JP5132856B2 - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Technical field to which the invention belongs]
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus that performs a plurality of processes such as resist coating and development processing after exposure on a target substrate such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) glass substrate, and thermal processing performed before and after the resist coating. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the manufacture of LCD, after forming a predetermined film on the LCD glass substrate, which is the substrate to be processed, a photoresist film is applied to form a resist film, and the resist film is exposed corresponding to the circuit pattern, A circuit pattern is formed by a so-called photolithography technique in which this is developed.
[0003]
In this photolithography technique, the LCD substrate as a substrate to be processed is subjected to a series of processes including cleaning processing → dehydration baking → adhesion (hydrophobization) processing → resist coating → prebaking → exposure → development → post baking. A predetermined circuit pattern is formed on the resist layer.
[0004]
Conventionally, in such processing, processing units for performing each processing are arranged on both sides of the transport path in consideration of the process flow, and a substrate to be processed is carried into each processing unit by a central transport apparatus that can travel on the transport path. This is performed by a processing system in which one or a plurality of process blocks to be output are arranged. Since such a processing system basically performs random access processing by a central transfer device, a plurality of cleaning processing units and development processing units are arranged in a plane, and thermal processing such as baking and cooling is performed. Many processing units are arranged to achieve high throughput processing.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, recently, there is a strong demand for large-sized LCD substrates, and even a huge one having a side as long as 1 m has appeared. In the processing system using the central transfer device as described above, the area of the transfer path is large. At the same time, by arranging a plurality of cleaning processing units and development processing units in a planar manner, the footprint becomes extremely large, and a reduction in footprint is strongly demanded from the viewpoint of space saving.
[0006]
In order to reduce the footprint, it is conceivable to stack the processing units in the vertical direction. Conventionally, thermal processing units are stacked in multiple stages, but the current processing system has a viewpoint of improving throughput. The central transfer device moves large substrates in the horizontal direction at high speed and with high accuracy, and when the substrate becomes large, it is natural to move it in the height direction at high speed and with high accuracy. There is a limit, and it is difficult to achieve both a small footprint and high throughput. In addition, the processing unit is also enlarged with the increase in size of the substrate, and it is extremely difficult to provide spinner units such as a resist coating processing unit and a development processing unit in an overlapping manner.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is a process including a plurality of processing units that can reduce the footprint without reducing the throughput and without causing problems in the apparatus configuration. An object is to provide an apparatus.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus that performs a series of processes including a plurality of liquid processes on a substrate to be processed, while the substrate to be processed is being transported substantially horizontally. A plurality of liquid processing units that perform predetermined liquid processing and the corresponding liquid processing units are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of liquid processing units.AtAnd a plurality of thermal processing unit sections provided with a plurality of thermal processing units for performing a predetermined thermal processing, wherein at least one of the thermal processing unit sections includes a plurality of thermal processing units. ButIn the height directionArranged in the order of processingAnd sequentially transporting the plurality of thermal processing units in a single stroke on the substrate to be processedA processing apparatus is provided.
[0010]
  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus for performing a series of processes including cleaning, resist coating, and development after exposure on a substrate to be processed, each corresponding to the series of processes. A processing unit including a plurality of processing units that perform predetermined processing on the substrate, and a storage container that stores a substrate to be processed before processing and / or a substrate to be processed after processing, are placed on the processing unit. A loading / unloading unit for loading / unloading the processing substrate; and an interface unit for transferring the substrate to be processed between the processing unit and the exposure apparatus, the processing unit cleaning liquid while the substrate to be processed being transported substantially horizontally A cleaning processing unit for performing a cleaning process and a drying process, a resist processing unit for performing a resist process including application of a resist solution while the substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally, and a substrate to be processed being transported substantially horizontally. , Developer coating, the developer is removed after development, and a development processing unit to perform the drying process with respect to the substrate to be processed is unloaded from the cleaning unit, PlaceA first thermal processing unit section in which a plurality of thermal processing units for performing predetermined thermal processing are integrated, and a substrate to be processed unloaded from the resist processing unit., PlaceA second thermal processing unit section in which a plurality of thermal processing units for performing a predetermined thermal processing are integrated, and a substrate to be processed unloaded from the development processing unit., PlaceA plurality of thermal processing units that perform constant thermal processing, and a third thermal processing unit section that is aggregated, wherein at least one of the first to third thermal processing unit sections includes a plurality of thermal processing unit sections Thermal processing unitIn the height directionArranged in the order of processingAnd sequentially transporting the plurality of thermal processing units in a single stroke on the substrate to be processedA processing apparatus is provided.
