WO2012056985A1

WO2012056985A1 - Substrate transfer device and substrate processing system provided with same

Info

Publication number: WO2012056985A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/074137
Authority: WO
Inventors: 哲也中林
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2010-10-27
Filing date: 2011-10-20
Publication date: 2012-05-03

Abstract

A substrate transfer device is provided with: a robot hand (21) that has a multiple support sections (22) positioned in parallel to each other, and is capable of supporting substrates by being inserted below the substrates; a robot hand raising/lowering mechanism for raising and lowering the robot hand (21); and an ion transmission unit that generates positive ions and/or negative ions, and transmits the generated positive ions and/or negative ions on an air stream. The support sections (22) are provided with discharge holes (25b) for directly blowing the air current containing the positive ions and/or the negative ions transmitted by the ion transmission unit toward the area positioned between adjacent support sections (22), which support the substrates, when the substrates are being supported by the robot hand (21).

Description

Substrate transfer apparatus and substrate processing system provided with the same

The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus that transfers a substrate using a robot hand, and also relates to a substrate processing system including the substrate transfer apparatus and a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses.

In the manufacturing process of liquid crystal panels, solar cell modules, semiconductor devices, etc., various types of substrate processing apparatuses are applied to substrates in order to perform various types of processing on substrates (glass substrates, semiconductor substrates, etc.) that are workpieces. Are used sequentially. Usually, a substrate transfer apparatus equipped with a robot hand is used for loading and unloading a substrate to and from the substrate processing apparatus, and the substrate can be lifted off, lifted on, transferred, etc. using the robot hand equipped in the substrate transfer apparatus. As a result, the substrate is carried into and out of the substrate processing apparatus. In recent years, from the viewpoint of simplification and downsizing of manufacturing equipment, a substrate processing system configured to cover and carry in and out of a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses with a single substrate transfer apparatus has become common. It's getting on.

Usually, when a substrate is transferred using a substrate transfer apparatus equipped with a robot hand, it is required to take measures to prevent the occurrence of electrostatic discharge (ESD). Electrostatic discharge is a physical phenomenon in which the charge accumulated in an object moves with other objects in a non-contact state, and generally occurs when a charged object is placed close to another object. Is.

When transferring a substrate using the robot hand described above, especially when the substrate is lifted off and when the substrate is lifted on, the stage provided in the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate are placed close to each other. Alternatively, electrostatic discharge may occur when both are charged. Here, when electrostatic discharge occurs, circuit components such as conductor patterns and insulating films formed on the substrate may be damaged or destroyed, and as a result, it is necessary for products after manufacture. The problem that electrical characteristics cannot be obtained arises. In particular, when the substrate is lifted off, a physical phenomenon called peeling charging is likely to occur, and this peeling charging causes a high potential difference between the substrate and the stage. Discharging occurs frequently.

As a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate transfer apparatus in which measures against the electrostatic discharge described above are taken, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-97121 (Patent Document 1), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-216228 (Patent Document 2), and -82732 (Patent Document 3) discloses the above.

In the substrate processing apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned JP-A-8-97121, a surface electrometer and an ionizer are arranged above a stage on which a substrate is placed, and the surface of the upper surface of the substrate placed on the stage The electric potential is detected using a surface electrometer, and the ionized gas is sprayed onto the upper surface of the substrate using an ionizer based on the detection result to neutralize the charge on the upper surface of the substrate, thereby eliminating the charge. Prevents electrostatic discharge from occurring during lift-off.

Further, in the substrate processing apparatus disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-216228, a surface electrometer is disposed above the stage on which the substrate is placed, and ionized gas is released to the stage. The surface potential of the upper surface of the substrate placed on the stage was detected using a surface potentiometer, and ionized toward the lower surface of the substrate through the discharge hole based on the detection result By discharging the gas, the charge on the lower surface of the substrate is neutralized and the charge is eliminated, thereby preventing electrostatic discharge from occurring when the substrate is lifted off.

Further, in the substrate transfer apparatus disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-82732, the robot hand provided in the substrate transfer apparatus is provided with a discharge hole for discharging ionized gas, and the robot hand Prior to supporting the substrate, the ionized gas is blown toward the substrate through the discharge hole to neutralize the charge on the surface of the substrate, thereby removing static electricity. This causes electrostatic discharge when the substrate is lifted off. To prevent that.

JP-A-8-97121 JP 2000-216228 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-82732

However, in the case of a substrate processing system including a substrate processing apparatus as disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-97121 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-216228, a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses used in the manufacturing process are used. It is necessary to provide a surface electrometer, ionizer, or discharge hole for discharging ionized gas in each of them, resulting in a problem that the manufacturing cost is greatly increased due to complicated and large manufacturing facilities. . In particular, in recent years, the size of the substrate has been dramatically increased, and a discharge hole for discharging the surface potential meter, ionizer, or ionized gas to each of a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses used in the manufacturing process. If it is decided to provide, the increase in manufacturing cost becomes very remarkable.

Further, in the substrate processing apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned JP-A-8-97121 and JP-A-2000-216228, a configuration in which a surface electrometer is disposed above the stage is adopted. The surface potential of the substrate detected by the electrometer is the surface potential of the upper surface of the substrate. However, since electrostatic discharge is a physical phenomenon that occurs due to a potential difference between the lower surface of the substrate and the stage surface that are opposed to each other, the surface potential of the lower surface of the substrate is not always accurately determined by adopting this configuration. Therefore, in order to prevent electrostatic discharge more reliably and effectively, the improvement is still necessary.

