Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, program, and recording medium

Abstract

To suppress over-baking by a heating unit in a substrate processing apparatus including a coating unit for coating a processing liquid on a substrate and the heating unit for heating the substrate coated with the processing liquid.SOLUTION: In the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method according to the present invention, three types of transport patterns respectively adapted to heating processing times different from each other are prepared in advance. The transport pattern is selectively set from the three types based on the heating processing time when the substrate is heated by the heating unit. Therefore, the processing standby time in the heating unit can be made zero or short, and overbaking by the heating unit can be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a substrate processing technology for performing a coating process of applying a processing liquid to substrates for semiconductor packages such as substrates for FOWLP (fan out wafer level package), glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, semiconductor substrates, glass substrates for PDP, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for color filters, substrates for recording disks, substrates for solar cells, substrates for electronic papers, etc., rectangular glass substrates, flexible substrates for film liquid crystals, substrates for organic EL (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrates"), and a heating process of heating the substrates coated with the processing liquid.

Background Art

[0002] As one of the manufacturing processes of semiconductor devices, there is a coating process of applying a processing liquid to the surface of a substrate to form a coating film. Further, post-treatments such as a reduced-pressure drying process, a heating process, and a cooling process are performed on the substrate that has undergone the coating process. Therefore, a substrate processing apparatus equipped with a plurality of processing units such as a coating unit that performs the coating process, a reduced-pressure drying unit that performs the reduced-pressure drying process, a hot plate unit that performs the heating process, and a cool plate unit that performs the cooling process has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described substrate processing apparatus, unprocessed substrates are transported between multiple processing units in a predetermined order, processed at each unit, and then discharged. To perform such substrate transport, Patent Document 1 provides two transport means (= transport robot + transport mechanism). In recent years, in order to suppress the increase in the footprint of the substrate processing apparatus, the application of the technology described in Patent Document 2, for example, to the substrate processing apparatus has been considered. That is, in the substrate processing apparatus, multiple processing units are concentrated in one processing unit group, and one transport robot transports the substrates within the processing unit group in a predetermined transport pattern. By repeating this transport pattern at a certain period, so-called line takt, the substrate processing apparatus processes the substrates.

[0005] In such substrate processing equipment, if the processing time in a processing unit is not an integer multiple of the line cycle time, it is necessary to match the processing time with the line cycle time. Therefore, it is necessary to allow the substrate to wait within the processing unit. However, if the substrate is allowed to wait within a heating unit such as a hot plate unit, and the waiting time for the substrate within the heating unit (hereinafter referred to as "processing waiting time") becomes too long, it will overbake, resulting in process defects.

[0006] To resolve this, one possible solution is to match the time spent heating the substrate using a heating unit (hereinafter referred to as "heating time") with the line cycle time. However, imposing such constraints would prevent the system from accommodating various processes and would impair the versatility of the substrate processing equipment. This is not a problem that occurs only in substrate processing equipment that performs coating, vacuum drying, heating, and cooling processes, but is a universal problem that occurs in substrate processing equipment equipped with a coating unit that applies a processing solution to the substrate and a heating unit that heats the substrate after the processing solution has been applied.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to suppress overbaking by the heating unit in a substrate processing apparatus comprising a coating unit for coating a processing liquid onto a substrate and a heating unit for heating the substrate coated with the processing liquid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A first aspect of this invention is a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a group of processing units having a coating unit for coating a processing liquid onto a substrate, a heating unit for heating a substrate coated with the processing liquid, and a standby unit for temporarily supporting and holding a substrate coated with the processing liquid; a transport robot for loading a substrate into the group of processing units at an loading position, transporting the substrate within the group of processing units, and unloading the substrate from the group of processing units at an unloading position; and a control unit for controlling the transport robot so that the transport robot moves in a circular motion within the group of processing units within a predetermined line cycle, thereby transporting the substrate in the order of loading from the loading position to the coating unit and then to the heating unit, and then returning to the unloading position. The control unit has, as candidate transport patterns, a first transport pattern in which the substrate is transported in the order of loading position, coating unit, heating unit, and unloading position; a second transport pattern which adds a buffer wait to the first transport pattern, in which the substrate is temporarily held in a standby unit before being transported to the heating unit; and a third transport pattern which adds a unit proximity wait to the first transport pattern, in which the transport robot is temporarily held near the heating unit before being transported from the heating unit. The control unit is characterized by selectively setting a transport pattern from the first to the third transport pattern based on the heating time required for transporting the substrate to the heating unit and heating the substrate by the heating unit.

[0009] Furthermore, a second aspect of this invention is a substrate processing method in which a transport robot repeatedly circulates within a predetermined line cycle within a group of processing units having a coating unit that performs a coating process for applying a processing liquid to a substrate, a heating unit that performs a heating process for heating the substrate to which the processing liquid has been applied, and a standby unit that temporarily supports and holds the substrate to which the processing liquid has been applied, thereby transporting the substrate to an output position after the substrate has been brought into the group of processing units at the input position has been subjected to a coating process and a heating process in this order, and the substrate has been brought into the group of processing units at the input position has been subjected to output position, and as a candidate for the transport pattern, the input position, coating unit, heating unit The system includes a first transport pattern that transports the substrate in the order of transport to and from the transport position, a second transport pattern that adds a buffer wait to the first transport pattern, in which the substrate is temporarily held in a standby unit before being transported to the heating unit, and a third transport pattern that adds a unit proximity wait to the first transport pattern, in which the transport robot is temporarily held in the vicinity of the heating unit before being transported from the heating unit. The system is characterized by selectively setting the transport pattern from the first to the third transport pattern based on the heating time required for transporting the substrate to the heating unit and heating the substrate by the heating unit.

[0010] Furthermore, a third aspect of this invention is a program that causes a computer to execute the above-described substrate processing method.

[0011] Furthermore, a fourth aspect of this invention is a recording medium for recording a program in a way that it can be read by a computer.

[0012] In this invention, three different transport patterns are prepared in advance, each suited to a different heat treatment time. Then, the transport pattern is selectively set from the three based on the actual heat treatment time when the substrate is heated by the heating unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] As described above, according to this invention, a conveyance pattern that matches the heat treatment time is selected and set from the first conveyance pattern to the third conveyance pattern. For this reason, the processing standby time in the heating unit can be set to zero or shortened, and overbake by the heating unit can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate processing system equipped with a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2A] It is a plan view schematically showing the substrate processing system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 2B] It is a diagram showing a functional block of an arithmetic processing unit. [Figure 3] It is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a heating unit. [Figure 4] It is a timing chart showing an example of a first conveyance pattern executed in the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 5A] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the first conveyance pattern. [Figure 5B] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the first conveyance pattern. [Figure 5C] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the first conveyance pattern. [Figure 5D] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the first conveyance pattern. [Figure 5E] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the first conveyance pattern. [Figure 6] It is a timing chart showing an example of a second conveyance pattern executed in the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 7A] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the second conveyance pattern. [Figure 7B] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the second conveyance pattern. [Figure 7C] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the second conveyance pattern. [Figure 7D] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the second transfer pattern. [Figure 7E] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the second transfer pattern. [Figure 7F] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the second transfer pattern. [Figure 8] It is a timing chart showing another example of the second transfer pattern executed in the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 9] It is a timing chart showing an example of the third transfer pattern executed in the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 10A] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the third transfer pattern. [Figure 10B] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the third transfer pattern. [Figure 10C] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the third transfer pattern. [Figure 10D] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the third transfer pattern. [Figure 10E] It is a diagram schematically showing the main operation of the third transfer pattern. [Figure 11] It is a diagram schematically showing the selection criteria of the transfer pattern based on the determination target time and the change of the processing waiting time with respect to the determination target time. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart showing the operations of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a substrate processing system equipped with a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. Figure 2A is a schematic plan view showing the substrate processing system shown in Figure 1. The substrate processing system 100 includes a substrate loading / unloading device 200 for loading and unloading substrates S, and a substrate processing apparatus 300 for applying a processing solution to the substrates S received from the substrate loading / unloading device 200. The substrate loading / unloading device 200 has a mechanism for receiving a cassette C at its front. The substrate loading / unloading device 200 also has a transport robot R0. This transport robot R0 has the function of taking out the substrates S contained in the cassette C and handing them over to the substrate processing apparatus 300, and the function of receiving the substrates S that have been processed by the substrate processing apparatus 300 and returning them to the cassette C. In this specification, in order to clarify the arrangement and operation of each part constituting the substrate processing system 100, a coordinate system in which the Z axis is vertical and the XY plane is horizontal is appropriately used. Furthermore, in each coordinate system, the direction the tip of the arrow points is considered the + (plus) direction, and the opposite direction is considered the - (minus) direction.

[0016] A substrate processing device 300 is located adjacent to the substrate loading / unloading device 200 on the (+X) side. As shown in Figure 2A, the substrate processing device 300 has a processing unit group 1 having multiple processing units located on the (+X) side of the substrate loading / unloading device 200, and a transport robot R is provided within the processing unit group 1 to transport substrates S. The substrate processing device 300 also has a control unit 10 for controlling the processing unit group 1 and the transport robot R.

[0017] In this embodiment, the processing unit group 1 includes a first standby unit 2, a coating unit 3, two vacuum drying units 4, two heating units 5, two cooling units 6, and a second standby unit 7. The substrate processing apparatus 300 processes the substrate S by repeating a transport pattern in which the transport robot R moves in a circular motion within the processing unit group 1 at a constant period, known as a line takt (represented by the symbol LT in Figures 4, 6, 8, and 9, which will be explained later).

[0018] The first standby unit 2 is located inside the first standby tower 2T, which is adjacent to the substrate loading / unloading device 200. In this first standby tower 2T, as shown in Figure 1, a fan filter unit FFU is mounted on the ceiling surface. Multiple first standby units, each having a mounting platform configured to temporarily support substrates S, are provided in the internal space of the first standby tower 2T, where a downflow is formed by the clean air supplied from the fan filter unit FFU. In this embodiment, a first standby unit 2a for loading, on which unprocessed substrates S are temporarily placed; a first standby unit 2b for unloading, on which processed substrates S are temporarily placed; and a first standby unit 2c for buffering, on which substrates S that cannot be unloaded from the substrate processing device 300 due to a malfunction of the substrate loading / unloading device 200 or the like are stacked inside the first standby tower 2T. Therefore, in response to a command from the control unit (not shown) that controls the substrate loading / unloading device 200, the transport robot R0 operates to retrieve the unprocessed substrate S contained in the cassette C and place it on the mounting table of the first standby unit 2a. Substrates S that have undergone a series of processes, as will be explained later, are temporarily stored on the mounting table of the first standby unit 2b. Then, at an appropriate time, the transport robot R0 accesses the first standby unit 2b, receives the substrate S, and returns it to the cassette C. In this way, the first standby unit 2 facilitates the smooth exchange of substrates S between the substrate loading / unloading device 200 and the substrate processing device 300, and also functions to adjust the line cycle between these devices. The formation of a downflow of clean air in the internal space is also the same for the other units.

[0019] The coating unit 3 is positioned away from the substrate loading / unloading device 200 in the (+X) direction. The coating unit 3 moves in the Y direction while discharging the processing liquid from the slit nozzle 31 to supply the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate S and apply a coating film. In this embodiment, a linear coater (registered trademark), which is an example of a slit-type coating device, is used as the coating unit 3, but a coating device that applies the processing liquid in other ways may also be used as the coating unit 3.

[0020] The vacuum drying unit 4 is a device for performing vacuum drying on the substrate S after the coating process. In this embodiment, two vacuum drying units 4 are stacked inside a vacuum drying tower 4T which is located adjacent to the coating unit 3 on the (-X) side.

[0021] The heating unit 5 is a device that heats the substrate S after coating using a hot plate. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2A, the heating tower 5T is positioned on the (-Y) side of the transport path TP of the transport robot R, with the vacuum drying tower 4T in between. Two heating units 5 are stacked inside the heating tower 5T.

[0022] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the heating unit. As shown in the figure, the heating unit 5 is equipped with a chamber 50 for receiving the substrate S. By performing the processing inside the chamber 50, it is possible to prevent gaseous components volatilized by the heating process from scattering into the surroundings, and to suppress heat dissipation by covering the area around the substrate S being heated, thereby improving energy efficiency. For these purposes, the chamber 50 has a box-shaped structure in which a top plate 51, side plates 52, bottom plate 53, and shutter 54 are combined.

