JP2001267391A - Cassette storing equipment and substrate cleaning system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cassette storing equipment which can temporarily store carrier cassettes in a substrate cleaning system without having to increase the size of the system itself by building a cassette storing space three- dimensionally. SOLUTION: The cassette storing equipment comprises a three dimensional cassette stocker 2 in which a plurality of cassette placement section 5 for placing the carrier cassettes 1 is disposed in a plurality of stages in the up and down direction and a transfer robot 3 for transferring the carrier cassettes 1 to the cassettes placement sections 5 of the cassette stocker 2. With this structure, a three dimensional and apace saving cassette storing space can be secured inside the substrate cleaning system, making the necessary space outside the system as small as possible.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a carrier cassette stock apparatus and a substrate cleaning system, and more particularly, to a thin substrate such as a semiconductor substrate or a liquid crystal glass substrate which is stored in a carrier cassette and carried in from a previous process. The present invention relates to a cassette storage technique for temporarily storing a carrier cassette in a substrate cleaning system of a type in which a plurality of sheets are collectively cleaned and then carried out together with a carrier cassette to the next step.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A general structure of a substrate cleaning system of this kind, for example, a conventional cleaning system for a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter, referred to as a "wafer") has a plurality of cleaning tanks arranged in a row in a horizontal direction. The substrate carrying-in section is provided at one end side, and the substrate carrying-out section is provided at the other end side, and the substrate transfer processing device can be moved in the arrangement direction of the cleaning tank in parallel with the cleaning tank. It is supposed to be.

Further, a plurality of wafers (for example, about 25 wafers) are supplied from the previous process to the substrate loading section.
Are housed as a set in a single carrier carrier cassette, and are transferred to the substrate transport processing apparatus in the substrate loading section. As the structure of the substrate transfer processing apparatus, there are a cassette type in which the wafer is stored in a processing carrier cassette for cleaning, and a cassetteless type in which the wafer is directly held and cleaned. In order to increase the cleaning efficiency of the wafer and prevent contamination of the cleaning liquid, the latter cassetteless type is becoming popular.

In this cassetteless type substrate cleaning system, the wafers transferred from the transport carrier cassette to the substrate transport processing device in the substrate loading section are sequentially transferred to the cleaning tank by the substrate transport processing device. After being immersed and cleaned, the substrate is again stored in the carrier cassette for transport at the substrate unloading section and is unloaded to the next step. In this case, the empty carrier cassette from which the wafer has been taken out is temporarily stored in a cassette storage place arranged outside the substrate cleaning system in order to store the cleaned wafer again.

[0005]

However, such a conventional configuration has the following problems, and further improvements have been demanded.

That is, in the configuration in which the cassette is temporarily stored in the cassette storage place disposed outside the substrate cleaning system as described above, in addition to the installation space of the system itself, the cassette storage place and the loading of the carrier cassette are carried out. It is necessary to secure a space for installation of peripheral equipment such as unloading equipment, and installation was not possible in a small factory space.

On the other hand, in view of the difficulty in efficiently transporting an empty carrier cassette in synchronization with a wafer cleaning process, an empty carrier cassette is required to wait in a substrate unloading section prior to a wafer cleaning process. In some cases, a configuration in which the cassette storage space is provided in the system may be adopted.

However, such a conventional storage space is provided in a plane in relation to the cassette transfer equipment. However, since the cassette itself has a relatively large shape and size, the size of the system itself must be increased. As a result, it was necessary to secure a large installation space for the system, and further improvement was demanded.

The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and a main object thereof is to form a cassette storage space three-dimensionally.
An object of the present invention is to provide a cassette storage device capable of temporarily storing a carrier cassette in a substrate cleaning system without increasing the size of the substrate cleaning system itself.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a substrate cleaning system having a compact structure provided with the cassette storage device.

[0011]

In order to achieve this object, a cassette storage device according to the present invention performs a cleaning process on a wafer stored in a carrier cassette and carried in from a previous process, and then returns to the next process together with the carrier cassette. A cassette storage device that is provided in a substrate cleaning system of a carry-out type and temporarily stores the carrier cassette, wherein a cassette mounting portion for mounting the carrier cassette is stacked and arranged in a plurality of stages in a vertical direction. And a transfer robot for transferring a carrier cassette to a cassette mounting portion of the cassette stocker.

In a preferred embodiment, the cassette stocker is configured such that the cassette mounting portions are provided in a plurality of stacked layers in a horizontal state at predetermined intervals in a height direction on a support frame extending vertically in a vertical direction. .

Further, the transfer robot is provided on a lift table of lifting means which moves up and down in the direction in which the cassette mounting sections are arranged.
A SCARA-type robot for transferring carrier cassettes one by one is integrally attached. As the elevating means of the transfer robot, a single-axis robot extending in the direction in which the cassette mounting portions are arranged is preferably employed, and the SCARA robot is integrally mounted on the moving portion of the single-axis robot. Is done. Further, the SCARA type robot is a horizontal axis type in which the operation axis of the operation arm is horizontal, and the operation arm includes at least two arm members that are drivingly connected via the operation axis. A chuck portion for chucking the carrier cassette is provided at a distal end of the operation arm, whereby the operation arm expands and contracts in a vertical plane.

Further, the substrate cleaning system of the present invention includes the above-mentioned cassette storage device, and includes a substrate loading / unloading section for loading / unloading wafers stored in a carrier cassette, and a carrier cassette of the substrate loading / unloading section. A cassette storage device in which a plurality of wafers are washed in a batch without a cassette; a substrate standby unit disposed between the substrate standby unit and the substrate cleaning unit; And a substrate transfer unit for transferring wafers between the carrier cassette and the substrate cleaning unit, and the substrate loading / unloading unit, the substrate standby unit, the substrate transfer unit, and the substrate cleaning unit facing the operator zone. From the operator zone to the substrate processing path. After having been subjected, characterized in that it is configured to be carried out again from the operator zone side through the return path.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, there is provided a control section for controlling the drive of the substrate loading / unloading section, the cassette storage device, the substrate transfer section and the substrate cleaning section in synchronization with each other. The wafers stored and carried in the wafer are transferred to the above-mentioned substrate transfer processing apparatus and subjected to a cleaning process without using a cassette, and a series of cleaning steps of returning the wafer to the same carrier cassette as that at the time of carrying in and carrying out the wafer to the next step are executed. It is configured as follows.

