TWI719751B - Substrate conveying device and substrate conveying system - Google Patents

Abstract

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a substrate conveying device and a substrate conveying system, which can achieve the same working efficiency as before even if the number of vacuum conveying robots is reduced by increasing the operation rate of each vacuum conveying robot. In order to solve this problem, the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention includes: a vacuum transfer chamber; a vacuum transfer robot installed inside the vacuum transfer chamber; and a transfer unit that makes the vacuum transfer robot relative to the vacuum transfer chamber Traveling; wherein, the vacuum transfer robot has a robot base supported on the transfer unit. The substrate conveying device further includes at least two substrate mounting tables, which are provided on the upper part of the robot base for temporarily placing substrates.

Description

Substrate conveying device and substrate conveying system

The present invention relates to a substrate conveying device and a substrate conveying system for conveying semiconductor wafers in a vacuum environment.

A substrate transfer system including: an atmospheric transfer module that performs substrate transfer in an atmospheric environment, a substrate transfer device (vacuum transfer module) that performs substrate transfer in a vacuum environment, and a connection between the substrate transfer device and the atmospheric transfer module Load lock room. As this substrate transfer device, in a vacuum transfer chamber, a plurality of vacuum transfer robots are installed corresponding to a plurality of process modules that perform various processes, and a substrate mounting table is separately installed between adjacent vacuum transfer robots. According to this substrate transfer system, the substrate is transferred from the atmospheric transfer module into the load lock chamber, and the substrate that has been transferred into the load lock chamber is transferred into the vacuum transfer chamber by the vacuum transfer robot. The substrates that have been transferred into the vacuum transfer chamber are transferred into the process module using the vacuum transfer robot. In the process module, for example, a vacuum transfer robot is used to temporarily place a substrate after a film formation process on a substrate mounting table and cool it (see Patent Document 1).

[Prior Technical Literature] (Patent Document) Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-79329

[The problem to be solved by the invention] The substrate transfer system of Patent Document 1 installs a plurality of vacuum transfer robots and a plurality of substrate mounting tables in a vacuum transfer chamber, but among the plurality of vacuum transfer robots, the vacuum is installed at a position farther away from the atmospheric transfer module The lower the operating rate of the transport robot becomes. In addition, in the substrate transfer system of Patent Document 1, the load lock chamber is provided between the vacuum transfer chamber and the atmospheric transfer module. therefore. In the substrate transfer system, the depth of the travel direction of the vacuum transfer robot becomes longer, so that the footprint of the entire system becomes larger (the overall length becomes longer).

The present invention has been completed in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a substrate transfer device with a high operating rate of a vacuum transfer robot and a substrate transfer system with a small footprint.

[Technical means to solve the problem] The substrate transfer device of the present invention includes: a vacuum transfer chamber; a vacuum transfer robot installed inside the vacuum transfer chamber; and a transfer unit that causes the vacuum transfer robot to move relative to the vacuum transfer chamber; wherein, The vacuum transfer robot has a robot base supported on the transfer unit; and the substrate transfer device further includes at least two substrate mounts, the substrate mounts being set on the upper part of the robot base for temporary placement Substrate.

In the substrate transfer device of the present invention, the transfer unit may also have: a guide mechanism which is provided on the inner wall of the housing of the vacuum transfer chamber and supports the robot base so as to be able to move freely; and, the transfer mechanism, It is connected to the aforementioned robot base supported by the guide mechanism.

In the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention, the guide mechanism may have a partition member that partitions the vacuum transfer chamber into two upper and lower spaces, and the vacuum transfer robot is arranged in the upper space. The transfer mechanism is arranged in the aforementioned space below.

In the substrate transfer device of the present invention, the transfer mechanism may be a horizontal multi-joint arm arranged in the lower space.

In the substrate transfer device of the present invention, the transfer mechanism may be a linear motion mechanism arranged in the space below.

