Substrate processing system

Abstract

This invention provides a substrate processing system capable of handling various orientation-related requirements of the substrate in a substrate processing system comprising batch processing modules and monolithic modules. The substrate processing system of this invention includes a rotation adjustment mechanism (SRM) for a rotary table that can adjust the position of a notch in the substrate (W) at the loading position (IP) or the unloading position (OP). The orientation of the substrate (W) discharged from the relay device (6) to the monolithic processing device (2) can be arbitrarily changed via the rotation adjustment mechanism (SRM). According to this invention, a substrate processing system capable of handling various orientation-related requirements of the substrate (W) can be provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a substrate processing system for performing specified treatments on various substrates, such as semiconductor substrates, substrates for FPD (Flat Panel Display) devices (liquid crystal displays or organic EL (Electroluminescence) display devices), glass substrates for photomasks, and substrates for optical discs. Background Technology

[0002] Conventionally, such devices have included batch processing modules and monolithic modules (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Batch processing modules perform standardized processing on multiple substrates uniformly. Monolithic modules perform standardized processing on individual substrates. Each type of module has its inherent advantages. A substrate processing apparatus incorporating both batch and monolithic modules combines the advantages of both, thereby achieving a configuration that is more advantageous than either a batch or monolithic substrate processing apparatus.

[0003] According to the configuration in Patent Document 1, multiple substrates are uniformly immersed in a batch processing tank. The substrates, after batch processing, are transferred one by one to a single-substrate processing unit. Thus, according to the conventional configuration, multiple substrates housed in a carrier are transported and returned to the carrier in the same transport pattern. The orientation of the multiple substrates housed in the carrier is consistent with the common direction of the arrangement of devices formed on the substrates. In conventional substrate processing apparatuses, if substrate processing is performed on multiple substrates with uniform orientation within the carrier, the substrate processing is performed while maintaining the uniformity of substrate orientation, and the multiple substrates return to the carrier with consistent orientation.

[0004] [Background Technical Documents]

[0005] [Patent Literature]

[0006] [Patent Document 1]

[0007] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-64654 Summary of the Invention

[0008] [The problem the invention aims to solve]

[0009] However, the aforementioned configuration cannot fulfill all the requirements sought by the substrate processing apparatus. Indeed, in conventional configurations, since all substrates are transported using the same transport pattern during substrate processing, the substrates exiting from the carrier with a uniform orientation and returning to the carrier after substrate processing are of uniform orientation. However, if different transport patterns are used depending on the substrate within the substrate processing apparatus, it can result in substrates returning to the carrier after substrate processing having inconsistent orientations. Therefore, if the orientations of substrates returning to the carrier after substrate processing are inconsistent, there are concerns that this may cause problems in subsequent steps.

[0010] The present invention was made in view of this situation, and provides a substrate processing system that can handle various requirements related to substrate orientation in a substrate processing system having batch modules and monolithic modules.

[0011] [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0012] The present invention adopts the following configuration to solve the aforementioned problem.

[0013] In other words, the present invention provides a substrate processing system characterized in that the substrate processing system continuously performs batch processing of multiple substrates uniformly and single-wafer processing of substrates one by one, and comprises: a batch processing device for performing batch processing; at least one single-wafer processing device for performing single-wafer processing of the batch-processed substrates; and at least one relay device defining two positions: an infeed position for receiving the batch-processed substrates from the batch processing device and an outfeed position for transferring the substrates received at the infeed position to the single-wafer processing device; and the batch processing device is capable of uniformly processing multiple substrates in a vertical orientation. The device includes at least one batch processing tank for impregnation treatment, and multiple single-wafer processing chambers for drying horizontally oriented substrates one by one. The relay device includes: a posture conversion mechanism for converting multiple substrates from a vertical to a horizontal orientation at the loading position; a relay conveying mechanism disposed between the loading position and the unloading position for conveying horizontally oriented substrates one by one along a substrate conveying path to the unloading position; and a rotation adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the notch on the substrate by rotating the horizontally oriented substrates one by one at the loading position or the unloading position.

[0014] [Function and Effect] According to the invention, in a substrate processing system formed by connecting a batch processing device and a single-wafer processing device via a relay device, the requirements of the substrate processing system can be achieved. The relay device of the present invention has a rotation adjustment mechanism, which includes a rotary table capable of adjusting the position of the substrate notch at the substrate loading position or the substrate unloading position. The orientation of the substrate discharged from the relay device to the single-wafer processing device can be arbitrarily changed by the rotation adjustment mechanism. By changing the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism, the orientation of the batch-processed substrates transferred to the single-wafer processing device can be made consistent in a predetermined direction.

[0015] Furthermore, in the substrate processing system, it is more preferable that the batch processing device includes a substrate holding mechanism, which supports a first substrate group and a second substrate group in a vertical position, and supports a batch formed by combining the first substrate and the second substrate in such a way that the device surfaces of the first substrate constituting the first substrate group and the second substrate constituting the second substrate group face each other; the relay device includes a substrate group separation mechanism that can separate the batch into the first substrate and the second substrate; the posture conversion mechanism converts the separated first substrate and the second substrate from a vertical position to a horizontal position. If the orientation of the notch of the first substrate converted to a horizontal position by the posture conversion mechanism is different from the orientation of the notch of the second substrate, the rotation adjustment mechanism rotates the second substrate at an angle different from the rotation angle of the first substrate, so that the orientation of the notch of the first substrate is consistent with the orientation of the notch of the second substrate.

[0016] [Function and Effect] Based on this configuration, a substrate processing system can be provided that ensures the orientation of the substrates is consistent in a predetermined direction even when the substrates are arranged face-to-face in a batch. If two substrate groups are combined and arranged with the device faces of the first substrate and the second substrate facing each other, a batch of alternating first and second substrates is formed. If the batch is then divided into first and second substrates, the orientation of the notches in the first substrate and the notches in the second substrate will differ. According to this configuration, by rotating the substrates using a rotation adjustment mechanism to make the rotation angles of the first and second substrates different, the orientation of the notches in the first substrate and the notches in the second substrate can be aligned.

[0017] Furthermore, in the substrate processing system, the rotation adjustment mechanism preferably includes a substrate lifting mechanism that allows the substrate to move up and down between an upper first position and a lower second position. The substrate lifting mechanism raises the substrate held by the relay conveyor to the first position at a position between the first position and the second position, and receives the substrate from the relay conveyor. The received substrate is then lowered to the second position and placed on the rotary table.

[0018] [Function and Effect] With this configuration, the substrate can move up and down between the upper first position, the middle position, and the lower second position, enabling the reception, rotation, and discharge of the substrate. This configuration simplifies the design of the rotation adjustment mechanism.

[0019] Furthermore, in the substrate processing system, the rotation adjustment mechanism preferably includes a substrate shifting mechanism that shifts the substrate in such a way that the center of the substrate located at the first position coincides with the rotation center of the rotary table.

[0020] [Function / Effect] According to this configuration, the substrate in the first position is moved so that its center coincides with the center of the rotary table. With this configuration, the orientation of the substrate can be precisely set to the specified orientation, and by placing the substrate in the ideal position, the substrate can be transported more reliably by the single-piece transport mechanism.

[0021] Furthermore, in the substrate processing system, the substrate lifting mechanism preferably has a plurality of support pins that move in and out synchronously, positioned to avoid a plurality of extensions extending from the rotation center of the rotary table in its initial position.

[0022] [Function and Effect] According to this configuration, the substrate lifting mechanism has multiple support pins that appear and disappear synchronously, positioned to avoid multiple extensions extending from the rotation center of the rotary table located in the initial position. By configuring it in this way, a rotation adjustment mechanism that includes both a substrate lifting mechanism and a mechanism for rotating the substrate can be reliably constructed.

[0023] Furthermore, in the substrate processing system, it is more preferable that the rotation adjustment mechanism includes a pure water supply mechanism for supplying pure water to the received substrate.

[0024] [Function and Effect] According to this configuration, since the rotary adjustment mechanism has a pure water supply mechanism for supplying pure water to the received substrate, the substrate will not dry out during the operation of the rotary adjustment mechanism.

[0025] Furthermore, in the substrate processing system, the rotation adjustment mechanism preferably includes a sensor for detecting the position of the notch on the substrate on the rotary table.

[0026] [Function and Effect] Based on this configuration, since the rotation adjustment mechanism has a sensor that detects the position of the notch on the substrate on the rotary table, it is possible to measure and correct minute orientation deviations visible between the substrates.

[0027] [The effects of the invention]

[0028] According to the present invention, a substrate processing system is provided that can meet various requirements related to substrate orientation in a substrate processing system having batch modules and monolithic modules. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a top view illustrating the overall configuration of the substrate processing system of the embodiment.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a top view illustrating the overall configuration of the batch processing apparatus of the embodiment.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the HVC posture conversion unit in an embodiment.

[0032] Figure 4 (a) to (f) in the diagram are schematic diagrams illustrating the configuration of the first posture conversion mechanism in the embodiment.

[0033] Figure 5A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0034] Figure 5B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0035] Figure 6A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0036] Figure 6B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0037] Figure 6C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0038] Figure 7A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0039] Figure 7B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0040] Figure 7C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0041] Figure 8A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0042] Figure 8B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0043] Figure 9A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0044] Figure 9B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0045] Figure 9C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0046] Figure 10A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0047] Figure 10B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0048] Figure 10C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0049] Figure 11A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment. Figure 11B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment. Figure 11C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0050] Figure 11D This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0051] Figure 12A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0052] Figure 12B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0053] Figure 12C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0054] Figure 12D This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0055] Figure 13A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0056] Figure 13B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0057] Figure 13C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0058] Figure 14A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0059] Figure 14B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0060] Figure 14C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the relay device in the embodiment.

[0061] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the change in the position of the notch on the substrate in the embodiment.

[0062] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the change in the position of the notch on the substrate in the embodiment.

[0063] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. Figure 18A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0064] Figure 18B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0065] Figure 19 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0066] Figure 20A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0067] Figure 20B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0068] Figure 21A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0069] Figure 21B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0070] Figure 22A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0071] Figure 22B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0072] Figure 23A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0073] Figure 23B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0074] Figure 24AThis is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0075] Figure 24B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0076] Figure 25A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0077] Figure 25B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0078] Figure 26A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0079] Figure 26B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0080] Figure 27A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0081] Figure 27B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0082] Figure 28 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment.

[0083] Figure 29 This is a top view illustrating the configuration of the monolithic processing device in the embodiment.

[0084] Figure 30 This is a flowchart illustrating the substrate transfer process of an embodiment.

[0085] Figure 31 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the substrate transport of an embodiment.

[0086] Figure 32 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the substrate transport of an embodiment.

[0087] Figure 33 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a variation of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0088] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The substrate processing system of the present invention is a substrate processing system that performs batch processing of multiple substrates W in a continuous and uniform manner, and single-wafer processing of substrates W one by one. Moreover, it is configured such that the batch processing device and the single-wafer processing device are connected by a relay device.

[0089] The substrate processing system of the present invention performs various processes on a substrate W, such as chemical treatment, cleaning, and drying. The substrate processing system employs a hybrid processing method that combines batch processing of multiple substrates W and single-wafer processing of substrates W one by one. The batch processing method is a method for processing multiple substrates W arranged vertically in a unified manner. The single-wafer processing method is a method for processing substrates W arranged horizontally one by one. The substrate processing system of the present invention continuously performs both batch processing of multiple substrates and single-wafer processing of substrates.

[0090] [Example]

[0091] <1. Overall Composition>

[0092] Substrate processing system such as Figure 1 As shown, the device includes a batch processing unit 1 and a single-wafer processing unit 2, each with its own configuration, and a relay unit 6 connecting the two units 1 and 2. The batch processing unit 1 is related to batch processing of multiple substrates, while the single-wafer processing unit 2 is related to single-wafer processing of substrates one by one. The relay unit 6 is a bridging structure that transfers the batch-processed substrates from the batch processing unit 1 to the single-wafer processing unit 2, and is positioned between the batch processing unit 1 and the single-wafer processing unit 2.

[0093] Batch processing device 1, single-chip processing device 2, as follows Figure 1 As shown, it has blocks divided by partitions. That is, the batch processing device 1 includes a stacker block 3, a transfer block 5 adjacent to the stacker block 3, and a batch processing block 7 adjacent to the transfer block 5. Figure 2 The specific configuration of the batch processing block 7 of the batch processing device 1 is shown. On the other hand, the single-chip processing device 2 includes a transfer block 4 and a single-chip processing block 8 adjacent to the transfer block 4.

[0094] Batch processing apparatus 1 is configured to perform batch processing and has a first housing 1A for housing each block constituting batch processing apparatus 1. Monolithic processing apparatus 2 is configured to perform monolithic processing on the batch-processed substrate W and has a second housing 2A for housing each block constituting monolithic processing apparatus 2. The first housing 1A has a first loading port 9 protruding from a wall surface constituting the first housing, orthogonal to a first wall surface in the Y direction from the batch processing apparatus 7 toward the transfer block 5. The second housing 2A has a second loading port 10 protruding from a wall surface constituting the second housing 2A, orthogonal to a second wall surface in the Y direction, located at the same position as the first loading port 9 in the Y direction. The second loading port 10 can hold a carrier C.

[0095] In this specification, for convenience, the direction in which the stacker block 3, transfer block 5, and batch processing block 7 of the batch processing device 1 are arranged is referred to as the "front-back direction X". The front-back direction X is also the direction in which the transfer block 4 and single-piece processing block 8 of the single-piece processing device 2 are arranged. The front-back direction X extends horizontally. In the front-back direction X, the direction from the transfer block 5 of the batch processing device 1 toward the stacker block 3 is referred to as the "front". The front is also the direction from the single-piece processing block 8 of the single-piece processing device 2 toward the transfer block 4. The direction opposite to the front is referred to as the "rear". The horizontally extending direction orthogonal to the front-back direction X is referred to as the "width direction Y". For convenience, one direction of the "width direction Y" is referred to as the "right", and the other direction is referred to as the "left". For convenience, the direction orthogonal to the front-back direction X and the width direction Y (height direction) is referred to as the "vertical direction Z". In the figures, for reference, front, rear, right, left, up, and down are appropriately indicated.

[0096] The substrate processing system of the present invention first processes the substrate W in batches using a batch processing device 1, and then transfers the batch-processed substrate W to a single-wafer processing device 2 via a relay device 6. The single-wafer processing device 2 then processes the substrate W individually, thereby completing all the substrate processing steps. Hereinafter, the specific configuration of each device will be described in the order of the batch processing device 1, the relay device 6, and the single-wafer processing device 2, according to the flow direction of the substrate W in the substrate processing system of the present invention.

[0097] <2. Batch processing device: Stacker block>

[0098] The stacker block 3 has an inlet, namely the first loading port 9, for loading multiple substrates W into the block with carriers C arranged horizontally at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. The first loading port 9 is a structure that protrudes from the outer wall of the stacker block 3, which extends in the width direction (Y direction).

