JPH10256347A - Substrate treatment equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treatment equipment, which can prevent the defective treatment by the temperature rising of the substrate or a chemical treatment unit without increasing the occupying floor area. SOLUTION: A substrate treatment equipment has a chemical treatment part 5 having spin coaters 51 and a spin developer arranged so as to surround a substrate conveyor 3 and a heat treating part 6 having a plurality of hot plates 61 and cool plates 62, which are arranged so as to surround the substrate carrier 3 at the upper side of the chamical processing part 5. The substrate carrier 3 has an approximately U-shaped cross section, which is rotated with a rotary shaft 34 as the center, and first and second substrate carrier mechanism 31 and 32, which are moved up and down mutually independently in the supporting member 35. In the first substrate carrier mechanism 31, carrier arms 1a and 1b are arranged. In the second substrate carrier mechanism 32, carrier arms 2a and 2b are arranged.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer,
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a series of processes including a heating process, a cooling process, and a chemical solution process on a substrate such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display and a mask substrate for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a substrate processing apparatus of this type, a substrate is placed on a hot plate, and the substrate is cooled by placing the substrate on a cool plate or a heat treatment unit for heating the substrate. A heat treatment unit having a plurality of cooling processing units for processing, or a chemical processing having a plurality of chemical processing units for applying or developing a resist on a rotating substrate by supplying a resist or a developing solution onto the substrate. A series of processing is performed on the substrate by circulating and transporting the substrate to the unit using a substrate transport mechanism having a transport arm.

At this time, in a chemical processing unit for performing resist coating and development processing, the chemical processing is generally performed in a non-heated state. In this chemical processing, the substrate temperature is set to a set temperature. Strict control is required. Therefore, the substrate is cooled in the cooling processing unit before being transported to such a chemical processing unit, and the temperature is controlled so as to reach a set temperature.

On the other hand, when the substrate transport mechanism carries a substrate into or out of the heat processing unit, the transport arm of the substrate transport mechanism moves the substrate by the heat processing unit or the substrate heated by the heat processing unit. Warmed by. Therefore, when the substrate is transported from the cooling processing unit to the chemical processing unit by the substrate transport mechanism that has been heated by accessing the heating processing unit, the substrate transported by the transport arm is warmed,
The chemical processing unit itself is heated by radiant heat from the transfer arm.

[0005] For this reason, the uniformity of the temperature of the substrate is impaired, and the temperature at the time of the chemical solution processing becomes unstable, so that the uniformity of the thickness of the coating film of the substrate applied at the chemical solution processing section is reduced.
Processing defects such as the inability to obtain pattern line width uniformity due to the development process occur.

To solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
In JP-A-262555, a pair of first transfer arms for transferring a substrate to a processing unit including a heat processing unit and a second transfer dedicated for transferring a substrate between a cooling processing unit and a chemical processing unit are disclosed. A substrate processing apparatus that transports a substrate by a substrate transport mechanism in which an arm and an arm are arranged to overlap each other is disclosed.

[0007]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-26255
In the conventional substrate processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Publication No.
Since the first transfer arm and the second transfer arm are arranged close to each other, the second transfer arm is heated via the first transfer arm, and there is a problem that the substrate held there is heated. Further, since the first transfer arm and the second transfer arm move integrally, the high-temperature atmosphere in the heat treatment unit moves together with the first and second transfer arms, and is held by the second transfer arm. The temperature of the substrate and the chemical processing unit itself will be increased.

In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable to adopt a configuration in which the first transfer arm and the second transfer arm are moved by separate transfer devices separated from each other in a plane. In this case, the floor area occupied by the substrate processing apparatus itself increases. Since the substrate processing apparatus is usually installed in a clean room, such an increase in occupied floor area becomes a serious problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing a processing failure due to a temperature rise of a substrate or a chemical solution processing unit without increasing an occupied floor area. The purpose is to do.

