Wafer processing apparatus, control method for wafer processing apparatus and wafer conveyance device

Abstract

To provide a wafer processing apparatus capable of improving conveyance efficiency of a wafer, a control method for the wafer processing apparatus and a wafer conveyance device.SOLUTION: A wafer processing apparatus comprises a conveyance robot TR8 including hands 57 and 58 and a control section. A vertical support interval JK2 between two support faces SF1 and SF2 of the hands 57 and 58 is set to match a vertical placement interval CK2 between two placement faces PF1 and PF2 of wafer placement tables PS31 and PS32. The control section executes a first hand forward moving operation for moving the hand 57 forward to deliver a wafer W to the wafer placement table PS31 and executes a first hand backward moving operation for moving the hand 57 backward. The control section executes a second hand forward moving operation for moving the hand 58 forward to receive a second wafer from the wafer placement table PS32 and executes a second hand backward moving operation for moving the hand 58 backward. The control section executes the first hand backward moving operation and the second hand forward moving operation in parallel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates, a control method for the substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate transport apparatus. Examples of the substrate include semiconductor substrates, FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrates, photomask glass substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, ceramic substrates, and solar cell substrates. Examples of the FPD include liquid crystal display devices and organic EL (electroluminescence) display devices. [Background technology]

[0002] The substrate processing apparatus includes a coating processing block, a development processing block, and an interface block arranged horizontally in a single row (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Each of the coating processing block, the development processing block, and the interface block includes a substrate transport robot. For example, a mounting table (mounting section) is provided between the coating processing block and the development processing block. The mounting table is used to transport substrates between a first substrate transport robot in the coating processing block and a second substrate transport robot in the development processing block.

[0003] For example, three pins are provided on the top surface of the mounting table (see, for example, Patent Document 2). The substrate transport robot includes two hands provided on two levels, one above the other (see, for example, Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-010291 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-053428 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-068057 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] A conventional substrate transfer robot places a first substrate on the sending stage and receives a second substrate from the returning stage as follows: Note that the lower hand is currently holding the first substrate, and the upper hand is not holding the second substrate.

[0006] First, the substrate transfer robot advances its lower hand, places a first substrate on the sending platform with the lower hand, and then retracts the lower hand that is not supporting the first substrate. The substrate transfer robot then raises its upper hand to a preset height to receive a second substrate from the return platform. The substrate transfer robot then advances its upper hand, receives the second substrate from the return platform with the upper hand, and then retracts the upper hand holding the second substrate.

[0007] However, such an operation may take a long time, which may result in the substrate transport efficiency not meeting the user's requirements.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a substrate processing apparatus, a control method for a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate transport apparatus that can improve substrate transport efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration: That is, a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate according to the present invention includes a first substrate transport robot having a first hand and a second hand arranged vertically and capable of transferring a substrate to and from a first mounting table and a second mounting table arranged vertically by moving the first hand and the second hand, and a control unit, wherein the first hand is configured to support one first substrate in a horizontal position, the second hand is configured to support one second substrate in a horizontal position, a vertical support distance between a substrate support surface of the first hand and a substrate support surface of the second hand is set to match a vertical placement distance between a placement surface on which a substrate is placed of the first mounting table and a placement surface on which a substrate is placed of the second mounting table, and the control unit controls a first hand supporting the first substrate to advance toward the first mounting table. and a second hand forward movement to move the second hand forward toward the second mounting table, and by raising and lowering the second hand and the second mounting table relative to each other, the second hand receives the second substrate from the second mounting table, and then a second hand backward movement to move the second hand supporting the second substrate backward from the second mounting table, and the control unit performs either the first hand backward movement and the second hand forward movement, or the first hand forward movement and the second hand backward movement, in parallel.

[0010] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the vertical support distance between the two support surfaces of the first hand and the second hand is set to match the vertical placement distance between the two placement surfaces of the first and second placement tables. For example, a first hand retreat operation, in which the first hand is retreated after placing the first substrate on the first placement table, and a second hand advance operation, in which the second hand is advanced to receive the second substrate from the second placement table, are performed in parallel. This reduces the total time from the start of the first hand retreat operation to the end of the second hand advance operation. This improves the efficiency of substrate transport.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferable that the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus further comprises a processing block that individually performs predetermined processing on multiple substrates, and an interface block connected to the processing block that transports substrates to and from an external device, and that the first substrate transport robot is provided in the interface block and that the first substrate transport robot transfers substrates to and from the first and second mounting tables provided in the external device.

[0012] In recent years, the processing efficiency of external devices has improved. Therefore, there is a risk that the external device may have to wait for the interface block to transport the substrate. To address this issue, for example, it is conceivable to increase the number of substrate transport robots used to transport substrates to and from the external device. However, this is undesirable from the standpoints of cost and space. According to the present invention, the support distance between the first and second hands of the substrate transport robot of the interface block is set to match the placement distance between the first and second placement tables of the external device. This improves the substrate transport efficiency of the substrate transport robot of the interface block. As a result, it is possible to prevent the external device from having to wait for the interface block to transport the substrate.

[0013] In the above-described substrate processing apparatus, an example of the external device is an exposure device, which can prevent the exposure device from having to wait for the interface block to transport the substrate.

[0014] In the substrate processing apparatus described above, the control unit may, for example, cause the first hand to retreat and the second hand to advance in parallel, thereby improving substrate transport efficiency in a series of operations from transferring the first substrate to the first stage to removing the substrate from the second stage.

[0015] The substrate processing apparatus further includes a first processing block that individually performs a predetermined first process on a plurality of substrates, a second processing block that individually performs a predetermined second process on the plurality of substrates, the first and second mounting tables that are vertically disposed at the boundary between the first processing block and the second processing block, and a second substrate transport robot that has a third hand and a fourth hand that are vertically disposed and that transfers substrates between the first mounting table and the second mounting table by moving the third hand and the fourth hand, wherein the first substrate transport robot is disposed in the first processing block, the second substrate transport robot is disposed in the second processing block, the third hand is configured to support the first substrate in a horizontal position, the fourth hand is configured to support one third substrate in a horizontal position, and a second support distance vertically between a substrate support surface of the third hand and a substrate support surface of the fourth hand is a distance between the first mounting table and the second substrate supporting surface that is vertically disposed at the boundary between the first mounting table and the second substrate supporting surface that is vertically disposed at the boundary between the first mounting table and the second substrate supporting surface that is The placement surface and the second placement table are set to match the above-mentioned placement distance between the placement surface and the placement surface on which the substrate is placed, and the control unit performs a third hand advancement operation to advance the third hand toward the first placement table, and raises and lowers the third hand and the first placement table relative to each other, thereby receiving the first substrate from the first placement table with the third hand, and then performs a third hand retreat operation to retreat the third hand supporting the first substrate from the first placement table, and also performs a fourth hand advancement operation to advance the fourth hand supporting the third substrate toward the second placement table, and then transfers the third substrate to the second placement table with the fourth hand, and then performs a fourth hand retreat operation to retreat the fourth hand from the second placement table, and the control unit preferably performs either the third hand retreat operation and the fourth hand advancement operation, or the fourth hand retreat operation and the third hand advancement operation, in parallel.

[0016] The first and second mounting stages are provided at the boundary between the first and second processing blocks. The first and second mounting stages are accessed by a first substrate transport robot in the first processing block and a second substrate transport robot in the second processing block. This improves the transport efficiency of substrates placed on the first and second mounting stages by both the first and second substrate transport robots.

[0017] Also, the present invention provides a control method for a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, the substrate processing apparatus including a first substrate transport robot having a first hand and a second hand arranged vertically, and capable of transferring a substrate between a first mounting table and a second mounting table arranged vertically by moving the first hand and the second hand, the first hand being configured to support one first substrate in a horizontal position, the second hand being configured to support one second substrate in a horizontal position, a vertical support distance between a substrate support surface of the first hand and a substrate support surface of the second hand being set to match a vertical placement distance between a placement surface on which the first mounting table places a substrate and a placement surface on which the second mounting table places a substrate, and the control method includes: advancing the first hand supporting the first substrate toward the first mounting table; The method comprises a first hand advancement step, a first placement step in which the first hand transfers the first substrate to the first placement table by raising and lowering the first hand and the first placement table relative to each other, a first hand retreat step in which the first hand is retreated from the first placement table after the first placement step, a second hand advancement step in which the second hand is advanced toward the second placement table, a first receiving step in which the second hand receives the second substrate from the second placement table by raising and lowering the second hand and the second placement table relative to each other, and then a second hand retreat step in which the second hand supporting the second substrate is retreated from the second placement table, wherein either the first hand retreat step and the second hand advancement step, or either the first hand advancement step and the second hand retreat step, are performed in parallel.

