Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

To improve the substrate transfer accuracy in a substrate processing apparatus which collectively transfers and processes a plurality of substrates.SOLUTION: A load lock module includes a plurality of stage areas arranged around a central position, a rotation support unit having a plurality of fixed support pins for supporting a substrate and configured to be rotatable about the central position as a rotation axis above the plurality of stage areas, and a drive mechanism configured to drive the rotation support unit in a rotational direction. When transporting a substrate between the load lock module and the first transport module or the second transport module, a first transport robot or a second transport robot transports the substrate relative to the fixed support pins.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a vacuum processing apparatus comprising a vacuum transport arm including wafer holding parts that hold wafers at the tip and base ends, and a vacuum processing module into which the wafers held in the wafer holding parts are loaded all at once and vacuum-processed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-190939 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology according to the present disclosure improves the substrate transfer accuracy in a substrate processing apparatus that collectively transfers and processes a plurality of substrates. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates, the substrate processing apparatus comprising: a processing module having a plurality of mounting stages for processing substrates placed on the mounting stages; a first transfer module having a first transport robot configured to be capable of transporting a plurality of substrates collectively to the processing module; a second transfer module having a second transport robot configured to transport substrates to a storage container capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; and a load lock module provided between the first transfer module and the second transfer module and configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates to be transported by the first transport robot or the second transport robot, the load lock module having a plurality of stage areas arranged around a central position, a plurality of fixed support pins for supporting substrates, a rotational support unit configured to be rotatable about the central position as a rotation axis above the plurality of stage areas, and a drive mechanism configured to drive the rotational support unit in a rotational direction, and when a substrate is transported between the load lock module and the first transfer module or the second transfer module, the first transport robot or the second transport robot transports the substrate relative to the fixed support pins. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the substrate transport accuracy in a substrate processing apparatus that collectively transports and processes a plurality of substrates. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a configuration of a wafer processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of the configuration of an atmospheric transfer robot. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the outline of the configuration of a vacuum transfer robot. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an outline of the configuration of a processing module. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of the configuration of a processing module. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of the configuration of a load lock module. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an outline of the configuration of a load lock module. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of the configuration of a load lock module. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of the configuration of a rotating plate. [Figure 10] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an atmospheric transfer robot or a vacuum transfer robot enters a load lock module. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing main steps of wafer processing. [Figure 12A] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing main steps of wafer processing in a wafer processing apparatus; [Figure 12B] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing main steps of wafer processing in a wafer processing apparatus; [Figure 12C] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing main steps of wafer processing in a wafer processing apparatus; [Figure 12D] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing main steps of wafer processing in a wafer processing apparatus; [Figure 12E] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing main steps of wafer processing in a wafer processing apparatus; [Figure 12F] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing main steps of wafer processing in a wafer processing apparatus; [Figure 12G] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing main steps of wafer processing in a wafer processing apparatus; [Figure 12H] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing main steps of wafer processing in a wafer processing apparatus; [Figure 13] 1A to 1C are explanatory views showing main steps of wafer transfer in a load lock module. [Figure 14] 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing the main steps of wafer notch orientation control in an orienter of a load lock module. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a narrow pitch arrangement of four wafers. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of the configuration of a processing module according to another embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a notch orientation of a wafer. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a notch orientation of a wafer. [Figure 19] 1A to 1C are explanatory views showing main steps of wafer processing when a heat treatment mechanism is provided on a stage. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a configuration in which two load lock modules are integrated together. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an outline of the configuration of a wafer processing apparatus according to another embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the outline of the configuration of a rotation plate according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various processes are performed on semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as "wafers"). For example, the wafer processes are performed in a wafer processing apparatus having a processing module for processing the wafer and a transfer module for transferring the wafer to the processing module.

[0009] In the vacuum processing apparatus (wafer processing apparatus) disclosed in Patent Document 1, multiple wafers are collectively transported by a vacuum transport arm and collectively processed in a vacuum processing module, thereby making the wafer processing apparatus more compact and improving the throughput of wafer processing.

[0010] On the other hand, in a wafer processing apparatus that collectively transports and processes a plurality of wafers, there is a demand for improving the transport accuracy of the plurality of wafers to the processing module in order to achieve further improvements in the performance of the apparatus.

[0011] The technology disclosed herein has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and improves substrate transport accuracy in a substrate processing apparatus that collectively transports and processes a plurality of substrates. Hereinafter, a wafer processing apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus and a wafer processing method as a substrate processing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0012] <First embodiment: Wafer processing apparatus> First, a description will be given of the configuration of a wafer processing apparatus according to this embodiment. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the configuration of a wafer processing apparatus 1. In the wafer processing apparatus 1, a desired process is performed on a wafer W as a substrate in a vacuum atmosphere.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer processing apparatus 1 has an atmospheric section 10 and a vacuum section 11 that are integrally connected via two load lock modules 20a, 20b. The atmospheric section 10 transfers and processes the wafer W in an atmospheric atmosphere. The atmospheric atmosphere is an example of a normal pressure atmosphere. The vacuum section 11 transfers and processes the wafer W in a vacuum atmosphere. The vacuum atmosphere is an example of a reduced pressure atmosphere.

[0014] For example, the load lock module 20a temporarily holds the wafer W transferred from a loader module 30 (described later) in the atmospheric section 10, in order to deliver the wafer W to a transfer module 70 (described later) in the vacuum section 11. Also, for example, the load lock module 20b temporarily holds the wafer W transferred from the transfer module 70, in order to deliver the wafer W to the loader module 30.

[0015] The load lock modules 20a and 20b are configured so that the interior can be switched between atmospheric pressure and reduced pressure atmosphere. That is, the load lock modules 20a and 20b are configured so that the wafer W can be appropriately transferred between the atmosphere section 10 of the atmospheric pressure atmosphere and the vacuum section 11 of the reduced pressure atmosphere. The load lock modules 20a and 20b are also configured so that a plurality of wafers W, for example, four wafers W, can be housed therein. The specific configuration of the load lock modules 20a and 20b will be described later.

[0016] The load lock module 20a is connected to a loader module 30 (described later) via a gate 22a provided with a gate valve 21a. This gate valve 21a ensures airtightness between the load lock module 20a and the loader module 30 while allowing communication between them. The load lock module 20a is also connected to a transfer module 70 (described later) via a gate 24a provided with a gate valve 23a. This gate valve 23a ensures airtightness between the load lock module 20a and the transfer module 70 while allowing communication between them.

[0017] Similar to the load lock module 20a, the load lock module 20b is connected to the loader module 30 via a gate 22b provided with a gate valve 21b, and is connected to the transfer module 70 via a gate 24b provided with a gate valve 23b. These gate valves 21a and 23a ensure airtightness between the load lock module 20a and the loader module 30 and the transfer module 70, while also allowing communication between them.

[0018] (Atmospheric Section 10) Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the atmospheric section 10. The atmospheric section 10 has a loader module 30 as a second transfer module and a plurality of load ports 40, for example, four load ports 40.

[0019] The loader module 30 has a housing 31 that is rectangular in plan view, for example, and the interior of the housing 31 is maintained at atmospheric pressure. Four load ports 40 are arranged side by side on the side surface of the housing 31 facing the negative direction of the Y axis. Two load lock modules 20a, 20b are arranged side by side on the side surface of the housing 31 facing the positive direction of the Y axis, via gates 22a, 22b provided with gate valves 21a, 21b.

[0020] The load port 40 is configured to be capable of mounting a FOUP F as a storage container. The FOUP F is configured to be capable of housing a plurality of wafers W, for example, 25 wafers W per lot, stacked at equal intervals in multiple tiers. The interior of the FOUP F mounted on the load port 40 is filled with, for example, air or nitrogen gas and sealed.

[0021] Inside the loader module 30, an atmospheric transfer robot 50 is provided as a second transfer robot for transferring a wafer W. As shown in FIG. 2, the atmospheric transfer robot 50 has a multi-joint transfer arm 51. At the tip of the transfer arm 51, there are an upper pick 52a and a lower pick 52b as a second pick, which are provided in two stages. The upper pick 52a has a fork shape that branches from a base end to two tip ends. Suction pads 53a are provided on the surfaces of the base end and the tip end of the upper pick 52a, and one wafer W is vacuumed and sucked and held by these three suction pads 53a. The lower pick 52b has a similar configuration to the upper pick 52a, and one wafer W is vacuumed and sucked and held by the three suction pads 53b. The transfer arm 51 is configured so that the upper pick 52a and the lower pick 52b can be moved vertically and horizontally, respectively. The atmospheric transfer robot 50 transfers the wafer W between the FOUP F of the load port 40 and the load lock modules 20a and 20b.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, inside the loader module 30, a position measuring unit 60 is provided for measuring the horizontal position of the wafer W. The position measuring unit 60 is disposed in front of the gate valve 21a (gate 22a) of the load lock module 20a. A known optical sensor is used for the position measuring unit 60. The position measuring unit 60 has a light projecting unit 61 and a light receiving unit 62, and is configured so that the light receiving unit 62 receives the light from the light projecting unit 61. For example, the light projecting unit 61 and the light receiving unit 62 are installed so that their optical axes are vertical, and two pairs of the light projecting unit 61 and the light receiving unit 62 are installed. Then, the wafer W held by the upper pick 52a passes between the light projecting unit 61 and the light receiving unit 62, and, for example, the horizontal positions of four points on the edge of the wafer W are measured. The position measurement unit 60 is provided at least in front of the gate valve 21a (gate 22a), but may also be provided in front of the gate valve 21b (gate 22b) of the load lock module 20b.