In the present invention, a three-dimensional cassette stocker having a plurality of vertically stacked cassette mounting portions for mounting a carrier cassette, and a carrier cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion of the cassette stocker. By providing a transfer robot for transferring, a three-dimensional and space-saving cassette storage space can be secured inside the substrate cleaning system, and the required space outside the substrate cleaning system is made as small as possible. It is possible to set.

Further, in the substrate cleaning system of the present invention provided with the above-mentioned cassette storage device, the substrate processing path is such that after the wafer is subjected to the cleaning processing through the outward path from the operator zone side to the opposite side of the operator zone, the substrate processing path is again performed. It is configured to be carried out from the operator zone side through the return path, and this, combined with the compact design of the cassette storage device, makes it a compact configuration that requires an operator zone only on one side of the cleaning system, and installs the system Space is being reduced.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a cassette storage device according to the present invention. Specifically, this cassette storage device constitutes a substrate standby section B of the substrate cleaning system shown in FIGS.

That is, the substrate cleaning system is of a batch type in which a plurality of (for example, 52) wafers W, W,... B, a substrate transfer section C, a substrate cleaning section D, and a control device (control section) E. The substrate transfer section A, the substrate standby section B, the substrate transfer section C, and the substrate cleaning section. D is of a compact design in which D is sequentially arranged in series from the side facing the operator zone O.

The substrate standby section B is disposed between the substrate loading / unloading section A and the substrate transfer section C, and is a section where the carrier cassette 1 of the substrate loading / unloading section A is temporarily on standby. Is mainly composed of a cassette stocker 2 and a transfer robot 3.

The cassette stocker 2 is of a three-dimensional type in which a plurality of cassette mounting portions 5 for mounting the carrier cassette 1 are vertically stacked in a plurality of layers. In the illustrated embodiment, the cassette stocker 2 has a substrate loading portion 2 side. And two unloading side stocker units 2B, 2B attached to the substrate unloading unit 3 side.

Carry-in side and carry-out side stocker sections 2A, 2B
Is a carrier cassette 1 in which the unprocessed wafers W, W,... Are stored (the loading-side stocker unit 2).
A), except that it is an empty carrier cassette 1 (unloading side stocker unit 2B) for storing processed wafers W, W,...

For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the loading side stocker section 2A includes a cassette mounting section 5 for mounting the carrier cassette 1 containing the wafers W, W,.
Are arranged in three layers vertically.

The cassette mounting portion 5 is specifically in the form of a mounting shelf having a flat mounting surface, and is mounted on a support frame 6 extending vertically in a vertical direction at a predetermined interval in the height direction. The carrier cassette 1 containing the wafers W, W,... Is mounted and supported in a three-tiered state in a horizontal state with an interval slightly larger than the maximum height.

The planar shape of the mounting surface of the cassette mounting portion 5 is a rectangular shape having an area slightly larger than the planar contour size of the carrier cassette 1, that is, the chuck portion is provided by the transfer robot 3 described later. The carrier cassette 1 chucked at 17 is designed to have a minimum necessary size that can be taken in and out, and the plane space is designed to be as small as possible.

Further, the lowermost cassette mounting portion 5 is arranged at a position one step higher than the height of the mounting portion of the carrier cassette 1 in the substrate loading / unloading portion A, that is, at a position higher by the mounting height of the carrier cassette 1. I have. The loading-side stocker unit 2A on the side closer to the substrate loading / unloading unit A side is arranged so as to be positioned in a stacked manner just above the placement site, that is, the position directly above the turntable of the turntable mechanism 2b, and has a four-stage configuration. In this regard, also in this respect, the configuration is such that the plane installation space of this portion is as small as possible. The above configuration is the same for the unloading side stocker unit 2B.

The transfer robot 3 transfers the carrier cassette 1 between the cassette mounting portion 5 of the cassette stocker 2 and the substrate carry-in / out portion A or the substrate transfer portion C. 6, three transfer robots, that is, as shown in FIG. 6, a first transfer robot 3A for transferring a carrier cassette 1 containing wafers W, W,. A second transfer robot 3 for transferring the carrier cassette 1 containing the wafers W, W,.
B, and a third process for transferring the carrier cassette 1 between the cassette mounting portion 5 of the cassette stocker and the substrate transfer portion.
Of the transfer robot 3C.

These transfer robots 3 (3A, 3B, 3
1C to 4C, a SCARA type robot 8 for transferring the carrier cassettes 1 one by one is integrally combined with an elevating means 7 which moves up and down in the vertical direction, as shown in FIGS. Have been.

As the elevating means 7, a single-axis robot capable of elevating vertically is used. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the single-axis robot 7 is provided on the support frame 6 so as to extend in the direction in which the cassette mounting portions 5 are arranged, that is, in the vertical and vertical directions. The section 7a is a lift that can reciprocate vertically, that is, can move up and down. The SCARA robot 8 is integrally installed on the lift 7a via a mounting bracket 9.

The cassette mounting portions 5 of the support frame 6
As shown in FIG. 1, position sensors 10a are provided at height positions corresponding to 5,..., Which detect dogs 10b provided on the transfer robots 3A and 3B, and detect the height of the dogs 10b. The position in the vertical direction is detected.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the SCARA type robot 8 has an operation arm 13 which is connected to the robot body 12 by driving, and the operation axis of the operation arm 13 is horizontal. Then, the operating arm 13 is configured to extend and contract in a vertical plane.

The operating arm 13 includes two arm members 1
4 and 15 are drivingly connected to the robot body 12 via operating shafts 16a and 16b, and a chuck portion 17 for chucking the carrier cassette 1 is provided at an end of the operating arm 13 via an operating shaft 16c. Have been. Note that the arm members 14 constituting the operation arm 13,
The number of 15 can be appropriately increased according to the purpose such as the size of the cleaning system.

