JPH1022192A - Substrate treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treating device which does not require any large installed area. SOLUTION: A substrate treating device is provided with a plurality of substrate treating sections including a heat-treating section 1 and a substrate carrying device which moves between each substrate treating section while the device holds a substrate W and, at the same time, delivers the substrate W to each substrate treating section. The heat treating section 1 is provided with a substrate holding table 2 which holds the substrate W in an erected state and a hot plate 4 which has a heat-treating surface 3 faced to the substrate W held on the table 2, and heats or cools the heat-treating surface 3. Alternatively, a motor 8 which rotates the substrate W held on the table 2 around the center (CJ axis) of the substrate W against the heat-treating surface of the plate 4 can be installed to the table 2. The substrate carrying device, in addition, is constituted so that the device can switch the attitude of a substrate holding arm, which can hold the substrate W in an erected attitude or horizontal attitude, between the erected and the horizontal attitudes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plurality of substrate processing units including a heat treatment unit, and a substrate transfer means for holding a substrate, moving between the substrate processing units, and transferring a substrate to each substrate processing unit. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved technique of a heat treatment section and a substrate transfer means for reducing the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A substrate processing apparatus of this type includes a plurality of substrate processing units such as a heat treatment unit (a heat processing unit and a cooling processing unit), a spin coater, and a spin developer, and a substrate holding unit. And a substrate transfer device that transfers a substrate to each substrate processing unit.

Conventionally, in this apparatus, substrate processing in each substrate processing section is performed while holding the substrate in a horizontal position, and the substrate is transported in the apparatus (movement between the substrate processing sections and movement of each substrate processing section. The transfer of the substrate is also performed while the substrate is held in a horizontal position.

[0004]

However, the prior art having such a structure has the following problems. As in the conventional apparatus, if the substrate processing in each substrate processing unit or the transfer of the substrate in the apparatus is performed while holding the substrate in a horizontal posture, the horizontal area of each substrate processing unit,
The horizontal area of the substrate transfer path for transferring the substrate by the substrate transfer device has to be increased, and as a result, the installation area of the device has been increased. Although this type of substrate processing apparatus is installed in a clean room where running costs are high, the conventional apparatus has a problem that the use efficiency of the floor of the clean room is poor. In addition, the size of the substrate is increasing, and the size of the substrate is likely to increase further in the future.However, in the configuration of the conventional apparatus, the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus increases in proportion to the increase in the size of the substrate. The fact is that it has to grow.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of reducing the installation area of the apparatus.

[0006]

The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above object. That is, the invention according to claim 1 includes a plurality of substrate processing units including a heat treatment unit, and a substrate transport unit that holds a substrate, moves between the substrate processing units, and transfers a substrate to each substrate processing unit. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a substrate holding unit configured to hold the substrate in an upright posture; and a heat treatment surface facing the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, and heating or cooling the heat treatment surface. And a heat plate to be provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the substrate held by the substrate holding means is positioned at a center of the substrate with respect to a heat treatment surface of the heat plate. It is characterized by further comprising a rotating means for rotating around.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus of the first or second aspect, the substrate holding arm is capable of holding the substrate in the standing posture state and the horizontal posture state. And posture changing means for changing the posture of the substrate holding arm between a standing posture and a horizontal posture,
A substrate delivery unit for delivering a substrate to each substrate processing unit via the substrate holding arm; and a moving unit for moving the substrate holding arm between the substrate processing units. It is.

[0009]

The operation of the present invention is as follows. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the substrate is held by the substrate holding means in an upright posture, and the heat treatment surface of the heat plate is heated or cooled to perform heat treatment (heating treatment or cooling treatment) on the substrate. Here, the standing posture of the substrate means a posture in which the processing surface of the substrate is parallel to the vertical axis direction.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, during the heat treatment, the substrate held by the substrate holding means of the heat treatment section by the rotation means is rotated around the center of the substrate with respect to the heat treatment surface of the heat plate. Let it. Even when the heat history in the vertical axis direction of the substrate fluctuates by performing the heat treatment (for example, heat treatment) with the substrate in an upright posture, if the substrate is rotated as described above, the substrate in the vertical axis direction can be obtained. The heat history can be made uniform.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the substrate is held by the substrate holding arm of the substrate transfer means during the transfer of the substrate. When the posture of the substrate holding arm is changed to the standing posture, the substrate held by the substrate holding arm is changed to the standing posture state, and the posture of the substrate holding arm is changed to the horizontal posture, so that the posture of the substrate holding arm is changed. The held substrate is brought into a horizontal posture state.

