JP6674674B2 - Substrate holding method and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for holding a substrate by a substrate holding and rotating device having a spin base, and a substrate processing apparatus including the substrate holding and rotating device and a substrate transport mechanism. Substrates to be processed include semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, glass substrates for plasma displays, substrates for photomasks, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, and substrates for FED (Field Emission Display). Various substrates such as a substrate, a ceramic substrate, and a solar cell substrate are included.

  A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is roughly classified into a batch processing apparatus for processing a plurality of substrates collectively, and a single-wafer processing for processing substrates to be processed one at a time in a processing chamber. Equipment and can be divided. In a general single-wafer processing apparatus, one substrate is held horizontally in a processing chamber, and rotation of the substrate and supply of a processing liquid to the substrate are performed in accordance with the content of processing.

  The single wafer processing apparatus includes a spin chuck. On the upper surface of the spin base of the spin chuck, a plurality of chuck pins are arranged at regular intervals along the circumferential direction. Each of the chuck pins is provided so as to be switchable between two types of operation states, a closed state in which it contacts the peripheral edge of the substrate and an open state in which it does not contact the peripheral edge of the substrate. The substrate is held by the spin chuck by sandwiching the substrate in the horizontal direction with the plurality of chuck pins.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic side view of a conventional substrate processing apparatus 101. The substrate processing apparatus 101 has a processing space surrounded by a chamber wall 111 having a shutter 111A for moving a hand mechanism (not shown) of a substrate transport mechanism (not shown). The processing space accommodates the spin chuck 102, a processing liquid nozzle 115 for supplying a processing liquid, a gas nozzle 116 for supplying a gas, and the like. The spin base 121 has a disk-shaped upper plate 121A. A plurality of chuck pins 130 are arranged at substantially equal angular intervals on the periphery of the upper plate 121A. Each of the chuck pins 130 includes a base 131 fixed to the upper plate 121A of the spin base 121, a guide 132 connected above the base 131 and extending vertically and obliquely upward of the chuck pin 130, and a guide 132. And a chuck (not shown) for switching the chuck pin 130 between an open state and a closed state by moving the guide part 132 and the contact part 133 with respect to the base 131. It has a pin drive mechanism. A plurality of horizontal support pins 140 are arranged at substantially equal angular intervals on the inner peripheral side of the upper plate 121A. These horizontal support pins 140 can be moved vertically with respect to the upper plate 121A by a horizontal support pin drive mechanism 141.

  The holding of the substrate W on the spin chuck is performed by the cooperation of the chuck pins 130 and the horizontal support pins 140. An example of a substrate holding operation by a spin chuck is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In Patent Literature 1, a spin chuck in a substrate processing apparatus includes a disk-shaped spin base and a plurality of holding bases arranged at intervals along a circumference corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the substrate at an upper peripheral edge of the spin base. And a spin motor for rotating the spin base 21 around a vertical rotation axis passing through the center of the spin base. The holding base has horizontal support pins for supporting the substrate W from the lower surface thereof, and chuck pins (holding pins in Patent Document 1) for holding the substrate W from the side.

  In the device configuration of Patent Literature 1, the horizontal support pins and the chuck pins are integrally moved by moving a holding base serving as a base thereof. The horizontal support pin can move up and down in the vertical direction of the spin base with respect to the spin base by moving the holding base. By moving the holding base, the chuck pin can be moved with respect to the spin base between a state retracted in the outer peripheral direction of the spin base (open state) and a state moved slightly in the inner peripheral direction (closed state). is there.

  In the step of holding a substrate on a spin chuck in Patent Document 1, the position of a chuck pin is opened, and a hand mechanism on which a substrate is placed is carried into a processing chamber. The hand mechanism transfers the substrate to the horizontal support pins and retreats from the processing chamber. Thereafter, by closing the plurality of chuck pins, the side surface of the substrate is held in the circumferential direction. By rotating the spin base by the spin motor in a state where the side surface of the substrate is sandwiched by the plurality of chuck pins, the substrate is rotated.

