JPH10189684A - Carrier detector and substrate treatment equipment and substrate shifter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent damages on a wafer at the time of shifting the wafer by obviating visual confirmation by an operator and automatically detecting the direction of a carrier correctly on a base plate. SOLUTION: An operator need not decide the direction of a carrier 3 by visual confirmation as seen in conventional devices by detection by a carrier detector 44 of the direction of the carrier 3 with discriminating sections having different shapes in a front and a rear and information through a control section 43 as to whether or not the carrier 3 is directed in the fixed direction in response to a detection output from the carrier detector 44, and the direction of the placing of the carrier to a first table 22 can be detected automatically and correctly. Accordingly, since the direction of the carrier 3 is made accurate at all times, damages on a wafer at the time of shifting the wafer as seen in conventional devices 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 immersing a substrate such as a semiconductor substrate for a semiconductor device or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display in a processing liquid and performing various processes such as etching and cleaning on the surface thereof. The present invention relates to a carrier detection device and a substrate transfer device that can be used in the substrate processing apparatus and can detect the direction of a carrier accommodating a plurality of substrates.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a manufacturing process of a precision electronic substrate using a semiconductor wafer or the like as a semiconductor substrate,
2. Description of the Related Art A substrate processing apparatus having a processing unit that performs a series of various processes such as a chemical solution process and a water washing process on a substrate by sequentially immersing the substrate in a plurality of processing tanks storing various process liquids is used. Such a substrate processing apparatus exchanges semiconductor wafers with another processing apparatus in a state where the semiconductor wafers are accommodated in a carrier for accommodating a plurality of semiconductor wafers arranged in a line with their main surfaces arranged in parallel. I do. The loading side where the carrier is loaded into the processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus,
A carry-in side semiconductor wafer transfer device and a carry-out side semiconductor wafer transfer device are provided on the unloading side where the carrier is unloaded from the processing unit.

In such a substrate processing apparatus, in a semiconductor wafer transfer apparatus on the loading side, a transfer carrier is loaded from outside the apparatus, and the unprocessed semiconductor is transferred from the loaded transfer carrier to the processing section carrier. The wafer is transferred. The semiconductor wafer transferred to the processing unit carrier is subjected to various processes in the processing unit while being accommodated in the processing unit carrier. Thereafter, when the various processes are completed, the processed semiconductor wafers are transferred from the carrier for the processing section to the carrier for transport in the semiconductor wafer transfer device on the unloading side.

FIG. 10 shows a mounting table capable of detecting a mounting direction in which a carrier is mounted in such a semiconductor wafer transfer apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a carrier is mounted on a mounting table in a conventional semiconductor wafer transfer apparatus. The plane indicated by arrow F in the figure is the front of the apparatus.

In FIG. 10, a plurality of semiconductor wafers 61
The carrier 62 accommodating a substrate such as the above is moved by a positioning guide 65 disposed at a predetermined position on a mounting table 64 corresponding to the square portion at the front and rear positions of the two leg portions 63 arranged in parallel in the front and rear direction. Two pieces are placed so as to be positioned adjacent to each other in front and rear. A notch 66 is formed at a front portion on either side of both legs 63 of the carrier 62. The notch 66 is fitted at a predetermined position on the mounting table 64 corresponding to the notch 66. A mating convex member 67 is provided. When mounting the carrier 62 on the mounting table 64,
The mounting direction of the carrier 62 is detected by fitting the notch 66 with the convex member 67. In other words, the operator directly mounts the carrier 62 at the front and back positions on the mounting table 64, and when the mounting direction of the carrier 62 is different between the front and rear, the convex member The leg 63 rides on the 67 and the carrier 62 tilts, and the operator has visually confirmed the cassette mounting direction.

[0007]

The cassette mounting direction can be confirmed by fitting the notch 66 of the leg 63 of the carrier 62 with the convex member 67 on the mounting table 64 so that the carrier 62 is inclined. If not, the operator determines that the mounting direction of the carrier 62 is correct, and if they are not fitted and the carrier 62 is mounted in an inclined state in a floating state, the operator Although it can be determined that the mounting direction of 62 is incorrect, these determinations are made by the operator visually, and there is a possibility that an oversight may occur.