The substrate is transferred between the substrate holding arm and the substrate processing unit by the substrate transferring means. The substrate is processed in the upright posture as in the heat treatment unit according to the first and second aspects of the present invention. The transfer of the substrate to the substrate processing unit is performed in a state where the posture of the substrate holding arm is changed to the upright posture. The delivery of the substrate to the substrate processing unit for processing the substrate in the horizontal posture is performed in a state where the posture of the substrate holding arm is changed to the horizontal posture by the posture changing means. Here, the horizontal posture of the substrate means a posture in which the processing surface of the substrate is parallel to the horizontal direction. Further, the standing posture of the substrate holding arm refers to a posture for holding the substrate in a standing posture state, and the horizontal posture of the substrate holding arm refers to a posture for holding the substrate in a horizontal posture state.

Further, the substrate holding arm is moved by the moving means, and the substrate is moved between the substrate processing units. In this movement, the substrate may be moved while being held in the upright posture. Become.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a heat treatment section provided in a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially omitted cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a member,
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. In addition, in order to clarify the positional relationship between the respective drawings, the appropriate drawings after FIG. 1 are given an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. In the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system, the X axis and the Y axis are orthogonal axes in the horizontal direction (the XY plane is a horizontal plane), and the Z axis is a vertical axis.

The heat treatment section 1 includes a substrate holder 2 for holding a substrate W in an upright posture, and a heat plate 4 having a heat treatment surface 3 facing the substrate W held on the substrate holder 2. ing.

The substrate holding table 2 is provided with three or more (four in the drawing) substrate holding members 5 for holding at least three (four in the drawing) outer peripheral ends of the substrate W. I have. Each substrate holding member 5 opens and closes in the direction shown by the arrow in the figure along the long hole 6, and holds the substrate W by contacting the outer peripheral end of the substrate W; It is configured to be able to take a non-holding state in which the holding of the substrate W is released away from the outer peripheral end. In addition, each substrate holding member 5 is provided with a notch 5a, and the substrate W is held by the notch 5a in the holding state (see FIG. 3).

The opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing each substrate holding member 5 can be realized by a mechanism such as a link mechanism 7 shown in FIG. In the mechanism shown in FIG. 4, a disk-shaped member 7a is supported on the back surface (surface opposite to the surface holding the substrate W) of the substrate holding table 2 so as to be rotatable around the CJ axis. Each substrate holding member 5 and the disk-shaped member 7a are connected by an arm member 7b. One end of each arm member 7b is rotatably connected to the base end of each substrate holding member 5, and the other end is rotatably connected to the outer peripheral end of the disk-shaped member 7a. I have. The disk member 7a is rotated by a predetermined angle around the CJ axis by being driven by an air cylinder or the like (not shown), whereby each arm member 7b is displaced between the solid line and the two-dot chain line in the figure, The holding member 5 is opened and closed along the long hole 6.

The substrate holder 2 is rotated about the CJ axis by a motor 8. The above CJ
The axis is a shaft that passes through the center of the substrate W held by the substrate holder 2, and the substrate W held by the substrate holder 2 rotates around the center by the rotation of the substrate holder 2 around the CJ axis. It is supposed to be.

For example, if the substrate W is heat-treated in an upright position, the thermal history of the substrate may fluctuate in the vertical axis direction.
Is rotated around the center, but if there is no concern about fluctuations in the thermal history of the substrate W in the vertical axis direction, the motor 8 and the like may be omitted.