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems The invention according to claim 1 has a heating processing unit and a cooling processing unit,
A heat treatment unit that performs heat treatment on the substrate by the heat treatment unit or the cooling treatment unit; and a chemical treatment unit that has a chemical treatment unit and performs a chemical treatment on the substrate by the chemical treatment unit. In a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate by sequentially transporting a substrate to the processing unit, the cooling processing unit, and the chemical processing unit, a first substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting the substrate to the cooling processing unit and the chemical processing unit And a second substrate transport mechanism disposed above or below the first substrate transport mechanism and capable of transporting a substrate to the cooling processing unit and the heating processing unit, and the first and second substrate transport mechanisms are independent of each other. And a moving mechanism for moving in a vertical direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment unit having a heat treatment unit and a cooling treatment unit, a heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on the substrate by the heat treatment unit or the cooling treatment unit, and a chemical treatment unit. A substrate for treating the substrate by sequentially transporting the substrate to the heat treatment unit, the cooling unit, and the liquid treatment unit; In the processing apparatus, a standby unit for transferring a substrate, a first substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting the substrate to the standby unit and the chemical solution processing unit, and disposed above or below the first substrate transport mechanism, A second substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting the substrate to a standby unit, a cooling processing unit, and a heating processing unit; 1, characterized by comprising a moving mechanism for moving up and down the second substrate transfer mechanism independently of each other.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the heat treatment section and the chemical treatment section are arranged so as to overlap in a vertical direction.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate transfer apparatus extending in a vertical direction, and a plurality of heating processing units and cooling processing units arranged so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer apparatus. A heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on the substrate by the treatment unit or the cooling treatment unit, and a plurality of chemical solution treatment units disposed so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer device at a position vertically overlapping the heat treatment unit. A chemical processing section for performing chemical processing on the substrate by the chemical processing unit, wherein the substrate transport apparatus is capable of transporting the substrate to the cooling processing unit and the chemical processing unit. A substrate transport mechanism and a substrate disposed above or below the first substrate transport mechanism, wherein the cooling processing unit and the heating processing unit A second substrate transport mechanism can be conveyed, and having a first moving mechanism for moving the second substrate transfer mechanism independently of one another vertically.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate transfer apparatus extending in a vertical direction, and a plurality of heating processing units and cooling processing units arranged so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer apparatus. A heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on the substrate by the treatment unit or the cooling treatment unit, and a plurality of chemical solution treatment units disposed so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer device at a position vertically overlapping the heat treatment unit. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a chemical processing unit that performs chemical processing on a substrate by the chemical processing unit; and a standby unit for transferring the substrate, wherein the substrate transport apparatus includes the standby unit and The first that can transport substrates to the chemical processing unit
A substrate transport mechanism, a second substrate transport mechanism disposed above or below the first substrate transport mechanism and capable of transporting a substrate to the standby unit, the cooling processing unit, and the heat processing unit; and the first and second substrate transport mechanisms. A moving mechanism for vertically moving the substrate transport mechanisms independently of each other.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the transfer of the substrate between the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism is performed.
This is performed via the cooling processing unit.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism share a common shaft that rotates about a rotation axis. It is supported by a support member.

[0017] The invention described in claim 8 is the invention according to claims 3 to 7.
In the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the heat treatment unit is disposed above the chemical processing unit,
The substrate transport mechanism is disposed above the first substrate transport mechanism.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a planar arrangement thereof.

This substrate processing apparatus applies a resist to a substrate (semiconductor wafer) carried in from a preceding processing step and carries it out to a subsequent stepper, and develops an exposed substrate carried in from the stepper. It is carried out to a subsequent processing step. The substrate processing apparatus includes an indexer section 2, a substrate transport apparatus 3 extending in a vertical direction, a spin coater (rotary resist coating apparatus) 51 and a spin developer (rotary developing apparatus) disposed so as to surround the substrate transport apparatus 3. ) 52, a heat treatment section 6 having a plurality of hot plates 61 and cool plates 62 disposed above the chemical processing section 5 so as to surround the substrate transfer device 3, and an interface section 7. Prepare.

In FIG. 1, illustration of the indexer unit 2 and the interface unit 7 is omitted. Further, in FIG. 2, a plurality of reference numerals are assigned to the same position in order to represent the positions of the members that overlap with each other in the vertical direction.

The indexer unit 2 supplies a substrate accommodated in a substrate transfer cassette (not shown) to a mounting table 21 disposed on the side of the substrate transfer apparatus 3, or
1 has a substrate transfer device (not shown) for storing the substrate placed in the substrate transfer cassette 1 in a substrate transport cassette. The substrates stored and transported in the substrate transport cassette from the previous processing step are taken out one by one by the substrate transfer device of the indexer unit 2 and mounted on the support pins 23 of the mounting table 21.
The substrate placed on the support pins 23 of the mounting table 21 after the processing is completed is stored in the substrate transport cassette by the substrate transfer device of the indexer unit 2.

The substrate transport device 3 is for transporting the substrate carried into the substrate processing device sequentially to the heat treatment section 5 and the chemical solution processing section 6 for processing. Each of the transport arms for transporting two substrates is provided. First and second substrate transport mechanisms 31, 3
2 is provided. In addition, about the structure of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 3,
This will be described in detail later.

The chemical processing section 5 has a pair of spin coaters 51 disposed on the side of the substrate transfer device 3 and a pair of spin developers 52 disposed with the spin coater 51 and the substrate transfer device 3 interposed therebetween. As shown in FIG. 1, the spin coater 51 includes a spin chuck 53 that rotates while holding a substrate, an inner cup 54 disposed around the spin chuck 53, and a resist supply nozzle (not shown). The resist is supplied to the surface of the rotating substrate held by the chuck 53, thereby forming a thin resist film on the surface of the substrate. The spin developer 52 has a spin chuck, an inner cup, and a developer supply nozzle similar to the spin coater 51, and supplies a developer to the surface of the substrate that is held by the spin chuck and rotates, so that the surface of the substrate is rotated. Is to develop the exposed resist in the above.

Note that between the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52, the mounting table 21 described above and a mounting table 22 described later are disposed.

A chemical tank for storing a chemical such as a resist and a developing solution, and a chemical cabinet 55 for storing a waste liquid collecting unit for collecting a waste liquid after processing are provided below the substrate transporting device 3 and the chemical processing section 5. Have been. A filter unit 56 is provided above the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52.

The heat treatment section 6 includes four cool plates 62 disposed above the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52 so as to surround the substrate transfer device 3.
And twelve hot plates 61 arranged above each cool plate 62 so as to overlap each other, and a filter unit 63 arranged above the hot plate 61 and the substrate transfer device 3.