On the other hand, in the case of a substrate processing system including a substrate transfer apparatus as disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-82732, the robot hand is provided with a discharge hole for discharging ionized gas. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide each of a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses used in the manufacturing process with an ionizer or the like, and an advantage is obtained in that the apparatus configuration can be simplified. However, in the substrate transfer apparatus disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-82732, the location of the ionized gas sprayed onto the substrate is limited to the portion of the substrate facing the upper surface of the robot hand. There was a problem that a sufficient charge removal effect could not be obtained over the entire surface of the substrate, and as a result, the occurrence of electrostatic discharge could not be sufficiently prevented. In particular, in recent years, the size of the substrate has been greatly increased, and when the ionized gas sprayed portion on the substrate is limited to the portion of the substrate facing the upper surface of the robot hand as described above. Falls into a situation in which the charge eliminating effect is substantially not obtained.

Further, in the case of a substrate processing system including a substrate transfer apparatus as disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-82732, since the surface potential meter is not provided, the ionization to be sprayed on the substrate is performed. In other words, the amount of gas, polarity, and the like cannot be optimized, which may cause a problem of charging the substrate. In order to prevent this, as disclosed in the above-mentioned JP-A-8-97121 and JP-A-2000-216228, a surface electrometer is disposed above the stage of the substrate processing apparatus. It is conceivable to link the ionizer provided in the transfer apparatus, but in that case, it is necessary to separately provide a surface electrometer in each of a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses used in the manufacturing process. A problem that the manufacturing cost increases significantly as the manufacturing equipment becomes complicated or large-sized.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can prevent the electrostatic discharge more reliably and effectively, and can transfer the substrate that can simplify and downsize the manufacturing equipment. It is an object to provide a mounting apparatus and a substrate processing system including the same.

A substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention sequentially transfers a plurality of substrates by sequentially raising and lowering the plurality of substrates, and has a plurality of support portions positioned in parallel with each other, below the substrate. A robot hand that can support the substrate by being inserted into the robot hand, a robot hand lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the robot hand, and generating positive ions and / or negative ions, and generating the generated positive ions and / or negative ions And an ion sending part that sends the air on an air current. In the state where the substrate is supported by the robot hand, the support unit is configured to place an air flow including positive ions and / or negative ions sent by the ion sending unit between the support units adjacent to each other. A discharge hole is provided for direct spraying toward the portion to be performed.

In the substrate transfer device according to the present invention, the discharge hole is provided in an inclined manner in the support portion so as to face a portion located between the adjacent support portions of the supported substrate. Is preferred.

In the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention, the support portion may have an inclined surface that is continuous with an upper surface and a side surface. In that case, the discharge hole is provided in the inclined surface. It is preferable that

The substrate transfer device according to the present invention is provided in the robot hand, and is capable of detecting the surface potential of the lower surface of the substrate supported in a state where the substrate is supported by the robot hand; It is preferable to further include a control unit capable of variably adjusting the flow rate of the air flow sent out by controlling the drive of the unit. In that case, it is preferable that the control unit controls the driving of the ion sending unit based on information on the surface potential of the lower surface of the substrate detected by the surface potential detection unit.

In the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit can variably adjust the ascending speed and / or the descending speed of the substrate by controlling the driving of the robot hand lifting mechanism. . In that case, the one substrate generated when the control unit raises or / and lowers the one substrate detected by the surface potential detection unit at a predetermined ascent rate or / and descending rate. It is preferable to determine a rising speed and / or a lowering speed of another substrate of the same type to be subsequently raised or / and lowered based on a change in the surface potential of the lower surface of the substrate.

The substrate processing system based on this invention is equipped with the substrate transfer apparatus based on this invention mentioned above, and the several substrate processing apparatus for processing a board | substrate, The said substrate transfer apparatus is set to the said several substrate processing apparatus. It is comprised as a site | part for carrying in and carrying out a board | substrate sequentially.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while being able to prevent an electrostatic discharge more reliably and effectively, it can be set as the board | substrate transfer apparatus which can simplify and reduce a manufacturing facility, and can be set as a substrate processing system provided with the same. it can.

It is a top view which shows the outline | summary of the substrate processing system in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view of the robot hand of the substrate transfer apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic cross section of the support part of the robot hand shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the functional block of the board | substrate transfer apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the lift-off operation | movement of the board | substrate using the board | substrate transfer apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the lift-off operation | movement of the board | substrate using the board | substrate transfer apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the lift-off operation | movement of the board | substrate using the board | substrate transfer apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the control flow of the control part of the board | substrate transfer apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the change of the surface potential of the lower surface of a board | substrate at the time of lift-off. It is a schematic cross section of the support part of the robot hand of the board | substrate transfer apparatus which concerns on a modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments and modifications thereof, the same or common parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and description thereof will not be repeated individually.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a substrate processing system in an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the robot hand of the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a support portion of the robot hand shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a functional block configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. First, with reference to these FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 4, the structure of the substrate processing system in this Embodiment and the substrate transfer apparatus with which this is provided is demonstrated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 1 according to the present embodiment includes three substrate processing apparatuses including a first substrate processing apparatus 3, a second substrate processing apparatus 4, and a third substrate processing apparatus 5, and one substrate. The transfer apparatus 20 is mainly provided. Each of the first substrate processing apparatus 3, the second substrate processing apparatus 4, and the third substrate processing apparatus 5 is an apparatus for performing a predetermined process on the substrate 100 that is a workpiece. On the other hand, the substrate transfer apparatus 20 is an apparatus for sequentially carrying the substrates 100 in and out of the three substrate processing apparatuses.