JP 2014-45028 A

  However, in Patent Literature 1, an operation of supporting the lower portion of the substrate with the horizontal support pins is required to sandwich the substrate from the side surface. Therefore, a horizontal support pin and a mechanism for moving the horizontal support pin are required, and it is difficult to reduce the size of the substrate processing apparatus. In addition, since the step of placing the lower portion of the substrate on the horizontal support pins is essential before the substrate is clamped from the side, the process from transporting the substrate to clamping the substrate from the side must be performed in a short time. Is difficult.

It is desired to hold the substrate from the horizontal direction with a simple configuration when holding the substrate on the substrate holding / rotating mechanism (spin chuck) without providing these horizontal support pins and a moving mechanism therefor.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate holding method and a substrate processing apparatus capable of holding a substrate from a horizontal direction with a simple configuration while securing high positioning accuracy in holding a substrate on a substrate holding / rotating mechanism. is there.

The invention according to claim 1 for achieving the above object, there is provided a substrate holding method for holding the substrate horizontally, the placing step of placing the substrate on the substrate transfer mechanism, spin-based A first preparation step of closing a plurality of openable and closable positioning pins arranged along a circumferential direction in a first region of an upper surface peripheral portion, and a first preparation step of closing the upper surface peripheral portion of the spin base; A second preparation step of opening a plurality of openable and closable gripping pins arranged along a circumferential direction in a second area not overlapping in the direction, a placement step, the first preparation step, and the second preparation step. After the preparing step, the substrate transport mechanism is moved to bring the peripheral edge of the substrate into contact with the plurality of positioning pins, whereby a positioning step of positioning the substrate is performed. Close the pin A substrate gripping step of holding the substrate with the plurality of positioning pins and the plurality of gripping pins, and a transport mechanism retracting the substrate transport mechanism from above the spin base after the substrate gripping step. And a step of holding the substrate.

  According to this method, the step of once mounting the substrate on the horizontal support pins or the like from the substrate transfer mechanism, which is required in the related art, can be omitted. In addition, the positioning pin is previously closed, and the position of the positioning pin in the closed state serves as a reference for positioning the substrate with respect to the spin base, so that positioning accuracy can be ensured. That is, in the substrate holding by the spin chuck, the number of steps can be reduced while securing the positioning accuracy of the substrate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate holding method according to the first aspect, the plurality of positioning pins are arranged in the first region over a distribution angle of 180 degrees. This is a substrate holding method.
When the distribution angle of the positioning pin exceeds 180 degrees, in the present invention, since the positioning pin is in the closed state, regardless of whether the gripping pin is open or closed, the positioning pin It is substantially difficult to abut the substrate. Therefore, such a problem can be avoided by arranging the plurality of positioning pins within the range of the distribution angle of 180 degrees as in this method.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate holding method according to the first or second aspect, the plurality of positioning pins are provided in the second preparation step, the positioning step, the substrate holding step, and the transfer mechanism retreating. A substrate holding method characterized in that the substrate is always kept in a closed state even during a process.
According to this method, when the positioning pin can be opened and closed between the open state and the closed state, it is possible to omit the step of changing the open / close state of the positioning pin.

The invention according to claim 4 for achieving the above object includes a substrate holding and rotating device for horizontally holding and rotating a substrate, and a substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate, and processing the substrate. A spinning base that is rotatable about a rotation axis, a rotation driving mechanism that rotates the spinning base, and a first spinning mechanism that rotates a top surface of the spinning base. In the area, a plurality of positioning pins that can be opened and closed are arranged along the circumferential direction, and are arranged along the circumferential direction in a second area of the upper edge of the spin base that does not overlap with the first area in the circumferential direction. A plurality of gripping pins that can be opened and closed, a positioning pin opening / closing mechanism for switching the plurality of positioning pins between a closed state and an open state, and the plurality of gripping pins between a closed state and an open state. Off A gripping pin opening and closing mechanism for changing, the substrate transfer mechanism, the rotation driving mechanism, the positioning pin opening and closing mechanism, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the gripping pin opening and closing mechanism, said control unit A first preparation step of controlling the positioning pin opening / closing mechanism to close the plurality of positioning pins, and a second preparation step of controlling the gripping pin opening / closing mechanism to open the plurality of gripping pins And a positioning step of controlling the substrate transport mechanism to contact the peripheral edge of the substrate with the plurality of positioning pins after the first preparation step and the second preparation step; and A substrate that controls a gripping pin opening / closing mechanism to close the plurality of gripping pins, thereby holding the substrate with the plurality of positioning pins and the plurality of gripping pins Performing a lifting step, and a transport mechanism retracting step for retracting the substrate transfer mechanism from above the spin base after the substrate gripping step, a substrate processing apparatus.

