JPH06163673A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent contamination of a processed substrate with the substrate chuck of a substrate conveying robot when the substrate is conveyed between a substrate mounting part and a substrate processing part with the substrate conveying robot. CONSTITUTION:A pair of substrate chucks 49 have a plurality of substrate aligning and holding grooves 52 and 53 at plural sets of chuck facing surfaces 50 and 51 and are constituted as follows. One set of the chuck facing surfaces 50 and the other chuck facing surfaces 51 of the substrate chucks 49 can be switched so as to face each other. The chuck facing surfaces of the substrate chucks 49 are switched and separately used for the conveyance of the uprocessed substrate 9 and the processed substrate 9. Thus, contamination of the processed substrate 9 with the substrate chucks 49 of a substrate conveying robot 4 is prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates such as semiconductor substrates and glass substrates (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrate").

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional substrate processing apparatus is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. As shown in FIG. 12, this is performed by removing the substrate 109 from the cassette 108 accommodating the plurality of substrates 109 or loading the plurality of substrates 109 into the cassette 108, and the plurality of substrates 109 at once. Substrate processing unit 105 for performing processing by the plurality of substrates 10 between the substrate transfer unit 103 and the substrate processing unit 105.
And a substrate transfer robot 104 that collectively holds 9 and transfers them. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 1
11 is a cassette mounting table, 114 is a rotary drive device,
Reference numeral 115 is a lower opening of the cassette 108, 116 is a transfer tool insertion hole, 117 is a substrate transfer tool, and 118 is a substrate mounting portion of the substrate transfer tool. Further, in FIG.
1 is a cassette loading / unloading stage, 102 is a cassette transfer robot, 106 is a substrate drying unit, 107 is a cassette cleaning unit, 110 is a loading position, and 112 is a loading position.

In this type of substrate processing apparatus, the substrate transfer section 1
Untreated substrate 109 taken out from cassette 108 in 03
Substrate is transferred to the substrate processing unit 105 by the substrate transfer robot 104, the substrate 109 processed by the substrate processing unit 105 is transferred to the substrate drying unit 106 by the substrate transfer robot 104, and the processed substrate 109 that has been dried is the substrate transfer robot. At 104, the substrate is transferred to the substrate transfer section 103, where the cleaned cassette 1
It is accommodated in 08.

By the way, in this substrate processing apparatus, the substrate transfer robot 104 has a structure in which a pair of substrate chucks 149 are provided on the traveling unit main body 146, and substrate alignment holding grooves 152 are provided on the facing surfaces 150 of the substrate chucks 149. The transfer of the unprocessed substrate 109 and the processed substrate 109
In both cases, the substrate 109 is held in the same substrate alignment holding groove 152. The traveling unit body 146 is movable up and down, and the traveling unit body 146 is movable.
Lowering the untreated substrate 109 causes the substrate chuck 149
The substrate is kept immersed in the processing bath 174 of the substrate processing unit 105 while being held.

[0005]

The above-mentioned conventional techniques have the following problems. The unprocessed substrate 109 and the processed substrate 109 are both carried by holding the substrate 109 by the same substrate alignment holding groove 152 on the substrate chuck facing surface 150. The contaminants attached to the processed substrate 10 through the substrate alignment holding groove 152.
Attach to 9. Therefore, the processed substrate 109 is contaminated. Also, in the pre-treatment cleaning of the oxidation diffusion step, the already cleaned substrate is cleaned, so the substrate is clean to some extent and there is no contamination problem as described above, but the wet substrate after cleaning is retained. When a dry substrate is held by the substrate chuck 49, the problem that the watermark adheres depending on the type of the substrate occurs. Both the contamination of the substrate and the attachment of the watermark decrease the yield of products.

The unprocessed substrate 109 is attached to the substrate chuck 149.
Since it is soaked in the processing bath 174 of the substrate processing unit 105 while being held at 1, contaminants attached to the substrate chuck 149 are brought into the processing bath 174. In addition, since it is necessary to lower the substrate chuck 149 to transfer the substrate 109 to and from the substrate transfer tool 117, and to deeply penetrate the substrate chuck 149 into the processing bath 174,
Since the hanging dimension of the substrate chuck 149 becomes relatively long,
The substrate chuck 149 is apt to vibrate during the transfer of the substrate, particles are generated by the sliding of the substrate 109 and the substrate alignment holding groove 152, and the particles enter the processing bath 174. For this reason,
The inside of the processing tank 174 is contaminated, and the product yield is reduced.

The present invention has been made to solve such inconvenience. Therefore, in the invention of claim 1, the processed substrate is prevented from being contaminated by the substrate chuck of the substrate transfer robot or the attachment of the watermark is prevented. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing the processing. In addition to the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing contamination in the substrate processing tank by the substrate chuck of the substrate transfer robot.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

(Invention of Claim 1) A substrate transfer section for taking out a substrate from a cassette accommodating a plurality of substrates or loading a plurality of substrates in the cassette; a substrate processing unit for collectively processing a plurality of substrates; A substrate processing apparatus including a substrate transfer robot that collectively holds and transfers a plurality of substrates between the substrate transfer unit and the substrate processing unit is characterized by the following.

