JP7074176B2 - Board processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of units for processing a substrate.

In the photolithography process in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, a chemical solution such as a resist for forming a coating film is supplied to a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) which is a substrate, or a developing solution is used to develop a resist. Various treatments such as liquid treatment and heat treatment are performed. A control unit (controller) is provided in a board processing device equipped with a large number of units that perform such various types of processing, and control signals are transmitted to each unit or a board transfer mechanism that transfers a board between units. Controls the operation of. Patent Document 1 describes a substrate processing apparatus provided with such a control unit.

However, when performing maintenance such as replacing parts of the hardware constituting the control unit or updating the software constituting the control unit, it is necessary to stop the operation of the control unit, and the operation of the control unit is performed. While stopped, each of the above units and the board transfer mechanism cannot operate. Therefore, it may not be possible to sufficiently increase the operating rate of the substrate processing apparatus. In addition, if the unit becomes smaller and more units are mounted on the board processing device, the load on the control unit will increase, and there is a concern that the accuracy and accuracy of the unit operation cannot be guaranteed. There is. Further, there is a demand for a substrate processing device that can freely add and remove this unit and can handle various processing.

JP-A-2005-175310

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object thereof is to provide a substrate processing apparatus having a high operating rate, capable of performing substrate processing accurately and with high accuracy, and having a high degree of freedom in changing the configuration. That is.

The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of units that perform a series of continuous processes for liquid processing on a substrate, and an inter-unit transfer mechanism that transfers the substrate between the plurality of units. , Multiple processing blocks in rows before and after ,
A main transport mechanism for loading and unloading the substrate to and from the processing block,
A transfer unit provided in each of the plurality of processing blocks for transferring the substrate between the unit-to-unit transfer mechanism and the main transfer mechanism.
Equipped with
For each of the processing blocks, the delivery section is located above any of the plurality of units in the processing block provided with the delivery section .
The main transport mechanism is provided at a height at which each of the transfer portions is provided, is provided on the left side or the right side of each of the transfer portions, and moves in a moving region extending back and forth so as to overlap the unit in a plan view. Each delivery unit is provided with a holder for the substrate that delivers the substrate.
A plurality of rows of the plurality of processing blocks are arranged side by side, and the main transport mechanism is provided for each row of the processing blocks.
It is characterized in that an inter-row substrate transfer mechanism for delivering the substrate is provided in each of one row of the rows of the plurality of processing blocks and the other row .

The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is provided with a plurality of processing blocks including a plurality of units that perform a series of continuous processes for liquid processing on the substrate and an inter-unit transfer mechanism, and is provided corresponding to the processing blocks. The main transport mechanism controlled by the block control unit and the host control unit that exchanges information with and from the block control unit carries in and out the substrate to and from the processing block. Therefore, even if one of the block control units becomes inoperable, the processing block provided with the other block control unit can process the substrate, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in the operating rate of the substrate processing apparatus. Further, since the load of the block control unit can be suppressed as compared with the case where the operation of all the units in the board processing device is controlled by one block control unit, even when a relatively large number of units are provided. It is possible to prevent the accuracy and accuracy of substrate processing from deteriorating in each unit. Further, in this substrate processing apparatus, the number of units can be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the number of processing blocks. Since a block control unit is provided for each processing block, the increase / decrease of the processing block suppresses the fluctuation of the load in the block control unit and the upper control unit of the processing blocks other than the increased / decreased processing block. Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the unit can be relatively freely increased or decreased to change its configuration, the throughput can be improved, and various processing requests can be met.

It is a top view of the coating and developing apparatus of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view of the coating and developing apparatus. It is a schematic longitudinal side view of the coating and developing apparatus. It is a schematic longitudinal side view of the coating and developing apparatus. It is a vertical sectional front view of the processing block provided in the said coating and developing apparatus. It is a perspective view of the processing block and the transfer mechanism which conveys a wafer to the processing block. It is a schematic block diagram of the resist film forming unit and the liquid processing supply mechanism provided in the processing block. It is explanatory drawing which shows the connection between the block control part and the block control part provided in the processing block. It is a schematic diagram which shows the transfer path of the wafer in the said coating and developing apparatus. It is a schematic perspective view of the coating and developing apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view of the coating and developing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the coating | development apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment.

(First Embodiment)
The coating and developing apparatus 1 which is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 1 and 2 are a plan view and a perspective view of the coating and developing apparatus 1, respectively. An exposure device A4 is connected to the coating / developing device 1, and the coating / developing device 1 and the exposing device A4 form a resist film on the surface of the wafer W as a substrate, expose the resist film, and develop the resist film. A resist pattern forming system is configured in which the resist pattern is formed on the resist film in sequence.

The coating / developing device 1 is configured such that the carrier section A1, the processing section A2, and the interface section A3 are arranged linearly in the horizontal direction in this order, and the exposure device A4 is on the opposite side of the interface section A3. Is connected. Regarding sections A1 to A3, the sections arranged adjacent to each other are in contact with each other and are partitioned from each other. For convenience, in the following description, the arrangement direction of sections A1 to A3 is the front-rear direction, the carrier section A1 side is the front side, and the interface section A3 side is the rear side. Unless otherwise specified, the right side and the left side, which will be described later, are the right side and the left side when viewed from the front side to the rear side.

3 and 4 are schematic longitudinal side views of the coating and developing apparatus 1 viewed from right to left and from left to right, respectively, and each section will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. .. First, the carrier section A1 will be described. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a carrier that is coated and conveyed from the outside of the developing apparatus 1 in a state where a plurality of wafers W are stored. Reference numeral 12 in the figure is a mounting table for the carrier 11. In the figure, 13 is an opening / closing portion for opening / closing a transport port provided on the side wall of the carrier section A1. In the figure, 14 is a transfer mechanism for the wafer W, and the wafer W can be transferred in the left-right direction between the carrier 11 mounted on the mounting table 12 and the transfer portions TRS11 and TRS12 described later. It is provided with a holder that holds the wafer W that can be moved, moved up and down, rotated around a vertical axis, and can be moved forward and backward.

The delivery portions TRS11 and TRS12 are provided on the upper right side and the upper left side on the rear side of the carrier section A1, respectively. Each of the transfer portions TRS11 and TRS12 provided in the carrier section A1 and the transfer portions TRS provided in the interface section A3, which will be described later, include, for example, a horizontal plate and a plurality of pins protruding upward from the plate. The wafer W is placed on the pin and lifted from the pin by the raising and lowering operation of the wafer W transfer mechanism that accesses each transfer unit TRS, and the wafer W is transferred between the wafer W transfer mechanisms. be able to.

Subsequently, the processing section A2 will be described with reference to the schematic vertical sectional front view of FIG. The processing section A2 is composed of processing blocks (cells) B1 to B8. The processing blocks B1, B2, B3, and B4 are provided in a row on the right side from the front to the rear in this order, and the processing blocks B5, B6, B7, and B8 are provided on the left side and from the front to the rear. They are provided in a row in order. Further, the processing blocks B1 and B5 face each other on the left and right, the processing blocks B2 and B6 face each other on the left and right, the processing blocks B3 and B7 face each other on the left and right, and the processing blocks B4 and B8 face each other on the left and right. The processing blocks B1 to B8 each include a housing 31, and the inside of each housing 31 is partitioned from each other.

The processing blocks B1 to B8 can perform a series of continuous processing including temperature adjustment of the wafer W, supply of the processing liquid to the temperature-adjusted wafer W, and heat treatment of the wafer W, respectively. , A temperature control unit, a liquid treatment unit, and a heating unit, respectively. The processing blocks B1 and B2 are blocks having the same configuration as each other, and in these processing blocks B1 and B2, a chemical solution (coating solution) for forming an antireflection film is applied to the wafer W as the above-mentioned processing solution. The processing blocks B3 and B4 have the same structure as each other, and in these processing blocks B3 and B4, a resist, which is a coating liquid for forming a resist film, is applied to the wafer W as the above-mentioned processing liquid. The processing blocks B5 to B8 are blocks having the same configuration as each other, and in these processing blocks B5 to B8, a developing solution is supplied to the wafer W as the above-mentioned processing liquid. The processing block for supplying the chemical solution for forming the antireflection film may be referred to as "BCT", the processing block for supplying the resist may be referred to as "COT", and the processing block for supplying the developer may be referred to as "DEV". ..

The COT processing block B3 as a representative of the processing blocks B1 to B8 will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG. The upper right side of the housing 31 of the COT processing block B3 forms an upwardly projecting portion 32 (see FIG. 2), and on the front side of the projecting portion 32, the transfer portions TRS1 and TRS2 are vertically transferred. Are provided respectively. The transfer units TRS1 and TRS2 have a role of mounting the wafer W in order to transfer the wafer W between the main transfer mechanism D1 and the unit-to-unit transfer mechanism 4, which will be described later, and the transfer unit TRS1 has a COT. The loading and unloading unit TRS2 for loading the wafer W into the processing block B3 is a loading and unloading unit for unloading the wafer W from the COT processing block B3. An opening is formed on the left side surface of the protrusion 32 so that the main transport mechanism D1 can access the delivery portions TRS1 and TRS2, and when this access is not performed, the opening is closed by the shutter. The shutter and the opening are not shown.

The delivery units TRS1 and TRS2 are configured in the same manner as each other. As a representative, the delivery unit TRS1 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The delivery unit TRS1 is a plurality of circular horizontal plates laminated at intervals in the vertical direction (only one is displayed in FIG. 6). ), And a plurality of notches are formed on the peripheral edge of each plate. The wafer W is placed on each of the plurality of plates, and the notch of the plate is formed so as to correspond to the claw portion 44B described later of each transfer mechanism that delivers the wafer W to the delivery portion TRS.

At the rear right of the processing block B3, an inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 for transporting the wafer W between the units in the processing block B3 and between the units and the transfer portions TRS1 and TRS2 is provided. The inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 includes an upright frame-shaped elevating guide 41, an elevating table 42 that elevates vertically along the length direction of the elevating guide 41, and a vertical axis around the elevating table 42. It is provided with a rotary table 43 that can be rotated, and a wafer W holder 44 that is provided on the rotary table 43 so as to be able to move forward and backward. The elevating guide 41 is formed so that the holding body 44 can elevate the region (hoistway) from the lower end portion to the protruding portion 32 in the housing 31. The holding body 44 protrudes from the lower end portion of the holding body main body 44A having a substantially C-shape in a plan view surrounding the side circumference of the wafer W toward the inside of the holding body main body 44A, and the peripheral edge of the back surface of the wafer W. It is provided with a plurality of claw portions 44B that support the portions.

The transfer of the wafer W between the unit-to-unit transfer mechanism 4 and the transfer units TRS1 and TRS2 is performed with respect to the plates constituting the transfer units TRS1 and TRS2 in a state where the holding body 44 of the unit-to-unit transfer mechanism 4 advances the rotary table 43. It is done by going up and down. At the time of this delivery, the holding body body 44A passes through the outside of the plate and the claw portion 44B passes through the notch of the plate. The transfer of the wafer W between the main transfer mechanism D1 and the transfer units TRS1 and TRS2, which will be described later, is also performed in the same manner as the transfer of the wafer W between the unit-to-unit transfer mechanism 4 and the transfer units TRS1 and TRS2. Will be.

Below the protrusion 32 in the housing 31, the temperature adjusting units SCPL1 to SCPL3 are laminated and provided in the vertical direction. The temperature control units SCPL1 to SCPL3 are each configured in substantially the same manner as the transfer unit TRS1, and the wafer W can be transferred to and from the unit-to-unit transfer mechanism 4. The difference from the delivery unit TRS1 is that the plate of the temperature control unit SCPL is provided with a flow path of a liquid whose temperature is adjusted by a temperature adjustment mechanism (not shown), and the temperature of the plate is brought to a predetermined temperature by this liquid. It has been adjusted. By placing the wafer W on this plate, the temperature of the wafer W is adjusted to a predetermined temperature. The temperature adjusting units SCPL1 to SCPL3 adjust the temperature of the wafer W before supplying the resist to the wafer W so that the film thickness of the resist film formed by the resist becomes a desired film thickness. It has a role of surely controlling.

In the housing 31, heating units 33 to 36 are laminated in the vertical direction on the left rear side. The heating units 33 to 36 have a role of volatilizing the solvent remaining on the resist film and drying the resist film. The heating units 33 to 36 include, for example, a plate for adjusting the temperature of the wafer W formed in the same manner as the plate of the above-mentioned temperature adjusting unit SCPL, and a hot plate for heating the placed wafer W to a desired temperature. A moving mechanism for moving the above plate horizontally between the outside of the hot plate and the upper part of the hot plate is provided. The hot plate is provided with an elevating pin that supports the back surface of the wafer W, which is recessed on the hot plate in order to transfer the wafer W between the hot plate and the plate moved on the hot plate. .. Further, the plates of the heating units 33 to 36 are provided with slits for passing the elevating pin in passing the wafer W in this way. When the plates of the heating units 33 to 36 are located outside the hot plate, the wafer W is delivered to the plate by the raising and lowering operation of the holding body 44 of the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4. The hot plate is configured so that its temperature can be changed according to a control signal from the block control unit C3 described later.

Below the temperature control units SCPL1 to SCPL3 described above, a resist film forming unit 5 which is a liquid treatment unit is provided. Further, a treatment liquid supply mechanism 6 is provided on the left side of the temperature control units SCPL1 to SCPL3. Explaining with reference to FIG. 7, which is a schematic configuration diagram of the resist film forming unit 5 and the processing liquid supply mechanism 6, the resist film forming unit 5 includes a spin chuck 51 that adsorbs and holds the central portion of the back surface of the wafer W, and the wafer W. A nozzle 52 for discharging a resist is provided at the center of the wafer W, and a cup 53 surrounding a side circumference of the wafer W to prevent liquid from scattering from the wafer W.

Reference numeral 54 in the figure is a rotation mechanism, in which the spin chuck 51 is rotated and the resist discharged to the central portion of the surface of the wafer W is applied by spreading the resist to the peripheral portion by centrifugal force to form a resist film. The rotation speed of the wafer W by the rotation mechanism 54 is controlled according to a control signal from the block control unit C3. Reference numeral 55 in the figure is an elevating pin that pushes up the back surface of the wafer W. Although the resist film forming unit 5 is shown to straddle the inside of the housing 31 from side to side in FIG. 6, the spin chuck 51 described above is on the lower side of the temperature adjusting units SCPL1 to SCPL3, that is, inside the housing 31. The wafer W can be transferred between the unit-to-unit transfer mechanism 4 and the spin chuck 51 via the elevating pin 55 provided on the right side of the above.

The wafer W can be conveyed by moving the holding body 44 of the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 up and down with respect to each unit and the transfer portions TRS1 and TRS2 arranged in this way. That is, the resist film forming unit 5, the temperature adjusting units SCPL1 to SCPL3, the heating units 33 to 36, and the transfer portions TRS1 and TRS2 are arranged along the hoistway of the holding body 44.

Subsequently, the treatment liquid supply mechanism 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The processing liquid supply mechanism 6 includes a pipe 61 for supplying a resist to the nozzle 52 of the resist film forming unit 5, and the pipe 61 has a valve V1, a pump P, and a filter 62, for example, toward the upstream side. , The resist storage tank 63 is interposed in this order. The pump P sucks the resist stored in the storage tank 63 and pumps it downstream. By opening and closing the valve V1, the supply state of the pressure-fed resist to the nozzle 52 and the supply stop state are switched. That is, the flow rate of the resist supplied to the wafer W and the timing of supply are controlled by the operation of the pump P and the valve V1. The storage tank 63 is provided with an air vent so that the resist supplied from the upstream side of the storage tank 63 can be stored, but the illustration is omitted.

By the way, for example, a treatment liquid supply source 65 is provided outside the treatment section A2. The upstream end of the pipe 64 is connected to the treatment liquid supply source 65. The downstream side of the pipe 64 is branched, and one downstream end is connected to the storage tank 63 via a valve V2 included in the treatment liquid supply mechanism 6. The other downstream end of the branch of the pipe 64 will be described later.

The treatment liquid supply source 65 includes a tank for storing the resist as the treatment liquid and a pressure feeding mechanism for pressurizing the inside of the tank and pumping the resist to the downstream side of the pipe 64, and the valve V2 is open. Then, the resist is supplied to the pump P via the pipes 61 and 64, and the resist is stored in the storage tank 63. After the resist is stored in the storage tank 63, for example, the valve V2 is closed, and the resist stored in the storage tank 63 is supplied to the nozzle 52 as described above. The operations of the valves V and the pump P of the processing liquid supply mechanism 6 and the resist film forming unit 5 are controlled according to the control signals from the block control unit C3. Since it is sufficient that the treatment liquid supply mechanism 6 can supply the nozzle 52 resist, at least the pump P may be included.

Further, in the COT processing block B3, a block control unit C3 is provided so as to straddle between the transfer units TRS1 and TRS2 and the temperature control units SCPL1 to SCPL3 from above the processing liquid supply mechanism 6 (FIG. 6). The block control unit C3 will be described later.

Subsequently, the processing blocks other than the COT processing block B3 will be described focusing on the differences from the processing block B3. The configuration of the COT processing block B4 is the same as that of the COT processing block B3 as described above, and the storage tank 63 of the processing liquid supply mechanism 6 provided in the processing block B4 has the other downstream end of the pipe 64 of FIG. Is connected. As described above, the resist supply source 65 is standardized in the COT processing blocks B3 and B4. Then, the treatment liquid supply mechanism 6 of the COT treatment block B3 and the treatment liquid supply mechanism 6 of the COT treatment block B4 independently transfer the resist supplied from the resist supply source 65 to the resist film forming unit of the treatment block B3. 5. It can be supplied to the resist film forming unit 5 of the COT processing block B4. That is, the resist film forming unit 5 of the COT processing block B3 and the resist film forming unit 5 of the COT processing block B4 can supply the same type of processing liquid to the wafer W independently of each other to perform the processing. As will be described later, the number of processing blocks in the coating and developing apparatus 1 can be appropriately increased or decreased. The pipe 64 is removable from the processing liquid supply source 65 and the storage tank 63 so that the number of branches on the downstream side can be replaced with one corresponding to the number of COT processing blocks in the coating and developing apparatus 1.

The BCT processing blocks B1 and B2 have substantially the same configuration as the processing block B3, and the difference from the processing block B3 is that an antireflection film is formed on the wafer W instead of the resist film forming unit 5 described above as a liquid processing unit. An antireflection film forming unit 5A for supplying a chemical solution for forming an antireflection film may be provided. Therefore, in the treatment liquid supply source 65 connected to each treatment liquid supply mechanism 6 provided in the BCT treatment blocks B1 and B2, the above-mentioned chemical solution for forming the antireflection film is stored instead of the resist. The temperature control unit and the heating unit provided in the BCT processing blocks B1 and B2 have the same role as the temperature control unit and the heating unit of the COT processing blocks B3 and B4.

Further, the DEV processing blocks B5 to B8 will be described. The difference between the DEV processing blocks B5 to B8 and the COT processing block B3 is that the protruding portion 32 of the housing 31 is formed on the left side, and the inter-unit transfer mechanism. 4 is provided on the left rear side in the block, the temperature control units SCPL1 to SCPL3, the transfer portions TRS1 and TRS2, and the spin chuck 51 of the liquid treatment unit are provided on the left front side in the block, and the treatment liquid supply mechanism 6 blocks. It is provided on the right front side of the inside, and the heating units 33 to 36 are provided on the right side rear side in the block. By arranging each unit in this way, the temperature control units SCPL1 to SCPL3, the transfer units TRS1, TRS2, the liquid processing unit, the block control unit C, and the processing liquid supply mechanism 6 are provided symmetrically in the processing section A2. There is.

Further, instead of the main transfer mechanism D1, the main transfer mechanism D2, which will be described later, transfers the wafer W to the transfer units TRS1 and TRS2 of the DEV processing blocks B5 to B8. An opening (not shown) opened and closed by a shutter in the protruding portion 32 of the housing 31 is provided on the right side surface corresponding to the position of the main transport mechanism D2.

Further, in the DEV processing blocks B5 to B8, as a liquid processing unit, a developing unit 5B for supplying a developing solution to the wafer W to develop the exposed resist film is provided instead of the resist film forming unit 5. Therefore, the developer is stored in the treatment liquid supply source 65 for supplying the treatment liquid to the DEV treatment blocks B5 to B8 instead of the resist. The downstream end of the pipe 64 connected to the developer 65 is branched into four and connected to the developer 6 of the developers B5 to B8, and the developing units of the developers B5 to B8. In 5B, the developer can be supplied independently of each other.

The temperature control units SCPL1 to SCPL3 provided in the processing blocks B5 to B8 adjust the temperature of the wafer W before the developer is supplied to control the reaction between the resist film and the developer, and more reliably a resist pattern having a desired shape. Is provided to form. Further, the heating units 33 to 38 are provided for drying the wafer W after the development treatment and post-exposure baking (PEB) for heating the wafer W before the development treatment after the exposure.

The processing blocks B1 to B8 configured as described above can convey the wafer W independently of each other, and can perform a continuous series of processing including the temperature adjustment, heating, and liquid treatment described above. In FIG. 1 and the like, the block control units provided in the processing blocks B1, B2, and B4 to B8 are shown as C1, C2, and C4 to C8, respectively.

Subsequently, the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2 provided in the processing section A2 will be described. The main transport mechanism D1 is provided on the left side of the protruding portion 32 of the housing 31 on the housing 31 of the processing blocks B1 to B4. The main transport mechanism D1 has substantially the same configuration as the inter-unit transport mechanism 4, and in each figure, the same components as the inter-unit transport mechanism 4 in the main transport mechanism D1 are attached to the inter-unit transport mechanism 4. It has the same code as the code. The difference from the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 is that the height of the elevating guide 41 of the main transfer mechanism D1 is smaller than the height of the elevating guide 41 of the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4, and the elevating of the main transfer mechanism D1. The guide 41 is connected to a moving mechanism 46 formed from the processing block B1 to the B4, and two holding bodies 44 of the main transport mechanism D1 are provided and are independently on the rotary table 43. It is configured to be able to move forward and backward.

By the above-mentioned moving mechanism 46, the elevating guide 41 can move in the front-rear direction in the region extending from the processing block B1 to the B4. The holding body 44 of the main transport mechanism D1 is connected to the wafer W between the transfer portions TRS1 and TRS2 of the processing blocks B1 to B4, the transfer portion TRS11 of the carrier section A1, and the transfer portion TRS21 provided in the interface section A3. Can be handed over.

The main transport mechanism D2 has the same configuration as the main transport mechanism D1 and is provided on the right side of the protrusion 32 on the housing 31 of the processing blocks B5 to B8, and the moving mechanism 46 of the main transport mechanism D2 processes. It is formed from the top of the block B1 to the top of B4. The elevating guide 41 of the main transport mechanism D2 can move in the front-rear direction in the region extending from the processing block B5 to the top of the B8, and the holding body 44 of the main transport mechanism D2 is a transfer portion TRS1 of the processing blocks B5 to B8. The wafer W can be delivered between the TRS2, the delivery section TRS12 of the carrier section A1, and the delivery section TRS22 provided in the interface section A3, which will be described later.

Subsequently, the interface section A3 will be described. The transfer portions TRS21 and TRS23 are laminated and provided above and below the right side of the interface section A3, respectively. The transfer portions TRS21 and TRS23 are laminated and provided above and below the left side of the interface section A3, respectively. Further, the interface section A3 is provided with, for example, wafer W transfer mechanisms 21 to 23. The transfer mechanism 21 transfers the wafer W between the transfer portions TRS21 and TRS23, and the transfer mechanism 22 transfers the wafer W between the transfer portions TRS22 and TRS24, so that the wafer W can be moved up and down and moved back and forth. I have. The transport mechanism 23 includes a wafer W holder that can move in the left-right direction, move up and down, rotate around a vertical axis, and move forward and backward in order to transfer the wafer W between the exposure apparatus A4 and the transfer portions TRS23 and TRS24. ing. In addition to the transfer section, the interface section A3 is provided with a cleaning unit for cleaning the wafer W, a temperature control unit SCPL, and the like, but the description and illustration of these units are omitted in order to prevent the explanation from becoming complicated.

Subsequently, the upper control unit 100 provided in the coating / developing device 1 and the block control units C1 to C8 described above will be described with reference to FIG. The upper control unit 100 and the block control units C1 to C8 are computers, respectively. Each block control unit C is connected to each unit provided in the processing block B including the block control unit C, the processing liquid supply mechanism 6, and the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4. The upper control unit 100 is connected to the transport mechanism 14 of the carrier section A1, the transport mechanisms 21 to 23 of the interface section A3, and the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2. Further, the block control units C1 to C8 are connected to the upper control unit 100. That is, a common upper control unit 100 is provided for the block control units C1 to C8 provided corresponding to the processing blocks B1 to B8, respectively. As will be described later, in the coating and developing apparatus 1, the processing block B can be freely increased or decreased, and for that purpose, the connection and disconnection between each block control unit C and the upper control unit 100 can be freely performed. It is configured to be able to.

When each block control unit C can transfer the wafer W to the processing block B including the block control unit C to the upper control unit 100, information indicating that the wafer W can be conveyed in that way (hereinafter, transfer). (Described as possible information) and the position information of the wafer W in the processing block B are transmitted. To supplement the above transportable information, for example, the block control unit C is undergoing maintenance or restarting as described in the item of background technology, or the software or hardware constituting the block control unit C. If the block control unit C does not operate normally due to some trouble, this transportable information is not output. Further, even when a series of processes cannot be performed in the processing block B due to, for example, the unit-to-unit transfer mechanism 4 or the unit being unusable, this transferable information is not output. Supplementing the above-mentioned position information of the wafer W is, for example, information as to which wafer W is located in which unit or delivery unit TRS in the processing block B.

The upper control unit 100 transfers the wafer to each block control unit C to which the above transferable information is output according to the transfer recipe in the processing block B including the block control unit C and the transfer recipe in the processing block B. The processing recipe of the liquid processing unit and the heating unit to which W is conveyed is transmitted. In this way, information for transporting and processing the wafer W is exchanged between the upper control unit 100 and each block control unit C.

The above-mentioned transfer recipe in the processing block B is specifically data on the transfer path of the wafer W in the processing block B, and more specifically, which unit among the unit group in one processing block B. It is the data which specified the order in which the wafer W is conveyed. Further, the processing recipe of the liquid processing unit includes, for example, the supply flow rate of the processing liquid to the wafer W, the timing of supplying the processing liquid, and the rotation speed of the wafer W during the liquid processing. The processing recipes for the heating units 33-36 include, for example, the temperature of the hot plate.

Each block control unit C has each unit of the processing block B including the block control unit C, the processing liquid supply mechanism 6, and the inter-unit transfer mechanism so that the transfer and processing specified in the above transfer recipe and the processing recipe can be performed. A control signal is output to 4 to control these operations. That is, the block control units C1 to C8 individually output control signals based on the transfer recipes and processing recipes created for each processing block B1 to B8, whereby the operation of each unit in the processing blocks B1 to B8 is processed. The blocks B are controlled independently of each other.

Further, the upper control unit 100 outputs control signals to the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2, the transport mechanism 14 of the carrier section A1, and the transport mechanisms 21 to 23 of the interface section A3, and operates these transport mechanisms. Control. As a result, as will be described later, the wafer W is conveyed between the carrier section A1, each processing block B, and the interface section A3, and a resist pattern is formed on the wafer W. The output of the control signal from the upper control unit 100 to the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2 is performed based on the position information transmitted from each block control unit C. That is, when the position information indicating that the wafer W is mounted on the delivery section TRS2, which is the loading section for carrying out the processing block B, is output, the control signals are sent to the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2 so as to receive the wafer W. Is output, and when it is found from the position information that the transfer unit TRS1 which is the loading unit for carrying in the processing block B at the transfer destination of the wafer W is vacant, a control signal is sent to transfer the wafer W to the transfer unit TRS1. Is output.

Each block control unit C and higher control unit 100 each have a program storage unit (not shown). As described above, each program storage unit stores a program in which instructions (step groups) are set so as to transmit control signals to each part of the coating and developing apparatus 1 to control the operation of each part. This program is stored in the above-mentioned program storage unit in a state of being stored in a storage medium such as a hard disk, a compact disk, a magnet optical disk, or a memory card.

Subsequently, the above-mentioned coating, transfer and processing of the wafer W in the developing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 9 shows an outline of the transfer path of the wafer W. First, the host control unit 100 transmits a transport recipe and a process recipe to the process block B to which the above-mentioned transportable information is output. Then, the wafer W in the carrier 11 mounted on the mounting table 12 of the carrier section A1 is conveyed to the transfer section TRS11 by the transfer mechanism 14 of the carrier section A1 and is transferred to the main transfer mechanism D1. Then, the wafer W is conveyed to the transfer portion TRS1 of the BCT processing block B1 or B2 by the main transfer mechanism D1. Then, the wafer W is conveyed to any one of the temperature adjusting units SCPL1 to SCPL3 by the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 to adjust the temperature, and then transferred to the antireflection film forming unit 5A to form an antireflection film. To. After that, the wafer W is transported to any one of the heating units 33 to 36 to be heated, then transported to the delivery unit TRS2, and is carried out from the BCT processing block B1 or B2 by the main transport mechanism D1.

After that, the wafer W is conveyed to the transfer section TRS1 of the COT processing block B3 or B4 by the main transfer mechanism D1. Then, the wafer W is conveyed to any one of the temperature adjusting units SCPL1 to SCPL3 by the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 to adjust the temperature, and then transferred to the resist film forming unit 5 and laminated on the antireflection film. A resist film is formed so as to be. After that, the wafer W is transported to any one of the heating units 33 to 36 to be heated, then transported to the transfer unit TRS2, and is carried out from the COT processing block B3 or B4 by the main transport mechanism D1.

Subsequently, the wafer W is conveyed to the transfer section TRS21 of the interface section A3 by the main transfer mechanism D1, is conveyed in the order of the transfer mechanism 21 → the transfer section TRS23 → the transfer mechanism 23, and then is conveyed to the exposure apparatus A4 to be a resist. The film is exposed along a predetermined pattern. The wafer W after exposure is conveyed in the order of transfer mechanism 23 → delivery unit TRS24 → transfer mechanism 21 → transfer unit TRS22, and is carried out from the interface section A3 by the main transfer mechanism D2.

After that, the wafer W is transferred by the main transfer mechanism D2 to the transfer unit TRS1 of any of the DEV processing blocks B5 to B8. Then, the wafer W is conveyed to any one of the heating units 33 to 36 by the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 for PEB, and then is conveyed to any one of the temperature control units SCPL1 to SCPL3 for temperature. After the adjustment, the temperature is transferred to the developing unit 5. A developer is supplied and the resist film is melted along the exposed pattern to form a resist pattern. After that, the wafer W is conveyed to any one of the heating units 33 to 36 to be heated, and then is conveyed to the transfer unit TRS2, and the wafer W among the DEV processing blocks B5 to B8 is transferred by the main transfer mechanism D2. It is carried out from the carried-in processing block B. After that, the wafer W is conveyed by the main transfer mechanism D2 in the order of the transfer portion TRS12 of the carrier section A1 → the transfer mechanism 14, and is returned to the carrier 11.

Until the wafer W is carried out from the carrier 11 and returned to the carrier 11 in this way, the block control unit C of each processing block B outputs the position information of the wafer W described above to the upper control unit 100. Based on this, the operations of the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2 are controlled. Further, the processing in the liquid processing unit and the heating unit in the processing block B is performed according to the transmitted processing recipe. That is, for the liquid treatment unit and the treatment liquid supply mechanism 6 connected to the liquid treatment unit, the supply flow rate of the treatment liquid specified in the treatment recipe, the timing of supplying the treatment liquid, and the rotation speed of the wafer W are set. In addition, the operation of each valve V and pump P is controlled and processing is performed. In the heating units 33 to 36, the temperature of the hot plate is set to the temperature specified in the processing recipe, and the processing is performed.

According to the above-mentioned coating and developing apparatus 1, processing blocks B1 to B8 partitioned from each other are provided on the wafer W to perform a series of processing including liquid treatment, temperature adjustment treatment and heat treatment. Then, each processing block B is connected to the upper control unit 100, and based on the transfer recipe and the processing recipe transmitted from the upper control unit 100, the operation of the unit in the processing block B and the processing liquid supply mechanism 6 A block control unit C that outputs a control signal is provided to control the operation and the operation of the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4. Therefore, even if one of the block control units C becomes inoperable due to the above-mentioned maintenance or the like, the wafer W is mainly conveyed to the block having the same configuration as the block including the inoperable block control unit C. The wafer W can be processed by operating the transport mechanisms D1 and D2. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the wafer W from being unable to be processed by the entire coating and developing apparatus 1 due to the stop operation of one block control unit C. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the operating rate of the coating and developing apparatus 1.

Further, according to the above-mentioned coating and developing apparatus 1, 1 is compared with an apparatus having a configuration in which all the units in the eight processing blocks B and the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 are controlled by one block control unit C. Since the amount of data transmitted / received to the unit of the block control unit C and the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 can be suppressed, the burden of data processing of the block control unit C can be suppressed. As a result, delay in transmission / reception of data to each unit and the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 can be prevented, and the operation accuracy and the accuracy of the operation of these units and the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 can be ensured.

Further, when the power of the coating and developing apparatus 1 is turned on (at the time of setup), the wafer W can be transferred first from the processing block B to which the transferable information is output by the block control unit C among the blocks having the same configuration. .. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the timing until the start of processing of the wafer W from being delayed, and from this point as well, the above-mentioned device configuration in which the block control unit C is provided for each processing block B is advantageous.

If the block control unit C is provided for each unit, the burden of transmitting and receiving data in the block control unit C can be further suppressed, but it is unrealistic considering the manufacturing cost of the device, and a plurality of blocks control units C are provided. It is realistic to control the transfer mechanism for transporting the wafer W between the unit and the plurality of units by one block control unit C. In the operation example of the device 1 described above, the wafer W is subjected to the resist film forming process and the developing process. For example, one or two of the resist film forming process, the antireflection film forming process, and the developing process. In some cases, only operations are performed. Of the resist film forming process, the antireflection film forming process, and the developing process, the block control unit C that controls the unit related to the process that has not been performed is stopped to enable maintenance, and as described above. Considering that it is necessary to control a plurality of units by one block control unit C, as in each processing block B described above, the liquid treatment unit and the temperature adjustment processing and the temperature adjustment processing performed in connection with this liquid treatment are performed. It is effective to control the unit that performs heat treatment with one block control unit.

Further, in each processing block B, each unit is arranged along the circumferential direction of the hoistway in which the holding body 44 of the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 moves up and down when viewed in a plane. By arranging the units along the hoistway in this way, the wafer W can be transferred between the units by rotating and advancing / retreating the holding body 44. That is, it is not necessary to move the elevating guide 41 of the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 in the lateral direction for the transfer between the units. Therefore, the footprint (occupied floor area) in each processing block B can be suppressed. Further, since each unit is laminated in the vertical direction (vertical direction) along this hoistway, the number of units provided in the processing block B should be increased while surely suppressing the footprint. Can be done.

In the above example, one liquid treatment unit is provided in one treatment block B, but a plurality of liquid treatment units may also be provided. In that case, similarly to the heating unit and the temperature control unit, for example, the plurality of liquid treatment units can be provided so as to be stacked vertically with each other. Further, in order to surely suppress the influence of the heat of the heating units 33 to 36 on the liquid treatment unit, the liquid treatment unit and the heating unit are not laminated on each other in each of the above treatment blocks B, but these liquid treatment units. And the heating units may be laminated to each other.

By the way, in the above-mentioned coating and developing apparatus 1, for example, the wafer W may be conveyed so that only the resist film is formed. In that case, the wafer W is conveyed from the carrier section A1 to the COT processing block B3 or B4 by the main transfer mechanism D1 without passing through the BCT processing blocks B1 and B2, and as described above in the COT processing block B3 or B4. The temperature of the wafer W is adjusted, the resist film is formed, and the heating is sequentially performed. After that, the wafer W is conveyed and returned to the carrier 11 so as to sequentially pass through the main transfer mechanism D1, the transfer portion TRS11 of the carrier section A1, and the transfer mechanism 14.

Further, the wafer W may be conveyed so that only the development process is performed. In that case, for example, the wafer W is conveyed in the order of the transfer portion TRS12 of the carrier section A1, the main transfer mechanism D2, and the DEV processing blocks B5 to B8, and each unit in the DEV processing block B is conveyed in the above order. Then, the wafer W is processed. After that, the wafer W is returned to the carrier C via the main transfer mechanism D2 and the delivery unit TRS12. Similarly, for example, the wafer W may be transported to B1 or B2 of the processing blocks B1 to B8 to form only the antireflection film, or may be transported to only the processing blocks B1 and B3 to form the antireflection film. And only the formation of the resist film may be performed. The unused processing block B can be removed from the processing section A2 and may not be provided from the beginning. Further, it is also possible to apply a processing block having the same configuration as the processing blocks B3 and B4, add it to the developing apparatus 1, and form a resist film with a total of three processing blocks. It is possible to increase the throughput of the developing device 1. When adding the processing block B in this way, the position of the added block need only be able to transfer the wafer W by the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2, and is, for example, the front side or the rear side of the processing blocks B1 to B8. .. In this way, the number of processing blocks can be increased or decreased as appropriate according to the type of processing required and the throughput.

By the way, adding a unit to the coating / developing device 1 or removing an unnecessary unit can be performed by increasing or decreasing the number of processing blocks in this way. A block control unit C is provided for each processing block, and the block control unit C in the processing block including the increased / decreased unit transmits the control signal to the increased / decreased unit. Therefore, the increase / decrease of this processing block is performed. As a result, the load of the block control unit C included in the processing blocks other than the increased / decreased processing block does not change. Further, even if the number of units is increased or decreased, the control signal for controlling each unit is output from the block control unit C, and it is not necessary to output the control signal from the upper control unit 100, so that the load of the upper control unit 100 is also increased. It does not fluctuate significantly. Since the fluctuation of the load of the block control unit C and the upper control unit 100 of the other processing blocks B is suppressed in this way, the number of units is increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the number of processing blocks in the coating and developing apparatus 1. Can be done relatively freely, for example, it is possible to provide an extremely large number of units. Therefore, the coating / developing apparatus 1 has an advantage that the throughput can be improved and various processing requests can be met.

Further, since the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2 are provided above the processing blocks B1 to B8, when the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2 are maintained, the operator can perform the main transport mechanism from the ceiling side of the clean room. You can access D1 and D2. It is not necessary to provide other components of the coating / developing apparatus 1 on the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2. That is, since the upper parts of the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2 can be left open, access and maintenance can be easily performed by providing a relatively large space between the coating / developing device 1 and the ceiling of the clean room. There is an advantage that it becomes. However, the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2 are provided below the processing blocks B1 to B8, and the transfer portions TRS1 and TRS2 of each processing block B are also arranged below the processing blocks B so as to correspond to the main transport mechanisms. The wafer W may be transferred between D1 and D2 and the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4.

(Second embodiment)
Subsequently, the coating / developing apparatus 7 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the schematic perspective view and the plan views of FIGS. 10 and 11, respectively, focusing on the differences from the coating / developing apparatus 1. .. The coating / developing apparatus 7 includes a coating film forming portion 7A provided on the left and right sides apart from each other, and a developing portion 7B. The coating film forming portion 7A includes a carrier section A1 and a processing section A5. The processing section A5 is different from the processing section A2 of the first embodiment, and the processing blocks B are only the processing blocks B1 to B4. It is equipped with. The processing blocks B1 and B2 of the processing section A5 are provided at the positions where the processing blocks B5 and B6 of the processing section A2 of the first embodiment are provided, and the shape of the processing block B and each of the processing blocks B in the processing block B are provided. The arrangement of the unit, the processing liquid supply mechanism 6, the block control unit C, and the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4 is the same as that of the processing blocks B5 and B6.

The developing unit 7B includes a carrier section A1, a processing section A6, and an interface section A3. Unlike the processing section A2, the processing section A6 includes only two processing blocks B5 and B6 among the processing blocks B1 to B8, and also includes only D2 among the main transport mechanisms D1 and D2. The interface section A3 of the developing unit 7B is connected to the exposure apparatus A4 as in the first embodiment.

An inter-section transfer mechanism 71 is provided between the coating film forming portion 7A and the developing portion 7B. The inter-section transfer mechanism 71 is configured in substantially the same manner as the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4, and in FIG. 11, the same components as the main transfer mechanism D1 in the inter-section transfer mechanism 71 are described in the inter-unit transfer mechanism 4. The same code as the one attached is attached. The difference is that the inter-section transfer mechanism 71 includes a left-right direction movement mechanism 47 for moving the elevating guide 41 in the left-right direction. Further, the left-right direction moving mechanism 47 is connected to the front-back direction moving mechanism 48, and can move in the front-back direction.

The holding body 44 of the inter-section transfer mechanism 71 configured in this way includes the transfer portions TRS1 and TRS2 of the processing blocks B3 and B4 of the coating film forming portion 7A, and the transfer portions TRS1 of the processing blocks B5 and B6 of the developing unit 7B. The wafer W can be delivered by accessing the TRS2. The operation of the inter-section transfer mechanism 71 is controlled by the upper control unit 100. In addition, on the side surface of the protruding portion 32 of each housing 31 of the processing blocks B3 and B4 of the coating film forming portion 7A and the processing blocks B5 and B6 of the developing section 7B, the inter-section transfer mechanism 71 is thus used as the transfer portion TRS. An opening (not shown) for access is provided, for example, the opening is opened and closed by a shutter.

Hereinafter, an example of the transfer path of the wafer W in the coating / developing apparatus 7 will be described with reference to FIG. The wafer W discharged from the carrier 11 placed on the carrier section A1 of the coating film forming portion 7A is the BCT processing block B1 or the BCT processing block B1 from the transport mechanism 14 of the carrier section A1 via the transfer portion TRS12 and the main transport mechanism D2. It is conveyed to B2 and is conveyed between the units in the BCT processing blocks B1 and B2 as in the first embodiment to form an antireflection film. After that, the wafer W is conveyed to the COT processing block B3 or B4 via the main transfer mechanism D2, the transfer unit TRS12, the transfer mechanism 14, the transfer unit TRS11, and the main transfer mechanism D1 in this order. Similarly, after the units in the COT processing blocks B3 and B4 are conveyed to form a resist film, they are conveyed to the transfer portion TRS2 of the COT processing blocks B3 and B4.

After that, the wafer W is conveyed by the inter-section transfer mechanism 71 to the transfer section TRS1 (not shown in FIG. 11 because it is laminated on TRS2) of the processing block B5 or B6 of the developing section 7B, and is conveyed to the main transfer mechanism D2. , The transfer unit TRS22, the transfer mechanism 22, the transfer unit TRS24 (not shown in FIG. 11 because it is laminated on the TRS22), and the transfer mechanism 23 are conveyed to the exposure apparatus A4 in this order. The exposed wafer W is conveyed into the processing block B5 or B6 to undergo development processing by the same route as in the first embodiment, and is conveyed to the carrier 11 mounted on the carrier section A1 of the developing unit 7B. To. The carrier 11 placed on the developing unit 7B may be a carrier 11 from which the wafer W is discharged by the coating film forming unit 7A, or a carrier different from the carrier 11 from which the wafer W is discharged by the coating film forming unit 7A. It may be 11.

With respect to such a coating / developing device 7, the same effect as that of the coating / developing device 1 can be obtained. Further, the transfer to the processing blocks B5 and B6 for performing the development process is performed by the main transfer mechanism D2 of the developing unit 7B, so that the load on the main transfer mechanisms D1 and D2 of the coating film forming unit 7A is reduced and the throughput is reduced. Can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 12, the coating and developing apparatus 7 may be provided with a shelf 81 for temporarily placing the carrier 11 and a transfer mechanism 82 for the carrier 11. The shelf 81 is provided above the mounting table 12 of each carrier section A1 of the coating film forming portion 7A and the developing portion 7B. The transfer mechanism 82 includes an articulated arm 83 whose tip is configured to be able to hold the upper portion of the carrier 11, and the articulated arm 83 is extended toward the tip end side and the base end side of the arrow in the figure. , Each shows the folded state. In the figure, reference numeral 84 is a horizontal movement mechanism connected to the base side of the articulated arm 83 to move the articulated arm 83 horizontally, and is configured to be vertically movable by being connected to the elevating mechanism 84. By such a transfer mechanism 82, the carrier 11 can be conveyed between the mounting table 12 and the shelf 81 of each carrier section A1.

