KR102352922B1 - Loadlock module, substrate processing apparatus, and substrate transfer method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology for detecting a board in a loadlock module. In the load lock module provided between the atmospheric transport module in which the substrate is transported under atmospheric pressure and the vacuum transport module in which the substrate is transported under vacuum, a load lock chamber that can be switched between atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure is provided. In this load lock chamber, a mounting table provided with a cooling mechanism for cooling the substrate is provided, and at the same time, lifting pins for moving the substrate up and down are provided so as to be able to retract from the mounting table. In addition, a detection area is set corresponding to the position at which the substrate is supported by the lifting pins protruding from the mounting table, and a detection unit for detecting the substrate in the detection area is provided.

Description

A load lock module, a substrate processing apparatus, and a method of transporting a substrate

The present disclosure relates to a load lock module, a substrate processing apparatus, and a method of transporting a substrate.

In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, various vacuum processes, such as etching and film-forming, are performed with respect to the semiconductor wafer (henceforth a wafer) which is a board|substrate. This vacuum processing is performed at high throughput. A plurality of vacuum processing chambers are arranged around the vacuum transfer chamber, and wafers are transferred from the atmospheric transfer chamber through the load lock chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber to the vacuum processing chamber. configuration is known. The wafers processed in the vacuum processing chamber are transferred to the load lock chamber in a vacuum atmosphere by the arms of the vacuum transfer chamber, and after the inside of the load lock chamber is adjusted to the atmospheric atmosphere, the wafers are unloaded from the load lock chamber by the arms of the atmospheric transfer chamber.

Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a wafer presence sensor and a wafer inclination sensor having a horizontal optical axis are provided in a load lock chamber for transferring a substrate to a main body of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). have. In addition, Patent Document 2 describes a configuration in which a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element for detecting the position of a target object accommodated in a cassette are provided on the arm of the wafer transfer apparatus.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-33594 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei-5-243347

The present disclosure provides techniques for detecting a substrate within a loadlock module.

The load lock module of the present disclosure includes:

It is a load-lock module that transfers the board by switching the internal pressure,

It is provided between an atmospheric transport module in which a substrate is transported under atmospheric pressure, and a vacuum transport module that is connected to a processing module that processes the substrate and that transports the substrate under vacuum pressure, the inside of which can be switched between atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure load lock room,

a mount provided in the load lock chamber and provided with a transfer mechanism for transferring and receiving substrates processed by the processing module and supporting the exchanged substrates;

A detection region is set corresponding to a position at which the substrate is supported by the give-and-take mechanism, and a detection unit for detecting the substrate in the detection region is provided.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to detect a substrate in the loadlock module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a top view which shows 1st Embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of this indication.
2 is a longitudinal side view showing the substrate processing apparatus.
3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a valve body provided in a load lock module of the substrate processing apparatus.
4 is a plan view showing an example of a detection unit provided in the valve body and a wafer.
5 is a perspective view showing the valve body and the detection unit.
6 is a side view illustrating a mounting table and a detection unit provided in the load lock module.
7 is a side view illustrating a mounting table and a detection unit provided in the load lock module.
8 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for conveying a substrate of the present disclosure.
9 is a side view showing a mounting table and a detection unit provided in the load lock module of the second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present disclosure.
Fig. 10 is a side view showing a mounting table and a detection unit provided in the load lock module according to the second embodiment.
11 is a flowchart showing another example of a method for conveying a substrate of the present disclosure.
12 is a plan view showing a loadlock module of a third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present disclosure.
Fig. 13 is a side view showing a mounting table and a detection unit provided in the load-lock module according to the third embodiment;
Fig. 14 is a side view showing a mounting table and a detection unit provided in the load lock module according to the third embodiment;
15 is a flowchart showing another example of a method for conveying a substrate of the present disclosure.
16 is a side view showing a mounting table and a detection unit provided in the load lock module of the fourth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present disclosure.
Fig. 17 is a side view showing a mounting table and a detection unit provided in the load lock module according to the fourth embodiment;
18 is a flowchart showing another example of the substrate transport method of the present disclosure.
19 is a side view showing a mounting table and a detection unit provided in the load lock module of the fifth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present disclosure.
Fig. 20 is a side view showing a mounting table and a detection unit provided in the load lock module according to the fifth embodiment;

(First embodiment)

The substrate processing apparatus 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated, referring the top view of FIG. 1 and the longitudinal sectional side view of FIG. The present substrate processing apparatus 1 includes, for example, the atmospheric transfer module 2 , the load-lock modules 3 ( 3A, 3B), the vacuum transfer module 4 , and the processing modules 5 ( 5A to 5F). ) is provided. The diameter of the wafer W to be processed is, for example, 300 mm. The atmospheric transport module 2 is a module in which the wafer W is transported under atmospheric pressure, and includes, for example, a rectangular atmospheric transport chamber 21 in plan view. Load lock modules 3A and 3B are connected to one of the two side surfaces extending in the long side direction of the standby transfer chamber 21, and the other of the two side surfaces is a carrier accommodating a plurality of wafers W ( A carrier mounting table 22 for mounting C) is provided.

Inside the standby transfer chamber 21 , a first substrate transfer mechanism is provided for transferring wafers W between the carrier C on the carrier mounting table 22 and the load lock modules 3A and 3B. (23) is placed. The first substrate transport mechanism 23 includes, for example, a guide rail (not shown) and a transport arm 24 of an articulated arm type, wherein the transport arm 24 moves in the long side direction of the atmospheric transport chamber 21 . It is configured to be movable, rotatable, telescopic, and elevating. Reference numeral 25 in Fig. 2 denotes a door for opening and closing the cover body of the carrier C. As shown in Figs.

The atmospheric transport module 2 is connected to the vacuum transport module 4 via two load-lock modules 3A and 3B. The vacuum transfer module 4 is a module in which the wafer W is transferred under vacuum pressure, and includes, for example, a vacuum transfer chamber 41 having an elongated pentagonal shape in plan view. Around the vacuum transfer chamber 41 , for example, six processing modules 5A to 5F are arranged radially, for example, and are respectively connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 41 via a gate valve 51 . The processing modules 5A to 5F are modules for performing various processes such as film formation, etching, and heating on the wafer in the vacuum container 52 .

The inside of the vacuum transfer chamber 41 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere, and in order to transfer the wafer W between the load lock modules 3A and 3B and each processing module 5A to 5F, the second substrate A conveying mechanism 42 is arranged. The second substrate transport mechanism 42 includes, for example, a guide rail (not shown) and a transport arm 43 of two articulated arm types, and the transport arm 43 is installed in a vacuum transport chamber 41 . It is configured to be movable in the long side direction, to be rotatable, to be stretchable and to be able to be lifted.

