Substrate Processing System

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing system with batch and single-wafer modules that can respond to various requests regarding substrate orientation.SOLUTION: The substrate processing system of the present invention has a rotary adjustment mechanism SRM with a rotary table that can adjust the position of notches in a substrate W on a loading position IP side or an unloading position OP. A direction of the substrate W that is discharged by a relay device 6 to a single-wafer processing unit 2 can be changed as desired by the rotary adjustment mechanism SRM. The invention provides the substrate processing system that can deal with various requests regarding the direction of the substrate W.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, this type of apparatus includes those equipped with a batch module and a single-wafer module (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A batch module performs a predetermined process on multiple substrates at once. A single-wafer module performs a predetermined process on each substrate. Batch modules and single-wafer modules each have their own unique advantages. A substrate processing apparatus equipped with a batch module and a single-wafer module combines the advantages of both, thereby achieving a configuration that is more advantageous than a batch substrate processing apparatus or a single-wafer substrate processing apparatus.

[0003] According to the configuration of Patent Document 1, multiple substrates are immersed in a batch processing tank at the same time. After batch processing, the substrates are transported one by one to a single-wafer processing unit. According to this conventional configuration, multiple substrates housed in a carrier are transported in the same transport manner and returned to the carrier. The multiple substrates housed in the carrier are aligned in orientation so that the arrangement of devices formed on the substrates faces a common direction. In conventional substrate processing equipment, when multiple substrates with uniform orientations are subjected to substrate processing in a carrier, the substrate processing is performed while maintaining the uniformity of the substrate orientations, and the multiple substrates are returned to the carrier with the same orientations. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-64654 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the above configuration cannot fulfill all of the requirements for a substrate processing apparatus. In the conventional configuration, all substrates are transported using the same transport method during substrate processing, so that the substrates are removed from carriers with uniform orientations, and the substrates are returned to the carriers after substrate processing with uniform orientations. However, if different transport methods are used for different substrates within the substrate processing apparatus, the orientations of the substrates stored in the carriers after substrate processing may not match. This inconsistency in the orientations of the substrates stored in the carriers after substrate processing may cause problems in subsequent processes.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a substrate processing system equipped with a batch-type module and a single-wafer-type module that can accommodate various requirements regarding the orientation of substrates. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the present invention is a substrate processing system that successively performs batch processing, in which a plurality of substrates are processed collectively, and single wafer processing, in which substrates are processed one by one, and includes a batch processing device that performs batch processing, at least one single wafer processing device that performs single wafer processing on substrates that have been batch processed, and at least one relay device that has two positions: a carry-in position for receiving batch-processed substrates from the batch processing device, and an unloading position for transferring the substrates received at the carry-in position to the single wafer processing device, and the batch processing device includes at least one batch processing tank that can immerse a plurality of vertically oriented substrates in a single process. The substrate processing system is characterized in that the single-wafer processing apparatus has a plurality of single-wafer processing chambers capable of drying substrates in a horizontal position one by one, and the relay apparatus has: a posture conversion mechanism on the loading position side that is capable of converting a plurality of substrates from a vertical position to a horizontal position; a relay transport mechanism that is a mechanism provided between the loading position and the unloading position and is capable of transporting horizontally oriented substrates one by one along the substrate transport path to the unloading position; and a rotation adjustment mechanism with a turntable that is capable of adjusting the position of a notch in a substrate by rotating horizontally oriented substrates one by one at the loading position side or the unloading position.

[0008] [Actions and Effects] According to the above invention, in a substrate processing system configured by connecting a batch processing device and a single wafer processing device via a relay device, it is possible to realize the requirements for the substrate processing system. The relay device of the present invention has a rotation adjustment mechanism equipped with a turntable that can adjust the position of the notch in the substrate, at the loading position where the relay device acquires the substrate or at the unloading position where the relay device unloads the substrate. The orientation of the substrate unloaded by the relay device to the single wafer processing device can be arbitrarily changed by the rotation adjustment mechanism. By changing the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism, it is possible to align the orientation of the batch-processed substrates handed over to the single wafer processing device in a predetermined direction.

[0009] In the substrate processing system described above, the batch processing device is a mechanism for supporting a first substrate group in a vertical position and a second substrate group in a vertical position, and the device surfaces of the first substrates constituting the first substrate group are and before It is more preferable if the relay device includes a substrate holding mechanism that supports a lot formed by combining the first substrates and the second substrates so that the device surfaces of the second substrates that make up the second substrate group face each other, the relay device includes a substrate group sorting mechanism that can sort the lot into the first substrates and the second substrates, the posture conversion mechanism converts the sorted first substrates and second substrates collectively from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture, and when the orientation of the notch in the first substrate converted to the horizontal posture by the posture conversion mechanism differs from the orientation of the notch in the second substrate, the rotation adjustment mechanism rotates the second substrate at an angle different from the rotation angle of the first substrate, thereby aligning the orientation of the notch in the first substrate with the orientation of the notch in the second substrate.

[0010] [Actions and Effects] This configuration provides a substrate processing system that can align the orientation of substrates in a predetermined direction, even when the substrates are arranged face-to-face to form a lot. When two groups of substrates are combined and arranged so that the device surface of the first substrate faces the device surface of the second substrate, a lot is formed in which the first substrates and the second substrates are arranged alternately. When the lot is then sorted into the first substrates and the second substrates, a situation arises in which the orientation of the notch in the first substrate differs from the orientation of the notch in the second substrate. According to the above configuration, the rotation adjustment mechanism rotates the substrates so that the rotation angle of the first substrate differs from the rotation angle of the second substrate, thereby aligning the orientation of the notch in the first substrate with the orientation of the notch in the second substrate.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above-described substrate processing system, it is preferable that the rotation adjustment mechanism includes a substrate lifting mechanism capable of raising and lowering the substrate between an upper first position and a lower second position, and that the substrate lifting mechanism receives the substrate from the relay transport mechanism by raising the substrate held by the relay transport mechanism to the first position at an intermediate position intermediate between the first position and the second position, and then places the received substrate on the turntable by lowering the substrate to the second position.

[0012] [Operation and Effect] With this configuration, the substrate can be moved up and down between an upper first position, an intermediate position, and a lower second position, and the substrate can be received, rotated, and dispensed. With this configuration, the configuration of the rotation adjustment mechanism can be made simpler.

[0013] In the above-described substrate processing system, it is preferable that the rotation adjustment mechanism includes a substrate shift mechanism that shifts the substrate at the first position so that the center of the substrate coincides with the center of rotation of the turntable.

[0014] [Operation and Effect] With this configuration, the substrate in the first position is shifted so that its center coincides with the center position of the turntable. This configuration ensures that the substrate is oriented in the desired direction, and by placing the substrate in the ideal position, the substrate can be reliably transported by the single substrate transport mechanism.

[0015] Furthermore, in the above-described substrate processing system, it is preferable that the substrate lifting mechanism has a plurality of support pins that rise and fall synchronously, and is provided at a position that avoids a plurality of extension portions extending from the center of rotation of the turntable when it is in its initial position.

[0016] [Operation and Effect] With this configuration, the substrate lifting mechanism has multiple support pins that rise and fall synchronously, and is located at a position that avoids multiple extensions that extend from the center of rotation of the turntable in its initial position. By using this configuration, it is possible to reliably configure a rotation adjustment mechanism that includes both a substrate lifting mechanism and a mechanism for rotating the substrate.

[0017] In the above-described substrate processing system, it is more preferable that the rotation adjustment mechanism includes a deionized water supply mechanism that supplies deionized water to the received substrate.

[0018] [Operation and Effect] According to this configuration, the rotation adjustment mechanism is provided with a pure water supply mechanism that supplies pure water to the received substrate, so that the substrate does not dry out during operation in the rotation adjustment mechanism.

[0019] In the above-described substrate processing system, it is preferable that the rotation adjustment mechanism includes a sensor for detecting the position of a notch of the substrate on the turntable.

[0020] [Operation and Effect] According to this configuration, the rotation adjustment mechanism is equipped with a sensor that detects the position of the notch of the substrate on the turntable, so that slight misalignment of orientation observed between substrates can be actually measured and corrected. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate processing system that is equipped with a batch-type module and a single-wafer-type module and that can meet various requirements regarding the orientation of substrates. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view illustrating an overall configuration of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view illustrating the overall configuration of a batch processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating the configuration of an HVC attitude conversion unit in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams illustrating the configuration of a first attitude conversion mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a relay device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a relay device according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a relay device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a relay device according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a relay device according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a relay device according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a relay device according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a relay device according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a relay device according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a relay device according to an embodiment. [Figure 15] 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams illustrating the transition of the notch position in a substrate in an example. [Figure 16] 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams illustrating the transition of the notch position in a substrate in an example. [Figure 17] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams illustrating the configuration of a rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 18] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams illustrating the configuration of a rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 20] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 21] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 22] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 23] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 24] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 25]5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 26] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 27] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 28] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of the single-wafer processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 30] 10 is a flowchart illustrating substrate transportation in the embodiment. [Figure 31] 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams illustrating substrate transportation in an embodiment. [Figure 32] 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams illustrating substrate transportation in an embodiment. [Figure 33] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The substrate processing system of the present invention continuously performs batch processing, in which a plurality of substrates W are processed collectively, and single-wafer processing, in which substrates W are processed one by one, and is configured such that the batch processing device for batch processing and the single-wafer processing device for single-wafer processing are connected by a relay device.

[0024] The substrate processing system according to the present invention performs various processes such as chemical processing, cleaning processing, and drying processing on substrates W. The substrate processing system employs a processing method (a so-called hybrid method) that combines both a batch processing method in which a plurality of substrates W are processed collectively, and a single-wafer processing method in which substrates W are processed one by one. The batch processing method is a processing method in which a plurality of substrates W arranged in a vertical position are processed collectively. The single-wafer processing method is a processing method in which substrates W in a horizontal position are processed one by one. The substrate processing system according to the present invention continuously performs batch processing in which a plurality of substrates are processed collectively, and single-wafer processing in which substrates are processed one by one. [Example]

[0025] <1. Overall structure> As shown in Fig. 1, the substrate processing system comprises a batch processing device 1 and a single wafer processing device 2 that are configured separately, and a relay device 6 that connects the two devices 1 and 2. The batch processing device 1 is involved in batch processing, which processes multiple substrates at once, while the single wafer processing device 2 is involved in single wafer processing, which processes substrates one by one. The relay device 6 is configured to transport substrates that have been batch processed from the batch processing device 1 to the single wafer processing device 2, and is a bridge structure provided at a position intermediate the batch processing device 1 and the single wafer processing device 2.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 1, the batch processing apparatus 1 and the single wafer processing apparatus 2 each have blocks separated by partitions. That is, the batch processing apparatus 1 has a stocker block 3, a transfer block 5 adjacent to the stocker block 3, and a batch processing block 7 adjacent to the transfer block 5. Fig. 2 shows a specific configuration of the batch processing block 7 in the batch processing apparatus 1. On the other hand, the single wafer processing apparatus 2 has an indexer block 4 and a single wafer processing block 8 adjacent to the indexer block 4.

[0027] The batch processing apparatus 1 is configured to perform batch processing and has a first housing 1A that houses the blocks that make up the batch processing apparatus 1. The single-wafer processing apparatus 2 is configured to perform single-wafer processing on substrates W that have already been batch-processed and has a second housing 2A that houses the blocks that make up the single-wafer processing apparatus 2. The first housing 1A has a first load port 9 that protrudes from a first wall surface that is one of the walls that make up the first housing and is perpendicular to the Y direction from the batch processing block 7 toward the transfer block 5. The second housing 2A has a second load port 10 that protrudes from a second wall surface that is one of the walls that make up the second housing 2A and is perpendicular to the Y direction, and the second load port 10 is located at the same position as the first load port 9 in the Y direction. A carrier C can be placed on the second load port 10.

[0028] For convenience, in this specification, the direction in which the stocker block 3, the transfer block 5, and the batch processing block 7 in the batch processing apparatus 1 are arranged is referred to as the "front-rear direction X." The front-rear direction X is also the direction in which the indexer block 4 and the single-wafer processing block 8 in the single-wafer processing apparatus 2 are arranged. The front-rear direction X extends horizontally. Within the front-rear direction X, the direction from the transfer block 5 toward the stocker block 3 in the batch processing apparatus 1 is referred to as the "front." The front also refers to the direction from the single-wafer processing block 8 toward the indexer block 4 in the single-wafer processing apparatus 2. The direction opposite the front is referred to as the "rear." The horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction X is referred to as the "width direction Y." For convenience, one direction of the "width direction Y" is referred to as the "right" and the other direction is referred to as the "left." For convenience, the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction X and the width direction Y (height direction) is referred to as the "vertical direction Z." In each figure, for reference, front, rear, right, left, top, and bottom are indicated as appropriate.

[0029] In the substrate processing system of the present invention, substrates W are first batch-processed in a batch processing device 1, and the batch-processed substrates W are then transported by a relay device 6 to a single-wafer processing device 2. The single-wafer processing device 2 then processes the substrates W individually to complete the entire substrate processing process. Below, the specific configurations of each device will be described in the order of the batch processing device 1, relay device 6, and single-wafer processing device 2, along with the flow of substrates W in the substrate processing system of the present invention.

[0030] <2. Batch processing equipment: Stocker block> The stocker block 3 is equipped with a first load port 9, which serves as an entrance through which a carrier C, which stores multiple substrates W in a horizontal position and vertically spaced at predetermined intervals, is introduced into the block. The first load port 9 protrudes from the outer wall of the stocker block 3, which extends in the width direction (Y direction).

[0031] A plurality of substrates W (for example, 25 substrates) are stored in a single carrier C, stacked horizontally at regular intervals. The carrier C storing unprocessed substrates W to be carried into the batch processing apparatus 1 is first placed on the first load port 9. The carrier C has a plurality of horizontally extending grooves (not shown) formed therein that store the substrates W with their surfaces spaced apart. One substrate W is inserted into each of the grooves. An example of a carrier C is a sealed FOUP (Front Opening Unify Pod). In the present invention, an open container may also be used as the carrier C.

[0032] The internal structure of the stocker block 3 will now be described. The stocker block 3 is equipped with a transport storage unit ACB that stocks and manages carriers C. The transport storage unit ACB is equipped with a carrier transport mechanism 11 that transports the carriers C and shelves 13 on which the carriers C are placed. The stocker block 3 can stock one or more carriers C.

[0033] The stocker block 3 has a plurality of shelves 13 on which carriers C are placed. The shelves 13 are provided on a partition wall separating the stocker block 3 and the transfer block 5. The shelves 13 include a stock shelf 13b on which carriers C are simply placed temporarily, and a carrier placement shelf 13a which is accessed by the first substrate transport mechanism HTR of the transfer block 5 and is used to remove substrates.