  According to this configuration, a mechanism such as a horizontal support pin for temporarily mounting a substrate, which is in the related art, can be omitted from the configuration of the substrate holding and rotating device. In addition, the positioning pin is previously closed, and the position of the positioning pin in the closed state serves as a reference for positioning the substrate with respect to the spin base, so that positioning accuracy can be ensured. That is, in holding the substrate by the spin chuck, it is possible to reduce the number of mechanisms such as horizontal support pins while ensuring the positioning accuracy of the substrate.

The invention according to claim 5 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of positioning pins are arranged in the first region over a distribution angle of 180 degrees. .
When the distribution angle of the positioning pin exceeds 180 degrees, in the present invention, since the positioning pin is in the closed state, regardless of whether the gripping pin is open or closed, the positioning pin It is substantially difficult to abut the substrate. Therefore, such a problem can be avoided by arranging the plurality of positioning pins within a range of the distribution angle of 180 degrees or less as in this configuration.

The invention according to claim 6 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the plurality of positioning pins are always fixed in a closed state.
According to this configuration, since the positioning pin only needs to maintain the closed state, for example, a mechanism for switching between the open state and the closed state can be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a plan view of a spin chuck in the substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B is a plan view of a spin chuck in the substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a main part of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a substrate loading / unloading operation performed in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A is a view of the substrate processing apparatus for explaining step S1 of the flowchart. FIG. 4B is a diagram of the substrate processing apparatus for explaining step S2 of the flowchart. FIG. 4C is a view of the substrate processing apparatus for explaining step S3 of the flowchart. FIG. 4D is a view of the substrate processing apparatus for explaining step S4 of the flowchart. FIG. 4E is a view of the substrate processing apparatus for explaining step S5 of the flowchart. FIG. 4F is a diagram of the substrate processing apparatus for explaining step S6 of the flowchart. FIG. 4G is a diagram of the substrate processing apparatus for explaining step S7 of the flowchart. FIG. 4H is a diagram of the substrate processing apparatus for explaining step S8 of the flowchart. FIG. 4I is a diagram of the substrate processing apparatus for explaining step S9 of the flowchart. FIG. 4J is a diagram of the substrate processing apparatus for explaining step S10 of the flowchart. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the configuration of the substrate transport mechanism. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a conventional substrate processing apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing chamber 10 surrounded by a chamber wall 11. The processing chamber 10 includes a spin chuck (substrate holding and rotating device) 2. On a side surface of the chamber wall 11, a shutter portion 11A capable of opening and closing an opening is provided. The hand mechanism 6 of the substrate transport mechanism 5 shown in FIG. 5 can be moved forward and backward through the opening.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes a processing liquid nozzle 15 and / or a gas nozzle 16. The processing liquid nozzle 15 and the gas nozzle 16 are normally retracted to a retracted position except during substrate processing, and are moved to a predetermined position above the substrate W by a moving mechanism (not shown) during substrate processing.
The spin chuck 2 includes a disk-shaped spin base 21 and a spin motor (rotation drive mechanism) 22 that rotates the spin base 21. The spin motor 22 is disposed below the spin base 21. A plurality of positioning pin bases 51A, 51B, 51C are arranged at substantially equal intervals along the circumferential direction on the periphery of the upper surface of the spin base 21. The plurality of positioning pin bases 51A, 51B, 51C are arranged in a first area 21B (see FIG. 2A) having a range of about 120 degrees (a predetermined angle within 180 degrees) of the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the spin base 21. . That is, the positioning pin base portions 51A, 51B, 51C are arranged at intervals of about 60 degrees. That is, the distribution angle of the plurality of positioning pin base portions 51A, 51B, 51C (positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C described below) is about 120 degrees (a predetermined angle within 180 degrees).

The positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C are provided on the upper portions of the positioning pin bases 51A, 51B, and 51C so as to be movable (or rotatable) in the radial direction with respect to the positioning pin bases 51A, 51B, and 51C. Have been. A first chuck opening / closing unit 91 is connected to each of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C . As a power source of the first chuck opening / closing unit 91, various types of power sources such as those using an electric motor and those using an electromagnet can be applied. By the first chuck opening / closing unit 91, the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C are moved between a contact position in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate W and an open position farther from the rotation axis L1 than the contact position. The state where the positioning pins 50A, 50B and 50C are in the contact position is called the closed position of the positioning pins 50A, 50B and 50C, and the state where the positioning pins 50A, 50B and 50C are in the open position is the positioning pins 50A, 50B and 50C. Is called the open position.

  A plurality of gripping pin bases 61A, 61B, 61C are arranged at substantially equal intervals along the circumferential direction on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the spin base 21. The plurality of gripping pin bases 61A, 61B, 61C are arranged in a second area 21C (see FIG. 2A) having a range of about 120 degrees (a predetermined angle within 180 degrees) on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the spin base 21. I have. The second region 21C does not overlap with the first region 21B in the circumferential direction at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the spin base 21.

That is, the gripping pin bases 61A, 61B, 61C are arranged at intervals of about 60 degrees. That is, the distribution angle of the plurality of gripping pin bases 61A, 61B, 61C (gripping pins 60A, 60B, 60C described below) is about 120 degrees (a predetermined angle within 180 degrees).
Above each of the holding pin bases 61A, 61B, 61C, holding pins 60A, 60B, 60C are provided so as to be movable in the radial direction with respect to the holding pin bases 61A, 61B, 61C. . A second chuck opening / closing unit (holding pin opening / closing mechanism) 92 is connected to each of the holding pins 60A, 60B, and 60C. As a power source of the second chuck opening / closing unit 92, various types of power sources such as those using an electric motor and those using an electromagnet can be applied. By the second chuck opening / closing unit 92, the gripping pins 60A, 60B, 60C are moved between a contact position in contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate W and an open position farther from the rotation axis L1 than the contact position. . In this embodiment, the open positions of the holding pins 60A, 60B, 60C are on the open positions of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C and on the circumference around the rotation axis L1. The state where the gripping pins 60A, 60B and 60C are in the contact position is referred to as the closed position of the gripping pins 60A, 60B and 60C, and the state where the gripping pins 60A, 60B and 60C are in the open position is the gripping pin 60A. , 60B, 60C.

  In FIG. 1, in order to facilitate the understanding in the drawing, the positioning pin base, the positioning pin, the gripping pin base, and the gripping pin are not all shown, and the positioning pin 50B and the corresponding pin are not shown. Only the positioning pin base portion 51B, the holding pin 60B, and the corresponding holding pin base portion 61B are illustrated. Similar omissions are made for FIGS. 4A to 4J to be described later.

  Each of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C is formed in a columnar shape so as to abut on the peripheral edge portion (peripheral end surface) of the substrate W, and is in contact with the contact portions 53A, 53B, and 53C that form an arc in plan view. It has guide parts 52A, 52B, 52C extending obliquely below the parts 53A, 53B, 53C. In the present embodiment, the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C are set to be always closed with respect to the spin base 21 regardless of the processing state of the substrate W.

