WO2023182116A1

WO2023182116A1 - Substrate processing apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2023182116A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/010209
Authority: WO
Inventors: 賢治天久; 進一谷口; 旭紘岩▲崎▼
Original assignee: 株式会社Ｓｃｒｅｅｎホールディングス
Priority date: 2022-03-24
Filing date: 2023-03-16
Publication date: 2023-09-28
Also published as: JP2023142094A; TW202347579A

Abstract

This substrate processing apparatus comprises a processing block, two openers, and two substrate delivery robots. The processing block has a substrate inlet and a substrate outlet, and an unprocessed substrate is received in the substrate inlet, and a predetermined process is carried out on the substrate. A processed substrate is guided to the substrate outlet. One of the openers opens a lid of one hoop in which an unprocessed substrate is accommodated at a position corresponding to the substrate inlet. One of the substrate delivery robots receives the substrate from the one hoop, and passes the substrate to the substrate inlet of the processing block. The other openers opens a lid of the other hoop, which is empty, at a position corresponding to the substrate outlet. The other substrate delivery robot receives the substrate from the substrate outlet of the processing block, and inserts the substrate in the other hoop.

Description

Substrate processing equipment

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that processes a plurality of substrates in a processing tank.

Semiconductor substrates, FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrates such as liquid crystal display devices or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display devices, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, photomask substrates, ceramic substrates, or solar panels. 2. Description of the Related Art Substrate processing apparatuses are used to perform various treatments on substrates such as battery substrates.

As such a substrate processing apparatus, there is a batch-type substrate processing apparatus in which a plurality of substrates are immersed in a processing liquid stored in a processing tank and subjected to processing such as etching. For example, a batch-type substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a hoop holding section, a substrate processing section, and a loading/unloading mechanism. The hoop holding section is configured to be able to hold a hoop (FOUP: Front Opening Unified Pod). The hoop is a container configured to hold and accommodate a plurality of substrates in a horizontal position so that the plurality of substrates are arranged vertically at a predetermined pitch. The hoop has an opening for accessing the interior space of the hoop from the outside of the hoop, and a lid for opening and closing the opening. The hoop holding section is provided with an opener for opening and closing the lid of the hoop held by the hoop holding section.

In the substrate processing apparatus, a hoop containing a plurality of unprocessed substrates is supplied to a hoop holding section and held there. In this state, the lid of the hoop is opened by the opener, and a plurality of substrates are taken out from the hoop by the loading/unloading mechanism. A plurality of substrates taken out from the hoop are passed to a substrate processing section and subjected to predetermined processing. The empty hoop from which a plurality of substrates have been taken out is evacuated from the hoop holding section.

The plurality of substrates processed by the substrate processing section are received by the loading/unloading mechanism. At this time, an empty hoop that is to accommodate a plurality of processed substrates is held in the hoop holding section. Also, the lid of the hoop is opened. In this state, a plurality of processed substrates are inserted into the empty hoop by the loading/unloading mechanism. The hoop containing the plurality of processed substrates is carried out from the substrate processing apparatus.

JP2011-238945A

In the substrate processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the operation of taking out a plurality of unprocessed substrates from the hoop and the operation of accommodating a plurality of processed substrates into the hoop are performed by the hoop holding section and the loading/unloading mechanism. In this case, the operation of carrying a plurality of unprocessed substrates into the substrate processing section and the operation of carrying out a plurality of processed substrates from the substrate processing section cannot be performed in parallel. Therefore, the processing speed of a plurality of substrates is determined by the loading and unloading operations of the substrates.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can suppress reduction in substrate processing throughput caused by loading and unloading operations of substrates.

(1) A substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention has a substrate inlet and a substrate outlet, receives an unprocessed substrate at the substrate inlet, performs a predetermined process on the received substrate, and removes the processed substrate. a processing block that leads to a substrate exit; and a first substrate container that is provided at a position corresponding to the substrate entrance and that supports a first substrate container containing a plurality of unprocessed substrates and opens and closes a lid of the first substrate container. an opener, a first substrate transfer unit that takes out a plurality of unprocessed substrates from a first substrate container whose lid has been opened by the first opener, and delivers the plurality of unprocessed substrates to a substrate entrance of a processing block; a second opener provided at a position corresponding to the outlet to support an empty second substrate container and open/close a lid of the second substrate container; and a second opener for receiving a plurality of processed substrates from the substrate outlet of the processing block. and a second substrate transfer section that inserts the plurality of substrates received into a second substrate container whose lid is opened by a second opener.

In the substrate processing apparatus, the lid of the first substrate container is opened and closed by the first opener at a position corresponding to the substrate entrance of the processing block. With the lid of the first substrate container open, a plurality of unprocessed substrates are removed from the first substrate container and passed to the processing block through the substrate inlet.

In the processing block, predetermined processing is performed on each of the plurality of unprocessed substrates. A second opener opens and closes the lid of the second substrate container at a position corresponding to the substrate outlet of the processing block. With the lid of the second substrate container open, a plurality of processed substrates are received from the substrate outlet of the processing block and inserted into the second substrate container.

As described above, the operation of passing a plurality of unprocessed substrates to the processing block and the operation of receiving a plurality of processed substrates from the processing block are performed independently. In this case, in parallel with the operation of opening and closing the lid of the first substrate container and the operation of taking out the substrate from the first substrate container, the operation of opening and closing the lid of the second substrate container and the operation of taking out the substrate into the second substrate container are performed. It becomes possible to perform an insertion operation. This prevents the flow of processing of a plurality of substrates in the substrate processing apparatus from being rate-limited by the loading and unloading operations of the plurality of substrates in the substrate processing apparatus. Therefore, reduction in throughput caused by the loading and unloading operations of the substrates is suppressed.

(2) The processing block includes a transport mechanism that transports a carrier configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates along a predetermined transport path from a substrate inlet to a substrate exit, and a a processing unit that performs predetermined processing on a plurality of substrates accommodated in the carrier while the substrates are accommodated in the carrier, and the first substrate delivery section includes an empty carrier at the substrate inlet. In this state, the plurality of unprocessed substrates are taken out from the first substrate container, the plurality of taken out substrates are inserted into the carrier, and the second substrate transfer section is configured to transfer the plurality of unprocessed substrates from the carrier containing the plurality of processed substrates to the substrates. In the state at the outlet, a plurality of processed substrates may be taken out from the carrier, and the taken out plurality of substrates may be inserted into a second substrate container.

In this case, in the processing block, predetermined processing is performed on the plurality of substrates housed in the carrier. This prevents each of the plurality of substrates from being transported by a number of transport devices in the processing block, so that each Deterioration in cleanliness of the substrate is suppressed.

