Substrate Processing Equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus. In the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, a horizontally moving transfer manipulator is connected in series with multiple vertically moving process manipulators, thereby enabling substrate transfer from the front end to the rear end of the substrate processing apparatus or from the rear end to the front end of the substrate processing apparatus. The transfer manipulator transfers multiple substrates at once. This allows multiple substrates to be processed or have been processed by multiple process manipulators to be transported within a certain time frame. The process manipulators move vertically to perform transfer tasks to multiple process chambers. The movement stroke of each process manipulator is shortened, and the load is uniformed. This shortens the time interval between substrate transfers, improving substrate transfer efficiency. Consequently, idle time of the process chambers is reduced, further improving the overall production capacity of the apparatus.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and more particularly to substrate processing equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] Semiconductor cleaning equipment includes single-piece cleaning equipment and batch cleaning equipment. Although the single-piece cleaning equipment has excellent cleaning effect, the processing capacity of the single-piece cleaning equipment is insufficient compared to the batch cleaning equipment.

[0003] 8 is a plan view of a typical standalone cleaning apparatus. The standalone cleaning apparatus includes a front-end module 301, multiple cleaning chambers 302, and a transfer channel 303. The multiple cleaning chambers 302 are arranged on both sides of the transfer channel 303 along the longitudinal direction of the transfer channel 303. A master manipulator 304 is arranged in the transfer channel 303. The master manipulator 304 is used to retrieve wafers from the front-end module 301 and distribute the wafers to the multiple cleaning chambers 302. Alternatively, the master manipulator 304 is used to retrieve cleaned wafers from the multiple cleaning chambers 302 and return the cleaned wafers to the front-end module 301.

[0004] One of the means required to improve the production capacity of a single cleaning device is to increase the number of cleaning chambers 302. As the number of cleaning chambers 302 increases, the distance of the transfer channel 303 also increases. This reduces the transfer efficiency of the master manipulator 304, which affects the improvement of the overall production capacity of the device. This effect becomes even greater as the number of cleaning chambers 302 increases. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In consideration of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus to overcome the insufficient transport efficiency and the limited production capacity of the prior art substrate processing apparatus.

[0006] To achieve the above and other related objects, the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus comprising a front end module and a processing module connected in series.

[0007] The front-end module includes a loading platform and a front-end manipulator, wherein a carrier mounted on the loading platform is used to store a substrate, and the front-end manipulator is used to pick up the substrate and place it on the carrier.

[0008] The processing module comprises a plurality of processing units, the first processing unit to the Nth processing unit, arranged from the front end to the rear end of the processing module, an i-th processing manipulator, an i-th lifting buffer box, and a plurality of processing chambers arranged side by side in the i-th processing unit, the first processing unit being arranged adjacent to the front-end module, and the first processing unit further having a fixed buffer box, N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, and i is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N, and a transfer manipulator configured to move between the first processing unit and the Nth processing unit, the front-end manipulator being configured to transfer the substrate between the carrier and the fixed buffer box, and the first processing manipulator being used to transfer the substrate between the fixed buffer box and the plurality of processing chambers of the first processing unit. The front-end manipulator is further used to transport the substrate between the carrier and a first lifting buffer box. The transport manipulator is used to transport the substrate between the first lifting buffer box and a j-th lifting buffer box. The j-th processing manipulator is used to transport the substrate between the j-th lifting buffer box and the plurality of processing chambers of the j-th processing unit, where j is a positive integer between 2 and N.

[0009] As one option of the present invention, the processing module further has a lateral guide rail, and the transport manipulator is mounted on the lateral guide rail, so that the transport manipulator moves between the first processing unit and the Nth processing unit.

[0010] As one option of the present invention, the processing module further comprises a first vertical guide rail, the i-th processing manipulator is disposed on the first vertical guide rail, and the i-th processing manipulator moves up and down along the first vertical guide rail to access a processing chamber of any height.