The load lock modules 3A and 3B are provided between the atmospheric transfer module 2 and the vacuum transfer module 4 as in the art, and transfer the wafer W by switching the internal pressure. . One of the load-lock modules 3A and 3B is used for carrying in, and the other for carrying out, among the two, for example. In this example, the load lock module 3A is used for carrying in, and the load lock module 3B is used for carrying out. The load-lock module 3A for carrying in is a module for transferring the wafer W before processing from the atmospheric transfer chamber 21 to the vacuum transfer chamber 41 . In addition, the load-lock module 3B for unloading is a module for sending and receiving the wafer W that has been processed by the processing modules 5A to 5F from the vacuum transfer chamber 41 to the standby transfer chamber 21 . These load-lock modules 3A and 3B have, for example, a load-lock chamber 31 having a rectangular shape in plan view, and the load-lock chamber 31 adjusts the internal pressure between atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure. It is configured as a switchable withstand pressure variable chamber.

The load lock chamber 31 includes a carry-in/outlet 32 for exchanging wafers W with the atmospheric transfer chamber 21 and a carry-in/outlet for transferring wafers W between the vacuum transfer chamber 41 and the vacuum transfer chamber 41 . 33) is provided. These inlet/outlets 32 and 33 are formed, for example in the shape of a long rectangle, and are comprised so that opening and closing is possible by the valve bodies 34 and 35, respectively. In this example, the valve body 34 which opens and closes the carry-in/outlet 32 on the side of the atmospheric conveyance module 2 is the door valve 34, and the valve body which opens and closes the carry-in/outlet 33 of the vacuum conveyance module 4 side. (35) is referred to as a gate valve (35). 3 is a perspective view of the door valve 34 viewed from the load lock chamber 31 side, and in the door valve 34, the closing surface ( 30) is shown. Here, although the closing surface 30 of the door valve 34 is taken as an example and shown as an example, the closing surface 30 of the door valve 34 and the gate valve 35 is, for example, the carry-in/outlets 32 and 33, respectively. It consists of a rectangular shape of the size that covers the

The contact area|region with the wall surface around the carrying-in/outlets 32 and 33 in these door valve 34 and the gate valve 35 is formed as the sealing surface 301, respectively. When the carry-in/outlet (32, 33) is closed, the sealing surface (301) and the wall surface around the carry-in/out (32, 33) are closely sealed and sealed. In addition, the area|region enclosed by the dotted line in FIG. 3 shows the area|region corresponding to the carrying-in/outlet 32. As shown in FIG. The lower surfaces of these door valves 34 and gate valves 35 are respectively connected to opening/closing mechanisms 342 and 352 via shafts 341 and 351, respectively, for example. The opening/closing mechanisms 342 and 352 of this example include an air cylinder, and are configured so that the shafts 341 and 351 expand and contract by air driving.

Thereby, the door valve 34 and the gate valve 35 move in an up-down direction between the open position in the lower side of the carry-in/outlets 32, 33, and the closed position which blocks the carry-in/outlets 32, 33. In reality, the opening/closing mechanisms 342 and 352 include, for example, a cam mechanism (not shown). And, when closing the carry-in/outlet (32, 33), the door valve 34 and the gate valve 35 move horizontally from the vertical movement region to the carry-in/outlet (32, 33) side, and the carry-in/outlet (32, 33) to be kept confidential. Reference numeral 343 in FIG. 3 denotes a hole for the shaft 341 to expand and contract and move in the lateral direction by the operation of the opening/closing mechanism 342 .

Further, the load lock chamber 31 is connected to a supply source 362 of a gas for pressure adjustment, for example, nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas, via a gas supply passage 361 , and an exhaust mechanism via an exhaust passage 371 . (372), for example connected to a vacuum pump. The gas supply path 361 and the exhaust path 371 are provided with a valve, a flow rate adjusting unit, a pressure adjusting unit, etc. (not shown), and based on a command from a control unit to be described later, the pressure in the load lock chamber 31 is adjusted to atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure. configured to switch between That is, the inside of the _{load lock chamber 31 is set to a vacuum pressure by stopping the supply of the N 2} gas into the load lock chamber 31 and performing evacuation by the exhaust mechanism 372 . In addition, the pressure in the load lock chamber 31 returns to atmospheric pressure by supplying _{N 2} gas while stopping the exhaust to the vacuum pressure load lock chamber 31 .

In this embodiment, the detection part 7 is provided in the load lock module 3B for carrying out, and then, the inside of the load lock chamber 31 is demonstrated taking the load lock module 3B for carrying out as an example. A mounting table 6 for mounting the wafer W is provided inside the load lock chamber 31 , and the mounting table 6 is a cooling mechanism for cooling the wafer W processed by the processing module 5 . It is configured as a cooling plate provided with (61). The cooling mechanism 61 has an annular refrigerant chamber 611 and a refrigerant supply path 612 , and circulates and supplies a low-temperature refrigerant, for example, cooling water or Galden (registered trademark) from the chiller unit 613. is composed In addition, instead of providing the refrigerant supply path 612 through which the refrigerant flows, a configuration in which the mounting table 6 is cooled by using a Peltier element may be employed.

In addition, the mounting table (cooling plate) 6 is provided with a sending/receiving mechanism through which the wafer W processed by the processing module is exchanged. In the sending/receiving mechanism of this example, a plurality of, for example, three lifting pins 62 for moving the wafer W up and down between the mounting position on the mounting table 6 and the sending/receiving position on the upper side of the mounting table 6 . ) is made of This lifting pin 62 is configured to be able to be protruded from the mounting table 6 by the lifting mechanism 63 by air driving. The transfer position is a position at which the wafer W is transferred between the mounting table 6 and the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 or the second substrate transfer mechanism 42 . Reference numeral 631 in FIG. 2 denotes a bellows.

In addition, in the load lock chamber 31 , a detection unit 7 for detecting the wafer W is provided. The detection unit 7 sets a detection area corresponding to the position at which the wafer W is supported by the lifting pins 62 protruding from the mounting table 6 , and detects the wafer W in the detection area. . The position at which the wafer W is supported by the lifting pins 62 is the above-mentioned transfer position, and an area capable of detecting the wafer W at this transfer position is set as the detection region. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the detection unit 7 includes a light projection unit 71 that emits detection light toward the side surface of the wafer W supported in the detection region, and an optical sensor that receives the detection light. A light receiving unit (72) is provided.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the light transmitting portion 71 and the light receiving portion 72 are, respectively, on the closing surface 30 of the door valve 34, inside the area where the sealing surface 301 is formed, for example, For example, it is provided in the state supported by the rod-shaped support members 711 and 721, respectively. Specifically, the light transmitting part 71 and the light receiving part 72 are attached to the front end side of the support members 711 and 721, respectively, The proximal side of these support members 711, 721 is, for example, a support member 711, It is respectively connected to the movement mechanisms 712 and 722 which rotate 721 in a horizontal direction.

