TW201947653A - Substrate processing system and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the invention is to appropriately transport a substrate in a substrate processing system that processes a processing surface of a substrate. The invention provides a substrate processing system that processes a substrate, the system having a holding section for processing which, when processing the processing surface of the substrate, holds a non-processing surface located on the opposite side from the processing surface of the substrate, a liquid supply section which supplies a liquid to the holding surface of the holding section for processing, a holding section for transportation which, when transporting the substrate, holds the processing surface of the substrate, a movement mechanism which moves the holding section for transportation in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and a control section which controls the holding section for processing, the liquid supply section, the holding section for transportation, and the movement mechanism.

Description

Substrate processing system and substrate processing method

The disclosure of the present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

Patent Document 1 discloses a method for transporting a brittle workpiece after grinding. The transportation method includes an attachment release step and a removal step. In the attaching and releasing step, the fluid is ejected from the holding surface of the chuck table and the fragile workpiece being sucked and held by the conveyance means is released from the chuck table at a first speed. After the carrying-out step, following the implementation of the attaching and releasing step, the conveying means is detached from the suction table at a second speed faster than the first speed, and the brittle workpiece is carried out from the suction table.
[Xizhi technical literature]
[Patent Literature]

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-145776

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

The technology disclosed in the present invention appropriately transfers a substrate in a substrate processing system that processes a processing surface of the substrate.
[Technical means to solve the problem]

One aspect disclosed in the present invention is a substrate processing system for processing a processing surface of a substrate, which includes a processing holding portion, and when processing the processing surface of the substrate, the processing surface is opposite to the processing surface of the substrate. The non-machined surface is held; the liquid supply part supplies liquid to the holding surface of the processing holding part; the transportation holding part holds the processing surface of the substrate when the substrate is transported; and the moving mechanism makes the transportation holding part Moving in the horizontal and vertical directions; and a control unit that controls the processing holding unit, the liquid supply unit, the transportation holding unit, and the moving mechanism; the control unit performs the following steps: the holding step, The holding portion holds the substrate on the non-processed surface, and the processing surface is held by the holding portion for transportation; the liquid supply step, and thereafter, from the liquid supply portion, the holding surface of the processing holding portion and the non-processed surface of the substrate The liquid is supplied from time to time; an ascending step, and thereafter, the substrate held by the transport holding portion is raised by the moving mechanism to a height at which the liquid is not separated from the substrate And a moving step, and thereafter, in this state of the liquid contact with the substrate, by the moving mechanism, so that the conveying retained in the fixing portion of the substrate holder moves toward the horizontal direction.
[Effect of the present invention]

According to the disclosure of the present invention, in a substrate processing system for processing a processing surface of a substrate, the substrate can be appropriately conveyed.

In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter referred to as a substrate) on which a plurality of electronic circuits and the like are formed on the surface is polished on the back surface of the substrate to reduce the thickness of the substrate.

The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a method for transporting a brittle workpiece (substrate) after polishing. Specifically, first, the first surface of the brittle workpiece to be held on the chuck table is polished with a grinding wheel to reduce the brittle workpiece to a predetermined thickness. Here, the brittle workpiece to be thinned is fragile, so there is a possibility of breakage when it is carried out from the sucker table. Therefore, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the above-mentioned attachment release step and carry-out step are performed. That is, a fluid, a mixed fluid of pure water and air is ejected from the holding surface of the chuck table, and the brittle workpiece is detached from the chuck table at a two-stage speed. This makes it possible to suppress damage to the brittle workpiece at the time of carrying out.

However, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, a mixed fluid of pure water and air is supplied to the holding surface of the chuck table, so a film of pure water is formed between the chuck table and the fragile workpiece. In this way, tension acts on the interface between the water film and the brittle workpiece, so there is still a concern that the brittle workpiece will be damaged when it is removed from the suction cup table. In addition, there is also a concern that the fragile workpiece may fall off from the conveyance means.

Therefore, the technique disclosed in the present invention suppresses the substrate from being damaged and appropriately transports the substrate. Hereinafter, a substrate processing system and a substrate processing method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

First, the configuration of the substrate processing system of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the substrate processing system 1.

In the substrate processing system 1 of this embodiment, the substrate W is thinned. The substrate W is, for example, a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon wafer or a compound semiconductor wafer. A device (not shown) is formed on the surface of the substrate W (hereinafter referred to as a non-processed surface Wn), and a protective material for protecting the device, such as a protective tape (not shown), is attached to the surface. Then, a predetermined processing process such as polishing is performed on the back surface of the substrate W (hereinafter referred to as the processing surface Wg) to reduce the thickness of the substrate.

The substrate processing system 1 includes a configuration in which a loading station 2, a loading station 3, a processing device 4, a post-processing device 5, and a transfer station 6 are connected. The loading station 2 stores the substrates W before processing in the cassette box C, and loads a plurality of substrates W into the substrate processing system 1 from the outside in units of the cassette box. The unloading station 3 stores the processed substrates W in the cassette box C, and unloads the plurality of substrates W from the cassette processing system 1 to the outside in units of the cassette box. The processing device 4 performs a processing process on the substrate W to reduce the thickness. The post-processing device 5 performs post-processing of the substrate W after the processing. The transfer station 6 transfers the substrate W between the transfer station 2, the processing device 4, and the post-processing device 5. On the negative side of the X axis, the loading station 2, the transferring station 6, and the processing device 4 are arranged in this order in the Y axis direction. On the X-axis positive direction side, the unloading station 3 and the post-processing device 5 are arranged in this order in the Y-axis direction.

At the carry-in station 2, a cassette cassette mounting table 10 is provided. In the example shown in the figure, a plurality of, for example, two cassette boxes C are arbitrarily placed in a row in the X-axis direction on the cassette box mounting table 10.

The loading-in station 3 has the same structure as the loading-in station 2. A cassette cassette mounting table 20 is provided at the carry-out station 3, and, for example, two cassette cassettes C are arbitrarily placed in a row in the X-axis direction on the cassette cassette mounting table 20. In addition, the loading-in station 2 and the loading-out station 3 may be integrated into one loading-out station. In this case, a common cassette cassette mounting table is installed at the loading-in station.

