JP2000077499A - Wafer treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the occupancy space of a wafer treatment device. SOLUTION: A wafer transfer robot suspension, supported to a frame 35 on a ceiling of a wafer treatment device, is used as a wafer transfer mechanism which transfers wafers. The wafer transfer robot comprises a base section 1 suspension supported to the frame 35, a first arm 11 supported by the base section 1 in a turnable state and raising and lowering around a vertical axis, a second arm 12 connected to an end top of the first arm 11 in a state capable of freely turnable around a vertical axis, and a third arm 13 connected to an end top of the second arm 12 in a state of being capable of turning around a vertical axis. The first arm 11, the second arm 12, and the third arm 13 are turned independently by a motor 21, a motor 22, and a motor 23 respectively. The suspension support of the wafer transfer mechanism from the ceiling makes it possible for a space below to be used for the arrangement of the wafer treatment section, its auxiliary facilities, of the like.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer,
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing on a variety of substrates to be processed, such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device and a glass substrate for a plasma display panel (PDP), in a single sheet or a plurality of sheets.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display device, or the like, a substrate processing apparatus for performing various processes on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate is used. This type of substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of substrate processing units for performing a series of processing on a substrate, and a substrate transport mechanism for loading / unloading the substrate from / to the plurality of substrate processing units. I have. For example, the substrate processing unit
Arranged and arranged along the horizontal direction, and the transport path of the substrate transport mechanism of the linear transport system is arranged along the alignment direction. In this transport path, a linear rail is provided on the floor of the substrate processing apparatus, and a base of the substrate transport mechanism is slidably reciprocated on the rail.

The substrate processing apparatus may be configured in a cluster type in which a plurality of substrate processing units are radially arranged. In this case, a base of the substrate transfer mechanism is provided on the floor of the substrate processing apparatus at a central position surrounded by the plurality of substrate processing units. In this case, the substrate transport mechanism includes a rotating mechanism that rotates the entire substrate transport mechanism around a rotation axis along the vertical direction, and an advance / retreat mechanism that advances / retreats the substrate along a direction approaching / separating from the rotation axis. Have.

[0004]

However, in the above-described conventional apparatus, the substrate transfer mechanism is installed on the floor of the substrate processing apparatus. It is necessary to secure the installation space for the mechanism. That is, in the case of the substrate transfer mechanism of the linear transfer system, a large space for the linear rail is required in addition to the space for installing the substrate processing unit. Installation space is required. Therefore, there is a problem that the occupied floor area (footprint) of the entire substrate processing apparatus becomes large.

[0005] Further, since a rail and a base for a substrate transfer mechanism are present on the floor of the substrate processing apparatus, the space for maintenance of the substrate processing unit and the like in the vicinity thereof is limited, and maintenance work is performed. There was also a problem that it was difficult. In other words, the scaffolding is limited by the rails, and it is necessary to take an unreasonable posture in order to avoid the substrate transport mechanism, thereby forcing the maintenance worker to perform difficult tasks.

On the other hand, in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for a reduction in footprint of a substrate processing apparatus, and in response to this, a structure in which substrate processing units are vertically stacked has been adopted. Therefore, the height difference between the substrate processing unit disposed at the uppermost position and the substrate processing unit disposed at the lowermost position is large, and it is necessary to increase the vertical transfer stroke of the substrate transfer mechanism.

However, it can be accommodated in a limited space from the floor of the apparatus to the lowermost substrate processing unit, and
Since it is not easy to realize a substrate transfer mechanism that can realize a large vertical transfer stroke, the number of substrate processing units stacked in the vertical direction is limited, and the space efficiency of the substrate processing apparatus cannot be improved. On the other hand, for the movement of substrates between substrate processing apparatuses in a clean room, an automatic on-floor transfer device that automatically travels on a floor surface while holding a cassette containing a plurality of substrates has been used,
In recent years, a cassette transport device of a ceiling transport type has begun to attract attention in order to reduce the area of a clean room. In this ceiling-conveying cassette conveying device, a cassette is conveyed by a carriage running along a rail laid on the ceiling of a clean room.

When such a ceiling transfer type cassette transfer device is employed, the loading and unloading of substrates to and from the substrate processing apparatus is performed at a height close to the ceiling surface of the clean room. The substrate must be loaded / unloaded to / from the cassette. However,
In the conventional configuration in which the board transfer mechanism is installed on the floor surface, the base of the board transfer mechanism must be considerably high, and such a board transfer mechanism becomes unnecessarily large in structure and structurally unnecessarily. There is much waste.

Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of reducing an occupied floor area. A second object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus in which maintenance of the apparatus is easy.
Further, a third object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus in which the degree of freedom in the vertical stacking arrangement of the substrate processing units is increased.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus which can easily cope with a cassette transport apparatus of a ceiling transport type.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing unit for processing a substrate, the substrate processing unit being suspended and supported from above a substrate processing apparatus. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a substrate transport mechanism configured to transport a substrate to a substrate processing unit.

The substrate transport mechanism may be suspended and supported on a ceiling of a frame of the substrate processing apparatus, for example.
In this case, the base of the substrate processing apparatus may be directly fixed and attached to the ceiling of the frame, or the base may be slidably or rotatably attached to the ceiling of the frame. You may. Further, it is preferable that the mounting position of the substrate transport mechanism to the frame of the substrate processing apparatus is above the substrate processing unit of the substrate processing section.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the substrate transfer mechanism is suspended from above the substrate processing apparatus, the space below the substrate transfer mechanism can be used. That is, in the space below this, the substrate processing unit is disposed (claim 5), and the auxiliary equipment of the substrate processing unit (processing liquid cabinet, electric equipment, control equipment, etc.) is disposed (claim 6). be able to. As a result, the occupied floor area of the substrate processing apparatus can be significantly reduced.

Further, this space can be used as a maintenance space for performing maintenance of the substrate processing section and other parts of the apparatus (claim 7). Thereby, maintenance work of the substrate processing unit and the like can be facilitated. In a clean room in which this type of substrate processing apparatus is installed, the height from the floor surface to the ceiling surface is high, and therefore, the substrate processing apparatus can be configured as high as necessary. Therefore, in the case where the substrate processing unit has a plurality of substrate processing units stacked in the vertical direction, and a large transport stroke in the vertical direction is required for the substrate transport mechanism, the vicinity of the ceiling of the substrate processing apparatus Thus, it is possible to easily configure a substrate transfer mechanism having such a large transfer stroke by securing a space necessary for the transfer. Thereby, the degree of freedom of the vertical stacking arrangement of the substrate processing units of the substrate processing unit is increased.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the substrate transport mechanism includes a base suspended from and supported on an upper part of the substrate processing apparatus, and a first rotary drive shaft extending substantially vertically with respect to the base. A first rotating member rotatably connected to the first rotating member, a first driving source for rotationally driving the first rotating member, and a second rotating driving shaft substantially perpendicular to the first rotating member. A second rotating member rotatably connected to the center;
A second drive source for rotating and driving the rotating member;
Substrate holding means rotatably connected to a rotating member about a third rotation drive shaft extending substantially vertically, and capable of holding a substrate, and a third drive for rotationally driving the substrate holding means The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a source.