As described above, if the inclination of the carrier 62 is overlooked, the carrier 62 is floated and placed in an inclined state. Therefore, when the semiconductor wafer is transferred, the carrier is transported together with the mounting table while being inclined. When a plurality of semiconductor wafers are pushed up and removed from the carrier, there is a possibility that the semiconductor wafers may be damaged due to being lifted up together with the carriers or not normally held by the members being pushed up.

If the cutout 66 is not formed in the leg 63 of the carrier 62 as described above, the operator can check the mounting direction of the carrier 62 only visually. In this case, there is a possibility that oversight may occur. In some cases, the semiconductor wafer 61 is accommodated in the carrier 62 such that the object is not in contact with the mirror side having the circuit pattern and the mirror side is arranged in the same direction. For example, a semiconductor wafer group is extracted from each of two transfer carriers, the other semiconductor wafer group is inserted between one semiconductor wafer group, and the mirror surfaces of the respective semiconductor wafer groups are opposed to each other. This is a case where processing is performed by a processing unit of a substrate processing apparatus as a group of semiconductor wafers. This is because the mirror surfaces are opposed to each other so that the back surfaces having a lower degree of cleanliness than the mirror surface (surfaces opposite to the mirror surface) are opposed to each other and come out from the back surface of one semiconductor wafer during processing in the processing unit. This is to prevent contaminants from adhering to the mirror surface of an adjacent semiconductor wafer and prevent the quality of the mirror surface from deteriorating. In this case, if the semiconductor wafer is transferred while the mounting direction of the carrier 62 is wrong, a group of semiconductor wafers whose mirror surfaces face each other cannot be obtained. If various processes are performed in the processing unit while the orientation of the semiconductor wafer is incorrect, there is a possibility that inconvenience may occur in maintaining the quality of the mirror surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and eliminates visual confirmation by an operator so that the orientation of a carrier on a mounting table can be correctly determined, and damage to a wafer at the time of wafer transfer can be achieved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a carrier detection device, a substrate transfer device, and a substrate processing device that can prevent the trouble of the above and maintain the quality on the wafer mirror side.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided a carrier detecting apparatus for detecting a mounting direction of a carrier capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates, which is mounted on a mounting table. And a detection unit for detecting a mounting direction of the carrier having an identification unit having a different shape at a rear part, and controlling to notify whether the mounting direction of the carrier is a predetermined direction according to a detection output from the detection unit. And a control unit.

With this configuration, the detection unit automatically detects the direction of the carrier having the identification unit having different shapes at the front part and the rear part, and determines whether the direction of the carrier is the predetermined direction according to the detection output. The operator is not required to judge the direction of the carrier only by visual confirmation with low reliability as in the past, but the detection unit accurately detects the direction of the carrier on the mounting table. This makes it possible to make a determination, and the direction of the carrier can always be correctly placed. Thus, it is possible to effectively prevent troubles such as damage to the wafer at the time of wafer transfer and maintain the quality of the mirror surface of the wafer as in the past. Will be done.

Preferably, the detecting section in the carrier detecting apparatus of the present invention detects, as an identification section, that the height position of the lower end of the peripheral surface of the carrier is different between the front side and the rear side. And

[0014] With this configuration, it is possible to easily and accurately confirm the direction of the carrier without visual confirmation by the operator by sensing the height position of the lower end.

Further, preferably, the detecting section in the carrier detecting apparatus of the present invention has an elevating mechanism for raising and lowering a detecting member for detecting the identification section between an upper position and a lower position.

According to this configuration, the mounting table on which the carrier is mounted slides in the left-right direction. At this time, if the detecting unit is retracted below the mounting table by the elevating mechanism, the mounting table slides. The operation does not interfere with the detection operation by the detection unit, and there is no need to provide the detection unit on the mounting table, and trouble such as disconnection of the wiring for the detection unit due to the sliding operation of the mounting table does not occur.

