SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD

Abstract

To provide technology with which it is possible to reduce an occupied floor area in a substrate processing device.MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM: In a substrate processing device that includes a processing block in which are provided a plurality of liquid processing modules, each processing a substrate with liquid, a substrate conveyance block is provided on the left of the processing block. The substrate conveyance block comprises a container placement unit where a container is placed that accommodates a plurality of substrates, and a first conveyance mechanism that transfers substrates to the container. Also, a substrate conveyance path extending in the lateral direction and a second conveyance mechanism for conveying substrates to the liquid processing module are provided in the processing module. Furthermore, a transfer unit for transferring substrate between the first and second conveyance mechanisms is provided in the processing module in front of the conveyance path and on the left of the liquid processing module.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Photolithography is one of the processes in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices. In photolithography, a resist is applied to a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) as a substrate to form a resist film, and a developer is supplied to develop the exposed resist film. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a substrate processing apparatus that forms and develops such a resist film. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-4072 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique capable of reducing the occupied floor space in a substrate processing apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus including a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, the processing block including: a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; a second processing module for performing a process on the substrate that is different from the process performed by the first processing module; a third transport mechanism that transfers the substrate between the interface and a second processing module; Equipped with the substrate transport block is provided with a transport area for the substrate by the first transport mechanism, the second processing module is provided above a transfer region of the substrate; the substrate transport block is provided with a gas supply unit that supplies gas from above toward the transport region; The second processing module is provided at a position above the gas supply unit. Another substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; a second processing module for performing a process on the substrate that is different from the process performed by the first processing module; a third transport mechanism that transfers the substrate between the interface and a second processing module; Equipped with The second processing module is provided on one side, either forward or backward, of the liquid processing module, and is raised above a floor on which the substrate processing apparatus is provided to form a protruding portion that protrudes to the one side, either forward or backward. Another substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; a second processing module for performing a process on the substrate different from the process performed by the first processing module; a third transport mechanism that transfers the substrate between the interface and a second processing module; Equipped with The second processing module is an inspection module for inspecting the substrate before or after processing by the liquid processing module and the first processing module. Another substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with The delivery unit includes: In a plan view, the liquid processing module overlaps with a storage region in which the processing liquid to be supplied to the substrate is stored in each of the liquid processing modules. Another substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with The transfer section has a temperature adjustment function for adjusting the temperature of the substrate before processing by the liquid processing module and the first processing module, or is an inspection module for inspecting the substrate before or after processing by the liquid processing module and the first processing module. Another substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with The first processing module includes: A thermal processing module for heating the substrate. Another substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with The transfer section overlaps, in a plan view, an equipment installation area in which electrical equipment is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, the occupied floor space of a substrate processing apparatus can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of the substrate processing apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 4] 2 is a vertical sectional side view of the substrate processing apparatus; FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a wafer transport path in the substrate processing apparatus; FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view diagrammatically showing another example of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view diagrammatically showing another example of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view diagrammatically showing another example of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view diagrammatically showing another example of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view diagrammatically showing another example of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view diagrammatically showing another example of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view diagrammatically showing another example of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 15] 4 is a vertical sectional side view showing an example of an inspection module provided in the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. [Figure 16]13 is a cross-sectional plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of the substrate processing apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the cross-sectional plan view of Fig. 1, the longitudinal front views of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, and the longitudinal side view of Fig. 4. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is installed in, for example, a clean room of a semiconductor manufacturing factory, and performs a resist liquid coating process as a liquid process on a wafer W. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is configured by a carrier block D1 and a processing block D2 aligned in a row in the horizontal direction (left-right direction) and connected to each other, and the heights of the bottoms of the carrier block D1 and the processing block D2 are the same. The carrier block D1 forms a substrate transport block.

[0009] In the following description, the arrangement direction of the blocks D1 and D2 is defined as the left-right direction, with the carrier block D1 seen to the left and the processing block D2 seen to the right. Regarding the front-rear direction of the apparatus, the near side when the carrier block D1 is seen to the left is defined as the front, and the far side is defined as the rear. In each drawing, the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction are mutually orthogonal, and the X direction indicates the front-rear direction, the Y direction indicates the left-right direction, and the Z direction indicates the height direction. Note that Figs. 2 and 3 show front views of the vertical section of the substrate processing apparatus 1, but show vertical sections at different positions in the front and rear for parts of the apparatus.

[0010] The carrier block D1 transports a container housing a plurality of wafers W by an external transport mechanism (not shown) provided outside the substrate processing apparatus 1, and serves to transfer the wafers W between the container and the inside of the substrate processing apparatus 1. For example, a carrier C called a FOUP (Front Opening Unify Pod) is used as the container. The right side of a housing 11 constituting the carrier block D1 protrudes upward so as to be higher than the left side, thereby forming a step when viewed from the front. The left and right sides of the housing 11 thus configured are a low section 12 and a high section 13, respectively.

[0011] The low section 12 serves as a container mounting section on which a carrier C is mounted, and four carrier stages 14 are provided on the upper surface of the low section 12 at intervals in the front-to-rear direction. The carriers C are mounted on the carrier stages 14 to carry wafers W into and out of the substrate processing apparatus 1. A transfer port 15 for the wafer W opens in a position corresponding to the carrier stages 14 on a side wall of the housing 11 that forms the high section 13 and faces left, and the transfer port 15 is opened and closed by an opening / closing mechanism 16.

[0012] In the housing 11, the tall section 13 is provided with a first transfer mechanism 17 for transferring the wafer W between the carrier C on the carrier stage 14 and the processing block D2. The first transfer mechanism 17 includes a movable body 171 configured to be movable in the front-rear direction (X direction), rotatable about a vertical axis, and movable up and down, and a holder 172 which allows the movable body 171 to move forward and backward and holds the wafer W.

[0013] A fan filter unit (FFU) 18 is provided above the transport area 10 of the first transport mechanism 17 in the tall section 13. The fan filter unit 18, which is a gas supply unit, sucks in air around the substrate processing apparatus 1 through a suction path (not shown), purifies the air through a filter, and supplies it downward. This forms a downward airflow. The above filters constituting the fan filter unit 18 are provided over the entire moving area of ​​the first transport mechanism 17 in the carrier block D1 in a plan view, and a downward airflow is formed over the entire moving area. For example, the air that formed the downward airflow is removed from an exhaust port (not shown) at the bottom of the housing 11. Note that a downflow is also formed in various places such as the transport path of the processing block D2, but the mechanism for forming the downflow is not shown.

[0014] Next, the processing block D2 will be described. The processing block D2 is composed of a rectangular housing 21, and is provided with a transfer path 20 for the wafer W extending left and right in the center in the front-rear direction in a plan view. This transfer path 20 is an area where the wafer W is transferred by a second transfer mechanism described later, and is formed so as to extend from the left end to the right end in the left-right direction in the housing 21 of the processing block D2, as shown in FIG.

[0015] 1, in front of the transport path 20 in the processing block D2, an area adjacent to the carrier block D1 and facing the transport path 20 is set as an installation area 30 of the transfer unit 3. The processing block D2 also includes a resist coating module 4, which is a liquid processing module that supplies a resist liquid as a processing liquid for the wafer W (i.e., coats the resist) to form a resist film. The resist coating module 4 is installed in front of the transport path 20, next to the right of the installation area 30, so as to face the transport path 20.

[0016] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the processing block D2 is configured by stacking multiple stories, each of which includes a resist coating module 4. In this example, the processing block D2 has six stories E1 to E6, and each of the stories E1 to E6 is provided with one resist coating module 4. Thus, when the processing block D2 is viewed from the front, the resist coating modules 4 are arranged in a row in the vertical direction, and the left and right positions of each resist coating module 4 are aligned. Note that Figure 1 is a cross-sectional plan view showing story E3 of the processing block D2.

