TWI839164B - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The substrate processing device includes a substrate loading and unloading section, and a conveying section and a processing section that are arranged in a manner extending in parallel from the substrate loading and unloading section toward a first direction. The conveying section conveys a carrier that stores unprocessed substrates from the substrate loading and unloading section toward the first direction. The processing section includes a plurality of processing tanks. In the processing section, the carrier that stores a plurality of substrates is conveyed toward a second direction that is opposite to the first direction. The conveyed carrier is immersed in at least one of a plurality of processing liquids stored in a plurality of processing tanks. A maintenance space is formed in a manner adjacent to the processing section when viewed from above. The conveying section overlaps with at least a portion of the processing section and the maintenance space when viewed from above.

Description

Substrate processing equipment

The present invention relates to a substrate processing device for processing a plurality of substrates in a processing tank.

A substrate processing apparatus is used to perform various processes on substrates such as semiconductor substrates, FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrates for liquid crystal display devices or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display devices, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, mask substrates, ceramic substrates, or solar cell substrates.

As such a substrate processing device, there is a batch type substrate processing device that immerses a plurality of substrates in a processing liquid stored in a processing tank to perform a process such as etching. For example, the batch type substrate processing device described in Patent Document 1 has a substrate processing unit. The substrate processing unit has a structure in which a first chemical liquid tank, a first cleaning liquid tank, a second chemical liquid tank, a second cleaning liquid tank, and a drying processing unit are arranged in sequence on a straight line. In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate processing device, a first handover position and a second handover position are set in such a manner that the drying processing unit from the substrate processing unit is further arranged on a straight line.

The unprocessed plurality of substrates transported into the substrate processing device are received by the main transport mechanism at the first transfer position and transported to the substrate processing section. In the substrate processing section, the unprocessed plurality of substrates are transported, for example, to a position above the first chemical liquid tank or the second chemical liquid tank. Furthermore, the plurality of substrates are immersed in the chemical liquid in the tank below for a predetermined time and lifted up. Thereafter, the plurality of substrates are transported to a position above the first cleaning liquid tank or the second cleaning liquid tank. Furthermore, the plurality of substrates are immersed in the cleaning liquid in the tank below for a predetermined time and lifted up.

After the chemical solution in the first chemical solution tank or the second chemical solution tank is processed, the plurality of substrates are transported to the drying treatment section. After the drying treatment in the drying treatment section, the plurality of substrates are taken out from the second transfer position and unloaded from the substrate processing device.

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-238945

[The problem the invention is trying to solve]

In the above-mentioned substrate processing device, a chuck cleaning unit is provided at the first handover position, and a plurality of substrate handover mechanisms are provided in a manner arranged on the side of the first handover position (in a direction orthogonal to the above-mentioned straight line). Furthermore, two substrate handover mechanisms (intermediate robots) are provided at the second handover position, and a plurality of substrate handover mechanisms are further provided in a manner arranged on the side of the second handover position (in a direction orthogonal to the above-mentioned straight line). Furthermore, a wafer transfer box holding portion is provided near the plurality of substrate handover mechanisms. The wafer transfer box holding portion is configured as a container (FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod: front-opening wafer transfer box)) that can hold a plurality of substrates, and is provided with an opener and closer for opening and closing the cover of the container.

In the substrate processing apparatus, the plurality of components (chuck cleaning unit, plurality of substrate transfer mechanisms and wafer cassette holder) disposed at the first and second transfer positions and their peripheries are disposed adjacent to each other. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure a sufficiently large maintenance space for each component, so the maintenance workability is low.

Therefore, in order to ensure a sufficient maintenance space for each structure related to the substrate loading and unloading, it is considered to arrange the first handover position and the second handover position in a manner of separating the substrate processing unit. In this case, since the first handover position and the second handover position are separated, it is necessary to set a new transport path connecting the wafer cassette holding unit and the first handover position, or a new transport path connecting the wafer cassette holding unit and the second handover position. However, if a new transport path is set in the substrate processing device, the floor space occupied by the substrate processing device may be expanded.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing device that can suppress the expansion of the floor space occupied and improve the workability of the maintenance of each part of the substrate processing device. [Technical means for solving the problem]

(1) A substrate processing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a substrate loading and unloading section, which is configured to load a plurality of substrates and unload a plurality of substrates; and a conveying section and a processing section, which are arranged in a manner extending in parallel from the substrate loading and unloading section toward a first direction; and the conveying section has a first end and a second end arranged in sequence in the first direction, and is configured to convey a carrier containing a plurality of substrates loaded into the substrate loading and unloading section from the first end to the second end in the first direction; and the processing section has a third end and a fourth end arranged in sequence in the first direction, and has a plurality of The processing tank is configured to carry out a preset treatment on a plurality of substrates stored in the carrier by transporting the carrier transported to the second end in the transport section in the second direction opposite to the first direction from the fourth end to the third end, and immersing the transported carrier in at least one of a plurality of processing liquids stored in a plurality of processing tanks, and transferring the processed plurality of substrates to the substrate loading and unloading section; a maintenance space for the processing section is formed in a manner that the processing section is adjacent to at least a portion of the processing section in a third direction intersecting the first and second directions in a plan view; the transport section overlaps with at least a portion of the processing section and the maintenance space in a plan view.

In the substrate processing device, a plurality of unprocessed substrates are moved into the substrate loading and unloading section. The plurality of substrates are transported from the first end of the transport section to the second end in the first direction while being stored in a carrier. The plurality of substrates transported to the second end of the transport section are transported from the fourth end of the processing section to the third end in the second direction while being stored in the carrier. During the transport, the carrier storing the plurality of substrates is immersed in at least one of a plurality of processing liquids stored in a plurality of processing tanks between the fourth end and the third end. In this way, a preset process is performed on the plurality of substrates stored in the carrier in common. The processed plurality of substrates are transferred to the substrate loading and unloading section and are transported out.

According to the above structure, since the third end and the fourth end of the processing section are separated by a plurality of processing tanks, the structure for transferring the substrate to the fourth end of the processing section and the structure for taking out the substrate from the third end of the processing section cannot be arranged close to each other. Furthermore, a maintenance space is formed in a manner adjacent to at least a part of the processing section. Therefore, it is easy to ensure a sufficiently large maintenance space for each part of the substrate processing device. Furthermore, according to the above structure, it is not necessary to arrange the conveying section at a position that is offset from the processing section and the maintenance space when viewed from above.

As a result, the footprint expansion can be suppressed and the maintenance workability of each part of the substrate processing device can be improved.

(2) The processing section allows the carrier to move in the second direction and restricts the carrier from moving in the first direction. In this case, the moving direction of the carrier in the processing section is restricted to the second direction. In this way, when a plurality of carriers are transported in the processing section, interference caused by one carrier and another carrier moving in opposite directions is suppressed.

Furthermore, since the carrier does not reciprocate in the first and second directions in the processing section, the length of the carrier transport path in the processing section in a top view does not exceed the distance between the third end and the fourth end of the processing section. Therefore, the carrier transport path is prevented from becoming excessively long.

(3) The maintenance space can be formed in a manner adjacent to the plurality of processing tanks, and the transport unit can be arranged at a position higher than the maintenance space and the plurality of processing tanks. In this case, since the maintenance space is adjacent to the plurality of processing tanks, the workability of the maintenance of the plurality of processing tanks is improved. In addition, since the transport unit is located at a position higher than the maintenance space and the plurality of processing tanks, it is prevented that particles generated in the maintenance space and the plurality of processing tanks are attached to the plurality of substrates being transported.