Further, in the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus having a substrate processing section for immersing a substrate in a processing liquid and performing various types of processing on its surface. At least one of them is provided with the carrier detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

According to this configuration, the carrier detecting device of the present invention can be easily and effectively applied to the carrier carrying-in side and the carry-out side of the substrate processing apparatus to prevent trouble at the time of transferring the substrate in the substrate processing apparatus and to reduce the wafer mirror side. The quality of the wafer is effectively maintained, and the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus can be improved and the quality of the wafer can be maintained and improved.

Further, the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention places the first carrier accommodating the substrate, and reciprocates between the carrier transfer position where the carrier is loaded from the outside and the substrate transfer position. A mounting table, a second mounting table on which the second carrier is mounted, and reciprocating between a substrate transfer position and a carrier unloading position where the carrier is unloaded to the outside; and a first carrier at the substrate transfer position. 2. A substrate transfer device comprising: a substrate transfer unit that extracts a substrate from a substrate and transfers the extracted substrate to a second carrier.
A substrate transfer device provided with the carrier detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

With this configuration, the direction of the carrier can be surely confirmed.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus to which a carrier detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 1, a substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a transfer-side wafer for collectively transferring a plurality of semiconductor wafers 2 from a carrier 3 containing a plurality of semiconductor wafers 2 to a carrier 4 for a processing section. A transfer unit 5, an unloading-side wafer transfer unit 6 for collectively transferring a plurality of semiconductor wafers 2 from the processing unit carrier 4 to the transfer carrier 3, and an adjacent wafer transfer unit 5. A processing unit 7 in which a series of various processes such as a chemical solution process and a water washing process are performed on the semiconductor wafer 2 by sequentially immersing the semiconductor wafer 2 in a plurality of processing tanks each storing a processing solution that is various chemical solutions or pure water.
And a drying unit 8 disposed between the processing unit 7 and the wafer transfer unit 6 on the unloading side, and spin-drying the semiconductor wafer 2 processed by the processing unit 7.

The processing unit 7 includes a hand cleaning unit 9 for cleaning a hand of a transfer robot that transfers a plurality of semiconductor wafers 2 to each of these processing tanks, and a hand cleaning unit 9 adjacent to the hand cleaning unit 9 for removing a nitride film. No. 1 containing phosphoric acid solution as chemical solution
And a second phosphoric acid tank 11 adjacent to the phosphoric acid tank 10 and containing a phosphoric acid solution as a chemical solution for removing a nitride film.
And a function washing tank (QDR: Quick Duplex) which is adjacent to the phosphoric acid tank 11 and quickly rinses the phosphoric acid attached to the semiconductor wafer 2 with water.
A mp Rinse 12 and a final rinsing tank (FR: Final Rinse) 13 adjacent to the functional rinsing tank (QDR) 12 for finally rinsing the semiconductor wafer 2 are provided in the order of substrate processing. The reason why two tanks are provided as the first and second phosphoric acid tanks 10 and 11 is that the nitride film removal processing by these phosphoric acid tanks 10 and 11 takes longer time than the processing by other tanks. This is because the nitride film removal processing is performed in parallel to shorten the time. In addition, functional washing tank (QDR) 12
When the phosphoric acid attached to the semiconductor wafer 2 remains in the tank, the nitride film removing function proceeds. Therefore, immediately after the semiconductor wafer 2 having the phosphoric acid solution is The process of discharging the pure water containing water, then supplying new pure water while holding the wafer, washing the semiconductor wafer 2 further, and discharging the pure water again is repeated several times. In the processing section 7 of the present embodiment, the tank configuration of the nitride film removing process has been described as a series of various processes, but in addition to the nitride film removing process, a resist stripping process, an oxide film etching process, a light etching process, and the like. And various kinds of processing such as pre-diffusion cleaning processing.