When the heat treatment section 1 is a heat treatment section,
A heating plate (heating plate) 4 is provided with a heater or the like (not shown) therein to heat the heat-treated surface 3 and
Is configured to perform a heat treatment on the substrate W held in the substrate. When the heat treatment section 1 is a cooling processing section, a Peltier element (not shown) or the like is provided inside the heat plate (cooling plate) 4 to cool the heat treatment surface 3 and to be held by the substrate holding table 2. It is configured to perform a cooling process on the substrate W. The heat plate 4 is disposed in an upright posture such that the heat treatment surface 3 faces the substrate W held on the substrate holding table 2.

In order to facilitate the transfer of the substrate W to and from the substrate transfer device, the substrate holder 2 and the heat plate 4 are connected to each other by a well-known uniaxial driving mechanism (not shown) such as a ball screw or an air cylinder. Are configured to be relatively moved toward and away from each other. When the substrate W is delivered, the substrate holder 2 and the heat plate 4 are relatively separated from each other, and during heat treatment, the substrate holder 2 and the heat plate 4 are relatively close to each other.

Here, the configuration of the conventional heat treatment section will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional heat treatment unit, and FIG. 6 is a partially omitted front view thereof.

In the conventional heat treatment section 1p, the heat plate 4 is arranged so that the heat treatment surface 3 of the heat plate 4 (the heating plate in the heat treatment section, the cooling plate in the cooling treatment section) coincides with the horizontal direction. . Then, the substrate W is placed in contact with the heat treatment surface 3 or is closely supported with a small gap (proximity gap) therebetween to be subjected to heat treatment. That is, the heat treatment is performed on the substrate W in a horizontal posture.

It is to be noted that the transfer of the substrate W in the conventional heat treatment section 1p is generally performed by a plurality of lifting pins ZP which penetrate the heating plate 4 and are provided so as to be able to move up and down. . That is, as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, the transfer of the substrate W is performed at the transfer position where the plurality of lifting pins ZP project from the heat plate 23 and the substrate W is supported above the heat plate 23.

Generally, the heat-treated surface 3 of the hot plate 4
It is configured such that its diameter is larger than the diameter of the substrate W. Therefore, in the conventional heat treatment unit 1p, since the heat treatment is performed with the substrate W in the horizontal posture, the heat treatment surface 3
(Heat plate 4) must be enlarged in the horizontal direction. If the size (diameter) of the substrate W increases,
Accordingly, the horizontal diameter of the heat treatment surface 3 (the heat plate 4) must be increased. For this reason, the horizontal area of the heat treatment unit 1p increases, and as a result, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus in which the heat treatment unit 1p is installed, an increase in the installation area is unavoidable, and the use efficiency of the floor of the clean room deteriorates. I was In addition, as the size of the substrate W increases, the horizontal area of the heat treatment unit 1p further increases, and the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus is inevitably increased.

On the other hand, the heat treatment unit 1 according to this embodiment
In this embodiment, the heat treatment is performed by arranging the heat plate 4 so that the substrate W is in the upright position and the heat treatment surface 3 is in the upright position. Can be. Furthermore, even if the size of the substrate W is increased and the diameter of the heat-treated surface 3 is increased, the direction of the increase is the vertical axis direction, and the increase in the horizontal direction hardly occurs. Therefore, according to the heat treatment unit 1 according to the present embodiment, the area in the horizontal direction can be reduced in size as compared with the conventional heat treatment unit 1p, and if the size of the substrate W is increased, the horizontal direction is proportionally increased. The effect of reducing the area is even greater.

In the conventional heat treatment section 1p, the elevation pins ZP are provided for the transfer of the substrate W. However, the elevation pins ZP have to penetrate the heat plate 4, so that the heat treatment surface 3 (the heat plate 4) is provided with a hole (through hole) HL through which the elevating pin ZP moves.
Therefore, it is difficult to equalize the heat history over the entire surface of the heat treatment surface 3, and as a result, it is difficult to equalize the heat history over the entire surface of the substrate W.