According to this configuration, the substrate transport mechanism can transport the substrate in the horizontal direction without involving linear sliding. That is, the substrate transfer in the horizontal direction is realized only by the rotation operation. In the pivoting operation, the sliding distance is shorter than in the case of linear sliding, so particles generated during sliding are reduced, and particles falling into the space below the substrate transfer mechanism are reduced. can do. More specifically, for example, it is possible to prevent particles from dropping and adhering to the substrate processing unit below the substrate transport mechanism, the substrate transport mechanism, or the substrate itself being transported, thereby preventing the quality of the substrate from deteriorating. it can. In addition, since the seal in the rotating portion can be generally and inexpensively and effectively performed, measures against the generation of particles from the rotating portion are also easy.

Further, the substrate transport mechanism can transport the substrate in the horizontal direction by the rotation of the rotating member or the substrate holding means even if the substrate transport mechanism does not travel in a straight line. Even if there is a height that does not interfere with the operation of the rotating member of the substrate transport mechanism or the substrate holding means, the space becomes usable. That is, in this space, for example, a transfer table for transferring a substrate, an electrical component, or another substrate processing unit can be arranged.
As a result, the space in the device can be used effectively,
Space saving of the device can be achieved.

Further, the substrate transport mechanism includes a first rotating member, a second rotating member, and a substrate holding means around three axes of a first rotating drive shaft, a second rotating drive shaft, and a third rotating drive shaft, respectively. Since it is configured to be able to rotate independently and freely, it is possible to convey the substrate to an arbitrary position and an arbitrary angle within a certain fixed range. In addition, even if the area is outside the predetermined range, the substrate can be transported as long as the area is within the reach of the substrate holding unit. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the layout of the substrate processing unit is high, and the space saving of the apparatus is realized.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the substrate transport mechanism comprises: a base suspended and supported on an upper portion of the substrate processing apparatus;
A first arm having a pair of arm portions rotatably connected to each other, the first arm being attached to the base so as to be extendable and contractible along a first horizontal direction with a joint portion between the arm portions as an joint; A telescopic mechanism, a first arm telescopic drive source for applying a rotational force to the first arm telescopic mechanism, and a pair of arm parts rotatably connected to each other to expand and contract the first arm telescopic mechanism. A second arm connected to the first arm extension and contraction mechanism so as to be capable of extending and contracting along a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction using a joint between the arm portions as a joint; An extension / contraction mechanism, a second arm extension / contraction drive source for applying a rotational force to the second arm extension / contraction mechanism in order to extend / contract the second arm extension / contraction mechanism,
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate holding means provided on the arm extension mechanism for holding the substrate.

According to this configuration, the substrate holding means is transported along the second horizontal direction by the expansion and contraction of the second arm expansion and contraction mechanism. In addition, due to the expansion and contraction of the first arm expansion and contraction mechanism, the substrate holding means, together with the second arm expansion and contraction mechanism,
It is transported along a first horizontal direction. Since the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction are orthogonal to each other, the substrate can be freely transported within a certain range.

In addition, the first arm extension and contraction mechanism and the second
If both of the arm expansion and contraction mechanisms are contracted, the space for disposing the transfer mechanism itself becomes extremely small, so that there is sufficient space in the apparatus and space saving of the substrate processing apparatus can be achieved. The point that linear sliding in the horizontal direction is unnecessary is the same as that of the second aspect of the present invention. Therefore, generation of particles and the like can be effectively prevented, and high-quality substrate processing can be achieved. Further, since the layout of the apparatus is not unnecessarily restricted, the space of the apparatus can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the substrate transport mechanism is supported on the upper portion of the substrate processing apparatus so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending substantially vertically. Item 2. A substrate processing apparatus according to Item 1. According to this configuration, since the substrate transfer mechanism is rotatably supported on the upper part of the substrate processing apparatus about a rotation axis substantially along a vertical direction, the rotation of the substrate transfer mechanism about the rotation axis causes the substrate to be transferred. Can be transported.

Therefore, by laying out the substrate processing units radially (cluster type arrangement) so as to surround the substrate transfer mechanism, the substrate transfer mechanism can access each substrate processing unit. In this case, the substrate transport mechanism includes a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the entire substrate transport mechanism around a rotation axis along a vertical direction, and a substrate advance / retreat for moving the substrate in a direction approaching / separating from the rotation axis. Preferably, a mechanism is included. Thereby, the loading / unloading of the substrate into / from the substrate processing units laid out radially is performed.
Unloading can be performed.

The configurations and effects of the fifth, sixth and seventh aspects of the invention are as described in relation to the first aspect. The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that another substrate transfer mechanism supported below the substrate processing apparatus is provided below the substrate transfer mechanism. It is a substrate processing apparatus of a statement.

According to this configuration, since the two substrate transport mechanisms can be arranged vertically, a plurality of substrate transport mechanisms can be efficiently arranged in a space having a limited floor area. This can contribute to a reduction in the footprint of the entire substrate processing apparatus.
One or both of the two substrate transport mechanisms arranged vertically may be horizontally movable. In this case, since the heights of the two substrate transport mechanisms are different, mutual interference can be avoided without requiring special measures. This also provides the advantage that each substrate transfer mechanism can transfer a substrate over a wide range, and consequently, the arrangement of the substrate processing unit that requires access by the substrate transfer mechanism. The degree of freedom increases.

Further, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of the upper and lower stacking arrangement of the plurality of substrate processing units, while simplifying the configuration by shortening the vertical stroke of each substrate transfer device. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the substrate transfer mechanism can transfer a substrate to and from a cassette which is transferred by a cassette transfer device of a ceiling transfer type. 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of 8.

Since the substrate transfer mechanism is suspended and supported from above the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate transfer mechanism can be mounted on a cassette held at a high position by a cassette transfer device of a ceiling transfer type or a cassette mounting portion provided at a high position. The substrate loading / unloading operation can be favorably performed with respect to the placed cassette. The invention according to claim 10 is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the substrate processing unit includes a plurality of substrate processing units stacked in a vertical direction.

According to this configuration, the substrate processing section has a plurality of substrate processing units stacked in the vertical direction, but the substrate transfer mechanism is suspended and supported from above the substrate processing apparatus. Up to the substrate processing units can be stacked. Further, since the substrate transport mechanism is disposed in the upper space of the substrate processing apparatus with few restrictions, a large vertical transport stroke can be realized. Due to these facts, the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the substrate processing units is increased, and the number of units in the vertical direction can be increased, so that many substrate processing units can be installed in a space with a small floor area.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, further comprising suction means for suctioning an atmosphere in a sliding portion of the substrate transfer mechanism. is there. According to this configuration, the particles generated by the sliding are captured before reaching the surface of the substrate by sucking the atmosphere of the sliding portion (the linearly moving sliding portion or the rotating sliding portion) of the substrate transport mechanism. be able to.
Further, since the inside of the substrate transfer mechanism including the sliding portion has a negative pressure with respect to the outside, it is possible to prevent particles generated by the sliding from leaking to the outside of the substrate transfer mechanism. Therefore, contamination of the substrate can be prevented,
High quality processing of the substrate can be realized.

[0030]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to a description of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, a configuration of a substrate transfer robot that can be commonly applied to the apparatuses of the embodiments will be described. FIG. 1A is a conceptual cross-sectional view for explaining the basic configuration of the substrate transport robot, and FIG. 1B is a conceptual bottom view of the substrate transport robot as viewed from below. The substrate transfer robot is a base 1 to be fixed to a frame 35 on the top surface of the substrate processing apparatus.
A first arm 11 as a first rotating member rotatably connected to the base 1 around a first rotation drive axis θ1 along a vertical direction, and the first arm 11 is connected to the first rotation drive shaft. a first motor 21 as a first drive source for rotationally driving around θ1, and a second rotary member rotatably connected to the first arm 11 so as to be rotatable around a second rotary drive axis θ2 along the vertical direction; The second arm 12 as the
A second motor 22 as a second drive source for rotating the arm 12 about the second rotation drive axis θ2, and rotatable about a third drive axis θ3 along the vertical direction with respect to the second arm 12; A third arm 13 also serving as a connected substrate holding means, and a third motor 23 as a third drive source for rotating the third arm 13 about a third rotation drive axis θ3 are provided. The distal end of the third arm 13 is a hand 20 for holding the substrate W.

The base 1 is provided with a screw shaft 2 along the Z direction which is the vertical direction. The screw shaft 2 is provided with a rotational force from a motor 3 through a timing belt. Has become. A ball nut provided on the lifting block 7 that moves up and down while supporting the first motor 21 and the like is screwed to the screw shaft 2. This lifting block 7
Are movably guided in the Z direction by guide means such as guide rails (not shown). The first motor 21 supported by the lifting block 7 applies a rotational force about the first rotation drive axis θ1 to the first arm 11 via the connection shaft 31.

Motor 3, first to third motors 21 and
Drives 2 and 23 are independently controlled by the control unit 100. With such a configuration, the first motor 2
By independently driving the first, second and third motors 22 and 23, the first arm 11 and the second arm 12
And the third arm 13 are respectively connected to the first rotation drive axis θ.
1. It can be freely rotated around the second rotation drive axis θ2 and the third rotation drive axis θ3. Motor 3
, The entire first arm 11, second arm 12, and third arm 13 can be moved up and down in the Z direction. Thereby, the substrate S held by the third arm 13 can be transferred to an arbitrary place and at an arbitrary angle within a certain range.

Specifically, the distance between the first rotation drive axis θ1 and the second rotation drive axis θ2 is L1, and the distance between the second rotation drive axis θ2 and the third rotation drive axis θ3 is L2. Assuming that the distance between the third rotation drive axis θ3 and the center of the substrate S is L3, as shown in FIG. 2, an area within a circle having a radius of (L1 + L2-L3) about the first rotation drive axis θ1. In 101, the substrate S can be transported to an arbitrary place at an arbitrary angle. Even outside the area 101, the radius (L1 +
In the area 102 within the circle of (L2 + L3), the angle of the substrate S is limited to some extent, but the substrate S can be transported to an arbitrary position.

On the lower surface of the base 1, a cylindrical portion 32 is formed so as to protrude downward so as to surround the periphery of the connecting shaft 31. A cylindrical portion 33 is formed on the upper surface of the first arm 11 so as to protrude upward so as to surround the periphery of the cylindrical portion 32. This prevents particles generated in the sliding portion inside the base 1 from leaking to the outside.

Further, a suction port 40 is formed on the side surface of the base 1, and the suction port 40 is connected to a suction source 42 (suction means) such as a vacuum pump via a suction pipe 41. . Due to this, the inside of the base 1 has a negative pressure,
In the space between the cylindrical portions 32 and 33, an airflow is generated from the outside of the base 1 to the inside. Therefore, particles generated in the sliding portion inside the base 1 do not leak to the outside, and such particles are guided to the suction source 41 through the suction port 40.

The above-described substrate transfer robot has first to third arms 11, 12, and 13 which are independently rotatable around the first to third rotational drive axes θ1, θ2 and θ3. Such a robot will be referred to as a “3θ robot”. In order to carry in / out a substrate to / from a substrate processing unit for processing a substrate, it is preferable to provide the substrate transport robot with a pair of hands capable of independently accessing the processing unit. This is because the processed substrate can be carried out of the substrate processing unit with one hand, and the unprocessed substrate can be carried into the substrate processing unit with the other hand, so that the substrate can be exchanged in a short time. is there. Such a configuration including a pair of hands is hereinafter referred to as a “double hand”. A configuration having only one hand is referred to as a “single hand”.

FIG. 3 shows one configuration example of a double-handed 3θ robot. FIG. 3 (a) is a simplified side view, and FIG. 3 (b) is a simplified bottom view. This robot is provided with a pair of robots having the configuration shown in FIG. That is, a first robot unit 51 and a second robot unit 52 having substantially the same configuration as the configuration shown in FIG. 1 are provided. The third arms 13 of the first robot unit 51 and the second robot unit 52 are configured to be able to hold the substrates S1 and S2 at vertically overlapping positions, respectively. That is, the substrate S2
The third arm 13 of the second robot unit 52 that holds the second robot unit 52 includes a hand holding unit 53 that hangs downward on the way, bends horizontally toward the first robot unit 51, and further bends forward. ing.

The first robot unit 51 and the second robot unit 52
Are completely free to operate, these two robot units 5
1, 52 may interfere with each other. Therefore, when the configuration shown in FIG. 6 is adopted, the control unit 100 is controlled so that the robot units 51 and 52 do not interfere with each other.
(See FIG. 1), it is necessary to limit the operation of each of the robot units 51 and 52 by software.

FIG. 4 shows another configuration example of the double-handed 3θ robot. FIG. 4 (a) shows a simplified side view, and FIG. 4 (b) shows a simplified bottom view. This robot, similarly to the robot shown in FIG. 3, includes a first robot unit 71 and a second robot unit 72 having substantially the same configuration as the configuration shown in FIG. However, FIG.
As clearly shown in (a), the first robot unit 7
The first and second robot units 72 differ in the manner in which the first arm 11, the second arm 12, and the third arm 13 are connected. That is, the first robot unit 71 includes the first arm 1
The second arm 12 is connected to the lower surface of the tip of the first arm, and the third arm 13 is connected to the lower surface of the tip of the second arm 12. On the other hand, the second robot unit 72
The second arm 12 is connected to the upper surface of the distal end of the first arm 11, and the third arm 13 is connected to the upper surface of the distal end of the second arm 12. Therefore, the first robot unit 7
If the range of vertical movement of the first and second robot units 72 in the Z direction is limited, the first to third arms 11 to 13 of the first robot unit 71 and the first to third arms of the second robot unit 72 will be described. Even if the arms 11 to 13 rotate completely freely, there is no possibility that interference between the robot units 71 and 72 will occur.

In general, unloading of unprocessed substrates and unloading of unprocessed substrates to a certain substrate processing unit are performed successively. Therefore, there is little requirement that a pair of hands should be moved up and down independently. The first robot unit 71 and the second robot unit 72 may move up and down in synchronization. Therefore, the first robot unit 71 and the second robot unit 72 can share a drive mechanism in the Z direction. This is the same in the robot having the configuration shown in FIG.

Further, in the configuration shown in FIG. 4, for example, the rotating shaft 3 of the first robot unit 71 disposed on the lower side
1 is constituted by a hollow shaft having a large inner diameter, and the second robot unit 72
May be constituted by a solid shaft having a small outer diameter, and the rotating shaft 31 of the second robot 72 may be inserted through the rotating shaft 31 of the first robot 71. In addition, the footprint of the substrate transfer robot can be reduced.

FIG. 5 shows still another configuration example of the double-handed 3θ robot. FIG. 5 (a) shows a simplified side view, and FIG. 5 (b) shows a simplified bottom view. The main difference between the robot shown in FIG. 1 and the robot of FIG.
A pair of third arms 13A and 1
3B is connected. Each of the pair of third arms 13A and 13B constitutes a so-called scalar arm mechanism as an arm extension mechanism. This scalar arm mechanism is described in, for example,
As disclosed in JP-A-2-144186, the third
By bending and extending the arm 13A or 13B using a belt and a pulley, it is possible to linearly advance and retreat the held substrate while maintaining the posture of the substrate holding hand 83.

That is, the third arms 13A and 13B
The first arm 81 is attached at the tip of the second arm 12 so as to be rotatable around the third rotation drive axes θ3A and θ3B, and the tip of the first arm 81 is rotated about a vertical axis. A second arm 82 is attached so as to be able to rotate, and a substrate holding hand 83 is attached to a tip of the second arm 82 so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis.

In connection with the first arm 81, an advancing / retreating motor 85 is provided as a third drive source for rotating the first arm 81 about the third rotation drive axes θ3A and θ3B. . By rotating the forward / backward motor 85 forward / reverse, the substrate holding hand 83 is moved to the third rotation drive axis θ.
3A and θ3B can be advanced and retracted in directions approaching / separating from θ3B. In other words, when the forward / backward drive of the forward / backward motor 85 is performed, the first arm 81 and the second arm 82 bend and extend using the joint thereof as a joint while the substrate holding hand 83 maintains its posture. Accordingly, the substrate holding hand 83 advances and retreats in a direction approaching / separating from the third rotation drive axes θ3A and θ3B. The forward / backward motor 85 on the third arm 13A side and the forward / backward motor 85 on the third arm portion 13B side are independently driven and controlled, whereby the third arms 13A and 13B independently move the substrate holding hand 83 forward and backward. Can be done.

The third arm 13B has a shape different from that of the substrate holding hand 83 of the third arm 13A in order to hold the substrate S2 at a position overlapping with each other below the substrate S1 held by the third arm 13A. It has a substrate holding hand 83. That is, the substrate holding hand 83 of the third arm 13B has a hanging portion that hangs down at a connection portion with the second arm portion 82, and bends horizontally at a right angle at the lower end of the hanging portion.
It has a shape bent at a right angle forward (in a direction away from the third rotation drive axis θ3) in a horizontal plane.

According to the above configuration, the third arms 13A and 13B can be advanced and retracted at the distal end of the second arm 12, so that the substrate can be loaded / unloaded to / from the substrate processing unit and a pair of robot units are provided. The configuration can be simplified as compared with the configurations of FIGS. 3 and 4 described above. In the configuration of FIG. 5, in addition to the forward / backward motor 85, a rotation motor for rotating the entire third arms 13A and 13B around the third rotation drive axis θ3 is provided by each of the third arms 13A and 13B. May be provided. By doing so, the third arms 13A and 13B
The reciprocating operation can be performed at an arbitrary angle with respect to the second arm 12.

FIG. 6 is a simplified bottom view showing another example of the configuration of the 3θ robot. The 3θ robot is attached to a base 1 suspended and supported from a ceiling of a frame of the substrate processing apparatus, and can rotate about a vertical axis and can move up and down as a column 90 as a first rotating member. When,
The first rotating member connected to the column 90 is a first rotating member.
It has a scalar arm mechanism 91 and a second scalar arm mechanism 92 as substrate holding means connected to the first scalar arm mechanism 91. The column 90 is driven by a first rotary drive shaft θ1
Rotated around one. First scalar arm mechanism 91
Is a first arm portion 9 rotatably connected to a column 90.
1a, a second arm portion 92b rotatably connected to the tip of the first arm portion 91a, and a first arm portion 91a driven to rotate about a second rotation drive axis θ12 common to the first rotation drive axis θ11. M as a second drive source for performing
2 is provided. Then, by driving the motor M2, the first arm portion 91a and the second arm portion 91b are configured to bend and extend with their joints as joints. More specifically, the first arm portion 91a and the second arm portion 91b form a scalar arm type mechanism as an arm expansion / contraction mechanism by a driving force transmission mechanism configured using a belt and a pulley.

The second scalar arm mechanism 92 has a third scalar arm mechanism 91 at the tip of the second arm portion 91b of the first scalar arm mechanism 91.
A first arm portion 92a connected so as to be rotatable around a rotation drive axis θ13, and a second arm connected to a tip end of the first arm portion 92a so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis. Portion 92b, a substrate holding hand 92c connected so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis at a distal end portion of the second arm portion 92b, and a first arm portion 92a.
Is provided with a motor M3 as a third drive source for driving the rotation around the second rotation drive axis θ13. The first arm portion 92a, the second arm portion 92b, and the substrate holding hand 92c form a scalar arm type mechanism as an arm extending / contracting mechanism, for example, by a driving force transmission mechanism constituted by a belt and a pulley. Thus, by rotating the motor M3 forward / reverse, the substrate holding hand 92c moves forward and backward so as to approach / separate from the third rotation drive axis θ13 while maintaining its posture.

With this configuration, for example, the first scalar arm mechanism 91 is advanced and retracted in the first horizontal direction y corresponding to the vertical direction in FIG. 6, and the second scalar arm mechanism 92 is orthogonal to the first horizontal direction y. If the second scalar arm mechanism 92 moves back and forth along the second horizontal direction x direction,
Any y-direction position can be set within the advance / retreat range RY of the first scalar arm mechanism 91. The substrate holding hand 92c at the tip of the second scalar arm mechanism 92 is
Any position in the X direction can be set within the advance / retreat range RX of the second scalar arm mechanism 92. Therefore, as a result, the substrate can be transported to any position within the rectangular area defined by the ranges RY and RX. In addition, by rotating the column 90, the rectangular area can be rotated. As a result, the substrate can be transported to any position within a circle whose diameter is the diagonal line of the rectangular area. It is.

Although FIG. 6 shows a configuration provided with only one substrate holding hand, the substrate transfer robot shown in FIG. 1 is transformed into a double-handed robot as shown in FIGS. Similarly, the robot having the configuration shown in FIG. 6 can be double-handed. Further, the entire second scalar arm mechanism 92 may be configured to be rotatable around the third rotation drive axis θ13 with respect to the first scalar arm mechanism 91, so that the degree of freedom of substrate transfer may be further increased. .

FIG. 7 is a simplified side view showing still another example of a 3θ robot applicable as a substrate transfer robot. The main feature of this substrate transfer robot is that the elevation in the Z direction is realized by the above-mentioned scalar arm type scalar elevation mechanism 98 constituted by, for example, a belt and a pulley. That is, the scalar elevating mechanism 98
A first arm 98a connected to a base 105 to be fixed to a frame at the ceiling of the substrate processing apparatus so as to be rotatable around a horizontal rotation drive axis θ0, and a first arm 98a. A second arm portion 98b is connected at the tip of the second arm portion 98a so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis parallel to the rotation drive axis θ0. The first to third arms 11, 12, and 13 similar to those of the robot shown in FIG. 1 are connected to the second arm 98b, and the first arm 11 is connected to the second arm 98b. It is connected to a mounting table 99 fixed to the tip so as to be rotatable around a first rotation drive axis θ1 along the vertical direction. The mounting table 99 is linked with the scalar elevating mechanism 98 so that the posture thereof is maintained unchanged even when the scalar elevating mechanism 98 is bent and stretched.

The first arm 98a and the second arm 92b
A motor M0 is provided as a lifting / lowering drive source for driving the first arm portion 98a around the rotary drive axis θ0 in order to drive the first arm portion 98a around the rotation drive axis θ0 in order to drive the first arm portion 98a to bend and extend using the joint as a joint. By driving the motor M0 forward / reverse, the first
The arm portion 98a and the second arm portion 98b bend and stretch, and the second
The tip of the arm 92b moves up and down along the Z direction.
When the weight of the first to third arms 11, 12, 13 and the like held on the mounting table 99 is heavy, it is better to provide another scalar elevating mechanism 98 and make it a two-legged structure. good.

The advantage of adopting this configuration is that Z
Also in the vertical movement, the linear sliding part can be eliminated. That is, if the number of linear sliding portions is small, the generation of particles is correspondingly small, and the countermeasures against particles become easy. This is because the sealing of the rotating part can be performed relatively inexpensively and effectively as compared with the sealing of the linear sliding part. For example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the linear sliding portion is covered by the cylindrical base 1. However, when the configuration shown in FIG. Should be sealed.

It is preferable to apply a magnetic fluid seal to the seal of the joint. The magnetic fluid seal fills the magnetic fluid between the fixed part and the rotating part, and prevents the flow of the magnetic fluid by forming a magnetic circuit passing through the fixed part and the magnetic fluid.As a result, the flow is prevented. The seal is achieved by the magnetic fluid. In such a substrate transfer robot having any of the above-described configurations, the magnetic fluid seal can be provided with the first rotary drive shaft, the second rotary drive shaft, and the third rotary drive shaft.
It is preferably applied for the shaft seal of a rotary drive shaft. Of course, any rotating parts such as other joints,
It is preferable to provide a shaft seal with a magnetic fluid seal,
Thereby, dust generation from the rotating portion can be prevented.

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating an applicable substrate holding hand. The hand shown in FIG. 8A is of a fork type, and a vacuum suction hole 110 is provided at an appropriate position. That is, this hand holds the back surface of the substrate W by vacuum suction. This hand can hold a circular substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a square substrate such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device.

The hand shown in FIG. 8B is a hand for holding a circular substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer. This hand includes a plate-shaped beam 111, an arc-shaped rear end guide 112 provided on the base end side of the beam 111, and an arc-shaped tip guide 113 provided on the tip of the beam 111. Have. Then, the rear end guide portion 112
The substrate holding members 114 protrude inward from the ends of the circular arc, and each of the substrate holding members 114 has a pin 115 for holding the back surface of the circular substrate W upward by point contact.
Is erected. Further, at the position of the beam 111 that is slightly closer to the base end than the front end guide 113 and the position that is slightly closer to the front end than the rear end guide 112, the rear surface of the circular substrate W is point-contacted upward at the vertex. A pin 116 is held upright to hold the pin.

The upper surfaces of the rear end guide portion 112 and the front end guide portion 113 are formed higher than the front end of the pin 116. This prevents the circular substrate W from shifting in the horizontal direction on the substrate holding hand. The hand shown in FIG. 8C is also a hand for holding a circular substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer. This hand has an arc-shaped substrate guide portion 120 covering an area about 2/3 of the circumference of the circular substrate W, and a substrate holding member provided at five locations of the substrate guide portion 120 so as to protrude inward of the arc. 1
21. Each substrate holding member 121 has five pins 12 for holding the lower surface of the circular substrate W by point contact.
2 are erected upward at substantially equal intervals along the substrate guide portion 120.

As in the hand shown in FIG. 8B, the upper surface of the substrate guide 120 is formed higher than the tip of the pin 122. This prevents the circular substrate W from shifting in the horizontal direction on the substrate holding hand. When the circular substrate W has a notch such as an orientation flat or a notch having a predetermined length, all the intervals of the five pins 122 are substantially equal to each other at intervals longer than the length of the notch. , No matter in which direction the circular substrate W is held, a point contact is made at least at four points on the lower surface of the circular substrate W, and the inside of a quadrilateral formed by connecting the four points Includes the center of gravity of the circular substrate W (substantially located at the center of the circular substrate W), so that the circular substrate W can be accurately held horizontally.

The hand shown in FIG. 8D is a hand for holding a rectangular substrate S such as a glass substrate for liquid crystal.
The hand has a rectangular substrate guide portion 130 covering an area of about 3/4 around the rectangular substrate S, and six peripheral portions corresponding to the four corners and the central portion of the rectangular substrate S of the substrate guide portion 130. And a substrate holding member 131 protruding toward the substrate holding member 131. Each substrate holding member 1
On the 31, a pin 132 for holding the lower surface of the rectangular substrate S in point contact is provided upright.

As in the case of the hand shown in FIG. 8C, the upper surface of the substrate guide 130 is formed higher than the tip of the pin 132. This prevents the rectangular substrate S from shifting in the horizontal direction on the substrate holding hand. Next, an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus to which the above-described substrate transfer robot is applied will be described.

FIG. 9 is a simplified plan view showing the entire configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This substrate processing apparatus mainly has a function of forming a resist film on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and a function of developing a resist film exposed by an exposure machine with a developing solution. Is provided with a substrate processing module 201 provided with a plurality of substrate processing units. The substrate processing module 201 is disposed such that one end thereof is opposed to the track of the ceiling-conveying cassette transfer device 300, and the other end thereof is an interface module IF.
Exposure machine EXP is connected via B.

The substrate processing module 201 includes a first main transfer robot MTR1 and a second main transfer robot MT suspended substantially from the ceiling of the apparatus frame.
R2 is provided. The first and second main transfer robots MTR1 and MTR2 are 3θ robots, and can be used to transfer any of the double-handed or single-handed substrate transfer robots described with reference to FIGS. It can be applied as the robots MTR1 and MTR2.

First and second main transfer robot MTR
The MTR 2 is suspended from the ceiling in a cool plate chamber 240 disposed adjacent to the track of the cassette transfer device 300. In the cool plate chamber 240, four cool plates CP1, CP2, CP3, and CP4 that form the first processing unit group 251 (substrate processing unit)
Are arranged to substantially match the four vertices of the square. The first main transfer robot MTR1 is arranged above the pair of cool plates CP1 and CP2, and the second main transfer robot MTR2 is set above the other pair of cool plates CP3 and CP4. Is arranged. The first and second main transfer robots MTR1 and MTR2 are connected to the cassette transfer device 300.
Are aligned in a horizontal direction substantially orthogonal to the orbit.

On both sides of the cool plate chamber 240, a second processing unit group 252 (substrate processing unit) and a third processing unit group 253 (substrate processing unit) are arranged. The second processing unit group 252 is configured by arranging a spin coater SC and a spin developer SD along the arrangement direction of the first and second main transfer robots MTR1 and MTR2. Third processing unit group 253
Is configured by arranging two groups G1 and G2 in each of which a plurality of substrate processing units are stacked in multiple stages along the arrangement direction of the first and second main transfer robots MTR1 and MTR2. Among them, the first group G1
Are the adhesion strengthening unit AH and the soft bake sections SB2 and S
B1 is stacked from the bottom in this order. Second
Group G2 includes hard bake units HB3, HB2, HB
1 in this order from the bottom.

The operation of each processing unit is as follows. The spin developer (SD) rotates the substrate,
A developer is supplied to the surface of the substrate to develop the exposed resist film formed on the surface of the substrate. Spin coater (SC)
Supplies a resist solution to the surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate, applies the resist to the substrate, and forms a resist film on the surface of the substrate.

The cool plate (CP) is a unit for cooling the substrate so that the next step is not affected by heat. The adhesion strengthening unit (AH) is a unit for improving the adhesion strengthening of the photoresist to the substrate by using a chemical vapor such as HMDS (hexamethyldisilazane) before applying the photoresist.

The soft bake section (SB) is a unit for evaporating the solvent in the photoresist by heating the processed substrate with a spin coater.
The hard bake unit (HB) is a unit for processing the remaining photoresist film after development at a high temperature to bake a pattern and improve etching resistance.

The first main transfer robot MTR1 rotates the first to third arms in the cool plate chamber 240, and the first and second processing unit groups 251,
The arbitrary substrate processing unit 52, the spin coater SC, and the cassettes C1 to C4 transported by the cassette transport device 300 can be accessed in an arbitrary order. On the other hand, the second main transfer robot MTR2
Can access an arbitrary substrate processing unit of the first and second processing unit groups 251, 252, the spin developer SD, and the interface unit IFB in an arbitrary order.

The interface module IFB has the second
A transfer table 250 for transferring a substrate to and from the main transfer robot MTR2, and a substrate received via the substrate transfer table 250 is loaded into the exposure machine EXP, and the exposure processing by the exposure machine EXP is completed. The transferred substrate is transferred to the substrate delivery table 250.
And a robot 247 for placing the robot on the robot.

An example of a processing flow in this substrate processing apparatus is as follows. That is, first, one unprocessed substrate is unloaded from any of the cassettes C1 to C4 by the first main transfer robot MTR1, and is loaded into the adhesion strengthening unit AH. Adhesion reinforcement unit A
The substrate after the processing in H is carried out by the first main transfer robot MTR1, and then placed on the cool plate CP1 or CP2. Cool plate C
When the processing in P1 or CP2 is completed, the first main transfer robot MTR1 then moves the substrate to a spin coater S
Carry in C. The substrate on which the resist has been applied by the spin coater SC is carried out by the first main transfer robot MTR1, and further carried into the cool plate CP3 to be cooled. The cooled substrate is transferred to the second main transfer robot M
It is carried out by TR2, and then transferred to the exposure machine EXP via the interface module IFB.

The substrate processed by the exposure machine EXP is transferred to the second main transfer robot MTR2 via the interface module IFB, and is carried into the spin developer SD. The substrate after the development processing by the spin developer SD is carried out by the second main transfer robot MTR2, and then carried into one of the hard bake units HB1, HB2, and HB3, and subjected to a heat treatment. The substrate after the heat treatment is carried out by the second main transfer robot MTR2, and further placed on the cool plate CP4 and cooled by the second main transfer robot MTR2. Then, the cooled substrate is transferred to the first main transfer robot M
It is received by TR1 and stored in any of the cassettes C1 to C4.

First and second main transfer robot MTR
When a double-hand type is applied to MTR2, each of the substrate processing units performs an operation of taking out a processed substrate with one hand and loading an unprocessed substrate with the other hand. . By performing such a substrate exchange operation by circulating through each processing unit, a series of processing according to the above-described processing flow is performed on each substrate.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a simplified structure of the cassette carrying device 300. Cassette transport device 30
Reference numeral 0 denotes a cassette transport rail 301 laid on the ceiling 351 of the clean room, and the cassette transport rail 301
And a carriage 302 that is suspended and supported by engaging with the carriage 302. The carriage 302 includes a cassette transport rail 301.
It has a traveling mechanism (not shown) for traveling on the upper side, and a cassette holding mechanism 303 for holding the cassette C.

The first main transfer robot MTR1 is suspended from the ceiling of the frame F of the substrate processing apparatus at a position where it can face the cassette C held by the carriage 302. FIG. 11 is a simplified cross-sectional view taken along section line XI-XI in FIG. The first and second main transfer robots MTR1 and MTR2 are suspended from the ceiling of the frame F, and a cool plate C
P1 to CP4 are arranged. That is, the first and second main transfer robots MTR1 and MT
Since the R2 is supported by being suspended from the ceiling, the cooling space is also provided in these installation spaces.
It is possible to install P4, which allows
A significant reduction in the floor area occupied by the substrate processing apparatus has been realized.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration according to a modification of the first embodiment, and a cross-sectional configuration similar to FIG. 11 is schematically shown. In this variation,
The space below the main transfer robots MTR1 and MTR2 is a maintenance space 385 where the worker 380 can enter for maintenance of the substrate processing unit and the like. In this case, cool plates CP1 to CP
No. 4 may be stacked and arranged together with each substrate processing unit such as the second processing unit group 252. However, the hard bake section (HB) and the soft bake section (S
B) Since the adhesion strengthening unit (AH) is a heat treatment unit, a cool plate (CP) is used to minimize the influence of heat from these heat treatment units.
Is preferably arranged at the bottom.

According to this modification, the main transfer robots MTR1 and MTR1 suspended from the ceiling of the frame F of the apparatus are supported.
Since the maintenance space 385 is secured below the TR2, maintenance work for the substrate processing unit and the like can be performed with good workability. In addition, maintenance space 3
Instead of providing the 85, ancillary equipment of the substrate processing unit may be arranged to reduce the occupied area of the substrate processing apparatus. In this case, examples of the auxiliary equipment include a processing liquid cabinet, electric equipment, and control equipment.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration of a main transfer robot MTR used as a substrate transfer mechanism in a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The feature of this main transfer robot MTR is that the base 401
Is suspended from the ceiling of the frame 420 of the apparatus via the linear motion mechanism 410. Linear motion mechanism 410
Has a rail box 411 fixed to the ceiling of the frame 420, a pair of guide rails 412 provided in parallel with the inner bottom surface of the rail box 411, and a carriage 413 reciprocating on the guide rail 412. are doing. The guide rail 4 is provided on the lower surface of the carriage 413.
A slide block 414 that slides on the slider 12 is fixed, and a ball block 414 that is screwed with a ball screw 415 is fixed on the upper surface side of the carriage 413.

A downwardly extending mounting shaft 416 is integrally formed with the carriage 413, and the base 401 is fixed to the lower end of the mounting shaft 416.
The mounting shaft 416 passes through a guide hole 417 formed through the bottom plate of the rail box 411.
The guide hole 417 is formed long along the longitudinal direction of the rail box 411.

Further, on the side wall of the rail box 411, a suction port 419 is formed.
Is connected to a suction source 421 via a suction pipe 420. Thus, inside the rail box 411,
Since an airflow is taken in from the guide hole 417 and directed toward the suction hole 419, particles caused by sliding between the slide block 414 and the guide rail 412 are generated.
It is quickly removed via the suction pipe 420. Therefore, particles do not adhere to the substrate conveyed below the rail box 411.

FIG. 14 shows the configuration of a drive mechanism for sliding the main transfer robot MTR. That is, the ball screw 415 screwed to the ball block 414, a pair of bearings 431 supporting both ends of the ball screw 415, and the motor 416 that applies a rotational force to one end of the ball screw 415, the ball screw A mechanism is configured. With this configuration, by rotating the motor 416 forward / reversely, the carriage 413 can travel along the guide rail 412, thereby enabling the main transfer robot MTR to move linearly.

Therefore, for example, in the substrate processing apparatus having the layout shown in FIG. 9, the above one main transfer robot MTR can be used instead of the first and second main transfer robots MTR1 and MTR2. That is, the guide rail 412 is connected to the first and second main transfer robots M
If the main transfer robot MTR is suspended from the ceiling of the cool plate chamber 240 so as to be along the arrangement direction of TR1 and MTR2, the main transfer robot MTR accesses all the substrate processing units in an arbitrary order. be able to.

In the main transfer robot MTR, the base 40
The single-handed or double-handed substrate transfer robot described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 can be applied to the configuration below 1. However, since the base 401 can slide in the horizontal direction, depending on the arrangement of the substrate processing unit, the arm 440 of the main transfer robot MTR can rotate around a vertical axis. Need not be. That is, for example,
The arm unit 440 is provided with a substrate holding hand 4 for holding a substrate W.
43 and an arm extension / contraction mechanism 445 for moving the substrate holding hand 443 in the x direction while maintaining its posture.

In this case, the arm extension / contraction mechanism 445
An arm 441 and a second arm 44 connected to a tip of the first arm 441 so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis.
2 can be constituted by a scalar arm mechanism including Then, a motor 450 for rotating the first arm 441 about a vertical axis is arranged in the base 401, and the first and second arms 441 and 442 bend and extend by rotating the motor 450 forward / reverse. The substrate holding hand 443 can be moved back and forth along the x direction. Further, in the base 401, the entire arm extension / contraction mechanism 445 is z
By providing an elevating mechanism for elevating in the direction, and applying a driving force from a motor 451 to the elevating mechanism, the substrate holding hand 443 can be moved up and down.

The main transfer robot MTR having the arm portion 440 having such a configuration can access the substrate processing unit only on one side of the guide rail 412. It is necessary to arrange along. Guide rail 4
If you want to arrange substrate processing units on both sides of 12,
What is necessary is just to provide a rotating mechanism for rotating the motors 450 and 451 and the above-mentioned elevating mechanism collectively around the vertical axis.
In the case of this configuration, the substrate holding hand 44 of the arm 440
3 can be moved back and forth in any direction.

FIG. 15 is an illustrative sectional view showing a sectional structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus includes a first processing unit group T1 and a second processing unit group T2 which are arranged to face each other with the transfer chamber 500 interposed therebetween. In the transfer chamber 500, a first frame suspended and supported by a top surface portion 501 of a frame of the substrate processing apparatus is provided.
Main transfer robot MTRA and the bottom 5 of the frame
02 and the second main transfer robot MTRB supported by
They are arranged with their heights shifted vertically.

The first processing unit group T1 has a plurality of (for example, six) substrate processing units A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, and B4 that are vertically stacked, and the second processing unit group T1 has a second processing unit group T1. The processing unit group T2 includes a plurality of (for example, six) substrate processing units A4, A
5, A6, B4, B5, and B6. However, FIG. 15 shows only the processing units appearing in one cross section, and substrate processing units other than those shown may be arranged along the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. The substrate processing units may also be arranged in multiple layers in the vertical direction.

The first main transfer robot MTRA suspended from the top surface 501 includes a single-hand or double-hand 3θ robot shown in FIGS.
Alternatively, a scalar arm type robot shown in FIG. 13 is applicable. On the other hand, the second
As the main transfer robot MTRB, a single-hand or double-hand 3θ robot shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, or a scalar arm type robot shown in FIG. be able to.

The first main transfer robot MTRA includes, for example, upper three substrate processing units A1, A2, A3; A
4, A5 and A6 can be accessed to carry in / out the substrate. Also, the second main transfer robot MTRB
Are, for example, three lower substrate processing units B1, B
2, B3; B4, B5, and B6 can be accessed to carry in / out the substrate. However, the first and second
In order to enable the transfer of the substrate between the main transfer robots MTRA and MTRB, for example, the first main transfer robot MTRA is configured such that the upper four stages of the substrate processing units A1, A2 and A
3, B1; A4, A5, A6, B4 are accessible, or the second main transfer robot MTRB is a lower four-stage substrate processing unit A3, B1, B2, B3;
4, B5, and B6 may be accessible.

As described above, according to the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment, the pair of main transfer robots MTRA and MTRB are
Since they are arranged vertically, two main transfer robots MTRA and MTRB can be arranged in a space with a small area. This can contribute to a reduction in the occupied area of the entire substrate processing apparatus. In addition, the first main transfer robot MTRA disposed above accesses only the upper processing unit, and the second main transfer robot MTRB disposed below accesses only the lower processing unit. Therefore, these main transfer robots MTRA, M
TRBs do not need to have long vertical stroke lengths.
Therefore, these main transfer robots MTRA, MTRB
Can be simplified.

It is to be noted that this embodiment is modified so that the first main transfer robot MTRA or the second main transfer robot M
The TRB, or both of them, may be configured to be able to move directly along the horizontal direction. First main transfer robot MTR
In order to make A a directly movable configuration, the configuration shown in FIG. 13 may be applied. Also, the second main transfer robot MTR
B can be moved directly, a rail is arranged on the floor 502 and the second main transfer robot MTR is placed on this rail.
The base B may be slidably arranged.

In this case, since the first and second main transfer robots MTRA and MTRB are vertically displaced from each other, a special contrivance is required to avoid mutual interference during horizontal movement. Is never required. Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the configurations shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 and FIG. 13, a scalar arm mechanism (including the scalar elevating mechanism 98 in FIG. 7) has been described as an example of the arm extending / contracting mechanism. A pantograph mechanism using a link mechanism as described below may be employed as the arm extension mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 16, the pantograph mechanism 7
00 connects the driving unit 702 including the driving source 701 and the driven unit 703, and moves the driven unit 703 toward or away from the driving unit 702 while maintaining the posture of the driven unit 703. Can be moved. More specifically, the pantograph mechanism 700 includes a pair of arms 704a and 704a rotatably connected at their ends.
04b, and a pair of arms 70 configured similarly to the first arm 704 and facing the first arm.
5a, 705b. Further, the first arm 704 and the second arm 7
A driven portion 703 is rotatably connected to the front end of the drive unit 05, and a drive unit 702 is drivably connected to the rear end thereof. The connection at the rear end will be described in detail. The first gear 711 fixed to the rear end of the first arm 704 and the second gear 712 fixed to the rear end of the second arm 705 are described below. The first gear 111 is meshed with a third gear 713 connected to the drive source 701.

Thus, in FIG. 16, for example,
When the drive source 701 rotates the third gear 713 clockwise, the arm 704b and the arm 705b rotate in a direction in which they open, and the arm 704a and the arm 705a rotate in a direction in which they close each other. The unit 703 linearly moves in the direction of the driving unit 702 and approaches. Here, when the third gear 713 is rotated counterclockwise, the driven unit 703 is separated from the driving unit 702. Further, since the lengths of these arms and the gear ratios of the first gear 711 and the second gear 712 are the same, the posture of the driven portion 703 is maintained even if it moves.

Here, the driving section 702 and the driven section 70
Reference numeral 3 denotes any two parts of the parts constituting the substrate transfer mechanism shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 which approach or separate from each other. In other words, the pantograph mechanism 700 can be applied to any of the substrate transfer mechanisms of FIGS. 4 to 7 similarly to the scalar arm mechanism, and is provided at any position from the base to the substrate holding means. Can be.

The pantograph mechanism 700 can transfer even a heavy substrate or the like when compared with the scalar arm mechanism, and does not require a belt or a pulley unlike the scalar arm mechanism. A less durable and durable structure can be obtained. Further, in the configuration shown in FIG. 6, a transport robot having a configuration in which the column 90 only moves up and down and does not rotate around the rotary drive axis θ11 can be used. However, in this case, the loading / unloading of the substrate can be performed only in the x direction in FIG. 6, so that a plurality of processing units are arranged substantially linearly on one side (the right side in FIG. 6) of the transfer robot. It is necessary to adopt a one-sided layout.