In the closing surface 30 of the door valve 34 , corresponding to each supporting member 711 , 721 , recesses 713 , 723 in which the supporting members 711 , 721 can be stored are formed, for example, each The moving mechanisms 712 and 722 are provided inside the door valve 34 . Then, the supporting members 711 and 721 are rotated by these moving mechanisms 712 and 722 so that the light projecting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 can be moved in the horizontal direction between the storage position and the detection position. do. In Fig. 4, the supporting members 711 and 721 in the detection positions are indicated by solid lines, and the supporting members 711 and 721 in the storage positions are indicated by dotted lines. The storage position is a position at which the supporting members 711 and 721 enter the recesses 713 and 723 of the door valve 34, and in this example, the supporting members 711 and 721 are located along the closing surface 30. It is accommodated in the recesses (713, 723). The detection position is a position where the light transmitting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 enter the load lock chamber 31 to form a detection area. ) rotates to a position orthogonal to the detection position.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 5 , each of the supporting members 711 and 721 of the detection unit 7 rotates between the storage position and the detection position in the recesses 713 and 723 . Then, as shown in FIG. 4 , when viewed from a plan view, the light transmitting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 at the detection positions face each other with the wafer W interposed therebetween. Further, it is disposed between the light transmitting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 so as to form a horizontal optical axis L of the detection light at a position not interfering with the lifting pins 62 . In addition, in FIG. 4, the optical axis L is shown so that it may pass through the edge part of the wafer W for convenience of illustration.

Here, the light projecting unit 71 , the light receiving unit 72 , the supporting members 711 , 721 , and the moving mechanisms 712 , 722 are referred to as a mapping mechanism 70 . The state in which the light projecting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 are in the stowed positions in the door valve 34 is determined by the mapping mechanism 70 being stored and the light projecting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 are in the detection positions. The state may be referred to as a state in which the mapping mechanism 70 is deployed.

In the present embodiment, by using the vertical movement operation of the door valve 34 to change the relative positional relationship between the detection region and the wafer W supported by the lifting pins 62 , the wafer W is detected. is executed The detection region is, for example, a region in which the optical axis L of the detection light is formed, and since the optical axis L also moves in accordance with the movement of the door valve 34, the detection region in this example refers to the optical axis L This area moves in the vertical direction. Further, the wafer W is detected using the opening operation of the door valve 34 , and as shown in FIG. 6 , for example, immediately before the opening operation of the door valve 34 starts, the closing position Deploy the mapping mechanism (70) from the door valve (34) in the In this position, the optical axis L of the detection light from the light projecting unit 71 is on the upper side of the wafer W supported by the lifting pins 62 at the receiving position.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7 , the door valve 34 is lowered to open the carry-in/outlet 32 , and the wafer W is detected. When the carry-in/outlet 32 is opened, the door valve 34 is moved backward slightly from the carry-in/outlet 32 to the atmospheric transfer chamber 21 side, and then is lowered. Using this operation, the light transmitting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72 are respectively arranged so that the detection light from the light projecting unit 71 is blocked by the wafer W when the door valve 34 is lowered. The detection light from the light projecting unit 71 is received by the light receiving unit 72 at the height position where the wafer W is not present, and at the height position where the wafer W is present, the detection light is emitted by the wafer W at the height position. Since the light is blocked, the light receiving unit 72 enters a non-light receiving state. As described above, the detection unit 7 in this example is configured as a light blocking sensor that detects the presence of the wafer W when the detection light is blocked by the wafer W, and the change in the light reception state is transmitted through the detection unit 73 output to the control unit 100 .

The gate valve 35 of the load-lock module 3B for carrying out is comprised similarly to the door valve 34 except that the detection part is not provided.

In addition, with respect to the load lock module 3A for carrying in, for example, except that a cooling mechanism is not provided on the mounting table 6 and a detection part is not provided on the door valve 34, the above-mentioned load lock for carrying out is not provided. It is configured similarly to the module 3B.

The control unit 100 is made of, for example, a computer, and includes a data processing unit composed of a program, a memory, and a CPU. The program sends a control signal to each part of the substrate processing apparatus 1 from the control part 100, and the instruction (each step) is assembled so that the conveyance of the board|substrate mentioned later may be advanced. The program is stored in a storage unit such as a computer storage medium, for example, a flexible disk, a compact disk, a hard disk, or an MO (magneto-optical disk), and is installed in the control unit.

The program also includes a detection program for detecting the presence of the wafer. When the detection program detects the wafer W, the on/off operation of the detection unit 7, the lifting mechanism 621 of the lifting pin 62, the moving mechanism 342 of the door valve 34, and the supporting member ( The driving of the moving mechanisms 712 and 722 of the 711 and 721 is controlled. Further, detection of the wafer W (determination of the presence or absence of the wafer W) is performed, and based on the detection result, a signal is output for stopping the operation of unloading the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 . , or it is comprised so that at least one of the issuance of an alarm may be implemented.

Then, an example of the conveyance method of the board|substrate of this invention is demonstrated. First, the conveyance path|route of the wafer W in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is demonstrated briefly. First, the door 25 is opened, and the wafer W in the carrier C mounted on the carrier mounting unit 22 is received by the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 of the standby transfer chamber 21 . Then, the door valve 34 of the load lock module 3A for carrying in is lowered to open the carry in/out port 32 , and the wafer W is transferred to the atmospheric pressure load lock chamber 31 by the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 . It is exchanged with the lifting pins 62 of the mounting table 6 of the In the load-lock module 3A for carrying in, after raising the door valve 34 and closing the carrying-in/outlet 32, the internal pressure is switched from atmospheric pressure to a vacuum pressure. Next, the gate valve 35 is lowered to open the carry-in/outlet 33 , and from the lifting pins 62 of the mounting table 6 , the second substrate transfer mechanism 42 on the side of the vacuum transfer chamber 41 . Erotic wafers W are received. Then, the gate valve 35 is raised, the carry-in/outlet 33 is closed, and the inside of the load lock chamber 31 is returned to atmospheric pressure.

The second substrate transfer mechanism 42 transfers the wafer W to a predetermined processing module 5 , and in the processing module 5 , substrate processing such as film forming processing, etching processing, and heat processing is performed in the processing module 5 . Conduct. Here, the flowchart of FIG. 8 is also referred and demonstrated. The second substrate transfer mechanism 42 carries out a process of loading the wafer W processed by the processing module 5 into the load lock chamber 31 of the unloading load lock module 3B (step S11). That is, the gate valve 35 of the unloading load lock module 3B is lowered to open the loading/unloading port 33, and the wafer W is loaded into the load lock chamber 31 set to a vacuum pressure, and a lifting pin ( 62) to the mounting table (6). Then, the 2nd board|substrate conveyance mechanism 42 is withdrawn from the carry-in/out port 33, the gate valve 35 is raised, and the carry-in/out port 33 is closed. The mounting table 6 is cooled by the cooling mechanism 61 , and by mounting the wafer W on the mounting table (cooling plate) 6 , the wafer W is cooled to, for example, 80°C. (Step S12).

