Substrate processing system and substrate transport method

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing system and a substrate transfer method which enable substrates to be interchanged with high flexibility and high throughput with respect to a plurality of modules.SOLUTION: A processing system for processing a substrate comprises: a plurality of modules in which the substrate is held, and which includes a processing chamber performing processing on the substrate; a transfer chamber to which the plurality of modules is connected; a substrate transfer device which is provided inside the transfer chamber, and receives and delivers the substrate from / to the plurality of modules; and a control portion. The substrate transfer device includes a first transfer unit and a second transfer unit which can mount the substrate, and can linearly move and revolve independently and freely on a surface of the transfer chamber. The control portion performs control in such a manner that the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit are moved in parallel at the same time, consequently a replacement operation of the substrate is performed to another module from one module of the plurality of modules.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing system and a substrate transfer method.

Background Art

[0002] For example, in a semiconductor manufacturing process, when processing a semiconductor wafer as a substrate, a substrate processing system having a structure in which a plurality of modules such as a processing chamber and a load lock chamber are provided around a vacuum transfer chamber having a substrate transfer device is used.

[0003] As a substrate transfer device of such a substrate processing system, it has first and second turning parts that can turn around a common turning center, and first and second substrate holding parts that are respectively provided so as to be able to move forward and backward on these first and second turning parts, and first and second advancing / retreating driving parts for advancing and retreating these first and second substrate holding parts respectively, and first and second turning driving parts for driving the first and second turning parts respectively have been proposed (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure provides a substrate processing system and a substrate transfer method capable of performing a substrate replacement operation with high degrees of freedom and high throughput for a plurality of modules.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A processing system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a processing system for processing substrates, comprising: a plurality of modules including a processing chamber in which a substrate is held and processing is performed on the substrate; a transport chamber to which the plurality of modules are connected; a substrate transport device provided inside the transport chamber for transferring substrates to and from the plurality of modules and for removing substrates; and a control unit, wherein the substrate transport device has a first transport unit, a second transport unit, and a third transport unit on which a substrate can be placed and which can move linearly and pivot independently on the surface of the transport chamber, and the control unit moves the first transport unit, the second transport unit, and the third transport unit simultaneously and in parallel, and among the plurality of modules First From the module Second Circuit board replacement operation for modules , and the loading operation of the substrate into the third module The substrate transport device is controlled so that the following occurs, and in doing so, the initial state is as follows: First The module contains a first substrate, and the aforementioned 2 A second substrate is present in the module, and a third substrate is present in the second transport unit. The third module mentioned above, With no substrates present in the first and third transport units, the main operation is performed by the first transport unit First Remove the first substrate present in the module. First action and Next, the third substrate of the second transport unit is First Pass to module Second action and Next, the third transport unit... Second Remove the second substrate from the module. Third action and Next, the first transport unit... Second Transfer the first circuit board to the module. The fourth action and , Next, a fifth operation is performed in which the third transport unit transfers the second substrate to the third module, and while the main operation is being performed, parallel operations are performed which do not involve the transfer and receipt of substrates by the first transport unit, the second transport unit, and / or the third transport unit, including, while the second operation is being performed, moving the first transport unit holding the first substrate toward the second module and moving the third transport unit to a position corresponding to the second module, and while the fourth operation is being performed, moving the third transport unit holding the second substrate from the second module toward the third module. Control the substrate transport device so that the following is performed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, a substrate processing system and a substrate transport method are provided that can perform substrate replacement operations for multiple modules with a high degree of freedom and high throughput. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view showing a substrate processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view illustrating a transport unit and a planar motor in an example of a substrate transport device. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view illustrating the driving principle of a planar motor. [Figure 4] This is a process diagram illustrating each step of the substrate replacement operation by the substrate transport device in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows a table illustrating the sequence of operations, including the substrate replacement operation, in the first embodiment, broken down by process. [Figure 6] This is a schematic plan view showing a substrate processing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a process diagram illustrating each step of the substrate replacement operation by the substrate transport device in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows a table illustrating the sequence of operations, including the substrate replacement operation, in the second embodiment, broken down by process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0010] <First Embodiment> Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing a substrate processing system according to the first embodiment. The substrate processing system 100 of this embodiment performs processing on multiple substrates in a continuous manner. The substrate processing is not particularly limited and can include various processes such as film deposition, etching, ashing, and cleaning. The substrate is not particularly limited, but semiconductor wafers are an example.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 100 is a multi-chamber type system and includes a plurality of processing apparatuses 110, a vacuum transfer chamber 120, a load lock chamber 130, an atmospheric transfer chamber 140, a substrate transfer apparatus 150, and a control unit 160.