In the processing apparatus 4, processing processing such as polishing or cleaning is performed on the substrate W. The configuration of this processing device 4 will be described in detail later.

The post-processing apparatus 5 performs post-processing on the substrate W processed by the processing apparatus 4. As the post-processing, for example, a mounting process of holding the substrate W on a dicing frame via a dicing tape, a peeling process of peeling off a protective tape attached to the substrate W, and the like are performed. Then, the post-processing device 5 carries the post-processing and holds the substrate W held on the dicing frame to the wafer cassette C of the carrying-out station 3. The mounting process and the peeling process performed by the post-processing apparatus 5 each use a known apparatus.

A substrate transfer area 30 is provided at the transfer station 6. In the substrate transfer area 30, a substrate transfer device 32 that is moved on a transfer path 31 extending in the X-axis direction is provided. The substrate transfer device 32 includes a transfer fork 33 and a transfer pad 34 as a substrate holding portion that holds the substrate W. The front end of the transport fork 33 is branched into two, and the substrate W is sucked and held. The carrier 33 carries the substrate W before the polishing process. The conveyance pad 34 has a circular shape having a diameter longer than that of the substrate W in a plan view, and the substrate W is sucked and held. The transfer pad 34 transfers the substrate W after the polishing process. The transport forks 33 and the transport pads 34 are respectively configured to move arbitrarily about the horizontal axis and the vertical axis in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

The substrate processing system 1 is provided with a control unit 40. The control unit 40 is, for example, a computer and includes a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage section stores a program for controlling the processing of the substrate W in the substrate processing system 1. In addition, the program storage section also stores programs for controlling the operations of the drive systems of the various processing apparatuses, conveying apparatuses, and the like described above to implement substrate processing programs described later in the substrate processing system 1. The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium H, or may be installed from the recording medium H to the control unit 40.

Next, the configuration of the processing device 4 will be described. The processing device 4 includes a rotary table 100, a conveying unit 110, an alignment unit 120, a first cleaning unit 130, a second cleaning unit 140, a rough grinding unit 150, a middle grinding unit 160, and a fine grinding unit 170.

The turntable 100 is configured to be arbitrarily rotated by a rotation mechanism (not shown). Four processing holding portions 101 are provided on the turntable 100, and the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W is sucked and held. The processing holding portions 101 are arranged uniformly on the same circumference as the turntable 100, that is, at intervals of 90 degrees. By rotating the turntable 100, the four processing holding portions 101 can be moved to the transfer position A0 and the processing positions A1 to A3.

In this embodiment, the transfer position A0 is a position on the positive X-axis side and the negative Y-axis side of the turntable 100. A second cleaning unit 140 and an alignment unit 120 are arranged on the negative Y-axis side of the transfer position A0. 、 和 第一 Washing Unit 130. The alignment unit 120 and the first cleaning unit 130 are arranged in this order from above. The first processing position A1 is a position on the X-axis positive direction side and the Y-axis positive direction side of the turntable 100, and the rough grinding unit 150 is disposed. The second processing position A2 is a position on the negative side of the X axis and the positive side of the Y axis of the rotary table 100, and the middle grinding unit 160 is arranged. The third machining position A3 is a position on the negative side of the X axis and the negative side of the Y axis of the turntable 100, and a fine grinding unit 170 is arranged.

As shown in FIG. 2, the processing holding portion 101 is held on the holding portion base 102. The processing holding portion 101 and the holding portion base 102 are configured to be rotatable by a rotation mechanism 103. The rotation mechanism 103 is provided through, for example, a through hole 100 a formed in the rotation table 100.

The processing holding portion 101 is connected to a supply pipe 104, and the supply tube 104 supplies at least a liquid or a gas to the holding surface 101 a of the substrate W of the processing holding portion 101. The supply pipe 104 is connected to the processing holding portion 101 through the inside of the rotation mechanism 103. The supply pipe 104 is connected to each of the four processing holding portions 101. A valve 104 a is provided in each supply pipe 104 to control the supply of liquid or gas to each processing holding portion 101. The supply pipe 104 is branched into a liquid supply pipe 104b and a gas supply pipe 104c on the downstream side. The liquid supply pipe 104b is connected to the liquid supply unit 105. The liquid supply unit 105 stores a liquid such as pure water, and supplies the liquid to the holding surface 101a. The gas supply pipe 104c is connected to the gas supply unit 106. The gas supply unit 106 stores a gas such as air or an inert gas, and supplies the gas to the holding surface 101a.

For the processing holding portion 101, for example, a porous chuck is used. In order to suck and hold the substrate W on the holding surface 101a, the processing holding portion 101 is connected to a suction pipe 107 that sucks the substrate W. The suction pipe 107 is connected to the processing holding portion 101 through the inside of the rotation mechanism 103. The suction tube 107 is connected to each of the four processing holding portions 101. A valve 107 a is provided in each suction pipe 107 to control the suction of each processing holding portion 101. The suction pipe 107 is connected to a suction device 108 for suctioning the substrate W. In order to prevent the porous chuck from being blocked, the liquid is supplied from the liquid supply unit 105 in a state where the substrate W is not held by the processing holding portion 101.

In this embodiment, although the common supply pipe 104 is used for the liquid supply section 105 and the gas supply section 106, the liquid supply pipe 104b and the gas supply pipe 104c may be directly connected to the processing holding section 101, respectively. In this case, valves (not shown) are provided in the liquid supply pipe 104b and the gas supply pipe 104c, respectively. In addition, in this embodiment, although the common liquid supply section 105 and the gas supply section 106 are provided in the four processing holding sections 101, the liquid supply section 105 and the gas supply section may be separately provided for each processing holding section 101. 106.