The substrate transfer robot includes a traveling unit body,
It is provided with a pair of left and right arm rotation shafts that project substantially horizontally from the traveling unit main body, shaft rotation means for rotating the pair of arm rotation shafts, and a substrate chuck fixed to each arm rotation shaft. The pair of substrate chucks have a plurality of sets of chuck facing surfaces, each set of chuck facing surfaces has a plurality of substrate alignment holding grooves, and the sets of chuck facing surfaces collectively hold the substrates in an upright aligned state. In addition to the above, the chuck facing surface of the substrate chuck can be switched by the rotation of the arm rotation shaft.

(Invention of Claim 2) In the substrate processing apparatus of the first invention, the following means are provided. The substrate transfer unit includes a substrate transfer tool, and the substrate transfer tool includes an up-and-down drive device that drives the substrate mounting unit that holds the substrate up and down, and the substrate transfer unit holds the substrate on the substrate mounting unit. The substrate can be moved up and down between a first substrate transfer position for transferring the substrate to the substrate transfer robot and a substrate storage position for storing the substrate in the cassette. The substrate processing unit includes a processing tank, a processing substrate mounting tool that supports a substrate, and an elevating drive unit that drives the processing substrate mounting tool up and down.
A second substrate transfer position for transferring the substrate supported by the processing substrate mounting tool to the substrate transfer robot by the elevating and lowering drive means, and a substrate processing position for immersing the substrate in the processing tank to perform the processing. It is configured to be able to move up and down between and.

[0011]

[Operation of the invention]

(Invention of Claim 1) For example, in the case of transporting an unprocessed substrate, when the substrate is held by one set of chuck facing surfaces of the plurality of chuck facing surfaces of the substrate chuck and the processed substrate is transported. Holds the substrate with another set of chuck facing surfaces. That is, the chuck-opposing surface holding the substrate is selectively used for carrying the unprocessed substrate and carrying the processed substrate.
Alternatively, the chuck facing surface holding the substrate is used properly depending on whether the wet substrate is transported or the dry substrate is transported.

(Invention of Claim 2) In addition to the operation of the invention of Claim 1, the following operation is performed. First, the unprocessed substrate accommodated in the cassette is held by the substrate transfer tool, and is raised to be transferred to the substrate transfer robot. Next, this unprocessed substrate is transferred to the substrate processing unit by the substrate transfer robot, and the unprocessed substrate is transferred to the elevated processing substrate mounting tool. Then, the processing substrate holder is lowered to position the unprocessed substrate at the substrate processing position of the processing tank, and the substrate is immersed in the processing liquid for processing. Then, when the substrate processing in the processing tank is completed, the processing substrate holder is raised to position the processed substrate at the second substrate transfer position and transfers it to the substrate transfer robot. Then, the processed substrate is transferred to the first substrate transfer position by the substrate transfer robot, held by the substrate placing part of the substrate transfer tool that has risen, and then lowered, and the processed substrate is cleaned in the cassette. House inside.

[0013]

【The invention's effect】

(Invention of Claim 1) By switching the chuck facing surface of the substrate transfer chuck between the transfer of the unprocessed substrate and the transfer of the processed substrate, contaminants adhering to the unprocessed substrate are processed through the substrate transfer chuck. Contamination of the treated substrate due to transfer to the substrate can be prevented. Alternatively, by selectively using the chuck opposing surface for a dry substrate and a wet substrate, the above-mentioned harmful effects of the watermark can be effectively prevented. As a result, the yield of products can be increased.

(Invention of Claim 2) In addition to the effect of the invention of Claim 1, the following effect is exhibited. By holding the unprocessed substrate on the processing substrate holder of the substrate processing unit and moving it up and down, it is not necessary to immerse the substrate chuck of the substrate transfer robot that holds the substrate in the processing liquid of the processing tank, and the substrate is attached to the substrate chuck. No contaminants are brought into the processing tank. Moreover, since it is not necessary to intrude the substrate chuck into the processing tank, the dimension of the substrate chuck can be shortened, the substrate chuck is less likely to vibrate during the transfer of the substrate, and particles caused by sliding between the substrate and the substrate alignment holding groove of the substrate chuck are generated. The occurrence of particles is reduced, and the intrusion of particles into the processing tank is reduced.
Thereby, the contamination in the processing tank is reduced, the processing condition of the substrate is improved, and the product yield is further improved.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 11, the substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment includes a cassette loading / unloading stage 1, a cassette transfer robot 2, a substrate transfer unit 3, a substrate transfer robot 4, a substrate processing unit 5, and a substrate. A drying unit 6 and a cassette cleaning unit 7 are provided. The cassette 8 used in this embodiment has a substrate alignment accommodating groove therein so that a plurality of substrates 9 can be accommodated in an upright alignment state. The configuration of each unit will be described below.

In this substrate processing apparatus, when the cassette 8 accommodating the unprocessed substrate 9 is carried into the loading position 10 of the cassette loading / unloading stage 1 from the outside of the substrate processing apparatus, the two cassettes 8 and the cassette transport robot 2 are loaded. The substrate 8 is transferred to the cassette mounting table 11 of the substrate transfer unit 3, and the cassette 8
Two unprocessed substrates 9 are transferred to a substrate transfer tool 17 described later.
It is taken out from the cassette 8 via the and transferred to the substrate transfer robot 4.

