reason, since the substrate can be transported more quickly from the first substrate housing portion to the second substrate housing portion, the throughput (processing capability) in the substrate processing system can be improved.

  According to the substrate transport apparatus or the substrate transport method of the present invention, the transport of the substrate from the first substrate housing portion to the second substrate housing portion can be performed more quickly than the device that transports the substrates one by one. . In addition, according to the substrate processing system of the present invention, it is possible to improve the throughput (processing capability) by providing such a substrate transfer apparatus.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 to FIG. 12 are views showing a first embodiment of a substrate processing system according to the present invention. Among these, FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the substrate processing system of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate processing system of FIG. FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the substrate processing system of FIG. 1 as viewed from the arrow B-B, and FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the substrate processing system of FIG. In this embodiment, a semiconductor wafer is used as the substrate.

  5A is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the hoop in the state where the wafer is accommodated in the substrate processing system of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5B is a diagram of the hoop in FIG. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where one wafer is lifted by a fork of a wafer transfer device, and FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the hoop in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the first wafer transfer device in the substrate processing system of FIG. 1, and FIG. 8A is a top view showing the configuration of the fork in the wafer transfer device of FIG. FIG. 8B is a longitudinal sectional view of the fork shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the configuration of the delivery unit in the substrate processing system of FIG. 1, and FIG. 10A is a perspective view showing the configuration of the second wafer transfer device in the substrate processing system of FIG. FIG. 10B is a longitudinal sectional view of the fork of the second wafer transfer apparatus shown in FIG.

  FIGS. 11A to 11F are schematic views continuously showing a series of operations when a wafer is taken out from the hoop by the wafer transfer device in the substrate processing system of FIG. (F)-(f) is the schematic which shows continuously a series of operation | movement when a wafer is transferred to a delivery unit from a wafer conveyance apparatus in the substrate processing system of FIG.

  1 to 12, the same members as those in the conventional substrate processing system shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

First, the overall configuration of the substrate processing system 10 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the substrate processing system 10 according to the present embodiment includes a carrier station 10a for mounting a semiconductor wafer W (hereinafter also referred to as a wafer W) before and after processing, The process station 10b is provided adjacent to the carrier station 10a and is used to perform a cleaning process and a thermal process after the cleaning process on the wafer W. In the carrier station 10a, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) 20 and a FOUP 20 that can accommodate a plurality of wafers W, for example, 25 wafers W in a vertical direction substantially horizontally are provided in parallel. A plurality of, for example, four, mounting platforms 25 that can be mounted are disposed. In the process station 10 b, a transfer unit (TRS; Transit Station) 30 on which the wafer W sent from the FOUP 20 is temporarily placed, and a wafer W temporarily placed on the delivery unit 30 are placed. A plurality of, for example, four spin processing chambers (SPIN) 40 that perform processing such as cleaning and drying of the transferred wafer W are provided.

  Further, in the carrier station 10a, a movable first wafer transfer device (CRA) 50 for transferring the wafer W between the FOUP 20 and the transfer unit 30 is disposed. Similarly, a movable second wafer transfer device (PRA) 60 for transferring the wafer W between the transfer unit 30 and the processing chamber 40 is disposed in the process station 10b. Further, the substrate processing system 10 is provided with a control device 15 for controlling the first wafer transfer device 50, the second wafer transfer device 60, each processing chamber 40, and the like.

  Note that the thickness of the wafer W to be processed by the substrate processing system 10 of the present embodiment is, for example, about 1 mm.

  Next, each component of the substrate processing system 10 will be described in detail.

Each FOUP 20 mounted on the mounting table 25 will be described with reference to FIGS. Each hoop 20 can accommodate a plurality of, for example, 25 wafers W so as to be stacked apart from each other by a first pitch P1 (for example, about 10 mm) in the vertical direction. Specifically, each hoop 20 is attached to a hollow-shaped housing 21 extending in the vertical direction and an inner wall of the housing 21, and a plurality of wafer placements such that each wafer W is placed on the upper surface in a horizontal state. Member 22. As shown in FIG. 6, the housing 21 has an opening on one side so that the cross section is U-shaped, and a window opening / closing mechanism 23 including a shutter or the like is provided in the opening. When the window opening / closing mechanism 23 is opened, the wafer W accommodated in the hoop 20 can be taken out.
As shown in FIG. 5A, each wafer mounting member 22 is composed of a plate-like member that is attached to the inner wall of the housing 21 in the horizontal direction, and the upper surfaces of these wafer mounting members 22 are vertically aligned with each other. It is separated by 1 pitch P1. As shown in FIG. 6, each wafer mounting member 22 is U-shaped so that an opening 22a is provided in the central portion. As shown in FIG. 6, the opening 22 a of each wafer mounting member 22 is smaller than the wafer W. For this reason, the peripheral part of the wafer W is mounted on the upper surface of each wafer mounting member 22.

  Here, the thickness D1 of each wafer mounting member 22 is about 4 mm, for example. For this reason, the distance L1 between the upper surface of one wafer mounting member 22 and the lower surface of another wafer mounting member 22 provided immediately above the wafer mounting member 22 is, for example, about 6 mm. .

  The delivery unit (TRS) 30 will be described with reference to FIG. The delivery unit 30 can accommodate a plurality of, for example, eight wafers W so as to be stacked vertically apart from each other by a second pitch P2 (for example, about 26 mm). As shown in FIG. 1, the delivery unit 30 includes a lower region 30 b that can accommodate four unprocessed wafers W before being sent to the processing chamber 40, and four processed wafers sent from the processing chamber 40. And an upper region 30a that can accommodate the wafer W.