The specific drive connection mechanism inside the operation arm 13 is basically the same as that of the conventionally known longitudinal axis type, and is built in the robot body 12 in a horizontal state as shown in FIG. A first operating shaft 16a is connected to a drive shaft of the drive motor 20 via a speed reduction mechanism 21, and a proximal end 14a of the first arm member 14 is attached to a distal end of the first operating shaft 16a. Fixed.

On the other hand, a hollow cylindrical shaft 22 is mounted and fixed to the robot body 12 concentrically with the operating shaft 16a, and a first pulley 23 is mounted and fixed to the hollow cylindrical shaft 22. A second pulley 25 attached and fixed to the second operating shaft 16b is drivingly connected to the first pulley 23 via a first belt 24.

The second operating shaft 16b is rotatably supported by a distal end portion 14b of the first arm member 14, and has a proximal end portion 15a of a second arm member 15 at its distal end portion. It is mounted and fixed.

On the other hand, a hollow cylindrical shaft 26 is attached to the tip 14b of the first arm member 14 by the second operating shaft 16b.
The hollow cylindrical shaft 26 is mounted and fixed concentrically with
A third pulley 27 is attached and fixed to the second pulley. A fourth pulley 29 attached and fixed to the third operating shaft 16c is drivingly connected to the third pulley 27 via a second belt 28.

The third operating shaft 16c is rotatably supported by a distal end 15b of the second arm member 15, and the chuck 17 is mounted and fixed to the distal end.

Then, the first and second motors are rotated by the drive motor 20 via the above-described series of drive connection mechanisms.
The arm members 14 and 15 rotate, whereby the operating arm 13 expands and contracts in the horizontal direction while keeping the chuck portion 17 at the tip end horizontal.

The chuck section 17 includes a pair of chuck arms 30, 30 for gripping both sides of the carrier cassette 1 in a sandwiching manner, and a chuck cylinder (cylinder) for opening and closing (chucking) these chuck arms 30, 30. (Device) 31.

The chuck cylinder 31 is specifically formed of an air cylinder whose operating pressure is air pressure, and is connected to an air pressure source via an air pressure circuit (not shown). The chuck cylinder 31 is mounted in a horizontal state on a chuck body 17a fixedly mounted on the third operating shaft 16c, and the chuck arms 30, 30 are mounted on tips of the cylinder rods 31a, 31a, respectively. Fixed.

The chuck arms 30, 30 extend in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction in which the operating arm 13 expands and contracts. On the inner surface of the chuck, a chuck member 30a for gripping the side surface of the carrier cassette 1 is provided. , 30
a is provided.

The chuck arms 31 and 30 are opened and closed in the horizontal direction by the reciprocating operation of the chuck cylinder 31, and the chucking operation for the carrier cassette 1 is performed.

As shown in FIG. 9, the third transfer robot 3C mounts a scalar on a moving device 35 which reciprocates linearly in the horizontal direction (the directions of arrows (1) and (4) in FIG. 6). The mold robot 8 is integrally combined, and is movable by the moving device 35 between the carry-in side stocker section 5A and the carry-out side stocker section 5B of the cassette stocker 5.

Then, the first to third transfer robots 3
(3A, 3B, 3C) function as follows by the cooperative action of the vertical movement of the single-axis robot 7 or the horizontal reciprocating operation of the moving device 35 and the horizontal expansion and contraction operation of the SCARA robot 8.

That is, the first transfer robot 3A chucks the carrier cassette 1 containing the unprocessed wafers W, W,... Waiting on a turntable of a turntable mechanism 42b of the substrate carrying-in section 42 described later. While holding the king, the wafer W is transferred onto one of the cassette mounting sections 5 of the loading side stocker section 2A, and the unprocessed wafers W, W,. The transported carrier cassette 1 is chucked and held, and the transfer side transfer position 14 with the third transfer robot 3C is set.
Transfer to 4.

On the other hand, the second transfer robot 3B chucks and holds the empty carrier cassette 1 waiting at the unloading side transfer position 145 from the third transfer robot 3C, and holds the empty carrier cassette 1 in the unloading side stocker section 5B. The carrier cassette 1 containing the processed wafers W, W,..., Which has been transferred to any one of the cassette mounting portions 5 and also waits at the unloading side transfer position 145, is chucked and held, and the substrate is unloaded. It is mounted on the turntable of the turntable mechanism 43b of the unit 3.

Further, the third transfer robot 3C is configured to wait for the unprocessed wafers W and W waiting at the transfer side transfer position 144.
The carrier cassette 1 containing the wafers W,... Is chucked and transferred to the substrate transfer unit C, while the carrier cassette 1 emptied in the substrate transfer unit C or the processed wafers W, W Are transported to the delivery side transfer position 145 while being chucked and held.

Next, other components constituting the substrate cleaning system will be described.

The substrate loading / unloading section A is a section where the wafers W, W,... Stored in the carrier cassette 1 are loaded and unloaded.
Specifically, the substrate loading section 42 into which the wafers W, W,... Stored in the carrier cassette 1 from the previous process are loaded, and the wafers W, W,. The substrate unloading section 43 to be unloaded to the next step is arranged in parallel with the operator zone O.

The substrate loading section 42 is disposed on the substrate loading side of the substrate loading / unloading section A, and as shown in FIG. 6, a tact feeding mechanism 42a for feeding the carrier cassette 1 in a takt manner and a horizontal direction of the carrier cassette 1. Is provided with a turntable mechanism 42b for converting.

Although not specifically shown, the tact feeding mechanism 42a is provided with a traveling rack extending in the horizontal direction, as described in, for example, JP-A-6-252126. A drive motor is provided on the top so as to be capable of self-running via a pinion, and a cylinder device provided upward on the drive motor. Further, the turntable mechanism 42b includes a turntable on which the carrier cassette 1 is mounted, and a drive motor for horizontally rotating the turntable.

Then, the carrier cassette 1 carried in from the carry-in port 42c of the substrate carry-in section 42 is pushed up by the cylinder device and rises, and in this state, the drive motor is self-propelled and moves in the direction of the arrow (1). After being tact-fed, it is lowered again by the cylinder device and supplied and placed on the turntable 142 of the turntable mechanism 42b.
The horizontal posture of the carrier cassette 1, that is, the wafers W, W,... Stored in the carrier cassette 1 is horizontally rotated by 90 degrees from the carry-in posture to the cleaning posture, and the posture is changed. In this embodiment, 26 wafers W, W,... Are stored in one carrier cassette 1.