The hot plate 61 heats the substrate before and after the resist is applied or developed on the substrate. Further, the cool plate 61 holds the substrate heated by the hot plate 61,
The substrate is cooled in advance before being transferred to the spin coater 51 or the spin developer 52 to lower the substrate temperature to a set temperature. Generally, a cool plate 62 is used for heat treatment of a substrate by a hot plate 61.
In the substrate processing apparatus, a longer number of hot plates 61 than the cool plate 62 are provided because a longer processing time is required than the cooling process of the substrate according to the first embodiment.

The interface unit 7 loads the substrate placed on the placing table 22 on the side of the substrate transfer device 3 into a stepper (not shown), or places the substrate carried out of the stepper on the placing table 22. And a substrate transfer device, not shown. The substrate coated with the resist in the substrate processing apparatus and mounted on the support pins 24 of the mounting table 22 is
The substrate is transferred to a subsequent stepper by the substrate transfer device of the interface unit 7. The exposed substrate carried in from the stepper is mounted on the support pins 24 of the mounting table 22 by the substrate transfer device of the interface unit 7.

Next, the configuration of the above-described substrate transfer device 3 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the substrate transfer device 3,
FIG. 4A is a plan sectional view thereof, and FIG. 4B is a schematic side view thereof.

In the substrate transfer apparatus, a rotating table 33 having a built-in motor drives a support member 35 having a substantially U-shaped cross section which rotates about a rotation shaft 34, and separates the inside of the support member 35 from each other. First and second moving up and down
Substrate transport mechanisms 31 and 32.

The bases 36 of the first and second substrate transport mechanisms 31 and 32 are connected to a base 37 of a support member 35 via a pair of linear guides 38 so as to be vertically movable. Further, the base 36 in the first substrate transfer mechanism 31
Is connected to a driving end pulley 45 connected to a motor 39 and a first endless belt 43 wound around a plurality of driven pulleys 46.
6 is a second endless belt 43 having the same configuration as the first endless belt 43.
Is connected to the endless belt 44. Therefore, the first,
The second substrate transport mechanisms 31 and 32 are driven by the first and second endless belts 43 and 44 and move vertically independently of each other.

The base 36 in the first substrate transfer mechanism 31
On the upper side, a pair of transfer arms 1a and 1b arranged to overlap each other for supporting and transferring the edge of the substrate is provided. These transfer arms 1a and 1b are respectively connected to an arm drive mechanism built in the base 36, and are configured to be able to reciprocate in the front-rear direction independently of each other. Further, the base 3 in the second substrate transport mechanism 32
A pair of transfer arms 2a and 2b having the same configuration as the transfer arms 1a and 1b are disposed on the transfer arm 6a. In addition,
A symbol W shown by a virtual line in FIG. 4A indicates a state where the substrate is supported by the transfer arm 1b (or 1a, 2a, 2b).

With the above-described configuration, the first and second substrate transport mechanisms 31 and 32 rotate in synchronization with each other as the support member 35 rotates about the rotation shaft 34, and drive the endless belts 43 and 44. Move up and down independently of each other. Therefore, the first and second substrate transport mechanisms 31, 32
Can move to a position facing one of a plurality of spin coaters 51, a spin developer 52, a hot plate 61 or a cool plate 62 arranged to surround the outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer device 3.

Then, the first and second substrate transport mechanisms 31,
Reference numeral 32 denotes a transport arm 1a, 1b, 2 at a position facing one of the spin coater 51, the spin developer 52, the hot plate 61 and the cool plate 62.
By moving the first and second substrate transfer mechanisms 31 and 32 themselves up and down a small distance while reciprocating the a and b in the front-rear direction, the spin coater 51, the spin developer 52, the hot plate 61 or the cool plate 62 Receiving substrate or spin coater 5
1. The substrate can be delivered to the spin developer 52, the hot plate 61 or the cool plate 62.

In the substrate transfer apparatus 3, the first and second substrate transfer mechanisms 31 and 32 perform a vertical movement and a rotation operation in a state where the cross section is surrounded by a support member 35 having a substantially U-shaped cross section. Therefore, the influence of the outside air on the substrates supported by the first and second substrate transport mechanisms 31 and 32 can be reduced.

Next, a procedure for processing a substrate in the above-described substrate processing apparatus will be described. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing procedure of the substrate.

In this figure, "IND" indicates the indexer unit 2, "TB21" indicates the mounting table 21, "HP" indicates the hot plate 61, and "CP" indicates the cool plate 62.
"SC" indicates the spin coater 51, "TB22" indicates the mounting table 22, "IF" indicates the interface unit 7, and "S"
"D" indicates the spin developer 52. The arrow labeled “1a” indicates that the substrate is the first substrate transport mechanism 31.
Indicates that the transfer is performed by the transfer arm 1a at
The arrow labeled “1b” indicates that the substrate is transferred by the transfer arm 1b of the first substrate transfer mechanism 31. Similarly, an arrow labeled “2a” indicates that the substrate is transported by the transport arm 2a in the second substrate transport mechanism 32, and an arrow labeled “2b” indicates that the substrate is transported by the second substrate transport mechanism. 32 indicates that the sheet is transferred by the transfer arm 2b.

When a substrate is processed by the substrate processing apparatus, a plurality of spin coaters 51, spin developers 52, a hot plate 61 and a cool plate 62 are appropriately used, so that a plurality of substrates can be processed. The processing is executed in parallel. Although detailed description is omitted in the following description, for one substrate, any one of a plurality of spin coaters 51, spin developers 52, hot plates 61, and cool plates 62 is used. The processing is executed.