[0011] As one option of the present invention, the processing module further includes a second vertical guide rail, the i-th lifting buffer box is disposed on the second vertical guide rail, and the i-th lifting buffer box moves up and down along the second vertical guide rail to move between a position approaching the transport manipulator and a position avoiding the transport manipulator.

[0012] As one option of the present invention, the multiple processing chambers of each of the multiple processing units are arranged in a vertical row on one side of the movement path of the transport manipulator, or are arranged in two rows facing each other on both sides of the movement path of the transport manipulator.

[0013] As one option of the present invention, M take-out arms and M place-ment arms are provided on the front-end manipulator and the transfer manipulator, respectively, where M and P are positive integers, M≦P, and P is the number of processing chambers provided in each of the plurality of processing units.

[0014] As one option of the present invention, in the front-end manipulator, the M take-out arms include at least one take-out arm that independently takes out a substrate, and the M placement arms include at least one placement arm that independently places a substrate.

[0015] As one option of the present invention, each of the plurality of processing units has two lifting buffer boxes that move independently, one of which is configured to place the substrate to be processed, and the other of which is configured to place the processed substrate.

[0016] As described above, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention realizes substrate transport from the front end to the rear end of the substrate processing apparatus or from the rear end to the front end of the substrate processing apparatus by connecting a horizontally moving transfer manipulator in series with multiple vertically moving process manipulators. The transfer manipulator transports multiple substrates at once. This allows multiple substrates to be processed or have been processed by multiple process manipulators to be transported in a timely manner. The process manipulators move vertically to perform transport tasks to multiple process chambers. The movement stroke of each process manipulator is shortened, and the load is uniformed. This shortens the time interval between substrate transports and improves substrate transport efficiency. Consequently, idle time of the process chambers is reduced, further improving the overall production capacity of the apparatus. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a top view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a side view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a partial perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing substrate transfer by the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a top view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a top view of a substrate processing apparatus according to the prior art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The following description of the present invention will be given in terms of specific and clear embodiments. Other advantages and effects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure of this specification. The present invention may also be implemented or applied in other different specific embodiments, and various details of the specification may be changed or modified based on different viewpoints or implementations without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0019] It should be noted that the drawings provided in this embodiment are intended to illustrate the basic concept of the present invention in a simplified manner, and the components related to the present invention shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the number, shape, and size of the components in the actual implementation, but the shape, number, and ratio of each component in the actual implementation may be arbitrarily changed, and the arrangement of the components may be more complicated.

[0020] First embodiment 1 to 4, this embodiment provides a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus is used for substrate processing such as cleaning, etching, coating, and development. In this embodiment, a wafer for semiconductor processing is described as an example of the substrate. The type of substrate may also be a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a photomask, a substrate for a solar cell, etc.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus has a front-end module 10 and processing modules 20 connected in series. The arrangement direction of the front-end module 10 and processing modules 20 is defined as the X direction. The X direction is the front-rear direction of the substrate processing apparatus. The direction perpendicular to the X direction when viewed from above is defined as the Y direction. The direction perpendicular to the plane on which the X direction and Y direction lie is defined as the Z direction.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the front-end module 10 has a loading platform 110 and a transfer chamber 120. The loading platform 110 is provided on the front side of the transfer chamber 120. A carrier 111 for storing substrates is provided on the loading platform 110. The carrier 111 is, for example, a front-opening wafer transport box (FOUP). The number of loading platforms 110 can be set depending on the floor area and operational efficiency of the machine. In FIG. 1, the front-end module 10 consists of four loading platforms 110. These four loading platforms 110 are arranged side by side in the Y direction.

[0023] 2, the front-end manipulator 121 is provided in the transfer chamber 120. The front-end manipulator 121 is used to take out a substrate from the carrier 111 and place a substrate on the carrier 111.