On the other hand, the heat treatment unit 1 according to this embodiment
According to this, it is not necessary to provide holes or the like on the heat treatment surface 3, it is easy to make the heat history uniform over the entire heat treatment surface 3, and the heat history over the entire surface of the substrate W can be easily made uniform. became. Furthermore, if the heat history in the vertical axis direction of the substrate W becomes non-uniform by performing the heat treatment with the substrate W in the standing posture, the substrate W in the standing posture is centered around the heat treatment surface 3 in the standing posture. Because it is made to rotate,
The thermal history over the entire surface of the substrate W can be made uniform.

Next, the structure of an embodiment of a substrate transfer apparatus suitable for being provided in the substrate processing apparatus provided with the heat treatment section according to the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a side view of a main part showing a holding state and a non-holding state of a substrate by a substrate holding arm. It is a principal part front view which shows the state in which the attitude | position was changed into the standing attitude | position and the horizontal attitude | position in the board | substrate holding arm.

The substrate transfer device 20 is configured as follows. Along a pair of rails 21 disposed in the Y-axis (or X-axis) direction in the drawing, which is a horizontal one-axis direction,
Is moved in one horizontal axis direction (Y axis direction in the drawing).

The lower part of the first pedestal 22 is provided with a turning elevating mechanism 2.
3 is attached. The turning elevating mechanism 23 is moved along the rail 21 together with the first pedestal 22. By the turning elevating mechanism 23, the elevating part 24a penetrating the first pedestal 22 is moved up and down (moves out of the first pedestal 22), and the shaft 24 rotatably protruded from the elevating part 24a is a vertical axis. It is configured to be rotated (turned) around a ZJ axis in a certain figure (the ZJ axis is an axis coinciding with the central axis of the axis 24). The turning elevating mechanism 23 includes an elevating unit 24.
a by rotation of a motor (not shown) installed in
Is rotated, and the elevating unit 24a is configured to be moved up and down by a well-known uniaxial drive mechanism (not shown) such as a ball screw.

A second pedestal 25 is attached to the upper end of the shaft 24. A semi-cylindrical member 26 is attached to the second pedestal 25 so as to be rotated about one horizontal axis (HJ1 axis in the figure) by a motor (not shown). An arm support 27 is attached to the semi-cylindrical member 26 so as to be able to move minutely in one horizontal axis (HJ2 axis in the drawing) orthogonal to the HJ1 axis.

The arm support 27 has two arm supports 28 on one horizontal axis parallel to the HJ1 axis (HJ3 in the figure).
It is individually moved in the (axial) direction (moves to and from the arm support 27).

Each arm supporting portion 28 has a substrate holding arm 2
9 are provided. Each substrate holding arm 29 includes a pair of arm members 30 configured to be openable and closable, and a substrate holding unit 31 configured to be freely retractable. A groove (not shown) is formed in each of the arm members 30 and the substrate holding portion 31 so that each arm member 30 is closed, and in the state where the substrate holding portion 31 is protruded, the substrate W is attached to each of the arm members 30 and It is held in the groove of the substrate holding part 31 (FIG. 8A). On the other hand, while each arm member 30 is opened and the substrate holding portion 31 is retracted, the substrate W
8 is released (FIG. 8).
(B)).

When the first pedestal 22 is moved along the rail 21, the substrate holding arm 29 is moved horizontally by one axis (Y
Axis). Further, the elevating part 24 a is moved up and down with respect to the first pedestal 22 so that the substrate holding arm 2
9 is raised and lowered. Further, by rotating the shaft 24 about the ZJ axis, the direction in which the substrate holding arm 29 moves with respect to the arm holding table 27 can be changed. With these operations, the substrate holding arm 29 is moved between a plurality of substrate processing units including the heat treatment unit 1 installed in the substrate processing apparatus.

Further, by rotating the semi-cylindrical member 26 about the HJ1 axis with respect to the second pedestal 25, the substrate holding arm 29 stands up (position for holding the substrate W in the upright position), and The posture is changed between a horizontal posture (a posture for holding the substrate W in the horizontal posture state) (see FIGS. 7 and 9).

Further, the movement of the substrate holding arm 29 with respect to the arm holding table 27, the movement of the semi-cylindrical member 26 with respect to the arm holding table 27 in the HJ2-axis direction, the holding of the substrate W by the substrate holding arm 29, and the like. With the release operation, delivery of the substrate W to each substrate processing unit is performed.