The substrate transfer system of the present invention includes an atmospheric transfer module, a vacuum transfer module, and a load lock chamber provided between the atmospheric transfer module and the vacuum transfer module; wherein, the vacuum transfer module utilization request The substrate conveying device described in item 1 is constituted by the substrate conveying device and the atmospheric conveying module arranged in a T shape when viewed from above; the atmospheric conveying module and the substrate conveying device arranged in the T shape Each of the intersections is provided with load lock chambers. The load lock chambers respectively have openings for carrying in and out of the substrate on the surface connected to the atmospheric transfer module and the surface connected to the substrate transfer device. Part, and each of the aforementioned connected faces are adjacent.

[Effects of the invention] According to the substrate transfer device and the substrate transfer system of the present invention, the number of vacuum transfer robots can be reduced and the operation rate of the vacuum transfer robots can be improved, so as to reduce the cost of the substrate transfer device, and further obtain a substrate transfer system with a small footprint.

The embodiments of the substrate transport system and the substrate transport apparatus of the present invention will be described as follows. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the substrate transfer system 10 includes: an atmospheric transfer module 12; a vacuum transfer module (substrate transfer device) 15; a plurality of load lock chambers 17, 18; and, a plurality of process modules Group 21~26. The atmosphere transfer module 12 includes an atmosphere transfer chamber 31, an atmosphere transfer robot 32, and a guide transfer mechanism 33. The atmosphere transfer chamber 31 is formed, for example, as a rectangular housing in a plan view, and includes a first long side wall 31a, a second long side wall 31b, a first short side wall 31c, and a second short side wall 31d. The inside of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 is maintained in a clean atmospheric state. In the atmosphere transfer chamber 31, the atmosphere transfer robot 32 is supported by the guide transfer mechanism 33 so as to move freely. To the first long side wall 31a of the atmospheric transport module 12, a plurality of (three shown in the figure) loading ports 13 are connected. The number of loading ports can also be 2 or 4 or more.

The atmospheric transport robot 32 includes a robot base 35; a pair of arm units 36 and 37; and a pair of terminations 38 and 39. The robot base 35 is supported by the guide and transfer mechanism 33 so as to move freely. Thereby, inside the atmosphere transfer chamber 31, the atmosphere transfer robot 32 can move freely in the arrow A direction along the plurality of loading ports 13. The robot arms (a pair of arm units 36 and 37) are supported by the robot base 35 so as to be rotatable and liftable.

Among the pair of arm units 36 and 37, the first arm unit 36 is connected so as to be extendable and bendable, and a first terminator 38 is connected at the front end. The second arm unit 37, like the first arm unit 36, is connected so as to be extendable and bendable, and a second terminator 39 is connected to the front end.

The first terminator 38 and the second terminator 39 each have a semiconductor wafer (substrate) 40 mounted on the front end thereof. Hereinafter, the semiconductor wafer 40 is abbreviated as "wafer 40". In the state where the first arm unit 36 and the second arm unit 37 are bent (the state of FIG. 1), the second terminator 39 is arranged below the first terminator 38 so as to overlap in the vertical direction.

The guide transfer mechanism 33 is installed in the atmosphere transfer chamber 31. The robot base 35 of the atmospheric transport robot 32 is supported by the guide transfer mechanism 33 so as to move freely. The robot base 35 travels in the arrow A direction along the guide portion of the guide transfer mechanism 33 by the operation of the transfer mechanism that guides the transfer mechanism 33. As the guide transfer mechanism 33, a generally known linear motion mechanism can be used. The plurality of loading ports 13 are connected to the first long side wall 31 a in the housing of the atmosphere transfer chamber 31.