The substrate transferred from the indexer unit 2 to the mounting table 21 by the substrate transfer device (not shown) is transferred to the hot plate 61 by the transfer arm 2a of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32.
And subjected to a dehydration bake, which is a kind of heat treatment. The substrate on which the dehydration bake has been completed is transferred to the cool plate 62 by the transfer arm 2b of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32, and cooled to the set temperature.

More specifically, in the above-described transfer step, the second substrate transfer mechanism 32 moves the transfer arm 2 b at a position facing the hot plate 61.
After the substrate already stored in the hot plate 61 is taken out, the substrate held by the transfer arm 2a is stored in the hot plate 61. Similarly, the second substrate transport mechanism takes out the substrate already stored in the cool plate 62 by the transport arm 2a at a position facing the cool plate 62, and then transports the substrate from the hot plate 61 by the transport arm 2b. The cooled substrate is stored in the cool plate 62. That is, in this substrate processing apparatus, a pair of transfer arms 2a, 2b (or 1a,
1b), after taking out the substrates in various processing units by one transfer arm, storing the substrates held by the other transfer arm in the processing units, thereby sequentially transferring a plurality of substrates to the various processing units. It is configured to carry. However, in the following description, only the transport arm of which substrate transport mechanism transports the substrate will be described, and a detailed description of the exchange operation will be omitted.

Returning to FIG. 5, the substrate cooled by the cool plate 62 is transferred to the spin coater 51 by the transfer arm 1a of the first substrate transfer mechanism 31, and the surface is coated with a resist.

The substrate coated with the resist by the spin coater 51 is transferred to the transfer arm 1b of the first substrate transfer mechanism 31.
Is transferred once to the hot plate 61 by the transfer arm 2 a of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32 without being cooled by the cool plate 62.

In this substrate processing apparatus, when the substrate is transferred from the spin coater 51 to the hot plate 61, the transfer arm 1b of the first substrate transfer mechanism 31 and the transfer arm 2a of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32 are used. Instead of directly transporting the substrate to the hot plate 61, the substrate is once loaded into the cool plate 62 by the transport arm 1b of the first substrate transport mechanism 31, and then the substrate is transported by the transport arm of the second substrate transport mechanism 32. Hot plate 61 by 2a
To be transported. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the first substrate transport mechanism 31 from being heated by the hot plate 61 and the spin coater 51 from being heated by the second substrate transport mechanism 32. At this time, the cool plate 62 functions not as a cooling processing unit for cooling the substrate, but as a delivery unit for delivering the substrate.

The substrate conveyed to the hot plate 61 is subjected to pre-bake, which is a kind of heat treatment. Then, the substrate after the pre-baking is transferred to the cool plate 62 by the transfer arm 2b of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32. The substrate cooled by the cool plate 62 is
Of the mounting table 22 by the transfer arm 2a of the substrate transfer mechanism 32 of FIG.
Transported to In addition, from the cool plate 62 to the mounting table 2
The first substrate transport mechanism 31 may be used to transport the substrate to the second substrate 2.

The substrate mounted on the mounting table 22 is conveyed to a stepper by the substrate transfer device of the interface unit 7, where a predetermined pattern is exposed. The exposed substrate is again processed by the substrate transfer device of the interface unit 7.
It is mounted on the mounting table 22.

The substrate on the mounting table 22 is transferred to the hot plate 61 by the transfer arm 2b of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32, and subjected to post-exposure bake (PEB), which is a kind of heat treatment. The substrate that has completed the post-exposure bake is transferred to the cool plate 62 by the transfer arm 2a of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32, and cooled to the set temperature.

The substrate cooled by the cool plate 62 is transferred to the spin developer 52 by the transfer arm 1a of the first substrate transfer mechanism 31, and the exposed resist is developed.

The substrate developed by the spin developer 52 is once transferred to the cool plate 62 by the transfer arm 1b of the first substrate transfer mechanism 31, and is then cooled by the second plate without being cooled by the cool plate 62. The sheet is transferred from the cool plate 62 to the hot plate 61 by the transfer arm 2 b of the transfer mechanism 32. At this time, as in the case described above, the cool plate 62 functions not as a cooling processing unit for cooling the substrate but as a delivery unit for delivering the substrate.

The substrate conveyed to the hot plate 61 is subjected to post bake, which is a kind of heat treatment. Then, the substrate after the post-baking is transferred to the second substrate transport mechanism 3.
The sheet is transferred to the cool plate 62 by the second transfer arm 2a. The substrate cooled by the cool plate 62 is transferred to the mounting table 2 by the transfer arm 2 b of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32.
It is transported to 1. The transfer of the substrate from the cool plate 62 to the mounting table 21 may use the first substrate transfer mechanism 31.

The substrate mounted on the mounting table 22 is stored in a substrate transport cassette by the substrate transfer device of the indexer unit 2.

As is clear from the above-described substrate processing procedure, in the substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment, the first substrate transport mechanism 31 that accesses the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52 as a chemical processing unit.
Accesses the cool plate 62 as the cooling processing unit but does not access the hot plate 61 as the heating processing unit. Further, the second substrate transport mechanism 32 that accesses the hot plate 61 as the heating processing unit accesses the cool plate 62 as the cooling processing unit but accesses the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52 as the chemical processing unit. do not do.