The wafer transfer section 5 on the carry-in side transfers the semiconductor wafers 2 from the two transfer carriers 3, 3 each accommodating, for example, 25 semiconductor wafers 2 in the direction in which the semiconductor wafers 2 are arranged. In a state where the distance between these two semiconductor wafer groups is reduced, 50
The semiconductor wafer group is formed as a single group, and the semiconductor wafer group is transferred to one processing unit carrier 4 that can accommodate the semiconductor wafer group. These transfer carriers 3 and 3 are carriers for accommodating a plurality of semiconductor wafers 2 when exchanging the semiconductor wafers 2 with the apparatus 14 or the like in another process in the clean room.
The processing unit carrier 4 is a carrier that is resistant to a processing liquid for accommodating a plurality of semiconductor wafers 2 transported in the processing unit 7 and the drying unit 8 in the apparatus main body. In the case of the wafer transfer unit 6 on the unloading side, contrary to the case of the wafer transfer unit 5, one carrier 4 for one processing unit is used.
, The semiconductor wafer 2 is transferred to two transfer carriers 3, 3, and the other configuration is the same as that of the transfer-side wafer transfer unit 5.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external structure of the wafer transfer unit 5 of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA 'showing the internal front structure of the wafer transfer unit 5 of FIG. 1, and FIG. First table 2
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the carrier 3 is placed on 2 and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB ′ of FIG.

In FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, on the left side of the gantry 21, two transfer carriers 3 in which twenty-five semiconductor wafers 2 are accommodated arranged in a row in a direction perpendicular to the surface. A first table 22 is provided as a mounting table on which each of the tables 3 can be mounted. On the right side of the gantry 21, one processing unit carrier 4 in which 50 semiconductor wafers 2 are accommodated in a line in a direction perpendicular to the surface thereof is accommodated.
A second table 23 is provided as a mounting table on which can be placed. The first table 22 is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction between a carrier carry-in position 24 and a central wafer transfer position 25 by a cylinder as a drive mechanism (not shown). Table 23 of
It is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction between a carrier unloading position 27 and a wafer transfer position 25 by a cylinder 26 as a driving mechanism.

Below the wafer transfer position 25, the first table 22 or the second
Rises in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) between a position below the cassette mounting position and a wafer holding position above the cassette mounting position via the opening 28 of the table 23 to push up the semiconductor wafer group from within the carrier 3. Alternatively, pushers 29 and 30 that move down so as to place the semiconductor wafer group in the carrier 4 are disposed in front and rear, respectively. Further, these pushers 29 and 30 move in the Y-axis direction (front-back direction) in order to reduce the distance between the two semiconductor wafer groups. In this case, at least one of these pushers 29, 30 may be moved in the Y-axis direction (front-back direction).

The lifting mechanism of the pushers 29, 30 is provided with a drive motor 31, a ball screw 32 rotated by the drive motor 31, and a threaded engagement with the ball screw 32. A rod member 3 provided at a tip end thereof with an elevating / lowering moving member 34 that moves up and down by using the rail member 33 as a guide means, and a receiving portion 35 that receives the lower end edge of the semiconductor wafer group by fitting it in the groove.
6 has an actuator member 37 fixed to the lifting / lowering moving member 34. Further, the moving mechanism in the Y-axis direction (front-back direction) moves at least one of the pushers 29 and 30 to the drive motor 31, the ball screw 32, the lifting / lowering moving member 34, the actuator member 37, and the like in the Y-axis direction ( In this case, the distance between the two semiconductor wafer groups is reduced by moving a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction.

Further, a pair of chuck members 38 for holding the wafer are disposed at the upper wafer holding position, and each of the pair of chuck members 38 has the axial direction of the arrangement direction of the semiconductor wafers 2. Each is configured to be rotatable. A groove 39 into which the edge of the semiconductor wafer 2 can be fitted is provided on the inner surfaces of the pair of chuck members 38.
Are formed in the direction in which the semiconductor wafers 2 are arranged,
By rotating the semiconductor wafer 2 with the arrangement direction of the semiconductor wafers 2 as the axial direction, both ends of the semiconductor wafer 2 are sandwiched and held by the groove portions 39 of the pair of chuck members 38 from both sides. Reference numeral 40 denotes a positioning guide for positioning the carriers 3 and 4.