[0018] Further, a substrate transport device according to the present invention for transporting a substrate includes a first substrate transport robot having a first hand and a second hand arranged vertically and capable of transferring a substrate between a first table and a second table arranged vertically by moving the first hand and the second hand, and a control unit, wherein the first hand is configured to support one first substrate in a horizontal position, the second hand is configured to support one second substrate in a horizontal position, a vertical support distance between a substrate support surface of the first hand and a substrate support surface of the second hand is set to match a vertical placement distance between a placement surface on which the first table places a substrate and a placement surface on which the second table places a substrate, and the control unit controls a first hand supporting the first substrate to advance toward the first table. a first hand forward movement, and raising and lowering the first hand and the first mounting table relative to each other, thereby transferring the first substrate to the first mounting table with the first hand, and then a first hand retraction movement, which retracts the first hand from the first mounting table; a second hand forward movement, which moves the second hand forward toward the second mounting table, and then a second hand retraction movement, which moves the second hand and the second mounting table relative to each other, thereby receiving the second substrate from the second mounting table with the second hand, and then a second hand retraction movement, which retracts the second hand supporting the second substrate from the second mounting table; and the control unit performs either the first hand retraction movement and the second hand forward movement, or the first hand forward movement and the second hand retraction movement, in parallel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the substrate processing apparatus, the control method for the substrate processing apparatus, and the substrate transport apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to improve the efficiency of transporting substrates. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the interface block as seen in the direction of arrow Q in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view showing two transfer robots and two substrate placing stages. [Figure 5] 10 is a plan view showing two hands and a retractable portion of each transport robot in the coating processing block and the developing processing block. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a transport robot for an interface block. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a transfer robot of an interface block and two substrate placement stages of an exposure apparatus. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 9] 10(a) to 10(d) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the transport robot. [Figure 10] 10(a) to 10(c) are side views illustrating the operation of the transport robot of the coating processing block. [Figure 11] 10(a) to 10(c) are side views illustrating the operation of the transport robot of the coating processing block. [Figure 12] 10(a) to 10(c) are side views illustrating the operation of the transport robot in the development processing block. [Figure 13] 10(a) to 10(c) are side views illustrating the operation of the transport robot in the development processing block. [Figure 14] 10(a) to 10(c) are side views for explaining the operation of the transfer robot for the interface block. [Figure 15] 10(a) to 10(c) are side views for explaining the operation of the transfer robot for the interface block. [Figure 16] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the effects of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Examples of the present invention will be described below. [Example]

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the substrate processing apparatus 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an interface block 5 as seen in the direction of arrow Q in Fig. 1.

[0023] For convenience, in this specification, the direction in which the coating processing block 3 and the development processing block 4 are aligned is referred to as the "front-rear direction X." The front-rear direction X is horizontal. Within the front-rear direction X, for example, the direction from the development processing block 4 toward the coating processing block 3 is referred to as the "front." The direction opposite to 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." One direction in the "width direction Y" is referred to as the "right" as appropriate. The direction opposite to the right is referred to as the "left." The direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction is referred to as the "vertical direction Z." For reference, in each figure, front, back, right, left, top, and bottom are indicated as appropriate.

[0024] <1. Configuration of the substrate processing apparatus> 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 processes a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus 1 forms a resist film on the substrate W and develops the exposed substrate W. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an indexer block 2, a coating processing block 3, a development processing block 4, and an interface block 5.

[0025] The indexer block 2, coating processing block 3, developing processing block 4, and interface block 5 are arranged in this order in a row toward the rear (in the front-rear direction X). An exposure apparatus EXP is provided adjacent to the interface block 5 as an external apparatus. The exposure apparatus EXP is an apparatus external to the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0026] The coating processing block 3 corresponds to the first processing block and the processing block of the present invention, and the development processing block 4 corresponds to the second processing block and the processing block of the present invention.

[0027] <1-1. Indexer block configuration> For example, four carrier mounting shelves 7 are provided on the front of the indexer block 2. The four carrier mounting shelves 7 are arranged in the width direction Y. A carrier C is mounted on each of the four carrier mounting shelves 7. The carrier C stores a plurality of substrates W (for example, 25 substrates) aligned at a predetermined interval (for example, 10 mm). For example, a FOUP (Front Open Unified Pod) is used as the carrier C, but this is not limiting. Each substrate is a circular substrate with a diameter of, for example, 300 mm. When no particular distinction is made between substrates, they are referred to as "substrates W."

[0028] The indexer block 2 includes an indexer robot IR. The indexer robot IR includes a hand 9 that supports one substrate W in a horizontal position. The indexer robot IR moves the hand 9 in the horizontal direction (front-rear direction X and width direction Y) and the vertical direction Z, and also rotates the hand 9 about a vertical axis. The indexer robot IR transports substrates W between four carriers C placed on four carrier shelves 7 and four substrate placement stages PS1, PS8, PS11, and PS18, which will be described later. The indexer robot IR is driven by an electric motor.

[0029] <1-2. Coating Processing Block Configuration> The coating processing block 3 individually performs a preset coating process (first process) on a plurality of (e.g., 25) substrates W. The coating processing block 3 is connected to the indexer block 2. In other words, the coating processing block 3 is arranged adjacent to and rearward of the indexer block 2. The coating processing block 3 includes a coating processing layer 3A and a coating processing layer 3B stacked in the vertical direction Z. The coating processing layer 3A is arranged above the coating processing layer 3B.

[0030] Each of the two coating processing layers 3A and 3B includes a transport space 11, a plurality of liquid processing units 13, a plurality of processing units 15, and a transport robot TR1 (TR2). The coating processing layer 3B has a configuration similar to that of the coating processing layer 3A. Therefore, the configuration of the upper coating processing layer 3A will be described as a representative example.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 1, the transport space 11 extends in the front-rear direction X. The plurality of liquid processing units 13 and the plurality of processing units 15 are arranged in the front-rear direction X along which the transport space 11 extends. The plurality of liquid processing units 13 are arranged opposite the plurality of processing units 15 across the transport space 11.

[0032] The plurality of liquid processing sections 13 are configured, for example, with two sections in the front-rear direction X and two stages in the vertical direction Z, for a total of four liquid processing sections 13. The plurality of liquid processing sections 13 include a coating unit BARC and a coating unit RESIST. The coating unit BARC forms an anti-reflective coating on the main surface of the substrate W. The coating unit RESIST forms a resist film on the main surface of the substrate W (i.e., the anti-reflective coating).

[0033] Each of the coating units BARC and RESIST includes a holding / rotating unit 17, a nozzle 19, and a nozzle moving unit 21. The holding / rotating unit 17 includes a spin chuck that holds one substrate W in a horizontal position, and an electric motor that rotates the spin chuck around a vertical axis that passes through the center of the substrate W. The spin chuck holds the substrate W by, for example, vacuum suction. The nozzle 19 supplies a coating liquid to the upper surface of the substrate W held by the holding / rotating unit 17. The coating liquid is a liquid for forming an anti-reflective film or a photoresist liquid. The nozzle moving unit 21 moves the nozzle 19 to any position. The nozzle moving unit 21 includes, for example, an electric motor.

[0034] The plurality of processing sections 15 may be configured, for example, as three processing sections 15 arranged in the front-rear direction X and five sections arranged in the vertical direction Z, for a total of 15 processing sections 15. The plurality of processing sections 15 each include a cooling unit CP and a heating / cooling unit PHP. The plurality of processing sections 15 may also include an edge exposure section (not shown) that performs exposure processing on the periphery of the substrate W.

[0035] The cooling unit CP cools the substrate W. The heating and cooling unit PHP successively performs a heating process (baking process) and a cooling process. The cooling unit CP and the heating and cooling unit PHP include a plate 23 on which the substrate W is placed. The plate 23 is heated by a heater such as an electric heater. The plate 23 is cooled by a water-cooled circulation mechanism or a Peltier element, for example.

