JPH1187456A - Apparatus for treating substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for treating substrates, which enables the installation area to be reduced by effectively utilizing vertical space. SOLUTION: A treating zone A is disposed around a carrying zone C and partly disposed at a delivery zone B and includes upper and lower treating spaces A1, A2. Substrate-treating units 201 are disposed in stages in the upper space A1, and substrate treating units 202 are disposed in stages in the lower space A2. An upper and lower carrying spaces C1, C2 are disposed, corresponding to the upper and lower spaces A1, A2 in which a substrate carrying units 101, 102 are disposed and include expansion lift mechanisms 4. In the delivering zone B, a raise/lower mechanism 300 is disposed for carrying the substrates in vertical direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate and a substrate processing apparatus having the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A substrate processing apparatus is used to perform various processes on substrates such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, 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 is used in which a series of processes are unitized and a plurality of substrate processing units are integrated in order to increase production efficiency. In such a substrate processing apparatus, generally, a plurality of different processes are continuously performed on one substrate. Therefore, a substrate transport unit that transports a substrate between each substrate processing unit is provided.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an example of a conventional cluster type substrate processing apparatus provided with a substrate transport unit, and FIG. 9 is a front view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG.

The substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 8 has a processing area A, a transfer area B, and a transport area C. The processing area A is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the transport area C, and the processing area A
The transfer area B is arranged in a part of the area. Processing area A
A plurality of substrate processing units 201 are arranged, and the substrate transport unit 100 is provided in the transport area C.

[0005] The transfer area B is provided with a substrate transfer section 500 for transferring a substrate to and from another substrate processing apparatus. A plurality of substrate support pins 501 are provided in the substrate transfer section 500, and a substrate is mounted on these substrate support pins 501.

As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of substrate processing units 201 are arranged in a plurality of stages in a processing area A, and each substrate processing unit 201 has an opening (not shown) for loading and unloading a substrate. ) Is provided.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing an example of the substrate transfer unit 100, wherein FIG. 10A shows a lowered state, and FIG. The substrate transport unit 100 includes a hand 51 for holding a substrate, a moving body 52, an elevating unit 53, and a base member 54.
And a ball screw 55. The base member 54 is shown in FIG.
Is fixed to the supporting member 56. The elevating unit 53 is provided on the base member 54 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction (vertical axis direction) by a ball screw 55 arranged in the vertical direction.

The moving body 52 is provided on the elevating section 53 so as to be rotatable in the θ-axis direction (rotational direction about the vertical axis). The hand 51 is provided on the moving body 52 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the X-axis direction (predetermined horizontal direction). The rotation of the moving body 52 also rotates in the X-axis direction.

With the above structure, the substrate transport unit 10
The zero hand 51 can move up and down in the Z-axis direction, rotate in the θ-axis direction, and further advance and retreat in the X-axis direction.

The substrate transport unit 100 loads and unloads the substrate W from and to the substrate processing unit 201, or transfers the substrate W to and from the substrate transfer unit 500.

[0011]

In the above-described conventional substrate transfer unit 100, the hand 5 is provided so that particles (fine particles) generated from the mechanical section do not adhere to the substrate.
1 is provided at the top of the elevating unit 53. The elevating unit 53 is driven in the Z-axis direction by a linear motion mechanism using a motor (not shown) and a ball screw 55. for that reason,
A mechanism such as a ball screw 55 projects below the base member 54 by a length substantially corresponding to the stroke of the elevating unit 53, and a space of a predetermined height is required below the transport path by the hand 51.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a transferable range (accessible range) by a substrate transfer unit of the conventional substrate processing apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a transferable range by the substrate transfer unit of the conventional substrate processing apparatus. It is.

In FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, RA indicates a range in which the substrate transfer unit 100 can access the periphery of the transfer area C (transfer of the substrate), and RC indicates an access in the transfer area C by the substrate transfer unit 100. The possible range is shown. As shown in FIG. 12, the area below the base member 54 cannot be accessed both in and around the transport area C.