As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyance unit 110 is a multi-joint type robot arm having a plurality of, for example, three arm portions 111 to 113. The three arm portions 111 to 113 are connected by a joint portion (not shown). With these joints, the first arm portion 111 at the front end and the second arm portion 112 at the middle of the three arm portions 111 to 113 are arbitrarily rotated around the base end portion. The third arm portion 113 at the base end is attached to a moving mechanism 114 that moves the arm portions 111 to 113 in the vertical direction. With this configuration, the holding portion 115 for transporting the substrate W to be described later can be arbitrarily moved in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

On the first arm portion 111, a transporting holding portion 115 that holds and holds the substrate W is attached. For the transport holding portion 115, for example, a porous chuck is used. As shown in FIG. 3, the conveyance holding portion 115 has a circular shape having a diameter longer than the diameter of the substrate W in a plan view. On the other hand, the holding portion 115 for conveyance sucks and holds the entire surface of the processing surface Wg of the substrate W on the holding surface 115a. In addition, the transport holding portion 115 is configured to be arbitrarily rotatable by a rotation mechanism 111 a provided on the first arm portion 111.

A tilting mechanism 116 and an elastic member 117 are provided between the first arm portion 111 and the transport holding portion 115 via a support plate 118. The tilting mechanism 116 is provided between the first arm portion 111 and the support plate 118. The elastic member 117 is provided between the conveyance holding | maintenance part 115 and the support plate 118.

The tilting mechanism 116 allows the transport holding portion 115 to be tilted arbitrarily when viewed from the side. The tilting mechanism 116 has an arbitrary configuration, but includes, for example, a biasing member (not shown) that biases the support plate 118 (the transport holding portion 115) in the separation direction to the first arm portion 111. With this tilting mechanism 116, for example, when the substrate W is received by the transfer holding portion 115, the transfer holding portion 115 can be tilted along the substrate W even if the substrate W is not flat (horizontal). In addition, for example, when the substrate W is transferred by the transfer holding portion 115, the transfer holding portion 115 can be tilted along the transfer object even if the transfer target is not flat (horizontal). As described above, the substrate W can be appropriately received (transmitted) by tilting the transport holding portion 115. The tilting mechanism 116 may further include a mechanism for fixing the holding portion 115 for conveyance. In this case, during the transportation of the substrate W, the transportation holding portion 115 can be fixed. As a result, the receiving (transfer) and conveyance of the substrate W can be performed appropriately.

The elastic member 117 is provided in the outer peripheral part of the conveyance holding | maintenance part 115, for example, several concentric circles of this conveyance holding | maintenance part 115 are provided. The elastic member 117 is not particularly limited as long as it has elasticity. For example, a spring is used. In addition, with this elastic member 117, for example, when the substrate W is received or transferred by the transport holding portion 115, it can absorb the impact. As a result, a strong pressing force can be prevented from being applied to the substrate W held by the transport holding portion 115.

The transfer unit 110 having the above configuration can transfer the substrate W to the transfer position A0, the alignment unit 120, the first cleaning unit 130, and the second cleaning unit 140.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the alignment unit 120, the horizontal direction of the substrate W before the polishing process is adjusted. For example, the substrate W held on a rotating chuck (not shown) is rotated, and the position of the notch portion of the substrate W is detected by a detection portion (not shown), thereby adjusting the position of the notch portion and adjusting the horizontal direction of the substrate W. .

In the first cleaning unit 130, the processed surface Wg of the substrate W after the polishing process is cleaned, and more specifically, it is rotated and cleaned. For example, the substrate W held on a rotary chuck (not shown) is rotated, and a cleaning solution is supplied from a cleaning solution nozzle (not shown) to the processing surface Wg of the substrate W. In this way, the supplied cleaning liquid is diffused on the processing surface Wg, and the processing surface Wg is washed.

In the second cleaning unit 140, the substrate W after the polishing process is cleaned on the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W held by the transport holding portion 115 of the transport unit 110, and the holding surface 115a of the transport holding portion 115 is cleaned. . These non-machined surfaces Wn and the holding surface 115 a are cleaning surfaces cleaned by the second cleaning unit 140. As shown in FIG. 4, the second cleaning unit 140 includes a processing container 141. Inside the processing container 141, a sponge cleaning tool 142 having a cleaning liquid nozzle, an air nozzle 143, a stone cleaning tool 144 (grinding wheel), and a brush cleaning tool 145 are provided. The sponge washer 142, the air nozzle 143, the stone washer 144, and the brush washer 145 are each configured to be arbitrarily movable in a vertical direction by a lifting mechanism (not shown).

The sponge cleaning tool 142 includes, for example, a sponge extending longer than the diameter of the substrate W, and a cleaning liquid such as pure water can be supplied to the sponge to clean the non-processed surface Wn. The air nozzle 143 sprays air on the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W, and dries the non-processed surface Wn. The cleaning of the non-processed surface Wn by these sponges and cleaning liquids, and the drying of the non-processed surface Wn by air are performed while the substrate W is held by the transport holding portion 115, and the rotation mechanism 111a is used. The conveyance holding part 115 (the substrate W) is rotated and executed. Thereby, the entire surface of the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W is cleaned.

The stone cleaning tool 144 and the brush cleaning tool 145 each have, for example, a longer diameter than the holding surface 115a of the holding portion 115 for conveyance of the conveying unit 110, and abut on the holding surface 115a for cleaning. The conveyance holding portion 115 is cleaned by the stone cleaning device 144 and the brush cleaning device 145, and the conveyance holding portion 115 is rotated and executed by the rotating mechanism 111a. Thereby, the entire surface of the holding surface 115a of the holding portion 115 for conveyance is cleaned.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the rough polishing unit 150, the processed surface Wg of the substrate W is roughly polished. The rough grinding unit 150 includes a rough grinding section 151 having a rough grinding wheel (not shown) that has a ring shape and can be arbitrarily rotated. In addition, the rough grinding section 151 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction along the stay 152. In addition, in a state where the processing surface Wg of the substrate W held on the processing holding portion 101 abuts on the rough grinding wheel, the processing holding portion 101 and the rough grinding wheel are respectively rotated to roughen the processing surface Wg of the substrate W. Grinding.