According to the substrate transfer apparatus 20, the transfer of the substrate W to the substrate processing unit for processing the substrate while holding the substrate W in the upright posture as in the heat treatment unit 1 according to the present embodiment is performed by using the substrate holding arm 29. It can be performed in a standing posture.
On the other hand, the delivery of the substrate W to a conventional general substrate processing unit that performs substrate processing while holding the substrate W in a horizontal position can be performed with the substrate holding arm 29 in a horizontal position. Further, the movement between the substrate processing units can be performed with the substrate holding arm 29 (substrate W) standing upright or in a horizontal posture.

Next, an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus provided with the above-described heat treatment section and substrate transfer device will be described with reference to a plan sectional view of FIG.

The substrate processing apparatus includes a heat treatment section 1 (heat treatment section 1h and cooling treatment section 1c) according to the above embodiment,
Arrangement units R1 and R2 in which a plurality of substrate processing units such as a spin coater SC and a spin developer SD are arranged,
It is provided with the substrate transfer path TR of the substrate transfer device 20 interposed therebetween.

The arrangement direction (Y-axis direction) of the rails 21 of the substrate transfer device 20 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the substrate transfer path TR.

As described above, the heat treatment section 1 is configured to perform the heat treatment while holding the substrate W in the upright posture.
Here, the substrate holding table 2 of the heat treatment unit 1 and the substrate transfer device 20
The transfer of the substrate W to and from the substrate holding arm 29 will be described.

The substrate W held by the substrate holding arm 29
Is transferred to the substrate holder 2 with reference to FIG.

The substrate holding arm 29 is moved in front of the heat treatment section 1 to be transferred by moving or elevating the substrate along the substrate transport path TR.
Of the substrate holding arm 29 relative to the heat treatment unit 1 is adjusted. Then, if the substrate holding arm 29 is in the standing posture, the posture is changed to the standing posture if it is in the horizontal posture, and then the substrate holding arm 29 is sent out to the arm holding base 27 (FIG. 12A).

Next, the arm support 27 is slightly moved in the direction of the HJ2 axis (the right direction in the figure) to position the substrate W at a position where the substrate holding member 5 of the substrate holder 2 can hold the substrate W ( FIG. 12 (b). At this time, the substrate holding member 5 of the substrate holding table 2 is open. Then, when the substrate W is positioned at a position where the substrate holding member 5 can hold the substrate W by the above operation, the substrate holding member 5 is closed and the substrate W is also held on the substrate holding table 2 side (FIG. 12C). ).

Then, the substrate W by the substrate holding arm 29 is
Is released, the arm support 27 is slightly moved in the HJ2 axis direction (left direction in the drawing) to avoid interference between the substrate holding arm 29 and the substrate holding member 5, and the arm member 30 is closed. The substrate holding arm 29 is retracted (FIG. 12D). Thereby, the substrate W held by the substrate holding arm 29 can be delivered to the substrate holding table 2. When the substrate holding arm 29 is moved in the horizontal posture, the substrate W is delivered to the substrate holding table 2 and the substrate holding arm 29 is retracted. Then, the posture of the substrate holding arm 29 in the standing posture is changed to the horizontal posture. Will be.

In the heat treatment section 1, when the substrate W is received, the substrate holding table 2 holding the substrate W and the heat plate 4 relatively approach each other, and the substrate W and the heat treatment surface 3 are disposed close to each other. Heat treatment is performed. At this time, if the thermal history of the substrate W in the vertical axis direction fluctuates, the heat treatment is performed by rotating the substrate holding table 2 around the CJ axis and rotating the substrate W around the center with respect to the heat treatment surface 3 ( FIG. 12 (e).

When the substrate W held on the substrate holding table 2 is taken out by the substrate holding arm 29, the operation can be performed in substantially the reverse of the above operation.

The spin coater SC and the spin developer SD are generally configured to hold the substrate W on a spin chuck SS in a horizontal position and perform a resist coating process and a developing process, as shown in FIG. .

