Substrate treatment device, substrate treatment unit, substrate treatment method, and program

Abstract

A substrate treatment device including: an atmospheric conveyance part for conveying substrates in the air atmosphere; a plurality of treatment parts disposed along the atmospheric conveyance part and capable of treating the substrates in a vacuum atmosphere; and an intermediate part provided so as to adjoin the treatment parts, receiving the substrates from the atmospheric conveyance part, and transferring the substrates to the treatment parts in an atmosphere having a lower pressure than the air atmosphere.

Description

SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING UNIT, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing unit, a substrate processing method, and a program.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A substrate processing apparatus is known that includes a plurality of processing chambers for processing substrates (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-129998).

[0003] International Publication No. 2014 / 168006

[0004] There is a market demand for increased productivity in substrate processing.

[0005] The present disclosure provides techniques that can improve productivity in substrate processing.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a technology comprising: an atmospheric transfer section that transfers substrates in an atmospheric atmosphere; a plurality of processing sections arranged along the atmospheric transfer section that are capable of processing the substrates in a vacuum atmosphere; and an intermediate section that is arranged adjacent to the processing sections, receives the substrates from the atmospheric transfer section, and transfers the substrates to the processing sections in an atmosphere with a pressure lower than that of the atmospheric atmosphere.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, productivity of substrate processing can be improved.

[0008] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (transverse cross-sectional view) showing a schematic configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is an α-α line cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a β-β line cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a γ-γ line cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (longitudinal cross-sectional view) showing a schematic configuration example of a reactor shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a first gas supply unit included in the reactor shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a second gas supply unit included in the reactor shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an inert gas supply unit included in the reactor shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an inert gas supply unit included in the intermediate section shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a control unit of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram (corresponding to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4) showing a schematic configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (longitudinal cross-sectional view) showing a schematic configuration example of the reactor shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram (corresponding to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2) showing a schematic configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram (longitudinal cross-sectional view) showing a schematic configuration example of the reactor shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram (corresponding to the cross-sectional view of Fig. 2) showing a schematic configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that all drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationships, ratios, etc. of elements in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones. Furthermore, the dimensional relationships, ratios, etc. of elements between multiple drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones.

[0010] First Embodiment (1) Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus A schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing an example configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line α-α in Fig. 1, showing the example configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] 1 and 2 , a substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment processes a substrate S. The substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a load port 110, a first transfer unit 120, a second transfer unit 140, a plurality of reactors 200, a plurality of intermediate units 160, and a control unit 400. The second transfer unit 140 of this embodiment is an example of an atmospheric transfer unit of the present disclosure. The reactor 200 of this embodiment is an example of a processing unit of the present disclosure.

[0012] 1, the direction indicated by the arrow FR of the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be referred to as the front (front side) of the substrate processing apparatus 100, the direction opposite to the arrow FR will be referred to as the rear (rear side) of the substrate processing apparatus 100, the direction indicated by the arrow UP will be referred to as the upper (upper side) of the substrate processing apparatus 100, and the direction opposite to the arrow UP will be referred to as the lower (lower side). Also, in FIG. 2, the direction indicated by the arrow LF of the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be referred to as the left (left side) of the substrate processing apparatus 100, and the direction opposite to the arrow LF will be referred to as the right (right side). Also, the front (front side), rear (rear side), upper (upper side), lower (lower side), left (left side), and right (right side) of the substrate processing apparatus 100 may be simply referred to as the front (front side), rear (rear side), upper (upper side), lower (lower side), left (left side), and right (right side). The left-right direction of the substrate processing apparatus 100 may be referred to as the width direction or lateral direction, the front-to-back direction of the substrate processing apparatus 100 may be referred to as the depth direction, and the up-to-down direction of the substrate processing apparatus 100 may be referred to as the height direction.

[0013] 1 and 2 , the substrate processing apparatus 100 has a load port 110 and a first transfer unit 120 disposed at the front. The substrate processing apparatus 100 also has a second transfer unit 140 disposed rearward from the first transfer unit 120. Specifically, the second transfer unit 140 is disposed at the center of the width of the substrate processing apparatus 100 and extends rearward from the first transfer unit 120. A plurality of reactors 200 and a plurality of intermediate units 160 are disposed on both sides of the second transfer unit 140 in the width direction. In this embodiment, for example, four reactors 200 are disposed on one side (left side) of the second transfer unit 140 in the width direction, and four reactors 200 are disposed on the other side (right side) of the width direction. When the reactors 200 are individually designated, the reactors 200 on the left side are referred to as 200a, 200b, 200c, and 200d from the front, and the reactors 200 on the right side are referred to as 200e, 200f, 200g, and 200h from the front. In this embodiment, as an example, two intermediate sections 160 are arranged on one side (left side) of the second transport section 140 in the width direction, and two intermediate sections 160 are arranged on the other side (right side) of the width direction. When the reactors 200 are individually designated, the intermediate sections 160 on the left side are referred to as 160a and 160b from the front, and the intermediate sections 160 on the right side are referred to as 160c and 160d from the front.

[0014] Furthermore, the load port 110 , the first transfer section 120 , the second transfer section 140 , the intermediate section 160 and the reactor 200 are each fixed to the floor 101 .

[0015] Next, a specific description will be given of each component of the substrate processing apparatus 100. The operation of each component of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is controlled by a control unit 400, which will be described later.

[0016] (Load Port) As shown in Fig. 1, the load port 110 is installed in front of the substrate processing apparatus 100. A plurality of support stages 111 are provided on the load port 110. A storage container 102, which is an example of a container, is mounted on the support stages 111. This storage container 102 is a container that can store a substrate S such as a silicon (Si) substrate. This storage container 102 is sometimes called a FOUP, a cassette, or the like.

[0017] 1, the first transfer section 120 is adjacent to the load port 110 at the rear of the load port 110. The first transfer section 120 is adjacent to the reactor 200 on the opposite side of the load port 110. Specifically, the first transfer section 120 is adjacent to the reactor 200a and the reactor 200e.

[0018] The first transfer unit 120 is a part in the substrate processing apparatus 100 that transfers the substrate S between the load port 110 and the second transfer unit 140. In other words, the first transfer unit 120 is a part in the substrate processing apparatus 100 that transfers the substrate S between the storage container 102 and the second transfer robot 144 (more specifically, the front second transfer robot 144a). This first transfer unit 120 transfers the substrate in an atmospheric atmosphere.

[0019] The first transport section 120 has a housing 121. The inside of the housing 121 is defined as a transport space 122 for transporting the substrate S. A first transport rail 123 extending laterally is provided at the bottom of the housing 121.