Further, according to the above configuration, the operation of transferring a plurality of unprocessed substrates from the first substrate container to an empty carrier, and the transfer operation of a plurality of unprocessed substrates from a carrier containing a plurality of processed substrates to a second substrate container. The operations of transferring a plurality of substrates are performed independently. This allows these transfer operations to be performed in parallel. As a result, reduction in throughput caused by the loading and unloading operations of the substrates is suppressed.

(3) The processing unit includes a processing tank that stores processing liquid corresponding to a predetermined processing, immersing carriers transported by a transport mechanism in the processing liquid of the processing tank, and immersing the carriers immersed in the processing liquid. It may also include a lifter configured to be able to be lifted from the processing tank.

In this case, a common process is performed on the plurality of substrates accommodated in the carrier by immersing the carrier containing the plurality of substrates in the processing liquid.

(4) The substrate processing apparatus further includes a substrate loading/unloading section configured to be able to carry in a plurality of substrates and carry out a plurality of substrates, and the processing block has a substrate inlet and a substrate outlet that are connected to each other in a plan view. The substrate loading/unloading section includes a first opener, a second opener, a first substrate transfer section, and a second substrate transfer section, and is configured to be adjacent to each other in the substrate entrance and the processing block in a plan view. It may be provided so as to be in contact with the substrate outlet and adjacent to the processing block in a second direction intersecting the first direction in plan view.

In this case, in the substrate processing apparatus, there is no need to make a large distance between the loading position of the plurality of substrates and the carrying-out position of the plurality of substrates. Therefore, outside the substrate processing apparatus, it is easy to make the carrying-in route of a plurality of substrates into the substrate processing apparatus and the carrying-out route of a plurality of substrates with respect to the substrate processing apparatus common.

(5) The substrate loading/unloading section includes a plurality of substrate container mounting sections capable of holding a plurality of substrate containers including a first substrate container and a second substrate container, a plurality of substrate container mounting sections and a first substrate container mounting section. A substrate container transport device configured to be able to transport a plurality of substrate containers between the opener and between the plurality of substrate container mounting sections and the second opener may be provided.

In this case, in the substrate loading/unloading section, a plurality of substrate containers can be placed on a plurality of substrate container mounting sections. The substrate containers placed on the plurality of substrate container mounting sections can be transported to the first opener or the second opener by the substrate container transport device. Alternatively, the substrate container supported by the first opener or the second opener can be transported to a plurality of substrate container mounting sections by the substrate container transport device. Thereby, it becomes possible to continue carrying in and out a plurality of substrate containers in the substrate processing apparatus, regardless of the substrate container exchanging operation in the first opener and the substrate container exchanging operation in the second opener.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the throughput of substrate processing caused by the loading and unloading operations of the substrate.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the basic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a carrier used in the substrate processing apparatus 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 taken along line BB in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining transport paths of a plurality of substrates and carriers in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining transport paths of a plurality of substrates and carriers in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining transport paths of a plurality of substrates and carriers in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, substrates include FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrates used in liquid crystal display devices or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display devices, semiconductor substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, and magneto-optical disks. Refers to substrates, photomask substrates, ceramic substrates, solar cell substrates, etc. Further, the substrate described below has a rectangular shape in plan view.

<1> Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus (1) Definition of Overall Configuration and Direction FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the basic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 taken along line AA in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 mainly includes a substrate loading/unloading block 100, a relay block 200, a processing block 300, and a cleaning block 400.

Here, in order to clarify the positional relationship of each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1, arrows indicating the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, which are orthogonal to each other, are added to the predetermined figures after FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. are doing. The X direction and the Y direction are orthogonal to each other in the horizontal plane, and the Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction. Further, in each direction, the direction in which the arrow heads is defined as a + direction, and the direction opposite to the + direction is defined as a - direction. In the following description, when simply referred to as the X direction, the X direction includes the +X direction and the −X direction. Furthermore, when simply referred to as the Y direction, the Y direction includes the +Y direction and the −Y direction. Furthermore, when simply referred to as the Z direction, the Z direction includes the +Z direction and the -Z direction.

(2) Board loading/unloading block 100
The substrate loading/unloading block 100 includes a plurality of hoop shelves 110,

hoop transport devices

111, 112,

openers

120, 130,

substrate delivery robots

140, 150, two hoop placement units 190, and a control unit 160 (FIG. 2). . Further, the substrate loading/unloading block 100 has an end surface portion 101, one side surface portion 102, and the other side surface portion 103, which constitute a part of the outer wall of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The end surface section 101 is located at one end of the substrate processing apparatus 1 facing the -X direction, and is orthogonal to the X direction. The one side surface portion 102 and the other side surface portion 103 extend parallel to the +X direction from both ends of the end surface portion 101 in a plan view so as to face each other in the Y direction.

The two hoop placement parts 190 are provided so as to protrude from the end face part 101 in the -X direction. Each hoop placement section 190 is configured to be able to place a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) 8 that accommodates a plurality of substrates in multiple stages. In the end surface portion 101, passage openings (not shown) for allowing the hoop 8 to pass in the X direction are formed in portions corresponding to the respective hoop placement portions 190.

The hoop 8 is formed with openings for taking out the substrate from the internal space of the hoop 8 and for inserting the substrate into the internal space of the hoop 8. Further, the hoop 8 includes a lid for opening and closing its opening. The opening of the hoop 8 is closed when the hoop 8 is transported and on standby, and is opened when the substrate is taken out and inserted into the hoop 8. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the hoop 8 is hatched and the carrier 9 is marked with a dot pattern so that the hoop 8 and a carrier 9, which will be described later, can be clearly distinguished. In the example of FIG. 1, the hoop 8 is placed on one of the two hoop placement sections 190 lined up in the Y direction, and the hoop 8 is placed on the other hoop placement section 190. do not have.

The plurality of hoop shelves 110 are provided at positions spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the +X direction from the end surface portion 101. In this example, 16 hoop shelves 110 are fixed by fixing members (not shown) so that they are lined up in 4 rows and 4 columns in a plane parallel to the Z direction and the Y direction. Each hoop shelf 110 is configured such that a hoop 8 can be placed thereon. In the example of FIG. 1, the hoop 8 is placed on each of the three hoop shelves 110 among the four hoop shelves 110 located at the top, and the hoop 8 is placed on the remaining one hoop shelf 110. Not yet. The number of hoops 8 and the arrangement of hoop shelves 110 may be changed as appropriate depending on the device design specifications.

The two

openers

120 and 130 are provided at positions separated from each other by a predetermined distance in the +X direction from the plurality of hoop shelves 110. In this example, two

openers

120 and 130 are fixed by a fixing member (not shown) so as to be lined up in the Y direction. One opener 120 is located near one side 102 , and the other opener 130 is located near the other side 103 . Each

opener

120, 130 is configured to be able to place the hoop 8 thereon and open/close the lid of the hoop 8 placed thereon. In the example of FIG. 1, the hoop 8 is placed on one opener 120, and no hoop 8 is placed on the other opener 130.