[0024] Referring again to FIG. 1 , the processing module 20 is disposed on the rear side of the transfer chamber 120. The central region of the processing module 20 is configured as a transfer region 200. The processing module 20 includes a first processing unit U1, a second processing unit U2, and a third processing unit U3, which are disposed in this order from the front end to the rear end of the processing module 20 (i.e., in the X direction). The first processing unit U1 is disposed adjacent to the transfer chamber 120. The processing module 20 further includes multiple supply systems P0. The supply systems P0 are disposed on the sides of each of the processing units U1 to U3. This allows for a more compact layout of the entire apparatus. The supply systems P0 are used to supply gases, liquids, etc. to each processing chamber. In another embodiment, the supply systems P0 may be disposed below the processing module 20.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the first processing unit U1 includes a first processing manipulator R1, a fixed buffer box B0, a first lifting buffer box B1, and two rows of processing chambers L1 and L2. The processing chambers L1 and L2 are arranged facing each other on both sides of the transfer region 200. Each row of processing chambers consists of three processing chambers aligned vertically (i.e., in the Z direction). The first processing manipulator R1 is used to transport substrates between the fixed buffer box B0 and the two rows of processing chambers L1 and L2 (i.e., the multiple processing chambers of the first processing unit U1, specifically six processing chambers). The second processing unit U2 includes a second processing manipulator R2, a second lifting buffer box B2, and two rows of processing chambers L3 and L4. The processing chambers L3 and L4 are arranged facing each other on both sides of the transfer region 200. Each row of processing chambers consists of three processing chambers aligned vertically. The second processing manipulator R2 is used to transfer substrates between the second lifting buffer box B2 and the two rows of processing chambers L3 and L4. The third processing unit U3 includes a third processing manipulator R3, a third lifting buffer box B3, and two rows of handling chambers L5 and L6. The handling chambers L5 and L6 are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the transfer region 200. Each row of processing chambers consists of three processing chambers arranged vertically. The third processing manipulator R3 is used to transfer substrates between the third lifting buffer box B3 and the two rows of handling chambers L5 and L6.

[0026] In this embodiment, the first processing unit U1 is provided with a first lifting buffer box B1, the second processing unit U2 is provided with a second lifting buffer box B2, and the third processing unit U3 is provided with a third lifting buffer box B3. Two groups of slots, one above the other, are provided in each of the lifting buffer boxes B1-B3. The lower group of slots is used to horizontally position multiple substrates to be processed, and the other group of slots, the upper group, is used to horizontally position multiple substrates that have already been processed.

[0027] It should be noted that the specific embodiments of the processing module 20 described above do not limit the number of processing units within the processing module 20 or the number and arrangement of processing chambers provided in each processing unit. For example, in one embodiment, the processing module 20 may have two, four, or more processing units arranged in the X direction. In another embodiment, each processing unit has a row of processing chambers located on one side of the transfer region 200, and each row of processing chambers consists of four or more processing chambers arranged vertically.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the transfer region 200 is provided with a transfer manipulator R0 capable of reciprocating in the X direction from the first processing unit U1 to the third processing unit U3. The transfer manipulator R0 cooperates with the front-end manipulator 121 to transfer substrates between the carrier 111 and each processing unit behind the first processing unit U1. The front-end manipulator 121 transfers substrates between the carrier 111 and the first lifting buffer box B1. The transfer manipulator R0 moves in the X direction to transfer substrates between the first lifting buffer box B1 and the second lifting buffer box B2. The second processing manipulator R2 transfers substrates between the second lifting buffer box B2 and the multiple processing chambers of the second processing unit U2, thereby realizing substrate transfer between the carrier 111 and the second processing unit U2. Similarly, the transfer manipulator R0 moves in the X direction to transfer substrates between the first lifting buffer box B1 and the third lifting buffer box B3. The third processing manipulator R3 transfers substrates between the third lifting buffer box B3 and the plurality of processing chambers of the third processing unit U3, realizing substrate transfer between the carrier 111 and the third processing unit U3.

