KR20120079807A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A substrate processing apparatus is provided to prevent gas from being stayed in a substrate transfer region by separating a partition plate from a partitioned location in maintenance. CONSTITUTION: A clean gas supply part(42) is formed in order to be communicated with a gas diffusion chamber in a partition plate. A gas supply path supplies gas to the clean gas supply part. A filter(37) is installed in the gas supply path. A plurality of outlets(45) is formed on a lower portion of the partition plate. The plurality of outlets discharges the gas diffused within the gas diffusion chamber to a substrate transfer region.

Description

[0001] SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS [0002]

This invention relates to the substrate processing apparatus provided with a board | substrate conveyance area | region.

The coating and developing apparatus which performs the photolithography process which is one of the semiconductor manufacturing processes may be comprised by laminating | stacking the some block which forms the coating film containing a resist, and the block which performs a developing process. 21 shows an example of the configuration of the coating and developing apparatus in which the blocks are stacked in this way. In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a module for forming the coating film, and 102 denotes a module for heating a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) after the coating film is formed. 103 is a conveyance arm and conveys the wafer W between the coating film forming module 101 and the heating module 102. In the figure, 104 is a conveyance area | region of the wafer W by the conveyance arm 103, and the conveyance area | region 104 is exhausted by the heating module 102 and the fan apparatus 105 installed below it.

In order to perform maintenance of the said conveyance arm 103, the coating film formation module 101, the heating module 102, etc., the conveyance area | region 104 needs to be comprised so that an operator can enter. To this end, the partition plate 106 constituting the ceiling surface of each conveyance area 104 is configured to be detachable.

By the way, in order to maintain each conveyance area | region 104 in a clean atmosphere, it is preferable to form the descending airflow of clean air in the whole conveyance area | region 104. FIG. For this purpose, it is considered to install a ULPA filter on the entire ceiling surface of each conveyance area 104. However, in doing so, the ULPA filter is disturbed when performing the above-mentioned maintenance, which makes it difficult to perform the maintenance. As shown in FIG. 21, the ULPA filter 107 is provided on a part of the ceiling surface of the conveyance area 104. Doing. In the figure, a dashed arrow shows the flow of air supplied from the ULPA filter 107, and the air supplied below the ULPA filter 107 flows toward the fan device 105 and the heating module 102, and these Ascends along the walls of fan device 105 and heating module 102. Since such a flow is formed, there exists a possibility that air may stay in the center part of the conveyance area | region 104 in a figure, and, thereby, cannot maintain sufficient cleanliness.

Patent Literature 1 describes a processing apparatus that allows a substrate transfer unit to be detachable from a frame to facilitate maintenance, but does not solve the problem of air staying as described above.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-117824 (paragraph 0046, etc.)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of preventing gas from remaining in a substrate conveying region which is partitioned and stacked on each other and performing maintenance work on each substrate conveying region.

The substrate processing apparatus of this invention is the substrate processing apparatus provided with the board | substrate conveyance area | region for conveying a board | substrate to the process part which processes a board | substrate, Comprising: The 1st board | substrate conveyance area | region and which mutually extended in the transverse direction, and laminated | stacked up and down mutually, A cavity partition plate provided at a partition position for partitioning the second substrate conveyance region, the first substrate conveyance region and the second substrate conveyance region from each other, and forming a gas diffusion chamber therein; and the substrate conveyance region. A clean gas supply port formed to communicate with the gas diffusion chamber on the partition plate at a position spanning from the center portion in the width direction to the gas diffusion chamber, a gas supply path for supplying gas to the clean gas supply port, and provided in the gas supply path, The substrate conveyance of the filter for purifying the gas supplied to the said clean gas supply port, and the gas formed in the lower surface of the said partition board, and the gas diffused in the diffusion chamber. And a plurality of discharge ports for discharging to the area, wherein the partition plate is configured to be evacuated from the partition position so as to be in an open state in which the first substrate transport area can be viewed from the second substrate transport area at the time of maintenance. It is characterized by.

As a specific aspect of said substrate processing apparatus, it is as follows, for example.

(a) The gas diffusion chamber is provided with a partition member for partitioning the gas diffusion chamber into a first region and a second region laterally separated from the clean gas supply port than the first region. A plurality of gas outlets are formed for circulating the clean gas from the first region to the second region.

(b) The gas diffusion chamber is provided with a guide member for guiding the gas distant from the clean gas supply port toward the clean gas supply port.

