Substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

The invention provides a substrate processing apparatus, which improves the processing capacity by reresearching the structure of an apparatus having a batch module and a monolithic module. In a single-chip processing area R2 of a processing block 9 of the present invention, a buffer part 31 is provided that allows both a first transfer mechanism HTR and a center robot CR to transfer a substrate W. Therefore, the first transfer mechanism HTR transfers the processed substrate W and the unprocessed substrate W together via the buffer part 31. Therefore, the potential of the first conveying mechanism HTR can be excited, and the substrate processing apparatus 1 with high processing capacity can be provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing device for performing prescribed processing on various substrates such as semiconductor substrates, FPD (flat panel display) substrates such as liquid crystal display or organic EL (electroluminescence) display devices, glass substrates for photomasks, and substrates for optical disks. Background Art

[0002] In the past, such an apparatus has a batch module and a monolithic module (for example, see Patent Document 1). The batch module performs a predetermined process on a plurality of substrates at once. The monolithic module performs a predetermined process on substrates one by one. The batch module and the monolithic module each have their own advantages. For example, the particle performance in the drying process of the monolithic module is higher than that of the batch module. Therefore, as an apparatus having a batch module and a monolithic module, a structure in which a liquid process is performed in the batch module and then a drying process is performed in the monolithic module is considered.

[0003] In the device of Patent Document 1, the substrates processed in the batch module and the single-chip module are returned to the cassette one by one. That is, according to the conventional structure, the substrates processed in the single-chip module are received by the robot that transports the substrates one by one and are stacked in the cassette. That is, the device of Patent Document 1 has the following structure: the processed substrates are returned to the cassette one by one by the same transport method as a substrate processing device that does not have a batch module but processes substrates by a single-chip module.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-502275. Summary of the invention

[0007] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0008] However, the conventional device having such a structure has the following problems.

[0009] That is, according to the previous structure, a high processing volume cannot be obtained. As a substrate processing device with a batch module, there is known a device with a substrate operating mechanism, which is used to take out a plurality of substrates arranged in a box at a time. Such a substrate operating mechanism can carry a substrate piece by piece instead of one piece, so it is very helpful to increase the processing volume. The device structure with this substrate operating mechanism is indeed advantageous in that unprocessed substrates are taken out from the box at a time. However, in the previous device structure, the processed substrates moved out from the single-chip module are returned to the box one piece by one. Therefore, in the stage where the processed substrates are returned to the box, the advantages of the substrate operating mechanism cannot be utilized.

[0010] In addition, such a problem does not only occur in the above-mentioned substrate processing device. The same problem also occurs in a substrate processing device that processes substrates in the reverse order in the order of a single-chip module and a batch module. The flow of substrates in the substrate handling method in such a reverse-order device is opposite to the flow of substrates in the substrate handling method in the above-mentioned device (normal-order device) that processes in the order of a batch module and a single-chip module. Therefore, a reverse-order device having a parallel substrate handling mechanism is advantageous in that the processed substrates are returned to the cassette at once. However, in the previous device structure, unprocessed substrates are transported from the cassette to the single-chip module one by one. That is, in the reverse-order device, the advantages of the substrate handling mechanism cannot be utilized in the stage of taking out the unprocessed substrates from the cassette.

[0011] The present invention has been proposed in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that improves the processing throughput by re-examining the structure of an apparatus having a batch module and a single-chip module.

[0012] Means for solving problems

[0013] In order to achieve such an object, the present invention adopts the following structure.

[0014] (1) A substrate processing device for continuously performing batch processing of processing a plurality of substrates at a time and single-wafer processing of processing substrates one by one, characterized in that the substrate processing device comprises: a storage block; a transfer block adjacent to the storage block; and a processing block adjacent to the transfer block; the storage block accommodates at least one carrier, having at least one carrier mounting rack for taking out and accommodating substrates, the carrier accommodating a plurality of substrates in a horizontal posture at predetermined intervals in a vertical direction, the carrier mounting rack being used to carry the carrier for carrying substrates in and out of the carrier; the transfer block comprising: a substrate operating mechanism for carrying substrates on the carrier The carrier of the carrier loading rack takes out and accommodates multiple substrates at the same time; and a first posture conversion mechanism converts the postures of multiple substrates between a horizontal posture and a vertical posture at the same time; the processing block comprises: a batch processing area, one end of which is adjacent to the transfer block and the other end extends in a direction away from the transfer block; a single-chip processing area, one end of which is adjacent to the transfer block and the other end extends in a direction away from the transfer block; a single-chip substrate conveying area, which is sandwiched between the batch processing area and the single-chip processing area, one end of which is adjacent to the transfer block and the other end extends in a direction away from the transfer block; and a batch substrate conveying area, which is arranged along the batch A batch processing area is provided, one end side of which extends to the transfer block, and the other end side extends in a direction away from the transfer block; in the batch processing area, a plurality of batch processing tanks for immersing and processing a plurality of substrates are arranged in the direction in which the batch processing area extends, and a second posture conversion mechanism for converting the posture of a plurality of substrates between a vertical posture and a horizontal posture is provided at a position farthest from the transfer block; in the single-wafer processing area, a plurality of single-wafer processing chambers for processing substrates one by one are arranged in the direction in which the single-wafer processing area extends, and a substrate loading unit is provided at a position closest to the transfer block, and the substrate loading unit transfers a plurality of substrates in a water-immersed manner. The substrate is placed in a horizontal posture in a vertical direction at the same specified interval as the carrier; a single-chip substrate conveying mechanism is provided in the single-chip substrate conveying area, and the single-chip substrate conveying mechanism conveys the substrate between the second posture conversion mechanism, the single-chip processing chamber and the substrate loading portion; a batch substrate conveying mechanism is provided in the batch substrate conveying area, and the batch substrate conveying mechanism conveys a plurality of substrates at a time between the substrate connection position determined in the transfer block, the batch processing tank and the second posture conversion mechanism; the substrate operating mechanism of the transfer block is also configured to be able to hand over a plurality of substrates at a time with the substrate loading portion of the single-chip processing area.

[0015] [Effect] According to the invention of (1) above, a substrate loading section is provided in the single-chip processing area, and the substrate loading section can be used for both the substrate operating mechanism and the single-chip substrate conveying mechanism to transfer substrates. Therefore, the substrate operating mechanism can transfer substrates between the single-chip processing areas at a time via the substrate loading section. Specifically, in the above-mentioned normal sequence device, the single-chip processed substrates moved out one by one by the single-chip substrate conveying mechanism are stored in the substrate loading section in a vertical arrangement. The substrate operating mechanism accommodates the plurality of substrates stored in the substrate loading section in a carrier at a time. In the normal sequence device, the structure of the substrate operating mechanism taking out the unprocessed substrates from the carrier at a time is the same as the previous structure. On the other hand, in the reverse sequence device, the unprocessed substrates moved into the single-chip processing area at a time by the substrate operating mechanism are stored in a vertical arrangement in the substrate loading section. The single-chip substrate conveying mechanism transports the plurality of substrates stored in the substrate loading section to the single-chip processing chamber one by one. In the device of the reverse order, the structure of the substrate handling mechanism for accommodating the processed substrates in the carrier is the same as the conventional structure. Therefore, in any device structure, the substrate is moved in and out of the carrier by the substrate handling mechanism. According to this structure, the potential of the substrate handling mechanism can be stimulated, so that a substrate processing device with a high processing capacity can be provided.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the invention of (1) above, one end of each of the batch processing area, the single-wafer processing area, the single-wafer substrate transport area, and the batch substrate transport area is adjacent to the transfer block. Therefore, the transport distance of the substrates between the transfer block and the batch processing area and between the transfer block and the single-wafer processing area is shortened, so that the substrates can be transported smoothly between each area.

[0017] The present invention also has the following features.

[0018] (2) In the substrate processing device described in (1), the batch processing area has: a batch chemical liquid processing tank for containing chemical liquid for treating a plurality of substrates at a time; and a batch rinsing processing tank for containing rinsing liquid for rinsing a plurality of substrates that have been treated with chemical liquid at a time; the batch chemical liquid processing tank is located closer to the transfer block than the batch rinsing processing tank; the single-wafer processing area has: a single-wafer liquid processing chamber for treating substrates one by one with liquid; and a single-wafer drying processing chamber for drying the substrates that have been treated with liquid one by one; the single-wafer drying processing chamber is located closer to the transfer block than the single-wafer liquid processing chamber; in the transfer block, the substrate operating mechanism takes out a plurality of substrates from the carrier at a time, and the first posture conversion mechanism converts the taken-out plurality of substrates from a horizontal posture to a horizontal posture. vertical posture; in the processing block, the batch substrate conveying mechanism receives a plurality of substrates in a vertical posture at the substrate receiving and handing over position of the transfer block at the same time, and conveys the received plurality of substrates to the batch liquid treatment tank, the batch rinse treatment tank and the second posture conversion mechanism in sequence; the second posture conversion mechanism converts the posture of the received plurality of substrates in a vertical posture into a horizontal posture; the single-piece substrate conveying mechanism conveys the substrates converted into a horizontal posture by the second posture conversion mechanism one by one to the single-piece liquid treatment chamber, the single-piece drying treatment chamber and the substrate loading section in sequence; in the transfer block, when a plurality of substrates are loaded on the substrate loading section in the processing block, the substrate operating mechanism takes out a plurality of substrates from the substrate loading section at the same time, and accommodates the taken-out plurality of substrates in the carrier at the same time.

[0019] [Effect] According to the structure of (2), a plurality of substrates are treated with a liquid medicine in a batch liquid medicine treatment tank close to the transfer block in the batch processing area. Afterwards, the plurality of substrates are cleaned in a batch rinse treatment tank far from the transfer block in the batch processing area. Next, after the rinse treatment, the plurality of substrates are converted from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture by the second posture conversion mechanism farthest from the transfer block. The plurality of substrates converted to a horizontal posture enter a standby state for single-chip processing. In this way, according to the structure of (2), as the plurality of substrates are transported in a direction away from the transfer block, the various processes of liquid medicine treatment, batch rinse treatment, and posture conversion are performed sequentially. Therefore, according to the present invention, the transportation distance of the substrates in the batch processing area is short, thereby realizing a substrate processing device with a high processing capacity.

[0020] Furthermore, according to the structure of (2), the substrates converted into a horizontal posture are subjected to liquid treatment one by one in a single-wafer liquid treatment chamber in the single-wafer processing area away from the transfer block. Then, the substrates that have been dried in the single-wafer drying treatment chamber are stored in a substrate loading section close to the transfer block in the batch processing area, thereby becoming a standby state for the substrate handling mechanism to transport them together. In this way, according to the structure of (2), in the processing block, as the substrates are transported one by one in the direction close to the transfer block, the various processes of liquid treatment, drying treatment, and standby for transporting together are performed in sequence. Therefore, according to the present invention, the transport distance of the substrates in the single-wafer processing area is short, thereby enabling a substrate processing device with a high processing capacity to be realized.

[0021] Furthermore, according to the structure of (2), the substrate whose posture is converted into a horizontal posture in the second posture conversion mechanism is arranged at a position close to the single-chip liquid processing chamber. The single-chip liquid processing chamber is located at a position farther away from the transfer block than the single-chip drying processing chamber. This is because if the second posture conversion mechanism is also located at the position farthest from the transfer block, the single-chip liquid processing chamber becomes closer to the second posture conversion mechanism than the single-chip drying processing chamber. According to such a structure, the distance when the substrates are transported one by one from the batch processing area to the single-chip processing area becomes shorter. Therefore, according to the structure of (2), the processing capacity is high and unexpected drying of the substrate can be prevented. In addition, the time from when the substrate is moved out of the second posture conversion mechanism to when it is moved into the single-chip liquid processing chamber is shortened, so that contamination of the substrate generated during transportation can be prevented as much as possible.

[0022] (3) In the substrate processing device described in (1), the single-wafer processing area has a single-wafer liquid processing chamber for performing liquid processing on substrates one by one; the batch processing area has: a batch liquid processing tank for accommodating liquid for performing liquid processing on a plurality of substrates at a time; a batch rinsing processing tank for accommodating rinsing liquid for rinsing a plurality of substrates that have been treated with liquid; and a batch drying chamber for performing drying processing on a plurality of rinsed substrates at a time; the batch drying chamber is located closer to the transfer block than the batch rinsing processing tank; the batch rinsing processing tank is located on one side closer to the transfer block than the batch liquid processing tank; in the transfer block, the substrate operating mechanism takes out a plurality of substrates from the carrier at a time and places them on the substrate loading portion in the processing block; in the processing block, The single-chip substrate conveying mechanism conveys the plurality of substrates placed on the substrate placing portion one by one to the single-chip liquid processing chamber and the second posture conversion mechanism in sequence; the second posture conversion mechanism converts the plurality of substrates in a horizontal posture into a vertical posture when receiving the plurality of substrates in a horizontal posture; the batch substrate conveying mechanism receives the plurality of substrates in a vertical posture at the same time in the second posture conversion mechanism, and conveys the received plurality of substrates to the batch liquid treatment tank, the batch rinsing treatment tank, the batch drying chamber and the substrate connection position in the transfer block in sequence; in the transfer block, the first posture conversion mechanism converts the plurality of substrates received at the substrate connection position from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture; the substrate operating mechanism accommodates the plurality of substrates in a horizontal posture in the carrier in a whole.

[0023] [Effect] According to the structure of (3), the plurality of substrates transferred from the transfer block to the processing block are first placed on the substrate placement portion in a horizontal position. Therefore, the plurality of substrates before single-wafer processing are stored on the side of the processing block close to the transfer block. Afterwards, the plurality of substrates are subjected to liquid treatment in the single-wafer processing chamber one by one. At this time, the substrates are transported one by one in a direction away from the transfer block. In this way, according to the structure of (3), as a substrate is transported in the processing block in a direction away from the transfer block, the liquid treatment process is performed. Therefore, according to the present invention, the transport distance of the substrate in the single-wafer processing area is short, thereby realizing a substrate processing device with a high processing capacity.

[0024] In addition, according to the structure of (3), the substrates in the horizontal posture that have completed the liquid treatment in the single-chip processing chamber are respectively stored in the second posture conversion mechanism farthest from the transfer block. Then, the plurality of substrates in the horizontal posture are changed to a vertical posture by the second posture conversion mechanism. The plurality of substrates changed to a vertical posture are subjected to liquid treatment in a batch liquid treatment tank far away from the transfer block in the batch processing area. After that, the plurality of substrates are subjected to cleaning treatment in a batch rinsing treatment tank close to the transfer block in the batch processing area. Then, after the rinsing treatment, the plurality of substrates are subjected to drying treatment in the batch drying chamber closest to the transfer block. In this way, according to the structure of (3), as the plurality of substrates are transported from the position farthest from the transfer block to the direction close to the transfer block, the various processes of liquid treatment, batch rinsing treatment and batch drying treatment are performed sequentially. Therefore, according to the present invention, the transport distance of the substrates in the batch processing area is short, thereby realizing a substrate processing device with a high processing capacity.

[0025] (4) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the single-wafer drying processing chamber dries the substrate using a supercritical fluid.

[0026] [Effect] According to the structure of (4), it is possible to perform substrate processing while reliably maintaining the circuit pattern generated on the substrate.

[0027] (5) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the single-chip substrate transport mechanism includes: a first hand that transports the substrate before drying; and a second hand that transports the substrate after drying placed on top of the first hand.

[0028] [Effect] According to the structure of (5), the substrate after the drying process will not be wetted by the first hand, so that the dry state of the substrate after the drying process can be reliably maintained.

[0029] (6) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the single substrate transport mechanism includes: a first robot that transports the substrate before drying processing; and a second robot that transports the substrate after drying processing.

[0030] [Effect] According to the structure of (6), since a robot for carrying substrates after drying is provided independently of a robot for carrying substrates before drying, substrates before drying and substrates after drying can be carried simultaneously, thereby increasing the processing capacity of the substrate processing apparatus. In addition, since the robot for carrying substrates after drying does not need to hold the wet substrates before drying, there is no problem that the robot for carrying substrates after drying carries the substrates after drying in a wet state. Therefore, by such a structure, a substrate processing apparatus that reliably maintains the dry state of the substrate can be provided.

[0031] Effects of the Invention

[0032] According to the present invention, a substrate loading section is provided in the single-chip processing area, and the substrate loading section can be used for both the substrate handling mechanism and the single-chip substrate conveying mechanism to receive and receive the substrate. Therefore, the substrate handling mechanism can receive and receive the substrate between the single-chip processing area and the single-chip processing area via the substrate loading section. According to such a configuration, the substrate is moved in and out of the carrier by the substrate handling mechanism at the same time. Therefore, the potential of the substrate handling mechanism can be stimulated, so that a substrate processing device with a high processing capacity can be provided. In addition, according to the present invention, since the second posture conversion mechanism in the batch processing area in the processing block is arranged at a position farther away from the transfer block than the processing tank, etc., used for performing a predetermined processing on the substrate, in the device in a normal sequence, the plurality of substrates subjected to batch processing are conveyed in a direction away from the transfer block when facing the second posture conversion mechanism. Then, the plurality of substrates subjected to posture conversion by the second posture conversion mechanism are conveyed in a direction close to the transfer block when the single-chip processing is performed. Thus, in a normal-order device, the substrate is transported away from the transfer block in the processing block and batch processing is performed, and then the substrate is transported close to the transfer block and single-chip processing is performed, thereby completing a series of processing on the substrate. In addition, in a reverse-order device, a plurality of substrates that have been subjected to single-chip processing are transported in a direction away from the transfer block when facing the second posture conversion mechanism. Then, the plurality of substrates that have undergone posture conversion by the second posture conversion mechanism are transported in a direction close to the transfer block when batch processing is performed. Thus, in a reverse-order device, the substrate is transported away from the transfer block and then close to the transfer block in the processing block, thereby completing a series of processing on the substrate. In any device, the reciprocating of the substrate is completed at one time, thereby being able to provide a substrate processing device with a short substrate transport distance and a high processing volume. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 It is a top view for explaining the overall structure of the substrate processing apparatus of Example 1.

[0034] Figure 2 It is a perspective view for specifically explaining the posture conversion unit.

[0035] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the posture conversion unit.

[0036] Figure 4 It is a flowchart for explaining the process of substrate processing.

[0037] Figure 5 A schematic diagram for explaining the process of substrate processing.

[0038] Figure 6 A schematic diagram for explaining the process of substrate processing.

[0039] Figure 7 A schematic diagram for explaining the process of substrate processing.

[0040] Figure 8 A schematic diagram for explaining the process of substrate processing.

[0041] Fig. 9 It is a top view for explaining the overall structure of the substrate processing apparatus of Example 2.

[0042] Fig.10 It is a flowchart for explaining the process of substrate processing.

[0043] Fig.11 A schematic diagram for explaining the process of substrate processing.

[0044] Fig.12 A schematic diagram for explaining the process of substrate processing.

[0045] Fig.13 A schematic diagram for explaining the process of substrate processing.

[0046] Fig.14 A schematic diagram for explaining the process of substrate processing.

[0047] Fig.15 A schematic diagram for explaining the process of substrate processing.

[0048] Fig.16 It is a schematic diagram for explaining Modification 1 of the present invention.

[0049] Fig.17 It is a top view for explaining Modification 1 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus for continuously performing batch processing and single-wafer processing. The batch processing is a process for processing a plurality of substrates W at once, and the single-wafer processing is a process for processing substrates W one by one.

[0051] [Example 1]

[0052] <1. Overall structure>

[0053] like Figure 1As shown, the substrate processing apparatus 1 has blocks divided by partitions. That is, the substrate processing apparatus 1 has: a loading and unloading block 3; a storage block 5 adjacent to the loading and unloading block 3; a transfer block 7 adjacent to the storage block 5; and a processing block 9 adjacent to the transfer block 7. The storage block 5 is equivalent to the storage block of the present invention, the transfer block 7 is equivalent to the transfer block of the present invention, and the processing block 9 is equivalent to the processing block of the present invention.

[0054] The substrate processing apparatus 1 performs various processes such as liquid treatment, cleaning treatment, and drying treatment on the substrate W. The substrate processing apparatus 1 adopts and uses both a batch processing method and a single-wafer processing method (so-called hybrid method). The batch processing method is a processing method for processing a plurality of substrates W at once, and the single-wafer processing method is a processing method for processing substrates W one by one. The batch processing method is a processing method for processing a plurality of substrates W arranged in a vertical posture at once. The single-wafer processing method is a processing method for processing substrates W in a horizontal posture one by one.

[0055] In this specification, for the convenience of explanation, the direction in which the loading and unloading block 3, the storage block 5, the transfer block 7 and the processing block 9 are arranged is referred to as the "front-to-back direction X". The front-to-back direction X extends horizontally. The direction from the storage block 5 toward the loading and unloading block 3 in the front-to-back direction X is referred to as the "front". The direction on the opposite side to the front is referred to as the "rear". The direction extending horizontally orthogonal to the front-to-back direction X is referred to as the "width direction Y". One direction of the "width direction Y" is appropriately referred to as the "right", and the other direction is appropriately referred to as the "left". The direction (height direction) orthogonal to the front-to-back direction X and the width direction Y is appropriately referred to as the "vertical direction Z". In each figure, the front, back, left, right, top and bottom are appropriately shown as reference.

[0056] <2. Moving in and out of blocks>

[0057] The loading and unloading block 3 includes: an input portion 11, which is an entrance when a carrier C is loaded into the block, and the carrier C is used to accommodate a plurality of substrates W in a horizontal posture at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction; and a removal portion 13, which is an exit when the carrier C is removed from the block. The input portion 11 and the removal portion 13 are provided on the outer wall of the loading and unloading block 3 extending in the width direction (Y direction). When viewed from the center of the width direction (Y direction) of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the input portion 11 is provided on the right, and when viewed from the center of the width direction (Y direction) of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the removal portion 13 is provided on the left side opposite to the right.

[0058] A plurality of (for example, twenty-five) substrates W are stacked and accommodated in a carrier C in a horizontal posture at fixed intervals. The carrier C accommodating the unprocessed substrates W to be carried into the substrate processing device 1 is first placed on the input part 11. The input part 11 has, for example, two loading tables 15, and the loading tables 15 are for the carrier C to be placed. The carrier C is formed with a plurality of grooves (not shown) extending in the horizontal direction, and the plurality of grooves are used to accommodate the substrates W in a state where the surfaces of the substrates W are separated from each other. The substrates W are inserted into each groove one by one. As the carrier C, there is, for example, a closed FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod; front-opening wafer transfer box). In the present invention, an open container can also be used as the carrier C.

[0059] The unloading unit 13 is for unloading the carrier C containing the processed substrate W unloaded from the substrate processing apparatus 1. Like the loading unit 11, the unloading unit 13 having such a function has, for example, two loading tables 17 for loading the carrier C. The loading unit 11 and the unloading unit 13 are also called load ports.

[0060] <3. Storage Block>

[0061] The storage block 5 is arranged adjacent to the rear of the loading and unloading block 3. The storage block 5 has a transport storage unit ACB, which stores and manages the carriers C. The transport storage unit ACB has a transport mechanism 19 for transporting the carriers C and a rack 21 for placing the carriers C. The number of carriers C that can be stored in the storage block 5 is one or more.

[0062] The storage block 5 has a plurality of racks 21 for carrying the carriers C. The racks 21 are provided at the wall separating the storage block 5 from the transfer block 7. The racks 21 include: a storage rack 21b for simply temporarily carrying the carriers C; and a carrier-carrying rack 21a for substrate taking out and containing, which is accessed by the first transport mechanism HTR of the transfer block 7. The carrier-carrying rack 21a for substrate taking out and containing is equivalent to the carrier-carrying rack for substrate taking out and containing of the present invention. The carrier-carrying rack 21a is a structure for carrying the carrier C so that the substrate W can be moved in and out of the carrier C. Although one carrier-carrying rack 21a for substrate taking out and containing is provided in the present embodiment, a plurality of carrier-carrying racks 21a for substrate taking out and containing may also be provided. The transport mechanism 19 takes in the carrier C containing the unprocessed substrate W from the input section 11 and places it on the carrier loading rack 21a for substrate removal and storage. At this time, the transport mechanism 19 can also temporarily place the carrier C on the storage rack 21b before placing the carrier C on the carrier loading rack 21a. In addition, the transport storage section ACB receives the carrier C containing the processed substrate W from the carrier loading rack 21a and places it on the removal section 13. At this time, the transport mechanism 19 can also temporarily place the carrier C on the storage rack 21b before placing the carrier C on the removal section 13. The number of the carrier loading racks 21a provided in the storage block 5 is one or more.

[0063] <4. Transfer Block>

[0064] The transfer block 7 is arranged adjacent to the rear of the storage block 5. The transfer block 7 has: a first transport mechanism HTR capable of accessing a carrier C placed on a carrier mounting shelf 21a for substrate removal and storage; an HVC posture conversion unit 20 for converting a plurality of substrates W from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture at the same time; and a pusher mechanism 22. The first transport mechanism HTR is equivalent to the substrate operating mechanism of the present invention, and the HVC posture conversion unit 20 is equivalent to the first posture conversion mechanism of the present invention. In addition, a substrate transfer position P is set in the transfer block 7, and the substrate transfer position P is used to transfer a plurality of substrates W relative to the second transport mechanism WTR provided in the batch substrate transport area R4. The first transport mechanism HTR, the HVC posture conversion unit 20 and the pusher mechanism 22 are arranged in sequence in the Y direction.

[0065] The first transport mechanism HTR is arranged on the right side of the rear of the transport storage section ACB of the storage block 5. The first transport mechanism HTR is a mechanism for taking out a plurality of substrates W from the carrier C placed on the carrier rack 21a for taking out and storing substrates, or for storing a plurality of processed substrates W in the carrier C. The first transport mechanism HTR has a plurality of (for example, twenty-five) hands 71 ​​for transporting a plurality of substrates W. One hand 71 supports one substrate W. Therefore, the first transport mechanism HTR can also transport only one substrate W. The first transport mechanism HTR takes out a plurality of (for example, twenty-five) substrates W from the carrier C placed on the carrier rack 21a of the storage block 5. Then, the first transport mechanism HTR can transport the plurality of substrates W held to the support table 20A of the HVC posture conversion section 20. The HVC posture conversion section 20 converts the received plurality of substrates W in a horizontal posture into a vertical posture. The pusher mechanism 22 is a structure that holds the plurality of substrates W in a vertical posture and moves the plurality of substrates W in the up-down and left-right directions.

[0066] In addition, the first transport mechanism HTR receives the processed plural substrates W from the processing block 9 described later. Then, the first transport mechanism HTR accommodates the processed substrates W in an empty carrier C placed on a carrier loading shelf 21a for substrate removal and storage in the storage block 5. The plural substrates W waiting at the exit of the processing block 9 are in a horizontal position. Therefore, the first transport mechanism HTR transports the plural substrates W from the processing block 9 to the storage block 5 while maintaining the horizontal position of the substrates W. In this way, the first transport mechanism HTR can be a structure for transporting unprocessed substrates W from the carrier C to the transfer block 7, or a structure for transporting processed substrates W from the processing block 9 to the carrier C.

[0067] Figure 2 The HVC posture conversion unit 20 of Example 1 is described. The HVC posture conversion unit 20 has a pair of horizontal holding units 20B and a pair of vertical holding units 20C extending in the longitudinal direction (Z direction). The support table 20A has a support surface extending along the XY plane, and the support surface is used to support the horizontal holding unit 20B and the vertical holding unit 20C. The rotation drive mechanism 20D is a structure that is used to rotate the horizontal holding unit 20B and the vertical holding unit 20C of the support table 20A by 90° each time. Through this rotation, the horizontal holding unit 20B and the vertical holding unit 20C become a structure extending in the left-right direction (Y direction). In addition, Figure 3 Schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the HVC posture conversion unit 20. Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 Describe the structure of each part.

[0068] The horizontal holding part 20B supports the plurality of substrates W in a horizontal posture from the bottom. That is, the horizontal holding part 20B has a comb-shaped structure having a plurality of protrusions corresponding to the substrates W to be supported. There are elongated recesses between the adjacent protrusions, and the peripheral portion of the substrate W is arranged in the elongated recesses. When the peripheral portion of the substrate W is inserted into the recesses, the lower surface of the substrate W in a horizontal posture contacts the upper surface of the protrusions, so that the substrate W is supported in a horizontal posture.

[0069] The vertical holding portion 20C supports a plurality of substrates W in a vertical posture from the bottom. That is, the vertical holding portion 20C has a comb-shaped structure having a plurality of protrusions corresponding to the substrate W to be supported. There is an elongated V-groove between the protrusions adjacent to each other, and the elongated V-groove is provided for the peripheral portion of the substrate W. When the peripheral portion of the substrate W is inserted into the V-groove, the substrate W is clamped by the V-groove and supported in a vertical posture. Since two vertical holding portions 20C are provided on the support table 20A, two parts of the peripheral portion of the substrate W are clamped by different V-grooves.

[0070] A pair of horizontal holding parts 20B and a pair of vertical holding parts 20C extending in the longitudinal direction (Z direction) are arranged along an imaginary circle corresponding to the substrate W in a horizontal posture in a manner surrounding the substrate W to be held. The pair of horizontal holding parts 20B are separated to the diameter of the substrate W, and hold one end of the substrate W and the other end corresponding to the position farthest from the one end. In this way, the pair of horizontal holding parts 20B support the substrate W in a horizontal posture. On the other hand, the pair of vertical holding parts 20C are separated to a distance shorter than the diameter of the substrate W, and support a specified part of the substrate W and a specific part located near the specified part. In this way, the pair of vertical holding parts 20C support the substrate W in a vertical posture. The pair of horizontal holding parts 20B are located at the same position in the left-right direction (Y direction), and the pair of vertical holding parts 20C are located at the same position in the left-right direction (Y direction). The pair of vertical holding parts 20C are arranged on the side of the direction (left direction) in which the support table 20A rotates and falls down, which is closer to the pair of horizontal holding parts 20B.

[0071] The rotation drive mechanism 20D supports the support table 20A so that it can rotate at least 90° around the horizontal axis AX2 extending in the front-back direction (X direction). When the support table 20A in the horizontal state rotates 90°, the support table 20A becomes vertical, and the posture of the plurality of substrates W held by the vertical holding parts 20C, 20C is changed from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture.

[0072] like Figure 3As shown in (f) in the figure, the pusher mechanism 22 has: a pusher 22A, which can carry a substrate W in a vertical posture; a lifting and rotating part 22B, which rotates and lifts the pusher 22A; a horizontal moving part 22C, which moves the pusher 22A in the left and right direction (Y direction); and a guide rail 22D, which guides the horizontal moving part 22C and extends in the left and right direction (Y direction). The pusher 22A is a structure for supporting the lower part of each of a plurality of (for example, fifty) substrates W in a vertical posture. The lifting and rotating part 22B is a structure arranged below the pusher 22A, and has a retractable mechanism for lifting and lowering the pusher 22A in the vertical direction. In addition, the lifting and rotating part 22B can rotate the pusher 22A at least 180° around the vertical axis. The horizontal moving part 22C is a structure for supporting the lifting and rotating part 22B, so that the pusher 22A and the lifting and rotating part 22B move horizontally. The horizontal moving part 22C can be guided by the guide rail 22D to move the pusher 22A from the pick-up and lift position close to the HVC posture conversion part 20 to the substrate delivery position P. In addition, the horizontal moving part 22C can also displace the pusher 22A by a distance corresponding to a half pitch in the substrate arrangement, so as to displace the substrate W in the vertical posture in the arrangement direction of the substrate W.

[0073] Here, the operation of the HVC posture conversion unit 20 and the pusher mechanism 22 will be described. The HVC posture conversion unit 20 and the pusher mechanism 22 arrange, for example, fifty substrates W contained in two carriers C in a face-to-back manner at a predetermined interval (for example, 5 mm). The twenty-five substrates W in the first carrier C are described as first substrates W1 belonging to the first substrate group. Similarly, the twenty-five substrates W in the second carrier C are described as second substrates W2 belonging to the second substrate group. In addition, for the convenience of drawing, Figure 3 (a) to Figure 3 In (f), the number of first substrates W1 is three, and the number of second substrates W2 is three.

[0074] Figure 3 (a) shows a state in which the first substrate W1 which will be in a horizontal posture is transferred to the HVC posture conversion unit 20 by the first transport mechanism HTR. At this time, the device surface (circuit pattern forming surface) of the first substrate W1 faces upward. Twenty-five first substrates W1 are arranged at a specified interval (for example, 10 mm). This 10 mm interval is called full pitch (normal pitch). The first substrate W1 in this state is held by the horizontal holding unit 20B. In addition, the pusher 22A is at a pick-up and lifting position below the support table 20A.

[0075] Figure 3(b) shows the state when the support table 20A of the HVC posture conversion unit 20 is rotated 90 degrees by the rotation drive mechanism 20D. In this way, the postures of the twenty-five first substrates W1 are converted from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture in the HVC posture conversion unit 20. The first substrates W1 in this state are held by the vertical holding unit 20C.

[0076] Figure 3 (c) in the figure shows a state in which the pusher 22A rises from the pick-up and lift position and moves to a position directly above the pick-up and lift position. The rising movement is performed by the lifting and rotating part 22B. In this way, when the pusher 22A moves from the lower side to the upper side of the first substrate W1, the first substrate W1 supported by the vertical holding part 20C of the HVC posture conversion part 20 is pulled out from the vertical holding part 20C and moved to the pusher 22A. Grooves for clamping the substrate W are provided on the upper surface of the pusher 22A. The first substrate W1 is supported by these grooves arranged at equal intervals. Since the grooves are arranged at half pitch and the first substrate W1 is arranged at full pitch in the HVC posture conversion part 20, grooves for clamping the first substrate W1 and empty grooves that do not support the substrate W are alternately arranged on the upper surface of the pusher 22A located at the directly above position.

[0077] Figure 3 (d) in FIG. 1 shows the action of the pusher 22A moving half the pitch width and the action of rotating the support table 20A of the HVC posture conversion unit 20 by 90° counterclockwise by the rotation drive mechanism 20D. The HVC posture conversion unit 20 in this state can support the second substrate W2. Figure 3 In (d), the second substrate W2 is shown when it has been conveyed to the HVC posture conversion unit 20. Figure 3 In (d), the second substrate W2 is supported by the horizontal holding portion 20B.

[0078] When Figure 3 When the pusher 22A located at the upper position in the state (d) returns to the original pick-up and lift position, the HVC posture conversion unit 20 can rotate the support table 20A by 90 degrees again.

[0079] Figure 3 (e) in FIG. 2 shows the support table 20A after it has actually rotated again. At this time, since the pusher 22A moves half the pitch width, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown in (f) in FIG. 1 , when the pusher 22A is moved to the upper position again, the second substrate W2 is accommodated in the empty groove of the first substrate W1 clamped by the upper surface of the pusher 22A in a manner that does not interfere with the first substrate W1. In this way, a lot of the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 are alternately arranged is formed. In addition, Figure 3In (e), the second substrate W2 is supported by the vertical holding portion 20C. Since the batch is formed by arranging the substrates W in a face-to-back manner, the device surfaces of the substrates W used to form the batch are all facing Figure 3 To the left of (f).

[0080] Figure 3 (f) in FIG. 2 shows the state when the pusher 22A moves to the upper position again. Then, the batch generated by the pusher 22A is conveyed to the left direction (Y direction) by the horizontal moving part 22C and moved to the substrate receiving and delivering position P.

[0081] In addition, in the following description, the structure of the substrate arrangement of the processing object is not asked. That is, whether it is a normal batch (for example, 25 substrates W are arranged at full pitch) or the above-mentioned batch lot, the main part of the present invention is the same structure. In the following description, the processing object is simply referred to as a batch or a plurality of substrates W.

[0082] <5. Processing Block>

[0083] The processing block 9 performs various processes on a plurality of substrates W. The processing block 9 is divided into a batch processing area R1, a single-piece processing area R2, a single-piece substrate conveying area R3, and a batch substrate conveying area R4 arranged in the width direction (Y direction). Each area extends in the front-back direction (X direction). In detail, the batch processing area R1 is arranged on the left side of the processing block 9. The single-piece processing area R2 is arranged on the right side of the processing block 9. The single-piece substrate conveying area R3 is arranged at a position sandwiched by the batch processing area R1 and the single-piece processing area R2, that is, arranged in the central part of the processing block 9. The batch substrate conveying area R4 is arranged at the leftmost side of the processing block 9.

[0084] <5.1 Batch Processing Area>

[0085] The batch processing region R1 in the processing block 9 is a rectangular region extending in the front-rear direction (X direction). One end side (front side) of the batch processing region R1 is adjacent to the transfer block 7. The other end side of the batch processing region R1 extends in a direction away from the transfer block 7 (rear side).

[0086] The batch processing area R1 mainly has a batch processing section for performing batch processing. Specifically, in the batch processing area R1, a plurality of batch processing units BPU1 to BPU3 that perform immersion processing on a plurality of substrates W at a time are arranged in the direction in which the batch processing area R1 extends. The configuration of the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU3 is specifically described. The first batch processing unit BPU1 is adjacent to the rear of the transfer block 7. 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. Therefore, the first batch processing unit BPU1, the second batch processing unit BPU2, and the third batch processing unit BPU3 are separated from the transfer block 7 in this order. In addition, an underwater posture conversion unit 25 is provided at a position farthest from the transfer block 7 than the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU3. The underwater posture conversion unit 25 is used to convert the posture of the plurality of substrates W between the vertical posture and the horizontal posture at a time. The underwater posture conversion unit 25 is adjacent to the rear of the third batch processing unit BPU3. Therefore, the underwater posture conversion unit 25 is provided at the position farthest from the transfer block 7 in the batch processing area R1. In this way, the first batch processing unit BPU1, the second batch processing unit BPU2, the third batch processing unit BPU3 and the underwater posture conversion unit 25 are arranged in sequence in the extension direction (front-rear direction: X direction) of the batch processing area R1.

[0087] Specifically, the first batch processing unit BPU1 includes: a batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1 for performing chemical liquid processing on the batch at a time; and an elevator LF1 for lifting the batch. The batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1 performs an acid treatment on the batch. The acid treatment may be a phosphoric acid treatment, but may also be a treatment using other acids. The phosphoric acid treatment performs an etching treatment on the plurality of substrates W constituting the batch. The etching treatment chemically etches, for example, a nitride film on the surface of the substrate W.

[0088] The batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1 contains chemical liquids such as phosphoric acid solution. The batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1 is provided with an elevator LF1 for moving the batch up and down. The batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1 supplies chemical liquids from the bottom to the top and causes the chemical liquids to convect, for example. The elevator LF1 is raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z direction). Specifically, the elevator LF1 is raised and lowered between a processing position and a handover position, the processing position being a position located inside the batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1, and the handover position being a position located above the batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1. The elevator LF1 holds a batch consisting of substrates W in a vertical posture. The elevator LF1 hands over the batch with the second transport mechanism WTR at the handover position. When the elevator LF1 descends from the handover position to the processing position while holding the batch, the entire area of ​​the substrate W is located below the liquid surface of the chemical liquid. When the elevator LF1 rises from the processing position to the handover position while holding the batch, the entire area of ​​the substrate W is located above the liquid surface of the chemical liquid.

[0089] Specifically, the second batch processing unit BPU2 has a batch chemical liquid treatment tank CHB2 and a lift LF2 for lifting the batch. The batch chemical liquid treatment tank CHB2 has the same structure as the above-mentioned batch chemical liquid treatment tank CHB1. That is, the batch chemical liquid treatment tank CHB2 contains the above-mentioned chemical liquid and is equipped with a lift LF2. The batch chemical liquid treatment tank CHB2 performs the same treatment on the batch as the batch chemical liquid treatment tank CHB1. The substrate processing device 1 of this example has a plurality of treatment tanks that can perform the same chemical liquid treatment. This is because phosphoric acid treatment takes more time than other treatments. Phosphoric acid treatment takes a long time (for example, sixty minutes). Therefore, the device of this example is configured to perform acid treatment in parallel through a plurality of batch chemical liquid treatment tanks. Therefore, the batch is subjected to acid treatment in either the batch chemical liquid treatment tank CHB1 or the batch chemical liquid treatment tank CHB2. According to this structure, the processing capacity of the device can be increased.

[0090] Specifically, the third batch processing unit BPU3 includes: a batch rinse processing tank ONB that contains rinse liquid; and an elevator LF3 that raises and lowers the batch. The batch rinse processing tank ONB has the same structure as the batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1 described above. That is, the batch rinse processing tank ONB is equipped with an elevator LF3 that contains a rinse liquid. The batch rinse processing tank ONB is different from other processing tanks and contains pure water for the purpose of cleaning the chemical liquid attached to the plurality of substrates W. In the batch rinse processing tank ONB, the cleaning process is terminated as long as the resistivity of the pure water in the tank rises to a specified value.

[0091] Thus, the batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1 and the batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB2 in Example 1 are located closer to the transfer block 7 than the batch rinse processing tank ONB.

[0092] The underwater posture conversion unit 25 includes: an immersion tank 43 for immersing a batch in liquid; an elevator LF4 for lifting and lowering the batch; and a posture conversion mechanism 45 for converting the posture of the batch. The immersion tank 43 contains pure water to prevent the substrates W in the tank from drying. The elevator LF4, which has received the batch from the second transport mechanism WTR at the delivery position above the immersion tank 43, lowers the substrate W to the immersion position (equivalent to the processing position in the batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1) and immerses the entire area of ​​the substrate W in pure water. Then, the posture conversion mechanism 45 rotates the batch immersed in pure water by 90 degrees, thereby converting the posture of the substrates W constituting the batch from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture. The elevator LF4 can also lift and lower a batch consisting of substrates W in a vertical posture, and can also lift and lower a batch consisting of substrates W in a horizontal posture. The elevator LF4 raises the batch in stages in units of the arrangement pitch of the substrates W, so that the substrates W in a horizontal posture can be transported one by one from the liquid to the liquid surface. The underwater posture conversion unit 25 corresponds to the second posture conversion mechanism of the present invention.

[0093] The central robot CR described later can carry the substrates W supported by the lift LF4 one by one. At this time, the lift LF4 can rise by the width of, for example, five substrates W when the central robot CR approaches to carry the substrates. In this case, five substrates W emerge from the liquid surface in the air at the same time. The lift LF4 moves a stroke longer than the arrangement pitch of the substrates W, so that the distance in the vertical direction (Z direction) from the liquid surface of the immersion tank 43 to the central robot CR can be fully ensured. Therefore, the top of the hand 29 of the central robot CR will not be immersed in the liquid contained in the immersion tank 43. After the central robot CR that has obtained the substrate W leaves the lift LF4, the lift LF4 is lowered for the purpose of preventing the drying of the four substrates W that are transported to the air as the lift LF4 rises. At this time, the lift LF4 only needs to be lowered by a stroke equivalent to four substrates W, and there is no need to lower it by a stroke equivalent to five substrates W. This is because the uppermost substrate W among the five substrates W transported to the liquid surface is transported by the central robot CR and is not located on the lift LF4. This structure can shorten the moving time of the lift LF4, thereby providing a device with high throughput. In addition, when the number of substrates W remaining in the lift LF4 is less than five, the moving distance of the lift LF4 can be shortened according to the insufficient number of substrates W.

[0094] <5.2 Single Chip Processing Area>

[0095] The single-wafer processing region R2 in the processing block 9 is a rectangular region extending in the front-rear direction (X direction). One end side (front side) of the single-wafer processing region R2 is adjacent to the transfer block 7. The other end side of the batch processing region R1 extends in a direction away from the transfer block 7 (rear side).

[0096] The single-wafer processing area R2 in the processing block 9 mainly has various chambers related to the processing liquid and various chambers related to the drying process. Specifically, the single-wafer processing area R2 has: a single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 and a single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2, which perform liquid processing on the substrates W one by one; a single-wafer drying processing chamber SWP3, which dries the liquid-processed substrates W one by one; and a buffer section 31, which arranges a plurality of substrates W in a horizontal posture along the vertical direction at the same interval as the carrier C. The single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 is arranged at the innermost side of the front-to-back direction (X direction) in the single-wafer processing area R2. In other words, the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 is opposite to the underwater posture conversion section 25 in the width direction (Y direction) across the single-wafer substrate conveying area R3. The single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2 is adjacent to the front of the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1. The single-wafer drying processing chamber SWP3 is adjacent to the front of the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2. The buffer section 31 is adjacent to the front of the single wafer drying process chamber SWP3. Therefore, the buffer section 31 is provided at a position closest to the transfer block 7 in the single wafer processing region R2. In this way, the buffer section 31, the single wafer drying process chamber SWP3, the single wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2, and the single wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 are sequentially arranged in the extension direction (front-back direction: X direction) of the single wafer processing region R2. The buffer section 31 is equivalent to the substrate placement section of the present invention.

[0097] The single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 and the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2 each have: a rotating processing unit 33 that rotates the substrate W in a horizontal position; and a nozzle 35 that supplies a processing liquid toward the substrate W. The rotating processing unit 33 rotates the substrate W in the XY plane (horizontal plane). The nozzle 35 can swing between a standby position and a supply position, the standby position being a position separated from the rotating processing unit 33, and the supply position being a position located above the rotating processing unit 33. As the processing liquid, IPA (isopropylalcohol), pure water, or a mixture thereof may also be used. The single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 and the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2 each have, for example, the following structure: after the substrate W is cleaned with pure water, a preliminary drying process is performed with IPA.

[0098] The single-wafer drying processing chamber SWP3 is, for example, a supercritical fluid chamber. The supercritical fluid chamber performs a drying process on the substrate W using, for example, carbon dioxide that becomes a supercritical fluid. As a supercritical fluid, a fluid other than carbon dioxide may also be used for drying. The supercritical state is obtained by placing carbon dioxide in an environment with a specific critical pressure and critical temperature. The specific pressure is 7.38 MPa and the temperature is 31°C. In the supercritical state, since the surface tension of the fluid becomes zero, the influence of the gas-liquid interface on the circuit pattern on the surface of the substrate W will not be generated. Therefore, as long as the substrate W is dried using a supercritical fluid, the so-called pattern collapse in which the circuit pattern on the substrate W collapses can be prevented.

[0099] Thus, the single-wafer drying processing chamber SWP3 in the first embodiment is located closer to the transfer block 7 than the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 and the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2.

[0100] The buffer section 31 has a plurality of loading racks 39 arranged in the vertical direction (Z direction), and can accommodate at least one batch (for example, twenty-five pieces) of substrates W. The loading racks 39 are arranged at the full pitch mentioned above. The buffer section 31 is used when transferring batches between the processing block 9 and the transfer block 7. This part is explained below. When a batch is transferred from the processing block 9 to the transfer block 7, first, the central robot CR described later in the processing block 9 places the substrates W that have been dried one by one on the buffer section 31. In this way, a batch of substrates W are accommodated in the buffer section 31 at the full pitch. Then, the batch accommodated in the buffer section 31 is held together by the first transport mechanism HTR in the transfer block 7. That is, the central robot CR in the processing block 9 can access the buffer section 31 from the width direction (Y direction), and the first transport mechanism HTR in the transfer block 7 can access the buffer section 31 from the front-back direction (X direction). Furthermore, the center robot CR can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z direction) so as to be able to transfer the substrates W between the plurality of mounting racks 39 .

[0101] <5.3 Single-chip substrate handling area>

[0102] The single-wafer substrate transfer area R3 in the processing block 9 is a rectangular area extending in the front-back direction (X direction). The single-wafer substrate transfer area R3 is sandwiched between the batch processing area R1 and the single-wafer processing area R2, and one end side is adjacent to the transfer block 7, and the other end side extends in a direction away from the transfer block 7.

[0103] The single-chip substrate transport area R3 has a central robot CR for transporting substrates W in a horizontal posture. The central robot CR transports the substrates W between the underwater posture conversion unit 25 and the single-chip liquid processing chambers SWP1 to SWP3 and the buffer unit 31. The central robot CR is equivalent to the single-chip substrate transport mechanism of the present invention. The central robot CR has a hand 29 that can hold a single substrate W in a horizontal posture. The central robot CR can also have another hand 29 that overlaps in the vertical direction (Z direction). The central robot CR can reciprocate in the front-back direction (X direction). Moreover, the central robot CR can also reciprocate in the vertical direction (Z direction). The central robot CR can rotate in the XY plane (horizontal plane). Therefore, the hand 29 of the central robot CR rotates around the rotation axis extending in the Z direction, so that it can not only be oriented toward the batch processing area R1 side of the batch processing, but also toward the single-chip processing area R2 side of the single-chip processing. The central robot CR is equivalent to the single-chip substrate transport mechanism of the present invention.

[0104] The hand 29 of the central robot CR can move forward and backward in the XY plane (horizontal plane). Therefore, the hand 29 can not only receive the substrate W in a horizontal posture from the underwater posture conversion unit 25 of the batch processing area R1, but also transfer the substrate W in a horizontal posture between each single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 to SWP3 of the single-wafer processing area R2. In addition, when the central robot CR has two hands 29, it receives two substrates W from the underwater posture conversion unit 25 and transfers the substrates W one by one to different single-wafer liquid processing chambers SWP1 or single-wafer liquid processing chambers SWP2 of the single-wafer processing area R2.

[0105] <5.4 Batch substrate handling area>

[0106] The batch substrate transfer area R4 in the processing block 9 is a rectangular area extending in the front-rear direction (X direction). The batch substrate transfer area R4 is set along the outer edge of the batch processing area R1, one end side extends to the transfer block 7, and the other end side extends in a direction away from the transfer block 7.

[0107] A second transport mechanism WTR for transporting a plurality of substrates W at a time is provided in the batch substrate transport region R4. The second transport mechanism WTR transports a plurality of substrates W (specifically, a batch) at a time between the substrate receiving and handing-over position P determined in the transfer block 7, each batch processing unit BPU1 to BPU3, and the underwater posture conversion unit 25. The second transport mechanism WTR is configured to be able to reciprocate in the front-to-back direction (X direction) throughout the transfer block 7 and the processing block 9. The second transport mechanism WTR can move to the batch substrate transport region R4 in the processing block 9, and can also move to the substrate receiving and handing-over position P in the transfer block 7. The second transport mechanism WTR is equivalent to the batch substrate transport mechanism of the present invention.

[0108] The second transport mechanism WTR has a pair of hands 23 for transporting the batch. The pair of hands 23 has, for example, a rotation axis facing the width direction (Y direction) and swings around the rotation axis. The pair of hands 23 clamps both ends of a plurality of substrates W constituting the batch. The second transport mechanism WTR transfers the batch between the substrate transfer position P in the transfer block 7, the lifts LF1 to LF3 belonging to the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU3, and the lift LF4 belonging to the underwater posture conversion unit 25.

[0109] Thus, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this example arranges the regions in the order of batch substrate conveying region R4, batch processing region R1, single substrate conveying region R3 and single processing region R2, which are elongated shapes extending in the front-rear direction (X direction) from left to right.

[0110] <5.5 Window>

[0111] As described above, the buffer section 31 in the processing block 9 is adjacent to the transfer block 7. The first transport mechanism HTR provided in the transfer block 7 can access the buffer section 31. Therefore, the first transport mechanism HTR can collectively transfer a plurality of substrates W placed in the buffer section 31 in a state of being arranged in a horizontal posture in the vertical direction at the same interval as the carrier C. A window section 77 is provided in the partition wall for separating the transfer block 7 and the processing block 9. Therefore, the first transport mechanism HTR of the transfer block 7 can access the buffer section 31 of the processing block 9.

[0112] The substrate processing device 1 of this example has, in addition to the above-mentioned parts, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 75 for controlling each mechanism and each processing unit, and a storage unit 76 for storing various information required for the processing process, such as programs and set values. In addition, the specific structure of the CPU is not particularly limited. It is also possible to have one CPU in the entire device, or to have one or more CPUs in each block. The same applies to the storage unit 76. The control performed by the CPU is, for example, control related to the actions of the first transport mechanism HTR, the second transport mechanism WTR, the HVC posture conversion unit 20, the pusher mechanism 22, and the central robot CR.

[0113] <Substrate Processing Flow>

[0114] Figure 4 1 is a flowchart for explaining the process of substrate processing in this example. The substrate processing in this example is, for example, various processes related to etching of the surface of a substrate W in a semiconductor device manufacturing process. The process of substrate processing will be specifically explained below according to this flowchart.

[0115] Step S11: The carrier C containing the unprocessed substrate W is placed on the loading platform 15 of the loading unit 11. Then, the carrier C is taken into the device from the loading unit 11 and placed on the carrier loading shelf 21a (see FIG. 2 ) for transfer provided in the storage block 5 by the transport mechanism 19. Figure 5 ).

[0116] Step S12: The first transport mechanism HTR provided in the transfer block 7 takes out the plurality of substrates W from the carrier C of the carrier loading rack 21a. Then, the first transport mechanism HTR transfers the plurality of substrates W in a horizontal posture to the HVC posture conversion unit 20. The HVC posture conversion unit 20 converts the posture of the plurality of substrates W from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture, and transfers the plurality of substrates W to the pusher mechanism 22. The pusher mechanism 22 transports the substrates W in a vertical posture to the substrate transfer position P (refer to FIG. 1 ) in a state where the substrates W are arranged in the width direction (Y direction). Figure 5 ).

[0117] Step S13: Execute batch processing. Specifically, the batch waiting at the substrate handover position P is lifted up by the second transport mechanism WTR in the vertical direction (Z direction) and then transported in the front-to-back direction (X direction). The plurality of substrates W in the vertical posture are transferred to the elevator LF1 of the first batch processing unit BPU1 or the elevator LF2 of the second batch processing unit BPU2 in a state arranged in the width direction (Y direction). The elevators LF1 and LF2 that receive the substrates W are located at the handover position. In this way, the batch is located on the liquid surface of either the batch liquid treatment tank CHB1 or the batch liquid treatment tank CHB2. Figure 5 The following is an example of how a batch is processed in the batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1. The lift LF1 that has received the batch descends and immerses the batch in the batch chemical liquid processing tank CHB1. In this way, the chemical liquid processing is performed on the batch.

[0118] When the liquid chemical treatment is completed, the lift LF1 exposes the batch from the batch liquid chemical treatment tank CHB1 to the liquid surface. After that, the batch is lifted together in the vertical direction (Z direction) by the second transport mechanism WTR, and then transported in the front-to-back direction (X direction). The substrate W in the vertical posture is transferred to the lift LF3 of the third batch processing unit BPU3 in a state of being arranged in the width direction (Y direction). At this time, the lift LF3 is located at the handover position. In this way, the batch is located on the liquid surface in the batch rinsing treatment tank ONB. The lift LF3 that has received the batch descends and immerses the batch in the batch rinsing treatment tank ONB. In this way, the batch is cleaned (refer to Figure 5 ).

[0119] When the cleaning process is finished, the lift LF3 makes the batch emerge from the batch rinsing tank ONB on the liquid surface. After that, the batch is lifted up by the second transport mechanism WTR in the vertical direction (Z direction) and transported in the front-back direction (X direction). The plurality of substrates W in the vertical posture are transferred to the underwater posture conversion unit 25 (see FIG. 25 ) in a state where they are arranged in the width direction (Y direction). Figure 5 ). At this time, the lift LF4 of the underwater posture conversion unit 25 is on standby in a posture of a batch that can maintain a vertical posture. In addition, the lift LF4 is located at the handover position at this time.

[0120] As described above, in step S13, the second transport mechanism WTR receives a plurality of substrates W in a vertical posture at the substrate receiving and handing over position P of the transfer block 7, and transports the received plurality of substrates W in sequence to the first batch processing unit BPU1 (or the second batch processing unit BPU2) for liquid treatment, the third batch processing unit BPU3 for rinsing treatment, and the underwater posture conversion unit 25.

[0121] Step S14: Here, the process after batch processing, namely posture conversion, is executed. Figure 6 Used to explain the process related to the posture conversion in the entire process of substrate processing. In the underwater posture conversion unit 25, the lift LF4 located at the handover position receives the batch and moves the lift LF4 to the immersion position. In this way, the batch is located below the liquid surface of the immersion tank 43. Next, the posture conversion mechanism 45 rotates the batch 90° in the water, thereby converting the posture of the plurality of substrates W from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture. As the rotation direction at this time, the surface of the substrate W on which the circuit pattern is formed is selected to face upward. As described above, the underwater posture conversion unit 25 converts the posture of the plurality of substrates W received in the vertical posture into a horizontal posture.

[0122] Step S15: Execute the process after the posture conversion process, that is, the single-chip process. Figure 7 The process related to the single-wafer processing in the whole process of substrate processing is explained. The substrates W in the horizontal posture waiting in the underwater posture conversion unit 25 are lifted one by one in the vertical direction (Z direction) by the central robot CR and then transported to either the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 or the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2. Figure 7 The substrate W is shown as being placed in the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1. The substrate W that has been pre-dried in the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 is lifted up in the vertical direction (Z direction) by the central robot CR and then transferred to the single-wafer drying processing chamber SWP3. Then, the substrate W is placed in the supercritical fluid chamber 37 and subjected to drying.

[0123] Step S16: Place the processed substrate W in the buffer 31. Specifically, the substrate W that has been dried is taken out from the supercritical fluid chamber 37 by the central robot CR and placed in the buffer 31. When the substrates are transported in this way, the 25 substrates W arranged in the vertical direction (Z direction) at full pitch are held in a horizontal position in the buffer 31. In this way, the buffer 31 holds the processed batch of substrates (see Figure 7 ). In addition, as described in step S15 and this step, the central robot CR sequentially transports the substrates W converted into a horizontal posture by the underwater posture conversion unit 25 to the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1, the single-wafer drying processing chamber SWP3 and the buffer unit 31 one by one.

[0124] Step S17 : The plurality of substrates W placed on the buffer portion 31 are stored in the carrier C. Figure 8 It is used to explain the process related to the batch transportation in the whole process of substrate processing. The batch held by the buffer section 31 is held by the first transport mechanism HTR. Then, the batch is returned to the empty carrier C waiting on the carrier loading shelf 21a in the storage block 5. Since the substrate processing in this example establishes a correspondence between the carrier C and the batch inside the carrier C, the batch taken out from the carrier C is returned to the same carrier C after various processes. The carrier C containing the batch is moved to the removal section 13 provided on the side wall of the loading and unloading block 3. That is, when the buffer section 31 in the processing block 9 is loaded with a plurality of substrates W, the first transport mechanism HTR takes out the plurality of substrates W from the buffer section 31 at a time, and accommodates the taken-out plurality of substrates W in the carrier C at a time.

[0125] Step S18: The transport mechanism 19 transports the carrier C to the mounting table 17, and removes the carrier C from the mounting table 17. In this way, the substrate processing of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this example is completed.

[0126] As described above, according to this example, a buffer section 31 is provided in the single-wafer processing area R2, and the buffer section 31 can be used for both the first transport robot HTR and the central robot CR to transfer the substrate W. Therefore, the first transport mechanism HTR can receive the substrates W from the single-wafer processing area R2 via the buffer section 31. In addition, the central robot CR can transfer the substrates W processed in the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1, the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2, and the single-wafer drying processing chamber SWP3 to the buffer section 31 one by one. According to this structure, the substrate W is carried in and out of the carrier C by the first transport mechanism HTR. Therefore, the potential of the first transport mechanism HTR can be stimulated, so that a substrate processing device 1 with a high processing capacity can be provided. Furthermore, according to the present invention, in the batch processing region R1 in the processing block 9, the underwater posture conversion unit 25 is arranged at a position farther from the transfer block 7 than each batch processing tank for performing a predetermined process on the substrate W. Therefore, the plurality of substrates W subjected to the batch processing are transported in a direction away from the transfer block 7 when they are directed toward the underwater posture conversion unit 25. Then, the plurality of substrates W subjected to the posture conversion by the underwater posture conversion unit 25 are transported in a direction close to the transfer block 7 when performing the single-wafer process. In this way, the batch processing is performed while the substrates W are transported in a direction away from the transfer block 7 in the processing block 9, and then the single-wafer process is performed while the substrates W are transported in a manner that the substrates W are close to the transfer block 7. According to this structure, the reciprocation of the substrates W in the processing block 9 is completed at one time, so that a substrate processing apparatus 1 with a short transport distance of the substrates W and a high processing throughput can be provided.

[0127] In addition, the substrate W whose posture is converted into a horizontal posture in the underwater posture conversion unit 25 is arranged at a position close to the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 and the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2. The single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 and the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2 are located at a position farther away from the transfer block 7 than the single-wafer drying processing chamber SWP3. On the other hand, the underwater posture conversion unit 25 is located at a position farthest from the transfer block 7. As long as it is set in the above manner, the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 and the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2 are located closer to the underwater posture conversion unit 25 than the single-wafer drying processing chamber SWP3. According to this structure, the distance when the substrates W are transported one by one from the batch processing area R1 to the single-wafer processing area R2 becomes shorter. Therefore, according to the structure of this example, the processing volume is high, and unexpected drying of the substrate W can be prevented. Furthermore, the time from when the substrate W is carried out from underwater posture conversion unit 25 to when it is carried into single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1 or single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP2 is shortened, and contamination of the substrate W during transportation can be prevented as much as possible.

[0128] Example 2

[0129] Next, a substrate processing apparatus 2 of the second embodiment is described. The difference between the substrate processing apparatus 2 of this example and the apparatus of the first embodiment is that the substrate processing apparatus 2 performs single-wafer processing before batch processing. The specific flow of substrate processing will be described later.

[0130] Fig. 9 The overall structure of the substrate processing apparatus 2 is described. The loading and unloading block 3, the storage block 5, and the transfer block 7 in the substrate processing apparatus 2 are the same as those in the apparatus of Example 1. In addition, the fact that the central robot CR is provided in the single-wafer conveying area R3 in the processing block 9 and the second conveying mechanism WTR is provided in the batch substrate conveying area R4 are also the same as those in the apparatus of Example 1. The apparatus of this example is characterized by the batch processing area R1 and the single-wafer processing area R2 in the processing block 9.

[0131] <Batch Processing Area>

[0132] In the batch processing area R1 of the processing block 9 of this example, the first batch processing unit BPU1, the second batch processing unit BPU2, the third batch processing unit BPU3 and the underwater posture conversion unit 25 are arranged in sequence in the direction away from the transfer block 7 (front-back direction: X direction). The first batch processing unit BPU1 has a batch drying chamber DC for drying a plurality of substrates W constituting a batch at the same time; the second batch processing unit BPU2 has the above-mentioned batch rinsing tank ONB and the elevator LF2; the third batch processing unit BPU3 has the above-mentioned batch liquid treatment tank CHB and the elevator LF3. The batch drying chamber DC is located closer to the transfer block 7 than the batch rinsing tank ONB. The batch rinsing tank ONB is located on the side closer to the transfer block 7 than the batch liquid treatment tank CHB. In this way, the common point between the apparatus of Example 2 and the apparatus of Example 1 is that the underwater posture conversion unit 25 is located at the innermost side relative to the transfer block 7. However, the difference between the apparatus of the second embodiment and the apparatus of the first embodiment is that the batch chemical processing tank CHB is located further back than the batch rinsing processing tank ONB relative to the transfer block 7. The batch drying chamber DC related to the drying of the substrate W is located further forward than the batch rinsing processing tank ONB relative to the transfer block 7, which is a feature of the second embodiment.

[0133] The batch drying chamber DC has a drying chamber that accommodates batches of substrates W arranged in a vertical posture. The drying chamber has: an inert gas supply nozzle that supplies inert gas into the chamber; and a vapor supply nozzle that supplies vapor of an organic solvent into the tank. The batch drying chamber DC first supplies inert gas to the batch supported in the chamber, and replaces the gas environment in the chamber with the inert gas. Then, the chamber begins to be depressurized. In the state where the chamber is depressurized, vapor of an organic solvent is supplied to the chamber. The organic solvent is discharged to the outside of the chamber together with the moisture attached to the substrate W. In this way, the batch drying chamber DC performs batch drying. At this time, the inert gas can be, for example, nitrogen, and the organic solvent can be, for example, IPA.

[0134] <Single chip processing area>

[0135] In the single wafer processing region R2 of the processing block 9 of this example, the buffer section 31 and the single wafer liquid processing chambers SWP1 to SWP3 for processing substrates W one by one are sequentially arranged in a direction away from the transfer block 7 (front-rear direction: X direction).

[0136] The single-wafer liquid processing chambers SWP1 to SWP3 are capable of performing liquid treatment related to resist removal. That is, the nozzles 35 of these single-wafer processing units are capable of supplying a liquid in which oxygen and ozone are dissolved in pure water. When the liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate W that is rotated by the rotating processing unit 33, the resist formed on the surface is removed from the substrate W. Specifically, the resist may be a phenolic varnish-based positive resist. The single-wafer liquid processing chambers SWP1 to SWP3 are also capable of supplying pure water to the substrate W. When pure water is supplied to the substrate W, the resist remaining on the substrate W can be made to flow out from the substrate W. In addition, the single-wafer liquid processing chambers SWP1 to SWP3 are structures for pre-processing for batch processing, and the specific processing content is not particularly limited.

[0137] <Substrate Processing Flow>

[0138] Fig.10 1 is a flowchart for explaining the process of substrate processing in this example. The substrate processing in this example is used, for example, to perform various processes related to the removal of resist from the surface of a substrate W in a semiconductor device manufacturing process. The process of substrate processing will be specifically explained below according to this flowchart.

[0139] Step S21: An unprocessed substrate W is introduced into the substrate processing apparatus 2. Specifically, a carrier C containing the unprocessed substrate W is placed on the loading table 15 in the loading section 11 of the apparatus. Then, the carrier C is taken into the apparatus from the loading section 11 and is placed on the carrier loading shelf 21a (see FIG. 2 ) provided in the storage block 5 by the transport mechanism 19. Fig.11 ).

[0140] Step S22: Place the batch on the buffer 31. Specifically, the first transport mechanism HTR provided in the transfer block 7 takes out the plurality of substrates W in a horizontal position from the carrier C. Next, the first transport mechanism HTR places the batch on the buffer 31 (see FIG. 1 ) while maintaining the position of the plurality of substrates W. Fig.11 ).

[0141] Step S23: Performing Single Wafer Processing Specifically, substrates W placed in a horizontal position on buffer 31 are gripped one by one by the central robot CR and carried into any one of single wafer liquid processing chambers SWP1 to SWP3. Fig.12 It is used to explain the movement of the substrate W in this step. Fig.12 In the process, the substrate W is transported to the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1, and the process related to the removal of the resist is performed. The substrate W with the resist removed is transported by the central robot CR to the underwater posture conversion unit 25. At this time, the underwater posture conversion unit 25 is on standby with the substrate W being able to maintain a horizontal posture. When the elevator LF4 of the underwater posture conversion unit 25 receives the substrate W, it descends to the full pitch width and immerses the received substrate W into the water. The elevator LF4 repeats this action each time the central robot CR transports the substrate W. As a result, the substrates W in the horizontal posture are arranged in the vertical direction at the full pitch on the elevator LF4. As described above, the central robot CR transports the plurality of substrates W placed on the buffer unit 31 one by one to any one of the single-wafer liquid processing chambers SWP1 to SWP3 and the horizontal posture conversion unit 25.

[0142] Step S24: convert the plurality of substrates W from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture at once. Fig.13 The process related to the posture conversion in the entire process of substrate processing is described. In the underwater posture conversion unit 25, the lifter LF4 located at the handover position receives the substrates W one by one, and each time the lifter LF4 descends a distance corresponding to the full pitch. In this way, the substrates W are sequentially located below the liquid surface of the immersion tank 43. When this action is repeated, all the substrates W constituting the batch are stored in the immersion tank 43. After a batch of substrates W are stored in the immersion tank 43, the posture conversion mechanism 45 rotates the batch 90° in the water, thereby converting the postures of the plurality of substrates W from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture. In this way, the underwater posture conversion unit 25 converts the postures of the substrates W received one by one in the horizontal posture into the vertical posture at a time. As described above, the underwater posture conversion unit 25 receives the substrates W in the horizontal posture one by one. When the number of substrates W received reaches a specified number (for example, twenty-five), the postures of the plurality of substrates W in the horizontal posture are converted into the vertical posture at a time. All the substrates W that have undergone posture conversion are accommodated in the same carrier C.

[0143] Step S25: Batch processing of a plurality of substrates W. Specifically, the batch waiting in the underwater posture conversion unit 25 is lifted up by the second conveying mechanism WTR in the vertical direction (Z direction) and then conveyed in the front-to-back direction (X direction). The plurality of substrates W in the vertical posture are transferred to the elevator LF3 of the third batch processing unit BPU3 in a state arranged in the width direction (Y direction). The elevator LF3 that has received the substrates W is located at the handover position. In this way, the batch is located on the liquid surface in the batch liquid treatment tank CHB. The elevator LF3 that has received the batch descends and immerses the batch in the batch liquid treatment tank CHB. In this way, liquid treatment is performed on the batch.

[0144] After the chemical liquid treatment, the batch is cleaned in the batch rinse treatment tank ONB of the second batch processing unit BPU2 for rinse treatment, which is the same as the apparatus of the first embodiment.

[0145] When the cleaning process is finished, the lift LF2 of the second batch processing unit BPU2 makes the batch emerge from the batch rinsing tank ONB on the liquid surface. After that, the batch is lifted up in the vertical direction (Z direction) by the second transport mechanism WTR and transported in the front-back direction (X direction). The plurality of substrates W in the vertical posture are transferred to the batch drying chamber DC in a state of being arranged in the width direction (Y direction) and dried together (refer to Fig.14 As described above, the second transport mechanism WTR receives a plurality of substrates W in a vertical posture in the underwater posture conversion unit 25, and sequentially transports the received plurality of substrates W to the third batch processing unit BPU3, the second batch processing unit BPU2, and the batch drying chamber DC.

[0146] Step S26: After the substrate W is dried, the vertical posture is changed to the horizontal posture. Specifically, the batches held by the batch drying chamber DC of the first batch processing unit BPU1 are held by the second transport mechanism WTR. Then, the batches are transferred to the substrate receiving and handing over position P in the transfer block 7. The pusher mechanism 22 transports the batches in the vertical posture waiting at the substrate receiving and handing over position P to the HVC posture conversion unit 20. Fig.15 As shown in FIG. 1 , the HVC posture conversion unit 20 converts the plurality of substrates W from the vertical posture to the horizontal posture. Fig.15 As shown in (a) of FIG. 1 , the pusher 22A located at the upper position descends and transports the plurality of substrates W to the vertical holding portion 20C. Since the vertical holding portion 20C is provided with a V-groove, each substrate W held by the pusher 22A is clamped and held by the V-groove. When the pusher 22A further descends from here, as shown in FIG. Fig.15As shown in (b) in FIG. 1 , the plurality of substrates W are separated from the pusher 22A and held by the HVC posture conversion unit 20. In this state, when the support table 20A of the HVC posture conversion unit 20 is rotated 90° counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. Fig.15 As shown in (c) in FIG. 1 , the plurality of substrates W are held by the recessed portion of the horizontal holding portion 20B of the HVC posture conversion portion 20 and converted to a horizontal posture.

[0147] Step S27: The plurality of substrates W converted to the horizontal posture are collectively accommodated in the carrier C. Specifically, the batch of substrates W arranged in the horizontal posture maintained by the HVC posture conversion unit 20 is collectively received by the first transport mechanism HTR and returned to the empty carrier C waiting on the carrier placement shelf 21a in the storage block 5. Since the substrate processing in this example establishes a correspondence between the carrier C and the batch inside the carrier C, the batch taken out from the carrier C is returned to the same carrier C after various processing. The carrier C accommodating the batch is moved to the removal unit 13 provided on the side wall of the loading and unloading block 3.

[0148] Step S28: Remove the carrier C containing the plurality of substrates W from the apparatus. In this way, the substrate processing of the substrate processing apparatus 2 of this example is completed.

[0149] As described above, according to this example, a buffer section 31 is provided in the single-wafer processing area R2, and the buffer section 31 can be used for both the first transport robot HTR and the central robot CR to transfer the substrate W. Therefore, the first transport mechanism HTR can transfer the substrate W to the single-wafer processing area R2 via the buffer section 31. In addition, the central robot CR can transfer the substrates W taken out one by one from the buffer section 31 to the single-wafer liquid processing chambers SWP1 to SWP3. According to this structure, the substrate W is carried in and out of the carrier C at the same time through the first transport mechanism HTR. Therefore, the potential of the first transport mechanism HTR can be stimulated, so that a substrate processing device 2 with a high processing capacity can be provided. In addition, in this example, when the plurality of substrates W subjected to single-wafer processing are directed toward the underwater posture conversion section 25, they are transported in a direction away from the transfer block 7. Then, when the plurality of substrates W subjected to posture conversion by the underwater posture conversion section 25 are subjected to batch processing, they are transported in a direction close to the transfer block 7. In this way, in the processing block 9, single-wafer processing is performed while the substrate W is transported in a direction away from the transfer block 7, and batch processing is performed while the substrate W is transported so as to approach the transfer block 7. According to this structure, the reciprocating movement of the substrate W is completed at one time, thereby providing a substrate processing device with a short transport distance and a high processing volume.

[0150] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned structure, and can be implemented in various modifications as described below.

[0151] <Modification 1>

[0152] In Example 1, for example, fifty substrates W arranged at half pitch are arranged in a face-to-back manner with their device surfaces facing the same direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, fifty substrates W may be arranged face to face. The advantage of arranging fifty substrates W face to face is that the device surface of the first substrate W in the batch can be directed toward the second substrate W, and the device surface of the fiftieth substrate W in the batch can be directed toward the forty-ninth substrate W. In this way, as long as the device surfaces of the substrates W at both ends of the batch face inward, the batch can be transported in a state where the device surfaces of the substrates W are protected. Therefore, as long as the substrates W are arranged face to face, the desired circuit pattern can be reliably formed on the substrates W.

[0153] The formation of a face-to-face batch is performed by the HVC posture conversion unit 20 and the pusher mechanism 22 in the transfer block 7. In order to form the batch, first, the HVC posture conversion unit 20 changes, for example, twenty-five first substrates W1 that have been in a horizontal posture into a vertical posture. Next, the first substrate W1 that has undergone posture conversion is picked up and lifted by the pusher 22A. Thereafter, the first substrate W1 is flipped left and right, thereby flipping the device surface in the first substrate W1. In this way, the HVC posture conversion unit 20 changes, for example, twenty-five second substrates W2 that have been in a horizontal posture into a vertical posture. Finally, the pusher 22A picks up and lifts the second substrate W2 to complete the batch. In this way, the first substrate W1 is flipped and incorporated into the batch, while the second substrate W2 is not flipped into the batch. Therefore, the orientation of the device surface is different between the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2. Since the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 are arranged alternately, the generated batch becomes a face-to-face method in which the device surfaces of the adjacent substrates W are opposite to each other.

[0154] Below, refer to Fig.16 The various processes of batch formation are described in detail. In the batch formation process, the operation until the pusher 22A picks up and lifts the first substrate W1 is the same as that in the first embodiment. Figure 3 (a) to (c) are the same, so the description is omitted. Fig.16 Describe the subsequent actions. Fig.16 (a) is the same as above Figure 3 The figure corresponding to (d) in the figure shows that the pusher 22A does not shift in the Y direction as in Example 1, but instead rotates 180°. Through this action, all the device surfaces of the first substrate W1 facing the left direction are facing the right direction. In addition, at this time, the phase of the arrangement of the first substrate W1 is shifted by half the pitch. In order to achieve such a displacement action, the rotation center of the pusher 22A is slightly offset (half the width of the half-pitch width) from the center of the arrangement of the first substrate W1 in the arrangement direction.

[0155] Fig.16 (b) is the same as above Figure 3 The figure corresponding to (e) in FIG. 1 shows the state when the support table 20A holding the second substrate W2 is rotated 90 degrees. At this time, since the device surface of the second substrate W2 in a horizontal posture faces upward, the device surface is all facing leftward.