[0012]
  In the processing apparatus according to the first aspect or the second aspect of the present invention,,PreviousAt least one thermal processing unit sectionInArranges multiple thermal processing units vertically in the order of processingA thermal processing unit setbe able to.Furthermore, the thermal processing unit set may include a carry-in lift table and a carry-out lift table that raise and lower the substrate to be processed on the carry-in side and the carry-out side, respectively.
[0013]
  According to the present invention, a plurality of liquid processing units that perform liquid processing such as cleaning processing, resist processing, and development processing are configured such that predetermined liquid processing is performed while a substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the central transport path between the processing units and the central transport apparatus that travels along the central transport path as in the prior art, and space can be saved accordingly. In addition, since each of the liquid processing units is provided with a plurality of thermal processing units that perform subsequent thermal processing, it is possible to save space, and the processing unit can be used for processing the substrate to be processed. Since it can arrange | position along a flow, a throughput can be made high. Moreover, at least one of the thermal processing unit sections includes a plurality of thermal processing units.In the height directionArranged in the order of processingSince the plurality of thermal processing units are sequentially transported in a single stroke on the substrate to be processed,The footprint can be reduced while maintaining a high throughput and without causing problems in the apparatus configuration.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an LCD glass substrate resist coating and developing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0015]
The resist coating and developing apparatus 100 is for performing a series of processing including resist coating and development on a cassette station (loading / unloading unit) 1 on which a cassette C that houses a plurality of LCD glass substrates G is placed. A processing station (processing unit) 2 having a plurality of processing units and an interface station (interface unit) 3 for transferring the substrate G to and from the exposure apparatus 4 are provided at both ends of the processing station 2. Cassette station 1 and interface station 3 are arranged respectively. In FIG. 1, the longitudinal direction of the resist coating and developing apparatus 100 is defined as the X direction, and the direction orthogonal to the X direction on the plane is defined as the Y direction.
[0016]
The cassette station 1 is provided with a transport device 11 for loading and unloading the LCD substrate G between the cassette C and the processing station 2. In this cassette station 1, the cassette C is loaded into and unloaded from the outside. Further, the transfer device 11 has a transfer arm 11a and can move on a transfer path 10 provided along the Y direction which is the arrangement direction of the cassettes C. The transfer arm 11a allows the cassette C and the processing station 2 to move. The substrate G is carried in and out.
[0017]
The processing station 2 basically has two parallel lines 2a and 2b extending along the X direction. One of the lines 2a is directed from the cassette station 1 side to the interface station 3, and the scrub cleaning processing unit. (SCR) 21, a first heat treatment unit section (TS) 26, and a resist processing unit 23 are arranged, and the other line 2b extends from the interface station 3 side toward the cassette station 1 to the development processing unit ( DEV) 24, i-line UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 and a third thermal processing unit section (TS) 28 are provided. A space 20 is formed between the lines 2a and 2b. A second thermal processing unit section (TS) 27 is provided at a position adjacent to the interface station 3 from the lines 2a to 2b. Further, an excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22 is provided on a part of the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21. The excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22 is for removing organic substances on the substrate G prior to scrub cleaning, and the i-line UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 performs a decoloring process for development. Is to do.
[0018]
The scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21 performs the cleaning process and the drying process while the substrate G is transported substantially horizontally without being rotated in the conventional manner. In the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21, the substrate G is transported by, for example, roller transport or belt transport, and the carry-in port and the carry-out port of the substrate G are provided on opposite short sides. Further, the substrate G is carried into the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21 by the transfer device 11 of the cassette station 1. An excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22 provided on the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21 is also provided with a carry-in port on the cassette station 1 side, and the substrate G is carried in by the transfer device 11.
[0019]
The development processing unit (DEV) 24 also performs the application of the developer, the developer cleaning after the development, and the drying process while being transported substantially horizontally without the substrate G being rotated. Also in this development processing unit (DEV) 24, the substrate G is transported by, for example, roller transport or belt transport, and the carry-in port and the carry-out port of the substrate G are provided on opposite short sides. Further, the transport of the substrate G to the i-line UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 is continuously performed by a mechanism similar to the transport mechanism of the development processing unit (DEV) 24.
