TWI789834B - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate conveyance method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate conveyance method. A second conveyance mechanism (23) of a substrate processing apparatus (100) includes a fist non-sharing hand (H_F), a second non-sharing hand (H_S), and M sharing hands (H_1 to H_M). In a first conveyance cycle, the M sharing hands (H_1 to H_M) support a substrate (W) yet to be processed and a processed substrate (W) at different timings. In the first conveyance cycle, the first non-sharing hand (H_F) supports only a substrate (W) yet to be processed. In the first conveyance cycle, the second non-sharing hand (H_S) supports only a processed substrate (W). In a state in which the second conveyance mechanism (23) receives N substrates (W) from a substrate placement section (29), the second sharing hand (H_S) does not support the substrates (W) while the M sharing hands (H_1 to H_M) and the first non-sharing hand (H_F) support the substrates (W).

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate transfer method

The invention relates to a substrate processing device and a substrate conveying method.

The substrate processing system described in Patent Document 1 includes a first processing unit, a second processing unit, a main transfer device, a first transfer device, and a second transfer device.

The main transfer device includes a plurality of (five) wafer holding units that hold wafers. The main transfer device can move in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and can rotate around the vertical axis, so that a plurality of wafers can be transferred between the cassette and the transfer module at the same time by using the wafer holding part.

The first transfer device includes one wafer holding unit. Furthermore, the first transfer device uses the wafer holder to take out the wafer from the transfer module and transfer it to the first processing unit, and take out the wafer processed by the first processing unit from the first processing unit. And transfer to the handover module. Therefore, the wafer holder is shared between the unprocessed wafer and the processed wafer.

The second transfer device includes one wafer holding unit. Furthermore, the second transfer device uses the wafer holder to take out the wafer from the transfer module and transfer it to the second processing unit, and take out the wafer processed by the second processing unit from the second processing unit. And transfer to the handover module. Therefore, the wafer holder is shared between the unprocessed wafer and the processed wafer.

Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience, the description will focus on the first conveying device and the first processing unit. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-201526

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The inventors of the present application focused on the possibility that the first conveying device has a plurality of wafer holding parts (for example, more than 3 wafer holding parts), and shared a plurality of wafers between the pre-processed wafer and the processed wafer The possibility of keeping the part is explored. Furthermore, the inventors of the present application focused on the operation of transferring a plurality of wafers from a plurality of wafer holders to a plurality of first processing units, in order to improve the operation of transferring a wafer (substrate) by a first transfer device (transfer mechanism). of production capacity.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate conveying method capable of improving the throughput of a substrate conveying operation of a conveying mechanism. [Technical means to solve the problem]

According to an aspect of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate mounting unit, a plurality of processing units, and a transport mechanism. The substrate loading part is used for loading a plurality of substrates. The plurality of processing units each process the above-mentioned substrates. The transport mechanism transports the substrate between the substrate mounting unit and the processing unit. In one transfer cycle, the transfer mechanism receives N (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) substrates before being processed by the processing unit from the substrate loading unit, and transfers the N substrates to one of the plurality of processing units. N processing units are carried in, and the N substrates processed by the N processing units are carried out from the N processing units, and the N substrates are delivered to the substrate loading part. The above-mentioned conveying mechanism has a plurality of hands. Each of the plurality of hands supports the above-mentioned substrate. The plurality of hands includes a first unshared hand, a second unshared hand, and M (M is an integer greater than 1) shared hands arranged between the first unshared hand and the second unshared hand. The first unshared hand, the M shared hands, and the second unshared hands are arranged continuously from the first unshared hand to the second unshared hand along the vertical direction. In the above one transfer cycle, the M shared hands support the substrate before processing and the substrate after processing by the processing unit at different timings. The first non-shared hand supports only the substrate before being processed by the processing unit in the one transfer cycle. In the above one transfer cycle, the second unshared hand supports only the substrate processed by the processing unit. In the state where the transfer mechanism has received the N substrates from the substrate mounting section, the second unshared hand does not support the substrate, but the M shared hands and the first unshared hand support the substrate.

In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus, it is preferable that the M shared hands and the first non-shared hand receive the substrate from the substrate mounting portion within the one transfer cycle. Preferably, the second unshared hand carries out the processed substrate from the processing unit in the one transfer cycle. Preferably, in the above-mentioned 1 conveying cycle, the shared hand of the above-mentioned M shared hands adjacent to the above-mentioned second non-shared hand is carried into the above-mentioned processing unit before the processing of the above-mentioned substrate by the above-mentioned second non-shared hand. substrate. Preferably, in the above-mentioned one transfer cycle, the above-mentioned shared hand adjacent to the above-mentioned second non-shared hand is carried out from the above-mentioned processing unit different from the above-mentioned processing unit of the above-mentioned substrate that has been carried in by the above-mentioned shared hand before processing. The above-mentioned substrate.

In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus, preferably, the total number of the M shared hands, the first unshared hand, and the second unshared hand is N+1. Preferably: M=N−1.

In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus, preferably, the total number of the plurality of hands is 2N.

In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus, it is preferable that N=2.

In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the substrate processing apparatus further includes a control unit that controls the above-mentioned transport mechanism. Preferably, the transfer mechanism is controlled by the control unit to operate in any one of the first substrate transfer mode and the second substrate transfer mode. Preferably, the first substrate transfer mode is a mode in which the N+1 hands among the 2N hands are used as the M shared hands, the first unshared hand, and the second unshared hand. Preferably, in the second substrate transfer mode, N hands of the 2N hands are used to support only the substrate before being processed by the processing unit, and the other N hands are used to support only the substrate after being processed by the processing unit. The mode of the above-mentioned substrate.

In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus, preferably, the total number of the plurality of hands is N+1.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the substrate transfer method is performed by a transfer mechanism that transfers the substrate between a substrate loading unit for placing a plurality of substrates and a plurality of processing units for processing the substrate. The substrate transfer method includes the following steps: within one transfer cycle, receiving N (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) substrates from the substrate loading unit before being processed by the processing unit, and transferring the N substrates to the plurality of substrates. N processing units among the processing units carry in, and carry out N substrates processed by the N processing units from the N processing units, and deliver the N substrates to the substrate loading unit. The transfer mechanism includes a plurality of hands each supporting the substrate. The plurality of hands includes a first unshared hand, a second unshared hand, and M (M is an integer greater than 1) shared hands arranged between the first unshared hand and the second unshared hand. The first unshared hand, the M shared hands, and the second unshared hands are arranged continuously from the first unshared hand to the second unshared hand along the vertical direction. In the above-mentioned step of delivering the above-mentioned N pieces of substrates to the above-mentioned substrate loading part, within the above-mentioned one transfer cycle, the above-mentioned M common hands support the above-mentioned substrates before processing and the above-mentioned substrates after processing by the processing unit at different timings. For substrates, in the above-mentioned one transfer cycle, the first non-shared hand only supports the above-mentioned substrate before being processed by the above-mentioned processing unit, and in the above-mentioned one transfer cycle, the above-mentioned second non-shared hand only supports the substrate after being processed by the above-mentioned processing unit The above-mentioned substrate; in the state where the above-mentioned transport mechanism receives the above-mentioned N substrates from the above-mentioned substrate loading part, the above-mentioned second non-shared hand does not support the above-mentioned substrate, and the above-mentioned M shared hands and the above-mentioned first non-shared hand are supported above substrate.

In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer method, it is preferable that in the step of delivering the N substrates to the substrate placement unit, the M shared hands and the The first unshared hand receives the above-mentioned substrate from the above-mentioned substrate loading part, and in the above-mentioned one conveying cycle, the above-mentioned second unshared hand carries out the processed above-mentioned substrate from the above-mentioned processing unit, and in the above-mentioned one conveying cycle, the above-mentioned M The shared hand adjacent to the second non-shared hand in the shared hand carries the substrate before processing into the processing unit that has carried the substrate out of the second non-shared hand, and is adjacent to the second non-shared hand in the above-mentioned one transfer cycle. 2. The shared hand that is not a shared hand carries out the processed substrate from the processing unit that is different from the processing unit that has carried the pre-processed substrate into the shared hand.

In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer method, preferably, the total number of the M shared hands, the first unshared hands, and the second unshared hands is N+1. Preferably: M=N−1.

In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer method, it is preferable that the total number of the plurality of hands is 2N.

In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer method, it is preferable that N=2.

In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer method, preferably, the transfer mechanism operates in any one of the first substrate transfer mode and the second substrate transfer mode. Preferably, the first substrate transfer mode is a mode in which the N+1 hands among the 2N hands are used as the M shared hands, the first unshared hand, and the second unshared hand. Preferably, in the second substrate transfer mode, N hands of the 2N hands are used to support only the substrate before being processed by the processing unit, and the other N hands are used to support only the substrate after being processed by the processing unit. The mode of the above-mentioned substrate.

In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer method, preferably, the total number of the plurality of hands is N+1. [Effect of Invention]

According to the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate conveying method of the present invention, the throughput of the substrate conveying operation of the conveying mechanism can be improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the drawings, the same reference signs are attached to the same or corresponding parts, so the description thereof will not be repeated. Also, for convenience of description, a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system (X, Y, Z) is appropriately marked in the drawings. In addition, in the figure, the X-axis and the Y-axis are parallel to the horizontal direction, and the Z-axis is parallel to the vertical direction. In addition, in the description of the embodiment, the first direction DX, the second direction DY, and the third direction DZ will be used as appropriate. The first direction DX, the second direction DY, and the third direction DZ are perpendicular to each other. As an example, the first direction DX and the second direction DY are substantially parallel to the horizontal direction, and the third direction DZ is substantially parallel to the vertical direction. For convenience of description, the third direction DZ may be referred to as "up and down direction DZ".

First, a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the inside of a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. In addition, in this embodiment, in order to simplify drawing and description, an intake system and an exhaust system are abbreviate|omitted.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 processes a substrate W. As shown in FIG. The substrate W is, for example, a semiconductor wafer, a substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a substrate for a plasma display, a substrate for a field emission display (Field Emission Display: FED), a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a magnetic disk, a substrate for a magneto-optical disk, or an optical disk. Cover substrates, ceramic substrates, or solar cell substrates.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a transfer transfer unit 1 and a processing unit 20 . The processing unit 20 is arranged adjacent to the transfer transfer unit 1 . The transfer transfer unit 1 supplies the substrate W to the processing unit 20 . The processing unit 20 processes the substrate W. The transfer transfer unit 1 collects the substrate W from the processing unit 20 .

The transfer transfer unit 1 includes a plurality of carrier placement units 3 (for example, four carrier placement units 3 ). The plurality of carrier mounting units 3 are arranged along the first direction DX. A plurality of carrier loading parts 3 are respectively used for loading a plurality of carriers C. As shown in FIG. Each of the plurality of carriers C accommodates a plurality of substrates W. FIG. In this embodiment, as an example, each of the plurality of carriers C accommodates 25 substrates W. As shown in FIG. The carrier C is, for example, a FOUP (front opening unified pod, front opening unit box).