The substrate transfer robot 140 is provided adjacent to the opener 120 in the +X direction. The substrate transfer robot 140 is configured to be rotatable around an axis in the Z direction and movable in the Z direction (capable of moving up and down). The substrate transfer robot 140 is provided with a hand for transferring one or more substrates. The hand is supported by an articulated arm and can move forward and backward in the horizontal direction. The substrate delivery robot 140 takes out the substrate from the hoop 8 with the hoop 8 containing unprocessed substrates placed on the opener 120, and transfers the taken out substrate to a carrier, which will be described later, arranged in the relay block 200. Used for insertion into 9.

The substrate transfer robot 150 is provided adjacent to the opener 130 in the +X direction. The substrate transfer robot 150 has the same configuration as the substrate transfer robot 140. With the empty hoop 8 placed on the opener 130, the substrate delivery robot 150 takes out the substrate from a carrier 9, which will be described later, placed in the relay block 200, and places the taken out substrate into the hoop 8 on the opener 130. Used for insertion.

The hoop conveyance device 111 is located between the end surface portion 101 and the plurality of hoop shelves 110 in the X direction. The hoop conveying device 111 has a gripping part (not shown) configured to be able to grip the hoop 8, and is configured to be able to move the gripping part in the Y direction and in the Z direction. Thereby, the hoop transport device 111 transports the hoop 8 between one of the two hoop placement sections 190 and one of the plurality of hoop shelves 110.

The hoop transport device 112 is located between the multiple hoop shelves 110 and the two

openers

120 and 130 in the X direction. The hoop transport device 112 has the same configuration as the hoop transport device 111. The hoop transport device 112 transports the hoop 8 between one of the plurality of hoop shelves 110 and one of the two

openers

120 and 130.

The control unit 160 (FIG. 2) is composed of a computer including a CPU (central processing unit), ROM (read only memory), and RAM (random access memory), and controls the operation of each component in the substrate processing apparatus 1. do.

(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 transport device 250. The carrier support section 210 is provided adjacent to the substrate transfer robot 140 of the substrate loading/unloading block 100 in the +X direction. Further, the carrier support section 210 is configured to be able to support the carrier 9 that accommodates a plurality of substrates in multiple stages. Details of the carrier 9 will be described later. Further, the carrier support section 210 is configured to support the carrier 9 and to change the attitude of the supported carrier 9. Details of the configuration of the carrier support section 210 for changing the attitude of the carrier 9 will be described later. Note that in the example of FIG. 1, the carrier 9 is supported on the carrier support section 210.

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

The first standby section 230 is provided adjacent to the carrier support section 210 in the +X direction. Further, the first standby section 230 is configured to be able to support the carrier 9. Further, the first standby section 230 can 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. configured to be possible.

The second standby section 240 is provided adjacent to the carrier support section 220 in the +X direction. Further, the second standby section 240 is configured to be able to support the carrier 9. Further, the second standby section 240 can 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. configured to be possible.

The standby transport device 250 is provided between the first standby section 230 and the second standby section 240. The standby transport device 250 is configured to be able 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 transport device 250 transports 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 transport section 310, a second transport section 320, and a processing section 330. The first transport section 310 and the processing section 330 are arranged in this order in the +Y direction and are provided so as to extend in parallel from the relay block 200 in the +X direction. The second transport section 320 is formed to extend in the Y direction, and connects the end of the first transport section 310 facing the +X direction and the end of the processing section 330 facing the +X direction.

In the following description, among both ends of the first conveyance section 310 extending in the X direction, one end facing the -X direction will be appropriately referred to as a first end TA1, and the other end facing the + 2 is called the end TA2. Further, among both ends of the processing section 330 extending in the X direction, one end facing the -X direction is appropriately referred to as a third end TA3, and the other end facing the +X direction is appropriately referred to as a fourth end TA4. It is called.

The first transport unit 310 includes a main transport device 311 and two

sub-transport devices

312A and 312B. The main transport 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 of the first transport section 310 to the second end TA2. The movable stage 311a is configured to be movable in the X direction on the guide rail 311b and to be able to place the carrier 9 thereon. The main transport device 311 further includes a drive mechanism (not shown) that moves the movable stage 311a in the X direction on the guide rail 311b. Thereby, when the carrier 9 is placed on the movable stage 311a at the first end TA1 close to the relay block 200, the main conveyance device 311 moves the placed carrier 9 close to the second conveyance section 320. It is transported in the +X direction to the second end TA2.

The sub-transport device 312A and the sub-transport device 312B are provided at the first end TA1 and the second end TA2 of the first transport section 310 in the X direction, respectively. When the carrier 9 that accommodates an unprocessed substrate is supported by the carrier support section 210, the sub-transfer device 312A moves the carrier 9 onto the movable stage 311a of the main transfer device 311 disposed at the first end TA1. Place it on. Further, the sub-transport device 312A transports the empty carrier 9 from the first standby section 230 to the carrier support section 210. On the other hand, when the movable stage 311a on which the carrier 9 is placed moves to the second end TA2, the sub-transport device 312B transfers the carrier 9 to a transport device 321 of the second transport unit 320, which will be described later.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the first transport section 310 is provided at a position spaced apart from the installation surface of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the +Z direction (upward). As a result, the space located in the -Z direction (below) of the first transport section 310 can be used as a maintenance space MS1 for maintaining the processing section 330, which will be described later. Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the first transport section 310 overlaps the maintenance space MS1 of the processing section 330 in plan view. In FIG. 8, which will be described later, a worker WP is shown who performs maintenance work on the processing section 330 below the first transport section 310 in the maintenance space MS1.

The second transport section 320 includes a transport device 321. The transport device 321 is configured to support the carrier 9 and to change the attitude of the supported carrier 9. Details of the configuration of the transport device 321 for changing the attitude of the carrier 9 will be described later. Furthermore, the transport device 321 is configured to be movable in the Y direction. Thereby, the second transport section 320 can receive the carrier 9 from the sub-transport device 312B near the second end TA2 of the first transport section 310. Further, the second transport section 320 can change the attitude of the carrier 9 received from the sub-transport 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 drying units 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 this order on a straight line extending in the +X direction from the third end TA3 toward the fourth end TA4. Each of the

main transport devices

333A, 333B, and 333C is configured to be able to hold the carrier 9, and is also configured to be able to transport the held carrier 9 between the plurality of liquid processing units 331 and drying units 332. . The main transport device 333C located farthest from the relay block 200 receives the carrier 9 when the second transport unit 320 transports the carrier 9 near the processing unit 330. Further, 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 includes one or more processing tanks 331a and lifters 331b. Each liquid processing unit 331 in this example includes two processing tanks 331a. Each processing tank 331a is configured such that the carrier 9 can be inserted into and taken out from a position above the processing tank 331a. Further, a processing liquid (chemical liquid or rinsing liquid) for cleaning a plurality of substrates accommodated in the carrier 9 is stored in the processing tank 331a.