  The configuration of the delivery unit 30 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 9, the delivery unit 30 includes a housing 31 that extends in the vertical direction and has a part of the side surface open, and an inner wall of the housing 31. A plurality of substantially circular plate-like partition members 32 attached to the partition member 32 and, for example, three projecting members 33 provided so as to project upward from the upper surface of each partition member 32 (of the three projecting member 33 in FIG. 9) Only two are displayed). As shown in FIG. 9, the plurality of partition members 32 are spaced apart from each other by a second pitch P2 in the vertical direction on the lower surface. The setting of the size of the second pitch P2 will be described later. Moreover, each protrusion member 33 is comprised from the rod-shaped member which protrudes upwards from the upper surface of each partition member 32, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 8 (described later) and FIG. 9, each projecting member 33 is positioned at each vertex of a virtual equilateral triangle having the center point of the substantially circular partition member 32 as the center of gravity. The lower surface near the center of the wafer W is supported.

  Here, the thickness D2 of each partition member 32 is about 5 mm, for example, and the vertical length L2 of each projection member 33 is about 14 mm, for example.

  Each spin processing chamber (SPIN) 40 performs a cleaning process, a drying process, or the like on the wafer W while rotating the wafer W.

  The first wafer transfer device 50 is configured to transfer the wafer W between the FOUP 20 and the transfer unit 30. The configuration of the first wafer transfer apparatus 50 will be described in detail below.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the first wafer transfer device 50 is provided on a base member 51 that runs on a rail 56 that extends in the Y direction in FIG. And a vertical movement mechanism 52 capable of A base 55 is provided above the vertical movement mechanism 52, and a fork support member 53 is attached to the base 55. A pair of forks 54 a and 54 b for holding the wafer W is supported by the fork support member 53.

  Further, the vertical movement mechanism 52 can be rotated in the θ direction with respect to the base member 51 as shown in FIG. That is, the base 55 is configured to be able to move in the Y direction and the Z direction and to rotate in the θ direction. A pair of forks 54 a and 54 b are arranged over the base 55. The fork support member 53 has horizontal movement mechanisms 53a and 53b attached to the base ends of the pair of forks 54a and 54b. The horizontal movement mechanisms 53a and 53b are respectively connected to the forks 54a and 54b shown in FIG. It is designed to move forward and backward in the X direction.

  As described above, the pair of forks 54a and 54b are integrally provided on the base 55 via the fork support member 53, and the vertical movement mechanism 52 can move the base 55 in the vertical direction. ing. For this reason, the vertical movement mechanism 52 can be used as a single drive unit that simultaneously drives the pair of forks 52a and 52b in the vertical direction. Thus, by providing a single drive unit that simultaneously drives the pair of forks 52a and 52b in the vertical direction, the forks 52a and 52b are independently driven in the Z-axis direction. Thus, the driving mechanism of the forks 52a and 52b can be simplified.

  Further, the first wafer transfer apparatus 50 includes a control unit 58. The control unit 58 controls the vertical movement mechanism 52 and the horizontal movement mechanisms 53a and 53b of the fork support member 53, whereby the operations of the forks 52a and 52b can be independently controlled. It can be done. As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 58 is connected to the control device 15 of the substrate processing system 10, and a control signal is sent from the control device 15. Although FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the control unit 58 is built in the first wafer transfer apparatus 50, the control unit 58 may be separately provided outside the first wafer transfer apparatus 50. . Further, such a control unit 58 can be omitted, and instead, the control device 15 may directly control the operations of the forks 52a and 52b of the first wafer transfer device 50. Details of control contents in the control unit 58 will be described later.

  The pair of forks 54a, 54b is supported by the fork support members 53 so as to be separated by a preset fork pitch P3 in the vertical direction. Here, the forks 54a and 54b are movable in the horizontal direction independently of each other with respect to the fork support member 53 by horizontal movement mechanisms 53a and 53b. Even when the forks 54a and 54b are moved horizontally, the fork pitch P3 between the forks 54a and 54b is not changed. Each fork 54a, 54b has a thickness D3 of, for example, about 6 mm (see FIGS. 5A and 5B).

  The shape of each fork 54a, 54b will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 8A, each fork 54a, 54b has a substantially U-shaped tip and a base end connected to the fork support member 53. It consists of a part. As shown in FIG. 8A, a wafer W (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 8) is held by the substantially U-shaped tip. In addition, the three protruding members 33 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 8) in the delivery unit 30 can pass through the opening at the tip. Further, the tip portion can pass through the opening 22a (see FIG. 6) of the U-shaped portion of the wafer mounting member 22 in the hoop 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, for example, three holding members 54p for holding and positioning the edge of the wafer W are attached to the surfaces of the forks 54a and 54b.

  Each fork 54a (54b) holds the wafer W by supporting the wafer W from the back surface and engaging the edge of the wafer W with the holding member 54p. Here, the situation when each fork 54a (54b) takes out the wafer W from the hoop 20 will be described. First, each fork 54a (54b) is moved to a pre-takeout position below the wafer W to be taken out (FIG. 5). (See (a)). Next, the base 55 is moved upward by a preset take-out stroke amount ST1, thereby moving each fork 54a (54b) upward from the pre-take-out position by the take-out stroke amount ST1. Here, in the upward movement process of each fork 54a (54b), the fork 54a (54b) lifts the wafer W on the wafer mounting member 22 of the hoop 20 so that the wafer W is moved to the fork 54a. (54b) will be transferred.