In the intermediate polishing unit 160, the processed surface Wg of the substrate W is polished. The middle grinding unit 160 includes a middle grinding unit 161, and the middle grinding unit 161 has a ring-shaped intermediate grinding wheel (not shown) that can be arbitrarily rotated. In addition, the intermediate polishing portion 161 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction along the pillar 162. In addition, the particle size of the abrasive particles of the medium grinding wheel is smaller than that of the abrasive particles of the coarse grinding wheel. In addition, in a state where the processing surface Wg of the substrate W held on the processing holding portion 101 abuts on the intermediate grinding wheel, the processing holding portion 101 and the intermediate grinding wheel are respectively rotated to grind the processing surface Wg.

In the fine polishing unit 170, the processed surface Wg of the substrate W is finely polished. The fine grinding unit 170 includes a fine grinding section 171 having a ring-shaped fine grinding wheel (not shown) that can be arbitrarily rotated. In addition, the fine polishing section 171 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction along the pillar 172. In addition, the particle size of the abrasive particles of the fine grinding wheel is smaller than that of the abrasive particles of the medium grinding wheel. Further, in a state where the processing surface Wg of the substrate W held on the processing holding portion 101 abuts on the fine grinding wheel, the processing holding portion 101 and the fine grinding wheel are respectively rotated to finely grind the processing surface Wg.

Next, the substrate processing performed by the substrate processing system 1 configured as described above will be described.

First, the cassette cassette C containing the plurality of substrates W is placed on the cassette cassette mounting table 10 of the loading station 2. In the cassette box C, in order to suppress deformation of the protective tape, the substrate W is housed so that the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W to which the protective tape is attached faces upward.

Next, the substrate W in the wafer cassette C is taken out by the transfer fork 33 of the substrate transfer device 32 and transferred to the processing device 4. At this time, the front and back surfaces are reversed so that the processing surface Wg of the substrate W faces the upper side by carrying the fork 33.

The substrate W transferred to the processing device 4 is transferred to the alignment unit 120. Then, in the alignment unit 120, the horizontal direction of the substrate W is adjusted (step S1 in FIG. 5).

Next, the substrate W is transferred from the alignment unit 120 to the transfer position A0 by the transfer unit 110 and transferred to the processing holding portion 101 at the transfer position A0. The non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W is held in the processing holding portion 101. In addition, when the transport holding portion 115 receives the substrate W from the alignment unit 120 and when the substrate W is transferred to the processing holding portion 101, the transport holding portion 115 can be arbitrarily tilted by the tilting mechanism 116. In addition, when receiving and transmitting the substrate W, the impact is absorbed by the elastic member 117. This makes it possible to appropriately receive and transfer the substrate W.

Next, the processing holding portion 101 is moved to the first processing position A1. Then, the processing surface Wg of the substrate W is roughly ground by the rough grinding unit 150 (step S2 in FIG. 5).

Next, the processing holding portion 101 is moved to the second processing position A2. Then, the processing surface Wg of the substrate W is polished by the intermediate polishing unit 160 (step S3 in FIG. 5).

Next, the processing holding portion 101 is moved to the third processing position A3. Then, the processed surface Wg of the substrate W is finely polished by the fine polishing unit 170 (step S4 in FIG. 5).

Next, the processing holding portion 101 is moved to the transfer position A0. Here, the processing surface Wg of the substrate W is preliminarily cleaned by a cleaning liquid nozzle (not shown) with a cleaning liquid (step S5 in FIG. 5). In this step S5, cleaning to remove the dirt on the processed surface Wg to a certain degree is performed.

Next, the substrate W is transferred from the transfer position A0 to the second cleaning unit 140 by the transfer unit 110 (step S6 in FIG. 5). Here, in step S6, the method by which the conveyance unit 110 receives the board | substrate W from the transfer position A0 is demonstrated.

First, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), the transporting holding portion 115 of the transporting unit 110 is moved above the substrate W that is sucked and held by the processing holding portion 101, and is disposed to face the substrate W.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the transporting holding portion 115 is lowered, and the processed surface Wg of the substrate W is held by the transporting holding portion 115 on the entire surface by suction. At this time, the transport holding portion 115 can be arbitrarily tilted by the tilting mechanism 116. In addition, the elastic member 117 absorbs the shock during the adsorption and holding of the substrate W. Thereby, the substrate W can be appropriately held and held. The step shown in FIG. 6 (b) may be referred to as a holding step. In addition, in this holding step, if the substrate W is sucked and held by the transport holding portion 115, the suction and holding of the substrate W by the processing holding portion 101 is released at an arbitrary timing before the gas is supplied from the gas supply portion 106 described later .

Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 106 between the holding surface 101 a of the processing holding portion 101 and the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W. With this gas, the substrate W is peeled from the processing holding portion 101. Here, as described above, the liquid is supplied from the liquid supply section 105 in a state where the substrate W is not held by the processing holding section 101. As a result, the liquid remains in the supply pipe 104, and the liquid is supplied along with the supply of the gas. A film of the liquid L is formed between the holding surface 101 a of the processing holding portion 101 and the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W. The step shown in FIG. 6 (c) may be referred to as a liquid supply step. In this embodiment, the gas L is supplied from the gas supply unit 106 to supply the liquid L between the holding surface 101 a of the processing holding portion 101 and the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W. However, the liquid L may be supplied from the liquid supply portion 105. liquid.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), the substrate W held in the transport holding portion 115 is raised to a height at which the liquid L is not separated from the substrate W. In addition, the step shown in FIG. 6 (c) may be referred to as an ascending step.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (d), the substrate W held by the transport holding portion 115 is moved in the horizontal direction while the liquid L is in contact with the substrate W. This reduces the contact area between the substrate W and the liquid L. In addition, due to the horizontal movement of the substrate W, a minute air space may be formed between the substrate W and the liquid L. Furthermore, when the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W is located outside the processing holding portion 101 in a plan view, the liquid L may be discharged from the processing holding portion 101 outside. By various factors such as this, the tension generated at the interface between the substrate W and the liquid L can be reduced. The step shown in FIG. 6 (d) may be referred to as a moving step.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (e), when the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W is located outside the processing holding portion 101 in a plan view, the substrate W held by the holding portion 115 for transport is raised. In this way, the substrate W is separated from the liquid L. At this time, as described above, the interface tension becomes small, so that it is possible to suppress the situation where the substrate W is damaged as is conventional. In addition, it is possible to suppress the substrate W from falling off from the holding portion 115 for conveyance as is conventionally known.

