Substrate processing equipment

Abstract

The present invention is a substrate processing device for processing substrates, and the device includes the following elements, namely: a graduation block, which is equipped with a graduation robot for each carrier loading portion, and the graduation robot has an arm for taking out the substrate from the carrier of the carrier loading portion and storing the substrate in the carrier of the carrier loading portion, and the horizontal position is fixed; a bridging block, which is arranged adjacent to the graduation block; and a processing block, which has a plurality of levels, and the plurality of levels are stacked with levels having at least one or more processing units; and the bridging block has: a buffer part; a passage part, which spans from the bottom layer to the top layer of the plurality of levels; and two bridging robots, which have arms for transferring substrates between the passage parts.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing device for performing specific processing on various substrates (hereinafter referred to as substrates) such as semiconductor wafers, substrates for liquid crystal displays, substrates for plasma displays, substrates for organic EL (Electro-Luminescence), substrates for FED (Field Emission Display), substrates for optical displays, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, substrates for photomasks, and substrates for solar cells, and more particularly to a technology for conveying substrates. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as such an apparatus, there is an apparatus including a carrier block, a processing block, an interface block, and an exposure apparatus (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-69917).

[0003] The carrier block has four carrier loading sections, and the four carrier loading sections are used to load carriers that store substrates before processing, or empty carriers that store substrates after processing. In addition, the carrier block is equipped with two indexing robots with transfer arms at a position opposite to the carrier loading section, and the transfer arms take out the substrate from the carrier loaded on the carrier loading section, or accommodate the substrate in the empty carrier loaded on the carrier loading section. Between the two indexing robots, a tower part is arranged for transferring the substrate between the processing block. The indexing robot can move in the horizontal direction in coordination with the positions of the four carrier loading sections, and can be raised and lowered in coordination with the height of the tower part to span a height corresponding to the lowest level to the highest level in the hierarchy within the processing block.

[0004] The processing block consists of 6 levels of blocks. Each level of the processing block has a liquid processing unit for processing substrates. Each level has a main arm in the center when viewed from above, a liquid processing unit on one side of the main arm transport path, and a heating unit on the other side. The processing block has a transfer arm and a rack unit that spans from the bottom to the top of the processing block.

[0005] The interface block is responsible for transporting substrates between the processing block and the exposure device.

[0006] In the device of the above structure, the substrate is taken from the tower of the carrier block into the rack unit, and the substrate is distributed to the six layers in the processing block via the rack unit and the transfer arm for processing. This can increase the number of substrates that can be processed per unit time. However, recently, in order to further improve productivity, it is desired to increase the processing capacity in the substrate processing device. For this reason, in order to increase the processing capacity without increasing the occupied area, it is proposed to further increase the number of layers of the processing block. Summary of the invention

[0007] However, the conventional example having such a configuration has the following problems.

[0008] That is, the height of the conventional device increases due to the increase in the number of levels in the processing block, and accordingly, the height of the tower of the carrier block that transfers the substrate between the processing block must also increase. However, since the carrier block transfers the carrier between the OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport, also known as an overhead unmanned transport vehicle) that uses the ceiling of the clean room to transport the carrier and the carrier loading part, if the height of the tower of the carrier block is increased, there is a concern that it will interfere with the OHT. Therefore, there is a problem that the height of the tower of the carrier block cannot be increased, so even if the number of levels in the processing block is increased, the efficiency of substrate transfer between the carrier block and the processing block becomes low, so even if the number of levels in the processing block is increased, the processing volume cannot be increased as expected.

[0009] The present invention is made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can improve the processing throughput by increasing the number of layers of processing blocks.

[0010] The present invention adopts the following configuration to achieve the above object.

[0011] The present invention is a substrate processing device for processing substrates, and the device includes the following elements, namely: a graduation block, which has at least two carrier loading parts for transferring and receiving substrates between an overhead traveling unmanned transport vehicle, and in order to take out the substrates from the carriers of the carrier loading parts and store the substrates in the carriers of the carrier loading parts, each of the carrier loading parts is provided with an indexing robot, the indexing robot has an arm that can move forward and backward in the horizontal direction, rotate in the horizontal plane, and rise and fall in the vertical direction, and the horizontal position is fixed relative to each of the carrier loading parts; a bridging block, which is arranged adjacent to the graduation block; and a processing block, which is arranged adjacent to the bridging block and has A plurality of layers, wherein the plurality of layers are stacked with layers having at least one processing unit; and the height of the indexing block does not reach the uppermost layer of the processing block, and the bridging block comprises: a buffer portion, which is arranged at the side of the indexing block and at a position where the substrate can be transferred by the indexing robot, and has a multi-level table for mounting the substrate in the height direction; a passage portion, which is arranged at the side of the processing block and at a position where the substrate can be transferred between the processing block and the processing block, and has a multi-level table for mounting the substrate from the lowest layer of the plurality of layers in the processing block to the uppermost layer in the layer direction of the processing block; and two bridging robots, which have arms for transferring the substrate between the passage portion and the processing block.