[0034] The carrier mounting shelf 13a is configured to mount a carrier that stores multiple horizontally oriented substrates at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction. The carrier mounting shelf 13a is configured to mount a carrier C from which a substrate W is to be removed. In this embodiment, one carrier mounting shelf 13a is provided, but multiple carrier mounting shelves 13a may be provided. The carrier transport mechanism 11 takes in a carrier C that stores an unprocessed substrate W from the first load port 9 and places it on the carrier mounting shelf 13a for substrate removal. At this time, the carrier transport mechanism 11 can also temporarily place the carrier C on a stock shelf 13b before placing it on the carrier mounting shelf 13a. The stocker block 3 has one or more carrier mounting shelves 13a.

[0035] <3. Batch processing equipment: Transfer block> The transfer block 5 is adjacent to the carrier mounting shelf 13a. The transfer block 5 is disposed adjacent to the rear of the stocker block 3. The transfer block 5 includes a first substrate transport mechanism HTR that can access a carrier C placed on the carrier mounting shelf 13a for removing substrates, an HVC position conversion unit 23 that converts the position of multiple substrates W collectively from a horizontal position to a vertical position, and a pusher mechanism 25. The HVC position conversion unit 23 constitutes the first position conversion mechanism 15. The first position conversion mechanism 15 converts multiple substrates W removed from the carrier C collectively from a horizontal position to a vertical position. Furthermore, the transfer block 5 is provided with a substrate transfer position PP for transferring multiple substrates W to a second substrate transport mechanism WTR provided in the batch transfer region R2. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR, the HVC position conversion unit 23, and the pusher mechanism 25 are arranged in this order in the Y direction.

[0036] The first substrate transport mechanism HTR is configured to collectively remove multiple substrates W from carriers C placed on the carrier placement shelf 13a. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR is provided on the right side behind the transport and storage unit ACB of the stocker block 3. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR is a mechanism for collectively removing multiple substrates W from carriers C placed on the carrier placement shelf 13a for substrate removal and storage. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR has multiple (e.g., 25) hands 51 that collectively transport multiple substrates W. Each hand 51 supports one substrate W. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR collectively removes multiple (e.g., 25) substrates W from carriers C placed on the carrier placement shelf 13a of the stocker block 3. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR can then transport the multiple substrates W it holds to the support table 23A of the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 converts the received horizontally oriented substrates W into a vertically oriented substrate. The pusher mechanism 25 is configured to hold the vertically oriented substrates W and move them up, down, left, and right.

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 of the first embodiment. The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 includes a pair of horizontal holding units 23B and a pair of vertical holding units 23C that extend in the vertical direction (Z direction). The support base 23A has a support surface extending in the XY plane that supports the horizontal holding units 23B and the vertical holding units 23C. The rotation drive mechanism 23D is configured to rotate the horizontal holding units 23B and the vertical holding units 23C together with the support base 23A by 90°. This rotation causes the horizontal holding units 23B and the vertical holding units 23C to extend in the left-right direction (Y direction). FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0038] The horizontal holding part 23B supports a plurality of horizontally oriented substrates W from below. That is, the horizontal holding part 23B has a comb-shaped structure with a plurality of protrusions corresponding to the substrates W to be supported. Between adjacent protrusions there is a long, narrow recess in which the peripheral edge of the substrate W is located. When the peripheral edge of the substrate W is inserted into this recess, the lower surface of the horizontally oriented substrate W comes into contact with the upper surface of the protrusion, and the substrate W is supported in a horizontal position.

[0039] The vertical holding part 23C supports a plurality of vertically oriented substrates W from below. That is, the vertical holding part 23C has a comb-shaped structure with a plurality of protrusions corresponding to the substrates W to be supported. Between adjacent protrusions there is a narrow V-groove in which the peripheral edge of the substrate W is located. When the peripheral edge of the substrate W is inserted into this V-groove, the substrate W is clamped between the V-grooves and supported in a vertical position. Two vertical holding parts 23C are provided on the support base 23A, so that the substrate W is clamped at two points on its peripheral edge by different V-grooves.

[0040] A pair of horizontal holding members 23B and a pair of vertical holding members 23C extending in the vertical direction (Z direction) are arranged along an imaginary circle corresponding to the substrate W in a horizontal position so as to surround the substrate W to be held. The pair of horizontal holding members 23B are spaced apart by the diameter of the substrate W and hold one end of the substrate W and the other end that is the farthest from the one end. In this way, the pair of horizontal holding members 23B support the substrate W in a horizontal position. On the other hand, the pair of vertical holding members 23C are spaced apart by a distance shorter than the diameter of the substrate W and support a predetermined portion of the substrate W and a specific portion located near the predetermined portion. In this way, the pair of vertical holding members 23C support the substrate W in a vertical position. The pair of horizontal holding members 23B are located at the same position in the left-right direction (Y direction), and the pair of vertical holding members 23C are located at the same position in the left-right direction (Y direction). The pair of vertical holding members 23C are located on the side of the pair of horizontal holding members 23B in the direction in which the support base 23A rotates and tilts (to the left).

[0041] The rotation drive mechanism 23D supports the support table 23A so that it can rotate at least 90° around a horizontal axis AX2 extending in the front-to-rear direction (X direction). When the support table 23A, which is in a horizontal state, rotates 90°, the support table 23A becomes vertical, and the postures of the multiple substrates W held by the horizontal holding part 23B and the vertical holding part 23C are changed from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 4(f), the pusher mechanism 25 includes a pusher 25A on which a vertically oriented substrate W can be mounted, a lifting and rotating unit 25B for rotating and raising and lowering the pusher 25A, a horizontal moving unit 25C for moving the lifting and rotating unit 25B in the left-right direction (Y direction), and a rail 25D extending in the left-right direction (Y direction) for guiding the horizontal moving unit 25C. The pusher 25A is configured to support the lower portion of each of multiple (e.g., 50) vertically oriented substrates W. The lifting and rotating unit 25B is configured to be located below the pusher 25A and includes a telescopic mechanism for raising and lowering the pusher 25A in the vertical direction. The lifting and rotating unit 25B can also rotate the pusher 25A at least 180° around a vertical axis. The horizontal moving unit 25C is configured to support the lifting and rotating unit 25B and horizontally move the pusher 25A and the lifting and rotating unit 25B. The horizontal movement unit 25C is guided by the rails 25D and can move the pusher 25A from a pick-up position close to the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 to the substrate transfer position PP. The horizontal movement unit 25C can also shift the pusher 25A, which is in a vertical attitude, in the direction of the arrangement of the substrates W by a distance corresponding to a half pitch in the substrate arrangement.

[0043] Here, the operation of the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 and the pusher mechanism 25 will be described. The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 and the pusher mechanism 25 arrange, in a face-to-face manner, for example, a total of 50 substrates W housed in two carriers C at a predetermined interval (for example, 5 mm). The 25 substrates W in the first carrier C will be described as first substrates W1 belonging to the first substrate group. Similarly, the 25 substrates W in the second carrier C will be described as second substrates W2 belonging to the second substrate group. Note that in Figures 4(a) to 4(f), for convenience of drawing, the number of first substrates W1 is three and the number of second substrates W2 is three.

[0044] FIG. 4(a) shows the state in which the first substrates W1 in a horizontal position are transferred en bloc to the HVC position conversion unit 23 by the first substrate transport mechanism HTR. At this time, the device surfaces (surfaces on which circuit patterns are formed) of the first substrates W1 face upward. The 25 first substrates W1 are arranged at a predetermined interval (for example, 10 mm). This 10 mm interval is called the full pitch (normal pitch). The first substrates W1 in this state are held by the horizontal holding unit 23B. At this time, the pusher 25A is in a pick-up position below the support base 23A.

[0045] 4(b) shows the state when support base 23A of HVC attitude conversion unit 23 is rotated 90° by rotary drive mechanism 23D. In this way, the attitudes of 25 first substrates W1 are converted from horizontal to vertical in HVC attitude conversion unit 23. In this state, first substrates W1 are held by vertical holding unit 23C.

[0046] The pusher mechanism 25 supports a group of vertically oriented first substrates W1 stored in the first carrier C1 after the first position conversion mechanism 15 converts their positions. FIG. 4(c) shows the pusher 25A ascending from the pickup position to a position directly above the pickup position. This ascending movement is performed by the lifting and rotating unit 25B. When the pusher 25A moves from below the first substrate W1 to above it, the first substrate W1, which was supported by the vertical holding unit 23C of the HVC position conversion unit 23, is pulled out of the vertical holding unit 23C and moves onto the pusher 25A. Grooves into which the substrate W is clamped are provided on the top surface of the pusher 25A. The first substrate W1 is supported by these grooves, which are arranged at equal intervals. The grooves are arranged at half pitch, and the first substrate W1 is arranged at full pitch on the HVC posture conversion unit 23, so that on the upper surface of the pusher 25A located directly above, grooves in which the first substrate W1 is sandwiched and empty grooves that do not support a substrate W are arranged alternately.

[0047] 4(d) shows the operation of the pusher 25A being rotated 180° by the lifting and rotating unit 25B and the operation of the support base 23A of the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 being rotated 90° in the reverse direction by the rotation drive mechanism 23D. In this state, the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 is able to support the second substrate W2. When the pusher 25A rotates 180°, the substrate W supported at the right end of the pusher 25A moves to the left end of the pusher 25A, and the empty groove located at the left end of the pusher 25A moves to the right end of the pusher 25A. The positional relationship between the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 and the pusher 25A is set so that the substrate W located at the right end of the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 is transferred to the right end of the pusher 25A. Therefore, the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 can transfer the second substrate W2 at the right end to the groove at the right end of the pusher 25A regardless of the presence of the first substrate W1 supported by the pusher 25A. The same applies to the other second substrates W2 supported by the HVC posture conversion unit 23. That is, the second substrates W2 arranged at full pitch intervals on the HVC posture conversion unit 23 can be arranged at full pitch intervals starting from the right end of the pusher 25A. This is because, after rotation, the pusher 25A has empty grooves arranged at full pitch intervals starting from the right end. At this time, the first substrate W1 on the pusher 25A fits into the gaps between the second substrates W2 arranged on the pusher 25A. FIG. 4(d) shows the state when the second substrate W2 has already been transported to the HVC posture conversion unit 23. Note that in FIG. 4(d), the second substrate W2 is supported by the horizontal holding unit 23B.

[0048] When the pusher 25A, which is in the directly above position in the state of FIG. 4(d), returns to the original pick-up position, the HVC attitude conversion unit 23 can rotate the support base 23A by 90 degrees again.

[0049] FIG. 4(e) shows the state when the support table 23A is actually rotated again. At this time, the pusher 25A has been rotated 180°. Therefore, when the pusher 25A is again moved to the directly above position as shown in FIG. 4(f), the second substrate W2 fits into the empty groove between the first substrates W1 on the upper surface of the pusher 25A without interfering with the first substrate W1. In this way, a lot is formed in which the first substrates W1 and the second substrates W2 are alternately arranged. Note that in FIG. 4(e), the second substrate W2 is supported by the vertical holding portion 23C. Since the lot is formed by arranging the substrates W face-to-face, the device surfaces of the first substrates W1 constituting the lot all face right in FIG. 4(f), and the device surfaces of the second substrates W2 all face left in FIG. 4(f). In this way, the pusher mechanism 25 also supports a group of substrates in a vertical position obtained by the first position changing mechanism 15 changing the position of the second substrate W2 stored in the second carrier C2.

[0050] 4(f) shows the state when the pusher 25A has moved again to the directly above position. Then, the lot generated by the pusher 25A is transported leftward (Y direction) by the horizontal moving part 25C and moved to the substrate transfer position PP.

[0051] In this way, the pusher mechanism 25 combines two groups of substrates stored at full pitch in the carrier C to form a lot in which the substrates W are arranged at half pitch. The device surfaces of the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 that make up the lot face each other, and the substrates are arranged face-to-face.

[0052] Dry lot support section 33 is provided mainly for the purpose of temporarily holding lots that have been batch assembled by HVC attitude conversion section 23 and pusher mechanism 25, and is located between substrate transfer position PP and relay device 6, which will be described later. When transporting a lot from dry lot support section 33 to batch processing block 7, a second substrate transport mechanism WTR of batch processing device 1 is used.

[0053] <5. Batch processing device: Batch processing block> The batch processing block 7 is adjacent to the transfer block 5. The batch processing block 7 performs batch processing on the above-mentioned lots. The batch processing block 7 is divided into a batch processing region R1, which is arranged in the width direction (Y direction), and a batch transport region R2. Each region extends in the front-to-rear direction (X direction). In detail, the batch processing region R1 is located inside the batch processing block 7. The batch transport region R2 is adjacent to the batch processing region R1 and is located at the leftmost side of the batch processing block 7.

[0054] <5.1. Batch Processing Area> The batch processing area R1 in the batch processing block 7 is a rectangular area extending in the front-to-rear direction (X direction). One end (front side) of the batch processing area R1 is adjacent to the relay device 6. The other end (rear side) of the batch processing area R1 extends in a direction away from the transfer block 5 and the relay device 6. Therefore, the relay device 6 is a device inserted at a position that separates the batch processing device 1 from the middle. When transporting a lot from the batch processing device 1 to the relay device 6, a second substrate transport mechanism WTR provided in the batch processing device 1 is used.

[0055] The second substrate transport mechanism WTR transports multiple substrates W in a batch in a vertical position between the transfer block 5, the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6, and the loading position IP of the relay device 6. Therefore, the batch transport area R2, which is the area in which the second substrate transport mechanism WTR can move, is not divided by the relay device 6, but extends in the Y direction along the left end of the relay device 6. The relay device 6 is configured to be fitted inside the batch processing device 1, but does not reach the left end of the batch processing device 1, because the batch transport area R2 is provided at the left end of the batch processing device 1.

[0056] The batch processing region R1 is equipped with a batch processing section that mainly performs batch processing. Specifically, the batch processing region R1 includes a batch drying chamber DC that dries multiple substrates W in a batch, and multiple batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 that immerse multiple substrates W in a batch, arranged in the direction in which the batch processing region R1 extends. The batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 immerse multiple substrates in a vertical position in a batch. The arrangement of the batch drying chamber DC and the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 will be specifically described. The batch drying chamber DC is adjacent to the relay device 6 from the rear. The first batch processing unit BPU1 is adjacent to the batch drying chamber DC from the rear. The second batch processing unit BPU2 is adjacent to the first batch processing unit BPU1 from the rear. The third batch processing unit BPU3 is adjacent to the second batch processing unit BPU2 from the rear. The fourth batch processing unit BPU4 is adjacent to the third batch processing unit BPU3 from the rear. The fifth batch processing unit BPU5 is adjacent to the rear of the fourth batch processing unit BPU4. The sixth batch processing unit BPU6 is adjacent to the rear of the fifth batch processing unit BPU5. Therefore, the batch drying chamber DC, the first batch processing unit BPU1, the second batch processing unit BPU2, the third batch processing unit BPU3, the fourth batch processing unit BPU4, the fifth batch processing unit BPU5, and the sixth batch processing unit BPU6 are arranged in this order, moving further away from the relay device 6. For convenience of illustration, the second batch processing unit BPU2 to the fifth batch processing unit BPU5 are omitted in FIG. 1. This configuration can be understood by referring to FIG. 2. The batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 correspond to the batch processing tanks of the present invention.