The substrate transfer robot 4 transfers the received unprocessed substrate 9 to the substrate processing unit 5, processes it in the substrate processing unit 5, and transfers the processed substrate 9 again to the substrate drying unit 6 by the substrate transfer robot 4. Then, the substrate is transferred to the substrate transfer section 3 by the substrate transfer robot 4 again. On the other hand, the empty cassette 8 from which the unprocessed substrate 9 has been taken out by the substrate transfer unit 3 is transferred to the cassette cleaning unit 7 by the cassette transfer robot 2 and cleaned. Then, the cleaned cassette 8 is transferred to the cassette mounting table 11 of the substrate transfer section 3 by the cassette transfer robot 2. In the substrate transfer unit 3, the processed substrate 9 is transferred to the cleaned cassette 8 and the cassette 8 is transferred by the cassette transfer robot 2 to the transfer position 12 of the cassette transfer stage 1.
To the outside of the substrate processing apparatus.

As described above, in this substrate processing apparatus, the cassette transfer robot 2 transfers the cassette 8 between the cassette loading / unloading stage 1 and the cassette mounting table 11, as shown in FIG. In the cassette 8 which is in the loading / unloading posture at the cassette loading / unloading stage 1,
The accommodation attitude of the substrate 9 is a direction orthogonal to the processing attitude of the substrate 9 in the substrate processing section 5 in a plan view. Further, the cassette transfer robot 2 moves the cassette 8 between the cassette mounting table 11 and the cassette loading / unloading stage 1 by 180.
Uses a mechanism that reverses and conveys.

For this reason, before the substrate processing, the cassette 8 is set in the loading position 10 of the cassette loading / unloading stage 1.
The cassette loading table 11 by the cassette transfer robot 2.
When the substrate 9 is conveyed to, the storage posture of the unprocessed substrate 9 in the cassette 8 on the cassette mounting table 11 becomes a posture orthogonal to the processing posture in plan view, and in this posture, the substrate 9 is parallel to the processing posture. The unprocessed substrate 9 cannot be delivered to the substrate transfer robot 4 which is held and transferred. In addition, when the cassette 8 is transferred from the cassette mounting table 11 to the carry-out position 12 of the cassette carry-in stage 1 by the cassette carrying robot 2 after the substrate processing, the cassette 8 has a carry-out posture at the carry-out position 12. Requires the cassette 8 on the cassette mounting table 11 to be in a posture that is 180 ° inverted with respect to the carrying-out posture. In this posture, the cleaned cassette 8 is placed on the cassette mounting table 11. In this case, since the substrate accommodation direction of the cleaned cassette 8 is orthogonal to the processing posture in a plan view, the substrate 9 is conveyed while holding the substrate 9 in a posture parallel to the processing posture in this posture. The processed substrate 9 cannot be received from the robot 4 into the cleaned cassette 8.

Therefore, in this substrate processing apparatus, the turntable 1 is mounted on the cassette mounting table 11 of the substrate transfer unit 3.
3 is provided. The structure of the substrate transfer unit 3 is as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, two turntables 13 are provided at two cassette mounting positions of the cassette mounting table 11, and the turntables 13 are interlockingly connected to a rotary drive device 14 which will be described later. Turntable 1
3 is rotated by 90 °. As shown in FIG. 1, a transfer tool insertion hole 16 facing the lower opening 15 of the cassette 8 is formed in the center of the turntable 13,
A board transfer tool 17 is provided below the transfer tool insertion hole 16.
Is provided in an upright shape, and a substrate placing portion 18 for holding a plurality of substrates 9 in an upright alignment state is provided at an upper end portion of the substrate transfer tool 17. The substrate transfer tool 17 is provided on the lift table 20 that is interlocked with the vertical feed screw shaft 19 that is interlocked with the lifting drive means 85 (elevation drive motor).
By raising and lowering, the plurality of substrates 9 are held in the upright aligned state on the substrate mounting portion 18, and the plurality of substrates 9 can be collectively transferred between the cassette 8 and the substrate transfer robot 4. is there.

In the substrate transfer section 3, as shown in FIG. 2, the turntable 1 is moved by the cassette transfer robot 2 from the loading position 10 of the cassette loading / unloading stage 1 before the substrate processing.
The orientation of the cassette 8 transferred to the substrate 3 is changed by 90 ° by the rotation of the turntable 13 in the a direction, so that the accommodation orientation of the unprocessed substrate 9 in the cassette 8 is the orientation of processing the substrate 9 in the substrate processing unit 5. In parallel with the above, as the substrate transfer tool 17 shown in FIG.
In the state where the substrate is held, the unprocessed substrate 9 is taken out above the cassette 8 and the substrate transfer tool 17 is not rotated.
The unprocessed substrate 9 in the cassette 8 is delivered to the substrate transfer robot 4.

After the substrate processing and drying, the cleaned cassette 8 transferred from the cassette cleaning unit 7 shown in FIG. 11 to the turntable 13 by the cassette transfer robot 2.
2 is rotated by 90 ° from the position shown in FIG. 2 by rotating the turntable 13 in the direction a, and the substrate accommodation direction is set parallel to the processing position, and is positioned below the cleaned cassette 8 as shown in FIG. The substrate placing portion 18 of the substrate transfer tool 17 thus raised is raised to hold the processed substrate 9 transferred by the substrate transfer robot 4, and in this state, the substrate transfer tool 17 is lowered to move the substrate transfer tool 17 The processed substrate 9 is cleaned without rotating the cassette 8.
Hand it over. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the cleaned cassette 8 accommodating the processed substrate 9 is changed in direction by 90 ° by rotating the turntable 13 in the direction b, and brought into the posture shown in the drawing, and the cassette transfer robot 2 carries the cassette out. When the cassette 8 is conveyed to the carry-out position 12 of the input stage 1.
Is in the carry-out position at the carry-out position 12.

