Substrate processing method

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing method that can perform substrate processing efficiently by narrowing an array pitch of substrates.SOLUTION: A method includes: a substrate group generating process of generating a substrate group in which initial substrates are arranged at twice a particular pitch by extracting a plurality of substrates from a carrier where the substrates defined by a front surface and a back surface are arrayed at the particular pitch; a first assembling process of disposing a first substrate W1 at a first position P1; a second assembling process of disposing a second substrate W2 at a second position P2; a third assembling process of disposing a third substrate W3 at a third position P3; a fourth assembling process of disposing a fourth substrate W4 at a fourth position P4; and a fifth assembling process of disposing a fifth substrate W5 at a fifth position P5. Thus, a batch lot is generated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing method for semiconductor substrates, substrates for FPDs (Flat Panel Displays) such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL (Electroluminescence) display devices, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for optical disks, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a substrate processing apparatus that takes out the same number of substrates from each of two carriers, forms a first group of substrates and a second group of substrates, and inserts the second group of substrates into the gaps between the substrates in the first group of substrates, thereby converting the pitch to 1 / 2 and forming a group of substrates with twice the number of substrates, which are then processed all at once. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-175179 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, there has been a demand for greater efficiency in substrate processing equipment. To increase the number of substrates processed at one time in batch processing, the substrate arrangement pitch must be narrower. This poses a problem: substrate orientation. In other words, for batch processing, arranging substrates face-to-face to generate a batch lot is more suitable from the perspective of preventing contamination of the device surfaces. To arrange substrates face-to-face with their device surfaces facing each other, the only way to achieve this is to combine a substrate arrangement obtained from a first carrier with a substrate arrangement obtained from a second carrier that is half-rotated. Therefore, with conventional configurations, the substrate arrangement pitch can be halved, but cannot be further narrowed. When a batch lot is generated by inserting substrates obtained from a second carrier into the gaps between the substrates obtained from the first carrier, the substrate arrangement pitch in the batch lot is automatically half of the original pitch.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a substrate processing method that narrows the substrate arrangement pitch and performs substrate processing efficiently. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the present invention provides a substrate processing method for processing a plurality of substrates at once, which includes a substrate group generating step of taking out a plurality of substrates from a carrier in which substrates having front and back surfaces defined thereon are arranged at a specific pitch, and generating a substrate group in which the substrates are arranged in one direction at a pitch twice the specific pitch; a first assembly process in which a first array in which first substrates facing in a direction opposite to the one direction are arranged at a predetermined interval that is twice the specific pitch is combined with the substrate group, thereby positioning the first substrate at a first position among a first position, a second position, a third position, a fourth position, and a fifth position that divide the predetermined interval in the substrate group into six; a second assembly process in which the second substrates facing in one direction are arranged at the predetermined intervals and combined with the substrate group to position the second substrates at the second position; a third assembly step of combining the group of substrates with a third array in which the third substrates facing the opposite direction are arranged at the predetermined intervals, thereby positioning the third substrates at the third position; a fourth assembly process of combining a fourth array in which the fourth substrates facing one direction are arranged at the predetermined intervals with the substrate group to position the fourth substrate at the fourth position; a fifth array in which the fifth substrates facing the opposite direction are arranged at the predetermined intervals, and a fifth assembly process in which the fifth substrates are positioned at the fifth position by combining the substrate group; and performing these assembly processes in any order to generate a batch lot; A process for immersing the batch lot in a processing solution is provided. It is characterized by:

[0007] [Actions and Effects] The above-described configuration generates a group of substrates arranged at a wide pitch, and then narrows the pitch of the group of substrates by inserting substrates in the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth arrays into the gaps between the group of substrates. This configuration allows the facing relationship between the group of substrates and the inserted substrates to be freely changed, so a new substrate array can be generated by combining a group of substrates facing in one direction with a first array of substrates facing in the opposite direction, a second array of substrates facing in one direction with a third array of substrates facing in the opposite direction, a fourth array of substrates facing in one direction with a fifth array of substrates facing in the opposite direction. This allows the substrate array pitch to be narrowed and the substrate array direction to be set as desired.

[0008] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, a surface of the first substrate in the first assembly process facing a surface of the substrate group; In the second assembly process, the back surface of the second substrate faces the back surface of the first substrate, In the third assembly process, a surface of the third substrate faces a surface of the second substrate; In a fourth assembly process, the back surface of the fourth substrate faces the back surface of the third substrate, It is preferable that in the fifth assembly step, the front surface of the fifth substrate faces the front surface of the fourth substrate, and the back surface of the fifth substrate faces the back surface of the substrate group.

[0009] [Actions and Effects] According to the above-described configuration, the front surface of the first substrate in the first assembly process faces the front surface of the substrate group, the back surface of the second substrate in the second assembly process faces the back surface of the first substrate, the front surface of the third substrate in the third assembly process faces the front surface of the second substrate, the back surface of the fourth substrate in the fourth assembly process faces the back surface of the third substrate, and the front surface of the fifth substrate in the fifth assembly process faces the front surface of the fourth substrate, and the back surface of the fifth substrate faces the back surface of the substrate group. According to the present invention, a substrate arrangement in which the front surfaces and back surfaces are arranged in this manner can be generated.

[0010] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, the first assembly step is performed after the first substrate facing in one direction has been rotated halfway around the first array with the predetermined intervals; the third assembly step is performed after the third substrate facing in one direction has rotated the third array at the predetermined intervals by half a turn; The fifth assembly step is preferably performed after the fifth substrate facing in one direction has rotated the fifth array at predetermined intervals by half a turn.

[0011] [Operations and Effects] According to the above-described configuration, the first assembly process is performed after a first array of first substrates oriented in one direction and spaced apart at a predetermined interval has been rotated halfway, the third assembly process is performed after a third array of third substrates oriented in one direction and spaced apart at a predetermined interval has been rotated halfway, and the fifth assembly process is performed after a fifth array of fifth substrates oriented in one direction and spaced apart at a predetermined interval has been rotated halfway. In this manner, the generation of the substrate array can be completed by receiving a group of substrates arranged in one direction from the carrier.

[0012] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, a first step of simultaneously acquiring the horizontally oriented substrates from a carrier that stores substrates arranged vertically; A second process is provided to simultaneously change the orientation of each board from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation, It is preferable that the first and second steps are carried out before each assembly step.

[0013] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the first process of collectively retrieving each horizontally oriented substrate from a carrier that stores vertically arranged substrates, and the second process of collectively converting the orientation of each substrate from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation are performed before each assembly process. With this configuration, the generation of the substrate array can be completed by receiving a group of substrates arranged in one direction from the carrier.

[0014] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, The distance from the first position to the second position is preferably 1 / 3 of the specific pitch in the carrier.

[0015] [Operations and Effects] According to the above-described configuration, the distance from the first position to the second position is 1 / 3 of the specific pitch of the carrier. With this configuration, the pitch of the generated substrate array can be set to 1 / 2 or less of the array pitch of the substrates stored in the carrier.

[0016] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, It is preferable that the assembly steps are carried out in the order of the first assembly step, the second assembly step, the third assembly step, the fourth assembly step, and the fifth assembly step.

[0017] [Operations and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the assembly processes are performed in the order of the first assembly process, the second assembly process, the third assembly process, the fourth assembly process, and the fifth assembly process. This configuration makes it easy to generate a substrate array.

[0018] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, The group of substrates is obtained from a first carrier that stores horizontally oriented substrates arranged vertically; the first sequence is obtained from the first carrier; the second array of horizontally oriented substrates is obtained from a second carrier containing vertically oriented substrates; the third sequence is obtained from the second carrier; the fourth array is obtained from a third carrier containing a vertically arranged array of substrates in a horizontal orientation; Preferably, said fifth sequence is obtained from said third carrier.

[0019] [Operations and Effects] According to the above configuration, the substrate group is obtained from the first carrier, the first array is obtained from the first carrier, the second array is obtained from the second carrier, the third array is obtained from the second carrier, the fourth array is obtained from the third carrier, and the fifth array is obtained from the third carrier. With this configuration, substrate arrays can be easily generated from multiple carriers.

[0020] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, It is preferable that the first position, the second position, the third position, the fourth position, and the fifth position divide the predetermined interval into six equal parts.

[0021] [Operations and Effects] According to the above-described configuration, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth positions divide the predetermined interval into six equal parts. This configuration makes it possible to generate a substrate array in which the substrates are arranged in a more orderly manner.

[0022] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, Preferably, the substrate group generating step generates the substrate group by extracting every other substrate from the carrier.

[0023] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, every other substrate is extracted from the carrier to generate a group of substrates. With this configuration, it is easy to generate a group of substrates.

[0024] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, Preferably, the substrate group generating step generates the substrate group by extracting every other substrate in a process of converting the substrates from a horizontal position to a vertical position after all the substrates have been extracted from the carrier.

[0025] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, all the substrates are extracted from the carrier, and in the subsequent process of converting the substrates from a horizontal position to a vertical position, every other substrate is extracted, thereby generating the group of substrates. With this configuration, it is easy to generate the group of substrates. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate processing method that can narrow the arrangement pitch of substrates and perform substrate processing efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view illustrating an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a carrier according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating each part constituting the transfer block according to the embodiment. [Figure 4]1 is a diagram comparing the configuration of a carrier according to an embodiment with the configuration of a handling robot. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of an HVC attitude conversion unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of each rod according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of each rod according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a groove of a clamping rod according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a pusher according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a pusher according to an embodiment. [Figure 11A] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11B] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11C] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11D] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11E] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11F] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11G] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11H] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11I] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11J] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11K] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11L] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11M]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11N] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11O] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 11P] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a batch set according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the orientation of a substrate according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a substrate according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a substrate according to an embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the handling robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 16A] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the batch set according to the embodiment. [Figure 16B] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the batch set according to the embodiment. [Figure 16C] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the batch set according to the embodiment. [Figure 16D] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the batch set according to the embodiment. [Figure 16E] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the batch set according to the embodiment. [Figure 16F] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the batch set according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the substrate processing apparatus of the embodiment, substrates arranged at a 10 mm pitch are converted to a 1 / 3 pitch (10 / 3 mm) to form a batch lot. The formed batch lot is subjected to various substrate treatments, such as chemical immersion treatment, all at once, i.e., batch treatment. By performing substrate treatment with a narrower substrate arrangement pitch in this way, less chemical solution is required, thereby reducing running costs and enabling environmentally friendly substrate treatment.