[0017] The resist coating module 4 includes a partition wall 41 that partitions the module from the transfer path 20 and the transfer section 3 described later, and a transfer port (not shown) for the wafer W is formed in the partition wall 41 facing the transfer path 20. As shown typically in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the resist coating module 4 includes only one cup 42 for surrounding and processing the wafer W, and a spin chuck 43 for suction-holding and rotating the back surface of the wafer W is provided in the cup 42. The resist coating module 4 also includes a nozzle 44 that ejects resist liquid onto the front surface of the wafer W. The nozzle 44 is configured to be freely movable between above the wafer W in the cup 42 and a waiting area outside the cup 42 shown in FIG. 1 by a nozzle moving mechanism 45.

[0018] 1, a plurality of, for example, three, heat treatment modules 51, which are first processing modules, are arranged side by side behind the transport path 20 in the processing block D2 so as to face the transport path 20. The heat treatment modules 51 are arranged on each of the stories E1 to E6, and when the processing block D2 is viewed from the rear, the heat treatment modules 51 are arranged in a vertical row. Therefore, the heat treatment modules 51 are arranged in three rows on the left and right in the processing block D2. Among the three rows, the left and right positions of the heat treatment modules 51 constituting the same row are aligned.

[0019] The heat treatment module 51 in this example is a module that performs a heat treatment (PAB: Pre applied bake) of the wafer W after the resist film is formed. In this heat treatment module 51, a process is performed in which the wafer W on which the resist film is formed is heated to remove the solvent in the resist film. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the heat treatment module 51 includes a hot plate 52 for heating the wafer W and a cooling plate 53 for adjusting the temperature of the wafer W. The hot plate 52 and the cooling plate 53 are arranged in front and behind each other such that the cooling plate 53 faces the transfer path 20. The cooling plate 53 is configured to transfer the wafer W between the hot plate 52 and a second transfer mechanism (described later) provided on the transfer path 20.

[0020] The processing block D2 is provided with a second transfer mechanism 6 which moves along the transfer path 20 to transfer the wafer W between the resist coating module 4 and the heat treatment module 51. In this example, the second transfer mechanism 6 includes a lower transfer mechanism 61 and an upper transfer mechanism 62, and the lower transfer mechanism 61 is configured to transfer the wafer W to the resist coating module 4 and the heat treatment module 51 on the lower level. The upper transfer mechanism 62 is configured to transfer the wafer W to the resist coating module 4 and the heat treatment module 51 on the upper level. The lower level and the upper level are each made up of a plurality of levels, and in this example, the lower level is made up of three levels E1 to E3, and the upper level is made up of three levels E4 to E6.

[0021] As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the lower transfer mechanism 61 and the upper transfer mechanism 62 (second transfer mechanism 6) each include two holders 63 for holding a wafer W, and a moving body 64 for independently moving each holder 63 forward and backward. The moving body 64 is rotated around a vertical axis by a rotating unit 65, and the rotating unit 65 is raised and lowered by a lifting unit 66, which is movable in the left-right direction (Y direction) by a moving mechanism 67. For example, the holders 63, the moving body 64, the rotating unit 65, and the lifting unit 66 are provided on the transfer path 20, and the moving mechanism 67 is disposed below the heat treatment module 51. The first transfer mechanism 17 of the carrier block D1 described above is configured similarly to the lower transfer mechanism 61 and the upper transfer mechanism 62, except that the direction of movement by the moving mechanism 67 is different.

[0022] The transfer unit 3 is a unit on which the wafer W is placed in order to transfer the wafer W between the first transfer mechanism 17 and the second transfer mechanism 6 (the lower transfer mechanism 61 and the upper transfer mechanism 62). The transfer unit 3 in this example is provided to the left of the resist coating module 4 in a plan view, and is arranged alongside the resist coating module 4. More specifically, it is arranged alongside the cup 42 of the resist coating module 4. In addition, the left region (one of the left and right sides) including the left end of the heat treatment module 51 provided on the leftmost side (one of the left and right sides) and the right region (the other of the left and right sides) including the right end of the transfer unit 3 in the left and right directions are arranged so that their left and right positions are the same. In other words, the left region of the heat treatment module 51 (surrounded by a dashed frame in FIG. 1 and indicated as a1) and the right region of the transfer unit 3 (surrounded by a dashed frame in FIG. 1 and indicated as b1) are located at the same left and right positions. Here, the left and right positions being the same means that they are in a positional relationship facing each other when the heights are the same. In this example, the transfer section 3 and the heat treatment module 51 are located on the same floor, so that the left area a1 and the right area b1 actually face each other via the transport path 20. The dotted line on the transport path 20 in Fig. 1 is an imaginary line drawn to connect the left area a1 and the right area b1 so that the left and right positional relationship between these areas is clear.

[0023] In this way, the transfer section 3 is arranged adjacent to the carrier block D1, and the heat treatment module 51 is positioned such that its left end is closer to the carrier block D1 than the right end of the transfer section 3 that it faces across the transport path 20. The module is a place where the wafer W is placed. Therefore, the left side of the wafer W transferred to the heat treatment module 51 and the right side of the wafer W transferred to the module forming the transfer section 3 are assumed to have the same left-right position when viewed from the front to the rear. In such a case, the left side of the heat treatment module 51 and the right side of the transfer section 3 are assumed to have the same left-right position. The left-right side and the other side are not limited to half of the module or wafer W divided into left and right parts. The one side and the other side include a part such as the left region a1 that is longer in the left-right direction than the half part, and a part such as the right region b1 that is shorter in the left-right direction than the half part. When the one side and the other side face each other when the heights are the same as described above, the left-right positions of these parts are assumed to be the same.

[0024] In this example, the transfer section 3 includes a mounting module (TRS) 31 on which the wafer W is placed, and a temperature adjustment module (SCPL) 32, and these mounting modules 31 and temperature adjustment modules 32 are stacked in multiple stages. For example, one mounting module 31 includes multiple mounting sections arranged in the vertical direction so that multiple wafers W are placed in the vertical direction. In addition, the temperature adjustment module 32 has a temperature adjustment function of adjusting the temperature of the wafer W before processing by the resist coating module 4 and the heat treatment module 51.

[0025] For example, the temperature adjustment module 32 includes a mounting section for mounting a wafer W thereon and a coolant flow path in the mounting section, and is configured to adjust the temperature of the wafer W mounted on the mounting section to a desired temperature. In this example, in order to distinguish between the mounting module 31 and the temperature adjustment module 32 provided in the transfer section 3, numbers are added after TRS and SCPL, respectively. Hereinafter, the mounting module may be referred to as "TRS" and the temperature adjustment module as "SCPL" in some cases.

[0026] Such a transfer section 3 is provided, for example, in the installation area 30, at a height position of level E3, which is the uppermost level among the levels to which the wafer W is transported by the lower transport mechanism 61, and at a height position of level E4, which is the lowermost level among the levels to which the wafer W is transported by the upper transport mechanism 62.

[0027] The first transfer mechanism 17 and the lower transfer mechanism 61 transfer the wafer W to each module located at the height position of the story E3 of the transfer section 3. The first transfer mechanism 17 and the upper transfer mechanism 62 transfer the wafer W to each module located at the height position of the story E4 of the transfer section 3. Therefore, the first transfer mechanism 17 of the carrier block D1, and the lower transfer mechanism 61 and the upper transfer mechanism 62 of the processing block D2 each have a movement area set so that the wafer W can be transferred to the corresponding module of the transfer section 3.

[0028] 2, 3 and 5 show configuration examples of the transfer unit 3. In this example, TRS1 and TRS4 are placement modules 31 for carrying in the wafer W from the carrier block D1 to the processing block D2, and TRS2 and TRS3 are placement modules 31 for carrying out the wafer W from the processing block D2 to the carrier block D1. Note that in reality, the transfer unit 3 is equipped with more placement modules 31 and temperature adjustment modules 32 than in the above configuration example.