[0020] A loading / unloading port 112 is provided on the front side of the housing 121 for loading and unloading the substrate S from the storage container 102 on the load port 110 into and out of the housing 121. An opener 129 for opening the lid of the storage container 102 is provided at the loading / unloading port 128. The opener 129 is provided on the second transfer section 140 side.

[0021] A transfer opening 128 is provided on the rear side of the housing 121 for transferring the substrate S from inside the housing 121 into and out of the housing 141 of the second transfer section 140. The transfer opening 128 is opened and closed by a shutter 145.

[0022] The first transport unit 120 is also provided with a first transport robot 124 that can transfer the substrate S between the storage container 102 and a second transport robot 144 (front-side second transport robot 144 a) described later. In other words, the first transport unit 120 includes the first transport robot 124 in the housing 121.

[0023] The first transport robot 124 is movable on and along the first transport rail 123. The first transport robot 124 is configured to be capable of loading one substrate S thereon.

[0024] The operation of the first transport robot 124 is controlled by the control unit 400. As an example, the control unit 400 can control the first transport robot 124 to transfer the substrate S between the storage container 102 supported by the load port 110 and the second transport robot 144 (more specifically, the front-side second transport robot 144a). Specifically, the first transport robot 124 can receive an unprocessed substrate S from the storage container 102 and transfer it to the second transport robot 144 (front-side second transport robot 144a), and can receive a processed substrate S from the second transport robot 144 (front-side second transport robot 144a) and transfer it to the storage container 102.

[0025] 1, the second transport section 140 is arranged rearward from the first transport section 120. Furthermore, a plurality of reactors 200 and a plurality of intermediate sections 160 are arranged on both sides of the second transport section 140 in the width direction.

[0026] The second transfer unit 140 is configured to be able to communicate with a plurality of intermediate units 160. The second transfer unit 140 is a unit in the substrate processing apparatus 100 that transfers the substrate S between the first transfer unit 120 and each intermediate unit 160. In other words, the second transfer unit 140 is a unit in the substrate processing apparatus 100 that transfers the substrate S between the first transfer robot 124 and a third transfer robot 164, which is an example of an intermediate transfer robot. This second transfer unit 140 transfers the substrate in an atmospheric atmosphere.

[0027] The second transfer unit 140 has a housing 141. The inside of the housing 141 is defined as a transfer space 142 for transferring the storage container 102.

[0028] An inlet / outlet 128 is provided on the front side of the housing 141 , and a shutter 145 is provided near the inlet / outlet 128 .

[0029] The housing 141 is also provided with a second transport rail 143 along which the second transport robot 144 moves. Specifically, the second transport rail 143 is provided at the bottom of the housing 141 and extends in the front-to-rear direction. In other words, the second transport rail 143 extends linearly from the loading / unloading opening 128 toward the rear.

[0030] The second transfer section 140 is provided with a second transfer robot 144 as an example of an atmospheric transfer robot capable of transferring the substrate S to each intermediate section 160. In other words, the second transfer section 140 includes the second transfer robot 144 inside the housing 141. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the second transfer section 140 includes one second transfer robot 144, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration, and the second transfer section 140 may include multiple second transfer robots 144.

[0031] The second transport robot 144 is capable of moving on and along the second transport rails 143. This second transport robot 144 is configured to be capable of loading one substrate S. In other words, the second transport robot 144 is capable of moving on the second transport rails 143 while holding one substrate S, and transporting the substrate S to the destination intermediate section 160.

[0032] In this embodiment, the second transport unit 140 is equipped with a plurality of second transport robots 144. Each of the plurality of second transport robots 144 is assigned an intermediate unit 160. Specifically, the second transport unit 140 is equipped with two second transport robots 144, and one of the second transport robots 144 is located further forward on the second transport rail 143 than the other second transport robot 144. Hereinafter, the second transport robot 144 located on the front side will be referred to as the front-side second transport robot 144a, and the second transport robot 144 located on the rear side will be referred to as the rear-side second transport robot 144b. The front-side second transport robot 144a and the rear-side second transport robot 144b are configured to be able to transfer substrates S to and from each other.

[0033] The front-side second transport robot 144a in this embodiment is responsible for the intermediate section 160 arranged on the front side among the multiple intermediate sections 160. Specifically, the front-side second transport robot 144a is responsible for the intermediate sections 160a and 160c. In other words, the front-side second transport robot 144a transports the substrate S to these intermediate sections 160a and 160c.

[0034] The rear-side second transport robot 144b in this embodiment is responsible for the intermediate section 160 arranged on the rear side among the multiple intermediate sections 160. Specifically, the rear-side second transport robot 144b is responsible for the intermediate sections 160b and 160d. In other words, the rear-side second transport robot 144b transports the substrate S to these intermediate sections 160b and 160d.

[0035] The intermediate section 160 that is in charge of the front-side second transport robot 144a and the rear-side second transport robot 144b is not limited to the above-mentioned responsibility, and may be changed as appropriate depending on the processing conditions, etc.

[0036] 4, the second transfer section 140 includes an inert gas supply section 148 and an exhaust section 149. The inert gas supply section 148 is configured to supply an inert gas into the housing 141. The supply of the inert gas into the housing 141 creates an inert gas atmosphere in the transfer space 142. The exhaust section 149 is a section that exhausts the atmosphere inside the housing 141.

[0037] The operation of the second transport robot 144 is controlled by the control unit 400. As an example, the control unit 400 sets the transport areas (intermediate sections 160 to be handled) of the multiple second transport robots 144. The control unit 400 controls the operation of the second transport robot 144 so that the substrate S is transferred between the first transport robot 124 and the third transport robot 164.

[0038] (Reactor: Single Wafer) Next, the reactor 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, a plurality of reactors 200 are arranged along the side of the housing 141 of the second transfer section 140. The reactors 200 are modules capable of processing the substrates S in a vacuum atmosphere. In this embodiment, one intermediate section 160 is arranged for every two reactors 200.

[0039] The reactor 200 includes a vessel 202. Inside the vessel 202, there are formed a processing chamber 201 that constitutes a processing space 205 in which a substrate S is processed, and a transfer chamber 206 that has a transfer space through which the substrate S passes when being transferred to the processing space 205. The vessel 202 is composed of an upper vessel 202a and a lower vessel 202b. A partition plate 208 is provided between the upper vessel 202a and the lower vessel 202b.

[0040] A loading / unloading port 240 adjacent to a gate valve 241 is provided on the side surface of the lower vessel 202b, and the substrate S moves between the loading / unloading port 240 and the second transfer part 140 via the loading / unloading port 240. A plurality of lift pins 207 are provided on the bottom of the lower vessel 202b.

[0041] A substrate support part 210 that supports a substrate S is disposed in the processing space 205. The substrate support part 210 has a substrate mounting surface 211 on which the substrate S is placed, a substrate mounting table 212 having the substrate mounting surface 211 on its surface, and a heater 213 as a heating part provided within the substrate mounting table 212. The substrate mounting table 212 has through holes 214, through which the lift pins 207 pass, provided at positions corresponding to the lift pins 207.

[0042] A wiring 222 for supplying power is connected to the heater 213. The wiring 222 is connected to a heater control unit 223. The heater control unit 223 is electrically connected to the control unit 400. The control unit 400 controls the heater control unit 223 to operate the heater 213.

[0043] The substrate mounting table 212 is supported by a shaft 217. The shaft 217 passes through the bottom of the container 202 and is further connected to an elevator 218 outside the container 202.

[0044] By operating the elevator 218 to raise and lower the shaft 217 and the substrate mounting table 212, the substrate mounting table 212 can raise and lower the substrate S mounted on the substrate mounting surface 211.

[0045] The processing chamber 201 may have any other structure as long as it can secure the processing space 205 for processing the substrate S.

[0046] When transporting the substrate S, the substrate mounting table 212 is lowered to a transport position P0 where the substrate mounting surface 211 faces the loading / unloading port 240, and when processing the substrate S, it is raised until the substrate S reaches a processing position within the processing space 205, as shown in Figure 5.

[0047] A gas introduction hole 231 a is provided in the lid 231 of the processing chamber 201. A first gas supply unit 224, a second gas supply unit 225, and an inert gas supply unit 226, which will be described later, are connected to this gas introduction hole 231 a. As a result, at least one of a first gas, a second gas, and an inert gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201.

[0048] Next, the exhaust unit 291 will be described. An exhaust pipe 292 is connected to the processing space 205. The exhaust pipe 292 is connected to the upper chamber 202a so as to be in communication with the processing space 205. An APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 293, which is a pressure controller that controls the pressure inside the processing space 205 to a predetermined value, is provided to the exhaust pipe 292. The APC valve 293 has a valve element (not shown) with an adjustable opening, and adjusts the conductance of the exhaust pipe 292 in response to instructions from the control unit 400. A valve 294 is provided in the exhaust pipe 292 downstream of the APC valve 293. A dry pump 295 is provided upstream of the exhaust pipe 292. The dry pump 295 exhausts the atmosphere in the processing space 205 via the exhaust pipe 292.

[0049] 6A, 6B, and 6C, a gas supply unit capable of supplying gas from the gas introduction hole 231a to the processing chamber 201 will be described. In the present disclosure, for example, a first gas supply unit and a second gas supply unit, which will be described later, are collectively referred to as the gas supply unit.

[0050] 6A , the first gas supply unit 224 capable of supplying gas to the gas inlet hole 231 a will be described. The gas supply pipe 224 a is provided with, in order from the upstream direction, a first gas source 224 b, a mass flow controller (MFC) 224 c which is a flow rate controller (flow rate control unit), and a valve 224 d which is an on-off valve.

[0051] The first gas source 224b supplies a first gas. The first gas is one of the process gases, and is, for example, a gas containing silicon (Si). The Si-containing gas is, for example, hexachlorodisilane (Si ２ Cl ６ , abbreviated as HCDS) gas is used.

[0052] A first gas supply unit (also referred to as a silicon-containing gas supply unit) 224 mainly includes the gas supply pipe 224a, the MFC 224c, and the valve 224d.

[0053] 6B, the second gas supply unit 225 capable of supplying gas to the gas introduction hole 231a will be described. The gas supply pipe 225a is provided with a second gas source 225b, an MFC 225c, and a valve 225d, in this order from the upstream side.

[0054] The second gas source 225b supplies a second gas. The second gas is one of the process gases, for example, a nitrogen-containing gas. For example, the second gas is a hydrogen nitride gas. The second gas may be considered as a reactive gas or a modifying gas. For example, the second gas may be ammonia (NH ３ ) gas is used.

[0055] A second gas supply unit (also referred to as a reactive gas supply unit) 225 is mainly configured by the gas supply pipe 225a, the MFC 225c, and the valve 225d.

[0056] 6C , the inert gas supply unit 226 capable of supplying gas to the gas introduction hole 231 a will be described. The gas supply pipe 226 a is provided with, in order from the upstream direction, an inert gas source 226 b, an MFC 226 c, and a valve 226 d. The inert gas supplied from the inert gas source 226 b is used, for example, as a purge gas for purging the atmosphere in the process chamber 201 or as a pressure adjusting gas for adjusting the pressure in the process chamber 201.

[0057] 2, the intermediate section 160 is disposed adjacent to the second transfer section 140 and the reactor 200. In other words, the intermediate section 160 is disposed adjacent to the side surface of the housing 141 of the second transfer section 140, and is configured to allow communication between the second transfer section 140 and the reactor 200. The intermediate section 160 of this embodiment is configured to receive the substrate S from the second transfer section 140 and transfer the substrate S to the reactor 200 in a vacuum atmosphere. In other words, the intermediate section 160 is a portion in the substrate processing apparatus 100 that transfers the substrate S between the second transfer section 140 and each intermediate section 160.

[0058] 2, the intermediate section 160 is disposed between a pair of reactors 200 spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction. The reactor 200 on one side (front side) of the intermediate section 160 is an example of a first processing section. The reactor 200 on the other side (rear side) of the intermediate section 160 is an example of a second processing section.

[0059] The intermediate section 160 has a housing 161. The housing 161 has a first wall 161a adjacent to the reactor 200 on the front side, a second wall 161b adjacent to the reactor 200 on the rear side, a third wall 161c adjacent to the second transfer section 140, and a fourth wall 161d disposed at a position opposite to the third wall 161c.

[0060] A third transfer robot 164 capable of transferring the substrate S is provided in the intermediate section 160. This third transfer robot 164 is configured to be able to transfer the substrate S between the second transfer section 140 and the reactor 200. Specifically, the third transfer robot 164 receives the substrate S from the second transfer robot 144, and transfers the substrate S to the substrate mounting table 212 in the reactor 200. In other words, the third transfer robot 164 places the substrate S on the substrate mounting table 212.

[0061] The housing 161 of the intermediate section 160 is provided with a supply pipe 167 that supplies an inert gas into the housing 161 and an exhaust unit 168 that exhausts the atmosphere inside the housing 161. The supply pipe 167 is connected to an inert gas supply unit 371 shown in FIG. 6D .

[0062] The inert gas supply unit 371 includes a gas supply pipe 371a, which is provided with, in order from the upstream side, an inert gas source 371b, an MFC 371c, and a valve 371d. The inert gas supplied from the inert gas source 371b is used, for example, as a purge gas for purging the atmosphere in the intermediate section 160. The inert gas supply unit 371 is also referred to as a third gas supply unit.