  The size of the take-out stroke ST1 is set in advance based on the shape of the hoop 20. Specifically, at the pre-extraction position (see FIG. 5A) below the wafer W to be extracted, the thickness D3 of each fork 54a (54b) is relatively large (for example, about 6 mm), and the wafer to be extracted. When each fork 54a (54b) is moved to a position below W, a certain distance (for example, 1 mm or more) is provided between each wafer W above and below the fork 54a (54b) and each fork 54a (54b). The height level of the pre-removing position is inevitably determined based on the structure of the hoop 20 because it is necessary to keep it. When each fork 54a (54b) holding the wafer W is extracted from the hoop 20, the wafer W on each fork 54a (54b) does not collide with the wafer mounting members 22 above and below the wafer W. (See FIG. 5B), the height level of each fork 54a (54b) at the time of extraction is inevitably determined. Accordingly, the amount of the extraction stroke ST1 corresponding to a value obtained by subtracting the height level of each fork 54a (54b) at the pre-extraction position from the height level of each fork 54a (54b) at the time of extraction is inevitably required. Specifically, the take-out stroke amount ST1 is, for example, about 6.5 mm.

  The fork pitch P3 between the forks 54a and 54b is set to the total size of the first pitch P1 of the wafer W in the hoop 20 and the extraction stroke amount ST1. Specifically, since the first pitch P1 is about 10 mm and the take-out stroke amount ST1 is about 6.5 mm, the fork pitch P3 is set to about 16.5 mm.

  Next, the situation when the forks 54a, 54b transfer the held wafer W to the delivery unit 30 will be described. First, each of the forks 54a, 54b is placed at a pre-loading position above the position where the wafer W is to be mounted. The fork 54a (54b) is moved, and then the base 55 is moved downward by a preset placement stroke amount ST2, whereby each fork 54a (54b) is placed from the placement position by the placement stroke amount ST2. Just move it down. Here, in the downward movement process of each fork 54a (54b), the top of the protrusion member 33 of the transfer unit 30 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the wafer W on each fork 54a (54b). Is transferred to the delivery unit 30.

  Thus, the placement stroke amount ST2 and the second pitch P2 of the wafer W in the delivery unit 30 are set such that the second pitch P2 is the sum of the fork pitch P3 and the placement stroke amount ST2. Is set. Specifically, when the fork pitch P3 is about 16.5 mm, the second pitch P2 is about 23 mm or larger, and the placement stroke amount ST2 is about 6.5 mm or larger. Is set. In the following description, a case where the second pitch P2 is set to about 23 mm and the placement stroke amount ST2 is set to about 6.5 mm will be described.

  As described above, the second wafer transfer apparatus (PRA) 60 is configured to transfer the wafer W between the transfer unit 30 and the processing chamber 40 in the process station 10b. The configuration of the second wafer transfer device 60 will be described in detail below.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the second wafer transfer device 60 includes a base member 61 that runs on a rail 66 extending in the X direction in FIG. 2 and an upper surface of the base member 61. And a vertical movement mechanism 62 that can expand and contract. A base 65 is provided above the vertical movement mechanism 62, and a fork support member 63 is attached to the base 65. The fork support member 63 supports a pair of forks 64a and 64b for holding the wafer W.

  Further, the vertical moving mechanism 62 can rotate in the θ direction with respect to the base member 61 as shown in FIG. That is, the base 65 is configured to be able to move in the X direction and the Z direction and to rotate in the θ direction. A pair of forks 64 a and 64 b are arranged over the base 65. The fork support member 63 has horizontal movement mechanisms 63a and 63b attached to the base ends of the pair of forks 64a and 64b, respectively. The horizontal movement mechanisms 63a and 63b are respectively connected to the forks 64a and 64b shown in FIG. It is designed to move forward and backward in the Y direction of a).

  As shown in FIG. 10B, for example, three holding members 64p for holding and positioning the edge of the wafer W are attached to the forks 64a and 64b. Here, as described above, since the second wafer transfer device 60 transfers the wafer W at a higher speed than the first wafer transfer device 50, the forks 64a and 64b need to hold the wafer W more firmly. is there. For this reason, it is necessary to make the thickness of the holding member 64 p in the second wafer transfer apparatus 60 larger than the thickness of the holding member 54 p in the first wafer transfer apparatus 50. Therefore, generally, the second pitch P2 between the wafers W in the second wafer transfer device 60 is larger than the first pitch P1 between the wafers W in the first wafer transfer device 50.

  Next, the operation of the substrate processing system 10 of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described. First, the overall operation in the substrate processing system 10 will be described.

  First, the FOUP 20 containing, for example, 25 wafers W to be processed is mounted on the mounting table 25. Next, the window opening / closing mechanism 23 provided in the FOUP 20 is opened, and the wafer W in the FOUP 20 can be taken out. Then, the first wafer transfer device 50 approaches the hoop 20, and each fork 54 a (54 b) of the first wafer transfer device 50 lifts and holds the wafer W in the hoop 20. At this time, two adjacent wafers W in the hoop 20 are taken out by the pair of forks 54a and 54b. Details of the operation when the wafer W is taken out of the FOUP 20 by the first wafer transfer device 50 will be described later.

  Next, the wafers W respectively held on the forks 54 a and 54 b of the first wafer transfer apparatus 50 are sent to the delivery unit 30. The operation of the first wafer transfer device 50 is controlled by the control device 15. Specifically, first, the first wafer transfer device 50 moves and rotates in the horizontal direction in the carrier station 10 a and approaches the delivery unit 30. Then, each fork 54a (54b) moves forward and horizontally, and the base 55 moves downward, so that the wafer W is transferred from each fork 54a (54b) onto each projection member 33 of the delivery unit 30. . Here, the wafer W is accommodated in the lower region 30 b of the delivery unit 30. Details of the operation when the wafer W is transferred from the first wafer transfer apparatus 50 to the delivery unit 30 will be described later.

  Thereafter, the second wafer transfer device 60 approaches the transfer unit 30, and the lower fork 64 b of the second wafer transfer device 60 lifts the wafer W placed on the protruding member 33 of the transfer unit 30. Hold. Then, the second wafer transfer device 60 approaches the processing chamber 40 with the lower fork 64b holding the wafer W, and the wafer W held by the lower fork 64b is brought into the processing chamber 40. . The operation of the second wafer transfer device 60 is controlled by the control device 15.