[0029] In this example, a storage area 22 is provided below the transfer unit 3 in the installation area 30, as shown in Figures 1 to 3. In the storage area 22, bottles are arranged for storing resist liquid to be supplied to the wafer W in each resist coating module 4, and the resist liquid in the bottles is supplied to the nozzles 44 of each resist coating module 4 via a supply system (not shown). Note that above the transfer unit 3, an equipment installation area 23 is configured in which various electrical equipment (electrical devices) are provided. In this way, the transfer unit 3, the storage area 22, and the equipment installation area 23 are configured to overlap in a plan view.

[0030] Moreover, the area to the right of the resist coating module 4 in front of the transport path 20 is configured as an auxiliary equipment installation area 46 in which auxiliary equipment for the resist coating module 4 is installed. This auxiliary equipment includes a cable for supplying power to the module, an exhaust duct for exhausting the inside of a cup 42 constituting the module, a drain pipe for draining liquid from the module, a supply pipe for supplying a processing liquid to the module, and the like. The cup 42 is connected to an exhaust source such as an exhaust path of a factory via the exhaust duct, and the inside of the cup 42 is exhausted. In addition, a drain pipe, which is an auxiliary equipment, is connected to the cup 42.

[0031] Furthermore, the left and right areas of the heat treatment module 51 behind the transport path 20 are respectively configured as auxiliary equipment installation areas 54, 55 for the heat treatment module 51. The auxiliary equipment includes a cable that supplies power to the module, an exhaust duct that exhausts the air from inside the module, etc. Since the auxiliary equipment installation area 54 is interposed between the heat treatment module 51 and the carrier block D1, the leftmost heat treatment module 51 and the transfer section 3 are in a positional relationship in which a part of each of them faces each other as described above.

[0032] The stories E1 and E2 are configured similarly to the story E3, except that the installation area 30 of the transfer unit 3 is provided as the storage area 22. The lower transfer mechanism 61 transfers the wafer W to each module provided on the stories E1 and E2, as described above. The story E4 is configured similarly to the story E3, and the upper transfer mechanism 62 transfers the wafer W to each module provided on the story E4, as described above. The stories E5 and E6 are configured similarly to the story E3, except that the installation area 30 of the transfer unit 3 is provided as the equipment installation area 23. The upper transfer mechanism 62 transfers the wafer W to each module provided on the stories E5 and E6, as described above. The modules are configured as places where the wafer W is placed, and include the TRSs, SCPLs, resist coating module 4, and heat treatment module 51 of the transfer unit 3.

[0033] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 100 (see FIG. 1). The control unit 100 is configured by a computer, and includes a program, a memory, and a CPU. The program includes a set of steps that enable a series of operations in the substrate processing apparatus 1 to be performed. The program causes the control unit 100 to output control signals to each part of the substrate processing apparatus 1, thereby controlling the operation of each part. This causes the wafer W to be transported and processed, as described below. The program is stored in a storage medium, such as a compact disc, a hard disk, or a DVD, and installed in the control unit 100.

[0034] Next, an example of a transfer path of the wafer W in the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, the placement module 31 is designated as "TRS", the temperature adjustment module 32 is designated as "SCPL", the resist coating module 4 is designated as "COT", and the heat treatment module 51 is designated as "PAB".

[0035] The wafer W in the carrier C of the carrier block D1 is transferred to TRS1 or TRS4 of the transfer section 3 of the processing block D2 by the first transfer mechanism 17. The wafer W transferred to TRS1 (hereinafter referred to as "wafer W1") is a wafer to be processed on the lower levels E1 to E3. The wafer W transferred to TRS4 (hereinafter referred to as "wafer W2") is a wafer to be processed on the upper levels E4 to E6.

[0036] The wafer W1 from the TRS1 is transported by the lower transport mechanism 61 to the SCPL1 of the transfer section 3, where it is adjusted to a set temperature. Next, the wafer W1 is transported by the lower transport mechanism 61 to a resist coating module 4 on any one of the levels E1, E2, or E3, where it is subjected to liquid processing with a resist liquid. This liquid processing with a resist liquid is performed by supplying the resist liquid from the nozzle 44 to the center of rotation of the wafer W1 on the spin chuck 43 while rotating the spin chuck 43 on which the wafer W1 is placed. The resist liquid supplied to approximately the center of the wafer W1 spreads outward due to the centrifugal force of the rotation, and is coated over the entire surface of the wafer W1.

[0037] Next, the wafer W1 is transferred by the lower transfer mechanism 61 to a heat treatment module on a level to which the lower transfer mechanism 61 can transfer, for example, the heat treatment module 51 on the same level as the resist coating module 4 where the resist liquid was applied. Here, the wafer W1 is transferred by the lower transfer mechanism 61 to the hot plate 52 via the cooling plate 53, and is heated by the hot plate 52 to a temperature equal to or higher than the temperature at which the solvent in the resist liquid volatilizes. After the solvent in the resist film formed on the wafer W1 is volatilized and removed by this heat treatment, the wafer W1 is received from the hot plate 52 to the cooling plate 53, and the temperature is adjusted by the cooling plate 53. Next, the wafer W1 is transferred to the lower transfer mechanism 61 and transferred to the TRS2 of the transfer section 3. The wafer W1 on the TRS2 is returned to the original carrier C of the carrier block D1 by the first transfer mechanism 17.

[0038] Meanwhile, the wafer W2 in TRS4 is transported via the route of the upper transport mechanism 62 → SCPL4 → upper transport mechanism 62 → any one of the resist coating modules 4 on levels E4, E5, or E6, and subjected to liquid processing with the resist liquid. Next, the wafer W2 is transported via the route of the upper transport mechanism 62 → heat treatment module 51 → upper transport mechanism 62 → TRS3 → first transport mechanism 17 → carrier C. The heat treatment module 51 transported via this route is the heat treatment module 51 on a level to which the upper transport mechanism 62 can transport the wafer, for example, the heat treatment module 51 on the same level as the resist coating module 4 that performed the coating of the resist liquid.

[0039] According to this substrate processing apparatus 1, a transfer section 3 used for transferring the wafer W between the first transfer mechanism 17 of the carrier block D1 and the second transfer mechanism 6 of the processing block D2 is provided next to the resist coating module 4. Compared to a case where the transfer section 3 is provided at a position closer to the carrier block D1 on the transfer path 20, this substrate processing apparatus 1 can ensure a wider moving range of the second transfer mechanism 6 closer to the carrier block D1 because there is no transfer section on the transfer path 20. Therefore, when a plurality of heat treatment modules 51 are provided side by side to ensure sufficient throughput, the heat treatment modules 51 can be provided closer to the carrier block D1 side. This allows the length of the processing block D2 in the left-right direction (Y direction) to be reduced, thereby reducing the floor space occupied by the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0040] In arranging the heat treatment modules 51 arranged side by side close to the carrier block D1 as described above, only the auxiliary equipment installation area 54 is provided between the heat treatment module 51 closest to the carrier block D1 and the carrier block D1. In other words, no modules other than the transport mechanism and the heat treatment module 51 are provided between the heat treatment module 51 and the carrier block D1, and only the auxiliary equipment required for the operation of the heat treatment module 51 is provided. As a result, as seen from above, the left region of the heat treatment module 51 closest to the carrier block D1 and the right region of the transfer section 3 are arranged to face each other via the transport path 20. From another perspective, by arranging the left region of the heat treatment module 51 closest to the carrier block D1 and the right region of the transfer section 3 to face each other in this way, the left and right arrangement of the heat treatment modules 51 are close to the carrier block D1. As a result, the device is configured so that the left and right length of the processing block D2 is reduced.

[0041] Moreover, it is preferable that the bottle storage area 22 is provided at the front side of the apparatus near the resist coating module 4 in order to shorten the piping connecting the bottle and the nozzle 44 of the module. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the bottle storage area 22 is provided so as to overlap the transfer section 3 by utilizing the space above the setting area 30 provided at the front side in this manner. This prevents an increase in the floor area occupied by the transfer section 3 and the storage area 22, and more reliably reduces the floor area occupied by the apparatus. Note that a part of the storage area 22 may extend to the bottom of the carrier block D1.