The timing for raising the substrate W is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the substrate W may be moved in the horizontal direction, and the substrate W may be raised when the entire substrate W is located outside the processing holding portion 101 in a plan view.

In addition, in this embodiment, the substrate W is moved upward after being moved horizontally, but the substrate W may be moved diagonally upward. That is, the moving step shown in FIG. 6 (d) and the rising step shown in FIG. 6 (e) may be performed simultaneously.

Further, for example, when there is sufficient space in the horizontal direction, the substrate W and the liquid L may be separated only by moving in the horizontal direction without raising the substrate W.

As described above, in step S6, the transfer unit 110 receives the substrate W from the transfer position A0, and transfers the substrate from the transfer position A0 to the second cleaning unit 140.

Then, in the second cleaning unit 140, as shown in FIG. 7, the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W is cleaned by the sponge cleaning tool 142 in a state where the substrate W is rotated and held by the transport holding portion 115 by the rotating mechanism 111a. (Step S7 in FIG. 5). Thereafter, in a state where the substrate W is rotated and held by the transport holding portion 115, air is sprayed from the air nozzle 143 to the non-processed surface Wn to dry the non-processed surface Wn.

In these steps S6 and S7, before the substrate W is held in the holding portion 115 for transportation, the stone holding tool 144 and the brush cleaning device 145 of the second cleaning unit 140 are used to clean the holding portion 115 for transportation. (Step T1 in FIG. 5). The cleaning of the transporting holding portion 115 by the stone washing tool 144 and the brush cleaning tool 145 is performed by rotating the transporting holding portion 115 by the rotation mechanism 111a. In addition, cleaning of the conveyance holding | maintenance part 115 may be performed by either the stone material washing | cleaning tool 144 and the brush washing | cleaning tool 145, or both. In addition, cleaning of the conveyance holding | maintenance part 115 can be performed at arbitrary timing before step S6.

Next, the substrate W is transferred from the second cleaning unit 140 to the first cleaning unit 130 by the transfer unit 110. When the substrate W is transferred from the conveyance holding portion 115 to a rotating chuck (not shown) of the first cleaning unit 130, the conveyance holding portion 115 can be arbitrarily tilted by the tilting mechanism 116. In addition, the elastic member 117 absorbs the impact during the transmission of the substrate W. Thereby, the transfer of the substrate W can be performed appropriately. Then, in the first cleaning unit 130, the processing surface Wg of the substrate W is cleaned with a cleaning liquid nozzle (not shown) with the cleaning liquid (step S8 in FIG. 5). In this step S8, the processed surface Wg is washed to a desired cleanliness and dried.

Thereafter, the substrate W is transferred from the first cleaning unit 130 to the post-processing device 5 by the substrate transfer device 32. Then, the post-processing apparatus 5 performs post-processing such as a mounting process of holding the substrate W on the dicing frame, a peeling process of peeling off the protective tape attached to the substrate W (step S9 in FIG. 5).

Thereafter, the substrate W that has undergone all the processing is transferred to the cassette box C of the cassette box mounting table 20 of the carry-out station 3. In this way, a series of substrate processing by the substrate processing system 1 is completed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the substrate processing system 1 for processing a substrate W includes the processing holding portion 101 that holds a non-processed surface opposite to the processing surface Wg of the substrate W when processing the processing surface Wg of the substrate W Surface Wn; the liquid supply unit 105 supplies liquid to the holding surface 101a of the processing holding portion 101; the transportation holding portion 115 holds the processing surface Wg of the substrate W when the substrate W is transported; and the moving mechanism 114 (111 to 113) The moving holding part 115 is moved horizontally and vertically; and the control part 40 controls the processing holding part 101, the liquid supply part 105, the moving holding part 115, and the moving mechanism 114 (111 to 113). In addition, the substrate processing method of the substrate processing system 1 includes the following steps: a holding step of holding the substrate W of the non-processed surface Wn by the processing holding portion 101, and holding the processed surface Wg by the holding portion 115 for transportation (FIG. 6 (b)) ); A liquid supply step, and thereafter, the liquid L is supplied from the liquid supply portion 105 between the holding surface 101a of the processing holding portion 101 and the non-machined surface Wn of the substrate W (FIG. 6 (c)); the ascending step, which Then, the moving mechanism 114 raises the substrate W held in the transport holding portion 115 to a height at which the liquid L does not separate from the substrate W (FIG. 6 (c)); and a moving step, after the liquid L and In a state where the substrate W is in contact, the substrate W held by the transport holding portion 115 is moved horizontally by a moving mechanism (FIG. 6 (d)). Thereby, the tension generated at the interface between the substrate W and the liquid L can be reduced, and damage to the substrate W can be suppressed. And in this embodiment, there is no need to provide a special structure or mechanism, and the above effects can be achieved only by changing the operation path.

In addition, according to this embodiment, in the moving step shown in FIG. 6 (d), when the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W is located outside the processing holding portion 101 in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 6 (e), The moving mechanism 114 raises the substrate W held by the transport holding portion 115. Or, in the moving step shown in FIG. 6 (d), when the substrate W as a whole is located outside the processing holding portion 101 in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 6 (e), the holding mechanism is held by the moving mechanism 114. The substrate W of the transport holding portion 115 is raised. In either case, the tension generated at the interface between the substrate W and the liquid L can be reduced.