[0029] The substrate processed by the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment has an orientation defined by a front surface and a back surface. The front surface of the substrate is the device surface on which film formation processing and exposure processing are performed. The back surface is the surface opposite the device surface. When the substrate is held in a horizontal position, the front surface of the substrate faces upward. [Example]

[0030] 1. Overall structure The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention is configured to perform batch processing. The substrate processing apparatus 1 has a housing 1A that houses each block. The housing 1A has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The housing 1A houses a stocker block 3, a transfer block 5, and a processing block 6, which are arranged horizontally from one end side. A load port 9 is provided to protrude from the wall surface at one end side of the housing 1A.

[0031] For convenience, in this specification, the direction in which the stocker block 3, transfer block 5, and processing block 6 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 are arranged is referred to as the "front-rear direction X." The front-rear direction X extends horizontally. Within the front-rear direction X, the direction from the transfer block 5 toward the stocker block 3 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is referred to as the "front." The direction opposite the front is referred to as the "rear." The horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction X is referred to as the "width direction Y." For convenience, one direction of the "width direction Y" is referred to as the "right" and the other direction is referred to as the "left." For convenience, the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction X and the width direction Y (height direction) is referred to as the "vertical direction Z." In each figure, for reference, the terms front, back, right, left, top, and bottom are indicated as appropriate.

[0032] 2. Stocker Block 1, the stocker block 3 is provided with a load port 9, which is an entrance through which a carrier C, which stores multiple substrates W in a horizontal position and at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, is introduced into the block. The load port 9 protrudes from the outer wall of the stocker block 3, which extends in the width direction (Y direction).

[0033] A plurality of substrates W (for example, 25 substrates) are stacked and stored horizontally at regular intervals in one carrier C. The carrier C storing unprocessed substrates W to be carried into the substrate processing apparatus 1 is first placed on the load port 9.

[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates the configuration of a carrier C. The carrier C has a plurality of horizontally extending slots S formed therein, which hold substrates W with their surfaces spaced apart. The slots S are arranged vertically at a specific pitch (e.g., 10 mm), and each slot S accommodates a substrate W. Twenty-five slots S are provided in one carrier C. Therefore, 25 substrates W are arranged vertically at the specific pitch in the carrier C. A mounting plate 7 is located at a position that separates each slot S, and supports both ends of the substrate W together with its paired mounting plate 7. Therefore, one mounting plate 7 is provided on each side of the carrier C and on a surface parallel to that side. An example of a carrier C is a sealed FOUP (Front Opening Unify Pod). In the present invention, an open container may be used as the carrier C.

[0035] The internal structure of the stocker block 3 will now be described. The stocker block 3 is equipped with a transport storage unit ACB that stocks and manages carriers C. The transport storage unit ACB is equipped with a carrier transport mechanism 11 that transports the carriers C and shelves 13 on which the carriers C are placed. The stocker block 3 can stock one or more carriers C.

[0036] The stocker block 3 has a plurality of shelves 13 on which carriers C are placed. The shelves 13 are provided on a partition wall separating the stocker block 3 and the transfer block 5. The shelves 13 include a stock shelf 13b on which carriers C are simply placed temporarily, and a carrier placement shelf 13a which is accessed by the first handling robot HTR of the transfer block 5 and is used to remove substrates.

[0037] The carrier mounting shelf 13a is configured to be able to mount a carrier C. The carrier mounting shelf 13a is configured to mount a carrier C from which a substrate W is to be removed. In this embodiment, one carrier mounting shelf 13a is provided, but multiple carrier mounting shelves 13a may be provided. The carrier transport mechanism 11 takes in a carrier C storing an unprocessed substrate W from the load port 9 and places it on the carrier mounting shelf 13a for substrate removal. At this time, the carrier transport mechanism 11 can also temporarily place the carrier C on a stock shelf 13b before placing it on the carrier mounting shelf 13a. The stocker block 3 has one or more carrier mounting shelves 13a.

[0038] The carrier mounting shelf 13a is also configured to mount empty carriers C for storing processed substrates W. The processed substrates W are stored in carriers C waiting on the carrier mounting shelf 13a. The carrier transport mechanism 11 retrieves the carriers C storing the processed substrates W from the carrier mounting shelf 13a and transports them to the load port 9. When transporting the carriers C to the load port 9, the carrier transport mechanism 11 may temporarily store the carriers C on the stock shelf 13b.

[0039] 3. Transfer block The transfer block 5 is adjacent to the carrier mounting shelf 13a. The transfer block 5 is disposed adjacent to and rearward of the stocker block 3. The transfer block 5 is equipped with a handling robot HTR capable of accessing carriers C placed on the carrier mounting shelf 13a for removing substrates, an HVC position conversion unit 23 that converts the position of multiple substrates W collectively from a horizontal position to a vertical position, and a pusher mechanism 25. The HVC position conversion unit 23 converts multiple substrates W collectively from a horizontal position to a vertical position. Furthermore, the transfer block 5 is provided with a substrate transfer position PP for transferring multiple substrates W to the forward / backward transport mechanism WTR provided in the batch transport region R2.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, the handling robot HTR, HVC posture conversion unit 23, and pusher mechanism 25 are arranged in this order in the Y direction. The handling robot HTR has a hand 211 that can hold a substrate W in a horizontal posture. Each hand 211 can hold a single substrate W. The handling robot HTR has hands 211 arranged in the vertical direction. The handling robot HTR can transport multiple substrates W at once by holding a substrate with each hand 211. The movement support mechanism 213 is a mechanism that constitutes the handling robot HTR, and is configured to rotate the hand 211 around a vertical axis, raise and lower the hand 211, move the hand 211 forward and backward in the forward and backward direction X, and move the hand 211 laterally in the left and right direction Y.

[0041] FIG. 4 shows how the handling robot HTR receives a substrate W from a carrier C using a hand 211. As shown in FIG. 4, the hands 211 are arranged vertically at a pitch twice the pitch of the slots S provided in the carrier C. That is, the hands 211 are arranged at a pitch of 20 mm. 20 mm corresponds to the predetermined interval of the present invention. The handling robot HTR cannot transport all of the substrates W arranged at 10 mm intervals in the carrier C at once. The handling robot HTR is configured to extract every other substrate W arranged at 10 mm intervals, thereby generating a group of substrates arranged at 20 mm intervals. Since the surfaces of the substrates W stored in the carrier C all face upward, the substrates W extracted by the handling robot HTR all face upward. Each hand 211 is provided with a guide 214 that abuts the peripheral edge of the substrate. The guides 214 are provided at the tip and base ends of a pair of blades that make up the hand 211. Therefore, the hand 211 is provided with four guides 214.

[0042] The handling robot HTR has 13 hands 211. The handling robot HTR uses these hands to transport 25 substrates stored in a carrier C in two trips. The handling robot HTR can first transport 12 substrates W and then transport 13 substrates W. Similarly, the handling robot HTR can first transport 13 substrates W and then transport 12 substrates W.

[0043] The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 shown in Fig. 3 is configured to convert the substrate W taken out of the carrier C by the handling robot HTR from a horizontal attitude to a vertical attitude. The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 includes a pair of mounting rods 231 and a pair of clamping rods 232 extending in the vertical direction (Z direction). A support base 237 has a support surface extending in the XY plane that supports the mounting rods 231 and clamping rods 232. A rotation drive mechanism 239 is configured to rotate the mounting rods 231 and clamping rods 232 together with the support base 237 by 90°. This rotation causes the mounting rods 231 and clamping rods 232 to extend in the left-right direction (Y direction).

[0044] The mounting rod 231 is provided with a rod driving mechanism 235 that rotates around a rotation axis along the extension direction of the mounting rod 231. The pair of rod driving mechanisms 235 allows the pair of mounting rods 231 to rotate synchronously. The rod driving mechanism 235 also allows the mounting rod 231 to extend and retract. A specific example of when the mounting rod 231 is driven by the rod driving mechanism 235 will be described later.

[0045] The clamping rods 232 are provided with rod rotation mechanisms 236 that rotate around a rotation axis along the direction in which the clamping rods 232 extend. The pair of rod rotation mechanisms 236 allows the pair of clamping rods 232 to rotate synchronously.

[0046] FIG. 5 illustrates the flat plate 233 of the mounting rod 231. The flat plates 233 are arranged on the mounting rod 231 at 20 mm intervals in the extension direction of the mounting rod 231. Each flat plate 233 is a plate extending in a plane perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the flat plates 233, and the substrate W is supported by the mounting rod 231 when an end of the substrate W rests on the upper surface of the flat plate 233. Note that since the entire substrate W cannot be held by holding only one end of the substrate W, two mounting rods 231 are provided in the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. One end of the substrate W is held by the flat plate 233 of one mounting rod 231, and the other end of the substrate W is held by the flat plate 233 of the other mounting rod 231. The one end and the other end are spaced apart by the diameter of the substrate W. Therefore, the pair of mounting rods 231 are spaced apart by the diameter of the substrate W, as shown in FIG. 6. In this way, the substrate W held by the flat plate 233 does not rise up from the flat plate 233. This is because the weight of the substrate W is applied symmetrically to the left and right of the flat plate 233, so that the weight of the substrate W on the flat plate 233 is kept balanced on the left and right. In addition, the pair of mounting rods 231 are parallel to each other.

[0047] 5 illustrates the clamping plates 234 of the clamping rods 232. The clamping plates 234 have arcuate sides 234a that follow the curve of the substrate W, and V-grooves 234b are provided on the arcuate sides 234a for clamping the substrate W. Because the substrate W has a shape that follows the curve of the arcuate sides 234a, the substrate W is clamped in the V-grooves 234b of the arcuate sides 234a. The clamping plates 234 are arranged on the clamping rods 232 at 20 mm intervals in the direction in which the clamping rods 232 extend. Each clamping plate 234 is a plate that extends in a plane perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the clamping plates 234, and the substrate W is clamped by the clamping rods 232 when a portion of the substrate W is clamped in the V-groove 234b of the arcuate sides 234a.