Each of the holding pins 60A, 60B, and 60C has basically the same shape as the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C. That is, similarly to the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C, each of the gripping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C is formed in a columnar shape so as to contact the peripheral edge (peripheral end surface) of the substrate W, and has an arc shape in plan view. It has contact portions 63A, 63B, 63C to be formed and guide portions 62A, 62B, 62C extending obliquely below the contact portions. The gripping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C are radially horizontal to the upper surface of the spin base 21 on the gripping pin bases 61A, 61B, and 61C of the gripping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C by the second chuck opening / closing unit 92. Moving. In the open state, the spin base 21 horizontally moves (or rotates) in the outer peripheral direction with respect to the upper surface of the spin base 21 and in the closed state slightly in the inner peripheral direction with respect to the upper surface of the spin base 21.

  2A and 2B are plan views of the spin chuck 2 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A shows a state in which all of the plurality of positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C are in a closed state, and all of the plurality of gripping pins 60A, 60B, 60C are in an open state. FIG. 2B shows a state in which all of the plurality of positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C are in the closed state, and all of the plurality of gripping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C are in the closed state. As described above, the spin chuck 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention has two types of pins, namely, the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C and the gripping pins 60A, 60B, 60C. In the step of, only the gripping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C are displaced between the open position and the closed position.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram for explaining an electrical configuration of a main part of the substrate processing apparatus 1.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit (control unit) 70 for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The control unit 70 is configured using, for example, a microcomputer. The control unit 70 has an arithmetic unit such as a CPU, a fixed memory device, a storage unit 80 such as a hard disk drive, and an input / output unit. The storage unit stores a program executed by the arithmetic unit.

The control unit 70 controls the operations of the spin motor 22, the first and second chuck opening / closing units 91 and 92, the substrate transport mechanism 5, and the like according to a predetermined program.
FIG. 3B is a flowchart showing a process from loading the substrate W into the processing chamber 10 to unloading the substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the steps according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3B.

First, the respective steps (S1 to S6) from the time when the substrate W is loaded into the processing chamber 10 to the time when various kinds of processing in the processing chamber can be performed will be described.
[Step S1]
FIG. 4A is a side view of the spin chuck 2 for explaining the relationship between the spin chuck 2 and the substrate W in step S1.

  FIG. 5 shows an apparatus configuration of the substrate transfer mechanism 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate transport mechanism 5 includes an arm 68 that freely bends in a horizontal direction about a joint 67, a hand mechanism 6 that is connected to the arm 68, and that places the substrate W thereon. , The joint 52, the arm 53, and the hand mechanism 6 are provided with a vertical drive mechanism 66 that moves up and down in the vertical direction. The control unit 70 (see FIG. 3A) controls the substrate transport mechanism 5 to move the hand mechanism 6 in the vertical direction (that is, in the vertical direction). The position of the hand mechanism 6 in these movements is determined in advance by so-called teaching (teaching) using a dummy wafer or the like, and is stored in the storage unit 80 (see FIG. 3A) as a series of processing step parameters of the substrate processing apparatus 1. .