As described above, in the substrate transfer section 3, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, when transferring the substrate 9 between the cassette 8 and the substrate transfer robot 4, it is not necessary to rotate the substrate transfer tool 17, so that the substrate held by the substrate mounting part 18 of the substrate transfer tool 17 is not used. The posture of 9 does not shift. In addition, when changing the direction of the substrate 9, the turntable 13 is held while the substrate 9 is stably accommodated and held in the cassette 8.
The rotation speed of the turntable 13 can be set high without fear of the posture of the substrate 9 deviating.

The concrete structure of the turntable 13 of the substrate transfer section 3 and its rotation driving device 14 is as follows. As shown in FIG. 3 (A), the turntable 13 has a base plate 21 of the cassette mounting table 11 and a bearing 2
It is rotatably attached via 2. A rotary drive motor is used as a rotary drive device 14 for rotating the turntable 13, and a ring gear 2 in which a pinion gear 24 fixed to the output shaft 23 is externally fitted and fixed to the turntable 13.
5, the turntable 13 is rotated by setting the rotation angle to 90 ° as shown in FIG. 3 (C).

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, a cassette positioning frame 26 is formed on the turntable 13 along the three sides of the periphery of the rectangular transfer tool insertion hole 16 in a U shape in plan view. At the same time, a cassette clamp 27 is provided on the other side of the peripheral edge so that the cassette 8 can be positioned and fixed on the turntable 13 at an appropriate position. In this embodiment, a rotary drive motor is used for the rotary drive device 14, but instead of this, as shown in FIGS. 3D and 3E, a rotary drive air cylinder is used for the rotary drive device 14. May be. In FIG. 3D, a rack gear 29 is attached to the piston 28 of the rotary drive cylinder, and the rack gear 29 is meshed with the ring gear 25 fitted and fixed to the turntable 13. In FIG. 3 (E), the piston 28 of the air cylinder for rotational drive is pivotally attached to the ring 30 fitted and fixed to the turntable 13.

As shown in FIG. 4 (A), the substrate transfer tool 17 has a box 33 attached to the upper end of a pipe 32 standing on a pipe support 31, and the substrate mounting part 18 has the box 33. Is provided on the upper surface of. This substrate rest 18
Is composed of an elevating and lowering mount 38 and a fixed mount 39 which respectively hold a plurality of substrates in an upright alignment state. Further, the elevating and placing part 38 is composed of two parts, and the fixed placing part 39 is composed of three parts. The fixed mounting part 39 has three fixed seats 34 fixed to the center and both sides of the upper surface of the box body 33, and the elevating mounting part 38 has two elevating seats 35 arranged between the fixed seats 34. It is attached.

The elevating seat 35 is fixed to the upper end of an elevating rod 36 penetrating the inside of the pipe 32, and the elevating rod 36 is interlocked with an elevating drive device 37 attached to the pipe support 31. A lift cylinder is used for the lift drive device 37. That is, the two elevating and lowering parts 38 constituting the substrate placing part 18 are switched between an ascending position protruding above the fixed placing part 39 and a descending position sinking to a position lower than the fixed placing part 39. It is possible. For example, in FIG.
When the unprocessed substrate 9 is transferred from the cassette 8 to the substrate transfer robot 4, the elevating / lowering unit 38 is set to the raised position and the processed substrate 9 is transferred from the substrate transfer robot 4 into the cleaned cassette 8. Sets the elevating and lowering mount 38 to the lowered position.

According to the above structure, when the unprocessed substrate 9 is delivered, the unprocessed substrate 9 is held by the elevating and lowering mount 38 and does not touch the fixed mount 39, so that the fixed mount 39 is not processed. It will not be contaminated with the contaminants adhering to the substrate 9. When the processed substrate 9 is delivered, the processed substrate 9 is held on the non-contaminated fixed mounting portion 39, so that the processed substrate 9 is prevented from being contaminated. On the contrary, it is also possible to transfer the unprocessed substrate 9 to the fixed mounting part 39 with the elevating and lowering part 38 in the lowered position and to transfer the processed substrate 9 with the elevating and lowering part 38 to the elevated position. Similarly, it is possible to prevent the treated substrate 9 from being contaminated.

Incidentally, the elevating and lowering mounting portion 38 and the fixed mounting portion 39
As shown in FIG. 4 (C), the substrate 9 placed on the
Is provided with a substrate alignment holding groove 90 having the same pitch as the substrate alignment holding groove of the cassette 8 in the main surface direction (the direction parallel to the paper surface in FIG. 4), and the upper side of the release of the substrate alignment holding groove 90. The edge portion 92 is chamfered in a V shape to facilitate the holding of the substrate. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4B, the two lifting / lowering mounting portions 38 and the three fixed mounting portions 39 are formed by cutting the integrally processed normal substrate mounting portion 18 at the chain line portion. Easy to make.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the substrate aligning and holding groove 90 having a shape along the outer periphery of the substrate 9 held therein is cut in the elevating and lowering mounting portion 38 and the fixed mounting portion 39. The substrate alignment holding groove 90 is composed of a straight line portion 95 corresponding to the orientation flat of the substrate 9 and a curved portion 96 other than the straight line portion 95. That is, a straight line portion 95 corresponding to the orientation flat of the substrate 9 is cut between the fixed mounting portion 39 in the center and the elevating mounting portions 38, 38 on both sides thereof, and the elevating mounting portion 38 is fixed to the outside thereof. Placement part 3
A curved portion 96 is cut through to 9. That is, the elevating and lowering mounting portions 38, 38 have the straight line portion 95 and the curved portion 96, and the fixed mounting portion 39 has the straight line portion 95 and the curved portion 96, so that the elevating and lowering mounting portion 38 or the fixed mounting portion 38 is fixed. Even when the substrate 9 is held by any of the placing portions 39, the rotation of the substrate 9 can be prevented.