On the other hand, the first
In the lower part of the table 22, the direction of the carrier 3 is detected by the seesaw mechanism 41 and the optical sensor 42, and the operator is notified by the optical sensor 4 whether the orientation of the carrier 3 is correct.
A carrier detection device 44 is provided which controls the control unit 43 to make a notification in response to the detection output from the control unit 2. The seesaw mechanism portion 41 has a lower arm and an upper arm arranged in parallel with each other, and has a disc-shaped upper end portion of an arm member 45 whose lower end and upper end are bent and connected at right angles. Or roller-shaped actuator unit 4
6 are provided, and are configured to be rotatable around a pivot 47 thereof. The weight member 48 is attached to the lower arm side so that the arm member 45 always faces almost vertically.
Is fixed, and when the actuator portion 46 is pressed in the vertical direction, the lower end of the lower arm is held in a balanced state so that it swings to the left (to the right). A member 49 is provided. That is, the arm member 45 is pivotally supported by the weight member 48.
Is stopped by the stopper member 49. The light sensor 42 has a light projecting portion and a light receiving portion disposed in a substantially U-shaped portion having an open upper portion. The lower end of the lower arm of the arm member 45 is inserted into the U-shaped portion. Transmission type optical sensor (photo sensor) that detects the cassette mounting direction depending on whether the light is shielded
It is.

Further, a cylinder 50 with a rodless guide as a vertical moving mechanism for raising and lowering the seesaw mechanism 41 and the optical sensor 42 is disposed below the seesaw mechanism 41 and the optical sensor 42, and is provided with a carrier. At the time of detecting the mounting direction, the lower end 51 of the front peripheral surface of the carrier 3 shown in FIG. 6A presses the actuator 46 downward with the seesaw mechanism 41 and the optical sensor 42 raised. . In other words, the peripheral shape of the carrier 3 is on the front side, the semiconductor wafer 2 is covered so as not to directly touch the mirror side with the circuit pattern, and the rear side is in view of material cost and weight reduction. From minimally covered. Therefore, the lower end portions 51 and 52 of the peripheral surface of the carrier 3 are different between the front surface side in FIG. 6A and the rear surface side in FIG.
Focusing on the fact that 1 is at a position significantly lower than the lower end 52 of the peripheral surface on the back side, the lower end 51 on the front side is used as the identification unit to press the actuator 46 to detect the cassette orientation. It is configured to be. The arm member 45 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 3 around the pivot support 47 as a center of rotation by the pressing of the lower end portion 51 on the front surface side of the actuator portion 46, and the lower end of the lower arm of the arm member 45. The part detects the cassette mounting direction by blocking the transmission optical axis between the U-shaped parts of the optical sensor 42 and detecting the presence or absence of the lower end 51 of the peripheral surface on the front side of the carrier 3. I have.

Further, the output terminal of the optical sensor 42 is
3 and is connected to the notification unit 53 via the optical sensor 42.
The control unit 43 notifies the operator of whether or not the direction of the carrier 3 is the predetermined direction according to the detection output from the control unit 53 via a notification unit 53 such as an alarm lamp or an alarm buzzer.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below. First, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is installed in a clean room, and the operator moves the wafer processing unit 1 from the front to a position on the first table 22 in the wafer transfer unit 5 on the wafer loading side on the first table 22 on the back side and the front side. The carriers 3 are placed so as to be positioned by the positioning guides 40, respectively.

At this time, the carrier detecting device 44 is provided with the seesaw mechanism 41 by the cylinder 50 with the rodless guide.
In addition, the optical sensor 42 is located at the upper detection position by the ascending operation, and the actuator unit 46 is pressed downward by using the lower end 51 of the peripheral surface on the front surface side of the carrier 3 as the identification unit.
Actuator section 4 formed by lower end 51 of the peripheral surface on the front side
6, the arm member 45 is rotated clockwise in FIG.
The lower end of the lower arm 5 shields the transmitted light axis of the optical sensor 42 from light. The optical sensor 42 detects and outputs a light-shielded state (when the cassette mounting direction is correct) to the control unit 43.
Since the cassette mounting direction is correct, the alarm unit 53 such as an alarm lamp and an alarm buzzer does not notify an alarm.

