Substrate processing equipment

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing device that reliably transports a substrate and maintains the substrate and a final product based on the substrate at a high quality level by reviewing a configuration of the device with a batch-type module and a single-wafer-type module.SOLUTION: A hand that takes out one substrate W from a plurality of substrates W arranged in liquid is a pincer hand 87 that holds the substrate W. The pincer hand 87 has a pair of arms that is in contact with a periphery of the substrate W on one side of the substrate W and in contact with the periphery of the substrate W on the other side of the substrate W. Therefore, the pincer hand 87 can pinch and take out the substrate W to be pinched without entering an interior of a substrate array.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing on various substrates such as semiconductor substrates, substrates for flat panel displays (FPDs) such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL (Electroluminescence) display devices, glass substrates for photomasks, and substrates for optical discs.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of apparatus, there is one provided with a batch type module and a single wafer type module (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The batch type module performs predetermined processing on a plurality of substrates collectively. The single wafer type module performs predetermined processing on each substrate one by one. The batch type module and the single wafer type module each have their own advantages. A substrate processing apparatus provided with both the batch type module and the single wafer type module realizes a configuration having advantages over a batch type substrate processing apparatus or a single wafer type substrate processing apparatus by having the advantages of both modules.

[0003] The apparatus of Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a plurality of substrates that have completed batch type processing are held in a liquid. Since the single wafer type processing basically processes the substrates one by one, it is necessary to wait for the substrates that have completed batch type processing once and then perform the single wafer processing on the substrates sequentially. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, a plurality of substrates that have completed batch type processing are held at a standby position once, and the held substrates are taken out one by one by a transfer arm and transferred to the single wafer type module. The transfer arm of the configuration of Patent Document 1 is inserted into the gaps between the plurality of arranged substrates, and the substrates are taken out by holding the substrates with tabs provided on the transfer arm.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, conventional devices with this configuration have the following problems. In other words, in the conventional configuration, the transport arm is inserted into the gap between multiple waiting circuit boards. This configuration leads to several problems. For example, in the conventional configuration, there is a high possibility that the transport arm will interfere with the circuit boards. This is because, in a configuration where the transport arm is inserted into the gap between circuit boards, there is a possibility that the transport arm will collide with a pair of circuit boards located at both ends of the gap. To prevent the transport arm from colliding with the circuit boards, highly precise control of the transport arm is required, which makes the device configuration difficult. If the transport arm is made narrower in the direction of the circuit board arrangement in an attempt to suppress collisions with the circuit boards, the transport arm will bend more, which may actually worsen the situation.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and aims to provide a substrate processing apparatus that reliably transports substrates and maintains high quality substrates by reviewing the configuration of an apparatus equipped with a batch-type module and a single-wafer module. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following configuration. A substrate processing apparatus that continuously performs batch processing, which processes multiple substrates at once, and single-wafer processing, which processes substrates one by one, comprising a stocker block, a transfer block adjacent to the stocker block, and a processing block adjacent to the transfer block, wherein the stocker block accommodates at least one carrier for storing multiple substrates vertically at predetermined intervals in a horizontal position, and comprises at least one carrier rack for substrate removal and storage on which the carrier is placed for loading and unloading substrates from the carrier, and the transfer block comprises an acquisition handling mechanism for removing multiple substrates at once from the carrier placed on the carrier rack, and a substrate orientation conversion mechanism for changing the orientation of multiple substrates that are in a horizontal position to a vertical position, and is in a vertical position The processing block comprises a substrate holding section that holds multiple substrates together at a predetermined substrate transfer position, and the processing block comprises a batch processing area with one end adjacent to the transfer block and the other end extending away from the transfer block, a single-wafer processing area adjacent to the transfer block and spaced apart from the batch processing area, a single-wafer substrate transport area interposed between the batch processing area and the single-wafer processing area, and a batch substrate transport area provided along the batch processing area, with one end extending to the transfer block and the other end extending away from the transfer block, wherein the batch processing area has multiple batch processing tanks arranged in the direction in which the area extends for immersion processing of multiple substrates together, and further, a holding tank is provided at the position closest to the transfer block for holding multiple substrates in a vertical position in the liquid, and the multiple leaf shopThe processing area is provided with at least one single-wafer processing chamber for processing substrates individually, and the single-wafer substrate transport area is provided with a pair of gripping hands that grip one substrate to be transported from a plurality of substrates held in the liquid of the holding tank, by approaching radially inward from two lateral positions located radially outward from the peripheral edge of the substrate and facing each other across the substrate, respectively, to grip the peripheral edge of the substrate in the liquid; a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the gripping hands to expose the substrate from the liquid surface of the holding tank; a rotation mechanism that rotates the gripping hands to change the orientation of the substrate from a vertical to a horizontal orientation; and a mechanism that moves the gripping hands horizontally to move the substrate. leaf shop A single-wafer substrate transport mechanism is provided, which includes a horizontal movement mechanism for transporting to a processing area, and in the batch substrate transport area, a batch substrate transport mechanism is provided for transporting multiple substrates at once between the substrate transfer position, the batch processing tank, and the holding tank, and the transfer block is further provided with the processing block and the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism. leaf shop A mechanism interposed between the processing area and the carrier mounting shelf in the stocker block, the plate leaf shop A substrate processing apparatus characterized by comprising a return handling mechanism for transporting substrates in a horizontal position from the processing area to the carrier mounting shelf.

[0008] [Function and Effects] According to the invention described in (1) above, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus that reliably transports substrates and maintains high quality substrates and final products based thereon. Specifically, the present invention provides a gripping hand that transports substrates from a batch processing area to a single-wafer processing area, and mechanisms that drive it, and the gripping hand has a pair of arms that can move closer to and further away from each other to grip one substrate at a time. With this configuration, the pair of arms themselves directly grip the substrate, rather than via a tab. In other words, the gripping hand of the present invention is not inserted into the gap between the substrate to be gripped and the adjacent substrate facing it, but rather the gripping hand grips the outer periphery of the substrate to be gripped from outside the arrangement of substrates. In other words, the gripping hand of the present invention does not need to be configured to insert arms into the gaps between substrates. According to the present invention, collisions between the transport arms and substrates are suppressed, so it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus that reliably transports substrates and maintains high quality substrates and final products based thereon.

[0009] The present invention also has the following features.

[0010] (2) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the gripping hand of the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism is provided with a groove having a V-shaped cross-section that extends in an arc shape to conform to the shape of the substrate.

[0011] [Function and Effect] According to the invention described in (2) above, when the gripping hand grips the substrate, the peripheral edge of the substrate fits into a groove with a V-shaped cross-section that extends in an arc shape. Therefore, according to the configuration of (2), a substrate processing apparatus equipped with a gripping hand that can grip the substrate more firmly can be provided.

[0012] (3) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the acquisition handling mechanism in the transfer block is composed of a robot that also serves as the return handling mechanism, and the transfer block further comprises a pusher mechanism interposed between the substrate attitude conversion mechanism and the substrate transfer position, which converts the arrangement pitch of a plurality of substrates between a predetermined interval and a narrower interval than the predetermined interval, and the batch substrate transport mechanism in the processing block transports a plurality of substrates arranged at the narrower interval.

[0013] [Function and Effect] According to the invention described in (3) above, the acquisition handling mechanism in the transfer block is composed of a robot that also serves as the return handling mechanism. By configuring it in this way, space for arranging a mechanism for changing the arrangement pitch of multiple plates can be reliably secured in the transfer block.

[0014] (4) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the acquisition handling mechanism and the return handling mechanism in the transfer block are composed of separate robots provided adjacent to each other, and the stocker block further includes an acquisition shelf which is a carrier rack on which a carrier C accessible by the acquisition handling mechanism is placed, a return shelf which is a carrier rack on which a carrier C accessible by the return handling mechanism is placed, and a carrier transport mechanism which moves the carrier placed on the acquisition shelf to the return shelf, and the batch substrate transport mechanism in the processing block transports a plurality of substrates arranged at predetermined intervals.

[0015] [Function and Effects] According to the invention described in (4) above, the acquisition handling mechanism and the return handling mechanism in the transfer block are composed of separate robots provided adjacent to each other. With this configuration, the control of the handling mechanism is simplified, and a substrate processing device capable of reliable substrate transport can be provided.

[0016] (5) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), a plurality of single-wafer processing chambers are provided in the single-wafer processing area in the vertical direction.

[0017] [Effects] As described in (5) above, if multiple single-wafer processing chambers are provided, the reduction in throughput due to single-wafer processing, which tends to cause delays, can be suppressed as much as possible. Furthermore, if the multiple single-wafer processing chambers are stacked vertically and the positions of each single-wafer processing chamber coincide in directions other than vertical, the loading and unloading of substrates to and from each single-wafer processing chamber can be achieved by the same transport mechanism. Therefore, according to the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus can be provided that performs single-wafer processing on multiple substrates in parallel without changing the layout of an apparatus equipped with one single-wafer processing chamber.

[0018] (6) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the single-wafer processing chamber is capable of performing a water-repellent treatment on the substrate surface.

[0019] [Function / Effect] According to the invention described in (6) above, a substrate processing apparatus with high throughput can be provided by reliably performing water-repellent processing on the substrate surface in a single-wafer processing chamber while also using batch processing.

[0020] (7) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the single-wafer processing chamber is capable of drying the substrate.

