JPH10261685A - Substrate treatment system and substrate treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treating apparatus and a substrate treatment system capable of arrangement in proximity within a clean room where an upper carriage mechanism is used. SOLUTION: A cassette support 10 is provided at a side 5a of a cassette stage 5 of a substrate carrying-in/out part D. The cassette support 10 is provided freely openable, and it supports a carriage container 15 lowered from the upper carriage mechanism 11 at opening time, and enables the delivery to the cassette stage 5 of the cassette 16 within the carriage container 15 and the storage into the carriage container 15 of the treated cassette 16. At the closing time of the cassette support 10, the opening of a cover member 9 is closed to prevent outside air from entering an inner space 18 of the substrate carrying-in/out part D. The cassette stage 10 is opened or closed, according to the arrival of the carriage container 15 of the upper carriage mechanism 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing predetermined processing on a substrate and a substrate processing system having an upper transfer mechanism for transferring a substrate storage container from above to the substrate processing apparatus. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays,
2. Description of the Related Art A substrate processing apparatus is used to perform various processes on a substrate such as a glass substrate for a photomask and a glass substrate for an optical disk. For example, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a substrate processing apparatus in which each of a series of processes is unitized and a plurality of units are integrated is used in order to increase production efficiency.

Generally, a substrate processing apparatus has a processing area, a transport area, and a substrate loading / unloading area. In the processing area, there are arranged a rotary coating unit for applying a processing liquid to the substrate, a rotary developing unit for developing the substrate, and a heating or cooling unit for heating or cooling the substrate. In the transfer area, a transfer unit that transfers the substrate is arranged.

Further, a substrate loading / unloading area is provided at one end of the processing area and the transport area, and a cassette mounting section for supporting a cassette transported from the outside and a substrate transfer between the cassette and the transport unit. And a transfer robot that performs

[0005] In the substrate processing apparatus, a cassette accommodating a plurality of substrates is conveyed from the outside and is placed on a cassette mounting portion. Then, the transfer robot sequentially takes out the substrates in the cassette, delivers them to the transport unit, and supplies them to a predetermined processing unit. The processed substrate is transferred from the transfer unit to the transfer robot and stored in a cassette. When the processing of all the substrates in the cassette is completed, the completed cassette is delivered to the outside.

The transfer of the cassette to the substrate processing apparatus is performed by an operator or an automatic transfer device. In particular, the automatic transport device holds a plurality of cassettes and automatically carries them along a predetermined route, places the cassettes on a cassette mounting portion of a predetermined substrate processing apparatus, and transfers the processed cassettes to a substrate. It is received from the cassette mounting part of the processing device and transported to the next step.

In recent years, the diameter of a substrate has been increasing, and accordingly, the size of a substrate processing apparatus has tended to increase. For this reason, there is an increasing need to efficiently arrange a substrate processing apparatus in a clean room. On the other hand, when an automatic transfer device for a cassette is used, it is necessary to provide a transport path of the automatic transfer device between the substrate processing apparatuses, which hinders a reduction in an installation interval between the substrate processing apparatuses.

Therefore, it has been proposed to transport the cassette using the space above the substrate processing apparatus. FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of transporting a cassette to a substrate processing apparatus by an upper transport mechanism. The upper transport mechanism 11 includes a rail 1 extending in a predetermined direction above the substrate processing apparatus 20.
2, a transport container 15 and a transport container 1 for accommodating a transport unit 13 and a cassette 16 movable along the rail 12.
5 is provided.

The upper transfer mechanism 11 holds the upper end of the transfer container 15 containing the cassette 16 and
When the transport container 15 is moved horizontally while holding the transport container 15 above it, and reaches a position above a predetermined substrate processing apparatus 20, the wire 14 is extended and the transport container 15 is lowered.

On the other hand, the substrate processing apparatus 20 includes the transfer container 1
A cassette stage 21 for receiving the cassette 16 in the cassette 5 is provided. The transport container 15 is placed on the cassette stage 21, and the cassette 16 is removed from the transport container 15 by a cassette removing device (not shown). Thereafter, the transport container 15 moves up and is moved by the transport unit 13 to the next location along the rail 12.