[0042] A configuration capable of reducing the occupied floor space, such as the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present disclosure, allows more semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses (substrate processing apparatus 1 and other apparatuses) to be installed in a clean room, which contributes to improving productivity in a semiconductor factory. In addition, an external transport mechanism that transports carriers C in a clean room moves along a predetermined moving path, and the substrate processing apparatus 1, which occupies a small floor space, has the advantage that it can be installed even if the installation space for the apparatus on the moving path is small.

[0043] In the above, the second transfer mechanism provided in the processing block D2 is not limited to the above example, and may be configured as shown in Fig. 6 to Fig. 9. In the configurations of Fig. 6 to Fig. 9, the second transfer mechanism is provided in the transfer path 20 of the processing block 2, and the transfer unit 3 is provided in the processing block D2, in a region in front of the transfer path 20 and adjacent to the left of the resist coating module 4. The example shown in Fig. 6 is configured such that one second transfer mechanism 71 transfers the wafer W to six stories E1 to E6. The second transfer mechanism 71 in this example is configured similarly to the lower and upper transfer mechanisms 61, 62, and a movement region is set so as to transfer the wafer W to each module 4, 51 on each story E1 to E6 and each module 31, 32 in the transfer unit 3.

[0044] 7 shows a configuration example including two second transfer mechanisms, one of which (lower transfer mechanism) 721 transfers wafers W to two stories E1 and E2, and the other (upper transfer mechanism) 722 transfers wafers W to four stories E3 to E6. The lower transfer mechanism 721 and the upper transfer mechanism 722 are configured similarly to the above-mentioned lower and upper transfer mechanisms 61 and 62, and are provided in two levels, one above the other, on the transfer path 20. The transfer section 33 is disposed at the height of the uppermost story E2 among the stories to which the wafer W is transferred by the lower transfer mechanism 721, and at the height of the lowermost story E3 among the stories to which the wafer W is transferred by the upper transfer mechanism 722. In this example, the movement area of ​​the lower transfer mechanism 721 is set so that the wafer W is transferred to each module on the two stories E1 and E2, and to each module 31 and 32 of the transfer section 3 at the corresponding height positions. Further, the movement area of ​​the upper transfer mechanism 722 is set so as to transfer the wafer W to each of the modules on the four stories E3 to E6 and each of the modules 31, 32 of the transfer section 3 at the corresponding height positions.

[0045] 8 is a configuration in which a second transfer mechanism is provided for each of two stories. The second transfer mechanisms are configured similarly to the above-described lower and upper transfer mechanisms 61 and 62, and are provided in three stages, one above the other, on the transfer path 20. In this example, the lower transfer mechanism 731 transfers the wafer W to each module on stories E1 and E2, the central transfer mechanism 732 transfers the wafer W to each module on stories E3 and E4, and the upper transfer mechanism 733 transfers the wafer W to each module on stories E5 and E6. The transfer section 3 is provided, for example, separately on the upper and lower sides, and the first transfer section 341 is provided at a height position where the transfer mechanisms 731 and 732 can transfer the wafer W. The second transfer section 342 is provided at a height position where the transfer mechanisms 732 and 733 can transfer the wafer W.

[0046] 9 is a configuration in which a dedicated second transfer mechanism is provided for each of the stories E1 to E6. In this example, the second transfer mechanisms 741 to 746 are provided on the transfer paths 20 of the stories E1 to E6, respectively, and are configured similarly to the above-described lower and upper transfer mechanisms 61, 62, except that they do not move between vertically adjacent stories. Also, the transfer units 351 to 356 are provided at positions corresponding to the stories E1 to E6, respectively, at heights at which the second transfer mechanisms 741 to 746 can transfer wafers W.

[0047] As exemplified above, the second transport mechanism may or may not be shared among the stories provided in the processing block D2. When the second transport mechanism is not shared among the stories (i.e., when a plurality of second transport mechanisms are provided), there is no limit to the number of stories that one second transport mechanism is responsible for transport, and the number of stories may be one or more. The number of stories that each second transport mechanism is responsible for transport may be the same or different. It is preferable to have a small number of second transport mechanisms, since it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the device. However, by providing a plurality of second transport mechanisms 6 as in the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the transport load of the second transport mechanisms 6 is suppressed, which is preferable from the viewpoint of obtaining a high throughput. Also, by making each second transport mechanism 6 responsible for transport of the same number of stories as in the substrate processing apparatus 1, it is preferable to prevent the transport load from being uneven between the second transport mechanisms 6, and obtain a high throughput.

[0048] In the configuration examples of these Figs. 6 to 9, the storage area 22 and the equipment installation area 23 may be provided so as not to interfere with the transfer section, and can be provided by utilizing the space above and below the transfer section. For example, the storage area 22 and the equipment installation area 23 may be provided in a plurality of separate areas by utilizing the space between the transfer sections arranged vertically, the space between the floor of the device and the transfer section, and the space between the ceiling of the device and the transfer section. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above is advantageous in that the transfer section 3 is disposed at the center of the height of the processing block D2, and the lower transport mechanism 61 and the upper transport mechanism 62 are configured to access the transfer section, respectively, so that the space below and above the transfer section 3 can be effectively utilized. To be more specific, the storage area 22 for the bottles can be set together in the lower space as described above. In other words, a plurality of bottles each containing a processing liquid can be placed together in the lower space, and when the user of the apparatus performs work such as replacing each bottle, the work is easy because the bottles are at a low position. Furthermore, a relatively large space is ensured above the transfer section 3, preventing restrictions on the size of the electrical equipment.

[0049] The number of stacked stories constituting the processing block D2 is not limited to the above example, and may be configured as shown in Figs. 10 to 12. In the configurations of Figs. 10 to 12, the second transfer mechanism is provided on the transfer path 20 of the processing block D2, and the transfer unit 3 is provided in the processing block D2 at a position in front of the transfer path 20 and adjacent to the left of the resist coating module 4. The example shown in Fig. 10 is a configuration example in which the number of stories is five, and the lower transfer mechanism 751 transfers the wafer W to the three stories E1, E2, and E3, and the upper transfer mechanism 752 transfers the wafer W to the two stories E4 and E5. The transfer mechanisms 751 and 752 are configured similarly to the lower and upper transfer mechanisms 61 and 62 described above, and the transfer unit 36 ​​is provided at a height position where the transfer mechanisms 751 and 752 can transfer the wafer W.

[0050] 11 is a configuration example in which there are four stories, and a lower transfer mechanism 761 transfers wafers W to two stories E1 and E2, and an upper transfer mechanism 762 transfers wafers W to two stories E3 and E4. The transfer mechanisms 761 and 762 are configured similarly to the lower and upper transfer mechanisms 61 and 62 described above, and, for example, the delivery unit 37 is provided at a height position where the transfer mechanisms 761 and 762 can transfer wafers W.

[0051] 12 shows a configuration example in which there are three stories, and a second transfer mechanism 77 common to the three stories E1, E2, and E3 transfers wafers W. The transfer mechanism 77 is configured similarly to the lower and upper transfer mechanisms 61, 62 described above, and the transfer unit 38 is provided at a height position corresponding to the story E2, for example. In these configuration examples shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the areas below and above the transfer unit 3 can also be used as installation spaces for the storage area 22 and the equipment installation area 23.

[0052] Second embodiment Next, a substrate processing apparatus 1A according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to a cross-sectional plan view in Fig. 13 and a longitudinal front view in Fig. 14. This substrate processing apparatus 1A differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a second processing module and a third transfer mechanism that transfers the wafer W between the interface 3 and the second processing module. The second processing module is a module that performs processing on the wafer W that is different from the processing performed by the first processing module (heat processing module 51).