Therefore, the first substrate transport mechanism 31 that accesses the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52
Is heated by the hot plate 61 or the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52 are
1 can be prevented from being heated by the second substrate transport mechanism 32, and the substrate can be processed with high precision.

In this substrate processing apparatus, the first
Since the substrate transport mechanism 31 and the second substrate transport mechanism 32 vertically move independently of each other,
As in the substrate processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 62555,
It is possible to prevent the inconvenience caused by the fact that these move vertically close to each other at the same time.

The proximity of the first substrate transport mechanism 31 and the second substrate transport mechanism 32 ensures that the first substrate transport mechanism 31 is warmed by the second substrate transport mechanism 32. In order to prevent this, in this embodiment, the first substrate transport mechanism 31 stops at the upper end of its lifting stroke when the substrate is not transported, and the second substrate transport mechanism operates when the substrate is not transported. It is configured to stop at the lower end of the lifting stroke.

Further, in this substrate processing apparatus, since the first substrate transport mechanism 31 and the second substrate transport mechanism 32 are arranged vertically, the occupied floor area of the entire substrate processing apparatus is reduced. be able to. In this substrate processing apparatus, the chemical processing section 6 having a spin coater 51 and a spin developer 52 as a chemical processing unit, and a hot plate 61 as a heat processing unit.
Further, since the heat treatment section 6 having the cool plate 62 as the cooling processing unit is disposed so as to overlap in the vertical direction, the occupied floor area of the entire substrate processing apparatus can be further reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, when the substrate is transported from the spin coater 51 to the hot plate 61, the substrate is first loaded into the cool plate 62,
By transferring the substrate from the cool plate 62 to the hot plate 61, the second
Is prevented from entering. In addition, similarly, the hot plate 6
In transferring the substrate to the cool plate 62, the substrate is once transferred to the cool plate 62 and then transferred from the cool plate 62 to the hot plate 61. Is prevented from entering.

However, after the resist coating or developing process is completed by the spin coater 51 or the spin developer 52, even if the second substrate transport mechanism 32 accessing the hot plate 61 enters the spin coater 51 or the spin developer 52, The adverse effect on processing is small. Therefore, the substrate may be directly transferred from the spin coater 51 to the hot plate 61 by the second substrate transfer mechanism 32, or the substrate may be directly transferred from the spin developer 52 to the hot plate 61 by the second substrate transfer mechanism 32. Good.

In this case, the work of exchanging substrates in the spin coater 51 or the spin developer 52 is performed as follows.
Since the process is performed by both the first substrate transport mechanism 31 and the second substrate transport mechanism 32, the first substrate transport mechanism 31
The operation of exchanging the substrates using both of the transfer arms 1a and 1b becomes unnecessary. Therefore, in the first substrate transfer mechanism 31, one of the transfer arms 1a and 1b can be omitted. That is, in such a case, at least one transfer arm is provided in the first substrate transfer mechanism 31, and two transfer arms are provided in the second substrate transfer mechanism 32. This is preferable for efficiency.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a front view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a planar arrangement thereof. Note that the same members as those of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted. As in the case of the first embodiment, FIG.
In FIG. 7, the illustration of the indexer unit 2 and the interface unit 7 is omitted, and in FIG. 7, a plurality of symbols are assigned to the same position in order to represent the positions of members that overlap with each other in the vertical direction.

In the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, the number of hot plates 61 in the heat treatment section 6 is two (eight), and a standby unit 81 for transferring a substrate below each cool plate 62. Is arranged. Then, in this substrate processing apparatus, the first substrate transport mechanism 31 accesses the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52 as the chemical processing unit, and the standby unit 81. Also, the second substrate transport mechanism 3
2 is a hot plate 61 as a heat treatment unit
And a cool plate 62 as a cooling processing unit;
Access the standby unit 81.

Next, a procedure for processing a substrate in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a processing procedure of a substrate.

In this figure, "TR" indicates the standby unit 81, and other reference numerals indicate the same members or contents as those in FIG.

The substrate transferred from the indexer unit 2 to the mounting table 21 by the substrate transfer device (not shown) is transferred to the hot plate 61 by the transfer arm 2a of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32.
And subjected to a dehydration bake, which is a kind of heat treatment. The substrate on which the dehydration bake has been completed is transferred to the cool plate 62 by the transfer arm 2b of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32, and cooled to the set temperature.

The substrate cooled by the cool plate 62 is transferred to the standby unit 81 by the transfer arm 2a of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32, and then transferred to the first substrate transfer mechanism 3.
The wafer is transported to the spin coater 51 by one transport arm 1a, and the surface is coated with a resist. Then, the substrate on which the resist is applied is transported to the standby unit 81 by the transport arm 1b of the first substrate transport mechanism 31.

The substrate transferred to the standby unit 81 is transferred to the hot plate 61 by the transfer arm 2b of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32. The substrate transported to the hot plate 61 is subjected to pre-bake, which is a kind of heat treatment.

The prebaked substrate is transferred to the cool plate 62 by the transfer arm 2a of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32. The substrate cooled by the cool plate 62 is transferred to the mounting table 22 by the transfer arm 2b of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32. In addition, cool plate 6
The first substrate transport mechanism 31 may be used to transport the substrate from the second to the mounting table 22.