[0021] [Function / Effect] According to the invention described in (7) above, a substrate processing apparatus with high throughput can be provided by reliably performing the substrate drying process in a single-wafer processing chamber while also using a batch processing method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus can be provided. That is, in the present invention, the hand for taking out one substrate from a plurality of substrates arranged in a liquid is a clamping hand for clamping the substrate. That is, the clamping hand of the present invention is a lateral position away from the outer side in the radial direction from the peripheral edge of the substrate with respect to one substrate to be conveyed among a plurality of substrates held in the liquid in the holding tank, and is a pair of lateral positions facing each other with the substrate interposed therebetween. By approaching inward in the radial direction respectively, it has a pair of arms for clamping the peripheral edge of the substrate in the liquid. Therefore, the clamping hand of the present invention can clamp and take out the substrate to be clamped without entering the inside of the substrate arrangement. Therefore, the possibility that the clamping hand in the present invention may contact the substrate is only around the substrate, and even if the clamping hand contacts this part, it does not affect the device formed on the substrate surface. Thus, according to the present invention, since the transfer arm is prevented from colliding with the substrate, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus that reliably transfers the substrate and maintains the substrate and the final product based thereon with high quality.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] It is a plan view for explaining the overall configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to Example 1. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view for specifically explaining the posture conversion unit. [Figure 3] It is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the posture conversion unit. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view for specifically explaining the clamping arm and the mechanism around it. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view for explaining the rotation mechanism of the clamping arm. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the clamping arm. [Figure 7] It is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the clamping arm. [Figure 8] It is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the clamping arm. [Figure 9] It is a flowchart for explaining the flow of substrate processing. [Figure 10]This is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of substrate processing. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of substrate processing. [Figure 12] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of substrate processing. [Figure 13] This is a plan view illustrating the overall configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to Example 2. [Figure 14] This is a flowchart illustrating the circuit board processing flow. [Figure 15] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of substrate processing. [Figure 16] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of substrate processing. [Figure 17] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of substrate processing. [Figure 18] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 19] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0024] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus that continuously performs batch processing, which processes multiple substrates W at once, and single-wafer processing, which processes substrates W one by one. [Examples]

[0025] <1. Overall Structure> As shown in Figure 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 has blocks separated by partition walls. Specifically, the substrate processing apparatus 1 comprises an input / output block 3, a stocker block 5 adjacent to the input / output block 3, a transfer block 7 adjacent to the stocker block 5, and a processing block 9 adjacent to the transfer block 7. The stocker block 5 corresponds to the stocker block of the present invention, the transfer block 7 corresponds to the transfer block of the present invention, and the processing block 9 corresponds to the processing block of the present invention.

[0026] The substrate processing apparatus 1 performs various processes on a disc-shaped substrate W, such as chemical treatment, cleaning, and water-repellent treatment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 employs a processing method (a so-called hybrid method) that combines both a batch processing method, which processes multiple substrates W at once, and a single-wafer processing method, which processes substrates W one at a time. The batch processing method is a method for processing multiple substrates W arranged in a vertical position at once. The single-wafer processing method is a method for processing substrates W in a horizontal position one at a time.

[0027] In this specification, for convenience, the direction in which the loading / unloading block 3, stocker block 5, transfer block 7, and processing block 9 are arranged is referred to as the "front-to-back direction (X direction)". This front-to-back direction (X direction) extends horizontally. Within the front-to-back direction (X direction), the direction from the stocker block 5 toward the loading / unloading block 3 is referred to as the "front," and the direction opposite to the front is referred to as the "rear." The horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction (X direction) is referred to as the "width direction (Y direction)." For convenience, one side of the width direction is referred to as the "right," and the other side as the "left." For convenience, the height direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction (X direction) and the width direction (Y direction) is referred to as the "vertical direction (Z direction)." In each figure, front, rear, right, left, up, and down are indicated as appropriate for reference.

[0028] <2. Loading / Unloading Block> The loading / unloading block 3 includes a loading section 11, which is the entrance when a carrier C, which stores multiple substrates W in a horizontal position with predetermined intervals between them in the vertical direction, is loaded into the block, and an unloading section 13, which is the exit when the carrier C is unloaded from the block. The loading section 11 and the unloading section 13 are provided on the outer wall of the loading / unloading block 3, which extends in the width direction (Y direction). The loading section 11 is located to the right when viewed from the center of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the width direction (Y direction), and the unloading section 13 is located to the left, opposite to the right when viewed from the center of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the width direction (Y direction).

[0029] Multiple substrates W (for example, 25) are stacked horizontally within a single carrier C at regular intervals. The carrier C containing the unprocessed substrates W to be loaded into the substrate processing apparatus 1 is first placed on the input section 11. The input section 11 includes, for example, two mounting tables 15 on which the carrier C is placed. The carrier C has multiple horizontally extending grooves (not shown) that accommodate the substrates W with their surfaces spaced apart. One substrate W is inserted into each of these grooves. The carrier C can be, for example, a sealed FOUP (Front Opening Unify Pod). In this invention, an open-type container may be used as the carrier C.

[0030] The dispensing unit 13 dispenses a carrier C containing processed substrates W that have been discharged from the substrate processing apparatus 1. The dispensing unit 13, functioning in this manner, includes, for example, two mounting tables 17 for placing the carrier C, similar to the input unit 11. The input unit 11 and dispensing unit 13 are also referred to as load ports.

[0031] <3. Storage Block> The stocker block 5 is positioned adjacent to the rear of the loading / unloading block 3. The stocker block 5 is equipped with a transport storage unit ACB for stocking and managing carriers C. The transport storage unit ACB includes a carrier transport mechanism 19 for transporting carriers C and shelves 21 on which carriers C are placed. The number of carriers C that the stocker block 5 can stock is, for example, one or more.

[0032] The shelves 21 of the stocker block 5 are for placing carrier C and are located in the partition wall separating the stocker block 5 and the transfer block 7. The shelves 21 include a stock shelf 21b for simply temporarily placing carrier C, and a carrier shelf 21a for acquiring and returning substrates, which is accessed by the first transport mechanism HTR of the transfer block 7. The carrier shelf 21a corresponds to the carrier shelf for substrate retrieval and storage, on which carrier C is placed for loading and unloading substrates W from carrier C according to the present invention. Carrier C to be retrieved from substrate is placed on the carrier shelf 21a, and after the substrate W is retrieved, an empty carrier C remains on the carrier shelf 21a. The retrieved substrates W are processed in the processing block 9. After processing, the substrates W are returned one by one to their original carrier C on the carrier shelf 21a. In this example, only one carrier rack 21a is provided, but it is also possible to configure it with multiple carrier racks 21a instead.

[0033] The carrier transport mechanism 19 takes in a carrier C containing unprocessed substrates W from the input section 11 and places it on the carrier rack 21a. At this time, the carrier transport mechanism 19 may also temporarily place the carrier C on the stock rack 21b before placing it on the carrier rack 21a. The carrier transport mechanism 19 also receives a carrier C containing processed substrates W from the carrier rack 21a and places it on the discharge section 13. At this time, the carrier transport mechanism 19 may also temporarily place the carrier C on the stock rack 21b before placing it on the discharge section 13.

[0034] <4. Transfer Block> The transfer block 7 is positioned adjacent to the rear of the stocker block 5. The transfer block 7 includes a first transport mechanism HTR that can access the carrier C on the carrier rack 21a on which the carrier C from which the substrates W are retrieved is placed, a posture conversion unit 20 that changes the posture of multiple substrates W from a horizontal to a vertical position all at once, and a pusher mechanism 22 that receives the multiple substrates W in the vertical position all at once from the posture conversion unit 20 and is capable of holding them at the substrate transfer position P. The first transport mechanism HTR corresponds to the acquisition handling mechanism of the present invention, the posture conversion unit 20 corresponds to the substrate posture conversion mechanism of the present invention, and the pusher mechanism 22 corresponds to the substrate holding unit of the present invention. Furthermore, the transfer block 7 has a substrate transfer position P set for transferring multiple substrates W to the second transport mechanism WTR provided in the batch substrate transport area R4. The first transport mechanism HTR, posture conversion unit 20, and pusher mechanism 22 are arranged in this order in the left-right direction (Y direction). The substrate transfer position P is set to the side of the pusher mechanism 22 and on the opposite side of the attitude changing unit 20.

[0035] The first transport mechanism HTR is located on the right side of the rear of the transport storage section ACB of the stocker block 5. The first transport mechanism HTR is a mechanism for taking out, for example, 25 substrates W at once from a carrier C placed on a carrier rack 21a for substrate acquisition and return, or for returning processed substrates W one by one to the carrier C. The first transport mechanism HTR is equipped with, for example, 25 acquisition hands 71a for acquiring multiple unprocessed substrates W at once. One acquisition hand 71a consists of a pair of arms and is capable of supporting one substrate W. The 25 acquisition hands 71a are used when acquiring 25 substrates W from the carrier C. In addition to the acquisition hands 71a, the first transport mechanism HTR is equipped with a return hand 71b used when returning processed substrates W to the carrier C. The return hand 71b consists of a pair of arms. In this example, only one return hand 71b is provided on the first transport mechanism HTR, but multiple return hands 71b may be provided instead. This configuration is advantageous when attempting to transport processed substrates W together from each of the multiple single-wafer processing chambers CMB. The acquisition hand 71a and the return hand 71b appear to overlap when viewed from the vertical direction (Z direction). In this regard, Figure 1 shows the uppermost acquisition hand 71a as a representative of each hand. The return hand 71b is a hand provided below the 25 acquisition hands 71a and is the lowest-level hand. Providing acquisition hands 71a and return hands 71b makes it easier to control the first transport mechanism HTR.

[0036] The first transport mechanism HTR can transport the 25 substrates W held by the acquisition hand 71a to the support base 20A of the attitude conversion unit 20. The attitude conversion unit 20 converts the received substrates W, which are in a horizontal position, into a vertical position. The pusher mechanism 22 receives the substrates W in a vertical position from the attitude conversion unit 20 and can move the substrates W up, down, left, and right.

