Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

A wafer processing apparatus includes a common path, extending in a Y-axis direction, in which one wafer or a plurality of wafers are conveyed, a plurality of process units stacked on both sides of the common path to constitute multi-stage structures, a main handler moved in the common path in the Y-axis direction and rotated about a Z axis at an angle theta to load/unload the wafer into/from the process units, an arm section arranged to move in the main handler in the Z-axis direction, a plurality of holding arms arranged in the arm section to constitute a multi-stage structure so as to respectively hold the wafers, each holding arm being advanced and retreated on an X-Y plane from the arm section, an optical sensor, arranged in the arm section, for detecting a holding state of the wafer in each of the plurality of holding arms, and a controller for controlling an operation of the main handler, an operation of the arm section, and operations of the plurality of holding arms on the basis of a detection result from the optical sensor, wherein the controller advances or retreats each holding arm while operating at least one of the main handler and the arm section, and causes the optical sensor to detect the holding state of the wafer by each holding arm before the holding arm reaches a corresponding one of the process units.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.2. Description of the Related ArtIn a photolithography process in manufacturing a semiconductor device, a resist coating process for coating a resist on a wafer and a developing process for developing a coated resist after an exposure process. These processes are simultaneously performed by using a composite process system described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,128. This system comprises a main handler for conveying a wafer, and is designed such that a wafer W is loaded by the main handler from a cassette station into a process section, the wafer W are exchanged between process chambers in the process section, and the above processes are performed.A conventional handler has an arm section driven by three axes (Y axis, Z axis, and .theta. rotation axis), and the arm section a ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method in which a substrate can be conveyed...

Problems solved by technology

However, since the 4-axis drive operations in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, Z-axis direction, and .theta.-rotation-axis direction are independently performed in the conventional main handler, the speed of the main handler operation is limited to a certain speed.

Therefore, a time from when the main handler reaches a target point to when the main handler receive a wafer is too long so that it is very difficult to increase the throughput.

In addition, when each drive system employs a high-speed drive mechanism to more increase the operation of the main handler, an excessive load acts on the mechanism, its durabi...

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