[0057] Specifically, the second batch processing unit BPU2 includes a batch chemical processing bath CHB2 that performs chemical processing on the lot collectively, and a lifter LF2 that raises and lowers the lot between a substrate transfer position and a chemical processing position (see FIG. 2). The substrate transfer position is a position set above the batch chemical processing bath CHB2 that is accessible by the second substrate transport mechanism WTR, and the chemical processing position is a position set within the batch chemical processing bath CHB2 where the lot can be immersed in the chemical. The batch chemical processing bath CHB2 performs acid processing on the lot. The acid processing may be phosphoric acid processing, but may also be processing using other acids. The phosphoric acid processing is performed by etching the multiple substrates W that make up the lot. The etching processing, for example, chemically etches the nitride film on the surface of the substrate W.

[0058] The batch chemical processing tank CHB2 contains an acid solution such as a phosphoric acid solution. A lifter LF2 is attached to the batch chemical processing tank CHB2 to move the lot up and down. The batch chemical processing tank CHB2 supplies the chemical solution from below upward, for example, to create a convection current of the chemical solution. The lifter LF2 moves up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction). Specifically, the lifter LF2 moves up and down between a processing position inside the batch chemical processing tank CHB2 and a transfer position above the batch chemical processing tank CHB2. The lifter LF2 holds a lot composed of substrates W in a vertical position. At the transfer position, the lifter LF2 transfers the lot to and from the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. When the lifter LF2 moves down from the transfer position to the processing position while holding the lot, the entire substrate W is below the surface of the chemical solution. When the lifter LF2 moves up from the processing position to the transfer position while holding the lot, the entire substrate W is above the surface of the chemical solution.

[0059] Specifically, the third batch processing unit BPU3 includes a batch chemical processing tank CHB3 and a lifter LF3 that raises and lowers the lot between the substrate transfer position and the chemical processing position. The batch chemical processing tank CHB3 has the same configuration as the batch chemical processing tank CHB2 described above. That is, the batch chemical processing tank CHB3 contains the chemical solution described above and is equipped with a lifter LF3. The batch chemical processing tank CHB3 performs the same processing on the lot as the batch chemical processing tank CHB2. The batch processing apparatus 1 of this example includes multiple processing tanks capable of the same chemical processing. This is because phosphoric acid processing takes longer than other processes. Phosphoric acid processing takes a long time (e.g., 60 minutes). Therefore, the apparatus of this example is designed to perform acid processing in parallel using multiple batch chemical processing tanks.

[0060] The fourth batch processing unit BPU4 to the sixth batch processing unit BPU6 have the same configuration as the second batch processing unit BPU2 and the third batch processing unit BPU3. Specifically, the fourth batch processing unit BPU4 includes a batch chemical processing bath CHB4 and a lifter LF4 that raises and lowers the lot between the substrate transfer position and the chemical processing position. Similarly, the fifth batch processing unit BPU5 includes a batch chemical processing bath CHB5 and a lifter LF5 that raises and lowers the lot between the substrate transfer position and the chemical processing position. The sixth batch processing unit BPU6 includes a batch chemical processing bath CHB6 and a lifter LF6 that raises and lowers the lot between the substrate transfer position and the chemical processing position. Therefore, the lot is acid-treated in one of the batch chemical processing baths CHB2 to CHB6. Performing chemical processing in parallel in five processing units in this manner increases the throughput of the apparatus.

[0061] Specifically, the first batch processing unit BPU1 includes a batch rinse processing bath ONB containing a rinse liquid and a lifter LF1 for raising and lowering the lot between a substrate transfer position and a rinse position. The substrate transfer position is a position above the batch rinse processing bath ONB accessible to the second substrate transport mechanism WTR, and the rinse position is a position within the batch rinse processing bath ONB where the lot can be immersed in the rinse liquid. The batch rinse processing bath ONB has a configuration similar to the batch chemical processing bath CHB2 described above. That is, the batch rinse processing bath ONB contains a rinse liquid and is equipped with a lifter LF1. Unlike the other processing baths, the batch rinse processing bath ONB contains pure water and is provided for the purpose of cleaning the chemical liquid adhering to multiple substrates W. In the batch rinse processing bath ONB, the cleaning process is completed when the resistivity of the pure water in the bath increases to a predetermined value.

[0062] As described above, the batch rinse processing tank ONB in ​​this embodiment is located closer to the relay device 6 than the batch chemical processing tanks CHB2 to CHB6. This configuration allows the mechanisms constituting the relay device 6 to be separated as far as possible from the batch chemical processing tanks CHB2 to CHB6, preventing the relay device 6 from being adversely affected by acids such as phosphoric acid. Furthermore, by locating the relay device 6 and the batch rinse processing tank ONB close to each other, lots that have undergone rinsing processing are transported a short distance and immediately loaded into the relay device 6. Therefore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the transport of the substrates W can be completed quickly while maintaining the wet state of the substrates W.

[0063] <5.2. Bulk transport area> The batch transfer area R2 in the batch processing block 7 is a rectangular area extending in the front-to-back direction (X direction). The batch transfer area R2 is provided along the outer edge of the batch processing area R1, with one end extending to the transfer block 5 and the other end extending in a direction away from the transfer block 5. Therefore, the batch transfer area R2 is configured to also follow the relay device 6 located between the transfer block 5 and the batch processing block 7.

[0064] A second substrate transport mechanism WTR that transports multiple substrates W collectively is provided in the batch transfer region R2. The second substrate transport mechanism WTR transports multiple substrates W (specifically, lots) collectively between a substrate transfer position PP defined in the transfer block 5, the drying lot support section 33, the batch drying chamber DC, each of the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6, and a load position IP in the relay device 6 (described later). The second substrate transport mechanism WTR is configured to be able to reciprocate in the front-to-back direction (X direction) across the transfer block 5, the relay device 6, and the batch processing block 7. The second substrate transport mechanism WTR is also able to move to the substrate transfer position PP in the transfer block 5, the drying lot support section 33, and the load position IP in the relay device 6, in addition to the batch transfer region R2 in the batch processing block 7.

[0065] The second substrate transport mechanism WTR is equipped with a pair of chucks 29 for transporting lots. The pair of chucks 29 can be switched between a closed state in which they are close to each other and an open state in which they are separated from each other. The chucks 29 are members extending in the Y direction and have grooves for gripping substrates W arranged at a half pitch. When the pair of chucks 29 is in the closed state, it receives multiple substrates W that make up a lot. When the pair of chucks 29 is in the open state, it transfers multiple substrates W that make up a lot to another member (such as the lifter LF1). The second substrate transport mechanism WTR transfers lots between the substrate transfer position PP and the drying lot support unit 33 in the transfer block 5, and the lifter LF65 belonging to the lot standby tank 65 provided at the load position IP in the relay device 6. In addition, the second substrate transport mechanism WTR transfers lots between the lifters LF1 to LF6 belonging to the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 in the batch processing block 7 and the batch drying chamber DC.

[0066] The batch transfer region R2 is provided with guide rails 31X extending in the X direction to guide the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. The second substrate transport mechanism WTR is capable of moving forward and backward in the X direction along the guide rails 31X. Therefore, the guide rails 31X extend from the batch processing block 7 to the transfer block 5 via the relay device 6. More specifically, the guide rails 31X face the substrate transfer position PP in the transfer block 5 from the Y direction, and face the sixth batch processing unit BPU6 in the batch processing block 7 from the Y direction. In addition to these, the guide rails 31X face the drying lot support section 33 in the transfer block 5, the lot standby tank 65 in the relay device 6, and the batch drying chambers DC and the first to sixth batch processing units BPU1 to BPU6 in the batch processing block 7 from the Y direction.

[0067] <5.3. Other configurations> The batch drying chamber DC is located between the first batch processing unit BPU1 and the relay device 6. The batch drying chamber DC has a drying chamber that accommodates a lot of vertically arranged substrates W. The drying chamber has an inert gas supply nozzle that supplies an inert gas into the chamber and a vapor supply nozzle that supplies an organic solvent vapor into the tank. The batch drying chamber DC first supplies an inert gas to the lot supported in the chamber, replacing the atmosphere in the chamber with the inert gas. Then, pressure reduction within the chamber begins. While the chamber is depressurized, organic solvent vapor is supplied into the chamber. The organic solvent is discharged outside the chamber along with moisture adhering to the substrates W. In this manner, the batch drying chamber DC dries the lot. The inert gas may be, for example, nitrogen, and the organic solvent may be, for example, IPA (isopropyl alcohol). In this embodiment, the substrates W are dried in the single-wafer processing apparatus 2 without using the batch drying chamber DC. The batch drying chamber DC is configured to be used when substrate processing is performed using the batch processing apparatus 1 alone. In this case, the lot that has completed the batch rinse process in the batch rinse process bath ONB is not moved to the relay device 6, but is subjected to drying in the batch drying chamber DC, and then transported to the substrate transfer position PP. This lot transport is performed by the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. The lot then follows a path that is the reverse of that described in Figure 4, and is separated into an array of first substrates W1 and an array of second substrates W2. The array of first substrates W1 is returned to an empty carrier C by the first substrate transport mechanism HTR, and the array of second substrates W2 is then returned to an empty carrier C by the first substrate transport mechanism HTR.

[0068] <6.Relay Device> The relay device 6 has a structure that bridges the batch processing device 1 and the single wafer processing device 2, with its left end fitting into the interior of the batch processing device 1 and its right end fitting into the interior of the single wafer processing device 2. The relay device 6 is provided with a transport path for the substrate W that extends in the Y direction connecting the batch transfer area R2 of the batch processing device 1 to the single wafer transfer area R3 of the single wafer processing device 2. The transport path is configured to transport the substrate W in the Y direction (horizontally) without changing the position of the substrate W in the Z direction. Therefore, the insertion position of the relay device 6 in the batch processing device 1 and the insertion position of the relay device 6 in the single wafer processing device 2 are the same in the Z direction.

[0069] The relay device 6 is located on the middle floor of the batch processing device 1 and the single wafer processing device 2 (see FIG. 17). Therefore, the relay device 6 bridges the batch processing device 1 and the single wafer processing device 2 at a position in the air away from the floor surface on which the batch processing device 1 and the single wafer processing device 2 are installed. The specific location of the relay device 6 is related to the structure of the single wafer processing device 2, and will be described in detail together with the explanation of the single wafer processing device 2.

[0070] The relay device 6 includes a relay housing 6A that connects a first housing 1A for the batch processing device 1 and a second housing 2A for the single wafer processing device 2, which are spaced apart from each other in the Y direction. The relay housing 6A is provided between a third wall surface 1B that faces the second housing 2A among the wall surfaces that make up the first housing 1A, and a fourth wall surface 2B that faces the third wall surface 1B among the wall surfaces that make up the second housing 2A.

[0071] The relay housing 6A has side walls 62a, a bottom plate 62b, and a top plate 62c that connect the batch processing device 1 and the single wafer processing device 2. The configurations of the side walls 62a, bottom plate 62b, and top plate 62c are shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 17. The relay housing 6A connects the housings of the batch processing device 1 and the single wafer processing device 2 to form a single substrate processing system. This isolates the outside air from the atmosphere inside the device in the substrate processing system.

[0072] The relay device 6 includes a lot standby tank 65 for holding batch-processed lots in pure water; an underwater attitude changer 55 for receiving multiple substrates W arranged in the Y direction and rotating the received substrates W 90° in water to change the orientation of the multiple substrates W from vertical to horizontal; an intermediary transport mechanism OTR for transporting the horizontally oriented substrates W one by one to the unloading position OP; and a rotation adjustment mechanism SRM for adjusting the orientation of the substrates W. The lot standby tank 65, underwater attitude changer 55, intermediary transport mechanism OTR, and rotation adjustment mechanism SRM are arranged in this order, starting from the left side of the batch processing device 1 and moving to the right. Each component will be described in detail below. The underwater attitude changer 55 corresponds to the attitude change mechanism of the present invention.

[0073] <6.1. Relay device: Lot standby tank> The lot standby tank 65 immerses batch-processed lots in pure water. The lot standby tank 65 has a configuration similar to that of the first batch processing unit BPU1 of the batch processing apparatus 1. That is, the lot standby tank 65 holds pure water and has a lifter LF65 that raises and lowers the lots. The lifter LF65 can move back and forth between a loading position IP for loading the lots into the relay device 6 and an immersion position for immersing the loaded lots in pure water. The loading position IP is a position determined for receiving batch-processed substrates from the batch processing apparatus 1. The loading position IP is located above the immersion position and is a position where the second substrate transport mechanism WTR can transport substrates. At the loading position IP, the entire area of ​​the substrates W constituting the lot is in the air, and at the immersion position, the entire area of ​​the substrates W constituting the lot is immersed in pure water.

[0074] <6.2. Relay device: Full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism> The full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR sorts a lot immersed in the lot standby tank 65 into a first substrate W1 and a second substrate W2. The full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR can transport 25 substrates W arranged at full pitch between the lot standby tank 65 and the submersible position change unit 55. The lot standby tank 65 holds 50 substrates W arranged at half pitch, and the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR picks up half of these substrates (25) and transports them to the submersible position change unit 55. The full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR has a pair of chucks 30 similar to the pair of chucks 29 in the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. Like the chucks 29, the chucks 30 have grooves formed at half-pitch intervals, but differ from the chucks 29 in that the two types of grooves are arranged alternately. That is, the chucks 30 have deep grooves that cannot hold substrates W and shallow grooves that can hold substrates W, arranged alternately at half-pitch intervals. Therefore, when the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR attempts to grip a lot on the lifter LF65, 25 substrates W are picked up by shallow grooves that can grip the substrates W, while the remaining 25 substrates W cannot abut the deep grooves and are left on the lifter LF65. Because the shallow grooves in the chuck 30 are arranged at a pitch (full pitch) that is twice the half pitch, the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR picks up the 25 substrates W arranged at full pitch from the lot on the lifter LF65. Since the lot is configured with the substrates W arranged face-to-face, the picked-up substrates W are arranged with their front (device) surfaces on the right and their back surfaces on the left so that the device surfaces of adjacent substrates W do not face each other. Meanwhile, the 25 substrates W that were not picked up and remained on the lifter LF65 are arranged with their front (device) surfaces on the left and their back surfaces on the right so that the device surfaces of adjacent substrates W do not face each other. The full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR corresponds to the substrate group sorting mechanism of the present invention.