[0012] The vacuum transfer chamber 120 has a rectangular planar shape, the interior thereof is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere, and a plurality of processing chambers 110 are connected via gate valves G to opposite wall portions on the long side. Also, two load lock chambers 130 are connected via a gate valve G1 to one wall portion on the short side of the vacuum transfer chamber 120. An atmospheric transfer chamber 140 is connected via a gate valve G2 to the side of the two load lock chambers 130 opposite to the vacuum transfer chamber 120. The processing chamber 110 and the load lock chamber 130 function as modules for loading and unloading the substrate W.

[0013] The substrate transfer apparatus 150 within the vacuum transfer chamber 120 is for loading and unloading the substrate W to and from the processing chamber 110 and the load lock chamber 130, and includes a planar motor (linear unit) 10, a first transfer unit 21, a second transfer unit 22, and a transfer control unit 70. Details of the substrate transfer apparatus 150 will be described later.

[0014] Between the processing chamber 110 and the vacuum transfer chamber 120, communication is enabled by opening the gate valve G, allowing the wafer W to be transferred by the substrate transfer apparatus 150, and blocked by closing the gate valve G. Also, between the load lock chamber 130 and the vacuum transfer chamber 120, communication is enabled by opening the gate valve G1, allowing the substrate W to be transferred by the substrate transfer apparatus 150, and blocked by closing the gate valve G1.

[0015] The processing chamber 110 has a mounting table 111 for mounting the substrate W, and performs desired processing (film forming processing, etching processing, ashing processing, cleaning processing, etc.) on the substrate W mounted on the mounting table 111 in a state where the interior is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere.

[0016] The load lock chamber 130 has a mounting table 131 on which the substrate W is placed, and controls the pressure between atmospheric pressure and vacuum when transporting the substrate W between the atmospheric transport chamber 140 and the vacuum transport chamber 120.

[0017] The atmospheric transport chamber 140 is in an atmospheric environment, and for example, a downflow of clean air is formed. A load port (not shown) is also provided on the wall of the atmospheric transport chamber 140. The load port is configured to be connected to a carrier (not shown) containing substrates W or an empty carrier. For example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) can be used as the carrier.

[0018] Furthermore, an atmospheric transport device (not shown) for transporting substrates W is provided inside the atmospheric transport chamber 140. The atmospheric transport device takes out the substrates W housed in the load port (not shown) and places them on the mounting table 131 of the load lock chamber 130, or takes out the substrates W housed on the mounting table 131 of the load lock chamber 130 and places them in the load port. Communication between the load lock chamber 130 and the atmospheric transport chamber 140 is established by opening the gate valve G2, allowing transport of substrates W by the atmospheric transport device, and is blocked by closing the gate valve G2.

[0019] The control unit 160 is composed of a computer and includes a main control unit equipped with a CPU, an input device, an output device, a display device, and a storage device (storage medium). The main control unit controls the operation of each component of the substrate processing system 100. For example, it controls the processing of substrates W in each processing chamber 110, and the opening and closing of gate valves G, G1, and G2. The control of each component by the main control unit is performed based on a processing recipe, which is a control program stored in a storage medium (hard disk, optical disk, semiconductor memory, etc.) built into the storage device.

[0020] In this embodiment, the control unit 160 also includes a transport control unit 70 that controls the substrate transport device 150.

[0021] Next, the substrate transport device 150 according to this embodiment will be described in detail based on Figures 2 and 3, in addition to Figure 1 described above. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the transport unit and planar motor of the substrate transport device, and Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the driving principle of the planar motor.

[0022] As described above, the substrate transport device 150 includes a planar motor (linear unit) 10, a first transport unit 21, and a second transport unit 22.

[0023] The planar motor (linear unit) 10 linearly drives the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 22. The planar motor (linear unit) 10 has a main body 11 formed by the bottom wall 121 of the vacuum transport chamber 120, a plurality of electromagnetic coils 12 arranged throughout the interior of the main body 11, and a linear drive unit 13 that individually supplies power to the plurality of electromagnetic coils 12 to linearly drive the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 22. The linear drive unit 13 is controlled by the transport control unit 70. A magnetic field is generated when current is supplied to the electromagnetic coils 12.