The loading port 13 is a device for opening and closing the lid of the FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) 41. The FOUP 41 is, for example, a container having a 25-stage wafer mounting bay, and is placed on the load port 13. The semiconductor wafer 40 is stored in any stage of the 25-stage wafer mounting bay. In addition, in this embodiment, an example in which 25 semiconductor wafers 40 are accommodated in the FOUP 41 is described, but the number of semiconductor wafers 40 accommodated in the FOUP 41 can be appropriately selected. By opening the cover of the FOUP 41 in the loading port 13, the atmospheric transport robot 32 can access the wafer 40 stored in the FOUP 41.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a vacuum transfer module (substrate transfer device) 15 is provided on the side of the second long side wall 31b of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31. The vacuum transfer module 15 includes: a vacuum transfer chamber 44; a vacuum transfer robot 45; a plurality of substrate mounting tables 46 and 47; and a transfer unit 48. The substrate mounting tables 46 and 47 are provided integrally with the vacuum transfer robot 45, for example, are provided on the upper part of the robot base 51. By driving the transfer unit 48, the substrate mounting tables 46 and 47 and the vacuum transfer robot 45 travel integrally. In this embodiment, the case where there are two substrate mounting tables 46 and 47 is used as an example for description, but there may be three or more. The vacuum transfer chamber 44 is formed, for example, as a rectangular housing in a plan view, and includes a first long side wall 44a, a second long side wall 44b, a first short side wall 44c, and a second short side wall 44d. In the atmospheric transfer chamber 31, the internal atmosphere can be switched to a vacuum state or an atmospheric state, but it is usually kept in a vacuum state. In the vacuum transfer chamber 44, the first short side wall 44c is connected to the center of the second long side wall 31b of the air transfer chamber 31 in the longitudinal direction (the arrow A direction in the first figure). The atmosphere transfer chamber 31 and the vacuum transfer chamber 44 are arranged in a T shape when viewed from above.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the vacuum transfer robot 45 includes a robot base 51; a pair of arm units 52 and 53; and a pair of terminations 54 and 55. Inside the vacuum transfer chamber 44, the robot base 51 is supported by a guide mechanism 57 (described later) of the transfer unit 48 so as to move freely. A pair of arm units 52 and 53 are provided on the upper part of the robot base 51 so as to be rotatable and liftable.

The pair of arm units 52 and 53 are constituted by a first arm unit 52 and a second arm unit 53 respectively. The first arm unit 52 is connected so as to be extendable and bendable, and a first terminator (wafer mounting hand) 54 is connected to the front end. The wafer 40 is placed on the front end portion (horizontal hand) 54 a of the first terminator 54. By extending the first arm unit 52, the front end 54a of the first terminator 54 advances toward the inside of the plurality of load lock chambers 17, 18 (refer to FIG. 1) or the plurality of process modules 21 to 26. On the other hand, by bending the first arm unit 52, the front end 54a of the first terminator 54 retreats toward the rotation center axis of the vacuum transfer robot 45.

The second arm unit 53, like the first arm unit 52, is connected so as to be extendable and bendable, and a second terminator 55 is connected to the front end. The second terminator 55 is arranged to overlap below the first terminator 54. The second terminator 55, like the first terminator 54, includes a front end portion (horizontal hand) 55a. The front end 55a is formed so that the wafer 40 can be mounted. By bending the second arm unit 53, the front end 55 a of the second terminator 55 retreats toward the rotation center axis of the vacuum transfer robot 45. On the other hand, by extending the second arm unit 53, the front end 55a of the second terminator 55 will face the plurality of load lock chambers 17, 18 (refer to Figure 1) or the plurality of process modules 21 to 26 Advance inside

It will be described that one of the two substrate mounting tables 46 and 47 provided on the upper portion 51 a of the robot base 51 is set as the first substrate mounting table 46, and the other is set as the second substrate mounting table 47. The first substrate mounting table 46 and the second substrate mounting table 47 are respectively formed in one or more stages, and are formed to temporarily place each of the front end 54a of the first terminator 54 and the front end 55a of the second terminator 55 Wafer 40.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the transfer unit 48 is connected (connected) to the robot base 51 of the vacuum transfer robot 45. The transfer unit 48 includes a guide mechanism 57 and a transfer mechanism 58. The guide mechanism 57 includes a pair of guide rails 61 and partition members 62. A pair of guide rails 61 are provided on the inner wall of the housing of the vacuum transfer chamber 44 (specifically, the inner wall surfaces of the first long side wall 44a and the second long side wall 44b), and support the robot base 51 as Feasible and free to move forward. Thereby, inside the vacuum transfer chamber 44, the vacuum transfer robot 45 travels along the pair of guide rails 61 and in the direction of arrow B (refer to Figure 1), and becomes capable of pairing a plurality of load lock chambers 17, 18 (refer to Figure 1) and a plurality of process modules 21 to 26 for access.