[0020]
2, the resist processing unit 23 applies a resist solution by dropping a resist solution from a nozzle (not shown) while rotating the substrate G by a spin chuck 51 in the cup 50. As shown in FIG. CT) 23a, a reduced pressure drying device (VD) 23b for drying the resist film formed on the substrate G in the reduced pressure container 52 under reduced pressure, and a solvent discharge head 53 capable of scanning four sides of the substrate G placed on the stage 54. The peripheral resist removing device (ER) 23c for removing excess resist adhering to the peripheral edge of the substrate G is disposed in that order, and the substrate G is interposed between the pair of sub-arms 56 guided and moved by the guide rail 55. Is transported substantially horizontally. The resist processing unit 23 is provided with a carry-in port 57 and a carry-out port 58 for the substrate G on opposite short sides. The guide rail 55 extends outward from the carry-in port 57 and the carry-out port 58, and the substrate is extended by the sub arm 56. Delivery of G is possible.
[0021]
In the first thermal processing unit section (TS) 26, thermal processing units are arranged in the order of processing. Specifically, for example, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 3, a dehydration bake unit (DHP) 61a that performs a dehydration bake process on the substrate G, and an adhesion process that performs a hydrophobization process (adhesion process) on the substrate G A thermal processing unit set 31a in which a unit (AD) 62a, a cooling unit (COL) 63a for cooling the substrate G are horizontally arranged in that order, a dehydration bake unit (DHP) 61b, an adhesion processing unit (AD) 62b, a cooling A thermal processing unit set 31b in which units (COL) 63b are horizontally arranged in that order is arranged in parallel in a plane. These thermal processing unit sets 31a and 31b are transported in the order of arrangement of the thermal processing units by roller transport or the like and are subjected to a series of thermal processing. Further, a carry-in side moving table 32 is movably provided along the rail 32a on the carry-in side of the thermal processing unit sets 31a and 31b, and a carry-out side move table 33 moves along the rail 33a on the carry-out side. One of the thermal processing unit sets 31a and 31b can be selectively used. The substrate G unloaded from the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21 is received by the loading-side moving table 32, and the substrate G of the unloading-side moving table 33 is received by the sub arm 56 of the resist processing unit 23.
[0022]
In the second thermal processing unit section (TS) 27, the thermal processing units are arranged in the order of processing. Specifically, for example, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 4, a pre-bake processing unit (PREBAKE) 64a for performing pre-bake processing on the substrate G, and then a cooling unit (COL) 65a for cooling the substrate G are arranged in that order. The thermal processing unit set 34a arranged in the same manner, and the thermal processing unit set 34b in which the pre-baking processing unit (PREBAKE) 64b and the cooling unit (COL) 65b are horizontally arranged in that order are arranged in parallel in a plane. Yes. The thermal processing unit sets 34a and 34b are transported in the order of arrangement of the thermal processing units by roller transport or the like to perform a series of thermal processing. In addition, a carry-in side moving table 35 is movably provided along the rail 35a on the carry-in side of the thermal processing unit sets 34a and 34b, and a carry-out side move table 36 moves along the rail 36a on the carry-out side. One of the thermal processing unit sets 34a and 34b can be selectively used. Then, the substrate G unloaded from the resist processing unit 23 is received by the loading-side moving table 35, and the substrate G of the unloading-side moving table 36 is received by the transfer device 41 of the interface station 3, or the development processing unit (DEV). ) It is delivered to 24.
[0023]
In the third thermal processing unit section (TS) 28, the thermal processing units are arranged in the order of processing. Specifically, for example, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 5, a post-bake processing unit (POBAKE) 66a that performs post-bake processing on the substrate G, and then a cooling unit (COL) 67a that cools the substrate G are provided. A thermal processing unit set 37a arranged horizontally in order, a post-baking processing unit (POBAKE) 66b, and a cooling unit (COL) 67b arranged horizontally in that order in parallel in a plane. Has been placed. The thermal processing unit sets 37a and 37b are transported in the order of arrangement of the thermal processing units by roller transport or the like, and are subjected to a series of thermal processing. In addition, a carry-in side moving table 38 is movably provided along the rail 38a on the carry-in side of the thermal processing unit sets 37a and 37b, and a carry-out side move table 39 moves along the rail 39a on the carry-out side. One of the thermal processing unit sets 37a and 37b can be selectively used. The substrate G carried out from the i-ray UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 is received by the carry-in side moving table 38, and the substrate G on the carry-out side moving table 39 is received by the transfer device 11 in the cassette station 1.
[0024]
The interface station 3 includes a transfer device 41 that loads and unloads the substrate G between the processing station 2 and the exposure device 4, and a buffer stage (BUF) 43 that places a buffer cassette. The transfer device 41 includes a transfer arm 41a that can move on a transfer path 42 provided along the Y direction. The transfer arm 41a moves along the transfer path 42, and rotates and moves back and forth to move to the processing station 2. The substrate G is carried into and out of the exposure apparatus 4. Further, an external device block 44 in which a titler (TITLER) and a peripheral exposure device (EE) are stacked vertically is provided adjacent to the interface station 3.