[0099] Multiple substrates (e.g., 25) are stacked horizontally with fixed intervals and housed within a carrier C. The carrier C, which houses the unprocessed substrates W that have been transferred into the batch processing apparatus 1, is first placed at the first loading port 9. The carrier C forms multiple horizontally extending trenches (not shown) that house the substrates W with their surfaces separated from each other. Substrates W are inserted into each of the trenches one by one. For example, a hermetically sealed FOPU (Front Opening Unified Pod) can be used as the carrier C. In this invention, an open container can also be used as the carrier C.

[0100] The internal structure of the stacker block 3 is described below. The stacker block 3 has a transport and storage unit ACB for storing and managing carriers C. The transport and storage unit ACB has a carrier transport mechanism 11 for transporting carriers C and a frame 13 for placing carriers C. The stacker block 3 can store one or more carriers C.

[0101] The stacker block 3 has multiple racks 13 for holding carriers C. The racks 13 are arranged in a partition that separates the stacker block 3 from the transfer block 5. The racks 13 include a storage rack 13b for temporarily holding carriers C and a substrate removal carrier rack 13a for receiving the substrates by the first substrate transfer mechanism HTR of the transfer block 5.

[0102] The carrier placement frame 13a is configured to hold multiple horizontally oriented substrates with predetermined vertical spacing. The carrier placement frame 13a is also configured to hold the target carrier C for removing the substrate W. In this embodiment, one carrier placement frame 13a is provided, but multiple carrier placement frames 13a may also be provided. The carrier conveying mechanism 11 takes the carrier C containing the unprocessed substrate W from the first loading port 9 and places it on the substrate removal carrier placement frame 13a. At this time, the carrier conveying mechanism 11 may also temporarily place the carrier C on the storage rack 13b before placing it on the carrier placement frame 13a. The stacker block 3 has one or more carrier placement frames 13a.

[0103] <3. Batch processing device: transfer block>

[0104] The transfer block 5 is adjacent to the carrier placement frame 13a. The transfer block 5 is also positioned adjacent to the rear of the stacker block 3. The transfer block 5 includes: a first substrate transfer mechanism HTR, capable of receiving the carrier C placed on the substrate removal carrier placement frame 13a; an HVC posture conversion unit 23 and a pusher mechanism 25, which uniformly convert multiple substrates W from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture. The HVC posture conversion unit 23 constitutes the first posture conversion mechanism 15. The first posture conversion mechanism 15 uniformly converts the multiple substrates W removed from the carrier C from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture. Furthermore, for the transfer block 5, a substrate transfer position PP is provided for uniformly transferring multiple substrates W to the second substrate transfer mechanism WTR located in the transfer area R2. The first substrate transfer mechanism HTR, the HVC posture conversion unit 23, and the pusher mechanism 25 are arranged sequentially in the Y direction.

[0105] The first substrate transport mechanism HTR is configured to uniformly retrieve multiple substrates W from the carrier C placed on the carrier holder 13a. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR is located on the right side behind the transport and storage section ACB of the stacker block 3. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR is a mechanism for uniformly retrieving multiple substrates W from the carrier C placed on the substrate retrieval / storage carrier holder 13a. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR has multiple (e.g., 25) hands 51 for uniformly transporting multiple substrates W. Each hand 51 supports one substrate W. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR uniformly retrieves multiple (e.g., 25) substrates W from the carrier C placed on the carrier holder 13a of the stacker block 3. Furthermore, the first substrate transport mechanism HTR can transport the held multiple substrates W to the support stage 23A of the HVC posture conversion section 23. The HVC posture conversion section 23 converts the received horizontally positioned multiple substrates W into a vertically positioned position. The push rod mechanism 25 is a configuration that maintains the vertical orientation of multiple substrates W and moves them up, down, left, and right.

[0106] Figure 3 The HVC posture conversion unit 23 of Embodiment 1 is described below. The HVC posture conversion unit 23 includes a pair of horizontal holding portions 23B and a pair of vertical holding portions 23C extending longitudinally (Z direction). The support platform 23A has a support surface extending in the XY plane that supports the horizontal holding portions 23B and the vertical holding portions 23C. The rotation drive mechanism 23D is configured to rotate the horizontal holding portions 23B and the vertical holding portions 23C, together with the support platform 23A, by 90°. Through this rotation, the horizontal holding portions 23B and the vertical holding portions 23C are configured to extend in the left-right direction (Y direction). Furthermore, Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the HVC posture transition unit 23. The following is for reference only. Figure 3 and Figure 4 On the one hand, the composition of each part is explained.

[0107] The horizontal holding portion 23B supports multiple substrates W in a horizontal position from below. That is, the horizontal holding portion 23B has a comb-shaped structure with multiple protrusions corresponding to the substrates W to be supported. Between adjacent protrusions, there are elongated recesses where the peripheral portions of the substrates W are located. When the peripheral portions of the substrates W are inserted into these recesses, the lower surface of the horizontally positioned substrates W contacts the upper surface of the protrusions, and the substrates W are supported in a horizontal position.

[0108] The vertical holding portion 23C supports multiple substrates W in a vertical position from below. That is, the vertical holding portion 23C has a comb-shaped structure with multiple protrusions corresponding to the substrates W to be supported. Between adjacent protrusions, there are elongated V-shaped grooves where the peripheral portions of the substrates W are located. When the peripheral portion of the substrate W is inserted into the V-shaped grooves, the substrate W is held in a vertical position by the V-shaped grooves. Since two vertical holding portions 23C are provided on the support platform 23A, each of the two locations on the peripheral portion of the substrate W is held by a different V-shaped groove.

[0109] A pair of horizontal holding portions 23B and a pair of vertical holding portions 23C extending longitudinally (Z direction) are arranged along an imaginary circle surrounding the substrate W, which is in a horizontal orientation. The pair of horizontal holding portions 23B are spaced apart by the diameter of the substrate W, holding one end of the substrate W and the other end, corresponding to the position furthest from that end. Thus, the pair of horizontal holding portions 23B supports the horizontally oriented substrate W. On the other hand, the pair of vertical holding portions 23C are spaced apart by a distance shorter than the diameter of the substrate W, supporting a designated portion of the substrate W and a specific portion near that designated portion. Thus, the pair of vertical holding portions 23C supports the vertically oriented substrate W. The pair of horizontal holding portions 23B are located at the same position in the left-right direction (Y direction), and the pair of vertical holding portions 23C are also located at the same position in the left-right direction (Y direction). The pair of vertical holding portions 23C are positioned on the side that tilts (leftward) relative to the support platform 23A, compared to the pair of horizontal holding portions 23B.

[0110] The rotary drive mechanism 23D supports the support stage 23A by rotating it at least 90° around a horizontal axis AX2 extending in the front-back direction (X direction). If the horizontal support stage 23A rotates 90°, the support stage 23A becomes vertical, and the posture of the multiple substrates W held in the horizontal holding part 23B and the vertical holding part 23C changes from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture.

[0111] like Figure 4As shown in (f), the push rod mechanism 25 includes: a push rod 25A capable of supporting a vertically positioned substrate W; a lifting and rotating part 25B for rotating and lifting the push rod 25A; a horizontal moving part 25C for moving the lifting and rotating part 25B in the left-right direction (Y direction); and a track 25D extending in the left-right direction (Y direction) to guide the horizontal moving part 25C. The push rod 25A is configured to support the lower part of each of multiple (e.g., 50) vertically positioned substrates W. The lifting and rotating part 25B is configured to be located below the push rod 25A and has a retractable mechanism for lifting the push rod 25A in the up-down direction. Furthermore, the lifting and rotating part 25B can also rotate the push rod 25A at least 180° around a vertical axis. The horizontal moving part 25C is configured to support the lifting and rotating part 25B and move the push rod 25A and the lifting and rotating part 25B horizontally. The horizontal moving part 25C is guided by the track 25D, which enables the push rod 25A to move from the pick-up position near the HVC posture conversion part 23 to the substrate handover position PP. In addition, the horizontal moving part 25C can also shift the vertically oriented substrate W in the push rod 25A by a distance corresponding to half the pitch in the substrate arrangement direction.

[0112] Here, the operation of the HVC posture conversion unit 23 and the push rod mechanism 25 will be explained. The HVC posture conversion unit 23 and the push rod mechanism 25 arrange, for example, a total of 50 substrates W housed in two carriers C, face-to-face with a predetermined interval (e.g., 5 mm). The 25 substrates W in the first carrier C will be described as the first substrate W1 belonging to the first substrate group. Similarly, the 25 substrates W in the second carrier C will be described as the second substrate W2 belonging to the second substrate group. Furthermore, Figure 4 (a) in Figure 4 In (f), for ease of plotting, the number of substrates W1 is 3 and the number of substrates W2 is 3.

[0113] Figure 4 (a) shows the state where the first substrate W1, now in a horizontal position, is uniformly transferred to the HVC posture conversion unit 23 by the first substrate transport mechanism HTR. At this time, the device surface (circuit pattern forming surface) of the first substrate W1 faces upwards. 25 first substrates W1 are arranged at a predetermined interval (e.g., 10 mm). This 10 mm interval is called the full pitch (standard pitch). The first substrates W1 in this state are held by the horizontal holding unit 23B. Furthermore, the push rod 25A is located at a pickup position below the support stage 23A at this time.

[0114] Figure 4(b) shows the state when the support stage 23A of the HVC posture conversion unit 23 is rotated 90° by the rotation drive mechanism 23D. Thus, in the HVC posture conversion unit 23, the posture of the 25 first substrates W1 is changed from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture. The first substrates W1 in this state are held by the vertical holding part 23C.

[0115] The push rod mechanism 25 supports the first posture conversion mechanism 15 to convert the first substrate W1 housed in the first carrier C1 into a vertical posture. Figure 4 (c) indicates the state where push rod 25A rises from the pickup position and moves to a position set directly above the pickup position. This upward movement is performed by the lifting and rotating part 25B. Thus, if push rod 25A moves from the lower side to the upper side of the first substrate W1, the first substrate W1, supported by the vertical holding part 23C of the HVC posture conversion part 23, is pulled out from the vertical holding part 23C and moved onto push rod 25A. Grooves for clamping the substrate W are provided on the upper surface of push rod 25A. The first substrate W1 is supported in these equally spaced grooves. The grooves are arranged at half-pitch intervals, while the first substrate W1 is arranged at full pitch in the HVC posture conversion part 23. Therefore, on the upper surface of push rod 25A in the directly above position, the grooves clamping the first substrate W1 alternate with empty grooves that do not support the substrate W.

[0116] Figure 4 (d) indicates the action of push rod 25A rotating 180° via lifting and rotating part 25B, and the action of support platform 23A of HVC posture conversion part 23 rotating 90° in the opposite direction via rotation drive mechanism 23D. In this state, HVC posture conversion part 23 can support the second substrate W2. If push rod 25A rotates 180°, the substrate W supported by the right end of push rod 25A moves to the left end of push rod 25A, and the empty groove at the left end of push rod 25A moves to the right end of push rod 25A. Since the positional relationship between HVC posture conversion part 23 and push rod 25A is set in such a way that the substrate W located at the right end of HVC posture conversion part 23 is transferred to the right end of push rod 25A, HVC posture conversion part 23 can transfer the second substrate W2 at the right end to the groove at the right end of push rod 25A regardless of whether the first substrate W1 supported by push rod 25A is present. This situation also applies to the other second substrates W2 supported on the HVC posture conversion section 23. That is, the second substrates W2 arranged in the HVC posture conversion section 23 with full-space spacing can be arranged sequentially with full-space spacing from the right end of the push rod 25A. This is because, in the rotated push rod 25A, empty trenches are arranged with full-space spacing starting from the right end. At this time, the first substrate W1 on the push rod 25A is housed in the gap between the second substrates W2 arranged on the push rod 25A. Figure 4In section (d), the state is shown when the second substrate W2 has been transferred to the HVC posture conversion unit 23. Additionally, Figure 4 In (d), the second substrate W2 is supported by the horizontal holding part 23B.

[0117] If in Figure 4 In state (d), when the push rod 25A, which is in the top position, returns to its original pickup position, the HVC posture conversion unit 23 can rotate the support platform 23A by 90° again.

[0118] Figure 4 (e) in the diagram shows the state when the support platform 23A actually rotates again. At this point, since the push rod 25A only rotates 180°, if... Figure 4 As shown in (f), when push rod 25A is moved back to the top position, the second substrate W2 no longer interferes with the first substrate W1, and is housed in the empty trench between the first substrates W1 and each other by the upper surface of push rod 25A. In this way, a batch with alternating arrangements of the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 is formed. Furthermore, Figure 4 In (e), the second substrate W2 is supported on the vertical holding portion 23C. Since the substrates W in the batch are arranged face-to-face, the device faces of the first substrate W1 constituting the batch are all facing... Figure 4 To the right of (f) in the diagram, the device faces of the second substrate W2 are all facing... Figure 4 To the left of (f) in the middle. Thus, the push rod mechanism 25 also supports the first posture conversion mechanism 15 to convert the second substrate W2 housed in the second carrier C2 into a vertical posture.

[0119] Figure 4 (f) in the figure shows the state when push rod 25A moves to the top position again. Furthermore, the batch generated in push rod 25A is transported to the left (Y direction) by horizontal moving part 25C and moved to the substrate transfer position PP.

[0120] In this way, the push rod mechanism 25 combines the two substrate groups housed in the carrier C with full spacing, forming a batch of substrates W arranged with half spacing. The device faces of the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 that make up the batch face each other, and the substrates are arranged face-to-face.

[0121] The drying batch support 33 is mainly provided for temporarily idling batches assembled by the HVC posture conversion unit 23 and the push rod mechanism 25, and is located between the substrate transfer position PP and the relay position 6 described later. When transferring batches from the drying batch support 33 to the batch processing block 7, the second substrate transfer mechanism WTR of the batch processing device 1 is used.

[0122] <5. Batch processing device: Batch processing block>

[0123] Batch processing block 7 is adjacent to transfer block 5. Batch processing block 7 processes the batches. Batch processing block 7 is divided into batch processing area R1 arranged in the width direction (Y direction) and unified transfer area R2. Each area extends in the front-back direction (X direction). Specifically, batch processing area R1 is located inside batch processing block 7. Unified transfer area R2 is adjacent to batch processing area R1 and is located at the leftmost position of batch processing block 7.

[0124] <5.1. Batch Processing Area>

[0125] The batch processing region R1 in the batch processing block 7 is a rectangular region extending in the front-to-back direction (X direction). One end of the batch processing region R1 (front side) is adjacent to the relay device 6. The other end of the batch processing region R1 extends away from the transfer block 5 and the relay device 6 (rear direction). Therefore, the relay device 6 is a device inserted at the position where the batch processing device 1 is interrupted. When transferring batches from the batch processing device 1 to the relay device 6, the second substrate transfer mechanism WTR of the batch processing device 1 is used.

[0126] The second substrate transfer mechanism WTR uniformly transfers multiple vertically oriented substrates W between the transfer block 5, batch processing units BPU1-BPU6, and the transfer position IP of the relay device 6. Therefore, the movable area of ​​the second substrate transfer mechanism WTR, i.e., the uniform transfer area R2, is not interrupted by the relay device 6, but extends in the Y direction along the left end of the relay device 6. The relay device 6 is embedded inside the batch processing unit 1, but does not reach the left end of the batch processing unit 1. This is because the uniform transfer area R2 is located at the left end of the batch processing unit 1.