[0024] The first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 22 both have the same configuration and include an end effector 50, which is a substrate holding part for holding the substrate W, and a base 30.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the base 30 is constructed by arranging multiple permanent magnets 35 within it and is driven by a planar motor (linear unit) 10. The end effector 50 moves in conjunction with the driving of the base 30. The base 30 is configured to levitate magnetically from the surface of the main body 11 by directing the current supplied to the electromagnetic coil 12 of the planar motor (linear unit) 10 in such a direction that the resulting magnetic field repels the permanent magnets 35. By stopping the current to the electromagnetic coil 12, the levitation of the base 30 is stopped, and the base 30 is placed on the floor of the vacuum transport chamber 120, i.e., on the surface of the main body 11 of the planar motor 10. Furthermore, by individually controlling the current supplied from the linear drive unit 13 to the electromagnetic coil 12 by the transport control unit 70, the base 30 can be moved along the surface of the main body 11 of the planar motor 10 while it is magnetically levitating, and its position can be controlled. The amount of levitation can also be controlled by controlling the current.

[0026] In the substrate transport device 150 configured in this way, the transport control unit 70 controls the current supplied from the linear drive unit 13 of the planar motor (linear unit) 10 to the electromagnetic coil 12 to generate a magnetic field that repels the permanent magnet 35, thereby magnetically levitating the base 30. The amount of levitation at this time can be controlled by controlling the current.

[0027] While magnetically levitated, the base 30 can be moved along the surface of the main body 11 of the planar motor 10 (the floor of the vacuum transport chamber 120) by individually controlling the current supplied from the linear drive unit 13 to the electromagnetic coil 12, thereby controlling its position. This allows the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 22 to move independently and freely (linearly and pivotally) on a plane along the surface of the main body 11 of the planar motor 10 (the floor of the vacuum transport chamber 120).

[0028] This embodiment is characterized by the use of two transport units, a first transport unit 21 and a second transport unit 22, to exchange unprocessed substrates with processed substrates between the load lock chamber 130 and the processing chamber 110.

[0029] The transport operation in this case is controlled by the control unit 160 (transport control unit 70) and is performed as shown in Figure 4. Figure 4 is a process diagram illustrating each step of the substrate replacement operation by the substrate transport device 150, and schematically shows a part of the substrate processing system 100. For convenience, in Figure 4, the first transport unit 21 is labeled "1" and the second transport unit 22 is labeled "2".

[0030] Figure 4(a) shows the initial state, in which an unprocessed substrate W1 is present in one load lock chamber 130, a substrate W2 is present in one processing chamber 110, the first transport unit 21 is empty, and a processed substrate W3 is placed on the second transport unit 22. The first transport unit 21 is positioned in the location corresponding to the load lock chamber 130 where the unprocessed substrate W1 is present, and the gate valve G1 of that load lock chamber 130 is open.

[0031] From this state, as shown in Figure 4(b), the empty first transport unit 21 removes the unprocessed substrate W1 from the load lock chamber 130 (GET operation).

[0032] Next, as shown in Figure 4(c), the first transport unit 21, which has received the unprocessed substrate W1, is moved to a safe position, and the second transport unit 22, which is holding the processed substrate W3, is moved to a position corresponding to the load lock 130 at the destination, in preparation for the transfer of substrate W3 (PUT preparation).

[0033] Next, as shown in Figure 4(d), the substrate W3 held by the second transport unit 22 is transferred to the load lock chamber 130 (PUT operation), and the first transport unit 21 holding the substrate W1 is placed in a state waiting for the substrate W2 to be unloaded from the processing chamber 110. During Figures 4(a) to (c), processing of the substrate W2 is carried out in the processing chamber 110 where the substrate W2 is located, and in Figure 4(d), the processing of the substrate W2 is completed.

[0034] Next, as shown in Figure 4(e), the gate valve G1 of the load lock chamber 130 is closed. Then, the gate valve G of the processing chamber 110 containing the processed substrate W2 is opened, and the empty second transport unit 22 is positioned in the corresponding location in the processing chamber 110 while the first transport unit 21 remains in the waiting state for unloading.

[0035] Next, as shown in Figure 4(f), the second transport unit 22 removes the processed substrate W2 from the processing chamber 110 (GET operation). At this time, the first transport unit 21 remains in a state of waiting to be unloaded.

[0036] Next, as shown in Figure 4(g), the second transport unit 22 holding the processed substrate W2 is moved to a position corresponding to the destination load lock chamber 130, and the first transport unit 21 holding the unprocessed substrate W1 is moved to a position corresponding to the now empty processing chamber 110.