In the above embodiment, the substrate transfer tool 1
The substrate mounting part 18 of FIG.
9, and the elevating and lowering part 38 moves up and down to move the fixed mounting part 3
Although the description has been made assuming that 9 is fixed, both can be configured to be movable up and down.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 5, two substrate transfer tools 17 are provided to transfer the substrates 9 between the two cassettes 8 and the substrate transfer robot 4. The two substrate transfer tools 17 can be width-shifted by the width-shifting device 42. The structure of the width aligning device 42 is as follows. As shown in FIG. 6 (A), both pipe support bases 31 are slidably supported by guide rails 43 on the lifting base 20, and both pipe support bases 31 are connected by a width-shifting link mechanism 44. As shown in FIG. 6 (A), the width-shifting link mechanism 44 pivotally attaches the center portion of the link arm 83 to a support shaft 82 vertically extending from the center portion of the elevating table 20, and connects both end portions of the link arm 83 and both ends. A link rod 84 is provided between the pipe support 31 and the pipe support 31. And FIG.
As shown in (B), one pipe support base 31 is interlockingly connected to the width-shifting drive cylinder 45 attached to the lift base 20.

In the width-shifting device 42, when the width-shifting drive cylinder 45 is contracted, one pipe support 31 connected to the width-shifting cylinder 45 approaches the center of the lift table 20 and at the same time, the width-shifting link mechanism 44 is used. And the other pipe support 31 is also closer to the center of the lift table 20, and both board transfer tools 17
Are width-shifted. Further, when the width-shifting drive cylinder 45 is extended, both substrate transfer tools 17 are moved away from each other. In the width aligning device 42, as shown in FIG. 5, two groups of unprocessed substrates 9 from inside the two cassettes 8 are processed before substrate processing.
In transferring the substrate to the substrate transfer robot 4, the unprocessed substrates 9 of each group are respectively held by the substrate mounting portions 18 of the two substrate transfer tools 17, and both the substrate transfer tools 17 are moved closer to each other, and the two groups are transferred. These are delivered to the substrate transfer robot 4 without forming a large gap between the untreated substrates 9. In addition, after transferring the processed substrates 9 for two cassettes 8 from the substrate transfer robot 4 to the two cleaned cassettes 8 after the substrate processing, the processed substrates 9 transferred by the substrate transfer robot 4 are transferred to the cassettes. Both substrate mounting parts 1 of the two substrate transfer tools 17 that have been width-shifted above 8
8, the substrate transfer tools 17 are moved away from each other, the processed substrates 9 are separated into two groups, and each group is housed in the two cleaned cassettes 8.

Next, the structure of the substrate transfer robot 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate transfer robot 4 rotates a traveling unit main body 46, a pair of left and right arm rotating shafts 47 protruding substantially horizontally from the traveling unit main body 46, and the pair of arm rotating shafts 47. It is provided with a shaft rotating means 48 and a pair of substrate chucks 49 fixed to each arm rotating shaft 47. In the pair of substrate chucks 49, the substrate alignment holding grooves 52 and 53 having the same pitch as the arrangement pitch of the substrate alignment accommodation grooves of the cassette 8 are formed on the pair of chuck facing surfaces 50 and on the back surface of the chuck facing surfaces 51. By rotating the arm rotation shaft 47, the substrate chuck 49 can be switched to the inverted C-shaped substrate holding attitude in which the pair of chuck facing surfaces 50 and the chuck facing surfaces 51 on the back surface thereof face each other. There is. The arrangement pitch of the substrate alignment holding grooves 52, 53 of the chuck facing surfaces 50, 51 does not necessarily have to be the same as the arrangement pitch of the substrate alignment holding grooves of the cassette 8, and is 1/2 the arrangement pitch of the cassette 8. The arrangement pitch may be used. This is because it is conceivable that the substrate 9 taken out from the cassette 8 may be converted into ½ by an array pitch conversion device or the like.

In this substrate transfer robot 4, when the unprocessed substrate 9 is transferred, the pair of chuck facing surfaces 50 of the substrate chuck 49 are placed in a posture in which they face each other, and when the processed substrate 9 is transferred, the back surface is returned. The chuck opposing surfaces 51 are switched to a posture in which they oppose each other and are used properly. In this way, when the unprocessed substrate 9 is transported, the substrate alignment holding groove 53 of the chuck opposing surface 51 on the back surface is not contaminated by the contaminants adhering to the unprocessed substrate 9, and the processed substrate 9 is processed.
The contamination of the processed substrate 9 is prevented during the transportation of the.

The substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present invention can also be applied as a pretreatment cleaning apparatus for the oxidation diffusion step. In that case, the already cleaned substrate will be cleaned. Is clean to some extent and has no cross-contamination, so rather than preventing contamination, the substrate chuck 49 can be selectively used before and after the cleaning process, that is, holding a dry substrate and holding a wet substrate as described later. .