[0075] The pair of chucks 30 of the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR, like the chucks 29 of the second substrate transport mechanism WTR, can be in two states: a closed state in which the chucks 30 are close to each other in the X direction, and an open state in which the chucks 30 are farther apart in the X direction. When the pair of chucks 30 are in the closed state, the chucks 30 are close enough to each other relative to the diameter of the substrate W, so that two points on the lower part of the substrate W abut against each of the chucks 30. In this way, the substrate W is gripped by the pair of chucks 30. When the pair of chucks 30 in the closed state are opened, the chucks 30 are farther apart relative to the diameter of the substrate W, so that the substrate W is detached from the chucks 30. Specifically, the pair of chucks 30 are in the open state before receiving multiple substrates W from the lifter LF65 at the loading position IP and after delivering multiple substrates W to a pusher 55A (described later) at a position above the immersion tank (described later).

[0076] The relay device 6 is provided with guide rails 31Y extending in the Y direction to guide the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR. The full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR is capable of moving forward and backward in the Y direction along the guide rails 31Y. Therefore, the guide rails 31Y extend from the lot standby tank 65 to the underwater posture change unit 55.

[0077] The full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR is guided by guide rails 31Y and can move forward and backward in the Y direction from a load position IP, which is a position where the lifter LF65 transfers the lot, to a position above the immersion tank where a pusher 55A (described later) of the submersible position change unit 55 receives multiple substrates W. This allows the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR to transport multiple substrates W in the Y direction from the load position IP to a position above the immersion tank. In addition, the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR can also avoid interfering with the second substrate transport mechanism WTR by moving to a position above the immersion tank when the second substrate transport mechanism WTR moves from the transfer block 5 to the batch processing block 7 (see FIG. 2).

[0078] <6.3. Repeater: Underwater converter> The submersible position conversion unit 55 converts the multiple substrates W received from the batch processing device 1 from a vertical position to a horizontal position. The submersible position conversion unit 55 converts the sorted first substrates W1 and second substrates W2 from a vertical position to a horizontal position all at once. The submersible position conversion unit 55 includes an immersion tank 73 that holds pure water, an inversion chuck 71 positioned above the immersion tank 73, and a pair of inversion chuck support mechanisms 72 that hold each of the inversion chucks 71 and raise, lower, and rotate the inversion chucks 71. The inversion chuck 71 can be raised and lowered from a substrate transfer position with the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR, which is set above the liquid surface of the immersion tank 73, to the liquid in the immersion tank 73. The inversion chuck 71 immerses the multiple substrates W received from the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR in the immersion tank 73 and can be rotated 90° in one direction or the other while in that state. The vertical posture of the plurality of substrates W is converted into a horizontal posture by the rotation of the pair of inversion chucks 71.

[0079] The inverting chuck 71 can be changed between a closed state in which it can hold multiple substrates W and an open state in which it releases the held multiple substrates W by the operation of the pair of inverting chuck support mechanisms 72. The inverting chuck 71 can also be rotated 90° in one direction or the other while maintaining its relative positional relationship by the operation of the pair of inverting chuck support mechanisms 72. The inverting chuck 71 can be raised and lowered from above the immersion tank 73 to the liquid in the immersion tank 73 while maintaining its relative positional relationship by the operation of the pair of inverting chuck support mechanisms 72.

[0080] The inverting chuck 71 has a comb-like shape with multiple V-grooves 71a spaced at full pitch intervals, and the pair of inverting chucks 71 holds multiple substrates W from both sides by fitting the substrates W into the V-grooves. When the inverting chucks 71 are in a closed state, each edge of the substrate abuts the deepest part of the V-groove, and even if the inverting chuck 71 is rotated in this state, the substrates W will not slip off the inverting chuck 71. When the inverting chuck 71 is in an open state, the substrates W can be received from the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR, which is waiting above the immersion tank 73 and holding multiple substrates W. The inverting chuck 71 can also be in a state between the closed state and the open state (half-open state), which will be described later.

[0081] <6.4. Relay Device: Relay Transport Mechanism> The relay transport mechanism OTR is a mechanism provided between the loading position IP and the unloading position OP, which receives substrates W in a horizontal position one by one from the submersible position change unit 55 and transports the substrates W along the substrate transport path to the unloading position OP. As shown in FIG. 1, the relay transport mechanism OTR is guided in the Y direction by a relay rail 32Y extending in the Y direction from the submersible position change unit 55 to a rotation adjustment mechanism SRM, which will be described later. The relay transport mechanism OTR has a hand 103. The relay transport mechanism OTR can receive substrates W in a horizontal position one by one from the inversion chuck 71 by facing the hand 103 toward the submersible position change unit 55. The relay transport mechanism OTR can also transport the substrates W using its arm to the unloading position OP of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM.

[0082] <6.5. Relay Device: Operation of Relay Transport Mechanism> The following describes how the relay device 6 transports a substrate W at the loading position IP to the unloading position OP. The unloading position OP is a position determined for transferring the substrate W received at the loading position IP to the single wafer processing device 2. FIG. 5(a) shows how the lifter LF65 holds multiple substrates W at the loading position IP set above the lot standby tank 65. The second substrate transport mechanism WTR transports the substrates to the loading position IP. The multiple substrates W placed on the lifter LF65 are arranged face-to-face, with substrates W whose device surfaces face right and substrates W whose device surfaces face left alternately.

[0083] At this time, if the lifter LF65 is lowered from the loading position IP to the immersion position, the substrates W waiting to be transported in the relay device 6 can be prevented from drying out while the substrates W are being transported one by one.

[0084] 5(a) shows how a plurality of substrates W are handed over in a lump from the lifter LF65 to the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR to be transported to the underwater posture conversion unit 55. At this time, the lifter LF65 supports the plurality of substrates W at the loading position IP, and the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR moves the pair of chucks 30 to positions where they can hold the lot, and closes the chucks 30. At this time, as described above, the chucks 30 can only hold half of the plurality of substrates W arranged at half pitch that make up the lot. Ultimately, the lot is arranged in such a way that the substrates W held by the chucks 30 and the substrates W not held by the chucks 30 are alternately arranged.

[0085] Figure 5(b) shows the state when the lifter LF65 is subsequently lowered from the carry-in position IP to the immersion position. When the lifter LF65 is lowered from the state shown in Figure 5(a), the multiple substrates W arranged at full pitch, which correspond to half of the substrates W constituting the lot, remain in the full-pitch arrayed substrate transport mechanism STR, and the remaining half of the substrates W are returned to the lot standby tank 65 in a full-pitch arrayed state on the lifter LF65. The multiple substrates W remaining in the full-pitch arrayed substrate transport mechanism STR have their device surfaces facing right, and the multiple substrates W held at the immersion position by the lifter LF65 have their device surfaces facing left.

[0086] 6(a) shows the state after that when the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR transports the plurality of substrates W above the immersion tank 73. At this time, the pair of inverting chucks 71 are positioned above the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR, and the rotation angle is the initial state of 0°. In the initial state, the inverting chucks 71 extend horizontally and are capable of receiving the plurality of substrates W in a vertical position.

[0087] FIG. 6(b) shows the state in which the inverting chucks 71 are then lowered to the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR. The operation of this inverting chuck 71 is realized by the inverting chuck support mechanism 72. FIG. 6(b) shows the state in which 25 substrates W are transferred from the chucks 30 of the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR to the inverting chucks 71. That is, the pair of inverting chucks 71 maintain an open state as they are lowered to the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR, and then are closed. The pair of inverting chucks 71 in the open state are spaced apart enough to allow the substrates W to pass through, so they can approach the chucks 30 without coming into contact with the substrates W. The inverting chucks 71 are then closed by the operation of the inverting chuck support mechanism 72, and grip the 25 substrates W. At this time, the 25 substrates W are gripped by both the chucks 30 and the inverting chucks 71. The chucks 30 then open and retract in the Y direction (to the left). In this manner, the substrates W are transferred from the chuck 30 to the inverting chuck 71. Fig. 6(c) shows the state in which the 25 substrates W have been transferred to the inverting chuck 71. The inverting chuck 71 is lowered below the liquid surface of the immersion tank 73, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 6(c), and the 25 substrates W are immersed in the pure water held in the immersion tank 73.

[0088] FIG. 7(a) shows the state in which the inversion chuck 71 is then rotated 90° with the 25 substrates W immersed in the pure water. This movement of the inversion chuck 71 is realized by the inversion chuck support mechanism 72. FIG. 7(b) shows the state in which the inversion chuck 71 has completed the 90° rotation. In this way, the device surfaces of the 25 substrates W immersed in the immersion tank 73 and facing in the Y direction (leftward) are rotated 90° and now face upward. By tilting the substrates W in this manner, the substrates W can be placed in a horizontal position with the device surfaces facing upward. The substrates W in the horizontal position will then be transported with the device surfaces facing upward.

[0089] FIG. 7(c) shows the state when the inverting chuck 71 subsequently moves one of the 25 substrates W above the liquid surface in the immersion tank 73. This operation of the inverting chuck 71 is realized by the inverting chuck support mechanism 72. As shown in FIG. 7(c), only one substrate W is above the liquid surface, and the remaining 24 substrates W are below the liquid surface in the immersion tank 73. This configuration prevents the 24 substrates W from drying out while waiting to be transported. The one substrate W above the liquid surface is transported to the unloading position OP by the relay transport mechanism OTR while maintaining its horizontal position. Thereafter, the inverting chuck support mechanism 72 raises the pair of inverting chucks 71 by a height equivalent to a full pitch each time the relay transport mechanism OTR transports a substrate W. By repeating this operation, all 25 substrates W are transported to the unloading position OP by the relay transport mechanism OTR.

[0090] The opening and closing operation of the inverting chucks 71 in each state shown in FIGS. 5(a) to 7(c) will be described. As described above, the pair of inverting chucks 71 in the states shown in FIGS. 5(a) to 6(a) are in an open state and are not able to grip a substrate W. In the open state, the inverting chucks 71 can pass through the substrate W, and therefore can move to the position shown in FIG. 6(b) without colliding with the substrate W. In FIG. 6(b), the pair of inverting chucks 71 switches from the open state to the closed state. At this time, each of the V-grooves of the pair of inverting chucks 71 receives and abuts the edges of the 25 substrates W arranged at full pitch. Because the V-grooves are arranged at full pitch, the 25 substrates W arranged at full pitch can easily fit into each V-groove. The manner in which the substrates W fit into each V-groove is described in detail in FIG. 12(a). 6(c) to 7(b), the pair of inverting chucks 71 are in a closed state, and are holding the substrate W. In this state, even if the inverting chucks 71 are rotated, the held substrate W will not fall.

[0091] To achieve the state shown in Fig. 7(c), some measure is required to prevent the substrate W waiting in the immersion tank 73 from dropping while allowing the substrate W to be transported by the relay transport mechanism OTR. Therefore, according to this embodiment, in the state shown in Fig. 7(c), the pair of inversion chucks 71 are set to a half-open state. This achieves a state in which the substrate W is supported so that it can be removed. The half-open state will be described in detail in Figs. 12(c) and 12(d).

[0092] FIG. 8(a) shows the state where the lifter LF65 subsequently holds multiple substrates W at a loading position IP set above the lot standby tank 65. The second substrate transport mechanism WTR transports the substrates to the loading position IP. The 25 substrates W placed on the lifter LF65 are arranged at full pitch with their device surfaces facing right. These substrates W are the substrates W left in the lot standby tank 65 in FIG. 5(b). From FIG. 8(a) onward, the state of transporting these 25 substrates W will be described. Note that FIG. 8(a) shows the state when the transport of the horizontally oriented substrates described in FIG. 7(c) is completed and the pair of inverting chucks 71 have returned to the initial state shown in FIG. 5(a). The pair of inverting chucks 71 in the initial state are extended in the Y direction and are capable of introducing vertically oriented substrates W, and are positioned above the immersion tank 73.

[0093] Figure 8(b) is a diagram corresponding to Figure 5(b) described above and shows the state in which 25 substrates W have been transferred to the chucks 30 of the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR. Figure 9(a) is a diagram corresponding to Figure 6(a) described above and shows the state in which the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR has moved the 25 substrates W to a position where they are sandwiched between the immersion tank 73 and the pair of inverting chucks 71. Figure 9(b) is a diagram corresponding to Figure 6(b) described above and shows the state in which the 25 substrates W are transferred from the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR to the pair of inverting chucks 71. Figure 9(c) is a diagram corresponding to Figure 6(c) described above and shows the state in which the 25 substrates W supported by the pair of inverting chucks 71 are above the immersion tank 73.

[0094] FIG. 10(a) shows the state in which the inversion chuck 71 is then rotated by −90° with the 25 substrates W immersed in the pure water. This movement of the inversion chuck 71 is realized by the inversion chuck support mechanism 72. FIG. 10(b) shows the state in which the inversion chuck 71 has completed the −90° rotation. In this way, the device surfaces of the 25 substrates W immersed in the immersion tank 73 and facing in the Y direction (to the right) are rotated by 90° and now face upward. By tilting the substrates W in this manner, the substrates W can be placed in a horizontal position with the device surfaces facing upward. The substrates W in the horizontal position will then be transported with the device surfaces facing upward.

[0095] Figure 10(c) is a diagram corresponding to Figure 7(c) described above, and shows a state in which the pair of inverting chucks 71 are in a half-open state, with only the uppermost substrate W exposed above the liquid surface of the immersion tank 73. Thereafter, the inverting chuck support mechanism 72 raises the pair of inverting chucks 71 by a height equivalent to a full pitch each time the relay transport mechanism OTR transports a substrate W. By repeating this operation, all 25 substrates W are transported to the unloading position OP by the relay transport mechanism OTR.

[0096] Hereinafter, the manner in which the relay transport mechanism OTR transports the substrate W in a horizontal position from the inverting chuck 71 in the state shown in Figures 7(c) and 10(c) will be described. Figure 11(a) shows the state when the relay transport mechanism OTR has moved close to the immersion tank 73 to transport the substrate W. As shown in Figure 11(a), the hand 103 of the relay transport mechanism OTR includes a slide mechanism 102 that moves the hand 103 forward and backward, and a support mechanism 101 that supports the slide mechanism 102. The slide mechanism 102 supports the base of the hand 103 and can move the hand 103 forward as shown in Figure 11(b) or backward as shown in Figure 11(d). The support mechanism 101 can move the slide mechanism 102 and the hand 103 back and forth in the Y direction. Furthermore, the support mechanism 101 can rotate the hand 103 by 180 degrees, so that the hand 103 can face the immersion tank 73 side or the unloading position OP side.

[0097] 11(b) shows a state in which the hand 103 is inserted between the substrate W above the liquid surface and the substrate W below the liquid surface by the slide mechanism 102. When the hand 103 is in the state shown in FIG. 11(b), it is ready to acquire the substrate W in a horizontal position. At this time, the slide mechanism 102 moves from the initial position to the advanced position.

