Substrate processing device, and substrate processing method

Abstract

This substrate processing device comprises: a processing module which includes a plurality of mounting tables and which processes substrates mounted on the mounting tables; a first conveying module that conveys the substrates to the processing module; a second conveying module that conveys the substrates to a storage container capable of storing a plurality of substrates; and a load lock module that is provided between the first conveying module and the second conveying module and is configured to be capable of storing a plurality of the substrates conveyed by the first conveying module or the second conveying module. The load lock module includes: a first support unit that supports a plurality of the substrates and is configured to be capable of rotating about a central position, as a rotational axis; a first drive mechanism that is configured to be capable of driving the first support unit in a rotation direction; a second support unit that supports the substrates and is configured to be capable of moving in a radial direction passing through the central position; and a second drive mechanism that is configured to be capable of driving the second support unit in the radial direction.

Description

Substrate Processing Apparatus and Substrate Processing Method

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing system including a processing chamber having a plurality of stages for placing substrates, a transfer device for transferring substrates, a vacuum transfer chamber connected to the processing chamber, and a load lock chamber having a plurality of stages for placing substrates and connected to the vacuum transfer chamber. In such a substrate processing system, the position of the stage in the load lock chamber is corrected based on, for example, the mechanical differences in the stage arrangement in the processing chamber.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-194890

[0004] The technology according to the present disclosure appropriately performs position adjustment of substrates in a substrate processing apparatus that processes a plurality of substrates.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates, including a plurality of mounting tables, a processing module for processing substrates placed on the mounting tables, a first transfer module for transferring substrates to the processing module, a second transfer module for transferring substrates to a storage container capable of storing a plurality of substrates, and a load lock module provided between the first transfer module and the second transfer module and configured to store a plurality of substrates transferred by the first transfer module or the second transfer module. The load lock module includes a first support portion configured to support a plurality of substrates and rotatable about a central position as a rotation axis, a first drive mechanism configured to drive the first support portion in a rotation direction, a second support portion configured to support a substrate and movable in a radial direction passing through the central position, and a second drive mechanism configured to drive the second support portion in the radial direction.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, position adjustment of substrates can be appropriately performed in a substrate processing apparatus that processes a plurality of substrates.

[0007] This is a plan view showing the general configuration of the wafer processing apparatus. This is a perspective view showing the general configuration of the atmospheric transport robot. This is a perspective view showing the general configuration of the vacuum transport robot. This is a plan view showing the general configuration of the processing module. This is a cross-sectional view showing the general configuration of the processing module. This is a perspective view showing the general configuration of the load lock module. This is a plan view showing the general configuration of the load lock module. This is a cross-sectional view showing the general configuration of the load lock module. This is a perspective view showing the general configuration of the load lock module. This is a perspective view showing the general configuration of the rotating plate. This is an explanatory diagram showing how the atmospheric transport robot or vacuum transport robot enters the load lock module. This is a cross-sectional view showing the general configuration of the second drive mechanism. This is a schematic perspective view showing the general configuration of the second drive mechanism. This is a flow chart showing the main processes of wafer processing. This is an explanatory diagram showing the main processes of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus. This is an explanatory diagram showing the main processes of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus. This is an explanatory diagram showing the main processes of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus. This is an explanatory diagram showing the main processes of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus. This is an explanatory diagram showing the main processes of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus. This is an explanatory diagram showing the main processes of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus. This is an explanatory diagram showing the main processes of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus. This is an explanatory diagram showing the main processes of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus. This is an explanatory diagram showing the main processes of wafer processing in a wafer processing apparatus. This is an explanatory diagram showing the main processes of wafer notch orientation control in a load lock module. This is an explanatory diagram showing the main processes of wafer horizontal position adjustment in a load lock module. This is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a second drive mechanism according to another embodiment. This is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a rotating plate according to another embodiment.

[0008] Hereinafter, the wafer processing apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus and the wafer transport method as a substrate transport method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0009] <Wafer Processing Apparatus of the First Embodiment> First, the configuration of the wafer processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the wafer processing apparatus 1. In the wafer processing apparatus 1, the wafer W, which is the substrate, is subjected to the desired processing under a vacuum atmosphere.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the wafer processing apparatus 1 has a configuration in which an atmospheric section 10 and a vacuum section 11 are integrally connected via two load lock modules 20a and 20b. The atmospheric section 10 transports and processes wafers W in an atmospheric environment. The atmospheric environment is an example of an atmospheric environment at normal pressure. The vacuum section 11 transports and processes wafers W in a vacuum environment. The vacuum environment is an example of a reduced pressure environment.

[0011] For example, the load lock module 20a temporarily places and holds the wafer W, which has been transported from the loader module 30 in the atmospheric section 10 (described later), in order to transfer it to the transfer module 60 in the vacuum section 11 (described later). Similarly, the load lock module 20b temporarily places and holds the wafer W, which has been transported from the transfer module 60, in order to transfer it to the loader module 30.

[0012] The load lock modules 20a and 20b are configured to allow switching between an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and a reduced pressure atmosphere inside. That is, the load lock modules 20a and 20b are configured to allow for the proper transfer of wafers W between the atmospheric pressure atmosphere section 10 and the reduced pressure atmosphere vacuum section 11. Furthermore, the load lock modules 20a and 20b are configured to accommodate multiple wafers W, for example, four wafers W. The specific configuration of the load lock modules 20a and 20b will be described later.

[0013] The load lock module 20a is connected to the loader module 30, which will be described later, via a gate 22a equipped with a gate valve 21a. This gate valve 21a ensures both airtightness and communication between the load lock module 20a and the loader module 30. The load lock module 20a is also connected to the transfer module 60, which will be described later, via a gate 24a equipped with a gate valve 23a. This gate valve 23a ensures both airtightness and communication between the load lock module 20a and the transfer module 60.

[0014] Similar to the load lock module 20a, the load lock module 20b is connected to the loader module 30 via a gate 22b equipped with a gate valve 21b, and to the transfer module 60 via a gate 24b equipped with a gate valve 23b. These gate valves 21b and 23b ensure both airtightness and communication between the load lock module 20b and the loader module 30 and the transfer module 60.

[0015] (Atmospheric Unit 10) Next, the configuration of the atmospheric unit 10 will be described. The atmospheric unit 10 has a loader module 30 as a second transport module and a plurality of load ports 40, for example, four load ports.

[0016] The loader module 30 has, for example, a rectangular housing 31 in plan view, and the inside of the housing 31 is maintained in an atmospheric environment. Four load ports 40 are arranged side by side on the side of the housing 31 on the negative Y-axis side. Two load lock modules 20a and 20b are arranged side by side on the side of the housing 31 on the positive Y-axis side, via gates 22a and 22b, which are provided with gate valves 21a and 21b.

[0017] The load port 40 is configured to accommodate a hoop F, which serves as a storage container. The hoop F is configured to accommodate multiple hoops, for example, 25 wafers W per lot, stacked in multiple layers at equal intervals. The inside of the hoop F placed on the load port 40 is filled and sealed with, for example, air or nitrogen gas.

[0018] Inside the loader module 30, there is an atmospheric transport robot 50, which serves as a second transport robot for transporting wafers W. As shown in Figure 2, the atmospheric transport robot 50 has a multi-joint transport arm 51. At the tip of the transport arm 51, there is an upper pick 52a and a lower pick 52b, which are provided in two stages as second picks. The upper pick 52a has a fork shape with two tip sections branching from its base. Suction pads 53a are provided on the base and tip surfaces of the upper pick 52a, and these three suction pads 53a evacuate and hold one wafer W by suction. The lower pick 52b has a similar configuration to the upper pick 52a, and three suction pads 53b evacuate and hold one wafer W by suction. The transport arm 51 is configured so that the upper pick 52a and the lower pick 52b can move in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively. The atmospheric transport robot 50 transports the wafer W between the hoop F of the load port 40 and the load lock modules 20a and 20b.

[0019] (Vacuum section 11) Next, the configuration of the vacuum section 11 will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the vacuum section 11 has a transfer module 60 as a first transport module and a plurality of processing modules 80, for example, six.

[0020] The transfer module 60 has, for example, a polygonal housing 61 in plan view, and the inside of the housing 61 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere. Multiple processing modules 80, for example six, are arranged side by side on both sides of the housing 61 in the X-axis direction via gates 63 equipped with gate valves 62. Two load lock modules 20a and 20b are arranged side by side on the side of the housing 61 in the negative Y-axis direction via gates 24a and 24b equipped with gate valves 23a and 23b.

[0021] Inside the transfer module 60, a vacuum transfer robot 70 is provided as a first transfer robot for transporting wafers W. As shown in Figure 3, the vacuum transfer robot 70 has a multi-joint transfer arm 71. At the tip of the transfer arm 71 are two stages of first picks: an upper pick 72a and a lower pick 72b. The upper pick 72a has two plate sections. Six retaining pads 73a are provided at two locations on the surface of each plate section, for a total of four locations on the upper pick 72a. The number of retaining pads 73a is not limited to this; three or more are sufficient for each location that holds one wafer W. Each retaining pad 73a is made of a material with a high coefficient of friction with respect to the wafer W, such as an elastomer, and supports the wafer W by frictional force. These retaining pads 73a suppress displacement of the wafer W supported by the upper pick 72a. The upper pick 72a is configured to hold four wafers W at once. The lower pick 72b has the same configuration as the upper pick 72a, and is configured to hold four wafers W at once with the holding pad 73b. The transport arm 71 is configured to move the upper pick 72a and the lower pick 72b vertically and horizontally, respectively. The vacuum transport robot 70 transports the wafers W between the load lock modules 20a and 20b and the six processing modules 80.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the processing module 80 has a chamber 81 configured to maintain an airtight seal inside. The chamber 81 has, for example, a rectangular shape in plan view.

[0023] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the chamber 81 is provided with multiple, for example, four, mounting platforms 82 for placing wafers W. The four mounting platforms 82 are arranged concentrically at equal intervals, i.e., at 90-degree intervals. The arrangement of the four wafers W placed on the four mounting platforms 82 is the same as the arrangement of the four wafers W held by the upper pick 72a or lower pick 72b of the vacuum transfer robot 70 described above. Each of the four mounting platforms 82 has the same configuration, and the wafers W are placed on the mounting surface, which is the upper surface. The mounting platforms 82 function as susceptors, and a temperature control mechanism (not shown) for adjusting the temperature of the wafers W is provided inside the mounting platforms 82.

[0024] Furthermore, a lifter pin (not shown) is inserted through the mounting table 82. The lifter pin supports the wafer W and is configured to be movable in the vertical direction. This lifter pin enables the transfer of the wafer W between the mounting table 82 and the vacuum transfer robot 70.

[0025] An air supply unit 83 is provided at the top of the chamber 81 to supply processing gas to the inside of the chamber 81. The air supply unit 83 has four shower heads 84, a gas branching unit 85, a gas supply pipe 86, and a gas supply source 87.

[0026] The four shower heads 84 are mounted on the ceiling surface of the chamber 81, facing each of the four mounting bases 82. A space 84a is formed inside each shower head 84. The lower surface of each shower head 84 forms a shower plate 84b, and the shower plate 84b has multiple supply holes that penetrate in the thickness direction.

[0027] The gas branching section 85 is connected to the four shower heads 84 and is provided in common to the four shower heads 84. The gas branching section 85 is located in the center of the four shower heads 84 and above the exhaust pipe 89, which will be described later. The gas branching section 85 is in communication with the gas supply source 87 via the gas supply pipe 86. The gas supply source 87 is configured to supply processing gas for processing the wafer W.

[0028] In the air supply section 83, the processing gas from the gas supply source 87 is branched at the gas branching section 85 and supplied to four shower heads 84, and then supplied to the wafer W placed on the mounting table 82 via the space 84a of the shower heads 84 and the shower plate 84b.

[0029] An exhaust section 88 is provided at the bottom of the chamber 81 to exhaust the inside of the chamber 81. The exhaust section 88 has an exhaust pipe 89 and an exhaust mechanism 90. The exhaust pipe 89 is located at the center of the four mounting bases 82 on the bottom surface of the chamber 81. That is, the exhaust pipe 89 is located below the gas branching section 85. The exhaust mechanism 90 exhausts the inside of the chamber 81 through the exhaust pipe 89. In the exhaust section 88, by exhausting the inside of the chamber 81 with the exhaust mechanism 90, the inside of the chamber 81 can be maintained in a vacuum atmosphere with a desired vacuum level.

[0030] In the processing module 80 having the above configuration, four wafers W are processed simultaneously under a vacuum atmosphere. Examples of processing under a vacuum atmosphere include plasma processing such as etching, film deposition, or diffusion, chemical oxide removal, and heat treatment.

[0031] (Load Lock Modules 20a, 20b) Next, the configurations of load lock modules 20a and 20b will be described. Load lock modules 20a and 20b have a configuration that is symmetrical with respect to the Y axis. In the following description, Figures 6 to 9 show load lock module 20a.

[0032] As shown in Figures 6 to 9, the load lock modules 20a and 20b have a chamber 100 configured to maintain an airtight seal inside. The chamber 100 has, for example, a polygonal shape in plan view. Figures 6 to 8 show the interior of the chamber 100, and the illustration of the lid that airtightly seals the top surface of the chamber 100 is omitted.

[0033] An inlet / outlet 101 for wafers W is formed on the side of the chamber 100 facing the atmospheric section 10. The inlet / outlet 101 communicates with gates 22a and 22b, and the upper pick 52a and lower pick 52b of the atmospheric transport robot 50 pass through gates 22a and 22b and the inlet / outlet 101 in sequence. An inlet / outlet 102 for wafers W is formed on the side of the chamber 100 facing the vacuum section 11. The inlet / outlet 102 communicates with gates 24a and 24b, and the upper pick 72a and lower pick 72b of the vacuum transport robot 70 pass through gates 24a and 24b and the inlet / outlet 102 in sequence.

[0034] Chamber 100 is connected to an air supply section (not shown) for supplying gas and an exhaust section (not shown) for discharging gas, and the interior can be switched between an atmospheric atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere by the air supply section and the exhaust section. In other words, the load lock modules 20a and 20b are configured to enable the proper transfer of wafers W between the loader module 30 in an atmospheric atmosphere and the transfer module 60 in a vacuum atmosphere.

[0035] The chamber 100 is provided with a position measuring unit 110 for measuring the horizontal position of the wafer W being transported from the loader module 30 to the load lock module 20a. The position measuring unit 110 is provided, for example, at the loading / unloading port 101. Note that the arrangement of the position measuring unit 110 is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the position measuring unit 110 may be arranged between the loading / unloading port 101 and the stage area R1, which will be described later. Alternatively, the position measuring unit 110 may be arranged inside the loader module 30, in front of the gate valve 21a (gate 22a) of the load lock module 20a. Furthermore, the position measuring unit 110 is provided at least on the load lock module 20a side, but may also be provided on the load lock module 20b side.

[0036] A known optical sensor is used in the position measuring unit 110. The position measuring unit 110 has a light-emitting unit 111 and a light-receiving unit 112, and the light-receiving unit 112 is configured to receive light from the light-emitting unit 111. The light-emitting unit 111 is provided on the upper side of the loading / unloading port 101, and the light-receiving unit 112 is provided on the lower side of the loading / unloading port 101, and the light-emitting unit 111 and the light-receiving unit 112 are installed so that their optical axes are in the vertical direction of the loading / unloading port 101. Two pairs of these light-emitting unit 111 and light-receiving unit 112 are installed. The wafer W held by the upper pick 52a then passes between the light-emitting unit 111 and the light-receiving unit 112, and the horizontal positions of four edges of the wafer W are measured, for example.

[0037] When the air transport robot 50 transports the wafer W to the load lock module 20a, the wafer W held by the upper pick 52a passes between the light emitter 111 and the light receiver 112. At this time, the position measuring unit 110 measures the horizontal position of the wafer W using light emitted from the light emitter 111 toward the light receiver 112. The measurement result from the position measuring unit 110 is output to the control unit 200, which will be described later. The control unit 200 controls the air transport robot 50 based on the measurement result, and the horizontal position of the wafer W is adjusted. Specifically, the horizontal position of the wafer W is adjusted so that the center position of the wafer W supported by the upper pick 52a coincides with the support center position of the wafer W on the buffer plate 120, which will be described later. The control unit 200 also detects whether or not the wafer W is in the upper pick 52a.

[0038] Inside the chamber 100, a buffer plate 120 is provided as a first support section, configured to support four wafers W. As shown in Figure 10, the buffer plate 120 has a configuration in which four arms 121 are integrally formed. The four arms 121 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the buffer plate 120, that is, they are arranged at 90-degree intervals when viewed from the center 120c of the buffer plate 120. Each arm 121 is configured in a substantially arc shape in plan view, for example, a substantially 3 / 4 annular shape (substantially U-shaped) with a diameter larger than the wafer W, and when viewed from above, it accommodates and supports the wafer W by surrounding it from the inside. In addition, each arm 121 is arranged so that the opening of the arc faces radially outward.

[0039] Because the buffer plate 120 has a shape in which the radially outer side of each arm 121 is cut out, the swivel radius of the buffer plate 120 can be reduced. Therefore, the load lock modules 20a and 20b can be made smaller.

[0040] Each arm 121 is provided with multiple, for example, three, support portions 122 that protrude inward. Each support portion 122 is provided with a fixed support pin 123 that contacts and supports the wafer W. The fixed support pin 123 does not move up or down and is fixed to the arm 121. The three fixed support pins 123 (three support portions 122) are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer circumference of the wafer W.

[0041] Specifically, in the buffer plate 120, the multiple fixed support pins 123 are arranged along one of the multiple virtual lines L1 to L4. The multiple virtual lines L1 to L4 are virtual lines that extend perpendicularly toward the loading / unloading port 102, and the widths of virtual lines L1 and L2, and virtual lines L3 and L4 are set to be greater than the width of one plate section of the upper pick 72a and lower pick 72b of the vacuum transport robot 70, and smaller than the opening width of the loading / unloading port 102. This makes it possible to miniaturize the buffer plate 120 while preventing interference with the picks of the vacuum transport robot 70, which can transport multiple plates at once.

[0042] The fixed support pin 123 is provided so as to protrude upward from the upper surface of the arm 121. The distance from the upper surface of the arm 121 to the tip of the fixed support pin 123, i.e., the protrusion height H of the fixed support pin 123, is greater than the thickness of the upper pick 72a and lower pick 72b of the vacuum transfer robot 70. Therefore, as will be described later, when transferring the wafer W between the fixed support pin 123 and the picks 72a and 72b, the picks 72a and 72b do not interfere with the fixed support pin 123, etc.

[0043] In addition, the arm 121 has a substantially arc shape, and since the fixed support pin 123 is provided inside the arm 121, as will be described later, the wafer W can be transferred between the fixed support pin 123 and the support pin 152 of the aligner 150. Similarly, as will be described later, the wafer W can be transferred between the fixed support pin 123 and the stage 140.

[0044] The upper tip of the fixed support pin 123 is substantially sharpened and makes point contact with the wafer W. Further, the fixed support pin 123 is made of a material having a high friction coefficient with respect to the wafer W, for example, an elastomer, and supports the wafer W by frictional force. By this fixed support pin 123, the wafer W supported by the buffer plate 120 is suppressed from being displaced. And with such a configuration, the three fixed support pins 123 in each arm 121 horizontally support one wafer W.

[0045] In addition, the buffer plate 120 is configured to be able to support four wafers W at equal intervals in the circumferential direction by the four arms 121. The arrangement of the four wafers W supported by the buffer plate 120 is the same as the arrangement of the four wafers W held by the upper pick 72a or the lower pick 52b of the above-described vacuum transfer robot 70, and is also the same as the arrangement of the four wafers W placed on the four mounting tables 82 of the processing module 80.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 11, all the fixed support pins 123 are arranged at positions where the upper pick 52a or the lower pick 52b does not interfere with the fixed support pin 123 when the atmospheric transfer robot 50 transfers the wafer W with respect to the fixed support pin 123. Then, the upper pick 52a or the lower pick 52b moves in the vertical direction to transfer the wafer W with respect to the fixed support pin 123. In other words, at this time, the fixed support pin 123 does not move in the vertical direction.

[0047] Similarly, all the fixed support pins 123 are arranged at positions where the upper pick 72a or the lower pick 72b does not interfere with the fixed support pin 123 when the vacuum transfer robot 70 transfers the wafer W with respect to the fixed support pin 123. Then, the upper pick 72a or the lower pick 72b moves in the vertical direction to transfer the wafer W with respect to the fixed support pin 123. In other words, at this time, the fixed support pin 123 does not move in the vertical direction.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a first drive mechanism 130 configured to drive the buffer plate 120 in the rotational direction is provided at the center 120c of the lower surface of the buffer plate 120. In other words, the buffer plate 120 is configured to be rotatable about the center 120c as a rotation axis. The configuration of the first drive mechanism 130 is arbitrary. For example, the first drive mechanism 130 has a shaft 131 and a drive unit 132. The shaft 131 supports the lower surface of the buffer plate 120 and is provided by inserting the chamber 100 from the inside to the outside of the chamber 100. The drive unit 132 is provided outside the chamber 100 and is attached to the shaft 131. The drive unit 132 incorporates, for example, a motor (not shown) or the like, and drives the buffer plate 120 in the rotational direction via the shaft 131.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, a plurality of, for example, four stage regions R1 to R4 are provided below the buffer plate 120 and around the center 120c of the buffer plate 120. The four stage regions R1 to R4 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the buffer plate 120, that is, are arranged every 90 degrees when viewed from the center 120c of the buffer plate 120. When the buffer plate 120 rotates to a specific position, the four stage regions R1 to R4 are arranged below the four arms 121. Further, the stage region R1 is provided on the carry-in / outlet 101 side, the stage region R2 is provided between the carry-in / outlet 101 and the carry-in / outlet 102, and the stage regions R3 and R4 are provided on the carry-in / outlet 102 side.

[0050] A stage 140 is provided in each stage region R1 to R4. For example, the diameter of the stage 140 is smaller than the inner diameter of the arm 121. A through hole 140a is formed in the stage 140 of stage region R2, which penetrates vertically. The shaft 161 of the second drive mechanism 153, which will be described later, is inserted through the through hole 140a.

[0051] An aligner 150 is provided in the stage region R2. The aligner 150 controls the orientation of the wafer W relative to the buffer plate 120, that is, the orientation of the notches on the wafer W, and adjusts the horizontal position of the wafer W. The aligner 150 includes an orientation detection unit 151, a support pin 152 as a second support unit, and a second drive mechanism 153. The aligner 150 is provided in at least the load lock module 20a, but may also be provided in the load lock module 20b.

[0052] For example, a line sensor is used for the orientation detection unit 151. The orientation detection unit 151 has a light-emitting unit 154 and a light-receiving unit 155, and the light-receiving unit 155 is configured to receive light from the light-emitting unit 154. The light-emitting unit 154 is located outside the chamber 100 and above the buffer plate 120. The light-receiving unit 155 is located outside the chamber 100. The light-emitting unit 154 and the light-receiving unit 155 are installed so that their optical axes A are in the vertical direction. In addition, in a plan view, the light-emitting unit 154 and the light-receiving unit 155 are arranged on a straight line through the center 120c of the buffer plate 120 (radial direction B with respect to the rotation of the buffer plate 120) where the support pin 152 is provided.

[0053] In the aligner 150, after moving the wafer W supported by the support pins 152 above the buffer plate 120, the orientation detection unit 151 detects the notch position of the wafer W by passing the wafer W between the light-emitting unit 154 and the light-receiving unit 155 while rotating the wafer W. The detection result from the orientation detection unit 151 is output to the control unit 200, which will be described later. The control unit 200 controls the second drive mechanism 153 based on the detection result to rotate the wafer W so that the notch of the wafer W is positioned in the appropriate position, thereby controlling the orientation of the notch.

[0054] The support pins 152 are configured to support the wafer W. In the illustrated example, the tips of the support pins 152 are configured to support the wafer W at three points, but the shape of the tips is not limited to this, and any shape is possible as long as it can support the wafer W. The support pins 152 are embedded in the upper surface of the stage 140. In a plan view, the support pins 152 are arranged in the radial direction B passing through the center 120c of the buffer plate 120.

[0055] The second drive mechanism 153 supports the center of the lower surface of the support pin 152 and is configured to drive the support pin 152 in the vertical, rotational, and radial directions B. With this configuration, the support pin 152 is configured to move vertically between the upper surface of the stage 140 and above the stage 140. The support pin 152 is also configured to rotate in the rotational direction above the stage 140. Furthermore, the support pin 152 is configured to move radially B above the stage 140, passing through the center 120c of the buffer plate 120. In addition, the arm 121 of the buffer plate 120 provided above the support pin 152 has a substantially arc shape, and the fixed support pin 123 is provided inside the arm 121, so that wafers W can be transferred between the support pin 152 and the fixed support pin 123.

[0056] As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the second drive mechanism 153 includes a mounting portion 160, a shaft 161, a connecting portion 162, a bellows 163, a rotary drive portion 164, actuators 165 and 166 as vertical drive portions, and links 167 and 168. The shaft 161 is provided by inserting it through the chamber 100 from the inside to the outside, and the parts other than the shaft 161 are provided on the outside of the chamber 100.

[0057] The mounting portion 160 is provided so as to surround the through hole 100a formed in the chamber 100 below the support pin 152, and is attached to the lower surface of the chamber 100. On the upper surface of the mounting portion 160, a sealing member 169, such as an elastomer O-ring, is provided to airtightly seal the space between the mounting portion 160 and the through hole 100a. The mounting portion 160 then supports the various components of the second drive mechanism 153.

[0058] The shaft 161 supports the lower surface of the support pin 152 and is positioned inside the chamber 100, passing through the through hole 140a of the stage 140 and further through the through hole 100a of the chamber 100.

[0059] The connecting portion 162 is provided at the lower part of the shaft 161. The connecting portion 162 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a through hole 162a is formed in the connecting portion 162 that penetrates vertically. The shaft 161 is inserted through the through hole 162a. A sealing member 170, such as a resin O-ring, is provided in the through hole 162a so as to surround the shaft 161 and to airtightly seal the space between the shaft 161 and the connecting portion 162a.

[0060] The bellows 163 surrounds the shaft 161 and is provided between the connecting portion 162 and the mounting portion 160. The bellows 163 ensures airtightness between the connecting portion 162 and the mounting portion 160, that is, it ensures airtightness inside the chamber 100. Furthermore, as will be described later, the bellows 163 is configured to deform in a cranking manner when the shaft 161, the connecting portion 162, and the rotary drive portion 164 move in the radial direction B, thereby absorbing their movement in the radial direction B. In other words, the sealing associated with the radial movement B of the shaft 161, the connecting portion 162, and the rotary drive portion 164 is performed by the offset of the bellows 163.

[0061] The rotary drive unit 164 is attached to the lower end of the shaft 161 below the connecting portion 162. The rotary drive unit 164 incorporates, for example, a motor (not shown) and drives the support pin 152, which is supported by the shaft 161, in the rotational direction via the shaft 161 and the connecting portion 162.

[0062] Actuators 165 and 166 are provided facing radially B toward the connecting portion 162. In the following description, the actuator 165 on the radially inner side (center 120c) will be referred to as the inner actuator 165, and the actuator 166 on the radially outer side will be referred to as the outer actuator 166. Actuators 165 and 166 are electric actuators and each has a movable part 165a and 166a that moves in the vertical direction. The movable parts 165a and 166a move in the vertical direction and drive the connecting portion 162 in the vertical direction via links 167 and 168.

[0063] Links 167 and 168 are provided between the movable parts 165a and 166a of actuators 165 and 166 and the connecting part 162, respectively. In the following description, the link 167 on the radially inner side (center 120c) will be referred to as the inner link 167, and the link 168 on the radially outer side will be referred to as the outer link 168.

[0064] Multiple inner links 167 are provided on the radially inner side surface of the connecting portion 162, for example, four of them. The four inner links 167 are arranged in a row of two vertically and two horizontally. The radial length of the inner links 167 is longer than the distance between the movable portion 165a of the inner actuator 165 and the connecting portion 162 in a plan view. That is, the inner links 167 are provided at an angle from the horizontal in a side view.

[0065] Multiple outer links 168 are also provided on the radially outer side surface of the connecting portion 162, for example, four of them. The four outer links 168 are arranged in a row of two vertically and two horizontally. The radial length of the outer links 168 is longer than the distance between the moving portion 166a of the outer actuator 166 and the connecting portion 162 in a plan view. In other words, the outer links 168 are provided at an angle from the horizontal in a side view.

[0066] As described above, links 167 and 168 have a so-called parallel link structure. The movable parts 165a and 166a of actuators 165 and 166 move vertically, and the difference in height E between these movable parts 165a and 166a causes the shaft 161, the connecting part 162, and the rotational drive part 164 to move radially B.

[0067] The number and arrangement of the inner links 167 and outer links 168 in the parallel link structure are not limited to this embodiment. For example, the inner links 167 and outer links 168 may each be one or more in the vertical direction, or one or more in the horizontal direction. However, a larger number of inner links 167 and outer links 168 provides better balance in supporting the connecting portion 162, and improves the accuracy when moving the connecting portion 162 in the vertical or radial direction B. Also, for example, the links and actuators may be provided only on either the radially inner or outer side, and only the inner link 167 and inner actuator 165 may be provided, or only the outer link 168 and outer actuator 166 may be provided.

[0068] In the aligner 150, the wafer W supported by the support pins 152 is moved above the buffer plate 120, and then the wafer W is moved radially in the direction B. The movement of the wafer W radially in the direction B is performed when adjusting the horizontal position of the wafer W, and this adjustment of the horizontal position of the wafer W will be described later.

[0069] (Control Unit 200) As shown in Figure 1, the wafer processing apparatus 1 is provided with at least one control unit 200 as shown in Figure 1. The control unit 200 processes computer-executable instructions that cause the wafer processing apparatus 1 to perform the various processes described herein. The control unit 200 may be configured to control each element of the wafer processing apparatus 1 to perform the various processes described herein. In one embodiment, some or all of the control unit 200 may be included in the wafer processing apparatus 1. The control unit 200 may include a processing unit, a storage unit, and a communication interface. The control unit 200 is implemented, for example, by a computer. The processing unit may be configured to read a program from the storage unit that provides logic or routines that enable various control operations, and to perform various control operations by executing the read program. This program may be stored in the storage unit in advance, or it may be obtained via a medium when needed. The obtained program is stored in the storage unit and read from the storage unit and executed by the processing unit. The medium may be various storage media read by a computer, or it may be a communication line connected to a communication interface. The storage medium may be temporary or non-temporary. The processing unit may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and may consist of one or more circuits. The storage unit may include RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or a combination thereof. The communication interface may communicate with the wafer processing device 1 via a communication line such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0070] <Wafer Processing Method of the First Embodiment> Next, wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be explained. In wafer processing, the operation of each part of the wafer processing apparatus 1 is controlled by the control unit 200. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the main steps of wafer processing. Figures 15A to 15H are explanatory diagrams showing the main steps of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus 1. Figure 16 is an explanatory diagram showing the main steps of notch orientation control of the wafer W in the load lock module 20a. Figure 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the main steps of horizontal position adjustment of the wafer W in the load lock module 20a.

[0071] First, a hoop F containing multiple wafers W is placed on the load port 40. Next, under atmospheric conditions, the upper pick 52a of the atmospheric transport robot 50 removes the first wafer W1 from the hoop F and transports it to the load lock module 20a. Specifically, the gate valve 21a is opened, and as shown in Figure 15A, the upper pick 52a holding the wafer W1 enters the interior of the load lock module 20a. At this time, as the upper pick 52a passes through the loading / unloading port 101, the horizontal position of the wafer W1 held by the upper pick 52a is measured by the position measuring unit 110. The measurement result from the position measuring unit 110 is output to the control unit 200. Based on the measurement result, the control unit 200 controls the atmospheric transport robot 50 to adjust the horizontal position of the wafer W1 supported by the upper pick 52a, for example, the center position of the wafer W1 (step St1 in Figure 14). In step St1, the horizontal position of the wafer W1 is adjusted so that the center position of the wafer W1 coincides with the support center position of the wafer W1 on the buffer plate 120.

[0072] When the upper pick 52a enters the interior of the load lock module 20a, the buffer plate 120 is positioned such that the four arms 121 are located above the stage regions R1 to R4. The wafer W1 held by the upper pick 52a is then positioned above the arm 121 corresponding to the stage region R1.

[0073] Next, the upper pick 52a is lowered, and the wafer W1 is transferred from the upper pick 52a to the fixed support pin 123 of the arm 121. At this time, since the horizontal position of the wafer W has been adjusted in step St1, the wafer W1 is transferred to the appropriate position relative to the fixed support pin 123. In this way, the wafer W1 is loaded from the air transport robot 50 into the load lock module 20a (step St2 in Figure 14). After that, the upper pick 52a is withdrawn from the load lock module 20a.

[0074] Next, as shown in Figure 15B, the buffer plate 120 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise to position the wafer W1 above the stage area R2 (step St3 in Figure 14).

[0075] Next, in the stage region R2, the orientation of the notch on the wafer W1 is controlled by the aligner 150 (step St4 in Figure 14), and the horizontal position of the wafer W1 is adjusted by the aligner 150 and the buffer plate 120 (step St5 in Figure 14). Furthermore, the air transport robot 50 transports the second wafer W2 to a position corresponding to the stage region R1 of the load lock module 20a (steps St1 and St2 in Figure 14). The notch orientation control and horizontal position adjustment of wafer W1, and the transport of wafer W2 are performed in parallel. In this case, the wafer processing throughput can be improved. The transport of wafer W2 is the same as the transport of wafer W1 in steps St1 and St2 described above.

[0076] In step St4, first, before controlling the position of the notch N on the wafer W1 as shown in Figure 16(a), the support pins 152 of the aligner 150 are positioned on the upper surface of the stage 140.

[0077] Next, as shown in Figure 16(b), the support pin 152 is raised, and the wafer W1 is transferred from the arm 121 to the support pin 152. The support pin 152 is positioned so that the wafer W1 is separated upward from the arm 121. Subsequently, while the support pin 152 and the wafer W1 are rotated, the orientation detection unit 151 detects the position of the notch N on the wafer W1. Then, based on the detection result from the orientation detection unit 151, the second drive mechanism 153 is controlled to rotate the wafer W1 so that the notch N on the wafer W1 is positioned in the appropriate location, thereby controlling the orientation of the notch N.

[0078] Next, as shown in Figure 16(c), the support pin 152 is lowered, and the wafer W1 is transferred from the support pin 152 to the arm 121.

[0079] In step St5, as a preliminary step, the positions of the four mounting tables 82 are determined in the processing module 80. The method for determining the positions of the mounting tables 82 is arbitrary, but for example, they may be determined during the teaching of the vacuum transfer robot 70. Then, based on the positions of the four mounting tables 82, the horizontal position of the wafer W supported by the buffer plate 120 is adjusted.

[0080] Here, as described above, the four wafers W are transported together by the vacuum transport robot 70 between the load lock module 20a and the processing module 80. For this reason, the arrangement of the four wafers W supported by the buffer plate 120, the arrangement of the four wafers W held by the upper pick 72a or lower pick 72b, and the arrangement of the four wafers W placed on the four mounting tables 82 are all the same. On the other hand, due to factors such as installation errors of the mounting tables 82 or thermal expansion, the position of the mounting tables 82 may deviate from the design position, causing a deviation in the spacing between the mounting tables 82 from the design value. In such cases, a deviation also occurs in the transport target position when the four wafers W on the buffer plate 120 are received by the transport arm 71. For this reason, in process St5, the horizontal position of the wafers W supported by the buffer plate 120 is adjusted based on the position of the mounting tables 82.

[0081] Specifically, in step St5, first, the support pin 152 is raised, and the wafer W1 is transferred from the arm 121 to the support pin 152. The support pin 152 is positioned so that the wafer W1 is separated upward from the arm 121. Next, as shown in Figure 17(a), the support pin 152 and the wafer W1 are moved radially in direction B based on the position of the mounting table 82.

[0082] Next, the support pin 152 is lowered, and the wafer W1 is transferred from the support pin 152 to the arm 121. The support pin 152 is positioned on the upper surface of the stage 140. Subsequently, the buffer plate 120 and the wafer W1 are rotated based on the position of the mounting base 82, as shown in Figure 17(b). The tangential direction of this rotation of the buffer plate 120 and the wafer W1 is perpendicular to the radial direction B of the movement of the support pin 152 and the wafer W1 shown in Figure 17(a).

[0083] In this manner, the horizontal position of the wafer W1 is adjusted by the radial movement of the support pin 152 in the radial direction B and the rotational movement of the buffer plate 120. In this embodiment, the support pin 152 was moved radially in the radial direction B before the buffer plate 120 was moved in the rotational direction, but the order is not limited, and the buffer plate 120 may be moved in the rotational direction before the support pin 152 is moved radially in the radial direction B.

[0084] Furthermore, the order of process St4 and process St5 is not limited; process St4 may be performed before process St5, or process St5 may be performed before process St4. Alternatively, the transfer (receiving) of the wafer W1 between the arm 121 and the support pin 152 may be performed in a single step in both processes St4 and St5. For example, the wafer W1 may be transferred from the arm 121 to the support pin 152, and in this state, the orientation control of the notch N and the radial position adjustment of the support pin 152 may be performed consecutively, after which the wafer W1 may be transferred from the support pin 152 to the arm 121, and the buffer plate 120 may be rotated.

[0085] Steps St1 to St5 described above are repeated for the second wafer W2, the third wafer W3, and the fourth wafer W4, until the four wafers W1 to W4 are loaded into the load lock module 20a as shown in Figure 15C (step St6 in Figure 14).

[0086] Next, the gate valve 21a is closed, sealing and reducing the pressure inside the load lock module 20a, and maintaining a vacuum atmosphere. Then, the gate valve 23a is opened, and the inside of the load lock module 20a and the inside of the transfer module 60 are connected.

[0087] Next, as shown in Figure 15D, the upper pick 72a of the vacuum transfer robot 70 is inserted into the load lock module 20a. The upper pick 72a is positioned between the four wafers W1 to W4 supported by the fixed support pins 123 and the arm 121. As described above, the protrusion height H of the fixed support pins 123 is greater than the thickness of the upper pick 72a, so the upper pick 72a does not interfere with the wafers W1 to W4 and the arm 121.

[0088] Next, the upper pick 72a is raised, and the four wafers W1 to W4 are transferred from the fixed support pin 123 to the upper pick 72a all at once. After that, the upper pick 72a is withdrawn from the load lock module 20a, and the four wafers W1 to W4 are unloaded from the load lock module 20a all at once (step St7 in Figure 14).

[0089] Next, the gate valve 62 is opened, and as shown in Figure 15E, the upper pick 72a, which holds the four wafers W1 to W4, enters the processing module 80. The upper pick 72a is positioned so that the four wafers W1 to W4 are located above the four mounting tables 82. Subsequently, the four wafers W1 to W4 are placed on the four mounting tables 82 by lifter pins (not shown). At this time, since the horizontal positions of the four wafers W1 to W4 have been adjusted in step St5, even if the positioning of the four mounting tables 82 is shifted from the design position, the four wafers W1 to W4 can be placed in the appropriate positions on these four mounting tables 82. In this way, the four wafers W1 to W4 are transported from the vacuum transfer robot 70 to the processing module 80 all at once (step St8 in Figure 14). After that, the upper pick 72a is withdrawn from the processing module 80.

[0090] Next, the gate valve 62 is closed, and in the processing module 80, processing gas is supplied from the air supply unit 83 into the chamber 81, and the inside of the chamber 81 is evacuated by the exhaust unit 88. Then, the desired processing is performed on the four wafers W1 to W4 under a vacuum atmosphere (step St9 in Figure 14).

[0091] Next, the gate valve 62 is opened, allowing the lower pick 72b of the vacuum transfer robot 70 to enter the processing module 80, as shown in Figure 15F. Then, the four wafers W1 to W4 are transferred from the four mounting tables 82 to the lower pick 72b by lifter pins (not shown). After that, the lower pick 72b is withdrawn from the processing module 80, and the four wafers W1 to W4 are discharged from the processing module 80 all at once (step St10 in Figure 14).

[0092] Next, the gate valve 23b is opened, and as shown in Figure 15G, the lower pick 72b that holds the four wafers W1 to W4 enters the interior of the load lock module 20b. At this time, the four wafers W1 to W4 are positioned above the arms 121 corresponding to the stage regions R1 to R4.

[0093] Next, the lower pick 72b is lowered, and the four wafers W1 to W4 are transferred from the lower pick 72b to the fixed support pins 123 of the four arms 121 all at once. As described above, the protruding height H of the fixed support pins 123 is greater than the thickness of the lower pick 72b, so even after the lower pick 72b has transferred the wafers W1 to W4 to the fixed support pins 123, it does not interfere with the wafers W1 to W4 or the arms 121. In this way, the four wafers W1 to W4 are loaded all at once from the vacuum transfer robot 70 to the load lock module 20b (step St11 in Figure 14). After that, the lower pick 72b is removed from the load lock module 20b.

[0094] Next, the gate valve 23b is closed, sealing and pressurizing the inside of the load lock module 20a, and maintaining it in an atmospheric environment. Then, the gate valve 21b is opened, and the inside of the load lock module 20b and the inside of the loader module 30 are connected.

[0095] Next, as shown in Figure 15H, the lower pick 52b of the air transport robot 50 is moved into the load lock module 20b. The lower pick 52b is positioned between the wafer W3, which is supported by the fixed support pin 123, and the arm 121 at a position corresponding to the stage area R1. As described above, the protrusion height H of the fixed support pin 123 is greater than the thickness of the lower pick 52b, so the lower pick 52b does not interfere with the wafer W3.

[0096] Next, the lower pick 52b is raised, and the wafer W3 is transferred from the fixed support pin 123 to the lower pick 52b. Then, the lower pick 52b is withdrawn from the load lock module 20b, and the wafer W3 is unloaded from the load lock module 20b. Subsequently, the wafer W3 is transported to the hoop F by the lower pick 52b (step St12 in Figure 14).

[0097] Next, the buffer plate 120 is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise to position the wafer W2 above the stage area R1 (step St13 in Figure 14).

[0098] Steps St11 to St14 described above are repeated for wafers W2, W1, and W4, and the four wafers W1 to W4 are sequentially transported to the hoop F (step St14 in Figure 14). In this way, the series of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus 1 is completed.

[0099] <Effects of this embodiment> According to this embodiment, in the wafer processing apparatus 1, four wafers W are housed together in load lock modules 20a and 20b, the four wafers W are transported together by a vacuum transfer robot 70, and the four wafers W are processed together in the processing module 80. In this case, the throughput of wafer processing in the wafer processing apparatus 1 can be improved.

[0100] In the past, there have been devices that transport and process multiple wafers at once, such as the wafer processing system disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as "conventional devices"). Specifically, the conventional device has a processing chamber for processing multiple wafers at once, a transport device for transporting multiple wafer substrates at once, a vacuum transport chamber connected to the processing chamber, a load lock chamber that houses multiple wafers and is connected to the vacuum transport chamber, and a loader module that transports a single wafer and is connected to the load lock chamber.

[0101] In conventional equipment, the orientation of the wafer notch position is generally controlled by an aligner installed in the loader module. The aligner rotates the wafer and measures the wafer edge position with a line sensor. Based on the measurement result of the wafer edge position, the wafer W is rotated so that the wafer notch is positioned appropriately, and the orientation of the notch is controlled. Also, based on the measurement result of the wafer edge position, when the transport device of the loader module accesses the wafer in the aligner, the transport device adjusts the wafer's center position (wafer misalignment). In this way, the orientation of the wafer notch position is controlled by the aligner, and the wafer's center position is adjusted by the transport device, and the wafer is transported to the load lock chamber.

[0102] In this regard, the wafer processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment measures the horizontal position of the wafer W being transported using a position measuring unit 110 provided in the load lock module 20a, and adjusts the horizontal position of the wafer W using an air transport robot 50. Furthermore, in the load lock module 20a, the position of the notch N of the wafer W is detected using an orientation detection unit 151, and the orientation of the notch N of the wafer W (the orientation of the wafer W) is controlled by rotating the wafer W supported by the support pins 152. In this case, the wafer W before alignment can be transported from the loader module 30 to the load lock module 20a, eliminating the need to perform alignment with the aligner of the loader module as in conventional devices. Therefore, the throughput of wafer processing can be improved.

[0103] Furthermore, in conventional equipment, the control of wafer notch orientation and adjustment of the wafer's horizontal position were performed by an aligner on a loader module located away from the processing module. In such cases, the number of wafer transport cycles is high, and transport errors become large.

[0104] In this regard, in the wafer processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the control of the notch orientation of the wafer W and the adjustment of the horizontal position of the wafer W are performed in the load lock module 20a, which is one module closer to the processing module 80 compared to conventional apparatuses. In this case, the number of wafer W transports is reduced and transport errors can be reduced compared to conventional apparatuses.

[0105] Furthermore, in the conventional apparatus disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 1, for example, the stage of the load lock chamber is configured to be magnetically levitable, and the position of the stage of the load lock chamber is corrected based on the machine-specific differences in the stage arrangement of the processing chamber. In such cases, the mechanism for magnetic levitation becomes large and expensive.

[0106] In this respect, according to this embodiment, in the load lock module 20a, the wafer W supported by the support pins 152 is moved radially B based on the position of the mounting table 82, and the wafer W supported by the buffer plate 120 is moved rotationally to adjust the horizontal position of the wafer W. In this case, even if the position of the mounting table 82 deviates from the design position due to factors such as installation errors of the mounting table 82, the horizontal position of the wafer W can be adjusted with high precision to match the position of the mounting table 82. As a result, the four wafers W on the buffer plate 120 can be received in the appropriate position by the transport arm 71, and the transport accuracy of the four wafers W by the vacuum transport robot 70 can be improved. Furthermore, as a result, the four wafers W can be placed in the appropriate position on the four mounting tables 82 in the processing module 80, that is, the placement accuracy of the four wafers W on the four mounting tables 82 is improved, and the four wafers W can be processed appropriately. Moreover, a magnetic levitation stage is not required as in conventional devices, and the device cost can be reduced.

[0107] In this case, after processing four wafers W in one processing module 80A, processing four more wafers W may be performed in another processing module 80B. If, for example, the placement of the mounting tables 82 in processing modules 80A and 80B is different, when transporting wafers W from processing module 80A to processing module 80B, it is necessary to adjust the horizontal position of the wafers W based on the placement of the mounting table 82 in processing module 80B.

[0108] In such cases, conventional equipment transports the wafer to the aligner of the loader module to adjust its horizontal position. That is, in order to adjust the horizontal position of the wafer, it is necessary to transport the wafer W from the processing module in a vacuum atmosphere to the loader module in an air atmosphere. This increases transport time and reduces the throughput of wafer processing. Furthermore, transporting processed wafers to an air atmosphere may adversely affect the quality of the wafers.

[0109] In this respect, according to this embodiment, the horizontal position of the wafer W can be adjusted by transporting the wafer W to the load lock module 20a. That is, the wafer W only needs to be transported from the processing module 80 in a vacuum atmosphere to the load lock module 20a in a vacuum atmosphere, which shortens the transport time compared to conventional equipment. As a result, the throughput of wafer processing can be improved. In addition, since the wafer W is transported in a vacuum atmosphere, it is possible to avoid quality degradation due to the wafer W being exposed to the atmosphere, as in the conventional equipment described above.

[0110] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the light-emitting unit 154 and the light-receiving unit 155 of the orientation detection unit 151 are arranged in a plan view on a straight line in the radial direction B passing through the center 120c of the buffer plate 120, where the support pins 152 are provided. In this case, the amount of rotation when rotating the wafer W supported by the support pins 152 based on the detection result of the position of the notch N by the orientation detection unit 151, and the amount of movement when moving the wafer W supported by the support pins 152 in the radial direction B based on the arrangement position of the mounting table 82 can be efficiently derived.

[0111] Alternatively, the horizontal position of the wafer W based on the placement position of the mounting table 82 may be adjusted using the atmospheric transport robot 50 by adding the placement position of the mounting table 82 to the measurement result of the horizontal position of the wafer W by the position measuring unit 110. However, in this case, the calculation of the amount of adjustment for the horizontal position of the wafer W becomes complicated.

[0112] Furthermore, the horizontal position of the wafer W based on the measurement results of the position measurement unit 110 may be adjusted by moving the wafer W in the radial direction B supported by the support pin 152 and by moving the wafer W in the rotational direction supported by the buffer plate 120. However, for example, if the chamber of the transfer module 60 expands, the load lock module 20a moves toward the loader module 30, which may change the target position of the wafer W being transported by the air transport robot 50. To address this, it is preferable to measure the horizontal position of the wafer W being transported using the position measurement unit 110 and adjust the horizontal position of the wafer W using the air transport robot 50, as in this embodiment.

[0113] <Second Embodiment> In the above embodiment, when adjusting the horizontal position of the wafer W based on the arrangement position of the mounting table 82, the second drive mechanism 153 moves the wafer W supported by the support pins 152 in the radial direction B, and moves the wafer W supported by the buffer plate 120 in the rotational direction. In this regard, the movement of the wafer W in the radial direction B may be achieved, for example, by moving the buffer plate 120 in the radial direction B. In this case, the buffer plate 120 is moved in the radial direction B passing through the center 120c, and the buffer plate 120 is moved in the rotational direction with the center 120c as the axis of rotation.

[0114] However, in the second embodiment, the larger buffer plate 120 is moved radially in direction B, so the drive mechanism becomes more complex. For this reason, the first embodiment is preferable.

[0115] <Third Embodiment> The configuration of the second drive mechanism 153 is not limited to the above embodiment, and any configuration is possible as long as the support pin 152 can be driven in the vertical direction, rotational direction and radial direction B.

[0116] For example, as shown in Figure 18, the second drive mechanism 153 includes a mounting portion 300, a shaft 301, a connecting portion 302, a bellows 303, a rotary drive portion 304, a horizontal actuator 305 as a horizontal drive portion, and a vertical actuator 306 as a vertical drive portion. The shaft 301 is provided by inserting it through the chamber 100 from the inside to the outside, and the parts other than the shaft 301 are provided on the outside of the chamber 100.

[0117] The mounting portion 300 is configured similarly to the mounting portion 160, and is provided so as to surround the through hole 100a of the chamber 100, and is attached to the lower surface of the chamber 100. On the upper surface of the mounting portion 300, a sealing member 307, such as an elastomer O-ring, is provided to airtightly seal the space between the mounting portion 300 and the chamber 100, so as to surround the through hole 100a. The mounting portion 300 then supports the various components of the second drive mechanism 153.

[0118] The shaft 301 is configured similarly to the shaft 161, supporting the lower surface of the support pin 152, and is installed inside the chamber 100, passing through the through hole 140a of the stage 140, and further passing through the through hole 100a of the chamber 100.

[0119] The connecting portion 302 is configured similarly to the connecting portion 162 and is provided at the lower part of the shaft 301. The connecting portion 302 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a through hole 302a is formed in the connecting portion 302 that penetrates vertically. The shaft 301 is inserted through the through hole 302a. The through hole 302a is also provided with a sealing member 308, such as a resin O-ring, which surrounds the shaft 301 and airtightly seals the space between the shaft 301 and the sealing member 308.

[0120] The bellows 303 is configured similarly to the bellows 163, surrounding the shaft 301 and positioned between the connecting portion 302 and the mounting portion 300. The bellows 303 ensures airtightness between the connecting portion 302 and the mounting portion 300, that is, it ensures airtightness inside the chamber 100. Furthermore, the bellows 303 is configured to deform in a cranking manner when the shaft 301, the connecting portion 302, and the rotary drive portion 304 move in the radial direction B, thereby absorbing their movement in the radial direction B. In other words, the sealing associated with the radial movement of the shaft 301, the connecting portion 302, and the rotary drive portion 304 is performed by the offset of the bellows 303.

[0121] The rotary drive unit 304 is configured similarly to the rotary drive unit 164 and is attached to the lower end of the shaft 301 below the connecting portion 302. The rotary drive unit 304 incorporates, for example, a motor (not shown) and drives the support pin 152, which is supported on the shaft 301, in the rotational direction via the shaft 301 and the connecting portion 302.

[0122] The horizontal actuator 305 is an electric actuator and has a movable part 305a that moves in the radial direction B. The movable part 305a is connected to the connecting part 302 via a support member 309. When the movable part 305a moves in the radial direction B, it drives the shaft 301, the connecting part 302, and the rotational drive unit 304 in the radial direction B.

[0123] The vertical actuator 306 is an electric actuator and has a movable part 306a that moves in the vertical direction. The movable part 306a is attached to the horizontal actuator 305. When the movable part 306a moves in the vertical direction, it drives the shaft 301, the connecting part 302, and the rotational drive part 304 in the vertical direction via the horizontal actuator 305.

[0124] In the second drive mechanism 153 having the above configuration, the support pin 152 can be driven in the vertical direction, the rotational direction, and the radial direction B, and the same effects as in the above embodiment can be enjoyed.

[0125] In the second drive mechanism 153 of the third embodiment, an electric actuator is used for the horizontal actuator 305. However, the presence of the bellows 303 limits the range of motion of the moving part 305a, resulting in a small amount of movement in the radial direction B. Therefore, it is difficult to supply lubricating grease to the ball screw (not shown) inside the horizontal actuator 305 over a long period of time. This may shorten the lifespan of the horizontal actuator 305.

[0126] In this regard, the second drive mechanism 153 of the first embodiment has a parallel link structure, which allows for a larger range of motion of the movable parts 165a and 166a of the actuators 165 and 166. As a result, the lifespan of the actuators 165 and 166 can be extended.

[0127] <Fourth Embodiment> In the wafer processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiments, four wafers W are housed together in load lock modules 20a and 20b, the four wafers W are transported together by a vacuum transport robot 70, and the four wafers W are processed together in the processing module 80. In this respect, the number of wafers W to be transported and processed together is not limited to four. For example, two to three or five or more wafers W may be transported and processed together.

[0128] <Fifth Embodiment> In the embodiments described above, the buffer plates 120 of the load lock modules 20a and 20b were configured as a single unit. However, as shown in Figure 19, they may be configured by combining multiple divided parts 120a. In the illustrated example, the buffer plate 120 is divided into four parts 120a, but the number of divisions of the buffer plate 120 is not limited to this. In this case, maintenance can be performed on each divided part 120a, improving maintainability.

[0129] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The embodiments described above may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. For example, the constituent elements of the embodiments described above can be combined in any way. Such any combination will naturally yield the functions and effects of each constituent element in the combination, as well as other functions and effects that will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description herein.

[0130] Furthermore, the effects described herein are merely descriptive or illustrative and not limiting. In other words, the technology relating to this disclosure may produce other effects that will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description herein, in addition to or in lieu of the effects described herein.

[0131] The following configuration examples also fall within the technical scope of this disclosure. (1) A substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates, comprising: a processing module having a plurality of mounting tables for processing substrates placed on the mounting tables; a first transport module for transporting substrates to the processing module; a second transport module for transporting substrates to a storage container capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; and a load lock module provided between the first transport module and the second transport module and configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates transported by the first transport module or the second transport module, wherein the load lock module comprises: a first support portion that supports a plurality of substrates and is configured to be rotatable about a central position as an axis of rotation; a first drive mechanism configured to drive the first support portion in the rotational direction; a second support portion that supports a substrate and is configured to be movable in the radial direction passing through the central position; and a second drive mechanism configured to drive the second support portion in the radial direction. (2) The substrate processing apparatus according to (1), further comprising a control unit that controls the second drive mechanism to adjust the horizontal position of the substrates supported by the second support portion based on the arrangement positions of the plurality of mounting tables. (3) The substrate processing apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the second support is configured to be rotatable, the second drive mechanism is configured to drive the second support in the rotational direction, and the load lock module has an orientation detection unit for detecting the orientation of a substrate supported by the second support. (4) The substrate processing apparatus according to (3), wherein the orientation detection unit is arranged in the radial direction passing through the center position and on a straight line on which the second support is provided. (5) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4), further comprising a position measuring unit for measuring the horizontal position of a substrate being transported from the second transport module to the load lock module.(6) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the load lock module has a chamber for housing the second support portion, and the second drive mechanism has a shaft that supports the second support portion and is inserted through the chamber, a connecting portion provided at the lower part of the shaft, a bellows that surrounds the shaft and is provided between the connecting portion and the chamber, a rotational drive portion for driving the shaft in the rotational direction, a vertical drive portion provided facing the connecting portion in the radial direction passing through the center position and for driving the connecting portion in the vertical direction, and a link provided between the vertical drive portion and the connecting portion. (7) The substrate processing apparatus according to (6), wherein the vertical drive portion includes a pair of vertical drive portions provided facing each other in the radial direction passing through the center position and for moving the connecting portion in the vertical direction, and the link includes an inner link provided between the radially inner vertical drive portion and the connecting portion, and an outer link provided between the radially outer vertical drive portion and the connecting portion. (8) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the load lock module has a chamber for housing the second support portion, and the second drive mechanism has a shaft that supports the second support portion and is inserted through the chamber, a connecting portion provided at the lower part of the shaft, a bellows that surrounds the shaft and is provided between the connecting portion and the chamber, a rotary drive unit for driving the shaft in the rotational direction, a horizontal drive unit for driving the connecting portion in the horizontal direction, and a vertical drive unit for driving the connecting portion in the vertical direction.(9) A substrate processing method for processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus comprising: a processing module having a plurality of mounting tables for processing substrates placed on the mounting tables; a first transport module for transporting substrates to the processing module; a second transport module for transporting substrates to a container capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; a load lock module provided between the first transport module and the second transport module and configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates transported by the first transport module or the second transport module, the load lock module comprising: a first support portion for supporting a plurality of substrates and configured to be rotatable about a central position as an axis of rotation; a first drive mechanism configured to drive the first support portion in the rotational direction; a second support portion for supporting substrates and configured to be movable in the radial direction passing through the central position; and a second drive mechanism configured to drive the second support portion in the radial direction, the substrate processing method comprising: (a) transporting substrates from the second transport module to the load lock module and transferring the substrates to the first support portion; (b) A step of rotating the first support and repeatedly performing step (a) to accommodate a plurality of substrates in the load lock module; (c) A step of transferring a substrate from the first support to the second support, moving the second support radially to adjust the horizontal position of the substrate supported by the second support. (10) The substrate processing method according to (9), wherein in step (c), the horizontal position of the substrate supported by the second support is adjusted based on the arrangement positions of a plurality of the aforementioned mounting stands. (11) The substrate processing method according to (9) or (10), wherein the second support is configured to be rotatable, the second drive mechanism is configured to drive the second support in the rotational direction, the load lock module has an orientation detection unit for detecting the orientation of a substrate supported by the second support, and the substrate processing method includes (d) a step of detecting the orientation of a substrate supported by the second support using the orientation detection unit while rotating the second support, and (e) a step of controlling the orientation of the substrate based on the detection result of the orientation detection unit.(12) The substrate processing method according to (11), wherein the orientation detection unit is arranged in the radial direction passing through the center position and on a straight line on which the second support unit is provided. (13) The substrate processing apparatus has a position measuring unit for measuring the horizontal position of a substrate being transported from the second transport module to the load lock module, and the substrate processing method according to any one of (9) to (12), comprising: (f) a step of measuring the horizontal position of the substrate using the position measuring unit; and (g) a step of adjusting the horizontal position of the substrate based on the measurement result of the position measuring unit.

[0132] 1 Wafer processing equipment 20a, 20b Load lock module 30 Loader module 60 Transfer module 80 Processing module 82 Mounting platform 120 Buffer plate 130 First drive mechanism 152 Support pin 153 Second drive mechanism F Hoop W Wafer

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates, comprising: a processing module having a plurality of mounting tables for processing substrates placed on the mounting tables; a first transport module for transporting substrates to the processing module; a second transport module for transporting substrates to a storage container capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; and a load lock module provided between the first transport module and the second transport module and configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates transported by the first transport module or the second transport module, wherein the load lock module comprises: a first support portion that supports a plurality of substrates and is configured to be rotatable about a central position as an axis of rotation; a first drive mechanism configured to drive the first support portion in the rotational direction; a second support portion that supports substrates and is configured to be movable in the radial direction passing through the central position; and a second drive mechanism configured to drive the second support portion in the radial direction.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls the second drive mechanism to adjust the horizontal position of the substrate supported by the second support unit based on the arrangement positions of a plurality of the aforementioned mounting bases.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second support portion is configured to be rotatable, the second drive mechanism is configured to drive the second support portion in the rotational direction, and the load lock module has an orientation detection unit for detecting the orientation of a substrate supported by the second support portion.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the orientation detection unit is arranged in the radial direction passing through the center position and on the straight line on which the second support unit is provided.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a position measuring unit for measuring the horizontal position of a substrate being transported from the second transport module to the load lock module.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the load lock module has a chamber for housing the second support portion, and the second drive mechanism has a shaft that supports the second support portion and is inserted through the chamber, a connecting portion provided at the lower part of the shaft, a bellows that surrounds the shaft and is provided between the connecting portion and the chamber, a rotational drive unit for driving the shaft in the rotational direction, a vertical drive unit for driving the connecting portion in the vertical direction, and a link provided between the vertical drive unit and the connecting portion.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the vertical drive unit is provided facing each other in the radial direction passing through the central position and includes a pair of vertical drive units that move the connecting unit in the vertical direction, and the link includes an inner link provided between the radially inner vertical drive unit and the connecting unit, and an outer link provided between the radially outer vertical drive unit and the connecting unit.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the load lock module has a chamber for housing the second support portion, and the second drive mechanism has a shaft that supports the second support portion and is inserted through the chamber, a connecting portion provided at the lower part of the shaft, a bellows that surrounds the shaft and is provided between the connecting portion and the chamber, a rotary drive unit for driving the shaft in the rotational direction, a horizontal drive unit for driving the connecting portion in the horizontal direction, and a vertical drive unit for driving the connecting portion in the vertical direction.

9. A substrate processing method for processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate processing apparatus comprises: a processing module having a plurality of mounting tables for processing substrates placed on the mounting tables; a first transport module for transporting substrates to the processing module; a second transport module for transporting substrates to a storage container capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; a load lock module provided between the first transport module and the second transport module and configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates transported by the first transport module or the second transport module, wherein the load lock module comprises: a first support portion for supporting a plurality of substrates and configured to be rotatable about a central position as an axis of rotation; a first drive mechanism configured to drive the first support portion in the rotational direction; a second support portion for supporting substrates and configured to be movable in the radial direction passing through the central position; and a second drive mechanism configured to drive the second support portion in the radial direction, wherein the substrate processing method comprises: (a) transporting substrates from the second transport module to the load lock module and transferring the substrates to the first support portion; A substrate processing method comprising: (b) repeatedly rotating the first support and the step of (a) to accommodate a plurality of substrates in the load lock module; and (c) transferring a substrate from the first support to the second support, moving the second support radially to adjust the horizontal position of the substrate supported by the second support.

10. The substrate processing method according to claim 9, wherein in step (c), the horizontal position of the substrate supported by the second support is adjusted based on the arrangement positions of the plurality of aforementioned support stands.

11. The substrate processing method according to claim 9, wherein the second support portion is configured to be rotatable, the second drive mechanism is configured to drive the second support portion in the rotational direction, the load lock module has an orientation detection unit for detecting the orientation of a substrate supported by the second support portion, and the substrate processing method includes (d) a step of detecting the orientation of a substrate supported by the second support portion using the orientation detection unit while rotating the second support portion, and (e) a step of controlling the orientation of the substrate based on the detection result of the orientation detection unit.

12. The substrate processing method according to claim 11, wherein the orientation detection unit is arranged in the radial direction passing through the center position and on a straight line on which the second support unit is provided.

13. The substrate processing apparatus has a position measuring unit for measuring the horizontal position of a substrate being transported from the second transport module to the load lock module, and the substrate processing method includes (f) a step of measuring the horizontal position of the substrate using the position measuring unit, and (g) a step of adjusting the horizontal position of the substrate based on the measurement result of the position measuring unit, the substrate processing method according to claim 9.

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