  Thereafter, the cleaning process and the drying process for the wafer W are performed in the processing chamber 40. Details of the cleaning process and the drying process are omitted.

  The wafer W that has been subjected to the cleaning process and the drying process is again received by the second wafer transfer device 60 and brought into the delivery unit 30. At this time, the wafer W is held by the upper fork 64 a of the second wafer transfer device 60 and is accommodated in the upper region 30 a of the delivery unit 30.

  Thereafter, the wafer W sent into the delivery unit 30 is received by the first wafer transfer device 50 and sent into the FOUP 20 again. Specifically, first, the first wafer transfer device 50 moves and rotates in the horizontal direction in the carrier station 10 a and approaches the delivery unit 30. Then, each fork 54a (54b) moves forward and horizontally, and further the base 55 moves upward, so that each fork 54a (54b) lifts the wafer W on each projection member 33 of the delivery unit 30. Hold. Thereafter, the wafers W held on the respective forks 54 a (54 b) of the first wafer transfer apparatus 50 are transferred to the FOUP 20.

  In this way, a series of processes for the wafer W in the substrate processing system 10 is completed.

  Next, details of a series of operations when two wafers W adjacent in the vertical direction are taken out from the FOUP 20 by the first wafer transfer device 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. This series of operations is performed by controlling the vertical movement mechanism 52 and the horizontal movement mechanisms 53a and 53b by the control unit 58 built in the first wafer transfer apparatus 50.

  First, as shown in FIG. 11A, the first wafer transfer device 50 approaches the FOUP 20. At this time, the base 55 has been moved in the vertical direction in advance so that the upper fork 54a is at the same height level as the pre-removal position as shown in FIG. When the upper fork 54a is at the same level as the pre-removal position, the distance R1 between the bottom surface of one wafer W to be taken out by the upper fork 54a and the upper surface of the upper fork 54a is as described above. It is smaller than the extraction stroke amount ST1.

  Next, the upper fork 54a is moved forward and horizontally, and as shown in FIG. 11B, the upper fork 54a is moved to a pre-removal position just below the one wafer W to be taken out by the upper fork 54a. Let me. At this time, the lower fork 54 b remains stationary, and the lower fork 54 b is separated from the hoop 20.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11C, the base 55 is moved upward by the take-out stroke amount ST1. Here, when the upper fork 54a moves upward by the take-out stroke amount ST1, the upper fork 54a lifts one wafer W on the wafer mounting member 22 of the hoop 20 from the back surface, and the upper fork 54a The fork 54a holds one wafer W.
Further, the lower fork 54b is also moved upward by the take-out stroke amount ST1. Here, since the fork pitch P3 is the total size of the first pitch P1 and the take-out stroke amount ST1, another wafer W positioned directly below the one wafer W taken out by the upper fork 54a. The distance between the bottom surface and the upper surface of the lower fork 54b is the same as the distance R1 (see FIGS. 11A and 11C). As a result, the lower fork 54b automatically moves to the same height level as the pre-removal position.

  Next, the upper fork 54a is moved backward and horizontally, and at the same time, the lower fork 54b is moved forward and horizontally. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11 (d), the upper fork 54a holding the wafer W is retracted from the hoop 20, and the lower fork 54b is removed by the lower fork 54b. It moves to the pre-removal position directly under the wafer W.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11 (e), the base 55 is moved further upward by the take-out stroke amount ST1. Here, by moving the lower fork 54b upward by the take-out stroke amount ST1, the lower fork 54b lifts the other wafer W on the wafer mounting member 22 of the hoop 20 from the back surface. The lower fork 54b holds another wafer W.

  Finally, the lower fork 54b is moved backward and horizontally. As a result, the lower fork 54b is also retracted from the hoop 20 as shown in FIG. In this manner, a series of operations for taking out two wafers W adjacent in the vertical direction from the hoop 20 by the first wafer transfer device 50 is completed.

  A series of operations when transferring the two wafers W held by the first wafer transfer device 50 to the FOUP 20 when the wafer W is returned from the delivery unit 30 to the FOUP 20 are shown in FIG. ) To (f) as described above are performed in the reverse order (in the order of FIGS. 11 (f) to 11 (a)).

  Next, details of a series of operations when the two wafers W held by the first wafer transfer apparatus 50 are transferred to the delivery unit 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, as shown in FIG. 12A, the first wafer transfer device 50 approaches the delivery unit 30. At this time, the base 55 is moved in the vertical direction in advance so that the upper fork 54a is at the same height level as the pre-loading position. Here, the pre-loading position is a position directly above a position where the wafer W held by the fork 54a (54b) is to be placed, and the fork 54a (54b) delivers the wafer W. This refers to the starting position of the downward movement that is performed in order to move to the 30 projection members 33a (33b). When the upper fork 54a is at the same level as the pre-loading position, the distance between the bottom surface of one wafer W held by the upper fork 54a and one protrusion member 33a of the delivery unit 30 R2 is smaller than the mounting stroke amount ST2 described above.

  Next, the upper fork 54a is moved forward and horizontally, and the upper fork 54a is moved to the pre-loading position as shown in FIG. At this time, the lower fork 54 b remains stationary, and the lower fork 54 b is separated from the delivery unit 30.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12C, the base 55 is moved downward by the placement stroke amount ST2. Here, when the upper fork 54a moves downward by the loading stroke amount ST2, one wafer W whose back surface is supported by the upper fork 54a is transferred to one protruding member 33a of the transfer unit 30. It will be.
Further, the lower fork 54b also moves downward by the placement stroke amount ST2. Here, since the second pitch P2 is the sum of the fork pitch P3 and the placement stroke amount ST2, the bottom surface of the other wafer W held by the lower fork 54b and the transfer unit 30 are provided. The distance between the other projection member 33b is the same as the distance R2 described above (see FIGS. 12A and 12C). As a result, the lower fork 54b automatically moves to the same height level as the pre-loading position.