[0025]
In the resist coating and developing apparatus 100 configured as described above, first, the substrate G in the cassette C disposed in the cassette station 1 is transferred to the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22 of the processing station 2 by the transport apparatus 11. The scrub is pre-processed. Next, the transport mechanism 11 carries the substrate G into a scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21 disposed under the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22 for scrub cleaning. In this scrub cleaning, the cleaning process and the drying process are performed while the substrate G is transported substantially horizontally without being rotated as in the prior art. It is possible to realize the same processing capacity as using two units in a smaller space. After the scrub cleaning process, the substrate G is carried out to the carry-in side moving table 32 of the first thermal processing unit section (TS) 26 by, for example, roller conveyance.
[0026]
The board | substrate G arrange | positioned at the carrying-in side movement table 32 is carried in into either thermal processing unit set 31a or 31b. At this time, the carry-in side moving table 32 is moved along the rail 32a to a position corresponding to the thermal processing unit set into which the substrate G is carried. When the thermal processing unit set 31a is selected, the thermal processing unit set 31a is sequentially transported to the dewatering bake unit (DHP) 61a, the adhesion processing unit (AD) 62a, and the cooling unit (COL) 63a by, for example, roller transport, to the substrate G. On the other hand, a dehydration baking process, an HMDS adhesion process (hydrophobization process), and a cooling process are sequentially performed. On the other hand, when the thermal processing unit set 31b is selected, the dewatering baking unit (DHP) 61b, the adhesion processing unit (AD) 62b, and the cooling unit (COL) 63b are sequentially transported by, for example, roller transport to the substrate G. On the other hand, a dehydration baking process, an HMDS adhesion process (hydrophobization process), and a cooling process are sequentially performed. After the processing by the first thermal processing unit section (TS) 26 is completed in this way, the substrate G is carried out to the carry-out side moving table 33. At this time, the carry-out side moving table 33 is moved along the rail 33a to a position corresponding to the thermal processing unit set into which the substrate G is carried. After the substrate G is unloaded to the unloading side moving table 33, the unloading side moving table 33 is moved to a position corresponding to the loading port 57 of the resist processing unit 23.
[0027]
Thereafter, the substrate G placed on the carry-out side moving table 33 is carried into the resist processing unit 23 by the sub arm 56 of the resist processing unit 23. Then, the substrate G is first transported to the resist coating processing device (CT) 23a therein, where the resist solution is spin-coated on the substrate G, and then transported to the vacuum drying device (VD) 23b by the sub-arm 56 to reduce the pressure. The substrate is dried, and further conveyed to the peripheral resist removing device (ER) 23c by the sub-arm 56 to remove excess resist on the peripheral edge of the substrate G. After the peripheral resist removal is completed, the substrate G is unloaded from the resist processing unit 23 by the sub arm 56. As described above, the decompression drying device (VD) 23b is provided after the resist coating processing device (CT) 23a. If this is not provided, the substrate G coated with the resist is prebaked or after the development processing. After the post-bake treatment, the shapes of lift pins, fixing pins, etc. may be transferred to the substrate G. In this way, the solvent in the resist can be obtained by performing vacuum drying without heating by a vacuum drying apparatus (VD). Is released gradually and does not cause rapid drying as in the case of drying by heating, can accelerate the drying of the resist without adversely affecting the resist, and effectively prevents transfer on the substrate. Because it can be done.
[0028]
In this way, the coating process is completed, and the substrate G carried out from the resist processing unit 23 by the sub arm 56 is transferred to the carry-in side moving table 35 of the second thermal processing unit section (TS) 27. The board | substrate G arrange | positioned at the carrying-in side movement table 35 is carried in into either thermal processing unit set 34a or 34b. At this time, the loading-side moving table 35 is moved along the rail 35a to a position corresponding to the thermal processing unit set into which the substrate G is loaded. Then, when the thermal processing unit set 34a is selected, the pre-baking unit (PREBAKE) 64a and the cooling unit (COL) 65a are sequentially transferred to the pre-baking unit (COL) 65a, for example, by roller transfer, and the pre-baking process and the cooling process are sequentially performed on the substrate G. Applied. On the other hand, when the thermal processing unit set 34b is selected, the pre-baking unit (PREBAKE) 64b and the cooling unit (COL) 65b are sequentially transferred to the pre-baking unit (COL) 65b by roller transfer, for example, and the pre-baking process and the cooling process are sequentially performed on the substrate G. Applied. After the processing by the second thermal processing unit section (TS) 27 is completed in this way, the substrate G is carried out to the carry-out side moving table 36. At this time, the carry-out side moving table 36 is moved along the rail 36a to a position corresponding to the thermal processing unit set into which the substrate G is carried. After the substrate G is unloaded to the unloading-side moving table 36, the unloading-side moving table 36 is disposed at a position corresponding to the interface station 3, and the substrate G on the position is received by the transfer device 41 of the interface station 3. .
