Substrate processing equipment

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing device that reliably transports a substrate while suppressing production costs under control by reviewing a configuration of the device with a batch-type module and a single-wafer-type module.SOLUTION: Particular attention is paid particularly to a process of a substrate processing device 1 in which one substrate W is taken out of an array of substrates W in a vertical position, a posture of the substrate W is changed to a horizontal posture, and the substrate W is transported to a predetermined position provided in the vicinity of a single-wafer substrate transport area R3. The invention simplifies a configuration of a substrate pick-up part 80 by separately executing the process of taking out the substrate and the process of changing the posture of the substrate W and reduces positional errors that occur when the substrate pick-up part 80 is operated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

[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 equipped with a batch-type module and a single-sheet-type module (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The batch-type module performs predetermined processing on a plurality of substrates collectively. The single-sheet-type module performs predetermined processing on each substrate one by one. The batch-type module and the single-sheet-type module each have their own advantages. A substrate processing apparatus equipped with a batch-type module and a single-sheet-type module realizes a configuration that has advantages over a batch-type substrate processing apparatus or a single-sheet-type substrate processing apparatus by having both advantages.

[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-sheet-type processing basically has a configuration of processing each substrate one by one, it is necessary to wait for the substrates that have completed batch-type processing once and then perform sequential single-sheet processing on the substrates. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, a configuration is adopted in which 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 a single-sheet-type module.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, conventional devices with this configuration have the following problems. In other words, the conventional configuration involves a complex setup around the transport arm, which makes controlling the system difficult. The transport arm in the conventional system performs a complex operation: it vertically extracts multiple circuit boards waiting in a vertical position, converts the orientation of the acquired boards from vertical to horizontal, and then transports the converted boards to a single-wafer module. To realize such a configuration, a 6-axis robot or a robot with more degrees of freedom is required. Robots with a high degree of freedom are difficult to control and are also expensive.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and aims to provide a substrate processing apparatus that reliably transports substrates while suppressing manufacturing costs 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 for processing multiple substrates at once and single-wafer processing for processing substrates one at a time, 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 houses at least one carrier for storing multiple substrates arranged vertically at predetermined intervals in a horizontal position, and includes a 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 is the carrier The processing block comprises: an acquisition handling mechanism for acquiring multiple substrates at once from a carrier placed on a rear mounting shelf; an attitude change mechanism for changing the attitude of the acquired multiple substrates at once between a horizontal and a vertical attitude; and a substrate holding unit for holding the multiple substrates in the vertical attitude at a predetermined batch substrate transfer position. 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 spaced apart from the batch processing area in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the batch processing area; and a front The system comprises 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. The batch processing area has multiple batch processing tanks arranged in the stretching direction of the area for immersing multiple substrates at once, and further comprises a holding tank for holding multiple substrates arranged in a predetermined direction perpendicular to the stretching direction in a vertical position in liquid, a lifter for raising and lowering multiple substrates relative to the holding tank, and a holding tank for holding multiple substrates in the holding tank. A substrate pickup unit is provided which takes one substrate from among a plurality of substrates in a vertical position and converts the substrate from a vertical position to a horizontal position, and the substrate pickup unit is provided on the upper part of the holding tank and comprises a pair of rods extending in the direction of arrangement of the plurality of substrates in a vertical position held in the holding tank, a support base that supports the bases of the pair of rods, a first gripping body guided by one of the rods and capable of reciprocating in the direction of arrangement of the plurality of substrates in a vertical position, and a second gripping body guided by the other rod and capable of reciprocating in the direction of arrangement of the plurality of substrates in a vertical position.A mechanism that puts the first gripping body and the second gripping body into a retracted state, moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body horizontally from the retracted state, and moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body vertically relative to the lifter, thereby putting the first gripping body and the second gripping body into a substrate gripping state, wherein in the retracted state, the first gripping body and the second gripping body are located below the substrate held by the lifter, and when they move vertically relative to the lifter, they are moved to a position where they do not come into contact with the substrate held by the lifter, and in the substrate gripping state, the first gripping body and the second gripping body are located below the substrate held by the lifter The device comprises a gripping body movement mechanism that moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body, which are located below, to a position where they contact a substrate held by the lifter when they move relative to the lifter in the vertical direction, thereby holding one of the multiple substrates held by the lifter with the first gripping body and the second gripping body; and a rod rotation mechanism that rotates a pair of rods to align with the vertical direction while the first gripping body and the second gripping body are holding one substrate in a vertical position, thereby changing the substrate held by the first gripping body and the second gripping body from a vertical position to a horizontal position; and further, the device comprises the first gripping body and the second gripping body, Leaf area A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that the processing area is provided with at least one single-wafer processing chamber for processing one substrate individually, the single-wafer substrate transport area is provided with a single-wafer substrate transport mechanism for transporting substrates received from the substrate pickup unit to the single-wafer processing chamber, the batch substrate transport area is provided with a batch substrate transport mechanism for transporting multiple vertically oriented substrates together between a batch substrate transfer position defined in the transfer block, the batch processing tank, and the holding tank, and the transfer block further comprises a return handling mechanism interposed between the single-wafer processing area in the processing block and the carrier rack in the stocker block for transporting horizontally oriented substrates from the single-wafer processing area to the carrier rack.

[0008] [Function and Effects] According to the invention described in (1) above, the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus equipped with batch-type modules and single-wafer modules can be made simpler. The apparatus of the present invention comprises a posture conversion mechanism that converts the posture of horizontally positioned substrates arranged in the vertical direction to a vertical posture all at once, a plurality of batch processing tanks that liquid-process multiple substrates after posture conversion all at once, and a holding tank for holding multiple substrates after liquid processing has been completed. The configuration of the present invention realizes the complex operation of taking one of the waiting substrates from the holding tank and converting its posture using different mechanisms. That is, the apparatus of the present invention is configured to take one substrate from the holding tank by relative vertical movement between the first gripping body, the second gripping body and the lifter, and to perform posture conversion of the substrate by a rod rotation mechanism. Relative vertical movement between the first gripping body, the second gripping body and the lifter can be achieved simply by raising and lowering the lifter, and the rod rotation mechanism can be achieved simply by rotating a pair of rods by 90°. Thus, according to the present invention, the device configuration of the substrate pickup unit is simple, and the positional errors that occur when moving the substrate are also reduced. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a substrate processing device that reliably transports substrates while suppressing manufacturing costs.

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

[0010] (2) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the substrate pickup unit is further capable of reciprocating the support stand in the direction of the arrangement of multiple substrates in a vertical position held in the holding tank, and includes a support stand moving mechanism for transporting the substrates in a horizontal position held by the first gripping body and the second gripping body to a single-wafer substrate transfer position determined in the processing block, and the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism receives the substrates at the single-wafer substrate transfer position.

[0011] [Function and Effects] According to the invention described in (2) above, the substrate pickup unit is configured to transport a substrate in a horizontal position in the direction of the arrangement of multiple substrates in a vertical position held in the holding tank. In this way, the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism can be configured to receive the substrate transported in that direction by the substrate pickup unit and transport it to the single-wafer substrate processing area, thus simplifying the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism.

[0012] (3) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the substrate pickup unit causes the lifter to move vertically, and the lifter, which is in an upper position relative to the first gripping body and the second gripping body, to move vertically downward, thereby causing one of the multiple substrates held by the lifter to be held by the first gripping body and the second gripping body.

[0013] [Function and Effects] According to the invention of (3) described above, in the substrate pickup unit, the lifter moves vertically, and the lifter, which is positioned above the first and second gripping bodies, moves vertically downward, thereby causing one of the multiple substrates held by the lifter to be held by the first and second gripping bodies. With this configuration, the operation of the substrate pickup unit can be completed using the existing device configuration of the lifter, without the need for a configuration to move the first and second gripping bodies up and down in the substrate pickup unit. Therefore, according to the invention of (3), a substrate processing device with an even simpler device configuration can be provided.

[0014] (4) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the gripping body moving mechanism in the substrate pickup section moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body away from each other to put the first gripping body and the second gripping body into the retracted state, and moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body closer to each other to put the first gripping body and the second gripping body into the substrate gripping state.

[0015] [Function and Effects] According to the invention described in (4) above, the gripping body movement mechanism in the substrate pickup section moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body away from each other to put the first gripping body and the second gripping body in a retracted state, and moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body closer to each other to put the first gripping body and the second gripping body in a substrate gripping state. With this configuration, the movement of the first gripping body and the second gripping body can be minimized, and a substrate processing device can be provided that does not require a substrate pickup section with a large-scale device configuration.

[0016] (5) 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.

[0017] [Function / Effect] According to the invention described in (5) above, the acquisition handling mechanism is composed of a robot that also serves as the return handling mechanism. If the robot for the acquisition handling mechanism and the robot for the return handling mechanism are installed separately in the transfer block, the space remaining in the transfer block will be reduced, decreasing the degree of freedom in the device configuration. According to the invention described in (5) above, a mechanism for, for example, half-pitching of lots can be provided in the transfer block, and a substrate processing device with a high degree of freedom in device configuration can be provided.

[0018] (6) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the holding tank is provided on the transfer block side of the batch processing tank.

[0019] [Function and Effects] According to the invention described in (6) above, the holding tank is located on the transfer block side of the batch processing tank. With this configuration, the substrate processing operation can be completed without the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism moving in the stretching direction. The configuration of (6) allows for a simpler configuration of the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism.

[0020] (7) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the processing block of the sheet Leaf areaIn the processing area, a plurality of wafer processing chambers are arranged in the extending direction, and the wafer substrate transfer area in the processing block has one end adjacent to the transfer block and the other end extending in the extending direction.

[0021] [Function and Effect] According to the invention related to (7) described above, in the wafer substrate processing area in the processing block, a plurality of wafer processing chambers are arranged in the extending direction. Therefore, according to the apparatus of (7), more wafer processing chambers can be installed, so the throughput is high.

[0022] (8) In the substrate processing apparatus according to (1), in the batch processing area in the processing block, there are provided a batch processing tank for storing an acidic liquid for acid-treating a plurality of substrates and a batch processing tank for storing pure water for rinsing a plurality of substrates, and the holding tank stores a liquid mixed with isopropyl alcohol or pure water.

[0023] [Function and Effect] According to the invention related to (8) described above, it is possible to surely prevent the substrates waiting until they are transferred to the substrate pickup section from being naturally dried while surely stopping the acid treatment on the plurality of substrates after the acid treatment. That is, according to this configuration, the substrates after the acid treatment are surely rinsed with the pure water in the batch processing, and then the drying resistance of the substrates is improved using the holding tank storing diluted isopropyl alcohol. According to this configuration, since the rinsing process and the drying prevention treatment process are performed in different tanks, the processing can be performed while preserving the pure water related to the rinsing process and the diluted isopropyl alcohol related to the drying prevention treatment process. The holding tank of this configuration can provide a substrate processing apparatus with reduced environmental load by minimizing the discharge of organic solvent waste liquid.

[0024] (9) In the substrate processing apparatus according to (1), the wafer processing chamber dries the substrate with a supercritical fluid.

[0025] [Function and Effect] According to the invention related to the above (9), since the substrate can be dried in a state where the surface tension is 0, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of so-called pattern collapse in which the circuit pattern collapses on the substrate.

[0026] (10) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), a plurality of the single wafer processing chambers are provided in the vertical direction in the single wafer processing area.

[0027] [Function and Effect] According to the invention related to the above (10), since processing can be performed in parallel using a plurality of single wafer processing chambers, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus with high throughput.

[0028] (11) In the substrate processing apparatus described in (1), the processing block further includes a support that supports the substrate conveyed to the single wafer substrate transfer position from the side of the single wafer substrate transfer area.

[0029] [Function and Effect] According to the invention related to the above (11), it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can reliably convey the substrate without the horizontally oriented substrate conveyed to the single wafer substrate transfer position slipping out to the side of the single wafer substrate transfer area. [Effect of the Invention]

[0030] According to the present invention, by reviewing the configuration of an apparatus including a batch type module and a single wafer type module, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can reliably convey the substrate while suppressing the manufacturing cost. The present invention focuses on the process of taking out one substrate from the arrangement of substrates in a vertical posture, changing the posture of the substrate to a horizontal posture, and conveying the substrate to a predetermined position provided near the single wafer transfer area, among substrate processing apparatuses. The present invention simplifies the configuration of the substrate pickup unit by individually executing the process of taking out the substrate and the process of changing the posture of the substrate, and can reduce the positional error that occurs when operating the substrate pickup unit. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0031]

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[0032] 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]

[0033] <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.

[0034] The substrate processing apparatus 1 performs various processes on a disc-shaped substrate W, such as chemical treatment, cleaning, and drying. 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] <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).

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] <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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] <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 removed 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 batch substrate transfer position P1. The first transport mechanism HTR corresponds to the acquisition handling mechanism of the present invention, the posture conversion unit 20 corresponds to the 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 is set to a batch substrate transfer position P1 for transferring multiple substrates W to a 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 batch substrate transfer position P1 is set to the side of the pusher mechanism 22 and on the opposite side of the attitude change unit 20.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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 hand 71a corresponds to the acquisition handling mechanism of the present invention, and the return hand 71b corresponds to the return handling mechanism of the present invention. The acquisition handling mechanism in transfer block 7 consists of a robot that also serves as the return handling mechanism.

[0046] Figure 2 illustrates the attitude changing unit 20 of the embodiment. 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 rotation 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 extend 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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 horizontal position of the substrate W to be held, 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 one end of the substrate W and the other end that is furthest from that end. 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 a predetermined part of the substrate W and a specific part located near that predetermined part. 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 in the same position in the left-right direction (Y direction), and the pair of vertical holding parts 20C are in the same position in the left-right direction (Y direction). The pair of vertical holding parts 20C are provided on the side of the support base 20A that rotates and falls over (left direction) that is closer to the horizontal holding parts 20B.

[0050] 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 horizontal holding section 20B and the vertical holding section 20C is changed from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation.

[0051] 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 batch substrate transfer position P1. The horizontal movement unit 22C can also 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.

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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°.

[0058] 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.

[0059] 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 batch substrate transfer position P1.

[0060] As described above, the pusher mechanism 22 corresponds to a substrate holding section that holds multiple substrates in the vertical orientation of the present invention together at a predetermined batch substrate transfer position P1. In this embodiment, a mechanism can also be added to the pusher mechanism 22 that rotates the pusher 22A 180° around an axis parallel to the vertical direction (Z direction).

[0061] <5. Processing Block> 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.

[0062] <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).

[0063] 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 a liquid holding unit 25 that holds multiple substrates W in a vertical position in the liquid.

[0064] The arrangement of batch processing units BPU1 to BPU4 will be explained in detail. The first batch processing unit BPU1 is adjacent to the liquid-immersed 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 liquid-immersed 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).

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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 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 above the liquid surface of the chemical solution. The chemical treatment is specifically an acid treatment, and while phosphoric acid treatment is acceptable, other acids 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.

[0067] 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.

[0068] Thus, in the embodiment, 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 tank CHB1 in the embodiment is located at a distance from the transfer block 7 equal to the width of the batch rinsing tank ONB. This configuration prevents corrosion of the mechanisms of the transfer block 7 by the acid solution held in the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1. Similar effects are achieved for the center robot CR and the substrate pickup unit 80, which will be described later. The batch chemical treatment tanks CHB and the batch rinsing tank correspond to the batch treatment tanks of the present invention.

[0069] The liquid-immersed holding unit 25 is located adjacent to the transfer block 7 from the rear. The liquid-immersed 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, IPA (isopropyl alcohol) diluted with pure water to prevent the substrate W inside the tank from drying out. The lifter LF5, which receives the lot from the second transport mechanism WTR at a transfer position above the holding tank 43, lowers the substrate W to the immersion position (corresponding to the processing position in the batch chemical treatment tank CHB1), immersing the entire substrate W in pure water. The holding tank 43 holds multiple substrates W in liquid, which are in a vertical position closest to the transfer block 7 in the batch processing area R1.

[0070] The liquid-based holding unit 25 is equipped with a substrate pickup unit 80 that picks up one substrate W from among multiple vertically oriented substrates W in the liquid of the holding tank 43 and converts the orientation of the substrate W from vertical to horizontal. The substrate pickup unit 80 transports the horizontally oriented substrate W to the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2 and hands it over to the center robot CR in the single-wafer substrate transport area R3, which will be described later.

[0071] Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating a substrate pickup unit 80 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the substrate pickup unit 80 has a support plate 82 having a main surface extending in the ZX plane. The support plate 82 of the embodiment is supported so as to be movable in the Y direction by a linear guide 81, which will be described later. A pair of joints 83 are provided at one end (front side) and the other end (rear side) of the support plate 82 in the front-rear direction (X direction), and a rod 84 extending in the width direction (Y direction: the arrangement direction of the multiple substrates W in a vertical position held in the holding tank 43) is provided at each of the joints 83. Therefore, the rod 84 is supported by the support plate 82 via the joints 83. The rod 84 can rotate about a rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction (X direction) that passes through the joints 83. In particular, the rod 84 can stop in a position extended in the width direction (Y direction), and can also stop in a position extended vertically downward. The width direction (Y direction) corresponds to a predetermined direction in the present invention. Joint 83 corresponds to the rod rotation mechanism of the present invention.

[0072] Figure 5 is a side view of the substrate pickup unit 80 in the front-rear direction (X direction) according to the embodiment. Each of the joints 83 is provided with a rod rotation mechanism 61a for rotating a rod 84. The rod rotation control unit 61b controls the rod rotation mechanism 61a. The rod rotation control unit 61b controls the rod rotation mechanism 61a so that the pair of rods 84 extending in the width direction (Y direction) rotate while maintaining their relative positions. Therefore, the pair of rods 84 that are parallel to each other in Figure 4 are rotated while maintaining their parallel state and are positioned to be aligned with the vertical direction (Z direction) relative to each other.

[0073] Each of the pair of rods 84 is provided with a first gripping body 85a and a second gripping body 85b. The first gripping body 85a is a plate-shaped member having an elongated hole 65 through which the rod 84 passes. One side of the first gripping body 85a that contacts the substrate W is curved to conform to the shape of the substrate W. The first gripping body 85a is set on the rod 84 with the curved side facing the rear.

[0074] The first gripping body 85a is movable in the extension direction of the rod 84, and this point will be explained. The first gripping body 85a is not fixed to the rod 84, but can be guided by the rod 84 and move in the extension direction of the rod 84. That is, the first gripping body 85a can move from the state shown in Figure 4 toward the base end of the rod 84, or it can move toward the tip end of the rod 84. At this time, the first gripping body 85a moves in the extension direction of the rod 84 (width direction: Y direction in Figure 4) while maintaining a posture in which the curved side faces backward.

[0075] The second gripping body 85b has the same configuration as the first gripping body 85a. That is, the second gripping body 85b is the same as the first gripping body 85a in that it is plate-shaped with an elongated hole 65 through which the rod 84 passes, one side that contacts the substrate W is curved, and it is guided by the rod 84 and can move in the extension direction of the rod 84. Incidentally, the second gripping body 85b differs from the first gripping body 85a in that the curved side faces forward. The second gripping body 85b moves in the extension direction of the rod 84 (width direction: Y direction in Figure 4) while maintaining the posture with the curved side facing forward. The plate-shaped second gripping body 85b moves following the first gripping body 85a so that it is located on the same plane as the first gripping body 85a, which is also plate-shaped.

[0076] The mechanism and control unit for moving the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b in the extension direction of the rod 84 will now be described. The first gripping body 85a is equipped with a gripping body moving mechanism 67a that moves the first gripping body 85a along the rod 84. On the other hand, the second gripping body 85b is equipped with a gripping body moving mechanism 67b that moves the second gripping body 85b along the rod 84. The gripping body moving control unit 68 is provided for the purpose of controlling the gripping body moving mechanisms 67a and 67b. The gripping body moving control unit 68 controls the gripping body moving mechanisms 67a and 67b so that they move while maintaining the relative position of the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b. Therefore, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b, which are in the same state in the Y direction in Figure 4, are guided by the rod 84 and moved linearly while maintaining that state.

