JP2006351864A - Processing system and processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a processing system and a processing method for effectively removing particles from a wafer, before being carried into a carrier or a wafer carried out of the carrier. <P>SOLUTION: The processing system for processing a substrate W comprises a processing section for processing the substrate W; a mount table 40 for mounting a storage vessel C for storing a plurality of substrates W; and a substrate carrier 60 for carrying the substrates W into or out of the storage vessel C via an opening 20 in the storage vessel C, while holding the substrates W in a nearly horizontal attitude. Then, a gas supply port 73 for supplying gas to the substrates W held by the substrate carrier 60 in a direction of going from the side of the opening 20 to the outside of the opening 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing system and a processing method for processing a substrate.

  For example, in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device such as an LSI, a processing system that performs various processes such as cleaning and heat treatment on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) on which the semiconductor device is formed is used. ing. In general, such a processing system includes a carrier mounting unit for mounting a carrier for storing a plurality of wafers arranged in a substantially horizontal manner, a processing unit having a substrate processing apparatus, a carrier mounting unit, and a processing unit. And a substrate transfer device for transferring the wafer between them, and the substrate transfer device holds the wafer in the carrier in a substantially horizontal posture and carries it out to the processing unit. Further, a wafer that has been subjected to a predetermined process in the processing unit is unloaded from the processing unit by the substrate transfer device and is stored in the carrier while being held in a substantially horizontal posture (for example, Patent Document 1). , 2).

JP 2003-273058 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-22674

  However, in the semiconductor device manufacturing process that will be further miniaturized in the future, contamination of the wafer due to particles falling on the upper surface of the wafer while returning the processed wafer from the processing unit to the carrier, or inside the carrier due to particles brought along with the wafer. It is required to reduce the contamination of In particular, in a processing system for cleaning a wafer, if the wafer is contaminated after the cleaning process, it causes a reduction in reliability of the cleaning process. In addition, when particles adhere to an unprocessed wafer carried out from the carrier, the particles are brought into the processing unit together with the wafer, and the cleanliness of the processing unit may be reduced.

  Another possible method is to prevent the particles from flying up and prevent the particles from adhering to the wafer by providing a FFU (fan filter unit) etc. in the substrate transfer section and forming a downflow. In many cases, it adheres due to electrostatic force and is difficult to blow off from the wafer.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a processing system and a processing method capable of effectively removing particles from a wafer before being carried into a carrier or a wafer carried out from a carrier.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention, there is provided a processing system for processing a substrate, comprising: a processing unit for processing a substrate; a mounting table for mounting a storage container for storing a plurality of substrates; A substrate transfer device that holds the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture and allows a substrate to be carried into and out of the storage container through the opening of the storage container, and the opening with respect to the substrate held by the substrate transfer device A processing system is provided in which a gas supply port for supplying gas in a direction from the side toward the outside of the opening is provided. Here, the storage container is, for example, a carrier. According to such a processing system, when the substrate is carried into and out of the storage container, particles adhering to the upper surface of the substrate can be blown off by the gas flow and removed.

  The gas supply ports may be provided on both sides of the opening in the width direction of the opening, or a plurality of the gas supply ports may be provided vertically. A plurality of the gas supply ports may be provided side by side in the width direction of the opening. Further, the gas supply port may be movable up and down relatively with respect to the opening. Further, the gas supply port may supply the gas in a downward direction from the opening side toward the outside.

  The gas may be an inert gas. The gas may be ionized.

  The gas supply direction may be variable. You may provide the 2nd gas supply port which supplies 2nd gas in the said storage container. A suction port for sucking the atmosphere in the storage container may be provided.

  Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for processing a substrate, wherein the substrate is subjected to a predetermined processing, the substrate subjected to the predetermined processing is held substantially horizontally, and is carried into a storage container through an opening. In this case, a processing method is provided, characterized in that a gas is supplied from the opening side toward the outside of the opening and the gas is supplied to the substrate held substantially horizontally.

  According to the present invention, there is also provided a method for processing a substrate, wherein the substrate stored in the storage container is held substantially horizontally, and when the substrate is carried out from the storage container through the opening, the substrate is opened from the opening side. A processing method characterized in that a gas is supplied toward the outside of the opening, the gas is supplied to the substrate held substantially horizontally, and a predetermined process is performed on the substrate carried out of the storage container. Is provided.

  The gas may be supplied from both sides of the opening in the width direction of the opening. Further, the gas supply port for supplying the gas may be adjusted so that the gas supply port is brought close to the upper surface of the substrate held substantially horizontally to supply the gas. The gas may be supplied in a downward direction from the opening side toward the outside.

  The gas may be an inert gas. The gas may be ionized.

  Furthermore, the gas supply direction may be changed. A step of supplying the second gas into the storage container may be included. Further, the atmosphere in the storage container may be sucked.

  According to the present invention, gas is supplied when a processed substrate is carried into a storage container, and a gas stream is formed along the upper surface of the substrate, so that particles adhere to the upper surface of the substrate. The particles can be removed by blowing off with a gas stream. Therefore, particles can be prevented from adhering to the substrate and brought into the storage container, the cleanliness in the storage container can be lowered, and the particles can adhere to the processed substrate stored in the storage container. Can be prevented. By supplying gas from the opening side toward the outside, it is possible to prevent particles from entering the storage container. In addition, by supplying a gas when the substrate before processing is carried out of the storage container and forming a gas flow along the upper surface of the substrate, even if particles are attached to the upper surface of the substrate, the particles are removed from the gas. Can be blown away. Therefore, it is possible to prevent particles from adhering to the substrate and being brought into the processing unit, and it is possible to prevent the cleanliness of the processing unit from being lowered.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described based on a processing system for performing a cleaning process on a wafer as an example of a substrate. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view along the XZ plane (substantially vertical plane) of the processing unit 3 described later. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing system 1 includes a loading / unloading unit 2 for loading / unloading a carrier C as a storage container from / to the processing system 1 from the outside, and a processing unit that performs a cleaning process on the wafer W. 3 is provided.