[0029]
The substrate G is transported to the exposure device 4 by the transport device 41, where the resist film on the substrate G is exposed to form a predetermined pattern. In this case, the substrate G may be directly transferred to the exposure apparatus 4 or may be transferred to the exposure apparatus 4 after the substrate G is accommodated in a buffer cassette on the buffer stage (BUF) 43.
[0030]
After the exposure is completed, the substrate G is transported to the lower peripheral exposure device (EE) of the external device block 44 by the transport device 41 of the interface station 3 to perform exposure for removing the peripheral resist, and then the upper titler (TITLER). After the predetermined information is written on the substrate G, it is transferred again to the unloading side moving table 36 of the second thermal processing unit section (TS) 27. The carry-out side moving table 36 that has received the substrate G is moved along the rail 36a to a position corresponding to the development processing unit (DEV) 24. For example, the substrate G is carried into the development processing unit (DEV) 24 by roller transport, and developed. Processing is performed. In this development processing, the substrate G is not rotated as in the prior art, and for example, the developer application, the developer removal after development, and the drying treatment are performed while being transported substantially horizontally by roller transport. As a result, the same processing capability as conventionally using three rotation type development processing units can be realized in a smaller space.
[0031]
After the development processing is completed, the substrate G is transported from the development processing unit (DEV) 24 to the i-line UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 by a continuous transport mechanism, for example, roller transport, and the substrate G is subjected to decolorization processing. The
[0032]
Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred to the carry-in side moving table 38 of the third thermal processing unit section (TS) 28 by a transfer mechanism in the i-ray UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25, for example, roller transfer. The board | substrate G arrange | positioned at the carrying-in side movement table 38 is carried in into either thermal processing unit set 37a or 37b. At this time, the carry-in side moving table 38 is moved along the rails 38a to a position corresponding to the thermal processing unit set into which the substrate G is carried. When the thermal processing unit set 37a is selected, it is sequentially transferred to the post-baking unit (POBAKE) 66a and the cooling unit (COL) 67a by, for example, roller transfer, and post-bake processing and cooling processing are performed on the substrate G. Are applied sequentially. On the other hand, when the thermal processing unit set 37b is selected, the substrate G is sequentially transported to the post-bake unit (POBAKE) 66b and the cooling unit (COL) 67b by, for example, roller transport, and post-bake processing and cooling processing are performed on the substrate G. Are applied sequentially. After the processing by the third thermal processing unit section (TS) 28 is thus completed, the substrate G is carried out to the carry-out side moving table 39. At this time, the carry-out side moving table 39 is moved along the rail 39a to a position corresponding to the thermal processing unit set into which the substrate G is carried. After the substrate G is carried out to the carry-out side moving table 39, it is accommodated in a predetermined cassette C arranged in the cassette station 1 by the transfer device 11 of the cassette station 1.
[0033]
As described above, the scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21, the resist processing unit 23, and the development processing unit (DEV) 24 are configured so that predetermined liquid processing is performed while the substrate G is transported substantially horizontally. In addition, it is possible to eliminate the central conveyance path between the processing units and the central conveyance device that travels along the central conveyance path as in the prior art, so that space can be saved correspondingly, and the scrub cleaning processing unit ( For each of the SCR) 21, the resist processing unit 23, and the development processing unit (DEV) 24, a plurality of thermal processing units that perform subsequent thermal processing are aggregated to form first to third thermal processing unit sections (TS). ) 26, 27 and 28 are provided, so that the space can be saved correspondingly, and the processing unit is aligned with the processing flow of the substrate to be processed. Can be arranged Te can be increased throughput. Moreover, in these thermal processing unit sections (TS) 26, 27, and 28, a plurality of thermal processing units are horizontally arranged in the order of processing, so that the substrate to be processed is carried into and out of the plurality of thermal processing units. A transport device is not necessary, and the handling property of the substrate to be processed becomes good, which can increase the throughput. In addition, since it is not necessary to stack the scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21, the resist processing unit 23, and the development processing unit (DEV) 24, there is no problem in apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the footprint while maintaining high throughput and without causing a problem in the apparatus configuration.