The substrate mounted on the mounting table 22 is conveyed to a stepper by the substrate transfer device of the interface section 7, where a predetermined pattern is exposed. The exposed substrate is again processed by the substrate transfer device of the interface unit 7.
It is mounted on the mounting table 22.

The substrate on the mounting table 22 is transferred to the hot plate 61 by the transfer arm 2a of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32, and subjected to post-exposure bake (PEB), which is a kind of heat treatment. The substrate that has been subjected to the post-exposure bake is transferred to the cool plate 62 by the transfer arm 2b of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32, and cooled to the set temperature.

The substrate cooled by the cool plate 62 is transferred to the standby unit 81 by the transfer arm 2 a of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32, and then transferred to the first substrate transfer mechanism 3.
The wafer is transported to the spin developer 52 by one transport arm 1a, and the surface thereof is coated with a resist. Then, the substrate on which the resist is applied is transported to the standby unit 81 by the transport arm 1b of the first substrate transport mechanism 31.

The substrate transported to the standby unit 81 is transported to the hot plate 61 by the transport arm 2b of the first substrate transport mechanism 32. The substrate transported to the hot plate 61 is subjected to post-bake, which is a type of heat treatment.

The post-baked substrate is transferred to the cool plate 62 by the transfer arm 2a of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32. The substrate cooled by the cool plate 62 is transferred to the transfer arm 2b of the second substrate transfer mechanism 32.
To the mounting table 21. The transfer of the substrate from the cool plate 62 to the mounting table 21 may use the first substrate transfer mechanism 31.

The substrate mounted on the mounting table 22 is stored in a substrate transport cassette by the substrate transfer device of the indexer unit 2.

As is clear from the above-described substrate processing procedure, in the substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment, the first substrate transport mechanism 31 that accesses the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52 as a chemical processing unit.
Accesses the standby unit 81, but does not access the cool plate 62 as the cooling processing unit as well as the hot plate 61 as the heating processing unit.
Further, the second substrate transport mechanism 32 accesses the hot plate 61 as a heat processing unit, the cool plate 62 as a cooling processing unit, and the standby unit 81, and the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52 as chemical liquid processing units. Does not access.

Therefore, the first substrate transport mechanism 31 accessing the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52
Is heated by the hot plate 61 or the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52 are
1 can be prevented from being heated by the second substrate transport mechanism 32, and the substrate can be processed with high precision.

In this substrate processing apparatus, the first
Since the substrate transport mechanism 31 and the second substrate transport mechanism 32 vertically move independently of each other,
As in the substrate processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 62555,
It is possible to prevent the inconvenience caused by the fact that these move vertically close to each other at the same time.

Incidentally, as in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the first substrate transport mechanism 3 is also provided.
When the first and second substrate transport mechanisms 32 come close to each other,
In order to more reliably prevent the first substrate transport mechanism 31 from being warmed by the second substrate transport mechanism 32, the first substrate transport mechanism 31 stops at the upper end of its lifting stroke when the substrate is not transported, Further, the second substrate transport mechanism is configured to stop at the lower end of the vertical stroke when the substrate is not transported.

Further, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, a standby unit 81 is provided between the chemical processing section 5 and the heat treatment section 6 so that the first substrate transport mechanism 31 and the second The movement area with the substrate transport mechanism 32 can be separated by the standby unit 81 as a boundary. Therefore, the influence of heat on the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52 can be further reduced.

In this substrate processing apparatus, the first
As in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment, the first substrate transfer mechanism 31 and the second substrate transfer mechanism 32 are vertically arranged, so that the occupied floor area of the entire substrate processing apparatus can be reduced. it can. Also in this substrate processing apparatus, a chemical processing section 6 having a spin coater 51 and a spin developer 52 as a chemical processing unit, and a thermal processing section 6 having a hot plate 61 as a heating processing unit and a cool plate 62 as a cooling processing unit. And are arranged to overlap in the vertical direction,
The occupied floor area of the entire substrate processing apparatus can be further reduced.

Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a front view of the substrate processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same members as those of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted. As in the case of the first embodiment, the illustration of the indexer unit 2 and the interface unit 7 is omitted in FIG.

The substrate processing apparatus according to the third embodiment comprises:
A first substrate transport mechanism 9 erected from below instead of the substrate transport device 3 in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.
1 and a substrate transfer device 90 including a second substrate transfer mechanism 92 suspended from above.

As shown in FIG. 10, the first substrate transfer mechanism 91 has a pair of left and right pantograph links 95 for connecting a pair of upper and lower supports 93 and 94. Then, one end of the pantograph link 95 is connected to the motor 96 and the screw 9.
7, the support table 93 moves up and down with the bending and extension of the pantograph link 95.

As in the first embodiment, a base 36 having a pair of transfer arms 1a and 1b arranged so as to overlap each other.
Is connected to a support 93 via a rotating shaft 98 (see FIG. 9) connected to a motor 99. For this reason, the pair of transfer arms 1a and 1b perform a lifting operation and a rotation operation by driving the motors 96 and 99. Also, the transfer arm 1a,
1b is connected to an arm drive mechanism built in the base 36, and is configured to be able to reciprocate in the front-rear direction independently of each other.