On the other hand, the process of adjusting so that the inside of the load lock chamber 31 in which the carry-in/outlet 33 is closed may be switched to atmospheric pressure is performed (step S13). Either one of the process of cooling the wafer W and the process of adjusting the inside of the load lock chamber 31 to atmospheric pressure may be performed first, and may be performed simultaneously. However, from the viewpoint of cooling the wafer W using heat transfer by nitrogen gas, it is preferable to adjust the inside of the load lock chamber 31 to atmospheric pressure before cooling. In this way, after the wafer W is cooled, the lifting pins 62 are protruded from the mount table 6 , and the wafer W is moved upwardly (lifted up) to the receiving position on the upper side of the mount table 6 . ) is performed (step S14). Subsequently, the mapping mechanism 70 of the door valve 34 in the closed position is deployed (step S15), the supporting members 711 and 721 are made to enter the load lock chamber 31, and the light projection part 71 and The light receiving unit 72 is moved to the detection position.

Next, in a state in which the optical axis L of the detection light is formed between the light projecting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 72, the door valve 34 is lowered from the closed position to open the carry-in/outlet 22, this opening operation As a result, the wafer W is detected (step S16). In this way, a step of detecting the wafer W supported by the lifting pins 62 protruding from the mounting table 6 is performed in the preset detection area. The preset detection region is a region in which the optical axis L moves in order to detect the wafer W supported by the lifting pins 62 protruding from the mounting table 6 as described above. In this example, the detection region is a movement region of the optical axis L from a position corresponding to the closed position of the door valve 34 to a position corresponding to the open position of the door valve 34 .

For example, when the mapping mechanism 70 is deployed, the detection unit 7 is set to the ON state, and while the detection area is moved, a light-receiving signal indicating that the detection light is being received by the light-receiving unit 72 is transmitted to the detection unit ( 73) and output to the control unit 100 . In this case, when the light reception signal is interrupted, it is determined that the presence of the wafer W has been detected (there is a wafer W). When the door valve 34 moves to the open position, the detection unit 7 is turned off, the mapping mechanism 70 is stored in the door valve 34 , and the wafer W detection operation is finished.

Then, when it is determined that the wafer W exists (the existence of the wafer W is detected) (step S17 ), the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 is transferred from the load lock chamber 31 to the standby transfer chamber 21 . A signal for unloading the wafer W is output (step S18). On the other hand, when it is determined that the wafer W is not detected, a signal for stopping the operation of unloading the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 is outputted to the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 and the wafer ( The process of stopping the carrying out of W) is implemented. Furthermore, the process of issuing an alarm is implemented (step S19). The occurrence of an alarm means lighting of an alarm lamp, generation of an alarm sound, alarm display on a computer display means, and the like. In addition, when the wafer W is not detected, it may be set so that at least one of stopping the operation of unloading the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 and issuing an alarm is performed.

According to the present embodiment, since the wafer W supported by the lifting pins 62 protruding from the mounting table 6 is detected by the unloading load lock module 3B, the wafer (W) is placed on the lifting pins 62. W) can be checked. For this reason, before carrying out the operation of unloading the wafer W from the unloading load lock module 3B, the abnormality that the wafer W is not on the lifting pins 62 can be grasped, and the wafer half It is possible to prevent accidents that may occur in the market in advance.

For example, when the transfer arm 24 of the standby transfer chamber 21 includes a mapping mechanism for detecting the wafer W in the carrier C, or in each processing module 5A to 5F, In some cases, a mechanism for detecting whether the wafer W is mounted in a correct position is provided. However, the transfer of wafers W between the load-lock module 3A for carrying in and the vacuum transfer chamber 41 or between the various processing modules 5A to 5F and the vacuum transfer chamber 41, and the wafer W At the time of processing, a slight position shift may occur. If these positions are stacked in a direction that does not eliminate each other, in the unloading load lock module 3B, the wafer W is not transferred to and from the correct position on the lifting pins 62, and the The wafer W may fall.

However, when the wafer W is not detected in the load lock chamber 31 , an abnormality in the mounting of the wafer W on the lifting pins 62 is not noticed, and the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 . of the transfer arm 24 is brought into the load lock chamber 31 . As a result, the transfer arm 24 collides with the dropped wafer W, and the wafer W or the transfer arm 24 is damaged, and there is a risk that the apparatus needs to be stopped. As described above, the detection of the wafer W in the load lock chamber 31 is effective for smoothly executing the processing without stopping the substrate processing apparatus 1 .

Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the detection is performed by changing the relative positional relationship between the detection region and the wafer W supported by the lifting pins 62 . For this reason, it is possible to precisely detect the presence of the wafer W by setting the detection area to include the position where the wafer W is originally to be supported. In addition, the detection unit 7 is provided in the door valve (valve body) 34 , and the wafer W supported by the lifting pins 62 is detected using the vertical movement operation of the door valve 34 . is running Thereby, the vertical movement of the detection part 7 and the opening operation of the door valve 34 can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, since it is not necessary to separately secure the execution time of the step of moving the detection unit 7 in the vertical direction for wafer detection, a decrease in throughput is suppressed. In addition, it is not necessary to newly provide a mechanism for changing the relative positional relationship between the detection unit 7 and the wafer W supported by the lifting pins 62 , which is advantageous in terms of space and cost.

Furthermore, the detection unit 7 is provided to be movable by the moving mechanisms 712 and 722 between the storage position stored in the door valve 34 and the detection position entered into the load lock chamber 31, and performs detection. When not in operation, it enters the door valve 34 . For this reason, when the wafer W is transferred between the mounting table 6 and the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 or the second substrate transfer mechanism 42, there is no possibility that the detection unit 7 interferes with this operation. none. Furthermore, when the wafer W is not detected in the detection area, the operation of unloading the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 is stopped, or when an alarm is issued, recognition of an abnormality in the mounting of the wafer W can be executed for sure.

Furthermore, in this example, in the unloading load lock module 3B, after cooling on the mounting table 6 , the wafer W is lifted up with the lifting pins 62 to detect the wafer W. . After cooling, the wafer W lifted up by the lifting pins 62 is unloaded from the load lock chamber 31 by the first substrate transfer mechanism 23, so that the wafer W is detected at the final timing before unloading. do. Warping or deformation occurs in the wafer W due to cooling, and when lifted up by the lifting pins 62 , mounting abnormalities may occur. For this reason, by performing the detection of the wafer W at this timing, it is possible to grasp an abnormality in the mounting of the wafer W just before being unloaded from the load lock chamber 31 , and the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 can be grasped. It is possible to execute the operation related to the export of

(Second embodiment)

In the present embodiment, when detecting the wafer W, in addition to the detection of the presence of the wafer W, at least one of the amount of warpage of the wafer W, the inclination, or abnormality of the lifting pin 62 serving as the transfer mechanism. Detection is also performed at the same time. The present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 11, focusing on different points from the first embodiment. In the drawings according to the embodiments described below, components common to the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those shown in these drawings. is given by The opening/closing mechanism 343 of the door valve 34 consists of a motor-driven driving mechanism that expands and contracts the shaft 341, and an encoder 344 that detects the height position of the detection unit 7 provided in the door valve 34. is available. The light reception state in the light receiving unit 72 and the pulse value of the encoder 344 are output to the control unit 100 .