[0012] According to the present invention, the bridge block includes a passage portion extending from the lowest level to the highest level in the processing block. Therefore, although the arm of the indexing robot cannot reach the highest level of the processing block, the bridge block can also transport the substrate loaded from the carrier loading part to the buffer part by the indexing robot to the processing unit at the highest level in the processing block through the passage portion by two bridge robots. As a result, the processing capacity can be increased in accordance with the increase in the number of levels of the processing block.

[0013] In addition, in the present invention, it is preferred that the processing block has a transfer robot for transferring substrates between the processing unit and the passage portion for each specific number of layers among the multiple layers, and the passage portion is composed of a plurality of separate passage portions separately configured for each specific number of layers among the multiple layers.

[0014] Since a transfer robot is provided for transferring substrates between processing units for each specific number of layers, the efficiency of transferring substrates between processing units can be improved. In addition, since the passage portion is composed of a plurality of separation passage portions, the separation passage portion can be made lighter.

[0015] In addition, in the present invention, it is preferred that the separation passage portion arranged at the top among the separation passage portions is arranged downward relative to the multiple levels, the separation passage portion arranged in the center is arranged in the center relative to the multiple levels, and the separation passage portion arranged at the bottom is arranged upward relative to the multiple levels.

[0016] The lifting distance required for the bridge robot to transfer the substrate between the separation passage section can be shortened, thereby improving the transfer efficiency between the separation passage section and the bridge robot.

[0017] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferred that the processing block omit a partition that separates the transfer robots arranged for each specific number of levels from each other.

[0018] Since the transport robots arranged for each specific number of layers are not separated from each other by partitions, operators can easily perform maintenance work on the transport robots.

[0019] In addition, in the present invention, it is preferred that the processing unit has a function of supplying processing liquid to the substrate, and the pump and filter that supply processing liquid to the processing units of each layer from a processing liquid tank arranged at the bottom and storing the processing liquid are arranged below the top layer of the multiple layers.

[0020] Since the pump and the filter are arranged below the uppermost processing unit, the negative pressure when the processing liquid is sucked upward from the processing liquid tank can be suppressed. Therefore, the foaming of the processing liquid can be suppressed, and the quality of the processing performed by the processing liquid can be improved.

[0021] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferred that the indexing block has the indexing robots disposed at positions facing the carrier mounting portions.

[0022] Since each indexing robot is disposed at a position facing the carrier placement portion, the arm can be efficiently moved when the substrate is transferred between the indexing robot and the carrier placement portion.

[0023] In the present invention, it is preferred that the carrier placement section includes at least two stages in the vertical direction, and the height of the buffer section is lower than the upper end of the carrier placed on the uppermost carrier placement section.

[0024] When the substrate is transferred between the carrier and the buffer by the index robot, the lifting height of the index robot can be suppressed, so that the transfer can be performed efficiently.

[0025] In the present invention, it is preferred that the carrier placement section includes at least two sections in the vertical direction, and the buffer section has a height equal to or higher than a lower end of a carrier placed on the carrier placement section disposed at the lowest section.

[0026] When the substrate is transferred between the carrier and the buffer by the index robot, the descending height of the index robot can be suppressed, so that the transfer can be performed efficiently.

[0027] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the height of the buffer portion is lower than the upper end of the uppermost passage portion and higher than the lower end of the lowermost passage portion.

[0028] When the substrate is transferred between the carrier and the buffer by the index robot, the ascending height and descending height of the index robot can be suppressed, so that the transfer can be performed efficiently. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] ※ In order to illustrate the present invention, several currently preferred forms are shown in the drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not strictly limited to the devices and apparatuses shown.

[0030] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment;

[0031] Figure 2 is a right side view of the substrate processing apparatus;

[0032] Figure 3 is a rear view of the substrate processing apparatus;

[0033] Figure 4 is a left side view of the substrate processing apparatus;

[0034] Figure 5 is a top view of a substrate processing apparatus;

[0035] Figure 6 This is a right side view showing the transport system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] also, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is a right side view of the substrate processing device, Figure 3 is a rear view of the substrate processing device, Figure 4 is a left side view of the substrate processing device, Figure 5 is a top view of a substrate processing device, Figure 6 This is a right side view showing the transport system.