[0036] The transport robots TR1 and TR2 are provided inside the coating processing block 3. As shown in Fig. 2, the transport robot TR1 is provided in the transport space 11 of the upper coating processing layer 3A. The transport robot TR2 is provided in the transport space 11 of the lower coating processing layer 3B. The transport robots TR1 and TR2 will be described in detail later.

[0037] <1-3. Configuration of development processing block> The development processing block 4 individually performs a preset development process (second process) on a plurality of substrates W (e.g., 25 substrates W). The development processing block 4 is connected to the coating processing block 3. In other words, the development processing block 4 is arranged adjacent to the rear of the coating processing block 3. The development processing block 4 includes a development processing layer 4A and a development processing layer 4B stacked in the vertical direction Z. The development processing layer 4A is arranged above the development processing layer 4B. The development processing layer 4A is also arranged at the same level (height position) as the coating processing layer 3A. Similarly, the development processing layer 4B is arranged at the same level as the coating processing layer 3B.

[0038] Each of the two development processing layers 4A, 4B includes a transport space 25, a plurality of liquid processing units 27, a plurality of processing units 29, a first stacking unit 31, and a transport robot TR3 (TR4). The development processing layer 4B has a configuration substantially similar to that of the development processing layer 4A. Therefore, the configuration of the upper development processing layer 4A will be described as a representative.

[0039] 1, the transport space 25 extends in the front-rear direction X. The plurality of liquid processing units 27 and the plurality of processing units 29 are arranged in the front-rear direction X along which the transport space 25 extends. The plurality of liquid processing units 27 are arranged opposite the plurality of processing units 29 across the transport space 25.

[0040] The plurality of liquid processing sections 27 are configured, for example, with two in the front-rear direction X and two stages in the vertical direction Z, for a total of four liquid processing sections 27. The plurality of liquid processing sections 27 include a developing unit DEV. The developing unit DEV develops the substrate W exposed in the exposure apparatus EXP.

[0041] The developing unit DEV includes a holding / rotating unit 17, a nozzle 33, and a nozzle moving unit 35. The nozzle 33 supplies a developer to the upper surface of the substrate W held by the holding / rotating unit 17. The nozzle moving unit 35 moves the nozzle 33 to an arbitrary position. The nozzle moving unit 35 includes, for example, an electric motor.

[0042] The plurality of processing sections 29 may be configured, for example, as two processing sections in the front-rear direction X and five sections in the vertical direction Z, for a total of ten processing sections 29. The plurality of processing sections 29 each include a heating unit HP and a cooling unit CP. The heating unit HP heats the substrate W. The heating unit HP includes a plate 23 and a heater such as an electric heater.

[0043] The first stack section 31 is provided in a section adjacent to the transfer space 25 and the interface block 5. As shown in FIG. 3, the first stack section 31 of the upper development processing layer 4A includes one or more heating and cooling units PHP and substrate mounting stages PS3 and PS6. In the development processing layer 4A, the one or more heating and cooling units PHP and the substrate mounting stages PS3 and PS6 are arranged so as to be stacked in the vertical direction Z. The substrate mounting stages PS3 and PS6 are arranged one above the other.

[0044] The first stack section 31 of the lower development processing layer 4B includes one or more heating and cooling units PHP and substrate mounting stages PS13 and PS16. In the development processing layer 4B, the one or more heating and cooling units PHP and the substrate mounting stages PS13 and PS16 are arranged so as to be stacked in the vertical direction Z. One substrate W is placed on each of the substrate mounting stages PS3, PS6, PS13, and PS16.

[0045] The transport robots TR3 and TR4 are provided inside the development processing block 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport robot TR3 is provided in the transport space 25 of the upper development processing layer 4A. The transport robot TR4 is provided in the transport space 25 of the lower development processing layer 4B. Details of the transport robots TR3 and TR4 will be described later. The types and numbers of the liquid processing units 13 and 27 and the processing units 15 and 29 may be changed as necessary.

[0046] <1-4. Details of the substrate mounting stage and transfer robot> The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes eight substrate mounting stages PS1, PS2, PS7, PS8, PS11, PS12, PS17, and PS18. The substrate mounting stages PS1 and PS8 are provided at the boundary between the indexer block 2 and the upper coating processing layer 3A. The substrate mounting stages PS11 and PS18 are provided at the boundary between the indexer block 2 and the lower coating processing layer 3B.

[0047] Substrate mounting stages PS2 and PS7 are provided above and below at the boundary between the upper coating processing layer 3A and the upper developing processing layer 4A. Substrate mounting stages PS12 and PS17 are provided above and below at the boundary between the lower coating processing layer 3B and the lower developing processing layer 4B. The four substrate mounting stages PS2, PS7, PS12, and PS17 are arranged in the vertical direction Z. The substrate mounting stage PS7 is located at a higher position than the substrate mounting stage PS2. Furthermore, the substrate mounting stage PS17 is located at a higher position than the substrate mounting stage PS12.

[0048] One substrate W is placed on each of the eight substrate placing stages PS1, PS2, PS7, PS8, PS11, PS12, PS17, and PS18. Each of the eight substrate placing stages PS1, PS2, PS7, PS8, PS11, PS12, PS17, and PS18 includes, for example, a base member 37 and three support pins PN (see FIG. 4). The substrate placing stages PS3, PS6, PS13, and PS16 and the substrate placing stage PS5 described below are similarly configured.

[0049] Please refer to Figures 2, 4, and 5. Figure 4 is a side view showing two transport robots TR1 and TR3 and two substrate placing tables PS2 and PS7. Figure 5 is a plan view showing two hands 39 and 40 and an advancing / retracting part 43 of each transport robot TR1, TR2, TR3, and TR4 in the coating processing block 3 and the developing processing block 4.

[0050] Each of the four transport robots TR1, TR2, TR3, and TR4 has two hands 39 and 40 arranged one above the other, and can move the two hands 39 and 40 individually. This allows the transfer of substrates W to, for example, substrate placement tables PS2 and PS7 arranged one above the other. Each of the four transport robots TR1 to TR4 also has hand support units 41A and 41B, a forward / backward moving unit 43, a rotating unit 45, a horizontal moving unit 47, and a vertical moving unit 48.

[0051] Each of the two hands 39, 40 is configured to support one substrate W in a horizontal position. As shown in Fig. 5, each of the hands 39, 40 includes a C-shaped hand body 49 and a plurality of (e.g., three or four) support members 51 provided on the hand body 49. The plurality of support members 51 are arranged, for example, on the inner periphery of the C-shaped portion of the hand body 49. The plurality of support members 51 support the peripheral portion of the substrate W from the underside of the substrate W. The hand 40 is arranged at a higher position than the hand 39.

[0052] As shown by arrow AR1 in Figure 5, the advancing / retreating unit 43 supports the hand 39 via hand support unit 41A so that it can move linearly. The advancing / retreating unit 43 also supports the hand 40 via hand support unit 41B so that it can move linearly. The advancing / retreating unit 43 moves the two hands 39, 40 forward and backward individually. The advancing / retreating unit 43 includes, for example, two electric motors, two screw shafts, and two guide rails.

[0053] The rotation unit 45 rotates the advancing / retreating unit 43 around a vertical axis AX1 that passes through the advancing / retreating unit 43. This allows the orientations of the two hands 39, 40, the hand support units 41A, 41B, and the advancing / retreating unit 43 to be changed integrally.

[0054] The horizontal moving unit 47 moves the rotating unit 45 in the front-rear direction X. The vertical moving unit 48 moves the horizontal moving unit 47 in the vertical direction Z. That is, the horizontal moving unit 47 and the vertical moving unit 48 move the rotating unit 45 in the front-rear direction X and the vertical direction Z (two-dimensional directions). This allows the two hands 39, 40, the hand support units 41A, 41B, and the advancing / retreating unit 43 to move integrally in the front-rear direction X and the vertical direction Z. The rotating unit 45, the horizontal moving unit 47, and the vertical moving unit 48 each include, for example, an electric motor.