When the upper transport mechanism 11 is used, since the cassette 16 moves above the substrate processing apparatus 20,
There is no need to provide a transport path of the automatic transfer device between the adjacent substrate processing apparatuses 20. For this reason, it becomes possible to arrange the adjacent substrate processing apparatuses 20 close to each other.

[0012]

However, while the traveling path of the automatic transfer device between the substrate processing apparatuses 20 can be omitted, a new cassette stage 21 needs to be provided in the substrate processing apparatus 20. For this reason, the cassette stage 21
This suppresses a reduction in the interval between the substrate processing apparatuses 20 that are arranged adjacent to each other.
There is a possibility that the advantage of using the method may be reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus which can be closely arranged even in a clean room in which an upper transfer mechanism is used, and a substrate processing system provided with the substrate processing apparatus.

[0014]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention A substrate processing system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a transfer mechanism for transferring a substrate storage container storing a substrate along a rail disposed above the room. A substrate processing apparatus having a substrate loading / unloading section having a mounting surface for supporting the substrate storage container transferred to and from the transport mechanism, and the substrate processing apparatus temporarily supports the substrate storage container. And a support member that can move between a position protruding outward from the substrate carry-in / out unit and a position stored in the substrate carry-in / out unit.

In the substrate processing system according to the present invention, a supporting member movable with respect to the substrate loading / unloading section is provided, and the substrate storage container can be temporarily placed on the supporting member. For this reason, the substrate storage container conveyed from above the substrate processing apparatus is temporarily supported on the support member to enable loading into the substrate processing apparatus, and the processed substrate storage container is supported on the support member. The transfer operation from the substrate processing apparatus to the transfer mechanism is enabled by transferring the data to the upper transfer mechanism.

Further, when the delivery of the substrate storage container is completed, the support member is stored in the substrate loading / unloading section. For this reason, it is possible to prevent an increase in the plane occupied area of the substrate processing apparatus, and to save space when installed in a clean room.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus installed in a room together with a transfer mechanism for transferring a substrate storage container storing a substrate along a rail disposed above the room. A processing unit for performing a predetermined process on the substrate, a substrate loading / unloading unit having a mounting surface for supporting the substrate storage container, and an opening surrounding the space on the mounting surface of the substrate loading / unloading unit. Between the cover member, a position protruding outward from the substrate loading / unloading portion to open the opening of the cover member, and a position stored in the substrate loading / unloading portion to close the opening of the cover member. And a support member that opens and closes.

In this case, by taking out the support member to a position protruding from the substrate loading / unloading section, the substrate storage container can be transferred between the transport mechanism and the substrate processing apparatus using the support member. When the transfer operation of the substrate storage container is completed, the support member is stored in the substrate loading / unloading section. This prevents an increase in the plane occupied area of the substrate processing apparatus, and saves space when the substrate processing apparatus is disposed in a clean room.

Further, when the support member is stored, the space on the mounting surface of the substrate loading / unloading section together with the cover member can be made substantially sealed. This prevents a contaminated airflow from entering the space from the outside, and can maintain the internal atmosphere in a clean state.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, further includes a detecting means for detecting arrival of the substrate storage container transported by the transport mechanism. Move open and close according to the output from the detecting means.

In this case, the opening / closing operation of the support member is automatically performed in response to the arrival of the substrate storage container, so that the transfer of the substrate storage container can be performed efficiently.

[0022]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the substrate processing system has a substrate processing apparatus and an upper transport mechanism.

The substrate processing apparatus has processing areas A and B, a transport area C, and a substrate loading / unloading section D. The processing areas A and B are disposed on both sides of the transport area C, and the substrate loading / unloading section D is disposed on one end side of the processing areas A and B and the transport area C.

The processing area A includes a first hierarchical level A1, a second hierarchical level A2, a third hierarchical level A3, and a fourth hierarchical level A4 arranged in order from bottom to top. Similarly, the processing area B includes a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer arranged in order from bottom to top.
And a fourth hierarchy.