[0023] When the atmospheric transfer robot 50 transfers the wafer W to the load lock module 20a, the wafer W held by the upper pick 52a passes between the light projecting unit 61 and the light receiving unit 62. At this time, the position measuring unit 60 measures the horizontal position of the wafer W by light emitted from the light projecting unit 61 toward the light receiving unit 62. The measurement result by the position measuring unit 60 is output to the control unit 200, which will be described later. The control unit 200 controls the atmospheric transfer robot 50 based on the measurement result, and adjusts the horizontal position of the wafer W, for example, the center position of the wafer W. The control unit 200 also detects the presence or absence of the wafer W on the upper pick 52a.

[0024] (Vacuum section 11) Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the vacuum section 11. The vacuum section 11 has a transfer module 70 as a first transfer module, and a plurality of, for example, six processing modules 90.

[0025] The transfer module 70 has a housing 71 that is polygonal in plan view, for example, and the inside of the housing 71 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere. On both side surfaces in the X-axis direction of the housing 71, a plurality of, for example, six, processing modules 90 are arranged side by side via gates 73 provided with gate valves 72. On the side surface in the negative Y-axis direction of the housing 71, two load lock modules 20a, 20b are arranged side by side via gates 24a, 24b provided with gate valves 23a, 23b.

[0026] Inside the transfer module 70, a vacuum transfer robot 80 is provided as a first transfer robot for transferring the wafer W. As shown in FIG. 3, the vacuum transfer robot 80 has an articulated transfer arm 81. At the tip of the transfer arm 81, an upper pick 82a as a first pick and a lower pick 82b as a first pick are provided in two stages. The upper pick 82a has two plate parts. Six holding pads 83a are provided at two locations on the surface of each plate part, that is, the upper pick 82a is provided at a total of four locations. The number of holding pads 83a is not limited to this, and it is sufficient that three or more are provided for each location that holds one wafer W. Each holding pad 83a is made of a material having a high friction coefficient with respect to the wafer W, such as elastomer, and supports the wafer W by frictional force. The holding pad 83a suppresses the positional deviation of the wafer W supported by the upper pick 82a. The upper pick 82a is configured to be able to hold four wafers W at once. The lower pick 82b has a similar configuration to the upper pick 82a, and is configured to be able to hold four wafers W collectively by a holding pad 83b. The specific arrangement of the four wafers W held by the upper pick 82a and the specific arrangement of the four wafers W held by the lower pick 82b will be described later. The transfer arm 81 is configured to be able to move the upper pick 82a and the lower pick 82b in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively. The vacuum transfer robot 80 transfers the wafers W between the load lock modules 20a, 20b and the six processing modules 90.

[0027] 1, the processing module 90 has a chamber 91 configured to keep the interior airtight. The chamber 91 has, for example, a rectangular shape in a plan view.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a chamber 91 is provided inside with a plurality of, for example, four, mounting tables 92 on which wafers W are mounted. The four mounting tables 92 are arranged on a concentric circle at equal intervals, i.e., at 90° intervals. Adjacent mounting tables 92 are arranged at a narrow interval (hereinafter, referred to as a "narrow pitch"). The specific arrangement of the four wafers W mounted on the four mounting tables 92 at this narrow pitch will be described later, but is the same as the arrangement of the four wafers W held by the upper pick 82a or the lower pick 52b of the vacuum transfer robot 80 described above. Each of the four mounting tables 92 has the same configuration, and the wafer W is mounted on the mounting surface, which is the upper surface. The mounting table 92 functions as a susceptor, and a temperature control mechanism (not shown) for adjusting the temperature of the wafer W is provided inside the mounting table 92.

[0029] Lifter pins (not shown) are inserted through the mounting table 92. The lifter pins support the wafer W and are configured to be movable in the vertical direction. The lifter pins enable the wafer W to be transferred between the mounting table 92 and the vacuum transfer robot 80.

[0030] An air supply unit 93 that supplies a processing gas to the inside of the chamber 91 is provided at the top of the chamber 91. The air supply unit 93 has four shower heads 94, a gas branching unit 95, a gas supply pipe 96, and a gas supply source 97.

[0031] The four shower heads 94 are provided on the ceiling surface of the chamber 91 so as to face the four mounting tables 92, respectively. A space 94a is formed inside the shower head 94. The lower surface of the shower head 94 constitutes a shower plate 94b, and the shower plate 94b has a plurality of supply holes formed therein that penetrate in the thickness direction.

[0032] The gas branching part 95 is connected to the four shower heads 94 and is provided in common to the four shower heads 94. The gas branching part 95 is disposed in the center of the four shower heads 94 and above an exhaust pipe 99, which will be described later. The gas branching part 95 is in communication with a gas supply source 97 via a gas supply pipe 96. The gas supply source 97 is configured to be capable of supplying a processing gas for processing the wafer W.

[0033] In the gas supply section 93, the processing gas from the gas supply source 97 is branched at the gas branching section 95 and supplied to four shower heads 94, and then supplied to the wafer W placed on the mounting table 92 through the space 94a and the shower plate 94b of the shower head 94.

[0034] An exhaust unit 98 that exhausts the inside of the chamber 91 is provided at the bottom of the chamber 91. The exhaust unit 98 has an exhaust pipe 99 and an exhaust mechanism 100. The exhaust pipe 99 is disposed at the center of the four mounting tables 92 on the bottom surface of the chamber 91. In other words, the exhaust pipe 99 is disposed below the gas branch unit 95. The exhaust mechanism 100 exhausts the inside of the chamber 91 via the exhaust pipe 99. In the exhaust unit 98, the inside of the chamber 91 is evacuated by the exhaust mechanism 100, so that the inside of the chamber 91 can be maintained in a vacuum atmosphere of a desired vacuum degree.

[0035] In the processing module 90 having the above configuration, four wafers W are processed collectively under a vacuum atmosphere. Examples of the processing under a vacuum atmosphere include an etching process, a plasma process such as a film formation process or a diffusion process, a chemical oxide removal process, a heat treatment, and the like.

[0036] (Load lock modules 20a, 20b) Next, the configuration of the load lock modules 20a, 20b will be described. The load lock modules 20a, 20b have a configuration that is symmetrical with respect to the Y axis. In the following description, Figs. 6 to 8 show the load lock module 20a.

[0037] 6 to 8, the load lock modules 20a and 20b each have a chamber 110 configured to keep the interior airtight. The chamber 110 has, for example, a polygonal shape in a plan view.

[0038] A loading / unloading port 111 for the wafer W is formed on a side surface of the chamber 110 facing the atmospheric section 10. The loading / unloading port 111 communicates with the gates 22a and 22b, and an upper pick 52a and a lower pick 52b of the atmospheric transfer robot 50 pass through the gates 22a and 22b and the loading / unloading port 111 in sequence. A loading / unloading port 112 for the wafer W is formed on a side surface of the chamber 110 facing the vacuum section 11. The loading / unloading port 112 communicates with the gates 24a and 24b, and an upper pick 82a and a lower pick 82b of the vacuum transfer robot 80 pass through the gates 24a and 24b and the loading / unloading port 112 in sequence.

[0039] An air supply section (not shown) for supplying gas and an exhaust section (not shown) for exhausting gas are connected to the chamber 110, and the interior is configured to be switchable between an air atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere by the air supply section and the exhaust section. That is, the load lock modules 20a and 20b are configured to appropriately transfer the wafer W between the loader module 30 in the air atmosphere and the transfer module 70 in the vacuum atmosphere.

[0040] Inside the chamber 110, a rotating plate 120 is provided as a rotation support unit capable of supporting four wafers W. As shown in FIG. 9, the rotating plate 120 has four arms 121 integrally formed therein. The four arms 121 are disposed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 120, that is, disposed at 90 degree intervals from the center 120c of the rotating plate 120. Each arm 121 is configured to have a substantially arc shape in a plan view, for example, a substantially 3 / 4 annular shape (substantially U-shaped) having a diameter larger than the wafer W, and accommodates and supports the wafer W so as to surround it inside when viewed from above. Also, each arm 121 is disposed so that the opening of the arc faces radially outward.

[0041] Since the rotating plate 120 has a shape in which the radially outer side of each arm 121 is cut out in this manner, it is possible to reduce the turning radius of the rotating plate 120. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the load lock modules 20a, 20b.

[0042] Each arm 121 is provided with a plurality of, for example, three, support parts 122 protruding inward. Each support part 122 is provided with a fixed support pin 123 that contacts and supports the wafer W. The fixed support pin 123 does not move up and down and is fixed to the arm 121. The three fixed support pins 123 (the three support parts 122) are disposed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer periphery of the wafer W.

[0043] 9, the multiple fixed support pins 123 are arranged on the rotating plate 120 so as to follow any one of multiple imaginary lines L1 to L4. The multiple imaginary lines L1 to L4 extend perpendicularly toward the loading / unloading port 112, and the widths of the imaginary lines L1 and L2 and the widths of the imaginary lines L3 and L4 are set so as to be larger than the width of one plate portion of the upper pick 82a and the lower pick 82b of the vacuum transfer robot 80, respectively, and smaller than the opening width of the loading / unloading port 112. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the rotating plate 120 while preventing interference with the pick of the vacuum transfer robot 80, which can transfer multiple substrates at once.