[0098] 11(c) shows a state in which the pair of inverting chucks 71 are lowered while maintaining their relative positions, and the substrate W on the liquid surface is brought into contact with the upper surface of the hand 103. In this way, by lowering the inverting chucks 71 to allow the hand 103 to acquire the substrate W, the relay transport mechanism OTR can be configured without the need for a configuration for moving the hand 103 up and down, and therefore a substrate processing system with a simple device configuration and few malfunctions can be provided.

[0099] 11(d) shows the state when the hand 103, having acquired the substrate W, is retracted by the slide mechanism 102 to the support mechanism 101 of the relay transport mechanism OTR. The pair of reversing chucks 71 are in a half-open state, and therefore support the substrate W held in the liquid while allowing the hand 103 to pull out the substrate W. At this time, the slide mechanism 102 moves from the advanced position to the initial position.

[0100] The half-open state of the pair of inverting chucks 71 will be described. Fig. 12(a) is a cross-sectional view illustrating the state immediately after 25 substrates W have been rotated 90° or -90° as shown in Figs. 7(b) and 10(b). At this time, the pair of inverting chucks 71 are in a closed state, and both ends of the substrates W have reached the deepest part of the V-groove 71a. If the pair of inverting chucks 71 press both ends of the substrates W to fix them in this way, the 25 substrates W will not slip off the pair of inverting chucks 71.

[0101] Figure 12(b) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the above-mentioned Figure 11(b). With the pair of inversion chucks 71 in a closed state, the hand 103 is inserted between the substrates W. Note that in Figure 12(b) and the following Figures 12(c) and 12(d), the liquid level in the immersion tank 73 is omitted.

[0102] FIG. 12(c) shows a state in which the pair of inverting chucks 71, which were in a closed state, have slightly separated and are now in a half-open state. When the pair of inverting chucks 71 are in the half-open state, both ends of the substrate W move from the deepest part of the V-groove and abut against the walls that define the V-groove. In this state, the substrate W will not slip off the inverting chucks 71 unless the inverting chucks 71 are rotated, and the substrate W itself is not fixed to the inverting chucks 71. Therefore, when the pair of inverting chucks 71 are in the half-open state, it is possible to hold a substrate W waiting in the liquid and transfer one substrate W to the hand 103 on the liquid surface. However, in the state shown in FIG. 12(c), the hand 103 has not yet abutted against the substrate W, and therefore, in order to transfer the substrate W to the hand 103, the substrate W must be lowered relative to the hand 103.

[0103] Fig. 12(d) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the above-mentioned Fig. 11(c). In Fig. 12(d), the pair of inverting chucks 71 are slightly lowered from the state shown in Fig. 12(c), causing the substrate W to come into contact with the hand 103. In the state shown in Fig. 12(d), the substrate W is placed on the hand 103 and is located away from the wall surface of the V-groove 71a of the inverting chuck 71. In other words, in the state shown in Fig. 12(d), the substrate W is not in contact with the inverting chuck 71. Therefore, if the slide mechanism 102 is operated to move the hand 103 in this state, the substrate W is pulled out without coming into contact with the inverting chuck 71.

[0104] FIG. 13(a) shows the state of the substrate W in a horizontal position obtained from the pair of inversion chucks 71. The substrate processing system of this embodiment has a configuration for retaining water on the substrate W midway through the substrate transport path in the relay device 6. The shower head 69 supplies a mist of pure water to the substrate W. The shower head 69 is also depicted in FIG. 1, so it can be understood by referring to this. The tray 105 is a square-plate-shaped member inserted into the gap between the hand 103 and the support mechanism 101, and retains the pure water supplied from the shower head 69 and dripping from the substrate W. Since the tray 105 interferes with the operation of the slide mechanism 102, when the slide mechanism 102 operates as shown in FIGS. 11(b) and 11(c), the tray 105 retreats in the X direction relative to the slide mechanism 102. The tray moving mechanism 108 is configured to realize the operation of the tray 105.

[0105] 13(b) shows the state when the relay transport mechanism OTR transports the substrate W in the Y direction and moves close to the unloading position OP. At this time, the hand 103, holding the substrate W, faces the immersion tank 73 and the inversion chuck 71.

[0106] 13(c) shows the state after that when the support mechanism 101 of the relay transport mechanism OTR rotates 180° around the rotation axis 104 extending in the Z direction. By such operation of the support mechanism 101, the hand 103, which had been facing the immersion tank 73 side, now faces the unloading position OP side.

[0107] 14(a) shows a state where the slide mechanism 102 subsequently performs a sliding operation, and the hand 103 gripping the substrate W moves to the unloading position OP. At this time, the substrate W is positioned at the unloading position OP defined in the substrate processing system. Also, at this time, the slide mechanism 102 moves from the initial position to the advanced position.

[0108] The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is a mechanism provided directly below the unloading position OP. The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM has multiple (e.g., three) support pins 111 extending in the Z direction. The support pins 111 are capable of freely extending and retracting in the Z direction. Each of the support pins 111 extends and retracts synchronously so that their tips are at the same height. The bottom plate 110 is configured to support the base ends of the support pins 111. In FIG. 14(a), the tips of the support pins 111 are located below the unloading position OP.

[0109] 14(b) shows a state where the support pins 111 are subsequently extended and the substrate W supported by the hand 103 is moved to above the unloading position OP. In this way, the substrate W is transferred from the hand 103 to the support pins 111.

[0110] 14(c) shows a state where the slide mechanism 102 subsequently returns to the initial position from the advanced position and the hand 103 retreats from the unloading position OP. The substrate W is supported by the support pins 111 above the unloading position OP.

[0111] In this way, each of the substrates W constituting the lot that has been loaded into the loading position IP in the relay device 6 is placed in a horizontal position and transported one by one to the unloading position OP. The substrates W that have been transported to the unloading position OP are moved to above the unloading position OP by the support pins 111 of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM, and then their positions are adjusted by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM.

[0112] <6.6. Relay device: Notch orientation> The following describes how the orientation of the notches on the substrates W changes during the substrate transport described above. The following description assumes that the notches on the substrates W stored in the carrier C described in FIG. 1 all face leftward, as an example. FIG. 15 schematically illustrates how the orientation of the notches changes. The batch processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is configured to combine groups of substrates stored in two carriers C to form a lot, perform batch processing, and then release the batch assembly from the lot, position the substrates W horizontally, and transport the substrates W one by one to the single-wafer processing apparatus 2. In FIG. 15, 25 first substrates W1 are stored at full pitch in the first carrier C1, and 25 second substrates W2 are stored at full pitch in the second carrier C2. These first substrates W1 and second substrates 2W2 are the groups of substrates that are the target of batch assembly when forming a lot.

[0113] The notches N1 of the first substrates W1 stored in the first carrier C1 all face left. The orientation of these notches N1 does not change even when the first substrate W1 is gripped by the first substrate transport mechanism HTR. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR rotates the first substrate W1 by 90 degrees counterclockwise in order to deliver the first substrate W1 to the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. As a result, the notches N1, which had been facing left, now face the rear of the substrate processing system.

[0114] The first substrate transport mechanism HTR then delivers the first substrates W1 all at once to the HVC attitude conversion unit 23. The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 rotates the delivered substrates by 90 degrees, but at this time the orientation of the notch N1 remains unchanged because it is positioned on the central axis of rotation of the first substrate W1. Therefore, the orientation of the notch N1 does not change depending on the operation of the HVC attitude conversion unit 23.

[0115] The first substrate W1, which has been brought into a vertical position by the HVC position conversion unit 23, is handed over to the pusher 25A. The pusher 25A then rotates the first substrate W1 180° around the Z axis, as described in FIG. 3(d). At this time, the notch N1 is no longer positioned on the central axis of rotation, so the orientation of the notch N1 changes. Specifically, the notch N1, which was facing rearward, now faces forward.

[0116] On the other hand, the notches N2 of the second substrates W2 stored in the second carrier C2 all face left, just like the notches N1. The orientation of these notches N2 is changed to face backward by the first substrate transport mechanism HTR and the substrates are delivered to the HVC attitude conversion unit 23.

[0117] The second substrate W2, which has been brought into a vertical position by the HVC position conversion unit 23, is placed on the pusher 25A that has been rotated by 180°, as described in Fig. 3(e). At this time, the orientation of the notch N2 remains unchanged.

[0118] In this way, the notch N1 of the first substrate W1 constituting the formed lot faces forward, while the notch N2 of the second substrate W2 constituting the lot faces backward. Since the first substrates W1 and the second substrates W2 are alternately arranged in the lot, the substrates W constituting the lot are alternately arranged with those having notches facing backward and those having notches facing forward. The substrates W constituting the lot are arranged face-to-face.

[0119] FIG. 16 shows the process by which a lot that has completed various batch processes in the batch processing block 7 is transformed into a horizontal position by a pair of inverting chucks 71. First, the lot is divided into an array of first substrates W1 and an array of second substrates W2. At this time, the orientation of the notches N1 and N2 does not change. Next, the orientation of the first substrate W1 is transformed, and the first substrate W1 assumes a horizontal position. At this time, the first substrate W1 is rotated 90°, but because the orientation of the notch N1 coincides with the rotation axis, the orientation of the notch N1 does not change. Similarly, the orientation of the second substrate W2 is transformed, and the second substrate W2 assumes a horizontal position. At this time, the second substrate W2 is rotated −90°, but because the orientation of the notch N2 is parallel to the rotation axis, the orientation of the notch N2 does not change. Ultimately, the misalignment of the orientations observed between the notches N1 and N2 cannot be resolved by the operation of the inverting chucks 71. If the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 were transported to the single-wafer processing apparatus 2 in this state, the single-wafer processing would end with the notch orientations not matching, and the first substrate W1 would be returned to the carrier C placed on the second load port 10. Similarly, the second substrate W2 would be returned to another carrier C placed on the second load port 10. In each of the carriers C, the notch orientations of the substrates W accommodated are the same, but when comparing the carriers C, the notch orientations differ by 180°.

[0120] To resolve such a mismatch, the substrate processing system of this embodiment is provided with a rotation adjustment mechanism SRM in the relay device 6. The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM has the function of uniformly aligning the orientations of the notches N1 and N2 by rotating the second substrate W2 by 180° without rotating the first substrate W1.

[0121] <6.7. Relay device: Configuration of rotation adjustment mechanism> Next, the configuration of the rotation adjustment mechanism will be described. When the orientation of the notch in the first substrate W1, which has been converted to a horizontal position by the underwater position conversion unit 55, differs from the orientation of the notch in the second substrate W2, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM rotates the second substrate W2 at an angle different from the rotation angle of the first substrate W1, thereby aligning the orientation of the notch in the first substrate W1 with the orientation of the notch in the second substrate W2. FIG. 17 is a view of the single-wafer processing apparatus 2 as seen from the batch processing apparatus 1 side. As shown in this figure, the single-wafer processing chambers are stacked in the Z direction to form a stack. For example, single-wafer processing chamber 49c is located above single-wafer processing chamber 48c, and single-wafer processing chamber 47c is located below single-wafer processing chamber 48c. Similarly, another single-wafer processing chamber is located above single-wafer processing chamber 48a, and another single-wafer processing chamber is located below single-wafer processing chamber 48a. Another single wafer processing chamber is arranged above single wafer processing chamber 48b, and another single wafer processing chamber is arranged below single wafer processing chamber 48a. The single wafer processing chambers are configured to process horizontally oriented substrates W one by one, and details will be described later.

[0122] 17 also illustrates that relay device 6 is disposed in a position sandwiched between single wafer processing chambers from above and below. That is, single wafer processing chamber 49d is disposed above relay device 6, and single wafer processing chamber 47d is disposed below relay device 6.

[0123] In this manner, the single wafer processing chambers of this embodiment include a first stack of three single wafer processing chambers, including single wafer processing chamber 48a, arranged in the Z direction, a second stack of three single wafer processing chambers, including single wafer processing chamber 48b, arranged in the Z direction, and a third stack of three single wafer processing chambers, including single wafer processing chamber 48c, arranged in the Z direction. The single wafer processing apparatus 2 of this embodiment includes two single wafer processing chambers located on either side of the relay apparatus 6 in the Z direction. Therefore, the single wafer processing apparatus 2 includes nine single wafer processing chambers that make up the stack, and two single wafer processing chambers located above and below the relay apparatus 6, for a total of 11 single wafer processing chambers.

[0124] 17, the shielding plate 16 is a part of the second wall 2B of the single wafer processing apparatus 2, and is located in a position surrounded by the relay device 6, the single wafer processing chambers 47d and 49d located above and below the relay device 6, and the indexer block 4. The shielding plate 16 is provided to cover a rectangular opening that cannot be closed by the relay device 6, which is shorter in the X direction than the single wafer processing chambers 47d and 49d. If the shielding plate 16 is provided on the indexer block 4 side, the relay device 6 can be positioned on the center robot CR1 side, so that the substrate W received from the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM at the unloading position OP can be transferred to the single wafer processing chamber without moving the center robot CR1 in the X direction.

[0125] The hand of the center robot CR1 that holds the substrate W in a horizontal position can move in the Z direction while maintaining the position of the substrate W. By configuring the center robot CR1 in this manner, the substrate W received from the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM can be delivered to the single wafer processing chambers located above and below the relay device 6. By providing the relay device 6 in the middle layer of the stack of single wafer processing chambers, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is located at the middle position of the single wafer processing block 8 in the Z direction. With this configuration, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is located in the vicinity of both the upper and lower single wafer processing chambers, so there is no need to move the center robot CR1 a long distance in the Z direction when transporting the substrate, and the substrate W can be quickly transported from the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM to the single wafer processing chamber.

[0126] The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM includes a plurality of support pins 111 that can raise and lower the substrate W between an upper first position P1 and a lower second position P2. The support pins 111 synchronously extend and retract, moving the substrate W between an intermediate position P3 that is an intermediate position between the first position P1 and the second position P2. The support pins 111 raise the substrate W held by the relay transport mechanism OTR to the first position P1 to receive the substrate W from the relay transport mechanism OTR, and lower the received substrate W to the second position P2 to place it on the turntable 113. The first position P1, the second position P2, and the intermediate position P3 correspond to the unloading positions of the present invention. This configuration will be described in detail below.

[0127] As shown in Figure 18(a), the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM has a turntable 113 on which a substrate W in a horizontal position can be placed. The turntable 113 has a disk-shaped central portion 113a and three extension portions 113b extending radially from the central portion 113a. The turntable 113 can rotate around the central portion 113a, and the turntable 113 rotates around the Z axis. The three extension portions 113b rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the central portion 113a.

[0128] The center 113a of the rotating table 113 is arranged to avoid the support pins 111, and this point will be explained below. The support pins 111 are arranged at positions away from the periphery of the center 113a of the rotating table 113. The three support pins 111 are arranged at positions corresponding to the vertices of an equilateral triangle whose center of gravity coincides with the center of rotation of the rotating table 113, and the center 113a of the rotating table 113 does not interfere with the support pins 111 even when it rotates.