In the substrate processing system 1 in the present embodiment, the substrate 100 accommodated in the substrate transport cassette 2 is carried into the first substrate processing apparatus 3 by the substrate transfer apparatus 20. The substrate 100 after being loaded into the first substrate processing apparatus 3 and subjected to a predetermined process is unloaded from the first substrate processing apparatus 3 by the substrate transfer apparatus 20 and loaded into the second substrate processing apparatus 4. Further, the substrate 100 after being loaded into the second substrate processing apparatus 4 and subjected to a predetermined process is unloaded from the second substrate processing apparatus 4 by the substrate transfer apparatus 20 and loaded into the third substrate processing apparatus 5. The Further, the substrate 100 after being loaded into the third substrate processing apparatus 5 and subjected to a predetermined process is unloaded from the third substrate processing apparatus 5 by the substrate transfer apparatus 20 and loaded into the substrate transport cassette 2. Here, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the plurality of substrates 100 accommodated in the substrate transport cassette 2 are sequentially transferred by the substrate transfer device 20, so that the plurality of substrates 100 are transferred. A series of processes are sequentially performed individually.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate transfer device 20 has a robot hand 21. The robot hand 21 is made of a fork-like member that can support the substrate 100 by being inserted below the substrate 100, and has a plurality of support portions 22 provided in parallel to each other (see FIG. 2). ). The robot hand 21 is supported by a robot hand drive mechanism 31 (see FIG. 4), which will be described later, so that the position thereof can be adjusted arbitrarily.

On the other hand, each of the first substrate processing apparatus 3, the second substrate processing apparatus 4 and the third substrate processing apparatus 5 has a stage 10 for placing the substrate 100 in the chamber. The stage 10 is a stage for supporting the substrate 100 while processing the substrate 100. Here, a plurality of groove portions 12 into which the support portion 22 of the robot hand 21 of the substrate transfer apparatus 20 can be inserted are provided in parallel on the mounting surface 11 (see FIGS. 5A to 5C) which is the upper surface of the stage 10. It has been.

Here, any of the first substrate processing apparatus 3, the second substrate processing apparatus 4, and the third substrate processing apparatus 5 may perform any processing on the substrate 100. For example, a heat treatment apparatus, a film forming apparatus, An exposure apparatus, a developing apparatus, a cleaning apparatus, an impurity introduction apparatus, and the like correspond to these.

In the present embodiment, the case where the substrate processing system includes three substrate processing apparatuses is illustrated, but the number of substrate processing apparatuses is not particularly limited, and at least one substrate processing system is provided. Preferably, two or more substrate processing apparatuses may be provided. Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the substrate processing system includes one substrate transfer device is illustrated, but the number of substrate transfer devices is not particularly limited, and the substrate processing system is not limited. Two or more substrate transfer apparatuses may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of suction pads 23 are provided on the upper surface of the support portion 22 of the robot hand 21, respectively. These suction pads 23 are members for stably sucking and holding the substrate 100 by the robot hand 21, and each suction pad 23 is a pump which will be described later via a communication path provided inside the robot hand 21. 32 (see FIG. 4). The suction pad 23 generates a negative pressure on the surface thereof when the pump 32 is driven, and sucks and holds the substrate 100 disposed on the support portion 22 using the negative pressure. As the suction pad 23, various types such as a general cylindrical suction pad, a bellows type suction pad, and a Bernoulli type suction pad can be used.

Further, a plurality of surface potential detection sensors 24 are provided on the upper surface of the support portion 22 of the robot hand 21. These surface potential detection sensors 24 correspond to a surface potential detection unit for detecting the surface potential of the lower surface 111 (see FIGS. 5A to 5C, etc.) of the substrate 100 supported by the robot hand 21. The detection directions of the sensors 24 are all arranged so as to face the robot hand 21. The surface potential detection sensors 24 are preferably laid out as evenly as possible on the upper surface of the robot hand 21 and supported by the robot hand 21 by the detection areas of the respective surface potential detection sensors 24. It is preferable that the entire lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 is covered.

Moreover, the support part 22 of the robot hand 21 is provided with a plurality of

discharge holes

25a and 25b, respectively. The plurality of discharge holes 25 a and 25 b are portions for spraying ionized gas toward the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 supported by the robot hand 21. Each of the discharge holes 25 a and 25 b is formed on the robot hand 21. It is connected to an ionizer 33 and a compressor 34 (see FIG. 4), which will be described later, through a ventilation path provided inside. The discharge holes 25a and 25b are directed toward the substrate 100 by discharging the ionized gas generated and sent out by driving the ionizer 33 and the compressor 34 from the discharge holes 25a and 25b to the outside. And spray.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the support portions 22 of the robot hand 21 includes an upper surface 22a, a pair of side surfaces 22b, and one of the upper surface 22a and the pair of side surfaces 22b. The upper surface 22a and a pair of inclined surfaces 22c that are continuous with the one side surface 22b. The plurality of discharge holes 25a described above are provided in the upper surface 22a, and the discharge holes 25a face the support portion 22 of the supported substrate 100 in a state where the substrate 100 is supported by the robot hand 21. The ionized gas is released vertically upward toward the portion to be moved. On the other hand, the plurality of discharge holes 25b described above are provided in the pair of inclined surfaces 22c, and the discharge holes 25b of the substrate 100 supported by the robot hand 21 are supported. A gas ionized obliquely upward is released toward a portion located between the adjacent support portions 22.

As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate transfer apparatus 20 includes a control unit 30 in addition to the robot hand 21, the suction pad 23 provided on the robot hand 21, the surface potential detection sensor 24, and the discharge holes 25 a and 25 b. And a robot hand drive mechanism 31, a pump 32, an ionizer 33, a compressor 34, and a storage unit 35. Here, the control unit 30 is a part for controlling the operation of the substrate transfer apparatus 20 as a whole by controlling the driving of each functional block included in the substrate transfer apparatus 20.