[0037] Then, as shown in Figure 4(h), the substrate W1 held by the first transport unit 21 is transferred to the processing chamber 110 (PUT operation).

[0038] Figure 5 is a diagram showing the sequence of operations, including the substrate replacement operation described above, in a table format for each process. In Figure 5, LLM represents the load lock chamber 130, PM represents the processing chamber 110, LLM GV represents the gate valve G1 of the load lock chamber 130, PM GV represents the gate valve G of the processing chamber 110, Mover1 represents the first transport unit 21, and Mover2 represents the second transport unit 22. The numbers in the leftmost column indicate the sequence number. In the LLM and PM columns, × indicates that no substrate is present, ○ indicates that an unprocessed substrate is present, and ● indicates that a processed substrate is present. Furthermore, the Mover1 and Mover2 columns show the status of the first transport device 21 and the second transport device 22. Specifically, GET indicates the removal of the substrate, and PUT indicates the transfer of the substrate. For example, LLM GET indicates the removal of the substrate from the load lock chamber 130, and PM PUT indicates the transfer of the substrate to the processing chamber 110. Furthermore, LLM to PM indicates movement from the position corresponding to the load lock chamber 130 to the position corresponding to the processing chamber 110, and PM to LLM indicates movement from the position corresponding to the processing chamber 110 to the position corresponding to the load lock chamber 130. In addition, in the Mover1 and Mover2 columns, × indicates that no substrate is loaded, ○ indicates that an unprocessed substrate is loaded, and ● indicates that a processed substrate is loaded.

[0039] In Figure 5, number 0 represents the initial state, numbers 1-8 represent the first board replacement operation, numbers 9-16 represent the second board replacement operation, and numbers 17-24 represent the third board replacement operation. In this embodiment, the sequence is the same from the first to the third operation.

[0040] As shown in Figure 5, in this embodiment, the substrate removal and transfer operations by Mover1 and Mover2, as well as the opening and closing operations of the PM GV and LLM GV, are performed simultaneously to swap substrates between the LLM and PM.

[0041] Specifically, in step 1, the main operation is for Mover1 to GET the unprocessed board (W1) to the LLM. In step 2, the main operation is for Mover2 to PUT the processed board (W3) to the LLM, and simultaneously, in parallel, Mover1, holding the unprocessed board (W1), is moved towards the PM. In step 3, the main operation is for the LLM GV to be closed, and simultaneously, in parallel, Mover2 is moved towards the PM. In step 4, the main operation is for the PM GV to be opened, and simultaneously, in parallel, Mover2 continues to move. In step 5, the main operation is for Mover2 to GET the processed board (W2) to the PM. In steps 3-5, if necessary, the position of Mover1 is adjusted in parallel. In step 6, the main operation is to PUT the unprocessed substrate (W1) to the PM using Mover1, while simultaneously, in parallel, Mover2, holding the processed substrate (W2), is moved from the PM to the LLM. In step 7, the main operation is to close the PM GV, while simultaneously, in parallel, Mover1 is moved from the PM to the LLM. In step 8, the main operation is to open the LLM GV, while simultaneously, in parallel, Mover1 and Mover2 are moved from the PM to the LLM.

[0042] As described above, in this embodiment, the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 22 can be moved independently and freely (linearly and pivotally) on a plane along the surface of the main body 11 of the planar motor 10 (the floor of the vacuum transport chamber 120). Therefore, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 22 can be moved simultaneously in parallel to perform substrate swapping operations between modules. This makes it possible to perform substrate swapping operations with a high degree of freedom and high throughput, regardless of the arrangement of modules.

[0043] Furthermore, in this example, since only the gate valve corresponding to the module is opened when the substrate W is removed or transferred, time is required for opening and closing it. However, since the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 22 can be operated in parallel with the opening and closing period of the gate valve, the throughput can be increased accordingly.

[0044] In the aforementioned Patent Document 1, first and second substrate holding parts are provided so as to be able to move forward and backward in first and second swivel parts that can move freely around a common pivot center, and the first and second forward / backward drive units and the first and second swivel drive units perform forward / backward and swivel movements to remove and transfer substrates. This enables substrate replacement operations at high throughput. However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, the arrangement of modules that perform substrate replacement operations is limited, and it is difficult to perform substrate replacement operations with a high degree of freedom for multiple modules in any arrangement.

[0045] In contrast, in this embodiment, since the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 22 can be moved independently and freely, the substrate replacement operation can be performed even if the multiple modules performing the substrate replacement operation are far apart, resulting in a high degree of freedom and high throughput.