[0034]
Further, in each thermal processing unit section, two thermal processing unit sets in which a plurality of thermal processing units are horizontally arranged in the order of processing are arranged in parallel, so that even if one is closed, the other is thermally Processing can be performed, and the throughput can be further increased accordingly.
[0035]
Further, the scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21, the resist processing unit 23, the development processing unit (DEV) 24, and the first and third thermal processing unit sections 26 and 28 are arranged in two parallel lines in the order of processing. 2a and 2b, and a second thermal processing unit section (TS) 27 is provided between the two lines, and the substrate G is flown in a U-turn shape along the two lines. However, since a series of processing is performed, the effect of reducing the footprint can be enhanced also by this. In addition, since the processing units are arranged in two rows in this way, maintenance of all the processing units can be performed from both side surfaces, so that maintainability is extremely high. And the space 20 between these lines 2a and 2b can also be utilized as a maintenance space. Further, since the scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21 and the development processing unit (DEV) 24 are a so-called flat-flow method in which processing is carried out in the horizontal direction without rotating the substrate G, the conventional substrate G is rotated. It is possible to reduce the mist that has been generated a lot.
[0036]
Next, another embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the structure of each thermal processing unit section is different from the above embodiment. That is, in the above embodiment, two thermal processing unit sets are arranged in parallel in each thermal processing unit section, but in this embodiment, they are arranged in parallel vertically as shown in FIGS.
[0037]
FIG. 6 is a side view showing the first thermal processing unit section (TS) 26 ′ having such a structure. This first thermal processing unit section (TS) 26 'has a heat in which a dewatering bake unit (DHP) 61a', an adhesion processing unit (AD) 62a ', and a cooling unit (COL) 63a' are arranged horizontally in that order. A thermal processing unit set 31b 'in which a dehydration baking unit (DHP) 61b', an adhesion processing unit (AD) 62b ', and a cooling unit (COL) 63b' are horizontally arranged in that order. It is arranged up and down. In addition, a carry-in lift table 71 is provided on the carry-in side of the processing unit sets 31a 'and 31b', and a carry-out lift table 72 is provided on the carry-out side. One of 31a 'and 31b' can be selectively used. Then, the substrate G carried out from the scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21 is received by the carry-in lifting table 71, and the substrate G on the carry-out lifting table 72 is received by the sub arm 56 of the resist processing unit 23.
[0038]
FIG. 7 is a side view showing a second thermal processing unit section (TS) 27 'having such a structure. The second thermal processing unit section (TS) 27 'includes a thermal processing unit set 34a' in which a pre-baking processing unit (PREBAKE) 64a 'and a cooling unit (COL) 65a' are horizontally arranged in that order, and a pre-baking unit. A thermal processing unit set 34b 'in which processing units (PREBAKE) 64b' and cooling units (COL) 65b 'are horizontally arranged in that order is arranged above and below. Also, a carry-in lift table 73 is provided on the carry-in side of the thermal processing unit sets 34a 'and 34b' so as to be lifted and a carry-out lift table 74 is provided on the carry-out side so as to be lifted and lowered. One of the unit sets 34a 'and 34b' can be selectively used. Then, the substrate G unloaded from the resist processing unit 23 is received by the carry-in lifting table 73, and the substrate G on the unloading lifting table 74 is received by the transfer device 41 of the interface station 3, or the development processing unit (DEV). ) It is delivered to 24.
[0039]
FIG. 8 is a side view showing a third thermal processing unit section (TS) 28 'having such a structure. The third thermal processing unit section (TS) 28 'includes a thermal processing unit set 37a' in which post bake processing units (POBAKE) 66a 'and cooling units (COL) 67a' are horizontally arranged in that order. A post-baking processing unit (POBAKE) 66b 'and a thermal processing unit set 37b' in which cooling units (COL) 67b 'are horizontally arranged in that order are arranged above and below. Further, a carry-in lift table 75 is provided on the carry-in side of the thermal processing unit sets 37a 'and 37b' so that it can be raised and lowered, and a carry-out lift table 76 is provided on the carry-out side so as to be lifted and lowered. One of the general processing unit sets 37a 'and 37b' can be selectively used. Then, the substrate G carried out from the i-ray UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 is received by the carry-in lift table 75, and the substrate G on the carry-out lift table 76 is received by the transport device 11 of the cassette station 1.