The robot hand drive mechanism 31 is a part for moving the robot hand 21 described above, and its drive is controlled by the control unit 30. Specifically, the robot hand drive mechanism 31 moves the robot hand 21 to an arbitrary position in the horizontal plane, and moves the robot hand 21 to an arbitrary position along the vertical direction. A robot hand raising / lowering mechanism capable of rotating the robot hand 21 and a robot hand turning mechanism capable of rotating the robot hand 21. Thereby, the robot hand drive mechanism 31 moves the robot hand 21 to an arbitrary position three-dimensionally in an arbitrary direction based on a control signal input from the control unit 30. The robot hand drive mechanism 31 is configured so that the control unit 30 can variably control the moving speed (including the ascending speed and / or the descending speed) of the robot hand 21 for each substrate to be transported. .

The pump 32 is a part for generating a negative pressure in the above-described suction pad 23, and its drive is controlled by the control unit 30. Specifically, the pump 32 is connected to the suction pad 23 via the communication path provided in the robot hand 21 described above. Here, an electromagnetic valve for maintaining negative pressure and an electromagnetic valve for exhaust (not shown) are disposed between the pump 32 and the suction pad 23, and these solenoid valves are operated by the control unit 30. Be controlled. The pump 32 opens the negative pressure maintaining electromagnetic valve and causes the pump 32 and the suction pad 23 to communicate with each other, thereby generating a negative pressure on the suction surface of the suction pad 23, whereby the substrate 100 is sucked. Further, the negative pressure maintaining electromagnetic valve is closed and the pump 32 and the suction pad 23 are not communicated with each other, so that the negative pressure is maintained and the state where the substrate 100 is sucked is maintained. On the other hand, when the exhaust solenoid valve is opened, the negative pressure generated on the suction surface of the suction pad 23 disappears, whereby the suction of the substrate 100 is released. Thereby, based on the control signal input from the control unit 30, the substrate 100 placed on the robot hand 21 is supported and released.

The ionizer 33 and the compressor 34 generate positive ions and / or negative ions, and send the generated positive ions or / and negative ions on an air stream, thereby sending positive ions or / and / or from the discharge holes 25a and 25b described above. It corresponds to an ion sending unit for releasing ionized gas containing negative ions, and the driving of each is controlled by the control unit 30. Specifically, the compressor 34 is connected to the discharge holes 25a and 25b via a ventilation path (for example, see the ventilation path 25c shown in FIG. 3) provided in the robot hand 21 described above. Here, an electromagnetic valve (not shown) is disposed between the compressor 34 and the discharge holes 25 a and 25 b, and the operation of the electromagnetic valve is controlled by the control unit 30.

The compressor 34 releases the compressed gas outward from the discharge holes 25a and 25b by opening the electromagnetic valve and communicating the compressor 34 with the discharge holes 25a and 25b. On the other hand, when the electromagnetic valve is closed and the compressor 34 and the discharge holes 25a and 25b are not communicated with each other, the discharge of the compressed gas from the discharge holes 25a and 25b is stopped. The ionizer 33 is provided in the middle of the above-described ventilation path, and generates positive ions and / or negative ions by driving. Thus, the ionized gas is released from the discharge holes 25a and 25b toward the substrate 100 based on the control signal input from the control unit 30, and the discharge is stopped, and the discharge is performed from the discharge holes 25a and 25b. The flow rate of the ionized gas and / or the amount of positive ions and / or negative ions contained in the ionized gas are variably adjusted. It is preferable that the ionizer 33 and the compressor 34 are always driven. If controlled in this way, the ionized gas can be immediately blown toward the substrate 100 immediately after the electromagnetic valve is opened. . In the state where the solenoid valve is closed, the ionizer 33 and the compressor 34 may be operated at a low speed.

If a dust-proof filter such as a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter) is attached to the intake port of the compressor 34, dust can be effectively prevented from entering the ventilation path and released. By including dust in the ionized gas discharged from the

holes

25a and 25b, it is possible to prevent the dust from adhering to the substrate 100 as a foreign substance.

The storage unit 35 is a part in which a program for causing the substrate transfer apparatus 20 to execute various operations is stored in advance, and the control unit 30 reads the program and controls each functional block based on the program. Thereby, the substrate transfer device 20 performs an operation according to the situation. In addition, the storage unit 35 temporarily stores information detected by the surface potential detection sensor 24 when the substrate 100 described later is lifted on and lifted off, or the ion sending unit of the substrate 100 when the substrate 100 is lifted on and lifted off. It is also a part for storing operating conditions and the rising speed or / and the lowering speed of the substrate 100.

The control unit 30 includes a calculation unit for performing various calculation processes based on information detected by the surface potential detection sensor 24, a determination unit for performing various determination processes based on calculation results in the calculation unit, and the like. It is out. In the calculation unit and the determination unit, for example, calculation processing and determination processing in a control flow shown in FIG.

As described above, the control unit 30 is electrically connected to each functional block, and controls the operation of the substrate transfer apparatus 20 as a whole. Specifically, as described above, the control unit 30 receives a signal output from the surface potential detection sensor 24, or includes a robot hand drive mechanism 31, a pump 32, an ionizer 33, a compressor 34, an electromagnetic valve (not shown), and the like. Generate and output various signals for driving, read and execute programs stored in the storage unit 35, and store various types of information in the storage unit 35, thereby transferring the substrate. 20 operations are controlled as a whole.

As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate transfer apparatus 20 further displays a map, histogram data, and the like indicating the operation state of the substrate transfer apparatus 20, the average tact during the substrate transfer, and the distribution of the charge amount in the substrate surface. Is further provided with a display unit 36 and an operation unit 37 for performing various operations such as surface potential specification setting. The display unit 36 and the operation unit 37 are both electrically connected to the control unit 30, the display operation of each is controlled by the control unit 30, user commands, information input by the user, and the like to the control unit 30. Or output.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams for explaining the lift-off operation of the substrate using the substrate transfer apparatus in the present embodiment. Next, a substrate lift-off operation using the substrate transfer apparatus in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C.

As shown in FIG. 5A, when the substrate 100 is placed on the stage 10, most of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 is in contact with the placement surface 11 of the stage 10. In this state, in order to lift off the substrate 100, the following procedure is employed.