  Next, the upper fork 54a is moved backward and horizontally, and at the same time, the lower fork 54b is moved forward and horizontally. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12D, the upper fork 54a is retracted from the delivery unit 30, and the lower fork 54b is moved to a pre-loading position directly above the other protruding member 33b. .

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12E, the base 55 is further moved downward by the placement stroke amount ST2. Here, when the lower fork 54b moves downward by the loading stroke amount ST2, another wafer W whose back surface is supported by the lower fork 54b is received by the other protruding member 33a of the delivery unit 30. Will be passed.

  Finally, the lower fork 54b is moved backward and horizontally. As a result, the lower fork 54b is also retracted from the delivery unit 30 as shown in FIG. In this way, a series of operations for transferring the two wafers W held by the first wafer transfer apparatus 50 to the delivery unit 30 is completed.

  A series of operations when the wafer W is taken out from the delivery unit 30 by the first wafer transfer device 50 when the wafer W is returned from the delivery unit 30 to the FOUP 20 are shown in FIGS. The above-described series of operations as shown is performed in the reverse order (in the order of FIGS. 12F to 12A).

  As described above, according to the wafer transfer apparatus 50 of the present embodiment, the forks 54a and 54b are provided on the fork support member 53 so as to be separated by a preset fork pitch P3 in the vertical direction. When 54 a (54 b) takes out the wafer W from the hoop 20, the wafer W is lifted and supported by moving upward by a preset take-out stroke amount ST 1 from a pre-take-out position below the wafer W. The fork pitch P3 is set to the total size of the first pitch P1 between the plurality of wafers W accommodated in the FOUP 20 and the extraction stroke amount ST1.

  As a result, when the wafer transfer device 50 takes out the plurality of wafers W from the hoop 20, the upper fork 54a is first moved forward and horizontally with respect to the two adjacent forks 54a and 54b, and the upper fork 54a is moved to the pre-removal position. Next, the upper fork 54a and the lower fork 54b are simultaneously moved upward, the wafer W is lifted by the upper fork 54a to support the wafer W, and then the upper fork 54a The backward horizontal movement and the forward horizontal movement of the lower fork 54b are simultaneously performed, the upper fork 54a is retracted from the hoop 20, and the lower fork 54b is moved to the pre-removal position. The fork 54b on the side is simultaneously moved further upward, and the Let me lift the wafer W so that it is possible to support the wafer W.

  Here, in the step of taking out the wafer W from the hoop 20, the wafer W is transferred by one fork by causing the upper fork 54a to move backward and the lower fork 54b simultaneously. Compared to the above, the time for the wafer transfer apparatus 50 to take out the plurality of wafers W from the hoop 20 can be shortened. In addition, at this time, the wafer transfer apparatus 50 can take out two wafers W adjacent in the vertical direction in the hoop 20 with respect to the two adjacent forks 54a and 54b. Thus, the wafers W can be taken out from the upper side or the lower side in the hoop 20.

  Each of the forks 54a and 54b is mounted in advance from a pre-loading position above a position where the wafer W is to be mounted when the held wafer W is transferred to the delivery unit 30. The wafer W is transferred to the delivery unit 30 by moving downward by the stroke amount ST2, and the fork pitch P3 between the forks 54a and 54b is changed from the second pitch P2 in the delivery unit 30 to the placement stroke. The size is obtained by subtracting the amount ST2.

  As a result, when transferring the wafer W held by the wafer transfer apparatus 50 to the delivery unit 30, the upper fork 54a holding the wafer W is first moved forward and horizontally with respect to the two adjacent forks 54a and 54b. The upper fork 54a is moved to the pre-loading position, and then the upper fork 54a and the lower fork 54b are simultaneously moved downward to transfer the wafer W held on the upper fork 54a. Then, the lower fork 54a is retracted from the delivery unit 30 and holds the wafer W by causing the upper fork 54a to move backward and the lower fork 54b simultaneously. The fork 54b is moved to the pre-loading position, and then the upper fork 54a and the lower fork 54b Furthermore it moved downward simultaneously fork 54b of, it is possible to transferring the wafer W held by the lower fork 54b to the transfer unit 30.

  Here, in the process of transferring the wafer W to the delivery unit 30, the backward horizontal movement of the upper fork 54a and the forward horizontal movement of the lower fork 54b are simultaneously performed, so that the wafer W can be transferred by one fork. Compared with the case where it performs, the time for the wafer transfer apparatus 50 to transfer the plurality of wafers W to the delivery unit 30 can be shortened. As a result, the wafer transfer apparatus 50 can transfer the wafer W from the FOUP 20 to the delivery unit 30 more quickly.

  The substrate processing system 10 in this embodiment includes the wafer transfer apparatus 50 as described above. For this reason, since the wafer W can be transferred from the FOUP 20 to the delivery unit 30 more quickly, the throughput (processing capability) in the substrate processing system 10 can be improved.

  In addition, the substrate processing system 10 by this Embodiment is not limited to said aspect, A various change can be added. For example, the number of forks that the first wafer conveyance device 50 has is not limited to two, and the first wafer conveyance device 50 may have three or more forks. In this case, the forks are provided on the fork support member 53 so as to be spaced apart from each other by the fork pitch P3 in the vertical direction. Further, when each fork takes out the wafer W from the hoop 20, the uppermost fork first takes out the wafer W from the hoop 20, and the uppermost fork performs the backward horizontal movement and the second from the top. The fork performs forward horizontal movement, and then the second fork from above removes the wafer W from the hoop 20, and then the second fork from the top performs backward horizontal movement and the third fork from the top. Perform forward horizontal movement. In this manner, in order from the upper fork, each fork takes out the wafer W from the hoop 20 such that one of the two forks adjacent to each other performs a backward horizontal movement and at the same time the other performs a forward horizontal movement. Like that. At this time, for example, when the number of forks is four, four wafers W continuously arranged in the vertical direction in the hoop 20 are taken out.