[0044] The fixed support pin 123 is provided to protrude upward from the upper surface of the arm 121. The distance from the upper surface of the arm 121 to the tip of the fixed support pin 123, i.e., the protruding height H of the fixed support pin 123, is greater than the thickness of the upper pick 52a and the lower pick 52b of the atmospheric transfer robot 50, and is also greater than the thickness of the upper pick 82a and the lower pick 82b of the vacuum transfer robot 80. For this reason, when the wafer W is transferred between the fixed support pin 123 and the picks 52a, 52b, 82a, and 82b as described below, the picks 52a, 52b, 82a, and 82b do not interfere with the fixed support pin 123, etc.

[0045] In addition, since arm 121 has a substantially arc shape and fixed support pin 123 is provided inside arm 121, the wafer W can be transferred between fixed support pin 123 and support pin 152 of orienter 150, as described below. Similarly, the wafer W can be transferred between fixed support pin 123 and stage 140, as described below.

[0046] The upper tips of the fixed support pins 123 are roughly sharpened and come into point contact with the wafer W. The fixed support pins 123 are made of a material having a high coefficient of friction with respect to the wafer W, such as elastomer, and support the wafer W by frictional force. The fixed support pins 123 prevent the wafer W supported by the rotating plate 120 from shifting in position. With this configuration, the three fixed support pins 123 in each arm 121 horizontally support one wafer W.

[0047] The rotating plate 120 is configured to be able to support four wafers W at equal intervals in the circumferential direction by the four arms 121. The specific arrangement of the four wafers W supported by the rotating plate 120 will be described later, but is the same as the arrangement of the four wafers W held by the upper pick 82a or the lower pick 52b of the vacuum transfer robot 80 described above, and is also the same as the arrangement of the four wafers W placed on the four placement tables 92 of the processing module 90.

[0048] 10, all of the fixed support pins 123 are disposed at positions where the upper pick 52a or the lower pick 52b does not interfere with the fixed support pins 123 when the atmospheric transfer robot 50 transfers the wafer W to the fixed support pins 123. Then, the upper pick 52a or the lower pick 52b moves in the vertical direction to transfer the wafer W to the fixed support pins 123. In other words, at this time, the fixed support pins 123 do not move in the vertical direction.

[0049] Similarly, all of the fixed support pins 123 are disposed at positions where the upper pick 82a or the lower pick 82b does not interfere with the fixed support pins 123 when the vacuum transfer robot 80 transfers the wafer W to the fixed support pins 123. Then, the upper pick 82a or the lower pick 82b moves in the vertical direction to transfer the wafer W to the fixed support pins 123. In other words, at this time, the fixed support pins 123 do not move in the vertical direction.

[0050] As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, a driving mechanism 130 configured to be able to drive the rotating plate 120 in a rotational direction is provided at a center 120c of the lower surface of the rotating plate 120. In other words, the rotating plate 120 is configured to be able to rotate around the center 120c as a rotation axis. The configuration of the driving mechanism 130 is arbitrary. For example, the driving mechanism 130 has a shaft portion 131 and a driving portion 132. The shaft portion 131 is provided inside the chamber 110 and supports the lower surface of the rotating plate 120. The driving portion 132 is provided outside the chamber 110 and attached to the shaft portion 131. The driving portion 132 incorporates, for example, a motor (not shown) and drives the rotating plate 120 in a rotational direction via the shaft portion 131.

[0051] 6 to 8, a plurality of, for example, four, stage regions R1 to R4 are provided around the center 120c of the rotating plate 120 below the rotating plate 120. The four stage regions R1 to R4 are disposed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 120, that is, disposed at 90 degree intervals as viewed from the center 120c of the rotating plate 120. When the rotating plate 120 rotates to a specific position, the four stage regions R1 to R4 are disposed below the four arms 121. Moreover, the stage region R1 is provided on the loading / unloading port 111 side, the stage region R2 is provided between the loading / unloading port 111 and the loading / unloading port 112, and the stage regions R3 and R4 are provided on the loading / unloading port 112 side.

[0052] Each of the stage regions R1 to R4 is provided with a stage 140. For example, the diameter of the stage 140 is smaller than the inner diameter of the arm 121.

[0053] In stage region R2, an orienter 150 is provided which controls the orientation of the notch of the wafer W relative to the rotating plate 120. The orienter 150 has a notch detection unit 151, a support pin 152, and a drive mechanism 153. The orienter 150 is provided in at least the load lock module 20a, but may also be provided in the load lock module 20b.

[0054] The notch detection unit 151 is provided above the rotating plate 120. For example, a line sensor is used for the notch detection unit 151, and detects the notch position of the wafer W supported by the support pins 152.

[0055] The support pins 152 are provided by being inserted through the stage 140, and the tips of the support pins 152 are embedded in the upper surface of the stage 140. The support pins 152 are configured to be able to support the wafer W at their tips. In the illustrated example, the tips of the support pins 152 are configured to be able to support the wafer W at three points, but the shape of the tips is not limited thereto, and any shape may be used as long as the wafer W can be supported.

[0056] The driving mechanism 153 is provided outside the chamber 110 and supports the support pins 152. The driving mechanism 153 is configured to be able to drive the support pins 152 in a rotational direction and to move the support pins 152 in a vertical direction. With this configuration, the support pins 152 are configured to be able to move in the vertical direction between the upper surface of the stage 140 and above the stage 140, and are further configured to be able to rotate in the rotational direction above the stage 140. In addition, the arm 121 of the rotating plate 120 provided above the support pins 152 has a substantially arc shape, and the fixed support pins 123 are provided inside the arm 121, so that the wafer W can be transferred between the support pins 152 and the fixed support pins 123.

[0057] In the orienter 150, the wafer W supported by the support pins 152 is moved above the rotating plate 120, and then the notch position of the wafer W is detected by the notch detection unit 151 while rotating the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is rotated so that the notch of the wafer W is positioned at an appropriate position, and the orientation of the notch is controlled.

[0058] (Control unit 200) 1, the wafer processing apparatus 1 is provided with a control unit 200. The control unit 200 is, for example, a computer equipped with a CPU, a memory, and the like, and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for controlling the processing of the wafer W in the wafer processing apparatus 1. The program may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium H and installed from the storage medium H to the control unit 200. The storage medium H may be either temporary or non-temporary.

[0059] <First embodiment: Wafer processing method> Next, wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus 1 configured as above will be described. In the wafer processing, the operation of each part of the wafer processing apparatus 1 is controlled by the control unit 200. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing main steps of the wafer processing. FIGS. 12A to 12H are explanatory diagrams showing main steps of the wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus 1. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing main steps of wafer transport in the load lock module 20a. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing main steps of notch orientation control of the wafer W in the orienter 150 of the load lock module 20a.

[0060] First, a FOUP F containing a plurality of wafers W is placed on the load port 40. Next, under atmospheric conditions, a first wafer W1 is taken out of the FOUP F by an upper pick 52a of an atmospheric transfer robot 50 and transferred to a load lock module 20a. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12A, before the upper pick 52a passes through the gate 22a, the position measurement unit 60 measures the horizontal position of the wafer W1 held by the upper pick 52a. The measurement result by the position measurement unit 60 is output to the control unit 200. The control unit 200 controls the atmospheric transfer robot 50 based on the measurement result, and adjusts the horizontal position of the wafer W supported by the upper pick 52a, for example, the center position of the wafer W (step St1 in FIG. 11).

[0061] Next, the gate valve 21a is opened, and the upper pick 52a holding the wafer W1 is advanced into the load lock module 20a, as shown in Fig. 12B and Fig. 13(a). At this time, the rotating plate 120 is disposed such that the four arms 121 are positioned above the stage regions R1 to R4. The wafer W1 held by the upper pick 52a is disposed above the arm 121 corresponding to the stage region R1.

[0062] Next, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the upper pick 52a is lowered, and the wafer W1 is transferred from the upper pick 52a to the fixed support pins 123 of the arm 121. At this time, since the horizontal position of the wafer W has been adjusted in step St1, the wafer W1 is transferred to an appropriate position relative to the fixed support pins 123. As described above, the protruding height H of the fixed support pins 123 is greater than the thickness of the upper pick 52a, so that the upper pick 52a does not interfere with the wafer W1 and the arm 121 even after transferring the wafer W1 to the fixed support pins 123. In this way, the wafer W1 is carried from the atmospheric transfer robot 50 to the load lock module 20a (step St2 in FIG. 11). Thereafter, the upper pick 52a is withdrawn from the load lock module 20a.

[0063] Next, as shown in FIG. 13(c), the rotating plate 120 is rotated clockwise by 90 degrees to place the wafer W1 above the stage region R2 (Step St3 in FIG. 11).

[0064] Next, in stage region R2, the orientation of the notch position of wafer W1 is controlled by orienter 150 (step St4 in FIG. 11). In addition, the second wafer W2 is transported by atmospheric transport robot 50 to a position corresponding to stage region R1 in load lock module 20a (steps St1 and St2 in FIG. 11). The notch orientation control of wafer W1 and the transport of wafer W2 are performed in parallel. In this case, the throughput of wafer processing can be improved. The transport of wafer W2 is the same as the transport of wafer W1 in steps St1 to St2 described above.

[0065] In step St4, first, before controlling the position of the notch N of the wafer W1, the support pins 152 of the orienter 150 are placed on the upper surface of the stage 140 as shown in FIG. 14(a).