[0029] A transport frame 210 is provided in the transport area 200. A plurality of first vertical guide rails 211, a plurality of second vertical guide rails 212, and a lateral guide rail 213 are provided within the transport frame 210. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, in this embodiment, the transport frame 210 is provided with three first vertical guide rails 211 for mounting the first processing manipulator R1 to the third processing manipulator R3, respectively. The transport frame 210 is provided with three second vertical guide rails 212 for mounting the first lifting buffer box B1 to the third lifting buffer box B3, respectively. The transport frame 210 is provided with a lateral guide rail 213 for mounting the transport manipulator R0.

[0030] The first processing manipulator R1 can move up and down along the first vertical guide rail 211 to further access processing chambers of any height in the two rows of processing chambers L1 and L2 and the fixed buffer box B0. The fixed buffer box B0 is a container for temporarily storing substrates to be processed by the first processing unit U1 or substrates that have been processed. The first processing manipulator R1 transports substrates between the fixed buffer box B0 and the multiple processing chambers of the first processing unit U1. Specifically, the first processing manipulator R1 retrieves substrates to be processed from the fixed buffer box B0 and distributes the substrates to the multiple processing chambers of the first processing unit U1, or retrieves processed substrates from the multiple processing chambers of the first processing unit U1 and places the substrates in the fixed buffer box B0.

[0031] The first lifting buffer box B1 is movable up and down along the second vertical guide rails 212 between a low position where it approaches the transfer manipulator R0 and a high position where it clears the transfer manipulator R0. The transfer manipulator R0 is mounted on lateral guide rails 213. The lateral guide rails 213 are provided at the bottom of the processing module 20 and extend in the X direction. The transfer manipulator R0 is movable in the X direction along the lateral guide rails 213. When the first lifting buffer box B1 rises to the high position, the first lifting buffer box moves away from the movement path of the transfer manipulator R0 and approaches the front-end manipulator 121. The front-end manipulator 121 can transport substrates between the carrier 111 and the first lifting buffer box B1. Specifically, the front-end manipulator 121 can take a substrate to be processed from the carrier 111 and place the substrate in the first lifting buffer box B1, or can take a processed substrate from the first lifting buffer box B1 and place the substrate in the carrier 111. When the first lifting buffer box B1 is lowered to the low position, the first lifting buffer box B1 approaches the transport manipulator R0, which can transport the substrate between the first lifting buffer box B1 and the second lifting buffer box B2 (or the third lifting buffer box B3). Specifically, the transport manipulator R0 can take the substrate to be processed from the first lifting buffer box B1. Subsequently, the transport manipulator R0 moves along the lateral guide rails 213 to the second lifting buffer box (or the third lifting buffer box B3) and places the substrate to be processed in the second lifting buffer box (or the third lifting buffer box B3). Alternatively, the transport manipulator R0 can take the processed substrate from the second lifting buffer box B2 (or the third lifting buffer box B3), and then move along the lateral guide rails 213 to the first lifting buffer box B1 and place the processed substrate in the first lifting buffer box B1.

[0032] The second processing manipulator R2 can move up and down along the first vertical guide rail 211 to further access processing chambers of any height in the two rows of processing chambers L3 and L4 and the second lifting buffer box B2. The second lifting buffer box B2 can move up and down along the second vertical guide rail 212 between a low position approaching the transfer manipulator R0 and a high position clear of the transfer manipulator R0. The second lifting buffer box B2 is a container that temporarily stores substrates to be processed by the second processing unit U2 or substrates that have been processed. The second processing manipulator R2 transports substrates between the second lifting buffer box B2 and the multiple processing chambers of the second processing unit U2. Specifically, when the second lifting buffer box B2 is raised to the high position, the second lifting buffer box B2 approaches the second processing manipulator R2, which either removes substrates to be processed from the second lifting buffer box B2 and distributes the substrates to the multiple processing chambers of the second processing unit U2, or removes processed substrates from the multiple processing chambers of the second processing unit U2 and places the substrates in the second lifting buffer box B2. Furthermore, when the second lifting buffer box B2 is lowered to the low position, the second lifting buffer box B2 approaches the transport manipulator R0, which becomes accessible to the second lifting buffer box B2. Specifically, the transport manipulator R0 removes processed substrates from the second lifting buffer box B2 or places the processed substrates in the second lifting buffer box B2.