  Similarly, when the first wafer transfer device 50 has three or more forks, when transferring the wafers W held on each fork to the delivery unit 30, the forks are adjacent to each other in order from the upper fork. With respect to the two forks, one of them performs a backward horizontal movement and at the same time the other performs a forward horizontal movement so that the wafer W held on each fork is transferred onto the protruding member 33 of the delivery unit 30.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 13 is a schematic view continuously showing another series of operations when a wafer is transferred from the wafer transfer apparatus to the transfer unit in the substrate processing system of the present embodiment.

In the substrate processing system 10 of the present embodiment, the second pitch P2 and the fork pitch P3 are substantially the same instead of the second pitch P2 being the total size of the fork pitch P3 and the placement stroke amount ST2. The only difference is the size, and the rest is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS.
In the present embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the first wafer transfer apparatus 50, the situation when each of the forks 54a and 54b moves the held wafer W to the transfer unit 30 will be described. First, the wafer W is above the place where the wafer W is to be placed. Each fork 54a, 54b is simultaneously moved to the pre-placement position, and then the fork 54a, 54b is moved from the pre-placement position by moving the base 55 downward by a preset placement stroke amount ST2. The mounting stroke amount ST2 is simultaneously moved downward. Here, in the downward movement process of the forks 54a and 54b, the tops of the protruding members 33 of the transfer unit 30 come into contact with the bottom surfaces of the wafers W on the forks 54a and 54b. It will be transferred to the delivery unit 30.

  In order to allow the first wafer transfer device 50 to perform such an operation, the second pitch P2 of the wafer W in the transfer unit 30 is set to the fork pitch P3 in the first wafer transfer device 50. It is necessary to set it to be almost the same size. Specifically, the second pitch P2 and the fork pitch P3 are each set to about 16.5 mm.

  Next, FIGS. 13A to 13D show details of a series of operations when the two wafers W held by the first wafer transfer device 50 of the present embodiment are transferred to the delivery unit 30. FIG. It explains using.

  First, as shown in FIG. 13A, the first wafer transfer device 50 approaches the delivery unit 30. At this time, the base 55 is moved in the vertical direction in advance so that the upper fork 54a and the lower fork 54b are at the same height level as the pre-loading position. When the upper fork 54a and the lower fork 54b are at the same height level as the pre-loading position, the bottom surface of one wafer W held by the upper fork 54a and one protrusion of the transfer unit 30 The distance R2 between the member 33a is smaller than the mounting stroke amount ST2. Further, since the second pitch P2 and the fork pitch P3 are substantially the same size, the gap between the bottom surface of the other wafer W held by the lower fork 54b and the other protruding member 33b of the delivery unit 30 is provided. Is approximately the same as the distance R2 (see FIG. 13A).

  Next, the upper fork 54a and the lower fork 54b are simultaneously moved forward and horizontally, and as shown in FIG. 13B, the upper fork 54a and the lower fork 54b are moved to the pre-loading position. .

  Next, as shown in FIG. 13C, the base 55 is moved downward by the placement stroke amount ST2. Here, the upper fork 54a and the lower fork 54b move downward by the loading stroke amount ST2, respectively, so that one wafer W whose back surface is supported by the upper fork 54a becomes one of the delivery units 30. While being transferred to the protruding member 33a, another wafer W whose back surface is supported by the lower fork 54b is transferred to the other protruding member 33b of the transfer unit 30.

  Finally, the upper fork 54a and the lower fork 54b are simultaneously moved backward and horizontally. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13 (d), the upper fork 54 a and the lower fork 54 b are retracted from the delivery unit 30. In this way, a series of operations for transferring the two wafers W held by the first wafer transfer apparatus 50 to the delivery unit 30 is completed.

  As described above, according to the wafer transfer apparatus 50 of the present embodiment, each fork 54 a (54 b) should place the wafer W when placing the held wafer W on the delivery unit 30. The wafer W is transferred to the delivery unit 30 by moving downward by a preset placement stroke amount ST2 from a pre-loading position above the location, and the fork between the forks 54a and 54b. The pitch P3 is substantially the same size as the second pitch P2 in the delivery unit 30.

  Thus, when transferring the wafer W held by the wafer transfer apparatus 50 to the delivery unit 30, first, all the forks 54a and 54b holding the wafer W are simultaneously moved forward and horizontally to move these forks 54a and 54b. Each of the forks 54a and 54b are simultaneously moved downward, and the wafers W held on the forks 54a and 54b are respectively transferred to the transfer unit 30, and thereafter All the forks 54a and 54b are moved backward and horizontally at the same time, and the forks 54a and 54b can be retracted from the delivery unit 30, respectively.

  Here, in the process of transferring the wafer W to the delivery unit 30, all the forks 54a and 54b are moved simultaneously in the forward horizontal movement and the backward horizontal movement, respectively, and further by one downward movement of the respective forks 54a and 54b. Since all the wafers W held on these forks 54a, 54b are transferred to the transfer unit 30 at a time, the backward horizontal movement of the upper fork 54a as shown in the first embodiment. Compared with the method of simultaneously performing the forward horizontal movement of the lower fork 54b, the time for the wafer transfer device 50 to transfer the plurality of wafers W to the delivery unit 30 can be further shortened. As a result, the wafer transfer apparatus 50 can transfer the wafer W from the FOUP 20 to the delivery unit 30 even more quickly.