[0066] 14(b), the support pins 152 are raised, and the wafer W1 is transferred from the arm 121 to the support pins 152. The support pins 152 are disposed at a position where the wafer W1 is spaced above the arm 121. Next, the position of the notch N of the wafer W1 is detected by the notch detection unit 151 while rotating the support pins 152 and the wafer W1. Thereafter, based on the detection result by the notch detection unit 151, the drive mechanism 153 is controlled to rotate the wafer W1 so that the notch N of the wafer W1 is disposed at an appropriate position, and the orientation of the notch N is controlled.

[0067] 14(c), the support pins 152 are lowered, and the wafer W1 is transferred from the support pins 152 to the arm 121. The support pins 152 are disposed on the upper surface of the stage 140.

[0068] The above steps St1 to St4 are repeated for the second wafer W2, the third wafer W3, and the fourth wafer W4, and the four wafers W1 to W4 are loaded into the load lock module 20a as shown in FIG. 12C (step St5 in FIG. 11).

[0069] Next, the gate valve 21a is closed, the inside of the load lock module 20a is sealed and depressurized, and a vacuum atmosphere is maintained. After that, the gate valve 23a is opened, and the inside of the load lock module 20a and the inside of the transfer module 70 are communicated with each other.

[0070] 12D and 13(d), the upper pick 82a of the vacuum transfer robot 80 is inserted into the load lock module 20a. The upper pick 82a is disposed between the four wafers W1 to W4 supported by the fixed support pins 123 and the arm 121. As described above, the protruding height H of the fixed support pins 123 is greater than the thickness of the upper pick 82a, so that the upper pick 82a does not interfere with the wafers W1 to W4 and the arm 121.

[0071] 13(e), the upper pick 82a is raised, and the four wafers W1 to W4 are collectively transferred to the upper pick 82a from the fixed support pins 123. Thereafter, the upper pick 82a is withdrawn from the load lock module 20a, and the four wafers W1 to W4 are collectively carried out from the load lock module 20a (step St6 in FIG. 11).

[0072] Next, the gate valve 72 is opened, and the upper pick 82a holding the four wafers W1 to W4 is advanced into the processing module 90 as shown in FIG. 12E. The upper pick 82a is disposed so that the four wafers W1 to W4 are positioned above the four mounting tables 92. Then, the four wafers W1 to W4 are mounted on the four mounting tables 92 by lifter pins (not shown). In this manner, the four wafers W1 to W4 are collectively carried in from the vacuum transfer robot 80 to the processing module 90 (step St7 in FIG. 11). Thereafter, the upper pick 82a is retreated from the processing module 90.

[0073] Next, gate valve 72 is closed, and in processing module 90, processing gas is supplied from gas supply unit 93 to chamber 91, and the inside of chamber 91 is evacuated by exhaust unit 98. Then, desired processing is performed on four wafers W1 to W4 in a vacuum atmosphere (step St8 in FIG. 11).

[0074] Next, the gate valve 72 is opened, and as shown in Fig. 12F, the lower pick 82b of the vacuum transfer robot 80 is caused to enter the inside of the processing module 90. Thereafter, the four wafers W1 to W4 are transferred from the four mounting tables 92 to the lower pick 82b by lifter pins (not shown). Thereafter, the lower pick 82b is caused to retract from the processing module 90, and the four wafers W1 to W4 are collectively unloaded from the processing module 90 (step St9 in Fig. 11).

[0075] Next, the gate valve 23b is opened, and the lower pick 82b holding the four wafers W1 to W4 is advanced into the load lock module 20b, as shown in Fig. 12G. At this time, the four wafers W1 to W4 are positioned above the arm 121 corresponding to the stage regions R1 to R4.

[0076] Next, the lower pick 82b is lowered, and the four wafers W1 to W4 are collectively transferred from the lower pick 82b to the fixed support pins 123 of the four arms 121. As described above, the protruding height H of the fixed support pins 123 is greater than the thickness of the lower pick 82b, so that the lower pick 82b does not interfere with the wafers W1 to W4 and the arm 121 even after transferring the wafers W1 to W4 to the fixed support pins 123. In this manner, the wafer W1 and the four wafers W1 to W4 are collectively carried in from the vacuum transfer robot 80 to the load lock module 20b (step St10 in FIG. 11). Thereafter, the lower pick 82b is withdrawn from the load lock module 20b.

[0077] Next, the gate valve 23b is closed, the inside of the load lock module 20a is sealed and pressurized, and the inside of the load lock module 20a is maintained at the atmospheric pressure. After that, the gate valve 21b is opened, and the inside of the load lock module 20b and the inside of the loader module 30 are connected to each other.

[0078] 12H, the lower pick 52b of the atmospheric transfer robot 50 is carried into the load lock module 20b. The lower pick 52b is disposed between the wafer W3 supported by the fixed support pins 123 at a position corresponding to the stage region R1 and the arm 121. As described above, the protruding height H of the fixed support pins 123 is greater than the thickness of the lower pick 52b, so that the lower pick 52b does not interfere with the wafer W3.

[0079] Next, the lower pick 52b is raised, and the wafer W3 is transferred to the lower pick 52b from the fixed support pins 123. Thereafter, the lower pick 52b is moved out of the load lock module 20b, and the wafer W3 is carried out of the load lock module 20b, and then the wafer W3 is carried to the FOUP F by the lower pick 52b (step St11 in FIG. 11).

[0080] Next, the rotating plate 120 is rotated counterclockwise by 90 degrees to place the wafer W2 above the stage region R1 (Step St12 in FIG. 11).

[0081] The above steps St11 to St10 are repeatedly performed on the wafers W2, W1 and W4, and the four wafers W1 to W4 are sequentially transferred to the FOUP F (step St13 in FIG. 11). In this manner, a series of wafer processing steps in the wafer processing apparatus 1 is completed.

[0082] <Effects of this embodiment> According to this embodiment, in the wafer processing apparatus 1, four wafers W are accommodated collectively in the load lock modules 20a and 20b, the four wafers W are collectively transported by the vacuum transport robot 80, and the four wafers W are collectively processed in the processing module 90. In this case, the wafer processing apparatus 1 can be made smaller than when a single wafer W is transported and processed. Also, the throughput of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus 1 can be improved.

[0083] Here, even in the past, there has been known an apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a "conventional apparatus") that collectively transports and processes a plurality of wafers, such as the wafer processing apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. Specifically, the conventional apparatus has a loader module that transports one wafer in an air atmosphere, a load lock module that accommodates a plurality of wafers, a transfer module that collectively transports a plurality of wafers in a vacuum atmosphere, and a processing module that collectively processes a plurality of wafers in a vacuum atmosphere.

[0084] In such conventional apparatus, the wafer is generally transported to the stage of the load lock module using lift pins that are movable up and down on the stage. That is, when the wafer is transported from the loader module to the load lock module, the wafer is transferred from the transport robot to the lift pins, and then the lift pins are lowered to place the wafer on the stage. When the wafer is transported from the load lock module to the transfer module, the wafer is transferred from the stage to the lift pins, and then the lift pins are raised to transfer the wafer to the transport lot.

[0085] However, in the conventional apparatus, when the lift pins are used to transfer the wafer in the load lock module, the lift pins and the wafer are misaligned when they come into contact with the wafer. In particular, when multiple wafers are transported together, such misalignment occurs for each of the multiple wafers. Then, when the wafers are transported to the processing module after that, the wafer placement accuracy on the placement stage of the processing module cannot be ensured for each of the multiple wafers, and the wafer is misaligned on the placement stage. This makes it impossible to process the wafer appropriately. As a result, in order to process the wafer appropriately in the processing module, it may be necessary to provide a mechanism for correcting the wafer position misalignment in the processing module depending on the processing process.

[0086] In this regard, according to the present embodiment, in the load lock modules 20a and 20b, the rotating plate 120 has a plurality of fixed support pins 123 that support the wafer W. When the wafer W is transferred between the load lock modules 20a and 20b and the loader module 30, the atmospheric transfer robot 50 transfers the wafer W to the fixed support pins 123. Similarly, when four wafers W are transferred between the load lock modules 20a and 20b and the transfer module 70, the vacuum transfer robot 80 transfers the wafer W to the four wafers W. At this time, the fixed support pins 123 do not rise and fall, but are fixed to the arm 121. Therefore, in this embodiment, when transferring the wafer W, it is not necessary to raise and lower the fixed support pins 123 as in the conventional case, and there is no contact between the fixed support pins 123 and the wafer W due to this raising and lowering. In other words, the number of contacts between the fixed support pins 123 and the wafer W can be minimized and the wafer W can be transferred to the load lock modules 20a and 20b. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation of the wafers in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus and improve the transfer accuracy of the wafers W. As a result, in the processing module 90, the four wafers W can be placed on the four mounting tables 92 in appropriate positions, i.e., the placement accuracy of the four wafers W on the four mounting tables 92 is improved, and the four wafers W can be appropriately processed.

[0087] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the four wafers W can be placed on the four mounting tables 92 in the processing module 90 at appropriate positions, there is no need to provide the processing module with a mechanism for correcting the wafer position as in the conventional apparatus. This allows the wafer processing apparatus 1 to be simplified, and the apparatus cost to be reduced.