The control unit 70 (see FIG. 3A) transmits an appropriate instruction on the position of the hand mechanism 6 from the storage unit 80 to the substrate transport mechanism 5 according to each process. In step S1, the substrate transport mechanism 5 receives the substrate W from a loader / unloader unit (not shown) outside the processing chamber 10, and places the substrate W on the upper part of the hand mechanism 6 (substrate placing step). In this state, the hand mechanism 6 moves above the spin chuck 2 and stops the hand mechanism 6 at a position where the center of the placed substrate W is slightly closer to the gripping pin 60B than the center of the spin chuck 2 in plan view. .
[Step S2]
FIG. 4B is a side view of the spin chuck 2 for explaining the relationship between the spin chuck 2 and the substrate W in step S2. In step S2, the grip pins 60A, 60B, and 60C are all opened. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, when the substrate W has not been processed immediately before, whether the gripping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C are on the radially outer peripheral side of the spin base 21 by the open / close sensor (not shown). Is checked. When the gripping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C are located on the radially inner side of the spin base 21 (that is, when the gripping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C are in the closed state), the control unit 70 The second chuck opening / closing unit 92 is controlled to open the gripping pins 60A, 60B, 60C (second preparation step). In the case where the substrate W has been processed immediately before in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the gripping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C remain at the front until the unprocessed substrate W is unloaded and the next substrate W is loaded. Since the open state set when the substrate W is carried out is maintained, there is no need to open it again.
[Step S3]
FIG. 4C is a side view of the spin chuck 2 for explaining the relationship between the spin chuck 2 and the substrate W in step S3. In step S3, the control unit 70 controls the first chuck opening / closing unit 91 to close the positions of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C (first preparation step). The position of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C in the closed state with respect to the spin base 21 is determined by the center position of the substrate W and the spin base 21 when the substrate W is gripped by the grip pins 60A, 60B, 60C in step S6 described later. Are set so as to coincide with the rotation axis. In this substrate processing example, thereafter, the positions of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C with respect to the spin base 21 do not change until immediately before the substrate W is unloaded. In the present substrate processing example, since it is not necessary to displace the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C with respect to the spin base 21, an apparatus configuration in which the first chuck opening / closing unit 91 is omitted may be adopted. In the present substrate processing example, since the positions of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C have already been closed at the stage of step S1, the positions of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C change from step S1 to step S2. There is no.
[Step S4]
FIG. 4D is a side view of the spin chuck 2 for explaining the relationship between the spin chuck 2 and the substrate W in step S4. In step S4, the substrate W is brought into contact with the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C. More specifically, the control unit 70 controls the substrate transport mechanism 5 to lower the hand mechanism 6, whereby the peripheral edge (peripheral end face) of the substrate W placed on the hand mechanism 6 is positioned by the positioning pins 50A and 50B. , 50C and the guide portions 62A, 62B, 62C of the gripping pins. Thereby, the peripheral portion (peripheral end surface) of the substrate W can be positioned (positioning step).
[Step S5]
FIG. 4E is a side view of the spin chuck 2 for explaining the relationship between the spin chuck 2 and the substrate W in step S5. In step S5, all of the grip pins 60A, 60B, and 60C are moved from the open state to the closed state. In other words, all of the gripping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C move a predetermined distance in the radial direction toward the center of the spin base 21. By this movement, the peripheral portion of the substrate W moves along the inclined surfaces of the guides 52A, 52B, 52C of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C and the guides 62A, 62B, 62C of the gripping pins 60A, 60B, 60C. Is done. This movement continues until the substrate W hits the contact portions 53A, 53B, 53C of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C and the contact portions 63A, 63B, 63C of the gripping pins 60A, 60B, 60C. As a result, the substrate W is held on the spin chuck 2 by the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C and the holding pins 60A, 60B, 60C.

  Here, the positions of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C on the spin base 21 in the closed state are adjusted for the purpose of correctly positioning the substrate W on the spin base 21. In other words, when the peripheral surface (peripheral end surface) of the substrate W is in contact with the contact portions 53A, 53B, 53C of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C, the center of the substrate W coincides with the center of the spin base 21. Has been adjusted to be. Since the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C have such a purpose, it is desirable that the relative positions on the spin base 21 do not change in the closed state. In other words, it is desirable that the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C have little so-called "play" of the position on the spin base 21 in the closed state.