  In addition, the substrate processing system 10 by this Embodiment is not limited to said aspect, A various change can be added. For example, the number of forks that the first wafer conveyance device 50 has is not limited to two, and the first wafer conveyance device 50 may have three or more forks. In this case, the forks are provided on the fork support member 53 so as to be spaced apart from each other by the fork pitch P3 in the vertical direction. In addition, when transferring the wafer W held on each fork to the delivery unit 30, all three or more forks each holding the wafer W are caused to perform forward horizontal movement simultaneously, and then all forks are By simultaneously moving downward, the respective wafers W are transferred from these forks to the transfer unit 30, and then the forks W are held in the forks in a short time by causing all of the forks to perform a backward horizontal movement simultaneously. It can be transferred to the delivery unit 30.

[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the substrate processing system 10 of the present embodiment, the relationship between the first pitch P1 between the wafers W in the FOUP 20 and the fork pitch P3 and the extraction stroke amount ST1 in the first wafer transfer apparatus 50 is not particularly defined. The only difference is the construction of the second embodiment substantially the same as that of the second embodiment shown in FIG.
In the present embodiment, the same parts as those of the second embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the substrate processing system 10 of the present embodiment, the second pitch P2 between the wafers W in the delivery unit 30 is set in advance to a value of about 23 mm or larger as in the first embodiment. As described in the second embodiment, the second pitch P2 of the wafer W in the transfer unit 30 and the fork pitch P3 in the first wafer transfer device 50 are the second pitch P2 and the fork pitch P3. Are set to be approximately the same size. Specifically, the fork pitch P3 in the first wafer transfer apparatus 50 is set to a value of about 23 mm or larger.

  Here, the first pitch P1 in the FOUP 20 of the substrate processing system 10 is set to about 10 mm in advance, and the first pitch P1 is further increased for the convenience of the number of wafers W accommodated in the FOUP 20. I can't do that. For this reason, when the first wafer transfer device 50 takes out a plurality of wafers W from the FOUP 20, each fork 54a (54b) takes out the wafer W from the FOUP 20 independently without interlocking with the other forks. It has become.

  That is, when the wafer W is taken out from the hoop 20, the upper fork 54 a first performs a forward horizontal movement, and then the upper fork 54 a is moved upward to cause the upper fork 54 a to lift the wafer W. The wafer W is held, and the upper fork 54a is caused to perform a backward horizontal movement. Thereafter, the base 55 is moved in the height direction so that the lower fork 54b is at substantially the same height level as the pre-removal position, and the lower fork 54b performs forward horizontal movement. The lower fork 54b is moved upward, the lower fork 54b is lifted to hold the wafer W, and finally the lower fork 54b is moved backward and horizontally. As described above, according to the substrate processing system 10 of the present embodiment, the first wafer transfer device 50 takes more time than the first embodiment in the process of taking out the plurality of wafers W from the FOUP 20. End up. However, the time for transferring the wafer W held by the first wafer transfer apparatus 50 to the delivery unit 30 can be shortened as compared with the first embodiment.

  According to the substrate processing system 10 and the wafer transfer apparatus 50 of the present embodiment, the wafer transfer apparatus 50 transfers a plurality of wafers W to the delivery unit 30 as compared with the case where the wafer W is transferred by one fork. Change time can be shortened. As a result, the wafer transfer apparatus 50 can transfer the wafer W from the FOUP 20 to the delivery unit 30 more quickly.

It is a schematic side view which shows the structure of the substrate processing system of one embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view by the AA arrow of the substrate processing system of FIG. It is a cross-sectional view by the BB arrow of the substrate processing system of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view by CC arrow of the substrate processing system of FIG. (A) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the hoop in the state in which the wafer was accommodated in the substrate processing system of FIG. 1, (b) is a wafer conveyance apparatus in one wafer in the (h) hoop. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a state when it is lifted with the fork. FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the hoop of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the 1st wafer conveyance apparatus in the substrate processing system of FIG. (A) is a top view which shows the structure of the fork in the wafer conveyance apparatus of FIG. 7, (b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view by the FF arrow of the fork shown to (a). It is a side view which shows the structure of the delivery unit in the substrate processing system of FIG. (A) is a perspective view which shows the structure of the 2nd wafer conveyance apparatus in the substrate processing system of FIG. 1, (b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fork of the 2nd wafer conveyance apparatus shown to (a). is there. (A)-(f) is the schematic which shows continuously a series of operation | movement when a wafer is taken out from a hoop by a wafer conveyance apparatus in the substrate processing system of FIG. (A)-(f) is the schematic which shows continuously a series of operation | movement when a wafer is transferred to a delivery unit from a wafer conveyance apparatus in the substrate processing system of FIG. (A)-(d) is the schematic which shows continuously another series of operation | movement when a wafer is transferred to a delivery unit from a wafer conveyance apparatus. It is a schematic side view which shows the structure of the conventional substrate processing system. It is a cross-sectional view by the EE arrow of the substrate processing system of FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Substrate processing system 10a Carrier station 10b Process station 15 Control apparatus 20 Hoop 21 Housing 22 Wafer mounting member 22a Opening 23 Window part opening / closing mechanism 25 Mounting base 30 Delivery unit 30a Upper area | region 30b Lower area | region 31 Housing 32 Partition members 33, 33a 33b Protrusion member 34 Wafer peripheral edge support member 35 Tapered member 40 Processing chamber 50 First wafer transfer device 51 Base member 52 Vertical movement mechanism 53 Fork support members 53a, 53b Horizontal movement mechanism 54a Upper fork 54b Lower fork 54p Holding member 55 Base 56 Rail 58 Control unit 60 Second wafer transfer device 61 Base member 62 Vertical movement mechanism 63 Fork support members 63a, 63b Horizontal movement mechanism 64a Upper fork 64b Lower fork 64p holding member 65 base 66 rail 70 substrate processing system 70a carrier station 70b process station 80 wafer transfer device 81 base member 82 vertical movement mechanism 83 fork support member 84 fork 85 base