The lifter 331b of each liquid processing unit 331 is configured to be able to hold the carrier 9. Further, the lifter 331b is configured to be able to receive the carrier 9 from any of the plurality of

main transport devices

333A, 333B, 333C, and to pass the carrier 9 to any of the plurality of

main transport devices

333A, 333B, 333C. has been done. Further, the lifter 331b is configured to be capable of immersing the carrier 9 in the processing liquid and lifting the carrier 9 from the processing liquid for each of the two processing tanks 331a of the liquid processing unit 331. As a result, the carrier 9 containing unprocessed substrates is passed to the processing section 330, and the plurality of substrates accommodated in the carrier 9 are immersed in one or more processing liquids for a predetermined period of time. Common processing is performed.

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. Through this drying process, the plurality of substrates housed in the carrier 9 are dried. The carrier 9 after the drying process is transferred to the second standby section 240 of the relay block 200 by the main conveyance 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 respectively corresponding to a plurality of treatments to be performed on the substrate are arranged in the -X direction in the order of the processing to be performed on the substrate. It is stored as follows. The control unit 160 in 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 allows the

main transport devices

333A, 333B, and 333C to move in the +X direction while holding the carrier 9. Limit movement. In this case, when a plurality of carriers 9 are transported by a plurality of

main transport devices

333A, 333B, 333C, interference caused by one carrier 9 and another carrier 9 moving in mutually opposite directions is suppressed. Ru. Further, since the carrier 9 does not reciprocate in the X direction within 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 FIG. 1, in the processing block 300 and its vicinity, in addition to the maintenance space MS1 described above, a further maintenance space MS2 is formed on the +Y direction side of the processing section 330. In this way, by forming the two maintenance spaces MS1 and MS2 so as to sandwich the processing section 330 in the Y direction, a sufficiently large maintenance space for the processing section 330 is ensured.

(5) Cleaning block 400
The cleaning block 400 includes a cleaning conveyance device 410 and a carrier cleaning unit 420. The carrier cleaning unit 420 is provided so as to extend in the X direction at a position to the side (+Y direction) of the substrate loading/unloading block 100 and the relay block 200. Further, the carrier cleaning unit 420 includes a plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, a carrier drying section 422, and a plurality of carrier waiting 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 waiting sections 423 is configured such that the carrier 9 can be inserted and taken out from a position above the tank, drying section, or waiting section. Further, each of the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421 stores a processing liquid (chemical liquid or rinsing liquid) for cleaning the carrier 9. The carrier drying section 422 performs a drying process on the inserted carrier 9.

The cleaning conveyance device 410 is configured to be able to convey empty carriers 9 between the second standby section 240 of the relay block 200, the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, the carrier drying section 422, and the plurality of carrier standby sections 423. . In the cleaning block 400, an empty carrier 9 is transported between a plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421 and immersed in a processing liquid stored in one of the carrier cleaning tanks 421. As a result, the empty carrier 9 that has been used to process a plurality of substrates in the processing block 300 is cleaned.

The carrier 9 after cleaning is transported to the carrier drying section 422 and subjected to a drying process. The dried carrier 9 is transported to the carrier standby section 423 and held there. Thereafter, in accordance with the timing of receiving a plurality of substrates in the relay block 200, the carrier is taken out from the carrier standby section 423 by the cleaning conveyance device 410 and conveyed to the second standby section 240 of the relay block 200.

<2> Configuration of carrier 9 and attitude of carrier 9 FIG. 3 is a plan view of the carrier 9 used in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a side view of the carrier 9 of FIG. 3, and FIG. is a sectional view of the carrier 9 taken along the line BB in FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 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-like member, and has an outer shape larger than the substrate to be processed. Four openings 13 are formed in the central portion of each of the

frame members

10a, 10b. Each of the

frame members

10c and 10d is formed of a substantially rectangular plate-like member. The length of the long side of

frame members

10c, 10d is approximately equal to the length of one side of

frame members

10a, 10b.

The

frame members

10a and 10b are arranged so as to face each other and to be separated from each other. A frame member 10c is provided to connect one side of the frame member 10a and one side of the frame member 10b. A frame member 10d is provided to connect the other side of the frame member 10a and the other side of the frame member 10b. In this state, the

frame members

10c and 10d are also arranged to face each other. As a result, the carrier 9 has a rectangular tube shape.

A rectangular opening formed at one end of the carrier 9 having a rectangular tube shape functions as a substrate entrance/exit 12 for inserting a substrate into the carrier 9 and for taking out the substrate from the carrier 9. At the other end of the carrier 9, a plurality of (six in this example) are arranged so as to connect the frame member 10a and the frame member 10b and to be distributed between the frame member 10c and the frame member 10d. ) support pieces 11 are provided.

Each support piece 11 is composed of a long plate member, and is provided in parallel with the

frame members

10c and 10d. Furthermore, each support piece 11 has a plurality of grooves (not shown) formed at a predetermined standard pitch into which parts of the outer edges of a plurality of substrates housed in the carrier 9 can be inserted. The number of grooves formed in each support piece 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 opposing surfaces of the

frame members

10c and 10d. The plurality of protrusions pr extend in the direction of the long sides of the

frame members

10c and 10d, and are formed to be lined up in the direction of the short sides at the above-mentioned reference pitch. As a result, 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 attitude of the carrier 9 is changed as appropriate. Here, regarding the carrier 9 having the above configuration, a posture in which the plurality of support pieces 11 are located at the lower end and the

frame members

10a and 10b are maintained parallel to the vertical direction is referred to as a vertical posture. On the other hand, a posture in which the

frame members

10a, 10b are maintained perpendicular to the vertical direction is called a horizontal posture.

When inserting a plurality of substrates into an empty carrier 9, the plurality of substrates are inserted into the carrier 9 through the substrate entrance/exit 12 of the carrier 9 in a horizontal position. At this time, both sides (two opposing sides) of the outer edge of each board are located between any two of the plurality of protrusions pr of the frame member 10c and among the plurality of protrusions pr of the frame member 10d. inserted between any two. As a result, when the carrier 9 containing a plurality of substrates is in a horizontal position, each substrate is held with both sides of the substrate supported by the plurality of protrusions pr. On the other hand, when the carrier 9 containing a plurality of substrates is in a vertical position, each substrate is held with the plurality of lower end portions of the substrate fitted into the plurality of grooves of the plurality of support pieces 11. .

