Substrate Processing Equipment

Abstract

To provide a substrate treatment device configured so that a configuration of a conveying mechanism can be suppressed from being complicated and a substrate can be suppressed from being broken when the substrate is conveyed.SOLUTION: In a substrate treatment device 1, a carrier 9 storing a plurality of substrates W is conveyed by a plurality of conveying devices 311, 321, 333A, 333B and 333C from a starting point TA1 toward an ending point TA3 on a predetermined conveyance path (a3). In a treatment part 330 provided at a portion on the conveyance path (a3), a liquid treatment unit 331 performs predetermined treatment to a plurality of substrates W stored in the carrier 9. In the conveyance path (a3) is provided a posture changing part 321 that changes a posture of the carrier 9 into a vertical posture and a horizontal posture. The posture changing part 321 changes the posture of the carrier 9 so that the carrier 9 is maintained in the vertical posture in the treatment part 330 and so that the carrier 9 is maintained in the horizontal posture in a portion other than the treatment part 330.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a plurality of substrates in a processing bath. [Background technology]

[0002] Substrate processing apparatuses are used to perform various processes on substrates such as semiconductor substrates, substrates for FPDs (Flat Panel Displays) such as liquid crystal display devices or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display devices, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, and substrates for solar cells.

[0003] One such substrate processing apparatus is a batch-type substrate processing apparatus that immerses multiple substrates in a processing solution stored in a processing tank and performs processing such as etching. For example, the batch-type substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a FOUP holder, a substrate processing unit, and a load / unload mechanism. The FOUP holder is configured to hold a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod). The FOUP is a container configured to hold and store multiple substrates in a horizontal position so that the multiple substrates are aligned vertically at a predetermined pitch.

[0004] In this substrate processing apparatus, a FOUP containing a plurality of unprocessed substrates is supplied to and held by a FOUP holder. In this state, a hand provided in a loading / unloading mechanism removes the plurality of substrates from the FOUP. The hand is configured to be able to hold a plurality of substrates at once. The plurality of substrates removed by the hand are delivered to a substrate processing unit via a plurality of transport mechanisms and support mechanisms.

[0005] The substrate processing section has a plurality of processing tanks and a main transport mechanism. Each of the plurality of processing tanks stores a processing liquid for performing a predetermined process on substrates. Each of the plurality of unprocessed substrates handed over to the substrate processing section is transported by the main transport mechanism to a position above one of the plurality of processing tanks. Like the hand described above, the main transport mechanism is configured to be able to hold a plurality of substrates at once.

[0006] A plurality of substrates are transported to a position above one of the plurality of processing baths, immersed for a certain period of time in the processing solution in the processing bath below the plurality of substrates, and then pulled up. This allows the plurality of substrates to undergo a predetermined processing. After processing, the plurality of substrates are removed from the substrate processing unit and inserted into an empty FOUP held in a FOUP holding unit via a plurality of transport mechanisms and support mechanisms. The FOUP containing the plurality of processed substrates is then unloaded from the substrate processing apparatus. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-238945 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, multiple substrates are transferred integrally between multiple transport mechanisms. These multiple transport mechanisms have relatively complex configurations in order to collectively hold multiple substrates. Such complex configurations complicate maintenance work, such as cleaning, for the multiple transport mechanisms.

[0009] In the substrate processing apparatus described above, after the substrates are removed from the FOUP, they are transported by the multiple transport mechanisms while maintaining a vertical orientation from just before being transferred to the substrate processing section until they are inserted into the empty FOUP. In this case, each of the multiple transport mechanisms supports the lower ends or nearby portions of the multiple substrates in the vertical orientation. Therefore, the weight of each substrate tends to be concentrated on the supported portion at or near the lower end of each substrate. If the substrates are transported over a long distance in this state, the supported portion of the substrate may be damaged.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can prevent the configuration of the transport mechanism from becoming complicated and can reduce damage to substrates during transport. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] (1) A substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a carrier configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates, a transport mechanism that transports the carrier in a predetermined transport direction on a predetermined transport path, a processing unit that is provided on a predetermined processing portion of the transport path and that performs a predetermined process on the plurality of substrates accommodated in the carrier while the plurality of substrates are accommodated in the carrier, and a posture change unit that changes the posture of the carrier between a first posture that can accommodate the plurality of substrates in a vertical posture and a second posture that can accommodate the plurality of substrates in a horizontal posture, the posture change unit being provided on the transport path so that the posture of the carrier is maintained in the first posture in the processing portion of the transport path, and so that the posture of the carrier is maintained in the second posture in at least a portion of the non-processing portion of the transport path excluding the processing portion while the plurality of substrates are accommodated in the carrier.

[0012] In the substrate processing apparatus, a carrier is transported in one transport direction on a transport path by a transport mechanism. The carrier is configured to be able to accommodate multiple substrates. In this case, the transport mechanism can handle the multiple substrates as a unit by transporting the carrier containing the multiple substrates. Therefore, the transport mechanism does not require a complex configuration for directly and integrally holding the multiple substrates.

[0013] In the substrate processing apparatus, the attitude of the carrier is changed between a first attitude and a second attitude by an attitude changing unit provided on the transport path. As a result, the attitude of the carrier is maintained in the first attitude in the processing section of the transport path. In this case, since the multiple substrates accommodated in the carrier are accommodated in a vertical attitude in the processing section, it is possible to process the multiple substrates together, such as by immersing the multiple substrates in a processing solution.

[0014] Meanwhile, in at least a portion of the non-processing portion of the transport path, the carrier is maintained in a second position. When the carrier is in the second position, the multiple substrates accommodated in the carrier are maintained in a horizontal position. For each of the multiple substrates, the size of the substrate in a horizontal position when viewed in a plane is larger than the size of the substrate in a vertical position when viewed in a plane. Therefore, the substrate in a horizontal position can support a larger portion of the substrate than the substrate in a vertical position. Therefore, damage to the substrate due to the weight of the substrate concentrating on one portion of the substrate during transport is reduced.

[0015] As a result, it is possible to prevent the structure of the transport mechanism from becoming complicated and to reduce damage to the substrates during transport.

[0016] (2) The processing unit may include a processing tank that stores a processing liquid corresponding to a predetermined process, and a lifter configured to be able to immerse a carrier transported by a transport mechanism in the processing liquid of the processing tank and to lift the carrier immersed in the processing liquid out of the processing liquid, and the carrier may be configured to be able to immerse multiple substrates contained in the carrier in the processing liquid by immersing the multiple substrates contained in the carrier in a first position.

[0017] In this case, in the processing unit, the carrier is maintained in the first position, and by immersing the carrier in the processing liquid in the processing tank, the multiple substrates accommodated in the carrier can be subjected to appropriate processing.

[0018] (3) The substrate processing apparatus further includes a substrate loading / unloading section configured to be able to load a plurality of unprocessed substrates and insert the loaded substrates into one carrier, and to unload a plurality of processed substrates from another carrier containing the processed substrates and unload the unloaded substrates, wherein the start and end points of the transport path are set adjacent to the substrate loading / unloading section, the processing portion of the transport path is defined within a continuous range of the transport path including the end point, and the posture change section may be located downstream of at least a portion of the non-processed portion and upstream of the processed portion on the transport path.

[0019] In this case, the carrier, which has been transported in the second position in at least a portion of the non-processing portion, is changed to the first position by the position changer, and the substrate is transported in the first position in the processing portion. Therefore, substrates immersed in the processing liquid together with the carrier in the processing portion are not transported in the non-processing portion. Therefore, since the processed substrates are not transported in a horizontal position, dust falling from above to below is reduced from adhering to each substrate. Furthermore, since the processed substrates in the processing tank are not transported in a horizontal position, the processing liquid is prevented from remaining on the upper surface of each of the substrates during transport.

[0020] (4) At least a portion of the non-processing portion of the transport path is located within a single horizontal plane, and the transport mechanism includes a horizontal transport device provided in at least a portion of the non-processing portion of the transport path, and the horizontal transport device may include a guide member extending horizontally along the transport path and a movable stage on which a carrier can be placed and which is movable along the transport path on the guide member.

[0021] In this case, in at least a portion of the non-treatment portion of the transport path, the movable stage moves on the guide member with the carrier placed on it. As a result, the carrier is transported in the second position. Thus, with the above-described horizontal transport device, in at least a portion of the non-treatment portion of the transport path, the carrier can be transported without moving in the vertical direction. Therefore, in at least a portion of the non-treatment portion of the transport path, it is possible to reduce the vertical size of the space required for transport.

[0022] (5) The carrier may be formed so that the vertical dimension of the carrier in the second position is smaller than the vertical dimension of the carrier in the first position.

[0023] In this case, in the portion of the transport path where the carrier's posture is maintained in the second posture, it is possible to reduce the vertical size of the space required for transport compared to the portion of the transport path where the carrier's posture is maintained in the first posture.

[0024] (6) The carrier has a first support portion that supports a first supported portion of each of the plurality of substrates when the carrier is in a first position, and a second support portion that supports a second supported portion of each of the plurality of substrates when the carrier is in a second position, and the size of the second supported portion on each of the plurality of substrates when viewed in a plane in a horizontal position may be larger than the size of the first supported portion on each of the plurality of substrates when viewed in a plane in a vertical position.

[0025] In this case, when the plurality of substrates are held by the carrier in the second position, each of the plurality of substrates is supported by a first supported portion. Also, when the plurality of substrates are held by the carrier in the first position, each of the plurality of substrates is supported by a second supported portion. In this case, the second supported portion when each substrate is viewed in a plan view is larger than the first supported portion when each substrate is viewed in a plan view, so that when the carrier is in the second position, the load applied to the second supported portion of each substrate accommodated in the carrier is reduced. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the configuration of the transport mechanism from becoming complicated and reduce damage to the substrates during transport. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view showing a basic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus taken along line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a plan view of a carrier used in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view of one side of the carrier of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the carrier taken along line BB in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 10 is a plan view showing a supported portion of a substrate that changes depending on the position of a carrier. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram for explaining transport paths of a plurality of substrates and carriers in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is a diagram for explaining transport paths of a plurality of substrates and carriers in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 9] 2 is a diagram for explaining transport paths of a plurality of substrates and carriers in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] A substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the term "substrate" refers to a substrate for an FPD (Flat Panel Display) used in a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device, a semiconductor substrate, an optical disk substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, a photomask substrate, a ceramic substrate, or a solar cell substrate. The substrate described below has a rectangular shape in a plan view.

[0029] <1> Configuration of substrate processing equipment (1) Definition of overall structure and direction Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the basic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 taken along line AA in Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 mainly includes a substrate load / unload block 100, a relay block 200, a processing block 300, and a cleaning block 400.

[0030] 1 and certain figures following FIG. 2, arrows indicating the mutually orthogonal X, Y, and Z directions are used to clarify the positional relationships of the components of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The X and Y directions are orthogonal to each other in a horizontal plane, and the Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction. The direction in which the arrow points in each direction is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the + direction is the - direction. In the following description, when simply referring to the X direction, the X direction includes the +X direction and the -X direction. When simply referring to the Y direction, the Y direction includes the +Y direction and the -Y direction. When simply referring to the Z direction, the Z direction includes the +Z direction and the -Z direction.

[0031] (2) Substrate loading / unloading block 100 The substrate load-unload block 100 includes multiple FOUP shelves 110, FOUP transport devices 111, 112, openers 120, 130, substrate transfer robots 140, 150, two FOUP placement units 190, and a control unit 160 (FIG. 2). The substrate load-unload block 100 also has an end surface portion 101, one side surface portion 102, and another side surface portion 103 that form part of the outer wall of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The end surface portion 101 is located at one end of the substrate processing apparatus 1 facing the -X direction and is perpendicular to the X direction. The one side surface portion 102 and the other side surface portion 103 extend parallel to each other in the +X direction from both ends of the end surface portion 101 in a plan view so as to face each other in the Y direction.

[0032] The two FOUP placement sections 190 are provided so as to protrude in the -X direction from the end face section 101. Each FOUP placement section 190 is configured to be able to place a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) 8 that stores multiple substrates in multiple stages. In the end face section 101, a passage opening (not shown) is formed in a portion corresponding to each FOUP placement section 190 to allow the FOUP 8 to pass in the X direction.

[0033] An opening is formed in the FOUP 8 for removing a substrate from the internal space of the FOUP 8 and for inserting a substrate into the internal space of the FOUP 8. The FOUP 8 also includes a lid for opening and closing the opening. The opening of the FOUP 8 is closed when the FOUP 8 is being transported or is in standby mode, and is opened when a substrate is being removed from or inserted into the FOUP 8. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the FOUP 8 is hatched and a dot pattern is applied to the carrier 9 to clearly distinguish the FOUP 8 from a carrier 9, which will be described later. In the example of FIG. 1, a FOUP 8 is placed on one of two FOUP placement units 190 aligned in the Y direction, and no FOUP 8 is placed on the other FOUP placement unit 190.

[0034] The multiple hoop shelves 110 are spaced apart from one another at positions spaced a predetermined distance from the end surface 101 in the +X direction. In this example, 16 hoop shelves 110 are fixed by fixing members (not shown) so as to be arranged in four rows and four columns in a plane parallel to the Z and Y directions. Each hoop shelf 110 is configured to be able to hold a hoop 8. In the example of FIG. 1 , three of the four hoop shelves 110 located at the top have a hoop 8 placed on each, while the remaining hoop shelf 110 has no hoop 8 placed on it. The number of hoops 8 and the arrangement of the hoop shelves 110 may be changed as appropriate depending on the design specifications of the equipment.

[0035] The two openers 120, 130 are spaced apart from each other at positions spaced a predetermined distance in the +X direction from the multiple FOUP shelves 110. In this example, the two openers 120, 130 are fixed by a fixing member (not shown) so as to be aligned in the Y direction. One opener 120 is located near one side surface portion 102, and the other opener 130 is located near the other side surface portion 103. Each opener 120, 130 is configured so that a FOUP 8 can be placed thereon and so that the lid of the placed FOUP 8 can be opened and closed. In the example of FIG. 1, a FOUP 8 is placed on one opener 120, and no FOUP 8 is placed on the other opener 130.

[0036] The substrate transfer robot 140 is provided adjacent to the opener 120 in the +X direction. The substrate transfer robot 140 is configured to be rotatable around an axis in the Z direction and movable (liftable) in the Z direction. The substrate transfer robot 140 is provided with a hand for transferring one or more substrates. The hand is supported by an articulated arm and is capable of moving back and forth horizontally. The substrate transfer robot 140 is used to remove a substrate from a FOUP 8 containing unprocessed substrates when the FOUP 8 is placed on the opener 120, and to insert the removed substrate into a carrier 9 (described later) arranged in the relay block 200.

[0037] The substrate transfer robot 150 is provided adjacent to the opener 130 in the +X direction. The substrate transfer robot 150 has the same configuration as the substrate transfer robot 140. The substrate transfer robot 150 is used to take a substrate from a carrier 9 (described later) arranged in the relay block 200 when an empty FOUP 8 is placed on the opener 130, and to insert the taken-out substrate into the FOUP 8 on the opener 130.

[0038] The hoop transport device 111 is located between the end face portion 101 in the X direction and the multiple hoop shelves 110. The hoop transport device 111 has a gripping portion (not shown) configured to be able to grip a hoop 8, and is configured so that the gripping portion can be moved in the Y direction and the Z direction. In this way, the hoop transport device 111 transports a hoop 8 between one of the two hoop placement portions 190 and one of the multiple hoop shelves 110.

[0039] The FOUP transport device 112 is located between the multiple FOUP shelves 110 and the two openers 120, 130 in the X direction. The FOUP transport device 112 has the same configuration as the FOUP transport device 111. The FOUP transport device 112 transports FOUPs 8 between any of the multiple FOUP shelves 110 and any of the two openers 120, 130.

[0040] The control unit 160 (FIG. 2) is composed of a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and controls the operation of each component in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0041] (3) Relay Block 200 The relay block 200 mainly includes two carrier support parts 210, 220, a first standby part 230, a second standby part 240, and a standby transport device 250. The carrier support part 210 is provided adjacent to the substrate transfer robot 140 of the substrate load / unload block 100 in the +X direction. The carrier support part 210 is configured to be able to support a carrier 9 that stores multiple substrates in multiple stages. Details of the carrier 9 will be described later. The carrier support part 210 is configured to support the carrier 9 and to be able to change the posture of the supported carrier 9. Details of the configuration of the carrier support part 210 for changing the posture of the carrier 9 will be described later. In the example of FIG. 1, the carrier 9 is supported on the carrier support part 210.

[0042] The carrier support part 220 is provided adjacent to the substrate transfer robot 150 of the substrate load / unload block 100 in the +X direction. The carrier support part 220 has the same configuration as the carrier support part 210. In the example of FIG. 1, the carrier 9 is not supported on the carrier support part 220.

[0043] The first standby section 230 is provided adjacent to the carrier support section 210 in the +X direction. The first standby section 230 is configured to be able to support the carrier 9. The first standby section 230 is also configured to be able to transfer the carrier 9 supported by the first standby section 230 to the carrier support section 210, and to receive the carrier 9 supported by the carrier support section 210 from the carrier support section 210.

[0044] The second standby section 240 is provided adjacent to the carrier support section 220 in the +X direction. The second standby section 240 is configured to be able to support the carrier 9. The second standby section 240 is also configured to be able to transfer the carrier 9 supported by the second standby section 240 to the carrier support section 220, and to receive the carrier 9 supported by the carrier support section 220 from the carrier support section 220.

[0045] The standby conveying device 250 is provided between the first standby section 230 and the second standby section 240. The standby conveying device 250 is configured to be able to hold the carrier 9 and to be able to move in the Y direction between the first standby section 230 and the second standby section 240. The standby conveying device 250 conveys the carrier 9 supported by, for example, the second standby section 240 to the first standby section 230.

[0046] (4) Processing Block 300 The processing block 300 includes a first transport unit 310, a second transport unit 320, and a processing unit 330. The first transport unit 310 and the processing unit 330 are aligned in this order in the +Y direction and are provided so as to extend in parallel in the +X direction from the relay block 200. The second transport unit 320 is formed so as to extend in the Y direction, and connects the end of the first transport unit 310 facing the +X direction with the end of the processing unit 330 facing the +X direction.

[0047] In the following description, of the two ends of the first transport unit 310 extending in the X direction, one end facing the -X direction will be referred to as the first end TA1, and the other end facing the +X direction will be referred to as the second end TA2. Also, of the two ends of the processing unit 330 extending in the X direction, one end facing the -X direction will be referred to as the third end TA3, and the other end facing the +X direction will be referred to as the fourth end TA4.

[0048] The first transport unit 310 includes a main transport device 311 and two sub-transport devices 312A and 312B. The main transport device 311 includes a movable stage 311a and guide rails 311b. The guide rails 311b are provided to extend from the first end TA1 to the second end TA2 of the first transport unit 310. The movable stage 311a is configured to be movable in the X direction on the guide rails 311b and to be able to place a carrier 9 thereon. The main transport device 311 further includes a drive mechanism (not shown) that moves the movable stage 311a in the X direction on the guide rails 311b. As a result, when a carrier 9 is placed on the movable stage 311a at the first end TA1 adjacent to the relay block 200, the main transport device 311 transports the placed carrier 9 in the +X direction to the second end TA2 adjacent to the second transport unit 320.

[0049] The sub-transport device 312A and the sub-transport device 312B are respectively provided at the first end TA1 and the second end TA2 of the first transport section 310 in the X direction. When a carrier 9 accommodating an unprocessed substrate is supported by the carrier support section 210, the sub-transport device 312A places the carrier 9 on the movable stage 311a of the main transport device 311 arranged at the first end TA1. The sub-transport device 312A also transports an empty carrier 9 from the first standby section 230 to the carrier support section 210. On the other hand, when the movable stage 311a on which the carrier 9 is placed has moved to the second end TA2, the sub-transport device 312B hands the carrier 9 over to a transport device 321 (described later) of the second transport section 320.

[0050] 2, the first transport part 310 is provided at a position spaced apart in the +Z direction (above) from the installation surface of the substrate processing apparatus 1. As a result, a space located in the -Z direction (below) of the first transport part 310 can be used as a maintenance space MS1 for performing maintenance on the processing part 330, which will be described later. Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the first transport part 310 overlaps with the maintenance space MS1 of the processing part 330 in a plan view. FIG. 9, which will be described later, shows a worker WP performing maintenance work on the processing part 330 below the first transport part 310 in the maintenance space MS1.

[0051] The second transport section 320 includes a transport device 321. The transport device 321 is configured to support the carrier 9 and to be able to change the attitude of the supported carrier 9. The configuration of the transport device 321 for changing the attitude of the carrier 9 will be described in detail below. Furthermore, the transport device 321 is configured to be movable in the Y direction. This allows the second transport section 320 to receive the carrier 9 from the sub-transport device 312B near the second end TA2 of the first transport section 310. Furthermore, the second transport section 320 can change the attitude of the carrier 9 received from the sub-transport device 312B and move the carrier 9 to a position near the fourth end TA4 of the processing section 330.

[0052] Processing section 330 includes a plurality of (five in this example) liquid processing units 331, a drying unit 332, and a plurality of (three in this example) main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C. The plurality of liquid processing units 331 and drying units 332 are aligned in the X direction such that drying unit 332 is located at third end TA3.

[0053] The multiple main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C are arranged in this order on a straight line extending in the +X direction from the third end TA3 to the fourth end TA4. Each of the main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C is configured to be able to hold a carrier 9 and transport the held carrier 9 between the multiple liquid processing units 331 and the drying unit 332. The main transport device 333C located farthest from the relay block 200 receives the carrier 9 when the carrier 9 is transported to the vicinity of the processing unit 330 by the second transport section 320. The main transport device 333C then transports the received carrier 9 to one of the multiple liquid processing units 331.