(4) The transport unit may overlap with at least a portion of the maintenance space when viewed from above, and may not overlap with the processing unit when viewed from above. In this case, the space above the maintenance space can be effectively utilized. In addition, since the transport unit is not provided above the processing unit, the degree of freedom in the design of the processing unit in the height direction is not limited by the transport unit.

(5) The substrate processing device may further include: a first conveying device, which conveys the above-mentioned carrier from the above-mentioned second end of the above-mentioned conveying section to the above-mentioned fourth end of the above-mentioned processing section; and the above-mentioned substrate loading and unloading section includes: a substrate insertion section, which is arranged in a manner adjacent to the above-mentioned first end of the above-mentioned conveying section, and inserts the above-mentioned plurality of unprocessed substrates loaded into the above-mentioned substrate loading and unloading section into the empty above-mentioned carrier; a substrate removal section, which is arranged in a manner adjacent to the above-mentioned third end of the above-mentioned processing section, and is used to remove the above-mentioned plurality of processed substrates stored in the above-mentioned carrier transferred from the above-mentioned processing section from the above-mentioned substrate loading and unloading section; and a second conveying device, which conveys the empty above-mentioned carrier after taking out the above-mentioned plurality of substrates from the above-mentioned substrate removal section to the above-mentioned substrate insertion section.

In this case, in the substrate insertion section, multiple unprocessed substrates are stored in an empty carrier. The carrier storing the multiple substrates is transported to the fourth end of the processing section by the conveying section and the first conveying device. Furthermore, the carrier is transported from the fourth end to the third end in the processing section. Thereafter, in the substrate removal section, multiple processed substrates are removed from the carrier storing the processed substrates. The empty carrier is transported to the substrate insertion section by the second conveying device. Thus, the empty carrier transported to the substrate insertion section can be used to process multiple new substrates. Therefore, there is no need to prepare too many carriers for storing multiple substrates.

(6) The present invention may further include: a carrier cleaning section that cleans the empty carrier after taking out the plurality of substrates processed by the processing section. In this case, the clean carrier after cleaning can be used to process a new plurality of substrates. [Effects of the invention]

According to the present invention, the expansion of the floor space occupied can be suppressed and the maintenance workability of each part of the substrate processing device can be improved.

Hereinafter, a substrate processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a substrate refers to a FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrate, a semiconductor substrate, an optical disk substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, a mask substrate, a ceramic substrate, or a solar cell substrate, etc., which is used for a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device. In addition, the substrate described below has a rectangular shape when viewed from above.

<1> Structure of substrate processing device (1) Definition of overall structure and direction FIG. 1 is a schematic top view showing the basic structure of a substrate processing device of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the substrate processing device 1 at line A-A of FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the substrate processing device 1 mainly includes a substrate loading and unloading block 100, a relay block 200, a processing block 300, and a cleaning block 400.

Here, in the designated figures after FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in order to clarify the positional relationship of each component of the substrate processing device 1, arrows representing mutually orthogonal X direction, Y direction and Z direction are marked. The X direction and the Y direction are mutually orthogonal in the horizontal plane, and the Z direction is equivalent to the vertical direction. In addition, in each direction, the direction pointed by the arrow is set as the + direction, and the direction opposite to the + direction is set as the - direction. In the following description, when it is simply referred to as the X direction, the X direction includes the +X direction and the -X direction. In addition, when it is simply referred to as the Y direction, the Y direction includes the +Y direction and the -Y direction. In addition, when it is simply referred to as the Z direction, the Z direction includes the +Z direction and the -Z direction.

(2) Substrate loading and unloading block 100 The substrate loading and unloading block 100 includes a plurality of wafer cassette racks 110, wafer cassette transport devices 111, 112, openers 120, 130, substrate transfer robots 140, 150, two wafer cassette loading units 190, and a control unit 160 (Figure 2). In addition, the substrate loading and unloading block 100 has an end portion 101, a side portion 102, and another side portion 103 constituting a portion of the outer wall of the substrate processing device 1. The end portion 101 is located at one end of the substrate processing device 1 facing the -X direction and is orthogonal to the X direction. The side portion 102 and the other side portion 103 extend parallel to each other in the Y direction from both ends of the end portion 101 in a plan view toward the +X direction.

Two wafer cassette loading sections 190 are provided so as to protrude from the end surface 101 in the -X direction. Each wafer cassette loading section 190 is configured to load a wafer cassette (FOUP: Front Opening Unified Pod) 8 that can store multiple substrates in multiple stages. In the end surface 101, at a portion corresponding to each wafer cassette loading section 190, a passage opening (not shown) is formed for allowing the wafer cassette 8 to pass in the X direction.

The wafer transfer box 8 has an opening for taking out a substrate from the inner space of the wafer transfer box 8 and for inserting a substrate into the inner space of the wafer transfer box 8. The wafer transfer box 8 also includes a cover for opening and closing the opening. The opening of the wafer transfer box 8 is closed when the wafer transfer box 8 is being transported and on standby, and is opened when taking out and inserting a substrate into the wafer transfer box 8. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in order to clearly distinguish the wafer transfer box 8 from the carrier 9 described later, the wafer transfer box 8 is marked with a hatched line, and the carrier 9 is marked with a dot pattern. In the example of FIG. 1 , a wafer cassette 8 is placed on one of the two wafer cassette placement portions 190 arranged in the Y direction, and no wafer cassette 8 is placed on the other wafer cassette placement portion 190 .

A plurality of wafer transfer box racks 110 are arranged at a predetermined distance from the end surface portion 101 in the +X direction in a manner of being spaced apart from each other. In this example, 16 wafer transfer box racks 110 are arranged in 4 rows and 4 columns in a plane parallel to the Z direction and the Y direction and are fixed by a fixing member not shown in the figure. Each wafer transfer box rack 110 is configured to carry a wafer transfer box 8. In the example of FIG. 1 , three of the four wafer transfer box racks 110 located at the uppermost stage are each loaded with a wafer transfer box 8, and the remaining one wafer transfer box rack 110 is not loaded with a wafer transfer box 8. The number of wafer transfer boxes 8 or the arrangement of the wafer transfer box racks 110 can be appropriately changed according to the device design specifications.

The two openers 120 and 130 are arranged at a predetermined distance from the plurality of wafer cassette racks 110 in the +X direction and are spaced apart from each other. In this example, the two openers 120 and 130 are arranged in the Y direction and fixed by a fixing member not shown. One opener 120 is located near one side surface 102, and the other opener 130 is located near the other side surface 103. Each opener 120 and 130 is configured to carry a wafer cassette 8 and to open and close the cover of the carried wafer cassette 8. In the example of FIG. 1 , a wafer cassette 8 is carried on one opener 120, and no wafer cassette 8 is carried on the other opener 130.

The substrate transfer robot 140 is arranged adjacent to the switch 120 in the +X direction. The substrate transfer robot 140 is configured to be rotatable around an axis in the Z direction and movable (liftable) in the Z direction. The substrate transfer robot 140 is provided with a hand for transferring one or more substrates. The hand is supported by a multi-joint arm and can move forward and backward in the horizontal direction. The substrate transfer robot 140 is used to take out a substrate from a wafer transfer box 8 containing unprocessed substrates while the wafer transfer box 8 is placed on the switch 120, and insert the taken-out substrate into a carrier 9 described later and arranged in the relay block 200.