As described above, when the carrier 9 is in the horizontal position, each of the plurality of accommodated substrates is supported entirely on both sides by the plurality of protrusions pr. On the other hand, when the carrier 9 is in a vertical position, each of the plurality of accommodated substrates is locally supported by the plurality of support pieces 11 at a plurality of portions at the lower end of the substrate. Therefore, when the carrier 9 is in the horizontal position, the load (load due to the weight of each board) applied to the outer edge of each accommodated board is reduced compared to when the carrier 9 is in the vertical position.

In the carrier 9 according to the present embodiment, the vertical dimension (height) of the carrier 9 in the horizontal position is smaller than the vertical dimension (height) of the carrier 9 in the vertical position. It is formed so that

<3> Transport routes for a plurality of substrates and carriers 9 in the substrate processing apparatus FIGS. 6 to 8 are diagrams for explaining transport routes for a plurality of substrates and carriers 9 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1. Similar to FIG. 1, FIG. 6 shows a schematic plan view of the substrate processing apparatus 1. FIG. 7 shows a schematic external perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 when viewed in one direction. FIG. 8 shows a schematic external perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 viewed from another direction. Note that in FIGS. 7 and 8, illustration of the cleaning block 400 in FIG. 1 is omitted. Furthermore, in FIGS. 6 to 8, illustrations of the maintenance spaces MS1 and MS2 in FIG. 1 are also omitted, except for the maintenance space MS1 in FIG.

A case is assumed in which a series of treatments are performed on a plurality of unprocessed substrates W housed in one hoop 8. In this case, one hoop 8 is carried into the substrate loading/unloading block 100, and as shown in FIG. 6, is placed on the opener 120 and the lid is opened. Further, 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/exit 12 (FIG. 5) of the carrier 9 faces the −X direction so as to face the hoop 8. In this state, the substrate transfer robot 140 takes out a plurality of unprocessed substrates W from one hoop 8 and inserts them into the carrier 9. The transport paths of the plurality of substrates W in this case are shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 by thick dotted arrows a1.

Thereafter, the lid of the empty hoop 8 is closed, and the hoop transport device 112 holds the hoop 8 and places it on one of the hoop shelves 110. On the other hand, the carrier 9 containing the plurality of substrates W is received by the carrier support section 210 and placed on the movable stage 311a of the main transport device 311 by the sub transport device 312A of the first transport section 310. The conveyance path of the carrier 9 in this case is shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 by a thick solid arrow a2.

Next, the carrier 9 placed on the movable stage 311a moves in the +X direction from a position near the relay block 200 (first end TA1) to a position near the second transport section 320 (second end TA2). transported in a horizontal position. The state of the carrier 9 conveyed by the main conveyance device 311 of the first conveyance section 310 is shown in the balloon BA3 of FIG. 8 .

Thereafter, the carrier 9 that has reached a position near the second transport section 320 is transferred to the transport device 321 of the second transport section 320 by the sub transport device 312B of the first transport section 310. Therefore, the attitude of the carrier 9 passed to the transport device 321 is changed from a horizontal attitude to a vertical attitude by the transport device 321. In balloon BA2 of FIG. 7, the state of the attitude change of the carrier 9 in the transport device 321 is schematically shown.

As shown in balloon BA2 in FIG. 7, the transport device 321 includes a movable base 322 and a carrier holder 323. The movable pedestal 322 is provided so as to be movable in the Y direction within the second transport section 320. The carrier holder 323 includes a first holder 323a and a second holder 323b. The first holding portion 323a has a rectangular flat plate shape capable of holding the lower end portion of the carrier 9 when it is in a horizontal position. Further, the second holding portion 323b has a rectangular flat plate shape capable of holding the lower end portion of the carrier 9 when it is in a vertical posture.

The first holding part 323a and the second holding part 323b are connected such that one side of the first holding part 323a and one side of the second holding part 323b touch each other and the two holding parts are orthogonal to each other. The movable base 322 holds the carrier so that the first holding part 323a and the second holding part 323b are both parallel to the Y direction, and the carrier holding tool 323 is rotatable around an axis extending in the Y direction. A part of the tool 323 is held.

The transport device 321 further includes a drive unit (not shown) that can adjust the rotation angle of the carrier holder 323 on the movable base 322. As a result, when receiving the carrier 9 in a horizontal position from the first transport section 310, the rotation angle of the carrier holder 323 is adjusted so that the first holding section 323a is horizontal and the second holding section 323b is vertical. Ru. After that, when the carrier 9 in the horizontal position is received on the carrier holder 323, the rotation angle of the carrier holder 323 is adjusted so that the first holding part 323a is vertical and the second holding part 323b is horizontal. . As a result, the attitude of the carrier 9 is changed from the horizontal attitude to the vertical attitude.

The transport device 321 further includes a drive unit (not shown) that moves the movable pedestal 322 in the Y direction in the second transport unit 320. As a result, the carrier 9 maintained in a vertical position is transported in a vertical position in the +Y direction from a position near the first transport section 310 to a position near the processing section 330.

Thereafter, the carrier 9 that has reached a position near the processing section 330 is received by the main transport device 333C of the processing section 330 from the transport device 321. The carrier 9 received by the main transport device 333C is transported to one or more liquid processing units 331 by the main transport device 333C and other

main transport devices

333B and 333A, and is maintained in a vertical posture. It is immersed in various processing solutions for a predetermined period of time. As a result, the plurality of substrates W accommodated in the carrier 9 are processed according to the immersed processing liquid. A balloon BA4 in FIG. 8 shows the state of the carrier 9 being transported by the

main transport devices

333A, 333B, and 333C of the processing section 330.

As shown in balloon BA4 in FIG. 8, each

main transport device

333A, 333B, 333C includes a movable support column 333a and a pair of chuck members 333b. The movable support column 333a is provided on the side (+Y direction side) of the plurality of liquid processing units 331 so as to be movable in the X direction and movable in the Z direction (movable up and down). A pair of chuck members 333b are provided to extend above the liquid processing unit 331 from the upper end of the movable support column 333a. The pair of chuck members 333b are configured to be able to sandwich and hold the carrier 9 in a vertical position. Further, each of the

main transport devices

333A, 333B, and 333C has a drive unit (not shown) that can switch between holding the carrier 9 by the pair of chuck members 333b and releasing the carrier 9 from the pair of chuck members 333b. Thereby, the carrier 9 is delivered between the plurality of

main transport devices

333A, 333B, 333C and the plurality of liquid processing units 331.

Thereafter, the carrier 9 accommodating the plurality of substrates W treated with the treatment liquid is further transported to a drying unit 332 close to the relay block 200. Thereby, the carrier 9 and the plurality of substrates W in the carrier 9 are dried by the drying unit 332. As described above, a series of transport paths of the carrier 9 in the processing block 300 are shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 by thick solid arrows a3.