[0127] The batch processing area R1 mainly comprises a batch processing unit for batch processing. Specifically, the batch processing area R1 includes a batch drying chamber DC for uniformly drying multiple substrates W, and multiple batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 for uniformly impregnating multiple substrates W in the direction extending from the batch processing area R1. Batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 uniformly impregnate multiple substrates in a vertical orientation. The configuration of the batch drying chamber DC and the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 will be described in detail. The batch drying chamber DC is adjacent to the relay device 6 from the rear. The first batch processing unit BPU1 is adjacent to the batch drying chamber DC from the rear. The second batch processing unit BPU2 is adjacent to the rear of the first batch processing unit BPU1. The third batch processing unit BPU3 is adjacent to the rear of the second batch processing unit BPU2. The fourth batch processing unit BPU4 is adjacent to the rear of the third batch processing unit BPU3. The fifth batch processing unit (BPU5) is adjacent to the rear of the fourth batch processing unit (BPU4). The sixth batch processing unit (BPU6) is adjacent to the rear of the fifth batch processing unit (BPU5). Therefore, the batch drying chamber DC, the first batch processing unit (BPU1), the second batch processing unit (BPU2), the third batch processing unit (BPU3), the fourth batch processing unit (BPU4), the fifth batch processing unit (BPU5), and the sixth batch processing unit (BPU6) are arranged sequentially away from the relay device 6. Figure 1 For ease of diagramming, batch processing units BPU2 through BPU5 have been omitted. Regarding the aforementioned configuration, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 2 I understand. The batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 are equivalent to the batch processing tanks of this invention.

[0128] The second batch processing unit (BPU2) specifically includes: a batch chemical treatment tank (CHB2) for uniformly treating batches of chemicals; and a lift (LF2) for moving the batches between the substrate transfer position and the chemical treatment position (see reference). Figure 2 The substrate handover position is set above the batch chemical treatment tank CHB2, which can be received by the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. The chemical treatment position is set inside the batch chemical treatment tank CHB2, where the batch is immersed in the chemical solution. The batch chemical treatment tank CHB2 performs acid treatment on the batch. The acid treatment can be phosphoric acid treatment or treatment using other acids. The phosphoric acid treatment etches the multiple substrates W constituting the batch. The etching treatment, for example, chemically etches the nitride film on the surface of the substrate W.

[0129] The batch chemical treatment tank CHB2 contains acidic solutions such as phosphoric acid solution. An elevator LF2 is attached to the batch chemical treatment tank CHB2 to move batches up and down. The batch chemical treatment tank CHB2 supplies the chemical solution from below, causing convection. The elevator LF2 moves up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction). Specifically, the elevator LF2 moves between a processing position corresponding to the interior of the batch chemical treatment tank CHB2 and a junction position corresponding to the upper part of the batch chemical treatment tank CHB2. The elevator LF2 holds the batch of substrates W in a vertical position. At the junction position, the elevator LF2 transfers the batch between itself and the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. If the elevator LF2 descends from the junction position to the processing position while holding the batch, the entire area of ​​the substrate W is below the surface of the chemical solution. If the elevator LF2 rises from the processing position to the junction position while holding the batch, the entire area of ​​the substrate W is above the surface of the chemical solution.

[0130] The third batch processing unit (BPU3) specifically includes: a batch chemical treatment tank (CHB3); and a lift (LF3) for moving the batches between the substrate transfer position and the chemical treatment position. The batch chemical treatment tank (CHB3) has the same configuration as the batch chemical treatment tank (CHB2). That is, the chemical solution is contained in the batch chemical treatment tank (CHB3), and the lift (LF3) is attached thereto. The batch chemical treatment tank (CHB3) performs the same processing on the batches as the batch chemical treatment tank (CHB2). The batch processing apparatus 1 in this example has multiple treatment tanks capable of performing the same chemical treatment. This is because phosphoric acid treatment requires more time than other treatments. Phosphoric acid treatment requires a long time (e.g., 60 minutes). Therefore, the apparatus in this example can perform acid treatment in parallel using multiple batch chemical treatment tanks.

[0131] Batch processing units BPU4 through BPU6 have the same configuration as batch processing units BPU2 and BPU3. Specifically, batch processing unit BPU4 includes a batch chemical treatment tank CHB4 and a lifting mechanism LF4 that moves batches between the substrate transfer position and the chemical treatment position. Similarly, batch processing unit BPU5 includes a batch chemical treatment tank CHB5 and a lifting mechanism LF5 that moves batches between the substrate transfer position and the chemical treatment position. Furthermore, batch processing unit BPU6 includes a batch chemical treatment tank CHB6 and a lifting mechanism LF6 that moves batches between the substrate transfer position and the chemical treatment position. Therefore, batches are acid-treated using any one of the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB2 through CHB6. By performing chemical treatment in parallel through these five processing units, the processing capacity of the apparatus is increased.

[0132] Specifically, the first batch processing unit (BPU1) includes: a batch cleaning tank (ONB) containing cleaning fluid; and a lift (LF1) that moves the batches between a substrate transfer position and a cleaning position. The substrate transfer position is located above the batch cleaning tank (ONB) and can be received by the second substrate transport mechanism (WTR). The cleaning position is located within the batch cleaning tank (ONB) where the batches can be immersed in the cleaning fluid. The batch cleaning tank (ONB) has the same configuration as the batch chemical solution processing tank (CHB2). That is, the batch cleaning tank (ONB) contains cleaning fluid and is equipped with the lift (LF1). Unlike other processing tanks, the batch cleaning tank (ONB) contains pure water and is designed for cleaning chemical solutions attached to multiple substrates (W). The cleaning process ends when the resistivity of the pure water in the batch cleaning tank (ONB) rises to a predetermined value.

[0133] Thus, in this embodiment, the batch cleaning tank ONB is located near the relay device 6, compared to the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB2 to CHB6. This configuration ensures that the components constituting the relay device 6 are as far apart as possible from the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB2 to CHB6, preventing the relay device 6 from being adversely affected by acids such as phosphoric acid. Furthermore, by placing the relay device 6 close to the batch cleaning tank ONB, the batches that have completed cleaning are immediately transferred to the relay device 6 after a short distance. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the transfer of the substrate W can be completed quickly while maintaining its moisture.

[0134] <5.2. Unified Transfer Area>

[0135] The unified transport area R2 in the distribution processing block 7 is a rectangular area extending in the front-to-back direction (X direction). The unified transport area R2 is set along the outer edge of the batch processing area R1, with one end extending to the transfer block 5 and the other end extending away from the transfer block 5. Therefore, the unified transport area R2 is also configured along the relay device 6 located at the position sandwiched between the transfer block 5 and the batch processing block 7.

[0136] In the unified transport area R2, a second substrate transport mechanism WTR is provided for the unified transport of multiple substrates W. The second substrate transport mechanism WTR transports multiple substrates W (specifically, batches) uniformly between the substrate transfer position PP within the transfer block 5, the drying batch support 33, the batch drying chamber DC, each batch processing unit BPU1 to BPU6, and the transport entry position IP in the relay device 6 (described later). The second substrate transport mechanism WTR can reciprocate in the front-back direction (X direction) across the transfer block 5, the relay device 6, and the batch processing block 7. In addition to the unified transport area R2 in the batch processing block 7, the second substrate transport mechanism WTR can also move to the substrate transfer position PP within the transfer block 5, the drying batch support 33, and the transport entry position IP in the relay device 6.

[0137] The second substrate transfer mechanism WTR includes a pair of clamps 29 for transferring batches. The pair of clamps 29 can be changed to a closed state where they are close to each other and an open state where they are far apart. The clamps 29 are components extending in the Y direction with trenches for holding the substrates W arranged at half-pitch intervals. When the pair of clamps 29 are closed, they receive multiple substrates W constituting a batch. When the pair of clamps 29 are open, they transfer the multiple substrates W constituting a batch to other components (such as elevators LF1). The second substrate transfer mechanism WTR transfers batches between the substrate transfer position PP and the drying batch support 33 in the transfer block 5, and between the elevator LF65 in the relay device 6, which belongs to the batch waiting slot 65 located at the transfer position IP. Furthermore, the second substrate transfer mechanism WTR transfers batches between the elevators LF1 to LF6 of the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 belonging to the batch processing block 7, and the batch drying chamber DC.

[0138] The unified transport area R2 has a guide rail 31X extending in the X direction to guide the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. The second substrate transport mechanism WTR can move forward and backward in the X direction along the guide rail 31X. Therefore, the guide rail 31X extends from the batch processing block 7 to the transfer block 5 via the relay device 6. More specifically, the guide rail 31X faces the substrate transfer position PP in the transfer block 5 from the Y direction, and faces the sixth batch processing unit BPU6 in the batch processing block 7 from the Y direction. In addition, the guide rail 31X faces the drying batch support 33 in the transfer block 5, the batch standby slot 65 in the relay device 6, the batch drying chamber DC in the batch processing block 7, and the first batch processing units BPU1 to the sixth batch processing units BPU6 from the Y direction.

[0139] <5.3. Other Components>

[0140] The batch drying chamber DC is positioned between the first batch processing unit BPU1 and the relay device 6. The batch drying chamber DC has a drying chamber for accommodating batches of substrates W arranged vertically. The drying chamber has an inert gas nozzle for supplying inert gas into the chamber and a steam supply nozzle for supplying vapor of organic solvent into the chamber. The batch drying chamber DC first supplies inert gas to the batches supported in the chamber, replacing the atmosphere in the chamber with inert gas. Then, depressurization is initiated within the chamber. While the chamber is depressurized, vapor of organic solvent is supplied into the chamber. The organic solvent, along with moisture adhering to the substrate W, is discharged outside the chamber. Thus, the batch drying chamber DC performs batch drying. The inert gas at this time can be, for example, nitrogen, and the organic solvent can be, for example, IPA (isopropanol). In this embodiment, the batch drying chamber DC is not used; instead, the substrate W is dried using the single-wafer processing device 2. The batch drying chamber DC is configured for use when substrate processing is performed individually using the batch processing device 1. In this case, the batches that have completed their batch cleaning process in the batch cleaning tank ONB do not move to the relay device 6, but instead undergo drying in the batch drying chamber DC, and are then transferred to the substrate transfer position PP. This batch transfer is performed by the second substrate transfer mechanism WTR. Afterwards, the batches proceed along the path... Figure 4 The description follows the opposite path, divided into the arrangement of the first substrate W1 and the arrangement of the second substrate W2. The arrangement of the first substrate W1 is returned to the empty carrier C by the first substrate transport mechanism HTR, and the arrangement of the second substrate W2 is then returned to the empty carrier C by the first substrate transport mechanism HTR.

[0141] <6. Relay Device>

[0142] The relay device 6 is constructed for both the bridging batch processing device 1 and the single-wafer processing device 2. Its left end is embedded inside the batch processing device 1, and its right end is embedded inside the single-wafer processing device 2. The relay device 6 has a transport path extending in the Y direction from the unified transport area R2 of the batch processing device 1 to the single-wafer transport area R3 of the single-wafer processing device 2. This transport path transports the substrate W in the Y direction (horizontally) without changing the position of the substrate W in the Z direction. Therefore, the insertion position of the relay device 6 in the batch processing device 1 and the insertion position of the relay device 6 in the single-wafer processing device 2 are the same in the Z direction.

[0143] Relay device 6 is located in the middle layer between batch processing device 1 and single-chip processing device 2 (reference). Figure 17 Therefore, the relay device 6 bridges the batch processing device 1 and the single-chip processing device 2 in an air position away from the bottom surface where the batch processing device 1 and the single-chip processing device 2 are located. The specific location of the relay device 6 is related to the structure of the single-chip processing device 2, so it will be explained in detail in conjunction with the description of the single-chip processing device 2.

[0144] The relay device 6 includes a relay housing 6A that connects a first housing 1A of the batch processing device 1 and a second housing 2A of the single-chip processing device 2, which are separated from each other in the Y direction. The relay housing 6A is disposed between a third wall surface 1B, which is opposite to the second housing 2A, in the wall surface constituting the first housing 1A, and a fourth wall surface 2B, which is opposite to the third wall surface 1B, in the wall surface constituting the second housing 2A.

[0145] The relay housing 6A has a side wall 62a, a bottom plate 62b, and a top plate 62c that connect the batch processing device 1 and the single-chip processing device 2. Regarding the configuration of the side wall 62a, bottom plate 62b, and top plate 62c, in... Figure 2 , Figure 17 The details are as follows. The relay housing 6A connects the housings of the batch processing unit 1 and the single-wafer processing unit 2, forming a substrate processing system. Thus, the substrate processing system is configured to isolate the external gas from the atmosphere inside the unit.

[0146] The relay device 6 includes: a batch standby tank 65 for suspending batches of processed materials in pure water; an underwater posture conversion unit 55 for receiving multiple substrates W arranged in the Y direction and converting their orientation from vertical to horizontal by rotating them uniformly by 90° in the water; a relay transport mechanism OTR for transporting the horizontally oriented substrates W one by one to the transport position OP; and a rotation adjustment mechanism SRM for adjusting the orientation of the substrates W. These components—the batch standby tank 65, the underwater posture conversion unit 55, the relay transport mechanism OTR, and the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM—are arranged sequentially from the left side of the batch processing device 1 in the right direction. Each component will be described in detail below. Furthermore, the underwater posture conversion unit 55 corresponds to the posture conversion mechanism of this invention.

[0147] <6.1. Relay device: Batch standby slot>

[0148] The batch standby tank 65 immerses the batches that have been processed in pure water. The batch standby tank 65 has the same configuration as the first distribution processing unit BPU1 of the batch processing apparatus 1. That is, the batch standby tank 65 holds pure water and has a lift LF5 for lifting the batches. The lift LF5 can reciprocate between the loading position IP for loading the batches into the relay device 6 and the immersion position for immersing the loaded batches in pure water. The loading position IP is a position defined for receiving the batches of substrates processed in batches from the batch processing apparatus 1. The loading position IP is located above the immersion position and is a position where the substrates can be transported by the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. The loading position IP is set such that the entire area of ​​the substrate W constituting the batch is in the air, and the immersion position is set such that the entire area of ​​the substrate W constituting the batch is immersed in pure water.

[0149] <6.2. Relay Device: Full-Gap Substrate Transfer Mechanism>

[0150] The full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR separates the batch immersed in the batch standby tank 65 into a first substrate W1 and a second substrate W2. The full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR can transport 25 substrates W arranged in a full-pitch configuration between the batch standby tank 65 and the underwater attitude conversion unit 55. The batch standby tank 65 provides standby for 50 substrates W arranged in a half-pitch configuration. The full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR picks up half of these 25 substrates and transports them to the underwater attitude conversion unit 55. The full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR has a pair of clamps 30 identical to the pair of clamps 29 in the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. Like the clamps 29, the clamps 30 have trenches formed at half-pitch intervals, but differ from the clamps 29 in that the two types of trenches are arranged alternately. That is, the clamps 30 alternately have deep trenches that cannot hold the substrates W and shallow trenches that hold the substrates W at half-pitch intervals. Therefore, if the batch located on the elevator LF65 is to be held by the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR, then 25 substrates W cannot be held by the shallow trenches, and the remaining 25 substrates W cannot come into contact with the deep trenches and remain on the elevator LF65. Since the shallow trenches in the chuck 30 are arranged at twice the pitch of half-pitch (full pitch), the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR picks up the 25 substrates W arranged in full pitch from the batch in the elevator LF65. From the perspective that the batch is composed of substrates W arranged face-to-face, the picked-up substrates W are arranged with the device faces of adjacent substrates W not facing each other, with the front (device face) on the right and the back face on the left. On the other hand, the 25 substrates W that are not picked up and remain on the elevator LF65 are arranged with the front (device face) on the left and the back face on the right, with the device faces of adjacent substrates W not facing each other. The full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR is equivalent to the substrate group separation mechanism of the present invention.

[0151] The full-spacing substrate transport mechanism STR has a pair of clamps 30, which, like the clamps 29 of the second substrate transport mechanism WTR, can be in two states: a closed state where the clamps 30 are close to each other in the X direction, and an open state where the clamps 30 are separated from each other in the X direction. When the pair of clamps 30 are in the closed state, the clamps 30 are sufficiently close to each other relative to the diameter of the substrate W, so that two points on the lower part of the substrate W abut against each of the clamps 30. Thus, the substrate W is held by the pair of clamps 30. If the pair of clamps 30, which would otherwise be in the closed state, are in the open state, the clamps 30 are sufficiently separated from each other relative to the diameter of the substrate W, so that the substrate W is detached from the clamps 30. Specifically, the pair of clamps 30 are in the open state before receiving multiple substrates W from the elevator LF65 at the loading position IP, and after transferring multiple substrates W to the push rod 55A (described later) at the position above the impregnation tank.

[0152] The relay device 6 is equipped with a guide rail 31Y extending in the Y direction to guide the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR. The full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR can move forward and backward in the Y direction along the guide rail 31Y. Therefore, the guide rail 31Y extends from the batch standby tank 65 to the underwater attitude conversion unit 55.

[0153] The full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR can move forward and backward in the Y direction from the batch position (i.e., the loading position IP) of the elevator LF65, which is guided by the guide rail 31Y, to the position above the immersion tank where multiple substrates W are received by the push rod 55A (described later) of the underwater posture conversion unit 55. Thus, the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR can transport multiple substrates W from the loading position IP to the position above the immersion tank in the Y direction. Furthermore, when the second substrate transport mechanism WTR moves from the transfer block 5 to the batch processing block 7, the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR can also move to the position above the immersion tank without interfering with the second substrate transport mechanism WTR (see reference). Figure 2 ).

[0154] <6.3. Relay Device: Underwater Conversion Unit>

[0155] The underwater posture conversion unit 55 converts multiple substrates W received from the batch processing device 1 from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture. The underwater posture conversion unit 55 also converts the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2, which were previously separated, from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture. The underwater posture conversion unit 55 includes an immersion tank 73 holding pure water, a reversing chuck 71 located above the immersion tank 73, and a pair of reversing chuck support mechanisms 72 that hold each of the reversing chucks 71 and allow them to be raised, lowered, and rotated. The reversing chucks 71 can be raised and lowered from their substrate contact position with the full-spacing substrate transport mechanism STR, set on the liquid surface of the immersion tank 73, into the liquid of the immersion tank 73. The reversing chucks 71 can immerse multiple substrates W received from the full-spacing substrate transport mechanism STR in the immersion tank 73, and in this state, rotate 90° in one direction or the opposite direction. The posture of the multiple substrates W, which were in a vertical posture, is converted to a horizontal posture by rotating the pair of reversing chucks 71.

[0156] The reversing chuck 71 can switch between a closed state, in which multiple substrates W are held in place by the operation of a pair of reversing chuck support mechanisms 72, and an open state, in which the multiple substrates W are held in place. Furthermore, the reversing chuck 71 can rotate 90° in one direction and the opposite direction while maintaining its positional relationship with each other through the operation of the pair of reversing chuck support mechanisms 72. Moreover, the reversing chuck 71 can move from above the impregnation tank 73 to below the liquid in the impregnation tank 73 while maintaining its positional relationship with each other through the operation of the pair of reversing chuck support mechanisms 72.

[0157] The multiple V-grooves 71a of the reversing chuck 71 are arranged in a comb-like shape with full spacing. A pair of reversing chucks 71 hold multiple substrates W from both sides by embedding them into the V-grooves. If the reversing chuck 71 is in the closed state, the ends of the substrates abut against the deepest part of the V-grooves, and the substrates W will not slip off the reversing chuck 71 even if it rotates in this state. If the reversing chuck 71 is in the open state, the substrates W can be received from the full-spacing substrate transport mechanism STR, which holds multiple substrates W above the impregnation tank 73 and is ready to proceed. Furthermore, the reversing chuck 71 can also be in a state between open and closed (a half-open state), which will be described below.

[0158] <6.4. Relay Device: Relay Conveying Mechanism>

[0159] The relay conveyor mechanism OTR is a mechanism located between the receiving position IP and the receiving position OP. It receives substrates W in a horizontal orientation one by one from the underwater attitude conversion unit 55 and transports the substrates W along the substrate conveying path to the receiving position OP. The relay conveyor mechanism OTR is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the relay track 32Y extends from the underwater attitude conversion unit 55 in the Y direction to the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM (described later), and can move in the Y direction. The relay transport mechanism OTR has a hand 103. The relay transport mechanism OTR can move the hand 103 toward the underwater attitude conversion unit 55 to receive substrates W in a horizontal orientation one by one from the reversing chuck 71. In addition, the relay transport mechanism OTR can use the arm to transport the substrates to the take-out position OP of the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM.

[0160] <6.5. Relay Device: Operation of the Relay Conveying Mechanism>

[0161] The process of relay device 6 moving substrate W from loading position IP to loading position OP will be described. Loading position OP is a position defined for transferring substrate W received at loading position IP to monolithic processing device 2. Figure 5A This indicates that the elevator LF65 holds multiple substrates W at the loading position IP, which is set above the batch standby slot 65. The transport of the substrates W up to the loading position IP is performed by the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. The multiple substrates W placed on the elevator LF65 are arranged face-to-face in an alternating manner with substrates W with the device face to the right and substrates W with the device face to the left.

[0162] At this time, if the elevator LF65 descends from the loading position IP to the immersion position, it can prevent the substrate W waiting to be transported from drying during the period when the substrate W is transported one by one in the relay device 6.

[0163] Figure 5AThis illustrates the situation where multiple substrates W are transferred from the elevator LF65 to the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR in order to transport them to the underwater posture conversion unit 55. At this time, the elevator LF65 supports the multiple substrates W at the loading position IP, and the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR moves a pair of clamps 30 to a position that can hold the batch, closing the clamps 30. At this time, as described above, the clamps 30 can only hold half of the multiple substrates W arranged at half-pitch in the batch. As a result, the batch becomes a state where substrates W held in the clamps 30 alternate with substrates W not held in the clamps 30.

[0164] Figure 5B This shows the condition of the elevator LF65 after it descends from the loading position IP to the immersion position. If the elevator LF65 is moved from... Figure 5A If the state of the substrate decreases, then half of the substrates W constituting the batch, arranged in full-pitch configuration, remain in the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR, while the remaining half of the substrates W return to the batch waiting slot 65 in a full-pitch configuration in the elevator LF65. The device faces of the substrates W remaining in the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR face right, while the device faces of the substrates W held in the immersion position by the elevator LF65 face left.

[0165] Figure 6A This illustrates the state when the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR transports multiple substrates W to the top of the impregnation tank 73. At this time, a pair of reverse chucks 71 are located above the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR, with a rotation angle of 0° as in the initial state. In the initial state, the reverse chucks 71 extend horizontally and can receive multiple substrates W in a vertical position.

[0166] Figure 6B This indicates the state after which the reverse chuck 71 descends into the fully spaced substrate transport mechanism STR. The movement of the reverse chuck 71 is achieved by the reverse chuck support mechanism 72. Figure 6B This illustrates the transfer of 25 substrates W from the chuck 30 of the full-pitch substrate transfer mechanism STR to the reversing chuck 71. Specifically, the pair of reversing chucks 71 remain open as they descend into the full-pitch substrate transfer mechanism STR, and then close. Because the pair of open reversing chucks 71 are only separated by a distance allowing the substrates W to pass through, they can approach the chuck 30 without contacting the substrates W. Then, the reversing chucks 71 close due to the action of the reversing chuck support mechanism 72, holding the 25 substrates W. At this time, the 25 substrates W are held by either the chuck 30 or the reversing chuck 71. Afterward, the chuck 30 opens and retracts in the Y direction (left direction). Thus, the transfer of substrates W from the chuck 30 to the reversing chuck 71 is performed. Figure 6CThis indicates the state of transferring 25 substrates W to the reversing chuck 71. The reversing chuck 71 is as follows... Figure 6C As indicated by the arrow, it descends below the liquid surface of the immersion tank 73, immersing 25 substrates W in the pure water held in the immersion tank 73.

[0167] Figure 7A This shows the state where the reverse chuck 71 rotates 90° while the 25 substrates W are immersed in pure water. The operation of the reverse chuck 71 is achieved by the reverse chuck support mechanism 72. Figure 7B This indicates the state after the 90° rotation of the reversing chuck 71 is complete. Thus, the device surfaces of the 25 substrates W immersed in the impregnation tank 73, facing the Y direction (left direction), are rotated 90° to face upwards. If the substrates W are tilted in this manner, their orientation can be set to a horizontal position with the device surfaces facing upwards. The horizontally positioned substrates W are then transported with their device surfaces facing upwards.

[0168] Figure 7C This illustrates the state when the reversing chuck 71 moves one of the 25 substrates W to the liquid surface of the impregnation tank 73. The operation of the reversing chuck 71 is achieved by the reversing chuck support mechanism 72. According to... Figure 7C Only one substrate W is positioned above the liquid surface, while the remaining 24 substrates W are submerged in the immersion tank 73. This configuration prevents the 24 substrates W from drying out while awaiting transfer. The substrate W positioned above the liquid surface is transported to the exit position OP by the relay transfer mechanism OTR while maintaining a horizontal orientation. Subsequently, the reverse chuck support mechanism 72 raises a pair of reverse chucks 71 to the height of their full spacing whenever the relay transfer mechanism OTR transports a substrate W. After repeating this operation, all 25 substrates W are transported to the exit position OP by the relay transfer mechanism OTR.

[0169] right Figures 5A to 7C The opening and closing actions of the reverse clamp 71 in various states will be explained. As described above, Figures 5A to 6A In this state, the pair of reversing clamps 71 are in an open state, rather than a state capable of holding the substrate W. Because the open reversing clamps 71 can pass through the substrate W, they can move to a position where they do not collide with the substrate W. Figure 6B The location shown. Figure 6B In this process, a pair of reversing clamps 71 switch from an open state to a closed state. At this time, the V-grooves of each of the pair of reversing clamps 71 allow each end of one of the 25 fully spaced substrates W to enter and abut. Because the V-grooves are arranged at full spacing, the 25 fully spaced substrates W are easily accommodated within each V-groove. The substrates W are accommodated within each V-groove in the following manner: Figure 12A Detailed explanation follows. Figures 6C to 7BThe pair of reversing clamps 71 are in a closed state, holding the substrate W in place. In this state, even if the reversing clamps 71 are rotated, the held substrate W will not fall off.

[0170] In order to achieve Figure 7C In this state, it is necessary to find a way to allow the relay conveying mechanism OTR to transport the substrate W without causing the substrate W waiting in the impregnation tank 73 to fall off. Therefore, according to this embodiment, in Figure 7C In this state, the pair of reversing clamps 71 are set to a half-open state. This achieves a state where the substrate W can be removed while still being supported. Regarding the half-open state, in... Figure 12C , Figure 12D Detailed explanation follows.

[0171] Figure 8A This indicates that the elevator LF65 holds multiple substrates W in the loading position IP, which is set above the batch standby slot 65. The transport of substrates up to the loading position IP is performed by the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. Of the 25 substrates W placed on the elevator LF65, the substrates W with their device faces to the right are arranged at full spacing. These substrates W are... Figure 5B The substrate W remains in the batch standby slot 65. Figure 8A Next, the procedures for transporting these 25 substrates will be described. Additionally, Figure 8A In, it indicates Figure 7C The substrate transport in the described horizontal orientation is completed, and the pair of reverse chucks 71 return to their original positions. Figure 5A The initial state is shown. The pair of reverse clamps 71, in their initial state, can guide the substrate W, which is in a vertical orientation extending in the Y direction, above the impregnation tank 73.

[0172] Figure 8B It corresponds to the above Figure 5B The figure shows the transfer of 25 substrates W to the chuck 30 of the full-spacing substrate transport mechanism STR. Figure 9A It corresponds to the above Figure 6A The figure shows the situation when the full-spacing substrate transport mechanism STR moves 25 substrates W to the position clamped by the impregnation tank 73 and a pair of reverse clamping plates 71. Figure 9B It corresponds to the above Figure 6B The figure shows the situation when 25 substrates W are transferred from the full-spacing substrate transfer mechanism STR to a pair of reverse chucks 71. Figure 9C It corresponds to the above Figure 6C The figure shows the condition when 25 substrates W supported on a pair of inverted clamps 71 are located above the impregnation tank 73.

[0173] Figure 10AThis shows the state where the reverse chuck 71 rotates -90° while 25 substrates W are immersed in pure water. The operation of the reverse chuck 71 is achieved by the reverse chuck support mechanism 72. Figure 10B This indicates the completion of the -90° rotation of the reversing chuck 71. Thus, the 25 substrates W immersed in the impregnation tank 73, facing the Y direction (right direction), are rotated 90° with their device faces upwards. If the substrates W are tilted in this manner, their orientation can be set to horizontal with their device faces upwards. The horizontally positioned substrates W are then transported with their device faces upwards.

[0174] Figure 10C It corresponds to the above Figure 7C The diagram shows a configuration where a pair of reversing chucks 71 are in a half-open state, with only the uppermost substrate W exposed above the liquid surface of the immersion tank 73. Subsequently, the reversing chuck support mechanism 72 raises the pair of reversing chucks 71 by a height equivalent to the full spacing whenever the relay transport mechanism OTR transports substrate W. After repeating this operation, all 25 substrates W are transported by the relay transport mechanism OTR to the removal position OP.

[0175] Next, it was explained that the relay transfer mechanism OTR was from... Figure 7C , Figure 10C The state of the reverse chuck 71 is the state of the substrate W being transported in a horizontal orientation. Figure 11A This illustrates the state of the relay conveyor OTR when it moves to the vicinity of the impregnation tank 73 to transport the substrate W. The hand 103 of the relay conveyor OTR is shown... Figure 11A As shown, the device includes a sliding mechanism 102 that allows the hand 103 to move forward and backward, and a support mechanism 101 that supports the sliding mechanism 102. The sliding mechanism 102 supports the base of the hand 103, allowing it to move forward and backward as shown. Figure 11B In that way, moving hand 103 forward will also be like Figure 11D In this way, the hand 103 is moved backward. The support mechanism 101 enables the sliding mechanism 102 and the hand 103 to reciprocate in the Y direction. In addition, by rotating the hand 103 by 180°, the support mechanism 101 can make the hand 103 face either towards the immersion tank 73 side or towards the removal position OP side.

[0176] Figure 11B This illustrates the relationship between the hand 103, inserted into the liquid surface via the sliding mechanism 102, and the substrate W below the liquid surface. The hand 103 becomes... Figure 11B The system is in a state where it is ready to acquire a substrate W in a horizontal orientation. At this time, the sliding mechanism 102 can move from the initial position to the forward position.

[0177] Figure 11CThe pair of reversing chucks 71 are lowered to maintain their positional relationship, so that the substrate W on the liquid surface is in contact with the upper surface of the hand 103. In this way, if the hand 103 obtains the substrate W by lowering the reversing chucks 71, the configuration of moving the hand 103 up and down can be omitted, and a relay transfer mechanism OTR can be constructed. Therefore, a substrate handling system with a simple device configuration and fewer failures can be provided.

[0178] Figure 11D This indicates the state when the hand 103, having acquired the substrate W, retracts via the sliding mechanism 102 to the support mechanism 101 of the relay conveying mechanism OTR. Since the pair of reversing chucks 71 are in a half-open state, the hand 103 is allowed to pull out the substrate W, while the support remains in the liquid. At this time, the sliding mechanism 102 moves from the forward position to the initial position.

[0179] The half-open state of a pair of reversing clamps 71 is explained. Figure 12A like Figure 7B , Figure 10B The diagram shown is a cross-sectional view illustrating the state of the 25 substrates W after being rotated 90° or -90°. At this time, the pair of reversing clamps 71 are in a closed state, and the two ends of the substrates W reach the deepest part of the V-groove 71a. If the substrates W are fixed by pressing down on the two ends of the substrates W by the pair of reversing clamps 71, then the 25 substrates W will not slip off the pair of reversing clamps 71.

[0180] Figure 12B It corresponds to the above Figure 11B A cross-sectional view. The pair of reversing clamps 71 are closed, and the hand 103 is inserted between the substrates W. Additionally, Figure 12B and afterwards Figure 12C , Figure 12D The liquid level of the immersion tank 73 is omitted in the text.

[0181] Figure 12C This illustrates the state when the pair of reversing clamps 71, which are in a closed state, are slightly separated, forming a half-open state. When the pair of reversing clamps 71 are in the half-open state, the two ends of the substrate W move from the deepest part of the V-groove and abut against the wall forming the V-groove. This state is such that the substrate W will not slip off the reversing clamps 71 without rotating them, and the substrate W itself is not fixed to the reversing clamps 71. Therefore, if the pair of reversing clamps 71 are set to the half-open state, the substrate W can be held in place in the liquid, and one substrate can be transferred to the hand 103 on the liquid surface. However, due to... Figure 12C In this state, the hand 103 has not yet come into contact with the substrate W, so in order to hand the substrate W to the hand 103, the substrate W needs to be lowered relative to the hand 103.

[0182] Figure 12D It corresponds to the above Figure 11C A sectional view. Figure 12D It is a pair of reverse clamping discs 71 from Figure 12C The state of the substrate slightly decreases, causing the substrate W to come into contact with the hand 103. Figure 12D In this state, the substrate W is placed on the hand 103, located away from the wall of the V-groove 71a of the reversing chuck 71. That is, Figure 12D In this state, the substrate W does not contact the reversing chuck 71. Therefore, if the sliding mechanism 102 is activated in this state, causing the hand 103 to move, the substrate W will be pulled out without contacting the reversing chuck 71.

[0183] Figure 13A This illustrates the state of the substrate W in a horizontal orientation obtained from a pair of reversing clamps 71. The substrate processing system of this embodiment has a configuration related to the water retention of the substrate W midway through the substrate transport path of the relay device 6. A shower head 69 supplies a spray of pure water to the substrate W. Regarding the shower head 69, since it also... Figure 1 The image is shown in the diagram, so referring to it will allow for understanding. The tray 105 is a square, disc-shaped component inserted into the gap between the hand 103 and the support mechanism 101, holding pure water supplied from the shower head 69 and dripping from the substrate W. Since the tray 105 obstructs the movement of the sliding mechanism 102, the sliding mechanism 102... Figure 11B , Figure 11C When that action is performed, the tray 105 retracts from the sliding mechanism 102 in the X direction. The tray moving mechanism 108 is a component that enables the action of the tray 105.

[0184] Figure 13B This illustrates the state when the relay conveyor OTR is conveying the substrate W in the Y direction and moves to the vicinity of the removal position OP. At this time, the hand 103 is facing the impregnation tank 73 and the reversing chuck 71 while holding the substrate W in place.

[0185] Figure 13C This shows the state when the support mechanism 101 of the subsequent relay conveying mechanism OTR rotates 180° around the rotating axis 104 extending in the Z direction. Through the movement of this support mechanism 101, the hand 103 facing the impregnation tank 73 moves towards the removal position OP.

[0186] Figure 14A This illustrates the state when the sliding mechanism 102 slides, moving the hand 103 holding the substrate W to the removal position OP. At this time, the substrate W is located at the predetermined removal position OP within the substrate processing system. Furthermore, the sliding mechanism 102 can move from the initial position to the forward position.

[0187] The rotary adjustment mechanism SRM is located directly below the take-out position OP. The rotary adjustment mechanism SRM has multiple (e.g., three) support pins 111 extending in the Z direction. The support pins 111 can move freely in and out of the Z direction. Each support pin 111 extends and retracts synchronously with its front end at the same height. The base plate 110 is configured to support the base ends of the support pins 111. Figure 14A In the middle, the front end of the support pin 111 is located at the lower part of the pull-out position OP.

[0188] Figure 14B This shows the situation when the support pin 111 extends, causing the substrate W, supported by the hand 103, to move above the removal position OP. In this way, the substrate W is replaced from the hand 103 to the support pin 111.

[0189] Figure 14C This shows the state after the sliding mechanism 102 returns to its initial position from its forward position, and the hand 103 retracts from the move-out position OP. The substrate W is supported above the move-out position OP by the support pin 111.

[0190] Thus, each of the substrates W constituting the batch that is moved into the loading position IP in the relay device 6 is set to a horizontal position and transported one by one to the loading position OP. The substrates W transported to the loading position OP are moved above the loading position OP by the support pin 111 of the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM, and then the position is adjusted by the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM.

[0191] <6.6. Relay Device: Regarding the Orientation of the Notch>

[0192] The change in the orientation of the notch provided on substrate W in the current substrate transport process will be explained. Additionally, regarding the storage in... Figure 1 Taking the notch of substrate W of carrier C as an example, all of them face to the left, as will be explained below. Figure 15 The diagram illustrates the change in the orientation of the notch. The notch processing apparatus 1 of the embodiment is configured as follows: each group of substrates housed in two carriers C is combined to form a batch, after batch processing, the batch groups in the batch are released, the substrate W is set to a horizontal position, and then the substrates W are transferred one by one to the single-wafer processing apparatus 2. Figure 15 In this configuration, 25 first substrates W1 are housed in the first carrier C1 with full spacing, and 25 second substrates W2 are housed in the second carrier C2 with full spacing. These first substrates W1 and second substrates W2 constitute the substrate group that forms the batch when the batch is formed.

[0193] The notches N1 of the first substrate W1 housed in the first carrier C1 all face left. Even when the first substrate W1 is held by the first substrate transport mechanism HTR, the orientation of the notches N1 does not change. Since the first substrate transport mechanism HTR needs to transfer the first substrate W1 to the HVC posture conversion unit 23, the first substrate W1 is rotated 90° counterclockwise. Thus, the notches N1 facing left are now facing the rear of the substrate processing system.

[0194] After the first substrate transfer mechanism HTR, the first substrate W1 is uniformly transferred to the HVC posture conversion unit 23. The HVC posture conversion unit 23 rotates the transferred substrate by 90°, but since the notch N1 is located on the rotation center axis of the first substrate W1 at this time, the orientation of the notch N1 does not change. Therefore, the orientation of the notch N1 will not change according to the operation of the HVC posture conversion unit 23.

[0195] The first substrate W1, set to a vertical orientation by the HVC orientation conversion unit 23, is transferred to the push rod 25A. After push rod 25A... Figure 3 As illustrated in (d), the first substrate W1 is rotated 180° around the Z-axis. Since the notch N1 is no longer located on the rotation center axis, the orientation of the notch N1 changes. Specifically, the notch N1 that was facing the rear faces the front.

[0196] On the other hand, the notch N2 of the second substrate W2 housed in the second carrier C2, like the notch N1, is all oriented to the left. The orientation of the notch N2 is changed to rearward by the first substrate conveying mechanism HTR and then transferred to the HVC posture conversion unit 23.

[0197] The second substrate W2, which is transformed into a vertical orientation by the HVC orientation conversion section 23, is as follows: Figure 3 As shown in (e), the push rod 25A is mounted on a rod that has been rotated 180°. At this time, the orientation of the notch N2 remains unchanged.

[0198] Thus, the notch N1 of the first substrate W1 constituting the batch faces forward, while the notch N2 of the second substrate W2 constituting the batch faces backward. Considering the alternating arrangement of the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 in the batch, in each substrate W constituting the batch, substrates with notches facing backward and substrates with notches facing forward are arranged alternately. The substrates W constituting the batch are arranged face-to-face.

[0199] Figure 16This process continues until the batches processed in batch processing block 7 are converted to a horizontal position by a pair of reversing chucks 71. First, the batches are divided into an arrangement of first substrate W1 and an arrangement of second substrate W2. At this time, the orientation of notches N1 and N2 remains unchanged. Next, the orientation of first substrate W1 is changed to a horizontal position. At this time, first substrate W1 rotates 90°, but because the orientation of notch N1 is aligned with the rotation axis, the orientation of notch N1 remains unchanged. Similarly, the orientation of second substrate W2 is changed to a horizontal position. At this time, second substrate W2 rotates -90°, but because the orientation of notch N2 is parallel to the rotation axis, the orientation of notch N2 remains unchanged. As a result, the apparent inconsistency in orientation between notches N1 and N2 is not eliminated during the operation of the reversing chucks 71. If the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 are directly transferred to the monolithic processing apparatus 2, then monolithic processing ends while maintaining the inconsistent orientation of the notches, and the first substrate W1 is returned to the carrier C placed in the second loading section 10. Similarly, the second substrate W2 is returned to another carrier C placed in the second loading section 10. In each carrier C, the notches of the substrates W housed therein are oriented in the same direction, but if the carriers C are compared with each other, the orientations of the notches differ by 180°.

[0200] To eliminate this inconsistency, the substrate processing system of this embodiment includes a rotation adjustment mechanism SRM in the relay device 6. The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM has the function of rotating the second substrate W2 by 180° without rotating the first substrate W1, so that the orientations of the notches N1 and N2 are completely consistent.

[0201] <6.7. Relay Device: Composition of Rotary Adjustment Mechanism>

[0202] Next, the configuration of the rotation adjustment mechanism will be explained. When the orientation of the notch of the first substrate W1, which is converted to a horizontal position by the underwater posture conversion unit 55, is different from the orientation of the notch of the second substrate W2, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM rotates the second substrate W2 at an angle different from the rotation angle of the first substrate W1, so that the orientation of the notch of the first substrate W1 is consistent with the orientation of the notch of the second substrate W2. Figure 17This is a view of the single-wafer processing apparatus 2 as seen from the batch processing apparatus 1. As shown in the figure, the single-wafer processing chambers are stacked in the Z direction to form a laminate. For example, a single-wafer processing chamber 49c is disposed above a single-wafer processing chamber 48c, and a single-wafer processing chamber 47c is disposed below a single-wafer processing chamber 48c. Similarly, another single-wafer processing chamber is disposed above a single-wafer processing chamber 48a, and other single-wafer processing chambers are disposed below a single-wafer processing chamber 48a. Another single-wafer processing chamber is also disposed above a single-wafer processing chamber 48b, and other single-wafer processing chambers are also disposed below a single-wafer processing chamber 48a. Furthermore, the single-wafer processing chambers are configured to process horizontally oriented substrates W one by one; details are described below.

[0203] Figure 17 This also explains the position where the relay device 6 is positioned between the single-chip processing chambers from above and below. That is, the single-chip processing chamber 49d is located on the upper side of the relay device 6, and the single-chip processing chamber 47d is located on the lower side of the relay device 6.

[0204] Thus, the single-chip processing chamber of this embodiment has: a first stacked body, which is formed by arranging three single-chip processing chambers belonging to single-chip processing chamber 48a in the Z direction; a second stacked body, which is formed by arranging three single-chip processing chambers belonging to single-chip processing chamber 48b in the Z direction; and a third stacked body, which is formed by arranging three single-chip processing chambers belonging to single-chip processing chamber 48c in the Z direction. Furthermore, the single-chip processing apparatus 2 of this embodiment has two single-chip processing chambers in which the relay device 6 is positioned sandwiched from the Z direction. Therefore, the single-chip processing apparatus 2 has nine single-chip processing chambers constituting the stacked body, plus two single-chip processing chambers disposed above and below the relay device 6, for a total of eleven single-chip processing chambers.

[0205] Shielding panel 16 Figure 17 As shown, this is a portion of the second wall 2B of the monolithic processing device 2, located in a position surrounded by the relay device 6, the monolithic processing chambers 47d and 49d located above and below the relay device 6, and the transfer block 4. The shielding plate 16 is arranged to cover a rectangular opening in the relay device 6 that cannot be closed because it is shorter than the monolithic processing chambers 47d and 49d in the X direction. If the shielding plate 16 is positioned on the side of the transfer block 4, the relay device 6 can be located on the side of the central robot CR1, thus preventing the central robot CR1 from moving in the X direction, and allowing the substrate W received from the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM at the transfer position OP to be transferred to the monolithic processing chamber.

[0206] Furthermore, the holding hand of the central robot CR1, which holds the substrate W in a horizontal position, can move in the Z direction while maintaining the posture of the substrate W. By configuring the central robot CR1 in this way, the substrate W received from the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM can be transferred to the monolithic processing chambers located above and below the relay device 6. The relay device 6 is positioned in the middle layer of the stacked structure within the monolithic processing chamber, and the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is located in the middle of the monolithic processing block 8 in the Z direction. With this configuration, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is located nearby to both the upper and lower monolithic processing chambers, so during substrate transport, the central robot CR1 does not need to move a long distance in the Z direction, and the substrate W can be quickly transferred from the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM to the monolithic processing chamber.

[0207] The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM includes multiple support pins 111 that allow the substrate W to move up and down between an upper first position P1 and a lower second position P2. The multiple support pins 111 move synchronously, causing the substrate W to move between the first position P1 and the second position P2, i.e., the intermediate position P3. The multiple support pins 111 raise the substrate W held by the relay transport mechanism OTR to the first position P1, receiving the substrate W from the relay transport mechanism OTR, and lower the received substrate W to the second position P2, thus placing it on the rotary table 113. The first position P1, the second position P2, and the intermediate position P3 correspond to the removal positions of this invention. The following is a detailed description of this configuration.

[0208] like Figure 18A As shown, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM has a rotary stage 113 capable of holding a substrate W in a horizontal orientation. The rotary stage 113 has a circular plate-shaped central portion 113a and three radially extending portions 113b from the central portion 113a. The rotary stage 113 can rotate about the central portion 113a, and the rotary stage 113 rotates about the Z-axis. The three extensions 113b rotate with the rotation of the central portion 113a.