In addition, according to this embodiment, in the moving step shown in FIG. 6 (d), when the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W is located outside the processing holding portion 101 in a plan view, the liquid L is discharged from the processing holding portion 101 outside. This can further reduce the tension generated at the interface between the substrate W and the liquid L.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the substrate processing system 1 includes a gas supply unit 106 that supplies a gas to the holding surface 101 a of the processing holding portion 101. Meanwhile, in the liquid supply step shown in FIG. 6 (c), gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 106 between the holding surface 101 a of the processing holding portion 101 and the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W. Thereby, the substrate W can be appropriately peeled from the processing holding portion 101.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the substrate processing system 1 includes a tilting mechanism 116 that can tilt the transport holding portion 115 arbitrarily when viewed from the side, and an elastic member 117 provided in the transport holding portion 115. With the tilting mechanism 116, when the transport holding portion 115 receives or transfers the substrate W, the transport holding portion 115 can be tilted. In addition, the elastic member 117 can absorb the impact when the substrate W is received or transferred by the transport holding portion 115. As a result, the substrate W can be appropriately received (transmitted).

In addition, in step S6 of this embodiment, the moving step shown in FIG. 6 (d), the processing holding portion 101 can be rotated by a rotation mechanism (not shown), and the transportation can be performed by the rotation mechanism 111a. The holding portion 115 is rotated, and the substrate W held by the holding portion 115 for conveyance is moved in a horizontal direction by a moving mechanism. In this way, by rotating the processing holding portion 101 and the conveying holding portion 115, the tension generated at the interface between the substrate W and the liquid L can be further reduced. In addition, the processing holding part 101 and the conveyance holding part 115 may be rotated either, that is, the processing holding part 101 and the conveying holding part 115 may be relatively rotated.

In the second cleaning unit 140 of the above-mentioned embodiment, in step S7, the conveyance holding portion 115 may be horizontally moved by the moving mechanism in a state where the sponge cleaning tool 142 is in contact with the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W. Move back and forth to clean the non-machined surface Wn. In the same manner as in step T1, the conveyance holding portion 115 can be moved back and forth in the horizontal direction by the moving mechanism while the stone washing tool 144 or the brush washing tool 145 is in contact with the holding surface 115a. Securing surface 115a.

Here, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-45841 discloses a cleaning device that cleans an adsorption surface of an adsorption pad for adsorbing and transporting a workpiece. The cleaning device includes a polishing plate having a polishing surface for polishing the suction surface, and a swing driving means for swinging the polishing plate in a direction in which the polishing surface extends. In addition, the suction surface is brought into contact with the polishing surface of the polishing plate swung by the swing driving means, and is moved in a direction slightly perpendicular to the extending direction of the polishing plate, thereby cleaning the suction surface.

However, in the cleaning device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-45841, when the polishing plate is swung, if the swing is not constant, the pressure exerted by the polishing plate on the adsorption pad becomes inadequate in the adsorption surface. The situation. In particular, an elastic member may be provided in an adsorption pad in order to absorb the shock at the time of adsorption of a to-be-processed object. Due to the arrangement of this elastic member, the pressure applied to the adsorption pad becomes more uneven.

On the other hand, in step S7 or step T1, when the conveyance holding part 115 is moved back and forth to clean the non-processed surface Wn or the holding surface 115a, the pressure applied to the non-processed surface Wn or the holding surface 115a becomes constant.

In step S7, in the second cleaning unit 140, as shown in FIG. 8, in a state in which the sponge cleaning tool 142 is brought into contact with the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W, the transport holding portion 115 is horizontally moved by a moving mechanism. Move back and forth to clean the non-machined surface Wn. FIG. 8 (a) shows a state where the sponge cleaning tool 142 is in contact with the center portion of the substrate W. The position of the center portion of the substrate W at this time is referred to as a center position A. FIGS. 8 (b) and 8 (c) respectively show how the sponge cleaning tool 142 abuts the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W. The position of the center portion of the substrate W at this time is referred to as the center positions B and C. In FIG. 8 (d), the movement of the center portion of the non-machined surface Wn of the substrate W is illustrated together with its height position.

As in the case where the elastic member 117 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the holding portion 115 for conveyance in this embodiment, the pressure applied to the substrate W when the sponge washer 142 abuts on the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W is smaller than the pressure applied to the substrate W. The pressure exerted by the central portion becomes greater. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the height position of the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W at the center positions B and C is set higher than the height position of the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W at the center position A. This adjustment of the height position is performed by, for example, moving the conveyance holding portion 115 in the vertical direction by the moving mechanism 114.

In this case, it is possible to reduce the pressure applied to the non-machined surface Wn of the substrate W when the sponge washer 142 abuts the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W. As a result, the pressure applied to the non-machined surface Wn can be made constant within the plane, and damage to the substrate W due to uneven pressure can be suppressed. In addition, by reducing the pressure applied to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W in this manner, damage to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W can be further suppressed. And in this embodiment, there is no need to provide a special structure or mechanism, and the above effects can be achieved only by changing the operation path.

In step T1, the same applies when the holding surface 115 a of the holding portion 115 for conveyance is cleaned by the second cleaning unit 140. In step T1, in a state where the stone washer 144 or the brush washer 145 is in contact with the holding surface 115a, the conveying holding portion 115 is moved back and forth in the horizontal direction by the moving mechanism to clean the holding surface 115a. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, the height position of the holding surface 115 a at the center positions B and C is set higher than the height position of the holding surface 115 a at the center position A. In this way, the pressure applied to the holding surface 115a can be made constant within the surface, and the holding surface 115a can be appropriately cleaned.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the elastic member 117 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the transport holding portion 115, the arrangement of the elastic member 117 may be arbitrarily arranged. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the elastic member 117 may be provided in the center part of the conveyance holding | maintenance part 115. In step S7, as shown in FIG. 10, the sponge holding tool 142 may be brought into contact with the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W, and the holding portion 115 for transportation may be moved back and forth in the horizontal direction by a moving mechanism to clean Non-machined surface Wn. FIG. 10 (a) shows a state where the sponge cleaning tool 142 is in contact with the center portion of the substrate W. The position of the center portion of the substrate W at this time is referred to as a center position A. FIGS. 10 (b) and 10 (c) show the state where the sponge cleaning tool 142 abuts the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W, respectively. The position of the center portion of the substrate W at this time is referred to as the center positions B and C. In FIG. 10 (d), the movement of the central portion of the non-machined surface Wn of the substrate W is illustrated together with its height position.