On the other hand, the substrate unloading section 43 is
And a tact feeding mechanism 43a for tact-feeding the carrier cassette 1 and a turntable mechanism 43b for changing the horizontal direction of the carrier cassette 1 in the same manner as the substrate loading section 42. The specific configuration of the mechanism is the same as that of the substrate loading section 42.

Then, the carrier cassette 1 transferred and mounted from the substrate standby section B, which will be described later, onto the turntable 143 of the turntable mechanism 43b is turned on.
After the horizontal posture of the 43 is rotated horizontally by 90 degrees from the washing posture to the carry-out posture by the horizontal rotation of 43, and the posture is changed,
After being lifted up by the cylinder device of the tact feeding mechanism 43a, the tactile feed is carried out in the direction of the arrow (4) by the self-propelled drive motor in this state, and then lowered again by the cylinder device to the unloading position. Supplied to
It waits for the carry-out from the carry-out port 43c to the next process.

The substrate transfer section C transfers wafers W, W,... Between the carrier cassette 1 of the substrate standby section B and the substrate transfer processing device 50 of the substrate cleaning section D. And between the substrate cleaning section D.

Although not specifically shown, the substrate transfer section C includes a cassette table 55 on which two carrier cassettes 1 are mounted in parallel, and a carrier cassette 1, 1 on the cassette table 55. Are provided with two substrate push-up mechanisms 56 and 57 for raising and lowering the wafers W, W,.
The wafers W stored in the two carrier cassettes 1, 1
(In the illustrated embodiment, 52 sheets) are collectively transferred to the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50.

Although not specifically shown, the push-up mechanisms 56 and 57 are used when transferring wafers W, W,... Between the carrier cassette 1 and the substrate transfer processing device 50 of the substrate cleaning section D. , In cooperation with the substrate chuck arms 61 of the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50, also functions as an array conversion means for changing the array direction of the wafers W, W,. In other words, when transferring the wafers W, W,..., The push-up mechanisms 56, 57 transfer the wafers W, W,.
The arrangement direction is changed between the cleaning arrangement direction in which the front surfaces and the back surfaces of the Ws are arranged opposite to each other.

In connection with this, the substrate transfer processing device 5
As shown in FIG. 11, the substrate chuck arms 61 have holding grooves 61a and 61b for holding 52 wafers W, W,... From below, and the adjacent holding grooves 61a and 61b The structure is as shown in FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b). That is, these holding grooves 6
1a and 61b are configured to perform a chucking operation (chucking (wafer holding) and a chucking release (wafer up-and-down passing)) of the wafer W according to the rotational operation position of the substrate chuck arms 61 and 61.

In a state where the substrate transfer processing device 50 is positioned above the substrate transfer section C and is on standby, the two carriers are cooperated by the push-up mechanisms 56, 57 and the substrate chuck arms 61, 61. 52 of cassettes 1, 1
Are arranged in the cleaning arrangement direction in which the front and back surfaces of the adjacent wafers W, W, and the back and back surfaces are arranged to face each other, from the transfer arrangement direction in which the wafers W, W,. The arrangement direction is changed, and the substrate transfer processing device 50 is changed.
Are transferred onto the substrate chuck arms 61, 61.

Conversely, the transfer of the processed wafers W, W,... From the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50 to the two empty carrier cassettes 1, 1 is performed in the same manner. In this case, these empty carrier cassettes 1, 1 are the same as those in which the unprocessed wafers W, W,.

The substrate cleaning section D includes 52 wafers W, W,
Are collectively cleaned in a cassette-less manner, and are disposed in a cleaning chamber maintained in a high cleanliness atmosphere in a cleaning tank row 65 including a plurality of cleaning tanks and on the side of the cleaning tank row 65. The above-described substrate transfer processing device 50 is provided as a main part.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning tank row 65 is provided to extend linearly from the side facing the operator zone O to the side opposite to the operator zone O. That is, the processing path of the wafers W, W,... Is the outward path from the end of the operator zone O to the end opposite to the operator zone O (in the direction of the arrow (2)).
After the cleaning process, the return route (arrow)
(3) direction) and is carried out from the end of the operator zone O side.

Correspondingly, the substrate cleaning section D of the illustrated embodiment comprises two substrate transport processing apparatuses, namely, a substrate transport processing apparatus 50A for cleaning the substrate and a substrate transport processing apparatus 50B for unloading the substrate. And As will be described later, the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50A for cleaning the substrate transfers the wafers W, W,... Received by the substrate transfer section C in the direction of the arrow (2), and cleans the cleaning tank 65a of the cleaning tank row 65. And transfer processing between 65b
On the other hand, the substrate transfer processing device 50B for unloading the substrate transfers the wafers W, W,... Received in the cleaning tank 65b in the direction of the arrow (2) and performs transfer processing with the drying unit 65d. Further, the wafer W is transferred in the direction of the arrow (3), and functions to transfer the wafers W, W,.

These two substrate transfer processing devices 50A, 50B
Have the same structure as each other, and as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, are horizontally and linearly arranged by the moving mechanism 66 in the direction in which the cleaning tanks of the cleaning tank row 65 are arranged (the directions of arrows (2) and (3)). , And can be driven on the same movement guide 67 extending so as not to interfere with each other's movement.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, at the end of the movement guide section 67 on the operator zone O side, the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50A for cleaning the substrate is moved by the third transfer robot 3C of the substrate standby section B. It is possible to move to a position opposite to. Thereby, the substrate transfer processing device 50 for unloading the substrate
B can be moved to a position facing the substrate transfer section C. On the other hand, at the end of the movement guide section 67 opposite to the operator zone O, the substrate transport processing device 5
OB is movable to a position facing the drying section 65d of the cleaning tank row 65. Thus, the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50A for cleaning the substrate can be moved to a position facing the chuck cleaning tank 65c of the cleaning tank row 65.

These two substrate transfer processing devices 50A, 50B
Is provided with a pair of substrate chuck arms 61, 61 having a structure for directly holding the 52 wafers W, W,... Without a cassette.