[0054] Each of the plurality of liquid processing units 331 includes one or more processing baths 331a and lifters 331b. In this example, each liquid processing unit 331 includes two processing baths 331a. Each processing bath 331a is configured so that a carrier 9 can be inserted into and removed from a position above the processing bath 331a. Processing bath 331a stores a processing liquid (chemical liquid or rinse liquid) for cleaning the plurality of substrates accommodated in carrier 9.

[0055] The lifter 331b of each liquid processing unit 331 is configured to be able to hold the carrier 9. The lifter 331b is also configured to be able to receive the carrier 9 from any of the multiple main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C, and to deliver the carrier 9 to any of the multiple main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C. The lifter 331b is also configured to be able to immerse the carrier 9 in the processing liquid for each of the two processing baths 331a of the liquid processing unit 331, and to lift the carrier 9 out of the processing liquid. As a result, when the carrier 9 containing unprocessed substrates is delivered to the processing section 330, the multiple substrates contained in the carrier 9 are immersed in one or more processing liquids for a predetermined period of time, and a common process is performed on the multiple substrates.

[0056] The drying unit 332 performs a drying process on the carrier 9 transported by the main transport device 333A located closest to the relay block 200. This drying process dries the multiple substrates housed in the carrier 9. After the drying process, the carrier 9 is delivered to the second standby section 240 of the relay block 200 by the main transport device 333A located closest to the relay block 200.

[0057] Here, the processing baths 331a of the liquid processing units 331 store a plurality of processing solutions corresponding to the respective processes to be performed on the substrate, arranged in the −X direction in the order of the processes to be performed on the substrate. The control unit 160 in FIG. 2 permits each of the main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C to move in the −X direction while holding the carrier 9, but restricts it from moving in the +X direction while holding the carrier 9. In this case, when the multiple carriers 9 are transported by the multiple main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C, interference caused by one carrier 9 moving in the opposite direction to another carrier 9 is suppressed. Furthermore, because the carrier 9 does not reciprocate in the X direction within the processing device 330, the length of the transport path of the carrier 9 in the processing device 330 does not exceed the length of the processing device 330 in the X direction.

[0058] 1, in the processing block 300 and its surrounding area, in addition to the maintenance space MS1, an additional maintenance space MS2 is formed on the +Y direction side of the processing unit 330. In this way, by forming the two maintenance spaces MS1 and MS2 so as to sandwich the processing unit 330 in the Y direction, a maintenance space large enough for the processing unit 330 is ensured.

[0059] (5) Cleaning Block 400 The cleaning block 400 includes a cleaning and transport device 410 and a carrier cleaning unit 420. The carrier cleaning unit 420 is provided to extend in the X direction at a position to the side (+Y direction) of the substrate load / unload block 100 and the relay block 200. The carrier cleaning unit 420 also includes a plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, a carrier drying section 422, and a plurality of carrier standby sections 423 that are arranged in the X direction.

[0060] Each of the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, carrier drying units 422, and carrier standby units 423 is configured so that carriers 9 can be inserted and removed from a position above the tank, drying unit, or standby unit. Each of the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421 stores a treatment liquid (chemical liquid or rinse liquid) for cleaning the carriers 9. The carrier drying unit 422 performs a drying process on the inserted carriers 9.

[0061] The cleaning and transport device 410 is configured to be able to transport an empty carrier 9 between the second standby section 240 of the relay block 200, the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, the carrier drying section 422, and the plurality of carrier standby sections 423. In the cleaning block 400, the empty carrier 9 is transported between the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421 and immersed in a processing liquid stored in one of the carrier cleaning tanks 421. In this way, the empty carrier 9 after being used to process a plurality of substrates in the processing block 300 is cleaned.

[0062] After cleaning, the carrier 9 is transported to the carrier drying section 422 and subjected to drying processing. After drying, the carrier 9 is transported to and held in the carrier standby section 423. Thereafter, in accordance with the timing of receipt of a plurality of substrates in the relay block 200, the carrier 9 is taken out of the carrier standby section 423 by the cleaning transport device 410 and transported to the second standby section 240 of the relay block 200.

[0063] <2> Career 9 Structure and Career 9 Attitude Fig. 3 is a plan view of a carrier 9 used in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a side view of one side of the carrier 9 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the carrier 9 taken along line BB of Fig. 4. As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the carrier 9 includes four frame members 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d.

[0064] Each of the frame members 10a and 10b is formed of a substantially square plate-like member and has an outer shape larger than the substrate to be processed. Four openings 13 are formed in the center of each of the frame members 10a and 10b. Each of the frame members 10c and 10d is formed of a substantially rectangular plate-like member. The length of the long side of the frame members 10c and 10d is approximately equal to the length of one side of the frame members 10a and 10b.

[0065] Frame members 10a and 10b are arranged facing each other with a gap between them. Frame member 10c is provided to connect one side of frame member 10a with one side of frame member 10b. Frame member 10d is provided to connect the other side of frame member 10a with the other side of frame member 10b. In this state, frame members 10c and 10d are also arranged facing each other. As a result, carrier 9 has a rectangular cylindrical shape.

[0066] A rectangular opening formed at one end of carrier 9, which has a square cylindrical shape, functions as a substrate entrance / exit 12 for inserting a substrate into carrier 9 and removing a substrate from carrier 9. At the other end of carrier 9, a plurality of support pieces 11 (six in this example) are provided so as to connect frame member 10a and frame member 10b and to be distributed between frame member 10c and frame member 10d.

[0067] Each support piece 11 is made of a long plate member and is provided parallel to the frame members 10c and 10d. Each support piece 11 has a plurality of grooves (not shown) formed at a predetermined reference pitch into which parts of the outer edges of the plurality of substrates to be accommodated in the carrier 9 can be inserted. The number of grooves formed in each support piece 11 is equal to the number of substrates to be accommodated in the carrier 9.

[0068] A plurality of protrusions pr are formed on each of the two opposing surfaces of the frame members 10c, 10d. The protrusions pr extend continuously in the direction of the long sides of the frame members 10c, 10d and are arranged at the above-mentioned reference pitch in the direction of the short sides. As a result, a groove into which the outer edge of the substrate can be inserted is formed between each pair of adjacent protrusions pr.

[0069] 1, the posture of the carrier 9 is changed as needed. Here, for the carrier 9 having the above configuration, the posture in which the support pieces 11 are located at the lower end and the frame members 10a, 10b are maintained parallel to the vertical direction is called the vertical posture. On the other hand, the posture in which the frame members 10a, 10b are maintained perpendicular to the vertical direction is called the horizontal posture.

[0070] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the supported portions of a substrate that change depending on the posture of the carrier 9. When multiple substrates W are inserted into an empty carrier 9, the multiple substrates W are inserted into the carrier 9 through the substrate entrance 12 of the carrier 9, which is in a horizontal posture. At this time, both side portions (the two opposing sides) of the outer edge of each substrate W are inserted between any two of the multiple protrusions pr of the frame member 10c and between any two of the multiple protrusions pr of the frame member 10d. As a result, when the carrier 9 containing multiple substrates W is in a horizontal posture, each substrate W is held with both side portions of the substrate supported by the multiple protrusions pr. That is, for each of the multiple substrates W contained in the carrier 9 in a horizontal posture, the entire both side portions of the substrate W become supported portions SP2, as shown by the dashed dotted lines in FIG. 6.

[0071] On the other hand, when the carrier 9 containing multiple substrates W is in a vertical position, each substrate W is held with multiple minute portions (six minute portions in this example) at the bottom end of the substrate W fitted into multiple grooves of the multiple support pieces 11. That is, for each of the multiple substrates W contained in the carrier 9 in a vertical position, multiple minute portions that are separated from one another on one side of the substrate W become supported portions SP1, as shown by dotted lines in FIG.

[0072] As described above, when the carrier 9 is in a horizontal position, both sides of each of the plurality of substrates W accommodated therein are entirely supported by the plurality of protrusions pr as supported portions SP2. On the other hand, when the carrier 9 is in a vertical position, each of the plurality of substrates W accommodated therein has a plurality of small portions on one side of the lower end of the substrate W supported by the plurality of support pieces 11 as supported portions SP1. As shown in Fig. 6, the total area of ​​the supported portions SP2 of each substrate W when the carrier 9 is in a horizontal position is larger than the total area of ​​the supported portions SP1 of each substrate W when the carrier 9 is in a vertical position. Therefore, when the carrier 9 is in a horizontal position, the load applied to the supported portions SP2 of each substrate W is reduced compared to the load applied to the supported portions SP1 of each substrate W when the carrier 9 is in a vertical position (the load due to the weight of each substrate W).

[0073] The carrier 9 in this embodiment is formed so that the vertical dimension (height) of the carrier 9 when in a horizontal position is smaller than the vertical dimension (height) of the carrier 9 when in a vertical position.

[0074] <3> Transport path of a plurality of substrates W and carriers 9 in a substrate processing apparatus 7 to 9 are diagrams for explaining the transport paths of a plurality of substrates W and carriers 9 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 shows a schematic plan view of the substrate processing apparatus 1, similar to FIG. 1. FIG. 8 shows a schematic perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1, viewed from one direction. FIG. 9 shows a schematic perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1, viewed from another direction. Note that the cleaning block 400 of FIG. 1 is not shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Furthermore, in FIGS. 7 to 9, the maintenance spaces MS1 and MS2 of FIG. 1 are also not shown, except for the maintenance space MS1 of FIG. 9.

[0075] Assume that a series of processes are performed on a plurality of unprocessed substrates W housed in one FOUP 8. In this case, the first FOUP 8 is carried into the substrate load / unload block 100, and is placed on the opener 120, and the lid is opened, as shown in FIG. 7. An empty carrier 9 is supported in a horizontal position on the carrier support section 210 of the relay block 200. At this time, the substrate entrance 12 (FIG. 5) of the carrier 9 faces the -X direction so as to face the FOUP 8. In this state, the substrate transfer robot 140 removes the plurality of unprocessed substrates W from the first FOUP 8 and inserts them into the carrier 9. The transport path of the plurality of substrates W in this case is indicated by thick dotted arrows a1 in FIGS. 7 to 9.

[0076] Thereafter, the lid of the now empty FOUP 8 is closed, and the FOUP is held by the FOUP transport device 112 and placed on one of the multiple FOUP shelves 110. Meanwhile, the carrier 9 containing multiple substrates W is received by the carrier support section 210 and placed on the movable stage 311a of the main transport device 311 by the sub-transport device 312A of the first transport section 310. The transport path of the carrier 9 in this case is indicated by a thick solid arrow a2 in FIGS. 7 to 9.

[0077] Next, the carrier 9 placed on the movable stage 311a is transported in a horizontal position in the +X direction from a position (first end TA1) near the relay block 200 to a position (second end TA2) near the second transport unit 320. The state of the carrier 9 being transported by the main transport device 311 of the first transport unit 310 is shown in a balloon BA3 in FIG.

[0078] Thereafter, carrier 9 reaches a position near second transport section 320 and is handed over to transport device 321 of second transport section 320 by sub-transport device 312B of first transport section 310. There, carrier 9 handed over to transport device 321 is changed in position from horizontal to vertical by transport device 321. The state of the change in position of carrier 9 in transport device 321 is schematically shown in speech bubble BA2 of FIG.

[0079] As shown in speech bubble BA2 in Figure 8, transport device 321 includes movable base 322 and carrier holder 323. Movable base 322 is provided so as to be movable in the Y direction within second transport section 320. Carrier holder 323 is composed of first holder 323a and second holder 323b. First holder 323a has a rectangular flat plate shape capable of holding the lower end of carrier 9 when in a horizontal position. Second holder 323b has a rectangular flat plate shape capable of holding the lower end of carrier 9 when in a vertical position.

[0080] First holding portion 323a and second holding portion 323b are connected so that one side of first holding portion 323a and one side of second holding portion 323b are in contact with each other and so that the two holding portions are perpendicular to each other. Movable base 322 holds a part of carrier holder 323 so that first holding portion 323a and second holding portion 323b are both parallel to the Y direction and so that carrier holder 323 is rotatable around an axis extending in the Y direction.

[0081] The transport device 321 further has a drive unit (not shown) that can adjust the rotation angle of the carrier holder 323 on the movable base 322. As a result, when receiving the carrier 9 in a horizontal position from the first transport unit 310, the rotation angle of the carrier holder 323 is adjusted so that the first holding portion 323a is horizontal and the second holding portion 323b is vertical. Thereafter, when the carrier 9 in a horizontal position is received on the carrier holder 323, the rotation angle of the carrier holder 323 is adjusted so that the first holding portion 323a is vertical and the second holding portion 323b is horizontal. As a result, the position of the carrier 9 is changed from the horizontal position to the vertical position.

[0082] The transport device 321 further has a drive unit (not shown) that moves the movable base 322 in the Y direction in the second transport section 320. As a result, the carrier 9, which is maintained in a vertical position, is transported in the +Y direction from a position near the first transport section 310 to a position near the processing section 330 in a vertical position.

[0083] Thereafter, the carrier 9, which has reached a position near the processing section 330, is received from the transport device 321 by the main transport device 333C of the processing section 330. The carrier 9 received by the main transport device 333C is transported to one or more liquid processing units 331 by the main transport device 333C and other main transport devices 333B, 333A, and is immersed in various processing liquids for a predetermined period while maintaining a vertical posture. As a result, the multiple substrates W accommodated in the carrier 9 are processed according to the processing liquids immersed in them. The state of the carrier 9 being transported by the main transport devices 333A, 333B, 333C of the processing section 330 is shown in balloon BA4 in FIG. 9.

[0084] As shown in speech bubble BA4 in FIG. 9 , each of main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C includes a movable support column 333a and a pair of chuck members 333b. The movable support column 333a is provided on the side (+Y direction side) of the multiple solution processing units 331, movable in the X direction and movable in the Z direction (liftable). A pair of chuck members 333b is provided extending from the upper end of the movable support column 333a above the solution processing units 331. The pair of chuck members 333b is configured to sandwich and hold a carrier 9 in a vertical position. Furthermore, each of main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C has a drive unit (not shown) that can switch between holding the carrier 9 with the pair of chuck members 333b and releasing the carrier 9 from the pair of chuck members 333b. This allows the transfer of carriers 9 between the multiple main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C and the multiple solution processing units 331.

[0085] Thereafter, the carrier 9 accommodating the plurality of substrates W after treatment with the treatment liquid is further transported to the drying unit 332 adjacent to the relay block 200. As a result, the carrier 9 and the plurality of substrates W in the carrier 9 are dried by the drying unit 332. As described above, the series of transport paths of the carrier 9 in the treatment block 300 are indicated by thick solid arrows a3 in FIGS. 7 to 9.

[0086] The carrier 9 accommodating a plurality of processed substrates W is transported by the main transport device 333A from the drying unit 332 to the carrier support section 220 of the relay block 200, and is supported by the carrier support section 220. The transport path of the carrier 9 in this case is indicated by a thick dotted arrow a4 in Figures 7 to 9.

[0087] Therefore, the carrier 9 handed over to the carrier support part 220 is changed in position from a vertical position to a horizontal position by the carrier support part 220. The state of the changed position of the carrier 9 at the carrier support part 220 is shown schematically in a balloon BA1 in FIG.

[0088] As shown in speech bubble BA1 in Fig. 8, carrier support section 220 includes fixed base 211 fixed within relay block 200 and carrier holder 212. Carrier holder 212 is composed of first holder 212a and second holder 212b. First holder 212a has a rectangular flat plate shape capable of holding the lower end of carrier 9 when in a horizontal position. Second holder 212b has a rectangular flat plate shape capable of holding the lower end of carrier 9 when in a vertical position.

[0089] First holding portion 212a and second holding portion 212b are connected so that one side of first holding portion 212a and one side of second holding portion 212b are in contact with each other and so that the two holding portions are perpendicular to each other. Fixed base 211 holds a part of carrier holder 212 so that first holding portion 212a and second holding portion 212b are both parallel to the Y direction and so that carrier holder 212 is rotatable around an axis extending in the Y direction.

[0090] The carrier support unit 220 further has a drive unit (not shown) that can adjust the rotation angle of the carrier holder 212 on the fixed base 211. As a result, when receiving a carrier 9 in a vertical position from the drying unit 332, the rotation angle of the carrier holder 212 is adjusted so that the second holding portion 212b is horizontal and the first holding portion 212a is vertical. Thereafter, when the carrier 9 in a vertical position is received on the carrier holder 212, the rotation angle of the carrier holder 212 is adjusted so that the second holding portion 212b is vertical and the first holding portion 212a is horizontal. As a result, the position of the carrier 9 is changed from the vertical position to the horizontal position. At this time, the substrate entrance 12 (FIG. 5) of the carrier 9 faces the -X direction.

[0091] When the carrier 9 accommodating a plurality of substrates W is supported in a horizontal position by the carrier support section 220, an empty FOUP 8 is placed on the opener 130 of the substrate load / unload block 100. The lid of the FOUP 8 is also opened. In this state, the substrate transfer robot 150 removes the plurality of processed substrates W from the carrier 9 and inserts them into the FOUP 8 on the opener 130. The transport path of the plurality of substrates W in this case is indicated by thick dotted arrow a5 in FIGS. 7 to 9.

[0092] Thereafter, the FOUP 8 accommodating the processed substrates W has its lid closed, is held by the FOUP transport device 112, and is placed on one of the multiple FOUP shelves 110. The FOUP 8 is then transported by the FOUP transport device 111 to the FOUP placement part 190 and removed from the substrate processing apparatus 1. Meanwhile, the carrier 9 that has become empty in the carrier support part 220 has its posture changed from the horizontal posture to a vertical posture again by the carrier support part 220. The empty carrier 9 that has been returned to the vertical posture in the carrier support part 220 is transported by the main transport device 333A and received by the second standby part 240.

[0093] In this embodiment, the empty carrier 9 received from the carrier support section 220 by the second standby section 240 is transported to the carrier cleaning unit 420 by the cleaning transport device 410 of the cleaning block 400 while being maintained in a vertical position. The transport path of the carrier 9 in this case is indicated by a thick dashed arrow c1 in FIG. 7.

[0094] In the carrier cleaning unit 420, the cleaning and transport device 410 transports the carriers 9 among the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, the carrier drying section 422, and the plurality of carrier standby sections 423. As a result, the used carriers 9 are subjected to cleaning and drying processes. Furthermore, the carriers 9 after cleaning and drying processes are stored in one of the plurality of carrier standby sections 423. In the plurality of carrier cleaning tanks 421, the carrier drying section 422, and the plurality of carrier standby sections 423, the carriers 9 are maintained in a vertical position.

[0095] Assume that a series of processes is performed on a plurality of unprocessed substrates W accommodated in another new FOUP 8. In this case, a clean carrier 9 accommodated in the carrier standby section 423 of the cleaning block 400 is transported as a new carrier 9 from the carrier cleaning unit 420 to the second standby section 240 by the cleaning transport device 410. The transport path of the new carrier 9 in this case is indicated by a thick dashed arrow c2 in FIG.

[0096] The new carrier 9 handed over to the second standby section 240 is transported by the standby transport device 250 to the first standby section 230 while maintaining its vertical orientation, and is supported by the first standby section 230. The transport path of the new carrier 9 in this case is indicated by a thick, two-dot chain arrow b1 in FIG. 7. The first standby section 230 delivers the new carrier 9 supported by the first standby section 230 to the carrier support section 210. The orientation of the new carrier 9 handed over to the carrier support section 210 is then changed from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation by the carrier support section 210. As described above, the two carrier support sections 210 and 220 in the relay block 200 have the same configuration. As a result, the orientation of the new carrier 9 is changed in the carrier support section 210, as shown in a speech bubble BA1 in FIG. 8. Thereafter, multiple unprocessed substrates W accommodated in another new FOUP 8 are inserted into the new carrier 9, which is in a horizontal orientation.

[0097] The new carrier 9 accommodating a plurality of unprocessed substrates W is transported along the transport path indicated by the series of arrows a2, a3, and a4 in Figures 7 to 9. As a result, a series of processes are performed on the plurality of substrates W accommodated in the new carrier 9.

[0098] <4> effect (1) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above, the carrier 9 is transported by the plurality of transport devices (311, 321, 333A, 333B, 333C) from the first end TA1 toward the third end TA3 on the transport path indicated by the arrow a3 in FIG. 7. The carrier 9 is configured to be able to accommodate a plurality of substrates W. In this case, each of the plurality of transport devices (311, 321, 333A, 333B, 333C) transports the carrier 9 accommodating the plurality of substrates W, thereby enabling the plurality of substrates W to be handled integrally. Therefore, each of the plurality of transport devices (311, 321, 333A, 333B, 333C) does not require a complex configuration for integrally and directly holding the plurality of substrates W.

[0099] In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the attitude of the carrier 9 is changed from a horizontal attitude to a vertical attitude by the transport device 321 provided on the transport path indicated by arrow a3 in Fig. 7. As a result, the attitude of the carrier 9 is maintained in a vertical attitude in the processing section 330. In this case, since the multiple substrates W accommodated in the carrier 9 are accommodated in a vertical attitude in the processing section 330, it is possible to appropriately perform batch processing on the multiple substrates W, such as immersing the multiple substrates W in a processing liquid.

[0100] Meanwhile, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the carrier 9 is maintained in a horizontal position in the first transport section 310 located upstream of the processing section 330 on the transport path indicated by arrow a3 in Fig. 7. When the carrier 9 is in a horizontal position, the plurality of substrates W accommodated in the carrier 9 are maintained in a horizontal position.

[0101] For each of the multiple substrates W, the size of the substrate W in a horizontal position when viewed in a plane is larger than the size of the substrate W in a vertical position when viewed in a plane. Therefore, the substrate W in a horizontal position can support a larger portion of the substrate W than the substrate W in a vertical position. Therefore, as described above, the total area of ​​the supported portions SP2 of each substrate W when the carrier 9 is in a horizontal position can be made larger than the total area of ​​the supported portions SP1 of each substrate W when the carrier 9 is in a vertical position. This reduces damage to the substrates W caused by the weight of the substrates W concentrating on one portion of each substrate W when transporting multiple substrates W.

[0102] By combining transport that maintains a carrier 9 containing multiple substrates W in a vertical position with transport that maintains a carrier 9 containing multiple substrates W in a horizontal position, it is possible to prevent the configuration of multiple transport devices (311, 321, 333A, 333B, 333C) for transporting multiple substrates W from becoming too complex and to reduce damage to each substrate W when transporting multiple substrates W.

[0103] (2) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above, the first transport unit 310 is provided within a continuous range including the start point of the transport path indicated by the arrow a3 in Fig. 7. Meanwhile, the processing unit 330 is provided within a continuous range including the end point of the transport path indicated by the arrow a3 in Fig. 7. Meanwhile, the second transport unit 320, in which the attitude of the carrier 9 is changed, is located downstream of the first transport unit 310 and upstream of the processing unit 330 on the transport path indicated by the arrow a3 in Fig. 7.

[0104] 7, the substrates W immersed in the processing liquid together with the carrier 9 in the processing unit 330 are not changed to a horizontal position. That is, the substrates W are not transported in a horizontal position after being immersed in the processing liquid. This reduces the adhesion of dust falling from above to below within the substrate processing apparatus 1 to the substrates W accommodated in the carrier 9. Furthermore, since the substrates W are not transported in a horizontal position after being processed in the processing tank, the processing liquid is prevented from remaining on the upper surface of each of the substrates W during transport.

[0105] (3) In the first transport section 310, the carrier 9 is transported from the first end TA1 to the second end TA2 by the main transport device 311. More specifically, with the carrier 9 placed on the movable stage 311a, the movable stage 311a moves on the guide rails 311b. As a result, the carrier 9 is transported in a horizontal position. In this way, in the first transport section 310, the carrier 9 can be transported from the first end TA1 to the second end TA2 without moving in the vertical direction. Therefore, the first transport section 310 can reduce the vertical size of the space required for transporting the carrier 9.

[0106] (4) As described above, the carrier 9 is formed so that the vertical dimension (height) of the carrier 9 when in a horizontal position is smaller than the vertical dimension (height) of the carrier 9 when in a vertical position. In the first transport section 310 of the transport path indicated by arrow a3 in FIG. 7, the carrier 9 is transported in a horizontal position. On the other hand, in the processing section 330 of the transport path indicated by arrow a3 in FIG. 7, the carrier 9 is transported in a vertical position. This makes it possible to reduce the vertical size of the space required for transporting the carrier 9 in the first transport section 310 compared to the processing section 330.

[0107] <5> Other embodiments (1) When rectangular substrates W are stored in a horizontal position, the carrier 9 according to the above-described embodiment entirely supports both side edges of the rectangular substrates W using the multiple protrusions pr. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The carrier 9 may be configured to entirely support the outer edges of each of the multiple substrates W in a horizontal position. That is, the carrier 9 may be configured to entirely support the four sides and their adjacent portions of each of the multiple substrates W in a horizontal position. Alternatively, the carrier 9 may be configured to partially support each of the both side edges of the substrates W in a horizontal position. Specifically, in the carrier 9 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, each of the multiple protrusions pr may be formed to extend intermittently in the direction of the long sides of the frame members 10c and 10d. Alternatively, the carrier 9 may be configured to support the central or approximately central portion of the substrates W in a horizontal position. In these cases, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be achieved by making the total area of ​​the supported portions SP2 of each substrate W when the carrier 9 is in a horizontal position larger than the total area of ​​the supported portions SP1 of each substrate W when the carrier 9 is in a vertical position.

[0108] (2) In the substrate processing apparatus 1, each of the substrate transfer robots 140 and 150 transfers a plurality of substrates W one by one. figure The transfer unit 100 may be configured to be able to transfer one substrate at a time, or may be configured to be able to transfer a plurality of substrates W simultaneously.

[0109] (3) In the processing block 300, the carrier 9 handed over from the relay block 200 is transported from the first end TA1 to the second end TA2 of the first transport section 310. Thereafter, various processes are performed on the multiple substrates W while the carrier 9 is transported from the fourth end TA4 to the third end TA3 of the processing section 330. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example.

[0110] The processing block 300 may have a configuration in which the positions of the first transport unit 310 and the processing unit 330 are interchanged. In this case, the processing unit 330 has a configuration that is symmetrical with respect to a plane orthogonal to the X direction, for example. In the processing block 300 having such a configuration, the carrier 9 transferred from the relay block 200 is immersed in multiple processing solutions in the processing unit 330 while being maintained in a vertical position, and is subjected to a drying process. Thereafter, in the second transport unit 320, the position of the carrier 9 is changed from the vertical position to a horizontal position. Thereafter, the carrier 9 accommodating the multiple processed substrates W is returned to the relay block 200 by the main transport device 311 of the first transport unit 310 while being maintained in a horizontal position.

[0111] (4) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the frame members 10a, 10b of the carrier 9 in the vertical position are maintained parallel to the vertical direction, but the frame members 10a, 10b of the carrier 9 in the vertical position may be maintained approximately parallel to the vertical direction. In other words, it is sufficient for the carrier 9 in the vertical position to hold the plurality of accommodated substrates W parallel or approximately parallel to the vertical direction.

[0112] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the frame members 10a and 10b of the carrier 9 in the horizontal position are maintained so as to be perpendicular to the vertical direction, but the frame members 10a and 10b of the carrier 9 in the horizontal position may be maintained so as to be approximately perpendicular to the vertical direction. In other words, the carrier 9 in the horizontal position may hold the plurality of substrates W accommodated therein parallel or approximately parallel to the horizontal direction. To be protected It's good if you can have it.

[0113] (5) Although the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment includes a cleaning block 400 that cleans the carrier 9 after it has been used to process a plurality of substrates W, the present invention is not limited to this. The substrate processing apparatus 1 does not have to be provided with the cleaning block 400. In this case, the used carrier 9, from which a plurality of substrates W has been removed in the carrier support part 220 of the relay block 200, may be transported to the carrier support part 210 without being cleaned. Alternatively, the used carrier 9 may be taken out of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and discarded without being cleaned.

[0114] (6) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the carrier support unit 210 and the first standby unit 230 are provided separately in the relay block 200, but the present invention is not limited to this. If it is possible to add a function for changing the position of the carrier 9 to the first standby unit 230, the carrier support unit 210 may not be provided.

[0115] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the carrier support section 220 and the second standby section 240 are separately provided in the relay block 200, but the present invention is not limited to this. If it is possible to add a function of changing the attitude of the carrier 9 to the second standby section 240, the carrier support section 220 does not need to be provided.

[0116] (7) In the second transfer section 320 of the processing block 300 according to the above embodiment, the transfer device 321 has a function of changing the attitude of the carrier 9 and a function of transporting the carrier 9, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the second transfer section 320, instead of the transfer device 321, a component having a function of changing the attitude of the carrier 9 and a component having a function of transporting the carrier 9 may be separately provided.

[0117] (8) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the substrate W to be processed has a rectangular shape when viewed in a plane, but the substrate to be processed may have a circular shape when viewed in a plane, or may have a polygonal shape other than a rectangle, such as a triangle or a pentagon, when viewed in a plane.

[0118] (9) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the processing tanks 331a of the processing unit 330 are configured to store processing liquids for cleaning the substrates W, but the present invention is not limited to this. At least some of the processing tanks 331a of the processing unit 330 may store, as processing liquids, plating liquids for plating the substrates W, or liquids for modifying the surface condition of the substrates W. As described above, the above embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to cleaning processing of multiple substrates W, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may also be applied to other processing, such as plating processing or surface modification processing of multiple substrates W.

[0119] (10) In the carrier 9 according to the above embodiment, four openings 13 are formed in the central portion of each of the frame members 10a, 10b, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of openings 13 formed in the central portion of each of the frame members 10a, 10b is not limited to four, and other numbers, such as one, two, three, or five, may also be formed. Alternatively, no openings 13 may be formed in the central portion of each of the frame members 10a, 10b. Furthermore, the shape of the frame members 10a, 10b may be modified as appropriate.

[0120] (11) In each of the main transport devices 333A, 333B, and 333C according to the above-described embodiment, the pair of chuck members 333b holds the carrier 9 by sandwiching the carrier 9 in the X direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. The pair of chuck members 333b may hold the carrier 9 by sandwiching it in the Y direction, or may hold the carrier 9 by sandwiching it in a direction intersecting the X and Y directions in a horizontal plane.

[0121] <6> Correspondence between each element of the claims and each element of the embodiment Below, examples of correspondence between each element of the claims and each element of the embodiments will be described, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. Various other elements having the configuration or function described in the claims can also be used as each element of the claims.

[0122] In the above embodiment, carrier 9 is an example of a carrier, the transport path of carrier 9 indicated by arrow a3 in Figure 7 is an example of a predetermined transport path, the direction in which arrow a3 in Figure 7 points is an example of one transport direction, and a group of components including main transport devices 311, 333A, 333B, 333C and transport device 321 of processing block 300 is an example of a transport mechanism.

[0123] Furthermore, the portion of the transport path of the carrier 9 indicated by arrow a3 in Figure 7 that overlaps with the processing section 330 is an example of a predetermined processing section, the multiple liquid processing units 331 of the processing section 330 are an example of processing units, the vertical posture of the carrier 9 is an example of a first posture, the horizontal posture of the carrier 9 is an example of a second posture, and the transport device 321 is an example of a posture change section.

[0124] Furthermore, substrate processing apparatus 1 is an example of a substrate processing apparatus, processing tank 331a is an example of a processing tank, lifter 331b is an example of a lifter, substrate loading / unloading block 100 and relay block 200 are examples of substrate loading / unloading sections, first end TA1 of first transport section 310 is an example of the starting point of the transport path, and third end TA3 of processing section 330 is an example of the end point of the transport path.

[0125] Furthermore, the main conveying device 311 is an example of a horizontal conveying device, the guide rail 311b is an example of a guide member, the movable stage 311a is an example of a movable stage, the multiple support pieces 11 of the carrier 9 are an example of a first support portion, and the multiple protrusions pr of the carrier 9 are an example of a second support portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 1...substrate processing apparatus, 8...FOUP, 9...carrier, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d...frame member, 11...support piece, 12...substrate entrance / exit, 13...opening, 100...substrate loading / unloading block, 101...end surface portion, 102...one side portion, 103...other side portion, 110...FOUP shelf, 111, 112...FOUP transport device, 120, 130...opener, 140, 150...substrate delivery robot, 1 60...control section, 190...FOUP placement section, 200...relay block, 210, 220...carrier support section, 211...fixed base, 212, 323...carrier holder, 212a, 323a...first holder, 212b, 323b...second holder, 230...first standby section, 240...second standby section, 250...standby transport device, 300...processing block, 310...first transport section, 311, 333A, 333B , 333C...main conveying device, 311a...movable stage, 311b...guide rail, 312A, 312B...sub-conveying device, 320...second conveying section, 321...conveying device, 322...movable base, 330...processing section, 331...liquid processing unit, 331a...processing tank, 331b...lifter, 332...drying unit, 333a...movable support column, 333b...chuck member, 400...cleaning block, 410... Cleaning and transporting device, 420...carrier cleaning unit, 421...carrier cleaning tank, 422...carrier drying section, 423...carrier standby section, BA1, BA2, BA3, BA4...blowing outlet, MS1, MS2...maintenance space, SP1, SP2...supported section, TA1...first end, TA2...second end, TA3...third end, TA4...fourth end, W...substrate, WP...worker, pr...protruding section

Claims

1. a carrier configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates; a transport mechanism that transports the carrier in a predetermined transport direction on a predetermined transport path; a processing unit provided on a predetermined processing portion of the transport path, the processing unit performing a predetermined processing on a plurality of substrates accommodated in the carrier while the plurality of substrates are accommodated in the carrier; a position changer that changes the position of the carrier between a first position in which the carrier can accommodate a plurality of substrates in a vertical position and a second position in which the carrier can accommodate a plurality of substrates in a horizontal position; A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the posture change unit is provided on the transport path so that the posture of the carrier is maintained in the first posture in the processing portion of the transport path, and so that when multiple substrates are accommodated in the carrier, the posture of the carrier is maintained in the second posture in at least a portion of the non-processing portion of the transport path excluding the processing portion.

2. The processing unit a treatment tank for storing a treatment liquid corresponding to the predetermined treatment; a lifter configured to be able to immerse the carrier transported by the transport mechanism in the processing solution of the processing tank and to lift the carrier immersed in the processing solution out of the processing solution, 2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the carrier is configured to immerse a plurality of substrates contained in the carrier in the processing liquid by immersing the plurality of substrates in the processing liquid while the carrier is in the first position.

3. a substrate loading / unloading unit configured to be able to load a plurality of unprocessed substrates and insert the loaded plurality of substrates into one carrier, and to remove the plurality of processed substrates from another carrier containing the plurality of processed substrates and to remove the removed plurality of substrates; a start point and an end point of the transport path are set adjacent to the substrate loading / unloading unit; the processing portion of the transport path is defined within a continuous range of the transport path including the end point, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the position changing unit is located downstream of at least a part of the non-processing portion and upstream of the processing portion on the transport path.

4. At least a portion of the non-processed portion of the transport path is located within a horizontal plane, the transport mechanism includes a horizontal transport device provided in at least a part of the non-processing portion of the transport path, The horizontal conveying device is a guide member extending horizontally along the conveying path; 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a movable stage on which the carrier can be placed and which is provided so as to be movable along the transport path on the guide member.

5. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the carrier is formed so that the vertical dimension of the carrier when in the second position is smaller than the vertical dimension of the carrier when in the first position.

6. The carrier is a first supporting portion that supports a first supported portion of each of the plurality of substrates when the carrier is in the first position; a second supporting portion that supports a second supported portion of each of the plurality of substrates when the carrier is in the second position; A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the size of the second supported portion on each of the plurality of substrates in a horizontal position when viewed in a plane is larger than the size of the first supported portion on each of the plurality of substrates in a vertical position when viewed in a plane.

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