Therefore, the substrate processing unit cannot be arranged in the space below the substrate processing apparatus, and the space in the vertical direction cannot be effectively used. Therefore,
The installation area of the substrate processing apparatus cannot be reduced.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are schematic views showing another example of the conventional substrate transfer apparatus, wherein FIG. 13A shows a lowered state, and FIG. 13B shows a raised state.

The substrate transport unit shown in FIG. 13 includes a hand 51 for holding a substrate, a moving body 52, an elevating unit 53, a base member 54, and a vertical moving mechanism 57. The base member 54 is fixed to the floor. The elevating unit 53 is attached to the vertical movement mechanism 57 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction. The vertical movement mechanism 57 is configured by a motor, a belt, and the like, and drives the elevating unit 53 in the Z-axis direction.

The moving body 52 is provided on the elevating unit 53 so as to be rotatable in the θ-axis direction. The hand 51 is provided on the movable body 52 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the X-axis direction. The rotation of the moving body 52 also rotates in the X-axis direction.

According to the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 13, it is possible to access the lower area as compared with the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. However, particles generated from the vertical movement mechanism 57 may adhere to the substrate held by the hand 51.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of reducing an installation area by effectively utilizing a vertical space.

[0020]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention A substrate processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus having a transfer area and a processing area arranged around the transfer area. And a plurality of processing units that perform a predetermined process on the substrate, and a transport unit that is provided in the transport area, transports the substrate in the transport area, and loads and unloads the substrate to and from the processing unit in the processing area. And the transporting means comprises:
It includes a substrate holding unit for holding a substrate, and a driving unit including a telescopic elevating mechanism that expands and contracts vertically to move the substrate holding unit in a vertical direction.

In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate is transported by the transport means in the transport area, and the transport means loads and unloads the substrate to and from the processing section in the processing area arranged around the transport area. Is performed.

In this case, since the transporting means includes a drive section comprising an extendable elevating mechanism which expands and contracts up and down, a part of the mechanism of the transporting means does not protrude below the transporting area and the substrate is vertically moved within the transporting area. Can be transported.

As a result, since no dead space is formed below the transfer area, the space in the vertical direction of the substrate processing apparatus can be effectively used, and the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the processing region is
Including a plurality of processing spaces arranged vertically, the transport area,
It includes a plurality of transport spaces vertically arranged corresponding to a plurality of processing spaces, one or a plurality of processing units are respectively disposed in the plurality of processing spaces, and a transport unit is disposed in each of the plurality of transport spaces. is there.

In this case, the substrate is transported by the transport means in each of the vertically stacked transport spaces, and the substrate is loaded and unloaded to and from the processing units in each vertically stacked process space. Therefore, the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus can be further reduced.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, further comprising an elevating means for moving the substrate up and down between a plurality of transfer spaces.

Thus, the substrate can be transported in each of the vertically disposed transport spaces, and the substrate can be transported between the vertically transported spaces. Therefore, the substrate can be transferred between the processing units in different processing spaces.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the second or third aspect, further comprising a shielding means for shielding between a plurality of transfer spaces.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the plurality of transport spaces arranged vertically from being affected by particles such as dust.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention comprises:
In the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the third or fourth aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus further includes an atmosphere adjusting unit provided between the plurality of processing spaces to adjust an atmosphere.

Thus, the upper processing space and the lower processing space can be separated from each other, and the atmosphere in each processing space can be independently adjusted.

The substrate processing apparatus according to the sixth invention comprises:
In the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the fifth aspects, the telescopic elevating mechanism of the transport unit includes a plurality of members that are foldably connected.

In this case, when the plurality of members perform the folding operation, the substrate holding unit is driven in the vertical direction without a part of the mechanism of the transporting unit projecting downward.

The substrate processing apparatus according to the seventh invention comprises:
In the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the driving unit of the transport unit further includes a movable unit rotatably provided around an axis in a vertical direction above the telescopic elevating mechanism, The holding section is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the movable section.

In this case, the transfer operation of the substrate is performed in the vertical direction in the transfer area by moving the movable portion in the vertical direction by the telescopic elevating mechanism. In addition, the movable part rotates around a vertical axis and the substrate holding part moves in the horizontal direction, so that the substrate transfer operation is performed with respect to the processing unit.