The partition member 62 is provided above the pair of guide rails 61. The partition member 62 is formed so as to partition the interior of the vacuum transfer chamber 44 into two spaces, an upper space 64 and a lower space 65. The vacuum transfer robot 45 is arranged in the upper space 64; the transfer mechanism 58 is arranged in the lower space 65. The transfer mechanism 58 is connected (connected) to the robot base 51, and the robot base 51 has been supported by the pair of guide rails 61 of the guide mechanism 57. The transfer mechanism 58 includes a horizontal multi-joint arm 67 and a drive source 68. The horizontal articulated arm 67 includes a first transfer arm 71 and a second transfer arm 72.

The base 71 a of the first transfer arm 71 is connected to the rotation shaft 68 a of the drive source 68. The base 72 a of the second transfer arm 72 is connected to the front end 71 b of the first transfer arm 71. The robot base 51 is connected to the front end 72 b of the second transfer arm 72. That is, the horizontal multi-joint arm 67 is configured to be extendable and bendable by the first transfer arm 71 and the second transfer arm 72.

By rotating the rotating shaft 68 a of the driving source 68 and extending and bending the horizontal articulated arm 67, the vacuum transfer robot 45 is guided by the pair of guide rails 61 and travels relative to the vacuum transfer chamber 44. In this way, the robot base 51 is installed in the guide mechanism 57 of the vacuum transfer chamber 44 so as to move freely, and the transfer mechanism 58 is connected (connected) to the robot base 51. Thereby, inside the vacuum transfer chamber 44, the robot base 51 can be moved in the arrow B direction (refer to FIG. 1) along the pair of guide rails 61 of the guide mechanism 57 by the transfer mechanism 58.

Here, consideration is given to the generation of dust caused by the movement of the transfer mechanism 58 or the guide mechanism 57 that restricts the travel of the robot base 51. Therefore, the vacuum transfer chamber 44 is partitioned into an upper space 64 and a lower space 65 by the partition member 62, the vacuum transfer robot 45 is arranged in the upper space 64, and the transfer mechanism 58 is arranged in the lower space 65 . Thereby, the generation and diffusion of dust in the upper space 64 can be suppressed, and the upper space 64 can be kept dust-free (clean), and the quality of the wafer 40 can be ensured. Here, it is preferable that the sliding contact part of the robot base 51 and the pair of guide rails 61 is provided in the space 65 below. In addition, the lower space 65 can also be evacuated with a lower vacuum degree than the upper space 64. With these, the dust generation accompanying sliding contact is extremely rare to diffuse into the upper space 64.

In this embodiment, the horizontal multi-joint arm 67 constitutes the transfer mechanism 58 as an example for description, but as another example, a conventional linear motion mechanism may be used in a dust-free environment, preferably in a vacuum environment. Form a transfer agency. The linear motion mechanism, like the horizontal multi-joint arm 67, is arranged in the space 65 below. Thereby, the generation of dust in the upper space 64 can be suppressed, the upper space 64 can be kept clean, and the quality of the wafer 40 can be ensured.

Returning to Figure 1, in this embodiment, the plurality of load lock chambers 17, 18 are not provided between the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 and the vacuum transfer chamber 44, but are provided in the atmosphere arranged in a T-shape. Each intersection in the transfer chamber 31 and the vacuum transfer chamber 44. Hereinafter, the load lock chamber on one side of the vacuum transfer chamber 44 among the plurality of load lock chambers 17 and 18 is set as the first load lock chamber 17, and the load lock chamber on the other side of the vacuum transfer chamber 44 is described. Set as the second load lock chamber 18.

The first load lock chamber 17 is connected to the second long side wall 31 b of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 and is connected to the first long side wall 44 a of the vacuum transfer chamber 44. That is, the first load lock chamber 17 is provided at the first intersection (intersection) 75 of the atmosphere transfer chamber 31 and the vacuum transfer chamber 44 that are arranged in a T shape. The second load lock chamber 18 is connected to the second long side wall 31 b of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 and is connected to the second long side wall 44 b of the vacuum transfer chamber 44. That is, the second load lock chamber 18 is provided at the second intersection (intersection) 76 of the air transfer chamber 31 and the vacuum transfer chamber 44 that have been arranged in a T shape.

In this way, the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 and the vacuum transfer chamber 44 are arranged in a T shape, the first load lock chamber 17 is provided at the first intersection 75 of each chamber 31, 44, and the second load lock chamber 18 is provided In the second intersection 76. That is, the first load lock chamber 17 and the second load lock chamber 18 are not provided in series between the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 and the vacuum transfer chamber 44.

Here, a general substrate transfer system includes, for example, a load lock chamber between the atmospheric transfer chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber. That is, the atmospheric transfer chamber, the load lock chamber, and the vacuum transfer chamber are arranged in series, so in the substrate transfer system, the device depth in the traveling direction of the vacuum transfer robot becomes longer. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 and the vacuum transfer chamber 44 are arranged in a T shape, the first load lock chamber 17 is provided at the first intersection 75, and the second load lock chamber 18 Set at the second intersection 76. Therefore, the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 and the vacuum transfer chamber 44 can be arranged close to each other. Therefore, the depth L1 of the device in the substrate transport system 10 can be shortened, and the coverage area (that is, the installation area) can be reduced.

The first load lock chamber 17 and the second load lock chamber 18 are arranged with respect to a vertical plane passing through the center line in the short side direction of the vacuum transfer chamber 44 (the direction orthogonal to the direction B in Figure 1) Mirror symmetry. Hereinafter, for the second load lock chamber 18, the same constituent members as those of the first load lock chamber 17 are marked with the same symbols, and a detailed description of the second load lock chamber 18 is omitted. The first load lock chamber 17 is provided with a frame body 81 which has a quadrangular shape which is a polygonal shape in a plan view. One or more stages of substrate mounting portions are provided inside the frame body 81. The wafer 40 is mounted on the substrate mounting part. The frame body 81 has a first surface 81a, a second surface 81b, a third surface 81c, and a fourth surface 81d. In the present embodiment, the frame body 81 is exemplified as a quadrangular shape in plan view, but the frame body 81 may be formed in other polygonal shapes.

The first surface 81a is a surface connected to the second long side wall 31b of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31. A first opening (opening) 83 is formed on the first surface 81a. The first opening 83 is an opening for carrying in and out the wafer 40 in the atmospheric transport module 12 and the wafer 40 in the first load lock chamber 17 by the atmospheric transport robot 32. The second surface 81b is a surface connected to the first long side wall 44a of the vacuum transfer chamber 44. A second opening (opening) 84 is formed on the second surface 81b. The second opening 84 is an opening for carrying in and out the wafer 40 in the vacuum transport module 15 and the wafer 40 in the first load lock chamber 17 by the vacuum transport robot 45.

The first surface 81a and the second surface 81b are arranged adjacent to each other. Among the adjacent first surface 81a and second surface 81b, the first opening 83 is provided on the first surface 81a, and the second opening 84 is provided on the second surface 81b. The reason why the first surface 81a and the second surface 81b are adjacent to each other and the first opening 83 is provided on the first surface 81a and the second opening 84 is provided on the second surface 81b will be described in detail later.

In addition, a plurality of process modules 21 to 26 are provided on the first long side wall 44a and the second long side wall 44b of the vacuum transfer chamber 44. Hereinafter, as a plurality of process modules 21 to 26, for example, the first process module 21 to the sixth process module 26 are taken as an example for description. As a plurality of process modules 21 to 26, in this embodiment, 6 process modules are used as an example for description, but the number is not limited to 6, and 4 or 8 can also be used as other examples.

The first process module 21 to the sixth process module 26 are devices for performing film formation processing on the surface of the wafer 40. Among the first process module 21 to the sixth process module 26, the first process module 21, the second process module 22, and the third process module 23 sequentially start from the side close to the first load lock chamber 17. It is provided on the first long side wall 44 a of the vacuum transfer chamber 44. In addition, among the first process module 21 to the sixth process module 26, the fourth process module 24, the fifth process module 25, and the sixth process module 26 are arranged from the side close to the second load lock chamber 18 The second long side wall 44b of the vacuum transfer chamber 44 is sequentially installed. The first process module 21, the second process module 22, the third process module 23 and the fourth process module 24, the fifth process module 21, the sixth process module 26, and the first load lock chamber 17 and The second load lock chamber 18 is similarly configured in mirror symmetry.

According to the substrate transfer system 10, the atmospheric transfer robot 32 takes out the wafer 40 stored in the FOUP 41 from the FOUP 41. In the substrate aligner (not shown) of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31, the crystal orientation position of the wafer 40 is aligned to a predetermined direction, and processing information of the wafer 40 and the like are detected. The wafer 40 that has been aligned and the processing information has been detected is carried into the first load lock chamber 17 by the atmospheric transport robot 32 through the first opening 83. The wafer 40 transferred into the first load lock chamber 17 is transferred into the vacuum transfer chamber 44 by the vacuum transfer robot 45 through the second opening 84.

Here, the adjacent first surface 81a and second surface 81b are provided with a first opening 83 and a second opening 84, respectively. Therefore, when the wafer 40 is carried into the first load lock chamber 17 from the first opening 83 on the side of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31, and the transferred wafer 40 is carried out from the second opening 84 on the side of the vacuum transfer chamber 44, the crystal The circle 40 is conveyed in an L shape. That is, the intersection angle between the loading direction of the wafer 40 from the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 to the load lock chamber 17 and the transfer direction of the wafer 40 from the first load lock chamber 17 to the vacuum transfer chamber 44 is 90∘ (right angle) . Thereby, when the vacuum transfer chamber 44 is connected to the first load lock chamber 17, the installation position of the vacuum transfer chamber 44 becomes as close to the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 side as possible. As a result, the gap (space) between the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 and the vacuum transfer chamber 44 becomes smaller, and the empty space becomes smaller. Therefore, the full length and depth of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 and the vacuum transfer chamber 44, that is, the coverage area becomes smaller, and as the coverage area becomes smaller, the housing (not shown) constituting the clean space can be correspondingly reduced.的量。 The volume. In addition, when the vacuum transfer robot 45 takes out the wafer from the first load lock chamber 17, the vacuum transfer robot 45 is rotated only by a rotation angle of 90 ∘, so that the vacuum transfer robot 45 can face the first load lock chamber 17. Here, in the previous load lock chamber, the aforementioned crossing angle is greater than 90∘, for example, 120 to 150∘. The rotation angle of the vacuum transfer robot 45 at this time is 120 to 150∘. That is, in this embodiment, the rotation angle of the vacuum transfer robot 45 can be made smaller than before. Therefore, as this rotation angle becomes smaller, the cycle time from the start of the rotation of the vacuum transfer robot 45 to the end of the rotation can be correspondingly shortened. Thereby, in the step of taking out the wafer 40 from the second opening 84 by the vacuum transfer robot 45 and carrying it into the vacuum transfer chamber 44, the cycle time can be shortened.

The wafer 40 held by the vacuum transfer robot 45 and transferred into the vacuum transfer chamber is moved by the transfer unit 48 together with the vacuum transfer robot 45, the first substrate mounting table 46 and the second substrate mounting table 47, and is arranged in It can be moved into the position of the first process module 21. After that, the wafer 40 is supplied to the first process module 21 by the vacuum transfer robot 45. In the first process module 21, for example, a film forming process is applied to the surface of the wafer 40. Before loading the wafer 40 toward the process module 21, the vacuum transport robot 45 is used to take out the pre-supplied wafer 40 that has been subjected to the previous film formation process, and temporarily place it on the first substrate mounting table 46 (or The second substrate mounting table 47). Then, during the film forming process this time, the transfer unit 48 causes the vacuum transfer robot 45 to travel again and place it in the other process modules 22 to 26, the first load lock chamber 17 or the second load Lock the position in front of the chamber 18. Thereafter, the wafer 40 of the first substrate mounting table 46 (or the second substrate mounting table 47) may be supplied to other process modules or the second load lock chamber 18, or it may be taken out from the first load lock chamber 17 New wafer 40. The wafer 40 supplied to other process modules is subjected to a new film forming process. The film-forming process of the wafer 40 may be repeated appropriately as needed, and two or more layers of film may be applied. Here, by temporarily placing the wafer 40 on the first substrate mounting table 46 (or the second substrate mounting table 47), for example, the wafer 40 that has become high temperature due to the heating of the film forming process is cooled. Therefore, the first substrate mounting table 46 (or the second substrate mounting table 47) can also be installed in two or more stages so that a plurality of wafers 40 can be temporarily placed.

The wafer 40 after all the film forming processes is applied is carried into the second load lock chamber 18 by, for example, a vacuum transfer robot 45. The wafer 40 that has been transferred into the second load lock chamber 18 is taken out from the second load lock chamber 18 into the atmosphere transfer chamber 31 by the atmospheric transfer robot 32 and stored in the FOUP 41.

Here, for example, a general substrate transfer device is provided inside the vacuum transfer chamber corresponding to the first and second process modules, the third and fourth process modules, and the fifth and sixth process modules. Plural (for example, 3) vacuum transfer robots, and plural (for example, 2) substrate mounting tables. Furthermore, each vacuum transfer robot performs the transfer of wafers via the substrate mounting table. At this time, the operation rate of the vacuum transfer robot is higher as the position closer to the load lock chamber is arranged, and the operation rate becomes lower as the position farther from the load lock chamber is arranged. That is, the cost-performance ratio of the vacuum transfer robot that is placed farther away from the load lock chamber is poor.

In the substrate transfer device 15 in this embodiment, a transfer unit 48 is provided inside the vacuum transfer chamber 44 to allow the vacuum transfer robot 45 and the first substrate mounting table 46 and the second substrate mounting table 47 to move freely. Thereby, the substrate transfer device 15 can reduce the number of vacuum transfer robots 45 by using one vacuum transfer robot 45, the first substrate mounting table 46, and the second substrate mounting table 47, and can correspond to the first vacuum transfer robot 45. The process module 21 to the sixth process module 26 can improve the operation rate of the vacuum transfer robot 45. In addition, the number of vacuum transfer robots 45 can be reduced to 1/3 of the previous number. Therefore, even if the cost increase caused by the transfer unit 48 is deducted, the device cost of the substrate transfer device 15 can be suppressed.

In addition, in a general substrate transfer device, the substrate mounting table is arranged between the vacuum transfer robot and the vacuum transfer robot. As a result, the total length and depth of the vacuum transfer chamber in the substrate transfer device are increased, and the volume of the vacuum space, that is, the vacuum transfer chamber, is increased corresponding to the increased amount. This leads to an increase in the time required for vacuuming of the vacuum transfer chamber, which is the main cause of the decrease in yield.

On the other hand, the substrate transfer device 15 in this embodiment has the vacuum transfer robot 45, the first substrate mounting table 46, and the second substrate mounting table 47 so as to move freely, so there is no need to move The substrate mounting table is arranged between the vacuum transfer robot and the vacuum transfer robot. As a result, the total length and depth of the vacuum transfer chamber in the substrate transfer device are shortened, and the volume of the vacuum space, that is, the vacuum transfer chamber, is reduced corresponding to the shortened amount. Thereby, the time required for vacuuming of the vacuum transfer chamber is shortened, and the yield becomes good.

As mentioned above, although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and the present invention also includes design changes to the extent that do not depart from the gist of the present invention.

10: Substrate transport system 12: Atmospheric transport module 13: loading port 15: Vacuum transfer module (substrate transfer device) 17: Load lock room (first load lock room) 18: Load lock room (second load lock room) 21~26: Process module 31: Atmospheric transfer room 31a: The first long side wall 31b: Second long side wall 31c: The first short side wall 31d: second short side wall 32: Atmospheric transport robot 33: Guiding transfer agencies 35: Robot base 36: Arm unit (first arm unit) 37: Arm unit (second arm unit) 38: Terminator (the first terminator) 39: Terminator (second terminator) 40: Substrate (wafer, semiconductor wafer) 41: FOUP (front opening wafer transfer box) 44: Vacuum transfer chamber 44a: The first long side wall 44b: The second long side wall 44c: The first short side wall 44d: second short side wall 45: Vacuum transfer robot 46: Substrate mounting table (first substrate mounting table) 47: Substrate mounting table (second substrate mounting table) 48: transfer unit 51: Robot base 51a: upper part 52: Arm unit (first arm unit) 53: Arm unit (second arm unit) 54: Terminator (the first terminator) 54a: Front end 55: Terminator (second terminator) 55a: Front end 57: Guidance Agency 58: transfer agency 61: Guide rail 62: Partitioning member 64: The space above 65: The space below 67: Horizontal multi-joint arm 68: drive source 68a: Rotation axis 71: First transfer arm 71a: base 71b: front end 72: second transfer arm 72a: base 72b: front end 75: Intersection (first intersection) 76: Intersection (second intersection) 81: Frame 81a: First side 81b: Second side 81c: Third side 81d: Fourth side 83: Opening (first opening) 84: Opening (second opening) A, B: arrow direction L1: Depth of the device

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a substrate transport system related to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the substrate transfer system related to the present invention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the substrate conveying device related to the present invention. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the vacuum transfer robot related to the present invention.

Domestic deposit information (please note in order of deposit institution, date and number) no

Foreign hosting information (please note in the order of hosting country, institution, date, and number) no

10: Substrate transport system

12: Atmospheric transport module

13: loading port

17: Load lock room (first load lock room)

18: Load lock room (second load lock room)

21~26: Process module

31: Atmospheric transfer room

31a: The first long side wall

31b: Second long side wall

31c: The first short side wall

31d: second short side wall

32: Atmospheric transport robot

33: Guiding transfer agencies

35: Robot base

36: Arm unit (first arm unit)

37: Arm unit (second arm unit)

38: Terminator (the first terminator)

39: Terminator (second terminator)

40: Substrate (wafer, semiconductor wafer)

41: FOUP

44: Vacuum transfer chamber

44a: The first long side wall

44b: The second long side wall

44c: The first short side wall

45: Vacuum transfer robot

46: Substrate mounting table (first substrate mounting table)

47: Substrate mounting table (second substrate mounting table)

48: transfer unit

75: Intersection (first intersection)

76: Intersection (second intersection)

81: Frame

81a: First side

81b: Second side

81c: Third side

81d: Fourth side

83: Opening (first opening)

84: Opening (second opening)

A, B: arrow direction

L1: Depth of the device

Claims (4)

A substrate transfer device includes: a vacuum transfer chamber; a vacuum transfer robot installed in the vacuum transfer chamber; and a transfer unit that causes the vacuum transfer robot to move relative to the vacuum transfer chamber; wherein, the vacuum transfer The robot has a robot base supported on the aforementioned transfer unit; and the substrate conveying device further includes at least two substrate mounts, the substrate mounts being set on the upper part of the robot base for temporarily placing substrates; wherein , The transfer unit has: a guide mechanism which is provided on the inner wall of the housing of the vacuum transfer chamber and supports the robot base so as to be able to move freely; and a transfer mechanism which is connected to the support supported by the guide mechanism The robot base; the guide mechanism has a partition member that partitions the vacuum transfer chamber into upper and lower spaces, and the vacuum transfer robot is arranged in the upper space, and the transfer mechanism is arranged in the lower In the space. The substrate transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer mechanism is a horizontal articulated arm arranged in the space below. The substrate transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer mechanism is a linear motion mechanism arranged in the space below. A substrate conveying system includes an atmospheric conveying module, a vacuum conveying module, and a load lock chamber provided between the atmospheric conveying module and the vacuum conveying module; wherein, the vacuum conveying module uses the request item 1 The above-mentioned substrate transfer device is configured, the substrate transfer device and the aforementioned atmospheric transfer module are arranged in a T-shape when viewed from above; at the intersection of the aforementioned atmospheric transfer module and the aforementioned substrate transfer device arranged in the T-shape , Each is provided with load lock chambers, the load lock chambers have openings for carrying in and out of the substrate on the surface connected to the atmospheric transfer module and the surface connected to the substrate transfer device, and The aforementioned connected faces are adjacent.

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