(c) The guide member is formed in a c-shape when viewed in plan, and the c-shape opens in a direction opposite to the clean gas supply port.

(d) The partition plate is rotatable about a horizontal axis.

(e) The board | substrate conveyance mechanism for conveying a board | substrate and the conveyance guide which guides the said board | substrate conveyance mechanism along a board | substrate conveyance area | region are provided in the board | substrate conveyance area | region, and the said conveyance guide is installed along the longitudinal direction of a board | substrate conveyance area | region It is.

(f) Modules for processing the substrate are provided on both sides of the substrate conveyance area in the width direction.

According to the present invention, a gas diffusion chamber is provided in a partition plate on which a discharge port is formed, and the partition plate retracts from the partition position at the time of maintenance, whereby the substrate conveyance regions to be stacked can be viewed. Therefore, it becomes easy to suppress gas retention in a substrate conveyance area | region and to enter into each substrate conveyance area | region and to perform maintenance.

1 is a plan view of a coating and developing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
2 is a perspective view of the coating and developing apparatus.
3 is a longitudinal side view of the coating and developing apparatus.
4 is a vertical front view of the coating and developing apparatus.
5 is a perspective view of the surface side of the horizontal duct and the partition plate provided in the coating and developing apparatus.
6 is a rear side perspective view of the horizontal duct and the partition plate.
7 is a longitudinal side view of the horizontal duct and the partition plate.
8 is a perspective view of a diffusion chamber provided in the partition plate.
9 is a plan view of the diffusion chamber.
10 is a plan view of a partition plate provided in the diffusion chamber.
11 is a perspective view of a fixing member and a connection port provided in the horizontal duct and the partition plate.
12 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the fixing members engage with each other.
13 is a perspective view showing a state where the partition plate is folded.
14 is a schematic plan view showing a state where the partition plate of each unit block is rolled up.
15 is a process chart showing a procedure of separating the partition plate.
16 is a process chart showing a procedure of separating the partition plate.
17 is a process chart showing a procedure of separating the partition plate.
It is a perspective view of the diffusion chamber in which the guide member was provided.
It is a top view which shows the other structure of the guide member installed in a diffusion chamber.
20 is a plan view showing another configuration of the guide member provided in the diffusion chamber.
21 is a longitudinal side view showing the structure of a conventional coating and developing apparatus.

With respect to the coating and developing apparatus 1 which is one embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the outline of the configuration and the transfer path of the semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as wafer) W will be described with reference to FIGS. do. 1 is a plan view of a system in which an exposure apparatus for performing liquid immersion exposure is connected to a coating and developing apparatus, for example, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same system. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the coating and developing apparatus 1. The coating and developing apparatus 1 is configured by connecting the carrier block S1, the processing block S2, and the interface block S3 in a straight line shape. In addition, the exposure apparatus S4 is connected to the interface block S3.

The carrier block S1 has a role of carrying in / out the carrier C including a plurality of wafers W, which are substrates of the same lot, to the coating and developing apparatus 1, for example. (Iv) 11, the opening-closing part 12, and the transfer arm 13 which is a conveyance mechanism for conveying the wafer W from the carrier C via the opening-closing part 12 are provided.

The processing block S2 is configured by stacking first to sixth unit blocks B1 to B6 that perform liquid processing on the wafer W from below, and each unit block B is identical to each other from the lower layer side. It is composed. That is, the unit blocks B1 and B2 have the same configuration, the unit blocks B3 and B4 have the same configuration, and the unit blocks B5 and B6 have the same configuration.

With reference also to the end side view of the processing block S2 shown in FIG. 4, the 2nd unit block B2 is demonstrated as a representative among each unit block. The conveyance area | region R1 of the wafer W extended from the carrier block S1 side toward the interface block S3 side is formed, and the liquid processing unit 201 is provided on both sides of the width direction of this conveyance area | region R1. And shelf units U1 to U6 on which a plurality of modules are stacked are arranged.

The liquid processing unit 201 is provided with an antireflection film forming module BCT and a resist film forming module COT. The antireflection film forming module BCT includes a spin chuck 202 for adsorbing the back surface of the wafer W and rotating it about a vertical axis in order to apply a chemical solution for antireflection film formation by spin coating, and a chemical solution supply nozzle 203. ). In the figure, 204 is a cup surrounding the wafer W and suppressing the scattering of the chemical liquid. 205 is a filter and supplies clean air into the lower cup 204. The resist film forming module COT has the same structure as the antireflection film forming module BCT except that the chemical liquid is a resist.