First, as shown in FIG. 5B, the support portion 22 of the robot hand 21 is inserted into the groove portion 12 provided on the mounting surface 11 of the stage 10, and in this state, the electromagnetic valve connected to the pump 32 is opened. As a result, the substrate 100 is sucked and held by the suction pad 23, and the substrate 100 is stably supported by the robot hand 21.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, when the robot hand lifting mechanism is driven, the robot hand 21 is moved vertically upward along the arrow Z direction in the figure. As a result, the substrate 100 separates from the stage 10 and rises, and the substrate 100 is lifted off from the stage 10 in accordance with the operation.

At this time, charges are charged on the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 due to peeling charging, and accordingly, the charge charged on the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 on the mounting surface 11 of the stage 10. Charges of different polarities will be charged. At that time, when the charge amount of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 exceeds a certain value in relation to the distance between the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 and the mounting surface 11 of the stage 10 (that is, the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100). When the potential difference between the stage 10 and the mounting surface 11 of the stage 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined potential difference), electrostatic discharge will occur. Note that which of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 and the mounting surface 11 of the stage 10 is charged with a positive charge and which is charged with a negative charge depends on the ambient environmental conditions represented by the material of the stage and the like. It depends on.

Here, in the substrate transfer apparatus 20 in the present embodiment, as described above, the discharge hole 25a is formed on the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 of the robot hand 21, and the discharge hole is formed on each of the pair of inclined surfaces 22c. 25b are provided. Accordingly, when the substrate 100 is lifted off, before the lift-off operation or simultaneously with the lift-off operation, the release of the ionized gas from the discharge holes 25a and 25b is started, so that the portion facing the support portion 22 of the substrate 100 is The charge of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 in the portion is neutralized by the ionized gas mainly discharged from the discharge hole 25a, and the charge is neutralized. In the portion located between the adjacent support portions 22 of the substrate 100, the discharge is mainly performed. The ionized gas discharged from the hole 25b neutralizes the charge on the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 in the portion, and the charge is removed (see FIG. 3 and FIGS. 5A to 5C, etc. Note that in FIG. If the ionized gas contains both positive and negative ions It represents schematically).

At that time, when the robot hand 21 is raised, the ionized gas discharged from the discharge hole 25 b is discharged obliquely upward from the inclined surface 22 c of the support portion 22, whereby the placement surface of the stage 10. 11 enters the space between the stage 10 and the substrate 100 through a gap formed between the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 and flows along the gap, so that a portion located between the adjacent support portions 22 of the substrate 100 is directly applied. Be sprayed. Therefore, the released ionized gas reaches the region A which is a substantially central portion between the adjacent support portions 22 of the substrate 100 shown in FIG. 5C, and is effective over the entire lower surface 111 of the substrate 100. In this case, the charge is removed.

In addition, when the board | substrate 100 is a large sized board | substrate, a bending will arise in the part located between the adjacent support parts 22 of the board | substrate 100, and the said area | region A (refer FIG. 5C) of the board | substrate 100 mentioned above is the slowest. It will leave the stage 10. Here, the accumulation of electric charges on the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 is concentrated in the range of the portion that continues to contact the stage (finally, the region A) as the substrate 100 rises. It is likely to occur in the region A of the substrate 100 that is released from the stage 10 latest or in the vicinity thereof.

However, as described above, by adopting a configuration like the substrate transfer apparatus 20 in the present embodiment, until the substrate 100 is completely detached from the stage 10, the portion already detached from the stage 10 is used. While the ionized gas is sprayed, the ionized gas is also sprayed through a gap between the stage 10 and the substrate 100 even on a portion that has not yet separated from the stage 10. Therefore, the ionized gas sufficiently reaches the region A of the substrate 100, and the charge is surely removed even in the region A or in the vicinity thereof, so that the charge on the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 is accumulated. As a whole, it becomes possible to greatly suppress.

As described above, by using the substrate transfer apparatus 20 and the substrate processing system 1 including the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present embodiment, it is possible to effectively neutralize the entire surface of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 when the substrate 100 is lifted off. Therefore, electrostatic discharge can be prevented more reliably and effectively.

Further, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the present embodiment described above, the substrate transfer apparatus 20 is provided with a plurality of surface potential detection sensors 24 as surface potential detection units. There is no need to provide these separately, and the apparatus configuration can be greatly simplified and downsized. Therefore, by using the substrate processing system 1 in the present embodiment, the manufacturing equipment is not complicated and enlarged, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Here, although the charge amount and the polarity of the charge on the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 vary depending on the type of processing performed in the substrate processing apparatus in which the stage 10 is installed, the shape, size, composition, etc. of the substrate 100, As long as the same type of substrate (substrate having the same shape, size, composition, etc.) is processed in one substrate processing apparatus, the same is obtained. Therefore, in the substrate processing system 1 as in the present embodiment, the charge amount and the polarity of charges generated on the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 when the substrate 100 is lifted off are different for each of a plurality of different types of substrate processing apparatuses ( That is, it becomes the same for every 1st substrate processing apparatus 3, the 2nd substrate processing apparatus 4, and the 3rd substrate processing apparatus 5.

On the other hand, it is known that the rising speed of the substrate 100 is deeply related to whether or not electrostatic discharge occurs. As described above, whether or not electrostatic discharge occurs depends on the distance between the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 and the mounting surface 11 of the stage 10 and the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 and the mounting surface 11 of the stage 10 at the distance. And the potential difference between the two. Here, the relationship between the distance and the potential difference is related to the rising speed of the substrate 100, and when the rising speed of the substrate 100 is set relatively high, the potential difference that changes as the substrate 100 moves increases extremely. In other words, when the rising speed of the substrate 100 is set to be relatively slow, an increase in the potential difference that changes with the movement of the substrate 100 can be suppressed.