[0088] On the other hand, in conventional devices, the misalignment of the wafer on the mounting stage in the processing module is not considered an issue, and improving the placement accuracy of the wafer on the mounting stage is not raised as an issue. In particular, when multiple wafers are transported at once, it is necessary to provide a transport system that can ensure high positional accuracy for each of the multiple wafers, but it is difficult to ensure this positional accuracy in conventional devices, and as a result, it is necessary to add a mechanism for correcting the wafer position on the processing module side.

[0089] Furthermore, in conventional devices, when transferring multiple wafers in a load lock module, the same number of lift pins are required as the number of wafers, and a drive mechanism is required for each of these lift pins to raise and lower them.

[0090] In this regard, according to the present embodiment, the wafer W is transferred between the atmospheric transfer robot 50 or the vacuum transfer robot 80 without raising and lowering the fixed support pins 123 in the load lock modules 20a, 20b, so there is no need to provide a drive mechanism as in the conventional apparatus described above. This allows the wafer processing apparatus 1 to be simplified and the apparatus costs to be reduced. In addition, since the number of drive mechanisms can be reduced, problems caused by the drive mechanisms can be avoided, and the maintainability of the load lock modules 20a, 20b can be improved.

[0091] That is, according to the wafer processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, even when multiple wafers W are transported together, high positional accuracy can be ensured in the medium to long term. When multiple lift pins are provided as in the conventional apparatus, it is difficult to ensure the same lift pin driving accuracy of multiple driving mechanisms in the medium to long term due to the influence of aging deterioration of the motor and the quality of maintenance of the pin lift mechanism. However, in the wafer processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate the cause of wafer position deviation caused by the lift pins during the transport process of transporting the wafer W to the processing module 90. Therefore, even when multiple wafers W are transported together, high positional accuracy can be ensured in the medium to long term.

[0092] In addition, in conventional devices, wafers are transferred one by one from the loader module to the load lock module, and the load lock module stores multiple wafers by repeatedly placing wafers on a stage in the load lock module from the transfer robot in the loader module and rotating the stage.

[0093] In this embodiment, in the load lock modules 20a and 20b, the wafers W are placed on the fixed support pins 123 of the rotating plate 120 and the rotating plate 120 is rotated repeatedly, so that four wafers W are accommodated in the load lock modules 20a and 20b. That is, unlike the conventional apparatus, the rotating plate 120 is rotated independently of the stage 140. This rotating plate 120 is simpler than the stage 140, and the driving mechanism 130 that drives the rotating plate 120 in the rotational direction is not large. Therefore, the wafer processing apparatus 1 can be simplified, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced, and the throughput in the transfer process can be improved.

[0094] Furthermore, in some conventional devices, a magnetic levitation stage is used as the stage on which the wafer is placed. In such cases, the mechanism for magnetic levitation is large-scale, which leads to a large lock module, and as a result, the conventional device is also large-scale.

[0095] In this regard, in this embodiment, there is no need to move the stage 140 in the load lock modules 20a, 20b, and there is no need to provide a magnetic levitation mechanism as in conventional devices, so the wafer processing device 1 can be simplified and the equipment costs can be reduced.

[0096] <Narrow pitch arrangement> Next, there will be described the arrangement of the four wafers W in the above-mentioned load lock modules 20a and 20b, the arrangement of the four wafers W in the transfer module 70, and the arrangement of the four wafers W in the processing module 90. Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of these four wafers W.

[0097] 15, the arrangement of the four wafers W supported by the rotating plate 120, the arrangement of the four wafers W held by the upper pick 82a or the lower pick 52b of the vacuum transfer robot 80, and the arrangement of the four wafers W placed on the four mounting tables 92 of the processing module 90 are the same. Therefore, when the four wafers W are transferred between the load lock modules 20a, 20b and the transfer module 70, or between the transfer module 70 and the processing module 90, positional deviation of the four wafers W can be suppressed, and the transfer accuracy of the wafers W can be improved.

[0098] In the load lock modules 20a, 20b, the transfer module 70, and the processing module 90, the four wafers W are arranged at a narrow pitch. Specifically, as shown in the following formula (1), if the radius of the wafer W is L1 (hereinafter referred to as "wafer radius L1"), in the arrangement of the four wafers W, the distance L2 between adjacent wafers W (hereinafter referred to as "wafer distance L2") is less than 1 / 2 of the radius L1. For example, when the wafer radius L1 is 150 mm, the wafer distance L2 is less than 75 mm and is determined to be, for example, 50 mm. L2 <L1×1 / 2 ···(1)

[0099] As a result of intensive research, the present inventors have found that when four wafers W are arranged at a narrow pitch so as to satisfy the above formula (1), the following effects can be obtained.

[0100] That is, according to this embodiment, since the four wafers W are supported at a narrow pitch on the rotating plate 120, the rotating plate 120 can be made smaller, and the load lock modules 20a, 20b can be made smaller. Furthermore, since the four wafers W held by the upper pick 82a or the lower pick 52b are arranged at a narrow pitch, the vacuum transport robot 80 can be made smaller, and the transfer module 70 can be made smaller. Furthermore, since the four wafers W placed on the four mounting tables 92 are arranged at a narrow pitch, the distance between the adjacent mounting tables 92 can be reduced, and the processing module 90 can be made smaller. Therefore, the entire wafer processing apparatus 1 can be made smaller.

[0101] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since four wafers W are transferred collectively from the transfer module 70 to the processing module 90, there is no need to rotate the four mounting tables 92 of the processing module 90. Therefore, a drive mechanism for rotating the four mounting tables 92 is not required, in other words, the four mounting tables 92 can be arranged at such a narrow pitch that a drive mechanism cannot be arranged. Therefore, from this viewpoint as well, the processing module 90 can be made smaller in size.

[0102] In the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, multiple wafers are transported at once, but it is practically difficult to realize both the simultaneous transport of multiple wafers in the transfer module and the narrow pitch arrangement of multiple mounting tables in the processing module. The reasons for this are explained below.

[0103] In conventional apparatuses, when multiple wafers are transferred collectively from a transfer module to a processing module, the multiple wafers need to be placed at appropriate positions on each of the multiple placement tables in the processing module. However, it is difficult to ensure the placement accuracy of the wafers on all of the placement tables. Therefore, from the viewpoint of ensuring the placement accuracy of the wafers in the processing module, it is desirable to provide a position correction mechanism such as a rotation mechanism or a movable mechanism inside the processing module to ensure the wafer placement accuracy inside the processing module.

[0104] However, when a position correction mechanism is provided in this manner, the processing module becomes larger. In particular, when processing requiring air supply (supply of processing gas) and exhaust (internal exhaust) is performed in the processing module, the processing module is likely to become larger. In other words, in a conventional apparatus that collectively transports multiple wafers, it is practically difficult to adopt a narrow pitch arrangement of multiple mounting tables unless the wafer mounting accuracy in the processing module is ensured. In other words, in a wafer processing apparatus that collectively transports multiple wafers, a problem arises in that it is difficult to achieve both the collective transport of multiple wafers in the transfer module and the narrow pitch arrangement of multiple mounting tables in the processing module.

[0105] In response to this, the present inventors have applied fixed support pins to the rotating plates 120 of the load lock modules 20a, 20b in the batch transport of four wafers W in the transfer module 70, thereby making it possible to substantially achieve both a narrow pitch arrangement of the four mounting tables 92 in the processing module 90 and a batch transport system for multiple wafers W in the transfer module 70.

[0106] Specifically, in the load lock module of the conventional apparatus, the wafer is transferred using lift pins and the stage is rotated, but in this embodiment, the rotating plate 120 is rotated independently of the stage 140. Furthermore, the fixed support pins 123 provided on the rotating plate 120 do not lift or lower when supporting the wafer W. When the rotating plate 120 having such a configuration is used, the mounting accuracy of the four wafers W on the four mounting tables 92 can be ensured as described above. Therefore, it is possible to realize both the simultaneous transfer of the four wafers W in the transfer module 70 and the narrow pitch arrangement of the four mounting tables 92 in the processing module 90, which were difficult to achieve in the conventional apparatus.

[0107] The narrow pitch arrangement of the four mounting tables 92 in the processing module 90 described above is particularly useful when processing requiring intake and exhaust of air is performed in the processing module 90, such as etching processing or film formation processing.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the processing module 90 has an air supply unit 93 that supplies a processing gas into the chamber 91, and an exhaust unit 98 that exhausts the inside of the chamber 91. As shown in FIG. 15, even if the four mounting tables 92 are arranged at a narrow pitch, a space exists in the center of the four mounting tables 92. A gas branch unit 95 of the air supply unit 93 and an exhaust pipe 99 of the exhaust unit 98 are arranged in the center of the four mounting tables 92. In this case, the gas branch unit 95, which is an air supply part, and the exhaust pipe 99, which is an exhaust part, can be shared for the four wafers W mounted on the four mounting tables 92. As a result, the cost of the device can be reduced compared to the case where the gas branch unit 95 and the exhaust pipe 99 are provided individually for the four wafers W.

[0109] In particular, since gas branch section 95 of gas supply section 93 is disposed at the center of four shower heads 94, it is useful for miniaturizing processing module 90. Here, if the gas branch section cannot be provided between shower heads 94, the gas branch section needs to be provided above shower head 94, which increases the height of chamber 91 and makes it impossible to miniaturize processing module 90.