[0063] The exhaust section 168 has an exhaust pipe 168a that communicates with the inside of the housing 161. A pump (not shown) serving as an exhaust device is connected to the exhaust pipe 168a via a valve 168b serving as an on-off valve and an APC valve 168c, and is configured to be able to exhaust air until the pressure inside the housing 161 reaches a predetermined pressure. Furthermore, the intermediate section 160 may return from a vacuum atmosphere to an atmospheric atmosphere while the third transfer robot 164 is supporting the processed substrate S that has been processed in the reactor 200.

[0064] Each of the second loading / unloading ports 163 provided on the first wall 161a and the second wall 161b is positioned to the side of the entry direction of the substrate S being loaded through the first loading / unloading port 162 provided on the third wall 161c.

[0065] The arm 164a of the third transfer robot 164 may be permitted to rotate between the first wall 161a, the second wall 161b, and the third wall 161c, but may be prevented from rotating from the first wall 161a and the second wall 161b toward the fourth wall 161d. In other words, the space between the third transfer robot 164 and the fourth wall 161d may be configured to be narrower than other parts, specifically, the space between the third transfer robot 164 and the first wall 161a, the space between the third transfer robot 164 and the second wall 161b, and the space between the third transfer robot 164 and the third wall 161c.

[0066] In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, multiple combinations of intermediate sections 160 and multiple reactors 200 may be arranged along the side of the housing 141 that constitutes the second transfer section 140.

[0067] Furthermore, the combination of the front reactor 200 and the rear reactor 200 and the intermediate section 160 between these reactors 200 may be arranged point-symmetrically at positions facing each other across the second transfer section 140 .

[0068] Each of the multiple combinations of the intermediate section 160 and multiple reactors 200 is arranged along the side of the housing 141, and where multiple combinations are adjacent, the positions of the front reactor 200 and the rear reactor 200 in the combination are set so that the reactor 200 of one combination is adjacent to the reactor 200 of the other combination.

[0069] In this embodiment, the unprocessed substrate S is transferred from the second transfer robot 144 to the third transfer robot 164. Then, the processed substrate S is transferred from the third transfer robot 164 to the second transfer robot 144.

[0070] (Controller) Next, the controller 400 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The substrate processing apparatus 100 has a controller 400 that controls the operation of each component.

[0071] The control unit 400 is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 401, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 402, a storage unit 403, and an I / O port 404. The RAM 402, the storage unit 403, and the I / O port 404 are configured to be able to exchange data with the CPU 401 via an internal bus 405. Data transmission and reception within the substrate processing apparatus 100 is performed in accordance with instructions from a transmission / reception instruction unit 406, which is one of the functions of the CPU 401.

[0072] The CPU 401 is configured to read and execute a control program from the storage unit 403, and also to read a process recipe from the storage unit 403 in response to an input of an operation command from the input / output device 423. The CPU 401 is configured to be able to control, for example, the lifting and lowering operations of each lifting mechanism, the substrate transfer operation by a robot, the on / off control of each pump, the flow rate adjustment operation of an MFC, the opening and closing operation of a valve, and the like, in accordance with the contents of the read process recipe.

[0073] The storage unit 403 is configured by, for example, a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc. The storage unit 403 readably stores a recipe 410 configured by a process recipe or the like describing procedures and conditions for substrate processing, and a control program 411 for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0074] The process recipe is a combination of procedures in the substrate processing step described below that are executed by the control unit 400 to obtain a predetermined result, and functions as a program. This process recipe exists for each reactor, for example, and is read out for each reactor.

[0075] Hereinafter, the process recipes, control programs, etc. will be collectively referred to as simply programs. Note that when the term "program" is used in this specification, it may include only the process recipe, only the control program, or both. The RAM 402 is configured as a memory area (work area) in which programs, data, etc. read by the CPU 401 are temporarily stored.

[0076] The I / O port 404 is connected to each component such as each pressure regulator, each pump, heater control unit, etc. Furthermore, a network transmission / reception unit 421 is provided which is connected to a higher-level device 420 via a network.

[0077] The control unit 400 according to the present technology can be configured by installing the program into a computer using an external storage device 422 storing the program. Examples of the external storage device 422 include a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, an optical disk such as a DVD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, and a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory. The means for supplying the program to the computer is not limited to supplying the program via the external storage device 422. For example, the program may be supplied via a communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line, without going through the external storage device 422. The storage unit 403 and the external storage device 422 are configured as computer-readable recording media. Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as recording media. In this specification, the term "recording medium" may refer to the storage unit 403 alone, the external storage device 422 alone, or both.

[0078] (2) Substrate Processing Step Next, the substrate processing step will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. As one step in the substrate processing apparatus, a step of processing a substrate S using the substrate processing apparatus 100 having the above-described configuration will be described. In the following description, the operation of each part constituting the substrate processing apparatus is controlled by the control unit 400.

[0079] [Substrate Transfer Step] The first transfer step will be described.

[0080] First, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 100 receives (or removes) the substrate S from the storage container 102 supported on the support table 111 of the load port 110 using the first transport robot 124 of the first transport section 120.

[0081] Next, the substrate processing apparatus 100 transports the substrate S accommodated in the storage container 102 from the first transport unit 120 via the second transport unit 140 to the intermediate unit 160 as the transport destination. Specifically, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the substrate S is sent to the second transport robot 144 in charge of the intermediate unit 160 as the transport destination, and the second transport robot 144 transports the substrate S to the intermediate unit 160.

[0082] For example, when the front-side second transport robot 144a is in charge of the reactor 200 to be transported, it uses the first transport robot 124 to remove the substrate S from the storage container 102. Then, the front-side second transport robot 144a removes the substrate S from the storage container 102 and transports it to the intermediate section 160 to be transported. After that, the front-side second transport robot 144a transfers the substrate S to the third transport robot 164 in the intermediate section 160 to be transported. Next, the third transport robot 164 transfers it to the reactor 200 (see FIG. 3 ). That is, when the front-side second transport robot 144a is in charge of the intermediate section 160 to be transported, it transports the substrate S into the intermediate section 160 to be transported via the first transport section 120 and the second transport section 140.

[0083] [Substrate Loading Process] Next, the substrate loading process will be described. In the substrate loading process, the substrate mounting table 212 supporting the substrate S is raised and loaded into the processing chamber 201 as shown in Fig. 5. Note that the heater 213 is in an operating state, and the substrate S is maintained at the processing temperature.

[0084] Subsequently, the inert gas supply unit 226 and the exhaust unit 291 work together to bring the inside of the processing chamber 201 to a predetermined pressure.

[0085] [Film Treatment Step] Next, the film treatment step will be described. The film treatment step is a step of treating a film formed on the substrate S in the reactor 200. When the processing chamber 201 reaches a desired pressure, the first gas supply unit 224 and the second gas supply unit 225 are controlled to supply a first gas and a second gas into the processing chamber 201, and the substrate S is treated. The treatment in this step refers to, for example, a treatment of reacting the first gas with the second gas to form a predetermined film on the substrate S. In this embodiment, for example, HCDS gas is supplied as the first gas, and NH ３ A gas may be supplied to form a silicon nitride (SiN) film.

[0086] After a predetermined time has elapsed, the first gas supply unit 224 and the second gas supply unit 225 are stopped. Furthermore, an inert gas is supplied from the inert gas supply unit 226, and the atmosphere inside the processing chamber 201 is exhausted.

[0087] [Substrate Unloading Process] The substrate unloading process will be described. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the substrate mounting table 212 is lowered. Once the substrate mounting table 212 has been lowered, the substrate S is unloaded in the reverse manner to the manner in which the substrate S was loaded.

[0088] In the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, all of the reactors 200 are used for film formation, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, one of the reactors 200 may be dedicated to cooling. That is, the substrate processing apparatus 100 may include a cooling module in at least one of the reactors 200. Furthermore, the cooling module may be provided with a temperature sensor that monitors the temperature of the substrate S. By including a cooling module in at least one of the reactors 200 and cooling the processed substrate S in the cooling module, congestion in the processing of the substrate S can be alleviated and the processing efficiency of the entire apparatus can be improved.

[0089] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. In the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, by arranging multiple reactors 200 and multiple intermediate sections 160 along the second transfer section 140 that transfers the substrate S in an atmospheric atmosphere, the transfer distance of the substrate S can be minimized, thereby improving the productivity of substrate processing. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is vertically long, allowing the installation width of the apparatus to be reduced. In addition, in the substrate processing apparatus 100, the substrate S is transferred to the reactor 200 from the intermediate section 160, which is in a vacuum atmosphere, so that the substrate S is less susceptible to the influence of particles during processing in the reactor 200.

[0090] In the substrate processing apparatus 100, the third transfer robot 164 is provided in the intermediate section 160, and therefore the installation width of the apparatus can be reduced compared to a configuration in which, for example, a vacuum transfer robot is provided in a room separate from the intermediate section.

[0091] In the substrate processing apparatus 100, the arm 164a of the third transfer robot 164 is prevented from rotating from the first wall 161a and the second wall 161b toward the fourth wall 161d, so the distance between the third transfer robot 164 and the fourth wall 161d can be shortened. That is, in the substrate processing apparatus 100, the volume of the intermediate section 160 can be made smaller than in a configuration in which rotation is permitted between the first wall 161a, the second wall 161b, the third wall 161c, and the fourth wall 161d, for example. This allows the footprint of the apparatus to be reduced.

[0092] In the substrate processing apparatus 100, when the third transfer robot 164 supports the processed substrate S and the intermediate section 160 is returned from a vacuum atmosphere to an atmospheric atmosphere, gas flows from the second transfer section 140 into the intermediate section 160, cooling the substrate S. Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus 100, the substrate S can be cooled without providing an independent cooling section in the intermediate section 160, for example, and therefore the transport efficiency of the processed substrate S can be improved. This improves the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus 100.

[0093] In the substrate processing apparatus 100, each second loading / unloading opening 163 is positioned to the side of the entrance direction of the substrate S loaded through the first loading / unloading opening 162, thereby making it possible to distribute the substrate S in a space-saving manner and with a short throughput.

[0094] In the substrate processing apparatus 100, the intermediate section 160 and the reactor 200 can be added in pairs, eliminating the need for design changes each time, and facilitating design changes.

[0095] In the substrate processing apparatus 100, the intermediate section 160 is disposed between the plurality of reactors 200, so that the distances from the intermediate section 160 to the reactors 200 can be made the same. This makes it easier to set a transport schedule for the substrates S.

[0096] In the substrate processing apparatus 100, the combination of the front reactor 200, the rear reactor 200, and the intermediate section 160 is arranged point-symmetrically at positions facing each other across the second transfer section 140, so that it is possible to use the front reactor 200, the rear reactor 200, and the intermediate section 160, which are common components, thereby reducing the overall cost of the apparatus.

[0097] In the substrate processing apparatus 100, the substrate S can be directly transferred between the second transfer robot 144 and the third transfer robot 164, so that the efficiency of transferring the substrate S can be improved.

[0098] Second Embodiment Next, a substrate processing apparatus 500 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The substrate processing apparatus 500 according to this embodiment has a configuration in which the reactor 200 is replaced with a reactor 300. The substrate processing apparatus 500 has the same configuration as the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, except for the configurations of the reactor 300 and the intermediate section 160. Therefore, in this embodiment, the configurations of the reactor 300 and the intermediate section 160 will be described. Note that a description of the same configuration as the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0099] (Reactor: Batch Device) Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to β-β' in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, multiple reactors 300 are arranged on both sides of the second transfer section 140 in the width direction. These reactors 300 are devices capable of processing substrates S in the storage container 102. Note that each reactor 300 has the same configuration, and therefore will be described here as a single reactor 300. Each reactor 300 is configured to be able to process multiple substrates. Details will be described below.

[0100] 9, a housing 301 constituting the reactor 300 includes a reaction tube storage chamber 310 at the top and a transfer chamber 370 at the bottom. The reaction tube storage chamber 310 mainly stores a heater 311 and a reaction tube 322. The transfer chamber 370 is adjacent to the inside of the housing 161 of the intermediate section 160 and communicates with it via a second transfer port 163. A third transfer robot 164 transfers a substrate S to a substrate support 340 (described later) or receives a substrate from the substrate support 340.

[0101] The transfer chamber 370 is installed below the reaction tube 322 and is configured to communicate with the reaction tube 322 .

[0102] Next, a description will be given of the reaction tube storage chamber 310 and the reaction tube 322 stored therein. The reaction tube 322 is stored inside the reaction tube storage chamber 310.

[0103] The upper part of the reaction tube 322 is closed, and a furnace opening 322b is provided at the lower part thereof. A hole through which a substrate support 340 passes is provided at the center of the furnace opening 322b.

[0104] The reaction tube 322 is capable of accommodating the substrates S supported by the substrate support 340. The reaction tube 322 is provided with a nozzle 323 as a gas supply unit. The nozzle 323 is configured to extend in the vertical direction, which is the arrangement direction of the multiple substrates S. The gas supplied from the nozzle 323 is supplied to each substrate S.

[0105] The nozzles 323 are provided, for example, for each gas type, and three nozzles 323a, 323b, and 323c are shown here as an example. The nozzles 323 are arranged so as not to overlap in the horizontal direction. Each nozzle is connected to, for example, a first gas supply unit 224, a second gas supply unit 225, and an inert gas supply unit 226. Although three nozzles 323 are shown in FIG. 9 for the sake of convenience, the number of nozzles is not limited to three, and four or more or two or less nozzles may be arranged depending on the content of the substrate processing.

[0106] In this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0107] An exhaust unit 330 for exhausting the atmosphere in the reaction tube 322 has an exhaust pipe 331 communicating with the reaction tube 322 .

[0108] A pump (not shown) serving as an exhaust device is connected to the exhaust pipe 331 via a valve 332 serving as an on-off valve and an APC valve 333, and is configured to exhaust the pressure inside the reaction tube 322 to a predetermined pressure. The predetermined pressure is, for example, the same level as the pressure inside the transfer chamber 370.

[0109] The gas supply unit and exhaust unit cooperate to adjust the pressure inside the reaction tube 322. When adjusting the pressure, the pressure value detected by a pressure detection unit (not shown) is adjusted to a predetermined value.

[0110] In the reaction tube 322, a region in which the substrate S is accommodated is called a processing region, and a section constituting the processing region is called a processing chamber 322c. In this embodiment, the reaction tube 322 constitutes the processing chamber 322c.

[0111] The substrate support 340 transfers the substrate S inside the transfer chamber 370 by the third transfer robot 164 via the second transfer port 163. The substrate support 340 also transports the transferred substrate S into the reaction tube 322. Then, inside the reaction tube 322, processing such as forming a thin film on the surface of the substrate S is performed.

[0112] The substrate support 340 includes an elevator unit 341 that drives the substrate support 340 in the up and down direction. In Fig. 9, the substrate support 340 is shown elevated by the elevator unit 341 and stored in the reaction tube 322. The substrate support 340 also includes a rotation drive unit 342 that drives the substrate support 340 to rotate.

[0113] Each drive unit is connected to a shaft 343 that supports a support base 344. A plurality of support columns 346 capable of supporting a substrate S are provided on the support base 344. A plurality of substrate support mechanisms are provided on the support columns 346 at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and a plurality of substrates S are supported by the respective substrate support mechanisms.

[0114] The substrate support 340 has a plurality of support columns 346 that support a desired number of substrates S, for example, 3 to 50 substrates, in multiple stages in the vertical direction.

[0115] The substrate support 340 is moved up and down between the reaction tube 322 and the transfer chamber 370 by an elevator 341. Furthermore, when processing the substrate S, for example, the substrate support 340 is rotated around the center of the substrate S as an axis by a rotation drive unit 342.

[0116] A lid 347 that closes the furnace throat 322b is fixed to the shaft 343. The diameter of the lid 347 is configured to be larger than the diameter of the furnace throat 322b.

[0117] The lid 347 closes the furnace throat 322b, for example, during processing of the substrate S. When the lid 347 closes the furnace throat 322b, the lifting unit 341 lifts the lid 347 so that the upper surface of the lid 347 is set to a position where it is pressed against the flange 322a, as shown in Fig. 9. This makes it possible to keep the inside of the reaction tube 322 airtight.

[0118] The transfer chamber 370 is installed in the lower part of the reaction tube storage chamber 310. In the transfer chamber 370, the substrate S is placed (mounted) on the substrate support 340 by the second transfer robot 144 via the loading / unloading port, and the substrate S is removed from the substrate support 340 by the second transfer robot 144.

[0119] The transfer chamber 370 is provided with an exhaust unit 380 that exhausts the atmosphere inside the transfer chamber 370. The exhaust unit 380 is connected to the transfer chamber 370 and has an exhaust pipe 381 that communicates with the interior of the transfer chamber 370.

[0120] A vacuum pump (not shown) serving as a vacuum exhaust device is connected to the exhaust pipe 381 via a valve 382 serving as an opening / closing valve and an APC valve 383, and is configured so that the pressure inside the transfer chamber 370 can be exhausted to a predetermined pressure.

[0121] 6D may be connected to the transfer chamber 370. The inert gas supplied from the inert gas source 371b is used, for example, to purge the atmosphere in the transfer chamber 370 or to adjust the pressure.

[0122] Next, the intermediate section of this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figures 10 and 11, a standby section 166 for waiting substrates S may be provided within the intermediate section 160. Specifically, it is preferable that the standby section 166 be capable of supporting multiple substrates S. By providing the standby section 166 in this manner in the substrate processing apparatus 500, even if the timing of transfer from the reactor 300 to the intermediate section and the timing of transfer from the second transfer section 140 to the intermediate section 160 do not coincide, one or more substrates S from either one can be made to wait in the standby section 166. This makes it possible to maintain the efficiency of substrate S transfer.

[0123] Furthermore, the standby section 166 may be configured to be capable of stacking a plurality of substrates S, and the standby section 166 and the third transport robot 164 may be configured to be relatively movable in the vertical direction. In this case, in the substrate processing apparatus 500, the standby section 166 and the third transport robot 164 may be configured to be relatively movable in the vertical direction, thereby enabling efficient transfer of substrates S between the standby section 166 and the third transport robot 164.

[0124] Furthermore, when the number of substrates S that can be supported by the substrate support 340 is greater than the number of substrates S that can be transported by the third transport robot 164, the control unit 400 may perform control to transfer the substrates S to the standby unit 166. In this case, in the substrate processing apparatus, the substrates S are transferred to the standby unit 166, and therefore it is possible to suppress the rate-limiting effect of the third transport robot 164 compared to, for example, a configuration in which the substrates S are not transferred to the standby unit 166. This improves the efficiency of transporting the substrates S.

[0125] The intermediate section 160 may also include a cooling section 169 capable of cooling the processed substrate S processed in the reactor 300. In the substrate processing apparatus, the processed substrate S, which becomes hot due to processing in the reactor 300, can be cooled by the cooling section of the intermediate section 160, thereby improving the efficiency of transporting the substrate S.

[0126] Furthermore, by supplying an inert gas to the processed substrate S, moisture around the substrate S can be removed, suppressing reaction with moisture in the atmosphere and preventing unnecessary film modification. Furthermore, by cooling, the temperature of the substrate S can be lowered to the heat-resistant temperature of the second transfer robot 144.

[0127] Next, the operation will be described. When the gate valve 170 is opened, the substrates S are transferred between the second transfer robot 144 and the third transfer robot 164. The substrates S received by the third transfer robot 164 are transferred to the standby section 166. When a predetermined number of substrates S have been moved to the standby section 166, the gate valve 170 is closed, and then the atmosphere inside the housing 161 is exhausted by the exhaust section 380.

[0128] When the desired pressure is reached inside the housing 161, the third transfer robot 164 opens the gate valve 172 and moves the substrates S from the standby section 166 to the substrate support 340. When the desired number of substrates S have been transferred to the substrate support 340, the gate valve 172 is closed. Thereafter, with the heater 311 operating, the substrate support 340 is loaded into the reaction tube 322, where the substrates S are processed.

[0129] When the processing of the substrate S is completed, the substrate support 340 is carried out from the reaction tube 322 by performing the reverse operation of the carry-in operation. In the intermediate section 160, the third transport robot 164 transfers the substrate S to the standby section 166. In the intermediate section 160, an inert gas is supplied from the cooling section 169 into the housing 161 to cool the substrate S in a high-temperature state.

[0130] After cooling, the atmosphere inside the housing 161 is adjusted so that the substrate S can be moved into the housing 141. When the desired pressure is reached, the substrate S is transferred between the third transfer robot 164 and the second transfer robot 144.

[0131] The above configuration makes it possible to process a large number of substrates S while achieving the same effects as the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 500, the reactor 300 and the intermediate section 160 can have separate atmospheres. Therefore, even if the atmosphere in the intermediate section 160 is switched between a vacuum level and an atmospheric level, this does not affect the reactor 300. Therefore, it is possible to use, for example, quartz, which has a lower strength than metal, for the reactor 300.

[0132] Third Embodiment Next, a substrate processing apparatus 600 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. As shown in FIG. 12 , each reactor 300 included in the substrate processing apparatus 600 of this embodiment has a loading / unloading port 176 that communicates with the second transfer unit 140. A gate valve 178 is attached to this loading / unloading port 176. Furthermore, a third transfer robot 664 included in the substrate processing apparatus 600 of this embodiment has a pair of arms 164 a, 164 b. The pair of arms 164 a, 164 b of the third transfer robot 664 are independently controlled by the control unit 400.

[0133] The two adjacent reactors in the middle section 160 each allow different types of substrate processing. For example, the reactor 300a uses HCDS gas and NH ３ The reactor 300b supplies the silicon nitride film formed in the reactor 300a with hydrogen (H ２ ) gas is supplied to carry out a reforming process (also called a second membrane process).

[0134] The substrate processing apparatus 600 has the same configuration as the substrate processing apparatus 500 of the second embodiment, except for the configurations of the loading / unloading port 176, the gate valve 178, and the third transfer robot 664. Therefore, in this embodiment, an example of the operation of transporting and processing the substrate S when the third transfer robot 664 is used will be described. Note that a description of the same configuration as the substrate processing apparatus 500 of the second embodiment will be omitted.

[0135] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, the transfer chamber 370 and the intermediate section 160 are set to the same pressure. The pressures in the transfer chamber 370 and the intermediate section 160 are set to be lower than the pressure in the second transfer section 140. At this time, the substrate S is held by the second transfer robot 144 (specifically, the front second transfer robot 144a).

[0136] When the pressure in the transfer chamber 370 on the reactor 300a side is adjusted to the same pressure level as that in the transfer space 142 (for example, atmospheric transfer level), the gate valve 178 is opened. Thereafter, the second transfer robot 144 makes the substrate support 340 on the reactor 300a side support the substrate S. After the operation of supporting the substrate S is completed, the gate valve 178 is closed.

[0137] After adjusting the atmosphere in the transfer chamber 370 on the reactor 300a side, the substrate support 340 is moved into the reaction tube 322 (processing chamber 322c) of the reactor 300a, where the substrate S is processed. ３ A gas is supplied to the substrate S to form a silicon nitride film on the substrate S.

[0138] After the substrate S is processed in the reactor 300a, the substrate support 340 is moved from inside the reaction tube 322 to the transfer chamber 370. After the pressure in the intermediate section 160 is adjusted to the same level as the transfer chamber 370 of the reactor 300a, the gate valve 172 is opened. At this time, the transfer chamber of the reactor 300b is also adjusted to the same level of pressure.

[0139] The arm 164a of the third transfer robot 164 picks up the substrate S from the substrate support 340 of the reactor 300a and transfers it to the waiting section 166. At this time, if the substrate S that has been processed in the reactor 300a is present in the waiting section 166, the gate valve 172 on the reactor 300b side is opened before opening the gate valve 172, and the arm 164b moves the substrate S to the substrate support 340 of the reactor 300b.

[0140] In the intermediate section 160, a predetermined number of substrates S are transferred from the reactor 300a to the waiting section 166, and once the gate valves 170 and 172 are closed, an inert gas is supplied to start cooling. By cooling the substrates S, even if the atmosphere in the intermediate section 160 contains oxygen components, reaction between the film formed on the substrates S and oxygen can be suppressed, and as a result, unexpected oxidation of the substrates S can be suppressed. Therefore, the quality of the film formed on the substrates S can be maintained.

[0141] Furthermore, this cooling process is effective when the next process is to be performed in the reactor 300b and the effect of oxygen is undesirable for that process. By suppressing oxidation of the film in the intermediate section 160, the substrate S is not oxidized before being transferred to the reactor 300b, and therefore, processing of the desired quality can be performed in the reactor 300b.

[0142] When cooling of the substrate S in the intermediate section 160 is completed, the gate valve 372 on the reactor 300b side is opened, and the arm 164b moves the substrate S to the substrate support 340 of the reactor 300b.

[0143] If the reactor 300b is set to perform only the first film processing without performing the second film processing, the gate valve 170 on the reactor 300b side may be opened before opening the gate valve 172, and the substrate S may be transported from the intermediate section 160 to the transport space 244 so that the arm 164b can transfer the substrate S to the second transport robot 144.

[0144] When the gate valve 172 on the reactor 300b side is closed, the substrate support 340 is moved into the reaction tube 322 (processing chamber 322c) in the reactor 300b to process the substrate S. ２ A gas is supplied to modify the film formed on the substrate S.

[0145] After the processing in the reactor 300b is completed, the substrate S is transferred to the transfer chamber 370 of the reactor 300b.

[0146] Once it is confirmed that the pressures in the transfer space 142 and the transfer chamber 370 are equal, the gate valve 178 on the reactor 300b side is opened. Then, the second transfer robot 144 unloads the substrate S that has been processed in the reactor 300b.

[0147] In this manner, the operations of transporting the substrate S and processing the substrate are performed using the third transport robot 664.

[0148] The control unit 400 controls the system so that the unprocessed substrate S in the transfer space 142 is carried into the reactor 300a, the processed substrate S processed in the reactor 300 is moved to the intermediate section 160, carried from the intermediate section 160 into the reactor 300b, and then carried out from the reactor 300b into the transfer space 142. In the substrate processing apparatus 600, the transfer efficiency can be improved by using separate transfer routes for the unprocessed substrate S and the processed substrate S. This improves the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus 600.