[0129] The extension portion 113b of the turntable 113 is configured to ensure that the substrate W is placed in a horizontal position. It is located at a position that avoids the multiple extension portions that extend from the center of rotation of the turntable 113 in its initial position. The tip of the extension portion 113b is configured to protrude from the substrate W when the substrate W is placed in a horizontal position on the turntable 113, and is configured to ensure that three points on the periphery of the substrate W are supported. The extension portion 113b is sufficiently elongated to minimize interference with the support pins 111. When the turntable 113 is rotated, a state occurs in which the position of the extension portion 113b and the position of the support pins 111 coincide. Because the support pins 111 are contracted in the initial state, rotating the turntable 113 does not cause the extension portion 113b to immediately collide with the support pins 111. However, if the support pin 111 is extended while the extension portion 113b is stopped at a position where it overlaps with the support pin 111, the support pin 111 will collide with the extension portion 113b. Therefore, there is a range of angles within which the turntable 113 cannot be stopped. In this embodiment, the extension portion 113b is sufficiently elongated, so this range of angles is as small as possible.

[0130] The support pins 111 are provided at positions where they do not interfere with the relay transport mechanism OTR entering above the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM. That is, the three support pins 111 in the initial state are positioned in the space sandwiched between the pair of hands 103 positioned at the unloading position OP. In this way, the support pins 111 and the hands 103 do not collide when the support pins 111 receive the substrate W at the unloading position OP. The support pins 111 in the initial state are positioned below the second position P2 set below the unloading position OP. The second position P2 is described in detail in FIG. 24(a).

[0131] The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is provided with a turntable 113 at the unloading position OP that can adjust the position of the notch in the substrate W by rotating the horizontally oriented substrates one by one. FIG. 18(b) shows a more detailed configuration of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM. As shown in FIG. 18(b), the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is provided with a turntable 113 on which the substrate W is placed, a rotation shaft 114 that extends in the Z direction and rotatably supports the turntable 113, and a rotation shaft drive motor 114m that drives the rotation shaft 114. In FIG. 18(b), the extension portion 113b of the turntable 113 is omitted. The rotation drive motor 114m is attached to the bottom plate 110 of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM.

[0132] A support pin extension / retraction mechanism 112 that extends and retracts the support pin 111 is provided at the base of each support pin 111. The support pin extension / retraction mechanism 112 is attached to the bottom plate 110. The three support pin extension / retraction mechanisms 112 operate synchronously to operate each support pin 111 while maintaining the tips of the support pins 111 at the same height. Therefore, the three support pins 111 can extend and retract while supporting the substrate W in a horizontal position. In FIG. 18(b), each support pin 111 is in a contracted state, and the tips of each support pin 111 are located below the turntable 113. The support pin extension / retraction mechanisms 112 synchronously extend the support pins 111, and each support pin 111 is in an extended state as shown in FIG. 20(b), and the tips of each support pin 111 are located above the turntable 113. In FIG. 18(b), one of the three support pins 111 is not shown. The support pins 111 and the support pin extension / retraction mechanism 112 correspond to the substrate lifting mechanism of the present invention.

[0133] The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM includes a substrate shift mechanism that shifts the substrate W at the first position P1 so that the center of the substrate W coincides with the center of rotation of the turntable 113. The substrate shift mechanism includes positioning chucks 115 having an L-shaped cross section and a moving mechanism 115a that moves the pair of positioning chucks 115 back and forth in the radial direction of the substrate W. The positioning chucks 115 are provided on both the right and left sides of the substrate W, and are configured to hold both ends of the substrate W. In the initial state, the pair of positioning chucks 115 are in an open state, and the positioning chucks 115 are spaced apart from each other. When the pair of positioning chucks 115 approach each other, they enter a closed state as shown in FIG. 22(b), and clamp the substrate W from both sides. The pair of positioning chucks 115 can also be in a half-open state as shown in FIG. 22(a), and details of this state will be described later. The positioning chuck support 116 is a member that supports the positioning chuck 115, and has a slide surface on which the positioning chuck 115 can slide. The positioning chuck 115 is located below the tip of the support pin 111 in an extended state. The positioning chuck support 116 is attached to the bottom plate 110.

[0134] The water supply nozzle 117 is provided for the purpose of supplying pure water to the device surface of the substrate W. The water supply nozzle 117 is located above the center of the substrate and is configured to spray pure water onto the substrate W. The water supply nozzle 117 is connected to an L-shaped water supply pipe 118a. The water supply pipe 118a is extendable and retractable in the Z direction. The water supply pipe 118a is operated by a water supply pipe drive mechanism 118b. The water supply pipe drive mechanism 118b is attached to the bottom plate 110. The water supply nozzle 117, the water supply pipe 118, and the water supply pipe drive mechanism 118b constitute a pure water supply mechanism of the present invention. The pure water supply mechanism is configured to supply pure water to the substrate W received by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM. With this configuration, the substrate W will not dry out during operation by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM.

[0135] The guard 119 is provided to prevent the pure water sprayed from the water supply nozzle 117 from reaching each driving mechanism. The guard 119 has a circular bottom plate and a cylindrical main body connected to an end of the bottom plate. The support pin 111 is inserted into a through-hole provided in the bottom plate of the guard 119, and a waterproof member (not shown) is provided in the through-hole to prevent pure water from leaking from a gap between the support pin 111 and the bottom plate of the guard 119.

[0136] <6.8. Relay device: Operation of rotation adjustment mechanism> The operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM will be described below. The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM receives the substrate W in a horizontal position from the substrate W unloading position OP in the relay transport mechanism OTR, rotates the substrate W by a predetermined angle, and then hands the substrate W to the center robot CR1 of the single-wafer processing apparatus 2. Figure 19 is a flowchart explaining the operation of these rotation adjustment mechanisms SRM in detail. The operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM will be described below with reference to Figure 19.

[0137] Step S11: First, the relay transport mechanism OTR transports the substrate W in a horizontal position to the unloading position OP (intermediate position P3). At this time, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is in its initial state. In the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM in its initial state, the support pins 111 are in their contracted state, the pair of positioning chucks 115 are in their open state, and the water supply pipe 118a is in its extended state. The unloading position OP is set above the turntable 113 and below the positioning chucks 115. Therefore, the substrate W located at the unloading position OP is located above the tips of the support pins 111 in their contracted state and below the tips of the support pins 111 in their extended state. However, in the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM in its initial state, the support pins 111 and the water supply nozzles 117 are not located at the unloading position OP, so the relay transport mechanism OTR can position the substrate W at the unloading position OP without colliding with these components. Figure 20(a) shows the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM in this step. As shown in Figure 20(a), the unloading position OP is sandwiched between the turntable 113 and the water supply nozzle 117. Reference numeral 103 in Figure 20(a) denotes a hand of the relay transport mechanism OTR. Note that the guard 119 described in Figure 18(b) is omitted from Figure 20(a). Hereinafter, the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM will be explained with the guard 119 omitted as appropriate.

[0138] 20(a) to 28 illustrate how the notch N2 described in Fig. 16 is rotated by 180°. In Fig. 20(a), the notch N2 is positioned on the right side of the substrate W. Hereinafter, the position of the notch N2 will be indicated in the figures as appropriate.

[0139] Step S12: Figure 20(b) shows a state when the support pins 111 are subsequently extended, thereby moving the substrate W to the first position P1. When the support pins 111 are extended, their tips come into contact with the substrate W, and then the substrate W is moved upward. In this way, the substrate W is transferred from the hand 103 of the relay transport mechanism OTR to the support pins 111 of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM. Thereafter, the support pins 111 are extended, and the substrate W is positioned above the pair of positioning chucks 115. At this time, the pair of positioning chucks 115 are in an open state, and are spaced apart enough to allow the substrate W to pass through.

[0140] Step S13: Figure 21(a) shows the state when the hand 103 of the relay transport mechanism OTR is subsequently retracted from the unloading position OP. Once the hand 103 has retracted in the Y direction, the support pins 111 expand and contract, allowing the substrate W to be placed on the turntable 113. The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM of the embodiment can align the substrate W in the X and Y directions before placing the substrate W on the turntable 113. The subsequent steps S14 to S18 are processes related to the alignment of the substrate W.

[0141] 21(b) shows a state when the pair of positioning chucks 115 are in a half-open state and are ready to receive the substrate W. When the pair of positioning chucks 115 are in a half-open state, the substrate W cannot pass between the positioning chucks 115. Therefore, when the substrate W located above the positioning chucks 115 (first position P1) is moved downward, the substrate W comes into contact with the upper surface of the positioning chucks 115. Because the positioning chucks 115 are in a half-open state and not in a closed state, the substrate W is not clamped by the positioning chucks 115, but is simply placed on the positioning chucks 115.

[0142] 22(a) shows the state when the support pins 111 are subsequently contracted. When the support pins 111 are contracted, the substrate W that was supported by the support pins 111 is transferred to the positioning chuck 115. A gap is provided between the side surface of the positioning chuck 115 and the peripheral edge of the substrate W, so that the substrate W is not clamped by the positioning chuck 115 at this point.

[0143] Step S16: FIG. 22(b) shows the state when the positioning chucks 115 are subsequently closed. When the pair of positioning chucks 115 are closed, both ends of the substrate W abut against the respective side surfaces of the positioning chucks 115. In this manner, the substrate W is clamped between the pair of positioning chucks 115. At this time, the right end of the substrate W is pushed leftward by the right positioning chuck 115, and the left end of the substrate W is pushed rightward by the left positioning chuck 115. Even if the substrate W is close to the right positioning chuck 115 and the gap between the substrate W and the positioning chucks 115 is different on the left and right, the substrate W is pushed by the pair of positioning chucks 115 and is set in a predetermined position. This situation is the same even if the substrate W is close to the left positioning chuck 115. In other words, centering of the substrate W is performed when the pair of positioning chucks 115 is changed from the half-open state to the closed state. The contact portions of the positioning chucks 115 that come into contact with the substrate W are arc-shaped, so that the pair of positioning chucks 115 can center the substrate W not only in the X direction but also in the Y direction.

[0144] Step S17: FIG. 23(a) shows the state when the support pins 111 are subsequently extended. When the support pins 111 are extended, the substrate W abuts against the tips of the support pins 111 and is pushed to the first position P1, whereby the substrate W is then extracted from the positioning chucks 115. In this manner, the support pins 111 can retrieve the centered substrate W from the pair of positioning chucks 115. Because the closed positioning chucks 115 clamp the substrate W with weak force, the substrate W is easily separated from the positioning chucks 115 when the support pins 111 push up the substrate W. Furthermore, because the positioning chucks 115 are L-shaped, the positioning chucks 115 do not have any members that would prevent the substrate W abutting against the side surfaces of the positioning chucks 115 from rising. Therefore, the substrate W is easily extracted from the positioning chucks 115 by the support pins 111.

[0145] 23(b) shows that the pair of positioning chucks 115 are then opened. The positioning chucks 115 in the open state are spaced apart enough to allow the substrate W to pass through. In this way, preparations are complete for moving the substrate W from the positioning chucks 115 to the turntable 113.

[0146] Step S19: Figure 24(a) shows the state when the support pins 111 subsequently return to their contracted state. When the support pins 111 are in their contracted state, the tips of the support pins 111 are positioned below the upper surface of the turntable 113. At this time, the substrate W abuts against the turntable 113 as the support pins 111 contract, and is no longer supported by the support pins 111. In this manner, the substrate W is transferred from the support pins 111 to the turntable 113. Since the turntable 113 is located at the second position P2, the substrate W transferred to the turntable 113 is also located at the second position P2. The substrate W transferred to the turntable 113 has already been subjected to centering processing by the positioning chuck 115. Therefore, when the substrate W is placed on the turntable 113, the center of rotation of the turntable 113 coincides with the center of the substrate W.

[0147] Step S20: FIG. 24(b) shows the state when the turntable 113 is subsequently rotated 180°, and the notch N2, which was located at the right end of the substrate W, is moved to the left end of the substrate W. In this manner, the position of the notch N2 of the second substrate W2 is changed by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM. FIGS. 25(a) and 25(b) are plan views illustrating step S20. FIG. 25(a) shows the state of the turntable 113 before rotation, and FIG. 25(b) shows the state of the turntable 113 after rotation. As shown in FIG. 25(a), the extension portion 113b of the turntable 113 is positioned to avoid the support pins 111. This position is the initial position of the extension portion 113b, and the initial position is set so that the extension portion 113b does not collide with the support pins 111 when the support pins 111 are in an extended state, as in steps S12, S13, S14, S17, and S18. The rotating table 113 rotates 180° around the Z axis from the state shown in Figure 25(a) to the state shown in Figure 25(b). At this time, the support pin 111 is in a contracted state, so the tip of the support pin 111 does not collide with the extension part 113b of the rotating table 113.

[0148] 25(b), after rotation, the extension portion 113b of the turntable 113 is in a position that avoids the support pin 111. This position is the position of the extension portion 113b after the rotational action, and the position after the rotational action is set so that the extension portion 113b does not collide with the support pin 111 when the support pin 111 is in an extended state as in steps S22 and S23 described below.

[0149] 25(a) and 25(b) alternately during the rotation of the second substrate W2, and this will be described below. In FIG. 25(a), the turntable 113 was in its initial position when the substrate W was received, but after the substrate W has been rotated 180°, the turntable 113 is in its post-rotation position. The rotated substrate W is eventually transported by the center robot CR1 of the single-wafer processing apparatus 2, and the turntable 113 is left behind by the substrate W. Since there are multiple second substrates W2 that require rotation, the next second substrate W2 will be placed on the turntable 113. At this time, the turntable 113 is in the post-rotation position described in FIG. 25(b). In this case, the turntable 113 rotates 180° and returns to its initial position. Then, the second substrate W2 placed on the turntable 113 is rotated 180°, and the position of the notch N2 is adjusted. In this way, the turntable 113 performs the rotation process of the plurality of second substrates W successively while alternately repeating between the initial position and the position after the rotation operation.

[0150] Step S21: Figure 26(a) explains the operation when pure water is supplied to the substrate W after the rotation operation. To supply pure water to the substrate W, first, the water supply nozzle 117 is lowered and approaches the substrate W. Then, pure water is sprayed radially from the water supply nozzle 117. The range that the pure water reaches is wide enough to supply pure water to the entire substrate W. The pure water supplied to the substrate W drips down the substrate W and is received by a guard 119 provided below the substrate W.

[0151] 26(b) shows the state when the support pins 111 are then extended and the substrate W is raised to the first position P1. At this time, the water supply nozzle 117 has returned to its initial position determined above the positioning chuck 115 so as not to collide with the rising substrate W. By separating the substrate W from the turntable 113 in this way, the substrate W is ready to be picked up by the center robot CR1 of the single-wafer processing apparatus 2.

[0152] Step S23: Figure 27(a) shows the state when the hand 32 of the center robot CR1 subsequently enters the space (intermediate position P3) between the turntable 113 and the substrate W. Like the hand 103 of the relay transport mechanism OTR, the hand 32 of the center robot CR1 is configured to hold the edge of the substrate W so as not to collide with the support pins 111. In this way, the center robot CR1 is ready to acquire the substrate W.

[0153] Step S24: Figure 27(b) shows the state when the support pins 111 are subsequently retracted and the substrate W is lowered. When the support pins 111 are retracted, the tips of the support pins 111 are positioned lower than the upper surface of the hand 32 of the center robot CR1, which is waiting at the intermediate position P3. At this time, the substrate W abuts against the hand 32 as the support pins 111 retract, and is no longer supported by the support pins 111. The substrate W is then handed over from the support pins 111 to the center robot CR1. The center robot CR1 takes the substrate W into the single-wafer processing apparatus 2, completing the transport of the second substrate W2. Figure 28 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the hand 32 of the center robot CR1 and the support pins 111, and corresponds to Figure 18(a). As can be seen from Figures 18(a) and 28, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is provided with a separate entrance for the hand 103 of the relay transport mechanism OTR and an exit for the hand 32 of the center robot CR1.

[0154] Thereafter, steps S11 to S24 are repeated, and all of the second substrates W2 held by the pair of reversing chucks 71 are transported to the single-wafer processing apparatus 2. When transporting the first substrate W1 to the single-wafer processing apparatus 2, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM repeats the operations of steps S11 to S19 and steps S21 to S24, excluding step S20, described in Fig. 19. The difference between the transport method for the first substrate W1 and the transport method for the second substrate W2 is whether or not the rotation operation of the substrate W described in Figs. 24(b), 25(a), and 25(b) is performed.

[0155] <7. Single wafer processing equipment: Indexer block> The indexer block 4 is adjacent to the second load port 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the indexer block 4 is equipped with the second load port 10 on which a carrier C is placed, which stores multiple substrates W in a horizontal position and at a predetermined interval in a vertical direction. Therefore, the second load port 10 is a mounting table for the carrier C. The second load port 10 is used to mount a carrier C that stores multiple substrates W for which single-substrate processing has been completed. The single-substrate processing apparatus 2 of this embodiment is configured to receive batch-processed substrates W from the relay apparatus 6 without going through the second load port 10, so the second load port 10 is used to mount an empty carrier C that stores substrates W that have been batch-processed and single-substrate processed. Therefore, the second load port 10 is used as an exit for substrates W in the single-substrate processing apparatus 2.

[0156] A description will be given of the internal structure of the indexer block 4. The indexer block 4 is equipped with an indexer robot IR that transports horizontally oriented substrates W one by one between the carrier C and a path 24 provided on the indexer block 4 side in a single-wafer processing block 8 described below.

[0157] The indexer robot IR stores the processed substrate W in a carrier C placed on the second load port 10. The indexer robot IR is equipped with a hand consisting of a pair of grippers at the tip for gripping the substrate W in a horizontal position, and an arm for supporting the hand. The arm has multiple joints, and its tip is connected to the hand and its base end is connected to an arm base provided in the indexer block 4. The indexer robot IR in this embodiment is configured to receive the processed substrate W from the path 24a and store it in the second load port 10 outside the indexer block 4.

[0158] <8. Single wafer processing device: Single wafer processing block> The single wafer processing block 8 is adjacent to the indexer block 4. That is, the single wafer processing block 8 is provided on the rear side of the indexer block 4 when viewed from the second load port 10. The single wafer processing block 8 has, in the center in the Y direction, a path 24a accessible by the indexer robot IR and a center robot CR1 capable of placing processed substrates W on the path 24a. The center robot CR1 receives batch-processed substrates W in a horizontal position one by one from the unloading position OP of the relay device 6 and transports them to the single wafer processing chamber. On the other hand, the path 24b is located behind the center robot CR1 and can be accessed by the center robots CR1 and CR2. The center robot CR2 is provided behind the path 24b. The center robots CR1 and CR2 are both substrate transport robots that transport horizontally oriented substrates W one by one and are capable of reciprocating in the Z direction. Therefore, the center robots CR1 and CR2 can access any of the single wafer processing chambers, the supercritical fluid chambers, and the rotation adjustment mechanisms SRM that make up the stack.

[0159] The single wafer processing block 8 has multiple single wafer processing chambers that dry horizontally oriented substrates one by one. In this embodiment, the single wafer processing chambers include a supercritical fluid chamber that dries the substrates W using a supercritical fluid. Therefore, the substrate drying chambers installed in the single wafer processing apparatus 2 are supercritical fluid chambers. The supercritical fluid chamber dries the substrates W using, for example, carbon dioxide in a supercritical fluid state. Fluids other than carbon dioxide may also be used for drying. The supercritical state is achieved by placing carbon dioxide under its specific critical pressure and critical temperature. Specifically, the pressure is 7.38 MPa and the temperature is 31°C. In the supercritical state, the surface tension of the fluid becomes zero, so the gas-liquid interface is not affected by the circuit pattern on the surface of the substrate W. Therefore, drying the substrates W using a supercritical fluid can prevent the collapse of the circuit pattern on the substrate W, known as pattern collapse.

[0160] 29 illustrates the configuration of a single wafer processing apparatus 2 according to an embodiment. The supercritical fluid chamber has an inlet through which a substrate W before drying is carried in and an outlet through which a substrate W after drying is carried out. The inlet is located at the front or rear of the supercritical fluid chamber and has a shutter S5 that can be opened and closed. The outlet is located on a side wall of the supercritical fluid chamber and has a shutter S6 that can be opened and closed. The shutters S5 and S6 are closed during drying processing using supercritical fluid. The inlet of the supercritical fluid chamber faces the first wet transfer robot AR1 and the second wet transfer robot AR2, and the outlet faces the single wafer transfer region R3.

[0161] The first wet transfer robot AR1 is provided in an area sandwiched between the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM and the supercritical fluid chamber 48f located to the left of the single wafer transfer region R3. The other robot, the second wet transfer robot AR2, is provided in an area sandwiched between the single wafer processing chamber 48a and the supercritical fluid chamber 48e located to the right of the single wafer transfer region R3.

[0162] In addition, the single wafer processing block 8 is provided with a single wafer processing chamber capable of chemical processing. This single wafer processing chamber is not a supercritical fluid chamber but is a chemical processing chamber equipped with a chemical nozzle for supplying a chemical to the substrate W. Two chemical processing chambers are provided in the single wafer processing block 8, one of which is single wafer processing chamber 48a. The other is single wafer processing chamber 49d, located above the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM. As described with reference to FIG. 17, chemical processing chamber 49d is located above the relay device 6. IPA (isopropyl alcohol) may be used as the chemical. The chemical processing chamber is explosion-proof enough to handle flammable IPA. In this way, the chemical processing chamber can safely perform the IPA processing required before the drying process using a supercritical fluid. However, the chemical used in the chemical processing chamber of this embodiment is not limited to IPA.

[0163] The position of the chemical liquid treatment chamber can be changed relatively freely, but one of the two chemical liquid treatment chambers is located to the right of the single wafer transport region R3, and the other is located to the left. This configuration eliminates the need for the center robots CR1 and CR2 located in the single wafer transport region R3 to receive the substrates W after IPA treatment. In other words, the substrates W that have been chemically treated in the chemical liquid treatment chamber are transported to the supercritical fluid chamber by the first wet transport robot AR1 or the second wet transport robot AR2, so that there is no risk of a decrease in throughput due to a congestion of substrates W waiting for IPA treatment.

[0164] The first wet transfer robot AR1 receives horizontally oriented substrates W before drying (substrates W after chemical processing) one by one from the single wafer processing chamber 49d and transfers them through the entrances to one of the supercritical fluid chambers located to the left of the single wafer transfer region R3. Therefore, the substrate transfer hand of the first wet transfer robot AR1 can access all of the entrances of the single wafer processing chamber 49d and the nearby supercritical fluid chambers. Because the chambers are stacked in the Z direction, the hand can move vertically. Some of the chambers are located in front of the first wet transfer robot AR1, while others are located behind the first wet transfer robot AR1. Therefore, the hand can face either forward or backward.

[0165] The second wet transfer robot AR2 has a configuration similar to that of the first wet transfer robot AR1. The second wet transfer robot AR2 receives horizontally oriented substrates W before drying (substrates W after chemical processing) one by one from the single wafer processing chamber 48a and transfers them through the entrance into one of the supercritical fluid chambers located on the left side of the single wafer transfer region R3. Therefore, the substrate transfer hand of the second wet transfer robot AR2 can access all of the chambers forming the front stack and the rear stack.

[0166] The center robot CR1 and the center robot CR2 can access the outlets of the supercritical fluid chambers. The center robot CR1 has a first hand 32a and a second hand 32b. The first hand 32a is located below the second hand 32b. Therefore, the first hand 32a and the second hand 32b are stacked in the Z direction. The first hand 32a takes out the substrate W before drying processing from the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM and transports it to the single wafer processing chamber 49d. The second hand 32b takes out the dried substrate W from either the supercritical fluid chamber located on the left side of the single wafer transport region R3 or the supercritical fluid chamber located on the right side through the above-mentioned outlet.

[0167] The center robot CR2 has a hand for transporting the dried substrate W. The center robot CR2 receives the dried substrate W from a nearby supercritical fluid chamber and transports it to path 24b. The substrate W transported to path 24b is then transported to path 24a by the second hand 32b of the center robot CR1. The indexer robot IR stores the substrate W in path 24a in a carrier C.

[0168] <9. Control Unit> The substrate processing system includes a first control unit 131 for controlling the batch processing device 1, a second control unit 132 for controlling the single wafer processing device 2, and a third control unit 136 for controlling the relay device 6. For details of each control unit, see FIG. 1. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system includes a corresponding memory unit for each control unit. The control units 131, 132, and 136 are configured, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The specific configuration of each control unit is not limited, and for example, each control unit may be configured by a single processor, or each control unit may be configured by an individual processor. Furthermore, control related to the batch processing device 1 may be configured by multiple processors, and this also applies to the single wafer processing device 2 and the relay device 6.

[0169] Control related to the control unit 131 includes, for example, control of the carrier transport mechanism 11, first substrate transport mechanism HTR, first posture conversion mechanism 15, second substrate transport mechanism WTR, batch processing units BPU1-BPU6, and batch drying chamber DC. Control related to the control unit 132 includes, for example, control of the center robot CR1, center robot CR2, each chamber, first wet transport robot AR1, second wet transport robot AR2, and indexer robot IR. Control related to the third control unit 136 includes, for example, control of the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR, lot standby tank 65, lifter LF65, submersible posture conversion unit 55 (second posture conversion mechanism), rotation adjustment mechanism SRM, relay transport mechanism OTR, and pure water supply device.

[0170] The storage unit stores programs and parameters related to control. The storage unit may be configured as a single device, or may be configured as individual devices corresponding to each control unit. Furthermore, the substrate processing system of this embodiment does not have any particular limitations on the configuration of the device that realizes the storage unit.

[0171] <10. Substrate processing flow> Hereinafter, the flow of substrate processing in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 30. The substrate processing in this embodiment is performed by first performing batch processing on substrates W, and then performing single-wafer processing. In this embodiment, substrates W are transported in this order through the first load port 9, stocker block 3, transfer block 5, batch processing block 7, relay device 6, single-wafer processing region R4, indexer block 4, and second load port 10, with the batch processing and single-wafer processing completed during this time (see Figures 31 and 32).

[0172] Step S31: A carrier C storing unprocessed substrates W in a vertically arranged position is placed on the first load port 9 of the batch processing apparatus 1. The carrier C is then taken into the stocker block 3 and placed on the carrier mounting shelf 13a. Before being placed on the carrier mounting shelf 13a, the carrier C may pass through the stock shelf 13b. The movement of the carrier C at this time is performed by the carrier transport mechanism 11. The first substrate transport mechanism HTR collectively removes multiple substrates W in a horizontal position from the carrier C placed on the carrier mounting shelf 13a and passes them to the HVC position conversion unit 23.

[0173] Step S32: The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 converts the attitudes of the received substrates W from a horizontal attitude to a vertical attitude all at once, and hands them over to the pusher mechanism 25. The HVC attitude conversion unit 23 receives another set of substrates W from a carrier C different from the carrier C that stored the attitude-converted substrates W, from the first substrate transport mechanism HTR, and converts the attitudes of the substrates W from a horizontal attitude to a vertical attitude. The attitude-converted substrates W are also handed over to the pusher mechanism 25. In this way, batch assembly is performed on the substrates W arranged at full pitch, and two carriers' worth of substrates W are arranged at half pitch on the pusher 25A. The lot generated in this way is transported by the pusher mechanism 25 to the substrate transfer position PP defined in the transfer block 5.

[0174] Step S33: The second substrate transport mechanism WTR receives the lot waiting at the substrate transfer position PP from the pusher mechanism 25 and transfers it to the lifter LF6 waiting above the batch chemical processing tank CHB6 in the sixth batch processing unit BPU6. At this time, the lot may pass through the dry lot support part 33 before being placed on the lifter LF6. The reason for transferring the lot to the lifter LF6 is to perform phosphoric acid treatment on the lot. Therefore, the lot may be transferred to any of the lifters LF2 to LF6 involved in the phosphoric acid treatment. The following description will be given assuming that the lot has been transferred to the lifter LF6.

[0175] The lifter LF6 then descends to the immersion position, and the lot is subjected to batch phosphate treatment. After the phosphate treatment, the lifter LF6 returns the lot to the space above the batch chemical treatment bath CHB6 and hands it over to the second substrate transport mechanism WTR. The second substrate transport mechanism WTR hands it over to the lifter LF1, which is waiting above the batch rinse treatment bath ONB in ​​the first batch processing unit BPU1. The lifter LF1 then descends to the immersion position, and the lot is subjected to batch rinse treatment. This completes the series of batch processing steps. After the batch treatment, the lifter LF1 returns the lot to the space above and hands it over to the second substrate transport mechanism WTR.

[0176] Step S34: The second substrate transport mechanism WTR delivers the batch-processed lot to the lifter LF65 waiting at the load position IP. The lifter LF65 then descends to the immersion position in the lot standby tank 65, where the lot waits in the pure water. When transporting multiple substrates W from the lot standby tank 65 to the immersion tank 73 of the submersible posture conversion unit 55, the lifter LF65 first moves the lot from the immersion position to the load position IP. The full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR receives the vertically oriented substrate array from the lifter LF65 at the load position IP and transports it in the Y direction (to the right). As described above, the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR cannot transport all 50 substrates W that make up a lot at once. Therefore, two transport operations are required to transport all of the substrates W that make up a lot to the submersible posture conversion unit 55. The second transport operation by the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR is performed after all of the substrates W transported in the first transport operation have been removed from the immersion tank 73.