[0046] <Second Embodiment> Figure 6 is a schematic plan view showing a substrate processing system according to the second embodiment. The substrate processing system 100' of this embodiment, like the substrate processing system 100 according to the first embodiment, performs processing on multiple substrates continuously.

[0047] The substrate processing system 100' of this embodiment is configured similarly to the substrate processing system 100 of the first embodiment, except that a substrate transport device 150' is provided instead of the substrate transport device 150. The substrate transport device 150', like the substrate transport device 150, also includes a planar motor (linear unit) 10, a first transport unit 21, a second transport unit 22, and a third transport unit 23. The third transport unit 23, like the first and second transport units 21 and 22, includes an end effector 50 which is a substrate holding part for holding the substrate W, and a base 30.

[0048] Similar to the first embodiment, the base 30 can be moved along the surface of the main body 11 of the planar motor 10 (the floor of the vacuum conveying chamber 120) while magnetically levitating, and its position can be controlled. This allows the first conveying unit 21, the second conveying unit 22, and the third conveying unit 23 to move independently and freely (linearly and pivotally) on a plane along the surface of the main body 11 of the planar motor 10 (the floor of the vacuum conveying chamber 120).

[0049] This embodiment is characterized by the use of three transport units, a first transport unit 21, a second transport unit 22, and a third transport unit 23, to exchange unprocessed substrates with processed substrates between the load lock chamber 130 and the processing chamber 110.

[0050] The transport operation in this case is controlled by the control unit 160 (transport control unit 70) and is performed as shown in Figure 7. Figure 7 is a process diagram illustrating each step of the substrate replacement operation by the substrate transport device 150', and schematically shows a part of the substrate processing system 100'. For convenience, in Figure 7, the first transport unit 21 is labeled "1", the second transport unit 22 is labeled "2", and the third transport unit 23 is labeled "3".

[0051] Figure 7(a) shows the standard state, in which an unprocessed substrate W1 is present in one load lock chamber 130, a substrate W2 is present in one processing chamber 110, the first transport unit 21 and the third transport unit 23 are empty, and a processed substrate W3 is placed on the second transport unit 22. The first transport unit 21 is positioned in the location corresponding to the load lock chamber 130 where the unprocessed substrate W1 is present, and the gate valve G1 of that load lock chamber 130 is open.

[0052] From this state, as shown in Figure 7(b), the empty first transport unit 21 removes the unprocessed substrate W1 from the load lock chamber 130 (GET operation).

[0053] Next, as shown in Figure 7(c), the first transport unit 21, which has received the unprocessed substrate W1, is moved to a safe position, and the second transport unit 22, which is holding the processed substrate W3, is moved to a position corresponding to the load lock 130 at the destination, in preparation for the transfer of the substrate W3 (PUT preparation).

[0054] Next, as shown in Figure 7(d), the substrate W3 held by the second transport unit 22 is transferred to the load lock chamber 130 (PUT operation), and the first transport unit 21 holding the substrate W1 is placed in a state waiting for the substrate W2 to be unloaded from the processing chamber 110. Then, the third transport unit 23 is moved to a position corresponding to the processing chamber 110 where the substrate W2 is located. Note that between Figures 7(a) and 7(c), processing of the substrate W2 is being carried out in the processing chamber 110 where the substrate W2 is located, and in Figure 7(d), the processing of the substrate W2 has been completed.

[0055] Next, as shown in Figure 7(e), the gate valve G1 of the load lock chamber 130 is closed. Then, the gate valve G of the processing chamber 110 containing the processed substrate W2 is opened, and the processed substrate W2 in the processing chamber 110 is removed by the third transport unit 23 while the first transport unit 21 is held in the waiting state for unloading (GET operation). At this time, the first transport unit 21 remains in the waiting state for unloading, and the second transport unit 22 remains in the position corresponding to the load lock chamber 130 to which the substrate W3 was transported.

[0056] Next, as shown in Figure 7(f), the third transport unit 23, which is holding the processed substrate W2, is moved to a position corresponding to the destination load lock chamber 130, and the first transport unit 21, which is holding the unprocessed substrate W1, is moved to a position corresponding to the now-empty processing chamber 110. The second transport unit 22 remains in the position corresponding to the load lock chamber 130 to which the substrate W3 was transported.

[0057] Next, as shown in Figure 7(g), the substrate W1 held by the first transport unit 21 is transferred to the processing chamber 110 (PUT operation). Figure 7(g) also shows the subsequent operation of opening the gate valve G1 of another load lock chamber 130 and transferring the substrate W2 held by the third transport unit 23 to that load lock chamber 130 (PUT operation). Meanwhile, the second transport unit 22 prepares to receive the newly placed unprocessed substrate W4 in the previous load lock chamber 130, as shown in the figure, prior to the PUT operation of the substrate W2 by the third transport unit 23. Although not shown in the figure, the second transport unit 22 then receives the substrate W4 prior to the PUT operation of the substrate W2 by the third transport unit 23.

[0058] Figure 8 is a diagram that shows the sequence, including the substrate replacement operation described above, in detail for each process in a table format. The symbols in Figure 8 are basically the same as in Figure 5. The newly added Mover3 indicates the third transport unit 23, and the column for Mover3 shows the state of the third transport device 23.

[0059] In Figure 8, number 0 represents the initial state, numbers 1-8 represent the first circuit board replacement operation, numbers 9-16 represent the second circuit board replacement operation, and numbers 17-24 represent the third circuit board replacement operation.

[0060] As shown in Figure 8, in this embodiment, the substrate removal and transfer operations by Mover1, Mover2, and Mover3, as well as the opening and closing operations of the PM GV and LLM GV, are performed simultaneously to swap substrates between the LLM and PM.

[0061] Specifically, in step 1, the main operation is for Mover1 to GET the unprocessed board (W1) to the LLM. In step 2, the main operation is for Mover2 to PUT the processed board (W3) to the LLM, and simultaneously, in parallel, Mover1, holding the unprocessed board (W1), is moved toward the PM, and Mover3 is moved to the position corresponding to the PM. In step 3, the main operation is for the LLM GV to be closed, and in parallel, the movement of Mover1 and Mover3 continues. In step 4, the main operation is for the PM GV to be opened, and in parallel, the movement of Mover1 and Mover3 continues. In step 5, the main operation is for Mover3 to GET the processed board (W2) to the PM, and in parallel, if necessary, the movement of Mover1 continues. In step 6, the main operation is to PUT the unprocessed board (W1) to the PM using Mover1, while simultaneously, in parallel, Mover3, holding the processed board (W2), is moved from the PM towards the LLM. In step 7, the main operation is to close the PM GV, while simultaneously, in parallel, the movement of Mover1 and Mover3 continues if necessary. In step 8, the main operation is to open the LLM GV, while simultaneously, in parallel, Mover2 is moved to the position corresponding to the LLM, and Mover1 and Mover3 are moved if necessary.

[0062] For the second board exchange operation between LLM and PM, step 9 follows step 8 above. In step 9, the main operation is for Mover2 to GET the unprocessed board (W4) from LLM. In step 10, the main operation is for Mover3 to PUT the processed board (W2) to LLM, and simultaneously, in parallel, Mover2, holding the unprocessed board (W4), is moved towards PM, and Mover1 is moved to the position corresponding to PM. In step 11, the main operation is for the LLM GV to close, and in parallel, the movement of Mover1 and Mover2 continues. In step 12, the main operation is for the PM GV to open, and in parallel, the movement of Mover1 and Mover2 continues. In step 13, the main operation is for Mover1 to GET the processed board (W1) from PM, and in parallel, if necessary, the movement of Mover2 continues. In step 14, the main operation is to PUT the unprocessed board (W4) to the PM using Mover2, while simultaneously, in parallel, Mover1, holding the processed board (W1), is moved from the PM towards the LLM. In step 15, the main operation is to close the PM GV, while simultaneously, in parallel, the movement of Mover1 and Mover2 continues if necessary. In step 16, the main operation is to open the LLM GV, while simultaneously, in parallel, Mover3 is moved to the position corresponding to the LLM, and the movement of Mover1 and Mover2 continues if necessary. In other words, steps 9-16, which are the second board swapping operations, are the same as the first time, except that Mover1, Mover2, and Mover3 are swapped with Mover3, Mover1, and Mover2 respectively.

[0063] For the third circuit board swap operation, numbers 17-24, the same operation as the second time is performed, with only the Mover1, Mover2, and Mover3 from the second operation being swapped with Mover3, Mover1, and Mover2, respectively.

[0064] As described above, in this embodiment, the first transport unit 21, the second transport unit 22, and the third transport unit 23 can be moved independently and freely (linearly and pivotally) on a plane along the surface of the main body 11 of the planar motor 10 (the floor of the vacuum transport chamber 120). Therefore, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the first transport unit 21, the second transport unit 22, and the third transport unit 23 can be moved simultaneously and in parallel to perform substrate replacement operations between modules. This makes it possible to perform substrate replacement operations with a high degree of freedom and high throughput, regardless of the arrangement of modules.