The transfer transfer unit 1 includes a first transfer chamber 5 . The first transfer chamber 5 is located between the plurality of carrier placement units 3 and the processing unit 20 .

The transfer transfer unit 1 includes at least one first conveyance mechanism 7 . In this embodiment, as an example, the transfer conveyance part 1 is equipped with the one 1st conveyance mechanism 7. As shown in FIG. The first transport mechanism 7 is arranged in the first transport chamber 5 . The first transport mechanism 7 transports the substrate W. Specifically, the first transport mechanism 7 transports the substrate W between each carrier C and the processing unit 20 .

The first transport mechanism 7 includes a plurality of first hands 9 and a first hand drive unit 11 . Furthermore, only one first hand 9 is shown in FIG. 1 , and the marks of other first hands 9 are omitted for simplification. Each first hand 9 supports one substrate W. In this embodiment, each first hand 9 supports one substrate W in a horizontal posture. The first hand drive unit 11 is connected to each first hand 9 . The first hand driving unit 11 moves each first hand 9 . The first hand drive unit 11 includes a plurality of electric motors.

Next, each of the first hand 9 and the first hand drive unit 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . Fig. 2 is a sectional view along line II-II of Fig. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the some 1st hand 9 is arrange|positioned along the up-down direction DZ. In this embodiment, as an example, the first transport mechanism 7 includes five first hands 9 . Actually, as described below, the plurality of first hands 9 are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction DZ. When the first hand drive unit 11 moves the plurality of first hands 9, the distance between the plurality of first hands 9 in the up and down direction DZ is kept constant. Each first hand 9 receives the unprocessed substrate W from the carrier C, and transports the unprocessed substrate W to the processing unit 20 . Moreover, each first hand 9 receives the processed substrate W processed by the processing part 20 from the processing part 20, and conveys it to the carrier C.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the first hand drive unit 11 includes a rail 11a, a horizontal movement unit 11b, a vertical movement unit 11c, a turning unit 11d, a turning shaft 11e, and an advancing and retreating unit 11f.

The rail 11a is arranged at the bottom of the first transfer chamber 5 . The rail 11a extends along the first direction DX. The horizontal movement part 11b is supported by the rail 11a. The horizontal movement part 11b moves in the 1st direction DX along the rail 11a. The vertical movement part 11c is supported by the horizontal movement part 11b. The vertical movement part 11c moves to the up-down direction DZ with respect to the horizontal movement part 11b.

The turning part 11d is supported by the vertical movement part 11c. The turning part 11d turns with respect to the vertical movement part 11c. The turning part 11d is driven by the turning shaft 11e to turn around the turning axis A1. The axis of rotation A1 is an imaginary line extending along the vertical direction DZ.

The forward and backward part 11f moves back and forth in one direction of the level determined by the direction of the turning part 11d. 11 f of advancing and retreating parts are connected to each 1st hand 9. As shown in FIG. And the forward and backward part 11f moves each first hand 9 back and forth in one direction of the level determined by the direction of the turning part 11d, respectively. 11 f of advancing and retreating parts are connected to each 1st hand 9. As shown in FIG.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the first transport mechanism 7 includes the first hand drive unit 11 . Therefore, each first hand 9 can move in parallel along the vertical direction DZ. In this case, the first hand driving unit 11 moves the plurality of first hands 9 as a whole in the vertical direction DZ. Also, each first hand 9 can turn around the turning axis A1. In this case, the first hand drive unit 11 turns all the plurality of first hands 9 , for example. Moreover, each first hand 9 can move in parallel in any horizontal direction.

Next, the processing unit 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 . Fig. 3 is a sectional view along line III-III of Fig. 1 . FIG. 4 is a side view of the substrate processing apparatus 100 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 , 3 and 4 , the processing unit 20 includes a plurality of processing units 21 . The plurality of processing units 21 each process the substrate W one by one. For example, each processing unit 21 processes the substrate W with a processing liquid (for example, chemical liquid). In this embodiment, as an example, the processing unit 20 includes 24 processing units 21 .

Specifically, the processing unit 20 has a plurality of processing towers TW. As an example, each processing tower TW is comprised by the K processing unit 21 arrange|positioned along the up-down direction DZ. In this embodiment, K is an integer of 2 or more. In each processing tower TW, K/2 processing units 21 are arranged in the lower stage LW, and K/2 processing units 21 are arranged in the upper stage UP.

In the present embodiment, as an example, K=6, and one processing tower TW is constituted by six processing units 21 . Furthermore, the processing unit 20 has four processing towers TW. The four processing towers TW are sometimes referred to as processing towers TW1, TW2, TW3, and TW4, respectively.

Processing tower TW1, TW2 is arrange|positioned along 2nd direction DY. Processing tower TW3, TW4 is arrange|positioned along 2nd direction DY. Processing towers TW1, TW2 and processing towers TW3, TW4 face each other in the first direction DX across the second transfer chamber 31 .

Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the processing unit 20 further includes a plurality of substrate placement units 29 . In the present embodiment, as an example, the processing unit 20 includes two substrate placement units 29 . Each substrate loading portion 29 can place a plurality of substrates W thereon. In the present embodiment, as an example, 20 substrates W can be placed on each substrate mounting portion 29 . Each substrate loading unit 29 is adjacent to the first transfer chamber 5 .

Hereinafter, for the two substrate mounting portions 29, the substrate mounting portion 29 located in the lower stage LW may be referred to as the “substrate mounting portion 29L”, and the substrate mounting portion 29 located in the upper stage UP may be referred to as the “substrate mounting portion 29L”. 29U".

29 L of board|substrate placement parts are arrange|positioned in the 2nd transfer chamber 31 of lower stage LW. The substrate placement unit 29U is arranged in the second transfer chamber 31 of the upper stage UP. The substrate mounting portion 29L and the substrate mounting portion 29U are arranged on a straight line along the vertical direction DZ.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2 , the processing unit 20 further includes a plurality of second transport mechanisms 23 and a plurality of second transport chambers 31 . In the present embodiment, the processing unit 20 includes two second transport mechanisms 23 and two second transport chambers 31 as an example. The second conveying mechanism 23 corresponds to an example of "conveying mechanism".

The two second transfer chambers 31 are arranged along the vertical direction DZ. Each second transfer chamber 31 extends along the second direction DY. Each second transfer chamber 31 is connected to the first transfer chamber 5 .

Each second conveyance mechanism 23 conveys the substrate W. Specifically, the second transport mechanism 23 transports the substrate W between the substrate mounting unit 29 and the processing unit 21 . Hereinafter, for the two second conveying mechanisms 23, the second conveying mechanism 23 located in the lower stage LW may be referred to as "the second conveying mechanism 23L", and the second conveying mechanism 23 located in the upper stage UP may be referred to as "the second conveying mechanism 23L". 23U".

The 2nd conveyance mechanism 23L is arrange|positioned in the 2nd conveyance chamber 31 of the lower stage LW. The 2nd conveyance mechanism 23U is arrange|positioned in the 2nd conveyance chamber 31 of the upper stage UP.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , each second transport mechanism 23 includes a plurality of second hands 25 and a second hand drive unit 17 . In this embodiment, as an example, each second transport mechanism 23 is provided with four second hands 25 . The second hand 25 is equivalent to an example of "hand".

Each second hand 25 supports one substrate W. In this embodiment, each second hand 25 supports one substrate W in a horizontal posture. The second hand drive unit 17 is connected to each second hand 25 . The second hand driving unit 17 moves each second hand 25 . The second hand drive unit 17 includes a plurality of electric motors.

Specifically, in each second conveyance mechanism 23, a plurality of second hands 25 are arranged along the vertical direction DZ. Actually, as described below, in each of the second transport mechanisms 23, the plurality of second hands 25 are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction DZ. Furthermore, when the second hand drive unit 17 moves the plurality of second hands 25, the distance between the plurality of second hands 25 in the vertical direction DZ is kept constant. For example, the second hand 25 receives the unprocessed substrate W from the substrate mounting unit 29 and conveys the unprocessed substrate W to the processing unit 21 . For example, the second hand 25 receives the processed substrate W processed by the processing unit 21 from the processing unit 21 and delivers it to the substrate placement unit 29 .

The 2nd hand drive part 17 is equipped with the two support|pillars 27a, the vertical movement part 27b, the horizontal movement part 27c, the turning part 27d, the turning shaft 27e, and the advance-backward part 27f.

The two support columns 27a are arranged in the second transfer chamber 31 . Specifically, the two support columns 27a are arranged on the inner surface of the second transfer chamber 31 . The two pillars 27a are arranged at intervals in the second direction DY. Each strut 27a extends along the vertical direction DZ. The vertical movement part 27b is supported by two pillars 27a. The vertical movement part 27b extends along the second direction DY across the two pillars 27a. The vertical movement part 27b moves to the up-down direction DZ along the two support|pillars 27a. The horizontal movement part 27c is supported by the vertical movement part 27b. The horizontal moving part 27c moves along the vertical moving part 27b between the two pillars 27a in the second direction DY.

The turning part 27d is supported by the horizontal movement part 27c. The turning part 27d turns with respect to the horizontal movement part 27c. The turning part 27d is driven by the turning shaft 27e to turn around the turning axis A2. The axis of rotation A2 is an imaginary line extending along the vertical direction DZ.

The advance and retreat part 27f moves with respect to the turning part 27d. The forward and backward part 27f moves back and forth in one direction of the level determined by the direction of the turning part 27d. The advancing and retreating portion 27f is connected to each second hand 25 .

As mentioned above with reference to FIGS. 1-3, each 2nd conveyance mechanism 23 is provided with the 2nd hand drive part 17. As shown in FIG. Therefore, each second hand 25 can move in parallel along the vertical direction DZ. In this case, the second hand drive unit 17 moves the plurality of second hands 25 as a whole in the vertical direction DZ. Also, each second hand 25 can turn around the turning axis A2. In this case, the second hand drive unit 17 turns all of the plurality of second hands 25 , for example. Furthermore, each second hand 25 can move in parallel in any horizontal direction.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate processing apparatus 100 further includes a control unit 200 . The control unit 200 controls various components of the substrate processing apparatus 100 . Specifically, the control unit 200 controls the first transport mechanism 7 , the second transport mechanism 23 , and the processing unit 21 .

The control unit 200 is, for example, a computer. Specifically, the control unit 200 includes a processor and a memory device. The processor includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit, central processing unit). The memory device stores data and computer programs. The memory device includes, for example, a main memory device such as a semiconductor memory, and an auxiliary memory device such as a semiconductor memory, a solid-state drive, and/or a hard disk drive. Memory devices may also include removable media. The memory device corresponds to an example of a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium.

Specifically, the processor of the control unit 200 controls the first conveying mechanism 7 , the second conveying mechanism 23 and the processing unit 21 by executing the computer program stored in the memory device.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the overall flow when the substrate W is transported by the first transport mechanism 7 and the second transport mechanism 23 will be described.