  The carry-in / out unit 2 is provided between the carrier mounting unit 10 and the processing unit 3, and a carrier mounting unit 10 that mounts a carrier C that is a container that can store a plurality of, for example, 25 wafers W. The substrate transport unit 12 is provided. The carrier placement unit 10, the substrate transfer unit 12, and the processing unit 3 are provided so as to be arranged in this order in the X-axis direction (substantially horizontal direction). The carrier placing unit 10 and the substrate transporting unit 12 are partitioned by a boundary wall 15 that is erected along the XZ plane.

  The wafer W has, for example, a substantially circular thin plate shape, and is loaded into the carrier mounting unit 10 from the outside of the processing system 1 in a state where a plurality of wafers are stored in the carrier C. As shown in FIG. 4, the carrier C includes a box-shaped carrier main body 21 whose one side (front surface in FIG. 4) is an opening 20 and a lid 22 that can seal the opening 20. . The opening 20 has a substantially rectangular shape, and the lid body 22 has a substantially rectangular plate shape that is substantially the same size as the opening 20. By inserting the lid 22 into the opening 20 and closing the opening 20, the internal space S of the carrier body 21 can be sealed. The lid body 22 is provided with a lock mechanism (not shown) for fixing the lid body 22 to the opening 20.

  The carrier body 21 is provided with a flange portion 23 formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape along the periphery of the opening 20. Slots 25 for holding the peripheral edge of the wafer W are formed on the inner side walls of the opposite side portions 21a, 21b (the left side portion and the right side portion as viewed from the opening 20 side in FIG. 4) across the internal space S. A plurality, for example, 25 pieces are provided. In each inner wall, each slot 25 is provided in a groove shape extending linearly from the opening 20 side toward the other side portion, and is provided in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval. . The wafer W is carried into and out of the internal space S through the opening 20, and the peripheral edge portion of the wafer W is inserted into and out of the pair of slots 25 provided on both inner side walls from the opening 20 side. The both sides of the wafer W are stored in the internal space S while being held by the pair of slots 25. Therefore, by inserting one wafer W into each slot 25, up to 25 wafers W are placed in the internal space S in parallel with a predetermined interval in a substantially parallel posture. Can be stored side by side.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the carrier mounting unit 10 has a predetermined number, for example, up to three carriers C arranged in a line in the Y-axis direction (substantially horizontal direction substantially perpendicular to the X-axis direction). A carrier mounting table 40 that can be mounted is provided. In addition, a predetermined number, for example, three gates 41 are provided in the boundary wall portion 15 side by side in the Y-axis direction. Each gate 41 communicates with the carrier mounting unit 10 side and the substrate transport unit 12 side, and is opened in a substantially rectangular shape that is slightly larger than the lid 22 of the carrier C and smaller than the flange 23. Yes. In such a configuration, each carrier C has the wafer W in the carrier C substantially horizontal and arranged vertically in the height direction (Z-axis direction, substantially vertical direction) of the opening 20 and the gate 41, and the flange portion. 23 is placed on the upper surface of the carrier mounting table 40 in a state in which 23 is in close contact with the side surface of the boundary wall portion 15 along the outer periphery of the gate 41. The lid 22 is arranged so as to face the inside of the gate 41.

  In addition, a shutter 42 that closes the gate 41 from the substrate transfer section 12 side is provided for each gate 41. Each shutter 42 has a box shape with one side opened, and the opening is formed slightly larger than the gate 41 as shown in FIG. The gate 41 is closed while the entire peripheral edge 42b of the opening is in close contact with the side surface of the boundary wall 15 (the surface on the substrate transport unit 12 side) along the outer periphery of the gate 41. . Each shutter 42 can move in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, respectively, by driving a shutter moving mechanism 43 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 5, a lid opening / closing mechanism 50 that opens and closes the lid 22 by switching between the locked state and the unlocked state of the lid 22 of the carrier C is provided inside each shutter 42. By opening and closing the opening 20 by holding the lid 22 by the lid opening / closing mechanism 50 and moving it in the X-axis direction, the opening 20 and the gate 41 can be communicated or blocked. Further, the lid body 22 is moved into the substrate transport section 12 through the gate 41, and the shutter 42, the lid body opening / closing mechanism 50 and the lid body 22 are moved integrally below the gate 41, whereby the opening 20, gate The wafer W can be moved between the internal space S of the carrier body 21 and the substrate transfer unit 12 via 41.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a substrate transfer device 60 for transferring the wafer W is disposed in the substrate transfer unit 12. The substrate transfer device 60 includes a main body 61 and a transfer arm 62 that can hold a single wafer W in a substantially horizontal posture. The main body 61 is configured to be horizontally movable in the Y-axis direction and vertically movable in the Z-axis direction, and is rotatable in the XY plane (θ direction). The transfer arm 62 has a substantially flat plate shape oriented substantially in the horizontal direction, and is supported above the main body 61 by the main body 61, and is slidable in the XY plane relative to the main body 61. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a distal end member 65 is provided on the distal end side of the upper surface of the transfer arm 62, and a step portion 66 lower than the distal end member 65 is provided along the proximal end side of the distal end member 65. . On the base end side of the upper surface of the transfer arm 62, a stepped portion 67 having substantially the same height as the stepped portion 66 is provided. The wafer W is held on the upper surface side of the transfer arm 62 in such a state that the two opposing portions of the peripheral edge of the lower surface are respectively placed on the step portions 66 and 67 and the end surface is in contact with the tip member 65. It has become. Further, the transfer arm 62 moves in the X-axis direction with the tip end side facing the gate 41 side, so that the carrier mounting is performed via each open gate 41 and the opening 20 of the carrier C as shown in FIG. The carrier main body 21 mounted on the mounting table 40 can move forward and backward with respect to the internal space S. Further, the transfer arm 62 can enter a gap between the wafers W accommodated in the internal space S, and can lift and hold the wafer W held at an arbitrary height from below.

  The substrate transport device 60 can access each gate 41 and each delivery unit 101A, 101B provided in the processing unit 3 described later by appropriately moving the main body 61 in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. The transfer arm 62 can be moved to the position. The wafer W held by the transfer arm 62 can be transferred from the carrier mounting unit 10 side to the processing unit 3 side, and conversely from the processing unit 3 side to the carrier mounting unit 10 side.

