Substrate conveying device, substrate conveying method and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a substrate conveying device, a substrate conveying method and a storage medium which can convey a substrate to a desired carrying position with high precision. The substrate conveying device comprises: a first substrate holding part having a first suction hole for sucking and holding a substrate; a suction force changing unit for switching between a first state in which a first suction force acts on the substrate and a second state in which a second suction force smaller than the first suction force acts on the substrate with respect to the suction force of the first suction hole; a detection unit for detecting the state of the suction force; and a movement mechanism that decelerates the first substrate holding unit that holds the substrate in the first state in the middle of lowering from a first height to a second height above the placement unit. Then, after the change to the second state is detected, the first substrate holding unit is lowered from the second height to a third height lower than the upper end of the placement unit, thereby moving the first substrate holding unit to move the substrate from the first substrate holding unit to the placement unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a substrate conveying device, a substrate conveying method and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various processes are performed by transporting semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as wafers) as substrates within the system using a substrate transport device. Patent document 1 shows a substrate transport device provided with a suction port for adsorbing wafers, and by detecting the pressure of an exhaust passage connected to the suction port, it is possible to detect an abnormality in adsorption.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-183704 Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] The present invention provides a technology capable of conveying a substrate to a desired placement position with high accuracy.

[0008] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0009] The substrate processing device of the present invention comprises:

[0010] A first substrate holding portion having a first suction hole for sucking and holding the substrate;

[0011] An attraction changing unit for switching the attraction force of the first attraction hole to a first state in which a first attraction force is applied to the substrate and a second state in which a second attraction force smaller than the first attraction force is applied to the substrate;

[0012] a detection unit configured to detect the state of the attraction force; and

[0013] A moving mechanism that decelerates the first substrate holding portion that holds the substrate in the first state while descending from the first height to a second height above the loading portion, and then, after detecting a change to the second state, descends the first substrate holding portion from the second height to a third height that is below the upper end of the loading portion, thereby moving the first substrate holding portion to transport the substrate from the first substrate holding portion to the loading portion.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] The present invention can transport the substrate to a desired placement position with high precision. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a top view of a substrate processing system using a substrate conveying device.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a longitudinal sectional front view of the substrate processing system.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional view of a wafer conveying device provided in the above-mentioned substrate processing system.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a top view of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0020] Figure 5 This is an operation diagram of a comparative example of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0021] Figure 6 This is an operation diagram of a comparative example of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0022] Figure 7 This is an operation diagram of a comparative example of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0023] Figure 8 This is an operation diagram of a comparative example of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0024] Fig. 9 This is an operation diagram of a comparative example of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0025] Fig.10 This is an operation diagram of a comparative example of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0026] Fig.11 This is an operation diagram of a comparative example of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0027] Fig.12 This is an operation diagram of a comparative example of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0028] Fig.13 It is a working diagram of the first embodiment of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0029] Fig.14 It is a working diagram of the first embodiment of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0030] Fig.15 It is a working diagram of the first embodiment of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0031] Fig.16 It is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0032] Fig.17 It is a working diagram for explaining the supplementary work of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0033] Fig.18It is a working diagram for explaining the supplementary work of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0034] Fig.19 It is a working diagram for explaining the supplementary work of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0035] Fig. 20 It is a working diagram for explaining the supplementary work of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0036] Fig.21 It is a working diagram of the second embodiment of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0037] Fig. 22 It is a working diagram of the second embodiment of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0038] Fig.23 It is a working diagram of the second embodiment of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0039] Fig.24 It is a flowchart showing the operation of the third embodiment of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0040] Fig.25 It is a flow chart showing the operation of the fourth embodiment of the above-mentioned wafer conveying device.

[0041] Description of Reference Numerals

[0042] W chip

[0043] VA valve

[0044] 6A Holding unit

[0045] 60 Base

[0046] 61 Lifting platform

[0047] 65A suction hole

[0048] 69 Pressure Sensor

[0049] 100 Control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] Hereinafter, a wafer processing system as a substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0051] <Wafer processing system>

[0052] First, the configuration of a wafer processing system according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 , Figure 2They are a top view and a front view schematically showing the general structure of the wafer processing system 1. In this embodiment, the wafer processing system 1 is described as a photolithography processing system for performing resist film formation and development processing on a circular substrate, namely, a wafer W.

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, the wafer processing system 1 includes: a box station 2, which carries out the loading and unloading of a box C containing a plurality of wafers W; and a processing station 3, which includes a plurality of various processing devices that perform predetermined processing on the wafers W. Furthermore, the wafer processing system 1 has a structure that integrally connects the box station 2, the processing station 3, and an interface station 4 that carries out the transfer of the wafers W between the processing station 3 and an exposure device (not shown) on the opposite side of the processing station 3. In addition, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, two processing stations 3 are provided between the box station 2 and the interface station 4, but it may be provided with only one, or more than three.

[0054] The cassette station 2 is provided with a plurality of cassette mounting plates 21 and wafer conveying devices 22 and 23. The cassette station 2 uses the wafer conveying device 22 or 23 to convey wafers between the cassette C mounted on the cassette mounting plate 21 and the processing station 3. Therefore, the wafer conveying devices 22 and 23 each include a driving mechanism in directions such as the X direction, the Y direction, the up-down direction, and around the vertical axis (θ direction) as required, and may include a driving mechanism in all directions.

[0055] At least one of the wafer conveyors 22 and 23 can deliver wafers to the cassette C, and can also deliver wafers to the processing station 3. The delivery of wafers to the processing station 3 refers to, for example, delivering wafers to a third block G3 in the processing station 3 that has a delivery device accessible by the wafer conveyor 33. The third block G3 may also include a plurality of delivery devices (not shown) arranged in the vertical direction.

[0056] In addition, an inspection device (not shown) for inspecting the wafer W may be provided at a position accessible by either the wafer transport devices 22 and 23 .

[0057] The processing station 3 is provided with a plurality of blocks, for example, a first block, a second block, and a fourth block, namely three blocks G1, G2, and G4. Figure 2 As shown, the first block, the second block G1, and the layer 31 of G2 are stacked in the vertical direction. For example, on the front side of the processing station 3 ( Figure 1 A first block G1 is provided on the negative side of the X direction of the processing station 3. Figure 1 A second block G2 is provided on the positive X-direction side of the processing station 3. Figure 1A fourth block G4 is provided at the positive Y direction side of the processing station 3 or at the connection part with other adjacent processing stations 3. The fourth block G4 may also include a plurality of handover devices arranged in the vertical direction. In addition, the third block G3 may also be provided in the processing station 3.