The specific structure of the substrate chuck 49 is as follows. As shown in FIG. 7A, the substrate chuck 49
Is attached to both ends of the plate-shaped chuck body 54.
5, the arm rotation shaft 47 is inserted through and fixed to the central portion of the chuck body 54 and the central portion of the end plate 55. A pair of reinforcing pipes 59 is provided between the end plates 55.
Are installed in parallel, and are inserted and fixed in the chuck body 54. As shown in FIG. 7B, the substrate alignment holding grooves 52, 53 of the chuck body 54 are both formed in an arc shape along the peripheral edge of the substrate 9. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, the release edge portions 57 of the substrate alignment holding grooves 52 and 53 are chamfered in a V shape. This substrate chuck 4
9 is a substrate alignment holding groove 5 as shown in FIGS.
The groove forming pipe 58 in which 2 and 53 are provided at equal pitches may be externally fitted to the reinforcing pipe 59. In this case, by screwing the end plate 55 to the reinforcing pipe 59, the groove forming pipe 58 can be clamped and fixed between the end plates 55.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8A, a pair of shaft rotating motors are used as the shaft rotating means 48 for rotating the arm rotating shaft 47. This shaft rotating motor is fixed to the traveling unit main body 46, the arm rotating shaft 47 is connected to each output shaft 60 by the shaft joint 61, and both arm rotating shafts 47 are individually rotatably interlocked. A travel drive motor is used as the travel drive means 62 of the travel section main body 46. This traveling drive motor is fixed to the stationary machine frame 63,
A drive pulley 65 is attached to the output shaft 64, and an interlocking belt 66 is wound between an idler pulley (not shown) pivotally attached to the stationary machine frame 63 and the drive pulley 65.
The traveling unit body 46 is attached to the. In addition, FIG. 8 (B)
As shown in, the traveling unit main body 46 is slidably mounted on a guide rail 67 provided on the stationary machine frame 63.

As shown in FIG. 8C, the substrate transfer robot 4 uses a single shaft rotating motor as the shaft rotating means 48, and a drive gear 68 attached to the output shaft 60 of the substrate rotating robot 4 meshes a reversing gear 69. In addition, the input gear 70 attached to one arm rotation shaft 47 may be engaged with the drive gear 68, and the input gear 71 attached to the other arm rotation shaft 47 may be engaged with the reversing gear 69. Also, FIG.
As shown in (D), a traveling drive motor, which is the traveling drive means 62, is attached to the traveling portion main body 46, and the pinion gear 72 attached to the output shaft 64 of the traveling portion is engaged with the rack gear 73 attached to the stationary machine frame 63. The body 46 may be self-propelled.

FIGS. 9A to 9D show the substrate chuck 49.
A modification of is shown. The modified example of FIG. 7A considers the case where the substrate chuck 49 is selectively used for holding a dry substrate and holding a wet substrate, and the upper and lower end portions of the chuck body 54 in FIG. Liquid stop groove 54a running in the front-back direction
Is formed by recessing. According to this modification, when the substrate 9 that has undergone the dipping process is held by the substrate processing unit 5 to be described later, the droplets attached to the substrate 9 travel along the substrate alignment holding groove 53 and enter the liquid stop groove 54a. be introduced. Therefore, when the dry substrate 9 is held by the other pair of chuck facing surfaces 50, the liquid stop groove 54a is positioned above, but the liquid drop groove 54a has its own liquid drop inside the liquid stop groove 54a. It is prevented from flowing down by the surface tension and is prevented from adhering to the dry substrate 9. The liquid stop groove 54a is shown in FIG.
The modified examples of (B) to (D) are similarly formed.

A modified example of FIG. 6B is a chuck body 54.
7A instead of the plate member in FIG. 7A, and is configured by a bar member having a substantially square cross section. The arm rotation shafts 47 are separated from each other by an actuator 47a described later, and the arm rotation shafts 47 are rotated. Chuck facing surface 50a, 50b
Is configured to be switched. The modified example of FIG. 8C is configured such that the chuck body 54 is replaced with that of FIG. 8B and the substrate 9 is held in the central portion. It is similarly configured. Further, in the modified example of FIG. 8D, the chuck main body 54 is replaced with the one shown in FIG.
8 (C) is composed of a rod member having a substantially triangular cross section, and three sets of chuck opposing surfaces 50a, 50b, 50c are switched, and other points are the same as in FIG. 8 (B). Is configured.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing means for separating and rotating the arm rotation shaft 47. As shown in FIG. 10, the pair of arm rotation shafts 47 are respectively provided on a pair of left and right bases 46b and 46b, and each base 46b is mounted on the traveling unit main body 46 by a pair of left and right actuators 48b and 48b. Front and rear guide rails 67b provided on the
It is provided so as to be movable along. The other points are configured similarly to FIG. 8 (A).

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 11, the substrate processing section 5 is provided with three processing baths 74, and these processing baths 74 are constructed as overflow baths which enable so-called one bath processing. Has been done. Each of the processing baths 74 is provided with a processing substrate mounting tool 75 that supports the substrate 9.
The processing substrate platform 75 can be moved up and down by interlocking with the up-and-down drive means 76 shown in FIG. 2 or 11.
That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the first substrate transfer position 77 is a position at which the substrate 9 held by the substrate transfer unit 17 of the substrate transfer unit 17 in the substrate transfer unit 3 is transferred to the substrate transfer robot 4. , Processing substrate placement tool 7 of each processing tank 74
Assuming that the substrate 9 held on the substrate 5 is transferred to the substrate transfer robot 4 at a second substrate transfer position 78 (in FIG. 1, the central processing tank 74 is shown), Substrate 9 held here by raising and lowering
Can be moved up and down between a second substrate transfer position 78 and a substrate processing position 79 where the substrate is immersed in the processing bath 74 to perform the processing. Then, the substrate transfer robot 4
Runs between the first substrate transfer position 77 and the second substrate transfer position 78.