The pair of substrate chuck arms 61 and 6
1 is rotated by an opening / closing mechanism 68 around its axis in synchronization with each other, and in addition to the above-described substrate transfer operation in cooperation with the substrate push-up mechanisms 56 and 57 of the substrate transfer portion C, will be described later. The transfer operation of the wafers W, W,... In cooperation with the substrate holding unit 70 of the cleaning tanks 65a, 65b of the cleaning tank row 65, and the transfer operation of the wafers W, W,. Is performed.

The cleaning tank array 65 includes a plurality of cleaning tanks. As described above, the two cleaning tanks 65a and 65b are provided, and the substrate chuck of the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50 is connected to these cleaning tanks. A chuck cleaning tank 65c for cleaning the arm 61 and a drying unit 65d for drying the wafers W are provided.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cleaning tank 6
5a is SPM (H_TwoSO _Four+ H_TwoO_Two+ H_Two
O) A cleaning tank using a liquid, and the cleaning tank 65b is a chemical tank.
APM (NH_FourOH + H_TwoO_Two+ H_TwoO) Use liquid
Cleaning tank. These cleaning tanks 65a and 65b are not needed
In this case, the chemical liquid overflows from the top of the tank and forms an upward flow
It is in the form of an overflow tank, and after chemical treatment,
Rinsing the wafers W, W,... With pure water instead of
Have been.

Further, the cleaning tanks 65a and 65b are provided with a substrate holding section 70 for receiving and holding the wafers W, W,... From the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50. As shown in FIG. 12, the substrate holding unit 70 has a holding groove for holding the lower portions of the wafers W, W,... At a predetermined arrangement pitch (for example, a pitch of 6.35 mm). The wafer W can be moved up and down in the cleaning tank 65a or 65b.
W, ... are received and held.

The transfer (transfer) of wafers W, W,... From the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50 in the cleaning tanks 65a and 65b is performed by the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50.
a, 65b, the substrate holding portion 7
0 and the rotation of the substrate chuck arms 61 of the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50 are performed in cooperation with each other.

That is, although not specifically shown, the substrate holding section 70 is lifted and the substrate chuck arms 61 and 61 are moved.
Wafers W held in the holding grooves 61a and 61b of
Hold W, ... from below and lift.

The wafers W, W,...
When lifted to an upper position that does not interfere with 1,61,
The left and right substrate chuck arms 61 are rotated in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle, and the holding grooves 61 of these arms 61, 61 are rotated.
Release chucking of a and 61b (wafer can pass vertically)
In this state, when the substrate holding unit 70 is lowered, the wafers W, W,... Are immersed in the chemical solution in the cleaning tanks 65a and 65b.

When the cleaning process of the wafers W, W,... In the cleaning tanks 65a, 65b is completed, the wafers W, W,. Transfer is performed, and this series of transfer operations is performed in a manner reverse to that described above.

The drying section 65d specifically includes the wafer W,
W,... Are spun and dried while centrifuging water.

The spin dryer 65d of the illustrated embodiment
Is a horizontal axis type having a structure as shown in FIG. 15, in which a rotor 82 which rotates at high speed is housed in a substantially cylindrical chamber 81 which can be sealed.

The HEPA filter 83 is provided in the chamber 81.
The intake port 8 which is openly communicated with the outside of the chamber 81 through the
1a, and an exhaust port 81b communicating with a factory exhaust system through a negative pressure source (not shown) is provided. Clean air introduced into the chamber 81 through the HEPA filter 83 and the intake port 81a is: The exhaust port 81b is configured to be forcibly exhausted to a factory exhaust facility.

The rotor 82 is rotatably supported in the chamber 81 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal state, and is drivingly connected to a drive motor (not shown). The rotor 82 has
A substrate holder 85 for directly holding the wafers W, W,... Is provided.
.. Are held at predetermined arrangement pitches, and are composed of holding rods 85a and 85b having holding grooves in the form of comb teeth.

After the inside of the chamber 81 is sealed, the wafers W, W,... Held on the substrate holding portion 85 of the rotor 82 are drained and drained by the high-speed rotation of the rotor 82 while forced evacuation is performed. Spin drying is performed.

A substrate loading / unloading section 86 for loading / unloading wafers W, W,... With respect to the substrate holding section 85 of the rotor 82 is provided at the bottom of the chamber 81.

The substrate loading / unloading section 86 includes wafers W,
And a substrate holding portion 87 for holding W,. Like the substrate holding portion 85 of the rotor 82, the substrate holding portion 87 has a pair of holding rods 87a, having a comb-shaped holding groove for holding the lower portions of the wafers W, W,.
87a.

The substrate holding portion 87 is opened and closed by a lifting mechanism 88 from the bottom of the chamber 81.
Can be moved up and down to the outside of the chamber 81 via the substrate transfer processing device 50 to receive and hold the wafers W, W,.

The transfer (transfer) of the wafers W, W,... From the substrate transfer processing device 50 in the spin dryer 65d is performed with the substrate transfer processing device 50 positioned above the spin dryer 65d. Substrate holder 8
7 and the rotating operation of the substrate chuck arms 61 of the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50.

That is, although not specifically shown, the substrate holding portion 87 is raised above the spin dryer 65d, and the holding grooves 61a, 6 of the substrate chuck arms 61, 61 are moved.
Are held from below and lifted.

When the wafers W, W,... Are lifted to an upper position where they do not interfere with the substrate chuck arms 61, 61, the left and right substrate chuck arms 61, 61 rotate in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle, and these arms 61, 61 are rotated. The holding grooves 61a and 61b of the first and second chucks 61 are released from the chucking state (allowing the wafer to pass up and down).
Move down, the wafers W, W,.
d, is carried into the chamber 81, and is transferred and held by the substrate holding portion 85 of the rotor 82.

When the spin drying process of the wafers W, W,... In the spin dryer 65d is completed, the substrate transfer processing device 5
Are carried out and transferred to 0, and this series of transfer operations is performed in a manner reverse to that described above.

The washing tank 65 b and the spin dryer 65
13d, the chuck cleaning tank 65c disposed between
As shown in FIG. 14, a cleaning section 90 for cleaning the substrate chuck arm 61 of the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50 is provided.
As shown in FIG. 14, the cleaning unit 90 has a concave shape that covers the left and right sides of the substrate chuck arm 61, and is provided with a plurality of injection nozzles 91 that inject a cleaning liquid to the substrate chuck arm 61. ing.

In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, five spray nozzles are used to spray the cleaning liquid to all the holding grooves 61a, 61b,. The injection nozzle row 92 composed of a set of 91, 91,.
That is, a total of 20 (5 × 4 = 20) injection nozzles 91,
91,... Are provided.

The cleaning section 90 can be moved up and down in the chuck cleaning tank 65c by an elevating mechanism 93, and the holding grooves 61a and 61 of the rotating substrate chuck arm 61 are rotated.
With respect to b,..., a cleaning liquid is sprayed while moving up and down, and cleaning is performed at the same time.
In practice, this cleaning step is performed by a pair of substrate chuck arms 6.
1 and 61 respectively.

The control unit (control unit) E includes the substrate loading / unloading unit A, substrate standby unit B, substrate transfer unit C, and substrate cleaning unit D.
Are controlled in synchronism with each other, and the following cleaning processing steps are automatically performed by the control device E from the time when the wafers W, W,.

I. Loading of wafers W, W,... (1) The wafers W, W,... Which have been subjected to the preceding process are stored in the carrier cassette 3, and are automatically loaded into an unillustrated automatic guided vehicle (AGV) or a loading conveyor. The board loading / unloading section 4 of the board loading / unloading section A is manually operated by means or an operator.
It is carried into 2.

(2) Carrier cassettes 1, 1, carried in
Are successively fed by the tact feeding mechanism 42a along the path indicated by the arrow (1) as described above, and then horizontally rotated by the turntable mechanism 42b, so that the horizontal attitude of the wafers W, W,. Then, the posture is changed to the cleaning posture, and the transfer to the substrate standby unit B is awaited.

(3) First transfer robot 3 in substrate standby section B
A, the carrier cassette 1 storing the unprocessed wafers W, W,... Waiting on the turntable mechanism 42b.
Are sequentially transferred onto one of the cassette mounting sections 5 of the loading side stocker section 2A and are stocked.

(4) On the other hand, by the first transfer robot 3A, the carrier cassette 1 containing the unprocessed wafers W, W,. Is transferred to the transfer side transfer position 144 to the transfer robot 3C.

The carrier cassette 1 in which the unprocessed wafers W, W,...
Is transferred to the substrate transfer section C by the transfer robot 3C.

(5) When two carrier cassettes 1 are placed on the cassette table 55 of the substrate transfer section C, the push-up mechanism 5
6 and 57, the unprocessed wafers W, W,... Stored in the carrier cassettes 1 and 1 are transferred to the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50A for cleaning the substrate in the substrate cleaning section D. .. Are arranged in the cleaning arrangement direction in which the front and back surfaces and the back and back surfaces of the adjacent wafers W and W are arranged to face each other, from the transfer arrangement direction in which the wafers W are arranged in the same direction. Is converted.

(6) The empty cassettes 1, 1 from which the wafers W, W,... Have been taken out are again transferred to the unloading side transfer position 145 by the third transfer robot 3C of the substrate standby section B. Further, the second transfer robot 3B transfers and stocks any one of the cassette mounting sections 5 of the unloading side stocker section 2B.

II. Cleaning of wafers W, W,...: (7) The wafers W, W,... Held in the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50A for substrate cleaning without a cassette are the substrates of the two cleaning tanks 65a, 65b of the cleaning tank row 65. It is sequentially delivered to the holding unit 70 and is sequentially immersed in each of the chemicals, and is subjected to a cleaning process.

(8) The wafers W, W,... Which have been subjected to the cleaning processing by the two cleaning tanks 65a, 65b are transferred to the spin dryer 65d by the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50B for unloading the substrate, and are transferred. For spin drying.

III. Unloading of Wafers W, W,... (9) The wafers W, W,... After the drying process are transferred again from the spin dryer 65d to the substrate transfer processing device 50B for unloading the substrate. It is transported to the substrate transfer section C. At this time, the substrate transport processing apparatus 50A for cleaning the substrate has moved to the position facing the third transfer robot 3C in the substrate standby section B and has been retracted.

(10) Simultaneously or in advance, the wafers W, W,... Before processing are placed on the cassette table 55 of the substrate transfer section C by the third transfer robot 3C of the substrate standby section B.
The same empty carrier cassette 1, 1 that was stored at the time of loading is transferred.

(11) When two carrier cassettes 1 are placed on the cassette mounting table 55, the push-up mechanisms 56 and 57 cause the substrate chuck arm 6 of the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50B to move.
The processed wafers W, W,... Held in the two carrier cassettes 1, 1 are stored in the two carrier cassettes 1, 1 in the manner described above.
They are transferred and stored one by one. At this time, the arrangement direction of the wafers W, W,... Is such that all the wafers W, W,. The images are converted in the transport arrangement direction arranged in the same direction.

(12) Third transfer robot 3 in substrate standby section B
C, the carrier cassettes 1, 1 storing the processed wafers W, W,... Waiting on the cassette table 55.
Are sequentially transferred to the delivery side delivery position 145.

(14) The carrier cassettes 1, 1 storing the processed wafers W, W,... Transferred to the transfer side transfer position 145 are sequentially transferred to the substrate transfer section by the second transfer robot 3B. Turntable mechanism 4 of substrate unloading section 43 of A
3b.

(15) The carrier cassette 1 transferred to the turntable mechanism 42b is horizontally rotated by the turntable mechanism 42b, and the horizontal attitude of the wafers W is changed from the cleaning attitude to the unloading attitude. Is done.

(16) Carrier cassette 1 whose posture has been changed
Are sequentially tact-fed by the tact feeding mechanism 43a along the path indicated by the arrow (4) as described above,
Then, the wafer is conveyed to the next process by unloading means such as an unillustrated AGV or unloading conveyor.

IV. Substrate Chuck of Substrate Transfer Processing Apparatus 50
Cleaning arm 61: substrate transfer processing device 50 for substrate cleaning
A and the substrate chuck arms 61 of the substrate transfer processing apparatus 50B for unloading the substrate are moved to the chuck cleaning tank 65c at predetermined intervals or when appropriate, when the wafers W, W,. The cleaning and drying process is performed by the cleaning unit 90.

According to the present invention, the three-dimensional cassette stocker 2 in which the cassette mounting portions 5 for mounting the carrier cassettes 1 are vertically stacked in a plurality of stages,
The transfer robot 3 transfers the carrier cassette 1 to the cassette mounting portions 5, 5,... Of the cassette stocker 2.
(3A, 3B, 3C), a three-dimensional, space-saving cassette storage space can be secured inside the substrate cleaning system, and the necessary space outside the substrate cleaning system is reduced as much as possible. It can be set smaller.

In the present substrate cleaning system, the wafer processing path is such that the wafers W, W,... Are subjected to the cleaning processing through the outward path from the operator zone O side to the opposite side of the operator zone O, and then through the return path again. It is configured to be carried out from the operator zone O side, and thus, in combination with the compact design of the substrate standby unit B, the cleaning system has a compact configuration that requires the operator zone O on only one side of the cleaning system. In this respect, the installation space of the system can be reduced.

Further, the substrate loading / unloading section A, the substrate standby section B,
Is provided with a control device E that drives and controls the substrate transfer section C and the substrate cleaning section D in synchronization with each other, and transfers the wafers W, W,... (50A, 50B), the cleaning process is performed without a cassette, and a series of cleaning processes of returning to the same carrier cassette 1 as that at the time of carrying in and carrying out to the next process are completely automated. Moreover, the carrier cassette 1 in which the wafers W, W,.
However, since the entire system is driven and controlled to be the same as that stored at the time of loading, the storage and management of the wafers W, W,... And the management of the process history thereof are automatically and reliably performed.

The above-described embodiments are merely intended to show preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereto, and various designs may be made within the scope of the present invention. Can be changed. For example, the following modifications are possible.

(1) In the illustrated embodiment, the cassette stocker 2 has a structure shared by the loading and unloading sides. However, the cassette stocker 2 is dedicated to the loading or unloading side depending on the configuration of the target cleaning system. In this case, the number of transfer robots 3 to be installed is set correspondingly.

(2) The cassette storage device according to the present invention includes a cassetteless type cleaning system for taking out wafers W, W,. ,.. Can be adopted in a cassette type cleaning system for performing a cleaning process while being stored in the carrier cassette 1.

(3) The specific structure of each component constituting the substrate cleaning system in the illustrated embodiment can be variously changed without being limited to the illustrated example. As an example, the design of the specific configuration of the substrate cleaning section C is also variously changed, for example, the number of cleaning tanks is increased in accordance with the purpose and method of cleaning.

[0115]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
A three-dimensional cassette stocker in which a plurality of cassette mounting portions for mounting a carrier cassette are vertically stacked, and a transfer robot for transferring a carrier cassette to the cassette mounting portion of the cassette stocker; A cassette storage space in a three-dimensional, space-saving structure can be secured inside the substrate cleaning system, and the required space outside the substrate cleaning system can be set as small as possible. A storage device can be provided.

Further, in the substrate cleaning system of the present invention provided with the cassette storage device, the substrate processing path is such that after the wafer is subjected to the cleaning processing through the outward path from the operator zone side to the opposite side of the operator zone, the substrate processing path is again performed. It is configured to be carried out from the operator zone side through the return path, and this, combined with the compact design of the cassette storage device, makes it a compact configuration that requires an operator zone only on one side of the cleaning system, and installs the system Space can be reduced.

Further, in addition to the above configuration, the substrate cleaning system of the present invention further includes a substrate loading / unloading section for loading / unloading wafers stored in a carrier cassette, and a cleaning process for cleaning a plurality of wafers collectively without a cassette. A substrate cleaning unit to be disposed between the cassette storage device and the substrate cleaning unit,
A substrate transfer unit that transfers wafers between a carrier cassette of a substrate standby unit and a substrate cleaning unit; and the substrate loading / unloading unit, the cassette storage device, the substrate transfer unit, and the substrate cleaning unit are located in the operator zone. After the wafer is subjected to the cleaning process through the outward path from the operator zone side to the opposite side of the operator zone, the substrate processing path is successively arranged in series from the facing side. Since it is configured to be carried out from the side, it is possible to provide a substrate cleaning system capable of effectively utilizing a limited factory space.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a cassette storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the same cassette storage device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a transfer robot of the cassette storage device.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the transfer robot in a partial cross section.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a scalar robot of the transfer robot.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing a substrate cleaning system according to an embodiment of the present invention by partially cutting out the substrate cleaning system.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing the substrate cleaning system.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing the same substrate cleaning system.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a substrate standby unit of the substrate cleaning system of FIG. 7;
It is sectional drawing along the IX-IX line.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing, in partial cross section, a substrate transfer processing device in a substrate cleaning section of the substrate cleaning system.

11 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 11 (b) is an enlarged sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 11 (a), and FIG. (c) Fig. 1
It is an expanded sectional view along CC line in 1 (a).

FIG. 12 is a side view, partially cut away, showing the relationship between the substrate transport processing apparatus and the cleaning tank in the substrate cleaning section of the substrate transport processing apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a side view partially cut away showing a relationship between a substrate transfer processing apparatus and a chuck cleaning tank in a substrate cleaning section of the substrate cleaning system.

FIG. 14 is a front view partially cut away showing the relationship between the substrate transport processing apparatus and the chuck cleaning tank in the substrate cleaning unit.

FIG. 15 is a front view in which a spin dryer in the substrate cleaning section of the substrate cleaning system is partially cut away.