[0058] A plurality of processing devices, such as a patterning film forming device and a developing device, which are not shown in the figure, are arranged in the first block G1. The patterning film forming device may include an anti-reflection film forming device in addition to a resist film forming device.

[0059] For example, a plurality of processing devices are arranged in a horizontal direction. In addition, the number, arrangement, and type of these processing devices can be arbitrarily selected.

[0060] In these patterning film forming apparatuses and developing processing apparatuses, processing is performed by, for example, supplying a predetermined processing liquid or a predetermined gas onto the wafer W. Thus, in the patterning film forming apparatus, a resist film used as a mask when forming a pattern of a film on the lower layer side, an antireflection film for efficiently performing a light irradiation process such as an exposure process, etc. are formed. On the other hand, in the developing processing apparatus, a part of the resist film after exposure is removed to form a concave-convex shape as the above-mentioned mask.

[0061] For example, in the second block G2, heat treatment devices (not shown) for performing heat treatment such as heating and cooling of the wafer W are arranged in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction. In addition, in the second block G2, although not shown, a hydrophobic treatment device for performing hydrophobic treatment to improve the fixability of the resist liquid to the wafer W and a peripheral exposure device for exposing the outer periphery of the wafer W are arranged in the vertical direction ( Figure 2 The number and configuration of these heat treatment devices, hydrophobic treatment devices, and peripheral exposure devices can also be arbitrarily selected.

[0062] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , a region sandwiched between the first block G1 and the second block G2 in a plan view forms a wafer conveyance region 32. In the wafer conveyance region 32, for example, a wafer conveyance device 33 is disposed.

[0063] The wafer conveyor 33 has a conveyor arm 33a that can move in the Y direction, the front-back direction, the θ direction, and the up-down direction. The wafer conveyor 33 moves in the wafer conveying area 32 and can convey the wafer W to a predetermined device in the surrounding first block G1, second block G2, third block G3, and fourth block G4. Figure 1In the case where there are multiple processing stations 3, the chip conveying device 33 arranged at the processing station 3 located on the interface station 4 side can not only convey the chip W to the first, second, and fourth blocks G1, G2, and G3, but also can convey the chip W to a specified device in the fifth block G5 described later.

[0064] The wafer conveying device 33 is, for example, Figure 2 As shown in the figure, multiple wafer conveying devices 33 are arranged up and down. One wafer conveying device 33 can convey the wafer W to a predetermined device at the height of the multiple layers 31 on the upper side of the multiple layers 31 stacked up and down. Other wafer conveying devices 33 can convey the wafer W to a predetermined device at the height of the multiple layers 31 below these layers 31. Multiple wafer conveying areas 32 are set in a manner that allows such conveyance of wafers W. In addition, a wafer conveying device 33 is set for each layer 31, and the number of wafer conveying devices 33 and the number of layers 31 corresponding to one wafer conveying device 33 can be arbitrarily selected.

[0065] In addition, a shuttle device (not shown) may be provided in the wafer transfer area 32 or the first block G1 or the second block G2. The shuttle device linearly transfers the wafer W between a space adjacent to one side of the processing station 3 and another space adjacent to the opposite side.

[0066] The interface station 4 is provided with a fifth block G5 including a plurality of handover devices and wafer conveying devices 41 and 42. The interface station 4 uses the wafer conveying device 41 or 42 to convey the wafer W between the fifth block G5 where the wafer W is handed over by the wafer conveying device 33 and the exposure machine. Therefore, the wafer conveying devices 41 and 42 each include a driving mechanism in the X direction, the Y direction, the up-down direction, and the direction around the vertical axis (θ direction) as required, and may also include a driving mechanism in all directions. At least one of the wafer conveying devices 41 and 42 supports the wafer W and can convey the wafer W between it and the handover device and the exposure device in the fifth block G5.

[0067] A cleaning processing device for cleaning the surface of the wafer W and the above-mentioned peripheral exposure device may be provided in the interface station 4 at a position accessible to either the wafer conveying devices 41 and 42 .

[0068] The inspection device may be provided in the cassette station 2 as described above, but may also be provided in any of the transport arms ( Figure 1 or Figure 2 33, 41, 42) in the accessible locations.

[0069] A control device 100 is provided in the above wafer processing system 1. The control device 100 is, for example, a computer having a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for controlling the processing of wafers W in the wafer processing system 1. In addition, the program storage unit also stores a program for controlling the operation of the above-mentioned various processing devices, conveying devices and other drive systems to realize wafer processing in the wafer processing system 1. In addition, the above-mentioned program can also be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium H, and installed from the storage medium H to the control device 100. According to the installed program, a command (step) group is incorporated into the program. When the program is executed by the control device 100, a control signal can be output to each part of the wafer processing system 1, and the control signal is used to control the conveyance of the substrate by each wafer conveying device and the operation of each processing device.

[0070] <Wafer handling system operation>

[0071] The wafer processing system 1 is configured as described above. Next, an example of wafer processing performed using the wafer processing system 1 configured as described above will be described.

[0072] First, a cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W is brought into the cassette station 2 of the wafer processing system 1 and placed on the cassette placement plate 21. Next, the wafers W in the cassette C are sequentially taken out by the wafer transfer device 22 or 23 and transferred to the transfer device of the third block G3.

[0073] The wafer W delivered to the delivery device of the third block G3 is supported by the wafer delivery device 33 and delivered to the hydrophobic treatment device set in the second block G2 for hydrophobic treatment. Then, the wafer is delivered to the resist film forming device by the wafer delivery device 33 to form a resist film on the wafer W, and then delivered to the heat treatment device for pre-baking treatment, and then delivered to the delivery device of the fifth block G5. Figure 1 , Figure 2 When there are multiple processing stations 3, the wafer W is temporarily placed in the delivery device of the fourth block G4 before being transported to the delivery device of the fifth block G5, and then delivered to multiple wafer conveying devices 33. In addition, the wafer W can also be transported to the peripheral exposure device by the wafer conveying device 33 as needed to perform exposure processing on the peripheral portion of the wafer.

[0074] The wafer W transferred to the transfer device of the fifth block G5 is transferred to the exposure device by the wafer transfer devices 41 and 42, and is exposed in a predetermined pattern. In addition, the wafer W may be cleaned in a cleaning device before the exposure process.

[0075] The wafer W that has been subjected to the exposure process is transported to the transfer device of the fifth block G5 by the wafer transport devices 41 and 42. Thereafter, it is transported to the heat treatment device by the wafer transport device 33 to undergo a post-exposure bake process.