[0048] Note that, because clamping only a portion of the substrate W does not achieve clamping of the entire substrate W, the HVC posture conversion unit 23 is provided with two clamping rods 232. The clamping plates 234 of one of the clamping rods 232 clamp a portion of the substrate W, and the clamping plates 234 of the other clamping rod 232 clamp a portion of the substrate W. The pair of clamping rods 232 are spaced apart by a distance shorter than the diameter of the substrate W. Because the pair of clamping rods 232 are configured to clamp the substrate W in a vertical posture, they only need to be configured to clamp the lower edge of the substrate W, and do not need to be spaced apart by the diameter of the substrate W as with the placement rod 231. However, as shown in FIG. 7 , the clamping rods 232 are positioned offset from the bottom of the substrate W in a vertical posture, and therefore two rods are required: one that clamps a portion of the substrate W on the right side as viewed from the bottom, and the other that clamps a portion of the substrate W on the left side as viewed from the bottom. 8, the two clamping rods 232 clamp the substrate W from both sides by means of the V-shaped grooves 234b of the clamping plates 234. The pair of clamping rods 232 are parallel to each other.

[0049] 3 includes a pusher 251 that can arrange a vertically oriented substrate W in the horizontal direction. The pusher 251 is a half-pipe type that follows the curve of the bottom of the substrate W. In the initial state, the pusher 251 has a U-shaped groove 251a that forms the half-pipe extending in the left-right direction Y. In this state, the pusher 251 can receive the substrate W from the HVC attitude conversion unit 23.

[0050] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the pusher 251. The pusher 251 has a plurality of V-shaped clamping grooves 252. The clamping grooves 252 are arranged in the extension direction of the U-grooves described in Fig. 7. The arrangement pitch of the clamping grooves 252 is 10 / 3 mm. Each of the clamping grooves 252 clamps one substrate W as shown in Fig. 9.

[0051] Figure 10 explains the relationship between the pair of clamping rods 232 and the pusher 251. Unlike the state in Figure 3, the pair of clamping rods 232 in Figure 10 are tilted 90 degrees together with the support base 237 by the rotation drive mechanism 239. Therefore, the clamping rods 232 in Figure 10 extend in the horizontal direction. As can be seen from Figure 10, the pusher 251 is located at a position where it is sandwiched between the pair of clamping rods 232 in the front-rear direction X. Therefore, the pair of clamping rods 232 and the pusher 251 do not interfere with each other and can cooperate to clamp the substrate W in a vertical position.

[0052] 3 can rotate the pusher 251 by at least 180°. The pusher rotation mechanism 253 can rotate the pusher 251 in the initial state to face the pusher 251 in the opposite direction, and can also rotate the pusher 251 facing the opposite direction to return the pusher 251 to the initial state.

[0053] The pusher shift mechanism 254 can move the pusher 251 in the initial state back and forth in the left-right direction Y. The pusher shift mechanism 254 can move the pusher 251 closer to the HVC attitude changing unit 23, and can also move the pusher 251 closer to the advancing and retreating transport mechanism WTR.

[0054] The pusher lifting mechanism 255 can lift the pusher 251 from the initial position to the sky position. The pusher lifting mechanism 255 can also return the pusher 251 from the sky position to the initial position.

[0055] 4. Pitch change in transfer block In the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment, the arrangement pitch of substrates W can be changed in the transfer block 5, and this point will be explained below. The substrates W arranged at a 10 mm pitch in the carrier C are temporarily arranged at a 20 mm pitch in the transfer block 5, and then rearranged to a 10 / 3 mm pitch. This configuration will be explained in detail below.

[0056] 11A compares the substrate arrangement pitch in each configuration. In carrier C, the mounting plates 7 that make up each slot S are arranged at a pitch of 10 mm. The mounting plates 7 are not only arranged vertically on one side of carrier C, but also arranged vertically on the other side of carrier C. The carrier C holds the substrate W by placing both ends of the substrate W on a pair of mounting plates 7 facing each other.

[0057] Meanwhile, flat plates 233 are arranged at a pitch of 20 mm on the mounting rods 231 of the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. Therefore, if the arrangement pitch of the mounting plates 7 of the carrier C is A, the arrangement pitch of the flat plates 233 is 2A. In other words, the pair of mounting rods 231 can only hold 13 substrates W, approximately half of the 25 substrates stored in the carrier C, at one time.

[0058] Similarly, clamping plates 234 are arranged at 20 mm pitches on clamping rods 232 in the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. Therefore, if the arrangement pitch of the mounting plates 7 of carrier C is A, the arrangement pitch of the clamping plates 234 is 2A. In other words, the pair of clamping rods 232 can only hold 13 substrates W, approximately half of the 25 substrates stored in carrier C, at one time.

[0059] Figure 11B shows a simplified view of 25 substrates W arranged on a carrier C. Since three separate carriers C will appear in the following description, the carrier C in Figure 11B will be referred to as the first carrier C1. The first carrier C1 has 25 substrates W arranged at a pitch of 10 mm.

[0060] 11C shows the state when some of the substrates W stored in the first carrier C1 are transferred to the HVC posture conversion unit 23 by the handling robot HTR. The handling robot HTR has hands 211 arranged vertically at 20 mm intervals. Therefore, the handling robot HTR can only hold about half of the substrates W in the first carrier C1 at a time. The handling robot HTR removes every other substrate W from the first carrier C1 and transfers them to the HVC posture conversion unit 23. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, both ends of the substrates W are supported by a pair of mounting rods 231.

[0061] At this time, the peripheral edge of the substrate W is in contact with each of the clamping plates 234 of the pair of clamping rods 232. More specifically, the peripheral edge of the substrate W is sandwiched between the V-grooves of the clamping plates 234. Therefore, even if the support base 237 is rotated 90° in this state, the substrate W is sandwiched between the V-grooves 234b of the clamping plates 234, and therefore the substrate W will not slip off the HVC attitude conversion unit 23.

[0062] 11C also shows how the placement rod 231 supports the substrate W with the flat plate 233. Similarly, FIG. 11C shows how the clamping rod 232 clamps the substrate W with the clamping plate 234.

[0063] FIG. 11D shows a state when the rotation drive mechanism 239 in the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 is operated. This operation rotates the support base 237 by 90°, and the mounting rod 231 and the clamping rod 232 extend horizontally. The load of the substrate W is then transferred from the mounting rod 231 to the clamping rod 232, and the flat plate 233 of the mounting rod 231 is now only in contact with the substrate W. FIG. 11D shows a state when the mounting rod 231 is contracted by the rod drive mechanism 235. When the mounting rod 231 contracts (slightly displaces and moves so as to sink into the support base 237), the flat plate 233 moves away from the substrate W. Even with this operation, the substrate W is supported by the clamping rod 232, and therefore does not move along with the movement of the flat plate 233.

[0064] By moving the flat plate 233 away from the substrate W, even if the substrate W held by the holding rods 232 is lifted by the pusher 251, the flat plate 233 will not damage the rear surface of the substrate W.

[0065] 11E shows a state where the mounting rod 231 is subsequently rotated 90° by the rod driving mechanism 235. The flat plate 233 of the mounting rod 231 faces upward due to the rotation of the mounting rod 231. The movement of the flat plate 233 is performed above the pusher 251. The mounting rod 231 approaches the pusher 251 together with the substrate W clamped by the clamping rods 232, but at that time, the flat plate 233 does not collide with the substrate W held by the pusher 251. Note that since the pusher 251 in FIG. 11E does not clamp the substrate W, the rotation of the flat plate 233 can be omitted.

[0066] 11F shows the state when the pusher 251 is subsequently raised. Then, the bottom of the substrate W held by the clamping rod 232 fits into the clamping groove 252 of the pusher 251. If the pusher 251 is raised further in this state, the substrate W will be removed from the clamping plates 234 of the clamping rod 232. In this way, the substrate W is transferred from the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 to the pusher mechanism 25.

[0067] Thereafter, the pusher 251 rises to an upper position UR set above the mounting rod 231. The pusher 251, which is positioned at the upper position UR, does not collide with the mounting rod 231, which is returned to the upright state. FIG. 11F also illustrates how the rotation drive mechanism 239 moves the mounting rod 231 and the clamping rod 232 to the virtual position IR indicated by the dashed lines. At this time, the contracted mounting rod 231 returns to its original extended state. Furthermore, the mounting rod 231 rotates in the reverse direction to return to the original state described in FIG. 11C.

[0068] In this way, the substrates W arranged at 20 mm pitches are handed over from the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 to the pusher mechanism 25. At this time, the clamping grooves 252 in the pusher 251 include grooves that clamp the substrates W and empty grooves that do not clamp the substrates W. The grooves that clamp the substrates W are spaced apart by six times the arrangement pitch of the clamping grooves 252. This is because the arrangement pitch of the clamping grooves 252 is 10 / 3 mm. The arrangement pitch of the substrates W, 20 mm, is exactly six times the arrangement pitch of the clamping grooves 252. For convenience of explanation, the substrates W arranged on the pusher 251 at this time will be referred to as the initial substrate group, or simply as initial substrates W0. The initial substrate group corresponds to the substrate group of the present invention.

[0069] FIG. 11G shows the state when the pusher 251, which has subsequently descended and returned to its initial position, is rotated halfway by the pusher rotation mechanism 253. This left-facing pusher 251 is called the L state. In contrast, the pusher 251 in FIG. 11F is in the R state, facing right. The half rotation in FIG. 11G is called the first half rotation r1. FIG. 11G also illustrates, using dashed lines, how the substrates W remaining on the first carrier C1, arranged at 20 mm pitches, are transported to the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. This transport is achieved by a handling robot HTR having hands 211 arranged at 20 mm pitches.