Claims (4)

A second pitch larger than the first pitch P1 between the plurality of substrates in the vertical direction from a first substrate housing portion that houses the plurality of substrates so as to be stacked apart from each other in the vertical direction by the first pitch P1. A substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate to a second substrate storage portion that stores the P2 portions apart and stacked,
A fork support portion that is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the first substrate housing portion and the second substrate housing portion;
A plurality of forks provided on the fork support portion for holding the substrate so that each of the forks can be moved in the horizontal direction independently of each other, each fork being set to a fork pitch P3 set in advance in the vertical direction. A pre-loading position that is provided on the fork support portion so as to be separated and is located above a position where the substrate is to be mounted when the substrate held by each fork is transferred to the second substrate housing portion. The substrate is transferred to the second substrate housing portion by moving downward from the position, and the fork pitch P3 has a plurality of sizes that are set to be approximately the same as the second pitch P2. Fork,
A vertical movement mechanism for driving the plurality of forks simultaneously in the vertical direction by moving a base in which the plurality of forks are integrally provided via the fork support portion;
Equipped with a,
The substrates are taken out from the first substrate housing portion one by one and moved from the first substrate housing portion to the second substrate housing portion while holding a plurality of substrates, and the plurality of held substrates are simultaneously transferred to the second substrate. A substrate transporting device, wherein the substrate transporting device is adapted to be transferred to a substrate housing portion . A second pitch larger than the first pitch P1 between the plurality of substrates in the vertical direction from a first substrate housing portion that houses the plurality of substrates so as to be stacked apart from each other in the vertical direction by the first pitch P1. The substrate transfer method by the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is transferred to a second substrate storage portion that is stored so as to be separated and stacked by P2.
Removing the substrates one by one from the first substrate housing portion;
Moving the substrate transport apparatus from the first substrate housing section to the second substrate housing section in a state where the substrate transport apparatus holds a plurality of substrates;
Moving all of the forks holding the substrate to a pre-placed position above the place where the substrate is to be placed in the second substrate housing portion;
The vertical movement mechanism moves the base downward, thereby simultaneously moving all the forks downward, and transferring each of the substrates held by these forks to the second substrate accommodating portion,
Performing a backward horizontal movement of all forks at the same time, retreating these forks from the second substrate housing part,
A substrate carrying method comprising: A substrate transfer device for taking out a substrate from a first substrate accommodating portion that accommodates a plurality of substrates in a vertical direction spaced apart from each other by a first pitch P1;
A plurality of substrates are accommodated in the vertical direction so as to be stacked apart from each other by a second pitch P2 larger than the first pitch P1, and a second substrate accommodation in which the substrates conveyed by the substrate conveyance device are transferred And
With
The substrate transport device includes a fork support portion that is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the first substrate housing portion and the second substrate housing portion, and the fork support portion that is movable in the horizontal direction independently of each other. A plurality of forks provided on the fork, wherein each fork is provided on the fork support portion so as to be spaced apart from each other by a preset fork pitch P3 in the vertical direction. When the substrate is transferred to the second substrate housing portion, the substrate is moved to the second substrate housing portion by moving downward from a pre-loading position above the place where the substrate is to be placed. The plurality of forks as described above and a base on which the plurality of forks are integrally provided via the fork support portion are moved in the vertical direction, thereby the plurality of forks. Simultaneously have a vertical moving mechanism for vertically driven,
The substrate transfer device takes out the substrates one by one from the first substrate housing portion, moves the first substrate housing portion to the second substrate housing portion while holding a plurality of substrates, and holds the plurality of held substrates. The substrate is transferred to the second substrate housing portion at the same time,
The substrate processing system, wherein the second pitch P2 and the fork pitch P3 are set so that the second pitch P2 is substantially the same as the fork pitch P3. A substrate transfer device for taking out a substrate from a first substrate accommodating portion that accommodates a plurality of substrates in a vertical direction spaced apart from each other by a first pitch P1;
A plurality of substrates are accommodated in the vertical direction so as to be stacked apart from each other by a second pitch P2 larger than the first pitch P1, and a second substrate accommodation in which the substrates conveyed by the substrate conveyance device are transferred And
With
The substrate transport device includes a fork support portion that is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the first substrate housing portion and the second substrate housing portion, and the fork support portion that is movable in the horizontal direction independently of each other. A plurality of forks provided on the fork, wherein each fork is provided on the fork support portion so as to be spaced apart from each other by a preset fork pitch P3 in the vertical direction. When the substrate is transferred to the second substrate housing portion, the substrate is moved to the second substrate housing portion by moving downward from a pre-loading position above the place where the substrate is to be placed. The plurality of forks as described above and a base on which the plurality of forks are integrally provided via the fork support portion are moved in the vertical direction, thereby the plurality of forks. Simultaneously have a vertical moving mechanism for vertically driven,
The substrate transport device is adapted to move from the first substrate housing portion to the second substrate housing portion while holding a plurality of substrates.
When removing the substrates from the first substrate housing portion, the substrates are taken out from the first substrate housing portion one by one, and all the substrates holding the substrates are transferred when the substrates held on each fork are transferred to the second substrate housing portion. The forks are moved forward and horizontally at the same time, respectively moved to the pre-loading positions above the positions where the respective substrates are to be placed, and then all the forks are simultaneously moved downward and held by these forks. Each substrate is transferred to the second substrate housing portion, and then all the forks are moved backward and horizontally simultaneously, so that these forks can be retracted from the second substrate housing portion, respectively. A substrate processing system, comprising a control device for controlling each fork.

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