The transfer of the substrate W between the spin chuck SS and the substrate holding arm 29 is performed by changing the posture of the substrate holding arm 29, moving the substrate holding arm 29 to and from the arm holding table 27, and transferring the substrate W to the arm holding table 27. , And the operations of holding and releasing the substrate W by the substrate holding arm 29 are appropriately combined.

For example, when the substrate W held by the substrate holding arm 29 is transferred to the spin chuck SS, the posture of the substrate holding arm 29 is changed and the substrate holding arm 29 is sent out to the arm holder 27 so that the substrate W is kept in a horizontal position. The substrate W held by the substrate holding arm 29 is positioned above the spin chuck SS, and the HJ2
A horizontal movement of the substrate W is performed on the spin chuck 1 by a minute movement in the axial direction (in this case, the substrate holding arm 29 is lowered) and an operation of releasing the holding of the substrate W by the substrate holding arm 29. Thus, the transfer of the substrate W from the substrate holding arm 29 to the spin chuck SS is performed. The posture change of the substrate holding arm 29 is performed by changing the posture of the substrate holding arm 29 in the upright posture to the horizontal posture when moving the substrate holding arm 29 in the upright posture.
This is performed when the substrate holding arm 29 in the horizontal posture after the transfer is returned to the upright posture. When the substrate holding arm 29 is moved in the horizontal posture, the posture change of the substrate holding arm 29 is unnecessary. When the posture of the substrate holding arm 29 is changed and the substrate holding arm 29 is sent out to the arm holding base 27 in order to position the substrate W held by the substrate holding arm 29 in the horizontal posture above the spin chuck SS, Either operation may be performed first. That is,
The posture of the substrate holding arm 29 in the upright posture may be changed to the horizontal posture, and then the substrate holding arm 29 may be sent out to position the substrate W held by the substrate holding arm 29 in the horizontal posture above the spin chuck SS. Then, the substrate holding arm 29 in the upright posture is sent out, the posture of the substrate holding arm 29 is changed to the horizontal posture, and the substrate holding arm 29 in the horizontal posture is moved.
May be positioned above the spin chuck SS.

When the substrate W held by the spin chuck SS is taken out by the substrate holding arm 29, the substrate holding arm 29 in a horizontal posture lifts the substrate W from the spin chuck SS in an operation substantially opposite to the above. It is done as follows.

FIG. 11 is a plan sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a conventional apparatus having the same substrate processing section and having a conventional heat treatment section. As is clear from the comparison between FIGS. 10 and 11, the horizontal area of the heat treatment unit 1 of the present embodiment is smaller than the horizontal area of the conventional heat treatment unit 1p. The area in the horizontal direction of the entire apparatus, that is, the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

It should be noted that not only the heat treatment section 1 but also other substrate processing sections (spin coater SC and spin developer SD
And so on), the substrate processing can be performed with the substrate W in the standing posture, so that the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus can be further reduced. In addition, if all the substrate processing units in the substrate processing apparatus perform the substrate processing with the substrate W in an upright posture, the substrate transfer device 20 can move between the substrate processing units,
Since the transfer of the substrate W to each substrate processing unit can be always performed while the substrate W is held in the upright posture, the configuration and operation of the substrate transfer device 20 can be simplified.

By the way, in the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 10 and the like, the case where the substrate W is transferred to and from the substrate processing unit disposed in the placement unit R1, and the case where the substrate W is transferred to the substrate processing unit disposed in the placement unit R2. 13, the direction in which the substrate holding arm 29 of the substrate transfer device 20 moves back and forth is the opposite direction, as shown in FIG. That is, it is necessary to rotate the arm holder 27 of the substrate transfer device 20 by 180 °.