In the above-described embodiment, the substrate transfer robot 4 is run only in the horizontal direction along the pair of guide rails 67. However, depending on the arrangement of the substrate transfer section 3, the substrate processing section 5, etc. It is also possible to move the first substrate transfer position and the second substrate transfer position in biaxial or triaxial directions including the vertical direction. Traveling in this specification is a concept including such biaxial or triaxial movement.

In this substrate processing unit 5, the unprocessed substrate 9 transferred by the substrate transfer robot 4 is delivered to the raised processing substrate mounting unit 75, and the processed substrate mounting unit 75 is lowered to move the unprocessed substrate. 9 is positioned at the substrate processing position 79 of the processing tank 74, and is immersed in the processing liquid 80 for processing. Processing tank 7
When the substrate processing in 4 is completed, the processing substrate platform 75 is raised and delivered to the substrate transfer robot 4. In this way, the unprocessed substrate 9 is transferred to the processed substrate placing portion 75 of the substrate processing unit 5.
The substrate chuck 49 of the substrate transfer robot 4 that holds the substrate 9 does not need to be immersed in the processing liquid 80 in the processing bath 74 by holding the substrate chuck 49 up and down.
The contaminants adhered to are not brought into the processing tank 74. Moreover, since it is not necessary to intrude the substrate chuck 49 into the processing bath 74, the hanging dimension of the substrate chuck 49 can be shortened, the substrate chuck 49 is less likely to vibrate during the substrate transfer, and the substrate 9 and the substrate chuck 49 are aligned and held. Generation of particles due to sliding with the grooves 52 and 53 is reduced, and intrusion of particles into the processing bath 74 is reduced.

A series of operations of the apparatus of this embodiment will be briefly described below. First, the two cassettes 8 storing a plurality of unprocessed substrates W are loaded at the loading position 1 of the cassette loading / unloading stage 1.
It has been shipped to 0. The cassette transfer robot 2 has the above 2
The individual cassettes 8 are transferred onto the turntable 13 of the substrate transfer unit 3. After the turntable 13 has rotated 90 degrees,
The substrate transfer tool 17 moves up to take out the substrate 9 from the cassette C. At this time, the substrate platform 18 of the substrate transfer tool 17 is switched to the elevating platform 38 to hold the unprocessed substrate and prevent the processed substrate from being contaminated.

The substrate transfer robot 4 receives the unprocessed substrate 9 taken out from the cassette 8 and transfers it to the substrate processing section 5. At this time, in order to prevent contamination of the processed substrate,
As described above, the chuck opposing surfaces 50 and 51 of the substrate chuck 49 of the substrate transfer robot 4 are used separately for the unprocessed substrate and the processed substrate, thereby preventing contamination of the processed substrate. In the substrate processing unit 5, the substrate 9 transferred by the substrate transfer robot 4 is received by the processing substrate placement tool 75, and sequentially immersed in a predetermined substrate processing bath 74 to perform surface treatment. The surface-treated substrate W is transferred to the substrate drying unit 6 by the substrate transfer robot 4. In the substrate drying unit 6, the transported substrate 9 is received by a lifter (not shown) similar to the substrate transfer tool 17, and is dried in the centrifugal dryer 61.

On the other hand, during the surface treatment of the substrate, the cassette transfer robot 2 transfers the two empty cassettes 8 to the cassette cleaning section 7. In the cassette cleaning unit 7, the two cassettes 8 that have been transported are cassette lifters (not shown).
Received in the cassette cleaning tank and immersed in the cleaning tank for cleaning, and drained after cleaning, heater (not shown)
To dry. That is, by performing the surface treatment of the substrate 9 and the cleaning treatment of the cassette 8 in parallel, the treatment efficiency as a whole is improved.

The cassette transfer robot 2 transfers the dried cassette 8 onto the turntable 13 of the substrate transfer section 3 again. The dried substrate 7 is the substrate transfer robot 4
Are transported to the substrate transfer section 3. In the substrate transfer section 3, the processed substrate 9 is accommodated in the cleaned cassette 8 via the substrate transfer tool 17. At this time, the substrate mounting part 18 of the substrate transfer tool 17 is switched to the fixed mounting part 39 to hold the processed substrate and prevent the processed substrate from being contaminated. The cassette transfer robot 2 transfers the two cassettes 8 containing the substrates 9 to the unloading section 12 of the cassette unloading stage 1. With that, a series of operations is completed.

The substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present invention can also be applied as a pretreatment cleaning apparatus for the oxidation diffusion step as described above. In this case, the contamination of the substrate does not pose a problem, so It is not necessary to switch between the elevating and lowering mount 38 and the fixed mount 39 of the delivery tool 17. Rather, the substrate chuck 49 is used before and after the cleaning process and before and after the drying process, that is, when the dry substrate is held and when the wet substrate is held.
It is necessary to properly use the chuck opposing surfaces 50 and 51. This is because, depending on the type of substrate, when it comes into contact with the substrate chuck 49 that is wet in a dry state, a stain called a watermark may occur. By properly using the chuck opposing surfaces 50 and 51 as described above, it is possible to prevent the generation of the watermark. Even if the substrate is held by the wet substrate chuck before the cleaning process, the influence of the watermark does not pose a problem. This is because the cleaning process is performed after that.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.