The detection program of the control unit 100 associates the change in the light receiving state in the light receiving unit 72 with the height position of the detection unit 7 corresponding to the pulse value of the encoder 344, and the height position at which the detection light is blocked is configured to detect Then, in the detection region, a height position H1 at which the upper end of the wafer W blocks detection light and a height position H2 at which the lower end of the wafer W blocks detection light are acquired. In addition, the light blocking range that is the difference between these height positions H1 and H2 is calculated, and based on this light blocking range, at least one of the warpage amount or the inclination of the wafer W held by the lifting pins 62 is determined. configured to detect. The light-shielding range when the wafer W without warpage is supported by the lifting pins 62 in a normal posture is a range corresponding to the thickness of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. In contrast, when the wafer W is warped or the wafer W is supported in an inclined state by the lifting pins 62 , the light blocking range becomes larger than the range corresponding to the thickness of the wafer W . Accordingly, in this example, the light-shielding range is detected as the amount of warpage or the amount of inclination of the wafer W. As shown in FIG.

In addition, the detection program of the control unit 100 may include at least one of a step of stopping the operation of unloading the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 or a step of issuing an alarm when the light blocking range is larger than the allowable range. is configured to carry out The permissible range is set in advance, and for example, the light-shielding range when the wafer W with a preset permissible amount of warpage is supported by the lifting pins 62 in a normal posture is set as the permissible range. Other structures are the same as those of the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.

An example of the transfer method of the substrate according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11 , taking the case of detecting the amount of detection and warpage of the wafer W as an example. Steps S11 to S16 of Fig. 11 are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore descriptions are omitted. Also in this example, with the mapping mechanism 70 of the door valve 34 in the closed position deployed and the optical axis L of the detection light formed by the detection unit 7, the door valve 34 is moved to the open position. While descending to , the wafer W is detected.

The light reception state in the light receiving unit 72 and the pulse value of the encoder 344 at this time are output to the control unit 100, where the control unit 100 determines the presence or absence of the wafer W, and specifies the light blocking range is executed (step S17A). Then, when it is determined that there is the wafer W, it is determined whether the amount of warpage (light-shielding range) is within an allowable range (step S17B). Then, if it is within the allowable range, a command is output to the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 to transfer the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 to the standby transfer chamber 21 (step S18 ).

On the other hand, when the wafer W is not detected in the detection area or when the amount of warpage exceeds the allowable range, the unloading operation of the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 to the standby transfer chamber 21 is stopped; An alarm is issued (step S19). Here, the case where the amount of warpage of the wafer is detected has been described as an example, but the tilt of the wafer W may be detected. When the wafer W is supported by the lifting pins 62 in an inclined state, it is estimated that the detection light shielding range becomes larger than that when the wafer W is bent in some cases. Therefore, for example, assuming that the wafer W is the most curved state in advance, the light-shielding range at this time is grasped, and when the light-shielding range is exceeded, it may be detected that the wafer W is inclined. In addition, if the amount of warpage of the wafer W is large and the wafer W is not discriminated and grasped, and the light-shielding range exceeds the allowable range, it is determined that any one event is occurring, , it is also possible to stop the unloading operation of the wafer W or issue an alarm.

In addition, when the wafer W is inclined, there are many abnormalities in the lifting pins 62 , so the abnormality of the lifting pins 62 may be detected based on the amount of inclination of the wafer W . As an abnormality of the lifting pins 62, the case where the height positions of the plurality of lifting pins 62 are not aligned due to damage or deformation of the lifting pins 62 can be exemplified. For example, when it is detected that the wafer W is inclined, abnormality of the lifting pins 62 may be detected, and a threshold value is set for the amount of inclination in advance. You may make it judge that the pin 26 is abnormal.

According to the present embodiment, not only the existence of the wafer W but also at least one of the warpage amount or the inclination of the wafer W is detected. Even when the wafer W is mounted on the lifting pins 62 , there are cases in which the wafer W is warped or the lifting pins 62 are abnormal. In this case, if the warpage amount or inclination of the wafer W is large, the transfer arm 24 collides with the wafer W when the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 receives the wafer W from the lifting pins 62 . I have work to do. In addition, the wafer W is not supported at a normal position on the transfer arm 24 , and the wafer W may fall during transfer or collide with another wafer W in the carrier C to be damaged. Therefore, when carrying out the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 by grasping the abnormality of the posture of the wafer W on the lifting pins 62 , such as the amount of warpage or the inclination, or the abnormality of the lifting pins 62 . , can be transferred to and received from the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 in a more normal state.

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the mapping mechanism 70 may be provided in the gate valve 35 instead of being provided in the door valve 34 . In this case, for example, by lowering the gate valve 35 of the unloading load lock module 3B to the open position to open the loading/unloading port 33 , the wafer W processed by the processing module 5 . is transmitted and received to and from the lifting pin 62 at the receiving position protruding from the mounting table 6 . Then, using the operation of deploying the mapping mechanism 70 from the gate valve 35 and raising the gate valve 35 from the open position to the closed position, detection of the wafer W, and detection of the amount of warpage or inclination can be exemplified when executing

In this example, when the wafer W is on the lifting pins 62 and it is determined that the light blocking range is within the allowable range, the lifting pins 62 are lowered to mount the wafer W on the mounting table 6 and cooled. do. On the other hand, when it is determined that the wafer W is not detected or the light blocking range is outside the allowable range, the lowering operation of the lifting pins 62 is stopped and an alarm is issued. As described above, by transferring the wafer W to the unloading load lock chamber 31 and detecting the wafer W at the timing when the gate valve 35 is closed, the wafer ( There is an advantage that the problem of W) can be identified at a quick stage.

Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, since the transfer mechanism supports the wafer W at a position above the mount table, a plurality of transfer pins provided to protrude from the mount table may be used. The transfer of the wafer W is executed when the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 and the second substrate transfer mechanism 42 move up and down with respect to the transfer pins having the height position fixed in this way. Then, the processed wafer W processed by the processing module is loaded into the load lock chamber 31 , and after the wafer W is transferred on the transfer pin, the inside of the load lock chamber 31 is adjusted to atmospheric pressure. Next, the mapping mechanism 70 of the door valve 34 is deployed, and the wafer W is detected in accordance with the opening operation of the door valve 34 . At the same time, at least one of the warpage amount of the wafer W, the inclination, and the abnormality of the sending/receiving pins may be detected.