As shown in FIG. 2, a fan filter unit (FFU) 70 serving as a downflow supply device that supplies clean gas into the substrate transfer unit 12 is provided at the ceiling of the substrate transfer unit 12. . The gas supplied from the FFU 70 is, for example, an inert gas such as air or nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas. Although not shown, an exhaust path for exhausting the atmosphere in the substrate transfer unit 12 is connected to the bottom of the substrate transfer unit 12.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of gas supply mechanisms 71 </ b> A for supplying a gas flow to the wafer W carried into the carrier body 21 are provided on the left and right sides of each gate 41 and the shutter 42 in the substrate transfer unit 12. , 71B are provided.

  The gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B have substantially symmetrical structures with respect to the XZ plane. As shown in FIG. 8, the gas supply mechanisms 71 </ b> A and 71 </ b> B are provided side by side on a substantially cylindrical cylindrical body 72 erected with the length direction directed in the Z-axis direction and the outer peripheral surface of each cylindrical body 72. , For example, a plurality of nozzles 74 having gas supply ports 73 for discharging an inert gas such as nitrogen gas.

  The cylinders 72 of the gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B are provided on the left and right sides of the gate 41 when viewed from the substrate transfer device 60 side outside the opening 20 and the gate 41, respectively. The upper end of each cylinder 72 is closed, and a gas supply pipe 81 communicating with the internal space of the cylinder 72 is connected to the lower end of the cylinder 72. The gas supply pipe 81 is connected to a gas supply source 82 provided outside the substrate transfer unit 12. A gas supply path 83 for supplying the gas supplied from the gas supply source 82 to the gas supply port 73 is configured by the internal flow path of the gas supply pipe 81 and the internal space of the cylindrical body 72. The gas supply pipes 81 of the gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B are joined together and connected to a gas supply source 82, and an opening / closing valve 84 is interposed at the joining portion. The on-off valve 84 is opened and closed by a control command from the controller 85. When the on-off valve 84 is opened, gas is discharged from all the gas supply ports 73 of the gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B simultaneously through the gas supply paths 83 of the gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B. Yes. The gas supplied from the gas supply source 82 to each gas supply port 73 is an inert gas such as nitrogen gas and is sufficiently cleaned.

  Each gas supply port 73 has a substantially circular shape, for example, and opens at the tip of each nozzle 74. A plurality of, for example, 25 gas supply ports 73 are arranged in a straight line vertically along the Z-axis direction in the vicinity of both the left and right sides in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the opening 20 and the gate 41. , Are arranged at predetermined intervals. The interval between the gas supply ports 73 may be substantially the same as, for example, the interval between the slots 25 in the carrier body 21, that is, the interval between the wafers W housed in the carrier body 21.

  Further, each nozzle 74 and the gas supply port 73 are provided along a surface facing the outer side opposite to the opening 20 in a plan view, and the carrier main body 21 mounted on the carrier mounting portion 10 is provided. Gas is discharged in a direction from the opening 20 side toward the outside of the opening 20 (substrate transport unit 12 side). Each gas supply port 73 of the gas supply mechanism 71A provided on the left side of the gate 41 when viewed from the substrate transfer apparatus 60 side is located to the right and below as viewed from the substrate transfer apparatus 60 side as it goes from the opening 20 side to the outside. Each gas supply port 73 of the gas supply mechanism 71B provided on the right side of the gate 41 as viewed from the substrate transfer device 60 side is supplied with a gas in an inclined direction so as to face the substrate from the opening 20 side toward the outside. Gas is supplied in a direction inclined leftward and downward as viewed from the conveying device 60 side. In addition, the gas supply direction of each gas supply port 73 of the gas supply mechanism 71A and the gas supply direction of each gas supply port 73 of the gas supply mechanism 71B are substantially symmetric with respect to the XZ plane. It has become.

  The uppermost gas supply port 73 opens at a height slightly higher than the uppermost slot 25, and the lower gas supply ports 73 extend in the Z-axis direction. , The openings are formed so as to correspond to the heights between the slots 25 one by one. That is, from the gas supply port 73 above the wafer W, the wafer W inserted into the slot 25 at any height and the wafer W carried out from the slot 25 at any height. The arrangement is such that gas can be supplied. Furthermore, each gas supply port 73 of the gas supply mechanism 71A and each gas supply port 73 of the gas supply mechanism 71B are arranged in pairs at the same height. The gas supply port 73 of the gas supply mechanism 71A is connected to the wafer W inserted into the slot 25 at any height and to the wafer W carried out from the slot 25 at any height. One gas supply port 73 of the gas supply mechanism 71B is arranged close to each other at substantially the same height when viewed from the upper surface of the wafer W.

  In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 9, when the wafer W is held by the transfer arm 62 and loaded into the internal space S of the carrier C through the opening 20 and the gate 41, the gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B supply gas. When the gas is supplied from the opening 73, a gas flow from the opening 20 side to the outside is formed along the upper surface of the wafer W to be loaded outside the opening 20 and the gate 41. Thus, by supplying gas to the upper surface of the wafer W immediately before the opening 20 and the gate 41, particles are blown off from the upper surface of the wafer W to be removed, and the wafer W is stored in the internal space S in a clean state. be able to. The gas supply ports 73 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the opening 20 and the gas is supplied uniformly from both sides of the loaded wafer W, so that the gas can be easily supplied to the entire upper surface of the wafer W. Particles can be efficiently removed from the whole. Further, the flow rate of the gas supplied from each gas supply port 73 may be set to be faster than the flow rate of the down flow supplied from the FFU 70. By doing so, it is possible to push down the downflow by the gas flow and reliably form a lateral airflow along the upper surface of the wafer W.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the processing unit 3 includes a transfer unit group 92, a cleaning unit group 93, a heating / cooling unit group 94, and a control / utility around a main wafer transfer mechanism 91 disposed in the center. A unit group 95 is arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the main wafer transfer mechanism 91 includes three transfer arms 91a, 91b, 91c that hold the wafers W one by one in a substantially horizontal posture. These transfer arms 91a to 91c are selectively accessed to transfer units 101A and 101B, substrate cleaning units 110A to 110D, cooling unit 111, and heating units 112A to 112C, which will be described later, and wafers W are carried into and out of each unit. Can be done.

  The transfer unit group 92 is disposed between the substrate transfer unit 12 and the main wafer transfer mechanism 91, and the transfer units 101A and 101B are stacked in this order from the bottom.