[0076] The wafer W subjected to the post-exposure baking process is transported to the developing process apparatus by the wafer transport device 33 and subjected to development. After the development is completed, the wafer W is transported to the heat treatment apparatus by the wafer transport device 33 and subjected to the post-bake process.

[0077] Thereafter, the wafer W is transported to the delivery device of the third block G3 by the wafer transport device 33, and transported to the cassette C of the predetermined cassette mounting plate 21 by the wafer transport device 22 or 23 of the cassette station 2. In this way, a series of photolithography steps are completed.

[0078] In addition, the wafer processing system (substrate processing system) in the present invention is not limited to the structure and operation described above. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the wafer W is delivered between the interface station 4 and the exposure device is described, but it is not necessary to be directly connected to the exposure device. In this case, for example, after the wafer W is transported from the box station 2 to the processing station 3 for necessary processing, it is transported to the box station 2 again in order to be sent to the outside. In addition, it is also possible not to set up unnecessary devices among the devices listed as processing devices, or not to perform processing in the device.

[0079] <Structure of wafer conveyor device>

[0080] Reference Figure 3 The stereogram and Figure 4 The wafer conveying device 33 as a substrate conveying device is described in more detail with reference to a top view of FIG. 3 . The wafer conveying device 33 delivers the wafer W to the processing device and the delivery device of the wafer W. More specifically, the wafer W is received from the loading portion provided in these devices and the wafer W is loaded on the loading portion. The wafer conveying device 33 includes holding portions 6A, 6B, a base 60, a lifting platform 61, a frame 62, and left and right driving blocks 63, and the above-mentioned conveying arm 33a corresponds to the holding portions 6A, 6B.

[0081] The left-right driving block 63 is provided below the second block G2 and is a long strip member extending in the left-right direction (Y direction) along the wafer conveying area 32. The frame 62 is formed as an upright square frame and is located in front of the left-right driving block 63. The frame 62 is connected to the driving mechanism of the left-right driving block 63 and can move linearly left and right.

[0082] The rear end side of the lifting platform 61 is surrounded by a frame 62 and is connected to the driving mechanism of the frame 62 to be lifted and lowered in the vertical direction (Z direction). A base 60 formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above is provided on the lifting platform 61, and the base 60 can be rotated around a vertical axis by the lifting platform 61. In addition, holding parts 6A and 6B are provided on the base 60. The left and right driving blocks 63, the frame 62, the base 60 and the lifting platform 61 constitute a moving mechanism for moving the holding parts 6A and 6B, wherein the base 60 and the lifting platform 61 constitute a lifting part that is lifted and lowered together with the holding parts 6A and 6B.

[0083] The holding parts 6A and 6B are connected to the driving mechanism of the base 60 via the connection parts provided on the rear side, respectively, and can move forward and backward independently of each other. More specifically, the holding parts 6A and 6B can move horizontally and linearly along the length direction of the base 60. The holding parts 6A and 6B are respectively configured as a first substrate holding part and a second substrate holding part that adsorb and hold the back side of the wafer W, and these holding parts 6A and 6B are sometimes collectively referred to as the holding part 6.

[0084] The positional relationship between the holding parts 6A and 6B relative to the base 60 is described. The holding part 6A is provided at a position above the holding part 6B, and each of them moves between a retracted position and an advanced position. Therefore, the holding part 6A advances and retreats in one height region relative to the base 60, while the holding part 6B advances and retreats in another height region lower than the one height region. When viewed from above, the forward position and the retracted position of the holding part 6A are respectively the same as the forward position and the retracted position of the holding part 6B.

[0085] When the wafer W is transported between the devices in the wafer processing system 1, the susceptor 60 moves from the vicinity of one device to the vicinity of another device. At this time, the holding parts 6A and 6B are located at the retreated positions on the susceptor 60. Figure 3 In this way, the holding parts 6A and 6B are both in the retracted position. When the wafer W is transferred between the holding parts 6A and 6B and the loading part of the device (the wafer W is loaded or received), the base 60 and the lifting platform 61 are raised and lowered while the holding part for transfer among the holding parts 6A and 6B is in the advanced position. Figure 4 The holding portions 6B and 6A are shown in a state where they are located at the advanced position and the retracted position, respectively.

[0086] Reference Figure 4The holding portion 6A is described. The holding portion 6A is formed as a horizontal plate-like body that is roughly C-shaped when viewed from above and is open in the forward direction, and surrounds the side periphery of the held wafer W. In addition, the holding portion 6A includes four claws 64 protruding from the lower end of its inner periphery, and these claws 64 are formed separately from each other in the circumferential direction of the inner periphery. A pad 66 including a suction hole 65 opened upward is provided on each claw 64. The peripheral edge of the wafer W is placed on each pad 66 in a manner that blocks the suction hole 65, and by placing it in this way, the wafer W is supported horizontally. In order to prevent interference between the wafer W and the inner periphery of the holding portion 6A, the diameter of the circular area surrounded by the holding portion 6A and used to place the wafer W is formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the wafer W.

[0087] An exhaust passage 67 is buried in the holder 6A. The exhaust passage 67 is branched into four upstream branches, each branch end being connected to the suction hole 65. The exhaust passage 67 is led out of the holder 6A on the downstream side, and a valve V is inserted on the downstream side.

[0088] The holding portion 6B is similarly configured to the holding portion 6A and includes the same components as the holding portion 6A described above. However, in the following description, the suction hole 65, the exhaust passage 67, and the valve V in the holding portion 6A are sometimes referred to as 65A, 67B, and VA, and the suction hole 65, the exhaust passage 67, and the valve V in the holding portion 6B are sometimes referred to as 65B, 67B, and VB, thereby distinguishing them from each other. The suction holes 65A and 65B correspond to the first suction hole and the second suction hole, respectively.

[0089] The exhaust passage 67A of the holding part 6A and the exhaust passage 67B of the holding part 6B merge with each other on the upstream side of the position where the valves VA and VB are inserted, forming a merged exhaust passage 68. The merged exhaust passage 68 is provided with a pressure sensor 69, and the pressure sensor 69 sends a detection signal corresponding to the pressure in the merged exhaust passage 68 to the control device 100. The control device 100 can detect the pressure of the merged exhaust passage 68 based on the detection signal. The upstream end of the merged exhaust passage 68 is connected to the exhaust source 50. The exhaust source 50 is composed of an exhaust mechanism such as an exhaust blower installed in a factory where the wafer processing system 1 is installed.

[0090] As described above, the suction holes 65A and 65B are connected to the exhaust source 50 by using the combined exhaust passage 68 and the exhaust passages 67A and 67B in which the valves VA and VB are inserted. Therefore, with respect to the holding portion 6A, suction is performed from the suction hole 65A via the exhaust passage 67A when the valve VA is opened, and suction from the suction hole 65A is stopped when the valve VA is closed. Therefore, when a wafer W is placed on the pad 66 of the holding portion 6A, suction acts on the wafer W when the valve VA is opened, and the wafer W is adsorbed to the pad 66 and held, and on the other hand, the adsorption is released when the valve VA is closed.

[0091] That is, by opening the valve VA, a first state is established in which a first attraction force acts on the wafer W toward the pad 66, and by closing the valve VB, a second state is established in which a second attraction force smaller than the first attraction force acts on the wafer W. In addition, even after closing the valve VA, there is a case where a pressure difference remains between the inside of the suction hole 65 and the surroundings of the pad 66, so the second attraction force is not limited to zero. In this way, the valve VA corresponds to an attraction force changing unit that switches the attraction force.

[0092] As with the holding portion 6A, the holding portion 6B also switches the presence or absence of suction from the suction hole 65B by opening and closing the valve VB, thereby switching the strength of the suction force acting on the wafer W placed on the pad 66. Thus, the pad 66 switches between a state in which the wafer W is held by suction and a state in which the suction is released.

[0093] As described in detail later, by opening and closing the valves VA and VB in this way, the pressure in the combined exhaust passage 68 provided with the pressure sensor 69 changes. When the wafer W is being transported, the control device 100 determines whether the wafer W is being sucked by the suction hole 65A of the holding portion 6 (i.e., whether the wafer W is being held by the holding portion 6 by suction) based on the detected value of the pressure.

[0094] In addition, when the wafer W is placed on the pad 66, suction is performed from the suction hole 65, except when the lifting table 61, the base 60 and the holding part 6 are raised or lowered to transfer the wafer W to the placement part as described above. By performing suction in this way, the positions of the holding part 6 and the wafer W are prevented from being offset, and the wafer W is prevented from being placed offset from a predetermined position on the placement part.

[0095] The conveyance of the wafer W by the wafer conveying device 33 will be described in further detail. The wafer conveying device 33 receives the wafer W from the loading portion of any one of the devices by using the holding portion 6 of the holding portions 6A and 6B that does not hold the wafer W, and then loads the wafer W held by the other holding portion 6 to the loading portion of the one device. The wafer W loaded on the loading portion is a wafer W received from a device at a previous stage of a device in the conveyance path of the wafer W in the wafer processing system 1. Such conveyance is called replacement conveyance, and replacement conveyance is performed in a prescribed order for each device set to be accessible by the wafer conveying device 33. Thus, the wafers W are sequentially moved to the devices on the downstream side of the conveyance path one by one to be processed.

[0096] In order to place the wafer W on the loading part, the holding part 6 holding the wafer W is moved to the forward position, and the wafer W is arranged just above the loading part, which will be described in detail later with reference to the accompanying drawings. After the wafer W is arranged, the suction by the suction hole 65 is stopped by closing the valve V corresponding to the holding part 6, and the holding part 6, the base 60 and the lifting platform 61 are lowered in a state where the wafer W is released from the adsorption holding of the holding part 6. The reason why the suction of the wafer W is stopped when the holding part 6 and the like are lowered is that when the wafer W contacts the loading part when the holding part 6 and the like is lowered in a state where the valve V is opened and the suction is performed, a relatively large force is applied to the wafer W. If a large force is applied in this way, there is a possibility that the back surface of the wafer W is damaged, or the wafer W is bounced off the loading part and cannot be placed at a desired position.

[0097] In order to reliably prevent the occurrence of such an undesirable situation, after the valve V is closed as described above, the control device 100 determines whether the pressure of the combined exhaust passage 68 detected by the pressure sensor 69 is within a preset allowable range. In addition, as described above, the pressure of the combined exhaust passage 68 corresponds to the open / closed state of the valves VA and VB, that is, the state of the suction force of the wafer W in the holding parts 6A and 6B, so the control device 100 and the pressure sensor 69 that detect the pressure of the combined exhaust passage 68 correspond to a detection unit for detecting the state of the suction force.

[0098] Then, when it is determined that the wafer W is within the permissible range, the operation of the wafer transfer device 33 is controlled so that the valve V is closed to stop suction from the suction hole 65, and the holding portion 6 is lowered as described above to place the wafer W on the placement portion.

[0099] On the other hand, if it is determined that the pressure is not within the permissible range, the control device 100 re-determines the pressure of the combined exhaust passage 68 after a predetermined time has passed since the previous pressure was detected, and re-determines whether it is within the permissible range. If the result of the re-determination is that it is within the permissible range, the operation of the wafer conveying device 33 is controlled to carry out the placement on the placement portion. Then, if it is determined that it is not within the permissible range, control is performed so that the operation of each part of the wafer conveying device 33 is stopped, and the conveyance of the wafer W by the wafer conveying device 33 is stopped. In addition, the number of times of re-detection and re-determination of the pressure until the conveyance is stopped can be appropriately set.

[0100] <About Examples and Comparative Examples>

[0101] Hereinafter, the operation of the comparative example and the operation of the embodiment will be described in which the wafer transfer device 33 , which holds the wafer W by suction using the holding portion 6A, replaces and transfers the placement portion of the patterning film forming apparatus provided in the first block G1 .

[0102] As described above, the wafer W is transported surrounded by the holding portion 6, but in each explanatory figure, in order to prevent the complication of the drawings, the wafer W is transported in a manner located on the holding portion 6. In addition, with respect to the wafer conveying device 33, only the base 60 and the holding portion 6 are shown, and the display and description of other parts are omitted. In addition, the holding portion 6 that performs adsorption and holding of the wafer W is indicated by an arrow from the wafer W toward the holding portion 6. In addition, the wafer W placed on the loading portion by the wafer conveying device 33 and the wafer W received from the loading portion are respectively indicated as W1 and W2. The wafer W1 is equivalent to the first substrate, and the wafer W2 is equivalent to the second substrate.

[0103] Supplementary description of the patterning film forming apparatus. The patterning film forming apparatus includes: a rotating chuck 51, which horizontally adsorbs and holds the central part of the back side of the wafer W and rotates it in order to form a film by spin coating; and three pins 52, at the upper end of which the wafer W can be horizontally placed, and each of which extends vertically. The pins 52 are raised and lowered between a position (upper position) where the upper end is above the rotating chuck 51 and a position (lower position) where the upper end is below the rotating chuck 51, and the wafer W can be transferred to the rotating chuck 51 by the lifting. The pins 52 at the upper position are equivalent to the loading portion described so far, and the pins 52 in the respective explanatory figures shown below represent the state of being located at the upper position.

[0104] In the patterning forming apparatus, after the wafer W held by the spin chuck 51 is rotated to form a film by spin coating, a process called EBR (Edge Bead Removal) is performed in which a solvent is supplied from a nozzle to a predetermined position of the peripheral edge of the wafer W while the wafer W is rotated. The unnecessary portion of the film is removed by the EBR.

[0105] <Working of Comparative Example>

[0106] Figure 5 to Figure 12 6A, the susceptor 60 moves from the vicinity of the device in the previous stage of the patterning film forming device to the vicinity of the patterning film forming device, and is located at a predetermined height ( Figure 5 Then, the holding portion 6B moves from the retreated position to the advanced position, thereby being located below the wafer W2 placed on the pins 52 ( Figure 6 ), the base 60 and the holding portion 6B rise, whereby the holding portion 6B receives the chip W2 in a manner of lifting the chip W2.

[0107] The valve VB is opened to start suction, and the holding part 6B absorbs and holds the received wafer W2. Then, when the rise of the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 stops and the holding part 6A is located at a predetermined height H1 above the pin 52 ( Figure 7 ), the holding portion 6B moves toward the retracted position, and at the same time, the holding portion 6A moves from the retracted position toward the advanced position ( Figure 8 ). When the movement to the forward position is completed ( Fig. 9 ), close valve VA to release the adsorption of wafer W1 ( Fig.10 ).

[0108] By closing the valve VA in the state where the suction hole 65A of the holding part 6A and the suction hole 65B of the holding part 6B are blocked by the wafer W1 and the wafer W2, respectively, the area on the upstream side of the valve VA in the exhaust passage 67A is no longer exhausted by the exhaust source 50. That is, the volume exhausted by the exhaust source 50 in the combined exhaust passage 68 and the exhaust passages 67A and 67B is reduced by closing the valve VA. Therefore, if the valve VA is closed normally, the detection value of the pressure sensor 69 decreases. Then, when it is determined that the detection value of the pressure sensor 69 is within the allowable range, it is considered that the suction from the suction hole 65A is stopped and the adsorption holding is released, and the base 60 and the holding part 6 are lowered in the vertical direction.

[0109] The susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 are lowered to place the wafer W1 on the pins 52. Then, when the holding part 6A is located at a predetermined height H2 below the upper end of the pins 52, the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 are stopped from lowering ( Fig.11 ).exist Fig.11 In the figure, the height difference between the height H1 and the height H2, that is, the distance that the holding part 6A descends, is represented as L1. After the descent stops like this, the holding part 6A moves to the retreat position, and the replacement conveying ends ( Fig.12 ).

[0110] As described above, when the wafer W2 is received by the lower holding portion 6B, the holding portion 6B moves upward together with the susceptor 60 and the holding portion 6A. Therefore, at the moment when the wafer W2 is received, a relatively large height difference is formed between the holding portion 6A disposed above the holding portion 6B and the upper end of the pin 52. In addition, in this comparative example, when the wafer W1 is released from adsorption and holding, the holding portion 6A is lowered by a relatively long distance L1, thereby placing the wafer W1 on the pin 52.

[0111] However, since the wafer W1 is not sucked and descends a long distance, the time for which the wafer W1 is affected by the vibration of the holding portion 6A by the drive mechanism provided in the wafer conveying device 33 and the time for which the wafer W1 is affected by the wind pressure during descent becomes longer, and thus the position of the wafer W1 relative to the holding portion 6A may be shifted. If the position shift relative to the holding portion 6A occurs in this way, the position of the wafer W1 is shifted relative to the predetermined position on the pin 52 and the predetermined position on the rotary chuck 51, and therefore, when performing the above-mentioned EBR, there is a possibility that the range of the area to be removed from the film exceeds the allowable range.

[0112] <Operation of the First Embodiment>

[0113] use Figure 13 to Figure 15 Illustration of Fig.16 The diagrams and the Figures 5 to 9 The first embodiment is described with the main focus on the differences from the comparative example. Fig.16 In each graph described below, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the descending speed of the holding unit 6 and the base 60 .

[0114] First, conduct Figures 5 to 9 The same operation as the comparative example described in , the holding part 6B receives the wafer W2 from the pin 52, the holding part 6B moves to the retreat position, and the holding part 6A moves to the forward position. By receiving the wafer W2, the holding part 6A is located at a predetermined height H1 above the pin 52 during the forward movement. Then, the base 60 and the holding part 6 begin to descend in the vertical direction (in the graph, time t1), and the descending speed reaches a predetermined speed S1. Thereafter, in a state where the wafer W1 is located above the pin 52, the descending speed of the base 60 and the holding part 6 is reduced (time t2). In addition, when the holding part 6A descends from the height H1 in this way, the wafer W1 is continuously adsorbed and held.

[0115] When the holding portion 6A reaches a predetermined height H3 above the pin 52, the descent of the base 60 and the holding portion 6 stops, and the base 60 and the holding portion 6A are in a stationary state ( Fig.13 , time t3). Therefore, during the period from when the holding portion 6A is located at the height H1 to when it reaches the height H3, the holding portion 6A continues to be lowered. That is, the holding portion 6A is lowered without stopping until it reaches the height H3.

[0116] Next, the valve VA is closed to release the adsorption and holding of the wafer W1 (time t4, Fig.14 ). Then, when it is determined that the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 69 is within the allowable range, the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 start to descend in the vertical direction again (time t5). That is, after confirming that the suction force of the suction hole 65A on the wafer W1 is reduced and the adsorption holding of the wafer W1 is released, the descent is started again. Then, the descending speed of the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 reaches S1 again.

[0117] Then, the wafer W1 is placed on the pins 52, and the descending speed of the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 is reduced. When the holding part 6A is at the height H2, the descent of the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 stops ( Fig.15 , time t6). Therefore, during the period from when the holding portion 6A is located at the height H3 to when it reaches the height H2, the holding portion 6A continues to be lowered. After the holding portion 6A moves to the height H2, as in the comparative example Fig.12 As shown, the holding portion 6A returns to the retracted position.

[0118] If the wafer W1 is released from adsorption while the holding part 6A is moving forward, the wafer W1 may be displaced relative to the holding part 6A due to the inertial movement of the wafer W1 when the holding part 6A stops moving forward. Therefore, the first embodiment and the comparative example both release the adsorption of the wafer W1 when the moving forward movement is completed, thereby preventing such a positional displacement. Figure 13 to Figure 15 As shown, with respect to the first embodiment, based on the pressure detected by stopping the descent of the holding portion 6A midway, after confirming that the suction of the chip W has stopped (the adsorption holding has stopped) (i.e., after judging that the detection value is included in the allowable range), the chip W is landed on the pin 52.

[0119] Thus, the distance L2 (see FIG. 1 ) from the height H3 at which the holding unit 6 and the like are temporarily stopped and the suction holding is released to the height H2 at which the descent is completed is a distance L3 (see FIG. 1 ). Fig.15 ) is greater than the distance L1 from the height H1 to the height H2 from which the adsorption is released in the comparative example (refer to Fig.11) is short. That is, the distance that the holding portion 6A descends without adsorption and holding of the wafer W1 until the wafer W1 lands on the pins 52 is shorter in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the wafer W can be placed at a predetermined position on the pins 52 with high accuracy, and as a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of malfunctions when performing the above-mentioned EBR. In addition, for example, the height H3 is a height between the height H1 and the height H2, and the distance L2 is a length of 1 / 2 of the distance L1. Moreover, the height H1 is equivalent to the first height, the height H2 is equivalent to the third height, and the height H3 is equivalent to the second height.

[0120] <Supplementary information on the operation of the first embodiment>

[0121] Reference Figures 17 to 20 , the operation of the wafer conveying device 33 when replacing and conveying the next device after the patterning film forming device in the conveying path of the wafer W is described. That is, Figures 17 to 20 The work shown is being done Figure 13 to Figure 15 The work performed after the work described in the above is to send the wafer W2 received by the holding part 6B to the next device after the patterning forming device, and the holding part 6A receives the wafer W (set as W3) from the next device. The next device is, for example, the fourth block G4 (refer to Figure 1 ) is a delivery device, which includes three pins 59 extending vertically as a loading portion for the chip W, and the chip W can be horizontally loaded on the upper ends of the pins 59.

[0122] First, the base 60 moves to the vicinity of the delivery device, and after being located at a predetermined height relative to the pin 59, the holding portion 6A moves to the forward position ( Fig.17 Then, the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 rise, and the holding part 6A receives the wafer W3, and the wafer W3 is adsorbed and held on the holding part 6A by opening the valve VB. After that, the rise of the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 stops, the holding part 6A moves to the retreat position, and the holding part 6B moves to the advance position ( Fig.18 ), located at a predetermined height H4 above the pin 59. Then, the valve VB is closed to release the adsorption holding of the wafer W2 ( Fig.19 ).

[0123] Then, when it is determined that the detection value of the pressure sensor 69 is within the allowable range, the suction of the wafer W2 in the holding part 6B is considered to be stopped, and the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 are lowered in the vertical direction to place the wafer W2 on the pins 52. Then, when the holding part 6B is located at a predetermined height H5 below the upper end of the pins 59, the descent of the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 is stopped ( Fig. 20 ), the holding portion 6B moves to the retreat position, and the replacement conveying is completed. In addition, for example, the difference between the height H5 and the height of the upper end of the pin 59 and the height H2 (refer to Fig.15) is the same as the height difference between the upper end of the pin 52. In addition, for example, the distance L3 (the height difference between the height H4 and the height H5, see Fig. 20 ) and the distance L2 (refer to Fig.15 )same.

[0124] As described above, when the wafer W is placed on the holding part 6B, unlike the case of placing the wafer W on the holding part 6A, the temporary stop for detecting whether the wafer W is attracted during the lowering of the holding part 6 to the placing part is not performed. This is because, due to the positional relationship between the holding parts 6A and 6B, when the holding part 6A receives the wafer W and stops ascending, the height difference between the holding part 6B and the upper end of the pin 59 is small, and the distance L3 of the holding part 6B required to descend when placing the wafer W on the pin 59 is short.

[0125] The operation mode of the wafer conveying device 33 is different between the case where the wafer W is placed on the placement portion by the holding portion 6A and the case where the wafer W is placed on the placement portion by the holding portion 6B. By making the operation mode different in this way, when the wafer W is placed on the placement portion by the holding portion 6B, a temporary stop during descent is not performed, thereby suppressing a decrease in conveying efficiency. As a result, a decrease in the throughput of the wafer processing system 1 can be suppressed.

[0126] <Operation of the Second Embodiment>

[0127] Next, referring to the difference between the transport method and the first embodiment, Figure 21 to Figure 23 and the already mentioned Figure 5 to Figure 7 , the replacement conveyance of the patterning film forming apparatus of the second embodiment is described.

[0128] First, the susceptor 60 is located near the patterning forming device, and the wafer W2 is received from the pins 52 by the holding portion 6B in the same manner as the first embodiment and the comparative example. Figure 5 to Figure 7 In the operation described above, when the holding portion 6A is located at the retracted position and the height above the pin 52 is at a predetermined height H1, the rising of the holding portion 6 and the base 60 is stopped.

[0129] Moreover, similarly to the first embodiment, the holding portion 6A moves from the retracted position toward the advanced position, and the holding portion 6B moves from the advanced position toward the retracted position, but the holding portion 6 and the base 60 are lowered ( Fig.21 ). Therefore, the holding portion 6A moves diagonally downward and forward.

[0130] Thereafter, when the holding portion 6A reaches the advanced position and reaches a predetermined height H3 above the pin 52, the descent of the holding portion 6 and the base 60 stops, and the holding portion 6A becomes stationary ( Fig. 22 Thus, when the holding part 6A is stationary at the height H3, the closing of the valve VA, the determination of the detection value of the pressure sensor 69, and the placement of the wafer W1 on the pins 52 by the lowering of the holding part 6A toward the height H2 are sequentially performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Fig.23 ). In addition, in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, during the period when the holding portion 6A descends from the height H1 to the height H3, as shown in FIG. Fig.16 The descending speed of the holding portion 6A is controlled as described in the graph of FIG.

[0131] In the second embodiment, the forward movement and the lowering of the holding part 6A are performed in parallel, so that the holding part 6A moves obliquely downward from the position at the height H1 to the position at which it is stationary at the height H3. Therefore, the holding part 6A can be quickly arranged at the height H3. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, in addition to improving the accuracy of the placement position of the wafer W1 on the pins 52, the conveying efficiency of the wafer conveying device 33 can also be made higher, similarly to the first embodiment, so it is preferred.

[0132] However, in the second embodiment, after the holding part 6A starts to descend from the height H1, it is not limited to only moving obliquely to the height H3 where the attraction of the wafer W1 stops. The holding part 6A may reach the height H3 by moving obliquely downward from the height H1 and then moving vertically downward, or may reach the height H3 by moving obliquely downward from the height H1 and then moving vertically downward.

[0133] <Operation of the Third Embodiment>

[0134] In the first and second embodiments, the descent of the holding part 6A is temporarily stopped at a predetermined height H3, and the descent of the holding part 6A is restarted after the detection value of the pressure sensor 69 is judged. This is to reliably prevent the above-mentioned undesirable situation caused by the wafer W1 landing on the pins 52 while the holding part 6A is holding the wafer W1 by suction. That is, if the holding part 6A descends relatively quickly, the detection value of the pressure sensor 69 is judged during the descent, and even if it is judged as abnormal, it is too late to perform the descent stop control, and the above-mentioned undesirable situation may occur. In order to prevent the occurrence of this undesirable situation, in the first and second embodiments, the judgment is performed in the state where the descent is temporarily stopped.

[0135] However, the present invention is not limited to temporarily stopping the descent of the holding portion 6A in this manner. Fig.24The diagram of the embodiment is mainly explained with the difference from the first embodiment. Figures 5 to 9 As described in the figure, the holding part 6B receives the wafer W2, the holding part 6A is located at a predetermined height H1, the holding part 6A moves to the forward position, and the holding part 6B moves to the backward position. After that, when the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 begin to descend in the vertical direction and reach a predetermined speed S1 (time t11), the descending speed of the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 decreases (time t12). After that, the descending speed is constant and relatively low S0 (time t13), and the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 continue to descend at this speed S0.

[0136] During the decrease of the speed S0, the valve VA is closed to release the adsorption and holding of the wafer W1 by the holding part 6A (time t14), and it is determined whether the detected pressure value is within the allowable range. If it is determined to be within the allowable range, the susceptor 60 and the holding part 6 continue to descend to place the wafer W1 on the pins 52. Then, as shown in FIG. Fig.15 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the holding portion 6A is at a predetermined height H2, the descent of the base 60 and the holding portion 6 stops (time t15). Therefore, in the third embodiment, when it is determined that the pressure is within the allowable range, the holding portion 6A continues to descend from the height H1 to H2 without stopping the descent midway. Furthermore, at the moment when it is determined that the pressure is within the allowable range during descent, the height of the holding portion 6A is equivalent to the second height.

[0137] On the other hand, if it is determined that the pressure is not within the permissible range, the descent of the susceptor 60 and the holder 6 is stopped. Since the susceptor 60 and the holder 6 are descending at a low speed, the stop can be performed before the wafer W1 lands on the pins 52. In addition, after the descent is stopped, the pressure of the pressure sensor 69 is re-detected and the pressure is re-determined whether it is within the permissible range as described above. Based on the result of the re-determination, the descent is restarted to place the wafer W1 on the pins 52, or the transport of the wafer transport device 33 is stopped.

[0138] In addition, Fig.24 In FIG. 1 , the descent speed of the holding portion 6A is shown to be maintained at speed S0 after being reduced to speed S0 until the descent stops. However, the speed may be increased from S0 to improve the conveying efficiency after the detected pressure is determined to be within the allowable range as described above.

[0139] In addition, even when the holding portion 6A moves forward from the height H1 to the height H2 as in the second embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to the present invention. Fig.24That is, the descending operation may be controlled by not stopping the descending operation in the middle of the descending of the holding portion 6A, but reducing the descending speed before the wafer W1 contacts the pin 52, and judging whether the valve VA is closed and the pressure detection value is within the allowable range. The time t12 (refer to Fig.24 ), which can be during the forward movement of the holding part 6A or after the forward movement is completed. In addition, in order to prevent the position of the wafer W1 relative to the holding part 6A from being offset, the time t14 at which the valve VA is closed can be after the forward movement of the holding part 6A is completed.

[0140] <Operation of the Fourth Embodiment>

[0141] The fourth embodiment performs the same control as the first embodiment except that the transition of the descending speed of the holding portion 6A from the height H1 to the height H2 is different from that of the first embodiment. Fig.25 The graph of shows the change of the descending speed of the fourth embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the maximum descending speed of the holding portion 6A is S1 during the period from the height H1 at which the holding portion 6A starts descending to the height H3 at which the descent is temporarily stopped. Furthermore, the maximum descending speed of the holding portion 6A during the period from the height H3 to the height H2 at which the descent is stopped again is controlled to S2 which is lower than S1.

[0142] By controlling the descending speed as described above, the impact when the wafer W1 is placed on the pins 52 can be suppressed, so that the positional deviation of the wafer W1 on the pins 52 and the damage to the back of the wafer W can be more reliably prevented. Fig.25 The control of the descent speed shown is such that the maximum speed during descent is different before and after the temporary stop of descent of the holding portion 6A.

[0143] In addition, in order to carry out the Fig.25 In the speed control shown, the positional relationship between the height H1 at which the holding portion 6A starts descending, the height H2 at which the descending stops, and the height H3 at which the descending temporarily stops is not limited to the above-mentioned positional relationship, and can be appropriately changed from the above-mentioned relationship.

[0144] <Other Modifications>

[0145] In the first and second embodiments, the valve VA is closed after the holding portion 6A stops descending at the height H3, but the valve VA is not limited to being closed at such a timing. For example, the valve VA may be closed at the same time as the holding portion 6A stops descending. Fig.16The valve VA is closed at time t3 in the diagram of FIG. In addition, the valve VA may be closed before time t3, for example, at time t2 when deceleration starts, but it is preferable to shorten the descending distance of the retaining portion 6A in the state where the valve VA is closed as described above. Therefore, it is preferable to close the valve VA after time t3 when the descending of the retaining portion 6A stops. However, there is a time lag between the output of the control signal from the control device 100 instructing the closing of the valve VA and the actual completion of the closing of the valve VA, but the timing of closing the valve VA mentioned here refers to the timing when the control signal described above is output from the control device 100.

[0146] In addition, regarding the holding part 6A, the case where the holding part 6A stops at the height H3 due to the stop of the descent and the completion of the movement to the advanced position is described. The stop mentioned here means the stop following the instruction from the control device 100. Therefore, for example, a movement caused by force majeure may occur, such as vibration caused by the action of each driving mechanism of the wafer conveying device 33.

[0147] The monitoring of the opening and closing state of the valve V, that is, the monitoring of the suction force of the suction hole 65 is not limited to monitoring the pressure of the exhaust passage. For example, it is also possible to monitor the movement of the valve body constituting the valve V using a position sensor, and monitor the opening and closing state of the valve V and the suction force based on the detection result of the position sensor.

[0148] An example of switching the suction force of the suction hole 65 by switching the opening and closing of the valve V is shown, but the valve V may not be closed when changing the suction force. Specifically, the valve V is switched between a first opening and a second opening that is smaller than the first opening and is not in a closed state. Furthermore, the suction force may be changed by using the first opening during the period in which the valve V was previously in an open state and using the second opening during the period described as a closed state.

[0149] In addition, when the suction force is monitored by the pressure sensor 69, the position where the pressure sensor 69 is provided is not limited to the above-mentioned position. For example, the pressure sensor 69 is provided on the upstream side of the valves VA and VB in the exhaust passages 67A and 67B, respectively. That is, the pressure sensor 69 may be provided on the holding parts 6A and 6B, respectively. In the case where the pressure sensor 69 is provided in this way, when the suction of the corresponding holding part 6 is stopped by closing the valve V, the atmosphere around the holding part 6 flows in from the suction hole 65 and the detected value of the pressure rises, so that the closing of the valve V can be confirmed.

[0150] The above-mentioned conveyance of the wafer W by the holding parts 6A and 6B can also be applied to the conveyance by the wafer conveying device other than the wafer conveying device 33, and the wafer W can be placed at the loading position of the loading part in the device as the conveyance target with high accuracy. In addition, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of processing failure in the device due to loading abnormality.

[0151] Moreover, as a wafer conveying device, the holding part 6B may not be provided. Therefore, as the work in the replacement conveying using both the holding parts 6A and 6B, the loading work of the wafer W using the holding part 6A is shown, but this loading work is not limited to the work in the replacement conveying. However, when the replacement conveying is performed as described above, according to the positional relationship between the holding parts 6B and 6A, after the holding part 6B receives the wafer W2, the holding part 6A is located at a position relatively far from the loading part. Therefore, it is particularly effective to apply the present technology to a wafer conveying device that performs replacement conveying.

[0152] In addition, in each embodiment (each example), the substrate to be processed and transported is not limited to a wafer, and may be, for example, a substrate for manufacturing a flat panel display or a mask substrate for manufacturing an exposure mask. In addition, the shape of the mounting portion for mounting the substrate is not limited to a pin, and may be a mounting portion having a flat upper surface.

[0153] The embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and non-restrictive. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, replaced, modified, and combined in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A substrate conveying device, characterized in that: include: A first substrate holding portion having a first suction hole for sucking and holding the substrate; an attraction changing section for switching the attraction force of the first attraction hole to a first state in which a first attraction force is applied to the substrate and a second state in which a second attraction force smaller than the first attraction force is applied to the substrate; a detection unit, which is used to detect the state of the attraction force; and A moving mechanism that decelerates the first substrate holding portion that holds the substrate in the first state while descending from a first height to a second height above a loading portion, and then, after detecting a change to the second state, descends the first substrate holding portion from the second height to a third height below the upper end of the loading portion, thereby moving the first substrate holding portion to transport the substrate from the first substrate holding portion to the loading portion.

2. The substrate conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second height is a height at which the first substrate holding portion stops descending.

3. The substrate conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: include: an exhaust passage connecting the first suction hole to an exhaust source for generating the suction force; and The valve provided in the exhaust passage constitutes the suction force changing section. The second state is a state achieved by closing the valve.

4. The substrate conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The settings are: a second substrate holding portion having a second suction hole for sucking and holding the substrate; and a lifting part included in the moving mechanism and lifting and lowering together with the first substrate holding part and the second substrate holding part, The first substrate holding portion can move forward and backward relative to the lifting portion in a height region relative to the lifting portion, and the second substrate holding portion can move forward and backward relative to the lifting portion in another height region below the one height region. After the second substrate holding portion receives and holds a second substrate different from the first substrate from the mounting portion in a state where the first substrate holding portion holds the first substrate, the first substrate holding portion transports the first substrate to the mounting portion.

5. The substrate conveying device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first substrate holding portion is moved from the first height to the second height by lowering the lifting portion while the first substrate holding portion moves forward relative to the lifting portion.

6. The substrate conveying device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A maximum descending speed of the first substrate holding portion when moving from the second height to the third height is smaller than a maximum descending speed of the first substrate holding portion when moving from the first height to the second height.

7. A substrate conveying method, characterized in that: include: The step of using the first suction hole of the first substrate holding portion to suck and hold the substrate; The step of switching the suction force of the first suction hole to a first state in which a first suction force acts on the substrate and a second state in which a second suction force smaller than the first suction force acts on the substrate by using a suction force changing unit; a step of detecting the state of the attraction force by using a state detection unit; and A first descending step of decelerating the first substrate holding portion holding the substrate in the first state from a first height to a second height above the placement portion by using a moving mechanism; and In the second descending step, after detecting the change to the second state, the first substrate holding portion is descended from the second height to a third height below the upper end of the loading portion by the moving mechanism, thereby transporting the substrate from the first substrate holding portion to the loading portion.

8. The substrate conveying method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first descending step includes the step of stopping the descending of the first substrate holding portion at the second height.

9. The substrate conveying method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The method includes the steps of closing a valve provided in an exhaust passage to switch from the first state to the second state, wherein the exhaust passage connects an exhaust source for generating the suction force to the first suction hole.

10. The substrate conveying method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: include: The step of using a second suction hole of a second substrate holding portion to suck and hold the substrate; A step of lifting and lowering a lifting portion included in the moving mechanism together with the first substrate holding portion and the second substrate holding portion; The step of causing the first substrate holding portion to advance and retreat relative to the lifting portion in a height region relative to the lifting portion, and causing the second substrate holding portion to advance and retreat relative to the lifting portion in another height region below the one height; and a receiving step, in which, while the first substrate holding portion holds the first substrate, the second substrate holding portion receives and holds a second substrate different from the first substrate from the mounting portion, The first descending step and the second descending step are performed after the receiving step.

11. The substrate conveying method according to claim 10, wherein: The first lowering step includes the step of lowering the lifting portion while advancing the first substrate holding portion relative to the lifting portion.

12. The substrate conveying method according to claim 10, wherein: A maximum descending speed of the second substrate holding portion in the second descending step is smaller than a maximum descending speed of the first substrate holding portion in the first descending step.

13. A storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program for the substrate conveying device, When the computer program is executed by the control device of the substrate transport device, the substrate transport method according to any one of claims 7 to 12 can be implemented.

Images