[0070] 11H shows the state when the substrate W held by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 is subsequently handed over to the pusher 251. At this time, the tilting of the mounting rod 231 and the clamping rod 232 and the contraction of the mounting rod 231 are performed as described in FIG. 11D, but these have already been described in detail. Similarly, FIG. 11H also omits the rotation of the mounting rod 231 described in FIG. 11E, the fitting of the substrate W into the pusher 251, the lifting and lowering of the pusher 251, the raising operation of the mounting rod 231 and the clamping rod 232, the extension operation of the mounting rod 231, and the reverse rotation operation of the mounting rod 231, all of which are described in FIG. 11F.

[0071] As can be seen with reference to FIG. 11H, even in this case, the substrates W arranged at a pitch of 20 mm are still handed over to the pusher 251 without changing the pitch. When the substrates W are handed over from the HVC attitude changing unit 23 to the pusher mechanism 25, they are handed over to one of the clamping grooves 252 of the pusher 251. Of the clamping grooves 252, those in which the initial group of substrates are already fitted cannot clamp any more substrates W. Therefore, the substrate W held by the HVC attitude changing unit 23 is transported to a position shifted by one pitch in the arrangement of the clamping grooves 252 from the initial group of substrates, and is fitted into the clamping groove 252 at that position. This alignment of the substrates W and the pusher 251 is achieved by the pusher shift mechanism 254.

[0072] In this way, the substrates W arranged at 20 mm pitches are handed over from the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 to the pusher mechanism 25. At this time, the pusher 251 has alternating regions where two consecutive clamping grooves 252 for clamping substrates W are arranged, and regions where four consecutive empty grooves are not arranged to clamp substrates W. For convenience of explanation, the substrates W newly arranged on the pusher 251 in FIG. 11H will be referred to as the first arrangement, or simply as the first substrates W1.

[0073] FIG. 11I shows the state when the pusher 251 is then rotated half a turn by the pusher rotation mechanism 253. At this time, the pusher 251 is in the R state. The half turn in FIG. 11I is called the second half turn r2. FIG. 11G also illustrates, using dashed lines, how the substrates W are transported from the second carrier C2 to the HVC posture conversion unit 23. The second carrier C2 is a new carrier transported to the carrier mounting shelf 13a by the carrier transport mechanism 11 in place of the emptied first carrier C1. The second carrier C2 stores 25 substrates W arranged at 10 mm pitches. The substrates W arranged at 20 mm pitches are removed from the second carrier C2 and transported to the HVC posture conversion unit 23. This transport is achieved by a handling robot HTR having hands 211 arranged at 20 mm pitches.

[0074] Fig. 11J shows the state when the substrate W held by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 is subsequently handed over to the pusher 251. Specific operations performed at this time, such as tilting of the placement rod 231 and the clamping rod 232, which are described in Fig. 11D, are omitted, as in Fig. 11H.

[0075] As can be seen from Figure 11J, even in this case, the substrates W arranged at a pitch of 20 mm are passed to the pusher 251 without changing the pitch. Of the clamping grooves 252 of the pusher 251, those in which the substrates W of the initial substrate group, the first array, are already fitted cannot clamp any more substrates W. Therefore, the substrates W held by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 are transported to a position shifted by one pitch in the arrangement of the clamping grooves 252 from the substrates W of the first array, and are fitted into the clamping grooves 252 at that position. Such alignment of the substrates W and the pusher 251 is achieved by the pusher shift mechanism 254.

[0076] In this way, the substrates W arranged at 20 mm pitches are handed over from the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 to the pusher mechanism 25. At this time, the pusher 251 has alternating regions where three consecutive clamping grooves 252 for clamping substrates W are arranged and regions where three consecutive empty grooves are not arranged for clamping substrates W. For convenience of explanation, the substrates W newly arranged on the pusher 251 in FIG. 11J are referred to as the second arrangement, or simply as the second substrates W2.

[0077] FIG. 11K shows the state when the pusher 251 is then rotated half a turn by the pusher rotation mechanism 253. At this time, the pusher 251 is in the L state. The half turn in FIG. 11K is called the third half turn r3. FIG. 11K also illustrates, by means of dashed lines, how the substrates W remaining on the second carrier C2 are transported to the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. The substrates W remaining on the second carrier C2 are arranged at a pitch of 20 mm. This transport is achieved by a handling robot HTR having hands 211 arranged at a pitch of 20 mm.

[0078] 11L shows the state when the substrate W held by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 is subsequently handed over to the pusher 251. Specific operations performed at this time, such as tilting of the placement rod 231 and the clamping rod 232, which are described in FIG. 11D, are omitted, as in FIG. 11H.

[0079] As can be seen from FIG. 11L, even in this case, the substrates W arranged at a pitch of 20 mm are passed to the pusher 251 without changing the pitch. Of the clamping grooves 252 of the pusher 251, those that already have substrates W from the initial substrate group, the first array, and the second array fitted in them cannot clamp any more substrates W. Therefore, the substrates W held by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 are transported to a position shifted by one pitch in the arrangement of the clamping grooves 252 from the substrates W in the second array, and are fitted into the clamping grooves 252 at that position. Such alignment of the substrates W and the pusher 251 is achieved by the pusher shift mechanism 254.

[0080] In this way, the substrates W arranged at 20 mm pitches are handed over from the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 to the pusher mechanism 25. At this time, the pusher 251 has alternating regions where four consecutive clamping grooves 252 for clamping substrates W are arranged and regions where two consecutive empty grooves are not arranged for clamping substrates W. For convenience of explanation, the substrates W newly arranged on the pusher 251 in FIG. 11L will be referred to as the third arrangement, or simply as the third substrates W3.

[0081] FIG. 11M shows the state when the pusher 251 is then rotated half a turn by the pusher rotation mechanism 253. At this time, the pusher 251 is in the R state. The half turn in FIG. 11M is called the fourth half turn r4. FIG. 11M also illustrates, using dashed lines, how a substrate W is transported from the third carrier C3 to the HVC posture conversion unit 23. The third carrier C3 is a new carrier that the carrier transport mechanism 11 transported to the carrier mounting shelf 13a to replace the empty second carrier C2. The third carrier C3 stores 25 substrates W arranged at 10 mm pitches. The substrates W arranged at 20 mm pitches are removed from the third carrier C3 and transported to the HVC posture conversion unit 23. This transport is achieved by a handling robot HTR having hands 211 arranged at 20 mm pitches.

[0082] 11N shows the state when the substrate W held by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 is subsequently handed over to the pusher 251. Specific operations performed at this time, such as tilting of the placement rod 231 and the clamping rod 232, which are described in FIG. 11D, are omitted, as in FIG. 11H.

[0083] 11N, even in this case, the substrates W arranged at a pitch of 20 mm are passed to the pusher 251 without changing the pitch. Of the clamping grooves 252 of the pusher 251, those that already have substrates W from the initial substrate group, first array, second array, and third array fitted in them cannot clamp any more substrates W. Therefore, the substrates W held by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 are transported to a position shifted by one pitch in the arrangement of the clamping grooves 252 from the substrates W in the third array, and are fitted into the clamping grooves 252 at that position. The pusher shift mechanism 254 achieves this alignment of the substrates W and the pusher 251.

[0084] In this way, the substrates W arranged at 20 mm pitches are handed over from the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 to the pusher mechanism 25. At this time, the clamping grooves 252 in the pusher 251 include grooves that clamp the substrates W and empty grooves that do not clamp the substrates W. The empty grooves are spaced apart by six times the arrangement pitch of the clamping grooves 252. For convenience of explanation, the substrates W newly arranged on the pusher 251 in Figure 11N will be referred to as the fourth arrangement, or simply as the fourth substrate W4.

[0085] FIG. 11O shows the state when the pusher 251 is then rotated half a turn by the pusher rotation mechanism 253. At this time, the pusher 251 is in the L state. The half turn in FIG. 11O is called the fifth half turn r5. FIG. 11O also illustrates, by means of dashed lines, how the substrates W remaining on the third carrier C3 are transported to the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. The substrates W remaining on the third carrier C3 are arranged at a pitch of 20 mm. This transport is achieved by a handling robot HTR having hands 211 arranged at a pitch of 20 mm.

[0086] 11P shows the state when the substrate W held by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 is subsequently handed over to the pusher 251. Specific operations performed at this time, such as tilting of the placement rod 231 and the clamping rod 232, which are described in FIG. 11D, are omitted, as in FIG. 11H.

[0087] As can be seen from FIG. 11P, even in this case, the substrates W arranged at a pitch of 20 mm are passed to the pusher 251 without changing the pitch. Of the clamping grooves 252 of the pusher 251, those that already have substrates W from the initial substrate group, first array, second array, third array, and fourth array fitted in them cannot clamp any more substrates W. Therefore, the substrates W held by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 are transported to a position shifted by one pitch in the arrangement of the clamping grooves 252 from the substrates W in the fourth array, and are fitted into the clamping grooves 252 at that position. Such alignment of the substrates W and the pusher 251 is achieved by the pusher shift mechanism 254.

[0088] In this way, the substrates W arranged at 20 mm pitches are handed over from the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 to the pusher mechanism 25. At this time, all of the clamping grooves 252 in the pusher 251 are clamping a substrate W. For convenience of explanation, the substrate W newly arranged on the pusher 251 in FIG. 11P is referred to as the fifth arrangement, or simply as the fifth substrate W5.

[0089] In this way, 75 substrates W are arranged at a pitch of 10 / 3 mm on the pusher 251. The array of substrates thus generated is called a batch lot BL.

[0090] 5. Batch lot consisting of transfer blocks 12 illustrates the orientation of substrates W in a batch lot BL. The batch lot BL is composed of an initial substrate W0 originating from the first carrier C1, a first substrate W1 originating from the first carrier C1, a second substrate W2 originating from the second carrier C2, a third substrate W3 originating from the second carrier C2, a fourth substrate W4 originating from the third carrier C3, and a fifth substrate W5 originating from the third carrier C3, which are arranged in this order at a pitch of 10 / 3 mm. Of these, the initial substrate W0, the second substrate W2, and the fourth substrate W4 are received from the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 by the pusher 251 in the R position facing right, so the orientations of these substrates W are aligned in one direction. On the other hand, the first substrate W1, the third substrate W3, and the fifth substrate W5 are received from the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 by the pusher 251 in the L position facing left, so the orientations of these substrates are aligned in the opposite direction.

[0091] That is, the device surface of the first substrate W1 faces the front surface of the initial substrate W0, the back surface of the second substrate W2 faces the back surface of the first substrate W1, the device surface of the third substrate W3 faces the device surface of the second substrate W2, the back surface of the fourth substrate W4 faces the back surface of the third substrate W3, the device surface of the fifth substrate W5 faces the device surface of the fourth substrate W4, and the back surface of the fifth substrate W5 faces the back surface of the initial substrate W0. In this way, the batch lot BL completed by the pusher 251 is made up of substrates W arranged face-to-face.

[0092] In this example, by transferring the substrates W while rotating the pusher 251, the substrates W can be arranged face-to-face based on the initial substrate W0, the first substrate W1, the second substrate W2, the third substrate W3, the fourth substrate W4, and the fifth substrate W5, all of which are aligned in one direction, to generate a batch lot BL.

[0093] Next, the relationship between the clamping grooves 252 of the pusher 251 and the substrates W will be described. There are six positions at which the clamping grooves 252 are provided: a reference position P where the initial substrate W0 is located, a first position P1 where the first substrate W1 is located, a second position P2 where the second substrate W2 is located, a third position P3 where the third substrate W3 is located, a fourth position P4 where the fourth substrate W4 is located, and a fifth position P5 where the fifth substrate W5 is located. The reference positions P are arranged at a 20 mm pitch on the pusher 251, and the first position P1, second position P2, third position P3, fourth position P4, and fifth position P5 divide the 20 mm between the reference positions P into six. Specifically, the 20 mm between the reference positions P is divided into six equal parts by the first position P1, second position P2, third position P3, fourth position P4, and fifth position P5. Therefore, the distance from the reference position P to the first position P1 is 10 / 3 mm, which is 1 / 3 of 10 mm, the arrangement pitch of the substrates W on the carrier C. Similarly, the distance from the first position P1 to the second position P2, the distance from the second position P2 to the third position P3, the distance from the third position P3 to the fourth position P4, the distance from the fourth position P4 to the fifth position P5, and the distance from the fifth position P5 to the reference position P are all 10 / 3 mm.

[0094] At the reference position P, a substrate W facing in one direction is located, at the first position P1, a substrate W facing in the opposite direction is located, at the second position P2, a substrate W facing in one direction is located, at the third position P3, a substrate W facing in the opposite direction is located, at the fourth position P4, a substrate W facing in one direction is located, and at the fifth position P5, a substrate W facing in the opposite direction is located.

[0095] 6. Batch lot retention in transfer block The transfer block 5 has two portions capable of holding a batch lot BL. One of these portions is a pusher 251. The pusher 251 can move back and forth between an initial position where the substrate W can be transferred to and from the HVC attitude conversion unit 23, and a transfer position PP where the batch lot BL can be transferred to the forward / backward transfer mechanism WTR. This reciprocating movement is achieved by a pusher shift mechanism 254.

[0096] The transfer block 5 has a lot support section 33 as a section capable of holding batch lots BL, separate from the pusher 251. This lot support section 33 serves as a batch lot holding section for temporarily evacuating batch lots BL when a congestion of batch lots BL occurs between the transfer block 5 and the processing block 6.

[0097] 7. Processing Block The following describes the configuration of the processing block 6 described in Figure 1. The processing block 6 is adjacent to the transfer block 5. The processing block 6 performs batch processing on the above-mentioned batch lots BL. The processing block 6 is divided into a batch processing area R1, which is arranged in the width direction (Y direction), and a batch transport area R2. Each area extends in the front-to-rear direction (X direction). In detail, the batch processing area R1 is located inside the processing block 6. The batch transport area R2 is adjacent to the batch processing area R1 and is located at the leftmost side of the processing block 6.

[0098] The batch processing area R1 in the processing block 6 is a rectangular area extending in the front-to-rear direction (X direction). One end (front side) of the batch processing area R1 is adjacent to the transfer block 5. The other end (rear side) of the batch processing area R1 extends in a direction away from the transfer block 5. When transporting a batch lot BL from the transfer block 5 to the processing block 6, the forward / backward transport mechanism WTR provided in the processing block 6 is used.

[0099] The advancing / retreating transport mechanism WTR transports multiple substrates W in a vertical position all at once between the transfer block 5, the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6, and the batch drying chamber DC. The advancing / retreating transport mechanism WTR can hold a batch lot BL made up of substrates W arranged at a pitch of 10 / 3 mm.

[0100] The batch processing region R1 is equipped with a batch processing section that performs batch processing. Specifically, the batch processing region R1 includes a batch drying chamber DC that dries multiple substrates W in a batch, and multiple batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 that immerse multiple substrates W in a batch, arranged in the direction in which the batch processing region R1 extends. The batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 immerse multiple substrates W in a batch. The arrangement of the batch drying chamber DC and the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 will be described in detail below. The batch drying chamber DC is adjacent to the transfer block 5 from the rear. The first batch processing unit BPU1 is adjacent to the batch drying chamber DC from the rear. The second batch processing unit BPU2 is adjacent to the first batch processing unit BPU1 from the rear. The third batch processing unit BPU3 is adjacent to the second batch processing unit BPU2 from the rear. The fourth batch processing unit BPU4 is adjacent to the third batch processing unit BPU3 from the rear. The fifth batch processing unit BPU5 is adjacent to the rear of the fourth batch processing unit BPU4. The sixth batch processing unit BPU6 is adjacent to the rear of the fifth batch processing unit BPU5. Therefore, the batch drying chamber DC, first batch processing unit BPU1, second batch processing unit BPU2, third batch processing unit BPU3, fourth batch processing unit BPU4, fifth batch processing unit BPU5, and sixth batch processing unit BPU6 are arranged in this order so as to be farther away from the transfer block 5.

[0101] The batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 each have a batch processing tank capable of holding a liquid. The batch processing tank is a liquid tank that holds a chemical liquid or pure water. The chemical liquid is an acidic aqueous solution, for example, a phosphoric acid aqueous solution. In this specification, the chemical liquid and pure water are collectively referred to as the processing liquid. The batch processing tanks that hold the chemical liquid are referred to as batch chemical processing tanks CHB2 to CHB6, and the batch processing tank that holds pure water is referred to as the batch rinse processing tank ONB.

[0102] Specifically, the second batch processing unit BPU2 includes a batch chemical processing bath CHB2 that performs chemical processing on the batch lots BL collectively, and a lifter LF2 that raises and lowers the batch lots BL between a substrate transfer position and a chemical processing position (see FIG. 2). The substrate transfer position is a position set above the batch chemical processing bath CHB2 that is accessible by the forward / backward transfer mechanism WTR, and the chemical processing position is a position set within the batch chemical processing bath CHB2 where the batch lots BL can be immersed in the chemical. The batch chemical processing bath CHB2 performs acid processing on the batch lots BL. The acid processing may be phosphoric acid processing, but other acids may also be used. The phosphoric acid processing is performed by etching the multiple substrates W that make up the batch lot BL. The etching processing, for example, chemically etches the nitride film on the surfaces of the substrates W.

[0103] The lifter LF2 can hold a batch lot BL consisting of substrates W arranged at a pitch of 10 / 3 mm. Like the lifter LF2, the lifters provided in the other processing tanks can also hold this batch lot BL. The batch drying chamber DC can store this batch lot BL.

[0104] The batch chemical processing bath CHB2 contains an acid solution such as a phosphoric acid solution. A lifter LF2 is attached to the batch chemical processing bath CHB2 to move the batch lots BL up and down. The lifter LF2 moves up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction). Specifically, the lifter LF2 moves up and down between a processing position inside the batch chemical processing bath CHB2 and a transfer position above the batch chemical processing bath CHB2. The lifter LF2 holds the batch lots BL, each of which is made up of substrates W in a vertical position. At the transfer position, the lifter LF2 transfers the batch lots BL to and from the forward / backward transport mechanism WTR. When the lifter LF2 moves down from the transfer position to the processing position while holding the batch lots BL, the entire substrates W are below the surface of the chemical solution. When the lifter LF2 moves up from the processing position to the transfer position while holding the batch lots BL, the entire substrates W are above the surface of the chemical solution. The lifter LF2 can immerse the batch lots BL en masse in the batch processing bath. At this time, the lifter LF2 descends from the delivery position to the processing position.

[0105] Specifically, the third batch processing unit BPU3 includes a batch chemical processing tank CHB3 and a lifter LF3 that raises and lowers the batch lot BL between the substrate transfer position and the chemical processing position. The batch chemical processing tank CHB3 has the same configuration as the batch chemical processing tank CHB2 described above. That is, the batch chemical processing tank CHB3 contains the above-described chemical liquid and is equipped with a lifter LF3. The batch chemical processing tank CHB3 performs the same processing on the batch lot BL as the batch chemical processing tank CHB2. The substrate processing apparatus 1 of this example includes multiple processing tanks capable of performing the same chemical processing. This is because phosphoric acid processing takes longer than other processes. Phosphoric acid processing takes a longer time (e.g., 60 minutes). Therefore, the apparatus of this example is designed to perform acid processing in parallel using multiple batch chemical processing tanks.

[0106] The fourth batch processing unit BPU4 to the sixth batch processing unit BPU6 have the same configuration as the second batch processing unit BPU2 and the third batch processing unit BPU3. Specifically, the fourth batch processing unit BPU4 includes a batch chemical processing bath CHB4 and a lifter LF4 that raises and lowers the batch lot BL between the substrate transfer position and the chemical processing position. Similarly, the fifth batch processing unit BPU5 includes a batch chemical processing bath CHB5 and a lifter LF5 that raises and lowers the batch lot BL between the substrate transfer position and the chemical processing position. The sixth batch processing unit BPU6 includes a batch chemical processing bath CHB6 and a lifter LF6 that raises and lowers the batch lot BL between the substrate transfer position and the chemical processing position. Therefore, the batch lot BL is acid-treated in one of the batch chemical processing baths CHB2 to CHB6. Performing chemical processing in parallel using five processing units in this manner increases the throughput of the apparatus.

[0107] Specifically, the first batch processing unit BPU1 includes a batch rinse processing bath ONB containing a rinse liquid and a lifter LF1 for raising and lowering the batch lot BL between a substrate transfer position and a rinse position. The substrate transfer position is a position above the batch rinse processing bath ONB accessible by the forward / backward transport mechanism WTR, and the rinse position is a position within the batch rinse processing bath ONB where the batch lot BL can be immersed in the rinse liquid. The batch rinse processing bath ONB has a configuration similar to the batch chemical processing bath CHB2 described above. That is, the batch rinse processing bath ONB contains a rinse liquid and is equipped with a lifter LF1. Unlike the other processing baths, the batch rinse processing bath ONB contains pure water and is provided for the purpose of cleaning the chemical liquid adhering to multiple substrates W. In the batch rinse processing bath ONB, the cleaning process is completed when the resistivity of the pure water in the bath increases to a predetermined value.

[0108] As described above, the batch rinse treatment tank ONB in ​​this embodiment is located closer to the transfer block 5 than the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB2 to CHB6. This configuration allows the mechanisms constituting the transfer block 5 to be separated as far as possible from the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB2 to CHB6, preventing the pusher mechanism 25 and other components from being adversely affected by acids such as phosphoric acid. Furthermore, by locating the transfer block 5 and the batch drying chamber DC close to each other, the batch lot BL that has undergone rinsing treatment is transported a short distance and immediately returned to the transfer block 5.

[0109] 8. Bulk transport area in processing block The batch transfer area R2 in the processing block 6 is a rectangular area extending in the front-to-rear direction (X direction). The batch transfer area R2 is provided along the outer edge of the batch processing area R1, with one end extending to the transfer block 5 and the other end extending in a direction away from the transfer block 5.

[0110] The batch transfer region R2 is provided with an advancing / retreating transfer mechanism WTR that transfers multiple substrates W in a batch. The advancing / retreating transfer mechanism WTR transfers multiple substrates W (specifically, batch lots BL) in a batch between a substrate transfer position PP defined in the transfer block 5, the lot support section 33, the batch drying chamber DC, and each of the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6. The advancing / retreating transfer mechanism WTR is configured to be able to reciprocate in the front-to-rear direction (X direction) across the transfer block 5 and processing block 6. The advancing / retreating transfer mechanism WTR can enter the batch transfer region R2 in the processing block 6 as well as the substrate transfer position PP and the lot support section 33 in the transfer block 5.

[0111] The advancing / retracting transport mechanism WTR is equipped with a pair of chucks 29 that transports the batch lot BL. The pair of chucks 29 can be switched between a closed state in which they are close to each other and an open state in which they are separated from each other. The chucks 29 are members extending in the Y direction and have grooves for gripping substrates W arranged at a pitch of 10 / 3 mm. When the pair of chucks 29 is in the closed state, it receives the multiple substrates W that make up the batch lot BL. When the pair of chucks 29 is in the open state, it transfers the multiple substrates W that make up the batch lot BL to another member (such as the lifter LF1). The advancing / retracting transport mechanism WTR transfers the batch lot BL between the substrate transfer position PP in the transfer block 5 and the lot support part 33. In addition, the advancing / retracting transport mechanism WTR transfers the batch lot BL between the lifters LF1 to LF6 that belong to the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 in the processing block 6 and the batch drying chamber DC.

[0112] The batch transfer region R2 is provided with guide rails 31 extending in the X direction to guide the advancing and retreating transfer mechanism WTR. The advancing and retreating transfer mechanism WTR is capable of advancing and retreating in the X direction along the guide rails 31. Therefore, the guide rails 31 extend from the processing block 6 to the transfer block 5. More specifically, the guide rails 31 face the substrate transfer position PP in the transfer block 5 from the Y direction, and face the sixth batch processing unit BPU6 in the processing block 6 from the Y direction. In addition to these, the guide rails 31 face the lot support part 33 in the transfer block 5, and the batch drying chamber DC and the first batch processing unit BPU1 to the sixth batch processing unit BPU6 in the processing block 6 from the Y direction.

[0113] 9. Other configurations in the processing block The batch drying chamber DC is located between the first batch processing unit BPU1 and the transfer block 5. The batch drying chamber DC has a drying chamber that accommodates a batch lot BL, which is an array of vertically oriented substrates W. The drying chamber has an inert gas supply nozzle that supplies an inert gas into the chamber and a vapor supply nozzle that supplies an organic solvent vapor into the tank. The batch drying chamber DC first supplies an inert gas to the batch lot BL supported in the chamber, replacing the atmosphere in the chamber with the inert gas. Then, pressure reduction within the chamber begins. While the chamber is under reduced pressure, organic solvent vapor is supplied into the chamber. The organic solvent is discharged outside the chamber, along with moisture adhering to the substrates W. In this way, the batch drying chamber DC dries the batch lot BL. The inert gas may be, for example, nitrogen, and the organic solvent may be, for example, IPA (isopropyl alcohol).

[0114] In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the carrier mounting shelf 13a, the batch drying chamber DC, and the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 are arranged in the front-to-rear direction. That is, the carrier mounting shelf 13a is arranged in the front, and the batch drying chamber DC is arranged behind it. The batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 are arranged further behind it. In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the internal layout of the apparatus is optimized to reduce the travel distance of the advancing and retracting transport mechanism WTR.

[0115] 10. Control Unit For the control unit 131 of the substrate processing apparatus 1, refer to FIG. 1. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 131 is provided with a corresponding storage unit. The control unit 131 is configured, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The specific configuration of the control unit is not limited, and for example, each control unit may be configured by a single processor, or each control unit may be configured by an individual processor.

[0116] The control unit 131 controls, for example, the carrier transport mechanism 11, the handling robot HTR, the HVC attitude conversion unit 23, the pusher mechanism 25, the forward / backward transport mechanism WTR, the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6, and the batch drying chamber DC.

[0117] The storage unit stores programs and parameters related to control. The storage unit may be configured as a single device, or may be configured as individual devices corresponding to each control unit. Furthermore, the substrate processing system of this embodiment does not have any particular limitations on the configuration of the device that realizes the storage unit.

[0118] 11. Substrate processing flow Hereinafter, the flow of substrate processing in this example will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0119] Step S10: The handling robot HTR extracts every other initial substrate W0 from the first carrier C1. The extracted initial substrates W0 are arranged at a pitch of 20 mm. The initial substrate W0 is changed in position from a horizontal position to a vertical position. The initial substrate W0 in the vertical position is picked up by the pusher 251. The first carrier C1 corresponds to the first carrier of the present invention.

[0120] Step S11: The remaining first substrates W1 are pulled out from the first carrier C1 by the handling robot HTR. The first substrates W1 are also arranged at a pitch of 20 mm. The first substrates W1 are taken by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23.

[0121] Step S12: Pusher 251 holding the initial substrate group in a vertical position is rotated halfway, so that the initial substrate group faces in one direction.

[0122] Step S13: In the pusher 251, batch assembly of the initial substrate W0 and the first substrate W1 is carried out. A first array, in which first substrates W1 facing in opposite directions are arranged at intervals of 20 mm, is combined with the initial substrate group, and the first substrate W1 is positioned at a first position P1 of the pusher 251. As a result, the initial substrate W0 and the first substrate W1 are lined up at an interval of 10 / 3 mm with their device surfaces facing each other. Step S13 corresponds to the first assembly process of the present invention.

[0123] Step S14: The handling robot HTR pulls out every other second substrate W2 from the second carrier C2. The pulled-out second substrates W2 are arranged at a pitch of 20 mm. The second substrates W2 are taken into the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. The second carrier C2 corresponds to the second carrier of the present invention.

[0124] Step S15: The pusher 251 holding the initial substrate W0 and the first substrate W1 is rotated halfway.

[0125] Step S16: In the pusher 251, the substrate array consisting of the initial substrate W0 and the first substrate W1 is batch assembled with the second substrate W2. A second array of second substrates W2 facing in one direction arranged at intervals of 20 mm is combined with the substrate array in the pusher 251, and the second substrate W2 is positioned at a second position P2 on the pusher 251. As a result, the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 are lined up at an interval of 10 / 3 mm with their back surfaces facing each other. Step S16 corresponds to the second assembly process of the present invention.

[0126] Step S17: The remaining third substrates W3 are pulled out from the second carrier C2 by the handling robot HTR. The third substrates W3 are arranged at a pitch of 20 mm. The third substrates W3 are taken by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23.

[0127] Step S18: The pusher 251 holding the initial substrate W0, the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 is rotated halfway.

[0128] Step S19: In the pusher 251, a batch of the substrate array consisting of the initial substrate W0, first substrate W1, and second substrate W2 is assembled with the third substrate W3. The third array, in which the third substrates W3 facing in opposite directions are arranged at intervals of 20 mm, is combined with the substrate array in the pusher 251, and the third substrate W3 is positioned at a third position P3 on the pusher 251. As a result, the second substrate W2 and the third substrate W3 are lined up at an interval of 10 / 3 mm with their device surfaces facing each other. Step S19 corresponds to the third assembly process of the present invention.

[0129] Step S20: The handling robot HTR pulls out every other fourth substrate W4 from the third carrier C3. The pulled-out fourth substrates W4 are arranged at a pitch of 20 mm. The fourth substrates W4 are taken into the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. The third carrier C3 corresponds to the third carrier of the present invention.

[0130] Step S21: The pusher 251 holding the initial substrate W0, the first substrate W1, the second substrate W2, and the third substrate W3 is rotated halfway.

[0131] Step S22: In the pusher 251, a batch of a substrate array consisting of the initial substrate W0, first substrate W1, second substrate W2, and third substrate W3 is assembled with a fourth substrate W4. The fourth array, in which the fourth substrates W4 are arranged in one direction at intervals of 20 mm, is combined with the substrate array in the pusher 251, and the fourth substrate W4 is positioned at a fourth position P4 of the pusher 251. As a result, the third substrate W2 and the fourth substrate W4 are lined up at an interval of 10.3 mm with their back surfaces facing each other. Step S22 corresponds to the fourth assembly process of the present invention.

[0132] Step S23: The remaining fifth substrate W5 is pulled out from the third carrier C3 by the handling robot HTR. The fifth substrate W5 is arranged at a pitch of 20 mm. The fifth substrate W5 is taken by the HVC attitude conversion unit 23.

[0133] Step S24: The pusher 251 holding the initial substrate W0, the first substrate W1, the second substrate W2, the third substrate W3, and the fourth substrate W4 is rotated halfway.

[0134] Step S25: In the pusher 251, a batch of a substrate array consisting of the initial substrate W0, the first substrate W1, the second substrate W2, the third substrate W3, and the fourth substrate W4 is assembled with the fifth substrate W5. The fifth array, in which the fifth substrates W5 facing in opposite directions are arranged at intervals of 20 mm, is combined with the substrate array in the pusher 251, and the fifth substrate W5 is positioned at a fifth position P5 on the pusher 251. As a result, the fourth substrate W4 and the fifth substrate W5 are lined up at an interval of 10.3 mm with their device surfaces facing each other. Step S25 corresponds to the fifth assembly process of the present invention.

[0135] Step S31: The generated batch lot BL is transported from the transfer block 5 to the processing block 6 by the forward / backward transport mechanism WTR.

[0136] Step S32: The batch lot BL is subjected to chemical treatment. Step S32 corresponds to the treatment step of the present invention.

[0137] Step S33: The batch lot BL is subjected to a rinse process. Step S33 corresponds to the processing step of the present invention.

[0138] Step S34: The batch lot BL is subjected to a drying process.

[0139] In this way, substrate processing is realized in batch lot units.

[0140] 14 shows a flowchart when a batch lot BL for which substrate processing has been completed is returned to a carrier C. The returning operation of the substrates W is basically the reverse of the above-described method with respect to time.

[0141] Step S41: The batch lot BL after the substrate processing is transported from the processing block 6 to the transfer block 5 by the forward / backward transport mechanism WTR.

[0142] Step S42: After acquiring the batch lot BL, the pusher 251 rotates half a turn. This operation causes the fifth substrate W5, which had been facing in the opposite direction, to face in one direction.

[0143] Step S43: The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 receives the fifth substrate W5 from the batch lot BL on the pusher 251, and the batch lot BL is disassembled.

[0144] Step S44: The fifth substrate W5 has its posture changed by the HVC posture changing unit 23, and is then returned to the third carrier C3 by the handling robot HTR.

[0145] Step S45: The pusher 251 rotates half a turn. This operation causes the fourth substrate W4, which had been facing in the opposite direction, to face in one direction.

[0146] Step S46: The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 receives the fourth substrate W4 from the batch lot BL on the pusher 251, and the batch lot BL is disassembled.

[0147] Step S47: The fourth substrate W4 has its posture changed by the HVC posture changing unit 23, and is then returned to the third carrier C3 by the handling robot HTR.

[0148] Step S48: The pusher 251 rotates half a turn. This operation causes the third substrate W3, which had been facing in the opposite direction, to face in one direction.

[0149] Step S49: The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 receives the third substrate W3 from the batch lot BL on the pusher 251, and the batch lot BL is disassembled.

[0150] Step S50: The third substrate W3 has its posture changed by the HVC posture changing unit 23, and is then returned to the second carrier C2 by the handling robot HTR.

[0151] Step S51: The pusher 251 rotates half a turn. This operation causes the second substrate W2, which had been facing in the opposite direction, to face in one direction.

[0152] Step S52: The HVC attitude changing unit 23 receives the second substrate W2 from the batch lot BL on the pusher 251, and the batch lot BL is disassembled.

[0153] Step S53: The second substrate W2 has its posture changed by the HVC posture changing unit 23, and is then returned to the second carrier C2 by the handling robot HTR.

[0154] Step S54: The pusher 251 rotates half a turn. This operation causes the first substrate W1, which had been facing in the opposite direction, to face in one direction.

[0155] Step S55: The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 receives the first substrate W1 from the batch lot BL on the pusher 251, and dismantles the batch lot BL.

[0156] Step S56: The first substrate W1 has its posture changed by the HVC posture changing unit 23, and is then returned to the first carrier C1 by the handling robot HTR.

[0157] Step S57: The pusher 251 rotates half a turn. This operation causes the substrate W0, which was originally facing in the opposite direction, to face in one direction.

[0158] Step S58: The HVC attitude changing unit 23 receives the initial substrate W0 from the batch lot BL in the pusher 251. After the attitude of the initial substrate W0 is changed by the HVC attitude changing unit 23, it is returned to the first carrier C1 by the handling robot HTR.

[0159] 12.Effect of this example As described above, the configuration of this example allows a group of substrates arranged at a wide pitch to be acquired, and then the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth arrays of substrates W are inserted into the gaps between the group of substrates to narrow the array pitch of the group of substrates. This configuration allows the facing relationship between the group of substrates and the inserted substrates to be freely changed, so a new batch lot BL can be generated by combining a group of substrates facing in one direction with a first array consisting of first substrates W1 facing in the opposite direction, a second array consisting of second substrates W2 facing in one direction, a third array consisting of third substrates W3 facing in the opposite direction, a fourth array consisting of fourth substrates W4 facing in one direction, and a fifth array consisting of fifth substrates W5 facing in the opposite direction. This allows the array pitch of the substrates W to be narrowed and the array direction of the substrates W to be set as desired.

[0160] According to the configuration of this example, the front surface of the first substrate W1 in step S13 faces the front surface of the initial substrate group, the back surface of the second substrate W2 in step S16 faces the back surface of the first substrate W1, the front surface of the third substrate W3 in step S18 faces the front surface of the second substrate W2, the back surface of the fourth substrate W4 in step S22 faces the back surface of the third substrate W3, and the front surface of the fifth substrate W5 in step S25 faces the front surface of the fourth substrate W4, and the back surface of the fifth substrate W5 faces the back surface of the initial substrate group. According to this example, it is possible to generate a batch lot BL in which the front surfaces and back surfaces are arranged in this manner.

[0161] According to the configuration of this example, step S13 is performed after a first array of first substrates facing in one direction and spaced apart at a predetermined interval has been rotated halfway, step S18 is performed after a third array of third substrates facing in one direction and spaced apart at a predetermined interval has been rotated halfway, and step S25 is performed after a fifth array of fifth substrates facing in one direction and spaced apart at a predetermined interval has been rotated halfway. In this manner, the generation of the batch lot BL sequence can be completed by receiving a group of substrates arranged in one direction from carrier C.

[0162] According to the configuration of this example, a first process of collectively acquiring each of the horizontally oriented substrates W from a carrier C that stores substrates W arranged vertically, and a second process of collectively converting the orientation of each of the substrates W from the horizontal orientation to the vertical orientation are performed before each assembly process. With this configuration, the generation of the batch lot BL can be completed by receiving a group of substrates arranged in one direction from the carrier C.

[0163] According to the configuration of this example, the distance from the first position P1 to the second position P2 is 1 / 3 of the specific pitch of 10 mm on the carrier C. With this configuration, the pitch of the generated substrate array can be set to 1 / 2 or less of the array pitch of the substrates W stored in the carrier C.

[0164] According to the configuration of this example, the steps related to the batch set are performed in the following order: step S13 related to the first substrate W1, step S16 related to the second substrate W2, step S18 related to the third substrate W3, step S22 related to the fourth substrate W4, and step S25 related to the fifth substrate W5. This configuration makes it easy to generate the batch lot BL.

[0165] According to the configuration of this example, the initial group of substrates is obtained from the first carrier C, the first array is obtained from the first carrier C, the second array is obtained from the second carrier C, the third array is obtained from the second carrier C, the fourth array is obtained from the third carrier C, and the fifth array is obtained from the third carrier C. With this configuration, batch lots BL can be easily generated from multiple carriers C.

[0166] According to the configuration of this example, the first position P1, the second position P2, the third position P3, the fourth position P4, and the fifth position P5 divide a predetermined interval of 20 mm into six equal parts. With this configuration, it is possible to generate batch lots BL in which substrates W are arranged more orderly.

[0167] According to the configuration of this example, an initial group of substrates is generated by extracting every other substrate W from the first carrier C1. This configuration makes it easy to generate the initial group of substrates.

[0168] 13. Variations The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, but can be modified as follows.

[0169] <Variation 1> According to the above-described configuration, the batch assembly is performed in the order of the first substrate W1, the second substrate W2, the third substrate W3, the fourth substrate W4, and the fifth substrate W5, but this order can be changed. In particular, if the order is changed so that the batch assembly is performed collectively with the first substrate W1, the third substrate W3, and the fifth substrate W5, the half-rotation operation of the pusher 251 can be partially omitted.

[0170] <Variation 2> Although the handling robot HTR having the above-described configuration is configured to be able to pick up only about half of the substrates W in the carrier C at one time, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. As shown in Fig. 15, the present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus having a handling robot HTR in which the hands 211 are arranged at 10 mm pitches.

[0171] A method for transporting substrates W in this modified example will be described below. Fig. 16A compares the arrangement pitch of substrates in each configuration. In the carrier C, the mounting plates 7 that form each slot S are arranged at a pitch of 10 mm.

[0172] On the other hand, the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 can only hold 13 substrates W, approximately half of the 25 substrates stored in the carrier C, at one time. This is because the flat plates 233 on the placement rod 231 are arranged at 20 mm pitches. Also, the clamping plates 234 on the clamping rod 232 are arranged at 20 mm pitches.

[0173] The handling robot HTR of this modification can simultaneously hold 25 substrates W stored in the carrier C. This is because the hands 211 in the handling robot HTR are arranged at 10 mm pitches.

[0174] According to this modification, although the handling robot HTR can hold 25 substrates stored in the carrier C at one time, it cannot transfer all of the substrates W it holds to the HVC posture conversion unit 23 at once. Therefore, the handling robot HTR of this modification is configured to transfer approximately half of the substrates W stored in the carrier C to the HVC posture conversion unit 23 and temporarily hold the remaining half. The remaining substrates W held by the handling robot HTR will be transferred to the HVC posture conversion unit 23 at another time.

[0175] 16B shows a simplified view of 25 substrates W arranged on a carrier C. The 25 substrates W are arranged on the carrier C at a pitch of 10 mm.

[0176] 16C shows the state when the handling robot HTR has removed all of the substrates W stored in the carrier C from the carrier C. The handling robot HTR has hands 211 arranged in the vertical direction at 10 mm pitches. Therefore, the handling robot HTR can grasp all of the substrates W in the carrier C1 at once.

[0177] FIG. 16D shows a state in which approximately half of the substrates W held by the handling robot HTR have been handed over to the HVC posture conversion unit 23. The handling robot HTR inserts its hand 211 between a pair of placement rods 231 in the HVC posture conversion unit 23. The placement rods 231 then support some of the substrates W transported by the flat plate 233. Specifically, the placement rods 231 selectively support the substrates W transported by the handling robot HTR so that the substrates W to be supported and the substrates W that are not to be supported are arranged alternately. The substrates W to be supported are arranged at a pitch of 20 mm. The substrates W that are not to be supported are also arranged at a pitch of 20 mm. Adjacent substrates W to be supported and substrates W that are not to be supported are spaced apart by 10 mm.

[0178] The handling robot HTR partially releases its grip on the substrate W. That is, the handling robot HTR releases its grip on the substrate W that is the support target on the mounting rod 231. In this way, the substrates W arranged at 20 mm pitches are handed over from the handling robot HTR to the attitude conversion unit 23.

[0179] On the other hand, for the substrates W that are not the targets of support on the mounting rod 321, the grip of the substrates W by the handling robot HTR is not released.

[0180] FIG. 16D shows the state in which the handling robot HTR then withdraws the hand 211 from the HVC posture conversion unit 23. This measure is taken so that the hand 211 does not interfere with the upright positioning of the substrate W during the upcoming posture conversion of the substrate W. The handling robot HTR withdraws the hand 211 from the HVC posture conversion unit 23 while still holding the substrate W that is not to be supported. Meanwhile, the substrates W that are to be supported are left behind in the HVC posture conversion unit 23 due to the movement of the hand 211. Of these, the substrates W handed over to the HVC posture conversion unit 23 are arranged at 20 mm pitches and can therefore be treated equivalently to the substrates W supported by the HVC posture conversion unit 23 described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11P. In other words, these substrates W can be used to perform the same operations as those for the batch set described in the embodiment.

[0181] In FIG. 16D, the substrate W that is left behind by the handling robot HTR and is not a target for support will be handed over to the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 at another opportunity.

[0182] 16E shows the state in which the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 in the state of FIG. 16D has finished transferring the substrate W to the pusher 251. Since all of the flat plates 233 of the mounting rod 231 are empty and do not support a substrate W, it is currently possible to receive the substrate W that has been left behind by the handling robot HTR.

[0183] FIG. 16F shows the state when the remaining substrates W held by the handling robot HTR are handed over to the HVC posture conversion unit 23. The handling robot HTR inserts its hand 211 between a pair of mounting rods 231 in the HVC posture conversion unit 23. The remaining substrates W are arranged at 20 mm pitches on the handling robot HTR, and the flat plates 233 are arranged at 20 mm pitches on the mounting rods 231. Therefore, the handling robot HTR can hand over all of the remaining substrates W to the HVC posture conversion unit 23. Because the substrates W handed over to the HVC posture conversion unit 23 are arranged at 20 mm pitches, they can be treated equivalently to the substrates W supported by the HVC posture conversion unit 23 described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11P. In other words, these substrates W can be used to carry out the same operations as for the batch set described in the embodiment.

[0184] 16E, the hand 211 is moved to a position 10 mm higher than the height at which the substrate W was transferred the first time as described in FIG. 16D. The hand 211 then moves horizontally from that position and enters the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. In this manner, the waiting loading rod 231 does not grab anything when the substrate W is transferred, and the substrate W can be transferred reliably.

[0185] As described above, according to this modified example, all substrates W are removed from the carrier C once, and every other substrate is removed in the process of converting the substrates from a horizontal position to a vertical position. In this way, the substrates W arranged at a 10 mm pitch are separated into substrates W to be supported, which are arranged at a 20 mm pitch, and substrates W that are not to be supported, which are also arranged at a 20 mm pitch. Incidentally, the initial substrate W0, the second substrate W2, and the fourth substrate W4 are substrates W that are to be supported, and the first substrate W1, the third substrate W3, and the fifth substrate W5 are substrates W that are not to be supported. With this configuration, it is possible to reliably generate each substrate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0186] 1. Substrate processing equipment 1A housing 3 Stocker Block 5 Transfer block 6 Processing Blocks 7. Mounting plate 9 Loading Port 11 Carrier transport mechanism 13 Shelves 13a Carrier placement shelf 13b Shelf 23 HVC attitude change unit 25 Pusher mechanism 29 Zipper 31 Guide rail 33 Rod support 131 Control Unit 211 hands 213 Moving support mechanism 214 Guide 231 Mounting rod 232 Clamping rod 233 Flat plate 234 Holding plate 234a Arc edge 234b V groove 235 Rod drive mechanism 236 Rod rotation mechanism 237 Support stand 239 Rotational Drive Mechanism 251 Pusher 251a U groove 252 Holding groove 253 Pusher rotation mechanism 254 Pusher shift mechanism 255 Pusher lifting mechanism ACB transport storage area BL batch lot BPU1 Batch Processing Unit BPU2 Batch Processing Unit BPU3 Batch Processing Unit BPU4 Batch Processing Unit BPU5 Batch Processing Unit BPU6 Batch Processing Unit C Carrier C1 First Carrier C2 Second Carrier C3 Third Carrier CHB2 batch chemical treatment tank CHB3 batch chemical treatment tank CHB4 batch chemical treatment tank CHB5 batch chemical treatment tank CHB6 batch chemical treatment tank DC Batch Drying Chamber HTR Handling Robot IR Virtual Position LF1 Lifter LF2 Lifter LF3 Lifter LF4 Lifter LF5 Lifter LF6 Lifter ONB batch rinse processing tank P reference position P1 1st position P2 2nd position P3 3rd position P4 4th position P5 5th position PP handover position r1 First half rotation r2 Second half rotation r3 Third half turn r4 Fourth and a half rotation r5 5th half turn R1 Batch Processing Area R2 Bulk transport area S slot UR sky position W substrate W0 original board W1 First board W2 Second board W3 3rd board W4 4th board W5 5th board WTR forward / backward transfer mechanism

Claims

1. A substrate processing method for processing a plurality of substrates at once, a substrate group generating process in which a plurality of substrates are taken out from a carrier in which substrates having defined front and back surfaces are arranged at a specific pitch, and a substrate group is generated in which the substrates are arranged in one direction at a pitch twice the specific pitch; a first assembly process in which a first array in which first substrates facing in a direction opposite to the one direction are arranged at a predetermined interval that is twice the specific pitch is combined with the substrate group, thereby positioning the first substrate at a first position among a first position, a second position, a third position, a fourth position, and a fifth position that divide the predetermined interval in the substrate group into six; a second assembly process in which the second substrates facing in one direction are arranged at the predetermined intervals and combined with the substrate group to position the second substrates at the second positions; a third assembly step of combining the group of substrates with a third array of third substrates facing the opposite direction, the third substrates being arranged at the predetermined intervals, to position the third substrates at the third position; a fourth assembly process of combining a fourth array in which the fourth substrates facing one direction are arranged at the predetermined intervals with the substrate group to position the fourth substrate at the fourth position; a fifth array in which the fifth substrates facing the opposite direction are arranged at the predetermined intervals, and a fifth assembly process in which the fifth substrates are positioned at the fifth position by combining the substrate group; and performing these assembly processes in any order to generate a batch lot; A process for immersing the batch lot in a processing solution is provided. A substrate processing method comprising:

2. 2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, a surface of the first substrate in the first assembly process facing a surface of the substrate group; In the second assembly process, the back surface of the second substrate faces the back surface of the first substrate, a surface of the third substrate in the third assembly process facing a surface of the second substrate; In the fourth assembly process, the back surface of the fourth substrate faces the back surface of the third substrate, In the fifth assembly process, the front surface of the fifth substrate faces the front surface of the fourth substrate, and the back surface of the fifth substrate faces the back surface of the substrate group. A substrate processing method comprising:

3. 2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, the first assembly step is performed after the first substrate facing in one direction has rotated the first array at the predetermined intervals by half a turn; the third assembly step is performed after the third substrate facing in one direction has rotated the third array at the predetermined intervals by half a turn; The fifth assembly step is performed after the fifth array of the fifth substrates facing in one direction is rotated halfway. A substrate processing method comprising:

4. 2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, The distance from the first position to the second position is 1 / 3 of the specific pitch in the carrier. A substrate processing method comprising:

5. 2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, The assembly steps are carried out in the order of the first assembly step, the second assembly step, the third assembly step, the fourth assembly step, and the fifth assembly step. A substrate processing method comprising:

6. 6. The substrate processing method according to claim 5, The group of substrates is obtained from a first carrier that stores horizontally oriented substrates arranged in a vertical direction; the first sequence is obtained from the first carrier; the second array of horizontally oriented substrates is obtained from a second carrier containing vertically oriented substrates; the third sequence is obtained from the second carrier; the fourth array is obtained from a third carrier containing a vertically arranged array of substrates in a horizontal orientation; The fifth sequence is obtained from the third carrier. A substrate processing method comprising:

7. 2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, The first position, the second position, the third position, the fourth position, and the fifth position divide the predetermined interval into six equal parts. A substrate processing method comprising:

8. 2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, The substrate group generating step extracts every other substrate from the carrier to generate the substrate group. A substrate processing method comprising:

9. 2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, The substrate group generating step generates the substrate group by extracting every other substrate from the carrier after extracting all the substrates from the carrier and converting the substrates from a horizontal position to a vertical position. A substrate processing method comprising:

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