The carrier 9 containing a plurality of processed substrates W is transported from the drying unit 332 to the carrier support section 220 of the relay block 200 by the main transport device 333A, and is supported by the carrier support section 220. The conveyance path of the carrier 9 in this case is shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 by a thick dotted arrow a4.

Therefore, the attitude of the carrier 9 passed to the carrier support part 220 is changed from the vertical attitude to the horizontal attitude by the carrier support part 220. In the balloon BA1 of FIG. 7, the state of the attitude change of the carrier 9 in the carrier support section 220 is schematically shown.

As shown in balloon BA1 in FIG. 7, the carrier support section 220 includes a fixed pedestal 211 and a carrier holder 212 fixed within the relay block 200. The carrier holder 212 includes a first holder 212a and a second holder 212b. The first holding portion 212a has a rectangular flat plate shape capable of holding the lower end portion of the carrier 9 when it is in a horizontal position. Further, the second holding portion 212b has a rectangular flat plate shape capable of holding the lower end portion of the carrier 9 when it is in a vertical posture.

The first holding part 212a and the second holding part 212b are connected such that one side of the first holding part 212a and one side of the second holding part 212b touch each other and the two holding parts are orthogonal to each other. The fixed base 211 holds the carrier so that the first holding part 212a and the second holding part 212b are both parallel to the Y direction, and the carrier holding tool 212 is rotatable around an axis extending in the Y direction. A portion of the tool 212 is held.

The carrier support section 220 further includes a drive section (not shown) that can adjust the rotation angle of the carrier holder 212 on the fixed base 211. Thereby, when receiving the carrier 9 in a vertical position from the drying unit 332, the rotation angle of the carrier holder 212 is adjusted so that the second holding part 212b is horizontal and the first holding part 212a is vertical. After that, when the carrier 9 in a vertical position is received on the carrier holder 212, the rotation angle of the carrier holder 212 is adjusted so that the second holding part 212b becomes vertical and the first holding part 212a becomes horizontal. . As a result, the attitude of the carrier 9 is changed from the vertical attitude to the horizontal attitude. At this time, the substrate entrance/exit 12 (FIG. 5) of the carrier 9 faces in the -X direction.

When the carrier 9 containing a plurality of substrates W is supported by the carrier support section 220 in a horizontal position, an empty hoop 8 is placed on the opener 130 of the substrate loading/unloading block 100. Further, the lid of the hoop 8 is opened. In this state, the substrate delivery robot 150 takes out a plurality of processed substrates W from the carrier 9 and inserts them into the hoop 8 on the opener 130. The transport paths of the plurality of substrates W in this case are shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 by thick dotted arrows a5.

Thereafter, the lid of the hoop 8 containing the plurality of processed substrates W is closed, held by the hoop transport device 112, and placed on one of the plurality of hoop shelves 110. Further, the hoop 8 is transferred to the hoop mounting section 190 by the hoop transfer device 111 and is carried out from the substrate processing apparatus 1 . On the other hand, the attitude of the empty carrier 9 in the carrier support part 220 is changed from the horizontal attitude to the vertical attitude again by the carrier support part 220. The empty carrier 9 returned to the vertical position in the carrier support section 220 is transported by the main transport device 333A and received by the second standby section 240.

In the present embodiment, the empty carrier 9 received from the carrier support unit 220 by the second standby unit 240 is transported to the carrier cleaning unit 420 by the cleaning transport device 410 of the cleaning block 400 while maintaining the vertical posture. . The conveyance path of the carrier 9 in this case is shown in FIG. 6 by a thick dashed line arrow c1.

In the carrier cleaning unit 420, the carrier 9 is further conveyed by a cleaning conveyance device 410 between a plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, a carrier drying section 422, and a plurality of carrier waiting sections 423. Thereby, the carrier 9 after use is subjected to a cleaning process and a drying process. Further, the carrier 9 after the cleaning process and the drying process is accommodated in one of the plurality of carrier standby parts 423. In the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, the carrier drying section 422, and the plurality of carrier waiting sections 423, the vertical posture of the carrier 9 is maintained.

A case is assumed in which a series of treatments are performed on a plurality of unprocessed substrates W accommodated in another new hoop 8. In this case, the clean carrier 9 accommodated in the carrier standby section 423 of the cleaning block 400 is transported as a new carrier 9 from the carrier cleaning unit 420 to the second waiting section 240 by the cleaning transport device 410. In this case, a new conveyance path of the carrier 9 is shown in FIG. 6 by a thick dashed line arrow c2.

The new carrier 9 delivered to the second standby section 240 is conveyed to the first standby section 230 by the standby conveyance device 250 while maintaining its vertical posture, and is supported by the first standby section 230. In this case, a new conveyance path for the carrier 9 is shown in FIG. 6 by a thick two-dot chain arrow b1. The first standby unit 230 passes the new carrier 9 supported by the first standby unit 230 to the carrier support unit 210. Therefore, the posture of the new carrier 9 passed to the carrier support section 210 is changed from the vertical posture to the horizontal posture by the carrier support section 210. As described above, the two carrier supports 210 and 220 in the relay block 200 have the same configuration. As a result, in the carrier support section 210, the new attitude of the carrier 9 is changed, as shown in the balloon BA1 in FIG. Thereafter, the plurality of unprocessed substrates W accommodated in another new hoop 8 are inserted into a new carrier 9 in a horizontal position.

A new carrier 9 containing a plurality of unprocessed substrates W is transported along a transport path indicated by a series of arrows a2, a3, and a4 shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. As a result, a series of processes are performed on the plurality of substrates W accommodated in the new carrier 9.

<4> Effects (1) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above, the first end TA1 of the first transport section 310 functions as a substrate entrance of the processing block 300. Further, the third end TA3 of the processing section 330 functions as a substrate outlet of the processing block 300. At a position corresponding to the substrate entrance of the processing block 300, a hoop 8 containing a plurality of unprocessed substrates W is supported by the opener 120. Further, the lid of the hoop 8 supported by the opener 120 is opened. In this state, a plurality of unprocessed substrates W are taken out from the hoop 8 on the opener 120 and passed into the processing block 300 through the substrate entrance.

In the processing block 300, predetermined processing is performed on each of the plurality of unprocessed substrates W. An empty hoop 8 is supported by an opener 130 at a location corresponding to the substrate outlet of the processing block. Further, the lid of the hoop 8 supported by the opener 130 is opened. In this state, a plurality of processed substrates W are received from the substrate outlet of the processing block 300 and inserted into the hoop 8 on the opener 130.