[0110] Furthermore, if the arrangement pitch of the four mounting tables 92 is wide, the distance between the gas branching section 95 and exhaust pipe 99 and the four wafers W mounted on the four mounting tables 92 becomes large, which affects the process performance for the four wafers W. In this regard, if the four mounting tables 92 are arranged at a narrow pitch as in the present embodiment (if the above formula (1) is satisfied), the distance between the gas branching section 95 and exhaust pipe 99 and the four wafers W can be reduced, and the process performance for the four wafers W can be improved.

[0111] The configuration of the processing module 90 is not limited to this embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, in the processing module 90, a partition wall 250 may be provided on the outer periphery of the mounting table 92. The partition wall 250 is configured to be freely raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown). The partition wall 250 has four cylindrical parts 251 surrounding the four mounting tables 92, an upper flange part 252 provided at the upper end of the cylindrical parts 251, and a lower flange part 253 provided at the lower end of the cylindrical parts 251. The inner diameter of the cylindrical parts 251 is set to be larger than the outer surface of the mounting table 92, so that a gap is formed between the cylindrical parts 251 and the mounting table 92.

[0112] On the upper surface of the upper flange portion 252, a seal member 254 such as a resin O-ring is provided corresponding to each mounting table 92. The seal member 254 airtightly seals the gap between the shower head 94 and the upper flange portion 252 when the upper flange portion 252 and the shower head 94 come into contact with each other by raising the partition wall 250. Also, on the protruding portion 262 of the inner wall 260 described later, a seal member 255 such as a resin O-ring is provided corresponding to each mounting table 92. The seal member 255 airtightly seals the gap between the lower flange portion 253 and the protruding portion 262 when the protruding portion 262 and the lower flange portion 253 come into contact with each other. The partition wall 250 is raised to bring the shower head 94 into contact with the seal member 254, and further the lower flange portion 253 into contact with the seal member 255, thereby forming a processing space S surrounded by the mounting table 92, the partition wall 250, and the shower head 94.

[0113] An inner wall 260 fixed to the bottom surface of the chamber 91 is provided on the outer periphery of the mounting table 92. The inner wall 260 has a substantially cylindrical main body 261 and a protrusion 262 provided at the upper end of the main body 261 and protruding toward the outside of the inner wall 260. The inner wall 260 is disposed so as to surround each mounting table 92 individually. The inner diameter of the main body 261 of the inner wall 260 is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the mounting table 92, and an exhaust space V is formed between the inner wall 260 and the mounting table 92.

[0114] A plurality of slits 263 are formed at the lower end of the inner wall 260. The slits 263 are exhaust ports through which the process gas is discharged. In this embodiment, the slits 263 are formed at approximately equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the inner wall 260.

[0115] The exhaust pipe 99 of the exhaust unit 98 is disposed at the bottom of the chamber 91, outside the partition wall 250 and the inner wall 260, and at the center of the four mounting tables 92 as described above. The exhaust pipe 99 is provided in common to the four inner walls 260. That is, the process gas from the four exhaust spaces V is exhausted from the common exhaust pipe 99.

[0116] As described above, even when the partition walls 250 and the inner walls 260 are provided in the processing module 90, the above-mentioned operational effects of the narrow pitch arrangement of the four mounting tables 92 can be obtained. In particular, since the processing module 90 does not require a rotation mechanism for the mounting tables 92 therein, even when the partition walls 250, the inner walls 260, etc. are provided, the complex structure of the partition walls 250, the inner walls 260, etc. can be realized at a narrow pitch. In addition, since a rotation mechanism for the mounting tables 92 is not provided, the amount of movement of the partition walls 250 can be minimized.

[0117] <Wafer position adjustment method> The wafer processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment has a position measurement unit 60 provided inside the loader module 30 and an orienter 150 provided inside the load lock module 20a. Using the position measurement unit 60 and the orienter 150, the position of the wafer W before processing is adjusted.

[0118] That is, in step St1, the position measuring unit 60 measures the horizontal position of the wafer W held by the atmospheric transfer robot 50, and based on the measurement result, the horizontal position of the wafer W supported by the upper pick 52a, for example, the center position of the wafer W, is adjusted. In addition, in step St4, the orienter 150 detects the notch position of the wafer W, and based on the detection result, the notch orientation of the wafer W is controlled. In this way, the horizontal position adjustment of the wafer W in step St1 and the notch orientation control of the wafer W in step St4 are performed, so that the position of the wafer W before processing can be appropriately adjusted. As a result, the wafer W can be placed at an appropriate position on the placement table 92 in the processing module 90, and the wafer W can be appropriately processed.

[0119] In the conventional apparatus, an orienter is provided in the loader module, and the orienter adjusts the horizontal position of the wafer and controls the notch orientation of the wafer.

[0120] In this regard, in this embodiment, the orientor of the loader module of the conventional apparatus can be omitted, and therefore the wafer processing apparatus 1 can be made smaller. On the other hand, when the orientor 150 is provided in the load lock module 20a as in this embodiment, the horizontal position of the wafer W cannot be adjusted in the load lock module 20a. Therefore, as in this embodiment, a position measuring unit 60 is provided in the load module 30 to adjust the horizontal position of the wafer W.

[0121] Furthermore, in conventional devices, the loader module or the load lock module may be deformed due to the effect of temperature. In such a case, even if the horizontal position of the wafer is adjusted using the orienter of the loader module, the wafer may still be misaligned when it is transferred to the load lock module.

[0122] In this embodiment, the horizontal position of the wafer W is measured by the position measurement unit 60 immediately before the wafer W is transferred to the load lock module 20a. This makes it possible to appropriately adjust the horizontal position of the wafer W relative to the load lock module 20a while minimizing the above-mentioned temperature effect.

[0123] <Wafer notch orientation control method> In this embodiment, in step St4, the notch positions of the wafers W are detected by the orienter 150, and the notch orientation of the wafers W is controlled based on the detection result. At this time, as shown in Fig. 17, the notches N of the four wafers W supported by the rotating plate 120 may be located on the center 120c side (inner side in the radial direction) of the rotating plate 120. In this case, the notches N of the four wafers W are also located on the center side in the upper pick 82a of the vacuum transfer robot 80 and the four mounting tables 92 of the processing module 90.

[0124] 18, the notches N of the four wafers W supported on the rotating plate 120 may be located on the opposite side (radially outward) of the center 120c of the rotating plate 120. In this case, the notches N of the four wafers W are also located on the opposite side of the center in the upper pick 82a of the vacuum transfer robot 80 and in the four mounting tables 92 of the processing module 90.

[0125] Regardless of whether the notches N of the four wafers W are located toward the center or on the opposite side of the center, the four wafers W mounted on the four mounting tables 92 in the processing module 90 have good symmetry. In this case, after the desired processing is performed on the four wafers W in the processing module 90, the analytical accuracy can be improved when analyzing whether the processing on the four wafers W has been performed appropriately. Also, the analytical accuracy can be improved when analyzing the cause of a problem when it occurs.

[0126] <Second embodiment> In the load lock modules 20a and 20b of the above embodiments, the stage 140 may be provided with a heat treatment mechanism. As shown in Fig. 19, for example, the stage 140 of the load lock module 20a is provided with a heating mechanism 300. For example, the stage 140 of the load lock module 20b is provided with a cooling mechanism 310. In the outer surface of the stage 140 of the load lock modules 20a and 20b, a notch is formed at a position corresponding to the support portion 122 (fixed support pin 123) of the rotating plate 120.

[0127] In the load lock modules 20a and 20b, the driving mechanism 130 is configured to be able to drive the rotating plate 120 in the rotational direction and also in the vertical direction. In other words, the rotating plate 120 is configured to be able to rotate around the center 120c as the rotation axis and to be able to move in the vertical direction. The control unit 200 also controls the driving mechanism 130 to adjust the vertical position of the rotating plate 120 relative to the stage 140.

[0128] In this case, four wafers W are carried into the load lock module 20a in step St5 as shown in FIG. 19(a).

[0129] 19(b), the rotating plate 120 is lowered, and the four wafers W held by the rotating plate 120 are transferred to the stage 140. At this time, since a notch is formed in the outer surface of the stage 140, the support portion 122 of the rotating plate 120 does not interfere with the stage 140. In addition, since the arm 121 of the rotating plate 120 has a substantially arc shape and the fixed support pins 123 are provided on the inside of the arm 121, the wafers W can be transferred between the stage 140 and the fixed support pins 123. Thereafter, the wafers W placed on the stage 140 are heated to a desired temperature by the heating mechanism 300.

[0130] 19(c), the rotating plate 120 is raised, and the four wafers W placed on the stage 140 are transferred to the rotating plate 120. Thereafter, in step St6, the four wafers W are collectively unloaded from the load lock module 20a.

[0131] Here, when four wafers W are processed in the processing module 90 in step St8, the four wafers W may be heated. Heating the four wafers W in the load lock module 20a as in this embodiment is, so to speak, preheating for the wafer processing in step St8. Therefore, the heating step in step St8 can be omitted, and the throughput of the wafer processing can be improved.

[0132] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19(a), in step St10, four wafers W are collectively carried into the load lock module 20b.

[0133] 19(b), the rotating plate 120 is lowered, and the four wafers W held by the rotating plate 120 are transferred to the stage 140. Thereafter, the wafers W placed on the stage 140 are cooled to a desired temperature by the cooling mechanism 310.

[0134] 19(c), the rotating plate 120 is raised, and the four wafers W placed on the stage 140 are transferred to the rotating plate 120. Thereafter, in step St11, one wafer W is carried out from the load lock module 20b.