[0053] In this example, a case will be described in which the second processing module is an inspection module 8 for inspecting the wafer W before processing by the resist coating module 4 and after processing by the heat treatment module 51. The inspection module for inspecting the wafer W before processing by the resist coating module 4 is referred to as a pre-processing inspection module 81 (WIS1). Also, the inspection module for inspecting the wafer W after processing by the heat treatment module 51 is referred to as a post-processing inspection module 82 (WIS2).

[0054] In this example, the pre-processing inspection module 81 and the post-processing inspection module 82 are vertically stacked and disposed above the transport region 10 of the first transport mechanism 17 in the carrier block D1, for example, above the fan filter unit 18. The inspection modules 81 and 82 are provided at a position that overlaps the transport region 10 in a plan view and is adjacent to the transfer section 3 of the processing block D2. The inspection module 8 includes a vertically elongated housing 83 that is rectangular in a plan view, as described later, and is disposed such that the long side direction of the housing 83 is aligned with the moving direction (X direction) of the first transport mechanism 17 in the transport region 10. For convenience of illustration, FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional plan view of the carrier block D1 above the pre-processing inspection module 81, and a cross-sectional plan view of the floor E3 of the processing block D2.

[0055] Furthermore, the third transfer mechanism 9 is provided in the processing block D2 so as to be able to transfer the wafer W to the inspection module 8, and is installed, for example, in a plan view, adjacent to the inspection module 8 and in front of the delivery unit 3. This third transfer mechanism 9 is configured similarly to the lower and upper transfer mechanisms 61, 62 in the first embodiment, except that it does not perform horizontal movement.

[0056] In this example, the transfer section 3 is provided with TRS1-4 and SCPL1-4 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, and further provided with placement modules TRS11 and TRS12 for placing a wafer W to be transferred to the inspection module 8. The TRS11 is a placement module (a placement module for inspection) for placing a wafer W before inspection, and the TRS12 is a module for placing a wafer W after inspection. These TRS11 and TRS12 are provided in plural at height positions accessible to the lower transfer mechanism 61 and the upper transfer mechanism 62. The third transfer mechanism 9 is configured to transfer a wafer W between the TRS11 and TRS12 of the transfer section 3 and the inspection modules 81 and 82. The substrate processing apparatus 1A of this example is configured similarly to the first embodiment, except that the pre-processing and post-processing inspection modules 81 and 82 and the third transfer mechanism 9 are provided.

[0057] The inspection module 8 (pre- and post-processing inspection modules 81, 82) will be described with reference to FIG. 15. The inspection module 8 includes a flat housing 83 having a rectangular shape in a plan view, and a transfer opening 831 for the wafer W is formed in a side wall of the housing 83 facing the processing block D2 at a position corresponding to the third transfer mechanism 9. A placement unit 84 for holding the wafer W horizontally is provided inside the housing 83, and the placement unit 84 is configured to be freely movable by a movement mechanism 841 between a standby position shown by a solid line in FIG. 15 and a movement completion position shown by a dashed line within the housing 83. The standby position is a position where the wafer W is transferred to and from the third transfer mechanism 9.

[0058] Within the housing 83, above the path of movement of the wafer W by the mounting part 84, there are provided a horizontally long half mirror 85 extending in the direction of the short side of the housing 83, and an illumination 86 that irradiates light downward via the half mirror 85. Reference numeral 87 in Fig. 15 denotes a camera. Light is irradiated from the illumination 86 to an illumination area below the half mirror 85, and reflected light from an object in this illumination area is reflected by the half mirror 85 and captured by the camera 87. In this manner, the camera 87 is configured to capture an image of an object located in an imaging area below the half mirror 85.

[0059] In the inspection module 8, the camera 87 intermittently captures images while the placement unit 84, to which the wafer W has been transferred at the standby position, moves toward the movement completion position, thereby capturing images of the entire surface of the wafer W and acquiring image data. This image data is transmitted from the camera 87 to the control unit 100, and the control unit 100 inspects the surface of the wafer W based on the image data. After moving to the movement completion position, the placement unit 84 moves to the standby position to transfer the wafer W to the third transfer mechanism 9.

[0060] An example of a transfer path of the wafer W in this embodiment will be described. The wafer W in the carrier C of the carrier block D1 is transferred from the first transfer mechanism 17 to the TRS 11 of the transfer unit 3 to the third transfer mechanism 9 to the pre-processing inspection module 81, and the front surface of the wafer W is inspected as described above. The inspection of the front surface in the pre-processing inspection module 81 is, for example, an inspection of the presence or absence of scratches on the wafer W.

[0061] Next, the inspected wafer W is transferred through the route of the third transfer mechanism 9 → the TRS 12 of the transfer section 3 → the second transfer mechanism 6 (61, 62) → the SCPL of the transfer section 3 → the second transfer mechanism 6 → the resist coating module 4 → the second transfer mechanism 6 → the heat treatment module 51 → the second transfer mechanism 6 → the SCPL of the transfer section 3. After this, the wafer W is transferred through the route of the second transfer mechanism 6 → the TRS 11 of the transfer section 3 → the third transfer mechanism 9 → the post-processing inspection module 82, and the inspection of the surface of the wafer W is performed as described above. The inspection of the surface in the post-processing inspection module 82 is, for example, an inspection of defects of the resist film formed on the wafer. Then, the inspected wafer W is transferred through the route of the third transfer mechanism 9 → the TRS 12 of the transfer section 3 → the first transfer mechanism 17 of the carrier block D1, and is returned to, for example, the original carrier.

[0062] In this embodiment, the inspection module 8 is provided above the transfer area 10 in the substrate processing apparatus 1A so as to overlap with the transfer area 10 of the wafer W by the first transfer mechanism 17 of the carrier block D1 in a plan view. In other words, the inspection module 8 is provided so that the long side direction of the rectangular inspection module 8 in a plan view is aligned with the moving direction of the first transfer mechanism 17 in the transfer area 10. Therefore, when the vertically long inspection module 8 is installed, the increase in the left-right direction of the substrate processing apparatus 1A can be suppressed, and the increase in the occupied floor area can be suppressed. In addition, since the third transfer mechanism 9 that transfers the wafer W between the transfer section 3 and the inspection module 8 is provided, the transfer of the wafer W to the inspection module 8 can be performed independently of the transfer of the wafer W by the first transfer mechanism 17 and the second transfer mechanism 6. Therefore, even when the inspection module 8 is installed, the increase in the transfer load of the second transfer mechanism can be suppressed, and the decrease in the transfer throughput can be suppressed.

[0063] Furthermore, in this example, the inspection module 8 is provided above the fan filter unit 18 and is separated from the heat treatment module 51. Therefore, the thermal influence from the heat treatment module 51 on the inspection module 8 equipped with optical members such as the camera 87 can be suppressed, and highly accurate inspection can be stably performed. Furthermore, since the inspection module 8 is provided in the carrier block D1, inspection can be performed on the wafer W immediately after it is carried into the substrate processing apparatus 1A and on the wafer W immediately before it is carried out from the substrate processing apparatus 1A. Therefore, if an abnormality occurs in the wafer W before it is carried into the substrate processing apparatus 1A, it can be accurately identified as an abnormality that has occurred outside the substrate processing apparatus 1A. Furthermore, if an abnormality occurs during processing and transportation in the substrate processing apparatus 1A, the abnormality can be reliably detected.

[0064] Furthermore, by providing the inspection module 8 above the carrier block D1, the vacant space of the carrier block D1 can be effectively utilized. In addition, since no other modules are installed above the carrier block D1, there is also the advantage that maintenance work can be easily performed by workers.