The first hand 9 of the first transport mechanism 7 receives the unprocessed plurality of substrates W from the carrier C, and delivers the unprocessed plurality of substrates W to the substrate mounting part 29L or the substrate mounting part 29U. As a result, a plurality of unprocessed substrates W are placed on the substrate mounting portion 29L or the substrate mounting portion 29U. In this embodiment, “unprocessed substrate” means a substrate W that has not been processed by the processing unit 21 , that is, a substrate W that has not been processed by the processing unit 21 .

The second hand 25 of the second conveyance mechanism 23L receives a plurality of unprocessed substrates W from the substrate mounting portion 29L, and carries the unprocessed substrates W one by one into each processing unit 21 of the lower stage LW. Then, each processing unit 21 of the lower stage LW processes the unprocessed substrate W.

In addition, the second hand 25 of the second transport mechanism 23L unloads the processed substrate W from each processing unit 21 of the lower stage LW, and delivers the processed plurality of substrates W to the substrate mounting portion 29L. As a result, the processed plurality of substrates W are placed on the substrate placement portion 29L.

On the other hand, the second hand 25 of the second transport mechanism 23U receives a plurality of unprocessed substrates W from the substrate mounting portion 29U, and carries the unprocessed substrates W one by one into each processing unit 21 of the upper stage UP. Then, each processing unit 21 of the upper stage UP processes the unprocessed substrate W.

In addition, the second hand 25 of the second transport mechanism 23U unloads the processed substrate W from each processing unit 21 of the upper stage UP, and delivers the processed plurality of substrates W to the substrate mounting unit 29U. As a result, the processed plurality of substrates W are placed on the substrate placement portion 29U.

The first hand 9 of the first transport mechanism 7 receives the processed substrates W from the substrate mounting part 29L or the substrate mounting part 29U, and delivers the processed substrates W to the carrier C. As a result, the processed substrates W are housed in the carrier C.

Next, the processing unit 21 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a side view showing the interior of the processing unit 21 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the processing unit 21 includes a processing housing 41, a substrate holding portion 43, a rotational drive portion 45, a first nozzle 47, a first nozzle moving portion 47a, a second nozzle 49, a second nozzle moving portion 49a, a second nozzle moving portion 49a, 3. The nozzle 51, the third nozzle moving part 51a, the fourth nozzle 53, the fourth nozzle moving part 53a, and the cup holder 55. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 100 further includes a first processing liquid supply pipe 473 , a second processing liquid supply pipe 493 , a third processing liquid supply pipe 513 , and a rinse liquid supply pipe 533 .

The processing housing 41 has a box shape. The processing case 41 accommodates the substrate holding part 43, the rotation driving part 45, the first nozzle 47, the first nozzle moving part 47a, the second nozzle 49, the second nozzle moving part 49a, the third nozzle 51, and the third nozzle moving part 51a , the fourth nozzle 53, the fourth nozzle moving part 53a, and the cup holder 55. Furthermore, the processing case 41 accommodates a portion of the first processing liquid supply pipe 473 , a portion of the second processing liquid supply pipe 493 , a portion of the third processing liquid supply pipe 513 , and a portion of the rinse liquid supply pipe 533 . The substrate W carried into the processing unit 21 by the second transport mechanism 23 is accommodated in the processing housing 41 .

The substrate holding portion 43 holds the substrate W horizontally. The substrate holding unit 43 is, for example, a vacuum spin chuck. In addition, the method for holding the substrate W by the substrate holding part 43 is not limited to the vacuum type. The manner in which the substrate holding portion 43 holds the substrate W may be, for example, a clamping type or a Bernoulli type.

The rotation drive unit 45 rotates the substrate holding unit 43 around the rotation axis A3. As a result, the substrate W and the substrate holding portion 43 rotate integrally around the rotation axis A3. The axis of rotation A3 is an imaginary line extending along the vertical direction DZ. The rotation drive unit 45 includes, for example, an electric motor.

The first nozzle 47 supplies the first processing liquid to the substrate W from above the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the first nozzle 47 sprays the first processing liquid toward the substrate W that is rotating. The 1st nozzle moving part 47a moves the 1st nozzle 47 between a processing position and a retracted position. When the first nozzle 47 moves to the processing position, it faces the substrate W in plan view. When the first nozzle 47 moves to the retreat position, it does not face the substrate W in plan view. Specifically, when the first nozzle 47 moves to the retracted position, it retracts to the periphery of the substrate W in plan view.

Specifically, the first nozzle moving part 47 a has a first nozzle arm 471 and a first nozzle driving part 472 . The first nozzle arm 471 extends substantially horizontally. The first nozzle 47 is arranged at the front end of the first nozzle arm 471 . The first nozzle driving unit 472 turns the first nozzle arm 471 along a substantially horizontal plane around a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction DZ. As a result, the first nozzle 47 moves in the circumferential direction along the circumferential direction centered on the rotation axis extending in the vertical direction DZ. The first nozzle drive unit 472 includes an electric motor capable of forward and reverse rotation.

The first processing liquid supply pipe 473 supplies the first processing liquid to the first nozzle 47 . The first processing liquid supply pipe 473 is a tubular member through which the first processing liquid flows. In this embodiment, the first treatment liquid is an acidic liquid. For example, the first treatment liquid is hydrofluoric acid (hydrofluoric acid), a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide (SPM), sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid-hydrogen peroxide, hydrofluoric acid-nitric acid (a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid) solution), or hydrochloric acid.

The second nozzle 49 supplies the second processing liquid to the substrate W from above the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the second nozzle 49 sprays the second processing liquid toward the substrate W that is rotating. The 2nd nozzle moving part 49a moves the 2nd nozzle 49 between a processing position and a retracted position similarly to the 1st nozzle moving part 47a. Specifically, the second nozzle moving part 49a has the second nozzle arm 491 and the second nozzle driving part 492 similarly to the first nozzle moving part 47a. The configurations of the second nozzle arm 491 and the second nozzle drive unit 492 are the same as those of the first nozzle arm 471 and the first nozzle drive unit 472 , and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

The second processing liquid supply pipe 493 supplies the second processing liquid to the second nozzle 49 . The second processing liquid supply pipe 493 is a tubular member through which the second processing liquid flows. In this embodiment, the second treatment liquid is an alkaline liquid. For example, the second treatment liquid is ammonia water-hydrogen peroxide water (SC1), ammonia water, ammonium fluoride solution, or tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH).

The third nozzle 51 supplies the third processing liquid to the substrate W from above the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the third nozzle 51 sprays the third processing liquid toward the substrate W that is rotating. The 3rd nozzle moving part 51a moves the 3rd nozzle 51 between a processing position and a retracted position similarly to the 1st nozzle moving part 47a. Specifically, the third nozzle moving part 51a has the third nozzle arm 511 and the third nozzle driving part 512 similarly to the first nozzle moving part 47a. The configurations of the third nozzle arm 511 and the third nozzle drive unit 512 are the same as those of the first nozzle arm 471 and the first nozzle drive unit 472 , and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

The third processing liquid supply pipe 513 supplies the third processing liquid to the third nozzle 51 . The third processing liquid supply pipe 513 is a tubular member through which the third processing liquid flows. In this embodiment, the third treatment liquid is an organic solvent. For example, the third treatment liquid is isopropanol (IPA), methanol, ethanol, hydrofluoroether (HFE), or acetone.

The fourth nozzle 53 supplies the rinse liquid to the substrate W from above the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the fourth nozzle 53 sprays the rinse liquid toward the substrate W that is rotating. The 4th nozzle moving part 53a moves the 4th nozzle 53 between a processing position and a retracted position similarly to the 1st nozzle moving part 47a. Specifically, the fourth nozzle moving part 53a has the fourth nozzle arm 531 and the fourth nozzle driving part 532 similarly to the first nozzle moving part 47a. The configurations of the fourth nozzle arm 531 and the fourth nozzle drive unit 532 are the same as those of the first nozzle arm 471 and the first nozzle drive unit 472 , and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

The rinse liquid supply pipe 533 supplies the rinse liquid to the fourth nozzle 53 . The flushing liquid supply pipe 533 is a tubular member through which the flushing liquid flows. For example, the flushing liquid is pure water, carbonated water, ionized water, hydrogen water, ozone water, or diluted hydrochloric acid water.

The cup holder 55 is disposed around the substrate holding portion 43 . The cup 55 surrounds the side of the substrate W held by the substrate holding portion 43 . The cup 55 receives the first to third processing liquids and the rinse liquid scattered from the rotating substrate W.

Next, the first conveying mechanism 7 , the second conveying mechanisms 23L, 23U, and the substrate mounting portions 29L, 29U will be described with reference to FIG. 6 .

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the first conveyance mechanism 7 , the second conveyance mechanisms 23L, 23U, and the substrate mounting portions 29L, 29U.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the first transport mechanism 7 includes P first hands 9 . In this specification, unless otherwise specified, P is an integer of 2 or more, representing the total number of 9 in the first lot. As a preferable example, P first hands 9 are arranged at equal intervals d along the vertical direction DZ.

Each first hand 9 supports the substrate W before processing or the substrate W after processing. Each first hand 9 supports one substrate W at a time.

In this embodiment, as an example, P=5, and the 1st conveyance mechanism 7 is provided with 5 1st hands 9. As shown in FIG.

Each of the second transport mechanism 23L and the second transport mechanism 23U includes Q second hands 25 . In this specification, unless otherwise specified, Q is an integer of 3 or more, and represents the total number of the second hands 25 of each of the second conveying mechanism 23L and the second conveying mechanism 23U. As a preferable example, Q second hands 25 are arranged at equal intervals d along the vertical direction DZ. That is, the interval in the vertical direction DZ of two second hands 25 adjacent to the vertical direction DZ is the interval d. Each second hand 25 supports one substrate W at a time.

For example, part of the second hands 25 among the Q second hands 25 may be used to support the substrate W before processing, or may be used to support the substrate W after processing.

For example, one part of the Q second hands 25 supports only the substrate W before processing, and the other part of the second hands 25 supports only the substrate W after processing.

In the present embodiment, as an example, Q=4, and each of the second conveyance mechanism 23L and the second conveyance mechanism 23U includes four second hands 25 .

Hereinafter, the four second hands 25 of the second conveying mechanism 23L and the second conveying mechanism 23U are respectively denoted as the second hand HA, the second hand HB, the second hand HC, and the second hand from bottom to top. HD.

Each of the substrate mounting portion 29L and the substrate mounting portion 29U includes R support portions 291 . In this specification, unless otherwise specified, R is an integer of 2 or greater, and represents the total number of support portions 291 of each of the substrate mounting portion 29L and the substrate mounting portion 29U. R is, for example, an even number of 2 or more. The R support portions 291 are arranged at intervals along the vertical direction DZ. As a preferred example, the R supporting parts 291 are arranged at equal intervals d along the vertical direction DZ. That is, the interval in the vertical direction DZ between two adjacent supporting parts 291 in the vertical direction DZ is the interval d. Each supporting portion 291 supports one substrate W. As shown in FIG. Specifically, each supporting portion 291 supports one substrate W in a horizontal posture.