Here, the stroke of the substrate holding arm 29 for transferring the substrate W to and from the substrate processing section is set to S.
Assuming T, the longitudinal length of the arm holding base 27 from which the substrate holding arm 29 is extended and retracted must be longer than the stroke ST. Assuming that the length of the arm holder 27 in the longitudinal direction is (AL1 + AL2), at least the length of the arm holder 27 in the longitudinal direction is required to rotate the arm holder 27 by 180 ° by the shaft 24. A larger area is required than a circle whose radius is the longer dimension of AL1 and AL2. Therefore, FIG.
, The width W of the substrate transport path TR (the substrate transport path TR
) Is at least AL1 or AL
It is necessary to have a length that is at least twice the length (referred to as AL) of the longer dimension of 2.

Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, if the substrate processing apparatus is configured, the width of the substrate transport path TR can be reduced as compared with the configuration of FIG.

In FIG. 15, the substrate transfer device 20 is moved to the substrate transfer path TR with the direction in which the substrate holding arm 29 of the substrate transfer path 20 retreats and coincides with the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the substrate transfer path TR. It is configured to move along (solid line in the figure). That is, movement along the rail 21 is performed in the state shown in FIG. Then, with respect to the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the substrate transport path TR, ± θ (where θ is 0 ° or more and 90 ° or more).
The substrate processing unit (the heat treatment unit 1, the spin coater SC, and the like) can transfer the substrate W to each of the substrate processing units in a state where the arm holding base 27 is pivoted by less than (°) (two-dot chain line in the drawing). (A spin developer SD, etc.) are arranged in the arrangement sections R1 and R2 of the substrate processing apparatus.

With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 16, the substrate transport path TR is different from the configuration shown in FIG. 10 in which the longitudinal direction of the arm support 27 is orthogonal to the substrate transport path TR. Can be shortened in the lateral direction. That is, the substrate transport path T in the case of the configuration shown in FIG.
At least AL is required for the length W in the short direction of R. On the other hand, in the case of the configuration of FIG.
The length WS in the short direction of R is at least ((((AL /
2) · sin θ) × 2). Note that θ is 0
°, the shorter the WS, the shorter the substrate transport path TR
Can be reduced in the lateral direction WS.

FIG. 15 shows a configuration in which the substrate W is moved upright and the substrate W is moved along the substrate transport path TR. Then, in the transfer of the substrate W to the spin chuck SS, the substrate holding arm 29 is moved up and down with respect to the arm holding base 27 with the substrate W in an upright posture, and then the substrate holding arm is set in the spin coater SC or the spin developer SD. 29 is changed to a horizontal posture.

According to the configuration shown in FIG. 15, even when the substrate W is transported in the substrate transport path TR with the substrate W in a horizontal posture, the length of the substrate transport path TR in the short direction can be shortened. However, if the substrate W is transported in the substrate transport path TR with the substrate W in the upright posture, the effect is further enhanced.

Further, as shown in FIG.
When moving the substrate W in R, the horizontal position of the substrate W (FIG. 17A) and the vertical position of the substrate W (FIG. 17B) are viewed in plan. The projection area of the substrate W is smaller in the standing posture. Therefore,
By moving the substrate W with the substrate W in an upright posture, the substrate transport path TR can be made compact, and the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus can be made compact.

It is to be noted that an air flow is caused to flow downward from above to below in the substrate transfer path TR of the substrate transfer apparatus of this type, so as to suppress particles from rising in the substrate transfer path TR and the like. .

For example, as in the conventional apparatus, the substrate transport path T
When the movement of the substrate W in R is performed with the substrate W in a horizontal posture, as shown in FIG. 18A, the upper surface of the substrate (usually, the substrate is transported with the processing surface facing upward) is indicated by an arrow. Particles flowing down with the downflow airflow are more likely to adhere. Further, when the thermal atmosphere released from the heat treatment section to the upper side of the substrate transport path TR is lowered together with the downflow airflow, the thermal atmosphere is transferred to the upper surface of the substrate W in a horizontal posture (similar to the above-described adhesion of the particles). The substrate W is susceptible to thermal influence on the processing surface of the substrate W. Furthermore, if the substrate W is in a horizontal position, the downflow airflow is received by the upper surface of the substrate W, which hinders the downflow airflow (see FIG. 18A).