[0065] (Third embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the cross-sectional plan view of FIG. 16 and the vertical front view of FIG. 17. This substrate processing apparatus 1B is an example of a configuration in which the inspection module 8 is provided forward of the resist coating module 4 so as to form a protruding portion 19 protruding forward of the substrate processing apparatus 1B, floating above the floor on which the substrate processing apparatus 1B is provided. In this example, the pre-processing inspection module 81 and the post-processing inspection module 82 are stacked vertically at a height near the upper end of the transfer section 3 in the processing block D2 and at a height near the lower part of the fan filter unit 18. The positions of these inspection modules 81 and 82 are in front of the front wall of the substrate processing apparatus 1B, near the installation area 30 of the transfer section 3 of the processing block D2, in a plan view. Thus, the protruding portion 19 is formed above the front of the substrate processing apparatus 1B, straddling the carrier block 1A and the processing block 1B. 16 is a cross-sectional plan view of story E3 of processing block D2, and shows only protrusion 19 at a position above inspection modules 81 and 82, for convenience of illustration.

[0066] The third transfer mechanism 9 is provided in the processing block D2, for example, in a region in front of the transfer unit 3 in a plan view, so as to transfer the wafer W to the inspection module 8. In addition to the placement module 31 and the temperature adjustment module 32, the transfer unit 3 is provided with placement modules TRS11 and TRS12 for inspection at height positions accessible to the lower transfer mechanism 61 and the upper transfer mechanism 62, for example. The third transfer mechanism 9 is configured similarly to the second embodiment so as to transfer the wafer W between the TRS11 and TRS12 of the transfer unit 3 and the pre- and post-processing inspection modules 81 and 82. The pre- and post-processing inspection modules 81 and 82 are configured similarly to the second embodiment, and a transfer port for the wafer W is formed at a position corresponding to the third transfer mechanism 9 on the side wall of the housing 83 facing the processing block D2. The substrate processing apparatus 1B of this example is configured similarly to the first embodiment, except that the pre- and post-processing inspection modules 81 and 82 and the third transfer mechanism 9 are provided.

[0067] An example of the transfer path of the wafer W in this embodiment will be described. The wafer W in the carrier C of the carrier block D1 is transferred from the first transfer mechanism 17 to the TRS11, the third transfer mechanism 9, and the pre-processing inspection module 81, and the surface of the wafer W is inspected. Next, the inspected wafer W is transferred from the third transfer mechanism 9 to the TRS12, the second transfer mechanism 6, the SCPL, the second transfer mechanism 6, and the resist coating module 4, and a resist film is formed. Next, the wafer W is transferred from the second transfer mechanism 6 to the heat treatment module 51, the second transfer mechanism 6, the SCPL, the second transfer mechanism 6, and the TRS11. After this, the wafer W is transferred from the third transfer mechanism 9 to the post-processing inspection module 82, and the surface of the wafer W is inspected. Then, the inspected wafer W is transferred from the third transfer mechanism 9 to the TRS12, the first transfer mechanism 17, and the carrier C.

[0068] In this embodiment, the inspection module 8 is provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1B so as to be raised above the floor on which the substrate processing apparatus 1B is provided and form a protruding portion 19 that protrudes forward of the substrate processing apparatus 1B. Since the inspection module 8 is provided raised above the floor in this manner, it is possible to suppress an increase in the occupied floor area when installing the inspection module 8 that is elongated and rectangular in plan view. In addition, since a third transfer mechanism 9 is provided for transferring the wafer W between the transfer section 3 and the inspection module 8, it is possible to suppress a decrease in transfer throughput caused by the installation of the inspection module 8.

[0069] Furthermore, in this example, the inspection module 8 is provided in front of the resist coating module 4 and is separated from the heat treatment module 51. Therefore, the thermal effect of the heat treatment module 51 on the inspection module 8 can be suppressed. In addition, since the inspection module 8 is provided near the carrier block D1, the inspection can be performed on the wafer W immediately after it is carried into the substrate processing apparatus 1A and on the wafer W immediately before it is carried out from the substrate processing apparatus 1A, and the above-mentioned advantages can be obtained. Furthermore, since the inspection module 8 is provided so as to protrude at a height position immediately below the fan filter unit 18, there is also an advantage that it does not obstruct the passage of workers and allows the workers to easily perform maintenance work. To supplement the explanation, the height of the inspection module 8 is sufficient as long as an appropriate space for the workers is secured, and it is preferable to provide the inspection module 8 at the height of an upper layer among the layers constituting the processing block D2, for example. The upper layer here is the height of the layer counted from the upper side by dividing the number of layers by 2 and rounding down any fractions. In other words, if the number of layers is six, it is preferable to provide it at the height of any of the top three layers, and if the number of layers is five, it is preferable to provide it at the height of any of the top two layers.

[0070] For the sake of simplicity of explanation and illustration, the transfer path in each embodiment is shown as passing through the same numbered TRS multiple times, but more specifically, the transfer passes through the multiple placement parts included in this TRS in order, without passing through the same placement part. Specifically, for example, in the second and third embodiments, both the unprocessed wafer W and the processed wafer W are described as being transferred to the TRS11, but the unprocessed wafer W and the processed wafer W are transferred to different placement parts constituting the TRS11. The same is true for the SCPL, and the wafer W is transferred in order to the different placement parts constituting the SCPL on the transfer path.

[0071] In the second and third embodiments, the control unit 100 may determine whether or not to continue the transport of the subsequent wafer W depending on the inspection result of the wafer W by the control unit 100 (the result of determining whether or not there is an abnormality). That is, when it is determined that there is an abnormality, a control signal may be output so that the transport of the wafer W in the device is stopped. Also, the transfer unit 3 may be provided with a placement part for placing a wafer W determined to have an abnormality in the inspection, and a command may be output so that such a wafer W is transported to the placement part by the third transport mechanism. Instead of changing or stopping the transport, the user may simply be notified of the wafer W with an abnormality by a screen display or the like.

[0072] In the above, the stories constituting the processing block may include at least a liquid processing module, and the first processing module may be provided at a height position spanning two stories as long as the second transfer mechanism can transfer the wafer W. In addition, when the second transfer mechanism is responsible for transfer on multiple stories, there may be a story on which the first processing module is not provided. In the above example, the heat treatment module 51, which is the first processing module, is provided on each story, so that a part of the heat treatment module 51 faces a part of the transfer unit 3, but the transfer unit 3 may be provided on a story on which the heat treatment module 51 is not provided. In other words, the left region of the heat treatment module 51 and the right region of the transfer unit 3 do not face each other, and the left and right regions may be in the same positional relationship. In addition, the liquid processing module provided on each story is not limited to the above example, and may be configured to have a plurality of cups 42 arranged in the left-right direction. However, as long as only one cup 42 is provided, it can contribute to reducing the left-right length of the processing block D2. Furthermore, the number of first processing modules to be installed is not limited to the above example, and processing modules may be stacked on one floor.

[0073] Furthermore, the number of first processing modules installed is not limited to three per story, and does not need to be the same for multiple stories, and the number of first processing modules may differ for each story. In this case, the left-right installation positions of the first processing modules do not need to be the same for all stories, and the left-right installation positions may be shifted for each story depending on the number of first processing modules installed. Furthermore, the number of stacked layers constituting the processing block D2 may be seven or eight layers, and is not limited to the number of stacked layers exemplified.

[0074] The liquid processing module may be a module that performs liquid processing for forming an anti-reflection film or liquid processing for forming a protective film, or a development module that performs development processing on the wafer W using a developing liquid as a processing liquid. Alternatively, the liquid processing module may be a module that applies a processing liquid (chemical liquid) for forming an insulating film, a module that supplies an adhesive for bonding the wafers W, or a cleaning module that supplies a cleaning liquid to the wafer W to clean it. The above-mentioned protective film is a film that is formed to protect the resist film during immersion exposure.

[0075] In addition, when the developing module is provided, the first processing module is exemplified by a heat processing module that performs a heating process (PEB: Post exposure bake) on the wafer W before the developing process. That is, the wafer W may be transferred in the processing block D2 in the order of the heat processing module → the developing module. Therefore, the first processing module is not limited to a module that processes the wafer W after the liquid processing module, and the liquid processing module is not limited to a module that forms a coating film. Furthermore, the first processing module may be configured as a hydrophobic processing module that supplies gas to the wafer W and performs a hydrophobic processing. For example, a hydrophobic processing module may be provided as the first processing module, and an anti-reflective film forming module may be provided as the liquid processing module, and the wafer W may be transferred in the order of the hydrophobic processing module → the anti-reflective film forming module. Therefore, the first processing module is not limited to a module that simply heats the wafer W.