[Explanation of symbols]

 W Wafer A Substrate loading / unloading section B Substrate standby section C Substrate transfer section D Substrate cleaning section E Control device (control section) O Operator zone 1 Carrier cassette 2 Cassette stocker 2A Loading stocker section 2B Loading stocker section 3 Transfer robot 3A First Transfer Robot 3B Second Transfer Robot 3C Third Transfer Robot 5 Cassette Placement Unit 7 Single Axis Robot 8 SCARA Robot 42 Substrate Loading Unit 43 Substrate Unloading Unit 50 Substrate Transfer Processing Unit 61 Substrate Chuck Arms 61a, 61b Holding groove 65 Cleaning tank array 65a, 65b Cleaning tank 65c Chuck cleaning tank 65d Spin dryer

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yasuyoshi Iida 3-9-18 Imai, Ome-shi, Tokyo FSM term in SES Co., Ltd. (reference) 5F031 CA02 CA05 DA01 FA03 FA09 FA15 GA12 GA45 GA49 LA13 MA23 PA30

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A substrate cleaning system of a type in which a substrate stored in a carrier cassette and carried in from a previous process is subjected to a cleaning process and then carried out again to the next process together with the carrier cassette. A three-dimensional cassette stocker in which a cassette mounting part for mounting the carrier cassette is vertically stacked in a plurality of stages, and a cassette storage device for storing the carrier cassette. A cassette storage device comprising a transfer robot for transferring a carrier cassette. 2. The cassette stocker is characterized in that the cassette mounting portions are provided in a plurality of stacked layers in a horizontal state at predetermined intervals in a height direction on a support frame extending vertically in a vertical direction. The cassette storage device according to claim 1. 3. The transfer robot according to claim 1, wherein a SCARA type robot for transferring the carrier cassettes one by one is integrally attached to a lifting table of a lifting unit that moves up and down in an array direction of the cassette mounting unit. The cassette storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The moving means of the transfer robot is a single-axis robot provided so as to extend in the direction in which the cassette mounting portions are arranged, and the SCARA-type robot is integrated with a moving portion of the single-axis robot. The cassette storage device according to claim 3, wherein the cassette storage device is provided. 5. A scalar type robot of the transfer robot, wherein the operation axis of the operation arm is a horizontal axis, and the operation arm has at least two arm members via the operation shaft. In addition to being driven and connected, a chuck portion for chucking the carrier cassette is provided at a tip of the operation arm, whereby the operation arm is configured to extend and contract in a vertical plane. The cassette storage device according to claim 4, wherein 6. The transfer chuck section includes a pair of chuck arms for holding both sides of the carrier cassette in a sandwiching manner, and a chuck arm opening / closing operation cylinder device. 6. The cassette storage device according to 5. 7. A substrate cleaning system, comprising: a substrate loading / unloading unit for loading / unloading a substrate accommodated in a carrier cassette; and a substrate cleaning unit for cleaning a plurality of substrates collectively. The cassette stocker includes a loading side stocker section in which a cassette mounting section for mounting a carrier cassette storing a substrate before processing is vertically arranged in a plurality of stages, and a carrier cassette for storing a processed substrate. 2. The cassette storage device according to claim 1, further comprising an unloading-side stocker unit in which a plurality of cassette mounting units are vertically stacked. 8. A substrate cleaning system, comprising: a substrate loading / unloading unit for loading / unloading a substrate stored in a carrier cassette; and a substrate cleaning unit for cleaning a plurality of substrates collectively. The transfer robot includes a first transfer robot that transfers a carrier cassette containing substrates before processing, and a second transfer robot that transfers a carrier cassette that stores substrates after processing.
And a third transfer robot for transferring a carrier cassette between a cassette mounting portion and a substrate transferring portion of the cassette stocker. The cassette storage device according to the above. 9. A substrate cleaning system of a type in which substrates stored in a carrier cassette and carried in from a previous process are collectively cleaned without a cassette, and stored again in a carrier cassette and carried out to the next process. The cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising: a substrate loading / unloading unit for loading / unloading the substrates stored in the carrier cassette; and a carrier cassette of the substrate loading / unloading unit being temporarily on standby. A storage device, a substrate cleaning unit that collectively performs a cleaning process on a plurality of substrates without using a cassette, a substrate cleaning unit disposed between the substrate standby unit and the substrate cleaning unit, and a carrier cassette and a substrate cleaning unit of the substrate standby unit. And a substrate transfer unit for transferring a substrate between the substrate loading / unloading unit, the substrate standby unit, the substrate transfer unit, and the substrate cleaning unit on the side facing the operator zone. In this manner, the substrate processing path is carried out from the operator zone side through the return path after the substrate is subjected to the cleaning processing through the outward path from the operator zone side to the opposite side of the operator zone. A substrate cleaning system characterized by being configured as follows. 10. A cassette stocker of the cassette storage device, comprising: a loading side stocker section having a plurality of vertically stacked cassette mounting sections for mounting a carrier cassette storing substrates before processing; 10. The unloading-side stocker section, in which a cassette mounting section for mounting an empty carrier cassette for storing a later substrate is vertically stacked in a plurality of stages. Substrate cleaning system. 11. The cassette stocker is arranged such that the lowest one of the plurality of cassette mounting portions is one step higher than the height of a carrier cassette mounting portion of the substrate loading / unloading portion. 11. The substrate cleaning system according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of cassette mounting sections are arranged right above the mounting portion. 12. 12. The transfer robot according to claim 1, wherein the transfer robot is configured to transfer a carrier cassette storing the unprocessed substrate and a second transfer robot configured to transfer the carrier cassette storing the processed substrate. 10. The transfer robot according to claim 9, further comprising a transfer robot, and a third transfer robot that transfers a carrier cassette between the cassette mounting portion and the substrate transfer portion of the cassette stocker. Substrate cleaning system. 13. The substrate loading / unloading section, wherein a substrate loading section into which a substrate stored in a carrier cassette from a previous process is loaded, and a substrate after the cleaning process is stored in a carrier cassette and transported to the next step. The substrate cleaning system according to claim 9, wherein a substrate unloading section is arranged in parallel facing the operator zone. 14. A control unit for controlling the drive of the substrate loading / unloading unit, the substrate standby unit, the substrate transfer unit, and the substrate cleaning unit in synchronization with each other, and the control unit is housed in a carrier cassette from a previous process. The transported substrate is transferred to the substrate transport processing apparatus to perform a cleaning process without using a cassette, and a series of cleaning processes of returning to the same carrier cassette as that at the time of loading and transporting the substrate to the next process are performed. The substrate cleaning system according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein: