Substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving a through-put.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus comprises: a polishing part that polishes a substrate; a conveying part that conveys the substrate before the polishing to the polishing part; and a cleaning part that cleans the substrate after the polishing. The cleaning part includes a first cleaning unit and a second cleaning unit arranged at two stages in a vertical direction. Each of the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit includes a plurality of cleaning modules arranged in a serial line. The conveying part is arranged between the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit, and includes a slide stage conveying the substrate before the polishing along an arrangement direction of the plurality of cleaning modules.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus used for polishing substrates such as semiconductor wafers until they are flat. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with the progress of highly integrated semiconductor devices, the wiring of circuits has become finer and the distance between the wiring has become narrower. In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, many types of materials are repeatedly formed in film form on silicon wafers to form a layered structure. In order to form this layered structure, technology for flattening the wafer surface is important. As one method for flattening such wafer surfaces, polishing equipment that performs chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) (also called chemical mechanical polishing equipment) is widely used.

[0003] This chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus generally comprises a polishing table on which a polishing pad is attached, a top ring for holding the wafer, and a nozzle for supplying a polishing liquid onto the polishing pad. While the polishing liquid is being supplied onto the polishing pad from the nozzle, the top ring presses the wafer against the polishing pad, and the top ring and the polishing table are moved relative to each other to polish the wafer and make its surface flat.

[0004] The substrate processing apparatus is an apparatus that has a function of cleaning and drying the polished wafer in addition to the CMP apparatus. In such a substrate processing apparatus, it is required to improve the throughput of the substrate processing. Since the substrate processing apparatus has various processing sections for performing polishing, cleaning, etc., a delay in processing in each processing section reduces the throughput of the entire substrate processing apparatus. For example, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, even if the polishing section has multiple polishing units, the cleaning section is provided with only one cleaning line, so that multiple polished wafers cannot be cleaned and dried at the same time.

[0005] In addition, in a conventional substrate processing apparatus, when a polishing section has a first polishing unit and a second polishing unit, when a wafer is polished in the first polishing unit, the wafer is directly carried in from the load / unload section to the first polishing unit, but when a substrate is polished in the second polishing unit, the wafer is carried in from the load / unload section to the second polishing unit via the first polishing unit. This causes congestion in the same carry-in route for the first polishing unit and the second polishing unit, reducing throughput.

[0006] In addition, in conventional substrate processing apparatuses, a transfer robot arranged in a load / unload section directly carries unpolished wafers from the load / unload section to the polishing section, and also carries cleaned wafers from the cleaning section to the load / unload section. High cleanliness is required for the hand of the transfer robot that holds the cleaned wafer, but there was a concern that the hand may be contaminated by coming into contact with the polishing environment when the unpolished wafer is directly carried into the polishing section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2007 / 099976 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points. The present invention aims to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving processing speed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a polishing unit that polishes the substrate; a transport unit that transports the substrate to the polishing unit; a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate after polishing; Equipped with The cleaning section includes a first cleaning unit and a second cleaning unit arranged in two stages, one above the other, The first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit each have a plurality of cleaning modules arranged in series; The transport section is disposed between the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit and has a slide stage that transports an unpolished substrate along an arrangement direction of the plurality of cleaning modules.

[0010] According to the present invention, even when a plurality of substrates are continuously transported from the polishing section to the cleaning section, the substrates can be distributed to the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit, so that the plurality of substrates can be cleaned in parallel. Therefore, the throughput of the entire process can be improved. Furthermore, since the substrates before polishing are transported to the polishing section by the slide stage of the transport section, it is possible to prevent the transport robot arranged in the load / unload section from coming into contact with the polishing environment and becoming contaminated. Furthermore, since the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit are arranged in two stages, one above the other, and the slide stage is arranged between the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit, it is possible to suppress an increase in the footprint of the entire apparatus.

[0011] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a transport unit that transports the substrate to the polishing unit; a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate after polishing; Equipped with The polishing unit includes: a first polishing unit and a second polishing unit; a polishing unit transport mechanism disposed adjacent to the transport unit, the first polishing unit, and the second polishing unit; having The polishing unit transport mechanism includes: a first transfer unit that transfers a substrate to the first polishing unit; a second transfer unit that transfers the substrate to the second polishing unit; a transport robot disposed between the first transport unit and the second transport unit, and configured to transfer substrates between the transport section and the first transport unit and between the transport section and the second transport unit; has.

[0012] According to the present invention, the substrates transported from the transport section to the polishing section are distributed to the first transport unit and the second transport unit by the transport robot. Then, the substrates are transported from the first transport unit to the first polishing unit, and the substrates are transported from the second transport unit to the second polishing unit. In this way, the first polishing unit and the second polishing unit do not share a substrate transport path, so congestion during substrate transport into the first polishing unit and the second polishing unit is eliminated. This can improve the throughput of the entire process.

[0013] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the cleaning unit is disposed adjacent to the transfer robot, The transfer robot may transfer substrates between the first transfer unit and the cleaning unit and between the second transfer unit and the cleaning unit.

[0014] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: A control unit for controlling the operation of the polishing unit and the cleaning unit is further provided. The cleaning section includes a first cleaning unit and a second cleaning unit arranged in two stages, one above the other, the first cleaning unit includes a plurality of first cleaning modules and a first wafer station arranged in series, and a first cleaning section transport mechanism that transports substrates between each of the first cleaning modules and the first wafer station; the second cleaning unit includes a plurality of second cleaning modules and a second wafer station arranged in series, and a second cleaning section transport mechanism that transports substrates between each of the second cleaning modules and the second wafer station; The control unit is When an abnormality occurs in any of the plurality of first cleaning modules, the first cleaning unit transfer mechanism transfers the substrate located in the first cleaning module to the first wafer station; the transfer robot transfers the substrate from the first wafer station to the second wafer station; The operation of the polishing unit and the cleaning unit may be controlled so that the second cleaning unit transfer mechanism transfers the substrate from the second wafer station to the second cleaning module for cleaning.

[0015] According to this aspect, even if an abnormality occurs in any of the multiple first cleaning modules, the substrate located in the first cleaning module can be salvaged by being transported to the second cleaning module and cleaned.

[0016] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a polishing unit that polishes the substrate; a transport unit that transports the substrate to the polishing unit; a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate after polishing; Equipped with The polishing unit includes: N polishing machines (N is a natural number of 2 or more) a transport unit configured to transport substrates to each of the N polishing apparatuses; a transfer robot that transfers substrates between the transfer section and the transfer unit; having The transport unit includes: N pushers are disposed at N substrate transfer positions for the N polishing apparatuses, and move up and down; an exchanger having N stages arranged in N stages above and below, the N stages moving horizontally independently of one another between a waiting position for receiving and delivering substrates from the transport robot and the N substrate transport positions; has.

[0017] According to the present invention, the transfer unit can transfer the substrate received from the transfer robot to each of the polishing apparatuses at N locations. For example, the first stage of the exchanger receives the first substrate from the transfer robot and moves to the first substrate transfer position, and the first pusher rises to transfer the first substrate to the polishing apparatus. The first substrate is transferred from the stage to the first polishing device, and while the first substrate is being polished by the first polishing device, the second stage receives the second substrate from the transfer robot and moves to the second substrate transfer position, the second pusher rises to transfer the second substrate from the second stage to the second polishing device, and the second substrate can be polished by the second polishing device. By polishing two substrates in parallel in this manner, the throughput of the entire process can be improved. In addition, after the substrate is polished by the first polishing device, the first pusher descends to transfer the substrate from the first polishing device to the second stage, the second stage moves to the second substrate transfer position, the second pusher rises to transfer the substrate from the second stage to the second polishing device, and the substrate can be further polished by the second polishing device.

[0018] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the exchanger may have at least one further stage arranged in multiple tiers above and below the N stages and moving horizontally between the waiting position and the N substrate transport positions independently of the N stages.

[0019] According to this embodiment, for example, while both the first stage and the second stage are being used to transfer substrates to and from the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, the third stage can be made to receive and wait for the next substrate, thereby making it possible to speed up the start timing of the polishing process for the next substrate, further improving throughput.

[0020] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a control unit that controls an operation of the polishing unit, The control unit is When substrates are polished successively by the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, a first stage receives a first substrate from the transfer robot and moves from the standby position to a first substrate transfer position; a first pusher is raised to transfer the first substrate from the first stage to the first polishing device; while the first polishing device is polishing the first substrate, the first stage returns to the standby position and receives a second substrate from the transfer robot; when polishing in the first polishing device is completed, the first pusher is lowered to transfer the first substrate from the first polishing device to a second stage; The operation of the polishing unit may be controlled so that the first stage moves from the standby position to the first substrate transfer position at the same time that the second stage moves from the first substrate transfer position to the second substrate transfer position.

[0021] According to this embodiment, the second stage holding the first substrate moves from the first substrate transport position to the second substrate transport position at the same time that the first stage holding the second substrate moves from the standby position to the first substrate transport position, thereby improving process throughput.

[0022] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a control unit that controls an operation of the polishing unit, The control unit is When substrates are polished in parallel using a first polishing machine and a second polishing machine, a first stage is used to receive the substrate from the first polishing apparatus but is not used to transfer the substrate to the second polishing apparatus; The operation of the polishing section may be controlled so that the second stage is used to receive the substrate from the second polishing apparatus but is not used to transfer the substrate to the first polishing apparatus.

[0023] According to this embodiment, when substrates are polished in parallel by the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, the first stage and the second stage are dedicated to receiving substrates from the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, respectively. Therefore, even if a problem occurs when receiving a substrate from one polishing apparatus, the substrate can be continuously transferred to the other polishing apparatus (no deadlock). (This can avoid the occurrence of locks.)

[0024] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a control unit that controls an operation of the polishing unit, The control unit is When a first substrate and a second substrate are polished in parallel using a first polishing apparatus and a second polishing apparatus, a first stage receives the first substrate from the transfer robot and moves from the standby position to a first substrate transfer position; a first pusher is raised to transfer the first substrate from the first stage to the first polishing device; while the first polishing device is polishing the first substrate, the first stage returns from the first substrate transfer position to the standby position, receives the second substrate from the transfer robot, and moves from the standby position to the second substrate transfer position; the second pusher rises to transfer the second substrate from the first stage to the second polishing device; while the second polishing device is polishing the second substrate, the first stage returns from the second substrate transfer position to the standby position and receives a third substrate from the transfer robot; when polishing by the first polishing apparatus is completed before polishing by the second polishing apparatus is completed, the first pusher is lowered to transfer the first substrate from the first polishing apparatus to a second stage; the second stage moves from the first substrate transfer position to the standby position at the same time that the first stage moves from the standby position to the first substrate transfer position; when polishing by the second polishing apparatus is completed before polishing by the first polishing apparatus is completed, the second pusher is lowered to transfer the second substrate from the second polishing apparatus to a third stage; The operation of the polishing unit may be controlled so that the first stage moves from the standby position to the first substrate transfer position simultaneously with the third stage moving from the second substrate transfer position to the standby position.

[0025] According to this aspect, when a first substrate and a second substrate are polished in parallel by a first polishing apparatus and a second polishing apparatus, the same first stage is used to transfer wafers to both the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, and the second stage and the third stage are dedicated to receiving substrates from the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, respectively. Therefore, even if a problem occurs when receiving a substrate from one of the polishing apparatuses, substrate transfer to the other polishing apparatus can continue (avoiding the occurrence of deadlock).

[0026] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a polishing unit that polishes the substrate; a transport unit that transports the substrate to the polishing unit; a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate after polishing; Equipped with the cleaning unit includes a plurality of cleaning modules arranged in series and a cleaning unit transport mechanism that transports substrates between the cleaning modules; The cleaning unit transport mechanism includes: A pair of openable and closable arms for holding a substrate; a vertical movement mechanism for moving the pair of arms vertically; a rotation mechanism that rotates the pair of arms about a rotation axis that is parallel to the opening and closing direction; an arm transport mechanism that linearly moves the pair of arms along an arrangement direction of the plurality of cleaning modules; has.

[0027] According to the present invention, since the rotation mechanism can rotate the pair of arms so that their tips face upward, even if the shutter of a particular cleaning module among the multiple cleaning modules is closed, the arm can move while avoiding (skip) this cleaning module. Therefore, when moving the arm to pass through this cleaning module, it is not necessary to wait for the shutter to open, and the throughput of the entire process can be improved.

[0028] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the apparatus may further include a control unit that controls the operation of the cleaning unit, and the control unit may control the operation of the control unit so that when the rotating mechanism rotates the pair of arms so that their tips face upward, the up and down movement mechanism lowers the pair of arms.

[0029] According to this aspect, when the rotating mechanism rotates the pair of arms so that their tips face upward, the up-down movement mechanism lowers the pair of arms, thereby reducing the space required above the pair of arms.

[0030] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention may include two sets of the pair of arms, the vertical movement mechanism, and the rotation mechanism.

[0031] According to this embodiment, the two sets of arms can be used depending on the cleanliness of the substrate to be held. For example, by using one set of arms in the first half of the cleaning process in each cleaning module and using the other set of arms in the second half of the cleaning process, it is possible to prevent the substrate undergoing the second half of the cleaning process from coming into contact with the one set of arms and becoming contaminated.

[0032] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the pair of arms may be provided with two chuck pieces, one above the other, which are capable of contacting an outer periphery of the substrate.

[0033] According to this embodiment, the chuck pieces can be selected according to the cleanliness of the substrate to be held. For example, by using the lower chuck piece in the first half of the cleaning process in each cleaning module and using the upper chuck piece in the second half of the cleaning process, the substrate undergoing the second half of the cleaning process can be prevented from coming into contact with the lower chuck piece and becoming contaminated.

[0034] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, a set consisting of the pair of arms, the vertical movement mechanism, and the rotation mechanism may be disposed in a suspended state below the arm transport mechanism.

[0035] According to this aspect, the maintenance space for the set consisting of the pair of arms, the vertical movement mechanism, and the rotation mechanism is expanded, and therefore the time required for maintenance can be shortened.

[0036] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the cleaning section may further have a pre-cleaning module arranged in the same row as the multiple cleaning modules and for cleaning substrates before polishing, and the cleaning section transport mechanism may transport substrates between the pre-cleaning module and each cleaning module.

[0037] According to this embodiment, the surface of the unpolished substrate can be cleaned in the pre-cleaning module before the substrate is polished by the polishing apparatus, thereby reducing problems such as scratches caused by large particles being caught during the polishing process of the substrate. Effect of the Invention

[0038] According to the present invention, the throughput of a substrate processing apparatus can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the cleaning unit side. [Diagram 3] 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a transfer section of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view that typically shows a first polishing apparatus of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a side view of the transfer robot of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a perspective view showing a first transport mechanism of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the first pusher of the first transport mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a perspective view showing a first wafer station of the cleaning section shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the first wafer station shown in FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a perspective view showing a second wafer station of the cleaning section shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the second wafer station shown in FIG. [Figure 12] 12 is a diagram showing a cleaning section transport mechanism of the first cleaning unit of the cleaning section shown in FIG. [Figure 13A] 13A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transport mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 13B] 13B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transport mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 13C] 13C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transport mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 13D] 13D is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transport mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 13E] 13E is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transport mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 14]14 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transport mechanism shown in FIG. 12 grips a substrate with an upper chuck piece. [Figure 15] 15 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transport mechanism shown in FIG. 12 grips a substrate with a lower chuck piece. [Figure 16A] FIG. 16A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport unit. [Figure 16B] FIG. 16B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport unit. [Figure 16C] FIG. 16C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport unit. [Figure 17A] FIG. 17A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot. [Figure 17B] FIG. 17B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot. [Figure 17C] FIG. 17C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot. [Figure 17D] FIG. 17D is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot. [Figure 18A] FIG. 18A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18B] FIG. 18B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18C] FIG. 18C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18D] FIG. 18D is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18E] FIG. 18E is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18F] FIG. 18F is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18G] FIG. 18G is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18H] FIG. 18H is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18I]FIG. 18I is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18J] FIG. 18J is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18K] FIG. 18K is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18L] FIG. 18L is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18M] FIG. 18M is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18N] FIG. 18N is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18O] FIG. 18O is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19A] FIG. 19A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19B] FIG. 19B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19C] FIG. 19C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19D] FIG. 19D is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19E] FIG. 19E is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19F] FIG. 19F is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19G] FIG. 19G is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19H] FIG. 19H is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19I] FIG. 19I is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19J] FIG. 19J is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19K] FIG. 19K is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19L] FIG. 19L is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19M] FIG. 19M is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19N] FIG. 19N is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19O] FIG. 19O is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19P] FIG. 19P is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 20A] FIG. 20A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot with respect to the cleaning unit. [Figure 20B] FIG. 20B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot with respect to the cleaning unit. [Figure 20C] FIG. 20C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot with respect to the cleaning unit. [Figure 21A] FIG. 21A is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 21B] FIG. 21B is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 21C] FIG. 21C is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 21D] FIG. 21D is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 21E] FIG. 21E is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 21F] FIG. 21F is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 22A] FIG. 22A is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation when an abnormality occurs in the first cleaning unit. [Figure 22B] FIG. 22B is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation when an abnormality occurs in the first cleaning unit. [Figure 22C]FIG. 22C is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation when an abnormality occurs in the first cleaning unit. [Figure 22D] FIG. 22D is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation when an abnormality occurs in the first cleaning unit. [Figure 22E] FIG. 22E is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation when an abnormality occurs in the first cleaning unit. [Diagram 23] FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid leakage detection unit of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional liquid leakage detector. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the liquid leakage detection unit of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the liquid leakage detection unit of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a side view showing a cleaning section having a pre-cleaning module. [Figure 28A] FIG. 28A is a schematic view for explaining a wafer transport operation to a cleaning module of the cleaning unit in FIG. 27. FIG. [Figure 28B] FIG. 28B is a schematic view for explaining the wafer transport operation to the cleaning module of the cleaning unit in FIG. [Figure 28C] FIG. 28C is a schematic view for explaining the wafer transport operation to the cleaning module of the cleaning unit in FIG. [Figure 28D] FIG. 28D is a schematic view for explaining the wafer transport operation to the cleaning module of the cleaning unit in FIG. [Figure 28E] FIG. 28E is a schematic view for explaining the wafer transport operation to the cleaning module of the cleaning unit in FIG. [Figure 29A] FIG. 29A is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29B]FIG. 29B is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29C] FIG. 29C is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29D] FIG. 29D is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29E] FIG. 29E is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29F] FIG. 29F is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29G] FIG. 29G is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29H] FIG. 29H is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29I] FIG. 29I is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30A] FIG. 30A is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30B] FIG. 30B is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30C] FIG. 30C is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30D]FIG. 30D is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30E] FIG. 30E is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30F] FIG. 30F is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30G] FIG. 30G is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transfer mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30H] FIG. 30H is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30I] FIG. 30I is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when a plurality of wafers are cleaned in parallel in each cleaning module. [Diagram 31] FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram for explaining the occurrence of a deadlock in parallel processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description and the drawings used in the following description, the same reference numerals are used for parts that can be configured identically, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0041] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the polishing apparatus shown in Fig. 1, seen from the cleaning section side. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a substrate processing apparatus 10 in this embodiment has a housing that is generally rectangular in plan view, and the inside of the housing is partitioned by partitions into a load / unload section 11, a polishing section 12, a cleaning section 13, and a transport section 14. The load / unload section 11, the polishing section 12, the cleaning section 13, and the transport section 14 are each assembled independently and evacuated independently. The substrate processing apparatus 10 is also provided with a control section 15 (also called a control panel) that controls the operations of the load / unload section 11, the polishing section 12, the cleaning section 13, and the transport section 14.

[0042] <Load / Unload section> The load / unload section 11 includes a plurality of front load sections 113 (four in the illustrated example) on which wafer cassettes for stocking a large number of wafers (substrates) W are placed. These front load sections 113 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) of the substrate processing apparatus 10. The front load sections 113 can be equipped with an open cassette, a Standard Manufacturing Interface (SMIF) pod, or a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP). Here, the SMIF and FOUP are airtight containers that can store wafer cassettes therein and maintain an environment independent of the external space by covering them with a partition wall.

[0043] Furthermore, in the load / unload section 11, a travel mechanism 112 is laid along the arrangement direction of the front load section 113, and a transfer robot 111 that is movable along the arrangement direction of the front load section 113 is installed on this travel mechanism 112. The transfer robot 111 is capable of accessing a wafer cassette mounted on the front load section 113 by moving on the travel mechanism 112. This transfer robot 111 has two hands, one above and one below, and is capable of using the upper and lower hands separately, for example, by using the upper hand when returning a wafer W to a wafer cassette and using the lower hand when transferring a wafer W before polishing. Alternatively, the wafer W may be transported by only a single hand.

[0044] Since the load / unload section 11 is the area that needs to be kept the cleanest, the inside of the load / unload section 11 is always maintained at a higher pressure than any of the outside of the apparatus, the polishing section 12, the cleaning section 13, and the transport section 14. In addition, a filter fan unit (not shown) having a clean air filter such as a HEPA filter or a ULPA filter is provided above the traveling mechanism 112 of the transport robot 111, and clean air from which particles, toxic vapors, and gases have been removed is always blown downward by this filter fan unit.

[0045] <Transportation section> The transfer section 14 is an area for transferring unpolished wafers from the load / unload section 11 to the polishing section 12, and is provided to extend along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer section 14 is disposed adjacent to both the load / unload section 11, which is the cleanest area, and the polishing section 12, which is the dirtiest area. Therefore, in order to prevent particles in the polishing section 12 from diffusing into the load / unload section 11 through the transfer section 14, As described below, an air flow is formed inside the transport section 14, flowing from the loading / unloading section 11 side to the polishing section 12 side.

[0046] The structure of the transfer unit 14 will be described in detail. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the transfer unit 14. As shown in Fig. 3, the transfer unit 14 has a cover 41 extending in the longitudinal direction, a slide stage 42 that is disposed inside the cover 41 and holds the wafer W, a stage moving mechanism 43 that moves the slide stage 42 linearly along the longitudinal direction, and an exhaust duct 44 that exhausts air from inside the cover 41.

[0047] The cover 41 has a bottom plate, four side plates, and a top plate (not shown in FIG. 3). An entrance 41a communicating with the load / unload unit 11 is formed in one of the side plates in the longitudinal direction. An exit 41b communicating with the polishing unit 12 is formed in the end of one of the side plates in the width direction opposite to the entrance 41a. The entrance 41a and the exit 41b can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown). The transport robot 111 of the load / unload unit 11 can access the slide stage 42 inside the cover 41 from the entrance 41a, and the transport robot 23 of the polishing unit 12 can access the slide stage 42 inside the cover 41 from the exit 41b.

[0048] For example, a motor-driven mechanism using a ball screw or an air cylinder is used as the stage movement mechanism 43. When a rodless cylinder is used as the stage movement mechanism 43, dust generation from the sliding part can be prevented, which is preferable. The slide stage 42 is fixed to a movable part of the stage movement mechanism 43, and is moved linearly along the longitudinal direction inside the cover 41 by the power applied from the stage movement mechanism 43.

[0049] Four pins are provided protruding upward on the outer periphery of the slide stage 42. The wafer W placed on the slide stage 42 by the transfer robot 111 of the load / unload unit 11 is supported on the slide stage 42 with its outer periphery guided and positioned by the four pins. These pins are made of resin such as polypropylene (PP), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), or polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

[0050] The exhaust duct 44 is provided on the other side panel in the longitudinal direction of the cover 41 (the side panel opposite to the carry-in opening 41a). When the carry-in opening 41a is opened and the exhaust duct 44 exhausts air, an airflow is formed inside the cover 41 that flows from the carry-in opening 41a side to the carry-out opening 41b side. This prevents particles in the polishing section 12 from diffusing into the load / unload section 11 through the transport section 14.

[0051] <Polishing section> 1, the polishing section 12 is an area where the wafer W is polished, and includes a first polishing unit 20a having a first polishing device 21a and a second polishing device 21b, a second polishing unit 20b having a third polishing device 21c and a fourth polishing device 21d, and a polishing section transport mechanism 22 disposed adjacent to the transport section 14 and the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b. The polishing section transport mechanism 22 is disposed between the cleaning section 13 and the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b in the width direction of the substrate processing apparatus 10.

[0052] The first polishing apparatus 21a, the second polishing apparatus 21b, the third polishing apparatus 21c, and the fourth polishing apparatus 21d are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus 10. Since the second polishing apparatus 21b, the third polishing apparatus 21c, and the fourth polishing apparatus 21d have the same configuration as the first polishing apparatus 21a, the first polishing apparatus 21a will be described below.

[0053] 4 is a perspective view showing the first polishing apparatus 21a. The first polishing apparatus 21a includes a polishing table 101a on which a polishing pad 102a having a polishing surface is attached, a top ring 25a for holding a wafer W and polishing the wafer W while pressing it against the polishing pad 102a on the polishing table 101a, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 104a for supplying a polishing liquid (also called a slurry) or a dressing liquid (e.g., pure water) to the polishing pad 102, a dresser (not shown) for dressing the polishing surface of the polishing pad 102a, and an atomizer (not shown) for spraying a mixture of a liquid (e.g., pure water) and a gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) or a liquid (e.g., pure water) onto the polishing surface in the form of a mist.

[0054] Of these, the top ring 25a is supported by a top ring shaft 103a. A polishing pad 102a is attached to the upper surface of the polishing table 101a, and the upper surface of the polishing pad 102a constitutes a polishing surface for polishing the wafer W. A fixed grindstone can be used instead of the polishing pad 102a. The top ring 25a and the polishing table 101a are configured to rotate around their axes as shown by the arrows in FIG. 4. The wafer W is held by vacuum suction on the lower surface of the top ring 25a. During polishing, a polishing liquid is supplied from a polishing liquid supply nozzle 104a to the polishing surface of the polishing pad 102a, and the wafer W to be polished is pressed against the polishing surface by the top ring 25a and polished.

[0055] Considering that a slurry is used during polishing, the polishing section 12 is the dirtiest area. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to prevent particles in the polishing section 12 from scattering to the outside, exhaust is performed from the periphery of each polishing table of the first polishing device 21a, the second polishing device 21b, the third polishing device 21c, and the fourth polishing device 21d, and the pressure inside the polishing section 12 is made negative compared to the outside of the device, the surrounding cleaning section 13, the load / unload section 11, and the transport section 14, thereby preventing scattering of particles. In addition, an exhaust duct (not shown) is usually provided below the polishing table, and a filter (not shown) is provided above it, and purified air is ejected through the exhaust duct and the filter to form a downflow.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 1, the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a moves between the polishing position and the first substrate transfer position TP1 by the swing motion of the top ring head, and the transfer of the wafer to the first polishing apparatus 21a is performed at the first substrate transfer position TP1. Similarly, the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b moves between the polishing position and the second substrate transfer position TP2 by the swing motion of the top ring head, and the wafer is delivered to the second polishing apparatus 21b at the second substrate transfer position TP2, the top ring 25c of the third polishing apparatus 21c moves between the polishing position and the third substrate transfer position TP3 by the swing motion of the top ring head, and the wafer is delivered to the third polishing apparatus 21c at the third substrate transfer position TP3, and the top ring 25d of the fourth polishing apparatus 21d moves between the polishing position and the fourth substrate transfer position TP4 by the swing motion of the top ring head, and the wafer is delivered to the fourth polishing apparatus 21d at the fourth substrate transfer position TP4.

[0057] The polishing section transport mechanism 22 includes a first transport unit 24a that transports the wafer W to the first polishing unit 20a, a second transport unit 24b that transports the wafer W to the second polishing unit 20b, and a transport robot 23 that is disposed between the first transport unit 24a and the second transport unit 24b and delivers the wafer between the transport section 14 and the first transport unit 24a and the second transport unit 24b. In the illustrated example, the transport robot 23 is disposed approximately in the center of the housing of the substrate processing apparatus 10.

[0058] 5 is a side view showing the transfer robot 23. As shown in FIG. 5, the transfer robot 23 includes a hand 231 for holding the wafer W and an inversion mechanism 234 for inverting the hand 231 upside down. The robot body 233 has an extendable arm 232 that supports the hand W, and an arm up-down movement mechanism that moves the arm 232 up and down and an arm rotation mechanism that rotates the arm 232 about a vertical axis. The robot body 233 is attached so as to be suspended from a frame on the ceiling of the polishing section 14.

[0059] In this embodiment, the hand 231 can access the slide stage 42 from the discharge port 41b of the transfer section 14. The hand 231 can also access the first transfer unit 24a and the second transfer unit 24b of the polishing section 12. Therefore, the wafers W continuously transferred from the transfer section 14 to the polishing section 12 are distributed by the transfer robot 23 to the first transfer unit 24a and the second transfer unit 24b.

[0060] Since the second transport unit 24b has a similar configuration to the first transport unit 24a, the first transport unit 24a will be described below. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the first transport unit 24a.

[0061] As shown in Figure 6, the first transport unit 24a has a first pusher 51a that is arranged at a first substrate transport position TP1 relative to the first polishing apparatus 21a and moves up and down, a second pusher 51b that is arranged at a second substrate transport position TP2 relative to the second polishing apparatus 21b and moves up and down, and an exchanger 50 having a first stage 52a, a second stage 52b and a third stage 52c that move horizontally independently of one another between the first substrate transport position TP1 and the second substrate transport position TP2.

[0062] Among these, the first pusher 51a transfers the wafer W held on any one of the first to third stages 52a to 52c to the top ring 25a of the first polishing device 21a, and transfers the wafer W polished in the first polishing device 21a to any one of the first to third stages 52a to 52c. The second pusher 51b transfers the wafer W held on any one of the first to third stages 52a to 52c to the top ring 25b of the second polishing device 21b, and transfers the wafer W polished in the second polishing device 21b to any one of the first to third stages 52a to 52c. In this way, the first pusher 51a and the second pusher 51b function as a transfer mechanism for transferring the wafer W between the exchanger 50 and each top ring. The second pusher 51b has a structure similar to that of the first pusher 51a, so the following description will be given of only the first pusher 51a.

[0063] FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the first pusher 51a. As shown in FIG. 7, the first pusher 51a includes a guide stage 331 for holding a top ring of the first polishing apparatus 21a, and a push stage 333 for holding a wafer W. Four top ring guides 337 are installed on the outermost periphery of the guide stage 331. An upper step 338 of the top ring guide 337 is an access portion to the lower surface of a guide ring (not shown that surrounds the outer periphery of the wafer W) of the top ring. A taper (preferably about 25° to 35°) is formed on the upper step 338 for introducing the top ring. When the wafer is unloaded, the top ring guide 337 directly receives the wafer edge.

[0064] A waterproof guide sleeve 340 is installed on the back surface of the guide stage 331. A center sleeve 341 for waterproofing the pusher is installed inside the guide sleeve 340.

[0065] In order to provide the top ring guide 337 with an alignment mechanism, a linear way 346 is provided that moves in the horizontal X-axis and Y-axis directions to center the guide stage 331. The guide stage 331 is fixed to the linear way 346. This linear way 346 is structured so that it can be returned to its center position by applying pressure. This structure allows the guide Alternatively, the spring inside the linear stage 346 alone can return the linear stage 331 to the center position without applying pressure.

[0066] Moreover, the linear way 346 is fixed to a shaft 330, and this shaft 330 is connected to a cylinder 347 having a ball spline mechanism. The cylinder 347 is driven by driving a motor (not shown), and the guide stage 331 moves up and down via the shaft 330.

[0067] The push stage 333 is disposed above the guide stage 331, and an electric actuator 349 is provided at the center of the push stage 333 for moving the push stage 333 up and down relative to the guide stage 331. The push stage 333 moves up and down by the electric actuator 349, and loads the wafer W onto the top ring. In this embodiment, the push stage 333 can be positioned at a desired height position by being driven by the electric actuator 349. This allows the push stage 333 to be placed on standby just below the wafer W as a preliminary operation when the push stage 333 receives the wafer W, thereby shortening the time required for the receiving operation. A compression spring 351 for positioning is provided at the end of the push stage 333.

[0068] In addition, in order to prevent back-contamination of the wafer from the slurry adhering to the pusher, a cleaning nozzle for cleaning the dirt is separately installed. In some cases, a wafer presence sensor for checking the presence or absence of a wafer on the pusher is separately installed.

[0069] As shown in Fig. 6, the exchanger 52a has a first stage 52a, a second stage 52b, and a third stage 52c arranged in multiple vertical stages. In the illustrated example, the first stage 52a is arranged in the lower stage, the second stage 52b is arranged in the middle stage, and the third stage 52c is arranged in the upper stage. The first stage 52a, the second stage 52b, and the third stage 52c move on the same axis passing through the first substrate transfer position TP1 and the second substrate transfer position TP2 in a plan view, but are installed at different heights, so that they can move freely without interfering with each other.

[0070] As shown in Fig. 6, the first stage 52a is provided with a first stage driving mechanism 54a for linearly moving the first stage 52a in one axial direction, the second stage 52b is provided with a second stage driving mechanism 54b for linearly moving the second stage 52b in the one axial direction, and the third stage 52c is provided with a third stage driving mechanism 54c for linearly moving the third stage 52c in the one axial direction. For example, an electric actuator or a motor driving mechanism using a ball screw is used as the first to third stage driving mechanisms 54a to 54c. The first to third stages 52a to 52c are capable of moving in different directions at different times by receiving power from different first to third stage driving mechanisms 54a to 54c.

[0071] The second stage 52b and the third stage 52c have the same configuration as the first stage 52a, so the first stage 52a will be described below. Fig. 10 is a plan view showing the first stage 52a.

[0072] As shown in Fig. 6, the first stage 52a has a U-shape in plan view that is open on one side (the far right side in Fig. 6) in the direction of linear movement by the first stage drive mechanism 54a. Therefore, when the first stage 52a is disposed at the first substrate transfer position TP1, the first pusher 51a is capable of moving up and down so as to pass through the inside of the first stage 52a. In addition, when the first pusher 51a has passed the inside of the first stage 52a, Even if the movable member 14 is moved in the opposite direction, it can move to the other side in the linear movement direction (the left front side in FIG. 6).

[0073] Although not shown, the first stage 52a is provided with four pins protruding upward. Therefore, the wafer placed on the first stage 52a is supported on the first stage 52a with its outer periphery guided and positioned by the four pins. These pins are made of resin such as polypropylene (PP), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), or polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

[0074] Next, an example of the operation of the first pusher 51a and the exchanger 50 configured as described above will be described.

[0075] First, at the time of wafer loading, the wafer W is transported above the first pusher 51a by the first stage 52a of the exchanger 50. When the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a is at the wafer loading position (first substrate transport position TP1) above the first pusher 51a and is not holding the wafer W, the cylinder 347 lifts up the set of components around the guide stage 331. During the lift, the guide stage 331 passes inside the first stage 52a. At this time, the guide stage 331 centers the wafer W by the taper of the top ring guide 337 at the same time as it passes, and the push stage 333 holds the pattern surface of the wafer W (other than the edge).

[0076] The top ring guide 337 rises without stopping while the push stage 333 holds the wafer W, and the guide ring is drawn in by the taper 338a of the top ring guide 337. The top ring is centered by alignment with the linear way 346 which is freely movable in the X and Y directions, and the upper part 338 of the top ring guide 337 comes into contact with the lower surface of the guide ring, whereby the ascent of the guide stage 331 is completed.

[0077] The guide stage 331 does not rise any further because the upper stage 338 of the top ring guide 337 comes into contact with and is fixed to the lower surface of the guide ring. At this time, the push stage 333 is further raised by the electric actuator 349. At this time, the push stage 333 holds the pattern surface (other than the edge) of the wafer W and transports the wafer W to the top ring. When the top ring completes suction of the wafer W, the first pusher 51a starts to descend, and the operation is completed when the descent ends.

[0078] In this embodiment, the first stage 52a has a U-shape in plan view that opens on one side in the linear movement direction (the far right side in FIG. 6), so that it can move to the other side in the linear movement direction (the front left side in FIG. 6) even before the first pusher 51a starts to move down. Therefore, it is not necessary to wait for the first pusher 51a to move down when moving the first stage 52a, and the process throughput is improved.

[0079] Next, at the time of wafer unloading, the wafer W is transported by the top ring to the wafer unloading position above the first pusher 51a. When the first stage 52a of the exchanger 50 is above the first pusher 51a and does not have a wafer loaded thereon, the cylinder 347 raises the set of components around the guide stage 331, and the taper of the top ring guide 337 draws in the guide ring. The guide stage 331 is centered on the top ring by alignment with the linear way 346, and the upper step 338 of the top ring guide 337 comes into contact with the lower surface of the guide ring, completing the ascent of the guide stage 331.

[0080] The push stage 333 is raised by the electric actuator 349, and at this time, the push stage 333 is placed at a position higher than the wafer holding portion of the top ring guide 337. When the electric actuator 349 has finished ascending, the wafer W is released from the top ring. At this time, the wafer W is centered by the lower taper of the top ring guide 337, and the edge portion is held by the top ring guide 337. When the wafer W is held by the first pusher 51a, the first pusher 51a starts to descend. During the descent, the guide stage 331, which has been moving its center position to center the top ring, is centered by the guide sleeve 340 and the center sleeve 341. During the descent, the edge portion of the wafer W is transferred from the first pusher 51a to the first stage 52a, and the operation is completed when the descent ends.

[0081] <Cleaning section> 1 and 2, the cleaning section 13 is an area for cleaning polished wafers, and has a first cleaning unit 30a and a second cleaning unit 30b arranged in two layers, one above the other. The above-mentioned transfer section 14 is disposed between the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b. The first cleaning unit 30a, the transfer section 14, and the second cleaning unit 30b are arranged so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction, which provides the advantage of a small footprint.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the first cleaning unit 30a includes a plurality of (four in the illustrated example) cleaning modules 311a, 312a, 313a, and 314a, a wafer station 33a, and a cleaning section transport mechanism 32a that transports the wafer W between each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and the wafer station 33a. The cleaning modules 311a to 314a and the wafer station 33a are arranged in series along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus 10. A filter fan unit (not shown) having a clean air filter is provided on the upper portion of each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a, and clean air from which particles have been removed by the filter fan unit is constantly blown out downward. The inside of the first cleaning unit 30a is constantly maintained at a pressure higher than that of the polishing section 12 to prevent particles from flowing in from the polishing section 12.

[0083] Similarly, the second cleaning unit 30b includes a plurality of (four in the illustrated example) cleaning modules 311b, 312b, 313b, and 314b, a wafer station 33b, and a cleaning section transport mechanism 32b that transports the wafer W between each of the cleaning modules 311b to 314b and the wafer station 33b. The cleaning modules 311b to 314b and the wafer station 33b are arranged in series along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus 10. A filter fan unit (not shown) having a clean air filter is provided on the upper portion of each of the cleaning modules 311b to 314b, and clean air from which particles have been removed by the filter fan unit is constantly blown downward. The inside of the second cleaning unit 30b is constantly maintained at a pressure higher than that of the polishing section 12 to prevent particles from flowing in from the polishing section 12.

[0084] As will be described later (FIG. 27, FIG. 28A to FIG. 28E and related explanations), the preliminary cleaning modules 39a and 39b may be added to the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and 311b to 314b, respectively.

[0085] Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the wafer station 33a of the first cleaning unit 30a. Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the wafer station 33a. As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the wafer station 33a has a housing 71 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, a stage 72 that is arranged inside the housing 71 and holds the wafer W, and a drive mechanism 75 that moves the stage 72 up and down.

[0086] Of these, the housing 71 has a bottom plate, four side plates, and a top plate. As shown in FIG. 9, the lower end of the side plate facing the polishing unit 12 is provided with a connector connected to the polishing unit 12. 9, the transport robot 23 of the polishing unit 12 can access the inside of the housing 71 through the carry-in entrance 73. The carry-in entrance 73 can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown). As shown in FIG.

[0087] As shown in Fig. 8, the remaining three side panels (i.e., the side panel facing the first cleaning section transport mechanism 32a described below and the left and right side panels) among the four side panels have arm passage openings 74 formed at a height position higher than the loading entrance 73 to allow the arm of the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a to pass through. The wafer transport openings 74 can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown). As shown in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13, the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a of the first cleaning unit 30a can access the inside of the housing 71 through the arm passage openings 74.

[0088] For example, a motor drive mechanism using a ball screw or an air cylinder is used as the drive mechanism 75. The stage 72 is fixed to a movable part of the drive mechanism 75, and is moved up and down between a height position facing the loading entrance 73 and a height position facing the wafer transfer opening 74 by the power applied from the drive mechanism 75 (see FIG. 9).

[0089] Four pins 76 are provided on the outer periphery of the stage 72 so as to protrude upward. Therefore, the wafer W placed on the stage 72 is supported on the stage 72 with its outer periphery guided and positioned by the four pins 76. These pins 76 are made of resin such as polypropylene (PP), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), or the like.

[0090] Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the wafer station 33b of the second cleaning unit 30b. Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the wafer station 33b. As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the wafer station 33b has a housing 81 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, a stage 82 that is arranged inside the housing 81 and holds the wafer W, and a drive mechanism 85 that moves the stage 82 up and down.

[0091] Of these, the housing 81 has a bottom panel, four side panels, and a top panel. As shown in Fig. 11, an entrance 83 communicating with the polishing unit 12 is formed at the upper end of the side panel facing the polishing unit 12 out of the four side panels. The entrance 83 can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown). As shown in Fig. 11, the transport robot 23 of the polishing unit 12 can access the inside of the housing 81 from the entrance 83.

[0092] 10, an arm passage opening 84 for passing the arm of the cleaning section transport mechanism 32b is formed at a height position lower than the carry-in entrance 83 in the remaining three side panels (i.e., the side panel opposite the polishing section 12 and the left and right side panels). The arm passage opening 84 can be opened and closed by a shutter 87. As shown in FIG. 11, the cleaning section transport mechanism 32b of the second cleaning unit 30b can access the inside of the housing 81 through the arm passage opening 84.

[0093] For example, a motor drive mechanism using a ball screw or an air cylinder is used as the drive mechanism 85. The stage 82 is fixed to a movable part of the drive mechanism 85, and is moved up and down by the power applied from the drive mechanism 85 between a height position facing the loading entrance 83 and a height position facing the wafer transfer opening 84 (see FIG. 11).

[0094] Four pins 86 are provided on the outer periphery of the stage 82 so as to protrude upward. Therefore, the wafer placed on the stage 82 is supported on the stage 82 with its outer periphery guided and positioned by the four pins 86. These pins 86 are made of polypropylene (PP), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTF), It is made from resins such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyether ether ketone (PE).

[0095] The cleaning modules 311b to 314b of the second cleaning unit 30b have the same configuration as the cleaning modules 311a to 314a of the first cleaning unit 30a, so hereinafter, only the cleaning modules 311a to 314a of the first cleaning unit 30a will be described.

[0096] 1 and 2, four cleaning modules 311a to 314a (hereinafter sometimes referred to as first to fourth cleaning modules) are arranged in series in this order from the wafer station 33a. Each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a has a cleaning machine (not shown) and a housing 91 that covers the cleaning machine.

[0097] The cleaning machines of the first cleaning module 311a and the second cleaning module 312a may be, for example, roll-type cleaning machines that rotate roll-shaped sponges arranged above and below and press them against the front and back surfaces of the wafer to clean the front and back surfaces of the wafer. The cleaning machine of the third cleaning module 313a may be, for example, a pencil-type cleaning machine that rotates a hemispherical sponge and presses it against the wafer to clean it. The cleaning machine of the fourth cleaning module 314a may be, for example, a pencil-type cleaning machine that can rinse the back surface of the wafer and rotates a hemispherical sponge and presses it against the wafer to clean it. The cleaning machine of the fourth cleaning module 314a is equipped with a stage that rotates the chucked wafer at high speed and has a function of drying the wafer after cleaning by rotating the wafer at high speed (spin dry function). In addition to the above-mentioned roll-type cleaning machine and pencil-type cleaning machine, the cleaning machines of each cleaning module 311a to 314a may additionally be provided with a megasonic-type cleaning machine that applies ultrasonic waves to a cleaning solution to clean the wafer.

[0098] The housing of each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a has a bottom plate, four side plates, and a top plate, similar to the housing 71 of the wafer station 33a. Of the four side plates, the side plate facing the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a and the left and right side plates are formed with an arm passing opening 94 for passing the arm of the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a (see FIGS. 13A to 13E). The arm passing opening 94 can be opened and closed by a shutter 97. The arm passing opening 94 is formed at the same height position as the arm passing opening 74 of the wafer station 33a. The cleaning section transport mechanism 32a can access the inside of the housing 91 from the arm passing opening 94.

[0099] The cleaning section transport mechanism 32b of the second cleaning unit 30b has a similar configuration to the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a of the first cleaning unit 30a, so hereinafter, only the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a of the first cleaning unit 30a will be described.

[0100] Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a of the first cleaning unit 30a. As shown in Fig. 12, the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a has a first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and a second wafer gripping mechanism 602 that respectively grip a wafer W, and an arm transfer mechanism 62 that linearly moves the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 along the arrangement direction of the multiple cleaning modules 311a to 314a. That is, in this embodiment, the number of the wafer gripping mechanisms 601 and 602 is smaller than the number of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a.

[0101] In this embodiment, the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 can be used depending on the cleanliness of the wafer W. For example, among the first to fourth cleaning modules 311a to 314a, the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 is used in the first cleaning module 311a and the second cleaning module 312a in the first half of the cleaning process, and the third cleaning module in the second half of the cleaning process is used in the third cleaning module. By using the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 in the fourth cleaning module 313a and the fourth cleaning module 314a, it is possible to prevent the wafer W from coming into contact with the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and being contaminated during the latter half of the cleaning process.

[0102] More specifically, the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 has a pair of openable and closable first arms 611 for gripping a wafer, a first up-down movement mechanism 641 for moving the pair of first arms 611 up and down, a first rotation mechanism 631 for rotating the pair of first arms 611 around a rotation axis 631A parallel to the opening and closing direction, and a first opening and closing mechanism 661 for opening and closing the pair of first arms 611 in a direction toward each other or in a direction away from each other.

[0103] Similarly, the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 has a pair of openable and closable second arms 612 for gripping the wafer, a second up-down movement mechanism 642 for moving the pair of second arms 612 up and down, a second rotation mechanism 632 for rotating the pair of second arms 612 around a rotation axis 632A parallel to the opening and closing direction, and a second opening and closing mechanism 662 for opening and closing the pair of second arms 612 in a direction toward or away from each other.

[0104] A motor drive mechanism using, for example, a ball screw is used as the arm transport mechanism 62. As shown in Fig. 12, the ball screw of the arm transport mechanism 62 is provided above the cleaning modules 311a to 314a so as to extend in the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a.

[0105] A main frame 68 is attached to the ball screw of the arm transport mechanism 62. The main frame 68 is attached so as to be suspended downward from the ball screw of the arm transport mechanism 62, and faces the side surfaces of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a. Driven by a motor connected to the ball screw of the arm transport mechanism 62, the main frame 68 is moved linearly along the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a while facing the side surfaces of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a.

[0106] In the illustrated example, the main frame 68 has a depth direction movement mechanism 67 for adjusting the position in the depth direction (the direction perpendicular to both the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and the up-down direction). As the depth direction movement mechanism 67, for example, a motor drive mechanism using a rack and pinion is used. By driving the depth direction movement mechanism 67, the position of the main frame 68 in the depth direction is adjusted.

[0107] The first vertical movement mechanism 641 and the second vertical movement mechanism 642 are provided on the main frame 68. For example, a motor drive mechanism using a ball screw is used as the first vertical movement mechanism 641 and the second vertical movement mechanism 642. As shown in Fig. 16, the ball screw of the first vertical movement mechanism 641 is attached to the left end of the main frame 68 so as to extend in the vertical direction, and the ball screw of the second vertical movement mechanism 642 is attached to the right end of the main frame 68 so as to extend in the vertical direction.

[0108] A first sub-frame 691 supporting the pair of first arms 611 is attached to the ball screw of the first vertical movement mechanism 641. The first sub-frame 691 is provided adjacent to the main frame 68 on the left side of the main frame 68, and faces the side surfaces of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a. The first sub-frame 691 is moved linearly in the vertical direction by the drive of a motor connected to the ball screw of the first vertical movement mechanism 641.

[0109] Similarly, a second sub-frame 692 supporting a pair of second arms 612 is attached to the ball screw of the second vertical movement mechanism 642. The second sub-frame 692 is disposed adjacent to the main frame 68 on the right side of the frame 68 and is adapted to face the side surfaces of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a. The second sub-frame 692 is moved linearly in the vertical direction by the drive of a motor connected to a ball screw of the second vertical movement mechanism 642.

[0110] The first sub-frame 691 and the second sub-frame 692 have substantially the same structure except that they are symmetrical with respect to the main frame 68, so the second sub-frame 692 will be described below.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 12, the pair of second arms 612 are arranged parallel to each other, and the base end of the second arm 612 is attached to a rotation shaft 632A rotatably provided on the second subframe 692. A second rotation mechanism 632 that rotates the pair of second arms 612 around the rotation shaft 632A is provided on the second subframe 692. As the second rotation mechanism 632, for example, a motor drive mechanism is used. The rotation shaft of the second rotation mechanism 632 is connected to the rotation shaft 632A via a link member 632L. The rotation force of the second rotation mechanism 632 is transmitted to the rotation shaft 632A via the link member 632L, and the pair of second arms 612 are rotated around the rotation shaft 632A.

[0112] Further, a second opening / closing mechanism 662 that opens and closes the pair of second arms 612 in a direction in which they approach each other or move away from each other is provided on the second subframe 692. An air cylinder, for example, is used as the second opening / closing mechanism 662. When the pair of second arms 612 is closed by the second opening / closing mechanism 662, the pair of second arms 612 sandwich and hold the peripheral portion of the wafer W.

[0113] 14 and 15, the pair of second arms 612 are provided with two tiers of chuck pieces 612a, 612b, which are arranged vertically and can come into contact with the outer periphery of a wafer W. For example, a wafer W with a relatively high level of cleanliness is held by the chuck piece 612a in the upper tier, and a wafer with a relatively low level of cleanliness is held by the chuck piece 612b in the lower tier, thereby preventing the chuck piece 612b in the lower tier from coming into contact with the wafer W with a high level of cleanliness and contaminating the wafer W.

[0114] Next, an example of the operation of the pair of second arms 612 will be described with reference to Figures 13A to 13E. As described above, each cleaning module is partitioned by a housing 91 to prevent the fluid used from scattering outside during cleaning of the wafer W, and an arm passing opening 94 is formed on a side surface of the housing 91. An openable and closable shutter 97 is provided in the arm passing opening 94.

[0115] 13A, when the cleaned wafer W is to be removed from the housing 91, the pair of second arms 612 with their tips facing upward are moved to a standby position adjacent to the housing 91 by the drive of the arm transfer mechanism 62. In this embodiment, even if the shutter 97 of the housing 91 is closed, the pair of second arms 612 can be moved to a standby position adjacent to the housing 91 by keeping the tips of the pair of second arms 612 facing upward. Therefore, the timing for starting the wafer removal operation can be advanced, and the throughput of the entire process can be improved.

[0116] 13B and 13C, the pair of second arms 612 are rotated about the rotation shaft 632A by driving the second rotation mechanism 632. In the illustrated example, the pair of second arms 612 are rotated 90° clockwise about the rotation shaft 632A in a side view, and the tips of the pair of second arms 612 are directed sideways.

[0117] Next, as shown in FIG. 13D, the pair of second arms are moved by the drive of the second vertical drive mechanism 642. The arm 612 is raised to the same height as the arm passage opening 94. At this time, the shutter 97 is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened.

[0118] 13E, the pair of second arms 612 are closed in a direction approaching each other by driving the second opening / closing mechanism 662, and are inserted into the inside of the housing 91 through the arm passing opening 94 to grip the wafer W inside the housing 91. Then, the pair of second arms 612 gripping the wafer W are moved to the next cleaning module by driving the arm transfer mechanism 62.

[0119] 13A to 13E are performed in the reverse order when the uncleaned wafer W is carried into the housing 91. That is, as shown in Fig. 13E, the pair of second arms 612 holding the wafer W are moved to the inside of the housing 91 through the arm passing opening 94 by the drive of the arm transfer mechanism 62.

[0120] Next, as shown in FIG. 13D, by driving second opening / closing mechanism 662, the pair of second arms 612 are opened in directions away from each other, and are taken out to the outside of housing 91 through arm passing opening 94.

[0121] 13C, the pair of second arms 612 are lowered to a height position lower than the arm passing opening 94 by driving the second vertical driving mechanism 642. At this time, the arm passing opening 94 is closed by the shutter 97 inside the housing 91, and the cleaning process of the wafer W is started.

[0122] Next, as shown in FIG. 13B and FIG. 13A, the pair of second arms 612 are rotated around the rotation shaft 632A by driving the second rotation mechanism 632. In the illustrated example, the pair of second arms 612 are rotated 90° counterclockwise around the rotation shaft 632A in a side view, and the tips of the pair of second arms 612 are directed upward. Then, the pair of second arms 612 with the tips directed upward are moved to the next cleaning module by driving the arm transport mechanism 62. In this embodiment, when the second rotation mechanism 632 rotates the pair of second arms 612 so that the tips are directed upward, the second up-down movement mechanism 642 lowers the pair of second arms 612, so that the space required above the pair of second arms 612 can be reduced.

[0123] Each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and 311b to 314b can concurrently clean a plurality of wafers W. With reference to Figures 29A to 29I, an example of the operation of the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a when a plurality of wafers W are concurrently cleaned in the primary to tertiary cleaning modules 311a to 313a of the first cleaning unit 30a will be described.

[0124] 29A, it is assumed that in the primary cleaning module 311a, the shutter 97 is closed and the first stage of cleaning is being performed on the second wafer W2, and in the secondary cleaning module 312a, the second stage of cleaning on the first wafer W1 is completed and the arm passing opening 94 is open. In this case, the pair of first arms 611 are moved to standby positions for the secondary cleaning module 312a, and the tips of the pair of first arms 611 are directed sideways.

[0125] 29B, the pair of first arms 611 are closed so as to approach each other, and the first wafer W1 in the secondary cleaning module 312a is held by the pair of first arms 611. In addition, the shutter 97 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a is retracted, and the arm passing opening 94 is opened.

[0126] Next, as shown in FIG. 29C, the first wafer W held by the pair of first arms 611 is 1 is moved from the second cleaning module 312a to the third cleaning module 313a through the arm passage opening 94.

[0127] 29D, the pair of first arms 611 are opened so as to be separated from each other and are taken out to the left and right sides of the tertiary cleaning module 313a. In the secondary cleaning module 312a, the shutter 97 is closed to prevent drying.

[0128] Next, as shown in FIG. 29E, the shutter 97 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a is closed, and the first wafer W1 is subjected to a third stage of cleaning in the tertiary cleaning module 313a.

[0129] 29F, when the first stage cleaning of the second wafer W2 in the primary cleaning module 311a is completed, the shutter 97 of the primary cleaning module 311a is retracted and the arm passing opening 94 is opened. At this time, the pair of first arms 611 are rotated by the rotating mechanism so that the tips of the pair of first arms 611 are directed upward.

[0130] Then, as shown in FIG. 29G, the pair of first arms 611 are moved to avoid (skip) the tertiary cleaning module 313a and the secondary cleaning module 312a whose shutters 97 are closed, and are positioned in the standby position for the primary cleaning module 311a.

[0131] Next, as shown in Fig. 29H, the pair of first arms 611 are rotated by the rotating mechanism, and the tips of the pair of first arms 611 are directed sideways. Then, as shown in Fig. 29I, the pair of first arms 611 are closed so as to approach each other, and the second wafer W2 in the primary cleaning module 311a is held by the pair of first arms 611. Thereafter, the second wafer W2 held by the pair of first arms 611 is transferred to the secondary cleaning module 312a and subjected to a second stage of cleaning.

[0132] As described above, in this embodiment, a plurality of wafers W can be cleaned in parallel in each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and 311b to 314b, thereby improving the throughput of the entire process.

[0133] Next, with reference to FIGS. 30A to 30I, a modified example of the operation of the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a when a plurality of wafers W are cleaned in parallel in the primary to tertiary cleaning modules 311a to 313a of the first cleaning unit 30a will be described.

[0134] 30A, it is assumed that in the primary cleaning module 311a, the shutter 97 is closed and the first stage of cleaning is being performed on the second wafer W2, and in the secondary cleaning module 312a, the second stage of cleaning on the first wafer W1 is completed and the arm passing opening 94 is open. In this case, the pair of first arms 611 are moved to standby positions for the secondary cleaning module 312a, and the tips of the pair of first arms 611 are directed sideways.

[0135] 30B, the pair of first arms 611 are closed so as to approach each other, and the first wafer W1 in the secondary cleaning module 312a is held by the pair of first arms 611. In addition, the shutter 97 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a is retracted, and the arm passing opening 94 is opened.

[0136] Next, as shown in FIG. 30C, the first wafer W1 held by the pair of first arms 611 is moved through the arm passing opening 94 from the second cleaning module 312a to the third cleaning module 313a.

[0137] 30D, the pair of first arms 611 are opened so as to be separated from each other, and are moved outward to the left and right of the tertiary cleaning module 313a. The shutter 97 of the secondary cleaning module 312 is closed.

[0138] Next, as shown in FIG. 30E, when the first stage cleaning of the second wafer W2 in the first cleaning module 311a is completed before the third stage cleaning of the first wafer W1 in the tertiary cleaning module 313a is started, the shutter 97 of the first cleaning module 311a is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened.

[0139] At this time, the pair of first arms 611 are raised to a height position higher than the first wafer W1 as shown in Fig. 30F. Also, the shutter 97 of the secondary cleaning module 312a is retracted to open the arm passing opening 94.

[0140] Then, as shown in FIG. 30G, the pair of first arms 611, with their tips facing sideways, are moved to pass through the arm passage openings 94 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a and the secondary cleaning module 312a, and are positioned in a standby position of the primary cleaning module 311a.

[0141] 30H, the pair of first arms 611 are lowered to the same height as the second wafer W2. Meanwhile, in the tertiary cleaning module 313a, the shutter 97 is closed and the third stage cleaning of the first wafer W1 is started. In the secondary cleaning module 312a, the shutter 97 is closed to prevent drying.

[0142] 30I, the pair of first arms 611 are closed so as to approach each other, and the second wafer W2 in the first cleaning module 311a is held by the pair of first arms 611. Thereafter, the second wafer W2 held by the pair of first arms 611 is transferred to the second cleaning module 312a, where a second stage of cleaning is performed.

[0143] According to the above modification, when the pair of first arms 611 are moved from the tertiary cleaning module 313a to the primary cleaning module 311a, the operation of rotating the pair of first arms 611 can be omitted, which further improves the throughput of the entire process.

[0144] 29A to 29I, when the pair of first arms 611 are rotated to move so as to avoid (skip) the tertiary cleaning module 313a and the secondary cleaning module 312a whose shutters 97 are closed, the pair of first arms 611 do not pass above the first wafer W1 in the tertiary cleaning module 313a, so that it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid dropping from the pair of first arms 611 from adhering to the surface of the first wafer W1. Also, it is possible to start the third stage cleaning of the first wafer W1 in the tertiary cleaning module 313a early.

[0145] Each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and 311b to 314b has a detector (not shown) for detecting a failure. When a failure occurs in any of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and 311b to 314b, the detector detects this and sends a signal to the control unit 15. The control unit 15 selects a cleaning line that avoids the failed cleaning module, and switches the current cleaning line to the newly selected cleaning line.

[0146] More specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 22A, when an abnormality occurs in the tertiary cleaning module 313a of the first cleaning unit 30a, the wafer W located in the secondary cleaning module 312a is gripped by the first arm 611 of the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a. As shown in 2B, with the tip of the second arm 612 of the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a facing upward, the wafer held by the first arm 611 is transported to the first wafer station 33a by driving the arm transport mechanism 62. At this time, even if the shutter 97 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a malfunctions and remains closed, the tip of the second arm 612 faces upward, so that the second arm 612 can move while avoiding (skip) the tertiary cleaning module 313a without interfering with the shutter 97.

[0147] 22C and 22D, the transfer robot 23 of the polishing section 12 takes out the wafer W from the first wafer station 33a and transfers it to the second wafer station 33b. The wafer W transferred to the second wafer station 33b is held by the first arm 611 of the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32b. Then, as shown in FIG. 22E, the arm transfer mechanism 62 is driven to transfer the wafer W held by the first arm 611 to the primary cleaning module 311b and cleaned.

[0148] In this manner, in the present embodiment, even if an abnormality occurs in any of the plurality of first cleaning modules 311a-314a, the wafer W located in the first cleaning module 311a-314a can be salvaged by being transferred to the second cleaning module 311b-314b and cleaned. Similarly, even if an abnormality occurs in any of the plurality of second cleaning modules 311b-314b, the wafer W located in the second cleaning module 311b-314b can be salvaged by being transferred to the first cleaning module 311a-314a and cleaned.

[0149] 12, in this embodiment, the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 are arranged in a suspended manner below the arm transfer mechanism 62. This expands the maintenance space for the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602. This makes it possible to reduce the time required for maintenance.

[0150] <Pre-cleaning module> 27, the first cleaning unit 30a of the cleaning section 13 is arranged in the same row as the multiple cleaning modules 311a-314a and further includes a pre-cleaning module 39a that cleans the wafer W before polishing, and the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a may transport the wafer W between the pre-cleaning module 39a and each of the cleaning modules 311a-314a. In the illustrated example, the pre-cleaning module 39a is arranged adjacent to the first wafer station 33a on the opposite side of the first wafer station 33a from the cleaning modules 311a-314a.

[0151] Similarly, the second cleaning unit 30b may further include a pre-cleaning module 39a arranged in the same row as the multiple cleaning modules 311b-314b and configured to clean the wafer W before polishing, and the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a may transport the wafer W between the pre-cleaning module 39a and each of the cleaning modules 311a-314a. In the illustrated example, the pre-cleaning module 39b is arranged adjacent to the second wafer station 33b on the opposite side of the second wafer station 33b from the cleaning modules 311b-314b.

[0152] Each of the pre-cleaning modules 39a and 39b has a cleaning machine (not shown) and a housing 91 that covers the cleaning machine. As the cleaning machine of the pre-cleaning modules 39a and 39b, for example, a wet etching machine that removes a natural oxide film from the surface of the wafer W before polishing, or a buff polishing machine that removes coarse particles that may cause scratches from the surface of the wafer W before polishing can be used.

[0153] The wafer transport operation to the pre-cleaning module 39b of the second cleaning unit 30b is similar to the wafer transport operation to the pre-cleaning module 39a of the first cleaning unit 30a, so the wafer transport operation to the pre-cleaning module 39a of the first cleaning unit 30a will be described below.

[0154] First, as shown in FIG. 28A, an unpolished wafer W is transported along the longitudinal direction by the slide stage 42 of the transport unit 14 and is stopped at a position where the transport robot 23 of the polishing unit 12 can access it.

[0155] 28B, the wafer W is removed from the transfer unit 14 by the transfer robot 23 of the polishing unit 12. Then, as shown in FIG 28C, the wafer W held by the transfer robot 23 is delivered to the wafer station 33a.

[0156] Next, as shown in Fig. 28D, the wafer W located in the wafer station 33a is held by the first arm 611 of the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a. Then, as shown in Fig. 28E, with the tip of the second arm 612 of the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a facing upward, the arm transport mechanism 62 drives the wafer W held by the first arm 611 to be transported from the first wafer station 33a to the pre-cleaning module 39a and cleaned.

[0157] The wafer W cleaned in the pre-cleaning module 39a is held again by the first arm 611 of the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a. Then, as shown in Fig. 28C, the wafer W held by the first arm 611 is transported from the pre-cleaning module 39a to the wafer station 33a by the drive of the arm transport mechanism 62. Then, as shown in Fig. 28B, the wafer W is taken out of the wafer station 33a by the transport robot 23 of the polishing section 12, and is transported to the first polishing unit 20a or the second polishing unit 20b via the first transport unit 24a or the second transport unit 24b, where it is polished.

[0158] More specifically, the preliminary cleaning module 39a and the primary cleaning module 311a each have a buff processing device (e.g., a device disclosed in FIG. 1 of JP 2016-43471 A) that moves the wafer W and the buff pad relative to each other while contacting the buff pad with the wafer W, and polishes and / or scrubs the front surface of the wafer W by interposing a slurry between the wafer W and the buff pad, the secondary cleaning module 312a has a roll-type cleaning machine (e.g., a device disclosed in FIG. 32 of JP 2010-50436 A) that rotates roll-shaped sponges arranged above and below and presses them against the front and back surfaces of the wafer W to clean the front and back surfaces of the wafer W, and the tertiary cleaning module 313a has a pencil-type cleaning machine (e.g., a device disclosed in FIG. 33 of JP 2000-22166 A) that rotates a hemispherical sponge and presses it against the wafer W to clean the wafer W. In the case where the fourth cleaning module 314a has an IPA drying device (for example, an apparatus disclosed in Figures 33 to 39 of JP 2010-50436 A) which rotates the wafer W and sprays IPA (isopropyl alcohol) vapor onto the surface of the wafer W to dry it, the wafer W before polishing is buffed in the preliminary cleaning module 39a, then transported to the first polishing unit 20a or the second polishing unit 20b to be polished, then buffed in the first cleaning module 311a, cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge in the second cleaning module 312a, cleaned with a pencil-shaped sponge in the tertiary cleaning module 313a, dried with IPA vapor in the fourth cleaning module 314a, and then taken out to the load / unload section 11.

[0159] In addition, the preliminary cleaning module 39a has a buffing device, the first cleaning module 311a and the second cleaning module 312a each have a roll type cleaner, the third cleaning module 313a has a pencil type cleaner, and the fourth cleaning module 314a has an IPA dryer. If so, the unpolished wafer W is buffed in the pre-cleaning module 39a, then transported to the first polishing unit 20a or the second polishing unit 20b for polishing, then successively cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge in the first cleaning module 311a and the second cleaning module 312a, cleaned with a pencil-shaped sponge in the tertiary cleaning module 313a, dried with IPA vapor in the fourth cleaning module 314a, and then removed to the load / unload section 11.

[0160] In addition, when the preliminary cleaning module 39a, the primary cleaning module 311a and the secondary cleaning module 312a each have a roll-type cleaning machine, the tertiary cleaning module 313a has a pencil-type cleaning machine, and the quaternary cleaning module 314a has an IPA drying device, the unpolished wafer W is cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge in the preliminary cleaning module 39a, then transported to the first polishing unit 20a or the second polishing unit 20b and polished, then cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge in the primary cleaning module 311a and the secondary cleaning module 312a in succession, cleaned with a pencil sponge in the tertiary cleaning module 313a, dried with IPA vapor in the quaternary cleaning module 314a, and then removed to the load / unload section 11.

[0161] In addition, when the preliminary cleaning module 39a and the primary cleaning module 311a each have a roll type cleaner, the secondary cleaning module 312a has a pencil type cleaner, the tertiary cleaning module 313a has a two-fluid jet type cleaner (for example, the device disclosed in FIG. 4 of JP 2010-238850 A) that jets cleaning liquid and gas toward the wafer W at high speed to generate a two-fluid jet flow and sprays it at high speed to clean the wafer W, and the fourth cleaning module 314a has an IPA drying device, The previous wafer W is cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge in the preliminary cleaning module 39a, then transported to the first polishing unit 20a or the second polishing unit 20b to be polished, then cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge in the primary cleaning module 311a, cleaned with a pencil-shaped sponge in the secondary cleaning module 312a, subjected to two-fluid jet cleaning in the tertiary cleaning module 313a, and dried with IPA vapor in the quaternary cleaning module 314a, and then removed to the load / unload section 11.

[0162] <Leak detection unit> Fig. 23 is a schematic diagram showing a liquid leakage detection unit 1 provided in a lower portion (near a base frame) of the substrate processing apparatus 10. As shown in Fig. 23, the liquid leakage detection unit 1 has a drain pot 2, a drain pan 6 having a slope inclined toward the drain pot 2, a first installation-type liquid leakage sensor 3a installed on the bottom surface of the drain pot 2, and a second installation-type liquid leakage sensor 3b installed on the slope of the drain pan 6.

[0163] For example, photoelectric sensors are used as the first installed type liquid leakage sensor 3a and the second installed type liquid leakage sensor 3b. When the first installed type liquid leakage sensor 3a and the second installed type liquid leakage sensor 3b detect a liquid leakage, they each send a signal to the control unit 15. The control unit 15 issues an alarm when it receives a signal from the first installed type liquid leakage sensor 3a, and stops the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 10 when it receives a signal from the second installed type liquid leakage sensor 3b.

[0164] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 24, in the conventional liquid leakage detection section 200, a fixed type liquid leakage sensor 203a installed on the bottom surface of a drain pot 202 and a float type liquid leakage sensor 203b arranged inside the drain pot 202 are used to configure a two-stage detection type level sensor. Due to its structure, the float type liquid leakage sensor 203b needs to move up and down to detect liquid leakage. For this reason, the drain pot 202 needs to have a certain degree of depth, and the bottom surface of the drain pot 202 protrudes below the bottom surface 205 of the base frame of the substrate processing apparatus. In this case, when the substrate processing apparatus is moved, the forks of a forklift may come into contact with the drain pot 202. There was a possibility that the drain pot 202 would be damaged if it came into contact with the bottom surface of the drain pot 202 and attempted to lift it.

[0165] 24, in the conventional liquid leakage detection unit 200, the drain pot 202 is formed separately from the drain pan 206 so that the drain pot 202 can be easily replaced if it is damaged. Therefore, there is a possibility that liquid leakage may occur between the drain pot 202 and the drain pan 206.

[0166] 23, in this embodiment, the two-stage detection type level sensor is configured using two installed type liquid leakage sensors 3a and 3b. Therefore, the depth of the drain pot 2 can be made shallow, and the bottom surface of the drain pot 2 can be disposed above the lower surface 5 of the base frame of the substrate processing apparatus 10. This prevents the drain pot 2 from being damaged by the forks of a forklift when the substrate processing apparatus 10 is moved.

[0167] In addition, in this embodiment, since the depth of the drain pot 2 can be made shallow, the drain pot 2 can be molded integrally with the drain pan 6. In this case, leakage from between the drain pot 2 and the drain pan 6 can be prevented.

[0168] Fig. 25 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the liquid leakage detection unit 1. In this modified example, the center part of the bottom surface of the drain pot 2 is raised by one step, and the second installation type liquid leakage sensor 3b is set in this raised part. According to this embodiment, in addition to obtaining the same effect as the embodiment shown in Fig. 23, since the bottom surface of the drain pot 2 is ring-shaped, the volume of the drain pot 2 can be increased while the depth of the drain pot 2 is made shallow.

[0169] 26, the bottom of the drain pot 2 may be gradually raised in two stages toward the center, with the second installed liquid leakage sensor 3b installed at a stage higher than the bottom, and the third installed liquid leakage sensor 3c installed at a stage higher than that. According to this embodiment, it is possible to detect leakage at three stages. Similarly, the number of stages may be increased to four or more.

[0170] <Polishing process using substrate processing equipment> Next, a description will be given of an example of a process for polishing a wafer W using the substrate processing apparatus 10 having such a configuration. The polishing process described below is performed by the control unit 15 controlling the operations of the load / unload unit 11, the polishing unit 12, the cleaning unit 13, and the transfer unit 14.

[0171] 16A, the unpolished wafer W is taken out from the wafer cassette in the front load unit 113 by the transfer robot 111 in the load / unload unit 11 and moved to a position facing the carry-in opening 41a of the transfer unit 14. Next, as shown in FIG. 16B, after the carry-in opening 41a of the transfer unit 14 is opened, the wafer W held by the transfer robot 111 is inserted into the inside of the cover 41 through the carry-in opening 41a and placed on and supported by the slide stage 42.

[0172] 16C, the slide stage 42 holding the wafer W is moved in the longitudinal direction to a position facing the discharge port 41b by the power applied from the stage moving mechanism 43. Then, the discharge port 41b of the transfer unit 14 is opened. At this time, an air flow flowing from the discharge port 41a side to the discharge port 41b side is formed by the exhaust duct 44 inside the cover 41 of the transfer unit 14. This prevents particles in the polishing unit 12 from diffusing into the load / unload unit 11 through the transfer unit 14.

[0173] As shown in FIG. 17A, the arm 232 of the transport robot 23 of the polishing section 12 is extended in a state where the hand 231 of the transport robot 23 is positioned at the same height as the discharge port 41b of the transport section 14. The hand 231 supported at the tip of the arm is inserted into the inside of the cover 41 through the discharge port 41b and inserted below the wafer W held on the slide stage 42. Next, the hand 231 is raised, and the wafer W is transferred from the slide stage 42 to the hand 231. Then, the arm 232 is contracted, and the wafer W held on the hand 231 is taken out from the transport section 14 to the polishing section 12 as shown in FIG. 17B. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 17C, the hand 231 is turned upside down together with the wafer W by the inversion mechanism 234 of the transport robot 23. In the drawings, the wafer W painted in gray indicates a wafer that is upside down.

[0174] 17D, the arm 232 is rotated around the axis of the robot body 233, and the hand 231 is directed toward the first transfer unit 24a. Then, the arm 232 is extended, and the wafer W held by the hand 231 is transferred to the first transfer unit 24a, and then transferred from the first transfer unit 24a to the first polishing unit 20a. Note that, when the first polishing unit 20a is congested, the wafer W held by the hand 231 may be transferred to the second transfer unit 24b, and the substrate may be carried in from the second transfer unit 24b to the second polishing unit 20b. In this embodiment, the wafer W transferred from the transfer section 14 to the polishing section 12 is distributed to the first transfer unit 24a and the second transfer unit 24b by the transfer robot 23, and the wafer W is transferred from the first transfer unit 24a to the first polishing unit 20a, and the wafer W is transferred from the second transfer unit 24b to the second polishing unit 20b. Therefore, the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b do not share a transfer path, and congestion when substrates are transferred to the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b is eliminated. Therefore, the throughput of the entire process is improved.

[0175] The wafer transfer operation by the second transfer unit 24b is similar to the wafer transfer operation by the first transfer unit 24a, so the wafer transfer operation by the first transfer unit 24a will be described below.

[0176] When one wafer is processed successively (in series) by the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, the unpolished first wafer W1 held by the transfer robot 23 is delivered to the third stage 52c of the exchanger 50 disposed at the standby position L1, as shown in Figures 18A and 18B. Then, as shown in Figure 18C, the third stage 52c holding the first wafer W1 is moved from the standby position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1.

[0177] Next, as shown in Fig. 18D, the first pusher 51a rises and passes inside the third stage 52c, and the first wafer W1 on the third stage 52c is pushed up by the first pusher 51a and delivered to the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a. After the first wafer W1 is attracted and held by the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a, the first pusher 51a descends to the initial height position as shown in Fig. 18E. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 18F, the first wafer W1 is polished at the polishing position of the first polishing device 21a (more specifically, referring to FIG. 4, the top ring 25a is moved onto the polishing pad 102a by a moving means (not shown), the polishing pad 102a is brought into contact with the first wafer W1 held by the top ring 25a by a lifting means (not shown), and the first wafer W is polished by the relative movement between the top ring 25a and the polishing table 101a. Hereinafter, the wafer W is polished at the polishing positions of the other polishing devices in the same manner). At this time, the third stage 52c is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the waiting position L1, and the second stage 52b is moved from the waiting position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1. The transfer robot 23 holds the second wafer W2 before polishing.

[0178] After the polishing of the first wafer W1 in the first polishing device 21a is completed, the first pusher 51a rises and receives the polished first wafer W1 from the top ring 25a of the first polishing device 21a, as shown in FIG. 18G. Then, as shown in FIG. 18H, the first pusher 51a descends and passes through the second stage 52b, and the first wafer W1 on the first pusher 51a is transferred to the second stage 52b. The first wafer W1 held on the second stage 52b is cleaned by a cleaning nozzle (not shown) at the first substrate transfer position TP1. The unpolished second wafer W2 held by the transfer robot 23 is transferred to the third stage 52c arranged at the standby position L1.

[0179] 18I, the second stage 52b holding the first wafer W1 is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the second transfer position TP2, and at the same time, the third stage 52c holding the second wafer W2 is moved from the standby position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1. In this way, the two stages 52b and 52c holding the wafers W1 and W2, respectively, can move to intersect in opposite directions, improving the process throughput.

[0180] Next, as shown in FIG. 18J, the second pusher 51b rises and passes inside the second stage 52b, and the first wafer W1 on the second stage 52b is pushed up by the second pusher 51b and delivered to the top ring 25b of the second polishing device 21b. Also, the first pusher 51a rises and passes inside the third stage 52c, and the second wafer W2 on the third stage 52c is pushed up by the first pusher 51a and delivered to the top ring 25a of the first polishing device 21a. Then, as shown in FIG. 18K, after the first wafer W1 is adsorbed and held by the top ring 25b of the second polishing device 21b, the second pusher 51b descends to the initial height position. Also, after the second wafer W2 is adsorbed and held by the top ring 25a of the first polishing device 21a, the first pusher 51a descends to the initial height position.

[0181] Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 18L, the first wafer W1 is further polished in the second polishing device 21b, and the second wafer W2 is polished in the first polishing device 21a. At this time, the third stage 52c is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the waiting position L1, and the second stage 52b is moved from the second substrate transfer position TP2 to the first substrate transfer position TP1. In addition, the first stage 52a is moved from the waiting position L1 to the second substrate transfer position TP2. The transfer robot 23 holds the third wafer W3 before polishing.

[0182] After polishing of the first wafer W1 in the second polishing apparatus 21b is completed, the second pusher 51b moves up to receive the polished first wafer W1 from the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b, as shown in Fig. 18M. Also, after polishing of the second wafer W2 in the first polishing apparatus 21a is completed, the first pusher 51a moves up to receive the polished second wafer W2 from the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a.

[0183] Then, as shown in FIG. 18N, the second pusher 51b descends and passes through the first stage 52a, and the first wafer W1 on the second pusher 51b is transferred to the first stage 52a. The first wafer W1 held on the first stage 52a is cleaned by a cleaning nozzle (not shown) at the second substrate transfer position TP2. The first pusher 51a descends and passes through the second stage 52b, and the second wafer W2 on the first pusher 51a is transferred to the second stage 52b. The second wafer W2 held on the second stage 52b is cleaned by a cleaning nozzle (not shown) at the first substrate transfer position TP1. The unpolished third wafer W3 held by the transfer robot 23 is transferred to the third stage 52c arranged at the standby position L1.

[0184] Next, as shown in FIG. 18O, the first stage 52a holding the first wafer W1 is The first wafer W1, which has been moved from the substrate transfer position TP2 to the waiting position L1 and held on the first stage 52a, is removed from the first stage 52a by the transfer robot 23. Meanwhile, the second stage 52b holding the second wafer W2 is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the second substrate transfer position TP2 for polishing processing in the second polishing device 21b. At the same time, the third stage 52c holding the third wafer W3 is moved from the waiting position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1 for polishing processing in the first polishing device 21b.

[0185] When two wafers are processed in parallel in the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, the unpolished first wafer W1 held by the transfer robot 23 is delivered to the third stage 52c of the exchanger 50 disposed at the standby position L1, as shown in Figures 19A and 19B. Then, as shown in Figure 19C, the third stage 52c holding the first wafer W1 is moved from the standby position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1.

[0186] Next, as shown in Fig. 19D, the first pusher 51a rises and passes inside the third stage 52c, and the first wafer W1 on the third stage 52c is pushed up by the first pusher 51a and transferred to the top ring 25a of the first polishing device 21a. Then, after the first wafer W1 is attracted and held by the top ring 25a of the first polishing device 21a, the first pusher 51a descends to the initial height position as shown in Fig. 19E. The transfer robot 23 holds the second wafer W2 before polishing.

[0187] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 19F, the first wafer W1 is polished in the first polishing device 21a. At this time, the third stage 52c is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the waiting position L1, and the second stage 52b is moved from the waiting position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1. The second wafer W2 before polishing held by the transfer robot 23 is delivered to the third stage 52c arranged at the waiting position L1. Then, as shown in FIG. 19G, the third stage 52c holding the second wafer W2 is moved from the waiting position L1 to the second substrate transfer position TP2.

[0188] Incidentally, even when parallel processing is performed by the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, it is possible to use the second stage 52b to receive a wafer from the first polishing apparatus 21a and to transfer the wafer to the second polishing apparatus 21b, as in the case of series processing by the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b. However, in this case, as shown in Fig. 31, if a problem occurs when receiving a wafer from the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second stage 52b becomes unusable, this will lead to the inability to transfer the wafer to the second polishing apparatus 21b (a deadlock will occur).

[0189] On the other hand, in this embodiment, when wafers are polished in parallel by the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, the same third stage 52c is used to transfer wafers to both the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, and the second stage 52b and the first stage 52a are dedicated to receiving wafers from the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, respectively. Therefore, even if a problem occurs when receiving wafers from the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second stage 52b becomes unusable, it is possible to continue transferring wafers to the second polishing apparatus 21b (no deadlock occurs).

[0190] Next, as shown in Fig. 19H, the second pusher 51b rises and passes inside the third stage 52c, and the second wafer W2 on the third stage 52c is pushed up by the second pusher 51b and transferred to the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b. After the second wafer W2 is attracted and held by the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b, the second pusher 51b descends to the initial height position as shown in Fig. 19I. The transfer robot 23 then moves the second wafer W2 from the pre-polishing position to the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b. It holds the third wafer W3.

[0191] 19J, the second wafer W2 is polished in the second polishing device 21b. At this time, the third stage 52c is moved from the second substrate transfer position TP2 to the standby position L1, and the first stage 52a is moved from the standby position L1 to the second substrate transfer position TP2. The unpolished third wafer W3 held by the transfer robot 23 is delivered to the third stage 52c disposed at the standby position L1.

[0192] If polishing in the first polishing apparatus 21a is completed before polishing in the second polishing apparatus 21b is completed, the first pusher 51a rises and receives the polished first wafer W1 from the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a, as shown in Fig. 19K. Then, as shown in Fig. 19L, the first pusher 51a descends and passes through the second stage 52b, and the first wafer W1 on the first pusher 51a is transferred to the second stage 52b. The first wafer W1 held on the second stage 52b is cleaned by a cleaning nozzle (not shown) at the first substrate transfer position TP1.

[0193] 19M, the second stage 52b holding the first wafer W1 is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the standby position L1, and at the same time, the third stage 52c holding the third wafer W3 is moved from the standby position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1. The first wafer W1 held by the second stage 52b is removed from the second stage 52b by the transfer robot 23 at the standby position L1.

[0194] On the other hand, if polishing in the second polishing apparatus 21b is completed before polishing in the first polishing apparatus 21a is completed, the second pusher 51b rises and receives the polished second wafer W2 from the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b, as shown in Fig. 19N. Then, as shown in Fig. 19O, the second pusher 51b descends and passes through the first stage 52a, and the second wafer W2 on the second pusher 51b is delivered to the first stage 52a. The second wafer W2 held on the first stage 52a is cleaned by a cleaning nozzle (not shown) at the second substrate transfer position TP2.

[0195] 19P, the first stage 52a holding the second wafer W2 is moved from the second substrate transfer position TP2 to the standby position L1, and at the same time, the third stage 52c holding the third wafer W3 is moved from the standby position L1 to the second substrate transfer position TP2. The second wafer W2 held by the first stage 52a is removed from the first stage 52a by the transfer robot 23 at the standby position L1.

[0196] 20A, the wafer W held on the first stage 52a is removed from the first stage 52a by the hand 231 of the transfer robot 23. Thereafter, the hand 231 together with the wafer W is turned upside down by the inversion mechanism 234 of the transfer robot 23.

[0197] Next, as shown in Fig. 20B, the arm 232 of the transport robot 23 is rotated around the axis of the robot body 233, and the hand 231 is directed toward the first wafer station 33a of the first cleaning unit 30a of the cleaning section 13. Then, as shown in Fig. 20C, the arm 232 is extended, and the wafer W held by the hand 231 is delivered to the first wafer station 33a. More specifically, with the hand 231 of the transport robot 23 positioned at the same height as the carry-in opening 73 of the first wafer station 33a, the arm 232 is extended, and the wafer W held by the hand 231 is carried into the inside of the housing 71 through the carry-in opening 73 of the first wafer station 33a, and is placed on and supported by the stage 72.

[0198] When the first cleaning unit 30a is crowded, the wafer W held by the hand 231 may be transferred to the second wafer station 33b of the second cleaning unit 30a. In this embodiment, the wafer W transported from the polishing section to the cleaning section is distributed to the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b by the transport robot 23, and is cleaned in parallel in the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b. This improves the throughput of the entire process.

[0199] The wafer cleaning process in the second cleaning unit 30b is similar to the wafer cleaning process in the first cleaning unit 30a, so the wafer cleaning process in the first cleaning unit 30a will be described below.

[0200] As shown in FIG. 21A, first, in a state where the tip of each of the pair of first arms 611 and the pair of second arms 612 is directed upward, the arm transfer mechanism 62 drives the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 to move along the arrangement direction of the first cleaning modules 311a to 314a, and the pair of first arms 611 are stopped at a standby position adjacent to the first wafer station 33a. Then, the first rotation mechanism 631 drives the pair of first arms 611 to rotate about the rotation shaft 631A, and the tip of each of the pair of first arms 611 is directed sideways. After the shutter of the first wafer station 33a is retracted to open the arm passage opening 74, the pair of first arms 611 are inserted into the inside of the first wafer station 33a through the arm passage opening 74 and grip the wafer W held on the stage 72. After the wafer W is gripped by the pair of first arms 611, the stage 72 is retreated downward.

[0201] 21B, after the shutter 97 of the first cleaning module 311a is retracted to open the arm passage opening 94, the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 are moved along the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a by driving the hand transport mechanism 62, and the wafer W gripped by the pair of first arms 611 is transported from the first wafer station 33a to the first cleaning module 311a and handed over to the cleaner of the first cleaning module 311a. Next, after the pair of first arms 611 are taken out of the housing 91 of the first cleaning module 311a, the arm passage opening 94 is closed by the shutter 97, and the wafer W is cleaned by the cleaner of the first cleaning module 311a.

[0202] After the cleaning process in the primary cleaning module 311a is completed, the shutter 97 is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened. The pair of first arms 611 is inserted into the inside of the housing 91 of the primary cleaning module 311a through the arm passage opening 94 and grips the wafer W that has been cleaned by the cleaning machine.

[0203] 21C, after the shutter 97 of the secondary cleaning module 312a is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened, the arm transfer mechanism 62 is driven to move the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 along the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a, and the wafer W gripped by the pair of first arms 611 is transferred from the primary cleaning module 311a to the secondary cleaning module 312a and handed over to the cleaner of the secondary cleaning module 312a. Next, after the pair of first arms 611 is moved outside the housing 91 of the secondary cleaning module 312a, the arm passage opening 94 is closed by the shutter 97, and the wafer W is cleaned by the cleaner of the secondary cleaning module 312a.

[0204] 21D, the pair of first arms 611 are rotated about the rotation shaft 631A by the drive of the first rotating mechanism 631, and the tips of the pair of first arms 611 are directed upward. Then, in a state in which the tips of the pair of first arms 611 and the pair of second arms 612 are directed upward, the first wafer gripping mechanism 611 is moved by the drive of the arm transfer mechanism 62. The first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 are moved along the arrangement direction of the first cleaning modules 311a to 314a, and the pair of second arms 612 are stopped at a standby position adjacent to the second cleaning module 312a. By driving the second rotating mechanism 632, the pair of second arms 612 are rotated about the rotation shaft 632A, and the tips of the pair of second arms 612 are directed sideways.

[0205] After the cleaning process in the secondary cleaning module 312a is completed, the shutter 97 is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened. The pair of second arms 612 is inserted into the inside of the housing 91 of the secondary cleaning module 312a through the arm passage opening 94 and grips the wafer W that has been cleaned by the cleaning machine.

[0206] As described above, in this embodiment, the wafer W before cleaning in the secondary cleaning module 312a is gripped and transported by the pair of first arms 611, and the wafer W after cleaning in the secondary cleaning module 312a is gripped and transported by the pair of second arms 612. That is, the arms are replaced in the secondary cleaning module 312a. This makes it possible to prevent the pair of first arms 611 from coming into contact with the wafer W after cleaning in the secondary cleaning module 312a and contaminating the wafer W.

[0207] 21E, after the shutter 97 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened, the arm transfer mechanism 62 is driven to move the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 along the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a, and the wafer W gripped by the pair of second arms 612 is transferred from the secondary cleaning module 312a to the tertiary cleaning module 313a and handed over to the cleaner of the tertiary cleaning module 313a. Next, after the pair of second arms 612 is moved outside the housing 91 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a, the arm passage opening 94 is closed by the shutter 97, and the wafer W is cleaned by the cleaner of the tertiary cleaning module 313a.

[0208] After the cleaning process in the tertiary cleaning module 313a is completed, the shutter 97 is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened. The pair of second arms 612 is inserted into the inside of the housing 91 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a through the arm passage opening 94 and grips the wafer W that has been cleaned by the cleaning machine.

[0209] 21F, after the shutter 97 of the fourth cleaning module 314a is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened, the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 are moved along the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a by driving the arm transfer mechanism 62, and the wafer W held by the pair of second arms 612 is transferred from the third cleaning module 313a to the fourth cleaning module 314a and handed over to the cleaner of the fourth cleaning module 314a. Next, after the pair of second arms 612 are taken out of the housing 91 of the fourth cleaning module 314a, the arm passage opening 94 is closed by the shutter 97, and the wafer W is cleaned and dried by the cleaner of the fourth cleaning module 314a.

[0210] After the cleaning and drying processes in the fourth cleaning module 314a are completed, the shutter 97 is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened. The hand of the transfer robot 111 of the above-mentioned load / unload unit 11 is inserted into the inside of the housing 91 of the fourth cleaning module 314a through the arm passage opening 94, and the wafer W that has been cleaned by the cleaning machine and dried (for example, by spin drying) as the final process is taken out to the load / unload unit 11.

[0211] According to the present embodiment, the cleaning section 13 includes the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b arranged in two stages, one above the other. Therefore, a plurality of wafers W can be continuously cleaned. Even when the wafers W are transferred from the polishing section 12 to the cleaning section 13, the wafers W can be cleaned in parallel by distributing the wafers W to the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b. This improves the throughput of the entire process.

[0212] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the unpolished wafer W is transported from the slide stage 42 of the transport section 14 to the polishing section 12, so that the transport robot 111 arranged in the load / unload section 11 can be prevented from coming into contact with the polishing environment and becoming contaminated.

[0213] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b are arranged in two tiers, one above the other, and the slide stage 42 is arranged between the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b, thereby preventing an increase in the footprint of the entire apparatus.

[0214] According to this embodiment, the polishing unit transport mechanism 22 is disposed adjacent to the transport unit 14, the first polishing unit 20a, and the second polishing unit 20b, and the wafer W transported from the transport unit 14 to the polishing unit 12 is distributed to the first transport unit 24a and the second transport unit 24b by the transport robot 23 of the polishing unit transport mechanism 22. The wafer W is transported from the first transport unit 24a to the first polishing unit 20a, and the wafer W is transported from the second transport unit 24b to the second polishing unit 20b. In this way, the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b do not share a wafer transport path, so that congestion during wafer transport to the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b is eliminated. This can improve the throughput of the entire process.

[0215] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, even if an abnormality occurs in any of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a of the first cleaning unit 30a, the wafer W located in the first cleaning unit 30a can be salvaged by being transported to the second cleaning unit 30b and cleaned.

[0216] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the first transfer unit 24a of the polishing section 12 can transfer the wafer W received from the transfer robot 23 to each of the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b. Furthermore, the second transfer unit 24b of the polishing section 12 can transfer the wafer W received from the transfer robot 23 to each of the third polishing apparatus 21c and the fourth polishing apparatus 21d. For example, the first stage 52a of the first transport unit 24a receives a first wafer from the transport robot 23 and moves to the first substrate transport position TP1, the first pusher 51a rises to transfer the first wafer from the first stage 52a to the first polishing device 21a, and while the first wafer is being polished in the first polishing device 21a, the second stage 52b receives a second wafer from the transport robot 23 and moves to the second substrate transport position TP2, the second pusher 51b rises to transfer the second wafer from the second stage 52b to the second polishing device 21b, and the second wafer is polished in the second polishing device 21b. By polishing two wafers in parallel in this way, the throughput of the entire process can be improved. In addition, after the wafer is polished in the first polishing apparatus 21a, the first pusher 51a descends to transfer the substrate from the first polishing apparatus 21a to the second stage 52b, the second stage 52b moves to the second substrate transport position TP2, and the second pusher 51b rises to transfer the wafer from the second stage 52b to the second polishing apparatus 21b, and the wafer can be further polished continuously in the second polishing apparatus 21b.

[0217] According to the present embodiment, since the exchanger 50 of the polishing section 12 has the three stages 52a to 52c, for example, the first stage 52a and the second stage 52b While both stages are being used to transfer wafers to and from the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, the third stage 52c can receive the next wafer and wait there, which makes it possible to speed up the start timing of the polishing process for the next wafer and further improve throughput.

[0218] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the first wafer W1 and the second wafer W2 are polished in parallel in the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, the same third stage 52c is used to transfer wafers to both the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, and the second stage 52b and the first stage 52a are dedicated to receiving wafers from the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, respectively. Therefore, even if a problem occurs when receiving a wafer from one of the polishing apparatuses 21a, wafer transfer to the other polishing apparatus 21b can continue (avoiding the occurrence of deadlock).

[0219] According to this embodiment, the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a that transports the wafer W between the cleaning modules 311a to 314a has a pair of openable and closable arms 611 and a rotating mechanism 631, and the rotating mechanism 631 can rotate the pair of arms 611 so that their tips face upward. Therefore, even if the shutter 97 of a specific cleaning module among the multiple cleaning modules 311a to 314a is closed, the arm 611 can be moved by avoiding (skipping) this cleaning module. Therefore, when moving the arm 611 to pass through this cleaning module, it is not necessary to wait for the shutter 97 to open, and the throughput of the entire process can be improved.

[0220] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the rotating mechanism 631 rotates the pair of arms 611 so that their tips face upward, the vertical movement mechanism 641 lowers the pair of arms 611, thereby reducing the space required above the pair of arms 611.

[0221] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, there are two sets of arms, each of which is made up of a pair of arms 611, 612, a vertical movement mechanism 641, 642, and a rotation mechanism 631, 632, so that the two sets of arms can be used depending on the cleanliness of the wafer to be held. For example, by using one set of arms in the first half of the cleaning process in each cleaning module and using the other set of arms in the second half of the cleaning process, it is possible to prevent the wafer undergoing the second half of the cleaning process from coming into contact with one set of arms and becoming contaminated.

[0222] According to this embodiment, the pair of arms 611 are provided with two chuck pieces 612a, 612b, which are capable of contacting the outer periphery of the wafer, in upper and lower stages, so that the chuck pieces 612a, 612b can be used depending on the cleanliness of the wafer to be held. For example, in the cleaning process in each cleaning module, the lower chuck piece 612b is used in the first half of the cleaning process, and the upper chuck piece 612a is used in the second half of the cleaning process, thereby preventing the wafer undergoing the second half of the cleaning process from coming into contact with the lower chuck piece 612b and becoming contaminated.

[0223] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the wafer gripping mechanism 601 having the pair of arms 611, the vertical movement mechanism 641, and the rotation mechanism 631 is disposed in a suspended state below the arm transfer mechanism 62, which increases the maintenance space for the wafer gripping mechanism 601. Therefore, the time required for maintenance can be reduced.

[0224] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the surface of the unpolished wafer W can be cleaned in the pre-cleaning module 39a before the wafer W is polished by the polishing apparatus 12. This can reduce problems such as scratches caused by coarse particles being caught during the polishing process of the wafer W.

[0225] In the above-described embodiment, the wafer W before cleaning in the secondary cleaning module 312a is gripped and transported by the pair of first arms 611, and the wafer W after cleaning in the secondary cleaning module 312a is gripped and transported by the pair of second arms 612, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the wafer W before cleaning in the primary cleaning module 311a may be gripped and transported by the pair of first arms 611, and the wafer W after cleaning in the primary cleaning module 311a may be gripped and transported by the pair of second arms 612, or the wafer W before cleaning in the tertiary cleaning module 313a may be gripped and transported by the pair of first arms 611, and the wafer W after cleaning in the tertiary cleaning module 313a may be gripped and transported by the pair of second arms 612.

[0226] In the above-described embodiment, the transfer unit (for example, first transfer unit 24a) of polishing section 12 is disposed at two substrate transfer positions (first substrate transfer position TP1 and second substrate transfer position TP2) for each of two polishing apparatuses (first polishing apparatus 21a and second polishing apparatus 21b), and includes two pushers (first pusher 51a and second pusher 51b) that move up and down, and at least two pushers (first pusher 51a and second pusher 51b) that are disposed in two upper and lower stages and move horizontally independently between waiting position L1 where wafer W is delivered to and from transfer robot 23 and the two substrate transfer positions TP1 and TP2. In the above embodiment, the polishing section 12 has an exchanger 50 including at least two stages (first stage 52a and second stage 52b), but is not limited thereto. The transfer unit of the polishing section 12 may have M pushers that are arranged at M substrate transfer positions for each of M polishing apparatuses (M is a natural number of 3 or more) and move up and down, and the exchanger 50 including at least M stages that are arranged in M ​​stages and move horizontally independently of each other between a waiting position L1 for receiving and delivering the wafer W from the transfer robot 23 and M substrate transfer positions. In this case, the exchanger 50 preferably has at least one further stage that is arranged in multiple stages above and below the M stages and moves horizontally independently of the M stages between the waiting position L1 and the M substrate transfer positions.

[0227] In the above embodiment, a polishing apparatus for polishing a wafer is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the polishing apparatus and can be applied to other substrate processing apparatuses. For example, a plurality of polishing units may be replaced with other substrate processing units (e.g., a film forming processing unit such as a plating processing unit or a CVD unit, a wet etching unit or a dry etching unit, etc.) to configure a substrate processing apparatus other than the polishing apparatus. Also, a plurality of different substrate processing units may be combined and arranged in a predetermined direction.

[0228] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and may be embodied in various different forms within the scope of the technical concept thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0229] 10 Substrate processing equipment 11 Load / unload section 12 Polishing section 13 Cleaning section 14 Conveyor section 15 Control section 20a First Polishing Unit 20b Second polishing unit 21a 1st polishing device 21b 2nd polishing device 21c 3rd polishing device 21d 4th polishing device 22 Polishing section transport mechanism 23 Transport Robot 231 Hands 232 Arm 233 Robot Body 234 Reversal Mechanism 24a First conveying unit 24b Second transport unit 25a~25d Top ring 311a~314a Cleaning module 311b~314b Cleaning module 32a Cleaning section transport mechanism 32b Cleaning section transport mechanism 33a Wafer Station 33b Wafer Station 39a Pre-cleaning module 39b Pre-cleaning module 330 Shaft 331 Guide Stage 333 Push Stage 337 Top Ring Guide 338 Upper section 338a Taper 339a Receiving part 339b Spring 340 Guide sleeve 341 Center sleeve 346 Linear Way 347 Cylinder 349 Electric Actuator 351 Compression Spring 41 Cover 41a Loading entrance 41b Exit 42 Slide Stage 43 Stage movement mechanism 44 Exhaust Duct 50 Exchanger 51a 1st Pusher 51b 2nd Pusher 52a 1st stage 52a1 pin 52b 2nd stage 52c 3rd stage 601 First wafer gripping mechanism 602 Second wafer gripping mechanism 611 First Arm 612 Second Arm 612a, 612b Chuck piece 62 Arm transport mechanism 631 First Rotating Mechanism 631A Rotating shaft 632 Second Rotation Mechanism 632A Rotating Shaft 632L Link material 641 1st vertical movement mechanism 642 2nd vertical movement mechanism 661 1st opening / closing mechanism 662 2nd opening / closing mechanism 67 Depth direction movement mechanism 68 Mainframe 691 1st Subframe 692 Second Subframe 71 Case 72 Stages 73 Loading entrance 74 Arm passage opening 75 Drive mechanism 76 pin 81 Case 82 Stages 83 Loading entrance 84 Arm passage opening 85 Drive mechanism 86 pin 87 Shutter 91 Case 94 Arm passage opening 97 Shutter 101 Polishing table 102 Polishing pad 103 Top ring shaft 104 Polishing liquid supply nozzle

Claims

1. 1. A method for processing a substrate, comprising: a pre-processing module pre-cleaning the substrate which has been removed from a wafer cassette in a load / unload section and then transported to the pre-processing module without being polished, the pre-cleaning module being provided in a cleaning unit having a plurality of cleaning modules, the plurality of cleaning modules and the pre-cleaning module being arranged in a straight line in a plan view, and the pre-cleaning module being arranged on the opposite side of the plurality of cleaning modules from the wafer cassette; the substrate being conveyed to a polishing unit after the pre-cleaning, and being polished.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: transferring the substrate to a first cleaning module of the plurality of cleaning modules after the polishing; and cleaning the substrate.

3. In the first cleaning module, the substrate is cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge; 3. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of: after cleaning in the first cleaning module, moving the substrate to a second cleaning module of the plurality of cleaning modules, and cleaning the substrate with a roll-shaped sponge or a pencil-shaped sponge.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 3 , wherein the cleaning in the second cleaning module is performed by using a roll-shaped sponge.

5. 5. The substrate processing method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of: after cleaning in the second cleaning module, moving the substrate to a third cleaning module among the plurality of cleaning modules, and cleaning the substrate by pencil-shaped sponge or two-fluid jet cleaning.

6. 6. The substrate processing method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of: after cleaning in the third cleaning module, moving the substrate to a fourth cleaning module of the plurality of cleaning modules, and drying the substrate with IPA vapor. method.

7. 7. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the pre-processing module, the front and back surfaces of the substrate are pre-cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge.

8. 7. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the pre-processing module, the surface of the substrate is pre-cleaned by a buff pad.

9. a cleaning unit having a plurality of cleaning modules, wherein a pre-cleaning module is provided in the cleaning unit for pre-cleaning the substrate which has been removed from a wafer cassette in a load / unload section and then transported to a pre-processing module without being polished, the plurality of cleaning modules and the pre-cleaning module are arranged in a straight line in a plan view, and the pre-cleaning module is arranged on an opposite side of the plurality of cleaning modules from the wafer cassette; a polishing unit transport mechanism that transports the substrate to a polishing unit after the preliminary cleaning; a polishing unit that polishes the substrate transported to the polishing unit by the polishing section transport mechanism; A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

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