[0040]
In any of the embodiments, two thermal processing unit sets are arranged in each thermal processing unit section. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be one row or three or more rows. By using two rows, the throughput is improved as compared with the case of one row, but on the contrary, the footprint becomes larger. Therefore, the number of thermal processing unit sets is determined in consideration of throughput and footprint. Thus, in consideration of the balance of throughput and footprint, it is preferable to arrange in two rows.
[0041]
Next, still another embodiment will be described. This embodiment is also characterized by the structure of each thermal processing unit section. That is, in the above two embodiments, the thermal processing units are arranged horizontally in the order of processing, but in this embodiment, the thermal processing units are stacked in the height direction in the order of processing as shown in FIGS. The thermal processing units are sequentially conveyed in a single stroke. In this case, the footprint can be further reduced.
[0042]
FIG. 9 is a side view showing a first thermal processing unit section (TS) 26 ″ having such a structure. This first thermal processing unit section (TS) 26 ″ is a dewatering bake unit (DHP). ) 81, an adhesion processing unit (AD) 82, and a cooling unit (COL) 83 are arranged vertically in that order to form a thermal processing unit set 31c, and a carry-in lift table 91 and a carry-out lift are respectively provided on both sides thereof. A table 92 is provided. Accordingly, the substrate G unloaded from the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21 is received by the loading-side lifting table 91, and along the arrows, the dehydration bake unit (DHP) 81, the adhesion processing unit (AD) 82, the cooling unit (COL). ) 83 and is carried out to the carry-out lifting table 92.
[0043]
FIG. 10 is a side view showing a second thermal processing unit section (TS) 27 ″ having such a structure. This second thermal processing unit section (TS) 27 ″ includes two pre-baking units ( PREBAKE) 84, 85 and a cooling unit (COL) 86 are arranged vertically in that order to constitute a thermal processing unit set 34c, and a carry-in lift table 93 and a carry-out lift table 94 are provided on both sides thereof. ing. Accordingly, the substrate G unloaded from the resist processing unit 23 is received by the carry-in lifting table 93, and is sequentially transported along the arrows with the pre-baking unit (PREBAKE) 84, the pre-baking processing unit (PREBAKE) 85, and the cooling unit (COL) 86. Then, it is carried out to the carry-out lifting table 94. Note that the two pre-baking units (PREBAKE) 84 and 85 are stacked so that the pre-baking process time is more than twice as long as the cooling time, and the substrate G is smoothly transported by stacking three units. Because you can. That is, by stacking two pre-baking units (PREBAKE), it is possible to take sufficient time for the pre-baking process, and by stacking three units, the substrate G that has reached the uppermost unit along the arrow is left as it is. It can be transported to the next unit.
[0044]
FIG. 11 is a side view showing a third thermal processing unit section (TS) 28 ″ having such a structure. This third thermal processing unit section (TS) 28 ″ has two post bake units. (POBAKE) 87 and 88 and a cooling unit (COL) 89 are vertically arranged in that order to constitute a thermal processing unit set 37c, and a carry-in lift table 95 and a carry-out lift table 96 are provided on both sides thereof. It has been. Accordingly, the substrate G carried out from the i-ray UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 is received by the carry-in lifting table 95, and a post-bake processing unit (POBAKE) 87 and a post-bake processing unit (POBAKE) 88 along the arrows. The cooling unit (COL) 89 is sequentially transported to the carry-out lifting table 94. The reason why the two post-bake units (POBAKE) are stacked is the same as in the case of the pre-bake processing unit.
[0045]
In the embodiment of FIGS. 9 to 11, two or more thermal processing unit sets configured by stacking three stages may be provided in parallel. Thereby, the throughput can be further improved.
[0046]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the idea of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, in all the thermal processing unit sections, the thermal processing units are arranged in the order of processing and are sequentially transported to perform processing. However, not all are necessarily such a configuration. May be. The device layout is merely an example and is not limited to this. The processing is not limited to the processing by the resist coating and developing processing apparatus as described above, but can be applied to other apparatuses that perform liquid processing and thermal processing. Furthermore, although the case where an LCD substrate is used as the substrate to be processed has been described, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to the case of processing other substrates to be processed such as color filters.