On the other hand, in the substrate transfer apparatus 20 according to the present invention, the substrate W can be moved in the substrate transfer path TR while the substrate W is standing. By moving the substrate W in the substrate transport path TR in the upright posture state as described above, particles do not easily adhere to the processing surface of the substrate W as shown in FIG. It is hard to receive. Further, when the substrate W is in the upright posture, it is difficult to hinder the downflow airflow (see FIG. 18B). Therefore, from such a point, it is better to perform the movement along the substrate transport path TR, the lifting / lowering, the turning operation, and the like with the substrate holding arm 29 in the upright posture (the state of FIGS. 7 and 9A). preferable.

[0066]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the heat treatment section is configured to perform the heat treatment while holding the substrate in the upright posture. The area can be made compact. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the installation area of the entire substrate processing apparatus having such a heat treatment unit, and to improve the use efficiency of the floor of the clean room.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, during the heat treatment, the substrate is rotated around the center of the substrate with respect to the heat-treated surface. Even when the thermal history of the substrate in the vertical axis direction fluctuates, the substrate can be heat-treated with a uniform thermal history.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate transfer means configured to hold the substrate in the upright posture state and the horizontal posture state. The transfer of the substrate to the substrate processing unit that processes the substrate in the upright posture as in the heat treatment unit can be directly performed from the substrate transfer unit. In addition, it is also possible to move the substrate in a standing posture, and by operating as such,
Compared with the case where the substrate is moved in a horizontal posture as in the conventional apparatus, the horizontal area of the substrate transport path can be made smaller, which contributes to the reduction of the installation area of the entire substrate processing apparatus. it can. Furthermore, when the substrate is transported in the upright position, even if the particles come down, the particles hardly adhere to the processing surface of the substrate, and even if the thermal atmosphere falls, the particles are hardly thermally affected by the processing surface of the substrate. The effect is also obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a heat treatment section provided in a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view as viewed in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially omitted cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a substrate holding member, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an example of an opening / closing mechanism of a substrate holding member.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional heat treatment unit.

FIG. 6 is a partially omitted front view of a conventional heat treatment unit.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a substrate transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a main part side view showing a holding state and a non-holding state of the substrate by the substrate holding arm.

FIG. 9 is a main part front view showing a state where the posture of the substrate holding arm is changed between a standing posture and a horizontal posture.

FIG. 10 is a plan cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an example of a substrate processing apparatus including a heat treatment section, a substrate transfer device, and the like according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a configuration of an example of a conventional substrate processing apparatus including a heat treatment section, a substrate transfer device, and the like.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a substrate transfer operation between the substrate transfer device and the heat treatment unit.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a direction in which a substrate transfer arm of the substrate transfer apparatus in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a length in a short direction of a substrate transport path of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 10;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a configuration of an example of a substrate processing apparatus for shortening the length of the substrate transport path in the lateral direction.

FIG. 16 is a view for explaining that the length of the substrate transport path in the short direction is reduced in the configuration of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a plan view illustrating a case where the substrate is transported in a horizontal posture and a case where the substrate is transported in a standing posture.

FIG. 18 is a view for explaining another effect when the substrate is transported in the upright posture.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: heat treatment unit 2: substrate holding table 3: heat treatment surface 4: heat plate 5: substrate holding member 8: motor for rotating the substrate holding table 20: substrate transfer device 27: arm holding table 29: substrate holding arm W: substrate

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of substrate processing units including a heat treatment unit; and a substrate transport unit that holds a substrate, moves between the substrate processing units, and transfers a substrate to each substrate processing unit. In the apparatus, the heat treatment unit includes: a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate in an upright posture; and a heat plate that has a heat treatment surface facing the substrate held by the substrate holding unit and heats or cools the heat treatment surface. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rotating unit configured to rotate the substrate held by the substrate holding unit around a center of the substrate with respect to a heat treatment surface of the heat plate. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer means is capable of holding the substrate in a standing posture state and a horizontal posture state, and the substrate holding arm is in a standing posture. Posture changing means for changing the posture between a horizontal posture, substrate transferring means for transferring a substrate to each substrate processing unit via the substrate holding arm, and moving means for moving the substrate holding arm between the substrate processing units. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: