Substrate Processing Equipment

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving a through-put.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus comprises: a polishing part that polishes a substrate; a conveying part that conveys the substrate before the polishing to the polishing part; and a cleaning part that cleans the substrate after the polishing. The cleaning part includes a first cleaning unit and a second cleaning unit arranged at two stages in a vertical direction. Each of the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit includes a plurality of cleaning modules arranged in a serial line. The conveying part is arranged between the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit, and includes a slide stage conveying the substrate before the polishing along an arrangement direction of the plurality of cleaning modules.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus used for polishing substrates such as semiconductor wafers to flatness. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, as semiconductor devices have become more highly integrated, circuit wiring has become finer and the distance between wiring has become narrower. In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, many types of materials are repeatedly deposited in film form on silicon wafers to form a layered structure. In order to form this layered structure, technology for flattening the wafer surface is important. As one method for flattening such wafer surfaces, polishing equipment (also known as chemical mechanical polishing equipment) that performs chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is widely used.

[0003] A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus generally includes a polishing table with a polishing pad attached, a top ring that holds the wafer, and a nozzle that supplies a polishing liquid onto the polishing pad. While the polishing liquid is being supplied onto the polishing pad from the nozzle, the top ring presses the wafer against the polishing pad, and the top ring and polishing table are moved relative to each other to polish the wafer and make its surface flat.

[0004] In addition to the CMP apparatus, a substrate processing apparatus is also equipped with functions for cleaning and drying polished wafers. Such substrate processing apparatuses are required to improve the throughput of substrate processing. Because substrate processing apparatuses have various processing sections for polishing, cleaning, and other processes, delays in processing at each processing section reduce the throughput of the entire substrate processing apparatus. For example, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, even if the polishing section has multiple polishing units, the cleaning section only has one cleaning line, making it impossible to simultaneously clean and dry multiple polished wafers.

[0005] In addition, in conventional substrate processing apparatuses, when a polishing section has a first polishing unit and a second polishing unit, when a wafer is polished in the first polishing unit, the wafer is carried directly from the load / unload section to the first polishing unit, but when a substrate is polished in the second polishing unit, the wafer is carried from the load / unload section to the second polishing unit via the first polishing unit. This causes congestion in the same carry-in route for the first polishing unit and the second polishing unit, reducing throughput.

[0006] In addition, in conventional substrate processing apparatuses, a transfer robot located in the load / unload section directly transfers unpolished wafers from the load / unload section to the polishing section, and transfers cleaned wafers from the cleaning section to the load / unload section. High cleanliness is required for the hands of the transfer robot that hold the cleaned wafers, but there was a concern that the hands could be contaminated by coming into contact with the polishing environment when directly transferring unpolished wafers to the polishing section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2007 / 099976 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points. The present invention aims to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving throughput. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a polishing unit that polishes the substrate; a transport unit that transports the substrate to the polishing unit before polishing; a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate after polishing; Equipped with the cleaning section has a first cleaning unit and a second cleaning unit arranged in two stages, one above the other, the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit each have a plurality of cleaning modules arranged in series; The transport unit is disposed between the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit and includes a slide stage that transports an unpolished substrate along an arrangement direction of the plurality of cleaning modules.

[0010] According to the present invention, even when multiple substrates are continuously transported from the polishing section to the cleaning section, the multiple substrates can be cleaned in parallel by allocating the substrates to the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit. This improves the throughput of the entire process. Furthermore, because the substrates before polishing are transported to the polishing section by the slide stage of the transport section, the transport robot disposed in the load / unload section is prevented from coming into contact with the polishing environment and becoming contaminated. Furthermore, because the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit are arranged in two stages, one above the other, and the slide stage is disposed between the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit, the footprint of the entire apparatus is kept small.

[0011] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a transport unit that transports the substrate to the polishing unit before polishing; a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate after polishing; Equipped with The polishing unit includes: a first polishing unit and a second polishing unit; a polishing unit transport mechanism disposed adjacent to the transport unit, the first polishing unit, and the second polishing unit; and The polishing unit transport mechanism includes: a first transfer unit that transfers a substrate to the first polishing unit; a second transfer unit that transfers the substrate to the second polishing unit; a transfer robot disposed between the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit, and configured to transfer substrates between the transfer section and the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit; It has.

[0012] According to the present invention, substrates transported from the transport section to the polishing section are sorted by the transport robot to the first transport unit and the second transport unit. Then, substrates are transported from the first transport unit to the first polishing unit, and substrates are transported from the second transport unit to the second polishing unit. Since the first polishing unit and the second polishing unit do not share a substrate transport path, congestion during substrate transport into the first polishing unit and the second polishing unit is eliminated. This improves the throughput of the entire process.

[0013] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the cleaning unit is disposed adjacent to the transfer robot, The transfer robot may transfer substrates between the first transfer unit and the cleaning unit and between the second transfer unit and the cleaning unit.

[0014] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a control unit that controls operations of the polishing unit and the cleaning unit; the cleaning section has a first cleaning unit and a second cleaning unit arranged in two stages, one above the other, the first cleaning unit includes a plurality of first cleaning modules and a first wafer station arranged in series, and a first cleaning section transfer mechanism that transfers substrates between each first cleaning module and the first wafer station; the second cleaning unit includes a plurality of second cleaning modules and a second wafer station arranged in series, and a second cleaning section transfer mechanism that transfers substrates between each second cleaning module and the second wafer station; The control unit When an abnormality occurs in any of the plurality of first cleaning modules, the first cleaning unit transfer mechanism transfers the substrate located in the first cleaning module to the first wafer station; the transfer robot transfers the substrate from the first wafer station to the second wafer station; The operation of the polishing unit and the cleaning unit may be controlled so that the second cleaning unit transfer mechanism transfers the substrate from the second wafer station to the second cleaning module and cleans it.

[0015] According to this aspect, even if an abnormality occurs in any of the multiple first cleaning modules, the substrate located in the first cleaning module can be salvaged by being transported to the second cleaning module and cleaned.

[0016] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a polishing unit that polishes the substrate; a transport unit that transports the substrate to the polishing unit before polishing; a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate after polishing; Equipped with The polishing unit includes: N polishing machines (N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2), a transport unit that transports substrates to each of the N polishing apparatuses; a transfer robot that transfers substrates between the transfer section and the transfer unit; and The transport unit includes: N pushers are arranged at N substrate transport positions for each of the N polishing apparatuses and move up and down; an exchanger having N stages arranged in N stages above and below, which move horizontally independently of one another between a standby position where the substrate is handed over to the transfer robot and the N substrate transfer positions; It has.

[0017] According to the present invention, the transfer unit can transfer the substrate received from the transfer robot to each of the polishing apparatuses at N locations. For example, the first stage of the exchanger receives the first substrate from the transfer robot and moves to the first substrate transfer position, and the first pusher rises to transfer the first substrate. A first substrate is transferred from the stage to the first polishing apparatus, and while the first substrate is being polished in the first polishing apparatus, the second stage receives the second substrate from the transfer robot and moves to the second substrate transfer position, the second pusher rises to transfer the second substrate from the second stage to the second polishing apparatus, and the second substrate is polished in the second polishing apparatus. By polishing two substrates in parallel in this manner, the throughput of the entire process can be improved. Also, after a substrate is polished in the first polishing apparatus, the first pusher descends to transfer the substrate from the first polishing apparatus to the second stage, the second stage moves to the second substrate transfer position, the second pusher rises to transfer the substrate from the second stage to the second polishing apparatus, and the substrate can be further polished in the second polishing apparatus.

[0018] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the exchanger may have at least one further stage that is arranged in multiple tiers above and below the N stages and moves horizontally between the standby position and the N substrate transport positions independently of the N stages.

[0019] According to this embodiment, for example, while both the first stage and the second stage are being used to transfer substrates between the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, the third stage can be made to receive and wait for the next substrate, thereby accelerating the start timing of the polishing process for the next substrate and further improving throughput.

[0020] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a control unit that controls an operation of the polishing unit, The control unit When substrates are polished successively using the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, a first stage receives a first substrate from the transfer robot and moves from the standby position to a first substrate transfer position; a first pusher is raised to transfer the first substrate from the first stage to the first polishing device; while the first polishing device is polishing the first substrate, the first stage returns to the standby position and receives the second substrate from the transfer robot; When polishing in the first polishing device is completed, the first pusher descends to transfer the first substrate from the first polishing device to a second stage; The operation of the polishing unit may be controlled so that the first stage moves from the standby position to the first substrate transfer position at the same time that the second stage moves from the first substrate transfer position to the second substrate transfer position.

[0021] According to this embodiment, the second stage holding the first substrate moves from the first substrate transport position to the second substrate transport position at the same time that the first stage holding the second substrate moves from the standby position to the first substrate transport position, thereby improving process throughput.

[0022] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a control unit that controls an operation of the polishing unit, The control unit When substrates are polished in parallel using the first polishing machine and the second polishing machine, a first stage is used to receive the substrate from the first polishing apparatus but is not used to transfer the substrate to the second polishing apparatus; The operation of the polishing unit may be controlled so that the second stage is used to receive the substrate from the second polishing apparatus but is not used to transfer the substrate to the first polishing apparatus.

[0023] According to this aspect, when substrates are polished in parallel by the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, the first stage and the second stage are dedicated to receiving substrates from the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, respectively. Therefore, even if a problem occurs when receiving a substrate from one polishing apparatus, the substrate can be continuously transferred to the other polishing apparatus (no deadlock). (This can prevent lockups from occurring.)

[0024] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a control unit that controls an operation of the polishing unit, The control unit When polishing a first substrate and a second substrate in parallel using a first polishing apparatus and a second polishing apparatus, a first stage receiving the first substrate from the transfer robot and moving from the standby position to a first substrate transfer position; a first pusher is raised to transfer the first substrate from the first stage to the first polishing device; while the first polishing apparatus is polishing the first substrate, the first stage returns from the first substrate transfer position to the standby position, receives the second substrate from the transfer robot, and moves from the standby position to the second substrate transfer position; the second pusher rises to transfer the second substrate from the first stage to the second polishing device; while the second polishing device is polishing the second substrate, the first stage returns from the second substrate transfer position to the standby position and receives a third substrate from the transfer robot; when polishing by the first polishing apparatus is completed before polishing by the second polishing apparatus is completed, the first pusher is lowered to transfer the first substrate from the first polishing apparatus to a second stage; the second stage moves from the first substrate transfer position to the standby position at the same time that the first stage moves from the standby position to the first substrate transfer position; when polishing by the second polishing apparatus is completed before polishing by the first polishing apparatus is completed, the second pusher descends to transfer the second substrate from the second polishing apparatus to a third stage; The operation of the polishing unit may be controlled so that the first stage moves from the standby position to the first substrate transfer position simultaneously with the third stage moving from the second substrate transfer position to the standby position.

[0025] According to this aspect, when a first substrate and a second substrate are polished in parallel in a first polishing apparatus and a second polishing apparatus, the same first stage is used to transfer wafers to both the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, and the second stage and the third stage are dedicated to receiving substrates from the first polishing apparatus and the second polishing apparatus, respectively.Therefore, even if a problem occurs when receiving a substrate from one polishing apparatus, substrates can continue to be transferred to the other polishing apparatus (avoiding the occurrence of deadlock).

[0026] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a polishing unit that polishes the substrate; a transport unit that transports the substrate to the polishing unit before polishing; a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate after polishing; Equipped with the cleaning unit includes a plurality of cleaning modules arranged in series and a cleaning unit transport mechanism that transports substrates between the cleaning modules; The cleaning unit transport mechanism includes: a pair of openable and closable arms for holding a substrate; a vertical movement mechanism that moves the pair of arms up and down; a rotation mechanism that rotates the pair of arms about a rotation axis that is parallel to the opening and closing direction; an arm transport mechanism that linearly moves the pair of arms along the arrangement direction of the plurality of cleaning modules; It has.

[0027] According to the present invention, the rotation mechanism can rotate the pair of arms so that their tips face upward, so that even if the shutter of a specific cleaning module among multiple cleaning modules is closed, the arms can move while bypassing (skip) this cleaning module. Therefore, when moving the arms to pass through this cleaning module, it is not necessary to wait for the shutter to open, and the throughput of the entire process can be improved.

[0028] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention may further include a control unit that controls the operation of the cleaning unit, and the control unit may control the operation of the control unit so that when the rotating mechanism rotates the pair of arms so that their tips point upward, the up-and-down movement mechanism lowers the pair of arms.

[0029] According to this aspect, when the rotation mechanism rotates the pair of arms so that their tips point upward, the up-and-down movement mechanism lowers the pair of arms, thereby reducing the space required above the pair of arms.

[0030] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention may include two sets of the pair of arms, the vertical movement mechanism, and the rotation mechanism.

[0031] According to this embodiment, the two sets of arms can be used depending on the cleanliness of the substrate to be held. For example, by using one set of arms in the first half of the cleaning process in each cleaning module and the other set of arms in the second half of the cleaning process, it is possible to prevent the substrate undergoing the second half of the cleaning process from coming into contact with one set of arms and becoming contaminated.

[0032] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the pair of arms may be provided with two tiers of chuck pieces, one above the other, that can come into contact with the outer periphery of the substrate.

[0033] According to this embodiment, the chuck pieces can be selected depending on the cleanliness of the substrate to be held. For example, by using the lower chuck piece in the first half of the cleaning process in each cleaning module and using the upper chuck piece in the second half of the cleaning process, it is possible to prevent the substrate undergoing the second half of the cleaning process from coming into contact with the lower chuck piece and becoming contaminated.

[0034] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, a set consisting of the pair of arms, the vertical movement mechanism, and the rotation mechanism may be disposed in a suspended state below the arm transport mechanism.

[0035] According to this aspect, the maintenance space for the set consisting of the pair of arms, the vertical movement mechanism, and the rotation mechanism is expanded, thereby shortening the time required for maintenance.

[0036] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the cleaning section may further include a pre-cleaning module arranged in the same row as the plurality of cleaning modules and configured to clean substrates before polishing, and the cleaning section transport mechanism may transport substrates between the pre-cleaning module and each cleaning module.

[0037] According to this aspect, the surface of the substrate can be cleaned in the pre-cleaning module before being polished by the polishing apparatus, thereby reducing problems such as scratches caused by large particles being caught during the polishing process of the substrate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0038] According to the present invention, the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a side view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the cleaning unit side. [Figure 3] 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a first polishing apparatus of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a side view of the transfer robot of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a perspective view showing a first transport mechanism of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the first pusher of the first transport mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a perspective view showing a first wafer station of the cleaning section shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the first wafer station shown in FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a perspective view showing a second wafer station of the cleaning section shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the second wafer station shown in FIG. [Figure 12] 12 is a view showing a cleaning section transport mechanism of the first cleaning unit of the cleaning section shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 13A] 13A is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transport mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 13B] 13B is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transport mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 13C] 13C is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transport mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 13D] FIG. 13D is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transfer mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 13E] FIG. 13E is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transport mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 14]14 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transfer mechanism shown in FIG. 12 grips a substrate with the upper chuck piece. [Figure 15] 15 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second wafer gripping mechanism of the cleaning unit transfer mechanism shown in FIG. 12 grips a substrate with a lower chuck piece. [Figure 16A] FIG. 16A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport unit. [Figure 16B] FIG. 16B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport unit. [Figure 16C] FIG. 16C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport unit. [Figure 17A] FIG. 17A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot. [Figure 17B] FIG. 17B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot. [Figure 17C] FIG. 17C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot. [Figure 17D] FIG. 17D is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot. [Figure 18A] FIG. 18A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18B] FIG. 18B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18C] FIG. 18C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18D] FIG. 18D is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18E] FIG. 18E is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18F] FIG. 18F is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18G] FIG. 18G is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18H] FIG. 18H is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18I]FIG. 18I is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18J] FIG. 18J is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18K] FIG. 18K is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18L] FIG. 18L is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18M] FIG. 18M is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18N] FIG. 18N is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 18O] FIG. 18O is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19A] FIG. 19A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19B] FIG. 19B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19C] FIG. 19C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19D] FIG. 19D is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19E] FIG. 19E is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19F] FIG. 19F is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19G] FIG. 19G is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19H] FIG. 19H is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19I] FIG. 19I is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19J] FIG. 19J is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19K] FIG. 19K is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19L] FIG. 19L is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19M] FIG. 19M is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19N] FIG. 19N is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19O] FIG. 19O is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 19P] FIG. 19P is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the first transport mechanism. [Figure 20A] FIG. 20A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot relative to the cleaning unit. [Figure 20B] FIG. 20B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot relative to the cleaning unit. [Figure 20C] FIG. 20C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the transport robot relative to the cleaning unit. [Figure 21A] FIG. 21A is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 21B] FIG. 21B is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 21C] FIG. 21C is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 21D] FIG. 21D is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 21E] FIG. 21E is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 21F] FIG. 21F is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the first cleaning unit. [Figure 22A] FIG. 22A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation when an abnormality occurs in the first cleaning unit. [Figure 22B] FIG. 22B is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation when an abnormality occurs in the first cleaning unit. [Figure 22C]FIG. 22C is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation when an abnormality occurs in the first cleaning unit. [Figure 22D] FIG. 22D is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation when an abnormality occurs in the first cleaning unit. [Figure 22E] FIG. 22E is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation when an abnormality occurs in the first cleaning unit. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid leakage detection unit of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional liquid leakage detector. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the liquid leakage detection unit of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the liquid leakage detection unit of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a side view showing a cleaning section having a pre-cleaning module. [Figure 28A] FIG. 28A is a schematic view for explaining the wafer transfer operation to the cleaning module of the cleaning unit in FIG. [Figure 28B] FIG. 28B is a schematic view for explaining the wafer transfer operation to the cleaning module of the cleaning unit in FIG. [Figure 28C] FIG. 28C is a schematic view for explaining the wafer transfer operation to the cleaning module of the cleaning unit in FIG. [Figure 28D] FIG. 28D is a schematic view for explaining the wafer transfer operation to the cleaning module of the cleaning unit in FIG. [Figure 28E] FIG. 28E is a schematic view for explaining the wafer transfer operation to the cleaning module of the cleaning unit in FIG. [Figure 29A] FIG. 29A is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29B]FIG. 29B is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29C] FIG. 29C is a schematic view for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29D] FIG. 29D is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29E] FIG. 29E is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29F] FIG. 29F is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29G] FIG. 29G is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29H] FIG. 29H is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 29I] FIG. 29I is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30A] FIG. 30A is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30B] FIG. 30B is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30C] FIG. 30C is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30D]FIG. 30D is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30E] FIG. 30E is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30F] FIG. 30F is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30G] FIG. 30G is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transfer mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30H] FIG. 30H is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 30I] FIG. 30I is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the operation of the cleaning unit transport mechanism when cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel in each cleaning module. [Figure 31] FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram for explaining the occurrence of a deadlock in parallel processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description and the drawings used in the following description, the same reference numerals will be used for parts that can be configured identically, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

[0041] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the polishing apparatus shown in Fig. 1, viewed from the cleaning unit side. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, substrate processing apparatus 10 in this embodiment has a housing that is generally rectangular in plan view, and the interior of the housing is partitioned by partitions into a load / unload unit 11, a polishing unit 12, a cleaning unit 13, and a transfer unit 14. These load / unload unit 11, polishing unit 12, cleaning unit 13, and transfer unit 14 are each assembled independently and evacuated independently. In addition, substrate processing apparatus 10 is provided with a control unit 15 (also referred to as a control panel) that controls the operations of load / unload unit 11, polishing unit 12, cleaning unit 13, and transfer unit 14.

[0042] <Load / Unload section> The load / unload unit 11 has a plurality of front load units 113 (four in the illustrated example) on which wafer cassettes each stocking a large number of wafers (substrates) W are placed. These front load units 113 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) of the substrate processing apparatus 10. The front load units 113 can be equipped with an open cassette, a Standard Manufacturing Interface (SMIF) pod, or a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP). Here, an SMIF or FOUP is an airtight container that stores a wafer cassette and is covered with a partition wall, thereby maintaining an environment independent from the external space.

[0043] Furthermore, in the load / unload section 11, a traveling mechanism 112 is installed along the direction of arrangement of the front load section 113, and a transfer robot 111 is installed on this traveling mechanism 112, which is movable along the direction of arrangement of the front load section 113. The transfer robot 111 is able to access a wafer cassette loaded in the front load section 113 by moving on the traveling mechanism 112. This transfer robot 111 has two hands, one above and one below, and can use the upper and lower hands selectively, for example, by using the upper hand when returning a wafer W to a wafer cassette and using the lower hand when transporting a wafer W before polishing. Alternatively, the wafer W may be transported by only a single hand.

[0044] Since the loading / unloading section 11 is the area that needs to be kept the cleanest, the interior of the loading / unloading section 11 is always maintained at a higher pressure than the outside of the apparatus, the polishing section 12, the cleaning section 13, and the transporting section 14. In addition, a filter fan unit (not shown) having a clean air filter such as a HEPA filter or a ULPA filter is provided above the traveling mechanism 112 of the transporting robot 111, and this filter fan unit constantly blows out clean air from which particles, toxic vapors, and gases have been removed downward.

[0045] <Transportation section> The transfer section 14 is an area where unpolished wafers are transferred from the load / unload section 11 to the polishing section 12, and is provided to extend along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer section 14 is disposed adjacent to both the load / unload section 11, which is the cleanest area, and the polishing section 12, which is the dirtiest area. Therefore, the transfer section 14 is arranged ... As described below, an air flow is formed inside the transport section 14, flowing from the loading / unloading section 11 side to the polishing section 12 side.

[0046] The structure of the transfer unit 14 will be described in detail. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the transfer unit 14. As shown in Fig. 3, the transfer unit 14 has a cover 41 extending in the longitudinal direction, a slide stage 42 that is arranged inside the cover 41 and holds the wafer W, a stage movement mechanism 43 that moves the slide stage 42 linearly along the longitudinal direction, and an exhaust duct 44 that exhausts air from inside the cover 41.

[0047] The cover 41 has a bottom panel, four side panels, and a top panel (not shown in FIG. 3). One of the longitudinal side panels has an inlet 41a that communicates with the loading / unloading unit 11. One of the widthwise side panels has an outlet 41b that communicates with the polishing unit 12 at the end opposite the inlet 41a. The inlet 41a and the outlet 41b can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown). The transfer robot 111 of the loading / unloading unit 11 can access the slide stage 42 inside the cover 41 through the inlet 41a, and the transfer robot 23 of the polishing unit 12 can access the slide stage 42 inside the cover 41 through the outlet 41b.

[0048] The stage movement mechanism 43 may be, for example, a motor-driven mechanism using a ball screw or an air cylinder. A rodless cylinder is preferably used as the stage movement mechanism 43 because it can prevent dust from being generated from the sliding parts. The slide stage 42 is fixed to a movable part of the stage movement mechanism 43 and is moved linearly inside the cover 41 in the longitudinal direction by the power applied from the stage movement mechanism 43.

[0049] Four pins are provided on the outer periphery of the slide stage 42 so as to protrude upward. The wafer W placed on the slide stage 42 by the transfer robot 111 of the load / unload unit 11 is supported on the slide stage 42 with its outer periphery guided and positioned by the four pins. These pins are made of resin such as polypropylene (PP), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), or polyether ether ketone (PEEK).

[0050] The exhaust duct 44 is provided on the other side panel in the longitudinal direction of the cover 41 (the side panel opposite the carry-in opening 41a). When the carry-in opening 41a is opened and the exhaust duct 44 exhausts air, an airflow is formed inside the cover 41 that flows from the carry-in opening 41a side to the carry-out opening 41b side. This prevents particles in the polishing unit 12 from diffusing into the loading / unloading unit 11 through the transport unit 14.

[0051] <Polishing section> 1, the polishing section 12 is an area where the wafer W is polished, and includes a first polishing unit 20a having a first polishing device 21a and a second polishing device 21b, a second polishing unit 20b having a third polishing device 21c and a fourth polishing device 21d, and a polishing section transport mechanism 22 disposed adjacent to the transport section 14 and the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b. The polishing section transport mechanism 22 is disposed between the cleaning section 13 and the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b in the width direction of the substrate processing apparatus 10.

[0052] The first polishing apparatus 21a, the second polishing apparatus 21b, the third polishing apparatus 21c, and the fourth polishing apparatus 21d are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus 10. The second polishing apparatus 21b, the third polishing apparatus 21c, and the fourth polishing apparatus 21d have the same configuration as the first polishing apparatus 21a, so the following description will focus on the first polishing apparatus 21a.

[0053] 4 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the first polishing apparatus 21a. The first polishing apparatus 21a includes a polishing table 101a on which a polishing pad 102a having a polishing surface is attached, a top ring 25a for holding a wafer W and polishing the wafer W while pressing it against the polishing pad 102a on the polishing table 101a, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 104a for supplying a polishing liquid (also called a slurry) or a dressing liquid (e.g., pure water) to the polishing pad 102a, a dresser (not shown) for dressing the polishing surface of the polishing pad 102a, and an atomizer (not shown) for atomizing a mixture of a liquid (e.g., pure water) and a gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) or a liquid (e.g., pure water) onto the polishing surface.

[0054] Of these, the top ring 25a is supported by a top ring shaft 103a. A polishing pad 102a is attached to the upper surface of the polishing table 101a, and the upper surface of this polishing pad 102a forms a polishing surface for polishing the wafer W. A fixed grindstone can also be used instead of the polishing pad 102a. The top ring 25a and polishing table 101a are configured to rotate around their respective axes as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4. The wafer W is held by vacuum suction on the lower surface of the top ring 25a. During polishing, a polishing liquid is supplied from a polishing liquid supply nozzle 104a to the polishing surface of the polishing pad 102a, and the wafer W to be polished is pressed against the polishing surface by the top ring 25a and polished.

[0055] Considering that a slurry is used during polishing, the polishing section 12 is the dirtiest area. Therefore, in this embodiment, to prevent particles from scattering outside the polishing section 12, exhaust is performed around the polishing tables of the first polishing apparatus 21a, the second polishing apparatus 21b, the third polishing apparatus 21c, and the fourth polishing apparatus 21d, and the pressure inside the polishing section 12 is made more negative than the pressure outside the apparatus, the surrounding cleaning section 13, the load / unload section 11, and the transfer section 14, thereby preventing particle scattering. In addition, an exhaust duct (not shown) is usually provided below the polishing table, and a filter (not shown) is provided above it, and purified air is ejected through these exhaust ducts and filters, forming a downflow.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 1, the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a moves between the polishing position and the first substrate transfer position TP1 by the swing motion of the top ring head, and the transfer of wafers to the first polishing apparatus 21a is performed at the first substrate transfer position TP1. Similarly, the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b moves between the polishing position and the second substrate transport position TP2 by the swing movement of the top ring head, and wafers are transferred to the second polishing apparatus 21b at the second substrate transport position TP2; the top ring 25c of the third polishing apparatus 21c moves between the polishing position and the third substrate transport position TP3 by the swing movement of the top ring head, and wafers are transferred to the third polishing apparatus 21c at the third substrate transport position TP3; and the top ring 25d of the fourth polishing apparatus 21d moves between the polishing position and the fourth substrate transport position TP4 by the swing movement of the top ring head, and wafers are transferred to the fourth polishing apparatus 21d at the fourth substrate transport position TP4.

[0057] The polishing section transport mechanism 22 includes a first transport unit 24a that transports the wafer W to the first polishing unit 20a, a second transport unit 24b that transports the wafer W to the second polishing unit 20b, and a transport robot 23 that is disposed between the first transport unit 24a and the second transport unit 24b and that transfers the wafer between the transport section 14 and the first transport unit 24a and the second transport unit 24b. In the illustrated example, the transport robot 23 is disposed approximately in the center of the housing of the substrate processing apparatus 10.

[0058] 5 is a side view showing the transfer robot 23. As shown in FIG. 5, the transfer robot 23 includes a hand 231 for holding the wafer W and an inversion mechanism 234 for inverting the hand 231 upside down. The robot body 233 includes an extendable arm 232 that supports the hand W, an arm up / down movement mechanism that moves the arm 232 up and down, and an arm rotation mechanism that rotates the arm 232 about a vertical axis. The robot body 233 is attached so as to be suspended from a frame on the ceiling of the polishing section 14.

[0059] In this embodiment, the hand 231 can access the slide stage 42 from the discharge port 41b of the transfer section 14. The hand 231 can also access the first transfer unit 24a and the second transfer unit 24b of the polishing section 12. Therefore, the wafers W continuously transferred from the transfer section 14 to the polishing section 12 are sorted by the transfer robot 23 to the first transfer unit 24a and the second transfer unit 24b.

[0060] The second transport unit 24b has the same configuration as the first transport unit 24a, so the following description will focus on the first transport unit 24a. Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the first transport unit 24a.

[0061] As shown in Figure 6, the first transport unit 24a has a first pusher 51a that is positioned at a first substrate transport position TP1 relative to the first polishing apparatus 21a and moves up and down, a second pusher 51b that is positioned at a second substrate transport position TP2 relative to the second polishing apparatus 21b and moves up and down, and an exchanger 50 that has a first stage 52a, a second stage 52b, and a third stage 52c that move horizontally independently of each other between the first substrate transport position TP1 and the second substrate transport position TP2.

[0062] Of these, the first pusher 51a transfers a wafer W held on any one of the first to third stages 52a to 52c to the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a, and transfers a polished wafer W from the first polishing apparatus 21a to any one of the first to third stages 52a to 52c. The second pusher 51b transfers a wafer W held on any one of the first to third stages 52a to 52c to the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b, and transfers a polished wafer W from the second polishing apparatus 21b to any one of the first to third stages 52a to 52c. In this way, the first pusher 51a and the second pusher 51b function as a transfer mechanism for transferring a wafer W between the exchanger 50 and each top ring. The second pusher 51b has a structure similar to that of the first pusher 51a, and therefore, only the first pusher 51a will be described below.

[0063] FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first pusher 51a. As shown in FIG. 7, the first pusher 51a includes a guide stage 331 for holding a top ring of the first polishing apparatus 21a and a push stage 333 for holding a wafer W. Four top ring guides 337 are installed on the outermost periphery of the guide stage 331. An upper step 338 of the top ring guide 337 is an access portion to the underside of the guide ring (not shown) of the top ring (which surrounds the outer periphery of the wafer W). A taper (preferably about 25° to 35°) is formed on the upper step 338 for introducing the top ring. When the wafer is unloaded, the top ring guide 337 directly receives the wafer edge.

[0064] A waterproof guide sleeve 340 is installed on the back surface of the guide stage 331. A center sleeve 341 is installed inside the guide sleeve 340 to waterproof the pusher.

[0065] In order to provide the top ring guide 337 with an alignment mechanism, a linear way 346 is provided which moves in the horizontal X-axis and Y-axis directions to center the guide stage 331. The guide stage 331 is fixed to the linear way 346. This linear way 346 is structured so that it can be returned to its center position by applying pressure. This structure allows the guide Alternatively, the linear stage 346 can be returned to the center position without applying pressure, using only the spring inside the linear stage 346.

[0066] Furthermore, the linear way 346 is fixed to a shaft 330, and this shaft 330 is connected to a cylinder 347 having a ball spline mechanism. The cylinder 347 is driven by a motor (not shown), and the guide stage 331 moves up and down via the shaft 330.

[0067] The push stage 333 is disposed above the guide stage 331, and an electric actuator 349 is provided at the center of the push stage 333 to move the push stage 333 up and down relative to the guide stage 331. The push stage 333 moves up and down by the electric actuator 349 and loads a wafer W onto the top ring. In this embodiment, the push stage 333 is driven by the electric actuator 349, so that the push stage 333 can be positioned at a desired height. This allows the push stage 333 to wait directly below the wafer W as a preliminary operation when the push stage 333 receives the wafer W, thereby shortening the time required for the receiving operation. A compression spring 351 for positioning is provided at the end of the push stage 333.

[0068] To prevent back-contamination of the wafer from slurry adhering to the pusher, a cleaning nozzle is separately installed to clean the dirt. A wafer presence sensor may also be separately installed to check whether a wafer is present on the pusher.

[0069] 6, the exchanger 52a has a first stage 52a, a second stage 52b, and a third stage 52c arranged in multiple vertical stages. In the example shown, the first stage 52a is arranged on the lower stage, the second stage 52b is arranged on the middle stage, and the third stage 52c is arranged on the upper stage. The first stage 52a, the second stage 52b, and the third stage 52c move on the same axis that passes through the first substrate transfer position TP1 and the second substrate transfer position TP2 in a plan view, but because they are installed at different heights, they can move freely without interfering with each other.

[0070] As shown in Fig. 6, the first stage 52a is provided with a first stage drive mechanism 54a that linearly moves the first stage 52a in one axial direction, the second stage 52b is provided with a second stage drive mechanism 54b that linearly moves the second stage 52b in the same axial direction, and the third stage 52c is provided with a third stage drive mechanism 54c that linearly moves the third stage 52c in the same axial direction. The first to third stage drive mechanisms 54a to 54c may be, for example, electric actuators or motor-driven mechanisms using ball screws. The first to third stages 52a to 52c are driven by different first to third stage drive mechanisms 54a to 54c, respectively, so that they can move in different directions at different times.

[0071] The second stage 52b and the third stage 52c have the same configuration as the first stage 52a, so the first stage 52a will be described below. Fig. 10 is a plan view showing the first stage 52a.

[0072] As shown in Fig. 6, the first stage 52a has a U-shape in plan view, with one side (the far right side in Fig. 6) in the linear movement direction by the first stage drive mechanism 54a being open. Therefore, when the first stage 52a is disposed at the first substrate transfer position TP1, the first pusher 51a can move up and down so as to pass inside the first stage 52a. In addition, when the first pusher 51a has passed inside the first stage 52a, Even if the yaw rate is higher than the yaw rate, the yaw rate can be moved to the other side in the linear movement direction (the left front side in FIG. 6).

[0073] Although not shown, the first stage 52a is provided with four pins that protrude upward. Therefore, the wafer placed on the first stage 52a is supported on the first stage 52a with its outer edge guided and positioned by the four pins. These pins are made of resin such as polypropylene (PP), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), or polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

[0074] Next, an example of the operation of the first pusher 51a and the exchanger 50 configured as described above will be described.

[0075] First, during wafer loading, the wafer W is transported above the first pusher 51a by the first stage 52a of the exchanger 50. When the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a is at the wafer loading position (first substrate transport position TP1) above the first pusher 51a and is not holding the wafer W, the cylinder 347 raises the entire set of components around the guide stage 331. During the raising process, the guide stage 331 passes inside the first stage 52a. At this time, the guide stage 331 centers the wafer W with the tapered top ring guide 337 as it passes, and the push stage 333 holds the pattern surface of the wafer W (other than the edge).

[0076] The top ring guide 337 rises without stopping while the push stage 333 holds the wafer W, and the guide ring is drawn in by the taper 338a of the top ring guide 337. The guide stage 331 is centered on the top ring through alignment by the linear way 346, which is freely movable in the X and Y directions, and the upper part 338 of the top ring guide 337 comes into contact with the lower surface of the guide ring, completing the ascent of the guide stage 331.

[0077] The guide stage 331 does not rise any further because the upper stage 338 of the top ring guide 337 comes into contact with and is fixed to the lower surface of the guide ring. At this time, the push stage 333 is further raised by the electric actuator 349. At this time, the push stage 333 holds the pattern surface (other than the edge) of the wafer W and transports the wafer W to the top ring. When the top ring has completed suction of the wafer W, the first pusher 51a begins to descend, and the operation is completed when the descent is completed.

[0078] In this embodiment, the first stage 52a has a U-shape in plan view that is open on one side in the linear movement direction (the far right side in FIG. 6), and therefore can move to the other side in the linear movement direction (the front left side in FIG. 6) even before the first pusher 51a starts to move down. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to wait for the first pusher 51a to move down when moving the first stage 52a, improving process throughput.

[0079] Next, during wafer unloading, the wafer W is transported by the top ring to the wafer unloading position above the first pusher 51a. When the first stage 52a of the exchanger 50 is above the first pusher 51a and does not have a wafer loaded on it, the cylinder 347 raises the entire set of components around the guide stage 331, and the tapered top ring guide 337 draws in the guide ring. The guide stage 331 is centered on the top ring through alignment by the linear way 346, and the upper step 338 of the top ring guide 337 comes into contact with the underside of the guide ring, completing the lift of the guide stage 331.

[0080] The push stage 333 is raised by the electric actuator 349, and at this time, the push stage 333 is positioned higher than the wafer holding portion of the top ring guide 337. When the electric actuator 349 has finished ascending, the wafer W is released from the top ring. At this time, the wafer W is centered by the lower taper of the top ring guide 337, and the edge portion is held by the top ring guide 337. When the wafer W is held by the first pusher 51a, the first pusher 51a starts to descend. During the descending movement, the guide stage 331, which has been moving its center position to center the top ring, is centered by the guide sleeve 340 and the center sleeve 341. During the descending movement, the edge portion of the wafer W is transferred from the first pusher 51a to the first stage 52a, and the operation is completed when the descending movement ends.

[0081] <Cleaning section> 1 and 2, the cleaning section 13 is an area where polished wafers are cleaned, and includes a first cleaning unit 30a and a second cleaning unit 30b arranged in two layers, one above the other. The transfer section 14 is disposed between the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b. The first cleaning unit 30a, the transfer section 14, and the second cleaning unit 30b are arranged so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction, which provides the advantage of a small footprint.

[0082] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first cleaning unit 30a includes multiple (four in the illustrated example) cleaning modules 311a, 312a, 313a, and 314a, a wafer station 33a, and a cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a that transfers wafers W between each of the cleaning modules 311a-314a and the wafer station 33a. The cleaning modules 311a-314a and the wafer station 33a are arranged in series along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus 10. A filter fan unit (not shown) having a clean air filter is provided above each cleaning module 311a-314a, and clean air from which particles have been removed is constantly blown downward. The interior of the first cleaning unit 30a is constantly maintained at a pressure higher than that of the polishing section 12 to prevent particles from entering from the polishing section 12.

[0083] Similarly, the second cleaning unit 30b includes multiple (four in the illustrated example) cleaning modules 311b, 312b, 313b, and 314b, a wafer station 33b, and a cleaning section transfer mechanism 32b that transfers wafers W between each of the cleaning modules 311b to 314b and the wafer station 33b. The multiple cleaning modules 311b to 314b and the wafer station 33b are arranged in series along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus 10. A filter fan unit (not shown) having a clean air filter is provided above each cleaning module 311b to 314b, and clean air from which particles have been removed is constantly blown downward. The interior of the second cleaning unit 30b is constantly maintained at a pressure higher than that of the polishing section 12 to prevent particles from entering from the polishing section 12.

[0084] As will be described later (FIG. 27, FIG. 28A to FIG. 28E and related explanations), the preliminary cleaning modules 39a and 39b may be added to the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and 311b to 314b, respectively.

[0085] Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the wafer station 33a of the first cleaning unit 30a. Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of this wafer station 33a. As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the wafer station 33a has a housing 71 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, a stage 72 arranged inside the housing 71 and holding the wafer W, and a drive mechanism 75 that moves the stage 72 up and down.

[0086] 9, the housing 71 has a bottom plate, four side plates, and a top plate. As shown in FIG. 9, the side plate facing the polishing unit 12 has a lower end portion connected to the polishing unit 12. 9, the transport robot 23 of the polishing unit 12 can access the inside of the housing 71 through the carry-in entrance 73. The carry-in entrance 73 can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown). As shown in FIG.

[0087] 8, the remaining three of the four side panels (i.e., the side panel facing the first cleaning section transport mechanism 32a and the left and right side panels) have arm passage openings 74 formed at a height higher than the loading entrance 73 to allow the arm of the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a to pass through. The wafer transport openings 74 can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a of the first cleaning unit 30a can access the inside of the housing 71 through the arm passage openings 74.

[0088] For example, a motor drive mechanism using a ball screw or an air cylinder is used as the drive mechanism 75. The stage 72 is fixed to a movable part of the drive mechanism 75, and is moved up and down by power applied from the drive mechanism 75 between a height position facing the loading entrance 73 and a height position facing the wafer transfer opening 74 (see FIG. 9).

[0089] Four pins 76 are provided to protrude upward from the outer periphery of the stage 72. Therefore, the wafer W placed on the stage 72 is supported on the stage 72 with its outer periphery guided and positioned by the four pins 76. These pins 76 are made of resin such as polypropylene (PP), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), or polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

[0090] Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing wafer station 33b of second cleaning unit 30b. Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of wafer station 33b. As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, wafer station 33b has a housing 81 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, a stage 82 arranged inside housing 81 and holding wafer W, and a drive mechanism 85 that moves stage 82 up and down.

[0091] Of these, the housing 81 has a bottom panel, four side panels, and a top panel. As shown in Fig. 11, an inlet 83 communicating with the polishing unit 12 is formed at the upper end of the side panel facing the polishing unit 12 out of the four side panels. The inlet 83 can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown). As shown in Fig. 11, the transport robot 23 of the polishing unit 12 can access the inside of the housing 81 through the inlet 83.

[0092] 10, arm passage openings 84 for passing the arms of the cleaning section transport mechanism 32b are formed at height positions lower than the carry-in entrance 83 in the remaining three of the four side panels (i.e., the side panel opposite the polishing section 12 and the left and right side panels). The arm passage openings 84 can be opened and closed by a shutter 87. As shown in FIG. 11, the cleaning section transport mechanism 32b of the second cleaning unit 30b can access the inside of the housing 81 through the arm passage openings 84.

[0093] For example, a motor drive mechanism using a ball screw or an air cylinder is used as the drive mechanism 85. The stage 82 is fixed to a movable part of the drive mechanism 85, and is moved up and down by power applied from the drive mechanism 85 between a height position facing the loading entrance 83 and a height position facing the wafer transfer opening 84 (see FIG. 11).

[0094] Four pins 86 are provided on the outer periphery of the stage 82 so as to protrude upward. Therefore, the wafer placed on the stage 82 is supported on the stage 82 with its outer periphery guided and positioned by the four pins 86. These pins 86 are made of polypropylene (PP), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTF), It is made from resins such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyether ether ketone (PE).

[0095] The cleaning modules 311b to 314b of the second cleaning unit 30b have the same configuration as the cleaning modules 311a to 314a of the first cleaning unit 30a, so the cleaning modules 311a to 314a of the first cleaning unit 30a will be described below.

[0096] 1 and 2, four cleaning modules 311a to 314a (hereinafter sometimes referred to as first to fourth cleaning modules) are arranged in series in this order starting from wafer station 33a. Each of cleaning modules 311a to 314a includes a cleaning machine (not shown) and a housing 91 that covers the cleaning machine.

[0097] The cleaning equipment for the primary cleaning module 311a and the secondary cleaning module 312a may be, for example, a roll-type cleaning equipment that rotates vertically arranged roll-shaped sponges and presses them against the front and back surfaces of the wafer to clean them. The cleaning equipment for the tertiary cleaning module 313a may be, for example, a pencil-type cleaning equipment that rotates a hemispherical sponge and presses it against the wafer to clean it. The cleaning equipment for the fourth cleaning module 314a may be, for example, a pencil-type cleaning equipment that can rinse the back surface of the wafer and that rotates a hemispherical sponge and presses it against the front surface of the wafer to clean it. The cleaning equipment for the fourth cleaning module 314a is equipped with a stage that rotates the chucked wafer at high speed and has a function (spin dry function) that dries the wafer after cleaning by rotating the wafer at high speed. In addition to the above-mentioned roll-type cleaning equipment and pencil-type cleaning equipment, each cleaning module 311a-314a may also be equipped with a megasonic-type cleaning equipment that applies ultrasonic waves to a cleaning solution for cleaning.

[0098] The housing of each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a has a bottom panel, four side panels, and a top panel, similar to the housing 71 of the wafer station 33a. Of the four side panels, the side panel facing the cleaning unit transport mechanism 32a and the left and right side panels are formed with arm passage openings 94 for passing the arms of the cleaning unit transport mechanism 32a (see FIGS. 13A to 13E). The arm passage openings 94 can be opened and closed by a shutter 97. The arm passage openings 94 are formed at the same height as the arm passage openings 74 of the wafer station 33a. The cleaning unit transport mechanism 32a can access the inside of the housing 91 through the arm passage openings 94.

[0099] The cleaning section transport mechanism 32b of the second cleaning unit 30b has the same configuration as the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a of the first cleaning unit 30a, so the following will describe the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a of the first cleaning unit 30a.

[0100] Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a of the first cleaning unit 30a. As shown in Fig. 12, the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a has a first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and a second wafer gripping mechanism 602 that respectively grip a wafer W, and an arm transfer mechanism 62 that linearly moves the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 along the arrangement direction of the plurality of cleaning modules 311a to 314a. That is, in this embodiment, the number of wafer gripping mechanisms 601 and 602 is smaller than the number of cleaning modules 311a to 314a.

[0101] In this embodiment, the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 can be selectively used depending on the cleanliness of the wafer W. For example, among the first to fourth cleaning modules 311a to 314a, the first cleaning module 311a and the second cleaning module 312a in the first half of the cleaning process use the first wafer gripping mechanism 601, and the third cleaning module 312a in the second half of the cleaning process use the first wafer gripping mechanism 601. By using the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 in the fourth cleaning module 313a and the fourth cleaning module 314a, it is possible to prevent the wafer W from coming into contact with the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and being contaminated in the latter half of the cleaning process.

[0102] More specifically, the first wafer holding mechanism 601 has a pair of first arms 611 that can be opened and closed to hold the wafer, a first up-down movement mechanism 641 that moves the pair of first arms 611 up and down, a first rotation mechanism 631 that rotates the pair of first arms 611 around a rotation axis 631A that is parallel to the opening and closing direction, and a first opening and closing mechanism 661 that opens and closes the pair of first arms 611 in a direction toward or away from each other.

[0103] Similarly, the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 has a pair of second arms 612 that can be opened and closed to grip the wafer, a second up-down movement mechanism 642 that moves the pair of second arms 612 up and down, a second rotation mechanism 632 that rotates the pair of second arms 612 around a rotation axis 632A that is parallel to the opening and closing direction, and a second opening and closing mechanism 662 that opens and closes the pair of second arms 612 in a direction toward or away from each other.

[0104] A motor-driven mechanism using, for example, a ball screw is used as the arm transport mechanism 62. As shown in Fig. 12, the ball screw of the arm transport mechanism 62 is provided above the cleaning modules 311a to 314a so as to extend in the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a.

[0105] A main frame 68 is attached to the ball screw of the arm transport mechanism 62. The main frame 68 is attached so as to hang downward from the ball screw of the arm transport mechanism 62, and faces the side surfaces of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a. Driven by a motor connected to the ball screw of the arm transport mechanism 62, the main frame 68 moves linearly along the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a while facing the side surfaces of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a.

[0106] In the illustrated example, the main frame 68 has a depth direction movement mechanism 67 for adjusting its position in the depth direction (the direction perpendicular to both the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and the up-down direction). As the depth direction movement mechanism 67, for example, a motor-driven mechanism using a rack and pinion is used. By driving the depth direction movement mechanism 67, the position of the main frame 68 in the depth direction is adjusted.

[0107] The first vertical movement mechanism 641 and the second vertical movement mechanism 642 are provided on the main frame 68. For example, a motor-driven mechanism using a ball screw is used as the first vertical movement mechanism 641 and the second vertical movement mechanism 642. As shown in Fig. 16 , the ball screw of the first vertical movement mechanism 641 is attached to the left end of the main frame 68 so as to extend in the vertical direction, and the ball screw of the second vertical movement mechanism 642 is attached to the right end of the main frame 68 so as to extend in the vertical direction.

[0108] A first sub-frame 691 that supports the pair of first arms 611 is attached to the ball screw of the first vertical movement mechanism 641. The first sub-frame 691 is provided adjacent to the main frame 68 on the left side of the main frame 68, and faces the side surfaces of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a. Driven by a motor connected to the ball screw of the first vertical movement mechanism 641, the first sub-frame 691 is moved linearly in the vertical direction.

[0109] Similarly, a second sub-frame 692 that supports a pair of second arms 612 is attached to the ball screw of the second vertical movement mechanism 642. The second sub-frame 692 is The second sub-frame 692 is provided adjacent to the main frame 68 on the right side thereof and is configured to face the side surfaces of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a. The second sub-frame 692 is moved linearly in the vertical direction by the drive of a motor connected to the ball screw of the second vertical movement mechanism 642.

[0110] The first sub-frame 691 and the second sub-frame 692 have substantially the same structure except that they are symmetrical with respect to the main frame 68, and therefore the second sub-frame 692 will be described below.

[0111] 12, the pair of second arms 612 are arranged parallel to each other, and the base ends of the second arms 612 are attached to a rotation shaft 632A rotatably provided on a second sub-frame 692. A second rotation mechanism 632 that rotates the pair of second arms 612 about the rotation shaft 632A is provided on the second sub-frame 692. As the second rotation mechanism 632, for example, a motor-driven mechanism is used. The rotation shaft of the second rotation mechanism 632 is connected to the rotation shaft 632A via a link member 632L. The rotational force of the second rotation mechanism 632 is transmitted to the rotation shaft 632A via the link member 632L, and the pair of second arms 612 rotate about the rotation shaft 632A.

[0112] Furthermore, a second opening / closing mechanism 662 that opens and closes the pair of second arms 612 in directions toward or away from each other is provided on the second sub-frame 692. An air cylinder, for example, is used as the second opening / closing mechanism 662. When the second opening / closing mechanism 662 closes the pair of second arms 612, the pair of second arms 612 sandwich and hold the peripheral edge of the wafer W.

[0113] 14 and 15, the pair of second arms 612 are provided with two tiers of chuck pieces 612a, 612b, one above the other, that can come into contact with the outer periphery of a wafer W. For example, a wafer W with a relatively high level of cleanliness is held by the chuck piece 612a in the upper tier, and a wafer with a relatively low level of cleanliness is held by the chuck piece 612b in the lower tier, thereby preventing the lower tier chuck piece 612b from coming into contact with the wafer W with a high level of cleanliness and contaminating the wafer W.

[0114] 13A to 13E, an example of the operation of the pair of second arms 612 will be described. As described above, each cleaning module is partitioned by a housing 91 to prevent the fluid used from scattering outside during cleaning of the wafer W, and an arm passage opening 94 is formed on the side of the housing 91. An openable and closable shutter 97 is provided in the arm passage opening 94.

[0115] 13A, when the cleaned wafer W is to be removed from the housing 91, the pair of second arms 612 with their tips facing upward are moved to a standby position adjacent to the housing 91 by the driving of the arm transfer mechanism 62. In this embodiment, even if the shutter 97 of the housing 91 is closed, the pair of second arms 612 can be moved to the standby position adjacent to the housing 91 by keeping the tips of the pair of second arms 612 facing upward. Therefore, the timing for starting the wafer removal operation can be advanced, and the throughput of the entire process can be improved.

[0116] 13B and 13C, the pair of second arms 612 are rotated about the rotation shaft 632A by driving the second rotation mechanism 632. In the illustrated example, the pair of second arms 612 are rotated 90° clockwise about the rotation shaft 632A in a side view, and the tips of the pair of second arms 612 are directed sideways.

[0117] Next, as shown in FIG. 13D, the second vertical drive mechanism 642 is driven to move the pair of second arms. The arm 612 is raised to the same height as the arm passage opening 94. At this time, the shutter 97 is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened.

[0118] 13E, by driving second opening / closing mechanism 662, the pair of second arms 612 are closed in a direction approaching each other, and are inserted into the inside of housing 91 through arm passing opening 94 to grip wafer W inside housing 91. Then, the pair of second arms 612 gripping wafer W are moved to the next cleaning module by driving arm transfer mechanism 62.

[0119] 13A to 13E are performed in the reverse order when loading an uncleaned wafer W into the housing 91. That is, as shown in Fig. 13E, the pair of second arms 612 holding the wafer W are moved into the housing 91 through the arm passage opening 94 by the drive of the arm transfer mechanism 62.

[0120] Next, as shown in FIG. 13D, second opening / closing mechanism 662 is driven to open pair of second arms 612 in directions away from each other, and pass through arm passage opening 94 to the outside of housing 91.

[0121] 13C, second vertical drive mechanism 642 drives pair of second arms 612 to lower to a height position lower than arm passage opening 94. At this time, arm passage opening 94 is closed by shutter 97, and cleaning process of wafer W inside housing 91 is started.

[0122] 13B and 13A, the pair of second arms 612 are rotated about the rotation shaft 632A by driving the second rotation mechanism 632. In the illustrated example, the pair of second arms 612 are rotated 90° counterclockwise about the rotation shaft 632A in a side view, and the tips of the pair of second arms 612 are directed upward. Then, the pair of second arms 612 with their tips directed upward are moved to the next cleaning module by driving the arm transport mechanism 62. In this embodiment, when the second rotation mechanism 632 rotates the pair of second arms 612 so that their tips are directed upward, the second up-down movement mechanism 642 lowers the pair of second arms 612, thereby reducing the space required above the pair of second arms 612.

[0123] Each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and 311b to 314b can concurrently clean a plurality of wafers W. With reference to Figures 29A to 29I, the operation of the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a when a plurality of wafers W are concurrently cleaned in the primary to tertiary cleaning modules 311a to 313a of the first cleaning unit 30a will be described as an example.

[0124] 29A, it is assumed that in the primary cleaning module 311a, the shutter 97 is closed and the first stage of cleaning is being performed on the second wafer W2, and in the secondary cleaning module 312a, the second stage of cleaning on the first wafer W1 has been completed and the arm passage opening 94 is open. In this case, the pair of first arms 611 are moved to standby positions for the secondary cleaning module 312a, and the tips of the pair of first arms 611 are directed sideways.

[0125] 29B, the pair of first arms 611 are closed so as to approach each other, and the first wafer W1 in the secondary cleaning module 312a is held by the pair of first arms 611. Also, the shutter 97 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a is retracted, and the arm passage opening 94 is opened.

[0126] Next, as shown in FIG. 29C, the first wafer W held by the pair of first arms 611 is 1 is moved from the second cleaning module 312a to the third cleaning module 313a through the arm passage opening 94.

[0127] 29D, the pair of first arms 611 are opened so as to move away from each other and are extended to the left and right outside of the tertiary cleaning module 313a. In the secondary cleaning module 312a, the shutter 97 is closed to prevent drying.

[0128] Next, as shown in FIG. 29E, the shutter 97 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a is closed, and the first wafer W1 is subjected to a third stage of cleaning in the tertiary cleaning module 313a.

[0129] 29F, when the first stage of cleaning of the second wafer W2 in the primary cleaning module 311a is completed, the shutter 97 of the primary cleaning module 311a is retracted to open the arm passage opening 94. At this time, the pair of first arms 611 are rotated by the rotation mechanism, and the tips of the pair of first arms 611 are directed upward.

[0130] Then, as shown in FIG. 29G, the pair of first arms 611 are moved to avoid (skip) the tertiary cleaning module 313a and the secondary cleaning module 312a whose shutters 97 are closed, and are placed in the standby position of the primary cleaning module 311a.

[0131] Next, as shown in Fig. 29H, the pair of first arms 611 are rotated by the rotation mechanism, and the tips of the pair of first arms 611 are directed sideways. Then, as shown in Fig. 29I, the pair of first arms 611 are closed so as to approach each other, and the second wafer W2 in the primary cleaning module 311a is held by the pair of first arms 611. Thereafter, the second wafer W2 held by the pair of first arms 611 is transferred to the secondary cleaning module 312a, where the second stage of cleaning is performed.

[0132] As described above, in this embodiment, a plurality of wafers W can be cleaned in parallel in each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and 311b to 314b, thereby improving the throughput of the entire process.

[0133] Next, with reference to FIGS. 30A to 30I, a modified example of the operation of the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a when cleaning a plurality of wafers W in parallel in the primary to tertiary cleaning modules 311a to 313a of the first cleaning unit 30a will be described.

[0134] 30A, it is assumed that in the primary cleaning module 311a, the shutter 97 is closed and the first stage of cleaning is being performed on the second wafer W2, and in the secondary cleaning module 312a, the second stage of cleaning on the first wafer W1 has been completed and the arm passage opening 94 is open. In this case, the pair of first arms 611 are moved to standby positions for the secondary cleaning module 312a, and the tips of the pair of first arms 611 are directed sideways.

[0135] 30B, the pair of first arms 611 are closed to approach each other, and the first wafer W1 in the second cleaning module 312a is held by the pair of first arms 611. Also, the shutter 97 of the third cleaning module 313a is retracted, and the arm passage opening 94 is opened.

[0136] Next, as shown in FIG. 30C, the first wafer W1 held by the pair of first arms 611 passes through the arm passage opening 94 and is moved from the second cleaning module 312a to the third cleaning module 313a.

[0137] 30D, the pair of first arms 611 are opened so as to move away from each other and are extended to the left and right outside of the tertiary cleaning module 313a. The shutter 97 of the secondary cleaning module 312 is closed.

[0138] Next, as shown in FIG. 30E, when the first stage of cleaning of the second wafer W2 in the first cleaning module 311a is completed before the third stage of cleaning of the first wafer W1 in the tertiary cleaning module 313a is started, the shutter 97 of the first cleaning module 311a is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened.

[0139] 30F, the pair of first arms 611 are raised to a height position higher than the first wafer W1. Also, the shutter 97 of the secondary cleaning module 312a is retracted to open the arm passage opening 94.

[0140] Then, as shown in Figure 30G, the pair of first arms 611 are moved, with their tips facing sideways, to pass through the arm passage openings 94 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a and the secondary cleaning module 312a, and are placed in a standby position in the primary cleaning module 311a.

[0141] 30H, the pair of first arms 611 are lowered to the same height as the second wafer W2. Meanwhile, in the third cleaning module 313a, the shutter 97 is closed and the third stage of cleaning of the first wafer W1 is initiated. In the second cleaning module 312a, the shutter 97 is closed to prevent drying.

[0142] 30I, the pair of first arms 611 are closed so as to approach each other, and the second wafer W2 in the primary cleaning module 311a is held by the pair of first arms 611. Thereafter, the second wafer W2 held by the pair of first arms 611 is transferred to the secondary cleaning module 312a, where the second stage of cleaning is performed.

[0143] According to the above-described modification, when the pair of first arms 611 are moved from the tertiary cleaning module 313a to the primary cleaning module 311a, the operation of rotating the pair of first arms 611 can be omitted, thereby further improving the throughput of the entire process.

[0144] 29A to 29I, when the pair of first arms 611 are rotated to move so as to avoid (skip) the tertiary cleaning module 313a and the secondary cleaning module 312a whose shutters 97 are closed, the pair of first arms 611 do not pass above the first wafer W1 in the tertiary cleaning module 313a, thereby preventing the cleaning liquid dropping from the pair of first arms 611 from adhering to the surface of the first wafer W1. Also, the third stage of cleaning of the first wafer W1 in the tertiary cleaning module 313a can be started earlier.

[0145] Each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and 311b to 314b has a detector (not shown) that detects a malfunction. When a malfunction occurs in any of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a and 311b to 314b, the detector detects this and sends a signal to the control unit 15. The control unit 15 selects a cleaning line that avoids the malfunctioning cleaning module and switches the current cleaning line to the newly selected cleaning line.

[0146] More specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 22A, when an abnormality occurs in the tertiary cleaning module 313a of the first cleaning unit 30a, the wafer W located in the secondary cleaning module 312a is gripped by the first arm 611 of the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a. As shown in 2B, with the tip of the second arm 612 of the cleaning unit transport mechanism 32a facing upward, the arm transport mechanism 62 drives the arm transport mechanism 62 to transport the wafer held by the first arm 611 to the first wafer station 33a. At this time, even if the shutter 97 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a malfunctions and remains closed, the tip of the second arm 612 faces upward, so the arm can move around (skip) the tertiary cleaning module 313a without interfering with the shutter 97.

[0147] 22C and 22D, the transfer robot 23 of the polishing unit 12 removes the wafer W from the first wafer station 33a and transfers it to the second wafer station 33b. The wafer W transferred to the second wafer station 33b is held by the first arm 611 of the cleaning unit transfer mechanism 32b. Then, as shown in FIG. 22E, the arm transfer mechanism 62 is driven to transfer the wafer W held by the first arm 611 to the primary cleaning module 311b and cleaned.

[0148] As described above, in this embodiment, even if an abnormality occurs in any of the plurality of first cleaning modules 311a-314a, the wafer W located in the first cleaning module 311a-314a can be salvaged by being transferred to the second cleaning module 311b-314b and cleaned therein. Similarly, even if an abnormality occurs in any of the plurality of second cleaning modules 311b-314b, the wafer W located in the second cleaning module 311b-314b can be salvaged by being transferred to the first cleaning module 311a-314a and cleaned therein.

[0149] 12, in this embodiment, the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 are arranged in a suspended state below the arm transfer mechanism 62. This expands the maintenance space for the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602. This reduces the time required for maintenance.

[0150] <Pre-cleaning module> 27, the first cleaning unit 30a of the cleaning section 13 is arranged in the same row as the plurality of cleaning modules 311a to 314a and further includes a pre-cleaning module 39a that cleans the wafer W before polishing, and the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a may transfer the wafer W between the pre-cleaning module 39a and each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a. In the illustrated example, the pre-cleaning module 39a is arranged adjacent to the first wafer station 33a on the opposite side of the first wafer station 33a from the cleaning modules 311a to 314a.

[0151] Similarly, the second cleaning unit 30b is arranged in the same row as the plurality of cleaning modules 311b to 314b and further includes a pre-cleaning module 39a that cleans the wafer W before polishing, and the cleaning section transport mechanism 32a may transport the wafer W between the pre-cleaning module 39a and each of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a. In the illustrated example, the pre-cleaning module 39b is arranged adjacent to the second wafer station 33b on the opposite side of the second wafer station 33b from the cleaning modules 311b to 314b.

[0152] Each of the pre-cleaning modules 39a and 39b includes a cleaning machine (not shown) and a housing 91 that covers the cleaning machine. The cleaning machine in each of the pre-cleaning modules 39a and 39b may be, for example, a wet etching device that removes a natural oxide film from the surface of the wafer W before polishing, or a buffing device that removes coarse particles that may cause scratches from the surface of the wafer W before polishing.

[0153] The wafer transport operation to the pre-cleaning module 39b of the second cleaning unit 30b is similar to the wafer transport operation to the pre-cleaning module 39a of the first cleaning unit 30a, so below we will explain the wafer transport operation to the pre-cleaning module 39a of the first cleaning unit 30a.

[0154] First, as shown in FIG. 28A, the unpolished wafer W is transported along the longitudinal direction by the slide stage 42 of the transport unit 14 and is stopped at a position accessible to the transport robot 23 of the polishing unit 12.

[0155] 28B, the wafer W is removed from the transfer unit 14 by the transfer robot 23 of the polishing unit 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 28C, the wafer W held by the transfer robot 23 is delivered to the wafer station 33a.

[0156] 28D, the wafer W located in the wafer station 33a is held by the first arm 611 of the cleaning unit transfer mechanism 32a. Then, as shown in FIG. 28E, with the tip of the second arm 612 of the cleaning unit transfer mechanism 32a facing upward, the arm transfer mechanism 62 is driven to transfer the wafer W held by the first arm 611 from the first wafer station 33a to the pre-cleaning module 39a, where it is cleaned.

[0157] The wafer W cleaned in the pre-cleaning module 39a is again held by the first arm 611 of the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a. Then, as shown in FIG. 28C, the wafer W held by the first arm 611 is transferred from the pre-cleaning module 39a to the wafer station 33a by driving the arm transfer mechanism 62. Then, as shown in FIG. 28B, the transfer robot 23 of the polishing section 12 removes the wafer W from the wafer station 33a and transfers it to the first polishing unit 20a or the second polishing unit 20b via the first transfer unit 24a or the second transfer unit 24b, where it is polished.

[0158] More specifically, the preliminary cleaning module 39a and the primary cleaning module 311a each have a buffing treatment device (for example, the device disclosed in FIG. 1 of JP 2016-43471 A) that brings a buff pad into contact with the wafer W, moves the wafer W and the buff pad relative to each other, and polishes and / or scrubs the front surface of the wafer W by interposing a slurry between the wafer W and the buff pad. The secondary cleaning module 312a has a roll-type cleaning machine (for example, the device disclosed in FIG. 32 of JP 2010-50436 A) that rotates roll-shaped sponges arranged above and below the wafer W and presses them against the front and back surfaces of the wafer W to clean the front and back surfaces of the wafer W. The tertiary cleaning module 313a has a pencil-type cleaning machine (for example, the device disclosed in JP 2000-200066 A) that rotates a hemispherical sponge and presses it against the wafer W to clean the wafer W. In the case where the fourth cleaning module 314a has an IPA drying device (for example, an apparatus disclosed in Figures 33 to 39 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-50436) that sprays IPA (isopropyl alcohol) vapor onto the surface of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W to dry it, the wafer W before polishing is buffed in the preliminary cleaning module 39a, then transported to the first polishing unit 20a or the second polishing unit 20b and polished, then buffed in the first cleaning module 311a, cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge in the second cleaning module 312a, cleaned with a pencil-shaped sponge in the third cleaning module 313a, dried with IPA vapor in the fourth cleaning module 314a, and then removed to the load / unload section 11.

[0159] The preliminary cleaning module 39a has a buffing device, the first cleaning module 311a and the second cleaning module 312a each have a roll-type cleaner, the third cleaning module 313a has a pencil-type cleaner, and the fourth cleaning module 314a has an IPA drying device. If so, the wafer W before polishing is buffed in the preliminary cleaning module 39a, then transported to the first polishing unit 20a or the second polishing unit 20b and polished, then successively cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge in the first cleaning module 311a and the second cleaning module 312a, cleaned with a pencil-shaped sponge in the third cleaning module 313a, dried with IPA vapor in the fourth cleaning module 314a, and then removed to the load / unload section 11.

[0160] In addition, if the preliminary cleaning module 39a, the first cleaning module 311a, and the second cleaning module 312a each have a roll-type cleaning machine, the third cleaning module 313a has a pencil-type cleaning machine, and the fourth cleaning module 314a has an IPA drying device, the wafer W before polishing is cleaned with a roll-type sponge in the preliminary cleaning module 39a, then transported to the first polishing unit 20a or the second polishing unit 20b and polished, then cleaned with a roll-type sponge in the first cleaning module 311a and the second cleaning module 312a in succession, cleaned with a pencil sponge in the third cleaning module 313a, dried with IPA vapor in the fourth cleaning module 314a, and then removed to the load / unload section 11.

[0161] Furthermore, when the preliminary cleaning module 39a and the primary cleaning module 311a each have a roll-type cleaner, the secondary cleaning module 312a has a pencil-type cleaner, the tertiary cleaning module 313a has a two-fluid jet cleaner (for example, the device disclosed in FIG. 4 of JP 2010-238850 A) that sprays cleaning liquid and gas at high speed toward the wafer W to generate a two-fluid jet flow and sprays it at high speed to clean the wafer W, and the fourth cleaning module 314a has an IPA dryer, The previous wafer W is cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge in the preliminary cleaning module 39a, then transported to the first polishing unit 20a or the second polishing unit 20b and polished, then cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge in the primary cleaning module 311a, cleaned with a pencil-shaped sponge in the secondary cleaning module 312a, subjected to two-fluid jet cleaning in the tertiary cleaning module 313a, and dried with IPA vapor in the quaternary cleaning module 314a, and then removed to the load / unload section 11.

[0162] <Leak detection unit> 23 is a schematic diagram showing a liquid leakage detection unit 1 provided in the lower part (near the base frame) of the substrate processing apparatus 10. As shown in Fig. 23, the liquid leakage detection unit 1 has a drain pot 2, a drain pan 6 having a slope inclined toward the drain pot 2, a first installed liquid leakage sensor 3a provided on the bottom surface of the drain pot 2, and a second installed liquid leakage sensor 3b provided on the slope of the drain pan 6.

[0163] Photoelectric sensors, for example, are used as the first installed liquid leakage sensor 3a and the second installed liquid leakage sensor 3b. When the first installed liquid leakage sensor 3a and the second installed liquid leakage sensor 3b each detect a liquid leakage, they send a signal to the control unit 15. The control unit 15 issues an alarm when it receives a signal from the first installed liquid leakage sensor 3a, and stops operation of the substrate processing apparatus 10 when it receives a signal from the second installed liquid leakage sensor 3b.

[0164] As shown in FIG. 24, in a conventional liquid leakage detection unit 200, a two-stage detection level sensor is configured using a fixed-type liquid leakage sensor 203a installed on the bottom surface of a drain pot 202 and a float-type liquid leakage sensor 203b arranged inside the drain pot 202. The float-type liquid leakage sensor 203b, due to its structure, requires vertical movement to detect leakage. Therefore, the drain pot 202 needs to have a certain depth, and the bottom surface of the drain pot 202 protrudes below the bottom surface 205 of the base frame of the substrate processing apparatus. In this case, when the substrate processing apparatus is moved, the forks of a forklift may come into contact with the drain pot 202. There was a possibility that the drain pot 202 would be damaged if it came into contact with the bottom of the drain pot 202 and tried to lift it.

[0165] 24, in the conventional liquid leakage detection unit 200, the drain pot 202 is formed separately from the drain pan 206 so that it can be easily replaced if the drain pot 202 is damaged. Therefore, there is a possibility that liquid leakage may occur between the drain pot 202 and the drain pan 206.

[0166] 23, in this embodiment, the two-stage detection level sensor is configured using two installed liquid leakage sensors 3a and 3b. This allows the depth of the drain pot 2 to be shallow, and the bottom surface of the drain pot 2 can be positioned above the lower surface 5 of the base frame of the substrate processing apparatus 10. This prevents the drain pot 2 from being damaged by the forks of a forklift when the substrate processing apparatus 10 is moved.

[0167] In addition, in this embodiment, since the depth of the drain pot 2 can be made shallow, the drain pot 2 can be molded integrally with the drain pan 6. In this case, leakage between the drain pot 2 and the drain pan 6 can be prevented.

[0168] Fig. 25 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the liquid leakage detection unit 1. In this modified example, the center portion of the bottom surface of the drain pot 2 is raised by one step, and the second installed liquid leakage sensor 3b is set in this raised portion. In addition to achieving the same effects as the embodiment shown in Fig. 23, the ring-shaped bottom surface of the drain pot 2 allows the volume of the drain pot 2 to be increased while keeping its depth shallow.

[0169] 26, the bottom of the drain pot 2 may be gradually raised in two stages toward the center, with the second installed liquid leakage sensor 3b installed at a level one stage higher than the bottom, and the third installed liquid leakage sensor 3c installed at a level one stage higher than that. According to this embodiment, it is possible to detect leakage at three levels. Similarly, the number of levels may be increased to four or more.

[0170] <Polishing process using substrate processing equipment> Next, a description will be given of an example of a process for polishing a wafer W using the substrate processing apparatus 10 configured as described above. The polishing process described below is performed by the control unit 15 controlling the operations of the load / unload unit 11, the polishing unit 12, the cleaning unit 13, and the transfer unit 14.

[0171] 16A, the unpolished wafer W is removed from the wafer cassette in the front loading unit 113 by the transfer robot 111 in the loading / unloading unit 11 and moved to a position facing the loading entrance 41a of the transfer unit 14. Next, as shown in FIG. 16B, after the loading entrance 41a of the transfer unit 14 is opened, the wafer W held by the transfer robot 111 is inserted into the inside of the cover 41 through the loading entrance 41a and placed on and supported by the slide stage 42.

[0172] 16C, the slide stage 42 holding the wafer W is moved longitudinally by power applied from the stage moving mechanism 43 to a position facing the unloading port 41b. Then, the unloading port 41b of the transfer unit 14 is opened. At this time, an airflow flowing from the unloading port 41a side to the unloading port 41b side is formed by the exhaust duct 44 inside the cover 41 of the transfer unit 14. This prevents particles in the polishing unit 12 from diffusing into the loading / unloading unit 11 through the transfer unit 14.

[0173] As shown in FIG. 17A, the arm 232 of the transfer robot 23 in the polishing unit 12 is extended with the hand 231 of the transfer robot 23 positioned at the same height as the discharge port 41b of the transfer unit 14. The hand 231 supported at the tip of the arm is inserted into the inside of the cover 41 through the discharge port 41b and is inserted below the wafer W held on the slide stage 42. Next, the hand 231 is raised, and the wafer W is transferred from the slide stage 42 to the hand 231. Then, the arm 232 is retracted, and the wafer W held on the hand 231 is removed from the transfer unit 14 to the polishing unit 12 as shown in FIG. 17B. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 17C, the hand 231 and the wafer W are turned upside down by the inversion mechanism 234 of the transfer robot 23. Note that in the drawing, the wafer W shaded in gray indicates an upside-down wafer.

[0174] 17D, the arm 232 is rotated about the axis of the robot body 233, and the hand 231 is directed toward the first transfer unit 24a. Then, the arm 232 is extended, and the wafer W held by the hand 231 is transferred to the first transfer unit 24a and transferred from the first transfer unit 24a to the first polishing unit 20a. Note that, if the first polishing unit 20a is congested, the wafer W held by the hand 231 may be transferred to the second transfer unit 24b, and the substrate may be carried from the second transfer unit 24b to the second polishing unit 20b. In this embodiment, wafers W transferred from the transfer section 14 to the polishing section 12 are sorted by the transfer robot 23 to the first transfer unit 24a and the second transfer unit 24b, and the wafers W are transferred from the first transfer unit 24a to the first polishing unit 20a, and from the second transfer unit 24b to the second polishing unit 20b. Therefore, the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b do not share a transfer path, which eliminates congestion when substrates are transferred into the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b. This improves the throughput of the entire process.

[0175] The wafer transfer operation by the second transfer unit 24b is similar to the wafer transfer operation by the first transfer unit 24a, so the wafer transfer operation by the first transfer unit 24a will be described below.

[0176] 18A and 18B, when one wafer is processed consecutively (in series) in the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, the unpolished first wafer W1 held by the transfer robot 23 is transferred to the third stage 52c of the exchanger 50 disposed at the standby position L1. Then, as shown in FIG. 18C, the third stage 52c holding the first wafer W1 is moved from the standby position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1.

[0177] 18D, the first pusher 51a rises and passes inside the third stage 52c, and the first wafer W1 on the third stage 52c is pushed up by the first pusher 51a and transferred to the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a. After the first wafer W1 is suction-held by the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a, the first pusher 51a descends to the initial height position as shown in FIG. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 18F, the first wafer W1 is polished at the polishing position of the first polishing apparatus 21a. (More specifically, referring to FIG. 4, the top ring 25a is moved onto the polishing pad 102a by a moving means (not shown), the polishing pad 102a is brought into contact with the first wafer W1 held by the top ring 25a by a lifting means (not shown), and the first wafer W is polished by the relative movement of the top ring 25a and the polishing table 101a. Subsequently, polishing of wafers W at the polishing positions of the other polishing apparatuses is performed in a similar manner.) At this time, the third stage 52c is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the standby position L1, and the second stage 52b is moved from the standby position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1. The transfer robot 23 holds the second wafer W2 before polishing.

[0178] After polishing of the first wafer W1 in the first polishing apparatus 21a is completed, the first pusher 51a rises and receives the polished first wafer W1 from the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a, as shown in FIG. 18G. Then, as shown in FIG. 18H, the first pusher 51a descends and passes through the second stage 52b, and the first wafer W1 on the first pusher 51a is transferred to the second stage 52b. The first wafer W1 held on the second stage 52b is cleaned by a cleaning nozzle (not shown) at the first substrate transfer position TP1. The unpolished second wafer W2 held by the transfer robot 23 is transferred to the third stage 52c arranged at the standby position L1.

[0179] 18I, the second stage 52b holding the first wafer W1 is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the second transfer position TP2, and at the same time, the third stage 52c holding the second wafer W2 is moved from the standby position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1. In this way, the two stages 52b and 52c holding the wafers W1 and W2, respectively, can move in mutually opposite directions so as to intersect, thereby improving process throughput.

[0180] Next, as shown in FIG. 18J, the second pusher 51b rises and passes inside the second stage 52b, and the first wafer W1 on the second stage 52b is pushed up by the second pusher 51b and delivered to the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b. The first pusher 51a rises and passes inside the third stage 52c, and the second wafer W2 on the third stage 52c is pushed up by the first pusher 51a and delivered to the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a. Then, as shown in FIG. 18K, after the first wafer W1 is adsorbed and held by the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b, the second pusher 51b descends to the initial height position. After the second wafer W2 is adsorbed and held by the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a, the first pusher 51a descends to the initial height position.

[0181] 18L, the first wafer W1 is further polished in the second polishing apparatus 21b, and the second wafer W2 is polished in the first polishing apparatus 21a. At this time, the third stage 52c is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the standby position L1, and the second stage 52b is moved from the second substrate transfer position TP2 to the first substrate transfer position TP1. In addition, the first stage 52a is moved from the standby position L1 to the second substrate transfer position TP2. The transfer robot 23 holds the third wafer W3 before polishing.

[0182] After polishing of the first wafer W1 in the second polishing apparatus 21b is completed, the second pusher 51b moves up to receive the polished first wafer W1 from the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b, as shown in Fig. 18M. After polishing of the second wafer W2 in the first polishing apparatus 21a is completed, the first pusher 51a moves up to receive the polished second wafer W2 from the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a.

[0183] 18N, the second pusher 51b descends and passes through the first stage 52a, and the first wafer W1 on the second pusher 51b is transferred to the first stage 52a. The first wafer W1 held on the first stage 52a is cleaned by a cleaning nozzle (not shown) at the second substrate transfer position TP2. The first pusher 51a descends and passes through the second stage 52b, and the second wafer W2 on the first pusher 51a is transferred to the second stage 52b. The second wafer W2 held on the second stage 52b is cleaned by a cleaning nozzle (not shown) at the first substrate transfer position TP1. The unpolished third wafer W3 held by the transfer robot 23 is transferred to the third stage 52c arranged at the standby position L1.

[0184] Next, as shown in FIG. 18O, the first stage 52a holding the first wafer W1 The first wafer W1, which has been moved from the substrate transfer position TP2 to the standby position L1 and held on the first stage 52a, is removed from the first stage 52a by the transfer robot 23. Meanwhile, the second stage 52b holding the second wafer W2 is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the second substrate transfer position TP2 for polishing processing in the second polishing apparatus 21b. At the same time, the third stage 52c holding the third wafer W3 is moved from the standby position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1 for polishing processing in the first polishing apparatus 21b.

[0185] 19A and 19B, when two wafers are processed in parallel in the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, the unpolished first wafer W1 held by the transfer robot 23 is transferred to the third stage 52c of the exchanger 50 disposed at the standby position L1. Then, as shown in FIG. 19C, the third stage 52c holding the first wafer W1 is moved from the standby position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1.

[0186] Next, as shown in Fig. 19D, the first pusher 51a rises and passes inside the third stage 52c, and the first wafer W1 on the third stage 52c is pushed up by the first pusher 51a and transferred to the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a. After the first wafer W1 is suction-held by the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a, the first pusher 51a descends to the initial height position as shown in Fig. 19E. The transfer robot 23 holds the second wafer W2 before polishing.

[0187] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 19F, the first wafer W1 is polished in the first polishing apparatus 21a. At this time, the third stage 52c is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the standby position L1, and the second stage 52b is moved from the standby position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1. The unpolished second wafer W2 held by the transfer robot 23 is transferred to the third stage 52c disposed at the standby position L1. Then, as shown in FIG. 19G, the third stage 52c holding the second wafer W2 is moved from the standby position L1 to the second substrate transfer position TP2.

[0188] Incidentally, even when parallel processing is performed using the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, it is possible to use the second stage 52b to receive wafers from the first polishing apparatus 21a and to transfer wafers to the second polishing apparatus 21b, just as in the case of series processing using the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b. However, in this case, as shown in Figure 31, if a problem occurs during wafer reception from the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second stage 52b becomes unusable, this will also prevent the wafer from being transferred to the second polishing apparatus 21b (a deadlock will occur).

[0189] On the other hand, in this embodiment, when wafers are polished in parallel by the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, the same third stage 52c is used to transfer wafers to both the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, and the second stage 52b and the first stage 52a are dedicated to receiving wafers from the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, respectively.Therefore, even if a problem occurs when receiving wafers from the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second stage 52b becomes unusable, it is possible to continue transferring wafers to the second polishing apparatus 21b (no deadlock occurs).

[0190] Next, as shown in Fig. 19H, the second pusher 51b rises and passes inside the third stage 52c, and the second wafer W2 on the third stage 52c is pushed up by the second pusher 51b and transferred to the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b. After the second wafer W2 is sucked and held by the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b, the second pusher 51b descends to the initial height position as shown in Fig. 19I. The transfer robot 23 then moves the second wafer W2 from the position before polishing to the position before polishing. It holds the third wafer W3.

[0191] 19J, the second wafer W2 is polished in the second polishing apparatus 21b. At this time, the third stage 52c is moved from the second substrate transfer position TP2 to the standby position L1, and the first stage 52a is moved from the standby position L1 to the second substrate transfer position TP2. The unpolished third wafer W3 held by the transfer robot 23 is delivered to the third stage 52c arranged at the standby position L1.

[0192] If polishing in the first polishing apparatus 21a is completed before polishing in the second polishing apparatus 21b is completed, the first pusher 51a rises and receives the polished first wafer W1 from the top ring 25a of the first polishing apparatus 21a, as shown in FIG. 19K. Then, as shown in FIG. 19L, the first pusher 51a descends and passes through the second stage 52b, and the first wafer W1 on the first pusher 51a is transferred to the second stage 52b. The first wafer W1 held on the second stage 52b is cleaned by a cleaning nozzle (not shown) at the first substrate transfer position TP1.

[0193] 19M, the second stage 52b holding the first wafer W1 is moved from the first substrate transfer position TP1 to the standby position L1, and at the same time, the third stage 52c holding the third wafer W3 is moved from the standby position L1 to the first substrate transfer position TP1. The first wafer W1 held on the second stage 52b is removed from the second stage 52b by the transfer robot 23 at the standby position L1.

[0194] On the other hand, if polishing in the second polishing apparatus 21b is completed before polishing in the first polishing apparatus 21a is completed, the second pusher 51b rises and receives the polished second wafer W2 from the top ring 25b of the second polishing apparatus 21b, as shown in FIG. 19N. Then, as shown in FIG. 19O, the second pusher 51b descends and passes through the first stage 52a, and the second wafer W2 on the second pusher 51b is delivered to the first stage 52a. The second wafer W2 held on the first stage 52a is cleaned by a cleaning nozzle (not shown) at the second substrate transfer position TP2.

[0195] 19P, the first stage 52a holding the second wafer W2 is moved from the second substrate transfer position TP2 to the standby position L1, and at the same time, the third stage 52c holding the third wafer W3 is moved from the standby position L1 to the second substrate transfer position TP2. The second wafer W2 held on the first stage 52a is removed from the first stage 52a by the transfer robot 23 at the standby position L1.

[0196] 20A, the wafer W held on the first stage 52a is removed from the first stage 52a by the hand 231 of the transfer robot 23. Thereafter, the hand 231 together with the wafer W is turned upside down by the reversing mechanism 234 of the transfer robot 23.

[0197] 20B, the arm 232 of the transfer robot 23 is rotated about the axis of the robot body 233, and the hand 231 is directed toward the first wafer station 33a of the first cleaning unit 30a of the cleaning section 13. Then, as shown in FIG. 20C, the arm 232 is extended, and the wafer W held by the hand 231 is delivered to the first wafer station 33a. More specifically, with the hand 231 of the transfer robot 23 positioned at the same height as the loading opening 73 of the first wafer station 33a, the arm 232 is extended, and the wafer W held by the hand 231 is loaded into the housing 71 through the loading opening 73 of the first wafer station 33a, and placed on and supported by the stage 72.

[0198] In addition, when the first cleaning unit 30a is congested, the wafer W held by the hand 231 may be transferred to the second wafer station 33b of the second cleaning unit 30a. In this embodiment, the wafer W transferred from the polishing section to the cleaning section is sorted by the transfer robot 23 into the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b, and is cleaned in parallel in the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b. This improves the throughput of the entire process.

[0199] The wafer cleaning process in the second cleaning unit 30b is similar to the wafer cleaning process in the first cleaning unit 30a, and therefore, the wafer cleaning process in the first cleaning unit 30a will be described below.

[0200] 21A , first, with the tip ends of the pair of first arms 611 and the pair of second arms 612 facing upward, the arm transfer mechanism 62 moves the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 along the arrangement direction of the first cleaning modules 311a to 314a, and the pair of first arms 611 stops at a standby position adjacent to the first wafer station 33a. Then, the first rotation mechanism 631 rotates the pair of first arms 611 about the rotation shaft 631A, and the tip ends of the pair of first arms 611 face sideways. After the shutter of the first wafer station 33a is retracted to open the arm passage opening 74, the pair of first arms 611 are inserted into the first wafer station 33a through the arm passage opening 74 and grip the wafer W held on the stage 72. After the wafer W is gripped by the pair of first arms 611, the stage 72 is retracted downward.

[0201] 21B, after the shutter 97 of the primary cleaning module 311a is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened, the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 are moved along the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a by the drive of the hand transport mechanism 62, and the wafer W gripped by the pair of first arms 611 is transported from the first wafer station 33a to the primary cleaning module 311a and handed over to the cleaner in the primary cleaning module 311a. Next, after the pair of first arms 611 are moved outside the housing 91 of the primary cleaning module 311a, the arm passage opening 94 is closed by the shutter 97, and the wafer W is cleaned in the cleaner in the primary cleaning module 311a.

[0202] After the cleaning process in the primary cleaning module 311a is completed, the shutter 97 is retracted to open the arm passage opening 94. The pair of first arms 611 are inserted into the housing 91 of the primary cleaning module 311a through the arm passage opening 94 and grip the wafer W that has been cleaned by the cleaning machine.

[0203] 21C , after the shutter 97 of the secondary cleaning module 312a is retracted to open the arm passage opening 94, the arm transfer mechanism 62 is driven to move the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 along the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a, and the wafer W gripped by the pair of first arms 611 is transferred from the primary cleaning module 311a to the secondary cleaning module 312a and handed over to the cleaner in the secondary cleaning module 312a. Next, after the pair of first arms 611 is moved outside the housing 91 of the secondary cleaning module 312a, the arm passage opening 94 is closed by the shutter 97, and the wafer W is cleaned in the cleaner in the secondary cleaning module 312a.

[0204] 21D, the pair of first arms 611 are rotated around the rotation shaft 631A by the drive of the first rotation mechanism 631, and the tips of the pair of first arms 611 are directed upward. Then, with the tips of the pair of first arms 611 and the pair of second arms 612 directed upward, the arm transfer mechanism 62 is driven to move the first wafer gripper The first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 are moved along the arrangement direction of the first cleaning modules 311a to 314a, and the pair of second arms 612 are stopped at a standby position adjacent to the second cleaning module 312a. By driving the second rotating mechanism 632, the pair of second arms 612 are rotated about the rotation shaft 632A, and the tips of the pair of second arms 612 are directed sideways.

[0205] After the cleaning process in the secondary cleaning module 312a is completed, the shutter 97 is retracted to open the arm passage opening 94. The pair of second arms 612 are inserted into the housing 91 of the secondary cleaning module 312a through the arm passage opening 94 and grip the wafer W that has been cleaned by the cleaning machine.

[0206] As described above, in this embodiment, the wafer W before cleaning in the secondary cleaning module 312a is gripped and transported by the pair of first arms 611, and the wafer W after cleaning in the secondary cleaning module 312a is gripped and transported by the pair of second arms 612. That is, the arms are exchanged in the secondary cleaning module 312a. This prevents the pair of first arms 611 from coming into contact with the wafer W after cleaning in the secondary cleaning module 312a and contaminating the wafer W.

[0207] 21E, after the shutter 97 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened, the arm transfer mechanism 62 is driven to move the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 along the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a, and the wafer W gripped by the pair of second arms 612 is transferred from the secondary cleaning module 312a to the tertiary cleaning module 313a and handed over to the cleaner in the tertiary cleaning module 313a. Next, after the pair of second arms 612 is moved outside the housing 91 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a, the arm passage opening 94 is closed by the shutter 97, and the wafer W is cleaned in the cleaner in the tertiary cleaning module 313a.

[0208] After the cleaning process in the tertiary cleaning module 313a is completed, the shutter 97 is retracted to open the arm passage opening 94. The pair of second arms 612 are inserted into the housing 91 of the tertiary cleaning module 313a through the arm passage opening 94 and grip the wafer W that has been cleaned by the cleaning machine.

[0209] 21F, after the shutter 97 of the fourth cleaning module 314a is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened, the arm transfer mechanism 62 is driven to move the first wafer gripping mechanism 601 and the second wafer gripping mechanism 602 along the arrangement direction of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a, and the wafer W gripped by the pair of second arms 612 is transferred from the third cleaning module 313a to the fourth cleaning module 314a and handed over to the cleaner in the fourth cleaning module 314a. Next, after the pair of second arms 612 is moved outside the housing 91 of the fourth cleaning module 314a, the arm passage opening 94 is closed by the shutter 97, and the wafer W is cleaned and dried in the cleaner in the fourth cleaning module 314a.

[0210] After the cleaning and drying processes in the fourth cleaning module 314a are completed, the shutter 97 is retracted and the arm passage opening 94 is opened. The hand of the transfer robot 111 of the above-mentioned load / unload unit 11 is inserted into the housing 91 of the fourth cleaning module 314a through the arm passage opening 94, and the wafer W is cleaned by the cleaning machine and dried (for example, by spin drying) as the final step, and then taken out to the load / unload unit 11.

[0211] According to the present embodiment, the cleaning section 13 includes the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b arranged in two stages, one above the other. Therefore, a plurality of wafers W can be successively cleaned. Even when wafers W are transferred from the polishing section 12 to the cleaning section 13, the wafers W can be cleaned in parallel by being distributed to the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b, thereby improving the throughput of the entire process.

[0212] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the unpolished wafer W is transported from the slide stage 42 of the transport section 14 to the polishing section 12, so that the transport robot 111 arranged in the load / unload section 11 can be prevented from coming into contact with the polishing environment and becoming contaminated.

[0213] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b are arranged in two tiers, one above the other, and the slide stage 42 is arranged between the first cleaning unit 30a and the second cleaning unit 30b, thereby preventing an increase in the footprint of the entire apparatus.

[0214] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the polishing unit transport mechanism 22 is disposed adjacent to the transport unit 14 and the first and second polishing units 20a and 20b, respectively. The wafers W transported from the transport unit 14 to the polishing unit 12 are assigned to the first and second transport units 24a and 24b by the transport robot 23 of the polishing unit transport mechanism 22. The wafers W are then transported from the first transport unit 24a to the first polishing unit 20a, and from the second transport unit 24b to the second polishing unit 20b. Since the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b do not share a wafer transport path, congestion during wafer transport into the first polishing unit 20a and the second polishing unit 20b is eliminated. This improves the throughput of the entire process.

[0215] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, even if an abnormality occurs in any of the cleaning modules 311a to 314a of the first cleaning unit 30a, the wafer W located in the first cleaning unit 30a can be salvaged by being transported to the second cleaning unit 30b and cleaned.

[0216] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the first transfer unit 24a of the polishing section 12 can transfer the wafer W received from the transfer robot 23 to each of the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b. Furthermore, the second transfer unit 24b of the polishing section 12 can transfer the wafer W received from the transfer robot 23 to each of the third polishing apparatus 21c and the fourth polishing apparatus 21d. For example, while the first stage 52a of the first transfer unit 24a receives a first wafer from the transfer robot 23 and moves to the first substrate transfer position TP1, the first pusher 51a rises and transfers the first wafer from the first stage 52a to the first polishing apparatus 21a, and the first wafer is polished in the first polishing apparatus 21a, the second stage 52b receives a second wafer from the transfer robot 23 and moves to the second substrate transfer position TP2, the second pusher 51b rises and transfers the second wafer from the second stage 52b to the second polishing apparatus 21b, and the second wafer is polished in the second polishing apparatus 21b. By polishing two wafers in parallel in this way, the throughput of the entire process can be improved. Furthermore, after polishing the wafer in the first polishing apparatus 21a, the first pusher 51a descends to transfer the substrate from the first polishing apparatus 21a to the second stage 52b, the second stage 52b moves to the second substrate transport position TP2, the second pusher 51b rises to transfer the wafer from the second stage 52b to the second polishing apparatus 21b, and the wafer can be further polished continuously in the second polishing apparatus 21b.

[0217] According to this embodiment, the exchanger 50 of the polishing section 12 has three stages 52a to 52c. For example, the first stage 52a and the second stage 52b While both stages are being used to transfer wafers between the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, the third stage 52c can be made to wait and receive the next wafer, which allows the timing for starting the polishing process for the next wafer to be accelerated, further improving throughput.

[0218] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the first wafer W1 and the second wafer W2 are polished in parallel in the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, the same third stage 52c is used to transfer wafers to both the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, and the second stage 52b and the first stage 52a are dedicated to receiving wafers from the first polishing apparatus 21a and the second polishing apparatus 21b, respectively. Therefore, even if a problem occurs when receiving wafers from one polishing apparatus 21a, wafer transfer to the other polishing apparatus 21b can continue (avoiding the occurrence of deadlock).

[0219] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the cleaning section transfer mechanism 32a that transfers the wafer W between the cleaning modules 311a to 314a has a pair of openable and closable arms 611 and a rotating mechanism 631. The rotating mechanism 631 can rotate the pair of arms 611 so that their tips face upward. Therefore, even if the shutter 97 of a specific cleaning module among the multiple cleaning modules 311a to 314a is closed, the arm 611 can move while bypassing (skiping) this cleaning module. Therefore, when moving the arm 611 to pass through this cleaning module, it is not necessary to wait for the shutter 97 to open, and the throughput of the entire process can be improved.

[0220] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the rotation mechanism 631 rotates the pair of arms 611 so that their tips point upward, the up-down movement mechanism 641 lowers the pair of arms 611, thereby reducing the space required above the pair of arms 611.

[0221] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, there are two sets of pairs of arms 611, 612, vertical movement mechanisms 641, 642, and rotation mechanisms 631, 632, and therefore the two sets of arms can be used depending on the cleanliness of the wafers to be held. For example, by using one set of arms in the first half of the cleaning process in each cleaning module and using the other set of arms in the second half of the cleaning process, it is possible to prevent wafers undergoing the second half of the cleaning process from coming into contact with one set of arms and becoming contaminated.

[0222] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the pair of arms 611 are provided with chuck pieces 612a, 612b, which are arranged in two rows, one above the other, and can come into contact with the outer periphery of a wafer, so that the chuck pieces 612a, 612b can be used depending on the cleanliness of the wafer to be held. For example, by using the lower chuck piece 612b in the first half of the cleaning process in each cleaning module and using the upper chuck piece 612a in the second half of the cleaning process, it is possible to prevent the wafer undergoing the second half of the cleaning process from coming into contact with the lower chuck piece 612b and becoming contaminated.

[0223] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, wafer gripping mechanism 601 having pair of arms 611, vertical movement mechanism 641, and rotation mechanism 631 is disposed in a suspended state below arm transfer mechanism 62, thereby expanding the maintenance space for wafer gripping mechanism 601. Therefore, the time required for maintenance can be reduced.

[0224] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the surface of the unpolished wafer W can be cleaned in the pre-cleaning module 39a before the wafer W is polished in the polishing apparatus 12. This can reduce problems such as scratches caused by large particles being caught during the polishing process of the wafer W.

[0225] In the above-described embodiment, the wafer W before cleaning in the secondary cleaning module 312a is gripped and transported by the pair of first arms 611, and the wafer W after cleaning in the secondary cleaning module 312a is gripped and transported by the pair of second arms 612. However, this is not limiting. For example, the wafer W before cleaning in the primary cleaning module 311a may be gripped and transported by the pair of first arms 611, and the wafer W after cleaning in the primary cleaning module 311a may be gripped and transported by the pair of second arms 612, or the wafer W before cleaning in the tertiary cleaning module 313a may be gripped and transported by the pair of first arms 611, and the wafer W after cleaning in the tertiary cleaning module 313a may be gripped and transported by the pair of second arms 612.

[0226] In the above-described embodiment, the transfer unit (for example, first transfer unit 24a) of polishing section 12 is arranged at two substrate transfer positions (first substrate transfer position TP1 and second substrate transfer position TP2) for each of two polishing apparatuses (first polishing apparatus 21a and second polishing apparatus 21b), and includes two pushers (first pusher 51a and second pusher 51b) that move up and down, and at least two pushers (for example, first pusher 51a and second pusher 51b) that are arranged in two levels, one above the other, and that move horizontally independently between waiting position L1 where wafer W is delivered to and from transfer robot 23 and the two substrate transfer positions TP1 and TP2. In the above description, the polishing section 12 includes an exchanger 50 including at least two stages (first stage 52a and second stage 52b), but is not limited thereto. The transfer unit of the polishing section 12 may include M pushers that are arranged at M substrate transfer positions for each of M polishing apparatuses (M is a natural number of 3 or more) and move up and down, and an exchanger 50 including at least M stages that are arranged in M ​​levels and move horizontally independently of each other between a waiting position L1 where the wafer W is delivered to and received from the transfer robot 23 and the M substrate transfer positions. In this case, the exchanger 50 preferably includes at least one additional stage that is arranged in multiple levels above and below the M stages and moves horizontally independently of the M stages between the waiting position L1 and the M substrate transfer positions.

[0227] Although the above-described embodiment has been described using a polishing apparatus for polishing wafers as an example, the present invention is not limited to polishing apparatuses and can be applied to other substrate processing apparatuses. For example, multiple polishing units may be replaced with other substrate processing units (e.g., film formation processing units such as plating processing units and CVD units, wet etching units and dry etching units, etc.) to configure a substrate processing apparatus separate from the polishing apparatus. Also, multiple different substrate processing units may be combined and arranged in a predetermined direction.

[0228] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and may be embodied in various different forms within the scope of the technical concept thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0229] 10. Substrate processing equipment 11 Load / unload section 12 Polishing section 13 Cleaning section 14 Conveying section 15 Control Unit 20a First Polishing Unit 20b Second Polishing Unit 21a 1st polishing device 21b 2nd polishing device 21c 3rd polishing device 21d 4th polishing device 22 Polishing section transport mechanism 23 Transport robot 231 hands 232 Arm 233 Robot body 234 Reversal mechanism 24a First transport unit 24b Second transport unit 25a~25d Top ring 311a~314a Cleaning Module 311b~314b Cleaning Module 32a Cleaning section transport mechanism 32b Cleaning section transport mechanism 33a Wafer Station 33b Wafer Station 39a Pre-cleaning module 39b Pre-cleaning module 330 shaft 331 Guide Stage 333 Push Stage 337 Top Ring Guide 338 Upper section 338a Tapered 339a Receiving part 339b Spring 340 Guide Sleeve 341 Center sleeve 346 Linear Way 347 cylinder 349 Electric Actuator 351 Compression spring 41 Cover 41a Loading entrance 41b Exit 42 Slide Stage 43 Stage movement mechanism 44 Exhaust duct 50 Exchanger 51a First Pusher 51b Second Pusher 52a Stage 1 52a1 pin 52b Stage 2 52c Stage 3 601 First wafer gripping mechanism 602 Second wafer gripping mechanism 611 First Arm 612 Second Arm 612a, 612b zipper top 62 Arm transport mechanism 631 First rotation mechanism 631A Rotating Shaft 632 Second Rotation Mechanism 632A Rotating Shaft 632L Link member 641 1st vertical movement mechanism 642 2nd vertical movement mechanism 661 1st opening / closing mechanism 662 2nd opening / closing mechanism 67 Depth direction movement mechanism 68 Mainframe 691 1st subframe 692 Second Subframe 71 Case 72 Stages 73 Loading entrance 74 Arm passage opening 75 Drive mechanism 76 pins 81 Case 82 Stages 83 Loading entrance 84 Arm passage opening 85 Drive mechanism 86 pins 87 Shutter 91 Case 94 Arm passage opening 97 Shutter 101 Polishing Table 102 Polishing pad 103 Top ring shaft 104 Polishing liquid supply nozzle

Claims

1. 1. A method for processing a substrate, comprising: In the pre-cleaning module, the front and back surfaces of the substrate, which has been removed from the wafer cassette in the load / unload section and then transported to the pre-cleaning module without being polished, are pre-cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge, the pre-cleaning module is provided in a cleaning unit having a cleaning module, the cleaning module and the pre-cleaning module are arranged side by side in a straight line in a plan view, and the pre-cleaning module is arranged on the opposite side of the cleaning module from the wafer cassette, the substrate is transferred to a polishing unit after the pre-cleaning, and the substrate is polished.

2. 1. A method for processing a substrate, comprising: In the pre-cleaning module, a surface of the substrate, which has been removed from a wafer cassette in a load / unload section and then transported to the pre-cleaning module without being polished, is pre-cleaned with a buff pad, the pre-cleaning module is provided in a cleaning unit having a cleaning module, the cleaning module and the pre-cleaning module are arranged side by side in a straight line in a plan view, and the pre-cleaning module is arranged on the opposite side of the cleaning module from the wafer cassette, the substrate is transferred to a polishing unit after the pre-cleaning, and the substrate is polished.

3. 3. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein after the polishing, the substrate is transferred to a first cleaning module which is the cleaning module, and the substrate is cleaned.

4. The cleaning unit further includes a second cleaning module; In the first cleaning module, the substrate is cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge; 4. The substrate processing method according to claim 3, wherein after cleaning in the first cleaning module, the substrate is moved to the second cleaning module, and the substrate is cleaned with a roll-shaped sponge or a pencil-shaped sponge.

5. 5. The substrate processing method according to claim 4, wherein cleaning in the second cleaning module is performed on the substrate using a roll-shaped sponge.

6. the cleaning unit further comprises a third cleaning module; 6. The substrate processing method according to claim 4, wherein after cleaning in the second cleaning module, the substrate is moved to the third cleaning module and cleaned by pencil-shaped sponge or two-fluid jet cleaning.

7. the cleaning unit further comprises a fourth cleaning module; The substrate processing method according to claim 6 , wherein after cleaning in the third cleaning module, the substrate is moved to the fourth cleaning module and dried with IPA vapor.

8. a cleaning unit having a cleaning module, wherein the cleaning unit is provided with a pre-cleaning module that pre-cleans, with a roll-shaped sponge, the front and back surfaces of a substrate that has been removed from a wafer cassette by a load / unload section and then transported to the pre-cleaning module without being polished, and the cleaning module and the pre-cleaning module are arranged side by side in a straight line in a plan view, and the pre-cleaning module is arranged on the opposite side of the cleaning module from the wafer cassette; a polishing unit transport mechanism that transports the substrate to a polishing unit after the pre-cleaning; a polishing unit that polishes the substrate transported to the polishing unit by the polishing section transport mechanism; A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

9. a cleaning unit having a cleaning module, wherein the cleaning unit includes a pre-cleaning module that uses a buff pad to pre-clean a surface of a substrate that has been removed from a wafer cassette by a load / unload section and then transported to the pre-cleaning module without being polished, the cleaning module and the pre-cleaning module being arranged in a straight line in a plan view, and the pre-cleaning module being arranged on the opposite side of the cleaning module from the wafer cassette; a polishing unit transport mechanism that transports the substrate to a polishing unit after the pre-cleaning; a polishing unit that polishes the substrate transported to the polishing unit by the polishing section transport mechanism; A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

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