On the other hand, with respect to the holding pins 60A, 60B, and 60C, the relative position with respect to the spin base 21 in the closed state has a slight "play" by incorporating a spring mechanism or the like. When step S5 is completed, the contact portions 63A, 63B, and 63C of the grip pins 60A, 60B, and 60C are fixed to the peripheral edge (peripheral end surface) of the substrate W in a predetermined radial direction toward the center of the spin chuck 2. It is desirable that power be transmitted. In other words, as for the grip pins 60A, 60B, and 60C, the closed position is set slightly closer to the center of the spin base 21 than the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C, and the grip pins are held even in the closed state. It is desirable that the holding pins 60A, 60B, and 60C have a play that can slightly move in the radial direction of the spin base 21 from the viewpoint of the role of the holding pins 60A, 60B, and 60C.
[Step S6]
FIG. 4F is a side view of the spin chuck 2 for explaining the relationship between the spin chuck 2 and the substrate W in step S6. In step S6, the control unit 70 controls the substrate transport mechanism 5 to retract the hand mechanism 6 from the lower surface of the substrate W (transport mechanism retracting step). When the hand mechanism 6 is retracted from the lower surface of the substrate W, the substrate W is held above the spin base 21 by the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C and the holding pins 60A, 60B, 60C. Thereafter, the entire substrate transfer mechanism 5 including the hand mechanism 6 is retracted from the processing chamber 10 through the shutter 11A on the chamber wall 11.
[Step S7]
FIG. 4G is a side view of the spin chuck 2 for explaining the relationship between the spin chuck 2 and the substrate W in step S7. In step S7, various types of substrate processing of the substrate W are performed according to the recipe read from the storage unit 80 by the control unit 70. Examples of the substrate processing here include etching, cleaning, and drying of the substrate W. In the substrate processing, the control unit 70 discharges a predetermined processing liquid from the processing liquid nozzle 15 based on the recipe, discharges a predetermined processing gas from the gas nozzle 16, and rotates the substrate W at a predetermined rotation speed based on the recipe. Let it.

Next, steps (S8 to S11) from when the processing of the substrate W is completed to when the substrate W is delivered to the hand mechanism 6 of the substrate transport mechanism 5 and unloaded from the processing chamber 10 will be described.
[Step S8]
FIG. 4H is a side view of the spin chuck 2 for explaining the relationship between the spin chuck 2 and the substrate W in step S8. In step S <b> 8, the control unit 70 controls the substrate transfer mechanism 5, and the hand mechanism 6 on which the substrate W is not placed enters the processing chamber 10 through the shutter 11 </ b> A on the chamber wall 11.

Next, the control unit 70 controls the substrate transport mechanism 5 so that the lower surface of the substrate W held between the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C and the gripping pins 60A, 60B, 60C and the upper surface of the spin base 21 are moved. Is moved to a predetermined position, and the hand mechanism 6 is raised to a position where the upper surface of the hand mechanism 6 and the lower surface of the substrate W are almost in contact with each other.
[Step S9]
FIG. 4I is a side view of the spin chuck 2 for explaining the relationship between the spin chuck 2 and the substrate W in step S9.

In step S9, all of the grasping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C are opened. Thus, the substrate W moves downward by its own weight along the guide portions 62A, 62B, 62C of the gripping pins 60A, 60B, 60C and the guide portions 52A, 52B, 52C of the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C. Moving. As a result, the lower surface of the substrate W comes into contact with the upper surface of the hand mechanism 6. As a result, the lower surface of the substrate W is supported by the upper surface of the hand mechanism 6. Thus, the substrate W is transferred to the hand mechanism 6.
[Step S10]
FIG. 4J is a side view of the spin chuck 2 for explaining the relationship between the spin chuck 2 and the substrate W in step S10.

  In step S10, the control unit 70 controls the substrate transfer mechanism 5 to move the hand mechanism 6 vertically upward with respect to the spin chuck 2. Thus, a state in which the lower surface of the substrate W is cut off from contact with the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C and the holding pins 60A, 60B, and 60C, and is supported by the hand mechanism 6 alone. After the lower surface of the hand mechanism 6 is higher than the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C and the holding pins 60A, 60B, 60C, the hand mechanism 6 retreats from above the spin base 21 by horizontal movement. Thereafter, the hand mechanism 6 transfers the placed substrate W to a loader / unloader unit (not shown).

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be implemented in other forms.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C and the holding pins 60A, 60B, 60C are configured to realize a closed state or an open state by moving in the radial direction of the spin base 21. ing. However, as a configuration for realizing the open state or the closed state, in addition to the above, the positioning pins 50A, 50B, and 50C and the gripping pins 60A, 60B, and 60C are vertically erected and vertically skewed. The state is switched by switching to the state, and the state is switched by rotating the positioning pins 50A, 50B, 50C and the holding pins 60A, 60B, 60C to change the contact state with the substrate W. You may employ etc.