The substrate transfer robot 150 is disposed adjacent to the shutter 130 in the +X direction. The substrate transfer robot 150 has the same structure as the substrate transfer robot 140. The substrate transfer robot 150 is used to take out a substrate from a carrier 9 to be described later arranged in the relay block 200 when an empty wafer cassette 8 is placed on the shutter 130, and insert the taken-out substrate into the wafer cassette 8 on the shutter 130.

The wafer cassette transport device 111 is located between the end surface portion 101 in the X direction and the plurality of wafer cassette racks 110. The wafer cassette transport device 111 has a holding portion (not shown) configured to hold the wafer cassette 8, and is configured to move the holding portion in the Y direction and in the Z direction. Thus, the wafer cassette transport device 111 transports the wafer cassette 8 between any one of the two wafer cassette placement portions 190 and any one of the plurality of wafer cassette racks 110.

The wafer cassette transport device 112 is located between the plurality of wafer cassette racks 110 and the two shutters 120 and 130 in the X direction. The wafer cassette transport device 112 has the same structure as the wafer cassette transport device 111. The wafer cassette transport device 112 transports the wafer cassette 8 between any one of the plurality of wafer cassette racks 110 and any one of the two shutters 120 and 130.

The control unit 160 ( FIG. 2 ) includes a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and controls the operation of each component in the substrate processing apparatus 1 .

(3) Relay block 200 The relay block 200 mainly includes two carrier support sections 210 and 220, a first standby section 230, a second standby section 240, and a standby conveying device 250. The carrier support section 210 is disposed adjacent to the substrate transfer robot 140 of the substrate loading and unloading block 100 in the +X direction. In addition, the carrier support section 210 is configured to support a carrier 9 that stores a plurality of substrates in multiple stages. The details of the carrier 9 will be described later. Furthermore, the carrier support section 210 is configured to support the carrier 9 and change the posture of the supported carrier 9. The details of the structure of the carrier support section 210 for changing the posture of the carrier 9 will be described later. In addition, in the example of FIG. 1 , a carrier 9 is supported on the carrier support portion 210 .

The carrier support part 220 is disposed adjacent to the substrate transfer robot 150 of the substrate loading/unloading block 100 in the +X direction. The carrier support part 220 has the same structure as the carrier support part 210. In the example of FIG. 1 , the carrier 9 is not supported on the carrier support part 220.

The first standby section 230 is disposed adjacent to the carrier support section 210 in the +X direction. The first standby section 230 is configured to support the carrier 9. Furthermore, the first standby section 230 is configured to transfer the carrier 9 supported by the first standby section 230 to the carrier support section 210 and receive the carrier 9 supported by the carrier support section 210 from the carrier support section 210.

The second standby section 240 is disposed adjacent to the carrier support section 220 in the +X direction. The second standby section 240 is configured to support the carrier 9. Furthermore, the second standby section 240 is configured to transfer the carrier 9 supported by the second standby section 240 to the carrier support section 220 and receive the carrier 9 supported by the carrier support section 220 from the carrier support section 220.

The standby conveying device 250 is provided between the first standby section 230 and the second standby section 240. The standby conveying device 250 is configured to hold the carrier 9 and to be movable in the Y direction between the first standby section 230 and the second standby section 240. The standby conveying device 250 conveys the carrier 9 supported by the second standby section 240 to the first standby section 230, for example.

(4) Processing block 300 The processing block 300 includes a first conveying unit 310, a second conveying unit 320, and a processing unit 330. The first conveying unit 310 and the processing unit 330 are arranged in sequence in the +Y direction and extend in parallel from the relay block 200 in the +X direction. The second conveying unit 320 is formed in a manner extending in the Y direction, connecting the end of the first conveying unit 310 facing the +X direction and the end of the processing unit 330 facing the +X direction.

In the following description, of the two ends of the first conveying unit 310 extending in the X direction, the end facing the -X direction is appropriately referred to as the first end TA1, and the other end facing the +X direction is appropriately referred to as the second end TA2. In addition, of the two ends of the processing unit 330 extending in the X direction, one end facing the -X direction is appropriately referred to as the third end TA3, and the other end facing the +X direction is appropriately referred to as the fourth end TA4.

The first conveying section 310 includes a main conveying device 311 and two auxiliary conveying devices 312A and 312B. The main conveying device 311 includes a movable stage 311a and a guide rail 311b. The guide rail 311b is provided to extend from the first end TA1 to the second end TA2 of the first conveying section 310. The movable stage 311a is configured to be movable in the X direction on the guide rail 311b and to carry the carrier 9. The main conveying device 311 further includes a driving mechanism (not shown) that moves the movable stage 311a along the guide rail 311b in the X direction. Thereby, when the main transport device 311 places the carrier 9 on the movable stage 311 a at the first end TA1 close to the relay block 200 , the placed carrier 9 is transported in the +X direction to the second end TA2 close to the second transport unit 320 .

The auxiliary conveying device 312A and the auxiliary conveying device 312B are respectively provided at the first end TA1 and the second end TA2 of the first conveying section 310 in the X direction. When the carrier support section 210 supports the carrier 9 storing an unprocessed substrate, the auxiliary conveying device 312A places the carrier 9 on the movable stage 311a of the main conveying device 311 arranged at the first end TA1. In addition, the auxiliary conveying device 312A conveys an empty carrier 9 from the first standby section 230 to the carrier support section 210. On the other hand, when the movable stage 311a carrying the carrier 9 moves to the second end TA2, the auxiliary conveying device 312B transfers the carrier 9 to the conveying device 321 described later of the second conveying section 320.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2 , the first conveying unit 310 is disposed at a position separated from the installation surface of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the +Z direction (upper direction). Thus, the space located in the -Z direction (lower direction) of the first conveying unit 310 can be used as a maintenance space MS1 for maintaining the processing unit 330 described later. Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the first conveying unit 310 and the maintenance space MS1 of the processing unit 330 overlap in a top view. In FIG. 8 described later, in the maintenance space MS1, an operator WP performing maintenance work on the processing unit 330 is shown below the first conveying unit 310.

The second conveying section 320 includes a conveying device 321. The conveying device 321 is configured to support the carrier 9 and change the posture of the supported carrier 9. The details of the structure of the conveying device 321 for changing the posture of the carrier 9 will be described later. Furthermore, the conveying device 321 is configured to be movable in the Y direction. Thereby, the second conveying section 320 can receive the carrier 9 from the auxiliary conveying device 312B near the second end TA2 of the first conveying section 310. In addition, the second conveying section 320 can change the posture of the carrier 9 received from the auxiliary conveying device 312B and move the carrier 9 to a position near the fourth end TA4 of the processing section 330.

The processing section 330 includes a plurality of (five in this example) liquid processing units 331, a drying unit 332, and a plurality of (three in this example) main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C. The plurality of liquid processing units 331 and the drying unit 332 are arranged in the X direction such that the drying unit 332 is located at the third end TA3.

The plurality of main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C are arranged in sequence from the third end TA3 toward the fourth end TA4 on a straight line extending in the +X direction. Each of the main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C is configured to hold the carrier 9 and to transport the held carrier 9 between the plurality of liquid processing units 331 and the drying unit 332. The main transport device 333C located at the farthest position from the relay block 200 receives the carrier 9 when the second transport unit 320 transports the carrier 9 to the vicinity of the processing unit 330. Furthermore, the main transport device 333C transports the received carrier 9 to any one of the plurality of liquid processing units 331.