[0037] Furthermore, the first transport mechanism HTR uses the return hand 71b to receive the processed, horizontally oriented substrates W one by one from the processing block 9, which will be described later. The first transport mechanism HTR then returns the received substrates W, while maintaining their orientation, to the empty carrier C on the carrier rack 21a. The return hand 71b can move forward and backward in the direction in which the arms constituting the return hand 71b extend. In other words, the return hand 71b can move forward from an aligned state where it overlaps with the acquisition hand 71a in the vertical direction (Z direction) to a protruding state where it protrudes relative to the acquisition hand 71a, and can also move backward from the protruding state to return to its original aligned state. When the first transport mechanism HTR transports multiple substrates W using the acquisition hand 71a, the state of the return hand 71b is aligned and does not interfere with transport using the acquisition hand 71a. Furthermore, when the first transport mechanism HTR transports a single substrate W using the return hand 71b, the return hand 71b is in a protruding state, and the acquisition hand 71a does not interfere with transport using the return hand 71b. In this example, the first transport mechanism HTR had the return hand 71b located below the acquisition hand 71a, but it may also be configured to have the return hand 71b located above the acquisition hand 71a. The first transport mechanism HTR corresponds to the return handling mechanism of the present invention. The first transport mechanism HTR is a mechanism interposed between the single-wafer processing area R2 in the processing block 9 and the carrier rack 21a in the stocker block 5, and transports a substrate W in a horizontal position from the single-wafer processing area R2 to the carrier rack 21a. The acquisition handling mechanism in the transfer block 7 is composed of a robot that also serves as the return handling mechanism.

[0038] Figure 2 illustrates the attitude changing unit 20 of Embodiment 1. The attitude changing unit 20 comprises a pair of horizontal holding units 20B and a pair of vertical holding units 20C extending in the vertical direction (Z direction). The support base 20A has a support surface that extends in the XY plane and supports the horizontal holding units 20B and the vertical holding units 20C. The rotational drive mechanism 20D is configured to rotate the horizontal holding units 20B and the vertical holding units 20C together with the support base 20A by 90°. This rotation causes the horizontal holding units 20B and the vertical holding units 20C to assume an attitude that extends in the left-right direction (Y direction). Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the attitude changing unit 20. Hereafter, the configuration of each part will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

[0039] The horizontal support section 20B supports multiple substrates W in a horizontal position from below. Specifically, the horizontal support section 20B has a comb-shaped structure with multiple protrusions corresponding to the substrates W to be supported. Between adjacent protrusions are elongated recesses where the peripheral edges of the substrates W are located. When the peripheral edges of the substrates W are inserted into these recesses, the lower surface of the horizontally positioned substrates W comes into contact with the upper surface of the protrusions, and the substrates W are supported in a horizontal position.

[0040] The vertical support section 20C supports multiple substrates W in a vertical position from below. That is, the vertical support section 20C has a comb-shaped structure with multiple protrusions corresponding to the substrates W to be supported. Between adjacent protrusions are elongated V-grooves where the peripheral edge of the substrate W is located. When the peripheral edge of the substrate W is inserted into these V-grooves, the substrate W is clamped in the V-grooves and supported in a vertical position. Since there are two vertical support sections 20C on the support base 20A, the substrate W is clamped in two different V-grooves at two different locations on its peripheral edge.

[0041] In Figure 2, a pair of horizontal holding parts 20B and a pair of vertical holding parts 20C, extending in the vertical direction (Z direction), are provided along a virtual circle corresponding to the substrate W in a horizontal position, surrounding the substrate W to be held. The pair of horizontal holding parts 20B are separated by the diameter of the substrate W and hold both radial ends of the substrate W. In this way, the pair of horizontal holding parts 20B support the substrate W in a horizontal position. On the other hand, the pair of vertical holding parts 20C are separated by a distance shorter than the diameter of the substrate W and support two parts of one side edge of the substrate W. In this way, the pair of vertical holding parts 20C support the substrate W in a vertical position. The pair of horizontal holding parts 20B are arranged to face each other in the X direction. The pair of vertical holding parts 20B are arranged to face each other in the X direction, at a position slightly to the left of the pair of horizontal holding parts 20B in the Y direction.

[0042] The rotational drive mechanism 20D supports the support base 20A so that it can rotate at least 90° around a horizontal axis AX2 extending in the front-rear direction (X direction). When the horizontal support base 20A rotates 90°, the support base 20A becomes vertical, and the orientation of the multiple substrates W held by the vertical holding parts 20B and 20C is changed from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation.

[0043] As shown in Figure 3(f), the pusher mechanism 22 includes a pusher 22A on which a vertically oriented substrate W can be mounted, a lifting and rotating section 22B for rotating and raising / lowering the pusher 22A, a horizontal moving section 22C for moving the pusher 22A in the left-right direction (Y direction), and a rail 22D extending in the left-right direction (Y direction) for guiding the horizontal moving section 22C. The pusher 22A is configured to support the lower part of each of multiple (e.g., 50) vertically oriented substrates W. The lifting and rotating section 22B is located below the pusher 22A and has an extendable and retractable mechanism for raising and lowering the pusher 22A in the vertical direction. In addition, the lifting and rotating section 22B can rotate the pusher 22A at least 180° around the vertical axis. The horizontal moving section 22C supports the lifting and rotating section 22B and moves the pusher 22A and the lifting and rotating section 22B horizontally. The horizontal movement unit 22C is guided by the rail 22D and can move the pusher 22A from a pick-up position close to the attitude change unit 20 to the substrate transfer position P. The horizontal movement unit 22C can also move the pusher 22A to shift the vertically oriented substrate W in the direction of the substrate arrangement by a distance corresponding to half a pitch in the substrate arrangement.

[0044] The operation of the attitude changing unit 20 and the pusher mechanism 22 will now be explained. The attitude changing unit 20 and the pusher mechanism 22 arrange, for example, a total of 50 substrates W housed in two carriers C, at predetermined intervals (for example, 5 mm) using a face-to-back method. The 25 substrates W in the first carrier C will be described as the first substrates W1 belonging to the first substrate group. Similarly, the 25 substrates W in the second carrier C will be described as the second substrates W2 belonging to the second substrate group. Note that in Figures 3(a) to 3(f), for the sake of drawing, the number of first substrates W1 is 3 and the number of second substrates W2 is 3.

[0045] Figure 3(a) shows the state in which the first substrate W1, which is in a horizontal position, is collectively transferred to the attitude conversion unit 20 by the first transport mechanism HTR. At this time, the device side (circuit pattern formation side) of the first substrate W1 is facing upward. The 25 first substrates W1 are arranged at predetermined intervals (for example, 10 mm). This 10 mm interval is called the full pitch (normal pitch). In this state, the first substrates W1 are held by the horizontal holding unit 20B. Note that at this time, the pusher 22A is in a lifting position below the support base 20A.

[0046] Figure 3(b) shows the state when the support base 20A of the attitude conversion unit 20 is rotated by 90° by the rotation drive mechanism 20D. In this way, the attitude conversion unit 20 converts the orientation of the 25 first substrates W1 from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation. The first substrates W1 in this state are held by the vertical holding unit 20C.

[0047] Figure 3(c) shows the state in which the pusher 22A has risen from the picking position and moved to a position directly above the picking position, which is set to be above the picking position. This upward movement is performed by the lifting and rotating unit 22B. In this way, when the pusher 22A moves from the lower side to the upper side of the first substrate W1, the first substrate W1, which was supported by the vertical holding unit 20C of the attitude change unit 20, is pulled out from the vertical holding unit 20C and moves onto the pusher 22A. The upper surface of the pusher 22A is provided with grooves in which the substrate W is held. The first substrate W1 is supported by these grooves which are arranged at equal intervals. These grooves are arranged at half pitch, which is half the full pitch, and the first substrate W1 is arranged at full pitch in the attitude change unit 20, so on the upper surface of the pusher 22A in the directly above position, grooves in which the first substrate W1 is held and empty grooves that do not support the substrate W are arranged alternately.

[0048] Figure 3(d) shows the operation when the pusher 22A moves by half a pitch width and when the support base 20A of the attitude changing unit 20 is rotated 90° in the opposite direction by the rotation drive mechanism 20D. In this state, the attitude changing unit 20 can support the second substrate W2. Figure 3(d) shows the state when the second substrate W2 has already been transported to the attitude changing unit 20. Note that in Figure 3(d), the second substrate W2 is supported by the horizontal holding unit 20B.

[0049] When the pusher 22A, which is in the position directly above in the state shown in Figure 3(d), returns to its original lifting position, the attitude changing unit 20 can rotate the support base 20A by another 90°.

[0050] Figure 3(e) shows the state when the support base 20A is actually rotated again. At this time, the pusher 22A has been moved by half a pitch width, so when the pusher 22A is moved back to the directly above position as shown in Figure 3(f), the second substrate W2 fits into the empty groove between the first substrates W1 on the upper surface of the pusher 22A without interfering with the first substrate W1. In this way, a lot is formed in which the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 are arranged alternately. Note that in Figure 3(e), the second substrate W2 is supported by the vertical holding part 20C. Since this lot is constructed by arranging the substrates W in a face-to-back manner, the device faces of all the substrates W constituting the lot are facing to the left in Figure 3(f). In this way, 50 substrates W are arranged on the pusher 22A in a face-to-back manner with a half-pitch.

[0051] Figure 3(f) shows the state when the pusher 22A has moved back to the directly above position. The lot generated by the pusher 22A is then transported to the left (Y direction) by the horizontal movement unit 22C and moved to the substrate transfer position P.

[0052] As described above, the pusher mechanism 22 corresponds to a substrate holding unit that holds multiple substrates in the vertical orientation of the present invention at a predetermined substrate transfer position P. The pusher mechanism 22 is a mechanism interposed between the orientation conversion unit 20 and the substrate transfer position P, and converts the arrangement pitch of the multiple substrates between full pitch and half pitch, which is narrower than full pitch. Full pitch corresponds to a predetermined interval of the present invention, and half pitch corresponds to a narrow interval of the present invention.