[0038] The substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes an indexing block 3 , a bridge block 5 , a processing block 7 and a utility block 9 .

[0039] The indexing block 3 is connected to the bridge block 5, and the substrate W to be processed is transferred between the bridge block 5. The bridge block 5 is connected to the processing block 7, and the substrate W is transferred between the processing block 7. The processing block 7 supplies a processing liquid to the substrate W received from the bridge block 5, and then performs a process such as forming a coating on the substrate W by heating, and then transports the processed substrate W to the bridge block 5. The utility block 9 is connected to the processing block 7, and has a structure for supplying a processing liquid to the processing block 7. In addition, the utility block 9 may be adjacently connected to an exposure device (not shown) on the back side.

[0040] The indexing block 3 , the bridging block 5 , the processing block 7 and the utility block 9 are arranged in a row in this order.

[0041] In the following description, the direction in which the dividing block 3, the bridging block 5, the processing block 7 and the practical block 9 are arranged is set as the "front-back direction X" (horizontal direction). In particular, the direction from the practical block 9 toward the dividing block 3 is set as the "front XF", and the opposite direction of the front XF direction is set as the "back XB". The direction orthogonal to the front-back direction X in the horizontal direction is set as the "width direction Y". Furthermore, when observing from the front of the dividing block 3, one direction of the width direction Y is appropriately set as the "right YR", and the other direction opposite to the right YR is set as the "left YL". In addition, the vertical direction is set as the "up and down direction Z" (height direction, vertical direction). In addition, when simply written as "side" or "horizontal direction", etc., it is not limited to any direction of the front-back direction X and the width direction Y.

[0042] The indexing block 3 includes a carrier loading section 11, a transfer space AID, a transfer robot TID for indexing, and a processing liquid tank equipment section TU. Regarding the carrier loading section 11, in the present embodiment, four carrier loading sections 11 are provided. Specifically, two carrier loading sections 11 are provided in the horizontal direction, and one carrier loading section 11 is provided in the upper direction of each up-down direction Z. Each carrier loading section 11 is provided for loading a carrier C. The carrier C stacks and stores a plurality of (e.g., 50) substrates W, and for example, the carrier C is transferred between the OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport, also known as an overhead unmanned transport vehicle) not shown in the figure. The OHT uses the ceiling of the clean room to transport the carrier C. Since the OHT cannot directly transfer the carrier C between the carrier loading section 11 arranged below the up-down direction Z, the carrier C is transferred between the carrier loading section 11 arranged below the up-down direction Z by using a carrier crane not shown in the figure. As the carrier C, for example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) can be cited.

[0043] The transfer space AID is arranged at the rear XB of the carrier mounting section 11. An indexing transfer robot TID is arranged in the transfer space AID. The indexing transfer robot TID transfers the substrate W between the carrier C and the bridge block 5. Two indexing transfer robots TID are arranged. The position of each indexing transfer robot TID in the front-to-back direction X and the width direction Y is fixed. Each indexing transfer robot TID is arranged at a position opposite to the two carrier mounting sections 11 arranged in the up-down direction Z in the width direction Y. In other words, one indexing transfer robot TID is arranged at an opposing position approximately in the center position in the width direction Y of a pair of carrier mounting sections 11 arranged in the up-down direction Z and separated to the rear XB in the front-to-back direction X. In the following description, when two indexing transfer robots TID need to be distinguished, one of them is referred to as indexing transfer robot TID1 and the other is referred to as indexing transfer robot TID2.

[0044] In addition, the indexing transfer robot TID is equivalent to the "indexing robot" in the present invention.

[0045] As described above, each indexing transfer robot TID1, TID2 is arranged at a position opposite to each carrier placement portion 11. Therefore, when the substrate W is transferred between each indexing transfer robot TID1, TID2 and each carrier placement portion 11, the arm 19 can be moved forward and backward relative to the carrier placement portion 11. Therefore, the substrate W can be transferred efficiently.

[0046] like Figure 6As shown in FIG. 1 , the indexing transfer robot TID includes a base portion 13, a telescopic portion 15, a holding portion 17, and two arms 19. The base portion 13 is as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, it is arranged opposite to the carrier mounting portion 11, and the position in the front-to-back direction X and the width direction Y is fixed. The telescopic portion 15 is mounted on the base portion 13, and is configured to be telescopic in the up-down direction Z. The holding portion 17 is arranged on the upper part of the telescopic portion 15, and is configured to be rotatable around the up-down direction Z axis relative to the base portion 13 and the telescopic portion 15. The two arms 19 are stacked and maintained in a horizontal posture in the up-down direction Z by the holding portion 17, and are configured to be able to move forward and backward simultaneously relative to the front-to-back direction X. The indexing transfer robot TID is raised and lowered by the telescopic portion 15 in such a way that the two arms 19 reach the upper and lower carrier mounting portions 11 in the up-down direction Z and reach the uppermost and lowermost levels of the buffer portion BF described below.