[0209] This will be explained because the center portion 113a of the rotary table 113 is positioned away from the support pins 111. The support pins 111 are located at the periphery of the center portion 113a of the rotary table 113. The three support pins 111 are positioned at points v of an equilateral triangle whose center of gravity is the same as the rotation center of the rotary table 113, so that the center portion 113a of the rotary table 113 will not interfere with the support pins 111 even when it rotates.

[0210] The extension 113b of the rotary table 113 is configured to securely hold the horizontally positioned substrate W. Multiple extensions are positioned to avoid extending from the rotation center of the rotary table 113 in its initial position. The front end of the extension 113b is configured to protrude from the substrate W when the horizontally positioned substrate W is placed on the rotary table 113, and is configured to securely support three portions of the substrate W's periphery. The extension 113b is sufficiently elongated to minimize interference with the support pin 111. When the rotary table 113 is rotated, the position of the extension 113b aligns with the position of the support pin 111. Since the support pin 111 is retracted in its initial state, the extension 113b will not immediately collide with the support pin 111 even when the rotary table 113 is rotated. However, if the support pin 111 is extended while the extension 113b is stopped at a position overlapping with the support pin 111, then the support pin 111 will collide with the extension 113b. Therefore, there is an angle range within which the rotary table 113 cannot stop. Since the extension 113b in this embodiment is sufficiently elongated, the angle range is kept as small as possible.

[0211] Furthermore, the support pins 111 are positioned so as not to interfere with the relay conveying mechanism OTR that enters the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM. That is, in the initial state, the three support pins 111 are located in the space between a pair of hands 103 located at the delivery position OP. Therefore, when the support pins 111 receive the substrate W on the delivery position OP, the support pins 111 will not collide with the hands 103. The support pins 111 in the initial state are located below the second position P2 set at the lower part of the delivery position OP. Regarding the second position P2, in... Figure 24A The details are as follows.

[0212] The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM has a rotary table 113 that can adjust the position of the notch in the substrate W by rotating the horizontally oriented substrate one by one in the take-out position OP. Figure 18B This shows a more detailed depiction of the rotary adjustment mechanism (SRM). The rotary adjustment mechanism (SRM) is as follows: Figure 18B As shown, it includes: a rotary stage 113 on which a substrate W is placed, a rotary shaft 114 extending in the Z direction that supports the rotary stage 113 rotatably, and a rotary shaft drive motor 114m that drives the rotary shaft 114. Figure 18B In the diagram, the extension 113b of the rotary table 113 is omitted. The rotary drive motor 114m is attached to the base plate 110 of the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM.

[0213] At the base of each support pin 111, a support pin telescopic mechanism 112 is provided to extend and retract the support pin 111. The support pin telescopic mechanism 112 is attached to the base plate 110. By synchronously operating the three support pin telescopic mechanisms 112, each support pin 111 moves while maintaining the front ends of the support pins 111 at the same height. Therefore, the three support pins 111 can extend and retract while supporting the horizontally positioned substrate W. Figure 18B In the middle, each of the support pins 111 is in a retracted state, and the front end of each support pin 111 is located below the rotary table 113. The support pins 111 are synchronously extended by the support pin telescopic mechanism 112, and each support pin 111 becomes as follows: Figure 20B In the extended state shown, the front end of each of the support pins 111 is located above the rotary table 113. Figure 18B The description of one of the three support pins 111 is omitted. The support pin 111 and the support pin telescopic mechanism 112 are equivalent to the substrate lifting mechanism of the present invention.

[0214] The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM includes a substrate shifting mechanism that shifts the substrate W such that the center of the substrate W located at the first position P1 coincides with the rotation center of the rotary table 113. The substrate shifting mechanism has positioning clamps 115 with an L-shaped cross-section, and a moving mechanism 115a that reciprocates the pair of positioning clamps 115 radially within the substrate W. The positioning clamps 115 are located on the right and left sides of the substrate W, forming a pair of positioning clamps 115 that hold both ends of the substrate W. Initially, the pair of positioning clamps 115 are in an open state, with the clamps 115 positioned apart from each other. The pair of positioning clamps 115 move closer together, as... Figure 22B As shown, it changes to a closed state, clamping the substrate W from both sides. Additionally, a pair of positioning clamps 115 can also be used... Figure 22A The image shows the semi-open state; details of this state are described below. The positioning chuck support 116 is a component that supports the positioning chuck 115 and has a sliding surface that allows the positioning chuck 115 to slide. The positioning chuck 115 is located below the front end of the support pin 111, which is in its extended state. The positioning chuck support 116 is attached to the base plate 110.

[0215] A water supply nozzle 117 is provided for supplying pure water to the device surface of the substrate W. The water supply nozzle 117 is located above the center of the substrate and is configured to spray pure water onto the substrate W. The water supply nozzle 117 is connected to an L-shaped water supply pipe 118a. The water supply pipe 118a is flexible in the Z direction. The operation of the water supply pipe 118a is achieved by a water supply pipe drive mechanism 118b. The water supply pipe drive mechanism 118b is attached to the base plate 110. The water supply nozzle 117, the water supply pipe 118a, and the water supply pipe drive mechanism 118b constitute the pure water supply mechanism of the present invention. The pure water supply mechanism is configured to supply pure water to the substrate W received by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM. According to this configuration, the substrate W will not dry out during the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM.

[0216] Protective element 119 is provided to prevent pure water sprayed from water supply nozzle 117 from reaching each drive mechanism. Protective element 119 has a circular base plate and a cylindrical body portion connected to the end of the base plate. Support pin 111 is inserted through a through hole provided in the base plate of protective element 119, and a waterproof component (not shown) is provided in the through hole in such a way that pure water does not leak from the gap between support pin 111 and the base plate of protective element 119.

[0217] <6.8. Relay device: Operation of the rotary adjustment mechanism>

[0218] The operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is described below. The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM performs the following operations: it receives the substrate W in a horizontal position from the substrate W removal position OP of the relay conveyor OTR, rotates the substrate W by a predetermined angle, and then transfers the substrate W to the central robot CR1 of the single-chip processing device 2. Figure 19 This is a flowchart detailing the operation of the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM. The following is a reference... Figure 19 The operation of the SRM rotary adjustment mechanism will be explained.

[0219] Step S11: First, the relay conveyor OTR moves the horizontally positioned substrate W to the take-out position OP (intermediate position P3). At this time, the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM is in its initial state. In the initial state of the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM, the support pin 111 is in a retracted state, the pair of positioning clamps 115 are in an open state, and the water supply pipe 118a is in an extended state. The take-out position OP is set at the upper part of the rotary table 113 and the lower part of the positioning clamps 115. Therefore, the substrate W located at the take-out position OP is located higher than the front end of the support pin 111 in the retracted state and lower than the front end of the support pin 111 in the extended state. Of course, in the initial state of the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM, since the support pin 111 and the water supply nozzle 117 are not located at the take-out position OP, the relay conveyor OTR can position the substrate W at the take-out position OP without colliding with these components. Figure 20AThis indicates the status of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM in this step. For example... Figure 20A As shown, the removal position OP is sandwiched between the rotary table 113 and the water supply nozzle 117. Figure 20A The symbol 103 indicates that the relay transfer mechanism (OTR) has a hand. Additionally, Figure 20A In the middle, the following was omitted. Figure 18B The protective element 119 is described below. Hereinafter, the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM will be explained with appropriate omissions of the protective element 119.

[0220] according to Figures 20A to 28 ,illustrate Figure 16 The notch N2 is rotated 180° as described. Figure 20A In the diagram, notch N2 is located to the right of substrate W. The position of notch N2 is appropriately indicated in the following figures.

[0221] Step S12: Figure 20B This illustrates the state when the substrate W is moved to the first position P1 by extending the support pin 111. When the support pin 111 extends, its front end abuts against the substrate W, and then the substrate W is moved upwards. In this way, the substrate W is transferred from the hand 103 of the relay transfer mechanism OTR to the support pin 111 of the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM. Afterwards, the support pin 111 is in the extended state, and the substrate W is positioned above the pair of positioning clamps 115. At this time, the pair of positioning clamps 115 are in the open state, separated to a degree that allows the substrate W to pass through.

[0222] Step S13: Figure 21A This shows the state of the hand 103 of the subsequent relay conveying mechanism OTR when it retracts from the take-out position OP. If the hand 103 retracts in the Y direction, the substrate W can be placed on the rotary table 113 by the extension and retraction of the support pin 111. The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM of the embodiment can align the substrate W in the XY direction before placing it on the rotary table 113. The following steps S14 to S18 are the alignment-related process of the substrate W.

[0223] Step S14: Figure 21B This illustrates the state when a pair of positioning clamps 115 are in a half-open state, ready to receive the substrate W. When the pair of positioning clamps 115 are in a half-open state, the substrate W cannot pass between the positioning clamps 115. Therefore, when the substrate W located above the positioning clamps 115 (first position P1) is moved downwards, the substrate W comes into contact with the upper surface of the positioning clamps 115. Since the positioning clamps 115 are in a half-open state, rather than a closed state, the substrate W is no longer held by the positioning clamps 115, but is simply placed on the positioning clamps 115.

[0224] Step S15: Figure 22AThis shows the state when the support pin 111 is in the retracted state. When the support pin 111 is in the retracted state, the substrate W supported by the support pin 111 is transferred to the positioning chuck 115. Since there is a gap between the positioning chuck 115 and the periphery of the substrate W on the side, the substrate W at this point is not held by the positioning chuck 115.

[0225] Step S16: Figure 22B This illustrates the state when the positioning clamps 115 are closed. When the pair of positioning clamps 115 are closed, both ends of the substrate W abut against each side of the positioning clamps 115. Thus, the substrate W is held by the pair of positioning clamps 115. At this time, the right end of the substrate W is pushed to the left by the right positioning clamp 115, and the left end of the substrate W is pushed to the right by the left positioning clamp 115. Assuming the substrate W is closer to the right positioning clamp 115, the gap between the substrate W and the positioning clamp 115 is different on the left and right sides, and the substrate W is still pushed and housed in a predetermined position by the pair of positioning clamps 115. This is also true when the substrate W is closer to the left positioning clamp 115. In other words, the positioning clamps 115 change from a half-open state to a closed state, thereby centering the substrate W. Since the contact portion of the positioning clamps 115 that abuts against the substrate W is arc-shaped, the pair of positioning clamps 115 can center the substrate W not only in the X direction but also in the Y direction.

[0226] Step S17: Figure 23A This illustrates the state when the support pin 111 is extended. When the support pin 111 is extended, the substrate W is pushed to position P1, whereby it disengages from the positioning clamp 115. Thus, the support pin 111 can remove the centered substrate W from the pair of positioning clamps 115. Since the positioning clamps 115 in their closed state hold the substrate W with a weak force, the substrate W easily separates from the positioning clamps 115 when the support pin 111 pushes it upwards. Furthermore, since the positioning clamps 115 are L-shaped, they do not have any components that would obstruct the rise of the substrate W, which is in contact with the side of the positioning clamps 115. Therefore, the substrate W can be easily disengaged from the positioning clamps 115 by the support pin 111.

[0227] Step S18: Figure 23B This indicates that the pair of positioning clamps 115 are in the open state. The degree to which the open positioning clamps 115 are separated allows the substrate W to pass through. Thus, the substrate W is prepared to be moved from the positioning clamps 115 to the rotary table 113.

[0228] Step S19: Figure 24AThis indicates the state after the support pin 111 returns to its retracted state. When the support pin 111 is in the retracted state, its front end is located lower than the upper surface of the rotary table 113. At this time, the substrate W abuts against the rotary table 113 as the support pin 111 retracts, and is no longer supported by the support pin 111. Thus, the substrate W is transferred from the support pin 111 to the rotary table 113. Since the rotary table 113 is located at the second position P2, the substrate W transferred to the rotary table 113 is also located at the second position P2. The substrate W transferred to the rotary table 113 has been centered by the positioning chuck 115. Therefore, when the substrate W is placed on the rotary table 113, the rotation center of the rotary table 113 is aligned with the center of the substrate W.

[0229] Step S20: Figure 24B This shows the state when the rotary table 113 is rotated 180°, and the notch N2 located at the right end of the substrate W is moved to the left end of the substrate W. In this way, the position of the notch N2 of the second substrate W2 is changed by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM. Figure 25A , Figure 25B This is a top view illustrating step S20. Figure 25A This shows the condition of the rotary table 113 before rotation. Figure 25B This shows the state of the rotary table 113 after rotation. For example... Figure 25A As shown, the extension 113b of the rotary table 113 is positioned to avoid the support pin 111. This position is the initial position of the extension 113b, set as in steps S12, S13, S14, S17, and S18, so that the extension 113b does not collide with the support pin 111 when it is in its extended state. The rotary table 113... Figure 25A The state is rotated 180° around the Z-axis and becomes Figure 25B In this state, since the support pin 111 is in a retracted state, the front end of the support pin 111 does not collide with the extension 113b of the rotary table 113.

[0230] like Figure 25B As shown, the extension 113b of the rotated table 113 is positioned to avoid the support pin 111 after rotation. The position is the position of the extension 113b after rotation, and the position after rotation is set as follows: as in steps S22 and S23 described later, when the support pin 111 is in the extended state, the extension 113b does not collide with the support pin 111.

[0231] In addition, due to alternating repetition on one side Figure 25A state and Figure 25B The second substrate W2 is rotated while the second substrate W2 is in a certain state, so this point will be explained. Figure 25AIn the process, the rotary stage 113 receiving the substrate W is in its initial position, but after rotating the substrate W by 180°, the rotary stage 113 is in its post-rotation position. The rotated substrate W is soon transported by the central robot CR1 of the monolithic processing unit 2, and the rotary stage 113 remains on the substrate W. Since there are multiple second substrates W2 requiring rotation, subsequent second substrates W2 are placed on the rotary stage 113. At this time, the rotary stage 113 is located... Figure 25B The position after the rotation operation is described. In this case, the rotary table 113 rotates 180° and returns to the initial position. Then, the second substrate W2 placed on the rotary table 113 rotates 180°, adjusting the position of the notch N2. In this way, the rotary table 113 continuously performs the rotation process of multiple second substrates W while alternately repeating the initial position and the position after the rotation operation.

[0232] Step S21: Figure 26A The operation of supplying pure water to the substrate W after its rotation is described. To supply pure water to the substrate W, firstly, the water supply nozzle 117 is lowered and brought close to the substrate W. Then, pure water is radially emitted from the water supply nozzle 117. The reach of the pure water is large enough to supply pure water to the entire substrate W. The pure water supplied to the substrate W drips onto the substrate W and is received by the protective member 119 located at the bottom of the substrate W.

[0233] Step S22: Figure 26B This shows the state when the support pin 111 is extended and the substrate W rises to position P1. At this time, the water supply nozzle 117 returns to the initial position specified in the upper part of the positioning chuck 115 without colliding with the rising substrate W. Thus, by moving the substrate W away from the rotary table 113, it is ready to be picked up by the central robot CR1 of the monolithic processing device 2.

[0234] Step S23: Figure 27A This shows the state when the hand 32 of the central robot CR1 enters the space between the rotary table 113 and the substrate W (middle position P3). The hand 32 of the central robot CR1, like the hand 103 of the relay conveyor OTR, is configured to hold the end of the substrate W in a manner that prevents it from colliding with the support pin 111. Thus, the central robot CR1 is ready to acquire the substrate W.

[0235] Step S24: Figure 27BThis illustrates the situation when the support pin 111 is in the retracted state and the substrate W descends. When the support pin 111 is in the retracted state, its front end is located below the upper surface of the hand 32 of the central robot CR1, which is waiting in the middle position P3. At this time, the substrate W comes into contact with the hand 32 as the support pin 111 retracts, and is no longer supported by the support pin 111. Thus, the substrate W is transferred from the support pin 111 to the central robot CR1. The central robot CR1 picks up the substrate W and inserts it into the monolithic processing device 2, completing the transfer of the second substrate W2. Figure 28 This is a top view showing the positional relationship between the hand 32 of the central robot CR1 and the support pin 111, corresponding to... Figure 18A For reference Figure 18A , Figure 28 It can be seen that in the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM, there is an entrance for the hand 103 of the relay transport robot OTR to enter, and an exit for the hand 32 of the central robot CR1 to enter.

[0236] Next, by repeating steps S11 to S24, the second substrate W2, held by a pair of reversing chucks 71, is completely transferred to the monolithic processing apparatus 2. Additionally, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM used when transferring the first substrate W1 to the monolithic processing apparatus 2 is repeated. Figure 19 The description covers steps S11-S19 and steps S21-S24, excluding step S20. The difference between the transport method of the first substrate W1 and the transport method of the second substrate W2 lies in whether or not the following steps are performed. Figure 24B , Figure 25A , Figure 25B The rotation of the substrate W is described.

[0237] <7. Single-chip processing unit: transfer block>

[0238] Loading block 4 is adjacent to the second loading port 10. Loading block 4 is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, a second loading port 10 is provided for holding a carrier C that holds multiple substrates W horizontally with predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. Therefore, the second loading port 10 is a stage for the carrier C. The carrier C, which holds multiple substrates W that have undergone single-substrate processing, is placed at the second loading port 10. Since the single-substrate processing apparatus 2 of this embodiment receives single-substrate processed substrates W from the relay device 6 without passing through the second loading port 10, the second loading port 10 holds an empty carrier C that holds both batch-processed and single-substrate-processed substrates W. Therefore, the second loading port 10 is used as an outlet for the substrates W in the single-substrate processing apparatus 2.

[0239] The internal structure of the transfer block 4 will be described. The transfer block 4 is equipped with a transfer robot IR that transports horizontally oriented substrates W one by one between the carrier C and the bus 24 located on the side of the transfer block 4 in the monolithic processing block 8 described later.

[0240] The transfer robot IR houses the monolithically processed substrate W in the carrier C placed at the second loading port 10. The transfer robot IR has a hand consisting of a pair of holding bodies that hold the substrate W in a horizontal position at its front end, and an arm supporting the hand. The arm has multiple joints, with its front end connected to the hand and its base connected to a base provided on the arm in the transfer block 4. In this embodiment, the transfer robot IR receives the monolithically processed substrate W from the bus 24a and houses it in the second loading port 10 outside the transfer block 4.

[0241] <8. Single-chip processing unit: Single-chip processing block>

[0242] The monolithic processing block 8 is adjacent to the transfer block 4. That is, when viewed from the second loading port 10, the monolithic processing block 8 is located on the rear side of the transfer block 4. At the center of the monolithic processing block 8 in the Y direction, there is a bus 24a that can be accessed by the transfer robot IR, and a central robot CR1 that can place the monolithically processed substrate W on the bus 24a. The central robot CR1 receives the batch-processed horizontally oriented substrate W one by one from the transfer position OP of the relay device 6 and transfers it to the monolithic processing chamber. On the other hand, the bus 24b is located behind the central robot CR1 and can be accessed by the central robot CR1 and the central robot CR2. The central robot CR2 is located behind the bus 24b. The central robots CR1 and CR2 are both substrate transfer robots that transfer horizontally oriented substrates W one by one and can reciprocate in the Z direction. Therefore, the central robots CR1 and CR2 can access any of the monolithic processing chamber, the supercritical fluid chamber, and the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM that constitute the laminate.

[0243] The single-wafer processing block 8 has multiple single-wafer processing chambers for drying horizontally oriented substrates one by one. In this embodiment, the single-wafer processing chamber includes a supercritical fluid chamber for drying the substrate W using a supercritical fluid. Therefore, the substrate drying chamber mounted on the single-wafer processing device 2 is a supercritical fluid chamber. The supercritical fluid chamber uses, for example, carbon dioxide, which is a supercritical fluid, for drying the substrate W. Fluids other than carbon dioxide can also be used as supercritical fluids for drying. A supercritical state can be obtained by placing carbon dioxide at its inherent critical pressure and critical temperature. Specifically, the pressure is 7.38 MPa and the temperature is 31°C. In the supercritical state, the surface tension of the fluid becomes zero, so there is no influence of the gas-liquid interface on the circuit pattern on the surface of the substrate W. Therefore, if the substrate W is dried using a supercritical fluid, so-called pattern collapse, which causes the circuit pattern to collapse on the substrate W, can be prevented.

[0244] Figure 29The configuration of the single-wafer processing apparatus 2 in this embodiment will be described. The supercritical fluid chamber has an inlet for loading the substrate W before drying and an outlet for unloading the substrate W after drying. The inlet is located in front of or behind the supercritical fluid chamber and has a freely opening and closing gate S5. The outlet is located on the side wall of the supercritical fluid chamber and has a freely opening and closing gate S6. Gates S5 and S6 are closed during the supercritical fluid drying process. The inlet of the supercritical fluid chamber faces the first wet transfer robot AR1 and the second wet transfer robot AR2, and the outlet faces the single-wafer transfer area R3.

[0245] The first wet transfer robot AR1 is positioned within the area enclosed by the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM and the supercritical fluid chamber 48f located to the left of the single-piece transfer area R3. The other robot, the second wet transfer robot AR2, is positioned within the area enclosed by the single-piece processing chamber 48a located to the right of the single-piece transfer area R3 and the supercritical fluid chamber 48e.

[0246] Furthermore, the single-wafer processing block 8 is equipped with a single-wafer processing chamber for processing pharmaceutical solutions. This single-wafer processing chamber is not a supercritical fluid chamber, but rather a pharmaceutical solution processing chamber with a nozzle for supplying pharmaceutical solutions to the substrate W. Two pharmaceutical solution processing chambers are provided in the single-wafer processing block 8, one of which is a single-wafer processing chamber 48a. The other is a single-wafer processing chamber 49d located above the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM. Pharmaceutical solution processing chamber 49d is as follows... Figure 17 The description refers to the configuration located on the upper side of the relay device 6. The liquid used can be IPA (isopropyl alcohol). The liquid treatment chamber has explosion-proof properties capable of handling flammable IPA. Thus, the liquid treatment chamber can safely perform the required IPA treatment before the supercritical fluid drying process. However, the liquid used in the liquid treatment chamber of this embodiment is not limited to IPA.

[0247] The positions of the chemical treatment chambers can be changed relatively freely, but one of the two chemical treatment chambers is located to the right of the monolithic transport area R3, and the other is located to the left. With this configuration, it is unnecessary for the central robots CR1 and CR2 located in the monolithic transport area R3 to receive the substrate W after IPA treatment. In other words, since the substrate W, after chemical treatment in the chemical treatment chamber, is transported to the supercritical fluid chamber by either the first wet transport robot AR1 or the second wet transport robot AR2, the substrate W awaiting IPA treatment will not be retained, thus preventing a reduction in throughput.

[0248] The first wet transfer robot AR1 receives substrates W (pre-drying substrates W after chemical treatment) one by one from the monolithic processing chamber 49d, which are in a horizontal position, and transfers them from the inlet to any one of the supercritical fluid chambers located to the left of the monolithic transfer area R3. Therefore, the substrate transfer hand of the first wet transfer robot AR1 can pick up all the inlets of the monolithic processing chamber 49d and the nearby supercritical fluid chambers. After each chamber is stacked in the Z-direction, the hand can move in the height direction. Furthermore, some chambers are located in front of the first wet transfer robot AR1, and some are located behind it. Therefore, the hand can face forward or backward.

[0249] The second wet transfer robot AR2 has the same configuration as the first wet transfer robot AR1. The second wet transfer robot AR2 receives substrates W (pre-drying substrates W after chemical treatment) in a horizontal position from the monolithic processing chamber 48a, and transfers them from the inlet to any one of the supercritical fluid chambers located to the left of the monolithic transfer area R3. Therefore, the substrate transfer hand of the second wet transfer robot AR2 can handle all chambers forming the front laminate and all chambers forming the rear laminate.

[0250] Central robots CR1 and CR2 are capable of receiving the outlet of the supercritical fluid chamber. Central robot CR1 has a first hand 32a and a second hand 32b. The first hand 32a is located below the second hand 32b. Therefore, the first hand 32a and the second hand 32b are stacked in the Z direction. The first hand 32a removes the substrate W before drying from the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM and transfers it to the monolithic processing chamber 49d. The second hand 32b removes the dried substrate W from either the supercritical fluid chamber located to the left or right of the monolithic transport area R3 via the outlet.

[0251] The central robot CR2 has a hand that carries the dried substrate W. The central robot CR2 receives the dried substrate W from a nearby supercritical fluid chamber and carries it to bus 24b. The substrate W carried to bus 24b is then carried to bus 24a by the second hand 32b of the central robot CR1. The transfer robot IR then houses the substrate W from bus 24a in carrier C.

[0252] <9. Control Department>

[0253] The substrate processing system includes a first control unit 131 related to the control of the batch processing device 1, a second control unit 132 related to the control of the single-wafer processing device 2, and a third control unit 136 related to the control of the relay device 6. For details on each control unit, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 1 Furthermore, although in Figure 1Although not illustrated, the storage units corresponding to each control unit are provided in the substrate processing system. Control units 131, 132, and 136 are configured, for example, as CPUs (Central Processing Units). The specific configuration of each control unit is not limited; for example, each control unit may be configured with a single processor or individual processors. Furthermore, multiple processors may be used to control the batch processing device 1, as is the case in the monolithic processing device 2 and the relay device 6.

[0254] Controls related to the control unit 131 include, for example, controls related to the carrier transport mechanism 11, the first substrate transport mechanism HTR, the first posture conversion mechanism 15, the second substrate transport mechanism WTR, the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6, and the batch drying chamber DC. Controls related to the control unit 132 include, for example, controls related to the central robot CR1, the central robot CR2, each chamber, the first wet transport robot AR1, the second wet transport robot AR2, and the transfer robot IR. Furthermore, controls related to the third control unit 136 include, for example, controls related to the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR, the batch standby tank 65, the elevator LF65, the underwater posture conversion unit 55 (the second posture conversion mechanism), the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM, the relay transport mechanism OTR, and the pure water supply device.

[0255] The storage unit stores control-related programs or parameters. The storage unit can be a single device or individual devices corresponding to each control unit. Furthermore, in the substrate processing system of this embodiment, there are no particular limitations on the configuration of the devices implementing the storage unit.

[0256] <10. Substrate Processing Flow>

[0257] The following is for reference. Figure 30 The substrate processing flow of the embodiment will be described using a flowchart. The substrate processing of the embodiment is completed by first batch processing the substrate W, followed by single-wafer processing. The substrate W in this embodiment is configured as follows: it is transported sequentially through the first loading port 9, the stacker block 3, the transfer block 5, the batch processing block 7, the relay device 6, the single-wafer processing area R4, the transfer block 4, and the second loading port 10, and during this process, batch processing and single-wafer processing are completed (see reference). Figure 31 , Figure 32 ).

[0258] Step S31: The carrier C, which arranges the untreated substrates W in the height direction and stores them in a horizontal position, is placed in the first loading port 9 of the batch processing device 1. Then, the carrier C is moved into the stacker block 3 and placed in the carrier placement rack 13a. Alternatively, the carrier C may pass through a storage rack 13b before being placed in the carrier placement rack 13a. The movement of the carrier C at this time is performed by the carrier transfer mechanism 11. The first substrate transfer mechanism HTR uniformly removes multiple substrates W in a horizontal position from the carrier C placed in the carrier placement rack 13a and transfers them to the HVC posture conversion unit 23.

[0259] Step S32: The HVC posture conversion unit 23 converts the posture of the received multiple substrates W from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture and transfers them to the push rod mechanism 25. The HVC posture conversion unit 23 receives another set of substrates W from the first substrate transfer mechanism HTR, from a carrier C different from the carrier C that holds the posture-converted multiple substrates W, and converts the posture of the substrates W from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture. The posture-converted multiple substrates W are also transferred to the push rod mechanism 25. In this way, the substrates W arranged at full pitch are batched together, and in the push rod 25A, the substrates W of two carrier quantities are arranged at half pitch. The batch thus generated is transferred to the substrate transfer position PP in the transfer block 5 by the push rod mechanism 25.

[0260] Step S33: The second substrate transfer mechanism WTR receives the batch waiting at the substrate transfer position PP from the push rod mechanism 25 and transfers it to the elevator LF6 waiting above the batch chemical treatment tank CHB6 in the sixth batch processing unit BPU6. Alternatively, the batch may pass through the drying batch support 33 before being placed on the elevator LF6. The batch is transferred to the elevator LF6 for phosphoric acid treatment. Therefore, the batch only needs to be transferred to any one of the phosphoric acid treatment elevators LF2 to LF6. The following explanation focuses on transferring the batch to the elevator LF6.

[0261] Afterwards, elevator LF6 descends to the immersion position to perform batch phosphoric acid treatment. The batches that have completed phosphoric acid treatment return to the air above the batch chemical treatment tank CHB6 via elevator LF6 and are transferred to the second substrate transfer mechanism WTR. The second substrate transfer mechanism WTR then transfers the batches to elevator LF1, which is waiting above the batch cleaning treatment tank ONB in ​​the first batch processing unit BPU1. Elevator LF1 then descends to the immersion position to perform batch cleaning treatment. This completes a series of batch processing steps. The batches that have completed batch processing return to the air above via elevator LF1 and are transferred to the second substrate transfer mechanism WTR.

[0262] Step S34: The second substrate transport mechanism WTR transfers the batch that has been processed in batches to the elevator LF65, which is waiting at the transport entry position IP. Then, the elevator LF65 descends to the immersion position of the batch waiting tank 65, allowing the batch to wait in pure water. When transporting multiple substrates W from the batch waiting tank 65 to the immersion tank 73 of the underwater posture conversion unit 55, firstly, the elevator LF65 moves the batch from the immersion position to the transport entry position IP. The full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR receives the substrate column, now in a vertical orientation, from the elevator LF65 at the transport entry position IP and transports it in the Y direction (rightward). As described above, since the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR cannot transport all 50 substrates W constituting the batch at once, two transport operations are required to transport all substrates W constituting the batch to the underwater posture conversion unit 55. The second transport operation of the full-pitch substrate transport mechanism STR is performed after all substrates W transported in the first transport operation have been removed from the immersion tank 73.

[0263] The push rod 55A, located at the bottom of the immersion tank 73 in the underwater attitude conversion section 55, rises to receive the substrate column from the fully spaced substrate transfer mechanism STR, which is waiting above the immersion tank 73. Then, the substrate column is transferred to the reversing chuck 71 by the push rod 55A descending.

[0264] Figure 31 The figure illustrates the situation of uniformly transporting multiple substrates W in steps S11 to S14 above.

[0265] Step S35: By rotating the reverse chuck 71 of the receiving substrate column to the left or right, the orientation of the substrate W, which was originally in a vertical orientation, is uniformly converted into a horizontal orientation.

[0266] Step S36: The third control unit 136 determines whether substrate rotation is required for the substrate W that has been transferred to the take-out position OP of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM via the relay conveyor OTR. If the substrate W at the take-out position OP is the first substrate W1, and rotation of substrate W is not required, the process proceeds to step S38. If the substrate W at the take-out position OP is the second substrate W2, the process proceeds to step S37.

[0267] Step S37: At the moveout position OP, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM of the substrate W is received, causing the substrate W on the rotary table 113 to rotate 180°.

[0268] Step S38: The substrate W received from the monolithic processing chamber 49d by the central robot CR1 undergoes IPA treatment on-site. The IPA-treated substrate is then transported to the supercritical fluid chamber by the first wet transfer robot AR1.

[0269] Step S39: The substrate W, after drying in the supercritical fluid chamber, is received manually by the central robots CR1 and CR2 and transferred from the supercritical fluid chamber to bus 24a or bus 24b. The transfer robot IR receives the processed substrate W from bus 24a and transfers it to the carrier C placed at the second loading port 10. Thus, the transfer of substrate W is completed. Alternatively, if substrate W is to be transferred to bus 24b, the central robot CR1 transfers substrate W to bus 24a. Afterwards, substrate W is transferred to carrier C via the transfer robot IR.

[0270] Figure 32 The figure illustrates the process of transferring the horizontally oriented substrates W one by one during steps S35 to S39 above.

[0271] Since the steps are sometimes performed simultaneously, this is explained. In step S38, while the substrate W is undergoing drying, the substrate in a horizontal orientation is also continuously moved to the moveout position OP. The substrate movement at the moveout position OP is repeated until all 11 single-wafer processing chambers of the single-wafer processing apparatus 2 are in use. Furthermore, when any of the single-wafer processing chambers in use becomes empty, the substrate movement at the moveout position OP is performed again. In this way, by performing single-wafer substrate processing in parallel, the throughput of the substrate processing system can be increased.

[0272] In step S35, after all the substrates W to be set to a horizontal orientation are transferred from the relay device 6 to the single-wafer processing device 2, the underwater orientation conversion unit 55 can receive the new substrate column. At the specified time, the full-spacing substrate transport mechanism STR receives the substrate column waiting in the batch waiting slot 65 from the elevator LF65 and transfers it to the underwater orientation conversion unit 55. Thus, according to this embodiment, step S35 needs to be performed twice to transport one batch. Therefore, sometimes step S35 and step S38 are performed simultaneously.

[0273] If steps S35, S36, S37, S38, and S39 are repeated appropriately, the batch grouping can be released, and the substrate drying process of the single-wafer processing chamber can be completed. If all substrates W constituting the batch are returned to the carrier C placed at the second loading port, then the substrate processing of this embodiment ends.

[0274] Furthermore, the substrate processing in this embodiment is configured to process two carriers C at a time. That is, each of the substrates W housed in the first carrier C and the second carrier C placed in the first loading port 9 of the batch processing device 1 is housed in the third carrier C and the fourth carrier C placed in the second loading port 10 of the monolithic processing device 2.

[0275] In step S35, the substrate W undergoing orientation conversion originates entirely from the first carrier C. Therefore, the relay device 6 only transports the first substrate W1 housed in the first carrier C to the monolithic processing device 2. The transfer robot IR then houses all the first substrate W1 thus transported from the first carrier C into the third carrier C.

[0276] If all substrates W of the first carrier C are transferred from the attitude conversion unit 55 in the water, then step S35 is executed again. In this case, all substrates W after attitude conversion come from the second carrier C. Therefore, the relay device 6 only transfers the second substrate W2 stored in the second carrier C to the monolithic processing device 2 this time. The transfer robot IR stores all the second substrates W2 of the second carrier C thus transferred in the fourth carrier C.

[0277] Thus, the substrate W housed in the first carrier C does not mix with the substrate W housed in the second carrier C, but is housed in each of the third carrier C and the fourth carrier C.

[0278] The substrate W held by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is received by the central robot CR1 and finally transferred to the carrier C via the transfer robot IR. During this process, the orientation of the substrate changes in a fixed pattern while it is being transported. For example, if the notch of the substrate W held by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is facing forward, it will pass through each chamber or bus with the notch facing forward or backward, eventually returning to the carrier C with the notch facing backward. Within the chamber, depending on the type, the processing ends either by partially rotating the substrate before processing or by not rotating the substrate before processing. However, each substrate held by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM undergoes the same processing until it reaches the carrier C, resulting in all processed substrates W stored in the carrier C having a uniform notch orientation.

[0279] In this embodiment, since substrates W with different notch orientations are transported to the delivery position OP by the relay transport mechanism OTR, if no substrate rotation adjustment is performed, the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 would be stored in the carrier C with different notch orientations. However, in this embodiment, since a rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is provided that selectively rotates only the second substrate W2, the second substrate W2 is processed in a state where the notch orientation is the same as that of the first substrate W1. Therefore, the notch orientations are identical in the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 after substrate processing.

[0280] As described above, according to the configuration of the embodiment, the substrate processing system formed by connecting the batch processing device 1 and the single-wafer processing device 2 via the relay device 6 can achieve the requirements pursued by the substrate processing system. The relay device 6 of the present invention has a rotation adjustment mechanism SRM, which has a rotary table 113 capable of adjusting the position of the notch of the substrate W by obtaining the substrate loading position IP or the substrate unloading position OP of the relay device 6. The orientation of the substrate W discharged from the relay device 6 to the single-wafer processing device 2 can be arbitrarily changed by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM. By changing the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM, the orientation of the substrate W transferred to the single-wafer processing device 2 can be made consistent in a predetermined direction.

[0281] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a substrate processing system can be provided that ensures the orientation of substrates W is consistent in a predetermined direction even when substrates W are arranged face-to-face in a batch. If two substrate groups are combined and arranged with the device faces of the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 facing each other, a batch is formed in which the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 are arranged alternately. Then, if the batch is divided into the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2, a situation arises where the orientation of the notch in the first substrate W1 is different from the orientation of the notch in the second substrate W2. According to this configuration, by rotating the substrates with different rotation angles for the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 using the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM, the orientation of the notch in the first substrate W1 can be made consistent with the orientation of the notch in the second substrate W2.

[0282] According to this embodiment, the substrate W moves vertically between the upper first position P1, the middle position P3, and the lower second position P2, enabling the reception, rotation, and discharge of the substrate W. This configuration simplifies the construction of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM.

[0283] According to this embodiment, the substrate W located at the first position P1 is moved such that its center is aligned with the center of the rotary table 113 by means of the positioning chuck 115. If configured in this way, the orientation of the substrate W can be reliably set to the predetermined orientation, and by placing the substrate W in the ideal position, the substrate W can be transported more reliably by the central robot CR1.

[0284] Multiple support pins 111 emerge and disappear simultaneously, positioned to avoid multiple extensions 113b extending from the rotation center of the rotary table 113 in its initial position. By configuring it in this way, a rotation adjustment mechanism SRM can be reliably constructed, which includes both multiple support pins 111 and a mechanism for rotating the substrate.

[0285] The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiments described, and can be implemented in various ways as described below.

[0286] <Example 1 of the variation>

[0287] The substrate processing system of this embodiment is configured with one relay device 6, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. It may also be configured to have multiple single-wafer processing devices 2 for one batch processing device 1, with a relay device 6 for each single-wafer processing device 2. The substrate processing system of this variation is configured with multiple relay devices 6.

[0288] <Example 2>

[0289] The substrate processing system of this embodiment dries the substrate W through a supercritical fluid chamber, but the invention is not limited to this configuration. The substrate W can also be dried by spin drying.

[0290] <Example 3>

[0291] The substrate processing system of the embodiment is configured such that the rotary table 113 rotates the second substrate W2 by 180°, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. It may also be configured such that the first substrate W1 is rotated by 180° without rotating the second substrate W2.

[0292] <Example 4>

[0293] The substrate processing system of this embodiment is configured not to rotate the first substrate W1, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the first substrate W1 may be rotated by -n° and the second substrate may be rotated by 180-n°. If configured in this way, even a substrate processing system in which the central robot CR1 receives the substrate from an inclined direction of n° relative to the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM can house the substrate W in the carrier C as in the embodiment.

[0294] <Example 5>

[0295] The rotating adjustment mechanism SRM of the substrate processing system in the embodiment is as follows: Figure 33 The device may also include a sensor 120 for detecting the position of the notch in the substrate W. The sensor 120 may use, for example, a reflective optical sensor or a transmissive optical sensor. With this configuration, since the sensor 120 detects the position of the notch in the substrate W in the rotary stage 113, it is possible to measure and correct minute orientation deviations visible between the substrates.

[0296] <Example 6>

[0297] In this embodiment, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM of the substrate processing system is located at the outgoing position OP of the relay device 6, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM can also be located at the incoming position IP side. Specifically, the incoming position IP side is the position sandwiched between the underwater posture conversion unit 55 and the relay transport mechanism OTR. According to this variation, the notch alignment is performed before the substrate W is fixed in the relay transport mechanism OTR. This simplifies the configuration of the outgoing position OP of the relay device 6.

[0298] [Symbol Explanation]

[0299] 1 Batch processing device

[0300] 1A First Outer Shell

[0301] 1B Third Wall

[0302] 2. Single-chip processing device

[0303] 2A Second Outer Shell

[0304] 2B 4th wall

[0305] 3 Stacker Block

[0306] 4. Loading Block

[0307] 5 Transfer Blocks

[0308] 6. Relay device

[0309] 6A Relay Enclosure

[0310] 7 Batch Processing Blocks

[0311] 8 Single-chip processing blocks

[0312] 9. Loading Port 1

[0313] 10 Second loading port (second carrier mounting frame)

[0314] 11. Carrier conveying mechanism

[0315] 13a Carrier mounting frame (first carrier mounting frame)

[0316] 15. First Posture Conversion Mechanism

[0317] 48a Single-chip processing chamber

[0318] 48b Single-chip processing chamber

[0319] 48c Single-chip processing chamber

[0320] 55. Underwater attitude conversion unit (second attitude conversion mechanism)

[0321] 65 batches of standby slots

[0322] 71 Reverse Clamping Plate

[0323] 111 Support pin

[0324] 112 Support pin telescopic mechanism

[0325] 113 Rotary Table

[0326] 114 Rotation axis

[0327] 114m Rotary Drive Motor

[0328] 115 Positioning Clamp

[0329] 115a Mobile Mechanism

[0330] 116 Positioning Clamp Support

[0331] 117 Water supply nozzle

[0332] 118a water supply pipe

[0333] 118b Water supply pipe moving mechanism

[0334] 119 Protective components

[0335] 120 sensor

[0336] 131 Control Department

[0337] 132 Control Department

[0338] 136 Control Department

[0339] BPU1 First Batch Processing Unit (Batch Processing Slot)

[0340] BPU2 Second Batch Processing Unit (Batch Processing Slot)

[0341] BPU3 Third Batch Processing Unit (Batch Processing Slot)

[0342] BPU4, 4th Batch Processing Unit (Batch Processing Slot)

[0343] BPU5, 5th Batch Processing Unit (Batch Processing Slot)

[0344] BPU6, 6th Batch Processing Unit (Batch Processing Slot)

[0345] CR Center Robot (Single-piece Transfer Mechanism)

[0346] HTR First Substrate Transfer Mechanism (Substrate Transfer Mechanism)

[0347] IP relocation location

[0348] IR transfer robot

[0349] OP moved out of the location

[0350] OTR relay conveyor

[0351] P1, Position 1

[0352] P2, Position 2

[0353] P3 Middle position

[0354] STR Full-Gap Substrate Transfer Mechanism (Relay Transfer Mechanism)

[0355] W substrate

[0356] WTR 2nd Transport Agency (Unified Transport Agency).

Claims

1. A substrate processing system, characterized in that, The substrate processing system continuously performs batch processing of multiple substrates in a unified manner, and single-substrate processing of substrates one by one, and has the following features: The batch processing device performs batch processing. At least one single-wafer processing device is used to process the batch-processed substrates single-wafer. and At least one relay device defines two positions: an infeed position for receiving batched substrates from the batching device, and an outfeed position for transferring the substrates received at the infeed position to the monolithic processing device; and The batch processing device includes: At least one batch processing tank capable of uniformly impregnating multiple vertically oriented substrates; The single-chip processing device includes: Multiple single-wafer processing chambers capable of drying horizontally oriented substrates one by one; The relay device includes: The posture conversion mechanism, on the loading position side, can convert multiple substrates from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture; A relay conveying mechanism, wherein the relay conveying mechanism is disposed between the infeed position and the outfeed position, and is capable of conveying horizontally oriented substrates one by one along the substrate conveying path to the outfeed position; and The rotation adjustment mechanism includes a rotary table that rotates the horizontally oriented substrates one by one at the loading position or the unloading position, thereby adjusting the position of the notch on the substrates.

2. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The batch processing device includes: A substrate holding mechanism that supports a first substrate group and a second substrate group in a vertical orientation, and supports a batch of the first substrate and the second substrate in such a way that the device faces of the first substrate constituting the first substrate group and the device faces of the second substrate constituting the second substrate group face each other. The relay device includes: A substrate group differentiation mechanism capable of separating batches into the first substrate and the second substrate; The posture conversion mechanism will uniformly convert the first substrate and the second substrate from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture. When the orientation of the notch on the first substrate, which is converted to a horizontal position by the posture conversion mechanism, is different from the orientation of the notch on the second substrate, The rotation adjustment mechanism rotates the second substrate at an angle different from the rotation angle of the first substrate, thereby aligning the orientation of the notch in the first substrate with the orientation of the notch in the second substrate.

3. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotary adjustment mechanism includes: A substrate lifting mechanism that enables the substrate to move up and down between a first position above and a second position below; The substrate lifting mechanism raises the substrate held by the relay conveyor to the first position at a position between the first position and the second position, and receives the substrate from the relay conveyor. The received substrate is then lowered to the second position and placed on the rotary table.

4. The substrate processing system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The rotation adjustment mechanism includes a substrate shifting mechanism that shifts the substrate in such a way that the center of the substrate located at the first position coincides with the rotation center of the rotary table.

5. The substrate processing system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The substrate lifting mechanism has multiple pins that move in and out synchronously, positioned to avoid multiple extensions extending from the rotation center of the rotary table in its initial position.

6. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotation adjustment mechanism includes a pure water supply mechanism for supplying pure water to the received substrate.

7. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotation adjustment mechanism is equipped with a sensor that detects the position of the notch on the substrate on the rotary table.

Images