3A and 3B are explanatory views of a turntable used in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1, where FIG. 3A is a vertical sectional view, FIG. 3B is a plan view, and FIG. C-C line sectional drawing, the same figure (D) the same figure (C) equivalent figure of the 1st modification of the rotary drive mechanism of the turntable, the same figure (E) the 2nd modification of the rotary drive mechanism of the turntable. It is a figure equivalent to the same figure (C).

4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a substrate transfer tool used in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 4A is a vertical cross-sectional view, and FIG. 4B is a description of an example of manufacturing a substrate mounting portion of the substrate transfer tool. FIG. 1C is a partial cross-sectional view of the substrate mounting portion.

5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG.

6A and 6B are explanatory views of a width-shifting link mechanism used in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1, where FIG. 6A is a vertical sectional view and FIG. 6B is a plan view.

7 is a diagram illustrating a substrate chuck of a substrate transfer robot used in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG.
FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.
Is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 6B, FIG. 6D is a vertical cross-sectional view of a modified substrate chuck, and FIG.
It is a -E line sectional view.

8A and 8B are views for explaining a substrate chuck rotating mechanism and a traveling mechanism of a traveling unit main body of a substrate transfer robot used in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 8A is a perspective view and FIG. (A) is a side view, (C) is a perspective view of a modification, and (D) is a side view of (C).

9A, 9B, 9C and 9D are front views showing modified examples of the substrate chuck.

10 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 8 (A) showing a separation and rotation mechanism of the substrate chuck shown in FIGS. 9 (B) (C) (D).

11 is a perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 of a substrate processing apparatus according to a conventional technique.

13 is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 ... Substrate transfer section, 4 ... Substrate transfer robot, 5 ... Substrate processing section, 8 ... Cassette, 9 ... Substrate, 17 ... Substrate transfer tool, 18 ... Substrate placement section,
46 ... traveling body, 47 ... arm rotation axis,
48 ... Axial rotating means, 49 ... Substrate chuck,
50/51 ... Chuck facing surface, 52/53 ... Substrate alignment holding groove, 62 ... Traveling drive device, 74 ... Processing tank, 75 ... Processing substrate mounting tool,
76 ... Elevating / lowering driving means for processing substrate placement tool, 77 ... First substrate delivery position, 78 ... Second substrate delivery position,
79 ... Substrate processing position, 81 ... Substrate accommodation position,
85 ... Elevating and lowering drive means for the substrate transfer tool.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A substrate transfer section for taking out a substrate from a cassette accommodating a plurality of substrates or loading a plurality of substrates in the cassette, a substrate processing section for collectively processing the plurality of substrates, and the substrate transfer section. In a substrate processing apparatus including a substrate transfer robot that collectively holds and transfers a plurality of substrates between a mounting unit and the substrate processing unit, the substrate transfer robot includes a traveling unit body and the traveling unit body. And a pair of left and right arm rotation shafts that project substantially horizontally from each other, a shaft rotation unit that rotates the pair of arm rotation shafts, and a substrate chuck fixed to each arm rotation shaft. It has a plurality of sets of chuck facing surfaces, and each set of chuck facing surfaces has a plurality of substrate alignment holding grooves. The chuck facing surfaces of each set are configured to collectively hold the substrates in an upright alignment state, and Substrate transfer apparatus of the substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that the can configure switching the chuck facing surface of the substrate chuck by the rotation of the rotary shaft. 2. A substrate transfer section for taking out a substrate from a cassette containing a plurality of substrates via a substrate transfer tool or loading a plurality of substrates in the cassette, and a substrate processing for collectively processing the plurality of substrates. And a substrate transfer robot that collectively holds and transfers a plurality of substrates between the substrate transfer unit and the substrate processing unit, wherein the substrate transfer robot is a traveling unit body. And a pair of left and right arm rotation shafts protruding substantially horizontally from the traveling unit main body, shaft rotation means for rotating the pair of arm rotation shafts, and a substrate chuck fixed to each arm rotation shaft, The pair of substrate chucks have a plurality of sets of chuck facing surfaces, and each set of chuck facing surfaces has a plurality of substrate alignment holding grooves, so that the substrates of the pair of chuck facing surfaces can be collectively held in a standing alignment state. To The substrate transfer tool of the substrate transfer section is configured to be capable of switching the chuck facing surface of the substrate chuck by rotation of the arm rotation shaft, and the substrate transfer tool for raising and lowering the substrate mounting section that holds the substrate. With the lifting drive device, between the first substrate transfer position for transferring the substrate held by the substrate mounting part to the substrate transfer robot and the substrate storage position for storing in the cassette. It is configured to be able to move up and down, and the substrate processing unit includes a processing tank, a processing substrate mounting tool that supports a substrate, and an elevating driving means that elevates and drives the processing substrate mounting tool. The substrate supported by the processing substrate holder can be moved up and down between the second substrate transfer position for transferring the substrate to the substrate transfer robot and the substrate processing position where the substrate is immersed in the processing tank to perform the processing. A substrate processing apparatus having the above structure.