To explain an example of transporting the carrier 11, for example, the carrier 11 is transported to the shelf 81 by a transfer mechanism (not shown) separate from the transfer mechanism 82 and stands by. After that, the wafer W is conveyed to the mounting table 12 of the coating film forming portion 7A by the transfer mechanism 82, and the wafer W stored in the carrier 11 is discharged as described above. After that, the carrier 11 is transferred to the shelf 81 again by the transfer mechanism 82 and waits, and then transferred to the mounting table 12 of the developing unit 7B, and the wafer W discharged is returned to the carrier 11. The operation of the transfer mechanism 82 is controlled by the upper control unit 100.

By the way, the treatment performed by the processing block B of each of the above embodiments is not limited to the formation of the antireflection film, the formation of the resist film and the development treatment. For example, as the liquid treatment unit in the above-mentioned processing block B, instead of the resist film forming unit 5 and the antireflection film forming unit 5A, a unit for applying a chemical solution for forming a protective film for protecting the resist film is used. It may be provided. This protective film is formed on the resist film in order to protect the surface of the resist film from water supplied to the surface of the wafer W in the exposure apparatus A4, for example, when immersion exposure is performed by the exposure apparatus A4. Will be done.

Further, as the liquid processing unit of the processing block B, a cleaning unit that supplies the cleaning liquid to the wafer W for cleaning may be provided. For example, a liquid treatment unit that supplies SPM (mixed liquid of sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and water) as a cleaning liquid, a liquid treatment unit that supplies SC2 (mixed liquid of hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and water), and SC1 (ammonia and excess). A liquid treatment unit for supplying (a mixed liquid of hydrogen peroxide and water) is provided in one block, and the wafer W is conveyed between these liquid treatment units. For example, the cleaning liquid is transferred to the wafer W in the order of SPM, SC2, and SC1. May be provided. Further, a liquid treatment unit for supplying hydrofluoric acid (HF) as a cleaning liquid and a liquid treatment unit for supplying SC1 are provided in one block, and the wafer W is conveyed between these liquid treatment units. The cleaning liquid may be supplied in the order of SC1.

As described above, the continuous series of treatments performed in one treatment block B may not include the heat treatment and the temperature adjustment treatment, but may be performed only by the liquid treatment. Further, the apparatus may be configured so that only the above-mentioned cleaning treatment is performed without performing the coating film forming treatment and the developing treatment. That is, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is not applied only to the coating and developing apparatus. Further, the liquid treatment performed in one treatment block may be one type or a plurality of types. Therefore, for example, an antireflection film forming unit 5A and a resist film forming unit 5 are provided in one processing block B. Processing may be performed.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the coating and developing apparatus is provided with two or more processing blocks B having the same configuration, but it is not necessary to provide a plurality of processing blocks B having the same configuration as such. For example, the substrate processing apparatus may be configured so that processing different from each other is performed in all of the plurality of processing blocks. Then, the wafer W may be conveyed in this plurality of processing blocks in order, or the wafer W may be conveyed to only one of the plurality of processing blocks and each wafer W may be conveyed to a different processing block. By doing so, different processing may be performed on the wafer W.

By the way, in each of the above examples, the block control unit C is provided in the processing block B by being included in the housing 31. In other words, the processing block B and the block control unit C are integrally configured so that the block control unit C also moves when the processing block B is moved. However, the block control unit C may not be provided in the processing block B. Specifically, the block control unit C may be provided on the outside of the housing 31 separately from the housing 31, that is, the block control unit C may be provided separately from the processing block B. When the block control unit C is provided separately from the processing block B in this way, the number of units that can be installed in the housing 31 can be increased, and the layout of the block control unit C can be freely set. It is advantageous in that it can be done.

However, by providing the block control unit C in the processing block B, when the processing block B is increased or decreased with respect to the substrate processing apparatus, the block control unit C is moved together with the processing block B with respect to the substrate processing apparatus. Since it can be added or removed, it is advantageous in that the time and effort for adding and removing these can be reduced. It should be noted that the provision of the block control unit C in the processing block B is not limited to the provision of the block control unit C in the housing 31 as described above, for example, on the housing 31 outside the housing 31 or on the housing 31. A block control unit C is provided on the side so as to be adjacent to the housing 31, and the housing 31 and the block control unit C can be moved together.

A2 Processing sections B1 to B8 Processing blocks C1 to C8 Block control units D1, D2 Main transfer mechanism TRS1, TRS2 Transfer unit W Wafer 1 Coating, developing device 4 Inter-unit transfer mechanism 5 Resist film forming unit 6 Liquid processing supply mechanism 100 Upper control Department

Claims (7)

A plurality of units that perform a series of continuous treatments for liquid treatment on a substrate and a unit-to-unit transfer mechanism that transports the substrate among the plurality of units, respectively, and a plurality of rows in front and back . Processing blocks and
A main transport mechanism for loading and unloading the substrate to and from the processing block,
A transfer unit provided in each of the plurality of processing blocks for transferring the substrate between the unit-to-unit transfer mechanism and the main transfer mechanism.
Equipped with
For each of the processing blocks, the delivery section is located above any of the plurality of units in the processing block provided with the delivery section .
The main transport mechanism is provided at a height at which each of the transfer portions is provided, is provided on the left side or the right side of each of the transfer portions, and moves in a moving region extending back and forth so as to overlap the unit in a plan view. Each delivery unit is provided with a holder for the substrate that delivers the substrate.
A plurality of rows of the plurality of processing blocks are arranged side by side, and the main transport mechanism is provided for each row of the processing blocks.
A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that an inter-row substrate transfer mechanism for delivering the substrate is provided in each of one row of the rows of the plurality of processing blocks and the other row . The one column and the other column are adjacent to each other,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inter-row transfer mechanism is a transfer mechanism for transferring the substrate between the transfer container in which the substrate is stored and the one row and the other row. The one row and the other row are provided apart from each other.
The one row is provided with the moving area on the left side with respect to the delivery portion.
The other column is provided with the moving area on the right side with respect to the delivery portion.
The transfer section in each row is located closer to the area between the one row and the other row than the moving area.
The inter-row transfer mechanism moves the area between the one row and the other row back and forth and left and right to obtain the transfer portions of the one row and the transfer portions of the other row. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is conveyed between the two. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the plurality of units include a plurality of heating units for heat-treating the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of heating units and the main transfer mechanism are arranged at overlapping positions in a plan view. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of heating units and the transfer unit are arranged at positions that do not overlap in a plan view. A block control unit provided for each of the plurality of processing blocks and controlling the plurality of units and the inter-unit transfer mechanism.
Further, a higher-level control unit commonly provided for each block control unit corresponding to each of the plurality of processing blocks is provided.
The main transport mechanism is controlled by the upper control unit.
The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the block control unit is configured to exchange information with and from the higher-level control unit.

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