(Third embodiment)

This embodiment is an example in which the detection part 8 is provided on the side wall surface of the load lock chamber 31 instead of providing the door valve 34 or the gate valve 35, and is described above with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15 . A point different from the embodiment will be mainly described. In this example, the relative positional relationship between the detection area and the wafer W so that the wafer W passes through the detection area of the detection unit 8 using the lift movement of the wafer W supported by the lift pins 62 . change the 12 is a plan view of the load lock module 3B for carrying out, for example, in a load lock chamber 311 having a rectangular shape when viewed from a plan view, in which the loading and unloading ports 32 and 33 are not formed and facing each other A detection unit 8 is provided on the side wall surfaces 312 and 313 .

As the detection unit 8, for example, a light-shielding sensor having a light-projecting unit 81 and a light-receiving unit 82 is used, and one of the opposing side wall surfaces 312 and 313 has a light-transmitting unit 81 and the other side. A light receiving unit 82 is provided. These light transmitting part 81 and light receiving part 82 are provided via window parts 314 and 315 formed on the side wall surfaces 312 and 313 in order to transmit detection light. 13 and 14 show the positional relationship between the mounting table 6 and the detection unit 8 as viewed from the side. For example, the detection unit 8 forms an optical axis L at a height position between the surface of the mounting table 6 and a receiving position (position shown in Fig. 14) on the upper side of the mounting table 6, The lifting pins 62 are arranged so that the detection light from the light projection unit 81 is not blocked. The detection region in this example is a region in which the optical axis L of the detection light is formed between the light transmitting unit 81 and the light receiving unit 82 .

As in the first embodiment, the lifting pins 62 in this example can be lifted and lowered between a position where the tip is inside the mounting table 6 and the receiving position by an air-driven lifting mechanism 621, as in the first embodiment. is composed Then, the wafer W is moved through the detection region by lifting and lowering the wafer W between the surface of the mounting table 6 and the receiving position by means of the lifting pins 62 .

The door valve 34 and the gate valve 35 are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment except that the detection unit 8 is not provided. Other structures are the same as those of the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.

An example of the conveyance method of the board|substrate of this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, by the second substrate transfer mechanism 42 , the wafer W processed by the processing module 5 is loaded into the unloading load lock module 3B (step S21 ), and the second substrate transfer mechanism 42 . ) after exiting, closes the inlet and outlet 33 . Further, the wafer W is mounted on the mounting table 6 and the wafer W is cooled (step S22). On the other hand, adjustment is made so that the inside of the load lock chamber 31 in which the inlet/outlet 33 is closed is switched to atmospheric pressure (step S23).

Then, after the wafer W is cooled, the lifting pins 62 are protruded from the mounting table 6 , and the wafer W is lifted up to the receiving position on the upper side of the mounting table 6 . Thus, the wafer W is detected (step S24). That is, for example, at the timing of starting the lift-up of the wafer W, the detection unit 8 is turned on to form the optical axis L of the detection light, and then the wafer W on the surface of the mounting table 6 is moved. Raise it to the give-and-take position. In this way, when the wafer W passes the optical axis L (sensing region) of the detection light and moves to the receiving position, the detection unit 8 is turned off to stop transmitting the detection light, and detection of the wafer W Terminate the job.

The light reception state in the light receiving unit 82 is output to the control unit 100, and when the light receiving signal input to the control unit 100 is stopped, the presence of the wafer W is detected (step S25). Then, when it is determined that there is a wafer W, the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 opens the door valve 34 to transfer the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 to the standby transfer chamber 21 . A command is output to (step S26). On the other hand, when the wafer W is not detected in the detection area, the operation of unloading the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 to the standby transfer chamber 21 is stopped, and an alarm is issued (step S27). Note that step S27 may perform at least one of stopping the unloading operation of the wafer W and issuing an alarm.

According to the present embodiment, since the wafer W is passed through the detection region using the lifting movement of the lifting pins 62 , when the wafer W is on the lifting pins 62 , the wafer W is It is possible to accurately detect the presence of the wafer W by passing through the optical axis L without fail.

In addition, also in this example, since the detection of the wafer W and the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting pins 62 are performed simultaneously, a decrease in throughput due to detection of the wafer is suppressed. In addition, since the detection unit 8 is provided on the side wall surface of the load lock chamber 31, the transfer operation of the wafer W between the lifting pins 62 and the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 or the second substrate transfer mechanism is reduced. no risk of interference Other than that, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Fourth embodiment)

In this embodiment, in the load lock module of the third embodiment, when detecting the wafer W, in addition to detecting the presence of the wafer W, the amount of warpage, the inclination, or the lifting pins 62 of the wafer W ) is to detect at least one of the abnormalities at the same time. The present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 16 to 18, focusing on different points from the third embodiment. The lifting pin 62 of this example is configured to be liftable by a motor-driven lifting mechanism 622, and has an encoder 623 for detecting the height position of the wafer W supported by the lifting pin 62. . The height position of the wafer W is a relative height position with respect to the arrangement position on the detection unit 8 , and the light receiving state in the light receiving unit 82 and the pulse value of the encoder 623 are output to the control unit 100 .

The detection program of the control unit 100, similarly to the detection program of the second embodiment, has a height position H1 at which the upper end of the wafer W blocks the detection light in the detection region, and the lower end of the wafer W receives the detection light. The light-shielding height position H2 is acquired. Then, the light blocking range that is the difference between these height positions H1 and H2 is calculated, and based on the light blocking range, at least one of the warpage amount or the inclination of the wafer W held by the lifting pins 62 is detected. do. In this example, the light blocking range is detected as the amount of warpage or the amount of inclination of the wafer W.

In addition, the detection program of the control unit 100 executes at least one of a step of stopping the operation of unloading the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 or a step of issuing an alarm when the light blocking range is larger than the allowable range. is configured to The permissible range is set in advance, and for example, the light-shielding range when the wafer W with a pre-set permissible amount of warpage is supported by the lifting pins 62 in a normal posture is set as the permissible range. Other configurations are the same as those of the third embodiment.

An example of the conveyance method of the board|substrate of this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 18 taking as an example the case where the amount of curvature is detected. Steps S21 to S24 of FIG. 18 are the same as those of the third embodiment, and thus are omitted. The light reception state in the light receiving unit 82 and the pulse value of the encoder 623 at this time are output to the control unit 100, the control unit 100 detects the presence of the wafer W, and the light blocking range is obtained do.

Then, when it is determined that there is a wafer W (step S25A), it is determined whether the amount of warpage is within an allowable range (step S25B). If it is within the allowable range, the door valve 34 is opened, and a command is output to the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 so that the wafer W is transferred from the load lock chamber 31 to the standby transfer chamber 21 (step S26).