The second substrate transport mechanism 92 has the same configuration as the first substrate transport mechanism 91 except that the arrangement in the vertical direction is reversed. The transfer arms 2a and 2b in the second substrate transfer mechanism 92 perform an ascending / descending operation and a rotation operation by driving the motors 96 and 99, and are independent of each other by an arm driving mechanism built in the base 36. Reciprocate back and forth.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the third embodiment, similarly to the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment, the substrate can be processed with high precision according to the processing procedure shown in FIG.

In this substrate processing apparatus, the first
Since the substrate transfer mechanism 91 and the second substrate transfer mechanism 92 are vertically arranged, the occupied floor area of the entire substrate processing apparatus can be reduced. Further, also in this substrate processing apparatus, the chemical processing section 6 having a spin coater 51 and a spin developer 52 as a chemical processing unit, and a hot plate 61 as a heat processing unit.
Further, since the heat treatment section 6 having the cool plate 62 as the cooling processing unit is disposed so as to overlap in the vertical direction, the occupied floor area of the entire substrate processing apparatus can be further reduced.

As in the third embodiment, the first,
Substrate transfer device 9 including second substrate transfer mechanisms 91 and 92
In the case of using the substrate processing apparatus having 0, the standby unit 81 is further provided as in the case of the above-described second embodiment, and the first substrate transport mechanism 91 is provided with the spin coater 51 and the spin developer 52 and the standby unit. Unit 81
In addition, the second substrate transport mechanism 92 accesses the hot plate 61, the cool plate 62, and the standby unit 81 so that the substrate can be accurately processed according to the processing procedure shown in FIG. It is possible.

In the first, second and third embodiments described above, the first and second substrate transport mechanisms 31 and 32 are all provided.
Have been described in the case of having two transfer arms 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b arranged in a state of being superimposed on each other, but the present invention is not limited to this. However, from the viewpoint of substrate transfer efficiency, it is preferable that each of the first and second substrate transfer mechanisms 31, 32 has a plurality of transfer arms.

[0088]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting the substrate to the cooling processing unit and the chemical solution processing unit, and the first substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting the substrate to the cooling processing unit and the heating processing unit. Since the two-substrate transport mechanism and the moving mechanism for vertically moving the first and second substrate transport mechanisms independently of each other are provided, the first substrate transport mechanism that accesses the chemical solution processing unit is provided with a heating process. The substrate can be prevented from being heated by the second substrate transport mechanism that accesses the unit and the heat processing unit, and the substrate can be processed with high precision by preventing the influence of heat on the substrate. At this time, since the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are vertically arranged, the occupied floor area of the entire substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the standby unit for transferring the substrate, the first substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting the substrate to the standby unit and the chemical solution processing unit, the standby unit, the cooling unit, Since the second substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting the substrate to the heat processing unit and the moving mechanism for vertically moving the first and second substrate transport mechanisms independently of each other are provided, the chemical processing unit can be accessed. The first substrate transfer mechanism to be heated can be prevented from being heated by the heat processing unit or the second substrate transfer mechanism accessing the heat processing unit, and the influence of heat on the substrate can be prevented to accurately process the substrate. can do. At this time, since the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are vertically arranged, the occupied floor area of the entire substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the heat treatment section and the chemical solution treatment section are arranged so as to vertically overlap each other, the occupied floor area of the entire substrate processing apparatus can be further reduced. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate transfer device extending in a vertical direction, and a plurality of heating processing units and cooling processing units arranged so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer device. A heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on the substrate by the unit or the cooling processing unit,
A plurality of chemical processing units disposed so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer device at a position vertically overlapping the heat treatment unit, and a chemical processing unit for performing chemical processing on the substrate by the chemical processing unit. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate transport apparatus is capable of transporting a substrate to a cooling processing unit and a chemical solution processing unit, a first substrate transport mechanism,
A second substrate transport mechanism disposed above or below the first substrate transport mechanism and capable of transporting a substrate to the cooling processing unit and the heating processing unit; and a first and second substrate transport mechanism that are vertically independent of each other. With the movement mechanism for moving, it is possible to prevent the first substrate transport mechanism accessing the chemical solution processing unit from being warmed by the heat processing unit or the second substrate transport mechanism accessing the heat processing unit. In addition, the effect of heat on the substrate can be prevented, and the substrate can be processed with high accuracy. At this time, since the plurality of heat processing units, the cooling processing units, and the chemical liquid processing units are arranged so as to surround the substrate transfer device, the substrate can be efficiently transferred to each processing unit. Further, since the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism, and the heat treatment section and the chemical processing section are respectively arranged vertically, the occupied floor area of the entire substrate processing apparatus can be reduced. Can be.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate transfer device extending in a vertical direction, and a plurality of heating processing units and cooling processing units arranged so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer device. A heat treatment unit that performs heat treatment on the substrate by a heat treatment unit or a cooling treatment unit, and has a plurality of chemical solution treatment units disposed so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer device at a position vertically overlapping with the heat treatment unit, A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a chemical processing section for performing a chemical processing on a substrate by the chemical processing unit; further comprising a standby unit for transferring the substrate, wherein the substrate transport apparatus includes a standby unit and a chemical processing unit. A first substrate transfer mechanism capable of transferring a substrate to the first substrate transfer mechanism, and a standby unit and a cooling unit disposed above or below the first substrate transfer mechanism. The chemical processing unit is accessed because it has a second substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting a substrate to the unit and the heat processing unit, and a moving mechanism for vertically moving the first and second substrate transport mechanisms independently of each other. The first substrate transport mechanism can be prevented from being heated by the heat processing unit or the second substrate transport mechanism accessing the heat processing unit, and the substrate can be accurately processed by preventing the influence of heat on the substrate. be able to.
At this time, since the plurality of heat processing units, the cooling processing units, and the chemical liquid processing units are arranged so as to surround the substrate transfer device, the substrate can be efficiently transferred to each processing unit. Further, since the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism, and the heat treatment section and the chemical processing section are respectively arranged vertically, the occupied floor area of the entire substrate processing apparatus can be reduced. Can be.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the transfer of the substrate between the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism is performed via the cooling processing unit. There is no need to provide a special space for the transfer of the substrate between them. Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus can be made compact.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are supported by the common support member which rotates about the rotation axis, the first and second substrate transport mechanisms are provided.
A mechanism for rotating the second substrate transport mechanism can be simplified.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the heat treatment section is disposed above the chemical processing section, and the second substrate transport mechanism is disposed above the first substrate transport mechanism. 1. The substrate can be efficiently transported and processed by the second substrate transport mechanism.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a planar arrangement of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the substrate transfer device 3;