[0076] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 and the like, the lower transfer mechanism 61 and the upper transfer mechanism 62 transfer the wafer W independently. That is, the wafer W is transferred independently between the levels E1 to E3 and the levels E4 to E6. For this reason, the processes performed on the levels E1 to E3 may be different from the processes performed on the levels E4 to E6. For example, the modules arranged on the lower levels may be different from those arranged on the upper levels, such that resist coating and PAB are performed on the levels E1 to E3, and PEB and development are performed on the levels E4 to E6.

[0077] The configuration of the transfer section 3 is not limited to the above example, and the number of placement modules (TRS) 31 and temperature adjustment modules (SCPL) 32 to be installed can be appropriately selected. Incidentally, the above-mentioned inspection module 8 may be stacked on the placement module 31 and the temperature adjustment module 32 in the transfer section 3. In this case, the inspection module 8 is provided to face the transfer area 10 of the first transfer mechanism 17 and the transfer path 20 of the second transfer mechanism 6, and the second transfer mechanism 6 is configured to transfer the wafer W to the placement section 84 of the inspection module 8. However, as described in FIG. 13, FIG. 16, etc., the third transfer mechanism 9 is provided for the inspection module 8 and the third transfer mechanism 9 is provided at a position accessible to the third transfer mechanism 9, which is preferable since it reduces the load on the second transfer mechanism 6 and increases the installation space for the placement module 31 and the temperature adjustment module 32. In other words, by providing the inspection module 8 without overlapping with the placement module 31 and the temperature adjustment module 32, the number of these modules can be increased accordingly, thereby improving the throughput of the apparatus.

[0078] Incidentally, since the inspection module 8 can be provided facing the transfer area 10 and the transfer path 20 as described above, the inspection module 8 may be configured as the transfer section 3. Therefore, in addition to the second transfer mechanism 6, the first transfer mechanism 17 also transfers the wafer W to the inspection module 8. The wafer W may be transferred between the carrier block D1 and the processing block D2 via the inspection module 8, and the wafer W may be transferred to the placement module 31 or the temperature adjustment module 32 before or after transfer to the liquid processing module or the heat treatment module in the processing block D2.

[0079] Furthermore, the transfer section 3 of the present disclosure may be configured to include at least one of the placement module 31, the temperature adjustment module 32, and the inspection module 8. Therefore, the transfer may be performed along the route of the first transfer mechanism 17 → the temperature adjustment module 32 of the transfer section 3 → the second transfer mechanism 6 → the processing module (liquid processing module and first processing module) in the processing block D2 → the temperature adjustment module 32 of the transfer section 3 → the first transfer mechanism 17. If the inspection module 8 is provided as the transfer section 3, the wafer W is transferred to the inspection module 8 instead of the temperature adjustment module 32 on this transfer route. In this manner, the transfer section 3 may be configured to temporarily place the wafer W thereon, and the first transfer mechanism 17 and the second transfer mechanism 6 may each transfer the wafer W thereto.

[0080] In addition, as a supplementary note, the TRS and SCPL may be configured with plates arranged in multiple stages vertically. The outer shape of the plate may be shaped to correspond to the shape of the transport mechanism, or a groove may be formed on the surface of the plate to correspond to the shape of the transport mechanism, so that each transport mechanism can ascend and descend relative to the surface of the plate and the wafer W can be delivered to and from the plate. When the inspection module 8 is also used as the delivery unit 3, the placement unit 84 in the inspection module 8 may be configured in the same manner as such a plate. In addition, the SCPL may be configured to be cooled by connecting a refrigerant flow path to the plate. In addition, the TRS may be configured with multiple pins arranged horizontally in multiple stages vertically, with the transport mechanism ascending and descending relative to the pins of each stage, and the wafer W being placed on each of the pins of each stage.

[0081] Furthermore, the second processing module is not limited to being an inspection module, and may be, for example, a processing module that performs a curing process by irradiating ultraviolet rays after forming a resist film on the wafer W. This processing module is configured, for example, in the inspection module 8 shown in Fig. 15, without a camera, and by providing an ultraviolet irradiating unit at the positions of the half mirror 85 and the lighting 86 instead of them. Then, while irradiating ultraviolet rays downward from the ultraviolet irradiating unit, the mounting unit 84 on which the wafer W is mounted is moved from the standby area to the movement completion position, and the curing process is performed by irradiating the entire surface of the wafer W with ultraviolet rays.

[0082] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first processing module 51 may be disposed in front of the transport path 20 of the second transport mechanism 6, and the transfer unit 3 and the liquid module 4 may be disposed side by side behind the transport path 20. In addition, it is not necessarily necessary to provide both the pre-processing inspection module 81 and the post-processing inspection module 82, and it is sufficient to provide a configuration having either one of the inspection modules.

[0083] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, modified, and combined in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] C Carrier (container) D1 Carrier block (substrate transport block) D2 Processing Block E1~E6 layer 17 First conveying mechanism 20 Transport Path 3. Delivery Section 4 Liquid Processing Module 51 Heat treatment module (first treatment module) 6 Second transport mechanism

Claims

1. 2. A substrate processing apparatus including a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided in a lateral direction on either the front or rear of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the substrate in the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; a second processing module for performing a process on the substrate different from the process performed by the first processing module; a third transport mechanism that transfers the substrate between the interface and a second processing module; Equipped with the substrate transport block is provided with a transport area for the substrate by the first transport mechanism, the second processing module is provided above a transfer region of the substrate, the substrate transport block is provided with a gas supply unit that supplies gas from above toward the transport region; The second processing module is disposed above the gas supply unit.

2. the second processing module is an inspection module for inspecting the substrate before or after processing by the liquid processing module and the first processing module; the first processing module is a thermal processing module for heating the substrate, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inspection module and the heat treatment module are spaced apart from each other.

3. 2. A substrate processing apparatus including a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided in a lateral direction on either the front or rear of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the substrate in the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; a second processing module for performing a process on the substrate different from the process performed by the first processing module; a third transport mechanism that transfers the substrate between the interface and a second processing module; Equipped with The second processing module is provided on one side, front or rear, of the liquid processing module, and is raised above a floor on which the substrate processing apparatus is provided to form a protruding portion that protrudes to the one side, front or rear.

4. 2. A substrate processing apparatus including a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided in a lateral direction on either the front or rear of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the substrate in the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; a second processing module for performing a process on the substrate different from the process performed by the first processing module; a third transport mechanism that transfers the substrate between the interface and a second processing module; Equipped with The second processing module is an inspection module for inspecting the substrate before or after processing by the liquid processing module and the first processing module.

5. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third transport mechanism is provided either before or after the interface.

6. 2. A substrate processing apparatus including a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided in a lateral direction on either the front or rear of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the substrate in the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with The delivery unit includes: The substrate processing apparatus overlaps, in a plan view, with a storage area in which the processing liquid to be supplied to the substrate is stored in each of the liquid processing modules.

7. 2. A substrate processing apparatus including a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided in a lateral direction on either the front or rear of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the substrate in the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with The transfer section is a substrate processing apparatus having a temperature adjustment function for adjusting the temperature of the substrate before processing by the liquid processing module and the first processing module, or is an inspection module for inspecting the substrate before or after processing by the liquid processing module and the first processing module.

8. 2. A substrate processing apparatus including a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided in a lateral direction on either the front or rear of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the substrate in the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with The first processing module is The substrate processing apparatus is a heat treatment module for heating the substrate.