[0023] The shutter 54 is attached to an opening 55 on one side of the chamber 50 so as to be able to open and close. In the closed state, it is pressed against the side of the chamber 50 via a packing (not shown) to close the opening 55. On the other hand, when the shutter 54 is open, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 3, the substrate S can be exchanged with the outside through the open opening 55. That is, the substrate S before heat treatment, held by the transport robot R, is transported into the chamber 50 through the opening 55. The heat-treated substrate S inside the chamber 50 is then transported to the outside by the transport robot R.

[0024] A hot plate 56 is provided at the bottom of the chamber 50. The upper surface of the hot plate 56 is substantially horizontal and contacts and supports the lower surface of the substrate S in a horizontal position. Protrusions, i.e., proximity pins, may be arranged on the upper surface of the hot plate 56 to create a small gap between it and the substrate S.

[0025] A heater 57 is built into the hot plate 56. Power is supplied to this heater 57 from the control unit 10, which controls the entire device, causing the heater 57 to operate. As a result, the substrate S is uniformly heated by conductive and radiant heat from the top surface of the hot plate 56.

[0026] The heating unit 5 is equipped with a lift mechanism 58 to facilitate the smooth transfer of the substrate S between the hot plate 56 and the transport robot R. Specifically, multiple through holes 561 are provided that extend vertically through the bottom plate 53 of the chamber 50 and the hot plate 56, and lift pins 581 of the lift mechanism 58 are inserted through each through hole 561.

[0027] The lower ends of these lift pins 581 are fixed to a lifting member 582. The lifting member 582 is supported by a lift pin drive unit 583 so that it can move up and down in the vertical direction. In response to a lifting command from the control unit 10, the lift pin drive unit 583 operates to raise and lower the lifting member 582. This allows the multiple lift pins 581 to move up and down as a single unit, making it possible to raise and lower the substrate S in the vertical direction.

[0028] More specifically, the lift pin 581 raises and lowers the substrate S between a processing position, where the substrate S is supported in contact with or close to the upper surface of the hot plate 56 and receives heat from the hot plate 56, as shown by the solid line in Figure 3, and an upper position, where the substrate S is supported at a predetermined distance above the upper surface of the hot plate 56, as shown by the dotted line. By positioning the substrate S at this upper position, the substrate S can be made to wait for the heating process. In this specification, positioning the substrate S at the upper position and waiting before starting the heating process is referred to as "pre-processing waiting," and the time spent in this pre-processing waiting period is referred to as "pre-processing waiting time." On the other hand, positioning the substrate S at the upper position and waiting after the completion of the heating process is referred to as "post-processing waiting," and the time spent in this post-processing waiting period is referred to as "post-processing waiting time."

[0029] The cooling unit 6 is a device for performing a cooling treatment on the substrate S that has been heated by the heating unit 5. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2A, two cooling units 6 are stacked inside a cooling tower 6T which is provided adjacent to the heating tower 5T on the (-X) side.

[0030] The second standby unit 7 is a device for executing the second transport pattern described later. Its basic configuration is the same as that of the first standby unit 2, consisting of a mounting platform configured to temporarily support the substrate S. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2A, the second standby tower 7T is positioned on the (+Y) side of the transport path TP of the transport robot R with respect to the cooling tower 6T. Two second standby units 7 are stacked inside the second standby tower 7T.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2A, a transport path TP extends in the X direction from the center of the processing unit group 1 configured in this way. A transport robot R is provided to move freely along the transport path TP. The transport robot R is a so-called double-handed robot and moves to a position near each tower 2T to 7T according to a movement command from the control unit 10. In response to a board receiving command from the control unit 10, the robot moves an empty hand to a processing unit and receives a board S from that processing unit (GET operation). In response to a board placement command from the control unit 10, the robot moves the hand holding the board S to a processing unit and places the board S on that processing unit (PUT operation). Furthermore, in response to a board exchange command from the control unit 10, the robot uses an empty hand to perform the GET operation on a processing unit, then moves the hand holding the board S to that processing unit and performs the PUT operation (EXCHANGE operation). By combining these operations with the robot movement described above, the control unit 10 is able to transport boards S within the processing unit group 1 according to various transport patterns.

[0032] As shown in Figure 2A, the control unit 10 includes an arithmetic processing unit 10A, a storage unit 10B, a reading unit 10C, an input unit 10D (e.g., a keyboard and mouse), and a display unit 10E (e.g., a display). The storage unit 10B is composed of a hard disk drive or the like and stores programs and recipe information for executing the series of processes described below by the substrate processing device 300. The program is stored, for example, on a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., an optical disk, magnetic disk, magneto-optical disk, etc.), read from the recording medium by the reading unit 10C, and stored in the storage unit 10B. Furthermore, the provision of the program is not limited to a recording medium; for example, the program may be provided via a telecommunications line. The input unit 10D receives input from the operator, and the display unit 10E displays various information.

[0033] Figure 2B shows the functional blocks of the arithmetic processing unit. The arithmetic processing unit 10A includes the CPU (= Central Processing Unit) and RAM (= Random It is composed of a computer having Access Memory, etc., and controls each part of the substrate processing device 300 according to the program stored in the storage unit 10B. In addition, the storage unit 10B has the following first to third transport patterns stored in advance as transport pattern candidates.

[0034] First transport pattern: A transport pattern in which the substrate S is transported in the following order: loading position (first standby unit 2a), coating unit 3, reduced pressure drying unit 4, heating unit 5, cooling unit 6, and unloading position (first standby unit 2b). Second transport pattern... A second transport pattern that adds a buffer wait to the first transport pattern described above, in which the substrate S is temporarily held in a buffer unit (second standby unit 7) before being transported to the heating unit 5. Third transport pattern... A third transport pattern that adds a unit proximity waiting step to the first transport pattern described above, in which the transport robot R is temporarily kept waiting near the heating unit 5 before the substrate S is transported from the heating unit 5.

[0035] The arithmetic processing unit 10A has the functional blocks shown in Figure 2B, namely the basic information acquisition unit 10A1, the buffer time calculation unit 10A2, the determination target time setting unit 10A3, the buffer standby movement time acquisition unit 10A4, and the buffer standby maximum time acquisition unit 10A5. Of these, the buffer standby movement time acquisition unit 10A4 calculates the buffer standby movement time a and the buffer standby maximum time b. The various information thus obtained is sent to the transport pattern setting unit 10A6 of the arithmetic processing unit 10A. The transport pattern setting unit 10A6 then selects the optimal transport pattern from the three transport pattern candidates and executes it. These will be described in detail later, but before that, let's explain the reason for performing such a transport pattern selection setting. First, we will explain the basic transport pattern that has been used conventionally, that is, the first transport pattern, with reference to Figures 4 and 5A to 5E.

[0036] Figure 4 is a timing chart showing an example of a first transport pattern executed in a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. Figures 5A to 5E are schematic diagrams showing the main operations of the first transport pattern. In order to facilitate understanding of the relationship between the apparatus configuration and operation, each processing unit in these drawings is illustrated with the following interpretations. First standby unit 2a for loading → ENTER First standby unit 2b for removal → EXIT Buffer-use 1st standby unit 2c → BF3, BF4 Coating unit 3 → LC One side of vacuum drying unit 4 → VCD1 Other side of vacuum drying unit 4 → VCD2 One side of heating unit 5 → HP1 Other side of heating unit 5 → HP2 One side of cooling unit 6 → CP1 The other side of cooling unit 6 → CP2 One of the 2nd standby units 7 → BF1 The other side of the 2nd standby unit 7 → BF2

[0037] Furthermore, the white squares in Figure 4 indicate that the transport robot R, stopped near the processing unit, is performing one of the following operations: GET, PUT, or EXCHANGE. These operations are explained in detail in Figures 5A to 5E. In the operation diagrams in Figures 5A to 5E, for example, the symbols "S1", "S2", ..., "Sn" represent the first, second, ..., nth substrate S, respectively, and the symbols "M1", "M2", ..., "Mn" represent the first substrate transport, second, ..., nth substrate transport operations, respectively. Also, the white arrows indicate the movement of the transport robot R, and the solid arrows indicate the transport of the substrate S. These points are also the same in the timing charts and operation diagrams that will be explained later.

[0038] The first transport pattern shown in Figure 4 is also used in conventional equipment. In this first transport pattern, as shown in the figure, the transport robot R moves in a circular motion in the order of ENTER → LC → VCD1 (or VCD2) → HP1 (or HP2) → CP1 (or CP2) → EXIT during a preset line cycle LT. When the transport robot R stops near the entrance of each processing unit, it performs one of the following operations: GET, PUT, or EXCHANGE. By repeating this circular motion, the coating, vacuum drying, heating, and cooling processes on the substrate S proceed in this order. For example, after the circular motion is repeated 7 times, 7 substrates S1 to S7 have been transported to CP1, CP2, HP1, HP2, VCD1, VCD2, and LC respectively, and have undergone each process. When the 8th circular motion begins, as shown in Figures 4 and 5A, the transport robot R, which is stopped near ENTER, receives an unprocessed substrate S8 from ENTER and holds it with its hand (operation M0).

[0039] Next, as shown in Figure 5B, the transport robot R moves to a position near the LC while holding the substrate S8 and stops (operation M1). Then, the transport robot R performs an EXCHAGE operation with respect to the LC. More specifically, the transport robot R receives the coated substrate S7 from the LC (operation M2). After that, while holding the substrate S7, the transport robot R transports the substrate S8 to the now empty LC (operation M3).

[0040] Next, as shown in Figure 5C, the transport robot R moves between the vacuum drying tower 4T and the heating tower T5 while holding the substrate S7 and stops (operation M4). Then, the transport robot R performs an EXCHAGE operation on the VCD1 (operations M5, M6). As a result, the substrate S5 that has undergone vacuum drying is removed and held by the transport robot R, while the substrate S7 is transported to the VCD1 to undergo vacuum drying.

[0041] Following this, the transport robot R performs an EXCHAGE operation on HP1 (operations M7 and M8). As a result, the heated substrate S3 is removed and held by the transport robot R, while the substrate S5 removed in the previous operation M5 is transported to HP1 for heating. Thus, the total time required for transporting the substrate to the heating unit and heating the substrate by the heating unit corresponds to an example of the "heat treatment time" of the present invention.

[0042] Next, as shown in Figure 5D, the transport robot R moves between the cooling tower 6T and the second standby tower 7T while holding the substrate S3 and stops (operation M9). Then, the transport robot R performs an EXCHAGE operation on CP1 (operations M10, M11). As a result, the cooled substrate S1 is removed and held by the transport robot R, while substrate S3 is transported to CP1 and undergoes cooling.

[0043] Next, as shown in Figure 5E, the transport robot R moves to the EXIT while holding the substrate S1 and stops (operation M12). Then, the transport robot R delivers the substrate S1, which has undergone a series of processes (coating process + reduced pressure drying process + heating process + cooling process), to the EXIT (operation M13).

[0044] Let's return to Figure 4 and continue the explanation. The series of transport operations described above constitutes the first transport pattern, and the time required for the transport robot R to complete a circuit in this first transport pattern is the cycle operation time CT. This cycle operation time CT is shorter than the line takt LT, and the time obtained by subtracting the cycle operation time CT from the line takt LT is the buffer time c. In the example shown in Figure 4, the time required for the coating process in LC (= transport time to the coating unit and coating time in the coating unit) is the same as the line takt LT. Also, the time required for the vacuum drying process in VCD1 and VCD2 (= transport time to the vacuum drying unit and vacuum drying time in the vacuum drying unit), the heat treatment time in HP1 and HP2, and the cooling process in CP1 and CP2 (= transport time to the cooling unit and cooling time in the cooling unit) are each twice the line takt LT. When each processing time is an integer multiple of the line takt LT in this way, there is no need to keep the substrate S waiting. However, each processing time varies depending on the process conditions, which can result in waiting time. In particular, the problem arises when the processing time is not an integer multiple of the line cycle time LT. This is because, if the transport robot R repeatedly makes circular movements in the first transport pattern shown in Figure 4, the heated substrate S will remain in HP1 and HP2 even after the heating process in HP1 and HP2 is complete, potentially causing the substrate S to overbake.

[0045] Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to suppress the processing waiting time of the substrate S at HP1 and HP2, the second and third transport patterns are prepared in advance in addition to the first transport pattern. Then, the transport pattern that is suitable for the heat treatment time is selected and the above series of processes are repeated. The basic idea is that in the second transport pattern, the processing waiting time at HP1 and HP2 is reduced to zero or shortened by temporary waiting at the second waiting unit 7 (BF1, BF2). In this embodiment, two units, BF1 and BF2, are equipped as the second waiting unit 7, but it may be one unit, and the number of units is arbitrary as long as it is one or more. Furthermore, if the processing waiting time at each line takt LT is long, or conversely, if the time required for heat treatment at each line takt LT is short, the transport robot R can be kept waiting near HP1 and HP2 until the heat treatment is completed, and the transport robot R can resume its circular movement when the heat treatment is completed, thereby making the processing waiting time at HP1 and HP2 zero. To clarify these points further, we will explain specific circular movement and substrate transport operations based on examples of the second and third transport patterns.

[0046] Figure 6 is a timing chart showing an example of a second transport pattern executed in the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. Figures 7A to 7E are schematic diagrams showing the main operations of the second transport pattern. The main difference between the second transport pattern and the first transport pattern (Figure 4) is that the substrate S is transported to BF1 before being transported to HP1 and HP2, temporarily held there, and then transported to HP1 and HP2 to start the heating process. In other words, the transport robot R moves in a circular motion in the order of ENTER → LC → VCD1 (or VCD2) → BF1 → HP1 (or HP2) → CP1 (or CP2) → BF1 → HP1 (or HP2) → EXIT during a preset line takt LT.

[0047] Here, as in the explanation of the first transport pattern, the movement of the transport robot R and the transport of the substrate will be explained from the point when the 8th circulating motion begins. At the start of the circulating motion, as in the first transport pattern, the transport robot R, which is stopped near ENTER, receives the unprocessed substrate S8 from ENTER and holds it with its hand (see Figure 5A). Then, while holding the substrate S8, the transport robot R moves to a position near LC and stops, and then performs an EXCHAGE operation on LC (see Figure 5B).

[0048] Next, as shown in Figure 7A, the transport robot R moves between the vacuum drying tower 4T and the heating tower T5 while holding the substrate S7 and stops (operation M4). Then, the transport robot R performs an EXCHAGE operation on the VCD1 (operations M5, M6). As a result, the substrate S5 that has undergone vacuum drying is removed and held by the transport robot R, while the substrate S7 is transported to the VCD1 to undergo vacuum drying.

[0049] Next, as shown in Figure 7B, the transport robot R moves between the cooling tower 6T and the second standby tower 7T while holding the substrate S5 and stops (operation M7). Then, the transport robot R performs a PUT operation on BF1 (operation M8). As a result, the substrate S5 to be heated is temporarily placed on BF1 and enters a standby state.

[0050] Next, as shown in Figure 7C, while substrate S5 is waiting in the buffer, the transport robot R moves to HP1 and stops (operation M9). Then, the transport robot R performs a GET operation on HP1 (operation 10). As a result, the heated substrate S3 is taken out and brought to the transport robot R. At this stage, substrate S5, which is to be heated next, is waiting at BF1.

[0051] Next, as shown in Figure 7D, the transport robot R moves between the cooling tower 6T and the second standby tower 7T and stops while holding the heated substrate S3 (operation M11). Then, the transport robot R performs an EXCHANGE operation on CP1 (operations M12, M13). As a result, the cooled substrate S1 is taken out and held by the transport robot R, while the heated substrate S3 is transported to CP1 to undergo cooling. Furthermore, the transport robot R performs a GET operation on BF1 (operation M14). As a result, the substrate S5 that was waiting at BF1 is taken out and brought to the transport robot R. Therefore, at this point, the transport robot R is holding two substrates S1 and S5.

[0052] Next, as shown in Figure 7E, the transport robot R moves between the vacuum drying tower 4T and the heating tower T5 while holding the heat-treated substrates S1 and S5 and stops (operation M15). Then, the transport robot R performs a PUT operation on HP1 (operation M16). As a result, the waiting substrate S5 is loaded into HP1 and the heat treatment begins.

[0053] Next, as shown in Figure 7F, the transport robot R moves to the EXIT while holding the substrate S1 and stops (operation M17). Then, the transport robot R delivers the substrate S1, which has undergone a series of processes (coating process + reduced pressure drying process + buffer waiting process + heating process + cooling process), to the EXIT (operation M18).

[0054] Let's return to Figure 6 and continue the explanation. The series of transport operations described above constitutes the second transport pattern, and the time it takes for the transport robot R to complete a circuit in this second transport pattern is extended by the time required for buffer waiting processing compared to the cycle operation time CT. However, the second transport pattern must be set so that this extended time is equal to or shorter than the buffer time c.

[0055] As can be seen by comparing Figures 4 and 6, if the time required for heat treatment at HP1 and HP2, i.e., the heat treatment time, is shorter than 2 × (line cycle time LT), then applying the first transport pattern as is will result in waiting time at HP1 and HP2, i.e., processing waiting time. However, according to the second transport pattern in Figure 6, the time equivalent to the above processing waiting time becomes the buffer waiting time at BF1. As a result, the processing waiting time at HP1 and HP2 becomes zero. It should be noted here that, as shown in Figures 6, 7B, and 7C, the transport robot R needs to move more than in the first transport pattern in order to perform the buffer waiting process. This extra movement takes a certain amount of time. In this specification, this time is referred to as "BF waiting movement time a". In other words, if the above processing waiting time is shorter than the BF waiting movement time a, it is practically impossible to perform the buffer waiting process, the second transport pattern cannot be applied, and the first transport pattern must be selected.

[0056] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the extension time must be set to less than or equal to the buffer time c, and there is a certain limit to the maximum time that the processing waiting time can be reduced by the buffer waiting process. In this specification, the sum of the BF waiting movement time a and the maximum time that can be waited on BF1 is referred to as the "BF maximum waiting time b". Therefore, if the above processing waiting time is longer than the BF maximum waiting time b, the processing waiting on HP1 and HP2 will not be zero, as shown in Figure 8, but will remain partially. In this case, the pre-processing waiting process and the post-processing waiting process may be divided and executed separately, or both, but as shown in the same figure, it is preferable to execute the pre-processing waiting process. This pre-processing waiting process is a process in which, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 3, the substrate S is supported by the lift pin 581 at a predetermined distance above the upper surface of the hot plate 56 on HP1 and HP2, and waits for a pre-processing time d. After this pre-processing waiting process, the lift pin 581 is lowered and the heating process begins. On the other hand, the post-processing waiting process means raising the lift pin 581 after the heating process, and then waiting for the transport robot R to transport the substrate S in that state.

[0057] Next, an example of the third transport pattern will be described based on Figures 9 and 10A to 10E. Figure 9 is a timing chart showing an example of the third transport pattern executed in the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. Figures 10A to 10E are schematic diagrams showing the main operations of the third transport pattern. The main difference between the third transport pattern and the first transport pattern (Figure 4) is that the transport robot R is temporarily made to wait near HP1 and HP2 before transporting the substrate S from HP1 and HP2, thereby eliminating processing waiting time. In other words, the transport robot R moves in a circular motion in the order of ENTER → LC → VCD1 (or VCD2) → temporary waiting at HP1 (or HP2) → CP1 (or CP2) → EXIT during a preset line takt LT.

[0058] Here, since the third transport pattern differs from the first transport pattern, we will explain the movement of the transport robot R and the transport of the substrate from the point when the seventh circulating motion begins. At the start of the circulating motion, the transport robot R, which is stopped near ENTER, receives the unprocessed substrate S7 from ENTER and holds it with its hand. Then, while holding the substrate S7, the transport robot R moves to a position near LC and stops, and then performs an EXCHAGE operation on LC.

[0059] Next, as shown in Figure 10A, the transport robot R moves between the vacuum drying tower 4T and the heating tower T5 while holding the substrate S6 and stops (operation M4). Then, the transport robot R performs an EXCHAGE operation on the VCD2 (operations M5, M6). As a result, the substrate S4 that has undergone vacuum drying is removed and held by the transport robot R, while the substrate S6 is transported to the VCD2 to undergo vacuum drying.

[0060] Next, as shown in Figure 10B, the transport robot R performs a PUT operation on HP2 (operation M7). As a result, the substrate S4 is transported to HP2 and subjected to heat treatment. After this, the transport robot R stops in front of HP1 and HP2 and waits until the heat treatment on HP1 is completed (waiting near the unit).

[0061] After the heat treatment is completed on HP1, the transport robot R performs a GET operation on HP2 (operation M8), as shown in Figure 10C. As a result, the transport robot R receives the heat-treated substrate S3 from HP1.

[0062] Next, as shown in Figure 10D, the transport robot R moves to the cooling tower T6 while holding the substrate S3 and stops (operation M9). Then, the transport robot R performs an EXCHANGE operation on CP1 (operations M10, M11). As a result, the cooled substrate S1 is removed and held by the transport robot R, while the heated substrate S3 is transported to CP1 and undergoes cooling.

[0063] Next, as shown in Figure 10E, the transport robot R moves to the EXIT while holding the substrate S1 and stops (operation M12). Then, the transport robot R delivers the substrate S1, which has undergone a series of processes (coating process + reduced pressure drying process + heating process + cooling process), to the EXIT (operation M12).

[0064] Let's return to Figure 9 and continue the explanation. The series of transport operations described above constitutes the third transport pattern, and when this pattern is used, the processing waiting time becomes zero. However, the execution of the third transport pattern is subject to the following constraints. In other words, the time it takes for the transport robot R to move in a circular motion in the third transport pattern is extended by the time required to wait near the unit compared to the cycle operation time CT. The third transport pattern can only be applied if this extended time is equal to or shorter than the buffer time c. For more details, the heating time in HP1 and HP2 is given by the following equation. LT < Heat treatment time ≤ (LT + c) The following conditions must be met. If the heat treatment time exceeds (LT+c), either the first or second transport pattern must be applied.

[0065] As described above, by preparing the first to third transport patterns as candidate transport patterns and selectively setting the most suitable transport pattern according to the heat treatment time, the processing waiting time in HP1 and HP2 can be reduced to zero or minimized. Furthermore, Figures 4, 6, 8, and 9 show examples where the heat treatment is completed by HP1 and HP2 while the transport robot R repeats its circular movement twice. The same applies when the heat treatment is completed in the time it takes to execute one circular movement, or in the time it takes to repeat three or more circular movements. Generalizing these, during the N circular movements of the transport robot R in line takt LT, the heat treatment time HT in one heating unit 5 (HP1, HP2, etc.) is as follows:

[0066] ((N-1)×LT) <HT≦(N×LT) In the device performing this operation, a suitable transport pattern can be determined based on the time obtained by subtracting ((N-1) × LT) from the heat treatment time HT. This time is an example of the "determination target time" of the present invention. More specifically, when the remainder when the heat treatment time HT is divided by the line cycle time LT is zero, the determination target time (symbol JT in Figure 11, which will be described next) can be set to the same value as the line cycle time LT. Conversely, when the remainder is not zero, the determination target time can be set to the same value as the remainder. As shown in Figure 11, the transport pattern can be appropriately selected by comparing the determination target time JT with the BF standby travel time a, the BF standby maximum time b, and the buffer time c.

[0067] Figure 11 schematically shows the selection criteria for transport patterns based on the time to be determined, and the change in processing waiting time relative to the time to be determined. In this figure, the horizontal bar with dots represents the time to be determined (JT), and the rightmost part of the figure shows the processing waiting status for the determined transport pattern according to the time to be determined (JT). The graph in the lower section shows the change in processing waiting time within the heating units 5 (HP1, HP2). Furthermore, the dotted line in the graph in the lower section shows the processing waiting time when no transport pattern selection setting is performed, that is, when the substrate is always transported using the first transport pattern. As is clear from this figure, overbaking by the heating units 5 can be effectively suppressed by selecting the transport pattern based on the time to be determined (JT).

[0068] The switching of the transport pattern based on the above-mentioned target time JT is performed by the calculation processing unit 10A of the control unit 10. The operation of the substrate processing device 300 will be described below with reference to Figures 2B and 12.

[0069] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the substrate processing apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2. The arithmetic processing unit 10A controls each part of the substrate processing apparatus 300 as follows, according to the program stored in the storage unit 10B. In the substrate processing apparatus 300, recipe information (such as the operating conditions of each part and the process procedure) that defines the process to be executed in the apparatus is stored in the storage unit 10B in advance. When a series of processes (= coating process + vacuum drying process + heating process + cooling process) is performed in a new process, the arithmetic processing unit 10A reads out the recipe information (step S1). Then, the basic information acquisition unit 10A1 of the arithmetic processing unit 10A acquires the line takt LT, cycle operation time CT, heating process time HT, etc. based on the recipe information. If these values ​​are not included in the recipe information, the basic information acquisition unit 10A1 calculates the line takt LT, cycle operation time CT, heating process time HT, etc. based on the operating conditions etc. included in the recipe information.

[0070] The arithmetic processing unit 10A acquires or calculates various information necessary for setting the transport pattern from the information acquired by the basic information acquisition unit 10A1 (step S2). More specifically, the line takt LT and cycle operation time CT are sent to the arithmetic processing unit 10A's buffer time calculation unit 10A2, and the line takt LT and heat treatment time HT are sent to the arithmetic processing unit 10A's determination target time setting unit 10A3. Then, the buffer time calculation unit 10A2 calculates the buffer time c (=LT-CT), and the determination target time setting unit 10A3 calculates the determination target time JT. In addition, the buffer standby movement time acquisition unit 10A4 and the buffer standby maximum time acquisition unit 10A5 of the arithmetic processing unit 10A calculate the buffer standby movement time a and the buffer standby maximum time b. The various information thus obtained is sent to the transport pattern setting unit 10A6 of the arithmetic processing unit 10A, and the transport pattern is selectively set based on the selection criteria shown in Figure 11 (steps S3 to S9).

[0071] In step S3, the transport pattern setting unit 10A6 determines whether the time to be judged JT is less than or equal to the buffer time c. For example, in the case of the time to be judged JT(g) or the time to be judged JT(f) in Figure 11, the transport pattern setting unit 10A6 determines "YES" in step S3 and sets the transport pattern to the third transport pattern (step S4).

[0072] If "NO" is determined in step S3, in step S5 the transport pattern setting unit 10A6 determines whether the time to be determined JT is shorter than the value obtained by subtracting the maximum buffer waiting time b from the line takt LT (=LT-b). For example, in the case of the time to be determined JT(e) in Figure 11, the transport pattern setting unit 10A6 determines "YES" in step S5 and sets the transport pattern to the second transport pattern shown in Figure 8 (step S6). Thus, the value (LT-b) corresponds to an example of the "second judgment criterion time" of the present invention. Also, the time d in Figure 8 corresponds to an example of the "third processing waiting time" of the present invention.

[0073] If "NO" is determined in step S5, in step S7 the transport pattern setting unit 10A6 determines whether the time to be determined JT is less than or equal to the value obtained by subtracting the buffer waiting time a from the line takt LT (=LT-a). For example, in the case of the time to be determined JT(d) or the time to be determined JT(c) in Figure 11, the transport pattern setting unit 10A6 determines "YES" in step S7 and sets the transport pattern to the second transport pattern shown in Figure 6 (step S8). In this way, the value (LT-a) corresponds to an example of the "first judgment criterion time" of the present invention.

[0074] If "NO" is determined in step S7, for example, if the determination target time JT(b) or JT(a) in Figure 11, the transport pattern setting unit 10A6 sets the transport pattern to the first transport pattern shown in Figure 4 (step S9).

[0075] Once the transport pattern is set, the calculation processing unit 10A controls each part of the substrate processing device 300 to move the transport robot R in a circular motion according to the selected transport pattern, while processing the substrates S at each processing unit (step S10). Furthermore, as long as there are unprocessed substrates S after each circular motion (YES in step S11) and the process is maintained (YES in step S12), the process returns to step S10 and the circular motion of the transport robot R and processing at each processing unit are repeated.

[0076] On the other hand, if there is a process change (NO in step S12), the process returns to step S1 and the new process is executed. Also, if there are no more unprocessed substrates (NO in step S11), the series of processes ends.

[0077] As described above, in this embodiment, a first transport pattern (Figure 4), a second transport pattern (Figures 6 and 8), and a third transport pattern (Figure 9) are prepared in advance, each suited to a different heat treatment time HT. Then, the transport pattern that suits the heat treatment time HT in the heating unit 5 (HP1, HP2) is selectively set. As a result, as shown in the lower graph of Figure 11, the processing waiting time in the heating unit 5 can be suppressed to zero or a small value d (see dashed line in Figure 11). The dashed line in the same figure shows the processing waiting time when the transport is moved in a circular motion using only the first transport pattern, for reference.

[0078] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiments, in addition to the coating unit 3 (LC), heating unit 5 (HP1, HP2), and second standby unit 7 (BF1, BF2), which are essential components of the present invention, a vacuum drying unit 4 (VCD1, VCD2) and a cooling unit 6 (CP1, CP2) are also provided. However, the present invention can also be applied to substrate processing apparatuses in which all or some of these components are omitted.

[0079] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus 300 that performs heating treatment by each heating unit 5 (HP1, HP2) while the transport robot R repeats circular movement twice. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus that performs heating treatment by each heating unit 5 while the transport robot repeats circular movement once or three or more times. [Industrial applicability]

[0080] This invention can be applied to all substrate processing technologies, including coating processes that involve applying a processing solution and heat processes that involve heating a substrate coated with the processing solution. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0081] 1… Processing unit group 3…Coating unit 5…Heating unit 7… (Second) Standby Unit 10…Control Unit 10A...Calculation Processing Unit 10A1,101…Basic information acquisition section 10A2, 102... Calculation unit for buffer time 10A3, 103... Judgment target time setting section 10A4...Buffer wait movement time acquisition unit 10A5... Buffer wait time acquisition unit 10A6... Conveyor pattern setting unit 300... Circuit board processing equipment C...Cassette CT...Cycle operation time HT… Heat treatment time JT… Judgment period LT...Line Tact R... Transport robot S,S1~S8...Substrate a... Buffer waiting time (BF waiting time) b... Maximum buffer wait time (BF wait time) c... Free time d... Processing waiting time

Claims

1. A group of processing units comprising a coating unit for applying a processing liquid onto a substrate, a heating unit for heating the substrate to which the processing liquid has been applied, and a standby unit for temporarily supporting and holding the substrate to which the processing liquid has been applied, A transport robot that loads the substrate into the processing unit group at the loading position, transports the substrate within the processing unit group, and unloads the substrate from the processing unit group at the unloading position, The system includes a control unit that controls the transport robot so that it repeatedly performs a transport pattern in which the transport robot moves in a circular motion within the processing unit group within a predetermined line cycle, so that the substrate is transported from the loading position to the coating unit and then to the heating unit in that order, and then returned to the unloading position. The control unit selects the following as candidates for the transport pattern: A first transport pattern that transports the substrate in the order of the loading position, the coating unit, the heating unit, and the unloading position, A second transport pattern is provided which, compared to the first transport pattern, a buffer wait is added in which the substrate is temporarily held in the standby unit before being transported to the heating unit, The system includes a third transport pattern, which adds a unit-near-station waiting step to the first transport pattern, in which the transport robot is temporarily stationed near the heating unit before the substrate is transported from the heating unit. Based on the time required for transporting the substrate to the heating unit and for heating the substrate by the heating unit, the transport pattern is selected from the first transport pattern to the third transport pattern. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

2. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The control unit is A basic information acquisition unit that acquires the line takt, the cycle operation time required for the transport robot to circle in the first transport pattern, and the heat treatment time, A buffer time calculation unit that calculates buffer time by subtracting the cycle operation time from the line takt, A determination target time setting unit sets the determination target time to the same value as the line cycle when the remainder obtained by dividing the heat treatment time by the line cycle is zero, and sets the determination target time to the same value as the remainder when it is not zero. A transport pattern setting unit sets the transport pattern such that when the time to be determined is the same as or shorter than the buffer time, the transport robot is moved using the third transport pattern, while when the time exceeds the buffer time, the transport robot is moved using the first transport pattern or the second transport pattern. A substrate processing apparatus having

3. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, The control unit is The system includes a buffer standby movement time acquisition unit that acquires the time required to move the transport robot more than the first transport pattern in order to perform the buffer standby as the buffer standby movement time. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the transport pattern setting unit sets the transport pattern such that when the time to be determined exceeds a first judgment criterion time obtained by subtracting the buffer waiting time from the line cycle time, the transport robot is moved using the first transport pattern, and when the time to be determined exceeds the buffer time and is less than or equal to the first judgment criterion time, the transport robot is moved using the second transport pattern.

4. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the control unit controls the heating unit so that the heating process is started after waiting for a processing waiting time obtained by subtracting the determination target time from the line cycle immediately after the substrate is transported to the heating unit in the first transport pattern.

5. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, The control unit is Immediately after the substrate is transported to the heating unit in the first transport pattern, the heating unit performs the heating process for the specified heating time, The unit is transported from the heating unit after waiting for a processing waiting time obtained by subtracting the determination target time from the line cycle time. A substrate processing apparatus that controls the transfer robot and the heating unit.

6. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, The control unit is The standby unit has a buffer standby maximum time acquisition unit that acquires the maximum time during which the substrate can be kept in standby mode as the buffer standby maximum time. A substrate processing apparatus that controls the transport robot and the heating unit so that when the time to be determined is less than or equal to the first determination criterion time and greater than or equal to the second determination criterion time obtained by subtracting the maximum buffer waiting time from the line takt, the substrate is transported to the heating unit immediately after the substrate is transported to the waiting unit in the second transport pattern, after waiting for a processing waiting time obtained by subtracting the time to be determined from the line takt, and the heating process is started immediately.

7. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, The control unit is The standby unit has a buffer standby maximum time acquisition unit that acquires the maximum time during which the substrate can be kept in standby mode as the buffer standby maximum time. When the time to be determined exceeds the buffer time and is less than the second criterion time obtained by subtracting the maximum buffer waiting time from the line cycle, After waiting in the standby unit for the maximum buffer standby time, the substrate is transported to the heating unit. The heating process is initiated after waiting for a third processing waiting time, which is obtained by subtracting the time to be judged from the second judgment criterion time. A substrate processing apparatus that controls the transfer robot and the heating unit.

8. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, The control unit is The standby unit has a buffer standby maximum time acquisition unit that acquires the maximum time during which the substrate can be kept in standby mode as the buffer standby maximum time. When the time to be determined exceeds the buffer time and is less than the second criterion time obtained by subtracting the maximum buffer waiting time from the line cycle, After waiting in the standby unit for the maximum buffer standby time, the substrate is transported to the heating unit. After the heating treatment for the aforementioned heating time has been performed by the heating unit, The product is transported from the heating unit after waiting for a third processing waiting time, which is obtained by subtracting the time to be judged from the second judgment criterion time. A substrate processing apparatus that controls the transfer robot and the heating unit.

9. A substrate processing method comprising a group of processing units having a coating unit that performs a coating process to apply a processing liquid to a substrate, a heating unit that performs a heating process to heat the substrate to which the processing liquid has been applied, and a standby unit that temporarily supports and holds the substrate to which the processing liquid has been applied, wherein a transport robot repeatedly circulates within a predetermined line cycle to transport the substrate, thereby transporting the substrate, which has been brought into the group of processing units at the loading position, in which the coating process and the heating process are performed in this order, and then the substrate is transported from the group of processing units to the loading position, As candidates for the aforementioned transport pattern, A first transport pattern that transports the substrate in the order of the loading position, the coating unit, the heating unit, and the unloading position, A second transport pattern is provided which, compared to the first transport pattern, a buffer wait is added in which the substrate is temporarily held in the standby unit before being transported to the heating unit, The system includes a third transport pattern, which adds a unit-near-station waiting step to the first transport pattern, in which the transport robot is temporarily stationed near the heating unit before the substrate is transported from the heating unit. Based on the time required for transporting the substrate to the heating unit and for heating the substrate by the heating unit, the transport pattern is selected from the first transport pattern to the third transport pattern. A substrate processing method characterized by the following:

10. A program that causes a computer to execute the substrate processing method described in claim 9.

11. A recording medium for recording the program described in claim 10 in a way that it can be read by a computer.

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