[0053] <5. Processing Block> Refer to Figure 1. The processing block 9 performs various processes on multiple substrates W. The processing block 9 is divided into a batch processing area R1, a single-wafer processing area R2, a single-wafer substrate transport area R3, and a batch substrate transport area R4, which are arranged in the width direction (Y direction). The batch processing area R1 and the batch substrate transport area R4 extend in the front-to-back direction (X direction). The single-wafer processing area R2 and the single-wafer substrate transport area R3 are located on the front side of the processing block 9, adjacent to the transfer block 7. In detail, the batch processing area R1 is located on the left side of the processing block 9. The single-wafer processing area R2 is located on the right side of the processing block 9. The single-wafer substrate transport area R3 is located between the batch processing area R1 and the single-wafer processing area R2, that is, in the center of the processing block 9. The batch substrate transport area R4 is located on the far left of the processing block 9.

[0054] <5.1. Batch Processing Area> The batch processing area R1 in processing block 9 is a rectangular area extending in the front-to-back direction (X direction). One end of the batch processing area R1 (the front side) is adjacent to the transfer block 7. The other end of the batch processing area R1 extends away from the transfer block 7 (towards the rear).

[0055] The batch processing area R1 is equipped with a batch processing unit that primarily performs batch processing. Specifically, the batch processing area R1 has multiple batch processing units BPU1 to BPU4 arranged in the direction in which the batch processing area R1 extends, which immerse multiple substrates W at once. In addition, the batch processing area R1 is equipped with an underwater holding unit 25 that holds multiple substrates W in a vertical position in the liquid.

[0056] The underwater holding unit 25 is adjacent to the transfer block 7 from the rear. The underwater holding unit 25 includes a holding tank 43 for immersing a lot in liquid and a lifter LF5 for raising and lowering the lot. The holding tank 43 contains, for example, pure water to prevent the substrates W inside the tank from drying out. The lifter LF5, which receives the lot (for example, 50 substrates W) from the second transport mechanism WTR at a transfer position above the holding tank 43, lowers the substrates W to the immersion position (corresponding to the processing position in the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1 described later), immersing the entire substrates W in pure water. The liquid contained in the holding tank 43 is not limited to pure water, but may be, for example, IPA diluted with water. The holding tank 43 holds multiple substrates W in liquid in a vertical position closest to the transfer block 7 in the batch processing area R1. The holding tank 43 corresponds to the holding tank of the present invention.

[0057] The arrangement of batch processing units BPU1 to BPU4 will be explained in detail. The first batch processing unit BPU1 is adjacent to the underwater holding unit 25 from the rear. The second batch processing unit BPU2 is adjacent to the first batch processing unit BPU1 from the rear. The third batch processing unit BPU3 is adjacent to the second batch processing unit BPU2 from the rear. The fourth batch processing unit BPU4 is adjacent to the third batch processing unit BPU3 from the rear. Therefore, the first batch processing unit BPU1, the second batch processing unit BPU2, the third batch processing unit BPU3, and the fourth batch processing unit BPU4 move away from the transfer block 7 in that order. In this way, the underwater holding unit 25, the first batch processing unit BPU1, the second batch processing unit BPU2, the third batch processing unit BPU3, and the fourth batch processing unit BPU4 are arranged in this order in the direction in which the batch processing area R1 extends (front-to-back direction: X direction).

[0058] The first batch processing unit BPU1 specifically comprises a batch rinsing tank ONB for rinsing a batch of materials at once, and a lifter LF1 for raising and lowering the batch. The batch rinsing tank ONB performs rinsing on the batch. The batch rinsing tank ONB contains pure water and is provided for the purpose of washing away chemicals adhering to multiple substrates W. In the batch rinsing tank ONB, the washing process is completed when the resistivity of the pure water in the tank rises to a predetermined value.

[0059] The second batch processing unit BPU2 is the section to which multiple substrates W are transported before reaching the first batch processing unit BPU1. Specifically, it comprises a batch chemical treatment tank CHB1 and a lifter LF2 for raising and lowering the lot. The batch chemical treatment tank CHB1 contains a chemical solution such as phosphoric acid solution. The batch chemical treatment tank CHB1 is equipped with a lifter LF2 for moving the lot up and down. The batch chemical treatment tank CHB1, for example, supplies the chemical solution from below upward to cause convection of the chemical solution. The lifter LF2 moves up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction). Specifically, the lifter LF2 moves up and down between a processing position located inside the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1 and a transfer position located above the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1. The lifter LF2 holds a lot consisting of substrates W in a vertical position. At the transfer position, the lifter LF2 transfers the lot to and from the second transport mechanism WTR. When the lifter LF2 lowers from the transfer position to the processing position while holding the lot, the entire substrate W is positioned below the liquid surface of the chemical solution. When the lifter LF2 rises from the processing position to the transfer position while holding the lot, the entire substrate W is positioned above the liquid surface of the chemical solution. The chemical treatment is specifically an acid treatment, and while phosphoric acid treatment is an example of an acid treatment, other acid treatments may also be used. The phosphoric acid treatment performs an etching treatment on multiple substrates W that make up the lot. The etching treatment, for example, chemically engraves the nitride film on the surface of the substrate W. The multiple substrates W that have undergone batch chemical treatment are then rinsed in the batch rinsing tank ONB in ​​the first batch processing unit BPU1 described above.

[0060] The third batch processing unit BPU3 specifically comprises a batch chemical treatment tank CHB2 and a lifter LF3 for raising and lowering the lot. The batch chemical treatment tank CHB2 has the same configuration as the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1 described above. That is, the batch chemical treatment tank CHB2 contains the chemical solution described above and is equipped with a lifter LF3. The batch chemical treatment tank CHB2 performs the same treatment on the lot as the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 in this example is equipped with multiple processing tanks capable of performing the same chemical treatment. This is because phosphoric acid treatment takes longer than other treatments. Phosphoric acid treatment takes a long time (for example, 60 minutes). Therefore, the apparatus in this example is designed so that acid treatment can be performed in parallel using multiple batch chemical treatment tanks. Accordingly, the lot is acid treated in either the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1 or the batch chemical treatment tank CHB2. This configuration increases the throughput of the apparatus. The fourth batch processing unit BPU4 specifically comprises a batch chemical treatment tank CHB3 and a lifter LF4 for raising and lowering the batch. The batch chemical treatment tank CHB3 has the same configuration as the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1 described above.

[0061] Thus, in Example 1, the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB1, CHB2, and CHB3 are located further from the transfer block 7 than the batch rinsing tank ONB. In other words, the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB1 to CHB3 in Example 1 are located at a distance from the transfer block 7 equal to the width of the holding tank 43 and the batch rinsing tank ONB. This configuration prevents corrosion of the mechanisms of the transfer block 7 by the acidic solution held in the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB1 to CHB3. A similar effect is achieved with the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR, which will be described later.

[0062] <5.2. Single-wafer processing area> The single-wafer processing area R2 in processing block 9 is a rectangular area adjacent to the transfer block 7 from the front-to-back direction (X direction). This area faces the underwater holding unit 25 in batch processing area R1 from the width direction (Y direction). The single-wafer processing area R2 is provided with a single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 that performs predetermined processing on each individual substrate W. In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this example, a single-wafer processing chamber CMB2 is provided below the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1, and a single-wafer processing chamber CMB3 is provided below the single-wafer processing chamber CMB2, so that the three single-wafer processing chambers are stacked in the height direction (Z direction). The single-wafer processing area R2 may be constructed by stacking single-wafer processing chambers with different functions, but in this example, the single-wafer processing chambers CMB2 and CMB3 have the same configuration as the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1. In this example, the single-wafer processing area R2 was constructed by stacking three chambers, but the number of stacked chambers may be increased or decreased according to the purpose of substrate processing.

[0063] The single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 includes a rotation processing unit 33 for rotating a horizontally positioned substrate W, and a nozzle 35 for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate W. The rotation processing unit 33 rotates the substrate W in the XY plane (horizontal plane). The nozzle 35 is rotatable between a standby position away from the rotation processing unit 33 and a supply position located above the rotation processing unit 33. The processing liquid may be IPA (isopropyl alcohol), pure water, a mixture thereof, or a silane coupling agent that forms a water-repellent protective film on the substrate surface. In Figure 1, the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 has a single nozzle 35, but it may be equipped with multiple nozzles 35 depending on the type of solution or pure water to be supplied.

[0064] The single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 has a housing that can seal the substrate W during processing, and has a hexahedron shape with each face being rectangular. An inlet is provided on one side of the housing to guide the substrate W into the housing, and an outlet is provided on the other side of the housing to discharge the substrate W out of the housing. The inlet and outlet are each provided with shutters that can close the openings. When the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 accepts a substrate W, the inlet shutter is open and the outlet shutter is closed. When the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 is processing, the inlet and outlet shutters are closed. When the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 discharges a substrate W, the inlet shutter is closed and the outlet shutter is open.

[0065] The positions of the entrance and exit of the enclosure will now be described. The side of the enclosure has a holding unit facing surface that faces the underwater holding unit 25 of the batch processing area R1. The entrance of the enclosure is provided on this holding unit facing surface. The side of the enclosure also has a transfer block facing surface that faces the transfer block 7. The exit of the enclosure is provided on this transfer block facing surface. Therefore, the substrate W held by the underwater holding unit 25 moves in the width direction (Y direction) and enters the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1. The substrate W inside the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 moves in the forward direction (X direction) and exits the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1.

[0066] Since the single-wafer processing chambers CMB2 and CMB3 have the same configuration as the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1, each chamber is equipped with the same rotation processing unit 33 and nozzle 35 as the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1. In each chamber, an inlet to the housing is provided on the side facing the holding unit, and an outlet to the housing is provided on the side facing the transfer block.

[0067] <5.3. Single-wafer substrate transport area> The single-wafer substrate transport area R3 in processing block 9 is a rectangular area adjacent to the transfer block 7 in the front-to-back direction (X direction). This area is located between the underwater holding unit 25 in batch processing area R1 and the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 in single-wafer processing area R2, and is equipped with a single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR that can transport substrates W held by the underwater holding unit 25 one by one to the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1. The single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR can transport substrates W held by the underwater holding unit 25 to single-wafer processing chambers CMB2 and CMB3 in addition to the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1.