As a preferable example, the distance d between the support parts 291, the distance d between the first hands 9 and the distance d between the second hands 25 are substantially equal.

In this embodiment, as an example, R/2 support parts 291 of the lower stage 291A of each of the substrate mounting part 29L and the substrate mounting part 29U support the substrate W before processing, and R/2 support parts 291 of the upper stage 291B support the processed substrate W. Substrate W afterwards.

In addition, in the present embodiment, R=20 as an example, and each of the substrate mounting portion 29L and the substrate mounting portion 29U includes 20 support portions 291 .

Furthermore, the intervals between the first hands 9 are not particularly limited, for example, they may not be equal intervals, and only part of them may be equal intervals. Also, the intervals between the second hands 25 are not particularly limited, for example, they may not be equal intervals, and only a part may be equal intervals. Furthermore, the intervals between the support parts 291 are not particularly limited, for example, the intervals may not be equal, and only part of them may be equal intervals. Furthermore, the distance between the adjacent supporting parts 291, the distance between the first hands 9 adjacent to each other, and the distance between the second hands 25 adjacent to each other may not be equal.

Next, an example of the first substrate transfer method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7 . In the description of FIG. 7 , when it is not necessary to specify a specific substrate W, it is simply referred to as "substrate".

The first substrate transfer method is performed by using the second transfer mechanism 23 that transfers the substrate between the substrate mounting unit 29 and the processing unit 21 . In the first substrate transfer method, M second hands 25 are shared between the unprocessed substrate and the processed substrate, thereby transferring a plurality of substrates. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, M is an integer of 1 or more. The first substrate transfer method corresponds to an example of the "substrate transfer method".

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the overall flow of the first substrate transfer method. In FIG. 7 , for the sake of simplicity, focus is placed on the substrate mounting portion 29L disposed in the lower LW, the second transport mechanism 23L disposed in the lower LW, and the processing unit 21A among the plurality of processing units 21 disposed in the lower LW, 21B for explanation. The processing unit 21A and the processing unit 21B are disposed in different positions. In addition, the lower stage 291A of the substrate mounting portion 29L is used for mounting the unprocessed substrate, and the upper portion 291B of the substrate mounting portion 29L is used for mounting the processed substrate.

Also, in the description of the first substrate transfer method, the second hand HA may be referred to as "the first non-shared hand HA", the second hand HB may be referred to as the "shared hand HB", and the second hand HC may be referred to as "Second non-shared hand HC". In the exemplary first substrate transfer method shown in FIG. 7 , the second hand HD is not used.

Furthermore, in the following description, the transfer cycle CY represents a round of operations in the following order: the second transfer mechanism 23 receives the unprocessed substrate from the substrate placement part 29, and then the second transfer mechanism 23 carries the unprocessed substrate into the processing unit 21 , and the second transport mechanism 23 unloads the processed substrate from the processing unit 21 , and then the second transport mechanism 23 places the processed substrate on the substrate mounting portion 29 .

As shown in FIG. 7 , as an example, at a certain timing, 10 unprocessed substrates W1 to W10 are placed on the lower section 291A of the substrate mounting portion 29L along the up-down direction DZ, No substrate is placed on the upper stage 291B.

In the first substrate transfer method, within one transfer cycle CY, the second transfer mechanism 23L carries in two unprocessed substrates W1, W2 to the two processing units 21A, 21B, and carries out two unprocessed substrates W1, W2 from the two processing units 21A, 21B. Substrates WX1 and WX2 after wafer processing. The transfer cycle CY is repeatedly executed.

Specifically, in the first substrate transfer method, within one transfer cycle CY, the second transfer mechanism 23L receives the two substrates W1 and W2 before processing by the processing units 21A and 21B from the substrate mounting portion 29L, and transfers the two The substrates W1, W2 are carried into two processing units 21A, 21B among the plurality of processing units 21, and the two substrates WX1, WX2 processed by the two processing units 21A, 21B are carried out from the two processing units 21A, 21B, Then, the two substrates WX1 and WX2 are delivered to the substrate placement unit 29L.

More specifically, the four second hands HA to HD include the first unshared hand HA, the shared hand HB, and the second unshared hand HC. The shared hand HB is disposed between the first unshared hand HA and the second unshared hand HC. The shared hand HB is adjacent to the second non-shared hand HC in the first specific direction SD1. The first non-shared hand HA is adjacent to the shared hand HB in the first specific direction SD1.

The first specific direction SD1 indicates the direction from the second unshared hand HC toward the first unshared hand HA. On the other hand, the second specific direction SD2 is an opposite direction to the first specific direction SD1, and indicates a direction from the first unshared hand HA toward the second unshared hand HC. The first specific direction SD1 and the second specific direction SD2 are substantially parallel to the vertical direction DZ. For example, the first specific direction SD1 indicates the downward direction, and the second specific direction SD2 indicates the upward direction.

The first unshared hand HA, the shared hand HB, and the second unshared hand HC are continuously arranged along the vertical direction DZ from the first unshared hand HA to the second unshared hand HC.

And, in one conveyance cycle CY, the first non-shared hand HA supports only the substrate W1 before being processed by the processing unit 21B. Moreover, in one transfer cycle CY, the shared hand HB supports the substrate W2 before processing by the processing unit 21A and the substrate WX1 after processing by the processing unit 21B at different timings. Furthermore, in one conveyance cycle CY, the 2nd non-shared hand HC supports only the board|substrate WX2 processed by the processing unit 21A.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 7 , states ST1 to ST4 of the second conveying mechanism 23L in one conveying cycle CY will be described.

In the state ST1 in which the second transport mechanism 23L has received the two substrates W1 and W2 from the substrate mounting section 29L, the substrate W is not supported by the second unshared hand HC, but the substrate W1 is supported by the shared hand HB and the first unshared hand HA. , W2. In the first board transfer method, the second hand HD is not used.

The state ST2 following the state ST1 shows that the processed substrate WX2 is carried out from the processing unit 21A by the second non-shared hand HC that does not support the substrate, and the second conveyance occurs when the shared hand HB carries the unprocessed substrate W2 into the same processing unit 21A. The status of mechanism 23L.

The state ST3 following the state ST2 shows that the shared hand HB that does not support the substrate in the state ST2 carries out the processed substrate WX1 from the processing unit 21B, and the unprocessed substrate W1 is carried into the same processing unit 21B by the first non-shared hand HA This is the state of the second conveying mechanism 23L.

State ST4 following state ST3 represents the state of the second transport mechanism 23L when the shared hand HB supports the processed substrate WX1, the second non-shared hand HC supports the processed substrate WX2, and the first non-shared hand HA does not support the substrate. .

As described above with reference to FIG. 7 , according to the present embodiment, the second transport mechanism 23L of the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes the first unshared hand HA, the shared hand HB, and the second unshared hand arranged continuously in the vertical direction DZ. HC. Therefore, when the substrates W1 , W2 , WX1 , and WX2 are carried out and carried in to the processing units 21A, 21B, compared with the case where the substrates before processing and the substrates after processing do not share hands, the first non-stop time can be shortened. The moving distance of the shared hand HA to the second non-shared hand HC (specifically, the second hand HA to HD) in the up and down direction DZ. As a result, the throughput of the operation of transferring the substrates W1 , W2 , WX1 , and WX2 by the second transfer mechanism 23L can be improved. This point will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 8 , FIG. 9 , FIG. 11 , and FIG. 12 , citing specific examples.

Next, an example of the first substrate transfer method will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 . In the following description, when all of the first unshared hand HA, the shared hand HB, the second unshared hand HC, and the second hand HD are shown, they are sometimes referred to as the second hands HA to HD in order to avoid redundancy. Also, when it is not necessary to designate a specific substrate W, it is simply referred to as "substrate".

8 and 9 are flowcharts showing an example of the first substrate transfer method. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the first substrate transfer method includes step S1 to step S12 within one transfer cycle CY. In the first board transfer method, the second hand HD is not used. In steps S1 to S12, the second hands HA to HD are moved by the second hand drive unit 17 controlled by the control unit 200 .

As shown in FIG. 8 , in step S1 , the first non-shared hand HA supports the unprocessed substrate W1 , and the shared hand HB supports the unprocessed substrate W2 . On the other hand, the second non-shared hand HC does not support the substrate. The second non-shared hand HC faces the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21A. Then, the second unshared hand HC starts moving toward the processed substrate WX2 located inside the processing unit 21A.

In addition, the state of the second hand HA-HD in step S1 represents the state in which the second hand HA-HD in the state ST1 shown in FIG. 7 has moved to the position of the processing unit 21A. In addition, during the processing of the substrate WX2, the transfer port 41a is blocked by a shielding member (not shown).

Next, in step S2, the 2nd non-shared hand HC carries out the processed board|substrate WX2 from the processing unit 21A through the conveyance port 41a.

Next, in step S3, the second non-shared hand HC returns to the position before the movement. Then, the second hands HA to HD start moving in the second specific direction SD2.

Next, in step S4, the second hands HA to HD move a distance d in the second specific direction SD2, and then stop. The distance d is approximately equal to the distance d between the second non-shared hand HC and the shared hand HB in the vertical direction DZ ( FIG. 6 ). As a result, the shared hand HB faces the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21A. Then, the shared hand HB starts to move toward the inside of the processing unit 21A.

Next, in step S5, the common hand HB carries in the unprocessed substrate W2 into the processing unit 21A through the transfer port 41a.

Next, in step S6, the shared hand HB returns to the position before the movement. Then, the second hands HA to HD start moving to the next processing unit 21B (FIG. 9).

Next, as shown in FIG. 9 , in step S7 , the first unshared hand HA supports the unprocessed substrate W1 , and the second unshared hand HC supports the processed substrate WX2 . On the other hand, the shared hand HB does not support the substrate. The shared hand HB faces the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21B. Then, the shared hand HB starts to move toward the processed substrate WX1 inside the processing unit 21B.

In addition, the state of the second hand HA-HD in step S7 represents the state in which the second hand HA-HD in the state of step S6 shown in FIG. 8 has moved to the position of the processing unit 21B. In addition, during the processing of the substrate WX1, the transfer port 41a is blocked by a shielding member (not shown).

Next, in step S8, the shared hand HB passes through the conveyance port 41a, and unloads the processed substrate WX1 from the processing unit 21B.

Next, in step S9, the shared hand HB returns to the position before the movement. Then, the second hands HA to HD start moving in the second specific direction SD2.

Next, in step S10 , the second hands HA to HD move a distance d in the second specific direction SD2 and then stop. The distance d is approximately equal to the distance d between the shared hand HB and the first non-shared hand HA in the vertical direction DZ ( FIG. 6 ). As a result, the first non-shared hand HA faces the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21B. Then, the first unshared hand HA starts to move to the inside of the processing unit 21B.

Next, in step S11 , the first non-shared hand HA carries the unprocessed substrate W1 into the processing unit 21B through the transfer port 41 a.

Next, in step S12, the first unshared hand HA returns to the position before the movement. Then, the second hands HA to HD start moving to the board mounting portion 29L ( FIG. 7 ). Next, the shared hand HB and the second non-shared hand HC deliver the substrates WX1 and WX2 to the substrate placement unit 29L, respectively.

In summary, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , within one conveyance cycle CY, steps S1 to S12 are executed. As a result, in one transfer cycle CY, two unprocessed substrates W1, W2 can be loaded into the two processing units 21A, 21B, and two processed substrates WX1, WX2 can be unloaded from the two processing units 21A, 21B. .

It is particularly worth mentioning that in this embodiment, the common hand HB is shared between the operation of loading the unprocessed substrate W2 into the processing unit 21A and the operation of unloading the processed substrate WX1 from the processing unit 21B. Therefore, toward the first specific direction SD1, from the second unshared hand HC to the first unshared hand HA, they can be sequentially used for carrying out the substrates WX2, WX1 and carrying in the substrates W1, W2.

As a result, if it is desired to carry in the unprocessed substrate W2 to the same processing unit 21A after completing the operation of unloading the processed substrate WX2 from the processing unit 21A, the shared hand HB only needs to move the distance d to the second specific direction SD2 (the first 2 The distance d) between the non-shared hand HC and the shared hand HB is sufficient. Similarly, if it is desired to load the unprocessed substrate WX1 into the same processing unit 21B after the operation of unloading the processed substrate WX1 from the processing unit 21B, the first non-shared hand HA only needs to move the distance in the second specific direction SD2 d (distance d between the shared hand HB and the first non-shared hand HA) is enough. Therefore, compared with the case where the unprocessed substrate and the processed substrate do not share hands, the throughput of the operation of the second conveyance mechanism 23L to convey the substrates W1 , W2 , WX1 , and WX2 can be improved. This point will be described in detail below in comparison with the second substrate transfer method shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 .

In addition, in the present embodiment, in the first substrate transfer method, the transfer cycle CY (step S1 to step S12 ) is repeatedly executed while changing the processing unit 21 .

In addition, the 2nd conveyance mechanism 23U (FIG. 6) performs the 1st board|substrate conveyance method similarly to 23 L of 2nd conveyance mechanisms.

Next, an example of the second substrate transfer method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10 . The second substrate transfer method is performed using the second transfer mechanism 23 that transfers the substrate W between the substrate mounting unit 29 and the processing unit 21 . In the second substrate transfer method, among the Q second hands 25, one part of the second hands 25 continuous in the vertical direction DZ supports only the substrate W before processing, and the other part of the second hands 25 continuous in the vertical direction DZ supports only the processing Subsequent to the substrate W, a plurality of substrates W is conveyed by this. Therefore, in the second substrate transfer method, the second hand 25 is not shared between the substrate W after processing and the substrate W before processing.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the overall flow of the second substrate transfer method. In FIG. 10, similarly to the case shown in FIG. 7, it shows focusing on the board|substrate mounting part 29L, the 2nd conveyance mechanism 23L, and processing unit 21A, 21B. In addition, the lower stage 291A of the substrate mounting portion 29L is used for mounting the unprocessed substrate, and the upper portion 291B of the substrate mounting portion 29L is used for mounting the processed substrate. Furthermore, the definition of the transfer cycle CY in the second substrate transfer method is the same as the definition of the transfer cycle CY in the first substrate transfer method.

As shown in FIG. 10 , as an example, at a certain timing, 10 unprocessed substrates W1 to W10 are placed on the lower section 291A of the substrate mounting portion 29L along the up-down direction DZ, No substrate is placed on the upper stage 291B.

In the second substrate transfer method, similarly to the first substrate transfer method, within one transfer cycle CY, the second transfer mechanism 23L receives the two substrates W1, W1, W2, and carry two substrates W1, W2 into two processing units 21A, 21B among the plurality of processing units 21, and carry out two processing units 21A, 21B from the two processing units 21A, 21B for processing. The substrates WX1 and WX2 are delivered, and the two substrates WX1 and WX2 are delivered to the substrate placement unit 29L. The transfer cycle CY is repeatedly executed.

Specifically, in the second substrate transfer method, within one transfer cycle CY, among the four second hands HA to HD, the second hands HA, HB that are continuous in the vertical direction DZ of the lower stage support only the unprocessed substrate W1 , W2. Also, the second hands HC and HD that are continuous in the upper and lower directions DZ support only the processed substrates WX1 and WX2.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 10 , states ST11 to ST14 of the second conveying mechanism 23L in one conveying cycle CY will be described.

In the state ST11 where the second transport mechanism 23L has received the two substrates W1 and W2 from the substrate mounting section 29L, the second hands HA and HB hold the substrates W1 and W2 respectively, while the second hands HC and HD do not hold the substrate.

The state ST12 following the state ST11 shows the state of the second transport mechanism 23L when the second hand HD unloads the processed substrate WX2 from the processing unit 21A, and the second hand HB carries the unprocessed substrate W2 into the same processing unit 21A.

The state ST13 following the state ST12 shows the state of the second transport mechanism 23L when the second hand HC unloads the processed substrate WX1 from the processing unit 21B, and the second hand HA carries the unprocessed substrate W1 into the same processing unit 21B.

A state ST14 following the state ST13 shows the state of the second transport mechanism 23L when the processed substrates WX1 and WX2 are supported by the second hands HC and HD, but not supported by the second hands HA and HB.

As described above with reference to FIG. 10 , according to the present embodiment, the second transport mechanism 23L of the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes: dedicated second hands HA, HB for supporting the unprocessed substrates W1, W2; Second-hand HC and HD dedicated to processed substrates WX1 and WX2. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the processing liquid in the processing unit 21 from adhering to the second hands HA, HB via the processed substrates WX1, WX2. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of the treatment liquid to the newly supported substrate before the treatment of the second hand HA and HB.

Next, an example of the second substrate transfer method will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 . In the following description, when it is not necessary to specify a specific substrate W, it is simply referred to as "substrate".

11 and 12 are flowcharts showing an example of the second substrate transfer method. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , the second substrate transfer method includes step S21 to step S32 within one transfer cycle CY. In steps S21 to S32, the second hands HA to HD are moved by the second hand drive unit 17 controlled by the control unit 200 .

As shown in FIG. 11 , in step S21 , the second hands HA and HB support the substrates W1 and W2 before processing, respectively. On the other hand, the second-hand HC and HD did not support the substrate. The second hand HD faces the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21A. Then, the second hand HD starts to move toward the processed substrate WX2 inside the processing unit 21A.

In addition, the state of the second hand HA-HD in step S21 represents the state in which the second hand HA-HD in the state ST11 shown in FIG. 10 has moved to the position of the processing unit 21A.

Next, in step S22, the second hand HD passes through the conveyance port 41a, and carries out the processed substrate WX2 from the processing unit 21A.

Next, in step S23, the second hand HD returns to the position before the movement. Then, the second hands HA to HD start moving in the second specific direction SD2.

Next, in step S24, the second hands HA to HD move a distance of 2d (=2×d) in the second specific direction SD2 and then stop. The distance 2d is approximately equal to the distance 2d between the second hand HD and the second hand HB in the vertical direction DZ ( FIG. 6 ). As a result, the second hand HB faces the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21A. Then, the second hand HB starts to move to the inside of the processing unit 21A.

Next, in step S25, the second hand HB carries in the unprocessed substrate W2 into the processing unit 21A through the transfer port 41a.

Next, in step S26, the second hand HB returns to the position before the movement. Then, the second hands HA to HD start moving to the next processing unit 21B (FIG. 12).

Next, as shown in FIG. 12 , in step S27 , the second hand HA supports the substrate W1 before processing, while the second hand HB does not support the substrate. On the other hand, the 2nd hand HC did not support the substrate, while the 2nd hand HD supported the processed substrate WX2. The second hand HC faces the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21B. Then, the second hand HC starts moving toward the processed substrate WX1 located inside the processing unit 21B.

In addition, the state of the second hand HA-HD in step S27 represents the state in which the second hand HA-HD in the state of step S26 shown in FIG. 11 has moved to the position of the processing unit 21B.

Next, in step S28, the 2nd hand HC carries out the processed board|substrate WX1 from the processing unit 21B through the conveyance port 41a.

Next, in step S29, the second hand HC returns to the position before the movement. Then, the second hands HA to HD start moving in the second specific direction SD2.

Next, in step S30 , the second hands HA to HD move a distance of 2d (=2×d) in the second specific direction SD2 and then stop. The distance 2d is approximately equal to the distance 2d between the second hand HC and the second hand HA in the vertical direction DZ ( FIG. 6 ). As a result, the second hand HA faces the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21B. Then, the second hand HA starts to move to the inside of the processing unit 21B.

Next, in step S31, the second hand HA carries in the unprocessed substrate W1 into the processing unit 21B through the transfer port 41a.

Next, in step S32, the second hand HA returns to the position before the movement. Then, the second hands HA to HD start moving to the board mounting portion 29L ( FIG. 10 ). Next, the second hands HC and HD deliver the substrates WX1 and WX2 to the substrate placement unit 29L, respectively.

In summary, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , within one conveyance cycle CY, steps S21 to S32 are executed. As a result, in one transfer cycle CY, two unprocessed substrates W1, W2 can be loaded into the two processing units 21A, 21B by the second hands HA, HB, and can be loaded from the two processing units by the second hands HC, HD. 21A, 21B carry out two processed substrates WX1, WX2.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the second substrate transfer method is to repeatedly execute the transfer cycle CY (step S21 to step S32 ) while changing the processing unit 21 .

In addition, the 2nd conveyance mechanism 23U (FIG. 6) performs the 2nd board|substrate conveyance method similarly to 23 L of 2nd conveyance mechanisms.

Here, referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 11 , the first substrate transfer method and the second substrate transfer method will be compared. As shown in steps S3 and S4 of FIG. 8 , the moving distance of the shared hand HB in the up and down direction DZ is "d". On the other hand, as shown in steps S23 and S24 of FIG. 11, the moving distance of the second hand HB is "2d". Therefore, the movement distance d of the shared hand HB in the first substrate transfer method is smaller than the movement distance 2d of the second hand HB in the second substrate transfer method. Similarly, as shown in steps S9 and S10 of FIG. 9 and steps S29 and S30 of FIG. 12 , the moving distance d of the first non-shared hand HA in the first substrate transfer method is smaller than that of the second hand in the second substrate transfer method. The moving distance of HA is 2d.

As a result, in the first substrate conveyance method, compared with the second substrate conveyance method, the throughput of the conveyance operation of the substrates W1, W2, WX1, and WX2 by the second conveyance mechanism 23 can be improved. That is, in the first substrate transfer method, compared with the case where the substrate before processing and the substrate after processing do not share hands, the second transfer mechanism 23 can improve the transfer operation of the substrates W1, W2, WX1, WX2. production capacity.

For example, in the first substrate transfer method, compared with the second substrate transfer method, the moving distance of the second hands HA to HD in the vertical direction DZ is shorter by "d" with respect to one processing unit 21 . Furthermore, since the transfer cycle CY is repeatedly executed, shortening the moving distance "d" relative to one processing unit 21 is useful for improving the throughput of the second transfer mechanism 23 for transferring substrates.

As above, the first substrate transfer method and the second substrate transfer method have been described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 12 . For example, it is assumed that the substrate processing apparatus 100 is delivered to the user by the manufacturer after the second transport mechanism 23 executes either the first substrate transport method or the second substrate transport method. That is, either one of the first substrate transfer method and the second substrate transfer method is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100 .

However, both the first substrate transfer method and the second substrate transfer method may be installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100 to selectively execute the first substrate transfer method and the second substrate transfer method. In this case, the user can select an ideal substrate transfer method depending on the situation. As a result, user convenience can be improved.

In the first substrate transfer method exemplarily described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 , three second hands 25 are used. However, the first substrate transfer method is not limited to the case where three second hands 25 are used, but can be generalized as shown in FIG. 13 . In addition, in the following description, the number of processing units 21 to which substrates W are carried in and carried out in one conveyance cycle CY is represented as "N". In this specification, N is an integer of 2 or more unless otherwise specified. The description will focus on N processing units 21 . In addition, in order to facilitate the reader's understanding, the description will focus on N+1 second hands 25 used in the first substrate transfer method among the plurality of (Q) second hands 25 .

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining generalization of the first substrate transfer method. In FIG. 13, one 2nd conveyance mechanism 23 among several 2nd conveyance mechanisms 23 is shown. As shown in FIG. 13 , in the first substrate transfer method, within one transfer cycle CY, the second transfer mechanism 23 receives N substrates W from the substrate mounting portion 29 before being processed by the processing unit 21, and transfers the N substrates W is loaded into the N processing units 21_1-21_N among the plurality of processing units 21, and N pieces of substrates W processed by the N processing units 21_1-21_N are taken out from the N processing units 21_1-21_N, and the N pieces of substrates W are processed The substrate W is delivered to the substrate mounting part 29 .

Furthermore, the N processing units 21_1˜21_N may be some processing units 21 (the total number of processing units 21 > N) among the plurality of processing units 21 possessed by the substrate processing apparatus 100, or all processing units 21 (processing units Total number of 21 = N).

The plurality of second hands 25 include a first unshared hand H_F, M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and a second unshared hand H_S. M is an integer of 1 or more. The M shared hands H_1 to H_M are arranged between the first unshared hand H_F and the second unshared hand H_S.

The total number of the first unshared hand H_F, the M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the second unshared hand H_S is N+1. Also, M=N-1. That is, the 2nd conveyance mechanism 23 is equipped with N-1 shared hands H_1-H_M.

Furthermore, the N+1 second hands 25 (the first non-shared hands H_F, the shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the second non-shared hands H_S) can be a plurality of (Q) second hands possessed by the second transport mechanism 23 Part of the 25 in the second hand 25, or all the 25 in the second hand.

The first unshared hand H_F, the M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the second unshared hand H_S are continuously arranged along the vertical direction DZ from the first unshared hand H_F to the second unshared hand H_S.

Moreover, in the state where the second conveying mechanism 23 has received N substrates W before processing from the substrate mounting section 29, the second non-shared hand H_S does not support the substrate W, and the M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the first The substrate W is supported by the non-shared hand H_F. That is, the M shared hands H_1 to H_M and the first unshared hand H_F support N substrates W. FIG.

In one transfer cycle CY, the M shared hands H_1 ˜ H_M support the processing unit 21 at different timings to process the substrate W before processing and the substrate W after processing.

In one transfer cycle CY, the first unshared hand H_F supports only the substrate W before being processed by the processing unit 21 .

In one transfer cycle CY, the second unshared hand H_S supports only the substrate W processed by the processing unit 21 .

Continuing to refer to FIG. 13 , the operation of the second transfer mechanism 23 in the first substrate transfer method will be described in detail.

In one transfer cycle CY, each of the M shared hands H_1 to H_M and the first unshared hand H_F receives the unprocessed substrate W from the substrate placement unit 29 .

In one transfer cycle CY, the second non-shared hand H_S moves to a position facing the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21_1, and the processed substrate W is carried out from the processing unit 21_1.

In one conveying cycle CY, by moving the N+1 second hands 25 to the second specified direction SD2 for a distance d, the shared hand H_M adjacent to the second non-shared hand H_S among the M shared hands H_1 to H_M moves to the same position as the second non-shared hand H_S. The position where the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21_1 faces. The distance d represents the interval between the adjacent second hands 25 in the vertical direction DZ. Then, the shared hand H_M carries the unprocessed substrate W into the processing unit 21_1 from which the substrate W has been carried out by the second non-shared hand H_S. The processing unit 21_1 processes the substrate W.

In one transfer cycle CY, by moving N+1 second hands 25, the shared hand H_M adjacent to the second non-shared hand H_S moves to a position opposite to the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21_2, and the processing unit 21_2 is A processing unit different from the processing unit 21_1 of the pre-processed substrate W carried in by the common hand H_M. Then, the shared hand H_M unloads the processed substrate W from the processing unit 21_2.

In one conveying cycle CY, by moving the N+1 second hands 25 to the second specific direction SD2 for a distance d, the shared hand H_M-1 adjacent to the shared hand H_M among the M shared hands H_1 to H_M moves to and processes The position where the transfer port 41a of the unit 21_2 faces. The shared hand H_M-1 is adjacent to the shared hand H_M in the first specific direction SD1. Then, the shared hand H_M-1 carries the substrate W before processing into the processing unit 21_2 from which the substrate W has been carried out by the shared hand H_M. The processing unit 21_2 processes the substrate W.

In one transfer cycle CY, by moving N+1 second hands 25, the shared hand H_M-1 adjacent to the shared hand H_M moves to a position opposite to the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21_3, and the processing unit 21_3 is connected to the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21_3. A processing unit different from the processing unit 21_2 of the substrate W before processing has been carried in by the common hand H_M-1. Then, the shared hand H_M-1 unloads the processed substrate W from the processing unit 21_3.

In one transfer cycle CY, by moving N+1 second hands 25 to the second specified direction SD2 by a distance d, the shared hand H_M-2 adjacent to the shared hand H_M-1 moves to the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21_3 relative position. The shared hand H_M-2 is adjacent to the shared hand H_M-1 in the first specific direction SD1. Then, the shared hand H_M-2 carries in the substrate W before processing to the processing unit 21_3 from which the substrate W has been carried out by the shared hand H_M-1. The processing unit 21_3 processes the substrate W.

In one transfer cycle CY, by moving N+1 second hands 25, the shared hand H_M-2 adjacent to the shared hand H_M-1 moves to a position opposite to the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21_4, and the processing unit 21_4 It is a different processing unit 21_3 from the processing unit 21_3 of the pre-processed substrate W carried in by the common hand H_M-2. Then, the shared hand H_M-2 unloads the processed substrate W from the processing unit 21_4.

From then on, in one transfer cycle CY, the substrate W is carried in and out to the processing units 21_4 to 21_N-1 by the shared hands H_M-3 to H_2. The processing units 21_4 to 21_N-1 process the substrate W.

Then, in one conveying cycle CY, by moving N+1 second hands 25, the shared hand H_1 adjacent to the shared hand H_2, that is, the shared hand H_1 adjacent to the first non-shared hand H_F is moved to the processing unit 21_N The position opposite to the transfer port 41a is the processing unit 21_N which is different from the processing unit 21_N-1 from which the substrate W has been carried out by the shared hand H_2. The shared hand H_1 is adjacent to the shared hand H_2 in the first specific direction SD1. Then, the shared hand H_1 unloads the processed substrate W from the processing unit 21_N.

That is, the shared hand H_1 carries out the processed substrate W from the Nth processing unit 21_N in one transfer cycle CY.

Then, by moving the N+1 second hands 25 in the second specific direction SD2 by a distance d in one transfer cycle CY, the first unshared hand H_F moves to a position facing the transfer port 41a of the processing unit 21_N. Next, the first unshared hand H_F carries the unprocessed substrate W into the processing unit 21_N from which the substrate W has been unloaded by the shared hand H_1 adjacent to the first unshared hand H_F. The processing unit 21_N processes the substrate W.

That is, in one conveyance cycle CY, the first non-shared hand H_F carries the unprocessed substrate W into the N-th processing unit 21_N.

Then, the M shared hands H_1 ˜ H_M and the second unshared hand H_S deliver the processed N substrates W to the substrate placement unit 29 .

As described above with reference to FIG. 13 , in the present embodiment, the shared hands H_1 to H_M are used for carrying in the substrate W before processing to the processing units 21_1 to 21_N-1 and carrying out the substrate W after processing from the processing units 21_2 to 21_N. The actions of the substrate W are shared. Therefore, toward the first specific direction SD1, the second unshared hand H_S to the first unshared hand H_F can be used for carrying out and carrying in the substrate W in sequence.

As a result, if it is desired to load the unprocessed substrate W into the same processing unit 21 after the operation of unloading the processed substrate W from the processing unit 21, the shared hands H_1 to H_M and the first non-shared hand H_F only need to transfer the processed substrate W to the same processing unit 21. The movement distance d (interval d between the second hands 25) in the second specific direction SD2 is sufficient. Therefore, compared with the case where the unprocessed substrate W and the processed substrate W do not share hands (for example, the second substrate conveying method), the throughput of the operation of conveying the substrate W by the second conveying mechanism 23L can be improved.

Next, when the first board transfer method has been generalized, referring to FIGS. The relationship between the number of second hands 25 used in the substrate transfer method will be described. 14-16 has shown the 2nd conveyance mechanism 23 which is one of the some 2nd conveyance mechanisms 23. As shown in FIG. In addition, the number of processing units 21 for carrying in and carrying out the substrate W in one transport cycle CY is represented as "N".

14 shows that when the second conveying mechanism 23 has 2N second hands 25, the total number Q of the second hands 25, the number of second hands 25 used in the first substrate conveying method, and the number of second hands 25 used in the second substrate conveying method A graph of the relationship between the quantity of the second lot 25 used.

As shown in FIG. 14, Q=2×N=2N. Therefore, the total number Q of the plurality of second hands 25 included in the second transport mechanism 23 is 2N. That is, the second transport mechanism 23 includes 2N second hands 25 . In this example, N is an integer of 2 or more.

Furthermore, when the first substrate transfer method is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100, the 2N second hands 25 include the first unshared hand H_F, the M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the second unshared hand H_S. M is an integer of 1 or more.

The total number of the first unshared hand H_F, the M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the second unshared hand H_S is N+1. Also, M=N-1. That is, the 2nd conveyance mechanism 23 is equipped with N-1 shared hands H_1-H_M. In addition, in the 1st board|substrate conveyance method, N-1 second hands 25 among Q (=2N) second hands 25 are not used.

On the other hand, when the second substrate transfer method is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100, for example, among the 2N second hands 25, N second hands 25 consecutive in the vertical direction DZ (for example, the second hand 25 in the lower row) The hand 25) supports the substrate W before processing, and another N second hands 25 (for example, the second hand 25 in the upper row) that are continuous in the vertical direction DZ support the substrate W after processing.

As described above with reference to FIG. 14 , according to the present embodiment, by setting the total number Q of the second hands 25 to 2N, all the second hands 25 can be used when the second substrate transfer method is installed on the substrate processing apparatus 100 . As a result, in the second substrate transfer method, the throughput at the time of transferring the substrate W can be improved. Also, by pre-equipping the second transfer mechanism 23 with 2N second hands 25, when the first substrate transfer method is installed on the substrate processing apparatus 100, the existing N+1 second hands 25 can be used without adding new second hands 25. hand 25.

For example, in the case of N=2, the first substrate transfer method can be performed using the first unshared hand H_F, one shared hand H_1, and the second unshared hand H_S. That is, the first substrate transfer method can be performed with the second hand 25 having the minimum configuration. Therefore, the cost of the second transport mechanism 23 can be reduced.

Here, for example, either one of the first substrate transfer method and the second substrate transfer method described with reference to FIG. 14 is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100 .

However, both the first substrate transfer method and the second substrate transfer method may be installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100 .

Specifically, the second transport mechanism 23 may be controlled by the control unit 200 to operate in any one of the first substrate transport mode MD1 and the second substrate transport mode MD2 .

The first board transfer mode MD1 is a mode in which the second transfer mechanism 23 executes the first board transfer method. Specifically, in the first substrate transfer mode MD1, N+1 second hands 25 out of 2N second hands 25 are used as the first unshared hand H_F, the M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the second unshared hand H_S mode.

The second substrate transfer mode MD2 is a mode in which the second transfer mechanism 23 executes the second substrate transfer method. Specifically, in the second substrate transfer mode MD2, N second hands 25 among the 2N second hands 25 are used to support only the substrate W before processing by the processing unit 21, and the other N second hands 25 are used to The mode supports only the substrate W processed by the processing unit 21 .

By operating the control unit 200 , the user can operate the second transport mechanism 23 in the first substrate transport mode MD1 or in the second substrate transport mode MD2 . Therefore, the convenience of the user can be improved. Also, the manufacturer of the substrate processing apparatus 100 can set the first substrate transfer mode MD1 or the second substrate transfer mode MD2 by operating the control unit 200 and then ship. Therefore, the convenience for manufacturers can be improved.

15 shows that the second transfer mechanism 23 has N+1 second hands 25, and when N is an odd number, the total number Q of the second hands 25, the number of the second hands 25 used in the first substrate transfer method, and the 2 A graph showing the relationship between the number of second hands 25 used in the substrate transfer method.

As shown in FIG. 15, Q=N+1. Therefore, in the second transport mechanism 23, the total number Q of the plurality of second hands 25 is N+1. That is, the second transport mechanism 23 includes N+1 second hands 25 . In this example, N is an odd number of 3 or more.

Furthermore, when the first substrate transfer method is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100, the N+1 second hands 25 include the first unshared hand H_F, M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the second unshared hand H_S. M is an integer of 1 or more.

The total number of the first unshared hand H_F, the M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the second unshared hand H_S is N+1. Also, M=N-1. That is, the 2nd conveyance mechanism 23 is equipped with N-1 shared hands H_1-H_M. In particular, in the first substrate transfer method, all the second lots 25 among Q (=N+1) second lots 25 are used. That is, according to the present embodiment, the number of second hands 25 is optimized when performing the first substrate transfer method, and there are no redundant second hands 25 . Therefore, the cost of the second transport mechanism 23 can be reduced.

On the other hand, when the second substrate transfer method is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100, for example, among N+1 second hands 25, (N+1)/2 second hands 25 (for example, , the second hand 25 in the lower paragraph supports the substrate W before processing, and another (N+1)/2 second hands 25 (for example, the second hand 25 in the upper paragraph) that are continuous along the vertical direction DZ support the processed substrate W.

Here, for example, either one of the first substrate transfer method and the second substrate transfer method described with reference to FIG. 15 is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100 .

Herein, similarly to the situation described in FIG. 14 , the second transport mechanism 23 can also be controlled by the control unit 200 to operate in any one of the first substrate transport mode MD10 and the second substrate transport mode MD20 .

The first board transfer mode MD10 is a mode in which the second transfer mechanism 23 executes the first board transfer method. Specifically, the first substrate transfer mode MD10 is a mode in which all Q (=N+1) second hands 25 are used as the first unshared hand H_F, M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the second unshared hand H_S .

The second substrate transfer mode MD20 is a mode in which the second transfer mechanism 23 executes the second substrate transfer method. Specifically, in the second substrate transfer mode MD20, the (N+1)/2 second hands 25 that are continuous in the vertical direction DZ among Q (=N+1) second hands 25 are used to support only the processing unit 21 before processing. The substrate W, and the other (N+1)/2 second hands 25 continuous in the vertical direction DZ are used to support only the substrate W processed by the processing unit 21 .

When installing both the first board transfer mode MD10 and the second board transfer mode MD20, as in the case of installing both the first board transfer mode MD1 and the second board transfer mode MD2, the user and the manufacturer can be improved. convenience.

16 shows that the second transfer mechanism 23 has N+1 second hands 25, and when N is an even number, the total number Q of the second hands 25, the number of the second hands 25 used in the first substrate transfer method, and the 2 A graph showing the relationship between the number of second hands 25 used in the substrate transfer method.

As shown in FIG. 16, Q=N+1. Therefore, in the second transport mechanism 23, the total number Q of the plurality of second hands 25 is N+1. That is, the second transport mechanism 23 includes N+1 second hands 25 . In this example, N is an even number of 2 or more.

Moreover, when the first substrate transfer method is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100, when N is an even number, the first unshared hand H_F, the M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the second unshared hand H_S are the same as those shown in FIG. 15 . The first unshared hand H_F, the M shared hands H_1 to H_M, and the second unshared hand H_S are the same when N is an odd number.

On the other hand, when the second substrate transfer method is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100, for example, among the N+1 second hands 25, N/2 second hands 25 consecutive in the vertical direction DZ (for example, the lower row The second hand 25) supports the substrate W before processing, and another N/2 second hands 25 continuous in the vertical direction DZ support the substrate W after processing. Moreover, the second hand 25 of the uppermost stage or the second hand 25 of the lowest stage are not used.

Here, for example, either one of the first substrate transfer method and the second substrate transfer method described with reference to FIG. 16 is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 100 .

Herein, similarly to the situation described in FIG. 14 , the second transport mechanism 23 can also be controlled by the control unit 200 to operate in any one of the first substrate transport mode MD100 and the second substrate transport mode MD200 .

The first board transfer mode MD100 is the same as the first board transfer mode MD10 described with reference to FIG. 15 .

The second substrate transfer mode MD200 is to use Q (= N + 1) second hands 25 consecutive N/2 second hands 25 in the vertical direction DZ to support only the substrate W before processing by the processing unit 21, and transfer Another N/2 second hands 25 continuous in the vertical direction DZ are used to support only the substrate W processed by the processing unit 21 .

When both the first board transfer mode MD100 and the second board transfer mode MD200 are installed, similarly to the case where both the first board transfer mode MD1 and the second board transfer mode MD2 are installed, the user and the manufacturer can be improved. convenience.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings ( FIGS. 1 to 16 ). However, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can implement in various forms in the range which does not deviate from the summary (for example, following (1)-(4)). In addition, the plurality of components disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments can be appropriately changed. For example, some constituent elements among all constituent elements shown in a certain embodiment may be added to constituent elements in another embodiment, or some constituent elements among all constituent elements shown in a certain embodiment may be deleted from the embodiment. .

In order to make the invention easier to understand, the drawings schematically show each constituent element, and for the convenience of drawing, the thickness, length, number, interval, etc. of each constituent element shown in the illustration may be different from the actual ones. Moreover, the structure of each component shown in the said embodiment is an example, and is not specifically limited, It goes without saying that various changes can be made in the range which does not substantially deviate from the effect of this invention.

(1) In the first substrate transfer method described with reference to FIG. 13 , the second transfer mechanism 23 may include one or a plurality of second hands 25 continuously on the first non-shared hand H_F in the first specific direction SD1, or One or a plurality of second hands 25 consecutive to the second non-shared hand H_S in the second specific direction SD2 may be provided. The same applies to the second transport mechanism 23 described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 .

(2) In FIG. 13 , for the first substrate transfer method, the second hand 25 at the bottom of the N+1 second hands 25 is set as the first non-shared hand H_F, and the second hand 25 at the top is set It is the second non-shared hand H_S (first form). But it is also possible to set the second hand 25 at the bottom of the N+1 second hands 25 as the second non-shared hand H_S, and set the second hand 25 at the top as the first non-shared hand H_F (second form).

In this case, the first specific direction SD1 and the second specific direction SD2 are opposite to those in FIG. 13 . That is, the first specific direction SD1 indicates the upward direction, and the second specific direction SD2 indicates the downward direction. In this case, in FIG. 13 , the reference symbols of the shared hand 25 are "H_1-H_M" from top to bottom, and the reference symbols of the processing unit 21 are "21_1-21_N" from top to bottom.

Also, when the transfer cycle CY is repeatedly executed, the first substrate transfer method may be executed while the first form and the second form are mixed.

In addition, the same applies to the second conveyance mechanism 23 described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 , and the second form can also be adopted in the first substrate conveyance method. For example, the second hand HC may be set as the first unshared hand, and the second hand HA may be set as the second unshared hand. In addition, in the second transfer mechanism 23 described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 , the first substrate transfer method may be performed using the second hands HB to HC instead of the second hand HA.

(3) The control unit 200 shown in FIG. 1 can determine the processing unit 21 to carry out and carry in the substrate W in one transport cycle CY according to a preset schedule, and can also use an event-driven method to determine. The event-driven method refers to a method of determining the optimum processing unit 21 among a plurality of processing units 21 at the time point of determining the processing unit 21 to be carried out and carried in the substrate W.

(4) The configuration of the first hand drive unit 11 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is not particularly limited as long as it can drive the first hand 9 . For example, it is also possible to share all the axes of rotation of the five first hands 9 . For example, as long as the axes of rotation are consistent, the axes of rotation of the four consecutive first hands 9 in the up-down direction DZ among the five first hands 9 may be common, while the axes of rotation of the other first hands 9 are different. Likewise, the configuration of the second hand drive unit 17 is not particularly limited as long as it can drive the second hand 25 . [Industrial availability]

The present invention relates to a substrate processing device and a substrate conveying method, which have industrial applicability.

1: transfer transmission part 3: Carrier loading part 5: The first transfer room 7: The first conveying mechanism 9: 1st hand 11: 1st hand drive unit 11a: track 11b: horizontal movement part 11c: vertical movement part 11d: Convolution 11e: rotary axis 11f: advance and retreat department 17: 2nd hand drive unit 20: Processing Department 21: Processing unit 21A: Processing unit 21B: Processing unit 21_1～21_N: processing unit 23: Second conveying mechanism (conveying mechanism) 23L: The second conveying mechanism (conveying mechanism) 23U: The second conveying mechanism (conveying mechanism) 25: 2nd hand (hand, 1st non-shared hand, 2nd non-shared hand, shared hand) 27a: Pillars 27b: Vertical movement part 27c: horizontal movement part 27d: Convolution 27e: rotary axis 27f: advance and retreat department 29: Substrate loading part 29L: Substrate loading part 29U: Substrate mounting part 31: The second transfer room 41: Handling the shell 41a: transfer port 43: Substrate holding part 45:Rotary drive unit 47: No. 1 nozzle 47a: 1st nozzle moving part 49: No. 2 nozzle 49a: The second nozzle moving part 51: No. 3 nozzle 51a: The third nozzle moving part 53: No. 4 nozzle 53a: No. 4 nozzle moving part 55: Cheng Cup 100: Substrate processing device 200: control department 291: Support Department 291A: The lower part of the substrate loading part 291B: The upper part of the substrate loading part 471: 1st nozzle arm 472: Nozzle drive unit 1 473: 1st treatment liquid supply piping 491: Nozzle arm 2 492: The second nozzle drive unit 493: Second processing liquid supply piping 511: 3rd nozzle arm 512: The third nozzle drive unit 513: The third processing liquid supply pipe 531: No. 4 nozzle arm 532: The 4th nozzle drive unit 533: Flushing fluid supply piping C: vehicle TW: processing tower TW1～TW4: processing tower W: Substrate W1～W10: Substrate WX1: Substrate WX2: Substrate HA～HD: 2nd hand (hand, 1st non-shared hand, 2nd non-shared hand, shared hand) H_1～H_M: 2nd hand (hand, 1st non-shared hand, 2nd non-shared hand, shared hand) H_F: Hand 2 (Hand, 1st Unshared Hand, 2nd Unshared Hand, Shared Hand) H_S: Hand 2 (Hand, 1st Unshared Hand, 2nd Unshared Hand, Shared Hand)

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the inside of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view along line II-II of Fig. 1 . Fig. 3 is a sectional view along line III-III of Fig. 1 . FIG. 4 is a side view showing the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. Fig. 5 is a side view showing the inside of the processing unit of this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the first conveying mechanism, the substrate placing unit, and the second conveying mechanism of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the overall flow of the first substrate transfer method performed by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the first stage of the first substrate transfer method performed by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a subsequent stage of the first substrate transfer method performed by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the overall flow of the second substrate transfer method executed by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the first stage of the second substrate transfer method performed by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a subsequent stage of the second substrate transfer method performed by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram for generalizing and describing the first substrate transfer method performed by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 14 shows the total number of second hands, the number of second hands used in the first substrate transfer method, and the number of second hands used in the second substrate transfer method when the second transfer mechanism of this embodiment has 2N second hands. The graph of the relationship between the quantity of the second lot. FIG. 15 shows the total number of second hands, the number of second hands used in the first substrate transfer method, and the number of second hands used in the first substrate transfer method when the second transfer mechanism of this embodiment has N+1 second hands, and N is an odd number. A graph of the relationship between the number of second hands used in the substrate transfer method. FIG. 16 shows the total number of second hands, the number of second hands used in the first substrate transfer method, and the number of second hands used in the first substrate transfer method when the second transfer mechanism of this embodiment has N+1 second hands, and N is an even number. A graph of the relationship between the number of second hands used in the substrate transfer method.

21: Processing unit

21_1~21_N: processing unit

23: Second conveying mechanism (conveying mechanism)

25: 2nd hand (hand, 1st non-shared hand, 2nd non-shared hand, shared hand)

29: Substrate loading part

41a: transfer port

H_F: Hand 2 (Hand, 1st Unshared Hand, 2nd Unshared Hand, Shared Hand)

H_S: Hand 2 (Hand, 1st Unshared Hand, 2nd Unshared Hand, Shared Hand)

H_1~H_M: 2nd hand (hand, 1st non-shared hand, 2nd non-shared hand, shared hand)

W: Substrate

Claims (14)

A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a substrate mounting portion for mounting a plurality of substrates; a plurality of processing units each processing the substrate; and a transport mechanism disposed between the substrate mounting portion and the processing unit Transporting the above-mentioned substrates; and within one transport cycle, the above-mentioned transport mechanism receives N (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) pieces of the above-mentioned substrates before being processed by the above-mentioned processing unit from the above-mentioned substrate loading part, and transfers the above-mentioned N pieces of substrates to the above-mentioned multiple N processing units among the processing units are carried in, and the N substrates processed by the N processing units are carried out from the N processing units, and the N substrates are delivered to the substrate loading part; the conveying mechanism has A plurality of hands each supporting the above-mentioned substrate, the plurality of hands include a first non-shared hand, a second non-shared hand, and an M arranged between the first non-shared hand and the second non-shared hand (M is 1 The above integer) shared hands, the above-mentioned first non-shared hand, the above-mentioned M shared hands and the above-mentioned second non-shared hand are arranged continuously along the vertical direction from the above-mentioned first non-shared hand to the above-mentioned second non-shared hand; In the above-mentioned one transfer cycle, the above-mentioned M shared hands support the above-mentioned substrate before processing and the above-mentioned substrate after processing by the above-mentioned processing unit at different timings; The substrate before being processed by the processing unit, within the one transfer cycle, the second unshared hand supports only the substrate processed by the processing unit, In the state where the transfer mechanism has received the N substrates from the substrate mounting section, the second unshared hand does not support the substrate, but the M shared hands and the first unshared hand support the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the above-mentioned one conveying cycle, the above-mentioned M shared hands and the above-mentioned first non-shared hands receive the above-mentioned substrate from the above-mentioned substrate loading part, and in the above-mentioned one conveying cycle, the above-mentioned first 2 The non-shared hands carry out the processed substrates from the above-mentioned processing unit. In the above-mentioned 1 transfer cycle, the shared hands adjacent to the second non-shared hands of the above-mentioned M shared hands are carried out by the second non-shared hands. The above-mentioned processing unit of the substrate, the above-mentioned substrate before processing is loaded into the above-mentioned processing unit of the above-mentioned substrate before processing, within the above-mentioned one transfer cycle, the above-mentioned shared hand adjacent to the above-mentioned second non-shared hand and the above-mentioned processing unit of the above-mentioned substrate before being processed by the above-mentioned shared hand The different processing units unload the processed substrates. The substrate processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the total number of the above-mentioned shared hands, the above-mentioned first non-shared hands and the above-mentioned second non-shared hands is N+1, and the above-mentioned shared hands are M, and the above-mentioned first 1 non-shared hand, and 1 second non-shared hand above; and M=N-1. The substrate processing device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of hands includes the M shared hands, the first unshared hand, the second unshared hand, and other hands; and The total number of the above plural hands is 2N. The substrate processing device according to claim 4, wherein N=2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a control unit for controlling the transport mechanism, and the transport mechanism is controlled by the control unit to operate in any one of the first substrate transport mode and the second substrate transport mode, the above The first substrate transfer mode is a mode in which the above-mentioned N+1 hands among the above-mentioned 2N hands are used as the above-mentioned M shared hands, the above-mentioned first non-shared hand, and the above-mentioned second non-shared hand. The above-mentioned second substrate transfer mode is to use N hands of the 2N hands are used to support only the substrate before being processed by the processing unit, and the other N hands are used to only support the substrate after being processed by the processing unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the total number of the plurality of hands is N+1. A substrate transfer method, which is performed by a transfer mechanism, the transfer mechanism transfers the substrate between a substrate mounting portion for placing a plurality of substrates and a plurality of processing units for processing the substrate; and the substrate transfer method includes The following steps are as follows: within one transport cycle, receive N (N is an integer greater than 2) pieces of the above-mentioned substrates from the above-mentioned substrate loading part before being processed by the above-mentioned processing unit, and transfer the above-mentioned N pieces of substrates to one of the above-mentioned plurality of processing units N processing units are carried in, and N pieces of the above-mentioned substrates processed by the above-mentioned N processing units are carried out from the above-mentioned N processing units, and the above-mentioned N pieces of substrates are Handed over to the above-mentioned substrate placement section; the above-mentioned conveying mechanism has a plurality of hands that each support the above-mentioned substrate, and the above-mentioned plurality of hands include a first unshared hand, a second unshared hand, and are arranged between the first unshared hand and the above-mentioned second unshared hand. 2 M (M is an integer greater than 1) shared hands between the non-shared hands, the first non-shared hand, the M shared hands and the second The hand is arranged continuously to the second non-shared hand; in the above-mentioned step of delivering the above-mentioned N substrates to the above-mentioned substrate loading part, in the above-mentioned one transfer cycle, the above-mentioned M shared hands are supported by the above-mentioned The above-mentioned substrate before processing by the processing unit and the above-mentioned substrate after processing, in the above-mentioned one transfer cycle, the first non-shared hand only supports the above-mentioned substrate before processing by the above-mentioned processing unit, and in the above-mentioned one transfer cycle, the above-mentioned first 2. The unshared hand supports only the substrates processed by the processing unit. In the state where the transfer mechanism receives the N substrates from the substrate loading section, the second unshared hand does not support the substrates, and the M The first shared hand and the first non-shared hand support the substrate. The substrate transfer method according to claim 8, wherein in the step of delivering the N substrates to the substrate placement part, within the transfer cycle, the M shared hands and the first non-shared hands are transferred from the above The substrate loading unit receives the substrate, and the second unshared hand unloads the processed substrate from the processing unit within the one transfer cycle, In the above-mentioned 1 transfer cycle, the shared hand adjacent to the second non-shared hand in the M shared hands carries the substrate before processing into the processing unit that has been unloaded by the second non-shared hand. In one transport cycle, the shared hand adjacent to the second non-shared hand unloads the processed substrate from the processing unit different from the processing unit that has carried the substrate into the pre-processed substrate by the shared hand. The substrate transfer method of claim 8 or 9, wherein the total number of the above-mentioned shared hand, the above-mentioned first non-shared hand and the above-mentioned second non-shared hand is N+1, and the above-mentioned shared hand is M, and the above-mentioned first 1 non-shared hand, and 1 second non-shared hand above; and M=N-1. The method for conveying substrates according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of hands includes the aforementioned M shared hands, the aforementioned 1st non-shared hand, the aforementioned 1st second non-shared hand, and other hands; and the total number of the aforementioned plurality of hands Department of 2N. The substrate transfer method according to claim 11, wherein N=2. The substrate transfer method according to claim 11, wherein the transfer mechanism operates in any one of the first substrate transfer mode and the second substrate transfer mode, and the first substrate transfer mode is to transfer the N+1 hands of the 2N hands Use the above-mentioned M shared hands, the above-mentioned first non-shared hand and the above-mentioned second non-shared hand, The second substrate transfer mode is to use N hands of the 2N hands to support only the substrates before being processed by the processing unit, and use the other N hands to support only the substrates processed by the processing unit. model. The substrate transfer method according to claim 10, wherein the total number of the plurality of hands is N+1.

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