  In addition, various changes can be made within the scope of the matters described in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 10 Processing chamber 11 Chamber wall 11A Shutter part 5 Substrate transfer mechanism 6 Hand mechanism 2 Spin chuck 15 Processing liquid nozzle 16 Gas nozzle 21 Spin base 21A Upper plate 22 Spin motor 30 Chuck pin 31 Base part 32 Guide part 33 Contact Portion 39 Holding base 40 Horizontal support pin 41 Horizontal support pin drive mechanism 50A, 50B, 50C Positioning pin 51A-51C Positioning pin base 52A-52C Guide portions 53A, 53B, 53C Contact portions 60A, 60B, 60C Gripping pin 61A , 61B, 61C Gripping pin bases 62A-62C Guides 63A-63C Abutment unit 70 Control unit 80 Storage unit 91 First chuck opening / closing unit 92 Second chuck opening / closing unit L1 Spin chuck rotation axis W Substrate

Claims (6)

A substrate holding method for holding a substrate horizontally,
A mounting step of mounting the substrate on the substrate transport mechanism,
In the first region of the top rim portion of the spin base and openable plurality of positioning pins arranged along the circumferential direction and the first preparation step of the closed state,
A second preparation step of opening a plurality of openable and closable gripping pins arranged in a circumferential direction in a second area not circumferentially overlapping with the first area in an upper peripheral edge of the spin base; ,
After the placement step, the first preparation step, and the second preparation step, the substrate is positioned by moving the substrate transport mechanism so that a peripheral portion of the substrate comes into contact with the plurality of positioning pins. Positioning process;
After the positioning step, the plurality of holding pins are closed, thereby holding the substrate with the plurality of positioning pins and the plurality of holding pins, a board holding step,
A transfer mechanism retracting step of retracting the substrate transport mechanism from above the spin base after the substrate gripping step.   2. The substrate holding method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of positioning pins are arranged in the first area over a distribution angle of 180 degrees.   3. The substrate holding method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of positioning pins are always in a closed state during the second preparation step, the positioning step, the substrate gripping step, and the transport mechanism retracting step. 4. The substrate holding method being held. A substrate holding and rotating device for holding and rotating the substrate horizontally, including a substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate, a substrate processing apparatus for processing the substrate,
The substrate holding and rotating device includes:
A spin base that can rotate around the rotation axis,
A rotation drive mechanism for rotating the spin base,
A plurality of positioning pins that can be opened and closed and arranged in a circumferential direction in a first region of a peripheral portion of an upper surface of the spin base;
A plurality of openable and closable gripping pins arranged along a circumferential direction in a second area not circumferentially overlapping the first area on an upper peripheral edge of the spin base;
A positioning pin opening and closing mechanism for switching the plurality of positioning pins between a closed state and an open state,
A gripping pin opening and closing mechanism for switching the plurality of gripping pins between a closed state and an open state,
The substrate transport mechanism, the rotation drive mechanism, the positioning pin opening and closing mechanism, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the gripping pin opening and closing mechanism ,
A first preparation step in which the control unit controls the positioning pin opening / closing mechanism to close the plurality of positioning pins, and controls the gripping pin opening / closing mechanism to open the plurality of gripping pins. A second preparation step, a positioning step of controlling the substrate transport mechanism to contact the peripheral portion of the substrate with the plurality of positioning pins after the first preparation step and the second preparation step, and A substrate gripping step of controlling the gripping pin opening / closing mechanism to close the plurality of gripping pins after the step, thereby holding the substrate with the plurality of positioning pins and the plurality of gripping pins; and A substrate transfer apparatus for performing a transfer mechanism retracting step of retracting the substrate transport mechanism from above the spin base after the gripping step .   5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of positioning pins are arranged in the first area within a distribution angle of 180 degrees. 6.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of positioning pins are always kept in a closed state.

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