As in the present embodiment, when the elastic member 117 is provided at the central portion of the transport holding portion 115, the pressure applied to the substrate W when the sponge washer 142 abuts the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W is smaller than the pressure applied to the substrate W. The pressure applied at the center becomes smaller. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the height position of the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W at the center position A is set higher than the height position of the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W at the center positions B and C.

In this case, it is possible to increase the pressure applied to the non-machined surface Wn of the substrate W when the sponge washer 142 abuts the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W. As a result, the pressure applied to the non-machined surface Wn can be made constant within the plane, and damage to the substrate W due to uneven pressure can be suppressed. In addition, by increasing the pressure applied to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W in this way, it is possible to reduce the time taken for cleaning compared to a case where the height of the substrate W is not adjusted.

In step T1, the same applies when the holding surface 115 a of the holding portion 115 for conveyance is cleaned by the second cleaning unit 140. In step T1, in a state where the stone washer 144 or the brush washer 145 is in contact with the holding surface 115a, the conveying holding portion 115 is moved back and forth in the horizontal direction by the moving mechanism to clean the holding surface 115a. As shown in FIG. 10, the height position of the holding surface 115a at the center position A is made higher than the height position of the holding surface 115a at the center positions B and C. In this way, the pressure applied to the holding surface 115a can be made constant within the surface, and the cleaning time can be further shortened.

In the embodiment described above, a protective tape for protecting the device is attached to the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W, but the protective material of the device is not limited to this form. For example, a support substrate such as a support wafer or a glass substrate may be bonded to the non-processed surface Wn of the substrate W. This embodiment can also be applied to this aspect.

It should be understood that all aspects of the embodiments disclosed this time are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. The above-mentioned embodiments can be omitted, replaced, or changed in various forms without departing from the scope of the attached patent application for invention and its gist.

1‧‧‧ substrate processing system

2‧‧‧ Move in station

3‧‧‧ move out of the station

4‧‧‧Processing equipment

5‧‧‧ post-processing device

6‧‧‧ handling station

10, 20‧‧‧ Wafer box mounting table

30‧‧‧ substrate handling area

31‧‧‧carrying road

32‧‧‧ substrate handling device

33‧‧‧handling fork

34‧‧‧handling pad

40‧‧‧Control Department

100‧‧‧ Rotary Stage

100a‧‧‧through hole

101‧‧‧ Processing Holder

101a‧‧‧ holding surface

102‧‧‧ abutment

103‧‧‧Rotating mechanism

104‧‧‧supply tube

104a‧‧‧valve

104b‧‧‧Liquid supply pipe

104c‧‧‧Gas supply pipe

105‧‧‧Liquid Supply Department

106‧‧‧Gas Supply Department

107‧‧‧ Suction tube

107a‧‧‧valve

108‧‧‧ Suction device

110‧‧‧handling unit

111 ～ 113‧‧‧arm

111a‧‧‧rotating mechanism

114‧‧‧ Mobile agency

115‧‧‧holding unit for transportation

115a‧‧‧ holding surface

116‧‧‧Tilt mechanism

117‧‧‧ Elastic member

118‧‧‧ support board

120‧‧‧Alignment unit

130‧‧‧The first cleaning unit

140‧‧‧Second cleaning unit

141‧‧‧handling container

142‧‧‧Sponge cleaning tools

143‧‧‧air nozzle

144‧‧‧Stone Cleaning Tools

145‧‧‧Brush cleaning tools

150‧‧‧Coarse grinding unit

151‧‧‧Coarse grinding section

152‧‧‧ Pillar

160‧‧‧ medium grinding unit

161‧‧‧Middle grinding department

162‧‧‧ Pillar

170‧‧‧ Fine grinding unit

171‧‧‧Fine grinding department

172‧‧‧ Pillar

A0‧‧‧passing position

A1 ～ A3‧‧‧‧Processing position

C‧‧‧Wafer Box

H‧‧‧Recording media

L‧‧‧Liquid

W‧‧‧ substrate

Wg‧‧‧Processed surface

Wn‧‧‧Non-machined surface

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a substrate processing system according to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a processing holding portion.

FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a transport holding portion.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of a second cleaning unit.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the main steps of substrate processing.

6 (a) to 6 (e) are explanatory views showing how the transfer unit receives the substrate from the transfer position.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a non-processed surface of a substrate is cleaned by a second cleaning unit.

FIGS. 8 (a) to 8 (d) are explanatory diagrams showing how the non-machined surface of the substrate is cleaned by adjusting the height of the substrate in another embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a non-processed surface of a substrate is cleaned by a second cleaning unit in another embodiment.

FIGS. 10 (a) to (d) are explanatory diagrams showing how a non-machined surface of the substrate is cleaned by adjusting the height of the substrate in another embodiment.

Claims (18)