In light of this point of view, if the rising speed of the substrate 100 is sufficiently slowed, the occurrence of electrostatic discharge can be surely prevented, but on the other hand, the tact required for lift-off becomes longer than necessary, and production This will cause a significant decrease in efficiency. In view of this, in the substrate processing system 1 and the substrate transfer apparatus 20 included in the substrate processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the control described later is performed to prevent the production efficiency from being lowered while preventing the occurrence of electrostatic discharge. Yes. Hereinafter, this point will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a control flow of the control unit of the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating changes in the surface potential of the lower surface of the substrate during lift-off. The control flow shown in FIG. 6 shows only specific control related to the lift-off operation performed by the control unit for one substrate processing apparatus and is shown as a control flow.

In the present embodiment, the surface potential detection sensor 24 is provided in the substrate transfer device 20, and electrostatic discharge is generated between the substrate 100 and the stage 10 in the control unit 30 based on the output of the surface potential detection sensor 24 at the time of lift-off. Based on the determination result, the controller 30 determines the subsequent rising speed of the other substrate 100 of the same type, thereby preventing the occurrence of electrostatic discharge and improving the production efficiency. We are trying to prevent the decline.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 30 first reads the ascending speed stored in the storage unit 35, and sets this as the ascending speed of the substrate in the first lift-off operation (step S1). Here, the rising speed stored in advance in the storage unit 35 is preferably a slightly higher speed than the speed at which electrostatic discharge is determined to occur empirically.

Next, the control unit 30 determines whether there is a substrate to be lifted off (step S2). When it is determined that there is a substrate to be lifted off (in the case of YES in step S2), the control unit 30 proceeds to step S3 described later. When it is determined that there is no substrate to be lifted off (NO in step S2), the series of operations is terminated. Whether or not there is a substrate to be lifted off can be detected by using a substrate detection sensor or the like provided at an appropriate position.

In step S3, the control unit 30 performs a lift-off operation by driving the robot hand lifting mechanism. At that time, the control unit 30 raises the substrate 100 at the set ascending speed, acquires information input from the surface potential detection sensor 24 described above, and temporarily stores it in the storage unit 35 as time-series data. Remember.

At this time, the control unit 30 controls the driving of the ionizer 33 and the compressor 34 which are ion delivery units based on the information input from the surface potential detection sensor 24, and the solenoid valve connected to the ionizer 33 and the compressor 34 is controlled. To optimize the flow rate of ionized gas discharged from the discharge holes 25a and 25b by controlling the drive and / or variably adjusting the amount of positive ions and / or negative ions contained in the ionized gas. It is good. By doing so, it becomes possible to neutralize the charge on the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 and eliminate the charge more reliably.

Next, the control unit 30 reads the time-series data temporarily stored in the storage unit 35 at the time when the lift-off operation is completed, and whether there was an electrostatic discharge at the time of lift-off based on the read time-series data. It is determined whether or not (step S4). As a determination method of the control unit 30 at that time, for example, the following method can be used.

As shown in FIG. 6, when there is electrostatic discharge, the surface potential of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 greatly increases from the lift-off start time t0 of the substrate 100 to the time t1 _A when the electrostatic discharge occurs, during subsequent to lift-off the end time t2 _a, the surface potential of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 is lowered. Here, after time t1 _A when the electrostatic discharge has occurred, a characteristic change is seen in which the surface potential of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 drops significantly in a very short time thereafter. This is because charge transfer occurs between the substrate 100 and the stage 10 due to the occurrence of electrostatic discharge. The decrease in the surface potential is caused by the subsequent decrease in the surface potential and the decrease rate (change rate). It can be distinguished sufficiently.

On the other hand, when the electrostatic discharge was not, during the lift-off start time t0 of the substrate 100 to lift off the end time t2 _B, the surface potential of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100, gently as compared with the case where there is electrostatic discharge It rises and then falls gently. Here, immediately after the peak of the surface potential of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 (time t1 _B ), the above-described characteristic change of the surface potential as in the case of electrostatic discharge is not observed, and the decrease There is no sudden change in rate (rate of change).

Therefore, the control unit 30 calculates the reduction rate (change rate) by differentiating the time series data acquired by using the plurality of surface potential detection sensors 24 with respect to time, and the predetermined reduction rate (change rate) is obtained. Whether there was electrostatic discharge during lift-off by performing arithmetic processing and comparison processing such as comparing the threshold (the threshold may be set empirically) and the actually calculated decrease rate (change rate) It becomes possible to determine whether or not. In general, electrostatic discharge often occurs locally, and in the above determination, all the time-series data acquired by the plurality of surface potential detection sensors 24 are determined, and one of them is selected. It may be determined that there has been electrostatic discharge when data indicating that there has been electrostatic discharge is included.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, when it is determined in step S4 that there has been electrostatic discharge (in the case of YES in step S4), the control unit 30 resets the substrate rising speed in the lift-off operation ( Step S5). In that case, the control part 30 memorize | stores the reset ascending speed in the memory | storage part 35, and returns to step S2 after that. Here, the rising speed of the substrate to be reset may be a speed slower than the rising speed of the substrate in the previous lift-off operation, for example, 90% of the rising speed of the substrate in the previous lift-off operation, How late the resetting may be determined as appropriate. The deceleration of the ascending speed is determined by a program stored in the storage unit 35, and can be freely set by appropriately changing the program.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S4 that there is no electrostatic discharge (NO in step S4), control unit 30 does not reset the substrate rising speed in the lift-off operation, and does not reset the substrate in the previous lift-off operation. The rising speed is maintained (step S6), and then the process returns to step S2.