[0065] In the first embodiment described above, after the unprocessed substrates are removed from the load lock chamber 130 in the first transport unit 21, the processed substrates must be transferred to the load lock chamber 130 and the processed substrates removed from the processing chamber 110 in the second transport unit 22.

[0066] In contrast, in this embodiment, for example, after the processed substrate is transferred to the load lock chamber 130 by the second transport unit 22, the processed substrate is removed from the processing chamber 110 by the third transport unit 23. Therefore, the operation of the second transport unit 22 to transfer the substrate to the load lock chamber 130 and the operation of the third transport unit 23 to remove the substrate from the processing chamber 110 can be performed simultaneously. That is, the transport unit that removes the processed substrate from the processing chamber 110 can immediately begin the removal operation because there is no main operation before removal, as is the case with Mover3 numbers 1-4 and Mover1 numbers 7-12 in the sequence shown in Figure 8. Therefore, compared to the first embodiment, the time for the operation of transferring the processed substrate to the load lock chamber 130 and the operation of removing the processed substrate from the processing chamber 110 can be shortened, and the waiting time of the transport unit when transferring unprocessed substrates to the processing chamber 110 can be shortened. Therefore, in this embodiment, the parallel operation time is shortened compared to the first embodiment, and the processing throughput can be increased by about 30% compared to the first embodiment.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the transport unit has a greater operating margin than in the first embodiment, and high throughput can be maintained even when the system is large and the transport unit travels a long distance.

[0068] Furthermore, in the sequence shown in Figure 8, the LLM GV is closed at step 3 and the PM GV is opened at step 4. However, by performing these operations simultaneously or eliminating the gate valve opening and closing operations altogether, further throughput improvements can be expected. This throughput improvement is contingent on the operation time of each transport unit, which operates in parallel, being short and not limiting the overall processing time. In this embodiment, the parallel operation can be shortened compared to the first embodiment, thus achieving such further throughput improvements.

[0069] <Other applications> Although embodiments have been described above, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

[0070] For example, in the above embodiment, examples of transport units for the substrate processing system were shown as having two and three units, but there may be four or more.

[0071] Furthermore, although the above embodiment shows a case where a transport unit is transported using a planar motor, it is not limited to this, and any configuration in which multiple transport units can move arbitrarily along a plane is acceptable. The configuration of the transport unit is also not limited to a configuration consisting of a base and an end effector as in this embodiment, but may also include a link mechanism between the base and the end effector, or a configuration with multiple end effectors.

[0072] Furthermore, although the above embodiment shows the case where the module performing the substrate replacement operation consists of a load lock chamber and a processing chamber, it is not limited to this, and for example, the substrate replacement operation may be between two processing chambers.

[0073] Furthermore, the substrate is not limited to semiconductor wafers; it may also be other substrates such as FPD (flat panel display) substrates, quartz substrates, or ceramic substrates. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10; Planar motor 11; Main body 12; Electromagnetic coil 13; Linear drive unit 21; First transport unit 22; Second transport unit 23; Third transport unit 30; Bass 35; Permanent magnet 50; End effector (board holder) 70; Conveying control unit 100, 100'; PCB processing system 110; Processing room 120; Vacuum transfer chamber 130; Load lock room 140; Atmospheric transport room 150, 150'; PCB transport device 160; Control Unit W; substrate

Claims

1. A processing system for processing substrates, Multiple modules, each containing a processing chamber that holds a substrate and processes the substrate, A transport chamber to which the aforementioned multiple modules are connected, A substrate transport device is provided inside the transport chamber for transferring substrates to and removing substrates from the plurality of modules, Control unit and It is equipped with, The substrate transport device has a first transport unit, a second transport unit, and a third transport unit on which substrates can be placed and which can independently move linearly and rotate freely on the surface of the transport chamber. The control unit moves the first transport unit, the second transport unit, and the third transport unit simultaneously and in parallel, and controls the substrate transport device so that a substrate exchange operation is performed from the first module to the second module among the plurality of modules, and a substrate loading operation is performed for the third module, and at that time, Initially, the first module contains a first substrate, the second module contains a second substrate, the second transport unit contains a third substrate, and the third module, the first transport unit, and the third transport unit contain no substrates. As the main operation, A first operation involves using the first transport unit to remove the first substrate located in the first module, Next, a second operation is performed to transfer the third substrate of the second transport unit to the first module, Next, the third operation involves removing the second substrate from the second module using the third transport unit, Next, the first transport unit transfers the first substrate to the second module in a fourth operation, Next, a fifth operation is performed in which the second substrate is transferred to the third module by the third transport unit, The execution is performed. As a parallel operation performed during the main operation, which does not involve the transfer and receipt of substrates between the first transport unit, the second transport unit, and / or the third transport unit, While the second operation is being performed, the first transport unit holding the first substrate is moved toward the second module, and the third transport unit is moved to a position corresponding to the second module. While the fourth operation is being performed, the third transport unit holding the second substrate is moved from the second module toward the third module, A substrate processing system that controls the substrate transport device so that the following is performed.