The conveyance arm A1 which is a conveyance mechanism of the wafer W is provided in the said conveyance area | region R1. The transfer arm A1 can transfer the wafer W between all modules of the unit block B1. In FIG. 4, 301 is a conveyance guide member, and is provided in the lower part of shelf unit U1-U6 along the longitudinal direction of conveyance area | region R1. In the figure, 302 is a frame moving along the guide, 303 is a lifting gas that moves up and down along the frame, 304 is a rotating gas that rotates the lifting gas phase, and 305 is a wafer support that moves the rotating gas phase back and forth.

The heating modules 401 are stacked and installed above the shelf units U1 to U5. In the figure, 402 denotes a hot plate for heating the wafer W, 403 denotes a plate for transferring the wafer W between the hot plate 402 and the transfer arm A1 and cooling the wafer W, and 404 denotes a rectifying plate ( 405 and 406 are exhaust parts which exhaust | exhaust the conveyance area | region R1 and the inside of the heating module 401. On the upper side of the shelf unit U6, the peripheral exposure modules WEE1 and WEE2 for exposing the peripheral portion of the wafer W are provided. The fan apparatus 407 which exhausts the conveyance area | region R1 is provided in lower part of the shelf unit U1-U6.

The unit blocks B3 to B6 are different from the unit blocks B1 and B2 except that the chemical liquid supplied from the liquid processing unit 201 to the wafer W is different from each other and a heating module is installed instead of the peripheral exposure module. It is configured identically. The unit blocks B3 and B4 replace the anti-reflection film forming module BCT and the resist coating module COT with a protective film forming module TTC for liquid immersion exposure and a back cleaning module BST for cleaning the back surface of the wafer W. Equipped. The unit blocks B5 and B6 include development modules DEV1 and DEV2 for supplying a developer to the wafer W for development instead of the antireflection film forming module BCT and the resist film forming module COT.

The protective film forming module TCT supplies the chemical liquid for protecting the film to protect the surface of the wafer W during the liquid immersion exposure, and the developing module supplies the developer to the wafer W, respectively. Moreover, the back surface cleaning module BST supplies the chemical | medical agent for back surface cleaning from the back surface side of the wafer W, and wash | cleans the said back surface using a brush. In addition, the conveyance arms of each unit block B1-B6 are shown by each figure as A1-A6.

The shelf unit U7 is provided in the carrier block S1 side of the conveyance area | region R1 over the unit blocks B1-B6. The shelf unit U7 is provided with a transfer module CPL, a hydrophobization processing module ADH, and a buffer module BU stacked on each other. The delivery module described as CPL in the description includes a cooling stage for cooling the mounted wafer W. As shown in FIG. The buffer module is configured to be capable of storing a plurality of wafers (W). The hydrophobization processing module ADH hydrophobizes the wafer W surface. In the vicinity of the shelf unit U7, the transfer arm 14 which can be elevated and retracted with respect to the shelf unit U7 is provided, and conveys the wafer W between each module of the shelf unit U7.

The processing block S2 will be described in more detail. The processing block S2 includes a housing 31, the respective modules and units are housed in the housing 31, and the housing 31 is partitioned for each unit block B. The fan filter unit 32 is provided on the housing 31, and the fan filter unit 32 is connected to the vertical duct 33 which extends up and down and was formed over the unit blocks B1-B6. The vertical duct 33 is connected to the horizontal duct 34 provided along the longitudinal direction of each conveyance area | region R1. Each horizontal duct 34 is provided on the periphery of the liquid processing unit 201 side of each conveyance area | region R1.

With reference to FIG. 5, FIG. 6, the structure of the horizontal duct 34 provided on the conveyance area | region R1 of the 1st unit block B1, and each part around it is demonstrated. The horizontal duct 34 is provided with the rectangular pipe wall part 35 with the lower side opened, The air supply path 36 is formed in the horizontal direction inside it. And below the air supply path 36, the filter 37 which is a ULPA filter is provided. The air blown from the fan filter unit 32 flows into the horizontal duct 34 through the vertical duct 33, passes through the filter 37, is cleaned, and is supplied below the horizontal duct 34.

The partition plate 41 is provided in the horizontal duct 34. Four partition plates 41 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the conveyance area | region R1, and form the ceiling surface of the 1st unit block B1. The thickness of the partition plate 41 is 14 mm, for example. The structure of this partition plate 41 is demonstrated also with reference to FIG. 7 which is the longitudinal side view. On the base end side (horizontal duct 34 side) of the surface of the partition plate 41, the clean gas supply port 42 is formed in the position which overlaps with the horizontal duct 34. As shown in FIG. The periphery of this clean gas supply port 42 is surrounded by the seal member 43. The seal member 43 is in close contact with the tube wall portion 35 of the horizontal duct 34 to prevent the leakage of air from between the tube wall portion 35 and the partition plate 41.

Further, a contact sensor 38A is provided at the outer edge of the clean gas supply port 42. This is paired with the contact sensor 38 provided at the lower end of the tube wall part 35, and when the partition plate 41 is horizontal, the contact sensors 38 and 38A contact each other. For example, whether or not the contact sensors 38 and 38A are in contact with each other is displayed on a monitor (not shown), so that installation errors of the partition plate 41 after maintenance can be prevented.

Inside the partition plate 41, a gas diffusion chamber 44 for air communicating with the clean gas supply port 42 is formed, and the gas diffusion chamber 44 is distal from the proximal end of the partition plate 41. It is formed to face side. A discharge port 45 is formed in the lower portion of the gas diffusion chamber 44 in the thickness direction of the partition plate 41. Many of the said discharge ports 45 are formed in the lower surface of the partition plate 41, and are disperse | distributed.

8 is a perspective view showing the gas diffusion chamber 44. As shown in FIG. 8, a partition plate 501 is provided in the gas diffusion chamber 44. As shown in FIG. The partition plate 501 is formed along the direction in which the horizontal duct 34 extends, and partitions the gas diffusion chamber 44 into two regions adjacent in the transverse direction. With respect to these two regions, the side close to the horizontal duct 34 is the proximal end region 502 and the side far from the horizontal duct 34 is the distal end region 503. In plan view, the area of the proximal side region 502 is larger than the area of the proximal side region 503, and in this example, the area of the proximal side region 503 is 1, the area of the proximal side region 502 Is about 2.78. In addition, a partition member 504 is provided in the gas diffusion chamber 44. The partition members 504 are formed from the proximal end region 502 toward the distal end region 503 so as to divide the regions 502 and 503 into equal parts in the direction in which the horizontal duct 34 extends.

9 is a plan view of the gas diffusion chamber 44, and the discharge ports 45 are arranged in a matrix so as to be parallel to the partition plate 501 and the partition member 504 in the regions 502 and 503. As shown in FIG. In this example, the interval L1 of the discharge ports 45 adjacent to each other in the forming direction of the partition plate 501 in each of the regions 502 and 503, and the interval between the discharge holes 45 adjacent to each other in the forming direction of the partition member 504 ( L2) is 5 mm each. In addition, 7800 discharge ports 45 are formed in the proximal end region 502 of one gas diffusion chamber 44, and 2880 discharge ports 45 are provided in the front end side region 503 of one gas diffusion chamber 44. ) Is formed.

In the partition plate 501, a plurality of air flow ports 505 are formed in the thickness direction of the partition plate 501 to communicate the proximal end region 502 and the front end side region 503 along the forming direction thereof. . 10 shows the partition plate 501 viewed in the thickness direction. The air distribution ports 505 are formed in two rows along the formation direction of the partition plate 501. The air flow ports 505 in each row are arranged to be shifted from each other, so that the air flow ports 505 are arranged in a zigzag shape in the forming direction of the partition plate 501. As viewed from one air outlet 505, the angle θ formed between the direction toward the adjacent air outlet 505 in the same row and the direction toward the adjacent air outlet 505 in different rows is 60 ° and the distance L3 between adjacent air outlets 505 in the same row, and the distance L4 between adjacent air outlets 505 in different rows are each 3.5 mm. The diameter of the air flow port 505 is 2 mm, and about 435 air flow ports 505 are formed in the partition plate 501 of one gas diffusion chamber 44.