[0156] Fig.16 (c) is the same as above Figure 3 The figure corresponding to (f) in FIG. 1 shows the state when the pusher 22A moves to the upper position again. The first substrate W1 is rotated 180°, so that the phase of the arrangement is shifted by half the pitch. Figure 3 Similarly to the case (f) in FIG. 1 , the second substrate W2 clamped by the vertical holding portion 20C is accommodated in the empty groove between the first substrates W1 on the upper surface of the pusher 22A in a manner that does not interfere with the first substrate W1. In this way, a face-to-face batch is formed in which the first substrates W1 with the device surface facing the right and the second substrates W2 with the device surface facing the left are alternately arranged. The pusher mechanism 22 can transport the formed batch to the substrate transfer position P.

[0157] In the case of Example 1, when the central robot CR accesses the underwater posture conversion unit 25, the underwater posture conversion unit 25 rotates the substrates W by 180 degrees at a time. Therefore, when performing the single-wafer processing, all the substrates W have the surfaces on which the circuit patterns are formed facing upward.

[0158] <Modification 2>

[0159] The underwater posture conversion unit 25 of the present invention converts the posture of the substrate arrangement in water, but the present invention is not limited to this structure. The posture conversion unit can also be configured in a manner that the posture conversion is performed in the air, or can be configured with a shower for spraying liquid such as pure water on the substrate W.

[0160] <Variation 3>

[0161] The device of the present invention is provided with a central robot CR having a hand composed of a pair of arms, but a central robot CR having two hands may be provided to replace the above structure. The two hands may be arranged up and down respectively, and the upper hand may be used as a hand for transporting the substrate after the drying process, and the lower hand may be used as a hand for transporting the substrate before the drying process. With this structure, since a wet hand will not hold the substrate W after the drying process, the dry state of the substrate W can be reliably maintained. In addition, the hand used for transporting the substrate W after the drying process is arranged higher than the hand used for transporting the substrate W before the drying process, so that the liquid attached to the hand used for transporting the substrate before the drying process will not drip on the hand used for transporting the substrate after the drying process, so that the dry state of the hand used for transporting the substrate after the drying process can be reliably maintained.

[0162] <Variation 4>

[0163] The above device is a structure in which a central robot CR is set. Fig.17As shown, it is also possible to construct a plurality of central robots CR1 and CR2 that can move in the front-rear direction (X direction). In this case, the retreat area ES for retreating the central robot CR2 located on the inner side when viewed from the transfer block 7 among the central robots is set on the inner side of the single-wafer substrate conveying area R3 in the processing block 9. With this structure, the central robot CR1 located in the front when viewed from the transfer block 7 can reliably access the underwater posture conversion unit 25 or the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1. That is, as long as the central robot CR2 located on the inner side when viewed from the transfer block 7 is retreated to the retreat area ES, the central robot CR1 can be reliably located in the underwater posture conversion unit 25 or the single-wafer liquid processing chamber SWP1. Since the central robot CR2 at this time is located further inward than the underwater posture conversion unit 25 and the like, it will not hinder the movement of the central robot CR1. In addition, one of the central robots CR1 and CR2 may be used as a central robot for conveying substrates before drying, and the other of the central robots CR1 and CR2 may be used as a central robot for conveying substrates after drying. According to this configuration, since a robot for conveying substrates W after drying is provided independently of a robot for conveying substrates W before drying, substrates W before drying and substrates W after drying can be conveyed simultaneously, thereby increasing the processing capacity of the substrate processing apparatus. In addition, since the robot for conveying substrates W after drying does not hold wet substrates W before drying, substrates W after drying will not be conveyed while the robot for conveying substrates W after drying is wet. Therefore, through this configuration, a substrate processing apparatus that reliably maintains the dry state of substrates W can be provided.

[0164] Description of reference numerals:

[0165] 5: Storage Block

[0166] 7: Move block

[0167] 9: Processing blocks

[0168] 20: HVC posture conversion unit (first posture conversion mechanism)

[0169] 21a: Loading rack (carrier loading rack)

[0170] 25: underwater posture conversion unit (second posture conversion mechanism)

[0171] 31: Buffer section (substrate mounting section)

[0172] C: Carrier

[0173] CHB: Batch Chemical Treatment Tank (Batch Treatment Tank)

[0174] CHB1: Batch liquid treatment tank (batch treatment tank)

[0175] CHB2: Batch liquid treatment tank (batch treatment tank)

[0176] CR: Central robot (single substrate handling mechanism)

[0177] DC: Batch Drying Chamber

[0178] HTR: First transport mechanism (substrate handling mechanism)

[0179] ONB: Batch rinse tank (batch tank)

[0180] P: Substrate connection position

[0181] R1: Batch processing area

[0182] R2: Monolithic processing area

[0183] R3: Single substrate handling area

[0184] R4: Batch substrate handling area

[0185] SWP3: Single Wafer Drying Processing Chamber (Single Wafer Processing Chamber)

[0186] SWP1: Single Wafer Liquid Processing Chamber (Single Wafer Processing Chamber)

[0187] SWP2: Single Wafer Liquid Processing Chamber (Single Wafer Processing Chamber)

[0188] W: substrate

[0189] WTR: Second transport mechanism (batch substrate transport mechanism)

Claims

1. A substrate processing device for continuously performing batch processing of processing a plurality of substrates at once and single processing of processing substrates one by one, characterized in that: The substrate processing device comprises: Storage blocks; a transfer block, adjacent to the storage block; as well as a processing block, adjacent to the transfer block; The storage block accommodates at least one carrier, and has at least one carrier loading shelf for taking out and storing substrates, wherein the carrier stores a plurality of substrates in a horizontal posture at predetermined intervals along a vertical direction, and the carrier loading shelf is used for the carrier to be loaded and unloaded relative to the carrier; The transfer block has: A substrate operation mechanism for taking out and accommodating a plurality of substrates from a carrier placed on the carrier placing rack; and A first posture conversion mechanism converts the postures of the plurality of substrates between a horizontal posture and a vertical posture; The processing block has: A batch processing area, one end of which is adjacent to the transfer block and the other end of which extends away from the transfer block; A single-wafer processing area, one end of which is adjacent to the transfer block and the other end of which extends away from the transfer block; A single-wafer substrate conveying area is sandwiched between the batch processing area and the single-wafer processing area, one end of which is adjacent to the transfer block and the other end of which extends in a direction away from the transfer block; as well as A batch substrate transport area is arranged along the batch processing area, one end of which extends to the transfer block and the other end of which extends in a direction away from the transfer block; In the batch processing area, a plurality of batch processing tanks for simultaneously immersing and processing a plurality of substrates are arranged in the direction in which the batch processing area extends, and a second posture conversion mechanism for converting the postures of the plurality of substrates between a vertical posture and a horizontal posture is provided at a position farthest from the transfer block; In the single-wafer processing area, a plurality of single-wafer processing chambers for processing substrates one by one are arranged in the direction in which the single-wafer processing area extends, and a substrate loading unit is provided at a position closest to the transfer block, and the substrate loading unit loads a plurality of substrates in a horizontal posture in a vertical direction at the same predetermined interval as the carrier; A single-chip substrate conveying mechanism is provided in the single-chip substrate conveying area, and the single-chip substrate conveying mechanism conveys the substrate between the second posture conversion mechanism, the single-chip processing chamber and the substrate placing portion; A batch substrate transport mechanism is provided in the batch substrate transport area, and the batch substrate transport mechanism transports a plurality of substrates at a time between the substrate connection position determined in the transfer block, the batch processing tank and the second posture conversion mechanism; The substrate handling mechanism of the transfer block is further configured to be able to collectively transfer a plurality of substrates to and from the substrate placement portion of the single-wafer processing area.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: In the batch processing area there are: A batch liquid treatment tank for containing liquid for treating a plurality of substrates at once; as well as A batch rinsing tank for accommodating a rinsing liquid for rinsing a plurality of substrates that have been treated with a chemical solution; The batch liquid treatment tank is located closer to the transfer block than the batch rinse treatment tank; In the monolithic processing area there are: A single-wafer liquid processing chamber that processes liquids on substrates one by one; as well as A single-wafer drying process chamber allows liquid-treated substrates to be dried piece by piece; The single-wafer drying processing chamber is located closer to the transfer block than the single-wafer liquid processing chamber; In the transfer block, the substrate operation mechanism takes out a plurality of substrates from the carrier at a time, and the first posture conversion mechanism converts the taken-out plurality of substrates from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture; In the processing block, the batch substrate conveying mechanism receives a plurality of substrates in a vertical posture at the substrate receiving and handing-over position of the transfer block, and conveys the received plurality of substrates to the batch liquid treatment tank, the batch rinse treatment tank and the second posture conversion mechanism in sequence; the second posture conversion mechanism converts the postures of the received plurality of substrates in a vertical posture into a horizontal posture; the single-piece substrate conveying mechanism conveys the substrates converted into a horizontal posture by the second posture conversion mechanism one by one to the single-piece liquid treatment chamber, the single-piece drying treatment chamber and the substrate loading section in sequence; In the transfer block, when a plurality of substrates are placed on the substrate placement section in the processing block, the substrate handling mechanism collectively takes out the plurality of substrates from the substrate placement section and collectively accommodates the taken-out plurality of substrates in the carrier.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The single-wafer processing area is provided with a single-wafer liquid processing chamber for performing liquid processing on substrates one by one; In the batch processing area there are: A batch liquid treatment tank for containing liquid for treating a plurality of substrates at once; A batch rinsing tank for accommodating a rinsing liquid for rinsing a plurality of substrates that have been treated with a chemical solution; as well as Batch drying chamber, drying multiple rinsed substrates at the same time; The batch drying chamber is located closer to the transfer block than the batch rinsing tank; The batch washing treatment tank is located on a side closer to the transfer block than the batch liquid treatment tank; In the transfer block, the substrate operation mechanism takes out a plurality of substrates from the carrier at once and places them on the substrate placement portion in the processing block; In the processing block, the single-substrate transport mechanism transports the plurality of substrates placed on the substrate placement portion one by one to the single-substrate liquid processing chamber and the second posture conversion mechanism in sequence; The second posture conversion mechanism converts the postures of the plurality of substrates in the horizontal posture into the vertical posture when receiving the plurality of substrates in the horizontal posture; The batch substrate transport mechanism receives a plurality of substrates in a vertical posture in the second posture conversion mechanism, and transports the received plurality of substrates to the batch liquid treatment tank, the batch rinse treatment tank, the batch drying chamber, and the substrate transfer position in the transfer block in sequence; In the transfer block, the first posture conversion mechanism converts the plurality of substrates received at the substrate receiving and delivering position from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture; The substrate handling mechanism accommodates a plurality of substrates in a horizontal posture in the carrier at once.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The single-wafer drying process chamber dries the substrate by means of a supercritical fluid.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The single-chip substrate transport mechanism comprises: A first hand portion, for carrying a substrate before drying; and The second hand carries the substrate after drying and placed on the upper part of the first hand.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The single-chip substrate transport mechanism comprises: A first robot, for carrying the substrate before drying; and The second robot carries the substrate after drying.

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