[0047]
【Effect of the invention】
As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of liquid processing units for performing liquid processing such as cleaning processing, resist processing, and development processing are performed while a substrate to be processed is conveyed substantially horizontally. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the central transport path between the processing units and the central transport apparatus that travels along the central transport path as in the prior art, and space can be saved correspondingly. In addition, since each of the liquid processing units is provided with a plurality of thermal processing units that perform subsequent thermal processing, it is possible to save space, and the processing unit can be used for processing the substrate to be processed. Since it can arrange | position along a flow, a throughput can be made high. In addition, since at least one of the thermal processing unit sections has a plurality of thermal processing units arranged in the order of processing, the substrate to be processed is carried into and out of the plurality of thermal processing units in the thermal processing unit section. A transport device is not necessary, and the handling property of the substrate to be processed becomes good, which can increase the throughput. In addition, since there is no need to stack liquid processing units, there is no device problem. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the footprint while maintaining a high throughput and without causing a problem in the apparatus configuration.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a resist coating and developing apparatus for an LCD glass substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inside of a resist processing unit of an LCD substrate resist coating and developing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a plan view schematically showing a structure of a first thermal processing unit section of the resist coating and developing processing apparatus for the LCD substrate of FIG. 1; FIG.
4 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of a second thermal processing unit section of the resist coating and developing treatment apparatus for the LCD substrate of FIG. 1; FIG.
5 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of a third thermal processing unit section of the resist coating and developing treatment apparatus for the LCD substrate of FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of a first thermal processing unit section according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of a second thermal processing unit section according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a plan view schematically showing a structure of a third thermal processing unit section according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of a first thermal processing unit section according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing a structure of a second thermal processing unit section according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of a third thermal processing unit section according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Cassette station
2 ... Processing station
2a, 2b ... line
3 …… Interface station
21 …… Scrub cleaning unit (liquid processing unit)
23 …… Resist processing unit (liquid processing unit)
24 …… Development processing unit (liquid processing unit)
26, 26 ', 26 "... First thermal processing unit section
27, 27 ', 27 "...... second thermal processing unit section
28, 28 ', 28 "...... Third thermal processing unit section
31a, 31b, 31c, 34a, 34b, 34c, 37a, 37b, 37c ... thermal processing unit set
32, 33, 35, 36, 38, 39 .... Move table
71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 ... Lifting table
100: Resist coating and developing treatment device (processing device)
G …… LCD glass substrate

Claims (4)

A processing apparatus for performing a series of processes including a plurality of liquid processes on a substrate to be processed,
A plurality of liquid processing units that perform predetermined liquid processing while the substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally;
Said provided corresponding to each of the plurality of liquid processing units, and a corresponding plurality of thermal processing in which a plurality of thermal processing units are provided collectively for heat treatment of Jo Tokoro after the liquid processing unit section Comprising
At least one of the thermal processing unit sections includes a plurality of thermal processing units arranged in the order of processing in the height direction, and sequentially transporting the plurality of thermal processing units in a single stroke on a substrate to be processed. Characteristic processing device. A processing apparatus for performing a series of processing including cleaning, resist coating and development after exposure on a substrate to be processed,
A processing unit including a plurality of processing units for performing predetermined processing on each of the substrates to be processed corresponding to the series of processing;
A loading / unloading unit for loading and unloading the substrate to be processed with respect to the processing unit;
An interface unit for transferring a substrate to be processed between the processing unit and the exposure apparatus;
The processor is
A cleaning processing unit in which a cleaning process and a drying process are performed with the cleaning liquid while the substrate to be processed is conveyed substantially horizontally;
A resist processing unit for performing resist processing including application of a resist solution while a substrate to be processed is conveyed substantially horizontally;
A development processing unit that applies the developer, removes the developer after development, and performs a drying process while the substrate to be processed is conveyed substantially horizontally;
To the substrate to be processed is unloaded from the cleaning unit, a first thermal processing unit section in which a plurality of thermal processing units for performing thermal processing of Jo Tokoro are aggregated,
The resist to the substrate to be processed is unloaded from the processing unit, and a second thermal processing unit section in which a plurality of thermal processing units for performing thermal processing of Jo Tokoro are aggregated,
The relative target substrate taken out from the development processing unit, and a third thermal processing unit section in which a plurality of thermal processing units for performing thermal processing of Jo Tokoro are aggregated,
At least one of the first to third thermal processing unit sections includes a plurality of thermal processing units arranged in the order of processing in the height direction , and the plurality of thermal processing units in a single stroke of a substrate to be processed. A processing apparatus characterized by sequentially transporting . Wherein at least one of the thermal processing unit section, in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the thermal processing unit sets a plurality of thermal processing units are arranged vertically in order of processing is provided The processing apparatus as described. Before SL thermal processing unit sets, carry-in side and carry-out side, respectively, the processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a carry-in side elevation table and the unloading-side lifting table lifting the substrate to be processed .

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