When the mounting direction of the carrier 3 on the first table 22 is reversed, the cylinder unit 50 with the rodless guide moves the actuator unit 46 of the seesaw mechanism unit 41 to the upper detection position where the actuator unit 46 has been raised by a predetermined distance. However, the height position of the lower end 52 of the peripheral surface on the back side of the carrier 3 is higher than the height position of the lower end 51 of the peripheral surface on the front side, and the upper end of the actuator section 46 is located at the lower end 52 of the peripheral surface on the back side. , The actuator 46 of the arm member 45 is not pressed by the lower end 52 of the peripheral surface, and the lower end of the lower arm of the arm 45 blocks the transmitted optical axis of the optical sensor 42. Without being transmitted. In this case, the optical sensor 42 detects and outputs the transmission state (when the cassette mounting direction is wrong) to the control unit 43,
Since the cassette mounting direction is wrong, an alarm is issued via an alarm unit 53 such as an alarm lamp or an alarm buzzer. At that time, the operator changes the mounting direction of the carrier 3 and mounts the carrier 3 in the correct direction.
Further, the driving of the carry-in substrate transfer unit 5 is started by a switch operation by the operator or detection of the correct orientation of the carrier 3.

First, the loading wafer transfer unit 5 is moved from the carrier loading position 24 by a cylinder as a drive mechanism (not shown), with the first table 22 having the carrier 3 placed back and forth. It moves to the wafer transfer position 25 at the center. At the wafer transfer position 25, the semiconductor wafer groups in the front and rear carriers 3 are respectively moved through the openings 28 of the first table 22 by the drive motor 31 and the pushers 29, 30 by the upward drive of the ball screw 32. Each of the receiving portions 35 pushes up the carrier 3 and pulls it out. In this state, the pair of chuck members 38 are rotated inward, so that both edge portions of the semiconductor wafer 2 are aligned with the groove portions 39 of the pair of chuck members 38.
And hold it from both sides. This state is shown in FIG. 7a.

Next, the drive motor 31 and the ball screw 3
2 receiving part 35 of pusher 29, 30 by lowering drive
Is separated from the group of held semiconductor wafers and waits at a position below the opening 28 of the first table 22.
Thereafter, the first table 22 is moved from the wafer transfer position 25 to the carrier carrying-in position 24 by a cylinder as a driving mechanism (not shown) while the empty carrier 3 is placed back and forth, and the second table 22 is moved to the second position. The table 23 is moved from a carrier take-out position 27 to a wafer transfer position 25 by a cylinder 26 serving as a drive mechanism while the empty carrier 4 for the processing section is placed thereon. This state is shown in FIG.
Is shown in

Further, at the wafer transfer position 25, the receiving portion 35 of the pushers 29, 30 through the opening of the second table 23 and the carrier 4, which is driven upward by the driving motor 31 and the ball screw 32, It rises toward the semiconductor wafer group held by the pair of chuck members 38 and receives and holds the upper edge of the semiconductor wafer group in the groove on the inner surface of the receiving portion 35. In this holding state,
By rotating the pair of chuck members 38 outward, the semiconductor wafer 2 is released from the holding state, and the two front and rear semiconductor wafer groups are held by only the receiving portions 35, respectively. Further, the drive motor 31 and the ball screw 32
Of the pushers 29, 30 by the downward drive of the
At this time, at least one of the pushers 29 and 30 moves by a predetermined distance in the Y-axis direction (front-back direction), so that the distance between the two semiconductor wafer groups is reduced. Perform the operation of packing to fit the dimensions. Further, both the receiving portions 35 of the pushers 29 and 30 by the downward drive of the drive motor 31 and the ball screw 32 place the semiconductor wafer group in the carrier 4,
The second table 23 waits at a position below the opening 28. At this time, an empty carrier 3 has been removed from the first table 22 to replenish a new semiconductor wafer 2. This state is shown in FIG. 7c.