[0077] The curved edges of the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b coincide with a part of a virtual circle corresponding to the shape of the substrate W to be gripped. Since a V-groove 66 into which the substrate W is fitted is provided on these edges, when the substrate W to be gripped is held by the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b, its peripheral edge fits into the V-groove 66. With this configuration, both sides of the substrate W to be gripped can be fixed by the V-groove 66, so the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b can grip the substrate W more firmly.

[0078] Furthermore, the distance between the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b is shorter than the diameter of the substrate W to be gripped in the substrate gripping state described later. This makes it easier for the substrate W gripped by the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b to be pulled out from a direction perpendicular to the direction from the first gripping body 85a to the second gripping body 85b (the direction of the arrow in Figure 4). In other words, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are shaped to be suitable for handing the substrate W to the center robot CR in the single-wafer substrate transport area R3 described later.

[0079] The linear guide 81 is a rectangular prism-shaped member extending in the Y direction, and it movably supports the support plate 82. The linear guide 81 constitutes an electric actuator, and the support plate 82 is provided on the slider of the electric actuator. Therefore, the support plate 82 can move linearly in the direction of extension of the linear guide 81. As shown in Figure 5, the movement of the support plate 82 is performed by the motor 62a. The motor control unit 62b is configured to control the motor 62a. The linear guide 81 and motor 62a correspond to the support base moving mechanism of the present invention.

[0080] The first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are configured to move closer to and further apart from each other, and this point will be explained. Figure 6, like Figure 4, shows the state in which the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are closest to each other. At this time, the rod 84 is located at one end of the elongated hole 65 in the first gripping body 85a. Figure 7 shows the state in which the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are farthest apart. The rod 84 is located at the other end of the elongated hole 65 in the first gripping body 85a. The positional relationship of the rod 84 in the second gripping body 85b is the same as in the case of the first gripping body 85a. That is, when the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b move apart from each other, the rod 84 moves from one end to the other end of the elongated hole 65 in the second gripping body 85b.

[0081] Figure 6 shows the substrate gripping state in which the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b can hold the substrate W. In this state, the curved edges of the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are part of a virtual circle corresponding to the shape of the substrate W to be gripped. Figure 7 shows the retracted state in which the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b cannot hold the substrate W. In this state, the curved edges of the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are located away from the virtual circle corresponding to the shape of the substrate W to be gripped. Note that the distance between the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b in Figure 7 is greater than or equal to the diameter of the substrate W to be gripped. Therefore, in the state shown in Figure 7, the substrate W can pass between the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b.

[0082] Each of the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b is provided with a sliding mechanism 63a that slides the first gripping body 85a in the front-rear direction (X direction), i.e., in the direction of extension of the elongated hole 65, relative to the rod 84. The sliding control unit 63b controls the sliding mechanism 63a. The sliding control unit 63b controls the sliding mechanism 63a so that the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b slide synchronously. Accordingly, when the first gripping body 85a slides, the second gripping body 85b slides in the opposite direction to the first gripping body 85a by the same distance. Therefore, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b can work together to approach the virtual circle Cy, and can also work together to move away from the virtual circle Cy. The sliding mechanism 63a corresponds to the gripping body movement mechanism of the present invention.

[0083] In addition, the processing block 9 is equipped with stopper members 90a and 90b, which are approximately rectangular in shape, as shown in Figure 8, for the purpose of assisting in the holding of the substrate W by the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b. As shown in Figure 1, the stopper members 90a and 90b have curved edges that form the circumference of a virtual circle corresponding to the substrate W when the substrate W is located at the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2. Steps 69 are provided on these edges. The stopper fixing device 90c is a member that extends in the vertical direction (Z direction) and is a support component for positioning the stopper members 90a and 90b at the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2. When the substrate arrives at the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2, the outer circumference of the substrate W is fitted into the steps 69 of the stopper members 90a and 90b and supported. The stopper members 90a and 90b correspond to the support of the present invention. Fluororesin is preferred as the material for the stopper members 90a and 90b.

[0084] Figure 9 illustrates how stopper members 90a and 90b assist in holding the substrate W by the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b. As explained in Figure 4, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are shaped to be suitable for pulling out the substrate W from one direction. In this case, when the substrate W is handed over to the center robot CR in the single-wafer substrate transport area R3, the holding of the substrate W becomes uncertain, and in particular, there is a high possibility that the substrate W will slide away from the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b. Therefore, in the configuration of this embodiment, stopper members 90a and 90b are provided to prevent the substrate W from moving in that direction at the single-wafer substrate handover position P2. As can be seen by referring to Figure 9, the first gripping body 85a holds the lower left end of the substrate W, and the second gripping body 85b holds the lower right end of the substrate W. The stopper member 90a holds the upper left end of the substrate W, and the stopper member 90b holds the upper right end of the substrate W. In this way, at the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2, the first gripping body 85a, the second gripping body 85b, the stopper member 90a, and the stopper member 90b are arranged to surround the substrate W, and these four members are configured to hold the substrate W.

[0085] Figure 10 shows the process when the center robot CR receives a substrate W from the substrate pickup unit 80 at the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2. At this time, the substrate transport arm of the center robot CR is inserted into the gap between the stopper members 90a and 90b. The tip of the substrate transport arm then passes through the gap between the stopper members 90a and 90b and protrudes from the substrate W at the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2.

[0086] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating in more detail the transfer of the substrate W at the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2. In Figure 11(a), the substrate W is omitted to clarify the positional relationship of each component. In this figure, the stopper members 90a and 90b are depicted with the step 69 facing them. Therefore, the substrate W will be positioned in front of the stopper members 90a and 90b. On the other hand, in this figure, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are described in cross-section. Referring to this figure, it can be understood that the V-groove 66 of the first gripping body 85a faces the second gripping body 85b, and the V-groove 66 of the second gripping body 85b faces the first gripping body 85a. The first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are located in front of the stopper members 90a and 90b.

[0087] Figure 11(b) is a diagram of Figure 11(a) with the substrate W to be gripped added. In Figure 11(b), the substrate W is depicted as a cross-section, just like the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b. The left and right ends of the substrate W are fitted into the V-grooves 66 of the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b and are firmly held. The vertical (Z-direction) position of the step 69 in the stopper members 90a and 90b coincides with the position of the deepest part of the V-groove 66 in the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b. Therefore, the substrate W does not bend even when held by the four members: the first gripping body 85a, the second gripping body 85b, and the stopper members 90a and 90b.

[0088] Figure 11(c) shows the state in which the substrate W is ready to be handed over to the center robot CR by slightly separating the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b from the state in Figure 11(b). In this figure, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b do not hold the substrate W, so there is a possibility that the substrate W may slip out from the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b. However, such movement of the substrate W is prevented by the stopper members 90a and 90b. The substrate W will not slip out towards the front in Figure 11(c). Such movement of the substrate W is prevented by the V-grooves 66 that are curved along the substrate W and have the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b.

[0089] Figure 11(d) shows the state when the substrate transport arm of the center robot CR is inserted below the substrate W, from the state shown in Figure 11(c). If the substrate transport arm moves the substrate W slightly vertically upward, the substrate W will be positioned above the step 69 of the stopper members 90a and 90b. Therefore, the substrate transport arm can pull the substrate W inward despite the presence of the stopper members 90a and 90b. As explained in Figure 11(c), the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are separated from each other, so the substrate W is not gripped by the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b. Therefore, the substrate transport arm can pull the substrate W inward despite the presence of the stopper members 90a and 90b.

[0090] The transport operation of the substrates W by the substrate pickup unit 80 will now be described. The apparatus of this embodiment can keep substrates W, after various batch processing in the batch processing area R1 has been completed, waiting in liquid until they are passed to the single-wafer processing area R2. Figure 12 schematically shows how, after batch processing is completed, substrates W are taken out one by one from a lot held in liquid in the holding tank 43. To take out one substrate W from a lot held in liquid, first the entire lot is raised above the liquid surface of the holding tank 43. This movement of the lot is performed by a lifter LF5 attached to the holding tank 43. The substrate pickup unit 80 grasps the substrate W located at the leading edge of the lot. Once the substrate pickup unit 80 has finished grasping the substrate W, the lifter LF5 is lowered, and multiple substrates W that were not grasped by the substrate pickup unit 80 are returned together to the liquid in the holding tank 43. Meanwhile, the substrate pickup unit 80 changes the orientation of the gripped substrate W from a vertical to a horizontal orientation and transports it to the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2. In this way, the apparatus of the embodiment transports the substrates W constituting the lot one by one to the single-wafer processing area R2 by repeating the operations of raising the lifter LF5, gripping the substrate W, lowering the lifter LF5, changing the orientation of the substrate W, and transporting the substrate W. With this configuration, the substrates W constituting the lot do not dry out while the lot is waiting for single-wafer processing.

[0091] Hereafter, with reference to Figures 13 to 21, the operation of the substrate pickup unit 80 when it picks up one substrate W from among the multiple substrates W in the liquid of the liquid-held unit 25 and transports it to the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2 will be explained in detail.

[0092] Figure 13 shows the initial state before the substrate pickup unit 80 grips the substrate W. Specifically, the rod 84 of the substrate pickup unit 80 is extended in the width direction (Y direction), and the support plate 82 has been moved to the base end of the linear guide 81. The first gripping body 85a is located at the tip of the rod 84. The first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are spaced apart from each other, as shown on the right side of the figure, and the substrate W can pass between the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b. In Figure 13, the lifter LF5 is in the state of raising the rod toward the substrate pickup unit 80. However, before the transport of the substrate W by the substrate pickup unit 80 begins, the lifter LF5 is in the state before raising, and the rod is immersed in the liquid in the holding tank 43.

[0093] Figure 14 shows the state when the lifter LF5 has risen to the top of the substrate pickup unit 80. Since the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b of the substrate pickup unit 80 are spaced apart from each other, the substrate W mounted on the lifter LF5 can pass between them without colliding with the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b, as shown on the right side of the figure.

[0094] Figure 15 shows the state when the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are closer to each other than in the state shown in Figure 14. At this time, the distance between the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b is narrower than the width of the substrate W, as shown on the right side of the figure.

[0095] Figure 16 shows the state when the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b move towards the base end of the rod 84 from the state shown in Figure 15. At this time, the positions of the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are the same as those of the substrate W (leading substrate W) that is located closest to the tip of the linear guide 81 among the substrates W that make up the rod, in the width direction (Y direction). The distance between the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b at this time is the same as in Figure 15, as shown on the right side of the figure.

[0096] Figure 17 shows the state after the lifter LF5 has descended to the substrate pickup section 80 from the state shown in Figure 16. At this time, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are in close proximity to each other, so as shown on the right side of the figure, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b contact the periphery of the leading substrate W in the lot and hold the substrate W.

[0097] Figure 18 shows the state when the lifter LF5 descends further from the state shown in Figure 17. At this time, the lifter LF5 descends along with multiple substrates W that were not gripped, leaving the substrates W held by the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b behind. At this time, the state of the substrates W held by the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b is the same as in Figure 17, as shown on the right side of the figure.

[0098] Figure 19 shows the state after the lifter LF5 has descended further from the state shown in Figure 18. The lifter LF5 returns to the holding tank 43 and moves the multiple substrates W that were not gripped below the liquid surface of the holding tank 43. At this time, the state of the substrates W held by the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b is the same as in Figure 17, as shown on the right side of the figure.

[0099] Figure 20 shows the state when the rod 84 of the substrate pickup unit 80 is rotated 90° from the state shown in Figure 19. As the rod 84 rotates, the orientation of the substrate W held by the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b changes in the opposite direction to the orientation change of the rod 84, that is, from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation. At this time, the state of the substrate W held by the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b is the same as in Figure 17, as shown on the right side of the figure. If the vertical position (Z direction) of the substrate W does not coincide with the vertical position (Z direction) of the stopper members 90a and 90b, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b are raised or lowered to move the substrate W to the same height as the stopper members 90a and 90b. The movement of the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b relative to the rod 84 may be performed before rotating the rod 84 by 90° (see Figure 19).

[0100] Figure 21 shows the state after the support plate 82 has been moved to the tip of the linear guide 81 from the state in Figure 20. At this time, the substrate W, which is gripped by the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b, approaches the stopper members 90a and 90b. Since the substrate W is at the same height as the stopper members 90a and 90b, the substrate W will eventually come into contact with the stopper members 90a and 90b. In this way, the substrate W, which was waiting in the liquid of the holding tank 43, is transported to the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2. Then, as explained on the right side of the figure, the substrate W is held by the four members: the first gripping body 85a, the second gripping body 85b, the stopper members 90a and 90b.

[0101] The substrate pickup unit 80 transports the substrates W waiting in the holding tank 43 one by one to the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2 by repeating the operations shown in Figures 13 to 21.

[0102] <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 liquid-immersed 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.

[0103] The single-wafer processing chamber CMB3 is, for example, a supercritical fluid chamber. 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 for drying 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 the supercritical state, the surface tension of the fluid becomes zero, so the circuit pattern on the surface of the substrate W is not affected by the gas-liquid interface. Therefore, drying the substrate W with a supercritical fluid prevents the collapse of the circuit pattern on the substrate W, so-called pattern collapse.

[0104] <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. The single-wafer substrate transport area R3 is located between the batch processing area R1 and the single-wafer processing area R2.