The substrate processing apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the lifting means comprises:
It includes a substrate supporting portion for supporting the substrate, and a driving portion including a telescopic elevating mechanism that expands and contracts up and down to move the substrate supporting portion in the vertical direction.

In this case, since the elevating means includes a driving unit including an elongating mechanism that expands and contracts up and down, it is possible to move the substrate supporting part in the vertical direction without a part of the mechanism part of the elevating means protruding downward. it can.

A ninth aspect of the present invention provides the substrate processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, wherein the telescopic elevating mechanism of the elevating means comprises a plurality of members which are foldably connected.

In this case, when the plurality of members perform the folding operation, the substrate support is driven in the vertical direction without a part of the mechanism of the elevating means protruding downward.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect, wherein the drive unit of the lifting / lowering means is rotatable about a vertical axis above the telescopic lifting mechanism. The substrate supporting portion is provided movably in a horizontal direction with respect to the movable portion.

In this case, the up / down operation of the substrate in the up / down direction is performed by moving the movable portion in the up / down direction by the telescopic elevating mechanism. Further, the movable part rotates around a vertical axis and the substrate supporting part moves in the horizontal direction, whereby the substrate transfer operation is performed.

[0042]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cluster type substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 in a direction orthogonal to FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus has a processing area A, a transfer area B, and a transport area C. The processing area A is arranged so as to surround the transport area C, and two transfer areas B are provided in a part of the processing area A.

In the processing region A, a spin-coating process of a processing solution is performed.
A plurality of substrate processing units 201 and 202 for performing predetermined processing such as development processing, cleaning processing, heating processing, and cooling processing are arranged (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

In one transfer area B, a substrate transfer section 500 for transferring a substrate is provided. A plurality of substrate support pins 501 are provided in the substrate transfer section 500, and a substrate is mounted on these substrate support pins 501. An indexer 400 for loading and unloading substrates is provided adjacent to the end of the transfer area B. In the other transfer area B, an elevating device 300 for transporting the substrate in the vertical direction is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the processing area A
Includes an upper processing space A1 and a lower processing space A2. In the upper processing space A1, a plurality of substrate processing units 201 for performing predetermined processing on a substrate are arranged in multiple stages, and in the lower processing space A2, a plurality of substrate processing units 202 for performing predetermined processing on substrates are arranged in multiple stages. Have been. Each of the substrate processing units 201 and 202 is provided with an opening (not shown) for loading and unloading a substrate.

An air conditioning unit 203 comprising an ULPA (Ultra Low Penetration Air) filter, a chemical adsorption filter and a fan is arranged between the upper processing space A1 and the lower processing space A2. Air conditioning unit 20
Reference numeral 3 functions as an air conduit for supplying clean air whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted to the lower processing space A2 as a downward flow (downflow). Thereby, the atmosphere of the lower processing space A2 is kept good. Further, the upper processing space A1 and the lower processing space A2 are separated by the air adjustment unit 203. Note that an air adjustment unit may be provided above the upper processing space A1. Thus, the atmosphere in the upper processing space A1 and the atmosphere in the lower processing space A2 are independently adjusted.

The transfer area C includes an upper transfer space C1 and a lower transfer space C2 corresponding to the upper processing space A1 and the lower processing space A2. The substrate transfer unit 101 is provided in the upper transfer space C1, and the substrate transfer unit 102 is provided in the lower transfer space C2. Upper transfer space C1
The partition 25 is shielded from the lower transport space C2. Thereby, the upper transfer space C1 and the lower transfer space C
2 is prevented from being affected by particles such as dust.

The substrate transfer unit 101 includes two hands 1 a and 1 b, a moving body 2, a support 3, a telescopic elevating mechanism 4 and a base member 5. FIG. 2 shows only one hand 1a of the two hands 1a and 1b.

As shown in FIG. 3, the base member 5 is fixed on a pair of support members 6 arranged in the upper transfer space C1. The telescopic lifting mechanism 4 is configured to be telescopic in the Z-axis direction (vertical axis direction) by an articulated arm mechanism composed of two arms 4a and 4b.

The support base 3 is provided above the base member 5 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction by a telescopic elevating mechanism 4.
The moving body 2 is provided on the support base 3 so as to be rotatable in the θ-axis direction (a rotation direction about a vertical axis). The two hands 1a and 1b are moved horizontally on the moving body 2 (not shown).
X-axis direction (direction of forward and backward movement in the horizontal plane)
Is provided so as to be movable. Hand 1a is hand 1b
It is arranged so that it may overlap with the upper part of.

The substrate transport unit 102 has the same structure as the substrate transport unit 101.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lifting device 300 includes a mounting table 31, a moving body 32, a lifting member 33, and a telescopic lifting mechanism 3.
4 and a base member 35. A plurality of substrate support pins 36 are mounted on the upper surface of the mounting table 31. The telescopic elevating mechanism 34 is configured to be telescopic in the Z direction (vertical axis direction) by an articulated arm mechanism including two arms 34a and 34b.

The elevating member 33 is provided above the base member 35 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction by a telescopic elevating mechanism 34. The moving body 32 is provided on the elevating member 33 so as to be rotatable in the θ direction (a rotation direction about a vertical axis).

The mounting table 31 is provided on a moving body 32 by a horizontal moving mechanism (not shown) so as to be movable in the X-axis direction (a direction of moving forward and backward in a horizontal plane). Mounting table 31
The substrate W is mounted on the plurality of substrate support pins 36 mounted thereon.
Is placed.

In the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the transfer robot 402 of the indexer 400 moves in the direction of the arrow U, takes out the substrate W from the cassette 401, and The substrate W placed on the support pins 501 and subjected to a series of processes is received from the substrate transfer unit 500 and returned to the cassette 401.

The substrate transport unit 101 transports the substrate W in the upper transport space C1, and also transfers the substrate
0, the substrate W is transferred to the upper processing space A1.
The substrate W is loaded and unloaded to and from the substrate processing unit 201, or the substrate is transferred to and from the lifting device 300.

The substrate transport unit 102 transports the substrate W in the lower transport space C2, and loads and unloads the substrate W from and into the substrate processing unit 202 in the lower processing space A2. Delivery of W is performed.

The lifting / lowering device 300 transports the substrate W received from the substrate transport unit 101 in the upper transport space C1 downward and transfers it to the substrate transport unit 102 in the lower transport space C2, or the substrate transport unit 10 in the lower transport space C2.
The substrate W received from 2 is transported upward and transferred to the substrate transport unit 101 in the upper transport space C1.

In this embodiment, the substrate transport unit 101,
102 corresponds to a transport means, and the substrate processing unit 201,
202 corresponds to a processing unit, and the lifting device 300 corresponds to a lifting unit. The partition 25 corresponds to a shielding unit, and the air adjustment unit 203 corresponds to an atmosphere adjusting unit.

The hands 1a and 1b correspond to the substrate holding unit, and the moving body 2 corresponds to the movable unit. Further, the mounting table 3
1 and the substrate support pins 36 correspond to a substrate support portion, and the moving body 32 corresponds to a movable portion.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the substrate transport unit 101.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the substrate transport unit 101. In addition,
The configuration of the substrate transfer unit 102 is the same as the configuration shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, on a base member 5 fixed to a pair of support members 6 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), a telescopic lifting mechanism 4 composed of two arms 4a and 4b is provided. Is provided. One end of the arm 4b is attached to a horizontal bracket 14 on a support bracket 12 provided on the base member 5.
To be rotatable. One end of the arm 4a is rotatably attached to the other end of the arm 4b by a horizontal shaft 15. The other end of the arm 4 a is rotatably attached to a support bracket 13 provided on the lower surface of the support base 3 by a horizontal shaft 16.

A pulley 17 is connected and fixed to one end of the horizontal shaft 14, pulleys 18 and 20 are connected and fixed to one end and the other end of the horizontal shaft 15, and a pulley is connected to the other end of the horizontal shaft 16. 21 is connected and fixed. Pulley 1
A wire 19 is bridged between the pulley 7 and the pulley 18, and a wire 22 is bridged between the pulley 20 and the pulley 21. The horizontal shaft 14 is fixed to the support bracket 12, the horizontal shaft 15 is fixed to the arm 4a, and the horizontal shaft 16 is fixed to the support bracket 13. The diameter of the pulley 17 is set to twice the diameter of the pulley 18, and the diameter of the pulley 20 is
The diameter is set to one half of the diameter of one.

As shown in FIG. 5, a driving member 11 extends from the lower end of the arm 4b. This driving member 11
Is driven in the direction of arrow D by a motor 23 and a ball screw 24 provided on the lower surface of the base member 5. When the driving member 11 is driven in the direction of arrow D, the arms 4a,
The telescopic elevating mechanism 4 composed of 4b expands and contracts in the Z-axis direction, and the support 3 moves in the Z-axis direction in a horizontal posture.

The moving body 2 is driven to rotate in the θ-axis direction by a motor built in the support 3. Also, hands 1a,
1b is independently advanced and retracted in the X-axis direction by a slide mechanism (not shown) provided on the moving body 2. Note that the X-axis direction rotates in a horizontal plane as the moving body 2 rotates.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a transferable range (accessible range) by the substrate transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.

In FIG. 6, RA1 indicates a range where the substrate transfer unit 101 can access the periphery of the upper transfer space C1 (substrate transfer), and RC1 is accessible by the substrate transfer unit 101 in the upper transfer space C1. Range. RA2 indicates a range in which the periphery of the lower transfer space C2 can be accessed by the substrate transfer unit 102, and RC2 indicates the substrate transfer unit 10
Reference numeral 2 indicates an accessible range in the lower transport space C2.

The substrate processing unit 20 in the upper processing space A1
1 is a range RA accessible by the substrate transport unit 101
1, the substrate processing unit 202 in the lower processing space A2 is disposed in a range RA2 accessible by the substrate transport unit 102.

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment, the substrates are transported by the substrate transport units 101 and 102 in the upper transport space C1 and the lower transport space C2, respectively. Loading and unloading of substrates are performed to and from the substrate processing unit 201 in the space A1.
Thus, the substrate is loaded and unloaded to and from the substrate processing unit 202 in the lower processing space A2. in this way,
Effective use of the space in the vertical direction of the substrate processing apparatus is achieved, and the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus is reduced.

In particular, since the substrate transfer units 101 and 102 have the telescopic elevating mechanism 4 that expands and contracts up and down, a part of the mechanism of the substrate transfer units 101 and 102 projects below the upper transfer space C1 and the lower transfer space C2. Without being carried out in the upper transport space C1 and the lower transport space C, respectively.
The substrate can be conveyed up and down within 2. Therefore, it is possible to carry in and carry out the substrates to and from the substrate processing units 201 arranged in a plurality of stages in the upper processing space A1 and the substrate processing units 202 arranged in a plurality of stages in the lower processing space A2. The space in the vertical direction of the device is more effectively used.

Further, since the substrate can be transferred between the upper transfer space C1 and the lower transfer space C2 by the elevating device 300, the substrate processing unit 2 in the upper processing space A1 can be transferred.
01 and the substrate processing unit 202 in the lower processing space A2.

In particular, since the elevating device 300 has the telescopic elevating mechanism 34 that expands and contracts up and down, a part of the mechanism of the elevating device 300 does not project below the transfer area B, and the upper transport space C1 and the lower transport space The substrate can be transferred to and from C2.

Further, since the mounting table 31 of the elevating device 300 can move forward and backward in the horizontal direction with respect to the moving body 32, it is also possible to transfer the substrate to and from a processing section of another substrate processing apparatus. Becomes

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another example of the substrate transfer unit. The substrate transport unit in FIG. 7 has a telescopic elevating mechanism 40 having a pantograph structure.

On the base member 5, a telescopic elevating mechanism 40 is provided. The telescopic elevating mechanism 40 includes a ball screw 4
2 and two sets of pantograph links 41 a and 41 b which expand and contract by the motor 43.