[0047] The bridge block 5 includes a transfer space ABG, a bridge transfer robot BT, a buffer section BF, and a passage section PS.

[0048] A bridging transport robot BT is arranged in the transport space ABG. Specifically, two bridging transport robots BT are arranged. The bridging transport robot BT is arranged at the rear XB of each indexing transport robot TID and the buffer part BF. Each bridging transport robot BT is arranged opposite to the right YR and the left YL across the line connecting the buffer part BF and the passage part PS. Each bridging transport robot BT is fixed in position in the front-to-back direction X and the width direction Y. In the following description, when it is necessary to distinguish between two bridging transport robots BT, one of them is set as the bridging transport robot BT1, and the other is called the bridging transport robot BT2.

[0049] In addition, the bridge transfer robot BT is equivalent to the "bridge robot" in the present invention.

[0050] like Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , the bridge transfer robot BT includes a base portion 21, a telescopic portion 23, a holding portion 25, and an arm 27. Figure 5 The illustrated opposite portion is arranged at the rear XB of the indexing transport robot TID, and the position in the front-to-back direction X and the width direction Y is fixed. The telescopic portion 23 is mounted on the base portion 21, and is configured to be telescopic in the Z direction. The holding portion 25 is arranged on the upper portion of the telescopic portion 23, and is configured to be rotatable around the vertical direction Z axis relative to the base portion 21 and the telescopic portion 23. An arm 27 is held in a horizontal posture by the holding portion 25, and is configured to be able to move forward and backward relative to the front-to-back direction X. The bridging transport robot BT is raised and lowered by the telescopic portion 23 being extended and retracted in such a manner that the arm 27 reaches the uppermost and lowermost levels of the buffer portion BF in the vertical direction Z and reaches the uppermost and lowermost levels of the passage portion PS.

[0051] like Figure 5 As shown, the buffer portion BF is arranged at the junction of the indexing block 3 and the bridging block 5. Figure 6 As shown, the buffer part BF has a multi-stage stage 29 spaced apart in the vertical direction Z. Three pins 31 are erected on each of the multi-stage stages 29. The three pins 31 abut against the lower surface of the substrate W to support the substrate W in a horizontal posture. The three pins 31 have a length that allows the arms 19 and 27 to enter the lower surface of the substrate W supported by the three pins 31.

[0052] The buffer unit BF is arranged at a position where the substrate W can be transferred by the two indexing block transfer robots TID, and is also arranged at a position where the substrate W can be transferred by the two bridging transfer robots BT. That is, the buffer unit BF is arranged at a position where the substrate W can be transferred to different stations 29 simultaneously by the two indexing block transfer robots TID and the two bridging transfer robots BT. In other words, the buffer unit BF is constructed so that the six arms 19, 27, including the two arms 19 of the indexing block transfer robot TID1, the two arms 19 of the indexing block transfer robot TID2, and the two arms 27 of the bridging transfer robots BT1 and BT2, can be accessed simultaneously. Therefore, if Figure 5 As shown, the buffer part BF supports each stage 29 by supporting columns 33 arranged vertically in the vertical direction Z at the boundary wall between the indexing block 3 and the bridge block 5 and arranged opposite to each other across the stage 29. Thus, the buffer part BF can be accessed from four directions at the same time.

[0053] The configuration of the buffer portion BF is preferably set as follows. That is, the position of the buffer portion BF in the up-down direction Z is set to a height in the middle of the indexing block 3. Specifically, it is below the upper end of the carrier C placed on the upper carrier placement portion 11 and above the lower end of the carrier C placed on the lower carrier placement portion 11. The upper end of the carrier C is the uppermost part of the carrier C itself connected to the OHT, and the lower end of the carrier C is the lowermost part of the carrier C itself connected to the carrier placement portion 11. In addition, the position of the buffer portion BF in the up-down direction Z relative to the passage portion PS described below is below the upper end of the uppermost part of the passage portion PS and above the lower end of the lowermost part of the passage portion PS.

[0054] By limiting the height of the buffer BF in the vertical direction Z in this way, when the substrate W is transferred between the carrier C and the buffer BF using the indexing transfer robot TID, the ascending and descending heights of the indexing transfer robot TID can be suppressed, thereby enabling efficient transfer.

[0055] Here, before describing the passage portion PS, the processing block 7 will be described.

[0056] like Figure 5As shown, the processing block 7 has a transport space ATB formed in the front-to-back direction X in the approximate center of the width direction Y in a plan view. The processing block 7 has a passage portion PS at the junction with the bridge block 5. The processing block 7 has four heat treatment units BU on the left YL of the transport space ATB, and has three coating units SU on the right YR on the opposite side of the four heat treatment units BU across the transport space ATB. The three coating units SU have nozzles 35. The nozzles 35 supply the processing liquid from the processing liquid tank equipped part TU provided at the lower part of the indexing block 3 via the utility block 9. The heat treatment unit BU performs, for example, a process of heating the substrate W and a process of cooling the substrate W after the heat treatment.

[0057] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the processing block 7 arranges 4 heat treatment units BU arranged in the front-to-back direction X in 5 layers in the up-down direction Z. In addition, 5 layers of heat treatment units BU are provided below the 5 layers of heat treatment units BU in the up-down direction Z. Furthermore, 5 layers of heat treatment units BU are provided below the 5 layers of heat treatment units BU in the up-down direction Z. Here, the heat treatment unit BU including the top 5 layers is set as the first heat treatment unit group GBU1, the heat treatment unit BU including the middle 5 layers is set as the second heat treatment unit group GBU2, and the heat treatment unit BU including the bottom 5 layers is set as the third heat treatment unit group GBU3.

[0058] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the processing block 7 arranges three coating units SU arranged in the front-to-back direction X in six layers in the up-down direction Z. Here, the coating unit SU including the two uppermost layers is set as the first coating unit group GSU1, the coating unit SU including the two middle layers is set as the second coating unit group GSU2, and the coating unit SU including the two lowermost layers is set as the third coating unit group GSU3.

[0059] As described above, the processing block 7 is composed of multiple layers, with 15 layers of heat treatment units BU and 6 layers of coating units SU. The number of layers in the processing block 7 of this embodiment is set to about 1.5 times the number of units in the processing block in the conventional example to increase the processing volume compared with the conventional example. Therefore, the height of the processing block 7 is higher than that of the indexing block 3, which is limited in height so that the OHT can reciprocate above.

[0060] The processing transport robot TBS is arranged in the transport space ATB in such a manner as to transport substrates W between the first heat treatment unit group GBU1, between the first coating unit group GSU1 and the passage part PS, between the second heat treatment unit group GBU2, between the second coating unit group GSU2 and the passage part PS, between the third heat treatment unit group GBU3, and between the third coating unit group GSU3 and the passage part PS in the plurality of layers of the processing block 7. Specifically, the processing transport robot TBS1 performs transport in the first heat treatment unit group GBU1, etc., the processing transport robot TBS2 performs transport in the second heat treatment unit group GBU2, etc., and the processing transport robot TBS3 performs transport in the third heat treatment unit group GBU3, etc.

[0061] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the processing transport robot TBS includes a moving mechanism 37, a moving base 39 moved by the moving mechanism 37, a telescopic section 41 mounted on the moving base, a holding section 43, and two arms 45. The moving mechanism 37 moves the moving base 39 in the front-rear direction X. The telescopic section 41 mounted on the moving base 39 moves the holding section 43 in the up-down direction Z by telescoping in the up-down direction Z. The two arms 45 are stacked in the up-down direction Z and are mounted on the holding section 43 so as to be able to move forward and backward in a horizontal plane including the front-rear direction X or the width direction Y. In addition, the two arms 45 are alternately driven to move forward and backward, so that they cannot move forward or backward at the same time.

[0062] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , the passage portion PS has the same structure as the buffer portion BF.

[0063] That is, the passage section PS is arranged at the boundary between the bridge block 5 and the processing block 7. The passage section PS includes a multi-stage stage 47 spaced apart in the vertical direction Z. Three pins 49 are erected on each of the multi-stage stages 47. The three pins 49 abut against the lower surface of the substrate W to support the substrate W in a horizontal posture. The three pins 49 have a length that allows the arms 27 and 45 to enter the lower surface of the substrate W supported by the three pins.

[0064] The passage section PS is arranged at a position where the substrate W can be transferred by the two bridging transfer robots BT, and at a position where the substrate W can be transferred by the three processing transfer robots TBS. In other words, the passage section PS is arranged at a position where the substrate W can be transferred to different stations 47 simultaneously by the two bridging transfer robots BT and the three processing transfer robots TBS. In other words, the passage section PS is configured so that the five arms 27 and 45, namely, the two arms 27 and the three arms 45, can access at the same time. For this reason, Figure 5As shown, the passage PS supports the stages 47 at intervals by supporting columns 51 erected in the vertical direction Z at the boundary wall between the bridge block 5 and the processing block 7 and arranged opposite to each other in the width direction Y across the stages 47. Thus, the passage PS can be accessed from three directions.

[0065] In addition, if Figure 6 As shown, the passage portion PS is not integrally formed, and is, for example, separated into three parts in the vertical direction Z. Here, the first passage portion PS1 is arranged at a position corresponding to the first heat treatment unit group GBU1 and the first coating unit group GSU1, the second passage portion PS2 is arranged at a position corresponding to the second heat treatment unit group GBU2 and the second coating unit group GSU2, and the third passage portion PS3 is arranged at a position corresponding to the third heat treatment unit group GBU3 and the third coating unit group GSU3. Furthermore, as Figure 2 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 As shown, the first passage portion PS1 is arranged downward in the vertical direction Z relative to each layer of the first heat treatment unit group GBU1 and the first coating unit group GSU1 in the processing block 7. In addition, the second passage portion PS2 is arranged approximately in the center in the vertical direction Z relative to each layer of the second heat treatment unit group GBU2 and the second coating unit group GSU2 in the processing block 7. Furthermore, the third passage portion PS3 is arranged upward in the vertical direction Z relative to each layer of the third heat treatment unit group GBU3 and the third coating unit group GSU3 in the processing block 7.

[0066] Since the passage section PS is separated into the passage sections PS1 to PS3 and arranged in the positional relationship in the vertical direction Z, the lifting and lowering distance required for the bridge transport robot BT to transfer the substrate W between the passage sections PS1 to PS3 can be shortened. Therefore, the transport efficiency between the bridge transport robot BT and the passage section PS can be improved. In addition, since the passage section PS is composed of a plurality of passage sections PS1 to PS3, the passage section PS can be made lighter.

[0067] In addition, the passage portions PS1 to PS3 correspond to the "separation passage portion" in the present invention.

[0068] like Figure 3 As shown, when observing the processing transfer robots TBS1 to TBS3 from the back side of the processing block 7, the transfer space ATB is not divided. In other words, the partition installed across the heat treatment unit BU and the coating unit SU is omitted. Therefore, when maintaining the processing transfer robots TBS1 to TBS3, the operator can easily perform the operation.

[0069] like Figure 2As shown, the processing block 7 supplies the processing liquid from the processing liquid tank equipped part TU to the coating unit SU. For this purpose, the pump and filter 61 of the utility block 9 are used. In this embodiment, the pump and filter 61 for supplying the processing liquid to the coating units SU of each of the two layers in the first coating unit group GSU1, the coating units SU of each of the two layers in the second coating unit group GSU2, and the coating units SU of each of the two layers in the third coating unit group GSU3 are arranged in the utility block 9.

[0070] Specifically, the pumps and filters 61 are arranged in order from the position below the top layer in the processing block 7 toward the bottom. That is, the top layer is the coating unit SU located in the upper layer of the first coating unit group GSU1, but the pump and filter 61 for supplying the processing liquid thereto are arranged at the rear XB of the coating unit SU in the lower layer of the first coating unit group GSU1, and the pump and filter 61 for supplying the processing liquid to the lower layer of the first coating unit group GSU1 are arranged at the rear XB of the coating unit SU in the upper layer of the second coating unit group GSU2. In addition, the pump and filter 61 for supplying the processing liquid to the upper layer of the second coating unit group GSU2 are arranged at the rear XB of the coating unit SU in the lower layer of the second coating unit group GSU2, and the pump and filter 61 for supplying the processing liquid to the lower layer of the second coating unit group GSU2 are arranged at the rear XB of the coating unit SU in the upper layer of the third coating unit group GSU3. In addition, a pump and a filter 61 for supplying a processing liquid to the upper layer of the third coating unit group GSU3 are arranged at the rear XB of the coating unit SU of the lower layer of the third coating unit group GSU3, and a pump and a filter 61 for supplying a processing liquid to the lower layer of the third coating unit group GSU3 are arranged at the rear XB below the coating unit SU of the lower layer of the third coating unit group GSU3.

[0071] In this embodiment, since the pump and the filter 61 are arranged as described above, the distances from the pump and the filter 61 to the nozzle 35 can be made equal, respectively, and negative pressure when the process liquid is sucked upward from the process liquid tank of the process liquid tank arrangement unit TU arranged at the lower part of the indexing block 3 can be suppressed. Therefore, the generation of foaming of the process liquid can be suppressed, and the quality of the process performed by the process liquid can be improved.

[0072] The substrate processing apparatus configured as described above processes the substrate W in the following manner, for example. The processing is, for example, baking the substrate W (hereinafter referred to as dehydration baking), supplying a processing liquid to the substrate W to form a coating, and then baking (hereinafter referred to as pre-baking).

[0073] First, four carriers C containing unprocessed substrates W are placed on four carrier placement units 11. Then, the indexing transfer robots TID1 and TID2 of the indexing block 3 access one carrier C, take out two substrates W from the carrier C, and place the substrates W on an empty table 29 of the buffer unit BF. The indexing transfer robots TID1 and TID2 repeat this loading operation until all carriers C are empty.

[0074] In parallel with the above-mentioned loading operation, the bridge transport robots BT1 and BT2 of the bridge block transport the substrate W from the buffer section BF to the empty table 47 of the passage section PS and to any of the passage sections PS1, PS2, and PS3 corresponding to the layer of the transport destination in the processing block 7. The substrate W transported to the passage section PS is transported to any of the heat treatment units BU by the processing transport robots TBS1 to TBS3 to perform heat treatment for dehydration and baking. The substrate W that has completed the heat treatment is transported to any of the coating units SU by the processing transport robots TBS1 to TBS3 to form a coating. Then, the processing transport robots TBS1 to TBS3 transport the substrate W to any of the heat treatment units BU to perform pre-baking. The substrate W that has completed all the processing is returned to the carrier C that accommodates the substrate W before processing and is placed on the carrier placement table 11 via the passage section PS, the bridge block 5, and the indexing block 3.

[0075] Thus, according to the present embodiment, the bridge block 5 has a passage PS extending from the lowest level to the highest level in the processing block 7. Therefore, although the arm 19 of the indexing transfer robot TID cannot reach the highest level in the processing block 7, the bridge block 5 can transfer the substrate W placed on the buffer BF by the indexing transfer robot TID from the carrier C of the carrier placement section 11 to the thermal treatment unit BU and the coating unit SU on the highest level in the processing block 7 by the two bridge transfer robots BT1 and BT2 through the passage PS. As a result, the processing throughput can be increased by increasing the number of levels in the processing block 7.

[0076] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modified forms as follows.

[0077] (1) In the above-described embodiment, the number of the carrier placement portions 11 is four, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the number of the carrier placement portions 11 may be two or more than four.

[0078] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the indexing transfer robots TID1 and TID2 are arranged to face the front of the carrier loading section 11, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. In other words, as long as the indexing transfer robots TID1 and TID2 are in a position where they can access the carrier loading section 11 and the buffer section BF, they do not need to be in a position facing the front of the carrier loading section 11. In addition, the indexing transfer robot TID has two arms 19, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and may also have a configuration with one arm or three or more arms.

[0079] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the two indexing transfer robots TID1 and TID2 are arranged to face the front of the carrier loading section 11, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. In other words, as long as the indexing transfer robots TID1 and TID2 are in a position where they can access the carrier loading section 11 and the buffer section BF, the two indexing transfer robots TID1 and TID2 may be composed of one indexing transfer robot TID.

[0080] (4) In the above-described embodiment, the indexing transfer robot TID is configured to include the base portion 13, the telescopic portion 15, the holding portion 17, and the arm 19, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. In other words, the indexing transfer robot TID may be configured in any manner as long as it is fixed so as not to move in the horizontal direction and can access the carrier placement portion 11 and the buffer portion BF.

[0081] (5) In the above embodiment, the buffer section BF is configured to be accessible from four directions by holding the plurality of stages 29 by the support pillars 33. However, the buffer section BF may be accessible from four directions and the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

[0082] (6) In the above-described embodiment, the bridge transfer robot BT is configured to include the base portion 21, the telescopic portion 23, the holding portion 25, and the arm 27, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. In other words, the bridge transfer robot BT may be configured in any manner as long as it is fixed so as not to move in the horizontal direction and can access the buffer portion BF and the passage portion PS.

[0083] (7) In the above-described embodiment, the passage section PS is configured to be accessible from three directions by holding the plurality of stages 49 by the support 51, but the passage section PS is not limited to this configuration as long as it can be accessed from three directions. In addition, in the embodiment, the passage section PS1 to PS3 is divided into the configuration, but the passage section PS may be configured as a single piece.