9. 2. A substrate processing apparatus including a processing block in which a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate is provided, a substrate transport block including a container placement section for placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates therein and a first transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to the container, the substrate transport block being provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; a transport path for the substrate extending left and right in the processing block; the liquid processing module includes a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides so as to surround and process the substrates, the liquid processing module being provided at either the front or rear of the transport path; a first processing module provided in a lateral direction on either the front or rear of the transport path, the first processing module processing the substrate before or after the processing of the substrate in the liquid processing module; a second transfer mechanism that moves along the transfer path to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment module and the first treatment module; a transfer section provided in the processing block at one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and at one of the left and right sides of the row of the liquid processing modules, the transfer section being on which the substrate is placed in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with The transfer section of the substrate processing apparatus overlaps, in a plan view, with an equipment installation area in which electrical equipment is provided.

10. 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion on one side of the first processing module located on the left or right side and a portion on the other side of the transfer section are positioned at the same left or right position.

11. 11 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein a portion on one side of the first processing module located on the left and right most side and a portion on the other side of the transfer section face each other.

12. 1. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus including a processing block provided with a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate, comprising: placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates on a container placement unit provided in a substrate transport block provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; transferring the substrate to the container by a first transport mechanism provided in the substrate transport block; treating the substrate using the liquid treatment module, the liquid treatment module including a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides and each of which surrounds the substrate, the liquid treatment module being provided on either the front or rear side of a transport path for the substrate extending on the left and right sides in the treatment block; a step of treating the substrate in a first treatment module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, before or after the treatment in the liquid treatment module; transporting the substrate between the liquid processing module and the first processing module by a second transport mechanism that moves along the transport path; placing the substrate on a transfer section provided in the processing block on one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and on one of the left and right sides of the row of liquid processing modules in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; performing a process on the substrate by a second process module that is different from the process performed by the first process module; transferring the substrate between the interface and a second processing module by a third transfer mechanism; transporting the substrate by the first transport mechanism in a substrate transport area provided in the substrate transport block; Equipped with the second processing module is provided above a transfer region of the substrate, supplying a gas from above toward the transfer region by a gas supply unit provided in the substrate transfer block; The second processing module is provided at a position above the gas supply unit.

13. 1. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus including a processing block provided with a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate, comprising: placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates on a container placement unit provided in a substrate transport block provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; transferring the substrate to the container by a first transport mechanism provided in the substrate transport block; treating the substrate using the liquid treatment module, the liquid treatment module including a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides and each of which surrounds the substrate, the liquid treatment module being provided on either the front or rear side of a transport path for the substrate extending on the left and right sides in the treatment block; a step of treating the substrate in a first treatment module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, before or after the treatment in the liquid treatment module; transporting the substrate between the liquid processing module and the first processing module by a second transport mechanism that moves along the transport path; placing the substrate on a transfer section provided in the processing block on one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and on one of the left and right sides of the row of liquid processing modules in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; performing a process on the substrate by a second process module that is different from the process performed by the first process module; transferring the substrate between the interface and a second processing module by a third transfer mechanism; Equipped with A substrate processing method in which the second processing module is provided to one side, either forward or backward, of the liquid processing module, and forms a protruding portion that is raised above a floor on which the substrate processing apparatus is provided and protrudes to the one side, either forward or backward.

14. 1. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus including a processing block provided with a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate, comprising: placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates on a container placement unit provided in a substrate transport block provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; transferring the substrate to the container by a first transport mechanism provided in the substrate transport block; treating the substrate using the liquid treatment module, the liquid treatment module including a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides and each of which surrounds the substrate, the liquid treatment module being provided on either the front or rear side of a transport path for the substrate extending on the left and right sides in the treatment block; a step of treating the substrate in a first treatment module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, before or after the treatment in the liquid treatment module; transporting the substrate between the liquid processing module and the first processing module by a second transport mechanism that moves along the transport path; placing the substrate on a transfer section provided in the processing block on one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and on one of the left and right sides of the row of liquid processing modules in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; performing a process on the substrate by a second process module that is different from the process performed by the first process module; transferring the substrate between the interface and a second processing module by a third transfer mechanism; Equipped with the second processing module is an inspection module; The substrate processing method comprises the step of inspecting the substrate by the inspection module before or after the substrate is processed by the liquid processing module and the first processing module.

15. 1. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus including a processing block provided with a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate, comprising: placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates on a container placement unit provided in a substrate transport block provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; transferring the substrate to the container by a first transport mechanism provided in the substrate transport block; treating the substrate using the liquid treatment module, the liquid treatment module including a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides and each of which surrounds the substrate, the liquid treatment module being provided on either the front or rear side of a transport path for the substrate extending on the left and right sides in the treatment block; a step of treating the substrate in a first treatment module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, before or after the treatment in the liquid treatment module; transporting the substrate between the liquid processing module and the first processing module by a second transport mechanism that moves along the transport path; placing the substrate on a transfer section provided in the processing block on one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and on one of the left and right sides of the row of liquid processing modules in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with The delivery unit includes: The substrate processing method includes: a substrate processing module that is provided with a processing liquid for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate;

16. 1. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus including a processing block provided with a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate, comprising: placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates on a container placement unit provided in a substrate transport block provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; transferring the substrate to the container by a first transport mechanism provided in the substrate transport block; treating the substrate using the liquid treatment module, the liquid treatment module including a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides and each of which surrounds the substrate, the liquid treatment module being provided on either the front or rear side of a transport path for the substrate extending on the left and right sides in the treatment block; a step of treating the substrate in a first treatment module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, before or after the treatment in the liquid treatment module; transporting the substrate between the liquid processing module and the first processing module by a second transport mechanism that moves along the transport path; placing the substrate on a transfer section provided in the processing block on one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and on one of the left and right sides of the row of liquid processing modules in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with A substrate processing method comprising a step of adjusting the temperature of the substrate before processing by the liquid processing module and the first processing module using a temperature adjustment function of the transfer section, or a step of the transfer section being an inspection module and inspecting the substrate before or after processing by the liquid processing module and the first processing module using the inspection module.

17. 1. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus including a processing block provided with a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate, comprising: placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates on a container placement unit provided in a substrate transport block provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; transferring the substrate to the container by a first transport mechanism provided in the substrate transport block; treating the substrate using the liquid treatment module, the liquid treatment module including a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides and each of which surrounds the substrate, the liquid treatment module being provided on either the front or rear side of a transport path for the substrate extending on the left and right sides in the treatment block; a step of treating the substrate in a first treatment module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, before or after the treatment in the liquid treatment module; transporting the substrate between the liquid processing module and the first processing module by a second transport mechanism that moves along the transport path; placing the substrate on a transfer section provided in the processing block on one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and on one of the left and right sides of the row of liquid processing modules in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with The first processing module is a thermal processing module, and the substrate processing method includes a step of heating the substrate by the thermal processing module.

18. 1. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus including a processing block provided with a liquid processing module for performing liquid processing on a substrate, comprising: placing a container for accommodating a plurality of the substrates on a container placement unit provided in a substrate transport block provided on one of the left and right sides of the processing block; transferring the substrate to the container by a first transport mechanism provided in the substrate transport block; treating the substrate using the liquid treatment module, the liquid treatment module including a plurality of cups arranged on the left and right sides and each of which surrounds the substrate, the liquid treatment module being provided on either the front or rear side of a transport path for the substrate extending on the left and right sides in the treatment block; a step of treating the substrate in a first treatment module provided laterally on the other side of the transport path, before or after the treatment in the liquid treatment module; transporting the substrate between the liquid processing module and the first processing module by a second transport mechanism that moves along the transport path; placing the substrate on a transfer section provided in the processing block on one of the front and rear sides of the transport path and on one of the left and right sides of the row of liquid processing modules in order to transfer the substrate between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; Equipped with The substrate processing method, wherein the transfer section overlaps, in a plan view, with an equipment installation area in which electrical equipment is provided.

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