The support 3 is mounted on the upper part of the telescopic elevating mechanism 40, and the moving body 2 is provided on the support 3 so as to be rotatable in the θ-axis direction. Two hands 1 on moving body 2
a, 1b are provided so as to be able to advance and retreat in the X-axis direction.

In the substrate transfer unit shown in FIG. 7, the hands 1a and 1b are moved in the Z-axis direction by the telescopic elevating mechanism 40. Therefore, this substrate transfer unit is shown in FIGS.
Provided in the upper transfer space C1 and the lower transfer space C2 of the substrate processing apparatus, the upper transfer space C1 does not protrude below the upper transfer space C1 and the lower transfer space C2. The substrate can be transferred inside and in the lower transfer space C2.

In the above embodiment, the substrate W is supported on the substrate support pins 36 of the mounting table 31 of the elevating device 300. However, when the substrate is moved up and down at a high speed, the substrate is moved by vibration or the like. A mechanical chuck mechanism for mechanically holding the substrate so as not to shift on the base 31 or a suction chuck mechanism for vacuum-sucking the substrate may be used. In this case, a mechanical chuck mechanism, a suction chuck mechanism, or the like is provided on the mounting table 31 in FIG.

Further, in the above embodiment, a plurality of processing spaces are stacked, but it is also possible to stack a substrate transfer portion such as the indexer 400 and a cassette holding the substrates in the vertical direction.

Further, in the above embodiment, the substrate transfer section 500 is arranged in one transfer area B, but an elevating device 300 may be provided instead of the substrate transfer section 500.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 as viewed from a transfer area.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 in a direction orthogonal to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a substrate transport unit used in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a substrate transport unit used in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a transferable range by a substrate transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another example of the substrate transport unit.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an example of a conventional substrate processing apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 8 as viewed from a transfer area.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a substrate transport unit used in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a transferable range by a substrate transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a transferable range by a substrate transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing another example of the conventional substrate transfer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a, 1b Hand 2 Moving body 3 Support table 4,34 Telescopic elevating mechanism 4a, 4b, 34a, 34b Arm 5,35 Base member 31 Mounting table 32 Moving body 33 Elevating member 101,102 Substrate transport unit 201,202 Substrate processing unit 300 Lifting device A Processing area B Delivery area C Transport area A1 Upper processing space A2 Lower processing space C1 Upper transport space C2 Upper transport space

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus having a transfer area and a processing area arranged around the transfer area, wherein the plurality of processing units are provided in the processing area and perform predetermined processing on a substrate. A transport unit that is provided in the transport area and transports the substrate in the transport area and carries in and out the substrate to and from the processing unit in the processing area; the transport unit includes a substrate holding unit that holds the substrate; And a drive unit comprising a telescopic elevating mechanism that expands and contracts up and down to move the substrate holding unit in a vertical direction. 2. The processing area includes a plurality of processing spaces arranged vertically, and the transfer area includes a plurality of transfer spaces arranged vertically corresponding to the plurality of processing spaces. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or a plurality of the processing units are disposed in each of the processing spaces, and the transport unit is disposed in each of the plurality of transport spaces. 3. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising lifting means for moving the substrate up and down between the plurality of transport spaces. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising shielding means for shielding between the plurality of transport spaces. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an atmosphere adjusting means provided between said plurality of processing spaces to adjust an atmosphere. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the telescopic elevating mechanism of the transport means includes a plurality of members that are foldably connected. 7. The driving unit of the transporting unit further includes a movable unit provided on the upper part of the telescopic elevating mechanism so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and the substrate holding unit is provided on the movable unit. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is provided so as to be movable in a horizontal direction. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elevating unit includes a substrate supporting unit that supports the substrate, and a driving unit that includes a telescopic elevating mechanism that expands and contracts vertically to move the substrate supporting unit in a vertical direction. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3. 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said telescopic elevating mechanism of said elevating means comprises a plurality of members that are foldably connected. 10. The driving unit of the elevating means further includes a movable part provided on the upper part of the telescopic elevating mechanism so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and the substrate supporting part is provided on the movable part. 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is provided so as to be movable in a horizontal direction.