Each of the plurality of liquid processing units 331 has one or more processing tanks 331a and an elevator 331b. In this example, each liquid processing unit 331 has two processing tanks 331a. Each processing tank 331a is configured so that the carrier 9 can be inserted and removed from the upper position of the processing tank 331a. In addition, the processing tank 331a stores a processing liquid (chemical liquid or cleaning liquid) for cleaning the plurality of substrates stored in the carrier 9.

The lift 331b of each liquid processing unit 331 is configured to hold the carrier 9. Furthermore, the lift 331b is configured to receive the carrier 9 from any one of the plurality of main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C, and to transfer the carrier 9 to any one of the plurality of main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C. Furthermore, the lift 331b is configured to immerse the carrier 9 in the processing liquid and lift the carrier 9 from the processing liquid for each of the two processing tanks 331a of the liquid processing unit 331. In this way, by transferring the carrier 9 containing the unprocessed substrate to the processing unit 330, the plurality of substrates stored in the carrier 9 are immersed in one or more processing liquids for a predetermined time, and the plurality of substrates are subjected to a common process.

The drying unit 332 performs a drying process on the carrier 9 transported by the main transport device 333A located closest to the relay block 200. The plurality of substrates stored in the carrier 9 are dried by the drying process. The carrier 9 after the drying process is transferred to the second standby unit 240 of the relay block 200 by the main transport device 333A located closest to the relay block 200.

Here, in the plurality of processing tanks 331a of the plurality of liquid processing units 331, a plurality of processing liquids corresponding to the plurality of processing to be performed on the substrate are stored in the order of the processing to be performed on the substrate in the -X direction. The control unit 160 of FIG. 2 allows each of the main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C to move in the -X direction while holding the carrier 9, and restricts the movement in the +X direction while holding the carrier 9. In this case, when the plurality of carriers 9 are transported by the plurality of main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C, the generation of interference caused by one carrier 9 and another carrier 9 moving in opposite directions is suppressed. In addition, since the carrier 9 does not reciprocate in the X direction in the processing section 330, the length of the transport path of the carrier 9 in the processing section 330 does not exceed the length of the processing section 330 in the X direction.

As shown by the dotted line in FIG1 , in the processing block 300 and the vicinity thereof, in addition to the maintenance space MS1, a maintenance space MS2 is formed laterally in the +Y direction of the processing section 330. In this way, by forming two maintenance spaces MS1 and MS2 in a manner that separates the processing section 330 in the Y direction, a sufficiently large maintenance space is ensured for the processing section 330.

(5) Cleaning block 400 The cleaning block 400 includes a cleaning conveying device 410 and a carrier cleaning unit 420. The carrier cleaning unit 420 is disposed to extend in the X direction at a position to the side (+Y direction) of the substrate loading and unloading block 100 and the relay block 200. In addition, the carrier cleaning unit 420 includes a plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, a carrier drying section 422, and a plurality of carrier standby sections 423 arranged in the X direction.

Each of the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, the carrier drying section 422 and the plurality of carrier standby sections 423 is configured to allow the carrier 9 to be inserted and removed from a position above the tank, the drying section or the standby section. In addition, each of the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421 stores a treatment liquid (chemical solution or cleaning liquid) for washing the carrier 9. The carrier drying section 422 performs a drying process on the inserted carrier 9.

The cleaning and transporting device 410 is configured to transport empty carriers 9 between the second standby section 240, the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, the carrier drying section 422, and the plurality of carrier standby sections 423 of the relay block 200. In the cleaning block 400, the empty carriers 9 are transported between the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421 and immersed in the processing liquid stored in any of the carrier cleaning tanks 421. In this way, the empty carriers 9 that have been used to process a plurality of substrates in the processing block 300 are cleaned.

The cleaned carrier 9 is transported to the carrier drying section 422 for drying. The dried carrier 9 is transported to the carrier standby section 423 and held. Thereafter, according to the receiving sequence of the plurality of substrates in the relay block 200, the carrier 9 is taken out from the carrier standby section 423 by the cleaning transport device 410 and transported to the second standby section 240 of the relay block 200.

<2> Structure of carrier 9 and posture of carrier 9 FIG. 3 is a top view of carrier 9 used in substrate processing device 1 of FIG. 1 , FIG. 4 is a side view of carrier 9 of FIG. 3 , and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of carrier 9 at line B-B of FIG. 4 . As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 , carrier 9 includes four frame members 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d.

Each of the frame members 10a and 10b is formed of a substantially square plate-shaped member and has a larger shape than the substrate to be processed. Four openings 13 are formed in the central portion of each of the frame members 10a and 10b. Each of the frame members 10c and 10d is formed of a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member. The length of the long side of the frame members 10c and 10d is substantially equal to the length of one side of the frame members 10a and 10b.

The frame members 10a and 10b are arranged to be spaced in a mutually opposed state. The frame member 10c is provided in a manner that one side of the frame member 10a is connected to one side of the frame member 10b. The frame member 10d is provided in a manner that the other side of the frame member 10a is connected to the other side of the frame member 10b. In this state, the frame members 10c and 10d are also arranged to face each other. Thereby, the carrier 9 has a square tube shape.

The rectangular opening formed at one end of the carrier 9 having a square tube shape functions as a substrate entrance 12 for inserting a substrate into the carrier 9 and for taking a substrate out of the carrier 9. At the other end of the carrier 9, a plurality of (six in this example) supporting pieces 11 are provided in a manner connecting the frame members 10a and 10b and dispersedly arranged between the frame members 10c and 10d.

Each support sheet 11 is formed of a long strip plate member and is arranged parallel to the frame members 10c and 10d. In addition, each support sheet 11 is provided with a plurality of grooves (not shown) at a preset reference pitch into which a portion of the outer edges of the plurality of substrates to be accommodated in the carrier 9 can be inserted. The number of grooves formed in each support sheet 11 is equal to the number of substrates to be accommodated in the carrier 9.

A plurality of protrusions pr are formed on each of the two mutually facing surfaces of the frame members 10c and 10d. The plurality of protrusions pr are formed to extend along the long side direction of the frame members 10c and 10d and are arranged in the short side direction at the above-mentioned reference pitch. Thus, a groove into which the outer edge of the substrate can be inserted is formed between each two adjacent protrusions pr.

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 , the posture of the carrier 9 is appropriately changed. Here, regarding the carrier 9 having the above-mentioned structure, the posture in which the plurality of support pieces 11 are located at the lower end and the frame members 10a, 10b are parallel to the lead vertical direction is referred to as the lead vertical posture. On the other hand, the posture in which the frame members 10a, 10b are perpendicular to the lead vertical direction is referred to as the horizontal posture.

When inserting a plurality of substrates into an empty carrier 9, the plurality of substrates are inserted into the carrier 9 from the substrate entrance 12 of the carrier 9 in a horizontal position. At this time, the two side portions (parts of two sides facing each other) of the outer edge of each substrate are inserted between any two of the plurality of protrusions pr of the frame member 10c and between any two of the plurality of protrusions pr of the frame member 10d. Thus, when the carrier 9 storing the plurality of substrates is in a horizontal position, each substrate is held in a state where the two side portions of the substrate are supported by the plurality of protrusions pr. On the other hand, when the carrier 9 storing the plurality of substrates is in a vertical position, each substrate is held in a state where the plurality of portions of the lower end of the substrate are embedded in the plurality of grooves of the plurality of support sheets 11.