As described above, the operation of passing a plurality of unprocessed substrates W to the processing block 300 and the operation of receiving a plurality of processed substrates W from the processing block 300 are performed independently. In this case, in parallel with the opening/closing operation of the lid of the hoop 8 containing a plurality of unprocessed substrates W and the operation of taking out the substrates from the hoop 8, the opening/closing operation of the lid of the empty hoop 8 and the operation of opening/closing the lid of the empty hoop 8 It becomes possible to perform an operation of inserting a plurality of substrates W into the substrate. Thereby, the flow of processing of the plurality of substrates W in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is prevented from being rate-limited by the carrying-in operation and the carrying-out operation of the plurality of substrates W. Therefore, a decrease in throughput caused by the loading and unloading operations of the substrate W is suppressed.

(2) In the processing block 300 described above, a plurality of predetermined processes are performed on a plurality of substrates W accommodated in the carrier 9. Thereby, in the processing block 300, each of the plurality of substrates W is prevented from being transported by a large number of transport devices, and each of the plurality of substrates W is suppressed from being supported by a large number of support parts. That is, a large number of members are prevented from coming into contact with a plurality of parts of each of the plurality of substrates W. Therefore, a decrease in the cleanliness of each substrate W due to contact of a large number of components of the substrate processing apparatus 1 with each of the plurality of substrates W is suppressed.

Further, according to the above configuration, the operation of transferring the plurality of substrates W from the hoop 8 containing the plurality of unprocessed substrates W to the empty carrier 9, and the operation of transferring the plurality of substrates W containing the plurality of processed substrates W are performed. The operation of transferring the plurality of substrates W from the carrier 9 to the empty hoop 8 is performed independently. This allows these transfer operations to be performed in parallel. As a result, reduction in throughput caused by loading and unloading operations of the substrate W is suppressed.

(3) The processing block 300 described above includes one or more liquid processing units 331 and drying units 332. Each liquid processing unit 331 includes a plurality of processing tanks 331a and lifters 331b. A processing liquid is stored in each processing tank 331a. The lifter 331b is configured to be able to immerse the carrier 9 in the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 331a and to lift the carrier 9 from the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 331a. As a result, in each liquid processing unit 331, the carrier 9 that accommodates a plurality of substrates W is immersed in the processing liquid, so that a common process is simultaneously performed on the plurality of substrates W accommodated in the carrier 9. .

(4) In the processing block 300 described above, the substrate entrance of the processing block 300 (the first end TA1 of the first transport section 310) and the substrate exit of the processing block 300 (the third end TA3 of the processing section 330) are configured to be adjacent to each other in the Y direction in plan view. Further, the substrate loading/unloading block 100 and the processing block 300 are arranged in the X direction with the relay block 200 interposed therebetween in a plan view.

Furthermore, the substrate loading/unloading block 100 and the relay block 200 include a configuration for delivering a plurality of unprocessed substrates W to the processing block 300 and a configuration for receiving a plurality of processed substrates W from the processing block 300. . In this case, operations related to loading and unloading a plurality of substrates W are performed in the substrate loading/unloading block 100. Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, there is no need to make a large distance between the loading position of the plurality of substrates W and the carrying-out position of the plurality of substrates W. Therefore, outside the substrate processing apparatus 1, it becomes easy to use a common path for carrying the FOUP 8 into the substrate processing apparatus 1 and a path for carrying the FOUP 8 out of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

(5) The substrate loading/unloading block 100 described above is provided with a plurality of hoop shelves 110. The hoop 8 is transported between the plurality of hoop shelves 110 and the

openers

120 and 130 by a hoop transport device 112. In this case, multiple hoops 8 can be placed on any of the multiple hoop shelves 110. Thereby, even when the hoop 8 is placed on the

openers

120 and 130, it is possible to continue loading and unloading a plurality of substrates W into and out of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

<5> Other Embodiments (1) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the first transport section is used to transport the carrier 9 from the relay block 200 to the fourth end TA4 of the processing section 330. 310 and a second transport section 320 are provided, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A relay block 200 for carrying in substrates and a substrate carrying-in/out block 100 are provided in the +X direction from the fourth end TA4 of the processing section 330, and a relay block 200 for carrying in substrates is provided in the -X direction from the third end TA3 of the processing section 330. A relay block 200 and a substrate loading/unloading block 100 may be provided. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the first transport section 310 and the second transport section 320 in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

(2) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above, various processes are performed on the plurality of substrates W accommodated in the carrier 9, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, various processes may be performed on the plurality of substrates W without being accommodated in the carrier 9. In this case, the

main transport devices

311, 333A, 333B, 333C, the transport device 321, etc. are configured to be able to hold or support a plurality of substrates W, for example. Alternatively, the

main transport devices

311, 333A, 333B, 333C, transport device 321, etc. are configured to be able to hold or support one substrate W, for example. Further, in these cases, it is not necessary to prepare the carrier 9.

(3) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above, each of the

substrate transfer robots

140 and 150 may be configured to be able to sequentially transfer a plurality of substrates W one by one, or may be configured to be able to transfer a plurality of substrates W simultaneously. may be configured.

(4) In the above processing block 300, the carrier 9 passed from the relay block 200 is transported from the first end TA1 to the second end TA2 of the first transport section 310. Thereafter, various processes are performed on the plurality of substrates W while returning from the fourth end TA4 to the third end TA3 of the processing section 330. However, the invention is not limited to the above example.

The processing block 300 may have a configuration in which the positions of the first transport section 310 and the processing section 330 are switched. In this case, the processing unit 330 has a configuration that is symmetrical in a plane perpendicular to the X direction, for example. In the processing block 300 having such a configuration, the carrier 9 passed from the relay block 200 is first immersed in a plurality of processing liquids in the processing section 330 and subjected to a drying process. Thereafter, the carrier 9 accommodating the plurality of processed substrates W is returned to the relay block 200 by the main transport device 311 of the first transport section 310 .

(5) Although the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment described above includes a cleaning block 400 that cleans the used carrier 9 used to process a plurality of substrates W, the present invention is not limited thereto. The substrate processing apparatus 1 may not be provided with the cleaning block 400. In this case, the used carrier 9 from which a plurality of substrates W have been taken out at the carrier support section 220 of the relay block 200 may be transported to the carrier support section 210 without being cleaned. Alternatively, the used carrier 9 may be taken out of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and discarded without being cleaned.

(6) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the carrier support section 210 and the first standby section 230 are separately provided in the relay block 200, but the present invention is not limited to this. If it is possible to add the function of changing the posture of the carrier 9 to the first standby section 230, the carrier support section 210 may not be provided.

Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment described above, the carrier support section 220 and the second standby section 240 are separately provided in the relay block 200, but the present invention is not limited to this. If it is possible to add the function of changing the posture of the carrier 9 to the second standby section 240, the carrier support section 220 may not be provided.