[0135] Here, when the four wafers W are processed in the processing module 90 in step St8, the four wafers W may be heated. In such a case, the four wafers W need to be cooled before returning the four wafers W to the FOUP F, and the four wafers W can be cooled in the load lock module 20b as in this embodiment.

[0136] In the conventional apparatus, a cooling module is provided in the loader module, and the wafer is cooled in the cooling module.

[0137] In this embodiment, since the cooling mechanism 310 is provided on the stage 140 of the load lock module 20b, the cooling module of the loader module of the conventional apparatus can be omitted, and the wafer processing apparatus 1 can be made compact.

[0138] The heat treatment mechanisms provided in the load lock modules 20a and 20b are not limited to those in this embodiment. For example, a heating mechanism may be provided in each stage 140 of the load lock modules 20a and 20b, or a cooling mechanism may be provided in each stage 140.

[0139] <Third embodiment> In the wafer processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, the two load lock modules 20a, 20b are provided, but the two load lock modules 20a, 20b may be integrated as shown in Fig. 20. In such a case, the two chambers 110 are integrated to form a chamber 350. The inside of the chamber 350 is then partitioned, and the two load lock modules 20a, 20b are provided therein. The chamber 350 may have any shape as long as it is configured to hermetically house the two load lock modules 20a, 20b.

[0140] Two loading / unloading ports 351 are formed on the side surface of the chamber 350 on the negative Y-axis direction side (the loader module 30 side). The two loading / unloading ports 351 are formed corresponding to the two load lock modules 20a, 20b, respectively. An atmospheric transfer robot 50 transfers a wafer W to the load lock modules 20a, 20b through these loading / unloading ports 351. Furthermore, on the inner side wall of the chamber 350, loading / unloading ports 352 are formed on the side surfaces of the load lock modules 20a, 20b on the positive Y-axis direction side (the transfer module 70 side). A vacuum transfer robot 80 transfers a wafer W to the load lock modules 20a, 20b through the loading / unloading ports 352.

[0141] According to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of parts in the wafer processing apparatus 1 and simplify the apparatus configuration, thereby reducing the cost of the apparatus.

[0142] <Fourth embodiment> In the wafer processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, the loader module 30 is provided with the position measurement unit 60, and the load lock module 20a is provided with the orienter 150. In this regard, as shown in FIG. 21, an orienter module 400 may be provided on the side surface of the housing 31 of the loader module 30 on the negative X-axis direction side. The orienter module 400 adjusts the horizontal position of the wafer W as in step St1, and controls the notch orientation of the wafer W as in step St4. In this case, the position measurement unit 60 and the orienter 150 may be left or omitted.

[0143] 21, a cooling module 410 may be provided on a side surface of the housing 31 of the loader module 30 on the positive X-axis direction side. The cooling module 410 cools the four wafers W to a desired temperature after the four wafers W are processed in the processing module 90 in step St8.

[0144] <Fifth embodiment> In the wafer processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment described above, the stage 140 is provided in the stage areas R1 to R4 in the load lock modules 20a and 20b, but may be omitted. For example, when the heat treatment of the wafer W is not performed on the stage 140, the stage 140 can be omitted.

[0145] Sixth embodiment In the wafer processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, four wafers W are accommodated in the load lock modules 20a and 20b at once, the four wafers W are transported in a batch by the vacuum transport robot 80, and the four wafers W are processed in a batch in the processing module 90. In this regard, the number of wafers W to be transported and processed in a batch is not limited to four. For example, two to three or five or more wafers W may be transported and processed in a batch.

[0146] Seventh embodiment In the above embodiment, the rotating plate 120 of the load lock modules 20a, 20b is configured as an integral unit, but as shown in Fig. 22, it may be configured by combining a plurality of divided parts 120a. Note that in the illustrated example, the rotating plate 120 is divided into four parts 120a, but the number of divisions of the rotating plate 120 is not limited to this. In such a case, maintenance can be performed for each divided part 120a, improving maintainability.

[0147] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. For example, the components of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. From such an arbitrary combination, the actions and effects of each of the components in the combination can be obtained as a matter of course, and other actions and effects that are obvious to a person skilled in the art from the description of this specification can be obtained. For example, in the above embodiments, the arrangement of multiple substrates (wafers) is determined based on the substrates to be transported, such as the distance between adjacent substrates being less than 1 / 2 the radius of the substrate, but the arrangement may also be determined based on the shape of the susceptor on which the substrates are placed in the processing module 90 (susceptor radius or distance between adjacent susceptors).

[0148] In addition, the effects described in this specification are merely explanatory or exemplary and are not limiting. In other words, the technology according to the present disclosure may achieve other effects that are apparent to a person skilled in the art from the description of this specification in addition to or in place of the above effects.

[0149] Note that the following configuration examples also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. (1) A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, a processing module having a plurality of mounting tables for processing substrates mounted on the mounting tables; a first transfer module having a first transfer robot configured to be able to transfer a plurality of substrates collectively to the processing module; a second transfer module having a second transfer robot configured to be able to transfer a substrate to a container capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; a load lock module provided between the first transfer module and the second transfer module and configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates transferred by the first transfer robot or the second transfer robot; The load lock module includes: a plurality of stage areas arranged around a central location; a rotation support section having a plurality of fixed support pins for supporting a substrate, the rotation support section being configured to be rotatable about the central position as a rotation axis above the plurality of stage areas; A drive mechanism configured to be able to drive the rotation support part in a rotational direction, In the substrate processing apparatus, when the substrate is transported between the load lock module and the first transport module or the second transport module, the first transport robot or the second transport robot transports the substrate relative to the fixed support pins. (2) an arrangement of the substrates placed on the mounting tables in the processing module is the same as an arrangement of the substrates supported on the rotation support in the load lock module; The substrate processing apparatus according to (1), wherein in the arrangement of the plurality of substrates, a distance between adjacent substrates is less than 1 / 2 of a radius of the substrate. (3) the processing module, a chamber that houses the plurality of mounting tables; an air supply unit that supplies a processing gas into the chamber; The substrate processing apparatus according to (1) or (2), further comprising an exhaust unit that exhausts the inside of the chamber. (4) the first transport robot has a first pick capable of holding a substrate and movable in a vertical direction; When the first transport robot transports the substrate relative to the fixed support pins, the first pick moves in a vertical direction; the second transport robot has a second pick capable of holding a substrate and movable in a vertical direction; The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the second pick moves in a vertical direction when the second transport robot transports the substrate relative to the fixed support pins. (5) The rotation support unit is configured to be movable in a vertical direction relative to the stage area, The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the drive mechanism is configured to be capable of driving the rotation support part in a vertical direction. (6) The substrate processing apparatus according to (5), wherein a stage having a heat treatment mechanism is provided in the stage area. (7) The rotation support portion has a plurality of arms capable of supporting a substrate and having a substantially arcuate shape in a plan view, the fixed support pins are disposed at a position where they do not interfere with the first transport robot when the first transport robot transports a substrate relative to the fixed support pins, and where they do not interfere with the second transport robot when the second transport robot transports a substrate relative to the fixed support pins; The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the fixed support pin is provided on an inner side of the arm and protrudes upward from an upper surface of the arm. (8) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the fixed support pins are in point contact with the substrate and support the substrate by frictional force. (9) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein the load lock module has an orienter that controls an orientation of a notch of the substrate relative to the rotation support. (10) The substrate processing apparatus according to (9), wherein the orienter controls the orientation of the plurality of substrates so that notches of the plurality of substrates are positioned on the center side or the opposite side to the center of the rotating support part. (11) The said Oriental a notch detection unit for detecting a notch in the substrate; The substrate processing apparatus according to (9) or (10), further comprising: a support pin provided in the stage area, capable of supporting a substrate, configured to be rotatable in a rotational direction, and configured to be movable in a vertical direction. (12) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (9) to (11), wherein the orienter is provided at a position corresponding to the substrate supported on the rotary support and spaced apart from a substrate loading / unloading port on the second transfer module side in the load lock module. (13) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (12), further comprising: a position measuring unit provided on the load lock module side of the second transfer module for measuring a horizontal position of the substrate. (14) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (13), wherein the two load lock modules are integrally provided. (15) The processing module includes four mounting tables, the first transport robot is configured to be capable of transporting four substrates at once; The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (14), wherein the rotation support part in the load lock module is configured to be able to support four substrates. (16) A substrate processing method for processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus, comprising the steps of: The substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing module having a plurality of mounting tables for processing substrates mounted on the mounting tables; a first transfer module having a first transfer robot configured to be able to transfer a plurality of substrates collectively to the processing module; a second transfer module having a second transfer robot configured to be able to transfer a substrate to a container capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; a load lock module provided between the first transfer module and the second transfer module and configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates transferred by the first transfer robot or the second transfer robot; The load lock module includes: a plurality of stage areas arranged around a central location; a rotation support section having a plurality of fixed support pins for supporting a substrate, the rotation support section being configured to be rotatable about the central position as a rotation axis above the plurality of stage areas; A drive mechanism configured to be able to drive the rotation support part in a rotational direction, The substrate processing method includes: (a) transferring a substrate from the second transfer robot to the fixed support pins and carrying the substrate from the second transfer module into the load lock module; (b) rotating the rotary support and repeating step (a) to accommodate a plurality of substrates in the load lock module; (c) receiving the plurality of substrates supported by the fixed support pins with the first transfer robot and removing the plurality of substrates collectively from the load lock module; (d) transferring a plurality of substrates from the first transfer robot to the plurality of mounting tables and collectively transporting the plurality of substrates from the first transfer module to the processing module; (e) processing a plurality of substrates in the processing module. (17)(f) receiving the substrates placed on the mounting tables with the first transfer robot and transferring the substrates collectively from the processing module to the first transfer module; (g) transferring a substrate from the first transfer robot to the fixed support pins and simultaneously transferring a plurality of substrates from the first transfer module to the load lock module; (h) receiving the substrate supported by the fixed support pins with the second transport robot and transporting the substrate from the load lock module to the second transport module. (18) An arrangement of the plurality of substrates placed on the plurality of mounting tables in the processing module is the same as an arrangement of the plurality of substrates supported on the rotation support in the load lock module; The substrate processing method according to (16) or (17), wherein in the arrangement of the plurality of substrates, a distance between adjacent substrates is less than 1 / 2 of a radius of the substrate. (19) The processing module comprises: a chamber that houses the plurality of mounting tables; an air supply unit that supplies a processing gas into the chamber; an exhaust unit that exhausts the inside of the chamber, The substrate processing method according to any one of (16) to (18), wherein in the step (e), the processing gas is supplied into the chamber from the gas supply part, and the inside of the chamber is evacuated from the exhaust part to process a plurality of substrates placed on the plurality of mounting tables. (20) The first transport robot has a first pick capable of holding a substrate and movable in a vertical direction; the second transport robot has a second pick capable of holding a substrate and movable in a vertical direction; In the step (a), when the second transport robot delivers the substrate to the fixed support pins, the second pick moves in a vertical direction; The substrate processing method according to any one of (16) to (19), wherein in the step (c), when the first transport robot receives the substrate from the fixed support pins, the first pick moves in a vertical direction. (21) The rotation support part is configured to be movable in a vertical direction relative to the stage area, The drive mechanism is configured to be capable of driving the rotation support part in a vertical direction, a stage having a heat treatment mechanism is provided in the stage area; The substrate processing method according to any one of (16) to (20), wherein after the step (b) and before the step (c), the rotation support part is moved in a vertical direction to transfer the plurality of substrates supported by the rotation support part to the plurality of stages, and the plurality of substrates are heat-treated on the plurality of stages. (22) The load lock module includes an orienter for controlling an orientation of a notch of the substrate relative to the rotating support; The substrate processing method according to any one of (16) to (21), wherein in the step (b), the orienter controls the orientation of the plurality of substrates so that notches of the plurality of substrates are positioned on the center side or the opposite side to the center of the rotating support part. (23) The substrate processing apparatus further comprises a position measuring unit provided in the second transfer module on the load lock module side for measuring a horizontal position of the substrate, The substrate processing method according to any one of (16) to (22), wherein, prior to the step (a), the horizontal position of the substrate is measured by the position measurement unit, and the horizontal position of the substrate is adjusted by the second transfer module. (24) In the step (b), four substrates are accommodated in the load lock module; In the steps (c) and (d), the first transport robot transports four substrates at a time; The substrate processing method according to any one of (16) to (23), wherein in the step (e), four substrates are processed in the processing module. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] 1. Wafer Processing Equipment 20a, 20b Load lock module 30 Loader Module 50 Atmospheric Transport Robot 70 Transfer Module 80 Vacuum Transport Robot 90 Processing Module 92 Placement table 120 Rotating Plate 123 Fixed support pin 130 Drive mechanism R1~R4 stage area F Hoop W wafer