On the other hand, when the wafer W is not detected in the detection area or when the amount of warpage exceeds the allowable range, the unloading operation of the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 to the standby transfer chamber 21 is stopped; An alarm is issued (step S27). In this flowchart, only the detection of the amount of warpage is mentioned, but similarly to the second embodiment, this example also includes a case where the inclination of the wafer W is detected based on the light-shielding range and a case where abnormality of the lifting pins 62 is detected. are doing

According to the present embodiment, not only the presence of the wafer W, but also at least one of the warpage amount, inclination, or abnormality of the lifting pins 62 is detected. An abnormality in the posture of the wafer W on the lifting pins 62 or an abnormality in the lifting pins 62 can be grasped. For this reason, the occurrence of an accident caused by such an abnormality can be prevented in advance, and the unloading operation from the load lock chamber 31 can be performed more reliably.

(fifth embodiment)

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, in the third embodiment, the light receiving unit of the detection unit is constituted by a line sensor 92 provided so as to extend along the thickness direction of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. As the line sensor 92, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor can be used, for example. The light projecting unit 91 is configured to project detection light having an extension corresponding to the light receiving range of the line sensor 92 , and in FIGS. 19 and 20 , an area 90 indicated by a dotted line is It is a light transmission range (light reception range of the line sensor 92). The dimension in the thickness direction of the wafer W in this light transmission range is set larger than the thickness of the wafer W.

Then, when the wafer is supported at the receiving position by the lifting pins 62 , the detection unit 9 and the lifting pins are positioned so that the wafer W is positioned within the light-transmitting range and the lifting pins 62 are not located within the light-transmitting range. At 62, the positional relationship of the supported wafer W is set. The detection region in this example is the transmission range of detection light. 19 and 20, reference numerals 316 and 317 denote windows formed on the side wall surface of the load lock chamber 31 to transmit detection light, and the same as in the third embodiment, except that the light receiving part is a line sensor 92. Consists of.

In this embodiment, similarly to the third embodiment, the wafer W processed by the processing module 5 is mounted on the mounting table 6 of the unloading load lock module 3B and cooled. Then, the cooled wafer W is lifted up by the lifting pins 62 and supported at the receiving position, and then the detection unit 9 is operated. In this way, the detection light is projected onto the wafer W in the sending/receiving position, and the light reception state of the light receiving unit 92 at this time is output to the control unit 100, and the control unit 100 sends the wafer W detection of the presence and specification of the amount of warpage (inclination) of the wafer W are performed.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 , when the detection light is transmitted to the wafer at the sending/receiving position, the detection light is received in the light receiving range of the line sensor 92 in the region where the wafer W does not exist. and the detection light is not received in the region where the wafer W exists. In FIGS. 19 and 20 , a region 94 indicated by an oblique line is a shadow of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 19 , when there is no warpage in the wafer W and the wafer W is supported by the lifting pins 62 in a normal posture, the light blocking region where the detection light is blocked by the wafer W is the wafer W corresponding to the thickness of In addition, although FIG. 20 shows the case where the wafer W has curvature, in this case, the said light-shielding area|region becomes larger than the case where the wafer W does not have curvature.

In the line sensor 92 , the light-shielding area is detected as a non-light-receiving area (dark area) 93 . For this reason, in the detection program of the control part 100, the presence and the amount of warp of the wafer W are detected based on the height dimension of this non-light-receiving area|region 93. That is, when the presence of the non-light-receiving region 93 is detected, it is determined that the wafer W is present, and the amount of warpage (inclination) of the wafer W is specified by the height dimension of the non-light-receiving region 93 . The detection program of the control unit 100 is configured to, when the non-light-receiving area 93 is larger than the allowable range, at least one of stopping the unloading operation of the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 or issuing an alarm. . The allowable range is preset, and for example, the size of the non-light-receiving area 93 when the wafer W with a preset allowable amount of warpage is supported by the lifting pins 62 in a normal posture is set as the allowable range. do. In addition, the light transmission range (height dimension of the thickness direction of the wafer W) of detection light assumes the maximum amount of the bending amount in advance, for example, and is set according to this maximum amount.

In the substrate transport method of this embodiment, similarly to the embodiment of the technology, detection of the wafer W is performed, and when it is determined that there is a wafer W, it is further determined whether the amount of warpage is within an allowable range. . If the amount of warpage is within the allowable range, a command is output to the first substrate transfer mechanism 23 so that the door valve 34 is opened to transfer the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 to the standby transfer chamber 21 . do. On the other hand, when the wafer W is not detected in the detection area or when the amount of warpage exceeds the allowable range, the unloading operation of the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 to the standby transfer chamber 21 is stopped; issue an alarm In addition, you may implement at least one of stopping the carrying out operation|movement of the wafer W from the load lock chamber 31 to the standby|standby transfer chamber 21, and issuing an alarm. In addition, also in this example, the case where the inclination of the wafer W is detected based on the height dimension of the light-shielding area|region, and the case where abnormality of the lifting pins 62 is detected are included. In addition, in this embodiment, the structure provided with the sending/receiving pins fixed in height position instead of the lifting pins 62 on the mounting table 6 may be sufficient.

According to this embodiment, the light receiving part of the detection part 9 is comprised by the line sensor 92 provided so that it may extend along the thickness direction of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, by supporting the wafer W with the lifting pins 62 within the light transmission range of the detection light, it is possible to detect the presence of the wafer W and to specify the amount of warp (inclination) of the wafer W. . For this reason, it is not necessary to employ a motor drive for lifting and lowering of the lifting pins 62 and performing detection corresponding to the encoder pulse, and the device configuration and detection operation are simplified.

In the above third to fifth embodiments, the detection units (8, 9) are provided with the light projecting units (81, 91) in one of the door valve (34) and the gate valve (35) of the load lock chamber (31), and the other You may comprise so that the light receiving parts 82, 92 may be provided in the. In this case, when the door valve 34 and the gate valve 35 are in the closed positions, the wafer W supported by the lifting pins 62 protruding from the mounting table 6 is positioned within the light transmission range of the detection light. In this state, the detection of the wafer W and the detection of the amount of warpage are executed.

In addition, in this indication, you may make it provide the detection part provided with the light receiving part which consists of the line sensor shown in 5th Embodiment in the door valve (valve body) 34 shown in FIGS. For example, the supporting members 711 and 721 of the light transmitting unit 71 and the light receiving unit (line sensor) 72 are formed of a plate-like body extending along the thickness direction of the wafer, and the light transmitting unit 71 is formed at each tip. ) and a light receiving unit 72 are provided. Then, the supporting members 711 and 721 are moved from the door valve 34 in the closed position to the detection position to form a detection region. Then, when the detection light is emitted from the detection area, the wafer W is detected and bent while the wafer W is supported by the lifting pins 62 so that the wafer W is positioned within the transmission range of the detection light. may be detected.