By using the control flow described above, the control unit 30 maintains the substrate rising speed reset in step S5 or maintained in step S6 in the second and subsequent lift-off operations (step S3) except for the first time. Any one of the rising speeds of the substrate is read from the storage unit 35, and this is set as the rising speed of the substrate in the lift-off operation.

By adopting the control flow described above, the control unit 30 causes the lower surface of the one substrate to be generated when the one substrate is raised at a predetermined rising speed, which is detected by the surface potential detection sensor 24. Based on the change in surface potential, the rising speed of another substrate of the same type to be subsequently raised is determined. More specifically, the control unit 30 is based on a change in the surface potential of the lower surface of the one substrate that is detected when the one substrate is raised at a predetermined rising speed, which is detected by the surface potential detection sensor 24. In the meantime, the presence or absence of electrostatic discharge is determined. When it is determined that there is electrostatic discharge, the rising speed of another substrate of the same type to be raised next is reduced, and when it is determined that there is no electrostatic discharge, the next increase Control is performed so that the rising speed of another substrate of the same type to be maintained is maintained at the predetermined rising speed.

Therefore, in the case where the plurality of substrates 100 are lifted off sequentially, the first several substrates may be electrostatically discharged, but the substrates that are subsequently lifted off may be within a range in which electrostatic discharge does not occur and electrostatic discharge does not occur. The substrate can be lifted off as fast as possible. Therefore, by employing the substrate processing system 1 and the substrate transfer apparatus 20 provided in the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the tact required for lift-off while minimizing the deterioration of the yield. Thus, a substrate transfer apparatus and a substrate processing system including the substrate transfer apparatus that can more reliably and effectively prevent electrostatic discharge can be provided.

In addition, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the present embodiment described above, the control unit 30 variably adjusts the rising speed of the substrate 100 individually for each of the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses included in the substrate processing system 1. Therefore, it is possible to perform processing while optimizing the rising speed of the substrate 100 for each of the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses. Further, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the present embodiment described above, it is possible to variably adjust the rising speed of the substrate 100 individually for each of the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses as described above. If the substrate charge amount during the lift-off operation is assumed to be approximately the same for each of these substrate processing apparatuses, the substrate rising speed of one of the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses is adjusted and optimized. The substrate ascending speed after the optimization may be applied to all the substrate processing apparatuses including other substrate processing apparatuses.

Note that various methods other than the above-described determination method can be applied to the specific determination method for determining whether or not there has been electrostatic discharge by the control unit 30, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, in the process of gradually decreasing the rising speed of the substrate 100, the peak value V _B of the surface potential of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 when it is first determined that there is no electrostatic discharge is a threshold value. As for other substrates of the same type that are adopted and then raised, the presence or absence of electrostatic discharge may be determined by comparing the peak value of the surface potential detected when the substrate is lifted off with the threshold value. In order to more reliably prevent the occurrence of electrostatic discharge, for example, 90% of the peak value V _B may be used as a threshold value in order to provide a margin. In some cases, it is assumed that the presence or absence of electrostatic discharge is determined by a slight difference in surface potential.Therefore, if the threshold is set to an arbitrary value and can be fine-tuned manually, it is easy to use. You can also

In the control flow shown in FIG. 6 described above, the case where the substrate rising speed in the previous lift-off operation is maintained without resetting the substrate rising speed in the lift-off operation in step S6 is exemplified. However, in order to give a margin, the rising speed is set to be 90% of the rising speed of the substrate in the previous lift-off operation in step S6 only immediately after it is first determined that there is no electrostatic discharge in step S5. It may be reset.

In the control flow shown in FIG. 6 described above, the rising speed is set to a speed that is slightly higher than the speed at which electrostatic discharge is determined to occur in advance, and the rising speed is optimized by gradually lowering this speed. However, a control flow different from this can be adopted. Specifically, for example, it is possible to optimize the ascending speed by setting the ascending speed to a speed slightly slower than the speed at which it is determined that electrostatic discharge does not occur in advance. It is. In this case, although the tact cannot be sufficiently shortened in the stage of optimization of the rising speed, it is possible to limit the number of substrates that cause electrostatic discharge during optimization to one and to reliably prevent the yield from being lowered. Can do.

In addition, in the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to the lift-off operation of the substrate has been described as an example, but the present invention can naturally be applied to the lift-on operation of the substrate. Also in this case, when the robot hand 21 descends, the ionized gas discharged from the discharge hole 25b is discharged obliquely upward from the inclined surface 22c of the support portion 22, and thus the stage 10 is mounted. A portion located between the adjacent support portions 22 of the substrate 100 by entering between the stage 10 and the substrate 100 through a gap generated between the mounting surface 11 and the lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 and flowing along the gap. In addition, it is directly sprayed on the mounting surface 11 of the stage 10 located opposite to the substrate 100, and the static elimination is effectively performed over the entire lower surface 111 of the substrate 100 and the entire mounting surface 11 of the stage 10. Thus, the occurrence of electrostatic discharge can be suppressed.

In that case, the change in the surface potential of the lower surface of the one substrate, which occurs when the control unit 30 lowers the one substrate at a predetermined lowering speed, which is detected by the surface potential detection sensor 24. It is preferable to determine the descending speed of another substrate of the same type to be subsequently lowered based on the above. More specifically, based on the change in the surface potential of the lower surface of the one substrate that occurs when the control unit 30 lowers the one substrate at a predetermined lowering speed detected by the surface potential detection sensor 24. In the meantime, the presence or absence of electrostatic discharge is determined. When it is determined that there is electrostatic discharge, the descending speed of the other board of the same type to be lowered next is lowered, and when it is determined that there is no electrostatic discharge, the next descending It is preferable to maintain the descending speed of another substrate of the same type to be the predetermined descending speed or to set the descending speed obtained by adding a predetermined margin to the predetermined descending speed.