[0105] The single-wafer substrate transport area R3 is equipped with a center robot CR that transports substrates W in a horizontal position. The center robot CR transports the substrates W from a single-wafer substrate transfer position P2 located in the batch processing area R1 to one of the single-wafer processing chambers. The center robot CR is equipped with a hand 29 capable of acquiring a single horizontally positioned substrate W at the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2. The center robot CR is capable of reciprocating in the vertical direction (Z direction). Furthermore, the center robot CR is capable of rotation in the XY plane (horizontal plane). Therefore, the hand 29 of the center robot CR can face either the batch processing area R1 or the single-wafer processing area R2 by rotating around a rotation axis extending in the Z direction. The center robot CR corresponds to the single-wafer substrate transport mechanism of the present invention.

[0106] The hand 29 of the central robot CR is capable of moving back and forth in the XY plane (horizontal plane). Therefore, the hand 29 can receive a substrate W from the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2 in the batch processing area R1, or it can transfer the horizontally oriented substrate W to each of the single-wafer processing chambers CMB1 to CMB3 in the single-wafer processing area R2. The hand 29 provided on the central robot CR is equipped with multiple tabs, which allow the hand 29 to firmly hold the substrate W.

[0107] <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.

[0108] 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 batch substrate transfer position P1 defined within the transfer block 7, each batch processing unit BPU1 to BPU4, and the liquid 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 batch substrate transfer position P1 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. The second transport mechanism WTR corresponds to the batch substrate transport mechanism of the present invention.

[0109] 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 batch substrate transfer position P1 in the transfer block 7, lifters LF1 to LF4 belonging to batch processing units BPU1 to BPU4, and a lifter LF5 belonging to the liquid holding unit 25.

[0110] 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.

[0111] 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 change unit 20, the pusher mechanism 22, the batch processing units BPU1 to BPU4, the liquid holding unit 25, the substrate pickup unit 80, and the central robot CR.

[0112] <Circuit board processing flow> Figure 22 is a flowchart illustrating the substrate processing flow in this example. The substrate processing in this example involves processes related to etching the substrate surface W and substrate drying in the semiconductor device manufacturing process. The substrate processing flow will now be explained in detail according to the flowchart.

[0113] 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 23). 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.

[0114] 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.

[0115] 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.

[0116] Step S14: Subsequently, batch processing is performed on multiple substrates W. Specifically, the lot waiting at the batch substrate transfer position P1 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 23 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.

[0117] 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 23).

[0118] 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 liquid-immersed holding unit 25 in an arrangement in the width direction (Y direction) (see Figure 10). At this time, the lifter LF5 of the liquid-immersed holding unit 25 is in the transfer position.

[0119] As described above, in step S14, the second transport mechanism WTR receives multiple substrates W in a vertical position at the batch substrate transfer position P1 of the transfer block 7, and transports the received multiple substrates W to the second batch processing unit BPU2 for chemical treatment, the first batch processing unit BPU1 for rinsing, and the liquid holding unit 25 in that order.

[0120] Step S15: The lot passed to the lifter LF5 of the liquid-held 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 below the liquid surface. This prevents the surface of the substrates W from drying out.

[0121] Step S16: As shown in Figure 24, one of the substrates W held in the liquid in the liquid holding unit 25 is received from the lifter LF5 by the substrate pickup unit 80. The received substrate W is then repositioned as described later and transported to the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2. The lifter LF5 lowers each time a substrate W is transported, immersing the waiting substrate W in the diluted IPA solution in the holding tank 43, so that these substrates W do not air dry during this step.

[0122] Step S17: The vertically positioned substrate W, which has been pulled out from the holding tank 43 in the liquid-immersed holding unit 25, is converted to a horizontal position by the substrate pickup unit 80. The substrate pickup unit 80 then moves the horizontally positioned substrate W horizontally to the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2. The center robot CR in the single-wafer substrate transport area R3 receives the substrate W at the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2 and transports it to the entrance of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1. Figure 24 shows how the substrate W is transported to the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 among the single-wafer processing chambers CMB1, CMB2, and CMB3.

[0123] 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 substrate drying process. During processing, the inlet and outlet of the single-wafer processing chamber CMB1 are closed by shutters.

[0124] 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 inside, 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.

[0125] Steps S16 to S19 described above focus on a single substrate W held in liquid, and each of these steps S16 to S19 is repeated until all of the substrate W is returned from the liquid holding unit 25 to the carrier C. Finally, as shown in Figure 25, the carrier C containing the processed substrate 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.

[0126] As described above, the configuration of the embodiment makes it possible to simplify the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 equipped with a batch module and a single-wafer module. The apparatus of the embodiment includes a posture conversion unit 20 that converts the posture of horizontally positioned substrates W arranged in the vertical direction to a vertical posture all at once, a plurality of batch chemical treatment tanks CHB that liquid-treat a plurality of substrates W after posture conversion all at once, and a holding tank 43 for holding the plurality of substrates W after liquid treatment has been completed. The configuration of the embodiment does not require the complex operation of taking one of the waiting substrates W from the holding tank 43, converting its posture, and transporting it to the single-wafer substrate transport area R3, but rather uses existing equipment to take one substrate W from the holding tank 43. That is, the apparatus of the embodiment uses a lifter LF5 provided in the holding tank 43 to pass one of the plurality of substrates W to a substrate pickup unit 80 that is capable of posture conversion and transport of the substrates W. In other words, the apparatus of the embodiment is configured such that when the lifter LF5 passes from top to bottom, one of the substrates W held by the lifter LF5 is held by the substrate pickup unit 80. The substrate pickup unit 80 is equipped with a rod rotation mechanism 61a for changing the orientation of the substrate W, and a support base movement mechanism (motor 62a, linear guide 81) for moving the substrate W in a horizontal position. Therefore, according to the embodiment, one of the three processes of removing the substrate W from the holding tank 43, changing the orientation of the substrate W, and transporting the substrate W to a predetermined position can be omitted, and the substrate pickup unit 80 can be configured. As a result, the apparatus configuration of the substrate pickup unit 80 is simplified, and the positional errors that occur when moving the substrate W are also reduced. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus 1 that reliably transports the substrate W while suppressing manufacturing costs.

[0127] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the following modifications are possible.

[0128] <Example 1> Although the single-wafer processing chamber CMB in the above-described embodiment was composed of a supercritical fluid chamber, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The single-wafer processing chamber CMB may also be composed of a smaller chamber that dries the substrate W using a spin-drying method. By configuring it in this way, the number of chambers mounted in the single-wafer processing area R2 can be increased, and a device with high throughput can be provided.

[0129] <Modification 2> In the above-described embodiment, a single-wafer drying chamber was provided in the single-wafer processing area R2, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The single-wafer processing area R2 may be equipped with a chamber capable of water-repellent treatment of the substrate surface, or a chamber capable of drying and water-repellent treatment of the substrate W may be equipped. In this way, the present invention allows for flexible modification of the configuration according to the intended use of the apparatus.

[0130] <Variation 3> In the above-described embodiment, the system had both a batch rinsing tank ONB and a liquid-immersed holding unit 25, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. As shown in Figure 26, the function of the batch rinsing tank ONB may be provided to the liquid-immersed holding unit 25. With this configuration, there is no need to provide a batch rinsing tank ONB separately from the liquid-immersed holding unit 25, so more batch chemical treatment tanks CHB can be provided than in the embodiment described in Figure 1. In other words, in this modified example, batch chemical treatment can be performed more efficiently using four batch chemical treatment tanks CHB. For example, pure water can be used as the liquid held by the liquid-immersed holding unit 25.

[0131] <Modification 4> In addition to the configuration of the above-described modified example 3, a function to mix IPA can also be added to the liquid-immersed holding unit 25. The liquid-immersed holding unit 25 in this modified example holds pure water and accepts the rod in this state. The substrate W constituting the rod, which has been rinsed with pure water, has increased drying resistance due to the IPA supplied from the supply unit provided in the liquid-immersed holding unit 25, and is reliably transported to the single-wafer processing chamber CMB3 without natural drying while being transported in the air by the substrate pickup unit 80. The supply unit 101 in Figure 27 is located in the batch processing area R1 of the processing block 9 and includes a nozzle 102 that discharges IPA into the holding tank 43, an IPA tank 103 that contains IPA, a supply pipe 104 that passes IPA through an interposed position between the IPA tank and the nozzle, and a valve 105 inserted in the middle of the supply pipe 103. The valve 105 is configured to open to supply IPA to the holding tank 43 or close to stop the supply, under the control of the CPU 75 (valve control unit 106).

[0132] <Modification 5> In the single-wafer processing area R2 of the above-described embodiment, a plurality of single-wafer processing chambers CMB stacked vertically were provided, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. A single single-wafer processing chamber may be provided in the single-wafer processing area R2.

[0133] <Variation 6> In the above-described embodiment, stopper members 90a and 90b were provided in the batch processing area R1, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. If there is no risk of the horizontally positioned substrate W held by the substrate pickup unit 80 sliding off towards the single-wafer substrate transport area R3, the stopper members 90a and 90b can be omitted.

[0134] <Example 7> In the above-described embodiment, a lot was constructed consisting of substrates W arranged at half-pitch by batch-packing multiple substrates W housed in carrier C and multiple substrates W housed in other carrier C. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The present invention can also be applied to devices that do not perform batch packing. In this device, the transport mechanism WTR transports 25 substrates W arranged at full pitch all at once, and lifters LF1, LF2, LF3, LF4, and LF5 receive the 25 substrates W arranged at full pitch all at once from the transport mechanism WTR.

[0135] <Differentiation Example 8> In the above-described embodiment, an acquisition hand 71a and a return hand 71b were provided on the first transport mechanism HTR, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. In addition to the robot equipped with the acquisition hand 71a, a robot equipped with a return hand 71b can also be installed on the transfer block 7 to constitute the substrate processing apparatus 1. With this configuration, the acquisition and return of substrates W can be performed simultaneously, thereby providing a substrate processing apparatus 1 with high throughput.

[0136] <Modification 9> In the above-described embodiment, as explained in Figures 20 and 21, the substrate pickup unit 80 was capable of transporting the substrate W in a horizontal position in the width direction (Y direction), but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. In a configuration in which the linear guide 81 of the substrate pickup unit 80 is omitted, the center robot CR may directly receive the substrate W after the orientation change (see Figure 20). With this configuration, the stopper member 90a, the stopper member 90b, and the stopper fixing device 90c are not necessarily required.

[0137] <Variation 10> In the above-described embodiment, the lifter LF5 was configured to lower relative to the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b, thereby holding one substrate W on the lifter LF5. However, instead of the lifter LF5 lowering, the gripping bodies 85a and the second gripping body 85b may be configured to rise relative to the lifter LF5. In such a configuration, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b can be positioned below the lot immersed in the holding tank 43 in the separated state described in Figure 7. From this state, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b can move to the approached state described in Figure 6 and further rise toward the lifter LF5. According to this modified example, the transfer of the substrate W from the lifter LF5 to the substrate pickup unit 80 is performed in the liquid. Therefore, as described in the embodiment, it is no longer necessary to remove the entire lot from the liquid each time the substrate W is transported to the single-wafer substrate transfer position P2, and the substrate W can be reliably kept in the liquid before single-wafer transport.

[0138] <Variation 11> In the above-described embodiment, the single-wafer processing area R2 was constructed by stacking single-wafer processing chambers CMB1 to CMB3 in the height direction, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. More single-wafer processing chambers may be provided in the single-wafer processing area R2. As shown in Figure 28, if the single-wafer substrate transport area R3 is configured to extend away from the transfer block 7, and the center robot CR provided in the single-wafer substrate transport area R3 is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction (X direction), the single-wafer processing area R2 can be expanded in the front-rear direction (X direction) accordingly. In the single-wafer processing area R2 shown in Figure 28, four stacks, each consisting of three single-wafer processing chambers, are arranged in the front-rear direction (X direction). That is, single-wafer processing chambers CMB1 to CMB3 constitute the first stack, single-wafer processing chambers CMB4 to CMB6 constitute the second stack, single-wafer processing chambers CMB7 to CMB9 constitute the third stack, and single-wafer processing chambers CMB10 to CMB12 constitute the fourth stack. The first, second, third, and fourth laminates are arranged in this order, moving away from the transfer block 7. A single-wafer path 72, capable of holding a horizontally positioned substrate W, is provided between the first laminate and the transfer block 7. Substrates W that have undergone drying in any of the single-wafer chambers CMB1 to CMB12 are transported to path 72 by the center robot CR and wait there. The return hand 71b then grasps the substrate W placed on path 72 and returns it to the carrier C. By configuring the number of single-wafer processing chambers in this way, the number of substrates W that can be processed simultaneously increases when performing single-wafer processing on different substrates W in parallel, thus providing a substrate processing apparatus 2 with high throughput.

[0139] <Variation 12> In the configuration of Modification 11, the position of the holding tank 43 in the batch processing area R1 is not particularly limited. As explained in Figure 1, the holding tank 43 may be located closer to the transfer block 7 than the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB1 to CHB3 and the batch rinsing treatment tank ONB, or the holding tank 43 may be located further away from the transfer block 7 than the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB1 to CHB3 and the batch rinsing treatment tank ONB. The holding tank 43 can also be incorporated into the arrangement of the batch chemical treatment tanks CHB1 to CHB3 and the batch rinsing treatment tank ONB. The substrate pickup unit 80 is configured to take out the substrate W held in the holding tank 43, so regardless of the position of the holding tank 43, the substrate pickup unit 80 is located above the holding tank 43.

[0140] <Example 13> In the above-described embodiment, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b were configured to move away from the lifter LF5 by moving away from each other and approach the lifter LF5 by moving closer to each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Even in a configuration where the distance between the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b does not change, a configuration in which the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b move away from the lifter LF5 or approach the lifter LF5 can be realized. Specifically, the first gripping body 85a and the second gripping body 85b may move away from the lifter LF5 or approach the lifter LF5 by moving in the forward / backward direction (X direction) while maintaining the distance between them. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0141] 5 Storage Blocks 7 Transfer Block 9 Processing Blocks 20. Posture Change Unit (Posture Change Mechanism) 21a Carrier mounting rack 22 Pusher mechanism (substrate holding part) 43 Holding tank 61a Rod rotation mechanism 62a Motor (support base movement mechanism) 63a Slide mechanism (grip moving mechanism) 71a Acquisition Hand (Acquisition Handling Mechanism) 71b Return handle (return handling mechanism) 80 Circuit board pickup section 81 Linear guide (support base movement mechanism) 82 Support plate (support stand) 83 Joints (Rod Rotation Mechanism) 84 rods 85a 1st grip 85b Second grip C Career CHB1 Batch chemical processing tank (batch processing tank) CHB2 Batch chemical processing tank (batch processing tank) CHB3 Batch chemical processing tank (batch processing tank) CMB1 Single-Waf Processing Chamber CMB2 Single-Waf Processing Chamber CMB3 Single-Waf Processing Chamber CR Center Robot (Single-wafer substrate transport mechanism) LF5 Lifter ONB Batch Rinse Treatment Tank (Batch Treatment Tank) P1 Batch board handover location P2 Single-wafer substrate handover position R1 Batch processing area R2 Single-wafer processing area R3 Single-wafer substrate transport area R4 Batch substrate transport area W board WTR Second Transport Mechanism (Batch Substrate Transport Mechanism)

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus that sequentially performs batch processing, which processes multiple substrates at once, and single-wafer processing, which processes substrates one at a time, The system comprises a stocker block, a transfer block adjacent to the stocker block, and a processing block adjacent to the transfer block. The stocker block houses at least one carrier for storing multiple substrates arranged vertically at predetermined intervals in a horizontal position, and includes a carrier rack for substrate removal and storage on which the carrier is placed for loading and unloading substrates from the carrier. The transfer block includes an acquisition handling mechanism for acquiring multiple substrates at once from a carrier placed on the carrier rack, An attitude change mechanism that simultaneously changes the attitude of multiple acquired circuit boards between horizontal and vertical orientations, It includes a substrate holding unit that holds multiple substrates in a vertical position together at a predetermined batch 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 separated from the batch processing area in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of 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 has multiple batch processing tanks arranged in the direction of extension of that area, in which multiple substrates are immersed together in the processing tanks. Furthermore, a holding tank for holding multiple substrates arranged in a predetermined direction perpendicular to the stretching direction in a vertical position in a liquid, A lifter for raising and lowering multiple substrates relative to the aforementioned holding tank, A substrate pickup unit is provided, which takes one substrate from among a plurality of substrates held in a vertical position in the aforementioned holding tank and converts the substrate from a vertical position to a horizontal position. The aforementioned substrate pickup unit is A pair of rods provided at the top of the holding tank and extending in the direction of arrangement of the multiple substrates held in a vertical position in the holding tank, A support base that supports the bases of the pair of rods, A first gripping body, guided by the rod, is capable of reciprocating in the direction of the arrangement of the multiple substrates in the vertical position. A second gripping body, guided by the other rod and capable of reciprocating in the direction of the arrangement of the multiple substrates in the vertical position, A mechanism that puts the first gripping body and the second gripping body into a retracted state, moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body horizontally from the retracted state, and moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body relative to the lifter in a vertical direction, thereby putting the first gripping body and the second gripping body into a substrate gripping state, In the retracted state, when the first gripping body and the second gripping body, which are located below the substrate held by the lifter, move relative to the lifter in a vertical direction, the first gripping body and the second gripping body are moved to a position where they do not come into contact with the substrate held by the lifter. In the substrate gripping state, when the first gripping body and the second gripping body, which are located below the substrate held by the lifter, move relative to the lifter in a vertical direction, the gripping body movement mechanism moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body to a position where they contact the substrate held by the lifter, and holds one of the multiple substrates held by the lifter with the first gripping body and the second gripping body. The device includes a rod rotation mechanism that, while a single substrate is held in a vertical position by the first gripping body and the second gripping body, rotates a pair of rods to position them along the vertical direction, thereby converting the substrate held by the first gripping body and the second gripping body from a vertical position to a horizontal position. Furthermore, the single-wafer processing area is provided with at least one single-wafer processing chamber for processing one substrate individually. The single-wafer substrate transport area is provided with a single-wafer substrate transport mechanism that transports the substrate received from the substrate pickup unit to the single-wafer processing chamber. The batch substrate transport area is provided with a batch substrate transport mechanism that transports multiple substrates in a vertical orientation simultaneously between a batch substrate transfer position defined within the transfer block, the batch processing tank, and the holding tank. The aforementioned transfer block further, A mechanism interposed between the single-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 single-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 substrate pickup unit is further capable of reciprocating the support base in the direction of the arrangement of multiple vertically positioned substrates held in the holding tank, and includes a support base moving mechanism for transporting the horizontally positioned substrates held by the first gripping body and the second gripping body to a single-wafer substrate transfer position determined in the processing block. The single-wafer substrate transport mechanism receives the substrate at the single-wafer substrate transfer position. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

3. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The substrate pickup unit works by having the lifter move vertically, and the lifter, which is positioned above the first and second gripping bodies, move vertically downward, thereby causing one of the multiple substrates held by the lifter to be held by the first and second gripping bodies. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

4. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The gripping body movement mechanism in the substrate pickup section moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body away from each other to put the first gripping body and the second gripping body into the retracted state, and moves the first gripping body and the second gripping body closer to each other to put the first gripping body and the second gripping body into the substrate gripping state. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

5. 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. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

6. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The holding tank is located on the transfer block side of the batch processing tank. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

7. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, In the processing block, the single-wafer processing area has a plurality of single-wafer processing chambers arranged in the stretching direction. The single-wafer substrate transport area in the processing block has one end adjacent to the transfer block and the other end extending in the stretching direction. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

8. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The batch processing area in the processing block includes: It comprises a batch processing tank for containing an acidic solution for acid treatment of multiple substrates, and a batch processing tank for containing pure water for rinsing multiple substrates, The holding tank contains a liquid mixed with isopropyl alcohol or pure water. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

9. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The aforementioned single-wafer processing chamber dries the substrate using a supercritical fluid. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

10. 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:

11. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The processing block further includes a support that supports the substrate, which has been transported to the single-wafer substrate transfer position, from the single-wafer substrate transport area side. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

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