[0084] (8) In the above-described embodiment, the pump and the filter 61 are arranged below the uppermost layer. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

[0085] (9) In the above-described embodiment, FOUP is used as an example of the carrier C for description, but the present invention is not limited to FOUP.

[0086] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential attributes. Accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description as indicating the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A substrate processing device for processing a substrate, comprising: The indexing block has at least two carrier loading sections for receiving and transferring substrates between the carrier loading sections and the overhead traveling unmanned transport vehicle. In order to take out the substrates from the carriers of the carrier loading sections and store the substrates in the carriers of the carrier loading sections, an indexing robot is provided for each of the carrier loading sections. The indexing robot has an arm that can move forward and backward in the horizontal direction, rotate in the horizontal plane, and rise and fall in the vertical direction, and the horizontal position is fixed relative to each of the carrier loading sections. A bridging block, arranged adjacent to the indexing block; and a processing block, arranged adjacent to the bridge block, having a plurality of layers, wherein the plurality of layers are stacked with layers having at least one processing unit; and The height of the graduation block does not reach the uppermost layer of the processing block. The bridge block comprises: a buffer part, which is arranged on the side of the indexing block and is located at a position where the indexing robot can transfer substrates, and has a multi-stage table for placing substrates in the height direction; a passage part, which is arranged on the side of the processing block and is located at a position where substrates can be transferred between the processing block and the processing block, and has a multi-stage table for placing substrates from the lowest level to the highest level of multiple levels in the processing block in the layer direction of the processing block; and two bridge robots, which have arms for transferring substrates between the buffer part and the passage part; The two bridge robots are disposed between the buffer portion and the passage portion, and can transfer substrates at the same stage of the buffer portion and can transfer substrates at the same stage of the passage portion.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The processing block includes a transfer robot for transferring substrates between the processing unit and the passage portion for each specific number of layers among the plurality of layers. The passage portion is composed of a plurality of separate passage portions that are separately arranged for each specific number of layers among the plurality of layers.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein Among the separation passage sections, the separation passage section arranged at the top is arranged downward relative to the specific number of layers arranged at the top, the separation passage section arranged in the center is arranged in the center relative to the specific number of layers arranged in the center, and the separation passage section arranged at the bottom is arranged upward relative to the specific number of layers arranged at the bottom.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The processing block omits a compartment that separates the transfer robots arranged for each specific number of layers from each other.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein The processing block omits a compartment that separates the transfer robots arranged for each specific number of layers from each other.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The processing units have a function of supplying processing liquid to the substrate, and pumps and filters for supplying processing liquid from a processing liquid tank disposed at the bottom and storing the processing liquid to the processing units at each level are disposed below the topmost level of the multiple levels.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The processing units have a function of supplying processing liquid to the substrate, and pumps and filters for supplying processing liquid from a processing liquid tank disposed at the bottom and storing the processing liquid to the processing units at each level are disposed below the topmost level of the multiple levels.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein The processing units have a function of supplying processing liquid to the substrate, and pumps and filters for supplying processing liquid from a processing liquid tank disposed at the bottom and storing the processing liquid to the processing units at each level are disposed below the topmost level of the multiple levels.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The processing units have a function of supplying processing liquid to the substrate, and pumps and filters for supplying processing liquid from a processing liquid tank disposed at the bottom and storing the processing liquid to the processing units at each level are disposed below the topmost level of the multiple levels.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The indexing block is provided with the indexing robots at positions facing the carrier placing parts.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The indexing block is provided with the indexing robots at positions facing the carrier placing parts.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein The indexing block is provided with the indexing robots at positions facing the carrier placing parts.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The indexing block is provided with the indexing robots at positions facing the carrier placing parts.

14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The indexing block is provided with the indexing robots at positions facing the carrier placing parts.

15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The carrier placement section includes at least two stages in the vertical direction, and the height of the buffer section is lower than the upper end of the carrier placed on the uppermost carrier placement section.

16. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The carrier placement section includes at least two stages in the vertical direction, and the height of the buffer section is lower than the upper end of the carrier placed on the uppermost carrier placement section.

17. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The carrier placement section includes at least two stages in the vertical direction, and the buffer section has a height higher than a lower end of a carrier placed on the carrier placement section disposed at the lowest position.

18. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The carrier placement section includes at least two stages in the vertical direction, and the buffer section has a height higher than a lower end of a carrier placed on the carrier placement section disposed at the lowest position.

19. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The height of the buffer portion is below the upper end of the uppermost passage portion and above the lower end of the lowermost passage portion.

20. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The height of the buffer portion is below the upper end of the uppermost passage portion and above the lower end of the lowermost passage portion.

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