Further, the second table 23 is moved from the wafer transfer position 25 to the carrier removal position 27 by the cylinder 26 together with the carrier 4 on which the transferred conductive wafer group is mounted. Next, the semiconductor wafer group is collectively transported together by a transport robot hand (not shown) so as to be immersed in the processing liquid in each processing tank of the processing unit 7 together with the carrier 4 to perform various processes. After being applied, it is spin-dried and collected in the carrier 4 of the wafer transfer unit 6 on the unloading side. Thereafter, in the unloading-side wafer transfer unit 6, contrary to the case of the wafer transfer unit 5, two semiconductor wafers are transferred from one processing unit carrier 4 to two transfer carriers 3 and 3. They are divided into groups and transferred to the front and rear carriers 3 respectively. The operator
Both the front and rear carriers 3 are carried out in a state where the processed semiconductor wafer groups are accommodated.

As described above, the detection unit detects the direction of the carrier 3 having the discriminating portions having different shapes at the front surface and the rear surface, and determines whether the direction of the carrier 3 is the predetermined direction according to the detection output. Is notified via the control unit 43,
The operator can automatically and accurately determine the direction of the carrier 3 on the first table 22 instead of determining the direction of the carrier 3 by visual confirmation with low reliability as in the related art. Since the orientation of the carrier 3 is always placed correctly, troubles such as damage to the wafer at the time of transferring the wafer due to the inclination of the carrier 3 caused by the projection for confirming the orientation as in the related art are prevented. become. In addition, since the carrier 3 is always placed in the correct orientation, the quality of the mirror surface of the wafer can be effectively maintained.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment is
This is an example of a multi-tank type substrate processing apparatus to which the carrier detection device 44 according to the present invention is applied, and specific configurations of the substrate processing apparatus and the processing tank can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is. For example, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied not only to a multi-tank type substrate processing apparatus but also to a single-tank type substrate processing apparatus.

In the present embodiment, the carrier detecting device 44 detects the direction of the carrier 3 at two positions, the front position and the rear position, of the first table 22, and notifies the detection result. In the case where the carrier 3 is transferred between two positions, ie, the front position and the rear position of the first table 22, the direction of the carrier 3 is determined only by the front position of the first table 22, as shown in FIG. Detection device 5 for detecting
4 may be provided to notify the detection result.

Further, in the present embodiment, the direction of the carrier 3 at the front and rear positions of the first table 22 on which the carrier 3 for carrying the cassette is placed has been described as an example.
Detecting the orientation of the carrier 3 at the front and rear positions of the first table 22 on which the carrier 3 for carrying the cassette on the cassette unloading side is placed;
Second table 2 on which carrier 4 for substrate processing section is placed
The carrier detection device 44 and the carrier detection device 54 can be applied to the detection of the direction of the carrier 4 at the front and rear positions 3.

Further, in the present embodiment, the seesaw mechanism 4
The direction of the carrier 3 is detected by detecting the presence / absence of the lower end 51 of the peripheral surface on the front side of the carrier 3 by the optical sensor 42 through the optical sensor 1. However, as shown in FIG. The lower end 51 of the peripheral surface on the surface side of the carrier 3 between the U-shaped portions of the optical sensor 42a without interposing
Alternatively, the direction of the carrier 3 may be detected by directly detecting the presence / absence. In this case, the U-shaped portion of the optical sensor 42 a may be configured to be able to move up and down so as to retreat below the first table 22, or may be configured to be directly attached to the first table 22. . Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9B, the carrier 3 may be configured to be able to move up and down so that the switch button 55a of the limit switch 55 is located in a cutout portion 57 formed in the front portion of the leg portion 56. Alternatively, it may be directly attached to the first table 22.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, the direction of the carrier having the discriminating portions having different shapes at the front portion and the rear portion is automatically detected by the detecting portion, and the direction of the carrier is detected in accordance with the detected output. The operator is notified whether the direction is the predetermined direction through the control unit, so the operator can automatically determine the direction of the carrier on the mounting table, instead of determining the direction of the carrier only by visually checking with low reliability as in the conventional case. It is possible to accurately and accurately determine the direction of the carrier, and it is possible to always correctly detect the direction of the carrier, and to prevent troubles such as damage to the wafer at the time of wafer transfer as in the related art. In addition, the direction of the carrier can always be correctly placed, and the quality on the mirror side of the wafer can be effectively maintained.

Further, if the direction of the carrier is detected by detecting an identification portion in which the lower end portion of the peripheral surface of the carrier is different between the front surface and the rear surface, the operator can confirm the direction of the carrier without visual confirmation by the operator. Can be easily performed by sensing the lower end of the peripheral surface of the carrier.

Further, since the mounting table on which the carrier is mounted slides in the left-right direction, if the detector is retracted below the mounting table by the elevating mechanism during this sliding, the sliding operation of the mounting table can be reduced. It does not interfere with the detection operation by the detection unit, and it is not necessary to provide the detection unit on the mounting table, and troubles such as disconnection of the wiring for the detection unit due to the sliding operation of the mounting table can be prevented.

Further, the carrier detecting device of the present invention can be easily and effectively applied to the carrier loading side and the unloading side of the substrate processing apparatus, and it is possible to prevent trouble at the time of substrate transfer in the substrate processing apparatus. Thus, the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus can be improved.

Further, in the substrate transfer device for extracting the substrate from the first carrier and transferring the extracted substrate to the second carrier, the carrier detecting device is provided, so that the direction of the carrier can be confirmed reliably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus to which a carrier detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of a wafer transfer unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing an internal front configuration of a wafer transfer unit in FIG. 1;
It is A 'sectional drawing.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state where a carrier is placed on a first table 22 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB ′ of FIG. 4 including a side configuration of the carrier detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

6A is a front view of a carrier accommodating a semiconductor wafer, and FIG. 6B is a rear view of the carrier of FIG.

FIGS. 7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating each step of a wafer transfer operation of the wafer transfer unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating a configuration of a carrier detection device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9A is a perspective view showing another example of the carrier detection device,
b is a side view showing still another example of the carrier detection device.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a carrier is mounted on a mounting table in a conventional semiconductor wafer transfer apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 2 Semiconductor wafer 3, 4 Carrier 3a, 46 Leg part 5, 6 Wafer transfer part 7 Processing part 22 First table 23 Second table 24 Carrier carry-in position 25 Wafer transfer position 26 Cylinder 27 Carrier take-out Position 28 Opening 29, 30 Pusher 38 Chuck member 40 Positioning guide 41 Seesaw mechanism 42, 42a Optical sensor 43 Control unit 44, 54 Carrier detector 45 Arm member 46 Actuator 47 Shaft support 48 Weight member 49 Stopper member 50 Rodless Guided cylinders 51, 52 Lower end of peripheral surface 53 Notification unit 55 Limit switch 55a Switch button 57 Notch

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A carrier detecting device for detecting a mounting direction of a carrier mounted on a mounting table and capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates, the carrier having an identification portion having different shapes at a front portion and a rear portion. A carrier for detecting whether or not the mounting direction of the carrier is a predetermined direction in accordance with a detection output from the detecting unit. Detection device. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects that a height position of a lower end of a peripheral surface of the carrier is different between a front surface side and a rear surface side as an identification unit. Item 4. The carrier detection device according to item 1. 3. The carrier detection device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit includes a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers a detection member that detects the identification unit between an upper position and a lower position. 4. A substrate processing apparatus having a substrate processing unit for immersing a substrate in a processing liquid to perform various types of processing on the surface thereof, wherein at least one of the carrier loading side and the unloading side of the substrate processing unit. A substrate processing apparatus provided with the carrier detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. A first carrier on which a first carrier accommodating a substrate is placed and which reciprocates between a carrier loading position where a carrier is loaded from the outside and a substrate transfer position, and a second carrier. And a second carrier reciprocating between a substrate transfer position and a carrier carrying-out position where the carrier is carried out to the outside.
And a substrate transfer means for extracting the substrate from the first carrier at the substrate transfer position and transferring the extracted substrate to the second carrier. A substrate transfer device provided with the carrier detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.