FIG. 4 is a plan cross-sectional view and a schematic side view of the substrate transfer device 3;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing procedure of a substrate.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a planar arrangement of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing procedure of a substrate.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a first substrate transport mechanism 91.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b Transfer arm 3 Substrate transfer device 5 Chemical processing unit 6 Heat treatment unit 31, 91 First substrate transfer mechanism 32, 92 Second substrate transfer mechanism 33 Rotary table 34 Rotary shaft 35 Support member 39 Motor 43 , 44 Endless belt 51 Spin coater 52 Spin developer 61 Hot plate 62 Cool plate 81 Standby unit 95 Pantograph link 96 Motor 97 Screw 98 Rotating shaft 99 Motor

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masao Tsuji 322 Hazukashi Furukawacho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Dainichi Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (72) Inside the Rakusai Office (72) Inventor Yoichi Nishimura 322 Habushishi Furukawa-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto Dainichi Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akihiko Morita 322 Habushishi Furukawacho Dainichi Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Rakusai Office

Claims (8)

[Claims] A heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on the substrate by the heat treatment unit or the cooling treatment unit; and a chemical treatment unit, wherein the substrate is treated by the chemical treatment unit. A substrate processing apparatus for processing the substrate by sequentially transporting the substrate to the heating processing unit, the cooling processing unit, and the chemical processing unit. A first substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting the substrate to the unit and the chemical processing unit; a second substrate disposed above or below the first substrate transport mechanism and capable of transporting the substrate to the cooling processing unit and the heating processing unit A transport mechanism, a moving mechanism that vertically moves the first and second substrate transport mechanisms independently of each other, The substrate processing apparatus characterized by comprising. 2. A heat treatment unit having a heat treatment unit and a cooling treatment unit, a heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on the substrate by the heat treatment unit or the cooling treatment unit, and a chemical treatment unit. A substrate processing unit for processing the substrate by sequentially transporting the substrate to the heating processing unit, the cooling processing unit, and the chemical processing unit. A first substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting a substrate to the standby unit and the chemical liquid processing unit; and a standby unit, a cooling processing unit, which is disposed above or below the first substrate transport mechanism. A second substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting a substrate to a heat treatment unit; and the first and second substrate transporters The substrate processing apparatus characterized by comprising a moving mechanism for moving in the vertical direction independently of each other a. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment section and the chemical processing section are arranged to overlap in a vertical direction. 4. A substrate transfer device extending in a vertical direction, and a plurality of heating processing units and cooling processing units arranged so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer device. A heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on the substrate, and a plurality of chemical treatment units arranged so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer device at a position vertically overlapping the heat treatment unit, and the substrate is processed by the chemical treatment unit. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a chemical processing unit configured to perform a chemical processing on the substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate transport apparatus includes: a first substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting a substrate to the cooling processing unit and the chemical processing unit; A second substrate transporter disposed above or below one substrate transport mechanism and capable of transporting a substrate to the cooling processing unit and the heating processing unit; A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a transport mechanism; and a moving mechanism that vertically moves the first and second substrate transport mechanisms independently of each other. 5. A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate transfer device extending in a vertical direction; and a plurality of heating processing units and cooling processing units arranged so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer device. A heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on the substrate, and a plurality of chemical treatment units arranged so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the substrate transfer device at a position vertically overlapping the heat treatment unit, and the substrate is processed by the chemical treatment unit. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a chemical processing section that performs chemical processing on the substrate; and a standby unit for transferring the substrate, wherein the substrate transport apparatus transports the substrate to the standby unit and the chemical processing unit. A possible first substrate transport mechanism, disposed above or below the first substrate transport mechanism, the standby unit, A second substrate transport mechanism capable of transporting the substrate to the processing unit and the heat treatment unit; and a moving mechanism for vertically moving the first and second substrate transport mechanisms independently of each other. Processing equipment. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer of the substrate between the first substrate transfer mechanism and the second substrate transfer mechanism is performed via the cooling processing unit. Substrate processing equipment. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are supported by a common support member that rotates about a rotation axis. Substrate processing equipment. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the heat treatment unit is disposed above the chemical solution processing unit, and the second substrate transfer mechanism is a part of the first substrate transfer mechanism. Substrate processing equipment arranged above.