[0068] Figure 4 illustrates the configuration of the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR in this example. As shown in the figure, the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR has a gripping hand 87 equipped with a pair of arms 87a that grip the peripheral edge of one substrate W to be transported from two lateral positions located radially outward from the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and approaching radially inward from each of the substrate W, and the gripping hand 87 raises and lowers the substrate The apparatus includes a lifting mechanism 82 that exposes the substrate W from the liquid surface of the holding tank 43, a support column 81 that supports the lifting mechanism 82 so as to be movable in the height direction, a rotatable clamping hand base 85a and clamping hand base rotation mechanism 85 that rotate the clamping hand 87 to change the orientation of the substrate W from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation, and a first rod 83a, a first rod rotation mechanism 83, a second rod 84a and a second rod rotation mechanism 84 that transport the substrate W, which moves the clamping hand 87 horizontally, to a single-wafer processing area R2. The clamping hand base 85a and the clamping hand base rotation mechanism 85 correspond to the rotation mechanism of the present invention, and the first rod 83a, the first rod rotation mechanism 83, the second rod 84a and the second rod rotation mechanism 84 correspond to the horizontal movement mechanism of the present invention.

[0069] The single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR has various configurations for removing a single substrate W held in a vertical position in the liquid of the holding tank 43, and transporting it to the single-wafer processing area R2 while changing its orientation to a horizontal position. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR has a cylindrical support column 81 extending in the vertical direction (Z direction). The lifting mechanism 82 has a cylindrical member that is supported by the support column 81 so as to be able to move up and down. The first rod rotation mechanism 83 is a member that can rotate around a virtual line AX3 extending perpendicularly to the lifting mechanism 82 in the Z direction as its axis of rotation. The first rod rotation mechanism 83 is provided with a first rod 83a extending in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (Z direction). Therefore, the base end of the first rod 83a is connected to the first rod rotation mechanism 83. When the first rod rotation mechanism 83 rotates, the first rod 83a rotates around the support column 81 with the vertical direction (Z direction) as its axis of rotation.

[0070] The second rod 84a is a member that extends in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (Z direction) and is provided to extend the first rod 83a. Therefore, the second rod 84a is provided at the tip of the first rod 83a. The second rod rotation mechanism 84 is a joint provided between the first rod 83a and the second rod 84a, and is a mechanism that rotates the second rod 84a around a virtual line AX4 that extends perpendicular to the first rod 83a in the Z direction.

[0071] The clamping hand base 85a is a member extending in a predetermined direction, provided at the tip of the second rod 84a. The clamping hand base rotation mechanism 85 is a joint provided between the second rod 84a and the clamping hand base 85a, and is a mechanism that rotates the clamping hand base 85a around a virtual line AX5 that extends in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction and the vertical direction (Z direction) of the second rod 84a as the axis of rotation.

[0072] The clamping hand base 85a can rotate about a virtual line AX6, which is a virtual extension of the clamping hand base 85a, as its central axis. The tip of the clamping hand base 85a is provided with a clamping hand 87 that supports the substrate W. The clamping hand 87 comprises a pair of arms 87a capable of gripping the substrate W from both sides, and an arm support member 87b that movably supports the arms 87a. Therefore, the clamping hand base 85a is connected to the arm support member 87b.

[0073] The control units that control each mechanism will now be described. The gripping hand lifting control unit 91 controls the lifting mechanism 82, and functions, for example, when lowering the gripping hand 87 into the liquid in the holding tank 43. The gripping hand horizontal movement control unit 92 controls the rotation of the first rod rotation mechanism 83 and the second rod rotation mechanism 84, and functions, for example, when moving the gripping hand 87 from the batch processing area R1 to the single-wafer processing area R2. The gripping hand rotation control unit 93 controls the rotation of the gripping hand base rotation mechanism 85 and the gripping hand base 85a, and functions, for example, when changing a vertically oriented substrate W to a horizontal position. The arm movement control unit 94 is a mechanism that brings a pair of arms 87a closer together to a closed state or separates them to an open state, and controls the arm movement mechanism 94a incorporated in the arm support member 87b. This control unit functions, for example, when transferring the substrate W gripped by the gripping hand 87 to the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1.

[0074] Figure 5 specifically illustrates the rotation mode of the clamping hand 87 by the clamping hand rotation control unit 93. When the clamping hand 87, which is holding a substrate W in a vertical position (see Figure 5(a)), is rotated by the clamping hand base rotation mechanism 85, the clamping hand 87 extends in the direction of extension of the second rod 84a, as shown in Figure 5(b). Then, when the clamping hand base 85a is rotated from this state, the substrate W becomes horizontal, as shown in Figure 5(c). In this way, the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR changes the orientation of a single substrate W taken out of the holding tank 43 from a vertical position to a horizontal position.

[0075] Figures 6, 7, and 8 show how the gripping hand 87 grips a vertically oriented substrate W in the holding tank 43. Figure 6 shows the gripping hand 87 in its open state being moved to two lateral positions that are radially outward from the periphery of the substrate W and are opposite each other across the substrate W, in order to transport the substrate W held in liquid in the holding tank 43. That is, when the gripping hand 87 in its open state in a vertical position is lowered into the holding tank 43, the cross-section of the gripping hand 87 becomes as shown in Figure 6.

[0076] From this state, as shown in Figure 7, when the clamping hand 87 is brought closer to the radially inward side of the substrate W to close it, the substrate W to be clamped is held between the pair of arms 87a at both ends and clamped by the clamping hand 87. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the pair of arms 87a that make up the clamping hand 87 are provided with V-grooves into which the substrate W is clamped. The substrate W, clamped by the clamping hand 87, is not moved in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate W because it is held between these V-grooves. The V-grooves on the arms 87a extend in an arc shape, following the shape of the substrate W.

[0077] Figure 8(a) illustrates how the curved arms 87a, which follow the contour of the substrate W, are in a closed position, gripping the substrate W to be held. The pair of arms 87a are provided with V-grooves to position the peripheral edge of the substrate W, so the peripheral edge of the substrate W to be held is hidden inside the arms. Figure 8(b) illustrates how the arms 87a are in an open position, releasing the substrate W that was being held. At this time, the pair of arms 87a are sufficiently far apart so that even if the arms 87a are moved from their tips to their bases, they will not collide with the peripheral edge of the substrate W. The width of the arms 87a in relation to the arrangement direction of the substrate W will be explained later, as it is easier to understand when explained together with the flow of substrate processing.

[0078] <5.4. Batch substrate transport area> The batch substrate transport area R4 in processing block 9 is a rectangular area extending in the front-to-back direction (X direction). The batch substrate transport area R4 is provided along the outer edge of the batch processing area R1, with one end extending to the transfer block 7 and the other end extending away from the transfer block 7.

[0079] The batch substrate transport area R4 is provided with a second transport mechanism WTR that transports multiple substrates W at once. The second transport mechanism WTR transports multiple substrates W (specifically, a lot) at once between the substrate transfer position P defined within the transfer block 7, each batch processing unit BPU1 to BPU4, and the underwater holding unit 25. The second transport mechanism WTR is configured to reciprocate in the front-to-back direction (X direction) across the transfer block 7 and the processing block 9. The second transport mechanism WTR is movable not only to the batch substrate transport area R4 in the processing block 9 but also to the substrate transfer position P within the transfer block 7. The second transport mechanism WTR corresponds to the batch substrate transport mechanism of the present invention. The second transport mechanism WTR is configured to transport multiple substrates W arranged at half-pitch at once.

[0080] The second transport mechanism WTR is equipped with a pair of batch hands 23 for transporting lots. Each batch hand 23 has, for example, a rotation axis oriented in the width direction (Y direction), and swings around this rotation axis. The pair of batch hands 23 grip both ends of a plurality of substrates W arranged at half-pitch that constitute a lot. The second transport mechanism WTR transfers a lot consisting of a plurality of substrates W arranged at half-pitch between a pusher 22A located at the substrate transfer position P in the transfer block 7, lifters LF1 to LF4 belonging to batch processing units BPU1 to BPU4, and lifter LF5 belonging to the underwater holding unit 25.

[0081] As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 in this example has the following regions arranged from left to right: a long, narrow batch substrate transport region R4 extending in the front-to-back direction (X direction), a long, narrow batch processing region R1 extending in the front-to-back direction (X direction), a single-wafer substrate transport region R3 located on the transfer block 7 side, and a single-wafer processing region R2 located on the transfer block 7 side.

[0082] The substrate processing apparatus 1 in this example includes, in addition to the parts described above, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 75 that controls each mechanism and each processing unit, and a storage unit 76 that stores various information necessary for the processing process, such as programs and setting values. The specific configuration of the CPU is not particularly limited. The entire apparatus may have one CPU, or each block may have one or more CPUs. The same applies to the storage unit 76. The CPU controls, for example, the carrier transport mechanism 19, the first transport mechanism HTR, the second transport mechanism WTR, the attitude conversion unit 20, the pusher mechanism 22, and the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR.

[0083] <Circuit board processing flow> Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the substrate processing flow in this example. The substrate processing in this example involves processes related to etching and water-repellent treatment of the substrate W surface in the semiconductor device manufacturing process. The substrate processing flow will now be explained in detail according to the flowchart.

[0084] Step S11: A carrier C containing unprocessed substrates W is set on the mounting table 15 of the input unit 11. The carrier C is then taken into the device from the input unit 11 and placed on the carrier rack 21a for transfer provided on the stocker block 5 by the carrier transport mechanism 19 (see Figure 10). The first transport mechanism HTR provided on the transfer block 7 takes out multiple substrates W at once from the carrier C on the carrier rack 21a. The first transport mechanism HTR then passes the multiple substrates W, which are in a horizontal position, to the attitude change unit 20.

[0085] Step S12: The attitude conversion unit 20 converts the attitude of the multiple substrates W from a horizontal attitude to a vertical attitude and passes the multiple substrates W to the pusher mechanism 22. The pusher 22A of the pusher mechanism 22 has grooves into which the substrates W are inserted and empty grooves arranged alternately. Since each groove is arranged at half pitch, the substrates W are arranged on the pusher 22A at full pitch, the same as when they were stored in the carrier C.

[0086] Step S13: The pusher mechanism 22 receives another set of substrates from the attitude change unit 20, which is different from the set of substrates it is currently holding, and performs a half-pitch processing. The subsequent set of substrates received by the pusher 22A is inserted into each of the grooves that were empty in step S12. In this way, substrates W related to the first carrier C and substrates W related to the second carrier are alternately inserted into each groove of the pusher 22A, which is arranged in a half-pitch configuration. Since one carrier C can hold 25 substrates W, the pusher 22A will have enough substrates W for two carriers (50 substrates) arranged on it.

[0087] Step S14: Subsequently, batch processing is performed on multiple substrates W. Specifically, the lot waiting at the substrate transfer position P is lifted vertically (Z direction) by the second transport mechanism WTR, and then transported in the front-to-back direction (X direction). The multiple substrates W, which are in a vertical position, are arranged in the width direction (Y direction) and passed to one of the lifters LF2 to LF4 belonging to the second batch processing unit BPU2 to the fourth batch processing unit BPU4. Lifters LF2 to LF4, which receive the substrates W, are located at the transfer position. In this way, the lot is positioned above the liquid surface in one of the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB1 to CHB3. Figure 10 illustrates how the lot is processed in the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1. Lifter LF2, which receives the lot, descends and immerses the lot in the chemical solution in the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1. Chemical treatment is performed on the lot in this way.

[0088] Once the chemical treatment is complete, the lifter LF2 exposes the lot above the liquid surface from the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1. The lot is then lifted collectively vertically (Z direction) by the second transport mechanism WTR, and then transported in the front-to-back direction (X direction). The vertically oriented substrates W are passed to the lifter LF1 of the first batch treatment unit BPU1, arranged in the width direction (Y direction). At this time, the lifter LF1 is in the transfer position. In this way, the lot is positioned above the liquid surface in the batch rinsing treatment tank ONB. The lifter LF1 that has received the lot descends and immerses the lot in the batch rinsing treatment tank ONB. In this way, the washing treatment is performed on the lot (see Figure 10).

[0089] Once the washing process is complete, the lifter LF1 exposes the lot from the batch rinsing tank ONB above the liquid surface. The lot is then lifted vertically (Z direction) by the second transport mechanism WTR and then transported in the front-to-back direction (X direction). The multiple substrates W, which are in a vertical position, are passed to the underwater holding unit 25 in an arrangement in the width direction (Y direction) (see Figure 10). At this time, the lifter LF5 of the underwater holding unit 25 is in the transfer position.

[0090] As described above, in step S14, the second transport mechanism WTR receives multiple substrates W in a vertical position at the substrate transfer position P of the transfer block 7, and transports the received multiple substrates W in that order to the second batch processing unit BPU2 for chemical treatment, the first batch processing unit BPU1 for rinsing, and the underwater holding unit 25.

[0091] Step S15: The lot passed to the lifter LF5 of the underwater holding unit 25 is lowered by the lifter LF5 to the standby position (corresponding to the processing position of the lifter LF1 of the first batch processing unit BPU1). The multiple substrates W in the standby position are submerged in pure water. This prevents the surface of the substrates W from drying out.

[0092] Step S16: As shown in Figure 11, one of the substrates W held in the liquid in the underwater holding unit 25 is pulled out vertically (Z direction) upward from the holding tank 43 by the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR provided in the single-wafer substrate transport area R3. The pulled-out substrate W is then transformed as described later and transported to the single-wafer processing chamber. The single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR performs this operation until there are no more substrates W held in the underwater holding unit 25. The single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR completes the unloading of the lot held in the holding tank 43 by performing 50 substrate transports. As for how the substrates W are pulled out at this time, the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR may pull out the multiple substrates W that form the lot sequentially from one end, or the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR may prioritize pulling out the substrates W stored in one carrier C of the multiple substrates W that form the lot over the substrates W stored in the other carrier C.

[0093] Of the two methods described above, if the method of setting priority on a carrier C basis is adopted, the gripping hand 87 will grip the intermediate substrate W, which is sandwiched between the front substrate W and the rear substrate W, among the substrates W arranged at half-pitch, and remove it from the lot. In this example, since the gripping hand 87 is configured to directly grip the substrate W to be gripped, there is no need to insert the gripping hand 87 into the gaps between the substrates W. The gripping hand 87 can sufficiently grip the substrate W if it can contact the periphery of the substrate W. Furthermore, the width of the gripping hand 87 in the direction of arrangement of multiple substrates W only needs to be less than twice the half-pitch. This is because the gripping hand 87 grips the substrate W by moving to the same position as the substrate W to be gripped in the direction of arrangement of multiple substrates W that are in a vertical position within the holding tank 43. In other words, the arm 87a only needs to be configured not to contact the substrate W located in front of the substrate W to be gripped, nor to contact the substrate W located behind the substrate W to be gripped. The distance from the substrate W to be gripped to the front substrate W is equivalent to half a pitch, and the distance from the substrate W to the rear substrate W is also equivalent to half a pitch. Therefore, the arm 87a may be thick enough to not reach half a pitch in front of the substrate W to be gripped, and may be thick enough to not reach half a pitch in rear of the substrate W to be gripped. In this example, the width of the gripping hand 87 is sufficiently secured, so the gripping hand 87 does not bend and vibrate greatly when moved, and the substrate W can be reliably transported.

[0094] Of the two methods described above, if the method is adopted in which the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR pulls out multiple substrates W that form a lot in order from one end, the arm 87a of the gripping hand 87 may be thick enough to not reach half a pitch on the side of the substrate W to be gripped that is adjacent to it. On the opposite side from the side of the substrate W to be gripped that is adjacent to it, the arm 87a may be thick enough to not collide with the holding tank 43, and may be thicker than half a pitch.

[0095] Step S17: The vertically positioned substrate W, pulled out from the holding tank 43 in the underwater holding unit 25, is converted to a horizontal position by the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR. The single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR then moves the horizontally positioned substrate W horizontally to the entrance of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 in the single-wafer processing area R2. The entrance to the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 is provided with a shutter that opens and closes the entrance, and at this time the shutter is in the open position. The gripping hand 87 enters the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 from the entrance, places the substrate W on the rotation processing unit 33, and exits the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1. Figure 11 shows how the substrate W is transported to the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 among the single-wafer processing chambers CMB1, CMB2, and CMB3. The single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR may be configured to perform the orientation change while moving the substrate W horizontally. In this case, the substrate W is moved horizontally while changing its inclination angle with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0096] Step S18: The substrates W transported to the inside of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 are processed there. Specifically, the substrates W undergo, for example, a water-repellent surface treatment. During processing, the inlet and outlet of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 are closed by shutters. This prevents the processing liquid from the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 from splashing outside the chamber.

[0097] Step S19: The substrate W after single-wafer processing is returned to the carrier C by the first transport mechanism HTR. That is, when single-wafer processing is completed, the shutter of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 is controlled and the exit of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 is opened. The return hand 71b of the first transport mechanism HTR enters the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 from the exit, picks up the substrate W on the rotation processing unit 33, and exits the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 in that state. From that state, the first transport mechanism HTR returns one substrate W to the carrier C placed on the carrier rack 21a.

[0098] Steps S16 to S19 described above focus on a single substrate W held in water, and each of these steps S16 to S19 is repeated until all of the substrate W is returned from the underwater holding unit 25 to the carrier C. Finally, as shown in Figure 12, the carrier C containing the processed substrates W is moved from the carrier rack 21a to the loading platform 17 of the dispensing unit 13. This movement of the carrier C is performed by the carrier transport mechanism 19. This completes the substrate processing of the present invention.

[0099] As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this example reliably transports substrates W and maintains high quality for the substrates W and the final products based thereon. Specifically, the present invention provides a gripping hand 87 that transports substrates W from the batch processing area R1 to the single-wafer processing area R2, and various mechanisms that drive it. The gripping hand 87 has a pair of arms 87a that can move closer to and further away from each other to grip one substrate at a time. With this configuration, the pair of arms 87a themselves directly grip the substrate W, rather than via a tab. In other words, the gripping hand 87 of the present invention is not inserted into the gap between the substrate W to be gripped and the adjacent substrate W facing that substrate W. Rather, the gripping hand 87 grips the outer periphery of the substrate W to be gripped from outside the arrangement of substrates W. In other words, the gripping hand 87 of the present invention does not need to be configured to insert arms into the gaps between substrates. According to the present invention, collisions between the transport arms and substrates W are suppressed, so it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus 1 that reliably transports substrates W and maintains high quality for the substrates W and the final products based thereon. [Examples]

[0100] Next, the substrate processing apparatus 2 according to Embodiment 2 will be described. The substrate processing apparatus 2 according to this embodiment differs from the apparatus of Embodiment 1 in that, in addition to the substrate acquisition robot that takes out multiple substrates W from the carrier C, it has a separate substrate return robot that returns the substrates W to the carrier C. That is, the acquisition handling mechanism and the return handling mechanism in the transfer block 7 are composed of separate robots that are provided adjacent to each other in the left-right direction (Y direction).

[0101] Figure 13 illustrates the overall configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 2. The loading / unloading block 3 and the processing block 9 in the substrate processing apparatus 2 are the same as those in the apparatus of Embodiment 1. In this example, the first transport mechanism HTR in the transfer block 7 removes multiple substrates W from the carrier C. On the other hand, the apparatus of the present invention is configured such that the substrate return mechanism DR returns the processed substrates W one by one to the carrier C. This is a distinctive feature of the apparatus in this example.

[0102] <Storage Block> The stocker block 5 in this example has two carrier racks 21c and 21d for loading and unloading substrates to and from the carrier C. The carrier rack 21c is adjacent to the carrier rack 21d and is located more centrally in the width direction (Y direction) than the carrier rack 21d, and faces the first transport mechanism HTR in the transfer block 7 from the front-to-back direction (X direction). The carrier rack 21d is located at the rightmost end in the width direction (Y direction) than the carrier rack 21c, and faces the substrate return mechanism DR in the transfer block 7 from the front-to-back direction (X direction). The carrier transport mechanism 19 can move an empty carrier C placed on the carrier rack 21c to the carrier rack 21d. The carrier rack 21c corresponds to the acquisition rack of the present invention, and the carrier rack 21d corresponds to the return rack of the present invention.

[0103] <Transfer Block> The transfer block 7 in this example has two transport mechanisms for acquiring and returning substrates to and from the carrier C. The two transport mechanisms are a first transport mechanism HTR that acquires substrates W from the carrier C, and a substrate return mechanism DR that returns substrates W to the carrier C. The first transport mechanism HTR and the substrate return mechanism DR are composed of two independent robots.

[0104] The first transport mechanism HTR of Example 2 has a similar configuration to the first transport mechanism HTR of Example 1, but is characterized by the absence of a return handle. The configuration having an acquisition handle 71a that grips 25 substrates W at once is the same as the configuration of Example 1. That is, the first transport mechanism HTR can access the carrier rack 21c from the front (X direction) and grip 25 substrates W stored in the carrier C placed on the carrier rack 21c at once. The first transport mechanism HTR corresponds to the acquisition handling mechanism of the present invention. The first transport mechanism HTR can access the carrier C placed on the carrier rack 21c.

[0105] The apparatus of Example 2, like that of Example 1, includes a posture conversion unit 20 for changing the orientation of multiple substrates and a pusher mechanism 22 for picking up a vertically oriented substrate W from the posture conversion unit 20. The posture conversion unit 20 and pusher mechanism 22 of the present invention do not necessarily need to have a configuration related to half-pitch. Therefore, the arrangement pitch of the grooves of the pusher 22A in the pusher mechanism 22 may be a length equivalent to the full pitch.

[0106] The substrate return mechanism DR is located at the right end of the transfer block 7 and has access to each of the single-wafer processing chambers CMB1, CMB2, and CMB3, as well as to the carrier C placed on the carrier rack 21d. The substrate return mechanism DR has a return hand 78 that can move back and forth to enter from the exit of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 or the single-wafer processing chambers CMB2 and CMB3 and pick up the substrate W. The return hand 78 can also enter the inside of the carrier C and store the substrate W inside the carrier C. In other words, the return hand 78 can rotate to face the processing block 9 side and can rotate to face the stocker block 5 side. In this example, for example, only one return hand 71b is provided in the substrate return mechanism DR, but multiple return hands 71b may be provided instead. This configuration is advantageous when it is necessary to transport processed substrates W together from each of the multiple single-wafer processing chambers CMB. The substrate return mechanism DR corresponds to the carrier rack 21d of the present invention. The substrate return mechanism DR is able to access the carrier C placed on the carrier rack 21d.

[0107] <Processing block> The second transport mechanism WTR in processing block 9 is configured to transport multiple substrates W arranged at full pitch. In addition, the lifters provided in the batch chemical treatment tank CHB, the batch rinsing treatment tank ONB, and the holding tank 43 are capable of holding lots consisting of multiple substrates W arranged at full pitch.

[0108] In this example, the gripping hand 87 picks up multiple substrates W arranged at full pitch from the holding tank 43 in order from one end. Therefore, the arm 87a of the gripping hand 87 may be thick enough to not reach the full pitch on the side of the substrate W to be gripped that is adjacent to it. On the opposite side from the substrate W to be gripped that is adjacent to it, the arm 87a may be thick enough to not collide with the holding tank 43, and may be thicker than the full pitch. The gripping hand 87 may also be given the function of picking up a substrate W located in the middle of the arrangement of multiple substrates W arranged at full pitch from the holding tank 43. In this case, the arm 87a may be thick enough to not reach the full pitch in front of the substrate W to be gripped, and thick enough to not reach the full pitch in rear of the substrate W to be gripped. With the arm 87a configured in this way, multiple substrates W arranged at full pitch can be picked up from the holding tank 43 in order from both ends, not just one end.

[0109] <Circuit board processing flow> Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the substrate processing apparatus in this example. The substrate processing in this example involves processes related to etching and water-repellent treatment of the substrate W surface in the semiconductor device manufacturing process. The flow of the substrate processing will be explained in detail below according to the flowchart.

[0110] Step S20: A carrier C containing unprocessed substrates W is set on the mounting table 15 of the input unit 11. The carrier C is then taken into the device from the input unit 11 and placed on the carrier rack 21c for transfer provided on the stocker block 5 by the carrier transport mechanism 19 (see Figure 15). The first transport mechanism HTR provided on the transfer block 7 takes out multiple substrates W at once from the carrier C on the carrier rack 21c. The first transport mechanism HTR then passes the multiple substrates W, which are in a horizontal position, to the attitude change unit 20.

[0111] Step S21: The empty carrier C, which is placed on carrier rack 21c, is transported to the adjacent carrier rack 21d. This transport of the carrier is performed by the carrier transport mechanism 19 (see Figure 15).

[0112] Step S22: As shown in Figure 15, the attitude conversion unit 20 converts the attitude of the multiple substrates W from a horizontal attitude to a vertical attitude and passes the multiple substrates W to the pusher mechanism 22. In this example, the pusher mechanism 22 is at the substrate transfer position P without moving in the width direction (Y direction), so the second transport mechanism WTR can reliably pick up the multiple substrates W by accessing the pusher mechanism 22. This configuration simplifies the configuration and control of the pusher mechanism 22.

[0113] Step S23: Batch processing is performed on multiple substrates W (see Figure 15). This step is the same as step S14 in Example 1. That is, the second transport mechanism WTR transports multiple substrates W at the substrate transfer position P together to the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1. Then, the second transport mechanism WTR transports the multiple substrates W sequentially from the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1 to the batch rinsing tank ONB, and from the batch rinsing tank ONB to the underwater holding unit 25.

[0114] Step S24: Multiple substrates W are held in water in the underwater holding unit 25. This step is the same as step S15 in Example 1. The multiple substrates W in the standby position are submerged in pure water. This prevents the surface of the substrates W from drying out.

[0115] Step S25: One of the substrates W held in the liquid in the underwater holding unit 25 is pulled out vertically (Z direction) upward from the holding tank 43 by the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR provided in the single-wafer substrate transport area R3. This step is the same as step S16 in Example 1.

[0116] Step S26: The vertically positioned substrate W, which has been pulled out from the holding tank 43 in the underwater holding unit 25, is converted to a horizontal position by the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR. The single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR then moves the horizontally positioned substrate W horizontally to the entrance of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 in the single-wafer processing area R2. This step is the same as step S17 in Embodiment 1.

[0117] Step S27: The substrate W, which has been transported to the inside of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1, is processed there. Specifically, the substrate W undergoes, for example, a water-repellent surface treatment. This step is the same as step S18 in Example 1.

[0118] Step S28: Once the single-wafer processing is complete, the substrate W is returned to the carrier C by the substrate return mechanism DR. That is, when the single-wafer processing is complete, the shutter of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 is controlled, and the exit of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 is opened. The return hand 71b of the substrate return mechanism DR enters the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 from the exit, picks up the substrate W on the rotation processing unit 33, and exits the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 in that state. From that state, the substrate return mechanism DR returns one substrate W to the carrier C placed on the carrier rack 21d. Figure 16 shows how one substrate W is transported in each step from step S24 to step S28.

[0119] Steps S25 to S28 described above focus on a single substrate W held in water, and each of these steps S25 to S28 is repeated until all of the substrate W is returned from the underwater holding unit 25 to the carrier C. Finally, as shown in Figure 17, the carrier C containing the processed substrates W is moved from the carrier rack 21d to the loading platform 17 of the dispensing unit 13. This movement of the carrier C is performed by the carrier transport mechanism 19. This completes the substrate processing of the present invention.

[0120] As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 2 of this example provides the following advantages in addition to the advantages of the apparatus of Embodiment 1 described above. Specifically, in the apparatus of this example, the first transport mechanism HTR for acquiring substrates and the substrate return mechanism DR for returning substrates in the transfer block 7 are composed of separate robots provided adjacent to each other. With this configuration, the control of each mechanism is simplified, and a substrate processing apparatus capable of reliable substrate transport can be provided. In other words, the first transport mechanism HTR of this example only needs to repeatedly perform a simple transport, taking multiple substrates W from the carrier C and passing them to the attitude change unit 20. Similarly, the substrate return mechanism DR of this example only needs to repeatedly perform a simple transport, receiving substrates W from the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1, single-wafer processing chamber CMB2, and single-wafer processing chamber CMB3 and passing them to the carrier C.

[0121] The present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration, and the following modifications are possible.

[0122] (1) In the above-described Examples 1 and 2, the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 was configured to perform a water-repellent treatment on the substrate W, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 may be, for example, a supercritical fluid chamber that performs a drying treatment. The supercritical fluid chamber dries the substrate W using, for example, carbon dioxide that has become a supercritical fluid. Fluids other than carbon dioxide may be used as the supercritical fluid. The supercritical state is obtained by placing carbon dioxide under specific critical pressure and critical temperature. The specific pressure is 7.38 MPa and the temperature is 31°C. In a supercritical fluid, the surface tension of the fluid becomes zero, so the gas-liquid interface does not affect the circuit pattern on the surface of the substrate W. Therefore, if the substrate W is dried using a supercritical fluid, the collapse of the circuit pattern on the substrate W, so-called pattern collapse, can be prevented.

[0123] (2) In the above-described modified example (1), the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 was a supercritical fluid chamber, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Chambers other than the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 may be supercritical fluid chambers. Furthermore, all of the multiple chambers provided in the single-wafer processing region R2 may be supercritical fluid chambers, or a configuration may be provided in the single-wafer processing region R2 in which a supercritical fluid chamber and a chamber for performing substrate water-repellent treatment coexist.

[0124] (3) In Example 1, for example, 50 substrates W arranged at half-pitch were arranged in a face-to-back manner with the device faces facing the same direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and for example, 50 substrates W may be arranged face-to-face. An advantage of arranging 50 substrates W face-to-face is that the device face of the first substrate W in a lot can be directed toward the second substrate W, and the device face of the 50th substrate W in a lot can be directed toward the 49th substrate W. In this way, if the device faces of the substrates W at both ends of the lot are directed toward the inside, the lot will be transported with the device faces of the substrates W protected. Therefore, by arranging the substrates W face-to-face, the desired circuit pattern can be reliably formed on the substrates W.

[0125] The formation of the face-to-face lot is performed by the attitude conversion unit 20 and pusher mechanism 22 in the transfer block 7. To form the lot, first, for example, 25 first substrates W1, which are in a horizontal position, are converted to a vertical position by the attitude conversion unit 20. Then, the attitude-converted first substrates W1 are picked up by the pusher 22A. After that, the first substrates W1 are flipped left and right, and the device surface on the first substrates W1 is flipped. Then, the attitude conversion unit 20 converts, for example, 25 second substrates W2, which are in a horizontal position, to a vertical position. Finally, the pusher 22A picks up the second substrates W2 to complete the lot. In this way, the first substrates W1 are flipped and incorporated into the lot, while the second substrates W2 are incorporated into the lot without being flipped. Therefore, the orientation of the device surface differs between the first substrates W1 and the second substrates W2. Since the first substrates W1 and the second substrates W2 are arranged alternately, the generated lot will be a face-to-face lot where the device surfaces of adjacent substrates W face each other.

[0126] The following describes each process related to lot formation in detail with reference to Figures 18 and 19. Of the lot formation process, the operation up to the point where the pusher 22A picks up the first substrate W1 is the same as in Figures 3(a) to (c) in Example 1, so the explanation is omitted. Figure 18 describes the subsequent operation. Figure 18(a) is a diagram corresponding to Figure 3(d) described above, and shows that the pusher 22A does not shift in the Y direction as in Example 1, but instead rotates by 180°. As a result of this operation, all the device surfaces of the first substrate W1, which were facing left, now face right. At this time, the phase of the arrangement of the first substrate W1 is shifted by half a pitch. In order to achieve this shift operation, the rotation center of the pusher 22A is shifted slightly (by half the width of half a pitch) in the direction of the arrangement from the center of the arrangement of the first substrate W1.

[0127] Figure 18(b) corresponds to Figure 3(e) described above and shows the state when the support base 20A holding the second substrate W2 is rotated by 90°. At this time, since the device surface of the second substrate W2, which is in a horizontal position, was facing upwards, all of these device surfaces will now be facing to the left.

[0128] Figure 19 corresponds to Figure 3(f) described above and shows the state when the pusher 22A has moved back to the directly above position. Because the first substrate W1 is rotated by 180°, the phase of the arrangement is shifted by half a pitch, so, as in the case of Figure 3(f), the second substrate W2, which is held by the vertical holding part 20C, fits into the empty groove between the first substrates W1 on the upper surface of the pusher 22A without interfering with the first substrate W1. In this way, a face-to-face lot is formed in which the first substrate W1 with the device surface facing to the right and the second substrate W2 with the device surface facing to the left are arranged alternately.

[0129] (4) The arms 87a constituting the clamping hand 87 in Examples 1 and 2 had V-grooves, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. It is sufficient that the contact surface of the substrate W on the arm 87a has a groove that allows the periphery of the substrate W to be introduced, and it is not necessarily required that the cross-sectional shape of the groove be V-shaped. The V-groove is merely one example of a suitable groove. As for the specific configuration of the cross-sectional shape of the groove, it is sufficient that the width gradually narrows as the groove gets deeper. In such a tapering groove, the width of the groove decreases as you go further in. Therefore, when the peripheral edge of the substrate W is introduced into the groove, it will eventually come into contact with both of the pair of walls constituting the groove. In this way, the end of the substrate W is gripped in the groove and fixed in a direction perpendicular to the groove. Since this phenomenon occurs in either of the pair of arms 87a, the substrate W will not slip out from either arm 87a. In this way, the substrate W is securely gripped by the clamping hand 87.

[0130] (5) In the processing block 9 of Examples 1 and 2, a holding tank 43 was provided separately from the batch rinsing tank ONB, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The batch rinsing tank ONB may be placed closer to the single-wafer substrate transport area R3, and the batch rinsing tank ONB may be given the function of the holding tank 43. In this case, the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism SPR can access the batch rinsing tank ONB.

[0131] (6) In the processing block 9 according to Examples 1 and 2, the batch rinsing tank ONB was located on the transfer block 7 side of the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The number and arrangement of the batch rinsing tanks and batch chemical treatment tanks can be changed as appropriate according to the processing purpose of the apparatus. For example, the batch chemical treatment tank may be placed on the front side of the transfer block 7 and the batch rinsing tank on the back side, or the processing block 9 may be constructed by arranging the batch chemical treatment tanks and batch rinsing tanks alternately. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0132] 5 Storage Blocks 7 Transfer Block 9 Processing Blocks 19. Carrier transport mechanism 20. Posture Change Unit (Posture Change Mechanism) 21a Mounting rack (carrier mounting rack) 21c Acquisition shelf (carrier mounting shelf) 21d Return shelf (carrier-mounted shelf) 22 Pusher mechanism (substrate holding part) 43 Holding tank 82 Lifting mechanism 83 Horizontal movement mechanism (first rod rotation mechanism) 84 Horizontal movement mechanism (second rod rotation mechanism) 85. Clamping hand base rotation mechanism (rotation mechanism) 87 Clamping Hand C Career CHB batch chemical treatment tank CMB Single-Waf Processing Chamber DR board return mechanism (handling mechanism for return) HTR First Transport Mechanism (Handling mechanism for acquisition, handling mechanism for return) P board handover location R1 Batch Processing Area R2 Single-wafer processing area R3 Single-wafer substrate transport area R4 Batch substrate transport area W board WTR Second Conveyor Mechanism (Batch Conveyor Mechanism)

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus that continuously performs batch processing, which processes multiple substrates at once, and single-wafer processing, which processes substrates one by one, It comprises a stocker block, a transfer block adjacent to the stocker block, and a processing block adjacent to the transfer block, The stocker block comprises a carrier that houses at least one carrier for storing multiple substrates vertically at predetermined intervals in a horizontal position, and at least one carrier rack for substrate removal and storage on which the carrier is placed for loading and unloading substrates from the carrier, The aforementioned transfer block is, A handling mechanism for acquiring multiple circuit boards at once from a carrier placed on the carrier rack, A circuit board orientation conversion mechanism that simultaneously changes the orientation of multiple horizontal circuit boards to a vertical orientation, It includes a substrate holding unit that holds multiple substrates in a vertical position together at a predetermined substrate transfer position, The aforementioned processing block is, A batch processing area having one end adjacent to the transfer block and the other end extending away from the transfer block, A single-wafer processing area adjacent to the transfer block and spaced apart from the batch processing area, A single-wafer substrate transport area interposed between the batch processing area and the single-wafer processing area, The system includes a batch substrate transport area provided along the batch processing area, with one end extending to the transfer block and the other end extending away from the transfer block, The batch processing area is arranged in a row of batch processing tanks that immerse multiple substrates simultaneously in the direction in which the area extends, and further, a holding tank is provided at the position closest to the transfer block to hold multiple substrates in a vertical position in the liquid. The single-wafer processing area is provided with at least one single-wafer processing chamber for processing substrates individually one by one. The single-wafer substrate transport area is provided with a single-wafer substrate transport mechanism comprising: a gripping hand equipped with a pair of arms that grips the peripheral edge of one substrate to be transported from a plurality of substrates held in the liquid of the holding tank, by approaching radially inward from two lateral positions located radially outward from the peripheral edge of the substrate and facing each other across the substrate; a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the gripping hand to expose the substrate from the liquid surface of the holding tank; a rotation mechanism that rotates the gripping hand to change the orientation of the substrate from a vertical to a horizontal position; and a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the gripping hand horizontally to transport the substrate to the single-wafer processing area. The batch substrate transport area is provided with a batch substrate transport mechanism that transports multiple substrates at once between the substrate transfer position, the batch processing tank, and the holding tank. The aforementioned transfer block further, A mechanism interposed between the sheet-wafer processing area in the processing block and the carrier rack in the stocker block, comprising a return handling mechanism for transporting horizontally positioned substrates from the sheet-wafer processing area to the carrier rack. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

2. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The gripping hand of the aforementioned single-wafer substrate transport mechanism is provided with a V-shaped groove in cross-section that extends in an arc shape to conform to the shape of the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

3. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The acquisition handling mechanism in the transfer block is composed of a robot that also serves as the return handling mechanism. The aforementioned transfer block further, A mechanism interposed between the substrate orientation conversion mechanism and the substrate transfer position, comprising a pusher mechanism that converts the arrangement pitch of multiple substrates between a predetermined interval and a narrower interval than the predetermined interval, The batch substrate transport mechanism in the processing block transports the multiple substrates arranged at narrow intervals. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

4. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The acquisition handling mechanism and the return handling mechanism in the transfer block are composed of separate robots located adjacent to each other. The US storage block further, The acquisition handling mechanism is accessible to the acquisition shelf, which is a carrier mounting shelf, The aforementioned return handling mechanism includes a return shelf which is a carrier mounting shelf accessible by the return handling mechanism, The system includes a carrier transport mechanism that moves the carrier placed on the acquisition shelf to the return shelf, The batch substrate transport mechanism in the processing block transports a plurality of substrates arranged at predetermined intervals. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

5. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, Multiple single-wafer processing chambers are provided in the single-wafer processing area in the vertical direction. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

6. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The aforementioned single-wafer processing chamber is capable of performing a water-repellent treatment on the substrate surface. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

7. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The aforementioned single-wafer processing chamber is capable of drying substrates. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

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