Returning to FIG. 8, the air, which has been removed through the filter 37 of the horizontal duct 34 and the particles are removed, is introduced into the gas diffusion chamber 44 from the clean gas supply port 42. Supplied to 502. Since air is continuously supplied to the gas diffusion chamber 44, the air in the gas diffusion chamber 44 moves away from the clean gas supply port 42 and is pushed toward the front end region 503 where the pressure is relatively low. However, the amount introduced into the tip side region 503 by the partition plate 501 is limited, so that the flow rate and pressure of air supplied per area in the base region 502 and the tip region 503 are equalized, respectively. do. As a result, the air is discharged downward from the gas diffusion chamber 44 through the discharge port 45 at a uniformly high flow rate, flow velocity, and wind direction, and a uniformly flowing downdraft is formed in the entire transport region R1. In addition, when the air is directed from the proximal end region 502 to the distal end region 503, the air is suppressed from being diffused in the direction in which the horizontal duct 34 extends by the partition member 504, so that the pressure when viewed from the direction High uniformity of loss. This also increases the uniformity of the downdraft.

Returning to Fig. 5, the description will continue. In the partition plate 41, the front end portion 48 is provided on the front end side of the gas diffusion chamber 44. This tip part 48 is supported by the support member 49 provided in the shelf units U1-U6 of each layer. The supporting member 49 is formed in an L shape when viewed from the side, and extends in the longitudinal direction of the conveyance region R1. The front end portion 48 of the partition plate 41 is supported by the support member 49, so that the partition plate 41 is horizontally maintained. Moreover, the board | substrate 40 is provided in the left and right both ends of the conveyance area | region R1 so that the four partition plates 41 may be interposed. The plate 40 is mounted horizontally with respect to the support member 49 and the horizontal duct 34, and is comprised so that attachment and detachment with respect to these support member 49 and the horizontal duct 34 are possible.

The projection part 50 is provided in the side surface at the conveyance area | region R1 side in the pipe wall part 35 of the said horizontal duct 34, and the connection part 51 is provided in this projection part 50. As shown in FIG. Moreover, the connection port 52 which is paired with the connection port 51 is provided in the surface of the partition plate 41. As shown in FIG. 11 shows these connection ports 51 and 52. The connection port 51 is provided with the horizontal cylinder part 51a, and the connection port 52 is provided with the horizontal rod 52a. When the rod 52a is fitted in the cylinder part 51a, the connection ports 51 and 52 comprise the hinge 53. As shown in FIG. By this hinge 53, the partition plate 41 is comprised so that rotation is possible about the horizontal axis. Moreover, since the said hinge 53 is comprised so that it can decompose | disassemble into the connection ports 51 and 52, the partition plate 41 is comprised so that attachment and detachment with respect to the horizontal duct 34 are possible.

In the horizontal duct 34, two claws 54a extending toward the distal end side of the partition plate 41 are provided above the connection port 51. Each claw part 54a is provided with the projection 54b. Moreover, the claw part 55a which protrudes in the thickness direction of the partition plate 41 is provided in the front end side of the connection port 52 in the surface of the partition plate 41. The recessed part 55b is formed in the side surface of the claw part 55a.

In the state where the partition plate 41 is horizontal, an operator rotates the front end of the said partition plate 41 about a horizontal axis so that the front end of the partition plate 41 may face upward. Then, the claw part 55a of the partition plate 41 enters between the claw parts 54a and 54a of the horizontal duct 34, and the claw parts 54a and 54a open out from each other by the elasticity. When the partition plate 41 is further rotated, as shown in FIG. 12, the projection 54b of the claw part 54a engages with the recessed part 55b of the claw part 55a. The claw portion 54a is pressed by the restoring force with the claw portion 55a therebetween to fix the claw portion 55a. As a result, the partition plate 41 is fixed with the tip facing upwards. FIG. 13 shows a state in which one partition plate 41 is bent and fixed in this manner. By rotating the tip of the divided partition plate 41 thus flipped downward, the engagement of the claws 54a and 55a can be released and the partition plate 41 can be returned horizontally.

Although the horizontal duct 34 provided on the conveyance area | region R1 of the unit block B1 and the partition plate 41 provided in the said horizontal duct 34 were demonstrated, on each other unit block B2-B6. The horizontal duct 34 provided in the inside and the partition plate 41 provided in the said horizontal duct 34 are comprised in this way, and the ceiling surface of each conveyance area | region R1 is formed. However, since the partition plate 41 for supplying air to the third unit block B3 serves as a foothold for the worker, the partition plate 41 is fixed to the horizontal duct 34 in a horizontal state and is not rotated as described above. . And as mentioned above, the conveyance area | region R1 of the unit blocks B1-B6 is partitioned with each other, and the conveyance area | region of the unit block B6 is divided | segmented by the partition plate 41 provided in 6 steps up and down. The outer space of the housing 31 forming R1) and the processing block S2 is partitioned.

Returning to FIGS. 1 to 3, the interface block S3 will be described. The interface block S3 is able to move with respect to the processing block S2 in order to perform maintenance described later. The interface block S3 includes the shelf units U8, U9, and U10, and the shelf unit U8 is configured by stacking the transfer module TRS, the transfer module CPL, and the buffer module BU with each other. The shelf unit U9 is configured by stacking the back surface cleaning module BST for cleaning the back surface of the wafer W before exposure. The shelf unit U10 is configured by stacking the post-exposure cleaning module PIR for cleaning the surface of the wafer W after exposure. The interface arms 3A-3C which convey between each module and between a module and exposure apparatus S4 are provided.

The conveyance path | route of the wafer W of the system which consists of this application | coating development apparatus 1 and exposure apparatus S4 is demonstrated. For example, the wafer W is conveyed by the path 1 passing through the unit blocks B1-> B3-> B5 and the path 2 passing through the unit blocks B2-> B4-> B6, and each path | route. Receive the same processing. The wafer W is carrier C, transfer arm 13, buffer module BU11, transfer arm 14, hydrophobic treatment module ADH, transfer arm A1, antireflection film forming module, BCT, and transfer. Arm (A1) → heating module → transfer arm (A1) → resist coating module (COT) → transfer arm (A1) → heating module (HP) → peripheral exposure module (WEE) → transfer arm (A1) → transfer module (CPL11) ), And the coating film is laminated on the surface of the wafer W from the lower layer side in the order of the antireflection film and the resist film.

Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred from the transfer arm 14 to the transfer module CPL12 to the transfer arm A3 to the protective film forming module TCT to the transfer arm A3 to the heating module HP to the transfer arm A3. → back side, it is conveyed in the order of washing module BST → conveying arm A3 → conveying module TRS1. As a result, a protective film is formed over the resist film, and the wafer W is carried into the interface block S3.

The wafer W is arranged in the order of the first interface arm 3A → buffer module BU → second interface arm 3B → transmission module CPL → third interface arm 3C → exposure device S4. It conveys and receives a liquid immersion exposure process. The wafer W having been exposed is exposed to the third interface arm 3C → transfer module TRS → second interface arm 3B → post-exposure cleaning module PIR → buffer module group 3 → second interface arm ( 3B)-> conveyance module TRS2 is conveyed in order. Thereafter, the transfer arm (A5) → the heating module (HP) → the developing module (DEV) → the transfer arm (A5) → the heating module (HP) → the transfer arm (A5) → the transfer module (CPL13) → the transfer arm (14) The transfer module CPL14 is transferred in order from the transfer arm 14 to the carrier C. The wafer W conveyed in the second path is conveyed in the same manner as the first path and subjected to the same treatment except that the unit blocks passing through are different.

In this way, air is supplied from the fan filter unit 32 to each partition plate 41 while the wafer W is conveyed and processed in each module. And as described above, air is supplied from the partition plate 41, and the downdraft is formed in the conveyance area | region R1 of each unit block B1-B6. In FIG. 4, the airflow formed in the process block S2 by the dotted arrow is shown. The air supplied to the conveyance area R1 is exhausted by the exhaust units 405 and 406 and the fan apparatus 407 of the heating module 401 of the shelf units U1 to U6.

When maintenance of the processing block S2 is carried out, the transfer arms A1 to A6 of the respective unit blocks B1 to B6 are positioned at any place of the transfer area R1, for example, the carrier block S1 side. The operation of the fan filter unit 32 is stopped. The interface block S3 is moved to form a space for a worker to enter between the processing block S2 and the interface block S3.

Thereafter, the partition plates 41 of the unit blocks B4 to B6 at positions not interfering with the transfer arms A4 to A6 are rotated as described from the horizontal position for partitioning each unit block. Thereby, conveyance area | region R1 of unit blocks B4-B6 communicate with each other, and it becomes an open state which can be peeked. Similarly, by rotating the partition plates 41 of the unit blocks B2 to B3 at positions not interfering with the transfer arms A2 to A3, the transfer regions R1 of the unit blocks B1 to B3 communicate with each other. In this case, it becomes an open state that can be viewed. FIG. 14 shows a state in which each conveyance region R1 is in communication. And the worker enters the conveyance area | region R1 which communicated with each other in this way, and the heating module or liquid processing unit 201 which comprises the conveyance arm A of the said conveyance area | region R1, and shelf units U1-U5. Maintenance of each module constituting the module is performed. In the case of maintenance of the unit blocks B4 to B6, work is performed using the partition plates 41 between the unit blocks B3 and B4 as scaffolds. In addition, when performing maintenance of the unit blocks B4 to B6 in this manner, the worker may enter the unit blocks B4 to B6 from the ceiling of the apparatus 1.