[0177] The pusher 55A, which was located at the bottom of the immersion tank 73 of the underwater attitude change unit 55, rises and receives the substrate row from the full pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR, which is waiting above the immersion tank 73. Thereafter, the pusher 55A descends to transfer the substrate row to the inversion chuck 71.

[0178] FIG. 31 illustrates how a plurality of substrates W are transported together in steps S11 to S14.

[0179] Step S35: The inversion chuck 71 that has received the row of substrates rotates left or right to convert the vertically oriented substrates W into a horizontal orientation all at once.

[0180] Step S36: The third control unit 136 determines whether or not the substrate W transported by the relay transport mechanism OTR to the unloading position OP of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM needs to be rotated. If the substrate W at the unloading position OP is the first substrate W1 and does not need to be rotated, the substrate W is not rotated and the process proceeds to step S38. If the substrate W at the unloading position OP is the second substrate W2, the process proceeds to step S37.

[0181] Step S37: The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM, which has received the substrate W at the unloading position OP, rotates the substrate W on the turntable 113 by 180°.

[0182] Step S38: The substrate W received by the center robot CR1 in the single wafer processing chamber 49d is subjected to IPA processing on the spot. After the IPA processing, the substrate is transferred to the supercritical fluid chamber by the first wet transfer robot AR1.

[0183] Step S39: After the drying process in the supercritical fluid chamber is completed, the substrate W is received by the post-drying substrate transfer hand of the center robot CR1 or center robot CR2 and transferred from the supercritical fluid chamber to path 24a or path 24b. The indexer robot IR receives the processed substrate W from path 24a and transfers it to the carrier C placed on the second load port 10. In this manner, the transfer of the substrate W is completed. If the substrate W is transferred to path 24b, the center robot CR1 transfers the substrate W to path 24a. The substrate W is then transferred to the carrier C via the indexer robot IR.

[0184] FIG. 32 illustrates how the substrates W in the horizontal position are transported one by one in steps S35 to S39.

[0185] Since each step may be performed simultaneously, this point will be explained below. While the substrate W is undergoing drying processing in step S38, the substrate continues to be transported in a horizontal position to the unloading position OP. The substrate transport to the unloading position OP is repeated until all 11 single wafer processing chambers of the single wafer processing apparatus 2 are in use. Furthermore, when any of the single wafer processing chambers that were in use becomes vacant, the substrate is transported to the unloading position OP again. By performing single wafer substrate processing in parallel in this way, the throughput of the substrate processing system can be increased.

[0186] In step S35, after all of the horizontally oriented substrates W have been transported from the relay device 6 to the single-wafer processing apparatus 2, the submersible position changing unit 55 becomes able to receive a new row of substrates. At this point, the full-pitch array substrate transport mechanism STR receives the row of substrates waiting in the lot standby tank 65 from the lifter LF65 and passes it to the submersible position changing unit 55. As such, according to this embodiment, step S35 must be performed twice to transport one lot. Therefore, step S35 may be performed simultaneously with step S38.

[0187] By appropriately repeating steps S35, S36, S37, S38, and S39, the batch assembly of the lot can be released and the substrate drying process in the single wafer processing chamber can be completed. When all of the substrates W that made up the lot have been returned to the carrier C placed on the second load port, the substrate processing in this embodiment is complete.

[0188] The substrate processing in this embodiment is configured to process two carriers C at a time. That is, the substrates W stored in the first carrier C and the second carrier C placed on the first load port 9 of the batch processing apparatus 1 are stored in the third carrier C and the fourth carrier C placed on the second load port 10 of the single wafer processing apparatus 2, respectively.

[0189] In step S35, all of the substrates W whose postures are changed originate from the first carrier C. Therefore, the relay device 6 transports only the first substrates W1 stored in the first carrier C to the single-wafer processing device 2. The indexer robot IR stores all of the first substrates W1 from the first carrier C thus transported into the third carrier C.

[0190] When all of the substrates W from the first carrier C have been transported from the underwater attitude changing unit 55, step S35 is executed again. In this case, all of the substrates W to be attitude-changed originate from the second carrier C. Therefore, the relay device 6 will now transport only the second substrates W2 stored in the second carrier C to the single-wafer processing device 2. The indexer robot IR stores all of the second substrates W2 from the second carrier C thus transported into the fourth carrier C.

[0191] In this way, the substrates W stored in the first carrier C and the substrates W stored in the second carrier C are stored in the third carrier C and the fourth carrier C, respectively, without being mixed together.

[0192] The substrate W held by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is received by the center robot CR1 and ultimately transferred to the carrier C by the indexer robot IR. During this time, the substrate is transported while its orientation changes in a constant manner. For example, if the notch of the substrate W held by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is facing forward, the notch will pass through each chamber and each pass while facing forward and backward, and will finally be returned to the carrier C with the notch facing backward. Depending on the type of chamber, the chamber may rotate the unprocessed substrate halfway to complete processing, or may not rotate the unprocessed substrate to complete processing. However, because each substrate held by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM undergoes the same processing before reaching the carrier C, all of the processed substrates W stored in the carrier C will ultimately have the same notch orientation.

[0193] In this embodiment, substrates W with different notch orientations are transported to the unloading position OP by the relay transport mechanism OTR, and unless the rotation of the substrates is adjusted, the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 will be stored in the carrier C with their notches oriented differently. However, in this embodiment, a rotation adjustment mechanism SRM is provided that selectively rotates only the second substrate W2, so the second substrate W2 undergoes single-wafer processing with its notch oriented in the same direction as the first substrate W1. Therefore, there is no difference in notch orientation between the processed first substrate W1 and the processed second substrate W2.

[0194] As described above, according to the configuration of the embodiment, it is possible to realize the requirements for a substrate processing system configured by connecting a batch processing apparatus 1 and a single wafer processing apparatus 2 via a relay apparatus 6. The relay apparatus 6 of the present invention has a rotation adjustment mechanism SRM equipped with a turntable 113 that can adjust the position of a notch in a substrate W at a loading position IP where the relay apparatus 6 acquires a substrate or at an unloading position OP where the relay apparatus 6 unloads a substrate. The orientation of the substrate W that the relay apparatus 6 unloads to the single wafer processing apparatus 2 can be arbitrarily changed by the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM. By changing the operation of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM, it is possible to align the orientation of the substrate W delivered to the single wafer processing apparatus 2 in a predetermined direction.

[0195] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a substrate processing system can be provided that can align the orientation of substrates W in a predetermined direction even when a lot is formed by arranging substrates W face-to-face. When two groups of substrates are combined and arranged so that the device surface of the first substrate W1 and the device surface of the second substrate W2 face each other, a lot is formed in which the first substrates W1 and the second substrates W2 are alternately arranged. If the lot is then sorted into the first substrates W1 and the second substrates W2, the orientation of the notch in the first substrate W1 and the orientation of the notch in the second substrate W2 may differ. According to the above-described configuration, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM rotates the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 at different rotation angles, thereby aligning the orientation of the notch in the first substrate W1 and the orientation of the notch in the second substrate W2.

[0196] According to this embodiment, the substrate W is moved up and down between an upper first position P1, an intermediate position P3, and a lower second position P2, thereby enabling the receiving, rotating, and discharging of the substrate W. Such a configuration allows the configuration of the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM to be simplified.

[0197] According to this embodiment, the substrate W at the first position P1 is shifted by the positioning chuck 115 so that its center coincides with the center position of the turntable 113. With this configuration, the orientation of the substrate W can be reliably oriented in a predetermined direction, and by placing the substrate W in an ideal position, the substrate W can be reliably transported by the center robot CR1.

[0198] The multiple support pins 111 rise and fall synchronously and are positioned to avoid the multiple extensions 113b that extend from the center of rotation of the turntable 113 that is in the initial position. By configuring in this way, it is possible to reliably configure a rotation adjustment mechanism SRM that includes both the multiple support pins 111 and a mechanism for rotating the substrate.

[0199] The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, but can be modified as follows.

[0200] <Variation 1> Although the substrate processing system of the embodiment has a configuration including one relay device 6, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. A configuration may be adopted in which one batch processing device 1 has a plurality of single wafer processing devices 2, and each single wafer processing device 2 has a relay device 6. The substrate processing system of this modified example has a configuration including a plurality of relay devices 6.

[0201] <Variation 2> Although the substrate processing system of the embodiment dries the substrate W using a supercritical fluid chamber, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The substrate W may also be dried by spin drying.

[0202] <Variation 3> In the substrate processing system of the embodiment, the turntable 113 is configured to rotate the second substrate W2 by 180°, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. It may also be configured to rotate the first substrate W1 by 180° without rotating the second substrate W2.

[0203] <Variation 4> Although the substrate processing system of the embodiment is configured so that the first substrate W1 is not rotated, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the first substrate W1 may be rotated by -n degrees, and the second substrate W1 may be rotated by 180-n degrees. With this configuration, even in a substrate processing system in which the center robot CR1 receives the substrate from an oblique direction inclined by n degrees relative to the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM, the substrate W can be stored in the carrier C in the same manner as in the embodiment.

[0204] <Variation 5> 33, the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM of the substrate processing system of the embodiment may be provided with a sensor 120 that detects the position of the notch in the substrate W. The sensor 120 may be, for example, a reflective optical sensor or a transmissive optical sensor. With this configuration, the sensor 120 detects the position of the notch of the substrate W on the turntable 113, so that even slight misalignment in orientation between substrates can be measured and corrected.

[0205] <Variation 6> Although the rotation adjustment mechanism SRM of the substrate processing system in the embodiment is provided at the unloading position OP of the relay device 6, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The rotation adjustment mechanism SRM may also be provided on the loading position IP side. Specifically, the loading position IP side is the position sandwiched between the underwater attitude change unit 55 and the relay transport mechanism OTR. According to this modification, the notch of the substrate W is aligned before it is gripped by the relay transport mechanism OTR. In this way, the configuration of the unloading position OP of the relay device 6 can be simplified. [Explanation of symbols]

[0206] 1. Batch processing equipment 1A First enclosure 1B 3rd wall 2 Single wafer processing equipment 2A Second housing 2B 4th wall 3 Stocker Block 4 Indexer Blocks 5 Transfer block 6. Relay Device 6A Relay enclosure 7 Batch Processing Block 8 Single-Wafer Processing Block 9. Loading Port No. 1 10 Second load port (second carrier shelf) 11 Carrier transport mechanism 13a Carrier shelf (first carrier shelf) 15 First attitude transformation mechanism 48a Single wafer processing chamber 48b Single wafer processing chamber 48c Single Wafer Processing Chamber 55 Underwater attitude change unit (second attitude change mechanism) 65 lot waiting tank 71 Reversing Chuck 111 Support pin 112 Support pin extension mechanism 113 Turntable 114 Rotational Axis 114m Rotational Drive Motor 115 Positioning chuck 115a Moving mechanism 116 Positioning chuck support 117 Water supply nozzle 118a Water supply pipe 118b Water supply pipe moving mechanism 119 Guard 120 sensors 131 Control Unit 132 Control Unit 136 Control Unit BPU1 First batch processing unit (batch processing tank) BPU2 Second batch processing unit (batch processing tank) BPU3 3rd batch processing unit (batch processing tank) BPU4 4th batch processing unit (batch processing tank) BPU5 5th batch processing unit (batch processing tank) BPU6 6th batch processing unit (batch processing tank) CR center robot (single wafer transfer mechanism) HTR 1st substrate transfer mechanism (substrate handling mechanism) IP loading position IR Indexer Robot OP unloading position OTR relay transport mechanism P1 1st position P2 2nd position P3 intermediate position STR full pitch array substrate transport mechanism (relay transport mechanism) W substrate WTR Second Transfer Mechanism (Bulk Transfer Mechanism)

Claims

1. A substrate processing system that continuously performs batch processing, in which a plurality of substrates are processed at once, and single substrate processing, in which substrates are processed one by one, a batch processing device that performs batch processing; at least one single wafer processing apparatus for performing single wafer processing on the batch-processed substrates; at least one relay device having two positions defined therein: a carry-in position for receiving batch-processed substrates from the batch processing device; and an unloading position for transferring the substrates received at the carry-in position to the single wafer processing device; The batch processing device comprises: at least one batch processing tank capable of immersing a plurality of vertically oriented substrates at once; The single wafer processing apparatus includes: a plurality of single wafer processing chambers capable of drying horizontally oriented substrates one by one; The relay device a position change mechanism capable of changing the position of the substrates from a vertical position to a horizontal position at the loading position; an intermediary transport mechanism provided between the loading position and the unloading position, capable of transporting horizontally oriented substrates one by one along the substrate transport path to the unloading position; a rotation adjustment mechanism including a turntable that can adjust the position of the notch in the substrate by rotating the substrate in a horizontal position one by one at the loading position or the unloading position. A substrate processing system comprising:

2. 2. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, The batch processing device comprises: a substrate holding mechanism for supporting a first substrate group in a vertical position and a second substrate group in a vertical position, the substrate holding mechanism supporting a lot formed by combining the first substrates and the second substrates such that a device surface of a first substrate constituting the first substrate group and a device surface of a second substrate constituting the second substrate group face each other; The relay device a substrate group sorting mechanism capable of sorting a lot into the first substrates and the second substrates, the posture conversion mechanism converts the sorted first substrate and the sorted second substrate from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture at the same time, When the orientation of the notch of the first substrate converted to a horizontal orientation by the orientation conversion mechanism is different from the orientation of the notch of the second substrate, The rotation adjustment mechanism rotates the second substrate at an angle different from the rotation angle of the first substrate, thereby aligning the orientation of the notch in the first substrate with the orientation of the notch in the second substrate. A substrate processing system comprising:

3. 2. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, The rotation adjustment mechanism includes: a substrate lifting mechanism capable of lifting and lowering the substrate between an upper first position and a lower second position; The substrate lifting mechanism receives the substrate from the relay transport mechanism by lifting the substrate held by the relay transport mechanism to the first position at an intermediate position that is an intermediate position between the first position and the second position, and then lowers the received substrate to the second position to place it on the turntable. A substrate processing system comprising:

4. 4. The substrate processing system according to claim 3, The rotation adjustment mechanism includes a substrate shift mechanism that shifts the substrate so that the center of the substrate at the first position coincides with the rotation center of the rotary table. A substrate processing system comprising:

5. 4. The substrate processing system according to claim 3, The substrate lifting mechanism has a plurality of pins that rise and fall synchronously, and is provided at a position that avoids a plurality of extensions that extend from the rotation center of the turntable that is in the initial position. A substrate processing system comprising:

6. 2. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, The rotation adjustment mechanism includes a pure water supply mechanism that supplies pure water to the received substrate. A substrate processing system comprising:

7. 2. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, The rotation adjustment mechanism includes a sensor for detecting the position of the notch of the substrate on the rotation table. A substrate processing system comprising:

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