[0055] Here, the relationship between the support interval JK1 and the placement interval CK1 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The support interval JK1 is the distance between the top and bottom (vertical direction Z) of the two support surfaces SF1 and SF2 of the two hands 39 and 40. The support surface SF1 is a surface that includes the tips of, for example, three support members 51 of the hand 39. The support surface SF2 is a surface that includes the tips of, for example, three support members 51 of the hand 40. Each of the support surfaces SF1 and SF2 is a surface on which the substrate W is supported.

[0056] In contrast, the mounting interval CK1 is the vertical distance between the two mounting surfaces PF1 and PF2 of the two substrate mounting stages PS2 and PS7. The mounting surface PF1 is a surface that includes the tips of the three support pins PN of the substrate mounting stage PS2. The mounting surface PF2 is a surface that includes the tips of the three support pins PN of the substrate mounting stage PS7. Each of the mounting surfaces PF1 and PF2 is a surface on which the substrate W is placed.

[0057] In this embodiment, the support interval JK1 between the two hands 39 and 40 is set to match the placement interval CK1 between the two substrate placement stages PS2 and PS7. Similarly, the support interval JK1 between the two hands 39 and 40 of the two lower transport robots TR2 and TR4 is also set to match the placement interval CK1 between the two substrate placement stages PS12 and PS17.

[0058] The substrate placing stages PS2 and PS12 each correspond to the first placing stage of the present invention. The substrate placing stages PS7 and PS17 each correspond to the second placing stage of the present invention. The four transport robots TR1 to TR4 each correspond to the first substrate transport robot of the present invention.

[0059] Furthermore, if the transport robot TR1 (TR2) corresponds to the first substrate transport robot of the present invention, the transport robot TR3 (TR4) corresponds to the second substrate transport robot of the present invention. Accordingly, the hands 39, 40 of the transport robot TR1 (TR2) correspond to the first and second hands of the present invention, and the hands 39, 40 of the transport robot TR3 (TR4) correspond to the third and fourth hands of the present invention. Furthermore, the support interval JK1 of the hands 39, 40 of the transport robot TR1 (TR2) corresponds to the support interval of the present invention. The support interval JK1 of the hands 39, 40 of the transport robot TR3 (TR4) corresponds to the second support interval of the present invention.

[0060] <1-5. Interface block (IF block) configuration> Please refer to Figures 1 to 3. The interface block 5 loads and unloads substrates W into and from the exposure apparatus EXP, which is an external apparatus. The interface block 5 is connected to the development processing block 4. In other words, the interface block 5 is disposed adjacent to and behind the development processing block 4. The interface block 5 includes two transport robots TR7 and TR8 and a second stacking unit 53.

[0061] The two transport robots TR7 and TR8 are provided inside the interface block 5. The two transport robots TR7 and TR8 are arranged in the width direction Y (see FIG. 1). Specifically, the transport robot TR7 is arranged behind the first stacking unit 31. The transport robot TR8 is arranged to the left of the transport robot TR7.

[0062] The second stacking unit 53 is disposed between the two transport robots TR7 and TR8. As shown in FIG. 3, the second stacking unit 53 includes one or more substrate mounting stages PS-CP, one or more substrate mounting stages PS5, and one or more buffers BF. The one or more substrate mounting stages PS-CP, one or more substrate mounting stages PS5, and one or more buffers BF are disposed so as to be stacked in the vertical direction Z. The substrate mounting stage PS-CP is a mounting stage having a cooling function. The buffer BF temporarily stores the substrates W.

[0063] The transport robot TR7 can transport substrates W between the two first stack units 31 (one or more heating / cooling units PHP and substrate mounting stages PS3, PS6 (PS13, PS16)) of the two development processing layers 4A, 4B and the second stack unit 53 (one or more substrate mounting stages PS-CP, substrate mounting stage PS5, and buffer BF). The transport robot TR7 is equipped with two hands 55, 56. Each of the two hands 55, 56 supports one substrate W in a horizontal position. The transport robot TR7 moves the two hands 55, 56 individually in the horizontal direction (front-back direction X and width direction Y) and the vertical direction Z, and also rotates the hands 55, 56 about a vertical axis.

[0064] <1-6. Details of the transport robot that accesses the exposure equipment> See Figures 1, 6 and 7. The transport robot TR8 transports substrates W between the second stacking unit 53 (one or more substrate placing stages PS-CP and substrate placing stage PS5) and the exposure apparatus EXP. The transport robot TR8 is configured as a horizontal articulated robot. The transport robot TR8 has two hands 57, 58 arranged one above the other, and moves the two hands 57, 58 individually. This allows the transfer of substrates W to and from the substrate placing stages PS31, PS32 on each placement unit 71 of the exposure apparatus EXP. The transport robot TR8 further has two articulated arms 59, 60 and an elevator 63.

[0065] Each of the two hands 57, 58 is configured to support one substrate W in a horizontal position. The hand 58 is positioned higher than the hand 57. The hands 57, 58 are configured similarly to the two hands 39, 40 of the transport robot TR1, for example. Therefore, in Figures 6 and 7, the same reference numerals as those of the four transport robots TR1 to TR4 are used to designate overlapping components.

[0066] The tip of the articulated arm 59 is connected to the hand 57 via the hand support part 41A. The tip of the articulated arm 60 is connected to the hand 58 via the hand support part 41B. The hand 57 can rotate about a vertical axis with respect to the tip of the articulated arm 59. Similarly, the hand 58 can also rotate about a vertical axis with respect to the tip of the articulated arm 60. Furthermore, the two base ends of the two articulated arms 59, 60 are each connected to an elevator part 63 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis. The elevator part 63 raises and lowers the two hands 57, 58 via the two articulated arms 59, 60.

[0067] The lifting unit 63 may be configured to rotate the two hands 57, 58 about the vertical axis AX2 via the two articulated arms 59, 60. The lifting unit 63 may also be configured to be moved in the width direction Y by a horizontal moving unit (not shown). Each of the two articulated arms 59, 60 and the lifting unit 63 includes an electric motor.

[0068] The transport robot TR8 loads and unloads substrates W into and from the exposure apparatus EXP, which is an external apparatus. As shown in Figures 1 and 7, the exposure apparatus EXP includes two mounting units 71 and a transport robot 73. Each of the two mounting units 71 includes two substrate mounting stages PS31 and PS32 arranged in the vertical direction Z.

[0069] That is, the two substrate placing stages PS31, PS32 are provided inside the exposure apparatus EXP. Each of the two substrate placing stages PS31, PS32 has a base member 37 and three support pins PN, similar to the substrate placing stage PS2, for example. The substrate placing stage PS32 is positioned higher than the substrate placing stage PS31. The transfer robot 73 transfers the unexposed substrates W from the two placing parts 71 to the exposure processing area, and also transfers the exposed substrates W from the exposure processing area to the two placing parts 71. The exposure processing area has a stage that holds the substrates W in a horizontal position.

[0070] The placement interval CK2 is the vertical distance between the two placement surfaces PF1, PF2 of the two substrate placement stages PS31, PS32. The support interval JK2 is the vertical distance between the two support surfaces SF1, SF2 of the two hands 57, 58. The support interval JK2 between the two hands 57, 58 is set to match the placement interval CK2 between the two substrate placement stages PS31, PS32. The placement interval CK2 may be the same as or different from the placement interval CK1 shown in FIG. 4. The support interval JK2 may be the same as or different from the support interval JK1 shown in FIG. 4.

[0071] <1-7. Control Unit> 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 81 and a storage unit 83. The control unit 81 controls each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The control unit 81 includes one or more processors, such as a central processing unit (CPU). The storage unit 83 includes at least one of a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), and a hard disk. The storage unit 83 stores computer programs required to control each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0072] <2. Operation of the substrate processing device> Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing steps of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The processing in the coating processing layer 3B and the developing processing layer 4B is the same as the processing in the coating processing layer 3A and the developing processing layer 4A. Therefore, the processing in the coating processing layer 3A and the developing processing layer 4A will be described as a representative example.

[0073] [Step S01] Transferring substrates from carriers Referring to Figure 1, an external carrier transport robot transports a carrier C to one of the four carrier mounting shelves 7. An indexer robot IR in the indexer block 2 takes out one substrate W from a carrier C placed on the carrier mounting shelf 7. The indexer robot IR transports the one substrate W to, for example, the substrate mounting table PS1 of the substrate mounting tables PS1 and PS11. The indexer robot IR transports, for example, 25 substrates W stored in the carrier C to one of the substrate mounting tables PS1 and PS11 in turn.

[0074] [Step S02] Operation by the coating processing block The transport robot TR1 is equipped with hands 39A and 40A as the hands 39 and 40. The transport robot TR1 transports the substrates W to the development processing layer 4A side while performing an exchange operation of the two substrates W using the hands 39A and 40A. In Figures 9(a) to 9(d), the four substrates W are distinguished as substrates W1, W2, W3, and W4.

[0075] 9(a), it is assumed that neither of the two hands 39A, 40A is supporting the substrate W. The transport robot TR1 receives the substrate W1 from the substrate placing table PS1 using, for example, the hand 39A. Thereafter, the transport robot TR1 moves the hands 39A, 40A and the advancing / retracting part 43, etc., to the vicinity of the cooling unit CP, which is the next destination.

[0076] See FIG. 9(b). The cooling unit CP has completed the cooling process for the substrate W2. The transport robot TR1 receives the substrate W2 using the hand 40A, and then places (transfers) the substrate W1 supported by the hand 39A in the cooling unit CP. This allows the substrate W1 held by the transport robot TR1 to be swapped with the substrate W2 held by the cooling unit CP. That is, the transport robot TR1 receives the substrate W2 from a predetermined position and places the substrate W in that position. The transport robot TR1 then moves the hands 39A, 40A, the advancing / retracting part 43, etc., to the vicinity of the coating unit BARC, which is the next destination.

[0077] See FIG. 9(c). The coating unit BARC has finished forming an anti-reflective coating on the substrate W3. The transport robot TR1 receives the substrate W3 using the hand 39A, and then places the substrate W2 supported by the hand 40A in the coating unit BARC. This allows the substrate W2 held by the transport robot TR1 to be swapped with the substrate W3 held by the coating unit BARC. The transport robot TR1 then moves the hands 39A, 40A, the advancing / retracting mechanism 43, etc., to the vicinity of the heating / cooling unit PHP, which is the next destination.

[0078] See FIG. 9(d). The heating and cooling unit PHP has completed the baking and cooling processes on the coated substrate W4. The transport robot TR1 receives the substrate W4 using the hand 40A, and then places the substrate W3 supported by the hand 39A in the heating and cooling unit PHP. This allows the substrate W3 held by the transport robot TR1 to be swapped with the substrate W4 held by the heating and cooling unit PHP. The transport robot TR1 then moves the hands 39A and 40A, the advancing and retreating part 43, etc., to the vicinity of the cooling unit CP, which is the next destination.

[0079] Thereafter, the substrate W is transported in the order of the cooling unit CP, coating unit RESIST, heating and cooling unit PHP, and cooling unit CP. As explained in Figures 9(b) to 9(d), the transport robot TR1 transports the substrate W in the order of the cooling unit CP, coating unit RESIST, heating and cooling unit PHP, and cooling unit CP while performing an exchange operation of two substrates W. The coating unit RESIST forms a resist film on the main surface of the substrate W.

[0080] After the transport robot TR1 exchanges the two substrates W with the cooling unit CP indicated by the arrow AR2 in Fig. 8, the hand 39A supports the substrate W that has been cooled in the cooling unit CP. Thereafter, the transport robot TR1 moves the hands 39A and 40A, the advancing / retracting part 43, etc., to the vicinity of the substrate placing table PS2, which is the next destination. Specifically, the transport robot TR1 positions the lower hand 39A to face the substrate placing table PS2, and positions the upper hand 40A to face the substrate placing table PS7.

[0081] Here, the operation of the transport robot TR1 will be described with reference to Figures 10(a) to 11(c). In Figures 10(a) to 11(c) and 12(a) to 13(c), the substrates W are distinguished as substrates W7, W8, and W9. The substrate placing stage PS2 is used as a sending stage for sending the substrate W from the coating processing layer 3A to the development processing layer 4A. The substrate placing stage PS7 is used as a returning stage for returning the substrate W from the development processing layer 4A to the coating processing layer 3A.

[0082] 10(a), the hand 39A of the transfer robot TR1 supports a substrate W7 on which a resist film has been formed by coating processing. Also, a substrate W8 that has been developed in the development processing layer 4A is placed on the substrate placing table PS7.

[0083] 10(b). First, the advancing / retracting unit 43 of the transport robot TR1 advances the hand 39A supporting the substrate W7 toward the substrate placing table PS2 (first hand advancing operation FW1). As a result, the substrate W7 supported by the hand 39A is moved to a position above the three support pins PN of the substrate placing table PS2 without coming into contact with the three support pins PN of the substrate placing table PS2. In other words, the hand 39A is moved to the upper surface side of the substrate placing table PS2.

[0084] See Figure 10(c). Thereafter, the transport robot TR1 transfers the substrate W7 to the substrate placing table PS2 with the hand 39A (placing operation PL1). Specifically, the vertical moving unit 48 of the transport robot TR1 slightly lowers the hands 39A, 40A, the advancing / retracting unit 43, etc., all together. This allows the substrate W7 supported by the hand 39A to be placed on the tips of the three support pins PN. The hand 40A is lowered together with the hand 39A.

[0085] 11(a). Thereafter, the advancing / retracting unit 43 of the transport robot TR1 retracts the hand 39A from (the upper surface side of) the substrate placing table PS2 (first hand retracting operation BW1). Furthermore, while performing this first hand retracting operation BW1, the advancing / retracting unit 43 of the transport robot TR1 advances the hand 40A that is not supporting the substrate W toward the substrate placing table PS7 (second hand forward operation FW2). That is, the transport robot TR1 performs the first hand retracting operation BW1 and the second hand forward operation FW2 in parallel.

[0086] The support distance JK1 between the hands 39A and 40A matches the placement distance CK1 between the substrate placement stages PS2 and PS7. Therefore, the hand 40A can be moved to the upper surface of the substrate placement stage PS7 without coming into contact with the substrate placement stage PS7 or the substrate W8 thereon. Furthermore, by performing the first hand retraction operation BW1 and the second hand advancement operation FW2 in parallel, as shown in FIGS. 10(b) to 11(c), a series of operations can be efficiently performed, in which the substrate W7 is placed on the substrate placement stage PS2 and the substrate W8 is received from the substrate placement stage PS7.

[0087] In FIG. 11(a), the hand 40A is inserted between the lower surface of the substrate W8 and the upper surface of the base member 37 of the substrate mounting table PS7.

[0088] 11(b). Thereafter, the transfer robot TR1 receives the substrate W8 from the substrate placing table PS7 with the hand 40A (receiving operation RE1). Specifically, the vertical moving unit 48 of the transfer robot TR1 slightly raises the hands 39A, 40A, the advancing / retreating unit 43, etc., all together. This allows the hand 40A to support the substrate W8.

[0089] See Figure 11(c). Thereafter, the advancing / retreating unit 43 of the transport robot TR1 retracts the hand 40A supporting the substrate W8 from the substrate placing table PS7 (second hand retraction operation BW2). Thereafter, the transport robot TR1 transports the substrate W8 received by the hand 40A to the substrate placing table PS8 (see step S06 described later). Thereafter, the transport robot TR1 again receives the substrate W from the substrate placing table PS1 (see Figure 9(a)).

[0090] [Step S03] Operation by the development processing block The transport robot TR3 for the development processing layer 4A is equipped with hands 39B and 40B as the hands 39 and 40. First, the operation of the transport robot TR3 will be described with reference to Figures 12(a) to 13(c).

[0091] 12(a), the transport robot TR3 moves the hands 39B, 40B, the advancing / retracting unit 43, etc., to the vicinity of the substrate placing table PS2. The transport robot TR3 positions the lower hand 39B facing the substrate placing table PS2 and the upper hand 40B facing the substrate placing table PS7. It is assumed that the substrate W7 transferred by the transport robot TR1 is placed on the substrate placing table PS2. It is also assumed that the hand 40B of the transport robot TR3 is supporting the developed substrate W9.

[0092] 12(b), first, the advancing / retracting unit 43 of the transport robot TR3 advances the hand 40B supporting the substrate W9 toward the substrate placing table PS7 (fourth hand advancing operation FW4). As a result, the substrate W9 supported by the hand 40B is moved to a position above the three support pins PN of the substrate placing table PS7 without coming into contact with the three support pins PN of the substrate placing table PS7.

[0093] 12(c). Thereafter, the transfer robot TR3 transfers the substrate W9 to the substrate placing table PS7 with the hand 40B (placing operation PL2). Specifically, the vertical moving unit 48 of the transfer robot TR3 slightly lowers the hands 39B, 40B, the advancing / retracting unit 43, etc., all together. This allows the substrate W9 supported by the hand 40B to be placed on the tips of the three support pins PN of the substrate placing table PS7.

[0094] 13(a). Thereafter, the advancing / retracting unit 43 of the transport robot TR3 retracts the hand 40B from the substrate placing table PS7 (fourth hand retracting operation BW4). Furthermore, while performing this fourth hand retracting operation BW4, the advancing / retracting unit 43 of the transport robot TR3 advances the hand 39B that is not supporting the substrate W toward the substrate placing table PS2 (third hand forward operation FW3). That is, the transport robot TR3 performs the fourth hand retracting operation BW4 and the third hand forward operation FW3 in parallel.

[0095] The support distance JK1 between the hands 39B and 40B is the same as the placement distance CK1 between the substrate placement stages PS2 and PS7. Therefore, the hand 39B can be moved to the upper surface of the substrate placement stage PS2 without contacting the substrate placement stage PS2 or the substrate W7 thereon. Furthermore, by performing the fourth hand retreat operation BW4 and the third hand advance operation FW3 in parallel, the series of operations shown in Figures 12(b) to 13(c) can be performed efficiently.

[0096] 13(b). Thereafter, the transfer robot TR3 receives the substrate W7 from the substrate placing table PS2 with the hand 39B (receiving operation RE2). Specifically, the vertical moving unit 48 of the transfer robot TR3 slightly raises the hands 39B, 40B, the advancing / retreating unit 43, etc., integrally. This allows the hand 39B to support the substrate W7.

[0097] 13(c). Thereafter, the advancing / retracting unit 43 of the transport robot TR3 retracts the hand 39B supporting the substrate W7 from the substrate placing table PS2 (third hand retraction operation BW3). Thereafter, the transport robot TR3 moves the hands 39B, 40B and the advancing / retracting unit 43, etc., to the vicinity of the substrate placing table PS3. Thereafter, the transport robot TR3 places the substrate W7 on the substrate placing table PS3 with the hand 39B, and receives the exposed substrate W from the substrate placing table PS6 with the hand 40B.

[0098] [Step S04] Operation by interface block 1 to 3, the transport robot TR7 in the interface block 5 receives the substrate W (W7) from the substrate placing table PS3 with one of the two hands 55, 56, and transports the substrate W to the substrate placing table PS-CP. Thereafter, the transport robot TR8 receives the substrate W from the substrate placing table PS-CP, transports the substrate W out to the exposure apparatus EXP, and transports the exposed substrate W into the exposure apparatus EXP.

[0099] The detailed operation of the transport robot TR8 will be described with reference to Figures 14(a) to 15(a). In Figures 14(a) to 15(a), the substrates W are distinguished as substrates W11 and W12.

[0100] 14(a), first, the lifting unit 63 of the transport robot TR8 moves the hands 57, 58, etc. in the vertical direction Z to move the hand 57 near the substrate placing table PS-CP. Then, the transport robot TR8 advances and raises the hand 57 to receive the substrate W11 from the substrate placing table PS-CP with the hand 57. Then, the transport robot TR8 retracts the hand 57 supporting the substrate W11.

[0101] 14(b), the transport robot TR8 then moves the hands 57, 58, etc. in the vertical direction Z to move the hand 57 near one of the substrate mounting tables PS31 of the two mounting units 71 in the exposure apparatus EXP. That is, the transport robot TR8 positions the lower hand 57 to face the substrate mounting table PS31, and positions the upper hand 58 to face the substrate mounting table PS32.

[0102] The substrate placing stage PS31 is used as a sending stage for sending the substrate W from the interface block 5 to the exposure apparatus EXP. The substrate placing stage PS32 is used as a returning stage for returning the substrate W from the exposure apparatus EXP to the interface block 5. In Figure 14(b), it is assumed that the substrate W12 that has been exposed in the exposure apparatus EXP is placed on the substrate placing stage PS32. The hand 57 supports the substrate W11, while the hand 58 does not support the substrate W.

[0103] 14(c). Thereafter, the articulated arm 59 of the transport robot TR8 advances the hand 57 supporting the substrate W11 toward the substrate placing table PS31 (first hand advancement operation FW1). As a result, the substrate W11 supported by the hand 57 is moved to a position above the three support pins PN of the substrate placing table PS31. Thereafter, the lifting unit 63 of the transport robot TR8 slightly lowers the hands 57, 58, etc. together, thereby placing the substrate W11 on the substrate placing table PS31 with the hand 57 (placing operation PL1).

[0104] 15(a). Thereafter, the articulated arm 59 of the transport robot TR8 retracts the hand 57 from the substrate placing table PS31 (first hand retraction operation BW1). Furthermore, while performing this first hand retraction operation BW1, the articulated arm 60 of the transport robot TR8 advances the hand 58 not supporting the substrate W toward the substrate placing table PS32 (second hand forward operation FW2). That is, the transport robot TR8 performs the first hand retraction operation BW1 and the second hand forward operation FW2 in parallel.

[0105] The support interval JK2 between the hands 57, 58 matches the placement interval CK2 between the substrate placement tables PS31, PS32. Therefore, while the hand 57 is being retracted, the hand 58 can be advanced at the same time so as not to come into contact with the substrate placement table PS32, etc. That is, by performing the first hand retraction operation BW1 and the second hand advancement operation FW2 in parallel, as shown in Figures 14(c) to 15(b), a series of operations can be efficiently performed, in which the substrate W11 is placed on the substrate placement table PS31 of the exposure apparatus EXP and the substrate W12 is received from the substrate placement table PS32.

[0106] 15(b), the lifting unit 63 of the transport robot TR8 then slightly lifts the hands 57, 58, etc. together, thereby receiving the substrate W12 from the substrate placing table PS32 with the hand 58 (receiving operation RE1). Then, the articulated arm 60 of the transport robot TR8 retracts the hand 58 supporting the substrate W12 from the substrate placing table PS32 (second hand retracting operation BW2).

[0107] 15(c). Thereafter, the lifting unit 63 of the transport robot TR8 moves the hands 57, 58 in the vertical direction Z, thereby moving the hand 58 near the substrate placing table PS5. Thereafter, the articulated arm 60 of the transport robot TR8 moves the hand 58 forward and downward, thereby placing the substrate W12 on the substrate placing table PS5 with the hand 58. Thereafter, the transport robot TR8 moves the hand 58 that is not supporting the substrate W back.

[0108] 14(a), the transport robot TR8 again receives the substrate W from the substrate platform PS-CP with the hand 57. The transport robot 73 of the exposure apparatus EXP also receives the substrate W11 from the substrate platform PS31 and transports the substrate W11 to the exposure processing region for exposure processing. The transport robot 73 then transports the exposed substrate W11 from the exposure processing region to the substrate platform PS32.

[0109] 1 to 3, the transport robot TR7 in the interface block 5 receives the substrate W from the substrate placing table PS5 with one of the two hands 55, 56, and transports the substrate W to the heating and cooling unit PHP in the first stacking unit 31 (see FIG. 3). The heating and cooling unit PHP performs a post-exposure bake process on the substrate W. Thereafter, the transport robot TR7 transports the substrate W from the heating and cooling unit PHP to the substrate placing table PS6 in the first stacking unit 31.

[0110] [Step S05] Operation by the development processing block The transport robot TR3 receives the substrate W from the substrate placing table PS6 with one of the hands 39B, 40B. Thereafter, the transport robot TR3 transports the substrate W in the order of the cooling unit CP, the developing unit DEV, the heating unit HP, and again the cooling unit CP while performing an exchange operation for the two substrates W as shown in FIGS. 9(b) to 9(d). The developing unit DEV performs a development process on the substrate W. The heating unit HP performs a bake process on the substrate W after the development process.

[0111] The transport robot TR3 receives the developed substrate W from the cooling unit CP with the upper hand 40B. Thereafter, as shown in Figures 12(a) to 13(c), the transport robot TR3 performs a series of operations to place the substrate W (W9) on the substrate placing table PS7 and receive the substrate W (W7) from the substrate placing table PS2.

[0112] [Step S06] Operation by the coating processing block 10(a) to 11(c), the transfer robot TR1 of the coating processing layer 3A performs a series of operations to place the substrate W (W7) on the substrate placing table PS2 and receive the substrate W (W8) from the substrate placing table PS7. Then, the horizontal movement unit 47 and vertical movement unit 48 of the transfer robot TR1 move the hands 39A, 40A and the advancing / retracting unit 43, etc., to the vicinity of the substrate placing table PS8. Then, the transfer robot TR1 transfers the substrate W (W8) to the substrate placing table PS8.

[0113] [Step S07] Transferring the substrate to the carrier The indexer robot IR of the indexer block 2 receives a substrate W from one of the substrate mounting stages PS8, PS18, and returns the substrate W to a carrier C placed on the carrier mounting shelf 7. When the 25 substrates W that have been subjected to the coating process, exposure process, and development process have been returned to the carrier C, an external carrier transport robot transports the carrier C from the carrier mounting shelf 7 to its next destination.

[0114] According to this embodiment, the substrate mounting stages PS2 and PS7 are disposed at two different height positions. The vertical support distance JK1 between the two support surfaces SF1 and SF2 of the hands 39 and 40 (or hands 57 and 58) is set to match the vertical mounting distance CK1 between the two mounting surfaces PF1 and PF2 of the substrate mounting stages PS2 and PS7. Furthermore, for example, a first hand retraction operation BW1 in which the hand 39 is retracted after transferring the substrate W to the substrate mounting stage PS2 and a second hand advancement operation FW2 in which the hand 40 is advanced to receive the substrate W from the substrate mounting stage PS7 are performed in parallel.

[0115] The effect of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 16. In the conventional operation, the first hand advancement operation FW1, the placing operation PL1, the first hand retraction operation BW1, the lifting and lowering operation of the hands 39, 40 (or hands 57, 58), the second hand advancement operation FW2, the receiving operation RE1, and the second hand retraction operation BW2 are performed in this order. In other words, the first hand retraction operation BW1 and the second hand advancement operation FW2 are not performed in parallel, and the lifting and lowering operation of the hands 39, 40 is performed between them.

[0116] In contrast, in this embodiment, for example, the support interval JK1 between the hands 39 and 40 is equal to the placement interval CK1 between the substrate placement stages PS2 and PS7. Furthermore, the first hand retraction operation BW1 and the second hand advancement operation FW2 are performed in parallel. This reduces the total time from the start of the first hand retraction operation BW1 to the end of the second hand advancement operation FW2. This improves the transport efficiency of the substrate W in the series of operations from transferring the substrate W to the substrate placement stage PS2 to receiving the substrate W from the substrate placement stage PS7.

[0117] The substrate placing tables PS2 and PS7 are provided at the boundary between the coating processing block 3 and the developing processing block 4. Furthermore, the transport robot TR1 of the coating processing block 3 and the transport robot TR3 of the developing processing block 4 have access to the substrate placing tables PS2 and PS7. This improves the transport efficiency of both the transport robots TR1 and TR3 for transporting substrates W placed on the substrate placing tables PS2 and PS7.

[0118] Furthermore, the processing efficiency of the exposure apparatus EXP has improved in recent years. Therefore, there is a risk that the exposure apparatus EXP may have to wait for the interface block 5 to transport the substrate W. To address this issue, it is conceivable to increase the number of transport robots TR8 for transporting substrates W to and from the exposure apparatus EXP. However, this is undesirable from the standpoints of cost and space. According to this embodiment, the support interval JK2 between the hands 57, 58 of the transport robot TR8 in the interface block 5 is set to match the placement interval CK2 between the substrate placement stages PS31, PS32 of the external exposure apparatus EXP. This improves the efficiency with which the transport robot TR8 in the interface block 5 transports the substrate W. As a result, it is possible to prevent the exposure apparatus EXP from having to wait for the interface block 5 to transport the substrate W.

[0119] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be modified as follows.

[0120] (1) In the above-described embodiment, each transport robot TR1, TR8 performs the first hand retreat operation BW1 and the second hand advance operation FW2 in parallel. That is, the operation of transferring the substrate W is performed before the operation of receiving the substrate W. In this regard, the operation of receiving the substrate W may be performed before the operation of transferring the substrate W. In this case, each transport robot TR1, TR8 performs the first hand advance operation FW1 and the second hand retreat operation BW2 in parallel.

[0121] (2) In the above-described embodiment and modified example (1), the transport robot TR3 performs the fourth hand retreat operation BW4 and the third hand advance operation FW3 in parallel. That is, the operation of transferring the substrate W is performed before the operation of receiving the substrate W. In this regard, the operation of receiving the substrate W may be performed before the operation of transferring the substrate W. In this case, the transport robot TR3 performs the third hand retreat operation BW3 and the fourth hand advance operation FW4 in parallel.

[0122] (3) In the above-described embodiment and modifications, the substrate mounting stage PS2 is provided below the substrate mounting stage PS7. However, the substrate mounting stage PS2 may be provided above the substrate mounting stage PS7. In this case, for example, the transport robot TR1 transfers the substrate W to the substrate mounting stage PS2 with the upper hand 40A and receives the substrate W from the substrate mounting stage PS7 with the lower hand 39A. Similarly, the substrate mounting stage PS31 may be provided above the substrate mounting stage PS32.

[0123] (4) In the above-described embodiment and modifications, the support interval JK1 between the hands 39A and 40A of the transport robot TR1 is set to match the placement interval CK1 between the substrate placement stages PS2 and PS7. However, if necessary, the support interval JK1 between the hands 39A and 40A may not match the placement interval CK1. In this case, for example, the transport robot TR1 does not perform the first hand retreat operation BW1 and the second hand advance operation FW2 in parallel.

[0124] (5) In the above-described embodiment and modifications, the support interval JK1 between the hands 39B and 40B of the transport robot TR3 is set to match the placement interval CK1 between the substrate placement stages PS2 and PS7. However, if necessary, the support interval JK1 between the hands 39B and 40B may not match the placement interval CK1. In this case, for example, the transport robot TR1 does not perform the fourth hand retreat operation BW4 and the third hand advance operation FW3 in parallel.

[0125] (6) In the above-described embodiment and modifications, the support interval JK2 of the hands 57, 58 of the transport robot TR8 is set to match the placement interval CK2 of the substrate placement stages PS31, PS32. However, if necessary, the support interval JK2 of the hands 57, 58 may not match the placement interval CK2. In this case, for example, the transport robot TR8 does not perform the first hand retreat operation BW1 and the second hand advance operation FW2 in parallel.

[0126] (7) In the above-described embodiment and each modified example, the support interval JK1 of the hands 39B, 40B of the transport robot TR3 may be set to match the placement interval between the substrate placement stages PS3, PS6 of the first stacking unit 31. In this case, the transport robot TR3 may, for example, perform an operation of moving the hand 39B backward after transferring the substrate W to the substrate placement stage PS3 and an operation of moving the hand 40B forward in parallel.

[0127] (8) In the above-described embodiments and variant examples, for example, each of the substrate mounting stages PS2, PS3, PS6, PS7, PS31, and PS32 includes a base member 37 and three support pins PN, but the configuration of the substrate mounting stage is not limited to this.

[0128] (9) In the above-described embodiment and each modification, the interface block 5 includes one transport robot TR7 for transferring the substrate W between the first stacking unit 31 and the second stacking unit 53 (e.g., the substrate placing table PS-CP, PS5). In this regard, the number of transport robots TR7 may be multiple (e.g., two).

[0129] (10) In the above-described embodiment and each modified example, the interface block 5 may include at least one of a heating / cooling unit PHP, a pre-exposure cleaning unit (back surface cleaning unit), and a post-exposure cleaning unit. In this case, each of the pre-exposure cleaning unit and the post-exposure cleaning unit may include, for example, a holding / rotating unit that holds the substrate W and a nozzle that dispenses a cleaning liquid onto the substrate W. The holding / rotating unit includes a spin chuck and an electric motor. The pre-exposure cleaning unit cleans the back surface of the substrate W using a brush. The back surface of the substrate W is, for example, the surface opposite to the surface on which a device is formed.

[0130] (11) In the above-described embodiment and each modification, the coating processing block 3 and the developing processing block 4 are provided between the indexer block 2 and the interface block 5. However, only one of the coating processing block 3 and the developing processing block 4 may be provided between the indexer block 2 and the interface block 5. Alternatively, three or more processing blocks may be provided between the indexer block 2 and the interface block 5.

[0131] (12) In the above-described embodiment and each modified example, for example, in the placing operation PL1 and the receiving operation RE1, the transport robot TR1 raises and lowers the hands 39A, 40A, etc. as a unit. Alternatively, in the placing operation PL1 and the receiving operation RE1, the substrate placing stages PS2, PS7 may be raised and lowered by, for example, an electric motor. The same applies to the substrate placing stages PS31, PS32.

[0132] (13) In the above-described embodiment and modifications, each of the transport robots TR1 to TR4 moves the hands 39, 40 by the advancing / retracting unit 43. In this regard, like the transport robot TR8, the transport robots TR1 to TR4 may move the hands 39, 40 by two articulated arms instead of the advancing / retracting unit 43. Furthermore, like the transport robot TR1, the transport robot TR8 may move the hands 57, 58 by an advancing / retracting unit instead of the two articulated arms 59, 60. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 1... Substrate processing equipment 3... Coating processing block 4...Development processing block 5 … Interface block EXP: Exposure equipment TR1, TR2, TR3, TR4 ... Transport robot PS2,PS7,PS31,PS32 … Board mounting stand 39,40(39A,40A,39B,40B) ... Hand JK1,JK2 … Support interval SF1,SF2 … Support surface CK1, CK2 ... Placement interval PF1, PF2 ... Placing surface TR8...Transport robot 57,58 … Hand 71 ... Placement section 81 ... Control section 83 … Storage section FW1: First hand forward movement FW2: Second hand forward movement FW3: Third hand forward movement FW4: Fourth hand forward movement BW1: First hand retreat BW2: Second hand retreat BW3: Third hand retreat BW4: 4th hand retreat PL1, PL2 ... Placement operation RE1, RE2 ... Receive action W(W7,W8,W9,W11,W12) ... Substrate

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, a first substrate transport robot having a first hand and a second hand arranged above and below the first hand and capable of transferring a substrate to and from a first mounting table and a second mounting table arranged above and below the first hand and the second hand by moving the first hand and the second hand; a control unit, the first hand is configured to support one first substrate in a horizontal position; the second hand is configured to support one second substrate in a horizontal position; a vertical support distance between a substrate support surface of the first hand and a substrate support surface of the second hand is set to match a vertical placement distance between a placement surface on which the first placement table places a substrate and a placement surface on which the second placement table places a substrate, The control unit performing a first hand advancement operation to advance the first hand supporting the first substrate toward the first mounting table; The first hand and the first mounting table are moved up and down relative to each other, so that the first hand transfers the first substrate to the first mounting table, and then performing a first hand retraction operation to retract the first hand from the first mounting table; a second hand forward movement for advancing the second hand toward the second mounting table; The second hand and the second mounting table are moved up and down relative to each other, and the second hand receives the second substrate from the second mounting table, and then a second hand retraction operation is performed to retract the second hand supporting the second substrate from the second mounting table; The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the control unit causes either the first hand retraction operation and the second hand advancement operation, or the first hand advancement operation and the second hand retraction operation, to be performed in parallel.

2. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, a processing block that individually performs a predetermined process on a plurality of substrates; an interface block connected to the processing block, the interface block performing loading and unloading of substrates to and from an external device; the first substrate transport robot is provided in the interface block; The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the first substrate transport robot transfers substrates to and from the first and second mounting tables provided in the external device.

3. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that the external device is an exposure device.

4. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the control unit causes the first hand to retreat and the second hand to advance in parallel.

5. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, a first processing block that individually performs a predetermined first processing on a plurality of substrates; a second processing block that individually performs a predetermined second processing on the plurality of substrates; the first mounting table and the second mounting table provided one above the other at the boundary between the first processing block and the second processing block; a second substrate transport robot having a third hand and a fourth hand disposed above and below the third hand and configured to transfer a substrate between the first table and the second table by moving the third hand and the fourth hand; the first substrate transport robot is provided in the first processing block; the second substrate transport robot is provided in the second processing block, the third hand is configured to support the first substrate in a horizontal position; the fourth hand is configured to support one third substrate in a horizontal position, a second support interval between the substrate support surface of the third hand and the substrate support surface of the fourth hand is set to match the above-mentioned placement interval between the placement surface on which the first placement table supports the substrate and the placement surface on which the second placement table places the substrate, The control unit performing a third hand forwarding operation to advance the third hand toward the first mounting table; The third hand and the first mounting table are moved up and down relative to each other, and the third hand receives the first substrate from the first mounting table, and then a third hand retraction operation is performed to retract the third hand supporting the first substrate from the first mounting table; a fourth hand forward movement in which the fourth hand supporting the third substrate is advanced toward the second mounting table; The fourth hand and the second mounting table are moved up and down relative to each other, and the third substrate is transferred to the second mounting table by the fourth hand, and then performing a fourth hand retraction operation to retract the fourth hand from the second mounting table; The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the control unit causes either the third hand retraction operation and the fourth hand advancement operation, or the fourth hand retraction operation and the third hand advancement operation, to be performed in parallel.

6. A method for controlling a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate, comprising: The substrate processing apparatus includes: a first substrate transport robot having a first hand and a second hand arranged above and below, and capable of transferring a substrate between a first mounting table and a second mounting table arranged above and below by moving the first hand and the second hand; the first hand is configured to support one first substrate in a horizontal position; the second hand is configured to support one second substrate in a horizontal position; a vertical support distance between a substrate support surface of the first hand and a substrate support surface of the second hand is set to match a vertical placement distance between a placement surface on which the first placement table places a substrate and a placement surface on which the second placement table places a substrate, The control method includes: a first hand advancing step of advancing the first hand supporting the first substrate toward the first mounting table; a first placing step of relatively moving the first hand and the first placing table up and down to transfer the first substrate to the first placing table by the first hand; a first hand retraction step of retracting the first hand from the first mounting table after the first mounting step; a second hand advancing step of advancing the second hand toward the second mounting table; a first receiving step of receiving the second substrate from the second mounting table by the second hand by relatively moving the second hand and the second mounting table up and down; and thereafter, a second hand retracting step of retracting the second hand supporting the second substrate from the second mounting table, a control method for a substrate processing apparatus, wherein the first hand retraction step and the second hand advancement step, and either the first hand advancement step or the second hand retraction step, are performed in parallel;

7. A substrate transport device that transports a substrate, a first substrate transport robot having a first hand and a second hand arranged above and below the first hand and capable of transferring a substrate to and from a first mounting table and a second mounting table arranged above and below the first hand and the second hand by moving the first hand and the second hand; a control unit, the first hand is configured to support one first substrate in a horizontal position; the second hand is configured to support one second substrate in a horizontal position; a vertical support distance between a substrate support surface of the first hand and a substrate support surface of the second hand is set to match a vertical placement distance between a placement surface on which the first placement table places a substrate and a placement surface on which the second placement table places a substrate, The control unit performing a first hand advancement operation to advance the first hand supporting the first substrate toward the first mounting table; The first hand and the first mounting table are moved up and down relative to each other, so that the first hand transfers the first substrate to the first mounting table, and then performing a first hand retraction operation to retract the first hand from the first mounting table; a second hand forward movement for advancing the second hand toward the second mounting table; The second hand and the second mounting table are moved up and down relative to each other, and the second hand receives the second substrate from the second mounting table, and then a second hand retraction operation is performed to retract the second hand supporting the second substrate from the second mounting table; The substrate transport device is characterized in that the control unit performs either the first hand retraction operation and the second hand advance operation, or the first hand advance operation and the second hand retraction operation in parallel.

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