When performing maintenance in this way, you may separate | separate the partition plate 41 from the horizontal duct 34 as mentioned above, and may work. In this case, the interface block S3 is moved as described above, and then the plate 40 on the interface block S3 side is removed as shown in Figs. 15 and 16. As shown in FIG. 17, the partition plate 41 is slid from the partition plate 41 on the interface block S3 side to the interface block S3 in order, and the cylinder portion 51a of the hinge 53 is moved. Pull out the rod 52a. As a result, the partition plate 41 is separated from the horizontal duct 34. In addition, when attaching the partition plate 41 to the horizontal duct 34, the said partition plate 52a of the partition plate 41 is inserted in the cylinder part 51a, and the partition plate 41 of the carrier block S1 side is started from. It is mounted on the horizontal duct 34 in turn.

In this coating and developing apparatus 1, a partition plate constituting the ceiling of the conveyance area R1 of each unit block B from the filter 37 of the horizontal duct 34 provided locally in each unit block B ( By supplying air to 41 and discharging the air diffused in the gas diffusion chamber 44 of this partition plate 41, the downdraft can be formed in the whole conveyance area | region R1. Thereby, air stays in the conveyance area | region R1 is suppressed, and the fall of the cleanliness of the atmosphere of the conveyance area | region R1 can be prevented. In addition, since the partition plate 41 is detachably and rotatable with respect to the horizontal duct 34, an operator can easily enter the conveyance area | region R1 and can work. On the other hand, the gas diffusion chamber 44 is provided with a guide member 46, the air supplied from the filter 37 by the guide member 46 diffuses the gas diffusion chamber 44 with high uniformity. Therefore, air is supplied uniformly to the whole conveyance area | region R1. Also from this point, the fall of the cleanliness of the atmosphere of the conveyance area | region R1 can be prevented.

However, if the thickness of the gas diffusion chamber 44 is made thick, the fluidity of the gas in the gas diffusion chamber 44 is increased, so that even if the partition plate 501 or the guide member 46 described later is not provided, the transport area ( The downdraft can be formed highly uniformly throughout R1). However, when the thickness of the gas diffusion chamber 44 is increased in this manner, the coating and developing apparatus 1 is enlarged. By providing the partition plate 501 or the guide member 46 in this manner, the enlargement of the gas diffusion chamber 44 can be prevented and the enlargement of the coating and developing apparatus 1 can be prevented. Moreover, the inventor examines the wind speed and the wind direction formed in the conveyance area | region R1 with and without the guide member 46 by simulation, and arrange | positions the guide member 46 of the conveyance area | region R1. It was confirmed that the uniformity of the wind speed and direction was increased.

Further, since the partition plate 41 is configured to be detachable from the horizontal duct 34 and rotatable about the horizontal axis, the operator separates the partition plate 41 according to the contents of the work and the location of the module performing the work. You can choose to rotate or rotate. And when rotating the partition plate 41, since it is easy to communicate the conveyance area | region R1, maintenance work can be performed efficiently. In addition, in the above-mentioned example, since the conveyance guide member 301 which comprises each conveyance arm A is provided along the longitudinal direction in the periphery of conveyance area | region R1, maintenance operation by this conveyance guide member 301 is carried out. This is prevented from being disturbed.

By the way, in the said partition board 41, the front end part 48 is prevented from floating by the wind pressure from the horizontal duct 34 by the weight of the front end part 48. As shown in FIG. However, in order to more reliably prevent such injury, a fixing mechanism for fixing the partition plate 41 to the horizontal duct 34 may be provided. Specifically as a fixing mechanism, a magnet is provided in the rear end side and the horizontal duct 34 of the partition plate 41, respectively, and there exists a mechanism which couples the partition plate 41 and the horizontal duct 34 by magnetic force. . In addition, magnets may be provided on the front end side of the partition plate 41 and the surface of the support member 49 to form a fixing mechanism. In addition to this, the partition plate 41 and the horizontal duct 34 may be fixed using a thumb-screw screw, for example, or the support member 49 and the partition plate 41 may be fixed.

FIG. 18 shows another configuration example of the gas diffusion chamber 44. As shown in FIG. 18, a guide member 46 is provided in the gas diffusion chamber 44. As shown in FIG. The guide member 46 is formed in a c-shape in plan view, and the c-shaped opening 47 is formed so as to face the front end side of the partition plate 41. In FIG. 18, the flow of air in the gas diffusion chamber 44 is shown by the dotted arrow. Through the filter 37, the particles are removed and cleaned air flows into the gas diffusion chamber 44 from the clean gas supply port 42, and the gas diffusion chamber 44 passes through the front end side of the partition plate 41. It flows toward and collides with the guide member 46, and further goes to the front end side along the outer periphery of the guide member 46. Due to the flow of air, since the opening 47 of the guide member 46 is lower in pressure than the outer periphery of the guide member 46, the air flowing to the tip of the guide member 46 flows toward the opening 47. . That is, air flows to return to the base end side of the partition plate 41. In this manner, air is diffused through the gas diffusion chamber 44 as a whole, and the air is discharged downward from the discharge port 45. Thereby, the falling airflow can be formed highly uniformly in the whole conveyance area | region R1 similarly to the case where the partition plate 501 is provided.

The guide member provided in the gas diffusion chamber 44 is not limited to the guide member 46 described above. 19, the guide members 71 and 72 are shown. The guide members 71 and 72 extend inwardly of the partition plate 41 and are bent to extend further toward the tip side of the partition plate 41. Air supplied between the guide members 71 and 72 shown by the dotted arrow in FIG. 19 turns the gas diffusion chamber 44 toward the front end side, and then returns to the proximal side of the partition plate 41 of the gas diffusion chamber 44. It flows in between a wall surface and each guide member 71,72. In addition, as shown in FIG. 20, the vortex guide member 73 may be provided so that the air toward the front end side may return to the proximal end side.

R1: conveyance area
W: Wafer
1: coating and developing apparatus
31: housing
32: fan unit
34: horizontal duct
37: filter
41: partition plate
42: clean gas supply port
44: gas diffusion chamber
45 outlet
46: guide member
53: hinge
501: partition plate
505: Air Distribution

Claims (7)

In the substrate processing apparatus provided with the board | substrate conveyance area | region for conveying a board | substrate to the process part which processes a board | substrate,
A first substrate transfer region and a second substrate transfer region each extending laterally and stacked on top of each other;
A cavity partition plate provided at a partition position for partitioning the first substrate transport region and the second substrate transport region from each other, and forming a gas diffusion chamber therein;
A clean gas supply port formed so as to communicate with the gas diffusion chamber in the partition plate at a position extending from the center portion in the width direction to the peripheral edge portion of the substrate conveyance region;
A gas supply path for supplying gas to the clean gas supply port;
A filter installed in the gas supply passage and configured to clean the gas supplied to the clean gas supply port;
It is provided on the lower surface of the partition plate, and provided with a plurality of discharge ports for discharging the gas diffused in the diffusion chamber to the substrate transport region,
And the partition plate is configured to be retracted from the partition position so as to be in an open state in which the first substrate transport region can be viewed from the second substrate transport region at the time of maintenance.
The method of claim 1,
The gas diffusion chamber is provided with a partition member for partitioning the gas diffusion chamber into a first region and a second region laterally separated from the clean gas supply port than the first region.
The partition processing apparatus is provided with a plurality of gas distribution ports through which the clean gas flows from the first region to the second region.
The method of claim 1,
The gas diffusion chamber is provided with a guide member for guiding the gas distant from the clean gas supply port toward the clean gas supply port.
The method of claim 3, wherein
The guide member is formed in a c-shape when viewed in a plane, the c-shaped substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that the opening in the opposite direction to the clean gas supply port.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
And the partition plate is rotatable about a horizontal axis.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the board | substrate conveyance area | region, the board | substrate conveyance mechanism for conveying a board | substrate, and the conveyance guide which guides the said board | substrate conveyance mechanism along a board | substrate conveyance area are provided,
The said conveyance guide is provided in the peripheral part of a board | substrate conveyance area | region in the longitudinal direction, The substrate processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The substrate processing apparatus characterized by the module which processes a board | substrate provided in the both sides of the width direction of a board | substrate conveyance area | region.

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