  The cleaning unit group 93 is disposed on the left side of the main wafer transfer mechanism 91, and two substrate cleaning units 110A and 110B are arranged in the X-axis direction on the lower stage, and two substrate cleaning units on the upper stage. 110C and 110D are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction. Each of the substrate cleaning units 110 </ b> A to 110 </ b> D is configured to hold, for example, the wafer W substantially horizontally and supply the cleaning liquid to the upper surface of the wafer W for cleaning.

  The heating / cooling unit group 94 is disposed on the opposite side of the delivery unit group 92 with the main wafer transfer mechanism 91 interposed therebetween, and the cooling unit 111 and the heating units 112A, 112B, 112C are stacked in this order from the bottom. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control / utility unit group 95 includes an electrical unit 121 that is a power source of the processing system 1, a machine control unit 122 that controls operations of various devices in the processing system 1, and a substrate cleaning unit. A chemical solution storage unit 123 that stores a predetermined cleaning chemical solution to be fed to 110A to 110D is provided.

  On the ceiling of the processing unit 3, an FFU 170 for downflowing clean gas is disposed in the processing unit 3. The gas supplied from the FFU 170 is, for example, an inert gas such as air or nitrogen gas.

  Next, a processing process of the wafer W using the processing system 1 configured as described above will be described. First, a carrier C storing a plurality of wafers W not yet processed in the processing system 1 is transferred from the outside of the processing system 1 by a carrier transfer device (not shown) and mounted on the carrier mounting unit 10. The On the carrier mounting portion 10, a carrier C storing the unprocessed wafer W and an empty carrier C ′ for storing the processed wafer W are mounted. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the carrier C storing the unprocessed wafer W is placed on the leftmost and center placement positions on the carrier placement table 40. Further, the carrier C ′ for storing the processed wafer W is placed at the rightmost placement position.

  When the carrier C (C ′) is placed on the carrier placing table 40, the gate 41 corresponding to the carrier C (C ′) is kept closed from the substrate transport unit 12 side by the shutter 42. . Further, the carrier C (C ′) is in a state where the opening 20 is closed by the lid 22.

  One wafer W in the carrier C mounted on the carrier mounting table 40 is stored in each slot 25 and is stored in a state in which the opening 20 and the gate 41 are aligned in the height direction. . After the carrier C is placed, the lid 22 is removed from the opening 20 and the shutter moving mechanism 43 is driven to move the shutter 42, the lid opening / closing mechanism 50 and the lid 22 below the gate 41 as shown in FIG. Let

  Thus, when the opening 20 and the gate 41 are in communication with each other, the transfer arm 62 of the substrate transfer device 60 is passed through the gate 41 and the opening 20 to enter the internal space S of the carrier C, and the internal It is made to enter below the wafer W in the space S. When the transfer arm 62 is raised and a single wafer W is placed on the upper surface of the transfer arm 62 and held, the transfer arm 62 is retracted in the X-axis direction, and the peripheral edge of the wafer W is retracted in the slots 25 on both sides. While doing so, the wafer W is moved. In this way, one wafer W is extracted from the slot 25 by the substrate transfer device 60 and is transferred from the internal space S through the opening 20 and the gate 41.

  The wafer W unloaded from the carrier C is transferred by the substrate transfer device 60 in a substantially horizontal posture, transferred into the lower transfer unit 101A shown in FIG. 3, and taken out from the transfer unit 101A by the main wafer transfer mechanism 91. After that, it is transported to one of the substrate cleaning units 110A to 110D. Then, a cleaning process is performed in any of the substrate cleaning units 110A to 110D.

  After the cleaning process, the wafer W is unloaded from the substrate cleaning units 110A to 110D by the main wafer transfer mechanism 91, is loaded into any of the heating units 112A to 112C, and is dried by heating. Then, it is cooled by the cooling unit 111 as necessary.

  After completion of the drying process or the cooling process, the wafer W is unloaded from the heating unit 112A (112B, 112C) or the cooling unit 111 and transferred to the transfer unit 101B. Then, it is taken out from the delivery unit 101B by the transfer arm 62 of the substrate transfer device 60. Thus, the processed wafer W that has been subjected to the predetermined processing in the processing unit 3 is held on the upper surface of the transfer arm 62 in a substantially horizontal posture and transferred into the substrate transfer unit 12.

  In the substrate transfer unit 12, the wafer W is transferred in front of the right gate 41 corresponding to the position where the empty carrier C 'is placed. Here, the lid 22 of the carrier C ′ is removed from the opening 20 by the lid opening / closing mechanism 50, and is kept under the gate 41 together with the shutter 42 and the lid opening / closing mechanism 50. As shown in FIG. 9, the opening 20 of the carrier C 'and the gate 41 are in communication with each other. Further, gas is supplied from the gas supply ports 73 of the gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B.

  In this state, the transfer arm 62 holding the wafer W is moved in the X-axis direction from the front of the gate 41 toward the gate 41 so that the front end faces the gate 41 and passes through the gate 41 and the opening 20. Then, the carrier body 21 is made to enter the internal space S. The wafer W passes between the gas supply port 73 of the gas supply mechanism 71A and the gas supply port 73 of the gas supply mechanism 71B, and enters the gate 41 and the opening 20. While the wafer W held by the transfer arm 62 is horizontally moved and loaded into the carrier body 21, the wafer W is disposed on the upper surface of the wafer W outside the opening 20 and the gate 41 and left and right above the wafer W. The gas supplied from the supplied gas supply port 73 is supplied obliquely from above. The gas supplied to the upper surface of the wafer W flows outward along the upper surface of the wafer W, that is, in a direction opposite to the moving direction (loading direction) of the transfer arm 62 and the wafer W when viewed from the Y-axis direction. To go. In this way, a gas flow is formed on the upper surface of the wafer W being carried into the carrier main body 21, so that even if particles adhere to the upper surface of the wafer W, the particles are caused by a gas flow along the upper surface of the wafer W. It is blown off sideways and removed from the upper surface of the wafer W.

  In addition, even if particles fall from above the wafer W during loading into the carrier C ′ in the substrate transport unit 12, the particles are not allowed to adhere to the upper surface of the wafer W being loaded before the particles adhere to the upper surface of the wafer W being loaded. , The gas supplied from the gas supply port 73 is blown off by a horizontal air curtain-shaped air flow, and moves away from the position above the wafer W. Therefore, it is possible to prevent particles present in the atmosphere in the substrate transfer unit 12 from adhering to the upper surface of the wafer W during the transfer into the internal space S.

  Note that particles blown off from the upper surface of the wafer W, particles falling from above the wafer W, particles in the substrate transfer unit 12, etc. are in the direction opposite to the loading direction of the wafer W, that is, from the opening 20 to the outside. Therefore, there is no possibility of entering the internal space S through the opening 20. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent particles from entering the internal space S and adhering to the wafer W in the internal space S. Further, particles blown off from the upper surface of the wafer W, particles blown to a position off the upper side of the wafer W, and the like are dropped below the wafer W by the downflow supplied from the FFU 70 outside the wafer W. It is done. And it discharges from the board | substrate conveyance part 12 by the exhaust path which is not shown in figure. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent particles from adhering to the wafer W.

  Further, the gas supplied from the gas supply port 73 is an inert gas such as nitrogen gas, and the upper surface of the wafer W is covered with an inert gas stream to prevent the oxidizing atmosphere from contacting the upper surface of the wafer W. it can. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the generation of a natural oxide film on the upper surface (for example, the surface on which the semiconductor device is formed) of the wafer W being carried into the internal space S. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the quality of the wafer W from deteriorating.

  Thus, in the vicinity of the opening 22 and the gate 41, the transfer arm 62 is moved while blowing particles in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the wafer W by the gas supplied from the gas supply port 73, so that the peripheral edge of the wafer W is moved. The wafer W is carried into the internal space S while being moved along the slots 25 on both sides. When the wafer W is stored in the internal space S, the transfer arm 62 is lowered, separated from the lower surface of the wafer W, and the peripheral edge of the wafer W is transferred to the slots 25 on both sides. Then, the transfer arm 62 is retracted below the wafer W and returned into the substrate transfer unit 12 through the opening 20 and the gate 41.

  Even when the transfer arm 62 is withdrawn from the carrier body 21 after the wafer W has been transferred to the carrier body 21, if the gas is supplied from the gas supply port 73, the upper surface of the transfer arm 62 is inclined upward. By blowing the gas from the gas, even if particles adhere to the upper surface of the transfer arm 62, the particles can be blown off and removed. Even when particles fall from above the transfer arm 62 while leaving the carrier main body 21, before the particles adhere to the transfer arm 62, the particles are supplied from the gas supply port 73 above the transfer arm 62. Since it is blown away by the flow, it can be prevented from adhering to the upper surface of the transfer arm 62. Particles removed from the upper surface of the transfer arm 62 or particles falling from the upper side of the transfer arm 62 are blown away in a direction away from the opening 20 to the outside, so there is a possibility that the particles may enter the internal space S through the opening 20. There is no possibility of adhering to the wafer W in the internal space S.

  As described above, the unprocessed wafers W in the carrier C are transferred to the processing unit 3 one by one, and the processed wafers W are stored one by one in the carrier C ′. When 25 processed wafers W are accommodated in the internal space S of the carrier C ′, the opening 20 of the carrier C ′ is closed by the lid 22, and the lid opening / closing mechanism 50 is operated to be locked. Thereafter, the carrier C ′ is unloaded from the carrier mounting unit 10 by a carrier transfer device (not shown) and transferred to a processing system or the like in the next process. As described above, a series of steps in the processing system 1 is completed.

  According to the processing system 1, when the processed wafer W is carried into the internal space S of the carrier C ′, the wafer W is moved while forming a gas flow along the upper surface of the wafer W. As a result, even if particles adhere to the upper surface of the wafer W, the particles can be removed from the wafer W by being blown off by an air current. Further, it is possible to prevent particles from dropping and adhering to the upper surface of the wafer W being loaded into the internal space S. Therefore, it is possible to prevent particles from being brought into the internal space S of the carrier C ′ together with the wafer W, the cleanliness of the internal space S is reduced, and particles adhere to the processed wafer W in the internal space S. Thus, contamination of the wafer can be prevented. That is, the reliability of the cleaning process can be improved and the quality of the wafer W can be maintained high. The clean wafer W and the carrier C ′ with little particle adhesion can be transferred to the next process, and particles can be prevented from being brought into the system or the like of the next process, so that the process of the next process can be reliably performed.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. For example, in the above embodiment, when the processed wafer W is loaded into the carrier C ′, the gas is supplied to the upper surface of the loaded wafer W. Also when unloading W, gas is supplied from the gas supply port 73 and outside the opening 20 and the gate 41 from the opening 20 side to the outside of the opening 20 with respect to the upper surface of the wafer W held by the transfer arm 62. It is also possible to supply gas toward By doing so, particles adhering to the upper surface of the wafer W can be removed by the gas flow along the upper surface of the wafer W while the wafer W is being unloaded, and the amount of particles brought into the processing unit 3 together with the wafer W. Can be reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the cleanliness of the processing unit 3 from being lowered.

  Further, even when the transfer arm 62 enters the internal space S before the wafer W is taken out from the internal space S, if gas is supplied from the gas supply port 73, even if particles adhere to the upper surface of the transfer arm 62, The particles can be blown away, and when particles fall from above the transfer arm 62 while entering the internal space S, the particles are supplied from the gas supply port 73 above the transfer arm 62. Therefore, it is possible to prevent particles from adhering to the upper surface of the transfer arm 62. Then, the particles adhering to the transfer arm 62 can be prevented from being transferred from the transfer arm 62 to the wafer W by entering the internal space S in a state where the particles adhering to the transfer arm 62 are reduced.

  The gas supply from the gas supply ports 73 of the gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B may be performed only when the wafer W is loaded into and unloaded from the carrier C, and may be stopped except when the wafer W is loaded and unloaded. In addition to when the wafer W is carried into and out of the carrier C, the gas supply from each gas supply port 73 may be continued while the gate 41 and the opening 20 are open. By doing so, an air curtain is always formed on the outside of the gate 41 and the opening 20 by an air flow that goes downward as it is separated from the gate 41 and the opening 20. Particles can be prevented from entering the internal space S of the carrier C. Accordingly, the interior space S can be kept clean and particles can be prevented from adhering to the wafer W in the interior space S. Further, by preventing the atmosphere in the substrate transfer unit 12 from entering the internal space S of the carrier C, the oxidizing atmosphere in the substrate transfer unit 12 can be prevented from coming into contact with the wafer W. For example, when the internal space S of the carrier C is purged with an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas, the purged state can be maintained, so that generation of a natural oxide film proceeds in the internal space S. Can be prevented. Therefore, the quality deterioration of the wafer W can be prevented.

  In the above embodiment, the gas is supplied from all the gas supply ports 73 of the gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B all at once. However, depending on the position of the slot 25 in which the wafer W is stored or unloaded, The gas supply port 73 for supplying the gas may be selectively switched. For example, the gas may be supplied only from the gas supply port 73 disposed at the closest position above the position of the slot 25 where the wafer W is stored or unloaded. In this way, the gas supply flow rate can be reduced and the cost can be saved. Further, the supply flow rate of the gas supplied from each gas supply port 73 may be individually adjustable.

  The cylinder 72 of each gas supply mechanism 71A, 71B may be configured to be movable relative to the opening 20 and the gate 41. For example, when the opening 20 and the gate 41 are opened and closed by the lid 22 and the shutter 42, the cylinder 72 of each gas supply mechanism 71A, 71B is put on standby at a position separated from the shutter 42 and the gate 41, and the wafer W is held in the carrier body. When carrying in to 21 or carrying out from the carrier main body 21, the cylinder 72 of each gas supply mechanism 71A, 71B is brought close to the moving position of the wafer W, and the gas supplied from each gas supply port 73 is carried in. Or you may arrange | position so that it may contact the upper surface of the wafer W carried out easily.

  The supply direction of the gas supplied from the gas supply port 73 of each gas supply mechanism 71A, 71B may be variable. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the cylindrical body 72 is configured to be rotatable around the central axis in the Z-axis direction so that each nozzle 74 and the gas supply port 73 rotate integrally with the cylindrical body 72. good. Thereby, the gas supply direction from each gas supply port 73 in planar view can be changed. By doing so, the gas can be sprayed evenly over the entire top surface of the wafer W, and the particles adhering to the top surface can be suitably blown off.

  The arrangement of the gas supply ports 73 is not limited to a form in which a plurality of gas supply ports 73 are vertically arranged on both sides of the opening 20 outside the opening 20 and the gate 41. For example, a plurality of gas supply ports may be provided side by side along the width direction of the opening 20 and the gate 41, and the gas supply port may be configured to move up and down relative to the opening 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a gas supply mechanism 200 having gas supply ports arranged in the Y-axis direction is provided outside each gate 41 in place of the gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B described above. The gas supply mechanism 200 includes a substantially cylindrical cylinder 201 provided with the length direction directed in the Y-axis direction, and a cylinder lifting mechanism 202 that moves the cylinder 201 up and down in the Z-axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the cylinder 201 includes a nozzle 204 having a gas supply port 203 for discharging an inert gas such as nitrogen gas on the outer peripheral surface facing the outside opposite to the opening 20. A plurality of, for example, five, are arranged along the length direction of the body 201. Each gas supply port 203 has a substantially circular shape, for example, and opens at the tip of each nozzle 204. A plurality of gas supply ports 203 are arranged in the vicinity of the gate 41 so as to be aligned on the straight line along the width direction of the opening 20 and the gate 41, that is, to be aligned at the same height. Further, they are arranged at a predetermined interval. Each gas supply port 203 discharges gas in a direction from the opening 20 side of the carrier body 21 mounted on the carrier mounting unit 10 toward the outside of the opening 20 (substrate transport unit 12 side). In the plan view, the gas is discharged along the X-axis direction, and in the side view, the gas is discharged in a direction inclined downward from the opening 20 side toward the outside (toward the X-axis direction). Further, the gas supply ports 203 are arranged so as to be distributed over the entire width direction of the opening 20 and the gate 41, and the entire upper surface of the wafer W positioned below the gas supply port 203 outside the opening 20. Gas can be supplied evenly.

  The cylinder 201 is supported at the left end by a cylinder lifting mechanism 202 installed on the left side of the gate 41 and closed at the right end. A gas supply pipe 211 that communicates with the internal space of the cylinder 201 is connected to the left end. The gas supply pipe 211 is connected to a gas supply source 212 provided outside the substrate transfer unit 12. A gas supply path 213 through which the gas supplied from the gas supply source 212 circulates is configured by the internal flow path of the gas supply pipe 211 and the internal space of the cylindrical body 201. An open / close valve 214 is interposed in the gas supply pipe 211. The on-off valve 214 is opened and closed by a control command from the controller 215. When the on-off valve 214 is opened, gas is discharged from all the gas supply ports 203 simultaneously through the gas supply path 213. The gas supplied from each gas supply source 212 is an inert gas such as nitrogen gas, and is sufficiently cleaned.

  In such a configuration, the cylinder 201 is moved up and down by the operation of the cylinder lifting mechanism 202, so that each gas supply port 203 is moved up and down relative to the gate 41 and the opening 20, and the height of each gas supply port 203 is increased. Can be adjusted. As shown in FIG. 12, in a state where the opening 20 and the gate 41 are closed by the lid body 22 and the shutter 42, the cylinder body 201 and the nozzle 204 are placed in a standby position above the shutter 42 so as not to interfere with the shutter 42. And cannot be lowered. As shown in FIG. 13, when the lid body 22 and the shutter 42 are removed and lowered below the gate 41, the cylinder body 201 and the nozzle 204 can be lowered by the operation of the cylinder lifting mechanism 202. Each gas supply port 203 can be brought close to the upper surface of the wafer W loaded and unloaded. Thereby, the gas can be effectively supplied from above the wafer W to the wafer W inserted into the slot 25 of any height.

  In the above embodiment, the gas supplied from each of the gas supply ports 73 and 203 is an inert gas, but is not limited thereto, and may be air or the like, for example. Further, the gas supplied from the gas supply ports 73 and 203 may be ionized (charged). In this case, the particles can be neutralized by spraying ionized gas supplied from the gas supply ports 73 and 203 against the particles charged by static electricity. Accordingly, it becomes easy to remove particles adhering to the wafer W due to electrostatic force from the wafer W. For example, each nozzle 74 or 204 described above is provided with an ionization function for ionizing a gas, and the gas is ionized when passing through the nozzles 74 and 204 and then supplied from the gas supply port 73 or 203. Also good.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the gas is supplied from the gas supply port 72 (203) outside the opening 20 of the carrier C ′ (C) mounted on the carrier mounting table 40 has been described. You may provide the 2nd gas supply port which supplies gas to the internal space S of (C). For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the gas supply mechanism 71A and the second gas supply mechanism 221A described above are provided on the left side of the gate 41 outside the opening 20 and the gate 41, and the gas supply described above is provided on the right side of the gate 41. A mechanism 71B and a second gas supply mechanism 71B may be provided. In FIG. 14, each gas supply mechanism 221A, 221B is provided side by side on a substantially cylindrical cylindrical body 222 erected with its length direction directed in the Z-axis direction, and on the outer peripheral surface of each cylindrical body 222. And a plurality of nozzles 224 each having a gas supply port 223. The cylinders 222 of the gas supply mechanisms 221A and 221B are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the gate 41 as viewed from the substrate transfer apparatus 60 side. Also, on the gate 41 and the opening 20 side of the gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B, The gas supply mechanisms 71A and 71B are installed so as to be adjacent to each other along the cylinder 72. A gas supply pipe (not shown) is connected to the internal space of each cylinder 222. When gas is supplied through the gas supply pipe and the inside of the cylinder 222, all of the gas supply mechanisms 221A and 221B are all connected. The second gas is discharged from the gas supply port 223 all at once.

  Each gas supply port 223 has a substantially circular shape, for example, and opens at the tip of each nozzle 224. Further, a plurality of, for example, 26 gas supply ports 223 are arranged in a straight line in the vicinity of both the left and right sides of the opening 20 and the gate 41 and at a predetermined interval. Each nozzle 224 and the gas supply port 73 are provided along the surface of the cylindrical body 222 facing the gate 41 and the opening 20, and the direction from the outside of the gate 41 and the opening 20 toward the internal space S is substantially the same. It is oriented in the direction of supplying gas in the horizontal direction. The gas supply port 223 provided on the right side of the gate 41 when viewed from the substrate transfer apparatus 60 side is inclined to the left as viewed from the substrate transfer apparatus 60 side toward the internal space S side from the outside of the opening 20. To supply gas. The gas supply port 223 provided on the left side of the gate 41 when viewed from the substrate transfer apparatus 60 side is inclined to the right when viewed from the substrate transfer apparatus 60 side as it goes from the outside of the opening 20 toward the internal space S side. To supply gas. Note that the interval between the gas supply ports 223 arranged vertically is substantially the same as, for example, the interval between the slots 25 in the carrier body 21, that is, the interval between the wafers W accommodated in the carrier body 21. If it is good. The gas supply port 223 provided at the uppermost position supplies gas between the uppermost slot 21c and the slot 25 provided at the uppermost position in the carrier C ′ (C) mounted on the carrier mounting table 40. The gas supply ports 223 below the gas supply ports 223 are respectively directed to supply gas to the gaps between the wafers W accommodated in the slots 25, and the gas supply ports 223 provided at the lowermost positions are It is preferable to direct the gas supply between the slot 25 provided at the lowermost side and the side portion 21d. That is, gas can be supplied to the space above and below each wafer W to the wafer W inserted into the slot 25 of any height in the carrier C ′ (C) placed on the carrier placement table 40. It is preferable to arrange.

  In such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 15, the gas supply mechanisms 221 </ b> A and 221 </ b> B are stored in a state where a plurality of wafers W are housed in the internal space S of the carrier C ′ (C) placed on the carrier placing table 40. When the gas is supplied by the gas, the gas supplied from each gas supply port 223 flows into the internal space S through the opening 20 and the gate 41, and the wafer W stored above and the upper side of the carrier body 21 are supplied. It flows into the gap between the wafers 21c, between the wafers W, between the wafer W housed in the lowermost part and the lower part 21d of the carrier body 21. The gas supplied above and below each wafer W, for example, from the side of the opening 20 toward the back part 21e of the carrier C ′ (C) facing the opening 20 with the internal space S interposed therebetween, Flows along the bottom surface. In this way, by forming a lateral flow of gas along the upper and lower surfaces of each wafer W, even if particles adhere to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W, the particles are blown away by the gas and together with the gas. Washed away. Therefore, the wafer W in the internal space S can be cleaned. Further, since a gas flow along the inner surface of the carrier body 21 is also formed, particles adhering to the inner surface of the carrier body 21 are also blown away by the gas and removed. Therefore, the inner surface of the carrier body 21 can also be cleaned. In particular, since each gas supply port 223 is disposed at a height between the wafers W in the internal space S, the gas supply ports 223 are directed toward the gaps between the wafers W, and the gaps are respectively set. Gas can flow in. Therefore, gas can be supplied to both surfaces of each wafer W, and particles can be blown off suitably. Further, by pushing out the atmosphere in the internal space S to the outside of the opening 20 by the gas supplied from the gas supply port 223, the gaseous contaminants and particles accumulated in the internal space S together with the atmosphere in the internal space S are carrier. It is also possible to discharge the gas to the outside of C ′ (C), or to change the atmosphere in the internal space S to the atmosphere of the gas supplied from each gas supply port 223. In particular, if the gas supplied from the gas supply port 223 is an inert gas such as nitrogen gas, the interior space S can be brought into an inert gas atmosphere, and the wafer W accommodated in the interior space S can be brought into contact with the wafer W. It can prevent that an oxidizing atmosphere contacts. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the natural oxide film from being generated on the wafer W accommodated in the internal space S.

  The step of supplying the gas from the second gas supply port 223 to the internal space S in this way is performed, for example, after the carrier C is placed on the carrier mounting table 40 and the opening 20 and the gate 41 are opened, and then the carrier C May be performed before the unprocessed wafer W is unloaded from the wafer C, or after the processed wafer W is stored in the carrier C ′ and before the opening 20 of the carrier C ′ is closed. This timing may be performed, for example, before the wafer W is loaded into the carrier C ′. In this case, it is possible to clean the empty carrier main body 21 before the wafer W is carried in and prevent particles from being transferred to the carried wafer W. Further, such a process may be performed on an empty carrier C after the wafer W is unloaded, for example.

  The gas supplied from each gas supply port 223 may be ionized (charged). In this case, the particles can be neutralized by spraying a gas in an ionized state against the particles charged by static electricity. Therefore, particles adhering to the inner surface of the carrier body 21 and the wafer W in the internal space S due to electrostatic force can be easily removed from the inner surface of the carrier body 21 and the wafer W.

  Moreover, you may provide the suction port 230 which attracts | sucks the atmosphere of the internal space S of carrier C '(C) mounted on the carrier mounting base 40. FIG. In FIG. 15, the suction port 230 is provided at a position facing the opening 20 and the gate 41 in the substrate transport unit 12. In addition, the suction port 230 is opened at the tip of a suction nozzle 232 connected to a suction device 231 such as a pump or an ejector, and suction force is generated by the operation of the suction device 231 and is forced from the suction port 230. Suction is performed. In such a configuration, the atmosphere in the internal space S can be sucked by the suction port 230 with the opening 20 and the gate 41 being opened, and can be discharged from the internal space S through the opening 20 and the gate 41. Thereby, particles and gaseous contaminants in the internal space S can be sucked and removed by the suction port 230. In particular, in the step of supplying the second gas to the internal space S of the carrier C ′ (C), if suction is performed while supplying the gas from the gas supply port 223, particles and gas in the internal space S Pollutants can be discharged efficiently and reliably.

  In the above embodiment, the unprocessed wafer W is unloaded from the carriers C, C mounted on the leftmost side or the center, transferred to the processing unit 3, and processed wafers subjected to predetermined processing in the processing unit 3. W is carried into the carrier C ′ mounted on the rightmost side, but is not limited to this form, and the carriers C and C ′ can be mounted at arbitrary positions. Further, for example, the processed wafer W may be returned to the same carrier C as the carrier stored when the wafer W is loaded into the processing system 1.

  Moreover, the structure of the process part 3 is not limited to what performs the washing | cleaning shown in embodiment. The present invention can also be applied to a system that performs processing other than cleaning, such as film formation processing, on the wafer W.

  The substrate in the present invention is not limited to a silicon wafer, and may be any substrate, for example, a glass substrate for LCD, a photomask substrate, a CD substrate, or the like. Therefore, the shape of the substrate is not limited to a substantially disk shape, and may be any shape, for example, a substantially rectangular plate shape.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that it belongs to.

  The present invention can be applied to, for example, a processing system for processing a substrate and a substrate processing method.

It is a schematic plan view which shows the structure of the processing system concerning this Embodiment. It is a schematic side view explaining the structure of a processing system. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view explaining the structure of a process part. It is a schematic perspective view of a carrier. It is a schematic cross-sectional view explaining arrangement | positioning of the carrier and shutter with respect to a gate. It is a top view of a conveyance arm. It is a schematic side view explaining the structure and operation | movement of a conveyance arm. It is a schematic perspective view explaining the structure of a gas supply mechanism. It is the schematic side view which showed the flow of the gas supplied from a gas supply mechanism. It is a schematic cross-sectional view concerning embodiment which made the supply direction of the gas from a gas supply port variable. It is the schematic perspective view which showed the structure of the gas supply mechanism which has the gas supply port arranged in the horizontal direction. It is the schematic side view which showed the position of the gas supply mechanism in the state which obstruct | occluded the opening and gate of the carrier with the cover body and the shutter, respectively. It is the schematic side view which showed the flow of the gas supplied from the gas supply mechanism which has the gas supply port arranged in the horizontal direction. It is a schematic perspective view explaining embodiment provided with the 2nd gas supply mechanism. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view explaining embodiment provided with the 2nd gas supply mechanism and the suction port.

Explanation of symbols

C (C ′) Carrier S Internal space W Wafer 1 Processing system 3 Processing unit 20 Opening 21 Carrier body 25 Slot 41 Gate 60 Substrate transfer device 62 Transfer arm 71A, 71B Gas supply mechanism 72 Cylindrical body 73 Gas supply port

Claims (21)

A processing system for processing a substrate,
A processing unit for processing a substrate, a mounting table on which a storage container for storing a plurality of substrates is placed, a substrate is held in a substantially horizontal posture, and the inside of the storage container is opened through the opening of the storage container A substrate transfer device for loading and unloading the substrate,
A processing system comprising a gas supply port for supplying a gas in a direction from the opening side to the outside of the opening with respect to the substrate held by the substrate transfer device. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply ports are provided on both sides of the opening in the width direction of the opening. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the gas supply ports are provided side by side. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the gas supply ports are provided side by side in the width direction of the opening. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply port can be moved up and down relatively with respect to the opening. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply port supplies the gas in a downward direction as it goes outward from the opening side. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein the gas is an inert gas. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein the gas is ionized. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply direction is variable. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein a second gas supply port for supplying a second gas is provided in the storage container. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein a suction port for sucking the atmosphere in the storage container is provided. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
Apply predetermined processing to the substrate,
When the substrate subjected to the predetermined processing is held substantially horizontally and is carried into the storage container through the opening, gas is supplied from the opening side to the outside of the opening, and the substrate is held substantially horizontally. A processing method comprising supplying the gas to a substrate. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
The substrate stored in the storage container is held substantially horizontally, and when being carried out from the storage container through the opening, gas is supplied from the opening side toward the outside of the opening, and is held substantially horizontally. Supplying the gas to the substrate,
A processing method, wherein a predetermined process is performed on the substrate carried out of the container. The processing method according to claim 12, wherein the gas is supplied from both sides of the opening in a width direction of the opening. The height of a gas supply port for supplying the gas is adjusted, the gas supply port is brought close to an upper surface of the substrate held substantially horizontally, and the gas is supplied. Or the processing method of 13. The processing method according to claim 12, wherein the gas is supplied in a downward direction from the opening side toward the outside. The processing method according to claim 12, wherein the gas is an inert gas. The processing method according to claim 12, wherein the gas is ionized. The processing method according to claim 12, wherein a supply direction of the gas is changed. The processing method according to claim 12, further comprising a step of supplying a second gas into the storage container. 21. The processing method according to claim 12, wherein the atmosphere in the storage container is sucked.

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