[0033] The third processing manipulator R3 is movable up and down along the first vertical guide rail 211 to further access processing chambers of any height in the two rows of handling chambers L5, L6 and the third lifting buffer box B3. The third lifting buffer box B3 is movable up and down along the second vertical guide rail 212 between a low position approaching the transfer manipulator R0 and a high position clear of the transfer manipulator R0. The third lifting buffer box B3 is a container that temporarily stores substrates to be processed by the third processing unit U3 or substrates that have been processed, and the third processing manipulator R3 transports substrates between the third lifting buffer box B3 and the multiple processing chambers of the third processing unit U3. Specifically, when the third lifting buffer box B3 is raised to the high position, the third lifting buffer box B3 approaches the third processing manipulator R3, which either removes substrates to be processed from the third lifting buffer box B3 and distributes the substrates to the multiple processing chambers of the third processing unit U3, or removes processed substrates from the multiple processing chambers of the third processing unit U3 and places the substrates in the third lifting buffer box B3. Furthermore, when the third lifting buffer box B3 is lowered to the low position, the third lifting buffer box B3 approaches the transport manipulator R0, which becomes accessible to the third lifting buffer box B3. Specifically, the transport manipulator R0 removes processed substrates from the third lifting buffer box B3 or places the processed substrates in the third lifting buffer box B3.

[0034] 5 shows an exemplary flow chart for transferring substrates to be processed from the carrier 111 to the processing chambers of each processing unit. The substrate transfer process is described below with reference to FIG. 5. In the following description, both the front-end manipulator 121 and the transfer manipulator R0 are multi-arm manipulators capable of simultaneously picking and placing five substrates at a time, and the processing manipulator is a single-arm manipulator capable of picking and placing one substrate at a time.

[0035] S1: The front-end manipulator 121 takes five substrates to be processed (hereinafter referred to as substrates) from the carrier 111 (FOUP) and places these substrates in the fixed buffer box B0. S2: The first processing manipulator takes out the substrates one by one from the fixed buffer box B0 and places the substrates in each processing chamber of the first processing unit U1. S3: The first lifting buffer box is lifted. S4: The front-end manipulator 121 again picks up five substrates from the carrier 111 and places these substrates into the first lifting buffer box. S5: The first lifting buffer box is lowered. S6: The transfer manipulator R0 moves to the first lifting buffer box and takes out the five substrates from the first lifting buffer box. S7: The transfer manipulator R0 moves to the second lifting buffer box and places the five substrates in the second lifting buffer box. S8: The second lifting buffer box is lifted. S9: The second processing manipulator takes out the substrates one by one from the second lifting buffer box and places the substrates in each processing chamber of the second processing unit U2. S10: Steps S3 to S6 are repeated. S11: The transfer manipulator R0 moves to the third lifting buffer box and places five substrates in the third lifting buffer box. S12: The third lifting buffer box is lifted. S13: The third processing manipulator takes out the substrates one by one from the third lifting buffer box and places the substrates in each processing chamber of the third processing unit U3.

[0036] The above steps S1 to S13 may be repeated until processing of all substrates is completed. Here, by performing S1 and S2, substrates can be transferred from the carrier 111 to multiple processing chambers of the first processing unit U1. By performing S3 to S9, substrates can be transferred from the carrier 111 to multiple processing chambers of the second processing unit U2. By performing S10 to S13, substrates can be transferred from the carrier 111 to multiple processing chambers of the third processing unit U3. The processed substrates can be returned from the processing chambers to the carrier 111 via the original path, but the specific transfer process will not be described in detail.

[0037] The numbers S1 to S13 above are not used to limit the execution order of each substrate transfer operation. For example, when performing S2, the first processing manipulator R1 transfers the substrate to each processing chamber of the first processing unit U1. Steps S3 to S6 are executed synchronously, and the substrate is retrieved from the first lifting buffer box B1 by the operation of the transfer manipulator R0.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the transfer manipulator R0 transfers substrates between the first lifting buffer box B1 and the second lifting buffer box B2. Alternatively, the transfer manipulator R0 transfers substrates between the first lifting buffer box B1 and the third lifting buffer box B3. The transfer manipulator R0 may transfer substrates between the first lifting buffer box B1 and the third lifting buffer box B3 according to specific processing needs and in accordance with the operation program of the transfer manipulator R0. That is, the transfer manipulator R0 can transfer substrates between the first lifting buffer box B1 and the second lifting buffer box B2 (or the third lifting buffer box), and the transfer manipulator R0 can transfer substrates between the second lifting buffer box B2 and the third lifting buffer box B3.

[0039] Furthermore, to improve the overall transfer efficiency of the substrate processing apparatus, the front-end manipulator 121 and the transfer manipulator R0 each have multiple arms. Specifically, the number of arms provided to the front-end manipulator 121 is 2M, where M is a positive integer and M≦P, and P is the number of processing chambers provided to the processing unit. The M arms are defined as take-out arms for taking substrates to be processed from the carrier 111. The M arms are defined as placement arms for placing processed substrates onto the carrier 111. For example, each of the processing units U1 to U3 has six processing chambers, and in one embodiment, the front-end manipulator 121 has 10 arms. Here, five arms are take-out arms and the remaining five arms are placement arms. In another embodiment, the front-end manipulator 121 has 12 arms, of which six arms are take-out arms and the remaining six arms are placement arms.

[0040] To improve the flexibility of substrate pick-up and placement by the front-end manipulator 121, the M pick-up arms in the front-end manipulator 121 have one or more pick-up arms for independently picking up substrates. The M placement arms have at least one placement arm for independently placing each substrate. This allows for adaptation to different substrate transport conditions. For example, when a carrier 111 with a number other than a multiple of five picks up one remaining substrate, or picks up a single substrate, the pick-up arm that independently picks up a substrate can pick up one substrate at a time during the substrate transport process. Similarly, when a placement arm that independently places a substrate can place one substrate at a time during the substrate transport process. For example, the front-end manipulator 121 has six pick-up arms and six placement arms, and one of the six pick-up arms can independently pick up a substrate, i.e., pick one substrate at a time. The remaining five pick-up arms can simultaneously pick up substrates, i.e., pick five substrates at a time. Similarly, one of the six placement arms can independently place a substrate. The remaining five placement arms can simultaneously place substrates, i.e., five substrates can be placed at a time.

[0041] Similar to the front-end manipulator 121, the number of arms provided to the transfer manipulator R0 is 2M, where M is a positive integer and M≦P, and P is the number of processing chambers provided to the processing unit. The M arms are defined as take-out arms for taking substrates to be processed from the lifting buffer box. The M arms are defined as placement arms for placing processed substrates into the lifting buffer box.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the number of pick-up and placing arms provided on the front-end manipulator 121 and the transfer manipulator R0 is the same as the number of processing chambers provided in one processing unit.

[0043] In the present application, a horizontally moving transfer manipulator is connected in series with multiple vertically moving process manipulators to realize substrate transfer from the front end to the rear end of a substrate processing apparatus or from the rear end to the front end of the substrate processing apparatus. The transfer manipulator transfers multiple substrates at once. This allows multiple process manipulators to transfer substrates to be processed or processed substrates within a certain time frame. The process manipulators move vertically to perform transfer tasks to multiple process chambers. The movement stroke of each process manipulator is shortened, and the load is uniformed. This shortens the time interval between substrate transfers and improves substrate transfer efficiency. This in turn reduces idle time of the process chambers, further improving the overall production capacity of the apparatus.

[0044] Second embodiment 6 and 7, this embodiment provides a substrate processing apparatus. The difference between the first embodiment and this embodiment is that each processing unit is configured with two independently movable lifting buffer boxes. One of the two lifting buffer boxes is provided for placing substrates to be processed, and the other is provided for placing processed substrates.

[0045] 6 and 7, the first processing unit U1 is provided with two first lifting buffer boxes (B11, B12), with the first lifting buffer box B11 configured to receive substrates to be processed and the first lifting buffer box B12 configured to receive processed substrates. The second processing unit U2 is provided with two second lifting buffer boxes (B21, B22), with the second lifting buffer box B21 configured to receive substrates to be processed and the second lifting buffer box B22 configured to receive processed substrates. The third processing unit U3 is provided with two third lifting buffer boxes (B31, B32), with the third lifting buffer box B31 configured to receive substrates to be processed and the third lifting buffer box B32 configured to receive processed substrates.

[0046] The above-described embodiments illustrate the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make modifications and variations to the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or variations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical ideas disclosed in the present invention should be included in the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. 1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising a front-end module and a processing module connected in series, the front-end module includes a loading platform and a front-end manipulator, a carrier provided on the loading platform is used to store a substrate, and the front-end manipulator is used to remove the substrate and place it on the carrier; The processing module includes: a plurality of processing units, the processing units being comprised of a first processing unit to an Nth processing unit arranged from the front end to the rear end of the processing module, the i-th processing manipulator, the i-th lifting buffer box, and a plurality of processing chambers being arranged side by side in the i-th processing unit, the first processing unit being arranged adjacent to the front-end module, the first processing unit further having a fixed buffer box, N being a positive integer of 2 or more, and i being a positive integer of 1 or more and N or less; a transfer manipulator provided to move between the first processing unit and the Nth processing unit; the front-end manipulator is configured to transfer the substrate between the carrier and the fixed buffer box, the first processing manipulator is used to transfer the substrate between the fixed buffer box and the plurality of processing chambers of the first processing unit, the front-end manipulator is further used to transport the substrate between the carrier and a first lifting buffer box, the transport manipulator is used to transport the substrate between the first lifting buffer box and a j-th lifting buffer box, and the j-th processing manipulator is used to transport the substrate between the j-th lifting buffer box and the plurality of processing chambers of a j-th processing unit, j being a positive integer greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to N.

2. 2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing module further includes lateral guide rails, and the transport manipulator is mounted on the lateral guide rails, thereby moving between the first processing unit and the Nth processing unit.

3. 2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing module further comprises a first vertical guide rail, the i-th processing manipulator is disposed on the first vertical guide rail, and the i-th processing manipulator moves up and down along the first vertical guide rail to approach a processing chamber at any height.

4. 2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing module further comprises a second vertical guide rail, the i-th lifting buffer box is disposed on the second vertical guide rail, and the i-th lifting buffer box moves up and down along the second vertical guide rail to move between a position approaching the transport manipulator and a position avoiding the transport manipulator.

5. 2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing chambers of each of the processing units are arranged in a vertical row on one side of the movement path of the transport manipulator, or in two rows on both sides of the movement path of the transport manipulator, facing each other.

6. 2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein M take-out arms and M place-ment arms are provided on the front-end manipulator and the transport manipulator, respectively, M and P are positive integers, M≦P, and P is the number of processing chambers provided in each of the plurality of processing units.

7. 7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein in the front-end manipulator, the M take-out arms include at least one take-out arm that independently takes out a substrate, and the M placement arms include at least one placement arm that independently places a substrate.

8. 2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of processing units has two independently movable lifting buffer boxes, one of which is configured to receive the substrate to be processed, and the other of which is configured to receive the processed substrate.

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