As described above, when the carrier 9 is in a horizontal position, both sides of each of the plurality of substrates stored are supported entirely by the plurality of protrusions pr. On the other hand, when the carrier 9 is in a vertical position, each of the plurality of substrates stored is partially supported at a plurality of portions of the lower end of the substrate by the plurality of support sheets 11. Therefore, when the carrier 9 is in a horizontal position, the load (load of the self-weight of each substrate) applied to the outer edge of each stored substrate is reduced compared to the case where the carrier 9 is in a vertical position.

The carrier 9 of this embodiment is formed so that the dimension (height) of the carrier 9 in the vertical direction when in a horizontal position is smaller than the dimension (height) of the carrier 9 in the vertical direction when in a vertical position.

<3> Conveying path of multiple substrates and carrier 9 in substrate processing device Figures 6 to 8 are used to illustrate the conveying path of multiple substrates and carrier 9 in substrate processing device 1 of Figure 1. Figure 6 shows a schematic top view of substrate processing device 1 as in Figure 1. Figure 7 shows a schematic external perspective view of substrate processing device 1 of Figure 1 observed from one direction. Figure 8 shows a schematic external perspective view of substrate processing device 1 of Figure 1 observed from another direction. In addition, in Figures 7 and 8, the illustration of cleaning block 400 of Figure 1 is omitted. Furthermore, in Figures 6 to 8, except for maintenance space MS1 of Figure 8, the illustration of maintenance spaces MS1 and MS2 of Figure 1 is also omitted.

Imagine a situation where a series of processes are performed on a plurality of unprocessed substrates W stored in a wafer transfer box 8. In this situation, a wafer transfer box 8 is moved into the substrate loading and unloading block 100, and as shown in FIG6, is placed on the opening and closing device 120, and the lid is opened. In addition, an empty carrier 9 is supported in a horizontal position on the carrier support portion 210 of the relay block 200. At this time, the substrate entrance 12 (FIG. 5) of the carrier 9 is oriented in the -X direction in a manner opposite to the wafer transfer box 8. In this state, the substrate transfer robot 140 takes out a plurality of unprocessed substrates W from a wafer transfer box 8 and inserts them into the carrier 9. The thick dashed arrow a1 in FIG6 to FIG8 indicates the transfer path of the plurality of substrates W at this time.

Afterwards, the empty wafer cassette 8 closes its lid, is held by the wafer cassette transfer device 112, and is placed on any one of the plurality of wafer cassette racks 110. On the other hand, the carrier 9 containing the plurality of substrates W is received by the carrier support 210, and is placed on the movable stage 311a of the main transfer device 311 by the auxiliary transfer device 312A of the first transfer unit 310. The thick solid arrow a2 in FIGS. 6 to 8 indicates the transfer path of the carrier 9 at this time.

Next, the carrier 9 placed on the movable stage 311a is transported in a horizontal position in the +X direction from a position near the intermediate block 200 (first end TA1) to a position near the second transport unit 320 (second end TA2). In the dialog box BA3 of FIG. 8 , the state of the carrier 9 transported by the main transport device 311 of the first transport unit 310 is displayed.

Thereafter, the carrier 9 that has reached the vicinity of the second conveying unit 320 is transferred to the conveying device 321 of the second conveying unit 320 by the auxiliary conveying device 312B of the first conveying unit 310. Therefore, the posture of the carrier 9 transferred to the conveying device 321 is changed from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture by the conveying device 321. In the dialog box BA2 of FIG. 7 , the state of the posture change of the carrier 9 in the conveying device 321 is schematically displayed.

As shown in the dialog box BA2 of FIG. 7 , the conveying device 321 includes a movable pedestal 322 and a carrier holder 323. The movable pedestal 322 is configured to be movable in the Y direction within the second conveying section 320. The carrier holder 323 is composed of a first holder 323a and a second holder 323b. The first holder 323a has a rectangular flat plate shape that can hold the lower end of the carrier 9 when it is in a horizontal position. In addition, the second holder 323b has a rectangular flat plate shape that can hold the lower end of the carrier 9 when it is in a vertical position.

The first holding portion 323a and the second holding portion 323b are connected in a manner that one side of the first holding portion 323a and one side of the second holding portion 323b are connected to each other and the two holding portions are orthogonal to each other. The movable pedestal 322 holds a portion of the carrier holder 323 in a manner that the first holding portion 323a and the second holding portion 323b are parallel to the Y direction and the carrier holder 323 can rotate around an axis extending in the Y direction.

The conveying device 321 further has a driving portion (not shown) that can adjust the rotation angle of the carrier holder 323 on the movable pedestal 322. Thereby, when receiving the carrier 9 in a horizontal position from the first conveying portion 310, the carrier holder 323 adjusts the rotation angle in a manner that the first holding portion 323a becomes horizontal and the second holding portion 323b becomes vertical. Thereafter, after receiving the carrier 9 in a horizontal position on the carrier holder 323, the carrier holder 323 adjusts the rotation angle in a manner that the first holding portion 323a becomes vertical and the second holding portion 323b becomes horizontal. Thereby, the posture of the carrier 9 is changed from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture.

The conveying device 321 further includes a driving unit (not shown) for moving the movable pedestal 322 in the Y direction on the second conveying unit 320. Thus, the carrier 9 maintained in a vertical position is conveyed in a vertical position in the +Y direction from a position near the first conveying unit 310 to a position near the processing unit 330.

Thereafter, the carrier 9 that has reached the vicinity of the processing section 330 is received from the conveying device 321 by the main conveying device 333C of the processing section 330. The carrier 9 received by the main conveying device 333C is conveyed to one or more liquid processing units 331 by the main conveying device 333C and other main conveying devices 333B and 333A, and is immersed in various processing liquids for a predetermined period of time while maintaining a lead-up posture. In this way, the plurality of substrates W stored in the carrier 9 are processed according to the immersed processing liquid. In the dialog box BA4 of FIG. 8 , the state of the carrier 9 conveyed by the main conveying devices 333A, 333B, and 333C of the processing section 330 is displayed.

As shown in the dialog box BA4 of FIG8 , each main transport device 333A, 333B, 333C includes a movable support column 333a and a pair of chuck components 333b. The movable support column 333a is movable in the X direction and movable in the Z direction (can be raised and lowered) and is disposed on the side (+Y direction side) of the plurality of liquid processing units 331. A pair of chuck components 333b is disposed in a manner extending from the upper end of the movable support column 333a to the upper side of the liquid processing unit 331. The pair of chuck components 333b is configured to clamp and maintain the carrier 9 in an upright position. Furthermore, each main transport device 333A, 333B, 333C has a driving unit (not shown) that can switch between holding the carrier 9 by a pair of chuck components 333b and releasing the carrier 9 from the pair of chuck components 333b. In this way, the carrier 9 is transferred between the plurality of main transport devices 333A, 333B, 333C and the plurality of liquid processing units 331.

Thereafter, the carrier 9 containing the plurality of substrates W treated by the treatment liquid is further transported to the drying unit 332 near the intermediate block 200. Thus, the carrier 9 and the plurality of substrates W in the carrier 9 are dried by the drying unit 332. As described above, the arrow a3 in the thick solid line in FIGS. 6 to 8 indicates a series of transport paths of the carrier 9 in the treatment block 300.

The carrier 9 containing the processed substrates W is transferred from the drying unit 332 to the carrier support 220 of the intermediate block 200 by the main transfer device 333A, and is supported by the carrier support 220. The thick dashed arrow a4 in FIG6 to FIG8 indicates the transfer path of the carrier 9 at this time.

Therefore, the posture of the carrier 9 transferred to the carrier support unit 220 is changed from the upright posture to the horizontal posture by the carrier support unit 220. In the dialog box BA1 of FIG. 7 , the state of the posture change of the carrier 9 in the carrier support unit 220 is schematically displayed.

As shown in the dialog box BA1 of FIG. 7 , the carrier support part 220 includes a fixed base 211 fixed in the relay block 200 and a carrier holder 212. The carrier holder 212 is composed of a first holder 212a and a second holder 212b. The first holder 212a has a rectangular flat plate shape that can hold the lower end of the carrier 9 in a horizontal position. In addition, the second holder 212b has a rectangular flat plate shape that can hold the lower end of the carrier 9 in a vertical position.

The first holding portion 212a and the second holding portion 212b are connected in a manner that one side of the first holding portion 212a and one side of the second holding portion 212b are connected to each other and the two holding portions are orthogonal to each other. The fixed base 211 holds a portion of the carrier holder 212 in a manner that the first holding portion 212a and the second holding portion 212b are parallel to the Y direction and the carrier holder 212 can rotate around an axis extending in the Y direction.

The carrier support portion 220 further has an unillustrated driving portion that can adjust the rotation angle of the carrier holder 212 on the fixed base 211. Thereby, when the carrier 9 in a lead-up position is received from the drying unit 332, the carrier holder 212 adjusts the rotation angle in a manner that the second holding portion 212b becomes horizontal and the first holding portion 212a becomes lead-up. Thereafter, after the carrier 9 in a lead-up position is received on the carrier holder 212, the carrier holder 212 adjusts the rotation angle in a manner that the second holding portion 212b becomes lead-up and the first holding portion 212a becomes horizontal. Thereby, the posture of the carrier 9 is changed from the lead-up position to the horizontal posture. At this time, the substrate inlet and outlet 12 (Figure 5) of the carrier 9 is facing the -X direction.

When the carrier 9 containing the plurality of substrates W is supported in a horizontal position on the carrier support portion 220, an empty wafer transfer box 8 is placed on the switch 130 of the substrate loading and unloading block 100. Furthermore, the cover of the wafer transfer box 8 is opened. In this state, the substrate transfer robot 150 takes out the processed plurality of substrates W from the carrier 9 and inserts them into the wafer transfer box 8 on the switch 130. The arrow a5 with a thick dashed line in Figures 6 to 8 indicates the transfer path of the plurality of substrates W at this time.

Thereafter, the wafer cassette 8 containing the processed plurality of substrates W has its lid closed, is held by the wafer cassette transfer device 112, and is placed on any one of the plurality of wafer cassette racks 110. Furthermore, the wafer cassette 8 is transferred to the wafer cassette placement section 190 by the wafer cassette transfer device 111, and is unloaded from the substrate processing device 1. On the other hand, the empty carrier 9 in the carrier support section 220 is changed from a horizontal position to a vertical position by the carrier support section 220. The empty carrier 9 in the carrier support section 220 that has been restored to a vertical position is transferred by the main transfer device 333A and is received by the second standby section 240.

In this embodiment, the empty carrier 9 received from the carrier support part 220 by the second standby part 240 is kept in an upright position and is transported to the carrier cleaning unit 420 by the cleaning transport device 410 of the cleaning block 400. The thick dot-link arrow c1 in FIG6 indicates the transport path of the carrier 9 at this time.

In the carrier cleaning unit 420, the carrier 9 is transported between the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, the carrier drying section 422, and the plurality of carrier standby sections 423 by the cleaning and transporting device 410. In this way, the used carrier 9 is cleaned and dried. Furthermore, the cleaned and dried carrier 9 is stored in any one of the plurality of carrier standby sections 423. In the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, the carrier drying section 422, and the plurality of carrier standby sections 423, the upright posture of the carrier 9 is maintained.

Assume that a series of processes are performed on a plurality of unprocessed substrates W newly stored in other wafer cassettes 8. In this case, the cleaned carrier 9 stored in the carrier standby section 423 of the cleaning block 400 is used as a new carrier 9 and is transported from the carrier cleaning unit 420 to the second standby section 240 by the cleaning transport device 410. The thick dot-link arrow c2 in FIG. 6 indicates the transport path of the new carrier 9 at this time.

The new carrier 9 transferred to the second standby section 240 maintains a vertical posture, and is transferred to the first standby section 230 by the standby transfer device 250, and is supported by the first standby section 230. The arrow b1 of the thicker two-point chain in FIG6 indicates the conveying path of the new carrier 9 at this time. The first standby section 230 transfers the new carrier 9 supported by the first standby section 230 to the carrier support section 210. Therefore, the posture of the new carrier 9 transferred to the carrier support section 210 is changed from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture by the carrier support section 210. As described above, the two carrier support sections 210 and 220 in the relay block 200 have the same structure. Thereby, in the carrier support part 210, as shown in the dialog box BA1 of Fig. 7, the posture of the new carrier 9 is changed. Thereafter, a plurality of unprocessed substrates W newly stored in other wafer cassettes 8 are inserted into the new carrier 9 in the horizontal posture.

The new carrier 9 storing the unprocessed plurality of substrates W is transported along a transport path indicated by a series of arrows a2, a3, and a4 shown in Fig. 6 to Fig. 8. Thus, the plurality of substrates W stored in the new carrier 9 are subjected to a series of processes.

<4> Effects (1) In the above-mentioned substrate processing device 1, the third end TA3 and the fourth end TA4 of the processing section 330 are separated by the plurality of processing tanks 331a of the plurality of liquid processing units 331. Thus, the structure for carrying the carrier 9 into the fourth end TA4 of the processing section 330 and the structure for carrying the carrier 9 out of the third end TA3 of the processing section 330 are not arranged close to each other. Furthermore, a maintenance space MS1 is formed in a manner adjacent to the processing section 330 in which the plurality of processing tanks 331a are arranged. Therefore, a sufficiently large maintenance space is ensured for each part of the substrate processing device 1. Furthermore, according to the above-mentioned structure, the first conveying unit 310 for conveying the carrier 9 to the fourth end TA4 of the processing unit 330 is not disposed at a position deviated from the processing unit 330 and the maintenance spaces MS1 and MS2 in a plan view.

As a result, the footprint expansion can be suppressed and the maintenance workability of each part of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be improved.

(2) In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 8, the first conveying unit 310 is located at a position separated from the processing unit 330 in the -Y direction and above the maintenance space MS1. Furthermore, the first conveying unit 310 is located above the plurality of processing tanks 331a of the processing unit 330. Generally speaking, a clean downward airflow (downflow) is formed in the clean room where the substrate processing apparatus 1 is installed. Thereby, particles generated in the maintenance space MS1 and the plurality of processing tanks 331a are prevented from being attached to the plurality of substrates W in the carrier 9 transported in the first conveying unit 310.

(3) In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the first conveyor 310 overlaps with the maintenance space MS1 in a plan view, and does not overlap with the processing section 330 in a plan view. Thus, the space above the maintenance space MS1 can be effectively utilized. In addition, since the first conveyor 310 is not provided above the processing section 330, the degree of freedom in designing the processing section 330 in the height direction is not limited by the first conveyor 310.

(4) In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the carrier 9 used for processing a plurality of substrates W is cleaned by the carrier cleaning unit 420. The carrier 9 cleaned by the carrier cleaning unit 420 is used for processing a new plurality of substrates W. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare an excess of carriers 9 for processing a plurality of substrates W.

(5) The vertical dimension of the first conveying unit 310 is determined according to the vertical dimension (height) of the carrier 9 to be conveyed. In the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus 1, the vertical dimension (height) of the carrier 9 in a horizontal position is smaller than the vertical dimension (height) of the carrier 9 in a vertical position. In addition, in the first conveying unit 310, the carrier 9 is conveyed in a horizontal position. Therefore, the vertical dimension of the first conveying unit 310 can be reduced compared to when the carrier 9 is conveyed in a vertical position. Thereby, even when the dimension of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the vertical direction is limited, the dimension of the first conveying unit 310 in the vertical direction is reduced, so that a maintenance space MS1 with a sufficient height is formed below the first conveying unit 310 .

<5> Other implementation forms (1) In the substrate processing device 1 of the above-mentioned implementation form, the first conveyor 310 is disposed above the maintenance space MS1, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first conveyor 310 may also be disposed below the maintenance space MS1 instead of above the maintenance space MS1. For example, a part of the components of the substrate processing device 1 and the maintenance space MS1 may be disposed above a prescribed installation surface, and other components including the first conveyor 310 may be disposed below the installation surface.

Alternatively, the first conveying unit 310 may be disposed so that at least a portion overlaps with the processing unit 330 in a plan view. That is, the first conveying unit 310 may be disposed so that at least a portion is located above or below the processing unit 330.

(2) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the frame members 10a and 10b of the carrier 9 in the lead-up position are maintained parallel to the lead-up direction, but the frame members 10a and 10b of the carrier 9 in the lead-up position may be maintained substantially parallel to the lead-up direction. That is, the carrier 9 in the lead-up position only needs to be able to keep the plurality of substrates W stored therein parallel or substantially parallel to the lead-up direction.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the frame members 10a and 10b of the carrier 9 in the horizontal position are maintained perpendicular to the vertical direction, but the frame members 10a and 10b of the carrier 9 in the horizontal position may be maintained substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction. That is, the carrier 9 in the horizontal position only needs to keep the plurality of substrates W stored therein parallel or substantially parallel to the horizontal direction.

(3) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, the maintenance space MS1 is formed to be adjacent to all of the plurality of processing tanks 331a of the processing section 330 in the Y direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The maintenance space MS1 may also be formed to be adjacent to a portion of the plurality of processing tanks 331a of the processing section 330 in the Y direction.

(4) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, a cleaning block 400 is provided for cleaning the carrier 9 used for processing a plurality of substrates W, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The cleaning block 400 may not be provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1. In this case, the carrier 9 used after the plurality of substrates W have been taken out of the carrier support portion 220 of the relay block 200 may be transported to the carrier support portion 210 without being cleaned. Alternatively, the carrier 9 used may be taken out of the substrate processing apparatus 1 without being cleaned and discarded.

(5) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, the carrier support unit 210 and the first standby unit 230 are separately provided in the relay block 200, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the case where the first standby unit 230 can be provided with a function of changing the posture of the carrier 9, the carrier support unit 210 may not be provided.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, the carrier support unit 220 and the second standby unit 240 are separately provided in the relay block 200, but the present invention is not limited thereto. When the second standby unit 240 can be provided with a function of changing the posture of the carrier 9, the carrier support unit 220 may not be provided.

(6) In the second conveying section 320 of the processing block 300 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the conveying device 321 has the function of changing the posture of the carrier 9 and has the function of conveying the carrier 9, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the second conveying section 320, a component having the function of changing the posture of the carrier 9 and a component having the function of conveying the carrier 9 may be separately provided instead of the above-mentioned conveying device 321.

(7) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the substrate W to be processed has a rectangular shape in a plan view, but the substrate to be processed may also have a circular shape in a plan view, or may have a polygonal shape other than a quadrilateral such as a triangle or pentagon in a plan view.

(8) The carrier 9 of the above-mentioned embodiment supports both sides of the rectangular substrate W when the rectangular substrate W is stored in a horizontal position, but the present invention is not limited to this. The carrier 9 may also be configured to support the central portion of the substrate W in a horizontal position.

(9) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, a processing liquid for cleaning the substrate W is stored in the plurality of processing tanks 331a of the processing section 330, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A coating liquid for coating the substrate W or a liquid for modifying the surface state of the substrate W may be stored as the processing liquid in at least a portion of the plurality of processing tanks 331a of the processing section 330. Thus, the above-mentioned embodiment is an example of applying the present invention to a cleaning process of a plurality of substrates W, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may also be applied to other processes such as a coating process or a surface modification process of a plurality of substrates W.

(10) In the carrier 9 of the above-mentioned embodiment, four openings 13 are formed in the central portion of each of the frame members 10a and 10b, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of openings 13 in the central portion of each of the frame members 10a and 10b is not limited to four, and one, two, three, five, or other number of openings 13 may be formed. Alternatively, the opening 13 may not be formed in the central portion of each of the frame members 10a and 10b. Furthermore, the shapes of the frame members 10a and 10b may be appropriately designed and changed.

(11) In each of the main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C of the above-mentioned embodiments, the pair of chuck members 333b holds the carrier 9 by clamping the carrier 9 in the X direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The pair of chuck members 333b may hold the carrier 9 by clamping the carrier 9 in the Y direction, or may hold the carrier 9 by clamping the carrier 9 in a direction intersecting the X direction and the Y direction in a horizontal plane.

<6> Correspondence between the constituent elements of the technical solution and the elements of the implementation form Below, the correspondence between the constituent elements of the technical solution and the elements of the implementation form is described, but the present invention is not limited to the following example. As the constituent elements of the technical solution, various other elements having the structure or function described in the technical solution can also be used.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the substrate carrying-in/out block 100 and the relay block 200 are examples of a substrate carrying-in/out unit, the +X direction is an example of a first direction, the first conveying unit 310 is an example of a conveying unit, the processing unit 330 is an example of a processing unit, the first end TA1 of the first conveying unit 310 is an example of a first end, and the second end TA2 of the first conveying unit 310 is an example of a second end.

Furthermore, the third end TA3 of the processing section 330 is an example of the third end, the fourth end TA4 of the processing section 330 is an example of the fourth end, the multiple processing tanks 331a of the multiple liquid processing units 331 are an example of the multiple processing tanks, the -X direction is an example of the second direction, the Y direction is an example of the third direction, and the maintenance space MS1 is an example of the maintenance space.

Furthermore, the substrate processing device 1 is an example of a substrate processing device, the conveying device 321 is an example of a first conveying device, the group of constituent elements including the opener 120, the substrate transfer robot 140, the carrier support part 210 and the first standby part 230 is an example of a substrate insertion part, the group of constituent elements including the opener 130, the substrate transfer robot 150, the carrier support part 220 and the second standby part 240 is an example of a substrate removal part, the standby conveying device 250 is an example of a second conveying device, and the carrier cleaning unit 420 is an example of a carrier cleaning part.

1: Substrate processing device 8: Wafer cassette 9: Carrier 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d: Frame member 11: Support plate 12: Substrate inlet and outlet 13: Opening 100: Substrate loading and unloading area 101: End surface 102: One side surface 103: Other side surface 110: Wafer cassette rack 111, 112: Wafer cassette transport device 120, 130: Opener 140, 150: Substrate transfer robot 160: Control unit 190: Wafer cassette loading unit 200: Intermediate block 210, 220: Carrier support unit 211: Fixed pedestal 212: Carrier holder 212a: 1st holding section 212b: 2nd holding section 230: 1st standby section 240: 2nd standby section 250: Standby conveyor 300: Processing block 310: 1st conveyor 311: Main conveyor 311a: Movable stage 311b: Guide rail 312A, 312B: Sub-conveying device 320: 2nd conveyor 321: Conveying device 322: Movable pedestal 323: Carrier holder 323a: 1st holding section 323b: 2nd holding section 330: Processing section 331: Liquid processing unit 331a: Processing tank 331b: Elevator 332: Drying unit 333a: Movable support column 333A, 333B, 333C: Main transport device 333b: Chuck member 400: Cleaning block 410: Cleaning transport device 420: Carrier cleaning unit 421: Carrier cleaning tank 422: Carrier drying section 423: Carrier standby section a1~a5, b1, c1, c2: Arrows BA1, BA2, BA3, BA4: Dialog box MS1, MS2: Maintenance space pr: Protrusion TA1: 1st end TA2: 2nd end TA3: 3rd end TA4: 4th end W: Substrate WP: Worker

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view showing the basic structure of a substrate processing device of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the substrate processing device at line A-A of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a top view of a carrier used in the substrate processing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a side view of the carrier of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the carrier at line B-B of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram for illustrating the transport path of multiple substrates and carriers in the substrate processing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram for illustrating the transport path of multiple substrates and carriers in the substrate processing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a diagram for illustrating the transport path of multiple substrates and carriers in the substrate processing device of FIG. 1.

1: Substrate processing equipment

8: Wafer transfer box

9: Carrier

100: Substrate loading and unloading area

101: End face

102: One side of the face

103: The other side of the face

110: Wafer transfer box rack

111,112: Wafer transfer box transport device

120,130: switch

140,150: Substrate transfer robot

190: Wafer transfer box loading unit

200: Relay block

210,220: Carrier support department

230: 1st standby unit

240: Second standby unit

250: Standby transport device

300: Processing block

310: 1st transport section

311: Main transport device

311a: Movable platform

311b:Guide rails

312A, 312B: Auxiliary conveyor device

320: Second transport section

321: Transport device

330: Processing Department

331:Liquid handling unit

331a: Processing tank

331b: Elevator

332: Drying unit

333A, 333B, 333C: Main transport device

400: Washing area

410: Cleaning and conveying device

420: Carrier cleaning unit

421: Carrier cleaning tank

422: Carrier drying section

423: Carrier standby unit

MS1,MS2: Maintenance space

TA1: End 1

TA2: End 2

TA3: End 3

TA4: End 4

Claims (9)

A substrate processing device, which comprises: a substrate carrying-in and carrying-out section, which is configured to carry in a plurality of substrates and carry out the plurality of substrates; and a carrying section and a processing section, which are arranged in a manner extending in parallel from the substrate carrying-in and carrying-out section toward a first direction; and the substrate carrying-in and carrying-out section has: a wafer transfer box loading section, which carries a wafer transfer box, the wafer transfer box storing the plurality of substrates carried into the substrate carrying-in and carrying-out section from outside the substrate processing device; and a carrier supporting section, which supports a carrier, the carrier storing the plurality of substrates taken out from the wafer transfer box; the carrying section has a first end and a second end sequentially arranged in the first direction, and is configured to carry the carrier from the first end to the second end in the first direction; the processing section has a third end sequentially arranged in the first direction. The conveyor has a first end and a fourth end, and has a plurality of processing tanks disposed between the third end and the fourth end, and is configured to carry out a preset treatment on the plurality of substrates stored in the carrier by carrying the carrier transported to the second end in a second direction opposite to the first direction from the fourth end toward the third end, and immersing the transported carrier in at least one of the plurality of processing liquids stored in the plurality of processing tanks, and transferring the processed plurality of substrates to the substrate loading and unloading section; a maintenance space for the processing section is formed by being adjacent to at least a portion of the processing section in a third direction intersecting the first and second directions in a plan view; the conveyor overlaps with at least a portion of the processing section and the maintenance space in a plan view. A substrate processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit allows the carrier to move in the second direction and restricts the carrier from moving in the first direction. The substrate processing device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the maintenance space is formed adjacent to the plurality of processing tanks; the transfer unit is disposed at a position higher than the maintenance space and the plurality of processing tanks. A substrate processing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the transport unit overlaps with at least a portion of the maintenance space when viewed from above, and does not overlap with the processing unit when viewed from above. The substrate processing device of claim 1 or 2 further comprises: a carrier cleaning section, which cleans the empty carriers of the plurality of substrates processed by the processing section. The substrate processing device of claim 1 or 2 further comprises: a first conveying device that conveys the carrier from the second end of the conveying section to the fourth end of the processing section. The substrate processing device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the substrate loading and unloading section includes: a substrate insertion section, which is arranged adjacent to the first end of the conveying section, and inserts the unprocessed plurality of substrates loaded into the substrate loading and unloading section into the empty carrier. The substrate processing device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the substrate loading and unloading section comprises: a substrate unloading section, which is arranged adjacent to the third end of the processing section and is used to unload the processed plurality of substrates stored in the carrier transferred from the processing section from the substrate loading and unloading section; and a second transport device, which transports the empty carrier after the plurality of substrates are unloaded from the substrate unloading section to the substrate insertion section. A substrate processing device, comprising: a substrate loading and unloading section, which is configured to load a plurality of substrates and unload the plurality of substrates; a conveying section and a processing section, which are arranged in a manner extending in parallel from the substrate loading and unloading section toward a first direction; and a first conveying device; wherein the conveying section has a first end and a second end arranged in sequence in the first direction, and is configured to convey a carrier containing the plurality of substrates loaded into the substrate loading and unloading section from the first end to the second end in the first direction; The processing section has a third end and a fourth end arranged in sequence in the first direction, and has a plurality of processing tanks disposed between the third end and the fourth end, and is configured to perform a preset processing on the plurality of substrates stored in the carrier by transporting the carrier transported to the second end in a second direction opposite to the first direction from the fourth end toward the third end, and immersing the transported carrier in at least one of a plurality of processing liquids stored in the plurality of processing tanks. , and transfer the processed plurality of substrates to the substrate loading and unloading section; in a plan view, the maintenance space for the processing section is formed in a manner that the processing section is adjacent to at least a portion of the processing section in a third direction intersecting the first and second directions; the conveying section overlaps with at least a portion of the processing section and the maintenance space in a plan view; the first conveying device conveys the carrier from the second end of the conveying section to the fourth end of the processing section; and the substrate loading and unloading section includes: a substrate insertion section, which is The first end of the conveying section is provided adjacent to the first end of the conveying section, and the unprocessed plurality of substrates transported into the substrate transporting section are inserted into the empty carrier; the substrate taking-out section is provided adjacent to the third end of the processing section, and is used to take out the processed plurality of substrates stored in the carrier transferred from the processing section from the substrate transporting section; and the second conveying device transports the empty carrier after taking out the plurality of substrates from the substrate taking-out section to the substrate inserting section.