A substrate processing system for processing a processed surface of a substrate includes: The processing holding portion holds a non-processed surface opposite to the processed surface of the substrate when processing the processed surface of the substrate; A liquid supply section for supplying liquid to a holding surface of the processing holding section; A holding portion for transporting, holding the processed surface of the substrate when the substrate is transported; A moving mechanism for moving the transporting holding portion in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction; and A control unit that controls the processing holding portion, the liquid supply portion, the carrying holding portion, and the moving mechanism; The control department performs the following steps: A holding step of holding the non-processed surface of the substrate by the processing holding portion, and holding the processed surface of the substrate by the transportation holding portion; A liquid supply step, after the holding step, supplying liquid from the liquid supply section between a holding surface of the processing holding section and a non-processed surface of the substrate; An ascending step, after the liquid supplying step, by the moving mechanism, raising the substrate held in the transport holding portion to a height at which the liquid is not separated from the substrate; and In the moving step, after the raising step, in a state where the liquid is in contact with the substrate, the substrate held by the transport holding portion is moved horizontally by the moving mechanism. For example, the substrate processing system in the scope of patent application No. 1 In the moving step, when the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is located outside the processing holding portion in a plan view, the control portion raises the substrate held in the holding portion for transport by the moving mechanism, and lifts the substrate. Separated from this liquid. For example, the substrate processing system in the scope of patent application No. 1 In the moving step, when the entire substrate is located outside the holding portion for processing in a plan view, the control portion raises the substrate held in the holding portion for conveyance by the moving mechanism, and lifts the substrate and the substrate. Liquid separation. For example, a substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The control unit, in the moving step, discharges the liquid from the outside of the processing holding portion when the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is located outside the holding portion for processing in a plan view. For example, a substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: It further includes a gas supply section for supplying gas to the holding surface of the processing holding section; In the liquid supply step, the control unit supplies a gas from the gas supply unit between a holding surface of the processing holding portion and a non-processed surface of the substrate. For example, a substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: It further includes a rotation mechanism to relatively rotate the processing holding portion and the conveying holding portion; The control unit, in the moving step, rotates the processing holding portion and the conveying holding portion relatively by the rotating mechanism, and makes the substrate held by the conveying holding portion horizontal by the moving mechanism. Move in the direction. For example, a substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: Contains: A tilting mechanism that allows the transport holding portion to tilt arbitrarily when viewed from the side; and An elastic member is provided in this conveyance holding | maintenance part. For example, the substrate processing system in the scope of patent application item 7, wherein, Including cleaning tools for cleaning the cleaning surface; The cleaning surface is a non-processed surface of the substrate or a holding surface of the holding portion for transport; The elastic member is provided on an outer peripheral portion of the transport holding portion; The control unit, in a state that the cleaning tool is in contact with the cleaning surface, moves the holding portion for transportation back and forth in a horizontal direction by the moving mechanism to perform a cleaning step of cleaning the cleaning surface; In the cleaning step, the height position of the cleaning surface when the cleaning tool abuts the outer peripheral portion of the cleaning surface is greater than the height position of the cleaning surface when the cleaning tool abuts a central portion of the cleaning surface. high. For example, the substrate processing system in the scope of patent application item 7, wherein, Including cleaning tools for cleaning the cleaning surface; The cleaning surface is a non-processed surface of the substrate or a holding surface of the holding portion for transport; The elastic member is provided at a central portion of the holding portion for carrying; The control unit, in a state that the cleaning tool is in contact with the cleaning surface, moves the holding portion for transportation back and forth in a horizontal direction by the moving mechanism to perform a cleaning step of cleaning the cleaning surface; In the cleaning step, the height position of the cleaning surface when the cleaning tool abuts the central portion of the cleaning surface is more than the height position of the cleaning surface when the cleaning tool abuts the outer peripheral portion of the cleaning surface. high. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing system to process a processed surface of a substrate; The substrate processing system includes: The processing holding portion holds a non-processed surface opposite to the processed surface of the substrate when processing the processed surface of the substrate; A liquid supply section for supplying liquid to a holding surface of the processing holding section; A holding portion for conveying that holds a processed surface of the substrate when the substrate is being conveyed; and A moving mechanism for moving the holding portion for transportation in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction; The substrate processing method includes the following steps: A holding step of holding the non-processed surface of the substrate with the processing holding portion, and holding the processed surface with the transportation holding portion; A liquid supply step, after the holding step, supplying liquid from the liquid supply section between a holding surface of the processing holding section and a non-processed surface of the substrate; An ascending step, after the liquid supplying step, by the moving mechanism, raising the substrate held in the transport holding portion to a height at which the liquid is not separated from the substrate; and In the moving step, after the raising step, in a state where the liquid is in contact with the substrate, the substrate held by the transport holding portion is moved horizontally by the moving mechanism. For example, the substrate processing method of the scope of application for patent No. 10, wherein, In the moving step, when the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is located outside the processing holding portion in a plan view, the substrate held by the holding portion for transport is raised by the moving mechanism to separate the substrate from the liquid. For example, the substrate processing method of the scope of application for patent No. 10, wherein, In the moving step, when the entire substrate is located outside the processing holding portion in a plan view, the substrate held by the holding portion for transport is raised by the moving mechanism to separate the substrate from the liquid. For example, a substrate processing method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: In this moving step, when the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is located outside the holding portion for processing in a plan view, the liquid is discharged from the outside of the holding portion for processing. For example, the method for processing a substrate according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein: In this liquid supply step, a gas is supplied from a gas supply section between a holding surface of the processing holding section and a non-processed surface of the substrate. For example, the method for processing a substrate according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein: In the moving step, the processing holding portion and the conveying holding portion are relatively rotated by a rotating mechanism, and the substrate held by the conveying holding portion is moved horizontally by the moving mechanism. For example, a method for processing a substrate according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein: In the holding step, when the processing surface is held by the holding portion for transport, the holding portion for tilting can be arbitrarily tilted in a side view by a tilting mechanism, and absorbed by an elastic member provided on the holding portion for transport Rush. For example, the substrate processing method in the scope of application for patent No. 16 wherein: The method further includes a cleaning step of moving the holding portion for transportation back and forth in a horizontal direction by the moving mechanism in a state that the cleaning tool is in contact with the cleaning surface; The cleaning surface is a non-processed surface of the substrate or a holding surface of the holding portion for transport; The elastic member is provided on an outer peripheral portion of the transport holding portion; In the cleaning step, the height position of the cleaning surface when the cleaning tool abuts the outer peripheral portion of the cleaning surface is greater than the height position of the cleaning surface when the cleaning tool abuts a central portion of the cleaning surface high. For example, the substrate processing method in the scope of application for patent No. 16 wherein: The method further includes a cleaning step of moving the holding portion for transportation back and forth in a horizontal direction by the moving mechanism in a state that the cleaning tool is in contact with the cleaning surface; The cleaning surface is a non-processed surface of the substrate or a holding surface of the holding portion for transport; The elastic member is provided at a central portion of the holding portion for carrying; In the cleaning step, the height position of the cleaning surface when the cleaning tool abuts the central portion of the cleaning surface is more than the height position of the cleaning surface when the cleaning tool abuts the outer peripheral portion of the cleaning surface. high.