Further, the robot having the structure shown in FIG. 7 is modified so that the scalar arm mechanism for elevating and lowering, for example, between the first arm 11 and the second arm 12 or the second arm 1
The substrate may be arranged between the second arm 13 and the third arm 13. Even with such a configuration, the substrate can be moved up and down without using a linear sliding mechanism. Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 described above, the configuration in which the first main transport robot MTR1 directly accesses the cassettes C1 to C4 transported by the cassette transport device 300 has been described. Indexer unit IN indicated by chain line
D (cassette mounting part) is provided,
The substrates may be transferred between the cassettes C1 to C4 and the cassette placed in the indexer unit IND. In this case, the first main transfer robot MTR1 loads / unloads the substrate from / to the cassette placed in the indexer unit IND.

Further, in the configuration shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first and second main transfer robots MTR1, MTR1,
Cool plates CP1 to CP4 are exemplified as the substrate processing units of the substrate processing unit disposed below the MTR2, and the substrate processing units include a substrate between the first and second main transfer robots MTR1 and MTR2. A substrate mounting table on which a substrate is temporarily mounted when the substrate is transferred, or a substrate processing unit such as a spin processing unit such as a spin coater SC or a spin developer SD may be appropriately used.

In the above-described embodiment, a single-wafer-type substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates one by one has been described as an example. However, the present invention relates to a method for collectively processing a plurality of (for example, 25) substrates. The present invention can also be applied to a so-called batch type substrate processing apparatus for performing a process. In this case, the substrate transfer mechanism holds and transfers a plurality of substrates collectively. The substrate transport mechanism may directly hold the substrate, or may hold a carrier containing a plurality of substrates.

In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the technical matters described in the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a basic configuration of a substrate transfer robot, where (a) is a conceptual sectional view and (b) is a conceptual bottom view.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a range in which a substrate can be transferred.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing one configuration example of a double-handed 3θ robot, wherein FIG. 3A is a simplified side view, and FIG. 3B is a simplified bottom view.

4A and 4B are diagrams showing another configuration example of the double-handed 3θ robot, wherein FIG. 4A is a simplified side view, and FIG. 4B is a simplified bottom view.

5A and 5B are diagrams showing still another configuration example of the double-arm 3θ robot, wherein FIG. 5A is a simplified side view, and FIG. 5B is a simplified bottom view.

FIG. 6 is a simplified bottom view showing another configuration example of the 3θ robot.

FIG. 7 is a simplified side view showing still another example of an applicable substrate transfer robot.

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating an applicable substrate holding hand.

FIG. 9 is a simplified plan view showing the entire configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the cassette transport device.

11 is a simplified cross-sectional view taken along section line XI-XI in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration according to a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a main transfer robot used as a substrate transfer mechanism in a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a drive mechanism for sliding a main transfer robot.

FIG. 15 is an illustrative sectional view showing a sectional configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of a pantograph mechanism applicable as an arm extension mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 1st arm 12 2nd arm 13 3rd arm 13A, 13B Scalar arm mechanism 21 1st motor 22 2nd motor 23 3rd motor 42 Suction source (suction means) 91, 92 Scalar arm mechanism 98 Scalar raising / lowering mechanism M0 motor MTR1 First main transfer robot (substrate transfer mechanism) MTR2 Second main transfer robot (substrate transfer mechanism) IND Indexer unit C1 to C4 Cassette 201 Substrate processing module 251 First processing unit group (substrate processing unit) 252 Second Processing unit group (substrate processing unit) 253 Third processing unit group (substrate processing unit) CP1 to CP4 Cool plate (substrate processing unit) SC Spin coater (substrate processing unit) SD Spin developer (substrate processing unit) SB1, SB2 Soft bake Section (substrate processing unit) AH Adhesion strengthening unit (substrate processing unit) HB1 to HB3 Hard bake unit (substrate processing unit) 300 Cassette transfer device (cassette transfer device of ceiling transfer type) 385 Maintenance space MTR Main transfer robot (substrate transfer mechanism) 410 Linear motion mechanism 421 Suction source (suction unit) T1 First processing unit group (substrate processing unit) T2 Second processing unit group (substrate processing unit) A1 to A6 Substrate processing unit B1 to B6 Substrate processing unit MTRA First main transfer robot ( Substrate transfer mechanism) MTRB Second main transfer robot (substrate transfer mechanism)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/02 H01L 21/02 Z 21/66 21/66 G F-term (Reference) 3F060 AA01 BA10 CA21 DA09 DA10 EB12 EC12 FA01 GA13 GB02 GB19 HA29 4G075 AA22 EC13 EC15 EC30 ED06 ED08 4M106 AA01 DG05 DG08 DG28 5F031 AA10 CC12 CC13 CC22 CC43 CC45 EE03 EE04 EE12 KK04 LL01 LL05 LL07

Claims (11)

[Claims] A substrate processing unit for processing a substrate; and a substrate transport mechanism suspended from an upper part of the substrate processing apparatus and transporting the substrate to the substrate processing unit. Substrate processing equipment. 2. The substrate transfer mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising: a base suspended from and supported on an upper part of the substrate processing apparatus; and a base rotatably connected to the base about a first rotary drive shaft extending substantially vertically. A first rotating member, a first drive source for rotationally driving the first rotating member, and a rotatable connection to the first rotating member about a second rotating drive shaft substantially along a vertical direction. A second rotating member, a second drive source for rotationally driving the second rotating member, and a rotatable centering on a third rotating drive shaft along a substantially vertical direction with respect to the second rotating member. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a substrate holding unit that is connected to hold the substrate; and a third driving source that rotationally drives the substrate holding unit. 3. The substrate transfer mechanism includes a base suspended from and supported on the substrate processing apparatus, and a pair of arms connected to each other so as to be rotatable, along a first horizontal direction. A first arm extending / contracting mechanism attached to the base so as to be extendable / contractible with a joint between the arm portions as an joint; and a first arm extending / contracting mechanism for extending / contracting the first arm extending / contracting mechanism. A first arm telescopic drive source for applying a rotational force to the arm, and a pair of arm portions rotatably connected to each other, and between the arm portions along a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction. A second arm extension and contraction mechanism connected to the first arm extension and contraction mechanism so as to be able to extend and contract with the joint as a joint; and a second arm extension and contraction mechanism for extending and contracting the second arm extension and contraction mechanism. Arm telescopic drive that gives rotational force to the arm Source and it said provided second arm telescopic mechanism, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a substrate holding means for holding a substrate. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said substrate transport mechanism is supported on an upper portion of said substrate processing apparatus so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending substantially vertically. apparatus. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said substrate processing section is provided below said substrate transport mechanism.
A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the above. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary facility for said substrate processing section is provided below said substrate transport mechanism. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a maintenance space for performing maintenance of the substrate processing apparatus is provided below the substrate transport mechanism. 8. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein another substrate transport mechanism supported below the substrate processing apparatus is provided below the substrate transport mechanism. Processing equipment. 9. The substrate transfer mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said substrate transfer mechanism is capable of transferring a substrate to and from a cassette which is transferred by a cassette transfer device of a ceiling transfer type. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the above. 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said substrate processing unit includes a plurality of substrate processing units stacked in a vertical direction. 11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising suction means for suctioning an atmosphere in a sliding portion of said substrate transfer mechanism.