As described above, after the inside of the load lock chamber is adjusted to atmospheric pressure as described above, since the wafer W is cooled by heat conduction by the gas for pressure adjustment, the mounting table 6 does not necessarily have a cooling mechanism. none. In addition, the detection part of this indication may be comprised by the optical sensor other than a light-shielding sensor. For example, a light projection unit for projecting detection light toward a side surface of a substrate supported in the detection region and a light receiving unit for receiving the reflected light are provided, and when the reflected light reflected from the side surface of the substrate is received, the presence of the substrate is detected It may be a configuration that In addition, the sending/receiving mechanism provided in the loadlock module 3A is not limited to a lifting/lowering pin capable of raising/lowering or a receiving/receiving pin having a fixed supporting position of the wafer W. For example, an arm capable of transferring the wafer W between the transfer arms 24 and 43 of the atmospheric transfer chamber 21 or the vacuum transfer chamber 41 and a transfer shelf may be provided. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where one of the two loadlock modules is used separately for carrying in and the other for carrying out has been described as an example. However, both loadlock modules are used for both carrying in and taking out. also good In this case, the two load-lock modules 3A and 3B are similarly configured, and the load-lock module 3A includes, for example, a cooling mechanism 61 on the mounting table 6 , and the detection units 7 to 9 ) may be configured to provide.

It should be thought that embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration in all points, and is not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, replaced, or changed in various forms without departing from the appended claims and the gist thereof.

W: semiconductor wafer 2: atmospheric transport module
3A, 3B: load lock module 31: load lock chamber
4: vacuum transfer module 5: processing module
6: mount 61: cooling mechanism
62: lifting pins 7, 8, 9: detection unit

Claims (19)

A load lock module in which a substrate is transferred by switching internal pressure, the load lock module comprising:
It is provided between an atmospheric transport module in which a substrate is transported under atmospheric pressure, and a vacuum transport module that is connected to a processing module that processes the substrate and that transports the substrate under vacuum pressure, the inside of which can be switched between atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure load lock room,
a mount provided in the load lock chamber and provided with a transfer mechanism for transferring and receiving substrates processed by the processing module and supporting the exchanged substrates;
A detection area is set corresponding to a position at which the substrate is supported by the sending/receiving mechanism, and a detection unit for detecting the substrate in the detection area is provided;
The detection of the substrate is performed by continuously changing the relative positional relationship between the detection region and the substrate supported by the sending/receiving mechanism, and passing the substrate through the detection region.
loadlock module. delete The method of claim 1,
The load lock chamber includes an opening/closing mechanism having a valve body that moves in a vertical direction to open and close an inlet/outlet through which a substrate is carried in and out between the atmospheric transport module and the air transport module;
The detection unit is provided on the closing surface side of the valve body for closing the inlet/outlet, and using a vertical movement operation of the valve body, the substrate supported by the give-and-take mechanism passes through the detection region, changing the relative positional relationship
loadlock module. 4. The method of claim 3,
and a moving mechanism for moving the detection unit between a storage position stored in the valve body and a detection position that enters the load lock chamber and forms the detection area;
loadlock module. The method of claim 1,
The sending/receiving mechanism is configured to be capable of lifting and lowering a supported substrate, and the detecting unit is provided on a side wall surface of the load lock chamber, and the substrate passes through the detection region using the lifting and lowering movement of the substrate supported by the sending/receiving mechanism. to change the relative positional relationship
loadlock module. The method of claim 1,
when a substrate is not detected in the detection area, at least one of outputting a signal for stopping the operation of unloading the substrate from the load lock chamber or issuing an alarm
loadlock module. The method of claim 1,
The detection unit includes a light projecting unit for projecting detection light toward a side surface of the substrate supported by the detection region, and a light receiving unit for receiving the detection light, and when the detection light is blocked by the substrate, the presence of the substrate A light-shielding sensor that detects
loadlock module. 8. The method of claim 7,
The detection unit is based on a light blocking range between a height position at which the upper end of the substrate blocks the detection light and a height position at which the lower end of the substrate blocks the detection light in the detection area. Detecting at least one of bending amount, inclination, or abnormality of the sending/receiving mechanism
loadlock module. 8. The method of claim 7,
The light receiving unit is a line sensor provided to extend along the thickness direction of the substrate.
loadlock module. 9. The method of claim 8,
when the light blocking range is larger than a preset allowable range, at least one of outputting a signal for stopping the operation of unloading the substrate from the load lock chamber or issuing an alarm
loadlock module. The method of claim 1,
The sending/receiving mechanism is a plurality of lifting pins provided so as to be able to retract from the mounting table in order to move the substrate between a position on the mounting table and a position on the upper side of the mounting table.
loadlock module. The method of claim 1,
The sending/receiving mechanism is a plurality of sending/receiving pins provided to protrude from the mounting table to support the substrate at a position above the mounting table.
loadlock module. The method of claim 1,
The mounting table includes a cooling mechanism for cooling the substrate processed by the processing module.
loadlock module. The load lock module according to any one of claims 1 and 3 to 13;
a standby transport module connected to the load lock chamber via a substrate loading/unloading port provided on one side and provided with a first substrate transport mechanism;
a vacuum transfer module connected to the load lock chamber through a substrate carrying-in/outlet provided on the other side different from the one-side carry-in/outlet, and provided with a second substrate carrying mechanism;
a processing module connected to the vacuum transfer module and configured to process the substrate transferred by the second substrate transfer mechanism;
substrate processing equipment. A method of transporting a substrate through a load lock module in which internal pressure is converted, the method comprising:
For a load lock chamber at a vacuum pressure, which is provided between an atmospheric transport module in which a substrate is transported under atmospheric pressure and a vacuum transport module that is connected to a processing module that processes the substrate and that transports the substrate under vacuum pressure; loading the substrate processed by the processing module;
transferring a substrate to and from a transfer mechanism provided in the load lock chamber and supporting the substrate loaded into the load lock chamber;
converting the inside of the load lock chamber to atmospheric pressure in order to transport the loaded substrate toward the atmospheric transport module;
a step of detecting a substrate supported by the sending/receiving mechanism in a preset detection region;
The detecting step is performed by continuously changing the relative positional relationship between the detection region and the substrate supported by the sending/receiving mechanism, and passing the substrate through the detection region.
A method of transporting a substrate. 16. The method of claim 15,
performing at least one of a step of stopping an operation of unloading a board from the load lock chamber or a step of issuing an alarm when a board is not detected in the step of detecting the board;
A method of transporting a substrate. 17. The method according to claim 15 or 16,
The step of detecting the substrate includes a light projecting unit for projecting detection light toward a side surface of a substrate supported by the detection region, a light receiving unit for receiving the detection light, and when the detection light is blocked by the substrate, the substrate It is carried out using a light-shielding sensor that detects the presence of
A method of transporting a substrate. 18. The method of claim 17,
Using the light blocking sensor, in the detection region, based on the light blocking range between the height position where the upper end of the substrate blocks the detection light and the height position where the lower end of the substrate blocks the detection light, A step of detecting at least one of the amount of warpage or the inclination of the substrate being held
A method of transporting a substrate. 19. The method of claim 18,
performing at least one of a step of stopping an operation of unloading a substrate from the load lock chamber or a step of issuing an alarm when the light blocking range is larger than a preset allowable range;
A method of transporting a substrate.

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