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, a processing module having a plurality of mounting tables for processing substrates mounted on the mounting tables; a first transfer module having a first transfer robot configured to be able to collectively transfer a plurality of substrates to the processing module; a second transfer module having a second transfer robot configured to be able to transfer a substrate to a container capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; a load lock module provided between the first transfer module and the second transfer module and configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates transferred by the first transfer robot or the second transfer robot; The load lock module includes: a plurality of stage areas arranged around a central location; a rotation support section having a plurality of fixed support pins for supporting a substrate, the rotation support section being configured to be rotatable about the central position as a rotation axis above the plurality of stage areas; A drive mechanism configured to be able to drive the rotation support part in a rotational direction, When transporting a substrate between the load lock module and the first transport module or the second transport module, the first transport robot or the second transport robot transports the substrate relative to the fixed support pins.

2. an arrangement of the substrates placed on the mounting tables in the processing module is the same as an arrangement of the substrates supported on the rotation support in the load lock module; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the arrangement of the plurality of substrates, a distance between adjacent substrates is less than ½ of a radius of the substrate.

3. The processing module includes: a chamber that houses the plurality of mounting tables; an air supply unit that supplies a processing gas into the chamber; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an exhaust unit that exhausts the inside of the chamber.

4. the first transport robot has a first pick capable of holding a substrate and movable in a vertical direction; When the first transport robot transports the substrate relative to the fixed support pins, the first pick moves in a vertical direction; the second transport robot has a second pick capable of holding a substrate and movable in a vertical direction; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second pick moves in a vertical direction when the second transport robot transports the substrate relative to the fixed support pins.

5. The rotation support unit is configured to be movable in a vertical direction relative to the stage area, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to be capable of driving the rotation support part in a vertical direction.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the stage area is provided with a stage having a heat treatment mechanism.

7. the rotation support portion has a plurality of arms capable of supporting a substrate and having a substantially arcuate shape in a plan view; the fixed support pins are disposed at a position where they do not interfere with the first transport robot when the first transport robot transports a substrate relative to the fixed support pins, and where they do not interfere with the second transport robot when the second transport robot transports a substrate relative to the fixed support pins; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fixed support pin is provided on an inner side of the arm and protrudes upward from an upper surface of the arm.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fixed support pins are in point contact with the substrate and support the substrate by frictional force.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the load lock module includes an orienter that controls an orientation of a notch of the substrate relative to the rotating support.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the orienter controls the orientation of the plurality of substrates so that notches of the plurality of substrates are positioned on a center side or an opposite side to a center of the rotation support.

11. The oriental a notch detection unit for detecting a notch in the substrate; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising: a support pin provided in the stage area, capable of supporting the substrate, configured to be rotatable in a rotation direction, and configured to be movable in a vertical direction.

12. 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the orienter is provided at a position corresponding to the substrate supported by the rotation support and spaced apart from a substrate loading / unloading port on the second transfer module side in the load lock module.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a position measuring unit provided on the load lock module side of the second transfer module for measuring a horizontal position of the substrate.

14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the two load lock modules are integrally provided.

15. The processing module includes four mounting tables, the first transport robot is configured to be capable of transporting four substrates at once; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation support portion in the load lock module is configured to be able to support four substrates.

16. A substrate processing method for processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: The substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing module having a plurality of mounting tables for processing substrates mounted on the mounting tables; a first transfer module having a first transfer robot configured to be able to collectively transfer a plurality of substrates to the processing module; a second transfer module having a second transfer robot configured to be able to transfer a substrate to a container capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; a load lock module provided between the first transfer module and the second transfer module and configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates transferred by the first transfer robot or the second transfer robot; The load lock module includes: a plurality of stage areas arranged around a central location; a rotation support section having a plurality of fixed support pins for supporting a substrate, the rotation support section being configured to be rotatable about the central position as a rotation axis above the plurality of stage areas; A drive mechanism configured to be able to drive the rotation support part in a rotational direction, The substrate processing method includes: (a) transferring a substrate from the second transfer robot to the fixed support pins and carrying the substrate from the second transfer module into the load lock module; (b) rotating the rotary support and repeating the process of (a) to accommodate a plurality of substrates in the load lock module; (c) receiving the plurality of substrates supported by the fixed support pins with the first transport robot and removing the plurality of substrates collectively from the load lock module; (d) transferring a plurality of substrates from the first transfer robot to the plurality of mounting tables and collectively transporting the plurality of substrates from the first transfer module to the processing module; (e) processing a plurality of substrates in the processing module.

17. (f) receiving the substrates placed on the mounting tables with the first transfer robot and transferring the substrates collectively from the processing module to the first transfer module; (g) transferring a substrate from the first transfer robot to the fixed support pins and simultaneously transferring a plurality of substrates from the first transfer module to the load lock module; 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: (h) receiving the substrate supported by the fixed support pins with the second transfer robot, and transferring the substrate from the load lock module to the second transfer module.

18. an arrangement of the substrates placed on the mounting tables in the processing module is the same as an arrangement of the substrates supported on the rotation support in the load lock module; The substrate processing method according to claim 16 , wherein in the arrangement of the plurality of substrates, a distance between adjacent substrates is less than ½ of a radius of the substrate.

19. The processing module includes: a chamber that houses the plurality of mounting tables; an air supply unit that supplies a processing gas into the chamber; an exhaust unit that exhausts the inside of the chamber, 17. The substrate processing method according to claim 16, wherein in the step (e), the process gas is supplied into the chamber from the gas supply part, and the inside of the chamber is evacuated from the exhaust part to process the plurality of substrates placed on the plurality of mounting tables.

20. the first transport robot has a first pick capable of holding a substrate and movable in a vertical direction; the second transport robot has a second pick capable of holding a substrate and movable in a vertical direction; In the step (a), when the second transport robot delivers the substrate to the fixed support pins, the second pick moves in a vertical direction; The substrate processing method according to claim 16 , wherein in the step (c), the first pick moves in a vertical direction when the first transport robot receives the substrate from the fixed support pins.

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