2. The transport chamber and each of the plurality of modules are further provided with an openable and closable gate valve, The control unit, As the initial state, the gate valve of the first module is open. As the main operation mentioned above, Between the second operation and the third operation, a sixth operation is performed to close the gate valve of the first module, The seventh operation of opening the gate valve of the second module, Between the fourth operation and the fifth operation, there is an eighth operation to open the gate valve of the third module, The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transport device is controlled so that the following is further performed.

3. The first module is the first load lock chamber, the second module is the processing chamber, and the third module is the second load lock chamber. The substrate processing system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first substrate is an unprocessed substrate, and the second and third substrates are processed substrates.

4. The first transport unit, the second transport unit, and the third transport unit are: It has a substrate holder that holds the substrate, and a base which has a magnet inside and moves the substrate holder. The substrate transport device is A substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a main body that constitutes the bottom wall of the transport chamber, a plurality of electromagnetic coils arranged within the main body, and a planar motor having a linear drive unit that supplies power to the electromagnetic coils, magnetically levitates the base, and linearly drives it.

5. A substrate processing system comprising: a plurality of modules including processing chambers for holding substrates and processing substrates; a transport chamber to which the plurality of modules are connected; and a substrate transport device provided inside the transport chamber for transferring substrates to and from the plurality of modules and for removing substrates, wherein a substrate transport method is provided for performing a substrate exchange operation from a first module to a second module and a substrate loading operation to a third module, The substrate transport device has a first transport unit, a second transport unit, and a third transport unit on which substrates can be placed and which can independently move linearly and rotate freely on the surface of the transport chamber. Initially, the first module contains a first substrate, the second module contains a second substrate, the second transport unit contains a third substrate, and the third module, the first transport unit, and the third transport unit contain no substrates. As the main operation, A first operation involves using the first transport unit to remove the first substrate located in the first module, Next, a second operation is performed to transfer the third substrate of the second transport unit to the first module, Next, the third operation involves removing the second substrate from the second module using the third transport unit, Next, the first transport unit transfers the first substrate to the second module in a fourth operation, Next, a fifth operation is performed in which the second substrate is transferred to the third module by the third transport unit, It has, As a parallel operation performed during the main operation, which does not involve the transfer and receipt of substrates between the first transport unit, the second transport unit, and / or the third transport unit, While the second operation is being performed, the first transport unit holding the first substrate is moved toward the second module, and the third transport unit is moved to a position corresponding to the second module. While the fourth operation is being performed, the third transport unit holding the second substrate is moved from the second module toward the third module, A substrate transport method having the following features.

6. The substrate processing system further includes an openable and closable gate valve provided between the transport chamber and each of the plurality of modules, As the initial state, the gate valve of the first module is open. As the main operation mentioned above, Between the second operation and the third operation, a sixth operation is performed to close the gate valve of the first module, The seventh operation of opening the gate valve of the second module, Between the fourth operation and the fifth operation, there is an eighth operation to open the gate valve of the third module, The substrate transport method according to claim 5, further comprising the above.

7. The first module is the first load lock chamber, the second module is the processing chamber, and the third module is the second load lock chamber. The substrate transport method according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the first substrate is an untreated substrate, and the second and third substrates are treated substrates.

8. The first transport unit, the second transport unit, and the third transport unit are: It has a substrate holder that holds the substrate, and a base which has a magnet inside and moves the substrate holder. The substrate transport device is A substrate transport method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, further comprising a main body that constitutes the bottom wall of the transport chamber, a plurality of electromagnetic coils arranged within the main body, and a planar motor having a linear drive unit that supplies power to the electromagnetic coils and magnetically levitates and linearly drives the base.

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