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inclined surface 22c is provided in the support portion 22 of the robot hand 21, and the discharge hole 25b is provided in the inclined surface 22c. However, the configuration of the discharge hole 25b and the support portion 22 provided with the discharge hole 25b is not limited to the above configuration. That is, since the ionized gas is directly blown toward the portion located between the adjacent support portions of the substrate supported by the robot hand through the discharge hole provided in the robot hand. If there is any configuration, the configuration of the discharge hole and the support portion provided with the discharge hole may be any configuration.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the support portion of the robot hand of the substrate transfer apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment of the present invention described above. In the robot hand 21 of the substrate transfer apparatus according to the modification shown in FIG. 8, the support portion 22 does not have an inclined surface, and has only an upper surface 22a and a pair of side surfaces 22b continuous to the upper surface 22a. Yes. Also in this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, if a discharge hole 25b is provided in each of the pair of side surfaces 22b, and a portion of the ventilation passage 25c continuous to the discharge hole 25b is inclined, the discharge is naturally performed. The discharge direction of the ionized gas discharged from the hole 25b is obliquely upward.

Although illustration thereof is omitted, even when the ionized gas is discharged from the support portion of the robot hand as a swirling flow, the ionized gas is discharged from the discharge hole provided in the robot hand. It is possible to configure such that the substrate is directly sprayed toward a portion located between adjacent support portions of the substrate supported by the robot hand. Further, although illustration thereof is omitted, if a Bernoulli-type suction pad is used as the suction pad 23, an air system for generating a negative pressure on the suction surface and an ionized gas are released. It is also possible to share the air system, and in that case, the ionized gas released from the combined air system is directed to the part located between the adjacent support parts of the substrate supported by the robot hand. Can be configured to be sprayed directly.

As described above, various configurations are assumed as the specific configuration that allows the ionized gas to be directly sprayed toward the portion located between the adjacent support portions of the substrate supported by the robot hand. The configuration in the embodiment of the present invention described above is not limited.

Note that the substrate transfer apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention described above and its modification example can be used not only in newly installed manufacturing equipment but also in existing manufacturing equipment. It is possible. In particular, if a self-propelled substrate transfer device is used, it can be used in any place of manufacturing equipment regardless of whether it is new or old, and can be highly versatile.

Further, if the substrate transfer apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention and the modification thereof described above is incorporated into a manufacturing facility, at what timing (in which process) the substrate (which step) It is also possible to investigate whether or not charging is likely to occur at a location). Therefore, even if some ESD countermeasures are taken after the investigation, whether or not the countermeasures are effective by using the substrate transfer apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention and the modification thereof described above. Can be diagnosed.

Further, in the substrate transfer apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention and the modification thereof described above, it is possible to variably adjust the transport speed of each substrate, so that it can be transported. More preferably, the substrate transfer apparatus is preferably provided with a function of automatically calculating an average tact required for each transfer process. If comprised in this way, it will become possible to confirm productivity for every conveyance process.

As described above, the above-described embodiment and modifications thereof disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

1. Substrate processing system, 2. Substrate transport cassette, 3. First substrate processing apparatus, 4. Second substrate processing apparatus, 5. Third substrate processing apparatus, 10. Stage, 11. Placement surface, 12. Groove, 20. Substrate transfer apparatus, 21. Robot Hand, 22 support part, 22a upper surface, 22b side surface, 22c inclined surface, 23 suction pad, 24 surface potential detection sensor, 25a, 25b discharge hole, 25c ventilation path, 30 control part, 31 robot hand drive mechanism, 32 pump, 33 Ionizer, 34 compressor, 35 storage unit, 36 display unit, 37 operation unit, 100 substrate, 111 lower surface.

Claims

A substrate transfer apparatus that sequentially transfers a plurality of substrates by raising and lowering a plurality of substrates,
A robot hand (21) having a plurality of support portions (22) positioned in parallel to each other and capable of supporting the substrate by being inserted below the substrate;
A robot hand lifting mechanism (31) for lifting and lowering the robot hand (21);
An ion sending part (33, 34) for generating positive ions and / or negative ions and sending the generated positive ions and / or negative ions on an air stream;
In the state where the substrate is supported by the robot hand (21), the support part (22) supports an air flow containing positive ions and / or negative ions sent out by the ion sending part (33, 34). A substrate transfer apparatus provided with a discharge hole (25b) for direct spraying toward a portion located between the support portions (22) adjacent to each other.
The said discharge | release hole (25b) is inclined and provided in the said support part (22) so that it may oppose the part located between the said support parts (22) adjacent to the supported board | substrate. Substrate transfer device.
The support portion (22) has an inclined surface (22c) continuous to the upper surface and the side surface,
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the discharge hole (25b) is provided in the inclined surface (22c).
A surface potential detector (24) provided in the robot hand (21) and capable of detecting the surface potential of the lower surface of the substrate supported in a state where the substrate is supported by the robot hand (21);
A control unit (30) that can variably adjust the flow rate of the airflow sent by controlling the driving of the ion sending unit (33, 34),
The said control part (30) controls the drive of the said ion sending part (33,34) based on the information of the surface potential of the lower surface of the board | substrate detected by the said surface potential detection part (24). 4. The substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3.
The controller (30) can variably adjust the ascending speed and / or descending speed of the substrate by controlling the driving of the robot hand lifting mechanism (31), and the surface potential detector (24) Based on the detected change in the surface potential of the lower surface of the one substrate that occurs when the one substrate is raised or lowered at a predetermined rising speed and / or lowering speed, it is subsequently raised or / and lowered The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an ascending speed and / or a descending speed of another substrate of the same type is determined.
The substrate transfer device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A plurality of substrate processing apparatuses (3, 4, 5) for processing a substrate;
The substrate processing system, wherein the substrate transfer device (20) is configured as a part for sequentially loading and unloading substrates to and from the plurality of substrate processing devices (3, 4, 5).