On the first level A1 of the processing area A, a chemical system unit 1 for storing various processing liquids (chemical liquids), waste liquids, pumps and exhaust systems is arranged. In the second layer A2,
A plurality of rotary processing units, for example, a rotary coating unit 2a are arranged.

The third layer A3 includes ULPA (Ultr
a Low Penetration Air) A plurality of air conditioning units 3 including a filter such as a filter and a chemical adsorption filter and a fan are arranged. The fourth layer A4 includes a cooling unit CP for performing a cooling process on the substrate and a heating unit HP for performing a heating process on the substrate.
Are arranged in a plurality of stages.

The chemical unit 1 is disposed on the first level of the processing area B, and the rotary processing unit, for example, the rotary developing unit is disposed on the second level.
In a third level, a plurality of air conditioning units are arranged,
A plurality of heat treatment units are arranged on the fourth level.

In the transfer area C, a transfer unit for transferring the substrate W is provided so as to be horizontally movable and vertically movable along the processing areas A and B.

The substrate loading / unloading section D has three layers from the bottom to the top. In the lower layer of the substrate loading / unloading section D, a transport in which a cassette mounting section 5 for holding the plurality of cassettes 16 at predetermined positions and a transfer robot for transferring the substrate W between the cassette 16 and the transport unit are arranged. A part 6 is provided.

A cover member 9 surrounding the space on the mounting surface 5b is mounted between the cassette mounting portion 5 and the electric control unit 8.

An air conditioning unit 7 composed of a filter and a fan is arranged on the middle level, and an electric control unit 8 is arranged on the upper level.

The cassette mounting portion 5 has a mounting surface 5b on which a plurality of, in the illustrated example, four cassettes (substrate storage containers) 16 are mounted.

On the side face 5a of the cassette mounting portion 5, a cassette support 10 for temporarily supporting a transport container 15 transported by the upper transport mechanism 11 is provided.

An upper transport mechanism 11 is provided above the substrate processing apparatus. The upper transport mechanism 11 includes a rail 12 disposed above the clean room and a rail 1.
2, a transport unit 13 that can move along the transport container 2, a transport container 15 that holds the cassette 16 inside, and a transport container 15 that holds the transport container 15.
And a wire 14 for moving up and down.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the loading / unloading section of the substrate processing apparatus. The cassette support base 10 is formed in a flat plate shape, and is formed to be openable and closable about a rotation shaft 10 a provided at an upper end of the side surface 5 a of the cassette mounting portion 5. When the cassette support 10 is closed, the cassette support 1
0 closes an opening 9a provided in the cover member 9 of the substrate loading / unloading section D. As a result, the internal space 18 of the substrate loading / unloading section D is substantially sealed by the cover member 9 and the cassette support base 10. Then, a clean air flow flows from the air adjusting unit 17 including the fan 17a and the forter 17b disposed above the internal space 18, into the internal space 18, and the internal space 18 is maintained in a clean atmosphere.

When the cassette support 10 is open, the support surface 10b of the cassette support 10 is held in a horizontal position. The cassette mounting section 5 is provided with a rotation mechanism (not shown) for opening and closing the cassette support base 10. The rotation mechanism includes a link mechanism for rotating the cassette support base 10 around the rotation shaft 10a, and a motor or a cylinder serving as a drive source for the link mechanism.

Further, the support surface 10 of the cassette support 10
A cassette moving mechanism for taking out the cassette 16 from the inside of the transport container 15 transported to the cassette mounting portion 5b and moving the cassette 16 onto the cassette mounting surface on the cassette mounting portion 5 is provided.

The upper transport mechanism 11 accommodates a cassette 16 accommodating a plurality of unprocessed substrates in a transport container 15, holds the transport container 15 in a suspended state, and moves along a rail 12 of a predetermined substrate processing apparatus. Move upward. Then, the arrival of the transport container 15 is communicated to the substrate processing apparatus. In the substrate processing apparatus, upon receiving a signal indicating the arrival of the transport container 15, the rotation mechanism of the cassette support 10 is driven to rotate the cassette support 10 from the closed state to the open state.

When the cassette support 10 is opened, the support surface 1
0b is held in the horizontal position, the transport unit 13 of the upper transport mechanism 11 descends the transport container 15, and the cassette support 1
The transport container 15 is placed on the 0 support surface 10b. Then, the front surface of the transport container 15 is opened, and the cassette 16 in the transport container 15 is taken out to the mounting surface 5a of the cassette mounting portion 5 by the cassette moving mechanism.

After that, the transport container 15 is lifted by the transport unit 13 and the operation of loading the cassette 16 into the substrate loading / unloading unit D is completed. When the loading of the cassette 16 is completed, the cassette support 10 is closed.

When removing the processed cassette 16 from the substrate loading / unloading section D, the cassette moving mechanism moves the cassette 16 from the mounting surface 5b of the cassette mounting section 5 to the inside of the transport container 15. Except for the above, almost the same operation as described above is performed.

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment, only when the cassette 16 is loaded into the substrate processing apparatus and when the processed cassette 16 is unloaded, the cassette support table 10 is temporarily moved. Open. For this reason, when arranging a substrate processing apparatus in a clean room,
Transport container 15 of cassette 16 from upper transport mechanism 11
There is no need to consider the space for newly arranging the pedestal, and the substrate processing apparatus can be arranged close to the pedestal.
This can save space in the clean room.

Further, when the cassette support table 10 is closed, the internal space 18 of the substrate loading / unloading section D is substantially sealed. Thereby, the internal space 18 can be maintained in a clean atmosphere.

In the above embodiment, the mechanism for opening and closing the cassette support 10 is not particularly limited, and a well-known opening / closing mechanism and driving device can be applied.

Further, a sensor may be provided in the substrate processing apparatus as means for detecting the arrival of the transport container 15 by the upper transport mechanism section 11.

Further, the shape of the cassette supporting base 10 is not limited to a flat plate, but may be any one that can close the opening 9a of the cover 9 and has a supporting surface 10b that supports the transport container 15. Any other shape may be used.

Further, the structure of the substrate processing apparatus provided with the substrate loading / unloading section D in the above embodiment is not limited to the one having the processing areas A and B and the transport area C shown in FIG. May be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a substrate loading / unloading section of the substrate processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a cassette transfer operation performed by a conventional upper transport mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 5 Cassette mounting portion 7 Air adjustment unit 9 Cover member 9a Opening portion 10 Cassette support base 10a Rotating shaft 10b Support surface 11 Upper transport mechanism

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masao Tsuji 322 Habushishi Furukawacho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Inside Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor J 一 ichi Nishimura 322 Hahazushi Furukawacho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto-shi Dainichi Inside Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd. 322 Dainichi Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Rakusai Office

Claims (3)

[Claims] A transfer mechanism configured to transfer a substrate storage container storing a substrate along a rail disposed in an upper part of a room; and supporting the substrate storage container transferred between the transfer mechanism and the transfer mechanism. A substrate processing apparatus having a substrate loading / unloading section having a mounting surface, wherein the substrate processing apparatus temporarily supports the substrate storage container and projects outward from the substrate loading / unloading section. A substrate processing system, comprising: a support member movable to a position stored in the substrate loading / unloading section. 2. A substrate processing apparatus installed in a room together with a transfer mechanism for transferring a substrate storage container storing a substrate along a rail disposed above the room. A processing unit for performing processing, a substrate loading / unloading unit having a mounting surface for supporting the substrate storage container, a cover member having an opening and surrounding a space on the mounting surface of the substrate loading / unloading unit, While temporarily supporting the substrate storage container, a position protruding outward from the substrate loading / unloading portion so as to open the opening of the cover member, and closing the opening of the cover member. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a support member that opens and closes with a position stored in a substrate loading / unloading unit. 3. A detecting device for detecting arrival of the substrate storage container transported by the transport mechanism, wherein the support member opens and closes in response to an output from the detecting device. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2.