[0149] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 600, the third transfer robot 664 includes a pair of arms 164 a, 164 b, and the arms 164 a, 164 b can be independently controlled to improve the efficiency of transferring the substrate S. As an example, transfer from the reactor 300 a to the intermediate section 160 and transfer from the intermediate section 160 to the reactor 300 b or the second transfer section 140 can be performed simultaneously.

[0150] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 600, when it is desired to prevent the components of the gas used in the reactor 300a from being brought into the reactor 300b, the pair of arms 164a and 164b can be assigned to serve as the arms for the reactor 300a and the arms for the reactor 300b, respectively, thereby preventing the components of the gas used in the reactor 300a from being brought into the reactor 300b.

[0151] The third transfer robot 664 may be equipped with three or more arms.

[0152] Furthermore, for example, in the above-described embodiments, a film formation process is exemplified as a process performed by a substrate processing apparatus, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. That is, in addition to the film formation process exemplified in each embodiment, the present disclosure can also be applied to film formation processes and modification processes other than those exemplified in each embodiment. Furthermore, the specific content of the substrate processing is not important, and the present disclosure can be applied to other substrate processing such as annealing, diffusion, oxidation, nitriding, and lithography, in addition to film formation and modification processes. Furthermore, the present disclosure can also be applied to other substrate processing apparatuses, such as annealing, etching, oxidation, nitriding, exposure, coating, drying, heating, and plasma-based processing apparatuses. Furthermore, part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and part of the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, part of the configuration of each embodiment can be added, deleted, or replaced with other configurations.

[0153] In the above explanation, for the sake of convenience, one inert gas supply unit 371 has been used, but this is not limited to this, and an inert gas supply unit 371 may be provided individually in each configuration to which the inert gas supply unit 371 is connected.

[0154] 100 substrate processing apparatus, 140 second transfer section (an example of an atmospheric transfer section), 160 intermediate section, 200 reactor (an example of a processing section), S substrate.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: an atmospheric transfer section which transfers substrates in an atmospheric atmosphere; a plurality of processing sections arranged along the atmospheric transfer section and capable of processing the substrates in a vacuum atmosphere; and an intermediate section which is arranged adjacent to the processing sections, receives the substrates from the atmospheric transfer section, and passes the substrates to the processing sections in an atmosphere having a pressure lower than that of the atmospheric atmosphere.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing section has an inlet communicating with the intermediate section and an outlet communicating with the atmospheric transfer section, and a control section capable of controlling the processing section to transfer an unprocessed substrate in the intermediate section from the intermediate section to the processing section via the inlet, and to transfer a processed substrate processed in the processing section from the processing section to the atmospheric transfer section via the outlet.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an intermediate transport robot capable of transporting the substrate within the intermediate section.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing section comprises a first processing section and a second processing section with the intermediate section disposed between the first processing section and the second processing section, the housing constituting the intermediate section comprises a first wall adjacent to the first processing section, a second wall adjacent to the second processing section, a third wall adjacent to the atmospheric transfer section, and a fourth wall disposed opposite the third wall, and the arm of the intermediate transfer robot is permitted to rotate between the first wall, the second wall, and the third wall, and is prevented from rotating from the first wall and the second wall toward the fourth wall.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the intermediate section returns to an atmospheric atmosphere from the atmosphere of the pressure lower than the atmospheric atmosphere with the intermediate transport robot supporting the processed substrate processed in the processing section.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a waiting section for making the substrate wait is provided within the intermediate section.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the waiting section is capable of supporting a plurality of the substrates.

8. A substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 6 or claim 7, further comprising a control unit, wherein the processing unit has a substrate support unit capable of supporting a plurality of the substrates, and the control unit controls the substrates to be transferred to the waiting unit when the number of substrates that can be supported by the substrate support unit is greater than the number of substrates that can be transported by the intermediate transport robot.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the waiting section is capable of stacking a plurality of substrates, and the waiting section and the intermediate transport robot are configured to be relatively movable in the vertical direction.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing section comprises a first processing section and a second processing section with the intermediate section disposed between the first processing section and the second processing section, the housing constituting the intermediate section comprises a first wall adjacent to the first processing section, a second wall adjacent to the second processing section, a third wall adjacent to the atmospheric transfer section, and a fourth wall disposed opposite the third wall, and each of second loading / unloading ports provided in the first wall and the second wall is disposed in a lateral position with respect to the entry direction of the substrate loaded through the first loading / unloading port provided in the third wall.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing section has a loading / unloading port communicating with the intermediate section, and the processing section comprises a transfer section in which the loading / unloading port is provided, and a processing chamber made of quartz and disposed above the transfer section.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of combinations of the intermediate section and a plurality of the processing sections are arranged along the atmospheric transfer section.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein in the combination, the intermediate section is disposed between a plurality of the processing sections.

14. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing section comprises a first processing section and a second processing section with the intermediate section disposed between the first processing section, and the combination of the first processing section, the second processing section and the intermediate section are disposed in point symmetry at opposing positions sandwiching the atmospheric transfer section.

15. A substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of combinations is arranged along the atmospheric transfer section, and where the plurality of combinations are adjacent to each other, the positions of the first processing section and the second processing section in the combinations are set so that the first processing section of one of the combinations is adjacent to the second processing section of the other of the combinations.

16. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein an atmospheric transfer robot capable of transporting the substrate to the intermediate section is provided within the atmospheric transfer section, and an intermediate transfer robot capable of transporting the substrate to the processing section is provided within the intermediate section, and the substrate is transferred from the atmospheric transfer robot to the intermediate transfer robot or from the intermediate transfer robot to the atmospheric transfer robot.

17. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate section is provided with a cooling section capable of cooling the substrate processed in the processing section.

18. A substrate processing unit comprising: a processing section arranged along an atmospheric transfer section that transports substrates in an atmospheric atmosphere and capable of processing the substrates in a vacuum atmosphere; and an intermediate section arranged adjacent to the processing section, receiving the substrate from the atmospheric transfer section, and transferring the substrate to the processing section in an atmosphere having a pressure lower than the atmospheric atmosphere.

19. A substrate processing method comprising the steps of: receiving a substrate transported by an atmospheric transfer section in an atmospheric atmosphere in an intermediate section arranged along the atmospheric transfer section; transferring the substrate from the intermediate section, which has an atmosphere having a pressure lower than that of the atmospheric atmosphere, to a processing section arranged adjacent to the intermediate section; and processing the substrate in the processing section.

20. A program that causes a substrate processing apparatus to execute, by a computer, the following steps: receiving a substrate transported by an atmospheric transport section in an atmospheric atmosphere at an intermediate section arranged along the atmospheric transport section; transferring the substrate from the intermediate section, which has an atmosphere with a pressure lower than that of the atmospheric atmosphere, to a processing section arranged adjacent to the intermediate section; and processing the substrate in the processing section.

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