(7) In the second transport section 320 of the processing block 300 according to the above embodiment, the transport device 321 has the function of changing the attitude of the carrier 9 and the function of transporting the carrier 9. Not limited. In the second transport unit 320, a component having a function of changing the attitude of the carrier 9 and a component having a function of transporting the carrier 9 may be separately provided in place of the above-described transport device 321.

(8) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the substrate W to be processed has a rectangular shape in plan view, but the substrate to be processed may have a circular shape in plan view. However, it may have a polygonal shape other than a quadrangle, such as a triangle or a pentagon when viewed in plan.

(9) Although the carrier 9 according to the above embodiment supports both sides of the rectangular substrate W when the rectangular substrate W is accommodated in a horizontal position, the present invention is not limited thereto. The carrier 9 may be configured to be able to support the center portion of the substrate W in a horizontal position.

(10) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment described above, the 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 to this. Not limited. In at least some of the plurality of processing tanks 331a of the processing section 330, a plating solution for performing plating processing on the substrate W, a liquid for modifying the surface condition of the substrate W, etc. is stored as a processing solution. Good too. As described above, the above embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to cleaning processing of a plurality of substrates W, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other processing such as plating processing or surface modification processing of a plurality of substrates W can be applied. The present invention may also be applied to.

(11) In the carrier 9 according to the above embodiment, four openings 13 are formed in the center portion of each of the

frame members

10a, 10b, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of openings 13 is not limited to four, and other numbers such as one, two, three, or five openings 13 may be formed in the central portion of each of the

frame members

10a, 10b. Alternatively, the opening 13 may not be formed in the center portion of each of the

frame members

10a, 10b. Furthermore, the shapes of the

frame members

10a and 10b may be changed in design as appropriate.

(12) In each of the

main conveyance devices

333A, 333B, and 333C according to the above embodiments, the pair of chuck members 333b hold the carrier 9 by sandwiching the carrier 9 in the X direction, but the present invention is directed to this. Not limited. The pair of chuck members 333b may hold the carrier 9 by sandwiching the carrier 9 in the Y direction, or may hold the carrier 9 by sandwiching the carrier 9 in a direction intersecting the X and Y directions in a horizontal plane. You may.

<6> Correspondence between each component of the claims and each element of the embodiments Examples of correspondences between each component of the claims and each element of the embodiments will be described below. Not limited to examples. Various other elements having the configuration or function described in the claims can also be used as each component in the claims.

In the embodiment described above, the first end TA1 of the first transport section 310 is an example of the substrate entrance, the third end TA3 of the processing section 330 is an example of the substrate exit, and the processing block 300 is an example of the substrate exit. The hoop 8, which is an example of a block and accommodates a plurality of unprocessed substrates W and is supported by an opener 120, is an example of a first substrate container, and the opener 120 is an example of a first opener.

Further, the empty hoop 8 supported by the opener 130 is an example of the second substrate container, the opener 130 is an example of the second opener, and the substrate delivery robot 140, the carrier support part 210, and the first standby part 230 The component group including the substrate transfer robot 150, the carrier support section 220, and the second standby section 240 is an example of the second substrate transfer section. The processing apparatus 1 is an example of a substrate processing apparatus.

Further, the carrier 9 is an example of a carrier, and the transport route of the carrier 9 indicated by the thick solid arrow a3 in FIGS. 6 to 8 is an example of a predetermined transport route, and the main transport device 311 of the

processing block

300 , 333A, 333B, 333C and the transport device 321 are examples of the transport mechanism, and the plurality of liquid processing units 331 and the drying unit 332 are examples of the processing units.

Furthermore, the processing tank 331a is an example of a processing tank, the lifter 331b is an example of a lifter, the substrate loading/unloading block 100 and the relay block 200 are examples of a substrate loading/unloading section, and the Y direction is an example of the first direction. The X direction is an example of the second direction, the plurality of hoop shelves 110 are an example of a plurality of substrate container mounting sections, and the hoop transport device 112 is an example of a substrate container transport device.

Claims

a processing block having a substrate inlet and a substrate outlet, receiving an unprocessed substrate at the substrate inlet, performing a predetermined process on the received substrate, and guiding the processed substrate to the substrate outlet;
a first opener that is provided at a position corresponding to the substrate entrance, supports a first substrate container containing a plurality of unprocessed substrates, and opens and closes a lid of the first substrate container;
a first substrate transfer unit that takes out a plurality of unprocessed substrates from the first substrate container whose lid has been opened by the first opener and delivers the plurality of unprocessed substrates to the substrate entrance of the processing block; ,
a second opener that is provided at a position corresponding to the substrate outlet, supports an empty second substrate container, and opens and closes a lid of the second substrate container;
a second substrate transfer unit that receives a plurality of processed substrates from the substrate outlet of the processing block and inserts the received plurality of substrates into the second substrate container whose lid is opened by the second opener; A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
The processing block is
a transport mechanism that transports a carrier configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates along a predetermined transport path from the substrate entrance to the substrate exit;
a processing unit that is provided on the transport path and performs the predetermined process on a plurality of substrates accommodated in the carrier while the plurality of substrates are accommodated in the carrier;
The first substrate delivery unit takes out a plurality of unprocessed substrates from the first substrate container while the empty carrier is at the substrate entrance, and inserts the taken out plurality of substrates into the carrier,
The second substrate delivery unit takes out the plurality of processed substrates from the carrier while the carrier containing the plurality of processed substrates is at the substrate outlet, and transfers the taken out plurality of substrates to the first substrate. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is inserted into a second substrate container.
The processing unit includes:
a processing tank that stores a processing liquid corresponding to the predetermined processing;
Claim 2, further comprising a lifter configured to be able to immerse the carrier transported by the transport mechanism in the processing liquid in the processing tank and to lift the carrier immersed in the processing liquid from the processing tank. The substrate processing apparatus described.
Further comprising a board loading/unloading section configured to be able to carry in a plurality of boards and to carry out a plurality of boards,
The processing block is configured such that the substrate inlet and the substrate outlet are adjacent to each other in a first direction in a plan view,
The board loading/unloading section is
including the first opener, the second opener, the first substrate transfer section and the second substrate transfer section,
The processing block is provided so as to be in contact with the substrate inlet and the substrate outlet of the processing block in a plan view, and to be adjacent to the processing block in a second direction intersecting the first direction in a plan view. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 3.
The board loading/unloading section is
a plurality of substrate container mounting parts capable of holding a plurality of substrate containers including the first substrate container and the second substrate container;
A substrate configured to be able to transport the plurality of substrate containers between the plurality of substrate container placement parts and the first opener and between the plurality of substrate container placement parts and the second opener. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a container transport device.